AN: And here is the conclusion of the 'Iron Country' arc. It didn't go quite how I planned it to, and I did edit out a bit with Mifune which just didn't seem to fit in right, but hey, all's right in the end, no? Next chapter will be a bit filler-ish, and after that I should get started on the next mini-arc before the academy, with Naruto at age seven. Oh! One more thing, I intend for this story to be in three parts! Before the time-skip (standard Naruto stuff), the time-skip itself (Set on another continent of the world, though I'm not sure what to cross-over with this story there), and after the time-skip. Just thought you might want to know!
Beta'd by: The trolling SnarkLord
Chapter 11 – Strange Weapons
True to her words, Tsurara showed them around Iron Country. Well, she at least showed them the borders of territory belonging to youkai that had a good chance of being able to overpower the combined might of Ran, Misuzu, and Madara. None of them wanted to tangle with anything that strong, especially if it was violent and bloodthirsty.
Having flown all around the country, it was once again getting late. Like the previous evening, Naruto found somewhere to set up his tent and cooking equipment to make himself some food to eat. While he did that, Tsurara lay spread-eagled on the snowy ground, seemingly content just to lay there.
As he was cooking his meal, Naruto looked at the yuki-onna.
"Hey, Tsurara, you said that you're not very welcome around other youkai, right? Does that mean you at least know where the groups of them are?" He asked.
"I do." She answered him. "I know nothing about the groups other than 'they're there', so I can't say which group might have a youkai with the temperament and skills you are looking for though. I could not even tell you if they are violent or peaceful either."
"Well it's more than I had to go on before, I was just wandering around randomly when you came across us today." Naruto shrugged.
"Hmm, well if that's all you need, I can direct you to one of the smaller groups I suppose." Tsurara mused.
"And what would it cost him this time?" Ran asked her.
"Maybe just another kiss perhaps, or is there a chance of a little cuddle?" Tsurara's eyes glittered with amusement.
"Don't push your luck, ice cube." Ran growled at her. "I know what you're up to."
"Oh, what am I up to then?" Tsurara asked. "Can I not simply be a friendly person?"
"The question is just how 'friendly' do you intend to be?" Ran snorted.
"Is there something wrong with being friendly?" Tsurara kept smiling at Ran.
xxxxx
Having backed away from the two bickering females, Naruto looked to Madara.
"What are they arguing about?" He asked the inugami.
"Don't ask me, kid, I don't understand how women work, either human or youkai." He shrugged. "Just leave them to it, they'll burn themselves out sooner or later, and then we can get on with what we're doing here."
"Have you any ideas, Misuzu?" Naruto looked up at the horse youkai.
"Only that they are fighting over you for some reason." He replied. "So you are probably the best one to defuse this situation."
"I suppose." Naruto reluctantly said, not really all that keen to get in the middle of an argument between two powerful youkai. "Well, he who dares, wins, I guess, and all of that sort of thing."
Taking a breath, Naruto hurried forwards and got between Ran and Tsurara. Putting an arm around both of them, or at least as much of Ran as he could considering that her eyes alone were more then six times as big as he was himself, he gave both of them a hug, abruptly bringing their argument to a halt.
"Can you two please get along with each other?" Naruto pleaded. "Ran, you're a special friend of mine, and I love trading stories with you. I don't like seeing you angry like this, so please can you calm down? For me?" He looked towards the yuki-onna. "Tsurara, you're a new friend, and I'd be happy to get to know you, but can you be less… hostile towards Ran, please? I'm giving you a hug right now, is that okay for your price?"
Indeed, Tsurara noticed, Naruto really was hugging her, and while he was rapidly becoming rather cold, his arm had yet to be permanently damaged, or even fall off, despite it being kept there for several seconds, which stretched further as she registered this fact.
She smiled at him. "Oh, if it's for you, I suppose I can tolerate this wet worm."
