Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys... the only thing I have to say is that it's been an awfully long time since the last time I've uploaded a chapter. Nov. 6, 2021 was the last chapter. There aren't many excuses I can give other than to just explain that it has been a tough time for me mentally. Depression and a severe lack of motivation on top of Writer's Block has tremendously slowed down my progression of the story. For the foreseeable future I won't be able to fully control my inconsistent updating schedule, but I do promise to work on it so that I can write and update more consistently like I use to in my younger days.
It's been a while, but as a refresher from last chapter the Turquoise Cove mini arc is now over and we are now in the final arc of this story, the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. The last few chapters of the story will cover these events and then it will be a wrap for Part 2 of "The Savior" Saga. We will be moving into bigger and better things with the direct sequel to this story. I personally can't wait for it either. With Naruto finally leaving the oceanside town behind and returning Naho back to her family in the capital what new adventures and dangers await him and what will finally cause the circumstances that will lead to Sasuke abandoning the village? The final few chapters will all be very lengthy, and jam packed with action to close out the ending of this story, so I hope for the readers and fans of my story to stick around and find out.
As a side note it has been customary of me to upload a chapter on the day of my birthday every year, so I see no point in breaking that tradition now. Today's my birthday and I'm turning 25 Year's Old this year. It's been an interesting year so far with it's ups and downs and battles with my mind but I'm here once again entering the next year of my life. Hopefully more good things come for me in IRL and many more good things to come for the story.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 96
Beware the Beast…
Grogginess… a tired yet satisfying sleep was what Naruto was waking up from. His body was well rested, and the pains and vigor of battle was a thing of the distant pass. After leaving Turquoise Cove and the drama behind for greener pastures and the familiar dense forestry of the Land of Fire the Uzumaki family returned to Asakusa, the capital of the country to deliver Naho back to the royal family safe and sound. As to be expected Naruto found himself with his ear being talked off for nearly three full hours by the Fire Daimyō himself who oh so conveniently had heard of the incident that unfortunately unfolded in the Land of Hot Water. The water works and the overbearing doting that he showered his daughter with would have warmed Naruto's heart if he didn't have a tainted suspicion in the back of his mind that the Fire Daimyō didn't have some part to play in knowing just what kind of danger his daughter could be walking into.
Of course, he didn't have full proof of this accusation and suspicion brewing in the back of his mind, but the cynical part of Naruto's mind wouldn't put it past the crafty leader of his country. Getting to speak with the crown prince Ikkyū Madoka was of a more pleasant experience as the older brother of Naho expressed real distress and concern for his precious baby sister who immediately clung to her older brother like a Koala Bear to a tree. It was endearing and sweet to see the sibling love and bond that the two shared. Ikkyū extended genuine gratitude and thanks towards Naruto before engaging both him and Hinata in a stimulating conversation that even extended into the shinobi arts and the underworld itself.
The prince was a well learned individual with an intelligence that at this point didn't surprise Naruto in the least given the staggering intelligence of the princess whose intuition and ability to pay hyper attention to detail was more than what a civilian born girl of her age should be capable of, even the average shinobi born and trained child of her age who would be academy students at this point wouldn't have the same mental disposition as Naho. In the conversation to follow Naruto finally got the confirmation he was looking for when Ikkyū confirmed to him that he was well acquainted with Mr. Dino the Mafioso and Boss of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia of the Hidden Leaf. The prince had many dealings with the old dragon who is a family friend of the royal family. The prince was granted honorary membership to the organization and was privy to a lot of the inner most information of the higher ups. His intelligence and position of power has granted their organization an unprecedented sphere of influence and extended reach to all corners of the Land of Fire which is partially the reason why their organization is regarded as the most powerful of the five great families.
The conversation turned into a pleasant experience for the two boys who got to bond over a common topic and interest and the prince was pleasantly surprised to see Hinata being able to keep up with the nuances of their conversation despite the fact that she herself wasn't a member of the organization. Bringing in Henrietta to the mix and the group of children went on for nearly 4 hours straight of fun conversations and laughs amongst the group with Naho listening in to the parts that her brother and Naruto approved for her to hear, meanwhile for the rest of it she found herself being entertained by the large group of Naruto's children who were allowed to relax in the luxurious ambiance of the royal palace and Ikkyū's private chambers which was an entire wing of the building all to itself.
It was honestly some of the most fun Naruto's ever had in such a peaceful setting. It reminded him of the fun times and conversations he would have with Shikamaru, Chōji, and Kiba when they would skip classes back in the academy to goof off around town. Back then Naruto's feelings for Hinata weren't as apparent even if they were still best friends and closer together than to their other friends. Kiba himself hadn't yet developed his own crush on Hinata either even if the group of boys could all agree that the Hyūga Heiress was one of the most attractive and prettiest girls in their class. The relationship between the boys was rock solid without any of the later tension that would develop between Naruto and Kiba in their final year of the academy and as such they would slack off and enjoy hours of fun and games. It was fond memories that would forever be locked away within Naruto's mind to treasure and hold onto and now once more he felt like he'd found another kindred spirit to add to his inner circle of friends to treasure.
In a twist that none of them saw coming the conversation even moved towards romance and talking about relationships as Naruto discovered that the prince wasn't currently engaged to anyone or seeing anyone at the moment. He too has pushed off political and arranged marriages just like his younger sister, so he was very inexperienced in the field of romance. He didn't want his love life or that of his younger sister's to be carelessly manipulated and toyed with by the adults in his life for the sake of simple political convenience and business. Ikkyū had a bevy of both innocent and intelligent questions alike that he levied towards his new friends about the complexities of shinobi dating other shinobi verses the more stable dating world of civilians. It was a conversation with many embarrassing points of interest for the two royal siblings to hear as Naruto and Hinata were more than willing to answer their questions with their own experiences.
It also had the unintended side effect of causing the young princess to pay extra attention to Naruto which was something none of the older children in the conversation missed, especially her older brother. As it turned out the prince himself was interested in finding himself a girl to have a good relationship with and even possibly marry on his own accord to get his meddling father off his back and upon hearing this Naruto was more than happy to give the older boy who was quickly becoming one of his best friends some much needed positive advice. Of course, Naruto upon hearing of the prince's tastes in girls had a potential candidate in mind who was a girl that was near and dear to his heart for many years now, but he decided to keep her name and identity close to his chest until the future.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as Naruto and company eventually had to leave the capital behind to return to the Hidden Leaf. It was a bittersweet farewell as far as Naruto was concerned as Naho didn't make it any easier on his heart to say goodbye who began to cry once it was time for the Uzumaki family to leave. Ikkyū could see just how much Naruto was coming to mean to his younger sister and her feelings for him that clearly went beyond the friendship Naruto was trying to establish for them was plainly evident. Deep in Ikkyū's heart he already approved of his new young friend who proved to be one of the nicest and most genuine people he's ever had the pleasure of interacting with. He was much different than the friends Ikkyū normally talked to who were all heirs to prominent noble families across the country or royal princes and princesses of Daimyō's from other major countries. There was no expectation of being unduly uptight and keeping with proper noble etiquette and only conversing on topics of their status. It was a freeing and liberating conversation that he managed to have with the young Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan. Secretly he also managed to test and evaluate Naruto's character and was pleasantly satisfied with what he found out about the boy. Ikkyū approved of a potential future relationship between his younger sister and Naruto. In a few years, their age difference wouldn't be a factor once they were older, and he knew that Naruto would grow into a powerful shinobi capable of protecting his precious younger sister. He could already see the chemistry and care the two had for each other. Now all he was concerned about was keeping his father from meddling and destroying the relationship Naruto had with Hinata. It wasn't uncommon for nobles or individuals of exceptionally high status to seek multiple wives or concubines.
As the Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan, which was a title of high nobility and royalty back when the clan was still prospering it made the young blond haired Chūnin royalty on par with the highest-ranking nobles and even lower tiered Daimyō's. It also made him more than eligible for taking on multiple spouses without anyone being able to legally raise a fuss and the fact that he was the last official male Uzumaki of the clan known to the public who was aligned to the Leaf also entitled him to legislation and law statutes that would allow him to perform Clan Restoration duties to repopulate the once royal clan. So, if Naruto genuinely wanted to marry both Hinata and his younger sister Naho, then Prince Ikkyū had no problems with it. It would allow for everyone to be happy in the long run as he had no intentions or malicious inclinations to break up what was obviously a young couple madly in love with each other who have known each other most of their short lives. It would be cruel to do otherwise, and it was why Ikkyū already had a differing opinion compared to his father when he first met his new friends months ago at Tsunade's inauguration as the Fifth Hokage.
In the parting of ways of these new friends it came as no surprise to Ikkyū when his little sister took a bold step forward and kissed Naruto on the cheek before they left. The princess had an embarrassed blush on her face, but it was buried beneath a façade of fear as she felt that she may have overstepped the social bounds between them, especially with Hinata standing right there. However, her fears were put to rest as Hinata didn't display any outbursts of jealousy towards the younger girl. The two of them have bonded over the course of their not so safe and peaceful vacation and the Hyūga Heiress could tell just what was happening inside the young royal princess's heart, it was the exact same thing that had happened to her over the past few years. She was genuinely falling in love with Naruto and deep down Hinata didn't have it in her to crush a young child's heart. She wouldn't have wanted that to happen to her in her pursuit of her beloved partner and so she wouldn't do so to such a sweet child who genuinely had Naruto's best interest at heart without any ulterior motives. Hinata reassured Naho of any fears she may have had while also whispering encouraging words into the young girl's ears away from the prying watch of the boys.
Hinata couldn't stop the love train that was pushing forward in Naruto's complicated love life, but she also made it truly clear that she was at the front of the pack for any who would oppose her. She was pleasantly satisfied to see a beautiful fire burn in Naho's eyes upon this declaration. She wouldn't lose to a girl younger than her, nor would she allow that girl's father to meddle in her relationship with Naruto even if that person just so happened to be the Fire Daimyō himself. Hinata had no intention of giving up on Naruto when the ultimatum of Saitou's declaration comes in a few years. She wasn't going to be engaged to the heir of the Taketori Clan nor anyone else, but she also gladly welcomed the young princess to pursue her own relationship with Naruto on her own accord as long as she wasn't being sabotaged or negatively influenced with by her troublesome father. It was at this point that Hinata knew she couldn't keep Naruto all to herself in a single relationship… in fact she wasn't even in a single relationship with him currently as even now she was also dating Eva as well since the two blonds are bonded together so Hinata made peace with the complex nature of Naruto's love life a while ago.
In the end Naruto promised the young princess and even the prince himself that he would keep in constant contact with the siblings with him writing and sending them a letter at the very least once a month with him potentially throwing in a random second message for Naho at any time without notice. He understood that Naho would abide by their earlier conversation back at the resort to maintain a healthy friendship between them as she was sorely lacking in positive role models and friends in her age range to interact with but deep down, he also understood that a girl's heart was stubborn and headstrong. She couldn't shake the crush she had on him and with time it would inevitably grow into a genuine love that would rival the pure love Hinata and the others had for him. If that was to be their fate, then he wouldn't cruelly crush her feelings or deny her. What was to be would be at that point, he would just make sure to protect her feelings and move their relationship along in a more appropriate and safe manner in respect to her current immature and innocent age, he wouldn't lead her on, but he would also protect her innocence for as long as possible.
The Hidden Leaf Village / Naruto's Apartment Complex
Waking up with a yawn Naruto popped his back and shoulders to hear that satisfying crackle of his bones and joints falling into place. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips as he felt a weight on his chest that subconsciously brought a warm smile of pure love and contentment to his lips. Looking down at his chest he found a mop of dark navy-blue hair splayed out across his chest with the gentle rise and fall of this person's chest pushing against his own. It was Hinata herself under his covers and just remembering how this sequence of events came to be... brought a scarlet blush to Naruto's face, but it didn't take away from his enjoyment or diminish that feeling in anyway.
It's been two weeks since his family's return from Turquoise Cove and the whole fiasco that transpired. True to her word Tsunade ensured that Naruto's name was taken off from the Active-Duty Roster allowing him all the necessary time to heal, relax, and recuperate his mind, body, and soul from all the back-to-back missions, incidents, life and death battles, and mental trauma's that has been inflicted upon his struggling psyche for the past several months. This time has truly been a necessity that even he didn't think would work, yet the results were showing in his more upbeat and positive demeanor and the knowledge that he didn't have to keep his guard up or be burdened too the expectations that at any minute he would be called away from his family into the Hokage Administration Office for an impromptu mission.
Over the course of these past two weeks Naruto has gotten to do the things he's promised he would do for a long while now. Spending time with all of his children without interruption was a dream come true for the young patriarch of the Uzumaki family. Teaching all of his children the joys of actually being children and spending one on one time with them individually either by himself or with the use of his Shadow Clones were some of the best memories he's made in the past year. From teaching Ai how to swim better and getting more used to her mermaid heritage to getting Moegi to open up to him more was a weight lifted from his chest as the emotionally compromised little girl really latched onto his warmth over these past few days and has really flourished more than he originally thought as he's even caught a few bright and beautiful smiles coming from the olive-green girl.
In retrospect, coming off of the incident that occurred at the resort really shook Naruto and Shoko's sense of safety and so they spent an entire day redesigning and implementing multilayer Fūinjutsu barriers and security seals to the entire apartment complex from the basement all the way to the roof with a large group of Naruto's shadow clones helping this endeavor go by faster by taking turns in waves applying layer after layer of security formulas and sealing arrays that would later go on to connect to a larger sealing array matrix that would cover the entire complex in several redundancy safety nets. They didn't want to even entertain the thought of anyone being able to sneak their way into their home undetected to sabotage or outright booby trap their own home right beneath their noses. The safety and very lives of everyone in the family, especially the vulnerable and semi-defenseless children were at stake.
Of course, this incident was reported to the Hokage and emphasized during the debriefing to occur. Tsunade was understandably distressed to learn of this turn of events which only compounded and added to the list of stressors bearing down on the rookie Hokage who was finally settling down into a familiarized routine as the leader of the most powerful shinobi village on the continent. The Slug Queen of course felt a familiarity with the tactics employed by their mysterious unknown third party which was a sentiment shared between the teacher and student during the meeting and one shared by the Toad Sage himself who was also present that day in her office. The elder shinobi in the office had inklings of suspicion on who could have been responsible for this intrusion, but they all knew there would be no evidence left behind and no way of substantiating their assumptions or accusations, so they held their tongue on the matter, but it didn't dissuade Jiraiya himself from stopping by Naruto's apartment to also help with the upgraded security defenses.
In this time Naruto also took it upon himself to sit down with the adults in his life to clear the air regarding the knowledge of his parents. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shoko were all glad to find common ground with the boy that each individually meant the world to them, so it ended up becoming a lighthearted conversation that finally dissipated any lingering resentment or anger on Naruto's part. At the end of the day Naruto always knew it was the right decision to keep any and all information regarding his heritage to his parents a secret, even from him. With him being the only child and heir to two of the Hidden Leaf's Legendary Titans made him one of the most valuable commodities and targets in the entire world in the post Third World War era, especially with his status as a Jinchūriki and unknown to the entire world at large besides him, his status of being in possession of Iris and Chaos. He knew the right call was made back then by the adults of the time but deep down in his heart it did nothing to comfort him in his early childhood on particularly difficult and cold nights when the knowledge of knowing his parents and knowing he was loved would have been his salvation and savior from his suffering and isolation. In the end, that suffering was where the main root of Naruto's anger and resentment came from towards the adults in the room with him. However, a heartfelt reconciliation with them was just what Naruto never knew he needed as their bond grew exponentially after their talk.
Fast forward to today and Naruto grinned at the fact that he has been able to go on several real dates with Hinata since their return from the Land of Hot Water, otherwise known as the Land of Hot Springs. The bond between the two lovestruck teens were blooming into something beautiful and it was plain to see for everyone who would witness them out and about over the past few days as Naruto was determined to milk his actual vacation time for all that it was worth which culminated in the events of today where the previous day Naruto was invited to lunch by Hinata at a tranquil and quiet low cost back street restaurant that didn't hold any undo prejudices and biases against Naruto as it was her time to ask her boyfriend on a date which he gracefully accepted, as it turns out they weren't alone as Hiashi Hyūga himself was also present at the insistence of his daughter who wanted the two most important men in her life to continue to foster a positive relationship with each other. Both their approvals and happiness meant the world to her so despite the nervousness that Naruto felt at attending this lunch things went off without a hitch, his nerves were spared from any unpleasant interruptions or negative discord like with what had happened at the dinner gathering at the Hyūga Manor before Naruto's and Hinata's first date together.
Things went perfectly fine until Hinata sprung the most unexpected bomb on them that she would like to spend the night at Naruto's apartment. Shoko and Anko would both be out of the house on that day as the Titan had a new S – Rank mission that would take her out of the village for at most a week tops, and Anko herself had to attend to intelligence meetings and at least two torture sessions of recently brought in prisoners from a team of Jōnin's latest mission that ended in the recovery of high value targets.
This knowledge didn't particularly sit well with Hiashi but at the same time he knew his daughter would never ask him such a bold request without taking into consideration her reputation and standing. He would hold her accountable for her own actions and expect her to hold herself to a higher standard so the fact that she asked this herself meant that he knew he could trust her to behave herself and exercise proper behavior while in the company of her boyfriend without adult supervision. The fact that he knew of their prior history and propensity to sharing tents and beds in the past during their many missions together allayed some of his fatherly concerns. He trusted Naruto to not make any untoward advances upon his daughter that would sully her reputation if word were to get out, but he also knew of their deep seeded committed feelings towards each other. Hormones affect shinobi differently compared to civilian people. A shinobi's hormones are exponentially increased due to the presence of active chakra in their bodies that they exercise and grow the capacity of overtime and during their teenage years it was especially difficult for them to control, it was actually partially the reason why many young shinobi got cut down or assassinated in their youth as more experienced older shinobi would use their vulnerability and hormones against them to seduce their targets and kill them or take advantage of them when their guard was down.
He's personally seen them expressing more intimate gazes and contact between each other that has gotten physical but at the end of the day Hiashi chose to believe in the integrity of both his daughter and her boyfriend. He chose to believe in Naruto's honor and integrity which he knew was passed down to him from his parents even if he himself didn't know so. He gave them his approval but not before both first giving Naruto a Byakugan enhanced glare that froze the young boy to his chair and nearly caused the food he was eating to get stuck in his throat and forcing his daughter to agree to having Naruto brought over to the Hyūga Compound first thing in the morning for a shared family breakfast. However, neither child was bold enough to point out the obvious fact that this tactic would also double as allowing Hiashi to check on his daughter's physical wellbeing to ensure nothing too intimate happened the night before and that she had remained "pure".
Luckily Hiashi had nothing to worry about in terms of his daughter losing her innocence or anything of that extreme. Hinata had used the excuse of wanting to help Naruto in his nightly routine and spending time with their shared surrogate children which wasn't a lie at all as the young couple spent time with all the children in a day of fun and bliss after the lunch date which was fond memories that all of the kids would remember for years to come.
It was also the first time Naruto and Hinata took a bath together and saw each other naked. After giving the children one large group bath which was quickly becoming a staple within the family the young couple commandeered the bathroom to themselves for the next thirty minutes. Taking a shower in privacy the young couple shared an experience that they never thought about before, being a respectful gentlemen Naruto's hands never ventured to far south, but he was pleasantly blown away by the fact that Hinata shyly allowed him to briefly message a feel of her very developed breast as he cleaned off her front torso. The same courtesy was extended towards Hinata in exchange as she got to lavish attention on his bare chest as well and a surprising amount of the rest of his exposed skin. It was a tentative, experimental, highly intimate, and endearing moment between the two romantic partners as they mutually tested the boundaries of their relationship in a safe manner while exploring each other's bodies. They never dared go further than soft brief touches with each other's consent and they respected each other's private genitals areas, but the sheer arousal was impossible to hide on each of their bodies.
In the end the two came out of the shower still as pure as when they went in but the experience itself was forever branded into their memory. It was the farthest they've ever gone in pushing the boundaries of their relationship in any of its aspects and the brief but extremely intense make out session that they also had in addition to the light tentative touching in the shower would be something that they would forever refer back too in the years to come but one thing they both could agree upon as they intimately helped dress each other and tend to their hygiene upon getting out of the shower was the fact that they were now closer than they've ever been in all six and a half years of knowing each other. Despite the massive amount of embarrassment and arousal coursing through their bodies the warm and pure smile of joy and the gazes of affection that they continuously flashed each other with was all the proof that they needed to know that they were both emotionally ok with their actions and the events that had transpired and that this was a positive step forward in their relationship.
