Naruto Chronicles: Avian Shinobi

Chapter 3

Speaking: normal

Thoughts, flashbacks, com-link, and notes: italicized

Jutsus, summons, demons: bold

Summons's and demon's thoughts, and mind link…: bold italicized

(): author speaking

…: Time change

~: Scene change

Summary: Slash-fic. After stealing the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office, Naruto finds a summoning contract left to him by his father's mother. Konoha will soon be taken by storm as the Avian Shinobi carves his name into the records of time.

Grey Orochimaru, evil-ish Danzo, and heavy bashing of Sasuke, Sakura, and the civilian council will be on the horizon.

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fan-made story made simply for the sake of enjoyment.

Warning: There will be trolling of the facepalm ahead and hilarity will ensue.

As Tazuna gawked at Team Anko, Hiruzen handed Kakashi the mission scroll. "Tazuna-san, Teams 7 and 13 shall be your escort. Between the two of them, there shouldn't be too many problems."

He then turned to his shinobi and said, "Kakashi, you will lead this mission with Anko as your second in command. See to it that Tazuna-san makes it home safely."

The two Jonin nodded before turning to their teams. "We'll meet at the north gate in two hours," said Kakashi. "Take this time to gather up any gear you might need for the mission and be prepared to move out."

Just as Naruto turned to leave, Konoha's resident harpy got in his face. "What are you doing here, baka? And how'd you get another team so fast?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and pointed to his hitai-ate. "In case you and your small brain haven't noticed, I am still an active shinobi of this village. I talked to Hokage-jiji and he talked to Anko-nee about taking me on. After she said yes, Hokage-jiji put me, Kura-chan, and Taka-chan on a team together."

Kurama snickered as he grabbed Naruto's hand. "Naruto-kun, don't waste your breath on this moron. I still don't see how someone with such a large head can have such a small brain."

From Team 7's side, Sai gave a fake smile and pushed his teammates out of the way while moving forward. "I've been saying the same thing to Kakashi-sensei for a month now. By the way, we haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Sai and I'm the shinobi that was chosen to fill in the gap that was created when you left these idiots in the dust."

Naruto gingerly shook Sai's hand before saying, "I feel bad for you, Sai. You have to deal with those two on a daily basis. Oh, and I'm Naruto Namikaze. Behind me are my teammates Kurama and Takami."

At hearing Kurama's name, Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto. "Naruto-baka, why is he wearing a hitai-ate? He's not even a genin."

Naruto bit back the urge to shout. "Anko-sensei…"

Dango stand…

Anko looked up from her plate and shook her head. "Oh, I'm not touching this one. Kakashi-senpai…"

Cemetery…

Kakashi had just placed a bouquet of flowers on Rin's grave when he did a facepalm out of nowhere. "I get the dumbest genin to teach. Sensei, I'm praying for your son."

Hokage's office…

Naruto grinned before placing his hand on Kurama's shoulder. "I thought I told you that my boyfriend's life is not your business. Anyway, you idiots might want to gear up for the mission. By the way Sai, come find my team if you ever want to hold an intelligent conversation. I can tell you have more sense than those two."

Sarutobi watched in amusement as the genin of Team Anko vanished in a swirl of feathers. He then cleared his throat and said, "I don't know why you're all standing around. You have a mission to prepare for so you had best get moving."

Later…

As the group prepared to move out, Kakashi put his book away. "We're going to travel in a modified dual-Manji formation. The outer positions will be Naruto in the north followed by Sakura, Kurama, and Sasuke going clockwise. Our inner positions will be Takami in the northeast followed by Sai, Anko, and me going counterclockwise. Move into position and prepare to head out."

Before anyone could move, Sakura held up a hand. "Why does Naruto-baka get the frontal spot and not Sasuke-kun?"

Anko looked at Sakura before raising a hand as if to facepalm. "I'm not even gonna waste my energy on this one. Kurenai-chan…"

Hokage's office…

Team 8 had just finished another D-Ranked mission when Kurenai felt the urge to do a facepalm. "Hinata, I'm gonna let you take this one."

The young Hyūga rolled her eyes as she did a facepalm. "Naruto-kun, if you can hear me, I'm sorry you're stuck with that idiot right now."

