I Don't Own Naruto, Any Other Anime/Manga or Its Characters.

All Characters Appearing In This Work Are Fictitious. Any Resemblance To Real Persons, Living Or Dead Is Purely Coincidental.

Thoughts of the Genin:

1 Week Later

It had been a week since the funerals and almost everything had gotten back to normal. Yes, the village had grieved but they still had to rebuild and reopen the village so that they could start earning money again via missions.

However before the Village could reopen there was one last thing to be done. Tsunade was not thrilled at this aspect of her job, but she had no choice. It was By Executive Order of the Daimyo which forced her to take this decision. For political reasons he had told her when she tried to convince him otherwise. The old fool refused to budge from his position and said that the kids deserved it bloody old fool the Daimyo was. It wasn't until The Daimyo reminded her that he had not interfered in her punishment and execution of the former Hyuuga and Konoha elders that she finally relented; besides the old man did have a point.

So thus complying with the Daimyo's Order she ordered another meeting within the Forest of Death with the Konoha 12, the new Council of Elders, The Clan Leaders, Iruka, Yamato, Anko and Ibiki with his group of Anbu Shinobi who had been assigned to protect the Hokage and the Daimyo who was also in attendance at this meeting. Last but not least were the Genin themselves who had also been asked to attend and were standing at attention in front of their respective Jonin sensei. The Genin had been instructed to look presentable for this meeting.

The Jonin were all standing at attention in full uniform complete with Green flak jackets and polished Hitai-ate tied upon their foreheads. The Konoha 11 Military Jonin Squad were also in full uniform, the only difference being that where the rest of the Jonin wore Navy Blue Uniforms under their Flak jackets, the Konoha 11 wore black uniforms. Even the Genin wore black stripes across their right arms. It was obvious that the black clothing they wore was to symbolize the loss of their comrade in arms.

A few seconds later Ibiki barked an order "Attention to arms. Generals on deck!" All shinobi present got down on one knee as one entity and bowed their heads in respect as the Hokage and Fire Daimyo entered the Office. Tsunade nodded her head in response; "at ease."

Tsunade looked at Naruto and Kiba and nodded her head, Naruto looked at his and said "Hey Konohamaru, gather your chakra and summon King Enma will you, the Hokage wants to speak to him. Kiba looked at Kenpachi and said "hey pup the Hokage wants to have a word with Kumasari-dono."

Kenpachi nodded his head and looked at Konohamaru and smiled a challenging smile "want to make it interesting K-man?"The Sarutobi genin smiled back and said "The usual stakes I presume?" Kenpachi smiled a feral grin and said "but of course, the last to finish buys barbeque at Yankiku." Kiba was about to say something when the Daimyo shook his head silently. The two genin bit their fingers to draw blood and went through the hand signs required for a summoning Jutsu. Their hands moved so fast that even Ibiki who rarely showed any emotion raised his left eyebrow in surprise at the speed at which the two genin had performed the hand signs. The two Genin slammed their hands at the same time and called out for their respective summons. Once the smoke had cleared the King of Apes and the Matriarch of Bears stood facing the Hokage.

Once the pleasantries and introductions were made best efforts what it means to lose a brother or sister in arms. However that does not mean I am ignorant of your suffering. While I cannot share your grief I can honour those brave warriors who died for their motherland."

As such it is My Great Honour to present the highest honour that can be given to a Shinobi in service to his country." Each fallen warrior and their families will be awarded with the Sash of Fire which is the Highest Honour that I can give.

There was a round of Applause as the Daimyo announced the names of the shinobi who would receive the honour once The Applause died down."

Tsunade took the floor and said "Thank you Daimyo Sama for those kind words; however I feel that the Sash of Fire is not enough and therefore as Hokage of Konoha I award each of my fallen shinobi the Red Ribbon Award this award is awarded to individuals who have risked their own lives to save the lives of others."

