Unknown Location
Obito looked down at the army of white Zetsu clones with one thought in his mind, getting the Bijuus to continue with the plan. He needed to continue with the plan for his own sake and happiness. This fake world could not continue to be a problem to the real world he wanted to bring, a world of happiness and a world that had Rin.
Nagato turning against him was a problem and he couldn't attack the man head on as things stood. Obito trusted his abilities but Konan and Nagato were two people he didn't want to fight now and when they were not separated. He would rather pick on them one by one before getting the Rinnegan.
"Are you thinking of taking the Elemental nations to war?" Zetsu asked. "At this point, it is the only thing that can get all Bijuus to be gathered at one place. If that happens, we can work on separating Nagato from Konan and get the Rinnegan."
"This is a possibility. I cannot wait anymore without doing something about Nagato's actions. This isn't what I had in mind but there is no way of avoiding it…" Obito said. "It will be difficult trying to get the Elemental Nations to fight against me, even if I do announce myself as Madara Uchiha."
Well, he could always plant the seeds of doubts and manipulate things in the shadows to drive this world into war. Wars were started over simple things and it wouldn't take much to start another one again, and should that happen, it would make things easy for him.
Perhaps even Nagato will realize that he has to gather Bijuus for the sake of peace. He will no doubt wish he had his weapon to end the war once it does start. Maybe then, he would betray Naruto and turn to him again. Anything was possible in this world of shinobi.
He just had to find the right people to manipulate and control.
Kirigakure
Looking at the response from the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Mei wondered whether she should really go to the Earth country for a meeting with the old geezer. But she didn't have to refuse the meeting because it would mean she wasn't serious in trying to strike an alliance or a trade deal with the Hidden Rock. Her problem was the old man's insistence that they meet in Iwa and he was rather firm about it in the letter, Mei didn't need to read it twice to get it.
She would have to go but things would change for Naruto. The only reason she had even bothered writing to the Tsuchikage was because of him and if the old man wanted the meeting to take place in Iwa, he would not get his chance to ambush the Tsuchikage's granddaughter or the old man himself. If he was going to get that chance, she would have to find a way to take him with her to the Hidden Rock.
Thinking of it, she could simply take him as a hired personal guard. It might raise some tensions before they even talk because she understood that his father hadn't been a famous person in the Hidden Rock. But there was no way around it. If the Tsuchikage couldn't get over things from the past and wanted to take revenge on Naruto for what his father did during war, then he wasn't the kind of person she wanted to ally herself with.
With that in mind, the Godaime Mizukage summoned Ao to her office.
The man was quickly brought in; looking at the seal on his left eye socket, Mei couldn't help but frown once more. If she took this man to Konoha, it might raise problems given that he has the Byakugan. The Hyuga were very protective of their doujutsu and would not look at him fondly upon seeing him. But she had no way to avoid this, did she?
At least Ao didn't get it through means of capturing a Hyuga clan member just for the Byakugan.
"In two days…" Mei started in a slow, yet firm tone. "We will be heading to the Hidden Leaf. I want you to prepare for our departure in terms of security for us and the village in my absence."
Ao nodded but he was curious why they would be heading to Konoha. He had no problems with the Hidden Leaf. Their Kage had been here not long ago. This was actually a good thing. It just meant that the Hidden Mist was opening to other villages and they could gain some allies. If they gained Konoha as an ally, then they didn't have much to worry about because Konoha still remained the major force in the Elemental Nations.
"Are we going to discuss an alliance with them?" Ao asked. "I know last time you discussed trade options but there was nothing about an alliance between the two villages."
Mei shook her head. "No, we are going to get Naruto and then head to Iwagakure. I will speak to the Hokage regarding those possibilities but it isn't the main reason for our visit."
Remarkably, an alliance with Konoha has not been something that she has been thinking about. She managed to find common ground with the Hokage but there was nothing more. Naruto was the bigger picture in Konoha but she was forgetting that Naruto was just a shinobi, not the Hokage. He didn't even hold any political power within the Leaf.
Tsunade had said he would handle all diplomatic engagements between the two villages but the last time they spoke, Naruto was driving his agenda.
"Naruto Uzumaki…" Ao thought of the name with suspicion. The blond Uzumaki was making visits to his leader and now she was just going to Konoha just to get him? Anyone would get the idea that there was something going on between the two. Ao would not be brave enough to ask, but he would keep an eye on things.
"Is it just going to be just me or will you take someone else with us?" Ao asked.
"We will take Chojuro but both of you will return to Kiri once I have reached Konoha. I will entrust my safety to Naruto." Mei said.
Ao was alarmed by this. "You must reconsider this, Mei-sama."
"There is nothing to consider…" Mei responded in a flat tone. "I understand you might be worried but there is nothing to worry about."
Konoha
Training Ground 7
"I cannot expect you to fight in the same manner as me. First of all, you don't have as much stamina and chakra as I do… Your job doesn't even require you to fight battles… What should be important for you is speed, stealth and reaction time – that is built on having battle instincts. You're a shinobi, so we should not worry much about that." Naruto said, he was staring straight at Ino.
The Yamanaka stared back at her childhood friend. She had asked for the blond to train her after her pathetic showing at the Chunin exams and seeing how much he had done with Hinata who she had thought could never change.
Yet, this wasn't the sort of training she had thought he would give her. The training with Sai wasn't like with Naruto. Ino wasn't complaining, but it felt as if something was up with Naruto taking time to do things like this.
She wasn't the same naïve girl she had been back then. The training with Sai has even helped her plenty. Had she been the same girl she had been a couple of years, she would have found it curious only when she was at home and might not ask the blond about it.
