Drifting

by AlphaDelta1001

Naruto is many things; troublesome, wild, unpredictable, adventurous, untamable, unique. But there's a benefit to being wild and unpredictable; no one has the faintest idea what you're going to do next. NarutoHarem

40. Pre-Gap Arc - On The Road Again

Author's Note: I hope you're all ready, because it's the last chapter of the arc before the time skip! Yes! I hope you all enjoy it.

And just to let all of you know, since I'm so busy at university, it's going to take me a while to get chapters out. Doing a masters diploma is hard.

Anyhow, here it is! To all those reading this, also read the author's note below, as it is important.

Enjoy.

---

NARUTO

Drifting

On The Road Again

Two days later…

Konohagakure…

"Ahh… this is the life," Kin breathed out, eyes closed and a content smile on her face as she sunk further into the warm, bubbly water of her apartment's tub. Feeling the slosh of the bath against her tired body and the warmth of the pond envelop her, the raven haired former kunoichi of Otogakure allowed herself to become completely detached from the world and, for the first time in a while, enjoy a moment of peace in one of her most favorite of settings.

Of all the extra curriculum activities she could participate in, this was definitely her most preferred one.

After a whole week of back-breaking work at the shop she'd gotten a job at, Kin found she had very little time to herself to indulge in some of the privileges of being a free person. Not only did she have to face a review from an official in order to confirm she wasn't causing any problems in the village or sneaking out information to unsavory characters, which frankly was a little bit stupid since she'd cut any and all ties she had to her former village, she was also facing appraisal for an application to join the shinobi forces of Konohagakure. Thanks to a good word put in by Naruto and his friend Tayuya, the Hokage has given the request consideration and time to ponder over, and after going through several tests to ensure that there was no underhanded plays going on, Kin had finally reached the end of the assessment process.

All she had to do now was face one more trial and her appeal to join the hidden leaf village as a kunoichi would be passed. Her Genin title would be reinstated and she would be given a head band of her own.

She was both excited and stressed, because all of the work she'd had to do was weighing on her shoulders like she'd had a boulder placed on top of her. Not to mention she'd needed to completely rewrite her entire former opinion on the shinobi of Konohagakure. Hanging out with Naruto and his friends for the past few months easily helped in changing that perspective for her and showed the kunoichi exactly what being a ninja of Konoha was really about.

Teamwork was essential, and placing the lives of your friends and comrades was held in the highest regard. This was something that was once frowned upon in her village, but after getting close to so many people in this town and making new friends, real friends that actually looked out for her, the raven haired girl's point of view had done a complete one-eighty. Knowing that the people she was living with would always have her back no matter what, one of them especially who'd already gone to great lengths to protect her, Kin was more than willing to return the favor, with interest.

The teen was given plenty of opportunities to adjust and to learn, and watching how Naruto acted on numerous occasions, she'd had an excellent role model to follow.

"I can't wait to tell him the good news," Kin exclaimed in her head as her eyes fixed on the ceiling above. She'd gotten the letter just this morning and it had her jumping for joy on the inside. "I'll finally be able to help pay him back for everything he's done for me… properly this time." For that she was certain.

Thinking back on all the crap that had led her up to this moment, the Chunin Exams, Kiyoko, her run-in with the team in the volcano, and waking up to find the blonde haired troublemaker sitting right next to her bed, brought a gentle smile to her face. As the steam from the bath wafted through the air around her, a vision of Naruto's face appeared hovering in front of her, his infuriatingly dashing grin just hanging there out of reach, almost taunting her.

Kin's immediate response was to balk, before a dazed look and a blush came across her face, as she then wrapped her arms around herself in an almost timid manner. Murmuring uneasily with her legs crossing, the girl looked down as her mind started to linger.

"Naruto-kun…"

Unfortunately, she wasn't left to daydream about the handsome blonde for very long, as the door to the bathroom suddenly opened up and Isaribi came strolling in. The chimera entering her midst had Kin let out a shout of surprise and throw her arms over her chest, at the same time look up with owlish eyes and a red face as the purple haired girl nonchalantly walked over to her tub and started looking around.

"Oh. Don't mind me. I'm just making sure that you've got everything sorted."

"WHAT THE HELL, ISARIBI?" Kin shouted as she glared angrily up at the girl adorned in bandages and a white sun dress. "Can't you see that I'm bathing in here?"

"Yeah. I can see that," the girl replied while waving off-handedly to the teen, "You even told me you were going to take a dip a few minutes before you came in here. But hey, it's not like I interrupted anything important… did I?"

"YES! You did! Get out!" Kin yelled while pointing back towards the door.

Grinning in amusement, Isaribi brought both hands up and made an 'easing' gesture towards the raven haired kunoichi spitting in her direction. "Now calm down. Don't get your panties in a bunch. I just wanted to make sure that you have everything in the basin for the best, most comfortable bathing experience possible… that's all." Was that mischief in her tone of voice?

Kin shook her head once, wondering if she'd heard her right, "What?"

Humming a casual, cheerful tone, the purple haired girl peaked over the side and into the water, an action that had Kin lean away and cross her arms and legs even more so. "Ah. Bubbles. How classy of you."

"Of course there are bubbles! I planned out this entire thing!"

Isaribi then raised an eyebrow at the former Oto Nin. "Really?" She then pointed down into the water. "You're telling me that you were seriously going to spend half an hour in this tub with a shoddy setup like this?"

This had the raven haired girl blink and look down the length of her porcelain arrangements in confusion. "Yeah. Why? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You were aiming for a tranquil setting and you didn't even bother to add any flower petals to your bath?" This immediately brought the kunoichi's eyes back up to the chimera to stare at her strangely, where she then saw Isaribi give her an almost genuine look of disbelief and shock. "Girl, you call that planning? I'll be right back." She then waved and marched out the door before Kin could get a word in.

Sputtering, the raven haired kunoichi shook her head and tried to process exactly what had happened. Before she could even begin getting over the aftershocks of the moment, she then heard her intruder return, this time carrying a bag of what she initially believed to be flour. When the purple haired swimmer stopped at the side of the tub again, she opened it up and looked in.

"Yeah, I couldn't find rose petals so I got you cherry blossoms instead," Isaribi chirped happily before stepping towards the raven haired girl. "Here you go." She then unceremoniously dumped the entire contents right on top of the bather, taking advantage of the fact that she was naked and couldn't do a damn thing while soaking in a foot and a half of water. Like a bag of fertilizer, she deposited the whole feather weight of flower petals over Kin, who glared ahead of her with a twitching eye as the segments settled before turning her ire on the teen next to her. Isaribi, looking as sweet as honey, beamed back at her. "There. Now you'll definitely smell and feel like a million ryo by the time you get out."

Knowing full well she had a pile of petals on top of her head to match the blanket of the stuff covering her side of the tub, Kin gave a stiff nod before answering through her teeth, "Thank you."

"No problem," Isaribi exclaimed again.

"If that's all you wanted, please leave," Kin continued while brushing the petals off the top of her head, watching most of them fall into the water and the rest stick to the suds on her hand.

Bowing like a maiden just going about her regular, household duties, the purple haired teen prepared to leave, only to stop and stare down at the kunoichi in the tub for several moments longer. Her gaze then became one of serious intent as she looked Kin from head to toe, a feeling that was quickly picked up by the soaking raven and drawing her charcoal irises up to her. Balking at the glare she was receiving, Kin crossed her legs insecurely and shot one right back with equal intensity.

"What?"

Huffing in a way that had her nose crinkle in the cutest way, Isaribi turned to look her other roommate in the eye, "You won't win."

"Huh?"

A smirk then turned up on the bandage-wearing girl's lips. "Even though you're good at hiding your true intentions, I know exactly what you're after. So I'm going to say this to you right now that I won't let you have him." She then lifted her head and looked down at the baffled girl with the most confident leer you'd ever see on her. "Like I said before, I'm fine with Tayuya-chan, but you… you're a completely different story. It's not like I've got anything to worry about from you anyway… what with being flat-chested and all-"

"THAT'S IT!" Kin suddenly shrieked, standing up out of the water and taking a swing at the purple haired girl, who rolled backwards evasively over the tiles before bolting out of the room. Even though she wasn't a kunoichi, the enhancements made to Isaribi's body had given her more than a few natural attributes, allowing her to spring away safely from the attack and avoid the opening wrath of the girl's response.

Ignoring the fact that she was dripping naked, Kin leapt out of the tub and chased her adversary out the door, red-faced and everything as she followed her shadow into the lounge room. Seeing Isaribi dive over the couch, the raven haired girl chased after her, only to see her spring up and launch a ball of water from her mouth at her. Alarmed, the pissed off kunoichi expertly leapt over it, the shattering of glass indicating the attack ended up striking the bathroom mirror behind her as she swung off of the light overhead and into the living room, where she then landed over her foe's shoulder, back to back.

Spinning around, Isaribi attempted to backhand Kin, who ducked her shot and threw a spinning back kick up at her. The two dodged and blocked the hits respectively, before the chimera leapt away for space, while her foe turned completely to face her antagonist as she landed atop the couch like a cat. When she did, Kin took a stance, not even bothering to cover her chest as she locked her best competitive stare on her opponent.

"So it's finally come to this?" the former Sound Genin said while frowning deeply. "I knew this was going to happen eventually. We've practically been beating around the bush since the day we first met."

"Yeah." Isaribi, noting the fact that her foe hadn't even bothered to put on a towel, gave a cocky smirk, "Damn, you're a saucy one aren't you? Has living in this place stripped you of your modesty as well?"

"After the buttons you've pushed, showing off a bit of skin doesn't bother me one bit," the girl responded heatedly, immediately after which she tightened her glare and widened her stance. "What's your problem anyway? Why are you always trying to get shots in on me whenever we're alone?" It was a good question. Seeing as how she was receiving so much fire from this particular resident of the apartment, Kin had needed to respond in kind in order to avoid being hammered into the ground, both mentally and emotionally.

The relationship between the pair soon after the start of the exchange of unpleasantness and distrust spawned into a friendship border lining rivalry, where the pair would at oftentimes get along with one another and treat each other like best mates, until the gloves suddenly came off and the duo started getting all gung ho over the other. It was almost eerily similar to the competitiveness they'd seen come up between Sakura and Ino on occasion, which was kind of hilarious when one thought about it. They only continued to do this because neither one of them wanted to lose out, the battle being fought for a reason that was sort of lost on one of them but massively apparent for the other.

It was something that the raven haired kunoichi wanted info on, as she hated being kept in the dark about something like this.

A frown appearing on her face, Isaribi returned the girl's stare with her own. "It's because of you. That's why." She then pointed across at her opponent. "I'm jealous of you."

Kin recoiled at the foul expression she received and the chimera's blatant response, "Huh? Why?"

Huffing angrily, Isaribi focused all of her ire on the girl so as to make her next statement stick when spoken, "It's because you're so good looking. You, with your long hair, perfect skin, pretty face, cool looking clothing and strong personality… how can I ever match that?"

This had the raven haired girl recoil, a bewildered look overtaking her previous expression, "I… I don't…"

Isaribi shook her head furiously and gritted her teeth, "I've seen the way you get along with Naruto-kun. I've seen the way he smiles at you and talks with you like you're best friends. He likes you a lot." Seeing Kin back down prompted the accuser to continue on boldly. Taking a deep breath, the purple haired diver narrowed her gaze, "And I know you like Naruto-kun a lot too."

This accusation had the former Sound Genin stammer, "L-L-Like him? HIM?! That blonde haired, crazy, ramen-eating weirdo?"

"Don't try to deny it!" Isaribi shouted with a snarl at the end of her shout, "You can't lie to me. I know you like him. No matter how well you try to hide it, no matter how well you try to play it off, I can see it in your eyes. It's the same look I've seen on Tayuya… and it's the same look I give him whenever I'm with him, because he's the person who means the world to me." Her fingers curled over the head of the couch she was still perched on as she continued to spit her resentment towards the long haired teen, as if she were an intruder. "It wasn't long ago since I noticed the look in your eyes… and not a day goes by that it doesn't annoy me."

Sputtering nonsensically, Kin looked down at the ground in shock. With her cheeks blazing red and water still dripping down her body, the kunoichi gulped, and at the same time sought out the words she wanted to speak, "But I… I don't…" She gritted her teeth and glared back up at the other girl. "Why do you care so much? Naruto is already going out with you and Tayuya, so why do you think I'm such a threat?"

"Why?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Isaribi's scowl deepened, "Isn't it obvious? Look at me?" The girl gestured to her person, allowing the kunoichi to get a glance at her bandage covered form and her build before the chimera pointed in her direction, "Now look at you. I don't have the body or the looks that you have. Hell, I don't think I'll ever have them. You could sweep Naruto-kun off his feet without even trying and keep him all to yourself. In the end he'll be so busy paying attention to you that he won't have the time or energy for me or anybody else. And where will that leave me?" The girl growled that last part, but then calmed quickly and looked down at the floor with a look of sadness overcoming her. In that one instant, all of her fury ebbed away into nothing, leaving her solemn and depressed. "I'll be… all alone again… out in the cold…"

Blinking at the girl's switch in demeanor, Kin allowed her own harsh expression to falter as she looked the bandaged girl over. Allowing her arms to drop and the sight of the girl to be framed in her mind, the raven haired kunoichi stepped out of her stance and looked back at her antagonist for the day. After taking a deep breath and mustering up the right words, she spoke, "You know he won't do that." When she saw Isaribi look at her, Kin smiled. "That blonde haired knucklehead isn't the kind of person who would turn a blind eye to somebody he cares about… even a complete stranger. He took me in, didn't he? Me. Somebody he didn't even know, who didn't even belong to his village and was considered an enemy at the time. He could have left me there for dead… but he didn't. He carried me on his back, took me to safety and… and… gave me a place I could call home." She chuckled at the end of that recount and turned her gaze towards the ground. "He's a reckless, selfless freak… someone who wouldn't even think about leaving anybody behind… ever."

Staring down at Kin for several seconds, taking the time to process her words and heartfelt statements, the purple haired chimera slowly put on a smile and allowed a little laugh to escape her lips, before giving her competition an amused stare. "Yeah. You have a crush on him alright…" Giggling when she saw Kin blush to the roots of her hair and look away, Isaribi sighed and jumped off of the couch to land on her behind. Plopping down on the comfortable seat, the girl beamed at her rival and spoke, "Man… I'm such an idiot. Of course Naruto-kun's not like that. He'd never be like that. He's so selfless and carefree it's ridiculously hard not to fall for him."

