A/N: The bonding with two of the Umihebi is a powerful boon, even if it isn't meant to be permanent in this timeline. I know what some of you are thinking but don't confuse it with an instant power up. Naruto is going to have an uphill battle just to regain the lost control that took him 8 months to build up and he only has 3 months to do it in this time. He will have next to zero opportunity to learn new ninjutsu let alone do more than developing a budding affinity for anything new. Not to mention he has no idea how to use either "gift" from his bonded summonses (Mokuton/ Ranton, never mind he has no idea if he's even developed one of the vaunted Uzumaki bloodline traits). No gain without struggle, as they say.

Also, without his chakra control, his Tetsuken just got knocked down to the starting blocks.

As a reminder, Titus mistakenly believes that the Kongo Fusa (Adamantine Sealing Chains) is a by-product of the bonding process. They are not. Bonding with the Umihebi quickens the development of Uzumaki bloodline traits making the discovery of either talent (either the chains or the healing bite) easier but the latent ability is inherent in the royal line of the Clan (in this fic anyway and not in canon) and doesn't give much opportunity to disprove the theory given the few that developed the ability. Note that Karin's talent is still raw and unrefined as she isn't bonded.

In this chapter, we finally get to advance the story plot with another important piece (several actually) involving the ANBU.

~Siva'a-tasi

~III~

Chapter 28: Making the First Move

~ Previously on No More ~

Ino's teeth clenched, the grinding from her molars catching the attention of everyone in the office. She'd been frustrated at not being allowed access to the complex Naruto was reported to now live in since the attack on his old apartment. Girlfriend status did not make her privy to the S-ranked secret that was his current living arrangement unless he specifically shared it with her, something she planned to rectify the moment he was found again (after she pummeled him to death for disappearing without telling her first so she could revive him with mouth to mouth).

"His new place?" the Hokage asked nervously.

"No response. His sealing work is surprisingly… strong," the younger Sarutobi confessed. Under any other circumstances, Hiruzen would have been extremely proud of the young Uzumaki.

"Dragon," the Hokage began turning to task his strongest shinobi with sending a sapper squad to break down the boy's sealing network only to have the door to his office burst open admitting a ragged looking Naruto Uzumaki. The exhausted and pale-looking boy had barely closed the door before a blond blur tackled him into the wooden portal, the girl's arms cinching up his waist in a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei! Hokage-jiji! Dragon-sama! What'd I miss?" Before anyone could answer the glib greeting, Naruto's world exploded into stars as the rock-hard fist of his genteel girlfriend crashed into his skull driving him into the floorboards.

~III~

~ Konohagakure, Office of the Sandaime Hokage ~

Normally Kyuubi would have been unhappy with her container being struck by another miserable human, however, the girl had been within her rights, having previously laid claim to him as a mate, the moment he ghosted his team without letting them know of his destination or the potential risks if he'd failed. The blond human with the pleasing and still developing haunches would be allowed special dispensation concerning her desire to breed kits with the boy, something that might both do him some good if it tempered his rasher behavior and provide her with entertainment in the form of small kits to entertain her later. She tsked quietly in her den, a word that made her smile happily vice the former cage it was before, and settled in to watch the rest of the show as her host shook off the blow to his skull once the clingy girl dragged him to stand before the old man. Kyuubi absently noticed how she placed him between herself and the boy with the oddly shaped head, almost as if she feared he might vanish again without warning.

She cared for him greatly and the great youko allowed the corners of her mouth to soften at an older memory from a happier time.

A rustling of cloth caused her eyes to flicker from the colorful images in the swirling water flowing through the channel at her feet and onto the slightly duller representation of her long-absent roommate.

"I thought you'd been devoured by the Shinigami by now," she groused. The wild-maned Kenshin Uzumaki stared back with a disappointed grimace.

"Oh, ye of little faith." Kyuubi snorted and turned her gaze back to the picture as Naruto's free hand waved about, his other trapped in the strong grip of his future mate, something she noticed he did not object to overly much as the girl's assets pressed against his upper arm. She was filling out admirably much to the older flesh bag's red-cheeked approval.

"You will have to face him sooner or later, only later will now include two very protective echidnae from that clan of monsters. You cannot hide in the seal forever." The tanned face winced beneath the wild locks of the Uzumaki Clan he did not truly belong to.

"All in due time," he replied softly as his eyes turned to watch the scene as it played out. He designed the seal to fail gradually as the boy absorbed the bijū's youki, which meant he still had years to go but yes, eventually it would fade (along with him) and he'd be forced to deal with his son before the remainder of his soul was claimed by the death god.

Until that moment, he still had time. And hope.

~III~

"…and they returned me to Konoha once I was rested enough to wake up and move on my own." Naruto's nervous shuffling of the feet made everyone suspicious, especially the piercing pair of pale blue eyes locked on his face from his right side.

"Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable in your usual spot, Ino?" Her response was ironclad, borderline hostile, as she enunciated her single-word answer clearly.

"Pos-i-tive." He gulped nervously refusing to make any sudden moves.

For some reason, Ino felt her new beau was hiding something from her about these summonses of his but she couldn't quite place it. The secret was nagging at her brain and his rampant blush during several pausing stumbles in that story made her want to ferret out the hidden truth even more. He'd only be able to hide it under "clan secrets" for so long, the last remaining walls coming down once he walked her sexy tail down the aisle and she claimed the title of Uzumaki Clan Matron before the entire village.

If she knew his blush was because he was trying to forcibly repress the memory from his wake-up call of Ella-chan's soft breast repeatedly bopping him on the nose and face, she'd have been less supportive of his still-pending request to train with the clan during the year following the Chunin Exams, as insisted upon by Poseidus the Clan Patron.

"You will have to register the contract with the records office, Naruto." The boy nodded once.