"Why does it feel as if you're rushing. Sai has been doing a perfect job and I don't think you need another spy… are you trying to replace Sai or do you just not trust him that much?" Ino asked in a serious tone.
"It's not that I don't trust Sai but there is something you don't see…" Naruto responded. "How long do you think it will take for Tsunade to force Sai to register as a Konoha shinobi? He might not be put in a team but she will no doubt try to gain some control over him in some way. I'm not going to fight that. Besides that, I don't even let him handle some issues."
Ino shook her head. She knew Naruto was a genius planner but she didn't think he always planned so far. He already predicted the Hokage's movements and was already moving ahead to balance things out.
Even if the Hokage doesn't do anything, Naruto won't be at a loss. He'll just another extra hand when Sai isn't available. And the best part of it was what she would be close to her childhood friend.
"It must be hard being Hokage…" Ino said with a shake of her head. "Tsunade-sama certainly has a huge task with you."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't make things intentionally difficult for her. Besides that, I know my limits with her and when not to push. Despite everything, she is still the leader of this village and as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, I am her subordinate."
"That makes things even more delicate." Ino said. "Let us get on with this and don't be too rough on me." The blonde Yamanaka finished with a smile.
"Prepare yourself… I will attack and you will defend yourself… attack if you can." Naruto said.
He suddenly took a kunai and flung it towards the Yamanaka. Ino could only blink, wide eyed as the flashing kunai cut bits of her hair on the right side of her head. She hadn't dodged it but it had been thrown to this effect.
"You must know your opponent and must always expect the unexpected…" Naruto said, taking slow steps towards Ino – who unconsciously took a step back.
"I honestly don't know how to attack you." Ino said. "Sai has improved my taijutsu but with you, I know I can't win with that. I can't even see an opening. I even feel exposed as if any move will be the wrong one."
"You must get used to the pressure otherwise you will be killed on your feet." Naruto said. "Let me expose you to a dose of killing intent before we get to it."
"I've experienced Asuma sensei's killing Intent and got used to it… I don't think you ca-" the words died on her throat.
Naruto released a dose of his killing intent directed towards the blonde. When it showered upon her, Ino's body trembled with something gripping her heart. It was making her heart pound on her ribcage. Ino was afraid.
It might have been Naruto next to her, but the feeling was not Naruto – it was death. The sweat all over her face was a testament to that. She couldn't even stay on her feet for too long before her knees gave away and she fell.
Naruto released his hold. The moment he did, the Yamanaka started breathing heavily as if she had been deprived of oxygen for a couple of minutes.
"Even if it is me, when an oppressive amount of killing Intent washes over you, your instincts respond. You must train your instincts to be strong against a force." Naruto said. "Get up; we must start."
About 30 Minutes Later
"You are very gentle with her…" Hinata said as she stepped out into the open. The Hyuga heiress had a warm smile on her lips.
She was smiling because she was recalling the good old days Naruto took it upon himself to train her, even though her father was against it. He could not deny that Naruto had made her a better person and that will be beneficial to the Hyuga clan in the long run. Even so, her father still did not wish her to be around the blond too much.
She has defied that order not once but twice and she would continue to do so.
Turning her focus on the two blonds, Hinata spoke once more. "When you were training me, you were not afraid to put me through pain if you felt it was necessary."
Naruto didn't offer an immediate response to this: he first looked at the Yamanaka girl for a moment before turning to Hinata.
"Circumstances were different and I don't think I am spoiling Ino with her training. I'm not even the one who is handling it. I am merely filling in." But he could not deny that she was trained differently from how he did it with his former teammates. Not to mention with how he conducted his own training.
Ino didn't even need to be a powerhouse, she only needed to know how to run and evade. He wanted her to focus on intelligence, nothing more. In that kind of environment, you needn't carry weapons of destruction to survive. The speed of escaping dangers and the stealth to hide whenever the situation requires it were the most fundamental physical elements the Kunoichi would need.
"Yes… you say…" Hinata said. "Hello, Ino… I see you've back to the younger days – where you were around Naruto-kun a lot…"
Ino looked at the Hyuga with a watchful eye for a couple of seconds before moving closer to Naruto. She clung on his left side, holding his left hand firmly, almost in a possessive way. Hinata had always watched Naruto and he had been her sensei. She improved and became not just a stronger person physically, but mentally as well. Hinata of the old would not have had the confidence to stand before them and speak like this.
But because of this person – who had ignored her and focused on training other people, whilst people laughed at her a pathetic kunoichi – Hinata was a different person. Ino could almost admire her and with how Naruto treated her.
"This is where I belong…" Ino said with a smile. "What brings you here?"
"I came to speak to Naruto…" Hinata said and turned to Naruto. She didn't mind speaking with the Yamanaka present. "I just came to tell you that father has been seeing former advisors of the past Hokage. I don't what the deal is, but they seem threatened that Tsunade allows you to do as you please. If you were still handling Neji personally, you would have known already."
"There has been a lot to do these days…" Naruto said. "I knew they were planning something against me when I returned from my training trip. There are measures to deal with it…" They were a bit extreme though. It was most or less just silencing them. Naruto could not think of any other way to handle them without killing them. He could use Shisui's eye but he didn't want to depend on it or use it needlessly.
"I just thought you should know…" Hinata said before turning away. She then suddenly stopped, "There has not been great joy in the fact that the Uchiha are preparing to take their seat once more in clan heads meetings." With that said, Hinata walked away.
The Uchiha have not been the most loved clan by anyone in the village. It was truly a pity though. It was always suspicion with them, always the thought that they could use their powers to do evil. People feared the power they could not control in that manner. That was just the human nature but Naruto hoped that people would be rational at times instead of allowing their fears to get the best of them.
