The Takeover

by sinisteruto

What if Haku, Zabuza, Minato, and Kushina had a much more profound impact on Naruto as a shinobi than they did in canon? What if Naruto realized early what a waste of time his training trip with Jiraiya was and took matters into his own hands? What if Naruto stuck to his original plan of taking it over, not to prove himself or make everyone love him, but for his own ambitions?

2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other series I might use for inspiration.

Homecoming

"W-what are you doing?" Yugito asked warily, jumping away from the blonde Uzumaki and adopting a fighting stance, feeling like she had to be the dumbest person ever for trusting the son of the Yellow Flash of all people as she should have known that all his kindness and concern was just an act. To think that she allowed him to lure her to a secluded area because of some romantic fantasy that she had in her mind like some love struck teenage girl.

Now look what had happened? She was now trapped in some kind of chakra chain barrier. She had done her due diligence and asked Lord Raikage about Naruto's parents, so she knew about the chakra chains and what they could do. If you allowed yourself to be trapped in a chakra chain barrier, then, unless you could teleport, it was game over as there was no way to break through it even with the power of a bijuu. The only saving grace she had now was that Naruto had, stupidly, or over confidently, trapped himself inside as well. At least if she took him out, then the barrier would disappear.

"This is my chakra chain barrier technique: black void." Naruto said patiently.

"From inside the barrier, you can see and hear everything that is happening outside of the barrier, but those on the outside can hear nothing and can only see a black void of nothingness." Naruto said calmly.

"I see. So you don't want anyone to see you kill me? Quite a pointless gesture, given that everyone will know it was you anyway…that is of course, assuming that you can actually beat me in combat." Yugito said with a threatening undertone.

"Wait, you actually think I want to kill you? Hehe! Where the hell did you get that idea? I'm not even sure I'm mentally or emotionally capable of wanting to kill you, much less actually killing you." Naruto laughed incredulously.

"Kidnapping me will be even harder for you. You might as well kill me because I'm not letting you take me alive." Yugito said dangerously.

"W-what! Yugito-chan, cease this foolishness. I have no intention of killing or kidnapping you. I just don't want anyone to hear our final conversation before I leave, or to see the gift that I have for you. I want it to be our little secret." Naruto said sincerely, Yugito scrutinising his chakra circulatory system, his body language, and his voice inflections thoroughly in order to determine if he was lying or not before eventually relenting.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. You must think me such a fool." Yugito said apologetically.

"Not at all. In hind sight it was a perfectly natural reaction for a shinobi, even more so for a jinchuuriki. I should have at least hinted my intentions to you before putting up the barrier. I'm sorry Yugito-chan, I didn't mean to scare you." Naruto said apologetically.

"It's okay, I forgive you." Yugito said with a small but genuine smile, walking closer to Naruto now that she knew for sure he didn't betray her.

"So what's this gift you have for me?" Yugito purred, Naruto reminding himself to fortify his mind lest he fall head over hills for this feline Godess.

"Well, I was going to surprise you but given how you reacted to the barrier, I feel it's best I prepare you." Naruto said cautiously.

"Why would you need to prepare me for a gift?" Yugito asked, confused and yet at the same time feeling kind of giddy as she wondered what kind of gift Naruto-kun got for her.

"It's a kunai, but not just any kind of kunai. It's the kind that my father used to use when he was still alive." Naruto said, wary of Yugito's reaction to this information, information that he hadn't shared with anyone apart from his beloved wives.

"You want to give me one of your dad's kunai as a gift? That's…are you sure? Something so precious I mean?" Yugito asked, touched by the gesture as she knew all too well the value of one of the Yellow Flash's teleportation kunai, after all, no one outside of Konoha had ever managed to retrieve even one of them seeing as the Yellow Flash had the ability to teleport them back to him, that's discounting the risk of retrieving one in the first place as that would essential give the Yellow Flash free reign to teleport into your village and start killing people.

"Uh….what? Ahem, uh…Yugito-chan I don't think you fully understand the implications of both what I am saying and the gesture itself." Naruto said awkwardly.

"The implications? Wait, you're saying that you….that you can use your father's jutsu? Impossible! If you could use it then why didn't you use it when you fought Raikage-sama?" Yugito asked in complete surprise, so much so that she could literally feel her head become woozy, like she could collapse and faint at any moment.

"Because it's supposed to be a secret. A trump card that I can unleash if we go to war, if Konoha should ever be invaded again, or in the case of an emergency. Like for instance, if someone special and important to me were to be captured by Akatsuki, or if she wanted to tag team those bastards with me when they attack her." Naruto said with a meaningful tone, Yugito's eyes widening as she was finally able to see the full picture.

"You're willing to do that for me? To reveal your village's trump card and secret, to even risk it being used against you, just to protect me, even though I'm from an enemy ninja village?" Yugito asked in disbelief.

"I am. I believe your life is worth the risk. I cannot bare the thought of you dying and me not being able to do anything about it. I understand that possession of this artefact puts you in a compromising position because I could use the artefact to attack you myself or kidnap you, but you should know that it also puts me in a compromising position because you can also use it to trap me." Naruto said with a grave undertone.

"Use it to trap you how?" Yugito asked, confused.

"In order to summon me, you have to channel chakra into the sealing tag on the hilt and then throw the kunai to the position that you want me to appear." Naruto deadpanned, Yugito's eyes widening again in surprise, unable to believe that Naruto was willing to take such a risk with his life, after all, what if she summoned Naruto into a pit of lava or something, or into some form of immobilizing sealing matrix?

"So, the requirement is absolute and unyielding trust and loyalty to each other. That's the only way this thing works, right?" Yugito asked rhetorically.

"Precisely." Naruto said as he stretched his left hand out, a tri pronged kunai appearing on his left hand before Naruto took it and sliced the palm of his right hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Yugito exclaimed, quickly taking Naruto's hand and activating the mystique palm technique before Naruto could even react, worry and concern on her facial features, causing Naruto to smile warmly at her, the purity of her intentions and her emotions clear and unmistakable to Naruto, especially since he had the ability to sense emotions.

"I intended for us to form a blood pact you know, that requires the wound to still be open, and for you to cut your own palm as well." Naruto said amusedly.

"Oh! So that's what you were doing? You should have said so, idiot." Yugito stutter mumbled.

"Yeah, sorry about that. You're right. I do tend to get ahead of myself don't I? I need to work on that." Naruto said introspectively.

"Definitely. Hey why isn't your wound healing? It should have closed by now." Yugito asked with concern.

"I'm inhibiting the healing process. I have that much control over my cellular structure. It's a bloodline ability." Naruto replied, Yugito staring at him like he had just transformed into some kind of alien.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Yugito asked incredulously.

"No one can do everything, but yes, there is very little that I can't do. Talent is a part of it, but hard work, dedication, and ambition is also essential." Naruto explained.

"I see. Well, anyway here goes…" Yugito said as she snatched the tri pronged kunai from Naruto and cut her right palm as well before extending it for a hand shake with Naruto in order to seal the blood bond.

"You trust me?" Naruto asked.

"With every fibre of my being. You? You trust me, Naruto-kun?" Yugito asked anxiously.

"It goes without saying. I trust you, Yugito-chan." Naruto said as he finally grabbed her hand, the two of them sharing a strong hand shake as their blood and dna became entangled with one another.

"Then the bond is sealed. We are bound to each other now, forever." Yugito said with a bright and happy smile.

"Indeed. Happy to be bound to you." Naruto said, staring into Yugito's eyes and vice versa, the two of them getting drawn to each other as their heads came closer to each other, only for Naruto to pull away at the very last second, with great will power to pull it off too as he really didn't want to pull away, at all, but knew that he had to because he didn't want to betray his wives.

"I'm sorry Naruto-k…"

"You have nothing to apologise for. The feelings you have are mutual, and besides, it is my fault. I'm the one who approached you and insisted we spend time together. I don't blame you for anything, and you never have to apologize for anything with me." Naruto said warmly.

"I know it's not fair to your wives to say this, but I wish you were not married. I wish you never met them." Yugito said, trying to hold back the tears from her eyes.

"If I hadn't met them, I would not have had a team to come to these chuunin exams with, and if I hadn't come…" Naruto trailed off, leaving Yugito to put the rest of it together for herself.

"we would have never met, most likely. Life is so cruel." Yugito said sombrely.

"Well, do not lose heart. The future is a mystery. Things might change. I won't ask you to keep a candle burning for me, that wouldn't be fair, but don't lose hope just yet either." Naruto said as he caressed Yugito's left cheek lovingly, Yugito snuggling into the hand as she literally felt Naruto's loving touch for the first time despite how much time they had spent together over the last month.

"You have a plan don't you? I highly doubt Lord Raikage would approve a marriage alliance if that's what you're planning. I'm a jinchuuriki. It doesn't make sense to let me go and live in Konoha and let Konoha have three jinchuuriki." Yugito retorted.

"Did you forget about the kunai I just gave you? You wouldn't need to live in Konoha. Just visit every evening or so." Naruto said as he wriggled his eye brows.

"Pervert!" Yugito said with a light punch on the shoulder, she and the blonde Uzumaki laughing and playing together like little children as they traded light slaps and punches with each other.

"So uh….would you be willing to accept becoming my uh…wife at some point in the future….like for instance, when I become Hokage and make the offer to Lord Raikage?" Naruto asked just to make sure.

"Yes Naruto-kun, I would be overjoyed at the prospect of becoming your wife." Yugito said joyfully.

"Great. I guess that sort of makes us unofficially engaged then doesn't it?" Naruto said sheepishly.

"It's official enough for me." Yugito said warmly.

"I uh…still have to get the approval of my wives. I think they like you though." Naruto said optimistically.

"Even if they don't, I'll make them like me." Yugito said without a shadow of doubt in her mind.

"Hehe, oh well I guess that's that then." Naruto chuckled.

"That's that." Yugito said confidently.

"But just out of curiosity, how many wives do you intend to take? I know you have to take more than one in order to quickly rebuild and re establish your clan, but exactly how many do you need?" Yugito asked curiously.

"Five is the standard number. However I'm not exactly going out of my way to make it five. When I married Fu and Tayuya, I fully intended for it to be just the two of them. I didn't count on falling in love with you." Naruto replied.

'Nor did I count on the Mizukage pursuing my affections and me agreeing to marry her one day.' Naruto thought, feeling kind of bad for not mentioning that part to Yugito but then at the same time taking solace in that she knew that he would likely be getting around five wives as he had just confessed to her.

"I see. Well, normally I would be opposed to sharing my husband with other people, but that was before I knew I could ever feel about someone the way I feel about you. Besides, I'm a ninja, so I understand the importance of rebuilding a clan, especially a massive one like the Uzumaki clan. You are rebuilding the Uzumaki clan right? Not creating a new one with your father's name?" Yugito asked curiously.

"I'm rebuilding the Uzumaki clan, yes. Creating a new clan would be challenging, and I would rely on the approval of the Hokage and the other clan heads. However, I don't need their permission to rebuild the already pre-existing Uzumaki clan. I can actually make demands of them as the clan head of the Uzumaki as opposed to grovelling at their feat and asking them to accept me as the head of the Namikaze clan." Naruto retorted.

"I see. You truly are a perceptive man. Okay, fine, I'll support you with everything that I have in me. I'll make sure the Uzumaki clan rises again." Yugito said lovingly.

"Thank you, Yugito-chan. That means a lot to me." Naruto said happily.

Meanwhile: Raikage's Office

"Lord Tsuchikage, I didn't expect to see you here? Why have you called for me, Lord Raikage? I was just about to explore your wonderful ninja village." Mei asked curiously, unlike before, when she was having dinner with Naruto, wearing her full Mizukage garbs.

"I'm the one that called you, but I'm not the one who called for this meeting. Lord Tsuchikage claims that he has something important he wants to discuss with us." The Raikage replied with a bored tone.

It was just the three of them in the office, no elite guard and no assistants, just as Lord Tsuchikage requested. Lord Raikage had also set up a privacy barrier around the office so that their communications remained between the three of them, again, just as Lord Tsuchikage requested.

"It is an honour to meet your acquaintance, Lady Mizukage. There is a much urgent matter I wish to discuss with you two." Lord Tsuchikage said with a devious smirk plastered on his facial features, Lord Mizukage doing well not to show any surprise or awe at the fact that the old man was casually floating in the air.

Ōnoki is a very short, old man with a triangular beard and a moustache that has angular corners, a big red nose and thick eyebrows. The top of his head is completely bald, although, he has long white hair on the lower-half of his head which is styled in a traditional chonmage hair cut, the back of which is tied with a yellow ribbon into a topknot. He is wearing a split apart green coat divided into four sections with yellow trimmings, and a red collar. Underneath he is wearing the traditional Iwagakure outfit consistent of a light green version of Iwagakure's flak jacket and mesh armour. He however has both the sleeves of his shirt, but has kept the single lapel on his right side.

"And what matter would that be, Lord Tsuchikage?" Mei asked tensely, wary that this may be some kind of trap or set up.

"The matter of Namikaze Minato's brat!" Onoki said with a hateful tone of voice, Mei's eyes narrowing dangerously at the mention of her Naruto-kun.

"What of it?" Ay asked impatiently.

"I want to know why, despite being in your village for over an entire month, he is still alive and not dead? And I want to know what you plan to do about the fact that he is still alive? You know better than anyone just what a terror and a nightmare his father was, Ay, and now I hear that he defeated you in an impromptu jonin exam battle? Granted, the idea was an inspired one as it created a legitimate opportunity for you to legally assassinate him, but now that you failed, surely you realize the importance of eliminating him before he becomes even stronger." Onoki said urgently.

"You think killing him will be that easy? He displayed not only speed, defence, and attack power superior to mine in our battle, but he also displayed the ability to fly, which takes away your aerial advantage as well. He's also a sensor type, which means you cannot even surprise him. Killing him won't be easy. In fact, you'll likely lose a lot of good men and women attempting to kill him." Ay retorted irritably.

"Don't tell me the great Unruly Ay has lost his famously big set of balls to some wet behind the ears teenage boy?" Onoki asked mockingly.

"My big junk has nothing to do with this! It's not just him, his entire squad is ridiculous. The redhead is an Uzumaki, a pure blood. She was fast enough to defeat Godspeed C in a speed battle, and she is an unparalleled jutsu user. The Green haired one is a perfect jinchuuriki, and she's very fast too. And then, on top of that, they are travelling with Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin. I've thought hard and carefully about this. It's not worth the losses it would take to take them out. Konoha would take a huge blow yes, but so would we!" Ay said furiously.

"Well, what if we delegated the responsibilities. You and your brother can take care of Jiraiya. Each one of you is capable of defeating him, the two of you together should have no trouble at all. My son's team will take care of the redhead and my two jinchuuriki and I will take care of the Namikaze brat. Mizukage-dono and her companions can take care of the other jinchuuriki. With her experience in fighting and defeating the Yondaime Mizukage, who too was a perfect jinchuuriki, it shouldn't be a problem for her, especially since they have a jinchuuriki too in their squad." Onoki said diabolically.

"It's a good idea, and I would be on board, if I thought I could trust you! Do you think me a fool, Tsuchikage! Do you think I forgot about your betrayal of my father?" Ay asked with a very sizeable dose of disgust.

"Your father killed ten thousand of my men before he fell, ten thousand! I'd say we're even if you ask me." Tsuchikage retorted stubbornly.

"There wouldn't have been a need to be even in the first place if you didn't betray Kumogakure and try to assassinate their Kage. Furthermore, Kirigakure has not forgotten your betrayal that resulted in The Tragedy of Yosuga Pass. It would be different if you had perished or stepped down and your son or grand daughter had taken over for you. We might have excused the son and the grand daughter for the sins of the father, but given the fact that those betrayals happened under your orders, we would have to be fools to partner with you on this, or on anything at all for that matter." Mei said venomously, smirking internally at the opportunity Lord Raikage had provided for her to shut down this whole thing in its tracks, as she had no intention of killing her Naruto-kun, or standing by while he is assassinated for that matter.

"Lady Mizukage and I are of like mind. You're on your own Onoki. I took my shot, going about it the legal route, and failed. Now it's time for you to take your shot. Best of luck." Ay said dismissively, causing Onoki to grit his teeth in frustration, however quickly reigning in his temper as he remembered that he still had a plan B in place that didn't require the aid of the Raikage or the Mizukage.

"Hn! Cowards, the both of you! I wouldn't have expected the only man to ever have the guts to challenge the Yellow Flash despite the flee on site order to tuck his tail and hide behind the walls of his village, nor did I expect the woman who dethroned the perfect jinchuuriki, Yondaime Mizukage Yagura, to be such a big pussy. Never have I ever been so disappointed. You both are a disgrace to the title of Kage." Onoki said with disgust.

"Careful Onoki, you're a long way from Tsuchigakure." Ay said with a grave undertone.

"Hn! Whatever! I'm sick of looking at your pathetic, meek, and cowardly face anyway." Onoki said as he floated out of the office, Ay watching him with a contemplative facial expression, wondering if he shouldn't just say to hell with diplomacy and kill the old, wrinkled bastard anyway.

"I think I speak for us both when I say good riddance." Mei said, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"I'll breathe a lot easier when he has left the borders of my country." Ay retorted.

"Touché." Mei said in agreement.

"You should watch your back, Mizukage. If I were you, I would not leave Kumogakure before Namikaze Naruto leaves. Onoki probably has a plan B, he won't leave until Namikaze Naruto leaves. When you're sure that he is following Namikaze Naruto, that is when you should make your way home. After all, Onoki and his people cannot be in two places at once, and he will not want to split his team up. He'll want to maximize his chances of defeating and eliminating the Namikaze brat. He won't be able to allocate any resources to you." Ay said analytically.

"You think he might come after me?" Mei asked, surprised.

"Onoki's only interest is destroying the competition, and if that is not possible, then to significantly weaken the competition. He'll take any opportunity that presents itself." Ay replied.

"And what about you, Lord Raikage? What do you intend to do?" Mei asked warily.

"I hosted the chuunin exams and invited your villages over to participate. If I attack and kill anyone now, not only will Kumogakure be disgraced, but it will anger the other villages enough that they might all band against Kumogakure no sato. It's not worth it to attack any of you right now….unless you attack us first…" Ay said gravely.

"I see. Thank you, Lord Raikage. I will take your wise council to heart. Good day." Mei said as she turned and left the Raikage's office, Ay watching her carefully as he tried to resist the lust building up inside of him, wondering how on earth her elite guard were able to maintain concentration with a woman that looked like that around them all the time, nevertheless his vast experience enough for him to quickly put such thoughts aside as he went back to his work.

Later That Evening: Naruto's Hotel Suite

"Mei-sama, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked curiously, having decided to meet Mei half way, calling her by her name like she asked except with the "sama" suffix instead of "chan" when they were in public or when her elite guard was around, so as to at least not give the impression that he wasn't giving her the respect required of someone of her status and achievement.

"I thought I might come to see you in person. You should probably call your mentor as well, this is something you'll all want to hear." Mei replied.

"He's already here, we were just discussing our exit strategy. Please, come inside." Naruto said as he stepped out of the way, gesturing for Mei and her elite guard to come in, that being six tails jinchuuriki Utakata and Akebino Jinin of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." Mei said as she comfortably entered the hotel room, far more comfortable than any foreign shinobi should ever be, the complete opposite true for her elite guard however as they seemed to be extremely uncomfortable, their senses on full alert as they kept looking around for any signs of danger, almost jumping out of their skins when Naruto slammed the door shut.

"So, what's going on?" Naruto asked curiously.

"First thing's first, here, Ao's Byakugan, as promised." Mei said as she handed over a glass jar with some kind of liquid in it, Ao's Byakugan floating at the centre of the jar.

"Thank you, Mei-sama." Naruto said as he grabbed the jar, channelling green chakra onto the jar, specifically at the eye as he ran a diagnostic jutsu in order to confirm that it really was the eye, and that there was no transformation jutsu or some other kind of deception involved.

"It's legit. This is indeed the Byakugan." Naruto said excitedly.

"I thought you would at least give me more credit than that. I wouldn't try to deceive you like that." Mei retorted.

"Oh I know, I trust you, one hundred percent. However, at the end of the day, I'm still a ninja….and so are you." Naruto said with a grave undertone, causing a shiver to run up and down Mei's spine, realizing in that moment that Naruto was not someone to be trifled with.

"I understand. Vigilance and due diligence are the corner stones of the ninja way. I suppose I can't fault you for that, even though it hurts my pride a little." Mei replied with a nervous smile.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Mei-sama. Believe me, that is the last thing I ever want to do." Naruto replied sincerely.

"I know, and thank you for saying that, and meaning it." Mei said joyfully.

"Think nothing of it. Now, to fulfil my part of the deal." Naruto said as he stretched his hand out towards the kubikiribocho, which was on the other side of the room, a golden chakra chain flying out of the palm of his hand and wrapping itself around the sword before retracting rapidly until the sword was in Naruto's hand, the chain disappearing back into Naruto' palm.

"H-how did you do that?" Mei asked curiously.

"Do what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"That chain jutsu? What kind of jutsu is that? I've never seen anything like it before." Mei asked incredulously, after all, what else could Naruto have thought she was talking about.

"Oh, you mean that. It's an Uzumaki Clan blooodline limit." Naruto said as the bandages around the sword disappeared in a poof of smoke, after which, Naruto handed the sword over to Mei, who in turn gave it to Utakata for safe keeping, but only after carefully examining the sword.

"I must say I am impressed Naruto-kun. Truly, you are a phenomenal jutsu user." Mei said, impressed.

"Thank you for such a high compliment, I appreciate it. Now, earlier, you implied that there was another reason for coming here apart from the exchange we just made. What did you wish to discuss?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Earlier today I was called to a meeting by Lord Raikage. Lord Tsuchikage also attended the meeting, apparently it was he who requested it. He wanted us to form an alliance, an alliance dedicated to the annihilation of you and your team." Mei deadpanned, getting straight to the crux of the matter.

"That bastard piece of shit midget! Why can't we just kill him and be done with it!" Tayuya said angrily.

"Idiot! As if that would be so easy. Even at his age, he's still Tsuchikage for a reason. Killing him won't be easy, especially when he is surrounded by the yonbi and gobi jinchuuriki. Most likely Kitsuchi and his team will be backing him up too, not to mention the 200 hundred men army he has lying in wait to ambush us." Jiraiya said incredulously.

