Wow, I apologize for the super slow update. I'm still working on this story. I just — urg, things get in the way. Good news, though! I think we're just a few chapters away from the end. Also, about the "rapping" below...sorry?

Uzumaki Kurama

Naruto walked cheerfully up to the gates of Kumogakure. She'd had the most awesome idea to kick off this whole diplomacy thing and smooth over relations with the Raikage. Her teammates pestered her for information, but she'd refused them at every turn.

"Why spoil the surprise?" she said reasonably.

"We're shinobi," said Neji. "We don't like surprises."

"I know you don't, but you should be able to figure it out. Look underneath the underneath, or something like that."

Naruto thought the reiteration of Kakashi-sensei's adage quite appropriate, but it sent Neji down an entirely incorrect line of thought. Something to do with clones, she had said. He remembered his fight with Naruto during the chunin exams and imagined her tunneling underneath Kumogakure, much as she had done to him back then. Neji couldn't imagine what Naruto thought she might accomplish with such a ploy, and he had not seen her make any clones that rushed pell-mell to Kumo. To be sure, he pinched Naruto at the point of a tenketsu, hard enough to draw blood, and found her to be quite solid — as was her fist when she retaliated.

The gates of Kumo loomed over them, and Neji resigned himself to damage control when Naruto's plan inevitably went off the rails. As a respected member of Konoha's foremost clan, he would hold enough sway to calm any tempers. He hoped. It seemed an ominous sign that a buzzing noise came from the far side of the wall, an indication of a crowd gathered to greet them - or more accurately, to catch a glimpse of Naruto, who was just as famous outside of Konoha as she was in it. This stay in Kumo marked her first official foreign visit since she had become a girl, and Neji would bet his favorite hair products the intrigue surrounding the world's loudest shinobi had only grown.

A shinobi with dark skin, white hair, and a sword strapped to his back awaited them just outside the partially open gates. It was Darui, the Raikage's right hand, a man due every civility. A second shinobi stood at his side, who wore round glasses and kept a wide smile pasted to his face.

"Welcome, Konoha shinobi," said Darui in a lazy voice that matched his casual stance and clear desire to be napping in the sun. "I'm Darui. You might remember me because we fought a war together, were put under hypnosis together, nearly died together, and so on and whatnot. This is Councilman Adachi Haru."

With alacrity, Adachi-san executed a short bow and said, "Kumo is pleased to offer you hospitality in affirmation of the warm ties between our nations."

Neji took the lead when Naruto kept glancing around, paying not a lick of attention to their welcoming committee. "Konoha is pleased to accept the offer and to one day return the hospitality," he said.

Adachi-san said, "You will have freedom to go where you will, except certain facilities where guards are posted. That includes Raikage-sama's tower, unless you are invited. Regarding that, Uzumaki Naruto-san - er, gomenasai, Uzumaki-san?"

Upon hearing her name, Naruto swiveled her gaze back to Adachi-san. "Yeah? Sorry, sorry. I'm distracted. Where's B? I thought for sure he'd come say hello first thing." She raised her voice so that it would carry. "Where's that oyaji-jinchuriki?"

Neji resisted the temptation to kick her.

Adachi-san forced a chuckle. "I'm certain B-sama will greet you at a later time. For now, I will escort you to the Raikage's office. Your companions are welcome to accompany you, or they can join their comrades who arrived yesterday."

"I can't speak for them," said Naruto, gesturing to Kiba, Choji, and Ino, "but I'm guessing Neji will want to tag along. He's been sounding off about how important it is not to start a war with Kumo over the whole Raikage-wants-to-be-a-lady thing. But don't worry about that. I already thought about how to prevent a war."

Adachi's mouth grew dry. "I - ah, we are pleased, I'm sure, that you have...prepared such conciliatory measures, but let me assure you, Uzumaki-san, the Raikage has no intention of, ah, escalating the situation. I do, however, expect an apology would not go amiss," he added.

