Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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The trek back to Konoha was steady and went without a hitch. They arrived at the gates of the city roughly by the end of the third day of being away. Night was approaching fast, dusk would settle, roughly in about an hour.
Temari had slept soundly for the voyage, occasionally stirring while being carried on his big brothers' back; not being able to sleep for a few years would do that to you on the first time your head would hit a pillow. Gaara was on cloud nine. The fact that he had managed to track down the one and only person known for his 'experience' in this particular sealing field; and agreed to help out his younger sister was something he had achieved only in his dreams, and thusly, the rest of the journey back to the hidden village in Fire Country was done with a huge smile plastered on his face.
Naruto was quiet throughout the journey. No one would dare to direct their attention to him; for he always lost in deep thought, because of the task that he had agreed to complete: the re-sealing of the Ichibi no Shukaku; it was something that had to be approached with utmost care and consideration. He'd have to request aid from experienced sealers from the Hokage herself, just to insure the success of the act, but was sure that at the moment, it wouldn't be that much of a problem obtaining a bit of assistance. He had single-handedly saved the entirety of the village of Konoha, and thanks to Ino's assistance, there were no casualties from the battle, just some wounded.
Ino, Yugito, and Hinata would chat amongst themselves on occasion, trying to figure out the new steps in the now very complicated relationship that they would have to establish amongst themselves and possible future candidates. The conversations were short and concise, not bothering with heavy details until they were all settled down and ready for a long and strenuous talk about the situation they were in.
--
"I am Kaze no Gaara, the eldest son of the Yondaime Kazekage; and she…" he said, turning around slightly and revealing his sleeping package. "…is my younger sister, Suna no Temari. We were escorted here by your ninjas when we encountered them on our way here." Gaara spoke as he was given his and his sisters' travel permits and passports. "We come in behalf of my father, the leader of Sunagakure, to establish a treaty with the Hokage."
Genma inspected the paperwork and simply arched his eyebrows. Everything was official, and everything was in order. It was a surprise to see the envoys of the Hidden Village of Sand here without any prior announcement, but taking a look behind the siblings, he didn't doubt their words. He returned the paperwork and stepped aside.
Two blondes were up next. The senbon chewing jounin recognized Naruto, but he didn't know who the girl next to him was. The sun-kissed boy diligently gave Genma his newly signed (although somewhat demon-scorched) paperwork and Yugito gave him hers. To say he was shocked was just the tip of the iceberg. The girl with Kumogakure paperwork had Uzumaki's last name!
"She's my wife…" Naruto explained. "...and she's here to apply for citizenship as a member of my family." Genma did a double take and nodded. He immediately recognized the Hyuuga and the Yamanaka, so he did the once over on their papers and the deal was done.
He stepped aside and let the rag-tag team of people pass through the gates. But they hadn't been inside for ten seconds, when he called out again.
"Hey…Naruto-san!" he said as the six were just through passing the gates. The blonde in question turned around, ready to answer the call; only to find both jounins that were on guard duty, bowing down low to him. "Thank you for your help…if it wasn't for you…we have no idea of the outcome of the battle and the death toll would've been incredible…so thank you very much."
Naruto wasn't surprised, yet he motioned for them to stop. "It's my duty as a citizen and ninja of Konoha, to fight for the village where my wives will live, no? Please don't feel the need to bow to me. I just did what I had to do." He smiled and kept on walking; leaving two very perplexed jounin guards at the gate, a chuckling redhead, and three blushing females behind him; and all the while, Naruto's head was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out the proper procedure to start the risky seal strengthening procedure that had to be done as soon as possible. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later, about half a mile into the city when he realized what exactly he had told the guard. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, only to see the still blushed girls and the chuckling boy. The blonde was red as a beet, knowing well the implications of his words; and now, he'd have to find a way to make it up for it.
--
Tsunade was not having a good day. Just today, she had finished signing and inspecting all the damage, repair, and injury reports caused by the Gobi attacking Konoha two days ago. On top of that, she has an additional two days worth of paperwork lying on her desk from the previous two days she didn't manage to get through…and she was now dreading tomorrow, with more paperwork to do. (A/N: I'm guessing she'd kill for some sake at the moment.)