"I still think we can take them." Tayuya mumbled.

"It doesn't matter, we can't do anything drastic like that without Godaime-sama's approval. Taking an independent action that might thrust our ninja village or even the whole ninja world into war is not a good idea." Naruto replied.

"So, what do you plan to do about it? How do you intend to avoid an ambush? And what is this about a 200 men army?" Mei asked with concern.

"Believe it or not we already knew about Lord Tsuchikage's planned assassination. We know he has a 200 men army waiting for us just outside the border of the Cloud Nation on the way to Konoha, which is why we will travel out of the village only for a short distance and have the toads reverse summon us. I'm assuming the fact that you're telling us this information means that you sincerely rejected Lord Tsuchikage's proposal?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Not just me, Lord Raikage rejected it too, though I suspect more from lack of trust between him and Lord Tsuchikage than a lack of desire on his part." Mei retorted.

"Or maybe you didn't reject the offer. Maybe you're lying to us in order to find out what we know and what we have planned." Jiraiya said suspiciously.

"I suppose that's a possibility, untrue as it is." Mei replied casually.

"Don't worry sensei, I can confirm she's telling the truth. She has not betrayed us." Naruto said confidently.

"Hn, if you say so." Jiraiya said dismissively, playing along as he only voiced his suspicion in order to get Naruto to evaluate more of her responses with his sensory skills, in order to confirm, without a doubt, that Mei was not playing a big con on them.

"Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to know how long exactly you plan to lead Lord Tsuchikage on a wild goose chase? If possible, we would like to use your escape to facilitate our own exit strategy." Mei retorted.

"You're concerned that if he cannot ambush us, then Lord Tsuchikage might turn his attentions towards you? Or at the very least he might suspect that you warned us and attack you out of retaliation?" Fu asked, a small frown on her facial features as she didn't want her new friend to get killed, a sentiment that Tayuya didn't entirely share even though she would admit that Mei was not as bad as she thought after spending a few hours of the day with her, in which Mei had apologised profusely for her behaviour from the previous evening and sort to explain the cause and motivation for her actions.

"Precisely. The border of Cloud Nation is approximately 800km away. If that is where Lord Tsuchikage's reinforcements are gathered, then might I request you only employ your reverse summoning exit strategy when you are halfway there. That would give us enough time to have covered a great deal of distance by the time Lord Tsuchikage discovers your escape, enough that he won't be able to catch up to us by the time he turns his attentions to us." Mei asked, showing strategic aptitude worthy of her station as Mizukage.

"Interesting. It's a good plan, so long as you don't get complacent. Lord Tsuchikage and his grand daughter can fly, and they can temporarily give others the ability to fly too. They can travel much faster in the skies than a ninja can on land. But as long as you don't slack off, you should be fine." Naruto retorted.

"So then, is that a yes? You'll buy us some time?" Mei asked with a hopeful tone.

"Definitely. It goes without saying." Naruto said with a warm smile, causing the tension to fall off of Mei's shoulders, relief flooding her system.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. This means a lot to me. Hopefully I can one day repay you for this." Mei said with a beautiful smile.

"Anything for you. Now, you should probably leave before Lord Tsuchikage discovers that you are here. I know his hotel room is on the other side of the village, but we don't want to take any chances do we?" Naruto suggested.

"You're right. Thanks again Naruto-kun, and be safe." Mei said as she put her left hand on Naruto's shoulder, wishing do more than that of course, much more, but knowing better than to disrespect Naruto's wives again.

"You too, Mei-sama." Naruto replied warmly.

Six Months Later: Fire Nation

"We're almost there. You guys nervous? This will be the first time you have stepped into Konoha as Konoha ninja, at least for you Yuya-chan. For Fu-chan, it will be her first time, period." Naruto asked curiously, not really concerned as he knew that everything would be fine, and if it wasn't, he would make sure that it became fine.

Honestly, despite the hateful glares and whispers of the villagers and the nasty graffiti on his apartment walls, Naruto was actually looking forward to returning to the village since there were some people that he actually missed, like Konohamaru and his squad, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, Hyuga Hinata, Chouji, Shikamaru, Tenten, and even that idiot Kiba.

He definitely missed Shizune and despite her betrayal, he would be lying if he said he didn't miss Tsunade as well. They would have to have some serious discussions about her lies and betrayal, but he was willing to forgive, after all, she was family. Her grand father was married to his great grand aunt, and the Senju and Uzumaki clan were distant relatives anyway.

The other reason he was happy to be back was because honestly he was getting tired of thwarting Lord Tsuchikage's unending assassination attempts on him. Granted Naruto didn't think he would be able to let his guard down even within Konoha as the Tsuchikage could have sleeping agents in Konoha for all he knew, but still, it was much better than being out in the wilderness where the Tsuchikage could send people after him with impunity.

Naruto didn't initially think the man would go that far. He knew he was hated, actually, he knew that even that was an understatement, however, he never imagined the guy would continue to pursue him for six months straight without letting off. This was too much to be just hate, and Jiraiya-sensei had agreed with him too. According to Jiraiya-sensei, it was a combination of hate and fear, hate for what his father did, and fear for what Naruto himself may become, or already was.

Naruto figured that it would take a planetary threat to get Iwagakure to forget about their hate for him, but where the hell was he supposed to suck a planetary threat from? It's not like aliens were real or anything, and besides, who the hell wants to deal with a planetary threat, how many innocent people would die before the threat was defeated, just to get Iwa off his back?

"Hey, teme! Are you even listening to me?" Tayuya said angrily, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Yuya-chan, I spaced out. What were you saying?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Tche! How rude! Asking someone a question and then spacing out when they answer you? The nerve! Just forget it, we've arrived anyway." Tayuya said as she pointed at the large gates of Konoha.

"Okay, I'm a little nervous, I mean, what if everyone hates me?" Fu asked nervously.

"What kind of idiot are you? Of course everyone is going to hate you. Everyone hates dip shit so automatically they are going to hate his wife, who happens to also be a demon just like dip shit. As for me, I helped to kill the Sandaime Hokage and kidnapped their prized Uchiha prodigy, on top of that I'm dip shit's wife. Get over it, who the fuck cares what they think? As long as we have each other, that's all that matters." Tayuya said uncompromisingly.

"You're right slutty Yuya. You always know exactly what to say to cheer me up." Fu said happily, a tick mark appearing on Tayuya's forehead at the slutty remark, looking like she wanted to strangle Fu right on the spot.

"Quiet down you two. We're at the gate." Jiraiya said as he didn't want anyone overhearing everything that was said, especially seeing as Fu and especially Tayuya had no filter whatsoever.

"Izumi-san, Kotetsu-san. It's been a while." Naruto greeted the gate guards casually, the two gate guards starring at Naruto in disbelief, unable to believe how tall he was now, blinking their eyes and even rubbing their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things. Kotetsu even went as far as adopting a ram hand seal and saying the word kai, as if trying to break a genjutsu, which of course didn't work as it wasn't in fact a genjutsu.

"Wow Naruto! You look huge man! Is this for real? Jiraiya-sama, what have you been feeding him?" Kotetsu asked incredulously.

"I haven't seen him eat anything out of the ordinary, it's normal food for the most part, albeit he is on a very strict diet compared to most people." Jiraiya replied simply.

"You're telling me a diet did this?" Izumi asked in disbelief.

"Idiot! I'm saying I don't know how he grew so fast. Maybe its genetics." Jiraiya said irritably, but more out of frustration at himself for really not knowing anything about his God son except for the things that Naruto had no choice but to reveal.

"Damn! Aren't you creeped out though?" Kotetsu asked curiously.

"The hell? Teme! Why the hell would he be creeped out? He's still taller than dip shit!" Tayuya retorted, unable to help herself as it pissed her off that the guy had the nerve to say that her husband looks creepy.

"I'm sorry it just…it looks weird. Like imagine seeing a squirrel that is the same size as a Tiger. This is what this feels like when I look at him now." Kotetsu replied.

"You stupid ugly faggot! We live in a world where giant sky scraper sized toads exist and you think a tiger sized squirrel is creepy? What are you, brain dead?" Tayuya asked incredulously.

"Well, when you put it like that I guess you make a compelling point. It doesn't however change how freaky it is to see Naruto looking so tall and so jacked up. It's unimaginable for people like us who have seen him grow right in front of our eyes. I'm certain that he'll get this sort of reaction from everyone who sees him so you better get used to it." Izumi replied calmly, Tayuya gritting her teeth in frustration but nevertheless accepting that Izumi was actually giving her sound advice. She couldn't afford to have a temper tantrum every single time a person was shocked or said something stupid or rude about Naruto's growth spurt.

"Tche! Fine, whatever." Tayuya retorted.

"By the way, who the hell are these two honeys, Naruto? They your girlfriends? You two timing bastard you." Kotetsu asked with an almost proud tone of voice, smiling like mad man at the prospect of his junior hitting it big with the ladies.

"Hehe! What do you take me for, Kotetsu-san? I'm not some run of the mill womanizer. These are my beloved wives, Uzumaki Tayuya and Uzumaki Fu." Naruto said with a shit eating grin and a thumbs up, both Izumi and Kotetsu face planting in shock, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Hey…hey! Stop playing around. Sign us in already. We don't have time to waste here." Jiraiya said sternly, however, much to his surprise, getting no response as Izumi and Kotetsu had both literally passed out from shock.

"N-no way, they actually fainted? Is it really that surprising that we're your wives?" Fu asked, surprise and awe in her tone and facial expression.

"Apparently. I'll just leave a shadow clone behind to watch the gate for them until they wake up and clock us in. In the mean time let's get a move on." Naruto said as he made a cross hand sign, manifesting a carbon copy of himself before he and his team made their way inside the village.

"This place is so beautiful, and it's so peaceful and everyone is so happy and carefree. It's like we're not even inside a ninja village." Fu said in astonishment.

"Don't be an idiot! These are the same people that have made dip shit's life a living hell. Also, there's a detection barrier surrounding the entire village. Ero-sennin and Dipshit have had their chakra signatures registered with the barrier squad, but you and I haven't. A report is probably being made to Bossoms Kage as we speak about two powerful foreign chakra signatures entering the village. Expect the ANBU to appear and surround us any minute now." Tayuya said gravely.

"You sure know a lot about Konoha's defence systems, curtesy of Orochimaru no doubt?" Jiraiya asked suspiciously.

"That disgusting paedophile was thorough and vigilant if nothing else. He made sure his elite guard were prepared for anything when it comes to Konoha." Tayuya deadpanned.

"I see. I hope you realize that, with the information you might have, you're going to have to be thoroughly debriefed before you are allowed to join the shinobi proper." Jiraiya said gravely.

"Not true. Tayuya-chan is the Matriarch of the Uzumaki Clan. She has diplomatic immunity. She cannot be interrogated." Naruto retorted.

"Ah yes, forgive me my apprentice. I forgot about that." Jiraiya lied, narrowing his eyes with concern as he realized that Naruto was way too prepared for all of this, almost like he had something to hide.

"Tche! I don't even need to use my sensory skills to know that you're lying, stupid piece of shit pervert!" Tayuya said rudely.

"Hahaha! Right? For someone who's allegedly the best spy master in the world, Jiraiya-sama sure is bad at lying." Fu laughed amusedly.

"Oh shit! Yuya-chan, be cool, okay." Naruto said with concern.

"The hell is this….and what the fuck? Those two assholes dating now? Those pieces of shit! Did they bond over their defeat of me three years ago?" Tayuya asked incredulously, pointing an accusing finger in the direction of two very familiar individuals coming their way, one a blonde haired female jonin with a large battle fan on her back and the other a male chuunin with long hair tied in a pony tail, wearing the standard Konoha chuunin outfit.

"Hey hey hey…..forget about them okay!" Naruto said, quickly stepping in front of Tayuya in order to block her line of sight, which was easy to do given his height and overall size.

"Listen, that was three years ago okay? It doesn't matter if their tag team defeated you back then, you're way stronger and way more versatile now. They wouldn't stand a snow ball's chance. So don't worry about them okay. Just be cool." Naruto said with his hands in the air in a placating manner.

"……"

"You really think so?" Tayuya asked sombrely.

"Of course I do. You can counter Temari-chan's wide range wind style either with your sound release or your barrier ninjutsu style. Plus you're fast enough to stop her from casting her jutsu to begin with if you want to. You've got all your previous weaknesses covered now." Naruto said with a thumbs up and a goofy smile.

'He's such an idiot, and yet….I….I love how he makes me feel. He's always looking out for me and he always encourages me. I've never had someone totally believe in me both as a person and as ninja like he does. I….I can't even imagine what my world would be like without him anymore.' Tayuya thought, the expression on her face softening considerably.

"Thank you, you stupid asshole." Tayuya said lovingly.

"Anything for you my love. Now come here." Naruto said with his arms wide open, inviting his wife into his warm and loving embrace, Tayuya smiling softly as she allowed herself to be showered by the love of her husband, even if it was in the middle of the street with everyone looking, squeezing him as tightly as was possible, knowing that her husband could take it no matter how hard she squeezed given how hard and durable his body was.

"I love you, Uzumaki Tayuya, and I'll always have your back." Naruto said, rubbing his hands gently up and down the back of the matriarch of his clan.

"I love you too you stupid asshole." Tayuya said as she snuggled her head into her man's chest, Jiraiya struggling between a mixture of feelings, denial on the one hand, but then another part of his mind telling him that this was too real to be an act, that this young woman, formerly Orochimaru's elite henchmen and loyal subordinate, really was in love with his God son and was loyal to him.

"Ahem! Excuse me." Naruto heard an all too familiar voice from behind him, Naruto, having sensed her chakra approaching earlier, detecting emotions of uncertainty, suspicion, and curiosity from her.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Naruto asked without turning around or letting go of his wife, as if he was a mother hen hedging its chicks from the cold and the dangers out there.

"I know it's you dumbass! I can literally see Jiraiya-sama next to you! And that spikey blonde hair is unmistakeable!" The woman snapped irritably, Naruto chuckling lightly as he realized that he should have known that she would react like that as she was just like Tayuya in many ways, minus the compulsive cursing.

"You know it's who exactly?" Naruto asked, still not turning around to face the woman, Fu looking between her and Naruto with both confusion and amusement, not really sure what's going but curious to find out nonetheless.

"You're way bigger than I could have imagined you would grow up to be even in adulthood, but as I said, there is only one person with that spiky blonde hair who would be travelling with Jiraiya of the Sannin. It's you isn't it, Uzumaki Naruto?" The woman asked suspiciously.

"Troublesome. Look, man, I thought about stopping her from interfering, but given who I think it is that you've got in your arms right now, I had no choice but to see this through. Temari doesn't recognise her because she only saw her when she was already transformed into that monstrosity, but I know what she looks like even in her human form. Why are you with Tayuya of the North Gate? How is she even alive? Is she controlling you with her genjutsu?" The male Konoha chuunin asked, feigning curiosity even though he knew exactly what was going as the Hokage had briefed him and their whole graduation year about it.

However, that wasn't to say that all of his questions were unwarranted. From the moment he had heard about Naruto travelling with Tayuya of the North Gate, his first suspicion had been that she was either blackmailing Naruto somehow or was controlling him with her genjutsu. The other suspicion was that she was using him to infiltrate Konoha for Orochimaru, and of course, he genuinely wanted to know how exactly she survived that forestry devastation that Temari caused during their fight three years ago.

"You never miss anything do you, Shika? Impressive IQ as always, but no…." Naruto said as he turned around, removing his left arm from around Tayuya so that he could turn around, but not his right arm as he kept holding onto her with his right arm around her back and her left around his waist, like the loving couple that they were.

"I'm not under her genjutsu, I'm just a regular man showing affection to his beloved wife." Naruto said with a mischievous smirk, Tayuya's face also morphing into a sinister smirk when she saw the looks of shock and disbelief on the faces of her enemies, well, former enemies anyway.

"She's your what!!!! N-no way! That's impossible! Are you crazy? Tayuya of the North Gate? This Orochimaru wench is your wife? Are you on drugs? She is a crazy evil psychopath!" Temari exclaimed incredulously.

"I think you mean former crazy evil psychopath, and who the fuck are you calling a wench? You piece of shit ugly Suna slut!" Tayuya exclaimed angrily.

"What did you say to me!" Temari said as she went to grab her battle fan, Tayuya going for her flute only for Naruto to freeze them in place with a flex of his chakra, a chakra flex so strong and powerful that the earth around them started shaking and breaking up, crevices forming all around the surface.

"Come now, girls. We don't want to give Tsunade-sama and Gaara-sama a political headache by causing an incident now do we?" Naruto asked with a calm but deadly tone of voice, both Tayuya and Temari swallowing audible gulps as they both nodded warily, slowly letting go of their respective weapons as they both tried to calm down.

'His chakra, how can it be so strong and frightening? He's not even using the kyubi's chakra.' Temari thought warily, similar thoughts going through Shikamaru's mind.

"Good. Now, Temari-chan, you probably haven't been briefed about this yet, but Tayuya-chan is now a Konoha shinobi. She is a loyal and dedicated jonin of the village, and she is also the matriarch of the Uzumaki Clan. She is my wife, and I expect you to treat her with respect and common curtesy. She is no longer your enemy, she is your ally." Naruto said uncompromisingly.

"I….I'm sorry Naruto but this is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. I'll try my best but you cannot force me to trust her anymore than I can force myself to trust her." Temari said apologetically.

"That's fine. So long as you try your best." Naruto replied, much to Temari's surprise of course, as she didn't expect Naruto to take it that well given how obsessively protective and defensive he tended to be when it came to the people he considered precious to him.

'But then, if he has mentally undergone even half of the miraculous growth he has undergone physically, then it is within the realms of possibility that he would take my reaction so well, although how mature can he really be if he fell for this evil bitch's charms?' Temari thought confusedly.

"The same goes for you, Tayuya-chan. Both Shikamaru and Temari-chan are no longer your enemies. You don't have to do it right at this moment, but I expect you to work just as hard to burry the hatchet with them." Naruto said sternly.

"Tche! Whatever! I'm so over it already!" Tayuya said stubbornly, Naruto smiling warmly at her as he knew that that was the best answer he could expect from her.

"Good. Anyway, Temari-chan, Shikamaru, as good as it is to see you again, I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this short. Our first order of business is to report to Godaime-sama." Naruto said apologetically.

"On second thought, I guess we won't have to cut it short after all. She seems to be headed this way, along with a lot of people." Naruto said as he looked straight ahead.

He didn't know who the other people were, because the last time he was in Konoha, his sensory abilities were not honed and developed. He could however tell that Tsunade was there because of her chakra, after all, not only were the Uzumaki and Senju distant relatives, but he was also a part Senju due to his father being the secret grand son of the Nidaime Hokage, so he could easy identify the familial connection between himself and her.

"Since when are you a sensory type? And how many people are we talking about here?" Temari asked curiously.

"I've always been one, and as for the amount of people, well….there are seventeen." Naruto deadpanned.

'Seventeen? Then that means she brought everyone that attended the briefing that we had six months ago just before Naruto entered the chuunin exams in Kumo. Everyone that is in the know about Tayuya and Fu. However, nothing was mentioned about Tayuya and Naruto being married. When did this happen, after the briefing or before? Did Tsunade-sama know or did she leave it out for some reason?' Shikamaru thought, however, unable to analyse the situation any further as the aforementioned people suddenly arrived.

'Damn she like, brought everyone!' Fu thought with both trepidation and excitement, marvelling at the fact that she was finally meeting the people that she had only heard stories about from her husband but at the same time nervous about the whole situation.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Welcome back!" Tsunade said with a serious and professional tone, doing very well to hide her surprise at the fact that Naruto was now looking down at her, which kind of made her angry as, while Jiraiya had told her in his letters that Naruto was much taller than before, saying that he had understated just how much taller he was like saying Orochimaru was not a decent human being, a serious understatement.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto said as he went down on one knee and bowed his head, Fu and Tayuya mimicking their husband as they too quickly prostrated themselves behind Naruto.

"Konoha jonin Flying Squad, consisting of Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Tayuya, Uzumaki Fu, and Toad Sage Jiraiya-sama, reporting in." Naruto said to the surprise of well, everyone, no one able to quite comprehend how Naruto had become a jonin already.

"I think you meant chuunin squad, and what's this about you allowing these girls to use your last name? Have you adopted them or something?" Tsunade asked incredulously, not putting it past Naruto to attempt something crazy like that.

"It appears that Jiraiya-sensei has not debriefed you about the details of the events that occurred in Kumogakure. I'm sure he has his reasons of course, but you should know, when Lord Raikage found out about who I really am, as in, my true lineage, he challenged me, Fu-chan, and Tayuya-chan to one on one combat against him and his elite guard, with the prize being a jonin promotion should we outright defeat our opponents or survive for ten minutes."

"He did what! Why that savage, backward, conniving, muscle bound bastard! He'll pay for this!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily, her shock and anger causing her to forget, for the meantime, the fact that Naruto spoke as if he knew about his lineage, which was something she didn't know that he was now privy to.

"The whole thing was a spectacle that took place in the Storm Cloud Arena. However, Godaime-sama, we achieved our respective objectives and were thus promoted to the rank of jonin. There is no need to create hostilities between our respective villages. Everything turned out okay in the end, and I actually made some friends in Kumo." Naruto said in an attempt to pacify the Hokage's fury.

"I see. Naruto, I've encountered the Raikage before. It was around five years ago. We had a bit of clash, an arm wrestling contest actually. He's not only a very strong man but he is also a man of incredible speed, durability, and stamina. And his ninjutsu and taijutsu prowess is second to none. How on earth did you defeat him? I'm sure his elite guard are also very capable ninja. I don't personally know who they are but I know that Kumogakure has a tradition of their Raikage elite guard also serving as tag team partners for the Raikage. They would have been exceptional shinobi too." Tsunade asked with both curiosity and disbelief.

"To be fair, Godaime-sama, only Tayuya-chan actually defeated her opponent. All Fu-chan and I did was survive the ten minutes of allotted time. Actually, it was six for me. My fight against Lord Raikage was ended early because it was deemed too dangerous for us to continue our battle as there would be too many casualties if it continued." Naruto replied, still prostrated in front of the Hokage, who was actually surprised both by the fact that Naruto had bothered with that formality to begin with and the fact that he had maintained it up to this point, not to mention the use of formal language and suffixes when addressing her, something he would not have been caught dead doing three years ago.

