Hello everyone and welcome to the next installment of this fanfic. Got a few positive reviews from the last chapter which I enjoyed… however, more reviews letting me know what you guys like and don't like would be appreciated, without any of you readers it would be pointless for me to continue writing so thanks for giving me a chance. I also don't mind giving you guys a say in certain aspects that go into my story, if you guys want to see Naruto use a certain type of weapon, or a certain arc from the anime make it in, or even an original arc that you guys think would be cool send me a pm or leave a review and we can talk. I try to respond to all my reviews whether its' just saying thank you or discussing mistakes I made or things I could change to make me a better writer. There are certain things I obviously won't change, which are the main pairings, and major parts of the story that lead to Naruto's character development both on a personal level and relationship wise. A lot of people liked how I planted seeds of doubt in Konan's head, whether or not she takes Naruto's advice is yet to be seen, I will show a little of Konan's return to Ame this chapter probably. Last thing is I got a lot of positive feedback on the ending scene between Naruto and Yugao so thanks for that, I've never written anything quite that… fluffy … so to speak, and I was unsure of how it would turn out. Originally the kiss and talk about Hinata never made it into the chapter but I'm glad I changed my mind and it worked out in the end.

Naruto woke later than usual the next morning, having gotten in fairly late from his time spent with Yugao on the monument he felt as though he needed the little extra sleep. Walking into the bathroom Naruto's mind flashed to the day before, walking in in Yugao after her shower, training with her, then proceeding to spend the rest of the day with her leading up to the talk about Hinata and finally the kiss. After that they had laid there in relative silence, gazing up at the stars until Yugao fell asleep on Naruto's chest, which in turn prompted the young man to carry her back to his estate before placing her gently on her bed in an attempt to not awaken her. Unfortunately for Naruto, sleep was not as easy for him to claim as it had been Yugao, and he spent a few more hours thinking over everything that had happened with Yugao. He had a lot of questions for his long-time friend and team mate, and he was hoping he would get some answers over breakfast.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Naruto dressed in regular civilian clothing before heading downstairs. Expanding his senses he felt Itachi training in the back yard, while he could feel Yugao was still in her room, or at least in her private bath, he couldn't really tell exactly. Sighing to himself he made his way to the kitchen, putting a kettle on the stove for coffee and taking out the needed ingredients for breakfast. Naruto cracked a couple eggs into a plastic bowl before adding milk and whisking it all together and pouring it into a frying pan, letting it sit while he placed strips of bacon in another pan. He had been so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't feel or hear Yugao come into the kitchen, stopping and watching as the blonde scrambled the eggs, while at the same time making sure not to burn the bacon. A small smile graced her lips as she watched him prepare enough for three, before dishing out an equal amount on separate plates and placing them on the table.

"Mhm… that smells delicious Naruto-kun." Yugao said as she made her presence known, startling the blonde slightly.

"Ah Yugao-chan you startled me!" Naruto said, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." She replied with a smirk as she took her seat at the table, followed shortly by Naruto. "How did I get home, the last thing I remember is cuddling with you after the kiss, then I woke up in my bed."

"Well…. You eventually fell asleep on me." Naruto started, earning a slight blush of embarrassment from Yugao, "after that I carried you here and put you in your bed before going to sleep myself."

"S-sorry for making you carry me here Naruto-kun, you could have woken me up." Yugao stuttered, her blush deepening a bit.

"Nah, it wasn't a big deal Yugao-chan, you looked so peaceful and beautiful sleeping I couldn't bring myself to wake you up." Naruto said, before his eyes widened and he realised he said a little more than he meant to.

"You know…" Yugao started, "that's the second time you have called me beautiful in as many days Naruto-kun."

"S-sorry." Naruto said, making a frown appear on Yugao's face.

"For what?"

"I don't know… Everything I guess, calling you beautiful, the kiss, I know you still upset over Hayate bu-"

*Slap*

"Don't apologize for anything!" Yugao started, hands trembling, "I love it when you call me beautiful, it makes me feel something inside I haven't felt since Hayate-kun died. I may still be upset over his death, but the death of a loved one is not something that can be easily forgotten or stored away, but that doesn't mean I can't move on."

"Yugao-chan I'm-" Naruto started, but a wave from Yugao cut him off.

"T-the kiss was my idea…" She started softly, "I don't know why I did it, I was scared… that you wouldn't accept me or that you wouldn't return it and I would have ruined the friendship that we built up over the years. I don't know what this feeling is Naruto-kun… But you have helped me in so many ways over the past three years and been there for me when I needed you. I-if you would have me… I want to try and pursue a relationship with you."

"A-are you sure Yugao-chan? If you're not ready it can wait." Naruto said. Yugao smiled at his thoughtful gesture but shook her head.

"I'm sure Naruto-kun. I can't think of anyone else I would rather want to pursue this with." Yugao replied with a small smile.

"Well…" Naruto started with a small smile, "I wouldn't be much of a gentleman to refuse you now would I?"

