A/N: Hey guys Kozu here. I just wanted to thank you so much for the feedback on this story. I just wanted to reply to some of the reviews while I could.

Guest: Oh, I'm terribly sorry for that. I had thought that I had mentioned it in the first chapter, but I left it out! Thank you for catching that, and I have already fixed that and given credit where it's due.

Sith Raven's Shadow: Well my good sir, your English is "spot on". Did you happen to mean Kishimoto? And who is this "fanboy" you refer to? I certainly hope you do not mean me, for I haven't even finished Shippuden yet! Disregarding that fact, I have only written two Naruto fanfics, and one of them is complete crap, I will admit that. However, I do not appreciate you coming in here saying, and I quote, "I'm gone and this Kisha motor cock sucking fanboy trash has been reported bye you naive chidish loser", without proper reason to do so. I do hope you realize that YOU'VE made yourself a prime candidate to be both reported and banned, just for acting like such the little troll you are. So if I'm childish, or "chidish" in your words, then you are but an embryonic still-born bitter at the fact that you can do nothing but troll, wasting your own pathetic life. So, in Layman's terms, go out and actually do something with your life instead of wasting away in your mother's basement trying to make other people feel bad.

Killjoy3000: Judging from your name, I would have thought you would turn out like the troll above. Thankfully, that is not the case. :) Anyhow, I'm glad you like the story. Naruto is going to be using both sword based techniques and regular jutsu.

The morning after Naruto stopped Mizuki, Naruto was called to the Hokage's office to report the event. Naruto explained everything in detail to the Hokage, who nodded periodically.

"For a chūnin to be able to sneak past several of our jōnin and steal the Scroll of Seals in unacceptable. I will see to it that those on duty that night are punished." The Hokage's voice sounded so calm, yet there was an intimidating aura that filled the room. Naruto coughed slightly, knocking Hiruzen out of his hostile state of mind.

"Is that all, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked politely. On their personal time, he would still call him Jiji, but when business came to, he would show Hiruzen the respect that he deserves.

"No, not yet Naruto." Hiruzen pulled out a scroll from beneath his desk and handed it to Naruto. "This is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, a special variant of the regular bunshin. The scroll has all details you need to know about the technique. It is your reward for capturing Mizuki alive, and for the task in general, five-thousand ryō will be transferred into your personal account." Naruto took the scroll from Hiruzen.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Is that all?" Naruto asked once more. Hiruzen smiled at the boy.

"Yes Naruto-kun, that is all."Naruto stood from his seat.

"Hokage-sama, today is the day I become a full-fledged samurai. But to become so, I must pledge my allegiance to a lord." Naruto knelt down to Hiruzen. "I would like to swear my vow to you, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen had a shocked expression on his face.

"Naruto, are you absolutely sure about this? I have no qualms about this, but I need to know why." Naruto grinned at the man.

"It's because, Hokage-sama, you are the only candidate left for me to swear to. I cannot swear my allegiance to Tou-san, because he is another samurai, one without a master at that, despite how much I want to. I also do not wish to serve anyone I do not know intimately, a level of relation that we have now."

"I see.. And I assume you're swearing to me, not the title, yes, Naruto?"

"That is correct, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen was silent for a moment, contemplating.

"...Okay Naruto, You may swear your vows." Naruto looked up at Hiruzen, a grin on his face,

"I hereby pledge myself to Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage of Konohagakure. To him I swear my honor and duty, and promise to bring him great honor in the field of battle. I will not seek to usurp his position, and will sacrifice my life to my Lord if he so wishes." Naruto rose from his position, and bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." With that, Naruto exited the room. Hiruzen was still smiling even after he left.

'You really are a great boy Naruto, and you will become an even greater man.'

Naruto arrived at the academy shortly after his meeting with the Hokage. Naruto had sealed away the scroll he had gotten, anxious to look it over later. Everyone that passed was here. Naruto was suddenly glomped from behind.

"Naruto-kun!" Ino said cheerfully. "You really should have came with us yesterday, we all had a blast!"

"Surprisingly, it wasn't troublesome at all. It... was actually kind of fun." Shikamaru admitted with a sigh. "Even Shino had a good time." Naruto looked at Shino.

"Yes... I did enjoy myself quite a bit." Shino said in his monotonous tone. Naruto was sure he saw a smile underneath that giant collar.

"I'm very sorry, but I had other matters to attend to with the up-most of urgency." Naruto apologized. Iruka came into the room, and called for everyone to take their seats. Naruto and his group sat down, Ino and Shino flanking him and Shikamaru behind.

"Thank you all for coming here today. As you know, today is the day you become official shinobi of Konohagakure. I just want to tell you a few things before I say the team placements." Iruka paused, making sure everyone was listening. "I'm not going to lie, becoming a shinobi is a both a proud but dangerous thing to be. As you all grow older, the missions that you will be taking could be potentially life threatening. But I have faith in you. All of you have shown great skill in the academy, and I know that you will surpass the last generation." A slow clap started by Naruto turned into a raging applause. Iruka grinned. "Well, I'm done with my boring speech. Now listen carefully as I call out your names."

Everyone waited anxiously for their names to be called. "... Team Seven will be Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Chōji, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Sakura yelled out in glee as Sasuke grimaced. "Team Eight will be Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Your sensei will be Yūhi Kurenai. Team Nine is still in rotation."

"Tough luck Shino." Shikamaru consoled.

"It does sadden me a bit, but I do not mind." Shino admitted. Naruto smiled at his friend.

"Well, if there's anyone here who will be able to protect Hinata fro Kiba, it's you Shino." Shino smiled at that.

"Team Ten will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma." Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru cheered. "Ah, it seems that most of your sensei have arrived." The door opened and several men and women can into the room. One of them, a man with black hari and a pronounced beard, approached Naruto and his friends.

"It's good to see you Naruto. And two out of three of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, I am truly blessed." Naruto smiled. He had met Asuma during one of his meetings with the Hokage. Naruto really liked the man, he seemed like a truly enlightened and strong person. "Follow me kids, we're going for a walk." The group, minus Shino, followed their new sensei, chatting with each other along the way.

Training Ground 24

The team arrived at a forest clearing, a lake on the far side of the area, and a single wooden pole at the center. They stood in the center of the clearing, the students silently awaiting their sensei's instruction.

"Okay, first, let's get to know each other. I'll go first to show you how its done." Asuma cleared his throat. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma. I like to smoke and to be brutally honest with people. I dislike things that come between me and my cigarette. My dreams are to get married and gave a family. Naruto, why don't you go next?" Naruto nodded.