"I'd kill for sake at the moment." She said out loud. (A/N: Told you so.) "Why does Shizune or Sakura take my alcohol from me every day? It's not like I don't get work done when I'm drunk…"
"That's true, but last time you did work while intoxicated, you decreed that 12 year olds were legal to drink, whether they were shinobi or not." Tsunade was interrupted by her assistant, Shizune, the brown-haired medic nin, as she walked into the office with a small tray. "I've seen you working diligently all day, trying to get the village back on its feet since that attack two days ago…" She approached the desk with a sake dish and about three servings worth in a container. "You deserve a small break."
Tsunade smiled at her protégé's consideration. She poured herself a drink and savored the tingling sensation of the sake sliding down her throat.
"Ahh…just what I needed. Thank you, Shizune."
She simply 'hmm'd' an answer, while organizing some papers on the desk, taking some completed reports and filing them. "Oh, by the way…"
"What is it, Shizune?"
"Naruto is on his way here, to the tower. Scouts had located him and five others in the forest trail back to the village a few hours ago..."
"And why was I not informed?" The Hokage's voice sounded a bit annoyed.
"Because, Tsunade-sama, if I had informed you of this, you wouldn't have focused on the paperwork at hand, and wouldn't have finished in time for him to be here..." Shizune responded calmly.
"…"
"…and as I was saying, Tsunade-sama, Hinata Hyuuga and Yamanaka Ino are with him, but it's the other three that interest me. He's here with the Kazekage's eldest son, Kaze no Gaara, and youngest daughter, Suna no Temari. He's also with another girl; that after a bit of research, we found that her name is Yugito, an-" The sound of the small saucer hitting the desk interrupted Shizune's report. She turned around and saw that Lady Tsunade had disappeared from the office and she assumed was on her way to greet them downstairs. "She left…"
Shizune kept mumbling to herself as she finished tidying up the office. She picked up the saucer and the remaining sake container and took it away.
--
The way to the Hokage tower was…unexpected.
There were many witnesses to the battle that had happened not less than a week ago, and some are still remembering the look of the boy/man who saved them from the beast that was the five-tailed demon dog; the Gobi. The fact that he took the demon head on and survived, looking perfectly fine, has sent many into a paranoid state of mind. I mean, if he can stop a demon…then, who can stop him?
Gaara noticed those looks on many a villager's face. He recognized them well, for he had seen those same stares and body actions when they would speak of his sister back in his own village. Gaara stepped to Naruto's right and started paying extra close attention, in case someone wanted to try and hurt any of his new friends. Yugito noticed and mimicked the redhead's action, stepping to his man's left side. Naruto seemed to be in his own little world, so they assumed he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings; and that meant, someone else needed to do so for him.
By the time Naruto realized he was standing in front of the Hokage tower, he took notice that he was flanked on all sides by his friends and companions. At some point, Hinata had moved to Naruto's right, and Gaara had taken the lead. Ino was behind him with Yugito to his left. The four of them all had a serious expression on their faces.
"Why the sour faces, guys?" He asked, and then looked in the direction where they were all motioned towards with slight gestures. He saw many people talking amongst themselves, some sneering, and some turning away as soon as he made eye contact with them. "…oh…oh well."
The four quizzically turned to him as soon as he had dismissed the glares and whispering that was going on. He simply shrugged and continued up the steps to the tower's entrance. His wife, lovers, and friend (with sister, who is still sleeping), trudged onwards and followed the other male. As he grasped the door handle, a solemn voice called to him.
"Boy…"
--
"Do you think he is ready?" a voice asked.
"He should be. We are to test him and determine how we should proceed from there."
A few 'hmm's' were heard, and then silence drowned the area; only to be interrupted by one of them at the correct time…
--
Naruto spun around when his world began dissolving. His four conscious friends also went into full alert when their surroundings started shifting into a completely different place. Naruto's chakra started climbing and immediately pulled out a couple of tri-pronged kunais.