"Idiot." Yugao said as she practically jumped over the table and embraced Naruto, "you shouldn't say yes just because I want this."

"I know, and I'm not. I would be lying if I said I didn't find you attractive Yugao-chan, you're a beautiful and strong Kunoichi, you've been a constant in my life whether it was when I was younger or when we were in Anbu together. I had developed somewhat of a crush on you when I was younger, and through our years in Anbu it grew into something more… but I didn't want to act on it because I saw how upset you still were over Hayate. I decided a long time ago that regardless of what I was to you I didn't like to see you cry, and that I would try to break you out of the depression you were in." Naruto said softly as he rubbed Yugao's back, "seems like that's sorta worked out huh?"

Yugao didn't say anything, as she didn't trust herself to not breakdown and cry on Naruto's chest; instead she just nodded her head, her emotions being calmed by the soothing feel of Naruto's hand rubbing her back.

"Yugao-chan… what about my position as clan head though? It's highly likely the council will want me to take part in the CRA and I don't want either of my parent's clans to die with me." Naruto asked after Yugao had calmed down.

"I-I know about the CRA Naruto-kun, as long as you find women who care about you and not what clan your from I'm ok with it. I already know a couple women who have taken a slight interest in you… You just have to look around." Yugao replied.

"Kakashi-sensei said the same thing… Thanks Yugao-chan." Naruto said, "We should probably finish breakfast before Itachi comes in from training, I've got a few things I want to do today… starting with Hinata."

"Alright Naruto-kun, I wanted to see if Kurenai or Anko were around today anyways." Yugao replied, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Since Jiraiya isn't in town you should take your friends to the Hot Springs here in Konoha, my treat." Naruto said, earning a grateful nod from Yugao, "I was actually going to go to Team Eight's training ground after breakfast to see if I could catch up with both Hinata and Kurenai, feel free to come with me if you want."

"That would save me the hassle of having to look for Kurenai later on Naruto-kun, so I think I'll come with you." Yugao replied. "Just give me a few minutes after breakfast to get ready and we can leave, I don't think she has the day off so we should catch her team just as they are finishing up their morning routine."

"Sounds good, I've got a few things to do before I leave anyways." Naruto replied.

Breakfast from that point was eaten in relative silence, Yugao offering compliments on Naruto's cooking every so often along with Itachi who had come in a few minutes earlier. Finishing breakfast Naruto created a few clones and had them gather the dishes before bringing them to the kitchen and washing them while he and Yugao went upstairs to get ready for their day. Being a day off for Naruto he decided to change into a set of black slacks with a blue t-shirt that had the Uzumaki clan's swirl on the back. Pumping a bit of chakra into one of the seals located on his hand his Ninjato appeared quickly and Naruto swung it around a few times before nodding to himself and sealing it back inside his hand, one could never be too careful. Naruto spotted Yugao coming out of her room as he made his way towards his estates entrance and couldn't help the small red hue that appeared on his face. Yugao had the same choice as Naruto and decided to dress in civilian clothing, picking out a deep purple spring dress with lavender trim.

"I didn't know you had any dresses like that Yugao-chan." Naruto said, earning the purple haired woman's attention.

"I-it's something Hayate bought for me when we were dating, this is the first time I've worn it in over 3 years." Yugao replied with a sad smile.

"Sorry Yugao-chan, I didn't mean to bring that up." Naruto replied but was waved off from Yugao.

"It's alright Naruto-kun."

"Alright Yugao-chan, if you want I can give you some money and you can go shopping later as well."

"Are you sure Naruto-kun? I mean I've got plenty of money left from all the missions we did in Anbu…" Yugao said before Naruto stopped her.

"I'm sure Yugao-chan, I got a lot of money from my parents, as well as everything that was left from missions I did. I don't mind spending my money on you, isn't that what boyfriends do?" Naruto replied with a sly smirk.

"I guess so…" Yugao said with a small smile before taking Naruto's arm and leading him down the stairs. "You can woe me with your words later; we need to get to the training ground before Kurenai-chan and her team leave."

-Team Eight's Training Ground-

"You guys did really well today." Kurenai said as she gazed across at her team. Having just finished morning training they had decided to relax by the training grounds small pond. "Even though you technically aren't my students anymore I'm still proud at the improvements you've made since becoming Chunin and Jonin."

"Hehe… it's not that big of a deal Kurenai-sensei." Kiba replied, and then sniffed the air as he got a whiff of a familiar scent. "Naruto seems to be approaching from the other side of the training ground Kurenai-sensei; maybe he's coming to ask about his offer to train you."

"I don't know Kiba; I can sense someone else with him as well." Kurenai said, "Maybe he is just passing through."

A few moments later Team Eight watched as Naruto and Yugao dropped down into the training ground.

"Hey there Kurenai-chan." Yugao said as she walked towards them, arm still linked with Naruto's, earning surprised and saddened looks from her team.

