AN: Happy Holidays everyone! As a gift for your patience, here is the next chapter. If you did not catch the chapter that this one overwrote, than please see my profile page for details on the new update speed for this story and anything that might hinder said speed. Thanks again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, all rights go to Kishimoto.

ITALICS – thinking

BOLD – demon talk/jutsu


Arc Three: Home is Where the Heart Lies

Chapter Three


It was the following day after Naruto took the tests the Kage wished to see him perform. It was like any other day in Konoha; blue skies, merchants going about their day, among other tasks. For Naruto, however, a thick foul aura was in the air. An aura which he felt throughout his entire time in Iron Country.

War was coming, and it was only a matter of time until someone banged the war drums just right. Naruto knew who this person was as he looked at the cigarette in his hands, then blew out the smoke. With a sigh, and a grim smile on his face, he looked up to the sky.

"Another war I must enter, Master. And I know you have continued to watch over me since that fateful day, but you chose your path, and I have chosen mine. I know there will come a time where we meet again…but that day is a long time coming much like the thought of peace in this tumultuous nation."

Naruto switched his gaze to the sounds of hammers, and the shouting of workers behind him. The leader of these bands of workers, Tazuna, waved at him with a smile which Naruto returned back. Tazuna and his gang was from Wave and was forever indebted to Konoha due to Itachi's team freeing them from Gato's reign. Even the bridge that was built to facilitate trade between Wave and Fire Country was named after the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The Great Konoha Bridge.

Naruto chuckled to himself at that thought, then decided to ask how progress was coming.

"Tazuna-san, how's progress on the addition to my Master's emporium?"

"Everything is super ahead of schedule, Naruto-san. As long as war doesn't come this way, we should be done within a week and a half."

Naruto smiled then threw his cancer stick to the ground, and snuffed it out with his sandal.

"With a band of only 20 workers plus yourself, getting a structure built in that amount of time shows how committed you are to your craft."

"Hai, and I can say the same about you, super samurai."

Both got a good laugh out of this, but it was halted when Shizuka came out of the store with Yuki in her arms. Naruto smiled, and gave her a kiss which Yuki participated in with a few sloppy licks. It was this that made Naruto remember something he wanted to do.

"Kurama, about getting Yuki battle ready?"

Said fox yawned and stretched before he responded with a slightly annoyed tone. "Brat, I was having the most amazing dream…"

"Ripping Madara to shreds again?"

"Perhaps." Kurama shrugged, then decided to answer Naruto's question. "To answer your question, use some of my chakra and inject it into Yuki. These injections should be done once a week, then after a month these injections increase to three times a week. After another month, Yuki should be good to go."

Naruto was concerned, "And this won't kill Yuki in the process?"

Kurama shook his head, "No, as the dosage is relatively small, but it is enough to start changing her genetic makeup. And before you ask, yes she will grow additional tails. The more tails, the more powerful she will become."

"So I'm essentially making another you?"

This made the bijuu guffaw harshly, but the fox quickly calmed down enough to reply. "HAH! Far from it, brat. Even if she grows the max amount of tails, four to be exact, Yuki will only be as strong as the Nibi."

"Holy shit!" Naruto said aloud which made people stare for a moment before going back to what they were doing.

Shizuka looked at her love with a confused stare. "Um, Naruto, you spaced out…talking to Kurama again?"

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hai, and you won't believe how strong Yuki here can get."

Shizuka knew this wasn't a topic to continue outside in the open. "We will explain this later, OK?" After a nod from Naruto, she continued. "Hard to believe that you got the Kage's acceptance yesterday…not many can acclaim such an honor."

Naruto smiled and scratched behind Yuki's ears which made her start to purr. "By now some of them had to have reached out to their war council to start making plans based on my strategies."

This part of the conversation made Shizuka frown. "How long?"

Naruto sighed, "I give a week tops, but maybe less. I know you want to come with, but this is something I must do alone."

Tears started to form at the edges of Shizuka's eyes, and her speech started to crack and waver. "What happened to my pain is yours, and your pain is mine? I almost lost you once already, and I fear that even with your skills you won't come home alive. Please, I don't know what I'd do without you in my life!"