Murmuring uncomfortably and crossing her arms over her belly, Kin looked back at the chimera defiantly, "D-Don't take this the wrong way. I… I'm not in love with him or anything, it… it's just a little crush. That's all."

Isaribi waved a hand at her and stood up, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Ms. Exhibitioner." Hearing the kunoichi continue to sputter, the purple haired teen threw her a smirk, "Just so we're clear, I'm still not going to let you win. Sure, I may have gotten a head start in this race, but that doesn't mean you can't jump a few places to catch up. You're still my rival as far as I'm concerned… and I don't intend to lose to you so easily."

Sweat-dropping at the statement, Kin stared back at the chimera grinning at her, "You still want to fight over him even though you've already bagged him?" That was a bit petty; going for the gold even though you've already won it. To be honest, the kunoichi wasn't interested in a competition. All she wanted to do was let this whole thing run its course as quietly as she could without drawing any attention to herself.

Having to express your feelings to a boy you liked openly in contest wasn't something she was comfortable with doing. The thought of potentially going through with it brought a blush to her face.

"The reason I keep fighting with you is because I'm jealous of your good looks. Since I'll be having my operation in about a week or so, I plan on starting out fresh and molding myself into a better person, both inside and out. That means when my procedure is over and done with, I'll be gunning straight for you," Isaribi said while pointing a finger straight at the girl, causing Kin to lean back. "And that means I won't be holding back a single punch."

Batting her eyes at the declaration, the raven haired kunoichi smirked back at her competitor and shook her head, "Heh, I see. Damn… and here I was hoping we'd already resolved this."

"Not on your life," the chimera replied while sticking her chest out. Frowning at the fact that her bust was roughly the same as Kin's… even though the kunoichi's was slightly larger, Isaribi still managed to stick her nose in the air with pride. "What? Are you scared?" she teased with a grin.

"What?" Kin frowned, "No."

Cue mischievous grin from Isaribi, "Alright then. If that's how it is, then why don't we make this a little more interesting? Let's say… whoever ends up bedding Naruto-kun first wins this thing?"

At that, Kin's face lit up like a bulb and she gave the chimera an incredulous look, "B-B-Bedding?" Holy crap! Was Isaribi saying what she thought she was saying? The girl who was supposedly the most grounded in the household? Upon seeing the purple haired diver nod her head affirmatively, steam started wafting off of the raven haired girl's shoulders as she ran her words through her head several times.

Bedding Naruto Uzumaki?

That was outrageous.

"This way we'll be able to race Tayuya-san to the finish line too," Isaribi exclaimed with a confident smile. For someone who was normally so giddy and bubbling around the jinchuriki of the apartment, she certainly had a spunky streak about her. Perhaps it came with the territory of being around the high number of abnormal people in this place. "You may want to get your head in the game, because the competition is going to be fierce."

She hadn't forgotten that there were other girls outside of their apartment that were interested in Naruto as well. There was Tenten just several blocks across town and that blonde haired chick from Kumogakure. And if Isaribi's memories served her well, there was also that girl from Sunagakure that the boy had teased during his match with her in the exams. Taking stock of the other names involved and the obstacles standing in her path, the chimera saw she had big challenges ahead of her.

Before Kin could continue the conversation and say something in her defense, the two feuding teenagers then heard the front door to the apartment unlock and the sound of footsteps echo into their midst. The pair then turned to see Naruto and Tayuya step into view, one of them still covered in bandages and the other one looking a little beat up but still relatively okay. Being the first to appear, Tayuya led off with the usual lyrics.

"Hey, girls! What's crack-whoa!" the red head began before immediately shuddering to a stop when she saw the other residents of the apartment looking back at her in surprise. The sight had the flute player blink a few times, "Damn. Are we… interrupting something?"

When Naruto stepped into view, he was completely oblivious to what was going on until a few seconds later, "Hey Isaribi-chan, Kin-chan, we're baaaaaaaa-" He then had the present state of mind to recoil in shock and blush to the roots of his hair when he saw the current condition his dear friend Kin was in. Speechless, save for making a few incompressible choking sounds, not only did his hair stand on end, but his face lit up like a thermometer in hundred degree heat.

While Isaribi initially didn't make anything of the blonde's confounding expression, Kin certainly did and looked down to see what Naruto was staring at and causing him to babble all those nonsensical words. It wasn't until a moment later she realized she was still buck naked, causing her own face to light up red, a cute gasp to escape her lips, followed by a glare that she threw the gawking jinchuriki's way.

Tayuya then watched with mild curiosity as Kin, with speed neither she nor Isaribi knew she possessed, practically teleported across the room towards Naruto and nailed him with a kick right in his face. Her foot slammed into his mug with an ear-splitting crack, the force of which knocked the blonde off his feet and into the ground. When his body inevitably hit the floorboards with a dull thud, the raven haired girl lowered her smooth leg and crossed her arms over her chest, all the while glaring hatefully down at the boy now frothing at the mouth.

"PERVERT! IDIOT! LETCH! I CAN"T BELIEVE YOU!" Kin shouted at him before storming off, leaving the boy to writhe unconsciously on the floor.

Hearing the door to the bathroom slam shut, Tayuya giggled and looked down at her boyfriend sprawled out across the woodwork, a smug grin on her face and hands resting on her hips. As Isaribi walked over to stand beside her, both girls trained their eyes on the comatose blonde and the foot imprint on his face.

"It'd be really nice if they were just honest with each other," the redhead exclaimed, finding herself laughing at the end along with a thoroughly amused Isaribi.

In truth, Tayuya was content with the fact that this whole walking in on a girl naked thing was now happening to somebody else for a change, and not her. By this point in time she'd already grown accustomed to her boyfriend walking in on her while she was either stepping out of the shower or undressing, which usually led to a lot of shit being thrown around the apartment.

Having this happening to Kin for the past month was a welcomed change of pace. Now all she had to do was wait for Naruto to come around and poke fun at him for his absentmindedness.

After that, they had something important they needed to discuss with everyone… and hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

XXX

Three days later…

Following the events of the mission to the Land of Water, the people that had been involved in its course were quick to return to their everyday duties as shinobi for their village. While Choji and Hinata required a small amount of time to rest and recover from the battle with the Sound Four member they'd run into on the island, both Naruto and Tayuya eagerly threw themselves into their work. With the amount of turmoil that had engulfed them on that errand and the trials they'd faced on that bit of rock, it was made absolutely clear to them that there was a lot of improvement they needed to make and a great number of gaps in their skills they needed to fill. This went double for the blonde haired Jonin, who'd experienced the worst of it. The jinchuriki literally had a laundry list of shit to fill out and a lot of friends he needed to speak with regarding his upcoming venture.

There was no doubt in the minds of all those that had been involved that the job to the island hidden in the mist had been a perspective changing experience, and the two Jonin members of the apartment were determined to do their best to work on improving their skills. The weeks following the Chunin Exams had allowed them a big enough opportunity to learn what it was like to be a real elite shinobi of Konohagakure, but had only allowed them a small amount of time to develop their skills and their jutsu.

Now they were more determined to allow larger portions of time for training, as not only did they expect to face even tougher challenges than the ones they'd just faced in the future, but enemies that were much stronger than the ones they'd already had the pleasure of doing battle with.

Upon informing Kin and Isaribi of their intentions, the pair quickly started making plans for the next few months to follow; including training regiments and a timetable of work hours. This process was something that they also shared with their fellow teammates and colleagues, who promptly acknowledged their decisions and decided to make a few lifestyle changes of their own. So now, not only were the resident jinchuriki and flute player adapting to their new positions accordingly, but so was Sasuke Uchiha, who had woken up super early this particular morning to get some extra hours of training in and to work on his individual fighting skills.

After several sessions of hitting the stumps and nailing several boulders with his Chidori to build up his strength and stamina, the raven haired prodigy eventually stopped practice and returned to a normal standing position in the center of the clearing. Brushing away the sweat that had collected on his brow and panting heavily from exhaustion, the one-eyed Uchiha quickly regarded the area he'd been using and looked about. Seeing the various trenches he'd plowed through the ground as well as the holes he'd punched into several surrounding boulders, the boy concluded right then and there that he'd had his fill of exercise for the day and, with the schedule he'd set for himself completed for this morning, slowly began to vacate the area.

Pocketing his hands, Sasuke made his way across the field in the direction of the village, entering the woods at a slow and comfortable pace. Taking in the sights and sounds of the early morning forests surrounding him and the dew hanging off of the leaves and grass, the boy was all set for a relaxing day ahead; one that he planned to start off with a trip to the hot springs to clean himself up. However, the moment he left the open space of the clearing and started passing into the cool of the training ground's surrounding red woods, the raven haired prodigy suddenly became aware of the fact that he was no longer alone.

Stopping dead in his tracks and straightening up when his senses detected the presence of another, the Uchiha quickly followed the sounds of the gentle melody drifting through the air, where he then spotted a figure sitting underneath an oak just several yards away. Though something like this wouldn't normally have concerned the Uchiha, much less draw his attention toward in the first place, the person that had tripped his senses was not only sitting well within the boundaries of the training fields, but had apparently been there for some time and had come dangerously close to the clearing he'd been using to practice his jutsu.

Because he'd been so focused on training and throwing his moves around the place, the boy had been unable to spot the figure hiding within the trees. But now that he'd stopped and had allowed his attention to drift outside of his work, he'd finally been able to pick up the cheerful humming being emitted by the girl, which had allowed him to spot her through the thick of the forest.

Concerned that the stranger was in a hazardous part of the grounds and also curious as to what someone like that was doing all the way out here in the reserves, the seemingly stoic Chunin casually made his way over to them, expression unchanging and his pace set on labored. When he eventually moved in close enough to get a better view of the person sitting under the rays of light breaking through the canopy, Sasuke was eventually able to make out that the person was a girl around the same age as him with long brown hair and light brown eyes, one side straight while the other side had been braided, with a clip pulling back a front portion of her bangs.

The girl was also wearing a pink outdoor kimono that had two pockets on the front, a pink sash, violet baggy pants and red mesh armor underneath her kimono that also went down her legs. She was also wearing a pair of orange sandals, which blended in well with the rest of her uniform and accentuated her feminine qualities.

Taking in the intruder's appearance from a few feet away and noting how cute she was from the smile she wore and the gleam reflected in her eyes, Sasuke tilted his head when he saw that she was completely engrossed in the art book she had in her lap and was currently painting in. The fact that she was humming a cheerful tone and was resting against the trunk with a small box of equipment opened up next to her, showed just how invested the girl was in her work. She was clearly enjoying herself and the picture she was working on.

Initially the Chunin believed she was just an ordinary girl that had wandered into the fields to do some artwork and soak in the scenery; somebody he wouldn't have paid even a second thought towards in a previous life. However, for some strange reason the academy prodigy just could not fathom, Sasuke found himself drawn towards this individual and interested in what this stranger was doing.

The aura she emitted as she sat underneath that tree was just… captivating… like something out of a dream. Honestly, it was confusing.

Blinking as he listened to her sing and watched her paint, Sasuke remained standing quietly on the patch of grass he'd stopped on a couple meters out from the girl, his eagle like eye watching her with his ever serious contours outlining his cheeks and nose. Eventually, after a minute or two of standing and doing nothing, the prodigy then saw the girl look up and her beautiful brown eyes fix on him, an action that not only stopped her painting but also her humming.

When she didn't recoil at the sight of him, the Uchiha figured she'd probably sensed him approach. Dismissing this as something ordinary, the boy instead engaged the girl in a silent showdown, the two teens staring across at one another with the former looking completely bored like he was trying to solve a rubix cube in his head and the other looking back at said problem solver with the cutest look of inquisitiveness you'd ever see on a person.

Moments later, the monotony was broken by the stranger breaking out one of her soft smiles, which she shared with the person standing on the edge of her canvas.

"Hello there," the girl exclaimed brightly, greeting the prodigy with a nod.

The Uchiha stared back, "Hello?" Glancing around when he thought he sensed a bird fly off, Sasuke then turned back and fixed his best, emotionless gaze on the teen, his eyebrows narrowing inquisitively, "What are you doing all the way out here? This isn't a place for civilians to be hanging around."

Giggling at his question and the look he sent her way, the girl returned to her doodling, dipping her brush into the small box of paint opened up next to her and mixing it in the water sitting alongside it. "Isn't it obvious? I'm training."

"Training?" Hmm. That was an interesting thing for an artist to call their activity. Practicing would have been a more preferred term to use. However, finding the topic of questioning her choice of words pointless, the raven haired boy instead decided to follow up on her response with a second inquiry. "Are you a kunoichi?"

"Close. A kunoichi in training," the girl replied with confidence, her enchanting smile remaining as she continued running her brush over the page. "Ever since I received my apprenticeship, I've been coming out here regularly to work on my skills. But unlike most kunoichi of Konohagakure, my abilities aren't what you would call… conventional."

"Mm," Sasuke murmured, looking the girl over from head to toe again.

On first glance, she didn't seem like anything extraordinary or out of this world, but that was from a non-subjective point of view. The girl looked pretty normal, wearing an ordinary style kimono with an ordinary visage and hairstyle. She also didn't look the part of someone who was proficient in combat. In fact, she looked pretty delicate and more suited for working in a flower stand than someone who took the lives of shinobi for a living. However, after the stuff he'd seen, the Uchiha wasn't going to start having doubts about what a person based on appearances was capable of. He'd made that mistake plenty of times in the past to know that that was a horrid way of thinking.

Not to mention for the second time in the last few minutes, Sasuke couldn't help but notice just how pretty this girl was. The way she presented himself with that air of both femininity and confidence had his eyes fix on her form completely and watch as she continued to work on her book in silence. It was almost mindboggling how alluring this person was to the Uchiha and how his attention just couldn't stray too far from her. As troubling as this was, the boy didn't openly question this feeling of magnetism and simply went with it.

This trail of thought quickly led him back to what the girl had said to him earlier; that she was out here training.

Wondering exactly what she meant by that, Sasuke followed up on his next inquiry with a low murmur and a nod, "What kind of abilities are we talking about?"

Looking up at the boy for a moment, the strange girl allowed a wider smile to form on her face before, with a hint of grace and elegance; she set her brush aside, picked up her pad and showed her canvas to the Uchiha. When she turned the image towards him, the raven haired genius was greatly surprised to see a picture of him standing there in that exact same spot he was now, surrounded by the exact same trees and bushes, and with a dozen bright blue butterflies surrounding him.

