Sorry sorry sorry! I apologize for the late update...and to rectify that, this chapter is really large (at least for my standards), so I hope you like it. :P

Chapter 49- A Decision I Regret?

'Whoah...so this is what she was talking about...hmm, nice idea Kushina,' Ayumi thought with a small smile as she stared at the scene through Naruto.

The jinchuriki however went stiff when he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his stomach gently from behind.

"Keep your friends close Naruto-koi," Kushina's shadow clone whispered in his ear as she kissed his cheek before taking her leave.

POOF!

The blonde sighed as he stood there, at that moment memories of the previous night hitting him.

Flashback- Naruto's Apartment: Last Night

Naruto currently stood outside the door to his apartment, a serious look on his face.

'I so don't want to face her tonight...' he thought bitterly as his right hand clutched the door knob, the blonde channelling his chakra through it when an unlocking click was heard from the other side.

"Oh c'mon Naruto-kun, she's your mother and lover. There's no need to avoid her, just go and talk to her," Ayumi spoke with a sigh.

"No, I guess I'll just ignore the topic for tonight. She must have been tired after coming back from work," he answered back before hearing her chuckle.

"Hehe...so you care for her even while being angry with her, such a cute lover you are Naruto-kun," the bijuu teased making him sigh.

"Shut up."

Putting a frown on his face, the blonde entered his home slowly, and quietly. Closing the door gently, he placed his civilian sneakers by the mat. Walking quietly into the dimly lit living room, the blonde scanned his surroundings before sighing to himself.

'Guess she turned in early tonight,' he pondered to himself in relief, now gazing at the door to the bedroom. The blonde began to walk towards the kitchen when he heard the bedroom door being opened.

Naruto cursed under his breath as he entered the kitchen, trying to ignore her completely.

"Naru-kun, where were you?" the jinchuriki was surprised at the concern in her soft voice. Drinking down the water, he set down the glass before exiting the kitchen.

"Mikoto-chan's place," his response was dull as the whiskered blonde entered the living room.

"Oh..."

Naruto froze for a second as he stared at her form. Kushina was standing there with only a towel covering her. Her frame was wet, water droplets falling on the floor as she gazed at him with a sad look on her face. It seemed as if she had come running out of shower upon his return.

Her large breasts were almost popping out of the towel, her wet and smooth skin glowing under the dim lights of the living room.

"Why were you standing outside for so long?" the blonde actually faltered in his step at her sudden question, an embarrassed blush on his face.

'She must have located me via the Uzushio seal,' he realized while Ayumi was chuckling from inside at the scene going on.

"I'm going to bed. I've already eaten at Mikoto-chan's place," Naruto replied with a frown, ignoring the question as he began to walk towards the door, just where she was standing.

"Oh...okay, do you want anything else?" Kushina asked, her violet eyes boring into his as the blonde averted his gaze, his cheeks lighting with a light blush.

'Dammit get a control of yourself, you already know how beautiful she is! So what's the big deal?!' Naruto mentally berated himself as he shook his head.

"You know you want her Naru-kun," Ayumi purred slyly when he made to walk around the red head standing in front of her.

"No...I'm fine," he muttered, now passing her as Kushina just stood there. Reaching the bed, the blonde took off his sweat shirt leaving his upper body naked.

Naruto didn't like acting like that towards Kushina, but he had to make his point clear; he knew keeping such an important thing from Mikoto was a big mistake. The Uchiha matriarch was not a kid who needed to be taken care of; she was a strong kunoichi!

The blonde's breathing however hitched upon feeling a soft pair of wet arms wrap around his bare stomach from behind. He went stiff upon feeling Kushina kissing the side of his neck.

"K-Kaa-san..." he uttered in surprise as she began to rub his abs as well as his chiselled chest softly- admiring his toned body. He didn't get a response as the red head began to nibble on his side neck gently while the blonde held back himself from groaning.

"Stop it..." Naruto hissed as he turned around to grab her shoulders, keeping her away.

He was taken aback by the passionate look in her eyes as she stared at him with a combination of love and lust.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the blonde's voice held anger as his grip on her bare shoulders tightened. Kushina however didn't respond as she quickly leaned forward to capture his lips, kissing him passionately.

The jinchuriki took a step back as her tongue began to explore his moist cavern, playing with his tongue. Her hands again got to work as she began to rub his shoulders, her soft hands doing their magic.

"Whoa..." Ayumi whistled out, surprised at the way Kushina was acting.

Meanwhile, Naruto could feel himself losing control, a certain part of his anatomy waking up while Kushina's D-cups were squished against his hard chest as she moaned into the kiss, grinding her curvaceous body against his.

The blonde tried to push her back again, though this time she didn't budge; the red head was a kage after all. Naruto turned his head sideways forcibly, breaking away from the kiss. Kushina didn't stop as she began to place butterfly kisses on his jaw and neck.

"S-Stop it...Kushina..." he muttered weakly, now noticing that the towel was no longer covering her body- her hardened nipples pressing against his chest.

"Oh my Kami...that's awesome Kushina!" Ayumi cheered from inside while Naruto could feel the rational part of his mind fading- which was now vaguely screaming at him to stop her, to push her away and just sleep! He had to ignore her! He couldn't forgive her so easily!

However with a hot and sexy woman such as Kushina seducing him like that, the blonde doubted any straight man could resist her.

"Naruto..." Kushina moaned, biting on the nape of his neck as she began to rub the bulge in his cargo pants. A groan escaped Naruto's lips, his breathing getting heavier as her right hand fumbled with his zipper anxiously before pulling it down.

"K-Kushina..." the whiskered blonde groaned as he breathed deeply into her long hair, the fresh scent of sweet peas invading his nostrils.

"Narutooo..." she again moaned into his neck, her hand now stroking his cock. God, could her moans get any sexier; her moans always turned him on so much. Her scent, her curves, her smooth and soft skin, everything about her made his hormones go crazy.

"S-Stop...stop it..." he protested weakly, trying to push her- which came out only as a slight nudge as Kushina continued with her ministrations. Taking a hold of his chin gently with her left hand, she turned his face towards her.

Naruto gazed at her through squinted eyes, his resolve weakening at every second as she stared back with love, passion and lust. The blonde opened his mouth slightly to say something, anything to protest when Kushina's lips crashed onto his.

The red head began to make out with him wildly, her left hand clutching his spiky locks of hair as she kissed him with passionate lust. Naruto wanted to push her away again, but his body wouldn't move. He was trying to say no, but his body kept on telling her yes- fully enjoying her hands and lips on his skin.

"Mhmm..." she moaned into the kiss, her tongue duelling with his as her left hand dropped down to grab his hand. The blonde's hormones went into overdrive when she guided his hand to place it on her voluptuous mounds, his fingers sinking into their velvety softness.

As if on automation, his hands began to knead her fleshy globe making her moan loudly into his mouth. Leaving his cock, she wrapped both of her arms around his neck, kissing him with more force as their lips and tongue melted into each others'.

Naruto now felt how wet her bare lower region was as she began to grind her vaginal lips against his meat stick. Immensely enjoying the feel of her smooth and soft skin against his, the blonde's right hand moved on its own to wrap around her lower back- pulling her more into him.

"Nharu..." Kushina moaned sloppily, her eyes closed in euphoria as his left hand continued to knead her right breast in circles, occasionally pinching her nipple.

Her lips left his with an audible pop, their noses touching each other as both of them panted heavily. Kushina continued to grind her vaginal lips against his cock as she licked her lips, a look of lust and passion on her face.

"N-Nothing...nothing's going to come between...us," she spoke in a low tone as his hand continued to squeeze her breast.

"Y-You're mine...w-what happens between us as ninja will not come between...our love. I c-can't stand...you ignoring m-me like that," she panted out, cupping his whiskered cheek lovingly, both of their eyes closed. Naruto's mind was foggily registering her words as his right hand began to squeeze her ass making her moan lightly.

"I'm s-sorry...things h-had to turn out this w-way...p-please don't be a-angry with me. I...l-love you so much Naruto," Kushina mumbled, opening her eyes slightly to gaze at him. She again kissed him, nibbling on his lower lip as his hands continued with their ministrations.

Bending down, she trailed her tongue over his chest down to his stomach. Grabbing his cock, she began to stroke it lightly, currently hunched in front of it with a light blush on her face.

"K-Kushina?" Naruto questioned in confusion as she parted the strands of her hair to behind her ear. Still stroking it, she leaned forward- taking the bulbous head of his manhood into her soft and wet cavern. Naruto groaned at the sudden sparks of pleasure that shot throughout his body as the red head began to bob her head back and forth- her tongue licking his cock's underside.

The blonde's hands gently grabbed her head as she sucked on his manhood, a lustful look on her face while her hand began to cup his balls gently.

