Nine-Tailed Naruto

by Animaman

What if Naruto became the next Sage of Six Paths at a young age, due to a near death experience? What if Kyubi was given a chance at a second as a human girl still growing up, with Naruto receiving all of her powers and tails? PowerfulSmartNaruto, HumanFemKyubi, Harem. Sasuke, Kiba, Civilian Council Bashing

6. Surprise within a Surprise

NINE-TAILED NARUTO

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto

Harem is as stands, the only person I might replace is Isaribi with somebody in Konoha, or at least in Fire Country, but only with a good reason, and somebody rarely used, meaning no Ice Queens, since Naruto well see them as nothing more than sisters. Otherwise Isaribi well be the last girl introduced, and plan to bring her in either with Tsunade, or try a different approach at least. I know there are those who aren't fond of Sakura being in the harem, yet there are those who don't like Hinata, or any of the other girls, but hey, can't please everybody, no matter how hard you try, and I'm not going to even bother trying, because change one thing, and there would be demand for more changes from different sides, and don't feel like being caught in the crossfire.

As for Minato and Kushina's return, it might be either in this chapter, or the next, not entirely sure, I'll figure it out eventually. And might give Naruto a younger sibling or two, yet, might as well get this out now, there will not be any neglect of any kind from his parents for any reason, not even unintentionally, because I just don't have the heart to write one. I read them, and one thing some have in common, at least the ones that don't have any kind of outside influence like genjutsu, prophecies or supernatural, is that they either start off unintentionally to where by the time the parents realize that they can squeeze in the time, they are started to realize the consequence to their actions, or while intentionally start things off to where it was good, but unintentionally takes things too far that by the time they start waking up, they start denying that they did anything wrong, only for say Naruto, or somebody close to them, like one of their favorite kids, or friends, end up having to point it out that they have done wrong, and grilling them for answers on why they would do it. Those, or one of the parents, mostly Minato, turn out to be beyond bad by how manipulative they are, and really power hungry to where they are full of themselves. Those, I refuse to write.

Anyway, on with the story.

It was now the next day, and Naruto and Misaki are enjoying a nice breakfast made by Ayame, after Naruto spent about an hour trying to get Misaki to wake up.

Last night, a few hours after the meeting, Misaki, curtesy of Yugao, got to meet the rest of the Ice Queens, who were more than anxious to meet their younger sister, and more than willing to help her get used to her new body, since Naruto has enough common sense to step aside and let the experts give a couple bits of advices that would be most helpful for a little girl. After that, they decided to jokingly give Naruto the 'if you do anything bad to her' line to him, which not only went over his head, with his fox features, when he asked them what they meant by it, while he tilted his head, he found himself in a four-way hug, and thanks to the girls starting puberty, found his head in a mattress of budding breasts, which would make any guy really envious of him if they found out, especially if picturing what it would look like in a few years when he and the girls that would be with him a few years. After being allowed to breathe and recovering from a wave of odd feelings, the rest of the night was spent between Naruto and Misaki, talking, and getting used to enjoying the other's company outside of Naruto's head.

Back to today, Hiruzen dropped by the stand, about a couple of hours after Naruto and Misaki had lunch there, which included Ayame giving Naruto a tight hug, although unlike the ones that came before, Ayame wasn't much older than him, was just her hugging him from behind while he is sitting on his stool, with her standing up, and petting his ears, along with stroking his tails, that it took both Teuchi and Misaki to snap her out of her little girly moment. While she knew that the Hokage was hiding a few things from her and her father, while she is still a kid herself, she can already figure out why, considering how many people she heard dissing Naruto.

When she arrived, she just gave both of them a small hug, they went back to the bedroom to change clothes, while Ayame made them something simple, which were omelets, with different fillings: ham and cheese for Naruto, salmon and cream cheese for Misaki, and for herself, a veggie omelet, while they all had a glass of orange juice to wash them down with. They had a nice conversation, with Ayame getting to know Misaki a bit more; especially the stuff that she knew the Sandaime was trying to keep away from certain ears, especially the ones with really violent owners. And the fact that Ayame accepted the fact that Misaki was the Kyubi, and now, a human who is finally being allowed to live her own life again, is a big relief for both kids.

"So Misaki, how does it feel to be human for real?" Ayame asked.

After taking a sip of her juice, "Different, but still, feels good." Misaki answered, "While I'm still getting used to not transforming into a giant fox, along with the fact that my ears are lower, and I no longer feel what I used to have near my butt when I had tails, but it's what wanted for so long, especially as long as I'm free, and have Naruto by my side, I should be just fine." After she said that, a smile started growing on her face.

"And Naruto, how does it feel to have a roommate? Especially a girl roommate" Ayame asked, wanting to put the boy on the spot, while making sure she doesn't end up being the one to give Naruto the birds and the bees talk a few years ahead of schedule.

"Well, it's nice to not being alone at night." Naruto said, "Especially since Misaki is so pretty," He said, causing said girl to give off a blush, not knowing that what he is doing is going to have an effect that keeps getting stronger in the future, "Although I'm still wondering about one thing."

"And what's that?" Ayame asked, while taking a drink of her orange juice.

"Well, gramps said yesterday that Misaki and a few other girls are going to be my future wives and sounding like we are to rebuild a clan," Naruto said, finally starting to wonder what was said during his daylong ordeal, "But how are we supposed to do that?"

This question caused Ayame to start choking on her juice, and Misaki to have a dreamy look on her face, trying to picture her life with Naruto, without the 'extras' that would be enjoying their lives with him as well.

