Chapter 32

AN: Heyo, Riku here! I was writing the chapter for 'From the Afterlife to the Past Life' and really got bored. So, I figured y'all deserved another update for ATA. Please enjoy!

Ps. While writing this, I was listening to 'Choji's farewell' on loop since I've been rewatching Naruto. It fits with the theme of happiness, loyalty, and friendship that this chapter shows.

With Naruto, outside his apartment…

Naruto watched in amusement as the four chibis squirmed, Konohamaru then realizing something.

"Hey! You're that ANBU from forever ago that let me call you boss! And that meany from the Academy trap course!" Konohamaru blurted out and flutily pointed at him. Naruto felt his eye twitching, not particularly enjoying the memory of that day.

Flashback, within four months of Naruto joining Ro…

Sitting in a tree watching the 'honorable grandson' skip out on private tutoring was not Naruto's idea of a good time. Sure, being stuck with Ebisu sucked, but Naruto resented being assigned this farce of a mission after Hikaru blamed him for clogging the locker room toilets at HQ. Worse yet was that Dragon- sama knew it was Hikaru's doing but said Naruto 'needed to connect with the next generation' or something; Naruto decided to use the mission time to attempt to draw a seal that would make Dragon- sama pick someone else to bother.

Thankfully, clones and Angel meant Naruto got to rest in the shade instead of in the muggy spring sunlight. Konohamaru kept being a brat and making Angel grow so he could ride her; the poor Hell Cat just wanted to nap away the heat.

"Oi, quit picking on Angel, brat; she's an ANBU animal, not some pet you can order around." Naruto ordered, his glare hidden by his mask but tone conveying his feelings perfectly. Konohamaru huffed.

"Tsk, what you going to do about it? I'm the Third Hokage's grandson, and you're just an ANBU; you have to listen to what I say."

"Hah! I only answer to my superior shinobi officers and the Hokage, of which you are neither." Naruto scoffed.

"W- well, you still should listen to me! Especially since I'm going to be Hokage one day!" The academy student tried to release killing intent to look intimidating.

"Not with that attitude you're not; do you even know what a Hokage does?"

"Of course I do! A Hokage is the strongest in the village and kicks other people's butts and is loved by all" Konohamaru replies instantly. Naruto rolls his eyes, realizing the boy was like he used to be.

"Not really, no. Sure, a Hokage is loved and respected for their accomplishments, but they do more than just 'kick people's butts'. A Hokage sacrifices everything, they are the last to celebrate a victory and the first casualty to protect the village. They love everyone who is loyal to our village, from the tiniest newborn to the most senile elder. However, a Hokage would sacrifice any one of these people for the greater good and still force themselves to be human. Do you love as a Hokage does? Do you have a heart of steel that loves unconditionally?"

With each sentence, Naruto felt his conviction steel, felt his loyalty to his kage deepen. How could he judge a man that sacrificed everything and still saw the light? Naruto knew he would never be a Hokage, even if he felt he could make those sacrifices, and that he wouldn't want to be.

Konohamaru, however, only looked readier for the hat.

"I do! I promise I will be the best Hokage ever, and protect the village even better than my grandfather."

"Then I look forward to serving under you, Konohamaru Sarutobi." Naruto said with warmth. Angel nodded along, still not completely understanding what was happening and decided to take a nap. Konohamaru ignored her.

"Y- you said my name" He said in awe. Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes… why wouldn't I?"

"Nobody does. Jiji named me after the village, but every one calls me 'honorable grandson' or ignores me." Here, the child shuffled under Naruto's intense gaze. Naruto held it, before scoffing.

"Well I'm not just anybody, I'm ANBU agent Mouse. Keep making your own path and I'm sure the whole world will know the name of Konohamaru."

"Really?" Konohamaru asked with tears. Naruto nodded. "I like you! You can be my boss, and teach me more than Ebisu!"

"N- NANIIIIIIII?!" Was heard throughout the village as a panicked echo.