You didn't need to prove certain things to people; they just needed to think to understand them. In most cases, people were willing to run away with the first thought.
Being busy with the things of the outside meant that he was missing a lot with what happened inside. Then again, he didn't care for much what happened within the Leaf if it didn't affect his mother in any way.
It was rather nice for Hinata to warn him like this… perhaps it was returning the favor for what he has do for her. She has been giving and giving, isn't it? He might not even come to a point where he has to claim everything he has given her, but there was not really a problem with that was there?
"You know, I actually thought you'd corrupt Hinata… but despite being trained by you, she remains a gentle person who is kind to everyone…" Ino said, looking at the back of the disappearing Hyuga. She probably has not met anyone so pure hearted as the Hyuga.
"When I first looked at her, Hinata was something both annoying and interesting. I'd never thought I could meet a human so pure and innocent. She was this little thing I wanted to raise; for my benefit, but at the same time, I wanted to preserve her innocence. Most of my life, I'd been accustomed to seeing humans whose behavior was rotten and undesirable. I had asked myself whether such a thing called human could ever be good. But when I got to know her, I realized something life changing…"
Ino absorbed everything silently and went through a couple of thoughts before nodding to herself. "There has always been a part of you that I never really wanted to talk about or even mention. You were fine though, but perhaps it is that little dark side that made me call you my 'black knight.' When we did grow, you really did drift away from me…"
"You are here, Ino…" Naruto said. "You should also come to my home sometimes. Mother worries that I don't have friends my age."
Ino smiled, shaking her head. "I thought that part of you was gone…" she said. "You want me to visit your house when your girlfriend is there?" She asked with a raised eye brow.
"Just because Yugao is there doesn't mean that a good friend of mine should no longer visit me. I used to go to the flower shop all the time when mother said so…" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Or, would you rather be a secret lover of mine? Are you into that dramatic part of life with secrets, love, lust and lies?"
Ino stared for a second before smiling slyly. She learned over to Naruto and whispered into his right ear. "Would you like to find out?" She asked, the palm of her right hand on Naruto's chest.
"That is a dangerous game, Ino…" Naruto said, but still with a small smile. "I'm not fond of it either. But I will do what I need to do."
"Well, you're a very full of hypocrisy. You claim to hate evil, yet don't think twice in doing it. For your mother, you will do anything and you will use anyone without even thinking twice." Ino said, without displaying what she thought of that attitude from Naruto. "Well, I don't complain much about it because to me, you have been a nice person."
Naruto knew the kind of person he was. There was no need for anyone to spell it out for him – he knew full well. Most of what he did was just full of hypocrisy but he did not care. The thought that there could be someone like him never really crossed his mind. He wanted other people to uphold moral standards but he does not. Perhaps in such situations we applied a logical mindset.
Either way, it didn't mask his hypocrisy.
Still, he did not care. This world has already judged him to be a child of demon that terrorized this village and claimed its Greatest Hokage. Maybe a side of him even took comfort in the fact that he was in the way he was because the humans in this world were evil. It was perhaps a necessary evil that he must mask for the sake of his peace.
"Being called out by you, of all people…" Naruto said with a shake of his head.
"It's not that bad…" Ino said with a smile. "I was, still and will be your friend."
"Past, present and future, huh?" Naruto said. "Let's go for a small trip to Suna. We will visit what you can call, a former friend of mine. Mother isn't happy with how things are with her and she wants me to solve them."
Past and present? Naruto was more focused on the future but the present did matter, because he was living in the present. This was what mattered. Perhaps that was why his mother wanted things to be right in the present, for happiness as she says. Once again, that was something that he never gave himself time to think about, his happiness has always been his mother's safety.
Yes, things have changed, he has grown but the truth was that he was struggling to adopt those changes into his everyday thinking. It was the consistent talk of shrewd dealings and trying to secure tomorrow for the better.
His mother wanted him to live a happy life – it wasn't the first time she had told him this, and it wasn't the first time he thought about it. Even back then when she forced him to 'play' with Ino, her intensions had been to experience a good childhood. In some ways, although it didn't go exactly as she would have liked, he still did see what the kids did and maybe experienced some of that childhood moments with and because of Ino.
"Well, you were going to be married to her and that changed when you cancelled things…" Ino said. "I'm not sad about it…" she finished with a straight face.
Naruto stared at the blonde for a moment before responding. "You did try to make a move on me…" Naruto said.
"I did and I still will…" Ino responded firmly. "It did appear as if you were making moves on me during this exercise though…" she said thinking about how exactly they had been training. "If we are going to Suna, I can't go like this… I need to wash and change clothes. I'm still a woman and I have appearances to keep."
Naruto sighed – he should have expected it though. "I will come to fetch you in 30 minutes at your home. If you're still not done, I will drag you out."
"You can try…" Ino replied with a smile.
20 minutes later
Uzumaki Compound
"Going somewhere?" Kushina asked – she was sitting in the in the sitting room, a fuinjutsu book in her hands.
"Sunagakure… but it is only going to be for a couple minutes. No one will even notice I was gone" Naruto replied. "Thinking of creating new seals?"
Kushina shook her head. "I want to teach those who will be under this roof fuinjutsu. You know that is the trade of our clan. We should still specialize in it."
Naruto nodded in understanding – seals were even the reason their clan was destroyed in the first place. Yet, Naruto hoped that it would not be the reason for another destruction in the future. This current world was severely lacking in terms of masters of fuinjutsu and if it became known that they were busy with those, some people would become nervous.
They would be welcome to do so, but Naruto would annihilate anyone who tries anything. So long as he was alive, all enemies of the Uzumaki would be erased from existence.
