Chapter 23 Bonds
I don't own Naruto. Anything I use from the story is the property of its creator Masashi Kishimoto. Same with anything I use from other stories
(Uzumaki Compound)
As she stood in front of the Uzumaki compound, Temari of the Desert couldn't hide her nerves. She was without her usual war fan since she wouldn't want to appear hostile when asking about Naruto and for obvious reasons, she couldn't have her headband on. Then again, most of the villagers she spoke to seemed pretty hostile towards Naruto, but she still wasn't able to find out where he lived. After close to two hours of talking to people, a few who tried to accost her, she hit paydirt thanks to a waitress at a place called Ichiraku Ramen. The waitress told her where Naruto lived and that she might have to wait a few minutes when she got there to speak to him. "Here we go" Temari muttered. She'd been waiting for close to 30 minutes when the doors finally opened, and Naruto walked out.
"So, what brings you to my compound Temari?" Naruto said in a calm voice but one look at his eyes told her the real story. He was not happy to see her at all, and he was exuding a killing intent that rivaled anything Gaara had ever sent her way and that was saying something. She almost wondered if it was the same person she'd seen before since he was usually so nonchalant.
"I'm sorry for the surprise visit, but I wanted to talk to you more about what we discussed the other day." Temari stuttered. She was so scared she didn't even notice the doors close behind her.
"That's fine, but I'm curious who told you where to find me?" Naruto said in a tone that meant she couldn't just brush this off.
"A woman named Ayame. She's a waitress at a ramen stand in town." Temari admitted.
"I see" Naruto said with a frown. To her credit, Temari had the sense to not wear her headband or war fan, but Ayame should've still known exactly who Temari was.
"So can we talk?" Temari said nervously.
"I don't exactly know what we have to discuss. Your village is planning to invade ours, something you already told me about and as far as I know nothing has changed." Naruto said calmly.
Temari flinched because he had a point but there was something he overlooked, "That's the problem. Considering the circumstances, shouldn't you have brought us in for questioning or something like that?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow since she was missing a huge detail, "You're currently staying in the village as part of the chunin exams. If we arrested you for anything, we'd have to tell the Sand Village. That would of course lead to them realizing we know about the invasion and Orochimaru might change his plan more than he already does. If you want to protect your family, the best thing you can do for me without going beyond what you've already done is let things play out."
"What do you mean beyond what I've already done." Temari frowned.
"Right now, we know THAT your village invading but no specifics. If you get us specifics, we can even make it, so Kankuro and Gaara are safely subdued."
"In other words, you want me to sell out my village even more." Temari huffed.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the statement, "That's right, but that's the only way to protect the family you care about. Kankuro is one thing but subduing a jinchuriki like Gaara is tricky for most of the village with a few exceptions, one of course being me." Naruto reminded her.
Temari hated how trapped she was, but the reality was that she was trapped, "Alright. When my sensei gets back and tells us the plan, I'll write it down later and bring it to you." Temari suggested.
"That's fine, but I'd rather you bring it to the waitress who told you about me." Naruto suggested instead.
"Why's that?" Temari wondered.
"I have my reasons." Naruto smiled.
"Alright." Temari sighed before turning around and walking away. She found out what she wanted to do.
Naruto watched Temari go both to enjoy the view of her shapely rear but also because he didn't want her to see his guest, "You can come out now Ido." Naruto deadpanned.
Right next to Naruto, a shadow appeared and Ido rose from the ground in her usual garb though without her mask, "That worked out pretty well."
"Yes it did. Now we'll know even more details and we can adjust things accordingly.
"Yes, and nice touch on having Ayame be the one to bring us the info."
"Well, we wouldn't have got it without her." Naruto smiled.
Ido rolled her eyes aware that it was more than that, "Now that you've had your fun with another enemy kunoichi, why don' you focus on the girls you left behind."
"Sounds good" Naruto smiled, and the pair walked into the compound.
