Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would have also paired Iruka and Anko together because so many people would both be happy and angry about them as a couple, and I like to rattle things up sometimes.

Chap.20: The Marriage and the Mission

(Naruto's P.O.V)

There couldn't have been a better day to hold Iruka and Anko's wedding...or so Sakura said. I had to admit, the weather was nice; some clouds here and there, but also sunny out at the same time. I mean, it was just typical Konoha weather. I think the kunoichi were just too caught up in the wedding to realize that it was actually a bit colder than usual for spring.

"Just look at that Naruto," Sakura said with a sigh, seeing the wedding display all ready for the ceremony, "I don't think this day could be any better."

I was about to say something contrary to her statement...but Sai, who surprisingly decided to join us, beat me to it, "Sakura-san, it's not any different than yesterday. Actually, if anything, it's a few degrees cooler out..."

The sound of a fist colliding with a jaw made a mild grin spread across my face as I walked into the building where I was to meet up with Iruka and the others before the wedding. I stopped to pick up a now unconscious Sai, "Heh, I think that was overdoing it a little Sakura. He was just stating the-" I paused when my pink-haired kunoichi shot me a death glare, and no, it wasn't a sexy one either. It promised that she would beat me an inch within my life, and then force me to still attend, "-er...nevermind..."

I was later sitting in a room with, if I daresay, very beautiful Anko Mitarashi. I was instructed by Kurenai to wait with her while she waited with Iruka...something about tradition of testing fidelity. I wasn't really sure, but I went along with it. Anko was wonderful company, and ever since Iruka moved in with her, I became a welcome addition to their family. She was like the older sister I never had. I also owed her a few favors for helping me with advice when I started courting Sakura. Surprisingly enough, the snake-using Jonin was quite a romance-expert, contrary to her usual behavior.

"Naruto...do I look okay in your opinion?" Anko asked me. She was wearing a pure white kimono with gold trim to it. Two purple flowers were embroidered on the clothing as well. I could tell that it costed quite a bit, even without it being from the Wind country.

I sighed, but smiled, "For the fifth time Anko-chan, you look great! I don't know how else to convince you that I'm honest. Do you want me to lock the doors here and throw off my clothes and pounce on you?"

Anko laughed, "Okay, okay, I get your point." she said with a wave of her hand, and sat next to me, "I just...I'm nervous. I never thought I'd actually live to see this day. After today, I'll be known as Anko Umino."

I gave her a hug, "Aw, don't worry Anko! You look wonderful, and you know that Iruka loves you. I mean, he's probably the luckiest guys in Konoha."

Anko gave me a look, "What are you saying Naruto?" she then smirked at me, and leaned in close, "You aren't all of the sudden saying that you find me...attractive...are you?"

"I...oh no, you're not playing that game with me! I remember what happened last time I was caught in this conversation!"

Flashback- one year ago

I was waiting outside Iruka's place with Anko. Iruka was still finishing his classes at the academy, and Sakura had an hour left before she was let go from the hospital for the day. The four of us were going to go on a double date and have a meal at some high class restaurant that I never heard of before.

Currently though, Anko and I were just trying to pass the time with small talk. I mean, we knew each other sure, but only through missions or the occasional meeting with the Hokage about helping with classes at the academy. Other than that, we were merely 'just friends'.

"So, what do you think of me and Iruka?" the dark-haired kunoichi asked, a small smile on her face. Not a good thing.

"Hm, well, I'm happy for you two. I also have the chance to get to know you better!"

Her grin only widened, "Oh, really? I thought that you were scared of me."

"Scared? Tch, come on Anko, be real! I'm going to be the Hokage someday, why should I be afraid of a cute kunoichi like you?" I then stopped the second my sentence finished. Ah crap, she set me up for this...

"Ho ho, so you think I'm 'cute'? Well, tell me why I'm so cute then." she said, scooting closer to me, and draping an arm around me.

'Don't be fooled Naruto. She's just being a flirt! She only likes Iruka-sensei!' I reminded myself.

