Naruto: Shinobi Hunters

Digi-Destined Saga

Interlude Arc

Kurama no Kyubi: Heh, I can hardly believe that in less than 10 chapters, this story will be at the 50 chapter mark. Well, then, let's move on to the reviews.

Have a Little Feith: Dude, your logic is flawed. Wasn't Beelzemon evil in Tamers, before Takato brought him back to his senses? By that logic, Beelzemon in Fusion/Xros Wars should be evil, too. It isn't necessarily that LadyDevimon is evil, just that she's devilish. She's also one half of Mastemon. Mastemon requires a Angewomon and a LadyDevimon DNA Digivolved together. You could probably use a Fusion Loader's fusion process to the same effect. Anyways, back to my point, does Mastemon being part LadyDevimon mean she's evil as well? I personally think that it depends on their personality outside of the stereotypical bad guy persona. You could have a LadyDevimon be a good guy, instead of pandering to the stereotypes of people and anime.

Kurama no Kyubi: I'd say he was more misunderstood and mislead, but not inherently evil. Remember, he was more of a prankster before Digivolving. As for LadyDevimon, I've already got other plans for her.

Have a Little Feith: Well, calling it now, Luu is actually Lucemon. What mode he is is up for debate.

Kurama no Kyubi: You're not the first person to have guessed that. Though, I won't say anything on the subject.

Have a Little Feith: Your logic in the Author's Notes at the top has one critical flaw. Banishment becomes a military matter when the one being banished is a part of the military. In that particular case, it would be up to a council of military leaders to decide whether or not to banish someone. The civvies only have a say if the one being exiled is a civvie. You can try to defend the fact that there is a civilian portion of the council, however, that is just something fans came up with. Besides, Hashirama only invited clans of ninjas, the civvies came after. There is, however, advisors to the Hokage, which currently (not in canon, though, because Canon at this point is the next generation) consists of Homura, Danzo, and one other person who I can't recall the name of for the life of me.

Kurama no Kyubi: Well, Danzo is the one who suggested the banishment in the first place (and Homura and Koharu usually side with him). Remember, the civilian members wanted him dead.

Story Artist: When will Naruto get more Digimon for his team? I REALLY want to see him get more. Maybe DarkTyrannomon or Greymon. But please let Naruto get more Digimon.

Kurama no Kyubi: He will, though I won't give him any Dark Digimon. The last Arc of this Season is the Digi-Destined Arc and final part of the Digi-Destined Saga, so if not before, he will get more Digimon in that Arc.

"Digivolution." Normal speech

'Digivolution.' Normal thought

"Digivolution." Biju, Digital God, Legendary, transformed Laguz, Perfect, Spirit, God speech

'Digivolution.' Biju, Digital God, Legendary, transformed Laguz, Perfect, Spirit, God thought

Tsunade: Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything but his own OCs and original areas.

Chapter 41: Gokage Summit

The Independent Digi-Destined or IDD for short is a large group of people with Digimon partners that serve directly under the Council of 5. And while each of them prefers to work alone, hence the "Independent" in their name, they can work in groups if a certain situation calls for it. Each of them also works under a specific member of the Council of 5, for example, out of the known members of the IDD: Rayleigh and Brendan work under Vandesdelca, Gildarts and Tom work under Mavis, Kalina and Hanabi work under Aurora, and Merlin works under Hamura.

For certain reasons, they have to keep their identities as IDD members a secret however, as their job is to support the main Digi-Destined generations from the shadows.

Each member of the IDD are also given a rank pertaining to their skill and power, said rank also determining how many Digimon they are allowed to have in total. These ranks are: Jun'i'ichi, Jun'i'ni, Jun'i'san, Jun'i'yon, Jun'i'go, Jun'i'roku, and Jun'i'nana. While they may sound like the Japanese numbers from 1 to 7, they're actually numbers from the Nekomimi language, which was apparently quite popular back 800 years ago.

However, while the IDD has well over 10.000 members, only one has ever made the rank of Jun'i'nana. This person was the first ever Independent Digi-Destined, as well as a member of the 100 Gods, and is even one of todays "Ten Strongest Warriors in the World". However, the only things known about him other than these facts is that he only has a single Digimon partner, and that he calls himself "Hiroshi".

Konoha, Hokage Tower, Tsunade's office

'Hiroshi. I've only ever met him once before, and he looked completely different from how he looks now. The only things remaining the same would be his permanent grin and his silver eyes that look like they can penetrate straight into your soul.' Tsunade thought as she looked at the grinning man that was standing before her desk.

"The Perfect are growing stronger by the day. Acnolodramon has already discerned the approximate location of most of the Type Orbs. Preparations are already being made for the return of Hazardmon. And Hachimon's seal is weakening at a rapid rate. However, the Perfect are not your only concern. Right now, there's someone else out there who poses a threat to not just this World, but to all Worlds, including Daemonium, and even the Realm of the Gods." Hiroshi said.

"Someone who poses a threat to the Gods?" Tsunade asked and Hiroshi nodded.

"It's not because of his strength or power that he's such a big threat, but because he's cunning. If he so desired, he could operate things behind the scenes so that the Demons of Daemonium and the Gods would go to war, making them destroy each other. That's something that not even the Perfect could do, or rather, something they wouldn't even think of doing." Hiroshi said.

