Author's Note: Soz there wasn't an update on this story for a while. I had to resubmit this page because a few words were missing for some odd reason.

NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

Associates

The rest of the journey to Katsumi's village was quite uneventful. Patching up their wounds quickly, thanks to those with medical experience on hand, although there were a lot of complaints from Anko above everyone else, the three teams and four Jonin, with their extra cargo in tow, headed the rest of the mile to their final destination. The breathtaking hillsides, forests and valleys quickly passed them by, and soon they were standing at the gates of a large stone wall that encompassed a huge village.

It was a sight taken right out of Imperial China, a thriving community with lovely gardens, huge estates and a large castle in the middle of the whole thing. All the buildings, accept for the castle in this village, were all colored the same, white walled, and painted dark blue on the woodwork and roofing, save for the floors.

The Land of the Bamboo Reeds really lived up to its name. In and around the village there were bamboo forests, trees and bushes. Ever since the teams left the lake and the normal trees behind, they had soon found themselves walking through forests of this type of flora. It was actually an incredible sight, and blended in with the geography perfectly.

By the time they arrived at the castle, it was late in the afternoon, the commotion earlier today having held them back by hours. The brief glimpses around the village as Team 7, Team 8 and Team 10 walked down the main road on route for the central building, bared remnants of the coup that had ended not so long ago. People were rebuilding damages from the riots and fighting, and it seemed to be coming along quite nicely.

Upon arrival, the ninja were ushered up a twenty story high stair case, much to the disdain of the group carrying the Jiao, which were Ino, Choji, Kiba and Shino at the time, and into the castle. The spectacular main hall, with its numerous balconies, stair ways and rooms was to be their last stop. The onslaught of guards loyal to the royal family and those servants, who would be assisting the princess, meant that the large ninja escort could finally be relieved of duty, and the VIP they were escorting, her real name now known as Princess Katsumi, was taken to her room.

The ninja, meanwhile, were given their own rooms somewhere on the second floor, and once taken their by the able guards, deposited themselves around the room and between the paper wall dividers. After being told by the Captain of the Guard that they would be receiving their pay shortly, they were then left to their own devices.

"Now hold still Anko, this is going to hurt…"

RIP!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! SON OF A BITCH!" the snake mistress shrieked, keeling over forwards when Sakura pulled a large stick lodged in her back on her right side. Hinata, Ino, Sasuke, Haru, Shino and Naruto, who were also in the same room, watched on with different expressions in play as they observed a tear strung Jonin wither around on her stomach. Naruto shook his head with a grin, Sasuke and Shino just stared, Ino giggled, and Hinata timidly watched with worry. Little Haru just sat where she was on her pillow, watching curiously.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Sakura said with an amused smile.

"Yeah… sure… whatever… dammit to hell!" the woman groaned.

"You know for an elite Jonin, you really don't have a high tolerance for pain?" Ino pointedly said.

"Hey! Nobody likes having things sticking in them and ripped out when it has to be at least a foot long and half a foot deep!" the woman growled, sitting back up again so Sakura could continue fixing her up. Naruto and Sasuke sniggered, and even Shino shook with silent chuckles. Anko glared up at them, a tick mark on her forehead. "I should really think before I speak…"

Out of all who had fought, Anko had to be the most wounded, since she was literally sent skipping two-hundred meters across the lake and ground surface, during their battle with Ryoko. As a result, she was bruised up badly, had cuts on her face, and debris stuck in her in several places. Kakashi was second, having been thrown through a tree and was lying in bed with a few cracked ribs, a sprained ankle and a broken arm. Asuma, whose students had taken a picture of the sprawl mark of himself he had made in the ground after his crash landing, had to have stitches around his nose, bandages wrapped around his sprained leg and arm, and his dehydrated, raisin of an arm now almost back to normal, in a sling. Kurenai just had a concussion, with a bunch of bruises and cuts to boot. Overall, the group was pretty much okay.

Naruto's quick healing factors meant he was out of his sling and bandages in no time, although the deeper wounds in his side would have to wait a bit longer. He was a part of the group put in a room across from the others, with Kakashi, Asuma, Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Choji and Kurenai put in the room next to them. The room Naruto and his group were in was a great one, a balcony view of the whole village, a huge lounge room (where they were all scattered around) with a coffee table, pots of flowers here and there, pictures hung up on pale yellow walls, and beanbags laid out for sitting, with three bedrooms hidden behind sliding doorways, a kitchen in the room near the balcony, and a bathroom across from it. It was definitely an upper-class suite.