Tsunade then turned towards Kumasari and King Enma and said "My fallen Shinobi have done enough for their motherland and it is time that they rest in peace however the responsibility is now upon the living to take care and lead this village."

"As such I would like to personally thank King Enma and his clansmen as well as Kumasari-Dono and her clan who have provided invaluable support in this war. Not only have they helped us achieve victory in this battle, they have also shown me a doorway on how to nurture the future leaders of this Village and make sure that the future of this Village is rich in valor, skill and wisdom..."

Kenpachi and Konohamaru were getting bored and had started getting antsy until their respective sensei slapped them both upside the head. The two Genin had a sheepish grin on their faces and settled down, but did what most teens do when listening to boring speeches. They tuned out and shifted their attention elsewhere. Kenpachi had a smirk on his face as he ogled Tatsuki. They had not gotten a chance to talk since the war what with her being in the hospital recovering from her wounds, , and meanwhile he had also been recovering from having opening his chakra gates. Lee sensei was right opening the chakra gates really hurt like a Motherfucker.

While Kenpachi was thinking about Tatsuki, Konohamaru was thinking about Moegi. She had been one of the few Genin who had come out of the battle with minor injuries. But then again she was a medic Nin in training, so it was her job to stay unhurt.

But that was not the reason he was thinking about her. She was his best friend since the academy, but for the past few months he had thought very unfriendly thoughts about her. It mostly centred on the both of them in some intimate position; although he was confused about these events, he was sure of one thing that he thought of Moegi as more than a friend.

Unfortunately he had no idea how to handle this type of situation. Playing pranks and fighting with his life on the line, he could easily do. Trying to figure out how to tell his best friend he likes her more than a friend, he had no idea what to do.

Being the grandson of third Hokage he was used to female attention, he was also used to fan girls, but this was something he was not used to, but even though he liked Moegi a lot, he did not like what she had become. In recent months she had suddenly lost all confidence when speaking to him and had started blushing.

After trying to figure it out for a long time and reaching no conclusion did he finally decide to ask the boss lady about it. Her solution was simple: take her somewhere private and talk to her about it, and if she is a true friend she will value his feelings and although she might not return them she would respect his feelings. If nothing else he would figure out why she had lost all confidence while speaking to him. Konohamaru thought about it and decided to give it a try. There was only one problem with that: Moegi had been so busy with the hospital with the other medics that she hardly had time to do anything except sleep and eat.

Udon also was deep in thought about something and had tuned out the Hokage's words as he thought about his actions in the war he had just fought at Kumo. Ever since his master's death Udon had began to question his own strength and abilities, he reflected back on his participation in the war he had just fought in Kumo. He was also thinking about the promise Hanabi-chan had made him on the battlefield. The sum of all these thoughts made him realise one thing while he was very smart and had a keen intellect his physical skills although good were only good enough to fight on par with a Chunin level opponent. Udon realised that his main weakness were his Taijutsu skills, not only in Leaf Style Taijutsu, but even in Capoeira: the Taijutsu style taught to him by Ino sensei, He realised that if he wanted to become a better shinobi and defeat Hanabi chan in a fight; he would have to drastically improve his Taijutsu skills.

That is why ever since getting out of the hospital he had done intense training. Lee sensei always said the basics are very important and you can only master Taijutsu when you have strong basics. So he took his sensei's words to heart and decided to first improve his Capoeira skills which were abysmal. He could only fight on par with a Chunin Level opponent and that to with much difficulty.

So getting back to basics he started training for 15 hours a day and had practised the Ginga (literally: rocking back and forth; to swing) which were the fundamental movements in Capoeira, important both for attack and defense purposes.

He had gotten so engrossed in his training that he didn't even notice the world pass him by. He had only one goal in front of him now, better his taijutsu skills and beat Hanabi-chan in a battle so that he could go on a date with her. Udon rarely felt passionate about anything logical as he was but he wanted that date with Hanabi-chan so he was prepared to do whatever it took.

