Chapter 21 - Inuzuka Troubles.

Pairing: Naruto x Uchiha Mikoto.

A/N: How many times a month do I apologize for making you wait? Lmfao, well, not much to say. It's just the usual; work, real-life stuff, League, wanted to write but couldn't, or simply didn't feel like it for a while. So everything is the same. The motivation was kind of dead for a while though, not gonna lie.

My work also just switched to a new location, usually, I could sneak in some writing here and there, but not as much as I used to. As usual, no promise about the next chapter.

I was also generally stuck with this chapter. I didn't know if the start was too much of the good, but a lot of people would probably ask; too much of what? I guess I'm just scared of rushing it too much. I may be taking it too slow, at least it's building now.

Streets of Konoha

Half an hour later, after a much-needed shower, Naruto and Mikoto walked side by side through the busy streets of Konoha. The streets were as lively as ever, filled with people and shops all around.

As expected, they were getting a lot of attention. From the Uchiha massacre to people wondering if Naruto too would go crazy like his best friend. So as they walked, they were getting a lot of stares.

Naruto would have thought they would annoy him more, but he could care less at the moment. He felt quite happy for once, he had fun today. It was something he hadn't expected to happen, but he was glad that it did.

For the past few weeks, it had felt like he was living the same day on repeat. Doing his mission at night, come home dead tired, and pretend like nothing was happening.

It was tiring.

This day had taken a turn for the better. And it was all because of a simple spar. Having fun and laughing with Mikoto, had put some thoughts in his head. Because such a simple thing had turned his day upside down.

"So what do you want to eat?"

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when the question hit his ears, and something slowly wrapped around his right arm.

"What?" He asked with a small tilt of his head.

His cheeks were turning a bit pink as he noticed that they were now walking with their arms linked.

"Embarrassed to link arms with an older woman, Naruto-kun?" She asked with a hint of teasing.

Naruto snorted with a roll of his eyes, "I already told you this, you're nowhere near old. And nope, not embarrassed in the slightest."

She tucked his arm a bit closer, "What about now?"

"Nope."

"Now?"

"Nope."

Mikoto giggled and shook her head at his antics, "You're hopeless. So, what do you want to eat? And don't just say ramen."

Naruto gave a blank stare before smirking, "Home-cooked ramen."

The older woman sweatdropped with a small pout, "Fine, fine, since you're that clever we can go make some home-cooked ramen."

The blond raised a brow, "It doesn't have to be ramen." He chuckled, "What would you like to eat? We could go somewhere other than home to eat."

Mikoto blinked a bit before scratching her cheek, "I don't know… I haven't eaten out in years, aside from that one time where you dragged me to Ichiraku's."

Naruto frowned at that but then got an idea that put a cheeky grin on his face.

"Speaking of dragging…" He trailed off, and used the grip she had on his harm to once again drag her along in an unknown direction.

Mikoto had to brace herself after the sudden movement, her sore muscles from the training crying in protest as the as usual energetic blond Uzumaki pulled her through the village crowd.

"H-Hey! Do you even know where we're going?" She asked, but despite how much she wanted to look annoyed, the smile on her face would speak against it.

"Not in the slightest!" Naruto chuckled back as they turned a corner, several bystanders looking on with great amusement as the son of Minato dragged the Uchiha matriarch of one around the village by the arm.

By the time Naruto finally stopped, almost making them both trip in the process, they stood outside a small barbeque restaurant.

A place that the Akimichi both ran, and were very proud of.

Mikoto regained her footing, and raised her head with a small tilt, "You want to eat here?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sure, this place is said to be great. And you haven't eaten out in a while, so why not go for something that's supposed to be good?" He smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back, not even willing to start questioning his logic as she walked past him and inside, immediately greeted by a large man behind a counter that waved with a big smile.

"Good afternoon! What can I get for ya?" He beamed.

The Uchiha woman shot a glance back at the blond teen that shrugged his shoulders, and she just sighed and turned back, "What is the special of the day?"