"I see. How much control did you lose during the battle, and how many tails did you use?" Tsunade asked, figuring that Naruto must have been losing control to the Kyubi, which is why the battle was ended early, Naruto raising an eyebrow as he didn't sense any confusion or surprise from his graduate peers, which could only mean that they knew about his jinchuuriki status now.

'So she told them huh? I wonder what caused her to come to that decision?' Naruto pondered.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Godaime-sama. I didn't use the power of the kyubi to fight Lord Raikage, it wasn't necessary. I was able to match his raiton no yoroi speed and power with my rasen chakra no yoroi." Naruto replied simply, Tsunade surprised by the fact that Naruto spoke so openly about the kyubi in front of his peers as she hadn't even told Jiraiya that she told everyone about it.

"Rasen chakra no yoroi? What the hell is that?" Tsunade asked, confused.

'Jiraiya-sensei really didn't tell her anything? What is he, some kind of pervy clown?' Naruto thought incredulously.

"It's uh….basically a full body rasengan, although that in itself is a gross over simplification." Naruto replied much to everyone's surprise.

"A what?" Tsunade asked incredulously, an image of Naruto standing inside of a gigantic rasengan manifesting in her mind, which of course, didn't make sense at all.

"I had Gamakichi use henge in order to blend in with the crowd, and had him record the battles using a video recording and projection scroll. You can watch and assess yourself what happened in those battles. This should also remove the need for you to test our battle skills. There is enough evidence there to prove that the three of us are arguably the most powerful and competent ninja in the village." Naruto said as he extended his hands out, a poof of smoke appearing on his palms as a ninja scroll appeared in his hands, deciding that it would waste too much time trying to verbally answer all of Tsunade's questions.

"Just channel your chakra into the seal after opening the scroll and point it towards where you want the projection to appear. The video images will play automatically, and you can just verbally give whatever instruction you want. Say for instance if you want the video to pause, rewind, or fast forward." Naruto explained as Tsunade hesitantly grabbed the scroll and looked over it, shock and astonishment on her facial features.

"I've never heard of such a seal before in my life. Where did you get it?" Jiraiya asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"You wouldn't have. This is my personal design." Naruto deadpanned, Jiraiya's eyes widening in surprise, a surprise shared by everyone else as it seemed like Naruto was a living, breathing, and walking surprise package, no one daring however to interrupt the debrief while the Hokage was still busy.

"This is an amazing technique that would do wonders for our intelligence and reconnaissance division. I knew Jiraiya would one day teach you seals but I didn't expect you to progress so fast." Tsunade said, astonished, Jiraiya spotting an awkward look as, of course, he knew that he had nothing to do with Naruto's sealing prowess.

"Ahem, yes, well, Godaime-sama, are you sure this is the right place for a debrief? I mean, we're out in the open…in the streets of Konoha." Naruto asked

"……"

"You're right. I only intended to receive you and welcome you home. It's why I brought all your peers here. But you just caught me off guard with that jonin outfit and the way you introduced yourself and your teammates as jonin and I…well, we ended up here." Tsunade replied.

"I see. Well, I'm guessing that you'll want to watch the footage before you carry on with your debrief. So how about I give Tayuya-chan and Fu-chan a tour of the village so long while you and my uh…peers watch the footage. And then send someone to retrieve us for a proper debrief?" Naruto suggested.

'He's so different. He grew up so fast its almost sad. Will I never see that loud mouth bundle of joy again?' Tsunade thought nostalgically.

"Hmmm…..sounds like a plan." Tsunade replied, not revealing any of her thoughts or feelings as of yet, not knowing that Naruto could feel her emotions with his empathic abilities.

"Thank you, Godaime-sama. However, before you go, I would like to address one Hyuga Neji, if you'll allow it. I have a gift for him, and a promise that I wish to fulfil." Naruto said to the confusion of everyone present.

'A gift? For him? Not Sakura, or at least Kakashi?' Tsunade thought, confused, turning around to look at Neji to see if he knew what the hell Naruto was on about, but to no avail, because as usual, Neji was as hard to read as ever, spotting a completely impassive look on his facial features.

Next up was Sakura and Kakashi, and although he tried to hide it, she could see the confusion and concern on Kakashi, confusion because, well, because no one had a clue what the hell was going on, and concern because of Sakura no doubt, as Tsunade herself had the same concern over their mutual student, who did not look happy at all that Naruto was first of all addressing Neji before he addressed her, and secondly, because he brought a gift for him and not her.

'Naruto do you have any idea how many headaches you have given me over the last six months?' Tsunade thought with a heavy sigh.

"Fine, whatever. Come forth, Hyuga Neji, and would you three get off the ground already? Do you intent to stay down there forever?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Thank you, Godaime-sama." Naruto and his wives said in unison as all three of them simultaneously rose to their feet, Naruto once again inciting looks of disbelief with his ridiculous height, only Asuma-sensei, standing at 1.90m, and Jiraiya, standing at 1.92m, standing taller than Naruto, who had grown even taller in the last six months, now standing at 1.87m.

"You've certainly grown into quite the physical specimen, Uzumaki Naruto." Neji said as he came forward and extended his right hand to Naruto for a handshake.

"Well, you look like you've gotten stronger yourself. You ready for a rematch?" Naruto asked as he returned the gesture, the two former enemies, turned rivals, turned friends sharing a moment that made clear, without a shadow of doubt, the bond between the two of them.

"Pick a time and place and I'll be ready. And of course, don't forget to show up." Neji said confidently.

"Hehehe! Confident as ever I see. Good. I'm glad to see that you…"

"Will you two love birds just get on with it already! I swear if I have to spend another second watching this soupy bromance between the two of you I'm going to snap and start punching people at random! And by random I mean the two of you!" Tsunade said irritably.

"Well….we wouldn't want that now would we, Neji?" Naruto said, now adopting a serious facial expression.

"No, I don't believe we would." Neji retorted.

"In that case, take a look at this." Naruto said, holding his left hand out as, with a poof of smoke, a glass jar with a single eye floating in the middle of the liquid inside, appeared on Naruto's hand.

"Neji, Hinata, confirm with your Byakugan that this isn't only a real eye, but that it is a Byakugan." Naruto said with a serious tone, everyone looking between Naruto, the floating eye, and the two Hyuga heirs with both concern and confusion as they wondered where the eye came from, both Neji and Hinata quickly activating their family bloodline limit and inspecting the aforementioned eye.

"I…it is a-a real B-Byakugan, N…N-Naruto-kun." Hinata barely managed to say without passing out from embarrassment.

'The fuck is wrong with her? Does she have a speech impediment?' Tayuya wondered.

"I concur with Hinata-sama, however, where did you get this eye Naruto? How exactly is this a gift?" Neji asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"During my training trip, I retrieved the blade that was used as a grave marker for Momochi Zabuza and decided to use it as my primary weapon." Naruto said much to Kakashi's confusion as he knew with certainty that whatever that gigantic sword on Naruto's back was, it certainly was not the Kubikiribocho.

"What does that have anything to do with this eye though?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"It has everything to do with it, because six months ago when I attended the chuunin exams in Kumo, I met a Kirigakure jonin there, a man known as Ao of the Byakugan." Naruto deadpanned, confusing the hell out of everyone of course, as there was no way there were Hyuga clan members in Kirigakure.

"N-no way! That's impossible, isn't it?" Asuma asked incredulously.

"Extremely unlikely, but not impossible. Nevertheless, Ao hid his Byakugan behind a protective barrier ninjutsu disguised as a regular eye patch, but I already knew about him and his possession of the Byakugan. He didn't know that I was privy to this information when he and his team decided to demand I return their village heirloom, the Kubikiribocho, to them. Long story short, I was able to eventually get the Lady Mizukage to come to Kumogakure and we settled on a trade agreement. In exchange for me surrendering the Kubikiribocho, they in turn would surrender Ao's Byakugan to me so that I may return it to Konoha, more specifically, to the Hyuga clan." Naruto explained patiently.

"I see. You certainly have had some interesting encounters. I never would have imagined the Byakugan could end up in the hands, or rather the eye sockets of a foreign shinobi. Still, why give it to me though? Should you not be returning this to Hiashi-sama, or at least Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, confused.

"Let me make it clear, Hinata-chan, this is in no way whatsoever meant to serve as any form of disrespect to you. On the contrary, I have a great deal of respect and admiration for you. You are, without a shadow of doubt, one of the bravest people I know." Naruto declared sincerely, a look of surprise, joy, and embarrassment appearing on Hinata's face as she blushed profusely, a complete contrast to the one of shame and despair that she recently had when Neji posed the question.

"Then why give it to me?" Neji asked curiously.

"Before I answer that, first look at this." Naruto said, as, with another poof of smoke, another glass jar appeared, this one with two eyes floating inside instead of one, both Byakugan.

"Two more Byakugan? You're telling me there were two other Byakugan wielding Kiri shinobi?" Kurenai asked in disbelief.

"Not quite. Neji, Hinata. Look carefully at these eyes, and I mean very carefully." Naruto ordered, Neji and Hinata doing as instructed.

"N-no w-way/Impossible!" Hinata and Neji both exclaimed at the same time.

"What? What is it? God damn it don't keep me in suspense! You're going to give me a heart attack!" Tsunade shouted impatiently.

"These eyes, they're…genetically identical to this single one. These aren't Byakugan from different people, these are exact replicas of this eye." Neji explained for everyone's benefit.

"Exactly. Neji, these are genetic copies that I made of that eye. I made exactly one hundred of them. This is the gift that I brought for you, the gift of the fulfilment of the promise I made to you three years ago." Naruto said with a meaningful look at Neji, who of course was still confused.

"I don't understand how this is supposed to lead to the abolishment of the branch house system and the caged bird seal. That is the promise you are referring to is it not?" Neji asked curiously.

"It is, and its rather simple, my dear friend. Tell Hiashi-dono and the elders that I, Uzumaki Naruto, am ordering them to abolish the branch house slave system and that I demand the right to study the cage bird seal so that I can personally remove it, or……I'm going to start handing out these one hundred pairs of Byakugan in my possession to any loyal Konoha jonin who wishes to own a pair of Byakugan." Naruto said with a grave undertone, almost shocking Tsunade into cardiac arrest with his declaration, and of course, literally everyone else who wasn't named Naruto, Tayuya, or Fu.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to start a civil war?" Tsunade asked frantically.

"Those are my terms, and they are not negotiable. Hiashi-dono and the Hyuga elders have thirty days to draft a treaty with the branch house, declaring the eternal abolishing of the caged bird and branch house system, and they have another 30 days to afford me the opportunity to eradicate the caged bird seal. Should these terms not be met within the given time frame, I'm going to start handing out the Byakugan across the village." Naruto declared controversially, a deathly silence taking hold of the atmosphere, everyone shocked to the core by both Naruto's insanity and his courage to go and pull off a stunt like this, Tsunade the only one who wasn't in shock, her shock replaced by a blind fury at the fact that Naruto completely ignored her question as if she was some insignificant nobody, despite the fact that she was the actual fucking Hokage.

"J-just wait a minute Naruto-kun! How in the world did you even know how to clone an eye in the first place? That kind of science is beyond even me, not to mention illegal!" Shizune asked with both incredulity and confusion.

"I shall answer you shortly, Shizune nee-chan, but first let me answer Godaime-sama's question. Godaime-sama, I am aware that my actions put you in a difficult position, indeed these actions do have the potential to cause a civil war."

"However, if I one day become Hokage, I don't want to be a political leader, I want to be a military leader. I don't believe the Hokage position is meant to be a political position. Not to say I would ignore politics completely, I understand that they have their place, but I am not going to be the kind of leader that allows injustices like the slavery, abuse and humiliation suffered by the branch house members of the Hyuga clan to stand in the name of so called politics and diplomacy. I will fight for what is right no matter what, and if my actions today mean that I never become Hokage, then so be it." Naruto said much to the shock and awe of Tsunade, not knowing whether to be proud of Naruto or furious at him, nonetheless his courage and good heart standing out and shining a bright light over her that completely vanquished any negative emotions she might have had about Naruto or what he had done, as he made her realize that she actually hadn't done anything to make things better for the people of Konoha.

Sure, she'd improved the medical department of Konoha significantly since she arrived and she had made ninja policies that mandated that each team had to have at least one medical practitioner, which had resulted in a significant decrease in the mortality rate of Konoha shinobi. However, that was just her doing her job as head of the medical department of Konoha, nothing more, nothing less.

She hadn't done anything as brave as what Naruto was doing for Neji and the Hyuga clan. She hadn't put her life and freedom on the line, nor her reputation and good name on the line like Naruto was doing. Naruto was showing her that diplomacy and political correctness had no place when it comes to justice, at least not in extreme situations like this.

The Hyuga know that everyone in Konoha frowns at their caged bird seal and branch house system. They know that nobody agrees and that none of the Hokage agree with their practice. But they just don't care. No amount of political savviness or diplomacy is going to change that. If it is to ever end, hard core actions like the ones Naruto is taking are the only way.

"However, Godaime-sama, I understand that you are under no obligation to support my actions or to follow my style of leadership. I also understand that you may not want to be seen as taking sides or picking favourites. So, with that said, ease your heart and do what you feel you have to do. If that be to arrest and detain me for my actions, or to have me executed, then so be it. I won't hold anything whatsoever against you." Naruto said with conviction.

"I'm afraid that's not going to cut it. My brother loves Naruto dearly, and so do I for that matter. I'm sure Kankurou feels the same way too. Suna owes Naruto a great debt for what he did for Kazekage-sama. I don't have the authority to speak for Kazekage-sama like this, but as his older sister, I know, better than anyone, that there would no longer be a treaty between Konoha and Suna if Konoha were to detain, assassinate, or execute Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto is the bridge that binds Konoha and Suna together." Temari said without a shadow of doubt.

'I don't know what the hell you're up to, Naruto. But I'm going to do all I can to help you, it's the least I can do.' Temari thought with determination.

'Thank you, Temari-chan.' Naruto thought with gratitude, thankful for Temari backing his play like that, and for genuinely caring about him and having his back, as he could sense her true emotions with regard to him.

"Well, I was going to back Naruto's play anyway, but thanks for that Temari. Now I actually have a valid reason to back his play. I can just call the Konoha-Suna alliance card if the Hyuga try to get me to take their side." Tsunade said with a mischievous smirk on her facial features, one that was equally matched by Temari when she realized what the Hokage was up to.

"I'm glad to hear that. That makes things a whole lot easier for me. I was expecting to have a much tougher time with this, but with the both Hokage-sama and Kazekage-sama backing me, my chances of success have increased exponentially." Naruto replied with a little bit of relief.

"Hn, good thing you have friends in high places huh, Naruto! Don't worry, my mom is a clan head. It aint as good as having both the Hokage and Kazekage in your corner, but I'll get her to back your play. I'm sure she'll be happy to. The Inuzuka have a good sense of justice!" Kiba said with a thumbs up.

"N-Naruto-kun I w-will back your p-play too. I'm j-just a clan heir, b-but I don't want me or my l-little sister to be branded with the c-cage b-bird seal. Y-you can c-count on my s-support!" Hinata said with a look of conviction on her facial features.

"Hinata-sama is not the only one. I am the head of the Branch House. I succeeded my father after I was promoted to jonin. The head of the branch house of the Hyuga clan, with eternal gratitude for your kindness and benevolence, backs your play." Neji said with conviction.

"Yosh! The Green Beast of Konoha backs your play too! Naruto, never have I seen such powerful and indomitable flames of Youth! You are a living inspiration to both me and my students!" Gai exclaimed with a nice guy pose.

"Yosh! Thank you, Gai-sensei! That is the highest compliment anyone has ever paid me." Naruto said with a nice guy pose of his own, Tayuya looking at Naruto like she was embarrassed to be his wife right now, while Fu was laughing in amusement at her husband's antics.

"Yosh! Naruto-kun! I shall train ten times as hard so that my flames of youth will burn as hot and as brightly as yours! If you are the source of inspiration for Gai-sensei, then you are mine too! The Blue Beast will back your play!" Lee said excitedly, also adopting a nice guy pose as well.

"Thank you, Lee!" Naruto said with gratitude.

And that's how it began, every clan heir swearing their allegiance and promising to back Naruto's play, even Ino, even though she only did it because Shikamaru and Chouji did it, as she didn't want to be the odd one out. Truth be told, she was terrified of what might happen, wondering if Shikamaru and Chouji knew that they were basically choosing sides of a potential civil war by declaring for Naruto.

'Shikamaru is definitely aware of what he just declared to. As much as I hate to admit it but he's just way smarter than me. If I can see it, then so can he, and definitely Shino too. Is this really the smart thing to do? Putting all our eggs in Naruto's basket? I mean, this is the same guy who finished dead last and defeated Kiba with an accidental fart.' Ino thought warily.

"Naruto, I don't know if you know this or not, but, even though I don't have clan head status as the last member of the Hatake clan, my voice still carries some weight because everyone knows that I am just marriage and a couple of children away from regaining clan status for the Hatake clan. I would not be opposed to backing your play, but before I do, I need you to answer Shizune-san's question. How did you manage to clone those eyes? I know Jiraiya-sama is not a medical ninja, I cannot see where you could have learned such a difficult and uncommon medical procedure such as dna cloning. It's all a little too suspicious wouldn't you say?" Kakashi asked suspiciously, wondering if there was someone else working in the shadows with Naruto, or someone who was either manipulating Naruto or even outright controlling him.

"Hmmmm….okay, it's a fair question. The answer is simple. The Kubikiribocho is not the only momento of Zabuza and Haku that I have. Before Haku sacrificed himself to save Zabuza, he told me the location of their secret hide out. He said that if they didn't survive, that I was to continue their legacy, and that I could use whatever I wanted that was theirs to help me become a stronger and better shinobi. In their hide out, I found all sorts of scrolls, ninjutsu scrolls. Haku, you may or may not know, was also a medical ninja. He left all of his and Zabuza's ninjutsu scrolls to me. That's how I learned kenjutsu, water style, wind style, the silent killing techniques, barrier and sealing techniques, and medical ninjutsu, after which I visited the old ruins of Uzushiogakure no sato, the Ninja Village, as you know, of the Uzumaki clan. I found a lot more hidden gems of knowledge there, a treasure trove of it." Naruto explained for everyone's sake, knowing that he needed to earn their trust in order to keep them on his side.

"Uzushiogakure….then that means…"

"That I know everything about my lineage? Yes, no thanks to you." Naruto deadpanned, even though the statement was not only directed at Kakashi but also at Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"How did you find out?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"No offense, Kakashi-sensei, but you have no right to ask me that question. None of you do, not after all the lies and secrets." Naruto said uncompromisingly.

"Naruto I…."

"No excuses, Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to hear them, I'm not interested in hearing them." Naruto said, cutting off Kakashi before he could finish speaking.

"……"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt but what the hell is Uzushiogakure no sato?" Ino asked incredulously.

"It's our home village. Konoha is only our secondary home. Just as the Senju and Uchiha founded Konohagakure, our clan, the Uzumaki, founded Uzushiogakure. However, our people, while extremely talented, were too peaceful. They didn't focus on violence and they didn't really develop offensive ninjutsu. That's why, when Kumo, Kiri, and Tsuchi banded together against us, they managed to wipe us out. However, we will rebuild our clan and bring it back to its glory, here in Konoha. No, actually, it will by far exceed its former glory." Tayuya said confidently.

"Wait! What? You're what? Is this some kind of joke? You're Naruto's cousin? No way! There's just no way I'm going to believe that!" Sakura exclaimed, angry, but mostly afraid, afraid because how the hell was she supposed to compete with that?

If Tayuya really was Naruto's family, then he would never abandon Tayuya for her. He would never choose her over Tayuya. Tayuya would always come first, even she knew that much. Naruto, someone who was an orphan and never knew family, would hold on to Tayuya for dear life now that he finally found her.

Sakura also knew that, with Fu being a jinchuuriki, she might as well have also been family to Naruto, his bond with Sabaku no Gaara was proof enough of how easily and strongly Naruto was able to bond with others like himself. It was clear that there was nothing she could do to get Naruto back by her side, nothing she could do to save team 7.

"Phew! I was starting to think that you lost your tongue on a mission or something, Sakura. I'm glad that I was wrong." Naruto said with a smile, eliciting a nasty scowl from Sakura, who did not fail to take note of the lack of the affectionate "chan" suffice attached to her name.

"……."

"Sakura, Tayuya-chan is not only my genetically confirmed blood relative, but she is also one of my two wives. She and Fu-chan are my beloved wives. I love them dearly, and the feeling is mutual. Together, we will rebuild the Uzumaki clan, right here, in our beloved Konoha." Naruto said with strength and conviction.

"W-what d-did you just s-say?" Sakura stuttered, to the point that Naruto started to wonder if she and Hinata had switched bodies or something, Sakura realizing that things were so much worse than she could have ever imagined, losing her hearing temporarily as her heart began beating so hard and so loud that she could literally hear nothing but the sound of her heart beat, her world spinning rapidly as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, falling face first on the ground, or would have had Kakashi not acted quickly and caught her before she hit the ground, Hinata suffering a similar fate only to be caught by her jonin-sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai.

"She fainted…" Naruto thought out loud, confused by the sudden turn of events, not having expected a reaction like that from her.

"Don't you mean they fainted?" Fu asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, I mean, I know it must come as a surprise of course, but I didn't think they would faint. On second thought, it's not so surprising for Hinata, she's always been kind of weird like that, but Sakura? It's not like her at all." Naruto retorted.

'Is dip shit really that dense? Or does he simply not comprehend how any Konoha kunoichi could have the hots for him? I suppose it's possible, from what I know, he has nothing but bad experiences with women in Konoha, not to mention, in the past, he was too obsessed with Sakura to have noticed the affections of anyone else. He probably didn't realize that this Hinata broad had the hots for him, and she's way to shy and insecure from what I have seen to have made a definitive move on him.' Tayuya thought analytically.

"N-Naruto-kun aren't you a little too young to be married? I mean, you haven't even uh…explored yet, and you know, gotten any other uh.. e-experiences." Shizune asked frantically, and in a very awkward manner to say the least.

