It didn't take Naruto long to learn that he hated airports. There were far too many people for his liking and the whole place seemed like one giant maze designed to fuck with everyone. The plane was a bit better, that was before his seatmate sat next to him. To his surprise, Jiraiya had booked him first class so he was able to board first and didn't have to worry about his long legs not having ample room. The downfall was the annoying teen now seated next to him.

The teen seemed to be around the same age as Naruto, and also travelling alone. The male had pale skin, blueish-white, chin length hair and his eyes were the colour of amethyst. At first glance Naruto thought the teen would be the silent type, boy was he wrong. From the moment the male sat down his mouth didn't stop moving. Before utter annoyance, Naruto noticed that the teen seemed to have the same fascination for sharp teeth that Kisame had. The thought was quickly brushed off, he didn't need to think about his old life right now.

Half way through his flight, Naruto knew far more about this guy than he cared to admit. The teen was travelling to visit his brother for the holidays, he was into competitive swimming and had an unhealthy obsession with water in general. Naruto had never been more annoyed about how someone drank in his life. At one point the flight attendant came up and asked if he could keep his slurping noises down as he was disturbing other passengers.

Apparently Naruto needs to work on his irritation a bit, because Kurama started laughing at him and told him that he was the cause of the plane's turbulence. Naruto didn't get his companion to reveal if his leg was being pulled or not. Either way, he tried to stave off his irritation by focusing on his music instead.

The light haired male looked excitedly at the blond. "So, what's your name anyways?"

Naruto was quietly running through the lyrics for his latest song, weighing his options. Tell the teen his name and be annoyed or ignore the teen and be annoyed. Naruto sighed, there was no winning in this situation.

"It's rude to ask someone's name without offering yours first." Not that Naruto really cared, he just wanted to buy himself more time before deciding whether or not to divulge his name.

The pale teen jumped slightly, this was the first time Naruto responded to him. "Holy shit dude your voice! Fuck, wanna join the mile high club with me? Fuck!"

Naruto looked away from his song book and glared at the teen. "Would it make you shut up?"

Suigetsu snorted. "No, if anything I bet you'd make me even more vocal." He winked. "Anyways, name's Suigetsu Hozuki." He held his hand out eagerly.

Naruto gave him the eyebrow, looking at the teens hand hesitantly before eventually taking it. "Naruto."

Naruto yanks his hand out of Suigetsu because the teen didn't appear to want to let go on his own anytime soon. The pale teen pouted before bouncing back. It was obvious the light haired male was looking for any excuse to continue the conversation now that he'd coaxed the blond's name out. Naruto knew he'd regret opening his mouth. Damn his politeness.

"So, you write music?" Suigetsu uses his chin to point at the bond's obvious song book.

"Hn." Naruto grunted, closing his book. God, he spent too much time with the Uchiha's.

"Hey come on, let me see!" Suigetsu reached to grab the book but immediately stopped when the plane violently jolted.

The seatbelt lights dinged as the plane shook. When the plane finally evened out Suigetsu looked over at the blond who appeared to be doing some sort of breathing exercises.

"Hey man, it's okay, just a bit of turbulence. No need to fret." The teen shot the blond a reassuring grin.

Little did Suigetsu know that Naruto was breathing so he didn't crash the fucking plane. Turns out Kurama wasn't lying, he really was endangering a plane full of innocent people. It only confirmed that he was going to the right place. Jiraiya said he helped teach the other Jinchūrikis control, it was obvious he needed to learn control too. At least that way he wouldn't accidentally endanger the lives of others.

Naruto wanted to turn and glare at Suigetsu, if he had just kept his hands to himself and not tried to touch his belongings, he'd never have lost control to begin with. But if he gave in they'd be back to bouncing about and possibly plummeting to their deaths.

"I'm fine! Just keep your hands to yourself." Naruto sneered, trying desperately to keep his breathing calm and even.

"Hey! I'm just being nice." The teen huffed, leaning back with his arms crossed. "Besides, what's the problem with sharing? You must know who my brother is, I'd figure you'd jump at the chance to share your music with me."

"Why should I know who you are?" Naruto asked flatly.

Suigetsu chuckled. "Oh very funny, Ha ha."

Naruto's gaze remained impassive. "I wasn't making a joke."