Village gates…

"Naruto's in the lead because both he and Kurama are sensors," Kakashi said. "Naruto can warn us when someone is coming at us and Kurama-san will know if someone is sneaking up on us. Now get into position so we can move out."

As soon as everyone had formed up, the two teams and Tazuna began moving down the path that led away from Konoha. After about an hour of walking, Naruto noticed a puddle on the side of the road. He then opened a mental link with Kurama and said, "It's a Genjutsu and a piss poor one at that. Should we act on it or let it go?"

He could feel Kurama pondering the situation in his head. "There are two of them and they're only mid Chūnin level. We'll wait and see what happens."

Just as Naruto made to respond, Kurama's senses kicked into high gear. "They're after Tazuna and plan to take out Kakashi and Anko first!"

Naruto summoned a three-foot long hawk feather just in time to see two rogue Kiri-nin wrap Anko and Kakashi in a bladed chain. Just as they were about to pull on the chain, Naruto threw the feather quill-first and shattered one of the links. "Takami, take the left one. Kurama, give him a hand."

As Kurama and Takami jumped at the Kiri-nin on the left, Naruto summoned another feather and charged in at the one on his right. The two of them were evenly matched until Naruto overstepped a strike. His opponent managed to capitalize on that and left a pretty decent cut on the blonde's cheek.

Meanwhile, Takami and Kurama were running circles around their opponent. Whenever the rogue had tried to hit one of them with his gauntlet, Kurama and Takami would use their animalistic reflexes to dodge. Just as Kurama was about to go in for the kill, he was brought to a halt when Naruto took a cut to the cheek.

Fueled by his rage, Kurama quickly jumped over the nuke-nin before grabbing his right arm and destroying his elbow. As the man howled in pain, Kurama grabbed his throat with a clawed hand and tore his windpipe out.

He then turned his attention to the other one and saw that Naruto had removed one of his arms and pinned him down. With a satisfied smirk on his face, Kurama gingerly strolled over and kicked the nuke-nin in the face. "That's what you get for trying to hurt my mate. Now, you're going to tell me why you were after the bridge builder and maybe you end up like your friend."

In response, the nuke-nin growled. "Go to hell, you little bastard. If I weren't pinned down right now, I'd rip you open and make your little fuck buddy watch you bleed out."

Before anyone could blink, Naruto grabbed his remaining arm and began bending it out of place. "Y'know, I could've left you alive for interrogation. Sadly, I already know who you are and why you're here. So Gozu, when you see Meizu in hell, tell him to spread the word that the legacy of Uzumaki Kushina is still alive."

Gozu's eyes widened at Kushina's name. He was seconds away from questioning Naruto about the woman when said blonde snapped his neck and rendered him lifeless. Naruto then turned to Tazuna and said, "You hired us to protect you from Gato of all people. Honestly, I'd say we should turn back if not for two reasons. For starters, that fat little fucker is currently in the top ten on my shit list. And the only way off that list is being put down."

Tazuna gulped as he wondered whether or not he had just made it onto the blonde's list. "What's the other reason," he asked with a strong sense of hesitation.

Naruto simply pointed at his hitai-ate. "Naruto Namikaze never abandons someone in need. You might've lied about the mission, but to turn my back on you would be dishonorable. Anko-sensei, what are your orders?"

Anko smirked before turning to Kakashi. "I can understand if you want to pull your team out. However, I'm still going to finish this mission. Naruto-gaki is right about us. To abandon this mission would be to dishonor everything we stand for."

Under his mask, Kakashi couldn't help but smile at both Anko and Naruto. He had known Anko before she met the blonde and he knew that the old Anko would've scrapped the mission in a heartbeat for being lied to. "Naruto-kun, your will is truly strong to have been able to change Anko like this. Minato-sensei and Kushina-sama would be proud of you."

He then turned to his own genin and said, "This is what I wanted you all to understand. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who betray their friends or would turn a blind eye to someone in need are worse than trash. We will continue on as well.

Gato's hideout…

The short business tycoon was furious. The two ninjas he sent to kill Tazuna had failed and his current strongest contact was kicked back on a couch like nobody's business. "Those idiots you sent out just got killed. I thought you said you could handle this. If you're going to be this ineffective, I'll just cancel our contract."

