The Demon Shinobi of Konoha

by Thelow

After the Kyubi attack a decision was made by the council to train a young blonde in secret. Ten years after the attack an Anbu took joined the ranks wearing a Kitsune mask to the disapproval of the entire village. Now twelve years later a hated Anbu wants to take on his own genin team and put the mask down. Smart/strong Naruto, not OP. NaruHina future. Others undecided.

7. Dinners, Dogs and Diamyo's

The Demon Shinobi of Konoha

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Dinners, Dogs and Daimyo's

OoOoOoOoO

"Water nature?"

Hiashi's voice was full of surprise at the clone's announcement. A few minutes ago, the clone had arrived in his office to speak with him. First the clone had informed him of his daughter's performance during teamwork exercise, but it was the information about Hinata's chakra nature that left him briefly stunned.

"Yeah. It caught her off guard in a bad way." The clone added and Hiashi's eyes widened slightly at the comment.

"Explain."

"She started to question if her connection to the clan and if her nature was made learning the gentle fist difficult for her." Clone Naruto adopted a serious expression as he looked the older man. "Honestly the way she reacted was like she confirming that was something was wrong with her. It took me a while to convince her that there was nothing wrong with having a different nature."

"I see…" Hiashi's voice was low as he listened to the clone. The information was bothering more than he would be willing to admit. Ever since the meeting with the elders he had felt doubts surface in his mind about his actions over the past twelve years.

He had exposed Naruto's identity to the council and took on the primary responsibility for helping to raise and train the boy. Hiashi was also the only clan head that provided him with lessons and training every day; the other's had created schedules that involved rotating schedules every two to three days. The Hyūga leader had dedicated so much time to Naruto and the remainder of the time he did have needed to be spent handling clan matters required by his position.

He had realized just how little time he had spent with daughters and being a part of their lives as they grew up. Hiashi could not remember the last time that he had spent time with just his two daughters together. Mealtimes were always large affairs with many members of the house, he had passed off their training to the elders and they would go to sleep before he was finished with business in his office.

It was a large part of the reason he requested to have a private dinner with his daughters tonight. The council meeting had shaken him, and he needed to get more involved with his daughters' lives. Hiashi had decided after that meeting that he would start to become less involved in Naruto's everyday training. In a way it was a blessing that Naruto was now taking on the role of a teacher and his new responsibilities would require less time dedicated to lessons from the clan leaders.

"Hiashi-sensei?"

"Sorry Naruto. I was considering what you told me and other information I have recently heard concerning my daughter." Hiashi let out a small sigh at the confession. It wasn't like him to get distracted in the middle of important conversations, but this had been weighing heavily in his mind.

"What other information?" The clone pressed. Hiashi hesitated to speak to Naruto about the internal politics of the clan. As much as he and the others had trained Naruto, in politics and social manners, he was as hot headed as his mother when it came to things, he thought was unfair. "She is my student now. I want to help her if I can."

"A couple of days ago there was clan council meeting." Hiashi began after taking a few moments to debate telling Naruto. "In the meeting I was informed that the council wished for Hinata to be removed from the position of heiress to the clan based on her talent and demeanor."

"The elders said that she lacks any skill in our artform, and that further effort would be wasted." Hiashi was proud that Naruto was remaining composed so far and hadn't blown up. "I denied their request to the disfavor of many on the council, but it will not end there."

"They are idiots." Naruto's blunt voice cut in as soon as Hiashi finished. "She understands the style very well and her form is very good. She has some issues with overthinking, but it's because she doesn't believe in her skills that she is like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Ehh. I wanted to talk to you about that." Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck with one of his free hands, a nervous tick that Hiashi could associate with Naruto feeling uncomfortable. "The only person that I want Hinata learning gentle fist style from now on is you. Whoever Elder Hisao is, he has completely destroyed her confidence in her abilities for no good reason."

"He is the elder that proposed for Hinata to be removed from her position."

"Maybe he should stop teaching then. Whatever his methods are they did not work at all." Naruto crossed his arms with a huff.

"I understand your frustration, but Hisao has successfully taught multiple main branch members over the years that have gone to rank highly. He is well respected in the family." Hiashi knew that removing Hisao from teaching Hinata would be seen as an insult in the family. It could lead to more negative views of towards himself and the family. "It would be hard for me to justify it to the council."

"Not really." Naruto's used a stern voice, something Hiashi had only heard when Naruto was commanding Anbu and never towards him. "I ordered Hinata to not receive lessons from anyone but you."

Hiashi's eyes widened with surprise, but quickly a sternness came over him. Naruto knew better than to try and give orders on clan matters. Not only was he putting Hinata in a poor position, but he was also challenging his clan. He still had a responsibility to the clan and couldn't back down from something like this.

"Naruto!" Hiashi commanded. "You know better than to do something like that. You have no right to interfere in clan affairs when-"

"I have every right when I think it could cause a risk to safety of my team!" Hiashi nearly recoiled at the fierceness in Naruto's voice. Eyes narrowed though at the accusation Naruto was laying out before him.

"That quite the accusation Naruto. What are you trying to say?"

"I am saying that having a member of my team injured before a mission even starts is unacceptable."

Hiashi inhaled quickly in shock. He slammed his palm down on the desk in front him in a display of emotion that Naruto had never seen before. The boy managed to keep his cool for the most part but was clearly surprised.

"Tell me right now."

"The first day I started observing at the academy I watched get bumped into a wall by another student moving too fast through hallways." Naruto began. "It wouldn't have been a big deal if I didn't notice her wince and grab onto her arm in pain and hold it until she entered the classroom."

"I didn't think the bump was hard enough to cause any real pain, but I just brushed it off as training injuries. During her training this morning though I grasped her shoulder when talking and she winced in pain immediately. It's our first real day training, but I know that my routine didn't cause damage there. I would never leave any of my students in enough pain that they will wince at contact days later."

Hiashi was bristling with controlled anger. Hisao was known as a disciplinarian withing the ranks of the Hyūga, but would he go so far as to cause real harm to the heiress. Harm to his daughter?

"I haven't confirmed it…and I doubt Hinata will." Naruto sounded almost disappointed. "I don't know if she is afraid but judging from how she talked about her abilities she would blame herself."

"How could I have let this happen." Hiashi knew that his tone was that of a defeated man. It certainly wasn't an emotion that Hiashi was used to showing anyone. Hiashi could only remember feeling this way a few times in his life and rarely ever in front of others. This was the second time this had happened in front of Naruto however, the memory of the first time filled him with shame, but he had to stop and focus on the present.

"Umm…I don't really know what you want me to say." Naruto spoke nervously as he scratched at the back of his head. "I'm sure you are doing your best and didn't mean for this to happen."

"It is my fault." Hiashi retorted a little harder than he may have meant to, but Naruto didn't look offended in the slightest from the outburst. "I have not been much a presence in my daughter's life."

"Wait. Why not?" Naruto asked.

Hiashi let out a deep sigh at the question. The honest answer was that he was simply too busy. The hard truth of that answer was that his priorities are what caused that. He had dedicated so much time to Naruto and running the clan that he had become unaware of the daily lives of his children. How would the blonde in front of him feel about the answer.

"I have not spent the time with my daughters that I should have…" Hiashi started to explain. "I am beginning to realize how much time I have dedicated to pursuits that are away from my daughters. Being a good clan head has been the main goal of my life and the work that I have to dedicate to it is long and tedious, but not the only reason my absence. I spent so much time with dedicated so much dedicated to another goal that I have lost sight."

Naruto looked at him expectantly with a curious look on his face. For all of the knowledge and common sense that they had tried to beat into his head over the years, the boy could still be as dense as his mother when the subject matter actually involved himself.

"It's amazing that you can be so dense sometimes Naruto." Naruto looked indignant at the comment and was about to respond harshly before Hiashi quickly added. "I am talking about you."

The Naruto clone's eyes went wide with surprise and then he looked down at the floor in thought. Hiashi was the most adept person in his clan at reading muscle twitches and the emotions that could be displayed on the body. He could easily read the swirling emotions on Naruto's face as he processed what Hiashi said.

'He is running through a myriad of emotions as he processes this. He is thinking about our history and all of the time we have spent together. Guilt…that's what he is primarily feeling. I better stop him.'

"It is not your fault Naruto." Hiashi interrupted as he grasped the blondes shoulder. "I dedicated myself to your training and did not take other things into consideration. It is my fault that things are this way, I dedicated myself to your training and you were unaware of the consequences."

He could see that Naruto was still frowning with guilt as he listened to him. Naruto had always taken the stories about his parents very seriously and with great enthusiasm.

'He desperately wanted his parents in his life and now he feels like he has taken a parental figure away from someone else.'

"Sometimes these things happen Naruto..." Hiashi spoke softly as he gained Naruto's attention once more. "We cannot change the past, but we can do our best in the future. We can guess all we want about how things could have been different, but without knowing for sure we are just speculating.".

"What do you mean? You would be there for them if it wasn't for me. Things would be better for your family."

"It's not always that simple Naruto." Hiashi answered as he thought about the question and how he had recently been considering the influence Naruto had on his life. "I may have been just as bad or worse to her if you were not here."

"What? But you are great Hiashi-sensei. There's no way you would…" Naruto fell silent when saw Hiashi shaking his head slowly.

"Naruto, I have not always been this way." Hiashi let out a mirthless chuckle. "Before the influence of your father and mother I was the epitome of the ideal Hyūga according to the elders. I was cold, prideful, and treated those below me as if they were less than dirt. It took your father and mother a long time to…as your mother would say "remove the stick from my ass"."

"You are so much like your parents Naruto." Hiashi said softly. "Their influence softened me and helped me become a better man. A man that was different enough to earn back the trust of his brother and the love of a woman far too good for him. When we lost your parents I despaired, but you were in my life soon enough to remind me of the lessons Minato and Kushina taught me. For some time, I believed that was enough."

"Then the incident with Kumo happened and my brother was taken from us." Hiashi's tone had turned bitter at the sour memory. "I felt such despair after that and started to shut myself off and become the leader that my father and the elders wanted, but I had Hitomi, Hinata and you in my life to remind me of who I wanted to be. Then we lost Hitomi shortly after Hanabi was born…the love of my life was gone. You remember how I…acted."

-Flashback-

"Again!"

The young blonde in front of him winced as he pulled himself off the ground. Sweat rolled down his face and dripped only the tatami mats of Hiashi's private dojo. The five-year-old slowly managed to get back into a ready stance and Hiashi waited for him to move.

With a small shout the blonde rushed towards the Hyūga Patriarch and started his assault. Hiashi frowned at parried and dodged the boy's frontal assault, the blondes' reactions and speed deteriorating with every strike.

'He should be better.'

Hiashi deflected a palm.

'Minato's child should be stronger.'

Hiashi side stepped a leaping kick.

'He is being trained by all of us.'

Hiashi blocked the spinning backhand that came after Naruto landed from his kick.

'Minato would prevented Kumo from taking Hizashi.'

Hiashi pushed back on fist and sent the boy spinning.

'Kushina would have helped Hitomi.'

Hiashi's smacked away another attack with chakra glowing in his fingers.

'Weak.'

Naruto hissed in pain, but kept attacking.

'Weak.'

Another chakra filled parry had the blonde wincing.

'You have to be strong!'

Frustration boiling over Hiashi jabbed into the boy's abdomen and watched him bend over in pain. He struggled to catch his breath as Hiashi looked on at him impassively, but inside he was seething.

"How can you protect anyone like this!" Hiashi's voice was cold and unrestrained. The blonde has caught his breath finally and was trying to straighten up from hunching over.

"I-I a-am s-sorr-"

*Crack*

The slap cracked like a whip and the blonde was on his knees with both hands on the mat.

