BiG Konoha

by Opa-sensei

OP smart prodigy Naruto. I'm bad at summaries, Naruto is part of a clan, has a harem. it's pretty sick. Read it. Now.

13. What the hell happened?

Chapter 13

What The Hell Happened?

Konoha

Civilian Section - Yoritomo Ward - Miyajima

Miyajima block was the most popular residential of the areas in Konoha's civilian section and amongst Hi no Kuni's civilian populace at large.

It was as well the smallest of the blocks in Yoritomo, holding only 50 residential buildings. This neighborhood was exclusive for the elite of the elite.

Miyajima boasted of its own banks, top grade hospitals, clinics and its very own theme park which was popular amongst the young generation of Konohagakure.

Miyajima was situated at the east side of Konoha's civilian section, in the less busy portions of Konoha's territory. With a population of less than four hundred.

It was formerly a massive pine forest, rumoured to have been created by the Shodai during his youthful years.

Til present, Miyajima still had no lack of the trees, though a majority were cut down to accommodate the buildings and other structures.

Every corner of Miyajima looked well detailed and expensive, from the carving of the buildings, to the beautiful roads and tiled pavements, colorful flowers and sparkling fountains.

To a common man Miyajima would look no different from paradise. However, staying in this realm of heaven came with a price. A price that could be expressed in no other way than ryō bill way.

Only the richest of the rich reside in Miyajima, and the Haruno family was amongst them.

Mebuki Haruno's story was one of the well-known success stories in all of Konoha. She was used as a standard and example for most women in the prime of their lives.

She was an icon, a mentor and universally proclaimed benchmark for success for civilian women and many kunoichi.

Mebuki's story was mainly popular because, she, unlike a majority of the high-class, started from the very bottom.

Mebuki was the third child in a poor family living in the slums of the civilian section. Her father was a coal miner and her mother mainly had no job but sometimes helped out as a cleaner to make some extra cash for the family.

Mebuki had three siblings, and was the only female amongst them. In her autobiography, she claimed that as far as she could remember there wasn't a day they were not wanting but without.

Her father did his very best for them, but during the industrial age of Konoha, when jobs were scarce and times were hard, a full-day's job barely gave them a square meal per day.

Mebuki still maintained that she had a happy childhood despite living in abject poverty. She described those days as days were apples tasted sweeter, and water quench thirst and the flow of tears in one of her books.

Mebuki was a writer, a bestselling one to boot. And from what she had written of her life before fame, the journey was not an easy one.

It was filled with trials and tribulations. One of the main ones being when Mebuki's father lost his job, then eventually his life to depression.

Their mother had to take on the paternal role and led the family. She ended up finding work at the same mine that her husband lost his life to.

She along with Mebuki's two older brothers woke up before 4:00AM and left by 4:15AM for the mines. Mebuki was only eight at the time and had never been inside a school building.

The only form of education she got was from her mother and life experiences. Even at that, Mebuki always knew she was meant for more, and her passion for stories fueled her desire for success.

When Mebuki turned ten she was able to secure a small job in a newspaper company as a 'coffee girl'.

Mebuki had acquired the skill of brewing a good cup from one of her mother's friends and was able to gain the favour of a kind editor named Watari.

Mebuki wasn't the only one that had applied for the job. In fact, the daughter of the very woman who taught her to make coffee also applied.

In the end it was Mebuki's self-assuredness, boldness and poise that got her the job rather than her taste for coffee beans.

Mebuki was offered a reasonable sum for her troubles, since Watari was a bigshot editor that only came in three days a week. Which was why he warranted a special coffee maker in the first place.

Though Mebuki knew the money would lessen the burden on her mother's and brothers' shoulders she wisely chose to reject pay in exchange for an education in journalism.

Watari saw the ambition in the young girl's eyes and readily agreed. Though he himself wasn't a journalist, he was still very experienced in written aspects of the newspaper business.

He was also quite a big deal in the company, so convincing a few interns to take turns in teaching the eager young girl wasn't a problem.

Mebuki's talent for writing blossomed over that period. Before she knew it she had the best intern as her part-time teacher, then it was a full-time journalist giving her lessons and even the chief journalist took her in as his assistant.

In a flash five years went by. Though Mebuki wasn't making any money aside from the small allowances Watari gave her, she had still profited exponentially.

Watari didn't spare any resource and pulled every string he could to make sure Mebuki got the best education their business could offer.

Aged fifteen, Mebuki was about to be officially hired as one of the newspaper's journalists. Life was finally taking a turn for the better.

However, another dark cloud to her story made its appearance. Once again hovering over the heads of Mebuki's family.

Her immediate elder brother (the second born) lost his life in an accident in the mines, while her mother was severely injured in her spinal area.

Thus begun the darkest times of Mebuki's life. She ended up missing her job interview six times to handle things at home.

Being the only girl in the family, she was the only one who could completely take care of their crippled mother.

Though Mebuki's brothers tried to shoulder all the responsibilities so she could pursue her dreams, Mebuki turned the offer down. There were certain things a mother didn't want her sons to do for her.

Mebuki was not willing to put her mother through that kind of embarrassment for her own benefit.

On the day of her seventh interview, Mebuki came in and announced that she would no longer be working in the newspaper.

She explained her reasons to Watari who wanted to help, but Mebuki knew he was going through a financial crisis so refused. She reminded herself that she was partly to blame for the man's shortage in funds.

Still, Watari insisted and managed to secure her two brothers work in a bakery.

Mebuki used the money she had saved up to handle her mother's medical bills and her late brother's funeral. She remained at home, taking care of her mother whom she was afraid would go down the same path as her father.

Mebuki's mother constantly tried to convince her that she was fine on her own and Mebuki could return to the newspaper but to no avail.

Three years went by, and the family finally regained stability. The salaries the two boys made got the bakery were less than the wages they earned from the mines. However, the income was steady, the hours were predictable and the workload was a lot less, so this reflected better on their lives.

The Haruno family was slowly getting back on their feet. And so was Mebuki's mother. After years of being confined to a bed, chair or wheelchair, the woman had begun to take her first steps in years.

Once things were more manageable, both Mebuki's mother and the eldest brother encouraged her to pursue her goals once more.

Mebuki was reluctant but in truth she badly wanted this. Unfortunately, the newspaper company that she had been so close with closed down two years after her departure.

She had no idea where to start from.

Mebuki was idle for the next two years. The only thing keeping her company was a pen and paper.

She had more time for herself with her mother now full recovered and her brothers running a pastry shop oh their own.

During the five years away from the newspaper, all Mebuki was doing when she wasn't taking care of her mother or the house was writing.

She had written various articles on the mine and why it should be closed down as well many stories she hoped to turn into to books one day.

At twenty years old, Mebuki finally got the big opportunity she had been waiting for her whole life. A Human Rights activists group had surfaced in their ward.

This group targeted all the greedy corporations that used the blood, sweat and tears of the common class to fill their coffers.

Mebuki still held a grudge for the mine company that had taken the lives of her father and brother, while almost crippling her mother for life.

She didn't hesitate to join the movement, and was one of the first people from her neighborhood to do as such.

Mebuki sent the human rights activist group one of her many articles about the mining company and how it treated its workers.

She explained how the mines had affected the livelihood of the common people, and shared the Haruno family's story as an example.

The leaders of the group were greatly moved by Mebuki's article and immediately pooled all their resources into closing down the mine.

With the group serving as a support to the common people, it only took a small amount of time for all those who had been done wrong by the mining company to come forward.

The mine was sued to court, facing numerous charges and was finally forced to pay off the funds that they owed retired workers and the families of deceased workers.

When the dust settled down, Mebuki was called in for a meeting in the one of the group's offices. Apparently, one of their sponsors had taken a liking to Mebuki's article. Specifically how she wrote it.

The Haruno girl was referred to the sponsor's house. She met with the. man, and to her surprise he was an author himself.

Mebuki saw the opportunity, and shared one of her stories with the man. Just like that, Mebuki's life was completely transformed.

Her first book, which was inspired by the life and experiences of her and her family, became an instant hit.

The public's attention was already on the Haruno family's neighborhood due to Mebuki's article. Then there was an addition of a book, written by the same woman gave the masses a much needed scope into the lives of the victims of the mines.

From a girl who could barely get anything to eat, she became a woman with a bestsellers for her first book.

When people found out she had no formal education, this only made them more fascinated by the young woman.

Mebuki got her first check. A check that changed the life of her and her family. It was a typical grass to grace story, but it was 'her' story.

Mebuki didn't forget where she came from and made sure to her benefactor and friend Watari was the one in charge of editing her books.

She lived with her family in her original neighborhood for the next four years, until she got engaged. She met a son a merchant in a party and who swept her off her feet. Soon the two tied the knot.

Months after their marriage, Mebuki conceived and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They called her Sakura.

Sometimes when Mebuki looked at her daughter, she could see the little girl that she once was. The little girl that she hoped still existed inside of her.

Mebuki sighed. She wondered why she was feeling nostalgic this morning. Maybe it had something to do with the lawyers that came in yesterday.

They were sent by her husband, Kizashi's family. One of the late men's brothers helped her to manage the businesses Kizashi left behind for her and Sakura.

Yes, her husband was late. He died only a year after Sakura was born. They had only been married for under two years before he lost his life to illness.

Mebuki had balance her grief with raising their daughter. The first year after his passing was perhaps the most difficult period in Mebuki's adult life.

If not for the support of her family, Mebuki wasn't sure what she would have done.

Kizashi's family were great as well. They were incredibly supportive after Kizashi's passing, and did their best to make sure the businesses he left behind were properly managed.

One of his brother's in particular personally looked after the businesses in their stead. Mebuki didn't know how she would have been able to cope without all their support.

Rip!

The sound of clothes tearing resounded. Mebuki clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked at the torn leggings dangling loosely around her calf.

'I need to start watching what I eat...' Mebuki told herself.

She hadn't even realized that she was putting on weight. Mebuki felt her laps with her hands, trying to find the difference from it now and a week ago.

If it was this bad in her thighs, then only Kami knew what her rear looked like now. Mebuki was about to rise to her feet and check herself in the mirror when a knock came from the door.

"Mom, I'm heading out!."

A feminine voice came from behind the door. Mebuki smiled. It was her daughter.

It was all part of their routine. Sakura would come knocking, to inform her that she was about leaving. Mebuki would step out seconds later, saying the same. Then they would both leave the house together and take separate trains to their destination.

Mebuki Sakura was a bit of a mama's girl, and enjoyed walking with her to the train station. Mebuki too missed the days when she could walk Sakura to school.

The reality was that her little girl was growing so quickly. She wasn't the little chibi that always asked her questions and wanted to try out her makeup to look like a 'big girl' anymore.

Sakura was already becoming a real big girl. She was ten years old and had enrolled into the academy and joined the pre-class a year ago.

Sakura had different desires from Mebuki, and even her father. Mebuki didn't know what inspired her decision, but one day Sakura declared that her dream was to become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade.

It sounded like a contradiction, and that Tsunade /was/ Sakura's inspiration. But Mebuki didn't remember Sakura ever having an interest in the woman before the day she made the decision.

Perhaps, she shouldn't be too surprised. Sakura's best and only friend for a better part of her life was the heiress of the Yamanaka clan.

At first Mebuki suspected that Sakura made the solely because she didn't want to be separated from her best friend, Ino.

Mebuki ruled this possibility out when she found out that her daughter and the Yamanaka heiress weren't even on speaking terms after she entered the academy.

Whatever it was that motivated Sakura's decision, Ino had nothing to do with it.

Mebuki was always big on pursuing dreams, so even though her daughter's wasn't the best choice in her opinion, she didn't contest it. She gave Sakura her blessing and enrolled her into the academy.

It also helped that stopping a child from joining the shinobi academy was against the law. Even if Mebuki wanted to, she couldn't stop Sakura from pursuing the title kunoichi.

Mebuki took solace in the fact that ever since enrolling her daughter hadn't changed. In fact, she seemed happier and a lot more mature. She reminded Mebuki of herself even more.

Her little girl didn't go to the shinobi academy and returned a cold hearted soldier like she initially feared. Sakura was still Sakura.

She still enjoyed their walks. Which was why it broke Mebuki's heart to turn that she wouldn't be able to accompany her today.

She lost herself in reminiscence of the past, and didn't even realize how much time had gone by. When Sakura's knock came, she wasn't close to fully dressed.

The train wouldn't wait for Sakura. Mebuki's left later, so she still had time. Sakura on the other hand was already late.

"Sorry dear. I took longer than I expected and you're already late. Go ahead." Mebuki said.

"...Okay." Came Sakura's somewhat delayed response. After that was the fading sounds of footsteps and then a door shutting.

Mebuki knew she would have to think of a way to make it up to Sakura by tomorrow. The pink haired woman, pulled the ruined leggings off her a leg.

She would have to pick a different outfit because of this. In the end, Mebuki settled a for loose white shirt with a red ribbon tie tucked into a navy blue skirt, a bluish black suit jacket and a black five inches heels.

Mebuki stared at her mirror in admiration for her appearance. The loose shirt tightened up at the right places and the skirt brought out her curvy hips.

It was a respectable but still sexy outfit. Mebuki nodded at her reflection. She was all set.

She left the house about twenty minutes after Sakura had left for school. She locked the doors and windows before leaving for the train station.

It was a safe neighborhood, but old habits die hard. Mebuki always locked the doors and windows.

The train took fifteen minutes to take her from the Yoritomo Ward to the Nidaime's District in the shinobi section. Mebuki took another 5 minutes in a cab to get to her destination.

(AN: There are no cars in this story. An explanation will come in the coming chapters.)

---

Hokage Manor

Mebuki paid the the polite cabby, making sure to leave a little extra something for him. The man thanked her repeatedly and waved her all the way to the gates of Hokage compound.

The Hokage mansion was separated from the rest of Konoha by a minimum of two hundred metres on all sides. The gates were low and aside from a bit of gardening, the compound looked empty.

However, shinobi and civilians alike knew not to approach the compound without a permit.

In fact, the law demanded that all people without jobs in or a permit to the Hokage manor maintained at least a seven feet distance from the compound walls. An extra four for the vehicles.

When Mebuki crossed this seven feet threshold a squad of men in masks, four of them to be exact, surrounded the Haruno woman.

They were the ANBU. The personal bodyguards of the Hokage and safe keepers of the Hokage mansion and compound.

"Permit." One of the masked individuals said in a robotic voice.

Mebuki always wondered how they did that. One of her colleagues made a hypothesis that their voices were filtered by fūinjutsu or technology, but she had never confirmed if it was true.

Mebuki wondered how they would be able to tell each other apart from long distance. Perhaps the filters only worked on others people's ears but not their own.

Unbeknownst to Mebuki, she was right on the money.

Mebuki took out a a stamped slip from her bag and handed it to the ANBU that asked. Anybody in Konoha would be able to recognize that stamp. It was the Hokage seal.

An insignia that could even be found on electricity bills. But what Mebuki had wasn't one of those photocopied ones, rather a red stamp personally made by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

The ANBU agent inspected the slip for a few seconds before handing it to Mebuki. The four operatives disappeared without a word.

Mebuki knew she was free to pass and walked through the wide open gates. She had been through this process multiple times in the past. Compared to most civilians, she was a regular visitor in this place.

Mebuki knew she would hand the permit to the Hokage's secretary before she was allowed to wait for her scheduled appointment. After the appointment she would be given ten minutes to vacate the premises or be sent out by ANBU.

Mebuki reckoned she wouldn't really have to wait. She was right on time.

Mebuki exchanged pleasantries with the Hokage's secretary. The woman was quite nice, and always made civilians feel more comfortable within strict shinobi grounds such as these.

"Hokage-sama will see you now." The blue haired woman said with a polite smile.

Mebuki nodded at her in thanks before making her to the Hokage's office. She tapped the door lightly twice and waited for a response. As usual the Hokage's voice came a second after.

"Come in."

Mebuki opened the door, walked into the room then turned to shut it. Just after she shut the door, the voice of a child reached her ears.

"Huh, what's Sakura's mom doing here?."

Mebuki smiled. She didn't know the voice, but she knew the speaker. He was the main reason why she had been invited to the Hokage manor today.

She turned to regard the speaker. A little boy with spiky blonde hair held in a ponytail, with fox-like blue eyes and three whisker marks on his cheeks.

He was dressed in a black long-sleeved T-shirt with a fiery themed Uzumaki insignia on the chest section, orange baggy shorts and a pair of black socks and regular burnt orange sandals.

Who else other than the clan heir of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Naruto.

Mebuki inspected the blonde boy's face in wonder. She always had a gift for reading people, and from what she could see this kid was a lot more mature for his age.

It was hard to believe her Sakura was in the same class as the boy. And with the news coming from the shinobi section about him, Mebuki wasn't surprised with the civilian council's reaction to the boy's return.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." Mebuki greeted with a friendly smile.

Naruto acknowledged the greeting but still stared at the woman in deep curiosity.

Mebuki found the way he bent his mouth to one corner irresistibly adorable, but managed to maintain a friendly but professional expression.

The Sandaime was seated in the Hokage chair, from Mebuki's POV, behind Naruto who was practically standing on his chair.

There was a chair beside Naruto, which Mebuki assumed was meant for her. However, she didn't plan on taking a seat until the Hokage invited her to.

"Haruno-san, welcome. Please take a seat." Hiruzen said.

Mebuki nodded in gratitude and did as instructed. She glanced at the young Uzumaki who was still staring at her like she was an elephant on the moon.

"Mebuki-san isn't just Sakura's mother, Naruto-kun. She is also the spokesperson of Konoha's respectable civilian council. I invited her here, so you two can familiarize yourself with each other?." Hiruzen explained.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Naturally, Mebuki being the spokesperson of the civilian council didn't mean squat to him. What Naruto was interested in was why she was here.

He received a lettered summon to the Hokage manor yesterday. He arrived here exactly on time, and was then forced to wait for over an hour before being allowed into the Hokage's office.

Naruto had to wait another hour again for this woman to show up. The Sandaime refused to explain the nature of this meeting, and made small talk with him until Mebuki knocked.

Naruto had his theories, but he preferred to hear from the horse's mouth.

"No offense, but what does that have to do with me?." Naruto turned away from Ms Haruno and asked the Hokage.

Hiruzen just smiled wordlessly. It was Mebuki who answered Naruto's question in the end.

"A lot actually, Naruto-kun." Mebuki started. The blonde turned back to her, seeing she was the one willing to give him answers. "The civilian council's annual levy makes up about sixty percent of the shinobi academy's revenue.

"You could say sixty percent of your fees are paid by us civvies. So, it's fair to say we have a bit of sway when it comes to how the academy is run." Mebuki explained.

Naruto pretended to still be confused. "So my relation to this is..."

Mebuki wasn't familiar with the blonde's personality so bought it. "News of your induction into the Bingo Book has spread like wildfire, Naruto-kun." Mebuki informed.

"For shinobi, I'm sure, this is a happy occasion. I'm not clear on the power of shinobi, but I do know that B-rank is widely considered jōnin rank.

"Naruto-kun, you are officially the youngest B-rank shinobi in all of the Elemental Nations. I'm sure you must be proud." Mebuki said.

Naruto shrugged. Was he proud?. To an extent. But he was more pissed off than proud.

He had been stuck at the peak of chunnin rank for two years and honestly didn't expect to improve further until he was a genin. Reaching a pseudo jōnin tier so early was naturally a happy event for him.

However, how was that anybody's business?. Naruto knew he was strong. He always knew it. He knew he was far ahead of his age and didn't need anybody or any stupid book to validate it.

Great, he had stepped into the early realms of B-rank. That was his business. He was pissed off that Bingo was making it the whole Elemental Nations' business.

Mebuki saw Naruto's reaction, or better said, lack of reaction to her words and was amazed. A kid his age should be bustling with pride over his achievement.

Yet, this blonde boy didn't seem the slightest bit moved that he had more or less been acknowledged by the shinobi world. Like it wasn't something worth mentioning.

Naruto noticed that Mebuki was a bit put off by his reaction and took the opportunity to take control of the conversation. "So you're saying the civilian council has a problem with me being in the Bingo Book?." Naruto asked.

Mebuki cleared her head of the metaphorical cobwebs and gathered herself before replying to the blonde. "Yes, we are concerned."

"Why?." Naruto asked again.

Mebuki's eyebrow twitched slightly. She didn't like this new dynamic. She felt like she was not just answering questions but answering to this nine year old all of a sudden.

"Because we fill it's inappropriate for an individual who's more or less in the jōnin rank to be placed in the same class as inexperienced children." Mebuki said straightforwardly.

Naruto smiled. He was right. The civvies heard the news of his exploits and got spooked. He was sure they had been clamouring to have him kicked out of the academy since his return.

It must be really serious too, if the Hokage was entertaining it to the point of inviting him to see their spokesperson.

Naruto felt like laughing. He had never been a fan of the shinobi academy, and only joined it to be closer to Hinata and Bonnie. The academy was without a doubt having near zero influence in his life, that was a fact.

His road to genin wouldn't be affected even if he dropped out now. Heck, it might just give him a boost.

However, that didn't mean Naruto wanted to leave. He enrolled into the academy with sentimental inspiration. Thus, he wouldn't be leaving it early for those same reasons.

"You do know at least a forth of the kids in the freshman class are already established genin in strength, right?." Naruto informed. "That ratio gets more even the higher the class. In fact, there are some final year students that are easily chunnin rank."

Naruto raised a finger as he continued. "I agree, I am a bit odd being a B-rank freshman. Still, it doesn't change the fact that there are always going to be kids more skilled and experienced than others." Naruto argued.

Mebuki shook her head in disagreement. "I see where you're coming from Naruto-kun. But we can't just pretend like a hand full of genin and chunnin in the academy is equivalent to B-ranker with over a hundred kills to his name."

Mebuki hadn't still gotten over that fact. The fact that a child that was even younger than her daughter had killed so many people. To the point that he was nicknamed 'Butcher'.

If parents weren't concerned that such a person was attending the same school as their children then they would be crazy.

Regardless of how young Naruto was. The fact was that he was well beyond his age and shouldn't be in the academy in the first place.

Naruto smirked. "So that's what this is about?."

Mebuki cleared her throat, feeling a bit embarrassed. Her personal concern must have surfaced with those words.

She tried to look at things logically, but just couldn't get over the reality that a kid with a hundred over kill count was in the same class as her baby girl.

She could sympathize with the other civilian parents. She was one of the worst off.

"I'm sorry if it sounds like we're picking on you Naruto-kun. I won't pretend to understand what must have forced you to take so many lives in such a short amount of time.

"I'm sure it must be even more difficult for you." Mebuki glanced at the Uzumaki heir, hoping to see signs that he was struggling with what he had done.

There was none. Not even a hint of remorse. He just smiled at her in amusement.

Mebuki suddenly felt unnerved staring at this boy. She was good at reading people, but shinobi had one of the best poker faces so there was a chance this was all a front and Naruto was really broken up inside.

However, something in Mebuki told her that that was not the case. This boy was genuinely unmoved by what he had done. Killing those samurai meant nothing to him.

"Hokage-sama..." Mebuki turned to the Hokage with pleading eyes. At this point she just wanted him to kick Naruto out of the academy and be done with it.

This boy belonged to the same realm as Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. His talents were being wasted in the academy anyway. More importantly, his presence could be detrimental to the growth of the other children.

Hiruzen pretended like he hadn't seen Mebuki and leisurely smoked his pipe. 'Ah... Lerry-Green really makes the best tobacco...'

Mebuki saw what the elderly man was doing and felt like throwing her bag at his head. Why invite her here if he wasn't planning on saying anything?.

"Question, Haruno-san." Naruto spoke.

Mebuki took a breath before turning back to the boy. Thankfully that disturbingly amused expression wasn't on his face.

"Do you think I became this strong and experienced overnight?." Naruto asked.

Mebuki blinked. Why was he asking that?. Why was that relevant?. Though he was improving a lot faster than most shinobi, it would still be crazy to think he got to this point in one night.

Naruto saw the woman's confusion and elaborated. "I'm asking you this, because you are more or less implying that I have."

"What do you mean?." Mebuki asked.

"I mean that I've been relatively this strong before my trip overseas. I had to have been. It's either that or I suddenly became strong enough to kill a hundred samurai vying for my life overnight." Naruto said.

"My point is this." The blonde began again. "Since it's more logical to say that I've been relatively as strong, but without the publicity, then how come I haven't corrupted your sweet little children yet?.

"What was stopping me?. Or, are you saying that my trip overseas suddenly made me a different person?." Naruto asked.

"Perhaps." Mebuki argued stubbornly. "We can not downplay the psychological impact killing a hundred people would have on your mind." Mebuki said.

"For all we know you might be suffering some side-effects from your time... abroad. I for one think it's unwise to leave you amongst other children before confirming your mental state is in proper condition." Mebuki said.

"I've already seen a Yamanaka. I'm in perfect health." Naruto shot back.

"We both know that the Yamanaka clan can only unearth so much hidden in the mind. Your brain might be in perfect health, that doesn't mean your mind is." Mebuki countered.

She was quite familiar with the Yamanaka clan's abilities and methods. She herself went to their compound for a monthly checkup. That was how her daughter and Ino were able to meet and befriend each other.

"Do you really think I was incapable of killing a hundred people before I left Konoha?." Naruto said, starting to feel a little annoyed by this woman's stubbornness.

"Whether or not you were capable is irrelevant. The fact is that the effects come after the act, not the possibility of it." Mebuki brushed aside Naruto's attempt to downplay his actions.

"So what, you think I'm going to hold a seminar on how to kill a hundred men in school?." Naruto said with a snort. "The teachers have killed far more people than I have. Yet you still trust them to teach your precious little children."

Mebuki waved her hand dismissively at Naruto's words. "They are instructors, you are a student. Big difference. They have had enough time to recover from their actions, and were screened before being appointed as instructors.

"We've made certain that they are good influences on our children and are fit to teach. You on the other hand are just a boy who enrolled into the academy, who has a history of endangering the lives of the masses.

"Now you're back after killing over a century of humans and you expect to be treated like just another child?. Preposterous." Mebuki scoffed.

Bang!

Naruto slammed his palm on the table and glared at Mebuki in unmasked anger. "Bitch, what I expect is to be treated fairly!."

Mebuki didn't take a step back, regardless of Naruto's reaction. "What do you think is unfair about expelling a mass murderer?."

"Mass murderer?. It was self defense!."

"Self defense?. Just who was it that blackmailed Konoha into letting him leave?. Just who was it that infiltrated forbidden grounds and almost brought a war upon the entire Elemental Nations?.

"You put yourself in that situation. You put yourself and the whole village in danger with that stunt of yours, and you think we're being unfair by asking you be punished?.

"You're either crazy or a privileged spoilt brat who thinks being part of the Uzumaki clan means he's above the law!." Mebuki finished harshly.

She planned on having a civilized conversation with the boy and the Hokage. But this little brat was just too lawless. It was like he didn't understand that there were consequences for his actions.

"I... I..." Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but his brain couldn't formulate an argument to make. For the first time in a long time, Naruto was completely stomped.

He didn't know what to say. Worse, he couldn't bring himself to accept this or accept that he was in the wrong. In his core he felt like he was not.

It was unreasonable, but Naruto couldn't help this feeling. Now, having a grownup in his face yelling at him about how wrong he was. Saying things he couldn't contest or disprove left Naruto with an odd feeling.

He felt completely helpless to even deny her words. He didn't know what to say, and in that short moment of confusion Naruto's brain caused his body to do something unthinkable.

His lips quivered, his forehead scrunched up and his eyes reddened and moistened. Before Naruto even knew what was happening, he was balling his eyes out like a baby.

Naruto got to his senses and tried to stop the tears from streaming down. Emphasis on the tried. He ended up failing woefully. Instead of stopping the tears, his crying became even more intense.

He only succeeded in making himself look more pitiful as he repeatedly wiped his tears only for more to replace them.

Naruto had no idea what was happening. His mind slowly collapsed again and he was crying without restraint once more.

"Ah..."

Hiruzen and Mebuki stared at the boy in shock. They turned to each other and shared a glance before turning back to the Uzumaki boy again.

Mebuki immediately felt awful. It was her. It was her harshness that made the boy cry. The reports said he was a lot more mature, and in truth he was. But he was still a child.

She shouldn't have lost herself in her concerns for her own child at the expense of another. She was too quick to assume that Naruto was the heartless monster the Bingo Book painted him out to be.

What monster would cry like this?.

'Damn you Mebuki...' She cussed herself.

Hiruzen was even more shocked than Mebuki. He for one knew that Naruto's personality wasn't a charade. He was honestly and truthfully like that.

Kotohime had also reported his lack of a conscience when it came to taking lives. So Hiruzen didn't doubt for a second that Naruto felt no remorse for killing those samurai.

That wasn't to say that Hiruzen saw Naruto as a monster or anything. He had a different mentality from Mebuki. In his opinion the samurai had it coming, and he was more regretful that Naruto's status affected his instincts so much.