The Akimichi clapped his hands together, "Oh, that's quite a big meal even for you two, you sure you can handle it?"

Mikoto smirked, "Of course, I've got him with me." She grinned and pointed an accusing thumb back over her shoulder.

"Oi, now that's just mean…" Naruto pouted.

A moment later, the order was placed. A dish with several slices of meat and vegetables for the table grill would be delivered to their seats.

Naruto leaned back into his seat as they waited, his gaze still quite curious, "I know you said you wanted to be a medic, but… aren't medics sometimes deployed in the field as well?"

Pondering over the question in her head, she responded, "They are, that's also why I want to get back into shape. Can't be outdone by all the youngsters, can I?" There was a hint of sadness in her tone as she stared at the table.

Naruto sighed and leaned over the table, flicking a finger at her forehead, "The only youngster that could outdo you, is yourself. And possibly me." He grinned.

She rubbed her forehead and gave him a look, "Oh don't you worry, I'll be the one kicking your ass in no time."

"I was about to say that I look forward to it, but I'm not into that type of thing…"

Mikoto groaned and rubbed her temples, "You're such a pervert."

"No, I'm not…"

"Oh really now? So that one time I caught you and Shisui reading Jiraiya-sama's prized novels in the backyard, was all my imagination?" She shot back, stressing the novel part.

Naruto blinked, "You must be pretty interested in them, to call them 'prized'?"

"Don't you try to pin your fetishes on me!" She pouted and rested her cheek down in her palm.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he waved his hands defensively in front of him, "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"Do you enjoy messing with me or something?"

Naruto shrugged, "I mean, yeah, I love having fun with you. It's not many people that can match me after all, especially Yugao, she always just backs off. I like a challenge."

She stared at him for a while, smiling into her palm as she rolled her eyes, "Idiot…"

Able to see that she was enjoying this as much as he was, Naruto decided to change the subject for now. If he messed too much with her, she could beat him up later…

"If I have to be serious again, I know you want to get back into training. Do you want some more help with that? I still train pretty frequently with Oji-san, so I'm getting a lot of tips that can also help you out!" He continued, quite excited.

She lifted her head, a grin on her face, "Are you making me your apprentice or something?"

Naruto did a double-take before scratching the back of his head, "As good as 'Apprentice of Uzumaki Naruto' would sound, I think you got way more battle experience than me. You fought in the third war, right?"

"Also part of the second, but I was still pretty young back then so I didn't do much aside from a few missions and guard duty."

He cupped his chin, "You got battlefield knowledge if we can mix that with training and tips I get from Oji-san… We could make a pretty good team!"

Her eyes widened, "You want to go on missions with me?"

Naruto looked oddly at her confused face, "Yeah? I mean, why not? If you decided to be a combat medic, we could go on missions together. I think that could be pretty fun."

He had thought about this a lot since she first mentioned it. Aside from Kakashi and Yugao, and before that Itachi as well, he didn't go on a lot of missions with people he actually enjoyed spending time with.

And considering that he was tempted to quit or take a break from ANBU like Hiruzen had silently suggested earlier, he didn't really have anyone to take missions with.

So it felt a bit like a sign from Kami when she had voiced her interest in becoming a medic, but also a bit like a knee to the gut when she mentioned not going back on the active roster.

Perhaps he could pull some strings with Hiruzen so that they were a team? He'd like to think that he could.

Mikoto looked at him weirdly for a while, "I don't know… won't I just slow you down? And you're in ANBU… I hardly think I qualify for that any longer."

Naruto sighed as he tapped his fingers over the wooden surface of the table, "I mean, I talked briefly with Oji-san about this but… I think I'm gonna take a break from ANBU for a while."

If surprise were a thing to be described, Mikoto's face would be the perfect example of it, "But why though? You are one of the youngest ANBU members in Konoha history to be nominated as squad captain aside from Itachi, aren't you?"

"I am, but it's more like… I used to think the missions were all I had, but now it's different. I don't feel like it's my place to take the spot as captain, my priorities are different now."