It made finally sleeping directly within each other's arms on the bed that night a cake walk in comparison to anything else. It turned into one of the best sleeps of Naruto's life and now waking up to his partner in crime resting on his chest was definitely up there as possibly the greatest morning of his life as well.
"Good morning beautiful." This predictable and cheesy opening line was all that was needed to cause a gruff unlady like snort of amusement to reverberate from Hinata's chest breaking the illusion that she was trying to maintain of her still being asleep. The ruby red stained cheeks of her face were all the indicator Naruto needed to see to know that Hinata had been up for some time but was too embarrassed and comfortable to move or alert him that she was awake. She was probably basking in the serenity of waking up within the arms of her boyfriend on his bed for the first time. Everytime they've shared a bed or sleeping arrangement before they've always been separated by a barrier of bodies in the form of Iris, Chaos, and now more recently the rest of their children. Of course, Iris and Chaos were there on the small, cramped bed with them as the two celestial beings couldn't physically be very far from Naruto's body; especially when asleep as their powers and magical capacity grows the most overnight leaving their bodies temporarily unstable until the morning hence why Hinata was laying on top of her boyfriend's chest instead of the bed itself as what little space was left was occupied by the twins who were tangled up in a ball of their limbs wrapped around each other drawing in their combined warmth to one other.
"Good morning my love." Hinata giggled in delight as her lilac-colored eyes zeroed in on her boyfriend's whose very analytical eyes followed her every movement with affection twinkling behind his crystal blue eyes. There was much that the young couple wanted to say to each other at that very moment, yet no words would come to them as they simply gazed into each other's eyes. They would have continued to the early afternoon if not for the needed interruption of Eva who couldn't contain the laughter ready to burst from her gut. A splash of water in both Chūnin's faces was enough to break the trance they found themselves in.
"Are you two going to stare at each other all day or are we going to get the day started? Remember we're having breakfast at your place Hinata." Evangeline reminded in a sing song tone of voice as the joy the young couple was experiencing was chronic and contagious as the young Winter Fairy was also experiencing a burst of bliss from the sheer happiness of yesterday's events. She herself got to indulge herself for a fleeting period of time in the couple's daring and intimate play time in the shower which was more than enough to influence her more demonic instincts. Things could have taken a more extreme and permanent turn for the young couple if Eva hadn't excused herself from the equation as her instincts were starting to transfer over to Naruto and affect his mind. Their shared connection was truly a blessing and a curse at times like these.
Chuckling nervously, Naruto and Hinata both agreed it was time to start the day as they began by waking up the twins who they would need to tend to first so as to prevent Chaos from going on her routine rampage. "I never really expected you to want to push things so far Hinata… I can't help but feel like something else was bothering you." Naruto conversed as they helped the twins brush their teeth and tend to their hygiene while pampering them. The couple was also taking this time to tend to their own needs as well to make the time pass by quicker… they would need all of their energy to tackle the six other children in need of their care who were all still sleeping in a room below them.
A weary look crossed Hinata's eyes in that moment as she knew her boyfriend's intuition wouldn't fail him in this instance. He's so entuned with her emotions and natural state of mind that he could easily pick up when something was wrong. It didn't take more than a moment for the heiress to come clean as she revealed that she was feeling ever so slightly jealous and challenged by the new romantic interests entering his life. She already had a tender and mutual alliance with Henrietta and Aria regarding their feelings for him and Eva's feelings regarding their relationship were already sorted out a long time ago as she was currently dating the little winter fairy as well. It took some time and it originally started out as a joke but somewhere along the line Hinata began to take Eva's feelings seriously since she knew at the end of the day that she was intrinsically connected to Naruto's life to the point where the two blonds affectionately referred to each other as their other half.
Hinata was content with the status quo of her weird love life with her boyfriend and closest female friends, but she couldn't help but notice the sheer number of females that were either infatuated with him or more seriously interested in her boyfriend. The ones she was most threatened by were of course Kurotsuchi, Shion, and now to a small certain extent Yugito. She was also aware of the sheer affection and demeanor in which Karin and Fū shared with him due to both girls viewing the blond-haired Shī-ō as their savior and friend. With Karin being an Uzumaki and Naruto's only known relative and Fū being a fellow Jinchūriki in much the same way as Yugito, Hinata could see why each of these girls would become infatuated with Naruto. With Naho she could see that the little girl was genuinely developing pure and honest feelings of actual love for her first friend which reminded Hinata way too much of her own circumstances with the beginning of her own relationship with her boyfriend which was one of the many reasons why she wasn't opposed to the young princess's entrance into Naruto's life… provided a couple more years passed by between the two of course.
However, the implied pressure and threat from these new females was ever present which led to Hinata's current actions which inevitably served to push the young couple further together. Entering the conversation Eva summed it up completely that Hinata was marking her territory and trying to advance her position within Naruto's life. It was already set in stone that they would not be having a single one on one relationship and that a polyamorous ending was the most likely outcome, but these extra girls that she didn't approve of were coming out of the woodworks in recent months. It was only a matter of time before Hinata either exploded or took bold measures to ensure her place within her boyfriend's heart.
Silently Naruto agreed with this analysis as he could tell that this was a move that was highly out of the ordinary for Hinata to pull as she was far more conservative and restrained than he was in intimate matters unless they were having a more emotional outburst between themselves, much like with what had happened upon first reaching the resort town. Deep down Naruto felt flattered that Hinata would take such bold steps with him to further advanced their relationship and cement herself further into the center of his life, but on the other hand he did feel concern and guilt at letting the extenuating situation surrounding his love life spiral out into the current status it was in now. Silently he vowed to do better and focus his attention on their relationship and the core aspects of the ones in their inner circle.
Soon after, Naruto and his family found themselves in the illustrious walls of the Hyūga Manor once again for an informal family breakfast as per the agreement between Hinata and her father who did his best to be accommodating towards the large family of children within his home. Foreseeing a chance to avoid any potential conflict Hiashi excluded any of the other main branch members from the gathering that morning including his parents to ensure that Hayate Hyūga didn't come into conflict with Naruto once more. This notion was noticed immediately by Naruto, and he was internally incredibly grateful to the powerful clan head for this simple act of forethought as he didn't want to be dragged into another potential incident with Hinata's grandfather. The first dinner they had together almost ended in disaster if not for Hiashi's intervention at the time.
The breakfast went off without a hitch as the two clan heads one far younger and inexperienced than the other, were able to enjoy a pleasant conversation once again, although this time without the added pressure of a fatherly interrogation thankfully to Naruto's internal sigh of relief. Joining them that morning was Hanabi Hyūga and Neji Hyūga as to be expected and the younger sister of Hinata was ecstatic to have her best friends over at her house once more while Neji was once more content and satisfied in getting to speak with Naruto once again, their friendship was steadily improving as time went on. Serving the different assortments of plates was a small squad of maids with Natsu Hyūga taking up the lead supplying everyone at the table with their food, as Hanabi's personal bodyguard and attendant the green haired beauty was also paying extra attention to the youngest Hyūga at the table, but the firecracker was understandably distracted by the overwhelming tale her older sister and her boyfriend were telling the family.
Hiashi experienced an enormous range of emotions over the course of the meal upon hearing of many of the more detailed descriptions of the events to transpire during the vacation to Turquoise Cove. Of particular note he was most concerned about the mysterious shinobi who were present during the incident, the presence of the Hidden Cloud Shinobi, and of the hidden glimpse into the Black Sun's nefarious resources that was responsible for summoning such a powerful sea monster.
To know that Naruto and Hinata faced off against such odds caused an uncomfortable spasm of worry and fear to snake its way inside his body and constrict itself around his heart. His daughter could have been killed several times during that battle or worst if Team 3 had truly malicious intent and somehow, as unlikely as it could ever be with Shoko present managed to kidnap Hinata and run with her. Any such scenario gripped Hiashi's heart with an ice-cold grip that subtly had him shifting in his seat during the breakfast conversation and between the two young Chūnin neither of them failed to notice this minute gesture from the normally stoic and infallible Hyūga Clan Leader.
On a more positive note, Hiashi was also pleased with the notion of knowing just how powerful his daughter was becoming if she was able to disable a massive dragon head and fight off a powerful criminal Chūnin and an estranged Hidden Cloud Genin at the same time was a feat of superiority that stroked the inner Hyūga ego within Hiashi like a match to a flame. The pride he felt for his daughter easily dispatching Atsui put a smile on his face that he wasn't fast enough to restrain once the conversation reached that point. He couldn't help the biasness in his heart regarding the Hidden Cloud Village and the tumultuous relationship that was shared between their two villages and his clan in specific.
"Hinata, it would seem that the mutation your Byakugan underwent has only caused you to become more and more powerful as time goes on. I'm relieved to see you were able to overcome such perilous hardships during that incident and I'm also proud of the developments you've made." It was small and highly out of practice, but a small genuine smile found its way onto Hiashi's face as deep down he was overjoyed at the fact his eldest daughter was following in the footsteps of her late mother who by this age was starting to make a name for herself along with the future Legendary Titan's as she started to display her unique and rare light based abilities that no other active shinobi to date had ever demonstrated.
A gasp was the only sound to escape Hinata's lips as she stared at her father who up until recently had never started to drop compliments her way in such grandeur and sincerity. Even Hanabi was never graced with this openness and positivity, and she was the one being groomed for the longest time by the elder council and her father to eventually usurp her position as official clan heiress; and of course, Neji himself could never receive such open praise being a young boy born into the branch family.
To say that Hinata was flattered would be a vast understatement, elated or touched by her father's kindness was an apt description to say the least as it showed in the beautiful smile that she displayed back. Flickering a quick glance over to Iris sitting next to Hanabi the bashful heiress preened beneath her father's attention. "Thank you, father. I've done everything I can to reach this level and adapt to these new powers. I've even learned the Shadow Clone technique from Naruto to better compliment everything I've learned so far. But what are your thoughts on these mysterious shinobi who can camouflage themselves against the Byakugan? Do you have a solution for them?" It was a legitimate question to ask and one Hiashi wished he had answers to but unfortunately, he didn't. He also didn't miss the quick look his daughter gave towards the poised and elegant daughter of Naruto either, or now he supposed it would be more apt to define such a descriptor as "their" daughter even though the father in him wasn't ready for his eldest to be acting in the capacity of a mother so early in her life.
Hiashi had truly little experience dealing with any opponent capable of shrouding themselves from the all-seeing eyes of the Byakugan in all his years as a shinobi. It was nearly unheard of and never so effectively as to be able to then use sabotage and subterfuge against a powerful Byakugan user like his daughter whose eyes were quickly on the rise within the clan to being the most powerful of the family, even approaching the visual acuity of his seasoned eyes which was unheard of and highly doubted by the naysayers in the clan against her. To trick her eyes for even a few minutes was extremely concerning to Hiashi as both a father and as the clan head to the entire Hyūga Clan.
A sigh escaped Hiashi's mouth that was filled with anxiety. "I wish I had the answers to your questions Hinata, but unfortunately, I do not. I have never come across an enemy capable of completely shrouding themselves from the Byakugan for such an extended period of time. Of course, there have been tools and weapons developed over the years during the wars by our enemies, particularly the Hidden Cloud to circumvent our defenses and incapacitate us during battle such as their flash bang pellets developed during the Third Shinobi World War but their affects while debilitating and harmful to us it isn't something that is self-sustaining and subtle. I understand that you described to me that you had tunnel vision due to the more immediate threat posed to you by the danger these young children were in and that you eventually noticed an anomaly in your vicinity but the fact that you weren't able to detect even the slightest disturbance until you were practically focusing down that specific location with all of your intent is incredibly concerning. New security measures will have to be implemented in the near future to help protect the compound and its inhabitants from such subterfuge." Hiashi sternly lamented as the hand holding his cup of tea tightened ever so slightly in both conviction and conservation.
He would not allow such an obvious and glaring security threat to loom over the heads of his family members. If his father were here in the room right now, he knew the elder Hyūga would flip and lose his composure upon hearing such disconcerting information, more so that it was his own granddaughter who encountered such a thing. Although, Hiashi knew his father would for a time harp on and focus more on the negative of this situation and the fact that Hinata failed to act upon the shinobi responsible. He would actively antagonize her and focus on any apparent wrong doings or shortcomings the young girl would have presented instead of the more glaring issue, and sadly it disgusted Hiashi to admit that just a year earlier, even less time than that he would have also sided with his own father's ideology and antagonistic behaviors and would have ridiculed his own daughter as well. Luckily, he was changing but it didn't make him forget his shameful past. Now with his eyes open and a fresh perspective brought on to him by his daughter's boyfriend he could better see the positive sides of his daughter and her beautiful traits.
"Lord Hiashi… I may be of some help to you if you want." Naruto offered up in a gentle but firm tone that caught the father's attention and brought him out of his melancholy. "Earlier in the week I brought this matter to the attention of the Hokage. With the help of Shoko and pervy- I mean Jiraiya we spent the day reorganizing and upgrading the security sealing matrixes guarding my apartment building. With your permission I could do the same to the Hyūga Compound with a bunch of my Shadow Clones. I know it doesn't solve the problem of these unknown ninja hiding from your Dōjutsu but at the very least it can help minimize the physical threat of them breaking into the compound and it might put your family members at ease and calm their anxiety once you break the news to them about this new threat." Naruto offered with a sincere smile of generosity towards the elder clan leader.
For the briefest moments Naruto swore he saw a sparkle of powerful emotions flicker across the stoic face of the indominable Hyūga Clan leader, but the spectacle was gone before even his very sharp and street-smart eyes could catch it. However, the sentiment was there as gratitude and surprise was a much more common emotion that he was easily able to discern once Hiashi composed himself. Neji himself had a look of pure shock on his face that he didn't even try to hide at the generosity and kindness of his mutual friend who he was becoming more acquainted with.
'This boy, he truly is his parents' child. This is exactly the kind of behavior that both Minato and Kushina exhibited in life to those around them including me back in the day. In fact, the current defensive sealing measures implemented around the compound were courtesy of them from before their deaths. Let's see what their son is capable of now.' Hiashi's thoughts took him back to slightly better times when his teammates were still alive, and he and his fiancé would come over to the Hyūga compound to hang out with him and his wife Yume. Minato and Kushina had worked their magic and upgraded their compounds defenses since the war was still raging at the time, it was also a promising idea as he had recently married Yume in a more political leaning arrangement as the dangers of the war could take either of them out before they could successfully produce an heir, so Hayate pushed for their marriage at a younger age before they were ready. Hiashi was already older, and Yume wasn't particularly ready for such a task barely being a few years older than Hinata currently is now but in the end due to her personality and nature she didn't distress to much over having this free will and choice taken from her, instead she recanted that it was most likely fate working its machinations for them.
Remembering his wife always brought a stinging pain to his heart that felt just as fresh as it did in the early months following her death. Time hasn't healed this wound and he didn't help matters by abusing his two daughters in the years to follow her death. Shaking himself free from such thoughts Hiashi produced a rare small as it was smile towards Naruto that had the young boy momentarily caught off guard at such a visage of rarity. "I would be honored to have an actual Uzumaki grace my compound with their artistry once more. I know you are a novice just starting out with your ancestor's craft, but Fūinjutsu is in your blood. I'm sure your work will be more than satisfactory to suit our current needs."
To say that Naruto was honored and flattered at such grandiose praise would be an understatement of the century. Now he knew what Hinata must have felt minutes earlier after receiving such words from her father. He knew they were as rare as catching a red moon in the night sky.
Time flew by after this as the rest of the breakfast went by without incident as Natsu Hyūga and the other maids in attendance cleaned the table from all the plates needed to fill the large group of children. The atmosphere was pleasantly peaceful for the time being before Naruto and Hinata inevitably started to flirt with each other in the presence of her father which while mortifying also stoked the flames of their competitive side which ultimately resulted in the young happy couple to engage in a full contact shinobi sparring match in one of the compounds many courtyard sparring centers. The fight to ensue was tantalizing and filled with the obvious tension of love and maybe even a little more between the two teenagers much to Hiashi's annoyance and uncertainty but despite this fact the leader couldn't deny the spectacle unfolding before his very eyes. His daughter and her boyfriend were competing at a level most experienced Chūnin with years of experience under their belt could only ever hope to dream of. The likes of Izumo and Kotetsu veteran Chūnin squad leaders and the ever-eternal gate guardians of the main gate would be overly impressed at the display of coordination between the two rookies, especially since those two men were one of the most powerful and well-known duos in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
His daughter undoubtedly impressed him that morning as she was able to go toe to toe with her powerful front-line combat-oriented boyfriend and match his every move perfectly. Her power was undeniable and was enough to even pressure Naruto into taking her with the utmost seriousness which only increased once he managed to talk Neji into joining into the foray which turned the young couples dance into a chaotic cacophony of dancing death between highly competent martial artists that for the briefest of moments gave Hiashi pause. This spectacle only served to entertain the entire group of children watching the events unfold and unfortunately this commotion also drew the attention of most of the clan members attending to their early morning duties. This even drew in the eyes of his parents Hayate and Hirata Hyūga who remained in the background during the demonstration.
Of course, Hayate would make his presence known after the spar takes a turn in its momentum favoring Naruto which ultimately caused the spar to come to an unfavorable end. It wouldn't be for much longer before Naruto would have to leave do to needing to attend to other responsibilities for the day, but he wouldn't leave before upholding his end of the bargain by leaving behind a horde of shadow clones to help with the upgrades to the compound's security Fūinjutsu arrays.
(Later that Night) Entertainment District / Monte Carlo Casino (8:50 PM)
A familiar feeling of the hustle and bustle of the busy casino floor was a comfort that Naruto hadn't realized he missed as he hasn't worked a night shift at his second profession in months due to being away for the Land of Snow mission and all of the difficulties to come about before and after since.
Mingling with the wealthy couples and flamboyant parties was like donning a second skin to Naruto as he slipped between the crowds like a chameleon intertwining himself into everyone's conversations and lives with the social skills of a master of his craft. His boyish youth, handsome features, and suave ability to read the room and atmosphere of each social circle he mingled within was why he was a massive hit with the patrons who were regulars of the mafia's establishment. In particular, he was a mainstay in the hearts of the older woman and younger alike who flocked to him for the chance of making him their personal attendant of the night. The flirting skills and silver tongue of sweet talking the female patrons into the favor of becoming regulars of the establishment or even coaxing them into spending more money was a skill that Naruto has reverse engineered into his private life with getting better at communicating with Hinata and the other females of his life.
As of now he found himself in the company of a stunningly beautiful young girl barely over 18 who was at this point eating out of the palm of his hands. The many dates he's been on with Hinata in just the past two weeks have dramatically increased his usual confidence in his craft to the point that he was practically overkilling the sell he was trying to make on this girl wrapped up in his arms. She was a young entrepreneur and artist to a new wave of famous and well painted portrait pictures making their rounds on the fancy upper echelons of the artistry market. Her work was truly exceptional, and Naruto knew for a fact that if they could commission her work for the business or even help auction off pieces of her work while reaping in the benefits from royalty fees or commissioned fines then it would be a positive boost for the entire mafia family as a whole. To have this mark in their back pocket would satisfy the higher ups including his boss Dino himself who was a connoisseur of fine art just as much as he was one of his beloved teas.
It also helped that with her youth and social influences on the masses she could serve as an unknowing spy and source of information for the massive international spy network which curated sources from all social classes and levels of society. Many of which were willing and knowing participants while many more were unknowing of just who was benefiting from their knowledge and social graces. As it so happened, this girl's youth was her undoing as she was naïve and unconcerned with her social influence on her generation. She listened raptly to all of Naruto's honey covered words and walked herself into signing an exclusive 10-year contract with the casino who would act as her sponsors and help her pick up her career and expand into even more expensive and illustrious markets. The fact that she was drunk or that most of her proceeds would be going to the casino as royalty fees escaped her notice which didn't faze Naruto in the slightest. Now that she worked for them, she was an unofficial member of the family and as such she would be under their jurisdiction and protection. If anyone messed with her, harassed her, or even worst hurt her in any form or fashion then that party would be on the wrong side of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia… and that wasn't a place anyone wanted to be. Certain troublemakers… tended to disappear for such things.