"If he's such a big threat, then why don't you do something about him?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. Sure, while I could definitely take him down, a battle between us could potentially last for a hundred days. However, he's somehow managed to avoid my ever watchful eye, meaning that not even I know where to even start looking for him. In fact, he's somehow even avoided detection from Hamura-kun's Byakugan which can see everything on the planet." Hiroshi said.

"So you're telling me this because you want us to find him and stop him for you? Is that it?" Tsunade guessed.

"No." Hiroshi said as he leaned in close to Tsunade as his face got a more serious expression on it and he said "I'm telling you this as a warning. If you ever see him, or run into him. Run. Get out of there as quickly as you possibly can. You won't stand a chance against one of the Five God Kings." At this, Tsunade's eyes widened.

Land of Whirlpools, Uzushio, Naruto's tent

Naruto was sitting at his desk as he was reading Zoe's report about what had happened in the Land of Sea. He had just come back from Dahngrest himself, and was already put to work. On the ground, before his desk were Dorumon and Pichu playing around. On the way back, Naruto had let the small mouse out of the Poké-Ball, and Pichu had decided he wanted to stay with him.

"Hey, Naruto." Karin said as she entered the tent, holding a letter in her hand.

"Hmm? What is it, Karin?" Naruto asked as Karin held out the letter.

"A letter from the Hokage of Konohagakure has arrived for you." She said and Naruto took it and opened it up before reading it.

"What the…? Baa-chan's calling me to a Gokage Summit? … What's a Gokage Summit, anyway?" Naruto said, causing Karin to sweatdrop.

"It's a meeting between the Gokage. The leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Though they are quite rare, as there have only ever been 4 Gokage Summits before." Karin explained.

"But why ask me to come? I'm not a Kage, nor is this one of the Great Shinobi Villages." Naruto said.

"Maybe not. But, before it was destroyed, Uzushio was one of the back-then Six Great Shinobi Villages, so maybe the Hokage wants it to become one once more." Karin said.

"Hmm. Well, I guess it'd be rude to turn it down." Naruto said as he looked at the letter again.

"Before you go, I should tell you that you need to bring along two attendants that will act as bodyguards." Karin said.

"All right, then go and bring Fu-chan, and Zolo-san." Naruto said before thinking a little as Karin was about to leave to get them before he said "Oh, and Hitomi-chan as well."

"Very well." Karin said before leaving.

With Fu

Fu was sitting by herself on a bench as she sighed heavily before saying "That idiot."

Just after Naruto had returned, he had brought up the idea of the CRA, which would require him to have a minimum of three wives. She had of course shut the idea down and he promised he wouldn't bring it up again, though she was still mad at him for bringing it up in the first place.

"Hey, Fu-san. Mind if I sit here?" She looked up to see Mia from the Greil Mercenaries standing there.

"Uh, sure." She said and Mia sat down next to her, prompting her to ask "What do you want?"

"What I want? Hmm…" Mia said in thought as she pretended to think before looking at Fu with a smile as she said "I want you to kiss me."

"Okay, I'll… Wait, what?!" Fu said in shock.

"Heh heh. To tell you the truth; I've been having a bit of a crush on Naruto-kun for a while now, but he had you, so I knew that it was impossible for me to be with him. But then I overheard you talking about the CRA earlier, and I thought maybe you'd be more inclined to go along with it if you kissed a girl." Mia said.

"Eh, um, I don't know…" Fu said as she looked down at her lap.

"If you're uncertain, I won't push you. You can always give me your answer later." Mia said before she was about to leave.

"Wait." Fu said as she put her hand on the older girl's shoulder.

"Yes?" Mia asked as she turned to face the green-haired girl, only to be met by a pair of soft lips to her own. Overcoming her surprise, she soon eased into the kiss as she closed her eyes and entered her tongue into Fu's mouth.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Patty suddenly appeared from behind the bench and pushed the two girls apart "I was to be Naruto-kun's girlfriend! I can't let the both of you get a one-up on me!"

"What was that?!" Fu yelled as she punched Patty before the two of them started fighting while Mia just giggled.

Shortly after, Naruto's tent

Fu, Patty, and Mia were standing before Naruto's desk as the former two were rather ruffled-up by their earlier fight. And Zolo and Hitomi were standing off to the left for the other three while Karin was standing to the right.

"I'm disappointed in you, Fu-chan. I thought you knew better than to get into fights. That's more Zolo-san's thing." Naruto said.

"You're comparing me to him?" Fu asked as she pointed at Zolo.

"What was that?" Zolo yelled.

"At any rate; the Hokage has called for a Gokage Summit, and she asked me to attend." Naruto said, changing the topic.

"Really?" Fu asked.

"Yes, and I was thinking of bringing you and Zolo-san. However, after this I've changed my mind. I'll be taking Karin instead of you." Naruto said, causing Fu's head to drop as Patty smirked at her misfortune.

"The three of you may go now." Naruto said before Fu, Mia, and Patty left as Mia consoled Fu, who still had her head hung.

"But why did you want to see me, Naruto-kun?" Hitomi asked as she, Zoro, and Karin stepped closer to the desk.

"I have a mission for you." Naruto said.

"But missions during a Gokage Summit are strictly prohibited." Karin informed.

"I figured. However, this is the best opportunity we're gonna get." Naruto said as he crossed his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Karin asked before Naruto put the Normal-Type Orb on the desk.