Chiruku was silent as well deep in his own thoughts, as he too looked back on his battle, his sensei had applauded his skills in battle and said that he had done the right thing, but he still felt useless, he was barely able to stand up against his enemy, he was always hesitant to fight, which as he felt was the reason for his defeat. He had many times felt that he held his team mates back. He sometimes cursed his kind heart that held him back. However Chiruku was not one to give up that easily, he wanted to progress further and become a better shinobi to help his comrades. So he went to his favourite sensei for help: Sakura sensei. After all she was the one who had taught him how to control his strength and taught him how to use his strength to protect others. Sakura sensei although busy with her duties as a medic had taken time out to listen to his problem. He was surprised when she said that she faced the same problem as a genin and did not know what to do to increase her strength. So she had sought out Tsunade-sama to help her become a better fighter. Sakura sensei had told him that he would have to find his own path to evolve. She had taught him a few simple meditation techniques she had learnt from Ino to focus her chakra. It was a good way for him to calm his mind. When he had mastered the meditation technique Sakura then asked Lee to teach him the Outer Body Training Method a technique taught to Lee by the Monks of the Fire temple.

It was a technique that allowed one to train and practice martial arts in a meditative trance. The user begins by spreading chakra throughout until he or she can feel it pulsing in their Chakra network. Once the pulsing can be felt the practitioner can enter in the meditating state. From there he creates a mental image of their body composed solely of their chakra creating a spiritual body. It is important to make the image separate from their physical form. At this point the user then needs to bring up memories of past opponents. As the memories surface illusions of the opponent appears and can be fought against for practice, or presumably, any other purpose.

Although a Dou style martial artist Chiruku took to this Sei style training like a fish to water. He found it as the way to improve his martial arts skills without hurting anybody. Although he realised that as a martial artist and a Shinobi his main job was to hurt and kill his enemies, his kind heart refused to allow his body to fight to his full potential for fear of hurting his friends and comrades. While practising this technique, Chiruku realized that he could release his Dou style fighting style to its full extent and he could also learn to control it better. He was Grateful to Lee sensei and Sakura sensei for the help they gave him and while using this technique, he found that while he practiced with multiple opponents in battle he was most happy when he was able to practice against Sakura and Lee sensei. While training his mind became more clear and he started down the long road of mastering his Dou style fighting spirit and by using the strength of his kind heart he could control his anger and use it to his advantage.

Kenshin like his fellow genin was also deep in thought, as he tried to understand what he had to do to evolve into a stronger shinobi. Neji sensei had always taught him that a shinobi will learn volumes more from a battle lost than a battle won. Although they had fought the enemy and one Kenshin knew they had paid a heavy price for it. As he examined his own skills he realised that he was still lacking. His taijutsu skills were still not at the level he wanted them and his endurance was also low. In recent months he had spent more time perfecting his skills as a medic and had almost ignored his skills as a fighter. Kenshin realized that while he enjoyed and had a passion for medical ninjutsu, he enjoyed fighting on the front lines equally exciting which the profession of a medic forbade him from doing. It was like trying to look left and right at the same time

Unable to decide what to do he went to the one man who he though could answer the question: Naruto Namikaze. Kenshin knew that Naruto would be able to help him with his problem after all if the man could tame the strongest tailed beast in existence then he would surely have a solution to his problem. When he finally got his answer he was surprised at the simplicity of it. He realised that he could do both at the same time.

Naruto had told him that his skills as a medic would help him become a better fighter, because medics are trained to notice every little detail, his skills as a fighter if he were to develop them further would be more deadly because his knowledge of the human body and the enemy's movements would allow him to find openings in his enemy's defense to deal maximum damage with minimal effort.

Kenshin found Naruto's words logical and found no arguments to contradict him. So he decided to alter his training regimen accordingly and started with his weakest point: Taijutsu. Like his friend Udon, Kenshin also went back to the basics to further improve his fighting skills. Lee sensei always said the stronger your basics the better your Kung-Fu.