"Do I have to sign anything else baby boy or can I get another drink and play poker again? I want to drink my problems away." The young artist whined with an undertone of melancholy and sadness in her voice while draped over Naruto's shoulder who gently supported her with his weight. In the past he found himself guilty of taking advantage of these patrons like this when he was growing up and learning the ropes of the business that he found himself in but since then he's grown up to see things in a more cynical and analytical light. He knew that every patron that falls into the gentle clutches of the mafia would receive the full protection of the "family." These people received benefits and services for life as long as they remained loyal to the organization and that protection even extended to their families and descendants, especially if this individual was of high value and importance to the business.
The connections these wealthy patrons had at their disposal were of such value that they outweighed the physical wealth that they had on them. No one would mistreat them or take advantage of them in any kind of untoward fashion so long as the eyes of the mafia were on them. Sure, they were now attached at the hip to a multinational underworld organization that had enemies all over the globe, but their names were often protected and kept anonymous for the vast majority of the individuals who found themselves as assets to the Jasmine Dragon Mafia. Looking at it now from his current age and experience Naruto knew this young girl would be simply fine. She had a promising career ahead of her just on her own merits, now that she had the unknown and unofficial backing of the mafia, unexpected doors of wealth and opportunities that would have remained closed to her and out of her reach for years to come or indefinitely would now suddenly start to become available for her in the years to come at a steady and unsuspicious rate that would propel her to new heights she may never have reached on her own, and her personal safety was now guaranteed so her life was as safe as it was going to get from now on.
"No Yusaki, I think you should call it a night and retire to your room. Too much alcohol will ruin your complexion." Naruto deflected with a soft and concerned tone of voice that ironically enough wasn't an act. He was genuinely concerned with the amount of alcohol this poor girl had consumed. It's never been his style to encourage the patrons he was serving for the night to indulge in excessive quantities of liquor and alcohol. He just straight up used his persuasive dialogue and social skills to please his clients. It left too much of a bad taste in his mouth to inebriate his clients who he's supposed to be serving and entertaining. It felt too much like taking advantage of those who can't make good decisions. This girl whose name was Yusaki Yoshisumi had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol during the times Naruto was away tending to other patrons on his rounds around the casino floor. Of course, she had a few while he was in her attendance but those were fine for him as long as she didn't overdo it… and it was quite apparent that she did.
The young adult who was just a few years older than Aria whined and flailed over his shoulder with a delirious pout on her face. "But come on! You were helping me on a winning streak earlier! We could get them this time! I don't want to stop now, I just want to keep on drinking, and drinking, and not think anymore." This girl was a fun person to be around at the beginning of the night, however Naruto did note in the back of his mind that this young girl was giving off a very sad and distracted vibe to her persona and this was long before she got hammered, but now Naruto just really wanted to put her to bed for her own safety so that she didn't cause a scene or end up getting accosted by any of the other patrons in the building who may pray upon her.
Despite his line of work and the sometimes dirty and underhanded deeds that come along with it at the end of the day he did care for every patron who came into the establishment, especially the ones who chose him to be their attendant for the evening. For every client he personally serves he cares about them just a little bit more and works towards keeping them happy and safe. "Nope, party is over for you tonight." Naruto shut that down immediately as he discovered early on that this girl had an inner party girl within her that seriously reminded him of Ino and that was enough to make him nope out of any kind of situation resembling what he was currently in. "Oh, come on sweetie, do it for me. Pretty Please…!"
If someone could slur their words any harder, then they would be creating their own language and she was pretty close as far as Naruto was concerned as a blush came to his face once her breast was pushed into his face. Kisses peppered his cheek and if he were a weaker boy or a civilian boy at that then he'd be weak in the knees right about now and thinking with his secondary brain that all men are graciously born with. Luckily for him he was a ninja trained to resist basic seduction techniques from other kunoichi, so a civilian woman stood no chance in this department. Especially not when his surrogate older sister was Anko Mitarashi herself and his surrogate mother was… well, Shoko… the Shoko. This girl didn't know what the word temptation meant as he lives with the literal incarnation of the word itself in the form of two stunning beauties who walk the halls of his home.
Not only could he feel her moderately sized breast pushing into his chin, but he could feel her real award winning "assets" in the palm of his hands as he hoisted her up by her hips to pick her up. Her butt, which was extremely plump and larger than her other proportions was like a marshmallow which was the closest difficulty Naruto was coming too in terms of being embarrassed and aroused by the situation at hand. "Uh, no. It's night-night for you and your friends." Naruto deadpanned as he wasn't going to entertain any of this rowdiness any further. He deals with eight highly energetic children on a daily basis, he could handle them anytime. This on the other hand was just too embarrassing for his young pubescent mind to handle.
"Henrietta! Are you coming?" Naruto hollered out only to nearly fall over in disbelief as his beloved partner in crime, literally in this sense was seen escorting Yusaki's two friends who accompanied her tonight by their arms while she was sandwiched in between the two young adults. Their names were Maruchi Nisami, and Senri Nari as Naruto learned earlier in the night as he got to know his newest clients. Maruchi was an aspiring photographer who wanted to use the relatively newer piece of technology in the form of cameras to capture still images to captivate the audiences and Senri was a sculptor who specialized in free form art. The three friends who turned out to be lifelong friends who have known each other since their early daycare days all had very deep roots and common interest in the world of artistry and art which obviously has helped carry on and cement their relationship over the years.
As of now… all three of them were wasted beyond belief. The two friends were squishing Henrietta's face between their two pair of boobs as the young marionette dragged them with her in an odd wobble through the main floor to the stairs that would take them to the hotel portion of their establishment where guests and patrons could rent out rooms for several days or nights. The poor girl's face was as red as the carpet on the floor as she could feel their combined busts pressing into her face nearly obscuring her vision.
It wouldn't be long before all three women were in their shared hotel room sprawled out on the bed. Naruto tucked the contract he had Yusaki sign earlier in the night into his breast pocket. He had a concerned look on his face as none of these girls were in any condition to continue the night which was still young. It would be best if they slept off the alcohol raging in their blood stream. Even now they were still trying to get up to party still. Before they could leave Naruto observed a picture of Yusaki and what appeared to be another girl who looked younger and remarkably similar to her standing side by side smiling wide into the camera. It was obvious at first glance that they could be sisters given the familiarity and joyful contentment in their body language. It was a beautiful photo and obviously meant a lot to the young woman for as soon as she saw it, she inexplicably burst into tears without warning.
It was so sudden that it caught the two partners off guard with its abruptness. "Hey, what's wrong?" If Naruto wasn't so used to dealing with his children and their random mood swings, then this event here would have left paralyzed with indecisiveness and woefully baffled as to how to comfort this obviously distressed and drunk girl. Luckily, his instincts kicked in right away as he gathered the girl up into his arms who wasn't much bigger than him. If anything, she was around Aria's size as she wasn't that tall of a girl to begin with despite being nearly 6 years older than him.
"My sister… I miss *hick* her so much." Yusaki's speech was slurred heavily and the fact that she was losing her breath and having the hiccups didn't make matters any better, but Naruto was able to decipher her words well enough despite these inhibitors. Glancing at the photo only brought more tears to the girl's face as Naruto subtly signaled for Henrietta to grab them a drink of water. "Have you not seen her in a while?" Digging for information it took Naruto a few more tries to get the girl to verbally answer him back due to the alcohol severely slowing down her thought processes but when she did his blood started to chill as despair was evident within her voice and bloodshot eyes. "She's missing, she was taken by monsters along with more than half my village. I came here to hire the Hidden Leaf to help me find them." It took a while, and her explanation was chopped up into broken speech that took her nearly two minutes to fully complete but eventually the entire picture was painted clear to Naruto.
Giving the girl a drink of water with a medicinal spice tablet mixed in that helps to rapidly cure intoxication and alcohol in a person's system Naruto began coaxing more information out of the distraught girl before eventually comforting her and reassuring her that the Hidden Leaf was probably already on the case. It took around 20 minutes but eventually Naruto was able to get Yusaki to calm down. A lot of thoughts were racing through Naruto's head at this random turn of events, but it broke his heart to see such a bright and innocent young girl traumatized and missing her beloved baby sister.
The description she had drunkenly given him puzzled his brain a bit as she described humanoid creatures that looked almost human except for the fact that they acted rabid and mindless to a considerable extent, but they had visible bushy tails growing out of their spines and generous sized animal ears growing out of the top of their skulls. They all had on rags and run-down clothes that were more rags and oversized cloaks more than anything else. But what puzzled and alarmed Naruto the most was the fact that Yusaki briefly alluded to and described a strange glowing tattoo of some kind spreading across their throats and all that she could vaguely remember seeing had them. 'Curse Mark? It couldn't be right? But these sound like Kitsune Yōkai to me? What is going on here?' These were the very first thoughts that crossed Naruto's mind and they buzzed about as he carried them with him out of the troubled young woman's room while leaving an enhanced clone behind with them to watch over them and tend to any of the drunk girl's possible needs. It would last for a long time and watch over them.
It was a concerning topic to ponder over as Naruto has done extensive research and educational readings on all manners of the occult and supernatural from reading up on his parents scrolls and inheritances that they left behind for him, particularly the Uzumaki Sacred Scroll of Seals. He also tore through the old tome he collected nearly a year back with Eva from what he now knew to be as one of his father's old miniature research outposts buried deep within the forests of the village away from the prying eyes of the main city.
He still had a long way to go but he's become very educated on both the most common and the most famous and well-known supernatural beings and in this instance one of the most recognizable and powerful demon/Yōkai species in the world is the Kitsune otherwise known as foxes. These beings are humanoid Yōkai with distinct canine fox features including signature fluffy bushy tails and long pronounced fox ears situated atop their skulls. Whisker marks like his and defined nails and other specific body features were all noticeable key features that could identify a powerful being such as this. They were known for their immense reserves of mana, powerful fire and illusion-based magic and their ability to eventually grow a full set of nine tails over the course of an exceptionally long lifetime for certain key members of their species.
But to have what appeared to be some kind of mark located around their necks was not something distinct amongst their kind, nor was it a signature indicator for them to be so rabid or violent while living and acting in such decadence and substandard ways of living. It confused Naruto greatly as he walked with Henrietta through the rich and ornate halls of the Monte Carlo Grand Casino. The entire complex was massive in scale and could be seen from many angles and locations throughout the village and the complex took up an entire city block all on its own surrounded by a compound barrier wall while all the surrounding buildings in a 3-block radius makes up the entertainment district of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Oh, by the way, I was looking for you earlier for some time now. I was sent by Mr. Dino, he said he wanted to speak with you." Henrietta mumbled once she finally got a moment to breathe again now that she wasn't hauling around two grown young adults on each arm. She felt depressed and sad at the story she listened to alongside Naruto and hoped that something could be done for the poor young girl. She empathized with these girls and their plight as it reminded her of her own dark past and that of her fellow marionette sisters who all come from unfortunate and dark backgrounds. However, glancing over to her partner she could see he was still pondering the details of what he was just told which was why she decided now was a suitable time to grab his attention by bringing up the real reason why she was trying to talk with him earlier in the night before she got sidetracked by his clients.
"Really? Do you know what it's about?" It's been a while since Naruto's been summoned to Mr. Dino's office, so he wasn't sure what the occasion was for, but it usually meant something important from his past experiences. "No, I don't but he seemed pretty happy when he sent me. So, you still thinking about what that girl told you?" Henrietta conversed as she subtlety inched closer to her partner without Naruto actively noticing as his mind was elsewhere at the moment.
"Yeah, it's really bothering me. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what kind of trouble her and her people could have possibly run into. My gut is telling me that the obvious answer in front of me isn't it and that there's more to this than what I'm seeing." It was frustrating and Henrietta could see Naruto's eyebrows creasing in concentration as he was obviously focusing all his energy onto the topic at hand. "I'm sure you'll figure it out in due time. You've done so in the past and I'm sure you'll do so again." Henrietta mumbled out amicably before falling into step with Naruto who was distracted.
"So... since you've been working your brain so vigorously so far, have you giving it any thought to racking your brain about us? Do you have room in that head for me?" Henrietta coyly prodded causing Naruto to snap out of his busy mind to bring his full attention down to his partner who now without his notice had her hand interlaced with his. A burning look was sweltering within her warm honey brown eyes and instantly heat began to permeate Naruto's skin as his brain came to a halt. "Henrietta?" The blond haired Uzumaki began to stutter as his partner leaned her head against his chest with a content hum reverberating through her chest into his.
"It's been a while, and we did talk with Hinata during our little vacation. Things have been moving along solidly since then with all the bumps out the way. You've been going on a lot of dates with her since you've gotten back and she's all but made it official between her and Eva nowadays. She even gave me her full blessings the other day while we were on a girl's shopping date."
If Naruto wasn't shocked before then he was now as a heat was rising very quickly within his body along with something else at the sensation Henrietta's mere presence was giving him. She lit a fire of lust in him that he didn't think anybody other than Hinata could do. He typically tried to be more restrained and courteous towards Hinata and act as a proper gentleman with her, but it didn't mean that his hormones weren't actively betraying him at every turn whenever he was in her presence. He was physically and emotionally attracted to Hinata in ways that frightened and excited him all at the same time. He thought every inch of her was beautiful and as of late, especially the previous night it only solidified the fact he feels sexually attracted to her and lusts after her.
This feeling of lust and sexual frustration and attraction was something that Naruto also felt with Henrietta, and it was like a guilty addicting pleasure to him as they've flirted with and crossed lines in the past. His mindset was different compared to the last time he's been confronted with this conversation as things have become clearer and more stable between him and his main girlfriend. Any hesitation that he had months ago beginning the Land of Snow mission has changed with the time and the stressors since.
"So that's why she said she couldn't' join me last Thursday…" Naruto mumbled to himself in conformation as the heat that was growing in him was turning into a burning fire. His tone of voice began to pitch down in octave and reverb as his arms encircled his partner's much smaller waist causing an audible gasp of surprise to escape the marionette's mouth.
"I suppose you've been thinking about this for a while now. Now that things are settling down between Hinata and I you're hoping to finally join us huh?" Naruto breathed out as a husky tone with an undercut of a growl slowly escaped his lips. The vibrations thundered into Henrietta's chest that was pressed against his and a shiver of pleasure and delight shook her body as she tightened her hold against her best friend and pseudo boyfriend.
"So, what If I have… are you finally going to claim me and make me yours or am I going to have to wait a little longer. I told you don't keep me waiting to lo-!" Henrietta's coy and lustful teasing and instigating counterarguments immediately died in her throat as she both heard and felt the growl that escaped Naruto's throat just as her feet left the floor. An audible slam in the empty hallway went unheard by anyone in this empty part of the administrative wing of the casino. Not a soul was around as the brown haired not so innocent girl found her back roughly slammed against the hallway wall with Naruto's lips smothering hers in a soul stealing kiss that would have caused her legs to collapse if she were still standing on them and not currently trapped within Naruto's steel like embrace. A moan escaped her lips as she'd waited an awfully long time for this very moment. Even before she had confessed her feelings to him months ago.
Dipping his hands lower Naruto cupped Henrietta's small but very pleasantly plump and firm butt and hoisted her up against his waist, deepening the kiss by pitching her head down causing a higher pitched squeaking moan to spill out of his partner's lips. Hinata has always been his anchor and as the years have gone by Henrietta was proving to be his temptation which was ironic considering the fact that Eva was the only demon in the actual relationship, but his lifelong companion and other half was for the time being content with the status quo of their relationship. Eva was lying in wait for her time to change their dynamic. In reality nothing much would change as they were already very intimate and emotionally close to each other, although Naruto supposed that if his other half could have her way, she would have wanted to cross the final line between them an awfully long time ago. If she had readily available access to her more human sized form that came about due to her Aqua Stone activating, then Naruto would have no doubt Eva would have pounced on him and things would never be the same again.
He now felt that inkling as he fully accepted the fact that he was never going to have a normal life or relationship. With the headspace he was in right now he felt that he could seriously put in the work to handling a multi polygamous relationship with his closest female companions. It would be extremely tough work, and he would need to run this by his children first to make them better understand the admittedly confusing and conflicting dynamic of their relationship, but the possibility of success wasn't zero… if fact it wasn't anywhere near that number.
"Does that answer your question?" Naruto cheekily said with the widest grin possible plastered on his face as he took in a gulp of fresh air. It was still a fresh experience for him when it comes to making out with a female. It tends to really take the breath right out of you and Henrietta was the perfect example of this as she was breathing extra hard in comparison to him. "Yeah… I think so…" Naruto's heard his partner be very shy and quiet in the past… but now, she was barely above audible levels as an atomic blush was coating her entire face and upper chest. A chuckle escaped his lips at the state he's left his partner in crime in as he gently placed her back down on the floor. "How about I make it official then… Henrietta will you be my girlfriend?" Naruto's heart sped up dramatically at this point but none of that showed on his face as his eyes showed nothing but gentle yet firm confidence in both himself and in the girl wrapped up in his arms.
To say that Henrietta's eyes shined brighter than any of the fancy and expensive lights in their building would have been a big understatement. If he weren't holding onto her still Naruto was sure that she would have collapsed to the floor as he felt Henrietta's knees buckled beneath her. Tears were in the young marionette's eyes as she crushed Naruto within a tight embrace using her mechanical superstrength. "YES!"
Mr. Dino's Private Office / Monte Carlo Casino
It took some minutes for the new couple to recompose themselves but by the time they made it to the boss's office Naruto could immediately tell that something was different and going on. In the room present were all the handlers from Section 2 as well as several other executives. Sitting down in the chairs provided to them Naruto spied the other marionettes from Section 2 also present. The only one missing was Shoko which was understandable since she recently went on an S – Rank mission just a few days prior. She was due back in the next few days minimum as long as everything went according to plan.
His initial confusion was soon answered when after exchanging pleasantries Dino brought out a special jar of chakra ink and a hand-crafted gold painted dragon shaped pin. Naruto's heart dropped into his stomach upon seeing those items as he immediately knew what those symbolized and what this meant.
"It's been a long time since you've been with us young Naruto. Your career has been rife with ups and downs and tremendous victories and accomplishments that those three times your age hasn't yet reached. But most importantly of all your love, loyalty, and commitment to this family and organization has been paramount and unquestioned. Within this year alone you've experienced the most growth of all and the most important of your accomplishments. You've proven that you are ready to accept a burden and task that none your age has ever been granted within this organization before."
By this point in Dino's speech Naruto was shaking in his chair as he understood what was happening. He was being anointed a made man and a full member of the organization's inner circle, its highest echelon. Henrietta, who was now catching onto the significance of this event, could barely contain herself as tears streamed down her face. Her hand immediately found his and squeezed down tightly onto his palm in an intimate and gentle embrace which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room, especially Jose and Dino who both smiled as they understood what this meant.
"Naruto Uzumaki I am proud to announce that I'm making you a Capo and a made man of this Mafia Family. You are the youngest in history to ever be made in the Jasmine Dragon Mafia. You will become the Capo and leader of the newly reformed and reopened Section 3. This division has been closed down for so long but with an ever-increasing amount of supernatural activity brewing in the world I think it best we have our special division tasked with handling these problems functioning again… and who better to lead it than the Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan himself." The warmth and pride that was in Dino's tone couldn't be mistaken by anyone present in the room and the smile on his face doubled as he saw tears of pride and happiness spilling out of Naruto's eyes. They only grew once he saw who was standing behind his chair.
"I completely agree sir, it was why I pushed for this ceremony." Shoko's silky gentle voice sounded out behind Naruto's chair causing the young Chūnin to bolt up in surprise as he didn't detect anyone behind him at all. This surprise didn't stop him from jumping out of his seat faster than most could follow as he flung his arms around Shoko's waist in shock and happiness.
"Shoko! What are you doing here?" Burying his face into his surrogate mother's chest Naruto couldn't think of a better surprise on this night. "How are you here, I thought you were on a mission?" It was an expected question for Naruto to ask but the smirk on Shoko's face explained it all to the young Chūnin who didn't take long to catch on to what was happening, after all he was the definitive master of this very technique. "You're a Shadow Clone, aren't you?"
"Bingo." The clone of the legendary titan snickered in delight as she returned the bone crushing hug her son in all, but blood was giving her. Tears were in her eyes as she rubbed his hair where she knew Eva to be causing both blonds to melt at the attention they were receiving. "I'm so proud of you sweetheart. I know you will do a wonderful job. You've accomplished something none before you have ever done in the organization and no one else is more qualified in this era to lead this supernatural division either."