"Have you thought of making a deal with Tsunade about selling seals? We could make special seals, say like explosives and seals for other uses. If Tsunade wants seals for something else, you can always consider how you can create them and sell them to her. Shinobi shops also use seals; we could try to open business with them by being a supplier of seals…" Naruto proposed. "Income is needed for the clan."
"I thought of it but with how we were treated before, do you think shops would be willing to do business with us?"
"Shinobi shops don't care for such things. I buy weapons from them, so we don't have to worry…" Naruto replied. "Of course, when we are doing things like that, we can't provide something that is only applied once and something that can easily be reproduced. You make complex things, that will require your assistance for usage."
Kushina stared at her son for a long minute before breaking into laughter. "Only you'd think that…" she said. "But that is just business, right? And we do need the money. We can't keep maintaining this whole compound with what you earn as a shinobi. We've used almost all the savings…" the elder Uzumaki paused. "What about your training? You were only serious on it when you wanted to learn the Hirashin."
"For the greater good of the clan, I will pick up my training." Naruto responded. He walked away from his mother for a bit before coming to a halt. "Where is Yugao?"
"She has a life outside here, you know?" It was safe to say that Naruto looked surprised upon hearing that. "What, just because you don't go out to hang out with friends doesn't mean that those around you don't go. Even when you were younger, I used to go out with Ino's mom and Mikoto. You should consider doing it to enjoy a bit of your life. You're always thinking something serious, never giving your mind something fresh and fun."
Was this going to be the subject these days? His mother had pressed on him when he was younger but she had stopped. Perhaps it was because now that he was going to be a father in a couple of months that she wanted him to show life. He would need to be alive to be a father.
"I don't have much in terms of friends and I don't see myself laughing with teenage boys, sharing a drink."
"You could have made friends in the academy. The outside world may have been unfriendly, but the kids at the academy were different, at least the ones in your class." Kushina said with a shrug. "Aren't you a teenager as well?"
Naruto blinked before shaking his head. "I will see you when I come back, mother. Can Ino join us for dinner today?"
Kushina smiled. "She can." The elder Uzumaki responded happily. "You are being faithful to Yugao, are you?"
Naruto's lips twirled upside down slightly, but Kushina smiled. "The only woman I can ever be faithful to is you, mother." the blond said. "I will not do anything to hurt, Yugao, nevertheless. She has become an important member of our family and it will be sad to see her leave because of my own actions."
"I'm glad to hear that." Kushina said. "Extend my greetings to the Sand siblings."
Sunagakure
Kazekage Residence
Suna was truly different from the Hidden Leaf, just stepping within it, Ino could clearly say she could never get used to living in this place. The people around here were fine because they were born in this environment but she was used to the conditions of the Leaf.
"I thought you'd be 'famous' in this village as you are in Konoha." Ino said to Naruto. Along the streets, they had just been strangers to the village. She wasn't expecting anything more, this wasn't their home village and the people here didn't know Naruto as Konoha's people do.
"If that is supposed to be funny, I'm not going to force myself to laugh."
"It wasn't… well, maybe a little. I'm just poking fun into how different things are the moment you leave home." Ino said. "Aside from that, you have been coming here since you were young, with the Sandaime Hokage and you always stayed with the Kazekage. Even though it was never made public but a few people should have concluded that there might a deal in the making."
Naruto merely shrugged in response.
Within the Kazekage's residence, they were welcomed by Kankuro – a man Naruto could loudly say he did not like. The one person he was ever close to in his days within this village was Temari. That has turned somehow but it didn't change that she had been the one to spend more time with him. Gaara was just another person he hadn't liked back then because of his mother's special treatment to him.
Maybe because he was the only one who didn't see their mother, but it still hadn't made Naruto a happy person.
It was safe to say that Kankuro wasn't exactly Naruto's biggest fan either. The man's greeting of the two seemed forced and he didn't even try to smile. "Gaara is at the Kazekage's tower… the only other person here is my sister."
"That is the person I came to see… can you call her for me?"
Kankuro didn't move; he stared between the two blondes before asking. "What do you want with her?"
"Not your concern…" Naruto responded flatly before motioning for Ino to follow him towards the living room. "I have manners, but this kind of person doesn't deserve me to show any, even if this is his house. Well, technically, it is the Kazekage, but still."
Ino merely shook her head. "You know, if you are going to marry a girl, you better make friends with her brothers." She said, following the blond from behind.
Naruto shrugged. "When something doesn't want you, don't force it…"
"When it is convenient, right?" Ino asked.
"You ruin everything when you point out things like that, Ino." Naruto responded in a flat tone. "But at least you learning something. Listen, you must be observant of everything, don't run your mouth because it might be fun. Understanding people is key to getting what you want."
Ino chose to sit beside Naruto as they waited for Temari. Once settled, she responded to Naruto. "You really enjoy this game of manipulation, don't you?"
"Your father works with shinobi who torture people to get Intel… he also uses his jutsu to get inside people's heads… that carries risks… would you not want to do something less risky as in simply asking for the information you need?"
"Mind games…" Ino said. "Your methods are different from Sai. He gets Intel mostly by spying."
"Listen Ino; Sai does that because it works for him. His Ninjutsu makes it possible for him to spy without even risking his life… you cannot play the same game because you don't have his jutsu. The methods we use are to sharpen our abilities. You should know your abilities and learn how to use them to their fullest potential. I will never teach anyone to be like me because no one has what I have and I cannot teach you the same way I taught myself because you are not me."
"That is the way you did things with Hinata." Ino said. She Hyuga was just taught to better herself rather than being turned into a girlish Naruto.