"Um...well, you have...wonderul eyes." I said, and immediately regretted that too.

"Wonderful eyes? Aw, that's sweet! A little cheesy, but still sweet. What else?" she continued, drawing me closer. If Sakura caught me now, I was sure I would be dying from fist to the skull.

"Heh heh, um, Anko...your getting a little close..." I said, laughing nervously as I tried to escape from her grasp.

"What, you're not uncomfortable with being this close to a woman, are you? Because I don't feel uncomfortable around you..." she said, rubbing a cheek against one of mine. I felt my face heat up, "Haha, you are! Well, you'll have to kick that habit of yours." she said in a sultry tone.

"A-anko...stop that!" I protested, but unable to move as she rubbed a hand over my other cheek. I mean, it wasn't uncomfortable, but it was sort of...wrong! I was going out with Sakura!

"Shh...this will be good for when you're alone with Sakura." she explained, and then pulled me into a hug, "Besides, I have to admit, you're kind of cute as well. If you must know, a good percentage of the kunoichi population has their eyes set on you. I for one, can see why."

I felt my heart begin to race, and was sweating a bit as she locked eyes with me. The gap between us was closing, and I had to stop now, as much as my body felt otherwise, "Anko, please, stop." I put a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes widened for a second, but then she smiled, "What?"

I stopped to breath. Wow, Iruka definitely was a lucky guy. This woman did things to a guy without so much as lifting a finger, "I...I can't do this with you?"

She pouted childishly, "Why not?"

"I can't, Sakura-chan and I are together in a relationship, and what we have is more important than-" I was stopped when she put a finger on my lips, silencing me. This time, her eyes held no passionate gleam to them, but instead held something like genuine happiness.

"Good...then I was right about you." she said, pulling away slightly.

"Wait, huh?" I said, feeling stupid all of the sudden.

She gave me a peck on the cheek, "I was right about you being a real gentleman."

I still was unaware of what was going on, "Whoa, timeout! One minute ago you were this close to...well, you know, and now you're keeping your distance from me. What's going on here?"

She laughed, "You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

She sighed, "Promise you won't be angry?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Now what is this all about?"

"Well, since we had this dinner planned out two weeks ago, it obviously spread throughout the kunoichi population like wildfire. So, as always, gossip became part of it. Some girls even said that I was doing this to try and steal you away from Sakura. Well, at the bi-weekly meeting of Konoha kunoichi, they decided to test you to see just how loyal you are to Sakura. Obviously, Tsunade made a bet out of this, and placed fifteen hundred ryo on you stopping me from going further. Sakura placed all of her months earnings on similar terms. I was just as confident that you wouldn't go and do anything stupid, and agreed to pay double of what Sakura would have. Needless to say, I'm glad that I was right about your fidelity to Sakura."

I was a little shocked, "So...you all bet on me?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say? You are quite the handsome shinobi, and any woman would probably try to get their hands on you if it wasn't for Sakura. They just wanted to see how loyal you were."

"Wait, you bet that I would mess up?"

"Well, mainly those who don't know you well enough, but have a thing for you...mainly Hana Inuzuka, Hanabi Hyuuga, and a few others. Mostly young Chunin and some Jonin." she answered.

"I can't believe that they would do that to me..." I said, a little angered.

Anko gave me a hug, "Hey, don't be upset. For the record, I knew you wouldn't mess up. Same goes for Sakura and Tsunade. Most of them supported you. They know you're a good man, and wouldn't do such a stupid thing like that."

I smiled a bit, "Heh, I guess you're right. Good thing I didn't otherwise I'd have an angry Tsuande-baachan and Sakura-chan beating me to the ground." I laughed.

"Heh heh, right. Anyways, I'm glad you still can find ways to compliment a woman without sounding like a flirt. It's a rare quality in men in Konoha." Anko continued, "If anything, I would say that Sakura is probably the luckiest woman in Konoha, if not, in all of the shinobi nations." Anko added, mussing up my hair.

end Flashback

Anko gave me a sheepish grin, knowing full well what I meant, "Heh, hey, I won't deny that I enjoy teasing you. In all honesty though, you really do know how to make a woman happy, Naruto. I bet Sakura's happy about that."