"Kaa-saaan..." a loud groan escaped the jinchuriki's lips when her lips left his dick with an audible pop. Kushina began to lick its head, it's underside as her hands continued to massage his balls. Pushing up her voluptuous mounds, she engulfed his meat pole into her cleavage.

"Sh-Shit..." the blonde groaned as he began to push into her cleavage on instinct while she pushed her fleshy and wet globes into each other, squeezing his cock into their pleasurable softness.

"Y-You like this don't you?" Kushina had such an adorable expression on her face as she continued to give him a titty fuck, a cute blush on her face. Naruto couldn't believe his innocent mother was doing such a thing. Inwardly, a small part of his subconsciousness was wondering- "Where the hell did she learn to do that?"

One bijuu however knew the answer to that, a very surprised bijuu.

"Whoa...I never thought she would seriously take my suggestion," Ayumi whistled, herself moaning lightly as she began to rub her pussy, imagining that large cock inside of her. Well she was a pervert, so nothing out of character...right?

A moan escaped Kushina's lips as she continued to smother his manhood into her breasts.

'It does feels...good.'

Taking it further, she took the head of his cock into her mouth, rolling her tongue around it along with grazing her teeth over the rubbery softness of his bulbous tip- making the blonde groan loudly in pleasure.

"Kushinaaa..."

Flashback Ends

Naruto blushed profusely as he shook his head to get the images of what they did after that out of his mind.

'Man...yesterday I just saw a whole new face of shy and innocent Kaa-san,' he thought, a lost look on his face when he replayed her words after the sexual intercourse.

"You may do whatever you like Naru-kun. If you think telling Mikoto-chan is the best option here, go for it. But...please reconsider this, take her feelings into account. As a fellow mother, I know what she's going through and how she feels; that's why I only want to give her some time to pull herself together. As the hokage, I will not stop you from doing what you want, but as your mother...I ask you to take Mikoto-chan's feelings under consideration. She may not be able to hold herself after receiving the news, I'm afraid she might break down completely."

A sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he clenched his fists, now unsure of what to do. After listening to Kushina without his anger getting in the way, he could understand her logic. He couldn't understand a mother's feelings on this. Kushina was his mother, so she understood Mikoto's plight more than him currently. Earlier he was dead set on his opinion of telling Mikoto everything, but now...he didn't know.

Maybe she did need some time to pull herself together. No...Mikoto was an adult, a strong person by heart. He knew she deserved to know it right away, she could handle it. The information was about her elder son, it was rightfully hers in the first place; who were they to decide whether she decided to know it or not? But...what harm could it bring if they just delayed it a bit, till she got better?

'Argh! This is so darn confusing dammit! I need some ramen!'

"So you plan to hop down here any time soon Naruto?" the blonde was snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Kakashi's voice from below. Lowering his head, he smiled sheepishly, briefly noticing Kurenai staring at him wide eyes while Asuma was looking at him with comprehension.

The jounin were standing just under the tree- on whose branch he was standing on. Sakura, Hinata, Tayuya, Kin, Kiba, Shino and Ino were standing a little away from them. Shikamaru was lazily plopped on the grass, gazing at the clouds with Chouji eating some potato chips. Neji and Tenten were sparring in the middle along with Gai and Lee doing their own form of warm up exercises. It seemed no one had noticed him except the three jounin below him.

Jumping lightly off the branch, the jinchuriki landed on the ground in front of Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma- a light grin on his face.

"Hey sensei," he greeted making the jounin eye smile at him.

"Glad you could make it out of your day dreaming," Kakashi uttered making the blonde chuckle to himself in embarrassment when he shifted his gaze, his orbs landing on a teary eyed Kurenai- who seemed to be holding herself back from taking him into a tight hug. His eyes softened at her, a warm smile stretching his lips as he bowed a bit.

"Kurenai-sensei...Asuma-sensei," Naruto greeted both the jounin as they smiled at him, Kurenai's smile being brighter and warmer.

Naruto had opted to keep his romantic life hidden from the general public of Konohagakure. Very few people knew of his commitment with Kushina, Hinata and the fire queens, and definitely not with Ayumi- it would cause nothing but chaos and madness. So in nutshell, he had to act properly in front of everyone, he could not let them know about his relationships- especially with Kurenai. Hinata already knew about him and Kurenai, but he didn't know about Kiba and Shino.

Of course, it was common news in the village that Uzumaki Naruto had to take on a minimum of ten wives to resurrect the Uzumaki clan, more likely to increase the Rinnegan count in the village- it was much more to him than just that though.

Still, it would be awkward for people to know a twelve year old hooking up with a jounin such as Kurenai. Well, not that awkward, physically he did look like about sixteen or eighteen.

"Naruto-kun, it's nice to see you," Kurenai spoke with a warm smile making the blonde grin lightly at her.

"Yeah, it's been a while Kurenai-sensei."

"So anybody knows why hokage-sama called all o-"

"Hey look it's the dobe!" the group of four turned their heads at hearing Kiba's voice. Naruto's left eye twitched at the 'dobe' part while everyone turned to look at his direction, their eyes lighting up at recognizing him.

'I can't believe they STILL call me that,' the blonde thought while Ayumi chuckled in amusement, remembering the days when everyone considered him to be a deadlast.

"Hey Naruto!"

"How have you been?"

"Over here Naruto!"

The jinchuriki couldn't help but smile as the rookies waved at him to come over. The blonde glanced at the three jounin behind him as Kurenai smiled at him lovingly- knowing that he was excited to catch up with his friends after the invasions.

"Well, let's go then. You're the second last to arrive," Kakashi stated with a smile as the group of four began to walk towards the others.

"YOSH! MY ETERNAL YOUTHFUL RIVAL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!" Lee exclaimed with fire in his eyes.

"Hey Lee!" Naruto waved with a grin, which faltered a bit upon receiving the 'Nice Guy' pose from Gai.

All the tension and pressure he had been feeling regarding Mikoto and everything else the past few days, instantly evaporated that instant as the blonde gazed at their smiles and grins. The grin on Kiba's face, the slight upward curve in Shino's lips, the warm smile on Hinata's face, the characteristic frown on Tayuya's face, the beaming expressions of Ino, Kin and Sakura, the smirk on Shikamaru's face along with Chouji smiling at him while eating- if that was possible; it all made him feel a rush of excitement.

"Hey guys, it's been a while huh?" he uttered with his characteristic foxy grin in place.

"It sure as hell been! We were just wondering where you were since we were all called at this training ground today by hokage-sama," Kiba verbalized with a grin.

"So, where have you been Naruto-kun?" Ino asked with a smile making him smile back at her warmly.

"Well shithead's been getting his butt kicked by some pillows," Tayuya spoke with a smirk making Hinata sigh while a vein popped on Naruto's forehead.

"Pillows?" Ino and Kin asked collectively.

"Hey this crazy girl calls you shithead?!" Kiba asked, a look of shock on his face making Tayuya's smirk widen when the jinchuriki crossed his arms over his chest.

"I call her soundshit," he grinned back making Tayuya's left eye twitch at that name while Kin giggled lightly at that.

"So Kin-chan, Ino-chan...how have you been? It's been a while huh?" Naruto addressed the two kunoichi as both of them blushed lightly.

"Hai, we haven't had the chance to meet since the chunin exam finals," Ino spoke softly with a smile.

"Well enough with your troublesome talk, do you know why we were called here Naruto?" Shikamaru stepped forward making Ino glare at him for interrupting her talk with Naruto.

"Well, I have a guess," the blonde spoke with a sigh, not entirely sure what his mother had in mind for him. He knew one thing though- it was for the sake of his training.

"Naruto-san, were you promoted to chunin? Why I ask? It's because you are wearing a chunin vest," Shino spoke in a monotone voice making Naruto look at his vest.

"Yup, just yesterday Ka...hokage-sama called me and team seven for some discussion. I was officially promoted to chunin then," he verbalized while Sakura's face fell at the mention of yesterday's meeting. The blonde, noticing her expression, walked to her before slinging his arm over her shoulders playfully.

"Oh c'mon Sakura-chan, like I said...it's not like we won't be able to meet each other," he assured his pink haired teammate making her smile softly as she gazed at the ground.

"Yeah..."

"Um, are we missing something here?" Ino questioned with curiosity when Sakura turned to her with a weak smile.

"The original team seven was disbanded permanently tomorrow," she muttered making their eyes widen in shock.

"W-What?"

"Is it because of you being promoted to the chunin rank Uzumaki-san?" Neji came walking along with Tenten.

"Neji...Tenten..." Naruto acknowledged the duo with a smile before nodding at their question. Sakura looked up at her blonde teammate upon feeling him squeeze her shoulder, noticing how he shook his head very lightly. She realized that he intended to keep the other reason a secret from them.