Hirako had also tuned out the Hokage and was also thinking similar thoughts to his friends. During the war Hirako had seen firsthand the importance of Strength and tactics. Thanks to Shikamaru sensei and his tactics they had emerged victorious in the war but when he analyzed his own abilities he saw that despite all his training with his masters, he still relied too heavily on his clan's techniques in battle. He was also intrigued at what the Head Nin Hideyo had told him: "You have good instincts son, use them to your advantage, you have the makings of a good medical Nin." Hirako had never imagined a career as a medic, but the Head medic had told him to think about it and so he did. Hirako resolved to speak to Ino and Sakura sensei about what being a medical Nin entailed. He also resolved to amend his training regime and concentrate less on his clan based techniques and more on traditional training methods.

Tatsuki was also deep in thought about the opportunity that had been presented to her a few days back. When she had been discharged from the hospital and had been recovering at home with her family, Chouji sensei had come to her house and said that the Hokage had summoned her for an important meeting.

Flashback:

Tatsuki had been recovering at home with her family and going over the vents that took place in Kumo, mainly the war and the kiss she and Kenpachi had shared in the heat of battle. She did not regret kissing him and enjoyed the experience, and if the way Kenpachi returned the kiss was any indication, he also felt the same way. However she was pulled from her thoughts when her father had come to her room with Chouji sensei in tow. She was surprised to see her sensei in her home and when asked the reason she was told that Hokage had summoned her for an important matter.

After she reached the Hokage's office with her sensei she greeted her sensei Shizune and the Hokage in the proper way and was about to ask the reason for the meeting when the door opened and a voice spoke "Apologies for the delay Hokage-sama, we had a breakthrough with one of the prisoners of war and…" Tatsuki turned towards the voice and saw a kunoichi enter wearing a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam, which had a pocket on both sides, and complete with a fitted mesh body suit that stretched from her neck down to her thighs. She wore a dark orange mini-skirt, as well as a forehead protector, a small pendant that looked like a snake fang on a thick cord, a wrist watch, and pale grey shin guards. She also wore a dark blue belt around her waist that connected to her skirt that had an appendage-like sash.

Before Tsunade could say anything Tatsuki fully turned towards the recently arrived kunoichi with a huge smile on her face and said in a voice full of awe: Your Anko Mitarashi!; 29 year old Tokubetsu jōnin and Deputy Head of the Konoha Anbu Torture and Interrogation Force! One of the first apprentices of the Snake Sanin Orochimaru and the first Kunoichi to inherited his summoning contract for snakes! You graduated the academy at the age of ten and promoted to Chunin at the age of 12. You are in a relationship with Iruka Umino who also holds a contract with the snake clan; your favourite foods are sweet bean soup and dango. Least favourite type of food is spicy-tasting food. You have completed 647 official missions in total: 72 D-rank, 86 C-rank, 398 B-rank, 89 A-rank, 2 S-rank. You like conducting tea ceremonies as a hobby and your favorite phrase is "Calling on!" Former bearer of the curse seal of Heaven on your neck, before it was removed by Sasuke Uchiha in 4th Shinobi war!

Anko had an odd expression on her face that looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or kill her. So she settled for the middle road and said "who the hell are you Gaki, and how the hell do you know so much about me?"

Before Tatsuki could answer Chouji stood in front of her and covering his eager genin's mouth said
"allow me to explain Anko sensei, this genin here is from the Arigawa clan that specialises in venom and poisons. As a result she holds kunoichi who deal in venom and toxins in high regard. Thus the reason she knows so much about you. I believe she knows as much if not more about Shizune sempai and Tsume sempai as well." Tatsuki had finally managed to move her sensei's hand from her mouth and digging into her pocket for a piece of paper and a pen she pushed it towards Anko and said "wow you're so cool and dangerous can I have your autograph?!" Anko was taken aback and looked at Tsunade for an order. "Uh Hokage-sama, what do I do?" Tsunade was chuckling and said "well that is up to you Anko-chan it seems you have a fan. What you do with her is up to you."

