Author's Note: Right, school's starting again, so I won't have much time to update, but rest assured I will try to update as soon as possible.
Chapter 20: Konohagakure no Sato
Three days after the events of Leaving to Return:
"Is everything checked?" Kakashi asked everyone as they nodded. Naruto was the only one not taking anything since he brought nothing when he arrived. Jaina and Lina both had a small scroll hanging. As Kakashi was about to flip open his Sharingan and activate his technique, Naruto walked over to the two women.
"Take this," he said as he held out his hand. Two pendants, the same as the one he gave to the Night Elves were on his hand. They took it, not knowing what it exactly was.
"In case of anything, I want you to flare your mana into this. Konoha may be safe, but I wouldn't put it past someone to try and get you to get at me, or heck, just get at you since the two of you are so pretty," Naruto explained as they blushed at the comment. They wanted to retort though, but Naruto gently shut them up with a finger on each of their lips.
"Listen, it's not that I don't think your skills aren't enough, it's the fact that there's a lot of unknown in there. We're ninja, our job is to assassinate – we don't do things in the open. You're simply not prepared for such unexpected situations, no one is. I just need to make sure you're safe, can you do that for me at least?"
They softened at what he said, before taking the pendant and putting it on their neck, "Alright, Naruto, if it makes you feel better. You're going to let me sign the Phoenix Contract though."
"Thanks, and if Hikaru agrees, Lina-chan," Naruto smiled softly as he hugged them both. A vortex opened up as Kakashi stepped forward.
"Sakura, you first," Kakashi said as she nodded and walked through the now man-sized wormhole, as the rest followed suit.
What was in the void was very… strange. Though they were walking just then, they felt like they were floating. With the exception of Kakashi's team, the other three were surprised at the feeling of nothingness in it. And although the feeling lasted only for a few seconds, it felt like hours before it stopped, and they walked out of a void, still feeling like they were floating. That meant the two women nearly crashed right onto the floor had Naruto not held them, and even then he stumbled a bit.
"Team Kakashi report mission successful, Hokage-sama," Kakashi reported in English as Tsunade looked in surprise and confusion.
"Why are you speaking in that language, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked, before seeing two more women, "And who are they?"
"Hi baa-chan," Naruto said calmly as he stood there, the two dusting themselves off and finally allowed Tsunade to take a good look. One looked normal enough, but the other… she was abnormally tall for a women, though, Tsunade reflected, that wouldn't be all that uncommon. What was stranger, much stranger, was her ears and just how long her eyebrows were.
"These two are…?" Tsunade asked, this time in English, before they introduced themselves.
"I am Jaina Proudmoore… uh, Proudmoore Jaina," Jaina said as Lina introduced herself next.
"I know my race isn't in this world, so I might as well as introduce myself a bit more," Lina said, "My name is… Inverse Lina, and I'm what you would call a High Elf, a race of humanoids residing in the world Naruto had… disappeared to."
"I am Tsunade," Tsunade said, "And you don't really need to invert your names like that, I'm sure Naruto has told you about how he knows this language."
"Oh," Jaina said lamely as there was a silence before Tsunade registered what Naruto said.
"Brrrrrrrraaaaaaaatttttt!" she yelled as she threw a large stack of paperwork at him who promptly dodged, "Do you know how much trouble it was to calm the council after your stunt? And calling me baa-chan in front of others no less?"
"It's not my fault…" he said, "And I've always called you baa-chan… baa-chan."
"Fine…" she fumed, "That said…"
She suddenly gave him a bone-crushing hug, disappearing away from the Hokage desk, "It's nice to finally see you after months of disappearance."
"Baa-chan… can't… breathe…" Naruto gasped out, already turning blue. It took Lina tapping on Tsunade to let her realize that, and she dropped him, embarrassed. By then, Naruto was a deep purple.
"Thank you, Lina-chan," Naruto gasped out, before standing up.
"Are they emissaries from wherever the place is?" Tsunade asked, but Kakashi shook his head.
"Take a guess," Kakashi said as Tsunade looked over them, before she had an unpleasant feeling.