Suigetsu twisted in his seat, his mouth gaping. "You can't be serious. Hozuki?"

Naruto raised a blond unimpressed brow. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

The pale teen looked at him in disbelief. "Seriously? Mangetsu Hozuki? Bassist for Swordsman? Usually when I drop my last name and I'm beating people off of me that are trying to get in with my brother."

Naruto shrugged. Honestly he knew the name he just wasn't swoon by it. "I've heard of him. But I'm not like most people."

Suigetsu was left speechless which Naruto took great pride in. But all good things must come to an end. "You seriously not gonna show me your music?"

"Hn." Naruto grunted, turning his attention towards the window.

"But-" Suigetsu began.

Naruto quickly cut him off. "No."

"But-" He tried again.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto was quicker. "No."

"I'll just keep bugging you until you show me." The annoying teen chirped determinedly. "Are you sure you can handle that for another five hours?"

Naruto slowly turned, shooting the light haired teen an icy glare all while trying to keep himself calm. "You wouldn't dare."

The eerily calm voice made Suigetsu shudder. Had he been a smart person, he'd have stopped, but no one ever accused the water lovers of being smart. "Wanna bet?"

The blond stared the light haired teen down, his glare never wavering, daring the teen to try him. Which is exactly what Suigetsu did as he tried to grab the book out of Naruto's grasp.

As soon as he touched the book, the plane once again jolted, causing the teen to recoil once again. Naruto grunted in irritation, he knew he had to keep it together, the pressure of having so many lives in his hand was daunting. He should have taken a ship.

After stabilising himself he puts his song book away and excused himself to the lavatory. When he got back it took everything in him not to say "fuck it" and let everyone burn, because that fucker had not only gone through his things, but helped himself to his song book.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Naruto growled low and dark, ripping the book from the teen.

"Dude, you wrote those?" Suigetsu's mouth gaped, he seemingly ignored the murderous intent wafting off the blond.

"Get out of my seat." Naruto demanded, ignoring the teens question. He was so done with this flight. Life could stop testing him any time now.

Suigetsu gave him a shit eating grin. "Nope, not until you answer me."

Beyond irritation, Naruto's brow almost twitched off his face. He took a deep breath and weighed his options. He could ignore the nuisance and lose his window seat, or answer and hopefully be done with it. Who was he kidding? The guy never gives up. "Yes, I wrote these. Now move."

Naruto stepped back to show he expected the other to move now. Surprisingly the teen complied. Though he did have a rather smug look on his face. Naruto ignored it as he took his seat. With the teen already invading his privacy, he figured he may as well go back to working on his song.

The rest of the flight was painful, by the time they landed Naruto felt he deserved a medal. Once Naruto had the okay to exit the plane he was gone, unfortunately Suigetsu took it upon himself to tag alongside the blond. Of course Naruto's Luggage came out after Suigetsu's, giving the pale teen the chance to wait for him.

For someone who just moved to a new country, Naruto didn't have much. He had his backpack, one suitcase and his guitar case. Even after everything with Sasuke, he wasn't going to leave the nicest gift he'd ever received behind. It made him grateful that he'd decided to finally bring it home during his suspension, otherwise he'd never have gotten it back from Sasuke's.

Naruto didn't yet have time to comprehend that he was in a different country. Hell, he was a whole ocean away from his birthplace. When he finally made his way towards where he'd be picked up it finally hit him, he wasn't in Konoha anymore, or anywhere in it's vicinity. Maybe Suigetsu's presence wasn't that bad. Afterall, he did manage to distract the blond from the strange pain he was starting to feel in his heart. It was bizarre to feel pain, but to also feel an unnamable warmth calling him forwards.

Minato was gone and he was away from the place he longed to leave, sure he was excited, but he was also a bit sad. The only place he'd ever known, the only couple people that ever mattered and...Sasuke. They were all there, and he was now here. It didn't feel real, everything from that night has felt like one giant dream.

Without having to look, he knew Jiraiya was waiting for him. It was weird being able to feel him. It was so different from when they met in Konoha, now it was like a comforting warmth his body craved being close to. It was so different from feeling like he's having something forcefully extracted from his body.