"Of course, Hokage-jiji. Just know that the summoning clan is tied to the Uzumaki and not Konoha." The comment made the older man sigh as he was hoping to revive the powerful beasts under the Konoha symbol. The return of the powerful Celestials would be a powerful deterrent for Iwa and Kumo.

"Perhaps we have time to change your heart." His smile was hopeful. "I'd plan on the Council wanting to meet one of them as a rendering will be needed for the official registry."

Naruto nodded once. "They won't be able to answer a summons for at least a week as the ceremony took a great deal out of them." Dragon's body jerked but it was enough for the movement to catch the Genin's eye.

"You… you have two personal summonses?" the masked terror sputtered out.

Naruto's grin became positively feral, something that caused the young Yamanaka's cheeks to flush pink. "I do, one from each sect." He lifted his shirt to reveal an addition to his Opal-hime tattoo, as he called it; a midnight-blue sea serpent intertwined with the pale one forming a half-dark/ half light spiral of spikes, tails, fangs, and claws. In the center was now a smooth sphere with kanji flowing vertically down its center but he dropped the shirt before Dragon could get a good look.

That comment, boosted by the modified marking, caused the masked figure to stumble backwards half a step, a movement that everyone noticed. Naruto filed it away for later discussion even as the tall figure recovered quickly.

"Hokage-sama," Dragon began, "I believe we need to clear up that visitor issue first thing next week. The boy appears drained and his chakra appears out of control." Dragon turned back to the blond male. "I assume your chakra control is shot to pieces?"

Naruto's nod brought a heavy sigh from his sensei while the oldest shinobi in the room nodded once.

"Perhaps his team could escort him home to make sure he is not attacked while at a severe disadvantage?" It wasn't really a question but more like a cleverly disguised suggestion, one Ino took as a direct order while she pulled the weakened boy towards the exit. Asuma bowed a hurried retreat and raced to oversee the chaos that was about to ensue.

Once they were gone, Hiruzen turned to his partner in crime with a rushed, "Spill it. Tell me what you know of his new summons." His answer came in the form of mechanized laughter.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama. It's Clan business and you'll have to wait for the big reveal to the Council, what he's willing to share with them anyway."

Hiruzen's pout almost made the disguised kunoichi wail with laughter. "Let's just say that he's developed the potential to become the most powerful shinobi ever to walk the streets of Konoha, bar none."

The old man's eyes goggled at the teaser, his mind thinking he'd been way too old for this crap several decades ago.

"So, the Gaki needs to rebuild his chakra control to where it was between now and the exams." The white-maned Sannin faded into view over near the open window. "That's going to be difficult with Asuma having to train all three of them for the first two stages."

Dragon waved it off as inconsequential. "His summonses will assist with that." The older pair seemed suspicious of the ANBU Commander's intimate knowledge but lost the chance to query the mysterious being as he faded into the woodwork, literally.

"That man frightens me," the Toad Sage admitted unabashedly.

"You and I both, Jiraiya." The old man stoked and relit his cooling pipe. "Now, let's discuss this plan once more for the pending invasion we believe might happen."

The old man's eyes goggled as the sage slapped down two pictures of faces he'd seen recently, one he was very familiar with and the other a more recent glimpse that struck his fancy as he'd marveled how attractive the young woman at the medic's side appeared at first glance. His eyes flickered up from the smiling faces to ask the silent question on his mind and this student responded with a terrifying grin.

"Say hello to Orochimaru's most dangerous infiltrators of Konoha no Sato."

Hiruzen's sinking feeling of age returned with a vengeance.

~III~

Guren tried to lay there as impassively as possible, her head turned to the same image on the wall shelf that had become her mental safe haven as the now sweaty pervert grunted out the dregs of his energy into her limp body. Kabuto had returned early in the afternoon from his "information gathering" angry and frustrated at another failure and this had become his "normal" response for failing the man she'd once viewed as perfect in every way.

Shortly after they'd left the Oto lab and began the journey to Konoha, Kabuto tried to force himself on her and she resisted. She fought with every fiber of her being only to learn that chakra scalpels could, in fact, penetrate the thin layer of crystal armor she used to protect herself. Kabuto, bastard that he was, took his time with her then not bothering to heal her until he was finished, fed, and well-rested the following morning.

Oh, how she hated him, seethed inside swearing his day would come. She swore on every vengeful kami she knew, and a few she didn't, that he'd pay before all was said and done and that he'd know she betrayed him as he died.

Until then, she sent her mind somewhere else. She was required to be obedient. She was not required to make things enjoyable for the bastard.

Her head and chest wobbled minutely with his increasingly erratic efforts to bring himself pleasure and she figured that the end was fast approaching. Soon she'd be free to scour her body in the shower, the anti-conception jutsu learned by most kunoichi involved in seduction missions her one bastion to the endless misery that was her current existence.

Oh, how his touch sickened her. Her eyes snuck a quick glance at his glistening face, eyes squinted closed as his mouth slowly opened to form what he considered a look of pure ecstasy. It made her want to jam a crystal kunai into one of his eyes and retch in his face but, before he could sense her growing revulsion, she snapped her eyes back to the orchid vase resting on the shelf of his tiny apartment.

She found a small measure of peace in the constantly changing arrangement of flowers, her new pastime.

He wasn't an incredibly gifted performer, just being large enough that she could feel him rutting around inside her. Her stomach clenched in nausea which only appeared to spur Kabuto on all the more, his motions becoming more frantic as he mistook her convulsions for an approaching orgasm. In the end, his body tensed, his frantic motions jerking to a halt as a sickening warmth filled her core. With a final grunt, he rolled off of her now sweat-dampened body with a satisfied sigh while his breathing slowly normalized. Without a backward glance or comment, Guren rose from the rumpled covers and stalked into the bathroom where the sound of running water filtered back into the general apartment.