"Please don't tell me… they're both Naruto's girlfriend?" Tsunade asked as Kakashi nodded, "I'm killing Jiraiya when I die, the fact that he's already dead be damned."
"Um…" Naruto said as Tsunade turned to him, "You're to blame too, brat!"
"Actually," Jaina's voice came over meekly, "It was our idea."
"…" was all Tsunade answered her with, before finally sighing, "Did Naruto drop into a world with perverts?"
"No," Kakashi replied, "Though it would've been nice…"
There was a loud crack as Kakashi was now embedded into the wall, courtesy of Tsunade's finger flick of doom.
"I give nine out of ten for accuracy," Lina said as she prodded him with a flaming finger, causing him to howl in pain, "But a ten out of ten for strength. You missed the cabinet though, so the pain factor is also only nine out of ten."
"The cabinet?" Tsunade asked, confused.
"Yeah! Imagine him smashing into a cabinet at that strength," Lina said cheerfully, "Not to mention… are those paperwork?"
At that, Tsunade had a smile on her face, a very disturbing smile.
"Good job Lina-chan," Naruto said, "Now I'm going to be crushed there…"
"We're off topic," Tsunade finally said, "Give me an overview, Yamato, since Kakashi is currently incapacitated."
"Shouldn't it be me since I was there the longest?" Naruto asked as Tsunade nodded.
"It would but you're technically not part of the rescue team, but your debriefing will come later, first personally then with the council," Tsunade replied as Naruto face-palmed.
"I so don't want to face the council," he mumbled, before grabbing his girlfrields' hands, "I'll be off then, send a message to either Ichiraku's or to my home if you need me then."
With that, the three disappeared in a blast of wind. Tsunade sighed, "I realy wish he would stop doing that, but anyways, report, Yamato."
With Naruto, as he disappeared in a whirlwind with Jaina and Lina, they reappeared on top of the Hokage Mountain, right on top of his father's head.
"This," Naruto gestured as he lightly pushed them forward, "is Konoha. On behalf of us, welcome to Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaf."
"Wow…" Jaina breathed out as she looked at the massive village, before, strangely, looking straight down. Lina followed suit, and within a second, Naruto was holding them both as they leapt back in fright.
"Did this place have to be so high?" Lina asked as Naruto laughed.
"It's not that high, and it's perfect for watching the sunset," Naruto replied, "I'll take you to it tonight if we don't get pummeled by the council today. But otherwise…"
Lina, recognizing the look, quickly tried to say something, but whatever she wanted to say was out when Naruto jumped off, the two women screaming in fright and holding onto Naruto for dear life, before a burst of wind sent them right to the ground.
"I don't want to die at the age of twenty from a heart attack you know," Jaina said to Naruto irritable as Naruto kissed her on the lips, silencing anything else that came forward.
"I'm sorry then," Naruto said as he saw Lina about to say something as well and quickly silenced her in the exact same way, before leading them into the village, "This is the place I grew up in, along with a few other quirks, this is a really nice place."
"I can tell," Jaina said softly as many people waved at him as he waved back, though quite a few stared at the two women beside Naruto. Some, in particular, was staring below their faces as Naruto glared back. Those in question quickly turned away, slightly scared of Naruto. There was a loud whistle as Naruto, recognizing it, ducked as a shadow flew overhead.
"Yo Naruto!" Kiba hollered as he turned around, "Where the hell have you been?"
"Kiba?" Naruto said as he laughed, "Mission, you know, the usual."
"And who're these?" Kiba asked as he walked up, "Mind introducing?"
"They're my girlfriends Kiba," Naruto said, "Jaina and Lina. The one taller than you is Lina, and the other is Jaina."
"Dude, not many people is as tall as you," Kiba deadpanned, "But how come you got the hot chicks as your girlfriends?"
"Well…" Naruto said, "Because I'm better-looking than you?"
"Bull," Kiba replied as he turned to the two, "He's lying right?"
"You realize we're his girlfriends?" Lina deadpanned back, as the two women latched onto Naruto, as Kiba mock cried. After a while though, Kiba got serious.
"You know Mizukage-sama isn't going to like this a lot, right?" Kiba asked as Naruto shrugged.
"I'm actually not so sure about that anymore…" he admitted. Kiba raised an eye.