"What priorities?"

He smiled slowly at that, "Well… My house is a lot noisier now, and I want to be part of the ruckus. Can't let Karin and Sasuke have all the fun now, can I?"

While she wanted to argue in regards to his career, she couldn't bring herself to do it. He had never been around much since he had been one of the most active members of ANBU, almost matching Kakashi in some periods.

And now, he was practically taking a break for the sole reason of spending more time at home. Even if his answer had been ambiguous, she had easily deciphered it.

And if she had to be honest, it made her happy. The house wouldn't feel empty if he were around more.

Not that it was empty now, but as previously stated; people were going to be a lot busier now. And if he were indeed this set on being around more, she'd never argue about it.

Rather, she'd encourage it.

"I guess I'll have to cook us lunch more often then, huh?" She just smiled.

It made Naruto feel oddly warm to look at it, "Well, as you know I mentioned some home-cooked ramen earlier…"

"You're really hopeless, you know that right?"

"Guilty as charged!"

She giggled a bit, before going back on the subject, "Still… about going on missions with you, I don't know if I'll go back on the active-duty roster…"

"That's okay, we can always figure it out later I suppose. Though, we'd have lots of fun."

"I'm not sure Shinobi work is meant to be fun." She giggled out of amusement.

Naruto shrugged, "Probably not, but we gotta make the most out of it. Otherwise, it's just going to be a bother."

"So this is where you two were hiding, thank god for my keen sense of smell! I'd never have found ya otherwise."

Mikoto who had been about to answer, raised a brow at the familiar voice as she turned around.

Behind her stood one of the friends from forever ago, a certain Inuzuka with the widest grin on her face that one could ever muster.

The only one that could challenge that type of grin, was another Inuzuka, or possibly her favorite blond.

"Tsume-chan? What're you doing here? It's been forever!"

The Inuzuka woman gave a short laugh, "Well, well, I came here to find blondie!"

Naruto raised a brow, "Me?"

Tsume nodded, "Interrupting your little date like this makes me feel kinda bad, but the big guy sent word for ya. He suspected you likely were with your girlfriend."

There was an obvious teasing and joking to the woman's tone, but it didn't stop either Mikoto or Naruto from turning beet red in a matter of mere seconds.

"Tsume, please…" Mikoto begged, making the feral woman wave her hands defensively.

"Oh come on now, he's not that bad looking. Hell, should my ninken approve I could take him for myself?"

"Tsume!" Mikoto tried again, a bit more force than intended in her voice.

Naruto through all of this, just felt a dizzy spell wash over him as he clutched his forehead, 'What's even going on here?'

The Inuzuka chuckled, "Okay, okay, I'll back off. I know that Uchiha women can get defensive about their mates, so you should go see your sensei before I change my mind blondie!"

The blond scratched his scalp and stood up, sending an apologetic gaze at Mikoto, "Sorry for cutting lunch so short, but if Inuzuka-san isn't busy you could share it?" Naruto finished and sent a look at Tsume for an answer.

"Tch, just Tsume is fine kid. And sure, why not, free food is always welcome. Also gives me an opportunity to catch up with Mikoto."

Naruto nodded, "Very well then, I'll see you at home Mikoto-chan!" Naruto grinned at the last part before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Tsume sighed at the kid left, taking a seat in the spot Naruto had previously sat in, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch like that."

Mikoto waved her hands, "No reason to apologize, if the Hokage calls, then you answer. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right… How've you been? I know I haven't been around since, that happened, I really wanted to. I hope you can believe that, but with reconstruction and rebuilding of part of the compound has kept me busy."

Mikoto gave a small frown, but shook her head, "I've been okay, I didn't know what to do at first… If I have to be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to get over it. Not that I am, but… I'm getting there I think."

"That's good, in all seriousness I bet that blondie has been part of it. You've always been close, don't try and deny it!"