Shoko's words managed to pierce directly to Naruto's heart, and it showed as the tears flowed without restraint as the mother and son duo embraced each other in a moment of celebration and warmth that has developed between the two friends for just over six years now. All the while this was happening Dino had a pleased expression on his face. He genuinely believed he picked the right choice, as unorthodox as it is in Naruto leading the newly revived Section 3 as supernatural phenomena and appearances were becoming more and more prevalent within the past year which was of the utmost concern to the Underworld King who could see the tides shifting in the world with how anxious his rivals were becoming. The Black Sun and their associates were amassing a dangerous amount of power in letting their subordinates run free with powerful dragon summons at their disposal and with incidents like their connection to the Land of Snow endeavors it was showing an uncomfortable sign that the King Pin didn't like.
It was an omen… one Dino's seen before. In fact, it's one he's seen three times now in his long lifetime. Before the kickoff to any of the three previous Shinobi World Wars the world at large received in increase and spike in supernatural activity with its denizens that would precede the outbreak of hostilities and widespread continental violence between the Five Great Nations. He's seen this pattern before with the eve of the First Shinobi World War, the Second, and most recently and most prominently with the Third and how multiple nations teamed up to destroy the Hidden Whirlpool Village and the Uzumaki Clan itself which was the spark that resulted in the kickoff of the Third Shinobi World War to begin with.
He didn't make it to this point in his life by ignoring or downplaying his gut feelings. His intuition has served him well which is why the Jasmine Dragon Mafia and subsequently the Hidden Leaf Village as a whole has stood dominate and lauded as the strongest and most powerful of the Five Great Nations since its inception with the Hidden Village System by the First Hokage. When his organization prospered, the Leaf Village as a whole prospered as crime dropped significantly within the walls of the village due to their presence and the suppression and monopoly over the underworld and its territory within the village. Crimes, random acts of violence, and simply basic civil unrest within the criminal underworld always proceeded some form of major conflict in their world and it was a pattern Dino has observed diligently for decades now and a major contributing factor to this would be the added presence of supernatural beings lurking to the surface and interacting with the human world in hotspots. They would influence and generally inflate issues and tensions within the human realm for all of mankind as a whole which would trickle down and make its way to organizations and people such as he and his Mafia.
It was for that reason why Dino knew he needed to reinstate the Section 3 Division which was left defunct after the end of the Third Shinobi World War with the death of many of his agents who got caught up as collateral during the war. With supernatural activity mysteriously dying down due to the disappearance of Hōrai Island and the Uzumaki Clan and the Nine Tails Attack on the Leaf Village happening not even a full year and a half later it prompted Dino to pour all of his time, energy, and resources into helping Hiruzen who had to come out of retirement with restoring the heavily destroyed village back to standing order which took years to do, by the time little Naruto who was around six and a half years old met him for the first time after sneaking into his casino he was nearing the limits of his capacity to financially support Hiruzen in rebuilding and revitalizing the village.
The needs and requirements of some of his different divisions like Section 3 which had completely been annihilated and Sections 2 and 4 being heavily strained and damaged in terms of quality numbers and resources became a secondary and nearly tertiary issue for Dino to focus in on.
But now he sensed that the tides of the world were changing once more. Something new was on the horizon, a tension was slowly building up in the air of the continent and if his intuition has served him right… which it has done so perfectly well for the last four decades now then he knew that in the not-so-distant future some form of civil unrest or even armed conflict would be on the nearby horizon.
He needed to be prepared…
… And who better to place on the board as one of his most coveted pieces to combat this coming threat than the Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan itself. Naruto's credentials and past accolades spoke for itself and made him nearly overqualified for the position he was placing him in.
Privately, Dino also acknowledged the fact that he was looking for a fresh perspective and youthful vigor to join his inner circle of Capo's who would be his council. A Capo was the translated word meaning boss from a distant language not practiced in the Elemental Nations. In this case the word was heavily stylized in syntax and refashioned in definition to be the equivalent of a Captain or boss. For Dino he nominated that to be the term for the heads of each of his divisions and other groups. For a short while Shoko had been the Capo of Section 3 and practically its only member for a short while after the last war before, she stepped into a more laid-back role within Section 2. She used to be a part of Section 1 alongside her two teammates who were also a part of the mafia, Naruto's mother Kushina Uzumaki who was the Capo of Section 1 and its ruthless and powerful leader, and their other teammate Kazehana Kobayashi who left both the organization and the leaf after the reported deaths of Minato, Kushina, and their unborn child. She cut all connection to everyone and went off grid due to the overwhelming grief she felt.
Those three women who made up three out of the four Legendary Titans of the Leaf were a true menace on the battlefield and a domineering force within the organization as they drew in customers like moths to a flame with their stunning otherworldly beauty and grace. With two of them gone and Shoko a wreck and a shell of her former self leadership and title of Capo of Section 1 fell to one of their most promising agents in the group who was trained by both Kushina and Dino himself and he assumed leadership of this division while Shoko bounced around the different divisions as a floater and advisor.
It was time for him to begin building back up his organization in earnest now that he had a prized asset and valued member in Naruto coming into his own with such power and humility on his side and the fact that Shoko was now back on track to being her former self both in health and mental mindset as well as in terms of overwhelming power. Naruto's reintroduction into her life and the past year's extraordinary events such as the reemergence of Hōrai Island has been the catalyst that she needed to pull herself together.
From the brief talks he's had with Naruto over the last few days and the information relayed to him by Shoko about the meeting that took place between them and the F ire Daimyō concerning Naruto's future the old dragonoid had a new special task that he wanted Naruto to accomplish for him that no one else could possibly do for him and one of those requirements would necessitate the need for him to receive a promotion to head of a division to grant him the freedom and autonomy not to mention the financial resources needed to complete said task. The other ingredient and requirement that Naruto needed he unknowingly already possessed, which was his title as Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan. His title and position as Clan Head and Sovereign ruler over an entire country and its royal family was just the lynch pin that Dino required. Ironically enough, that same title and the vast resources that it could potentially open up to him provided he use his creativity and determination was exactly the key to beating the Fire Daimyō at his own game… and Dino had no doubt that Naruto's indominable will and sheer unorthodox creativity would lead him to overcoming the challenge the ruler of their country put before him.
Quickly getting the attention of his newly promoted subordinate Dino was eager to explain one of the main motivating factors of his decision tonight. "Naruto, on top of reforming Section 3 Division, I have an even bigger task for you to complete in the future. I want you to establish a new branch office of the mafia on your home island. Hōrai Island is a perfect location to host a new casino facility and it's to my understanding that you want to rebuild and regrow the Hidden Whirlpool Village back to its former glory. I would be honored if you could help expand our organization out to such a legendary and prestigious location." The wise old dragonoid's chiseled face was settled into a gentle yet warm smile that only grew further upon seeing the stark surprise that completely encompassed Naruto's expression. He could tell this would take time for him to explain and so he did…
It took another hour, but Dino fully explained the future plans he wanted Naruto to implement in the coming months and in return Naruto passed along the information he had just received earlier from the distraught Yusaki who was doing business with their casino. Dino himself was troubled to hear this news as he confirmed to Naruto the fact that the village did indeed receive a request late that afternoon from Yusaki and her friends that was submitted into the Hokage Administration Building. It was set to be reviewed by the Hokage and the Missions Board early in the morning and properly assigned shortly thereafter as well. Many of the civilian office workers and clerks that work in the Hokage Admin Building also held official and unofficial ties to the Jasmine Dragon Mafia and often fed Dino direct information straight to the mob boss and in return the purview of the extensive criminal underworld and its information network was sourced back to the Hokage and the Intelligence Bureau as a mutual exchange. This was the mutually exclusive deal that the lifelong friendship Dino and Hiruzen cultivated had led to. The Hokage welcomed the addition of Dino's agents into his staff of workers as a sign of trust as it's mutually benefitted the village for decades.
While a final decision hasn't been made quite yet Dino was confident Lady Tsunade would most likely assign Naruto this mission to handle since tomorrow marks his return to the active-duty roster. Now that his off time was over, and he's recovered quite a bit, this unique situation unfolding would be the perfect mission for him to sink his teeth into. Especially if there were supernatural aspects to this incident like many of them were suspecting.
"Good luck Naruto… just know that massive things are coming your way on the horizon young one. You will make this organization proud, and you'll make your parents proud as well." The meeting was long drawn out by this point, but the old boss didn't mind one bit as he took a sip of his expensive tea. He was just content and happy to have finally reached this milestone with one of his youngest and brightest subordinates. He was a maverick and prodigious talent within the fold and Dino was eager to push the young Uzumaki in the right direction to help him reach his full potential.
"Thank you, sir. I promise I won't let you down."
(Next Day) Land of Fire / 758 Miles Southwest of the Hidden Leaf Village [Village of Oniyuri]
Six figures could be seen racing through the thick forests the Land of Fire is known for as they were 5 miles out from their destination of a small but affluent village called Oniyuri Village located in the southwestern province of their country about 100 miles inland of their country's southern shore and native gulf. It was a region of their country that Naruto wasn't quite familiar with as he's never traveled this far south or west for any of his missions. The Fire Temple was located within this same province, but it was 100's of miles to their east and closer to the southern peninsula tip of their country. It was also closer to South Fork Wharf Town which was a minor negative in Naruto's books but that thought quickly left his mind. This was a new area to him as the southern provinces of the Land of Fire were rife with hundreds upon hundreds of vast fertile farmlands and agricultural centers that spanned 1000's of square miles of the southern providences of the Land of Fire and these vast farms are responsible for practically 55% of the countries agricultural production, resources, and exports. It was of some note to Naruto that the Taketori Clan's main compound and city resided in this region of the country but again Naruto didn't let such thoughts distract him for long as he refocused on the task at hand.
The group was in a pentagon formation as they traveled to their destination. In the lead was Naruto himself decked out in his full Chūnin attire that was modified to accommodate his tastes and extra accessories. Next to him on either side was his two teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno each bringing up his flanks. Sasuke's all black jumpsuit was a striking statement and a new favorite of his ever since debuting it at the Chūnin Exams half a year ago but all it did was enhance the dark undertones of his personality and aura that he was currently giving off. Sakura was wearing a modified version of her normal attire that was short sleeved and had a skirt over her tights instead of the dress she usually wore.
Bringing up the rear of this formation were Neji and Tenten of Team 10. It was automatically noticeable, but Rock Lee himself wasn't with his teammates as he was still in a special curated long recovery program designed to get him through rehabilitation following Lady Tsunade's miracle surgery on him a few months prior. It was early February now and she estimated by the beginning of spring that he would be able to return to his team for light duties. With the way he exercised and stayed active despite the warnings of the hospital staff the blond Hokage couldn't foresee the young Green Beast staying off the front lines for long. She had originally put him down for an estimated recovery time of a year and a half due to the grave and career ending injuries that he suffered from his fight against Gaara in the Chūnin Exams but upon meeting him for the first time and getting to know him she could see the same fire in him that Guy had.
The sixth individual of the group was actually riding on Naruto's back for the sake of mobility since they couldn't keep up with high level shinobi speeds. This individual was Claes, Naruto's Marionette partner who he was the official and current handler to from the mafia, especially now that he was just promoted to the rank of Capo. Their partnership was entirely official now at this point as it was more of a formality in the recent past once he had been promoted to handler following his long-term service serving as Shoko's apprentice.
The docile and very antisocial marionette was clinging tightly to her handler's back as this was the very first time that she was going on a mission outside the walls of the Leaf Village. Especially ever since her previous handler was killed and she was remanded to the casino by Shoko so that she could be their official guinea pig to help them study the negative side effects of their girls implants as around this time Angelica was showing signs of degradation and sickness. Not only was this Claes's first mission and time outside of the village, but this was her very first official mission with Naruto as her handler.
While not the most into fashion Claes was still a very stylish girl and her sisters took it upon themselves to help coordinate an outfit for the docile girl as celebration for her and Naruto becoming an official partnership and their first mission outside the village for the first time. Claes was seen wearing a stunning dark purple and white blouse top with pronounced puffy shoulders that tapered into noticeably short shoulder length ends that were lined with a frilly edge. At the center of her waist the shirt was sinched into a thin red embroidered red ribbon that was sewed into the fabric of her shirt. Starting at the top of her hips she had on a long dark purple high waisted skirt that stopped five inches above her kneecaps. Beneath the skirt about an inch down she had on long knee length dark purple stockings that slipped into a comfortable pair of shinobi sandals.
Hidden beneath her beautiful outfit she had on a pure black in color girl's bodysuit that was reinforced by shinobi grade steel mesh fiber threads that are used in the fabric of Shinobi Flak Jackets. Overall, she was dressed for battle while subtlety disguised in disarming and innocuous clothing that the average individual wouldn't normally associate with ninja and battles.
This impromptu investigative strike team being led by Naruto himself was making great timing in reaching the assigned rendezvous point with the other teams assigned to this mission. The young group of shinobi were travelling for nearly 8 hours straight while taking periodic breaks in their trip to conserve their energy and stamina for the tasks ahead.
"Naruto, I can see a chakra pulse pinging from up ahead of us. That must be our other team." Neji called out into the late afternoon air. The sun was setting, and it was nearing 5:30 in the afternoon after the long 7-and-a-half-hour trek to the far southern province of their country. The Land of Fire was massive in size with multiple provinces making up the country's interior boarders of owned land, in fact there were six massive provinces or states that divided up the land of Fire and each were controlled by a local regional lord who had control over the entire province, these regional lords in turn all reported directly to the Fire Daimyō and they sat on his private inner circle and advisory council.
"Understood, we're almost there. Suppress your chakra and conserve it for the long haul. We don't know how long we'll be out here investigating for or what we may encounter for that matter." Naruto ordered as he discreetly sent out the correct return chakra ping to their allies up ahead as his squad made the final trek to their destination.
Rendezvous Point [Outskirts of the Village of Oniyuri]
The sound of a distinctive bird chirping made by artificial means was heard in the quieting evening air gaining an immediate response only seconds later. Without warning six individuals dropped down from the dense foliage of the forest lining the edge of a well paved and maintained brick merchant road leading up to the high white painted walls of Oniyuri Village. These individuals were Naruto's team and across the main highway path dropping down from their side of the road were eight individuals all wearing the signature blue and green uniform of the Hidden Leaf fully outfitted with the recognizable forest green Flak Jackets and iconic Hidden Leaf Headbands displayed proudly across their bodies. Like with most squads formed out of the actual rank and file shinobi of the military it was actually two full teams of four members each. The two teams were spread out slightly next to each other with a small but noticeable gap in between them so as to be able to either scatter or regroup together easier in the event of a sudden ambush attack. This also had the side effect of allowing Naruto to better distinguish between each team and the members more easily in them.
Approaching the allies across the road from him Naruto scanned the older shinobi recognizing quite a few faces both good and bad while being unfamiliar with the rest. "It's good to see you made it here in one piece and so fast young man. Your reputation is growing splendidly, and I must say it's definitely proceeding you." The team leader of the first team greeted him with a warm smile on his face that genetically looked remarkably similar to that of one of Naruto's closest best friends. The man he was looking at was an older senior officer by the name of Suzaku Nara a member of the Nara Clan and closer relative to Shikamaru and his father Shikaku.
Suzaku Nara was a relatively tall and imposing man at the height of 5'10, and he carried himself with the aura of a veteran and as a shinobi who was confident in both himself and his abilities. Like with most Nara men he had pitch black straight hair that was pulled into a classical topknot ponytail that was a cultural signature of their clan. Unlike Shikamaru's who had a simplistic high ponytail Suzaku stylized his into an elaborate and distinct fashion that resembled bull horns and the ponytail was quite large easily adding at least four artificial inches to his real height. Other distinctive facial features of his were his very thick and sharply cut eyebrows and goatee for facial hair. At the age of 39 he was beginning to show crease marks across his forehead and distinctive frown lines and crease marks around his mouth. All in all, Suzaku was an accomplished Jōnin with just over 3 decades worth of experience underneath his belt and it showed in his posture that wasn't as lazy and subdued like many of his younger fellow clansmen. He had a more stern and focused drive to him verses the average man from his clan.
"Thank you, Captain. This is our first time working together. I hope to make a good first impression sir. Here is our mission scroll." Naruto had a faint smile warm itself up on his face at the pleasant compliment from such a respected veteran as he's always valued and respected the Nara Clan as one of the few clans in the village to universally respect and care for him when he was a child. None of their members ever mistreated him or shunned him like the average civilians and or rank and file shinobi did. They would actually go out of their way alongside the Akimichi Clan to shelter him on occasion or feed him when necessary. Shikamaru and Chōji were some of the only classmates Naruto actually knew prior to being enrolled into the Ninja Academy at the age of six as he met both boys a year prior due to their fathers encouraging such interaction.
So, for Naruto, he's never once come across a Nara Clan member that he could remember never having a good relationship with or who may have abused him in the past. From his point of view all of them were precious allies and friends in his books. Taking possession of the mission scroll Suzaku unfurled it to inspect its legitimacy with a quick and skillful glance.
{Rapid Response Multi Team Joint Task Force Investigation Mission} Docket A – Rank Mission #(HLV): 1074676 {Hidden Leaf Village}
Team Kakashi: Squad #7
Naruto Uzumaki – Leader {Chūnin}
Sasuke Uchiha – Second {Genin}
Sakura Haruno – Squad {Genin}
Team Guy: Squad #9
Neji Hyūga – Leader {Genin}
Tenten Higarashi – Second {Genin}
Rock Lee – Squad {Genin} [Injured: On Medical Leave of Absence]
Claes – Squad {Mafia} Recruited onto team by Naruto's request.
Patrol Squad #71
Suzaku Nara – Leader {Jōnin}
Natsu Hyūga – Second {Chūnin}
Zaji Kokei – Squad [Sensory] {Chūnin}
Saisu Kamano – Squad {Chūnin}
Patrol Squad #22
Riichi Sachi – Leader {Jōnin}
Iwana Akame – Second {Chūnin}
Shun Keita – Squad {Chūnin}
Makaro Akimichi – Squad {Chūnin}
~ Additional Squads are to be formed and sent as reinforcements in the coming days. Members of the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyūga Clans will be assembled as part of these squads to serve as trackers and support personnel. ETA: 1 Day ~
~ ANBU Black Ops patrol squads will be sent as reinforcements and will secure both the perimeter of the region and provide additional support. ETA: 2 Days ~
~ Complete Mission Parameters within predefined time slots. Mission is time sensitive. Mission Time: Seven Days. ~
(B – Rank) Investigate Missing Citizens of Oniyuri Village and Kuroyuri Village – {Location: Taketori Province – Southern Province of the Land of Fire}
(B – Rank) Locate Missing Citizens and ascertain cause of incident.
(A – Rank) Suspected Bandit Attack or Supernatural (SN) related attack responsible for disappeared citizens. Locate any recognized threat and eliminate enemy forces while securing potential prisoners for the I&T Department.
(A – Rank) Secure immediately region around both villages. Reinforcements will handle outer perimeter patrol and defense of region. Eliminate any recognized enemy threat to civilian villages.
(A – Rank) If it is confirmed as a (SN) related event scrub the region of their presence and erase their existence from the populous. Capture two prisoners minimum if able.
Hokage Note {Officer Eyes Only}: Naruto Uzumaki and his squad has been assigned to the mission as advisory team lead consultant in matters related to the (SN). He's fully recognized as an Uzumaki and as their Shī-ō. He has personal authorization to both advise and command the Joint Task Force in case of (SN) Emergency. [Jōnin] Suzaku Nara is Team Lead and JTF Platoon Commander with Naruto Uzumaki as Special Advisory Consultant and second in command.
Suzaku's eyes widened in bemused surprise as it has been a few years since the last time he's participated in any kind of mission with the possibility of Supernatural Creatures being involved in any kind of way. His sharp intelligent eyes briefly flickered to Naruto as he took in the young Chūnin's appearance and got a feel for his aura and presence. The veteran was silently pleased at the poise and sharp look in the young blond haired boy's eyes. His eyes spoke of vast intelligence and experience that the rest of his classmates combined didn't have. He was truly exceptional and in a class all his own in comparison to them. He carried himself much like older veteran shinobi like himself and that was enough to crack a smirk on the Nara member's lips.