Before I could reply, I heard a knock at the door, and turned to see Kurenai, "Okay, Naruto, you're free of Anko now. Iruka's in the room down the hall."

I walked down to the room that Kurenai had told me to, and knocked on the door once I had reached my destination.

When no one opened the door, I knocked again...and waited...and waited.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, open up already!" I yelled. Moments later, the door opened to a sheepishly grinning Iruka Umino.

"Sorry, Naruto, must have not heard you knocking." he said, letting me into the room.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing that was one of the lamest excuses I've heard in a while.

He let out a sigh, and shrugged, "Nervousness, I guess..."

"Same with Anko," I nodded, "You adults sure are weird."

"Naruto...you are an adult. Besides, you should talk. I've heard from Sakura herself about how nervous you would get on your first couple of dates." my former teacher smirked.

"Very funny..." I grumbled.

"I'm just giving you a hard time," he said with a laugh, "Naruto, thanks again for agreeing to be my best man."

I smiled, "Eh, I owe it to you. You were the one that taught me about being a shinobi to begin with. I also don't think anyone would have let me graduate under the circumstances that I had; with learning the Shadow Clone technique and stuff."

"Heh, well than I guess ANBU owes me a thanks for giving them one of the best members they have had since Kakashi's time." he grinned.

I had the decency to feel flattered, "Now you're just embarassing me."

Iruka put an arm around me and punched me in the shoulder, "I mean in, Naruto. I've heard from travelers about a blonde haired ANBU with a fox mask. You're in quite a few bingo books, and even though that's never a good thing to have, it also means you're definitely considered powerful. You do realize you've recieved a nickname, right?"

I rolled my eyes, "It's hardly intimidating, but yeah."

Iruka laughed, "What, I think being called 'Konoha's Yellow Wind' is a very nice name."

"My stinking father had to take the 'Yellow Flash' before me, didn't he?" I said with a grin.

"Well, he knew the actual Hiraishin no jutsu. You're just so fast that people feel a breeze pick up when you pass by them. Still, being ranked an A-class shinobi or higher in the bingo books of the Hidden Rock, Cloud, Sound, Grass, and Rain is quite the statement for someone to make. You're shaping up to being a fine shinobi." Iruka added.

For about a good fifteen minutes we sat, trying to keep our minds off of the wedding and how nervous Iruka was about this. Eventually, a knock at the door snapped us to attention, "Iruka, we're ready!" came the voice of Shizune.

I smiled as we both got up, "Well, let's go, Iruka-sensei." I gave him a slap on the back as we opened the door.

About three hours later we were holding the reception at the training grounds. It was nice to have the group together like this. The only downside was that Chouji was guarding the barbeque like a dog, and Jiraiya kept trying to woo the ladies with some songs from the karaoke machine until Tsunade politely 'removed' him from the stage.

"Lee, if you have so much as one drop of sake, then it will be two hundred laps around Konoha tomorrow morning!" came the voice of Gai as he held Lee by the vest collar, pulling him away from the alcohol.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei, I was only trying to enjoy to enjoy the party like everyone else." came Lee's rather embarassed response.

A little while later and it was apparantly was time for me to make my 'speech'. I looked to see Kurenai with her three year old boy in arms, and she nodded. Yep, that was my cue.

I clanged a spoon against my glass, and everyone eventually turned to me and quieted down. I cleared my throat, "Okay, now that everyone's paying attention," I smiled brightly, "As you all know, I was chosen to be the best man. So, as the best man, I'm sort of required to make a speech of some sort. Well, I think I recall it being close to two years ago when these two," I nodded to Anko and Iruka, "started hanging around each other more often. Shikamaru even told me how Anko would pull Iruka out of class in the middle of a lecture somedays, or on other occasions that she would just show up and help teach. Needless to say, alot of people began to catch on to things, especially when Anko stopped going out to party on Friday nights."