"Well aren't they enjoying themselves?" Kakashi spoke with a chuckle while Kurenai was looking at Naruto with a fond smile on her face. It really warmed her heart so see him so happy, he was finally getting a break.

"Kakashi, you know why we were all called here? I'm surprised hokage-sama stopped giving our squads any missions to call us here," Asuma questioned with a raised eyebrow when the silver haired jounin answered.

"You don't have to worry about the missions, our hokage is probably the most skilled user of the kage bunshin in the world. As for the reason she called us here? You'll see it pretty soon."

Konoha: Hokage's Office

"Well, we do kn-"

"May I come in hokage-sama?" Kushina was interrupted as she noticed Tsunade's head peeping through the small gap between the slightly opened door and the wall- the slug sanin having a grin on her face.

"Oh of course Tsunade-sama, you may enter my humble abode," Kushina mocked with a straight expression before both woman burst out giggling. Hiruzen, who was sitting in front of Kushina, sweat dropped at their antics.

'Women...even after all these years, that's a subject I'd still fail in.'

"Sarutobi-sensei, how's it going?" the blonde asked casually as she walked into the office.

"Well with Kushina-chan here handling all the work, I can finally enjoy my retirement," the sandaime articulated with a smile.

"Well it sucks that you didn't use the shadow clones for the paperwork jiji," Kushina huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as Tsunade sat beside Hiruzen.

"Sorry but I'd rather do the work myself than enduring the headache of the information overload every time. I'm sure you've felt the hangover like experience," Hiruzen said in amusement making the redhead blush in embarrassment.

'Oh my sake...' Tsunade thought gloomily at the mention of 'hangover', inwardly cursing Shizune and Kushina from completely banning her from drinking sake- the latter giving the excuse that she was spoiler her 'Naru-kun.'

"Well I'll soon be designing a seal to counter the hangover effect of shadow clones!" Kushina exclaimed making Hiruzen chuckle.

"Of course you'll do, but I was never a fuinjutsu specialist like you. And I'm sure such a complex seal was out of Jiraiya's reach."

"You hurt me sensei," the trio turned their heads towards the window.

"Well lay the red carpet for the pervert," Tsunade spoke in a bored tone. Jiraiya shook his finger in front of his face as he chuckled to himself mysteriously.

"How many times I have told you Tsunade? I'm not a pervert, I'M A SUPER P-"

"Jiraiya look your Icha-Icha books are on fire!" Kushina exclaimed, pointing out towards the windows making the sanin's eyes widen in horror as he whizzed his head.

"WHAT?! Where?! Why?! Who?!"

"Sorry, it was a joke. Now sit and get on with the meeting," the hokage said with a lazy wave making Hiruzen chuckle. Tsunade giggled at seeing the dark cloud over the toad sanin's face as he dragged himself to the third chair in front of the table.

"So, what's the status on Akatsuki's movements?" the sandaime asked, the aura becoming seriously around the four of them as Kushina turned to Jiraiya.

"Well they just recently made their move against Naruto. I had to fight off Orochimaru and Kabuto while Naruto faced off against Deidara from Iwa. Hinata and Tayuya were forced to take on Sasori of the Red Sand. The thing was that they were waiting for more members to arrive, they were taking their sweet time playing with Naruto and those kids," the white haired sanin uttered with a grave expression while Tsunade lowered her head in shame, remembering how she had to watch Naruto and those two kunoichi fight for their lives against those S-rank nin.

"I see, it's rather strange that two powerful S-rank ninja would wait for reinforcements. They could easily have taken down Naruto back then with their combined power," he further added making Kushina frown, she didn't like Naruto's strength being looked down upon- but Jiraiya had a point there.

"Their leader, the one with the Rinnegan, it must be his orders. Though it still confuses me why? Maybe it's because he knows the power of Rinnegan, and actually doesn't want to take any chances with Naruto? He is a jinchuriki too after all," Hiruzen voiced making Kushina nod.

"I guess we have to train Naru-chan, make him powerful as quickly as possible," Tsunade spoke with a sigh, not liking this in the least.

"He has to be strong enough to stand upto at least one of them one on one. I know Akatsuki is no joke, all of their members are special. But so is Naruto, he has the Rinnegan as well as the power of the strongest bijuu. All he needs is time and some proper training," Jiraiya worded as Kushina leaned back into her seat.

"Me and Mikoto-chan will take care of his training," Kushina spoke with a serious expression making Jiraiya look at her in surprise.

"But you're the hokage Kushina, are you sure you'll be able to train him alongside?" the toad sanin asked making her narrow her eyes.

"He's my son, I'll do anything for him. I would have given him to you, but you managing your spy network right now is very important for the village. We have to keep tabs on Akatsuki and Orochimaru's movements. Kaa-san has the hospital to manage, so she has her hands full too," the godaime hokage explained.

"Now hold on Kushina, me being in charge of the hospital doesn't mean I will not be able to help Naru-chan. I have already planned on the techniques I'm going to train him in. He can also hold multiple summoning contracts due to the Rinnegan correct? Well I plan on giving him the slug contract," the blonde medic spoke decisively with a serious look on her face while both Kushina and Jiraiya looked surprised at her resolve.

"I see...thank you kaa-san," Kushina smiled as the slug sanin frowned at her.

"Thank you? I consider him as my son Kushina. I missed thirteen years of his life, I plan to make it upto him in any way I can," Tsunade uttered when the red head felt a pinch in her heart, remembering how Naruto usually calls Tsunade as 'Kaa-chan.'

"Ahm, actually...I too would like to train Naruto-kun," this time Kushina, Tsunade and Jiraiya, all three of them looked at Hiruzen in shock.

"Sensei/Jiji?" Hiruzen sighed at the expressions on their faces.

"Although physically I'm not at my prime along with my chakra reserves having been deteriorated, it doesn't mean my skills as a teacher have worsened too. Remember that I was trained by the shodaime and the nidaime hokage along with me training the renowned sanin, two of you here. Don't underestimate me," the look in his eyes, right then told them that he was not joking- that he was indeed hailed as Shinobi no Kami in his prime.

"Hmm...I wish I could have a spar with you when you were in your prime jiji," Kushina pouted making the old man chuckle while Jiraiya shuddered at that.

"Uh Kushina, you should know how dense his chakra is. And when he was in his prime, his chakra reserves were huge...really, even with your Sharingan, you won't have been able to defeat him," the toad sanin uttered with a sigh.

"Well Kushina's chakra is dense too. Her expertise in an art as rare as sealing always gives her an edge in any fight. I too wouldn't have been able to defeat her," Hiruzen articulated with a smile.

"It would have been a draw then," Tsunade said with a nod while Kushina continued to pout.

"I don't care about the outcome, I know how strong jiji was. I just wanted to fight the legendary professor is all," the red head shrugged before Hiruzen sighed.

"Let's stop with this childish talk. Besides, I'm sure Naruto would be giving you one hell of a workout in the upcoming years. That boy has immense talent. I tell you, one day he's going to surpass us all," Tsunade and Jiraiya smiled while Kushina nodded with a grin.

"Of course, he's my son after all," she uttered with pride.

"Only 'son' Kushina?" Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows teasingly when the redhead's face grew serious as she glared at him.

"Eh? Well he's her son, what else?" Tsunade asked in confusion, wiping the teasing smile on the white haired sanin's face.

"Oh nothing, he was just saying that how Naruto and I look best friends, the way we interact and all, right Jiraiya?" the red head's smile was clearly signalling the sanin to shut his mouth.

'So she hasn't told Tsunade yet,' Hiruzen realized with a sigh.

"Well yeah, they do look like the best of friends. But that just makes them that much closer right?" the blonde medic verbalized with a smile making the Uzumaki nod.

"Anyway, Yakushi Kabuto, how's the interrogation regarding him going?" Hiruzen uttered when Kushina sighed deeply.

"No, he just won't open his mouth. Nothing effects him, probably one of Orochimaru's experiments on him to resist torture. Ibiki is still trying, but Kabuto is not opening his mouth. I'm letting Ibiki have a go for now. If he still refuses to tell us anything, I'll just use fuinjutsu."

"You'll use sealing techniques for torture?" Jiraiya questioned with a raised eyebrow making her nod.

"Yep, there are many things in a human body that can be sealed, which can lead to great deal of torture, one way or another for that person. There are several other methods too, there's a reason I studied some human anatomy under Kaa-san back in the days," the godaime explained while Tsunade nodded, remembering the days when she trained Kushina.

"I see. Well I also plan on training him in the art of Adamantine staff," Hiruzen declared with closed eyes.

This was a bomb shell for the trio as they stared at him.