"Yes… we are all different, with different abilities. Being alive has taught me many things… you cannot take a dog and try to teach it weapons for mass destruction… you will only succeed in killing it. You must understand its character and teach it according to do those characters. It is better to have it alive with limited abilities than it being dead."
"I sometimes I forget that you used to speak such kind of things…" Temari said as she walked into the room. She settled across the two Leaf shinobi before speaking once more. "I wasn't expecting you…" she said to Naruto and then greeted Ino.
"I did give you a lot in terms of support…" Naruto said to Temari.
"You were much kinder those days. Now, everyone is just a piece in the puzzle." Temari clearly put her distaste over the change in her tone and expression.
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "You have not been around me too much, Temari. I was nothing but kind to you. It was unlike with any other person in interacted with. Ino was my friend, but she may have only seen my smile when I was with my mother, but you saw me, Temari. Even though there was an option to cancel the agreement, I still gave it all my all, I still tried to make things work because I looked into the future and thought, If I'm going to get married to you, I should at least be happy in that marriage."
"I can't say I didn't give my best…" Temari paused, a smile settled into her face as she remembered the moments she spent with Naruto. Even though she was the older one, he had been the one to comfort her and even make her feel better. He had taught her a couple of things. "I honestly waited in anticipation when father said you would be coming to Suna. Then I knew, someone who could understand my fears was coming to see me."
Naruto allowed himself to think back for a couple of seconds before asking. "Past days… mother is curious why things have changed so much with me. You're still wonderful to my mother but to me, it is another matter…" the blond paused. "Have I done something wrong to you?" He was honestly curious because as far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything wrong.
"I admit I have not been the best, but being around you makes me want to be on guard. That day you wanted to kill us, I realized something, when you comforted me, it wasn't because you liked or care for me, you just told me what I wanted to hear. You were merely playing the part your mother wanted you to play. Then there was my brother and his rise to become Kazekage. You're all over and some of the things that I get asked about you make me uncomfortable.
"You have never actually pretended to be a saint and you don't actually hide it. Those around you know you well, but there are only a few people who can actually get close to you to make that conclusion."
It was interesting that someone like that could say something like that to him. But Naruto didn't think that Temari thought of all this herself. Gaara had to have influenced her thoughts. It wasn't to say that she was stupid. Far from it.
The things that he did and what he was wasn't the reason he was here. Naruto had come here because his mother worried for future relationships with the Sand siblings.
Only a couple of words might have been said, but at least some things were cleared and with that, Naruto felt that there was nothing more that needed to be said.
Temari raised an eye brow, seeing Ino, her actions rather; the blonde was clinging on Naruto's right shoulder. What was more surprising was that Naruto was actually acting natual – he didn't make any movements and by his lack of even a slight twitch, you'd almost think that he didn't know she was there.
"Is she your new girlfriend?" Temari asked.
"No…" Naruto was quick to say. He got the feeling that Ino would say yes just for the fun of it. "She just gets jealous when it appears as if I'm getting along with another woman."
Temari appeared to think for a moment before responding. "Well, if you were as nice to me to her, I can understand why. To those close to you, whether you care or not, you usually give attention."
Naruto merely shrugged it off, opting against commenting on it. "I only came here to share my mother's concern. I hope the next time you come to Konoha, you will be civil…" he said standing up. "She extends her greetings."
"We are well…" Temari said, managing a smile. "You're not going to see, my brother?"
Naruto shook his head. "You're the reason I came here and we talked. It was short but fruitful." The blond said. "Let's go Ino."
The blonde Yamanaka tagged along as if she was tied to the Uzumaki. "I'm not a jealous person."
"Of course, you are not." Naruto said. With that said, the two disappeared.
Meanwhile, Konoha
Hokage Office
Tsunade could say that it was fortune that Naruto wasn't in the village when Sai returned. It could have been a bit tricky to call to come with Karin the moment they arrived at the village. The Godaime Hokage wanted to find out more about Karin and if she could give some information regarding Orochimaru. He might be dead, but there were many things that he left behind.
"You must be Karin…" Tsunade said to the redheaded girl standing next to Sai. She looked slightly bruised as if she had been in a battle. Seeing this, the Godaime turned to Sai. "Not a willing participant?"
Sai nodded. "She didn't trust my intensions." The former Foundation shinobi responded calmly. "But after she had exerted some energy, she managed to calm down a bit and we were able to talk. If things hadn't changed, I may have been forced to use other means."
It wasn't something that Naruto would have approved, but he would have likely just left it even if he had done it. He just had to bring the Uzumaki back to the village, no matter what. It was within here that she would be able to decide if she wanted to stay or not. They were likely not going to force her to do anything. Well, at least, Naruto's mother, but with Naruto, you never know.
"I'm right here, you know?!" Karin's voice wasn't quiet, she certainly didn't seem to care that she was in front of the Hokage.
Tsunade was a little amused. Yeah, she was definitely Uzumaki. "You don't have any business with me, but I wanted to talk to you before you even see Naruto or anyone in the Uzumaki."
"Well, at least the part about there being other Uzumaki here wasn't a lie…" she said with her eyes pointing towards the direction of Sai. "What can I do for you, Hokage-sama?"
"I need information regarding Orochimaru, his activities, all the hideouts you know and what kind of threat he could have left behind. Can you give me that report by tomorrow 5pm?"
Karin stared at the woman for a long minute thinking why she had to do something like that. It wasn't a secret that Orochimaru had been a missing-nin from the Leaf but what was curious was why the Godaime Hokage was asking her to do this before she could even talk to this Naruto. She had stated that she wanted to do this before Naruto set his eyes on her.
What was so dangerous about this Naruto and what kind of a person was he? Sai didn't work for the Hokage – Karin could say that because he didn't wear the village's headband.
"Why do you need it?"