A few people found themselves chuckling, namely the kunoichi of the group.

"I don't know it it was because they were complete opposites, or maybe because they had been on the same Chunin team for the longest time, but I soon became aware that Iruka's apartment was for sale, and he had moved in with Anko. I was even more suspicious when I realized that her apartment wasn't much bigger than Iruka's." I stopped to hear a few whistles from some of Iruka's friends, and saw a rather embarassed Iruka being hugged by an equally embarassed Anko.

"Well, anyways, I never thought they would, but they did. Anko is now a wife, and one of the most eligible bachelor's in Konoha is taken. I wish them the best, and hope they let me watch their kids when the time comes for them to need a babysitter. Let's hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Iruka and Anko Umino!" I finished, and an applause erupted. I turned to see Iruka shaking his head with a grin on his face while Anko stuck her tongue out at me for embarassing them so.

Later on after the announcement, I took some time to relax on a boulder near the party. The sun was setting by now, and the paper latern were now providing us with all the necessary light. I turned to see the lucky couple dancing slowly to the music playing, while a rather drunken Kakashi sang with a surprisingly good voice, despite his state of mind. I laughed, and looked up to the sky. It was a wonderful evening, and I was really enjoying the breeze blowing by.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a photo of my dad and a red haired woman, my mother, both smiling. It was a photo that Jiraiya had given me when he stumbled upon an old photo album he had. On the back of the photo read the words, "Minato and Kushina". I felt a smile creep onto my face, and let out a sigh. I still felt sad sometimes that I didn't get a chance to really know my parents, seeing as they both died before I was even a day old, but I felt such a deep connection to them.

I also could relate to my dad in a way. Jiraiya and Tsunade told me of how my mother had a very tomboyish attitude, and spoke her mind. Kakashi and Rin would tell me about how even the great Yellow Flash of Konoha was a complete klutz alot of the time. I found that hard to believe, but I guess as the saying goes, 'like father, like son'. What I found so funny was how Jiraiya told me how Kushina Uzumaki kept the great Fourth Hokage on a tight leash alot of the time. I couldn't help but laugh, since it was a similar situation with Sakura and myself.

I unconciously began to trace a spiral on my stomach over the fabric of my clothing, and I then heard my demon 'tenant' speak, "Your father was a powerful man."

"Yeah, so I've been told." I nodded, "I can only hope to be as strong as he is someday."

Kyuubi chuckled, "Heh, well, you've already attained one of his great jutsus, and added onto it. Sure, it's not complete, but I'd say you've definitely come along way. You're definitely the Yondaime's son."

I yawned, and got up to stretch a bit. I then turned to see a very unlikely couple on the dance floor, "Moegi and Konohamaru...heh who would have known. That a way, buddy." I said to myself.

I then felt a very welcoming presence by my side, "So, are you going to dance with me, or am I going to have to steal Rock Lee away for awhile. I'm sure he wouldn't mind dancing with me, despite my relationship with you."

"Hey, hey, that's not fair! I was getting up to look for you, Sakura-chan." I said as we walked out to the dance floor. Tonight proved to actually be quite wonderful after all. Two people finally had someone to share the rest of their lives with, and I got to spend the evening with the woman I loved.

(two weeks later)

I stood with Sakura, Kakashi, Rin, and Jiraiya at the gates of Konoha. It was close to eight in the morning, and a warm spring breeze blew calmly throught the air.

I looked towards the village to see the figures of Lee, Chouji, Anko, Shikamaru, and Temari coming towards us. I managed to hear , "Shika, stop complaining and hurry up! I don't care how tired you are, we're already assigned to the mission, so deal with it!"

"Well, Temari seems to be awake this morning." Kakashi commented.

"Careful, Kakashi. She has good hearing when she feels like it." I warned, throwing a smirk at the masked Jonin.

Our group of ten waited for the final five people to arrive. We waited about three minutes when Hinata, Kiba, Hanabi, Moegi, and Konohamaru finally arrived. Now, fifteen people in all, we were probably one of the largest groups to go out for a mission in quite a few months. Strangely enough, Tsunade had placed me in charge, which I still was a little unsure of. Especially considering how my team's current state was in: Tired.