(Scene Skip)
The next two days went by without too much trouble for Naruto. Ironically, Genma and Yugao were angrier with Ayame than with him since he really had no choice when she came this far. Ayame's excuse for revealing his location, was that it was a kunoichi and Naruto's track record meant it would be fine. It was true, but it didn't change the issue at hand. Right now, it was the middle of the day and Naruto was relaxing on his bed when somebody knocked on his door. "Come on in." Naruto said calmly.
The door opened to reveal Kin in her usual outfit, and she was clearly nervous about something. "Is now a good time to talk Prince Naruto?" Kin said nervously.
"What's on your mind Kin." Naruto replied calmly aware that she was clearly nervous.
"If possible, I'd like you to help free my other teammate."
Naruto raised his eyebrow, "You mean Dosu?" Naruto asked with intrigue.
"Actually no. I'm referring to a member of my original team."
"Original team?" Naruto questioned.
"That's right. Before Tayuya joined the Sound Four, I was on a 3-man team with her, and a girl named Sasame Fuma. We were all from the Land of Rice paddies and when we moved to the Sound, we naturally teamed up. If you help me to free her, she'd become an ally of yours for sure."
Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued but there were a few problems, "What makes you think that Sasame would want to be saved in the first place." Naruto asked to start.
"Unlike Tayuya and me, Sasame actually volunteered to go to the village because of her cousin Arashi. The last time I spoke to her, was a few weeks before we came to the village, and she was upset because her brother had received the curse mark." Kin explained.
Naruto scowled because if that was the case it meant that he was a candidate for being Orochimaru's next body and it meant his life was forfeit, "Next question. Is there any chance she'll be a part of the invading shinobi?"
"Absolutely. The Fuma clan aren't flashy, but they possess a few nasty techniques." Kin smiled.
Naruto was pleased by that, "In that case we'll simply find her during the invasion and once we do get her somewhere where you can talk to her."
Kin's eyes widened, "Thank you, Prince Naruto." Kin said happily.
"Of course." Naruto smiled warmly.
Kin was glad that Naruto was going along with her plan, "I understand that when people make request of ninja, they're supposed to offer a reward" Kin smiled as she walked towards Naruto with a sway in your hips.
"So, what did you have in mind" Naruto teased even as he got up from the bed.
Kin closed the distance between the pair, and draped her arms over his shoulders, "I was thinking that I get a head start on our night together." Kin said with a sultry expression.
Naruto smiled as he wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her into his body, "Sounds like a good reward to me." Naruto smiled ready to claim Kin at last.
(Scene Skip)
While Naruto was claiming Kin, Jiraiya stopped by in order to talk to him. Unfortunately for his godfather, the new security seals didn't have him registered, so he was forced to wait outside. Since he was occupied, Karin had Genma go to talk to Jiraiya on his behalf. He could've used a shadow clone, but he wanted to focus his attention solely on Kin.
This led to Naruto standing in front of the Kito Bath House later that night with Yugao by his side, "It's a very Jiraiya decision to meet you here." Yugao frowned.
"How so" Naruto wondered.
"Jiraiya is well known for his peeping habits, and this is one of the villages most popular bath houses."
"I see." Naruto sweatdropped.
"Technically I should continue but you should be fine with Jiraiya by your side." Yugao said calmly. Normally, an ANBU should be with Naruto at all times, but nobody would complain if he was watched by a Sannin.
"Sound goods" Naruto said calmly as he walked into the bathhouse entrance, quickly spotting the owner standing at the front desk. To his surprise, the owner was a much older man wearing a long green yukata with white trim over a dress shirt and tie.
"You must be Naruto. Jiraiya has said a lot about you over the years" the old man smiled.
"I'm surprised that a bathhouse owner would be so comfortable talking to somebody with my godfather's reputation." Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.
"Now that's not very nice." Jiraiya smirked as he walked towards Naruto with his usual outfit on.