"But say he loses his temper and I have to defend myself. Hypothetically - "

"Naruto," interrupted Neji. The Kumo shinobi who had accompanied them, Karui and Omoi, would surely inform Darui-san of Naruto's plot to conquer the world, but Neji didn't think it was an appropriate joke to make at the start of their stay in Kumo and especially not with so many civilians within hearing range. "I hardly think Darui-san and Adachi-san are interested in your idle musings."

"All right then," said Naruto. "I've got just one question. Kyuubi's welcome, too, right? To come in and all?"

Adachi had not been given specific instructions to welcome the Kyuubi no Yoko and received no hints now from Darui-san, but he imagined the Raikage-sama would not mind the distinction and that B-sama would insist on it, if it was Uzumaki-san's wish.

"The Kyuubi is welcome, too," said Adachi.

"Good, I'm just confirming because he's a sentimental being, too -"

"Sentient," inserted Ino swiftly. She smiled at Darui.

Naruto squinted her eyes. "Hmmm, is that the word? I don't think so."

"Sentient means that the Kyuubi can think, that he's conscious."

"But we've always known that," said Naruto. "I meant to say he's a sap. He's got feelings, and he doesn't like being taken for granted."

"Oh," said Ino, blinking, "then, I guess, sure. He's a sentimental being." Neji only shook his head despairingly.

With that settled, Naruto looked back to Adachi-san. "So it's fine if Kyuubi enters the village just like the rest of us?"

A shinobi more accustomed to Naruto would have been rather suspicious about this particular insistence on welcoming the Kyuubi, as in fact the shinobi from Konoha were. Kiba took this to be a manifestation of her partnership with the Kyuubi, which was not unlike his with Akamaru. Feeling guilty, he muttered, "You're a sentimental being, too." Akamaru nuzzled his hand.

Darui was curious enough to lift his drooping eyelids a fraction more than usual. Adachi-san, sensing a challenge in Naruto's words, warmed to the task. "Yes, Uzumaki-san. Once it would have been exceedingly unusual, if not unheard of, for a foreign jinchuriki to enter Kumogakure, but we've advanced beyond those old prejudices and fears. Of course, the Kyuubi is welcome. We might as well dub him the guest of honor."

"Wow, you're awesome. What's your name again?"

He bowed. "Adachi Haru."

"Arigato, Adachi-oji-san!" With that, Naruto stepped towards the gates. Ruefully shaking his head, Adachi gestured to a Kumo shinobi in a tower on the wall, and the gates opened wide.

The crowd inside Kumo reminded Neji of the one they'd left in Konoha: many families, genins, and chunins drawn by valiant tales of Naruto and the Kyuubi. They all lined the streets and crowded the side-streets while a few jounin stayed somewhat apart so as to retain their dignity.

"Oi! Is this a party?" asked Naruto brightly. She looked around and waved at their audience, who cheered and waved back. So far, so good, thought Neji.

"You are a person of great interest, Uzumaki-san," said Adachi. He puffed out his chest with importance as they strode down the street.

Darui blinked his droopy eyes as Naruto left the group to wander over to a young girl, who might have been a genin. She was the right age for it and stood with two boys who looked to be her teammates.

"Hey, want to see something pretty neat?"

Blushing furiously, the girl nodded.

"I'd figured I'd show B first, but you know the saying: ya snooze, ya lose. What's your name?"

The blushing girl murmured too softly for even Naruto to hear. She finally managed, "Megumi," and looked like she might faint.

"Are you ready, Megumi-chan?"

Megumi nodded, having exhausted her powers of speech.

Naruto smiled. "Hold out your hands."

As Neji, Kiba, Ino, and Choji watched with apprehension, Naruto bit her thumb to draw a little blood, and with her brows furrowed in concentration, she formed a seal. A pop and puff of smoke later, a little orange creature lay in Megumi's arms. It yawned widely, squirmed, and rested its chin on her shoulder. Nine tails fluttered contentedly around her waist. Naruto scratched the top of the chibi-fox's head. Soon Megumi was cooing over the kitsune and stroking the soft fur.