'To think this kid is the vaunted legendary Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan. All the rumors circulating around the Jōnin Lounge about this kid and many of his recent exploits seem to not be exaggeration or speculation anymore. He's the real deal and he's come a long way from the little kid I used to see slinking around in the back alleys trying to avoid the big crowds. He's truly grown up into a fine young shinobi Lord Minato, Lady Kushina.' Like most Nara or the older generation Suzaku with his impressive intelligence figured out many years ago who Naruto's real lineage came from. He was well aware of his parentage and the pedigree that he would inherit. He knew both of the Legendary Titan's as friends and colleagues for many years. Being a few years older than them he even remembered the time Kushina first moved to the village and joined the academy as he was a senior in the academy getting ready to graduate that very year she joined.
It broke his heart to see Naruto mistreated and outright abused as a child but like with everyone else who was silently in his corner, they were bound by the Third Hokage's law from revealing his parentage. But that didn't stop him and members of his clan from helping the young man out whenever the situation arose. They never once turned a blind eye to his suffering and did anything they could in the background without arousing suspicion from certain other council members to help Naruto out when he needed it the most.
While Suzaku was going over the scroll and the emergency mission details inside Naruto and the others took the brief time to quickly get a read on their new teammates for this mission. Starting with Suzaku's squad Naruto quickly brightens up in surprise to see Natsu Hyūga as a part of this squad. Her dark silky forest green hair stood out immediately amongst her peers and the young adult women wore a variation of the standard Leaf uniform that suited her tastes more. She wore a dark purple tight-fitting kimono with wide elongated sleeves that covered her arms allowing her to hide weapons as well as the subtle movements of her fingers from enemy eyes which is a Hyūga's most dangerous quality. Over the purple Kimono that is similar to her day-to-day attire when performing her duties as a maid in the manner Natsu donned the signature protective forest green flak jacket of the Leaf Village.
The lower half of Natsu's kimono flared out allowing her legs greater freedom of movement for high-speed combat while the material that made up the kimono itself was woven with thicker heavier-duty fibers made for combat. Natsu's headband was firmly affixed to her forehead as most Hyūga tend to do in order to hide the shameful and dehumanizing prominent Cage Bird Seal tattooed onto their skin.
It was interesting to see her in full shinobi attire and Naruto was quite curious to see her skills during the mission. Natsu on the other hand was giving Naruto a slightly curious and slightly weary look in return as she could feel the sheer amount of chakra wafting off of the much younger boy in front of her. There have been only two times she's caught a glimpse of Naruto's chakra and that was when he had that emotional outburst at the dinner table of her manor when he came over to introduce himself to the Hyūga Clan as Hinata's suitor. The second was from the sparing session he had with Hinata and Neji the previous morning. Every other point in time that he would come to the manor he would subconsciously heavily suppress his chakra to be about the level of an average boy his age in an act to further blend in and to not appear as threatening to a group of sensitive family members who can all see chakra in the ambient air with their eyes.
This was her first time witnessing him not suppressing his chakra to such an extreme. To simply put, it was potent, thick, and very imposing in the air around them and even then, she could tell that this was just what it was like in its natural state. He wasn't flexing it or actively circulating it for an attack. She shuddered to think of what levels his power would climb to for a boy his age when in true combat and not a sparring match. She's been around a lot to hear the stories of his exploits and what he's capable of, in fact she was present just that previous morning when he came over for breakfast and she learned of the dangers posed to Hinata during her trip with him.
Deep down Natsu felt conflicted with her feelings regarding Naruto as when he was a young child, she instructed Hanabi to stay away from him due to his status as a Jinchūriki and the fact he was a social pariah in the village. She held slight prejudice and resentment towards him for the Nine Tails attack that took away so many lives that day including many Hyūga Clan members. Her ignorance to his suffering and the fact that she added to it by her actions and inaction was a sore spot that had silently been itching at her psyche for many months now, especially ever since he officially got together with Hinata and gained her father's approval.
She wanted to witness the sheer prowess and prestigious abilities he was becoming famous for that Hinata would talk nonstop about on a daily basis. She would hold out her judgement until then. This was her first time working with him in an official capacity as fellow shinobi of the leaf after all.
The next member of Suzaku's team was a young Chūnin of about 17 years old and just recently promoted during the last Chūnin Exams prior to the one Naruto took that led to the invasion of the Leaf. His name is Zaji Kokei, and he is a Sensory Type Ninja who has been improving his ability to sense chakra over the past year ever since his promotion under the tutelage of Suzaku and Natsu who have taken him and their last teammate under their wings now that they were both rookie Chūnin with only about 1 to 3 years of experience under their belts, respectively. He was also the youngest member of their squad.
Suzaku Nara would be the first to say that while Zaji showed promise as a Tracker he left a lot to be desired in his overall combat skills as a ninja and in his personality. His combat skills were dead average across the board with a slight above average preference for Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. His martial arts were decent, and he could fight with kunai with proficiency which was to be expected of every shinobi in the world. Zaji's real problem in Suzaku's eyes was his boastful and carefree nature even on missions. He was confident in his abilities to the point of almost being overconfident in them as he prided himself on his sensory skills that were admittedly very advanced for his age. But his impulsive and rash nature has gotten him and his team into one or two undesirable sticky situations in the past as he has demonstrated a reckless nature of rushing into situations without exercising forethought and critical thinking. Zaji has brown, jaw-length hair that frames the sides of his face and dark eyes. He wears the standard attire of the Konoha shinobi inclusive of Flak Jacket and Sandals.
The last member of Suzaku's squad was a taller individual who was a year older than Zaji. This Chūnin is named Saisu Kamano and unknown to Naruto and his classmates, he was in the same class as Sasuke's older brother Itachi Uchiha when the two of them were kids attending the academy. This boy was 18 years old and had been a Chūnin for the last 2 ½ Years and the next month would mark three full years under his belt. In the long run he was still a rookie compared to his superior officers, but he had come a long way from his academy days. Now he was a competent ninja with a few years of experience under his belt. Saisu has long, spiky brown hair reaching down to his lower back and dark eyes. He wears the standard Konohagakure attire complete with a flak jacket. He also wears bandages wrapped around his wrists. On his back, he carried a Kama hulled in white bandages.
Saisu ever since he was a child had displayed a proficiency and expertise in wielding Kama's and Kusarigama's. This eventually led him down the path to studying and practicing with a miniature collapsible scythe styled Kama that he wears holstered to his back in a compact collapsible form. Known as somewhat of a bully in his academy days he's mellowed out tremendously in the years since his graduation and subsequent promotion to Chūnin. He still had a rough exterior to some, but he was an extremely focused and driven shinobi who took his career seriously and strived to improve himself especially ever since the day the news broke about the Uchiha Clan massacre and Itachi's branding as an international criminal and traitor to the village. The news hit him hard that his friend and fellow classmate would become a criminal. This would ultimately change Saisu into a more focused and poised individual that he is now at the age of eighteen in a half.
Moving on to the second team joining them Naruto observed the leader of the squad. He was a tall young man named Riichi Sachi who was a Jōnin for quite a few years at this point. At the age of 30 he is an accomplished shinobi with a decent career known for his happy and laidback demeanor both on and off duty. However, he has a rather slothful personality that rears its head in most situations as he is the type of person that would rather do what he wants instead of working. He even complains about this facet of himself in normal conversations.
Naruto has obviously never worked with Riichi before on any missions, but he's seen the older man around the village plenty of times on occasion either on patrol or guard duty for the most part. He was a relatively common face in the military ranks and could be seen around the village many times during the year whenever he wasn't out in the country on patrol.
Turning to his second in command Naruto's face contorted into a snarl before he quickly recomposed himself to the best of his abilities. The person who Naruto was staring at was named Iwana Akame an older Chūnin of the village who was 32 years old and also happened to be one of the Academy Teachers during the school year, while during the off months he participated in border patrol and guard duty with the rest of the rank-and-file military.
Like Mizuki and others of his ilk, Iwana was a ninja who hated Naruto's guts growing up and was never afraid to show his open animosity and hostility to him both in school and out in public when Naruto was a younger child attending the academy. Like many he was also a part of the group whipped into a frenzy and tasked with tracking down Naruto the night Naruto "stole" the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. Even though that incident was a ruse perpetrated by Naruto and the Third Hokage to draw out Mizuki into exposing himself as a traitor to the village Hiruzen still had to keep up appearances when the news broke about the incident and so dispatched dozens of shinobi to scour the village in search of the then academy student.
Iwana was a part of the group at the time and one of its most outspoken members was all too happy to track down Naruto and apprehend him. Obviously, he never found Naruto's location that night, but it never diminished the hate he had for his own village's resident Jinchūriki. Like many he lost family members the night of the attack, but unlike some or most who have found some form or another to move past their sorrow, he hasn't moved on in a healthy way since.
At every opportunity he made sure to torment and make Naruto's life a living hell including even physically attacking him in a semi drunken rage one night. If it weren't for Eva granting them a brief distraction and boost to his power, they probably would have been seriously injured or worse that night. Naruto's kept his distance from the older man since then, and while he's moved on from that part of his life now that he has the power to protect himself from most treats he's never once forgotten the faces of all those who used to abuse and attack him.
Iwana is a lanky 32-year-old man with a bony face and sunken in cheek bones. His attire is consistent and identical to that of the general rank and file shinobi of the village with his headband being sewed onto a bandanna that he uses to cover his low buzz cut deep brown hair. Over his left eye he wears a standard circular black eyepatch to cover up his missing eye. It was an injury that he received earlier in his career during the Third Shinobi World War on an infiltration and espionage mission gone horribly wrong that nearly resulted in his death.
The bitterness in Iwana's singular stare as he crinkled his nose in disgust while visibly eyeing the mint condition of Naruto's identical forest green Flak Jacket signifying them as the same rank grated at his nerves and the glare was returned in partial by Naruto who did his best to break eye contact with the aggressive older man.
'Of all the people for me to be assigned a mission with. The less I have to interact with him the better.' Naruto's thoughts took on a darker tone, but he was trying his absolute best to remain professional and neutral in the face of one of his more outspoken and violently aggressive oppressors from his early childhood. He would rather have little to nothing to do with this man if at all possible, during this mission.
Suzaku, Natsu, and to a lesser extent Riichi all noticed the ice-cold visual exchange between the two Chūnin and peered their eyes over to their fellow colleagues in concern. Of all of them, Suzaku knew the most about Naruto to know to put the context clues together that these two had history, most likely negative history together. 'Oh, what a drag…' The signature response of all Nara born members were pretty much hereditary at this point and Suzaku was no exception as he made a mental note to keep an eye on this new development.
Moving on Naruto's eyes fell upon an equally tall lanky teenage boy with a somewhat unconfident face and posture throwing off Naruto's perception of him. Looking to be around 16 years old this boy was named Shun Keita and he was a recent addition to the Chūnin ranks just like the last member of his squad although by comparison he has had at least one year's worth of experience under his belt so far.
Shun has shoulder-length shaggy brown hair that hangs down the length of his neck and face giving him distinct bangs that frame his face and partially obscures his left eye from view most of the time. His attire was that of the standard military uniform while he chose to go with a pitch-black cloth for his headband while the standard for the leaf was a deep navy blue. While his face gave off an air of uncertainty and a lack of confidence, he had a spark of pride in him that at times in the past has gotten the better of him and landed him in trouble with superiors. He's quite prideful as a warrior and is often determined to prove his worth and abilities on the battlefield, possibly hinting at self-esteem issues and inferiority complexes towards himself.
The last member of Riichi's squad was a somewhat familiar face for Naruto who was more of a distant friendly acquaintance than anything else, but the positivity still counted in Naruto's mind as he's never had a problem with this particular boy before. This boy is Makaro Akimichi a close second older cousin to Chōji and one year older than Naruto and the rest of their classmates at the age of 14.
Like many members of the Akimichi clan, he is described as robust in appearance. He has mahogany brown spiky hair and dark eyes. He also has diamond shaped markings on both sides of his cheek. He wears the customary armor of his clan, with the kanji for "food" on the chest. Above his signature clan armor, he sports his village's Flak Jacket with pride like all ninja Chūnin and above tend to do.
Like Chōji this teenage member of the food loving clan was a very pacifistic and kindhearted young boy who cared deeply for his friends and family. He had quite the similar personality to Chōji in many respects even amongst the members of their clan and it was 3 years ago in the second to last year of the academy that Naruto learned of this as he was invited over to the Akimichi's clan compound one day after school where he was giving the privilege of meeting many of Chōji's family members after he stood up for his friend against a bunch of bullies. In fact, they were some of the same bullies who would try to pick on Sasuke for being from a superior wealthy clan. Of course, Naruto would secretly prank those boys back with the assistance of Eva and Chaos which would eventually give rise to the friendship between Naruto and Sasuke in the present.
Makaro turned out to be a pleasant and friendly individual who held no preconceived notions or prejudices against him upon first meeting each other. This allowed the two boys to hit it off very quickly with the older boy thanking Naruto for standing up for his younger cousin.
While they didn't interact much in the years following, whenever Naruto would hang out with Chōji and Shikamaru after school at his house Naruto could often catch Makaro and a few of the other clan boys around their age joining Chōji and by association Shikamaru and Naruto in large group conversations and playful childish activities.
In Naruto's books Makaro was the friendliest person here in this group of colleagues that was in his age range. He was happy to see a familiar face as Makaro was quite talented in the Akimichi Clan Taijutsu Arts which would explain his promotion to the rank of Chūnin at such an early age. He was still a newcomer in his probationary rookie season just like Naruto as he was promoted just the year before in the Chūnin Exams held just before the one Naruto participated in and managed to secure a promotion on his first try just like Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru did in theirs. He was also one of the very few from their village to do so via the Chūnin Exams route instead of just being field promoted like the average shinobi would be. Due to being an Akimichi and quite talented for his age his Jōnin sensei recommended his team for the Chūnin Exams which is typical for selected advanced Genin squads who the village is interested in showing off to the public and wealthy clientele that come to watch the matches.
With the entire task force gathered for this specific occasion Suzaku now felt that it was time to move in once he finished reviewing the mission scroll. Passing the scroll back to Naruto the older officer cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "Listen up everyone. I know our three squads have been pulled together out of the blue for a last-minute emergency mission but regardless of the circumstances that brought us here we will conduct ourselves to the fullest capabilities a Leaf Shinobi is capable of. We will act with due diligence in this matter as I explain to you the delicate situation." Suzaku barked with a commanding aura about him that instantly commanded respect from those around him. Most stood with their shoulders a little straighter at the sound of his voice as the older Nara man began to explain the Joint Task Force Dockett Mission in full detail from the contents of the scroll he just memorized in full.
He spared no detail and made sure everyone was on the same page regarding the time sensitivity of the mission and the nature of the missing civilians of the towns they would be searching for. As Leaf Shinobi, it was their penultimate responsibility to ensure the safety and prosperity of the citizens of their country. The Land of Fire was a prosperous nation that stood as a crown jewel even in comparison to the other four Great Nations. This standard of living was partially responsible from the diligence and high-quality nature of the shinobi the Leaf Village has produced over the past 40 plus years.
Everyone understood the stakes they were walking into. Something happened to these two villages that has devastated their communities and left them in shambles. Dozens are missing from the total population census report of each village and many more were left injured as a result of their attackers. Someone or something was responsible for this attack, and it was their job to hunt it or them down and eliminate them by any means necessary. There were no minced words or sugarcoating done by Suzaku. He told it as it is and only gave those listening a heartbeat worth of time to digest the full scope of the information the scroll left for them.
"Finally, Lady Hokage has left special orders behind in the scroll. I'm designated Platoon Lead for this JTF Mission and as such you will refer to me as Captain for the duration of this mission time. Additionally young Naruto here has been designated Special Advisory Consultant and Second in command of the platoon in cases of where we run into any unforeseen special enemies. Is that understood?" Suzaku probed with his eyes wandering to each member of the large 14-man strong group.
A flicker of emotion crossed Iwana's face as he gritted his teeth at hearing such an outrageous notion as this. A boy young enough to be his child was second in command of a whole joint task force mission and he was Special Advisory Consultant in matters of the Supernatural. It was beyond his mind to comprehend such a thing, especially because of who the boy was in question. Naruto's very identity only added insult to injury in Iwana's mind.
For Iwana, his career stalled out and practically dried up over night following the Third Shinobi World War. The infiltration mission he and his team were tasked with carrying out during the war turned into a disaster that saw his entire squad killed with him being maimed and injured. If it weren't for hastily scrapped together reinforcements from a nearby battlefront coming to his team's last known location Iwana would have found himself losing more than just his left eye. While the report from that failed mission was sealed to all but the eyes of the upper brass such as the Hokage, The Shinobi Council, and the Jōnin Commander, nevertheless an investigation was launched during the time, and it was discovered that it was a careless rookie mistake created on Iwana's own part that led to his team being discovered behind enemy lines against the Hidden Stone Village.
Members of the reinforcement rescue team were also killed in the rescue attempt turning the entire operation into an unfortunate disaster as it is well known that Hidden Stone Shinobi are extremely relentless and brutal and are known to hunt in large hunting packs of 8 to 12 members during large scale operations and as such, they gave none of the leaf shinobi they came across that day any quarter or mercy and as such 7 Leaf Ninja died brutal deaths in that operation.
Iwana has never forgiven himself for his failures that day and it was only thanks to that mission file being sealed away that he was spared the disgrace and dishonor that would have followed had the rest of his comrades discovered it was his own mistake that cost so many lives. It went without saying that Hiruzen as Hokage during his final months in office before the war died down decided it best to pull Iwana from active combat. It took him nearly half a year to fully recover from his injuries and by the time he did the war had transitioned over to a ceasefire that was more like a cold war.
Due to the devastating damage Minato had inflicted to the Land of Earth and Hidden Stone Village, Ōnoki the Third Tsuchikage pulled his village and his armies from the active battlefields while Ā the Fourth Raikage who was just named following the death of his father the Third Raikage would still continue on for the next 3 ½ almost 4 years in a tense Cold War like tension with the Leaf until the Hyūga Kidnapping Incident firmly and decisively ended the Third Shinobi World War for good which all happened in-between the time Hiruzen had stepped down to name Minato his successor and being forced to come out of retirement to resume his post as Hokage following Minato and Kushina's unfortunate early death during the Nine Tails Attack.
Minato would regulate Iwana and many of the post war veterans into more peaceful jobs that would allow them to unwind back into peacetime while still allowing them to utilize their skills or pass on what they had learned and as such Iwana was regulated to the Academy part time as a teacher and for the remainder of his time, he would be tasked with guard duty at the great walls that surrounded the village.
This was a slap in the face to Iwana as his career never took off past that point ever again as his overall power never truly increased much more than it already was with only his skills and experience growing with age. He was never put up for promotion either as he was stuck as a Chūnin for the last 13 years. With the exceptionally long tenure he's had as an off and on Academy Teacher he would have thought he'd at least get a promotion to Special Jōnin at best, but such a desire and opportunity never came his way.
To be named a Special Advisory Consultant was a title and specialist rank handed to most Special Jōnin whenever they are assigned to a team taking on a very nuanced and specialized mission that requires that particular Special Jōnin's unique expertise and skillset. To have a fresh rookie Chūnin at 13 years of age be giving such a position for this mission burned at Iwana's soul and bruised his ego more than anything else. The fact that it was the most hated individual in his life that was before him nearly made him act with rash impunity right then and there, but it was only the sudden words of their platoon lead that stayed any such treasonous actions from him.
"Is there something on your mind Iwana? Do you have an objection to make?" Suzaku spoke with a stern tone and stare directed at the Chūnin who gritted his teeth in anger. "Why would this little bastard of a child be granted overall second in command of this mission? Why should any of us take orders from a child?" The disgust and rage in his eyes were apparent and even his body language screamed danger. Suzaku's chakra was already silently and subtly circulating in his body ready at a moment's notice to act if needed as his shadow on the ground turned darker with most present none the wiser at the captain's minute actions. He'd restrain Iwana before the man could draw his next breath if he even got the suspicion the disgruntled Chūnin would recklessly commit treason and friendly patricide by attempting to attack a fellow comrade in the middle of a mission. An A – Ranked mission at that.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in disgust and equal anger while his classmates all looked on in surprise and shock at the hostility being thrown their way. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked towards his teammate and partner in response to this outburst. 'Is this what I suspect this is about?' Neji silently contemplated as he was told about the Nine Tailed Fox the night Naruto came over for the very first time to introduce himself to the Hyūga Clan as Hinata's primary suitor. It was inevitable given the hostility he faced at the dinner table and the existence of Eva, his children, and the unique chakra he used to defeat him during their match in the Chūnin Exams coming to light only compounded the need to finally tell the boy about one of his closely kept secrets. 'Is this man one of the bigoted fools who used to torment Naruto as a child?' Neji himself saw life through a different lens now more than ever following his defeat to Naruto in the Chūnin Exams. He's turned over a new leaf and gained a more positive and healthier perspective in life. He never wanted to return to his previous bigoted and ignorant self who wallowed in his own pain and misery and took out his anger and ignorance on others.