"S-Sensei, are you sure? So you're going to make him sign your summoning contract?" Tsunade asked making him nod while Kushina still couldn't believe that the sandaime hokage, was going to give his 'weapon of choice' to Naruto. Adamantine staff, a legendary staff which was as hard as diamond, something which the Monkey king Enma could transform into. It was the weapon that had led Hiruzen through the world war, his main fighting style.

"You think Enma will approve of it? The monkey summoning contract does not serve anyone outside the Sarutobi clan. And if Enma does approve, you know how difficult it is to master the Adamantine staff, it takes years of practice and hardwork," Jiraiya argued.

"He's right jiji. Summons are extremely loyal once they have pledged to follow a clan. The elemental dragons too only serve the Uzumaki clan," Kushina intervened as Hiruzen gazed outside through the windows.

"We'll have to see about that Kushina. Naruto-kun is special. The fact that he possesses the Rinnegan may work in our favour...only time will tell. I have to make Enma meet him," the sandaime articulated when Kushina placed a hand on her forehead.

"He has so much to train into, and we don't even have much time. Akatsuki will be waiting for a chance to attack. Though I think the reason they have not attacked Konoha yet is mainly because of us. Me, Kaa-san, Jiraiya, Mikoto and jiji...they know that even though the village is weak after the recent invasion, we still hold enough military strength. Not to mention that I recently boosted the security of the village using my fuinjutsu," Kushina explained with a grim look on her face.

"Should we keep him inside the village for the time being?" Tsunade asked making the red head nod.

"Yes, but only for a while. Naruto has been feeling a lot of stress and pressure lately, so I want him to just train here and spend time with us. I know that he soon would start complaining for missions, that's the reason I pulled him out of the original team seven yesterday. I will be forming a four man squad including him," Hiruzen was a little surprised at this move, but he did agree with the logic. Kakashi, although very strong, still could not match upto the Akatsuki, not alone at least.

"Who do you have in mind for the three members of the squad with Naruto?" Tsunade questioned making the red head shrug.

"You'll see soon enough. Right now, we should concentrate on training him as well as quickly healing the damage dealt to the village due to the invasions."

Akatsuki's Base: Unknown Location

Several hologram figures could be seen standing in a circle along with two of them being present there, all of them wearing their characteristic black cloaks with red clouds printed on them.

"I'm severely disappointed in you Sasori, Deidara..." the holographic figure of Pein spoke, his eyes closed as one of them snickered at a blonde's expense.

"We underestimated the little brat, and the fact that Tsunade and Jiraiya were accompanying him made it all the more difficult," Sasori uttered in his gruff voice.

"Jiraiya was busy fighting with Orochimaru while Tsunade the slug sanin was down due to her fear of blood. Deidara, you were facing the jinchuriki one on one, and yet you were badly beaten because of your overconfidence," Pein verbalized sternly as the blonde Iwa ex-terrorist growled lowly.

"That brat caught me off guard that is all, I had the battle all under control. He just managed to fool us, creating a large smoke screen to get away," Deidara defended himself.

"You fuckers are good for nothing suckers. Really, you couldn't even capture a twelve year old kid. Jashin-sama must be laughing at you right now," Hidan articulated with a chuckle.

"You wanna fight you asshole! I'll show your Jashin-sama what's art!" Deidara shouted in anger.

"Quiet!" Pein exclaimed in a booming voice, silencing them as he opened his eyes.

"Kakuzu, Hidan...what about you two. You were supposed to intercept their escape route," the leader worded with narrowed eyes.

"I myself don't know how, but they somehow managed to slip under our senses," Kakuzu said seriously.

"I see, well it's not much of a surprise. Jiraiya of the sanin is a reconnaissance expert after all. Anyway, forget what has happened and let's move on. Itachi, Kisame...I want you to keep watch in Hi no Kuni for any activity regarding the kyuubi jinchuriki, have your spies spread throughout the country. Sasori and Deidara, you take Kaze no Kuni. Hidan and Kakuzu, both of you take Mizu no Kuni. Zetsu will be in charge of Kaminari no Kuni. This may not be much of use in practicality considering we can't keep track of the whole land, still I do know that the jinchuriki will have to leave his village someday. If they keep him caged up in Konoha, then we will have no choice but to launch an attack on the village. It will take us a minimum of three years to prepare for sealing the tailed beasts. Meanwhile, we will only focus on the kyuubi jinchuriki," Pein explained making them nod.

"What about Iwa? Who are you going to send there?" Zetsu's black half questioned making the leader close his eyes again.

"Just focus on the tasks given to you. Is that clear all of you?" the Rinnegan user verbalized in a staid tone.

"Well better get to work Itachi. Looks like we'll be doing most of the work," Kisame said with his characteristic grin when the hologram of the Uchiha dispersed.

Konoha: Training Ground Three

"Okay now enough with the reunion everyone, Mikoto-sama has arrived," Kurenai ordered to the group of chattering young shinobi, Kakashi and Asuma standing behind her.

Naruto was sitting on the grass alongside Hinata and Kin with the others just goofing around nearby.

"Huh? Where? I don't see anyone else," Kiba questioned, currently sitting on the grass with the others.

"Behind you Inuzuka-san," everyone snapped their heads upon hearing an amused, but soft voice. Kiba's eyes widened along with several others as they found the Uchiha matriarch standing behind them with a smile.

'Wow, some ninja we are. She sneaked up on us so easily,' Shikamaru thought with a sigh, muttering 'troublesome' under his breath.

"Whoa! When did you come?" the Inuzuka questioned with wide eyes as he quickly staggered to his feet along with the others while Naruto had a bright smile on his face.

"Mikoto-chan! So you're in this too?" he asked as she turned to him, nodding at him with a warm smile.

Sakura and Ino however, had their eyes widened as they gazed at the last female Uchiha.

'So this is Sasuke-kun's mother...' both of them thought simultaneously, having seen her for the first time.

"Hello everyone, most of you may not know me, but y-"

"You're kidding! Who wouldn't know you?! You're Uchiha Mikoto, the famed Kawarimi no Kami!" Tenten yelled out spontaneously before she quickly covered her mouth, stuttering a muffled apology with a crimson blush on her cheeks.

"Goddess of Substitution?" Tayuya questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, she's the only ninja who has completely mastered the substitution technique," Neji spoke, his eyes closed while he was currently leaning against the trunk of a large tree, under which all of them were standing.

Kiba turned his head back to look at a smiling Mikoto, an amused look in her eyes when he scratched his cheek lightly.

"Um, no offence but, what's the big deal with mastering the substitution jutsu? I mean...everyone was able to do it in the academy, even Naruto," the Inuzuka pointed out making a vein pop on the jinchuriki's forehead at the jab.

'Even after I saved his ass against Gaara during the finals...the idiot,' Naruto thought with a sigh.

"Kiba-kun, I would appreciate if you don't talk like that regarding Naruto-kun. We all know how strong he is," Hinata spoke with a serious frown on her face, taking her teammate by surprise. Well everyone did agree on that, there was just no questioning it, Naruto was on a whole other level.

"Uh yeah...sorry," he apologized as Naruto just waved it off.

"Meh, no need for that. With my large chakra reserves, the techniques they taught us in the academy were always difficult for me. However, I think Mikoto-chan has already answered your question," the blonde vocalized with a smirk making everyone look at him in confusion.

"Always the sharp one huh Naruto-kun?" Mikoto spoke with a giggle as she pointed at her feet.

"This is where your shuriken was lying Inuzuka-san," this made their eyes widen in surprise.

'I see...she substituted with the shuriken to appear behind us so quickly,' Shino thought as he adjusted his glasses, blown away by this unorthodox skill.

"No way! You were able to substitute yourself with just a shuriken!" Ino exclaimed in shock, matching several others' thoughts as she nodded with a smirk.

'With no smoke no less...'

"Well there's a reason Mikoto-chan's called the Goddess of Substitution you guys," Naruto pointed out with a sweat drop. Everyone however looked at him in surprise? Why was he calling the Uchiha matriarch with such affection? Even their jounin-sensei were giving her proper respect.

"Alright, now stop pestering Mikoto-sama," Kurenai stated as she walked towards them along with Kakashi, Gai and Asuma.

"No problem Kurenai-chan, it does remind me of the old days, when we ourselves used to admire Tsunade-sama so much," Mikoto uttered with a smile making a certain weapon user gasp.

"You admired Tsunade-sama too?!" Tenten exclaimed before again clasping a hand over her mouth, muttering out more apologies making Neji shake his head while Naruto and Mikoto along with the jounin smiled at her excited antics.

"Let's get to the business here. Now you guys might be wondering why hokage-sama gathered your squads here at this training ground. The answer is simple, all of you will be undergoing a joint training schedule staring today, except Naruto-kun here," Mikoto started making most of them look at her in confusion.

"Except Naruto?" Lee asked, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all this time.

