Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. This upcoming story however, I do own.

Chapter 2-The Long Awaited Visit

As the two stared at each other, Naruto couldn't take his eyes of Shion. 'My god, he thought, she is even more of a goddess then last time.' Her blond hair still reached her waist, but now her hair had been swept to the side more and included some braids. Her amethyst eyes stood out more, thanks to the mascara that she wore. Her clothing consisted of a deep blue kimono that hugged her body and Naruto could see every delicious feminine curve imaginable. To complete this beautiful ensemble, she had on deep blue sandals. There was also a purple bracelet that was on her left wrist.

While Naruto was appraising Shion, she was doing the same with Naruto. 'Could Naruto get any more handsome' she thought. Even though Naruto had packed his suitcase full of his favorite black and orange shirts and pants, he decided to dress up in civvies for today. A dark black muscle shirt clung to his body, showing off his well-built arms and some of his abs. he had on orange cargo pants and he was wearing black shoes. The one thing that caught Shion was the simple fact that he now towered over her. If she had to guess, he was at least six feet two inches.

The more that they stared at the other, the more Naruto's eyes started to travel downward. To be more precise, his eyes traveled down to the chest area. His eyes nearly flew out of his head. 'Forget being a C cup, she must be at least DD.'

"Naruto, my eyes are up here", Shion stated.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Shion, it's nice to see you again. It's been a long time since my last visit."

Shion smiled. "Far to long, my handsome man."

Naruto blushed. "Shion-chan, I'm not that handsome. I'm sure you've gotten marriage proposals from the most wealthiest and most handsome of men."

At the mention of the marriage letters, Shion grew sad. It was common knowledge in Oni No Kuni that Shion received at least ten different marriage proposals each week. Most of them came from Kumogakure, but she had also received some from Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Hi No Kuni's Daimyo also sent her letters asking her to wed his youngest son. Shion had politely declined all of them, but she was nearly at her wit's end with the letters. Suna had stopped about two days ago, but Iwa and Kumo were persistent.

"Shion did I say something wrong" asked Naruto, looking at her facial expression.

Shion immediately plastered a fake smile on her face. "No Naruto, you didn't say anything wrong. It's just that you know…" she immediately had to think of something. "Flu season is coming up and I think I might've gotten it."

Now Naruto was no idiot. Sure he was super dense sometimes, but even he could tell that smile was fake, that something was bothering Shion. However, he decided to let it be, knowing that Shion would discuss it later with him in a more secure place.

"So how has ruling Oni No Kuni been for you Shion," asked Naruto.

Shion put a hand on her forehead. "It's been a hassle, that's for sure. I can't go for a day without hearing reports of bandits and other troublemakers in Oni No Kuni."

Naruto smiled. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

Shion raised bother her eyes up to Naruto's face. "Oh really. Last week I got a report that someone was tearing up marketplaces looking for ramen. When I sent three guards to the town, they reported that all the marketplaces and stores were out of stock of ramen."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well ummmm that was partially my bad."

Shion smirked. "Partially? Knowing you Naruto, it was more the just partially your fault. If I had to hazard a guess, it was your entire fault that that town ran out of ramen."

"At least I left a good sum of money," Naruto retorted.

Shion sighed. "That's beside the point, Naruto. Because of you, I have had more headaches in the past week then I have ever had in the past month."

Naruto shrugged. "At least I make things interesting for you, right?"

Shion giggled. "You got that right. If it wasn't for you I would be dealing with reports about wars and assassinations…"

Shion shut her mouth right then and there. She hadn't meant to say those words and she hoped that Naruto didn't pick them up. Unfortunately, Naruto heard her and decided to capitalize on it.

"What do you mean, reports about assassinations and wars?" Naruto wanted to know who would assassinate young Shion.

Seeing that Naruto would not stop asking unless she told him, Shion unclamped her mouth. "For the past 2 months, my guards have stopped at least fifteen different assassinations attempts. But before we could determine who would kill me, all the bodies were burned because of some kind of jutsu. We are no closer to finding out then we were 2 months ago."

Tears started to come out of Shion's eyes. It was too much for her, with the many assassination attempts and the marriage proposals. Now that she had involved Naruto, Shion knew that she would have to use Naruto as protection. After what happened the first time, that was the last thing Shion wanted.

Naruto pulled Shion into a hug and tried to calm her. "What are you afraid of? You know that nothing could kill you."

Through her sobs, Shion told him. "It's not-hic-me, it's you. I don't-hic-want to put into any kind of danger."