The people in the other room, having had a long day, were using whatever time they had to rest up and have time to heal. Shikamaru was sleeping, as was Asuma, or… he was unconscious… either way he was completely out of it, Kakashi was reading his Icha Icha by the balcony, Kurenai was admiring a lot of the flowers in her room, Kiba was playing around quietly with Akamaru, and Choji was pottering around, checking out the pictures hanging on the walls and everything else in the room.

As for the other group, the aftermath of the day's events left them plenty of free time to dawdle.

With Sakura fishing for debris from Anko's back, who was sitting with a towel covering her bare chest and shredded trench coat wrapped around her, the others just hung around, doing stuff. Sasuke was engaged in a game of go-fish with Little Haru, Shino was chatting with Hinata, and Ino was with Naruto on the other end of the room, looking over their other patient.

It was at the sight of the latter two that Anko glared over at them for.

"B.T.W Naruto… why did you have to bring her with you?" the Jonin asked, gesturing towards the red haired swordswoman lying at their feet in plain view, wrapped in bandages and lying under a blanket, unconscious, while Naruto and Ino knelt on her other side, gazing down at her.

Apparently, after making sure everyone else on his team was okay, Naruto had gone on a brief mission to pick up the swordswoman, and piggyback her for the rest of the way to their destination. The blonde had made the decision at the end of the fight to not leave the woman where she was to die, and decided to bring her along. He didn't want to end it with so little questions answered and many unanswered.

Ino looked up at Naruto questioningly. "Yeah, Naruto. You do know she is the woman who tried to slice and dice us earlier today."

"Well… I just have that little voice inside of me… you know… the little angel on my shoulder, my conscience… whatever," the boy replied with a grin. "Either way, I cannot pass up the opportunity to get some information out of her."

"That's… actually pretty reasonable," Shino spoke up. "She is, after all, a rogue ninja from one of the main countries. There is the possibility that she is hiding secrets that our village would desire to get their hands on."

"The hell about the village, I just want to learn about the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Naruto said, reaching behind him and pulling out Raiga's swords. He held them out and gestured to them in emphasis to his next point. "There is information I need that is irrelevant to Konohagakure. Besides, I think she can be a valuable comrade in arms."

This statement had everyone stop what they were doing, with almost everyone, including Shino (surprisingly enough) gawking at him. Sasuke dropped the cards he was holding as he stared bewildered at the blonde, Haru taking this opportunity to look at his cards, with Sakura's mouth dropping in the background, and Ino's face turning incredibly pale. Apparently, the other people in the room on the other side of the divider heard Naruto as well, and when the door slid open, Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji poked their heads through in totem pole fashion, with Akamaru at the top.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT!"

"Do you have any threes?" Haru exclaimed, taking a card Sasuke had dropped, giggling happily. "YAY! I love this game!"

"You can't be serious, Naruto?" Ino said, the boy smiling at her casually.

"Every one of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen is insane on a number of levels, and all of them have incredible tendencies for violence," Anko stated, before pointing accusingly at the unconscious girl, who had moved around a bit in response to the loud noises echoing around her. "This one is particularly crazy, crazier then me and Kakashi over there!" She thumbed behind her, obviously pointing at the individual lying in the other room. "He's been wetting his bed till he was twelve!"

"HEY!"

"Oh grow up Kakashi; Rin and I are good friends, we don't keep secrets from each other!" Anko shouted.

"That's not what I'm 'heying' you about!"

"Either way, we can't have someone like that walking around the village," Anko said.

"You guys let me walk around the village," Naruto stated, frowning at his sensei. It was this statement that had the Jonin stop her trail of speech in its tracks.

"Naruto…" a new voice said, that had the blonde look up. Hinata was smiling at him fidgeting a bit as she found her voice again. "If you think it is okay, then I…I trust you."