"He has a point Jiraiya. Your reputation as a peeper is well known amongst the village."
"I prefer to call it research." Jiraiya smiled.
"Well, your research has caused quite a few problems over the years." The owner chastised.
"If it makes you feel better, I've never once used your establishment for my research." Jiraiya smiled.
"If you don't mind, can we get to why you brought me here in the first place." Naruto interrupted.
Jiraiya put his hand on his head bashfully, "Sorry about that. Now come with me and I'll tell you what's going on." Jiraiya frowned.
Naruto nodded before he and Jiraiya walked into the lockers together before changing so they could go to the open aired bath. "So what's going on that you'd call me to the bath house."
Jiraiya took a deep breath since this was going to be quite the conversation, "As the Leaf Village's top spymaster, it's my job to watch out for threats outside of the Village and report back on odd comings and goings that might be of interest. A little over three years ago, I heard rumor that a new shinobi village had cropped up in the Land of Rice paddies just north of us. I didn't think much of it at first since there are plenty of minor countries with villages, but I figured I'd check it out myself. That led me to the Fuma clan."
"That means that the village you're talking about is the Hidden Sound" Naruto gasped.
"That's right but how did you know that." Jiraiya frowned.
Naruto was a bit caught off guard by that and now he had questions, "How much do you know about my life?" Naruto wondered.
"Admittedly, not that much. After your father died, I had to go around to make sure that nobody tried anything. The chaos of that combined with the Hyuuga incident and the Uchiha massacre meant my time in the village was limited" Jiraiya said with a bit of guilt in his voice.
Naruto wanted to point out that he had enough time to peep and talk to his old friend but that would distract them from the task at hand, "Remember how I told you I was on house arrest." Naruto said calmly trying to distance himself from this conversation.
"You did mention that. but the old man didn't tell me why." Jiraiya frowned. Hearing that Naruto was on house arrest was shocking to say the least.
"Well, it's actually connected to the Sound Village." Naruto said calmly.
Jiraiya couldn't hide the smile on his face, "Tell me more" Jiraiya replied.
"Before I do, there's something I need to do." Naruto said calmly before getting out of the water and walking towards the wooden fence that separated the men's bath from the female one. Jiraiya was about to say something when he saw Naruto flash through hand signs and then created a privacy seal that would prevent anybody on the other side of the bath from hearing them.
"Sounds like you have quite the story Naruto." Jiraiya said with a nervous expression.
"You have no idea." Naruto deadpanned as he began to tell the story. He told his godfather about the odd meeting with Karin and the events that eventually led to his house arrest. He didn't mention the fact he was sleeping with the three kunoichi since he didn't want to end up being a part of Jiraiya's next book.
Jiraiya was going through various emotions at the end of Naruto's story. On one end, he was furious at Danzo and the Hidden Grass for what they pulled. On the other, he was proud of Naruto for sacrificing his chances to become a chunin to keep Sasuke safe, "Well that was quite the story, and it appears that are stories are connected even more than you realize." Jiraiya smiled.
"How so" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.
"A few days before the exams began, the Fuma clan reached out to me hoping to help a member of the clan flee Orochimaru. They told me about the invasion and said that this was the best chance she had to flee the village."
Naruto was absolutely stupefied because he had a distinct feeling, he knew who that person was, "Did you just say she?"
"Yep. Ironically, I was planning to talk to the old man about offering her asylum in exchange for information about the invasion." Jiraiya smiled.
"What's this girls name." Naruto stammered almost in disbelief of what was going on.
Jiraiya cracked a smile, "How about you dispel that seal, and she can tell you her name herself."
Naruto made a hand sign to dispel the seal, "There you go."
Jiraiya smiled, "Alright kiddo it's time to meet the person who's going to keep you safe. Give me a little time to get dressed, and then you can come on over. Meanwhile, I'm gonna go talk to the owner for a bit" Jiraiya shouted before getting up to leave.