"To clean up his mess…" Tsunade said. "You worked with him so you know the kind of things that he did. I'm sure in many of his hideouts there are many innocent people who were kidnapped from their home villages to be used for his experiments." The slug princess paused before asking. "How did you even come to work for him? Did you even enjoy working for him?"
The Slug princess tone was sharp when she asked the last question because it was truly important. She didn't want another Orochimaru living in her village. Then again, she even doubted that Naruto would permit someone with the same desires as her former teammate to live close to his mother even though they were Uzumaki.
"I did do experiments with Orochimaru and for him but since I'm not under any interrogation, I can't say anything more." Karin said.
"She is a former Kusagakure kunoichi and she participated in the last Chunin exams we held in the village. She has special chakra that heals people through a bite. Orochimaru took her to study it and she got comfortable around there enough to willingly work for him." Sai responded before Tsunade could say anything to Karin.
Tsunade showed her surprise in her expression. "The Uzumaki have always had special chakra but Naruto just seems to have too much of it." Tsunade said in thought. "I will need to see this ability of yours. And you will get me that report I want. If you refuse, I will hold you in an Anbu cell for questioning for being involved with Orochimaru. You should know that's crime."
Karin's body straightened upon hearing those words. The Godaime wasn't certainly joking in her threat. It made Karin frown but she should have expected it.
Inwardly, Sai frowned. He was avoiding something like this when he gave his earlier response to the Godaime Hokage's question. If Tsunade proceeded with her question, Naruto would no doubt do something about it and knowing the blond, it wouldn't be anything good.
"She will give you the report you want…" Sai said. "The healing ability also leaves her body with permanent bite marks because you literally bite her to draw out the chakra. Perhaps you could help her and offer her better ways to harness her powers."
It was really an interesting thing, a curious thing. The medical researcher inside Tsunade wanted to take the girl down to a lab and start studying her chakra. She had medical Ninjutsu and spent many years trying to master the art of healing and yet this girl was just born with chakra that can heal. She was basically a living medicine and Naruto had just brought her into this village.
If trained perfectly, this girl could become another one of her best students.
"When you bring the report tomorrow, we will get to it…" Tsunade said happily; she couldn't hide her excitement. The Hokage open a drawer and took out a headband, she threw it towards Sai. "Come later and you will be registered as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. We will determine your rank when we test you."
Sai merely nodded. He could not refuse the Godaime Hokage. Naruto might be scary but this woman was the most powerful person in the village and if she wished, she could call upon her Anbu to arrest him at any moment and even do the same for Naruto.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Sai saluted respectfully.
Satisfied, Tsunade smiled and told the two they could leave.
Uzumaki Compound
Sai stared at the house of Uzumaki, standing at the unguarded entrance. He wasn't particularly sure about getting into the compound when Naruto wasn't in the village. He had thought the blond would be present but due to his difficulties in getting Karin, he had taken much more time than anticipated.
"Are we not going to go in?" Karin asked impatiently, glaring at the black haired nin. "This is where the Uzumaki live, isn't it?"
Why else would he have brought them here? As far as she had been told, she had been brought here to join her fellow Uzumaki. It was rather surprising and slightly unbelievable since in all her travels with Orochimaru, she had never met any Uzumaki.
"To be honest with you, I don't live here and I'd rather not meet up with Naruto's mother." Sai said.
"Why? Is she scary?"
Sai shook his head. "Maybe in the past but she is older now."
"Then why don't you want to go in there? I don't have all day you know and I want to rest… travelling all the way here was rather tiring…" Karin said, she looked at herself and nodded. "I also need to bath…"
Before Sai could respond, he heard a voice from behind. Sai felt relieved upon hearing that voice.
"Sai?" Yugao asked, not sure it was him but seeing the crimson girl beside the black haired, she assumed so.
Sai managed a flat smile as he faced Yugao. "Hello, Yugao-san." The former Ne greeted the woman. "This is Karin… can you take her inside…" He said before asking. "Where is Naruto?"
Yugao blinked before glancing at the redhead called Karin. Well, the signature red hair was there to say she was Uzumaki. Yet, Yugao didn't feel particularly happy to know this. She had a feeling that Kushina would now focus on someone who was from her clan, someone who shared the same genes as her.
Yugao shook her head; this girl wasn't here to take her position. Those were just some negative emotions she was feeling.
"As far as I know, Naruto should be in the village. Did you look for him?"
Sai shook his head. "No, but I got that he was out of the village from the Hokage. Besides that, if he was here, I would have seen him already."
Yugao adopted a thoughtful look for a couple of seconds. Naruto had said he was going to spend time training Ino and afterwards he would return home. He hadn't said anything about leaving the village. Could he have decided to do his training with Ino outside the village?
"You don't need to turn back because Naruto isn't here…" Yugao said. "His mother also wants to see you." The purple haired said with a smile.
Sai merely blinked in surprise.
Yugao didn't say anything regarding that reaction; she turned towards Karin and offered her a smile. "Karin Uzumaki, huh? I am Yugao Uzuki… Naruto's girlfriend…"
"Huh?!" Karin exclaimed. "I thought Naruto was our age?" When Sai nodded, Karin had something to say. "Then, why is he dating an old hag?!"
Old hag? She was an old hag? An old hag was Mikoto – the one Naruto got pregnant. She was too young to be called an old hag. She was a beautiful young woman who did not qualify to be called old.
"Repeat that one more time and I will show you who the old hag is…" Yugao spoke in a cold tone. It was as if she was wearing her Anbu mask once more.
Karin glared. If she wasn't tired from the journey and in need of a bath, she would be responding to the woman. Instead, she folded her hands across her chest and stared defiantly.