'How could he apologize like that!' He raged in his mind as his eyes glared at the mat in front of him, refusing to look at the offender. 'Sorry won't bring them back. Sorry won't protect anyone. Sorry won't…'

Hiashi paused as he noticed movement and saw the boys hand gingerly touch his own cheek. Slowly Naruto raised his head and Hiashi could just make out his eyes through his blonde bangs. Hiashi couldn't help but gasp.

A small bit of blood leaked from the corner of his lips and tears slowly trickled down his cheeks, but all Hiashi could see was the fearful look in his blue eyes. In the eyes that looked so much like his fathers. The eyes of the man that Hiashi had loved like a brother.

"What have I done…" Hiashi whispered as his hand unconsciously moved towards the blonde who flinched backwards. Hiashi's shame magnified as he retracted his hand. Slowly he got down on his knees and placed his forehead on the mat in front of him.

"Naruto. I am so sorry." Hiashi apologized softly. The irony of him apologizing for his reaction to an apology not being lost on him. Hiashi stayed there waiting for a response.

"It's o-okay Hiashi-sensei. I forgive you." Naruto spoke softly. Hiashi pulled himself up from the ground, but continued to sit seiza style. Naruto was also sitting the same way as he moved into the position after the apology, he still looked nervously at Hiashi. Hiashi could see the bruise already forming on his cheek.

The guilt that Hiashi was feeling was nearly unbearable. He couldn't believe that he had done such a thing, but the evidence was turning a shade of purple right in front of him. The feelings he had been containing had overflowed and he lets his emotions and thoughts get the better of him. He never should have trained Naruto this morning…not when his spirit was in turmoil…not when his wife was to be buried this afternoon.

-Flashback End-

"I forgave you for that. I didn't understand right away, but you were in pain and lashed out at a low moment." Naruto spoke softly, the memory of that slap must have been engrained in his mind Hiashi realized.

"That's true. But that doesn't mean it was right to do, or that I should have been forgiven so easily." Hiashi admitted. "The point is that I am man enough to admit that I was going down a dark path…but when I looked at you and I saw your eyes filled with fear, the same eyes as your father, I realized what I had done. I had never seen that look in your fathers' eyes and it shocked me to my core. I had forgotten the lessons your parents, Hizashi, and Hitomi had taught me."

"I can't guarantee that I would have had that realization if you were not in my life Naruto…no…in fact I know I wouldn't have." Hiashi spoke out sadly. "I would have shut myself off to the world, even my daughters. I would have likely acted like Hisao towards Hinata…only it would have been even more damaging to her, because it was coming from her own father."

The two sat in silence for a while as they thought about the topic. Hiashi didn't like the subject, but he had to be honest with himself. If he had fallen back into the attitude, he had during his youth he would have likely gone along with the elders wishes to remove Hinata as heir. He had to start making positive changes to their lives.

"Will you agree to my request now at least?"

Hiashi looked up from the tatami mat and into Naruto eyes with a questioning look before he realized what Naruto was asking. Talking about his failures had distracted him from the original request of Hiashi becoming Hinata's only instructor for the jyuken.

'I can manage to train her after her daily work with Naruto. Now that he is working with her in the morning, I can perform my clan head duties earlier in the day and reserve the evening for her instruction. Perhaps Hanabi as well.' Hiashi thought.

"Very well." Hiashi agreed. "It may cause some problems, but I will work with my daughters after Hinata's daily work with you is completed. The elders won't like it, but they will get over it."

"Phew that's good." Naruto let out with a smile. "I know I can teach her some stuff, but you are the best and I have other stuff I want to teach her."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at this. Hyūga were taijutsu masters and had developed clan techniques to allow them to deal with multiple situations, but he was starting to wonder if the clan was becoming stagnant with its skills. If they were to branch out with new ideas, it could be beneficial for the whole clan. He knew that Naruto would bring his influence into her style, but he was curious about what ideas he had.

"What ideas do you have?"

"I want to teach her some water ninjutsu to add some range into her arsenal, but one thing I really want to do is work on her taijutsu style." Hiashi's eyes brows rose just slightly, but enough for Naruto to notice. "Watching how she fought today I think she would be more suited for a different style."

"Naruto. She must know jyuken. I thought that was why you wanted me to teach it to her? You want her to learn another style?"

"I know she needs jyuken. I need to you to teach it to her so she will get it to a respectable level in the clan, but I think she can be much more effective with a different style."

"Which?"

"I want to go back to the basics of the jyuken and teach her baguazhang. I think that the more circular nature of the predecessor of jyuken can maybe be worked into a style that fits her better."

Hiashi rubbed his chin slightly as he thought about the idea. The elders would be up in arms if she wasn't focusing on jyuken, but baguazhang is what their style was modified from. If Naruto and Hinata could modify baguazhang into a style that fits her better, it wouldn't cause as much of a stir. If she were to learn something like the strong fist that Might Gai used it would have been much more troublesome.

"It seems worth exploring. Just tread carefully with what she reveals for now. I do not want to get her embroiled in drama if the elders find out how far she is branching out from the normal training routines."

"Yeah. Of course. Of course." Hiashi felt his eyebrow twitch at Naruto waving off his concerns. "Elders bad. Change is scary. I get it."

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" Hiashi loved the boy and training him was never much of a challenge because he absorbed things very well, but extended periods of talking could sometimes lead to a headache. "I believe you have a session with Inoichi and Tsume later. I also should prepare for dinner with my daughters."

"Nope. I still have more to learn about Hinata, she's very different from you, and then I might have some more questions." Naruto spoke as he stood up and placed his mask back on.

"She takes after her mother." Hiashi replied. The memory of Hitomi brings a sad tone to his voice. Naruto paused for a moment in front of the exit to the tunnel he frequented.

"You've never really spoken about her." Naruto commented. "Maybe you can tell me a little about her next time."

Hiashi gave Naruto a weak, but honest smile and nodded his head.

OoOoOoOoO

"What the hell do you think you're doing."

"Mrmpoh."

"Shikamaru. Stop talking into the floor or so help me…"

Shikamaru groaned as he rolled his head to the side so his face was no longer pressed into the floor. As soon as he had made it into the comfortable confines of his home, he collapsed immediately on the floor of his family's living space. The nice cool floor lulled him into a nice sleep until his mother had apparently found him.

"I don't think I can move." Shikamaru groaned out. He had never worked so hard in one day in his entire life. Hell, he wasn't sure he had worked that hard in a week, let alone one day. "Just leave me here…"

"Seriously." Shikamaru looked at his mother and immediately noticed the large tick mark forming on her forehead as she stood in the doorway leading to the family kitchen. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail with some strands sticking out in places. He assumed that she was cooking dinner considering she was wearing an apron over a maroon blouse and pair of blue jeans. "It's your first day as a genin. Try to show some more backbone than your lazy father."

"Go easy on him dear."

Shikamaru tilted his head to be able see his dad standing in the doorway that led to their interior courtyard. Shikamaru was a little surprised to see his father home already from his duties as jōnin commander. The smirk on the older man's face as he looked at his son on the ground told the story of why he was there.

'Damn old man. He's enjoying this way too much.'

"Hard day at the office son?"

Shikamaru's glare could set the man on fire. Apparently, that only amused the elder Nara even more as he let out a louder laugh. The laughter abruptly ended with an exhalation of air as the matriarch of the family slammed her fist into the laughing man's stomach.

"How long have you been here?!" She growled as she removed her fist from the wheezing man. "If you have enough time to make fun of your son, then help him get ready for dinner."

With a huff his mother whirled around and marched back towards the kitchen ranting about lazy men hiding away. Now it was Shikamaru's turn to smirk a little as he looked at his father's defeated face.

"At least I am still standing." Shikaku muttered when we saw the look on his son's face. His dad walked over and put out a hand towards Shikamaru. The younger Nara rolled his eyes before forcing his body to reach out and grasp his father's hand to stand up. The resistance seals forcing him to work far too hard for such a simple action as standing up.

"Resistance seals huh? He called in some favors." Shikaku mentioned as he helped his son walk to his room to get changed out of his dirty clothes.

"Favors?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah. Those resistance seal bands aren't something that just anyone can get. It takes a fūinjutsu master to craft those, they aren't crafted in stores." Shikaku watched his sons' eyes go deep in thought.

"He said he got them from someone called ero-sennin." Shikamaru prompted hoping to gain a little insight and maybe a clue to the identity of the man from his father. His father snorted a little at the mention of the name.

"I've heard that he gives nicknames to some people. He considers them terms of endearment." Shikaku spoke. "I heard he even calls the Hokage "old man" in front of anyone."

"Yeah. I witnessed that today at mission assignments." Shikamaru deadpanned. "He got reprimanded by Iruka-sensei, but Hokage-sama didn't seem to mind. He laughed at it."

"Not surprising." Shikaku answered. "The Hokage is very fond of him."

"Why's that?"

His father just shrugged his shoulders. "I hear he wants to become Hokage. Maybe the Hokage believes in him."

'It can't just be that.' Shikamaru thought. 'Many people proclaim they will become Hokage at our age as a boast. They don't get the kind of treatment Naruto has. There is some kind of deeper relationship there.'

"Go get cleaned up and then tell me about your first day."

OoOoOoOoO

Chōji was not surprised to see his mother waiting for him the moment he crossed the gate into his family home. He knew that she was nervous about his sensei and that seeing him safe and sound would make her feel better, so he didn't say anything about it and simply gave his mom a smile and tired wave as he walked inside.

She was immediately upon him as soon as he waved. Looking him up and down, commenting on the small scratches and bruises around his body.

"Chōji-kun are you okay? You are covered in scratches! How did you get so dirty?" Fusae's worried tone was evident as she kept asking questions rapidly. Chōji gave a weak chuckle at his mother's over-protective nature and was glad no other members of the clan were present right now.

"It's fine ma." Chōji tried to sound reassuring as he waved his hands in front of him. "The training was really hard, but these scratches actually came from a cat that we had to catch for a mission."

"Ah Tora!" Well that certainly explains that!" came a booming voice from behind him. Chōji smiled as he turned around to see his father walking in from the gate behind him, apparently also done with daily duties around the village.

"Pa!" Chōji shouted as the man approached his family.

"How was your first day son."

"It was really hard…" The words didn't seem to match his attitude, however. Chōji had a warm smile on his face that showed he was happy. "But it was really good too. Sensei really seems to believe in us and is serious about training us. He has so much he wants to teach us, but he wasn't harsh or overbearing at all!"

"That's good!" Chōza laughed as he slapped his son on the back heartily, nearly sending the boy flying forward. "See Fusae-chan! Nothing to worry about!"

His mother still looked a little dubious at the statement. Chōji knew that all of her worries wouldn't go away that quickly, but hopefully his attitude would help alleviate her fears.

"Oh that's right!" Chōji announced. "Sensei said that he could come to dinner tomorrow night ma. Tonight, he had some business to take care of."

His mother looked confused for about two seconds before she realized what her son was talking about. Her mouth gaped open slightly and she blushed slightly at the realization that she had momentarily forgotten what her son was talking about. "I-is that so?"

"Yeah." Chōji replied and looked at his dad. "He brought us all Ichiraku ramen today for lunch."

"I-is that right…" Chōza chuckled and scratched at his cheek a slightly. "Well, if he just had ramen maybe he would like something different tomorrow night?"

"No!" Chōji and Chōza both recoiled back slightly from his mother's sudden outburst. "We must make a good impression for Chōji-kun. If his favorite food is ramen, then we will have ramen!"

"F-fusae-chan…we don't have to make a go all out dear." Chōza tried to insist.