Suigetsu jostled him from his thoughts when he felt him touching his backpack. "Well dude, that's me" He points to a burly orange haired man that had a sign with "Suigetsu" on it. "Maybe I'll see ya around Naruto?!" It sounded more like a declaration than an actual question.

"Hn." Naruto grunted, he had no urge to want to see the water lover again.

Naruto took a deep breath, from the corner of his eye he caught what he hoped was a mistake. Everywhere were name boards with peoples names, nice and normal. What did he get? His name on a man's back.

Naruto cringed as he approached the man. Jiraiya had pulled his long unruly white hair over his shoulder so that his back was on full display. From a distance all Naruto could make out was a splotchy blazer with his name spelled out in red dots?

When he got closer he cringed. Turned out it wasn't a black splotchy blazer, well it was black and it was sort of splotchy, but the splotches weren't a flat pattern. Oh no, they were all plastic frogs.

The frogs were all different sizes and colours, except for the red ones used to spell out his name on the man's back. The closer he got the more he noticed, there were tree frogs, milk frogs, dart frogs and a cane toad on each shoulder. The thought of what decorated the man's front caused the blond to shudder. Why was he here again?

Jiraiya turned around to face the teen, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Naruto! Welcome!"

The man was a mess, some fingers had bandages, some had gauze tied in neat little bows on the tips. Naruto couldn't help but give the man a curious look. That was when he noticed the glassy strands of string clinging sporadically around the man's blazer.

'Is that glue?' Naruto internally grimaced.

From the evidence presented before him, it was obvious the man put the frogs on the blazer himself. If Naruto thought the back was hectic, the front was down right chaotic. The blazers buttons were even replaced with plastic red eyed tree frogs. There were so many types and so many colours that Naruto wasn't even sure where to look.

There were blue frogs, green frogs, spotted frogs, lined frogs, big frogs, small frogs, fat frogs, thin frogs, long frogs and short frogs. There were just so many fucking frogs. It was like Dr. Seuss was put into a blazer and paraded around. The man was a walking children's book. Stick him in a primary classroom and he's sure to be a hit. 'Where does one get such a variety of frogs?'

Naruto finally shook his head. "Um, hi..."

Jiraiya's smile never faltered. The man noticed Naruto checking out his blazer. The man had special ordered the frogs he used. Any normal person can welcome someone with a name board, but Jiraiya liked to go that extra mile. The last order of plastic frogs only came in that morning and he had to rush to glue on the special ordered red frogs that made out Naruto's name.

When his tailor looked at him like he had gone mad at the request to sequin his blazer with frogs and toads he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. Apparently that's where his guy draws the line. The man will special order Dendrobates tinctorius printed fabrics, but hot glue gunning plastic frogs on a blazer is apparently too far.

After severely burning almost every finger surface with hot glue, Jiraiya has a newfound appreciation for his tailor. He thought he would just glue and stick, but he didn't take into account that the glue would melt the plastic frogs which in turn left his finger engulfed in molten plastic. And the glue strings, no matter what he did he couldn't get rid of them, so instead of trying to fight them he embraced them.

"Do you like it? I made it just for the occasion." Jiraiya proudly declared as he held his arms out, doing a slow spin.

"Heh, it's something, alright." Naruto awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, he didn't want to offend the man responsible for helping him with...well everything.

Jiraiya seemed content enough with the blond's declaration. "How was your flight?"

Naruto scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh great, I only almost killed everybody half a dozen times."

The man gave him a crooked smile. "That good huh?" He was oblivious to the fact that Naruto wasn't exaggerating.

"Oh, better." Naruto responds sarcastically.

Jiraiya shook his head in mild amusement. "Well, if that's the case let's get out of here shall we? We have a long journey."

Naruto nodded. Jiraiya took Naruto's suitcase, wheeling it out, leaving Naruto with his guitar and the backpack. Naruto wasn't prepared for the weather, though he wouldn't complain. In Konoha it was cold and snow would begin to stick, but here it was sunny and warm. He could get used to it.

Like the man's choice of clothing, the man's car was a surprise. Waiting for the duo was a 1970's Cadillac Deville. It looked completely restored with its sparkling custard paint job shinning in the never ending sunlight, the matching roof and pristinely upholstered tan leather interior. Even with all that, Naruto couldn't hide his apprehension when he notice the Cadillac hood ornament was replaced with yet another frog.