It was here that she broke down in tears which made Naruto quickly console her with a hug. "Shhh, it's alright my fair maiden, just let it out." After a pause, he continued. "If your intuition is telling you that I will not return, then I have no choice but to accept your aid."

Face still on Naruto's armored chest, Shizuka let out a smile and hugged a little tighter. She "eeped" when Naruto suddenly picked her up bridal style and started walking someplace.

"You put me down this instant mister!" Shizuka suddenly yelled and bopped Naruto over the head.

Naruto snorted, "Not happening princess."

She huffed then looked at Yuki's smiling face. "Great, not you too?!"

The fox let out a yip then suddenly licked Shizuka across the face which made her splutter in shock. Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he walked towards his destination; the tea shop.


Council Chambers

Inside the chambers was currently Shikaku, Inoichi, Nagato, Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. All were looking over the map Naruto made as they were about to discuss battle plans which revolved around Naruto's own. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen, the ones who hadn't seen the map yet, was astonished to say the least. Not only on the level of detail on the map, but what Naruto came up with for a strategy. It was a backbone to something much larger, but it was a backbone which allowed great flexibility on Ame and Konoha's end.

With Kumo and Suna having set targets, Oto and Iwa respectively, Konoha and Ame could choose whom they wished to aid and/or attack. The major thing which Hiruzen was most worried about, however, was Kiri. He knew that the rebel forces were much smaller than those for the bloodline purge thanks to Jiraiya's spy reports. And at the time, the Sandaime did not have the necessary resources to aid them thanks to Konoha still recovering from the Kyuubi attack. Now, that decision had come back to haunt him.

Hiruzen cleared his throat which made the room quiet down. "I must admit Naruto's plan is exemplary, but we have yet to discuss a counterattack against Kiri if they so do happen to invade us. Perhaps our Wave allies can attest to any movements Kiri makes. Thoughts?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Sensei does bring up a valid point, but I just got recent intel from an agent of mine…one which will stay secret until the time comes."

Shikaku sighed in relief while Inoichi had a suspicion of what information the Toad Sage happened to get. It was Tsunade, though, who spoke up.

"Akatsuki I take it?"

Jiraiya let out a small chuckle before he responded, "You know me too well, hime." It was then his expression turned serious. "The Akatsuki is more formidable than I thought. All of them are S-rank shinobi, one of which has come back from the dead. One which gave me and two others their damn titles."

Everyone in the chamber winced as they knew who Jiraiya was talking about.

"Troublesome…of course Hanzo would come back. Lemme guess, Orochimaru was the creep who did so."

"Got it in one."

Hiruzen pinched his nose and let out a deep groan, "I'm too old for this shit!"

Nagato smirked at what the Sandaime said, but responded to his Sensei anyhow. "And the others?"

The Toad Sage rubbed his temples with a frown on his face. "You all aren't going to like this one bit. But, the members of Akatsuki are Tobi, Orochimaru, Hanzo, Sasori of the Red Sands, Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame, Deidara, Raiga, and a strange plant man called Zetsu."

"Even more troublesome."

Inoichi nodded with a blank expression, "Indeed, but I somehow think that's not all you found?"

Jiraiya smirked, "Oh yes, my informant gathered all sorts of juicy things! Does battle plans sound good to you?"

The room went absolutely silent at this. Everyone, minus the one who got this information, wanted to know two things. One, who was this informant, and two; how does Jiraiya manage to do the things he does. After a couple minutes, Nagato coughed into his hands still in slight shock to what his Sensei recently said.

"Well Sensei, this certainly makes things easier on our end. I propose that we come up with a strategy using Commander Harumasa's and forward this to our allies…secretly of course. Everyone agree?

"Agreed!" They all chorused, but Tsunade decided to ask one final question before the planning began.

"What about Naruto, shouldn't he be here…and what will his orders be after his solo mission?"

Nagato decided to clear this up, "A very good question Tsunade, but you must realize that Naruto is a samurai and no longer falls under shinobi jurisdiction. He is a war veteran from Iron Country, and a damn good one if the tests we saw yesterday was any indication. I know you all have your worries, but if he could survive one war, then he can survive them all. Sandaime-dono is living proof of that."

