Author's Ramblings: Hey everyone, here's the newest chapter of the story. I've decided to visit a few things I had in mind, and to bring up a few other things, but enough of that, you're here for the story, not my ramblings.

Shortly put, a new arc begins from the next chapter, and certain changes will soon happen, not to mention that after this arc, and the civil war arc that will come next, I will institute a time skip. Yes, cheesy, abused as hell and whatnot else, however, I have no intention on wasting multiple chapters on Naruto and the gang inventing training and whatever else may come. I'd like to keep a few things secret for the cheap thrills later on. Oh, and I decided to give a short spar between Haku and Naruto for entertainment. I do hope that you don't mind.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, read, review and all that stuff.

Chapter 13 : Intricacies of Business

(07:00, Streets of the port city of Habuse)

Dawn had finally come to Habuse. The soft sound of chirping birds was slowly being replaced by that of the city waking up from it's rather short slumber. The fine mist that hung around the city was dispersing as more an more people came out. Merchants went to open their stalls and stores, craftsmen walked to their shops, and the ever present patrols kept their vigil over the streets. Somewhere among the rooftops, a number of shinobi moved unseen, keeping watch for intruders.

The skies had cleared since last night, Naruto thought, the pulsing in his head finally reduced to bearable levels. How he allowed Jiraya to convince him to ago on a drinking binge was beyond him, but he had gotten drunk, and the killer hangover that morning wasn't something pleasant.

The occasional splash as he stepped into a puddle, as well as the chatter of the people surrounding him were a part of what kept him awake, but what realyl kept him sharp still, were the things that had been said last night, regardless of the constant pressure on his head.

(Flashback, Last night)

"For now just shut up and listen, okay? There's a lot I need to tell you, and little time to do so." Jiraya stated, and for the time being, Naruto did just that, sat down quietly and listened.

"Kid, I've been around for a long time. I've been through two great wars, seen death on a scale you couldn't even begin to comprehend." Jiraya somberly spoke, throwing a tired, wistful look at the moon outside as he took a sip from the saucer.

"It's been a while, but I have that feeling in my bones, like old men when a storm is coming. And this old man feels that the next storm that comes will make this civil war here seem like two kids throwing pebbles at each other."

Once more, he stopped for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"There's a... group of sorts, that's gathering now. I am unsure of their objectives, but I know that they are after the tailed beasts and their containers. Naruto, if you wish to have any chance of survival at all, you'll need all the help you can get. Since you've pretty much cut all ties with Konoha, surround yourself with allies who will stand with you through thick and thin. Gather your strength, for it's only a question of time before they turn their gaze towards you. And here's a rather disturbing piece of information, but one that will give you some perspective of what you face: Orochimaru was among their weaker members."

That certainly did put things into perspective. Orochimaru was a name he remembered well from the Bingo books. Basically one of Konoha's two most wanted, along with Itachi Uchiha. Very powerful, very dangerous, and one of the few people in the world to earn the classification 'S-rank'. The bounty on his head alone was enough to provide a person with a comfortable life till the end of his days. And he was one of their weaker members? A terribly sobering thought. 'Wait a second, was? I"ll have to ask him later.'

"The group is called Akatsuki, and for the time being all of their members seem to act as mercenaries for hire. You can recognize them by the fact that they wear black cloaks with red clouds on them, as well as straw hats. Well, that's enough information for you now. I'll send a package for you in a few weeks via Barok. She owes me a favor or two, so that won't be a problem."

'So that's how he tracked me down so easily.' Naruto thought in mild irritation. Still, he couldn't say that she hadn't acted in his interest, even if it was Jiraya tracking him down. He'd have to talk to her about it as well.

"Now, before we get down to drinking, there is one final thing I want to do. I am going to give you an offer. A choice as it were. Your late father created two very powerful jutsus known as the Hiraishin, a jutsu that allowed instantaneous transport between two points, as well as a number of other things. And the Rasengan, a feat of pure chakra manipulation. It is still stands as the most lethal close range attack known to ninja. I'm afraid that the secret to the Hiraishin died with your father, but I know how to perform the Rasengan. Now, the offer is this: do you want me to teach it to you? Or..."