Anko had a sceptical look as she looked at Tatsuki and said "maybe later kid, let's see what the Hokage wants with us first yeah?" Tatsuki nodded eagerly and sat down next to Anko when the Hokage bid them all to sit down. Once everyone had settled down Anko removed a file from her overcoat and said "here is my report so far Hokage-sama. I assume this meeting is to discuss about Habu-sama's request?" Tsunade accepted the file from her shinobi and said "thank you Anko-chan and yes, it is."

Tsunade then handed Tatsuki's file to Anko who quickly scanned through it, and read in detail about Tatsuki Arigawa's skills as a Genin. When she finished reading the file 5 minutes later she nodded her head and said "I don't see any problem with her inheriting the contract, I assume Iruka has seen the file as well?" Tsunade nodded her head "yes, and he has no problems either but he wanted you to have the final opinion." Anko nodded her head and said "Very well I see no problems, I agree as well Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded her head and turning to Chouji and said "Jonin Akimichi, The King of Serpents: King Habu has offered the Summoning Contract for the Cobra clan for your Genin Tatsuki Arigawa. In your professional opinion do you think that she has the chakra capacity and the skill to handle a summoning contract? Keep in mind that the cobra clan are highly venomous and territorial; they will also not accept an average summoner and will only accept someone with a fierce will and spirit.

Chouji was silent for a few minutes before replying "Yes Hokage-sama I believe my young genin has what it takes to sign the contract, she already has a background specialising in venoms and toxins. Shizune sempai has increased her knowledge by many volumes with her own training. "

"Thanks to the efforts of my comrades and I we were also able to increase her skills in both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. In summary I believe that she will be a fitting summoner for the Cobra Clan. However I am concerned why the Snake clan wishes for a Genin summoner and what will Konoha receive in return?"

Tsunade nodded her head and said "I understand your concerns Jonin Akimichi and am also able to decipher your real worry. However I have thought about this for a very long time and have discussed it with my council of advisors who all believe that by signing the contract Konoha will benefit greatly both in Power and Knowledge." Chouji was satisfied to know that The Serpent clan was willing to wear the Konoha hitai-ate and share their knowledge with Konoha. He had only one more concern he had. He looked at Tsunade and said "If you are satisfied Hokage sama then so am I, but what about Adult Supervision?"

Tsunade smiled and said "before that question can be answered, I think it would be better if we ask Tatsuki-chan about what she thinks." She then looked at Tatsuki and said "Tatsuki-chan, as I am sure you have figured out, Iruka sensei's summon: King Habu wants you to sign the summoning contract for the Cobra Clan. Along with the Constrictors and Vipers Clan, the Cobra Clan make up the Three Royal Houses of The Serpent Clan. The only question that remains is do you want to sign the contract or not?"

Tatsuki was silent for a few minutes before replying "I am confident in my abilities, Hokage-sama I would be honoured to sign the Cobra Clan contract, however I am unsure of how to incorporate them into my clan's training style."

Tsunade smiled at Tatsuki's hidden statement and concern about her clan and said "I can understand your concern Tatsuki-chan, and I also understand your worries about your clan. However at the moment, the offer to sign the Cobra Clan Summoning Contract is only for you; however there will be a time in the near future where your clan's abilities will come into play. However I do not want an answer right now, I want you to think about it for a few days, and then tell me about it. I want you to discuss about it with your father and your clan and then reply. You have one week to decide Tatsuki-chan." Tatsuki smiled and said "thank you, Hokage-sama" Tsunade smiled and said Meeting Dismissed. Genin Arigawa and Jonin Akimichi you are dismissed, Jonin Mitarashi please stay I have something important to discuss with you.