"Guren, I need you to step up your efforts to locate the seal." He didn't need to explain further, the woman's acknowledging grunt reaching his ears indicating the message had been received. "They couldn't have moved it too far from its former place."

Kabuto glanced in the direction of the bathroom as he donned his trademark glasses, his mind contemplating joining his new toy for a quick shower. He knew that she abhorred him, but he didn't much care. There wasn't much she could do to stop him without garnering Orochimaru's wrath. His master had given her to him after all and Kabuto's disappearance, while it would be an unpleasant inconvenience to the Sannin, would be enough to return her to the experimentation table, a place she hated even more than she hated him.

In the meantime, he needed to locate the jinchuuriki and verify his current status. The Uchiha was ridiculously simple to find, the boy having no sense of modesty or humility. The Uzumaki heir, however, had vanished from the light of day following the attack on his old apartment building, something Orochimaru-sama had made abundantly clear was unacceptable to his hobbled visitor. They had no idea where the one-eyed cockroach had scurried off to, but he didn't particularly matter at this point.

Orochimaru had almost everything he needed to continue with the invasion in three months' time even if it meant hiding out in the Suna desert for the last few months.

Shaking the sand out of the latest missive delivered by snake summons, Kabuto relished the quickly-hidden look of disgust at his naked body from his live-in mistress and settled in to map out the latest patrols of a village he hoped to see burn to the ground in the very near future.

~III~

Sunday morning was normally a very quiet day in Konoha. Naruto usually spent the day resting avoiding everyone and everything as he recovered from a stressing week of training, missions, and studying to advance his impressive list of skills. Sundays were a sacred affair meant to rest and gather himself for the upcoming week. Unfortunately, an intense team driven by his new girlfriend and worried sensei meant his Sundays, at least for the near future, would be anything but normal.

Team Ten missed their regularly scheduled Saturday night at the Grand Oak, an odd occurrence that brought a concerned Anko Mitarashi to his door at two in the morning wearing a very slinky, hip-hugging dress upon her return from the club. Aside from being dragged out of bed at the ungodly hour and smothered into her low-plunging neckline, much to the irritated emotions of his summonses flooding his link with their protective desires (and an amazingly strong urge from Opalto pummel the purplette bloody), it only got worse once a sleepy-headed Ino stormed into the living room and snatched her equally sleepy boyfriend from the woman's surprised clutches, her boyfriend's extra long tee shirt barely enough to cover her high-cut lace panties and wide-curving hips. A very disgruntled Anko slinked off to return another day – when a certain clingy girlfriend would not be around to interrupt her.

An unusually tense breakfast hours later led to an introspective Naruto looking out over his former training ground in the slums, his worried teammate standing just behind him as his hands came up to make a familiar seal.

Always impressed with Naruto's gift with Shadow Clones, Ino's face gaped at the hundred copies of Naruto staring back at them with concern. It was as the billowing torrent of smoke drifted up and away with the gusting breeze that she noticed the huffing face of her blond teammate. Kneeling on the ground, hands pressed flat against the still damp earth, she'd never seen him this close to exhaustion.

The clones began shaking their heads with concern as they all looked to her as if expecting some sort of explanation as to what was to happen next. Ino didn't have anything to reassure them with so she did the next best thing. She improvised.

"His control is shot as we all know. The best thing we can do for him is to help him improve." She pointed to one cluster. "You twenty-five, start with the leaf floating exercise," the group breaking off with a brisk, "Ossu!" before stalking off to find leaves to float on whatever appendage they could. "You twenty-five, find a tree and start climbing," she rifled off to the next group. "The rest, break off into groups of ten and start running through whatever elemental affinity exercises you were doing before."

The remaining clones snapped sharp salutes while Ino helped drag her panting boyfriend over to an unmolested tree. Placing her back against its bark, she pulled his shoulder blades up against her body and began stroking his chest in small circles.

"Rest Naruto. You need to rebuild your chakra while your clones work on rebuilding your control." Despite his helpless frustration, his eyes slid closed as he listened to the steady beating of her heart while a hundred copies failed to climb halfway up their chosen trees or struggled to keep a single leaf floating in the center of their palms.

His only saving grace was that both Ella and Opal were awake and visiting him via their link, Naruto finding himself mildly shocked by the slightly less hostile older echidnae. Ella-chan, as he'd taken to calling her much to her blushing consternation, spent the first ten minutes of their discussion fussing over his peaked appearance and noticeable lack of both chakra and chakra control. Oddly enough, she reminded him of the smothering mother hen from his brief stint in the orphanage minus the frumpy physique.

Kami she was gorgeous now that her pale and emaciated body had filled out now flushed with their intermixed chakra.

Once the nitpicking eased up, his attitude changed for the better once the more experienced summons began discussing a new exercise to help restore his lost chakra control…

~III~

By Monday morning, his control had marginally improved. A late Sunday-night conversation with his tenant helped to provide additional insight into his miserable condition once Ino had to return home to her worried parents and he was finally able to sever the link with his personal summonses.

The Umihebi had converted nearly three-quarters of his chakra into the thicker version the Uzumaki Clan was famous for, but he hadn't learned to tap into it yet. While his vast "normal" reserves were still refilling rather quickly, his expansion (and reinforcement) of his chakra network meant that his usable chakra reserves had shrunk to barely Kage levels immediately after the bonding. The Kyuubi estimated that he had a tail's worth of what she called "sludge-like" Uzumaki chakra and reserves large enough for two tails worth of what she called "pathetic monkey energy."

The fact that a measly one hundred clones evaporated that much energy but didn't kill him meant that, as long as his Uzumaki chakra reserves remained, he couldn't necessarily die from chakra exhaustion once he exhausted his normal reserves. Unfortunately, it would leave him virtually helpless until he either learned to tap into the vastly denser chakra, Kyuubi's youki refilled his flagging reserves via the seal, or regained his normal level of control.