"Mu name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like my precious people and ramen. I dislike things that wish to hurt my precious people and people who judge others without getting to know them. My dreams are to restore the Uzumaki clan and live an honorable life."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. I like my friends and flowers. I dislike people who pick on others just to make themselves feel better about themselves. My dreams are to marry a hot guy and have him take care of my every need." Asuma couldn't help but notice that she glanced at Naruto when she said that last line.

"Ugh, do I have to?" Shikamaru groaned. Ino punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Troublesome woman."

"Stop being so lazy Shikamaru!" Ino commanded.

"Fine. I'm Nara Shikamaru. I like playing shōgi and watching clouds. I dislike doing anything requiring physical effort. My dream is to find a trophy wife who will take care of me." Ino punched him again. "Ow, stop doing that! You just said the same thing!"

"Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you that you haven't actually become genin yet. You have to take another test, administered by me." Asuma's eye gleamed evilly. "And you only have a thirty-three percent chance to pass it." His students' eyes widened at that. The pass rate was that low? Asuma took out two bells from his pocket and held them in front of his team. "The goal of the test is simple. You each need to take one of these bells from me. If you do, you pass. But if you fail, you get sent back to the academy."

"But Asuma-sensei, there are only two bells." Ino stated. Asuma smirked.

"That's right Ino. The whole point of this test is to find the weakest link and remove them from the team. And if none of you can grab one, then you all go back to the academy." All was silent for a few moments, his students too shocked to even protest. Asuma pulled out a timer and placed it on the pole. "You have three hours starting..." The group tensed.

"Now." The kids all lept away into the brush as soon as he finished the word. 'I gotta hand it to them. They have fast reaction times.'

The group of genin put a good mile of distance between themselves and their sensei, and were currently sharing their thoughts.

"What are we gonna do? Even if we do get the bells, he is still going to send one of us back!" Ino was the most affected by their current predicament. Both of these guys were her friends, and she couldn't choose between them. But at the same time, she didn't want to go back to the academy herself. Shikamaru spoke up.

"It's simple, we work together to get the bells. This whole test is about teamwork and camaraderie." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"He's trying to get us to turn against each other by saying that only those who get a bell will pass." Naruto explained. Ino "ah'd" and nodded in understanding.

"So what's the plan?" She asked. Shikamaru and Naruto turned to each other, locked eyes and grinned.

Asuma was waiting for his students to come get him. He knew they were coming anyway, so he leaned back against a tree, took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled the addictive tobacco. Asuma sighed in relief, a large puff of smoke leaving his mouth with the exhale. He was left there, taking drag after drag until only the butt remained. Asuma disintegrated the remains, the butt turning to ash. "Damn, what's taking those kids so long?" He was getting bored. Suddenly, he saw Naruto come out of the brush, a determined look on his face.

"Where are your friends, Naruto? I had expected you guys to work together." Naruto only responded with silence. Suddenly, Asuma was surrounded by Narutos, he estimated about a hundred. Asuma stayed relaxed though, knowing they were all illusions. "You're not gonna psyche me out Naruto, I know these are fakes." Nevertheless, All the Narutos charged him. As they did, the original Naruto crisscrossed with his clones, disorienting Asuma. There were so many he had a hard time keeping track. One of the Naruto's suddenly pulled out a kunai, signaling that it was the real one. Asuma charged at that one Naruto, drawing out his own kunai. Asuma paid the illusions no mind, and clashed blades with the original. The younger shinobi was struggling to keep the lock with the jōnin. Naruto suddenly smirked, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing Ino in his place. Asuma gasped. Wait, where was the real one? He quickly glanced down at his belt. The bell were gone! He saw Naruto standing off to the side, bells in his hands and a grin on his face. He quickly disengaged Ino to try and retrieve them, but found that he couldn't move. Asuma gasped and looked down at his shadow. It was connected to one of the Naruto clones, who then puffed into Shikamaru.

"Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Technique) complete." Shikamaru announced for all to hear. Ino and Naruto let out a cheer, their plan had worked! Asuma let out a laugh.

"Ahahah! Damn, I shouldn't have underestimated you kids." Asuma smirked. "But now that Naruto has the bells, who's he gonna take with him?" To answer his question, Naruto tossed a bell to Ino and Shikamaru.

"Both. We know that this test was about teamwork Asuma-sensei." Asuma let out a sigh in defeat. Suddenly, he puffed into smoke, nothing remaining but Shikamaru's extended shadow. "What?!"

"Looking for me?" Naruto did a complete one-eighty, finding Asuma standing behind him, an ear-splitting grin gracing his features. "Congratulations, you all pass!" All of his kids cheered, even Shikamaru.

"Yatta, we did it dattebayo!" Naruto yelled excitedly. Naruto's verbal tic made his friends laugh.

" "Dattebayo?" I didn't know you had a verbal tic Naruto!" Shikamaru laughed.

"It's kind of cute in a way Naruto-kun." Ino giggled. Naruto grew flustered, a rare sight nowadays.

"Ugh, I thought I was over it a long time ago!" Naruto tried vainly to make an excuse, but his friends laughed even more. Asuma chuckled as well. After the laughter subsided, all turned to Asuma.

"Get ready kids, we will be training tomorrow at eight sharp, so don't be late." At that, the team went their separate ways for the day, returning home to tell their parents of their success.

Naruto arrived home to find Kisuke patiently awaiting him. By his side were two scrolls.

"Hello Tou-san, how has your day been?" Naruto asked.

"It was fine Naruto." Kisuke responded, albeit hesitantly. "I have your armor Naruto. I trust you have already sword your vows to Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Tou-san, I have. May I see my armor now?" Naruto asked excitedly. Kisuke nodded with a smile. Kisuke unrolled the scrolls and applied a bit of chakra to them. Two sets of armor appeared, both the same in structure, similar to Kisuke's, but varied in color. The metal on one set was midnight black, the cloth beneath a dark blue and covered with a layer of mesh. On the kabuto, a metal plate depicting the Uzumaki clan's swirl was placed where the kuwagata was. A respirator was also attached to the helmet, covering everything below the bridge of the nose. The other set had vibrant orange plates with a gold trim, the cloth a cool black. The orange set had a black jin-baori with a gold trim. On the back was the Uzumaki swirl, a deep blue in color. This set lacked a kabuto. Naruto stared at the armor in awe. He reached over and hugged his surrogate father close.