"Mr. 0 of Baroque Works told me that they have one of these Orbs in the Land of Iron, where the Summit is to take place, and it's likely in the possession of the Samurai. Now, I'm not doubting the Samurai's ability to guard it, however, I'd feel safer if we had it here."

"So you want me to go look for it while you're at the Summit?" Hitomi asked and Naruto nodded.

"It's a good plan, but if Hitomi gets caught, it won't look good for you." Karin said.

"Heh. I won't get caught, I can promise you that." Hitomi said as she turned invisible as if to prove a point before becoming visible again.

"In the case that you do get caught, however; Karin, can you keep tabs on her?" Naruto asked as he turned to the glasses-wearing red-head.

Karin pushed her glasses up as she said "I can try, but it's much harder to sense her when she's invisible."

I'm sure you can do it. After all, you're the most powerful sensory Shinobi in world, right?" Naruto said, causing Karin to blush at the praise.

"I… I didn't know you thought so highly of me." Karin said as she looked away in embarrassment, causing Naruto to lightly chuckle.

"Oh, and Zolo-san, while we're in the Land of Iron, we'll visit a village so that you could get yourself a couple new swords since the old ones broke." The blond said as he looked to the swordsman.

"Heh. Finally." Zolo said.

Land of Earth, Iwa, Tsuchikage Tower, Onoki's office

"You wanted to see me, Jiji?" Kurotsuchi asked as she entered her grandfather's office to see that her father was there as well.

"Mm-hmm. The Princess has called me in to a Gokage Summit." Onoki said.

"A Gokage Summit? What for?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Apparently, she wants to see if Uzushio should be returned to its place amongst the Great Shinobi Villages." Kitsuchi said.

"Uzushio? You mean Naruto-kun's village?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"That's right. And if his village joins the ranks of the Great Shinobi Villages, then Naruto will become one of the Go… sorry, one of the Rokukage." Onoki said before sighing as he added "Guess that means he won't take up my offer of becoming a bounty hunter."

"Jiji, you weren't planning on using him to get rid of all of the Missing-nin and bandits in the Land of Earth, were you?" Kurotsuchi asked, causing Onoki to sweat which in turned caused Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi to sweatdrop as they thought 'He was.'

Land of Wind, Suna, Kazekage Tower, roof

The Suna Jonin, Baki, was standing on the roof of the Kazekage Tower as Gaara and Temari were standing behind him.

"The Hokage of Konoha has summoned us for a Gokage Summit. But, since we haven't chosen a new Kazekage yet…" Baki started as he turned around to face the two siblings "… I'll be the one going. And I want you two to come with me."

"Wha…?!" Temari said as both she and Gaara were surprised "Are you sure that's wise? Gaara may not be like he used to, but the other villages – especially Konoha – must be aware of what he's capable of."

"And that's exactly why I decided to bring him. Gaara is one of the best candidates for the Godaime Kazekage, and so it'll be important for him to learn about the other Kage and how they're like in case he'll ever have to deal with them." Baki said.

"But…!" Temari started, however, Baki cut her off.

"I've already made my decision, Temari." Baki said.

"Temari, it's all right." Gaara said, catching his sister's attention "I'm not gonna go crazy if that's what you're worrying about."

"Gaara…" Temari said as Gaara focused on Baki.

"Where will the Summit take place?" He asked.

"The Land of Iron." Baki answered.

Land of Lightning, Kumo, Raikage Tower, Ay's Office

Ay was sitting on a sofa as Darui and a man with an eye-patch on his left eye were standing before him.

"The Princess has summoned us to another Gokage Summit." Ay said.

"So soon? How drab." Darui said.

"What's it about this time?" The other one, Dodai asked.

"Apparently, she wants to see if the new leader of Uzushiogakure has what it takes to be a Kage." Ay said.

"From what I heard, he apparently beat the United Samurai Empire. An impressive feat." Dodai said.

"Are you gonna attend?" Darui asked, and Ay nodded.

"Whether he really beat the Samurai or not is not important." He recalled Zolo and Dorumon as he added "He piqued my interest even before that."

"So you'll attend?" Darui asked.

"Of course I will." Ay said as he rose to his feet before walking past the two, towards the door "Now, let's go."

Land of Water, Kiri, Mizukage Tower, Yagura's throne room

Unlike the other Kage, Yagura had a large throne room which, unlike most throne rooms, was round with a single pillar in the middle, the throne which Yagura was currently sitting on, having being carved into said pillar. Before him were two Kiri-nin kneeling, like they would a king. And there was also a tall black silhouette standing in the shadows cast by the pillar, its pure white eyes seeming to penetrate into your soul.

"Gonin, Juuichinin. I have been called in to a Gokage Summit to discuss whether or not the new leader of Uzushiogakure no Sato should join the ranks of the Kage or not." Yagura spoke to the two kneeling before of him, both being of an ANBU-like squad made up of a hundred of Kiri's elite Shinobi named "Hyakusu". And since all the members left their names and old lives behind when they joined, they all went by numbers.

"And you two are coming with me." The Yondaime Mizukage finished.

"Yes, my lord." The two of them spoke simultaneously.

"Yagura-dono. You better make sure not to draw any suspicion from the other Kage." The silhouette said.