Naruto found himself back in the slums running through physical exercises with Ino, all in attempting to regain some semblance of control despite his resistance seals being reduced back to two times normal gravity. Kicking himself mentally as they trudged around Konoha for the fifth time, he winced at the realization that Ino's seals were barely a quarter below his own now and the girl was barely puffing at all as he struggled alongside her just to keep up.

It was going to be a painfully long recovery especially when he realized he didn't have enough control to summon a toad bigger than Gamakichi without keeling over. The normally cheerful toad shook his head from side to side as he vanished to let the Gama brothers know about Naruto's current condition, his flippered hand snagging the proffered bag of treats his still gasping summoner lobbed in his direction.

Morning training with the rest of the team went little better. Shikamaru ran rings around him in the sparring area, something that stunned both Ino and Asuma to the point that Naruto was asked to take a seat to catch his breath before resuming chakra control exercises for the day.

Their worried faces said it all; if he couldn't recover, the Chunin Exams would be well beyond their reach this time.

By the time Konoha's skyline was darkening into its familiar canvas of orange and purple hues, a thoroughly worn out Naruto Uzumaki was stumbling into his more modern apartment building. His horrible control and constant exertion through the day kept his normal reserves at just above Genin levels meaning his arms and legs felt like lead. For a brief moment, he seriously considered passing out and showering in the morning, but the day's grit and grime were beginning to chafe something awful.

Turning at the last minute to stumble into his bathroom, his hands peeling his sweat-covered tee shirt halfway up his bruised and battered body, Naruto froze as a familiar pounding shuddered his apartment door. Despite knowing a summons this late meant nothing good for the weary Genin, he held his breath and prayed to Inari-sama that the visitor would just go away, a prayer he was still feverishly mumbling under his breath when the next round of pounding shook him fully alert with a snarling hiss escaping his mouth.

Instead, he muttered a quick thank you to his tenant when he felt the familiar burning rush of her youki flooding the seal to be converted into chakra to refill his nearly empty tank.

Yanking the shirt back into place, Naruto stormed across his apartment and flung open the door revealing the stoic mask of a familiar crane ANBU poised to re-announce his presence with his knuckles. Naruto's left eyebrow twitched even as he swore that he could hear the taller figure snicker under his mask.

He chose to ignore his growing suspicion and held out his palm to receive the black-ringed scroll Kurēn slapped into it with churlish glee. Without a single word, the still chuckling agent vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves.

Already exhausted (and now extremely cranky), Naruto stalked across the village as the final rays of sunlight faded in the purple shadows of dusk. He could hear his normally silent footsteps slapping the bottom of his sandals along the cobblestones of the main thoroughfare. In his fatigued haze, he nearly trudged directly to the section of the Market District where his initiate entrance lay, only instinct (and fear of Dragon) kicking in at the last moment as he paused at the Dango Stop, Konoha's premier purveyor among shinobi of the delicacy, to glance absently at the menu saved him. His eyes flickered to the reflective trim underneath the menu in time to catch the cause of his itching shoulder blades duck behind a street café's table umbrella.

Taking several deep breaths to mimic indecisiveness, he frowned at the sulking reflection of one Sasuke Uchiha.

Stepping back to motion for another to order ahead of him, he ducked into the single-stall restroom and locked the door. Five minutes later, he emerged and took one final look at the menu before sighing and exiting the shop on a decidedly different mission in the opposite direction towards his favorite ramen noodle stand, the sound of clinking coins from one of his pockets jingling in time with his still weary pace.

Not thirty seconds after the blond made a beeline for his standard late-night fare, a non-descript brown-haired boy with chocolate eyes stepped out of the store, glanced once at the blond's retreating back and the slinking red and white fan following his double, then sauntered off in the opposite direction with a jaunty whistle to guide his steps. He had no idea why the broody bastard was suddenly stalking him but he didn't have time to sort it out right now.

Fifty-one minutes from the time of the original summons, a now Sasuke-free blond gave the coded knock that slid open a cleverly concealed doorway guarded by a smug bird-faced ANBU.

"Cutting it close this time, aren't you?" He could almost feel the gangly ANBU's irritation behind the emotionless mask.

[Needed to lose a snitch.] Kurēn's eyebrows rose underneath his mask at the Genin's growing facility with hand signs and the hinted at threat. Rumors of his chakra being shot may have been accurate, but it did not appear to alter his facility at the silent tongue. With an approving nod, the gangly black ops agent stepped aside to let him pass just under the hour deadline.

Changing under the watchful gaze of a familiar purple-headed feline, Naruto found himself trudging less gracefully than his last appearance into the same darkened amphitheater, his personal halo of light awaiting his arrival. With an exhausted nod to a familiar-looking female initiate (one whose eyes lingered a bit longer than normal on his sagging shoulders), he settled to a swaying stop only to start at the assembled collection of onlookers for this latest round of "Who Wants to Be A Killer."

He bowed to the Hokage and the ranking ANBU, as was expected. The old pair of advisors were missing much to his surprise, instead replaced by Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka, the older man's eyes focused intently on the cloaked initiate to his right. Although not the subject of it, he found Ibiki's intense stare… disconcerting.

Kakashi Hatake was an odd sight considering none of his Genin were in view, but he figured the man's skill alone made him a suitable replacement for missing members of the tribunal as he sat lazily next to the white-maned man that still tossed around the godfather title even after Naruto fired him. Tsking internally, he swept his eyes over the smug Sannin to smile softly at Iruka's smiling face at the end of the table in his familiar spot as event proctor, more or less.

What really caught his attention were the ANBU faces lining the wall behind the table. A tiny woman with honeyed hair wearing some sort of bird mask was standing next to a larger brown-haired man sporting a goat's mask with curved horns, both of which sported the official cloaks of the ANBU which draped their bodies giving him no hint at their attire or weapons. Next to them stood Neko, similarly bedecked and watching him with a focus intense enough to match Inoichi's.