(Scene Skip)
Naruto sat at the far edge of the bath as he waited for the girl that Jiraiya mentioned to appear and after about ten minutes of waiting he got his wish. The girl in question wasn't much older than he was with fair skin with long orange hair that framed her face with a small pigtail in the back and light purple eyes. She was currently wearing a light purple sleeveless shirt that hugged her generous curves and dark green shorts. When their eyes met, the girl looked almost shocked "I don't believe it. You're Prince Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened at the choice of name "I am and who are you" Naruto replied with a smile on his face. The moment she called him Prince Naruto he knew exactly who she was.
Sasame's eyes widened at the acknowledgement of his 'title' and for a very brief moment she teared up, but that quickly faded, "My name is Sasame Fuma, and I can't believe that you're the one Master Jiraiya is having me meet." Sasame said with a bit of a blush. When Jiraiya told her, she was staying with his godson he expected somebody older. She couldn't be more thrilled at how wrong she was.
"Let's just say you're not the only one who's surprised right now Sasame" Naruto smiled warmly.
"Umm Prince Naruto. Do you… do you mind if I join you… in the bath I mean." Sasame asked timidly. She was wearing her clothes because she didn't know what type of person she'd be meeting. Knowing who it was, she had no problem disrobing.
"Not at all." Naruto said without any hesitation. He wasn't going to say no to bathing with a pretty girl and Sasame was certainly that.
"Okay' Sasame replied. With no hesitation at all, Sasame pulled up her shirt leaving her in a green bra that she quickly unhooked, showing off her B cup breasts. With that done, Sasame pulled down her shorts revealing a matching pair of green panties which she soon got rid of revealing a small patch of orange hair, "What do you think Prince Naruto." Sasame said bashfully aware that she was naked in front of a man who she just met.
"You're quite lovely Sasame." Naruto smiled
Sasame entered the bath and walked towards Naruto, "So you're aware Prince Naruto I don't do this for just anybody. I'm actually one of the few active kunoichi from the Sound Village who's still a virgin." Sasame admitted as she stopped a few feet in front of Naruto.
"Is it really that unusual?" Naruto wondered.
"Yes. Most missions for kunoichi teams in the Sound Village are seduction missions where we're asked to seduce others for Lord Orochimaru. Since I was mainly there for my cousins, my teammates Tayuya and Kin were the ones who handled the more physical aspects sparing me that problem. When Tayuya was selected to join his more elite troops, cousin convinced Orochimaru to let me be the liaison for the Fuma to keep me off the missions. As for Kin, her sister was already one of Orochimaru's elites and started teaching her ninja arts to contribute that way"
The seduction missions explained why she was used to being naked around strange men but something else bothered him, "Your cousin did a lot for you." Naruto wondered.
Sasame's expression soured, "He did but the cousin I once knew is gone." Sasame frowned.
Naruto internally cursed because he stepped on a major landmine. Sasame was well aware of the fate that awaited her brother at some point, "Hey Sasame, let's stop talking about Orochimaru and enjoy this moment together." Naruto smiled.
Sasame was grateful for the change of subject and the fact that she could have a moment with him, "That sounds good to me Prince Naruto." Sasame smiled as she sat next to him and put her head on his right shoulder.
"According to Master Jiraiya, the plan was for Lord Hokage to offer you asylum and for you to live with me right." Naruto said calmly trying to keep it together.
"That was the plan, but I wanted to meet you first. Your godfather has quite the reputation and I was worried about the type of person you would be. Thankfully you're nothing like I imagined" Sasame teased.
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at that. Clearly Jiraiya's reputation didn't just extend to kunoichi of the Leaf, "Glad to hear that and you'll be happy to know that I'd have no problem with you moving in"
Sasame couldn't hide the smile on her face, "Thank you Prince Naruto and I look forward to living with you." Sasame said happily.