Hiruzen smiled, while everyone else hummed in acceptance of what Nagato had said. Regardless, Naruto would be informed of their plans. After all, he was the main commander in this whole operation.


Oto – Underground Base

Orochimaru and Hanzo sat across from each other at a table. Kabuto was absent for many reasons, but the main one was that the Sennin didn't trust his second in command one bit. From the mysterious absences to things being stolen from his personal lab, Orochimaru knew a rat when he sensed one…he was a snake after all.

"Explain to me again, on why I am back to life?" Hanzo said still in disbelief that he was alive once again.

Orochimaru grinned, "Ku ku ku, I have special use for you Hanzo. Oh yes, that control seal is all but gone thanks to me. The Akatsuki might think you and I are for their cause, but we are just a couple rouge agents ready to stir the pot."

Hanzo hummed in thought while he looked around the dank and dark room filled with various lab equipment. He tried to come up with what Orochimaru was thinking, but said person's mind was too twisted which made it hard to tell.

"Not that I mind having my control back, but am I to assume you will use your expertise in experiments to aid Konoha and their allies?"

"Ku ku ku, there is much you don't know about me, but yes, I suppose that is one of the things I will be using. Tell me, can you infiltrate Tobi's room and drop a certain something inside his personal sake stash?"

Hanzo looked at the vial of clear liquid which Orochimaru shook in front of his face. With a raised eyebrow, and a point to the liquid, he asked:

"And what exactly will this accomplish?"

The Sennin gave an ear to ear grin, "Oh, I'm just helping a certain someone with a test they will soon face."

Hanzo grunted in anger, he hated riddles, but decided to help nonetheless. "Fine, I will do so, but I expect an answer to what will happen to me after this mini-war is over when I return."

Orochimaru simply nodded and when the Salamander left, the Sennin looked over to a nearby corner of the room. With a smirk, he threw an envelope towards it where something caught it then instantly left.


Konoha – Afternoon: Private Training Ground

Naruto sat in a meditative position as he waited for the Konoha 12 to arrive. He was here to see their skills in action as well as to test them in various combat situations. Not only would this benefit the Konoha 12, but also Naruto as well as he had no idea how true shinobi fought. Takeshi's rebels in Iron Country were anything but that which is one of the reasons the war ended as quickly as it did.

Speaking of war, Naruto understood that this mini-war was just a prelude to something much bigger. He could feel it in the air…an aura which made his gut tighten, and his mind to focus on nothing but the battle ahead. It was supposed to be a simple vacation to get away from the samurai lifestyle, but Naruto and Shizuka's path decided to turn the other way; another obstacle, another challenge to overcome.

While waiting, Naruto decided to work on using his wind Ki for flying. He was 25 minutes into his meditation which was spent learning the way this element felt when levitating. To Naruto, this felt like a feather floating or blowing through the air thanks to a gentle breeze. It was this that he pictured in his mind when he opened his eyes and began to practice.

"Alright, just like walking…one step at a time." Naruto said then took a deep breath.

Soon enough, his feet left the ground which made him stumble slightly, but Naruto quickly recovered. Not wanting to try maneuvers in high altitude yet, he decided to do so while only a foot off the ground. Naruto tried to move himself left, but he quickly lost control and his feet met the ground. Naruto quickly noted what he felt, and what he did wrong. Once again, he levitated a foot off the ground, and tried the same maneuver again.

"Wind must be guided…feel the air, see the feather, become the feather…and be one with the wind."

Naruto closed his eyes as the thought this, and to his surprise, he moved left. Naruto smiled, and then moved right, backwards, and, to his amusement, managed to put himself upside-down. Once back on the ground, he sighed in relief.

"I finally did it Kurama, I'm on my way to mastering one of my elements!"

The fox smirked, "Good for you brat, but don't get full of yourself."

Naruto snorted, "Like your one to talk…"

Kurama was about to go to sleep again when the words Naruto said finally registered. He roared in anger which made Naruto chuckle to himself. After a small break, Naruto tried the maneuvers again, but this time he went five feet off the ground. It was this scene that the Konoha 12 came to see.