"I really wish you had let me bring another pack of food, Hinata..." complained a rather sleepy Kiba. A whimper from his giant, hairy companion, Akamaru helped emphasize the feeling of his statement.

Hinata merely sighed, "Kiba-kun, enough. You already packed a whole bag of food and nothing else. I think we'll be fine."

Kiba pouted, "Yeah, but that food is for Akamaru."

I decided to cut in, "Right, well, if everyone's ready, I think we should be on our way then."

Everyone nodded, aside from a bark of agreement from Akamaru, and we bounded off towards the Land of Waves.

We managed to reach the coastline of Fire Country in a day's time, much to everyone's pleasure. We all stayed in an inn, the owner even agreed to let Akamaru stay after Kiba assured the man that his nin-dog was indeed 'trained', and wouldn't leave anything unwanted on the floor. Akamaru seemed almost offended by the inn keeper's inquiry, seeing as the giant dog let out an offended bark.

The following day, we awoke and met with our ship that would be carrying us across the ocean to Umigakure; the village Hidden in the Sea. I was unsure of how the Wave's shinobi village would look, but needless to say, I was looking forward to it.

A half hour later, we were walking on the shore's of the island nation. A fog had decided to crawl into the scene when we landed. The ship remained anchored on the Wave's docks while we were here, and was insured to be kept safe by the sailors running the docks. They apparantly were more than happy to help shinobi from Konoha.

We found ourselves walking further into the fog, and Hanabi decided to point out my suspicions as she activated her Byakugan, "I thought so...this fog isn't natural."

"You're correct, Hanabi. The Sea-nin created this fog by means of jutsu." Kakashi stated, "It's almost like that of the Hidden Mist Village, but thicker, if that's at all possible."

We began to notice the fog thicken further, and soon were unable to see ten feet ahead. Hinata and Hanabi took it upon themselves to stand on either side of our group with their kekkai genkai activated, just incase something caught their attention. I was glad that I had them come with us, otherwise things would be much more difficult.

Hinata soon stopped, and soon so did the rest of us, "Four figures are approaching." she calmly stated. We turned to Hanabi, and she nodded as well.

We waited for our guests, hoping they weren't going to be hostile. I noticed the fog beginning to lift, and soon there was nothing. As we looked ahead, four shinobi wearing gray vests stood in our path. They must have all been Chunin, considering that they were alert and unmoving, yet gave off a slight wave of tension. Most Jonin wouldn't be as easy to sense.

One of the shinobi stepped forward, and he appeared to be around the height of Konohamaru. He must have been the team leader, "I assume you're all from the Hidden Leaf?" he asked.

I nodded as I looked over the boy, who indeed appeared a few years younger than me. He was around five feet, nine inches in height, and was sporting a long sleeve shirt of black color under his vest of gray. He wore gray cargo pants with a kunai holster on his left leg, and a small sword strapped around his waist, like a samurai would, which was unusual for a shinobi, since most wore their swords on their backs, like I did with my ANBU attire. He had dark brown hair, and equally brown eyes. His headband bore the symbol of Umikgakure, which was three simple wave-like lines, similar to an ocean's movements. Among that, he had a single scar running from his lower right cheek to just below his right eye.

He stopped, and blinked, staring at Sakura, Kakashi, and myself. He let a grin spread across his face, and laughed a little. His teammates gave him a look, but he simply said, "He's who we named the bridge after." The three other Chunin, which consisted of two women and another man around their leader's age, then looked to me, and gave me a respectful bow.

"Whoa, hey, no need to do that. That was way back when I was just a Genin. I was only doing my job. Besides, it was my whole team that deserves credit." I said embarassed by the attention.

The leader gave me a nod, "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake...geez, I was only eight the last time I remember seeing you guys. That was close to seven years ago." His grin widened.