He couldn't bring himself to blame the boy for a burden they had imposed on him.

Hiruzen now was confused by what he was seeing. Naruto obviously had no remorse for the dead samurai, yet could still cry over being scolded like a child his age.

It was crazy, yet it was happening right in front of him.

Hiruzen wanted to say something but froze when he caught sight of a reddish hue circling in Naruto's abdominal area. The Hokage tensed up.

The Kyuubi was reacting.

"ANBU!. Get Kotohime here right now!." The Sandaime said in urgency.

Mebuki flinched at the Hokage's sudden and loud order. She followed the line of the elderly man's eyes and gasped at what she saw.

She was one of the few civilians in the know about Naruto's status. She wasn't present during the Kyuubi attack, but she had heard multiple stories from her colleagues.

She knew that the Kyuubi's chakra was said to be a bloody red, quite similar to the chakra swirling around Naruto's abdomen.

Mebuki assumed the worst when she saw this. "...Don't tell me I've released the Kyuubi..." Mebuki muttered underneath her breath.

"Naruto-kun, please calm down!." Hiruzen quickly jumped out of his from behind his table and shook the boy by his shoulders. Naruto was unresponsive and just went on crying like there was no tomorrow.

Hiruzen noticed something whisking out from between his fingers and released Naruto. It was steam. Hiruzen started at his somewhat darkened hand.

It wasn't enough to burn someone on his level but Naruto was piping hot at the moment. As if waiting for the cue of Hiruzen's realization the chair Naruto was seated on immediately caught fire.

Mebuki squealed in fear and had to be pulled to safety by a masked woman that appeared from nowhere. She had long purple her.

After taking Mebuki a safe distance away, she turned to the direction of the Hokage and the fire coated Naruto. She clenched her fists, doing her best to control her emotions and not lash out at the woman behind her.

Hiruzen stood in the midst of the flames, completely unaffected. He stared at Naruto in deep concern. The boy's capacity for katon wasn't this exaggerated before his trip, Hiruzen was sure of it.

Something had changed in Tetsu no Kuni. Something had definitely changed.

Hiruzen was about to cast a jutsu to contain Naruto until Kotohime arrived when Naruto suddenly disappeared into thin air.

Hiruzen blinked.

The ANBU woman bolted forward to his side and immediately began scanning the area. Her movements became more frantic by the second.

Hiruzen had to place a hand reassuringly on her shoulder to stop her from flying off the handle and doing something crazy. Particularly to Mebuki.

"He's fine. I know where he is." Hiruzen said to woman. He then turned to Mebuki, indicating that the words were meant for her as well.

"Take the day off." Hiruzen told the ANBU woman. "Haruno-san, you can take your leave now. Trust me, Naruto is in good hands."

Mebuki nodded mechanically and took her leave. For some reason she felt like that ANBU nin contemplated throwing her into the fire before saving her life.

It was better to just leave now.

The ANBU too disappeared with a shunshin, headed for an unknown destination. The breeze from the swift movement blew out what was left of the fire.

Hiruzen stared at the ashes of the chair Naruto was sitting on and sighed. Hiruzen turned to look out a window, in the direction of the Forest of Death.

"I should be heading out as well."

---

Civilian Section - Shinobi Academy

Cafeteria

Hinata had managed to feign concentration as her pencil swiped across, solving the 'difficult' questions in today's pop quiz.

It had become a pattern in her life. She came to class on time. Took a seat not exactly at the back, but close enough to be considered a backbencher. Pretended to be listening attentively, and then completed any test presented to her in faux difficulty.

Hinata sighed. It was getting more and more difficult these days to follow this pattern. Earlier she had absentmindedly solved more problems correctly than she planned to.

It wasn't a surprise as today seemed to be outside her regular routine. How wouldn't it be when he wasn't here?.

Everything else followed routine; down to the pop quiz, Iruka-sensei giving personal advise, Shikamaru falling asleep during class and Kazuto hitting on the nearest girl he could find.

Normally, everything should seemed the same. But it couldn't be that way for Hinata. Just as it wasn't a week ago. It was no different now.

When Naruto wasn't there her world significantly lost color. Hinata understood that it wasn't wise or healthy to rely on someone to such an extent.

Even she was surprised at how aimless her days without Naruto were. She understood the demerits, and that one day she would have to be independent of the blonde. Especially if she wanted to walk beside him in the future.

Still, at these moments she felt like she was helpless. She couldn't help but rely on him. He so readily took on all her burdens and didn't make a fuss.

How could she not rely on him... Hinata would even go as far as calling Naruto her soul mate.

Though she wasn't too clear on what the words meant. She felt a strong connection to Naruto and knew she wouldn't be able to go on living if he wasn't there.

The question that always plagued Hinata was; was it the same for the blonde?. Hinata would often ask herself this question, yet dared not answer.

Though Naruto had remedied their dispute with flowery words and their first kiss, Hinata knew at the back of her mind that she was less use to Naruto than Bonnie, for example.

While she was the current heiress of the Hyūga clan, and had a good chance of one-day leading the clan. Granted, this would give her a fair bit of influence and sway in the future, but Hinata could not help but think that wouldn't be nearly enough.

Hinata was a reserved person, and was of few words. She was a deep thinker and had a lot on her mind but only had the confidence to share a fraction of that with others.

Most of what Hinata knew or theorized, she kept to herself. That included Naruto's mild disdain for the Hyūga clan.

Hinata was very observant, particularly when it came to her blonde crush. She watched Naruto with a borderline stalker tendency, and had picked up a lot of things from his reaction and mannerism to and around others.

She had seen him around his family for example. His relationship with the big sister called Yūgao was as pure as any brother and sister relationship. Though Naruto's depravity leaked out from time to time.

Around Saya, he was more commanding, more firm and to a sense more casual. It was easy to tell (for Hinata) that compared to the rest of the Uzumaki/Uzuki household, Naruto was more comfortable around Saya.

She could be said to be his favorite sibling. At the same time, Naruto seemed more aware of his status when he was around her. Making them have a master and servant dynamic.

Hinata didn't know whether she was imagining it, but sometimes it looked like Saya enjoyed being bossed around by the jinchuriki.

Naruto was at his most decent around Tate. Naruto accommodated to the large man's preference of decency in speech, actions and in mannerism, and curbed his wildness a little for Tate's benefit.

For example, he only seemed to remember table manners when he was around Tate.

As for Naruto and his obassan's dynamic. Hinata's young mind was too inexperienced to understand.

There were times when it seemed like they were competing with each other, and other times when it was clear that Kotohime was mentoring Naruto.

They were far too complicated. Hinata had seen Naruto looking at his obassan with a variety of conflicting expressions and emotions.

Respect, hatred, fear, love, envy and even arousal. Hinata was deeply... confused by the last. Kotohime was admittedly very beautiful and looked far too young for her age, but still...

A boy shouldn't be looking at his grandmother with those eyes.

The truth was, Naruto didn't discriminate with who he gave those looks to. Herself, Rōha and many other Hyūga women had been victims of Naruto's stare.

Unfortunately, that was mostly all Naruto had in his eyes when he looked at the Hyūga clan. Like a place that could only offer beautiful women.

There was a mild interest, but Hinata would be able to tell if he truly respected the Hyūga clan. The reality was that he didn't.

Hinata didn't know whether it was because of his dislike for her father, or whether it was just Naruto's pride. The Uzumaki clan were a large clan, far bigger than her Hyūga clan and Naruto was in line to be its next head.

Hinata knew this, and wondered if it was the reason why Naruto didn't have a good opinion of her clan. Because he didn't see them as the same level as his.

The Hyūga clan were on a similar level to the Inuzuka, and Naruto didn't have any qualms doing what he did to them. Hinata would have a hard time believing that Naruto would subject anyone he respected to that sort of treatment.

Hinata shook her head at her own thoughts. This was unbecoming of the heiress of the Hyūga clan. To actually be trying to see from the perspective of a person who was looking down on the Hyūga. It was borderline insubordination.

However, Hinata couldn't help it. She couldn't decide which she favoured more between Naruto and her clan. The blonde had become that close to her. She in turn wanted to be that close to him. And to do that, she first had to understand him the way he understood her.

"Piss off Kazuto!."

Hinata woke up from her thoughts and turned to the direction of the yell. She found that the source was someone she was very familiar with. Rather, someone she 'had' to be familiar the past few weeks.

Bonnie, AKA her rival in love. Hinata, however wasn't thinking about love or the danger Bonnie posed to her future with Naruto right now. She stared at the scene playing out in the middle of the cafeteria, and wondered what had gotten into Kazuto.

The brown haired boy held firmly onto Bonnie's hand with an angry look on his face. Clearly Bonnie had done or said something to earn the boy's fury.

Lerry-Green Kazuto was a very social and outspoken boy from a rich family that earned a good chunk of their wealth in the tobacco business.

Kazuto's father was a well-known man with a billionaire status. He was amongst the few civilians who still had an earth shaking reputation in the shinobi world.

He was the head of the Lerry-Green merchant guild. A guild responsible for sustaining free flowing trade in over ten wards in Konoha and hundreds abroad. He owned several companies, factories, villas, hotels and even had his very own port and sea transportation line.

The Lerry-Greens were comfortably the richest people in Konoha, and were regularly invited to the Central City for the annual summits. The reputation of Kazuto's father spread far and wide, and he was well-known in other nations.

Kazuto despite his background was one of the most down-to-earth people in their class, as far as Hinata was concerned. He never flaunted his wealth, nor did he bring up his reputation.

If not for the daily roll calls many of them would have forgotten that Kazuto was a Lerry-Green. He wasn't exactly a humble person, but he carried himself no different from your average twelve year old. Though he was a little too rough and loud, in Hinata's opinion.

In the end, weren't most boys like that?. Even her crush had times were he was the wildest and loudest kid in the room. She couldn't blame anything but the testosterone.

Still, compared to the likes of Kiba and Senku, Kazuto was quite peaceful. Hinata wondered what happened to make the normally cheerful boy look so upset. That was the rational side of Hinata.

The emotional side of Hinata felt very uncomfortable watching the boy rough handle her friend. Though Bonnie was her rival and possibly the greatest danger to her happiness, Hinata still considered the freckled girl a friend. So, she did not hesitate to get up from her seat.

Hinata was standing up for her friend!. She was standing up. Now she was walking towards her. Walking very slowly...

The excitement had dipped as quickly as it rose, and Hinata's new-found confidence was shrinking by the minute.

She may have made some progress in expressing herself thanks to Naruto, but she hadn't completely transformed. She still felt very uncomfortable doing many things that other people would find natural.

Hinata wouldn't go back on her decision. She would still stand up for Bonnie, but with her ramen-like legs getting there would take some time. 'Wait for me, Bonnie.' Hinata thought.

However, before Hinata could arrive, someone else interfered with the ongoing conflict in the middle of the criteria. Two people to be exact. One was a grey haired thirteen to fourteen or so looking girl with dark blue eyes. The other was a black haired girl with black eyes.

Hinata recognized the two. The first girl was the queen bee of the shinobi academy, and the most sought after girl this year and the year before. She was also one of the few people Hinata had a bad opinion of. Namikaze Kimiko, a third year student in the academy.

Beside the beautiful Namikaze girl was a girl, who while not as popular as her counterpart was still a well-known figure in the academy. She was a fair bit taller than Kimiko, with a lean physique and less defined curves than Kimiko.

Her black hair was cut held in short ponytail and disheveled. There was a large bang framing a portion of her face and covering an eye. The girl had a bored expression on her face, and her somewhat shaggy hair made it seem like she just woke up from sleep.

The girl was dressed in a black kimono top with mesh sleeves, followed by black knee length pants and black shinobi sandals. The girl dressed fairly simply, but Hinata knew she was anything but simple.

She was from the Nara clan, and one of the most promising kunoichi prospects alongside Kimiko. Her name was Nara Kuraidesu.

Hinata watched from the sidelines as Kimiko elegantly made her way through the crowd. The girl didn't even have to tell the students to move aside, they naturally fell in place. Kuraidesu followed behind her with her trademark bored expression.

Kimiko stopped just before Kazuto and Bonnie, a thin smile adorning her beautiful face. She paid no mind to the whispers of the students and regarded the duo in front of her.

"What's going on here?." Kimiko asked.

Kazuto was already looking at her direction before she spoke, his expression was somewhat dazed. Kimiko found this amusing and let her thin blossom into a full one.

This didn't help the already struggling Kazuto. The boy sputtered and blushed. Bonnie took advantage of Kazuto's loss of concentration to break free from his clutches and immediately made distance between herself and the boy.

Kazuto woke up from the daze and turned to glare at Bonnie. It was clear that his hatred for the freckled girl at the moment far surpassed his attraction to any girl. And for a player like Kazuto, that was saying something.

Kazuto ignored the two seniors at his side made to close the distance between Bonnie and himself. In the end that was as far as his success came. Kazuto found that his entire body was completely stiff as though he had been paralyzed. He couldn't even move his neck. Only his eyes seemed to be listening to him at this moment.

"Wow!."

"Is that the Nara clan's jutsu."

"Looks much more impressive up close."

"Third years are really impressive."

"She has already mastered her kekkei genkai?."

"I dunno about mastered, but she is really amazing."

"That kekkei genkai is overrated..."

"Everything is overrated to you..."

The sounds of excited chatter from the crowd reached Kazuto's ears. Even if he was paralyzed at the moment, he wasn't stupid. Clearly one of those seniors had done something to him. Kazuto glanced at the duo from the corner of his eyes.

As expected he found Kuraidesu with her hands held in a rat seal. She stared back at Kazuto and shrugged, as if to say she didn't really want to be doing this. From where Kazuto was standing it really didn't seem like that.

"Since the other one is outta commission for the time being, I'll ask you." Kimiko's voice reverberated. Her blue eyes turned to the dual colored eyed Bonnie. "What's going on here?."

Bonnie matched the girl's look fearlessly. She too was like Hinata and had formed a bad opinion of this girl. It wasn't just because she was making a move on her crush. There was something about this girl that just didn't sit right with Bonnie.

"What's it to you?." Bonnie asked with clear hostility.

Kimiko's eyes sparkled at this in amusement. She wasn't expecting such a fiery response. "As a good senpai, it's my duty to intervene when I see two juniors at odds. I'm here to mediate, so make this easy on your senpai will you?." Kimiko said in very humble and polite manner.

Her act garnered the support of the onlookers and in a blink of an eye, everybody seemed to be on her side and against Bonnie.

"Yeah, Kimiko-senpai is just being considerate."

"Kimiko-senpai is magnanimous. Concerning herself with low life kōhais like us. Inspiring!."

"I ain't a low life. Speak for yourself dude..."

"That damned ugly girl is so ungrateful."

"Mmhmm. She's really annoying, no wonder Kazuto wanted to kick her ass."

"People with freckles are automatically bitches. I know this from experience."

"Doesn't your mom have freckles Nomu-san?."

"Like I said, I know this from experience."

"Kimiko-senpai is the best!."

"Kuraidesu-senpai is the best!."

"Kimiko-senpai!."

"You rule, Kimiko-senpai!."

"Kuraidesu-senpai!."

"Oi, stop spitting on my face!."

"Kimiko-senpai is overrated..."

"Sighs. Here we go again."

Bonnie didn't pay mind to the words of the crowd. She had grown used to being the pariah in society a long time ago. Out in the real world the discrimination was a lot more worse and people hardly used simple words to send their disapproval across.

Compared to that, these groups of pissy kids hissing at her was nothing. Bonnie's eyes remained glued on the grey haired girl. This was the only person actually worth her concern.

Bonnie had seen her type many times in the past. They always existed, no matter where you went.

In the orphanage they were those wily kids that just knew when best to make a fuss to get others in trouble. They mastered the art of crocodile tears and their timing was as precise as a surgeon with a scalpel.

In school they were like Kimiko. With little effort they could incite others to do their dirty work for them. They didn't have to say much, people just naturally followed behind them and did things to please, defend and support them.

This was the art of likability. A subtle act manipulation where people didn't even know they had been manipulated by a false perception of a person to the point as seeing them as something they were not. Divine. Pure. Without fault. Good.

Kimiko was an expert in this art. She had spent years honing her skills and building up these army of pathetic simpletons as her fandom. Now all she needed to do was breathe in a direction and her little dogs would sprint forward to bite.

Bonnie wasn't jealous of this skill, though results were enviable. Regardless of how convenient and effective it was, Bonnie found that the cost of having this much sway over the public often meant that the person was rotten inside.

"You don't have to involve yourself, Kimiko-senpai." Bonnie said with a snort and turned away to leave. Kazuto had already been restrained. There was no sense in staying here further.

However, Bonnie greatly underestimated the power of the influence Kimiko had on this lot. She tried to leave but found several solid frames blocking her way. Varying colors of angry eyes glared at her. Momentarily, Bonnie was reminded of one of her more forgettable memories.

Bonnie subconsciously took a step back. "What the hell is this?." Bonnie demanded. She turned to glare at the one truly responsible. This band of noisy kids and preteens weren't truly what was stopping her from leaving this place. Kimiko was.

Kimiko gave Bonnie a slight shrug. "The people want us to talk." She gestured at the still paralyzed Kazuto. Kuraidesu still held him in place with a calm expression. Her casualness in the act was a testament of just how talented she was. "Things haven't really been settled." Kimiko pointed out.

"There's nothing to be settled." Bonnie said with a scowl.

"Ara... At least tell me what's going on with you two?." Kimiko said with a cute fed-up expression. The crowd squealed and gushed at the sight. The way her lower lip quivered made the boys blood boil in excitement. They were reminded again just why they fell in love with their queen bee.

Bonnie was reminded again just why she despised people like this. They always had the advantage of good looks. In fact, that was normally what inspired their tendencies. A pride in their appearance, leading to a bloated ego.

Bonnie glared at the girl but remained silent.

"Ara..." Kimiko clicked her tongue with a dissapointed pout. "Then I guess I'll have to ask the big tough guy." Kimiko's blue eyes turned to the annoyed but scared looking Kazuto.

Kimiko chuckled in her heart. She knew this type. Tough on the surface but actually weak and shallow on the inside. They gave you the impression that they were different from the rest of the lowlifes, but when you really watchef them, you would find that they were even worse.

There was nothing more vile than a parasite that could disguise itself. However, Kimiko was an expert. She knew a parasite when she saw one.

"Give him back his mouth." Kimiko passed an order to Kuraidesu.

"Gotcha." Was Kuraidesu's lazy response. She loosed her hands a little bit before tightening them up.

Kazuto blinked. Visibly nothing had changed, and he could still feel that intrusive feeling of restriction weighing down on his body. He was still in the paralyzed state, courtesy of the unassuming Nara girl that always followed a step behind Kimiko.

"You can talk now." Kimiko said with a sweet smile.

For some reason he couldn't explain, Kazuto felt like there was a layer of coldness that wasn't in Kimiko's eyes when she looked at Bonnie, now she was looking at him.

"I.." Kazuto tried his mouth out and it was as Kimiko had said, he could speak. "It... it's really nothing." Kazuto looked like he was ready to say something but stopped himself at the last minute.

"...You shouldn't lie to me." Kimiko chiding like a big sister. She walked to the boy's side and draped one hand over his shoulder. Her bust was only a few inches away from the boy's cheek. This earned Kazuto a wave of yells of disapproval and jealousy.

However, at this moment, Kazuto was feeling anything but fortunate. The grip that hand had on his other shoulder was extremely painful. But when Kazuto tried to scream he found that he couldn't make so much as a squeak.

Kazuto's reddening eyes stared at Kuraidesu in distress. The black haired girl was staring off at a distance with a look of disinterest. If he didn't know better he wouldn't think that Kuraidesu was restraining him while her friend tortured him.

'Fuck... Fuck why does it hurt so much!.' Kazuto screamed in his mind.

He had seen Kimiko's hands. Her manicured nails weren't that long or sharp looking to hurt this bad. It currently felt like a beast had lodged a claw into his shoulders. It hurt so terribly, and Kazuto was sure he should be bleeding profusely by now.

However, the reaction of the crowd said otherwise. If he was bleeding then they would definitely not be cheering on Kimiko while cussing at him. He was the being tortured in broad daylight and nobody seemed to notice. He was the victim here, yet he was being vilified.

What kind of cruelty was this?.

"I'll give you an opportunity to speak. When I do you better say exactly what it is I want to hear." Kimiko whispered into Kazuto's ears. Dark blue menacing eyes locked with Kazuto's orbs.

"If you let out so much as a squeak more I'll ruin your hand for life." Kimiko threatened.

Kazuto's eyes turned horrified and his breathing became ragged. However, at the mercy of Kuraidesu's jutsu he was unable to resist. Kimiko's lock on his shoulder became more tight, the pain tripling in an instant.

Kazuto tried to scream but even his throat wouldn't obey him. Two streaks of tears rolled down his cheeks. Kimiko's figure shielded his face from the rest of the students so none could see the proof of just how much pain and terror Kazuto was in.

"Have I made myself clear?." Kimiko whispered in piercing and intimidating tone. She only loosened her hold on Kazuto when his eyes gave her the expression she wanted to see. Submission.

Kimiko smiled. It was a smile nothing like the one she showed to the rest of the school. A smile hidden from the knowledge of her fandom, teachers and even family. It was a smile that gave away her true self.

"Whisper to me." Kimiko instructed. "Did your fight with Bonnie have anything to do with Uzumaki Naruto?." Kimiko asked. The naked enthusiasm flashed in her eyes as she stared into Kazuto's dulled eyes in anticipation.

Kazuto gained control over his mouth once again. He whispered into Kimiko's ears. He said words that made the devilish smile on Kimiko's face broaden and broaden. Kimiko barely resisted the urge to laugh. She had gotten some really juicy information.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Kimiko-senpai." The voice of a boy resounded, interrupting Kimiko's internal celebration.

Kimiko's smiled was instantly replaced by the usual one she wore in school. She turned to the direction of the familiar voice. Her eyes somewhat squinted, giving away her distaste for those who knew her well.

Kimiko released the paralyzed Kazuto's, wiping his face dry with the corner of her sleeves as she did. She regarded the badly dressed light green haired boy with a friendly expression. Blue eyes met red.

"Oh it's Senku-kun." Kimiko said clasping her hands together. "I was just having a chat with Kazuto-kun here. He's told me all about what happened with him and Bonnie-chan." Kimiko said, sending a wink at Kazuto's direction. "Don't worry Kazuto-kun, your secret is safe with me!." Kimiko said, giving him a thumbs up. The boy's expression didn't change but his eyes shook furiously.

Naturally the onlookers didn't notice. They instead moaned in disappointment at Kimiko's words, pleading for her to reveal the reason why the two had gotten so close to blows. Kimiko of course wouldn't do this.

The students already begun to cook up theories for the Kazuto and Bonnie dispute. Naturally it wasn't anything close to the truth and mostly leaned towards the two being in a relationship. Kazuto's status as the academy's number one playboy played no small role in this.

Senku grinned at Kimiko in his usual boyish way. "Now you're done with your interrogation, I really have to take Kazuto to class. He didn't finish the last exercise Iruka-sensei gave us and I promised to make sure he did." Senku said. He was already making his way towards Kazuto.

"Mmm. That's fine. I won't stand in the way of Kazuto-kun's good grades." Kimiko said with a nod of approval.

"Arigato." Senku said. He walked past Kimiko. When he got to Kazuto, the boy had already been released from Kuraidesu's clutches. Senku swiftly held him up before he could fall over. "It'll take a bit for your body to listen to you as it used to after being forcefully controlled like that." Senku said. He patted the older boy's back reassuringly and lead him away out of the crowd.

Senku spared Bonnie a glance in consideration. It wasn't only him that had eyes on the orphan. Kimiko's gaze settled on Bonnie's form once again. This time she looked even more interested in the blonde girl.

However, before Kimiko or Senku could make a decision on what to do another person came into the mix. An unlikely entree that none of them had seen coming.

Hinata grasped Bonnie's hands firmly and pulled her along without saying a word. However, in the split second before she turned away her eyes stared into Kimiko's. The grey haired girl unconsciously took a step back, her heart had suddenly begun to race and her palms became moist.

Kimiko's breath hitched as she stared at the departing figure of the lavender and blonde haired freshmen. Kimiko blinked, still having a hard time believing what had just happened. 'Did the timid Hyūga princess just glare at me...' Kimiko said to herself in wonder.

"Senku, the exercise..." Kazuto reminded.

"Oh, right." Senku pulled his gaze away from Hinata and Bonnie's forms and glanced at the somewhat dazed looking Kimiko briefly before leading Kazuto away. Obviously there was no exercise. It was just an excuse he had made to bail Kazuto out. The brown haired boy just wanted to be as far away from Kimiko as possible.

Senku obliged.

"Kimiko, we should get going to." Kuraidesu's words shook the grey haired Namikaze from her daze.

Kimiko nodded mechanically and picked a random direction to walk into. The crowd respectfully cleared a path for the queen bee and her general walking a step behind her.

Kimiko paid no heed to the compliments and cheers from her fans. Not this time. There was a lot on her mind. Far more important things. First, there was the information she had gotten from Kazuto about Uzumaki Naruto. Secondly... Hyūga Hinata.

She wasn't the person Kimiko had thought her to be. Like Naruto she had concealed herself deeply, perhaps even better than the Uzumaki heir. She seemed so fragile and harmless on the surface.

However, Kimiko had seen the girl that gave her a spook she had never anticipated. That was not the face of a harmless ten year old girl.

'The Hyūga clan, huh. Interesting.' The chaos in Kimiko's mind only lasted for a short interval and soon she was as serene as ever. A smile worked it's way to her lips. This were getting really interesting.

---

Training ground 44

Perusepone no Kokoro

Kotohime made her way through the narrow corridor and towards the direction of the place she knew her wakate was.

Though the boy vehemently refused to use the seal she had placed on him for protection, it still had other uses Kotohime could take advantage of. For example, tracking the boy as long as he was within the walls Konoha.

Kotohime made sure to use this function as many times as possible out of consideration for her grandnephew. There was also a personal unwillingness too. Kotohime knew that though it was a necessity, what she was doing with Naruto could still be considered babying.

She wanted the boy to grow into a strong and fierce leader, and to do that he needed to be left to face life at his own pace. Without any outside help or rescue team lying in the wait. His status however demanded for these things, so Kotohime could only limit them as much as possible.

Which was why she hadn't realized Naruto had 'disappeared' until Yūgao came running to her with a face painted with worry and fear. Kotohime decided to use on the seal she had placed on Naruto to track the jinchuriki.

Thankfully the seal she put on Naruto was a lot more advanced than the one she gave Kurenai. According to the red haired woman's report, Naruto had easily dismantled it with a single indirect touch. Kotohime didn't doubt for a second that the stubborn boy would have destroyed the seal she placed on him if he could.

Kotohime considered cranking up the level of the seal to the max but ultimately decided against this. Working towards breaking the seal was great motivation for her heir. If she made it as complex as she possibly could, she would only succeed in demoralizing him.

A level that was just beyond Naruto's reach was good enough for the time being. The boy would surely be motivated the closer he got to success. Once he did succeed, Kotohime would allow him a few days to bask in his accomplishment before replacing the seal with a higher level one while he was asleep. Then the battle would begin again.

This was also a form of training.

Just like this place. Kotohime considered throwing the boy into the outskirts of the Forest of Death and have Anko keep an eye on him. The snake mistress knew every corner of that section like the back of her hand. Naruto would be perfectly safe under her watchful eyes.

He also needed more combat experience and Kotohime could not think of a better place. Especially now he had gotten his hands on a summoning contract for a canine class.

The canine family was the most suitable for joint combat with shinobi. This was made clear in the collaboration between Inuzuka and their ninken. Their teams worked together like a well oiled mechanic, and to an extent shared one mind.

This level of synchronization was not a rarity but almost a given for Inuzuka. This was proof of just how compatible dogs were with shinobi in combat situations.

This extended to summoned dogs as well. For example, Hatake Kakashi before his disappearance was well known for partnering up with a team of summoned ninken. They were a force to be reckoned with and easily took down groups several times higher than their numbers.

Naruto had gotten his hands on summoning contract for not just one of the canine species but a whooping five of them. If Naruto was to ever maximize the potential of those summoning clans he would have to learn how to fight with them and how to command them.

Kotohime would see to that. She didn't have a summoning contract nor any experience in group fighting. She had always been more of a solo type shinobi. Also, with an Almighty Seal like hers it would he borderline insane to group up with anybody in a real fight.

Mina could relate to this. In fact, most Seal Masters didn't have summoning contracts. Even Beifong Meiku turned down the royal privilege of the badger-mole summoning contract because it conflicted with her Almighty Formula.

Only Jiraiya and Minato were Seal Masters known to have summoning contracts. And for the Yondaime he merely took it as it was part of the rites of passage to becoming the great sannin's pupil.