The Konoha party was struck dumb, along with Darui and Adachi, whose jaw had dropped.

"Naruto," Choji finally said, "is that ..."

"You bet!" said Naruto, glowing with excitement. For months, ever since she'd developed an interest in following in her ka-chan and shishou's footsteps and becoming a sealmaster, she had been messing with the seal that bound Kurama. Back in Konoha, she had worked on an idea to give Kurama some freedom. In the idle times—of which there were many—during the mission, she had perfected the idea of summoning through the seal.

Oblivious to the alarm of her companions, Naruto said, "You don't even know how much control it takes to separate that tiny bit of chakra from the rest of him. Never could have done that as a guy, dattebayo."

Battling shock, Neji was torn between apologizing to Darui-san or demanding that Naruto dispel the Kyuubi at once. Darui himself detected no malice from the chibi-fox, but even he, easygoing as he was, wished for some warning before she allowed the Kyuubi no Yoko to appear in his village in physical form - and in the arms of a child, no less.

"I can't let you keep him forever," said Naruto kindly to Megumi, "but I bet he'd like to play after he's done napping."

Those in the crowd who could not see what Naruto had done tried shifting closer. Naruto noticed and spun around to them. Later, long after Neji moved past the fog of shock, he would recall the positively fox-like grin upon her face as she called out:

"Everyone, meet Kurama!"

All over Kumo, popping noises and puffs of smoke heralded the summoning of hundreds, if not thousands, of nine-tailed chibi-foxes. Little kitsunes appeared in arms, on shoulders, on rooftops, on streets, at feet, on top of heads. As far as the eye could see, orange fur and swaying tails dotted Kumo's landscape. The villagers and genin held out their hands for the foxes to sniff. Akamaru growled at the fox that appeared nose to nose with him. Choji pulled a fox off his shoulder and raised it in front of him.

Naruto nudged Kiba, who also held a fox. "Clones, see? Not mine, but the effect is the same. Thanks for the awesome idea."

Kiba started to grin, but he caught Neji's frozen expression and settled for a sheepish look.

"Uzumaki-san," began Darui, staring at the fox winding its tails around his calf and preening, "is the Kyuubi — all of them — fully under your control?"

"No, not at all." She beamed. "I've been messing with the seal for ages, trying to give him some freedom without killing me, and I finally figured it out! Isn't it great? He's got independence again!"

The Kumo shinobi, to their credit, did not instantly freak out and cause a panic in the streets. There was a wave of tensing muscles, widening eyes, and reaching for weaponry, but no one shouted or ran. Neji's thought processes had, quite literally, shut down.

Still excited, Naruto chattered, "You know how in the war Kurama got ripped outta me, but when my oto-san resealed the other half in me, I recovered? Same for B and the Hachibi. So I figured that Kurama could roam as long as a portion of his chakra stayed in me, and it works! I can't last forever that way, but I'll be fine for a good long while."

Kiba eyed the fox in his arms and asked Naruto, "Are all these little guys, you know, the Kyuubi? Like, will he get pissed off if I scratch his head?"

"Nah, seems like the amount of chakra corresponds to his age. He's really a baby fox right now. Well, not the part that still inside me. He's got his usual personality." Naruto winced. "Not gonna lie. He's not thrilled right now. Says the chibi form is 'undignified.' I think it's cute."

Several shinobi found a new reason to cringe as the words of a rap floated towards the group. "— Na-ru-to! Bakeyaro konoyaro!"

With one fox tossed over a shoulder and one nestled in the crook of his arm, Kumo's jinchuriki and foremost musical virtuoso (in no one's opinion but his own) leaped towards Naruto. B formed the corner of a rectangle with his free hand, like a photographer framing a scene, with Naruto's new body the subject of it.

"Oi, hentai!" decried Naruto.

He struck a beat. "It's like highlight - the spotlight - a glimpse of the - sunlight!" He gave her a thumbs up.

