Naruto Dragon Ascendant

by Freedom Guard

Orochimaru thought that using the seal would disrupt the Kyuubi's chakra and render Naruto weak and helpless in the Forest of Death in the Chuunin Exams...little did he realize that in Naruto lies a dormant power...older than all the Kekkai Genkai. Story is now in the ice box, will thaw it when non Naruto stories are updated to my satisfaction.

6. Chapter 6

Naruto Dragon Ascendant

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related media.

Chapter 5

The Search for a Leader

( ): Thoughts

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Days later…

Konoha was very busy in the rebuilding itself after the invasion of both Suna and Oto, and it was taking a while, gathering the dead and preparing them for burial, rebuilding homes, salvaging materials from =ruined houses for re-use, and also sending out request orders for skilled workers to help with rebuilding the village itself. Thankfully none of the VIPs were harmed and many were able to go back home as well. It was also something of a very solemn occasion as their Hokage, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried in full honors for his deeds and his sacrifice in ensuring that Konoha would not fall.

Many other ninja who died were also given honorary burial and while there were those who sought to avenge themselves by attacking Sound and Sand for this attack, the Council forbade military action as they were not in authority to authorize the attack and doing so would not be a wise move.

So far the village had much to work on in order to be back at full form, however, the fact that manpower was currently in short supply due to their losses, the Konoha Council had no choice but to get every available ninja they could get their hands on, even Genin were now taking on assignments that were normally reserved for Chuunin as many were slain.

However they were thankful that their casualties were not very high, thanks to a certain pair of warriors who were with them. When the ninjas saw Naruto and Fenrix summon the giant tree men, they were shocked, it had already filled the village that Naruto wielded a powerful Kekkai Genkai and had proven to be very more than able to defeat the Byakugan, one of the noble Kekkai Genkai and that was a great feat, and summoning those living tree men was something else entirely.

Many of the people had seen the tree men crush and stomp down on the Sand and Sound forces and even veteran ninja had to admit that the sight was ghastly as the Ents did their work and the forces of the invaders were crushed to literal pulp. To see the trees surrounding their village come to life to fight for Naruto was something they thought they would never be able to see in their lifetimes. That had been a great source of questions on what other powers Naruto had as a result of his Kekkai Genkai and there was the fact that he was head of a new clan.

That had been the talk of the village recently and it had been a source great speculation as well. While there were still those who distrusted or were hostile to Naruto, they no realized that attacking the youth was out of the question, if he could do all that in combat, then any attack they would make would be tantamount to committing suicide.

Others such as Konohamaru however was very happy for his boss and he was eager to see if Naruto could teach him how to do those amazing abilities he had seen before. The grandson of the Third Hokage was very eager to see how powerful he would become and how he could learn and grow to get a chance to face his friend and rival for the office of Hokage someday.

There was also talk of the fact that Naruto was head of the clan and he would need to find others to add to his clan to make it grow and prosper, there were some very serious discussions that were considered somewhat inappropriate by others but there was no stopping it at this moment while construction was going.

The village was going to be under the rule of the Konoha Ninja Council in the absence or rather, the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi and at the moment, they had just recently gotten word that the people of Sand had discovered that their Kazekage was found slain and they had discovered that the killer had been Orochimaru and he had masqueraded as their Kazekage from the start of the whole affair and had deceived them all. This was why they were giving an unconditional surrender and while there were some of the village who wanted them to pay dearly for breaking the alliance, the elders forbade it as they knew that doing so in their current state would be bad news indeed.

Now the Council had to deal with re-construction and hiring both workers from within the Land of Fire and outside of it in order to fix the damage done to it by the invaders and it was going to be a while before things were back to normal.

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In Naruto's new home…

Naruto was busy sparing with his sensei in the art of being a Dragon Ascendant as they were in the training hall of his home/fortress, the two had spent as much time as they could in improving his abilities for combat as well as traveling with Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura when they were sent out on patrol missions. So far there was no mission available that was higher than B-Rank for the moment so he spent as much time as he could with his team so not to get lost in what was happening at the moment.

The blonde ninja had to admit that using the powers he had was a rush and he had asked Sasuke what it felt like to get his Sharingan for the first time, it was somewhat a surprising question for the last Uchiha survivor but he answered that it was not painless but it helped a great deal. That was enough for him as he and the others continued with their missions. It was then that Kakashi brought up the question on how he was feeling on being head of his own Clan.

Naruto couldn't help but blush at that and told them what exactly Fenrix told them and that got a smile out of Kakashi as well as a deep blush from Sakura and even a slight smirk from Sasuke. The Jonin then told Naruto that it was how things started after all for most clans, they needed to be able to grow which was why there was the law of polygamy so they could grow at the right numbers, and then Kakashi asked him does he have any plans to take a wife.

The second the Jonin asked him that question, the blonde shook his head and blushed wildly at the idea of him getting married at so young an age and he made that very plain, much to the utter amusement of his team, even Sasuke couldn't help but find it rather humorous the way Naruto was going at it and blushing as hard as he was at this moment.

As he thought back on his time with the team, he looked at his Dragon Ascendant sensei

"Fenrix-sensei, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What is it you wish to ask me Naruto?"

Naruto knew that this was a very personal question, but he wanted to know something more about his sensei in the ways of the Ascendants.

"Have you….ever fallen in love?"

Fenrix gave a slightly amused expression at that and replied.

'My, that is quite the question Naruto, why are you taking an interesting in my love life?"

"Well, if you don't want to sensei, I guess…."

"No, it's all right. I've been in love before Naruto, I still remember her so long ago, and that was quite a while. Do you want me to tell you who she was?"

Naruto nodded and Fenrix thought back about the past, it was so long ago now, but he remembered it as clear as day.

"I met my beloved when we were just children actually, I wasn't even an Ascendant then, I was just a regular young man, full of dreams, hopes, plans, and always having a loud mouth, causing trouble….kind of like you in a way. In that regard, you could say you remind me of myself so long ago. I was just the simple son of a militia man, and she….well, she was the daughter of a noble."

"I was there training one day when she walked towards me and asked me if I wouldn't mind playing with her. Tamara never got along with other children of nobles, always squabbling and causing all sorts of trouble for their own benefit. I was rather surprised then and thought she was going to get me in trouble…"

"What happened?"

"We became good friends for years, as she grew up, she was more a noble lady to everyone, but with me, she loved to ride on horseback, move through the forests, and live a happy life, I still recall seeing her playing near a river on one of our outings and she would move her hair in the wind and smile happily. She was beautiful Naruto…."

"What happened then?"

Fenrix sighed and replied.

"She was the daughter of a noble family after all, and she was destined to be married off to another, I was devastated to hear of it and so was she, but she had to do it, however, before she left, she told me she would always love me no matter what happened. Weeks after she left, I trained my best to be a strong fighter, and I did so and rose to be one of the best soldiers in the army then, it was after many years that I was told by Tamara's father that he wanted me to go see her in her husband's home. I did and she was still radiantly beautiful, but she was sad and seemingly lost of her usual spark for like as well. Her husband pretended to be a great and caring man, but I learned differently, he was neglectful, wasteful of his inheritance, and he hurt her badly and treated her more like an object than a woman. I felt my blood boil many times over at that and it took so much of my inner will to not cut him down there and then. I gathered all the evidence I could and then returned to her father."

"And?"

"And she was able to leave him….the man was imprisoned after that and I was allowed to be with Tamara, she had suffered a lot, but she endured and we were married, she was afraid I would never want her for what happened to her. But I loved her, and no amount of time could change that and I wanted her more. Those were the best years of our life and I cherished them. But the pain and suffering finally took their toll on her….and she passed away, I lost her…as well as our first born child. I was inconsolable, and I wanted to die so badly, I nearly fell on my own sword."

Naruto was silent and he couldn't help but feel great sympathy for his mentor.

"It was then that I met Valen and he allowed me to see her again in the spirit world, I told her that I was so sorry that I had never been able to tell her how I felt, how I loved her and how foolish I was to have not said it out loud, and she told me that it was all right, she always knew that I loved her, and she would always love me no matter what, and she would watch over me as well, alongside our child in the afterlife. That brought me much peace, more than I ever could imagine, and when I knew that Master Valen was a Dragon King, I became his student….and became a Dragon Ascendant."