End Flashback

Hanabi was also deep in thought she thought about many things; the Hyuuga clan, her own abilities, her promise to Udon. Hanabi had noticed many things over the past few days ever since she had come back to the village; Hinata had spent much of her time with Naruto at his apartment. As it was Hinata spent very little time at the Hyuuga Manor and now she was spending even less time than before. She was aware that Naruto and Hinata were intimate with each other and if the time they were spending with each other was any indication, they would be married soon, or at the very least engaged, this much was obvious.

This meant that if Hinata was to marry Naruto she would cease to be the Hyuuga clan heiress, and the next in line to become Heiress would be she. It was something Hanabi was not looking forward to, although she could play the part of the diplomat well enough, she despised the formality and the false air of respect it gave birth to. Neji and Hinata were able to play that part better. She always wanted to be a free bird; all she wanted was to rise up in ranks of the Shinobi ladder, fight a few good battles, find a guy who didn't care that she was the princess of The Hyuuga clan and treated her for who she was and not what she had. She then had a thought and looked at Neji and lamented that he was in the Branch Family. If he had been born in the Main family she might have been able to get out of her job of Hyuuga Heiress and give it to Neji. She was sure he could play the role of a stuffy Diplomat much better than she could. But maybe it was still possible, she wasn't sure how or why but the Political Balance in the Hyuuga clan seemed to be shifting.

As she thought about the Hyuuga clan she also reflected on her abilities: she was happy that she had been able to help her comrades in this war. But the war had taught her many things as well; she realized that despite using many jutsu in battle she still relied on her Byakugan too much. And not enough on her own abilities, the war had also shown her a different side to Udon. She knew that Udon liked her from the start.

Infact he had made it clear since the academy that he found her interesting and attractive. But she always thought it was because of her status within the Hyuuga clan. But when he had put his life in danger to save her, she realized that Udon may be liked her for who she was as a person. Not because of her clan status or her blood line limit.

To confirm her suspicions, she had asked him about it when they came back to the village, the answer he gave was simple: "I like you Hanabi-chan and I made a promise to myself to always protect you, besides you intrigue me Hanabi-chan your like a mathematical equation I can't solve. I don't care about what you have or what your social status is. I care about you because you're my comrade and I will gladly give my life to protect you." Besides if you're not there anymore who will I argue with?" Hanabi had actually smiled at his statement and hugged him to show her thanks, after hugging him she punched him in the gut when she saw his goofy smile "don't get any ideas ramen for brains, I meant what I said: I will only go out with you if you can beat me in a straight out fight."

Like her fellow genin Moegi had long tuned out the Hokage's speech and was deep in her own thoughts. She was thinking of only two things right now, her abilities as a shinobi and a certain genin named: Konohamaru Sarutobi. Konohamaru was her best friend since the academy and although she always admired him, she was not sure when that admiration turned into something more. She was well aware that Konohamaru had many fan girls, but he never paid them any heed.

He always said what he admired most in a person was determination and ambition. He disliked fan girls, what he wanted in a girl was confidence and strength. Moegi realized that in recent months her fascination with Konohamaru had gone up a level and she had become the very thing she hated: a mindless fan girl, and as a result her skills as a shinobi had suffered.

It wasn't until she saw Konohamaru fighting his hardest in the war that she noticed her own skills lacking in comparison to him. That was why when she returned to the village she made a promise to herself to stop being a mindless fan girl and actually concentrate on her training.

Sakura sensei although proud of her student's skills had said that she still had a long road ahead of her before she could become a full fledged Medic. The war had made Moegi realize that she still had a long way to go if she wanted to walk by Konohamaru's side as an equal. With her goal in mind Moegi strengthened her resolve and welcomed her future hardships with open arms.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys and gals, I was busy fixing up my older chapters. It was a big job but I finally did it. This chapter was actually supposed to be something else, but like always I had an idea and ran with it. I will try and post two more chapters before the month is over.

But I make no promise, in exchange for such a lovely chapter I have only one small request Help me pass the 100 Follows and Reviews Mark. You all have shown me your love before by helping me cross the 100 Favourites Mark. I request you to help me do the same for my reviews and Follows as well.