End Flashback….

Yes, a touching moment it was, until the brat decided to pester him for training. It took Naruto volunteering for a solo escort mission to River country to get the brat off his trail. Those couple of weeks of Konohamaru somehow tracking the ANBU down everywhere except his home were hell.

And now the heathen knew where he lived, curtesy of his precious almost sister, Momo. The girl had the audacity to smile sweetly at him too! Realizing he was staring off into space, Naruto cleared his throat.

"And if you brats ever reveal my identity or try to prank my apartment, I will follow code five forty two." The blonde said gravely. The four gulped.

"C- code five forty two?" Udon questioned shakily. Naruto nodded gravely and used his best acting (read: lying) skills to the test.

"Yes, a serious ANBU rule. See, when someone reveals who we are, us ANBU have to put them through a Yamanaka mind wipe. It's too bad that mind wiping only one memory is difficult, and as such the Yamanaka have to wipe large sections of memory. You don't want to end up like poor Hikaru Hyuga, do you?"

"Hikaru Hyuga?" Moegi asked. Momo narrowed her eyes at Naruto but grinned when he winked.

"Yes, poor, poor, Hikaru. He used to be like every other Hyuga: stiff, boring, and a genius. But then he blabbed to his mother someone's ANBU identity. Now… now he's worse than an energizer bunny on crack and thinks cockroaches make good ninja pets! Do you four want to end up like poor little Hikaru?"

"NO!" Was the three terrified and one amused response.

"Good, now what's this about the tests? Momo, you're three years ahead of them as well!" Momo gulped.

"W- well Konohamaru here failed-"

"Barely!" was said boy's indignant defense.

"Yes, barely failed his village history test again. This is his fourth failed test of the term so Iruka- sensei would have to have a parent teacher conference…"

"Which would be with Hokage- sama since Konohamaru doesn't have parents" Naruto finished with a sigh. The tiny fuinjutsu user nodded shyly.

"Yes nii- san. So he had me help make paint seals so he could make the tests unreadable. Then, Iruka- sensei would have to give a retest. I agreed if he would study this time. I didn't think Iruka- sensei would get so mad at them, and then Konohamaru dragged us out and I got scared so I ran to you!" Momo finished in a rush. The other three looked down in shame. The blonde softened his gaze.

"Well I'm sure Iruka- sensei will still punish you, but I won't take you to him."

"You won't?!" Konohamaru shouted. Naruto shook his head. "You're the best, boss!"

"BOSS!" Momo and the others saluted while still hanging.

"I won't be taking you there personally as I don't want to spend my off day being tied to whatever punishment you all receive." Naruto said, knowing that somehow he would be blamed seeing as he was the one to have taught Momo the paint tags and more advanced fuinjutsu. "No, I will be taking you to the hospital where I know my dear friend Yugao is. She'll be taking you to Iruka". Naruto relished the looks of betrayal but knew it was necessary to have Yugao and Iruka scare the daylights out of them.

These four didn't realize how fortunate they were not to be sabotaged throughout the academy, to be able to graduate on their own merit and not someone else's heinous plot. Naruto would ensure they didn't do something so stupid again. The prank was fine, as it built shinobi skills.

The covering up of the failed test was not, however. Cheating didn't exist in the shinobi world, but the academy was where one learned the right way to learn, one not reliant on under handed tactics. It built work ethic and honor in one's accomplishments. So, Naruto would gift the children his cruel lesson in life.

Even if they were adorable when they called him Boss.

Ten minutes later of carrying the still bound chibis, Naruto arrived in the hospital through the back door and located Yugao walking out of a room with Hayate, who was getting a standard check up on his lungs.

"Senpais!" The blonde called, getting the attention of his superiors. Hayate waved while Yugao smiled slightly.

"Naruto, you've picked up some strays." Yugao chuckled. Naruto eye smiled and plopped the kids without ceremony in front of his dear senpai.