"What's the other option?" Naruto asked near instantly. He had to admit, Jiraya was as cunning as a fox, he knew he had the boy's uttermost attention.

"Or I could give you your father's notes on the jutsu and let you try and develop it for yourself." Jiraya stated. It was a plan he had come up with in the short time it had taken him to get from Konoha to Habuse. While he couldn't stay around to train the boy, as much as he had wanted to, he could help him out. Loyalties aside, he had promised Minato to look after his son, and these belonged to him.

Naruto remained silent for a while, thinking his options over. He had heard of the Rasengan, every academy student did, and even with the embellishments, a jutsu that could effortlessly shave off steel was a great power to be had. However, the second option meant that he would have to recreate it from scratch, without any outside help. A challenge, one that would improve all of his skills as opposed to just learning how to do it. 'Why, that clever bastard...' he quietly thought, as he knew that Jiraya had already judged his reaction perfectly.

"I'll take option number two. Besides, I'd prefer recreating it on my own rather than simply copying it." Naruto responded firmly. And Jiraya smiled before offering a boy a saucer full of sake.

"To my godson, growing up into a fine man." Jiraya offered 'and getting laid soon.' he mentally added, and Naruto accepted the toast.

"To that." he spoke, taking a sip from the saucer. Sake really wasn't his thing, but for the sake of the occasion, he wouldn't mind "So, how did you know just what to do in order to get rid of that pocket of chakra?"

"Bah! That was the easy part. All I had to do was tweak the part of the seal that went into your nervous system to fix it. Sure, channeling a bit of that does keep you healthy, but it also makes it impossible for any excess chakra to dissipate. Hence, turn it off for a few minutes, and problem solved. Nothing to it." Jiraya answered, returning to his drink. "Now to a more interesting subject. How have you been doing while away from Konoha? Find any lovely girls aside from Yugao?"

"The old man didn't leave anything out did he?" Naruto chuckled back

"He didn't have a choice." Jiraya somewhat darkly retorted "It was either telling me everything, or, as I said back then, 'I doubt Kumo would mind having a new seal master'. Not that I would, but still..."

"I get the picture. Thanks for that. To answer your question, yes, I did come across a few nice girls on my journey so far.."

"Ho? Do tell..." Jiraya trailed off, suddenly sporting a small notebook and pencil that Naruto didn't want to know where he pulled out of. And from there on, Naruto retold some of his travels, carefully leaving out anything that might be dangerous for him and his group. Jiraya didn't press on with such details. From there, the two of them were already somewhat buzzed, so Jiraya passed over everything he wanted for Naruto to seal up.

(End Flashback)

Shaking his head slightly, he turned his eyes back to the street ahead of him, right after making sure that the scrolls in his possession were still under his vest. It was his legacy, as corny as it sounded. Maybe he'd finally get a chance to see just what was so powerful about that jutsu. Also, there was the subject of the seal on his navel, the one that held Kyuubi inside it. And then there was his sensei's last few scrolls, his puppets, not to mention the chakra armor and the generators acquired, and that's forgetting his chemistry and herbalism studies ...ugh... he'd need months for all of that! Months he wasn't sure he had, unless he could find somewhere more private to train. Well, at least he had access to the infamous Shadow clone jutsu... that was one advantage for solving that problem, but with highly theoretic subject there was a rather nasty limit it imposed in numbers, unless he wanted to end up in a coma. Five at a time, tops, if his calculations were correct

His second destination for the morning, after getting some much needed food to clean away the disgusting aftertaste that alcohol left in his mouth, was the new office building that Tensai had acquired. It was relatively easy to find, a darkish four story stone building. The doors were made of dark hardwood, lacquered and only slightly shining in the early morning light. It was imposing by any means, a detail he was sure would prove important at some point or another. He opened the large doors and walked inside into a rather pleasant lobby. Marble tiles covered the floor in a checkered black and white pattern, while a number of plants decorated the corners. A little bit away, he noticed a clerk. To his delight, he was greeted nicely by those working there, not to mention immediately guided to Tensai's office.