Kiba blinked in shock, "Um…I'm not crazy am I?"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru said in his usual tired tone.

Hinata used her Byakugan to see how Naruto was flying like that. At first she thought it was mastery of wind chakra, but to her surprise it wasn't that. She quickly turned her bloodline off as it hurt her eyes.

Neji, who saw his cousin wince in pain, grew concerned. "Are you alright Hinata-san?"

She nodded and rubbed the stars out of her eyes. "Hai Neji, I'm alright, but looking at Naruto is like looking into the sun."

Ino quirked an eyebrow, "His chakra is that immense?"

Hinata shook her head, "No, the only chakra he has is the Kyuubi's, and his main chakra network has almost become nonexistent thanks to misuse. He's using something else to fly."

Tenten had the answer which she gave with a smile on her face. "Ki…he's using Ki."

Naruto suddenly spoke up as he landed in front of them. "Correct Tenten, but how do you know there's elements to Ki?"

This time Tenten was confused, "Elements? I though Ki was just the aura of all living things on this planet?"

Naruto chuckled and waved his hand in the air, "Ah, and that will be a conversation for another time. For now, I need to judge your teamwork and see how you respond to some situational questions."

Lee pumped his right hand in the air, and let out a huge smile as he spoke. "Yosh! May Naruto's youth show us the way!"

Naruto's cheerful expression turned professional as did his voice which made everyone stiffen. They knew that playtime was over.

"And that, Lee, is something we will work on. Your boisterous attitude will lead the enemy to your position which harms not only you, but the allies around you. Will you be able to carry the burden when allies die because of your mouth?"

Lee gulped, and kicked the dirt. "No Naruto-san."

Naruto nodded then looked at the medics; Ino, Hinata, and Sakura. "You three, I take it all of you have not grown lax on other Shinobi skills even though you are in the medical field?"

"No Naruto-san!" Ino, Hinata, and Sakura replied calmly.

"Good. Now, take this situation into thought. If you are called to the frontlines to fight, but see wounded along your path…what takes precedent at that moment? The mission, or the lives of your comrades?"

Sakura was the first to reply, "Medic nin are always escorted by one or more shinobi as they travel so I would inform one of my escorts to notify the frontline while I tend to the wounded."

Ino and Hinata nodded in agreement which made Naruto smile.

"You could have said both, but your explanation was textbook. Now, onto those that will almost constantly fight in this war."

Kiba, Sasuke, and the others quickly made sure to pay attention as Naruto gave another hypothetical situation.

"Assume all of you minus Hinata and Ino are tasked with clearing out a camp in the mountains of Iwa, but as you go to complete the mission you are suddenly ambushed. The enemy force is larger than yours, and possibly more powerful. What actions would you take?"

Sasuke, just one of the heavy hitters in the Konoha 12, decided to answer for everyone.

"Prior to the mission we would send out scouts, but say we do and are still ambushed. I, for one, would never surrender and would lead my team on a counterattack in order to survive. Yes, we may be injured as a result, but if we work as a team I believe we will prevail."

Naruto hummed in thought then nodded, "Given my vague description of the situation, I will accept your answer. As a samurai, it is dishonorable to surrender to the enemy, but in your case it might be the only option to stay alive. Remember that, and know that your imprisonment will not last. For if any of you succumb to such a fate, I will see to it personally that you are freed."

"Taking on a village by yourself is suicide. Why? The enemy will expect an attack on their village in a time of war." Shino said in a monotone at the same time he fixed his shades.

Naruto nodded, "Ah, you are correct, but I have my ways." After a pause Naruto smiled. "Now, let's get to some team sparring."

For the next two hours, Naruto watched from above as he flew around the Konoha 12 as they sparred. At first the spars were two on two, but as time went on these spars moved up to four on four and eventually a six on six. After each spar, Naruto got to see Ino, Hinata, and Sakura's medical skills in practice. Skills which he was highly impressed with.

"Hmm, the whole Konoha 12 works very well together…like one massive cohesive unit. Though there is some room for improvement, it will only come as they progress in their skills. Not to mention this war will change them in more ways than one."

