THE UZUMAKI BRIGADE

"…Arc-Gurren. Its been a long time, hasn't it Boota?"

Standing in line, ticket in hand, Simon was thinking back to the glory days with Yoko, Viral, Kittan, and all the other bold characters he fought alongside.

"*Sigh* How many did we lose that day Boota?"

"Thinking back on it, we lost about twelve of our closest friends."

"Holy crap! Boota! You can talk!"

"Bhu?" squeaked the little pig-mole.

"No, you idiot!" Simon was slapped hard on the back of the head. "It's me!"

Simon turned around to find a large pair of barely clad breasts staring him in the face. There was only one person Simon knew of that was like that…

"Yoko! Wow, it's been a long time! How are you?"

"*sigh* Simon, you are so clueless! Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother."

"Hehe, yeah I tend to make people wonder. But it's good to see you again."

"Likewise. So let me guess, you are going to a distant planet to train a kid to use Lagann?"

"Yup! You going to do the same, but for Gurren?"

"No, markswoman training."

"Ah, then I guess Viral will be training the Gurren pilot."

"Is he joining us.?"

"He intends to meet us there."

"Oh…"

"…Remember the last time we didn't see each other for a while?"

"Yeah. That was when everything changed."

"Hehe. I still remember the first thing you said when I saw you. 'So I don't see you for a while, and you have to go and turn into a real boring bitch…Nia.'"

"Hehe. Word for word. I'm amazed you remember that day."

"Well, call me someone who lives in the past."

"Heh, let's get on the ship, before they leave us behind and we piss Viral off. We can catch up more once we settle in."

"Right."

I.I.I

"With more passion Hinata! Show me that fighting spirit!"

Back in Konoha, Kamina was showing Hinata how to work Gurren. Making her go through strenuous workouts operating the large gunman.

"Now weave left! Your OTHER left! Now punch! Kick! Good, twice more! Then you can take a break."

"*Huff huff* Kamina-san, how do you manage to do it?"

"Like I said, fighting spirit! Any problem can be solved with a bit of spirit!"

Five minutes later, Hinata found herself on the ground, leaning against a large tree. As she rested, letting her breath return, Naruto walked up, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks.

"Hey, how you holding up?"

"*Huff* Tired."

"I don't blame you. Here, it's my secret energy drink."

"It looks like cranberry juice."

"It is, but it has one special ingredient."

"And that is?"

"My little secret."

"Aw c'mon?"

"Nope."

"Awww!"

All Naruto really did was crush a soldier pill and mix it in to the juice. It sped up chakra recovery, while providing nutrients to growth. A win/win.

"Hehehehe! Naruto, quit tickling me with your tail!"

"What? You mean like this?"

Naruto began to rub a spot along Hinata's back that seemed to send her into a fit of giggles. It had the desired effect immediately.

"N-Naruto-kun! Quit it! That tickles!"

"Hehehe!"

I.I.I

Kamina watched as the two genin sat under the tree talking. He wished so desperately to have that again…A girlfriend, not the talking part under a tree.

"Just a few more days, and I can get Yoko back! I can't wait to see the look on her face…her beautiful, beautiful face."

"Kamina! Hey Kamina! Snap out of it!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry Gimmy. Just thinking."

"That's rare."

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding!"

"Hmph! What do you want Gimmy?"

"We need you to head down to the hospital, and keep Shikamaru company."

"Why me? I need to train Hinata!"

"Dude, you had Gurren maybe a month before General Thymilph speared you to death. Darry has used Gurren for three years now. She can handle the training."

"But-"

"No buts! Besides, you might be able to find out something about his attacker if you go. Do it for Naruto."

"…Fine! But I won't like it."

Kamina sulked away, grumbling about unfairness and that Gurren was his originally.

I.I.I

"Poor Aniki. He can't catch a break."

"Not true Hinata. In two days, Kamina is going to get back the love of his life, and his old brother."

"His brother?"

"Oh, right. You didn't hear Gimmy say it. Anyways, along with Yoko, Simon is going to be joining us."

"Simon? You mean the original Lagann pilot?"

"The very same."

"So that means…"

"Most of the original Dai-Gurren team will be joining Sector Seven."

"…Do you really intend to use that as the team name?"

"It's a work in progress."

I.I.I

"Filthy human scum! If only I wasn't bound to that waste of flesh, I'd tear his damn head off!"

"Oh calm down Ryu. Getting worked up over it won't do you any good."

On the other side of the clearing, Ryu and Minato were sun bathing on a pile of rocks. But Ryu, being the demon that he was, just couldn't relax in the presence of weaker beings, namely Naruto and Hinata.

"How can you be so calm Minato? Doesn't it digust you to see those weak-minded kids?"

"Hey!," Minato snapped opening one eye. "I'll have you know that one of them is my son, and the other is his fiancée! That girl ALSO happens to be my master! If you bad mouth them, you'd better be prepared to fight it out!"

"I wasn't referring to them!" Ryu said suddenly, a hint of fear in his voice. "I was talking about…uh…those two over there!"

"Gimmy and Darry? Those are his friends!"

"Did I say them? I meant-"

"STOP…right there. Before you dig a bigger hole for yourself. Just shut up and enjoy the sun."

I.I.I

Back on Earth, aboard the Arc-Gurren, Simon and Yoko were just settling in. They were about to take their seats when…

"YAAAAHHHH!"

"What is it Simon?"

"It's…It's…"

As he stuttered, Simon pointed to the small figure at the seat next to his.

"Now now Simon. You should know better than to make such a ruckus. Do I have to hold you down myself?"

"L-L-L-Lee…ron!"

Sitting at the window, was a small, feminine guy wearing too ,uch makeup and staring at Simon like he wanted to make out with him. It was a disgusting sight really. The guy oozed pedophilia.

"Leeron!"

"Yoko sweetie! You're looking as young and kicking as you did three years ago!"

"You too! How've you been?"

"…Rossiu has been keeping me busy designing new gunmen for the war. I haven't had a good night's sleep for the past ten years now."

"You mean you slept good when Lord Genome controlled the world, but not when Simon or Rossiu did?"

"…I can't explain things!…Simon, I will hold you down if I have to." The half-male said in a threateningly sweet tone.

""I-I-I-I-I w-wonder if i-its t-too late t-to g-get off?" Simon stuttered.

"Simon, just sit next to the guy. It's not like he's gonna rape you."