After recovering from her ordeal, Ayame wasn't sure how to approach that, since she herself, who is only five years older than the two, had only learned about the birds and the bees from her parents about a couple of months ago, and even though she comes off as a know it all when it comes to certain things, the answer to Naruto's question is just too embarrassing, at least for her, to explain about to somebody who probably isn't ready to hear it.

As if answering a prayer, *knock* *knock* *knock* somebody was at Naruto's door. "I got it." Ayame said, as she practically leapt out of her seat, anxious for a way out of her predicament.

The two left behind watched as the older girl hurried off to answer Naruto's door, wondering if Ayame is feeling okay. They then looked at each other and just shrugged it off. "I guess we have to ask a grown up about this." Misaki said, as both decided to finish up their breakfast.

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto said in agreement, while finishing off his juice. As soon as he placed the empty glass onto the table, his breakfast now done, "Gah!" He got tackled by five different colored streaks, which revealed the five girls Naruto and Misaki met in the Hokage's office, while said girl's right brow was twitching, because her time with Naruto came to a literal crashing halt.

At the door, Mebuki, Mikoto, Joó, Asami, along with Tsume, with Kuromaru,, Hana, and her trio of dogs, Inochi, Hiashi, and some guy that Naruto hasn't met before, were having a good laugh at the scene before them. Yet he can tell that he must be Sakura's father, due to the fact that he has what appears to be naturally pink hair sticking out like a cherry blossom, along with sideburns that seem to double as a mustache.

They laughed even harder when it became a battle once Misaki demanded that they make room for her. While most people would believe that Hiashi is humorless, that in itself was far from the truth. While he takes his job as clan head seriously, along with being a husband, father, brother, uncle to his family, he also isn't afraid to show his happiness whenever he is with his family and friends. One of the things he refuses to find humorous in the slightness bit, especially when it comes to the main house, and his ex-clan elders, is how they look down on both the Branch House and others they consider beneath them just because they come from an 'elite' clan, acting similar to most of the Uchiha Clan, which is one of the main reasons behind the rivalry.

Things were going good at what they were watching, "Yeow!" until the girls started to pull Naruto in different directions, giving him the stuffed animal treatment, to where if not stopped, they would do the boy some serious harm, and not just physically.

Hiashi stepped forward and gave a loud cough, getting the girls' attention from their little plight, "Girls, Naruto is not some toy you can fight over." The girls looked down, feeling ashamed, while releasing their grip on him, realizing what they were doing to him considering how he is rubbing the parts of his body from their little tug-of-war on him.

Asami stepped up and put her hand on her husband's shoulder, taking over from where he started, "Girls, we know how excited you are to be with Naruto again, but what you just did, was something one shouldn't do to another human being, ever. Tackling because you miss, even really like somebody, is okay, especially if you have feelings for the boy," Causing the 6 girls to blush, even though they have no idea what feelings the woman is talking about when it comes to Naruto, "But treating him like he is some toy, some kind of doll, mainly, some kind of possession, to where you don't want to share him with others, that is something you should never do to any living being."

Realizing what they were doing to Naruto, "We're sorry Naruto." Ino said, as tears were coming out of the girls' eyes, feeling bad that, unlike yesterday, which was more peaceful, more respectful, today, but just a few minutes ago, they treated their new friend badly once they tackled him.

"Yeah, Naruto sorry." Dawn said, "We were so excited to see you, we ended up treating you like how our mothers act whenever there is a sale at the clothes store."

"It's okay girls, just be more careful next time." Naruto said, while placing Hinata and Sakura in an arm hug, while wrapping the rest in his tales, to help make them feel better.

Meanwhile, it was the mothers' turn to blush, because of the fact that even though they are the best of friends and all are, or were, great kunoichi, yet whenever they come across a clearance sale at one of their favorites stores, well, bets are off and everybody better steer clear if they want to live. It didn't help matters any when Hana, the husbands, and even the dogs, were laughing at their expense. Deciding to change the subject quickly, "Okay Naruto, Misaki, are you both ready to go shopping?" Joó asked, wanting to get the spotlight off of her.

"Yes, we would." Misaki said, feeling better, although she put on a pout, along with the rest of the girls, because they were enjoying being hugged by Naruto, even if the hugs were by tails.

"Yeah, sure." Naruto said, as he walked up to the group. When he noticed a new face, "Who's this?" Naruto asked, about the man standing next to Mebuki.

Mebuki had a bit of a blush on her cheeks because she didn't get the chance to introduce her husband, who decided to introduce himself. "Hello Naruto, my Kizashi and I'm an old friend of your fathers." The man said, as he offered a hand.

When he shook it, Naruto asked, "So where is, what do they call them, tie-dye shirt?"

This had two different reactions: The man to release the boy's hand and drop his head, while a storm cloud appeared over his head, and everybody around him, other than Naruto and Misaki, started laughing/giggling at his expense, especially his own daughter. Apparently, this isn't the first time made a crack at him, especially due to his pink hair. While his family is known for their natural pink hair, unfortunately, for the men at least, makes them wide open for jokes, especially, although these tend to go too far when pointed out, what side of the fence they sit on. Once or twice, he had a couple of friends who did use that joke on him, and when he tells them how it hurts him, well, one friend apologized and promised not to do it again, which that person never did, and the other, well, stopped being a friend and became a bully instead.

Deciding to get going while the going is good, "Okay everyone, let us be off." Mikoto said.

"Wait." Naruto said, putting on the breaks, "First, me and Misaki have to help Ayame with the dishes."

Ayame waved a small hand up, "No, no Naruto, it's okay, I can handle it myself." She said, appreciating all the times Naruto would try to help her.

Not wanting to hear any of it, "No, you're going to get some help, wither you like it or not, even if it's not from me." He said, as he walked towards a window, knowing that an ANBU would be watching. While getting curious looks from everybody in the room, Naruto opened a window and yelled out "Hey, somebody tell Kakashi to get his butt over here now!"