He felt like dinner before the throng.

Halfway between him at the table of "guests" stood Anko in her Hebi mask. She was haloed in another spotlight and kneeling in front of her was the back of a vaguely familiar kunoichi, her dark hair coiled up into a bun atop her head with several senbon holding the coiffure in place.

Naruto's heart palpitated and his surprise spiked the interest of his summons through the link. Trying to push aside Opal's curiosity, his eyes flickered up to Anko's index and middle fingers as they pointed from his eyes to her own. The message was clear: eyes front and focus on me.

"You will maintain standard protocol," she began meaning 'I'll talk while you answer in sign.'

[Hai, senpai.] Anko's snorted out her chuffing approval of his improved signing facility while the Hokage rose behind her to draw everyone's focus to himself.

"There are a few things that need to be addressed tonight and I'll begin with asking you whether you are ready to face up to your responsibilities, young man." It was not a question that he could tell but the tone made him swallow beneath the balaclava.

[I do not understand, Hokage-sama. Am I being charged with some crime?] The old man snorted.

"No, but this civilian," the man's knife hand indicated the seiza'd female before Anko in the spotlight, "claims to be your war prize as a result of the Nami Escort Mission." Naruto could hear the bones popping in Ino's neck as her head whipped around to face him. He could also feel the heat of her gaze, which forced him to swallow a second time.

[This makes no sense, Hokage-sama. I do not recall defeating her in combat.] Ino caught enough of the silent language to get the general gist of his response.

"That's the issue, Agent Six-Six-Six, the rules governing this archaic practice are based on the overall perception of the situation, including that of the subjugated." Hiruzen glanced down to the stubborn ice user and frowned. "She believes that you defeated her fairly and, as an honorable combatant," Naruto noticed the old man's careful selection of words, "has submitted herself to Konoha as your war prize."

Naruto nearly broke the silence stricture before he caught himself, his eyes nervously darting over to catch the heated glare of Ino's mask as her eye holes continued to bore relentlessly into the side of his head.

[Can I refuse?] Here everyone able to read his signs, including Ino, blinked in surprise but the Hokage answered nonetheless, his face showing a proud smile as he observed the maturity at work in the boy he still considered his surrogate grandson. Naruto noticed the kneeling figure, the clearly feminine flare of her hips and narrow waist, stiffen for a moment before the head bowed in shame.

"Yes, you are allowed to refuse if you so desire. Know that even though this dishonors the other party greatly, it is allowable."

[What happens to her if I do?] Here the old man grimaced.

"Young Haku has three choices." Naruto's eyes dropped to the hunched shoulders of the girl kneeling on the floor as her fingers clenched the fabric of her pleated skirt.

"First and foremost, she has the option to salvage what is left of her honor and take her own life in ritualistic suicide, a most archaic response but still well within her right and very much a part of the...," he struggled to find a suitable descriptor, "tradition." Naruto's face constricted into a rictus of anger at the thought of the girl throwing her life away after everything he did to patch her back together, but it would be her choice after all. He could hardly complain after throwing away her volunteered servitude.

"Second, she could leave Konoha and try to find a way to live her life in peace free of Konoha's, or any other village's, influence." Naruto's unease ebbed slightly thinking that one a decent option until the Hokage kept speaking. "Given that her master, Zabuza Momochi, made her a target of the Kiri hunter nins, as well as every other bounty hunter, through his escapades, I give her chances at a peaceful life to be less than fifteen percent. I expect she would enjoy a few months of quiet, at best, until something forced her to reveal her skills. Or worse yet, live peacefully until someone recognized her from either the Bingo Book or the wanted posters of her and Zabuza posted in both Water and Fire Country meaning the end result would be the same." The old man released a heavy sigh. "If she is captured by Kiri, I expect her life will end abruptly given their bloodline war. Worse still if less scrupulous villains find her, she could always be sold into slavery; trained kunoichi are highly favored in those markets and fetch high prices as playthings and breeding stock, a despicable practice really."

Naruto's heart plummeted into his gut.

[Is option three any better?] The Hokage's frown nearly made him curse aloud.

"Unfortunately, no. While she can petition Konoha for asylum, she would lose her protected status as a war prize under the protection of your house, er, apartment. I expect the Council would test her in short order and force her to choose a career either as a kunoichi in the regular Corps or as a combat medic given her remarkable fighting and medical skills."

Naruto almost dared to hope…

"In either event, her rare Hyoton Kekke Genkai would inevitably force her into the CRA where she would be forced to bear children until a male with the same bloodline could be born. At which point, the child would, in turn, enter the CRA in order to restore the clan here in Konoha." Hiruzen was laying the doom and gloom on a bit thick and hated doing so, still his need to prevent Naruto from throwing away a potential boon to Konoha continued to force his aged hand. He knew no one in the chamber would try to argue him down so he bit back his own curses and pushed on.

"None of this, of course, is a problem as a respected war prize under the protection of legitimate house or clan." The old man's eyes bore into the porcelain mask of Agent Two-Nine-Six-Six-Six while every stony face watching the boy observed his still twitching hands. His eyes were boring into the shoulder blades of the kneeling female as he pondered the choices hinging on whether his morality would either allow or prevent him from honoring the girl's claim releasing her to a dismal life of objectification.

Naruto felt like throwing up. Only the fear of removing his mask to do so in front of Dragon steeled his nerves. Slowly his head swiveled to lock gazes with Agent Two-Nine-Eight-Seven-Seven as his hands shakily rose to begin the damning series of hand signs signifying his choice.