"I think that'd be disadvantageous to the both of us, so don't worry." Yagura said as he rose to his feet and grabbed his staff-like weapon.

Land of Iron, village

Naruto, Zolo, Karin, and Hitomi walked through a village in the Land of Iron, all four of them wearing cloaks, not just to shelter them from the elements, but also to – for the time-being – hide who they are. As they walked past a weapon shop Zolo stopped in his tracks before looking at it, and then he entered.

"Ah, Zolo!" Karin yelled after him.

"Don't worry about it. Part of the reason I brought him was so that he could get himself a couple new swords, anyway." Naruto said before following Zolo into the shop and Karin reluctantly followed behind him, as Hitomi stayed outside.

Soon after

"You're crazy, you know that?" Karin said when they came back out again as Naruto laughed. Zolo had indeed found two new swords; the Yubashiri and the Sandai Kitetsu. It also turns out that the Sandai Kitetsu was a cursed sword that caused all of its previous wielders to meet a grim fate, and so, to test his own luck, Zolo had thrown it into the air while holding out his right arm as the sword came back down again. And considering that his arm was still there, his luck had won out, though that still didn't stop Karin from berating him.

"What would you have done if you lost your arm?" Karin asked.

"Well, I didn't so what's the problem?" Zolo asked.

"That's not the issue here." Karin said.

"Come on, let's get to the Summit, already. We don't wanna be late." Naruto said before shunshining away, and Zolo quickly followed behind him.

"Ah! Hey, wait!" Karin yelled after them as she shunshined as well.

"Guess it's time for me to start my mission, then." Hitomi muttered to herself before throwing off the cloak as she turned invisible and she then followed after them.

Gokage Summit

Naruto entered the meeting room as Zolo and Karin went to their seats behind the Uzushio banner which was between the Konoha and Suna banners. As the blond walked towards his seat, he looked over the other arrivals. Aside from himself, there were two others, Onoki of Iwa, and Tsunade of Konoha.

"It's good to see you again, gaki." Tsunade said as the blond sat down next to her.

"Likewise, Baa-chan." Naruto said before turning to Onoki as he said "Oh, and Tsuchikage-Ojii-san, I'm afraid I've gotta decline your offer."

'Thought so.' Onoki thought as he hung his head while Tsunade looked between the two in confusion.

'Offer?' She thought.

"So, I see the Uzushio brat is already here." Ay said as he walked into the room and sat down on his seat.

"Took your while getting here, didn't you? What, did you get lost on your way here or something, you big oaf?" Tsunade asked.

"What was that?!" Ay yelled as he glared at her, and Naruto suddenly felt the air in the room become much heavier. His eyes then widened as he saw both of their Souls growing in size before starting to fight against each other, each trying to over-power the other, causing sparks of lightning to appear.

"Conqueror's Haki, huh? What a truly fearsome power. As the only two Kage capable of using it, maybe you should let up a little." Naruto turned his head towards the new arrival. The Mizukage, Yagura.

'Haki?' The blond thought, wondering what the Kage was talking about as said Kage got seated.

"Hmm? So we're all here then." Ay said as he looked at Yagura before turning to Tsunade "Or has Suna already named a Godaime?"

"Not yet, however, I've received word that Baki-dono will come as a substitute." Tsunade replied.

"Baki-dono, huh? Well, at least he seems trustworthy." Ay said.

"Hmm? Who's Baki?" Naruto asked.

"He's one of Suna's highest ranking Jonin, as well as a member of the Suna Council. He's also the sensei of Gaara and his siblings." Tsunade answered.

"Really?" Naruto asked as he thought back to the Chunin Exams when the Sandaime was explaining the reason behind the Exams before the prelims. One of the Jonin that were standing behind him was from Suna, he couldn't remember what he looked like, though 'That must be him.'

Soon after, Baki arrived and the meeting could finally begin.

"Good, now that everyone's here, we can start the meeting. As I wrote in the letters; I called you all here to discuss Uzushio's possible future as one of the Great Shinobi Nations." Tsunade said.

Entrance hall

In the meantime, a certain individual snuck completely unseen into the large halls of the building.

Hitomi just walked normally through the halls, walking past the Samurai while making sure not to bump into someone and to keep the sounds of her breathing and footsteps as low as Humanly possible, no, even lower than that. After all, she couldn't risk being found.

'Now, where would I be if I was a palm-sized glass ball.' She thought to herself before stopping as she saw a pair of Samurai walking down a hallway, and so, she decided to follow them.

Hitomi followed them through several corridors and down several flights of stairs. The final flight of stairs was in a circular pattern, and Hitomi soon saw why as they came down beside a circular wall. They then came to a fork with three corridors (four if you count the one they came from), one of the corridors went ahead, around the other half of the circular wall, another corridor went away from the wall and to a flight of stairs. And finally, the final corridor went down in-between the two halves of the circular wall, however, while the two Samurai continued to walk straight, Hitomi felt suspicious about the third corridor, so she walked down it before eventually coming to a large door that seemed to be sealed shut with two Samurai standing guard.

She then walked up in front of the two guards and weaved a series of hand-signs. As she finished, the two guards suddenly saw space bend before them almost as if there was a small Black Hole in front of them before they fell unconscious from the effects of the Genjutsu.