And he had gotten just in time to see Hinamori leaving, a slight blush on her face. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, a figure of himself diabolically laughed, and put the fact under the 'teasing/blackmail material' file.

"Welcome to the seat of your new empire." Tensai proudly stated as he ushered Naruto into the office. It was by all means opulent, with a fine wooden floor covered by a silk carpet. A massive mahogany desk was the centerpiece of the room, with one large chair with armrests facing away from the window, while two more stood across the desk. The window,large enough to cast light over the entire desk, while at the same time freed of any hiding spots, was framed by two large bookshelves, made of dark, full wood. On the left side of the chamber, there was another large desk, this one having a number of slots filled with maps. Next to that were a recliner and a couch, as well as a small coffee table.

The right side was seemingly empty, a wall decorated with pictures and a single drink cabinet.

The entire room was lit by a large chandelier hanging above the main desk, as well as several smaller lights placed over important locations.

"So this is what you've been spending the money on? Impressive." Naruto finally answered after a few minutes of taking it all in.

The purpose of the office was obvious: to impress any potential trading partners and put some degree of pressure on any hostiles that visited. In fact, he had to admit that Tensai had chosen the place well, the building itself was at a very visible location, at the intersection of two major roads within the city, meaning that not many would be willing to start a mess there.

Nonchalantly, Naruto walked over to the seat reserved for the owner of the office and sat down. He was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't in the least challenged by the young Gato.

"Let's get to it. What did you have in mind?" Naruto shortly asked, having mentally prepared himself for a long lecture.

"I'll keep things short for you Mezuro-dono." Tensai responded in a very formal tone as he rolled open a map of the eastern part of the Elemental countries, covering Lightning, Water, Sea, Snow, Star, Tea and Fire countries, either whole or in relevant parts.

"By the time you got here, a few messengers returned, bringing both good and bad news. Which ones would you hear first?"

"Give me the bad news first."

"The first piece of bad news is that we lost another ship to an attack in Sea country. Rumors claim that some sort of sea monster destroys ships, and we have witnesses from the port, including a surviving crew member claiming the second piece is that one of the mines up north, on the border with Snow country was raided and caved in by explosives. Fortunately, the miners got out safely, and the ship that was supposed to pick up that week's quota of ore managed to get out with them, as well as the quota, so we haven't lost much... yet."

"And the good news?"

"You're going to like this. First of all, I figured out a way to negate almost all of the losses due to the loss of the mine, the only difference is which place to invest money, the choice is up to you. Both are in these files." Tensai explained, handing over two files to Naruto.

"Second, under my late father's employ, I was ordered to track down a number of artifacts. How my father even knew of these is unknown to me, but, I have managed to track down two to their present location."

"Oh? And how may I ask did you track them down?"

"I have a number of... acquaintances, among them is a woman named..."

"Barok perhaps?" Naruto interrupted.

"Yes. I suspect you've had dealings with her, no? Hardly uncommon. However, she possesses a very fine network of spies within this region, and for the right price, can track down almost anything. For me, she kept tabs on two object. First is the Sword of the Thunder God, a powerful weapon once owned by the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, while the second is the Orb of the Coming Storm, who's maker is lost to history. The first is currently held by a ninja on employ in Tea country, while the other is in the hands of a collector in Sea country. I can give you the locations and profiles on both. Also, it is worth noting that a number of foreign ninja have recently moved to Sea country. There might be people of interest for you to recruit. I have taken the liberty of gathering the profiles on some of them as well."

"...I see. Excellent work." Naruto pensively stated, already deep into the first two files that Tensai had given him. The sheer amount of information thrown at him during the last twenty four hours was astounding, enough so, that he wondered how the headache didn't return. One thing came to mind as he read this. He had no clue which one of these would be better. In fact, apart from picking them at random, he had no way of making a valid decision. So, he chose the middle ground.

"Do them both. From what I see, we profit either way, no?" Naruto offered, and Tensai nodded, in approval.

"You learn fast sir." he jokingly stated "It really is the best decision. Forgive my impromptu test, but I was curious."

"Fine, just do it, okay? You do realize that when I trusted you with all the money, I put my trust in you." Naruto rather solemnly stated. "Do what you think is best, as I'm not even close to you on these grounds." he admitted. His words sparked a rather strange reaction from Tensai. The young man looked at him with respect.