~III~

Long after the onlookers and substitute observers were departed, the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf sagged near-bonelessly into the high-backed chair of the Black OPS briefing chamber. The years were weighing on him, their call for him to close his eyes and rest, to simply lay down the heavy robes and hat sounding more like the siren's call his old ears interpreted it to be. It was as his gnarled fingers stopped rubbing his bloodshot orbs that they fell on the briefing folders for the night, the uncertainty of a lifetime worth of bad decisions creeping back into his iron façade.

"You wish to voice a concern?" He spoke slowly, deliberately, as if trying to suppress an itch in the back of his throat.

Dragon tried not to wince beneath the mask at the sound of the man's voice. It was the voice of a parched soul, seeking relief the figure was not about to offer. "I do not agree with leaving hormonal teenagers alone in such a tiny apartment."

Hiruzen sighed already guessing where this was headed.

"He has the loft if he so chooses," the old man deflected, his hands slapping down on the cushioned armrests of his reserved seat as he prepared to stand and hobble away.

"He also has an estate large enough to accommodate an entire clan," came the inevitable response.

"You know as well as I do why that is out of the question." Hiruzen was growing tired of this old discussion, his irritation creeping into the scratchy voice.

"Semantics! He is the clan head according to Uzushiogakure's charter! We've been-."

"Yes, we've been over it and over it," he interrupted with a touch of heat in his voice, "but nothing changes the fact that, according to Konoha law, he cannot reclaim the estate until Chunin or his sixteenth birthday should he retire from active service to become the clan leader full time!"

The old man had risen creakily to his feet by then, the sound of his hip popping audibly as he stood to glower over the shorter woman hiding behind a full body camouflage. His eyes held the old steel of the Kami of Shinobi even if his heart was racing a touch more than it used to.

Dragon's pause was deliberate before the modulated voice picked up again. "I see what you're doing," came the odd counter. Hiruzen's right eyebrow rose in amusement.

"Do you now?" His near smirk was overly confident.

"You're hoping they'll fall for each other since things aren't moving fast enough for you with the Yamanaka heiress." Hiruzen scoffed but Dragon wasn't buying the deflection. "Yes, if he knocks her up, you know he's honorable enough to marry her and you get both wishes."

The old man's face seemed even more skeptical, but he did not interrupt his ANBU Commander again.

"More plotting to unnecessarily complicate the boy's life." The temperature dropped a few degrees. "Children, perhaps with the Uzumaki bloodline or perhaps with the Hyoton, but a family nonetheless and perhaps and new clan to shore up Konoha's sagging reputation. Not to mention that he can still wed the Yamanaka, and perhaps the Nadeshiko since she's shown signs of capitulating for fear of losing him outright." Hiruzen could see the woman's violet eyes narrowing dangerously behind the androgynous mask's eyeholes as she took a step back and away from him.

"I never thought you could sink so low."

Hiruzen's jaw set as his shoulders stiffened noticeably. "Not for the one," he began but she finished it for him returning the early interruption.

"…but the many," her voice dripping with scorn and derision. Dragon turned to storm from the chamber, boot-encased feet stopping once the door swung open, gloved fingers gripping the metal door hard enough to leave dents shaped like fingertips.

"You are going to need to find another Commander after the Chunin Exams, old man." The dark mask swiveled around to stare hollowly at the stern gaze of the Commander in Chief. "I've walked this road as far as I can with you."

Once the shadowy figure was gone, Hiruzen slid his way back into the overly soft cushion of his chair without the sound of bones creaking and groaning, the hat feeling very heavy on his neck all of a sudden. "You heard all of that, didn't you?" he called out to the once again seemingly empty room.

"Only every fifth word, Hokage-sama." The ram-faced ANBU stepped into the beam of light reflecting off the conical hat.

Hiruzen sighed again, his shoulders heaving as he levered himself back to his feet with ease this time. "Let's get the rest of this night over with so that a tired body can earn a little of its own rest," he croaked out as he puttered towards the exit with his new shadow in-tow.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Another sigh. "You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." It was delivered evenly despite the huge grin beneath the mask.

Hiruzen groaned even while reaching for his trusty pipe. It was going to be a very long night after all.

~III~

Naruto awoke to the pleasant smell of bacon, eggs, and rice. Surging up from beneath the covers of his bed with a smile on his face, he staggered into the bathroom to attend to a brief morning freshening and relieving process before thudding his way into the small dining area of his apartment. His bright and cheery smile immediately evaporated when the slim figure wearing the sleeping kimono (that barely covered the upper halves of her thighs) turned to smile at him over one slender and partially exposed shoulder.

It was then that the rest of last night's misadventures reminded him of why he got to bed shortly after one in the morning and why this incredibly pretty creature was not the blond woman with his heart wrapped around her little finger.

Flashback no Jutsu – ANBU Edition

"Good! Now that this little matter has been settled, Kurēn, please escort the young lady to a place where she can await Agent Two-Nine-Six-Six-Six's return."

While Ino was studiously not meeting his gaze, her eyes fixed on the table of V.I.P.'s, Haku's relieved glances conveying buckets full of gratitude as she was quietly herded away. Naruto couldn't help but feel that he was damned if he tried, yet still damned if he didn't try. After an undetermined amount of time, his emotional spiraling crashed and burned right as the Hokage began speaking again.

"Now that our distinguished visitor has been relocated, Iruka, if you would please." The senior Chunin stepped forward trying to suppress a proud grin as he addressed the ANBU initiates.

"As you command, Hokage-sama." He stepped briskly forward to pass a thin dossier to the two silent hopefuls, inside of which was an enlarged photo of a young girl with flaming red hair wearing black-framed glasses. Seeing as it was an extreme close-up of her face, her eyes looking off to the side in the photo, Naruto couldn't see the rest of her to assess her health, something he found worthy of distressing over as the photo did capture old bite marks around her collarbones and upper chest.