"Y-yeah ma. He really seems nice!" Chōji tried to back his father up. His mother was possibly getting a little too fired up for this judging by his dad's reaction to the news.

"He seems nice huh?" His mother asked through narrowed eyes. "Then he should like my ramen shouldn't he? Or are you trying to say something about cooking?"

"W-w-what!?" Chōza and Chōji immediately choked out in a panic.

"No way ma! Your cooking is the best!" Chōji rushed out as quickly as he could.

"That's right Fusae-chan!" Chōza announced loud enough that he was sure the entire compound heard him. "No one can outcook my beautiful wife."

"Hmm…" She hummed out a suspicious look on her face. "Then were having ramen. That's final."

"Okay. Just make sure you make a lot, ma. I get the feeling he can eat a lot." Chōji could tell his mother had her mind set. At least he was getting some good food.

"Not as much as me of course!" Chōji boasted to help his mother feel better. He heard his father groan slightly next to him, but he wasn't sure why. His father always enjoyed eating competitions between the Akimichi father son duo.

"That's right Chōji-kun…" his mother cooed as she pinched his cheeks. Embarassed he chuckled and brushed her away lovingly.

"Come on Chōji." His father put his hand on his shoulder and started to guide him into the house. "Let's go get cleaned up for dinner."

"Alright pa."

OoOoOoOoO

"Hiashi-sama. A moment of your time please."

Hiashi paused his walk along the engawa of the courtyard to the private dining room and turned to see several elders making their way towards the Hyūga head. Hiashi didn't move to meet any of them and instead waited for them to cross the courtyard to him.

The group was made up of several of the more hardline main branch focused elders, including elder Hisao to his great distaste. Hiashi had spent the time in his office before dinner quelling his anger and centering himself, from his meeting with Naruto. He had managed to keep his stoic face in place and give no indication to his true feelings when the man appeared in his view.

Among him were also elders Isamu and Junko. Isamu was tall grey-haired man that walked around with his gaunt face nearly emotionless. He was a strict man that followed clan laws to zealously. In a way Hiashi could respect that the man never oversteps on subjects that he shouldn't, but it also meant that there was no leniency or compassion in his heart for small matters.

He had once used the caged bird seal on a five-year-old branch member that had accidentally entered a private council meeting while trying hide during a game of hide and seek with other children. He had been emotionless about the entire experience, the child had entered a forbidden area and had to be punished. He held the seal for the exact amount of time that laws dictated and then sent the child to the infirmary to recover. The meeting simply resumed after with some members looking disturbed that he didn't show any leniency and others thinking he should have held it for longer.

Junko wasn't much older than Hiashi. She was a fair looking woman with ivory skin and long black hair that she kept tied in a bun with ornamental pins. She was quite the beauty amongst the council, but that was also a part of what made her dangerous. Like Hiashi she was also a widower after her husband had passed during the third shinobi war fighting against Iwa and she had never remarried. Some had thought it strange that she had never remarried and never had any children, but it became apparent to Hiashi that she was interested in something else altogether.

Junko wanted power.

The death of her husband put her in line to become an elder as she raised in rank and status. She used a silver tongue to get what she wanted and manipulated those weaker minds to put her in a position to gain an advantage in the council. She was smart and dedicated, but it only pertained to herself. She wasn't concerned about most clan matters unless it directly affected or could be made to gain influence within the clan. She had made several passes at Hiashi in the years since Hitomi had passed away, but he always rebuked her advances. He could see that she was only looking to rise in status by becoming entangled with the head of the clan.

"Good evening Hiashi-sama." She said with a warm smile on her face as the three settled down in front of him.

"Good evening Junko." Hiashi replied in a polite tone before nodding his head at the other two elders in acknowledgment.

"Are you not joining us for dinner tonight?"

"No." Hiashi shook his head. "I decided I wanted to have a private dinner this evening with my daughters."

"Oh, how nice." She said softly with a smile. Hiashi had to admit that was a perfect actor. If he didn't know her games by now, he would be caught up in her ruse. "I am sure they will appreciate that. Hanabi has so much talent and Hinata is such a good girl."

Hiashi frowned internally at the hidden barb towards his eldest daughter. A good girl and nothing more in their eyes. She held little value to them as things currently stand and most of them were not afraid to say it.

"Indeed." Hisao joined the conversation. "She is one of the reasons that we came to visit you."

"Is that so?" Hiashi asked with a tone of indifference, not wanting to lead them on at all.

"Rumors are spreading around the village that Hinata-sama has been put under the tutelage of the Demon." Isamu said.

"Surely this is false." Junko followed up. "Hiashi-sama would never allow our heiress to be around someone with such a poor reputation."

"Perhaps this is the reason that Hokage-sama was here so early this morning with the Yamanka, Nara and Akimichi clan heads?" Hisao asked. "So that he could be reasoned with to change the teams."

The only reaction that Hiashi gave them was to slightly raise one eyebrow questioningly. It may not mean much to the outside world, but to the elders it clearly told them that he was questioning the audacity of their line of thinking.

"That was village council business."

They wouldn't get anything more than that from Hiashi. They had no right to know any of the discussion that took place in the village council until it became knowledge to be released to the rest of the village. The only other occasion they would be consulted on the matter was if the matter had to do directly with the clan. Such as the incident with Kumo years ago.

"Without the rest of the council? And in our compound? Interesting." Hisao mused. "It is good that Hokage-sama has such trust in our head to come and seek council on village matters."

It was clear he was curious and try to get more information, but if he thought that flattering Hiashi would get him anything then he was sorely mistaken. Especially after his earlier discussion with Naruto.

"As for the other matter." Hiashi wanted to end that line of questioning. They weren't going to get anything out of him, and they were delaying him from meeting with his daughters. "My daughter's teacher is indeed the Kitsune masked Anbu member of our village. His name was revealed to be Naruto during the team assignment meetings two nights ago."

Hiashi had to raise his hand to stop Junko and Hisao from speaking up.

"I spoke with the Hokage after the meeting, along with the Shikaku Nara and Akimichi Chōza, and he assured me that the reputation he holds in the village is false and testified to his character. In fact, the Hokage seems to be very favorable to him if his mannerisms were any indication."

Hiashi could see that they were interested in this piece of knowledge. It was known that the Hokage had introduced the Kitsune Anbu into the ranks, but that he was looked upon favorably by the Hokage could speak to either his skill or potential future influence in the village.

"He will also be teaching the heirs of both the Akimichi and Nara clan. Neither one of them raised a protest to the Hokage's decision, so how could I protest without the Hyūga looking distrusting of the Hokage." Hiashi could see it was working as the three nodded their head in agreement. For them to be the only clan to protest to the Hokage's decision would have looked bad in the eyes of the village.

"We did receive some assurances." This caught the attention of elders as they focus sharpened. "Their progress will be monitored, and we will speak with the genin to verify that they are flourishing with the arrangement. I am going to speak with my daughter at dinner about her impressions on her first day."

"That seems acceptable." Hisao carefully replied. They had no influence over Hiashi in this matter, especially when dealing with the Hokage, but they could make things difficult within the clan if they wished. "We do not wish to hold you any longer then. Have a pleasant dinner Hiashi-sama."

"There is one more thing I would like to bring to your attention."

The three elders halted their departure at the words of their clan head, they had not expected for there to be a response and had begun to walk away. They looked at him with curious eyes.

"I have recently reached a barrier in my efforts to advance our clans techniques." Hiashi said with as much fake sincerity as he could muster.

The three looked at him in surprise. It was rare that Hiashi ever divulged anything related to his private training and only ever gave small concessions when asked. They were all very interested to see just how far he could advance with their techniques. Most were only interested in having new techniques added to the clan library, but he had once heard a rumor that some wondering if Hiashi was raising his skill to a level that could compete for the Hokage seat.

Hiashi had no desire for the position, but he wouldn't deny that his training with Naruto had also allowed him to advance his own skills to a level that could rival any of the elite jōnin under the Hokage command. He didn't think that he was on the level of one of the legendary sannin, but he was sure it wouldn't be a completely one-sided fight that ended in moments.

He knew that he had them completely invested in what he wanted to talk about.

"I briefly discussed this with the Hokage after the meeting with all parties and he recommended that I should step back, look at the basics and try to see it from a different view."

The three nodded in understanding. It was common advice that was given by many in the same situation, but it was also advice that many are reluctant to follow. It was hard for someone dedicated to something to be able remove themselves from something that they were solidly rooted in. Especially when those practices helped them reach a high level in the artform.

"I have decided that I want to take over the training of my daughters." Hisao immediately scowled, Isamu gave no reaction and Junko looked thoughtful. "I believe that training them and helping them with their challenges may give me the perspective I need to breakthrough my block."

"Hiashi-sama." Hisao interrupted. "Surely your work on the village council and as clan head would limit your time…"

"Hmm." Hiashi made a show of gripping his chin in thought. He knew that he would have to give some concessions to them or there was the risk of insulting them. "You are quite right; I am quite busy with matters."

"How about this." Hiashi said. "Since Hinata has begun training and missions with her team she will not be available during the daytime. During that time, you will continue Hanabi's education outside of the academy once it resumes, but after Hinata returns from her duties I will train them."

Hisao looked thoughtful at the proposition and him not immediately dismissing or arguing told Hiashi exactly what he was thinking. Hiashi knew that Hisao's main concern was continuing to influence Hanabi. His desire was to mold Hanabi into a more suitable Hyūga heir and to have Hinata cast aside. He would still have time to influence Hanabi during the day, but Hiashi would work to counter that in the evenings.

Hiashi knew that Hinata was the bigger concern to the elder. If she suddenly started to flourish under Hiashi's teaching, then it could cause a problem getting Hanabi instated as the heir. Under his tutelage he could keep a close eye on her and perhaps sabotaged any advancements that she made. But the man has already deemed her a failure in his eyes and perhaps he would see this as an opportunity to prove it to Hiashi if she continued to fail.

So many thoughts seemed to cross his eyes in a moment, but it was taking him too long to answer and Hiashi was growing annoyed. If anything, he was showing them courtesy by even discussing this with them and allowing them to think he was getting their advice. It was his decision if he wanted to train his daughters, but at least by letting them feel involved he wouldn't have to let them know that Naruto had ordered Hinata to no longer train with anyone else.

"Very well." Hisao said. "I will handle Hanabi-sama's training until Hinata-sama returns from her duties then."

"Good. Then have a pleasant evening councilors." Hiashi nodded before proceeding back on his route to the private dining room. He could hear them mutter some goodbyes behind them, but he was sure they would soon skulk off to discuss what they had learned this evening with the rest of the members of the council.

Hiashi quickly arrived at the doors that lead to the small private dining area and took a calming breath. Tonight, was the start of him trying to rebuild his family just as his wife would have wanted. He had to start here with the two that should be the most precious to him. With that he slid open the doors to see both of his daughters on opposite sides of the table sitting seiza and waiting patiently.

"Good evening Otou-sama." Both girls chorused as he entered the room.

"Good evening daughters." Hiashi acknowledged as he sat down at the head of the table.

Hanabi was doing her best to sit perfectly still and look completely calm, but Hiashi could see the nervousness. She wasn't blinking at a natural rate, a sign that she was trying to control her eyes from moving and her jugular vein could be seen on her thin neck beating at an elevated rate. She was dressed in her black training garb that she would work in after her time at the academy. Hiashi was amused at how much her looks reminded him of younger female version of himself and his twin. Long brown hair, slightly tanner skin than most Hyūga and the same powerful eyes.

Hinata was far more obvious to how she felt as she wasn't trying to conceal it nearly as much. She was nervous and it showed in the way her eyes darted from his to the table before peaking again and how she was fidgeting with the fur that lined the bottom of her jacket. She was still dressed in the cream-colored jacket that she had decided to make her standard uniform as a shinobi.