Minato hardly used toads in combat. The gargantuan tanks of muscle and fat were far too large and sluggish to keep up with the Namikaze's combat style. In fact, aside from himself nobody was fast enough to keep up with that way of fighting.

Minato merely used the toad summoning contract as trump card. A finishing move he pulled up when fighting other summons or just to use them to handle other summons while he focused on the summoner.

This perhaps was the reason why the toad clan weren't exactly fond of the late hokage.

At least not like they were with Jiraiya. The sannin was the only Seal Master Kotohime had seen with a true compatibility with summons. This wasn't unexpected since his Almighty Formula was built on his connection to the toad clan in the first place.

The Gama Sennin truly deserved his title. Kotohime had never seen anybody so obsessed with toads.

Now, Naruto would have to take a page from Jiraiya's book and put his summons into consideration as he forged his path in fūinjutsu. He didn't have to base the whole thing on his summons like Jiraiya, however he would have to create something that would not hinder them but compliment them as well.

This would surely be a huge mountain to surmount in Naruto's dream to become the first anti-fūin Seal Master in history. If only Kotohime knew Naruto wanted to achieve mastery in jūinjutsu as well.

At the present even the ever knowledgeable Kotohime was in the dark about Naruto's connection with Zankoku and his promise to Anko. How the woman would react if she ever found out was a mystery.

For now, all that was there for Kotohime to focus on was Naruto's well-being. The boy's 'episode' had brought her to this place of all places. So deep into the Forest of Death. In the heart of this mysterious forest, and a place not even Kotohime dare casually step into.

She was forced due to the circumstances. Forced to come here. Forced to have a conversation with a man she rather not talk with. Now, forced to come face to face with one of the few anomalies of fūinjutsu that she couldn't comprehend.

If only she was in the room when the Nidaime manifested through that boy. If it was her an not that husband and wife pair with talent but no brains then she would have figured out what Orochimaru had done. Possibly replicate it. Make it better. Discover a new path.

'What a waste.' Kotohime clicked her tongue as she stared at the already completed flawed experiment.

His silver hair looked unkempt, as did his clothes and general condition. His eyes were covered in a role of complex looking seal tags. It was the same for his hands and feet.

It was clear that whoever had bounded him had gone to extreme lengths to make sure he couldn't escape. Extremely incompetent lengths in Kotohime's eyes.

She had an urge to rush out of here and spit on that fool's face. 'What a faulty mess of seals.' Kotohime clicked her tongue again.

She blamed Hiruzen. If he wasn't so damn suspicious of everyone he would have enlisted her aid or at the very least Mina's. Any smart alternative was better than asking the help of a man with more interest in the sword than brush.

The more Kotohime looked at it the more disgusted she felt. The more the urge to spit on a certain someone intensified. Forget her and Mina, she was confident Kaname or Tate could do better.

Kotohime tremble in annoyance. Another one. Another one. Yet another one. She kept on finding flaw after flaw on this 'seal'. Forget spitting, stabbing the man eleven times in the heart was not good enough. This was too painful to behold.

Kotohime for the first time in a long time was angry. She was a pure blooded Uzumaki woman. Uzumaki were very particular when it came to fūinjutsu. Kotohime personally was a perfectionist, so the integrity of a seal meant a great deal to her.

To her, fūinjutsu was an art that none should dare profane. Those who didn't understand its depths should not bother attempting to practice it. However, those who did try should at the very least not make a mockery of the art.

What Kotohime was looking at right now was a mockery. A mockery to fūinjutsu. A mockery to her. Most especially a mockery to their ancestors in fūinjutsu.

Kotohime moved forward at a quicker pace that could barely be considered as walking with an angry look on her face. She arrived at Kakashi's side, paying no mind to the Sandaime, the unconscious Naruto and Mina in the room and begun ripping the sorry excuses of seals to pieces.

"Ko–" Hiruzen opened his mouth to speak but was rewarded with a ferocious glare.

"Silence." Kotohime snapped and went back to ripping the seals off, muttering 'useless' repeatedly in a low tone. Kakashi just remained sitting, not daring to make a sudden move. He hadn't felt sharp nails like that since his wife...

Hiruzen rolled the pipe in his mouth and huffed with a sweatdrop. He was the hokage, alright?. Couldn't this woman at least try to show him a little respect?. Last time she called him kōhai in public. Now she was telling him to shut up in front of all these people.

Hiruzen was getting fed up. Why did Kami make him this woman's junior?. She held her seniority over him, especially since they at one point shared a sensei in Tobirama Senju.

Hiruzen hadn't forgotten the months of abuse he had to suffer in the hands of the Uzumaki woman. Kotohime on the other hand offered no apologies and went on treating him like they were still too fledglings learning under the Nidaime.

"Leave her be." Mina advised. "Uzumaki treat seals like their virginity. Anybody who 'profanes' it treated the same as a rapist." Mina explained. "If you think she's mad at you, just wait til her bum of an ex husband steps into the room. It's gonna be epic." Mina said with a grin.

Hiruzen stared at Mina with a dry expression. Couldn't she pick a less crude analogy?. Still, Hiruzen couldn't argue with the woman's statements. He had interacted with many Uzumaki in his lifetime and all of them were at least to a degree similar to Kotohime when it came to seals.

Kotohime was by far the most intense in this regard. Even the strict Uzumaki Mito didn't reach her level of worshipping when it came to seals and Seal Masters she considered superior to her.

Hiruzen watched in silence as Kotohime ripped the last bit of seals from Kakashi's form. The Sandaime's aged face contorted into sadness when he saw the face of the jōnin. He was momentarily reminded of Anko's words to him at the top of the hokage manor.

Truly what they were doing to Kakashi was beyond ungrateful. He had gone missing as a boy and then returned as a man, but he still didn't forget where his roots were. He stepped forward to defend Konoha the moment he was back.

To Hiruzen this was more than enough proof of his loyalty. Unfortunately the Capital City didn't share this opinion. The burden a hokage had to bare for the sake of his people in peaceful times wasn't spoken of enough. To an extent, war made things a whole lot simpler.

Hiruzen watched Kotohime turn away from the silver haired man and walked to a corner. She unsealed a table and chair, along with a few small sized scrolls, bottles of ink and brushes from seemingly nowhere.

Kotohime immediately went to work. She was determined to show these blasphemous bunch just how a proper tenketsu binding seal was made.

However, not everybody seemed content to just let her do as she saw fit. "You can work on the seal later. We have much to discuss about little Naruto." Mina said.

Though she was speaking to Kotohime her eyes were glued on Kakashi. She wasn't familiar with the silver haired man like Hiruzen, thus could not automatically trust him. She couldn't take Kotohime's uncaring stance either, she was far too committed to the village for that.

In the room, only Mina regarded Kakashi warily. The rest acted as though this man wasn't an existence at the peak of the S-rank.

In Mina's mind, they were either fearless or stupid. She never took her opponents lightly. Not even once.

Kotohime looked up from her work and gave Mina a calm stare. The way she stared at the Namikaze clan head made it obvious she was trying to read something from her expression. Naturally, Mina didn't give anything away.

"Wasn't it you guys that kidnapped my clan's wakate?. I'm not speaking because I'm waiting for an explanation." Kotohime said. Her eyes immediately lowered back to her work after she finished.

"Kidnapped?." Mina's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "What do you mean kidnapped, bitch?. I just got here!." Mina snapped at the Uzumaki.

"I'm just calling it how I see it." Kotohime shrugged. She didn't look up this time. "My heir goes missing after I send him to the hokage manor in good faith. He pops up in Perusepone no kokoro of all places.

"And when I walk into the cell they're keeping him in, I find the hokage I sent him to, the hokage's dog and the hokage's fugitive buddy." Kotohime's head rose to level a gaze with the glaring Mina. "What else do you expect me to think, Mina-chan?."

"Who the hell are you calling a dog you bitch?!." Mina was already a half step away from attacking Kotohime, but Hiruzen quickly held her back. Mina's blue eyes glared furiously at the calmly seated Kotohime.

Hiruzen sighed. It was never a good idea keeping these two women in the same space. They utterly despised each other. Mina was very expressive of her hatred, and Kotohime always made it a mission to antagonize her.

Hiruzen was lost on how the village had gone on surviving with these two in it.

"Calm down, Mina." Hiruzen said. His words were enough to sufficiently calm the Namikaze woman. For the hokage, dealing with Mina was not too difficult.

Hiruzen turned to the seated Uzumaki woman, who was now regarding him with a blank expression. Kotohime had always been the more troublesome of the two, in the hokage's experience.

"I understand that you are upset that we brought Naruto-kun here. I also understand that you, yourself, have no wish of coming to this place. But, the situation called for compromise." Hiruzen said. Kotohime was clearly giving them an attitude because she had to meet her ex husband to get here.

"Compromise..." Kotohime rolled the word around her mouth but didn't continued.

"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. "Something was happening to Naruto-kun that I didn't understand. The Kyuubi was getting out of control, and it was likely it would break free. Kakashi-kun intervened to save Naruto-kun's life as well as the village in the event the bijuu broke free." Hiruzen explained.

Hiruzen mistook Kotohime's nodding for a silent agreement and sighed in relief. "So you understand."

"I understand alright." Kotohime stopped nodding. "I understand that you took my heir and put him up against a firing squad without my consent." Kotohime said, a rare small frown appeared on her beautiful smiled.

Hiruzen groaned. Uzumaki really put the U in unreasonable. "It wasn't a firing squad, it was just Haruno Mebuki." Hiruzen pointed out.

"You mean the woman that's equivalent to the entire civilian council?. Yeah... just her." Kotohime said, the sarcasm dripping off her words.

"They were just talking." Hiruzen insisted.

"Oh?. Then how did my poor boy end up like that." Kotohime pointed at the unconscious form of Naruto. Her frown was deepening the more she spoke. "How did the Kyuubi almost break free, like you said. How did that happen since they were 'just talking'?."

"Kotohime, you can be defensive when it comes to Naruto-kun but don't defend him to the point of disregarding his wrong doings!." Hiruzen said in an urging voice. There were times when it felt like she was being too hard on the boy, but this time it felt like she was spoiling him.

"Wrong doings?. Wrong doings?!." Kotohime slammed her palm into the table in anger. Sending the contents of the table flying. However, they were suspended in the air by a green hue.

"Beating up Kurenai was wrong doing. Seducing the Hyūga clan heiress to turn on her clan was wrong doing. Messing with the Inuzuka clan was wrong doing. Blackmailing the village was wrong doing. Stepping into Tetsu no Kuni was wrong." Kotohime said listing out Naruto's crimes over the past month.

"I know damn well where our wakate has made a wrong turn. I damn well won't stop him from making up for his misdeeds as well. However, what sin has he committed against the shinobi academy?." Kotohime demanded.

"Tell me. What 'wrong doing' has he done against the shinobi academy?. The same academy you convinced him to go to. You did. Now, you give gall to a fucking nobody to threaten my heir with expulsion?.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, are you trying to insult my clan?!." Kotohime pushed herself to her feet and asked in a harsh sharp tone.

Hiruzen stared back at the Uzumaki calmly. "The wrong doing of Naruto-kun was endangering the lives of civilians when he did what he did to the Inuzuka."

"Are you serious?. Who was it that abated that disaster?. Did anybody get hurt?. Did I not clean that mess up?." Kotohime said.

Hiruzen shook his head stubbornly. "That's you. You can't keep on baring the consequences of Naruto-kun's actions."

"That is my responsibility. One of us took our oaths seriously when we promised to safeguard Minato and Kushina's son!." Kotohime pointed at Hiruzen's face in accusation.

Hiruzen's face turned solemn. He stared at the blank faced Mina at the corner of his eyes and turned back to Kotohime with a glare. "Kotohime don't do this now." Hiruzen said in a voice of warning.

"No. We are going to address this whole issue, right fucking now." Kotohime said. She pushed the table aside and begun to walk towards Hiruzen and Mina. "Because I am tired of your incessant complains in whatever it is I do for Naruto. I am tired of your needless opinions. Of your criticism and disputes on how I raise the boy.

"I'm fed up." Kotohime said with gnashed teeth. "I'm fed up of hearing what a shitty person like you has to say. I'm fed up of you contesting every single decision I make for Naruto's sake. I'm tired of you implying you could have done better.

"If you could then why the fuck didn't you?. Why didn't you raise him?. Do you expect me to believe you didn't know where he was?." Kotohime sneered at Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama?."

Her eyes turned to Mina with equal venom. "And you. Why didn't you come for your grandson?." Kotohime demanded. She grabbed Mina by the shoulders and glared in hatred.

"Why?!. Are you going to tell you didn't know that I stole him away from you?. Are you going to say that you didn't see the face of your son in his?. Are you going to tell me you didn't know that Naruto was your grandson?!.

"Huh Mina?!." Kotohime yelled. Mina winced. Her shoulders tremble uncontrollably and she lowered her head in shame.

"Why did you let me rob you of grandmotherhood..." Kotohime whispered out. Her eyes had long since reddened from emotion and her voice was already hoarse from yelling.

"...Did you not want him?." Kotohime said in a hushed voice. "The both of you had more right to him than I do." She looked up at Hiruzen. The hokage avoid her gaze in shame. "You are the adopted grandson of Mito-sama. You're more of Naruto's grandfather than anyone else."

Hiruzen sighed heavily. He was unable to push the words out from his mouth. Even if he succeeded, he knew it wouldn't excuse for what he had done. He knew that nothing he could say could excuse the mistakes he had made.

"Mina. Naruto is you real grandson. Your Minato's mother. Yet you raised your sister's grandson ahead of him. Why did you do that?. Just why...

"Why did all of you abandon him with me?. You're his true family. You Hiruzen, you Mina and Anko... You all turned your backs on him because of you own shame and fear." Kotohime shook her head with a sigh. "I act the way I do when it comes to him not because I want to.

"It's because I have to. I have to be his father, mother, aunt and uncle, because he has none. I have to turn Uzuki clan members who have no blood ties with him into his siblings, because he has none.

"I have to do my best everyday, to compensate for the myriad of things Naruto was robbed off from birth.

"I have to because it's my duty." Kotohime whispered out in sadness. "I have to because I owe that much to Kushina. And her son deserves at least that much." Kotohime finished.

Hiruzen didn't know where to hide his face. He didn't know if he could even hide his face. The shameful act that he had always been ignoring was laid out bare by Kotohime.

It was true. The Shōdai and his wife, Senju Mito had taken him as an adopted son. Though it was only for a few months before the Shōdai passed, Hiruzen was one of the lucky few who could claim to have a relationship with the legendary Hashirama Senju.

He was also the person who had promised the dying couple that he would take care of their son. In more ways than Kotohime, Naruto was his responsibility.

For Mina it was even worse. She had the closest blood ties with the jinchuriki. There was truly no excuse why she wasn't a part of Naruto's life. However, though Mina was remorseful for her mistakes, her resent for Kotohime for what she had done.

Mina decided to remain silent for the time being. Mostly because she wasn't sure what she could say, and partly because she was afraid of what she would say if she started talking.

"You all can continue this decision at a later date." Kakashi said, breaking the intense atmosphere. The silver haired man gestured at the laying Naruto. "That should be our priority."

The three veterans schooled their expressions in an instant. No matter how much he had changed, Kakashi was still a junior. They didn't really enjoy having a junior telling them what was what.

Kakashi earned a glare from Mina. Sarutobi went to Naruto's side to personally check on his condition. Kotohime returned to drawing the seal she planned on replacing Kakashi's with.

Mina eyed the Uzumaki woman suspiciously. "You seem a little too laid-back considering his condition." Mina said lightly gesturing at Naruto.

"How perceptive Mina-chan." Kotohime said in a dry almost sarcastic tone, earning a scowl from Mina. She smirked. "I act this way because I know exactly what is happening to Naruto." Kotohime revealed.

Both Hiruzen and the temporarily freed Kakashi perked up at the words of the Uzumaki clan head. Kotohime paid no mind to their stares and went about expertly moving her brush across a large piece of paper.

Of course, as a Seal Master she could chew gum and walk at the same time. Giving an explanation while she was creating a seal was child's play.

"What do you four know of special constitutions?." Kotohime asked between brushes.

The three shinobi present in the room didn't call Kotohime out on her numerical mistake. Was it even a mistake?. As side from the unconscious Naruto, there were four people listening to Kotohime's words. Though only three were present in the room.

"The term originates from Tetsu no Kuni." Hiruzen nodded sagely, recognizing the term from one of his far dated memories.

"A derogatory term for kekkai genkai." Mina knew what it meant too. It was of course a term that samurai used to classify the rear kekkai genkai in their populace.

Kakashi the youngest in the discussion, bar Naruto, wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't know what a special constitution was. Though the words sounded a little familiar and his mind tingled as though he was supposed to have a memory of it. Kakashi knew that those weren't 'his' memories, and he had lost connection with them a long time ago.

"Kekkei genkai are not special constitution. Kekkei genkai are inherited bloodlimits that often develop from special constitutions. However, once it becomes part of one's bloodline it can not be considered a special constitution." Kotohime directed her words at Mina.

"Tamato tomatoe." Mina shrugged.

Kotohime shook her head in disapproval. Typical Mina, she never did bother with the specifics. "As I was saying... Special constitutions are akin to mutations, that are privy to a singular entity and aren't a byproduct of ancestry or anything like that.

"The Shōdai's mokuton for example is a special constitution. Hatake boy's aīorugan to an extent can also be considered one." Kotohime explained, pointing at the seated formerly missing jōnin.

Kakashi stroked his masked face in thought. "So they're even more special kekkei genkai." Kakashi simplified.

Mina mouthed 'that's what I said' and Kotohime rolled her eyes at the duo. "In layman's terms, yes." Kotohime conceded.

"What does this have to do with Naruto-kun?." Hiruzen asked in concern. "Are you saying Naruto-kun has developed a special constitution?." Hiruzen queried.

If Naruto had developed something akin to the Shōdai's unbeatable mokuton, then it was a reason to celebrate. Though a part of Hiruzen was worried that Naruto was getting too strong too fast, the shinobi side of him didn't think much of it.

Once upon a time he was similar. Most outstanding shinobi he did know often stood heads and shoulders higher than their pairs or even their generation. Naruto wouldn't be the first.

Still, if Naruto was becoming similar to Hashirama Senju and Kakashi it didn't explain the complications and the Kyuubi's adverse reaction to it. Unless, Naruto's special constitution was opposites with the bijuu. That wasn't it, was it?.

"Naruto has developed a special constitution. Likely from his trip to Tetsu no Kuni. I fear that this new development is clashing with the other special traits." Kotohime gave an explanation dangerously close to what Hiruzen feared. The Sandaime's expression turned solemn.

"He has more than one?." Kakashi raised an eyebrow in fascination.

"We're you listening, brat?. The old bitch already explained what those premium kekkei genkai are, didn't she?. Naturally the traits of being the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no yoko can be considered a special constitution as well." Mina said.

Kotohime nodded in agreement. "That and being a fraudulent Uzumaki existence." Kotohime added.

"A what?." Kakashi asked again. All this kind of information was new to him. He understood the special constitution he was granted but not much more than that. The information he'd procured throughout the years leaned in a different direction.

Kotohime sighed. She really didn't enjoy explaining the situation of Naruto to people who should know it as well as her. At least Kakashi had the excuse of going missing for years. She did this for his sake.

"Naruto is a fraudulent existence. In honesty he shouldn't have survived up to childbirth. Jinchuriki are programmed to achieve many things, but carrying a child isn't one of said things.

"They are already housing a mass of toxic chakra potent enough to slaughter billions. There is no chance a baby could be incubated in the same space as a slumbering bijuu.

"Either the fetus would die long before it could develop into an actual baby. Or, on the off-chance its highly adaptable, the child would end up being deformed and mutated by the bijuu's chakra.

"In the end it will either be born a pseudo-bijuu and survive for five seconds at best after the umbilical cord is severed or it would literally devour its way out of its mother's womb in search for better nutrition before dying.

"Either way, the child dies." Kotohime said.

Kakashi and Mina cringed at the thought of a deformed monster-like baby Naruto tearing out of Kushina's stomach. It was an unquestionably brutal thought, and Kotohime was saying that could've been Kushina's end if Naruto wasn't a miracle baby.

"However Naruto-kun and Kushina survived the delivery." Sarutobi said. He was more knowledgeable about jinchuriki than the rest of the shinobi save Kotohime. He knew well the risks of a female jinchuriki trying to have a baby.

A risk that the gutsy Kushina took despite the discouragement of her family and friends. Even Minato agreed that it was best to terminate the pregnancy after Kushina miraculously conceived.

Getting or making someone pregnant was very difficult for jinchuriki, both male and female. Kushina was able to go against the odds by both conceiving and safely delivering the baby. It was a pity she...

"You can thank your favorite student for that, Hiruzen." Kotohime looked up from the seal with an amused smile. She enjoyed how Hiruzen's face creased up a little at the mention of Orochimaru. She didn't care what the public thought. Orochimaru was a hero to her Uzumaki clan.

"The nutritional diet he put Kushina on along with a few experiment I'm sure he must have conducted without her knowledge coupled together made this impossible existence a possibility." Kotohime said, staring at Naruto with a gentle expression. "A perfectly healthy beautiful baby boy...

"Well, baby demon boy to be exact." Kotohime said. Her gentle expression was gone in a flash, replaced by her usual calm but somewhat amused demeanor.

"So Orochimaru's experiments didn't make Naruto normal. They just made it possible for him to be born?." Mina said, catching up the quickest on what Kotohime was talking about.

"Exactly. The Uzumaki life-force played a huge role in sustaining him long enough for Kushina to reach the nutritional diet phase. The experiments were probably to make Kushina the perfect incubator for Naruto." Kotohime said.

Hiruzen sighed. Orochimaru... His ways were always as such. Nothing he did was without a meaning, without an endgame. Hiruzen would like to believe Orochimaru did all this evil to give his student a chance at becoming a mother, something she always wanted.

But was Orochimaru truly such a sentimental person?. Would he truly do anything for anybody's benefit other than himself?. Hiruzen would consider it a years ago, but after years of unearthing more and more of Orochimaru's hidden atrocities, the Sandaime had completely lost faith in his late pupil.

Orochimaru was the monster he always made himself out to be. Hiruzen was just too blinded by his love to see it.

"So in essence, Naruto is still a pseudo-bijuu but Orochimaru made him more... stable." Kakashi said.

Hiruzen regarded the silver haired man. Another one of his late student's victims. He too was unfairly warped into the fiendish world of the Snake Sannin. Hiruzen realized that he hadn't asked Kakashi just how it had been, living as one of Orochimaru's Frankensteins for so many years.

Perhaps he did think to ask, but couldn't.

"Similar to those Gold and Silver Brothers from Kumo, but better. Naruto has a far higher chakra reserve than most Uzumaki and jinchuriki and even for what the fusion of both should be at his age." Kotohime started.

"He has animalistic senses similar to an Inuzuka. The regular jinchuriki traits, but more heightened. His physical strength, dexterity and athleticism are off the charts. His stamina, speed and durability are also freakishly high.

"He can regenerate to a degree, possesses a high resistance and affinity for fire, never gets ill and he has all the Uzumaki clan perks rolled into one. Though a few are stunted due to the Kyuubi's high influence." Kotohime finished.

Mina and Kakashi blinked. Unlike Hiruzen who had already gotten the memo on how obscenely fraudulent Naruto's existence was, they could only guess up til now. Calling him a freak would be doing a disservice to Orochimaru. This kid was a god of freaks.

"And I thought I was weird." Kakashi chuckled. It was a little heartwarming to find Naruto was a kindred spirit. Though he was a couple years late, their similarities could be a platform for a relationship.

Something he owed to the blonde jinchuriki.

"You said some of his Uzumaki perks are stunted. Meaning he can get even more stacked than he already is?." Mina quickly got over her shock.

While it was factual that Naruto was too physically blessed, it wasn't a long ways from the likes of Senju Hashirama. Yet Uchiha Madara was able to claw his way to the legendary Senju's level.

Granted, Naruto was powerful and would only get more powerful with the years. However, that didn't mean the rest of his generation would just sit on their asses and let him dominate the shinobi world.

Minato, another fraudulent existence in the fūinjutsu category still couldn't claim complete dominance over the world with his strength alone. An era was marked by one juggernaut's ascent. When there was one, there was two. When there was two there were more.

They were just fresh off Minato, Kushina and the legendary Sannins and a freak of nature like Kakashi was making an appearance. Naruto would have to be a special kind of powerful if he wanted to claim dominance over such a shinobi world.

Not to mention there were samurais with their eyes on him as well. Simply being talented wouldn't cut it. He had to go beyond common sense. Mina would make sure he never got complacent, thinking he was the pinnacle of existence only to be harshly proven wrong like Orochimaru.

"Some." Kotohime nodded. "Most notably is his ability to sense chakra, which I believe will be comparable to Mito-sama's, considering he already possesses her emotional sensory to a degree." Kotohime said.

The Uzumaki matriarch was looking forward to the day Naruto would be able to use that ability to its full potential, and show the Uchiha clan exactly what precognition was.

"The second is the Uzumaki clan's kekkei genkai." Kotohime said simply, not elaborating any more than that.

Hiruzen blinked, indicating that he too didn't know about this bit. Mina and Kakashi looked even more incredulous. "Isn't that a women only thing?." Kakashi asked. He had spent a lot of time with an Uzumaki woman. He knew a fair bit about the clan.

"It is." Kotohime affirmed.

"Then how?." Kakashi asked.

"Orochimaru." Kotohime said with a smirk.

Mina facepalmed while Hiruzen sighed for the umpteenth time. Why did they even bother asking?. Of course it was Orochimaru.

Who else would it be if it wasn't him?. Who else could make such impossibilities possible?. Who else liked to duel so intensely with mother nature?. Who else loathed the natural order to such an extent?.

Only him. It could only be him.

Kotohime couldn't help but sigh in reverence. Some heroes truly didn't wear capes. "The kid was quite the genius. He more or less used Kushina's genes to rewrite Naruto's to make the Kyuubi's chakra identify her as its host.

"This gave the mutation a solid foundation. Which was why it took Naruto roughly two years to fully develop into a baby. The Kyuubi more or less took part role as Naruto's mother, and as it would it shaped Naruto to be a perfect host for it, using Kushina's genes as reference.

"This gave way to some unexpected developments. Thankfully Naruto was born with normal chromosomes, and was male. You can say Minato's genes lost out on every front but that one. At least his son got his sex." Kotohime said with a snort of laughter.

"To be exact, the blood relation between Kushina and Naruto is closer to twin partners than mother and son." Kotohime finished.

When Kotohime saw that the others were too stunned to respond, she carried on. "This is clashing with Naruto's newly achieved special constitution. The weaker power is trying to assert dominance over a ancient incarnate of destruction.

"This makes me suspect that whatever Naruto's new special constitution is, its source is quite impressive if it has the balls to contest for authority with the king of bijuu." Kotohime said, tapping her temple with the tip of her brush's handle in thought.

She had a few ideas on what it could be, but they were just hypothesis at the moment. It was better she didn't make an assumption before hearing from the horse's mouth.

"So whether gave Naruto his new special constitution is currently fighting with the Kyuubi?." Mina queried.

Kotohime made a face. "Fight is a strong word. More like hopelessly struggling. The Kyuubi will win without a doubt. Whatever it is, it's far too young, far too weak to withstand the Kyuubi's will.

"The problem here is, Naruto is a human not a battlefield. He's not the ideal platform for a battle of wills for two foreign energies. If this goes on, his mind will collapse and he will die." Kotohime said with a stone serious expression.

The atmosphere of the room immediately became tense. Hiruzen regarded Naruto with a heavy a concerned look. "Can you tighten the seal to reduce the Kyuubi's influence?. That way we can at least stop the conflict momentarily." Hiruzen suggested.

Mina shook her head before Kotohime could reply. "Fūinjutsu doesn't work that way, hokage-sama. The Kyuubi, Naruto and whatever this new entity is share a singular mindscape via fūinjutsu. If we tighten the seal to restrict the Kyuubi's powers it will only give it a handicap in the fight.

"The new entity would not simply back down, in fact it would take advantage of the Kyuubi's weakness to win over it. What the outcome would be if that happens is a mystery." Mina pointed out to the hokage and Kakashi.

"It is as Mina said. In the event that the Kyuubi wins then there is no problem." Kotohime said, agreeing with Mina's assessment.

She went on to say; "Naruto has long since consolidated its power, and the Kyuubi is genetically more or less Naruto's parent, thus it would instinctively see him as its child. The Kyuubi would never harm Naruto intentionally.

"The new entity is different. It is an ambitious fledgling and it is unknown the adverse effects it would have on Naruto should it overcome the Kyuubi. To tighten the seal would be opening a door that I am uncertain we would like to open." Kotohime sighed.

"But if we leave it as is..." Mina trailed off.

"There's no guarantee Naruto will survive the Kyuubi's battle of will with the new entity." Kakashi finished solemnly.