Ran huffed. "I'm only looking out for you, Naruto, so as long as she doesn't do you any harm, I guess I can endure the presence of this frosty hag for now."
The two youkai glared at each other for the insults, but neither of them instigated another round of pointless arguments, leaving Naruto to sigh in relief.
"That's great." He said. "Now, shall we go and see one of those groups that Tsurara knows about?"
"There's one relatively near here." Tsurara told him. "We can go there as soon as you want to."
"Well, right now works for me, finding a teacher is the reason I came to this country after all." Naruto reasoned.
"Come on then, follow me!" Tsurara said, turning away and leading them off to the west.
xxxxx
Back in Konoha, Akiko couldn't help but nervously tap her fingertips on the cover of the book she was reading. Not that she was really paying much attention to the words on the page, her eyes refused to focus on them. Instead, she kept checking both the calendar and the clock, wondering if it was too soon to go back to Naruto's camp in the forest.
When Naruto had first left for Iron Country, she had comforted herself with the fact that he had taken three rather powerful youkai with him to protect and guard him. However, the very next day, she had gone straight to the clearing to see if they had returned, only to be told they hadn't by one of the youkai capable of taking a form visible to humans.
She'd gone back the day after as well, that very morning in fact, and been told the same thing. Not being able to think about her favourite pupil possibly being in danger, she'd asked what Iron Country was really like from a youkai's perspective, and the answers she'd been given had done nothing to quell her unease, quite the contrary actually.
It kind of depressed her as well, that she was the only person in the village to even notice that the boy wasn't around, and that was only because she had found out about the youkai he surrounded himself with. If she hadn't seen that webbed hand print on his homework, would she know him as well as she does now, would she still worry for him?
Oh, she was under no illusions about how she currently felt about Naruto. He was like a nephew to her – not a son, Hinoe seemed to be his mother figure – and she had thought about introducing the child to her sister's children. They might be a few years older than the blonde, and neither of them had any intentions of becoming involved with a ninja lifestyle, but Naruto was more mature than his age would suggest, most probably because of how self-sufficient he was.
The only problem she foresaw there was that she didn't know how much her niece and nephew might… dislike Naruto. She knew for a fact her sister didn't care either way, to her it was all 'ninja stuff' and none of her business. The kids, on the other hand, might have picked up on how a lot of people were either afraid of or disgusted by Naruto.
Then again, Naruto wasn't exactly a common sight around the village any longer. Give it a few more years and people might start forgetting who Naruto was or what he contained. Well, they'd forget it until it was brought to their attention, so unless someone really got onto a fox-hating kick, Naruto had a chance at being just another kid.
Or perhaps she was just being overly optimistic.
Realising that she hadn't read a word of her book for at least half an hour, Akiko tried to refocus on it once more, despite knowing that it was futile. The book she was reading was about myths and legends of the Elemental Nations, and she was currently reading about the Sage of Six Paths, a legendary figure who was apparently the 'father' of ninjutsu, or something like that.
It was a book of stories that were treated as fiction. As far as she knew, there may have never been such a person as this 'sage of six paths'. On the other hand, youkai were thought to be fiction as well, and now she knew for a fact that they were real. Maybe some of them could tell her about the 'sage', and whether or not he existed.
She'd visit tomorrow though. She'd already visited today, and she didn't want to annoy any of the youkai by bugging them constantly. Tomorrow she would go, and maybe see Naruto returned in one piece, and if not then she would try again on the day after, and the day after that too, and keep going until she could see Naruto herself, and whether or not he was okay.
xxxxx
Up in Iron Country, Tsurara had led Naruto and his group to a thicket of trees.
"In there is a small group of youkai that I know about, and as far as I know none of them are particularly strong." She said. "It's possible that one of them might be able to direct you to a potential teacher, if there isn't one amongst the group. I can't go any further than this though, you've already heard about how yuki-onna are thought of in these parts."
Madara glared at the trees. "They grow too close together, none of us will be able to accompany Naruto when he goes to face those in there."