Jiraiya was delighted by Naruto's reaction. The man loved to turn heads after all, just in case the frogs weren't enough of a tip off. "She may not have all the bells and whistles you're used to, but I assure you she's a sweet ride. I like to restore old cars, sort of a hobby of mine."

Looking from the first manual trunk he'd seen in maybe forever, he looked at the man with raised brow. "You mean aside from amphibian tailoring?" There may have been a ghost of a smirk on the blond's face as he gestured to the man blazer.

The deepest guttural laugh escaped the man. "You're damn right!"

After getting used to the unusually loud rumble he hadn't prepared himself for, Naruto settled in as he took in the scenery on his seemingly never ending journey to his new home. Between the motion, the sound and feel of the vehicle, Naruto was doing everything he could to stave off his need for sleep. He knew if he slept during the trip he'd never sleep when night finally arrived.

Four hours and Naruto wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. They had made their way through a series of old winding roads. The blond wasn't sure if they were ascending or descending anymore. The mountainous hills turned to pine like forests and finally they were pulled into a gated driveway, though it was long enough to qualify as it's own road.

It took five minutes just to drive up the bumpy driveway, but when the house came into sight, Naruto was speechless. The house was more of a luxury lodge than a house, its outside was made of beautiful stone and the wood stained a warm hickory. It was set into a hill that overlooked its own private lake, surrounded by a lush forest.

Naruto was so taken back by the beauty and tranquility he hadn't realised they had parked, he was too busy ogling his new home. Jiraiya seemed to know that he needed a moment to take it all in, after all they hadn't spoken about where he'd be living.

Having been so overwhelmed he had somehow missed the unbelievable warmth he felt being so close to this house. It was a feeling he felt when he woke in the hospital, but that feeling paled in comparison to what he was feeling now. He could feel them, all eight of them. They were different and strangers, but at the same time they knew each other better than anyone else, it was a heady feeling that words couldn't do justice.

Kurama was purring, it was a sound Naruto had never heard the fox make. He couldn't explain it, he just felt like he belonged here. Suddenly the huge arched doorway opened and out stepped a short, pale, redhead with seafoam eyes. His eyes were lined with thick eyeliner and he had a tattoo on his forehead. He was dressed in a brick red v neck, grey loose fitting jeans and black combat boots. He felt like a beautifully calm soul.

Something inside Naruto told him to stay put, that something was happening that he couldn't comprehend. After the redhead came a tall slightly tanned woman with long dirty blond hair neatly braided, and dark brown eyes. She wore a long flowing blue short sleeved dress, printed with red flowers. She also wore simple tan strappy sandals. Looking at her eyes, Naruto could tell the woman was a truly kind individual.

Immediately after her another short male came out. This male was pale with a scar running down and over his left eye, Naruto unconsciously touched his own scar over his left eyebrow. Kurama told him he could rid himself of scars now, but Naruto didn't want to remove any of his scars, he wanted to remember the road he's travelled to get where he was, and they were all a part of that journey.

Naruto continued to take in the male as he remained firmly planted in his seat, he wasn't able to make his body move just yet. The short scared male had spikey, sandy brown hair and unique fuchsia coloured eyes. He donned a grey baggy t-shirt, loose fitted charcoal pants with a green sweater tied around his waist. And on his feet he wore brown mid calf boots. He looked young but executed dominance, but Naruto could also detect a bit of mischief behind those fuchsia eyes.

Naruto knew how many Jinchūriki there were, but with every new face he found it hard to keep his curiosity hidden. The next person to emerge was an average height man, his skin was fair and his hair was unruly and a deeper red than the shorter males, and his face had a luscious well groomed beard. The man had obsidian eyes and was wearing a white button up with a maroon vest and matching slacks. His shoes were an impeccably polished black black leather. Nobody would disagree that this man demanded respect, and got it without asking.

If Naruto were one to be intimidated, the next one out the door would have been the one to do it. The man stood seven feet tall and a red mask hid half his face. The man wore tan combat boots, black jeans and white hoodie that obscured his hair as well, his deep dark eyes were the only thing Naruto could make out. Everything about the man screamed intimidation.