The painting was in fact done so well that it almost looked like a photograph. However, due to the fact that the girl had actually painted it and that it had butterflies in it that were nowhere in sight told the boy that it wasn't a photograph at all.

Nevertheless, the piece was still very impressive, something that had Sasuke nod his head in acknowledgement, "Ah… not bad."

The girl in front of him then grinned. It wasn't a malicious one or one promising ill intent or anything like that. It was a smile that was both mischievous and eager.

"Wait for it."

Raising an eyebrow, the patch wearing Uchiha then looked around him curiously for a moment. It was then, while he was glancing about the clearing and watching the rays of sunlight from the rising sun above continue to break through the canopy, Sasuke suddenly saw a flicker of blue enter his peripheral vision and followed after it. All of a sudden, the boy found himself surrounded on all sides by a swarm of beautiful blue butterflies, their sparkling wings beating on the wind as they danced around the boy in concentric circles, at the same time sprinkling a trail of sparkling dust behind them that fell to the ground in a shower like a scene from a fantasy film.

The sight of the gorgeous insects and the Uchiha standing in the center of the circle perfectly captured the picture the girl had painted, and Sasuke couldn't help but look back at it as the artist continued to watch him with a cheerful smile on her face.

Blinking as he looked from the real life butterflies fluttering around him to the canvas the girl was holding up, the Chunin then allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of his lip and graced the girl with a nod, acknowledging his surprise.

"Okay… you have my attention."

Grin widening, the girl then propped the painting next to her so that it stood in clear sight of the Uchiha. Her canvas set, she then reached over to her small box of paint, dipped each of her fingers into each of the colors she'd mixed, and lifted her hand to the photo finished painting, suspending her delicate digits over the Uchiha's oil form. Sasuke looked on curiously, seeing the girl smile at him excitedly. Upon making sure she had the genius's attention, the painter then ran her fingers over the page, wiping away the butterflies and, with a single stroke of her fingers, replaced them with a rainbow with cascading embers.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke saw the butterflies surrounding him explode in a shower of sparkles, a rainbow forming a ring around him before the remains of the insects fell to the ground in a spectacular shower of stars and specks. When the rain eventually ended, the remains of the butterflies vanished and so did the rainbow. Upon returning his good eye to the canvas the girl was holding, he saw that the rainbow and the embers she'd painted had vanished, leaving him standing in the middle of the woods.

With a sigh, the girl closed up her book, not worrying in the slightest if her painting got smudged as it was already quick-dried by her chakra. It took several moments of quiet contemplation, but her audience was eventually able to identify the phenomenon that had just occurred, and the Uchiha looked across at the girl impassively.

His single eye however revealed all the emotion the kunoichi in training needed to know.

"That was genjutsu… wasn't it?"

"Yep," the brown haired sorceress chirped with a beaming expression, "Though I suck at ninjutsu and taijutsu, my skill in using genjutsu is top notch and perhaps some of the best in the village. You could even say it's my one and only talent." Wrapping her hands around her art book, the teen held it close to her chest. "It's an ability that's been passed down through my clan for generations. Years ago, my family had some of the greatest genjutsu specialists in the entire country… but now…" Expression falling a bit, the girl averted her gaze and reflected combined feelings of forlorn and upset.

Quickly getting what the girl was saying from her body language alone, Sasuke nodded his head in understanding and stepped forward. Hands in his pockets as per the usual routine, he stopped a couple of feet away and watched the painter hug her book to her like it was her lifeline.

"Mo… it doesn't matter. All of that stuff's in the past, so as long as I don't lose hope and keep working on my skills, I'm sure I'll be able to get back to my feet somehow," the painter said while smiling up at the raven haired boy staring down at her. Relaxing again in her seat, the girl ran her hands through her hair and rested them on her neck, breathing a sigh as she considered the boy for a moment, before realization blinked across her face. "You're Uchiha Sasuke aren't you… the boy who fought against that Tsubaki girl during the Chunin Exams?"

The prodigy, though cringing a bit at the memory, nodded back to the inquisitive kunoichi in training. "Yeah. That's me." In all honesty, he was expecting this girl to fall head over heels for him like the rest of his fan base did, at the same time recalling his many outstanding academic records. This girl however only brought up his most recent accomplishment and immediately put his face to it.

To call it any form of an achievement however was still questionable in the prodigy's eye.

Tilting her head, the brown haired girl smiled at him, "You know… you could have beaten her if you'd hit her with a genjutsu first and took out her ability to become intangible. I think that's a skill that would be really useful to a guy like you, especially if you're planning on going up against opponents with a marked speed advantage." The teenager giggled when she saw the expression the genius threw her way, which had her shake her head and wave her hand flippantly. "But… I think you're doing just fine on your own." With a cheeky smile still in play, the painter opened up her book again and turned over to a new page.

Picking up her brush and running it through the paint she had lying next to her, the brown haired girl prepared to go through the motions of creating art again, until she felt a light shadow fall over her. Turning to her side, she saw the Uchiha had come to lean against the trunk alongside her and was looking down at her with his one good eye with great intent. When their gazes met, the raven haired prodigy smiled and nodded to her.

"Show me that again."

Feeling a grin tug at her lips, the brown haired girl returned to her canvas and, with lightning fast speed and precision, began to paint across the paper.

Watching as the kunoichi in training started to paint a waterfall setting with people in it at record breaking speed, Sasuke remained quiet. As he watched her work, he tilted his head towards her and spoke.

"By the way… I don't think I got your name."

Hearing his words, the girl stopped painting for a moment and looked up at the boy. When she did, she pumped her chest out confidently and beamed, "Yakumo. Yakumo Kurama."

Sasuke smiled at her, "Nice to meet you."

Deciding to take a page out of Naruto's book for once, the raven haired boy decided to stick around this girl for a little while longer. She seemed like an interesting character, not just because of her prowess in genjutsu that clearly rivaled Tayuya's while they were still Genin, but also because there was something about her that had the boy drawn to her in a way. Though it may have been fatigue from his long morning of training talking, the raven haired prodigy just couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, Sasuke chose to play on the instincts speaking back to him and planted himself in his spot to watch the girl perform for him.

Hey, if he played his cards right, he might actually learn something from this girl. A little genjutsu in his arsenal could go a long way in his future.

XXX

Two days later…

Hokage's office…

"I got to hand it to yah kid, you really know how to play it close to the chest," Jiraiya mused with his arms folded as he watched his blonde haired, Jonin apprentice standing on the other side of the office staring up at the framed photos of the previous Kage hanging off of the wall. Shaking his head when he saw the boy fail to look back at him, the white haired hermit continued heedlessly, "Honestly, out of all the stories I've heard about you, your most recent adventure to the Land of Water has to be the most out of this world."

For the past couple of hours, Naruto had been recounting the hair-raising events of his last mission to the Hokage and his current instructor word for word, giving them all the details on the enemies the team had faced and the course of each of their respective encounters. Even though he'd already submitted a report on the events, the village leader and the Sannin had still wanted to hear from him about the assignment in person, and had thus spent the entire morning listening to the boy as he talked about his fight with Guren, and the other people his friends had battled. After coming to the end of his story and leaving slightly troubled looks on the faces of the two audience members, things quickly quieted down, leading them all up to here.

"Considering that it technically was out of this world for about fifteen minutes, according to what my teammates told me, I'm not surprised," Naruto replied, leaning in to take a closer look at his father's photo. Licking his fingers and running them through his hair as if adjusting them in a mirror when in actuality it was just his old man's portrait, the jinchuriki then turned back to smirk at his teacher as well as the Hokage sitting behind his desk and smoking his pipe. "I'm pretty sure you've had your fair share of near death experiences in the past, Ero-Sennin."

The white haired man chuckled at this, "I can honestly say that there was one moment in my life that I can recall ever being brought to the brink of death, gaki… and that was after I tried to do 'research' on my dear teammate Tsunade." This response had Naruto stare at him for a moment in deadpan, which bundled up Jiraiya's words a bit before he turned his head away to cushion the return blow. "I guess it's one of the things you and I have in common; we were both nearly killed by a woman."

Blinking as he gazed across at the Toad Sage, the blonde Jonin remained standing in place for a little while longer before a grim smile pulled across his lips, "Girls are scary."

This comment had the other two men in the office nod in agreement. After a moment of silent contemplation and juggling the matter in his hands carefully, the jinchuriki was once again addressed by the largest person in the office, with the wandering Sannin stepping off of the wall he was propped up against and directing his attention towards his student, "Speaking of girls… how is your gaggle of fans taking your leaving the village?"

Naruto shrugged, "Most of them are cool about it. Tayuya was encouraging as usual, Tenten was happy, and Kin gave me a pat on the back like I was walking to the execution platform or something." She really was a funny girl that one. Maybe she was still pissed at him for all the times he'd walked in on her naked and was just paying him back with interest. It certainly hit him where he lived, that was for sure. "Most of my other friends were okay with it too and told me to give it my all… even Sasuke, for some weird reason."

This then had Jiraiya grin, "You're kind of dodging one of the other members of your household, brat." Oh yeah; one of the most important ones. There was no way his student would ever miss that girl in conversation, especially since he'd first met her on one of his most perilous adventures as a Genin outside of Konohagakure.

Cringing a little when the man pressured him, the jinchuriki looked off for a moment and did his best to conceal his embarrassment behind a veil of discomfort, "Isaribi's still pissed at me about the whole 'going away for three whole years trip' and doesn't even want to talk to me." It was strange. The girl had been really happy when he came home from his last A-Rank mission and had been incredibly upset when she learnt about how he'd nearly been killed on that mission. However, when he finally came about, expressed to his roommates his resolve to get stronger and broke to her the news of how he intended to leave for Yuki no Kuni in the next few days… things got a tad bit ugly. "I think she's upset that I'll be leaving before the week of her operation. I tried to explain the situation to her, but she wouldn't listen and stormed out."

He could imagine that Isaribi was still at home, locked up in their room and sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, and looking forlornly at the wall.

"You're obviously the first person she wants to see when she finally gets out of the hospital and shows to the world the new girl she's become. Due to her current circumstances, I'm not surprised," the Sannin said with a smile pulling at his lips. "You are the one boy in her life who's had the most impact on her future and mindset as far as she's concerned, and you're one of the only people in this village she cares about the most." After saying this, Jiraiya turned away and closed his eyes in assurance, "The two of you had similar beginnings and had led really rough lives, so it makes sense that she'd want to get your opinion first."

In actuality, the three girls living in Naruto's apartment had all had rough starts. The fact that they all shared the same pains meant that they could connect on a more superficial level, making their relationships that much stronger than other people could hope to achieve. They found comfort in the other's presence and had a lot of common interests between one another.

When you came down to it, it was both a sad and sweet tale.

"Ugh… this is really hard," Naruto groaned, at the same time throwing his hand out in exasperation. "And I already told Koyuki that I would be in Yuki no Kuni by the end of the week. Why the hell did I set a date weeks in advance?" People like that tended to hold you to your word and expected you to arrive on the hour you specified for them. The actress-slash-princess of the Land of Spring/Snow was no exception.

She could be one hell of a firebrand when she wanted to be if her numerous troubles and escapes in the past were anything to go by. In all honesty, Naruto wasn't willing to test that maelstrom. Though there was a part of him that wanted to, he really wanted this whole partnership with the girl to work out, and establish a good rapport between them.

"You could send out a message and postpone your arrival… let her know that you have important matters to attend to and that you'll be delayed by a few days," Hiruzen suggested from his seat, having listened closely to Naruto and Jiraiya's conversation and deciding to offer his own two cents on the issue.

"It's too late to make any changes now. The damage has already been done and any message I could send out to Koyuki will arrive by the end of the week. The channels it'd have to go through as well will be murder," the jinchuriki replied with a sigh, at the same time scratching his head in resignation. "I can only hope that I'll be able to make things right with Isaribi before I leave. I really don't want her to be angry at me, especially if I'm going to be away for three years."

This hope had Jiraiya grinning from ear to ear as he approached the boy and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, "Aww… your first lover's spat. That's so adorable."

Naruto grumbled when he felt the man pat the spot above his arm like it were a blow to the body and scowled at his words, "This isn't funny."

"Look kid, I'm sure that if you slowly explain the situation to Isaribi and let her know how you feel, I'm sure she'll understand. Just… give her another day to breathe and take it all in, and then afterwards I'm sure you'll be able to reason with her," the white haired man counseled his student with a gentle smile in play and a tall stance. When he saw the boy turn to look up at him, he patted him once more on the shoulder and stepped away, just so he had room enough to breathe. "Having fun and getting into fights is all part of a relationship. You of all people should know this by now."

"Yeah… no kidding," the blonde sighed before rubbing his scalp irritably. His many years of living with Tayuya have given him a lot of interesting experiences and tests. In fact, every single second he'd spent hanging out with his friends and the people closest to him had been one big lesson in life. He just had to make do with all of the things that came and went, and deal with it. There was no rewind button. "I'll talk with Isaribi-chan afterwards. Hopefully she's had some time to calm down a little."

"That's the spirit, kid," Jiraiya chuckled, lightly jabbing him in the arm and seeing the blonde rub it from the slight pain that came with it. "I'm sure I'll be able to teach you some really awesome stuff over the next couple of years. There's your old man's jutsu that he made himself, adding your element to it, some introductory sessions in fuinjutsu… and I'm sure I'll be able to polish up your shunshin abilities while we're lollygagging about up north." As top notch as it already was, Naruto insisted on working on his speed. Even though he was already proficient enough to fight on equal terms with a Jonin level shinobi like Asuma or Genma, he wanted to push it and take his abilities even further. Like this morning he'd gone out to the training field just to see if he could make some quick improvements to his footwork, but had really only worked on his stamina. His next few years out of the village should really boost his growth as a shinobi and make for an interesting chapter in his career.

Naruto perked up at the thought of further training under his apprenticeship with the Sannin and grinned from ear to ear, "Sweet."

"While I do hope you make this extended trip of yours a productive one Naruto-kun, there are a couple of issues that I still wish to address with you first, just to make sure you're aware of everything that's going on," Hiruzen spoke up, cutting off the duo's growing excitement and drawing their attention over to him. Once he was assured the two shinobi in front had their eyes fixated on him, the elder laced his fingers together and rested his chin on top. "Step one, regarding the Akatsuki Organization… I'm sure I don't need to remind you who they are."

At that, the blonde's expression turned to one of absolute seriousness and focus, "No, I think I've got it."