'She looks so much like her mother.' Hiashi thought as he observed the color of her hair and the softness that her eyes held. Her eyes also held a slight tint of lavender in them that was not as common in the family. She had a soft blush on her cheeks from the attention that he was giving her as he looked at her.

"Hanabi." He saw her eyes flinch a little. "Tell me about your day."

"Yes Otou-sama." Hanabi gave a small bow and Hiashi internally frowned at the action. "After I awoke this morning, I had training after onee-sama with Hisao-sensei. Following breakfast, I had more training and lessons with the elders until meditation before lunch. After lunch I spent time with the clan historian for history education and finally had more training with Hisao-sensei."

"I see." Hiashi was suddenly realizing just how disconnected they were as a family. This was more a report than a discussion about one's day, but he supposed that he likely acted the same way around that age. He was sure that if Kushina could see this she would be making some kind of impression of a robot. "And Hinata?"

"Y-yes Otou-sama." Hinata stuttered slightly and he could see the slight bloom of pink on her cheeks of embarrassment. "After morning training with Hisao-sensei I met my new team for training. We practiced until early afternoon when we attempted our first mission successfully."

'I was hoping Hinata would be willing to share more, but it seems like she followed her sisters lead.' Hiashi thought. 'It seems I will have to say something if I want the change to begin.'

"Girls." The eyebrows of both daughters rose in surprise at the informal wording. They both looked at him slightly surprised. "I know that this is…unusual…but we should be more relaxed with one another."

"We are family." Hiashi almost grimaced at the strange looks his daughters were giving him. "I know that I have not been there for you for such a long time, but I would like the chance to change that."

"Otou-sama…" Hinata whispered out with wide eyes.

"I don't understand…" Hanabi's small voice came out. "That's…you are the head of the clan. You have many responsibilities that take up your time."

"I do have many responsibilities to the clan, but I also have responsibilities to you both. Responsibilities that I have shirked for other duties." His tone sad and his distraught face gave his daughters a glimpse at the man he truly was underneath the composed clan head. "That is why I am making an effort to change. I want to be closer to my daughters if you will give me the opportunity."

There was reluctance from both girls. Hanabi had never seen her father act in this way in her life. Hiashi may not have been cruel to his daughters, but he couldn't deny that he had neglected them with his other activities and that when he did see them it was always amongst the other Hyūga that he put on a mask in front of. This situation was new and unexpected to his youngest.

Hinata had experienced this different version of Hiashi before. He was still busy during the day, but Hitomi had insisted on having more of these private dinners and spending time in the evenings together as a family. After her death Hiashi had distanced himself from the painful reminder of his wife. It wasn't fair to his eldest that he had done such a thing, and now he was paying for it. She had seemed willing a couple of days ago during their discussion in his office, but the pain of being neglected for the past eight years would not ebb away so easily.

Before either of them could respond the door opened up and a servant entered the room carrying their dinner. Everyone sat in a slightly awkward silence as everything was placed down. Hinata gave a quiet thank you to the woman, but other than that it was silent until she had left the room and for a few minutes after.

No one said anything or moved to eat their dinner. Hiashi had a lot to say, but they needed to be willing to start this process for it to have any meaning.

"H-how do we s-start?"

Hiashi gave a small smile to his eldest. She held eye contact for a few moments before she smiled shyly and looked back down towards her food. Hanabi looked confused but took on a determined look.

"First." Both girls looked at him expectantly. "We enjoy dinner together."

The family sat together and really talked to one another. It took Hanabi a little bit to truly open up as they ate dinner, but slowly a little girl was starting to come out from her shell. Hiashi asked questions about their lives inside and outside of the compound, about their hobbies and anything else that could allow him to understand them better. They discussed Hanabi's experience at the academy last year and started to talk about Hinata's new team.

"You mean your sensei is the demon they talk about in the market!?" Hanabi was leaning forward with an excited expression on her face. Hiashi wasn't sure how to take her reaction to the news, she seemed genuinely interested.

"Y-yes." Hinata also seemed flustered at the reaction.

"What's he like? Are the rumors about him true? Is he really strong? Should we be afraid of him?"

Hanabi kept spouting off questions and Hinata was looking flustered at the bombardment. Hiashi wasn't sure what to make of it. He of course had heard the rumors that went around the village through Naruto and some others, but he wasn't sure how Hanabi knew of them or why she was acting this way. He figured he should save Hinata from the barrage of questions and give her a moment to regain herself.

"Hanabi. How have you heard those rumors? And why are you so interested?"

"Oh." Hanabi snapped out of her rambling and wore a light blush on her face. Hiashi couldn't help but to chuckle slightly at the embarrassed face of his youngest. "I sometimes go with Nastu-chan to the market. One time we saw him leaping across the rooftops and a bunch of villagers started talking about him."

"So, you heard those terrible stories…" Hiashi asked. "Why are you so interested then?"

"His mask looks cool." Hiashi's eye twitched slightly. He needed to remember that Hanabi was only seven and could be easily swayed by things. "And those stories were too crazy to be true, but he has to be strong!"

'It seems you have a little fan already Naruto…' Hiashi thought.

"You are right Hanabi. Those stories have been bred by hatred and jealousy." Hiashi provided insight to his daughters.

"B-but why?" Hinata asked. "In t-the village…the way they looked at us…"

Hiashi let out a troubled sigh. The village was already starting to look down on the genin it seemed. Of course, it was going to happen, but he had to admit to being slightly afraid of just how far they may go with their hate against easier targets.

"I am sorry you must go through that daughter. The suffering that came from the attack of the Kyūbi left a stain on the hearts of this village and the mask he wears only further causes that wound to fester."

"H-he seems so sincere father." Hinata's voice was low. "He r-really believes in us."

Hiashi caught the raised eyebrow of Hanabi out of the corner of his eyes. She seemed to be disbelieving of the last bit of information, but there was some kind of internal struggle occurring behind her eyes. The father had to wonder if this had to do with Hinata's statements on Naruto's sincerity or Naruto's belief in his eldest.

'What kind of things are the elders telling Hanabi about her older sister.' Hiashi thought.

"Sincere or not Hinata." Hiashi spoke. "The village will not change their mind until the mask comes off or something drastic happens to raise his reputation."

Hinata nodded her head slowly and Hanabi looked back and forth between her sister and father. There were a few moments of silence as they considered the information before Hanabi was over it.

"So?" Hanabi asked. "You didn't answer my question. Is he strong?"

"O-oh." Hinata snapped her attention to her younger sibling. "He is very strong. We played a game this morn-"

"A game?" Hanabi interrupted.

"Y-yes." Hinata stuttered. "We had to either land a strike on him or force him out of a shrinking circle."

"Interesting." Hiashi said.

"So how did you do?" Hanabi asked.

"We managed to get him outside of the circle with a strategy prepared by Shikamaru-san." Hinata had a small smile on her face before she slowly shook her head. "Only because of that did we win. We would have never been able to actually strike him. He's too skilled."

"He is a jōnin." Hiashi added. "For you to successfully complete the task in whatever manner is very impressive."

"If onee-sama can do it, then so can I!" Hanabi shouted slightly before quickly shutting her mouth and looking down at the table. Hiashi had raised an eyebrow at the outburst as he observed her. Hinata seemed to just be looking down at the table with a disappointed look.

"Hanabi." Hiashi spoke. "I am glad that you are confident in your ability, but your sister is a graduated genin with-"

"But I always win our spars, and everyone says I am more talented than her!" Hanabi interrupted before Hiashi finished his statement. She looked down ashamed of what she had done to her father and clan head. "Sorry…"

Hiashi could see Hinata's fisted hands on her legs as she tried to keep her composure after the outburst. A dark shadow hung over his eldest face as she looked straight down and Hiashi was left questioning how much of this Hinata had also heard from the others in the family.

"Hanabi." Hiashi spoke after a minute of contemplation. "Do not let the words of others poison your feelings towards your sister."

"N-no!" Hanabi looked wide eyed at her father. "It's not that! I love onee-sama…"

Hiashi and Hinata both looked at the youngest in the room with wide eyes. Hanabi seemed to be at war with herself and just what she should be saying. Her eyes kept glancing between the two as if judging what to do.

"I just…" Hanabi was struggling with her words. "I-I want to protect onee-sama."

Hiashi eyebrow raised, and he could see Hinata's mouth go agape. She seemed to be flipping from one extreme to the other when it came to Hinata and how she communicated with the two of them.

"Hanabi I am getting, for lack of a better phrase, mixed messages." Hiashi asked in a confused tone.

"I'm sorry…" Hanabi muttered. "I don't know what to think right now."

"What do you mean Hanabi."

Hanabi was chewing on her bottom lip slightly as she debated what she was going to say. Hinata was looking at her sister with a strangely focused look on her face and Hiashi was beginning to worry just how much these next few minutes could affect his eldest daughter.

"I always admired onee-sama when I was younger." Hanabi admitted. "She was always so graceful and amazing to watch when she practiced, but then one day…she lost to Neji…badly. The elders punished Neji with the caged bird seal, but they also punished onee-sama for failing. Afterwards Elder Hisao explained to me the purpose of the seal and why we have to use it to keep things stable. He said that if we show weakness like onee-sama then it would cause chaos in the family."

Hiashi frowned slightly at the explanation. 'It seems Hisao was trying to justify the caged bird seal as a way to keep the family together. Of course a child would take this to heart.'

"He said that he saw talent in me and wanted to train me personally, that I could surpass onee-sama." Hanabi's voice was barely above a whisper at this point. "I wanted to become strong for onee-sama. Training has been hard, but the elders say I am talented and have been engraining the values of the main family on me. They praise me and it feels good, but when they discuss onee-sama it's always about how the family will suffer with her as heir. That I need to prove to be the better candidate if I want to protect the family and onee-sama."

Hinata had tears in the corner of her eyes as she listened in. Hiashi's teeth were clinched tight in anger as he thought about the manipulation and treatment being given to his children. There was no way he could let this continue.

"Thank you Hanabi. I am glad to know that you desire to protect your sister and your family." Hiashi then let out a deep sigh. "You should continue to grow strong and train to the best of your abilities, but please realize that the elders do not always know what is best for the family."

Hanabi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"The elders are trying to maintain the power of the main branch of the house. They speak of stability being what is best for the family, but they are only thinking about themselves." Hiashi felt for his daughter as he revealed the truth to her. "They do believe in your ability, but they also believe that you will agree with their philosophies. They hope that you as the clan head will continue with the family traditions, something that they fear Hinata will not do."

"B-but our clan is the strongest in Konoha. The clan has been around since before the founding of Konoha." Hanabi said. "Why should we change our traditions?"

"That is true." Hiashi answered. "But those laws and traditions were created during the warring states period. Fighting was constant and it was a crueler time in our clans' history. The development of the caged bird seal worked to primarily as a way to protect our bloodline from falling into the hands opposing factions. But the warring states period was also a treacherous time and disagreements within clans was not uncommon. There were several clans that erupted into a civil war that caused them to eventually be wiped out."

"That is why the caged bird seal was also given the ability to cause pain and even death. The main branch wanted to assure the loyalty of the branch families and prevent any possible treachery from occurring. A logical, but very cold hearted decision for our ancestors to make." Hiashi had a disappointed look on his face as he thought about how different things could have been. "While it is hard for me to argue against the desire to protect our eyes, I have to debate if the element of control is justified anymore."

Both of his daughters looked at him wide eyed and Hiashi wondered if he had said too much. He was just trying to get his daughters back into his life and now he was throwing them into a state of confusion with his confessions against the clan.