"Hey Yugao-chan, it seems you've finally decided to move on." Kurenai said with a small smile, earning a nod from her friend.

"Yea… it took a while, and I kinda had to make the first move but it all worked out." Yugao replied as she brought herself a little closer to Naruto.

"I woulda made the first move if had known you liked me!" Naruto argued back, "I didn't want to say anything then ruin the friendship we had by making it awkward."

"Right right…" Yugao replied sarcastically.

"So what did you two come here for?" Kurenai asked, "Did you come to talk about your offer Naruto?"

"Well not really… I need to discuss a few things with someone." Naruto said, earning a nod from Kurenai. "But if you have an answer for me I'd love to hear it."

"I-I'd like for you to help me with Taijutsu and Ninjutsu." Kurenai said, "And if you could… my stamina and chakra reserves as well."

"That shouldn't be a problem Kurenai; those are my areas of expertise after all." Naruto said, "You won't be able to reach my chakra and stamina levels for obvious reasons, but I'll be able to get you up to Yugao-chan's level at least."

"Thank you Naruto." Kurenai replied with a grateful smile, receiving a nod from said blonde.

"Ah Kurenai-chan, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the hot springs after? We can invite Anko and Hana as well, Naruto's treat." Yugao asked her friend.

"Uhm… Sure, but I can pay for myself." Kurenai replied, not really wanting Naruto to be spending money on her.

"I insist Kurenai; any friends of Yugao-chan are friends of mine so I really don't mind." Naruto spoke up, "now the training will have to wait a few days till after the next council meeting as there are… certain things going on at my compound that few people are allowed to know right now. So I will find you or ask Yugao-chan to get you when things have settled down alright?"

"Uhh… Sure." Kurenai replied, a little interested in what Naruto was hiding but wouldn't push the issue.

"So… now that that's done I need to talk to Hinata about a few things." Naruto said, earning a surprised look and light blush from the shy girl.

"W-what a-about N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered.

"Uh… well its' kind of private so I would prefer if we talked somewhere else if that's okay with you." Naruto said, earning a nod from Hinata. "Good, I want you to meet me on top of the Hokage monument in a few minutes."

"A-alright Naruto-kun." Hinata said before making a hand sign and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Alright, Yugao-chan I will see you back at the compound later, have fun with your friends." Naruto said, "Don't hesitate to buy anything you may need as well."

"Naruto wait!" Kiba shouted before Naruto could disappear.

"What do you need Kiba?" He asked.

"I-I'm sorry for how I treated you before. You are my friend and I let my pride get in the way, I shouldn't have acted like I did." Kiba said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it Kiba. If you ever need a sparring partner feel free to seek me out. Now, I've got something that I need to deal with." Naruto said before disappearing to the Hokage monument.

"What is he going to talk to her about?" Kiba asked Yugao.

"The truth." Was all Yugao said as she turned and started talking with Kurenai again, earning a confused look from Kiba before he shrugged it off and left.

I hope everything works out Naruto-kun

-With Naruto and Hinata-

Naruto let out a sigh as he appeared on the Hokage monument and saw Hinata nervously poking her fingers together as she looked over the village. He didn't exactly know what to call the girl in front of him; having never really interacted with the girl he couldn't really say they were close. Sure they had gone to the academy together and looking back he realised that she had been one of the few to actually cheer him on back then, albeit from a fair distance, and that had been the main reason she had earned a spot on his list of people he wanted to protect. If he had realised her feelings a little earlier, then maybe they could have had a future together as more then friends… but things hadn't turned out like that and he felt bad for what he was about to do.

Its' for her own good, I'm not who she thinks I am… at least not anymore…

"Hinata." Naruto said, earning said girl's attention as she let out a low eep, "we need to talk about a few things."

"O-ok Naruto-kun." Hinata replied.

"I know about your feelings for me Hinata." Naruto started, surprising the young girl. She was about to say something but Naruto put his hand up and stopped her. "I would like for you to wait till I'm finished before saying anything.

"O-ok." She replied lowly.

"Now… I've grown a lot in the past few years both physically and mentally as I'm sure you have noticed, and I realised how stupid I was before for not realising how you felt about me." Naruto started, getting Hinata's hopes up slightly, "and while I'll admit that you a strong kunoichi and easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, I simple can't return your feelings."

Naruto regretted saying those words as soon as the devastated look appeared on Hinata's face, cursing himself slightly he reached out to comfort the girl only to have his hand slapped away.

"Why…whywhywhywhyWHY!" She shouted, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"These feelings you have… They are based on the person that I used to be, but even then that was never who I truly was. We never really talked… or did anything together, how can you have feelings for someone you hardly know." Naruto said, trying to calm her down. "I'll admit that if I had realised your feelings before I went into Anbu things probably would have been different, but I was too stupid and you were to shy."