"Good," the Third said while closing his eyes. "According to your sleuth of a teacher the group has currently broken up and gone into hiding… probably to start making preparations for whatever they have in store for the biju. A great deal of events have occurred that's caused a great shakedown across the countries, so to put it into perspective for you, I do not believe you'll have to worry about them coming after you… at least not now."

Naruto nodded in understanding and slipped his hands into his pockets, "But I still intend to watch my back wherever I go. There's no way I'm going to let one of those red cloud guys get the drop on me like that Guren lady did on that island. The next time I run into someone of that caliber out on the field, I promise you that I'll be ready for them, Hokage-jiji."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," the village leader said while sparing a smile toward the eager young Jonin. After which, his smile reversed and he returned to the subject at hand. "The next issue is in regards to the hidden group that's been causing a row around the other nations. Since your encounter with their team on the island and the disappearance of the coastal town Jiraiya had visited, activities involving the organization have dropped like a stone. I don't expect you'll be seeing them for a while either, but keep your eyes and ears open, and try not to draw any attention to yourself."

"These guys are tied with Akatsuki for first place on my list, oji-san," Naruto stated, at the same time glancing across at his teacher listening in from the side. "They not only injured my teammate, but they hurt Tayuya-chan, nearly killed Tsubaki-chan, and were involved with Doto's gang when he tried to take complete control over Yuki no Kuni. Once I've improved my skills, strengthened my body and gotten more jutsu under my belt, I'm going after them, Orochimaru and Akatsuki."

Jiraiya grinned when he said this and gave the boy an upward nod of warning, "Careful brat. It almost sounds like you're declaring war on these guys."

"Damn right I am," Naruto replied while raising a determined fist to his master, "If you're out to hurt other people, then you've got me coming after your ass. Try to harm any of the people close to me, like Tayuya-chan and Isaribi-chan… and you're on my shit list until further notice."

Snickering at the boy's use of profanity in his spirited declarations, the wandering Sannin then looked up to see Hiruzen with his head in his hand and a half-amused, half-exasperated look on his face. "I think I've got the encouragement part of his training regiment covered, old man."

"Indeed," the Third replied while looking across at the practically glowing blonde with a smile. "I can always count on this one for his confidence. Just be sure to keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't cause too much havoc up North."

"Will do," Jiraiya replied with a nod.

Glancing between the two adults, the jinchuriki crossed his arms and frowned back at the village leader. "In any case, all of us have to be prepared for whoever these guys are. I already have Tsubaki-chan and her friends' support, and I also have Samui-chan and her teammates backing me up. Though it's not much, I really want to get everybody else involved so that they're not caught unawares or out in the open."

"You don't need to worry about the others, Naruto-kun," the Hokage assured while rolling his pipe between his lips. "I'm sure that they have their own plans and responsibilities covered… and I can guarantee that they won't be slacking off either. Your teammates and companions have their own dreams and goals they're aspiring towards, so as long as you focus on the material on your end, then your friends and comrades will be able to take care of theirs."

"Konoha won't fall apart overnight, kid," Jiraiya added while nudging his student in the back. "The shinobi in this village are strong. They'll be able to hold down the fort while you're away, so don't worry about anything disastrous taking place."

Absorbing the reinforced statements from the two men he admired most, the blonde haired Jonin sprouted a smile and nodded in understanding, "Right."

"And don't forget, you've got Tsunade and the old man here to watch over things… not to mention your team leader Kakashi and your girlfriends. You'd do well not to underestimate them," the Toad Sage also stated while puffing his chest out.

A snort came from the spiky haired hell raiser beside him, "I wouldn't even dream of underestimating Tayuya-chan. She could guard this entire village with one arm and ear tied behind her back."

The boy clearly had one thing in his favor and that was his unwavering faith in the people in his life. Though he'd made it his mission to watch out for them and to make sure all of their spirits were kept up, the boy knew he could count on his friends above everything else. Since he was assured that the other teams from his year level and their instructors weren't going to let their skills go to waste or let anything happen to the village, Naruto could now commit all of his efforts and focus to his work. He had big plans for the future and a lot of ideas he wanted to get out, and Jiraiya was all set on helping him with his endeavor.

Though he was a bright kid, possessing wild instincts comparable to that of a natural genius, he still needed help on the theoretical side of things and putting stuff on paper into practice. There were definitely a few things the boy needed help on and the Toad Sannin was intent on giving him the guidance he required.

With plans made and concerns addressed, Hiruzen was about to move on to his next order of business until he heard a knock on the door. All eyes in the room turning to the entrance, they suddenly saw the door open up and the Chunin runner for the day step into view.

"Oh, Kotetsu… what can I do for you?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Hokage-sama, but the liaison from Sunagakure has arrived with the documents from the Fourth Kazekage," the spiky haired shinobi informed with a smile and a nod towards Naruto and Jiraiya.

Perking up when he remembered he still had other business to address outside of this one, the village leader acknowledged the man's report with a wave, "Very well, send them in."

Bowing to the men in the room, the Chunin departed the office to collect the visitor from outside. After a couple of minutes of waiting and sitting around in silence, the door was once again opened and was soon followed by a familiar figure strolling into the picture. Had he not become adept at sensing his environment and reading movements ahead of time, Naruto would have recoiled in surprise at the sight of this person. But when the door closed behind the visitor from Sunagakure, the blonde haired Jonin's immediate response was a wide smile and a shimmer in his gaze when he finally laid his eyes on the person he remembered from all those months.

The last he saw of her was back during the Chunin Exams.

How many times was he going to recall that epic event?

"Temari-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to face the door when the Suna kunoichi lined up before the three high ranking individuals in the chamber.

Since the tournament back in Yugakure, the girl had apparently gone through a few changes in her wardrobe. While her hair and general visage remained untouched, she was now sporting a long sleeved purple blouse under a grey top, a dark blue skirt, and an elongated sash arranged into a bow. While her previous outfit had been something to wonder about, this one definitely caught the blonde's eye and held it at attention. It not only accentuated the girl's feminine side, but also her presence and her wild, fiery side that certainly made an impact on the field. Watching the girl close the door behind her and sashay her way in was perhaps one of the most attractive sights the jinchuriki had ever seen.

Acknowledging the Jonin's greeting with a smile, the girl walked up to him and stopped, "Well, well, well, if it isn't wonder boy himself; the man who single-handedly defeated the Goddess of Lightning and Gaara of the Unending Desert." Adding that title at the end as both a joke and an honor to his most noteworthy achievements, the girl placed a hand on her hip and looked the boy over. Taking note of his vest, broken in by both combat and strife, sitting over an orange jacket zipped up with its trademark arrows on either side, the fan user grinned, "It's good to see you again, Naruto."

"It's great to see you too, Temari-chan," the blonde replied gleefully while slipping his hands into his pockets. "Man… it's been while. How are things back home?"

"Same old, same old," the golden haired teen chuckled before raising a hand to count on her fingers, "Scorching heat, sand everywhere, clear skies every single day… oh yeah, and that's not even counting the missions we're getting on top of all of that. So you can say things are pretty sweet." The girl grinned at him smugly and dropped her arm back to her side, "All of the jobs I've been getting have been pretty hardcore so far."

"I'll bet," Naruto chuckled before nodding upwards, "Bandits?"

"Scores."

"Border patrols?"

"Routine."

"Package deliveries?"

The girl jabbed her thumb into her chest, "You're looking at the number one liaison between Konoha and Suna now."

"Damn," Naruto whistled before grinning, "You should have dropped by to say hello. I would have taken you out and showed you around town."

"I tried a couple of times, but when I first went over to your apartment after asking for directions there, the raven haired girl living in the flat said that you were out on a mission to Takigakure," Temari said, before raising a hand again in the midst of their dialogue, "I tried again a second time, but Tayuya said that you'd been sent on a mission to the Land of Grass."

"Ah man… that sucks," the jinchuriki groaned, "Sorry about that…"

Temari waved a hand at him dismissively, "Don't worry about it. If you were out, you were out. It was a shame your free periods didn't cross over with my trips over to this village, but I guess since you're a Jonin and a working member of the elite forces unit, it makes sense that you're constantly running errands all over the place. I bet it'll be same for me when I finally get the official nod."

"Well, hopefully it'll be soon. You're a wicked good kunoichi," Naruto said with absolute sincerity in his voice.

Smiling at the blonde's words of praise and the honest smile he sent her way, the girl gently moved passed him, being sure to make a show of walking across the office for the jinchuriki when he looked over his shoulder to watch her stroll towards the Hokage. It was a sight that did not go amiss by Jiraiya, who looked over at his student with a wide grin and pride burning in his eyes. When the kunoichi from the hidden sand village eventually stopped in front of the village leader's desk, she bowed respectfully to the Third.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Hokage-sama."

"The pleasure is all mine," Hiruzen greeted back with a smile, "Welcome." Pulling his pipe out of his mouth and extinguishing it, he then set it on the desk in front of him and beamed at the girl when she rose up to full height and started rummaging through the pouch behind her. "Am I to assume that this visit is in regards to the letters of inquiry from the Kazekage?"

"Yes sir," the kunoichi replied before pulling out the abovementioned items, holding up the scrolls and showing the crests emblazoned upon them. "They come to the hidden leaf with my father's compliments. He hopes that these will help steer us towards improving trade relations between our two nations in the future." She then handed the documents over for the elder to take, which he did.

"Anything to help our neighbors to the west," the Hokage said, setting the articles down in front of him and rolling one of them open. As this was the mission scroll, the elder was sure to read through the usual spiel written as a formality to the process. After doing so, he then took up his pen, gave it the old John Hancock, stamped it, and handed it over to the young woman to relinquish from his grip. "I'll be sure to read through these as quickly as possible, just to make sure that everything is in order, and write back to the Kazekage complete with my endorsement. Until then, feel free to hang around the village for as long as you like. Our allies from the Land of Wind are always welcome here in the hidden leaf."

"It's an honor, Hokage-sama," Temari replied with yet another bow, a smile forming on her face when she stood back up. "I won't have to return to the village for a couple of days, so I'll be sure to enjoy all of the sights and sounds our fellow shinobi community has to offer. Thank you."

With one final smile and nod from the old leader, Temari was then allowed to return to the jinchuriki standing in the center of the room and waiting for her. When she eventually returned and met his gaze with her own, the girl showed him both her relief and her eagerness.

"Well… that was easy enough… and I didn't run into any bandits this time," the golden haired girl chirped as she massaged her shoulder and rolled her arm about. "Still, all of these long trips across the borders are murder on the body, especially when I have to lug this heavy thing around." She elbowed the giant metal fan she had folded up on her back.

"Maybe a trip to the hot springs will help cool you off. The warm water will do wonders for your muscles," Naruto suggested, at the same time putting on his most considerate face possible. "I can escort you there myself if you like."

"Smooth," Jiraiya and Hiruzen thought, the former watching on from afar while the latter was pretending to be engrossed in his paperwork.

The teen looked across at the blonde and his innocent looking face for several seconds, before a small smile crept onto her lips, "Not planning on doing anything lewd, are you?"

"What? I would never," Naruto feigned a look of shock and clutched his chest, at the same time striking a dramatic pose. "I can't believe you would think I'd do something as indecent as to spy on you while you're taking a bath. That's Ero-Sennin's department." He said this while pointing across at the Toad Sage, whom Temari looked towards just in time to see him stumble.

Tick mark forming on his head, the elder glared back at the blonde still acting like he'd been stabbed through the heart with an arrow, "Don't drag me into this, kid. I can make your life a living hell."

"I'd like to see you try, sensei," the blonde responded with a cocky smirk. Seeing the man glare back at him, Naruto chose to ignore him and returned his attention to Temari, who was watching the youngster's interaction with one of the most powerful men in the world with interest. "Anyhow, now that you're here and I've got some free time on my hands, I'd really like to take you around town and show you the village. It's been a while since I last saw you guys and I'd really like to hear about what you've been up to this past month."

Temari grinned and placed her hands on her hips, "Sure. I've got nothing else to do until my return trip, so I'll let you take charge. Your treat though, right?"

Obviously the fan user was still a little thrown by the blonde not stopping by her village to visit her like he promised… or take her up on the rematch they promised each other. However, given the circumstances and considering Gaara's older sister would probably be here for a bit due to the nature of her assignment, Naruto allowed a smirk onto his face and tilted his head suggestively, "Market Street, hot springs, dinner?"

Eyes shining at his quick response and proposal, Temari gave an affirmative nod and raised a fist to him, "You're on."

Satisfied, the jinchuriki quickly created a shadow clone to stand in his place before grabbing Temari by the shoulder and vanishing in a shunshin, taking the older girl with him. The speed he disappeared at had Jiraiya blink, before his gaze led over to the open window directly beside the Hokage's desk, which he quickly theorized was the exit the two of them had taken.

A chuckle escaped the hermit's lips as he thought back to the interaction between the pair, "Well… there he goes with another girl under his arm. I wonder if this one will become part of his harem as well." As it stood, the sand girl seemed to have some sort of a showing respect and admiration for the boy to coincide with the friendship they'd formed between one another. That exam back in Yugakure had really allowed the blonde to expand his horizons and meet a whole bunch of interesting people from different villages, definitely something a shinobi aiming for the title of Hokage would do. It was a good strategy to have under his belt.

Make love rather than make war.

Finding a juicy idea and title behind that quote, the Toad Hermit pulled up his notepad and began scribbling across the page, in the meantime looking up to see the shadow clone Naruto had left behind approach the Hokage's desk to finish up their meeting in the original's place. Seeing the jinchuriki copy hold up the paperwork that the village leader slid over to him to check out, Jiraiya allowed a smile to tug at the corner of his mouth and looked out the window towards the village beyond.

"Times are changing. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this new generation will bring to the table…"

OOO

Meanwhile…

Many miles away…

Deep within the confines of the enormous fortress belonging to the shadow organization, the man dressed in the white, high-collar coat and covered in bandages could be seen admiring his vast collection of 'toys' lined up inside of his main chamber. Having had some of his equipment moved up to this level from his own personal laboratory so as to conduct his business in the comforts of his throne room, the leader of the secret group gazed into the enormous tanks of liquid attached to the half a dozen large machines similar to the ones that Orochimaru used to store the various specimens of animals he'd collected. However, unlike the Snake Sannin, the items this syndicate leader had collected were not live creatures, body parts or anything like that.

Instead of bodies, the individual was busy running his hand over glass containing a green, radioactive like substance with five different weapons floating inside each container. Each of these weapons was of a different shape and size, and each resembled one of the five Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths'. These included the Bashosen (Banana Palm Fan), Benihisago (Crimson Gourd), Kohaku no Johei (Amber Purifying Pot), Kokinjo (Golden Canopy Rope), and the Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword). However, judging from how they were in bits and pieces, and were floating in tanks of corrosive, chakra looking liquid, they weren't the original weapons that once belonged to the Great Sage, nor were they in any usable states.