"Who and how the fu-"
--
As Tsunade opened the doors to the Hokage tower, she noticed that there was no sign of the blonde idiot who dared call her a hag. 'No sign of him or of Yugito…I wonder if this is the same Yu-chan that he mentioned when we first met…' Tsunade's mischievous smile adorned her face. 'I wonder if I can make him pay by embarrassing him in front of his girlfriend…oh yes…I will make him pay…'
She stood her ground outside the entranceway, and waited for the blonde ninja to approach the area.
--
"-ck did you pull that incredible genjutsu!? Show yourself!"
The five were on their toes. They slowly went back to back and made sure to keep an eye out for any threat that could approach from the shifting environment.
Slowly, the cobbled stone broke down into dirt, then it expanded all around them. The houses and buildings that surrounded the streets, shifted with the dirt, then molded themselves into high walls and seats, and the door to the tower became an iron door that would exit or enter the place where they were now located in.
Hinata and Ino gasped. They instantly recognized the place where they were. "We're inside the Chuunin Stadium…" Hinata spoke. Ino simply nodded at Hinata's statement.
"So…we're not close to where we want to be? And who brought us here?" A perplexed Yugito asked out loud.
"As a diplomatic envoy, I strongly request that you show yourselves." Gaara spoke. "This is could be considered a threat to Sunagakure no Sato! State your purpose and we will not declare this a hostile action against Hidden Sand!" His voice was calm and firm. No hint of nervousness could be perceived.
Slowly, from the shadows of the stadium walls, seven humanoid figures emerged; five male and two female with the silhouette of a large dog walked beside one of the more slender figures. The place where they were now in was in no way illuminated by artificial lights, but as soon as the mysterious people made themselves present in the arena; lights slowly started flickering on.
"Hmm…five on seven…?" Naruto whispered to Yugito. "…alright, whoever looses, has to do that."
Yugito shivered for a moment and slowly turned to look into Naruto's eyes. "T-that?" she stuttered. Her husband simply nodded and grinned mischievously. "One thing was in Kumo, Naru-kun, but here? You want the looser to do THAT?" The stupid grin never left his face. The three conscious others noticed the flustered face on one blonde and turned quizzically to the other. "At least people knew us back there and tended to ignore our antics! Here, it'll be completely awkward!"
"It's fine if you chicken out, Yu-chan…at least I know I can take 'em."
And that sealed the deal. Yugito's face, though red with embarrassment; became serious and focused once more on the threat at hand. Naruto always did know how to push her buttons, ever since they were kids; and calling her a coward was one of them. He attributed to the Nibi's pride as a cat, but then again; his wife was pretty stubborn. 'Just like me.'
He positioned himself in a relaxed stance, his body facing sideways, while his head faced forwards and back straight. His right arm was in front of him, elbow bent and his hand straight like a knife. His left arm was covering his exposed side, and his left hand mimicked his right.
Yugito disappeared for a second, and appeared once more positioned with her back pressed against her husbands'. She was holding her balance on her right leg, her head facing in the direction that Naruto was looking towards. Her right arm was over her head, bending at the elbow in the direction of her stare, while her left arm was fully extended in the same direction; her hands and fingers forming claws.
The two other girls and redhead were perplexed at how easily the two fell into a synchronized fighting style, but then again, they reasoned that those two had grown up together, trained together, and were married; so it was obvious that a paired fighting style could develop while sparring with other people.
The stadium lights fully illuminated the arena, and slowly faces were revealed. To say that Ino and Hinata were surprised was an understatement, when they saw the clan heads, their fathers, as part of the seven that were in front of them. Hinata and Ino recovered quickly and immediately activated any clan recognition jutus that they were taught in case of impostors in the area. Their surprise turned to shock, when Hinata's Byakugan and Ino's Ichuu Chouin no Jutsu (1) revealed the two that stood before them, their own flesh and blood.