"Yes. After the invasions, hokage-sama sees that it will be productive as well as fun for you young shinobi to train with each other, not just your squads. You can learn a great deal from each other along with these jounin here. Just think of yourself as one big squad of twelve, with four jounin-sensei, meaning you will not be restricted to be taught by only your sensei. You are free to ask any of them here. In this training schedule, all of you are teammates, all of you are comrades, united as one strong team. All of you are the shinobi of the leaf, no longer competing against each other like you did in the chunin exams," Mikoto spoke with authority, a serious look on her face as she gazed at the future generation of the village while the rookies listened to her intently, drawn into by her speech, smiles on their faces.

"So let ggo of all the grudges you've been keeping since the exams. Forget those lost battles. Remember that you all are leaf ninja, you all are comrades," the Uchiha uttered as Kin and Sakura, Neji and Hinata, Lee and Naruto...all nodded at each other with determined looks in their eyes.

The four jounin smiled at such a rare sight- all of them being united into a squad. Such training schedule, even a session, had never taken place during their time. And now, they wish it had happened- it really looked like a lot of fun. Training like that with your comrades together, getting to know each other in the process, getting to gauge each other's strengths and weaknesses, who wouldn't enjoy it?

"I will be training Naruto-kun here while all of you continue to train with each other. I know it destroys the reason for this joint training schedule seeing as I'm only teaching him, but you have to know something very important," Mikoto paused as she glanced at all of them while the blonde had a somewhat surprised look on his face.

"I'm sure most of you have several questions in your mind when it comes to Naruto-kun? Some of them may be- how did he gain the Rinnegan during the chunin exams and suddenly became so strong? What is the red chakra that you might have seen him use several times? Why did the villagers used to hate him, and why do some of them still hate him? And why, why should he get special treatment regarding training? Why does hokage-sama seem to favour him? Why is it that Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama favour him? Why is he being trained so much? A few of you may know the reasons, who have already been ordered by hokage-sama to keep it to themselves. But for those who don't know..." the raven haired kunoichi stared at them with a grave expression while Naruto's heart was hammering against his chest. No way? Was she just going to tell all of them like that?

'I...I'm not ready for this...'

"Mikoto-chan wha-" he stepped forward when she looked at him with a smile.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, unless you feel ready to tell them, all of it will remain a secret," she uttered.

"What secret? Why are these things being hidden from us?" Kiba asked with narrowed eyes when she stepped towards them.

"For now, all you need to know is that Naruto-kun carries a huge burden on his shoulders, something which explains all the questions. Not only the burden, but his family too. There is a terrorist organization called Akatsuki which is after Naruto-kun, a group containing about a dozen of S-ranked missing nin, all of them targeting him."

"S rank ninja?" Ino asked with wide eyes while Sakura had a sad look in her green orbs as she glanced at her blonde ex-teammate, who had a neutral look on his face. Kin too looked to be surprised while Tayuya knew it all, being in sound four had its perks. Hinata touched Naruto's forearm in comfort making him smile at her softly.

"Yes, S rank...all of them. If it helps, one of them is Uchiha Itachi...my elder son," she spoke with closed eyes making them look at her in shock. Although Mikoto 'knew' that Itachi was on their side, she still wanted them to realize the seriousness of the situation.

"U-Uchiha Itachi?" Lee questioned with wide eyes, they knew how much of a prodigy he was. And if this was the level of Akatsuki...

"As you can see, the situation is quite grave here. Naruto-kun is a shinobi of the leaf, and as such, we can't let them just kill him. That's the reason we need to make him strong as fast as possible," she explained as a tense silence ensued between the rookies while the jounin had serious looks in their eyes.

"Gai-sensei, you know this secret?" Lee questioned, turning to his mentor making him nod.

"Yes Lee, in fact all of the chunin and the upper ranks know about this. You have to understand that Naruto-kun does carry an extremely heavy burden," for once, the green clad jounin was dead serious.

"I see, then I understand. I'm with you Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed with determination making the rookies look at him.

"Well count me in too," Sakura spoke with a smile.

"I'm obviously in," Hinata quickly followed, currently holding the blonde's hand as others began to agree.

Naruto had a surprised look on his face as he just stared at them accept it so easily. He was expecting them to demand the truth, but for them to be so understanding...

'All of us have matured so much...' the jinchuriki thought, his eyes softening at his comrades.

"Well whatever history he has, whatever pain in the ass secrets he has, he's still our friend. So now let's just begin this training schedule. Man I'm excited to get on with this! It's really fun to flaunt your skills in front of all your friends!" Kiba pumped his fist into his palm with a grin as Akamaru on his head yelped in agreement.

Others just shook their heads at his antics while Mikoto and Kurenai had smiles on their faces.

'This was the right move Kushina/nee-chan,' both of them thought simultaneously as they glanced at the genuine happiness in the jinchuriki's eyes.

"Ayumi-chan, you heard that? I never expected them to understand the situation so readily.'

"Well you have Kushina to thank for that. I'm really happy for you Naruto-kun," the bijuu said softly making him nod.

Mikoto clapped to get their attention as she began to walk towards the centre of the clearing.

"For today, we will test all of your current skills. Naruto-kun and team Guy, get here," she spoke, now standing in the middle of the clearing, the lake of training ground three behind her.

The weather was cloudy while there was a slight cool breeze flowing across the village. Naruto walked along with Neji, Lee and Tenten towards the middle of the clearing.

"What do you think she's planning on doing?" Ino asked while staring at them making Shikamaru sigh.

"Wait for ten seconds and you might just know the answer," he mocked when she hit him over the head, a vein throbbing on her forehead while Chouji continued to eat his chips.

"What youthful exercises do we have to endure to prove our youthfulness to you Mikoto-sama?!" Lee exclaimed, already doing sit ups with Naruto, Neji and Tenten standing beside him, the trio sighing at his antics while Mikoto just stared at him awkwardly.

"Heh well, that's bushy brows style," the whiskered blonde verbalized with a chuckle making the Uchiha matriarch smile at the nickname before she got serious.

"Okay. Team guy will fight Naruto-kun here, so it will be a three against one match," she declared, making their eyes widen.

"I'd rather fight Naruto-san one on one," Neji spoke, his arms crossed over his chest making Mikoto raise an eyebrow while Naruto glanced at the Hyuga.

"Tell you what Hyuga-san, if you three can beat Naruto-kun together, I'll have you fight him alone," the Uchiha uttered with a smile.

"Fine then," the Hyuga verbalized while the blonde had a neutral look on his face. Team guy began to walk back, getting some distance from Naruto and Mikoto.

"Alright, I want team guy to come at Naruto-kun with the intent to kill, no holding back," she ordered making the rookies' eyes widen in surprise.

"Hey isn't this taking a bit too far. I know Naruto's strong, but to fight a handicapped match like this? And this is no joke, this is team guy we're talking about, with two close range taijutsu specialists in combination with a long range fighter," Kiba worded with a frown making the others nod while Hinata and Tayuya kept quiet.

'If you would've watched him fight that Akatsuki nin, you won't be saying such things right now,' the Hyuga heiress thought, standing calmly with the others.

The jounin were all standing quietly with serious looks on their faces, curious as to how Naruto would handle it...or how team guy would handle it.

Naruto however had a frown on his face as he stood with Mikoto.

"Mikoto-chan, what's the meaning of this? Why am I being pitted against my own comrades now with them ordered to attack me with the intent to kill? I thought we were here to train together," he questioned making her look at him, the Uchiha matriarch smiling at him softly as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but this is mainly for the genin here. Kushina told me that they have never seen you go all out, that they don't know your real strength. Before the training begins, I want them to know to difference between their and your skills...this will drive them to train harder, catch upto you. You don't have to hurt them if you don't want to, but at least show them how fast you can beat them, how easily you can do it without exerting yourself, if you can do it that is. I myself have never seen you fight, so let's see whether you're really strong or if Kushina was just boasting," Mikoto winked teasingly making the jinchuriki sigh.

"So I have to finish as fast as I can huh?" he muttered before shrugging to himself.

"I'm sure you will enjoy training with everyone Naruto-kun, just relax yourself," Mikoto smiled at him warmly, squeezing his shoulder in comfort. The blonde smirked at her lightly before she started to walk away from them.

Naruto and team Guy now stood face to face, the latter having serious expressions on their faces as they took their stances.

"Okay, I intend to finish this as fast as possible. Get ready, I'm not going to hold back," the jinchuriki voiced seriously making Neji smirk at him.

"You might be stronger than us individually, but as a team, we are a force to be dealt with," this made Lee nod along with Tenten, both having concentrated looks on their faces.

"Of course! You cannot underestimate the youthfulness of our teamwork!" Lee yelled making Mikoto sweat drop while the whiskered blonde just shook his head.

'They really don't get it...fine then.'