"Wow….what happened after that?"

"I spent time seeing other lands, seeing civilizations rise and fall, and more besides, but I learned one thing as I watched others who were in love, and I will teach you what I have learned about love since you asked me about love Naruto, so listen closely to what I have to say."

"Yes sensei!"

"Very well, love is a beautiful thing Naruto, it can make you feel emotions you have never ever felt before and it can be something that you can never really forget, thus no matter how many times you feel it, treasure love because it will be something that can keep you strong in the dark times ahead. Anyway, I think that it's best that we continued with your training, all right?"

Naruto nodded as the two of them continued with their training as they traded punches and strikes at one another as they moved back and forth in the battle ahead of them as they unleashed tongues of either flame, water, earth, air, and lighting at one another in their Elemental Taijutsu training, Naruto's body was healing rapidly and no doubt in Fenrix' mind Naruto would be more than ready for any possible danger.

Hours later….Fenrix stopped the training and decided to teach Naruto a powerful spell that could be very useful to his student.

"Naruto, I am about to teach you a very special power that may very well tip the scales in your favor in a fight."

"What is that Fenrix-sensei?"

"This is called the Elemental Life Force Technique."

"Elemental Life Force Technique?"

Fenrix nodded and decided to show Naruto some information that could help him understand the lesson better.

"There are five key elemental forces in the world, as you already know, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning, each has unique properties that separate one from the others. However, they are still energy and through the use of all five elemental energies, one can heal any injury no matter how grievous, it can also restore youth and vitality if used in the right matter, or even bring a person back to life."

The mention of bringing a dead person back to life was more than enough to get Naruto's attention.

"What?! How?!"

Fenrix knew that would get Naruto's attention right off the bat and he explained carefully to the young man.

"You can divide the human form into the five elements in a shorter term. The body, bones, organs, and flesh can considered as the human form of Earth, the blood, and life fluids can be tied to the human form of Water, the energy that provides the spark of life or the energy of life and movement can be seen as the human version of Lightning, the breath needed to sustain the body can be tied to Air, and lastly the spirit and soul of humans can be attributed to the power of Fire. The Elemental Life Force Technique is transforming all five elemental energies or in this case, chakra and create a pure form of life energy."

"I-I-It can bring then a person back to life?! Can I use it to bring the Old Man back?!"

Fenrix had a feeling Naruto would ask that question and replied.

"In truth, yes, however, the technique used by Sarutobi was summoning and sacrificing his soul to the God of Death and even Dragon Ascendants cannot challenge the God of Death in his own realm. Because Sarutobi used his soul as the bargaining chip, there is nothing this technique can do to bring him back to life due to the pact made to the God of Death."

Naruto was not very happy with the news and Fenrix could see that fact on his student's face and he spoke.

"However, if the person has not made a pact with the God of Death, then they can be brought back to life as their spirits will linger in the boundary world between that of the living and that of the dead and until they are allowed into the realm of the dead, they are not gone, and by using this technique, they can indeed be brought back to life. I will show you what I mean in a moment."

Fenrix then stood up and began to use a spell and there before Naruto appeared a table with a sheath and then Fenrix removed the sheath….to reveal a certain female ninja who died.

"Wait a minute! I recognize her as one of the Sound Genin, what is she doing here?!"

"She was used as a sacrifice by Orochimaru for a powerful jutsu to bring one of the former Hokage back to life to fight Sarutobi. Orochimaru used her like a pawn and this was the result, by all rights she should be dead, but I doubt that, while she had physically died, her spirit still lingers and has not passed the judgment on whether she is to be sent in the dark pits or to the divine planes. She currently is a ghost, so to speak though she has not gathered the needed power to manifest here in the realm of the living."

Naruto was still surprised to be seeing the dead body of Kin, the Sound Kunoichi who he had met long ago in the class room where the first half of the Chuunin Exams had taken place, she seemed to have been cleaned up and appeared to be very much normal, except for the grey skin tone. He then turned to Fenrix and wondered what he was going to do.

He didn't have to wait long as Fenrix allowed his tattoos to appear and they all glowed and then before the younger Dragon Ascendant's eyes the senior Ascendant began to summon five spheres of energy, one was deep red like a ruby and then it burst into fire, the next globe was as blue as water and seemed to had droplets of water flowing all around it, another sphere was as brown as the earth, mixed with a healthy green and there were clumps of soil flowing around the sphere, another was deep yellow and had arcs of energy racing on the surface, Fenrix then focused his powers and then the five sphere began to turn into a deep white glow and became glowing spheres of energy and then they all merged into one glowing mass that nearly blinded Naruto, there was so much energy in that sphere that he was amazed his sensei could even control it all. Fenrix then moved the sphere to Kin's body and then pushed into the lifeless corpse of the Sound Kunoichi.

Naruto watched in amazement as the once grey skin of the corpse began to take a healthy pink shade, and it seemed that the life came back to all of her body and to his still present amazement, the formerly dead female ninja from Sound opened her eyes. As Fenrix completely imbued the sphere into her body, he stepped back and it was not long before Kin began to speak.

"W-W-What….where….?"

Kin tried to get up and she felt a rising panic as instead of being below a sky, she was looking at a roof of stone and she felt as if something had just rushed into her, she tried to move her hands and felt them move to her astonishment, she slowly got up to sit and look about, seeing the walls of the fortress mansion under Naruto's ownership and then spotted both Naruto and Fenrix, she began to panic a bit and tried to reach for her weapons but Fenrix spoke to her at that instant.

"It would be best that you calm yourself Kin Tsuchi, you have just been resurrected from the land of the dead."

"What?!"

The Sound Kunoichi was naturally confused by this as Fenrix expected as Naruto looked on in awe as he hoped to learn just how did his sensei do that. Fenrix managed to learn the details from the ANBU Captain on how Kin had been sacrificed when they found her body and he was angered that there was someone like Orochimaru willing to do such things in this world, the rogue Ascendants who used their powers for darker purposes were worse of course, but this was still very much something that arose his ire.

"You were betrayed by your Master Orochimaru and used as a sacrifice to bring to life one of the former Hokage of Konoha who had died, in effect you were used as a pawn by Orochimaru and left to die, do you remember anything now.

The memories came flooding back into her mind at that exact moment as she recalled the time she and Zaku had been brought into the chamber with the bodies of the Hokages being there and then they were hit by the Jutsu that Orochimaru had prepared to use and then all they recalled was blinding pain that burned through them and then everlasting darkness. As she thought back on the feelings of being dead, Kin shuddered and felt as if she was going to throw up, she had hoped to be of some help to her Master in conquering Konoha and also be able to return home and boast about her accomplishments, instead she was killed by her own master and left to rot.

"That is not the only time however, your master had also used a Cursed Seal on Sasuke before you and your team had come to face him in combat, he wanted to see Sasuke in action witht hat seal and you were going to die fighting him. You were knocked unconscious and therefore was not aware of this but that is the truth."

Kin sat down and began to digest all she had been told and then she looked at both Naruto and Fenrix and spoke.

"What are you going to do to me now?"

Fenrix then spoke.

"You have been given a new life Kin Tsuchi of Sound Village, and for once, you are free to decide your fate and your decisions are your own. You may decide to return to Sound if that is your desire, if not then you are free to leave this place and I will guide you out of Konoha under my protection."

Kin looked at her hands and thought back on what had happened to her after she had been duped by her former master Orochimaru, she thought that her life meant something, but she had been used by Orochimaru and killed without any form of mercy, even though the life she had in Sound was hard, she had hoped to be able to live long enough to see many things, Orochimaru took that away from her without any hesitation as she was nothing but a pawn to him.

But now….she had been given back her life by this man and she was given freedom to decide for herself, what her fate would be in the future, something that she had never thought about or taken seriously, until now. She felt her heart beat, her lungs take in air, and her mind think and more, she smelled the air, listened to all sounds, and even looked intently at everything.

She thought long over this and as soon as she was finished with her thoughts, she then decided to give her decision on what she was going to do from here on out, she was not going back to Sound any time soon, she was already considered dead by everyone there to begin with, there was nothing and no one waiting back there for her and she was not in the mood to see Orochimaru again or anyone in Sound for that matter.