Without warning, the man on the couch lazily pointed the tip of a large zanbatō in Gato's face. "Calm down before you piss yourself, Gato. I guarantee that these clowns that Tazuna hired won't be able to match up to Zabuza Momochi. Just have my cash ready when I get finished."

Later…

When the Konoha group arrived at the docks, they saw that there was only a single boat. "This might be a problem," said Kakashi. "There's no way that boat will fit all of us."

Naruto smirked before turning to Takami. "Kakashi-sensei, your team can take Tazuna-san in the boat. We have our own method of transportation. Taka-chan will make sure of that."

Before Kakashi could begin to protest, Anko shook her head. "Take Tazuna-san ahead and we'll follow as back-up. Also, it would be nice for a little privacy if you get my drift."

Kakashi instantly nodded at the underlying message. Anko didn't want his team to see something they shouldn't. The Jonin pulled out a handful of smoke pellets and threw them into the air with as much force as he could. By the time the pellets began hitting the ground, the boat had already begun to sail.

Boat…

Kakashi watched as smoke began to form where his smoke pellets hit the ground. When the smoke began to clear, he could make out the scattering of dozens of birds and falling feathers. Smirking under his mask, he was about to enjoy more of his book when Sasuke decided to speak. "Kakashi-sensei, why did they use that smoke? Better yet, who exactly were those other two? I've never seen them around the village."

Kakashi sighed as his book reading was yet again put off. "Sasuke, just because Naruto has new friends, that doesn't mean you get to question his life. However, I'll indulge you a bit since you won't leave me alone if I don't. While Takami is a new face to me, Kurama-san is someone I have known for a while. When he first came to Konoha, he and Naruto actually hated each other."

"What changed that," asked Sai in honest curiosity.

Kakashi looked out to the sea before saying, "Kurama is older than Naruto by three months. Therefore, he felt the need to constantly belittle Naruto because he was older than the blonde. One day, Naruto had gotten fed up and challenged Kurama to a fight. That's when Kurama made a crucial mistake."

"Get to the point," Sasuke egged on.

Kakashi restrained his urge to groan before pulling out a kunai and cutting his finger enough to draw blood. "Kurama, in his desire to humiliate Naruto, counter-challenged him to take a blood oath. To put it short, it's an agreement sworn in blood that kills anyone who breaks it. Kurama set the rules so that the one to draw blood first would lose. He had been planning on using the oath to make Naruto his slave."

Sai thought back to the way Kurama acted around Naruto. "However, I believe it's safe to assume that Naruto-san was the victor."

Kakashi nodded at how fast Sai caught on. "Kurama always had a bit of a feral side. He had been studying about animals and found a reference to certain marks made by the dominant animal. His goal was to beat Naruto by biting him on the neck and forcing him to forever wear his mark of subjugation."

"So how did the dobe win," Sasuke asked in mild curiosity.

"Simple," Kakashi said. "When Kurama pinned him down and tried to bite him, Naruto threw him off by kissing him. Once the redhead was distracted, Naruto turned the tables on him and bit down on his neck hard enough to make him bleed. Because of the oath taken, Naruto now owns Kurama in every sense of the word."

During the entire conversation, Sakura had yet to speak. Sadly for everyone, she finally remembered that she had a working voice. "Kakashi-sensei, you still didn't answer the question."

Luckily, Kakashi was saved by the boat's docking. After thanking the rower, the Jonin lead his group further up the road. After almost an hour of walking, everyone noticed that a dense fog began to roll in. As everyone's visibility began to diminish, Kakashi silently prayed that Team Anko would hurry the hell up.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Sai tossed a kunai into the bushes. "Kakashi-sensei, there was something moving in there."

He then gripped another kunai and slowly moved into the bushes…only to return with a rather frightened white rabbit. Sakura grabbed the rabbit from him and shouted, "You're such a baka! You scared a defenseless rabbit for no good reason!"

Meanwhile, Kakashi was looking at the rabbit with a worried expression. "This rabbit has white fur in the middle of the spring. That could only mean that it was domesticated in a cold area and used for a…damn!"

At that exact moment, Kakashi could hear the sound of something moving at them at a rapid pace. "Get out of the way!"

Everyone ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by a large cleaver. Kakashi looked up to see the blade embedded in the side of a tree as well as a tall masked figure standing on the hilt of the blade.