I raised an eyebrow, then noticed something familiar about him. I grinned, "Inari, how are you? I was wondering if the rumors were true about you. The last letter I got from you was a couple years back, and you said that you were going to be busy doing stuff for your country. I had my hunches, but now I see that you really have become the hero that I hoped you would be."

Inari shrugged, "Heh, I'm only a Chunin."

Sakura smiled, and looked at the once timid little boy, who now seemed to be a mature young man, "Inari-kun? Wow, you've grown up!" she beamed at the boy, and he could only scratch his head. The fifteen year old boy smiled, clearly embarassed by the attention.

We followed the four Sea-nin and reached the stone walls that surrounded the village that we had visited seven years ago when the Great Naruto Bridge was constructed. I was clearly amazed by how much the place had improved in less than a decade. The doors of the village were made of wood, and had the symbol for Wave on either of the giant doors. Markets were bustling as the citizens went about their routinely business. I noticed there was far less shinobi compared to Konoha, but I would expect this seeing as the shinobi forces were only recently started. Apparantly, the Wave country decided that with its growing income, that it should create a shinobi village, but first it needed to train the possible canidates who would become the first generation of Sea-nin. Among them was Inari, as well as some others. I recalled that Konoha had sent a few Jonin instructors for two years to help train the academy students of Umigakure.

Later, after the basics were taught, the more experienced Genin were promoted to Chunin rank. A select few were made Special Jonin, but none were of higher rank yet. According to Inari, there ninja held about forty-five percent of the village population, not including academy students and first year Genin. The village was focused more on the quality of their shinobi, not the quantity of them. This meant the Genin here had most likely taken at least a few C-rank missions before they were promoted. Inari had about sixty-two D-rank missions and forty-eight C-ranks, and forty B-ranks under his belt. Quite an accomplishment for someone who I never thought would be a ninja. I never had doubt in his abilities, it's just I never thought he held an interest in such a livelihood.

I smiled as Inari stood before us, his smile spread across his face as he turned to face our group, "Welcome to the home of Wave Country's ninja, Umigakure!"

end of Chap.20- There you go! I finally tackled this chapter, it was quite a workload on my part. I added alot to it, and planned on cutting it short. A few things I want to clarify are that I put the whole flashback with Naruto and Anko to show how the two have developed a bond with each other. No, Anko doesn't have any romantic feelings for Naruto, and vice versa. She merely was trying to see if he truly was an honorable man, and she was correct. If anything, the two look to each other in a sibling oriented way. Sort of how Naruto sees Iruka. Secondly, yeah, I did put Kurenai with her child in it. In case you didn't know, Asuma and her did have a romantic relationship, and yes, the child is Asuma's son. However, he's dead. I don't know if I should name the kid, but he's a boy, because I can see that being the case with Asuma dead, and her having a son. I don't know if I should give him a name or something, maybe I'll wait on it. Anyways, lastly, I plan on giving Inari some sort of bloodline ability. I know, I know, original bloodlines tend to be so predictable or lame, but I think mine will be interesting. I'll give you a hint; Inari will be the first to have discovered this bloodline, seeing as no one in his family ever became a ninja before. It will have something to with a word that begans with a 'w' and end is 'ater'...I know...tricky, eh? Well, hope you liked my extra long chapter!

Shout outs: CrazyKidDeath (lol, yeah, if only it were that easy. I'll be working on that subject between the two and the whole 'm' word subject later on in the story. I have my reasons for it not happening sooner, and they'll be known in later chapters. Thanks for the review!) kinshi.tenshi (You know, I thought about that after first seeing the episode where Sakura heals Kankuro in Shippuden when he was poisoned. I may have something else in mind, but it will still be great. Seeing as I skipped two weeks, Sakura's probably got the Rasengan down, but it will probably be different. You'll just have to wait until next time, bwahaha!) GFOX2113 (Heh heh, well, while I don't encourage insomnia, I'm glad you like my story. In the meantime, promise me you won't use this as an excuse to stay up all day and night. I've done it, and it wasn't good for me, lol.)

to everyone else, thanks for reading, and I'll be updating before you know it!