The rest of the mission went well. They had a few injuries, but they were all alive and would make it. They went back to the outpost to rest. Shisui was a bit clingy with Naruto and hesitant to leave his side. Of course, Naruto knew it was because of the talk they had, but there wasn't much he could do.

Finally, it was midnight, and everyone was asleep. Naruto decided to use this chance and leave. He packed his things and got ready to go. He was about to exit when he saw Kakashi waiting for him.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked softly.

Naruto took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'm not sure. I think I will go to the fire temple. They had a request for a seal master for a while now. I will see what I can do to help." Naruto finally said.

Kakashi walked toward Naruto and stopped right in front of him. "There are people waiting for you in the village. So don't take long, ok?" He said as he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto knew what he meant. Kurama told him that he had heard the conversation Naruto had with Shisui. Kakashi wasn't a person to deal with emotions directly, but he was trying to comfort Naruto. "Will you also be waiting for me?" Naruto asked shyly.

Kakashi was taken aback. "Of course." He said sincerely. Naruto did something unexpected. He wanted to do this for so long, but he didn't have an excuse to. He gently closed the distance between them and hugged Kakashi.

He could hardly reach Kakashi's legs. Kakashi was frozen for a moment, but then he brought his hand to Naruto's back and returned the hug. It was a short hug but reassuring for Naruto. Naruto waved Kakashi goodbye and went on his way. There was so much to do after all.


It took Naruto two months to finally get back to the village. He visited all outposts and wherever he was needed and did his duty as a seal master. He helped so many people and made some friends, but it was time to go back.

He has news that his father is back to his Hokage duties. He was a bit excited to see the changes already made to the village. He finally reached the gates and signed his paperwork to enter. He had to report directly to the Hokage and then ROOT, as was his protocol.

His mission was as a shinobi of leaf, not as a ROOT, so he had to give his mission report to Hokage. If it were a ROOT mission, he would only go to Danzo. He didn't have to wait long to get in. he kneeled before the Hokage as he handed his report.

Naruto could feel that his father didn't like to be referred to as the Hokage, but he understood that Naruto was a shinobi on duty. After the report was finished, he asked Naruto to stay for a second and signaled his ANBU to leave.

"I'm glad you are back, Naruto-kun." He said with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Naruto said.

"No. You don't have to address me like that when you are not doing your job as a shinobi. Either call me Otou-san or Minato. I won't force you to use to-san. Just use what you are comfortable with." He said nervously.

Naruto could definitely see the longing in his father to be called Otou-san, and he wasn't about to deny it. "Yes, Otou-san," Naruto said.

Minato beamed at being referred to as a father. "I want to invite you for dinner tonight. I got an apartment when you were gone and moved. It's near the tower. Here I will write you the address." Minato said as he handed Naruto a piece of paper.

Naruto wasn't given the option to deny, so he just thanked his father and went on his way. He had to report to Danzo as well, after all.


His briefing with Danzo was short and to the point. He was told that he should spend time with his father so he wouldn't interfere with his duties in ROOT. Naruto was happy about the arrangement, but it just gave him more things to do.

He had to visit Fuu and Torune weekly in order to see his operatives' progress and reports. He had to check their training schedules and organize their missions. Thankfully he only had to do this once a week since Fuu and Torune were in charge.

But at the same time, it left his most trusted operatives bound to the village. Naruto also had to do personal training with the recruits to assess their skills and needs and to also gain their trust. The number of his operatives was growing, and currently, he was directly controlling 20 percent of active forces.

It was true that most of them were newer agents as opposed to some of the agents who were in ROOT for a lot longer, and there were higher-ranking agents who were equal to some of the strongest Jonin of the village.

Naruto was doing his best to grow his agents in number and power, but it would take a long time.

Naruto also had other duties. He regularly hung out with his rookie nine friends. They were all growing into themselves, and Naruto enjoyed their times together. He did his best to visit everyone at least once a month.

Then he hung out with some of the Jonin and trained with them. Currently, he is working on some taijutsu combinations with Gai and poisons with Anko and Genma. Naruto also had his duties as a seal master.

He took regular requests from all clans and higher-ranking shinobi. His most important project, for now, was some first aid seals that can be used in the field by injured shinobi. Tsunade was a slave driver and demanded perfection.

Naruto also always made regular visits to Orochimaru. Sometimes he sent his clones, but they both knew how busy Naruto was. Naruto also had regular visits to orphanage and poorer areas of the village.

His next plan was to make adjustments to civilian schooling. While civilians got some education, it was not very high. Plus, Naruto wanted to apply a program to teach basic chakra skills to those who were interested.

Overall there was so much to do and so little time. Naruto sent a quick message to Itachi and Shisui by his summons to meet the next day. There were some things he liked to talk about.

Naruto got ready to visit his father and headed out. He was holding a bag with some dessert. He made some simple cupcakes with different toppings. He didn't know what his father liked, so he decided to go simple.

He finally reached the apartment. It was one of the newer Shinobi apartment complexes made for Jonin on active duty. It was a bit on the expensive side, but it was more spacious. Plus, it had more rooms for Jonin, who had a family.

Naruto reached the door and knocked. It didn't take long for his father to open the door and invite him in. Naruto was a bit shocked to see Kakashi on the couch reading his usual book. He knew that Kakashi was close to his father, but it seemed like he wasn't going to leave him alone anytime soon.