"Don't worry Shizune nee-chan. I'm sure about the decision I have made. There is not a single doubt in me." Naruto said confidently.

'Even if I hadn't genuinely and naturally fallen in love with them, I would have still had to marry them. I married Fu before she joined Konoha, which means that she and her bijuu are Uzumaki military assets first and foremost before they are Konoha military assets. This means that the nananbi will always belong to the Uzumaki clan and decisions about the nanabi and it's current and future hosts will be made exclusively by the Uzumaki clan. It was a necessary binding contract in order to protect Fu-chan from village politics.' Naruto thought introspectively.

'As for Tayuya-chan, like hell I was going to let anyone use her as a political tool in some marriage alliance with another clan. Our clan is better off if we stick together, especially at this crucial stage.' Naruto thought with righteous indignity.

"Naruto, you and I, we have much to discuss. Right now, I'm barely restraining myself from shoving my fist right through your cranium. Not only did you marry behind my back and without my blessing, but you went and married people that I don't even know, and at such a young age too. That is so reckless and stupid it makes me want to strangle you to death. So, for now, to prevent myself from doing something I will regret for the rest of my life, I will take everyone back to my office, and we will watch the tape of your battles against the Raikage and his elite guard to see if I really can confirm your jonin status. I choose to focus on that for now." Tsunade said with a low but deadly tone, Naruto resisting the urge to swallow an audible gulp as he had never seen Tsunade so angry and disappointed before.

"As for you and your…..wives, do whatever you want in the meantime. I'll call for you when I need you." Tsunade said as she turned around and began to walk way.

"Oh, and Kakashi, you never did confirm whether you are backing Naruto's play with the Hyuga or not?" Tsunade asked with an edge to her tone.

"I…..honestly, I don't know. I feel like Naruto is still keeping things from us." Kakashi said suspiciously.

"A ninja never reveals all of his secrets. I wonder who it was that taught me that?" Naruto asked rhetorically, Kakashi's eyes narrowing with displeasure at having his own words used against him.

"In the ninja world, those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their friends are even worse than trash. Do you remember that one, Kakashi sensei?" Naruto stabbed the knife right through Kakashi's heart.

"……"

"Fine, you've made your point. You follow these principles only when it is convenient for you. But it's okay. I actually wasn't counting on anyone's help except for the Neji and the branch house. I'm already in the best case scenario. Godaime-sama, I'll be waiting for your summons." Naruto said with a respectful bow of the head.

"I didn't say I wouldn't help you." Kakashi said tensely.

"You also didn't say you would either." Temari retorted.

"Besides, its not Naruto-kun who needs your help, it's the entire branch house. Everyone is trying to help to abolish an abominable slave practise here. One would think you could put your personal issues aside for the greater good. It appears Naruto-kun thought too highly of you. You're not the brave and noble man he made you out to be." Fu said with a disappointment sigh.

'This bug bitch sure can be manipulative when she wants to be.' Tayuya thought amusedly.

"Fine, I'll do what I can." Kakashi finally relented, not pleased at all about being put on the spot but at least having the foresight to realize that his reputation and good name would take a serious hit if he didn't back Naruto's play. In fact, he was quite sure that no one here would ever trust him again if he backed out now.

"You can count on the Sarutobi clan head too, kid. Besides, I can't let my students outdo me." Asuma said with a wry smile.

"Thank you, Asume-sensei." Naruto said sincerely.

"I share Asuma-sensei's sentiment, Uzumaki Naruto, although my reasons are selfish. My precious student, Hinata-chan, who is like a little sister to me, is under threat of being demoted to the branch house and being replaced by her little sister as the heir to the main house. It is something both she and I have dreaded for a long time now. You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to know that there is someone like you who is willing to fight this injustice head on. Your bravery has inspired me. I'm no clan head of a prominent clan, but you have my full support. I will gladly give my life for your cause." Kurenai declared with unwavering conviction.

'She sounds like she's mentally preparing herself for war. Kuso, it's just as I thought. Battle lines are being drawn. If the Hyuga don't relent to Naruto's demands, we're going to end up in a civil war!' Ino thought fearfully, afraid to be part of any war whatsoever, much less a civil war of all things, not wanting to have to go to death battles against her fellow shinobi.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei. That means everything to me. I'm even more convinced now that the actions I have taken truly are the right course of action." Naruto said, truly touched by Kurenai's love and devotion to Hinata.

'I'll have to speak to Neji in private and have him allow me to study his caged bird seal. If the Hyuga main house refuses to co-operate, I'll have to discreetly disable all of the branch house caged bird seals and then launch an unexpected attack and eradicate the main house….bar a few members of course.' Naruto thought gravely, his facial features softening slightly when he looked at the unconscious form of Hyuga Hinata.

'Can't believe they're both still unconscious. Was it really that much of a shock that I am married? I mean, we achieve adulthood at the time of graduation from the academy. It's normal for adults to fall in love and get married isn't it?' Naruto thought, confused.

"We will take our leave now. Everyone, follow me. We will all watch Naruto's and his…teammates' battles against Lord Raikage and his guard in my office. I'm sure both you and your jonin teachers are eager to see how much he has improved in comparison to you. I certainly know that, as Sakura's mentor, I'm eager to know how strong he is compared to Sakura." Tsunade said as she began walking away again, everyone following behind her except of course for Naruto and his team, and Shikamaru and Temari, Hinata and Sakura being carried by Kurenai and Kakashi respectively.

"Jiraiya, come! I'm going to need you to answer any questions I may have while I watch the footage. Temari, you may join us too. Your brother is the Kazekage, and Naruto, who is your brother's peer and best friend, is a strong, if not leading candidate to succeed me as the next Hokage. I'll need your counsel on a few matters." Tsunade ordered.

'And I'll need to discuss what you said earlier about Kazekage Gaara not allowing Naruto to be detained or executed under any circumstances. We need to come up with a solid plan.' Tsunade thought strategically.

"Y-yes of course! Hokage-sama!" Temari said excitedly, eager to see for herself how strong Naruto really was as, even though he defeated her brother three years ago, it was pretty much considered a fluke by most people, a freak incident. So to hear that he went on to defeat the Raikage really made her curious to no end about the extent of Naruto's abilities. Just how in the hell did he keep on pulling off these miraculous victories?

"I'll see you around Naruto. I hope I get to see you before I go, you know, to catch up and stuff." Temari said awkwardly.

"That goes without saying. I actually wish I could escort you to Suna but I doubt I'll be allowed to leave so soon after being gone for three years." Naruto replied with a fond smile.

"That would be so cool. But don't worry, I can handle myself." Temari said reassuringly.

"Oh I know, trust me." Naruto said knowingly, after all, this was the same woman who destroyed an entire forest with one jutsu when she was still a genin. To say she was talented was an understatement.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do while I'm away." Jiraiya said lecherously.

"That's a hard one. I can't even think of anything at all that a pervert like you wouldn't do." Naruto said with a thinking pose.

"Hehehehe! Right? It's so hard they should make it an S ranked mission to find something that the ultimate super pervert wouldn't do." Fu laughed at the toad sage's expense.

"Stupid immoral dirty old pervert!" Tayuya muttered under her breathe, the Uzumaki having fun at the sannin's expense as they all laughed together.

"I swear, nobody appreciates the hard work I put in for my work." Jiraiya replied, shaking his head in dismay as he walked away with a downcast disposition.

"Never meet your heroes they say. So many kids idolize the sannin. I hope they never find out that one is a lecherous, unapologetic pervert, the other a serial alcoholic, and the other one an evil psychopathic paedophile." Tayuya said, shaking her head as she released a heavy sigh.

"Well, let's make sure we turn out differently. That's all there is to it isn't it? We just have to leave a super awesome amazing legacy for our Uzumaki descendants." Fu said excitedly.

"Damn right! We aint raising no weak ass bitch ass descendants! We'll make em tough and unbreakable!" Tayuya said excitedly.

"Yeah! As long as they don't curse like sailors though." Fu retorted.

"W-what did you say to me, you dry, yeast infested pussy?" Tayuya exclaimed angrily, Fu laughing manically at Tayuya's expense, causing Naruto to shake his head in both amusement and dismay, yet, at the same time, feeling like he wouldn't trade having Tayuya and Fu in his life for anything whatsoever.

4 Hours Later:

Four hours, four hours was how long it took for the Hokage and her subordinates to finish watching the Kumogakure unorthodox jonin exam, four hours. It turned out that Naruto had not simply recorded the battles but had recorded the entire event itself, documenting pretty much everything that happened from the moment they made their way to the arena to the beginning and end of the examinations.

Furthermore, there was also the fact that Tsunade had been forced to repeatedly replay some of the fight scenes and play most of it in slow motion as everything was just happening too fast for them to follow with the naked eye. As a result, Tsunade understood why Naruto used this custom designed video recording seal instead of a normal video recorder, because a normal video recorder would not have been able to capture any of those images, it was just way too fast.

"Jiraiya-sama, what kind of training have you been putting these kids through? How did they become so strong over a such a short period of time? No, never mind the time frame, I've been a jonin for almost a decade now now and I haven't even remotely approached this kind power." Asuma asked incredulously.

"The truth is…..I had nothing to do with any of what you saw in that recording, and I was just as shocked as you are now when I saw what all three of them could do." Jiraiya deadpanned, much to the shock of, well, everyone.

"What? Jiraiya! What the hell are you talking about? How could you have travelled with Naruto for three years while training him and not know what he was capable of?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Naruto deserted me six months into our training trip, disappeared without a trace. I tried hunting him down but I couldn't track him down at all. He kept communication with me via toad summons, which is how I knew he was still alive and well, but the toads refused to reverse summon him. They aren't allowed to pick sides in disputes between summoners, and Naruto gave express orders not to honour any requests from me if I asked the toads to aid me in any way whatsoever to track him down." Jiraiya explained, dead silence washing over the Hokage's office, everyone too shocked by this turn of events.

"You're saying that Naruto-kun was all alone all this time? What if Akatsuki had gotten him?" Shizune asked with concern, her heart pounding hard in her chest as the very thought of Naruro getting captured and killed by Akatsuki was threatening to tear her apart.

"Not all the time. From what I understand, he was alone for six months before he went to Takigakure to warn them about Akatsuki. He wanted them to buff up security on Fu but when they heard that Orochimaru was a former member and that Itachi and Kisame were also members, they feared for their village and decided to banish Fu. They felt that if a single Akatsuki member like Orochimaru could take a big village like Konoha to the brink of extinction and eliminate the Hokage inside the village, then what chance did they have against an entire organization of Orochimaru level shinobi? So, for the next six months, Fu and Naruro travelled together until they met Tayuya in the land of Moon. It would be another twelve months after that before Naruto decided to reunite with me." Jiriaya explained with a grave undertone.

"So, 6 months with you, 6 months alone, six months with Fu, 12 months with both Fu and Tayuya, and then six months with all three of you? Did you see anything peculiar in the last 6 months that you spent with them?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, and I paid a hell of a lot of attention to detail." Jiraiya replied.

"The two girls, Fu and Tayuya. Can they be trusted?" Asuma asked curiously.

"If you're asking me if they are loyal to Konoha, then I do not believe that even for one second. However, they are one hundred percent loyal to Naruto, who, despite my, I believe understandable reservations, does not appear to have had any change in his goals and ambitions. Naruto still wants to be Hokage, if anything, he is even more determined to be Hokage than ever. He seems unnaturally obsessed with it in fact." Jiraiya explained.

"That's nothing new though. Naruto has been obsessed with the position for as far back as I remember having any self awareness. From the moment I met him in our first year at the academy Naruto was obsessed with being Hokage and made it a point to let everyone know about his goals. I'm actually relieved to hear that that hasn't changed given everything I've seen and heard about him since his return." Shikamaru replied.

"His goal might not have changed, but his motives might have. Naruto saw the position of Hokage as a way to get love, recognition, and validation from the villagers. However, he now has two wives who love him unconditionally and who don't care about the demon inside of him. These wives also happen to not be true born Konoha shinobi and they don't have any attachments in Konoha whatsoever." Jiraiya said warily.

"If you want to accuse Naruto of something why don't you just come out and say it? You think Naruto is a flight risk don't you? What kind of bull shit logic is that? Naruto is the most loyal and sincere person that I know. I'm not even a Konoha shinobi and I know that much. Why is it so hard for you to see that? It sounds like Naruto could have made sure you never lay eyes on him again if he wanted, but he came back to you, and came back to Konoha with you as a proud Konoha jonin, in the full colours and uniform of Konoha." Temari said testily, bristling at the character assassination of someone she had grown to love and appreciate almost as much as she did her own flesh and blood.

"The Naruto you know is gone. He's completely different." Jiriaya argued.

"I literally just met him four hours ago. Sure he's a little different, that's called growing the fuck up. Everyone does it, it's a natural part of life in case you didn't know. But there is nothing to suggest that he is some evil diabolical war lord. His eyes still carry the same love and warmth as they always did, in fact, he seems even happier than he was before." Temari argued, Hinata nodding her head in the affirmative, wishing that she had the courage that Temari had to stand up and speak out for her Naruto-kun.

"That's rubbish! Naruto doesn't have any affection in his eyes anymore! I saw it with my own eyes and heard it in his voice. He's changed! He cannot be trusted. He even abandoned his own team, his own friends. He abandoned Kakashi-sensei and I for a couple of foreign whores!" Sakura argued vehemently.

"Sakura, I don't know you that well, but you are naïve if you think I do not know about your team's treatment of Naruto. I know you ignored him for Sasuke and I know you constantly talked down to him and belittled him. That he doesn't hate you is further proof of what a good person he is." Temari said with venom on her tongue.

"As for Kakashi-san, I also know about you. I know how you played favourites and constantly favoured Sasuke over Naruto. It probably has something to do with that sharingan in your left eye socket, or the previous owner of it rather. However, it does not excuse your behaviour. You all treated Naruto like an outcast. But even if you all were perfect angels that could do no wrong, in what world would someone be expected to choose their friends over their own family? Why would he choose you over his own wives?" Temari asked incredulously, silencing Sakura with her words, Sakura's mouth opening and closing but no words coming out as she was too surprised to respond, unable to understand how Temari knew all of this.

"Temari, how do you know all of this? Who told you these lies?" Tsunade asked incredulously, unable to believe that her own beloved apprentice was capable of such behaviour towards her surrogate son.

"Lies? If these are lies, Hokage-sama, ask yourself why they aren't denying it?" Temari asked rhetorically.

"Be that as it may? Who told you those things? Was it Naruto?" Tsunade asked with concern, wondering why Naruto would confide in a foreign ninja instead of coming to her.

"Of course it wasn't him. However, Naruto is someone dear to me because he saved my brother from the pits of darkness, something neither I nor Kankurou were able to do, something we were too afraid to even attempt. I will forever owe him a debt of gratitude. So it goes without saying that I have since paid a great deal of attention to him and all of those around him ever since. I'm a ninja, so of course I have my ways of getting information." Temari replied cryptically, not willing to reveal her sources, which were really obvious if one took the time to think about it, that being that it was the Teuchi family and the Konohamaru squad that gave her all of her information, made easy by the fact that she regularly came to Konoha as the official liaison between the two villages.

"……"

"Tsunade-shisio! I do not think it is fair for Kakashi-sensei and I to be judged by mistakes of the past. No one is perfect, I think we can all agree on that, and we have all made mistakes. But Naruto belongs to team 7, that is his designation. Personal matters like marriage and family don't play a part here. His wives should be assigned to their own respective teams. It should not matter if he wants to switch teams, that would create a bad precedence for you. Then you'll start getting demands from other people of other teams to switch to their favoured teams." Sakura argued with determination and steel in her voice.

"Furthermore, my understanding is that Fu-san is also a jinchuuriki. If Akatsuki attacks jinchuuriki as a two men cell like you said, does that not mean a four man team will attack if there are two jinchuuriki in a team? Doesn't that make it far more dangerous for them to be in the same team?" Sakura concluded her quite frankly solid argument, even though it was motivated by completely selfish reasons.

'That bitch! She just wants Naruto so that she can use him to get Sasuke back!' Temari thought furiously, however choosing not to interfere any further, after all, she had done her part in defending Naruto's honour and integrity, but, at this point, with this turn of the argument, she would be directly interfering in Konoha politics if she tried to intervene, essentially meaning she would be stepping way over the line, if she hadn't already.

"Sakura makes a valid point. I also recommend Naruto and his wives be separated from each other so that their behaviour can be observed when they interact with other shinobi of the village so as to truly ascertain their loyalties and good intentions towards the village. Essentially that is to say, I recommend Naruto be returned to team 7, and if the resources are available, Tayuya and Fu also be separated and made to join two different four men teams. If the man power is not available, they can remain together, but that two trustworthy jonin join them in order to form a four man team." Jiraiya suggested.

'This guy just extracted himself from the whole equation. Everyone here is making self serving recommendations under the guise of impartiality.' Temari thought with disgust.

"I trust you Jiraiya, and I know you wouldn't lie to me and that you have no sinister intentions. However, I also trust Naruto. I trust him with my life and believe in everything Temari said about him. I am however the Hokage, and as Hokage, I have to be impartial in my decision making. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that I accept your recommendation. Yamato! Show yourself!" Tsunade ordered authoratively, a man with short, brown, unkept hair appearing in front of the Hokage, prostrating himself as he knelt down submissively in front of the Hokage.

The man, known as Yamato, is of average height, around 1.78 meters, wearing the standard attire of the Anbu, a black, sleeveless jumper under a grey flack jacket with strapped-up shinobi sandals, arm-length gloves with guards over them. He is carrying a sword strapped to his back, a mask that resembles a cat's face covered in green, and red intricate markings, and has the Anbu tattoo on his left shoulder.

"I serve at your will and whim, Godaime-sama." The man said with a masculine but also soft spoken tone of voice.

"Take off your mask and stand up straight." Tsunade ordered, Yamato doing as ordered without any hesitation.

"You have a new mission. You are now officially the captain of team 15, consisting of Yamato-taicho, Kato Shizune, Uzumaki Tayuya, and Uzumaki Fu." Tsunade ordered with authority.

"As you command, Godaime-sama." Yamato said with a small bow of the head.

"W-wait! K-Kato Shizune? But that's me!" Shizune exclaimed in surprise.

"I know that! Don't interrupt me to tell me something so obvious!" Tsunade said angrily.

"But Tsunade-sama….!"

"That's an order!" Tsunade exclaimed uncompromisingly.

"Are…are you not satisfied with my work as your assistant?" Shizune asked with a broken heart.

"Of course I am! You're the best thing that ever happened to me since….since your brother….! God damn it Shizune just do what I'm telling you to do! You're like a daughter to me, and Naruto is like a son to me! That makes you Naruto's big sister! He is married to two people that we know practically nothing about besides the fact that they are insanely powerful kunoichi! Don't you care about Naruto?"

"Of course I care about him! You're not the only one that loves him!" Shizune replied testily.

"Exactly! I'm putting you in a position that will allow you to look out for him. No one is more critical of a man's wife than the mother and sisters in law. If there's something fishy about them, you're the most likely person to identify it. I can't be the one to do it for obvious reasons. I'm the Hokage, I can't be in a ninja squad." Tsunade retorted.

'Besides, you've spent your whole life following me around and doing my bidding. You've never even been in a team of your own and made any friends. Your own childhood was lost so that you can take care of me. It's time I released you and allowed you to have a life of your own. I can't be selfish anymore, not when it comes to you.' Tsunade thought, deciding not to voice those thoughts however as she knew that Shizune would resist and argue against her take on the situation.

"I…..I understand, Godaime-sama. But who will take care of you while I'm gone?" Shizune asked with concern.

"I'll find another assistant! Besides, it's about time I grew up isn't it? I can't be a child that needs taking care of forever can I?" Tsunade retorted, Shizune giving her a sceptical look but nonetheless accepting the Hokage's orders.

"Very well. I shall do as you command, Godaime-sama." Shizune said with determination.

"Good. Yamato, you are hereby ordered to find Uzumaki Naruto and his wives, and report these developments to them. Naruto is ordered, by me, to resume his duties and obligations to team 7, effective immediately. Also tell them that their jonin promotion assigned to them by Lord Raikage is hereby confirmed by order of the Hokage. Congratulations are in order, and they have made Konoha proud." Tsunade said with a serious tone.

"Consider it done, Godaime-sama. By your leave." Yamato said humbly.

"Dismissed!" Tsunade said as Yamato disappeared immediately after in order to fulfil his duties.

"Troublesome! Naruto is not going to be happy about this." Shikamaru thought out loud, anticipating a lot of noise and argument between Naruto and the Hokage.

"He better get used to it, because it's happening whether he likes it or not." Sakura said triumphantly.

"I wouldn't go celebrating just yet if I were you. You and I have a lot to talk about." Tsunade said with a dangerous edge to her tone, an audible gulp involuntarily escaping Sakura's throat as her anal sphincter began quivering uncontrollably, knowing from past experiences that Tsunade only spoke to her in that tone when a painful ass whooping was coming her way.

"H-hai, T-Tsunade-shishio!" Sakura stuttered.

"You too Kakashi. I would have words with you, so God help me if you dare to arrive late when I call on you!" Tsunade said furiously.

"H-hai! Godaime-sama." Kakashi replied, sweating nervously as he had never had so much anger directed at him by Godaime-sama before.

"Anyway, as for your team, you are a man short. That's not good, especially with Naruto being hunted by Akatsuki. I'm hence temporarily assigning Mitarashi Anko as the fourth member of team 7, up until Uchiha Sasuke is retrieved, rehabilitated, and re-inducted into the Konoha ninja corps." Tsunade ordered.

"What! That scary snake lady? She almost killed Naruto last time they met! She's not compatible at all! Is it even safe for any of us to be in a team with her?" Sakura asked, the blood draining from her face as she had images of the whole team being held down by giant snakes while Anko played with them, by played with them meaning that she was cutting deep into their flesh and drinking their blood.

"What are you talking about? I heard they hit it off pretty well with Naruto during the chuunin exams three years ago." Tsunade retorted.

"What? Shishio, she threw a kunai at his face and licked the blood off of it as soon as they met! She's crazy!" Sakura argued vehemently.

"That….actually might mean that she likes him. Anko is my best friend, I know her better than anyone. I know its weird, but that was probably her way of showing affection." Kurenai replied, turning Sakura into a stuttering mess as she now wondered what the hell Anko did to people she actually hated if that is how she treats people she likes.