"It's one of the ways that group have kept themselves safe up here." Tsurara admitted. "While there are strong youkai that are human sized, most with power tend to have a larger, more intimidating form, such as yourselves."
"Relax, Madara." Misuzu told the inugami. "We let Naruto enter the caves before by himself, this is little different. In fact, this is better for him, because if we hear him call for help, we can smash our way through the trees if absolutely necessary, unlike with the solid rock of the cliff faces."
"I'll be fine." Naruto affirmed. "If I do end up in trouble, I'll scream for help and leg it."
"Just be careful in there." Madara warned him. "Hinoe would skin me alive and make a rug of my fur if anything happened to you, and while my fur is the best, I much prefer wearing it myself."
"I'll be fine." Naruto repeated himself. "Now, you guys just wait here, I won't be long."
With that, the blonde turned and began heading into the cluster of trees.
Ran gave Tsurara a look. "If something does happen to Naruto in there, be assured that you will not survive my displeasure." She warned her.
Tsurara rolled her eyes. "I already said I don't know what they're like, just that there's not many of them and that they're relatively weak. I too have confidence that Naruto will get what he desires, so just sit tight and wait for him to come back to us."
Ran huffed, but offered no other response as she did just that.
xxxxx
Making his way slowly between the trees, Naruto attempted to stretch out his 'awareness', as Hinoe called it. A thin filmy layer of reiryoku spread over an area that would act like a radar, similar to how a thrown pebble will break the surface of a pond and cause ripples to spread outwards.
The only problem was that Naruto completely sucked at doing this. Hinoe had only started teaching this particular technique to him two days before his departure, and he had yet to make a stable field of reiryoku stretching out three inches from his body.
Without that, he had to rely on his more mundane senses. Sight was pretty useless here though, as the trees were so close together that very little light was shining down around him. Smell was not much better either, as everything smelled the same right then. Taste wasn't going to help him, and touch had a really short range.
That left Naruto to navigate by sound more than anything, and it wasn't easy. He kept himself calm and aware as felt his way through the trees, hoping to catch a sound that would tell him where the youkai were in this thicket. A footstep, a snatch of conversation, or even rustling undergrowth would be helpful.
Cursing under his breath as he banged his shin on a fallen log, Naruto told himself that when he got back to Konoha, he was really going to look up everything he could on tracking, hunting, and anything else that might help him improve his skills for tasks like this.
Maybe he could even find something that'd help him with stealth?
"Did you hear that?" A voice! Naruto heard a voice!
"It was probably nothing, there are these things known as 'wild animals' after all, even in this damnable country." Another voice grunted.
"But… I suppose you're right." The first voice sighed. "Still, I could swear that there was something off about that noise, it seemed too heavy to be any of the usual critters we find hereabouts."
"Hey!" Naruto called. "Um… I can hear you guys, and I kind of have a few questions, if you don't mind."
Well, he was looking for answers, and he couldn't exactly just sneak about and get them. After all, what were the chances that the very topic he wanted to know about would just happen to be discussed in a convenient location for him to overhear it, and just when he needed to know about it? That stuff, 'artistic license', was for fiction, not real life.
"You heard that, right?" The first voice once more spoke.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard it." The second grumbled. "No need to rub it in that you were right, there's something there."
"What if it's a powerful youkai come to eat us!?" The first voice exclaimed. "I heard a rumour that some new ones turned up a few days ago!"
"Those rumours also said that the three youkai were massive, dumbass!" The second voice snorted.
"Maybe it's a yuki-onna, come to rape us to death and defile our corpses!" The first voice continued, as if the second hadn't said anything.
"The voice was male, idiot!" The second commented, exasperation clear in its tone.
"You could just ask, you know." Naruto groused. "I'm a human who's looking for a teacher. Do you guys know any youkai that can fight like a human does, maybe a weapon tsukumogami or something?"