Naruto laughed. "Shion-chan, you should know that my life is one big circle of danger. I'm no stranger to danger. I would gladly give my life to protect you, Shion-chan."

Somehow, Naruto always knew what to say and when. Shion stopped crying, though you can still her hiccup from time to time. "What would I do without you, Naruto-kun?"

"You would be trapped inside the stomach of a demon king that was hell bent on the world, he replied. Besides, I'm here to stay."

"But why, what happened to Konoha", Shion asked. I thought you wanted to become Hokage. I thought that that was your dream."

Naruto frowned. "I guess you weren't informed of what happened. Sit down; this will take a while to explain." As Shion took a seat at the edge of the bed, Naruto pulled a chair from the room and began his tale.

5555555555555555555

2 hours later

"…and this is where I decided to come after what happened." Naruto finished. He watched Shion's face, waiting for any reaction, any kind of reaction. That was because Shion had been so quiet ever since Naruto had begun his tale.

To say that Shion was mad would have been the understatement of the century. Inside Shion's mind, she was about ready to march to Konoha and beat several heads of several councilors. 'How could they do this to him' she wondered. 'He beats one of the most powerful Akatsuki and they banish him because of the Kyubi.' However, at the same time these thoughts were forming, an inner voice of hers then sang out.

'Oh well. Their lost, our gain. The council should have never let him go. I think it's only ladylike for you to show Naruto around the new village. You should also relax him, for his long journey here must have been very tiring.'

The innuendo that this hidden voice was trying to convey did not go unnoticed by Shion. Blushing ten different shades of red, she tried to calm the inner war in her mind.

'I mean, I do love Naruto for what he did. But I'm not in love with am i?'

'Sure keep telling yourself that. By the way, it might be best for you to go back to the real world, since our man has been calling us for like 5 minutes. Till we meet again.'

'Wait I need your help in this situation…oh crap.' Shion was now really exasperated with her inner mind. Telling herself that she only liked Naruto, Shion followed her inner's advice and got back to actually listening to Naruto.

"Sorry about that Naruto, I was thinking about something, Shion apologized. What were you saying?"

"I was asking whether or not you would be alright of me staying here," Naruto answered.

Shion had retained her calm exterior, but on the inside, her consciousness was doing cartwheels. "It would honor me for you to stay here, hero of Oni No Kuni."

Naruto blushed. "You know I don't like titles, Shion."

Shion giggled. "Well, you do go out of your way to earn said titles. If you had not been banished from Konoha, you would have earned a different title then the one I just gave you."

"I don't think so, Naruto answered. I actually I would have been fine with just the villagers actually accepting me rather then sending glares and hateful looks my way."

"You always had a heart of gold Naruto, Shion stated. If it was me, I would have hated the village for what they did to me."

Naruto shook his head at Shion. "Well I would have, but someone came to me and explained the entire thing to me."

Shion now was more puzzled then ever before. "Who came to you?"

"My father, Minato Namikaze."

It was hard to not miss the shock that came to Shion's face.

"The fourth Hokage? The one and only wielder of the Hirashin jutsu? THAT MINATO NAMIKAZE?"

Naruto had to cover his ears at that last part. "Yeah that was my reaction to. Though I didn't squeal like a girl."

Shion pouted. "That's because you're not a girl in the first place, Naruto."

Naruto smiled. "Touché. Score one for Shion."

Shion laughed at Naruto's antics. "Besides getting to know that your father is the fourth Hokage, what else did you learn during the Pein attack?"

Naruto sighed. "Nothing much. I guess finding out who your father is kinda tops the cake in my book."

Shion nodded, kinda getting what Naruto was saying. Though in her situation, what shocked her the most was that Naruto was the son of the fourth Hokage, yet he was telling her this like he knew it all along. Suspecting that he did, she asked.

"Naruto, you seem to be taking this kinda cool like. Doesn't any of this surprise you at all?"

Naruto shrugged. "I always had this feeling that I knew the fourth Hokage, but I never let the thought spring forward until I returned to Konoha. When I looked at the mountain, I was shocked to see that I was a splitting image of him. But once again, I let the feeling drop, thinking that I was going insane. That has happened to me a lot you know."

Shion giggled once more. "You're right on that part. I have never seen a person, much less a ninja, that has to go through the same situations that you have to go through."

Naruto shrugged again. "You get used to it after awhile. Hell, my first "C-Ranked Mission" turned into an A-Ranked mission because we faced a missing nin."