The masked man turned to face Kakashi and chuckled. "I can see how a bunch of greenhorn gakis managed to avoid my Kubikiri Hocho. After all, it is to be expected of you Kakashi Hatake. However, you're on my battlefield now. Suiton: Kirigakure no jutsu!"

As the mist thickened and blurred everyone's sight, Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate to reveal a Sharingan eye. "Everyone, take up the Manji formation and don't break ranks."

Suddenly, Tazuna as well as Sasuke and Sakura were beginning to falter under Zabuza's killer intent. Sasuke gripped his kunai while thinking, "This is completely insane. It's almost like my like is fading away. At this rate, I'd be better off if I just…"

"Sasuke," Kakashi called out, "there's no need to panic. I won't allow any of my comrades to die. Besides, everyone knows that suicide never accomplished anything."

From within the mist, Kakashi could hear Zabuza chuckle. "So, it seems that the legendary Sharingan no Kakashi was able to dispel my killer intent. No matter, you'll all be dead before you can even think to use that Sharingan eye on me."

Kakashi readied his own kunai and said, "Stay on your guard. Zabuza is a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure as well as a master of the Muon Satsujin. If you move even a toe wrong, you'll be dead before you've even realized that he killed you."

"That's an impressive analysis, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice rang out. "Sadly, it's already too late!"

Kakashi turned to see the nuke-nin standing directly behind Tazuna. However, just as Zabuza sought to end the bridge builder's life, his blade was blocked by a…feather. "Is that a feather," Zabuza asked.

Team 7 managed to pull Tazuna out of the way just in time to hear a shout of, "Fūton: Daitoppa!"

Using the flat side of the zanbatō, Zabuza managed to avoid being blown away. Sadly, the same thing could not be said of his mist. The wind jutsu blew away enough mist to restore decent visibility and reveal Team Anko.

Anko turned to Kakashi and smirked. "So, Zabuza finally decided to show up. Thanks for stalling for us, Kakashi."

Zabuza let out a loud chuckle at the appearance of Team 13. "So, Anko the Snake Mistress took on a genin team. Look, I'm in a rather good mood right now. Leave the old man and I'll spare you and your runts."

Anko snickered before jumping back to join Kakashi. "Zabuza, you're fighting a losing battle right now. We're not going to give Tazuna up and we will not lose here. Naruto, take up a position with the others. Kakashi and I will handle this. If we go down, you will act as commanding officer of Team Anko."

Kakashi nodded his head at Anko's idea. "If we go down, Naruto will act as commanding officer…period. There will be no arguments and no questions asked. Between the six of you, Naruto has had the most training for these situations."

Anko let off a mad grin as she charged forward with a kunai in hand. She and Zabuza traded blows for a moment before she jumped into the air. What Zabuza failed to see was that Kakashi had thrown a kunai and used Anko as a distraction. Fortunately for the nuke-nin, he was able to substitute with a mizu-bunshin just before the kunai lodged itself in his eye.

Zabuza quickly changed tactics and went on the offensive before pushing Kakashi and Anko into the water. Just as the Konoha Jonin noticed that something was wrong, Zabuza smugly said, "Suiton: Suirō no jutsu."

Within seconds, Kakashi and Anko were both trapped in spheres of water. Anko smirked before looking up at Zabuza. "Team Anko, you know what to do."

Naruto nodded before turning to the other genin. "Team 7, form a perimeter around the client. Sasuke, take the lead of the defense and make sure it stays up."

Sasuke was smart enough to nod, but Sakura decided to be the one to mouth off. "Why are you giving orders like you're in charge? Sasuke-kun should be giving the orders around here."

Naruto got in Sakura's face and growled. "Listen to me and listen well. While you were busy doing your make-up and nails, I was busy studying battle tactics and strategies with the Nara clan. You spent your time reading fashion scrolls while I used my time to train for missions. When you became a kunoichi, I bet the only thing you did was watch Sasuke train. I, on the other hand, trained alongside my teammates and sensei to learn how to cover our bases. Therefore, you are not in the position to tell me how to do my job."

He then turned to Sai before saying, "I was told you can create drawings that can come to life and fight. Place two rings around Tazuna with as many drawings as you deem needed. I'm counting on you to defend him while we go on the offensive."

With a nod from Sai and a grunt from Sasuke, Naruto turned to his own team. "We're gonna play the Gambit formation. Start with pattern Delta on my mark."