The busty silver-haired girl then walked over to the door as she examined it. Deactivating her invisibility Jutsu as she did so, seeing as there was no one around. Well, no one who was still conscious, that is.

Hitomi eventually managed to bypass the door's lock, and as it opened, it revealed a dark room on the other side. And on the other end of the room was a pedestal which had a small glass orb lying on top of it.

"Who's there?" One of the six Samurai that also were in the room asked as they turned towards the door.

"So I see the guards outside weren't the only ones." Hitomi said before charging forward as she turned invisible. Luckily, she had decided to wear her old scratched Hoshi Hitai-ate, so that if she were seen, that, combined with the robe she was wearing as a skirt, could put the blame on the Akatsuki rather than Naruto and Uzushio.

Being that she was invisible, she had expected it to be easy to knock the guards unconscious, however, that didn't seem to be the case as they all managed to dodge her attacks while they also seemed to know exactly where she was.

'Nanda? Some kind of sensory technique? No, that can't be it. Even if they know how to use Chakra, Samurai uses Chakra to enhance their cutting power, not for any kind of support abilities.' Hitomi thought as she dodged a slash from one of the Samurai.

Deciding to up her own game, Hitomi turned visible before jumping up and slammed her knee into the jaw of the one who had almost cut her so hard that he got knocked out. Two others then came up on either side of her and attempted to slash her, but she jumped into the air before landing on the side of their blades. She then charged towards one of them before launching a kick at his head, though he just moved his head to the side, completely avoiding her attack. Hitomi then jumped up before pulling her other leg towards her and then slamming it towards the Samurai, however he ducked under it, and she then following up by doing a forward-flip as she descended towards the floor, hoping to hit the guy in the back of the head, however, he then leapt to the side, avoiding it completely.

As Hitomi landed, she realized that the only reason she had hit the other guy earlier was due to him having been surprised that she turned visible. She then looked around herself to see that she was surrounded by the five remaining Samurai.

'Tch. I can't waist too much time here.' She thought.

Gokage Summit

The meeting had been going for a while, though in the end, Tsunade, Baki, and surprisingly Onoki were in favor of Naruto becoming a Kage and Uzushio becoming one of the Great Shinobi Villages. Ay was skeptic, but he wasn't against it either. The only one who was really against it would be Yagura.

"So we have three in favor, one indifferent, and one against." Mifune said before sighing as he said "Unfortunately, unless are at least four of you are in favor, I'm afraid Uzushio can't become one of the Great Shinobi Villages."

"Well, of course. All they have as far as land goes is one small island, anyway." Yagura said before staring at Naruto as he said "Besides, if I'm not mistaking; Uzumaki-san, you're still a Genin, aren't you?"

"What? Is this true?!" Ay asked as even Onoki raised an eyebrow and they both stared at Naruto.

"It's true." Tsunade and Baki said simultaneously with a confirming nod.

Yagura then turned to look at both Ay and Onoki as he said "Raikage-dono, Tsuchikage-dono, are you really going to let a Genin become a Kage?" He then turned towards Naruto as he continued "Being a Kage is not just a walk in the park. A Kage is someone that has the respect of not just his own villagers, but of everyone in the Elemental Nations. They also need great leadership skills, as well as the power to defeat any opponent that may threaten them. You lack all of these."

"I agree that Naruto may not have the best leadership skills." Tsunade said.

"Uhh… You're not helping…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop.

"But, he's got something far better." Tsunade said.

"Something better?" Yagura asked.

"The most dangerous ability in the world. Naruto has the ability to attract people to him, and to make them want to follow him." Tsunade said.

"I… do?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head in confusion, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

"Well then, let's test that power, shall we?" Yagura said as his and Naruto's eyes met, and before anyone could react, Zolo and Gonin jumped down from their respective seats and clashed swords right in front of Baki.

Gonin had shoulder-length dark blue, nearly black hair and dark blue eyes. His attire consisted of a black sleeveless shirt and pants, and a greyish blue vest over the shirt with the Kanji for "Water" on the back. The standard uniform for the Hyakusu. He also had two swords at his waist while he was using a third to hold off Zolo's Wado Ichimonji.

"Three swords, and that bandanna. You're… "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zolo-san, that infamous swordsman from the East Blue, aren't you?" Gonin asked.

"Heh. So you've heard of me, have you?" Zolo asked.

"Stand down, Zolo-san." Naruto said, and Zolo stepped back as he sheathed his sword.

"Let me tell you this, though. If Naruto was that weak, I would've never followed him." Zolo said before returning to his seat in a shunshin. Gonin looked at Yagura who just gave him a nod, and he returned to his seat as well.

"If you want proof of Naruto-dono's strength, then I can attest. I might not have fought him myself, but I witnessed first-hand what he and his village are capable of." Mifune said.

"Well, if he's got Mifune-dono's praise, then I will be in favor for making him a Kage as well." Ay said.

"Then we have four in favor, and one against." Mifune said before turning to Naruto as he said "Congratulations, Naruto-dono– no, Uzukage-dono."

"Heh heh heh. I… don't know how to feel. But, thanks." Naruto said nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"I will still not accept you as one of the Kage. And nothing you say or do will change that." Yagura said.

"You know, I really don't like you." Naruto said.

Yagura, however, just ignored him as he turned to Mifune and said "If we're done here, I'll be leaving."