Naruto floated to the ground and told everyone to take a break which they were thankful for. As they enjoyed the shade under the trees, they watched Naruto go to a nearby tree and quickly hack off a limb with Honjo. Once he had the branch, Naruto used his wakizashi to whittle it into a bokken. Once done, he hacked off another branch and proceeded to make another. All of this took only 20 minutes.

Without warning, Naruto threw one of the bokkens to Tenten who caught it just in time.

"Your reaction speed needs work especially when distracted. Come, I must test you on your kenjutsu."

Tenten nodded while she had a megawatt smile on her face. "I can't believe I'm actually sparring with Naru-OW!"

She suddenly rubbed the top of her head with a wince then looked at Naruto who had a cold look in his eyes. It made Tenten flinch back in fright.

"Dead…an enemy can strike at any moment. Remember, emotions can distract you from the fight and possibly enemies around you."

The weapons mistress nodded, and got in a ready stance while Naruto just stood there with his bokken at his side. After a minute, Tenten decided to strike first, but quickly found herself disarmed and Naruto's bokken at her neck.

"Dead…never attack first, wait for the enemy to come to you and act accordingly." Naruto said in a stern tone then motioned to the bokken on the ground. "Again."

Tenten got in the same spot she was in before, and waited. After a bit, Naruto attacked with an upward slash which Tenten blocked expertly, or so she thought. Naruto quickly took his leg, and tripped Tenten which made her land on her back. Once again, the bokken was at her neck.

"Dead…kenjutsu is not only the art of the sword, but a mix of taijutsu as well. The sword is an extension of your body, is it not?"

After a nod from Tenten, Naruto stepped back in a ready stance to allow her to rise.

"Again!"

The rest of the Konoha 12 watched in awe as Tenten was "killed" over and over again, however, they did notice improvements being made.

Neji was shocked to the say the least, "And here I thought Tenten knew almost everything when it came to kenjutsu…I guess the rumors about samurai being the masters of the sword are correct."

Chouji, for the moment, stopped eating his chips. "We all saw the fight in the stadium, but not the test afterwards. Father told me how Naruto performed, and never again will I underestimate the samurai."

Kiba scoffed, "Still not convinced on why samurai exist in this day and age. Yah, I get that Naruto's strong and he's been through a lot, but he seems weak compared to us."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru started. "Father told me about the second test as well. After his team was captured, it took less than 10 minutes for Naruto to clear the enemies and rescue his team from the tower in the Forest of Death."

Sasuke continued, "And he only used his samurai techniques…the shinobi didn't have a chance to use one jutsu."

Kiba balked, "That fast! That's…that's…"

Sai decided to enter the conversation, "Inconceivable? Yes, it does seem so, but Iron Country has been neutral for a long time. Only Sandaime-dono and those before him have had the opportunity to fight against the samurai. Perhaps a chat with the Sandaime would do you good Kiba."

Kiba simply nodded while the others decided to stay silent and watch Naruto take down Tenten again.

Said person laid on the ground while she tried to catch her breath. The thought of losing over and over again started to anger her, but she was also thankful for this as it showed how much she needed to improve.

"We are done for the day Tenten, but you may keep the bokken as we will be doing this daily until word comes through that the enemies have started to move. I will not teach you my style, but I can help you improve on your own. As it stands now, you can put up a decent fight with one of the Seven Swordsman. But worry not, I expect that after a week of my training you will be able to go toe to toe with one with no problem."

Tenten sat up and nodded, "How long will these sessions be?"

Naruto hummed in thought before he answered. "Five hour sessions should be enough to get your stamina up, and your style polished. Meet here at six every morning so you can have an hour lunch break before coming here again for training with the Konoha 12."

The weapon mistress's eyes widen at the grueling schedule which made Naruto chuckle. As he looked to the others, he nodded towards the village which signaled them to go home. Once again, Naruto turned towards Tenten with a smile.

"You may grow to hate me, but realize I am doing this for not only your safety, but for your comrades as well. Not many in Konoha take up a blade, so in order to change that, one person must pave the way for change."

Tenten pointed at herself, "Me, but why when there are the ANBU to do that?"