Shino shrugged and looked away, while Sasuke just went back to his game, looking back and forth from the new cards he picked up, back to Naruto. All the while, he thought about what the boy was talking about, since there was so much they didn't know about the blonde ninja. Sakura, knowing that her friend meant well, simply smiled at him and nodded, with Ino moving a bit in discomfort, feeling all the emotions from years past and doubt that she felt for her village companion coming back at her full force.

"Thanks Hinata…" Naruto said with a smile, as he put Raiga's swords back behind him

"Well… we'll just have to wait and see when we get back to the village," Kiba said out right, earning a yip from Akamaru.

"You'll have to pass this by the Hokage first, before you make the stupid decision for her to move in with you as well," Shikamaru stated, bringing his head back onto their side. "Honestly, this is such a drag…"

"Great idea, Shikamaru; she can live with me," Naruto exclaimed.

"Like hell she will-POKE- OH LORD HAVE MERCY!" Anko roared, pounding the ground as Sakura applied the disinfectant to her back and smeared it over her wounds. Gritting her teeth she looked up, seeing everyone looking at her, with Choji and Kiba snickering behind her. "WHAT ARE YOU BRATS LOOKING AT?" Everyone immediately turned away and resumed their activities, with Shino whistling with his hands in his pockets. The purple haired Jonin then rounded on the other two kids poking their heads into the room, whom pulled themselves back in and shut the dividers in their wake. "THAT'S BETTER!"

"Regardless, if I can get this proposal to fly, I believe that this harboring-the-deadly-swordswoman deal will actually work," Naruto stated confidently. "All I need to do is speak with her…"

"How do you plan on doing that? It's not like she's going to regain consciousness any time soon," Sasuke said, picking up a card off the deck, with Little Haru glaring up at him cutely.

"Got any twos?" she asked. Frowning, Sasuke handed her the card he had just picked up.

"Lucky…" he grumbled. Haru stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Thinking a bit, Naruto snapped his fingers and glanced over at Ino, who was checking the bandages underneath the blanket covering the young swordswoman. The fact that the red-headed rogue ninja was wearing just her panties, with her chest wrapped in bandages, showing off a lot of her cleavage, didn't distract the boy in the least. Although to be fair, after being with Jiraiya for a while, he couldn't help but steal a glance.

"Hey, how are her wounds doing?"

"Fine. She may be able to get up and walk around a bit, but for some reason she is still out," Ino replied, looking up at the blonde. "Why do you ask?"

Grinning mischievously, Naruto turned towards the dividers. "HEY CHOJI!"

"YO!" the boy poked his head through on call.

"You remember the time when Shikamaru fell asleep and we came up with that special… uhh…'remedy' to get him up and running again? Well…" Naruto's grin grew even wider. "I want you to cook up the…Red Dragon!"

It was at this, a grin sprouted on Choji's face that put Naruto's to shame, throwing the doors open and shutting them behind him in a cinematic way, the boy rubbed his hands together and laughed evilly. "OKAY! THE RED DRAGON SHALL RISE AGAIN!"

The boy dashed over to the kitchen, and immediately began going through the cupboards and fridge, looking for the ingredients he needed. All the while, everyone in the room was watching with great interest and puzzlement as this new commotion began erupting between the scheming food-lovers. Ino blinked, and looked at Naruto when a particular memory popped into her head.

"Wait a minute… isn't the Red Dragon that…"

"SHH-SHH-SHHSHHH!" Naruto placed his finger on the girl's lips, making her blush at the contact. The blonde smiled at the girl. "Don't spoil the surprise…"

Choji returned soon after his frantic search with a variety of vegetables, cans, and spices and bottles in hand, and of course a blender. The Akimichi boy planted himself next to Naruto, dumped the contents on the ground around them, and immediately, the pair set to work. The whole process started with a dozen chili pieces cut up, followed by dumping a whole container of grounded pepper into the blender, along with a whole bottle of hot sauce with five X's on the side. This was then mixed with juice from tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, carrots, and a list of other stuff that would be considered plutonium by chefs alike. Once it was blended, Choji then mixed it with garlic and oyster sauce, water and cinnamon, before throwing in a single cherry, and started the blender once again.

"What's that for?" Ino asked, clearly about the cherry they just threw in, while looking bewilderedly at the bubbly, wafting contents of the machine.

"Gives it a little kick!" Choji exclaimed, holding up a fist.