"Thank you, Tou-san. I will wear this armor proudly and will make sure to keep it in good condition." Kisuke pulled away from the embrace, a forlorn look in his eyes.

"Naruto, this is not the only news I bear. I must leave Konohagakure for an urgent matter in Yuki no Kuni. I may not be back for several months." Kisuke's expression hardened at Naruto's shock.

"Why Tou-san? What is going on in Yuki no Kuni that you have to leave for such a long amount of time?" Naruto asked, a deep worry filling his being. Kisuke sighed.

"Naruto, remember the two shinobi who had attacked us two years ago?" Naruto nodded. He tried to move past that night, tried to pretend that it never happened. He never asked Kisuke about it, but always wondered what had happened to the rōnin, wondered about his crime of desertion, of his former master. "Those men had been sent by the current daimyo of Yuki no Kuni, Kazahana Dotō." A tinge of anger graced his expression as he said the name.

"That man killed my master, Kazahana Sōsetsu, his brother and former daimyo of Yuki no Kuni. You see Naruto, I had originally came to Konoha to hide from Dotō, to disappear into the wind. But recently, I have received a letter from one of my former comrades. He intends to start a rebellion, to overthrow Dotō and put my master's daughter, Kazahana Koyuki, into position of daimyo." Kisuke met Naruto's eyes, a sorrowful look in his own. "I am needed there Naruto. I must take this opportunity to avenge my master's demise. I do not wish to leave you Naruto, but my honor demands that I bring that man to justice." Kisuke paused to let the information sink into Naruto's mind. "I go by an alias there, Naruto. I am known as the Shiroi Ryū no Yuki (1). I was the right hand of my lord, his most trusted advisor, and I failed to keep him safe." Kisuke grasped Naruto's shoulders. "I must do this Naruto." Tears welled in Naruto's eyes, but he nodded in understanding. Kisuke embraced Naruto, and held him close for several minutes.

"Promise me," Naruto started, his voice a hushed whisper. "Promise me that you'll return."

"I promise you Naruto, you will see me again, you can count on that."

The next morning, Naruto followed Kisuke to the stables to see him off. Kisuke was dressed in his armor, the sun gleaming off the reflective white surface of the plate. Ryū no Ishi was at his side as always. Kisuke mounted Khan, the great black stallion neighing in excitement, as if he knew that a great battle was coming. Kisuke reached down and ruffled Naruto's hair before driving Khan forward, the warhorse galloping at an astounding pace. Naruto waved fervently until Kisuke disappeared behind the horizon.

After the departure of Kisuke, Naruto began training under the tutelage of Sarutobi Asuma. During the duration of three week's, Asuma had taught his genin the tree-climbing exercise the water-walking exercise, and that D-ranked missions sucked. For the tree-climbing and water walking exercises,all three of the genin managed to do so without much difficulty. Shikamaru had it down pat, Ino got it on her third try, and Naruto on his tenth. The D-ranks on the other hand had caused much distress in the genin team, particularly Shikamaru. The lazy boy was so fed up with having to fix a fence, or weed a garden, or walk the Inuzuka dogs, all of which could have been done by a normal civilian. It was getting in between him and his cloud watching damn it! Even Naruto was somewhat annoyed by the tedious missions, and he was usually the calm one on the team. Today though, was slightly different.

"Today, we will be testing your elemental affinities." Asuma announced as he pulled out four slips of paper from his pocket. He handed one each to his students, keeping one to himself. "What you're gonna need to do is channel some of your chakra into that paper, and one of five things will happen depending on your affinity. If it's fire, then it will ignite and turn to ash, earth will turn to dirt and crumble, water will make it damp, wind will cut it in two, and lightning will make it wrinkle. Watch." Asuma held up his own paper and channeled some chakra into it. The paper was split into two, and one half was lit aflame , then turned to ashes. Ino raised her hand.

"Asuma-sensei, you said one of those things would happen. How come the paper was cut then burned?" She asked confusedly.

"It's because I trained with Katon jutsu so much that I built a secondary affinity for it. My natural affinity is wind. It is possible to have multiple affinities, but it is rare. Shikamaru, you start." Shikamaru channeled some chakra into the paper. Half of it ignited and the other turned to dirt. The genin all stared at Asuma, who was mildly surprised.

"What a coincidence, Shikamaru has a dual affinity for fire and earth. You're next Ino." Ino channeled her chakra into the paper. Half became wet and the other turned to dirt. They stared at their sensei again, a deadpan look on their faces. Asuma rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"That must also be a coincidence. Naruto, you're up." Naruto channeled some of his chakra int the paper. The slip split into two, one half becoming wrinkled while the other grew wet. They all once again stared at their sensei with expressionless faces. Asuma was completely baffled.

"Okay, never mind what I said before. That was obviously a load." Asuma sighed.

"So are you going to teach us any elemental jutsu, Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Considering the circumstances, I can help you with wind and Shikamaru with fire, but besides that I can only try to find other jōnin who have water, earth, and lightning affinities and send you to them." Asuma felt bad that he couldn't help Ino at all, but she had two affinities polar opposite of his own. There was nothing he could teach her himself.

"So what's next, Asuma-sensei?" Shikamaru asked in a tired voice. Asuma grinned.

"Well, I got us another mission." All three genin groaned. "Tora, the fire daimyo's wife's cat, is on the loose again and we need to capture her." Shikamaru had a tic mark on his forehead.

"A cat? We have to chase a freaking cat!? Trouble cat, troublesome mission, troublesome life! Kuso, kuso, KUSO (2)!" Shikamaru stomped around and cursed to the heavens. Naruto sighed and went to calm his friend down.

"Oi, Shikamaru, settle down will you?" The Nara met the blond's gaze indignantly. "I'll make sure that after this, we will actually get a mission that has some meaning to it." Shikamaru growled, but fell to the ground somewhat calmer. With the Nara calmed from his tantrum, Team Asuma went to start their mission.

"Flower, this is Bushi (3), I have sight of the target."

"Bushi, this is Flower, please confirm target coordinates."

"Target is in the alley between the Dango Shop and Nagaki Inn. Shall I approach the target?"

"Negative Bushi, wait until Shadow and I get into position, just encase the friendly approach doesn't work. Wait for our affirmative."

"Why are we doing this again? This whole thing seems more troublesome than it's worth."

"Don't you think it spices up the mission Shadow? I personally enjoy it."

"Of course you would Naruto, this was your idea after all."

"Shadow, stay in character! I'm having fun with this, so stop ruining it with your whining!"