"I want to stay…."

"Here in Konoha?"

"Not in Konoha….here….in this place."

Fenrix thought it over and then saw that Kin was serious in her desire to remain here in this fortress mansion and then he spoke.

"Then you have made your own decision, you should know that this place is the home of the new Clan of Konoha known as the Uzumaki Clan and therefore you can choose to be adopted or to be married into it and be accepted and be under it's protection."

Kin then blushed at that idea and then she asked something important, at least to her mind and thought.

"I prefer to be adopted for now. Marriage isn't on my mind at the moment."

Fenrix nodded and turned to Naruto.

"Kin has asked to be adopted into your Clan Naruto, as head of the Clan it is your decision to allow her to be adopted into your Clan."

Naruto had to admit that this was a very new and serious situation, he knew that now as head of his own clan he had the power and authority to accept or reject Kin into his clan and therefore leave her to the mercies of the village of Konoha, there was no doubt in his mind that as soon as she was discovered, she would be arrested or worse by Konoha, besides, it seemed that Kin sounded sincere about her desire never to go back to Sound and he decided to give her a chance.

"I accept."

Fenrix smiled and Kin felt a feeling of relief at Naruto's decision.

As soon as that was done, Fenrix began to teach Naruto several other skills in Elemental Manipulation while Kin watched and she watched as Naruto began to learn the Elemental Life Force Technique, though he used his own variation of the move, normally cynics would say that kin would no doubt escape and return to Sound and report to Orochimaru all she had seen, and there was truth in that belief, if Orochimaru found out about Naruto's new found powers and his potential, then he would seek out Naruto as well as Sasuke, with the power of a Dragon Ascendant and the Sharingan, Orochimaru would unstoppable, but Kin was not going to do so, they had given her back her life and she was not going to betray that trust.

In the training Fenrix then taught Naruto another powerful yet rarely used technique, and that was the Body Recreation and Resurrection Technique, this was following the same principles as that of the Elemental Life Force technique, but instead of breathing life back into a recently deceased person, this required the Ascendant to use the five elements to actually create a living body and then imbuing it with a living soul to make it come to life. Essentially it was somewhat similar to the Impure World Resurrection Techniques used by Orochimaru, but it was different as it required no sacrifice in terms of using a living person to form the body of the soul now does it need ash and dirt to form the original body of the soul and required no seal to restire the appearance of the deceased, instead it created a purely new body for the soul to inhabit and then mold into the same likeness the soul had in life in it's original body. And in effect the body is not a fake but an exact living and breathing person complete with all the powers and memories of their past lives, however, in order to be more effective Naruto had to travel into the spirit realm and petition a being known as the Watcher to allow a soul to be returned to the realm of the living and then Naruto would need to fuse the soul into the newly created body. The newly resurrected person is also subject to a second death as they are not immortal though they will have a slightly longer life span than most mortal living beings.

Another weakness is that in order to do both the creation of the body itself from the elements and then entering the realm of the dead as well as petitioning for the return of the soul, Naruto must have his powers at a certain level of maturity, he could achieve it in his current level, but it would require a greater deal of power and the only way he could possibly overcome that limit is to remove his restraining bracers while in the realm of the dead, but Fenrix warned him not to attempt it without a good enough reason, for doing so would severely weaken him and it would take months or even years to fully recover, this technique is only done by much more skilled and experienced Ascendants but even so they would be severely drained. Only Dragons or Dragon Kings could do it without any strain.

And the final weakness was the petitioning of the soul's return to the realm of the living from the Watcher, the longer the soul has remained in the spirit realm either in heaven or in hell depending on their nature, then the more demanding the technique will be to accomplish. Fenrix warned Naruto of this as well and Naruto vowed to use it only as a last resort or when the situation really called for it.

As soon as the training was over, they were having their meal break when they were greeted by Jiraiya, who had used the special stone that Fenrix had made; the fortress was imbued with a special locking mechanism that would keep others out if they didn't have a special stone that acted as a recognition and opening device. He had given one to Jiraiya and planed to make a few more for the rest of the people he would allow to be in the fortress.

As Naruto was greeted by Jiraiya, he filled them in on why he was there, apparently he had been given the task to go and look for Tsunade, one of the three Sannin and ask her to take the place of Hokage here in the village, he had been originally given the position but he turned it down saying that he was not really the kind of guy to be in the position of Hokage, plus he admitted that he was not really the kind of guy to be tied down that much.

Naruto had a feeling that Jiraiya was more interested in being the Perverted Old man that he was and wondered why he was telling him this of all things. It was then that Jiraiya had told him that he was supposed to be escorted in the mission by a number of Jonin by the Council but he turned them down and decided to take him along.

Needless to say, Naruto was far from interested in the idea and it was only with the offering to learn another useful jutsu that could give him a much needed combat edge when his Dragon Ascendant powers could not be used that finally convinced Naruto to get ready and join along.

Jiraiya then said he would wait at the gate for him once he got his gear and supplies ready and Naruto went to work gathering all that he could as he was told by Fenrix to meet him in the Creation Hall before he left with Jiraiya, Fenrix also asked Kin accompany him to the Creation Hall in order for her to learn how to earn her keep in the new home that she had to live it, it would be far more preferable if Kin was able to learn a trade in order to help with the maintenance of the fortress and he would teach her how to be a good and productive member of the Clan that she was now adopted into.

As soon as they were in the Creation Hall, Kin was awed by what she was seeing and quickly realized that she could learn much from this place while she was here, and Fenrix gave her some warm food to eat to help her build her strength and energy as she had been brought back to life and therefore needed to sustain her food like a normal person.

Fenrix was a master forger and what would have taken weeks to months or even years, he could do in hours. It was then that Naruto showed up and he was all ready packed and ready to move out on the mission with Jiraiya.

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In the Creation Hall…

Naruto held the weapon in his hands and marveled at this weapon, it was a long handle and on the ends were two double edged blades at the length of at least three feet each and was made from specially enchanted and high quality steel, the two blades were well made and balanced and following the instructions of his Dragon Ascendant sensei, the blades quickly retracted into the handle and he looked at the seemingly bladeless weapon and pressed it again and the blades came back out.

"Like your present?"

"Yes!"

"Good, this weapon emphasizes the lesson that I will teach you once you return from looking for this Tsunade who shall be the new Hokage."

"What do you mean?"

"This twin bladed weapon symbolizes the need for control. When you attempt to use two Elements, you must learn to work their natures into a cohesive combination without one overwhelming the other, if there is no control, then the elements will clash and disrupt one another, and your ability as a fighter in combat will naturally suffer as a result. To drive the point home to you…those two blades were specially made be able to injure you."

"What?!"

Naruto was shocked to hear that and Fenrix replied.

"It will not kill you of course, but send light pain through your body while not cutting you, when you train with this weapon, you must use it as a staff weapon and that is where control must be learned Naruto, as you must be able to defend and strike with enough power and control. If you attack with two much power, then the other blade will injure you, and you lose control. Once you master both control and power, you can attack and defend in equal measure, and then you can learn to use two elements in unison. That is what this weapon will show you."

Naruto began to understand the idea, though not entirely at the moment as he took the weapon and he asked Fenrix the question that had been plaguing him ever since he got the weapon.

"Aren't you coming with me Fenrix-sensei?"

Fenrix shook his head and explained his reasons.

"You are a Clan head now and as your advisor as well as your teacher and guardian, I have to remain here to defend your land, home and name, you have matured enough to merit going out on your own and learning on your own for a while, and Jiraiya has asked me to allow him to train you in a special jutsu that you might find useful in the near future."

"As much as you need to learn the ways of the Ascendants to master your powers, you must also learn the ways of ninjas as you should before your powers awakened. Your defeat of Gaara when you two fought has proven to me than you can handle yourself for now until you return and require more instruction from me, there is only so much you can learn from these walls of the Training Hall after all, true knowledge and wisdom are gained as well as given."

"Besides, all the training and lessons I give you will not be effective if you are not using them in the real world for it is in the real world where your training, knowledge and experience can be put to the test."