"F-father?" Hinata asked. "Are you r-really against the s-seal?"

Hiashi paused for a minute before answering.

"Hinata. Hanabi." Hiashi's stern voice immediately caught their attention and had them sitting up straight and rigid. "You must not discuss this with anyone outside of this room. Only between us can we talk about this. Do you understand."

Both girls nodded their heads after pausing for a moment.

"Good." Hiashi could only pray that they listened and were sincere. "I have been debating for years about the value that the seal provides our family and if there is any manner of removing from service. I have yet to find a way that I believe could be proposed to the elders and agreed upon. It is simply impossible without building support within the council or providing a case so strong it could not be refuted."

"You are the head of the clan. Can't you demand that it no longer be used?" Hanabi asked and Hiashi frowned slightly at the question. He had to remember that Hanabi was still young and the education on clan politics was being taught to her by the elders themselves.

"I am not all powerful within the clan. I am not sure if the elders have given you that belief as they trained you to become the head, but the council holds great sway over clan and even has power to overrule me with enough of a majority vote." Hiashi could see some clarity come his youngest eyes. "Decisions that I make on the council can win me allies and make enemies of others. Too many enemies on the council will make it difficult, if not impossible, to enact anything."

"I…I think I understand." Hanabi said after taking in what he said. A moment later she was biting the bottom of her lip slightly. "Is elder Hisao one of you allies father?"

"No."

Hiashi grimaced a little at his daughter's distraught reaction.

"So everything he told me about protecting the family and protecting onee-sama was a lie?" She asked in a small voice.

"In his mind they weren't lies." Hiashi replied. "He believes that having you as heir and eventual head will be better for the family. He want's your sister removed from the position because he thinks that her gentle nature will lead her to break from traditions. That is why he asked her to be sealed into the branch family."

Hanabi gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in shock. Hinata's was holding herself together well, but Hiashi attributed that to her knowing this already.

"B-but why?" Hanabi pleaded. "I haven't been sealed, why should onee-sama if I become heir?"

"That is my fault." Hiashi confessed sadly. "In my desire to keep either of you from getting the seal I accepted a request from the elders. The council was already nervous about Hinata due to her shy nature and in my desperation to buy time I accepted a proposal to delay the seal being implemented as they judged Hinata's worth as an heir. I know that this is causing problems for us now, but I do not regret my decision to put off your branding."

"I don't want onee-sama sealed…but I don't want to be sealed either." Hanabi swallowed hard and Hiashi could see the emotions going through both of his daughters faces.

Hiashi wasn't sure himself how things had escalated this quickly. He wanted to start easing into these topics over the course of multiple meetings, but things had started getting out of hand right away. He thought he needed time to feel out how Hanabi felt regarding these issues, but he was pleased by what he had heard so far.

"Luckily we have some time before that would come to pass, but we have a lot of work ahead of us." Both of his daughters looked at him completely focused. "Change has to start in the clan and we need to show that holding onto the old traditions will stagnate our clan and lead to our downfall. You girls will be that catalyst, but we have to be careful about how we handle it."

"W-what do we need to do?" Hinata asked.

"Your sensei is going to work with you to branch out your abilities in non-traditional ways. You will be learning things that deviate from the philosophies of a main branch member and you must be careful to hide that. We cannot let the others catch on too soon or in the wrong setting. It would be disastrous to our cause and likely result your immediate relegation to the branch family."

Hinata nodded shakily.

"I have already spoken to your sensei regarding this and of his request regarding your gentle fist training." He saw his eldest eyes widen in surprise. "I agreed with his proposal and from now on you both will be training with me after your duties to the village or the academy are completed. I have already spoken to the elders and gotten their agreement."

"What about my training with the elders?" Hanabi asked with a sour look on her face.

"Unfortunately I was unable to negotiate a deal to remove you from their training completely. To do so would have been a large insult towards the elders and would have cost me on the council." Hiashi could understand her reluctance to deal with them now and honestly sympathized with her. "For now you will have to continue training with them when not at the academy and when your sister is not home."

"But-" Hanabi started.

"Hanabi. I know you don't like this." Hiashi interrupted. "But you must keep up appearances with the elders. They need to believe that you are still on their side and listening to their directions. If they believe that you have suddenly had a change of heart, then it will reflect directly on our interactions and put everything in jeopardy."

Hanabi looked conflicted but determined after he spoke. Like she realized how big and distasteful of a role she had to play. It made Hiashi sick that he had to ask his youngest to do something like this.

"I am sorry that you both have to go through this." Hiashi closed his eyes as he looked down towards his lap as he had both of his palms on the table in front of him. He was surprised he felt fingers wrap around his hand.

He looked up to see Hinata holding his hand with tears in the corners of her eyes. She seemed like she was putting on a brave smile as she looked into his eyes. Hiashi could see the touch of lavender in her irises that reminded him so much of Hitomi.

"Thank you Otou-sama." Hinata reached her hand out across the table palm up towards Hanabi. The youngest looked at it for just a moment before she reached and grabbed her sisters hand. "Thank you Hanabi-chan."

Hiashi debated for just a moment before he knew what he needed to do. He reached his hand out and took Hanabi's before he lightly pulled both girls towards him. It was something that Hiashi had not done with them since they were both little, but once they were close enough he immediately wrapped his arms around them both in a hug.

'Tonight the healing starts for us. Soon for the rest of the clan.'

OoOoOoOoO

He cursed silently to himself as he crouched on the crown hidden in the shrubbery of the woods. The darkness just barely illuminated by moonlight filtering through the tall tree branches of the woods outside the village hidden in the leaf. His cerulean eyes were fully dilated as he tried to take in as much light as possible so he could spot the miniscule signs that his target had been in the area.

'Which way did she go…' Naruto mused as himself as he slowly moved out of his shrubbery and inspected his surroundings. 'No obvious tracks on the ground, no scent in the air…hmm?'

He had been on the trail for three hours now and knew that he must be getting close, but this was by far the most difficult tracking job he had ever done. Visibility was poor at best and the target wasn't leaving anything that he could really work with. His previous attempts at night tracking had been against targets that were quickly trying to flee and keep away, but this one was different. This target was slow, methodical, and nearly impossible to track until a small flash caught his eye.

There in a bush was a tiny leaf that was glinting in the moonlight just so slightly as it twisted with a small breeze. Naruto looked at the leaf and could see the twisting was being causes by the tiny branch holding the leaf being just barely broken enough to hold on and not fall off of the bush. It wasn't much, but it was still a lead he could use.

It took him nearly another hour before he found himself in a small clearing deep in the woods. He had nearly been ready to pull his hair out in frustration multiple times, but he was able to center himself enough to remain calm and find the miniscule clues that led him into this open space.

"Took you long enough pup."

Naruto would have jumped up into the air if she had not done this to him dozens of times during their training. Turning around he saw the Inuzuka matriarch leaning against one of the trees where he had just emerged from. Her hound Kuromaru sat on his haunches next to her. His one eye staring at Naruto.

Inuzuka was wild and animalistic looking woman dressed in her dark grey jōnin uniform. She was average height with a lean build and tanned skin. Her long brown hair was completely untamed and fell to her shoulders. She had vertical slit like pupils that that stood out when paired with red color of her deep eyeshadow and the red making on her cheeks. Her grin showed her elongated canine teeth poking through her purple lipstick.

"I guess I can appreciate they effort though...Naruto-kun." She purred out and Naruto immediately flushed causing her to laugh.

"S-stop doing that!" Naruto half shouted in indignation. Ever since she had gotten him completely flustered during seduction training, she took every opportunity she could. His embarrassment caused from being reminded of the event. She just laughed harder like she did every time.

"Sure thing Naruto-kun." She said as she walked by him and ran a clawed finger along his jaw. He sputtered as she sat down on a boulder in the large clearing, Kuromaru laying down next to her, and pulled out some water. "How would rate tonight's exercise."

Naruto frowned just slightly in thought as he walked over and took a seat on the ground. "I don't think I did very well. You were super tough to track, and I think you would have escaped. If you were heading to small base then maybe I could have caught up, but if this was a border crossing escape then I would have been forced to stop."

"Interesting." She replied as she scratched her ninkin behind his ear. "But why was it so difficult for you."

"I couldn't see well, and you barely left anything to track. I couldn't even track your scent." Naruto pouted slightly.

He knew that Tsume was one of, if not the, best trackers in the entire village. She knew every trick there was to spot trails and how to make them disappear. It was not even a challenge for her to lose nearly anyone trying to tail her enough to make an escape. She had never gone to quite this level though in his training.

Naruto knew that he had good skills at tracking, but he doubted he could ever reach the level of Tsume or Kakashi. His training would certainly get him by in most missions, but his specialty was more in brute force tactics than stealthy tracking. There had been a couple times on missions that instead of the calm approach and contemplative approach he instead just summoned hundreds of clones to search for his target.

"Yeah. You failed this one pup." She chuckled lightly and she shook her head. "It's because you assumed your target was trying to escape."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his eyes squinted as he tried to understand what she was saying. All of his tracking lessons had been on him following his target until finding Tsume or the location she wanted him to find.

"Let me show you something." She said as she stood up from the boulder and got closer to him.

Naruto made to stand up himself, but she waved him off quickly as she took a couple of steps to reach him. She started pulling down the zipper on flak vest and shrugged the garment off before grabbing the bottom her shirt tucked into her pants and pulling up. Immediately Naruto blushed and covered his face as he looked down at the ground.

'What is she doing!' Naruto thought in a panic.

"Oi pup. Look at what I am trying to show you." There was a slight edge to her voice and Naruto could sense a tense feeling.

"Nope!" Naruto shook his head. "I am not pervert!"

A sudden growling noise made his stomach drop in fear. Then suddenly he was smacked hard over the head with a fist.

"What do you take me for brat!" Tsume shouted. "I helped train you in seduction because no one else could from the clan council. That doesn't mean I am into teenage boys!"

Naruto winced as he rubbed his head and slowly looked up at the woman. Her shirt was untucked and fallen as she now had her hands on her hips and was glaring down at him. He at least did his best to look apologetic before she shook her head and started to raise her shirt again.

Naruto flushed but kept looking as she revealed her stomach to him. She paused just as the bottom of her sports bra was starting to be revealed. It took a moment for him to see what she was trying to show him in the night, but he could see the tell-tale skin discoloration of a scar right under her ribs on the right side of her torso. It looked like it had been a bad wound.

"I got this back during the third shinobi war." She explained. "I was tracking down an Iwa chūnin that had scouted out where some of forces were. He was on his way back to his side to pass of the information, but we were right on his tail."

"He was really difficult to track. Hardly left any signs of where he was going, but there were really small ones. He seemed an expert like I was at hiding his trail, but there were still small mistakes. It wasn't until it was too late that I realized how much he had to slow down to leave a trail like this." She dropped her shirt back down, but her hands were clinched into fists. "He wanted to get away yes, but he seemed to realize that wouldn't be able to outrun us. So he decided to become the hunter. It was almost too late by the time I realized it and he launched an ambush that nearly ended my life."

Naruto really liked Tsume and it was hard to imagine a life she had never been present in. She was so different than the rest of the clan heads and reminded him more of his owner personality.

"I was close enough tonight to end your life multiple times."

It felt like a bucket of ice water had splashed over Naruto after she said it. She was an expert at hunting and had managed to stay hidden from him the whole night. How she did it he didn't know.

"The point I want to make is that you need to read the signs you are tracking better. Don't think that someone you are tracking is only trying to escape. There are times when you are both tracking one another, and it can be especially dangerous. You must think about not only your safety, but that of your team."