"Troublesome, I'm in position Bushi."

"Flower is also in position."

"All right, let's nab this cat."

"Tora?" Naruto called. The cat quickly turned to him and hissed. Naruto just smiled at her, and knelt down. "Don't worry Tora, I won't hurt you. I come with an offer." Tora eyed Naruto carefully, relaxing a bit, but still ready to leap away at a moment's notice. "If you would come with us and return to Madame Shijimi, I will tell her the reason why you keep running away and will show her how to properly hold you." Tora meowed. "A whole fish now?" The cat nodded. Naruto sighed, but still smiled. "Fine, I'll get you a fish if you come with me." Tora cautiously walked to Naruto, still nervous about being forcefully captured, but was gently brought into his hold. Tora mewed in his arms, snuggling into his chest for more comfort. Naruto grinned as he raised one hand to his earpiece. "Target acquired, mission complete. Await for me at the Hokage's office."

"Affirmative Bushi."

"Finally. See you later Naruto."

Naruto walked to the city port, where the fish market was. "Okay Tora, what fish do you want?" Tora pointed at a rather large salmon at a nearby stand. Naruto paid for the fish and dropped it on the ground. "Here you go Tora." Tora leapt down to the fish and devoured it in seconds. Naruto sweatdropped at the sheer speed and voracity that the cat ate the fish. With a small burp, Tora mewed and jumped back into Naruto's arms, leaving only a skeleton left. Naruto started walking back to the Hokage's office, feeling relieved at a mission well done.

Naruto arrived at the office about ten minutes later, Tora almost falling asleep in his arms. A rather large woman squealed at the sight of the cat.

"Oh Tora, my baby, how I've missed you so!" The woman yelled as she rushed to take the cat from Naruto. Naruto stepped back from the woman, causing some confusion. "What's the matter shinobi-san?"

"I apologize Madame Shijimi, but I've found out the reason as to why Tora keeps running away. She says that you crush her with your embraces, and she finds that most unpleasant. If you wish, I could show you how Tora likes to be held." Madame Shijimi nodded and listened as Naruto explained to her how to hold the cat. After the lecture, Tora was now mewing happily in Madame Shijimi's arms, very thankful of the kind boy who made her life a lot easier.

"Thank you shinobi-san, I promise to take better care of her."

"Of course, Madame Shijimi, it was a pleasure." With that, the fire daimyo's wife left the tower, Tora scrambled over her shoulder and waved her paw at Naruto. She gave a small meow, and the two disappeared with the closing of the door. Naruto sighed at a job well done, and turned to see the stunned expressions of his teammates, sensei, and Hokage.

"I still can't believe that worked." Shikamaru said in disbelief.

"I still can't believe that you can talk to animals, Naruto-kun." Ino praised. Naruto shrugged.

"Eh, I used to talk to animals all the time when I was younger. It was just something I picked up."

Hiruzen coughed, bringing attention back to him. "Well, that was a job well done Naruto. The mission pay will be transferred to your accounts. And there will be a little bonus for saving the next generation of shinobi from the demon cat Tora."

"Hokage-sama." Naruto called.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"I believe my team ready for a C-rank mission." Naruto turned to Asuma. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Asuma-sensei, but I truly believe that if we do another D-rank mission, Shikamaru is going to go on a rampage."

"Damn right I will." Shikamaru muttered under his breathe. Hiruzen looked to his son for his approval. Asuma sighed. He wanted to make them suffer a bit more, but the look in Naruto's eyes made no room for argument. He relented.

"Yeah, fine. What do you have dad?" Asuma asked. Hiruzen shufled through some scrolls before laying three out on his desk.

"You have a choice of delivering a package to Sunagakure, attacking a bandit group operating along the Naka river, or escorting a bridge builder to Nami no Kuni and guarding him during his work." Naruto looked over the mission scrolls carefully.

"What do you guys think?" Naruto asked his teammates.

"I'm not so sure about going to Sunagakure. It's supposed to be really hot this time of year, so I'd rather stay out of it." Ino inputted.

"Attacking bandits seems too troublesome to do. I'd rather not get my hands steeped in blood at my current age, thank you very much." Shikamaru knew he had to kill eventually, just not right now. Naruto nodded and thanked them for their input. That only leaves the escort mission.

"We'll escort the bridge builder, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded, and Asuma took the scroll, reading the mission specs.

"I will inform the bridge builder then. You will all come here tomorrow at nine o'clock. Make sure to pack your essentials for the trip. You will be heading out tomorrow." The team nodded in unison. "Dismissed." Team Asuma left the room.

"Thanks for that Naruto, you're the man." Shikamaru said graciously.

"Of course, Shikamaru, what are friends for?" Naruto replied. Naruto suddenly felt more pressure on his back.

"Mou, I'm tired Naruto-kun. Carry me back home please?" Ino whined. Naruto sighed as he hoisted Ino into a better position for him to carry.

"As you wish, Ino-chan." Ino let out a small cheer. Shikamaru sighed in an exasperated manner. Why doesn't she just kiss him and be done with it? Despite the fact that Naruto is one of the greatest minds he have ever met, Naruto's limited knowledge about girls and their mannerisms made him one of the densest men in the world. If the world threw a harem at him, Naruto wouldn't even know what to do with it. Shikamaru scoffed at the thought. Like that would ever happen. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Shikamaru bid the two blondes a good night. Hopefully, he escaped just in time before they made kissy faces at each other.

With Shikamaru now gone, Ino became even bolder with her actions. She started nuzzling her head into the crook of Naruto's neck, finding a good place to rest her head on. Naruto noticed it.

"Feeling tired already, Ino-chan? It's not even dusk yet." Naruto asked the girl. Ino hummed a "no", her head still resting on Naruto's shoulder. She gripped him even tighter now, her thighs squeezing against his sides. Naruto noticed it but said nothing. They soon arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop, though Ino did not notice, too busy rubbing herself against Naruto's toned body.

"Ino-chan, we're here. You can get down now." Ino grunted in slight acknowledgment. Slowly, she slipped off his back and onto her two feet. She walked to the door, but stopped in front of Naruto.

"Thanks for the ride Naruto." She got in close, then pecked his cheek, causing the boy to grow red in embarrassment. Ino leaned into his ear. "You make a great pillow." She whispered. Naruto didn't even hear her, to stunned by the kiss she laid on his cheek. With the boy now shell-shocked, Ino giggled and entered her home. Naruto touched his cheek after she left. That felt, rather nice. A small, weird feeling grew in Naruto's stomach. What was this feeling? It felt like butterflies were fluttering around in his belly. He would need to ask Ino what this meant when they met tomorrow.