Fenrix then took out a small gemstone necklace and handed it to his student and as Naruto looked at the necklace, he spotted that Fenrix wore the very same necklace of his neck..

"However, I will not be far, this is a Recall Stone and if you are in need of my help or are in true danger, then this Recall Stone will cast a teleportation spell and I will be there to aid you in whatever you need done. I have faith in you and your growth as both an Ascendant and Ninja Naruto and that is why you will do well here."

Naruto smiled and bowed to Fenrix.

"I will not disappoint you or everyone in Konoha; I will bring Tsunade back to be our new Hokage."

Fenrix nodded and bowed back to Naruto.

As soon as that was over, Naruto walked out of the hall and was met by Jiraiya himself who was smiling at him and the two headed off to find Tsunade, who Fenrix was already familiar with due to the fact that he had been informed on just who Tsunade was by chatting with both Jiraiya and Hiruzen. As Naruto gathered his supplies and money, he moved out and left his fortress home and headed off to the gates of Konoha where Jiraiya was already waiting for him.

As the two left Naruto hoped to head back home soon after learning this new jutsu Jiraiya promised and also being able to help in rebuilding his home of Konoha as well as building his clan, though he had no idea just how he was going to find a wife in order to get his clan started out.

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Little did Naruto realize that as soon as he got home, things were going to get VERY interesting for him as only half a day after he leaves…

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In the Hyuuga estate…

Hiashi had thought over his decision concerning the fact that there was a new clan, led by none other than the one commanded by Naruto Uzumaki. The elder of head of the Hyuuga family knew that his decision would change the future of the Hyuuga clan, and also someone close to him, the fact that this was by far the best way for his clan to grow, while Naruto's clan was new, it held a great deal of power and ability. It was something that no one could afford to ignore, let alone him. Naruto's clan was only starting out, but the power and ability that Naruto displayed in combat both in the Chuunin Exams and in the battle with the combined forces of Suna and Oto told him that if given time, the clan could rise to great stature.

And as clan head of the Hyuuga, there was a lot for him and the clan to gain, both in terms of alliance, and in terms of strength. Of course Hiashi also thought of other things as well that involved his decision concerning his eldest daughter…

"You sent for me father?"

Hiashi turned and saw his daughter Hinata who was there before him in perfect health. While he acted coldly towards her and had all but kicked her out, there was reason for his actions. He knew Hinata had the talent and skill to be a great ninja and user of the Byakugan despite what others including Neji might believe, the flaw was that Hinata lacked two things, confidence in herself and her abilities, and the desire to succeed and improve, things that Hiashi knew were very important for a leader of a clan.

That was why he pushed Hinata away, not because she was worthless, but she didn't fight for her true worth and make herself stronger, yes she trained herself harder, but without the will to succeed and fight for herself and her comrades and to accomplish the mission to the best of her abilities, it would all be for nothing. Hinata had fought with Neji who had been easily beaten by Naruto with his Kekkai Genkai and he knew how much of an influence Naruto had on Hinata. While he didn't interfere with her life, Hiashi did keep tabs on his daughter to see if she had gathered the courage to stand for herself, it was when she was supported by Naruto that she began to grow stronger in her abilities and her confidence, signs that while it was still early, there was a chance that Hinata would be finally able to push herself to be better. And now it was time to surprise her.

"Yes, we have some other guests coming so I would like you to remain here for a while."

Hinata nodded and then in arrived Kurenai, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino as well as Neji and Hanabi…as everyone gathered and sat before him, Hiashi thought through his plans and decided to speak.

"Hinata, you will need to be ready to leave your team for the time being."

"Father?"

Hinata was surprised and so were the others, including Kiba and Akamaru, Kurenai was very curious about all this and wondered just what was Hiashi planning, while he was Hinata's father, she was Hinata's adopted mother after her real mother died and while she knew that she had no authority here, she did have the right to speak.

"Hiashi-sensei, I would like to know the reason as to why Hinata must leave the team?"

Hiashi looked at Kurenai and replied.

"There is a reason for it, Hinata will have to get ready to be married."

Hinata gasped.

"M-M-Married?!"

"Yes, as heiress to the Clan, you have to be ready to be married to a prominent member of society to continue the Hyuuga Clan, which is why you will need to leave your team for the time being so you can meet your soon to be husband and he will be able to meet you as well. This will take effect tomorrow and when it does, you will need to leave your team."

Hinata tried her best not to cry, she had hoped to continue becoming a ninja for her team and impress Naruto and maybe tell him her feelings of love towards him. But now it seemed that she was going to be denied this chance for the rest of her life…being married to another hurt her like a kunai to the leg but she knew as heiress of the Hyuuga Clan she had to do her duty.

Kurenai could tell that Hinata was trying her best not to cry and as much as she wanted to comfort Hinata and help her, there was no chance of doing so, she was not of the Clan and this was not her business after all, Hiashi was head of the clan and he had final say.

The same could be said for Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino, the two ninja were not liking this situation a great deal but they knew they could do nothing at the moment.

Hiashi was perceptive of his daughter's state and knew that now was the time to speak when she spoke her turn as well. Hanabi was also very curious what was going to happen now at this point. And the same could be said for Neji as he was curious as to why he was involved in this situation at the moment.

Hinata gathered her courage and spoke.

"Who is it that I am marrying Father? I wish to know who he is at least."

Hiashi smiled and that was enough to surprise everyone in the room and he replied.

"You know him very well Hinata, in fact, he was then one who inspired you to train harder and even inspired you to fight Neji as well. And I know for a fact that you've had a deep admiration and affection for him when you first met him."

It only took a second for the group to get the message on who Hinata was marrying and the Hyuuga heiress began to blush wildly and it took a moment or two for her to finally find the words that she had thought.

"I…I…I'm going to…m-m-marry Naruto-kun?"

Hiashi nodded and spoke.

"Yes, however, it is entirely up to both Naruto and Fenrix himself, as the senior warrior is Naruto's advisor and retainer as well as teacher in the use of his Kekkai Genkai and personal body guard and as I have stated as Naruto is head of his clan, he decides. I have already sent a request to meet him in order to ask that he and Naruto consider you as his wife in leading the clan that he is now the head of, so do your best to prove that you can be part of his clan, and I have no doubts you will do well Hinata."

Hinata felt like she was going to faint dead away, of all the things she had expected to happen, this was not one of them, but she dared not faint in front of her father and her sister, it was embarrassing enough already.

Hiashi could tell from the blush on his daughter's face that she was in heaven, and despite his stern and focused demeanor, he couldn't help but show a slight smile and then spoke.

"Hinata, I would like to point out that since Naruto is the head of the clan and is very much a desirable person now in terms of the marriage market, you may have to contend with the fact that you will not be the only one seeking to be his wife and as you are aware that since he is allowed to have more than one wife to build his clan's numbers, you may have to be a co-wife if it comes to that. Do you understand me Hinata?"

Hinata, still blushing bright red nodded and then as the meeting was over, Hinata and the others were left in the house as Hiashi had to go and make some arrangements. As soon as her father was out of sight…

"I-I-I'm going to marry…N-N-Naruto-kun…."

Hinata fainted…

Kurenai knew that from here on out, she would have to work hard in helping Hinata deal with the fact that she was about to have her dream come true, she was doing to be married to Naruto, she couldn't help but feel happy for Hinata. The Jonin decided to do her best in order make sure that Hinata was ready in dealing with being with the fact that she was going to be married to her long time crush.

Neji had a feeling that the news of her being able to marry Naruto with her father's approval was sending his cousin to heaven. He was actually very curious how this would play out, but he would have a few words with Naruto concerning Hinata.

Kiba couldn't help but feel very curious how this would turn out, Hinata always blushes to the point of being able to match the color of a tomato when Naruto was around and when he would speak to her on occasion. He always enjoyed teasing her and now he was going to have a field day with this.

And Shino, the youngest member of the Aburame Clan couldn't help but look at Hinata's fainted form with some level of interest, he had always been a good supporter of Hinata and the fact that Hinata was getting her greatest wish right now, he was curious as to how Hinata would feel as soon as she and Naruto tied the knot.

As for Hinata…she was currently a field day in her mind on picturing how things were going to go as soon as she and Naruto were married and when they were alone…she couldn't help but feel even more joy in her heart, her greatest dreams and deepest fantasies were coming true!!!