"Hold on. There's something I have to say." Naruto said, catching the Mizukage's attention.

"Something you've got to say?" Baki asked.

"Hai." Naruto said with a nod as his eyes were closed before he opened them and said "There's something important I would like to bring to your attention." This caught everyone's interest.

Hitomi

Hitomi was standing in the middle of the room, completely exhausted, which was made obvious by her heavy panting. She didn't know how, but she had somehow managed to defeat her adversaries.

She relaxed as she stood upright before looking at the Orb that was on the pedestal, and she walked over to it. As she reached it and picked it up, she studied it as she noticed that there was a steel gear inside of it.

"So this must be the Steel-Type Orb." She muttered to herself. Now that she thought about it, it did make sense. After all, this was a lair of Samurai in the Land of Iron.

"Hey! Who's there?" A voice from behind her asked.

'Kuso!' She thought as she looked behind her, only to see a young boy who couldn't be more than 13 or 14. He had long black hair that was tied up in a pineapple-like pony-tail and was wearing a samurai kimono with a white top and red bottom. He was also holding his sword in front of himself with both hands. As Hitomi studied him, however, she noted how his hands were trembling; this would probably be his first fight.

'Heh. The kid's just a greenhorn. This's gonna be easy.' Hitomi thought.

She then stepped forward as she said "What's the matter, kid? Your hands are trembling."

"Impossible! I'm a Samurai. I'm not scared of anything!" The boy retorted as Hitomi only kept getting closer.

"The tough guy act, eh? Tell me something; you didn't join the Samurai to get girls, did you?" She asked.

"Tch." The boy then held his sword his head as he charged at Hitomi, however, she just stepped to the side and grabbed his right arm in a tight grip, causing him to lose his footing and she released him as he fell to the floor, his sword landing on the floor as well.

Hitomi just continued walking as she said "This world is not as forgiving as you may think. If you're not prepared to either take a life or die trying, you will die young."

"Tch. Then why don't you kill me?" The boy asked, this caused Hitomi to stop as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Tell me, kid. What's your name?" She asked.

"It's… Takamaru." The boy said.

"Takamaru, huh? It's a good name." Hitomi said before looking ahead before she continued walking as she said "You're still so young, with a bright future ahead of you. It'd be cruel of me to take that away now. But remember this; not everyone will show you such mercy. If you don't want to die prematurely, then you must get stronger. Strong enough to take the world by storm." As she finished, she turned invisible, causing Takamaru to blink twice, wondering if he was imagining things.

Gokage Summit

"Something important you want to bring to our attention?" Ay asked as he stared at Naruto.

"What is it, Uzukage-dono?" Mifune asked.

"I'm sure you've all at least heard of what's happened to the Land of Sea." Naruto said. If he didn't have their attention before, he sure as hell did now.

"You know what really happened? All I know is that it suddenly sunk into the ocean without warning." Baki said.

"Yes. That's exactly what I heard as well." Onoki said.

"Well, that's not entirely true. I had a team on a mission down there when it happened." Naruto said.

"Then can you tell us what happened? I'm curious about this as well." Ay said as he crossed his arms.

"Apparently, one of the nine gates to the Demon World of Daemonium was located there." Naruto said, causing everyone's eyes but Tsunade's and Yagura's to narrow as he continued "One of my people, along with man from the Holy Alliance Marines and a female Mage found their way down to the gate… where they were attacked by three people from beyond the grave, brought back by the Edo-Tensei." At this Tsunade's eyes widened "My subordinate and the Mage were knocked out, and I don't know what ultimately came of the man from the Holy Alliance, but it seems likely that someone had brought these three people back from the grave, and he was likely the one who destroyed the gate, causing the entire Nation to fall down into Daemonium, as the Sword Dancer who had been guarding the passage between the two Worlds was unleashed upon ours."

"A Wide-open hole into the Demonic Realm so close to us? I can hardly believe it." Onoki said.

"I've had people stationed at the shore to watch out for any Demons that could show up." Tsunade said.

"Wait, you knew about this, Hokage-dono?" Ay asked.

"I also had a team there on a mission, though even I didn't know about the Edo-Tensei reincarnations." Tsunade said.

"Anyway, as I said; I don't know what came of the man from the Holy Alliance, as he stayed behind to fend off a Demon that had come up through the hole. But I assume that he must've survived at least, as the Holy Alliance has since formed a blockade around the hole." Naruto said.

"Do you have Shinobi on patrol there as well?" Yagura asked.

"Who knows?" Was Naruto's reply, causing Yagura to frown inwardly.

"And what do you suggest we do about this hole? Obviously, we can't just leave it there as there's no telling when a powerful Demon may come out." Baki said.

"About that. One of my people actually suggested that we cover the hole with a powerful barrier. However, to form a barrier that wide that would be able to hold back even Demons would require a lot of Chakra. She speculated that the Chakra reserves from at least half of the Jinchuriki could be enough, but she wasn't sure." Naruto explained, causing the other Kage with the exception of Yagura to look between each other.

"So, are you saying that you want to ask us to lend you our Jinchuriki?" Ay asked.

"Just to try and form this barrier. And only half of them will be needed, hopefully." Naruto said.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help, seeing as you were our only one." Tsunade said.

"Gaara considers you a great friend. I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to help you out." Baki said as Gaara smiled from his seat.