'That was weird, but I liked it. I wonder if Ino would do that more if I asked her?'

After Naruto got home, he opened the scroll he got from Hiruzen weeks ago. He had looked it over carefully, reading all the details about what the jutsu did, and the benefits it could bring. Naruto has been practicing the jutsu for a few nights now ,though he didn't have much success. But tonight he would do it, if only so that he would have a back up technique that would catch his opponents off guard. Naruto made the required hand sign and inhaled deeply.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." A puff of smoke filled the room for a brief moment, but now there were two Naruto's, both alike down to the last cell. Naruto and his clone slowly touched fingers, both feeling skin on skin contact. Both Naruto's grinned in happiness. "Yatta, I did it dattebayo!" They both said at the same time. Suddenly, a thought grazed his mind.

"Hey, can you henge into someone for me?" Naruto asked his clone. The clone nodded. With a puff of smoke, an exact of copy Ino was standing in place of the clone. "Um... Could you do what Ino did to me earlier?" The clone nodded, though with a slightly awkward look on its face. Slowly coming in, the clone placed a kiss on Naruto's cheek, exactly like the real Ino did before. Naruto struck a thinking pose.'It's similar, but different at the same time.' Naruto looked at clone Ino's lip's. 'I wonder...' Naruto suddenly leaned in, placing his lips on his clone's. The clone's eyes widened, but didn't fight the kiss. For a moment, the two locked lips fervently, albeit sloppily. After a minute or so passed, they disengaged, both panting slightly. Suddenly realizing what had just transpired, the clone dispelled itself in embarrassment as Naruto clutched his and screamed, the perspective of his clone now forever emblazoned in his memory.

"Gah, I'm a pervert! I thinking just like Inu-oniisan!"

Forgetting the events that, *ahem*, transpired the night before, Naruto adorned his battle armor and packed spares of his normal clothes and a sleeping bag, as well as a filled canteen and some ramen cups, and sealed them all into a storage scroll, which he promptly attached to his scroll holster. Naruto firmly secured the holster to his obi, as well as Kitsune no Kōkatsu. Naruto smiled in excitement.

He was ready.

Naruto met his team outside the Hokage's office, though they had hardly recognized him due to the helmet.

"Naruto, is that you?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto nodded.

"Hai, it is me, Shikamaru." Naruto replied, his voice slightly distorted by the respirator.

"Your armor looks really cool, Naruto-kun. I like it!" Ino said, examining the armor intently. Naruto was glad that the respirator covered his face, Ino wouldn't be able to know he was blushing.

"Thank you, Ino-chan." A lady, the Hokage's secretary, got their attention.

"Hokage-sama will see you now." She opened the door for them. Along with the Hokage, a grizzled old man stood by the desk. The man had a large, grey beard and glasses, and was wearing a large straw hat. He had a small canteen on his side in the shape of a gourd.. Hiruzen greeted them with a smile.

"Ah, here they are. Tazuna, this is Team Ten, led by my own son Asuma. Team Ten, this is your client, Tazuna." Team Ten offered their greetings, but the old man's expression hardened just a bit.

"This is my protection? Two kids, a samurai, and a smoker?" Tazuna said with a tinge of annoyance. He opened the gourd and took a swig of what they assumed was alcohol, judging from his breathe. "Surely you've got another team somewhere, one with more experience?" Hiruzen stared at the man, a bit irked by his dismal of the genin team. They were his shinobi. No one insulted his shinobi.

"Well Tazuna-san, you have payed for a C-ranked mission. That entails only the threat of bandits, something I assure you that this genin team can handle." Hiruzen's eyes stared calculatingly at the bridge builder." Unless there is more to this mission than you are letting on?" Tazuna gulped in anxiousness.

"O-Of course not! I was just a bit concerned when I saw two kids on the team." Tazuna assured nervously. He turned to Team Asuma. "I presume that you are all ready to leave now?"

The entirety of the team nodded in unison.

The group traveled quickly to wave. The genin team took positions around the bridge builder, Naruto taking point Ino and Shikamaru on the flanks, and Asuma taking the vanguard. They were making good progress, maybe only half a day's worth away. As they were walking, the genin team noticed a puddle at the side of the road ahead, all sharing the same thought.

'It hasn't rained in the last two weeks. Why is there a puddle?'

They cautiously passed the puddle, when suddenly a pair of shinobi jumped from the puddle and attacked Asuma. They wrapped a serrated chain around him, covering the jōnin from the neck down, before pulling. There was the sound of ripping flesh, and Asuma laid on the ground in pieces. Everyone was shocked at the sensei's brutal death before the genin snapped into action.

"Shikamaru, Ino, protect Tazuna!" Naruto ordered as he rushed the shinobi. They both wore respirators and a slashed Kirigakure hitai-ate, though one had a horn growing from the middle of it while one had it going from the top corner, as well as camouflaged clothing. They each had a large metal gauntlet with sharp claws, which was where the chain was attached, but had them on opposite arms of each other. Both had brown hair, though one's was smooth and shoulder length while the other's was longer and spiky, as well as dark eyes.

The brothers counter charged Naruto, sweeping to his sides, hoping to to catching him with their chain. Naruto drew his sword and channeled chakra through it, making the blade stronger and sharper. With a swing, Naruto sliced the chain, cutting the link between the two shinobi. They jumped away from him, and wrapped the broken chain around their gauntlets.

The spiky haired one glanced at his partner.

"Gōzu, take care of the samurai, I'll take care of the bridge builder." He ordered.

"Be quick about it Meizu, I don't wish to hurt these kids." Gōzu replied. Gōzu rushed to engaged Naruto, his gauntlet clashing with Naruto's wakizashi.

Meizu rushed to Tazuna, bearing his gauntlet to stab the man. Suddenly, he stopped mid charge. 'I... can't... move!' He glanced down and saw his shadow connected to Shikamaru. The Nara smirked.

"Too easy. Ino, take it from here." Meizu stared at the girl beside the boy, her hands forming a circle and pointed directly at him.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu! (Mind-Body Switch Technique)" Ino fired off her consciousness into Meizu, her original body collapsing into Shikamaru's arms. Meizu's body was now hers, and she rushed off to help Naruto.

Naruto and Gōzu launched a flurry of blows at each other before jumping back. Neither had been able to get a hit in, both aiming a for a non-lethal blow. Suddenly, Gōzu dodged a slash from Meizu.