Naruto grinned. "Breasts are boobs - and they're old news - but listen up - not makin' it up - there's a fox - let out of his...box - ah, damn. I thought I was getting somewhere with that."

Choji checked on Neji to make sure his spirit wasn't leaving his body.

"But for real, B," said Naruto, "you see how cool this is? Kurama's out and walking around. Bet I could help you with Gyuki if he wanted. He'd have to watch it with the ink, otherwise Raikage-oji-san might be upset."

At the mention of his superior, Darui shot a glance towards the tower office, which was concealed by a cloud. He wondered if the kits had appeared within the tower and sincerely hoped they had not.

B threw an arm over Naruto's shoulder. "It's a swell idea - inspired, in fact - but let's face it - you've got no tact - and furthermore - ya fool - my bro's gonna flip - and that'll be it!"

"I got this for sure - that's the deal - for real - Raikage's super twitchy - and his temper's, er, glitchy - but as a gift - to avoid a rift - I'll raise a glass of sake - and buy some taiyaki - "

"Uz-ma-ki!" came a roar. And there was the Raikage, spitting sparks. He held a chibi-fox out in front of him by the scruff of its neck and bulldozed his way through the crowd. Another kitsune trotted near his ankles; it pounced at each spark the Raikage emitted, trying to catch them in its mouth. Naruto gazed upon her handiwork proudly.

"Uzumaki!" Raikage roared into her face. "Get rid of these foxes!"

Naruto scratched her nose. "Eh? He was bored being stuck inside -"

"My village is not your playground!"

Naruto was not the only one who released a disappointed sigh. "I can see that you're serious, so I'll respect your wishes," she said, raising her hands. Hundreds of puffs of smoke later, the chibi-foxes had disappeared — and in their place rose a single towering monster of a fox. He blocked the sun and cast a shadow over the village. Wide eyes traveled from the house-sized paws, up the tower-like legs, and took in the orange expanse of the Kyuubi's corporeal body.

"I'd been thinking he was too big in this form," Naruto added. "But if you prefer him this way..."

Slack jaws greeted her words. Even the Raikage couldn't find the words he wanted.

"If it helps," said Kurama, his voice like the rumble of distant thunder, "I tried to talk her out of it."

… … …

"Of all the foolish, downright moronic antics — you chose one with international consequences!" Neji was raging twenty minutes later. The Konoha shinobi stood in the Raikage's office after entering through the hole Raikage had, half an hour earlier, had busted into the wall. The Kyuubi was safely ensconced in Naruto's body. It had been a silent party that strode to the tower, the kind of silence with violent undertones, where one word would shatter the glass bubble of deceptive calm. B's incessant rapping had gotten him kicked out of their little assembly before they'd left the crowd behind. Kiba and Choji accepted an offer to take their things to the rooms where they would be staying.

Raikage had been prepared to rage and storm once they were out of the eye of the populace, but the Hyuuga had beaten him to it. And damn, the boy was good at it, running the gamut of every which-way Uzumaki had been stupid. Almost twenty full minutes of diatribes and admonitions, with scarcely a pause for breath. Raikage was impressed.

Naruto pretended to listen to every word of his harangue, but at his last words, she interrupted, "That's kinda the point, Neji. I want the Five Nations, especially the shinobi villages to let the bijuu move around freely."

"It's not a matter of what you want! There is no precedent for a bijuu walking freely in a shinobi village, especially a foreign one!"

"So we gotta make the precedent right now! And who better to do that than Raikage-sama, Supreme Commander of the Fourth Shinobi War?"

The thought gave everyone, including Neji, a pause. His lapse in momentum resulted in a sudden rawness in his throat, and as he coughed and spluttered, Naruto continued, "I thought about waiting until we were back in Konoha, but well, there's a history. You all know it. Obito and Kurama tried to level the city and killed loads of people. Even though Kurama's reformed, people would freak."

"So you chose a foreign village instead?" said Neji, recovering himself.

"I thought Kumo might be more rational about it. They're used to B and Gyuki. Like you said, there's no precedent. That means I didn't break a law, right? That means I can do it."