"You mean like he tried to when I was a kid?" Simon asked, bad, suppressed memories resurfacing.

"That's water under the bridge. I won't try to rape you."

But maybe a kiss wouldn't hurt. Leeron thought to himself with a twinkle in his eye.

"I know that look! Yoko, you take that seat! I wan't to be as far away from him as possible!"

"…Fine." Yoko said with a huff. "Honestly, I don't know what it is about boys and their fears of gay men. If it was two women, you'd be all oer it."

"No I wouldn't! Nia was the only girl for me!"

"Least you can say he was loyal," Leeron whispered into Yoko's ear.

"Damn. I KNEW I should've brought Kamina's sword with me."

"It wouldn't have done you any good sweetie. The planet we're going to is filled with ninjas."

"What's a ninja?"

"They're like a type of person that can use Spiral Energy to help them fight without a gunman. Most are really quick and strong, and would cut you in two before you unsheathed the sword, baby."

"Can you stop calling me that? I'm twenty years old, give me some credit."

"*sigh* Boys and their titles."

I.I.I

Within a small spacecraft flying towards Naruto's planet, Viral was thinking about what Gimmy told him over the Long Range Comm link, or the LRC as they preferred.

I.I.I

"Lagann X reporting. Code: Zero, Zero, Alpha, input!"

It had been two weeks since hearing from his old ally. By that time, Viral had assumed they were dead. So when Gimmy's face appeared on Viral's private comm link, he thought it was an Anti-Spiral hacking the system. It wasn't until Gimmy said Viral's encoded password that the Spiral HQ leader believed it was the one and only.

"Confirmed. Good to know you're still alive Gimmy."

"Got lucky is all. If not for the fact that I landed on a planet where the natives can use their spiral powers without gunmen, I'd have been toast. "

"They can use their power openly? Hmmm."

"Listen, we have a crisis. I'm pinned down on this planet, and more of those damned lackeys will be here soon. I need backup."

"What about Darry?"

"She's fine (besides dying and being brought back to life) and sends her regards. Gurren's trashed, so all we have is Lagann. I know I may be asking for too much, but can you send in some gumen? I think we might be able to end the war thanks to my new friends."

"How so?"

"While untrained in pilot skills, the natives have an excessive amount of power. They know how to harness it, so it would take no time at all to train them in the necessary skills to defeat our Nemesis."

"How can you be so certain?"

"The first person I met on this planet was named Naruto. Guess who he reminded me of?"

It took Viral a moment to think of an answer. When he did, his eyes widened considerably.

"Exactly. He also brought someone else back into the fight. Someone you know all too well."

"Who?"

"I don't want to spoil all the fun, so I won't say. But I think you'll have an interesting time with this one."

"Are you suggesting I leave HQ and come to some uncharted planet to meet an uncertainty?"

"No. I'm saying you should leave HQ to step back into the fight and help end the war. The chief of this village is pulling out all the stops for this. He has more experience with wars than a good piece of all the Spiral races combined. He knows what to do, and I've been setting up plans and traps with him. Thanks to the inhabitants of this world, we can end the war for good!"

"How can you be so certain that this will work?"

"The same way Team Dai-Gurren accepted an enemy as Gurren's pilot."

"…"

"Trust me on this one Viral. You'd do better on the front lines than at a desk pushing pencils."

"…I'll consider it."

"That's better than no. Can I also ask you to send Yoko and Simon over?"

"It wouldn't be right to leave them out of the mix they started. I'm having your coodinates traced now, so I know where to send them."

"Thanks Viral…Oh, and before I forget, try to be subtle about entering this planet. This planet is centuries behind us, and a giant spaceship won't help the situation. We can't have a panic breaking out."

"*Sigh*…Anyone ever tell you how demanding you are?"

"Only as much as the guy I follow."

"Viral, out."

As the screen went dark, Viral couldn't help but smirk at Gimmy's plan. While trying to weigh his options, Viral just found himself leaning to the possibility. It wasn't like they had done reckless things before. Doing it just once more might be the key to victory, as it had been all those years ago.

"I guess I'd beter get ready for a long trip. I have a feeling I won't be coming back…Just like three years ago."

I.I.I

…The next day, Naruto had begun his intensive training with Sarutobi, Gimmy, and Kurenai. It was difficult, as his clones, while many, were unable to do much besides expend chakra. And that was only good for Sarutobi's chakra exercises. Piloting Lagann meant getting knocked around by Gurren (piloted by Hinata), and Kurenai was training his genjutsu to the Chunin level. It was a hard challenge, as she was teaching him jutsu just out of his capacity. Only when his clones with the Old Man vanished, did he gain enough control to muster up a weak attack. But she insisted he learn them, as they would need to go on difficult missions soon. He, in turn, would teach Hinata the jutsu, and help maintain a strong team.

Naruto was finishing up on a new skill when Gimmy came up to him, out of breath.

"N…Naruto! Glad I found you!"

"Gimmy, you okay?"

"Just…out of breath…I need you to…come with me."

"Where to?"

"Behind the Monument. We have a special guest to greet today."

"But Simon and Yoko won't arrive until tomorrow."

"It's not them. He made the decision to keep his arrival a surprise. But we need to be at the field, and fast."

"Got it. Hold on."

"Wait! We need Kamina."

"Why?"

"Heh, you'll see," Gimmy said with a grin.

As they left, Kurenai just stood there, confused as to what the rush was about. Might as well go supervise, just in case. She shunshined over to the monument to see what was going on.

I.I.I

"So who are we meeting Gimmy?"

"Patience Kamina," Gimmy said looking at the sky. "Also, can you hand me your sword?"

"Uh sure. Why?"

Gimmy pointed up to the sky with the sheathe. A red spark was slowly getting larger in the darkening sky. As it got larger, it did so slowly. When the strange spark got within a certain height of everyone, the object became known to them.

It was a small, white, round object that looked to be only slightly larger than a tall person. It was still smaller than Lagann, and it was clearly not a gunman. That put everyone's fears to rest. When it landed, the humming noise it made died down, leaving the area deathly silent. A latch opened up in the front, and out stepped something Naruto had only seen one place before.

It's Viral, the guy from the wedding!

"V-Viral? Gimmy, this is the guy you were talking about?"

"How did you know about Viral?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later."

Viral, dressed in his mahogany suit, walked over to Naruto, and placed his hand (or was it a paw) on the boy's head.