"Listen, Sakura, as of six months ago, you all know about Naruto's upbringing in Konoha, and about his lineage too. Needless to say, Sarutobi-sensei failed Naruto and his parents completely, so did Jiriaya….and so did I. Naruto has lived his whole life as a solitary pariah. Anko knows a great deal about that because of her own dark past. She is someone who can understand and possibly get through to Naruto, better than both you and Kakashi. Furthermore, she's a torture and interrogation expert. If there's anything fishy about Naruto regarding his dramatic growth and change, she'll likely be the first one to notice." Tsunade explained her reasoning.

"What dark past? What happened in her past? Does it have something to do with Orochimaru? I couldn't help but notice her snake summons." Sakura asked curiously.

"She's your teammate now. She will tell you about it, or she will not. Either way, it's up to her." Tsunade retorted.

"H-Hai, shishio." Sakura said with a subdued tone of voice.

"Good. Now, let us discuss what we saw in the jonin promotion exams. Kakashi, what did you think of Naruto and his wives? Do you think you could stop them if they tried to attack the village or if they tried to defect?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"No, Tsunade-sama. I am not convinced at all that I could do it. I have a trump card I could try and use but given their speed and their sensory perception, it seems unlikely that even that would work. I haven't seen someone move that fast since Minato-sensei. With preparation and a well planned ambush it might be possible, but then again, penetrating Naruto's armour seems like an unlikely achievement even with the Raikiri, even if I were to somehow immobilize him." Kakashi replied analytically.

"So not impossible, just extremely difficult." Tsunade replied.

"It would take a collective, well co-ordinated effort, with a specialized skill set." Kakashi replied.

"I see…." Tsunade said thoughtfully.

"What about you, Gai? You are the leading taijutsu expert in Konoha, the famed Green Beast. With your celestial gates technique, could you handle Naruto or his wives?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"I cannot say for sure, Hokage-sama. They have excellent taijutsu skills and whatever they lack in experience they make up for with raw talent and sensory perception. I have never faced anyone who could handle my celestial gates and survive, but I have also not fought someone of the calibre of Lord Raikage. I do not know how my celestial gates would fair against his nintaijutsu. I do however suspect that I am at a complete disadvantage in the endurance department. As you know, when I open the gates, my body is put under an enormous strain. If we are evenly matched, then I will likely lose the battle as I will get weaker as time goes by until I cannot even fight back anymore." Gai replied with a calm and analytical voice, the new generation surprised by this side of him as they had never seen him not talk at the top of his lungs before, apart from his own team of course.

"Don't bother to ask me, Godaime-sama. I can't think of a single thing I could do to defeat them. I understand that no one is invincible, but these are not people I would fancy mine and my team's chances against. These aren't normal shinobi. These are the kind of people who become Kages and become entrenched in shinobi folklore. I do however believe that genjutsu is an option that hasn't been considered. Last time I checked Naruto was a complete dud when it comes to genjutsu." Asuma said before the Hokage could even ask him.

"That won't do. Genjutsu did not work on Uzumaki Tayuya when God Speed C tried to use it, allegedly because of some kind of Uzumaki barrier and sealing arts technique. If Naruto really went to the old Uzu ruins and discovered their hidden knowledge, and he really created this video recording and projection seal from scratch, then it's safe to say that he has made sure that their minds and senses are genjutsu and even mind transfer proof." Kurenai retorted.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. It's why I ruled out sharingan genjutsu, though it might be worth it to confirm it somehow." Kakashi retorted.

"It won't work. Naruto told me about those barrier and sealing techniques. I don't believe he was lying and the kind of person that he is now, he doesn't leave anything to chance. He is a very meticulous and careful planner. A perfectionist." Jiriaya deadpanned.

"Nevertheless I wouldn't suggest any of you try anything anyway. We don't want to alienate Naruto anymore than we have. Because of his situation, Naruto is destined to clash with Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi, both people with incredible genjutsu potential. Let's allow them to test that genjutsu hypothesis for us." Tsunade suggested, though it was more of an order than anything else really.

"Isn't that dangerous though? I mean, teams spar each other all the time. It's a normal part of training. Can Kakashi-sensei not organize a sparring session for the team and then use sharingan genjutsu on Naruto? That's hardly an action that could alienate Naruto in any manner whatsoever. It's normal for a team captain to want to evaluate the strength level and capabilities or his or her teammates in order to develop effective combat formations and strategies." Asuma said rationally.

"The problem is that Naruto went out of his way to make sure a sparring session was not necessary to determine the extent of his abilities by handing this video recording seal to Tsunade-sama. He must have anticipated that Tsunade-sama would share the video at least with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei." Ino retorted.

"That is irrelevant. Why? Because even though Sakura-san and Kakashi-sensei now know about the extent of Naruto and his wives' abilities, we can assume with relative certainty that Naruto however no longer knows what Sakura-san is capable of after not seeing her for three years. Furthermore, team 7 now has a new team member, which all the more necessitates the use of sparring sessions to assess and evaluate team dynamics and to construct effective tactics and strategies." Shino retorted

"That's not entirely true, Shino. You're still a chuunin, so it's understandable that you would come to that conclusion. However, team 7 now has three jonin level ninja, as Naruto himself has been promoted to the rank of jonin. That means that Kakashi-san is no longer his jonin-sensei, as Naruto is now his equal. Kakashi-san, as opposed to being the jonin-sensei of the team, is now the captain of the team. The dynamics are completely different. He cannot order Naruto to spar if he doesn't want to, he cannot make him reveal his secrets if Naruto does not want. The requirement is to share basic knowledge about each other in that kind of team. For example, I would tell the captain that I am Hyuga Neji, that I wield the Byakuagan, and that I specialize in taijutsu, although I do have some long range techniques. I would then tell him the nature affinities I can use and to what extend I can use them, and that would be it. I do not have to tell him or her any more than that." Neji explained in detail.

"What Neji said is true. A ninja must never reveal his secrets, nor can he be compelled to. There are various reasons for this, one of them is that the unfortunate reality is that sometimes there are traitors amongst us. Some ninja have infiltrated the village and are working as spies for other ninja villages, and some just end up defecting for one reason or another. Therefore, for security purposes, a ninja is permitted to protect the secrecy of his or her trump cards in the event that they are betrayed and end up having to fight their own comrades." Tsunade explained for the sake of the chuunin in the room.

'I can't believe I was so naïve. Why didn't I think of this? I just assumed that Naruto was suspiciously in a hurry to become Hokage, not once did I consider the other benefits of him becoming a jonin. This has to be the real reason he was so desperate for that jonin promotion for him and his wives, in order to better protect their secrets.' Jiraiya thought darkly.

"I can't believe Naruto was the first one of our graduation class to become a jonin. It's just so surreal. How has he become so strong and so smart? How could he have grown so much in such a short span of time." Ino asked in disbelief.

"Jonin? I think you're understating everything, Ino. We just saw him go toe to toe with one of the five Kage and it even looked like he was winning. He's not a jonin level ninja, he's a Kage level ninja. He's doing everything he said he would do. None of us actually believed he could do it, much less at such a young age. I suppose if you think about it holistically it makes a lot of sense. He's the son of the Yondaime freaking Hokage, unanimously acknowledged as the strongest of all the Kage. That alone would give him crazy potential, but he is also a jinchuuriki and he supposedly comes from a clan that rivals the Senju in both name and ability. He's literally royalty." Shikamaru said with renewed perspective, giving everyone a lot of food for thought regarding Naruto's situation, especially Ino and Sakura, who were the ones mostly stuck on the dead last dobe perspective of Naruto.

"Now that Naruto is married to another Uzumaki and a jinchuuriki, what does this mean exactly? Doesn't that make him a clan head?" Kiba asked curiously, everyone's eyes widening in surprise as realization suddenly dawned on them, unable to believe that up till now something so crucial had flown over their heads, everyone except Jiraiya of course, who had six whole months to think about it.

"I can't believe I didn't consider that! I was completely distracted by his fight with the Raikage and his jonin promotion! You're right of course, Naruto is effectively a clan head. I'll have to allocate land within Konoha for him to rebuild his clan and supply him with all the resources he needs to rebuild. Even if he doesn't become Hokage, as head of the Uzumaki clan, which was actually pivotal in the founding of Konoha, he is already someone of great influence and importance in Konoha. Naruto really has covered his bases. At this point I don't think it's by chance or natural design, it seems too methodical, like he planned the whole thing." Tsunade said warily.

"That doesn't mean he has any sinister intentions. If it's always been his goal to become Hokage, then of course he would do everything in his power to give himself the best chance of becoming Hokage. Besides, Konoha would be a way better place if Naruto succeeded you, no offense to any other contenders." Temari said with conviction, although a little wary herself of being rebuked by Tsunade as she really had no place interfering in Konoha internal politics.

"You're not being impartial though are you? You said so yourself that you and Kazekage-sama love Naruto like a brother, and vice versa. So of course you would want him to be the next Hokage because it would be to your benefit and would give you a measure of influence over Konoha." Kakashi retorted.

"That doesn't mean what I said is not true. Can you think of a better candidate?" Temari replied smugly, knowing that there definitely was no better candidate.

"There is Jiraiya-sama, one of the Legendary Sannin, a student of the Third Hokage who has defended Konoha in many wars." Kakashi retorted.

"The same Jiraiya-sama who rejected the post when it was offered to him in Konoha's time of need? The same one who finds any excuse to leave the village and has only been inside the village a handful of times over the last sixteen years?" Temari asked incredulously.

"And what was he doing when Shukaku was tearing the village apart? Who was it that stopped Shukaku from destroying Konoha? Wasn't it genin Uzumaki Naruto?" Temari asked rhetorically.

'Damn it! I've done it now! I'll be chewed out and banished for sure now.' Temari thought warily.

'Naruto-kun has all the chips on his side. Ninety percent of the clan heirs are one hundred percent backing him, and he has the full support of the Kazekage and his siblings. Tsunade-sama is playing devil's advocate, but she only returned to the village for Naruto. She one hundred percent believes in him and will take his side no matter what happens. This is check mate. Naruto-kun has won already. He will be the next Hokage.' Shizune thought with a content smile.

"Whatever! Naruto has made us proud in Kumo! He has further elevated the great name and reputation of Konoha, as he has done ever since he graduated. Sure there are some concerns about various issues, but overall, he has done the village a great service, and is in the process of doing us another great service by eradicating slavery in the Hyuga clan. The positives by far outweigh the negatives, if there really are any negatives to begin with. Hyuga Neji, deliver Naruto's message to the Hyuga Elders, and inform them that Naruto has the full support all the major clan heirs, the Hokage herself, and the Kazekage. Whatever action they take against Naruto and the Branch House in retaliation, is an action taken against all of those factions. Go, now! That's an order!" Tsunade declared with authority.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Neji saluted before disappearing in a shunshin technique.

"T-Tsunade-sama! If y-you don't mind. I would like t-to accompany Neji-ni-san." Hinata requested, Tsunade, seeing how much determination and courage Hinata had in her eyes, deciding to allow her to do what she wanted to do.

"What are you waiting for! Go already!" Tsunade ordered harshly.

"H-hai! A-arigatou, G-Godaime-sama!" Hinata said as she also left the office in a hurry, hoping to catch up to her cousin as soon as possible.

"That was not meant just for Hinata! Go, now! Report to your parents what has happened and the decision you have made! Your clan heads should have all the information debriefed to them at the same time that Hyuga Neji completes his debrief of the Hyuga elders! Scatter!" Tsunade ordered, everyone of the rookie twelve scurrying out of there with haste, apart from Rock Lee and Sakura of course, who both did not belong to a great ninja clan of Konoha.

"As for everyone else, all of you, except for Jiriaya and Shizune, head home and prepare yourself for what's to come. We may very well be on the verge of civil war. Temari, head back to Suna as fast as reasonably possible and inform Gaara about what has happened. Let us hope that you were right about him and the lengths he is willing to go to for Naruto." Tsunade ordered.

"Consider it done, Hokage-sama. And trust me, my brother will do as I said, there is no doubt about it." Temari said as she bowed her head before turning and leaving the office with the others, only Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiriaya remaining behind.

"I've been dying to get some alone time with you. You have a lot of explaining to do Jiriaya, and so Kami-sama help me if I don't like any of the answers I get from you." Tsunade thought with a burning rage bubbling just beneath the surface, an audible gulp escaping Jiraiya's throat as he remembered that he almost died the last time Tsunade was this angry with him.

'Kuso! Can she really be angry at me for losing track of Naruto after everything that she has seen and heard about him?' Jiraiya thought with both fear for his life and incredulity.

Earlier: Naruto's Apartment

"Okay, I've removed all the bugs and spyware in my apartment, and I've set up a custom privacy barrier around it. No one can see, hear, or even smell anything that happens inside of here. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Yuya-chan? What was so important that I had to go through all of that before you can speak to me about it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You have to seduce the fuck out of Boobkage-sama." Tayuya deadpanned, a completely shocked and incredulous look appearing on Naruto's face, looking at Tayuya like she had just grown a whole new head on her shoulders.

"What the actual fuck?" Naruto asked in disbelief, Fu breaking into a fit of laughter at both Tayuya's ridiculous statement and the way it was delivered, and at Naruto's subsequent response, unable to believe how fun, exciting, and crazy life had become ever since she met Naruto, reconciling with herself just how much she did not regret getting banished from her home village.

"Don't play dumb dipshit! You heard me alright, and you know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about." Tayuya said irritably.

"The hell I do! Yuya-chan, you just said literally the most insane thing that has ever been said in the history of the elemental nations. You do realize that don't you?" Naruto asked with concern.

"Stop looking at me like I belong at the nut house, idiot! Boobkage is the last living Senju. If she and that pervy sage, or anyone else for that matter, hook up and have a child, or children, the Senju clan will be reborn. What do you think happens to our little takeover plan if the Senju clan rises from the ashes?" Tayuya asked condescendingly, Naruto's eyes narrowing in concentration as realization dawned on him.

"There are three royal families in Konoha, Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki, in that order. However, because the Uzumaki are considered distant relatives of the Senju and because of their close relationship to the Senju and their important role in the formation of the village, it is likely that the Uzumaki would be given preference over the Uchiha by the clans and the elders." Naruto said as if reading out of a textbook.

"Exactly, preference over the Uchiha, but not over the Senju. You need to seduce and marry that cougar bitch so that we can burry the Senju within the Uzumaki clan. Her children with you will be Uzumaki, and not Senju. It's different from the situation with Uncle Minato and aunt Kushina. Namikaze was the name of an individual orphan. Although he elevated the name with his own achievements, Uzumaki was still a much bigger family name than Namikaze. However, Senju and Uzumaki are equal in name, which means that the children get to keep the paternal name." Tayuya explained in detail.

"Come on Yuya-chan. She's like a hundred years old. Can she really get pregnant at her age?" Fu asked incredulously, not laughing anymore as she realized how serious the situation was.

"She absolutely can. She is widely regarded as by far the best medic in the world, and she's a Senju. Conceiving and birthing a child, even at her age, would be child's play for her." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Tayuya deadpanned.

"Damn! This is crazy! I can't believe we're thinking about adding Boobkage to our family." Fu said in awe.

"Idiot! There's nothing to think about! This has to happen. Dip shit, try not to force it, but also don't hesitate too much. You already love Boobkage and she already loves you. Energy doesn't disappear, it merely changes form. All you have to do is to change that sibling love or mother-son love or whatever it is that you two have into love between a man and a woman. You're two very beautiful and very attractive people who love each other. It shouldn't be that hard, and once she succumbs and you give her that good dick, it's a wrap." Tayuya said as if it was the easiest thing in the world to seduce your mother figure who also happens to be your military leader and dictator.

"Damn it! Why does everything have to be so complicated. Seduce Tsunade baa-chan? That has to be the hardest mission ever. Fighting both Itachi and Kisame at the same time would be easier." Naruto thought warily.

"Hahaha! No way! I call bs! Itachi and Kisame? Hell no! I never met em but I know enough about them to know that can't possibly be true." Fu laughed amusedly.

"Aren't you enjoying this just a little too much?" Naruto asked irritably.

"Nope, nowhere near enough if you ask me. I'm never gonna forget this moment, I wouldn't forget it even if I had amnesia." Fu said, laughing at the blonde Uzumaki's expense.

"Damn it! Fine, I'll do it." Naruto said with a heavy sigh.

"Good boy." Tayuya said with a diabolical smirk.

'Apart from bug bitch, I'm not happy with dip shit sticking his big ass dick into other women or having any emotional attachments outside of us two, but if this is the sacrifice our generation has to make in order to secure the future of the Uzumaki clan, then so fucking be it.' Tayuya thought with determination.

"I need a nap. I just want to forget about this whole seduce Tsunade baa-chan mission for at least an hour or two." Naruto thought as he turned and went in the direction of this room.

"Not alone you aren't. I'm coming with you." Tayuya said possessively.

"Ooh! Me too. Group nap! Haha!" Fu exclaimed excitedly, Naruto rolling his eyes at how someone so energetic could talk so enthusiastically about taking a nap.

Currently: Naruto's Apartment

"What the fuck do you think you're doing teme? Hey Dipshit! Are all of these Konoha jonin a bunch of filthy perverts?" Tayuya asked furiously, having woken up and grabbed the arm that was trying to touch her through the open window right above the bed she, Naruto, and Fu were cuddling on, of course, said bed being the sole bed in the sole bedroom in the apartment.

"Heh? So Ero-sennin isn't the only super pervert in Konoha? Hehe! Maybe they should change the name of the village to Erogakure no sato." Fu laughed amusedly.

"The Village Hidden in the Perverts huh? Hehe! Should make a good title for one of Jiraiya-sensei's perverted novels." Naruto laughed, amused to no end by Fu-chan's inventive name for the village.

"W-wait a minute! C-could you please let go of my arm! If you squeeze any tighter, I'm afraid you're going to literally crush the bones in my arm." The interloper pleaded.

"Heh? Like I give a shit about your arm! Do I look like someone who gives a shit about a damn no good pervert's arm, huh?' Tayuya asked uncaringly.

'She doesn't even look like she is putting that much of an effort and yet….yet I can't even move even an inch of my arm, and it feels like she could pull my arm right off of it's sockets. I heard she was really strong when she uses the cursed seal, even able to break out of a shadow binding and shadow possession from point blank range, but she isn't even using any curse power right now.' The interloper thought warily. He has short, messy brown hair and black eyes, wearing a forehead protector in the form of a head guard similar to the one the Second Hokage used to wear. He is also wearing standard Konoha jonin outfit and a brown weapons pouch on his right leg.

'This guy, he's a wood style user. But how is this possible? Is there another Senju in the village?' Naruto thought warily, his chakra sensing skills and the fact that he is a mokuton user himself making it easy for him to be able to tell that this guy is wood style user too.

"N-Naruto-san! Please tell your wife to release me! If she crushes the bones in my arm and I am unable to carry on as a shinobi as a result, she could be charged for treason and arrested." The man pleaded desperately.

'I can't even mould chakra in my right arm anymore. She really will crush it if she tightens her grip any further!' The alleged pervert thought in pain.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Naruto asked casually, completely calm about the whole thing, mostly because he couldn't sense any negative emotions from the guy except for fear right now.

"My name is Yamato. Tsunade-sama sent m….argh!" Yamato exclaimed in pain as Tayuya squeezed harder, the interloper, now known as Yamato, bringing forward his left arm, palm facing Tayuya as a wooden pillar grew from his palm and headed straight for her chest, however, the pillar getting obliterated by an invisible force long before it reached the redhead Uzumaki, Tayuya using a wave of vibration release to destroy the pillar of wood at a molecular level, much to Yamato's surprise of course, although her eyes too were wide in surprise when she saw that he could actually use wood release.

"D-Dip shit! D-did you see that? This guy just totally used wood release just now!" Tayuya exclaimed in surprise.

"Damn is he like Shodaime-sama's secret grand child or something? He's kinda weak though, I mean, comparatively speaking of course." Fu said in both awe and disappointment.

"Let him go Tayuya. This man, despite appearances, does not appear to harbour any sinister intent towards us." Naruto ordered calmly, Tayuya doing as instructed even though she did not seem happy at all about it, still convinced that Yamato was in fact a super pervert who was trying to live his perverted fantasies through them.

"Thank you, Naruto-san. I was afraid she was going to damage my arm beyond repair." Yamato replied, making a note to himself to never be caught in Tayuya's vice grip again.

"Think nothing of it." Naruto said with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

"So, Yamato-san, why don't you tell us your real name this time and what exactly you want from us?" Naruto asked with a dangerous edge to his tone, a danger that Yamato felt in full force and it made him realize that Naruto was not someone that he wanted to piss off.

'H-how? Does he have some kind of lie detection ability? I feel like my throat is literally on a knife's edge, like he could kill me in an instant if I even think about lying to him again.' Yamato thought warily.

"My real name is Tenzo, but you can call me Yamato for the duration of my mission." Yamato said carefully, making a judgement call and deciding that lying about his identity at this juncture was more likely to decrease the chances of his mission succeeding.

"Tenzo huh? Tell us, Tenzo, what mission would that be?" Naruto asked curiously.

"To serve as team captain for team 15, comprised of Uzumaki Tayuya, Uzumaki Fu, Kato Shizune, and Yamato-taicho, which of course, is me." Yamato said, eliciting frowns from the Uzumaki, who were clearly unhappy about the whole situation, as Yamato expected of course.

"The fuck is this shit? We're the fucking Uzumaki Flying Fucking Squad! We can't be a fucking flying squad if half of our members can't fly." Tayuya said furiously.

"It's alright, Yuya-chan. I kind of figured they would try and separate us. Honestly, I'm surprised that they allowed you and Fu-chan to be in the same team." Naruto said calmly.

"Doesn't mean I have to be fucking happy about it!" Tayuya retorted.

"Hey look at the bright side Yuya-chan, at least the two of us are still together. Plus, we get to be in a team with Naruto-kun's nee-chan." Fu said jovially, always the optimistic one as usual.

"Shizu nee-chan huh? Now that is a big surprise. Granted, every team is supposed to have a medic nin according to Tsunade-sama's ninja policy, but I never thought it would be Shizune nee-chan of all people. The two of them have always been attached to each other at the hip, for Tsunade-sama to be willing to let her go is something completely unprecedented." Naruto thought out loud.