While some people admired the boy's tenacity to order one of the village's highest ranking ninja like that, yet at the same time, they knew that, even though nobody has any real obligation to listen to Naruto and he knows this, which is why he only does it when he needs something, and if the person who doesn't do it, and has a good reason, he lets it go. If it's bad, then, depending on how bad the reason, or the lie, a prank is in the immediate future, especially if they show up late. In Kakashi's case, who was probably late the day he was born, he not only took too long, yet gave an excuse so bad, that by the next day, Naruto was able to enter his apartment at night, and somehow, turned his hair into a rainbow color afro, and due to the fact that he somehow didn't noticed until he reached ANBU HQ, gave him a bunch of clown outfits, that he didn't know why most of the village was laughing at him, until somebody pointed at him towards a mirror. The scream was the icing on the cake when Naruto actually made him look like a clown, and now, he makes sure that if he isn't on duty, Naruto might pull off with his little threat of making him look like a Might Gai clone, which is considered far scarier than clowns for some people. Hell, if the Hokage is willing to let Naruto help with the discipline with his pranks, while only using Ibiki for the seriously hard cases, then a lot of folks, ninja and civilian alike, better pray they don't end up on the Hokage's light shit list, meaning easily fixable.

About a minute later, Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, in what would be a typical Jonin uniform, meaning that he is off duty, and his ANBU uniform is at home. "You rang Naruto?" He asked, his nose in an Icha Icha book, not realizing how much in the danger zone he is in.

A threateningly slow "Kakashi . . ." rang out, causing him to turn into a statue of fear, with his eye wide open, because while he can recognize the distain in the voices, which he gets every time he reads his book in public, and is used to, but also recognized the voice itself. Stiffly turning his head towards the voice, he notices Mebuki, Joó, Asami, Tsume and Mikoto had a look that promised severe pain, considering they were all cracking their knuckles. When he noticed the Husbands, along with Hana and the dogs keeping their distance, he knew he crossed a line somewhere. When he looked around to check his surroundings, he noticed Naruto, the girl from the Ramen Stand, Ayame, Misaki, and the daughters of said mothers, he now realized why his life is in danger of ending early, the only words coming to his mind are 'oh shit.'

Deciding to save the poor fool, "Ladies, as much as I would enjoy seeing you pound Kakashi down to the ground floor, but I still need his help with something." Naruto said, causing the mothers to back down, and Kakashi to release the breath he was holding while giving Naruto a thank you look, although he took the hint when Naruto looked at his hand, which pretty much told him to stash the book if he wants to leave in one peace. Sensing that the air has calmed a bit, "Anyway Kakashi, I need you to help Ayame with the dishes, and, with all the bad people in the village, escort her home safely."

Ayame blushed a bit, because even though unintentional, and supposed to be harmless, Naruto was making sure her crush was there to help her out, and protect her, although some mgith speculate the boy for playing matchmaker.

Kakashi gave Naruto a curious look, "You called me here to help somebody with a chore and be a bodyguard for them?" He asked, not liking the idea of having to do something during his time off.

"Well, besides reading those books and feeling sad about what happened in the past, what else do you do when you're not working?" Naruto asked, pretty much saying Kakashi doesn't really have much of a life. "And from what I have been told about my parents, we both know what they would do if they found out if you are still living in the past."

Kakashi looked down, knowing exactly what they would do. Minato would tell him to get over all his loses, stop looking in the future, and start living in the now, because the future isn't going anywhere. Kushina, well, she would go for the direct approach, which would be literally give him a kick in the butt for wallowing in his own misery, and break every bone in his body for reading a certain pervert's books in front of her son. Mainly, Naruto is trying to get him back on track.

"Besides, would you rather deal with them?" Naruto asked, pointing towards the mothers.

Kakashi took one look and shivered. Those five were not only Kushina's best friends, but also, amongst the meanest pervert haters because whenever they caught somebody taking a peep at them, especially a certain old toad, well, it would be a miracle if they can get back to eating solid food again. "I'll wash." He said, heading towards the kitchen, with Ayame not too far behind, blush still there.

Naruto turned towards the adults, "Well, time to go." He said.

The adults, along with the teen and dogs, couldn't help but laugh at how innocent Naruto can be when it comes to certain things, just as they left with the kids for their little shopping trip, although if one were listen carefully, you could hear some weeping coming from the men's pockets, like their wallets know how big of a workout they're about to get.

Hokage's Office

In the office, while his clones were at work at the paperwork, dealing with the daily garbage that came from the Civilians and Civilian Council, which are becoming too predictable, to where he and his friends have enough of them to start a fire for the next winter. Something he learned years ago, when the civilians started to get too full of themselves to where they started to think that the shinobi are the servants, although he, along with Danzo, Homura and Koharu, where pretty steamed when some of the council members, mainly male, or mothers of certain kids, crossed a line when they either tried to force a marriage between their kids and one of the clan kids, mainly as an excuse to gain more power, or even tried to ask for the ninja, mainly kunoichi, for more 'personal' services, that not only was there a law to make such requests illegal, but also, let other ninjas know that if anyone within the village, no matter who they are, tries such things, can report to him, or the elders, to make things right.

At the moment, he was chuckling at what he seen going on at Naruto's apartment through his little crystal ball, especially when it came to Kakashi. While he told Naruto to be careful when it comes to being bossy, and also, when not to abuse such a thing, he couldn't help but laugh on how the boy unintentionally played matchmaker, even though chances are, Ayame might just lose interest in Kakashi, and find somebody else. That's how life usually is, it's never a constant thing, especially individually.