"Meizu, what the hell are you doing!?" Gōzu yelled at his brother. Naruto used this opportunity to sneak up behind Gōzu and knocked him out. Naruto turned to Meizu, and both smiled at each other.

"Good job Ino-chan! Asuma-sensei, you can come out now!" Naruto called. Asuma stepped out from behind the brush, a small smile on his face.

"Good job team! I knew you could do it!" Asuma proudly proclaimed. Shikamaru frowned.

"You just wanted us to do all the work, lazy sensei." The Nara scoffed.

"That's like the pot calling the kettle black Shikamaru." Asuma retorted. Tazuna had a bewildered look on his face.

"What just happened?" The old man asked. He was met with stares from all members of his escort. Asuma stepped towards the man.

"What just happened was my team saved your ass from chūnin-level shinobi. Those were the Demon Brothers, a pair missing-nin, not just some ragtag bandits!" Tazuna was sweating profusely from Asuma's killing intent. "By lying about the level of danger too this mission, we are no longer obligated to continue. Give me one good reason why we shouldn't leave you here and go back to our village!" Asuma yelled in the man's face. Tazuna dropped to his knees and bowed.

"Please, don't leave! My country needs me to finish this bridge so that we can survive! Without it, my people will all die. Please!" Tazuna begged. His friends, his family were all in danger! He couldn't fail them now, not when he was so close!

Asuma turned to the rest of his team, who had just finished tying up the brothers. "What do you guys think, should we continue or head back?" He asked. He honestly didn't care either way. He knew his team was strong and could probably handle anything of similar skill to the Demon Brothers, but was still pissed at the man for putting their lives in potential danger. Naruto spoke up.

"I believe we can continue, Asuma-sensei. If the enemies we face are anything like the Demon Brothers, then we will have no trouble." Ino followed up.

"Yeah, look at how easy these guys were to beat! We can definitely do this!" Shikamaru sighed, but stood with his friends.

"It would be troublesome to have come all this way and not see it through." Shikamaru stated. Asuma nodded, and turned to Tazuna.

"It looks like we will continue, but bear in mind that you will pay the amount of an A-ranked mission after this is over. Know that we have only stayed with you because my team wanted us to. I wouldn't have cared if you were gutted by those shinobi back there, you do not put the lives of my students in danger." Tazuna gulped and nodded in understanding. The group resumed travel, albeit with a bit more tension in the air. Naruto called back to Tazuna.

"Oi, Tazuna-san, who exactly hired those shinobi to kill you?" Tazuna's eyes filled with hatred and sorrow as he explained.

"It was the shipping tycoon, Gatō of Gatō Company. He took over Nami no Kuni's trade routes and made a monopoly. Everything we buy and sell was controlled by Gatō, and soon our once prospering country became impoverished. That's why I have to build this bridge, to break the hold Gatō has over my country."

The group arrived at the border of Nami no Kuni, a large river dividing the two lands. A small motorboat awaited on the shore, along with a nervous looking man named Kaji. As group boarded the boat, Kaji pushed the vessel off shore. After a few minutes of travel, Shikamaru groaned, feeling sea-sick.

"God, how much longer? I won't be able to last much more." His face was an unhealthy shade of green. Tazuna shushed the boy.

"Quiet! We have to be silent, lest Gatō's goons find us!" The group managed to get to land before Shikamaru vomited. They continued on their way, the genin exuding a confident aura. After a while, as they were passing a small lake, Naruto sensed something in the bushes to the right them. He stopped and stared intently at it, causing the others to stop behind him.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun?" Ino asked as she came up to him.

"I sensed something in that bush." Naruto explained. Suddenly, a small white rabbit hopped from said bush, into plain view for all to see.

"Oh, its so cute!" Ino went and brought the rabbit into her arms. "Well, you were right at least about something being there Naruto-kun." Ino teased. Naruto tensed. He felt something there, and it wasn't this rabbit. Shikamaru stared at the rabbit. Its fur was white, but that shouldn't be possible, not during the summer. That could only mean that it was raised indoors. His eyes widened.

"EVERYONE! GET DOWN!" Shikamaru yelled. Everyone but Naruto ducked as a large sword came flying out of the woodwork. Naruto faced the blade and got into a firm stance.

"Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!" With a quick draw and resheathe, the sword was split in half. The two halves of the blade stuck themselves into two different trees, and an angry roar drew their attention.

"You brat! You cut my sword in half!" A deep voice came from above. Team Ten stared at a very buff man that stood on the lower half of his bisected sword. He had short brown hair and his eyebrows were almost nonexistent, a slashed Kirigakure hitai-ate haphazardly tied to his forehead. His eyes were a dark brown and gleaming with anger. The lower half of his face was covered with bandages. The only thing covering his chest was a strap that presumably held his sword. He wore grey and white camo pants with shinobi sandals. He was glaring down at Naruto.

Naruto met his gaze, unwavering. "You shouldn't have so carelessly thrown it like that if you didn't want to lose it!" Naruto rebutted. Asuma stared intently at the man, and quickly realized who it was.

"Stay back Naruto! Everyone, let me deal with him." Asuma warned. The genin quickly formed around Tazuna.

"Who is this guy, Asuma-sensei?" Ino asked. Asuma drew his trench knives and channeled chakra thought them.

"That is Momochi Zabuza, "The Demon of the Mist", one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and a jōnin level missing-nin. " Zabuza laughed as he wrenched the remains of his blade from the tree.

"It seems that my fame runs before me." He stared intently at Naruto. "I'm going to offer you your lives for the bridge builder's. Give him to me, and the rest of you may leave unharmed. Even you, little samurai, despite splitting my blade in twain."

"That's not happening." Asuma scoffed. He charged the man, bringing his knives to up into an uppercut slash. Zabuza blocked the strike, locking blades with the Sarutobi. The missing-nin kicked Asuma back, sending the jōnin flying. Asuma recovered and landed by the lake. Zabuza rushed him, and they locked blades again for a brief moment. Asuma backed off from the cleaver like sword and prepared hand signs.

"Fūton: Kazeryūdan no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Missile Technique)!" A large dragon made out of air roared into existence. Zabuza flew through his own hand signs

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Missile Technique)!" Another dragon, this time made out of water, rose from the lake and formed behind Zabuza. The two shinobi sent their dragon's forward, the great beasts of nature clashing and biting. The two jutsu canceled out. The two shinobi charged each other once more, exchanging a flurry of blows. Stealthily, a second Zabuza rose from the lake, behind Asuma, and flew through hand signs. Asuma did not notice the clone, focusing too much on his fight with the original. The genin team realized to late that there was a clone of the missing-nin.