"Why?" Kiba asked cautiously.
"Let's just say… there's things you might not want to know," Naruto said, picking his voice carefully.
"She's also in town," Kiba added as Naruto bent his head down, a shadow seemingly appearing over his head.
"I was hoping for a little more time, too," Naruto said dejectedly. Kiba patted his shoulder.
"It's okay, she doesn't venture out often," Kiba said, "I'll divert her away as much as possible until you're ready. You know she misses you right?"
"You're not helping Kiba," Naruto said as Kiba laughed and leapt away. Naruto looked at the other two.
"Maybe we should put the stuff in my apartment first," Naruto suggested as they nodded, before Naruto led them, this time walking, to his apartment. This was a different apartment, however, from his old one, since he had long gave it back to the Konoha treasury and purchased one of his own. As they entered, they saw a rather spacious apartment, though not very decorated since he never did have time for it, and neither had the patience. Jaina and Lina threw Naruto their scrolls as he entered a room on the left first.
"Do you want to just share a room or separate?" Naruto asked as they thought for a moment.
"We can share no problem," they replied as Naruto unsealed their bags, nodding.
"Alright then, my room's right down the center if you need me," Naruto replied as they suddenly had a question.
"Naruto," Lina asked, "Why do you have a spare room then?"
"All the other ones with two rooms are gone, leaving only the three rooms for sale," Naruto said, "I needed a place to store my future weapons and scrolls, so I needed a second room, so if I had to buy a place with three rooms… then let it be. I just converted the other to a spare bedroom in case of any emergencies."
"Like this one?" Lina asked as Naruto thought for a moment.
"Not exactly, but close enough I guess," Naruto admitted. He then held the two up quickly, "Come on, We need to go somewhere else too, I'm hungry and I bet you've never tasted Ramen before."
"Ramen?" Jaina asked, "Like the noodle thing Sylvanas told me about?"
"She remembers?" Naruto asked incredulously as he then shrugged, "Oh well, let's go!"
He then disappeared, once more, in a whirlwind, and arrived right in front of the stand. (Note: Since Teuchi and Ayame DOES NOT know English, Japanese will be displayed as italics – English was explained a while ago)
"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, the place with the best Ramen in the world, and the two closest people I would call family," Naruto announced as he stepped inside, "Hey oji-san, I'm back!"
"Hey Naruto," Ichiraku greeted as he saw Naruto, "Haven't seen you in a very long time. Did you actually disappear?"
Naruto was about to apologize before Jaina and Lina stepped in and Teuchi saw them, "Your new girlfriends?"
"Yeah, but they won't understand you," Naruto replied, "They only understand Western."
"Ah, I see," Teuchi replied, "Maybe I really ought to learn it, huh?"
"It's ok," Naruto said, "She's Lina, and she's Jaina."
As he said that, he pointed to the respective girls, "Jaina-chan, Lina-chan, this is Teuchi, but I call him oji-san."
"Hi," the two said as they bowed slightly. Teuchi returned it.
"Konichiwa, Jaina-san, Lina-san," Teuchi replied, before turning to Naruto, "What will they have then?"
"No me?" Naruto joked, before looking at them, "What do you want, girls?"
"What's good?" Lina asked curiously as Naruto thought for a moment.
"Let's just try their classic then," Naruto said before turning to Teuchi, "Give them 2 bowls of Miso Ramen to start off with, oji-san."
"Alright," Teuchi said as he shouted back, "Ayame! Look who's back!"
"Tou-san?" Ayame asked as she turned back out, "Naruto!"
"Hi Ayame-nee-chan," Naruto greeted as he turned back to the girls, "And, she's the daughter of Teuchi, Ayame Ichiraku."
"Hi," they said again as Ayame returned it.
"I didn't expect you to find two girlfriends that fast…" Ayame said to Naruto, "And how come one of them has long ears like that?"
"Long story short, something happened that was related to my disappearance," Naruto said, "And here they are, partially as delegates and partially to help me finish a few things before we head back."
"You're not staying?" Ayame asked, alarmed, as Naruto shook his head and began to eat.