"Okay, you can begin now," the raven haired kunoichi declared loudly as both sides stood quietly. Neji was in his Jyuken stance, Lee in his usual Goken stance with Tenten holding two scrolls in her hands, standing behind her teammates.

Naruto unclenched his fists before lifting his hands a bit to his sides making them narrow their eyes while Mikoto along with everyone else watched him in curiosity. The Uchiha's eyes widened a bit when electric sparks started to crack around his hands before lightning flames burst out to cover them. Lee narrowed his eyes at it in realization.

"Raiken (Lightning Fist) huh?" the taijutsu specialist spoke, having fought against it in the preliminaries while Naruto had a grim look on his face.

'So he can concentrate the lightning natured chakra to his hands and use it in conjunction with his taijutsu, tai-ninjutsu I see,' Mikoto thought, an appraising look in her eyes.

"Let's begin," the jinchuriki uttered as he increased the gap between his feet, outstretching his right palm forward with his other palm near his chest, facing forward- something which shocked everyone present there, except one.

"J-Jyuken?" Neji spoke with wide eyes as he gazed at the blonde standing in the same stance as him, his hands encased in crackling lightning.

'Why is he taking the Gentle Fist stance?' Mikoto thought in surprise while Hinata had a smile on her face.

"Just to warn you guys, I don't have gravity seals on me today," Naruto said before he blurred forward with a burst of speed.

'Whoa...' Kiba thought in astonishment at the blonde's speed.

'Fast,' Lee's own eyes widened at the sudden speed of his blonde comrade, who had suddenly vanished from their sight.

KRIZ!

"Ugh!" he exclaimed in shock when Naruto appeared in front of him to deliver a palm thrust to his chest, lightning sparks coursing through Lee's body while Neji and Tenten turned their heads towards him in astonishment.

'Such speed...' the Hyuga thought when again the jinchuriki vanished into thin air.

"Agh!" Neji's Byakugan widened upon spotting Tenten being palm'ed from behind as she went skidding on the ground towards him.

'There's no mistake, he IS using the Jyuken style! But the effects are different, he is not blocking any chakra points!' he deduced quickly, in the midst of turning around.

"Way too slow Neji," the Hyuga gritted his teeth, his pupils zooming out when he felt two palms hitting the back of his thighs.

'What the...I can't feel my legs!' Neji pondered as he fell to the ground in slow motion, his knees giving out.

"Well, was that satisfactory?" Naruto asked, now facing Mikoto while the lightning around his hands began to diminish slowly.

Everyone had stunned looks on their faces as they gazed at the blonde jinchuriki slack jawed, not believing that the fight had ended in exactly three seconds.

"W-Well, it certainly seems hokage-sama was not wrong about you," Mikoto uttered with a chuckle, inwardly still not being able to get over her shock. She had never seen or heard of such a taijutsu. Turning her head, she was not surprised to see the four jounin staring at Naruto with amazement. A giggle escaped her lips upon noticing the jaws of selective rookies on the ground.

"I...I can't b-breathe properly," Naruto's eyes softened as he crouched in front of Lee, helping him on his feet.

"Don't worry, the effects will wear off in a couple of minutes," the blonde spoke while patting Lee's back.

"W-What did you do?" Neji asked, still lying on the grass as he struggled to stand up.

"My b-back is all numb," Tenten grumbled as she stood up a bit shakily, now massaging her lower back. Naruto walked towards her before applying his chakra to her back making her sigh in relief, a sheepish look on his face.

"Isn't it obvious guys, I just electrocuted you, more like gently electrocuted you so that you don't die. That's the reason you were shocked and your respective body parts are now numb," he explained with a grin while nodding to himself, satisfied with the results.

"That was amazing Naruto-kun...really, I couldn't even see you," Lee worded with a serious look as he clenched his fists.

"Yeah, that was me going all out."

"I can't believe how easily we were beaten, you completely demolished us," Tenten spoke gloomily, now feeling the numbness going away while Naruto sighed to himself.

"That's exactly the reason I didn't want to do this," he grumbled under his breath, momentarily glaring at Mikoto.

"Okay now, discouraging you was not the aim of this spar. It was simply to show you the difference between our skills, something which is supposed to motivate you to train harder, not get your morale down," the whiskered blonde patted Tenten's back encouragingly, a light grin on his face when Neji stood up, his knees somewhat wobbly.

"I presume Hinata taught you Jyuken?" Neji asked with narrowed eyes while Naruto nodded with a smile.

"Of course, but my Jyuken is still crap compared to both of you. It was my speed that caught you off guard, if you are able to match that, I'm sure you would kick my ass Neji!" the Hyuga still looked disappointed as he turned his head away.

"Whoa man, what the hell was that?"

"Yeah, I couldn't even see you. And was that Gentle Fist?"

"Did you copy it with your bloodline?"

"Man what a troublesome guy."

Naruto sighed as he looked at Mikoto pointedly, now facing the rookies as they approached him along with the jounin.

"Okay, yes that Jyuken, but I just used lightning natured chakra with it. Basically it numbs the region where I strike leading to different effects and can even kill you, it all depends on the amount of chakra I put through. No I didn't copy it, and yes Hinata-chan taught me the basics about it. Yes I'm pretty fast, that's why you couldn't see me. Now let's stop with the 'ooh's and 'aah's and get started with this training schedule!" he blabbered non-stop before coming to a stop, a decisive look on his face making Hinata giggle at his antics.

"I have to say that was a really interesting technique Naruto," Kakashi eye-smiled at his student/ making Naruto laughed in embarrassment.

"Well it's still not usable in real battle, so I have to develop my Jyuken first."

"It's not even ready and we were defeated so easily," Tenten grumbled, a dark cloud over her making everyone sweatdrop.

"Not to worry my youthful pupils! This only means that we have to further brighten our youthful flames!" Gai gave his 'nice guy' pose making Lee nod along with Neji while Naruto sighed in relief.

"Every time we see you fight you just seem to get farther and farther away from us. It's like you're in an entirely different league," Ino spoke with a sigh, the rookies looking down at the ground with solemn looks on their faces.

"Everyone, instead of looking down upon yourself, why not ask Naruto how much he trained to achieve this level of skill? Maybe he trained much harder than all of you? Maybe he never gave up and kept trying? Maybe he had to face death several times to get this much stronger?" Kurenai stepped forward with a frown making the genin look at her.

"Was Naruto not the deadlast just a few months ago? Was he not in your shoes just a few months ago? All of you were so much stronger than him, but did you ever see him giving up like this? All we saw was him training day in and night out to get stronger, all of you were his motivation, he was motivated to get stronger, to surpass all of you. Shouldn't you do the same? Shouldn't you be motivated to train harder, to surpass him?" Kurenai verbalized as the rookies gazed at their feet.

"She's right, this is not the time to complain. We just have to train harder!" Sakura exclaimed with a grave look on her face with Ino and Hinata nodding with her.

"Yosh! Defeating Naruto-kun has been my goal since the preliminaries! Prepare yourself my eternal youthful rival, for I'm going to train much harder from now on!" Lee shouted with fire in his eyes as he pumped his fist upwards.

"Yeah, let's begin 'Surpass Naruto and Kick His ASS!'" Kiba cheered with a grin making Naruto sweat drop.

"This is all your fault Kurenai-sensei!" the blonde pointed an accusing finger the genjutsu mistress making her blush lightly while everyone laughed at his antics.

'Of course, he looks so relaxed now...this training schedule is already starting to do its work,' Mikoto thought with a smile as she looked at a laughing Naruto.

"Now let's get serious everyone! Your real training starts from tomorrow, today we'll do a different sort of exercise. All of you will fight Naruto-kun here, and try to punch him. There will no ninjutsu or genjutsu, only pure taijutsu. You guys win if any of you is able to land a punch on him before the sun sets. And Naruto-kun is not allowed to attack, he can only defend himself, or dodge for that matter," Mikoto laid out the rules, making all of them grin excitedly.

"Hey what the hell?! This is so unfair! Why can't I attack?! You expect me keep dodging them till evening?!" Naruto yelled comically making Kurenai giggle lightly while Mikoto began to whistle a tune to herself, ignoring the blonde jinchuriki.

"Okay everyone, you can start now!" the Uchiha matriarch cheered as she shunshined back along with the jounin making the whiskered blonde repeatedly turn his head back towards the rookies and back at where she was standing.

"What?! Right now?! Hey get back here!"

"Oh why so afraid of us Naruto?" Sakura teased with a devilish grin as she cracked her knuckles, all of them sporting predatory looks on their faces.

"Get ready for the most vicious sucker punch of your life shithead-kun."

"Oh stop acting Naruto-kun, I know you can keep dodging us for two days straight if you have to. Take this seriously, this is for our training too," what Hinata said actually surprised everyone as they looked back at the jinchuriki who just sighed lightly.