"ASUMA, BEHIND YOU!" They called out, but it was too late. The clones thrust his hand out and Asuma was trapped in a sphere of water. Zabuza laughed at his victory.

"Good try, but not good enough." Zabuza approached the struggling form of Asuma. "I think it's about time that I get my blade fixed." With that, Zabuza stabbed Asuma in the leg, the jōnin letting out a cry of pain. As the sword was pulled from his leg, water covered his wound, preventing it from bleeding. "I wouldn't want you to die, my friend. Not until I kill that bridge builder." Everyone stared on as Zabuza's sword soaked up Asuma's blood, and began regenerating it's top half.

"How is that possible?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "No blade should be able to do that!" Zabuza let out a small chuckle.

"None except mine, little samurai." Zabuza answered. He held his sword in front of him, the blade still regenerating. "This is Kubikiribōchō, one of the seven swords of Kirigakure. This blade feeds on the blood of my enemies, and any damage done to this sword will regenerate, from the smallest scratch, to it being sliced like it just was!" As he finished, so did Kubikiribōchō's regeneration. The blade was now back to its full length. "Now hand over the bridge builder or else!"

"Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino! Take Tazuna and run away from here, quickly!" Asuma yelled from his bubble. Naruto stood his ground, and so did his friends.

"We're not going anywhere, Asuma-sensei. Not without you!" Naruto made a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" suddenly, twenty Narutos appeared along side the original. With a roar, Naruto and his clones rushed at the swordsman. "Shikamaru, Ino, find someway to free Asuma-sensei! I'll deal with Zabuza!"

Zabuza smiled and made his own hand sign. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." Ten more Zabuza's arose from the lake. Zabuza and his clones charged as well. The two forces met with a clang of blades, engaging in a battle on the massive scale. A Naruto clone puffed out of existence, followed by another, then a Zabuza clone splashed to the ground as water. As this was going on, Shikamaru was formulating a plan.

'We gotta get Asuma-sensei out of there so he can help Naruto. But he's on the other side of the battlefield. Maybe if Ino could use Shintenshin - no, then I'll have to protect Tazuna and Ino's body. Wait, that's it!"

"Ino, watch Tazuna! I'm going to free Asuma!" With that, Shikamaru ran off into the brush. Ino stood on guard, slightly worrying.

'Whatever you're gonna do Shikamaru, it better be fast. I don't think Naruto can hold Zabuza for much longer.'

The battle was still raging, though there were six shadow clones and three water clones left, as well as the originals. Speaking of which, shinobi and samurai were engaged in a very intense battle. Naruto thrusted at Zabuza, who caught the blade in the top hole of Kubikiribōchō. He swung the great blade at Naruto, but the samurai jumped on top of the sword and swung downwards. Zabuza flipped his blade, knocking Naruto off, and thrusted the hilt into the boy's stomach. Naruto grunted in pain, but landed on his feet. Naruto rushed the man once more, and managed to cut the man's left arm, creating a long gash, before getting hit in the back with the blunt end of the blade, getting sent into the air. He tumbled for a bit, but got back on his feet and skidded to a stop. He quickly brought up Kitsune no Kōkatsu, barely blocking a downward swing. Naruto grunted as he felt Zabuza press Kubikiribōchō down on him, his arms shaking trying to hold the great blade back. Zabuza let out a small chuckle.

"For a kid, you're not bad. Such a shame that you're going to die. All that potential, wasted!" Naruto grunted and planted a foot in Zabuza's gut, breaking the engagement. Naruto resheathed his blade, causing Zabuza to grow nervous. He knew first hand of the lethality of Iaijutsu, and did not desire to be sliced in half. The two were at a standstill, waiting for the other to make a move. Zabuza could not cast any jutsu lest he leave himself vulnerable, and Naruto would not be able attack without losing his advantage. All was silent, everyone to nervous to say anything.

Zabuza made the first move, charging forward with a battle cry. Naruto braced himself. Suddenly, Zabuza swung in a circle and threw the blade of his sword, the hilt detaching with a snap. Naruto's eyes widened at the oncoming projectile.

"Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!" Naruto quickly drew his sword and resheathed it. The blade of Kubikiribōchō split in half, and harmlessly flew past him. Having focused on the blade, Naruto lost track of Zabuza. Suddenly, a deep pain filled Naruto's chest. Naruto looked down. One of the blade halves had been lodged in his chest, piercing his steel armor with ease. Naruto could only stare in shock. He looked behind him. Zabuza was there, staring at him, a mournful look in his eyes.

"Sorry kid, nothing personal. Just business." Naruto collapsed to his knees, blood pooling around him. He heard screaming, but he couldn't turn his head back to see who it was.

"Naruto! NARUTO!" Naruto fell to the ground, slipping into blackness.

Shikamaru was finally in position. The clone ahead of him was watching the battle in entertainment. Shikamaru made a hand sign. "Kagemane no Jutsu." His shadow quickly lanced forward into the clones. The clone stiffened. Shikamaru grinned, his plan had worked. He made a gesture to grab an imaginary sword behind his back, the clone copying him. He himself grasped nothing but air, but the clone grabbed his copy of Kubikiribōchō. Shikamaru forced the clone to lift the blade and hold it at his gut. With a quick thrust into his stomach, the Nara heard a satisfying splash as the clone dissolved, dropping Asuma into the water as well. Asuma resurfaced and swam back towards Shikamaru. The Nara helped his sensei out of the lake and took off the bandages on his own leg and wrapped it around Asuma's wound.

"Are you alright Asuma? Can you walk?" Shikamaru asked the man. Asuma nodded, smiling at his student.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound. It hurts like a bitch, but I can power through it. Just give me a minute to catch my breathe."

It was then they heard Ino screaming. "Naruto! NARUTO!" The two shinobi turned their heads to the battle. It was just the originals left, but Zabuza was standing over the fallen form of Naruto. Their eyes widened.

"Oh no." Asuma whispered. He saw Ino run from Tazuna and to Naruto's body. He quickly puffed into smoke, replaced with the shocked form of Tazuna.

"Naruto... No... NO!" Shikamaru grit his teeth in angst and frustration. He slammed his fist into the ground, tears freely falling from his eyes.