--------

In the Inuzuka household…

Tsume was busy checking on the injuries of their dog summons as well as busy reading the reports of the recovery of the village, while she had no patience with such politics and reports, she was a Jonin and head of the Inuzuka clan and had to be up to date with the latest happening within the village and the results of the battle. It had galled the matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan had attacked the village, but with the peace treaty reaffirmed, there was a chance to catch their breath.

As she read the reports handed to the other Jonin she read the report on Naruto Uzumaki's performance in battle. She had to admit that the boy's abilities had proven impressive and was a great sign that with more training, the boy could very well be a powerful asset to the village. She smiled at that and decided to take a good look on how things were for the rest of her family. Kiba was back and training with Akamaru while Hana was back to work in the veterinarian clinic and they were working hard at the moment though Kiba was currently with his team as they had been called to the Hyuuga estate.

As she finished her reading on the reports and seeing that her summon was healed, she thought over on something important. She knew that since Naruto was head of a new clan and a clan with exceptional power and ability at that. She was aware of the fact that sooner or later, Naruto would need a mate to rule the clan with him. Tsume had a feeling that things would be very interesting in the village in a matter of weeks and decided to see if marrying into the clan that Naruto ruled would be possible. She knew already of who could be the one to handle that part.

Her daughter Hana, Hana was by far a skilled member of their clan and also not as fierce as compared to her or Kiba, something that was surprising by many other people's standards, considering herself and Kiba. Tsume might be a fierce and strong fighter, tough and unyielding as well, but she cared deeply for her family and the one thing she wanted for both Hana and Kiba was that they would be able to be happy and keep the clan safe. Hana would be a good candidate to join Naruto's clan, but she knew it would not be easy, she would have to speak to her daughter about the matter and see if she agrees with the idea, and no doubt Kiba needed to be informed of the decision as well. Tsume knew that forcing her daughter to marry was an option but she was not that kind of person, she cared deeply for her family and forcing them was only as a last resort option, Hana might be gentler compared to her and Kiba, but she was as fierce as well and needed to be told properly what her options were. It was up to Naruto to say yes or no after all, as head of his clan, he had final say on the matter.

Kiba and Naruto, as far as she knew were almost the same, they were loud, passionate, and very confident of each other's abilities, the way the two would act if they were brothers in law was going to be something that was going to make her laugh. It was then that she heard the arrival of Kiba, Akamaru, and Hana as well as Hana's Nin dogs.

"Mom! We're home!"

As Kiba arrived and got off his jacket and placed it aside and Hana went to the kitchen to make some food for them to eat, Tsume nodded and gave both her son and daughter a smile. It did her heart good that her family was still together, though she had no husband to help raise her children.

Tsume was young when she was with her lover and when he left….no doubt being unable to handle her aggressiveness, which was not limited to the battlefield of course. It was hard to raise both Hana and Kiba when he was born, but being a tough woman on and off the battle field, Tsume did her best and both her children didn't disappoint her, though Kiba did at first. Her son however grew to be a good ninja and Akamaru, and Hana was no slouch either as she had proven in the battle with both Sound and Sand..

As the diner was finished, she decided to bring the subject to the table after asking how Hinata was doing.

"So Kiba, what's been happening with Hinata recently?"

Kiba sighed as he ate the meat stew that his sister made, his sister was not that much of a cook in some respects, but she got by fine in his mind and wondered when she would get hitched, in some respects she would do well with a boy friend though he never said that out loudly. Hana was a good enough cook and was gentler than their mom, though her ability on matters that were not in the battle field or in veterinary medicine wasn't really that good either….yet another thing he would never say out loud, especially in front of her.

"She has to leave our team for a while; her father's asking her to get married."

"Really?"

Both Hana and Tsume were surprised by this revelation, Hinata would sometimes visit their home, bringing a treat for the Nin dogs and for Akamaru as well, something that the Inuzuka women found very nice and they were very friendly with Hinata, and not just because she was the heiress to the Hyuuga Clan.

"Yeah….the funny thing is, Hinata's going to love it."

Kiba chuckled at the memories and that surprised both Tsume and Hana and he replied.

"You know about Naruto being the head of his own Clan? Well it seemed that Hiashi-sama suggested that Hinata should marry him to make their clan aligned with Naruto's own clan and become stronger, at first Hinata thought that she was going to marry someone else, but when she found out about the fact that she was going to marry Naruto, she blushed an even deeper shade of red than before. After her dad left, she fainted, me and Shino had a heck of a time waking her up, and she was still happy to the core.

Hana smiled at that, she too was aware of Hinata's deep affections for Naruto and to know that she was getting married to her long time crush was something that must have really made her happy.

"That's good news, Hinata must be really happy with the news."

"I see….well then, I have some news of my own as well….and what you just told me will make this a lot easier to say, I just hope you two are ready for this."

Both Hana and Kiba were curious as to what was it that their mother was going to tell them and then Tsume spoke.

"Hana, I was thinking about how come you have not found a boy friend yet."

Hana blushed at that and spoke to her mother.

"I….well, I haven't gotten that far yet."

"I noticed, and frankly I am very curious about that and somewhat worried."

"Why?"

Tsume decided to be both serious and humorous at the same time; this was too good a chance to miss for some laughs.

"For one thing, you are certainly an attractive sort and it surprises me no male comes here to talk about asking you out or ask my permission, and as a mother that worries me, are you by any chance not intimately interested in men?"

Hana blushed bright red as she was quick to understand the hidden meaning of the question. Kiba was wondering what that meant as he was not that sure what his mom was referring to.

"Mother! I don't think of other women like that! I do like men, it's just finding the right one that is the problem, there aren't that many prospects and I have so many duties in the clinic to have the time to look for a boy friend."

Kiba then spoke.

"Besides that mom, they would have to be able to be seen as a good guy, and I for one am not going to let some idiot be the one who's going to be my sister's other half."

Akamaru barked in agreement with Kiba and that served to amuse Hana as well as Tsume.

"Thanks little brother, but still, I want to know why you are so curious mom?"

"I'm your mother Hana, I at least deserve to know how your life is and one thing I want apart from seeing you two as strong members of our family is for you two to be happy, Hana, you're already in the age to be out with a young man, I'm really curious on how it would be when you find a man worthy of your time."

Hana wondered what brought this on in her mother and it was enough for Tsume to finally drop the bomb on the two children she had. She had been able to figure that allowing the Inuzuka Clan to grow stronger through alliances. Besides, this could actually work out in the long run as she knew that despite her slight lack of domestic skills, Hana could learn well enough on her own.

"I recently decided to think about the news that Naruto Uzumaki is head of his own clan, and I had gotten into thinking about that."

This got the attention of Hana and Kiba as Tsume then spoke seriously.

"I plan to send forward Hana's name to the Council of Konoha to allow her to try and marry into Naruto's clan, of course it will not be easy, and it would seem that Hana will have to compete with Hinata in order to be allowed the chance to marry Naruto and be part of the new clan growing here in Konoha. "

Kiba looked at his mother with wide eyes and he looked like he had just been sucker punched while Hana was flabbergasted at the news that she had just been given at this moment by her own mother, however she was not going to be silent for long as she spoke.

"Mother! You can't be serious about this!!! Naruto is supposed to be the same age as Kiba!!! I'm too old to be married to someone as young as him Mother….it's…not right!"

"I know, but from what I learned, he is a lot different than when he was still a kid, I can bet you would have a lot of fun with him, besides, from what I've heard from the others, he is already going to become prime material, besides, he's certainly not looking like a young kid anymore."

"But…"

"Now Hana, that is my decision, though that is up to Naruto and his guardian Fenrix if they will allow it."

Kiba's reaction to the news that his sister was going to be married to Naruto was fairly straight forward…since he did exactly the same thing Hinata had done previously.

He fainted…

Akamaru tried to bring his master out of his unconscious state, the puppy knowing full well that his master was going to blow a gasket when he woke up.

Hana on the other hand was still blushing like mad, trying to figure out what had prompted her mother to suggest that she get married of all things….as for Tsume, she was laughing, she never had this much fun in years!