'I don't know what it is about me and enemy kunoichi, but I've got another one.' Naruto thought to himself.
'I wonder how she'll react when she discovers that her old team is living with and sleeping with you?' Kurama chuckled.
'She already knows they're staying with me considering my reaction to being called Prince Naruto.' Naruto replied with a mental eyeroll. The moment he acknowledged the Prince Naruto name, Sasame knew who he was and that he had already met her teammates. The fact she was comfortable getting in the bath naked with him proved that it wouldn't be long before she was screaming his name just like Tayuya and Kin.
(Scene Skip)
It was late at night when the trio arrived at the Uzumaki compound. The large walls that hid the actual houses from view were quite the sight even in the moonlight of the Hidden Leaf, "Beyond these doors lies your future Sasame but there's something I need to do first."
"What's that?" Sasame wondered as she stood in front of the group. All of her things were put into scrolls and stored into a small green backpack that she was currently wearing.
Jiraiya looked up and noticed the gate before remembering what happened earlier, "Oh right. When I tried to come in earlier, I couldn't get in. The old seals were blood seals but I'm guessing you changed that to something else"
"Yes. The gate contains a combination blood and chakra seal. Separate from that is a proximity seal that extends to about 100 meters out from the compound and covers the entire outer gate. If you're registered the proximity seal will allow you to walk through or even shunshin in. If you're not, the seal will prevent you from using a shunshin and if you're walking, it sends a pulse that will alert us to your presence.
Jiraiya whistled because that was a heck of a setup. The fact that Naruto and that Karin girl were sensors meant it was extremely safe, "Seeing as how it's a blood AND Chakra seal. I assume it means that to register we need to channel chakra via an open cut." Jiraiya questioned
"That's right" Naruto smiled before flashing a small ram sign in front of the gate causing a seal matrix to appear.
Jiraiya had to admit that was some impressive seal work but would discuss that with Naruto later. Right now, he needed to get registered, "I'll go first' Jiraiya smiled before biting his right thumb and quickly sliding it against his hand. He used a small half ram to send chakra to the cut before pressing it against the matrix. He felt a small pull and the matrix lit up for a moment before fading.
"You're done Master Jiraiya, now it's your turn Sasame."
"Got it' Sasame replied as Naruto activated the hand sign for the matrix yet again. Sasame followed Jiraiya's example and channeled her chakra through his hand and watched the matrix light up.
"And now you're set." Naruto smiled as he opened the gate. The pair barely made it a few feet before they saw two of Naruto's house guests
"No way" Sasame gasped as she saw the familiar faces of her old teammates.
"How are ya Sasame." Tayuya smiled.
"Did you miss us." Kin teased.
"Tayuya! Kin!" Sasame said happily as she ran over to embrace her old teammates. Her old team was together again and now none of them would ever have to worry about Orochimaru.
(Scene Skip)
While Sasame caught up with Kin and Tayuya, Jiraiya Naruto Genma Ido and Yugao sat in the living room to discuss the current situation. Jiraiya sat on the couch since the chairs were a bit too small for his massive frame while Yugao and Ido, without their masks on, sat in two smaller chairs at the top of the circular table with Genma and Naruto sitting at the bottom in their own chairs, "I swear you plan this Naruto because there's no way a guy can get this lucky." Genma chuckled having been apprised of the situation once the new trio arrived. He called Yugao since she would want to know also.
"I agree. The idea that Master Jiraiya would bring in somebody who's connected to those two is borderline ridiculous." Yugao lamented finding the situation more annoying than amusing.
"Wouldn't surprise me if the girls planned something like this themselves." Ido spoke up.
"Explain." Naruto said calmly.
Ido turned towards Naruto, "Sasame called you Prince Naruto from the start. The only way she knew about that was if Tayuya told her. My guess is that Tayuya had a plan to free her and Kin, but she didn't want Sasame to suffer. The asylum route was a way for Sasame to get out from underneath Orochimaru's nose and if she did it right, he might not figure it out until it was too late."