"You know, you never told me about your training trip with Jiraya, Shion pointed out. I would like to know what happened during those 2 and a half years of training."

Naruto smiled. "Boy Shion, you're in for a real treat. But first, would my lady like to show me around the village?"

Shion stood up. "Well I guess I can take you up on that offer. The village has grown ever since you last left."

Naruto nodded. "I would like to see it."

55555555555555555

True to Shion's word, the village had turned to the better ever since Naruto was last here. There were many more vendors then last time, there were a dozen new civilian clothing stores and at least 2 theaters were built. There was even a ninja shop, which surprised Naruto greatly. Turning to Shion, he asked her about this.

"Shion, I have noticed that there was a ninja store a couple of stores back. Care to enlighten me?"

"After you guys left, there was an order for a new store in the village, Shion started. Naturally, we thought that the store was going to sell civilian merchandise, but when the store open with kunai, shuriken and all different kinds of swords as the stock, we figured the owner was looking to make at least some ninja in Oni No Kuni. I agreed with him and ever since then, we have been training a small force of ninja in our village."

Naruto was surprised, to say the least. He then asked, "How many ninja do you have in your ranks?"

Shion shook her head. "Not much. At best, five to twenty are ninja hopefuls, while another fifty have shown promise. But they barely have next to any chakra. That's why I increased the guards around the palace until we could get a suitable ninja to train them in the basics."

Naruto smiled. This was a perfect opportunity to help Shion. "You know, I could train those people. Even if they have next to no chakra, I could teach them the basic jutsu, like the Henge, the Bushin jutsu and the Kawarimi. They should be good enough to learn the basics."

Shion turned to Naruto. She had a smile plastered on her face. "Would you really teach them?"

Naruto nodded. "Anything to protect my lady from those who wish to kill her."

Shion jumped and hugged Naruto. "Thank you, thank you. With your help, we should be able to defend ourselves greatly."

Naruto blushed. Naruto only received a hug once before and that was from Haruno Sakura. But if he was to say that hugs didn't help him feel loved, he'd be classified an idiot. So doing what was natural in a hug, he wrapped his arms around her frame. His gentleman side liked how her hair smelled like fresh roses. His perverted side liked how her breasts felt, even though both were clothed. 'Must rein in perverted side,' he kept on thinking.

All too soon, Shion broke the hug and smiled. "I thank you once again for your help, Naruto-kun."

"Shion-chan, you've always had my help, even when I had left and went back to Konoha."

"I know, Shion replied. I just never imagined what sort of impact you would have in my life and in this village. If only I had known you earlier, I wouldn't have acted like a bitch to you."

Naruto dismissed her with a wave. "Trust me Shion. I know you had your reasons. After Taruho told me why, I could understand you. But didn't mean that I was going to make you live the same life that I lived. Don't forget that I never go back on my word. That is my nindo, for now and forever."

Shion smiled. 'Naruto really does have a heart of gold.' It's amazing that no girl has pursued him because of his gentleness and heart.

'Also his looks aren't too bad to boot,' her consciousness pointed out.

'So now you decide to come out, Shion told her consciousness. I really needed your help back at the inn.'

'You handled yourself pretty well in my opinion. So, have you sorted out your feelings for the spiky?'

Shion shook her head. 'I really don't know how I feel about Naruto. I mean, I know he promised to help me with the nest line of priestesses, but I never though of actually doing the deed with him.'

'Fate has a way of putting things and making things fit in a natural order. Of course, knowing Naruto, he doesn't believe in fate.'

Shion smiled. 'I kinda figured that out after he was able to avoid my prophecy of him dying.'

'I know right. Anyway, I think it's time I took a little break. Bye.

Shion sighed. Her consciousness was really starting to piss her off.

"Hey Shion, Naruto said, interrupting her from her thoughts. Among the people who had decided to become ninja, are there any that really stand out?"

Shion thought for a moment. "Well there is this one girl, named Amarante. She shows promise and has a massive amount of chakra. But she has no control whatsoever."

Naruto smiled. 'She's just like me' "what's her background?"

"Her parents died during the first time Moryo had to be sealed, Shion explained. As best as we know, she has shown a skill for wind, since whenever she is lonely, the winds pick and envelope her in a shield like closure."

Naruto nodded. "I would like to meet Amarante."

Shion shrugged. "She lives in an orphanage not too far from here. Follow me."