Gato Tensai wasn't a leader, and he knew it. The boy before him however, was, and would only grow greater if given the chance. In fact, all the decisions he was aware of so far, and those he surmised from the events he knew of, only spoke of a keen tactical and analytical mind, one befitting of the nonexistent gray eminence he had formed as the leader of Mirage company. So, the young man came to a simple, but very important decision. Why not make that specter that loomed in the background real? His own sources were telling him that something was slowly happening for the past few years. No concrete shape, just the movements of money and rumors that spread among traders.

"Then I will teach you to be. If we are to be successful you need at least some level of understanding about the power you now hold." he stated, quietly but full of conviction. Naruto recognized that voice, the kind that left no room for argument. And he honestly didn't mind, having long since learned that every skill you learned was useful to you sooner or later.

"Okay sensei." he chirped back, grinning when the obvious look of annoyance crossed his 'teacher's' face. Tensai still wondered just how this seemingly perfect little child assassin could be so normal at times.

"Before we begin though, there is one matter I'd like you to look into.." Naruto trailed off

(15:23, The warehouse)

"Have you seen Mezuro anywhere?" Haku asked in worried tone, while cutting up carrots to make lunch.

"No. But he can take care of himself. He'll come back soon enough." Yugao answered without looking up from her scrolls. 'Dammit! How come this seems so easy when he does it? ' she inwardly grumbled as she studied the seals. Sure, like every ANBU operative she knew the basics of sealing, as in, she knew a number of seals by heart and how to replicate them as well as what they did... but that was it. Making new ones was beyond her. Still, the notes he left behind for her were his own from when he began to study seal making.

She had come up with an idea she wanted for her sword, but was unsure how to make it. Applying genjutsu to seals was incredibly difficult, even for simple ones. But a seal that would distort the immediate surroundings of the blade was an advantage she planned on obtaining. If an enemy couldn't correctly estimate the length, width and position of the sword, he wouldn't be able to block, parry or dodge it as easily.

"How can you be so relaxed about him being gone for so long? He could be in trouble..."

"Haku." Yugao cut her off "I trust Mezuro explicitly. He will return."

'I wish I had your confidence.' Haku thought as she turned to her work. It would be lunch time soon, and she hoped that the auburn teen would return soon. It was funny in some ways, but even with the very short time she spent with them, they both grew on her. Yugao, or Tenre as she went by, was usually calm and collected, a well trained ninja in control of herself, and yet she still showed signs of a girl in her teens, a part of her that seemed to be growing slowly. Naruto, or Mezuro, seemed to be cold, bored almost when talking to outsiders. With the two of them, and recently Tensai and Hinamori, he seemed more like a normal kid, or an mad scientist, depending on the time of day. She certainly wasn't in a rush to get on his bad side.

Dropping the freshly cut carrots onto the boiling oil along with the onions, she turned to the meat she was cutting up. She would have to look into that package she took from Gato's home after lunch. She still hadn't opened it, and while she had forgotten about it until they had returned, her curiosity was getting to her now. However, duty came first.

"That symbol is a bit off." Yugao nearly fell of her chair at the voice. Slowly, she turned to her left, to notice Naruto sitting in his favorite chair, leaning to the just-opened window, a smile on his face. Like he was there the entire time, and she never heard him come in nor open the window, not even for a moment.

"Do I even want to know where you've been?" Yugao asked, turning back to her scroll and fixing the seal that Naruto had pointed out. Irritating as it was, he still knew more about them than she did.

"Talking to Jiraya, talking to Tensai, getting out affairs in order" Naruto responded calmly in a near whisper, though a content smile was on his face "The usual. We might have to go somewhere soon."

"Again? Aren't we provided for a while?" Haku joined in, carrying in the lunch.

"We are. However, I was informed of a group that will at some point come after me. And I doubt that their intentions are.... honorable." Naruto trailed off, while waving his right hand in annoyance, but his face remained mostly calm. "I'll tell you all about them once we leave town. But in the mean time, let's eat, I'm tired and starved"

Lunch proved to be a quiet affair, none of them much in the mood for talking. Yugao would occasionally check her notes, Haku seemed in a hurry of some sort, and Naruto? He nearly fell asleep.