"That makes sense." Yugao admitted.
"It sort of reminds me of what Haku and Fu did." Ido chuckled.
"Sort of" Yugao sighed. Haku's plan with Fu was very similar and the fact she was an enemy turned lover was a fascinating parallel.
"Hey Master Jiraiya, any chance that seducing enemy kunoichi is a bloodline trait from Naruto's dad." Ido teased.
Jiraiya was about to respond but Yugao beat him to it, "The funny thing is Kushina sensei didn't like Minato at first. but when he saved her from being kidnapped and mentioned her hair, she was hooked. Most guys and girls treated her terribly before that." Yugao smiled.
"Aww boo. I guess Naruto's charm is due to his godfather."
Jiraiya looked at Ido with a confused expression, "What do you mean me."
"Well…"
"That's enough of this." Yugao said firmly as a blush formed on her face. Discussing Icha Icha's impact on Naruto's love life was not something she wanted to do.
"Aww I'm all curious now." Jiraiya frowned but seemed to relent after a dirty glare from Yugao.
Naruto was relieved to see the topic of his love life get pushed aside, "So, you two are okay with Sasame staying."
"I'm fine with it. It's one more mouth to feed but the girls have taken care of most of the chores since they moved in." Genma chuckled.
"I don't like it… but I approve." Yugao sighed. It was hard to deny Naruto had a knack when it came to enemy kunoichi.
"Excellent." Naruto smiled before making a hand sign as the privacy barrier around the room was dispelled.
"Well, I'm going to get going. It's been a long day and I could use some sleep" Yugao said calmly.
"Me too. See ya kid." Jiraiya smiled.
"Bye you two." Naruto said with a smile.
Yugao and Jiraiya left via a shunshin, leaving Genma and Naruto to focus on what' next. Much to their surprise the door to the living room opened to reveal a smiling Tayuya. "You guys done discussing everything." Tayuya smiled.
"Yes." Genma said calmly.
"Awesome. Hey Prince Naruto, me and Kin came up with a new dish and we wanted you to try it first."
Naruto raised an eyebrow before shrugging, "Alright" Naruto said calmly as he got out. If he had seen the eyes of Genma and Ido he would've seen a smile on their faces. Tayuya led Naruto into the kitchen, but there wasn't any food waiting for him. Instead. he found Sasame with a purple naked apron with green swirls.
"Ummm. What do you think Prince Naruto?" Sasame asked timidly. When she realized that they may not just let her stay, she went to Tayuya and Kin for advice. They gave her the apron and said that she should wear it for him. Rather ironically, she was more embarrassed to do the naked apron than she was when she was actually naked in front of him.
"I think Sasame will fit in just fine" Naruto smiled as Tayuya Kin and Sasame breathed a sigh of relief. Things were definitely going to get more interesting around the house.
(Scene Skip)
After dinner Naruto made his way up to his room to relax as he wondered what the night would bring. Kin's night was tonight, but they enjoyed each other during the afternoon and there was no way she wasn't overwhelmed with Sasame's arrival. "What a day" Naruto groaned.
"One of these days your luck is going to run out Naruto."
"I'm well aware of that Ido but until then I'm just going to embrace the madness." Naruto smirked.
"Sounds good. By the way, I'll be watching Sasame for a bit to make sure she's on the up and up. Hopefully Tayuya hasn't told her about me yet." Ido mused.
Naruto was about to say something when the door opened and Sasame herself walked in wearing her regular outfit, "Prince Naruto can we talk." Sasame said nervously.
"What's up" Naruto said softly as he move to the edge of his bed.
"Despite everything that's happened, I'm sure you have your doubts about me. I figured I could take this chance to answer any questions you might have."
Naruto was glad she was giving him this opportunity, "Tayuya was always after me in the hopes I could free her and Kin, but your asylum plan was based off of getting help from Jiraiya. What would you have done if he had you live with someone else?"