She smiled a bit at this, "He has, the first thing he did was bring us over to his family compound… Akari-san and Karin-chan have helped both me and Sasuke too."

"That's right, he found those two Uzumakis. I bet that the noise of all three of them combined is enough, heh."

"Akari is actually quiet and easy-going, believe it or not."

Tsume felt like snorting, "Please, she's an Uzumaki. She's perhaps just getting comfortable, it'll come… trust me."

"Don't jinx it, I have enough in the three others. Though, it's nice to avoid the silence."

Tsume smiled, "Good, good, if you never need anything, you know where to find me. I bet it's not easy, especially with all the stares and stress from the public."

"Could we… change the subject maybe? I don't want to be rude, it still makes me feel bad talking about it."

Tsume gave an understanding nod, it wasn't like she didn't understand why Mikoto wanted to avoid the topic. At least she knew that the Uchiha had people like Naruto and others at home, so she wouldn't drown in sadness.

She only knew the boy by reputation, but he was said to always have been a good friend of the Uchiha family.

He and Hana had also down a handful of missions together in the past, but it had stopped once the blond got more into ANBU.

Hana had voiced some annoyance by that, the Uzumaki was one of the only ones to keep up with the feral Inuzuka.

In terms of a subject to talk about, when thinking about a certain blond, something quickly came to Tsume's mind.

And she couldn't let it go, the look on the other woman's face would be priceless.

Why let such a chance go?

"So... 'Mikoto-chan'?"

The Uchiha woman's cheeks turned a bit pink as she stared out of the window, "Please don't make an assumption because of that…"

"What? A nice young man calls you that, and I as your friend ain't allowed to be curious?"

She rubbed her forehead, "It's only because we sparred earlier… Enough about that, so how have you been? We've talked so much about me."

Tsume snorted with a smirk but decided to leave it… for now at least, "Tch, spoilsport. Well, I certainly could be better." She grunted.

"What's that supposed to mean, did something happen?"

With another grunt, Tsume leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms under her chest, "You're god damn right something happened, I've for the past few months been teaching Hana some more advanced Inuzuka techniques."

"And what's wrong about that? Isn't she mastering them?" She asked with curiosity.

Tsume shook her head, "Oh she is mastering the techniques just fine, the problem lies in something else. We had taken several missions to clear bandit camps around Hi no Kuni so she could test her skills out in situations that wouldn't get her killed should she mess up."

Mikoto tilted her head, "That sounds reasonable? I still don't get the issue."

With a mighty snort, Tsume leaned over the table with a clearly annoyed look, "Every time, for the last three missions, the camps were already obliterated and in flames. The same attack pattern is used almost every time, with the same damage as well. It was scorched, not just burned, I'm tempted to say we're dealing with lightning."

Cupping her chin, Mikoto looked up at her friend, "You think someone from Kumo is behind it?"

"The hell if I know, but I just know that we had our fourth mission booked for tonight, and I'm gonna catch the fucker."

"You don't think the Hokage may have double booked it by mistake?"

"No, I asked him just before I got here, none of these camps were assigned missions before ours," Tsume grunted.

With a small sigh, Mikoto watched as the Akimichi brought over the food they'd share, "What're you gonna do if you catch him?"

"Well, obviously make him stop!"

The Uchiha had to sweatdrop at that, "How do you know it's a 'him'? Kumo has produced several Kunoichi in these years with a great affinity for lightning, the bingo book says so at least."

"You read the bingo book?" Tsume asked with curiosity.

Smirking, Mikoto nodded, "Well, I'm looking to get back into the Shinobi world. Or at least as a medic, as I said earlier, I sparred with Naruto-kun today. He even offered me to go on missions with him so we could form a team."

"Way to go of lover boy, hah! If he has his mate with him on his missions, then there's no way someone else can come and scoop you up. And that could work quite well, both of you are lightning-natured, aren't you?"

Mikoto ignored that comment though her pink cheeks spoke against her silence, wondering why this was even a topic, referring to Kushina's son as her 'lover' it was ridiculous. Even the possibility of it.