He also gave a small sigh, because when the time comes, he would have to give Naruto the 'birds and the bees' talk a few years down the road, while he has to find a kunoichi willing to give it to Misaki. Something he wishes Minato and Kushina were around to do so. While he would look for somebody to take care of Naruto, yet, the ones he can think of are bad choices. Kakashi would just toss the boy a book, one of his Icha Icha books, and have him read it, which is something, he would admit, would try to do himself, yet that would result in a loss of a certain body part he is very fond of. Jiraiya, one of his most loyal students, and one of the biggest perverts on the planet, would probably drag the boy with him on his 'research,' or a brothel, and have one of the ladies there give the boy a 'hands on' lesson in such things, although if the boy has his parents luck, some of the girls would fall in love with the boy like a little brother instead, while pounding the poor dolt into the ground for trying to corrupt an innocent child. Ibiki, well, he would just plain old tell Naruto to find somebody else since he has been too focused on his career than finding love. Asuma and Shikaku, would be too lazy to tell him, the Ice Queens, along with Tsunade, his other student who is in self-exile, would give the boy mixed messages, along with scare the boy out of building his family when the time comes, especially by giving him the warning they tend to give to perverts. Shizune, the young lady that Tsunade took under her wing, would be a safe bet, yet, like Tsunade, both need to be found first. Elders, no, since chances are, they might draft him to do it, because in all four of their opinions, they only need to embarrass one old fogy when that time comes. To put it simply, unless a miracle happens, that is one awkward talk that Hiruzen would have to give again. (I'm going to make it where graduation age at the academy would be between 17 and 18, meaning that Iruka still has about a few years before becoming a genin, since he is about 14 in this fic.)

Right now, Hiruzen's main concern is to make sure nobody does any kind of serious harm to Naruto, and by extension, his girls, wither they are on the council, in the clan, or part of the populace, or even if they are from the outside of the village. Because even in times of peace, there is always some village, or at least, somebody within the village, that either has an axe to grind due to the past wars, or just bored, to where they don't care how many lives they get to destroy, as long as they get to control the outcome. While the villagers are a part of his concerns, the rest is coming from the fact that today is the day that an envoy from Kumo, an ambassador, is visiting the village to sign a treaty between the two villages. While it may seem fine for those who look at things at a certain eye level, for those like those who are trained to read between the lines, sounds too good to be true, especially from a place like Kumo. There has been some blood between the two for a long time, which got worse during the war, when they had a hand in the fall of Uzu, and made even worse when some of their ninja tried to kidnap Kushina from her home so that they can turn one of the last living Uzumaki into breeding stock, while also using whatever was in her blood that helped keep demons at bay when sealed inside somebody with that specific type of blood. They even tried to pulled a fast one after Minato saved her, only to backfire, when Danzo's ROOT did the interrogation and revealed not only Kumo's plans, but also the conspirators in the village who basically let them in, which was a merchant who wasn't only pleased that the village had one of the last Uzumaki in the village, especially one with a demon inside her, but also, was a parent of one of the kids Kushina pounded into the ground after calling her 'Tomato,' which was what lead to her famous nickname, The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.

And now, even though the current Raikage, Ay, who is known for being a major hardass, has apologized for those on his council for going behind his back to pull off kidnapping a Konoha Kunoichi and risk a war just for their own benefit. He even admits that while like other Kage, he puts his village first, yet he would never risk his village's integrity just to get an edge. Unfortunately, his council decided to pick the perfect scapegoat, who was actually loyal to him, and didn't have anything to prove it otherwise, although he helped fake the man's death, at least, until he can get rid of the all bad elements in his village.

Hiruzen called in his secretary, or rather, his new one picked by his friends who they know would do their job like they are supposed to, and not let their personal feelings get in the way. "Have an ANBU go and notify the Elders that I require their presence in my office ASAP." He ordered.

"Yes sir." The secretary said, doing as she was ordered.

Looking back at the crystal ball, watching as the group walked through the village, not caring about the world at the moment. "I hope my bad feeling is for not, otherwise, lives might be changed tonight." He said to nobody in particular.

Back with the group

While walking towards the place that the mothers were talking about the other day, with Itachi joining the formation since he wants to make sure that Naruto, along with his mother and sister, stay safe from the wrong people, while also making sure to give Naruto some more male support, since he, along with the husbands, are outnumbered 12-4, with Itachi making it 12-5, and 4 dogs. To put it simply, while Naruto might get away with a slip of the tongue, or even compliment the girls, mainly because he is too young to know what he is saying, or the girls for what is being said, the rest, well, to put it simply, none of them better do something to ruin the mood of the day. Otherwise, it would either be the couch for a certain amount of time, or the hospital, depending on the mood, especially if any of them go into overprotective father mode. Itachi, while he still is the overprotective older brother, after protecting Naruto, he knows that Dawn would be happy with him, but Fugaku and a good portion of the Uchiha Clan, he needs to be ready if they take things too far.

Naruto and the girls are having a little kid talk, with Hana adding her two cents every once in a while, because even though she is an academy student, she still has a tendency to act like a sister, what kind, depends on the person (I'm going to making it where the Ice Queens are all from 18-20, or rather, I upped Hana's age from her canon one, since in the canon, she is about 8 years younger than Kurenai, 5 for Yugao, the rest would be canon age, mainly because I have no complete idea what I'm doing with this story and winging it in some parts.) Deciding to start a little small talk, "So Itachi, how do you feel about your little sister finding her fiancé so early in life?" Kizashi asked, talking to the only, somewhat, social able male Uchiha in their group, since most of the clan tends to have a really bad god complex.