As someone who was cultivating a stronger healthier bond and friendship with his cousin's boyfriend, he wouldn't tolerate such negativity and hostility to his new best friend. The only other person he could rely upon and truly call a best friend would be Rock Lee, but Neji would be loath to ever admit that in public, the embarrassment would be too much for him.
"You'll take orders from me because as the only living Uzumaki left in the village and my clan's crowned Shī-ō if it turns out that we are dealing with supernatural creatures, I'm this team's only true answer to such a threat. I don't particularly care for the prejudice and hate you have for me. I've never done anything wrong to you Mr. Akame, despite the way you've treated me in the past. So do us both a favor and act professionally while we're doing this mission. We're here to save as many lives as we can. Let's just leave it at that." Naruto's retort was clipped and straight to the point, but none could dismiss the cold and detach tone in which he spoke in. It was clear that he was biting his tongue from saying more scathing words than the ones he was currently using.
It was only his act of restraint and attempts at remaining professional that saw him through his response. Naruto wanted nothing more to do with this angry and toxic colleague if he could help it. He reminded him too much of Mizuki for his tastes but so long as they were on this mission, he would try to set boundaries and act accordingly as a leaf ninja. Nothing more, and everything less.
Iwana for his part gritted his teeth in seething rage at the way he was addressed and summarily dismissed in one go. Iwana's career had completely stalled to a grinding halt many years ago while Naruto's seemed to be exploding and taking off with no end in sight, and as a Jinchūriki who had demonstrated some form of control over his abilities and had shown other remarkable abilities during and after the Chūnin Exams it meant that Naruto's potential was limitless and had no end in sight.
It burned… it burned his soul indeed.
Before any retort or much worse could happen, Suzaku stepped in physically between the two in one stride. "Ok! That's enough!" In one swift motion the older Nara attached his shadow to that of Iwana's and briskly walked off far across the road they were standing on to the tree line a distance away. With their shadow's connected Iwana had no choice but to mimic his Platoon Commander's body movements even if he didn't want to. Once they were sufficiently a distance away out of normal earshot from the rest of the platoon Suzaku stopped and began to tear into Iwana verbally, that much was clear from the point of view of everyone left standing where they originally were.
"Naruto what was that about?" Sakura asked in belated confusion and fear as she tugged on her teammate's sleeve in concern. Naruto could hear it in her voice all the same and the sentiment was appreciated more than she'd know but, in that moment, he wasn't in the mood to talk about what prejudice and hate he was subjected to. He knew that every adult here in the group knew of his struggle. He'd rather not delve into it while his anger was still leaking out. He was trying his best to get a hold of it before he did something he'd regret.
"It's something I've held on to for so long that it's basically become second nature to me… it's something I should have told you and Sasuke a long time ago. But I'm sorry Sakura… you'll just have to wait a little longer before I'm comfortable telling you two. Perhaps after this mission is complete, you two can come over to my apartment again and we'll make a day out of it. This talk is actually long overdue, and I'm sorry for not confiding in you two by having it sooner." The tremor and painful emotions broadcasting from Naruto's tone of voice and body language couldn't even escape the notice of a blind and deaf man. Everyone could feel the raw emotions pouring out of the young blond-haired boy and for those that knew him or were even acquainted with him it left a large pang of guilt and concern in their hearts.
He patted Sakura on the shoulder gently while conveying just what he wanted to emotionally tell his teammates. He's closed the distance between the three of them greatly in the past year. In the beginning he couldn't stand Sakura at all, and she wasn't the first person on his priority list that he'd feel comfortable emotionally opening himself up too. She wasn't a friend in the beginning, but now times have changed. Ever since she truly started taking her ninja career seriously and began training with all of the Jōnin Sensei to hone her skills her personality has seen a huge boon. The results of her taking a different direction in her life showed during the Land of Snow mission where she was a huge contributing member of the team during the struggles they faced.
Naruto felt extremely comfortable considering Sakura as a close friend now and teammate and the same sentiment could be said about Sasuke… but deep down it saddened Naruto that he hasn't been about to spend as much time with the black haired Uchiha as of late. Even discounted the time he took off for his family vacation, the time the two friends have spent together has rapidly diminished and that downfall started the day he and Sasuke ran into Itachi at the hotel. Since then, Naruto could sense a divide slowly but surely growing between them and the violent sparring match and emotional outburst that Sasuke had during the mission to the Land of Snow where he injured and incapacitated him has drawn a further wedge between the two teammates that even after all this time hasn't quite been mended as of yet.
It made the talk he finally planned to have with his two teammates even more daunting. Hinata, Shikamaru, by association Chōji, and recently Neji was all in the know about his Jinchūriki status. They all came about this information in various ways from interacting with him in volatile situations, but his own teammates would be the last of importance to know of his special status within the village and a large part of Naruto felt ashamed of taking this long to finally feel comfortable with them to broach this sensitive subject. They've been growing closer together as of late… or so it seemed and in Naruto's mind it felt like a proverbial slight and taint of trust to wait this long in having this long overdue conversation. Another part felt that his own sense of security and peace of mind were at stake, these two are the two closest individuals to him who in theory he's supposed to trust with his very life and even give his very life for them on the battlefield, if necessary, with the full assurance that they'd do the same for him. It was a monumental amount of trust to place in two teammates and his sense of security and peace of mind for the vast majority of his life has been in a very fragile state, and it was a delicate piece of himself that shouldn't be rushed as it could leave him vulnerable to those that he 'thought' he could trust.
A soft hand brought him out of his muse as he looked down to see Claes holding his hand in a firm grip. The synthetic fake skin grafted onto her hands and arms faintly registered in the back of his mind as he was one of the ones who helped put it on all of the orphaned sisters, but he took comfort in the unusual warmth they represented. Claes wasn't the emotional type, much less the emotionally connected one so for her to display a sign of physical affection, even one as nuanced and common as this one was something to take notice of.
Her piercing purple eyes found his and in it he saw concern and compassion within that didn't register in the rest of her body language. Being so introverted and anti-social had such masking qualities to her personality as it did with others like her, but Naruto understood her support all the same and the message she was trying to convey. He understood.
She didn't say a word… and she didn't have to as Naruto smiled at her in gratitude and pulled her against his side. She was opening up to him and that was all that mattered. She was his sworn partner in the mafia now. It made his heart swell with pride since he could officially take missions with her now and the fact that he registered Angelica to his care permanently and officially only added to that enthusiasm. He didn't miss the glow of her cheeks as she turned her head away from him, he wasn't as dense as he used to be, and he was becoming an official expert on how women react to men both platonically and romantically. Him finally accepting Henrietta's feelings and claiming her as his second official girlfriend just that previous night set the perfect precedent and example. He knew many girls his age who were either smitten or outright in love with him and Claes was one such girl. The fact that besides Triela, her other sisters all had strong feelings for him was no longer lost to him. With Henrietta's feelings being the strongest of them all, he also counted Rico and Angelica in that category as both girls in their own unique way expressed a deep bond and attachment to him that was growing day by day. Henrietta actively pursuing her feelings for him only served to light a fire beneath them. Even though Angelica affectionately called him her big brother, he emphatically knew deep down that she held a pure love and attachment to him in her heart, it was just her childish and emotionally dependent personality that made her refer to him in such a way.
Before anymore of his thoughts could be occupied the returning footsteps of his commanding officer and adversary brought him back to the task at hand. Suzaku had a stern look across his face made of steel and Iwana looked as if he had several sour lemons stuffed down his throat but while his body language no longer spoke as if he were going to straight up attack Naruto on the spot it did nothing to stop the smoldering glare that phased through Naruto's very soul. He was pissed beyond measure but not a single word escaped his lips.
"Right, let's tighten up. We're already wasted far too much time on nonsense! I will have no one step out of line with any personal feelings or vendetta's while we're on the clock. One misstep from anyone or any dissent between teamwork and I'll right your ass up for insubordination or worst. AM, I UNDERSTOOD?" The commander growled and as one the entire platoon felt the man's ire at the situation at hand. They knew he was serious and none of the older shinobi present had any qualms with him cracking down on his squad during such an important mission.
Discipline was paramount in a military organization and for the older shinobi in the group they had no personal grudge or issue with Naruto that would profoundly affect the performance of their duties. Natsu herself stifled much of her weariness of Naruto with his retort and display of actions a moment ago. Iwana's words were unprofessional, and she would never steep to such a level as to call Naruto out in such a setting if she were truly distressed and unsettled by his mere presence. She could see that yet again he was made of sturdier mettle as he had no hesitation or qualms with standing up for himself against anyone who was hostile to him. That same grit that he showed at the Hyūga Manor was back again… it rose her opinion of him.
A resounding chorus from the entire platoon responding back positively to Suzaku's words drew the matter to a close for now. Now they could turn their attention to the mission at hand as the entire squad began their trek to the gates of Oniyuri Village which was across the crest of the next hill in front of them.
[Oniyuri Village]
Desolate.
That was the first word that reached Naruto's mind upon stepping across the threshold of Oniyuri Village. The streets were cluttered with trash and distinct blood stains that didn't bode well in the minds of the shinobi coming into the village. Fear… it was almost palpable in the air for the ninja to sense as shadowed eyes peered at them from behind closed shutters as the group came to a stop shortly after.
"I don't like this. I can sense dozens of people here hiding in their homes and buildings. They still fear whatever attacked them will return." Naruto commented as he extended his senses out in an echoing bubble to encompass the vast majority of the village proper in a bid to get a general census on the amount of people still in the vicinity.
"I'm sensing around 425 plus people still around, could be more but I'm not sure." A troubled muted look was plastered on Naruto's face at the despair that he could feel from everything around him. Zaji himself was shocked at the sheer range of the younger Chūnin next to him. He's never met Naruto before or knew much about him for that matter but to see him with a sensory sensitivity so strong… much stronger than his own rattled the older boy and not entirely in a negative way.
His sensory skills were praised as advanced for his age, not quite extraordinary enough to get noticed or recruited by the Tracker Unit or ANBU Black Ops due to the rest of his skills not being anywhere near enough up to snuff but all the same he was considered quite talented with his sensing abilities. Yet for all that praise, he couldn't discern the approximate number of individuals in such a wide range from him. The most he's ever been able to sense has been 50 individuals and they were all within 300 meters of him, not the number Naruto was sensing nor the range. He was impressed and even a little put off by the younger boy's prowess.
Placing his hands together in a ram seal and concentrating his own sensory bubble expanded out to its maximum which was far shorter than Naruto's and more fixated on the density of an individual's chakra rather than the sheer diversity of and distances of each individual in Naruto's case. Zaji zeroed in on the town around him and began scanning the surrounding area. He could sense a dozen of the adults around the area based upon their chakra strength alone, but he couldn't make out much more than that. He felt a hazy mist clouding his mental sensory perception that he'd never come across before. Unknown to him at the moment what he was sensing was residual Yōki and mana hanging around in the atmosphere surrounding the town.
As it is well known that Yōki as an energy source is much thicker but less malleable than chakra it functions as a natural filtering source towards chakra sensitive individuals. Their sensory pinging pulses would have a harder time transmitting themselves over long distances when massive quantities of ambient Yōki is present in the atmosphere.
"Captain… I'm sorry but I can't detect much around me. My perception is being muddled somehow." Zaji reported to Suzaku who looked between him and Naruto and immediately ascertained as to why that was most likely the case. The older Nara understood the situation and didn't hold it against his young and inexperienced subordinate. It was an arduous task to ask a Sensory Ninja to push through and detect individuals through a haze of left over ambient Yōki. He could also understand how Naruto would be generally unaffected by this phenomenon and how he was able to still use his sensory skills intact. Suzaku as the commanding officer was well informed on all of his subordinates' basic abilities including Naruto's who he had prior knowledge on, especially since he works in the Jōnin Commander's office alongside his clan head Shikaku Nara the Jōnin Commander himself. He knew about Naruto's registered Sensory abilities and how long he's been developing them.
Between the two of them Naruto was the far more powerful and experienced ninja in this unique set of abilities. "It's all right Zaji… this isn't your fault. It's difficult to sense things through a fog of Yōki hanging in the air. Isn't that right young Naruto?" Suzaku mused as they progressed deeper into the town in the direction of the merchant square. Briefly glancing back at his commanding officer Naruto saw the pride and confidence the older man had in his opinion and abilities. It was deeply flattering and appreciated as Naruto nodded subtly while continuing to walk forward. "Yes captain… difficult yes, but not entirely impossible. It also helps somewhat confirm that we may be dealing with some kind of supernatural creature. I also feel something strange hanging in the general atmosphere and it's not the Yōki that I'm sensing." Naruto replied back getting a sideways glance from Sasuke who subtly flickered on his Sharingan without any noticeable movement.
Walking forward with purpose in his steps Naruto could see the town square and capital building in the distance a few blocks away. The town church of worship with its large spire and clock tower and bell could also be seen sticking above the low skyline of the surrounding buildings allowing it to be a focal point in the community. The town square doubled as the village's main merchant trading hub and commercial center as the avenue they were on was lined with commercial and commerce buildings. Bars, trading centers, restaurants, bookstores, shopping centers, and hole in the wall mom and pop family own stores lined the well maintained and paved brick path that the average village didn't bother installing in their pedestrian walking roads.
Bringing both thumbs up to his mouth Naruto bit them both hard enough to draw blood while smearing it across the palms of his hands. He never broke his stride, and he did this action quickly without pause causing his classmates and teammates who knew he could summon to tense up and further place themselves on guard. Naruto's actions spoke of preparedness as he knew of something that they didn't and by this point Sasuke and Sakura in particular who have worked with him for enough time to note that in times of crisis and danger he often communicated his desires and states of mind through subtle actions and forward planning rather than verbally announcing his intentions for enemies to potentially hear, especially in the calm before the storm where they still may potentially hold the element of surprise.
"Order's captain?" Naruto called back as the town square was starting to come more into view. Suzaku was observing all of Naruto's actions and his body language and was extremely impressed with his professionalism and poise in such a tense situation. He had a forward progressively thinking mind and he was already preparing plans and countermeasures for whatever was to come. A prepared paranoid shinobi was an alive shinobi… an underprepared lax shinobi was a dead shinobi. It is what it is. That was the way the world worked even in times of peace. Natsu Hyūga was also impressed by Naruto's general demeanor and professionalism and caught his act of biting his fingers in preparation for a summoning ritual. She wanted to see where this led them.
"Ehh… I think you've already got that covered. I want the central market square to be locked down by us so that we can begin gathering up the survivors but other than that I want to hold off until we know more. What would you recommend in this situation Chūnin Uzumaki?" Captain Suzaku mused as he was leaving the overall tactical decision to Naruto to decide as he wanted to test the young tactical genius's mettle in a live action scenario. He's heard much of Naruto's exploits from his colleagues and from the Jōnin Commander himself, now he wanted to see who Naruto was on the battlefield with his own two eyes.
Scowls came from both Sasuke's and Iwana's faces for both similar and entirely varied reasons, but both of these looks were missed by Naruto who was walking ahead of both of them at the time. Naruto hid his surprise well at being given such a responsibility, but he didn't miss a beat as his mind immediately began formulating strategies to handle this situation. Acting like he was using Shadow Clones in his mind's eye Naruto replaced his face on the clones and thought of what he'd do if he were in this situation solo.
In 10 seconds, he had a full movement plan worked out in his brain as he turned to Claes next to him holding his hand. "Claes, I want you on overwatch watching our backs and surrounding area. Find a tall building with an overview of both the town square and surrounding neighborhoods." It only took a second for Naruto's orders to register within his partner/subordinate's mind before the enhanced marionette shot off from the group with speed that surprised the older shinobi in the group who were unfamiliar with her and had no idea that she was even a shinobi. It was a question lingering on quite a few of their minds but since her name was on the mission scroll, they couldn't outright dismiss the fact she was a part of the mission for a reason. Still there were questions that quite a few of them would like to ask regarding this mysterious girl.
"Neji and Tenten I need you on the rooftops scanning the horizon and surrounding buildings for any suspicious activities. Makaro and Zaji will join them. Zaji will pair up with Neji who will begin searching the southern half of the town for stragglers while on the lookout for any enemies. Tenten and Makaro will watch the town square from above us as our main groups' close-in-range overwatch while Natsu and Saisu will do the same by sweeping the northern half of the town. The captain and I along with Sasuke, Sakura, Riichi, Iwana, and Shun will secure the town square." Naruto summarily meted out his tactical judgment without wasting a breath as his superior officers looked on in satisfied regard to his orders.
'He's got sound tactical judgement. He sent both of our Hyūga members to opposite sides of the town so that they could cover more distance and scan more of the town quickly with their Byakugan to pick up any stragglers or enemies. He assigned a partner to each and while Neji would be most comfortable working with his teammate Tenten he instead partnered him up with Zaji who can act as an additional sensor since Neji's still young and inexperienced compared to his older clansmen Natsu who is far more experienced in search and rescue. Tenten's long range abilities will do fine as our close in overwatch guarding the plaza with Makaro assisting. While he expertly also knew to assign Saisu to watch Natsu's back who with his extendable Kama has longer range options to cover Natsu's short range limits. I don't know the capabilities of his partner that he asked to be assigned to this mission, but he clearly trusts her to be on her own and since he assigned her to be our long-range primary overwatch that means she either has specialized long-range abilities or superior sensory and eyesight to watch over the entire platoon. Impressive, young Naruto, most impressive indeed.'
Suzaku found no faults with this basic set up as it left enough flexibility in it that the two independent two-man scouting teams could cover the entire town quickly while also allowing them to always fall back to the town square in case of emergency while the central plaza was covered heavily by their members for security. It was impressive for him to think up such a stratagem on such short notice after he put him in the spotlight in front of the entire platoon.
Neji and Tenten showed no hesitation in following Naruto's advised strategy as the two members from Team 9 were on the nearby roofs within moments with Makaro joining the pair a moment later. The others hesitated for brief moments out of repose and shock within their own minds as they all tried to piece together Naruto's reasoning for his directives, but Suzaku was having none of it as he barked at the others in front of him. "You heard him. Split up and get moving. We need to begin securing the perimeter now!" The gruff voice of their captain was enough to get the other Chūnin into action as everyone paired off according to their new orders as the main bulk of the group finally made it to the town square to see the state of things…
To simply put despair was in the air as makeshift tents and debris scattered the main plaza trashing what was not too long ago a bustling clean and sophisticated center for commerce and community. "Sakura get ready with your medical supplies so that we can perform triage on the most critically injured and in need of help. Remember your experience from Shirakawa Town in the Land of Snow. I'll be right here to support you." Naruto calmly reassured his support-based teammate with a softer tone compared to earlier. Giving off a small appreciative smile Sakura nodded her head before stepping away from the group while performing a quick sequence of hand signs. Naruto mimicking her actions with a set of his own.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu." In a calm tone Sakura created three walls of one-foot-thick brick and cement from the ground beneath them that formed into an open box. At the same time Naruto clapped his palms together while concentrating. "Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu." Thick panes of frost built themselves up across the outer walls of Sakura's construct while a thin translucent sheet of ice formed the roof over the makeshift building allowing sunlight to still come in so that the enclosed space wouldn't be devoid of light. Taking it a step further Naruto created multiple slabs of thin yet sturdy ice that formed out of the inner walls of the makeshift building that formed into improvised beds. Naruto altered the makeup of his ice so that it wouldn't be freezing cold to the touch for anyone who was going to be placed down onto it.
"Impressive…" Riichi muttered as this was his first-time witnessing Naruto use his famous Ice Style Kekkei Genkai. He wasn't present during the Chūnin Exams where Naruto fought Neji to see him use it in live combat back then. He was busy assigned to the outer great walls that surround the village when the invasion kicked off. In fact, he nearly died and barely managed to escape death alongside Ibiki when the massive three headed snake summon of Orochimaru's smashed through the protective walls allowing the Hidden Sand and Sound Ninja armies into the village. That was the closest call to the jaws of death he's had yet in his career.