Naruto, resting the unconscious swordswoman's head in his lap, then stuck a funnel in between her lips. He watched Choji, after turning off the blender, picked it up and poured it into three separate glasses.

"Very few ninja have survived the sheer burning magnitude and ferocity of the Red Dragon!" Naruto said dramatically, looking up towards Sakura and the others. "When we were around six, Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji and I used to hang out a bit on days when we would skip classes, and went off to loiter about the park and village. One day, Choji and I, Jonesing for stew, came up with a few substitutes for our own gumbo, and experimented with them… the last one we tried out on Shikamaru. We were amazed at the results, and added it to our… 'Special' cook books!"

"This juice is legendary! A great wake up formula for when you are in deep hibernation or just plain drunk from sake! Its taste, consistency and potency are incredible!" Choji stated, looking especially proud. "It is truly a recipe worthy of its name!"

"I have to say, it's much better warmed up. How is it?" Naruto asked. Choji dipped his finger in and tasted it. He nodded.

"We're good to go."

"Excellent!" Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a clothes-line peg, and placed it on the woman's nose. He looked up and everybody else. "You guys are going to love this! Oh… and you may want to step back a bit…seriously…" The boy added.

Everybody did so, even Anko who was still having her back fixed up by Sakura.

The drama that was taking place was intense, as Choji began pouring the slushy, gurgly concoction down the swordswoman's throat. The sound of a bottle being drained was heard as the girl consumed the drink, not knowing what was about to happen a few seconds later.

Once Choji had emptied the entire cup down her throat, he too shuffled back, weary of the juice's effects. After a few seconds of waiting, nothing happened. But then, everything just seemed to explode in a blink of an eye.

Ryoko's eyes flew open, and in true anime form, her cheeks bloated up, eyes watered, and her entire face turned red, rising like a thermometer dipped in lava. Steam shot out of her ears, and the clothes-peg struggled to stay on her nose as the condensation attempted to escape as well, sweat pouring down her face like a waterfall.

Then, all at once, the woman shot up, mouth agape as fire shot out of her mouth, burning the wall with a scream of agony following it.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! WAAAAAAAAAATTTEEEEEEEERRRR!"

Springing to her feet, the woman began running and jumping around the room frantically, amusingly looking for a source of water. She spotted the vase of flowers, in a split second getting to its stand, emptied it of its floral contents, and drank all the water in it down. That failing, she ran into the kitchen, turning on the tap full blast, and stuck her mouth around the nozzle. Her mouth still on fire, she gave up on that and ran back to Naruto and Choji. Spotting the tomato sauce, she grabbed that, stuck out her tongue, and poured the sauce all along it. This seemed to finally douse the burning a little, and once she had emptied the bottle, tossed it aside.

Huffing and swaying, the red-faced girl moved awkwardly from side to side on the spot for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground, only to be caught by a clearly entertained Naruto.

Groaning, the flushed girl looked up, seeing the spiky haired blond and the other two kids who were at her side, looking down at her. Blinking with tears in her eyes, the girl gargled a little before eventually spitting out understandable words.

"Do whatever you want to me, I'll tell you whatever you need to know… just promise me you'll never give me whatever the hell that was you poured down my throat again, I beg of you," Ryoko said through a hoarse voice.

"Excellent, then we can start talking," Naruto said, smiling.

"Just what the hell was that?" Sakura asked, eyes-widened. Everyone who had watched the entire event unfold was in a stupor, the spectators looking toward Naruto and Choji for answers.

"That… was the Red Dragon!" Choji said, slamming his fist to his chest in a salute. "Kami bless the majesty and beauty of the gift you have given us!"

"No shit! That was one fire breathing bitch," Anko exclaimed, a grin on his face. "You have got to give me the recipe!"

"Come over to my place one day and I will give you a whole tub full! The recipe is a secret shared between the creators!" Choji stated, folding his arms towards a disappointed Anko. "The dragon is a beast that comes and goes, it does not linger, nor does it boast its power, but unleashes it in a blind fury!"

"Anyway," Naruto began, looking down at the still red faced girl, whose head was on his lap again. "I want to ask you a few things Ryoko… first, tell me…do you know where the blue, fish-head of a teammate of yours is hiding right now, and what's the secret behind him and his Samehada?"