"In that case, I would've given your Hokage the information in exchange for a chance to meet with you."
Naruto was pleasantly surprised by that, "But you know nothing about me. Hell, Tayuya and Kin knew nothing about me when they did what they did. For all you girls know, I could've been a pervert as bad as Jiraiya."
Sasame couldn't help but smile since the question spoke to the type of person Naruto was, "You're right, but the key is the fact Tayuya called you Prince Naruto."
"Explain" Naruto said in confusion.
"As you know, Tayuya Kin and I are childhood friends and we heard stories about the Uzumaki from Tayuya's mother. She told us about how wonderful the Uzumaki were and that none were more incredible than the royal family. They were kind and powerful and had an aura that was unmatched. According to Tayuya's mother, anytime you were in the presence of the royal family your chakra felt warm."
"That's cool and all but what does that have to do with me. Uzu was destroyed long before I was born. Hell, by the time you were old enough to hear the stories my mother was long gone." Naruto said in frustration.
"When we were about 6, Tayuya asked if she could visit Lady Kushina's grave to pay her respects. Tayuya's mother didn't know if it was possible, but she agreed only because she wanted to pay respects to her friend one last time."
So, they made the trip down to the village in order to pay respects. The trip was a failure since they couldn't pay respects, but one good thing came out of it."
"They felt that warm feeling that Tayuya's mother talked about." Naruto said in sheer disbelief.
"Yup. When she got back, Tayuya promised herself that she would return to the Leaf Village when she was older and find the Uzumaki her. If he was the type of person that her mother described in the stories, she would call him Prince Naruto and do anything in her power to be with him.
Flashforward to a few months ago and Kin was in a meeting to discuss the plan for the chunin exams when she saw the name Naruto Uzumaki. It doesn't take much to figure out the rest"
"She told Tayuya and from there this plan was born." Naruto replied.
"That's right. When I called you Prince Naruto at the bath, I did so, hoping that you'd understand why. When it appeared that you did, I knew that Tayuya found what she wanted and that staying with you was the right decision." Sasame said with a warm smile.
"Well, I'm glad that I can be your Prince Sasame." Naruto smiled back.
"Thanks Prince Naruto. By the way, I look forward to the next time we can be naked together." Sasame teased before spinning and opening the door as Naruto barely held back a chuckle.
"She's going to be right at home."
"Yes she is. and I can't tell if I'm proud of you or disappointed." Ido smirked as she appeared from the shadows in some red and pink pajamas.
"For what exactly?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.
"You could've had her screaming your name tonight, but you let her go."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "I can't just sleep with every girl I run into."
"Maybe not but she was giving off serious fuck me vibes. I'm getting flashbacks of you and Karin." Ido groaned recalling that headache.
"When Sasame gets her night, and she will soon enough, I'll enjoy her then."
"Fine. Admittedly I still have my doubts."
"Aren't you the one always joking about my talent with enemy kunoichi. Why not just go along with it like you have everything else?" Naruto said cheekily.
"True. I guess I'm just nervous because I know sooner or later your luck is going to run out."
"Yep, but until then I'll just keep doing what's working." Naruto smiled.
"Night you blonde casanova." Ido teased.
"Night Ido" Naruto smiled as the shadow returned to her host in order to rest.
(Scene Skip)
Naruto Sasame and Yugao stood in front of the Hokage with Jiraiya by his side, "Ms Sasame I understand that you requested asylum from your former home the Sound Village. You also have information that I may find useful about my former student" the third said in a formal tone.
"That's correct Lord Hokage. Like my former teammates, Tayuya and Kin I never liked the village"
"I see. Well, Tayuya and Kin provided valuable information already. It makes me wonder what you could possibly add." The Third said with a stern glare.