"Ah, but the ANBU are always seen in the village and their missions are always classified. The incoming genin do not hear of the success they have when using their shinobi skills in tandem with kenjutsu."

"And since my missions are not, I can freely talk about them and how they saved the lives of me and countless others…I get it now!" Tenten replied back with a huge grin.

Naruto patted her on the shoulders, "Go now, get some rest and think about what I showed you here today. Godspeed, Tenten."


One Week Later

After a week of training with Naruto, the Konoha 12 felt very confident of their skills. One of them, however, was even more grateful for Naruto's help; Tenten. As the training continued, she noticed that she was overconfident with her kenjutsu in the past. Thanks to this issue, Tenten always told herself that her sword skills were the best this generation had seen. This all changed when Naruto started helping her. After training with Naruto for one week, that overconfidence was shattered and she actually found herself more comfortable with her style. Overexertion was becoming a thing of the past, and getting emotional when the battle was not going her way was also being extinguished.

She soon understood why the samurai were considered the masters of the sword after Naruto demonstrated some of his katas. No movement was wasted; everything was on point. It was one shot, one kill. Although Tenten was older than Naruto, she looked up to him as a mentor; a measuring stick when it came to comparing skills.

As to Kiba, he became humbled after he visited the Sarutobi Estate and had a one on one chat with the Sandaime. The tales the man told about his encounters with the samurai was amazing to say the least. During the Warring Clan Era these battles were more prominent. Over time, each samurai guild learned to coexist and ended up settling down in what is now Iron Country. As to the battles Hiruzen had with the samurai, he had come close to death due to one massive flaw.

Underestimation.

The Sandaime told of his first battle with a samurai and how he was almost killed. His savior, ironically, was the samurai himself who told Hiruzen to use this experience for future encounters. He also told of the way most shinobi think of samurai; it made Kiba look to the ground in sadness.

Kiba now understood Naruto's situation, and after thanking the Sandaime, he personally met Naruto and apologized to him for his beliefs. To his surprise, Naruto easily forgave him and, like Hiruzen's tale, told the Inuzuka to use what he learned for the future.

Near the end of the week, Iwa and Oto began to invade smaller villages and started to encroach on Ame and Kumo's territory. The borders had been breached, and casualties had already resulted. Tensions were now at its highest point; the rubber band could stretch no more. Konoha, Kumo, and Ame instantly readied their troops and started to send them out. Ame put themselves in a more defensive position until aid from Konoha arrived. Kumo moved troops to intercept and take out Oto camps which started to spring up in their territory. Konoha not only allocated troops to Ame, but also to two other areas.

Wave and Oto.

Since Wave was a massive trading hub to Konoha and their allied villages, they were a prime target for Kiri forces. So, Konoha rectified this problem by bolstering up the village with their shinobi. If any sign of the Kiri naval fleet was seen, Konoha would be notified immediately.

As for Oto, Shikaku hoped they would fall quickly for multiple reasons. With Kumo attacking from one side, Konoha attacking from the other, and Ame coming in to aid both later; the three pronged attack would overwhelm the small force and make them submit to defeat. After this, all forces would be allocated to Iwa and Kiri if they so happened to attack Wave.

Where was Naruto in all this?

He and Shizuka was currently in Ame ready to head for Iwa. Yuki was currently in Konoha being taking care of by Nagato. The stage was set, and now was the time to break the rubber band. Naruto looked towards his love with a sad glance which Shizuka returned. They grasped each other's hands and gave a deep kiss. Once they broke, they looked at each other again.

"It's time…once again shall my blades bathe in the blood of the enemy." Naruto stated with a sigh at the end.

Shizuka nodded with a grim smile, "And once again shall we dance to the sound of battle."

Naruto looked out towards the direction of Iwa with cold eyes, but then his attention turned to Konan who appeared beside him and Shizuka.

"It's time, Commander." The Amekage simply stated.

Naruto nodded, "Thank you Konan-san." He then looked at his love and extended a hand towards Iwa. "Our path lies ahead, fair maiden, another obstacle to overcome."


AN: As you can tell, this is a shorter chapter. However, the next is probably going to push 10k words as I have a lot to cover. Hope you enjoyed this installment!