"Well yes, see…. These brats set off paint bombs in the academy and I need you to take them to Iruka- sensei for punishment!"

"W- wait! Naruto"

"Thanks senpai, knew I could count on you, but now I gotta go!" Naruto saluted and used his shunshins to escape the woman. He had a shadow clone stick around as a fly to see the woman focus her entire killing intent on the brats who cost her an hour of her day off.

Five minutes later…

Naruto cracked up as he made his way towards Deidara's room, figuring a short visit would be nice.

You're rather vicious today; you do know that cat woman will gut us for this, right? Kurama deadpanned from the seal. You may have a death wish, but I personally hate reforming.

'Pshh, you worry too much! It was worth it, the village awaits an adventure of relaxation!' Naruto thought back with giddiness; his first real day off in forever and he wouldn't let anyone ruin it.

Then the negative emotion at the end of the hall- Deidara's room- made him sober up.

'Shoot, what now?' Naruto muttered mentally while already unsealing his sword and sharpening it with wind chakra. He sent a shadow clone to alert the supposed ANBU guards. Technically Deidara was supposed to be in the ANBU and jonin ward, but had been moved when the Iwa team was placed in it for security purposes.

Be careful, that annoyance has a jonin level chakra signature angry at him.

'Thanks, Kurama. Three feet to the door, I'll shunshin in and..'

"Come in quietly if you want the traitor to live" A distinctly feminine voice ordered. Naruto sucked in his breath and burst into the room.

The Iwa jonin, the one Naruto was warned to stay away from, had Deidara tied up using the sheets and a kunai at his throat. He ignored Deidara's eyes that screamed to get away and chose to focus on the fact a foreign kunoichi had managed to somehow get past the ANBU on the floor of her students and discover his teammate.

"Iwa nin, stand down immediately." Naruto barked. The woman grinned viciously.

"Neh, and why should I brat? It can't be because of this traitor here who spits on his parents' graves by joining your cess pool of a village; There's another kunai stuck in his femoral artery and preventing him from bleeding out. It can't be my students, as they are ready to use the suicide jutsu I taught them to blow your hospital sky high. And it can't be you. I can sense the demonic chakra, but I've dealt with Jinchuuriki before kid, and you stand no chance. Now, I'm going to take this basterd back to Iwa and you're not going to stop me or else kiss everyone in this place goodbye" She taunted, holding a hand sign with the kunai hand, though the gain of Deidara not being at knife point was moot when the hand sign made his blood chill.

Naruto knew that move. It was one ANBU on the most classified missions used if their teammate was caught and couldn't kill themselves due to being incapacitated, resulting in a very large explosion of flesh. First, the one who volunteered would have a seal drawn on a tiny scroll that would be injected into their bodies, usually the base of the neck. Then, it would be linked to one person, who could set it off.

Ultimate trust was needed for the jutsu to work as both parties had to be willing. As far as Naruto knew, it hadn't been used in Konoha since before Kurama's attack and wouldn't be used again if Dragon had any say in it. At least, that's what the commander claimed when he told Naruto about having to use it during the third shinobi war on a comrade who was like a sister to him to prevent Konoha's involvement in some mystery mission. It was the only time the blonde ANBU had heard such palatable guilt in his commander. Where most other emotions would seem muffled, that guilt was suffocating.

The jutsu disgusted both Bijuu and Jinchuuriki. Naruto's eyes flashed red.

"You… YOU MONSTER! Using that on GENIN!" Kurama's chakra laced his own voice before being reigned in. Naruto noticed the hesitation in her eyes as she no doubt struggled with the thought of combusting her students and Naruto capitalized on it. He used kawarimi with the IV drip to get right next to the semi conscience Deidara and swung his blade down at an angle that would take off the jonin's hands jet not touch his friend and quasi roommate.

The jonin shunshined away, switching places with Naruto who now had a clone trying to cauterize the other blonde's femoral artery. He spared a quick thanks to his foresight in paying for those medical lessons all those months ago.