"Heh! Like I care why. This is an opportunity to get to know the rest of the family. Plus, if she's Tsunade-sama's apprentice and confidant, then she must really be good at what she does." Fu said excitedly.

"I suppose there are worse choices out there." Tayuya grumbled under her breathe.

"Uh….ahem!" Yamato coughed, feeling like he was a fourth wheel to this conversation as he went completely ignored, the fact that he was crouching on the window seal making it all the more awkward.

"What do you want now, Yamato-teme?" Tayuya asked irritably.

"I just want the opportunity to finish my report so that I can take my leave."

"Then hurry the fuck up then! We don't have all day, asshole!" Tayuya said impatiently.

'She's so rude! She would make a horrible diplomat! Is this really the wife of the future Hokage? I pray, if he ever does become Hokage, Naruto-san never take her on any diplomatic mission, no matter how much she wants to go with him.' Yamato thought warily.

"Ahem…uh…Naruto-san, you are to resume your duties and obligations with team 7, effective immediately. Meaning, of course, that you will report to training ground seven tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. Fu-san, Tayuya-san, you will report to me at the same time at training ground 15." Yamato concluded his report.

"Fine, whatever! Is that all?" Tayuya grumbled.

"That will be all. Enjoy the rest of your day." Yamato said as he disappeared in a standard shunshin technique, leaving Naruto to deal with the massive headache that is Tayuya, who just wouldn't stop cursing and complaining about the new team allocations, wearing her emotions on her sleeve as usual, which of course Naruto didn't mind because he loved her for who and what she was, without any reservations, although sometimes she did go overboard, in which case he would have to call her into order.

3 Hours Later: Hokage Office

"You called for me, Tsunade-sama?" Naruto asked as he took a knee in front of the Hokage's desk, his head bowed down in both submission and respect for the Hokage, respect for both the person and the title.

"Stop that! Get on your feet damn it! Why are you acting so weird? It's unlike you! It's just you and me now." Tsunade said irritably.

"And Shizune nee-chan." Naruto pointed out calmly, nevertheless doing as instructed and getting back on his feet.

"So you can be casual and familiar with her and call her nee-chan, but you cannot be bothered to call me baa-chan like you used to? Did I do something to make you hate me?" Tsunade asked uncomfortably, hurt by Naruto's distant treatment of her, especially since she was doing everything that she had done over the last three years because of him, and for him.

"I thought you hated it when I called you baa-chan?" Naruto asked with a confused frown on his facial features.

"I….I did, at least I thought I did. Maybe I still do, but I know that I hate how you treat me now way more." Tsunade said irritably.

"……."

"Okay…." Naruto said after thinking it over for a while.

"It's going to be a bit awkward for me though. As soon as I really started working on grooming myself to be the next Hokage, I realized that there were a lot of things I was taking for granted, one of which was the respect with which I treated you, or rather the lack of it. It's not that I stopped thinking of you as part of my family the way I do about Shizune nee-chan. For example, Neji loves Hinata-chan like a sister, but he calls her Hinata-sama. It's something like that I guess." Naruto explained as best he could, Tsunade having to stop herself from staring at Naruto like he was some kind of alien, struggling to get used to the calm, collected, and eloquent version of him, as if she was talking to someone else entirely.

"I see. So, you don't hate us? By us I mean me, Jiraiya, and Shizune, but mostly Jiriaya and I? You know the truth about your lineage now from what I understand. You know who Jiriaya was to your father, and you know who I am to you and your mother. What about Kakashi? He was your father's student. You don't hate him?" Tsunade asked tensely.

"I don't hate any of you, not anymore at least." Naruto deadpanned.

"So you admit that you did harbour ill will towards us?" Tsunade asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion and brows furrowed in concern.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't be human if I didn't, especially as I was when I found out. However, I have had enough time to sort through my feelings. I have forgiven all of you, even Sandaime-sama, but….." Naruto trailed off gravely.

"But what?" Tsunade asked with concern, her fight or flight instincts kicking in.

"I will never forget, and therefore will likely never trust any of you again. I know that Jiraiya-sensei has struggled with trust issues regarding me since my disappearance during our training trip, and I know that you, Kakashi-sensei, and maybe even Shizune nee-chan feel as though you cannot completely trust me after learning about what has transpired since my departure. However, none of you have the right to question my loyalty. I'm not the one that has to earn your trust, you are the ones who should be trying to earn my trust. You are the ones who betrayed me and my parents." Naruto said with a cold, emotionless tone, to both Tsunade's and Shizune's surprise as neither of them expected that response, nor had they even considered the whole situation from Naruto's perspective, at least not to that extent.

"….."

"Naruto I…..I wish I could say I left before you were born and didn't know about you, but….but that would be a lie. Truth is, you're not the only one I abandoned, I abandoned your mother before I abandoned you. And then I heard about what happened and how you were not only orphaned but were also the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi, and I didn't bother to come back and check on you. I convinced myself that you were better off without me, and that Sarutobi-sensei would take good care of you. I was a fool….and a coward. You're right, we betrayed you and your parents in the worst way possible. We have no right to question your honour and your loyalty. I'm sorry, Naruto, for all the suffering you had to endure because of our foolishness and cowardice." Tsunade said in anguish, tears free falling from her eyes as she tried but failed to stop them, Shizune sniffling on the side as she pulled out a handkerchief and began blowing her nose, Naruto wanting to get angry at Tsunade for crying when she was the one who betrayed him and his parents but unable to do so as he could tell with his empathic abilities that her pain and regret was genuine.

'Damn it!' Naruto thought as he got up from his chair, startling Shizune and Tsunade as they thought that he was going to storm out of the office in anger, but to their surprise Naruto going around the office desk and standing next to Tsunade with his arms wide open.

"Stop crying. I already said I forgive you didn't I? Now come, give your grand nephew or something a big hug." Naruto said with a warm smile, Tsunade, much to Naruto's surprise this time, jumping into his arms and holding on to him like he was her lifeline, the blonde Uzumaki having expected her to hesitate or outright refuse as that was something more characteristic of her, Tsunade balling her eyes on Naruto's chest, unable to imagine what would have become of her if she hadn't met Naruto three years ago, and especially if she had lost him because he hated her and didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

"Don't worry, we all make mistakes. The past is not irrelevant, but it is not a mountain that cannot be overcome. We cannot allow it to become shackles that bind us and prevent us from moving forward. As long as we can draw breathe, we can always try and do better." Naruto said as he rubbed his right hand up and down the Hokage's back, holding on tightly to her so that she knows that she is safe in his arms, Tsunade's eyes widening in that moment as Naruto reminded her so much of Dan in both the way he held her and the way he made her feel like the most important thing in his world, not to mention the words he spoke to her as it was something that Dan would say, Naruto left confused when Tsunade suddenly pushed herself away from him.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked with a confused frown, feigning ignorance, because he knew exactly what was happening.

The reason he knew was because not only could he sense her emotions, but he could also sense her pheromones too, and knew her emotions towards him had suddenly become romantic in nature, which had a physical effect on her as it triggered her arousal. Naruto figured that his physical appearance didn't help either, as it was probably easier for her to see him as a sort of stand in Nawaki when he was smaller but now that he was fully grown, it was more likely that he would remind her of Dan as opposed to Nawaki, especially seeing as Nawaki never made it to his teenage or adult years.

"N-nothing! It's not you, it's just me. You just reminded me of someone I lost long ago. I know it's not your fault and I hope you don't blame yourself. It's my fault for not having the strength to move on." Tsunade said apologetically.

"It's okay. I don't mind, and even if I don't fully understand how I make you feel, I want you to know that I accept it. I accept all of you as you are, ghosts of the past and all, and I embrace all of the feelings that come with that." Naruto said as he was reminded of a conversation that he had with Tayuya about seducing Tsunade.

It's simple Dip Shit. All you have to do is make yourself physically and emotionally available to her. That's all. No deception or super seduction technique is necessary. The foundation is already there, just lay the bricks and let the structure unfold.

'Damn! She was totally right. What the hell was that snake paedophile teaching them out there in Otogakure?' Naruto thought, unable to believe that somehow Orochimaru's perverted teachings were benefitting him now. Maybe he should thank the creepy bastard the next time he runs into him.

"T-thank you, Naruto. I appreciate that, really. You….you've become my most precious person, and I'm sure Shizune feels the same way. You rescued us from a meaningless life of obscurity and gave meaning to our lives. You brought joy and purpose in our lives and that is something we can never repay you for, but we will die trying." Tsunade said lovingly.

'Why does she keep bringing Shizune nee-chan up? Do they come as a package or something? Do I have to seduce both of them to get to her? Or is she trying to use Shizune nee-chan to cloak the feelings that she is developing for me by making it seem like what she feels is normal and nothing more than what it is?' Naruto thought confusedly, which of course, had the effect of triggering another Tayuya lesson to replay in his mind.

Don't over analyse anything when you are with her. Boobkage closed herself off from the world after she lost her brother and lover. People who close themselves off are the most emotionally vulnerable. That's why the feel the need to protect themselves by making themselves emotionally unavailable. Therefore, you need to be emotional, and not cerebral, in order to break through her defences.

"Thank you for saying that. You are one of my most precious people too, both of you." Naruto replied sincerely, speaking from the bottom of his heart just like his beloved wife Tayuya suggested, a comfortable silence settling between the occupants of the Hokage's office.

"……."

Remember dip shit. Seduction is not always a one day mission, especially when it is an emotional seduction just as much as it is sexual. Don't try and force things, and definitely don't overdo it. If you need to change the topic and focus on other non seduction related matters, feel free to do so. You'll get that bitch eventually, it doesn't have to happen in one day.

"Anyway, was there another reason for calling me in to the office? I imagine you have a lot of other questions for me apart from my knowledge about my heritage." Naruto asked curiously, going back around the desk in and then retaking his seat again so that he can chat with Tsunade in her capacity as Hokage, and in doing so, following Tayuya's seduction guidebook to it's most minute detail.

"As a matter of fact I do. I've received reports that you and your wives have created quite a stir in the village. My ANBU messengers say that the three of you have been seen, by literally everyone, flying around the village. Care to be explain?" Tsunade asked with a frown on her facial features, unhappy about the fact that Jiriaya had made no mention of the fact that Naruto and his wives could literally fly.

"I don't understand what is there to explain, baa-chan? When I returned, the first thing I did was inform you that were were the Konoha flying squad. I thought you understood what I meant, I mean, there is only one definition for the world flying." Naruto asked, confused.

"What? Are you out of your mind? Why would I think that you meant that literally? I thought flying squad was just a moniker for your team maybe because of how fast you get things done or something. After I watched your battles and saw just how ridiculously fast you and your uh…wives are, that seemed to be more than enough confirmation of my assumption." Tsunade retorted.

"But then, I'm pretty sure that I flew when I was fighting Lord Raikage. Surely you couldn't have missed that?" Naruto asked, confused.

"You floated, at best, for a brief moment. That doesn't mean you can fly." Tsunade retorted.

'Wow, she's complete denial about it. I suppose I can't blame her. Shinobi who can fly are extemely rare.' Naruto thought.

"Well, all three of us can fly, and I mean better than a hawk kind of flying." Naruto replied with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

"Better than a what? How far can you fly exactly? Could you fly to another country?" Tsunade asked in disbelief.

"That's child's play." Naruto deadpanned, both Tsunade and Shizune looking at him with bug eyes expressions.

"N-Naruto-kun how exactly do you even achieve flight? What kind of jutsu is it? Do all three of you have wind release?" Shizune asked curiously.

"I suppose I was always going to have to make a report on our abilities, so I might as well do it now. I use wind release to fly, Tayuya-chan uses vibration release, and Fu-chan has two different methods to achieve flight."

"She has two different methods of flying? How?" Tsunade asked in both awe and disbelief.

"First, she can use the wings of her bijuu to fly. She has the ability to manifest wings on her back and use them to fly. The other method is via the same justu as Lord Tsuchikage and his granddaughter, that being via particle release. She is a master at both methods." Naruto explained patiently.

"Particle Release? That's a bloodline expansion that combines fire release, earth release, and wind release is it not?" Shizune asked with wide eyes.

"You know your stuff Shizune nee-chan, as expected of Godaime-sama's apprentice. And yes, you are correct of course, meaning, that Fu-chan is not only a master of the particle release kekkei tota, but she is also a master of wind release, fire release, and earth release, on top of being a perfect jinchuuriki." Naruto explained in detail.

"That's on top of having the super strength of a dung beetle and the super speed of a tiger beetle, correct? My God, she really is an S ranked threat level ninja isn't she, all this at just age 15?" Tsunade thought in awe and honestly, a little fear and concern, because if Fu ever turned her attentions against Konoha, stopping her would be extremely difficult.

"Precisely, and that goes for Tayuya-chan too. You saw her defeat God Speed C without even using her cursed seal. Her abilities take a massive boost when she uses level 1 cursed seal, and when she uses level two, well, she's something else entirely. Furthermore, she has unparalleled mastery of vibration release and sound release, and also is a master of water and earth release. She is also incredible at genjutsu as you no doubt saw against God Speed C of Kumogakure. Last but not least, she is doki summoner and is a master at both taijutsu and kenjutsu." Naruto concluded his report, leaving out some other details of course, such as the fact that Tayuya no longer needed to play her flute to control her doki because they had sealed re-enforced shadow clones into each one of them and that consequently, the doki could use curse sage mode gain a massive strength and speed boost, after all, a ninja never reveals all of their secrets.

"She's definitely an S class ninja based on what I saw in her battle against God Speed C, and so are you. I'll have to update all of your profiles in the bingo books to indicate as such. The more S class ninja we have the more missions we will get compared to other ninja villages." Tsunade said with a thinking pose, which typically involved her biting on the nail of her right hand thumb.

"Speaking of which, what about you? What are your abilities? I couldn't help but notice that you left yourself out." Tsunade asked with narrowed eyes.

"Hehe, what's with that look, baa-chan? I wasn't planning on leaving myself out of the report." Naruto retorted.

"Prove it." Tsunade said with smirk on her facial features.

"I don't know what kind of impression you have about me, baa-chan, but I'm not the conniving snake you seem to think I am. But in any case, I am a master of wind release, chakra shape manipulation, water release, and earth release. I am also a master of the sealing and barrier arts, a master of kenjutsu, and a master of taijutsu. I'm a toad summoner, a perfect jinchuuriki, and I'm also pretty fast, if I may say so myself." Naruto shrugged, of course, leaving out the Hiraishin no Jutsu, Sage Mode, and Mokuton jutsu, not feeling the need or desire to reveal all of his secrets just yet.

"So you fully reigned in the Kyubi? Jiriaya mentioned that too. He said you proved it to him by manifesting one of the Kyubi's actual limbs from your body? What's that about?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"A perfect jinchuuriki has various traits that separate them from normal jinchuuriki. For one, a perfect jinchuuriki can use the version one chakra cloak with all the tails manifested, and can use the version 2 cloak like you saw Fu-chan use against Black Flash Darui or Darui the Swift, whichever moniker is your preference. Thirdly, a perfect jinchuuriki can undergo the full transformation into his or her beast without losing control to the beast, all of this without suffering any negative physical or mental effects from the bijuu's chakra. Finally, a perfect jinchuuriki can manifest any body part of the bijuu on any part of their own body, like this…" Naruto trailed off as a large claw with red silky fur came out of his chest and attempted to grab the Lady Hokage Tsunade, Tsunade jumping out of her chair and almost jumping out of her own skin as she moved far and away in an instant, the back wall the only thing stopping her from going any further back.

Immediately afterwards, five ANBU appeared out of nowhere, tanto's drawn as they attempted to decapitate and stab Naruto, only for them, in an instant, before they even knew what happened, to find themselves trapped and immobilized within five of the Kyubi's tails that Naruto manifested, the tails wrapping around and constricting them from neck to bottom, leaving only their heads visible to the naked eye.

"Relax, Baa-chan. You don't honestly think I was going to attack you do you? That was just a demonstration." Naruto said with his hands in the air in a placating manner, as if he didn't have a demon claw coming out of his chest or five demon tails sprouting out of his back.

"N-Naru….idiot! Put those bloody things away, now! And don't ever do that again without prior warning!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily, relieved when she realized that Naruto was in complete control but also terrified out of her mind as she had no idea that this was what it felt like to interact with the Kyubi.

'Such powerful and sinister chakra! And this thing lives inside of Naruto? He has to live his whole life with something like that inside of him? How does he do it? How hasn't he been destroyed already?' Tsunade thought in disbelief as she watched carefully as the claw and the tails retreated back into Naruto, allowing the ANBU guards their freedom of movement again.

'Those tails were impossibly fast too. Are the tails faster than the claws or is it because he was under attack by the ANBU that he moved the tails at a much faster speed than the claw?' Tsunade thought, thankful that she was able to escape without having something so evil and demonic touching her.

"There, all done. No harm done." Naruto said, his hands still in the air in submission.

"You fool! Never use your demon powers like that again without consent, do you understand!" Tsunade shouted at Naruto as she finally mastered the courage to sit down across from him again, her heart still beating at a rapid pace as she signalled for the ANBU to retreat back to their prior positions.

"I promise." Naruto said sincerely.

"G-good! Now, your kenjutsu. I understand that you previously used the Kubikiribocho, but have since had it replaced. That sword, where did you get it?" Tsunade asked suspiciously, pretty sure that she knew exactly what that sword was, at least, she knew the handle of the sword.

"This is the Hiraishin no Ken, formerly known as the Raijin no Ken, a sword that previously belonged to the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama-sama but was stolen by Aoi of Konoha, who defected an joined Amegakure no sato, only to defect again and become a missing ninja. I ran into him when I was separated from Jiriaya-sensei. The sword was damaged during the fight, but I have since not only restored it but have made significant upgrades to it." Naruto replied in detail.

'What a coincidence that he of all people would be the one to run into that man and end up in possession of that sword. If there is such a thing as fate or destiny, then it surely is smiling on him.' Tsunade thought in awe.

"Who gave you permission to have that sword?" Tsunade asked, feigning anger even though she really wasn't angry at all but just wanted Naruto to understand the potential ramifications of his actions if anyone other than her was Hokage.

"Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission, nevertheless, if my actions have offended you in any way whatsoever, then you have my sincerest apologies. I am willing to relinquish possession of the sword to you if that will please you." Naruto replied diplomatically, even though he was the rightful heir to the sword by birth right as the son of Namikaze Minato, who was secretly a Senju himself, being a direct descendant of Senju Tobirama, who of course, was the original owner and inventor of the sword.

'The problem is that I do not know if she is privy to that knowledge or not. According to my father, Sandaime-sama was aware of it, but did he leave any of that information behind for future Hokages? I suppose I'll only know for sure when I myself ascend to the Hokage position, unless of course Tsunade baa-chan for whatever reason decides to hide that info from me.' Naruto thought with uncertainty.

Naturally, he could have just told her the truth and be done with it, however that too was a double edged sword, because while it would legitimize him without a shadow of doubt as the owner of the Hiraishin no Ken without needing permission from the alleged last heir of the Senju, it could potentially damage his own plans as there might be calls for him to take up the Senju name and become the next clan head of the Senju clan as opposed to the Uzumaki.

He didn't believe Tsunade would force him to uphold the Senju legacy, but he knew that if the elders found out, then it could turn into a political nightmare for him. Granted, being a Senju would actually increase his chances of becoming Hokage and would actually endear the people and the other clans more to him than if he was Uzumaki, but after the Senju betrayed and used the Uzumaki the way they did in the past, Naruto really didn't want to be a part of that legacy and didn't want the Uzumaki lineage to end because of guess what, the Senju name again.

It's not that he hated the Senju per se. Sure, they refused to provide aid to the Uzumaki clan in their time of need when the Uzumaki were ganged up on by Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa, but there was only one Senju remaining now, and that was Tsunade, who had nothing to do with what happened back then. So could or should he hate her for what her predecessors did? Naruto didn't think that was fair.

Besides, he was also of Senju lineage just as much as she was. If he hated her, then he would have to hate himself too. There was also the other fact that Tsunade was part Uzumaki too seeing as her grand mother was Uzumaki Mito. So in essence, they were in a pretty similar situation. Hating her would literally make him a hypocrite.

Of course, Tayuya disagreed with him. She felt that Tsunade was no different to the other Senju who abandoned and betrayed the Uzumaki as Tsunade abandoned his mother, her last living relative and left the village, only to then abandon him and allowed him to grow up alone in a village that hated him without anyone to raise him and guide him. So how was she different from the other Senju who betrayed and abandoned the Uzumaki?

Naruto had to admit that Tayuya made quite a point. However, Tsunade seemed to be aware of her mistake and was actively trying to rectify it. If there was ever a possibility to unite the elemental nations and create a peaceful ninja world, then surely forgiveness for someone who was sincerely trying to change and do better had to be part of it. Also, if the Uzumaki were as better than the Senju as they claimed, then surely they couldn't abandon Tsunade, who was of Uzumaki lineage herself. Wouldn't that just make them hypocrites who are no different than the Senju?

"It's okay, the sword is yours. Consider it a gift from a doting mother to her son. But my you sure have grown up haven't you? I suppose I'll have to accept that this is the new you and that the old Naruto is gone forever." Tsunade said, breaking Naruto out of his Senju-Uzumaki contemplations.

"Thank you, but, don't you mean a gift from a doting grand mother to a grand son?" Naruto retorted.

"Idiot!" Tsunade exclaimed as she grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be a paper puncture, and threw it at the blonde Uzumaki's face, Naruto quickly moving his head out of the way just in the nick of time, the stationery tool getting smashed into smithereens when it hit the far wall, such was the power with which it was thrown.

"I take it back! You haven't grown at all!" Tsunade said, veins popping on her forehead due to how angry and triggered she was.

"I love you too, Baa-chan." Naruto said with a small smirk, Tsunade's heart skipping a beat as she didn't expect that sort of response at all, not only because of the fact that Naruto had literally never spoken those words to her before, but also because of the sheer level of sincerity with which they were said.

"S-shut up! And g-get the hell out of my office!" Tsunade stuttered, a very clear and visible blush visible on her facial features as she all of a sudden became flustered beyond her control.