"How about now! Give me a chance to get to know you Naruto-kun." Hinata said, "You said things may have been different if we had got to know each other so why not now? I've watched you since we were in the academy, seeing how you never gave up gave me the strength to overcome my own obstacles."

"You're wrong…" Naruto said, "Your strength is your own, I may have given you determination, but not strength. You wanted to become strong so that I would notice you, hoping that I would return your feelings, is that correct?"

"Somewhat…" Hinata said, "I wanted to become strong to prove my family wrong about me, and with that strength I would be able to change my clan."

"I see… you may not know this but I noticed you during your fight with Neji in the Chunin exams, you showed great determination and a will to not give up even fighting a stronger opponent. That earned my respect… But I can't have feelings for someone I don't know. While its' very possible that I may come to like you in time… I do not think your father would agree. As the last remaining person in my clan its' also very likely I'll be forced to take multiple wives… as you noticed earlier I'm already with Yugao-chan. You are a caring person Hinata but something tells me that you wouldn't be willing to share me with anyone else." Naruto said, watching in amusement as a still annoyed looking Hinata blushed at the double meaning to his last statement.

Heh… it's always the shy ones. Whatever guy ends up with her will be one lucky son of a bitch. Naruto thought.

"I'm sorry Hinata… I really am. I remember how you were always nice to me in the academy and cheered me on, even if it was from a distance. I'm sorry that I can't give you what you want Hinata." Naruto said. Hearing the sincerity in his voice Hinata calmed down a little.

"I-its ok Naruto-kun… I kind o-of understand." Hinata replied with a sad smile. "D-do you think I'm w-weak Naruto-kun?"

"No… I think the exact opposite in fact. Like I said earlier you're a very strong Kunoichi. I believe that one day… you will be able to achieve your dream of uniting the two halves of the Hyuuga family. When that day comes you will prove yourself to everybody else who still doesn't believe in you." Naruto said.

"Thank you Naruto-kun… t-that means a l-lot to me."

"No problem Hinata… Even if I can't return your feelings your still one of my friends, and I never abandon my friends." Naruto said, "Will you be ok with just being friends?"

"Y-Yes Naruto-kun… It m-may take a w-while for me to g-get over my f-feelings for you, b-but I would still l-love it if you were a p-part of my life." Hinata replied with a small smile.

"Alright, I'm sure you won't have any issues finding someone else Hinata. With your personality and certain… assets." Naruto started as he eyed Hinata, making the girl blush, "I'm sure you will have men falling for you left and right."

"P-pervert." Hinata stammered before leaving via Shunshin, making Naruto chuckle slightly.

Lucky guy indeed

-In Ame-

"So… you let not only Itachi, but the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi get away?" Pein asked Konan as she finished telling him of her and Kisame's defeat.

"I-I'm sorry Nagato… wherever the Kyuubi Jinchuriki disappeared to over the past three years helped him grow stronger… I'm lucky that he didn't kill me." Konan replied.

"Failure is not acceptable Konan… If you were anyone else I would have killed you. Because of your failure Konoha now has information on all of our members… do not fail me again or you might not get off as easy." Pein said, earning a slight wince from Konan.

"W-would you really go so far as to kill the only friend you have left?" Konan asked somewhat hesitantly.

"If it means that true peace would be easier to obtain… then yes. I will do what needs to be done to usher in an era of true peace." Pein replied.

H-he would really kill me… Maybe Naruto-san was right… maybe the Nagato I once knew is no more… Konan thought, then her eyes widened… No! Nagato wouldn't do that! I'm just overthinking this… I need some fresh air to help me think.

Konan walked the streets of Ame, a thoughtful frown on her face as she thought about what Nagato had said to her earlier. Shaking her head of those thoughts she looked around, noticing how the people of Ame gave her a wide berth in the road. Some would talk in hush whispers with one-another while looking her way, but most avoided eye contact completely. Konan was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was almost knocked over as she felt a small body crash into her. Looking down Konan's eyes softened slightly as saw who had bumped into her, a young girl with dark red hair and dark green eyes wearing nothing but a raggedy old dress.

"Are you alright young one?" Konan asked as she bent over to help the girl up. Growing up an orphan Konan had developed somewhat of a soft spot for young orphans and tried to help as much as she could. She was shocked when the young girl tried to scurry backwards, fear written all over her young face.

"I-I'm sorry! P-please don't h-hurt me!" She stammered as she tried to scoot backwards away from Konan, "I-I don't w-want to be p-part of some ex-experiment! P-please d-don't kill me!"

"I-I'm not going to hurt you… I'm just trying to help." Konan said, trying to reason with the girl.

"I-I don't believe you!" She yelled as she got to her feet and darted into a nearby alleyway and out of Konan's sight.

Konan stood stock still in the middle of the street, the people around her whispering to each other about the scene that had just taken place, whispering to each other about how the 'Angel' was trying to steal the young girl for her 'Gods' experiments. Seeing the fright in the little girl's eyes and hearing how the villagers were whispering about her brought back what Naruto had said to her.