Everybody was so unique, so Naruto wasn't surprised when the next person came out in nothing but white slippers and a long bathrobe. It was light blue and the trim was a navy, the waste was cinched with an obnoxiously orange bow. The robe was tied loosely so that the man's pale chest was openly on display. He had brown eyes and chin length brown hair. His hair was parted in a way to cover the left side of his face. His bored expression could almost rival Shikamaru's.

Everyone so far had executed a calmness that Naruto appreciated, so when the next female came bounding out the door with endless energy, Naruto was a little taken back. She wasn't tall, but wasn't short either. She had a small frame that was accentuated by the white cropped tank top and white mini skirt she wore. Her feet donned a simple pair of white flats. Her skin was a warm honey colour, but what stood out was her mint green bob pinned to the right and her happy-go-lucky amber eyes. If the way she bounced on the balls of her feet and waved furiously at him told Naruto anything, it was that this female did not do well sitting still.

With Naruto's mental math adding up, the last strolled out. The blond couldn't get a read on the man easily. His skin was a rich mocha and his bleached blond hair hung neatly cornrowed to the base of his neck. His goatee was the same bleached blond as his head, making Naruto wonder if this was actually his natural colour. His face sported a tattoo of two blue horns just under the outer edge of his left eye. Naruto couldn't tell you what his eyes looked like because the man was obviously an avid sunglasses user. The man wore a white white tank top, showcasing his shoulder tattoo and black sweatpants. He wore socks under his black Birkenstock's. Naruto thought the man looked calm enough, but something told him that the read he got wasn't entirely correct, after all he worse socks and sandals.

It felt like it took several hours to watch them all descend from the house, but in reality it was maybe a minute. Before Jiraiya got a chance to speak, Naruto was out of the vehicle. He followed his instincts when they screamed at him that it was time. Time for what? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to question it.

Walking over to them, they all regarded him curiously. Of course one minty-haired individual had the air prickling with nothing but excitement. Normally, such attention would make the blond feel uneasy, but as he stood there before them he felt nothing but peace.

All nine of them were so enthralled in each other's presence that they hadn't noticed Jiraiya exit the car and make his way over to them. The man eyed them expectantly. "Well, what do you all say we get introductions done, hm?"

Almost completely in sync they glance over at the walking craft. In the same order they walked out, they began introductions.

"Gaara."

"Yugito."

"Yagura."

"Rōshi"

"Han."

"Utakata."

"Fu, HI!"

"Killer B, that be me. Yeah!"

"Naruto." The blond introduced himself. The look they were giving him had softened, they knew who he was, but something about hearing him finally speak seemed to erase any of their doubts. They could all feel him, but none of them could believe he was really there. None of them thought Kurama would ever find a Jinchūriki, but here they were, there was no denying they were finally whole again.

Naruto had been given the tour and settled into his new room. His room was huge and had its own ensuite, which shouldn't surprise him with the size of the lodge mansion. He had a king sized four poster bed. The wood posts were stained dark to match his nightstands and dresser. Two of the hickory stained walls were almost fully lined with teal trimmed windows that overlooked the lake. Instead of windows, one wall had a beautiful stone fireplace that had a very large flat screen hanging over the mantel.

Having his own room was something he had always had, but never did he think he'd lay his head down somewhere so luxurious yet cosy. Even though he'd spent many nights at the Uchiha's, it was always their home, not his. His room was on the second level, the house having three levels. Because the house was built into a hill, the stairs led down, the bottom floor resting at the base of the hill, and the main level resting at its top.

The kitchen, dining room and living space was on the main floor. All twelve bedrooms were down on the second, and an indoor pool and state of the art gym including sauna and rec room were on the ground floor. Off in the back was a guest house which had apparently been converted into a music studio.

It didn't take long for Naruto to find out that he wasn't the only Jinchūriki with an affinity towards music. Gaara and Yagura played guitar, Han played bass, Utakata DJed, Fu played keyboard and Killer B played drums. The only two who weren't musically inclined were Yugito and Rōshi. It kind of excited Naruto, it had been far too long since he had anyone to play with. He couldn't wait to hear them play, they had apparently been offered a few deals but needed to find a decent vocalist before being brought on board. With them being who they are, they couldn't let just anybody on board so they had to put their music on the back burner. Looks like that wouldn't be the case if they mesh well, which neither of them could see being a problem.