Itachi kept his eyes forward, like Hiashi, and Inochi, along with the women, because even though the kids are just having a good time, and are, or seem, to be unaware, of some of the villagers sending evil looks, even murmuring, over not only Naruto's new look, but also, the fact that there are kids his age actually being friendly with him. While most of the village, ninja included, would know better than to try anything, especially with so many powerful people who are willing to protect and defend him from just about anything, and although there are still those idiots who just have to try their luck, especially at the backing of a council member or two.

Itachi gave a brief look at Kizashi, not letting his guard down even by a little bit when his family, and the boy he sees more as a brother then his own brother, are in danger of somebody's bigotry. "I feel fine with Dawn being with Naruto, even if she has to share him. Especially better than the alternative." Itachi said, referring to the customs that his father, along with a good portion of his clan, mainly elders and most of the higher grade Uchihas, enforces to keep the bloodline 'pure,' meaning, she would be married off to a Uchiha, a cousin, and if she gets her Sharingan early, even the Mangekyo Sharingan, she would be forced to give her eyes to Sasuke so he can get the Eternal Mangekyo, while getting a pair of ordinary eyes so that she doesn't upstage the clan favorite to succeed Fugaku.. Itachi lost that right when the clan felt Mikoto had made him too soft.

Hiashi nodded his head, just as he caught a flying stone that would have hit one of his daughters, and sent it flying towards it's sender, hitting a man right between the eyes, yet only hard enough to leave a bruise, as it knocked him out. "Indeed, which is why I don't want either of my daughters to go through a tradition that should have stopped years ago, yet my former clan elders were a stickler to tradition."

Asami, who was holding his hand, "And after we had a talk with Tsunade about if what the clan is doing to keep the bloodline pure more harmful and good, well, and this is before we decided to have the twins." She said.

"And what did she say?" Mikoto asked, while all the other adults, and young adults, were curious, especially Mikoto, Itachi, and Tsume, whose clans practice strict clan marriage laws.

Hiashi gave a small sign, "She says that it could actually destroy a clan, because even though the tradition started around the same time the clan became divided, and somebody is the cousin of somebody, yet by now, it won't be long until at some point, the clans start to marry their cousins who also happen to be their siblings, and that would also cause some serious health issues." He explained, getting everybody, including Itachi, to widen their eyes at the revelation, not needing to hear anymore at what that could mean: The clan gets destroyed from the inside out due to genes alone. "Which is why we wanted to make sure our daughters don't become the next to uphold the tradition, because even though traditionally, one of them would have been the next heir, if the old council was still around, they might try to manipulate things to their advantage."

Now they understood what Hiashi has been dealing with, along with making sure the new council works with him on reunification of the clans, but also, what traditions, and what rules, needs to be changed. And right now, the other clan to deal with, especially on Naruto's part, is the Uchiha Clan, since he seems to be a threat to the pecking order that most of the Uchihas tend to follow. Basically, Mikoto and Itachi, have their hands full, making sure their clan don't do something so reckless, especially against the village.

Over with the kids, who were just talking away with each other, oblivious to the world around them, or rather, Naruto and Misaki noticed the glares from most of the village adults, yet they didn't really care. Which ticked them off, because some high official told them that they were doing some harm to the boy mentally and emotionally, yet here he was brushing them off, like, at least for them, like he was above them. And for the extreme bigots, especially the ones with kids who they have been training (brainwashing) into wanting to hate, even hurt Naruto to where they might actually kill him, starting to lose its effect on most of them, mainly from most of the daughters, who found Naruto's features to be really cute, and wanting to hug him, while a small few of the boys became a bit envious of Naruto having animal features, and both sides thinking how cool it would be to have them.

"So Naruto, how do you get your ears and tails to move the way they do?" Ino asked.

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I think my ears just show how I'm feeling and my tails, well, not really sure." He started to explain the best he can, "Sometimes they do what I want, and sometimes, feels like they do what want to do."

"So when you wrap your tails around us, was that you, or were your tails acting on their own?" Hanabi asked, causing the girls to blush at the memories of feeling warm and secured while being wrapped by those tails.

Naruto started to give off a little blush as well. "The first time, I'm not really sure. The other time, I guess, since you girls looked sad, I guess my tails responded." He explained.

The girls felt warm inside because of the fact that the boy was concerned about their feelings. "So Naruto, besides new clothes, what else well you need?" Ino asked, the shopaholic still hasn't reach half way to critical mass.

Naruto looked up, and placed his finger under his chin in a thinking matter, causing the girls walking around, and the girls, young and old, along with a few young women, to develop hearts in their eyes at how cute he looks, to the dissatisfaction of the people who despise him, "I don't really know. When it comes to shopping, I'm lucky to find a place that would treat me like a kid before something stops them, or somebody actually tries to sell me something that has expired, only for my guards to arrest them, and get me better food to eat." He said.

The adults heard this and while angry that people in this village would really go that far, they also felt guilty because even though they tried to protect Naruto during council meetings, yet the only ones to actually look out for him are Hiruzen, Kakashi, Itachi, Teuchi, Ayame, and a good portion of the ANBU. They called themselves friends of Minato and Kushina, yet, even though their main reason was that, except for Kizashi and Mizuki, everybody else had clans to run, and also, make sure they don't do anything to Naruto, while said pair were more worried about themselves, especially what were to happen to Sakura, if they tried to get close to him.

Noticing that they've reached their destination, "Okay kiddos, we're here." Tsume said.

The kids turned to see a two story building, with a sign that said 'Weapons and Stuff.' Which also had what looked like a kunai chasing a stick figure that is running hard.

Noticing Naruto looking a little nervous, because unlike most stores, this one would be like walking into an armory, and understanding why, "Don't worry Naruto, the person who runs the store won't do anything unless you give him a good reason to." Inochi said, "And he also knows it's better to get to know somebody in person than to rely on rumors spread by people who don't know any better."