"You must be Naruto. Gimmy told me about you and your abilities with Spiral Power. I can't wait to see how good you are piloting Lagann."

"I'm just learning all that now."

"What? Gimmy!" Viral shouted, looking at the red-headed boy. "You haven't even begun his training?"

"I never had the chance! We were so busy up until two days ago that I didn't get any time to start it!"

"Hmph! Well see to it that you get right…on it."

At the last second, Viral turned his head and found he was looking Kamina in the face. What was his old enemy, long known to be dead, doing on this distant planet? Viral had even visited his grave on more than one occasion to pay his respects and apologize for his actions.

"'Sup, furball?"

"…K-Kamina? What is a naked ape like you doing out here?"

Gimmy winced when Viral shouted. It had been forever since hearing his leader talk like that.

"One of the things Naruto can do is bring back the dead." Darry said quietly

"Yup, back from the dead and ready to shred! Gimmy, is this why you took my sword?"

Viral walked over to his old enemy, and clasped him on the shoulders, like he was an old friend.

"Heh…Heheheh. Not even death can break you, eh? Good, that means I get more chances to do so myself!"

"Good luck, 'cause you ain't gonna beat me. Thymilph's spear failed to win, and so will you. No matter what you try, you're just an old dog with no new tricks."

"But this dog still has his fangs," Viral said with an evil grin.

"Too bad they've been whitled down to something weaker than a butter knife."

"Still as arrogant as ever I see. I think we are going to get along…just…FINE."

I.I.I

"Was it really a good idea to get them drunk?" Naruto asked, turning to Kurenai.

After the events at the landing site, Kurenai had taken all of them to dinner, putting the bill on Sarutobi's tab. When night fell, she brought them all to the bar for a few drinking games. She had Kamina and Viral drink about three times the normal amount, getting them piss drunk in record time.

"It was the best way to stop the fighting, and have a little fun!"

"How did you know they would be THAT type of drunk?"

"I didn't."

Both teacher and student looked over to the counter, where Kamina and Viral had two mugs in their hands, and the other arm hanging over the other's shoulder.

"No, I love you man!" Viral said, only a tad less drunk than Kamina.

"N-urp-No! I l-love…you!"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't sure what to make of this.

"This is crazy. Maybe we should get them home before they black out and forget the whole night?"

"Why spoil all the fun? The night is still young my apprentice!" Kurenai said with a smile.

"We still have to worry about Simon and Yoko landing tomorrow."

Naruto felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and turned to see Gimmy with a glass of scotch in his hand. This scared the crap out of Naruto, until he handed it to Kurenai, thanking him for getting it for her.

"Don't worry Naruto, they won't arrive until sundown. This is to avoid startling any civilians about 'other intelligent life' on other planets."

"If you say so. But I still need to get home and sleep. I have too much training to take care of to spend the night out drinking."

"You're allowed to drink?"

"Well, the age requirement in Konoha is fifteen. I'm thirteen, but have special access thanks to my lineage."

"That seems a bit unfair."

"What's the minimum age on Earth?"

"…Twenty-one."

I.I.I

"*SNORE* Oh yes hon! Riiiiiight there!" Leeron cried out in his sleep.

"Psst! Yoko, is he having a gay dream again? I'm kinda scared." Simon whispered to his old friend, scared of Leeron now more than ever.

"Why are you asking me? Why don't you try to figure it out?" Yoko whispered back, a blush on her face.

"As if I'd go anywhere near that bastard!"

"I can't be expected to help you every time you…"

'What?"

"I really hope that is a pickle in his pocket!"

I.I.I

Naruto was excited, to say the least. Today was the day Simon and Yoko would arrive. And while Viral was cool, he didn't have that flare that Kamina said Simon had. It was something you saw in his eyes that inspired you.

"Naruto, I understand you're anxious to meet Simon, but you need to focus on your chakra training."

Sarutobi had him perform some boring exercise where Naruto released his chakra through his fingers into five random areas, each supposedly represented an element. He had to observe the patterns his chakra made, and this would help him with his control issue. It still bored the piss out the blonde.

I.I.I

"Naruto, sidestep left, Hinata, put more power behind your punch! Come on you two, faster! You think the Anti-Spirals will care if you're new to this?"

Behind the Hokage Memorial, the original Naruto and Hinata were training in their gunmen to counter the forces that intended to destroy the Spiral race, and control the universe with an iron fist. It was straining, to say the least. Every hit Lagann took, Naruto thought he felt the same amount of his brain disappear. And having Darry shout at them was a pain in itself.

"Naruto, don't forget that you have a drill! You don't have to dodge the attack, you can go under it! Try it now!"

Lagann released the drills in it's arms, and pierced the ground. The dirt gave way instantly, and Lagann vanished. He resurfaced a second later behind Gurren, and rose into the air. As Darry looked on, she calculated the angle and trajectory the small gunman was heading, and saw that it was going to collide with Gurren.

"Perfect," she thought. "This will be a perfect way to show them why these two gunmen are special."

Naruto, realizing that he was going to crash into Hinata, tried to curb his path away. Unfortunately, all he managed to do was change from the small drills into the large one on the underside of Lagann. It pierced Gurren's head, and Naruto could almost feel the point make contact with Hinata. But at the last second, Lagann stopped short. A screen appeared on the side, showing a crude image of Gurren and Lagann. It showed both Naruto and Hinata on the inside, with Lagann's drill stopping just a few inches behind her head. Then something unexpected happened.

Naruto looked through the clear screen, and saw Gurren's arms and legs burst apart with longer, more sturdy limbs replacing them. Then a screen appeared showing Lagann's head, and from seemingly nowhere, a strange helmet came up from behind, and landed on Lagann. The helmet had a ring on the top, but looked to be chipped. It gave a battle-hardened feeling to Lagann's face. Naruto liked it, and admired the new feel Lagann had. But as he thought of the newly made gunman, Naruto remembered that Hinata was right below the drill.

"Hinata, you okay?" Naruto said, opening a screen to check on his beloved.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. I was a little surprised when a drill broke the ceiling behind me, but I'm fine."

Another screen appeared to Naruto's left, showing Darry pressing her earpiece in.

"Looks like you two finally discovered Gurren Lagann. And it only took you two days of training."

"Gurren Lagann? What, you couldn't come up with a better name for it, so you combined the two separate names? Who's lame idea was that?"