Both Yugito and Rōshi worked with Jiraiya. Naruto just found out that the man owned his own publishing agency and is a renowned author. Finding out he wrote the very book Kakashi always toted around brought him mild amusement. It was easy to picture the man fangirling over the man he's now living with.

Naruto wasn't sure what the others did aside from music, but he figured it wasn't his business to ask. After all, none of them batted an eyelash when they found out Jiraiya had set him up with a new identity. As far as America was concerned he was now Taroun Moukazi, an eighteen year old high school graduate. According to Jiraiya, without school it'll give them more time to teach him control. Naruto didn't mind, school really had nothing left to teach him anyways.

Still, this new life was going to take time to get used to. The first night with his new life, in his new home, he should have been exhausted, his jetlag was brutal, but he still couldn't sleep. Naruto was sitting in his huge bed trying to find the words to explain things to Sasuke. No matter what, he felt like he couldn't just vanish without some type of goodbye. But no matter what he wrote, it always came out wrong, or he'd just ramble. Then there were the ones he wrote that were completely honest and outed himself, his new name, location and Jinchūriki status. Needless to say they all ended up scrapped and he focused on music instead.

Looking out at the lake as the moon's reflection dances over the gentle ripples reminded himself of lake Konoha. But now he had the luxury of tranquility in his own backyard. Though a property on 550 acres of land surely couldn't be considered just a yard.

The music just seemed to flow from his over-exhausted mind. He was so diligent in his work that he didn't even realise when his eyes had shut and he drifted off in his first restful sleep in days. Waking up the next morning was a bit of a shock. Once he remembered where he was he decided he should probably freshen up. The day before had been overwhelming and he just didn't find time to shower.

Digging through his bag he got out the toiletries he'd packed along with his box of jewellery. Much to his dismay he also found the name and number of Suigetsu. The jostle of his backpack made sense now.

Having flown Naruto had taken all his piercings out and felt the sudden urge to put them all back in. His bathroom was spacious. Like everywhere else, everything was stained wood. Even the bathroom cabinets, though they were stained lighter than the walls. The ceramic tiles on the floor looked like stone slabs. The one wall to the right had two large windows that overlooked the lake and a huge white soaker tub with jacuzzies sat there. On the far left was a steam shower that could fit several people comfortably. It was tiled in a similar ceramic to the floor only smoother.

Naruto shook his head, not understanding why anyone would need such a shower. But he undressed and got in anyways. The shower was...magical. He had a 36" misting, waterfall showerhead that had customizable LED light shows and also had the option to play music. The wall had a vertical line of three jet-like shower heads along with a detachable wand shower head. When Naruto finally figured out how to have just a regular shower he was blown away by the water pressure. Never in his life had he been pelted with such velocity. It was a little overwhelming, but totally amazing.

When Naruto finally emerged from his washroom he was tingly clean and all jeweled up again. Funny how he only had a towel on, but because his piercings were all once again in place he didn't feel the least bit naked. Naruto really didn't bring many clothes, a few casual outfits, a few comfy ones and of course his favourite hoodies and beanies.

Today Jiraiya was taking him to the training field, Naruto had no idea where that was, but on a property so big that really wasn't surprising. The blond opted on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants along with his used and abused runners, though he carried them up to the door. It was weird, he knew his body should still be laid up in a hospital bed, the fact that there was nothing left of his brush with death but some added scars was bizarre. Though he's sure he'd feel far more weird if he was suddenly absent of his scars.

After dropping off his shoes, he navigated his way through the house towards the kitchen. At least he wouldn't potentially get lost in such an open layout unlike the Uchiha's. Naruto sighed at the thought, he wondered if he'd ever truly be able to stop thinking about them. After all it wasn't just Sasuke he'd miss, Itachi was higher up on that list then the younger Uchiha after their fall out. That reminded the blond that he needed to get set up with a phone again as well, he promised Shika he'd be in contact as soon as he was able.

Walking up towards the kitchen several of the residents were there, Gaara, Fu, Killer B and Han were seated around the huge marble slabbed table enjoying their breakfast. Today Han didn't have a mask on but the man still wore a hat that hid his head, but Naruto shrugged it off.

"Frederick left breakfast on the counter. There's trays of eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, toast and hash browns." Gaara pointed behind the blond to where the food was laid out buffet style.