Kurama, despite his playful and flirtatious demeanor, knew when to be serious. In a burst of smoke and fire, he had transformed into a three-tailed fox that stood as tall as Naruto's chest while on all fours. Takami followed suit and became a silver hawk that stood to the blonde's shoulders in height.

Naruto reached out to Takami's extended wing and gently pulled out a three-foot long feather. "Move out on my mark. Formation Delta…go!"

Without hesitation, Kurama shot forward while Takami took to the skies. It was years of experience that allowed Zabuza to weave around the kitsune's claws. He was then forced to use his blade as a shield again to avoid a downpour of feathers that threatened to rip into him.

Naruto watched Takami go into a dive before shouting, "Switch to formation Alpha!"

At that instant, the two animals became human again. Kurama flipped over a swing from the Kubikiri Hocho while Takami landed a drop kick that bounced Zabuza into the air.

Seeing his opening, Naruto ran to Kurama and used the demon's cupped hands to launch himself into the sky. During his fall, Naruto threw his feather like a javelin and destroyed the clone that kept Kakashi in place. "Switch to formation Gamma!"

Kurama smirked as his nails elongated into claws while Takami grew a pair of silver wings. The Kitsune charged at Zabuza and put him on the defensive while Takami flew up to catch Naruto before throwing him at the other clone. As soon as Naruto was in range, he slipped a kunai from his sleeve and brought it down on the arm that held Anko's prison.

As soon as Anko was freed, she ran over to the real Zabuza and joined in on the fight. Zabuza cursed as the two agile fighters managed to dodge every swing of his blade. "Well Anko-san, it looks like you got the cream of the crop. I've never seen a team of greenhorns work so well together since my old sensei kicked the crap out of the Seven and reformed our tactics."

Anko smirked as she left a decent cut on Zabuza's shoulder. "You would be surprised at what my gakis can do. Katon: Ryūka no jutsu!"

Zabuza jumped back as a spiral of small fireballs shot at him in rapid intervals. "Suiton: Suijinheki no jutsu!"

A column of water rose up at the last second to defend Zabuza from the flames. When the water dropped, it was revealed that the nuke-nin had been weaving hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no jutsu!"

An even larger pillar of water rose up and took on the form of an eastern dragon. Zabuza unleashed the attack only to have it blocked by a duplicate dragon. The nuke-nin quickly looked around to see Kakashi with his Sharingan still revealed.

Just as Zabuza began weaving handsigns again, he was forced to dodge a stream of green fire. He turned to Kurama and saw that the red haired shinobi had formed the "horse" handsign. "Katon: Shinku shuryō kitsune no jutsu!"

Zabuza was forced to dive under the water when a horse-sized fox made of red flames tried to bite into him. He had just managed to submerge himself when he saw the fox explode upon shutting its jaws. "I'm glad I wasn't on the receiving end of that," he grimly thought. "These are no greenhorns I'm fighting. They're a fucking three-man militia."

He then climbed from the water to hear Naruto shout, "Team Anko, retreat from the battlefield. I repeat, retreat from the battlefield. Anko-sensei, the team is fully on standby."

From his position, Kakashi was impressed with Naruto's leadership. "Naruto-kun, you might get your mother's mask after all. I haven't seen anyone lead a squad like that since…no way. It can't be…"

He then molded his chakra and shouted, "Suiton: Giant vortex jutsu!"

Zabuza didn't have time to move as a large torrent of water swept him to the shoreline and crashed him into a tree. Zabuza weakly pulled away from the tree and said, "Can you…see the future…with that eye?"

Kakashi slipped a kunai into his hand and readied himself to finish Zabuza off. "Yes, I can see the future. And your future…is death."

Just as the Konoha Jonin prepared to attack, a pair of senbon needles lodged themselves into Zabuza's throat. As the nuke-nin fell over, a Kirigakure Oi-nin appeared to pick up the body. "You were right about him dying. I thank you for distracting him long enough for me to strike. Now, I must return the corpse to Kirigakure as Mizukage-sama wishes to make an example of him."