--------

In the Village of Sand…

The interim Village Council of Suna was busy recalling the need to be able to repair their alliance with Konoha after the fighting between their forces. Though Konoha had been weakened, the Council knew that they were at a disadvantage with the fact that the people of their village had not only suffered major losses, but had been duped by Orochimaru and their leader was dead, as it stood, they had to do their best to mend their alliance with Konoha to avoid a possible war, while they did have good ninja, they didn't have the numbers advantage that the forces of Konoha had over them.

"We have to make some needed preparations on how to make sure that we given enough proof to Konoha to prove our sincerity in fixing our alliance with them."

One Council member then spoke.

"I still find it hard to believe that they had beaten us, exactly what went wrong?"

"You still wanted the plan made by that back stabbing Orochimaru to succeed, knowing full well that he had tricked us into attacking our allies?"

"Of course not….it just does not make any sense to me how someone of Gaara's abilities….and unique power was defeated in the battle. Was there any sign of how he was defeated?"

As the reports were handed to them, they could tell that Orochimaru had really fooled them that Konoha was weak and complacent, true they had surprised Konoha, but they were quickly beaten back in full force and then they reached the report that highlighted the defeat of Gaara.

"It seems that Gaara was defeated by one named Naruto Uzumaki."

"He defeated Gaara?"

"Yes, Temari was there to witness the battle and she said that Naruto was able to use all five elemental chakras to fight Gaara. Apparently he was able to change elemental affinities with ease, allowing him to adapt to the foe he is fighting."

"Are you saying that this Naruto Uzumaki was able to use all FIVE elemental chakras and could use them in any order he wishes?! That is impossible!!"

"Baki' report said otherwise, in his battle with on Hyuuga Neji of the Hyuuga Clan, this Naruto was able to switch elemental chakras with shocking ease and unleash all the elements. He was even able to use Kage Bushin create a force of various elemental chakra wielding Kage Bushin to deadly effect, he used that same style of attack on Gaara….only with over twenty five Kage Bushin in combat. And with each having a different elemental chakra type that he unleashed, Gaara was nearly killed by this lone ninja. He was even able to unleash a thousand Kage Bushin in combat with Gaara though they were not able to use the elements"

"One thousand Kage Bushin?! No ninja could produce that many Kage Bushin!!! That is just impossible!!!"

"No, Temari herself saw this event when she was there watching the fight. This Naruto Uzumaki soundly defeated Gaara and nearly killed Gaara in combat, something all of us never thought was possible."

That was true, ever since Gaara wielded the Shukaku in battle, no one in Suna thought anyone could defeat the young ninja of theirs, but that was proven false, not only was Gaara soundly defeated, but he was nearly slain, something that was considered impossible by all in the Council.

"How much do we know of this Naruto Uzumaki?"

One of the Council took out a much needed file from a folder and there was Naruto's recent data and the previous data from before when he had taken the Chuunin Exams in the first half. They also had all the data that they had concerning his abilities during the Chuunin exams as well as before and after he became a Genin.

"Naruto Uzumaki was born an orphan, had been isolated and raised under the watch of the late Hokage, there are no records of his parents, he is shown to have not very good scores in the Academy and apparently had failed the Graduation exams of the Konoha Academy at least three times. However he was rumored to have mastered an A-Rank Jutsu which is the Kage Bushin No Jutsu and was allowed to graduate as a Genin from the Academy. His Team mates are Sakura Haruno and the last of the surviving Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha and their Jonin sensei is none other than the Copycat Ninja of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake. He is rumored to be the worst student that the Konoha Academy had and even is considered be something a class clown. However, he is looked upon favorably by the former Third Hokage before his death along with several other ninja."

"Class Clown and the worst student?! He mastered an A-Rank Jutsu before he was given the rank of Genin, and the fact is that as far as I am aware, no Genin has been able to accomplish that yet, even Gaara and his siblings have never mastered a Jutsu like that before! Doesn't that state that there is more to this young man than what is stated?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Obviously they had been keeping this young man a secret from all of us. Think about it, why reveal that you have a boy in your village with such a powerful Kekkai Genkai as his? Unless you reveal it during a special event such as the Chuunin Exams to show their strength and the fact that they had this ace in the hole with them, they must have forged his Academy records to make seem like he was weak and ordinary, but then the time came for him to unleash his true power, he did so in the Chuunin Exams and then in the battle between his village and with both us and Sound. If these are to be of any indication….he could very well become the next Yellow Flash or even surpass the Yellow Flash!!!"

"Aren't you overreacting to this a bit?"

"I am not! If this Naruto could control all five elements and summon these many Kage Bushin and display enough to power to not only defeat Gaara but nearly kill him shows that he is no ordinary force to be reckoned with! The fact that he could be able to summon Toads is also a sign that we cannot ignore this, according to Temari's report of the battle, when Gaara transformed into the Shukaku, Naruto was able to summon the largest toad she had ever seen and the toad wore a jacket, a long dagger, and a pipe with a scar on the face as well as all over his body. I don't need to say who this toad is since we all know him, and to also throw more fuel in the fire, he had just gone with none other than the Sannin Jiraiya to look for Tsunade! And we know that Jiraiya had trained the Yellow Flash in his youth, and if he is going to train Naruto who has this Kekkai Genkai, then this Naruto could very well be a warrior who can crush anyone who is an enemy of Konoha. If he has that power now, imagine how he would be as a full grown adult ninja!!!!"

The others were silenced by this, they all knew the Fourth Hokage or Konoha's Yellow Flash, who was one of the most skilled, feared and respected shinobi to have ever stepped out of the village of Konoha, even among allied ninja villages, the name brought both fear and awe in the people who heard it. The thought of this boy becoming more powerful than the Yellow Flash was a very disturbing thought and if Konoha decided to attack them in retaliation for breaking the alliance, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves from the onslaught. If this boy could already summon Gamabunta of all things in a battle and Jiraiya was training him, then there was no telling how much of a powerhouse of a ninja they would be fighting against.

One elderly council member than spoke seriously to the rest of his fellow Council members.

"This is very disturbing news, to know that such a ninja like him exists now and is being groomed by both Jiraiya and Kakashi, this could spell the end for us all if Konoha went to war with us. We have to prove to them that we are willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen the alliance with them."

"You are right, we have already made restitutions to repair the damage our forces inflicted on their village, but what else can you suggest?"

"I know of one move than give us a chance and be helpful for all of us, I have recently learned that he is head of his own clan, but he is the first only of his clan and therefore, he would need a wife to rule his clan."

"Are you suggesting we send one of our own female ninja to be part of this clan of his?"

"Yes, it would be very beneficial for all of us, this can prove that we are sincere in maintaining our alliance with them and in turn with the marriage we can at least be assured that the bond between our villages is much stronger than before."

The Council had to admit that it was a fairly good idea, if one of their female ninja was married to Naruto Uzumaki, it would ensure that they would be under his protection and also ensure that the alliance between their village and Konoha would a be a lot stronger than before. It was finding a suitable candidate that would prove a problem as names of viable female ninja were being tested and a good number didn't exactly make the grade.

It was then however that Temari's name came up, and the second that happened, that started another round of discussion.

"We can't possibly hand over Temari, she is our strongest Genin here in the whole of the village, second to her brother Gaara, and she is the daughter of our late Kage."

"I know, but since she is the daughter of our Kage and is the eldest, she is a good candidate for this and they would accept our pledge to strengthen ties with them."

"What you are suggesting is a mistake! We need a peace treaty with Konoha, we cannot just hand them over one of our best ninja and let them have a powerful family of ninjas!"

"Listen and think this through, if they accept then they would know we are serious, and when that happens, the fact will remain that the clan would have family here in Suna, and that would make it hard for them to attack this village, and if they do have powerful ninja, which I have no doubt they will, the ninja could be Hokage and with the fact that they have ties with Suna, then we could rest easier knowing that the Uzumaki Clan will defend our village if it is in grave danger as they will see this as their own home as well."

The others had to admit that the reasoning was fairly solid in that regard.

--------

As for the blonde Kunoichi in question, she didn't exactly take the news lightly…

Temari was very much in a furious mood but despite her temper she didn't attack Baki who had delivered the news. She had just gotten back days after the battle with Konoha and now just when things were getting back in order after learning of their father's death by Orochimaru's hands, this news came up to bite her by the neck.