"Fredrick?" Naruto asked quizzically. He didn't hear that name yesterday.

"Jiraiya may be our ref, but my man Fredrick he's our chef. Yeah!" Killer B chimed in ecstatically.

Rōshi walks around the corner with a coffee mug in hand. "Don't mind him, he likes to rap. When we're all here Fredrick cooks breakfast and dinner. With so many mouths to feed it's easier that way, otherwise we'd all be on top of each other, spacious kitchen or not."

"I guess that makes sense. I just didn't expect it seeing as I didn't meet him yesterday." Naruto scratched his neck awkwardly. He wouldn't even allow Lana to cook or clean up after him at the Uchiha's, how was he going to get used to this being a permanent thing? That brought up another question. "Does anybody else, erm...work here?"

"You betcha! Becky and Sean." Fu adds enthusiastically. "They all live in the house at the edge of the property."

"Don't overwhelm the lad Fu. Remember, he's not used to this, not to mention he hasn't toured the property yet." Jiraiya's gruff voice comes from behind the blond. The man obviously came in from the other entry.

Fu deflated only a little. "Okay fine."

Naruto turned to the man and shook his head. "Really, it's fine." The blond may have gotten fashion whiplash. As extreme as Jiraiya's outfit was yesterday, today was just as boring as his own. There were no bright colours, no frogs or toads. Just grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

Naruto looked at him from head to toe but stopped at his feet. 'Ah, that makes more sense.' Jiraiya had green froggy slippers on. The blond wasn't sure why, but that piece of amphibian clothing somehow put him at ease, like all was right in the world.

When he was told that the property was roughly 550 acres, Naruto knew it was large, but having to take a four wheeler out just to tour it really put the sheer size into perspective. It was Naruto's first time riding let alone driving a four wheeler, he had to say it was exhilarating.

The final stop was a huge clearing that was nothing but dirt. Everyone except Utakata and Yugito came along. Apparently Utakata is actually lazier than Shikamaru and sleeps past noon regularly. Yugito had some other work to do so she couldn't join. But everyone else was anxious to see what Kurama's Jinchūriki could do. They were already fascinated about how he could morph his appearance changing his eyes crimson, lengthening his canines and darkening his facial marks. None of them had anything like that.

When he mentioned getting pissed at the annoying light-haired teen and almost crashing the plane, everyone thought he was over exaggerating. Somehow that spurred him on because the irritation their disbelief caused him was enough to set him off and he cracked the training ground they were standing on. He smirked when he witnessed the wall of faces morph to shock.

Jiraiya had set a plan in place and they would work diligently on different aspects of his energy. The first thing he had to work on was keeping his emotions calm not only on the outside anymore, but also calm his inner turmoil as well.

The holidays had passed and he found it odd to experience a December without snow, but he quickly found he could get used to it. Everybody was discovering that since Kurama finally merged, they could all do new things. Now they could shapeshift into their animal spirits form and communicate telepathically with each other should they choose. They were all much older than Naruto, Gaara being the newest Jinchūriki aside from Naruto, so to see them excited about something new brought a smile to both Naruto and Kurama's face.

Once Naruto merged with Kurama it was like all the pieces aligned and they were all at full power, for the first time in years, they all had new things to master, it was exciting. Jiraiya was feeling very fulfilled these days, he felt like they were all his children, and with a new face and new things for everyone to master, they were all back to living together.

Once the new year came they had decided what they were going to do moving forward now that Naruto was finally added to the fold. The Jinchūriki finally had a vocalist, they'd be stupid to ignore the fact. They had a hunch they'd work together, but once they had their first practice session there wasn't a doubt in their minds that they had something special. Reaching out to the record labels that were willing to give them a chance if they ever reeled in a decent vocalist, they had a couple meetings set up come the New Year.

There were things they still needed to figure out, but everyone seemed to be happy. Even Naruto had finally sat down and wrote that letter to Sasuke. When he mailed it, it was like the end of a chapter. He was sad, but there were other things to focus on now. Now he was going to learn how to be truly happy with himself. There was just one last thing he needed to do to bring in the New Year.

Naruto pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number. Nobody answered so he tried again, and again until someone finally picked up.

"What the fuck do you want?" Groaned a sleepy sounding male.

Naruto softly smiled. "Hey Shika."