"That doesn't mean you should."

Naruto looked a little shame-faced. "Then what was I supposed to do? Kurama's been sealed for like a century. It's an injustice! I saw a way to change things, and I took it. If Raikage allows Gyuki and Kurama freedom, then Tsuchi-oyaji can't dismiss the idea so easily. If Tsunade-obaa-san or Gaara had argued for it, everyone might have thought they were just persuaded by me rather than seeing the real injustice here! The bijuu should have rights! And if they get seen more by civilians and shinobi, they'll lose the stigma of being monsters of war and chaos."

Here, Adachi-san chimed in, "The proper thing to do would have been for you to present your arguments to your council and begin discussions - "

"Oh no - none of that bullshit. I've seen the inefficiency and pandering of councils and daimyos and advisors. They'd have been 'discussing' it for years and would never have done anything about it. Meanwhile the bijuu would still be imprisoned."

"There are so many considerations, Uzumaki-san," said Adachi, sweating somewhat. He wondered if she intended to bring up the very specific welcome he had extended to the Kyuubi. His judgment might come into question.

"You're right. They should also get to choose their prison - I mean, it wouldn't be a prison anymore. What I mean is, they're sentimental beings. They like having partners for the most part. But they should get to choose who they partner with."

"There is the matter of size, Uzumaki-san," said Adachi-san. "In a physical form, the bijuu would knock over buildings with the gentlest swish of a tail. They aren't fit for city life."

"Right, so that's why I started with the chibi-foxes." She said with a tone of such surety that Adachi-san found himself at a loss to remember why the chibi-foxes had been problematic.

Another of Raikage's aides, a young woman named Mabui, said, "If the bijuu are shrunken, they have less power, yes? Would that not make them more vulnerable to capture? Nefarious factions and rogue shinobi would do anything to capture even fragments of their chakra. And we saw what the Gold and Silver Brothers could do with a portion of the Kyuubi's."

"Well," said Naruto, "then say the bijuu have to have a jinchuriki if they want freedom in the cities, where they have to be in a shrunken form. I always know where Kurama's chakra is, so losing it wouldn't be an easy thing. But if they choose not to have a jinchuriki, they have to avoid populated areas. I think the bijuu would agree to that. Most of them just want to sleep all the time anyways. And if they're on their own outside cities, they're at full power, so losing a part of their chakra isn't so big a concern."

Then Naruto surprised them all by bowing to the Raikage and saying, "Raikage-sama, the freedom of a precious friend is at stake. If my methods were objectionable, I apologize, but I hoped Kumo might set an example for Konoha and that you yourself would be the example for the other Kages. With your influence — well, there are some things only you can do. What do you think?"

Raikage let a growl rumble in his chest. He remembered another time when Naruto had bowed to him, had fallen at his feet, in fact, to beg for the life of Uchiha Sasuke. Her gender had changed, but the blue eyes, brimming with hope and resolve, were the same. It didn't hurt either that she'd appealed to his pride.

Finally, he grumbled, "It bears consideration."

While other shinobi went stiff with surprise and Neji slumped with relief, Naruto got very excited. "See? See what we're doing? Precedent. This is precedent, right? We've got to celebrate!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, gaki!" yelled Raikage. "You aren't off the hook!"

"Never woulda thought so," said Naruto. "But in the spirit of reconciliation, I propose a tournament!"

Ino asked, "What kind of tournament?"

"Well, we don't have time to set up elaborate tasks and puzzles, so I guess it should be straightforward matches. Hey, instead of chunin exams, this tournament can be for jounin. The chunin and genin can be spectators. Bet they'll enjoy it just as much." Naruto thought back to her own years as a genin. The thought of watching powerful jounin battle… "Scratch that," she said. "They'll go nuts."

Several heads nodded, and Mabui said, "It's been a quiet few months. The village would enjoy it. I'm sure we could cobble something together. It would be informal."