"Naruto! NARUTO!" Ino screamed. She watched as Zabuza walked to his fallen body and reattach the hilt to the blade. He pulled it from Naruto's body, hefting the regenerating blade to his shoulder. She rushed towards the fallen form of her friend, her love, forgetting about Tazuna and ignoring Zabuza's looming form.

"No, Naruto, wake up! Please, you're not dead, you can't be dead! Please, get up!" Ino shook Naruto's body in a vain attempt to bring him back to life. Tears were falling from her face, and she hugged the boy close. Zabuza watched this in slight guilt.

"I know this doesn't mean much, coming from me, but he was an honorable opponent. I have only wished that I did not have to end his life at such a young age." Ino didn't even hear him. With that, Zabuza turned to complete his mission. However, as he turned, he was stabbed through the gut. He stared into the eyes of a wet and furious Asuma, before getting punched in the face. Zabuza stumbled back, covering the newly formed hole in his belly.

"You, YOU BASTARD!" Asuma charged at Zabuza, intent on killing the man and return home. So much shit had happened in the last few hours, and now this? He didn't care anymore if Tazuna was crucified and burned, he was turning back. But not without this bastard's head. Suddenly, Zabuza stiffened up, two senbon needles lodged into his neck. The missing collapsed, dead. Asuma looked into the direction of which the needles were thrown, and saw a hunter-nin, their arm extended. Black hair framed a white mask with a red design coming from the bottom of it. They jumped down from the branch, next to Zabuza's body.

"I thank you for assisting in the death of Momochi Zabuza, I have been tracking him for several months now." The hunter-nin saw the enraged expression on Asuma's face, and turned around to the sobbing form of Ino over Naruto's body. "I am extremely sorry for your loss. I wish I had gotten here sooner." The hunter-nin hefted Zabuza over their shoulder and left, leaving a grief stricken team to mourn their loss. Shikamaru approached his team with Tazuna following behind him. He collapsed to his knees at Naruto's body, silently sobbing with his fists clenched. Tazuna watched as the genin mourned their friend, and approached Asuma.

"I understand if you wish to leave-"

"No." Tazuna did a double take. What?

"What do you mean?" He asked Asuma, the man's dead eyes weeping for his student, whom he failed to protect.

"I mean, we are not leaving yet. That hunter-nin back there wasn't actually a hunter-nin. If they were, they would have just taken the head. Zabuza is still alive and I'll be damned if he lives while I'm still kicking."

"My house is not far from here. My family can provide you shelter and food while you fulfill you mission." Asuma glared at Tazuna.

"Let me be clear. I'm staying only so that I may see Zabuza dead, not because of this mission gone to shit. I'm only sticking around you because you're his target, and that's my best chance at finding him now." Asuma pushed passed Tazuna and carefully picked up Naruto's body, holding the boy close. His students flanked him, tears still dripping down their faces. They followed Tazuna to his home, still sniffling here and then. All of them were not looking forward to telling their friends and family about Naruto's death.

"... Am I dead?" Naruto asked himself as he traversed a meadow. He remembered the sword in his chest, the pain and blood forever etched into his mind. Then he fainted and then woke up here. He started mindlessly traversing the meadow, and then came upon a giant orange fox, who stared at the boy in an amused manner. "Am I dead, Kitsune-san?" He asked the great fox.

"No boy, I have seen to your wounds, and you are healing as we speak." The fox's voice boomed over the landscape, though Naruto stood there unaffected.

"Then where am I?"

"You are in your subconscious, which I must thank you for making it so beautiful."

"If this is my mind, then who are you, Kitsune-san?" The fox grinned at his question.

"I am the Kyūbi no Yoko. It is a pleasure to finally meet my warden." If Naruto was surprised, then he did not show it.

"It is also nice to meet you, Kyūbi-san." Naruto replied with a bow. Kyūbi stared at the boy in curiosity.

"Are you not fearful of me, Naruto? Many who hear my name tremble before they even see me." Naruto shook his head.

"Everyone who fears you do not know you, Kyūbi-san. I wish to get to know you first before I judge you. Everyone, even demons, deserves that chance." Kyūbi stared at Naruto for a moment, examining the boy.

"I must admit, you surprise me with your words. But know that most of what people say of me is true. I am a malevolent spirit, drawn to hate and sorrow." Naruto met the Kyūbi's gaze confidently.

"But I'm sure that that is not all you are. I'm sure that at one point in time, you were not like that, Kyūbi-san. You will not deter me from my goal." The two just stared at each other, exchanging a battle of wills. Kyūbi relented, and gave a large sigh.

"If that is your wish, then you are free to pursue it. But that will be for another time. You are waking up Naruto." Naruto noticed the world around him started to fade into black. He gave the Kyūbi a smile.

"Then I will talk to you later, Kyūbi-san. I promise you that." The great fox, too, began to fade.

"I will hold you to that Kit."

Naruto awoke with a start. He looked down at himself. The hole the sword made in his armor was still there, but the flesh beneath had reformed, not even leaving a scar. He was lying on the ground, outside of a house. He heard sobbing from his right. Naruto turned his head and saw Ino, her hands in her face, weeping. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen. So he spoke, in a hushed tone.

"Hey, Ino-chan. Don't cry." Ino's crying stopped as she slowly lifted her head. She stared at him in shock.

"N-Naruto?" She asked, her voice hoarse from her sobbing. She moved closer to him, and unstrapped his helmet, allowing blond locks to fall. Naruto's eyes were staring at her as he gave her his signature grin.

"It's good to see you again, Ino-chan." Ino's eyes began to well once more, but with tears of joy instead of sorrow. "Hey, why are you crying again, Ino-chan? I'm all right, don't you see." Ino hugged the boy close to her chest, determined to never let him leave her again.

Next time on Return to Prominence

"No way, you're lying!" Naruto told the girl. Haku giggled as she nodded.

"No, I really am a boy!" Haku insisted.

"Then prove it!" Naruto demanded. Haku blushed lightly.

"A-And how would I do that, Naruto-san?" Naruto came in close. Haku's blush grew more fierce.

"Like this, Haku-san." Naruto's lips met hers, shocking the girl into silence.

A/N: And that that's a wrap for the chapter. Oh good god, I tried to finish this before my spring break ended, and it is now 4:17 a.m.. School starts in about two hours. I'm gonna go to bed.

1. "Shiroi Ryū noYuki" "White Dragon of Snow"

2. "Kuso" "Damn it"

3. Bushi was the term used to describe samurai before the term was coined.

If you liked it, please leave a review. If you have any criticisms or questions, please also leave a review or PM me.