Before anyone could utter a word, the Oi-nin vanished via shunshin no jutsu. Kakashi simply pulled his hitai-ate over his Sharingan eye and turned to Anko. "Anko, take command of the teams and get us to Tazuna's house. I can't even stand on my last legs right…"

No further words were needed as Kakashi promptly passed out and fell into Naruto's outstretched arms. The blonde looked at Kurama and said, "Transform and carry him on your back. It'll keep us from slowing down and being left open for an attack."

Kurama nodded and transformed into a large, three-tailed fox before crouching down. "Put him on my back. I'll make sure he doesn't fall off. If you can get me something that belongs to Tazuna, I can take the scarecrow to his home."

As soon as Kakashi was secured, Naruto walked over to Tazuna and asked for his hat. "If Kurama can catch your scent well enough, he'll be able to find your house and take our sensei on ahead."

Tazuna nodded and forked over his hat. "It's about thirty minutes due west if you walk. I hope that helps."

After sniffing the hat a few times, Kurama gently nudged Naruto's cheek with his nose. "Don't keep me waiting too long, Naruto-kun."

The blonde simply smiled as Kurama shot off faster that the Yondaime Raikage on a sugar high. He then turned to Anko and said, "Sensei, I have a lock on Kurama's chakra. We can follow it straight to the old fart's house."

Ten minutes later…

After a bit of running, the Konoha entourage soon arrived at a two-story house where a human Kurama and three kage bunshin had taken post. Kurama quickly approached the group and said, "Tazuna, your daughter is waiting for you in the house. Kakashi-sensei is sleeping upstairs and is virtually unharmed save for chakra exhaustion."

Without another word being exchanged, Tazuna ran into the house to check on his daughter. While that was happening, Kurama ran up to Naruto and wrapped him in a tight hug. "You know I don't like being out of your arms for so long."

Naruto smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on the biju's temple. "The feeling is mutual, my shinku tenshi. Still, it's a good thing that Sarutobi-jiji let us form this team. Now, let's go inside where everything doesn't have this crappy pastel coloring to it."

While everyone was filing into the house, Takami felt the pull of a summons and was whisked away in a burst of smoke.

Elsewhere~

Yagura watched Harribel in silence as the woman seemed to be caught in thought. This proved to net be the case when she said, "Yagura-san, there is something I must know. What will you do with the information I have given you?"

The former Mizukage looked at the fire for a moment before picking up his staff. "For starters, I'd like to meet this fiancé of mine. Kirigakure no longer needs me and it's time to start over."

He couldn't see it but under her collar, Harribel was smiling. She quickly pricked her finger on a kunai and weaved a familiar set of hand seals. "Ninpō: Kuchiyōse no jutsu!"

As soon as her hand touched the ground, Takami appeared in a blast of smoke. Harribel gave him a confused look and said, "Takeshi-san, you look as young as I remember you."

Takami gave the woman a confused look before breaking out into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry but I think you have me confused with my grandpa. My name is Takami and I'm the current liaison for the Taka tribe as well as Naruto's familiar. You must be Harribel-sama."

The blonde woman nodded before asking, "Were you with my grandson recently? If so, where is he right now?"

Takami smiled as he looked at Yagura. "He's currently in Nami no Kuni helping a man named Tazuna free the country from some tyrant named Gato. Do you need me to deliver a message to him?"

Harribel quickly shook her head. "No, do not let him know that you have spoken to me. It should take me a week to get to his location and I want to surprise him with a little gift."

Takami simply bowed before vanishing in a burst of smoke. As soon as he was gone, Harribel turned to Yagura and said, "We're moving out to Nami as soon as possible. It's high time for you to meet my grandson."

Tazuna's house~

Upon reappearing at the house, Takami quickly realized that he had been gone for only about three minutes. He quickly ran into the house where Naruto was conversing with Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami. Tsunami gave the teams a kind thank-you before pointing them to their respective rooms.

The arrangement was for Sakura and Anko to take one room, Sai to take the couch; Takami and Kurama to share with Kakashi, and Naruto and Sasuke share the other free room. Within seconds, Naruto denied her idea. "Tsunami, we can't agree to that idea. There's a bit of bad blood between our teams and having me and emo-teme in a room together would not be good for his health."

Tsunami had been a little confused but put the thought aside when Tazuna nodded. "He's telling the truth, honey. If those two get left alone together, Naruto would kill that punk. I think we should let him choose the arrangements."