"What do we do?." Hiruzen asked without hesitation. His eyes squarely on Kotohime.

She more or less swaggered into the room, not looking concerned with Naruto's predicament. She showed more interest in Kakashi's seal than the blonde boy. It was obvious that Kotohime knew something that they didn't.

Something that put her completely at ease even in this precarious situation.

"You take the fun out of everything, Hiruzen-kōhai." Kotohime grumbled in faux annoyance. Her expression then turned serious once more. "I've been making preparations for this day. Initially I expected it to come around his twelfth birthday, however the circumstances have accelerated things and my plans.

"I sensed a foreign chakra hiding within Naruto the moment he entered the village. I knew this variable might lead to some unforeseen events, so I made sure to hasten my preparations in ki–"

"Get to the fucking point. Kami... do you want to tell us about your divorce and failed marriage next?." Mina yelled impatiently at Kotohime.

Kotohime glared at her in rare genuine annoyance. She hated it when her ex-husband was brought up. Especially when the man was in earshot distance.

"What Mina means is that time is of the essence." Hiruzen said, quickly mediating before the two women took the opportunity to pick one of their infamous fights.

Kotohime gave Hiruzen a dry look. Mina meant exactly what she said. "The Uzumaki bloodline grants stability. Should Naruto unleash his kekkei genkai not only would it stop these two entities from clashing it would stabilize their chakras enough for him to be able to use them at will, perhaps even combined... after training of course."

"Those chains grant stability?." Kakashi questioned. He had seen Kushina using them a few times for household chores and they didn't really look like this bridge of unification and stability Kotohime made them out to be.

"Shut up, fūinjutsu illiterate." Mina shot an unexpected insult at the masked shinobi. Kakashi sweatdropped. Why was he being picked on?. He just asked a question.

"The chains are said to be able to restrain bijuu as effectively as the Shōdai's mokuton, not because they're pretty." Mina said in a mocking tone.

"The mokuton has a special effect of absorbing all forms of energy and returning them to nature. A hastened circle of life if you will.

"As for the Uzumaki chakra chains, they stabilize energy. They don't absorb it but just reduce it to a stationary state of calmness. There are rumors this is what made it possible for Mito to be so sensitive to chakra and emotional states through it.

"Those chains are more or less a docile pill for chakra. Reason why beating this bitch is so hard despite my Almighty Formula far outclassing hers." Mina complained in irritation, glaring at the bemused looking Kotohime.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mina-chan." Kotohime said, not refuting or agreeing to Mina's bold claim.

Hiruzen nodded his head. He wasn't a fūinjutsu illiterate like Kakashi, he was quite knowledgeable in the field so he understood. "The Uzumaki kekkai genkai is what makes female Uzumaki the ideal jinchuriki for a bijuu as violent as the Kyuubi. This is why we never had any breakouts with Mito-sama and Kushina." Hiruzen said for Kakashi's benefit.

Kakashi cussed the Sandaime under his breath. He wasn't that educated on fūinjutsu, okay?. These guys could just stop acting like he committed some crime. Though as the successor of the Nidaime the fact he was a fūinjutsu illiterate was criminal.

"So the plan; we force the inner Uzuwomanki outta Naruto and get his girl power energy to stop the two toxic masculinities and their dick measuring contest." Mina summarized.

Kotohime snorted, Hiruzen shook his head with a small smile while Kakashi snickered.

"It won't be easy. First and foremost we need a top-class med-nin. I can get all the ingredients Naruto needs to facilitate his awakening, but I can't guarantee his life. With the Kyuubi occupied with the new entity I doubt it can either." Kotohime said.

"Just our luck. Our head doctor is still out looking for that useless Senju Tsunade, and no offense to her brother but he's a bum. I doubt he can ensure my grandson's life." Mina muttered in annoyance.

Kotohime heard her and rolled her eyes. "My grandson will have to make due with the best the village has to offer. And Matsuda isn't that bad."

Mina gave Kotohime a glare but didn't say anything.

"I might have a solution to that problem." Kakashi spoke up. The three veteran shinobi turned their attention to him. The Hatake gave his famous eye smile. "I got married, you see–"

"Who cares if you got laid you asshole?!." Mina said in harsh dismissiveness, hitting Kakashi square in the face with a scroll that came out of nowhere. A large red lump formed on the man's head as comical streams of tears poured down his masked face.

"I think there's more to what Kakashi-kun wants to say." Hiruzen came to the man's defense. 'I hope to Kami I'm right and this isn't another one of your jokes Kakashi-kun.'

"I was going to say that I got married to a fantastic med-nin." Kakashi said with a sweatdrop. Even the person who was vouching for her didn't seem like he he trusted him. Kakashi's face then turned serious. "I could bring her, but I need a few guarantees first." Kakashi said.

"Guarantees." Hiruzen repeated, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Kakashi nodded heavily. "I might be a fugitive but my family and Gai haven't done anything wrong."

"Neither have you, Kakashi-kun." Hiruzen quickly clarified.

Kakashi gave the Sandaime a brief look of appreciation before continuing. "Be that as it may, I am still a prisoner here for the time being. That isn't going to change anytime soon." Kakashi said.

The man had already come to terms with his fate a long time ago. In fact, he anticipated that things would end in this fashion before it happened.

"However, my imprisonment shouldn't be a reason why my family shouldn't have a place in their home, Konoha." Kakashi said. Hiruzen nodded in agreement. The silver haired man was grateful for it. "I would like you to communicate a message to the Capital City, hokage-sama." Kakashi said, adopting a formal approach.

Hiruzen readily waited for Kakashi to give the contents of this message. He already had an idea what the jōnin was planning. It was something he would like to think Kakashi normally wouldn't do, but the situation was forcing his hands.

"I will aid in the recovery of Konohagakure's jinchuriki if my family are granted asylum and clan status in the village and my friend Gai is reinstated back into the shinobi roster." Kakashi said, earning a glance from the occupied Kotohime and one as well from Mina.

Hiruzen regarded Kakashi calmly. It was just as he thought. For his own accord, Kakashi wouldn't put up much of a fight against the Capital City. However, for the sake of his family and friend he was a different kind of person altogether.

What good man would sit back and let his loved ones be treated like fugitives for no good cause?. What exactly was his sin?. Going missing?. Being too powerful?. The Capital just had doubts about his loyalty and wanted to keep him at arm's length.

They wouldn't put him through all this if he returned a simple A-ranker. Alas, Kakashi was an S-ranker dangerously close to the peak of the rank. He had gone from a fairly powerful A-rank nin to easily top ten in the entire Elemental Nations.

He had defeated two S-rank nin a handicapped match. Though he mostly caught them off-guard, it was still quite the feat. He went toe to toe with the jinchuriki of the hachibi. A perfect jinchuriki. A monster amongst monsters.

If that wasn't sufficient reason to be wary of him, then Kakashi didn't know what else would. He did no wrong, yet he could blame the Capital for treating him in such a manner. It was the same with his father Sakumo Hatake.

Despite his outrageous power he hardly had any accomplishments, because the Capital was wary of deploying him. Because they were afraid of the man with strength that rivalled an entire hidden village.

The current Daimyō wasn't too wrong to not trust people like Kakashi. People that just abruptly rose in power. Shinobi like that had a terrible history of turning on their home villages and nations. Deidara from Iwa was the most recent example. An unexpected and unwarranted betrayal.

There was Akatsuna Sasori who just upped and started murdering people in Kaze no Kuni, turning settlements into a gallery for his art.

Kakuzu from Taki, a madman who bore a grudge on the top brass of his village and took it out on the innocent.

Hoshigaki Kisame was just insane. Through and through. He had always been a killer, but to butcher so many people for a cause he didn't even believe in was just insane.

Kumo and Konoha and their respective nations were the only ones out of the Great Five not to be hit by an unexpected betrayal. Everybody saw Orochimaru's madness coming. What was unanticipated was just how much he had done until he was rightfully ended.

The Daimyō did not want a repeat of Orochimaru's disaster. A questionable shinobi being allowed to roam after the Sandaime had vouched that he could be trusted, only for him to prove the aged hokage completely wrong.

The Daimyō neither wanted to join the likes of Kaze no Kuni, Tsuchi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni in their woes. All their betrayers had an abrupt power boost and decided they didn't want to be loyal anymore.

Compared to those few, Kakashi's case was even more suspicious. He disappeared off to nowhere. Reappeared only to be several levels more powerful and the first thing he did was make them irreconcilable with Kaminari no Kuni.

It didn't matter who started the conflict. Hatake Kakashi finished it, and in a manner that left Kaminari no Kuni with no room to withdraw. As things were they could either get their pound of flesh back from Konoha or remain as the joke of the Great Five.

There was no other alternative. It was sink or swim.

What sensible Daimyō would appreciate this?. Years upon years of negotiations with the Shihōin clan went down the toilet in an instant. Where the denizens of Konoha saw loyalty and the burning will of fire, the Daimyō saw a massive screw up.

The perspective of shinobi and civilians were very different.

(AN: That's the theme of this chapter since some people only look at things from the shinobi POV.)

"It will be difficult to get the Daimyō to agree to this. I'm not exactly in his good book after the Orochimaru thing and the mess with Kumo." Hiruzen stroked his beard as he said, thinking over Kakashi's demands.

"He'll have to compromise. His jinchuriki or ego, what's more important?." Kakashi asked. If Hiruzen gave the slightest indication that it could be the latter then he would throw caution to the wind and immediately leave this place. Status quo be damned.

Hiruzen shook his head somewhat sadly. "Your opinion of the Daimyō and the Capital is understandably low. But Kakashi-kun, if you want a someone to trust you you have to be first willing to trust them." Hiruzen advised.

Kakashi took a breath, calming the anger in his heart he didn't know he was bottling up. The Sandaime made a good point. He was doing this because he didn't want to cause any waves that could affect the future of himself and those precious to him.

"In any case, it's a fair request. As long as your family and Gai don't do anything tantamount to what you did in Kumo, then I don't think the Daimyō can make too much of a fuss." The aged hokage said, blowing a some smoke out of his nostrils as he thought about the inevitable debate he was going to have with the Daimyō and his council.

He would have to take Shikaku on the trip to the Capital City. A personal visit, since he didn't want to drag this out for too long with courier hawks.

The Sandaime grinned as he continued to speak. "Minato got his signature for the verification of your clan years ago but never got about to using it. I'll just smack the dust off and make the announcement whenever you like." Hiruzen said.

He could already imagine the Daimyō's face when he found out he had already sanctioned the creation of the Hatake clan. It was going to be epic. That would teach the Capital that he still had a few tricks up his sleeves.

Kakashi gave the Sandaime an eye smile. There were truly but a few like the Sandaime when it came to playing politics and scheming. His grandfatherly persona hid this from obvious indication, but those who knew him well knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen was not one to be trifled with when it came to politics.

"You two do know you're basically using my clan's wakate as a bargaining chip without my consent, don't you?." Kotohime said, interrupting the men's early victory celebration over the Diamyō.

Hiruzen chuckled sheepishly while Kakashi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Are you saying you'll only help Naruto on the condition that it benefits you?." Kotohime asked calmly. "If so then we can just pay you, no need to blackmail the Capital."

Kakashi immediately shook his head. "It's not like that. I always planned on aiding Naruto. It's just that this is an opportunity for me you see..." Kakashi muttered out.

"So you're trying to scam the Capital City?." Mina said directly. "You too, hokage-sama?."

Hiruzen looked away and whistled to himself innocently. Kakashi chuckled dryly. He was getting picked on again.

Kotohime gave the silver haired man a look before shrugging with a sigh. "I suppose I don't care whatever reason you're helping our wakate for as long as you do." She said and returned to the seal she was working on. It was almost finished. If she didn't get interrupted constantly she would have been done with it a while ago.

"Word of advice though." Kotohime spoke up. "This is only going to make the Capital distrust you even more. So, you better decide whether that's important to you or not."

"Kotohime!." Hiruzen glared at the woman in disapproval.

"I only speak the truth, Hiruzen." Kotohime said nonchalantly. After saying that she silently went back to her work with the aim of finishing this seal without any interruptions this time round.

Hiruzen gave the woman one last hard stare in silence before turning to Mina briefly and then Kakashi. The silver haired man didn't look too bothered about what Kotohime had said. At least for the time being.

'I hate dealing with this damned woman...' Hiruzen thought with a sigh. She always tried to work an angle or incite chaos wherever she was. She just couldn't help herself. If not for his watchful limitations on her she would have already crumbled the entire social structure of Konoha.

'I'm always left to wonder whether she's an ally or enemy.' Hiruzen thought tiredly. He didn't have her vitality. He had long grown tired of playing these silly games with her.

Hiruzen turned to the unconscious Naruto. 'You're frighteningly similar to her. You have never expressed the will to become hokage though. A shame. If you had, even just for a bit, I would immediately groom you as my successor to spite this woman.' Hiruzen thought in amusement.

How funny would that be?.

---

Pine Forest - Konoha

A few miles away from the former oil sector of Konoha lay a lush expanse of pine trees. According to history, these were amongst the few trees in Konoha's territory that were not grown or cultivated by the Shōdai.

The pine trees were massive, each stretching up to ten metres into the air at least with a three to four metres trunk girth, and some reaching triple that height and size.

This part of the Konoha's territory was hardly ventured. There were few access roads bar the foot paths. Due to the lack of human activity the presence of nature in these parts were more defined. By Konoha's standards at least.

There were more than a few herbivores roaming about in this area, along with several colonies of bugs. The Aburame often used these parts as a vast nursery for some of their more exotic kikaichu. The shaded atmosphere made it a perfect place for shinobi to relax while off duty.

"I hate fucking bugs." Ha said in distaste.

Well... some shinobi.

Saya who was standing on a large moss covered log beside the grumbling elite jōnin rolled her eyes. "You're just mad ōkami-sama interrupted your snu-snu time with those civvie twins." Saya said.

"I am." Ha admitted shamelessly. Saya was already used to his personality so didn't have much of a reaction. Ha tapped his foot impatiently and stared at the nonexistent watch on his wrists. "What's taking these fuckers so long?." Ha complained.

"Other than the fact that they're traveling across nations after scouring the Elemental Nations for near extinct herbs?." Saya said, leveling an amused gaze at her impatient older brother.

"I would have done it faster." Ha crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly.

He for one wasn't in support of the ōkami enlisting the help of those people. Especially considering that they had the gall to attack her. Ha's opinion of those people were as low as it went for him.

"I'm sure you would've." Saya said sarcastically. She didn't care enough to nor had the strength to argue with the elite jōnin.

"As am I." An elderly sounding voice reverberated through the area, reaching the ears of the two Uzuki, however it was only Saya who visibly bristled at the announcement of another presence in the forest.

Saya was a sensor, one on a level though behind Tate was still skilled enough to match the standard of an Uzumaki. It was rare for someone to get the drop on her, but this time it had happened.

Saya's eyes sharpened as the tension suddenly rose. Whoever this person was his skill in stealth at the very least surpassed her sensory skill. That told Saya one thing.

'He's definitely A-rank.' Saya deduced firmly.

The only question was just high on the A-rank spectrum the elderly sounding man was.

Saya's eyes darted across the area in search of the source of the voice. The speaker made sure to distort his voice across a large area to make sure his position wouldn't be given away.

Saya willed her sensory to its peak in an effort to locate the mystery A-rank nin. Though the man was skilled it was almost impossible for a living organism to hide itself from a competent sensor that knew they were there.

Most especially not when the organism in question was a high level being with large chakra reserves. Soon, Saya found not one but two chakra signatures doing their best to hide themselves several metres away.

"Point them out." Ha said. He had already drawn his sword. He was able to tell from Saya's countenance that she had found the mystery old man. He didn't like people sneaking up on him.

Though he could probably find them if he tried, Saya was the better sensor so he left that duty to her. His duty...

"Over there." Saya pointed at a direction.

Ha's eyes pulsed in an unholy light. His sword made a screeching sound as its razor sharp length caused friction as it cut through the air. The blade became red hot as steam and then hardly visible flames wisped out of the tip of the crimson blade.

"Blade of Surtur..." Ha said in a whisper.

The red hue on the blade compressed to the very tip of the sword. Saya watched her brother's single graceful move in awe. It was a move he had tried to pass down to Naruto.

Unfortunately the wakate was unable to completely replicate it thus had to augment it with ninjutsu.

What Ha used was not a mixture of ninjutsu and kenjutsu. It was strictly kenjutsu with precise movements that caused the molecules of oxygen in air to coat then violently clash with steel, rapidly heating it up. That heat was then forcibly compressed to the very edge of the blade, granting the user a more focused and precise attack.

The Blade of Surtur

"Edge!." Ha bellowed and swung his sword unleashing a thin line of flaming energy. The red linear cutter cleaved a mass of pine trees across a several metres radius cleanly at their trunks.

There was an interval of silence before the compressed oxygen within the red line exploded, unleashing a sea of roaring flames. The red hot flames consumed everything in its range, leaving behind nothing but embers and ash in its wake.

Ha placed the blunt edge of his sword on his shoulder and exhaled a wisp of hot air. His eyes remained fixed on the direction Saya had pointed at while Saya herself stared off at his jutsu in awe.

This was an A-rank kenjutsu. Something she was still a ways away from matching. Even in genjutsu she had yet to reach the elusive rank of elites in the shinobi world.

An A-rank jutsu was no joke. Each one had enough destructive power to level a small town or the potency to tear through the toughest of defenses. The Blade of Surtur Naruto used was like a mere child's imitation compared to Ha's.

Ha's version was destructive but even more so it was potent. If that thin red line touched the mystery shinobi before it dissipated then unless they were an S-rank nin or an A-rank anomaly they would indiscriminately be cut in half.

'Ha-onii-san is really strong.' Saya found herself referring to her eldest brother with an endearing and respectful honorific for once. She normally called him nii-nii–and it pissed him off–but after that, how could she?.

He looked really cool right now.

"Violence is never the answer." The aged voice resounded once more.

Saya's eyes quaked in shock while Ha sighed in annoyance. It was really annoying when your enemy unnecessarily mistified themselves.

"After a long journey I expected a warm welcome from Konoha, but this is a little too warm even for my liking." The aged man said again.

"I warned you that this would happen, uncle." The voice of a young man permeated. He was not trying to unnecessarily act mysterious as Ha would say and didn't distort his voice.

Saya's eyes locked on the incoming chakra signature. It was undoubtedly the young man who called the aged speaker his uncle.

"After all, we are not exactly on good terms with the Uzumaki/Uzuki clan." A tall figure said as he made his way through the thick clouds of smoke billowing out of the scorched ground. Ha's sword had done a number on this beautiful forest.

The first thing to emerge from the darkness was a pointy red laced shinobi boot. There were black tapes wrapped around the shin of the figure, holding his baggy black pants in place.

The smoke parted to reveal a a red and black armored midsection, there were beautiful illustrations of eastern dragons etched into the metal plate. .

The revealing midsection was followed by a fist accompanied by a forearm covered in black tights and a red armoured armband and lean but muscular biceps covered in the same tight cloth.

The chest area and shoulders of the figure were covered in the same armour, forming a vest with several black straps at the sides. The neck of the man was completely hidden by the high collared armoured vest, reaching up to his chin.

The man had a serious countenance, with elements of hostility hidden in his raven eyes. His face was smooth and white, devoid of any blemishes. This was a direct contrast to his upper back length black hair that was held in a loose bun.

The features of his face were masculine, though there was a touch of feminity due to his long hair and skin texture. This tinge of womanliness was suppressed by his arched sharp eyebrows and the small sideburns forming on his jawline.

Saya and Ha instantly recognized this person, and by extension the person he had dubbed as uncle. Ha and Saya never expected such high profile people to be a part of Uchiha Mikoto's little setup. Could they even still call it that?.

Coupled with the Suna ghost reborn that was Pakura, the odd Kiri nin that could hurt their ōkami; Fugu, the infamous Guren and Mikoto herself it was already quite a lineup. Adding these two was just...

It was as Ha thought when he heard that voice signifying that his attack had no effect. He had grossly underestimated these people, that much was obvious now.

While Saya and the young man matched gazes, Ha's eyes turned to the direction of the aged man who had finally revealed himself. He was dressed very similar to his counterpart, the only exceptions being that he wore a long kimono top in the place of an armoured vest. His sleeves were loose and long covering his entire arms.

He was a good feet and half shorter than his nephew. He had long balding grey hair that held in a single pig tail. His beard was equally grey and long, with a devil fork shape. He had a protruding belly and a relaxed gentle expression on his face.

Ha sweatdropped at the sight of the man brazenly sipping tea from a small cup in such a tense situation.

"Jasmine tea really is the best." The man said with a deep sigh, enjoying the flavor of the tea and the soothing warmth in his belly. He rubbed said belly happily. "That hit the spot."

(AN: Do I even need to tell you who these two are?.)

"A-rank Zuko and the Dragon of the West, Iroh... S-rank." Saya said, giving the two men the introduction she was sure they wouldn't give themselves. Her eyes remained on Zuko. Ha already had eyes on Iroh.

"I guess Mikoto's fine ass is running a halfway house for rejects." Ha commented with a snide smirk. "First Pakura and Guren, now you Tetsu no Kuni shits. What's next, a Kumo missing min?."

Iroh chuckled heartily at Ha's remarks while Zuko's eyes narrowed dangerously. Saya's hold on her blades tightened. They were both visibly ready for conflict while Iroh and Ha seemed relaxed.

"We are Tetsu no Kuni's people, aren't we?." Iroh stroked his beard with a smile. "It is that very status that made getting all the things your clan head requested possible." Iroh pointed out.

Saya's eyes shone in realization. Whatever it was their ōkami wanted Mikoto and her lot to find sent them all the way to Tetsu no Kuni. And perhaps in the Elemental Nations it was only the two of them who had the license to come and go from both territories as they saw fit.

"My uncle has no allegiance to our group." Zuko clarified, crossing his hands across his chest. This was an indication he had no intention to fight since his uncle had made it quite clear he wouldn't be fighting. "He's just escorting me." Zuko added.

Iroh scratched his bearded chin and chuckled sheepishly. "Prince Zuko is correct. He stopped by to say hello in the Capital City and I decided to tag along." The man said with a grin. "It's been a while since I've seen a few of my friends in Konoha."

Ha sheathed his sword and gestured for Saya to stand down. As much as he wanted to kick this so-called prince's ass across this forest for partaking in poisoning his ōkami, he couldn't do such a thing with Iroh present.

Ha believed in his strength, but S-rank was still S-rank. He couldn't willfully jump ranks like his ōkami or Mina. He had no Almighty Formula to rely on.

Ha was barely passable in fūinjutsu by the Uzumaki/Uzuki clan's standards. And as far as he knew only fūinjutsu could enable shinobi to jump ranks like that.

Be it through an Almighty Formula or a jinchuriki or curse seal. In the end, out of all the paths of shinobi arts only seals could break the firm order of ranks. Either directly or indirectly, it was always fūinjutsu. Unfortunately, Ha's talent lay in kenjutsu.

"Our ōkami sent us to collect the package. I don't think she was expecting you, Iroh-sama." Saya said, taking the initiative to address the man respectfully, knowing her brother would not. Not when he was still baring a grudge against the man's nephew.

"I'll personally hand it over to Kotohime." Iroh said after a brief interval of contemplation. He turned over to Ha, knowing out of the two Uzuki he was the one in charge. "That's okay, right?."

Saya turned to her brother with a somewhat stern expression. It was fine if he wanted to give Zuko some attitude, but it was completely different for Iroh. He was not only an S-ranker, he was affiliated with the Capital and was known to be a close friend of the Daimyō.

This was someone they definitely could not afford to upset. Saya wished Ha would stop openly glaring at the man like that.

"It's okay if Saya escorts you to the Uzumaki/Uzuki compound." Ha putting emphasis on his sister doing the escort. He was Uzuki Ha. He didn't do escorts... Unless it was the ōkami or wakate that is.

Ha's eyes turned to the calmly standing Zuko. "Him on the other hand is not welcome in our clan compound, nor can he just enter Konoha's walls unannounced. Neither I nor Saya will relay his presence to hokage-sama. So, if you want to get your pretty little nephew inside you can fucking do it yourself."

With those words, Ha didn't wait for Iroh's response and immediately turned to leave. "Saya, handle it as I said." Ha said.

Saya sighed, barely resisting the urge to facepalm. He had gone and done exactly what she was afraid he would do. Now he was giving her a direct order not to help Zuko to get into Konoha.

Naturally, without an escort of the jōnin rank at least a foreigner couldn't get into Konoha without a permit. Zuko most definitely did not have a permit. If he did, Kotohime wouldn't have bothered sending Saya and Ha here.

Iroh was different. He was an associate of the Diamyō. He could go and come from Konoha with access near a registered Konoha jōnin's. Nobody would stop him if he wanted to go into the village, but that didn't mean he could bring along whoever he wanted.

His privilege and access applied only to him. He couldn't bring in a foreigner without a permit. Konoha gave that level of trust to registered shinobi with high enough ranks. Even Saya, a fresh jōnin would still have to answer a few questions if she decided to lead Zuko into the village.

Jōnin like Ha and Tate, and Yūgao too due to her ANBU rank could swagger into the village with whoever they wanted suffice it wasn't a missing nin or an S-rank nin with an allegiance to a rival village.

Saya turned to Iroh nervously. She sighed in relief, as from the look of things the man hadn't taken Ha's words personally. If Ha had said something like that to the more 'difficult' S-rankers Saya knew... The situation would have been unsavory to say the least.

"Prince Zuko... what exactly did you do to make that young man so mad?." Iroh asked after he turned to his nephew.

Zuko had the usual scowl on his face and shrugged in a nonchalant manner. This annoyed Saya a little. She too did not appreciate the actions of Mikoto's group. Though, unlike Ha she could see her ōkami's part in the feud.

Iroh sigh exasperatedly and mumbled something that sounded like 'this boy' and 'death of me'. He turned to Saya and gave the young woman and easing smile. "Pretty young lady, could you tell me why your brother is so upset?."

Saya nodded curtly. She saw no reason why she shouldn't tell Iroh. He was already in the know on the things Kotohime wanted Mikoto's group to procure and from what she understood, Iroh and her ōkami were on good terms.

Saya relayed the version of the story that she had gotten from Tate. Zuko remained silent, not making an attempt to refute or affirm Saya's words. The gothic jōnin finished her summary with a courteous apology for her ōkami's part in the spat.

Iroh waved his hands placatingly at the jōnin before turning a half glare at Zuko's direction. He didn't even have the words. Was this kid deaf when he was lecturing him about picking enemies?. And his leader... that Uchiha Mikoto. She was as impetuous as ever.

A woman who dared to fight 1v1 with an S-rank jinchuriki and accomplished Seal Master, what was she if not ballsy?. Of course she would dare to challenge Kotohime. Iroh was clear on Mikoto's borderline insanity, but his nephew was different dammit.

'Should I take him for a mental evaluation...' Iroh wondered. 'Perhaps I didn't hammer to uncomfortable facts into his thick skull as hard as I thought. That's probably it.' Iroh sighed.

He came here to kick back and have some fun. He planned on playing a few shogi matches, visiting the hot springs and may even getting lucky with a nice Konoha kunoichi. Now thanks to this blasted nephew of his he would have to run damage control.

"Prince Zuko, you must learn how to better pick your enemies." Iroh advised. He turned to leave, gesturing for Saya to lead the way. He noticed Zuko was following behind and shook his head. The young man was as stubborn as ever. "You should report back to your leader. Tell her I've taken the liberty of completing your mission." Iroh said.

Zuko froze, his face contorted into a deeper scowl. "You can't be serious!. I didn't run all the way from base to this place to just make a U-turn back to base." Zuko argued.

He had just returned from his mission in Tetsu no Kuni when Mikoto told him to journey to Hi no Kuni with Konoha as the target. He had been on the road for days without rest and his uncle just wanted him to turn back?. Hell no.

"Un–"

"Open your eyes, prince Zuko." Iroh said in a stern steady voice. "Do you really think Uzuki Ha has truly left this place?." Iroh threw a question at the black haired young man before leaving with Saya in silence.

Zuko froze in shock. Had Ha truly left this place?. It was a direct question, but what Iroh said led Zuko to consider many things. It was obvious that Ha didn't appreciate what Mikoto had done to his ōkami and wanted take out his grievances on him.

Ha sticking around could only mean one thing. He was waiting for an opportunity. Ha wouldn't be insane to the point of attacking Zuko unprovoked. However, if the crowned prince of the Ryūjin refused to relent and still tried to force his way into Konoha despite Ha's warnings then all bets were off.

Zuko watched the casually walking figure of his uncle with a deep frown. He wasn't a coward, he wouldn't back down from a fight if it came to it. He highly doubted that Ha would be crazy enough to make a move unprovoked, knowing his uncle was in the village.