"Mezuro, you mentioned talking to Jiraya... what happened?" Yugao asked cautiously.

"You know him?" Naruto retorted.

"Kinda. My squad worked with him during a short mission on the border with Earth Country. He was perverted, annoying, self-centered at times... but that was until the fighting began." Yugao explained, putting away the papers she had been working on. "In my first year in ANBU, during a minor border skirmish, our squad got pinned down in a small valley. The enemy had us at five to one, they were better equipped and supplied to last for days, while we only had enoguh to last us for one at best. I still remember when captain offered to act as the lure while the rest of us got away, he merely chuckled and said to leave it to him."

Yugao stopped, a slightly vacant look filled her eyes, as well as what Naruto recognized as respect. Considering that the man was the self proclaimed Super Pervert, it was somewhat surprising.

"It took him fifteen seconds in total. During the first five, he sent five shadow clones to act as a distraction, while he himself moved through the earth to attack them from beneath. Before they even managed to dispel his first clone, the five of them unleashed a fiery dragon upon them, butting down their numbers by half at least. The rest died quickly when the original emerged from the ground and bombarded them with needles made out of that ridiculous mane he 's one hell of a warrior, and one of the people I respect deeply, even with his perverseness. " she retold the story. "So tell me, what happened?"

"He's my godfather." Naruto shortly responded, bringing up only a pair of widened eyes from Yugao, and a slightly shocked face from Haku.

"He gave me advice, left a few gifts, and told me to get laid." he continued. This time the reaction was different. Haku palmed her face, and Yugao burst into laughter. It was hard not to recognize where such comments came from, for anyone who knew him.

"That sounds like Jiraya alright." Yugao commented "So he's a friend then?"

"I'd think so. Still, this leaves me with no free time! I have a ton of stuff to work on!" Naruto near-whined.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Haku eloquently asked.

"Do you want the short or the long list?" Naruto deadpanned at her. "The more important thing is: we need a new place to stay. Somewhere were we can train safely and undisturbed by outsiders." he explained further. Yugao nodded in agreement, leaning back into her chair to think further.

"That might be something of a problem. Any major purchase has to be authorized by the Daimyo's court, and by extension by the Daimyo, Marusei Tokari herself." Haku explained. "Unless done subtly, it will draw a lot of attention to us."

"I've already asked Tensai to look into it. If anyone here, he'd know how to pull it off, and if the company is the official owner, I doubt it will be much of a problem, no?" he commented back."I think that covers everything. Anyone here in the mood for some light sparring? I think my taijutsu is getting rusty..."

"Mine too." Haku retorted "Downstairs?"

"Sure."

Neither paid attention as Yugao moved over to the nearby wall, grumbling the entire walk, and removed the privacy tag from it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haku eyed her opponent carefully. Naruto was not one to be underestimated, and if Yugao trained him, it likely meant that he was up to scratch. She wasn't completely sure of her taijutsu skills, as she was after all, first and foremost an assassin. Assassins don't fight openly.

"Ready?" Yugao asked from the side "Remember, no jutsus, no weapons or tools. Just pure taijutsu."

"Yeah."

"Got it."

"GO!"

Naruto was the first to begin, running forward towards Haku, body bent at a rather sharp angle, and kept up just by the speed of his motion. Haku dropped into a loose stance, keeping her arms close to her body for easier blocking, while her left leg was standing slightly forward.

The opening blow was hers, a low kick aimed at Naruto's bent chest, which the teen avoided, jumping, and landing a single foot to her own, while spinning and hitting her in the face with the other.

'He used the wall walking to attach his foot to my chest before kicking me?' she silently analyzed as she got up from the floor. She'd have to be more careful now.

Again, Naruto charged forward, stance unchanging. Calming down for the moment, Haku immediately moved for another kick, only for Naruto to twist back, and slide forward on his knees... just in time for Haku's leg to come down in an axe kick on him. In the last moment, he managed to twist away, avoiding most of the blow, though she still got him on the right arm. Rolling away, he stood still for a few moments, studying her. She wasn't going to give him the chance.