"Yosugi Yashiro, Bringer of Lightning; also known as Uzumaki Naruto, we are the council of Konoha." Spoke a man with long dark hair and white, pupil-less eyes. Naruto tensed for a moment and narrowed his own at his direction. He had forgotten that many people knew his real name and codename also. "We are aware that you are now a citizen of our beloved village, and we come here with one request…"
"What kind of council would use such a high level genjutsu to not only deceive a new member of their village; but his wife, two ambassadors of Suna, two of their elites, and take them in a completely separate direction from where they wanted to be?" Gaara's interruption sent a series of questions into the minds of the council. Uzumaki had a wife? And what were two ambassadors of Suna doing with him?
"Truth be told, we were not aware of Suna sending an envoy, and for that we apologize; but let it be known that we are not here with an intention to harm any of you; we are here to test Uzumaki Naruto as per required for his shinobi rank that would be assigned to him…" Responded a man with a scar across his face and a pineapple shaped hairstyle. "…but to be completely honest, this is more of a hazing than an exam….so troublesome….and also…married? Is she your wife?" he asked, pointing at Yugito.
The group of six, minus one sleeping girl, tensed entirely and nodded in affirmation; yet stood quiet and listened to what the council wished to speak to them.
"Tsk…even more troublesome. He already has knowledge of a fighting style that is used with a companion. I guess it makes everything more interesting in the end." The scarred man spoke once more.
"What Shikaku-san means…" a man with a long, blonde ponytail spoke next. "…is that the Hokage isn't aware of this test happening right now. But she will be informed of your results against all of us."
"We were witnesses to your strength against the Gobi, Uzumaki-kun…" a beautiful woman with brown, shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes spoke next. "…but we did notice that you relied on different chakra sources other than yours during the battle, so we assume you received help from your tenant…"
Slowly, the five began dropping their guard.
"Kurama-san is right." informed a boisterous voice from the large man with long mane of hair. He was wearing an armor that had the kanji for 'eat' on its chest. "We are forever in debt for you saving our village, but we wish to test the extent of your abilities without you using the borrowed chakra of your tenant."
"Three tenants…" he interrupted them.
Everyone was silent for a moment before Naruto spoke again. "…I only have three chakra sources in me, though. When the time comes, I shall take the powers of the Gobi and have four separate ways to produce said energy, and when that happens; then I guess I'll literally have unlimited chakra."
No one dared to speak. The council was overwhelmed by his statement, and his friends were well aware of what had happened; some of them having been during the power being sealed into Hinata, and others by witnessing the turn of events from afar. "T-three?" asked the other female with crimson tattoos on her face. A large, black dog was standing by her side and motioned to her. She in turn channeled some of her chakra to her nose and reeled back when she realized what she smelling from the boy that stood in front of her. A strong stench of human, weasel, and fox, were present; with the slight smell of dog emanating from him also. "Th-that's impossible…" she stuttered. The blood drained from her face and leaned on her companion. Hiashi Hyuuga immediately activated his Byakugan and was amazed at what he was seeing. Three separate chakra sources. A yellow, a blue, and a red one; all intertwined together and running in the most complex and evolved chakra pathways he had ever seen on a human being. His body had three times the amount of pathways than any trained shinobi should, and…is his eyesight deceiving him? He can clearly see a new set of pathways that are being developed, right before his eyes. He jumped from person to person in the area, comparing what he was seeing, and lo! He was just as shocked to see that two more from the group that stood in the center of the arena had a second set of pathways and a second chakra source…and then it happened.
"…by Kami…" he murmured. "…what is the meaning of this…"
His eyes fell on his daughter.
--
Alright guys. This is as much as I can crank out at the moment. I'm still busy and still not over Mx's passing away. I know I lack some action, but Naruto has a good fight coming for him in next chapter, and on top of that, I don't know how the sealing is going to go, do you?
Please read and review. If it wasn't for some of you sending me some words of encouragement, I probably wouldn't have finished this filler chapter.
General Translations:
1.- Ichuu Chouin no Jutsu: Mind's Signature Technique. Passed down in the Yamanaka family, the Ichuu Chouin no Jutsu is a seal-less technique used to identify members of their bloodline. By projecting their chakra from their forehead's tenketsu, they can determine if the person's psychic imprint is the same as theirs.