"It says it's a human, that can't be right!" The first voice told its companion.
"Probably not. I mean, how long has it been since we heard of a human with the sight?" The second voice agreed.
"Well, there are those rumours from Demon Country-" The first voice responded.
"With what proof?" The second voice interrupted. "There's always rumours coming from 'Demon' country." The sneer could be clearly heard in its voice.
"You could just come and see me." Naruto said. "Even then, what's the harm in telling me where I might find a teacher? You don't have to reveal yourselves to me if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate the help."
"Do you think it's telling the truth?" The first voice asked.
"Maybe." The second answered. "It does bring up some valid points regardless."
"Should we tell it about that samurai clan that got wiped out?" The first voice wondered. "I heard that there's a weapon spirit there that still watches over the ruins that are left. Maybe it's one of the friendly, honourable ones?"
"You and your stupid rumours again." The second voice growled. "Where did you hear this one?"
"Well, a tengu came by here a few decades ago, and he told me about some of the things he'd seen as he flew overhead. Apparently it's the clan home of the Seiwa Genji clan, and it was one of the last ones to fall in the warring clans era of the humans." The first voice excitedly told the second.
"Enough!" The second voice shouted at the first. "I was asking a rhetorical question, nitwit!"
"Then why ask a question at all?" The first voice asked in confusion.
"I- Ah, I give up!" The second voice sighed. "Now, forget all that crap! If this really is a human, and it can hear us, then it must be a pretty powerful human, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then think about how much stronger we could get if we ate it!" The second voice suggested. "Humans are stupid and don't know how to properly use their power, so let's eat this one and take that power for ourselves!"
"Wow, that's so smart of you!" The first voice praised the second.
With the first voice having accidentally divulged the information Naruto had asked for, the blonde decided to get out of there as fast as he could. The second one suggesting they eat him only made him move quicker. Having already turned and started making his way out, Naruto's heart leapt into his throat when he heard footsteps behind him.
Throwing all caution and quietness to the wind, he picked up the pace and yelled for his friends to help him.
Those footsteps were catching up to him rather quickly after all.
xxxxx
"Guys, help!"
Ran, Madara, Misuzu, and Tsurara are jerked up at hearing Naruto's voice yell out to them.
Without waiting for anything else, Ran took to the air and began looking for Naruto from above. Madara took a more direct route, heading straight towards where he heard the boy's voice coming from and tearing apart any tree foolish enough to get in his way!
Misuzu, being larger than Madara, and with greater reach, pulled up trees further ahead of the inugami. Calling out to Naruto to head towards the clearing he was making by tearing the trees from the earth, he sharpened his own hearing in an attempt to locate the boy beneath all of those branches.
Ran twisted in the air, being the first one to pinpoint where Naruto was. Grasping trees in her mouth, she tore them from the ground in front of where she'd heard him, making a small clearing. A flash of blonde hair appeared a few moments later, and Naruto ran up her lowered head and onto her back.
Just behind Naruto, two human-sized youkai burst from the trees, one yellow and the other green. Neither of them looked particularly human, with one being short, squat, and with a mouth full of literal tusks, while the other was stick thin and had three arms.
They froze upon seeing Ran, who roared at them, causing them to turn around and flee right back into the trees.
Bringing Naruto back to the others, She called out to them to let them know Naruto was okay. However, when she let the boy off her back, she saw he was rubbing at his right shoulder with his left hand. When asked what was wrong, Naruto removed his cloak and shirt to reveal a purple mark where he had been rubbing.
"A curse." Madara recognised it for what it was. "A parasitic, debilitating one. It's weak, but if it's not treated you'll be in trouble after a while."
"You know about curses?" Naruto asked in surprise. "I thought that was Hinoe's thing."
"It is." Madara told him. "I can't cast them myself, nor can I break them down or analyse them. However, having spent as much time in the same area as Hinoe, I've learned how to recognise some aspects of curses. This one, like I said, is weak, and shouldn't give you too much of a problem as long as we can get you back home within the next few days."