"Once we have an idea of what we're dealing with in terms of triage then I'll summon in the Medical Toads and Shop Toads to give us a more permanent solution. So, we'll work with what we have for the time being." Naruto spoke to his pink haired teammate who nodded in agreeance who immediately ran over to the new improvised medical tent and set her medical bags down on an additional slab of ice that was formed into a table for her by Naruto's forward thinking. She organized the tools within that she knew she would soon be needing as Naruto and the others walked over to the large group of civilians who approached them wearily.
"Hello citizens, my name is Captain Suzaku Nara of the Hidden Leaf Village. We have received the emergency message you sent out about the incident that occurred here. Is there someone here who is in charge who I can kindly speak to so that we may assist you all?" Suzaku spoke aloud in a voice loud enough to be heard within the crowd as an older man nearing his fifties approached the large group of shinobi with a weary relieved smile on his face that was faded by the turmoil that has befallen the town. "Hello Leaf shinobi… my name is Sano Genjo and I worked in the mayor's office as one of his senior aides. We beg you for assistance. Many of us are gravely injured."
The now named Sano Genjo was an older man nearing his fifties with a tattered dark green haori, grey yukata, and matching grey hakama pants. On his face he was wearing a pair of bespectacled reading lenses across the bridge of his nose and a thick mane of facial hair and beard that reached down to his chest. The weariness in his eyes were understandable for the shinobi who were speaking to him. As they looked around all they saw was despair and confusion haunting the faces of the citizens roaming about.
Whatever happened here over the past few days took its' tole on the people of this town as bloodstains and wrecked store fronts could be seen everywhere they looked. Whatever attacked them was vicious in nature whether they had been an aggressive band of brigands and bandits or something more supernatural in nature. There was no mercy in this attack.
In that moment Naruto felt the same menacing and foreboding feeling crawl up his spine that he had first felt the moment they crossed the threshold into the village. The presence of the thick sensory choking cloud of ambient Yōki was denser and much more concentrated here in the central market that the streets over Naruto noticed, yet despite that fact he couldn't quite pinpoint the exact location of that strange presence that he was feeling. It made sense that there would be a larger concentration of Yōki here in the marketplace as this is usually the most populated location of small towns like this and was most likely the place hit the hardest during the attack. For the life of him Naruto couldn't shake the feeling like they were being watched by something or someone. A frown subtly marred his face as he decided to test a small little theory in his mind. Seeing as how his captain had things well in hand Naruto started to slowly break off from the rest of the group.
"We are here to help Mr. Genjo. Can you please tell us who attacked you? Who were they, how many were there, and how many of your people are dead and or injured?" Suzaku started off with a serious tone to his voice as he pulled out a note pad to begin taking notes. He needed to compile a comprehensive report of all of the issues and damages associated with the incident. This would need to be seen by the Hokage and high command due to the severity of the situation.
Moving forward several blocks away from the main town square, Naruto took a survey of the injured civilians scattered around the streets in a disarray of despair and desperation. It was heartbreaking for him to see such destruction and pain surrounding him. It immediately gave him flashbacks to Shirakawa Town in the Land of Snow and even the Land of Waves when it was under the control of Gatō and his crime syndicate. Next to him was Sasuke and Shun Keita who were taking in the despondent atmosphere just like him, meanwhile Suzaku, Riichi, and a reluctant Iwana stayed behind to talk with the officials of the town.
"So… how have you been lately?" A few minutes after leaving the others to their tasks Naruto tried to spark up a conversation with Sasuke whose quiet demeanor was causing an uncomfortable tension in the air. He's been eyeing Naruto out of the corner of his eyes for a long while now and the blond haired Uzumaki of course noticed these piercing looks and was now fed up with them. The long-distance travel that their team had to do in order to make it all the way down south to this town was a long journey for the young shinobi. It should have been enough time for Naruto to catch back up with his teammates since the last time they were all together, which would have been on their return trip from the Land of Snow. This was Team 7's first official mission since then.
But alas this wasn't to be as Sasuke avoided any and all attempts made by Naruto in the past 8 hours since being summoned to Tsunade's office to receive this mission to talk with his two teammates. It was honestly frustrating for Naruto to have to put up with the monotonous silent treatment and cold shoulder his close friend was giving him. Of course, he also didn't forget the incident on the boat ride to the Land of Snow and the fallout from that. Sasuke's emotional outburst and the violent sparring match to ensue was still fresh on Naruto's mind nearly 4 months later.
An immediate scowl came to Sasuke's face at being addressed by his partner and Naruto wasn't surprised in the least at this response, but he waited patiently for his teammate to respond. "I heard you encountered a powerful team of Stone Shinobi during that joint mission you got pulled away to do when we got back from the Land of Snow, and you also managed to fight both Sound Shinobi and Waterfall Shinobi as well." A twitch of Naruto's eye restrained the full-blown scowl that wanted to form on his face at the blatant disrespect shown by his teammate for blowing off his initial question but then a contemplative yet suspicious muted look replaced this emotion.
"And just where did you hear that tale from?" Naruto probed as he turned to see the glare on Sasuke's face deepen. "I'll take that as a yes then." The Uchiha huffed as he pulled ahead breaking eye contact with his teammate who now had a scowl of his own on his face to match. 'How would he know about that mission. Due to Balalaika's interference in the Bikochu Beetle Mission it was immediately classified along with the encounter we had with the Sound and Waterfall Ninja at the border. Tsunade and the higher ups don't want to tip off Orochimaru or any other enemies about what went down on that mission. So how would Sasuke know any of this… did he spy or read something he wasn't supposed to, or do we have a leak in the admin building who let it slip to him?' As a Chūnin with newer heightened responsibilities this admission from his teammate was alarming for Naruto to hear as he just couldn't pretend that this didn't just happen.
As a Genin Sasuke and Sakura would be restricted from knowing what kind of mission Naruto was assigned to when he helped Hinata and Team 8 out since it became classified. Of course, it was entirely possible that Kiba could have told Sasuke of what happened as he's always been known to brag and boast a lot but the dog loving Inuzuka didn't typically go out of his way to associate with the last Uchiha of the village. Even Kiba found Sasuke's aloof and brooding nature to be annoying and off putting at the best of times, so he generally avoided interacting with Sasuke on the regular.
This bothered Naruto on multiple levels as it made it clear that Sasuke was fishing for something, some form of information or confirmation for something and this behavior wasn't particularly known to be a part of his personality to do so… or so he would have thought up until recent months and the Land of Snow mission.
There was a darkness there, lurking just beneath the surface that was filled with hunger… a great hunger to be stronger and more powerful. This obsession was something that was festering for many years ever since Itachi massacred the Uchiha Clan. But that darkness was held in check up until their fateful encounter with the scion of the Uchiha Clan many months ago. Naruto didn't want to see it, confront it, or much less admit to it but he's sensed a decline in Sasuke's psyche ever since that day. The friendship that they had spent so long working on began to form cracks in it… exceptionally large cracks as of late during the Land of Snow mission.
Naruto wasn't quite sure what was going on with his raven-haired teammate, but now he felt something finally had to be done about it. He was afraid of the pit of darkness his close friend was slipping into. After this mission was over, he was going to speak with Lady Tsunade about these latest developments, alongside Kakashi and hopefully Inoichi Yamanaka to hopefully get to the bottom of this seemingly rapid mental decline in his friend. Hopefully then he would finally be able to sit down with his two original teammates and tell them all about his status as a Jinchūriki and any other thing he wanted them to know.
There was more that Naruto now wanted to say to his teammate and the words were right on the tip of his tongue, but his eyes caught the frightened deer in the headlights look of a scared 4-year-old girl clinging to the leg of her mother who was half propped up on the front porch of their apartment like building. The woman could barely move, and the reason as to why was self-evident by the large gash of claw marks on her lower leg. Whatever anger and tension brewing beneath the surface for his wayward teammate and friend immediately got suppressed and pushed further down within Naruto's mind as his massive sense of empathy took over at this sight. Approaching the duo who were surrounded by friendly neighbors trying to comfort the pair as well as stem the bleeding from the mother's wound Naruto approached softly while making his presence known. Crouching low to be at eye level with the toddler crying over her mother Naruto spoke up.
"Hey little one, there's no need to cry anymore. Your mother will be simply fine if you don't mind me taking a look at her." His intrusion broke everyone out of their panicked states causing the adults around to take notice of Naruto and his appearance. Due to the town's prominence as a tourism and economic trading hub the citizens of Oniyuri were remarkably familiar with the appearances of their country's ninja and what they looked like. However, Naruto's youthful age was a stark contrast to the military flak vest and weapon pouches adoring his body which even civilians of this town knew signified him as a Chūnin or above or at the very least an officer with some rank. At 13, it was quite impressive and yet off-putting in this day and age of peace since the end of the Third Shinobi World War.
It was the typical reciprocal response from the little girl asking his name that allowed Naruto to crack the first genuine smile in this ordeal. Despite the fear and uncertainty clouding her eyes the child still had the innocence of youth and childhood shining through as her curiosity for just the briefest moment cut through her fear to shine brightly in her eyes. It was often called the purity and innocence of children that allowed them an innate sixth sense to sense out negativity and danger in certain strangers and Naruto could see the subtle signs of the child letting her guard down ever so slightly around him in acceptance from just looking into his eyes despite the gravity of the situation her mother was in. Internally it made him happy to know that his vast experience as a young teen parent could put a distraught and fearful child at ease with just his mere presence alone.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, a Chūnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. My team and I were sent here to your town to help everyone out. What's your name?" Naruto's voice pitched down several octaves to be more inviting and gentler with the child who quickly identified herself as Isa Fumiko and her mother as Tachibana Fumiko. Easing in slowly, Naruto carefully managed to convince the child to allow him to check on her mother's injuries with minimum interference and protest from the neighbors of this family who were weary of a new face.
'There's residual Yōki within these claw marks. Seeing them just reminds me of the marks from the Four War God Demons. Whoever did this was brutal and fast… it was almost like they were in a frenzy or rampage. She was most likely caught in the back of the leg as she ran with Isa. It looks like there was no rhyme or reason to these attacks otherwise this woman would already be dead.'
The frown on Naruto's face caught the attention of Tachibana who wore the face of a woman who thought she was going to die leaving her child behind. Quickly catching on to the effect he was having on the pair Naruto quickly changed his expression to a more positive one. "There's no need to worry. The wound is quite bad as you can see and most definitely feel, but it's very much treatable, and the infection that it could cause is also easily treatable. If you don't mind, I would like to carry you over to the town square a few blocks away. The rest of my team has a triage center staged there for all of the wounded. We can treat you there easily." Naruto smiled gently which worked to eventually get the mother and daughter duo to agree to his request. Some of the neighbors even agreed to help carry Tachibana but Naruto declined as he would prefer to do it himself.
"Before I forget if it's not too much trouble have any of you seen this girl in this picture?" Naruto pulled out a photo of Yusaki and her younger sister Rei Yoshisumi that he had acquired from his newest client back at the casino. Summoning Shadow Clones in the meantime which surprised many of the bystanders it nevertheless served two purposes as three of the clones moved into grab Tachibana who was hoisted up into the arms of two of the clones while the last one began applying first aid to the gash wound on her legs. Naruto himself had picked Isa up into his arms so that she wouldn't be far from her mother as they walked back but the secondary side effect that Naruto was able to achieve was the fact that the clones copied the photo from his hand upon being spawned in allowing them to show the crowd of people around them faster.
Of the crowd that had formed around the downed woman various looks and emotions flared within the eyes of those present. Most showed looks of confusion and neutrality regarding the identity of Rei Yoshisumi, but a few members present had sparks of recognition at the little girl in the picture, however the confirmation came from little Isa Fumiko. "That's Rei… she's my big brother's friend." The toddler exclaimed with tears welling up in her eyes once more as Rei would often come over to her home and play with her big brother. They lived within the same neighborhood within the larger footprint of Oniyuri Village.
"How do you know this child, leaf ninja?" An older man asked, and it was a sentiment shared by Sasuke and Shun Keita as well who didn't recognize the child in the picture or knew why Naruto would even have this picture. "Why do you have a picture of this kid from this town Naruto? We just got this mission?" Sasuke probed with a suspicious look to his teammate who glared in return in real agitation. Naruto found it hypocritical of his raven-haired partner to be so inquisitive and assertive with asking him questions when he wasn't even willing to answer his own.
"I ran into her older sister in the village yesterday and one thing led to another, and she told me about what was going on here. She was the one to make a request to the village for help. We're here this early after the attack because of her." Naruto prompted back in a clipped tone as he was in no mood to being questioned by his own partner who was questionable in his attitude, motives, and demeanor at the moment.
Sasuke of course didn't buy this story at all as he could tell Naruto wasn't quite lying, but he was most definitely withholding information about the exact nature of this situation. It reminded him of the early days of their career before the two had become friends. It was back when Naruto didn't quite trust his new teammates that he was assigned with to Team 7. There was a lot of mistrust and reclusive feelings regarding Naruto's demeanor in dealing with Sasuke and Sakura at the time. It also didn't help matters that he had way more combat and life experience than the two of them combined at the time, which put him in a league of his own compared to them. Now however, after all of the training and hard-fought battles Sasuke's participated in with an extra dosage of abusing his Sharingan's ability to copy other peoples' abilities and techniques, he's managed to close the gap between the experience and power of his teammate as demonstrated during their spar on their way to the Land of Snow.
Shun Keita could also tell that Naruto wasn't quite being forthcoming about his knowledge on this subject despite not knowing the blond haired Uzumaki at all but before he could interject into the conversation his attention was drawn to the little girl in Naruto's arms. The toddler was distraught once more.
"Rei was taken by the monsters along with everyone else. They dragged her away." Isa cried into Naruto's shoulder who was busy consoling her. He could feel a pang of pain and sympathy pulsing within his heart at the sheer pain and trauma this little girl was subjected to in such a short amount of time. Ignoring the line of questioning his teammates wanted to ask him Naruto tuned them out in favor of giving his attention to the child in his arms. "I'm sorry you had to see such a terrible thing Isa. Do you think you can describe them to me please?"
It would take some extra coaxing and consoling for the child, but eventually she gives a similar description of the monsters in question that Yusaki also describes the day before. It had his mind spinning on trying to figure out just what type of supernatural denizen he was dealing with here as his gut was telling him it wasn't the obvious conclusion his mind wanted to select. 'It can't be fox demons… Kitsune's are highly intelligent social creatures and they do tend to live in small communities or clans, but they are an apex supernatural creature that sits at the top of the social hierarchy. Their species are incredibly powerful and intelligent. They wouldn't act in such a rabid and destructive manner. This destruction was the work of a rabid pack of beasts instead of an intelligent being. Not to mention most Kitsune's aren't violent by nature. Kidnapping and pillaging human settlements are unheard of from them. They prefer to blend in with human society using their Illusion Magic. Something just isn't adding up… especially the curse like mark patterns all the victims say they are sure they all saw around their necks.' Naruto's mind was running on overtime trying to piece together the conundrum he was facing.
The evidence that was being provided to him didn't match the lore and knowledge he had of many of the prominent and well-known species of the supernatural realm. The physical description matched that of a Kitsune Fox Demon, yet their actions didn't match that of such a high societal member of the supernatural realm. They were a civilized species that was highly intelligent and sociable. They had long since evolved pass their baser animalistic and destructive instincts that would otherwise drive them to commit such heinous acts like what befell this town.
"Do you know which direction they took her?" This question yielded him a similar result as despite the hectic nature of the attack that happened the previous day Isa was able to remember such a crucial detail. She pointed to the west of the city. The only thing in that direction that Naruto could remember from reviewing the country map earlier that day was another village named Kuroyuri, the sister town of Oniyuri. The main difference between the two settlements was the fact Kuroyuri specialized in exporting fruits, vegan and vegetarian foods, and a lot of forestry industry such as lumber given the fact that they were surrounded by thick massive forests.
This information settled the turmoil within Naruto's mind. He had decisions to make and information to consult with involving the captain of their platoon. Digging deep down he pulled on his vast ocean of chakra and pulled it to the surface. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In moments well over 200 clones of the young Chūnin were flooding the street they were on. Shock and disbelief filled the faces of the civilians' present including the eyes of Shun Keita himself who wasn't aware of Naruto's capabilities. He's never heard of one shinobi being capable of summoning this many clones before. It was a forbidden technique after all due to the chakra costs.
"Pair up into groups of two and start collecting all of the civilians. We need to bring them to the town square to get them healed and conduct a census count to find out how many of them are still here and how many have gone either missing or killed." Naruto ordered two his clones as he clicked the button on his radio earpiece attached to his ear and radioed in to his other teammates scattered throughout the city. Contacting both Neji and Natsu and their respective partners Naruto relayed the same orders to the Hyūga members. Using their Byakugan's they would be able to find survivors quickly and coordinate incoming pairs of Naruto clones to pick up the injured or hiding civilians.
Rounding up the crowd of civilians in the street with them the bulk of Naruto's clones all scattered in different directions leaving Naruto's group behind to quickly make their way back to the town square which was a few blocks away at this point. Quickly returning to the center of the village all the while deflecting the probative questions and tension filled remarks of his teammate Naruto personally wanted to deliver Isa and her mother Tachibana over to Sakura's triage center for treatment as he's seen enough of the situation here to finally decide on summoning the Toad Clan here to help with the logistics of helping and healing these citizens.
After dropping them off he planned to talk directly with Suzaku Nara about the information he had learned but a cold daunting feeling clouded his senses and instincts the moment he returned to the market. It was the same ambient feeling he felt earlier when they had arrived at the market square. Something wasn't right as he darted his eyes around and quickly found his captain speaking with Iwana who didn't seem quite as thrilled to be in the position he was in while the Jōnin Riichi Sachi had spawned in a few Earth Style Mud Clones from the looks of it to help him deal with the logistics of organizing the massive influx of scared and or injured civilians slowly migrating their way to the market square. Tenten and Makaro were a few buildings down across the open plateau of the market.
"Claes… status check now!" Instantly Naruto radioed his beloved partner from the mafia who was stationed as primary overwatch of the town as she was perched upon the highest building in the area with a great vantage point and 360 overlook of the entire market square.
Not a second of delay later Naruto heard the soft melancholic voice of his mafia partner responding to him in the usual concise and poignant manner she was known for. "Master, I'm not detecting any suspicious movement, but we are receiving a massive influx of civilians coming into the town square. However, … I feel tense. There's an energy in the air now, and I can't quite pinpoint it." Claes's statement resonated with Naruto deeply as he felt the same ambience hanging lowly in the air. It was a chilling sense of foreboding that Naruto's lengthy career and many years of fighting have instilled within him a sixth sense at detecting. His instincts were warning him of an imminent threat… and more importantly the familiarity that he was trying to place was now coming back to him as he waded through the ever-increasing volume of people being brought into the town square.
It was the calm before the storm… the lingering feeling of having eyes on you. They were being watched by their enemy somehow, they were already there within their midst hiding most likely in plain sight waiting for the right opportunity to strike. It created goosebumps on his now chilled skin as all his hair instinctively stood up on end.
Sasuke who was standing next to Naruto noticed the immediate physical change in his teammate's body language and the coiling of his whole form like a spring. The last Uchiha of the Leaf Village recognized this tell as a blaring overt sign that Naruto was preparing for a battle. He's always more discrete about his initial attack when an enemy is already revealed and right in front of them… but for the times when an enemy is still unknown or concealed and Naruto senses them… then this has always been his first reaction.
Immediately, the hostility and tension that was growing between them was pushed to the wayside by Sasuke as his Sharingan came to live in the next instance which was the only thing that allowed him to catch Naruto's next set of movements a short while later. "Claes look for anyone out of place… look for a person whose body language is coiled and ready to strike. We're looking for someone who is in disguise." Naruto ordered gruffly into his headset before switching to the other channels on his set. "Neji, Natsu! Return to the square immediately! Our enemy is already here among us hiding in plain sight! Keep your Byakugan on! Move it!" Naruto's orders were short, clipped, and straight to the point as he didn't even wait for a reply before he expanded his senses to encompass the entire square. Signaling Tenten and Makaro up on the roof nearby with a coded hand signal Naruto took off into the crowd at a brisk yet sedated pace. Shun Keita was left stumbling at the very rapid change in pace of the events unfolding but even still his instincts and training kicked in at seeing his fellow comrades suddenly so tense. He didn't have time to call out to Naruto to ask what was wrong but either way he was smart enough to get on guard.