About three seconds after asking that, Naruto heard a knocking on Lagann. He opened the hatch (making him wonder what happened to the helmet when he did) and saw Kamina there, an angry look on his face. He still looked a bit drunk, so that might have added fuel to the fire.

"I decided on the name, ass!" he said as he belted Naruto in the face.

"OW! Did you have to knock my head clean off my shoulders?"

"Have a little respect for the way other people work!"

"Fine! Jut get off of me!"

As Kamina stepped back, Naruto noticed an instant where Kamina was open, and struck him clear in the face. Kamina went reeling back, and fell off of Gurren Lagann. As he landed, the entire world shook with the impact.

"…OOOOOOOW!"

"Rule 14 of the Ninja Creed: Never leave your guard open. If one does so, they will 90% of the time, die on the spot."

"…"

"You still alive?"

Darry walked over to Kamina, and placed two fingers on his neck. After a second, she pulled away, looked up at Naruto.

"He's alive, just unconscious. He'll probably be out for a few hours. At least until midnight."

"…When are Yoko and Simon supposed to get here?"

"At ten. Why?"

"Perfect. Now we don't have to worry about when they first arrive. He won't be awake, and won't screw up the plan."

"Hmmm. I see what you're saying, but what do we do with him?" Darry said indicating Kamina.

"I still have the coffin from when we revived him. If we put a few tubes in it, then give him a few days of food. We can 'revive' him again whe we've set it up."

"That's kind of harsh."

"No plan is perfect."

I.I.I

Within the secret base of Orochimaru, hundreds of miles away from Konoha, Kabuto was informing his master of recent events within the Land of Waves.

"Lord Orochimaru, it seems that fifth seat Gato has defected from us. Captain Zabuza has reported a new faction being created."

"Good work Kabuto. Inform Zabuza to maintain radio silence in the field, and keep an eye on the traitor. I want a report every twelve hours on the hour. Now leave me."

"As you command, my liege."

As soon as Kabuto closed the doors, the man in the shadows stepped out, and crossed his arms. He had no physically defining appearance, just a black body with a constantly moving outline. The only details on him were his eyes and mouth, and even then they didn't move. When he talked, his voice rumbled deep, and echoed a bit.

"Everything is going as planned. Soon, those Spiral fools will fall right into our trap, and we will end this pitiful war."

"Kukukuku, you certainly are devious, aren't you? Why do you want those non-ninja fools anyway?" Orochimaru voiced his thoughts to the strange man.

"That is none of your concern. Let me work my plans into yours, and we will both get what we want."

Within an instant, Orochimaru was up and inches away from the stranger. His forced some of his KI out, hoping to intimidate the entity. The man merely laughed, as though the power tickled him.

"Do not think your pitiful Spiral power will work on me. Your weak species has no power over one such as myself."

"Oh? What do you hope to gain by 'using' me?"

"What I intend to do is none of your business, lower life form."

With that, the stranger stepped back into the shadows, and disappeared. As he stood there alone, Orochimaru couldn't help but think about what that guy had planned.

"Kukukuku. He thinks that I will play the pawn, but this king is about to show that rook how the game works."

I.I.I

"Yoko honey, how many times have I told you about my dreams?"

"Too many times if you ask me. I don't need to know about three guys-"

"Yes yes, they were so dreamy. Just thinking about them makes my insides tingle in delight." Leeron said, wiggling in ecstasy in his seat.

"Ugh. Can we change the topic now? I'm going to lose my lunch at this rate."

At this time, Simon spoke up.

"So uh, anyone know about this planet we're going to?"

"Hon, besides the ninjas, there isn't anything of interest about these guys," Leeron huffed. "They're a simple race of humans, but not as much as we were before Team Dai-Gurren. Gimmy said they were about as amazing as us, but I think he's exaggerating."

"I think we should give 'em a chance. I mean, we started out as nobodies. Just a kid, two teens, a pigmole, and a mechanic. A month later, we became Team Dai-Gurren, and defeated Lord Genome. If we can do that, why can't these people do things just as good?"

Leeron adopted a thinking look, and held it for a few minutes. His expression changed every few seconds, from hopeful, to doubting, and back. Simon and Yoko just looked at him, impatience growing on their faces. Finally, Leeron spoke up.

"Hmmmmm, you got point sweetie. I mean, Viral's willing to place his bets on this. He's the most cynical out of all of us. I guess it's only fair to give those cuties a try."

"Hey Leeron," Yoko said curiously. "How did Viral convince you to come along?"

"…He didn't. He put in a request with Rossiu, who gave me clearance to leave his service for a few months. I didn't have a say in the matter. It's almost like they think I'M a gunman. Like I have no soul, and my only purpose is to follow orders blindly."

Simon grew serious at this, and spoke with a calm, assertiveness.

"Well you're not! Yeah, you're a mechanic, but you're also a good man (minus the raping part) who's done plenty for the Team! Even if you weren't a mechanic, you'd still be a valuable member of our crew!"

Yoko nodded. She agreed with that statement entirely. Leeron was their closest friend, and the one person everyone confided in. He was a great listener, and always kept silent about other's secrets. It just wrong for him to be used like that.

"Simon's right! Leeron, you've been with us the entire journey. You were there when Kamina died, when we beat Lord Genome, when we beat the Anti-Spirals, and when Nia died. You are like the older brother everyone can trust. Leeron, we are going to have a LONG talk with Rossiu when we get back to Earth."

Leeron teared up, and quickly wiped them away. He was lucky to have such good friends.

"Thank you, both of you. Where would I be without you guys?"

"Stuck in Littner doing repairs for the rest of your life."

"Mmm-hmm. Got that right sweetie."

I.I.I

"So remind me again. Why are we going to Konoha?"

About two days away from Konoha, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were walking along. Gaara was ten paces in front, the other two putting space between them and their psychopath brother. Temari, being the smart one, took care of all the assignment requests.

"Kankuro you idiot! I just told you why! Konoha's Hokage called on a few favors, and asked for the best team from Suna. Looking at the list of capable teams, we were naturally the best choice. But as for why they need us, I'm about as in the dark as you. That damn old man of theirs didn't give any specifics, so we just have to go with it and hope for the best," Temari said with a shrug.

"So long as they validate my existence, I care not what we do," Gaara said in his coldly calm voice. " I will kill all who stand in my way, friend or foe."