"Way to go and burst my bubble Hinata-chan. Oh well, c'mon then...let's see if you can even touch me," he spoke with a smirk, again surprising them with the sudden change in his aura.

Later That Evening: Konoha: Mikoto's Apartment

"The gentle fist you used today, where did you get that idea from?" Mikoto asked from the kitchen, currently preparing some green tea.

"Oh that, I already used Raiken back in preliminaries. Noticing the numbing effects whenever I hit my opponent with my lightning fist, I thought it would be better if I use lightning with gentle fist since it requires less power and rather just a simple touch. Of course it uses more chakra, but if I'm able to master the katas of Jyuken to a certain degree, along with a near perfect chakra control...that style can be deadly. I still haven't come up with a name for it though," Naruto responded from the living room, currently lying on the couch as he watched TV.

"I have to say that was an ingenious idea. Difficult to execute yes, but I can imagine it's effects if mastered by someone," she spoke while walking out of the kitchen, a tray in her hands.

"I'm still a long way from mastering it, let's see where it goes. Developing original techniques is always a double edged sword," he murmured, flicking on the channels as she set the tray on the table before sitting beside him.

"So, you liked the idea of training with your friends?" Mikoto asked as he nodded with enthusiasm.

"Definitely! It's exciting and I'm so looking forward to it this month. Training with some company is always fun!" a bright grin on his face as she smiled at him.

"The ease with which you were able to dodge them till the evening kind of surprised me. It's still difficult for me to comprehend that a twelve year shinobi can be so strong you know," Mikoto chuckled lightly making him frown playfully.

"Heh, is that coming from a mother whose elder son..." the blonde trailed as he averted his gaze while Mikoto nodded with him.

"That's right I suppose. Itachi-kun was also incredibly strong at your age, I myself found it absurd. I always scolded him, telling him not push himself so hard. I mean, who the hell becomes an Anbu captain at the age of thirteen? He should've been enjoying his life!" she finished with a sigh making the jinchuriki grin at her.

"Well then, I guess it's a mystery as to why you don't scold me Mikoto-chan," she laughed while ruffling his hair playfully before picking her cup with Naruto doing the same.

"Too bad...too bad I can't do so, not in your case. You do need it," she whispered to herself before taking a sip while he picked up on her words, his lips curling down a bit.

"You may do whatever you like Naru-kun. If you think telling Mikoto-chan is the best option here, go for it. But...please reconsider this, take her feelings into account. As a fellow mother, I know what she's going through and how she feels; that's why I only want to give her some time to pull herself together. As the hokage, I will not stop you from doing what you want, but as your mother...I ask you to take Mikoto-chan's feelings under consideration. She may not be able to hold herself after receiving the news, I'm afraid she might break down completely."

Naruto suddenly remembered Kushina's words to him last night, the issue tugging his mind since he had stepped into Mikoto's apartment.

'Damn it...' he thought in frustration, sipping his tea in with a jerk.

The blonde's face went red as he quickly gulped down the hot liquid before coughing lightly as he began to breathe through his mouth.

"Hah! My tongue!"

"What happened?" Mikoto asked quickly as she set her cup on the table, a worried look on her face.

"So hot, the tea is so hot!" he exclaimed making her sweat drop before a giggle escaped her lips as she rubbed his back soothingly.

"You're s-supposed to sip in slowly Naru-chan. Let me bring some water," still laughing, Mikoto was about to stand up when she felt him grab her wrist.

"Wait...Mikoto-chan," he called, the sheepish look on his face now replaced by a sudden serious one.

"Naruto-kun?" she blinked while he took in a deep breath.

"Okay, this is very hard for me, but listen to me carefully. I don't want you to interrupt me," he started with a fierce look in his eyes, taking her aback.

"What's up with y-"

She stopped when he placed a finger on her lips, making look at him in surprise.

"Please don't interrupt me Mikoto-chan. Just let me speak. Okay..." the jinchuriki again took a deep breath as he closed his eyes while the Uchiha continued to look at him in concern.

"The thing is...you see, it's about Itachi-nii. The thing is...well the thing is...Kami damn it," Naruto lowered his head, clutching his bangs in frustration as he cursed under his breath.

The jinchuriki lifted his head upon feeling soft hands on his hand, to see Mikoto looking at him with a worried expression on her face, silently encouraging him to go on. He was surprised she didn't say anything right then.

"Well, after the invasions, while you were still resting in the hospital, Itachi-nii and his partner Kisame had arrived at the village. I went to meet them along with Kakashi-sensei. Itachi-nii was very different that day, he was acting cold and distant, just like a member of Akatsuki. He said that whatever had happened a month ago at the Forest of Death was not his intention, that he was being controlled by Danzo, who possesses Shisui's Sharingan, by the use of a genjutsu called Koto Amatsukami. I'm not going to go into details right now, but after that, Itachi-nii said that he had come to capture me. I was still in a state of shock when he stabbed me with a kunai coated with a dangerous poison. I still can't believe it that he did so back then. After that, things happened and I was on the verge of death that day, that's the reason Jiraiya, Hinata-chan and Tayuya took me to Tanzaku town...where Kaa-chan was currently staying. There she treated me and I was fully healed within a week before we encountered Akatsuki and Orochimaru again. The rest you already know. Listen...please, I don't know what's the truth, I don't know if Itachi-nii is good as we all thought earlier or...not, but I did not want to hide anything from you," Naruto finished with a deep sigh, his eyes still closed. Slowly opening them, he was kinda surprised to see Mikoto still staring at him with a shocked look on her face- he had been expecting something worse actually.

Several seconds of tense silence ensued between the duo when he spoke again.

"Mikoto-chan, know well that Ita-"

"Who...w-who else knew?" Mikoto finally spoke, her voice cracking a bit as she blinked thrice quickly. Naruto averted his gaze as he lowered his head, his hand holder hers gently.

"Kaa-san, fire queens, ero-sennin, Kaa-chan, jiji and a few other jounin who were present at the site. What happened that day with Itachi-nii was declared as a SS-class secret by Kaa-san," he mumbled.

A few more seconds went by silently when much to his shock, he heard her giggle awkwardly.

"I...I see now, this m-must be some prank from all of you right? I mean, c'mon...all of this s-sounds so absurd. O-Of course Itachi-kun won't do that..." she continued to giggle while Naruto continued to stare at her with a serious look on his face. Lifting his hands, he placed them on her shoulder firmly.

"This is not a prank Mikoto-chan, I'm serious. All of this did happen, I would never play such a dirty pra-"

"You're lying!" the blonde's eyes widened when she yelled suddenly, tears now welling at the corner of her eyes.

"Look into my eyes, do you think I would lie to you Mikoto-chan?" Naruto asked her calmly as tears began to escape the confines of her eyelids while she looked into his eyes.

Her pupils began to tremble as she shook her head quickly, refusing to look into his eyes.

"You're lying! Y-You're lying! I-Itachi-kun would never do that!" Naruto held her shoulders tightly now as she lowered her head, more tears cascading down her cheeks, falling off her chin.

"Mikoto-chan, I know it hurts so much, but Itachi-nii was always a logical one. He always did things for a reason. Maybe he acted like that for a reason this time, to somehow...indirectly protect me? You can't lose h-"

"He stabbed you! HE TRIED TO KILL YOU!" the Uchiha matriarch screamed, now clutching his jounin vest tightly as he averted his gaze, he could not look into her eyes right now- they held so much pain and suffering; it was like looking into his own eyes.

"Why...w-why..." she murmured while biting on her lower lip, her head lowered as tears continued to fall on her lap.

Naruto's heart began to sink as she began to sob, her choked sobs soon turning into wails as she buried her face into his chest. He was now beginning to regret his decision...

"Why?! W-WHY?! Why is t-this ha-happening?!" she screamed into his chest, her arms tightly wrapped around his midsection. The blonde could do nothing but wrap his own arms around her in comfort, opting to stay silent...he did not know what to say, this was something she had to deal with on her own.

"F-First my clan...now h-him..." she mumbled with a hiccup while Naruto couldn't see her face, only her raven hair filling his vision as she hugged him tightly.

"W-What kind of a mother am I? T-This is all my f-fault..." she spoke in between her sobs and hiccups while Naruto had a pained look on his face as he rested his chin on her head.

"M-My whole f-family is gone...both o-of my sons g-gone...w-why?" her voice began to break down again, her body shaking with her sobs.

"W-Why am I e-even alive?...I don't w-want to live...I don't...I don't want to live!" she shouted into his vest again, her nails digging into his shoulders.