Nevertheless, each of the tools apparently held a great significance to the man admiring them, who ran another finger over the glass containing the incomplete Purifying Pot before moving along towards several enormous slabs of stone he had standing alongside the machinery and lit up by excavation lights. These tall sections of rock resembled pieces of an ancient temple wall that had just been exhumed and pilfered, and each section was currently under the scrutiny of a hard working Shinno, who was at this very moments jotting things down in his personal notebook.

"They're coming together quite nicely, wouldn't you agree?" the short leader exclaimed in regards to the tanks of fluid with an excited gleam in his eyes.

The good doctor studying the ancient relics acknowledged his approaching boss with a friendly smile and glanced up towards the equipment containing said weaponry with an inquisitive gaze. "I'd say so. Even though they're only carbon copies, if my calculations are correct, each one of these weapons should still be capable of dealing a great amount of destructive power and ability that the original tools forged by the Great Sage himself all those years ago were capable of. You should be happy. Pretty soon… you'll have an exact replica of each of the Treasured Tools added to your arsenal and implanted into your body. If you ask me, they should go quite well with the three kekkei genkai you've already absorbed."

The boss giggled ecstatically as he then looked upon the enormous slabs of stone standing alongside them and the writing etched upon each of their faces, which Shinno was still in the process of deciphering. "It's so nice of the scribes and historians of old to leave behind all of this information for us to find. You can learn so much from reading."

"Yeah. Especially from ancient texts," Shinno added while gesturing towards the old pictures engraved upon the walls. "The people back in those days made a lot of detailed accounts regarding the Great Sage's accomplishments… including the tools, weapons and chakra he once wielded to bring peace to the continent. I was also able to find a great deal of interesting material that existed before the Juubi even came into existence. These stone slabs we discovered in the bowels of this fortress and the Gelel Mines are particularly fascinating."

"Well… keep at it… and let me know if you find anything else of interest," the leader said before moving back towards his throne, leaving the good doctor to his work. With their understanding made, the man in white was about to take his seat for another few hours of quiet meditation. However, just as he was making his way up the stairs and into the light, he heard the door to his chamber open and footsteps enter his midst.

When he turned to see who it was intruding upon his domain, he saw Ishidate, Karenbana and Kongo stroll into view. However, there was a bit of a difference about the three of them that was worth taking note of.

While the leader of the Three Wandering Ninja looked about the same as he was before and after the operation on his body and the trio were all still dressed in the same clothing, the other two members of their squad had gone through some incredible changes. Now slightly bigger than before with massive arms like a gorilla, the hulking form of the team's muscle, Kongo, was wearing an even more jacked-up armor once adorned by the shinobi from the country of Snow, only this time he had various pipes leading from the front section and all the way to the back, being fed by some weird green liquid chakra. While this certainly gave the man a much more fearsome appearance, this was nothing compared to the kunoichi of his team.

Karenbana had grown… in more ways than one. Not only was she now adult looking as opposed to previous child-like appearance, but she'd also taken on a very shapely, firm figure, complete with large chest and long, flowing white hair, giving her the appearance of princess. This pretty much told everyone that her operation under the boss and Shinno had been a complete success, a result that she was genuinely pleased with. Her regular robes had also been fitted to accommodate her new form and showed off a greater amount of cleavage than it had before. Out of the three mercenaries, the kunoichi was definitely the stand-out figure of them all and the one that had gone through the most changes, inside and out. The only thing that wasn't different about her was her brilliant pink eyes and the childish grin she wore as she stood on the left of Ishidate in all her hot glory.

The sight of his two bodyguards and his right-hand man had the leader on the steps of his throne raise a curious eyebrow, "Ah, my friends. How may I help you?"

"Sorry to disturb you, boss, but…" the orange haired second in command began while glancing over his shoulder, "There's been a bit of a problem down in the prison section."

"Problem?"

"Apparently one of our guests didn't like being cooped up in his cell twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and decided to go for a little walkabout of our fortress," Karenbana sung, her voice breathy as she flicked some hair over her shoulder to accentuated the long curve of her neck. "We caught him trying to break into the armory and when he didn't surrender peacefully, we dragged him up here."

Kongo, grinning stupidly, allowed an excited snicker to escape his lips, "He was fun to hit."

The leader of the organization smiled through his mask, "Well, hopefully you didn't hit him too hard." He then untucked his hand from under his long sleeve and waved towards the three commandingly, "Bring him in."

Bowing, the two body guards stepped aside, whereas Ishidate simply smirked and moved forward at his own leisure to stand by his master's side. As soon as he made his way up the steps to the throne, the sound of armor clacking and a person struggling filled the air, and the audience of villains, including Shinno, soon watched as Temujin stepped into view dragging a boy about a year younger than him into the light. With his hand wrapped around the scruff of the prisoner's collar, the armored warrior unceremoniously threw the teen to the ground so that he knelt before the leader of the organization, who stood looking down at the figure with an intrigued crease in his brow.

Panting and coughing from an obvious beating he'd received, the brown haired individual rose up ever so slightly from his position and, under both the light from above and the stares of the powerful figures in the room, looked towards the leader weakly. With sharp, tired eyes, nose, and shaggy brown hair, complete with a scar moving down across his right eye, the boy in the ragged clothing and snake scale patterned pants, swayed on the spot as he was carefully scrutinized by his captors.

The white haired leader lifted his head slightly, "What is your name?"

Panting and swallowing, the bruised up and thoroughly exhausted youngster gritted his teeth and fixed his best glare on the leader, "D-Dosu… Kinuta Dosu."

"Well, Dosu… did you not find the accommodations we'd so kindly provided for you to your liking?" the pale man asked with a curious tone in his voice.

Huffing angrily, the teen glared back at the condescending sounding individual and spat on the ground, "Obviously. The cell you put me in smelled like ass." He was then promptly kicked across the face by Temujin, who managed to not only knock him to the ground but cause him to spit up blood from the force of the blow. "Ack!"

The boy in armor glared down at the now fallen insubordinate prisoner through his piercing, blood red eyes, "Watch your tone."

Coughing and groaning, the wounded teen glared hatefully up at the knight in armor and snarled, "You're so lucky my hands are tied… otherwise I would be kicking the shit out of you right about now."

Flinching, Temujin stepped over, grabbed Dosu by the hair and pulled him back up onto his knees. Earning a growl of pain from the runaway shinobi due to the manner in which he was being man-handled, the blonde knight then held him up to face his master before drawing the sword from his side. Spinning the weapon between his fingers expertly, the young warrior then brought the short blade to the prisoner's throat and held it there, its sharp end pressed up against his jugular.

"Do you have any last words before I dispatch you?"

Seething through a cringing expression, Dosu glared back at the kid threatening him and cursed his response, "Fuck you…"

Frowning, Temujin prepared to perform the coup de grace and end the youngster's existence once and for all.

"Wait."

His leader's voice reaching his ears in an instant, Temujin looked up to see his boss's hand raised and glare set on both of them. Upon reading the man's gesture and processing his order at light speed, the youthful knight quickly relinquished his hold over the boy and stepped away, allowing Dosu to collapse forward and catch his breath. Glaring down at the pitiful excuse of a ninja, the teen in armor sheathed his primary weapon, pulled his cape around and stepped into the shadows, allowing his master to take the floor.

Walking down the steps in a casual stride, the organization's leader smiled down at Dosu as he stared up at him, upon which he then brought both hands out and stopped just a few feet away from the kneeling youngster. "Come, child. Let us reason together." He then gave the Genin an admiring look and took on a conversational stance. "It would be a regrettable waste… and nothing short of madness for a strong and fearsome young man such as you to be snuffed out… all because of a simple misunderstanding. There's much the two of us can share together."

Breathing heavily, Dosu glowered, "How do you figure?"

The man in bandages smiled as he beamed down at the teenager with full intent, "You truly are a fascinating young shinobi. Even now you are defiant… in the face of your impending death…" He then brought a hand up and placed it against his chest, "And the presence of the future ruler of this world. It isn't wise to defy me, Dosu…"

In response, the Sound ninja's stare hardened as he looked the man over. Seeing as how the supposed leader of the organization stood at about half the height of all the other figures in the room, it was really difficult to take him or any of his words seriously. His big talk seemed more like he was compensating for something, if his enormous fortress and guards didn't do that already. However, wanting to see if this man's bite was as big as his bark, the defiant young Dosu decided to push.

"And what if I'm unwise?"

Raising an eyebrow, the shadow group's leader inhaled deeply. Upon which, he then raised a hand again and gestured towards the door to his room. As soon as he did so, the gates opened up, and the sound of more footsteps and struggling entered the chamber. In response Dosu looked about in alarm, wondering what the approaching commotion was until a few more figures suddenly stepped into his midst seconds later, one of them being thrown down onto the ground in front of him while the others took to flanking the center. When he looked, the captured Genin saw the three ninja that had brought him here, Ichi, Ni and San, step into view to stand on either side of their leader, while the person they'd deposited on the ground was someone who looked awfully familiar to the boy…

Someone whom he'd only seen once in a meeting with Orochimaru…

Taking a closer look at the individual, the Genin balked in shock.

"Mizuki?"

Also brought to his knees and beaten all to hell, the white haired former Chunin of Konohagakure and spy to the Snake Sannin sat in front of the boy silently, bleeding heavily from the lip and looking completely busted up. When the man glanced up at the bewildered Sound Genin in front of him through a swollen eye, the form of the organization's leader suddenly fell upon the pair once more and caused Dosu to turn his attention back to his host as he made his presence known.

The short man in white smiled, "Ah… so you know this shinobi from Konohagakure?" A chuckle soon followed this as the short man began to circle the two prisoners with a haunting step, "Well… not too long ago, I had my men rescue this poor soul from an extended stay in at a lowly prison cell on the other side of the Land of Fire, which kept him away from the sun and the comforts of his home. However, when I offered him a place on my forces and a chance to serve me as one of my soldiers… he selfishly turned me down." Smirking, the leader of the group did a full lap around the pair, before stopping directly behind Mizuki in plain sight of Dosu. As soon as his footsteps stopped, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulder, "As I am a fair and honest ruler, and always follow the codes of conduct that I've established for myself, I always believe in giving man a second chance."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"However…"

Without warning, the short man then grabbed either side of Mizuki's face so that his palms covered his ears. Then, as soon as he'd positioned his hands accordingly and began digging his fingers into the man's fear struck face, in the blink of an eye and with a sickening crunch, the man in the white coat and bandages effortlessly crushed the Konoha shinobi's head between his palms, flattening it like a grape. It was a sight that Dosu bore witness too while kneeling directly in front of the man and could do nothing but watch in morbid horror as the Chunin's body went slack before dropping lifelessly to the ground in front of him, his crushed skull bleeding out all over the floor.

Everybody else standing inside the chamber remained silent, with people like Ishidate grinning amusedly from ear to ear at his leader's gruesome demonstration of his strength.

Wiping his hands with a cloth, the head honcho then dropped the handkerchief on top of Mizuki's corpse and stepped over it, before kneeling in front of the stricken Dosu and giving him an all-knowing smile. "A second chance… is only one chance. I'm sure you understand this." When he saw the Genin's face twist into one of defeat and frustration, the pale man gave him a moment to think and contemplate his next course of action, before speaking up again in a low voice. "If you are wondering… my subordinates do not fear me for my lash or my cruelty… but for my divine power." A smirk then tugged at his lips as he leaned forward and suspended his forehead just an inch or so away from Dosu's. He brought his hands up and placed them on either one of the child's shoulders in an almost comforting gesture before the final curtain was closed.

The presence this person carried with him was absolutely crushing. The proximity the former Sound Genin was currently at with this man meant that he felt all of it, and Dosu knew right then and there that this was an individual whose strength rivaled and even surpassed that of Orochimaru's.

However, just when he thought he was about to meet the same, cruel fate as Mizuki before him, the man then said something to him that had the boy reeling.

"Unlike your former master, I am generous… and kind. I can make you rich and powerful beyond all measure," the leader whispered, causing the young male kneeling before him to look up at him in bewilderment, which brought an even wider grin to the man's lips. "I will make you a daimyo of my new world. When war inevitably comes to this continent… and war will most certainly come… I will see to it that you carry my battle standard to all four corners of the globe… and that all of your rivals, including your former master… will kneel at your feet and submit to your will… if you but pledge your allegiance to mine."

Eyes shimmering in astonishment at the offer this man was making to him, Dosu then looked around at all of the other people standing around the chamber. His gaze first landing on Ichi, Ni and San, all of whom grinned menacingly in his direction, just as Ishidate, Karenbana and Kongo did, his gaze then turned to Temujin. From his spot on the ground he saw the blonde haired knight glaring at him, as if the entire incident of the Chunin's head being crushed didn't affect him one bit. After taking in his surroundings and how proudly each of the leader's subordinates stood around him, the boy took a moment to swallow, look back around, and fix his gaze on the white haired man in front of him.

His dark eyes meeting the red ones of his host's, and his mind quickly processing the apprenticeship the man was offering him, the Genin breathed in deeply, "If I pledge my strength to you… all of it… will you make me powerful…?"

Nodding his head, the masked individual responded, "If I could make my subordinates from nothing into shinobi comparable in strength to men like Kakashi Hatake and Kisame Hoshigaki… then I can surely make you even more powerful than Orochimaru. That I can promise you… and anything else you desire… land… money… women… anything."

There was not a trace of deception or hesitance in this man's voice. He was being completely honest, sincere and firm. Though there was really nothing for this leader to gain from taking him in, on the surface anyway, he was still offering him a chance to work for him as a servant and a soldier. As suspicious as this whole thing was, if there was a chance for him to avoid being thrown into jail again or being mercilessly crushed under this man's hand, then Dosu was going to take it.

The fire in his eyes changing, the boy from Otogakure allowed his shoulders to relax and lowered his head determinedly, "Who are you?" When he saw the leader give him an inquisitive look, Dosu elaborated, "Because if people ask me, I will need to know the name of the master that I serve."

Smiling, the boss rose to his feet before the boy and held his hands out in presentation, "I am Hiruko… former villager of Konohagakure, former friend to the Sannin… and future ruler of this world."