"Itadakimasu!" he said as he began to inhale his food at a rapid pace. Jaina and Lina also began eating, and though Naruto gave them a quick rundown of how to use chopsticks they still had difficulty doing it. They had to admit, however; Ramen was really good. They wouldn't eat it like Naruto was doing, though. Speaking of Naruto, he was already into his third bowl.
That… was fast… the two women though in wonder as they saw Naruto already beginning to finish said bowl and begin on yet another one. Thankfully, he finished after his sixth bowl as he paid the two and left with Jaina and Lina.
"So, where do you want to visit?" Naruto asked them as they thought for a moment.
"I have no clue…" Jaina said at last as Lina looked out. There was a giant forest surrounding the village, she realized.
"Why are those trees so large?" Lina asked Naruto as he looked.
"That's because they're not grown naturally," he explained, "They were grown by our Shodai Hokage, in fact, the entire forest was grown by him for miles around, in order to protect the village. That's why we're called Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaf."
"Oh," Lina said, astounded that a single man created that entire forest, "Is he the one in red armor?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, knowing what she was talking about. They simply walked out for a bit, before an ANBU jumped right in front of Naruto, shocking the two women. Not only was the person appearing out of nowhere, said person was also hidden by an animal mask.
"Namikaze Naruto, the Council wishes to speak to you now," the ANBU said as Naruto nodded, before said ANBU disappeared. Naruto looked at the two women.
"I think they want to see you too," Naruto said as he grabbed them, "Better not delay this any longer."
They promptly disappeared in burst of wind again. Just at that time, a woman turned the corner, unaware. The woman in question? Terumi Mei, the Godaime Mizukage.
Meanwhile, Naruto reappeared in front of the council door, and took a deep breath, before looking at the two.
"Ready?" he asked, and received two kisses back as he pushed the door open, "Namikaze Naruto, reporting to the Council."
"Namikaze Naruto, jonin of Konoha, disappeared in battle against one Uchiha Sasuke and was rumored to be teleported through a Kamui, and landed in a world completely different, where you proceeded to fight for them. Is that correct?" a voice said which Naruto identified as Homura.
"Yes, Homura-sama," he replied, "That is the truth."
"Then," Homura continued, "Those two are also two of the three leaders in the new city, Theramore, correct?"
"Hai. They are also…"
"Your girlfriends, we understand, from Kakashi's debrief," Homura interrupted, "You also, at that time, stated you did not wish to return to Konoha, is that true?"
At that, the council began murmuring to themselves, unsure of what Naruto's real response was. When Naruto opened his mouth, everyone waited in anticipation.
"I have considered such an option, though I wish to keep my opinion to myself until I have finished a few personal business first," Naruto stated as everyone knew what he had really meant.
Yeah, that's right, Naruto had said in a more elegant way. Hiashi spoke next.
"Naruto-san," he began, "You must realize, however, that you are a shinobi of Konoha, and doing such a thing will warrant either your resignation or labeling you as a nuke-nin, which are both detrimental to your dream to being Hokage. Are you willing to risk that?"
"It was in my interest to become Hokage to protect those I consider precious," Naruto replied, "Though in order to protect those I love, I will do whatever it takes, whether I resign or be banished and be labeled a nuke-nin in the process."
"Yet, you claim that it was for the greater good," a councilor on the civilian side said, earning Naruto attention. He was one of the few who had regularly called out for his death, in order 'to protect the village from the demonic influence that may occur if he accidentally released the chakra of the Kyubi'. Of course, that all changed after the announcement that he was the only son of the deceased Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and after the death of Hinata had frequently filed for an arranged marriage between Naruto and his daughter, "However, do you realize that it would also disgrace your father's name?"
Naruto laughed slightly at that, "You also realize that my father and mother won't care about their name, right? They had never cared, and neither will I. And don't give me the crap about my genetics – all of you know from my last name who my tou-san and kaa-san is, so don't say anything about my genetics, since you'll just dig your own political grave."
"And what will you do wherever you are?" said councilor replied, "You claim you love Konoha, and you are one of our strongest warrior. I find that… quite contradictory."
"Do you mean by the assets I own, such as the Toad Contract and the possession of the Rinnegan? Or the genetics of the Yondaime Hokage which you have finally thought through?" Naruto retorted back.