Yugao sighed. "Just follow me… you too Sai."
A Couple of Minutes Later
Kushina smiled warmly upon seeing the two guests in her house. It was a rather good moment for her and the Uzumaki. Looking at Karin, she couldn't doubt that the girl was indeed Uzumaki and she was around Naruto's age.
Wouldn't it have been better if her son was getting married to another Uzumaki? The woman shook her head. Marriage was all about love – she shouldn't focus on trying to restore the fortunes of her former glorious clan by using her son in such a manner. Naruto would probably not complain about it but Kushina would not ask her son to do it.
"You must Karin…" Kushina said excitedly. "I have to say, I haven't seen another Uzumaki in a long time." She said smiling.
"Your son?" Karin said. She didn't need to guess that this woman was Naruto's mother. From what Sai told her, this was just about everyone in the Uzumaki household.
"I meant to say an Uzumaki with red hair…" Kushina corrected herself. She just chose not to say that Naruto wasn't a full-blooded Uzumaki because his father wasn't from the Uzumaki clan. "You must be Sai."
The black haired shinobi nodded his head but did not say a word.
Kushina merely smiled. "Yugao, show Karin her room so she can wash and change clothes. In the meantime, I will engage Sai."
Yugao nodded. "Follow me." She said to Karin.
Once they were gone, Kushina stared at Sai with a serious mask on her face. "Tell me, Sai… are you good friends with my son? He surely trusts you but there is a difference between that and friendship."
The woman was getting straight to the point. It wasn't what Sai expected but he shouldn't be surprised; this was a woman who gave birth to that person.
"I can't say we are friends but we have an understanding."
Kushina seemed rather disappointed by that response. "You're not the kind of person who displays emotions… But since you work with my son, I want you to be his friend…do you know what that is, Sai?"
"I have read books…"
Kushina blinked twice. This was ridiculous. She didn't think it would be something so bad. And this just meant that she had to sit with the teenager and teach him what it means to be a friend. If she was going to teach him those valuable lessons, then it would good for her in keeping an eye on things.
It was about time she stopped ignoring whatever it was that her son was plotting, wasn't it? Sai wouldn't tell easily but he could let slip of a couple if things that could give her clues.
"We will work on that…" Kushina said with a smile. "Tell me; are you able to influence Naruto's decisions?"
Sai shook his head. This felt like an interrogation and Sai didn't really know how to handle it. If it was someone else, he wouldn't be answering. But this was Naruto's mother, the most valuable person in his life and the person he could reduce Elemental Nations to former shinobi nations for her sake.
"No…" Sai responded. He wasn't going to say that maybe there was someone who could influence the blond but the biggest influence in Naruto's life was his mother. She had to know that, but probably didn't want to do it because she thought it wasn't fair.
Sai was saved from more questions when Yugao returned. "I told Karin to come down once she is done. I just gave her something old of mine to wear; it will be a little big for her…"
Kushina nodded. "We will have to go out and get her something to wear before the day ends. You didn't come back with anything of hers… did you?"
Sai shook his head.
"From the looks of things, she appeared to have fought you." Yugao stated from her observation of the state the red-haired teen was in when she walked in the compound. It wouldn't be the case if Sai was saying they were attacked along the way.
"I'm a stranger to her… Obviously; she wasn't going to just come with me because I was telling her to do so. You will have to do your part in trying to get her to stay here. I think she will stay nevertheless… she doesn't exactly have anywhere to go with Orochimaru dead." Sai said.
With Karin
Karin felt her senses flair up, reacting wildly to another presence within this very house. How was something so powerful able to get into the house without her sensing it until it was far closer to her? Regardless, she could sense it now and Karin felt she couldn't stay in this place because it frightened her. The chakra she was sensing was just overwhelming and it made her feel cold.
The Uzumaki hurried away from the room with the big clothes she was wearing, trying to leave. But the moment she stepped into the passage, her skin became cold and her body froze.
In front of her stood a blond haired person; he wore an indifferent mask but his chakra was just cold and lethally deadly. There didn't seem to be any harm intended towards her but the massive pool of chakra reserves made her feel uncomfortable. What was this person? There was no one with as much chakra as him in this village, not even the Godaime Hokage could be compared to him. Hell, not even Orochimaru.
"Karin…" Naruto said to the redhead. "Looking at me like that, you must be a natural sensory type of shinobi, able to tell the amount of chakra a person has… there is no need to fear me though."
Being read like that, and him talking so casually… Yet, he didn't do anything with his chakra to make her feel comfortable. She was certain he was doing it on purpose and that ticked her off a little. The Uzumaki mustered enough strength to face her fear before responding.
"If you're not an intruder, you must be Naruto."
"Yes…" Naruto responded before turning away. "It appears that you have already met everyone…" Though, he didn't get why Sai was here, unless his mother made him stay. Was he forgetting his conversation with her?
Karin had no choice but to follow the blond. "Are you really Uzumaki?"
"I don't have the natural crimson paint over my head because my father was a blond – I took after him." Naruto responded calmly. "But as you saw, my mother is indeed Uzumaki. It is rather difficult to find any Uzumaki alive these days since our village was ruined. But aside from the three of us, there is another one. You'll probably meet him one day."
To be quite honest, Karin wasn't particularly interested in this whole clan thing. She was used to doing things in the hideouts when Orochimaru wasn't there. Yes, the Sannin had scared her but he wasn't alive anymore and she was free to do as she pleased.
"If you are thinking about going back to Orochimaru's hideouts to continue doing what he was doing, I'll recommend you think twice about it." Naruto said to Karin.
It sounded like a threat and Karin didn't respond well to threats. "Or what?"