"Especially since his wife knows how to use all the weapons in the store." Itachi said, causing everybody male, including Naruto who has no idea why, to feel a strong shiver go down their spines.

When they all walked into the store, a bell rang out, along with a seal lighting up, to let the people running the store know they have customers. "Why don't you girls go look around while we get Naruto and Misaki taken care of." Mebuki said, getting a nod from the five girls, before they went off to check out the merchandise.

When the girls left, an average size man with long dark hair that reached past his shoulders, with muscles showing that most of the weapons in the store were indeed made by his hands. Looking at the group, especially recognizing Naruto, even with the extra features, despite the fact that this would be the first time he met the boy, along with a red headed girl that can pass as a mini-Kushina. "Hello, Kizashi, Mebuki, Hiashi, Asami, Inochi, Joó, Mikoto, Itachi, Tsume, Hana, how are you all doing?" The man asked.

Kizashi answered, "Hello Masamune, we are doing fine. How about you?" Just as he, along with the rest of the group shook his hand.

"Oh I'm doing fine. Just business as usual." As the now introduced Masamune answered, before looking at two kids, "And looks like, along with your daughters, you brought me two more future customers." He said, with a small smile on his face.

Mebuki decided to reply, "Yes, and as you are probably aware already, this is Naruto Uzumaki," She said, introducing the fox-boy, "And his friend, Misaki Aiko," pointed towards the red head, "We are here to help them with their shopping, especially when it came to things they'll need in the future."

Masamune nodded his head at this, for he too wanted to help Naruto, not caring if the Civilian Council, along with any hate groups, threw a fit and tried something on him, because they knew that if you piss him off, he would throw everything at them that would be considered a deadly weapon, wither from a bunch of kunai to the kitchen sink. Hell, one time, he threw the original Shika-Ino-Cho trio at a few council members who were pushing their luck, and knocked said council members, along with his weapons, out with one shot each. Turning to the pair "Then I'll be more than pleased to help these young ones get a head start." He said, before walking up to the pair, "I'll go get my wife, Peggy. She is pretty much the one who handles the fabric part of the business." He said, just as he got ready to head towards the hall that connected the store to the smelting room, which also had stairs that lead to the residence floor where he and the family lives in.

"Excuse me Masamune," Mikoto said, getting the man's attention, "Is your daughter here?"

"Yes, Tenten is here," Masamune said, "She's upstairs. I'll go get her, so you can introduce her to lover boy there."

When the man left, Naruto looked at the adults and, with a curious look, asked them "What does he mean by lover-boy?"

The adults couldn't help but chuckle/giggle at the boy's question. "You'll find out when you're older Naruto." Itachi answered.

About a couple minutes later, Masamune came back with a golden brown woman, that is about a inch shorted then him, and a little girl that is a hair taller than Naruto, who's brown hair was put up in a pair of buns that made her look like a panda cub. Introducing the pair, "Naruto, Misaki, may I introduce you to my wife, Peggy, and my daughter Tenten." He said, before noticing, after looking beside himself, and towards the pair, said family members giving Naruto the stuffed animal treatment. A sweat drop appeared on his head, because of the fact he never seen them moved, and seeing his daughter drop the tomboy attitude to let her girly side takeover.

Even the other adults, along with the two young adults, had sweat drops, while the rest of the young girls looked like they wanted to stake their claim once again.

This time around, Naruto took action, since it was just his ears, and tails, that were getting petted, and the life wasn't being squeezed out of him. "Excuse me miss," Naruto said, getting the two female's attention, "Would you mind letting go of me? I'm not used to having adults give me this kind of attention yet."

Realizing what she was doing, and noticing what her daughter was doing, which was invading somebody's personal space, Peggy's eyes widened, before she grabbed Tenten by the shoulder and took a few steps back, to her daughter's disappointment if the pout on her face was anything to go by. "We're sorry Naruto; we don't know what came over us." Peggy said.

"It's fine, but I'm starting to become afraid if this becomes too much of a regular thing for me." Naruto said, while Itachi and Hiashi gave a slight shiver, because they know that soon, Naruto well be getting his own fan club soon, and chances are, compared to theirs, it might turn out to be astronomical.

Deciding to get back to business, "Anyway, Naruto, Masaki," Peggy said, while she looked at both kids when she said their names, "From what Masamune has told me, you two would like to have some new clothes made."

Misaki decided to speak up, "Yes ma'am, while we don't know if you sell regular clothes, me and Naruto want to get some clothes to help with our training."

"Oh call me Peggy. Ma'am makes me sound like somebody who act like they are better than everybody." The woman answered, "And while do sell civilian clothes, but more for our older customers that are either already ninja, or about to retire." Then her mind caught what Misaki just said, "Training? You two look to be about four and you're already training?"

Naruto answered, "Well, by now, everybody in the village should know about some changes involving me, and I don't want to be anybody's punching bag, so I want to start learning on how to defend myself." He said, causing both Masamune and Peggy to give a really angry and disappointed look, because they knew how the boy was viewed, and all the attempts to destroy him, "And since I have two bloodlines now, I don't want to depend on them too much, unless I plan to scare some stupid villagers thinking that they can get away with starting something."

"And I'm not sure if I want to be a ninja, but don't mean a girl can't learn to protect herself, right?" Misaki said, getting a 'Damn Straight' from Hana and the mothers, "But hey, I still have time to decide, right?"

"Of course," Asami said, "Only you get to control your life, everybody else, well, depends on who you are in the future." Not bringing up the fact that since Misaki isn't from a clan, then she isn't 'required' to become a ninja, especially if you're a clan heir from an 'elite' clan.