5555555555555555

Amarante was never really expecting anyone to come visit her. Sure, she had the occasional visit from Lady Shion about ninja business, but other then that, she had no visitors. So it came as a surprise to her when the owner of the orphanage came into her room and said that the Priestess was here with someone else. Getting out of her bed and putting on her sandals, she marched down to the lobby.

Lady Shion was currently talking to the owner while a stoic blonde man stood beside her. Amarante wondered who this could be. Deciding she would ask later, Amarante bowed to Shion.

"Lady Shion, to what do I owe this great pleasure?"

"First, you can stand up since you know I hate it when you bow, Shion retorted, though it was all for good fun. Secondly, I would like to introduce you to Uzumaki Naruto, former Genin of Konoha and the container of the Kyubi no Kitsune."

Amarante gasped. She had heard of the young blonde's exploits. 'What could he be doing here?'

Seeing the shocked look on Amarante's face, Naruto stepped forward. "I see you've heard about me, young Amarante. I have also learned some things about you."

Amarante found her voice again. "What exactly have you learned about me?"

"For one, you are an orphan, just like me. Two, you joined the shinobi ranks in this village. You are actually setting yourself on a good path. Three, you know wind jutsu, or you have an inkling to be a wind user."

Amarante hung her head. "I guess I do that subconsciously. The wind feels nice and it keeps me warm. It almost feels like I am wanted by something."

"Now don't be getting all sad on me here, Naruto said. I just want you to know that I will be helping you, along with the others, in becoming shinobi. I have also heard that you need help in your control."

Amarante became astounded. 'He wants to train me?'

She then asked, "Why would you want to train me? I have so many problems next to my control."

"that's where I come in. in addition to the regular training that everyone else will receive, you and I will be training together to improve your skills." Naruto said all this while a smile started to form. 'It's all for the best. Amarante, I promise you that I will become both your sensei and your friend.'

Naruto then continued. "In about a week, Shion-chan is assembling all the shinobi hopefuls and I'm going to be running them through some drills and basic academy jutsu. Don't be late now, Amarante."

Amarante then bowed her head. "Of course, Naruto-sensei."

Naruto nodded again. Turning on his heel, he said to Amarante, "See you soon, my immortal flower."

And with a wave and a flurry, Naruto walked out of the orphanage. Shion sighed, waved goodbye to Amarante and chased after Naruto.

55555555555

"I'm kind of surprised you didn't say anything back there," Naruto said to Shion when she was able to catch up to him.

"That would have been counter-productive to getting the general message through," Shion retorted.

Naruto shrugged. "So what are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Nothing much, other then meetings with several nearby villages. Say, what would you say to a date with me?" Shion had been saying this and watched in amusement as Naruto started turning beet red.

"Really, I wouldn't want to impose…"

Shion grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt. "You will go on a date with me. You will enjoy said date and you will wear something formal and nice. If you don't agree with any of these, I will hurt you so bad that not even the Kyubi will be able to save you. Do I make myself clear, Uzumaki?"

Naruto gulped. "Crystal ma'am."

Shion then proceeded to pat Naruto on the head, like a dog. "So sweet of you. Pick me up by the time the sun is down." Shion then skipped happily away.

Naruto stood there, with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Only one thing was going through his mind. 'What in the hell did I just get myself into?'

5555555555

And that is a wrap. So Naruto has become, in a sense, the leader of an entire ninja force. What will come out of his decision? It also seems like Shion is planning to get frisky with Naruto. What will come out of that?

Once again, rate and review. Comments are welcome along with criticisms but no flames please.

Next Chapter: The Wait is Over; Tsunade Sends Out The Rescue teams.

P.S. Amarante means 'the flower that never dies' in the Japanese language. So you can see why Naruto called her his immortal flower.

Glossary

Henge No Jutsu- Transformation Technique E-Rank Jutsu. Allows the user to transform into a person. The ninja has to keep a constant stream of chakra into the Henge or the technique will drop.

Bushin No Jutsu- Clone Technique E-Rank Jutsu. Allows the user to create illusionary clones. Naruto can not do this jutsu well because of his erratic control.

Kawarimi No Jutsu- Body Replacement Technique E-Rank Jutsu. In my opinion, one of the best basic jutsu. Allows the user to replace his/her body with that of a nearby object when said user is hit.

Poll Time: Should Naruto be made stronger?

Yes

No

If Naruto is made stronger, what should be his new forte?

Kenjutsu

Second Elemental Jutsu

Just give him one SSS-Rank Wind jutsu, along with some minor one.