"Huh?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow, before memory clicked back into gear. "Oh… that bastard! Well… even though we did keep an oath as the Seven Legendary Swordsman the expiration date for it has been long passed since he left our group. Kisame was the strongest of us, and was the Mizukage's favorite tool at his disposal, but the freak had a habit of stabbing people in the back. When he left and joined the Akatsuki, I went after him with Zabuza as backup to get him back, but he nearly killed the both of us. That time was the last I saw of him… and I have no idea where he is now…"

"Geez… that's encouraging…" Naruto grumbled, rubbing his forehead. He was surprised at how easily she was able to cave to his question, but given her situation, and the fact that she was still woozy from consuming a whole cup full of spicy hot chili soaked whatever that could literally burn the tongue off of someone, meant that she could not fight them. She was defenseless at the moment, muscles unresponsive thanks to Naruto's Broken Sharingan technique, low on chakra, and her sword was propped up against the wall on the other side of the room. The girl seemed quite fragile and timid… for the moment anyway.

She just seemed to open up completely to him.

"How do you know the bastard? What's your beef with him?" Ryoko asked.

Naruto looked up, seeing that everyone around him, especially Sakura, Ino and Anko, were listening in on the conversation intently. He could also see silhouettes of the others in the room opposite them against the dividers, clearly eavesdropping on the discussion. Shaking his head, the blonde looked back down at Ryoko's, her face now returning to its normal color, but still she looked a fair bit tired.

"Let's just say a lot of people would prefer it if I wasn't alive right now," Naruto said, shrugging. "I have a history, and my beef with Kisame is between me and his posse. Let's just leave it at that."

"Uh-huh…"

"What about his Samehada? What's his connection to it?"

"Samehada is a monstrous blade, the most terrible of all the Seven Ninja Swordsman's weapons, which only Kisame himself can use. It also seems to be sentient in nature, feeding chakra between itself and its wielder, and gathering it not only from its victims but its surroundings!" Ryoko said, racking her brain for more information. "This gives Kisame his insane strength. I have no idea where he got that sword from, but when I was introduced to the group and tried to wield it when he offered me, it cut my hands up badly… and when I tried alternative ways of holding it, it tried to eat me! The fact of the matter is, no one in the history of our village has ever been able to beat Kisame, since he can increase his chakra levels to that of his opponents' and greater…"

"I see…" Naruto said, frowning at the facts relayed to him. "Makes beating him impossible then. But…"

"But what?"

"Nothing… anyway… I have one last question for you for now on this subject, how many more of the Seven Legendary Swordsman is still alive?"

"There is Zabuza, Kisame and myself… Raiga was killed by you, Hikita is dead but still walking around somehow, and Chojiro replaced Tsukahara when he was assassinated, and Kariya was killed by Zabuza when he attempted to assassinate the Mizukage, so all in all, there are five of the Seven Ninja Swordsman still alive," Ryoko stated. She looked away, a little bit displeased at having to reveal all of this information. "I'm one of the original swordsmen… one not too proud of her history…"

Naruto just stared down at her, having absorbed all of the info she had managed to pass onto him. The others were also silent, as they contemplated whatever it was the two of them had been talking about. Perhaps only the Jonin present and listening in knew full well what the two ere talking about, whereas the Genin were either more confused then ever before, or were starting to understand a bit about what was going on with this group of mysterious yet powerful warriors from the Land of Water.

After being enveloped in the silence for long enough, Naruto nudged the red-head young adult, who looked up at him in question.

"Hey… what would you say if I was to ask you if you would be interested in joining Konohagakure's ninja forces? You know… become one of our village's ninja?" Naruto asked.

The question came as a bit of a shock to the young woman, who stared up at the boy with wide-eyes.

"What?"

"Please don't make me repeat the question. I just want to get it over with so I can make some preparations or do something with my time," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head and groaning.

"You would seriously ask me to join your goody-two-shoes of a village?" Ryoko asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "What's in it for me?"

"Well, I can offer you a place to stay, instead of you having to wander around the surrounding countries, homeless and eat off the streets every damn day, plus I can get you immunity from the Hidden Mist Village, so that if any of their hunter nin are chasing after you, they can just go and fuck themselves," Naruto said, shrugging. "And we won't have to kill you or torture you…and torture you, as in whatever my sensei over there has planned for you." Naruto gestured towards the purple haired Jonin, who was busily twirling a kunai between her fingers. It wasn't just any kunai, but one with serrated edges. "I've seen what she can do with that; she even went as far as demonstrating it on an orange, and from how she described it to me, it's not a pretty sight."