Naruto looked amused at her daring response but he did not respond. He would rather not start with threats with this person. Besides that, he wasn't big on threats.
The two made their way towards the others. Kushina greeted them with a smile. "How was your trip to Suna?"
"Good; we managed to rekindle the old flame with Temari." Naruto said with a smile. It was a big smile but it still surprised Karin but she didn't say anything about it. Naruto might have been smiling about that but Yugao wasn't.
"What do you mean by that? You getting married to her?"
Naruto blinked at that sudden question. "I never said; If I get married to Temari, it will be politics but I don't think that is something that is necessary in the meantime."
"I'm just happy you solved issues with her… I look forward to the day they come to the village. We can have dinner like we used to when she came to the village or when we were at Suna." Kushina said happily. "I don't want you to talk to Karin now before anything. You stay away from her."
"Why are you making it sound as if I'm a bad person who will corrupt her or say anything unpleasant to her…" Naruto said to his mother, putting on a look on his face.
"Well, it's not like that would be off the mark… you have already said things…" Karin threw in.
"Naruto!" Kushina stared at the blond for a couple of seconds. "Come on, Karin dear. Yugao, you follow us as well. Let us go shopping while Karin tells us about herself and see how we take things from now going on forward." Kushina said. "Don't forget to invite Ino for dinner tonight."
Naruto watched his mother leave with the two ladies before turning this attention to Sai. "You took your time, but I'm glad you succeeded." He said.
"Her sensory abilities make her difficult to catch." Sai said. "The Hokage knows about her healing abilities but does not know about her sensing abilities. She also wants Karin to compile a report regarding certain things about Orochimaru. She will probably tell you about it when you do speak to her about it – the Hokage I mean." The former Ne paused before adding. "She is forcing me to join her shinobi roster."
"Not unexpected." Naruto said. He paused, staring deep into Sai. He was having an immense battle regarding Sai and inviting him over for dinner tonight. Maybe just this once and his mother would forget about it. What could go so wrong and it would make Sai feel valued. "You can go to your place for rest. But come back at 7pm sharp for dinner."
"Hai…" Although surprised, Sai gave his response and turned away from the blond Uzumaki.
Amegakure
Life was something else, wasn't it? The students he had thought he had lost long ago where now leading this village. Amegakure wasn't in a bad situation. It was actually well developed and it did not depend in any village for economic and military support. Jiraiya had thought this day would never come but it was here and he was living this moment.
The Toad Sage was staring down the streets of the Hidden Rain from the tallest tower. He had an expressionless mask on his face with a glass of sake on the side.
"You're thinking way too much, Jiraiya sensei." Pain said, walking towards the Sannin with Konan right beside him.
The Sannin has been spending time within the village. Sometimes he went out drinking and returned drunk and sometimes he just sat there, looking at the streets with a lifeless look on his face. It was a new thing from his sensei but not surprising.
He had also spent some time looking down the streets with the rain pummeling down the village. It was rain he had created, but it had been made for the sake of the village's security. These days though, the Rain was seeing more sun. It no longer cried all week. It was perhaps a good change.
Jiraiya turned towards his students for a moment before looking down the village. In his days at the village, he had only seen Nagato's real body just once. It was in a pitiful state, but it something that had made him think deeply.
"I'd always preached about peace in my days… looking for ways shinobi could understand each other through mutual means so that the cycle of hatred could be ended. But I have never been able to find the solution. I failed in finding the answer, as I have failed in so many things in my life…" The Toad Sage said in sad tone.
"But while I have failed, I still believe that Naruto will work out something that will bring peace. I am sure of it."
"You have so much faith that he can do it… do you think he can find the answer you were never able to find, sensei?" Nagato asked.
"Naruto thinks differently from me. I did train him at some point but he does not carry anyone's teachings. Naruto is self-made, he built his own power, and he taught himself how to survive and how to protect those he loves.
"His methods are different but I believe that for the sake of his family, Naruto will find a way to bring peace into the Elemental Nations. He hates this world and the evil within it. He tolerates it but if he didn't have people to care for, he would have already plotted ways to destroy everything with life.
"Humans are creatures who will make mistakes, sometimes we do wrong intentionally. We do not think twice when we kill and are not above betraying those who trust us for a good price or our greed."
A new voice spoke before Nagato could say anything. "You stalk of peace in this world?" Obito asked. "So much needless blood has been shed in this world, and many innocent have died; for this, we must end it and create a new world. I never told you of my plan but with the collection of the Bijuus; we'd be able to create a new world of perfection; a world where everything is right and your dreams come true, a world of dreams." Obito said after appearing out of nowhere. "But you no longer have a plan to collect the Bijuus, Nagato. Because of the decision you have made, I Will show you that peace can never be achieved in this world. Very soon, we will see war. A small thing can bring the nations into war and I will plant those seeds."
"Do you think we will allow you to do that, Madara?"
"I have already started planting the seeds, Nagato. You will see this world destroy itself." With that said, the masked Uchiha disappeared.
Jiraiya frowned once the man disappeared. War? It was just ridiculous. What was that man going to do to bring war to the Elemental Nations?
"I knew that he would come back…" Nagato said. "We must take action before he plunges this world into chaos."
"Should we hunt him?" Konan asked.
Nagato shook his head. "He will come back. We will be ready for when he comes."
"I will head out to Konoha to warn them about this. I will try to get some valuable Intel about his movements."
End of chapter
I thought this chapter was boring… even thought of scrapping it. I just felt it was one of those boring chapters you just had to go through in preparation for the next one.
I'm done with the next one… I wanted to do a double upload but I thought I should look at it once more to see if there is anything I can add or remove. I will upload it within the next 24 hours nevertheless.
The Omnipresent Sage