"In the event that we need it to protect the village," the councilor said, ignoring Naruto's retort for the time-being, "Yes, they will be needed. It's not a matter of how, nor a matter of if. It's a matter of when we'll be attacked once more. The assets you have, Naruto-san, are powerful."
"And?" Naruto asked as the councilor smiled slightly, though he hid it.
"I propose an arranged marriage," the councilor said, "Or, at the very least, you must sire an heir who will possess the Rinnegan before this can be resolved."
Jaina and Lina looked appalled at the scenario, "No!"
"You have no right to speak here," the councilor replied, eyeing Lina and Jaina, before Naruto glared back, his Rinnegan fully active.
"I would suggest you keep your eyes somewhere else, honorable councilor," he growled out lowly as the councilor turned away.
"And who do you suggest then, Councilor Isako?" this time, it was Kotaru who asked, though whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by Naruto.
"There's no need. I wish for Haruno Sakura as well as Hatake Kakashi to be summoned, please," Naruto replied.
"They are of no relevance to this conversation, Naruto-san," the councilor replied as Naruto smirked. Tsunade hid her smirk as well, knowing the plan from Kakashi and Sakura.
"Oh, but they are, please just hear out my request," Naruto said as Tsunade waved at empty air. An ANBU appeared.
"Find Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura," Tsunade said as the ANBU nodded and disappeared. Apparently, Kakashi and Sakura were expecting this, as the ANBU returned quite early with the two.
They were expecting this, of course, ever since Tsunade told them she would have to hold a council meeting to debrief Naruto. However, the council never knew of it.
"Alright, they're here, and what's going to do?" the councilor asked impatiently. His daughter's still waiting at home to hear any news. Naruto smirked; he could almost see the councilor's gears running, and he was about to throw a wench directly into his plans, as well as all those around him.
"The reason I called them here relates to how Nagato, the previous user of the Rinnegan, can copy his powers onto me. In short form, I can also do the same thing and achieve the same results. I have asked Haruno Sakura, who is just like my sister, to have the Rinnegan, with Hatake Kakashi, my sensei, as witness," Naruto said, hiding all emotions. Several councilors, however, looked shocked. They had never thought of how he had gained the Rinnegan, and now it had come back to bite them in the ass when their plans were thrown into oblivion.
"And in addition, before all of you, as witnesses, I shall perform the technique required to pass on said dojutsu," Naruto announced as he began to perform seals, but was stopped by the councilor.
"Yet, how will you know if the Rinnegan will etch itself onto her genetics then?" he asked as Naruto looked back.
"My genes were altered, weren't they?" Naruto asked as he flashed through several seals, as Sakura felt the same tingling feeling he had felt. Naruto, on the other hand, felt as if his eyes were burning, as chakra and genetic information was passed via chakra over to her. He gritted his teeth in pain as the process continued, and Sakura's eyes began to shift until her eyes were in the form of the Rinnegan, before the process finally stopped, and her eyes returned to the emerald green they were.
"There, all done, and like me, her Rinnegan will probably not activate until a whole month later, and will not etch itself onto her DNA until at the very least half a year later," Naruto informed the council, "Is there anything else then?"
"Not at the moment, please describe what major things have transpired while you were in… that dimension, please," Kotaru said as Naruto complied, ending with the death of Archimonde. He, however, did not include his contract with the Phoenix, not knowing, and not going to want to know, what their announcement will be. Lina nearly spoke about the Phoenix, but a nudge from Naruto, unseen by anyone but Hiashi, prompted her to be quiet for the time being.
"Very well," Kotaru said after a long silence since his conclusion of the events, "I believe there is nothing else that can persuade you to stay?"
Naruto was silent for a while, "I don't think so, Kotaru-sama."
"Very well then," she sighed, "Is there any other objections?"
There was silence, before Tsunade stood up, "Then this council meeting is therefore dismissed."
The councilors stood up, grumbling quietly as they left, but Naruto walked quickly forward.
"Hiashi-sama," he called out as said clan head stopped and turned with a small smile.
"Naruto-san," he said, "Is there anything you need?"