...Right?

She should even feel disgusted by it, but there was this… unfamiliar tightening in her chest as she thought about it.

She was likely just uncomfortable, that had to be it.

"Yeah, I have an affinity for lightning. Though, I don't think he knows that yet. I haven't been in the Shinobi system since I got pregnant with Itachi."

Tsume grinned, "Saving a surprise for him?"

She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't call it that, but if we're gonna train together again it may be helpful."

"That's for damn sure, you're bound to know countless of things he doesn't, and the other way around as well. Times have changed since you were an active Kunoichi, the shared knowledge of you two could be quite the flashy show!"

"Anyhow… Why do you think it's a 'him'? The one that is ruining Hana's missions."

"Because I saw him, that's why."

Naruto landed outside of the Hokage tower before he made his way up the stairs. He felt a bit bad about leaving Mikoto behind, especially after all the supposed teasing they just went through.

It confused him. His heart had begun to beat faster. He questioned it greatly, he didn't quite get why he had such a reaction to it.

He had admitted before to Tsunade that felt an attraction toward her, and that he thought she was beautiful.

It wasn't like that had changed, but assuming there was more behind it than just that, he didn't know if he believed it.

Could this be denial? He didn't know.

Even so, it felt like he was betraying Itachi and Sasuke simply thinking about it. It was their mother after all, and simply looking should be forbidden…

But why didn't it make him feel more guilty then?

He shook his head clear of his thoughts as he got to the Hokage's office, knocking on the door before entering to see his mentor behind his desk.

"You wanted to see me?"

Hiruzen lifted his head with a nod, "Why yes, come in. I have a bit of news for you."

Naruto nodded and closed the door behind him before he walked forward and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk, "What's up?"

The Hokage laid his brush down, and sighed, "I have a small warning for you. Inuzuka Tsume has been having some… issues lately."

"Issues with what?" Naruto asked curiously. He had just seen the woman, she didn't seem to be that troubled.

"That a certain someone is taking out bandit camps. I knew I said you were free to do as you pleased since it would only benefit Hi no Kuni if you took them out, but we failed to realize this scenario."

"How is taking out bandits, an issue?" He questioned confused.

Hiruzen sighed, "Because her daughter Hana, were meant to have these camps to test out new techniques. I just want to warn you that you may run into them. She even goes as far as to say that she saw you."

"I always wear a cloak and a mask, but I didn't know. I'll have to be more careful then…"

This could be bad. His identity in this should remain a secret, if he were to potentially take out threats from other countries that could be political figures, then his identity couldn't be known.

Otherwise, it could backfire on him or Konoha.

"That's good," Hiruzen started, "Just keep it in mind. I'd rather not go through the headache of explaining this to Tsume."

"I will, so, was there something else you wanted to talk about? Or did you just want to warn me about that?"

"Yes, there was actually something else. It's about your… unique ability."

Knowing that this was likely related to his use of black lightning, Naruto leaned forward in his seat, "What about it?"

"I think I've figured out where it comes from."

Parts of this chapter may get a rewrite, just so you know. There may be some mistakes, I didn't have a beta on the latter half since it was late, and I really wanted to get a chapter out.

I know this chapter was short even after such a long wait, I just wanted to get something out there. I apologize if Tsume's teasing is too much, it just feels like it would fit her personality. If people dislike it, then I'll possibly change it.

At the end of the day, it's just some teasing to bring out reactions from Mikoto, even if few, they are there. Anyhow, I hope this was at least okay as a chapter, despite the short length.

Questions of the day:

As requested, what did you think of Tsume's teasing? Too much, too little, or was it overall okay?

Will Mikoto go back to active duty and join forces with Naruto, or will she remains just a medic? Many things could certainly happen from that.

Hana is getting her missions stolen by… an unknown source… that we definitely don't know who is. No, no, not at all. Will they figure out who? Or will he get away with it?

Where do you think Naruto's black lightning comes from? It could be several possibilities...