Inside he seethed once his eyes found the name imprinted at the bottom of the picture: Karin Uzumaki. His growing rage was accompanied by the rapid reduction in temperature in his immediate vicinity accompanied by a noticeable rise in static energy, now a wriggling mass of fluorescent blue-white fingers scrabbling across the floor. It was enough raw energy to cause the forearm and exposed hair on everyone in the chamber to stand straight on end and draw the attention of everyone that knew he did not naturally sport a Raiton affinity.

"A-hem!" The Hokage's protracted throat clearing was enough to snap the boy out of it with a sheepish bow. "Please continue, Iruka."

"Before we begin, I would like to be the first to congratulate the two of you on being selected to join the ANBU upon completion of the Chunin Exams." Eight-Seven-Seven signed for the first time of the evening.

[We aren't guaranteed the Chunin Rank.] Apparently, someone else practiced just as diligently as Naruto did.

"This is true; however, successful completion of extremely difficult tasks can result in a meritorious spot promotion." The now grinning instructor let that comment sink in for a moment as Naruto's brief burst of elation gave way to his mind frantically connecting the dots; they hadn't discussed the "extremely difficult tasks" yet to be performed.

"Also, you need to be aware of your new responsibilities as a prospective gain to the special operations branch." The observers in the room could almost hear the two blinking behind their masks.

"Full ANBU squads normally consist of four team members, except for heavy combat and sapper units which maintain a squad medic. Keep in mind that medics must meet the same combat proficiency standards as the assault members of their team although the long blade requirement is often waived." He swept his arm to the rear wall.

"In the back of the room are your new teammates, Team Neko." The three cloaked figures bobbed their heads once in acknowledgment. "You'll be given the opportunity to meet and train with them in two months' time. For now, your primary goal is the restoration of Imori's broken chakra control, and you have six weeks until you are evaluated in front of your new team. If you fail to make sufficient gains by then, these three will take over to help… motivate you."

Naruto's mind was still stuck on his supposed ANBU identity hoping it was a sick prank and someone would come out afterwards to give him a cool fox mask or perhaps a roaring tiger mask.

[Fire Newt?] Anko merely snickered much to his dismay. Loudly. In response, Iruka stepped forward and pushed chakra into a hidden seal located on the forehead of his mask while Ino watched from her spot as the blank facemask morphed and bled red and orange streaks into its now lizard-like representation.

Inside she cringed hoping her nickname wasn't as cringe-worthy nor her mask equally ridiculous looking.

"As new gains, part of the ANBU tradition is to supplement the monthly stipend that funds your gear replacement and special gear acquisitions. Regrettably, it isn't nearly enough to keep up with the rapid advances in shinobi tooling nor the wear and tear your gear will experience on a terribly frequent basis. This has led to the 'Newby Tax,' that is a fifty-percent forfeiture of your first three mission pays above D-Rank, either before or after you've joined your squad."

A gentle cough from the squad leader caught the Chunin's attention.

"Ah! That is correct, thank you, Captain Neko." Iruka turned back to the still shell-shocked hopefuls. "That is unless you have a skill that can make a lasting and hefty contribution to off-set your team's procurement costs. We'll leave that for you to discuss with your teammates later." He motioned to the lightly padded folders in their hands.

"We have kindly provided you with two missions to help you on your way. The first is the B-ranked reason why you only have six weeks to recover what you can of your control on your own. Two months from now you will travel undercover with your Genin squad, backed up by the remaining members of Team Neko to rendezvous with the Kusa Kunoichi in your folder. Her team will be transiting to Konoha with their Jonin Sensei for the Chunin Exams." He paused to deliberately lock eyes with the newly dubbed "Fire Newt."

"Your mission is to make sure the rest of her team never arrives. Just make sure you leave enough evidence to indicate either Iwa or Kumo; we do not particularly care which." Naruto's peripheral vision saw Ino's body tense briefly.

"Study and memorize her particulars as well as what information we have on her teammates. Specific mission requirements are included, and you are reminded to destroy the evidence before departing the village." His eyes tried to bore through their masks forcing a bone-rattling shiver down Ino's back.

"The second is a bit trickier and will require a supplemental briefing once you've returned from the first mission." He paused to make sure both masks were fixed firmly on him. "Without assisting the boy in his tasks, you are to surveil Sasuke Uchiha and prevent his death or capture during the second phase of the Chunin Exams, should he make it that far."

Naruto never wanted to curse more than he did at that very moment.

Flashback no Jutsu – ANBU Edition – Kai!

Her grin was entirely too cheerful for his tastes. "One snarky comment from you and you'll be sleeping on my ratty couch permanently." He sulkily breezed past her, his hand reaching for the back of one of the two chairs around the small square object only to freeze and grit his teeth.

"Sure thing, Fig NEWT-on."

He could only shake his head miserably as the perky girl tittered nigh uncontrollably at her own witty pun centered around her favorite treat.

~III~

Three weeks later their blond shield man was beginning to regain some of his swagger as he landed in the normal training area for Team Ten. He was creating up to two hundred and fifty clones without collapsing and his leaf balancing and tree climbing exercises had returned to semi-normal levels of proficiency. His clones were branching out to water walking and more advanced versions of chakra control, which made him feel less useless than before. He'd even been able to summon Gamatetsu for the morning spar beginning the process of rebuilding his almost non-existent Tetsuken skills, a welcome reunion even if he didn't yet have the control to summon both brothers at the same time. None of that meant he was feeling particularly indestructible at the moment, given the sea of eyes watching him like a prized bull at market.

A quick squeeze of Ino's hand to bolster his once-flagging confidence and Naruto stepped forward to bow in the direction of their sensei. Today was going to be a big test for him.

The Council had become anxious once the Hokage revealed the registering of a new summoning clan, the once proud group of civilians badgering the shinobi half of the Council until the Hokage reluctantly agreed that Naruto's chakra control had sufficiently returned to enable revealing one of his personal summonses without endangering his health.