Still, in that event Zuko would be more than willing to accommodate him. They were both A-rankers and Zuko had confidence in his training. Ha's reputation was one of the most terrifying in the A-rank list, but the same could be said about him.

Zuko wouldn't shirk away from a challenge. However, this wasn't just about him. If he and Ha clashed it wouldn't lead to a desirable outcome for both parties. At that time it wouldn't matter who won the fight.

Zuko exhaled heavily before turning to leave in annoyance. He didn't want it to seem as though he was running away, but the smart thing to do was to leave and avoid any incident.

A few minutes away

"What a pain." Ha said in disappointment as he stared at the departing figure of Zuko from the top of an enormous pine tree. "You really ruined my plans, Nobunaga." Ha's sharp eyes turned to the figure seated beside him in irritation.

It was a middle aged man with brown hair in a buzz cut and messy stubble. His eyes were closed so it was impossible to tell what the man's eye colors were. He normally kept this kind of expression, so most people didn't know what Nobunaga's eyes looked like.

Nobunaga was taller than Ha by a few inches and had a somewhat skinny physique. Nobunaga was dressed in a short-sleeved standard Konoha jōnin under garbs, but forewent wearing the flak jacket. In place of the jacket he wore a worn-out looking sleeveless T-shirt.

Nobunaga's pants were cut short and the trademark white tapes were wrapped around his legs and arms. He wore a straw sandal instead of the usual shinobi sandals.

There was a long kodachi hanging by a loose rope around his waist. A similar rope was tied around his head. A pendant modelled after Konoha's insignia was hanging on the side of the rope.

Senju Nobunaga turned to match Ha's stare with closed eyes. He smiled in a casual manner. "You shouldn't be too impulsive Ha. That man is the son of an emperor you know." Nobunaga said in a chiding manner.

Ha scoffed. He broke the stare off with Nobunaga and turned to find that the figure of Zuko had completely disappeared. He would have to be a special kind of desperate to pursue him for a fight now. "I don't care if he's the son of a god. I'm killing the next one I see." Ha muttered the last sentence to himself.

Nobunaga sighed at the elite jōnin's words. "Yare... You need to learn how to relax more Ha. You're slowly returning to your old self. Nobody wants to see that, not even your precious Kotohime-sama." After speaking he stood up, confident that Zuko had made sufficient distance between himself and Ha. "I should get going." Nobunaga said, dusting the back of his pants.

"Like you were actually heading anywhere." Ha said in a hateful tone with a roll of his eyes. "You just came here to stick your nose into my business." Ha accused his fellow elite jōnin.

Nobunaga laughed at Ha's words and gave him a grin. "You caught me." Nobunaga said playfully waving his hands theatrically. His grin turned to a sly smirk as hands dropped to hold his waists. "Actually I took a little detour from our intended path. Me and the gakis are going on a mission, you see." Nobunaga said, gesturing to a faraway tree.

Ha turned his attention to the tree and found a trio of shinobi wearing chunin flak jackets. He recognized them. He had seen Nobunaga and the team he bragged so much about up and about in the village many times. Though that was during their genin year. The brats had grown quite a bit in a short period.

Ha stroked his chin as he felt out their chakra. He didn't bother doing this the first time he sensed them coming into this place. As Ha expected, the one in the middle was still head and shoulders ahead of his teammates.

"They've gotten a little stronger." Ha commented.

Nobunaga grinned in pride. These kids were his pride and joy anyway. They were proof to that damned kid sister of his that he wasn't a useless bum like Ha that was only good at one thing.

'Your onii-sama can alternate between a bad-ass shinobi and sage-like sensei, Akane-chan!.' Nobunaga declared in his mind in glee, laughing boisterously with his hands on his stomach.

Ha looked away from the embarrassing sight. "Namito-gaki is already strong enough to take the jōnin exams just going by his chakra. What's he waiting for?." Ha asked. He eyed the chunin in the middle of the trio again. Namikaze Namito, the sole student of Mina and also the ace of Nobunaga's former genin team.

"I brought it up too." Nobunaga said with an exasperated sigh. The topic of jōnin exams was something that he had discussed innumerable times with Namito. "The stubborn brat keeps giving me the same answer. He won't take the jōnin exams before Mina-sama takes him to those seminars and verifies him as a fūinjutsu expert." Nobunaga explained.

"Sounds like the same bullshit thing our wakate would say." Ha said. He didn't understand why his clan and the Namikaze were so obsessed with fūinjutsu. It was great and all, but they acted like it was the only worthwhile jutsu path there was.

"Mmm. They're not too different from us to be honest. In our rookie years we a lot more interested in improving our kenjutsu than raising our ranks." Nobunaga said feeling douse of nostalgia. Nobunaga then frowned a little. "At least they're far better than those shinobi that are all about moving through the ranks. Their kind are becoming more and more common."

Ha shunshin'd away to another tree. He wasn't about to talk about it the decline of Konoha shinobi system with a Senju of all people. Ha really didn't care for the topic. Times changed people, it was as simple as that. They couldn't keep crapping out ironclad willed shinobi forged in the will of fire like they were still in the era of wars.

They were in a relatively peaceful period. It was only natural that they wouldn't be able to produce shinobi on the same quality as the ones from the past. If Nobunaga and the Senju clan wanted Konoha to return to its prime so badly then they could start another World War.

"Have fun pretending your brats aren't too old to be babysitted, Nobubaka!." Ha said before disappearing in a blur, heading back to Konoha.

A tick mark formed on Nobunaga's temple. "Don't call me that, Ha-teme!. We're going on a really high level mission, I'll have you know!. We're supposed to–"

"Sensei." A calm voice interrupted Nobunaga's screams. "He's already left." the voice added.

The brown haired elite jōnin turned to the speaker and found a blonde haired boy in his early preteens staring at him with sharp blue eyes. "Namito..." Nobunaga said regarding the Namikaze before staring at the direction Ha had gone in before turning his head to a bush track road. "Let's go." Nobunaga said before hopping off the tree.

Namito took a small pause before following after the elite jōnin. "The Daimyō's ace is here. Do you know why, Nobunaga-sensei?." Namito asked. He glanced at his teammates who had begun to approach their location. His window of opportunity was closing.

"Meh." Nobunaga shrugged.

"Mina-sama also left the clan in a hurry, and I heard that hokage-sama took the day off. Now the Dragon of the West is here. There's definitely something going on." Namito said in determination.

Nobunaga raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Who told him that the hokage was taking the day off?. 'This kid...' Nobunaga was left speechless by the blonde Namikaze for the umpteenth time.

"Nobunaga-sen–"

"Dammit kid. Your curiosity will be the death of you, I swear." Nobunaga complained. "All I know is that something happened with the Uzumaki/Uzuki clan's heir earlier. Happy now?." Nobunaga said in fake angry, half-glaring at the Namikaze boy.

Namito gave his sensei a grateful look before before schooling his features. His teammates joined them a few seconds after. The group of four swiftly made their way towards the border of Hi no Kuni with only one thing on their mind. The mission.

Well, all four except Namikaze Namito. The fūinjutsu genius had another lingering thought on his mind. A thought relating to the heir of the legendary Uzumaki clan.

'Uzumaki Naruto... you are making waves again.'

---

Uzumaki/Uzuki Clan Compound

Saya returned to the Uzumaki clan with slow steps. She had a heavy expression on her face as she pushed the door leading to her home open. Saya didn't pay much attention to her mother's words and immediately went to her room.

She knew it was rude of her, and her mother definitely was not the source of her sudden bad mood, but Saya couldn't help it. Saya slammed her room door behind her with more strength than she meant to. She heard the door strain from the harsh treatment and sighed raspily.

She leaned her back against the door as she stared up into the ceiling. With the flick of her wrist a privacy seal was engraved into the door. Saya knew her mother would come to check on her and she wasn't in any mood to entertain any form of conversation.

Saya slid down to sit on her butt and sprawled out her legs without a care in the world. Her eyes moistened as she continued to stare off into nothingness. "You can't die on me..." Saya whispered out in a croaky voice.

Her throat had been strained from yelling at the top of her lungs for several minutes. After she met Kotohime and the rest of the party that were 'guarding' Naruto all hell broke loose. She saw with her own eyes just how bad of a state the boy was in was.

His face looked so pale and he was bleeding from all his visible orifices. The Kyuubi chakra had solidified into a red cloak around him. He trashed around in agony, screaming like he was being tortured. A reaction that Kotohime said was normal for 'early bloomers'.

Saya didn't care if it was normal. She didn't care if it was temporal, or about the guarantees that her ōkami gave. All she cared about was him. He was in so much pain and there was nothing she could do to help. There was nothing she could do at all. That hurt her more than anything she had ever felt before.

Saya couldn't put this feeling in words.

This feeling that made her act out like a child throwing a tantrum. That made her disregard her fear and respect for all those people. Saya didn't care for fear, reverence or better judgement. She didn't care that her; a mere B-rank nin was raising her voice to a group of S-rankers.

Saya only cared about him. Her wakate. Her m–

"Saya."

A voice that Saya was very familiar with resounded. Saya shook her head at her own thoughtlessness. Was she that much out of it that she didn't even realize that Yūgao was in her room?. Pathetic.

Saya looked up at the purple haired lady. Yūgao was staring at her with what could only be pity, but Saya could pick out traces of disappointment. She wondered what that was about. Was it because of how she had acted with her mother?. If it was, Saya didn't care.

"What are you doing here, Yūgao?." Saya said rubbing the side of her head as she exhaled. She took advantage of the brief movement to slyly wiped her moistening lashes dry.

"Waiting for you." Yūgao said. She took a cross legged sitting position on Saya's bed and stared at the lady with a serious expression. "When?."

Saya raised her lowered head to give Yūgao a questioning look. When?. What did she mean by when?. Wasn't she going to chew her up about her mom, or ask how Naruto was doing?.

"When did you take my place as the worrywart?." Yūgao said, crossing her arms under her bust. She was still dressed in her ANBU garb, but discarded the mask. It was against the rules, but Yūgao didn't care at the moment. If Saya didn't know she was an ANBU agent then not even the Sandaime would.

Saya leaned back fully into the door a gave Yūgao a bored look. She knew what this was. Yūgao was calling her out, and Saya didn't appreciate it. She was her ex teammate not her big sister. She had no right to lecture her.

"What does it matter to you?. Scared I'll occupy both our spots in Naruto's hearts?." Saya said. Whether or not she said those words teasingly or seriously was a mystery.

Yūgao's expression didn't waver. She leaned forward slightly. "Wasn't he the 'squirt' before?. What changed, huh Saya?." Yūgao asked.

Saya clicked her tongue in annoyance and remained silent. She was really not in the mood for this. She was really starting to lose her temper with this annoying ex teammate of hers.

"You've stopped addressing him as informally you used to. You pay more attention to him, and you seem to always be worried about him." Yūgao said, pointing an accusatory finger at Saya. "Ever since Naruto enrolled into the academy, I've watched you change. It's not obvious but I could always tell when it's you Saya.

"You don't walk ahead of him anymore, you now walk a little behind him, and even sometimes beside him. You've become more agreeable to his demands. You never correct him, unless you know he wants to be corrected. You let him to do what–"

"What's the point?!." Saya snapped. She had finally had it with Yūgao's rambling. When she came into this house she came with one goal in mind, and that was to be alone with her thoughts. She didn't need this. Whatever this was...

Saya gave Yūgao a heated glare. "Get. To. The. Point."

Yūgao's serene expression faltered for a little bit before returning to stillness. "This." She pointed at Saya again. "This isn't the you I remember. You've changed, because of him. You changed so fast because you were scared you would lose him after he decided he wouldn't take you as his jōnin sensei.

"In hindsight, you have always had elements of this Saya within you. You made jōnin months before I did. You, the detached Uzuki Saya, worked her butt off to make jōnin in time. So he could pick you.

"That's what you wanted, wasn't it?." Yūgao said, throwing a direct question at Saya. The gothic jōnin stubbornly refused to speak and just glared at Yūgao. The purple haired young woman sighed.

"I know it must've hurt having him pick someone else over you, but Saya acting this way won't help." Yūgao started to speak in a more gentle tone. "Wakate-kun is growing up really fast, and as he does he's gonna need us less and less. Soon he'll graduate and we will see him less and less. You have to come to terms with this."

Saya shut her eyes as she took a second to gather her thoughts. The things Yūgao was saying now, she already knew. Come to terms with it?. Was it that simple?. Was it that easy?. Maybe for the rest of them it was but for her...

That just sounded like hell.

"Easy for you to say. You never had a problem moving on from him, from any of us for that matter." Saya said in a snide tone, matching gazes with the sad looking Yūgao. She hated that look. Especially when they were directed at her.

"That's not fair Saya..." Yūgao muttered out, feeling a throbbing sensation in her heart. Guilt.

Saya laughed hollowly. "But it is true." Saya insisted. "You said I made jōnin before you, that I changed after Naruto decided to go to the academy?. Well you changed the second you got that call. Once you became one of the hokage's ANBU you never looked back after that.

"You forgot all about us. About ōkami-sama, about Naruto, about me, about everyone!. Even Eri says she hardly sees you these days. You've basically become a ghost. You sacrificed all our feelings for your stupid ambitions!." Saya snapped.

She didn't realize when but she was already on her feet, yelling at the seated and stunned Yūgao. She felt so angry and mostly helpless. She felt so ever since Naruto decided to enroll into the academy.

It was particularly worse after she had seen Naruto suffering and being helpless to aid him. She felt so useless, it made her furious. Yūgao's incessant questioning had lead her to become an unfortunate outlet for the irate blonde's frustrations.

"You've started a whole other life, outside from the clan. You spend all your time with that bastard Hayate and all your friends. '

Your friends. We used to share everything before Yūgao!. Now it's your friends. Your mission. Your responsibilities. Your burdens. Your nakama."

Saya paused to glare at her childhood friend. A person she would like to call her best friend but they were slowly drifting apart. Naruto had been the only thing really keeping then together, but after he decided to walk his own path that connection broke.

Saya wouldn't admit it but she felt betrayed by the two. They were supposed to be her closest people and they picked their careers and ambitions ahead of their relationship without hesitation. Saya was left in a state of limbo, unsure of what to do with herself.

Yūgao could see the pain and sincerity in Saya's eyes. Something that she knew was very rare for the gothic lady. For Saya to express herself to this degree it meant whatever was bothering her was serious. Very serious.

Yūgao wondered where her eyes had been all this time. Saya was in such a bad place and she hadn't realized it until the lady was at the brink of a meltdown.

"Saya it's not like that." Yūgao tried to explain. But what could she say?. She didn't know where to start. I'm sorry?. Would Saya even register those words?.

"It's exactly like that." Saya said. Her demeanor made an abrupt shift to blankness. Whatever was going through Saya's mind at this moment was a complete mystery. "You made your choice, and I've made mine. I won't pursue you like some lovesick puppy." Saya declared.

"You can go on living this life, if you think that's what you desire. I just hope you have a family to return to after you've done building a home outside." Saya said.

Yūgao bit her lower lip in helplessness. She came in here all serious, waiting for Saya to return so she could give her an earful, only to end up having her ass handed to her. Yūgao couldn't discount that she she deserved it. She had been a terrible daughter, student, big sister and friend. Yūgao didn't know how to begin to make up for all she had done and hadn't done.

She was clueless. However, she did know that there were things concerning Saya that had to be addressed. Her so-called choice being one of them. If it was what Yūgao suspected then she had to handle it immediately.

"Saya about what you said... Your choice, does it concern Naruto-sama?." Yūgao asked in a serious tone.

Saya's expression remained the same. "Does it matter?."

"It does if you're going about it the way I fear that you are." Yūgao pressed. "Your relationship with him is becoming very unhealthy, Saya. You have to take care or what–"

"Or what?. It'll become something like the relationship you have with Hayate?." Saya couldn't stop herself for snorting dismissively at Yūgao's 'cautions'.

Yūgao blinked in surprise. She didn't expect Saya to go out and say it. That was what she had been worried about for a while now. After she heard about her outburst from the other day from one of the maids in main residence, she knew she had to talk with Saya.

(AN: Yūgao hadn't been at home until now, so she's just finding about the Saya episode.)

"If that's what you're worried about, save it. Ōkami-sama already gave me the talk, I don't need your version." Saya said. She begun taking down the privacy seal. This conversation was over as far as she was concerned. She would have to find another room to be alone with her thoughts though.

Yūgao's shock only went more levels up at the revelation. The maids weren't present for that part, only Saya, Kotohime and Kurenai were. "Ōkami-sama did... wait, even ōkami-sama is concerned?." Realization hit the purple haired ANBU agent. "This is serious Saya. You need to be careful or–"

"Or I'll fall in love with him?." Saya interrupted with a smirk. Yūgao stared at her in speechlessness and horror. "Would that be so bad?. He's a gonna be a man, and I'm a woman. What does it matter?."

"He is a child now. And we were meant to serve as his shield and sword, not his..." Yūgao blushed lightly, unable to bring herself to use the word. She could barely believe what she was hearing. Saya was speaking so brazenly about something so immoral.

"I am not doing anything now." Saya shrugged.

"Don't make me laugh. You're basically shaping up to be his woman." Yūgao accused.

Saya didn't mind the accusation. Her conscience was clean. At present she didn't see Naruto as anything other than her potential master. However, she wouldn't rule out anything for the future. If Naruto grew to desire her, she wouldn't let their history stand in the way of that.

She was a shinobi, she wouldn't overly complicate things like a civilian would. Stranger things had happened. She was fashioned to exclusively belong to Naruto anyway. Whether it was as a weapon or a woman. Naruto would be the judge of that.

Saya relayed as much to the shell shocked Yūgao. It was better they cleared the air now, in an event Naruto chose what they both knew he would.

"I've already made my decision, and I don't care if it makes you feel some type of way." Saya said bluntly. "It's better you accept it now. I will stay true to my purpose and be fully at the disposal of our wakate. You've made your decision to be away from him, don't judge me for choosing the opposite."

"That's not choosing Naruto, Saya. That's... that's... it's... argh!." Yūgao couldn't find the words and took out her annoyance on Saya's pillow.

Saya stared at the purple haired young woman that was doing her best to ruin her pillow with her fists. Looking at Yūgao now, Saya felt a little better. She always thought Yūgao had her whole life figured out, unlike her. Turns out she was wrong.

There were still areas the ANBU agent was completely ignorant about. Just like her she hadn't made sense of the situation. This made Saya's heart lighten.

Saya finished breaking the privacy seal and pulled the door open. The sound interrupted Yūgao's square off with her pillow.

"I am sure of one thing though." Saya said with her back to Yūgao.

"What?." Yūgao asked. This wasn't the end to the conversation she envisioned but she would have to make due, at least for the time being.

Saya swiftly moved out of the room and pulled the door close enough for only one of her eyes to be visible. Despite it, Yūgao could somehow make out her smile from behind the door. "Sex with Naruto will definitely be better than sex with Hayate. I saw the squirt's thing and it's huge for his age." Saya said in a teasing voice.

Yūgao's face immediately turned as red as a chilli pepper, smoke comically billowed out of her ears. Her expression was one of complete disbelief, but her face was bright enough to make any unbeliever believe that when He said there should be light there was light.

"I hope you don't regret choosing Hayate in the future." Saya shut the door after that, her maniacal cackle resounding as she made her way out of the house.

Yūgao just remained on the bed, too shocked to move. She didn't dare think over Saya's words or try to put them in perspective. No. Doing that was wrong. It was a sin. A big sister figure shouldn't even think about such a thing. Yūgao stopped herself because she knew it was wrong.

Yūgao needed some time to get over her shock though. On the bright side Saya was doing better than she was when she got into the room. That was a plus. Yūgao decided to keep her mind on that instead. Though it was unintentional, she had helped her friend like she used to in the past.

Perhaps there was a road for redemption for her after all. However, should a teen Naruto and Saya become a couple how would she fit into that equation?. Would bonding time between them be double dates, or threesomes–

'Dammit!.' Yūgao cussed. She ended up thinking about it anyway. 'Damn you Saya!. You've corrupted my saintly mind!.' Yūgao grabbed her head and comically screamed to the heavens.

---

Training Ground 44 - Fields

"He's finally settled down." Hiruzen said with a sigh of relief. He directed a gentle gaze to the blonde jinchuriki laying on the bare ground using the lap of the woman who had contributed the most to his transition as a pillow.

Naruto was completely covered in sweat, his clothes had been completely soaked by it. It was the same for the blue haired woman who was stroking his hair with a fond expression. They both looked exhausted, however the woman managed to maintain consciousness.

Surrounding the two were Hiruzen, Kotohime, Mina, Iroh, Gai and a pale blue haired young man of about eighteen years.

The young man physically resembled Kakashi, though his hair was more straight compared to the Hatake's spiky locks. He stood at 6'1, quite tall compared to the rest of the shinobi present but Gai.

He was dressed in a dark blue hooded cloak, with only a pair of black shinobi pants left visible and ANBU style sandals. There was a sword hilt sticking out of his cloak. His sky blue eyes stared intensely at the shinobi group.

The former Ryūjin Empire war general, Iroh took a further back position than the rest.

"I've never met such a tough kid before." The blue haired woman commented as she stroked Naruto's wet locks. She paid no mind to the stares of the onlookers. Though being surrounded by so many powerful characters unnerved her a little, she had long gotten used to high chakra pressure.

Kotohime was the first to take a step forward and begun to approach the duo. She avoid a few craters that had been formed not too long ago, courtesy of the sleeping blonde on the blue haired beautiful woman's lap.

When Kotohime made her move, the blue haired young man did as well. He immediately used shunshin to move to the side of the woman and Naruto. He took a protective side besides the duo. His hand held onto the handle of a sword as he sent a dangerous look Kotohime's way.

Kotohime stopped walking and gave the young man an appraising look. The blue haired woman took notice of this and turned to the young man with a calm look of disapproval. "I told you, Konoha is not our enemy, Takanashi." The woman said.

It was evident she had said these words multiple times, if the weariness in her eyes was an indication. The young man dubbed Takanashi did not take his eyes off the stationary Kotohime, but still replied to the woman holding Naruto.

"They unjustly imprisoned tou-san." Takanashi said unrelentingly. "They are already treating us as enemies, I am just acting in kind."

Takanashi wanted to turn his hateful glare to the man in charge of this blasted village, but stopped himself. His senses were screaming at him, telling him this calm looking middle-aged looking granny was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

"I don't represent Konoha." Kotohime said, denouncing the village in a heartbeat. This earned a roll of the eyes from Mina and sweatdrops from the men present. "I just want to checkup on my grandson. I mean no harm." Kotohime assured.

Mina bristled in annoyance at the Uzumaki matriarch's choice of words when referring to Naruto. What happened to 'wakate' or 'my heir'?. She had started calling Naruto her grandson more frequently, and Mina knew it was to piss her off. To what end was the mystery.

Takanashi stared at the Uzumaki woman's eyes and could only see genuineness. She truly looked like a worried grandmother who just wanted to see her grandson. Takanashi's grip on his sword loosen a little as his heart wavered for a split second.

A lapse of concentration that only lasted for a fraction of a second. That's when not only Kotohime but Mina as well made their move. Before Takanashi knew what was happening his hands had been bounded behind his back and his entire body was covered in a mushy substance.

A sweet aroma reached his nostrils. Takanashi blinked. He didn't know too much about the real world, but in their short time here they had gone to a carnival. There Takanashi got to try out this stuff. The oji-san that sold it to them called it cotton candy.

'Since when did ninja use treats to fight?.' Takanashi wondered. Takanashi tried to break free from the cotton candy but found that he was powerless against the seemingly feather weight substance.

It sounded impossible but that was what had happened. The cotton candy didn't feel, look or smell any different from the norm. Yet, for some reason Takanashi couldn't brute force his way out of it.

It was soft to touch but as immovable as a mountain. It had little to no weight, yet held him in place easily. It made no sense to Takanashi.

It made every sense to the creator of the technique however. Mina threw a clomp of excess cotton candy into her mouth and ate it. She licked her fingers as she regarded the still disorientated Takanashi.

"Brats should listen to their mothers." Mina said in her usual tone.

"Losing your focus for even an instant in a real battle could prove deadly." Kotohime's voice reached Takanashi's ears. He couldn't see the woman as she was behind him. The heavy feeling in his wrist was likely her doing.

The blue haired woman sighed. Takanashi took a lot from his father, Hatake Kakashi, but he didn't take his levelheadedness. He wasn't a brash person per se, but he had an impulsive streak that she knew would only get himself into trouble.

Case in point. He managed to get his inexperienced ass handed to him by not one, but two Seal Masters. At the same time too. It was quite impressive now she thought about it.

The blue haired woman turned to the Uzumaki clan head who was now kneeling beside her. Her eyes and hand roaming Naruto's form for an irregularities. There was a hardly distinguishable curve at the corner of her lips. Kotohime liked what she found.

"Kotohime-sama, would you and Mina-sama mind releasing my son?." The blue haired woman asked in a respectful manner.

She had spent a better part of her shinobi years looking up to these two women. Though it had been years and she had grown powerful, the reverence for the two remained.

Kotohime's eyes remained fixed on the sleeping Naruto. "Kakashi's wife–"

"Suiren." The blue haired woman introduced. She hadn't had the chance to introduce herself before Naruto's condition took a sudden turn for the worst and the transition had be initiated ahead of schedule.

It had been a close escape. If Iroh and Saya had shown up a few minutes later then Konoha would have lost its jinchuriki and the lineage of the Uzumaki clan would possibly be closed.

"Suiren." Kotohime said, accepting the correction. "The boy is too impulsive. He needs to learn the hard way that shinobi are not to be taken lightly." Kotohime said. "In any case, Mina-chan's circus trick creates actual cotton candy. He can just eat his way out." Kotohime added.

Mina's eyebrow twitched. She was now on the other side of Naruto and Suiren, checking up on Naruto as well. She heard Kotohime's description of her fūinjutsu and almost lost her temper. The only thing holding her back was her consideration for the blonde jinchuriki.

"If you could use my fūinjutsu then perhaps you would have gotten your ex husband to stay put." Mina said with a mocking smirk.

Kotohime's right eye twitched in annoyance. Mina wouldn't stop mentioning that bastard now she knew it still got to her. "At least I have an ex husband. The only thing that was willing to form a bond with you was herpes." Kotohime fired back.

Mina scowled. It was that nasty rumor again. Twenty years ago Kotohime convinced the entire Konoha shinobi populace that she had herpes. It was easily the most embarrassing period of Mina's life. Everybody, especially men avoided her like the plague.

Mina had to pay off the head doctor a huge sum to spread the news of her negative status on STDs before the rumors finally quelled. Still, there were a few people who still believed Kotohime's lies.

"You know that's a damn lie. Like the vows you and your ex husband told each other!." Mina yelled at Kotohime. The last thing she needed was another herpes fiasco.

"All our vows didn't number up to half the STDs you racked up before you turned eighteen." Kotohime gave a quickfire response.

"At least I was getting some. The only thing you have slept with in years is your blanket. Your husband was disgusted with thought of laying with you so much that he banished himself to the Forest of Death."

"Forest of Death. Isn't that what your lady parts are called in the streets?."

"Lady parts?. You're such a damn virgin you can't use the words. It's called a vagina. A pussy, or in your case the uncharted island."

"Better a tight tight virgin maiden than a ran through two ryō skank."

"Better a skank than a woman with as much sexual experience as Barney the dinosaur."

"Speaking of dinosaurs, wasn't it your toxic woman parts that wiped Barney's whole clan out?."

"My cooch has more kill counts than yours has body counts. Tough."

"Yet still never got married."

"Never got divorced either."

"Better divorced than unmarried. How many cats do you have anyway?."

"As many as the people willing to do the nasty with you. A big fat zero. The only D in you got in your life was a divorce."

"I admit you got more Ds than I ever will. STDs."

The two seal masters continued to bicker in hushed tones so not to disturb the sleeping Naruto. The hokage, Gai and Iroh watched on with sweatdrops. Suiren was looking at them with pleading eyes. The men avoided her gaze. There was no way they were getting inbetween those two.

Six eyes turned away from the three women and Naruto and landed on Takanashi, who had actually taken Kotohime's advice and was munching on the cotton candy. He had managed to free one shoulder and was now working on the other.

Hiruzen, Gai and Iroh's sweatdrops became even larger.

"Some things never change." Gai said with a amused smile, glancing at the arguing elderly women briefly. Ever since he could remember these two never got along. Ever after nine years nothing had changed, they still couldn't stand each other.

Hiruzen's gaze landed on Gai. "The same could be said about you, Gai." Hiruzen said, gesturing and Gai's state of dressing. The former Konoha jōnin was still dressed in his usual green spandex and orange leg warmers.

Aside from looking more older and taller than Hiruzen remembered, Gai hadn't changed all that much. Just like Kakashi. The years really didn't change much for the two eternal rivals. If Hiruzen was to pick, then he would say Suiren changed the most.