Nodding his head in acknowledgment to this information, the Genin's scowl let up, "I… Kinuta Dosu… swear to serve you, Master Hiruko, from now until the end of my days." Without any fear or faltering in his words or actions, he lowered his head till his forehead made contact with the floor, a sight that brought smiles all around and a gleam to the eyes of the man standing before him.

Satisfied with his answer, Hiruko nodded in acknowledgement to the boy's concession before gesturing towards Temujin, who did what his leader commanded of him and, upon moving over to Dosu, cut the binds around his hands. When the teen stood up and massaged his wrists of the ropes that once held them, the leader of the organization waved for him to follow and turned around with both air and poise in his motions.

"Come… let me show you something."

Flanked by Ichi and San, Hiruko was quickly followed by the thoroughly exhausted Dosu, who in turn was promptly pursued by the ever on guard Temujin. With the Sound Genin trading furtive glances at the white knight on his heels, he then had his focus pulled back to the leader of the organization as he moved them around the throne in the center of the chamber to the other end of it, where, with another wave of his hand, the man ordered the lights on the dark path ahead of him to be lit up.

"I apologize for the mess. I'm still having this place cleaned up," the man wrapped in bandages said while flippantly gesturing toward some scaffolding over by the window and wall, being rebuilt by a couple of shinobi in purple uniforms. When they passed them by, Hiruko continued speaking as the lights overhead were switched on one after the other, "The people who once operated and inhabited this floating city were aligned to Sora no Kuni (Land of the Sky); the scourge of the shinobi nations. At one point they possessed a power capable of wiping out an entire country in the blink of an eye, but thanks to the quick actions of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the hidden leaf in particular; their great civilization was destroyed in a single night. Had they conducted their actions better, the people of the Sky nation would have surely wiped out all of the other countries during the Second Great Shinobi War… but instead suffered an attack that forced them to abandon this fortress village. They crashed it into the coast and left it all behind in less than a few hours, and now, after lying dormant for decades, its former inhabitants have finally managed to reclaim their long forgotten homeland… along with us, their new allies and leaders. That makes us the members of the new Soragakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Sky)."

Dosu looked around through the dark as the man led on, also taking note that there were windows to the outside world all around him, showing the blue, cloudy sky beyond. Though he didn't know exactly where he was, he assumed he was somewhere where it was still day time. The smell of the ocean drifting in from beyond the barricades didn't pass his notice either.

"The people left so quickly they couldn't decide what to take, what to leave, or what was important to them." This thought had Hiruko shake his head in amusement, "And seeing this everyday reminds me to focus only on the essentials. There's nothing… nothing superfluous in my life. When a thing becomes redundant… it is 'poof'… eliminated." They then stopped when the lights ahead lit up an enormous crate of some kind; an object that blocked off their path completely and set up upon an enormous podium surrounded by seals.

However, when Dosu's eyes adjusted to the light and focused on the thing ahead of them, he saw that the entity was in fact an enormous box the size of a small house, with a demonic face on each of its four sides and enormous mouths that were currently closed. These faces were unlike any creature or being he'd ever seen before, and the sight of the black monolith had the Sound Genin take a step back in surprise.

The size was one thing. The appearance of it was something else entirely, especially since the boy could feel a sickly aura of unpleasantness coming off of it.

Paying no mind to the fearful Dosu and his impassive subordinates, Hiruko chuckled and stepped forward. Upon running a hand over the giant mask facing them, he then walked into the box and pressed his ear against it, patting it down as if it were his own child. The subordinates he had walking around the area stopped and watched him from a distance, with Karenbana, Kongo and a couple other shinobi looking on warily, before the white haired shinobi glanced over his shoulder and towards his audience. Seeing their expressions, he gave a momentary snicker and turned to face Dosu standing in between Temujin, Ichi and San.

"Do you know what this is?" Hiruko asked the curious onlookers before stepping down from the stage it was mounted on. "It's called the Gokuraku no Hako (Box of Ultimate Bliss). I… 'acquired' it from the Hozukijo Prison in Kusagakure when I learned that the staff in charge of the facility discovered it buried underneath the castle. They were attempting to extend the prison further into the island and unearthed it by accident. Being the only one who knows how to use it, I took it off of their hands and had it brought back here." The man gave a momentary shrug and looked back at the object happily. "There was a bit of an argument between me and the councilmen I was trying to negotiate with, but I eventually won them over with a little… aggressive persuasion."

Dosu, staring up at the evil looking box for several moments, gave it a quick look over before looking back at Hiruko, "I think I've heard of this thing before. Isn't this the box that's supposed to grant the person who opens it any wish they desire?"

"That is merely a myth concocted by people who were too desperate to put genuine efforts into their dreams," Hiruko stated with a smile on his face, as if this news didn't upset him one bit. Patting the side of the monolith, he then stepped away from it. "The reality is that it is an artifact that corrupts whatever enters its confines and can transform enemies into allies. Centuries ago, this box was responsible for devastating the entire continent back during the time of the Sage of Six Paths and allowed the country today known as Kusagakure to take control. When the original medium eventually died after weeks of endless fighting, the box was sealed away by the Great Sage and never seen again… until now."

Karenbana shivered as she looked upon it, whereas Ishidate continued to appear bored, "That thing gives me the creeps."

"Well it's supposed to," Hiruko replied while walking away from the item. "The box is pure evil and damn near indestructible. The only way to destroy it is if you hurled it into the sun. What's more, it is inhabited by an exceptionally powerful entity known as Satori (Enlightenment); a winged beast that not only caused problems for the Sage of Six Paths when he was alive, it also wiped the entire map clean of the old regimes." This information had everyone in the room gawking, with the exception of Temujin and Ishidate. Hiruko on the other hand merely chuckled and looked at the box fondly. "Just like the Mines of Gelel, this box predates the time of the Ten Tails and the Sage of Six Paths, making it one of the most dangerous weapons on the face of the planet. It's quite the fascinating item." When he looked across the room, his smile increased tenfold. "Once war comes to this continent, I'm going to use it to help reshape our world into the perfect utopia."

It was a statement that brought a grin to Ishidate's smug face, "I can't wait."

Hiruko, turning his gaze back to the ever quiet Dosu, gave the boy a considerate look before lifting his head inquisitively, "So… now that I've flexed my muscles for you… are you still interested in staying… or do you wish to back out?"

Taking a moment to think about the opportunities presented to him and all of the stuff he'd seen here in this museum of power, the boy glanced once towards the box, back towards Temujin, before once again turning to Hiruko and grinning.

"I'll need a new uniform…"

OOO

Elsewhere…

That afternoon…

In a dark cave somewhere on the other side of the continent, hidden from sight of any and all prying eyes, nine figures cloaked in shadow with red clouds outlined in white and emblazoned upon their outfits shimmered into view around a large chamber. Using the same projection system they always did whenever they were scattered to their respective locations, the group appeared all at once in hologram form, standing tall and facing one another equally, as if this were just a regular meeting.

Once all of its members were accounted for, the conversation began.

"It's been a few months since all of us were assembled like this, hm," the voice belonging to a one eyed figure in the corner exclaimed in amusement. "We really should do this more often."

"Too bad we still have one empty space," the tallest shadow carrying the massive sword on his back spoke up. "I take it we still haven't been able to find anyone to replace our former comrade in arms."

"That much is obvious," the deep voice of a masked Kakuzu said while his green and red eyes pierced the blackness of the cave.

"Finding an adequate replacement for Orochimaru can wait," the voice of the group's leader cut in, a man with ripple patterned eyes and spiky hair said while looking from one familiar face to the next, able to make out each of them from their distinctive outlines. "His absence is of little consequence. However, while being one short a member doesn't upset our plans in the long run, the Sannin can still cause problems for us outside of our circle."

"I heard his men came awfully close to cornering the Sanbi in the Land of Water… along with the other group working in the shadows," the gravelly voice of the hunched over figure interjected, his eyes glancing around at the others as he informed them of this news. "It'll become incredibly difficult for us to capture the biju if those troublemakers keep getting in our way. I suggest we take care of both of them before things get out of hand."

"We will worry about Orochimaru and the other group when the time comes," the group leader stated while narrowing his glare. "We only have three years in which to prepare… and we all know what we need to do to be ready, right?" His ripple patterned eyes then cut towards the newest member standing alongside the imposing form of Kakuzu. "Misora?"

The voice of a woman garbed in sheets of silk nodded her head as her sapphire blue eyes reached the other members, "Yes."

After a moment of silence, another person in the organization spoke up. This time it was the one with the carnivorous plant growing on either side of his head. "Speaking of the rogue group… word on the street is that they've acquired a rather interesting little item… a kekkei genkai that I'm sure we're all familiar with."

"Apparently, members of the hidden faction ambushed young Sasuke Uchiha outside of his village and plucked one of his Sharingan eyes right out of its socket," the deep voice of the black half of Zetsu spoke, the announcement bringing complete silence to the chamber and had all eyes in the area turn to him. "A rather vexing development, wouldn't you agree, Itachi?"

At the mention of this, the figure with the red irises and black tomoe circling the pupils visibly flinched and his fingers twitched underneath his sleeves. Even in the dark and projected in hologram form, it was a response the young Uchiha gave that did not go unnoticed by his partner. Kisame's shadow briefly glanced in the direction of his slightly shorter counterpart in interest, his eyes reflecting his curiosity before his attention was eventually returned to the center.

"Regardless, we cannot afford any distractions," the leader's voice echoed out again, his eyes narrowing on all of the group's members. "Remember what we seek… everything… including the Nine-Tailed Fox…"

OOO

Konohagakure…

Later that night…

"I think we've had a rather productive day, wouldn't you agree?" Naruto asked brightly as he carried his bag of shopping up the stairs to his apartment. With plastic filled with all sorts of goodies, including supplies and clothing, the boy was all set for his long journey ahead.

This also went double for Temari, who'd gone out of her way to not only fill her bag with boxes of dango, but also a variety of other sweets she was interested in trying out. The smile on her face was more than enough to tell her jinchuriki tour guide that she'd had a whopping good time today.

"No kidding," the golden haired girl said as they began making their way towards his apartment door, at the same time shrugging her fan further up her back, "Man, this village has a lot of great stuff. Even the sweet stands crap all over ours. The hot springs were pretty awesome too… but… nowhere near as good as the ones we tried back in Yugakure… and not as big either."

"Yeah. You can't beat a village that's made soaking hot baths and saunas its main attractions," the spiky haired Jonin remarked with an enthusiastic look in his eyes. "Still, it's better than nothing, right?"

"Yeah," Temari chuckled. "You still get to enjoy the simple pleasures in life… and that's always important."

For them, the day had been full of kicking back and relaxing from an exhaustive week of non-stop work and missions. Not only had the pair hit the shops and splurged on all of the latest items on sale, especially Naruto, who needed new stuff for his coming excursion, they'd also gone down to the springs for a dip. When they were there, the pair sat on either side of the divider and spent the next few hours chatting about stuff they hadn't managed to cover while they were walking around the streets and visiting the stores. Upon getting their fill of the hot waters and washing themselves down, they then headed out for tea, dinner, and then some more shopping. By the time they were done, the entire day had just flown by and night had soon settled over the hidden leaf.

Needless to say, it'd been a very enjoyable afternoon.

When the pair eventually stopped outside of the flat and the jinchuriki began rummaging around his pockets for his keys, Temari turned toward the young Jonin with a cheerful smile in play, "This village is a really nice place. I'm sure that my brothers would enjoy hanging around here for a few days if they came by to visit."

"Well, we are neighbors. Feel free to bring them around anytime you like. If you can't find a place to stay, then I can let you guys sleep over," Naruto replied while beaming at the girl. "I'll be sure to roll out a couple mattresses for you to crash on. We've got plenty to go around, and more than enough pillows and blankets to share."

"Sure thing. Thanks a bunch," the golden haired girl replied with a nod of gratitude.

"Don't mention it," the jinchuriki replied, the click of his lock ringing out before the door to his place swung open. Once the pair collected their stuff off of the floor, they moved on in, with the spiky haired host grinning at his friend all the while. "It's what friends are for."

Snickering slightly, the older teen nudged her way in before closing the entrance behind her with her foot, leaving them standing in the open corridor and the entrance to the boy's domain, "You're awfully forward if you're already thinking of us as friends."

"Well… aren't we?"

A shrug came from the fan wielder, "Casual acquaintances would probably be the more preferred term to use."

"Aww… now that hurts," Naruto feign whined, at the same time sniffing and ignoring the grin from the sand kunoichi when they kicked off their shoes and began making their way towards the kitchen area. "I give you nothing but love and you give me that in return. What's a guy got to do to worm his way into your heart?"

"Oh, don't be such a whiner. It's unbecoming a shinobi of your stature."

"Hey, when I'm off the clock and taking it easy, people can go jump in the lake. I'm sure you say the same thing to others when they see you chilling out and being yourself," Naruto said, making sure the girl was walking alongside him as they chatted and slowly strolled down his hallway. "I do hope that the person I was hanging out with the entire day was your usual self."

"What? The tomboyish, hotheaded and spunky girl that likes picking fights with people?" Temari asked, stopping in her tracks while gesturing towards her face. When she saw the boy raise an eyebrow at her, the fan user chuckled and nodded affirmatively, "Get used to it buddy, because there's more where that came from."

"Don't worry. I think I've got that part well and truly covered," the blonde responded and smiled, "Man, I wish you could stick around for a little while longer. Hanging out with you is a blast."

Cheeks reddening slightly at his little confession, Temari then elbowed him in the side as they slowly moved on, "Don't joke about stuff like that, you blonde haired bastard. It's weird."

"Hey. It's no joke. I mean it," Naruto said back, "You're a great person to chat with and we've got a ton of stuff in common. If you were a Konoha ninja, I'd drop by to see you every day of the week and take you out wherever you wanted to go." When he saw the girl adjust the stuff she was carrying uncomfortably and give him a warm smile in return for his sincerity, the jinchuriki looked ahead of him again, "It's a shame that I'm heading out for a couple of years, otherwise I would make my days like this a regular thing with you."

Brushing some hair back over her ear, Temari gave the boy a nod for luck, "Don't slack off… alright?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," the jinchuriki answered with a lift in his visage. "Tell your brothers 'ditto' from me the next time you see them. I really like those two as well…" When they eventually arrived at the entrance to the dining room/kitchen, the pair stopped in their tracks when they saw a stranger, a man in black garb, rummaging through their open fridge with his posterior sticking out.