Temari and Kankuro stopped, letting the distance between them and the insane one increase dramatically. They knew that when he spoke like that, the closest person to him would die a slow, painful death.

"Kankuro, how many bags of pig blood do you have left?" Temari whispered to her brother.

"About ten. Enough to get to Konoha. Should I get one ready?"

"YES! And be quick about it!"

I.I.I

Back in Konoha, on a small field training with his new team, Kiba was having a rough time of it. His team Jounin, Gai, decided that today they would have a three-way match between Kiba, Lee, and Neji. It wasn't that Kiba couldn't handle it…Okay, maybe it was. But he was fighting a guy that LIVED on taijutsu training, AND a Hyuuga prodigy. All Kiba had going for him was Akamaru and his Beast Mimicry jutsu. But Gai had forbidden jutsu, to make things fair for Lee (not that he needed a handicap). But now limited to his mid-genin taijutsu, Kiba was sorely outmatched. But he remembered one lesson that truly defined what a ninja was about.

"Time to pull an ace out of my sleeve."

"Beast Mimicry! Fang over Fang!" Kiba cried, launching into his signature combo.

He whirled through the air, aimed directly at Neji, who had been decimating Lee. The spiraling mass of fur sheathed his claws, using only the blunt force of his fists. He collided with the Hyuuga, and knocked him to the ground. Kiba halted his attack, and looked behind him, expecting a counter-attack. When no foe charged at him, he stood up, and suppressed his chakra. He walked over to Neji and pulled him to his feet. Then he did the same with Lee, who looked like absolute crap from Neji's assault. Then Gai jumped out of the tree he watched the fight from, and walked over to Kiba.

"Well Sensei, what do you thi-"

Before Kiba could finish his question, Gai threw a mighty right hook, sending the boy reeling back. As he stood up, Kiba pressed his now numb left arm to his bleeding face.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For disobeying a direct order! You were instructed to use no jutsu!"

"Too bad! I was following rule number 12 of the Ninja Creed: Accomplish the mission by any means necessary! And one of the things about being a ninja is to be deceitful! If I must break a rule to win my fight and finish the mission, then that's what I'll do!"

Neji looked at him with something similar to understanding and acceptance of what Kiba said. He knew that if one must breal the rules, then one must. But to complete the assignment to the letter is what makes a ninja honorable. Neji didn't argue with his logic, but he wasn't about to openly support him. Gai would have his hide if he did.

"Kiba, I see what you're getting' at, but this is a training session. Under my amazing tutelage, you are to follow my rules to the letter! Do you understand?"

"Yes Sensei! I won't do it again."

"Good! Now then, in light of that, I think you earned a passing grade for doing things the Ninja Way. Take the day off, you earned it Kiba." Gai flashed him his signature smile, and off Kiba went.

"Take me with you!" Neji thought to himself. He couldn't stand being with these two any longer.

I.I.I

In the forest nearby, Tenten was watching the match with interest. She was getting valuable info about Gai's team, something that might come in handy some day. It was a habit she developed out of sheer curiosity after reading a few 'How To' guides in the public library. In one of the books, she had seen a quote that really made her think:

"Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you need not fear a hundred battles. Know thyself but not thy enemy, and the outcome is always in doubt. Know neither yourself nor your enemy, and defeat is certain."

Since she figured she knew herself decently, she just moved on to studying her classmates. What she gathered had been…interesting. Her teamates, Ino and Sakura, were on par with each other. But Ino was more prone to reason and logic than the infamous Pink Banshee. Their jounin sensei, Kakashi Hatake, had an extensive background, but Tenten couldn't find any info on his abilities.

She had also done research on Shino's team, with Choji, Sasuke, and their sensei Itachi, but there wasn't much to study beside Shino. It was easy to do work on the others, as they were either well known or had little power (Choji). Shino was the only difficult one. He managed to elude her at every turn, like he knew she was there. She had very little to go on with him, so she just skipped him.

Now she was on Gai's team, with Neji, Kiba, and Lee. Neji was easy, due to his heritage. Lee was simple, as he couldn't use jutsus. Kiba was a well-rounded person. He would be the one to go places. But Tenten was kind of interested in Lee. Like Tenten, he didn't use jutsu, just his fists. Tenten used ninja tools, save for her sealing jutsus for carrying said weapons.

The only team she had to do now was Kurenai's team, and she knew it wouldn't be too much work. She was curious as to how that team was picked though. A dead last, a lazy bum, and a Hyuuga let-down, it didn't make much sense!

"Hey Tenten! What are you doing over here?" Ino asked, coming through the trees.

"Oh nothing, just watching these guys fight it out."

"…Aw, no Sasuke! Why watch if it's just a bunch of second-rate losers? If it was my lovely Sasuke, THEN it would be worth watching!"

"What's so great about that emo dork?"

"*Gasp!* Take that back about Sasuke-kun! He's the best at what he does, and he isn't emo! He just lost his family, can you blame him?"

"Yes I can. We are ninja, death is a common factor around us. Sure, it was a majority of a high-ranking clan, but even still. The funeral ended two days ago, just get over it."

At this time, Sakura walked up. She had a scowl on her face, so she had most likely been listening to the conversation. Her fists were clenched so tightly, the knuckles were white as snow. One could almost feel the KI rolling off of her in massive waves.

"Sasuke-kun is the most lovely, amazing, cool, strong, handsome, skilled person in existence! Don't EVER say such bad things about him Tenten-baka!"

"*Sigh*…So the other fan girl finally shows her ugly forhead. How did I land on a team of Sasuke chauvinists? Even my lame teacher is so focused on that damn emo."

"BAKA! Quit calling Sasuke-kun an emo!"

Tenten sighed once more, wishing more than anything to be on another team. She would GLADLY trade places with someone on Gai's or Kurenai's team.

"If there is a God, please let my saving grace come soon! I don't know how much more I can take!"

I.I.I

"NOM NOM NOM!"

"*Sigh* Choji, there is this thing called table manners. Ever heard of them?"

Back in Konoha, Shino and Choji were sitting down at the Large One's (Choji) favorite barbeque restaurant. Like always, Choji was eating everything like he was about to enter hibernation, while Shino was eating like a polite, calm gentleman.

"Yeah I have, but I don' need 'em."

"We're eating in a public restaurant. Why would you think you don't need table manners?"

"Because I'm an Akamichi. People just know when they see me."

"Maybe you should try to be an exception."

"What's that? Does it taste good?"