"He may have freed the people of Ame, but they still live in fear of him."

Naruto's words came crashing back in full force as she found herself starting to believe them. It was clear from how the villagers talked that they feared Nagato and what he did in the tower, but she had never gone out of her way to harm the people of Ame… yet they still feared her. They called her the Angel, yet feared her as a weapon, one that would bring nothing but death and despair.

Is this how the Tailed Beast weapon will be seen…? Nagato wants to create peace for the world the same way he did in Ame… by killing off those who oppose him while the rest cower in fear, there has to be a better way, one where we can live together peacefully without fear. I will try to show Nagato that the path he is walking down could never lead to true peace, if he can't accept that what he plans to do is wrong... then I don't know if I would be able to follow him anymore.

But where would she go? Who could she turn to if not the only friend and link she had to a childhood long past. Aside from Konoha, none of the other village's knew much about Akatsuki making it a safe bet that she would be able to get in one without much trouble. If she left though, she was sure Nagato would track her down, intent of either killing her or taking her prisoner so his secrets wouldn't get out. None of the hidden villages aside from Konoha and possibly Kumo would have the ability to protect her from him.

Perhaps Yahiko… perhaps your dream does live on, just not through Nagato like I had originally thought… would you help me if I asked you, Naruto Uzumaki.

-Few Days Later, Konoha-

Tsunade rubbed her temples as she thought of how much paperwork the next council meeting would cause.

"Do we really have to announce like… both of you today?" Tsunade asked, hoping to lessen the amount of paperwork that cut into her drinking time.

"Yes you do Ba-chan." Naruto said, "Now please stop asking."

Tsunade decided to come to Naruto's complex earlier to speak with both Naruto and Itachi instead of calling them to her office. They were lucky enough that Itachi remained hidden when her first entered the village, and she didn't want to push their luck any further.

"Naruto is right Tsunade-sama, it would be best to get this over and done with as soon as possible. I'm not sure what Akatsuki will do now that they have lost one of their members. I do not think there are any other shinobi currently strong enough to fight Biju, so I believe that Kisame will work by himself. I know that Sasori and Deidara are in charge of capturing the Ichibi but that might change now." Itachi said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, interested in who might be going after Gaara.

"Well… Kisame and I were in charge of getting the Kyuubi from you, but with me gone I doubt Pein would send just one person after you, even if it is Kisame. With me gone he will have to change who is in charge of obtaining each Biju. By himself Kisame could probably take any of them up to the Gobi, so Pein might make him switch with one of the other groups so that there will be two people hunting you. My guess is that he will switch Kisame out with both Deidara and Sasori, who are in charge of capturing the Ichibi, or Hidan and Kakuzu who are in charge of Nibi."

"Hidan and Kakuzu are the so called 'Zombie Brothers' right?" Naruto asked. With info on who might be going after both Gaara and Yugito Naruto would be better prepared should either of them use one of the reverse summoning tags that he gave them.

"Yea… I don't really know a lot about either of them. Kakuzu is a bounty hunter from Taki, rumored to have fought the Shodaime Hokage. Apparently he can steal other people's hearts and use them as his own, which is why he has been able to live for this long. Aside from that I don't really know a lot about him. Hidan is a Jashinist from Yugakure. He carries a large three bladed scythe around with him at all times, leading me to believe that he is a close ranged specialist. From what I've heard if he cuts you with it he can perform a ritual where he consumes your blood and any damage inflicted to him is redirected to whoever's blood he ingested. Hidan is the more problematic of the two in my opinion, unless you completely destroy his body I'm not sure if you can kill him or not, at least Kakuzu will die after his 5 hearts are destroyed." Itachi explained, earning a nod from Naruto and Tsunade.

"I see." Naruto started. "Either way, whoever goes after Yugito or Gaara will be problematic. We will have to be ready if they use my reverse summoning tags. Alone I could probably deal with Kisame, but I'm not really comfortable fighting against two S ranked shinobi by myself. If the tags are to be used Itachi, I will most likely be bringing you with me." Naruto said, receiving a nod from the older Uchiha.

"I can understand why you gave Gaara a tag the last time you were in Suna, but I can't quite understand why you gave Yugito one… our village's don't even have an alliance with each other, we owe Kumo nothing." Tsunade asked.

"I know that, but there is an unexplainable connection that we Jinchuriki have with one another. If I can do something to help prevent Akatsuki from claiming a tailed beast then that is just extra. Besides… Helping Kumo's Jinchuriki could lead to an alliance with them, she is close to the Raikage and his little brother who is the other Jinchuriki; if I asked her she would probably try and convince the Raikage into one, giving Konoha another ally." Naruto explained, earning a nod from Tsunade.

"I guess you do have a point brat… But I'm going to leave now; I've got a few things I need to check before the council meeting. Be at my office in a few hours and we can all go together." Tsunade said as she stood up and made her way towards the front entrance.