Moving through the crowd Naruto selected one of his many clones bringing in civilians to the area at random and dispelled the construct which instantaneously alerted every other clone created in the town about the new development in the situation using the memory feed back function of the technique. All of the clones now knew to be on the look out including the one who was talking to Suzaku a couple dozen yards away. The clone didn't even waste a single breath before it immediately told Suzaku the latest development while it had the chance.
Naruto nearly had tunnel vision with his rabid pursuit to now sus out the hidden enemy he was convinced was among them. He was completely convinced of his reasoning and instincts, as if it were just a simple scenario of their enemy hiding out in one of the houses or buildings overlooking the square then he would be more than capable of sensing them out, not to mention any of the others on overwatch would eventually get some inkling there was someone close by spying. But if the person in question were blending in within plain sight amongst this anxious and panicked crowd of emotionally distressed civilians then they would stand a better chance of remaining obscured for just a little while longer.
"Master! The Triage Center. Someone just entered the tent with a different composure to everyone else. He moved with the grace of a predator stalking its prey." Claes's voice boomed across Naruto's ear set and her words were almost drowned out by the sudden explosion from beneath his feet as he took off with a massive Double Acceleration that was far faster than any other takeoff that he's ever done before. The one thing he heard was the triage center and the only person he could think of at that moment was Sakura, his teammate. If an enemy were among them then targeting the medic and the triage center where all the victims of the attack were being treated would be the textbook strategy of an enemy.
Take the medic of a team out of the equation then that team automatically becomes extremely vulnerable to attack and injury without the capability of healing themselves. Their combat and operational effectiveness automatically drops severely with the loss of such an asset to a team. The rational part of Naruto's brain understood this emphatically, but the more empathetic part of his brain was just distraught in thinking about losing a teammate. Sakura had become a particularly good friend to him over the past few months now that they are starting to interact with and spend more time together, especially ever since she started taking her training and career seriously while he was away from the team. She was becoming a competent and confident kunoichi and friend and he didn't want to lose her.
His eyes immediately locked on to the bright pink hair of his teammate who he could see standing within the enclosure they had just made half an hour ago. She was treating a familiar older man that he instantly recognized. Sano Genjo, the supposed senior aid to the mayor of Oniyuri was looming over Sakura on one of the ice tables set out to be impromptu patient beds. Her back was turned to him as she rummaged in her travel pack for more medical supplies. A bandage was on his forearm that wasn't their earlier and his entire demeanor instantly changed the moment she had turned her back on him. His body was coiled tightly like a spring as his back straightened from the slouch of old age to stand straight and powerful.
Through the tunnel vision created by moving at such speeds due to his technique Naruto's eyes were zeroed in on the frail old man the entire time. He saw everything, including his demeanor changing in real time unfolding before his very eyes and it was in that moment that everyone felt it. What was once just a foreboding feeling came rushing out in an explosion of malevolent and maliciously potent Yōki that was no longer trying to conceal itself. Naruto's heart leapt into his throat, but it didn't stop that sound that ripped from his mouth all the same.
"SSSAAAAKKKUUURRAAAAAAA!"
He screamed her name louder than he's ever had before in his entire life as he watched in real time as Sano's arm transformed and bulked up in sizeable mass as sharp fingernails turned into razor sharp claws. All at once, everyone's actions converged as one in the aesthetics of a singular moment.
Sano swiped down at Sakura's exposed back who was in the motion of jolting out of her skin at hearing her teammate's primal scream of panic directed at her. For the briefest moment she sensed the spark of an imminent attack on her person as her shinobi instincts activated but her body was painfully far too slow to react to the danger her brain was only just now beginning to process. In the next moment her body was violently jerked and yanked hard against her will as a massive force slammed down into the spot, she was standing in. The large ice table holding all of her medical supplies shattered under the force of both her attacker and to her surprise Naruto himself who deflected the fatal killing strike aimed at the back of her head off course with the back of his forearm.
The shockwave destroyed the table along with the rough touchdown of Naruto's feet into the ground as one hand snaked its way around her waist hoisting her up and into his arms as he turned his body allowing it to absorb the shockwave of the blow instead of her. In the next instance his hand balled up into a fist shining a dark multitude collage of shades of blue as he rockets his fist into the assailant before they could even react. "Accel Punch!" The devastating punch landed into Sano's exposed diaphragm launching him from the tent and into the middle of the square where scared and panicking civilians scrambled to jump out of the way in a frantic manner.
Sakura barely had time to scream in panic at the dizzying multitude of events that just happened, but she clung to her teammate for dear life as he placed her back on her feet. "Naruto what was that? What's going on?" Her hands were shaking as she hastily grabbed a kunai from her leg holster for self-defense. Looking around her she could see that some of her patients who were on the other beds had fallen off from the shockwave, injuring them further which caused a surge of deeper panic to well up deep inside her.
"He's the enemy we've been looking for. He must be part of the attack on his town. He was hunting… aiming for who he perceived to be the weakest link in out platoon. The obvious choice would be to target the medic to cripple the squad. But I won't let that happen, I won't let him hurt you I promise." Naruto comforted as chakra leaked from his body in waves as the familiar feeling of his crushing and ever imposing chakra began to fill the air around them.
A brief smile crossed her face as she could see the protective look in her friend's eyes shining through as usual. It reminded her of how far they'd come and the new outlook and respect he's gained for her now that she was taking her career seriously and becoming a contributing member of their team. He was far more open with her and the others than he ever was in the past. "Help the people, I'm summoning in back up from the toads to begin getting these people to safety as well as giving you a hand with healing them. So, get ready to move." Naruto ordered as he held up his hand only to wince as he noticed a large gash pouring blood from his arm. "Naruto! You're injured! Quick let me help!" Sakura was quick to try to help but Naruto dispelled those worries within moments as he had no time to stop now that the enemy was revealed.
Pushing forward he jumped across the opened area to land ten yards away from Sano who was now just getting back to his feet. Sasuke and Shun Keita had arrived on the opposite side of the downed elderly man while Suzaku, Riichi, and Iwana were approaching from their shared left. This mysterious man was completely surrounded by the leaf ninja as Naruto could now sense Neji and Natsu's teams approaching the town square from the far side of the village.
"You're not Seno Genjo, are you?" Suzaku demanded as his hands were already configured into the correct hand sign needed for him to launch his clan's signature Shadow Possession technique. Both Jōnin present had kunai out with Iwana joining them a moment later. Now that he was no longer prioritizing concealing his presence the unknown man laughed hysterically in amusement as without warning a crushing malevolent amount of Yōki slammed into the town center bringing a majority of the unprotected civilians to their knees in paralyzing terror. Even if they wanted to run, they would be unable to as this monster's mere presence was far too overwhelming and intimidating for them to find the strength to get back on their feet.
"No human I'm not the one you call Sano Genjo… that meat sack is long dead now." A much deeper and powerful voice replaced the one that had greeted them when they first showed up in the town. The feeble trembling voice of the mayoral aid was gone now. An illusion just like the charade he had been putting on this entire time. "Then who are you?" Sasuke sneered as he entered the equation with his Sharingan boring a hole straight into the back of this mysterious being's skull. He was tired of the theatrics and was still heavily annoyed at his partner for the argument they had been having moments earlier. He had a chip on his shoulder that was practically glued on with how much it's been affecting his mood lately and was in no mood for any of these unforeseen complications. However, Sasuke despite his bluster, could feel the sheer amount of Yōki wafting off of the Yōkai in front of them. He hasn't felt a presence this strong since feeling the presence of Dotō when he semi-fused himself with Avalugg the Great Demon.
The power coming from this creature in front of them was intoxicating and insufferable in the malevolent aura it gave off. It was indeed powerful, and a burning acidic feeling shot through his spine that concentrated itself to the back of his neck where his curse mark was located. The forbidden Juinjutsu was acting up once more and leaving the Uchiha to silently writhe in discomfort but none of that showed on his face, yet it only served to further stroke the fires of anger and resentment burning like a furnace deep within the pit of his stomach. The power this foe was emanating was tempting… Sasuke couldn't help but entertain the idle thought that it should belong to him. He would make great use out of it by hunting down and destroying his older brother, Itachi Uchiha.
"Little meat sack my name is Ino Hatsuse, and the only thing of relevance that you need to know child is that as a predator, by right you all are my prey." By this point the now named Ino Hatsuse had shed the illusionary disguise of the now confirmed dead Sano Genjo to reveal his true appearance.
Ino Hatsuse was a tall Yōkai if appearances were to be believed standing around 6'4 with an imposing bulky figure that could be inferred even through his clothes. He had stark white hair that faded to a dull timber wolf grayish color towards the tips. His hair was pulled into a low hanging ponytail that reached his lower back and was tied with a gold-colored ribbon. On top of his head, he had two prominent triangle shaped pointed canine ears that were highly reminiscent of fox ears. His monocle glasses sat on the bridge of his nose without frames.
He had a large white greying beard that hooked into a curled tip at the middle of his chest while a thick bushy mustache helped to cover up the entirety of his face and obscured his lips from view. Bushy thick manes of hair fell down across the front of his face as well obscuring his forehead and overlapping with the thick sideburns of facial hair that he had giving his entire face a grizzly appearance full of hair. The only visible piece of skin on his face was his nose and area of his eyes that were covered by his tiny monocle glasses.
He wore an elaborate ash grey colored kimono that has a dark grey outer coat and a light cream-colored inner kimono attire. The sleeves are excessively large completely obscuring his hands from view much like how Hyūga Clan members wear kimonos with larger than average sleeves to hide the precise movements of their gentle fist strikes. The top is complimented by a matching set of grey colored hakama pants.
However, the most prominent and distinct feature on his body was the massive ash grey colored tail growing out of his tailbone that hung lazily in the air behind him as it coiled itself around his body in slow rhythmic motions. The tail was nearly six feet long in length making it nearly comparable to him in terms of height. It was thick too with fur making it seemingly bulky and massive in volume.
Looking at this imposing specimen before him Naruto frowned as he was sure if anyone else with his knowledge were here in this situation right now would wrongly come to the conclusion that Ino Hatsuse was a Kitsune Yōkai. A natural born fox demon with immeasurable strength and one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in the Yōkai realm of mythology.
However, looking at this beast now… it still didn't feel right. Something was off. Even now Naruto couldn't quite identify what this beast was, despite the fact that he nearly looked identical to that of a Kitsune. His more feral and malicious aura and personality was surely a stark departure from the texts and lore that he's read but more than that it was a distinct feeling in his gut that was blaring within the back of his mind like a klaxon that was telling him that all wasn't as it seemed. Ino Hatsuse wasn't who he thought he was… he was far removed from his initial preconceived notions.
"What are you?" Naruto's voice growled out as the dust settled from the violent movements of everyone involved. He almost didn't make it in time to save the life of his very own teammate. Sakura would have died right then and there had he not realized the situation for what it was and moved faster than he's ever carried himself with his vaunted and much beloved High End Skill technique. He reached her, he saved her, but now they were staring down at a beast he didn't quite know or recognize. The weakened victim of an old man they were just talking too and treating turned out to be not so feeble or innocent as they once thought.
Naruto wasn't sure how this old man did it, but he couldn't sense any Yōki from him beforehand but now he felt a massive surge of it overflowing from the man now. He had no idea how this man masked his presence so well but now it didn't matter as his energy spiked to levels that matched the likes of the Four War God Great Demons who kidnapped him over half a year ago. His power was shimmering past their baseline strength even now which worried Naruto for an entire host of obvious reasons. He didn't fancy facing a demon or monster that strong again for quite some time, especially since he had to fight Avalugg and Dotō Kazehana not to long ago.
What was this creature...? Naruto wasn't quite sure as it was neither a fox Kitsune Yōkai, nor was it a Werewolf Demon either even if that comparison was a bit of a stretch but the magical capacity and that of the Yōki wafting off of this beast in front of him was alarming all the same. A whisper of a voice that was not his own sung in the minds ear of Naruto's head the voices of well over a dozen distinct individuals spoke in a cacophony of synthesis ringing out in unison with one particular voice from the group ringing a pitch clearer and much more distinct than the rest and it was a man's voice that carried with it a timbered tone of mystery and nonchalant laziness all the same.
["A Werebeast…"] The voice whispered in the back of Naruto's mind as he felt his connection to the Cauldron of Resonance and Miya's soul abruptly and distractingly activate without his express permission. The divine energy of the Cauldron coursed through his veins all the same as a supposed answer to his confusion came to him by this unknown voice. ["My greatest creation… and now my greatest regret."] The voice finished off its reply and the distinctive voice of that one man was the only one whose emotions rang through the multitude of voices and in that moment, Naruto had the clarity he sought on the creature before him. He never knew what this creature before him was beforehand until this exact moment. He never knew, yet now for some strange reason he felt like he'd always known all his life.
This man who introduced himself to the group as Ino Hatsuse… was not human… he was a Monster disguised as one… he was one of the rarest species of Yōkai on the face of the planet… he was…
A Werebeast.
To be continued...
Jutsu Library
1.) Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu – The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.
2.) Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu – An Ice Style Jutsu that Naruto uses. He slams his hands onto the ground and pumps a sizable amount of chakra into the ground beneath him. Out of the ground in front of him a large thick wall of ice will appear that is very thick and exceptionally durable. Because of the fact that Naruto's chakra is in fact mixed in with his own Yōki that his body creates the Ice wall's durability is further enhanced. However, it can crack if hit with a high amount of pressure and velocity such as Eva's giant water wave. Also, it can be cut in two by Eva's thin beams of water from the attack that she just learned.
3.) Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu – The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.
4.) Double Acceleration – The next level to Naruto's signature Acceleration Technique. This move is so strong that when it is used it unleashes a shockwave of pure chakra that can shatter and blow things in the immediate vicinity away. The move also blows away the opponent in which Naruto decides to use this move on. The level of speed Naruto attains with this is more than what a prominent level Jōnin can produce using a Body Flicker. The explosive speed is immense and destructive.
5.) Acceleration Punch – The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.
Author's Note (A/N): Well, that was one hell of a chapter that I finally managed to complete. A lot has developed for Naruto and his extended family in these trying times. Returning Naho to the capital city of Asakusa in the Land of Fire Naruto and company are finally able to meet and get to know Naho's older brother, Ikkyū Madoka the crown prince of the Land of Fire and the next in line to inherit the throne of Fire Daimyō from his father Saitou Madoka. Naruto instantly connects with the older teenage boy and immediately becomes best friends with the prince who he discovers also has ties to the Jasmine Dragon Mafia through his boss Dino the leader of their organization who has close ties with the royal family. The two boys make a deep connection of friendship that unknown to them at the time will become a friendship that transcends life times with their two sons meeting and becoming friends in the far future. Ikkyū takes a liking to Naruto and gives his blessing to Naruto in regard to his younger sister who he knows one day will seriously pursue her feelings for the blond haired Uzumaki when she's older. He only wants what's best for her and the fact their father is emotionally manipulating her in order to ensnare Naruto into his control is something Ikkyū could never stand for. He is unaware of what kind of game his father is playing at in his focus of Naruto but dragging his younger sister into the mix is something Ikkyū makes quite clear. The friendship that they spart up allows Ikkyū to gain an instant respect for Naruto and to understand that his sister will be safe with him. Naruto even returns the favor by giving the prince some friendly advice regarding romance that the older boy graciously asked for.
The first quarter of the chapter focuses on the new elevation that Naruto's and Hinata's relationship has reached as she finally spends the night at his apartment with the permission of her father which was a major shock to the young couple and the circumstances that surrounded even getting that permission such as the lunch date Hinata asked Naruto out on with her father in attendance. We see how much closer Naruto and Hinata have become in the short vocational reprieve that the two of them are granted since the impromptu vacation retreat that they just came from was completely derailed with the presence of Naho, Team Darui, and the Black Sun Syndicate all colliding together in such a violent manner.
The young couple share their first night sleeping directly together within each other's arms and not separated by a mountain of bodies in the form of their other children. Many slices of life elements were added to this section as we explore the new dynamic and comfortability between each other, including a scene that is as close to a soft "lime" scene in descriptive nature as possible. There won't be any full on "lemon" scenes in this part of the story. Perhaps in Part 3 I will dive into the more mature sexual nature of the characters relationships as Naruto and Hinata will be older at that time.
Naruto and Henrietta spend some time together at the casino as Naruto works his first night shift in an awfully long time. It has been many chapters since the last time I wrote a fully fleshed out scene of him at the casino doing his secondary job. In fact, the last full casino scene was way back in Chapter 78. It's been far too long, but a new situation is brought to Naruto's attention by a brand-new client he was serving for the night. Alongside her heart wrenching story of her receiving news that her village was attacked Naruto also receives great news that he's being promoted to the coveted position of Capo within the organization. He's now apart of Dino's inner circle of council advisers. He's a made man within the mafia organization now with his own authority and power invested within him and the first thing he does is take Claes and Angelica under his wing as he is now the leader of the defunct Section 3 that is now being revived and brought back into service at Lord Dino's behest.
With the dire situation brought to his attention by his new client a young teenage artist named Yusaki Yoshisumi and her two artist friends it was only inevitable that a mission would come of it that Naruto would be assigned to. A large 14 Man emergency taskforce was assembled to handle what was reported to be an attack on a tourist town in the southern province of the Land of Fire. It consists of Team 7 of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura; Team 9 with only Neji and Tenten being active due to Rock Lee still being on medical leave which caused Naruto to bring in Claes to serve as a final member for the first time. Two veteran teams also joined them comprised of four members each with Patrol Squad #71 consisting of Suzaku Nara as the leader as well as Platoon Leader of the Taskforce, Natsu Hyūga, Zaji Kokei, and Saisu Kamano. Patrol Squad #22 consisted of Riichi Sachi, Iwana Akame a troubled abusive veteran Chūnin who has held a deep seeded prejudice and abusive nature towards Naruto in the past, Shun Keita, and a distant acquaintance of Naruto during is academy days Makaro Akimichi.
A conflict was inevitable bringing together volatile elements into the team such as Iwana as he quickly makes his displeasure of Naruto's very presence known to the whole group while unintentionally opening the door to his to teammates questioning Naruto's true identity as a Jinchūriki. An interesting antagonistic relationship is already implied between Naruto and Iwana, and I plan to push this further to a head next chapter alongside another antagonistic relationship that is coming to a boiling point. Naruto's friendship with Sasuke has been strained to it's limits with his prolonged absence from the team as he's been taking on Chūnin level assignments and tending to more personal business in his private life. The Last Uchiha has been giving Naruto the cold shoulder since the beginning of their mission. This tension spikes later on when Naruto tries to engage Sasuke in friendly conversation only for him to reverse the interaction into an opportunity to probe suspicions, he himself had about some of the assignments Naruto has been on in recent times.
The taskforce arrives in a ransacked and spiritually broken town named Oniyuri Village that was attacked by a mysterious and as of yet not fully known supernatural creature which is why Naruto was given special privileges and rank as the second in command of the taskforce which sparked controversy and jealously within both Sasuke and Iwana. Using his information gathered from his client the previous night Naruto was able to connect with the civilians in the town as they expounded upon the broader picture of what happened to them. This forethought and the knowledge that comes with it only further serves to drive a wedge between Naruto and Sasuke.
Things come to an explosive conclusion for the chapter as the perpetrator of the heinous attack on the village reveals himself to be hidden among them in plain sight. This supernatural creature parading around in disguise as a feeble elderly man claiming to be the aid of the mayor of the town named Sano Genjo makes his move nearly murdering Sakura in cold blood but luckily Naruto and Claes detect his motives and stops this attack at the last possible second.
He reveals himself as Ino Hatsuse who shows himself to be an imposing Yōkai with massive reserves of Yōki that are easily on par with the Four War Gods from the past. I'm excited to know if anyone can guess which anime this character is from. I'm eager to read replies to this new character.
In the final moments of the chapter Naruto hears a whispering voice deep within his subconscious that was neither Sōkyoku nor Kurama speaking to him which ultimately reveals to him that Ino Hatsuse was what was called a Werebeast. What is a Werebeast and who is this mysterious voice that is calling to Naruto in this crucial moment.
I hope everyone has enjoyed this long overdue and awaited chapter and the new mysteries and action that is unfolding as we close in on the ending of this installment of the story. I hope everyone sticks with the story for future chapters to come.
THE WIND GOD OF THE LEAF!
Next Chapter: Chapter 97 (Beware the Avenger... and the Beast Within)
That's the end of Chapter 96 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 6/30/2022