Temari blinked, quickly recognizing who that ass belonged to, "Speak of the devil." Frowning, she strolled in, dumped her stuff on the table, and yanked her brother out from inside the cooling box. When she did, she saw that the marionette user had his mouth stuffed with an apple and was carrying a few other items in his arms. The surprised blink she received from the puppeteer told her that he'd not expected her to grab him from behind the way she did. "What gives Kankuro? What the hell are you doing here in Konoha?"

More importantly, what the heck was he doing in Naruto's apartment?

Pulling out the apple, the brother shrugged and grinned, "Well, dad said that he received a request from the hidden leaf to assist one of their squads in a mission to another country and sent us over here a few days ahead of schedule just to become acquainted with the people we'll be working with. Since Gaara was worried about you as well, he asked where you currently were in the main building and the Hokage pointed us to this address. We got in just a couple hours after you did."

"Ugh, that guy," Temari groaned, slapping her forehead and shaking her head, "Well… whatever. Why the heck are you raiding Naruto's fridge?"

"When they came knocking at my door, I said that he and his brother could make themselves at home… so they did," another voice spoke up, drawing the trio's attention over to the living room entrance to see Tayuya standing there in her usual clothing, consisting of black shorts, khaki shirt and purple, fur coat. Stretching out with her hands behind her head, the redhead grinned brightly, "I figured since you guys are allies and shit, we should do our best to try and get to know one another, so I invited them to stay for a while." She then glanced across at her boyfriend and grinned, "Hope that's alright with you, shithead."

The jinchuriki smiled and shrugged, "Yeah. No problem. I'm totally cool with this." He then noticed his other, purple haired member of the apartment appear over Tayuya's shoulder and look in to see what all the commotion was about. Blinking, the blonde grinned in the chimera's direction and greeted her, "Hey Isaribi-chan. You okay?" In response to his honest question, he saw the girl give a hearty 'hmph', close her eyes, look away, and walk out of sight. A crestfallen expression making its appearance, Naruto then looked back at Tayuya to meet her gaze, "She's still mad at me, huh?"

A slightly perturbed Tayuya nodded, "Yeah."

Damn. Now there's just one other thing he needed to fix before his trip. Hopefully she wouldn't hold this grudge against him for too long.

Breathing a sigh, the jinchuriki braced to go try and talk to his other roommate and girlfriend, and see if they could come to a resolution. However, while he was about to move forward to place his stuff on the table and go after Isaribi, he suddenly felt a presence appear behind him and turned. When he did, he found himself face to face with the ring-eyed, stoic mug of the runner-up of the Chunin Exams, Sabaku no Gaara, staring right back at him. Dressed in a new outfit just like his older siblings, consisting of a reddish-brownish long-sleeved gi and mesh armor on his wrists and legs, the ever serious red head stared unblinkingly at the blonde, who gazed right back at him in surprise before a smile eventually crept onto his face.

When everybody else eventually noticed the sand user and the Jonin in orange facing each other down at the entrance to the kitchen, they all froze.

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto chirped happily, his eyes twinkling with delight at the sight of the other familiar face.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" the boy replied in an even, husky tone of voice.

"How are you? Been doing alright?"

The young man carrying the gourd nodded his head affirmatively, "I've been… well. How about you?" Wow. This conversation has already gone on a few seconds, and neither one of them has tried to kill or make any proclamations of the other's death yet. That was a plus.

"I've been great," Naruto replied, tilting his head and nodding towards Tayuya over his shoulder, "We've been getting a lot of missions lately, so you can imagine how busy all of us have been. The last job we went on was tough as hell. That one nearly wound up costing me."

"I see," Gaara murmured, glancing around at the others sharing the space and taking note of their deer-caught-in-the-headlights looks. Upon standing in the corridor and looking in for a few seconds longer in silence, he then glanced back around at the jinchuriki with his unchanging expression and continued, "Did you have a good time with my sister?"

A little bit wary of his question, the blonde haired jinchuriki nodded his head slowly, "Y-Yeah. Temari-chan and I had a good time." Boy, he sure hoped Gaara wasn't going to do anything irrational. While he was certain he could beat the guy again, he really didn't want to fight his fellow jinchuriki again in the middle of his village. Otherwise, if push came to shove, they might just end up leveling half of the surrounding neighborhood.

Nodding his head in understanding, Gaara looked back at him intently, "Good. Because if I'd found out that you'd hurt my sister in any way… I would not have hesitated to kill you." His expression then transformed into a glare, "And that's not the other guy talking. It's me. Understand?"

Balking a little in surprise, Naruto's expression then softened when he sensed genuine concern in the boy's words. After all these months of work and strife, the blonde had wondered about his fellow jinchuriki across the sands and how he was fairing back home. In the time since they last met, the boy carrying the gourd had apparently gone through a great deal of change, both inside and out, and had really come around from the person he previously was. It was a revelation that had the blonde give himself a triumphant high five and grin widely.

"Yeah. I get it, Gaara," the jinchuriki nodded, not noticing the sweat starting to pour down the faces of the others behind him.

Honestly, no one knew what was going to happen between these two. After what they'd seen back in the tournament, they figured both of them would have the biggest score to settle with one another. Even though they were making nice now, the conversation still had all of the residents on edge.

However, when they expected the sand user to start lashing out at the blonde that had pounded the crap out of him in the final round of the competition, the boy instead turned side on and nodded towards the spiky haired Jonin in acknowledgement, "If it's not too much trouble… would you like to talk?"

At first a little bit caught off guard by the question, a smile returned to Naruto's lips when he figured that that question was the boy's way of asking if he wanted to hang out, which the blonde immediately knew the answer to, "Sure." Quickly jogging into the kitchen and setting his stuff down on the table next to Temari's, he then rushed back over to the red head, whom he led towards the front door.

When everyone heard the entrance to the apartment open and close, life slowly drifted back over them and the group of youngsters was allowed to breathe again. Gasping for air and clutching her chest in shock, Tayuya looked across to where the pair had previously been standing, before looking back over at the confounded Temari and Kankuro.

"Did… your little brother just stick up for you?"

The golden haired fan user gulped, "A-Apparently."

Having a jinchuriki, the powerful sand bending Gaara no less, play the protective sibling card against one of the strongest ninja of their generation inside of their apartment?

"Damn."

That was simply terrifying.

XXX

A couple days later…

It was early in the morning. The streets were quiet and empty, and only a few lights in the streets were still burning away as the sun had yet to rise over the distant hills to wake the villagers from their peaceful slumbers. However, while everybody else lay comfortably in their beds dreaming about pink elephants and what not, they were completely unaware of the commotion going on over by the main entrance to their community, and the group of shinobi that stood in line there to see off one of their closest neighbors and comrades.

Under the veil of the fading night and the insects chirping away to the end of their hours, Naruto stood quietly alongside Jiraiya adjusting the large backpack over his shoulder, while a small contingent of his friends waited to wish him luck. After all, this would probably be the last time in three years any of them would see the blonde haired firebrand and vice versa, so the jinchuriki was determined to make this farewell count. Apparently the others wanted to as well, which was why they'd all gathered out here in the waking hours of the day before any of them were required to be up, to give him their best.

Upon shouldering his bag and adjusting the other addition at his side, Crow's Sword, which the jinchuriki had retrieved from his desk of collectables before exiting his apartment to take with him on his journey, Naruto made sure all his items were accounted for before grinning across at the people in front of him. Formed up in an orderly row, he was able to make out Kakashi, Iruka, a beaming Tayuya, Isaribi, Kin, Sakura, a begrudgingly awake Sasuke, and the Sand Siblings, surprisingly enough. While he didn't really ask for them to be up, they'd all still decided to come down see him off on their own accord, which brought a brilliant smile to the boy's face as he looked at each and every one of them excitedly.

"Well guys… this is it."

"Good luck out there, Naruto," Kakashi said, stepping forward along with Iruka to give the boy a fond farewell. With his hands in his pockets, the silver haired Jonin beamed at his former student and acknowledged him with a noticeable smile. "Be sure to brush your teeth, study hard and eat your green vegetables."

These words immediately had the blonde scowl, "What are you, my mum? Come on, Kakashi-sensei!"

The grey haired man chuckled and gave him his characteristic eye-grin, "I'm just looking out for my former student, is all." Tilting his head, the man then regarded the jinchuriki seriously for a moment before pulling a hand out of his pocket and holding it at his side. "You, Sasuke and Sakura have all grown so much since you became my team. I watched you train together, grow stronger, and become good friends, and in all that time… there was not a single moment where you three didn't surprise me. That's why the next I expect to see you, I want all three of you to come together again… so that I can fight with each of you… for old time's sake."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man, looking him over for a solid few seconds before grinning, "Is that a challenge I hear, Kakashi-sensei?" Wow. That was a first. He never expected his lackluster of teacher to challenge anyone to a fight. Normally it was Gai that did that. However, seeing as how they were master and student, former in technical terms, it made sense the man was making an effort in this regard.

"Consider it as me putting my name down in advance," Kakashi replied, beaming down at the boy for several more moments before raising a hand to him. "So… what do you say?"

Grinning from ear to ear, the blonde wasted no time in taking the man's hand and shaking it, "Of course. When I come back, I promise to take you up on that challenge, sensei." As soon as he shared his gentlemen's agreement and farewell with his former instructor and team leader, the blond then turned his attention to Iruka, whom he saw grin and raise a hand to him as well.

"Take care of yourself, Naruto. And stay out of trouble," the scar-faced Chunin said, giving the boy a respectful brace when he took his palm in his and sharing with his most memorable student a brotherly smile. "I mean it."

"Sure thing, Iruka-sensei."

Once he'd finished shaking hands with the first man he'd ever considered one of the closest people in his life, the blonde then moved on to the next person, Kin, who grinned brightly when the blonde came to stand before her with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face. The raven haired girl shook her head at his posture and playfully punched him in the chest, nearly winding him at how quickly she did so.

"Come back in one piece, blondie. Because if I hear you'd gone and gotten yourself killed chasing… I don't know, yetis or something, I'm going to laugh."

Naruto chuckled at her exclamation and quickly conceded, "I wouldn't dream of it." He shared with the kunoichi a respectful fist bump, one which the girl held for several seconds longer than it should've lasted, before pulling away with a tint of red on her face. It was a sight that did not go amiss by the others, except for the jinchuriki, who simply nodded kindly to the girl and moved on to the next person in line. "Sakura-chan…"

Beaming at the boy facing her, the kunoichi stepped forward and gave him a hug, which he returned thusly and released her moments later, allowing the kunoichi to step back for some space. "Train hard, okay, Naruto. Because the next time you see me, I'm going to be strong enough to knock even your lights out."

"Heh-heh. No problem. I look forward to seeing how you turn out," Naruto responded, sharing a fond smile with the girl he considered one of his best friends before looking across at his other one. When he saw Sasuke standing outside of the formation, staring off with his arms folded and a serious look on his face, the jinchuriki allowed a snicker to escape his lips and grinned at the raven haired prodigy keeping to himself, as per the usual routine. "Hey, Sasuke. Sorry to disappoint you. I was really looking forward to having another bout with the last of the Uchiha."

Upon hearing this, a smirk tugged at the corner of the raven haired boy's mouth before a chuckle left him, "Hmph. Don't worry about it, dobe. Just don't go slacking off over the next three years." The one-eyed Chunin then looked up towards his rival and gave him his most competitive stare, "Because the next time we fight, you and I will need an entire country for an arena."

Naruto let out a laugh and nodded, "Heh, we'll see." He then saluted the genius with a thumbs-up, "Train hard." When he received a nod of acknowledgement in return, he glanced across to the Sand Siblings and moved over to stand in front of them. When he did, he looked from one familiar face to the next and extended his hand, "It was great to see you guys again. Sorry I have to leave so soon."

"Heh, no problem," Kankuro chuckled, clapping wrists with the blonde. "We expect to see you real soon." When they shook, he nodded to the boy a well-deserved 'good luck'.

When the blonde disengaged and stepped over to Temari, the girl beamed at him and he smiled right back. They then raised a hand to shake with one another, but then started an awkward dance with their counterpart as they had no idea whether a handshake, a fist-bump, a wave or whatever was good enough. The rest of the audience then watched on in amusement as Naruto and Temari switched between either trying to shake the other person's hand to opening up with a hug, until they both stepped back and scratched their heads.

Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Temari shook her head and stepped forward, "What the hell." She then gave the blonde a hug and accepted the one from the Jonin in return, before she stepped away and grinned at her fellow wind user. "Keep in touch."

"Will do," Naruto said, relinquishing his hold of the girl and leaving her to tuck her hair behind her ear as she watched him with interest. When the boy came to stand in front of Gaara, a rather edgy silence fell between them until the Kyuubi's host greeted him with a smile, "It was great seeing you again, Gaara."

Blinking, the red head then gave him the smallest of smiles, the first genuine one his siblings had ever seen on him, before the boy raised his hand to the Jonin. "You too. Good luck."

Glancing down at his fellow jinchuriki's hand, Naruto quickly blinked into realization and grinned. He willingly took the teen's hand in his own and braced it in respect. There was no shake. Just an exchange of respect. After which, the two released and the shinobi in orange could address the other friends he had waiting in the wings.

Upon moving on, Naruto soon found himself facing Isaribi, well… trying to at least, because the moment he stepped in front of her, he saw the girl turn her head away and shut her eyes defiantly. The jinchuriki balked when he tried to move in to embrace her, but instead saw the chimera step away, keeping her gaze off of him while rubbing her arm anxiously. His hands dropping in defeat, the blonde breathed a small sigh and gave the girl a sad smile. "I'm… really looking forward to seeing you when I get back, Isaribi-chan… and the woman that you've become. I promise to write and let you know how I'm doing."

Hearing the sincerity and hurt in his voice had the girl stiffen in response. When she peeked around to see the blonde's shimmering eyes fixed on her and the warm expression he projected her way, the diver found her defenses slowly crumbling like a castle in the sand. Then, after a minute of suspense and hearing strangled sounds begin to escape the purple haired girl's lips, the trembling Isaribi eventually conceded and leapt forward, embracing the boy in a tight hug that surprised everyone at how sudden it was. Even Naruto stumbled away when the girl crashed into him and hugged him with all she had.

Nuzzling the boy's shoulder, Isaribi looked up with tears brimming in her eyes and a sniffle in her words, "Don't be gone for too long… Naruto-kun."

Smiling, the jinchuriki quickly embraced her, moving his head around to see her red eyes twinkling in front of him. Eventually, after several seconds of pause, the purple haired girl moved forward to kiss him on the lips, a moment that lasted for less than a minute, before the teen moved away and allowed Naruto to move to the last person that was there.