"Thank you." Naruto said.

"We technically have two Jinchuriki, but I'm afraid that one of them has isolated himself from the village and has become a hermit. The other one could still help you out, though." Onoki said.

"I'm afraid Bee is preoccupied with his training. But I'll send Yugito down with a team to help out." Ay said.

Everyone then turned towards Yagura as Mifune asked "And what about you, Mizukage-dono?"

"Sorry, but we don't have any Jinchuriki." Yagura said.

"Hmm? That's strange. I could've sworn my grandfather gave you both the Sanbi and the Rokubi." Tsunade stated.

"Yes, we have them, but they're not in any Jinchuriki at the moment." Yagura lied.

"Well, either way, we still have five Jinchuriki which should hopefully be enough. And if not, I've got someone in my village who could easily act as a substitute." Naruto said.

It wasn't long after that as the meeting concluded, however, as Naruto rose up from his seat, Onoki came over to him as he spoke up.

"Naruto." He said.

"Huh? Tsuchikage-Ojii-san, what is it?" The blond asked.

"You may be a Kage now, but don't think for a moment that you're on the top of the world." Onoki said.

"I'm not." Naruto replied.

"Well, that's good. But remember, Naruto. You should be wary. Now that you're a Kage, if you continue to grow, it'll only be a matter of time before the ones who really stand at the top of the world take notice of you." Onoki said.

"The ones who really stand at the top of the world? Who are you talking about, Tsuchikage-Ojii-san?" Naruto asked.

"I'm talking about the Five God Kings." Onoki said. This caught the attention of Tsunade who wasn't standing too far away.

"Five God Kings? Who are they? Are you talking about the Council of 5?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, have you perhaps heard of the 100 Gods?" Onoki asked as he walked past the blond.

"No." Was Naruto's reply as Onoki stopped walking.

"They are a group of one hundred people who – 900 years ago – took up arms against the Perfect, and survived through the Void Century. And they are all somehow still walking this Earth. The Council of 5 is, of course, made up of members of the 100 Gods. But, the five most powerful of the 100 Gods who are on a level beyond imagining are referred to as the "Five God Kings". Each one of them is supposedly on a level comparable to the leader of the Perfect." Onoki said.

"Who… exactly are the Five God Kings?" Naruto asked as he turned around.

"A great Sorcerer wielding the Ten Wedges that will crucify any Witch, a madman controlling all Ten Elements of the physical universe, a Priestess of the Demon Clan, an ancient Emperor that rules over Darkness, and finally, a person of many faces." Onoki said.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, congratulations!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed as she hugged Naruto from behind, not thinking before doing so, and also not realizing what she just called him.

"Huh? Kuro-chan?" Naruto asked, causing her eyes to widen as she realized that everyone's eyes were on them, and she blushed before jumping away.

"U-umm… I was just…uhhh…" She stuttered before looking down in embarrassment, figuring it'd probably be best to remain silent.

"Ha ha ha! What a lucky kid you are, already having girls after you! Ha ha ha!" Ay laughed.

"Heh. I was wondering why the old Fence-Sitter was so accepting towards Naruto becoming a Kage." Tsunade said before turning to Onoki as she said "Don't tell me your planning on using a possible future relationship between your granddaughter and Naruto to control Uzushio."

"Hmph. None of the sort." Onoki said before turning away as he started walking and said "Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, let's go."

"Right." Kitsuchi said as he followed his father, and Kurotsuchi silently followed behind them.

"Naruto." Naruto turned to the source of the voice to see Gaara and Temari coming towards him.

"Ah, Gaara! How've you been?" He asked.

"Pretty good." Gaara said.

"We should really thank you, you know? After you gave him that beating in our invasion on Konoha, he's been trying to earn everyone's respect." Temari said.

"Huh, Really?" Naruto asked.

"Mifune-dono." Ay said as he was watching Naruto's interaction with the two Suna-nin, catching the Samurai's attention.

"Yes, Raikage-dono?" Mifune asked.

"I think we made a good decision on making the kid a Kage. He might be inexperienced, but someone like him – who can easily make friends even with people from different villages – may actually be able to bring the villages together like our predecessors had wished." Ay said.

"Well, it's time to get back to the village. Come on, Zolo-san, Karin." Naruto said as he walked out through the door, and as soon as they were on the other side, Karin whispered something to him.

"Hitomi is done with her assignment and will be meeting with us at the rendezvous point." She whispered.

"Then let's hurry and meet up with her." Naruto said before they shunshined away. What they didn't realize, however, was that Yagura had over-heard them.

Later

After all the Kage and their attendants had left, Mifune had come down to where the Steel-Type Orb had been hidden as he had received word that it had been stolen.

"What happened?" He asked Takamaru who was now standing in front of him.

"Well, when I got here, I noticed that the door was open and that the guards were unconscious." The young Samurai said.

"Did you see the one who attacked them?" Mifune asked and the boy nodded.

"I did. It was a Kunoichi with long silver hair. She had a star on her Hitai-ate, though it had a scratch mark over it. She also wore a black skirt that went down to her feet with a red cloud pattern on it." Takamaru said.

'Hmm… A silver-haired Kunoichi with a scratched-out Hitai-ate that wore a skirt with a red cloud pattern. Most likely a Missing-nin, then. She must've used the Summit to her advantage to sneak in.' Mifune thought.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop her. And even though she defeated me, she refused to finish me off." Takamaru said as he hung his head.