Naruto nodded before saying, "Takami, Kurama, and I will share one of the free rooms. Sai and Sasuke will room with Kakashi-sensei. That leaves Anko-sensei with the other free room and Sakura on the couch because Anko-sensei doesn't share a room with anyone but her boyfriend."

Anko ruffled Naruto's hair and smirked. "I've truly trained you well, gaki. Get to bed because we have a lot to go over in the morning."

Naruto turned to his team and said, "You two can go and set up the room. I've got something I need to take care of. Sai, would you mind walking with me for a moment?"

The artistic genin said nothing as he followed Naruto out of the house and into the woods. After walking for a few minutes, Naruto stopped and turned around. "What do you have to report for me, Agent Brushstroke?"

As if flipping a switch, Sai stood at attention and pulled out a scroll. "These are Danzo's latest movements. One in particular shows that he has had dealings with…"

"Orochimaru," Naruto finished. "Does Danzo-teme suspect that the seal on your tongue is a fake?"

Sai shook his head and gave a fake smile. "He suspects nothing of the sort, Naruto-senpai. The old man still believes me to be his loyal tool. It seems as if his reprogramming is steadily working against him."

Naruto nodded before sealing the scroll away. "For now, keep up the act and bring me every last drop of information on the Root program. That teme has a lot to pay for and I intend to make sure that he pays in full."

Without any other words being said, the duo returned to the house and retired to their respective rooms. Upon reaching his room, Naruto was greeted with the sound of some heavy panting. Deciding to investigate, Naruto used his henge no jutsu to become a small ladybug and crawled under the crack at the bottom of the door.

*Lime Sequence*

Naruto watched as Kurama bobbed his head on Takami's pulsing eight-inch length. Kurama pulled up long enough to say, "If you think that's good, Naruto-kun has this one trick with his tongue that could make an Aburame blush. You'll need a lot more training with me before you can think to try and tango with him."

Takami could only moan as Kurama took him all the way to the root. The crafty kitsune chuckled as Takami bucked his hips upwards in an attempt to get Kurama going faster. In response, Kurama pulled up to the head and swirled his tongue around it while pumping chakra to the tip of his wet organ.

Naruto smirked while thinking, "With Kurama using that trick, Taka-chan won't last much longer."

True to the blonde's words, Takami bit down on his arm as he came in Kurama's waiting mouth. The biju drank every last drop before smirking. "I hope you enjoyed the show, Naruto-kun. I was just getting him ready for you."

*End of lime*

Naruto undid his henge and gave off a goofy grin. "If you keep that up, I won't even get a chance with him. Now, I want the two of you to get some rest and recharge. Something tells me that this mission is far from over."

Kurama nodded and moved over to let Naruto slip into the bed. As soon as the blonde laid his head on the pillow, Takami and Kurama took up either side of him. Within minutes, the three had given in to the call of Morpheus and were fast asleep.

Next morning…

The genin of Team Anko awoke to the sound of said Jonin knocking on their door. Anko poked her head in and said, "I just wanted to let you know that Kakashi is awake. You can talk to him when you're done being naked."

Naruto huffed and threw a pillow at Anko's head. The woman dodged the soft projectile and laughed her way out of the room. Naruto gave an amused sigh before slapping both Takami and Kurama on their asses. "Get up and get dressed you two. We need to talk with Kakashi-sensei."

After getting dressed, the trio entered the other room where Kakashi was laid up in his sleeping roll. Naruto gave a brief smile before saying, "Kakashi-sensei, we have a serious problem. This mission is going to run on a little longer than expected."

From the doorway, Sakura walked in after hearing what Naruto said. "What are you talking about, baka? All we have to do is watch the old man for a few days and go home."

Naruto rolled his eyes before slapping an exploding tag onto Sakura's mouth. "If you touch it, I'll blow your head off. I'm getting sick of you butting in when your commentary isn't needed. Anyways, I think you'll all want to know that Zabuza is still alive."

Gato's hideout~

The Oi-nin was about to use her pliers to remove the final senbon from Zabuza's neck when a bandaged hand stopped her. "You don't always have to be so brutal, Haku. And take off that ridiculous mask. I don't know why I let you keep that thing."

The now identified Haku pulled off the mask to reveal the face of a young woman with brown eyes. "You shouldn't move too much, Zabuza-sama. You'll be out for at least a week if not two with those injuries."