"Are you sure? I feel like there is a lot more for us to discuss, like for instance my clan status as the head of the Uzumaki clan. I need you to allocate a large patch of land for me and of course, I'm willing to pay for it if that is necessary. I've collected a large bag of money. I have more than enough to rebuild the clan so it wouldn't really cost the village anything at all. All I need is your declaration." Naruto said with a serious tone.

"The Uzumaki clan huh? How exactly did you find out about the clan? As far as I'm away, it seems like Sarutobi-sensei went out of his way to erase all information about the clan within Konoha. He seemed determined that you never find out anything about them, unless there was some other reason for his actions." Tsunade asked curiously, Naruto doing extremely well not to show any emotions even though the Sandaime's actions pissed him off to no end.

"I do not know or care why he did what he did, nor do I care to explain my knowledge of my clan. Think of it as a clan secret if you will. What I do care about however is the rebuilding of my clan, starting with land allocation." Naruto replied calmly, but firmly.

"A clan secret? What is so terrible about how you got your information that you have to hide it behind clan law?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"Baa-chan, with all due respect, this has nothing to do with you or the village for that matter. As I said, my knowledge of the clan, is clan privileged information, and I'm not going to change my stance on that." Naruto replied calmly, causing Tsunade to grit her teeth in anger and frustration.

"Damn you Naruto why are you being so difficult? What have you gotten yourself into? This better not have something to do with Danzo!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily.

"That old crippled fart? I assure you this has nothing to do with him. I've only ever spoken to that guy once when I was a kid, and I've only seen him less than a handful of times in my life. Also, you should be well aware by now, that there is nothing I could get myself into that I couldn't get myself out of. You saw me fight Lord Raikage. You know what I can do." Naruto retorted.

"You didn't tell me everything you can do so why should I trust you?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Jiraiya told me you can use the same jutsu as your mother, the Chakra Chain Technique. Yet when I asked you to name your abilities, you failed to mention that little tad bit of significant information." Tsunade said with venom on her tongue.

"Sorry, but I have so many abilities it must have slipped my mind. After all, I've never had to list all of my abilities before. And if that is not to your satisfaction, please remember, Godaime-sama, I'm not obligated to disclose clan secret techniques." Naruto said with a grave undertone, Tsunade jerking back a little at Naruto's lack of use of the affectionate 'baa-chan', which was as good a indicator as any that he was not very pleased with her right now.

"Fine, whatever! What patch of land have you found? Is that why you three were freaking out the civilians and shinobi alike when you were flying around the village? Were you looking for a suitable piece of land?" Tsunade asked, deciding that it was better to let go of her suspicions for now unless she wanted to damage her already fragile relationship with her surrogate son who infuriatingly was able to bring up feelings and emotions in her that no mother should have for her son.

"Amongst other things. Nevertheless I am reclaiming the land that my father and mother bought for our family, that includes the house and all of its possessions of course. I am also reclaiming the Uzumaki temple, effective immediately. As a result, I have identified the land between the Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate and the Uzumaki temple as suitable land to rebuild the Uzumaki clan, with the Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate and the Uzumaki Temple becoming part of the new Uzumaki Clan Compound, should you decide to declare or sell that land to the Uzumaki Clan of course." Naruto replied tactically.

'He's not playing around is he? He has a clear and thought out plan and he is not wasting any time executing it. Moreover, he knows I cannot afford to refuse him because not only does he wield a significant amount of power both on his own merits and with his mastery of the Kyubi, but he also powerful allies in Tayuya and especially Fu, who is also a perfect jinchuuriki. Going up against the Kyubi alone would be a nightmare, add the nanabi to that and it could literally spell the extinction of Konoha.' Tsunade thought warily.

'Even if they didn't attack the village, simply letting them leave the village would be a tactical blunder, especially if they joined an enemy village or even a friendly one like Suna. Temari has already made clear her family's affection and interest in Naruto, they would surely welcome him, and Suna would thus have three jinchuuriki. Unacceptable! Besides, Naruto's demands, apart from the Hyuga issue, have not been unreasonable. In fact, they are the bare minimum for someone of his status and heritage.'

"Fine! I'll send people to evaluate the land and determine it's monetary value, and then it will be sold to you accordingly." Tsunade replied with a heavy sigh.

"Glad to hear it. I'll hold you to that, baa-chan." Naruto said with a grave undertone.

"Of course! I wouldn't expect anything less from someone as big on promises as you are." Tsunade retorted.

"……"

"Ahem! Now, I assume you've been informed by Yamato about the updated team allocations?" Tsunade asked warily, expecting Naruto to blow his fuse on her but deciding to get it over and done with anyway.

"That I'll be re-joining team seven and that my wives will be joining team fifteen with Shizune nee-chan? Yes, I've been made aware." Naruto replied casually.

"And how do you feel about that?" Tsunade asked with concern.

"Displeased, to say the least. The three of us have spent a year and a half shaping ourselves into the ultimate ninja squad, and with Jiraiya-sensei as our captain, we would have been unstoppable. I was planning for us to be an Akatsuki hunting squad, to take the fight to them instead of waiting for them to make a move. Seems like you and Jiraiya-sensei had other plans though." Naruto replied sincerely, not hiding any of his feelings from her both in order to earn her trust and because it was part of the seduction plan as he had to be emotional available to Tsunade in order for that to work.

"So you feel like Jiraiya abandoned you again? Like he did when you were younger?" Tsunade asked worriedly.

"It's not a feeling more than it's a fact. Although I suppose his role as a spy is something neither you nor he wanted to lose at this point in time, so I kind of get that. It doesn't matter, Sakura has been your student for three years, I'm sure she's picked up a thing or two from you. Kakashi-sensei is the legendary copy ninja, that's all there needs to be said. If the two of them can keep one Akatsuki occupied for a while as I take care of the other, then we should be fine." Naruto replied as if it was nothing of consequence.

'Although given how easily Itachi dispatched of Kakashi-sensei last time they met, it would be better to approach the situation as if I'm fighting alone.' Naruto thought to himself.

"Well, Sakura has improved by leaps and bounds, and Kakashi has been training just as hard from what I've heard. Don't underestimate them. Besides, you have a fourth member in the squad, special Jonin Mitarashi Anko. You'll remember her as the second examiner in the chuunin exams that you participated in three years ago." Tsunade clarified for the sake of the Blonde Uzumaki.

"The crazy snake lady? Wow, life truly is amazing. If someone told me three years ago that she and I would be in the same team, I would have laughed till my intestines shrivelled up." Naruto chuckled.

'But is this really a good match up? Snakes and toads don't really get along that well, if at all. I sure hope our respective summons don't end up fighting each other instead of the enemy.' Naruto thought, but then quickly dismissing the thought as soon as it registered in his mind as he remembered that the Sannin used to fight together with snakes, slugs, and toads on the battlefield and were actually revered for their excellent team work.

"Well, let's just hope I was right about you two getting along." Tsunade retorted.

"I'm sure we'll be just fine." Naruto retorted, after all, if he could handle Tayuya, then he was relatively sure that there wasn't a woman in the world that he couldn't handle.

"Good. Now, Shizune!"

"Tsu-Tsunade sama?" Shizune sputtered, not expecting to be involved in the conversation so suddenly.

"Don't you have anything to ask Naruto? You're about to be teammates with his wives. Isn't there any advice or anything else you want to ask him?" Tsunade asked rhetorically.

"Uh….yes, yes there is! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said hastily.

'You'd think after spending so many years with Tsunade baa-chan she wouldn't look like a dear caught in a wagon's path when baa-chan has one of her mood swings.' Naruto thought with a mental shake of the head.

"Naruto-kun, do I have your blessing? I know this decision was thrust upon you and that you had other plans for you and your wives, but….are you unhappy with me being in a team with your wives? Do you….do you think me worthy?" Shizune asked self consciously.

"What? What's this about being worthy? You're the apprentice of the great Tsunade of the Sannin, who is also the Godaime Hokage. You're an excellent medical ninja in your own right and sure, you haven't been on the field in a while but I'm more than confident in your abilities. Besides, more importantly, my wives aside, out of everyone of Tsunade baa-chan's subordinates, you're the person I love and trust the most." Naruto said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which in fact, to him at least, it was, his words leaving Shizune on the verge of tears of joy.

"Naruto-kun, you have no idea how much that means to me. I want you to know that I feel exactly the same as you. Out of everyone under the authority of Tsunade-sama, you're by far my most precious person." Shizune said happily.

"See? No harm done at all. Three of my most precious people are in the same team, working together for a mutual goal and watching each other's backs as they protect each other from danger. How can I complain about that?" Naruto replied with a warm and charming smile, causing Shizune's heart to jump a few heart beats, overwhelmed not only by Naruto's heart warming declaration but also because of how handsome he looked.

"While I am happy that the two of you are getting along so well, your heart felt declaration does bring up another question. How can Shizune be your most precious person apart from your wives, when you haven't even spent that much time with her. You've spent a lot more time with team 7, and when you left, it seemed that team 7, especially Sakura and Sasuke, were your most treasured people in the world. You even begged me not to put Sasuke in the bingo books like a common criminal. Are you telling me that has all changed now? Do you no longer care about Sakura and Sasuke? Should I put Sasuke in the bingo book now?" Tsunade asked with curiosity, concern, and suspicion.

'She doesn't let anything pass her by does she? I suppose she has to probe and suspect everything, it's part of her job as the Hokage, and as her prospective successor, she has even more reason to want to know everything about me. It's quite annoying honestly, but it is what it is I guess.' Naruto thought analytically.

"Time huh? You know, I knew Haku and Zabuza for a much shorter time, and as for Zabuza, I only fought him for a brief moment and most of the time he was fighting Kakashi-sensei. However, I mourn their deaths even to this day, and I genuinely think of Haku as a brother. I've also known Kazekage-sama Gaara for a very short time and I have spent less time with him than I have with Shizune nee-chan, and yet he is my brother in every possible way that matters. You see where I am going with this don't you?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Yes yes! Time spent is irrelevant to you, what matters is the bond. I get it now! Still, you haven't answered my other question, do you no longer care about Sakura and Sasuke? Should I put Sasuke in the Bingo Book?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"To be honest, I do not know how I truly feel about team 7 except for that I don't hate them. I've grown up, Tsunade baa-chan, and that means that my mental and emotional intelligence has developed. I've had a long time to reflect on the past and when I did, I realized that I don't have a real bond with team 7 at all. It was all a one sided attempt from me to get recognition and acknowledgement from all of them." Naruto said contemplatively.

"I was always the side dish. Kakashi-sensei was focused solely on Sasuke, and would push me aside at a moment's notice for the sake of Sasuke. Sakura, well, she didn't even try to hide it. It was clear and obvious to anyone with eyes and ears. Sasuke himself was happy to acknowledge me only if it meant that he remained in a superior position to me. As soon as he realized that I could possibly be stronger than him, he left the village and then tried to kill me."

"So how do I feel about them? I feel nothing. I do not love them, and I do not hate them. I've tried both, to love them, and to hate them, without success. It finally dawned on me that I neither love them nor hate them. However, they are fellow comrades of the leaf, so we do at least share that bond. I would lay my life on the line for them, and I hope vice versa." Naruto replied sincerely.

"Even Sasuke?" Tsunade asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, honestly, I'm not certain. I do think he is a criminal and should be treated as such, and that I was wrong to selfishly put you in the position I put you in by asking you not to put him in the bingo books. Sasuke tried to kill me and put me in a near death state, and his actions resulted in the same happening to Kiba, Choji, and Neji. Shikamaru would also have died if it wasn't for Temari-chan's timely arrival. I don't hate Sasuke, I actually even sympathise with him to a certain extent, but the law is the law. If you have your own political or strategic reasons for not putting him in the bingo book, that's fine, but don't do it on my behalf." Naruto concluded his explanation.

"I thought you didn't abandon your friends, Naruto? I also thought that you didn't go back on a promise and that you believed that those who abandon their friends are worse than trash?" Tsunade deadpanned.

"Weren't you listening? They were never my friends to begin with. That's a fantasy I conjured up in my mind because I was a desperate and lonely child. Besides, when did I say I'm abandoning anyone?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You just told me to put Sasuke in the bingo book. Doesn't that mean that you're abandoning your efforts to rescue him?" Tsunade asked with disgust in her tone.

"First of all, stop putting words in my mouth. I never said I'm abandoning anything, or breaking any promises for that matter, nor did I tell you to put Sasuke in the bingo book." Naruto countered with a calm fury.

"You're contradicting yourself. If you still want to rescue Sasuke, then why would you be okay with me putting him in the bingo book? Sure, you didn't tell me to put him in, but you clearly don't care one way or the other." Tsunade retorted.

"I'm not Sasuke's father. I'm not responsible for the choices he makes. Everyone has to be held accountable for their actions. That's why I don't care if you put him in the bingo book or not. As for rescuing him. I made no such promise. I promised to bring him back, but I never promised to rescue him. Rescue him from what? Sasuke wasn't kidnapped or abducted, he left of his own free will. Besides, knowing Sasuke, I'm willing to bet he never intended to let Orochimaru take his body and is just using him for knowledge and power. I'm willing to bet he ends up killing Orochimaru and then going after Itachi himself. It's part of the reason I'm not too concerned about his so called rescue. If he ends up killing two of our worst criminals, where is the harm in that?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"You believe Sasuke is strong enough to kill both Orochimaru and Itachi by himself?" Shizune asked, surprised.

"I think you're underestimating Sasuke tremendously. You just saw me win against Lord Raikage only a few hours ago, why would you think Sasuke hasn't improved enough to kill a sick, armless Orochimaru?" Naruto asked rhetorically, both Tsunade and Shizune involuntarily widening their eyes in surprise as they hadn't thoughtof the situation from that perspective.

"Fine, but what about Itachi? Itachi is neither sick nor is he armless. Do you think Sasuke can beat him on his own? What's to say that Kisame won't interfere in their battle?" Tsunade asked sceptically.

"He probably can't beat Itachi, although we cannot really be sure as we do not know just how strong he has become. However, that's a good thing. That's where I come in. It is to both our interests if Itachi dies. So if I offer for team 7 to take care of Kisame for him and let him take care of Itachi, I'm sure he'll then come back willingly after Itachi is taken care of." Naruto replied.

"You intend to let him fight Itachi alone? Why not let Anko, Kakashi, and Sakura deal with Kisame while you help Sasuke defeat Itachi? That seems like a much better plan with a higher chance of success." Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Seems you don't understand anything at all, baa-chan. Do you know why Sasuke broke ties with team 7 and left to join Orochimaru? Think about it. What is the point of having friends and family when the person who killed your entire family can come back at any time and slaughter all of your new friends and all of your new family? Think about it, really, really think about it." Naruto asked rhetorically, Tsunade looking at Naruto with a confused facial expression, not understanding what any of that had to do with her Itachi killing strategy, causing Naruto to resist the urge to release an audible sigh at the Hokage's ignorance.

"Sasuke has to defeat and kill Itachi with his own strength and his bare hands. It's the only way for him to overcome his trauma, and it is in fact the only logical thing to do. Sasuke believes that only when he is strong enough to kill Itachi, will he be ready to start making friends and rebuilding his clan, because if he cannot defeat the person who slaughtered the entire clan, then it means that he is incapable of protecting his loved ones and therefore incapable of preventing himself from going through that kind of trauma again." Naruto dumbed it down so that Tsunade can understand.

"I see…." Tsunade thought with an intense facial expression, not having realized just how deep and complex Sasuke's psyche was, having really thought, up to this point, that he was only a spoiled, ungrateful brat, a traumatized spoilt and ungrateful brat, but a spoilt and ungrateful brat nonetheless.

"Yes, well, anyway, I believe we have covered everything for this debrief. Is it okay if I may be excused?" Naruto asked, quite frankly feeling like this conversation was about to go around in circles if they carried on.

"You may be dismissed, yes. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do after being gone for three years. However, make sure you stay alert. The Hyuga no doubt know all about your plan now. The fact that they haven't acted yet has left me feeling anxious. We must expect any and everything and keep our guards up at all times." Tsunade said gravely, basically telling Naruto to prepare for war without outright saying it.

"Thank you, Tsunade no baa-chan. You be careful too, both of you." Naruto said with an equally grave undertone, both Tsunade and Shizune nodding their heads in the affirmative.

Next Morning: 08:50 a.m.

"You stupid fox brat! You're late!" Anko exclaimed angrily, pointing an accusing finger at the Blonde Uzumaki as he casually walked towards the entrance of the training ground.

Anko is an average-sized, young woman who has a slender and yet voluptuous frame. She has light brown, pupil-less eyes. Her violet hair is styled in a short, spiky, fanned-out ponytail. She is wearing a custom-made outfit that is crafted of thin metal mesh to fit the lines of her body, that covers her from neck to thigh. Over this, she has a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam and a pocket on each side, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. In addition to the typical forehead protector around her forehead, she is also wearing a small pendant that looks like a snake fang.

"Crazy Snake Lady. It's an honor to meet your acquaintance again. I'm looking forward to working side by side with you." Naruto said politely, completely ignoring Anko's outburst in the process.

"Are you mocking me, you little punk? You do remember what happened the last time you messed with me don't you?" Anko asked with a sinister smirk.

"Yes, you molested me with little bit of S & M action. While I wasn't entirely displeased with your advances, I'm afraid we cannot do that again. I'm married now." Naruto replied casually.

"Heh! You must have balls of steel to say something like that straight to my face." Anko said, not really sure whether to be impressed or angry at Naruto right now as he was totally throwing her off her game, which in itself said a lot as she was usually the one throwing people off their game, the only people ever succeeding in throwing her off her game being Orochimaru and Sandaime-sama.

"Unfortunately I cannot show you proof of my balls of steel because as I said before, I'm a happily married man." Naruto said with a mischievous smirk plastered on his facial features, hands in his pockets as he casually stood a meter away from the Special Jonin.

"Hn, whatever. Why the fuck are you so late anyway?" We've been waiting here for almost three hours!" Anko said in frustration.

"I'm surprised that there are jonin in the village who do not know about Kakashi-sensei's notorious reputation for being late. Kakashi-sensei is always at least three hours late, especially for these sort of team meetings. One would think Sakura would have told you, seeing you were standing here together for three hours." Naruto replied.

"She told me about Kakashi, but she didn't know why you were late. Is this the first time you've arrived late?" Anko asked curiously.

"It is." Naruto deadpanned.

"Then it's true. You're a completely different person to who you were before you went on your training trip." Anko stated as matter of fact.

"I like to think of myself as a smarter and mature version of who I was as opposed to an entirely different person." Naruto countered as he leaned his back against the fence that surrounds the training ground.

"I see. So uh….Tsunade-sama showed me the video of you and your wives fighting against Lord Raikage and his stooges. That was insane. Who would have thought you would be that strong in such a short space of time. Even just looking at you now compared to when you were younger, it feels like looking at an alien." Anko said, her tone laced with a hint of disbelief.

"Aliens aren't real, Anko-san." Naruto retorted.

"Uh…so you do know my name? I was starting to think that you actually thought my name was crazy snake lady." Anko said with a small chuckle.

"It's not too late to change it. Crazy snake lady suits you better if you ask me." Naruto replied tauntingly.

"Ha…ha…ha very funny." Anko retorted, rolling her eyes at the blonde Uzumaki, a comfortable silence settling between the two, although Naruto was wondering why Sakura was sulking on the side and not joining their conversation.

"……"

"So uh, your umm…wife, Tayuya, I heard she has the cursed seal of earth?" Anko inquired curiously.

"She does." Naruto said as if it was the most unimportant thing in the world to him.

"You're not worried? I mean, look what that power turned Sasuke into." Anko pressed on.

"I'm not worried at all. There is no risk of Orochimaru's interference. I made sure of that." Naruto retorted, Anko's eyes widening in surprise, surprise however not the only emotion she was feeling as there was also a hint of hope in her eyes.

"W-what do you mean? W-what did you do?" Anko asked curiously.

"Why do you ask?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, even though he knew exactly why she was so curious as he could literally sense the cursed seal on her neck despite her best attempts to have it sealed and to suppress it with her own will.

"No reason. Just curious." Anko lied pathetically.

"Well, if you have no reason to ask me then I have no reason to answer you." Naruto said with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

"Okay! Fuck! I have the cursed seal okay? I'm sure you already figured out I must have some sort of connection to Orochimaru seeing as I use the snake summoning contract too. Well, I used to be his disciple, before he betrayed me. He gave me the cursed seal of earth before he left me to die." Anko said in both anger and frustration, Naruto able to sense a lot of pain there as well.

"He didn't leave you to die." Naruto retorted.

"What? Are you insane? What the fuck are you talking about? How the hell would you even know? You were a baby when those events occurred!" Anko asked irritably, not liking at all this know it all side of the Blonde Uzumaki.

"He left you alive as insurance. The reason Orochimaru can control your movements to an extent and immobilize you with the cursed seal, is because in the cursed seal, is a fragment of his soul. You see, you are his spare body in the event that he ever needs to use you to reincarnate himself. All cursed seal users or possessors in your case, since you don't actually use it, are his potential future hosts. You are essentially his life insurance." Naruto explained, Anko paling as she was overtaken by an overwhelming feeling of being violated in the worst possible way, to think that there was a piece of that lunatic inside of her, it was enough to make her nauseous.

"N-no way! I've had this seal looked over by countless experts. Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, and even Sandaime-sama. There is no way they wouldn't have known if that pedophile left a piece of his soul in me!" Anko exclaimed frantically.

"And yet it is the case. I can literally sense him inside of you as if he were standing right next to me. It was the same for Tayuya-chan, but as I said, I took care of it." Naruto deadpanned.

"Idiot! Don't you see how much you're scaring her? You should think carefully about your words before you speak!" Sakura exclaimed, clenching her fists as an unbridled hate and anger overtook her, thinking about outright assaulting Naruto but unable to get the image of his fight with Lord Raikage out of her mind, fear taking hold of her heart and paralyzing her body, making her unable to even move an inch in Naruto's direction despite her desire to punch him in the face with all of her might.

"Ah, she finally speaks. So the cat didn't catch your tongue huh? Good." Naruto replied casually, Sakura fuming at Naruto's cavalier attitude towards her.

"You'll never be Sasuke-kun! You'll never be as strong as he is, you'll never be as loved as he is, and you'll never be as cool as he is. So top tying so hard!" Sakura said venomously, trying to hurt Naruto in the worst possible way as she knew how much he hated being compared to Sasuke and more importantly, how much he hated being inferior to him.