"Tsk, Iwa will demand Konoha's blood for this!" She spat. Naruto stared impassively.

'Kurama? Think she'll go through with killing her genin?' Naruto thought desperately so he could formulate a plan.

I… I don't know. Her chakra signature is fluctuating between determination and uncertainty. Brat, take her down before we find out!

The ANBU agent blinked at the ordered but hardened his eyes.

"Why do you protect that basterd anyways huh?! He, a brat who had everything after his parents died, betrayed everyone! I was the one to convince the Tsuchikage to let the child become his apprentice, and now my own village thinks I'll go crazy like him. He's a traitor, a freak with that bloodline. Deidara will only stab you in the back if you let him." The jonin started ranting. Clearly she was not stable and viewed this as a messed up way to regain her honor.

"Deidara is not an Iwa traitor anymore, but a valued Konoha comrade!" Naruto shot back. Deidara, who was waking up, widened his eyes along with the woman he now learned had a connection to his family.

"Un, Fishcake… leave. She's famous in Iwa for being able to subdue both Jinchuuriki at once with her underhanded tactics despite being slower and less powerful than most chunin…I'm not worth it, not after what I did to my old village."

"Shut up. Yes you are! Just because you blew up some buildings to mask your escape- buildings I know you made sure would be as empty as possible- and didn't agree with the Tsuchikage's policies doesn't make you worth leaving to die for! You're my friend Deidara. Everyone makes mistakes and you've paid for yours already! Now, shut up and let me handle it."

"And me" Hikaru's deadly voice spoke from the doorway.

"Don't forget us." Yugao and Hayate landed on the bed from the ceiling, having heard everything. Naruto didn't know it, but Kurama had sensed all of them but chose to not say anything in favor of watching his friend demonstrate his loyalty.

"Hey, we want to join the party too!" Team Hawk and Beta chirped, surrounding them.

"And finally us. Thanks for letting me know about the little explosive scrolls; too bad for you I have ways of finding it." Dragon idly drawled with Angel on his shoulder, both looking rather bloody. Dragon wouldn't tell his subordinate this but when his bird informed him of Deidara's predicament, but that Mouse was already headed to stop it, he had decided to observe as he was already at the hospital to heal his shoulder. The damn Root agents he took out attempting to snoop for Takashi's location were able to capitalize on his sleep deprived and distracted state. Thankfully Angel was there as an effective distraction, even if her real mission was to follow the trail and confirm one of Danzo's many bases throughout Konoha. So far, Dragon had mapped out fifteen of the rumored twenty and Angel had been instrumental in the last two, even if she was ticked about keeping it from her partner.

Deidara looked wide eyed at his friends- no, family, he decided- who would willingly stay despite the risk and blinked away tears. Nobody had ever been so loyal, seeing him either as a maniacal creep for his bloodline, or a tool for their own political purposes. However, here his family was, even knowing what could happen: One slight twitch in her chakra could cause the explosion.

"Maybe, but you can't disarm it without surgery, killing me automatically starts the reaction, and killing them now would cause you to go to war- you can't win! Either way, Iwa will crush you!"

"Hmm, no but this works. Mouse if you would." Dragon murmured the last bit into his student's ear. Naruto used a shunshin to appear inside the jonin's defenses, who found herself unable to move from one of the ANBU Nara's shadow possession. She couldn't speak due to a sudden shadow strangle creeping up her neck in a threatening manner.

Naruto, before she could blink to process this, knocked her out with a round house kick to the head. Using a kick mid air after a shunshin took skill, and the blonde was tempted to preen as the woman who threatened his village and friends crumpled to the floor after the Nara let her go.

Silence reigned for three seconds before Hikaru and the head ANBU medic- a younger ANBU called Deer who took over after his predecessor wanted to retire- started working on closing Deidara's wound completely.

"And that's why you should never play with your food children; do so and you risk not completing your mission." Dragon said sagely.

"Dragon- sama, you think Iwa will confess to this?" Naruto asked dubiously.