The Mizu no Kuni born kunoichi had gone from a pretty girl to a fully developed and mature woman. Her hair had grown longer and she wore it different. Her countenance had the most notable change from the three formerly missing shinobi.

The Suiren Hiruzen remembered was a cheerful and playful girl who often didn't know when to take things seriously. The display they'd gotten from the Suiren that returned was that of a professional. Her demeanor was very serious, and the way she had gone about her actions reminded Hiruzen of a few late kunoichi friends from his time participating the wars.

Gai more or less seemed the same happy-go-lucky and hyperactive person he remembered. Kakashi had somewhat gotten a little more cynical, but he always had elements of that in his personality. He was also more self-assured and borderline cocky, which again he always had elements of in his personality.

Hiruzen was relieved to find that the three shinobi that had left for eight to nine years had returned more or less the same.

Gai smiled lightly at the hokage's words. It had been a long twenty odd years in their experience, but for the rest of the world it had only been nine-ish years. Gai for one was happy to be back. The feeling of standing on Konoha soil once more was something he couldn't describe.

He was home.

"The experience must really be surreal." Iroh commented. "I was present when the Daimyō got the report of you, Suiren and Kakashi's experience in that pocket dimension." Iroh said, clarifying how he was up to speed on the trio's affairs.

Gai turned to the man. He was the only person present that Gai didn't know. Sure, he knew him by reputation but that was about it. This was the first time he has crossed paths with the former Ryūjin Empire general.

Sensing that a serious discussion was forthcoming, Gai wore a calm and hard expression. Dealing with this man meant dealing with the Capital City. His words couldn't be discounted as mere drivel. "We always wanted to return, but it was impossible. We had to wait for the barrier between the two dimensions weakened before Kakashi could teleport us out. I'm sure Kakashi said as much in his statement." Gai said.

Iroh stroked his beard, not minding the shift of the atmosphere. His goal was to have fun in Konoha but right before he could even walk through the gates it became clear that such plans were destined for spectacular failure.

"It did. I just wanted to confirm if both your stories match-up." Iroh admitted. "Kakashi also claimed that while you were trapped in the pocket space, you three met a monster similar to a bijuu. An imoogi of sorts?."

Gai nodded first but then shook his head, confusing Iroh and the Sandaime who decided to take a third-party role in this for the time being. "It was similar, in strength for example. It had a terrifying level of chakra, but it most definitely wasn't a bijuu." Gai said, somewhat explaining his initial contradictory reaction.

"What makes you so sure?." Iroh raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he asked.

"Bijuus are masses of chakra. They seem to have physical bodies but are in essence simply chakra that has taken a tangible form. Imoogi-sama on the other hand was actual flesh and bones but with strength rivalling a bijuu." Gai gave a short explanation.

"You seem to be quite informed on the physiology of bijuu." Iroh commented.

Gai laughed sheepishly before replying. "Kakashi was the one who made this deduction. He lived with a jinchuriki so he would know about bijuu. I just copied and repeated what he told me."

Iroh nodded in acceptance. That much was in Kakashi's statement. The Hatake was quite generous in his explanations and didn't leave much left for their imagination. The only issue was that they didn't exactly believe everything he said. Hearing Gai confirm his story now would surely put the court at ease.

Iroh was satisfied with Gai's answers at least for now. They would have to conduct more investigations and there would naturally be further questioning until this matter was cleared up. Iroh, however, still had one more thing he had to know. This was from a personal standpoint, but he was sure the Daimyō would like to know as well.

"If you were to compare the imoogi to a bijuu which one would it be?." Iroh asked.

Hiruzen perked up at this. He for one believed Kakashi's and Gai's words without a doubt. He also shared the concerns of Iroh. If there was an existence akin to a bijuu in a dimension that was connected to theirs then they had to be at least informed on its strength.

Whether or not its was a threat was left to be seen. All the bijuu had been accounted for. The emergence of a tenth might offset the balance of powers in the Elemental Nations. That was an outcome the Sandaime never wanted to see.

Gai stroked his chin in thought. How strong was the so-called imoogi?. Gai had asked himself that question many times, but he never really put it into the perspective of a bijuu.

Gai didn't really know much about bijuu and had only had a brief encounter with the jinchuriki of the yonbi. This question would be better answered by Kakashi. He had more knowledge on bijuu and had run into to a few jinchuriki, and also lived with one.

"Maybe as strong as the Kyuubi, I am not s–." Gai was saying with a shrug of his shoulders when a voice interrupted him.

"You would be wise to take back those words of blasphemy lest the Kyuubi holds a grudge for you in its heart." Kotohime–who had appeared at Iroh's side all of a sudden–said.

Gai jumped a little from the woman's sudden appearance. Wasn't she checking on Naruto?. Gai turned and found that another Kotohime was still kneeling by Naruto's side, and still arguing with Mina.

He turned his eyes back to the one near him. 'Kage bunshin?.' Gai wondered.

Hiruzen and Iroh didn't seem all that surprise by Kotohime's clone appearing beside them. Hiruzen huffed out a puff of smoke from his mouth. "You have never met this imoogi before, so how could you be so sure?." he asked.

The clone Kotohime turned to Gai. "You said that imoogi creature is currently trapped in a pocket dimension?."

"Yeah. Imoogi-sama said someone sealed him there for a crime he didn't commit or something." Gai said, recalling the very loud complaints of the powerful aquatic creature about the 'bastard' that dared to seal his esteemed self. It vowed to swallow this unidentified person whole.

"Then it's not as strong as the Kyuubi." Kotohime's clone said without a shred of doubt.

Gai raised an eyebrow. He was pretty ignorant on the Kyuubi, but so was Kotohime on the imoogi, so how could she be so certain?.

Iroh shared Gai's skepticism. It just sounded like Kotohime was being stubborn to concede that there could be another creature on the nine tails level.

Hiruzen was the only one who didn't doubt Kotohime. He wasn't thinking about whether or not her words were accurate. He was more interested on how she knew of the imoogi. He knew the kind of person Kotohime was. She wouldn't speak on matters she was ignorant on.

"There are records from the era of the Rikudō Sennin about certain existences that were too strong for the world to accommodate. Creatures that threatened the progress of the newly emerging humanity, thus the god of chakra sealed them all away." Kotohime began explaining.

Hiruzen frowned. It was as he thought. This woman knew something once again. Was there anything concerning fūinjutsu that she didn't have a little information on?. Hiruzen didn't recall even Mito being this knowledgeable.

"Himself and his brother were amongst said existences. How exactly they sealed themselves away, or whether that was even what they did is a mystery.

"Tobirama-sama suspected that there were two other similar existences. One hidden in the depths of perusepone no kokoro and the other in a sacred ground in Mizu no Kuni, kaiōsei no mure. I believe this imoogi was the one that you found through Mizu no Kuni.

"What makes me so sure that the Kyuubi is beyond the creature you found in kaiōsei no mure?. The simple fact that the Kyuubi was one of those existences. Yet it was left behind in the event that one of those existences broke free.

"So how would the sage leave behind a fail-safe that's not even more powerful than the threats?." Kotohime's clone directed a question at the three men.

Gai blinked. Kotohime knew about Imoogi?. So the ancient monster wasn't lying when it said it was sealed away unfairly. To think the person who did that was the legendary sage of six paths. Come to think of it, the imoogi talked a lot about the god of shinobi.

"So the Rikudō Sennin isn't a myth." Iroh said with a thoughtful look. Iroh sweatdropped at the look the three shinobi was giving him. What?. His ancestors were samurai. They didn't believe in any ninja Kami. Tetsu no Kuni had their own godlike ancestor.

"Putting the ignorant samurai aside." Hiruzen said, earning a 'hey' from Iroh. The aged hokage smirked briefly before addressing Kotohime's clone. "Where exactly did you find records dating back to the time of the Rikudō Sennin?."

Kotohime's clone shrugged nonchalantly. "The Uzumaki clan is one of the oldest clans in history. There are things in our treasury that even I don't understand. After existing for hundreds of years, do you really think we wouldn't accumulate records of the Rikudō Sennin?." She asked.

Hiruzen couldn't argue with her there. It made sense that an ancient clan would know ancient history. Whether or not Mito knew about it Hiruzen was not sure. Kotohime also implied that Tobirama was in the know, so it was likely even the Senju had records dating back to the time of the Rikudō Sennin.

If the Senju had something, then the Uchiha clan definitely had something too. It was even more likely that the Beifong clan of Tsuchi no Kuni and the Shiōin clan of Kaminari no Kuni knew a few things as well.

With that in mind, Hiruzen spoke. "We have to proceed with the assumption that not only our nation knows about the existence of this imoogi. And now that its existence has been confirmed by Kakashi, Suiren and Gai there might be a few reactions from the other superpowers." Hiruzen said.

Iroh, Kotohime and Gai nodded in agreement. "That imoogi you three met might be in danger if things proceed as hokage-sama fears." Kotohime said, respectfully addressing Hiruzen for the first time. With Iroh present she couldn't act out of her place too much. That would be sending the wrong message to the Daimyō.

"Imoogi-sama can handle himself." Gai said in confidence. The egocentric creature was powerful, far more powerful than most top rank shinobi could handle.

"Do not underestimate the power of greed and humanity, Gai." Iroh said, in a tone of a grandfather advising a grandchild.

"Iroh-dono is correct. Even the Kyuubi was captured and seal by humans. I'm sure others won't hesitate to try their luck. The prospects of a new bijuu and jinchuriki is too tempting." Hiruzen said in agreement with the Dragon of the West.

The Sandaime continued after a brief pause. "As of now Hi no Kuni is ahead, however our relationship with the other nations and the Great Villages over the years has been abysmal at best. Our rivals may see this as an opportunity to turn the tables."

"After the trashing Kakashi gave the raikage and his brother, Kumo will be the most likely to make a move. They already have a history of stealing powers from abroad." Kotohime said, hinting at Kumo's shameless attempts at kidnapping Kushina and Hyūga Hinata.

Everybody knew Kumo were thirsty for kekkei genkai and would stop at nothing to fill their ranks with special shinobi.

The prospects of a possible bijuu-like entity would be the most tempting to Kumo. They already had a history of raising perfect jinchuriki. Adding another one to their ranks would bolster their strength several folds.

It would be the perfect comeback after being disgraced at the hands of Konoha. The three veterans did not doubt for a minute in their mind that A would jump at the opportunity.

"Kiri is in a complete mess too, they won't be able to resist if Kumo comes knocking." Iroh said with a heavy sigh.

The balance of power was delicate and it maintained the peaceful streak the Elemental Nations were enjoying. This balance was only possible due to the presence of a peaceful supreme power.

Konoha was the prime of the Elemental Nations, and by extension Hi no Kuni the number one nation. They had no interest in conquering lands or wars, they only pursued peace and freedom in existence.

If that balance was broken by any of the villages taming the imoogi, then whether or not it would mean they'd equaled Konoha's total power it would be irrelevant. There wouldn't be peace from that very moment.

The balance would be lost and that village would begin to act out. In such an event, Konoha would be forced into action and another Great Shinobi War would be on the horizon.

Whether or not Konoha could triumph once again in this potential war mattered little. The main concern was how the Elemental Nations would fare should another war break out.

Hiruzen, Kotohime, Gai nor Iroh wanted to find out. They had all witnessed war. In wars there were no winners, only survivors.

"I will inform Daimyō-sama. Measures have to be taken." Iroh said, looking prepared to hurry back to the Capital. For all they knew the other nations had caught wind of whispers of the imoogi. Hi no Kuni must prepare countermeasures immediately.

"Hold on, Iroh-dono. I think I have a solution." Hiruzen said. The pipe had left his lips, indicating that the serious business was about to start.

Kotohime's clone raised an eyebrow. She knew that look. 'Hiruzen-kōhai you old monkey, what dastardly plan have you devised in that brain of yours?.' Kotohime's clone thought in a mixture of a amusement and anticipation.

Iroh and Gai raised an eyebrow in curiosity as well. They had just identified the problem and the Sandaime already had a solution?. That was way too quick. Unless of course he already knew about the issue ahead of time, which was even more impossible.

"You're sharper than I remember, Sarutobi-dono." Iroh said, eyeing Hiruzen in suspicion.

Hiruzen laughed lightly. "Don't flatter me, Iroh-dono. I'm just an old man that knows a few things, that's it." Hiruzen said. There was a ghost of an evil smile on his face that Iroh wasn't sure if he was imagining or not.

"My solution brings me to condition I told you Kakashi-kun gave before bringing his wife to aid Naruto-kun." Hiruzen started.

Iroh nodded. "You didn't get around telling me exactly what he asked for, and it was too late to negotiate since the poor boy was already at the deep end." Iroh said, putting emphasis on how he was unable to even say a word of negotiation.

"Be that as it may, Kakashi-kun and his wife have already aided us. We owe him. I believe Iroh-dono can agree." Hiruzen said with a thin smile.

Iroh hesitated for a small interval before conceding the point. He wasn't the kind of person to burn the bridge after crossing it. Hi no Kuni for a fact owed Hatake Kakashi, in two counts actually.

"That is acceptable." Iroh nodded. "What does he want?." he asked, a little wary of what Hiruzen was going to say.

Hiruzen smiled in delight. Things were progressing swimmingly, as anticipated. He wouldn't be smiling this way if he wasn't sure they would. This was the smile of a winner.

"Kakashi-kun requests that his family be incorporated as Hi no Kuni citizens and granted a shinobi clan status in Konohagakure. He also wants former jōnin Maito Gai reinstated back into our shinobi roster. It's quite reasonable, right?." Hiruzen said with a Cheshire grin.

Iroh was left speechless. Reasonable?. That was like asking that Osama Bin Laden's relations be given jobs in the White House. Kakashi was more or less considered an international terrorist, and Kumo had placed the highest recorded bounty on his head.

Forget about giving his family a shinobi clan status, letting them settle in Konoha was equivalent to saying fuck you times one million to Kumo and by extension Kaminari no Kuni. The Daimyō of Hi no Kuni barely managed to maintain a cordial relationship with Kaminari no Kuni by imprisoning Kakashi.

Now the man wanted them to basically knight his family. Wasn't that tantamount to saying 'good job on kicking their asses Kakashi, here's a medal'.

In Iroh's opinion that was what they should say, but politics was politics. One couldn't tell a Daimyō how to run a country.

"Hiruzen, I sympathize with Kakashi, I really do but Daimyō-sama will 'never' agree to those terms." Iroh said, addressing Hiruzen on a first name basis. He felt bad to turn an old friend down, but he had no choice in the matter.

Contrary to what Iroh expected Hiruzen didn't look deflated, not even a little bit. The Sandaime smiled like a winner, because he was the winner of this bout. "Oh but he already did." Hiruzen said. He almost cackled in amusement like a certain Uzumaki witch when Iroh gave him a dead fish expression.

"He did about ten years ago, when Minato was still with us. The Hatake family has already been given the official clan status by the Daimyō. I just never got about announcing it." Hiruzen said in a casual tone. He blew the nonexistent dust of his nails as he continued. "I guess now wouldn't a bad time to make an announcement."

Iroh gave the coy looking hokage a dry stare. "You're a real son of a whore, Hiruzen." Iroh said. He didn't bother arguing. What case could he or the Daimyō make?. He already gave his approval, he couldn't just take it back either. That was not how the relationship between Konoha and the Capital City worked.

The Daimyō was a landlord not their king. He couldn't just profess and make Konoha obey. He could greatly influence their livelihood, but there were still limits. There were some decisions Konoha could take without referring to the Daimyō.

When Konoha did refer to the Daimyō they did so seeking his blessing and not permission. Hiruzen could decide to be a stubborn kage like the mizukage and ignore the Daimyō's wishes. It would lead to series of undesirable events and chaos, but he could do it.

After the Daimyō gave their approval, then the kage could proceed with confidence. The Daimyō was not at liberty to change their mind whenever it suited them. That would be challenging the authority of the kage, the commander general of the nation's military. A stupid endeavor.

Only Tsuchi and Kaminari no Kuni's Daimyō could afford to challenge their respective kage. Both descending from ancient clans that were still going strong. If push came to shove they could match the power of their hidden villages.

Hi no Kuni had no such ancient clan loyal to the Capital alone. All their ancient clans were loyal to the man grinning at Iroh. But a moment Iroh saw just how much of a disadvantage the Daimyō would be at if he decided to challenge Konoha.

It was fortunate all the hokages were peace loving. If just one had a similar personality to Ōnoki or A for example then Konoha would truly become the only super power in the Elemental Nations.

"As for Gai's reinstatement... well I never really took him out of the shinobi roster, same for Kakashi-kun." Hiruzen added.

A huge tick mark appeared on Iroh's head. "Then why are you even asking?!." He yelled at the annoying hokage.

"I'm just informing." Hiruzen said with a smirk. Take that Capital City and Daimyō. Sarutobi Hiruzen was victorious once more.

The aged hokage was proving yet again why he was the Daimyō's least favorite hokage. Unlike the rest of the hokage who were more of military men than politicians, the Sandaime was a perfect blend of the two. Even more perfect than the Nidaime, who had a weakness in negotiating and delegating.

The Senju pride and being the younger brother of Hashirama Senju didn't permit him to compromise. His response to the kages of the current Great Villages when they asked why Taki was given a bijuu was one for the ages.

'Because we can give them one. When you can capture your own bijuu then you can give it to whoever you want.'

Safe to say the hatred for Senju Tobirama across the Elemental Nations started with those words. He and his sister in-law Mito were just naturally disrespectful. The Uzumaki woman had her own moment of extreme verbal savagery, but that was a story for another day.

"What about the solution to our problem?. Just get on with it." Iroh said in annoyance. He wanted to be out of this place already. There were pressing issues and he didn't even get the time to have fun.

Hiruzen chuckled at Iroh's reaction. He shouldn't take it too personally, Hiruzen's opponent was the Daimyō and not him. "My solution is that we use Kakashi-kun to safeguard the imoogi. He already has a relationship with it, so it will listen to him. Also Kakashi has the strength and ability to teleport things. Without his consent no one would be able to lay a finger on the imoogi." Hiruzen pitched his idea to the Iroh.

This wasn't a case concerning mainly Konoha, and would entail venturing into Mizu no Kuni. Without the Daimyō's blessing then carrying out such an expedition would be equivalent to Hiruzen carelessly endangering the lives of all of Hi no Kuni.

Hiruzen wanted the Daimyō's approval before taking such a step. In the event that something went wrong, he would need the Capital's aid to shoulder the burden. When the lives of the people were at stake, Hiruzen would never act casually.

Iroh wasn't too opposed to the idea. But that was his opinion and not the will of the Daimyō. "This would mean releasing Kakashi from his imprisonment. Just right after granting his family a shinobi clan status. The Daimyō of Kaminari no Kuni and raikage will not appreciate this."

"With all due respect Iroh-dono, fuck the Kaminari no Kuni's Daimyō and the raikage." Mina's voice resounded. When she had joined the four was a mystery. Like Kotohime, this Mina was a clone. "They didn't hesitate to try to fuck us on multiple occasions. Why should we care what they think."

Gai nodded in agreement. Though he personally wouldn't use such unyouthful terms to address a Daimyō and kage, what Mina said was correct. Kumo had shown them no honor, so why should they do the same?.

Iroh shook his head. "It's not as simple as that Namikaze-dono."

"The situation calls for drastic measures. The way I see it, we either take action now and damn what Kaminari no Kuni thinks or wait for Kaminari no Kuni or another nation to trigger a war." Kotohime gave her own two cents on the matter. Anyway it went was fine with her. There was opportunity in war.

"Who's to say that Konoha acting won't trigger a war?." Iroh said, deciding to play devil's advocate. "As far as the other villages are concerned Konoha might be trying to keep the imoogi for themselves. What makes you think they'll just standby and watch and trust that you're doing 'right thing'?."

The smile that had formed on Gai's face since the hokage started speaking fell. Iroh's words crushed all hopes that the Sandaime's plans would work. Konoha's intentions were good, but would the other Great Villages believe that?. Even if they did, would they simply let the matter be?.

If Konoha made a move then all they had to do were to start rumours that Konoha was planning on hording another bijuu-like existence for themselves. As far as the public knew, the Kyuubi was AWOL. That was the public belief before the Kyuubi attack.

After the sudden appearance of the Kyuubi in Konoha and its equally sudden disappearance, only a complete retard would believe that Konoha didn't have a jinchuriki. Said jinchuriki's identity was a secret however.

Konoha making a move for the imoogi would paint them as greedy villains that wanted to continue to lord over the Elemental Nations. They would become public enemy number one in a short period.

With a common enemy in sight, then what was stopping the other Great Villages from sparking a war?. Not only that, couldn't they just use the excuse to band together a raid Konoha as they had done the Uzumaki?.

Iroh waited for Hiruzen's reply along with the two clan heads and the taijutsu master. Hiruzen raised the pipe in his hands and sparked it up with fire natured chakra. He had a calm expression on his face as he began to speak.

"What makes me think they'll just standby and watch as we do the right thing?. The answer is pretty simple." Hiruzen raised a hand and made a firm fist. The powerful clench caused a ripple effect in the wind, ruffling the clothes and beard of the people present.

"This." Hiruzen said, showing his fist Iroh. " This is all the reason I need to act. This is all the reason they will need to stand back and watch as Konoha keeps the peace yet again. This is all the license I need." Hiruzen said in a firm voice, filled with vigor and authority.

Gone was the aged grandfatherly man that people casually called the hokage. Iroh and the rest were facing a different Sarutobi Hiruzen altogether. This was the man that had earned the title The Professor. The war veteran. The third Kami no shinobi.

"What Kakashi-kun did reminded me of something I had lost track of for many years. I was so caught up trying to keep the peace, trying to appease all parts. I thought I was doing right by my predecessors, but in all honesty I wasn't.

"The Shōdai and Nidaime were not afraid of a fight. They had grown blood weary, but they were never afraid of a fight. I thought the best way to honor their memories was to maintain the things they built.

"I thought I was doing this. But when Kakashi-kun did what he did my eyes were opened. I invited an enemy into our walls after they had committed a sin against the people I swore to protect. I acted like a fool, like a weak old fool.

"Kakashi-kun did not. He marched right to the enemy's base and showed them the fury of the will of fire. He showed them Konoha's identity. He showed them the identity I unknowingly almost robbed Konoha off in my foolish ways.

"No more." Hiruzen's eyed hardened. Veins bulged out from under his skin. The ripples in the air caused the pressure of the wind to step up.

"You asked me why I think those four villages will stand by. It is because amongst the Five Great Villages we are the greatest. It is because we are the strongest. It is because we have the power to act in the best interest of the Elemental Nations, and they do not.

"So if I say the imoogi is off limits and deploy Kakashi-kun to enforce this law, they must obey. Any who contradict Konoha can compete with us and see if they can withstand a single round. If they still don't like the results then they can band together and come at us.

"We will be waiting." Hiruzen said in fearless determination. He unclenched his fist and the winds died down. "Four against one?." Hiruzen snorted. "Tell the Daimyō that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime of Konohagakure no sato likes those odds."

Gai trembled like a leaf on a tree and heavily fell on one knee, bowing deeply to the hokage. His heart beat furiously as thousands of emotions were threatening to burst through it.

This was the man he had surrendered his will, body and mind to. This was the leader he was dedicated to follow. This was his commander, his hokage. With such a leader, it didn't matter what he wanted Gai to do. He would do it. It didn't what where he wanted Gai to go. He would go anywhere.

For this man, Gai was willing to put 200% of his effort, to die rather than fail. This was the hokage he knew. The man he and most of the jōnin or higher rank shinobi worshipped like a deity.

"Hokage-sama!." Gai said emotionally. He had longed to say these words again for years. To once again resume his duties as a weapon in these man's hands. Dedicated to the protection and progress of Konoha.

"Hokage-sama!." Mina too fell to her knees. Her face was painted with raw excitement.

Mina didn't hope for a war but she never shied away from conflict. If war was coming then let it come. She was a shinobi, she was born and raised for conflict. It was their profession. Their lifestyle.

"Hokage-sama." Kotohime as well lowered herself to a knee. War meant opportunity. And a fierce Konoha meant a fierce Uzumaki/Uzuki clan. She had been dying to get back at the ones that dared to plot against and bring down her clan.

To Kotohime a fierce Sarutobi Hiruzen was more of a pro than a con. They weren't enemies though they didn't get along. If he wanted to show the rest of the world that the will of fire could not only inspire but burn to ashes then she was in full support.

They had been still for far too long. They had to remind the world just who they were. The way Hatake Kakashi had done.

Iroh sighed. The sight of three monstrously powerful shinobi prostrating in submission to an even more monstrously powerful shinobi that was the Sandaime hokage was one to behold. Iroh was deeply moved by Hiruzen's words and the display after.

The old monkey had finally grown out of his blood weariness and was now more than willing to accommodate anyone who dared to stand in the way of Konoha.

All this started from a spark created by a little boy who wasn't even a genin yet. That spark had now become a raging fire, brewing and waiting for an opportunity to erupt. Kumo was on edge. Iwa was on edge. Kiri was always on edge. Suna was on edge. Now even the peace loving Konoha were willing to use force to get their way.

Whether or not an all-out war would ensue, Iroh did not know. As Hiruzen had said. He liked those odds. This meant that Konoha wouldn't be pulling punches. They wouldn't exclude their heavy hitters in a potential war and would go all out.

Hiruzen would drag Jiraiya and Tsunade from wherever they ran off to and permit the ex husband of Kotohime to finally leave the Forest of Death to fight. He himself would participate.

That was four S-rank shinobi on the cards. Adding the A-rank anomalies in Mina and Kotohime, shinobi that could fight and even defeat S-ranks, that made it seven threats to S-ranks. There was now Kakashi and Maito Gai who had the aura of an S-rank from what Iroh could tell. That was eight.

Eight shinobi strong enough to fight on the S-rank level. Eight. Iwa's S-rank totaled at two. Suna presently had just one. Kumo had two in their raikage and perfect jinchuriki. Kiri had two, but they were irreconcilable enemies. That was a grand total of Seven.

Konoha had eight by herself and the other four combined could barely scrape a lesser number together. It sounded fantastical but that was the reality.

Iroh's nephew was also following Uchiha Mikoto and he was peak of the A-rank, though he wasn't considered an anomaly. There was a chance that Uchiha Mikoto may have stepped into the illustrious S-rank or at the very least she was just a step away. If she wasn't then Iroh couldn't see Zuko following her.

If Mikoto had then what of Fugaku...

The man's shinobi skills were once compared to Namikaze Minato before he became an S-rank nin. Iroh always wondered how he hadn't reached the S-rank yet while Minato reached the SS-rank before turning twenty-five.

It was curious. Very curious.

There was also Shimura Danzo, a man who nobody thought to rank since the last shinobi war.

Iroh shivered. Hiruzen's confidence made him begin to suspect, but his own suspicions sounded crazy to him. There was absolutely no way Konoha's S-ranks had reached double figures. Absolutely no way...

"I will take your words back to Daimyō-sama." Iroh said, giving Hiruzen and brief wave before disappearing in a blur of speed.

Hiruzen stared off into the direction he was sure Iroh had gone in. He exhaled smoke and sighed. "Did I take it too far?." Hiruzen said his thoughts out loud.

"No." Kotohime said. She had gotten to her feet the moment Iroh left. The other two took some time but they too rose up to their feet. They were still staring at the hokage with worshipping eyes though. Kotohime rolled her eyes at this.

"It's better if the Daimyō knows we won't be taking things lying down anymore. It's not like we don't have the power to fight. I recommend attacking Kiri first, that way we can take advantage of Ha to strengthen ourselves." Kotohime continued.

Hiruzen stroked his chin and nodded in agreement. That was a good suggestion. "Should it come to that I won't hesitate to use all our advantages. Maybe I'll even have Torune take a vacation into one of the villages."

Kotohime paled slightly at that. "Now that would be taking it too far."

"I second that." Mina said. She was actually agreeing with Kotohime.

This surprised Gai but he remained silent. He didn't know who Torune was, nor why the two women seemed so fearful of him going to another village.

"All's fair in war." Hiruzen shrugged.

"Hiruzen–" Kotohime began to speak.

The Sandaime waved his hand. "I'm just kidding. We're just speaking in hypotheticals, are we not?. There isn't a war to be fought, so be at ease." He said.

Kotohime wasn't convinced but left it at that. Hopefully Hiruzen hadn't gone completely crazy to do something like that. If he did then she wasn't sure if even hell would accept him when he died.

"How is Naruto-kun?." Hiruzen said, changing the topic. He would make sure to stop by at the Aburame clan and have a quick look around.

"Fine." Mina was the one to answer. "The Kyuubi has settled down after winning the battle, and Suiren-gaki did a good job patching him up. He's just tired, so he's still asleep."

Hiruzen nodded, feeling a weight in his heart lighten. Naruto gave them quite the scare. Thankfully Kakashi's ability made it possible for them to bring an A-rank med-nin in the nick of time.