"Is it possible for me to visit later today?" he asked as Hiashi looked thoughtful.
"I suppose it can be done," Hiashi said, "Will your new girlfriends come too?"
"Well…" he trailed off as he saw said women in question coming over as he kissed them lightly each, "I would like to introduce them to Hinata-chan, as well as talk to her…"
"I see," he said, "In that case, you're all welcome to come to my abode."
"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," Naruto bowed as Hiashi returned it, before turning and leaving.
"That's the head of the Hyuga clan?" Jaina asked as Naruto nodded, "Looks scary…"
"Of course he is, he's known as one of the strongest warriors we have, besting me. The only person he can't beat was…well… Ero-sennin, when he was still alive of course. Even now, I would have difficulty if I want to tie with him. I'm not the most powerful in terms of balance, just the most powerful in terms of power."
"Yet you still have experience, don't you?" Tsunade's voice floated in the air as Naruto turned.
"Baa-chan, what do you want me to do now?" Naruto asked irritably as Tsunade smiled.
"You'll like this assignment; I'm assigning you an S-ranked mission to hunt down Yakushi Kabuto. Terminate with extreme prejudice," Tsunade replied as Naruto took the folder and skimmed through it.
"And my girlfriends?" he asked as Tsunade smiled.
"I think they'll want to meet Mei, won't they?" she asked rhetorically, "I've told her about this already."
"You what?" he exclaimed, "Oh come on baa-chan…"
"You were right though, she didn't seem to mind," Tsunade said thoughtfully, "I wonder why…?"
"That's confidential," Naruto replied hurriedly as Tsunade looked at him as well.
"You don't seem to like this information a lot… unless…" Tsunade smirked as Naruto paled.
"Don't you dare say it," Naruto warned as Tsunade neared him.
"So, is it true? She's…?" Tsunade hinted as Naruto nodded, head in defeat.
"Yes," Naruto admitted, "Don't you dare tell anyone else, though."
"Alright, alright, jeez, you make it sound so bad," Tsunade smirked, "I bet you're going to have a lot of fun."
"And you call Ero-sennin a pervert," he retorted back as he turned back, "Later, baa-chan. I got to visit Hiashi first, Hinata-chan too. Come on, Lina-chan, Jaina-chan."
They promptly disappeared in a whirl of wind again as Tsunade smirked. She did tell Mei, yes, but what she didn't tell Naruto was that she was also at the Hyuga estates right now… or the fact that Mei was the one who asked for the assassination of Yakushi Kabuto, with a few extra points.
As Naruto appeared in front of the Hyuga estates, he knew something was wrong. Not only was Hiashi standing in front of the estate entrance, there was another person. A very familiar person, in fact, standing in front, wearing her traditional blue robes, even holding the hat with the Kanji for water on it.
Terumi Mei. Naruto really wanted to go after Tsunade right now, but he knew it was too late.
"Um… hi Mei-chan," he said meekly as she smiled and got closer, before hugging him lightly.
"Nice to see you're finally back," Mei said, before looking at the two women, who looked back in confusion and slight recognition.
"So, you're Lina Inverse," Mei clarified as she looked at Lina, who nodded dumbly, then looked at Jaina, "And you're Jaina Proudmoore, leader of wherever Naruto-kun fell into, and you're both his girlfriends as well?"
Jaina nodded at that, "Nice to meet you too, Mei-san."
"You know the honorifics?" Mei asked, surprised as she looked at Naruto, who shrugged. Hiashi coughed, gaining their attention.
"Right, Hiashi-sama…" Naruto said as he chuckled nervously, "I suppose you want a formal introduction?"
"I suppose I do," Hiashi said in perfect English. Jaina and Lina bowed which Hiashi returned.
"I am Jaina Proudmoore, leader of the human survivors from a place called Lordaeron, which has been devastated in a war," Jaina said as Lina bowed.
"And I am Lina Inverse, an High Elf, if you will, sorceress. There are many different races in Azeroth, our world, and the High Elf is one of them," she said as Hiashi nodded.
"I see…" Hiashi said as he gestured in, "Please, come in."