With that she tucked her shirt back into her pants and picked up her vest before sitting back on the rock and leaning back. Naruto sat there in his thoughts for a minute as he considered what she was saying. Danger could come at you when you were least expecting it and now, he also had to be concerned about a team of genin.

"Tsume-sensei…Did you support me having a team?"

Tsume raised her eyebrow at him from her seat, but only sat there for a minute. Naruto could feel different negative emotions coming off of her and from his session earlier today he was trying to associate some of them, but it was still difficult for him.

"Not really." She answered. "It's not that I don't trust you pup, but to me the pack is what's most important. I believe you can lead for sure, but I was worried about how immature genin would handle you being their sensei. Especially my son if you picked him."

"Kiba right? You think we wouldn't have gotten along?"

"Not at all. At least not as a sensei." Tsume shook her head and Naruto just squinted in confusion. "Maybe if you two grew up together and were friends it would be different, but Kiba…he didn't manage to make too many friends outside of the clan. I tried to introduce him to some of the other clan heirs, but he never really managed to get along with them. The Nara was too lazy and his Akimichi friend followed his actions, he couldn't connect with Aburame heir, and the Uchiha didn't give him the time of day. There was nothing there to bind them together as friends. Things will be better now with the Shibi's son now that they are on the same team, but I don't know…"

Naruto just looked at her slightly confused. He had staked out the academy for a few days before the teams were selected and had observed Kiba as a potential student. He could see a competitive nature to him and he seemed to glare at some of the other students at times, but there at least in those few days he didn't notice anything that would have Tsume this worried.

"He has ended up spending a lot more time in the clan then I might have preferred." Tsume continued. "As much as I love my clan, I know that our animalistic nature and tendencies are not always a good thing when dealing with others outside of the clan. Kiba has spent a lot of time with some of our clan members that really embrace that part of themselves. He has started to focus more on becoming the "alpha" then he is on the pack itself."

"Isn't he supposed to be the alpha if he is supposed to lead your clan one day?" Naruto asked and Tsume just shook her head.

"An alpha has to be more than just the strongest person in the clan, just like the Hokage is about more than just being strongest ninja in the village. There are politics and decisions that come with running a clan that require a sound mind as much as a sound body. An alpha that only focuses on becoming strong for himself and not for the pack cannot be allowed to become leader or it will lead to the downfall of the entire pack." Tsume explained. "I would do the same thing with you Naruto. If I thought, you were becoming arrogant and not focused on what would benefit the village I would cut your training off and try to end this program."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Naruto tried to joke, but he could tell that Tsume wasn't really in the mood at the moment. "Well is there anything I should keep my eye out for? He's not my student, but I did pick his team and it kind of feels like my responsibility now."

"No. It's not your responsibility as much as it is Kurenai's and mine" Tsume sighed out. "He should hopefully recognize your strength and know not challenge you, but he may look at you as a threat to his status and try to knock you down a peg."

"Threat to his status?" Naruto again had a puzzled look on his face. Why would he be a threat to Kiba's status? He wasn't an Inuzuka looking to take his place. "Is he trying to become Hokage or something?"

"Ha! No. I don't think so." Tsume laughed for a moment before sobering slightly. "You probably don't realize it yet, because your identity is only just starting to be revealed, but you are going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Especially the arrogant type."

"I kind of thought I would have some trouble leading a team with either the Uchiha or your son on it. That's why I picked the team would be best to handle me being their sensei." Naruto said.

"It's more than that." Tsume spoke. "There is a hierarchy in everything. For years now those new genin have believed that Uchiha Sasuke was the strongest in their age group, Kiba has believed that he is and I hear that that there is a prodigy among the Hyūga a year older. All of the top dogs are going to realize they are just pups compared to you."

Naruto knew that him coming out into the open would cause some issues with the older generations, but he didn't really think that people his own age would have problem with him. He genuinely wanted to be friends with his own age group even if he was higher ranked then they were. He figured they would more than likely be afraid of him; he didn't consider that they might feel jealous? Angry?

"They have lived at the top of the food chain for your generation and now they are being knocked down a peg. It can be a severe blow to the ego and all three of our clans have enough ego to go around. You need to be prepared to handle that and prepare your team to handle the others as well."

"Prepare my team? Why? And why can't they just be happy there is another strong person here to help the village?"

"Your team is going to deal with some backlash from their peers. They are going to question why they are following someone their own age and try to get information out of them." Tsume was serious. "And not everyone your age has your sensibility and education. You will just sweep into the limelight to take over the top spot and everything they wanted."

"Everything they wanted? I just want to defend the village and one day maybe lead it. What did I take from them?"

"Depends on who you are talking about." Tsume shrugged her shoulders and waved her arms slightly. "To some you are rival for missions, to others a rival for status in the village and now a competitor for women."

"W-WomeN!?" Naruto squeaked out and then immediately felt his cheeks heat up as Tsume started laughing.

"Yeah!" She stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Hate to tell you this kid, but you are going to be considered quite the catch to some of the ladies out there. Son of the Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, heir to the Uzumaki, future Hokage…quite the catch. Women will be all over you as get older."

Why was it that whenever Naruto was around this woman she made him blush from embarrassment? He sobered quickly as he thought of something though.

"You forgot a couple titles there." Naruto mused with a bitter tone "Demon of the leaf and jinchūriki."

"Nah." She waved him off, much to Naruto's shock. "That will just keep away the shallow women that aren't really interested in you. Women that will pursue you are either really interested in you…or a real kinky kind of crazy."

"W-what!?" Naruto sputtered again as Tsume chuckled.

"Don't worry about that for now pup. You just worry about your team and helping them be the best they can be. You are going to need them in the future." Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "And just keep an eye out. You don't want someone jealous of you to start a problem with your team."

"Thanks Tsume-sensei. I will. I promise."

OoOoOoOoO

"Oh sage…" Shikamaru groaned as he completed the last lap around the training field. His muscles were still aching from yesterday, but there had barely been a let up between yesterday's physical training and today's. In fact, today may have been even worse because they had to also dodge kunai as they ran and performed exercises.

"Sensei…isn't there…such a…thing…as recovery…days?" Chōji panted out as he collapsed to the ground.

"I mean yeah?" Their sensei shrugged. "You didn't have to do as many reps today, ya know."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he sat heavily on the ground. His muscles were still burning from the activity, and he had to wonder if the other teams were experiencing anything like what they were. He seriously doubted it as he glanced at the bands on his limbs making every movement just a little tougher.

'Dad said only a seal master could have made these bands and that Naruto must have called in a favor.' Shikamaru thought. 'There probably aren't a whole lot of these in Konoha, especially not for genin.'

Shikamaru did his best to settle his mind as his sensei started their meditation time after they had all caught their breath. The Nara was having a difficult time settling his mind, however. His thoughts were full of the information that he had learned over the past few days about their new sensei.

'Our age, but birthdate unknown. Classified origin. Mid to high level jōnin. Massive chakra reserves. Wind affinity. Possible connection with a fūinjutsu master. Wants to become Hokage. Hated by the village.'

Shikamaru had to be honest with himself and just admit that he needed a couple of more clues, or to at least do some research on the clues that he did have. He could look up all the fūinjutsu masters in Konoha capable of making the resistance bands and find a connection there. He could see if there is some kind of registry for chakra affinities kept for records and if he is mentioned as one of the few wind users. But he didn't know how his sensei, or anyone else, would react to him digging for information.

'I could get into serious trouble if anyone finds out.' Shikamaru thought. He gazed over at his sensei who was sitting still as a statue. 'It's not like I want to use it against him…I just want to solve to the puzzle…what a drag.'

"What's up Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru snapped out of daze to realize he had been starting at his sensei. Naruto was currently looking at him with his head cocked just slightly to the side as if he was puzzled by something.

"Nothing. Sorry." Shikamaru got out quickly before his sensei just shrugged his shoulders and stood up in front of the team.

"Let's move on to our next task." Naruto announced as he started to walk his team towards the edge of the woods. "Our next exercise is going to be to work on tree climbing."

"Tree climbing?" Chōji asked. Shikamaru could already feel his weary muscles protesting the thought of climbing trees.

"Yeah. Let me demonstrate." Naruto announced as he walked up to the tree. To Shikamaru and companies surprise the jōnin proceeded to plant a foot on the tree and then walk up it and proceed to hang upside down on a branch while looking at them.

"Sensei!" Chōji exclaimed. "How are you doing that!"

Naruto chuckled a little bit as he suddenly dropped and flipped to the ground with practiced ease.

"I'm using my chakra to stick to the tree." Naruto answered. "This is a great chakra control exercise, and a very important skill for you to learn in your career. You have to regulate the chakra in the bottom of your foot to be at the right amount for what you want to accomplish. Too little chakra and your foot will slide right off. Too much and you will actually bounce right off of the tree."

"Why are we only learning this now?" Shikamaru asked. "If it's an important skill for a shinobi to know, why not teach it at the academy?"

"You answered your own question."

Shikamaru was puzzled for only a split second as he realized the answer.

"Shinobi." Shikamaru muttered as he realized the answer. "It's important for shinobi to know. We don't want those that fail the academy to know this skill."

"That's right." Naruto responded happily. "The skill and control you learn through tree walking transfers to numerous skills you will use. It can assist you when travelling across the village roofs and through trees by repelling your chakra through your feet, you can climb over walls to sneak in somewhere, and you can find a place up high that no one would think to look for you to hide in. Valuable to a shinobi that works for a village, potentially a problem in the hands of a villager that goes rogue or careless."

'That makes sense.' Shikamaru thought as he imagined how the rooftops of the village would look if every single villager tried to use them to traverse Konoha.

"This exercise is good for learning control and building your reserves. It will drain you and help build your reserves." Naruto said. "I know you all have probably learned your family's chakra control exercises that deal with your techniques, but this is something you need to learn along with some nature manipulation techniques I will teach you after lunch."

All three nodded and started to walk towards the trees to begin figuring out the exercise while Naruto continued to stand to the side and observe them. Shikamaru glanced at both of his teammates before he suddenly remembered something.

"Sensei. Can Hinata use her eyes to help with this?" Said girl suddenly stopped and looked at Shikamaru with wide eyes. "Unless that's a problem Hinata?"

"N-no its fine." She replied with a shake of her head. "No one has ever a-asked me that is all."

"Of course, that's okay." Naruto practically yelled and Shikamaru could feel his eyebrow twitch slightly. "You guys are a team. Anything you can do to help one another advance is okay by me, if it's not a short cut I do not mind."

"What do you mean Naruto-sensei?" Chōji asked.

"Hinata's eyes will let her tell you how much chakra you need to use to be able to stick properly. Good for the very beginning of the exercise but regulating it as you walk up is the real challenge. So it doesn't really hurt your development." Naruto explained. "I may use my clones to learn skills faster than the normal person, but it is still putting in the effort and the time to understand what I am doing. Taking short cuts to power will only cause you problems in the end. Alright Hinata. Watch me demonstrate again with your eyes activated."

The three genin nodded before Hinata activated her byakugan and observed Naruto place his foot on a tree trunk and flow his chakra to stick to the bark. He walked up a couple of steps and stood there before leaping back down. Hinata looked thoughtful as she processed what she saw.

"O-okay." Shikamaru could barely hear her say to herself. He watched as she placed one foot on the tree and held it there for a moment. After the moment passed, she lifted herself off the ground and placed another foot on the tree and started a slow walk up the tree. Once she was about ten feet off the ground, she looked like she wobbled slightly before jumping back to the ground in a crouch.

"Good Hinata." Naruto praised. "Maintaining the flow of chakra to your feet and keeping up your byakugan might be challenging, but it is excellent exercise for you. It will help with your reserves, concentration, and help you advance your eyes as you continue to use it."

