Seven years went by, as the hidden gears turned and secret schemes were enacted.

"Ah... it's so good to be able to wander in a city..." A man with gray hair was walking along with a brunette and raven-haired duo of women, holding a blond boy on his back. 'But seriously, that modified Henge is so damn useful!' "Hey dad, can we go to the festival?" Tanzaku was the land of casinos and other guilty pleasures, but that didn't mean that it didn't have family-friendly events. It was the New Year's Ceremony, with many hired performers from other villages and several products available only tonight. "But... Fine..." He was under a three-way attack with puppy eyes. "That's a dirty trick." He sighed in defeat. "Luckily we won quite a lot against that Tsunade. She really sucks like in the rumors." The brunette smirked, only to have her mouth slapped shut. "One word and I'll gag you, okay?"

A busty woman stared at the boy from a distance, picking the attention of her assistant. "Master Tsunade? Is there something wrong?" She followed her line of sight. "Shizune... am I dreaming?" The older female was slightly afraid of approaching the group. "No, why?" The brunette had to chase her mentor as she darted towards them.

"Ain't that the sucker?" Kyou was curious for the reason she was following them. "If she gets hostile..." Kigen had a cold look, ready to strike if the need arose. But Tsunade only had eyes for the boy holding on him. "N... Naruto..." Blue eyes widened in surprise. "You know me?" Golden eyes got misty, surprising the Jūrui group. "I was told you were dead... you have your father's face..." Kigen leaped back before she could touch Naruto. "Hey lady, I don't know nor trust you." Kyou and Roppoi stood between them. "If you are from Konoha, we have no reason to see you as a friend." Shizune was in distress, fearing a fight over the boy. "I hold no love for that village. Don't accuse me of being like them!" Kigen had a dubious look. "Better talk in a more private setting."

Hitomi was sitting with her daughter, watching the fireworks exploding overhead. "This year you will graduate. After that happens, I will give you my summoning contract, okay?" Hinata was happy to see her mother's trust in her skill. "Hm? Come here, Hanabi." The brunette girl peeked from behind the sliding door before settling between them. Hinata messed the hair of her little sister, giggling at her pout. "And you will start your Academy period. Are you eager?" Hanabi nodded quickly and began rattling about how she would dominate the grades in her class. Hitomi merely watched the two half-sisters interact, keeping note of the presence within the compound. 'Do you regret letting the elders step on you?'

Hiashi watched as his two daughters began a game of tag and ran all over the garden. Then he heard something pecking at his furniture and came to face a strange bird. 'How did it get in?' Then his eyes went to its rear. 'I don't recognize it... but it looks from a mammal...' Its head looked like a turkey with blue skin and some kind of crest, but with four legs, the front ones were expected from an avian.

Orange eyes examined the man, head cocking to the side. It approached the man, making him retreat a bit, those talons looked sharp. "You aren't a target. I'll keep searching for those 'elders'." Hiashi was stumped, so it was a summon... Soon screams rang in the neighborhood and a woman laughed heartily at that.

Tsunade and Shizune were wilting under the glares of the adults with Naruto. "So you were my godmother... but I never heard about you or this Jiraiya guy before." Kigen flashed one of his daggers under his clothing. "I'm sorry Naruto... but I was already grieving other people I lost and the news of you and your parents dying was too much for me!" The blonde was weeping, silently asking for his forgiveness. "Well, we don't have the right to keep him away from the last bit of his original family, but you have years to make up for." Roppoi held the hands of the woman, smiling softly. "Can we turn back now? I have this damn itch on my back!" Kyou was almost hurling from the sappy air.

The two humans got surprised at how the group turned into canines. "Are you part of the beast races?!" Naruto grinned. "Yup, they're my new family!" Then his arms glowed red, ethereal daggers shimmered on his arms. "They taught me many cool things, and Kyūbi showed me more kickass skills!" He felt a flick to his temple. "Sorry, mom." Tsunade chuckled at the scene, making a mental note to ask about that last bit later. "I'm happy for you Naruto, even if it's a strange family. Can we be part of your group?" Kigen felt the stares on his back and held a groan. "Fine, do whatever you want." He got tackled in a hug by everybody in the room. "Aww~! You're a big softie inside!" He was smashed to the floor, held down by a dogpile. "Keh, so be it."