As for the Hatake, he remained in perusepone no kokoro with Kotohime's ex-husband. For the time being the two were not permitted to leave the place, but that would change very soon for Kakashi.

Gai and Kakashi's first son, Takanashi had hopped on the teleportation. Gai mostly wanted to see Konoha again, while Takanashi wanted to rescue his father.

The young man ended up face to face with people he couldn't even put a fight up against. He was made to settle down.

"And his kongō fūsa, its color was something I've never seen before." Hiruzen said, recalling the violent oddly colored chains that rampaged out of Naruto's body, creating innumerable craters across the area.

"I'm not clear on what that means. Most adamantine chains are golden or silver color. I've never seen one of that color." Kotohime confessed. "I am somewhat inclined to believe the mutation was caused by Naruto's new special constitution, as Iroh deduced."

"It took the shape of a dragon, so I'm pretty sure he was right." Mina said.

"Any Uzumaki with the adamantine chains can do that. It may simply be a case of the special constitution influencing Naruto's mind during his moment of madness." Kotohime said. She wasn't willing to just accept that someone's kekkei genkai could be permanently hijacked like that.

"Whatever you say bitch." Mina said with a shrug.

Kotohime rolled her eyes at the childish response and 'maturely' flipped Mina the bird. "All I can say now is that Naruto is not ready to use the adamantine chains. I will have to put off teaching him how to activate it until he's ready."

"Wouldn't he be at risk of subconsciously using during the heat of battle?. Just like I did when I was his age. Sometimes when I was in a fight I broke into a youthful dance from sheer joy!." Gai said with a boisterous laugh.

"I doubt Naruto-kun would do that." Hiruzen sweatdropped.

"Just in case we should seal the adamantine chains until our brave jinchuriki is ready to let his inner power burst through!." Gai insisted in an excited tone. He gave Mina and Kotohime a grin and thumbs up, his teeth gave off an unnatural glint. "I trust Naruto is in good hands with two Seal Masters at his disposal!."

"You can't seal a fūinjutsu you fucking retard." Mina spat out at the spandex clad jōnin.

Gai's shoulders dropped as though a ton of bricks had been put on them. The grin on his face became strained from the unexpected harsh insult.

"That adamantine chains are a literal physical manifestation of binding fūinjutsu. You can't bind a binding fūin. That's like asking us to put a leash on a rope. Completely pointless and frankly stupid." Kotohime delivered her own truckload of insults on the trembling Gai.

Gai's legs began to wobble and his back became more and more hunched with every single word that left Kotohime's mouth. His youthful smile had contorted into a fearfully creased and ugly look. Black lines covered his face and a mini rain cloud formed over his head.

"You returned after nine years but your brain is still missing." Mina shook her head in pity.

"Your fashion sense is as terrible as your intelligence." Kotohime followed up.

"You're so dangerously dumb that we should have imprisoned you and not Hatake-brat."

"If this idiocy is contagious then forget Torune, you might be the most dangerous man in the village."

"I would call you a dumb ass but at this point an ass has more braincells than you."

"You're so dumb your father called you a guy and left it at that."

"No wonder you struggle to use ninjutsu. What's next, burn the Gōkakyū no jutsu?. Sink the Mizurappa?."

"A condom could've saved us from all this."

"I hate your mother–"

"Alright enough." Hiruzen said with a dry expression. He pointed to Gai who had collapsed in a pool of his own tears, the comical rain cloud was still above his head and occasionally singeing him with lightning bolts. "He already passed out." Hiruzen deadpanned.

The Kotohime and Mina clones shrugged and dispelled. Hiruzen turned to find their originals still kneeling next to Naruto and Suiren. He sweatdropped when the two women paused for a bit, signifying that the bunshin memories had returned to them, only to continue arguing a second after.

Why did it seem like he was the only normal old strong guy around?. Kotohime, Mina, Iroh, Ōnoki and Danzo, they were all weird.

'How do I even begin to get those two to settle down.' Hiruzen wondered. He glanced at the tired looking Suiren who was stuck inbetween the two arguing women. 'Poor Suiren.'

Hiruzen turned to Takanashi who was furiously munching at his groin area and quickly looked away. 'Dammit kid, get a room if you're gonna do that.' Hiruzen yelled in his mind. 'Your dad is a shameless pervert without a doubt but you're taking it to a whole new level kid.'

Takanashi munched at the cotton candy, unbeknownst to the drop of the hokage's opinion of him.

---

Civilian Section - Shinobi Academy

"See you tomorrow!."

"You too."

"Let's walk home together."

"Sorry, I'm taking the train today."

"We're going to have hotpot tonight, wanna come?."

"I have to study..."

"C'mon, we can play charades like last time."

"Okay... but no whispering!."

The sounds of chattering students and footsteps merged to form indistinct noise. Hinata dulled out the sounds as she stared at the blonde girl wolfing down the contents of the extra bento she made.

Hinata always made sure to bring two extra lunchboxes to school everyday since the time with Bonnie and Naruto. She even mistakenly brought one or two on the days the two blondes were gone.

Now they were back Hinata didn't have to feed the excess food to the little puppies she saw hanging around the Inuzuka clan. Who was she kidding?. Those two puppies were basically family now. She would feed them no matter what.

Now Hinata made five bentos everyday. One for herself, one for Naruto, one for Bonnie and two for the puppies. One or two extras were passable, but four more was beginning to make her personal maid suspicious.

Today one extra bento remained since Naruto hadn't come to school today. Bonnie wouldn't let the bento reach the hungry mouths of those puppies.

"Your cooking is delicious as always, Hinata-chan!." Bonnie said, sighing in content as she patted her stomach.

The academy was over for the day, but she decided to hang back to eat the extra bento. To goal was to avoid a standoff with the puppies.

Hinata smiled sweetly at Bonnie's compliment. He relationship with the girl had improved since she and Naruto returned from their trip. Unlike Naruto who preferred silence over actually lying to her, Bonnie didn't mind telling Hinata about their trip.

Though she wasn't present for most of the action, she got a bit of secondhand information from Aya. Bonnie could at least share the details of their time in Shirubāsheru with the Hyūga heiress.

As for the what happened in Tetsu no Kuni, Bonnie didn't know. Bonnie didn't even know Naruto had gone to Tetsu no Kuni. Neither him nor the shinobi that escorted them back spoke about it on the trip.

Bonnie could only tell Hinata about the scary woman who trapped a group of Iwa nin in cotton candy of all things. From the description she gave, Hinata was able to identify the woman as Namikaze Mina. Bonnie was left shell shocked when the Hyūga made the revelation.

She was escorted home by a clan head. Sure the woman was probably there for Naruto's sake, but still. She was escorted home by a badass clan head. One of the most important people in the whole village.

Hinata enjoyed watching Bonnie celebrate over the experience. She had met clan heads far more frequently than most kids her age, so she couldn't really claim to understand what it meant to Bonnie. She was happy for her anyway.

That was why Hinata forewent telling Bonnie about the not so good bits of the Namikaze clan head. She would leave her with the glowing impression of Mina for as long as possible.

No, she definitely wouldn't be telling her that this was the same woman who threatened to beat her father with a cane. That would be equally embarrassing for Bonnie as well as herself.

Why the Namikaze matriarch had such a bad temper, Hinata didn't know. She was too young to even grasp how bad Mina's temper was.

Hinata wondered if it just a Namikaze thing. She didn't know many Namikaze, as her clan barely had a relationship with the speed based fighters.

The only other Namikaze aside from Mina that Hinata had met was one with a personality that was even worse than Mina's, in her opinion of course.

Namikaze Kimiko.

Hinata would like to think that it was instincts that made her do opposed to the grey haired girl, but that would be lying to herself and Hinata didn't do that. She was very frank with herself and she would admit, she didn't like Kimiko simply because she was making a move on Naruto.

Whether or not Kimiko actually had feelings for Naruto or if she just wanted to use him for something else, Hinata didn't care. She found that she got really upset when people came between her and Naruto. Especially girls.

Bonnie was the only exception and even she was a work-in-progress.

Kimiko's personality didn't sit right with Hinata either. She was similar to Ino, self assured, bubbly and social but there was another element mixed in that Hinata could not describe. It made Hinata wary of her, like she was scheming something.

Hinata did not like the girl called Kimiko. This much was a fact. What would she do about this foreign feeling?. Hinata was unsure but she knew she would arrive at a solution in time.

"We should get going." Bonnie said, making to stand up from the swing seat she and Hinata were sharing.

Hinata stopped her before she could. "Hold on Bonnie-chan." Hinata said. She gave the freckled older girl a the most serious expression she could manage. "We need to talk about what happened in the cafeteria."

Bonnie's expression matched Hinata's and she lowered herself back into the swing seat. "Thanks again for pulling me out of that." Bonnie said. She had already told Hinata thank you four other times.

She knew Hinata was a timid person, and for her to do something like that took a lot of effort. Knowing it was done for her benefit warmed Bonnie's heart.

"It's no problem." Hinata said. "Whatever Kazuto said to you must have really got you upset." Hinata said.

Bonnie growled at the mention of the oafish rich kid. She wished she was strong like her boss so she could kick that bastard's ass across the entire academy. Naruto was absent while she was present one day and he thought he could mess with her?.

"I'm so telling boss what that bully did tomorrow. I'll even throw in the waterworks if it makes him kick his ass." Bonnie balled her fist, determined to make sure Kazuto's day of reckoning was tomorrow.

Hinata shook her head with a smile at Bonnie's words. "It's better if you don't tell Naruto-kun what happened. He'll definitely overreact if you do."

"Let him overreact." Bonnie said without care. A pissed off Naruto was scary, admittedly, but she had no pity for Kazuto. A pissed off Naruto was what he deserved.

Hinata sighed and bonked Bonnie's head, eliciting an 'ow' out of her. She and Naruto were so alike. When they were mad they were so pigheaded, they never listened to reason. "I am not saying this for Kazuto's benefit but for Naruto-kun's."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Boss' benefit?." She said in confusion.

"Yes." Hinata nodded. "I worry that Naruto-kun acting out will lead to a lot of trouble. And I really don't think it'll do go for Naruto-kun to be in the spotlight after the last mess he made." Hinata explained.

Bonnie paused. She took a short time to recount all the things Naruto had done in the past month and had the urge to facepalm. Hinata was right. After doing all that he was definitely on very thin ice. Unleashing him on Kazuto might make her happy momentarily, but it would lead to a lot of problems for her boss. Bonnie didn't want that.

"You're right. I guess I wasn't really thinking about Naruto's situation in this." Bonnie mumbled.

Hinata rubbed their shoulders together and offered a soothing smile. "It's fine." Hinata's expression turned solemn again. "As long as we keep Naruto-kun away from Kimiko-senpai everything should be fine."

"Kimiko-senpai?. Does she have bad intentions for boss or something?." Bonnie blinked. She had never seen Hinata speak about any living thing or anything at all with such naked distaste. What did Kimiko do?.

"I'm not sure, but there's just something about her that bothers me. I can't explain it." Hinata admitted. Her dislike for Kimiko was borderline unreasonable, but Hinata couldn't shake this feeling. Something about Kimiko just rubbed her off the wrong way.

Bonnie gave Hinata a knowing smile. "Is it because you think she's 'interested' in boss." Bonnie said, putting emphasis on every syllable in the word interested.

Hinata blushed. "D-don't be silly." she sputtered out and pouted when she saw Bonnie's grin widen. "It's not just that." Hinata said, admitting to Bonnie's words earning an 'A-ha' from the girl. "There's just something else. I can't explain it but when she looks at me for example it–"

"Makes your skin crawl?." Bonnie supplied.

"Exactly!." Hinata said, slapping a fist into her palm. Those were the words. Hinata then blinked before turning to Bonnie who staring at her in a sly manner. Hinata frowned cutely. "You already knew what I was talking about and made me look jealous."

"Oh but you are jealous." Bonnie said with a giggle. Hinata smiled lightly, conceding to this irrefutable fact. Bonnie's face turned more serious. "I get what you're saying. Kimiko-senpai gives me the heebie-jeebies too. It's common with her type. The manipulative bitch type. She's totally fake, so I get why you just feel weird around her. Guess the byakugan can see through bs too." Bonnie said with a snicker.

Hinata smiled but her mind was ruminating on Bonnie's words. Though she put it crudely that was a fine description of the kind of person Hinata felt Kimiko was. The kind that couldn't be trusted no matter what.

"We have to keep her away from Naruto-kun." Hinata said firmly. Kimiko was definitely trouble, it was better she stayed faraway from Naruto. The blonde Uzumaki had a long history of doing very badly with trouble.

Bonnie saw the seriousness in Hinata's eyes. She clearly felt very strongly about this. Bonnie could see where she was coming from but she couldn't completely agree with her. "Boss can handle himself." Bonnie assured. "He's already tangoing with veteran shinobi. What could a little academy student do to him?."

Hinata shook her head immediately in disagreement. "It's not a question of strength. Kimiko is a manipulator, you said so yourself."

Bonnie nodded. "I know what I said, but boss is the smartest and most formidable person I know. Forget about manipulating him. He might be the one who ends up manipulating Kimiko-senpai."

Hinata refused to relent. Her gut was telling her that Kimiko was a danger to Naruto. She wouldn't let up when she was feeling this way. "Naruto-kun's weakness has always been girls. Kimiko-senpai will take advantage of this." Hinata said. It was really embarrassing to say that out loud, but it was a genuine concern for the Hyūga heiress.

Bonnie opened her mouth to argue but the words would not come out. That was a damn good point. She couldn't even begin to disagree with that assessment of Naruto.

If Kimiko was a boy then it didn't matter how manipulative she was, she would never be a match for Naruto. However, since Kimiko was a girl and a really pretty one at that, Naruto's resistance to trickery just went down several levels.

Maybe Hinata was right.

"Okay I'm game. What do you have in mind?." Bonnie rubbed her palms together in glee, curious to hear what dastardly plans Hinata had concocted.

"We tell him not to ever see her again." Hinata answered.

Bonnie blinked. She gave the Hyūga girl a deadpan stare. She couldn't possibly be serious if that was her plan. "Tell me you're kidding." Bonnie said.

Hinata blushed, realizing how bad her plan was. In her defense she had never done something like this before, if that was even a worthwhile defense. "Umm... we can threaten not to speak to him for a week –no, three days... or one day?."

Bonnie resisted the urge to facepalm. 'This is your personal cook and only girl friend Bonnie, don't shame her for being a sweetheart.' Bonnie told herself. "I guess that's a start." Bonnie said.

"You can make adjustments to the plan if you want, Bonnie-chan." Hinata offered.

Bonnie smiled evilly. "I thought you'd never ask." She wrapped a arm around Hinata's neck and pulled her to whisper into her ear.

Hinata listened to Bonnie's words with a plain expression that then turned to a blush before disbelief and finally she settled for a dry expression. "No way. Absolutely no chance."

"Come on Hinata-chan~" Bonnie said in a singsong voice. "It'll work I promise."

Hinata gave the girl the stink eye. "Why don't you do it?."

Bonnie grinned. "I would if I could but you're the one with a known relationship with Naruto and you have more of an opportunity than I do. We both know you're the better candidate."

Hinata couldn't think of any reason why what Bonnie had said was incorrect, plus her plan sounded like it would be an effective one. If it only didn't involve doing something so embarrassing.

Hinata sighed and rose to her feet. "Let's go." She said. There was barely anybody left in the academy now. Hinata was already running late and she was sure her watchers were getting tired of waiting for her.

"Yeah you should get home quick so you can prepare for your 'meeting'." Bonnie said teasingly, rising to her feet as well.

Hinata began walking away. Bonnie ran after her, though the way to her house was in the opposite direction. She called out to the Hyūga but the girl didn't answer. Eventually Bonnie gave up and went her own way.

Perhaps she pushed it too far. Hinata was holding a grudge.

---

Uzumaki/Uzuki Clan Compound

Uzumaki Main Residence

Next Day - Morning

Naruto spat out into a sink as he washed the remnants of the toothpaste from his mouth. He then washed his face, getting a the bangs of his hair wet in the process.

He was about to step into the shower for a quick bath before setting off to the academy. His spiky hair that was normally held in a ponytail was left to fall. Naruto took note of his hair reaching the base of his neck now.

It has grown longer over the past few months without a haircut. Naruto stared at the wild blonde locks in thought. Did he even want to get a haircut?. He wasn't sure.

Ever since waking up to find that it was a completely different morning from the one he last recalled being in, Naruto was left with many questions and little to no answers. The answers Naruto could formulate for himself he was unsure of.

The last thing he remembered was his unfortunately unforgettable episode in the hokage's office. He went toe to toe with a civilian and ended up losing. He had not only lost, he was made to cry over said lost.

He, Uzumaki Naruto cried. It was crazy to think, even now to him it sounded crazy, but that was the reality. There was no denying reality.

Naruto just wished that particular event wasn't the last thing he could remember from yesterday. After that everything was foggy. He had a feeling that he had experienced something... a lot of things. That feeling also told him that he was more or less aware of whatever had been happening, but for the life of Naruto he could not remember a thing.

It was just blank. Granted when he woke up he instantly had a feeling that he had been out for a very long time, but was not sure exactly how long. Other than that Naruto had nothing.

The first person Naruto had seen upon waking up was Yūgao. The blonde jinchuriki was a little surprised at this. Yūgao was hardly ever home nowadays. It was refreshing to have her wake him up.

Normally he didn't need anyone to. Naruto knew that meant something. Whatever happened yesterday must have been very taxing on his body.

He tried fishing for answers with Yūgao but the purple haired lady would not tell him anything useful. She insisted he stayed in bed and recovered. Naruto of course had no intention of doing this.

He already missed one day of the academy without any explanation. If he missed another he was sure he would find a worried Hinata at his doorstep before it was evening. Naruto didn't like to make either Hinata or Bonnie worry.

Also, after missing a days of school his perfectly lined up grades were suffering. He had already lost his place in the direct middle of the class to an actual bum. Naruto couldn't have that.

After shooing away Yūgao, seeing that she was not going to be of any help Naruto decided to check in with his personal alarm clock slash life recorded, Kyuubi. To Naruto's disbelief the bijuu was actually asleep.

At first Naruto thought it was just messing with him as usual, but when he heard the low echoes of snores in his mind he was proven wrong. The king of bijuu was sleeping.

Now Naruto was certain without a shred of doubt that whatever had happened yesterday was incredibly stressful. So much so that even the Kyuubi needed to recuperate. The question remained, what happened yesterday?.

Naruto didn't enjoying having a huge blank in his own timeline, but there was little he could do to remedy this with Kyuubi asleep and his nakama unwilling to explain things. Naruto hoped he would run into Ha or Saya. They would directly tell him things without any fuss.

Naruto stepped into the shower. A day of confusion and questions that he couldn't provide answers for awaited him. How would he even explain missing class yesterday to Hinata or Iruka?. Yeah, it was definitely going to be a day of confusion.

Naruto didn't take long in the shower and got dressed even quicker. Since he had woken up with amnesia Naruto decided to dress a little different from normal.

Amnesiac Naruto was dripped out.

The blonde wore a dark green sleeveless Uzumaki themed buttoned shirt, orange pants and his usual shinobi sandals. He looked like he had a brother named Diego and dealt cocaine. Perfect.

Seals covered his exposed arms, the intricate patterns appearing like well done tattoos. Naruto hadn't taken off the seals since his trip to Tetsu. He hadn't come around doing it, and they looked pretty badass so he never really bothered to.

Sure he looked like a delinquent, but Kiba walked around with a face tattoo and got no raised eyebrows. If a single sensei tried to raise the issue with him he would call them out on their discrimination.

Naruto didn't bother packing up anything aside from his notepad, that was stored inside one of the seals he drew on a wristband on his arms. Storage seals weren't meant to be drawn on organic matter.

The storage seal contained a few kunai and shuriken. Naruto carried light whenever he was going to the academy, because it was the academy. Nothing ever happened there. He was carrying these few weapons so he wouldn't feel naked out on the streets.

Satisfied with his terrible state of dressing and troubled child appearance, Naruto put his hair in the usual do and proudly strutted out of his room and down the stairs.

He ignored the murmurs of the maids and answered to their greetings with a nod. When Naruto arrived at the base of the steps he found a crossarmed Saya staring at him. Her disapproval was just a few steps away from taking physical form.

"Go change."

That was the first thing the gothic jōnin said to him. Naruto smirked. This was evidence of his efforts to dress to unimpress. Maybe he should wear a bandana...

"No." Naruto said with a grin. The grin froze when he found that his feet were no longer planted on the ground. The blonde boy blinked. Saya unceremoniously carried him like a sack of potatoes after his refusal, dead set on him room.

Saya wouldn't have done something like this, as it was out of character for someone like her. However, after listening to Yūgao's words yesterday Saya couldn't help but wonder if she truly was letting Naruto act too liberally.

She wanted to prove to Yūgao as well as herself that she could say no to the blonde jinchuriki. That the dynamic of their relationship wasn't as bad as everyone seemed to think.

"You're not going out dressed like that." Saya said tossing Naruto on his bed a little roughly. She winced at the sight of the boy's body bending up in an unnatural angle.

Naruto bent his body back to the usual shape and flopped down on the bed. He turned his head to stare at the irritated looking Saya. "What's up with you?."

Saya ignored the question and pointed at him. "Strip." She said in a commanding tone. She immediately realised how that sounded and quickly added "You better not make any stupid jokes about it either." She warned.

Naruto deflated. That was a perfect opportunity say something degenerated and immoral. Since when did Saya become such s stick in the mud?. Naruto wondered if this had something to do with what happened to him yesterday before shrugging.

There was no point wondering when he could just ask.

Naruto took off his shirt. Thankfully Saya didn't look away like Yūgao or something, else he would really be worried that she had been exchanged with an alternate Saya.

"What happened to me yesterday?." Naruto asked as he undressed.

Saya crossed her arms over her bust. Her eyes scrutinized the seals on Naruto's arms. They were well done but she could still spot out a few inconsistencies. It wasn't anything major though so he was good to go.

The seal on Naruto's stomach was absolute perfection. The Yondaime was really something to make such a seal under a short amount of time. It was no wonder he was the only Namikaze their ōkami acknowledged.

"You really don't remember anything?." Saya asked, still transfixed in her observation of Naruto's seals.

"Nope. My last memory was being in jiji's office." Naruto confessed. He opened his closet and stared at the stacks of neatly folded shirt.

He decided on wearing a long-sleeved reddish orange shirt with an Uzumaki insignia on the back and blue shorts.

"You don't remember anything else?." Saya raised any eyebrow in curiosity. According to what Yūgao had told them before Kotohime rushed to the Forest of Death that wasn't how the story transpired.

"Yes." Naruto said without hesitation.

Saya smirked. Was he hiding things due to embarrassment?. How adorably pathetic. "If you lie to me, how can you expect me to be honest with you?." Saya asked.

Naruto pulled the shirt over his head and pulled it down before giving Saya a serious stare. His blue eyes shone in the shaded room. "What happened to me?." He asked again, this time in a serious voice.

Saya avoided his gaze. 'Dammit.' She cussed.

Yūgao and the ōkami were right. When push came to shove she really had no control over Naruto. He held the reigns in their relationship. He called the shots and somewhere along the lines she had gotten accustomed to it.

"Ōkami-sama said she would tell you when you return from the academy. Be patient until then, and stop bugging me." Saya said, suddenly feeling upset. Her frustrations leaked into her words, earning a puzzled look from Naruto.

"Saya-chan, is something the matter?." Naruto asked again. This time his voice was filled with concern.

For Saya, the tone only made her feel more annoyed with herself. It felt like Naruto was the one who had to look after her while she was literally trained to protect him. She felt like she was failing in entire purpose. It was incredibly frustrating.

"It's nothing." Saya whispered out and turned to leave.

"Saya-chan..." Naruto stared at the young woman sadly. What had happened?. Why was Saya suddenly treating him the way Anko did?. What the hell happened?.

"Hinata is waiting for you outside." Saya said. She slid the door open and was about to step out when she felt a small pair of arms wrap around her from behind. Saya froze.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said. He wasn't sure why he was apologizing, or if he should even be the one apologizing but he knew he was sorry. Whatever happened, he was sure he had contributed to making Saya act this way.

Even though he couldn't remember or didn't register it, it was his responsibility. She was his responsibility. He couldn't stand back and watch Saya in pain.

"I'm sorry for not realizing what I did. Whatever it is, I am sorry. Please don't be mad." Naruto said.

Silence. Naruto didn't get a response for over five minutes and he and Saya just remained in the same spot. After the period of silence, Naruto felt a pair of hands grab him arms and separated them from Saya's stomach.

Naruto looked up and found the gothic girl staring at him with a rare gentle expression. She lowered herself to one knee. Blue eyes met blue eyes. Saya cupped Naruto's cheek with one hand and stroked his whisker marks gently.

"I could never be mad at you... master." Saya said.

Naruto's eyes widened at Saya's words. Yes, they all called him wakate (young master) which wasn't too far from master. However, in the strict rank of seniority Kotohime had established the difference was like heaven and earth.

To call Naruto master was the same as calling Kotohime ōkami. To call Naruto that was silently saying that you saw him as Kotohime's equal. As a mere clan heir this was improper. He wasn't equal to the clan head, but Saya was saying to her she was.

Saya calling master was the same as pledging her allegiance to him. The same as accepting him as her leader, as the one she would follow. Saya was silently telling Naruto who she would chose if it ever came down to it.

This revelation excited Naruto, but at the same time it scared him. It scared him so much. For a short moment Naruto considered the situation where Saya would have to choose. In such a situation then he would be...

Fighting his obassan for the clan head status.

"Saya-chan I–"

"Shut up." Saya interrupted before he could finish. The hand that was initially caressing Naruto's face now smacked him instead. "Don't over think, baka. Just because I called you master doesn't mean you have to take on ōkami-sama right now." Saya said, giving Naruto an 'are you stupid?' look.

"Do you really think you're her match?. You're pretty talented but that's it. Don't let that Bingo Book shit get to your head squirt. You still can't beat me." Saya said proudly.

"So let me put it like what I said before." Saya grabbed his shoulders with both her arms. "To me you're my master, but I won't acknowledge this until you can beat me. If you can't, then I guess you'll always be wakate to me." Saya said, releasing Naruto with a shrug.

Saya rose to her feet and turned to leave. "You better work extra hard cuz I'll be working my ass off to reach the A-rank before you make genin. If you still can't beat me then, I'll work even harder to to reach S-rank before you make jōnin. You'll have to find a way to close the gap faster than I widen it." Saya turned to Naruto with a fiercely determined look. "Is that clear?."

Saya found that instead of an inspired or at least stunned Naruto, what awaited her was a amused looking Naruto staring at her rear with lascivious eyes.

"Don't work your ass off too much, Saya-chan. I'd hate to see you ruin this perfect sight." Naruto said with a grin.

Naruto sighed. Really, what a sight it was. Even the buxom Anko couldn't compete with Saya in terms of shapeliness in the butt department.

The only person Naruto had researched and found came close was perhaps Haruno Mebuki, and even she didn't have that athletic appeal of the Uzuki jōnin. And this was his potential servant?. Dammit he had to become Master Naruto really quick.

He had to snatch up this prime grade ripe piece of fine ass–

Naruto thoughts were cut off by a heel slammed into his midsection sending him flying through the wall of his room and down the building. The last thing he saw was an annoyed looking Saya returning her leg from the horse-kick position.

He was just horse-kick by Saya Thee Stallion.

"Worth it!." Naruto yelled with a thunderous laugh. It was definitely worth it. He was beginning to understand that 'appeal of a man of culture' that Ero-sennin always went on about.

Saya glanced at the hole she had created in the wall using Naruto before snorting and turning away. The boy was growing into a sexual fiend much like Jiraiya and the two didn't even spend that much time together.

Was picking such a master a good idea?. Saya began leaving the room with varying thoughts on her mind, but satisfied with the kick she had given that pervert.

Saya paused in her steps, a thought reaching her mind. 'Shit!. I forgot about the thing Hinata wanted me to talk to him about.' Saya cussed in her mind.

Was it too late to intercept the blonde boy now?. Would he even listen to her after she'd kicked him through a wall?.

---

Outside The Uzumaki Main Residence

Hinata waited by the door with a nervous expression on her face. Beside the Hyūga was a man in his twenties that Hinata did not know by name. However, she recognized the man as one of the twin jōnin that escorted Naruto to the academy.

Though these days the duo were hardly following them. Hinata knew this since she checked from time to when she and Naruto were walking together. She had to make sure no one was present to see them kiss.

The last time was already embarrassing enough. Hinata looked up at the serious looking sandy haired man. Naruto's big sister, Saya had left the man behind to look after her while she went to retrieve Naruto.

Hinata hoped Naruto took what Saya promised she would talk to him about well. She had put a lot of effort into following Bonnie's suggestion and speaking with Saya about their Kimiko problem.