"Advance her eyes?"

"Oh right." Naruto admitted with a slightly sheepish tone as he scratched the back of his head before he redirected his attention back to Hinata. "Hinata it's not a secret amongst the ninja ranks; why don't you go ahead and explain."

"O-okay." Shikamaru could tell the girl didn't like being the center of attention, but he knew his sensei was just trying to get her to open up a bit more. "Umm…my eyes allow me to s-see the chakra in y-your body, but as w-we develop our eye s-sight more we c-can start to see the actual tenketsu."

"The actual points we release chakra from? You can see something that small?" Shikamaru couldn't help but ask. She had told them that she could see their chakra and how it flowed through their body, and he had imagined it being like specific pathways almost like veins. He imagined that her clans technique would could damage those pathways, but he didn't imagine seeing the actual points.

"I-I c-can't." She had a somber tone that made Shikamaru regret asking. "B-but yes. My f-father and the more a-advanced members of my c-clan can. T-they can attack those p-points directly and shut off the f-flow of chakra to parts of your body."

"That's right." Naruto jumped in. "It's one of the best techniques in the hidden leaf and we are gonna make Hinata one of the best!"

Shikamaru smirked as he saw the wide-eyed look on Hinata's face. A small hue of pink on her cheeks at the praise and belief their sensei was heaping on her. 'Sensei is really trying to boost her confidence. Guess we can help too.'

"Of course." Shikamaru said as he rolled his eyes to look nonchalant. "We all believe in her. Can you help me figure out how much chakra I should be using please Hinata?"

With that Shikamaru started to head towards a tree to begin the exercise, but he could see Hinata's mouth slightly agape as she stared at her teammate. After a moment she nodded quickly a jogged over to Chōji and Shikamaru.

OoOoOoOoO

Hiruzen smiled slightly as he observed the training of team ten through his crystal ball. The team had just wrapped up their training with their natural elements and were starting to head towards the tower for daily mission. He was happy to see that things had been going all right so far for Naruto and his team.

He had to admit that he still had some doubts about letting Naruto lead a team his own age, but the genin that Naruto selected had shown a good temperament towards their situation. It also was a good thing that Naruto was getting this kind of interaction now with people his own age. He had been growing worried about how much longer Naruto's mental state would last if he kept hidden behind the mask. The boy had so much personality that it was slowly eating at him to stay hidden in the shadows.

Hiruzen let out a sigh as he thought about the situation. 'Naruto would have needed, if not demanded, to reveal himself in the next year or two anyway. At least this way he has a solid chance at developing relationships with important members of the village his age.'

It was as good an excuse as any to get Naruto out into the open, but was it the right time to give him a team? Hiruzen wasn't sure. There had been multiple discussions amongst the clan heads on how to best acclimate him to rest of his generation, but all of them had risks associated with them. There was a brief idea of having him join the academy as a student and join this graduating class as one of their comrades, but the idea was quickly shot down when Naruto became worried about the breach of trust from lying to his comrades about his skills.

"Akimichi, Nara, and Hyūga…" Hiruzen muttered as he stood up from his desk so he could make his way to the mission room. He had been taking a break from the standard mission room to take care of some paper work and hand out a couple of the higher ranked missions in the privacy of his office, but now he wanted to be present for when Naruto and his team arrived.

Hiruzen had been impressed with Naruto when those three were chosen by Naruto. Chōji similarly to Naruto wore his heart on his sleeve and cared about those around him. Shikamaru's rational personality allowed him to think about why Naruto was assigned to them. And young Hinata was kind and reserved compared to the rest of her family, but Iruka had said she had the best eyes amongst her family for spotting the character of a person, even if she held back her opinion.

'A team that would give him a chance.' Hiruzen thought. 'A chance to earn their trust and show them what they could become.'

And he certainly was trying to show them what they could become. Naruto was not slacking or taking it easy on them at all. It was probably his own upbringing and the level of training that he was at when he became a genin, but Naruto was working hard to build a strong foundation in his team. Physical conditioning, chakra control, reaction training, meditation, nature element training and jutsu, taijutsu training and tactics. He was running through the full gambit of training that he had been doing for years and making it obvious that he felt they should be able to handle what he was doing to them.

Hiruzen was impressed, but also slightly concerned about spreading out their training too much. A solid foundation was good, but eventually they needed to find some form of specialization or focus that would guide their career paths. Perhaps he should have a conversation with Naruto at some point about that, but for now there wasn't really any harm in letting them build foundations for their growth. At the very least he would mention to Naruto about giving them rest days as they grew; not everyone was blessed with Uzumaki genes or Kyūbi influenced recovery.

It shouldn't have surprised him to see Naruto training them on elements right away, but it certainly did break from the norm for most teams first days. Naruto had always been a jutsu sponge and it seemed like he wanted to pass on that trait to his students. Yesterday he gave them some simple jutsu that matched their element so they could get the feel of the hand signs and the molding, but today he gave them exercises to train their manipulation of the element.

Shikamaru had been given a candle with a wick that was sensitive to light with only a small amount fire chakra manipulated in the air around it. A perfect beginner training tool as he spent his time cross legged in front of the candle with his hands hovering over both sides of the wick.

Chōji's didn't require any elaborate preparation. Instead, Naruto had showed him a soft patch of dirt on the ground and placed two hands down on earth. Using earth chakra he compacted down the particles to form a harder surface and then loosened it back to an almost sandy texture. A difficult, but overall simple exercise of using the nature chakra to feel the particles of the earth.

Hinata had bowl of water that she had sat down in front of and placed her palm down in the water. It was a multi-level beginner exercise that Hiruzen had used in the past during his training while mastering all five elements. The first level was getting a feel for the chakra in the water and manipulating it to move just with chakra. The second level was to have your palm hovering above the water and to bring drops of water out of the bowl and to your hand. With enough master the final step was to maintain the shape of the bowl of water while pulling it out with just chakra.

Hiruzen smiled as he entered the mission center and was greeted respectfully by the staff. There was only a scattering of shinobi there to accept missions at this time of day; most preferring to get the pick of the better missions in the morning rush rather than in the afternoon. Some of the genin teams preferred to train in the mornings, such as Naruto's team ten and Gai's team nine, and follow it up with missions in the afternoon.

"Good Afternoon Hokage-sama."

"Good Afternoon Iruka-kun." Hiruzen smiled. "Did I miss anything interesting after since this morning's briefings?"

"Nothing interesting." Iruka smiled with a shrug. "Well there is one thing that is slightly unusual."

"Hmm?" Hiruzen's eyebrow raised in question just slightly as he lit his smoking pipe with the same fire nature control that Shikamaru was learning.

"It seems that Tora hasn't escaped today." Iruka let out a small chuckle as the small surprised look Hiruzen gave him. "Lady Shijimi hasn't put in a request today. Small miracles from the sage I suppose."

Hiruzen let out a soft chuckle to Iruka, but on the inside his thoughts were wondering why a mission that was submitted daily was now absent. Did something happen to Lady Shijimi that prevented her from coming today? Should he send someone to go and check on her? How would the Fire Daimyo react if something happened to his wife in the village on his watch?

Of course Hiruzen knew that Lady Shijimi was more than she let on to the rest of the shinobi under his command. She was trained woman of the court that had her own machinations and reasons behind everything that she did. A woman in her position of power could not afford to be anything else.

Was she directly there as a spy?

Perhaps.

But beneath all of the politics and hidden messages Hiruzen could see that she was both honorable and kind in her own way. Tora was demon from hell, that was true, but to escape every day and have to be caught by ninjas? No. Tora was released everyday so that she could provide a simple mission to the village that she always over paid for. A nice was of providing a simple tithe to the village without overtly donating to the funds.

Did she genuinely like the village?

Hiruzen was sure she did.

It made no sense otherwise for a woman in her position to choose to stay in the village. Even if she originally came here to keep an eye on the village, there is no way she would have stayed in the village for this length of time if she hadn't grown attached. She could have easily moved back to the capital and enjoyed the luxuries of the palace while having another representative of the court here.

"That is strange." Hiruzen muttered. "I wonder if I should pay a visi-"

Just as he was about to finish his thoughts the person in question came through the door to the mission room. She smiled warmly at the Hokage as she made her way to his desk.

"Hiruzen. How are you this afternoon."

"Lady Shijimi." Hiruzen smiled back, not perturbed by the name familiarity the higher ranked woman gave him. "I was concerned to find out that you didn't come this morning. I was worried that something may have happened to you or your dear Tora."

"Oh Hiruzen!" A small blush came to her face that she quickly hid behind a fan she held in her hand. He could still see the mirth and playfulness in her eyes over the top of the fan. "I must admit that I am behind a little bit today, but I am sure one of your dedicated genin teams will come in this afternoon and help me find my dear Tora."

"Of course. I am sure I can round someone up right away to perform the task." Hiruzen replied as he glanced around the room at some of the shinobi looking to accept missions and saw their less than eager faces.

"I am sure a team will be along shortly Hiruzen."

Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow at her comment. He was about to just assign the mission to one of the free shinobi in the room for the Daimyo's wife, but the sudden sharpness in her eyes caught him slightly off guard. An amused sharpness like she knew something that he didn't.

"Old man! We are here for our mission!" A loud voice suddenly boomed from the door and Hiruzen couldn't help, but smile slightly recognizing the owner.

"Oh Naruto-kun!"

The small smile fell from Hiruzen's face at Lady Shijimi's call out.

'What's this?' He wondered worriedly.

"Oh. Lady Shijimi." Naruto offered a bow as did his students. "I am sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Ho ho! Please do not fret Naruto-kun." She waved her fan in his direction as if to wave off his apology with a smile. "I was just here to because my dear Tora has run away again and I was going to put in a mission request. Your team did such a fine job yesterday. I trust I can count on you again."

"I'm glad you enjoyed team ten's service." Naruto sounded a little sheepish towards the praise and Hiruzen could see that Naruto was trying to control himself. "Of course. I was hoping that mission would be available for my team when we came."

"That's wonderful." Lady Shijimi clapped her hands together in excitement. "I was hoping that you would accept the mission. I wanted to be able to tell my family how the team of the fearsome demon of the hidden leaf helped catch our dear Tora."

Hiruzen's eyes hardened slightly and he was glad that Naruto seemed to be controlling himself. It was clearly no coincidence that she arrived precisely when she did. She wanted a chance to speak to Naruto and gather information on him and his team. She was playing a game and already steps ahead.

"We will begin right away." Naruto bowed again as he took a mission slip from a clerk that quickly wrote one up. With that team ten exited the room to start their terrible task. Lady Shijimi stayed and smiled as the door closed behind the cloaked teenager.

"It seems you have spoken with young Naruto already." Hiruzen asked.

"Oh yes." She responded with a smile as she turned to face Hiruzen. There was a look in her eye that told Hiruzen that the smile was genuine, but there was also a coolness behind it. "We spoke momentarily after his team retrieved Tora yesterday."

"I see. He seems to have made a good impression."

"Oh Hiruzen. All your shinobi are so respectful towards me; none dare to make a bad impression." She laughed. "I was glad for the interesting interaction. It gave me some interesting news to add to my letter to my husband."

Hiruzen didn't drop his smile, but on the inside his stomach did a quick flop.

'One day.' He thought annoyed. 'It took only one day for word of Naruto to now spread all the way to the capital.'

"Please give my husband my best when you respond." She gave a mirthful chuckle as she exited the room and left the occupants confused at her comment. Hiruzen frowned as the door closed realizing what she was talking about. His concerns proved true almost immediately as a chūnin ran into the room with a scroll on his hand clearly marked with the seal of the Fire Daimyo.