The four bowed slightly before entering the large estate, and as they travelled through to a room, Hiashi and Naruto stopped and entered. The three women looked confused, but Mei quickly figured out whose room this was. As they entered, they saw a plain room, though decorated with various pictures of Naruto and Hinata. A shrine was erected on the side as Naruto walked forward.
"Hi Hinata-chan," he said solemnly, "I'm here again. Things are changing again, and I'm not sure if what I'm doing is right, I'm just following my heart. I'll introduce you to… um..."
He couldn't end his sentence as he thought back, before stepping back as Hiashi looked at him in sympathy. Jaina and Lina stepped forward.
"You won't know us, Hinata, but we know you from what Naruto told us," Jaina said quietly, "You're also very pretty too… Naruto must be really happy when you're around. He's really serious, but he does have an open side which he shows… occasionally at least. I wished we could've met you in person, but… I do hope that you have saw what Naruto had gone through… as well as…"
Of course, Mei was far less tactful as she butted in, "Giving us your blessings, Hinata. You care for Naruto-kun, and so do we… Please give us your blessings so that we could be with Naruto-kun…"
Lina simply looked at the picture as the other two women spoke. Although Jaina and Lina said nothing, knowing that Mei had saw Naruto before they did, it didn't meant they liked it; it just meant they weren't in a position to speak up about it. But in that case… will Naruto still go back?
Naruto took that chance, unaware of what everyone else was thinking, as he looked at Hiashi, "You wanted to talk to me, Hiashi-san?"
"Yes," Hiashi said, snapping the three women out of their thoughts, as they bowed in front of the shrine before moving back, "What did you hide from the council, Naruto?"
"I knew you would figure it out," Naruto sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "Don't tell anyone about this, not even Tsunade-sama."
Hiashi knew, instantly, that it was serious, as Naruto didn't address Tsunade as baa-chan. Naruto flashed through some seals again as Hiashi watched.
A summoning? He thought curiously as Naruto bit through his thumb, drawing blood, as he scribed a seal on his palm, before the seal glowed as spread from his palm up his arms, before alighting and blazing with a torrent of fire as Naruto threw his arm out to the side. The flame roared out, too fast for Hiashi to do anything. What was curious, to him, however, was how the fire didn't torch the room, as the flame condensed, before forming the shape of, very apparently, a Phoenix.
"You received the Phoenix Contract?" Hiashi yelled, unable to keep his composure, even as the room glowed with a silence seal which Hiashi had placed while Naruto flashed through the seals. The Phoenix looked at Naruto, before looking at Hiashi.
"Yes, Naruto?" the Phoenix asked as Naruto turned around.
"Do you have the scroll with you, Hisuki?" Naruto asked calmly as Hisuki nodded, before breathing out. A flame burst forward, condensing to form a scroll.
"Do you have someone in mind, Naruto?" Hisuki asked as Naruto gestured to Lina.
"Ah…" Hisuki said as she neared Lina, who stared back in wonder. After a while of looking, Hisuki turned to Naruto.
"Hikaru approves, Naruto, she may sign," Hisuki said as Naruto bowed and opened the scroll. Inside, there had been only three names, one of which was smudged. The first was someone Naruto did not recognize, with the name Kazama Arashi. Naruto looked at Lina.
"Lina-chan, I need you to draw some blood and sign your name here," Naruto said, gesturing at the empty space beside his name, as Lina moved forward. Lina looked at Naruto, who just looked back.
"Do you… want me to bite my thumb and draw blood like that?" Lina asked hesitantly as Naruto thought for a moment.
"It's simply the faster way to draw blood for summoning, but no, all you need is a sample of blood," he replied as Lina took out a small dagger, before cutting through her forefinger, wincing as she did so. Then, she signed her name on the scroll, before pulling it back and holding the finger to stop the bleeding. Naruto handed the scroll back to Hisuki, which disappeared in a swirl of fire.
"Remember, Naruto, the first she summons will be her companion," Hisuki said before she warped away in a burst of fire. Naruto looked at her, before Mei, who stood forgotten, spoke up.
"How did you get a Phoenix Contract, Naruto-kun?" she asked in wonder as Naruto chuckled.
"They were friends with the toads," he said, "And my affinity included the Phoenix and another they won't tell me, even more so when the Rinnegan activated in me."