"Damn right it isn't…" Anko said, grinning and running her tongue along the blade's flat side. "But it is so much fun playing with my food."

"Yeah… I still can't look at an orange without feeling nauseous," the blonde said, shaking his head and looking down at Ryoko, seeing girl smirking up at him. "Of course, in exchange, you're going to have to talk to Ibiki about your village for a solid six hours, standard protocol and all…"

"Ibiki?"

"He's our resident interrogator… whom still owes me two-hundred ryu from our gambling night," Naruto said. "It's a great village… and it doesn't rain that often as well…"

Ryoko laughed, grinning up at the young boy. "You think you can seduce me with promises of freedom, betterment for my future, cleaner living and fancy perks, aye brat? Well… I ain't buyin' it. I've been around a lot of the surrounding countries, and believe me when I say this; nobody completely accepts outsiders like me, especially ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Everybody hates us. In all honesty, you're going to have to offer me a bit more then a home and immunity…"

"Konohagakure also has the best hot springs out of all the shinobi nations…"

"You've got yourself a deal brat!" Ryoko quickly said. Grinning, Naruto shook hands with the young girl, Anko laughing in the background at how easily she caved, while the Genin around her were still a little bewildered from what had happened already.

"Excellent! Then it is agreed!" Naruto picked up one of the two remaining cups Choji had poured them and held it up. "Want to toast to this fabulous occasion?"

"HELL NO!" Ryoko shouted, recognizing the beverage. "KEEP THAT SATAN OF A DRINK AWAY FROM ME!"

Naruto shrugged. "Your loss… Choji?" The boy smirked and picked up the other glass. He held it up to the blonde. "To healthy living!"

"To a job well done!" Choji replied.

"ITADAKIMASU!"

Clinging glasses, the two of them chugged, and everyone surrounding them backed away a couple of meters at their willingness to drink that… that… they still had no idea what to classify the Red Dragon as. Ryoko was squirming about where she lay, unable to move due to still being sore, as well as dizzy from her drink. She bit her bottom lip as she watched the two boys drink it all, slamming their glasses down on the floor.

Within seconds, their faces turned red, their cheeks bloated and steam shot out of their ears as their eyes were held shut. All at once, the pair breathed out a column of fire, followed by cries of agony. Seconds later, their yells died down and their faces turned back to their normal shades and coloring. Sighing, the pair bumped fists, grinning.

"THAT HIT THE SPOT!" Choji exclaimed.

"You said it!" Naruto also shouted. He then tapped his drink, licking his lips and giving some thought to the taste. "You know… toss in a pinch of salt and it might actually give it a better flavor…"

"You two are insane," Ino said, who was huddled up against the side of the wall, edged away from the two with the iron stomachs and steel tongues. "How can you drink that stuff?"

"Unlike the other shinobi of our village, we have tamed the Red Dragon!" Choji said while high fiving Naruto proudly.

Sasuke was just plain gawking at the two of them, with Sakura shaking her head with an amused smirk and Hinata smiling happily, clapping her hands in congratulations. Anko, now bandaged up, redressed and back on her feet, walked over to Naruto and the swordswoman on his lap. Hands on her hips, she grinned down at Naruto, Ino, Choji and Ryoko, all of whom looked up at the towering terror of a ninja.

"Well… welcome to the club girly. As soon as you are better, I'm going to be having a lot of fun with you," Anko exclaimed, holding up her fist. "What I do know about the Seven Legendary Swordsmen is that without water, a good half of your jutsu is deemed unusable. Maybe on dry land we can have a proper fight…"

Ryoko smirked at her. "We'll see."

She then looked up at Naruto, seeing him smiling as well. After studying the boy for a while, closely admiring his face and, getting a feel of his chakra thanks to her abilities as one of the legendary swordsmen of Kirigakure, the red-head smiled lightly and raised an eyebrow, a bit of red growing on her cheeks. Her expression caught Naruto's attention, the redness on her face going unnoticed.

"What is it?"