"Alright we'll be there, what about Itachi though? I'm sure he could sneak into your office but there is no way he would be able to sneak into the council chambers and remain hidden, not with Hiashi and the rest of the Shinobi council." Naruto asked as he walked Tsunade out.

"Your right, that's why we are going to get Itachi out of the way first, when the council explodes I'll explain a few things then it will lead into you being named as the new Uzumaki Clan head. Trust me on this, after years of headaches I'm finally able to get back at the civilian council and the elders." Tsunade said with a sick grin, causing Naruto to sweatdrop.

"Right… I trust you." Naruto replied, receiving a glare from Tsunade before she left.

"Smartass…"

-Few hours later, Konoha Council-

Tsunade entered the council chambers flanked by both Naruto and cloaked Itachi. Some of the civilian council members frowned when they saw Naruto but new not to say anything, the relationship that Naruto and Tsunade had was no secret to anyone and they thought it best to not anger the Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama." One of the civilian members started, "why is… Uzumaki-san here, and who is that cloaked figure?"

"Naruto is the reason this council meeting has been called today, as for the other person… that will be answered shortly." Tsunade said as she sat down.

"What is so important about Uzumaki-san that you would want to call a council meeting?" A man with pale white eyes asked.

"Things have happened during the past three years and Naruto has learned a few things that we decided to share with you." Tsunade said. "Before we get to that though, there is someone who has returned to Konoha after… being absent for many years."

The moment Itachi removed his hood the room erupted into chaos; the civilians looked on fearfully as the Shinobi side stood in a battle ready stance. The Anbu in the room also appeared and circled Itachi and Naruto, waiting for the signal to try and end his life.

"Stand down!" Tsunade's voice boomed throughout the council chambers.

"What is the meaning of this Tsunade-sama! Itachi is an S ranked criminal what is he doing here!" one of the civilians yelled.

"Indeed he is… however he has come back to Konoha willingly, and has been placed under the protection of a clan head." Tsunade said, making each of the clan heads look at each other questioningly.

"But he killed the rest of his clan! Who's to say he won't do it again."

"There are certain things regarding that night that you don't know, and don't need to know." Tsunade replied, "Fact of the matter is… Itachi has come back to Konoha willingly, giving us information on the S ranked criminal group known as Akatsuki."

"Why is this the first time we are hearing about this group Tsunade-sama?" A feral looking woman with two red marks running down her face asked. This woman was Tsume Inzuka, the current matriarch of the Inzuka clan.

"We have been monitoring the Akatsuki for the past three years, as of right now we know what they want, just not why." Tsunade said.

"I assume whatever they want its' something troublesome right?" Shikaku Nara, the current leader of the Nara clan, asked.

"Akatsuki is gathering the Jinchuriki… over the past three years they have been laying low while focusing on earning money and gathering Intel on all the Jinchuriki. According to Itachi-sans report they work in pairs of two, and each group has recently been given a target Jinchuriki to capture." Tsunade said.

"This would obviously mean that I am a target." Naruto said, earning the councils attention, "as well as the Kazekage Gaara, and a Kunoichi from Kumo I had the pleasure of meeting on my last mission."

"Who is assigned to take Naruto?" Hiashi asked. He had never really hated the boy for what he held, but at the same time had never done much to help him.

"I was." Itachi said calmly, causing a few in the room to tense again, "along with Kisame Hoshigaki, former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"How do we know this isn't just a trap for you to capture Naruto-san easily?" One of the civilian members asked. While no one on the civilian side really liked Naruto, they realised the danger a group such as Akatsuki posed.

"You don't." Itachi replied calmly, "Aside from the fact that I've returned to Konoha willingly and given you information on the group I used to work for, none of you know anything about me, or the reason why I did what I did. But at the same time I've been placed under the protection of a clan head, giving you little to no power over what can be done with me."

"Yes… you said that earlier. But what clan are you under protection from, from the looks if it the rest of the clan heads present, which are all of them, have no idea what you are talking about." Inoichi Yamanaka, current head of the Yamanaka clan and information gathering specialist from I and T department asked.

"That's a good question Inoichi-san, one that leads into the next part of this meeting." Tsunade said, gathering the attention of the council again. "It's come to my attention that a clan recently thought to be long dead… still has one living member."

"What do you mean Tsunade-sama? What clan?" Tsume asked.

"As many of you know, Kushina Uzumaki was from Uzushiogakure and daughter of the Uzumaki clan head at that time." Tsunade said, earning nods from around the room.

"That she was… but Kushina-chan has been dead for sixteen years." Tsume stated.

"That is true… Kushina has been dead for sixteen years, but her son hasn't." Tsunade said, earning surprised looks from the Shinobi side, before the slowly turned their gaze towards Naruto.

"You can't mean…"

"Kushina-chan's son is…"

"Yes… Kushina's legacy, along with the Uzumaki clan's, has been living in Konoha under our very noses for the past 16 years. Naruto is the son of Kushina Uzumaki and the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze." Tsunade finished.