Sasame didn't flinch at all as he made her pitch, "I take it you know about Orochimaru's curse mark and what he actually uses it for." Sasame said calmly.
"Yes!" The Third said with gritted teeth. The idea that he could take over a person's body was disgusting beyond belief.
"Well did you know that he can only change bodies once about every three years and that period expires about a month from now. During that time, he'll be incredibly weak for a period of about a week"
"How do you know this" the Third scowled.
"Tayuya just joined her inner circle three years ago and she remembered that Orochimaru vanished for about a week for a reason nobody understood. When he came back, she could tell his chakra had changed." Sasame explained as she reached into her pocket and took out a black book that reminded the group of a bingo book. "This book contains a few names of people who could act as his new body." Sasame said as she place the book on the Kage's desk.
The third took the book and looked through it with until he stopped at a name, he was pretty sure the young woman in front of him would recognize, "I see that one of the possible bodies is an Arashi Fuma, I take it you're related." The third said with a solemn expression of his own.
"Yes. He's my cousin and based on the options he's the most likely of the group."
Yugao quickly grabbed the book and looked through it herself before stopping on another name, "What about this Guren woman. She seems to be quite the threat." Yugao answered. Her Crystal style would make her a nightmare for most shinobi.
"It's complicated. On one hand she's the type of person Orochimaru loves the most. Talented ruthless and cunning. The problem is that she has one issue that means that he would never take her body"
The group all paused before Jiraiya eyes widened, "Her bloodline limit."
"Exactly. Once Guren dies, and she will after three years, the crystal style dies with her." Naruto explained"
"Orochimaru doesn't care about all of that Naruto. Yamato is a good example of how far he'll go to keep a bloodline." Yugao reminded him.
"Yes, but Yamato was the only survivor of a large number. Let's say hypothetically we let Sasuke get the cursed seal and he went to Orochimaru. He could easily repopulate the Uchiha clan. As for Guren and her crystal style. She'd be useless for 9 months just to get 1 kid." Naruto retorted.
"True" Yugao replied a bit taken aback by the logic."
"Anyway. He won't want to lose Guren so that means my cousin… is the most likely choice. I wouldn't be surprised if he's made the change now and is using this month to gather himself before the invasion." Sasame said weakly. She brightened up a bit when Naruto wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his body, but it was clear she was hurting.
"Well, I thank you for this information. It goes without saying that your asylum has been approved and we'll make sure that as Sound ninja arrive, you're protected." The third explained.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Sasame smiled trying to keep it together.
"You did great Sasame." Naruto smiled before kissing her on the head.
"Can we go home now Prince Naruto?" Sasame said weakly. This was always going to be tough for her since she had to accept that her brother was gone.
"You two are free to go" The third smiled.
"Then let's go home Sasame. I heard the girls were going to take you shopping soon."
"Okay" Sasame said weakly.
"Let's go you two." Yugao frowned before putting her hands on the duo and leaving via a shunshin.
"Well, that was uncomfortable." Jiraiya frowned.
"Yes, but one thing is for certain. We must stop Orochimaru and soon."
"If only we could contact Tsunade. She would be the trump card we need." The Third frowned.
"I'll start looking for her. We may not need her yet, but if this war is as dangerous as we suspect we might need to bring her back sooner rather than later." Jiraiya frowned.
"Thank you Jiraiya" The Third smiled bitterly.
"See ya later sensei." Jiraiya said calmly before leaving.
As the third sat in his office he had to wonder if it was all worth it. Sure things with Naruto had worked out, but he was one of the rare ones. Orochimaru Danzo Tsunade the mess with the Uchiha clan, he had failed as many times as he succeeded, and now two of his biggest failures were coming back to haunt him. Reaching into his desk he found his pipe and grabbed it taking a drag in order to think about what's to come
That's it for Chapter 23 and yeah this was a wild one. Next time it's nearly time for the finals and soon everything will be in place. Things are about to get very interesting for Naruto and his group.