"You know… you're pretty cute for a Genin…"

"That's it! Come with me!" Sakura growled, stomping over and grabbing the boy by the back of his shirt and dragging him out of the room, leaving Ryoko lying where she was. Anko laughed as she watched her pink haired student woman-handle the blonde, with Hinata following after them out the door. After seeing them disappear, she looked down at the swordswoman and winked at her as she continued to stare after the boy with a loving smile.

"You have good taste girly. Currently there are a few girls buying for that boy's affections, including myself," Anko exclaimed, licking her lips. "He may be young, but he has stamina…"

Shino looked at the Jonin with a raised eyebrow, and if anyone could see under his glasses and high collar, he was gaping with a very disturbed look on his face. Sasuke didn't really care much since he was so engrossed with his next card game with Haru, but nevertheless blushed brightly at what statements were being thrown around. Ino fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing that she was one of the girls after Naruto as well, and was a little surprised at the sensei as well.

Ryoko just chuckled and looked towards the ceiling.

"I think I am going to enjoy Konohagakure…"

Joined by Choji, Sasuke and Little Haru played a game of 'bullshit', glaring whole-heartedly at the cards in their hands, and trying to determine whether the person across from them was lying or not.

"Ten of spades!" Sasuke said.

"Two of spades!" Choji exclaimed, putting down his card.

"Ace of spades!" Haru exclaimed.

"HA! CHEAT!" Sasuke yelled, pointing accusingly at the girl. Haru smiled and flipped the card over, showing off the great Uchiha's blunder. Gawking, Sasuke cried out and fell over.

"Haha! You lose!"

Later that night…

Naruto had managed to slip away from the rest of the gang, and had gone to relax down in the palace hot springs. For everything he knew about the Land of Bamboo Reeds, they had great hot springs and baths, and had the largest collection of herbal soaps and shampoos, this being their great exports. The very first thing Naruto noticed when he entered the village was that it smelled divine, and that came from the various springs and plants that grew here. It was incredibly welcoming to him, and he was immediately taken in by the scents.

As he sat in the hot bath, clouded by steam and enjoying the warmth and sights presented by the spring, such as the night sky high above him and the flora decorating the outdoor enclosure, Naruto couldn't help but feel glad for Katsumi, and how she was so lucky to be ruling this village. He sighed in enjoyment and relief, face flushed and towel folded and placed on top of his head.

"Aaaahhh… this is the life," Naruto exclaimed happily. "Nothing like a nice hot bath to sooth the soul; I love this place."

While he was enjoying himself, he heard the telltale splashes of someone else entering the bath, and looked over towards the point of entry. Through the steam, he saw the silhouette of a familiar approaching him, wading its way through the shallow bath towards him. Thinking it was one of the guys, Naruto smiled and waved.

"Yo! How's it goin'?"

"It's going great Naruto-kun…"

Now… the blonde immediately picked up something wrong with the voice that had passed through his ears, with how he showed his reaction, it was like he had been struck by lightening. He easily recognized the voice belonging to…

"K-KATSUMI-CHAN!" the boy shrieked, almost standing up, but kept down knowing he was wearing nothing below the waist. He watched as the familiar black haired girl stepped into view, wrapped in a towel with her mask perched on her head. The girl giggled and waved at him. "W-W-What are you doing in the men's area?"

"Aww… is my little Naruto-kun embarrassed that I'm sharing a bath with him?" the girl asked, sitting down next to the boy and scooting closer to him. She removed the towel around her and leaned into him, gazing up at the boy as he stared down at her, wide-eyed and face flushed. "Hey… I'm High Princess of these lands now; I can go into whatever bath I want…"

"W-W-W-W-Why would you come into the men's side then?" the blonde asked, shaking from head to toe as he felt the girl's hand lay gently on his chest and rub it affectionately, just as her head perched itself on his shoulder.

"I want to hang around with you silly, just to say thanks for protecting me today," she replied, her voice clearly laced with sincerity and love. Katsumi sighed as she nuzzled him. "You always make me feel so safe."

"I…I appreciate the thought, thanks," Naruto replied shakily. "B-But, I really don' t want you and I to be caught in here… together… you know… since I don't want to have the living snot beat out of me by the others on my team."