"That's good to know. I felt this curse hit me while I was running away, I thought it was a stone or something at first. It made my arm feel numb and a little weak, so I thought I might've been bruised or something." Naruto told them. "At least I know where to look now though!"
"You do?" Ran asked.
"Yeah, one of those two youkai was an idiot, and he said something about the Seiwa Genji clan being wiped out some time ago. Apparently, a spirit of some sort watches over the ruins. I'm hoping that spirit is willing to help me. Can we try and ask them to help before we go back to Konoha?" Naruto pleaded.
"You're injured, Naruto, and you need to get that curse dispelled." Ran told him, before sighing. "However, as long as it's in the open, I don't see why we can't check out one ruin." She then turned stern. "However, regardless of what happens, we'll be going straight to Konoha afterwards! Agreed?"
"Yes, I agree." Naruto complied.
"There's just one problem with that." Madara said, getting the others to look at him.
"Just where is the Seiwa Genji compound?"
xxxxx
The inhabitants of the largest settlement in Iron Country looked on in curiosity as a child – obviously a foreigner – meandered down the streets, seemingly looking for something. It became apparent what the blonde boy was looking for when he spotted the library and headed straight in.
Now, the Land of Iron was a lot harsher in climate than places such as the Land of Fire, and as such a lot more resources were dedicated to ensuring they had stockpiles of food and fuel. That didn't mean they didn't have places of entertainment, or other public services, because they did, there was just less of a focus on it than somewhere that wasn't so hard to live in.
Consequently, the library was a lot smaller than Konoha's, but that also meant there was less information to look through than there otherwise might have been. When he entered, Naruto made a bee-line towards the history section, and then narrowed his search down further by eliminating both ancient history – which was treated as myths and fiction – and the general history of the Elemental Nations.
That left him with more local history, and he quickly discarded several books on topics such as the founding of the villages and towns in Iron Country, as well as books on the history of engineering and technology. Going right past thick books with titles such as 'The Development of Agriculture in the North', the blonde eventual found a book regarding the clans of Iron Country.
Unfortunately, while the book did have a contents page, it did not have an index. That left Naruto the slower method of searching it by checking through the chapters themselves. Given that the clan he was looking for had fallen during the Warring Clans Era, if he remembered right, he decided to start with the section devoted to that slice of history.
He read through the chapter as fast as he could, his eyes glancing through the difficulties faced by various groups of samurai that had specialised in different skill areas. He read about those who had favoured horses and how they fell due to their mounts being rather useless in the cold climate, and difficult to keep. He read about those that chose the bow and arrow, and how they had lasted longer than the horses, but had failed against the other samurai factions.
He eventually found the Seiwa Genji clan, which was one of the last remaining clans to favour the yari spear. They were apparently wiped out, or at least the book told him so, by an assault from a rival clan, and though outnumbered more than four to one, still managed to take down over half of those who attacked them.
Naruto's eyes lit up as he came across a passage that said 'and even now, the ruins of this once great clan can be seen barely a day's journey south of the Three Wolves most western tip. Legends abound of spirits that guard this place still, and it is said that the ancestors who once lived there now guard against looters and thieves.'
That told him where it was at least, and those 'legends' were good for him, as it meant the likelihood of there being youkai there was pretty high. With this, he could potentially be back in Konoha by tomorrow morning, if all went well at least, and he'd be quite happy if that was the case. It was nice to be somewhere so different to Konoha, but the open expanses unnerved him a bit, and he found himself craving the great forests he knew better.
Putting the book back where he'd gotten it, Naruto dashed out of the library, only just missing an older man with grey hair, and what appeared to be bandages wrapped around his head, who was just coming in, having heard about a strange foreigner child.