"Anyway, back to business," Peggy said, as she went to the counter to get her measure tape, along with a pencil and a pad of paper, "I need to take your measurements and see what I can do." After doing the necessary measurements, along with making sure where to place the hole for Naruto's tails, "Okay, I should have everything ready for you two within a week or two." She said, getting a nod from the pair, before she turned towards the parents, "Don't suppose you want me to do the same thing for your daughters?" She asked, "Because I'm pretty sure Tenten would probably want to join their training." Causing said girl to blush in embarrassment because what her mother said was spot on.

"I think we better ask them before we get in trouble with them." Inochi said, getting nods from the fathers, considering that they have been whipped by both their wives and daughters, before they left, causing the wives to giggle.

"Itachi, Hana, why don't you two help Naruto and Misaki get the equipment they'll need for training." Mikoto said, getting a nod from the pair, as the mothers left to provide 'back up' for their husbands, and Tsume decided to stand guard to make sure nobody tries something.

After getting the necessary items, from fake weapons to books on jutsus, with Tenten wanting to show the pair, mainly Naruto, around the store, they came across what looked like a bunch of swords that come in different shapes and sizes, yet look like they can combine into one big sword. Naruto took an interest in them. "Are those apart of the same sword?" He asked.

Masamune, who noticed the spark that he sees all the time, wither ninja or future ninja, no matter what the age, that seemed to say somebody found their matching weapon(s). "Well in a way, depending on how you look at it, they are part of a big sword, or the big sword is really a few smaller swords that become part of each other, then yeah." He said, getting their attention, "It's called the First Tsurugi, it's a Gattai Ken, (or for a better reference, look up Clouds Fusion Sword from FFVII: Advent Children movie) and each piece is design to fight on its own, while also can be combined into a more devastating form." He explained, "Although my biggest problem is that I need to sell it as a full set, yet all the customers want to buy only a piece or two, especially after they find out how heavy the sword is when combined." He then looked down at his daughter, "And I refuse to sell it to Tenten because I feel these swords because they won't fit the styles she has been looking into, along with what her mother would do to me if I did." This caused Tenten to give a pout, because when she gave her the puppy dog eyes, that got countered by her mother's 'don't do it if you want to live' look. Apparently, mother's will overcome daughter's demands any day.

"How much are they as a whole?" Naruto asked, getting everybody's attention.

Masamune was about to laugh at the boy for wanting something that is hard to sell, even wondering how he plans to use all those swords when he noticed the boy's nine tails and it clicked that the swords would be perfect for Naruto, especially if the tails can be used like hands, then wither in one piece, all six pieces, or a mixture number, with the right training, Naruto would be a force to be reckon with, along with whatever else he learns. "Well my boy, those swords cost [insert price here], but I think I'll give them to you for [insert smaller price here], along with some training weapons so that you can develop your style, and a sealing scroll so that way, nobody tries to force them out of your hands." He said.

Getting a nod of understanding, "Okay, is there anything else we need to get?" Naruto asked.

When the rest of the group went to pay for everything, which was taken care of by Hiashi, when he was 'talked' into it by his girls, with his wife promising something extra that night if he also helped with the protection of the group, which is why the group had a small group of Hyuga guards to watch near the group while ROOT and ANBU provided cover in the shadows. "Well Naruto, we already covered your needs training wise, now we have to get you and Misaki some regular clothes and a few other things for your apartment." Joó said, "And don't worry, the place we're going to won't give us any trouble, especially if they know what's good for them."

After getting everything bought and put into seals, "Can I have the scroll that contains Naruto's swords?" Itachi asked, while approaching the counter, getting everyone's attention, "I intend to hand them to the Hokage so that he can keep them safe from the wrong hands." He explained. Once everybody nodded, understanding the reason behind it, although Mikoto also knew one of the main reason behind his reason, which was making sure her husband, nor her youngest son, ended up seeing and demanding that he hand over the swords to the so called 'elites.' After getting the intended scroll, "I shouldn't be too long." He said, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

After the rest of the scrolls were sealed into a bigger one, and handed to Hiashi, the group stepped out to notice what looked like some ANBU escorting an important looking official along with his envoy. Misaki was the one to ask, "What is going on here?"

Tsume spoke up, "That is the ambassador from Kumo, who is here to discuss peace between the villages."

Mikoto continued, "After so many wars, and a couple of other things done that could lead to more, right now, some villages just want to do whatever they can to prevent war."

When the Ambassador was checking out the village, Naruto noticed when the man's eye's landed on his new friends, that they had a look that didn't right to him. When he took one look at Naruto, all kinds of alarms went off when the guy looked like he wanted to end him, which lead to Naruto to unconsciously activate his Rinne-Sharingan eyes, which shocked the guy, before continuing on.

Hinata was the first to notice Naruto with his eyes on. "Um, Naruto, why did you activate your eyes?" She asked, getting a lot of people's attention on the boy.

Finally noticing the change of vision, Naruto shook his head to deactivate them. "I don't know. When that guy looked at you girls, something felt wrong about it." He said, a shiver going down his spine, "But when he looked at me, I noticed he gave me a look like he wanted to do something really evil to me."

The older portion of the group picked up on this as well, getting the suspicion that what happened to Kushina, might be happening again soon. "Do you know which girls in specific Naruto?" Hiashi asked, remembering how during the war, more than once, Kumo shinobi seemed to be under orders to capture a Hyuga, especially a main house one, to gain a Byakugan.

Naruto thought a bit, "I think he was looking more at Dawn," He started answering, while pointing at each girl in no particular order, "Hanabi, and Hinata."