Naruto sat next to him on the couch and decided to tease him. He could see the subtle glares his father was sending Kakashi. "Hi, Kakashi-san. What are you reading." Naruto asked innocently.

Kakashi blushed and looked at Minato, who was glaring daggers at him, before turning to Naruto. "It's not important. Just some boring story." Kakashi said.

"But I always see you with those books. They must be very important. Please, can I take a look?" Naruto asked as he reached for the book. Kakashi quickly put the book in his pocket and away from Naruto.

"Why don't we talk about something else instead? Some of your friends visited the temple when you were gone." Kakashi said sweetly. Trying to take the conversation in another direction.

Naruto decided to take pity. "Oh. Who?" Naruto asked.

"Well, at first, it was your Hyuga friend who just wanted to practice some taijutsu but then convinced me to spar. I never expected a Hyuga to be such an expert with sunburns. Then your Nara friend had questions about sealing, and sensei helped him out."

"The Yamanaka and Akimichi visited as well. They had some deliveries for you and took care of that." Kakashi said.

"Yes. Choji was going to bring me some spices to try, and Ino was supposed to help with the new garden." Naruto said thoughtfully. "Sorry if they caused you trouble. I wanted all my friends to have a safe place to hang out whenever they needed." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"No worries, kiddo, it wasn't a problem," Kakashi said as he ruffled Naruto's head. Naruto wanted to dodge at first but decided against it.

Minato called them over to set the dinner table. Naruto didn't know that his father was such a great cook. He told him so, and his father told him that his mother was even better. He also promised to make some of her recipes for Naruto in the future.

They made light conversation about everything. Naruto told them about some of his missions, and Minato told him about some of his own. He even shared a few stories about his team and Kakashi. Kakashi was a bit offended to be called a brat but laughed it out.

Overall, it was a good night, and Naruto enjoyed spending time with them. He could feel that his father was dealing better with grief and pain; it was still there but the intensity when Naruto was there was a lot less.

Naruto and Kakashi helped with the clean-up, and when it was time to go, Naruto gave his father a quick hug. His father held him firmly. He kissed the top of his head before bidding him goodnight. Kakashi offered to escort Naruto, but Naruto reminded him that he was a Jonin as well.


It was the next day, and Naruto was waiting for Shisui and Itachi. He was putting some incense in the room to help with what he wanted to do. He felt the boys approaching and went to greet them. They were in casual clothing since it was their day off.

Shisui decided to tackle and hug Naruto, and Itachi settled for a more gentle hug. It's been a while since they all spent time together, so it was understandable that they missed him. Naruto invited them to the room, and they all sat in their place.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked. It was understandable since Naruto told them both that it was imperative.

"Well, both of you guys know that there are some things I can not discuss with you. Not because I don't want to but because I can't. however, I think it is time for me to talk about one of these things." Naruto said. Trying to take deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"Hey Naruto, you know that you can trust us? Right? You don't have to force yourself to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable." Shisui said.

"No. It's ok. I want to talk about it. Part of my training as a Jinchuuriki is to utilize the power of my Biju. There are many aspects to this training, and it is different for every one of us. Many believe that we are like jailors."

"That to use the power of Biju, we have to force them into giving us power. But the thing is, such methods won't work beyond a threshold. We can force them to give us power, but such power is a double-sided blade."

"We will do just as much damage to ourselves as to our opponent. Plus, there will be no control over the power this way. The corruptive power will turn us into a berserker. We won't be able to tell friends from foes."

"Of course, if a Jinchuuriki tries hard enough, they can retain control over a larger amount of power, but still, it is not the way. For us to truly use our powers, we need a deeper understanding of the Biju we hold. Unlike what many believe, Bijus are not thoughtless monsters."

"They are intelligent and powerful and ancient. They've been roaming the earth long before our recorded history. They might seem angry and destructive, but can we blame them?"

"For a long time, people attacked them. Whether they were looking for a weapon to control or to gain fame and glory for defeating them. When the villages came around, we sealed them into vessels. Taking their freedom."

"We hurt them to a point it is reasonable for them to hate us. But it is not true. They are still kind and compassionate beyond the hurt we caused them and willing to forgive. I learned to understand my Biju. He taught me so much I will never be able to thank him."

"I've talked with him, and he wanted to meet you guys if you are ok with it," Naruto said.

Naruto had his eyes on the ground, not willing to look into his friend's eyes. He was consumed by the fear of rejection from them. What if they were afraid of him now? Or what if they think him crazy for befriending a Biju?

He suddenly felt Itachi flick his forehead. Naruto was taken aback and looked up. Shisui and Itachi both wrapped him in a hug. "You are an idiot. Do you have such little faith in us? If there is one person in the world who I believe can befriend a Biju, it's you. And, of course, we would like to meet him. how many people can say they had an opportunity to meet a Biju and have a talk with them." Shisui said.

"Hn." Itachi also confirmed with a nod. "What do you need us to do?" Itachi said as they all pulled back from the hug.

"Well, it is easy. All you have to do is to sit comfortably and bump your fist with mine. As long as we hold the fist bump, I will hold the connection and take care of the rest. Oh, and try not to activate your Sharingan. He doesn't really like it." Naruto said as he held his fists for them.

They both fist-bumped him and suddenly found themselves standing in front of a giant open cage with Kyubi sitting in all his glory. "Hello, boys." He said, giving a predatory grin. Suddenly, it didn't feel like such a good idea.