Naruto enjoyed himself so far. Haku wasn't in the least as incapable as she first presented herself, even if he was holding back on his first kick. Now though, his right arm hurt like hell, and it was certainly bruised. He shuddered to think what would have happened had that blow landed on his head as intended. Haku obviously didn't play around, and neither could he anymore.

From his crouching position, it was easy to dodge the sliding kick she thrust at him, and the first punch that came after. He jumped over her, twisting in the air to avoid her punch as she moved under him, and landing with his back turned to her. Big mistake, that, as he was suddenly propelled forward by two feet landing straight at the small of his back, and sending him into the nearby wall, leaving a few cracks in it.

Naruto could barely suppress the reflex of going after his kunai after that. He was messing around too much, and his concentration had dropped from slamming in the wall. Still, the push had given him some distance, thankfully, and enough time to calm down and focus. Never letting his eyes leave her, he took a deep breath and relaxed. A memory came back to him, of one of the scrolls he was reading on combat tactics

'Remember, while your emotions will give you strength in combat, and constant practice will allow you to seamlessly execute your moves, it is cold harsh reason that wins the battle. Calm your mind, let your emotions flow but don't be carried away by them, let them pass your mind by. If your enemy thinks one step ahead, you must think two. If he thinks two, you must think three. Flaunt your weaknesses as if they were strengths and hide your strengths as if they were weaknesses. If your foe cannot ready, he cannot plan against you.'

Good old sensei, always a wise word. His advantages were his speed and endurance, as well as his ability to think ahead of time in combat. It was time to put those to his advantage.

Haku watched Naruto stand still for a few moments, as if he was thinking up a plan. From her own training, she remembered that giving your opponents time was never a good thing, but it really wasn't a matter of choice here. Again, she would likely have to...

'Now what is he up to?' she thought in mild irritation as he once more charged. His stance had changed, however, as well as his speed. Raising her guard, she waited for him to come.

The attack came at her face, a fist heading straight there. Quickly, she blocked it, pushing his hand aside before he had the chance to land a blow. It was then that she realized that it was only a feint, as the second, hidden blow came straight at her stomach, and it was too late to block it or move aside. The fist quickly sunk in, knocking the air out of her lungs, and moving her a bit back by sheer brute force. The fight was over, she realized. And she had lost. She also felt the bile rising up from her recent lunch, but she fought it back.

"Damn, nearly got me there a few times." Naruto murmured, offering Haku a hand to get up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just great." she quipped back sarcastically, bringing out a laugh from Naruto and Yugao.

"Hey, what do you girls say we go out and have some fun tonight? My treat."

"Why not. I could go with something to drink." Yugao answered.

"That would be great." Haku agreed.

"Well then, if anyone needs me I'll be in the workshop."

"Okay, I'll be upstairs working on my seals."

'Which leaves me alone to check just what it was I found.' Haku mused with a content grin on her face.

Author's Notes:And cut. That's it for this chapter, and for this inter-arc brake.

Yes, for all those curious, I'm going to keep writing Super Pervert with capitals, even if it is grammatically incorrect (probable). Why? Because I can. If you can add the verb to google to the dictionary, I believe I can be allowed this one minor liberty. And yes, I've left the contents of Haku's package a secret for now. It will all be revealed in due time.

Now, as you likely noticed, I pretty much listed out what Naruto will be doing for a while, and this is the final arc before the civil war section begins, before Naruto joins a side, and all the political mumbo-jumbo comes back into the story.

As far as Jiraya is concerned, I wanted him to be something of a friend, not just an ally for Naruto. While he has no obvious reason to help Naruto apart for him being his godson, I'll leave you to think about the other implications about his actions. Remember, I already stated a few times that I won't write everything that happens.

Also, Naruto will soon be pulling a few new tricks, one of which I have to thank a reviewer under the name 'all forms of fluff' for. I'm not revealing anything else so that it would remain a surprise. Still, gotta hand it to the man (or woman, I'm not 100 percent sure on that, so sorry in advance if I'm mistaken), it's freakin' ingenious.