"*Sigh* You, my friend, need to get your mind out of the bowl."

"It's not! It's in my head."

Shino sweat-dropped, finished his meal, and got up. As he went to pay the EXTREMELY large tab, Shino noticed someone peculiar on the other end of the room. Upon closer inspection, Shino noticed that it was an ANBU. But not just any ANBU! It was a captain.

Shino walked over to witness a rarity. It was not often that one saw an ANBU among the common folk. Usually if they were, then they'd be off duty without their uniforms.

When Shino got close enough, he identified the ANBU to be female, possibly twenty. She had purple hair, not unlike Hinata's, except that it flowed down to her mid-section. She wore an unusually deep green jumpsuit, with a black armor plating covering her torso. She carried two katanas over her shoulders in an 'X' fashion, with two daggers hanging on both sides of her waist. On her right arm was a white bracer that shone brilliantly, and on her left arm was a black bracer that seemed like an endless abyss. Her eyes were a strikingly beautiful blue, more so that it felt as if they were staring into your very soul.

On the table, was a werewolf mask. It put Shino in a state of awe. All masks had an animal, and captain masks were supposed to show a mythical half human breed. Shino couldn't help but stare at this rare sight.

"Hey, Four-eyes! Are you gonna stand there gawking all day?"

"Um…Sorry. It's rare to see an ANBU captain, so I was just taking it in."

"Hmph. Not much to take in. Just someone taking a lunch break. Grab a seat."

Shino did as he was told, wondering who this was. As if she could read his mind, she answered his question.

"My name is Akira, Akira Masa. What's yours?"

"Shino Aburame."

"Well Shino, what rank are you?"

"Genin."

"Ah, fresh bait. I remember my days as a small fry. I wanted to strangle that damn cat SO MUCH!"

"You lost me at 'cat'."

"Something most genin end up doing is a retrieval mission to get a cat named Tora. Damn tom nearly scratched my eyes out. It was the ONE time I hated cats."

"Right…So are there any tips you could give me?"

"…Duck."

"Hmm?"

Something hard smashed into Shino's head from behind. His head went forward and smacked the table, leaving a small dent in the wood.

"Shino you bastard!"

As he picked up his head, Shino heard Choji's voice call in from the kitchen. The Large One was wearing an apron, with a sponge in his hand. He was panting heavily, and the anger on his face was obvious.

"Thanks to YOU not paying the bill like you PROMISED, they dragged me into the back to work it off! What the hell man?

"…I met someone."

"Who the hell could you possibly meet in a few minutes?"

Shino pointed at Akira, who had an amused look on her face. It was funny seeing chubby people angry. When Choji looked at her, the look on his face…priceless! All the color drained away when he saw the mask, and he began to shiver.

"A-A-ANBU?"

"Yup. What 'cha gonna do 'bout it, Lardo?"

"*Gulp* N-Nothing."

"That's right. Now walk away like a good mouse."

Almost instantly, Choji was out of the room. If one could see Shino's expression, it would be a face of awe and curiosity.

"You have GOT to tell me how to do that."

I.I.I

"Crap! Crap! CRAP! I'm late! Shit, Akira is gonna KILL me!"

Running through the streets of Konoha, Claude was racing towards one restaurant after another. Him, Akira, and their long-time friend Kenichi Mitsuo, had the weekly thing where they meet at a diner to catch up. It was fun, if Claude made it in time. Otherwise Akira would…Claude shivered at the thought.

"Hey, that must be it! Oh God, I pray Akira doesn't…*Gulp*."

Claude stopped outside the door, composed himself, and calmly walked in. In the corner, Akira was chatting with a small kid that hid most of his face.

Did Ken change into a little kid over the past three weeks he was gone? Maybe I should lay off the Red Bull.

Walking over to the table, Claude waited for a break in the conversation to let his words be heard.

"Ay Akira! Sorry I'm late, a uh, black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around."

Genius Claude! No one would EVER use a Kakashi Excuse besides the man himself! That's why it's the perfect lie!

"Claude," Akira said with a creepy smile on her face. "I'm going to say goodbye to Shino here, and you better tell me why you're REALLY late."

Oh shit!

Claude estimated he had about ten seconds to think up another excuse. He watched as the boy named Shino got up and walked away. Akira turned to him, and Claude decided that there was nothing he could say that would save him.

"I was keeping track of my little brother!"

Not entirely a lie. He was under orders to keep track of his brother and his friends. If he told part of the truth, and Akira went to Sarutobi asking about it, then he'd be in the clear, right? But with the other orders the Third Hokage gave him, Claude was still a very busy person.

"That's your alibi? Can you please stop using excuses that Kakashi would use? It's just pathetic."

"I'm telling the truth Akira! Ask Hokage-sama, he'll vouch for me!"

"Hmmm…"

"Um, is there something on my face? You're really staring into my soul here."

"The only thing on your face is that hideous mask! HA! But whatever, you're forgiven for being late…this one time."

At that moment, a hand smacked Claude in the back of the head. He heard Akira burst out laughing, and turned to retaliate, until he saw who it was.

"Ken, you bastard! How long have you been in town?"

"Long enough to know your persuasion techniques haven't dulled any." Ken said in his gruff voice.

Standing in front of Claude was Kenichi Matsuo, Claude and Akira's oldest friend. The guy was usually serious about everything. Whenever Claude started to joke around, Ken would either ignore it or smack him in the back of the head, like earlier. Ken didn't tolerate mischief, lying, or any other minor misdeeds. It was a wonder that he and Claude became friends.

"Distant as ever, I see. Well no worries! How's your dad? You been back to see him yet?"

"Yeah. He's looking healthy as ever. I'm surprised he never made ANBU, considering his skill."

"Well you know," Akira piped up from her seat, "That sometimes good recruits are overlooked because the scouts are focused on lineage more than ability. I wonder who beat him to the punch."

"Dad never talks about his allies badly, even if they got in his way." Ken said with some pride.

"That's good and all," Claude interrupted, "But I'm bored now! Let's go to our little spot behind the memorial and spar a bit."

"I swear Claude, you have the attention span of a fly." Akira said, shrugging.

I.I.I

"Attention passengers, the Arc-Gurren will be landing within ten minutes. Please place all belongings in their respective baggage, and fasten your seatbelts. We enjoyed having your patronage, and hope you choose us again."