Zabuza scoffed as he sat up. "That's true but I know the fight will be different next time. After all, you'll be there with me. However, I'll give you a fair warning. There's a blonde kid who might give you a serious problem."

Haku smiled as she removed the last senbon. "I will be prepared for whatever comes, Zabuza-sama."

Just then, Gato and two of his goons strolled into Zabuza's room. Gato gave the nuke-nin a sneer and said, "You lost to a group of brats, Zabuza. I honestly don't know why you're on my payroll if you keep failing like this. Hell, I should just do you in myself and save on the money."

As Gato moved in to choke Zabuza, Haku caught his arm in a death-grip and gave him a murderous glare. "You will not touch Zabuza-sama with your filthy hands!"

Gato struggled to get free and turned to his two thugs. "Kill this bitch!"

However, both of them froze up as the swords they previously wielded were now being pointed at their throats by Haku. "Get out before I slit your throats while forcing you to watch Quest for Camelot!"

Gato took a step back before turning to the door. "I'll give you one more chance but that's all you get. Don't waste it."

As soon as the trio was gone, Zabuza moved the covers to reveal a hidden kunai. "Haku, that was a bit excessive. I understand the throat slitting, but that last part was a bit harsh."

In response Haku gave a simple smile. "Actually, I have the Twilight movies and The Last Airbender movie in the back."

Zabuza gave the girl a wary look while discreetly sliding away from her. "Jeez, you really are evil!"

He then dropped the kunai and said, "All jokes aside, you need to be ready for the next fight. There's something about that blonde that sort of unsettles me. Even as far as ninjas go, that gaki is hiding something."

Elsewhere~

Harribel watched as Yagura doused the fire that lit the cave. She then looked out to the ocean and said, "Let's get moving, Yagura. We have a country to explore."

Chapter end~

Hello, my dear readers. King Cairo is back to wrap up another chapter. While I'm here, I think I'll answer a few asked questions.

First, for anyone wondering, Naruto is the seme of this relationship. I don't have it in me to write him as the submissive type simply because it's not how I see him.

Second, if you're wondering why Kurama looks ready to have Naruto screw him against any available surface, it's because he is. He's at least three times as old as Madara Uchiha and has been locked up for almost two hundred years. It should be understandable that his libido is in overdrive.

Third, that is indeed Tia Harribel from Bleach. I loved her character and hated how that rat-bastard Aizen killed her. Plus, she's just that cool.

Finally, I chose Yagura because it's kind of an untapped market. There's potential for the ship but nobody wants to explore it.

And now it's time for the translation list.

Jutsu/Translations…

Suiton: Kirigakure no jutsu /Water style: Hidden Mist Technique.- I shouldn't even have to explain this one. Simply put, it enshrouds the surrounding area in a dense mist.

Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu/Wind style: Great Breakthrough Technique.- I shouldn't have to explain this one either. It's a wind jutsu that blows away anything in its path. It is first seen in the Chūnin Exams when Orochimaru blew Naruto away in the Shi no Mori (Forest of Death).

Mizu-bunshin/Water clone Technique.- 'nuff said.

Suiton: Suirō no jutsu/Water style: Water Prison technique.- Creates a ball of water to enclose and possibly drown victims. Only natural way to survive is to escape or be a fish. Unnatural ways to survive include being Kisame Hoshigaki or Hidan.

Katon: Ryūka no jutsu/Fire style: Dragon Flower Technique.- According to Google Translate, that is the actual translation which suits me just fine. It's a fire jutsu that, when used correctly, appears to take on the image of a flower when looking at it head on. This translation is also used for the Dragon Flame technique.

Suiton: Suijinheki no jutsu/Water style: Water Encampment Wall Technique.- A water jutsu that surrounds the caster in a column of water to defend them from offensive attacks. First used in the anime be the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, during the invasion of Konoha.

Suiton: Suiryūdan no jutsu/Water style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.- Do I really have to explain it? Just watch the Kakashi vs. Zabuza fight and you'll see it.

Katon: Shinku shuryō kitsune no jutsu/Fire style: Crimson Hunting Fox Technique.- Summons a torrent of crimson flames that take on the shape of a fox and charges down its target. Upon contact with target, by way of biting down, the fox explodes and does immediate and area damage.

That's all I have for now. I'll see you all in chapter 4.