The man, Mifune, just hoped it wasn't a ninja, they tended to be rather troublesome after all.
xxxxx
Of course, when the book said it was a day's journey, they hadn't intended that to mean the same as a day's journey riding on the back of a youkai. It was much more likely that they had meant a day's journey travelling at a more civilian pace, and as such, it didn't take half as long for Naruto to get there.
Dismounting from Ran's back, Naruto looked at the remains of what had once been the clan compound of one of the most notable samurai families in Iron Country. The snow hadn't covered everything, and some parts of it were clearly visible, like an almost intact outbuilding.
Taking a few tentative steps forward, Naruto looked around for any youkai that might be in the area. He didn't catch sight of anything immediately, yet all four of his current companions assured him that they could sense someone in the area, even if they weren't entirely sure where exactly they were.
"Hello!" Naruto called out. "Is anyone here?"
There was no immediate response, unnerving Naruto a little. He'd had a few nasty surprises in Iron Country, and he didn't want this to be another one of them. Therefore, instead of separating from his friends, he chose to wander where it was more open, and where they could be right with him, instead of looking through doorways and windows.
The sound of shifting snow made Naruto sharply twist his neck to see what had caused it.
There, on one of the half-collapsed roofs, stood what appeared to be a samurai in full armour. In his hands he held a traditional yari spear that was pointed towards Naruto. Ran, Madara, and Misuzu weren't pleased with this, and growled at the youkai, at least until Naruto calmed them down. Tsurara simply watched in silence.
"Halt." The samurai-esque youkai called out. "State your purpose here."
"Um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, and… I'm kind of looking for a teacher." He responded.
"A teacher? For what purpose?" He asked.
A quiet noise from the side made Naruto look, only to see another youkai, this one female and wearing lighter armour. On her hands there appeared to be metal claws of some sort, tekko-kagi, which really weren't weapons traditionally used by samurai, at least as far as Naruto knew.
"I want to learn how to fight." The blonde said.
"Why do you want to fight?" The spear guy questioned him.
"There's a couple of reasons really..." Naruto replied. "I've been told that I have pretty much no choice but to become a ninja. However, if I really had to fight… I'd want it to be because I was protecting my home or those I care about. The only other ones I'd want to fight are those who are going around and doing bad things to others."
"A simple answer, but how honest is it truly?" The spear youkai mused aloud, before raising his voice. "You are from the south, yes? You are no samurai, so why should we follow you and not kill you where you stand?"
Once more, Naruto had to calm his youkai companions before he replied to the youkai. "I may intend to become a ninja, and I might also not quite follow the samurai ideals, but I don't have any intention of becoming an unrepentant murderer. Ninjas might be thought of as heartless killers, but assassinations and sabotage are actually pretty rare, especially outside of war time. I… I don't really know what else you want me to say."
"You do not deny that ninja sometimes commit dishonourable acts?" The spear youkai questioned him, his tone blank and flat.
"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't true." Naruto shook his head. "I'd also say that, as long as it does not cause unnecessary suffering, I'd call it a valid tactic. Paralytic poisons and those that cause sleep, traps and ambushes… all of them and more are part of fighting, and ignoring them is likely to get me killed."
The female with the metal claws on her hands laughed softly. "He speaks the truth, Tetsuyama."
"You would agree, wouldn't you, Takame?" The spear guy, apparently named Tetsuyama, responded.
"I am somewhat separated from the 'traditional' samurai way." She shrugged, raising her hands and gesturing with her claws.
"And what is your opinion, Masami?" Tetsuyama asked.
Stepping out from behind another part of the ruined compound, what appeared to be a geisha girl holding a weighted chain, a kusari-fundo, glanced at the spear youkai. "You know that I am not a traditional weapon either. I honestly don't know why we stay here myself, this clan left me to gather dust once I was made! The only time I was actually used was by a courtesan!
"This clan forged our bodies, we owe them our very existence." Tetsuyama told her.