"There are a few other foreign shinobi in residence. In fact, I think most of the hidden villages would be represented," said Adachi. "We could invite them, as well. Would you all participate?"

"You bet," said Naruto. "I've been meaning to beat Neji in a spar anyways."

"I'm not sure it's fair if you fight, Uzumaki-san," said Mabui apologetically.

"Even if I don't use Kurama's chakra? I won't do more than Sage Mode, I swear." She smirked a little. "Someone in Kumo can handle a Toad Sage, right? No?"

With pride on the line, everyone started talking at once, and a few details were settled quickly. The opening matches could begin by noon the next day. Local vendors would likely jump at the chance to provide food. An arena built for the chunin exams would serve just as well for jounins as a long as there was a barrier in place to protect the watchers and earth-nin at the ready to support the stands in case the barrier cracked.

"What are the stakes? We need a prize."

"Money?"

"Weapons?"

"Bragging rights?"

"Ramen?"

"How about the winner marries Naruto?" said Neji sourly. All he had wanted was a few days of relaxation in Kumo after a grueling three months of chasing Orochimaru. Was that too much to ask? A visit to the hot springs, three or four nights of not fearing they'd fallen into a trap of the snake's design — but now Naruto had sprung a new torment on him. He would never again experience simple tranquility. For all Naruto claimed to value peace, she thrived on chaos.

He suddenly realized all eyes in the room were trained on him. Mabui-san's jaw had dropped a little, and Ino was hiding a smile. Naruto shifted uncomfortably on her feet and tugged on her hair. Neji was taken aback that everyone seemed to take his sarcasm as anything but a joke. Then he began to panic a little. What if they went for the idea? What if he'd just given Kumo a possible claim to Konoha's jinchuriki and most powerful shinobi?

"Well, Neji," said Naruto. "I got a letter from Hiashi-sama about arranging a marriage between us. Never thought you'd go for it though. If I'd known you felt this way, I'd have been more...sensitive?" Before Neji's thoughts could unscramble, Naruto grinned and slapped his back. "I'm just joking. I know you'd rather cut your hair than marry me."

"Quite - right," he managed. "And there was no letter? Tell me that my uncle did not write to you with an offer of marriage."

"Oh, there was a letter all right," said Naruto. "I got a bushel of them. Bunch of old geezers like the daimyo trying to marry off their sons. I didn't have to deal with this nonsense when I was a guy. It's like they think a girl can't make up her mind without their help."

Skirting the implication that the leader of one of the Five Nations had tried to marry Naruto to a prince, Mabui and Ino brought the discussion back to the tournament, and they began to delegate and organize tasks.

Raikage watched the descending fracas as two of his aides along with Adachi and Mabui got drawn into an exchange. Ideas were tossed back and forth, some rejected, others greeted with enthusiasm. Such youthful exuberance. Finally, Mabui remembered that they needed Raikage's permission, which he granted with a careless wave of his hand. The informal gesture and general lack of grumbling and irritation raised some eyebrows, and Raikage did not appreciate the looks of worry directed his way.

So he stood, pointed to his door, and roared, "Out of my office, you twittering lot!" He let a few sparks fly for emphasis. Only Darui remained behind. Raikage sat back down and massaged his stump of an arm.

"Darui," said Raikage, "I'm getting old."

"Yes, Boss," said Darui.

Raikage had been expecting a swift denial. He raised a brow at Darui, who ducked his head and apologized. Then Raikage released one bark of laughter. "This tournament's as good a time as any to show off my successor to the village," Raikage said. "I want you to win the thing, Darui."

A little shiver worked its way up Darui's spine. "You have many years of leadership to come," he objected.

Raikage mused over Uzumaki Naruto and all the fuss she incited wherever she went. It amused rather than annoyed him, and that was a dangerous response. "I've become indulgent, like some dotty old man. I just gave Uzumaki free rein in my village. The Raikage cannot afford to let an exuberant brat run over him. It sets a bad precedent."

"If you'd truly been against the idea of bijuu roaming free, you would have stopped it. Same with the tournament."