"Well unlike the Hyuga incident, we have live prisoners to question. Time to let a Yamanaka suck them dry and let the council decide what to do. Deer!" The commander barked.

"Hai!" Deer chirped while making sure Deidara was all the way healed and handing Hikaru a packet on the additional care needed.

"Go take care of our exploding genin if you would please."

"Yes, Commander!" And Deer left in a fervor, already using an intercom to gather more surgeons. Everyone stood awkwardly.

"Well? Quit standing around like academy students! Hawk take your squad and Viper's squad back to hospital duty. Cat take your boyfriend with you to watch after those academy brats; we can't let any visitors think children run rampant. Wolf, get Fox back to your apartment and wait to report to me there- he doesn't look injured enough for a hospital bed." Everyone sweat dropped at Dragon's assumption but complied. "And Mouse…"

Naruto gulped but steeled himself, already imagining having to do his Commander's paperwork or make more seals on his day off.

"Go to room three twenty six until five pm; Angel will be your apartment."

"Bye Naruto!" Angel chirped mischievously. Naruto narrowed his eyes but quickly left to fulfill the strange order.

Three minutes later…

Naruto opened the door slowly, ignoring Kurama's loud laughter. As soon as the door opened a to go bowl of Ichiraku's hit him in the face.

"There you are, baka! Now get in here, I've been waiting to eat for like, an hour." There, sitting on the bed surrounded by dozens of ramen bowls, was Yakumo Kurama. The heiress looked him in the eye before snickering.

Naruto's blush was legendary as he looked the smile the girl gave him, feeling his heart racing at her giggle.

"Y- y- Yakumo! What are you doing here?!" Naruto said after Yakumo got up and dragged the tomato faced boy to sit in the chair next to her bed.

"They have me in a bunker, with lots of moisture; I got pneumonia but I'm almost better!" Yakumo explained while flexing her tooth pick arms as proof. "Soon I'll be better, and you can help me be a ninja!"

"With your skin? Please it's so white it would light up the room for enemies!" Naruto joked. Yakumo huffed good naturedly.

"Well at least I'm not so short that clients think I'm an academy student!" Was her retort, exaggerating the fact she was slightly taller than him now.

"Why you! One day I'll tower over everyone and then you'll be sorry."

"Even the Kyubi?"

"EVEN HIM!" He jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. Soon conversation devolved into giggling between friends.

Naruto sighed; it was indeed a great day off. Hours passed and Yakumo fell asleep, as talking so much still made her tired.

"Mind telling me how you almost had the hospital blown up?" Tenzo spoke from the window suddenly. That made the blonde gulp.

Maybe this wasn't quiet the perfect day.

End! A bit of fluff, along with a plot point several of you who discuss the plot with me have been waiting for. This chapter was the basis for Iwa's tensions with Konoha, but how did they know about Deidara? Or where they there for something else? O.o

I think the chunin exams re- watch has affected me as I added in the Nara and a standoff to the scene for no real reason.

I figured out why my dashes keep getting separated automatically. Apparently, it's a bug on my Microsoft OneDrive account, and I messaged customer service to get it fixed. It's annoying I know.

Next chapter is the final push to the exams and the matches begin. Expect a brief touch on the fights, but the main focus will be team Ro's shadow movements and Dragon who has several pests to take care of (cough, Danzo, cough)

A short poll for y'all:

After the exams is going to be a couple of more ANBU style missions that feed into the official declaration of war. Which Naruto movie would y'all like to see ANBU- fied? Any one of them works except the last one or the Boruto movie. There's one where he's in prison, goes back in time, another dimension, one with ferret, and the Land of Snow/ Sea ones.

Finally… sorry for no more plot on the Uchiha's or when I wanted to add what the Akatsuki and Kumo are doing, but the chapter was getting sort of long. I'm rereading the entire ATA story to make sure I have it flow well from here on out. Already I see some plot holes I need to fill so wish me luck!