The phrasing of the sentence was Bonnie's doing, so naturally it wasn't anything appropriate. However, Bonnie said if they wanted Saya to take them serious then they would have to do that.

Bonnie ended up being completely right. Saya agreed to her request the moment the words left her mouth. Now Hinata could rest easy... As soon as she leaves this compound that was, and the sight of this silent jōnin.

"Our wakate has arrived." The man suddenly spoke out, bringing Hinata out oh her daze.

The Hyūga girl registered the man's words after a brief pause and turned to the door in expectation. However, no one came through it. Hinata raised an eyebrow in confusion. She looked around for any sign of blonde hair but found nothing.

Hinata opened her mouth to tell the Uzuki jōnin that he must have been mistaken but was interrupted by a loud crashing noise just a few feet away from her and the jōnin.

Hinata turned to the source of the sound and found a stupidly smiling Naruto crossed armed inside a small crater. His clothes were stained with dirt, as well as his face.

"Naruto-kun?." Hinata said starting at the boy in puzzlement. She looked up and found a large hole in the place she knew Naruto's room was suited in. 'Did he get attacked?.' Hinata wondered.

Who would dare to attack Naruto within the Uzumaki/Uzuki clan compound?. Was such a thing even possible?. Hinata put her thoughts aside and rushed to Naruto's side and helped the still smiling boy up.

"Are you alright Naruto-kun?." Hinata asked in a voice of concern. She pulled out a handkerchief from her jacket and begun to clean Naruto's face.

Thankfully he was quite sturdy, so falling from several stories wouldn't do anything to him. The boons of chakra enhancement and being a jinchuriki. Most children Naruto's age could barely use chakra to reinforce their bodies, talkless survive falling a several metres in the air.

"I'm fine." Naruto dusted his hand and showed it to Hinata with a calming smile. "See?. Not a scratch on me."

Hinata sighed in relief. "You are all dirty now though." Hinata pointed out.

Naruto shrugged. He used an E-rank katon jutsu to burn the dirt off his body. As for his dirty clothes, a combination of an E-rank suiton and fūton jutsu did the trick. In a flash Naruto was left looking as clean as he was before Saya sent him through a wall.

Hinata stared at Naruto with a questioning look. She had never seen jutsu being used like that before.

Naruto gave the Hyūga a grin. "Basic E-rank jutsu. They're not worth much in an actual fight, but they're help around with household chores or when you're on the road for a long mission." Naruto explained.

Hinata never knew shinobi used ninjutsu in such a way. Her father always told her that her chakra was her lifeblood and that she should use it sparingly. Using it for things like household chores was certainly out of the question.

Hinata would have given Naruto this advise if she didn't know just how vast his chakra reserves were. Aside from the hokage and a few others, she hadn't seen a shinobi with as much chakra as Naruto.

She wondered why it was like that. The blonde always said Uzumaki had a lot of chakra, and Hinata could confirm this in his obassan. The woman easily had the highest reserves in the village.

"We should get going. I don't wanna be on time, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna be late." Naruto said, grabbing Hinata by her wrist and pulling her along.

"Do you need me to escort you, wakate-sama?." The jōnin beside Hinata asked Naruto.

"We're fine." Naruto said with a wave of his hand. Hinata waved in thanks at the jōnin as Naruto pulled her away.

A few minutes later Naruto and Hinata were close to the train station they always took on their way to the academy. Naruto skipped about the street with Hinata's hands in his. There was a big smile on his face.

"What's putting you in such a good mood, Naruto-kun?." Hinata asked. The blonde jinchuriki had been smiling all the way from his clan compound. Even after he fell from the top floor of the Uzumaki main residence he still had a smile on his face.

Naruto grinned but didn't answer. How could he tell Hinata he was in such a good mood because he had successfully tease Saya over her dump-truck?.

Seeing Naruto wouldn't disclose whatever it was, Hinata didn't pressure him. "Naruto-kun..." Hinata said. The blonde turned to her. Hinata blushed. He looked particularly dashing today. "I just wanted to thank you." Hinata said.

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Thank me?."

Hinata nodded. "Mmhmm." She smiled softly. "I know it's not your style to be told what to do and who to associate with, but I'm happy you made an exception for I and Bonnie's sake."

Naruto was completely dumbfounded at the moment. Made an exception?. What was Hinata going on about. Naruto paused in thought. Was this connected to what had happened to him yesterday too?. Dammit what the hell happened yesterday?!.

Naruto was fed-up. He was about to make a U-turn and demand that Saya tell him exactly what happened yesterday. Nothing could be left out.

"I promise we'll our best to keep Kimiko-senpai away from you, Naruto-kun. I'm glad I had a talk with Saya-nee-san. Now I can be at ease." Hinata said with a sigh. As soon as she got to class she would give Bonnie a big hug. Her plan was a huge success.

Naruto was completely lost. What did Kimiko have to do with anything?. And why did Hinata want to keep her away from him?.

Naruto's mind didn't reach the most obvious answer. He had already assumed that whatever Hinata was speaking about had something to do with the mystery of yesterday's events.

Naruto wanted to directly ask Hinata what she meant but stopped himself. So far all the people he'd tried to question ended up turning him down one way or the other. He couldn't risk Hinata doing the same. Thus, the blonde decided on using a bit of trickery.

He said a silent apology to the Hyūga heiress in his heart before commencing on his plan.

"Anything for you Hinata-chan." Naruto said with a grin that couldn't be distinguished from his genuine ones. "But you have to trust me a little more Hinata-chan." Naruto said, feigning unhappiness.

While he had no clue what happened to make Hinata want to keep him away from Kimiko so badly, he could still put two and two together. Since she went to Saya then it was obvious she didn't exactly trust him to make the decision himself.

Naruto knew himself more than anyone else, and he didn't even trust himself to do such a thing. How would Hinata, or the distrusting Bonnie who was clearly in on it?.

Hinata mistook Naruto's pretense for genuineness and waved her hands frantically. "It's not like that Naruto-kun. I completely trust you, it's Kimiko-senpai I don't trust. Kimiko-senpai gives me a very weird feeling... I just can't bring myself to be at ease around her."

'Hinata-chan's more perceptive than I thought.' Naruto said to himself. Kimiko giving someone a bad feeling?. That was only natural. The girl was constantly radiating ill-intent.

She wore a mask to hide her true self, but any real shinobi hopeful with good senses would be able to at least sense a little something off about the Namikaze girl. For a shinobi on Naruto's level, Kimiko's true self was completely laid bare.

(AN: This is why Kimiko said she felt naked standing in front of Naruto in the earlier chapters. Naruto can see right through her.)

"A weird feeling?." Naruto pretended to be confused.

Hinata was more than willing to explain now that she knew Naruto wouldn't end up in the clutches of the Namikaze girl. "Bonnie-chan feels that way too. She makes our skin crawl. I felt that especially after what happened in the cafeteria yesterday." Hinata said.

'Yesterday!.' Naruto's eyes shone in anticipation. Finally he made a breakthrough. "What happened in the cafeteria yesterday?." He asked casually like it was something he wouldn't care if he found out or not.

Hinata was so caught up in her excitement of getting Naruto out of the reach of the girl her instincts had been sending out warning signals over, she forgot what Naruto had asked about was the same thing she had made Bonnie promise not to tell him about.

"Kazuto-san was rough handling Bonnie-chan, I'm not sure over what, but Kimiko-senpai intervened. Well, that's what it seemed like but Naruto-kun at one point it loo–"

Hinata's words were interrupted by her blonde companion suddenly halting in his tracks. Since they were holding hands Hinata was forced to stop in her tracks as well.

Hinata was going to ask him what had happened when realisation dawned on her. Her rosy white face suddenly paled to the color of her clan elders robes.

"Hinata-chan."

Naruto's serious voice reverberated from beside her. Hinata shivered at the sudden baritone that he shouldn't even possess. She didn't dare to to look at him. She knew his face wouldn't be a pleasant one at the moment.

"Tell me what Lerry-Green did to Bonnie." Naruto said.

There was no room for argument in his statement and no tolerance for lies. Hinata gulped. She had messed up. Her brain had already worked out what had truly been happening.

Naruto hadn't been convinced, not in the slightest. Thinking back now, he didn't even sound or look like he knew what she was talking about. Saya hadn't told him anything. He simply played along so he could find out what she was talking about.

She had been fooled. Hinata could be mad at her whenever she wanted but not now. Now, Naruto wasn't the easygoing somewhat degenerated boy she had a crush on.

This was the Naruto that blackmailed the entire Konoha to letting him leave the village.

Hinata caved and told him everything he wanted to know. Naruto listened with a calm expression.

---

Shinobi Academy

Being a teacher sometimes felt like it was more hardwork than being a shinobi. There were times in Umino Iruka's life where he felt like he would be more comfortable at the end of a kunai than standing before a complete lineup of his class's most notorious troublemakers.

The shinobi life honestly wasn't for Iruka. It wasn't like he didn't have the talent. He graduated just behind the rookie of the year and was one of the quickest to make chunin from a civilian family in the village's history.

Iruka had both the talent and smarts to be a shinobi. What he lacked was the heart. Iruka's shinobi career which kicked off ten odd years ago was mostly inspired by his anger after the death of his parents in the Kyuubi attack.

He was a levelheaded kid but had gone to borderline delinquent after losing his family. Iruka was filled with so much anger and resentment, the only way he could get by the days were by working out. He found that keeping busy at least numbed his mind for a period.

Soon that training extended to shinobi training. Soon his fury extended to his ambitions, and before he knew it he was one of hottest prospects in the academy.

He was an overachiever in his genin team and was lauded with praise by his jōnin instructor and even his teammates treated him with respect akin to a senpai.

Making chunin was almost a breeze to Iruka. However, that was where the gears of rage stopped turning for Iruka. One day he looked in the mirror and found he was no longer as angry as he used to be. Eventually he wasn't angry anymore.

Iruka wasn't sure exactly caused the sudden shift. He had a few ideas but it was still speculation. Without the fury of his parents death to fuel his ambition Iruka completely lost it, and in extension his interest in the shinobi arts.

However, losing his passion didn't mean he would be able to completely cut himself out of the world of shinobi. He had been training himself to be a killer for an entire decade. No matter what, his life was a shinobi life.

That was why Iruka didn't hesitate and immediately applied for a job in the shinobi academy as an instructor. While he had retired from active duty, he could still contribute to the well-being of Konoha.

It helped that this way he could still be close to the lifestyle of a shinobi without having to be an actual shinobi.

The kids were a total pain in his back, but Iruka would like to think that retiring was the best decision he'd made. If only he had done it sooner, then perhaps he would have avoided this problematic class.

Iruka knew it was too late to regret. He pulled out a clipboard. It was time for the roll call and Mizuki still wasn't here. That guy seemed a little too irresponsible to be s sensei in Iruka's opinion.

Teachers were supposed to lead by example, yet Mizuki barely showed up on time everyday. He was giving strength to the argument of the almost latecomer. Iruka wouldn't say his name.

Whenever the boy or Kiba weren't in class things went smoothly. Yesterday was the only exception, and the Uzumaki was still part of the reason why the commotion of yesterday occurred.

'Speak of the devil.' Iruka said to himself as he watched Uzumaki Naruto walk into the class with a more timid looking Hinata in tow. Then it hit him.

Iruka quickly checked to see if the hands on the wall clock were moving right and then checked the stopwatch in his other hand. The times were exactly the same. There was no mix-up.

Iruka along with the rest of the class stared at Naruto in utter disbelief. He was a few minutes early. Him. The five to onr second before time guy. He actually entered class with a few minutes to spare.

What the hell was going on?.

Iruka was made to ask this question again as the Uzumaki clan heir ignored his usual position in the class and made way towards the more frontal benches.

His manner of movement was very purposeful. Iruka immediately had a bad feeling.

Naruto was dead set on one person and one person alone. Lerry-Green Kazuto. The older boy was seated in one of the frontal benches, two civilian girls at his side.

Naruto didn't pay any heed to the people in his way and even knocked down someone. He ignored the person's yell of indignation. His cold eyes never moved from Kazuto's form.

"Ah, Naruto you're in ear–"

"Move." Naruto said, unceremoniously pushing the speaker out of his way.

He didn't even register that it was Kiba. The Inuzuka had been wanting to talk to him ever since he returned but never got the opportunity to.

Kiba saw Naruto was in class early and wanted to take advantage of this to interrogate him a little. Who would have thought he would actually be shoved aside like old clothes by the Uzumaki?.

The normally quick to anger Inuzuka was instantly enraged by Naruto's actions and was going to rush him, that was if he wasn't stopped by Hinata of all people.

Hinata gave Kiba a rare stern look. "Don't. Naruto-kun is really angry right now." Hinata warned.

Kiba was so taken aback by Hinata's actions that he almost forgot his annoyance. Key word: almost. The rambunctious boy brushed aside Hinata's warning and her hold on him and continued with his actions.

However, when Kiba turned he found that the person he wanted to pick a fight with was already picking a fight with someone else.

Kiba and the rest of the class watched on in rapt attention as Naruto stood atop the desk Kazuto was seated in and looked down on him with a chilling expression.

"You touched Bonnie?."

It was a question but it sounded like Naruto was just waiting for so much as a twitch of confirmation before opening a whole can of whoop ass on the son of a billionaire.

Kazuto wanted to break the uncomfortable eye contact but was scared it would lead to a series of unfortunate events if he did. At the same time he was worried Naruto would find the answer in his eyes.

Kazuto was in a dilemma. He wanted to look away but dared not to. He was already sweating buckets from fear and a strange invisible pressure that was weighing down on his body. The girls beside him had bailed the second Naruto got on the desk.

He didn't blame them. He would bail if he could. Fortunately for Kazuto, though he couldn't bail himself out there were always people available to do it for him.

"Naruto, I know you're upset but hear me out for a minute. Kazuto isn't as guilty as you think." Senku's voice permeated from the door side. He along with his twin brother were just stepping in and walked right into this scene.

Senku didn't have to be told what had led to this standoff. Most of them had seen it coming a mile away.

Naruto's eyes didn't shift from the terrified Kazuto. He never showed any notable skill in class but most people just knew not to mess with him. It was like they could sense it.

Beneath all his false pretenses that he was far beyond their scope of imagination.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Senju." Naruto said. He addressed Senku's words but his eyes remained on the target. His target.

Senku frowned at Naruto's reply. He wasn't even going to call him by his first name?. The blonde Uzumaki had made up his mind to be completely unreasonable today.

Senku immediately knew he couldn't convince him, so kept silent. Senki blinked. That was his only reaction.

"If you won't talk I'll assume... if I assume then..." Naruto's blue eyes shone as his chakra begun to spike, mixing with unholy amounts of killing intent.

Some of the nearby civilian students immediately passed out from the frightening feeling of death hovering over them. Even the students from shinobi families were having difficulties withstanding the pressure Naruto had enveloped his immediate surroundings under.

Kazuto who was at the eye of the storm was faring the absolute worst. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, his breathing was laboured and his entire body spasmed like he was having a seizure. Somehow he managed to stay conscious through it.

"Okay Naruto, that's enough." Iruka said. He had shunshin'd to the side of the two boys.

He wanted to let them settle their differences between themselves, but it was obvious now that Naruto was planning on taking things too far. He had to intervene before things went out of hand.

Naruto turned to glare at the scarred man hatefully. This was the second time he was being interrupted. First by a Senju brat and now Iruka?. Naruto's anger rose beyond limit, black wisp of smoke trailed out from his ankles, forming two thin threads.

"Don't interfere." Naruto said in a warning voice.

Iruka stopped dead in his tracks as the KI that Naruto didn't bother concentrating on anything in particular was directed at him.

Iruka's shoulders slumped and his knees buckled under the sudden added pressure. There was a clenching feeling in his chest, like someone wanted to rip out his heart. Like Kazuto, Iruka begun sweat profusely from the cold deadly feeling.

Iruka felt his stomach churn and his he suddenly felt lightheaded. The chunin knew he would pass out at this rate if he didn't do something. Iruka gritted his teeth and forced his stiffening body into activity.

No matter how strange Naruto was, he was still his student. Iruka would not shirk back in the face of a student, nor would he allow one to act so wantonly in front of a teacher.

"I said that's enough Naruto!." Iruka roared at the furious jinchuriki. His hands had already shot forward to restrain the boy. Iruka caught a sharp movement in retaliation from the blonde.

Naruto planned on fighting back!.

However before Iruka and Naruto could clash the blonde abruptly kneeled over and fell back into the the desk behind him. He was out cold. Iruka blinked in surprise. What just happened?.

Iruka wondered about the mysterious event, but the scream of concern from Hinata shook him out of the daze. Iruka as well rushed to check up on the blonde. He did his best to calm the frenzied Hyūga, before checking Naruto's pulse.

He was completely fine. There wasn't anything visibly wrong with him. Aside from being unconscious he was totally fine. Iruka was left confused by this. What would make Naruto suddenly lose consciousness like that.

"Everybody return to your seats. Mizuki-sensei will be in shortly, stay organized until he does." Iruka gave out orders to the class. He gingerly picked the Uzumaki boy up. "I'll be taking Naruto to the hospital." He said. Turning to leave.

"I'm going too!." Hinata said.

Iruka turned to the girl to tell her she couldn't skip class no matter what, but the look in her eyes told him that even if he threatened her with expulsion right now she wouldn't back down. He never knew the bond between the two was this strong.

"That won't be necessary." A voice resounded from the window side.

Iruka turned to the direction and found a teenage boy seated on the window ledge. The boy looked around sixteen, but his countenance was nothing like a child's. He has raven black hair and defined nasojugal lines on his face. His red eyes stared at Iruka calmly, displaying a fully matured sharingan.

Iruka recognized this teen on sight. Just like Naruto he was powerful beyond his years, and had accomplished things shinobi three times his age couldn't dream of doing.

Unlike Naruto, this prodigy was known for his self-control and never got into an altercation with anyone or in any kind of trouble. He was the image of what a perfect shinobi would be. Professional, efficient, calculative, cold, ruthless and unrelenting.

Like Naruto he had shaken up the entire Elemental Nations after becoming one of the youngest A-rank shinobi in the history of the Bingo Books. At the tender age of fifteen, just a few months ago.

The heir of the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Itachi.

(AN: Reminder that every canon character in Naruto's class is a year older than him since Kushina carried his pregnancy for roughly two years. Naruto just turned nine, Sasuke is ten and Itachi is five years older.)

The sudden loss of consciousness instantly made sense to Iruka. If Itachi was here then it explained everything. 'I didn't even feel him step into the room. Heck I didn't even feel him cast that genjutsu on Naruto.' Iruka thought.

Jutsu normally caused fluctuations of chakra in the air. No matter how low the rank, jutsu normally operated this way. Regular shinobi could pick up on these fluctuations if they were close enough to the source of the jutsu.

Picking up on these fluctuations was a lot easier for sensors. The better the sensor the more defined the fluctuations would feel, and the higher the success of picking up even the lightest of fluctuations.

However, the presence of this reaction of jutsu didn't mean every technique would be telegraphed. Shinobi were trained to keep these fluctuations to the bare minimum, and some even managed to completely eliminate it completely.

These made for perfect assassins and spies. The Gama Sennin, Jiraiya was one such shinobi who didn't give off a single fluctuation when he used even A-rank jutsu.

Iruka was something of a sensor, but he wasn't that good so he couldn't tell whether it was that Itachi had reduced the fluctuations to a minimum or if he eliminated altogether.

(AN: A rough explanation of this was given in chapter 2 or 3. I'm setting the ground work for a lot of arts I'm going to explore in the future this chapter. Guess why.)

"Nii-san." Sasuke rose to his feet, surprised to find his brother of all people in his class. Itachi never entered the academy building, even on the days he walked him. Sasuke never asked why, nor did he want him to.

"Kaa-san said you forgot this." Itachi turned to Sasuke and picked a raised a neatly packed bento beside him.

Itachi's words ensued snickers and giggles from the occupants of the room with a few exceptions. Hinata was too worried about Naruto to even register Itachi's words. Iruka was on serious sensei mode. Kazuto was far too shaken up by the ordeal to show any emotion other than relief at this point.

Sasuke of course didn't join in the laughter. His cheeks turned slightly pink and he restrained the urge to throw a shuriken at his stupid elder brother's head. Itachi might be socially awkward but he definitely knew what public humiliation was.

Sasuke cussed the jōnin under his breath. In hindsight he shouldn't have pretended to leave his lunch behind because his mom made something he didn't really fancy today.

When said dish was one of Itachi's favorite of course he'd take it personal. Sasuke just knew he was laughing at him behind that calm look of his.

"The dobe fainting was you, wasn't it?." Sasuke asked, trying to shift the class's attention from him to the blonde maniac. His reputation had taken a huge blow today.

"Classmates shouldn't fight, and students definitely shouldn't fight teachers." Itachi said, silently agreeing to Sasuke's deduction. He was also pointing out that he had been present for the whole thing.

Itachi turned to Iruka, who was looking a tad ashamed due to Itachi's words. He was really about to fight a student there. "Uzumaki-san won't require any medical attention, though I do recommend you get a involve a few teachers before you break the genjutsu. Or invite his grandmother." Itachi said.

After speaking he shunshin'd to Sasuke's side dropping off the bento before shunshinnig away. The attention of the class was back on the bento and Sasuke. Another chorus of laughter resounded. Sasuke scowled.

Iruka stared at the unconscious blonde in his hands. 'Involve a few teachers huh...' Iruka said in his mind. If Itachi gave that suggestion then he would be foolish to go against it.

Iruka wondered whether he should just involve the Uzumaki clan head, but thought against it. Clan heads were extremely busy. And once a child was within these walls they were their responsibility. They couldn't go calling the parents or guardians whenever this went awry.

No. He wouldn't be calling Naruto's grandmother.

"Class, settle down." A voice came from the door.

Iruka sighed in relief when he heard the voice. Finally, Mizuki had come to class. Now he could focus on dealing with this tyrant of a student with trust that the rest of the class was left in capable hands. Though said hands needed to get themselves an alarm clock.

Mizuki raised an eyebrow to the sight of Iruka carrying Naruto bridal side while Hinata stood beside him like a bodyguard. The chunin exchanged pleasantries with a few students before he reached Iruka. He gave his coworker and questioning gaze.

"What's going on?."

Iruka sighed. Where would he even begin to explain what had just transpired in the last five or so minutes. Really, why didn't he retire earlier?. He could have been teaching the upper class if he had and not one with such a worrisome student.

"Long story. I have to go round up a few teachers and wake Naruto up. Man the class for a few, I'll be back soon." Iruka said. He had already begun to leave before Mizuki could respond.

Hinata silently following behind the chunin earned a look of befuddlement from Mizuki. What was going on?. What did Iruka mean by gathering a few teachers to wake the Uzumaki heir up?. Why was the boy unconscious in the first place. And why was the Hyūga heir joining them?.

Mizuki could only wordlessly watch as the trio left the class. There was an interval of silence until one boy decided to do a terrible impression of Itachi when he dropped off Sasuke's bento.

The exaggerated version was laced with bits that hadn't even happened in the original, like Itachi calling Sasuke outotuo and the contents of the bento being announced. Naturally it was something children their age generally hated. Vegetables.

The class erupted in laughter at Sasuke's expense for the third time in a few minutes. Sasuke's already frowning face creased up in annoyance. He actually liked vegetables.

Sasuke was a lover of fresh tomatoes and could eat a whole bowl of them. That impression wasn't consistent to reality at all. And Itachi didn't sound like that dammit!.

Another one of the class clowns decided to take it up a notch and did an impression of Sasuke responding. His voice was high-pitched and squeaky of course.

The horror on the boy's face as 'Itachi' tried to force the 'bento' into his hands sent the already uncontrollably laughing students into overdrive.

Kiba was laughing so loud that his face turned red and then green. He literally couldn't breathe from how hard he was laughing.

Chōji choked on a chip and was in a similar condition as Kiba, but at least he had the Shikamaru to help him. That was as soon as he was done laughing his ass off.

Senku was pounding his desk furiously as he had begun to cry actual tears from laughter. His brother Senki wasn't laughing, however there was a visible smile on his face.

Ino was dying. She was literally dying. She could already see the light at the end of the tunnel. She didn't want to laugh at her crush, but these damned boys just had to hit her with that performance.

Sakura was the only one in the room who felt the same as Sasuke. She glared at her rival hatefully. She knew it. Only she truly loved Sasuke. Ino was just after him too because she was.

Haru was struggling between coughs and laughs. He didn't want to be rude to the Uchiha but man... Who could resist when that guy made such a face?.

Shino was wondering if he should have skipped school to join the rest of his clansmen in the mission to revitalize the part of their unofficial kikaichu reserve that had been unfortunately been damaged by a fire yesterday.

Mizuki sweatdropped. He would tell the class to settle down, but looking at some of them he wasn't sure they could even if they wanted to.

Mizuki winced. One kid in particular was beginning to strike his stomach to stop his own laughter. That looked like it hurt. Why were they laughing so much about such a stupid joke. There were a few students who weren't laughing, so Mizuki wasn't even sure who the joke was about.

Bonnie walked into the classroom. The very last to show up as usual, but there was no Iruka to reprimand her and Mizuki honestly didn't care. Bonnie raised an eyebrow at the sight of her madly laughing classmates.

"What the hell happened?." Bonnie said her thoughts out loud.

Mizuki sighed in exasperation. He would like to know that more than anything. What the hell happened?.

End.

And that's it. Gotta be the second longest chapter I've written on this big ass, slow paced ass fic.

On the topic of pace, I have an announcement to make. I planned on having one more chapter on the Naruto and Aya two year deadline, but I had a changed of heart... Okay. I got tired of the complaints so I have decided to give you all what you want.

There will be a timeskip in the next chapter and we're going straight to the graduation and genin exams. Yay celebrate. Fourteen chapters of pre-genin Naruto. I'm such a beast. I disgust myself.

Since we're gonna be jumping right to the genin exams (PS Naruto will be thirteen after the timeskip and his canon classmates will be fourteen), we can go straight to the pairings. Ooh la la.

By shinobi standards Naruto is legal. By normal standards I should be in prison. But whatever, let's get to it.

This is what I have so far, if it hasn't been painfully obvious.

Naruto's harem.

Hinata

Bonnie

Saya

Yūgao (RIP Hayate)

Azula

Kurenai

Anko

Aya

*secret candidate*

These are the current established love interests. Now here are the women I would like to work into the harem. However, the dynamic of their relationship with Naruto will hugely depend on how the story progresses.

So basically I could write my way into making the pairing nigh impossible.

Kimiko

Kuraidesu

Kagura

Yugito

Samui

Fū

Mei Terumi

Tsunade

Shizune

Ino (I'm biased)

Sakura

Mebuki

Kotohime

Kurotsuchi

Karui

Temari

Tayuya (I'm biased)

Guren

Yoruichi

Meiku

Shiho

Tsume

Hana

Ayame

There's a few more but I don't wanna ruin the fun with an early revelation. Naruto's going to be involved with a LOT of women, but he's only going to be in a real relationship with a few. So being part of the harem isn't the same as being in a relationship with Naruto.

There will be a lemons. There will be a lot of lemons, so all the underaged readers that braved it to this point. I salute you, but it's time to stop.

Naruto's love life aside. Let me tell you what I will not be doing. Trying to force gross ass pairings that just don't work.

There will be NO

Jiraiya x Tsunade (She's out of his league. That simple.)

Hinata x Kiba (This one goes without saying but I just have the urge to roast whoever thinks this is not a disgusting pairing.)

Nagato x Konan (More likely to ship Nagato and a taser.)

Sasuke x Sakura (Even the author couldn't work out how that one made any sense.)

Zabuza x Haku (Jesus H Christ, I curse the person who started that bs trend).

Naruto x Naruko (I am sorry but that shit is just messed up. Big ups to The Lemon Sage for trying to normalize it, but its NOT normal. Fucking yourself is not normal.)

Itachi x Anything (This man's idea of love was killing people. I'm sorry, I'm sorry but hell no. I know he had a girl in canon but mf killed her too. He's a good character, but no chance at romance.)

Iruka x Anko (PUUUUUTTTTTAAAAA.)

Gaara x Anything (Same as Itachi.)

Lee x Tenten (I love Lee and I wanna see my boy winning, even now I'm still wishing he's clapping Tenten behind the scenes. But even I know that's wishful thinking.)

Neji x Tenten (One sided relationship that stopped being a thing once Tenten started getting less screentime than Jiraiya's sandals. Yeah... no.)

Sai x Ino (Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol.)

Hiruzen x Anything (No "you make me feel young again" bs. He's done. He's officially left the streets.)

A x Mabui (That boss x secretary fantasy is remaining a fantasy even this fantasy.)

Finally NO. I am not going to give another character but Naruto and Kakashi a harem. Kakashi's harem is already fixed.

You can tell me what kunoichi or character you'd like to see Naruto paired with in the reviews.

With that I guess I'm done. See you in the next chapter.