"Hokage-sama! A message from the capital."

OoOoOoOoO

Naruto swallowed thickly as he stood in front of the door to the Akimichi home. He had been in the compound multiple times before, but never through the front entrance in such a manner. For some reason he was feeling nervous about this dinner in a way he couldn't explain.

"Come on Naruto." He whispered to himself in an attempt to hype himself up. "You've faced missing nin for peats sake. It's just a family dinner with your student's family."

But that was exactly the problem. Naruto had never attended a family dinner before. Besides the occasional meal he might share with one of his sensei during his training sessions and eating with his teams on overnight missions, Naruto had never really sat down and eaten with a group of people that weren't assigned to be around him. Nothing close to what anyone would call a family dinner.

"Are you just going to stand there? Or are you coming in?" A deep voice caught him off guard and Naruto nearly jumped in fright. He quickly looked at the entrance to see Chōza standing in the now open doorway with an amused look on his face. Naruto glanced around to see that there wasn't anyone else nearby before he spoke.

"Sorry sensei." Naruto muttered quietly. "I am a little nervous."

"Hmm? What's making you nervous son?" Chōza had a slightly confused look on his face. "And just make sure you keep the sensei part down…"

"I've just…never been to something like this before." Naruto elaborated further when he saw Chōza still looked a little confused. "A family dinner, ya know…"

"Oh!...oh…Naruto…" Chōza's face looked like it dropped in realization. Naruto had always had a soft spot for the kind Akimichi and Naruto knew that Chōza felt the same way towards him. Chōza and him would often laugh and smile during their training lessons compared to some of his other teachers. "I'm sorry…I should have realized…"

"No! No…it's okay." Naruto could sense the waves of emptiness rolling off Chōza. He had only worked with Inoichi one night so far and hadn't gotten to this feeling, but he was guessing that he could relate it to sadness based on how he Chōza was reacting. "You couldn't have done anything. It's not like you could have just started inviting me to family dinners! I'm a secret…"

His words didn't seem to alleviate any of the guilt that Chōza was feeling, but the large man still gave him a sad nod as he placed his large hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Pa! Is sensei here?" The two quickly separated as they heard Chōji's footsteps start to come from the hallway behind Chōza. Naruto could see him peek around his father's large frame as he got close enough to see Naruto. "Good evening sensei."

"Good evening Chōji." Naruto greeted. "I just arrived and greeted your father."

"That's right son." Chōza smiled at his boy. "Let's head inside. Your ma has been prepared all day for this."

Naruto smiled behind his mask as stepped onto the threshold and removed his sandals and cloak. The three men proceeded down the hall towards the dining room while giving Naruto a small tour of the clan leaders home. It didn't have the same kind of old-style elegance that the Hyūga home had, but it certainly did have a warmer feel. Pictures of family, mementos of vacations taken and other knick knacks were on shelves in the hallway and decorated tables.

As they walked into the dining room Naruto could immediately smell the richness and feel the warmth of a broth radiating from the connected kitchen. His mouth started to water at the smell of what he knew was ramen. He gave a curious glance towards Chōza and the man just shrugged in a defeated manner.

'Ha! Take that proper diet!' Naruto thought with glee. 'Tonight I make Chōza-sensei pay for talking with Hiashi-sensei about my diet and taking my ramen away.'

It was at this moment that the door across the room slid open and there was a small audible gasp let out was let out with a feeling that made Naruto gut do a flip with nervousness. Naruto looked in the direction of the door to see a dark-haired woman that was just a head taller than Chōji standing there. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless blouse with the kanji for food over her heart. Looking at her face Naruto could see a resemblance in the roundness of her cheeks and Chōji's.

'Chōji's mom?'

"Hello dear." Chōza broke in quickly and snapped the group out of their momentary silence. "Naruto. This is my wife Fusae."

"Good evening Fusae-san" Naruto bowed to her politely. "Thank you for inviting me into your home."

"O-of course." She stuttered for a second and then Naruto could see her reign in her emotions. The hostess of the Akimichi clan smiled and offered a small bow of her own. "Thank you for accepting the invitation Naruto-san."

"Please call me Naruto." Naruto did his best to make his voice sound warm and cheery. "I have been looking forward to this ever since Chōji invited me."

"That's so nice to hear Naruto." He couldn't help but glance at the amused look on Chōza's face. Naruto was sure the man was enjoying the firsthand display of the etiquette training Naruto had received. Naruto knew he wasn't perfect, and likely never would be with his mouth, but he could be polite when it counted. "But…umm"

"Yes?" Naruto asked, curious as to what could be troubling her.

"Do you plan to eat dinner with the mask on?"

"Afraid so. Hokage-sama's orders are for me to not remove my mask except for in certain company." She looked a little down from the statement, her curiosity not sated in the slightest.

"But-" Fusae began.

"Now now Fusae-chan." Chōza interrupted. "Don't give him a hard time. He has to follow orders and he can use the Anbu genjutsu trick to eat with the mask still holding his face."

"Yeah ma." Chōji chorused. "Sensei uses it at lunch. It looks like the food passes right through his mask!"

"Aw okay." Fusae pouted a little bit but relented with a smile. Naruto was grateful that the moment had passed, but he was slightly annoyed that the mask had caused an issue in the first place. He was sure she only wanted to see to sate her own curiosity and maybe take place in gossip, but he couldn't relent. "Please take a seat Naruto. Food will be brought out shortly."

"Thanks!" He sat down at the table next to where Chōji was pulling out a chair for himself.

"So Naruto." Fusae spoke as she sat down. "Tell us a little about yourself. I want to know about the young man that is taking care of our dear Chōji-kun."

"Mom…" Chōji whined in embarrassment.

"Ah." Naruto chuckled nervously knowing she might not like the answer. "There is really only so much I can tell you right now. Hokage-sama has forbidden me from revealing to much at this time."

"That shouldn't stop us from learning what kind of a man you are." Fusae replied.

"That's true…" Naruto thought out loud. "Well I am twelve years old, I reached the rank of jōnin two years ago. I like ramen, training, and gardening. I dislike the three minutes it takes to heat up ramen and people that judge others before getting to know them. I never give up and I never go back on my word. My future goal is to be the Hokage, believe it!"

"H-hokage?" She seemed stunned at the revelation. Naruto knew that he really needed to get used to people being surprised by this. He had a feeling this was going to be a common occurrence.

"Yep. That's my goal!"

She was still gaping slightly when the door to the dining room slid open and several members of the Akimichi family came in carrying already full bowls of ramen and several pots full to serve for refills. They paused slightly at the sight of who was in the dining room, but a quick glance from Chōza had them leaving the room politely.

"Well don't let it get cold Naruto." Chōza proclaimed as the family began to dig right into their food. The group started to dig in with gusto. The only one eating slightly slowly was Fusae as she still seemed to be glancing over towards Naruto.

"That's quite the lofty goal Naruto." Fusae commented in between bites. "I never heard anyone mention that about you before."

Naruto had paused mid bite wide eyed at the comment. He was sure that it was probably an amusing sight to see a feared Anbu with noodles hanging through his mask and his genjutsu. He quickly slurped up what was hanging to not appear rude.

"Yeah. Not a lot of truth really gets around about me." He chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. He wasn't sure exactly how this dinner was going to go, but it was clear that Fusae wanted to interrogate him and learn more about her son's teacher. "I know there's a lot of rumors out there about me, but I would say that nearly all of them are false or are at least misleading. I am a loyal shinobi of Konoha, I did not gain my power through evil means, and the reason I wear a kitsune mask to honor the events of that night and move past it. I lost my family that night too…I want to honor them."

"Th-that's…" Fusae stuttered and went silent. Naruto was struck by a different whirlwind of emotions from around the table and he couldn't pinpoint anyone feeling. Chōza had a small amount of anger at first and slowly it seemed to become an empty feeling he related to sadness. Chōji didn't have any anger, but that empty feeling was there. Fusae was a mess of different feelings that seemed to change rapidly. The most predominant one he couldn't tell, but if it reflected the look on her face, then Naruto guessed it was guilt.

"I'm sorry Naruto." She replied after a few moments of silence. "I am just concerned for Chōji-kun. I just want to get to know the kind of person that you are, but I did listen to the rumors spread about you. Please call me Fusae."

"That's okay." Naruto smiled behind his mask. "I know what people say about me."

"That doesn't make it right sensei." Chōji piped in, to Naruto's surprise. "They don't know the real you!"

"Chōji." Naruto was happy to hear that but was shaking his head at the same time. "Thanks. But you don't know the real me yet. We have been a team for three days!"

"Well pa knows you! And I trust pa." Chōji took another slurp of noodles into his mouth after he believed his retort won the argument.

"That's true." Naruto laughed and the mood around the table seemed to lighten. Naruto decided it would be a good opportunity to have a little harmless fun. "In fact your dad has seen my face!"

"What!?"

Chōza froze with a grimace at the shouts from his family members. Naruto was sure that his grin was stretching from ear to ear under his mask.

"That's right." Naruto added snickering at the gaping looks that Chōza was now suffering from. "Before I became an Anbu I was introduced to the shinobi council."

"Oh really?" Fusae spoke with a tone that was both dark and playful. "My husband knows so much and didn't tell his darling Fusae-chan. I wonder if someone could have abated all my concerns."

Chōza sent a look at Naruto that promised pain in the near future. Naruto just laughed at the misfortune and quickly ate his way through another helping of the food in front of him while Chōji was distracted.

"That's not fair. I want to know what Naruto-sensei looks like under the mask." Chōji said. "Just some hints pa!"

"Urgh…" Chōza coughed into his hand. "I'm sworn to secrecy unfortunately and besides…your sensei is just trying to distract you as he eats all of the ramen."

"What!?" Chōji shouted as he turned back around to see that the amount of food in the pot had taken a severe dip. "I won't lose to you at this Naruto-sensei!"

Knock Knock

Naruto had been about to fully challenge his student to a contest when a sudden knocking on the door interrupted the group. The door slid open to reveal an Akimichi guard.

"Chōza-sama. There is an Anbu here for Naruto-san."

Naruto frowned slightly under his mask as Chōza told the guard to let the Anbu inside. A few moments later a female Anbu wearing a mask with the markings of a cat walked into the room.

"Pardon the intrusion." She started with a quick bow. "Naruto-san. The Hokage has requested your presence immediately."

Message delivered she quickly flickered out of the room. The four sat in the room for a moment before Naruto let out a loud sigh and stood up from his seat.

"Fusae. Thank you for having me over." Naruto gave a quick bow. "Chōza-sama thank you as well. Chōji I will have to challenge you to a ramen eating constest sometime soon! I better go see what the old man wants."

OoOoOoOoO

Hiruzen sighed and blew a large plume of smoke out his mouth as he did so. The young blonde in front of him rightfully looked angry and he couldn't blame him. Unfortunately, there was little that he could do.

"No!" Naruto shouted. "There is no way in hell they are ready for a C-rank mission. What are you thinking!?"

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long delay, things are about to get more interesting for our team as things related to Naruto coming out of the Anbu are going to have consequences.

I wanted to say I had a good conversation with one of my reviewers, AnimeFan0001, that made me decide to change up how Naruto feels about training the team with their elements. Mostly I believe that learning how to manipulate the element is still feasible for them, but learning to manipulate the shape is beyond their control right now. I want them to have the ability to learn jutsu related to their element, but shaping it around a weapon or manipulating it directly is beyond them right now.

I have a couple of one shots that I want to finish writing that I originally planned for the December event, but couldn't make happen with a busy work and family life during the holidays. Hopefully I will get those out soon and work on getting the next chapter of this turned around quickly. Please review and let me know what you think!