This set off the alarms of said parents, because even though the envoy says peace, yet in the ninja world, instead of Kumo wanting peace with Konoha, they would want a piece from instead, meaning they could be planning to have some baby factories involving their daughter, and who knows what involving Naruto, although more likely, assassination attempt to keep him from posing a threat to their containers. While Hiashi would make sure the security in the Hyuga compound be pulling triple duty to keep his daughters safe, Fugaku would be a bit a bit of an issue, because right now, from what used to be their friend once upon a time, let his clan's reputation effect his judgement, while Itachi didn't give into the Uchiha curse of arrogance, now Fugaku is more focused on converting Sasuke, while not seeming to care about his own daughter. He might even think nobody is dumb enough to kidnap an Uchiha, and one was kidnapped, he would make it the victim's fault.

Deciding to change the mood, especially since most of the mothers would never let anything, not even a bad mood, ruin their shopping day, "Anyway, come on everybody, we still have some shopping to do." Joó said, getting everybody's attention. And while everybody walked, the men gave a small sigh, knowing that after this, and lunch, their wallets are going to be hollow before the day is up.

Hokage's Office

The quad of elderly leaders were watching the whole event on Hiruzen's crystal ball, and while being old war veterans themselves, to where anything from what used to be, and might still be, an enemy village, would always be suspicious, especially when it comes to creating peace. And after noticing the Ambassador getting a slight gleam in his eye, along with his a couple of members of his envoy having questionable looks, and with hearing what Naruto said, what little suspicion about this being a farce is becoming more clearer.

When a knock was heard, "Come." Hiruzen said, wondering what good reason somebody would have to come into his office when told not to be disturbed.

When Itachi came in with a scroll, "My apologies for intruding Lord Hokage, I thought this would be safe with you." He said, while holding out a scroll.

"And what would be so important in that scroll that would require you to use my office as a safety deposit box?" Hiruzen asked, although having a good idea why.

"Well, Naruto picked his weapon, or rather weapons, which is the First Tsurugi," Itachi said, getting their attention, since those swords are pretty much known as unsellable in the village due to the fact that Masamune made it a requirement that you buy the whole set, and not just a single piece, and putting two and two together, they know that in the future, anybody who dares to mess with Naruto, villager or ninja, better have one hell of a death wish, "And I figured it would be better if you put them into safekeeping since some of the villagers would use these to justify their fears even more, or somebody from my clan, mainly my father and Sasuke, would demand Naruto to hand them over."

Hiruzen nodded at this, because even though he, his comrades, and most of the clans, as well as good portion of the ninja population, are looking out for Naruto, if the villagers, along with the Civilian Council, found out that Naruto would become even stronger, since Naruto is still a civilian, they would try to find some laws to abuse to their advantage in order to destroy him. "Very well, you can leave them here, and they can be picked up by Naruto when you, or whoever trains him in the ways of the swords, feel that he is ready to retrieve them." The old Sarutobi said, taking the scroll from one of the few Uchiha willing to work for a living, "And Itachi, you might want to tell the parents, especially your mother and Hiashi that they might want to take extra precaution because the Kumo Ambassador might have ulterior motives."

Itachi gave a small nod, while calm on the outside, but inside, thinking what he would do to the visitors from Kumo if they so much as try anything on his baby sister. "I will Lord Hokage." The young man said, getting ready to exit, before dropping off one last, and also cryptic, message, "And also, I'm to tell you that certain things should come to fruition real soon, and it won't be long until certain rats are caught in the trap."

Hiruzen gave a small nod, before Itachi left to rejoin the group. Turning back towards his friends, "Anyway, the reason I called you three here is to see if you recognize the Ambassador or anybody on his envoy."

Danzo spoke up, because like a certain pervert, he has his own little spy network setup, mainly because he doesn't fully agree on who the Toad has as most of his spies. "The Ambassador seems familiar, along with one or two members of his envoy, yet I would need to be here with you in order to confirm some suspicions."

The other two Elders nodded at this, "Agreed," Koharu said, "Especially since one of them seem to fit the description of one of the Kumo ninja Kushina described that tried to kidnap her all those years ago."

"Well, either way, we need to make sure that our security is up for double duty." Hiruzen said, getting nods of agreement from the trio.

Back to the Hero

It is night time, and it has been quite a few hours since Naruto's and Misaki's shopping trip came to an end, along with dealing with store owners/employees trying to throw him out, only for them to be threatened to lose a lot of business from three major ninja clans of Konoha, one of them being the Hyuga, which is considered royalty, and except for one or two brave fools, nobody wanted to risk losing big bucks due to their so called justified bigotry.

When they started to head back from the Ramen Stand, some of the villagers decided to become brave enough to build up a mob, with a little support from the Civilian Council, and decided to stop the 'demon' from 'brainwashing' innocent young girls before he makes them give birth to his spawn. While the ANBU and ROOT were getting ready to step in once the mob started to surround the kids, a bright light appeared out of nowhere, blinding everybody beyond belief. When it died down, everybody opened their eyes to receive a big shock, because standing there before them, looking like they are defending the fox boy and the girl, were Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, and Kushina Uzumaki, the Red-Hot Blooded Habanero, and both looked like they are about to have a field day.

Well folks, here is the latest chapter, sorry it took so long, had trouble getting the creative juices going, and the dog days of summer keep hitting me, or to translate things better, I was feeling lazy. Anyway, I'm back in college, working towards a Creative Writing major, meaning that I'll be updating my chapters after I get done with whatever homework, assignments, studying, and anything else I have to do to earn that degree, oh joy. As for the little cliffhanger, I pretty much ran out of juice for this chapter, while pretty sure I threw in a little too much, so by the next chapter, I should be back on track. Read and Review.