"Speaking of the Rinnegan," Hiashi said, "Will Sakura actually get the Rinnegan?"
"Yeah, she will," Naruto replied, "But I doubt that she will ever use it unless in emergencies. She knows that she has it simply because she wants me to be happy… she was willing to take the burden of passing the Rinnegan on to the village. She admitted that she would have no idea how to use it in any case."
"I see…" Hiashi said as he looked out the window, before Jaina interrupted, "What about my contract…?"
"Hmm?" Naruto looked as he thought for a moment, "I suppose you could reverse-summon…"
"Reverse summon?" Jaina asked as Mei spoke up this time.
"Essentially, you simply summon without a contract, you should be teleported to somewhere else with the animal which suits your affinity. From what I've heard, you use ice attacks, which could mean either snow leopards, arctic foxes, or even the mythical dragon contract. Of course, with Naruto-kun gaining the Phoenix contract, it's entirely probable that you could gain the Dragon contract as well. Regardless…"
"I'll go with you first, simply do the same as Lina did, then, I'll show you what to do," Naruto said as Jaina, instead of cutting her hand open, bit through it as well, wincing, of course. Naruto held her hands as he formed the seals and told Jaina to channel her mana through it. As she did, she felt a fluctuation in her mana as it readjusted to the seals and flowed in a peculiar manner not unlike what happened when she teleported, reached the final seal, Jaina placed her palm on the ground and felt the blood flow and expand, eventually forming a circle of runes and symbols. In a cloud of smoke, both Naruto and Jaina were gone. Mei sighed softly, though Lina heard it with her acute hearing as she turned.
"Yes, Mei-san, what is it?" she asked as Mei looked at her.
"You know, Naruto has only gotten that intimate with me once…" she reflected back, "But… I suppose we had only gone out for two months…"
"What do you know about Naruto, though?" Lina asked, curious, as Mei looked at her.
"Do you know about a law concerning him here?" Mei asked as Hiashi, still in the room, tensed.
"You know we're not allowed to speak of that, Mizukage-sama," he said as Mei waved her hand at him.
"I know, but-" Mei began but was cut off by Lina.
"The law concerning what's inside his belly and not possessing him? Yeah, I know about the seal, and I think the people here are, for lack of a better word, idiots," she replied, "Don't tell me you think that way."
"Do you really think I would do that?" Mei deadpanned.
"Good," Lina said, "Because I would kill you outright if you didn't."
"And what makes you think you could do that?" Mei asked, a challenging tone in her voice, "You may have the Phoenix Contract, but I'm known as the Mizukage for my skills you know."
"Please do refrain from fighting in my estate, if you will," Hiashi said calmly as the two women simply looked at each other, before Hiashi began again, "There is a dojo in my estate if you wish to spar, however. Please move your discussion there, if you will."
"Sorry, Hiashi-sama," Mei apologized first, "I do not mean to provoke a fight inside your compound."
"My most sincere apologies as well, Hiashi-sama," Lina said as well, bowing down.
"If only Naruto was here…" Hiashi murmured to himself, "Why does he always insist on brining trouble to my household…?"
Meanwhile, Jaina and Naruto were dumped onto a bare plateau as Jaina gasped for air.
"Where is this place?" Jaina asked feebly once she had her breathing under control. Naruto looked around, before creating a few clones.
"I think we're about to find out," Naruto said as a sudden blast of wind disrupted the structure of one of his clones, dispelling it instantly. It was almost followed by nine more blasts, though his clones responded and stopped the air blasts. Then, out of the clouds, lightning roared in tandem with a subsonic scream as a long, sleek body, covered in shining scales, appeared, as the beast moved about in the clouds, before descending.
"Who dares intrude upon our domain?" the beast roared out, revealed to be a dragon, to Jaina and Naruto. Jaina, however, didn't know what it was.
"Naruto… what is that?" she asked fearfully as Naruto looked on, his Rinnegan eyes flashing even as he prepared a Phoenix summoning.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand… that's the end of this chapter! Whoo-hoo! Next, in Naruto Chaos Rising: Chapter 21, The Legendary Beasts!