"If that were true… Then Naruto-san would be the heir to both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, but you only referred to a single clan." Shikaku said.

"That's right I did, after much thought on Naruto's part he has decided to take up his mother's name and not his father's." Tsunade said, "Which means that the Uzumaki Clan will be reborn in Konoha."

"But what about Yondaime's legacy? Surely if Naruto-san takes Kushina-san's name then it's likely the Yondaime's family will be forgotten. Sure the Namikaze weren't a big clan like the Hyuuga or Uchiha, but they were still powerful." Inoichi asked.

"My father's family will never be forgotten. I've already taken preparations in my clan's compound to ensure that the Namikaze name will forever be remembered by my family; if you are so worried about knowledge of his family being forgotten I would suggest that you do the same." Naruto said.

"We are getting ahead of ourselves here; I have yet to see one piece of evidence that Naruto-san is in fact related to either Kushina-san or Minato." A man wrapped in bandages said, earning a nod from the civilian side while Tsunade scowled slightly.

"Very well then Danzo-san, if it is so hard to believe then I have prepared both a marriage contract for Kushina and Minato, as well as Naruto's both certificate and blood samples that I tested myself." Tsunade said as she placed a small stack of papers on the table. Danzo took the papers and read them over carefully, before grunting and passing them on to the advisors.

"Is that sufficient enough evidence for you Danzo-san?" Tsunade asked, receiving a stiff nod from the bandaged Shinobi. "Good, Naruto will be required to attend all council meetings from here on out unless there is an emergency and he is required… Is there anything else that you want to discuss?"

"A couple things actually… one being what we are going to do with Itachi, who I'm assuming is under Naruto-san's protection, and since Naruto is the last of his clan will he be taking more than one wife to help restore the Uzumaki?" Choza, the head of the Akimichi clan and last member of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho formation asked.

"Yes… I am still not convinced that Itachi's intentions towards this village are good." Danzo said, earning a glare from Tsunade as he had played the key role in convincing Itachi to slaughter the Uchiha.

"Itachi has been placed under my care and protection, if that is not enough for you then I have a proposition that I really hoped I wouldn't be forced to use." Naruto said.

"Go on."

"The Uzumaki clan has a seal that is similar to the Hyuuga's caged bird seal. However, I can make it so that the seal only affects a certain are of the body; along with making it so the seal can only be activated by myself and Tsunade-sama." Naruto explained, "if I was to say… attach the seal to Itachi's heart, it could be used as a…"

"Kill switch." Shikaku finished. Being the head of a clan well known for being the most intelligent in Konoha, Shikaku could tell there was more going on here but he didn't quite know what.

"Exactly, I can attach the seal to Itachi's heart, adding both mine and Tsunade-sama's blood to the seal will make it so that only we could activate it. That being said, we have already discussed with Tsunade-sama that Itachi will be under my watch, meaning when I go on missions, he comes with me, so adding Tsunade's blood is only a precautionary method if something were to… happen to me." Naruto said, earning a nod from the council members.

"That would be… satisfactory, Naruto-san. Now, what about our other question?" Danzo asked.

"I will be taking more than one spouse." Naruto said, earning grins from the civilian side, "however, I know the laws. I cannot be placed into an arranged marriage till after my eighteenth birthday, giving me two more years to find suitable wives."

"You know how many you are required to have right?" Danzo asked with a frown, he had hoped that Naruto wouldn't have read up on clan laws yet so he could force him into marriages that would benefit his plans for Konoha.

"Yes, at the minimum I am required to take four wives. I'm already in a relationship with someone right now. While I don't really like the idea of having more than one wife, if someone who I approve of was to come along then I wouldn't pass up the opportunity as I don't want to be forced into a loveless marriage with some merchant's spoiled daughter." Naruto said.

"May I ask who you are in a relationship with Naruto-san?" Tsume asked, already thinking of encouraging her daughter to get to know the young blonde.

"I guess it is alright… Yugao Uzuki, my old Anbu partner who is now living at my estate alongside Itachi and my-self." Naruto replied, earning a nod from the Inzuka matriarch.

"We will announce Naruto's heritage and Itachi's return to the village tomorrow, if there are no more questions or concerns regarding Naruto you two are free to go." Tsunade said. Earning no protest Naruto and Itachi left the Council chambers, agreeing to meet with Tsunade later to apply the seal.

-Grass Country-

"Kukuku… Are you sure this information is true?"

"Yes Orochimaru-sama… It seems that Itachi Uchiha has returned to Konoha after leaving the Akatsuki… They even sent four high ranked shinobi to help him get away."

"Do you know who they sent Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked.

"They sent A ranked shinobi Kakashi Hatake, Yugao Uzuki, and Maito Gai along with recently promoted Naruto Uzumaki, whose bingo book entry was recently updated to S ranked." Kabuto replied.