Simon placed his photo of Nia back into his bag, and walked over to Yoko and Leeron. He nodded at them, signaling that it was time to go. Leeron placed his makeup in his satchel, and Yoko put her own photos away. It was time to get off the ship.

Unlike all the other passengers, Simon, Yoko, and Leeron were getting off the ship via escape pod. Since they were going to an underdeveloped planet, a giant spaceship landing in a field would most likely cause panic. That left the more subtle option of using an escape pod to land in the dead of night. Viral had already cleared them for the pods, placing special passes in the letters he had sent them. It was a special perk from having a friend of yours in charge of the only military faction in the known areas of the universe.

They walked to the bridge, where they presented their passes, and the captain pressed a few buttons on his control panel. The ship slowed to a crawl, but this was unknown to the other passengers, as there were no windows to use, and there was no kinetic force to carry them when the ship decreased its speed. Three pods emerged from the floor on the side of the room, and the captain motioned for them to enter. As they did, the doors closed with a 'whoosh', and another automated voice rang through their pods.

"This is the Arc-Gurren emergency escape pod. Please keep all hands and feet inside the pod at all times until movement has stopped. Any loss of limb, life, masculinity, femininity, or otherwise are solely held responsible by the owner. In the event of a crash, there is a pistol with one bullet ready to assist with suicide."

"Who the hell designed these pods?" Simon asked incredulously.

As he voiced out his thoughts, Simon felt his weight slip away, and he hit his head on the low ceiling. He quickly grabbed onto the safety belt, pulled himself in, and strapped himself to the wall. He looked out the window to see the other two pods floating with his, and noticed a spot of red on Yoko's pod window.

"She forgot to strap herself in too." Simon thought.

Then Simon felt a rumbling in his pod, and the rockets activated, steering him and his friends down to the green and blue planet below. Looks like they were finally about to meet their new protégés…

I.I.I

"Naruto-kun, I think Gimmy called for us."

"Okay Hinata, oh, and thanks for the new clothes."

It was sunset now, and Konoha had a beautiful orange glow about it. Naruto, who had recently showered, shaved (not that he had anything TO shave), and groomed himself for the arrival of his new mentor and friend, was now putting on a new outfit Hinata recommended for him.

Naruto wore simple black khakis that ended at his ankles. He wore a tucked in collared shirt over a white tee. Over that he had on an open black jacket. He didn't own any shoes, but Hinata had taken care of that and bought him a pair of black sandals to go with his outfit. It was a nice formal casual appearance, one that worked well with Naruto's spiky blonde hair.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto called out looking at his new silver watch. "You ready yet? Gimmy is quite impatient as you kn-"

"…Wh-what's wrong? Is there something on me?"

"You…You look…amazing!"

Hinata was wearing a dark blue dress that flowed down to her knees. It stopped just a few inches short of her neck. The straps were small, and looked like they would barely support the weight of her dress. She also had on a light blue undershirt that covered her shoulders and arms, ending in a lacey design at her wrists. On her feet were small white heels, with ankle high socks. In her hands was a small purse with a wave design on the lower half. The dress complimented Hinata's hair nicely. All in all, she was so stunning, Naruto was shocked speechless.

Hinata blushed at the compliment, and stared down, pressing her two index fingers together in her usual manner when she got embarrassed. It was nice that her Naruto-kun was showing her so much affection and understanding, but it was a little embarrassing at the same time.

"Th-thank you Naruto-kun," She managed to squeak out.

As if on cue to ruin the moment, a loud, impatient knocking was hear at the door. Naruto swore under his breath, and walked over to the door. As he opened it, he saw Gimmy, Darry, Viral, and Kurenai standing there, waiting on the couple. All of them were dressed nicely, save for Kurenai, as she had no nice clothing that wasn't revealing.

"Hmph, capable of ending a universal civil war that has lasted for eons, but can't get ready to go somewhere on time. Maybe we should leave without them?" Gimmy asked Darry.

Darry slapped him on the arm, saying not to even joke like that, and that he only got out sooner because Darry had rushed him. Everyone laughed at that, which helped to calm some of the butterflies in Naruto's stomach.

"Well I'm ready, Hinata is almost done I think. You guys go on ahead, Kurenai can shunshin you three there."

The aforementioned kunzite sighed, not having been asked if she could be used like a taxi. She did what was said, and took them to the field behind the momument, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone once more.

"We certainly have an interesting group of friends, don't we?" Hinata asked her fiancé.

"Better than what it used to be two weeks ago. It almost feels like a lifetime ago."

At that time, Tora came up beside Naruto, and began to rub up against his leg, purring loudly. It surprised Naruto, but not Hinata, as she had been spending a few days with the tom already.

"Tora? Hey there. What are you doing, crazy cat?" Naruto said, gently picking up the tom. He placed his left arm under the cat, giving him support, and began to stroke him slowly. This caused Tora to purr even louder, making him vibrate against Naruto's chest. It tickled, causing the blonde to laugh.

"Naruto-kun, I didn't realize that you were good with cats."

"Neither did I. Maybe it's because of Ryujimaru?"

"Wasn't me. I don't get along with cats.," came a voice from the window.

Looking in that direction, Naruto and Hinata saw Ryu and Minato on the windowsill. As if on cue, Tora began to hiss at Ryu, who merely ignored it like it happened frequently. The yellow rabbit climbed down from the window and hopped over to Hinata, who picked him up and began to cuddle him.

"Hi Minato-san, where were you two today?"

"Well Missy, at first we were sunbathing-"

"-but that got boring, so I dragged Minato into town to mess with the villagers. It was hilarious to see their reactions when a miniature Fox Demon was seen dragging the struggling body of a golden rabbit!"

"And none of this can be traced back to me?" Naruto inquired cautiously.

"Hmm? Oh probably, most likely… Nah, they're probably trying to rip down that one Old Man's door, hoping to get a complaint in."

Dammit Ryu! Don't make me do something I'll regret."

"You wouldn't dare boy!"

"Wouldn't I?" Naruto bluffed. "I bet if I tried right now, I could make your real body inside my mind feel agonizing pain. Would you care to figure out?"

"Naruto-kun, please don't. I don't like it when you two fight."

"Sorry Hinata, got carried away. Hmm… Oh SHIT!" Naruto said looking down at his watch. "Hinata, we have to go now. Minato, can I trust you to look after Ryu, and make sure he doesn't eat Tora?"

"Don't worry son, he wouldn't dare he?" Minato directed that last part at Ryu, who looked away in shame.