"Why? Who's gonna care?" Another voice queried from Naruto's other side, the boy jumping when he immediately recognized that voice. Sitting next to him, drinking sake and was as equally naked as Katsumi, was Anko. The woman had let her hair down for the bath, and was enjoying the springs greatly. She grinned down at the boy in that trademark way. "Hey, Gaki! Manning up I see… you know…" She slid up beside him, giving the boy a good view, not to mention and good feel of her sizable chest. "I like tough guys who can take a punch… they're really a turn on for me…"

"S-S-Sensei… please, at least show some decency," Naruto almost cried, now sandwiched between the two girls. Anko laughed out and wrapped an arm around the boy, treating him like he was a casual friend sitting next to her.

"Please! I don't care about that decency crap. Heck, I show up at work dressed in my undergarments and wearing a trench coat… who gives a damn about descency!" the woman shouted, having another sip of sake.

"My, Naruto-kun… you really are popular with the girls," Katsumi said, hugging him tighter and scooting up against him even more. "I'm so glad!"

"What is this? Not so long ago I was a repellent towards girls, now I've become the exact opposite! I'm a girl magnet! I'm scared!"

Naruto whimpered and tried to snake away, but realized he couldn't. Instead, he just resigned to lying where he was, his left cheek breast up against the side of Anko's breast and his other cheek being nuzzled by Katsumi's cheek. Things for him just couldn't get any better, or worse… or even better… however he looked at it, it was like a mini ping-pong game in his head.

"Naruto-kun!" another voice called out through the hot spring, and Naruto was now praying that Kami that if he got out of this alive, he swore he would start recycling more.

Sakura appeared out of the mist, and upon seeing Katsumi and Anko sandwiching the boy, stopped in her tracks. She stared down at the blonde, blinking as she started analyzing his situation. Naruto, knowing he wasn't going to be getting any protection from Katsumi or Anko, since the princess was more for reason then fighting and his teacher just plain didn't care what happened to him, he was literally a blinking target for a punch to his face or a stomp on his valuables. He put his hands together and continued praying hard.

However, if luck should serve him another time that day, Sakura just shrugged the situation off. With a cheerful giggle, the pink haired girl lunged at him, landing flat on top of the boy, who jumped in shock and cried out a little. His teammate giggled and hugged him close to her.

"Boy this is a great spring! We should go to them more often, don't you think so, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked happily.

"Uhhh…"

"Hey forehead, what do you think you are doing?"

"Oh geez…" Naruto groaned, spotting not only Ino standing over them, but Hinata as well, both of them wrapped in towels and clearly invading the boy's hot springs. Sakura, looking back, saw the pale haired blonde and her other teammate, and smiled smugly at them.

"What… can't get any place to grab, Ino-Pig?" Sakura replied. The blonde girl huffed and stomped over, shoving her to the side and hugging up close to Naruto, who was now not only sandwiched with the wall, but between four girls already. Soon he would be suffocated to death.

"I'll show you!" Ino then smiled sweetly up at Naruto, who leaned back a bit with a red face. "Naruto-kun… do I make you feel a bit…uncomfortable?" she asked slyly, grinding against him. The boy squirmed a bit, and nodded his head.

"Uhh… umm… a bit… you're crushing my…"

"Oh, don't mind it…" Ino exclaimed, leaning up to him and licking his cheek. "I think this is nice…"

"You tell him, blondie," Anko exclaimed, now getting a little ditzy from having one to many sake.

"Uhh… what about me, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, getting on all fours and snaking her way up the boy's body, squeezing in between Sakura and Ino. Naruto was getting far too uncomfortable for his liking, not from embarrassment and having girls crowding around him, but the fact that he was being pushed too far into the wall. Still, the Hyuuga girl pressed forward and leaned up towards the blonde, smiling lovingly. "Can I join in…?"

"Oooohhh…" At this point, he was out of words.

"Would you like a massage, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked happily, giving his shoulder and arm a squeeze.

"I'll take his legs!" Katsumi exclaimed.

"I've got his shoulders covered!" Ino said happily.

"Fine! I get his chest and sides!" Sakura stated.

"I don't care what I get, so long as I have something to rub!" Anko shouted, her voice slurring.

"DO I GET TO DECIDE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME? Naruto screamed.

"NO!" Was his reply…

TO BE CONTINUED…