When Naruto and Tayuya faced each other, silence reigned. Staring at one another for several seconds and looking them over, the blonde eventually shrugged his backpack up and grinned at the girl, who smirked right back and placed her hands on her hips.

"See you soon?"

"Yeah," the red head replied, nodding her head firmly.

At first the groups of shinobi surrounding them were wondering whether the two were going to do it or not. From the way they were looking at one another and regarding the other's presence, it was almost like best friends facing off in a competition. However, after several moments of waiting in suspense and seeing the pair smirk, the inevitable happened, and the two embraced one another in a kiss, which had the other girls around them blushing to the roots of their hair and Jiraiya, Kakashi and Iruka looking on in amusement.

For a full minute they stayed like that, with Naruto adding a lift to the girl in the midst of the kiss, before they broke away. When the red head hugged him, they brought their lips to the other's ear for one final word.

"Don't keep me waiting, shithead," Tayuya whispered.

"Believe me, I won't, dattebayo," Naruto replied, a chuckle at the end of his goodbye that the flute player giggled at. Oh, how much she was going to miss that.

When they pulled away, they stared into the other's eyes for one last time before the boy braced both his sword and his bag, and turned away. Joining Jiraiya under the shadow of the wide open gates to the world beyond their borders, he nodded to the man that he was ready to go and, with one more look back at his friends watching them, and the village of Konohagakure sitting directly behind them, the two of them set off.

However, while walking towards the gates and drinking in the area surrounding the wall, Naruto suddenly stopped when he saw a figure watching him from underneath the shade of a nearby tree. Looking to the side of the road, Naruto blinked in surprise when he saw Tenten's head pop into view, a smile on her face as she gazed across at him before, without warning, running out to meet him in the middle of the road.

Her appearance surprised everyone, and even had Jiraiya stop and look back when he realized his student wasn't following him. Waiting patiently at a distance, the groups then saw the older girl stop in front of Naruto, lean in to peck him on the lips, before stepping back with her hands behind her and her eyes shimmering with hope. When the pair shared one last smile, the jinchuriki carried on, quickly falling in step with Jiraiya and passing under the massive archway that was Konoha's main entrance.

For several minutes, the group watched as Jiraiya and Naruto's forms shrunk away into the distance. Then, just as the sun was starting to rise up over the distant forests, they were gone. As soon as they'd lost sight of the master and student duo, Kakashi, Iruka, Sasuke, and the Sand Siblings left their places on the road and headed back into the village. When they left, the only people who remained behind were Tayuya, Tenten, Isaribi, and Sakura.

Kicking at the ground with her hands behind her, the kunoichi of Team Gai giggled and began walking back for home, passing by Isaribi, who also started for her apartment with a grin in play and a spring in her step. When the girls started to depart, Sakura also took her leave, allowing Tayuya to bathe under the rising sun on her own, and leaving her the last of Naruto's companions watching the gate he'd left through.

With the wind licking at her hair and ruffling her clothes, the flute player then noticed off to the side of the path that Tenten hadn't been the only kunoichi to come see the blonde off in secret, as she suddenly spotted Hinata peering around from behind a tree. When she saw the fond smile the Hyuuga wore and eventually saw the girl step out into the open, the red haired musician grinned widely and turned back to the highway, slipping her hands into her pockets and puffing her chest out.

"You'd better not disappoint me when you get back, shithead," Tayuya thought, eyes burning with a fiery determination she was sure would make her boyfriend's heart soar, "Because I'll be going for the win too."

She was determined to make herself into one hell of a knockout before the blonde got back, and not just as a strong kunoichi. Thinking about how she was going to get that boy's jaw to drop at the sight of her, brought an even wider grin to the girl's face as she let out a boisterous laugh. After which she turned heel and headed for home.

Oh yeah. She was definitely looking forward to seeing him after three years.

Those kinds of surprises were always the best.

OOO

Later that night…

"No regrets, kid?" Jiraiya asked as he sprawled out on the bed of the ship's cabin they were sharing for the ride up North. Looking across at his apprentice to see the young Jonin plop down on his mattress and kick his feet up had the traveling Sannin smile, "I'm sure you're going to miss them."

"Ah, it's fine," Naruto replied, not even bothering to change into any pajamas as he laid there with his hands behind his head and a grin of his own in play, "It's only three years. It's not that long."

"Well, I got to warn you, three years is still a very long time," the wanderer exclaimed while pulling out his notebook and beginning to doodle in it. As the waves rocked the boat gently from side to side as it cruised through the ocean towards the Land of Spring at a reasonable speed, the Toad Sage gave Naruto one last glance before continuing to speak. "Anything can happen, right? I mean… look at all the stuff you'd gotten into in the past year."

The blonde had pretty much done everything. He'd graduated from the academy, become a Genin of Konohagakure, survived an assassination attempt, went on his first official mission outside of the village, rescued an entire nation from a corrupt, billionaire shipping magnate, met a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, fought a member of Akatsuki, participated in the Chunin Exams, won the tournament segment, got promoted to Jonin, rescued a princess from her greedy uncle, met a whole bunch of jinchuriki, fought a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and survived a brush with death. What's more, he'd also learned the name of the biju inside of him.

Speaking of which, the fox gave an audible grunt as he rested his head on top of his arms in the usual position, lying in the dank, depressing sewer that was the pocket dimension inside of his host. "If you ask me, it was a bit of a drag."

"Ah, shut up, furball."

"What was that?" Jiraiya looked up in surprise, wondering where that'd come from.

"Oh? No. Not you, Ero-Sennin. I was talking to Kurama," Naruto replied while shaking his head and pointing down at his gut. Breathing a sigh of relief as he then rested his hand on his stomach the jinchuriki looked up towards the ceiling of their cabin and shrugged. "Things are going to be so much different from now on. I can feel it."

Staring back at the young upstart across the way, the Sannin gave him another smile and responded in kind, "Well, at least you have one thing to look forward to… and that's seeing the smoking hot babes your girlfriends are going to become."

A distasteful look coming to the jinchuriki's face, the blonde glared back at his instructor with an annoyed scowl and a tick mark throbbing on his forehead, "Watch it, Ero-Sennin…"

"Do you want me to give you another professional evaluation of your harem?" Jiraiya asked in a mischievous tone of voice while wagging his eyebrows at his student.

"No thanks," Naruto grumbled while rolling over so that he was glaring out the porthole and over the ocean. Damn it. Why did his teacher have to be so… weird? The fact that they were so similar in character didn't help the situation either.

"Oh come on. Why are you getting all prudish all of a sudden?" the Sannin asked with an ever widening grin. "Just imagine it: your Tayuya, a few years older, with a super model like build and clapped out in a super revealing outfit, and your Isaribi, pressing her chest up against hers in a passionate embrace, man… how I wish I could be in your shoes right about now. Those girls are going to turn out fine."

A trickle of blood running down from Naruto's nose when his mind eventually came up with an image of a sixteen-seventeen year old Tayuya in a swimsuit making out with a sixteen-seventeen year old Isaribi, the blonde quickly shook himself out of his daze and wiped his face clean. Eventually, the revelation of his predicament quickly dawned on him, which ended in the blonde glaring back at the still giggling Jiraiya writing a ton of notes at light speed down in his book.

"Oh Kami, are you going to be like this the entire trip, Ero-Sennin?"

The wandering hermit chuckled evilly, shutting his book and glancing over at the blonde lying in the other bed, "Well, not the entire trip, but enough to subtly implant all of my magnificent thought processes into your impressionable young mind."

"Oh, come on!"

"And, seeing as how we're here right now, just the two of us, let's start you off with a quick introductory session in romance."

"Please…" Naruto all but cried out in despair.

Cue an amused snicker from Jiraiya, who was now really, really looking forward to tormenting his young apprentice for the next few hours. "Now, a single room with just the two of you in it is especially romantic…"

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT, ERO-SENNIN! I'M IN THE SAME CABIN AS YOU!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

---

Author's Note: I hope you all looked forward to this chapter, because it's time for the time skip!

The next chapter we're going to kick things off with the first arc that I'm sure all you Naruto fans will be familiar with, and I hope you're looking forward to how Naruto turns out. He has Crow's sword with him, he knows Kurama's name, he has a plan, and best of all he isn't going to turn out the shinobi he was in the original series.

No. I'm doing this properly. He's going to be awesome.

And, important question, to all those who are following the story, I'm going to give you this one chance to influence the harem. Now I've got a plan either way, and I'm set on using the girls I've already decided (Tayuya, Samui, Tenten, Isaribi, Fu, Temari, Kin, that's a total of 7, so if you didn't get this in the cover art or at the very beginning of the story, then I'm telling you right now it's a harem), so now I'm going to let you readers decide. This list does not include the movie girls in it as they have their own relationships with Naruto separate from the harem and they have a part of their own to play in the story. Depending on whether all the girls stick around Naruto, more come, some leave, or not depends on the course of the plot.

Question: Should I add Hinata and/or Sakura to Naruto's harem or not?

This is your one chance to review your answer. Depending on the vote count, I'll write the rest of the story based on your choice. I can work it either way. Either have both, one, or neither. Because from here on out, it's a one way road.

And for all those curious, here are the final stats for the end of this half of the story. Please refer to Naruto wikia for characters you don't know about (except Tsubaki, Kiyoko, Kaede and Misora).

---

Character Stats II – Post-Chunin Exams: (Out of 5)

Team Seven:

Uzumaki Naruto

Ninjutsu: 3.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 4
Speed: 5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand Seals: 1
Total: 27.5

Uchiha Sasuke

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 3
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 3.5
Hand-Seals: 3.5

Total Score: 24.5

Haruno Sakura

Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 4
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 2
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 23

Team Nine:

Tayuya

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 2
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 3.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 25

Shiho

Ninjutsu: 1.5
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 1.5
Stamina: 2
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 17

Kaede

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 18

Team Gai:

Hyuuga Neji

Ninjutsu: 3.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 2.5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 25

Rock Lee

Ninjutsu: 0.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 0.5
Intelligence: 1.5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 3
Hand-Seals: 1

Total Score: 18.5

Tenten

Ninjutsu: 2.5
Taijutsu: 3.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 2
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 1.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 19

Team Samui:

Samui

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 3
Hand-Seals: 3.5

Total Score: 25

Karui

Ninjutsu: 1.5
Taijutsu: 3.5
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 1.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 18

Omoi

Ninjutsu: 1.5
Taijutsu: 3.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 20.5

Team Ten:

Nara Shikamaru

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 1.5
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 5
Strength: 2
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 2
Hand-Seals: 2.5

Total Score: 21.5

Yamanaka Ino

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 2
Hand-Seals: 2.5

Total Score: 17.5

Akimichi Choji

Ninjutsu: 3.5
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 0.5
Intelligence: 1
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 1.5
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 1.5

Total Score: 16

Team Eight:

Inuzuka Kiba

Ninjutsu: 2.5
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 1.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 4
Stamina: 2
Hand-Seals: 1.5

Total Score: 18

Aburame Shino

Ninjutsu: 3.5
Taijutsu: 1.5
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 19

Hyuuga Hinata

Ninjutsu: 1.5
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 3
Stamina: 1.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 17.5

Team Kurotsuchi:

Kurotsuchi

Ninjutsu: 3.5
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 2.5
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 20.5

Akatsuchi

Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 1.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 17.5

Shirotsuchi

Ninjutsu: 4
Taijutsu: 1
Genjutsu: 0.5
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 1
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 3
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 18.5

Sand Siblings:

Gaara

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 2
Speed: 3
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 26

Temari

Ninjutsu: 4
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 23

Kankuro

Ninjutsu: 4
Taijutsu: 2.5
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 2
Stamina: 3.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 24.5

Kiri Team:

Tsubaki

Ninjutsu: 4
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand Seals: 2
Total: 26

Kiyoko

Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2
Strength: 4
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 1

Total Score: 24.5

Utakata

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 2.5
Speed: 3
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 26

Akatsuki:

Kakuzu

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 4
Speed: 4
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 3.5

Total Score: 32.5

Hidan

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 4
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 5
Hand-Seals: 3.5

Total Score: 31.5

Misora (Hidan's replacement)

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 4
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 32

Uchiha Itachi

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 5
Intelligence: 5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 5
Stamina: 2.5
Hand-Seals: 5

Total Score: 35.5

Hoshigaki Kisame

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 5
Hand-Seals: 3.5

Total Score: 32.5

Tobi

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 5
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 35.5

Otoagakure:

Jirobo

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 5
Speed: 2
Stamina: 4
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 23.5

Sakon/Ukon

Ninjutsu: 4/5
Taijutsu: 3/3
Genjutsu: 1/1
Intelligence: 2.5/3.5
Strength: 3.5/3
Speed: 3/3
Stamina: 4/2
Hand-Seals: 4/4

Total Score: 25/24.5

Kotohime (Naruto – Fuma Clan Arc)

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 4
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4.5

Total Score: 30

Kimimaro

Ninjutsu: 4
Taijutsu: 5
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 30.5

Guren (Naruto – Three Tails Arc)

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 33

Unknown Organization:

Temujin (Naruto Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel)

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 1

Total Score: 23.5

Fugai (Naruto Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel)

Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 3
Speed: 4
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 1

Total Score: 24.5

Ishidate (Post-Body Enhancement) (Naruto Movie 3: Crescent Moon Kingdom)

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 5
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 4.5
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 34.5

Other:

Hatake Kakashi

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 4
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 3
Hand-Seals: 5

Total Score: 33

Jiraiya

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 4.5
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 5
Hand-Seals: 4.5

Total Score: 35.5

Tsunade

Ninjutsu: 5
Taijutsu: 5
Genjutsu: 3.5
Intelligence: 5
Strength: 5
Speed: 3.5
Stamina: 4
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 35

Shizune

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 4
Intelligence: 4.5
Strength: 2.5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 3
Hand-Seals: 5

Total Score: 29.5

Momochi Zabuza (Seven Ninja Swordsmen)

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 2.5
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 4
Speed: 4
Stamina: 4
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 30.5

Munashi Jinpachi (Seven Ninja Swordsmen)

Ninjutsu: 4.5
Taijutsu: 4.5
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 4
Speed: 4.5
Stamina: 3.5
Hand-Seals: 4

Total Score: 30

Fu

Ninjutsu: 2.5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 3.5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 4.5
Hand-Seals: 3

Total Score: 26.5

Isaribi

Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 1.5
Intelligence: 2
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Stamina: 3.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 19

Tsuchi Kin

Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 2
Genjutsu: 3
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 2.5
Stamina: 1.5
Hand-Seals: 2

Total Score: 17