"Good. Thanks Dad, we'll be back in a few hours. Shall we Hinata?"

She nodded, and the two genin shunshined towards the Hokage Memorial. As they arrived, they noted that more people were there than they originally intended to have. Naturally, Gimmy, Darry, Viral, Kurenai, and Sarutobi were there to greet the newcomers. But also in the field was Shino, Shikamaru (Who was walking with a pair of crutches), some woman in fishnet clothing with a large brown trench coat, Kiba, Tenten, Neji, and Kakashi. On the other side of the clearing, Naruto could see three ANBU in the trees.

"I thought this was supposed to be a secret! Why the hell are so many people here?"

As if to answer his question, Sarutobi stepped forward and began to tell Naruto how they came to be here.

"Naruto, as you know, Shino has known about your recent events with Gimmy and Darry. Shikamaru is your teammate, and as such, must be a part of what is to come. The other three genin, Kiba, Neji, and Tenten are here because if what Mr…Viral was it?..Okay then. If what he told me is accurate, we have a full scale invasion approaching. I have personally selected these three for your cause due to their innate ability to handle any situation with the utmost capability, and get the job done. As for Kakashi, we needed more than one adult to assist with this mission, and he fit's the bill best."

"What about her, the woman in fishnet clothing?"

"Ah yes, Anko Mitarashi. She is a capable fighter with many useful skills. She can hit a target a mile away a hundred out of a hundred times. Trust me, you'll need her."

Anko stepped forward, and began to size up Naruto. She looked him over for a minute, as though deciding if he was worthy of her support. Finally, she spoke up.

"I'm supposed to listen to this brat? Lord Hokage, are you sure about this?"

Naruto ignored the 'brat' comment, and returned to his conversation with Sarutobi.

"If you say she can help, then I'm happy to have her on the team. Welcome aboard Anko."

Naruto held out his hand to accept her, but she just stood there, looking at the boy like he was messed up in the head. Sure enough, a second later:

"Is this kid retarded? Like I'm going to take orders from a prepubescent genin!"

Saruobi leaned over to Anko, and began to whisper into her ears.

"You will if you want to keep your job and hunt down your old mentor. If you don't I'll have you discharged, and banish you to some foreign country even more remote that Suna."

At that moment, Anko perked up and walked over to Naruto. She grabbed his still open hand, and began to shake it rapidly.

"Happy to be aboard Naruto! I can't wait till we smash some heads in! "

At that moment, Gimmy called out for everyone to hush, and pointed to the sky. Three orange specks were slowly approaching from the dark, night sky. Some of the newcomers looked on with awe at the spectacle, but those that were there for Viral's arrival knew what to expect, and were not so surprised.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Shikamaru said quietly.

"Technology that is centuries ahead of your race." Gimmy said.

The three pods slowed to a crawl as they came within ten meters of the ground. If one listened closely, they could hear an automated voice go off inside the oval shape:

"This is the Arc-Gurren emergency escape pod. We have successfully landed on an uncharted planet. Please keep all hands and feet inside the pod at all times until the vehicle has completely stopped, wrecked, or self-destructed. In the event of a loss of limb, there is a lighter to cauterize the stump. "

"Who the hell makes these pods?" Naruto thought to himself.

"I am such a friggin genius." Viral thought.

"I'm going to KILL Viral!" Leeron muttered under his breath.

The small pods landed with a thump, and the hum of the rockets died. All was quiet for a many a minute, then the pod on the left opened up, and out stepped a young man with short, spiky, dark blue hair.

"Simon!" Gimmy and Darry cried out in unison.

"Hey Gimmy, Darry," Simon called back, waving. "So which one of these kids is Naruto? I want to see my apprentice."

"I'm Naruto," the blonde said, and stepped forward. He stopped in front of the tall man that was to be his teacher, and held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Simon."

Both Naruto and Simon locked eyes, and all was silent again. After another minute, Simon smirked, grasped Naruto hand tightly, and shook it vigorously.

"Heh, I think I like you Naruto! I see a passion in your eyes that reminds me of a long dead friend. I think you and I are going to become good friends."

At that moment, the other two pods opened, revealing Yoko and Leeron. The latter of the two surprised Naruto, as he had no idea that the gay person would be joining them. Gimmy and Darry raced over to them, giving them a hug. If one looked closely, one could see a nosebleed when Gimmy hugged Yoko.

"So the gay guy will be joining us? This is going to be a long four months." Naruto said quietly.

Simon looked at Naruto with a weird expression. How had this boy known that Leeron was gay? What was it that Naruto had not shared with them? Simon was hoping that Naruto would be willing to share this.

"How do you know about Leeron?"

Naruto looked at Simon for a second, then responded slowly.

"His name is Leeron? Hmm, what da ya know? I've just been calling him the gay guy ever since."

"Ever since what?"

"Oh, just some recurring dream I've been having for about five days. I'll tell you more later."

Simon just nodded and accepted that as what it was…for now. Everyone walked over to the other arrivals, and began talking like it was a family reunion. In a sense, it was for some of them. Simon and Viral got into a little sparring match, Gimmy and Darry were heckling Yoko about where she had been after that last fight they had three years ago, and Naruto had his friends introduce themselves. This was where things picked up.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga. It is a pleasure to meet you." Hinata said bowing to the foreigners.

Hinata…Hinata…Why does that name sound familiar?" Yoko asked, putting a finger to her lips and adopting a thoughtful pose. "Hmmm."

"I-Is there something wrong Yoko-san?"

"Hmm…Now I remember!" Yoko suddenly exclaimed, placing her right fist into her left cupped hand. "I'm supposed to train you in how to use a rifle!"

"Train m-me?" Hinata stammered.

'Yeah, nuthin' too advanced, just little skills until you can hit three bulls eyes with a single bullet at least a thousand times in a row."

"Is that all," Simon whispered sarcastically into Naruto's ear. "Here I was thinking she'd go the full nine miles and teach her how to kill a gnat that's on the other side of the universe."

"I heard that Mr. 'Rejected-by-a-Klutz'!" Yoko called over her shoulder mockingly.

Naruto laughed at Simon's embarrassment, as did everyone else. It felt good to have friends like these to joke around with. Naruto couldn't help but enjoy that his family was always growing. And to think that in one month's time, he was to get married to the most beautiful girl in his life. Yeah, life was good…Life was good.