The sound of shattering glass could be heard from a dark corner of the room, the only thing that could be seen through the darkness was a pair of angry Sharingan eyes.

Itachi… Naruto… I'll kill you both soon enough.

-Omake, how not to tell Hinata you don't have feelings for her- (Remember the M rating)

"Yugao-chan… I don't know how to tell Hinata that I can't return her feelings. We were never really close, but she is still my friend and I don't want to hurt her." Naruto said as he stood beside Yugao on the Hokage monument.

"I don't know Naruto-kun… That girl is as bad as those girls Ino and Sakura were with Sasuke before he left… just that she is too shy to actually do anything about it. I think that no matter how you say it you are going to hurt her feelings." Yugao replied.

"That's what I was afraid of…" Naruto said, sighing as he ran his hand through his hair.

Yugao was about to say something when a man wearing a black hoodie and glasses with grey hair jumped in front of her, knocking her off balance as she fell down the forehead of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Dude, what the fuck, we were having a heart to heart there… and why are you wearing glasses… its nighttime."

"For one… I'm here to help you with your problem with Hinata, for your second question, its' always sunny in Doucheville." The man said, making Naruto sweatdrop.

"Right…"

"Well… the first thing you gotta do is take her out for coffee or something, after that you invite her back to your house. When you get there you tell her to sit on your couch while you go grab a beer, after that." The man said as he turned away, almost as if he was looking at an imaginary camera, "You fuck er right in the pussy."

After the words left his mouth both he and Naruto felt heavy bloodlust coming from behind them, turning they both paled as they saw Yugao, Ninjato drawn, glaring daggers at both of them.

"Y-Yugao-chan I w-wouldn't actually d-do that." Naruto said, trying to calm the purple haired woman down.

"I know Naruto-kun, I'm not mad at you." Yugao replied as she directed all her Ki (Killing Intent) at the grey haired man.

"Dude… you should run." Naruto whispered, earning a nod from him.

"Remember… right in the pussy." He said as he disappeared in a burst of speed, followed closely by Yugao who was currently screaming death threats.

"The fuck just happened… Although I can't deny that would be tempting… I'm sure she would be up for it." Naruto said, then once again paled as he felt Ki rise up from behind him. Turning Naruto saw another Yugao standing there.

"Shadow clone?"

Yugao nodded,

"Mercy?"

"Sorry Naruto-kun… All outta mercy."

"What about a headstart?"

"Five seconds."

"Good enough." Naruto said as he disappeared in a flash, making Yugao think he had mastered the Hiraishin.

(For any of you that don't get it, there was a guy who did something like this on national news a while back, youtube it.)

Alright so that's another chapter done… I'm sorry for updating so late, I started this chapter over a week ago but got sent out to work the day after starting and didn't really find the time to finish the chapter while at work. A fair bit happened this chapter, and a lot of you will probably see that I'm going to be changing at least one Akatsuki fight for either Gaara or Yugito. Hopefully the confrontation between Naruto and Hinata was some-what believable… that was probably the hardest part for me to write this chapter. Ncpfan was the only person to catch my Lord of the Rings reference in chapter five, or at least the only one who said anything about it. I'm on vacation until the 25th of this month, so hopefully I'll be able to get one or maybe two more chapters up… but I can't make any promises on that as I'm getting ready to go visit family as well as my birthday, but hopefully at least one more chapter. I got a pm asking about an update, and before anyone else asks I'm going to say it right now that what I do for work usually takes me away from home for 15 days at a time, during that time I'm usually working 12-16 hours a day so by the end of it I don't really feel like writing anything, most of the time I eat and fall asleep for 5 hours before doing it all over again. So if I don't update for long periods of time that's most likely why. There were other things I had planned on talking about but I forgot em so kudos to me for that. For the record, Konan won for the fourth pairing, that pairing seems to have become extremely popular recently.

Recommendations

-Anime-

Black Bullet- for the second time, its' starting to get really really good.

The Irregular at Magic High- last episode ended on a huuuuge cliff hanger, it would seem that the student council figured out who Tatsuya really is, and now he is being placed in a simulated duel between the two toughest opponents a rival school has to offer.

Second Part of Sword Art Online was also just released on Crunchyroll, and I'm assuming other sites as well. If you haven't seen any of Sword Art Online I'd highly recommend checking it out.

-Games-

Naruto Ninja Storm Revolution Demo is now out on PS3 and I'm assuming 360 as well, check it out if you liked the previous games, they added some new features that are fairly cool.

Onigiri is a Japanese MMO that recently came out as well, I found it enjoyable in the short time I had to play it, its' free and the combat is fairly fast paced.

(time for flames) I guess I also kinda got back into Runescape after like 3 years of not playing… its' a fun little distraction to play in the background while doing other things.

-Fanfics-

Gold and Crimson by Ghost4321, Naruto fic that crosses over into both Bleach and Fairytail, I'm hoping it is still being updated.

Other than that I have nothing… Haven't really done a lot of reading lately, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. R&R