"And how long must we spend 'protecting' their legacy?" Masami shot back. "No one comes here, no one living at least. This is the first human I have seen in the last five years! On top of that, he can see us. How often are we going to have an opportunity such as this?"
Tetsuyama looked at Naruto. "Boy, tell me, if we were to agree to come with you and teach you what we can, what would you do with our lessons? What are your intentions? What do you wish to do with your life?"
"In two years time, I'm going to enrol in the Ninja Academy." Naruto said. "Once I graduate from there, I'll be a genin. As a genin, I'll have access to resources I don't currently have, which I want to learn from. As a chunin, I'll be able to apply to join one of the divisions I like.
"I intend to join the hunter ninjas. They hunt down rogue shinobi and kunoichi outside of the village, but more than that… they have quite a bit of freedom to move around. If I wasn't a ninja, I think I'd like to be an explorer, someone who can wander the world and see ruins, remnants of history, and everything there is in the world."
"A beautiful dream." Masami said. "Not a violent one at all."
"He did say he wants to join the hunters." Takame pointed out.
"As a means to an end, yes." Masami agreed.
Tetsuyama silently observed Naruto for a few moments before speaking. "The way of the warrior, Bushido, has eight virtues. They are righteousness, courage, benevolence, respect, sincerity, honour, loyalty, and self-control. Do these apply to you?"
"I don't know how I could prove it to you, but I would say yes." Naruto replied. "If I saw someone in need, I would help them. If I had a difficult task to do, I would do my best. If someone needs my help, I will give it. If someone has proven themselves, I will respect them. I act true to my beliefs, and while I might omit things, I will not outright lie. If I have a responsibility, I will not shirk from it. My loyalty is to my friends and those I care for. I can hold back my instinctive reactions to things if necessary."
"You have answered my questions, and I sense no deceit in you." Tetsuyama stated. "However, that is not proof enough."
"It is for me." Masami said. "And I do not wish to stay amongst these ruins any longer."
"I must admit that I too have grown tired of this place." Takame added.
Tetsuyama silently regarded the two of them for a full minute before speaking again.
"I find that I cannot abandon this place." Tetsuyama shook his head. "However, if you return here in the future, and if both Takame and Masami are willing to endorse you, then I will teach you how to wield a spear, as well as how a true samurai fights. Impress me enough… and I may even give you my name."
Naruto was confused at that point, wasn't the youkai's name Tetsuyama? Given the way everyone reacted to that statement though, perhaps there was more to this 'name' thing than Naruto knew. Maybe it was a youkai thing? He'd ask Hinoe about the significance of Tetsuyama's words when he got back home. For now though, he had two youkai willing to come with him back to Konoha.
"Okay then." Naruto respectfully gave Tetsuyama his farewell. "Goodbye for now. I'll be sure to return sometime and visit you here."
"Take good care of those two." The spear youkai said to him.
"Goodbye, old geezer." Masami said her farewell too, followed by Takame.
After that, they left him there to watch over the ruins of the old clan compound.
xxxxx
When Naruto returned to Konoha, he was greeted by Akiko, who had apparently just visited his camp when he touched down. She babbled on and on, asking question after question to make sure he was okay. Patting him down and checking for injuries, she pretty much forced the blonde to tell her every last injury he'd received, how he'd gotten it, and how serious it was.
Having her worry for him was… nice. It made him feel really wanted, like he was someone important, and he spent the rest of the day feeling on top of the world. Of course, he had to introduce the three youkai who had returned with him, namely one yuki-onna and two tsukumogami.
Akiko gave him a strange look when she heard that all three of them were female, though Naruto didn't have a clue as to why that was. She was mumbling something under her breath, but Naruto's ears weren't sharp enough to catch whatever it was that she said.
Meeting Hinoe afterwards was a bit strange though. The first thing she did, after scolding him for getting injured and removing the curse cast on him, was dump a small pile of scrolls in his arms. At his bewildered and confused look, she only gave him one response.
"Blame the kappa."