"I'm supposed to WHAT?!"

Baki knew that this was going to be a problem as despite Temari's desire for peace and her reluctance to fight Konoha, she was not someone to cross and while he was a Jonin, Temari was one of the strongest Genin in the village, seconded by Kankurou and surpassed by Gaara himself. At this moment, the Jonin wished he had better news as while he understood the direction and reason behind the decision of the Council, he would have hoped that it had been planned out a bit more instead of being rushed. But he had to deliver the news either way and while he understood that Temari was far from pleased with the news she knew that it was a valid option.

Out of the three Sand Siblings, Temari was the most intelligent and diplomatic minded of them all and that was saying something already as she was skilled in diplomacy as well as politics, more so as she was the daughter of the Kazekage. That made her a very viable part of the plan that the elders and Council Leaders had come up with.

"I believe you already have an idea as to why that is the case Temari."

The blonde was still unhappy with the news before her and she wanted to whack Baki on the head with her fan despite the fact that she knew doing so was not going to solve the situation, she had just gotten over the fact that she had seen the changes in her little brother and the fact that their father had been murdered and replaced by Orochimaru all this time, and now here she was, being offered to make an alliance permanent between Sand and Konoha. She however was not blind to the truth of things, even if they had somehow defeated Konoha; they would have been no doubt severely weakened by the fighting and would be easy pickings for the other ninja powers in the land. Despite the decrease of their missions, the ninja forces of Sand were not easy to defeat and they did have numbers on their side, though apparently Konoha was more fit and ready for combat than they thought, no doubt due to the faulty intelligence handed to them by Kabuto and Orochimaru. The other smaller ninja villages would try to expand borders and powers, while the others would destroy their rivals, either way it would end in another Great Shinobi war and she knew the level of carnage and suffering the last one had and shuddered at the thought of it happening.

It galled her to know this, that she was being used as the sacrificial lamb and she decided to speak.

"I know that, but why me?! Can't another Kunoichi be selected for this?!"

"Believe me Temari, it was not something the Council agreed on easily, I even argued with them that you are too valuable and more to be lost, but they insisted on the matter. Besides, being the daughter of our late Kazekage does add more weight and truth to the desire for peace between Sand and Konoha. If they send you to be the one for this alliance by marriage then the leaders of Konoha will know that we are serious about this alliance and this will prevent them from launching a counter attack on us for breaking the alliance."

Temari knew that there was truth to that, as the daughter of the former Kazekage she had considerable influence as well as prestige in the village of Sand. It still galled her that she was going to get married and at such a young age too. She was well aware of the idea of arranged political marriages and knew that there was a chance she was going to get dragged into one at some point in her life, she just never expected it to be now. She couldn't find fault in the logic of the elders but she had a chance to make things right for herself and her family, Gaara had changed and she saw a chance to be able to make themselves a real family after their mother and father were now dead. Despite her fear of Gaara she loved them as they were the only family she had left in the world, but if she didn't do this, then the war she feared might happen…

"If they hurt you, I'll make sure to make them pay."

Temari and Kankurou turned to their brother Gaara and it surprised her and Kankurou that Gaara would say such things as the guy would normally not care at all about things unless there was fighting involved. Temari turned to her little brother and spoke.

"Gaara, you really mean that?"

Gaara nodded and spoke with absolute seriousness.

"I mean it, if they hurt you then I will make them pay for it."

Temari could sense that Gaara was being very serious about his choice of words

As for Gaara the feeling of being held by his eldest sibling in a loving embrace was different, it was warm and soothing, quite different than most and he wondered if this warmth was really the kind of love that gave life meaning. He knew he had never been much of a sibling to either of them and he had a lot to make up for in this case now that he had his eyes opened.

As that was over, Temari had a feeling that she was going to be all right at the moment so there was no need for her to panic, at least not yet. As she gathered her composure she then directed her attention to Baki to find out a lot more details on when this marriage was supposed to happen.

Baki however replied that they were still going to have to wait for the answer of Konoha if they would allow the idea of a marriage by alliance to take place and Temari spoke that she only hoped that if she was actually going to go through the idea

Baki then replied as he was informed by the Council just who they had in mind for Temari to be married to, and he had to admit that the very second he was told who Temari was going to be married to, he was quite literally floored by the news, he would have understood it had it been one of the noble clan families in Konoha….but a newly formed clan and led by that person was unexpected.

"I think you've already met him Temari, in fact, you, Gaara, and Kankurou have already met him."

Temari and her siblings thought it over and then the blonde elder sibling asked the question.

"Is it one of the Chuunin exam participants?"

"Yes."

Temari thought it over and recalled the data she learned about the male members of Konoha's most promising clans, there was Neji Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan who she already met though not formally, there was also that lazy but undeniably talented and intelligent guy from the Nara Clan who was named Shikamaru, there was also Kiba Inuzuka from the Inuzuka Clan, Chouji Akamichi from the Akamichi Clan, and there was the last of the Uchiha Clan, the one named Sasuke and the one that wounded Gaara.

The first was not really the kind of guy she liked, he was good looking but seemed very stern and serious all the time, the second was not very appealing to her as she did find it hard to swallow the idea of having to marry a guy like him, the third choice was a bit much though he was wild and passionate in what he did, the next was not the least bit appealing as she was not planning to be as big as that guy was. And the last choice was not very appealing to her now, while the guy was handsome he was arrogant and had a one tracked mind and she found those traits unappealing despite how prestigious it might be to be part of the revival of the Uchiha clan.

"So who in particular am I supposed to marry anyway? Is it one man from the already established Konoha clan families that we know about in the records?"

Baki shook his head.

"The one that the Council is considering for you to be married to is head of a newly recognized clan in Konoha and you would recognize him well enough as he was the one who defeated and forgive me for saying this, nearly killed Gaara in combat. The one you're going to be married to in this alliance by marriage is Naruto Uzumaki."

As the blonde sister of Gaara and Kankurou heard that, she recalled the mammoth battle between her brother Gaara and Naruto, she had never seen that level of power before in one place and she recalled just how fiercely the battle had been between her brother and that blonde kid who she met in the beginning stages of the Chuunin Exams, she didn't think much at first, but after the semi finals she took notice of the changes and then the battle between Gaara and Naruto was something she never thought she would ever see in her life time.

Kankurou had no idea of the battle but only after what Temari had told him, and seeing the severely exhausted state of Gaara was proof that this blonde who they met had soundly beaten Gaara, it scared him to know that there was someone far more deadly than Gaara and now it seemed that if this marriage thing worked out, that same guy would become his brother in law. He also wondered how Gaara was going to take the news that their sister was going to be married to the very same guy who had nearly outright killed him in combat, something that no one here in the village thought was possible.

Gaara then spoke out of the blue as he already had his take on the matter.

"I approve of that."

Temari and Kankurou were surprised greatly by that, as they looked at their youngest sibling, Kankurou had thought that Gaara would be downright furious with the idea of being related to the guy who had fought with him and nearly killed him in combat. But he seemed utterly at peace with this whole thing. That in itself was unsettling to the middle sibling of Gaara and Temari, he was still trying to get used to this version of his youngest brother being calmer and a lot less blood thirsty, it was as if the battle with that blonde ninja had changed him inside and out as well. And the usual terror people felt around him seemed to have greatly diminished, despite not being into politics like his sister, Kankurou was able to understand that if Temari was married to someone as powerful as Naruto Uzumaki. But still, Gaara was all right with Temari being married to the guy who nearly killed him?! That made no sense in his mind as he looked on at Gaara.

This also made Temari very curious as well; she had never seen Gaara like this before, she was starting to like this version of her brother but this threw her in a bit of a loop, by all rights Gaara should have disapproved of the idea right off the bat, any brother would be furious at the idea of their sister being married to a guy who beat them, yet Gaara was not only angry, but approved of the whole thing.

"Gaara….are you sure you are all right with this?"

"Naruto Uzumaki is a good choice."

"But….he nearly killed you…"

"That is in the past…he's not a bad person Temari-neesan."