"Sasuke huh? Hmmm, never heard of him. I wonder who this Sasuke might be? He sure sounds like an interesting guy." Naruto said with a mock thinking pose, Anko resisting the urge to burst into tears of laughter, of all the possible reactions she expected, this one not being one of them at all, Sakura on the other hand turning so red with anger that it looked like steam was going to come out of her ears and nostrils.

"Naruto…!"

"Anyway! Anko-san, you seem to be having an issue with your pride. If you want me to help you all you have to do is ask." Naruto offered, completely changing the topic as he had absolutely no interest in any of Sakura's uninspired insults, choosing to focus on a more progressive matter such as helping his new teammate out.

Of course, even that came with it's own pitfalls. Naruto, naturally, intended to eliminate Orochimaru at some point, along with his knowledge of the cursed seal. When that happened, he would be the only one remaining who knew how to make one, well, he and Tayuya that is. And then the curse sage mode could be a technique passed down the generations of the Neo Uzumaki clan.

However, if he fixed Anko's seal, then it meant that there would be an outsider who could use the cursed seal. Naruto didn't want that, he would much rather get rid of Anko's seal completely. But then again, that too could come back to bite him in the ass one day because as an Akatsuki target, it was in his best interest that his teammates become as strong as possible, which meant that denying Anko the chance of such a significant power boost was the same as him calculating against himself.

'Maybe I should fix it instead of getting rid of it. What harm could it do? It's not like she can pass it on to her descendants, besides, Sasuke also has one too. So she wouldn't be the only outsider who had a cursed seal anyway.' Naruto thought.

"I want you to get rid of this thing, please!" Anko pleaded desperately.

"I can do that, but are you sure that is what you want? There is another option you know, one where you not only get to keep it, but you get to use it at its full power, but without Orochimaru's influence. Think about it, as you are now, do you believe you have the power to defeat Orochimaru? The cursed seal could potentially make you strong enough to beat him, or at least hold your own in a fight with him." Naruto explained for Anko's sake.

"But mine is just a proto type. It's not like Sasuke's." Anko replied, confused.

"I already have a sample from my wife, remember? I know how to modify yours into a fully functional and independent cursed seal." Naruto retorted, kicking himself internally but nevertheless deciding that, with fights against Akatsuki and Orochimaru on the horizon, it was probably the best thing to do.

"I….can I have some time to think about it?" Anko asked, not really sure what to do, after all, all she had thought about for the last thirteen years was how to get rid of that abomination on her neck, she had never once thought that she could actually use it to defeat Orochimaru. The option had just never been there for her, not until now.

"Sure, but I wouldn't take too long if I were you." Naruto said with a grave undertone.

"What do you mean?" Anko asked furiously.

"You're in a team with a jinchuuriki, which means that your near future has battles against Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame in store for you, or even another different Akatsuki team that we have no intel about. Secondly, now that our team is significantly stronger, especially with me getting not only a jonin promotion but an S ranking in the bingo books, it is likely that all missions pertaining to the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke and the elimination of Orochimaru will be diverted to us. You will need all the power that you can get in order to survive the upcoming trials." Naruto explained for Anko's sake.

"That's…..I didn't really think about it like that. So that's the real reason Tsunade-sama put me in this team, because our goals are of mutual benefit to one another?" Anko thought out loud.

"That's definitely one of the main reasons, as for the other reasons, well, I'm sure that…" Naruto trailed off as Kakashi arrived via a shunshin technique.

"You're late!" Sakura and Anko exclaimed simultaneously, both of them pointing accusing fingers at the cycloptic ninja.

"Yo!" Kakashi waved casually, an eye smile on his facial features that made both Anko and Sakura feel like he was mocking them.

"Is that any way to act after making us wait for three damn hours? Apologize! Now! Or I'll make you snake food for my pets!" Anko said angrily.

"Ma ma let's not get carried away. Let's all relax, like Naruto over there." Kakashi said as he diverted all the attention to Naruto, who was the perfect picture of calm and collected, hands in his pockets and body slanted against the fence.

"Of course he's calm! He only got here ten minutes ago!" Sakura exclaimed furiously, causing Kakashi to narrow his lone visible eye at Naruto.

"No need to get heated, Sakura. You shouldn't really care either when Kakashi-sensei arrives. The only reason it vexed me so much three years ago was because I wanted to train and get stronger. As you can imagine, it frustrated me that Kakashi-sensei was gallivanting about while my progress was being stalled. However, you have become so much stronger after getting yourself a new master, the Hokage herself of all people, and I'm an S ranked ninja now. So really, does it matter when Kakashi-sensei decides to show up? We don't actually need him anymore." Naruto said with such a cavalier tone despite how deep his words were slicing through Kakashi, a deathly silence taking hold of the training ground as the tension built up to an all time high, even Sakura taken aback by Naruto's brutal but factual assessment.

"……"

"Ma ma things have gotten so tense all of sudden. Naruto, individual strength is important yes, but nothing beats teamwork. We all need each other. You can't very well beat both Itachi and Kisame on your own now can you?" Kakashi asked rhetorically.

"That's a very presumptuous statement, sensei. Who says that I cannot defeat the both of them? Do you know that with certainty? How can you know that, when you haven't even seen everything that I can do?" Naruto asked curiously, again, tension building up as Kakashi was left at a loss for words, remembering that Naruto and his wives had shown both immunity to genjutsu, which is how Itachi took him down, and the speed to potentially evade an amateresu.

'That's not all though. Elite kenjutsu and taijutsu are the requirements to defeat Hoshigaki Kisame, and he has proven his abilities in both when he fought Lord Raikage. But still, taking on both of those monsters at the same time? Is it really possible?' Kakashi thought skeptically.

"Fair enough. You have shown the qualities to potentially defeat either one of them, but that doesn't mean you can defeat them at the same time. You must also remember that we do not know everything they can do either. You need teammates Naruto, even the Hokage has an elite guard to support her." Kakashi chastised.

"Fair enough. So, what are we doing today, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked curiously, wanting to move on from this conversation as it was getting him nowhere pretty fast, after all, he was already in a team so what was the point of debating whether he needed one or not?

Unfortunately, Kakashi was unable to answer Naruto's question as an ANBU operative arrived via shunshin, a female ANBU with long purple hair and a cat mask, Naruto recognizing her as one of the ANBU that he had caught with his fox tails when they tried to attack him at the Hokage's office the previous day.

"Hatake Kakashi-san! I have been ordered to inform you that Lord Kazekage has been captured by the Akatsuki! Your immediate presence, along with your team, is requested by Godaime-sama in her office!" The cat masked ANBU delivered her report, Naruto's eyes widening in horror as he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"What! How did this happen? When did it happen?" Naruto asked in disbelief, knowing better than anyone just how strong and talented Gaara was.

Granted, he hadn't seen the guy in three years, but Naruto could only imagine just how much more powerful he must have become over the years, a guy of his talent and work ethic. Even more confusing to Naruto was how Akatsuki could have attacked him at all as Kages usually do not leave their villages. With the back up of the entire Suna shinobi force, surely Gaara should have been able to take down the two Akatsuki that were sent after him, no matter who they were.

"It happened last night at around 10.p.m. Nevertheless, Hokage-sama has demanded your presence. I'm sure you'll find out more from her." The ANBU operative retorted.

'That's just over eleven hours ago, almost half a day. They sure have fast messenger birds, thank goodness. Still, how much distance will Akatsuki have covered by the time we get there?' Naruto thought warily.

"Everyone! To the Hokage Tower! Now!" Kakashi ordered as he disappeared from sight, Sakura, Anko, and Naruto also following behind him along with the ANBU operative as they rushed to the Hokage Tower, Naruto already playing multiple possible scenarios in his mind as he thought about the best method to handle this business.

Short While Later: Hokage Tower

"Naruto-kun…." Fu trailed off when she saw Naruto and his team enter the office, a look of shame on her facial features as she tried to avoid eye contact with her husband, Naruto confused by the weird reaction from her as he wondered what the hell was happening, especially since Tayuya was also acting the same way.

"Fu-chan, what's going on? Why are you acting weird? I'm sensing weird vibes from you and Tayuya-chan." Naruto asked, confused.

"That's because I have dispatched team 15 to act as aid for Sunagakure no sato. Team 15, consisting of Yamato, Uzumaki Tayuya, Uzumaki Fu, and Kaito Shizune will head to Sunagakure and aid them in the retrieval of the Kazekage." Tsunade replied with an deadly edge to her tone, a tone that was clearly meant to intimidate Naruto, without any success of course, Naruto looking around and noticing that Shizune was no longer wearing her trademark kimono outfit but was wearing the full Konoha jonin uniform, which she often did when she was going out on the field.

"That's all well and good, though I fail to see why that would cause my beloved wives to act so strangely towards me." Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's because you and your team are not going. You're staying right here!" Tsunade said, Naruto's eyes narrowing in confusion as he wondered if Tsunade had absolutely lost her mind.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Don't give me that! Sunagakure was just attacked by Akatsuki. What's to say Konoha is not next on their agenda? We cannot send all of our best shinobi out on a wild goose chase and leave ourselves vulnerable, and we cannot have you and Fu in the same place because that would draw too many Akatsuki members to your location. You and your team will remain behind as the last line of defense should Akatsuki attack Konoha." Tsunade ordered.

"But that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Akatsuki only attacked Suna in order to get Lord Kazekage. Keeping me inside the village doesn't protect the village from the Akatsuki. In fact it does the opposite as it will only draw them towards Konoha. It's better if I'm…"

"You're not Hokage yet! I am the Hokage! And I have given my orders! Team 15 will head to Sunagakure, and you will remain here! That's final!" Tsunade said uncompromisingly.

"You can't do this. Lord Kazekage is my brother. What kind of brother would I be if I don't even attempt to rescue him from Akatsuki? What will he think of me if he found out I chose to hide behind the walls of Konoha instead of doing everything I can to save him?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"What kind of brother would ask you to get yourself killed for his sake?" Tsunade countered.

"I'm not going to get myself killed! And if you believe that, doesn't that mean that you're sending my wives to get killed?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Enough! If you continue to display this unprofessional and criminal act of insubordination, I will have you confined and imprisoned!" Tsunade said angrily, Naruto fuming on the inside, barely able to keep himself from exploding. How dare Tsunade baa-chan do this to him? How dare she do this to Gaara?

'Damn it! What the hell is she thinking? Has she gone mad?' Naruto thought angrily.

"Naruto, this might not be a bad idea. Akatsuki are probably expecting Konoha to send team 7 after Lord Kazekage, but they won't be expecting team 15. The element of surprise can sometimes be the deciding factor in battles of this magnitude." Kakashi said in an attempt to calm Naruto down.

"……"

"Do you at least have any intel on these particular Akatsuki fiends? I don't want my wives and Shizune nee-chan going in blind against Akatsuki of all people." Naruto asked, finally able to calm himself down, although there was still a noticeable edge to his tone.

"Only one of them. Apparently he was able to animate explosive clay and can form it into different shapes and sizes. He used mostly birds in his fight against Gaara." Tsunade retorted.

"Explosive clay bombs? And he can make birds of different sizes, meaning that like Kazekage-sama, he has the ability to fly and fight at long range. Sand vs Explosive clay? Sounds like he was the perfect match for Kazekage-sama. The Akatsuki are well prepared." Naruto thought out loud.

"So are we! Fu and Tayuya can fly and they can fight at both close and long range. Yamato is also good at long and mid range and Shizune is one of the best medical ninja in the village. Our team is perfect for this mission!" Tsunade emphasized, wanting to make sure that Naruto understood that she had thought things through and wasn't just doing this to piss him off.

"Besides, you have to stay here and take care of the Hyuga issue that you created. The Hyuga have yet to respond, which quite honestly has me feeling nervous. You need to be here, in the village, when they do. You must help me to deal with them, after all, this is a problem you created! So if you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror!" Tsunade said harshly.

'What? That's why she won't let me go? That's crazy! You mean to tell me my attempt to save a friend from enslavement is the reason I'm not allowed to save another from being kidnapped and killed? Can fate really be that much of a bitch?' Naruto thought incredulously.

"Fine, I'll stay." Naruto said with resignation.

"Y-you will?" Tsunade stuttered, surprised it was that easy to convince Naruto to stay as honestly she had expected far more resistance than that.

"Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"The real Naruto would never have given up on saving a friend." Sakura said venomously, Naruto resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he knew that this outburst was more about Sasuke than it was about Gaara.

'And what's this about the real Naruto?' Naruto thought with a mental shake of the head.

"Well, if you were married, you would know that married people sometimes share and delegate responsibilities, and they trust each other to carry the weight when the other is unable to. Any further protest from me would be to disrespect Fu-chan and Yuya-chan. I trust them to take care of the job and safely retrieve Lord Kazekage ." Naruto responded, causing Sakura to grit her teeth in anger, infuriated by the fact that not only was Naruto married of all things, but the fact that he was literally rubbing it at her face.

"Really? What's next? You going to let your wives fulfil your empty promises too? Sounds like the makings of a deadbeat husband to me." Sakura retorted.

"Outsiders shouldn't interfere in the affairs of married people Sakura. Surely, as someone raised by two happily married people, you should know better." Naruto countered.

"That's enough! This is completely unprofessional! If you have any internal grievances between each other then sort them out between yourselves and your team. I have far more pressing issues to deal with! Don't waste my time!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily.

"…….."

"And team 15! What are you still doing here? Stop dawdling and go rescue Lord Kazekage! Now!" Tsunade ordered angrily.

"Hai! Hokage-sama!" The team saluted as they all simultaneously disappeared via shunshin, leaving team 7 behind to deal with the agitated Hokage, Fu and Tayuya not even getting the chance to say their goodbyes to Naruto because of not only the urgency and gravity of the situation, but also because they didn't want to further anger and agitate the Hokage.

"As for you, team 7. You're needed here! So stay put until I say otherwise. Understand…?" Tsunade said with a grave undertone, directing a piercing stare at each and everyone of them, but one that lingered especially on Naruto.

"As you command, Godaime-sama." Kakashi saluted on behalf of his team, everyone else nodding their heads in the affirmative.

"Good, now get out of my sight!" Tsunade said irritably, the team quickly getting the hell out of the office as they didn't want to have to deal with the Hokage's rage anymore than they had to.

Later: Back at Training Ground 7

"……."

"So, it looks like you guys have lost your motivation. Initially I intended to do the bell test with you guys but I guess you're not in the right frame of mind after hearing the recent news about Sabaku no Gaara." Kakashi said, his lone visible eye zeroing in on Naruto in particular, whose mind seemed to be anywhere else but there.

"I think you mean Kazekage-sama." Naruto said with an edge to his tone, not liking the fact that Kakashi and Tsunade for that matter were not using the appropriate respectful term when referring to his friend, dead silence taking the training ground by the scruff of the neck as both Anko and Sakura warily switched glances between Kakashi and Naruto as the two shinobi, student and sensei became locked in a staring match.

"……"

"Ma ma please forgive me Naruto. Sometimes I forget that he is Kazekage. After all, I don't think anyone in the history of the elemental nations has ever become Kage at the age of fourteen like he did." Kakashi retorted.

"Your excuse is unacceptable. You knew exactly what you were doing. Just because he achieved something you could never have hoped to achieve at his age doesn't mean that you get to disrespect him. He earned that position by virtue of both his talent and his hard work. You have no right to treat him otherwise." Naruto pressed on, eliciting another deathly silence in the training ground, although this one didn't last long as Sakura couldn't contain her anger any longer.

"Naruto! That's enough! You don't get to talk like that to Kakashi-sensei either! He's your superior officer!" Sakura exclaimed angrily, clenching her fists as her temper began to reach boiling point.

"Fair enough, but that's true for you too. I'm an elite jonin of Kumogakure no Sato, acknowledged by Lord Raikage and Lady Hokage herself, and you're just a chuunin. Remember that next time you address me." Naruto said mercilessly, after all, if she had such a problem with him addressing their captain like that, then she, a chuunin, should take her own advise and not address him like an equal, Sakura turning completely red with both embarrassment and anger, looking like steam was going to explode from her ears.

"Ahem! Anyway, you were saying something about the bell test, Kakashi-taicho?" Anko asked curiously, trying to change completely the topic so as to diffuse the tension before people started throwing jutsu at each other.

"Ah, well, uh…hehe! Yes, well, it doesn't look like Naruto is up for it." Kakashi replied, laughing sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Just out of curiosity, are you that stupid or that arrogant? Do you really think you can hold off all three of us and prevent us from taking the bells from you?" Anko asked with a little venom on her tongue, just dying to put Kakashi in his place for daring to underestimate her and treating her like some wet behind the ears genin.

"Well, actually, my plan was that the three of us would try to get the bells from Naruto." Kakashi retorted, much to everyone's shock, Anko and Sakura's eyes involuntarily widening in surprise while Naruto raised an eyebrow at Kakashi.

"Ma ma don't act so surprised. You all saw Naruto's fight with Raikage-sama didn't you? Naruto is now not only a jonin level ninja but a Kage level ninja if we are to go by the events that occurred in Kumo. In order for us to level up too, we need to know what it means to go up against an S level ninja. That will also help us level up for our inevitable battles against Akatsuki." Kakashi explained.

'He really knows how to play on a person's ego doesn't he? He attacks my ego first by insinuating that I would want to avoid this exercise because of my mental state, and then he strokes it by complimenting my skills and abilities so that I lose face if I pull out. That's not all however, because in the same breathe, he is also stimulating envy, jealously, and competiveness in Anko-san and Sakura. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to accept his challenge, but I wouldn't be the great Uzumaki Naruto if I didn't ramp things up.' Naruto thought with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Forget about the bell test, Kakashi-sensei. That would be too easy for me. You would never be able to get past my rasen chakra no yoroi and I'm immune to genjutsu and any sleeping or poisonous toxins. I'm also never running out of chakra before any of you so wearing me out would not work either. The bell test is essentially an impossible task for any of you. However, I do have a different and more effective test for you." Naruto replied matter of factly, irritating, well, everyone with his brutal assessment but none of them able to dispute what Naruto said, well, accept Kakashi of course as he felt like his new jutsu, kamui, could potentially get him the bells with one move, well, more like get them away from Naruto really as he too would not be able to get them back from literally another dimension that he couldn't freely access.

"What do you have in mind, Naruto?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Wait a minute! Are you just going to accept that? Kakashi-sensei? That's bull shit! I have mastered Tsunade-sama's super strength technique and you have the Raikiri that can pierce through anything. You can pierce his chakra armour and I can overpower him with my strength." Sakura argued.

"That presupposes that you are in fact stronger than him, Sakura. We don't know that for a fact. As for Kakashi-taicho's Raikiri, we also don't know if it can pierce his armor or not. That armor is basically a full body rasengan. If anything can resist Kakashi-taicho's raikiri, it would be that armor. Finally, there is the matter of speed. Naruto is officially the fastest man in the world, his speeds are comparable to the yellow flash. You both would have to be able to touch him first before you can even find out the answers to those questions." Anko explained, pausing slightly to let Sakura digest the info before carrying on from where she left off.

"Furthermore, Naruto can freaking fly! What are we going to do if he just decides to fly out of the range of our attacks? Can you punch him when he's up there in the atmosphere? Can Kakashi-san raikiri him from way up there? The bell test means he has to prevent us from getting the bells, which means he doesn't have to even fight us. All he has to do is make sure we don't get close to him or the bells." Anko explained, Sakura realizing that the situation was a lot more complicated than she initially thought, and that Naruto was a lot stronger and difficult to contend with than she could have ever imagined.

"The Akatsuki who defeated Ga…I mean, Lord Kazekage, is a also said to be a long range fighter who can fly, which is probably one of the reasons why Tsunade-sama sent a team with two flying shinobi as opposed to a team with one flying shinobi, probably in case both members of that Akatsuki team can fly." Kakashi added.

'It could have been a team with three flying ninja if Tsunade-sama didn't unreasonably remove me from the team.' Naruto thought irritably.

"So, now the question is, what sort of test can we do? Clearly, as we are right now, we are not equipped to deal with a flying shinobi. We need a test that restricts Naruto but without making the test irrelevant, and clearly, we have a lot of improving to do if his superiority is anything to go by." Anko asked, Sakura gritting her teeth in anger as her pride didn't want to allow her to accept that Naruto was so far ahead of her despite how much she had improved over the last three years, but at the same time unable to ignore the reality that was being shoved right down her throat.

"Well, Naruto seems to have some sort of idea." Kakashi said as he looked at Naruto curiously.

"Simple, you have to defeat me. If I use my chakra armor, my ability to fly, or my shunpo no iutsu, then I lose. If I use any other jutsu, even my shadow clone jutsu, then I lose. I am only allowed to use my sword and the abilities of my sword. That is to say, only taijutsu and kenjutsu. You have twenty four hours to find a way to beat me." Naruto said with a mischievous smirk, disappearing from sight via a super fast shunshin as he impromptly began the test before anyone could protest, quickly finding a hiding spot in the forest that he was very familiar with despite not being around for the last three years.

'This is great. This test inadvertently provided me with an easy way to escape the village without anyone being any wiser! Just you hold on Gaara! I'm coming for you!' Naruto thought with determination as he pulled out a scroll with the kanji for re-enforced on it, channeling chakra into the seal in order to activate it before immediately teleporting the seal away with the Hiraishin no jutsu.

End of Chapter.

Not much happened in this one, just Naruto returning home and dealing with some of the issues that have resulted from his changes.

But damn talk about a bold move. That ultimatum he gave the Hyuga is some hardcore stuff. Wonder how Hiashi and the Elders will respond.

Seems like Naruto has a plan to escape the leaf and rescue his friend. Should be interesting.

Tayuya is a real one. That seduction plan and step by step tutorial is some savage stuff. She takes commitment to the cause to the max. She gotta be the realest kunoichi in the elemental nations.

Ohnoki is causing problems. If he isn't careful he could trigger the next ninja war, and potentially get crushed because he doesn't seem to realize that Naruto is secretly setting up the ground work for alliances with Kiri and Kumo.

Anyway, thanks for reading and thank you to those who reviewed. Much appreciated. I'll be answering the reviews from chapter one over the next few days.