Mifune however, then put his hand on the boy's shoulder "Takamaru-kun. Be glad that you're still alive, and take this defeat to heart as a lesson to become stronger."

Rendezvous point

Naruto, Zolo, and Karin entered a small clearing in a forest where they were to wait for Hitomi.

"Hello, Uzumaki-san. We've finally got you to ourselves." Yagura said as he came out from behind a tree, Gonin and Juuichinin coming out from behind different trees, surrounding the three Uzushio-nins as said Uzushio-nins immediately got on-guard with Zolo grabbing his swords and Karin putting her hand on her shuriken holster.

"Mizukage-dono. What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, preparing himself for a battle.

"You know that you're not allowed to bring more than two attendants to the Summit, don't you?" Yagura said before looking around "Hmm? Seems we've arrived before her."

'"Her"? Do they know about Hitomi?' Naruto thought.

"Don't let them get to you, Naruto." Zolo said.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto said as he gritted his teeth.

"Hey, Karin, why didn't you warn us that these guys were here?" Zolo asked.

"It's not that I didn't warn you. For some reason, I couldn't sense them. Even now, I can't feel their presence at all." Karin said.

"Heh. Out here, none of the other Kage will come to your aid." Yagura said with a smirk.

"Karin, is Hitomi here?" Naruto asked the red-head in a whisper so that neither Yagura nor his men would hear it.

"She is. She's probably waiting for you to give her the signal to attack." Karin said.

"I'd rather get out of this without having to fight." Naruto said.

"What are you guys mumbling about over there?" Yagura asked, shutting them up before adding "Do you have any idea of the situation you're in right now? If you think you can get out of this without fighting, then you've got another thing coming." He then charged forward as he pulled out his staff.

Naruto then pulled out the bo-staff he had received from Kurenai which he had brought with him to the Summit before extending it out into its full length and he slammed its end into the ground, causing weird sealing markings to appear across it before a colorful mist covered the area, allowing Naruto and the others to escape as Yagura and his men were caught in a Genjutsu.

"Whoa. What was that?" Hitomi asked as she turned visible.

"A staff I was given by a Genjutsu master when I left Konoha. I guess it releases a Genjutsu on my enemies." Naruto said.

"If you say "you guess", then how did you know how to use it?" Zolo asked.

"Gildarts-Oji-chan told me." Naruto said.

"Wait, how'd he know?" Karin asked.

"Turns out that the staff is a sacred treasure of the Uzumaki Clan, and it once belonged to my mother. She then gave it to Kurenai-sensei, her student." Naruto said.

"And it's this Kurenai who gave it to you?" Hitomi asked and Naruto nodded.

Land of Whirlpools, beach

A girl walked onto the beach of the island as she was soaking wet. She had attempted to use Gnome's power to create a bridge over to the island, however, it seemed that the whirlpools were a lot stronger than she had anticipated as they had ripped apart the bridge easily, causing her to fall into the water.

The girl then fell down onto her knees in exhaustion before her upper body fell forward as she landed on her stomach. Reaching out her hand towards the forest, she barely managed to mutter out "Almost… there… Un… dine…" And thus she lost consciousness.

Chapter preview

Suzu "I'm looking for the Great Spirit of Water, Undine, who is supposed to live somewhere on this island."

Fu "Great Spirit of Water?"…'Now that she mentions it…'

J.P "This must be the Limestone Cave where the Spirit is said to be."

Kyubi "Naruto, a Great Spirit is something far beyond your comprehension. You cannot win."

Suzu "Next time on Naruto: Shinobi Hunters: Great Spirit of Water; Undine."

Undine "If thou wishes a pact, thou must first prove thy worth."

Character information

Name: Mizukami Kiri & Kouta.

Age: 23

Affiliation (Kiri): Yugakure (former), Uzushiogakure.

Affiliation (Kouta): Kusagakure (former), Uzushiogakure.

Affinity: Water.

Likes: Water, Naruto-sama.

Dislikes: Orochimaru.

Info: Kiri and Kouta where born as twins in the Mizukami Clan in the Land of Hot-Springs. However, as a result of the Third Great Ninja War, the Clan got completely wiped out as it was caught in the middle in the battles between Konoha, Kumo, and Kiri. However, the two new-born boys were taken away as they got separated, Kiri ending up in Yu and Kouta ending up in Kusa. Since then, the two had lived completely identical lives with the only exceptions being their names and their village, though other than that, they both joined the Ninja Academy on the same day, they were both put in a team with two girls, both pairs of girls also being twins, and both pairs of girls also having the exact same names as each other. They both also fell in love with the older girl on their teams while the younger girl got a crush on them. It wasn't until they were eventually captured by Orochimaru and put in the same hideout that they met each other and discovered all of this, and after they were rescued by Naruto, they became Uzushio's deadliest tag-team duo, well, Uzushio's only tag-team duo.

Kurama no Kyubi: And that's it, folks. Now Naruto has officially become the Uzukage, and you can probably guess that there will be some future conflict between him and Yagura. Next chapter will be about the girl, Suzu who washed ashore on the island, and about forming a pact with the Summon Spirit of Water, Undine, who has protected the island since the village was first founded, under the guise of a Water Goddess.