Temari was surprised by that and the fact that Gaara had just called her big sister. This made her wonder even more just what was going on here.

Baki had to admit that the changes in Gaara were going to take a lot of getting used to but it seemed that things were going to be all right, now all they had to worry about was how to deal with the results. However he also knew for a fact that Temari was not going to be alone and he coughed to get the three's attention

"Now before we start taking this further, there is something that you will have to be aware of. As Naruto is head of his own clan and it's only member at this point and time, he is allowed to take more than one wife to help the clan grow and there is no doubt in my mind that a number of families in Konoha itself will be expressing interest in marrying into his clan, even more so with the Kekkai Genkai he possesses. So there will be no doubt in my mind that there will be competition at first, so keep that in mind. For all we know, Temari might very well end up as a co-wife so we will have to wait and see how things develop."

Temari had to admit that this was getting to be something that she had no idea about, either way, this was going to something she was not going to be forgetting anytime soon. Kankurou was really having a hard time imagining the whole thing happening before him.

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In the Konoha Village Council Chambers…

Homura and Kohane, along with another handful of Council members looked at the incoming reports and several most of all as they discussed the formation of the new clan in Konoha, naturally named Uzumaki. They had read the report on Hiashi's decision to allow Hinata to marry into Naruto's clan, that was highly unexpected as the Hyuuga Clan were among the noble clans of the village, then in came the report that Tsume of the Inuzuka Clan was placing forward the name of her eldest child and only daughter Hana as another potential wife in Naruto's new clan, and just recently a message coming from Sand stated that they were wished a marriage alliance to strengthen their ties to Konoha and they were offering none other than Temari at that, and she was to be married to Naruto as a member of his clan.

Suffice to say this didn't always suit well with everyone in the room as some of the people there were not looking very favorably at Naruto and they had something of an axe to grind on him as well, however, they were faced with a very unique situation, they all had seen Naruto's powers in action during the Chuunin Exams as well as the invasion of both Sound and Sand and while they had to admit that they were impressed to some degree, they were not very happy with Naruto's sudden rise in status.

They looked over the current report on the decision of Sand to offer this marriage alliance carefully and then they directed their attention to Danzo, the elderly man with bandages looked at the report carefully, his keen mind trying to see any signs on the document to show that this was no trap.

After a few minutes, one of the elders spoke to Danzo.

"Is there anything that tells us that this is a lie?"

Danzo shook his head at that.

"None whatsoever, this is genuine."

Homura then sighed as he looked at the window and at a certain location in general, they knew that Jiraiya and Naruto had already left half a day before to locate Tsunade to ask her to take the place of Hokage after Sarutobi['s death, the elderly Council member and former teammate of Hiruzen knew that Jiraiya had a point, compared to him, Tsunade had the clout, intellect, and heritage to be Hokage of Konoha, however, he was not very happy with Tsunade's willful and defiant nature despite his respect for the great granddaughter of the First Hokage. However, times were tough and that was the best option for the time being, they needed a strong Hokage and Tsunade was as strong as they came. Of course there was no doubt that there would be friction between Tsunade and Danzo as soon as the time came.

"I guess we cannot dismiss this matter, if they are serious about this, we have to decide if we can accept it."

Kohane nodded at Homura's words and spoke out her own opinion.

"It's hard to believe that they are willing to let Temari be the one to seal this marriage alliance, from what the reports say on her, she is the strongest Genin they have, not to mention she is the daughter of their former Kage."

"That is understandable in most case, they wanted to prove how serious they were about this marriage alliance to fix ties between us and them. Besides, considering Temari's standing in the village of Sand it would make sense that she would be chosen, if they were going to send someone without the right kind of ability as well as standing in their village it would not look well on their part."

Another Council member named Kyosuke then replied.

"It still is hard to imagine her being married to that Uzumaki kid, and she is not the only one as well since Hiashi has placed forward his own daughter Hinata to try and be part of the new clan that Naruto is head of, not to mention that Tsume is also offering Hana to take a chance at being part of that same clan. It would be difficult if things get out of hand for this new clan, especially with him being the clan head."

Danzo however replied.

"We cannot interfere with that now, even if we wish we could as the law cannot be overwritten even if we could somehow convince Tsunade-hime to do just that, Naruto Uzumaki is now head of his own clan and therefore is able to do what he wishes as clan head. Besides, while some of you dislike him, I personally thought he would make a powerful asset to the village when he was properly trained into a weapon, especially with the Kyuubi under his command, but I was overruled at that point."

"However, we now have to consider that apart from the Kyuubi trapped in him, Naruto now has access to a powerful Kekkai Genkai and I have no doubt that when given time and training, he could very well become a deadly force in Konoha itself, this would make him a very valuable asset in his own right. Not to mention the children born from those marriages could very well become powerful ninja with great abilities, not mention amazing levels of chakra."

"So we're not only having a powerful weapon in Naruto Uzumaki, but a breeding machine to make super powered ninja? That's being barbaric Danzo."

Kyosuke said in slight disgust, he was no fan of the old practice of breeding ninja generations, such things were supposed to be outlawed in that case. However the results were undeniable as truly exceptional ninja were indeed born of the breeding programs, however despite his slight dislike for Naruto, he found the idea of the boy being reduced to making children appalling.

Danzo nodded at that and replied.

"Maybe, but that is a possible outcome of the events that led to this point, we are not going to force them to conceive children right now, we have to follow protocol on this matter. We cannot tell them to have many children right now, but it will be done gradually."

As the others considered it, the bandaged man thought over the situation, the children born from Naruto's clan could be quite powerful in combat and in jutsu, they would prove to be more than able to keep Konoha from being attacked, and with the right action, they would be powerful allies, the former ninja also thought over how he could be an influence on the children in the near future, there was no chance of doing things directly, but his years of ninja experience taught him that there were other ways in doing things.

However, he had a feeling that with Fenrix about it would not be as easy as some of his other missions in the past, fortunately he had resources at his disposal to help him in his plans for the future of the Uzumaki Clan as well as the children who would be born into the Clan.

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In Naruto's fortress home two days later…

Fenrix was currently in the outer courtyard of the lands that were under the ownership of Naruto at the moment when he was able to sense the approach of several ninja, the senior Dragon Ascendant had a feeling that something of great importance had just cropped up for this many people to coming in this direction at one time and to this place of all things.

He had been out to enjoy the sunlight as well as helping the newly reborn Kin get used to being alive once more as he and the reborn former Sound Kunoichi looked at the new arrivals. As soon as he recognized several of the Konoha elders as well as several other people, the senior Ascendant had a feeling that this was far from a social meeting.

The former Sound Kunoichi had no idea what was going on and she could only stare as the people came closer. She had a feeling that things were going to be very interesting today, she had accepted being a ward under Fenrix's care and compared to her fellow Genin and life back in Sound, being under Fenrix' wing was paradise and she was in good hands. She had no intention of going back to Sound and decided to make her life as the newest adopted member of Clan Uzumaki.

As the senior Ascendant looked at the people before him, he had a feeling that things were about to get rather interesting for his charge as soon as Naruto arrived back into Konoha.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well now, it seems that Naruto is going to have to deal with a lot of things to worry about once he gets back to Konoha now doesn't he?

How will the mission to retrieve Tsunade go and what will happen when Itachi and Kisame go after Naruto to get the Kyuubi from inside of him?

Now you might ask if I will follow through with the same idea as before of making Tsunade young and have her join up with being one of Naruto's wives in this fic as this is going to be a harem, story and she does have great credentials to back it up, she is the great granddaughter of the First Hokage and niece of the Second Hokage as well as one of the best Medical ninja in the world of Naruto as well as a powerful Sannin.

In answer to that, I might do so, but I will NOT make Tsunade part of Naruto's clan, now why that is the case is a secret for now. But I will guarantee you that since this is nowhere near related to Dragon Champion, then it will not follow through the same plot. As for Jiraiya….well he too will be getting younger….though that is about it for now.

Kin has been adopted into Naruto's clan and is now part of Clan Uzumaki, how will the situation play out once Naruto gets back to Konoha when he finds out that Hinata, Hana, and Temari will be competing to be part of his Clan? And while others be intereste din joining the clan that he is now head of?

Wait and see!!!