Raikage's gaze sharpened on his best lieutenant. "What I am against is the thought of a shinobi not of my village losing this tournament."

His meaning was crystal clear. Darui sighed inwardly.

… … …

Naruto's eyes widened. "How many people signed up?"

"Seventy-eight," said Kiba. He sat at a table with an unfurled scroll held open by paperweights and signed his name near the bottom. They all sat in the common area of the large apartment they would share for the duration of their stay in Kumo. Neji leaned against the back of a cushy armchair. Ino stood with her arms crossed. Choji munched on chips.

"In three hours, we got seventy-eight entries?" Naruto asked. "Are there even that many jounin in Kumo?"

Ino said, "Around fifteen of the entries are either from Iwa, Kirigakure or Amegakure. And those Suna shinobi — when they signed up, they also wrote the names of compatriots who they swore up and down could arrive by noon tomorrow. They seemed desperate. I allowed it."

"Desperate?" asked Choji.

Ino tittered. "Well, it got out that Naruto might marry the winner —"

"What!" That was Neji. His outburst made Naruto and Kiba chuckle. Neji demanded, "You put a stop to the rumor, right?"

"I told the Suna shinobi they had it wrong, but they still looked worried."

Choji looked Naruto over as meticulously as he would a entree of meat and potatoes and didn't see what all the fuss was about. "Why would a few strangers be desperate about that?" he asked.

Ino smirked. "I don't think they were desperate for themselves. They seem to think the Kazekage's future happiness is at stake."

Again Naruto laughed. "Gaara? Man, I'd love to see the look on his face when he hears about this. Maybe I'll send a clone to Suna." She took the list from Kiba. "All of your names are on here." Naruto slapped a sappy look on her face. "Guys, I'm touched."

"We didn't sign up to marry you," said Kiba. "We have to represent Konoha."

In a strained voice, Neji said, "Can everyone please remember that Naruto is not getting married at the end of this?"

Naruto widened her eyes comically. "But it was your —"

"It was not my idea! It was a slip of the tongue." One that might have wide-reaching implications if certain influential shinobi, lords, or daimyos took it into their heads that Naruto's marriage prospects had been put in play. If they thought they could win Naruto's loyalty, there would never be an end to the scheming. Hokage-sama would blame him for every dunderheaded politician that approached her about the subject. She might very well assign him to deal with the fallout. His uncle would agree to it and rejoice that Neji would speak and negotiate with such high-level officials.

Neji's voice grew ragged. "Listen, we must at every opportunity deny this rumor. More importantly, one of us must win."

"Neji, this is all just a joke," said Naruto. "I'm fighting in this thing, remember? I wouldn't let some guy beat me with the idea of marrying — holy shit! Darui's name is on here. Score!"

"Oh, do you have a thing for Darui?" asked Ino.

"Just his black lightning. I've never seen it."

"This might all be a joke," said Neji, "but it sounds as though not everyone believes that. We've got to make it clear you will not marry some chattel from Kumo or Suna or, Kami-sama forbid, Iwa."

"And what if a woman wins?" mused Naruto. "I mean, I'm fine with the idea of — you know — but she might prefer … well, I could always swap genders again. We better put out the word. I'd hate for ladies not to sign up because of an easily remedied misunderstanding…"

Neji looked apoplectic — red face, buggy eyes, and all — so Naruto trailed off with a grin. Ino watched the exchange with good humor, but a growing kernel of doubt nudged at her. Neji might have a point. Not that Kumo or Suna could ever stake some sort of claim on Naruto. How primeval. But rumors could be dangerous, depending on who heard them, who believed them.

"Maybe we should hold off the tournament for a couple of days," she said.

Naruto turned to her. "What? Why?"

"Sasuke and Sakura are due then. They might want to compete."

"Hmph. Sasuke'd mock the whole thing. I'm not allowed to borrow Kurama's chakra, remember? Bet you anything the Mangekyo and certainly the Rinnegan wouldn't be allowed. We might destroy the village otherwise."