"I-It's your fault...why did you b-bring me back? Y-You should have never...n-never brought me back! Why N-Naruto-kun?" Mikoto was now clutching his vest as she slowly lifted her head, river of tears flowing down her cheeks as she gazed at him through her glossy eyes. There was a pleading look on her face as she bit her lower lip to control her sobs.

"Why?! Why?! WHY?!" the Uchiha began to shake him violently, her watery eyes boring into his oceanic ones.

"W-Why did you bring me back?! WHY?! TELL ME! WHO TO-"

"SHUT UP!"

...

Mikoto looked at Naruto wide eyed, tears still running down her cheeks as she stared at him, as if in a daze. The blonde grabbed her shoulders tightly as he glared at her, a fierce look in his deep sapphire orbs.

"What the fuck are you speaking?! Why did I bring you back?! WHY YOU ASK?! It's because you are precious to me! And if I have to do it again, I WILL do it! A thousand times if I have to! How can you break down like this?! Kaa-san said that you won't be able to handle this, that you would break down! I fought with her! I said no! NO! That Mikoto-chan is not weak! That she is a strong kunoichi, a strong woman! That she can handle it! That she deserves to know the truth about her son! That we would hurt her feelings if we hide things from her! Do you how much pressure I was feeling before telling you this?! I fucking trust you! I can't stand lying to you! Who gives you the right to spout out self loathing trash like that?! How can you say that I shouldn't have brought you back huh?! Don't you care about my feelings?! Don't you care how I feel in this?! Itachi-nii was special to me too! It's not like you're the only one hurting DAMMIT!" Naruto yelled in her face, now breathing heavily as he continued to glare at Mikoto while she looked at him in shock, fresh tears still falling off her chin.

"You don't want to live?!" he growled, shaking her through her shoulders.

"You don't want to live?! What about us?! Do we not matter to you even a bit?! How can you be so selfish?! Who says you failed as a mother?! You were the best mother a woman can be! I've admired you , looked upto you so much!" Mikoto gazed at him with a shell shocked look on her face as a single tear rolled down the blonde's cheek.

"Naruto-kun...please calm down..." Ayumi spoke softly from within while the blonde continued to glare at Mikoto, panting to catch his breath.

"N-Naruto..." he narrowed his eyes as Mikoto mumbled softly with a sniff as her onyx eyes softened. Lifting her hand, she placed it on his cheek when he lowered his head, a look of regret coming onto his face.

"I...I'm sorry...I..." he wiped his left eye as Mikoto leaned forward to place her other hand on his cheek, a hazy look in her eyes.

The jinchuriki lifted his face, surprised at their sudden closeness as he averted his gaze- an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Mikoto-chan I'm so-"

...

Time seemed to freeze for Naruto upon feeling a pair of soft lips on his own, his eyes getting widened instantly.

The blonde sat there stunned, his mind going blank as Mikoto began to kiss him.

His mind quickly coming out of the overdrive, he quickly leaned back from the kiss- astounded look in his eyes.

"W-What are...M-Mikoto-chan?" he stuttered, not understanding what was going on while Mikoto just gazed at him with half-lidded eyes as she again leaned forward, pushing him back on the couch with her body weight.

"Naruto...please, just this once...I need this," she whispered, their noses touching when the Uchiha matriarch again leaned forward to capture his lips, kissing him passionately.

"N-No..." he murmured, forcing his head sideways, breaking the kiss.

"Mikoto-chan...we sho..." the blonde trailed as she began to kiss his jaw, zipping down his vest in the process .

"W-We can't...don't," he protested, trying to push her back while she didn't relent, nibbling on his neck while grinding her body against his. Having zipped down his vest, her hand went south before resting it on his shinobi pants- rubbing his shaft through the fabric.

"Stop!" Naruto pushed her back firmly, his eyes narrowed as he quickly sat up before standing. The blonde was panting a bit as he gazed at her before taking a few steps back, now zipping up his chunin vest.

"I...We c-can't do this Mikoto-chan. You're not in a right state of mind, please...control yourself," he spoke while her head was currently lowered, her face shadowed as she sat still on the couch.

"Get some sleep, I'll visit you in the morning Mikoto-chan," Naruto verbalized softly, still in a state of shock as he walked back towards the exit door. Glancing at her over his shoulder for a moment, he quickly closed the door.

The blonde walked a bit forward before supporting himself by the wall, a weary look on his face.

'What was that? Why did she do that?' he thought with some panic, not understanding as to what had possessed her to do such a thing just now. She was Sasuke and Itachi's mother, obviously such a thing was absurd!

"Naruto-kun, can you please go back to her right now?" the blonde's eyes widened as he pushed himself off the wall in surprise.

"What are you talking about Ayumi-chan? Didn't you just saw what happened? Obviously Mikoto-chan needs to rest, she's traumatized. We can't possibly do such a thing," he argued, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Why? Don't you see that she needs physical comfort? She has been traumatized with this...you need to be there for her. If you are willing to tell her everything, you should also be willing to provide her that comfort, she desperately needs it right now."

"I can't...I just...I never saw her in this light. She...ever since I was a child, she took care of me...I came to see her as a mother I didn't have until recently. Kaa-san just arrived in my life, so I see her as a woman...but Mikoto-chan, I love her very deeply, but only as a mother. I'm willing to be there for her, always...but, not like this. She's Itachi-nii's mother...she...no, this is just not possible," he sighed, shaking his head in denial while Ayumi went silent for a few seconds.

"I...I won't force you then, but...but, just keep in mind that all that Uchiha woman has is you, and Kushina. You two are the only ones left for her...and only you can comfort her in a way that she so desperately needs. I understand your feelings, it must be awkward. But...that Uchiha woman is suffering badly, she is in a great deal of emotional turmoil. She needs you...Naruto-kun. You have suffered too, and there were times when no one was there for you, to comfort you, you know that loneliness...that pain. Do you want her bear that pain? That loneliness and suffering which destroys you from inside? That woman always tried her best to be there for you, shouldn't you be there for her now, when she needs you the most? She is strong, but one cannot always face the difficulties of life alone, everyone needs someone to be there for them...everyone. Just for tonight, consider her as a woman, your lover...love her, show her that you'll always be there with her, that she isn't alone, that there are people who care for her very much, who are happy for her to be alive."

Naruto contemplated Ayumi's words as a sigh escaped his lips. He was always going on and on about how he would do anything for his precious people. If he thought about it, regardless of his feelings, he was in a romantic relationship with his mother. Mikoto was like his step mother, so why...why couldn't he do this for her? Just for tonight, to comfort her?

Fuck it!

Pushing himself off the wall decisively, Naruto grabbed the knob before opening the door. Slamming it behind him, he walked into the living room to find Mikoto lying on the couch, her face stuffed into a pillow as she cried into it.

"Mikoto-chan..." he called softly when she jerked her head upwards, quickly wiping her eyes to clear off her blurry vision.

"Na-Naruto? I-Is that you?!" she asked, hastily getting off the couch as she walked towards him unsteadily.

"I'm...I'm s-so sorry. I d-don't know...what came over me! Please forgive me," the Uchiha had a pleading look on her face, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she looked at him with watery eyes.

The jinchuriki stared at her with a soft look on his face, noticing the never ending tears on her cheeks as he stepped forward to take her slightly trembling hand into his.

Mikoto rested her other hand over his, a worried expression on her face.

"I'm so s-sorry...I'm so sorry. I sh-shouldn't have said all that...I don't know what c-came over me," she again pleaded, asking for his forgiveness when he wiped the pearly liquid off her cheeks with his thumb, a small smile on his face.

The Uchiha just leaned into his touch as she stepped forward to hug him tightly, burying her face into his chest.

"I'm so sorry, please don't leave me. I r-really don't know what c-came over me. A-And thank you for trusting me. Y-You don't know how much it m-means to me," she spoke quickly, rubbing her cheek against his chest as a contended sigh escaped her lips.

Holding her soft frame, the blonde lifted her face via her chin- now gazing into her half-lidded eyes.

"No...I'm sorry, I'm here for you, I'll always be Mikoto-chan," he whispered, cupping her cheek tenderly as she looked into his eyes.

"Promise?" her voice soft and gentle as Naruto smiled at her warmly.

"It's the promise of a life time," he mumbled before leaning forward to capture her moist lips, pulling her in by her waist.

DONE! 'Phew'...such a long chapter, it's 14K long, my longest chapter yet. And I guess you guys deserved it considering the late update. :)

Anyways, I'm aware that most of you don't like the 'drama' that took place between Naruto and Mikoto, and you can complain about it all you want, but it was important for character development.

Also, 'Sasuke Retrieval Arc' will initiate in a couple of chapters. After that, there's going to be a time skip obviously- though as you can probably see, this fic has almost stopped following the canon, so things will be very different from manga.

I really hope you liked this chapter. Please review, I'd greatly appreciate your response...lets me know that people are still loving this story. :D

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