Kyou didn't resist the chance to needle the gruff male. "Now your harem has four members, what a stud~" Only to get her face kicked in by Roppoi. "You never learn, perv." Tsunade glanced at her surrogate daughter and saw a light blush, as both had learned of his bloodline. "Shizune, you..." The apprentice got flustered at the tone of her mentor. "I-I-I w-was just c-curious! T-that's all! Really!" 'I wonder if those rumors about the Inuzuka are true...' The brown wolf turned to her. "What a pity, he's taken, but there's plenty back home~" She grabbed the woman. "And if you're a furry, there are several choices~" She pulled some photos from her pouch. "Beefcake, lean meat, stocky, nice asses..." Shizune had to clamp her nose, the pictures were artistic nudes! "Or..." A whisper right in her ear. "If you're into girls, I have a free sample right he-" *CREK-!* Kyou was passed out with a huge bruise while Roppoi and Tsunade had clenched fists.

Ah... cinnamon rolls, such a blessed pastry! Hinata chewed through her box of treats in bliss, taking care to stay in a more secluded place, as her reactions to cinnamon were rather... inappropriate and could send the wrong message to a horny male that happened to be around by chance. Her father was the one who had presented the delicacy to her, which improved their relationship slightly. A light blush bloomed on her cheeks as she enjoyed the flavor. 'Well... I do wonder who will be on my team.' She took great care to only get average grades, avoiding the Top Kunoichi rank in her class, as a certain cock-butt-hairstyle was practically dominating the Top Student rank. 'Honestly, putting two top students with the dead last, it's an idiotic move.'

Hinata got in a bad mood, she didn't want to face the Uchiha prick at the Academy. And what if his clan got its entire ninja population eliminated by Itachi? It didn't give the dickhead an excuse to act disgusting around her. 'No way that I will marry him!' The brat kept making passes at her since the massacre and even with increasingly more vicious refusals, he didn't get the clue yet. 'I should use the Nut Cracker...' Then she shook her head. 'No, the Civilian Council will target me then.' That was one of the problems of being more developed than other girls in her age group, the budding perviness in the guys was mostly aimed at her.

Then her mind wandered to her clan. The Branch family was warming to her, but her uncle and cousin were still wary of her and her parents. Her mother had beaten the strongest clan members when she first joined the clan to prove her power, and the list included Hizashi, her father's twin, she had utterly demolished the man. Thusly, his son Neji, was being fervorously trained to beat the Main family, namely, Hinata herself. She sighed, wanting nothing to do with this stupid rivalry.

The clan elders all went to the hospital due to a freak attack. Some unidentified animal had mauled each old bag thoroughly, almost gutting them. 'Mom was in a good mood after that, so it must have been the summon she talked about.' She was eager to get a new way of defending herself. "Hey hun, let's go on a date, I have a free pass for the best restaurant in the village." Hinata cursed her luck. 'Of all times to pop up...' She turned around to face the chicken-ass-head. "I'm not in the mood." The boy closed in, ticking her off. "Come on, a strong man like me needs a woman on his level." He grabbed her shoulder. "You have five seconds to unhand me." He just had a smirk.

"I love when you play hard to g-urhk!" In one instant there was a large bird foot pressing up on Uchiha Sasuke's crotch, in the other he was rocketing away while crying in falsetto. "Are you okay?" A large black and white bird with a crest was looking at Hinata, standing beside her. "Yes, thanks. Who are you?" Amber eyes glinted with mirth. "I can't tell you yet, but I'm a summon belonging to your mother." Then it dispelled. 'If I remember well, it's a bird found in the foreign continent.' Hinata saw the Uchiha embedded in a wall and skipped away, humming a happy tone. "I can't wait to graduate."

A single eye peered at the struggling test subjects. "So... are the results acceptable, Mister Danzō?" The warhawk turned to face a man with jackal face, a scar crossing over both eyes. "It was an adequate tradeoff, Sharingan samples for fresh bodies." The jackal had a hungry smirk. "Master Hekien is most pleased with the partnership." A claw stopped close to them, held back by reinforced bars. "What a pity that the Jinchūriki couldn't be part of the agreement, the Kyūbi would be an interesting study." Danzō had a fierce glare. "Akutō, the weapon belongs to Konoha, I would never give it to your group." He acted dejected, but the look betrayed his feelings. "Master Hekien was disappointed at such news."

The darkness of the village examined the most successful experiments. "One to four can be negotiated, but the rest are to be harnessed by the Hokage, but a real one, not that fool that loves peace." Akutō laughed. "My master has similar feelings towards his bitter enemy. The bitch managed to unify the warring tribes and is more powerful than he will ever be..." Their eyes met. "But one does not need power in an ambush, only skill."

The birds shown in here are cassowary and secretary bird, the first can kick your ass dead and the other eats poisonous snakes for snacks.