"Sakura sure would," muttered Kiba.

"Even without the Mangekyo, Sasuke still enjoys a good spar," insisted Ino.

"No, he doesn't," said Naruto. "He likes being beaten to the point of death. It reminds him he can't go berserk again, not without someone stopping him." Ino gaped, and Naruto grimaced. "Whatever. My point is that having to hold back is not his thing. It would only irritate him. That or make him smug. I don't know which is worse."

Ino's voice sounded a little shrill to her own ears. "Be that as it may, I have good reason to think Sasuke-kun would be interested in this tournament."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, but she turned her attention back to the scroll. Silence dragged on for a time. Then Choji and Kiba began discussing where to have dinner. Ino kept mulling things over in her head.

"Naruto," said Ino finally. She waited for Naruto to look at her. "Was this your plan all along? Startle everyone with the Kyuubi and get the tournament going. The whole marriage thing —"

"That was Neji's idea."

"It was not," he hissed.

Ino didn't turn her gaze from Naruto. "Someone that was in Raikage's office had to mention the conversation outside for it to become the wild rumor that it is."

"So you think I wanted this nonsense to happen?" asked Naruto.

"I think you've been scheming. And that's not like you," said Ino. "You did say you'd do something about the lady-Raikage thing."

The guys suddenly lifted their heads and regained interest in the conversation. "I forgot about that," muttered Kiba. Choji nodded. Neji was suddenly struck by the idea that Naruto might have manipulated him. Was she even capable of that?

"We averted a war, didn't we?" said Naruto.

Kiba grinned a little uncomfortably and said, "Raikage's become your scapegoat, hasn't he? You keep shoving all your shit onto him and expect him to deal with it for you."

"Elders have wisdom and all that," Naruto replied. "We should learn from them while we can."

Ino said, "You made up that stuff about rights for the bijuu —"

"Hey, I did not! That was all real. Every bit of it. But sure, I thought it'd catch Raikage's interest, and it did. B's his weakness."

"I've never heard you refer to a precious person as a weakness."

Naruto stiffened. They all did. "What is this," asked Naruto, "an interrogation?"

Ino's voice rose. "What is going on with you?"

Without further ado, Naruto scribbled another entry onto to the list and left the apartment with a simple, "See you guys later."

Kiba stared after her, and only when the door was closed did he say, "What was that?"

Neji shook his head. Ino retreated to the bedroom she was sharing with Naruto. The events of the day tossed and turned in her mind. It was so unlike Naruto to be — devious. Still, there was nothing cruel in what she'd done, was there? No, Naruto was not capable of cruelty. She had simply used certain things to her own advantage. But for what purpose? Naruto had been her usual joking, teasing self. The most concrete thing that came from today was the tournament, which would last two days and presumably occupy their every waking moment during this stay in Kumo. Maybe that was it. Naruto had been loathe to leave the hunt for her mother and go on break. Maybe all she wanted was a distraction.

Ino trusted Naruto. And as for this marriage business, the reality was that Naruto would never submit to a marriage not of her making. Ino shouldn't fret, but she might send a courier to hurry Sasuke along. No, who was she kidding? He was probably pushing his team to get here at breakneck speed. Ino would simply let the chips fall where they may.

When Ino returned to the common room, she, Kiba, and Choji headed out for dinner. Neji preferred to stay in his room, take a hot bath, absorb the silence, and not think about the fact that Naruto possessed the ability to be insincere. As he was straightening the room — he could never be fully relaxed with clutter about — he picked up the list Naruto had left on the table.

Scanning over the names, Neji recognized a few that might pose serious challenges to a Konoha victory. He might not like it, but he would do his part to support his village and his family. Naruto had said she wanted a rematch. Well, without the Kyuubi's chakra to fall back on, maybe he stood a chance of winning.

Then Neji blinked. He squinted to make out Naruto's chicken scratch handwriting. Disbelieving, he rubbed his eyes, but the last entry did not change: Uzumaki Kurama.