The fact that he reportedly had several of the legendary Celestials at his beck and call made them froth all the more at the mouth, pestering the old man until he'd set a date for the demonstration. Naruto, nervously balancing from one foot to the other, glanced back to his gently smiling Ino-chan (Haku hovering silently just past the girl's left shoulder) as the Hokage, followed closely by Dragon, Jiraiya, Iruka (acting once again as the scribe), Kakashi, Hibiki, Anko, and both halves of the Council, stepped silently into the clearing. Team Ten bowed as Hiruzen nodded in return signifying that he could begin whenever he felt ready.

"Maa, Anko-chan," the Cyclops began jovially to the extremely still Anko Mitarashi, "you seem a bit tense over a simple summoning demonstration." The nervously twitching Snake Mistress never took her eyes off of the somber blond as she spoke.

"You've never faced down one of these… things. If you had, you'd be a bit on edge, Scarecrow."

Kakashi's chuckle was almost dismissive. "How bad could they be over the Sannin's massive toads?"

Her bug-eyed, slack-jawed stare as the purplette's head swiveled slowly to lock gazes with him left him blinking stupidly. His lone eye twitched once after she slowly swiveled back to watch the now moving blond, her gaze fixated on his back as if he might spontaneously combust. She conveniently left out her discussion earlier that morning when she asked her summons to come with (in case the sea serpents grew… testy) only for her most cherished companions to vehemently refuse, turning up their noses at the "opportunity" stating flatly that she was "on her own this time."

Naruto turned on his heel and purposefully strode out into the far middle of the large training area much to the confused faces of the Council. When he finally stopped some fifty paces away, he turned around already halfway into the summons, his palm striking the soft grass as an enormous pressure built up across the field of Training Area Ten. The runes raced out twenty meters in all directions uplifting more than a few eyebrows as an explosion of smoke blanketed the entire green space.

Kakashi glanced nervously to the stern-faced Sannin only to snap his head back to the front once a ground-shaking roar vibrated every tree in the clearing sending birds aflutter as far as they could see. Anko's frightened start was caught by more than one pair of startled eyes, each one wondering what could possibly unnerve the terrifying Snake Mistress of Konoha?

Their question was answered the moment the smoke drifted away revealing a wingless dragon of midnight blue with pale electric-white fins jutting from its head and along its spine, its smooth scales glimmering wickedly in the clear Konoha sun as its snake-like tail swished lazily back and forth (Think Game of Thrones final season for a size comparison only less spiky). Resting atop the creature's shoulders stood the red-faced and heavily breathing Genin, his arms wrapped lovingly around the creature's neck as it glared balefully down at all of them.

Large did not begin to describe the creature. Jiraiya noting that, although its height wasn't quite as far-reaching as one of his major toad summonses, its overall length dwarfed the average battle toad. Judging by the agility of its heavily armored and sinuous extremities, he could not easily determine which summoning clan was more deadly, especially as he knew none of the creature's abilities.

The Council began to nervously shout question upon question, some even going so far as to surge forward intent on manhandling the beast. This was apparently not to its liking as the massive creature, easily over eighty meters in length from the tip of his fanged maw to the pointy end of its barbed tail, began crackling with Raiton energy around its claws and muzzle, the angry pops and fiercely burning smell of ozone halting everyone crazy enough to rush the unsettled summons. With its summoner draped helplessly over its shoulders trying to catch his breath, the beast clearly wasn't going to allow anyone near the two of them.

The Hokage quietly nudged the still-gaping Iruka into action, the man's hand flying across the scroll as he began sketching the large sea serpent's image in preparation for the question and answer session that would follow.

Once Iruka indicated that he was finished and that Naruto could release the summons, their confusion only grew as the Genin slid from the kneeling creature's back and removed both his tee shirt and mesh undershirt revealing the twin dragon-like tattoo on his chest. Ino tried not to blush at the combination of muscle and ink (she loved the tattoo and secretly hoped he'd add her image to it one day) but failed miserably. Surprisingly enough, she glanced to her left and noticed a similar reaction from the older Anko, which made her eyebrows furrow in annoyance. Resolving to hash out her issues with the snake summoner sooner rather than later, a now perturbed Yamanaka turned in time to gape with the rest of the assemblage as they watched the enormous reptile elongate and liquify, flowing like a swirling stream of inky water around the Genin's body and into the chest tattoo of her boyfriend.

Naruto, once the older echidnae settled comfortably into the chakra construct on his chest, donned his garments before turning around to meet the shocked stares of everyone in the training area. He could even feel the shocked chakra networks of the ANBU brought to keep onlookers away for the demonstration, the silence of their gaping mouths almost enough to make him snort with laughter.

It was the twitching of his smiling face that burst the dam as the assembly of nosy Konohans rushed forward to begin pelting him with hundreds of questions.

"How is that possible? How long can it stay in there? Can I have one? How does it survive in there? Can it breathe fire? Where are its wings? Wait, why can't I have one?!" Some immediately began demanding that he pledge the clan to Konoha's service claiming Konoha's inevitable superiority with four legendary summonses.

Naruto's grin quickly turned into a rancid scowl revealing several overly pointy teeth in his fanged maw as his headache began to spread, his eyes never catching the catatonic Copy Ninja with his mouth hanging wide open. The man's exposed eye was fixated up and slightly behind him as his mind processed the mythical beast whose presence still lingered after its neat vanishing act.

Next to the elite Jounin and standing gap-jawed at what he understood to be a "not-full-grown-summons" from the Celestial Clan, the once haughty Toad Sage now had an appreciable understanding as to why the Gama deferred to the Umihebi.

~III~

Standing in the center of the Council Chamber not twenty minutes later, Naruto was having a difficult time focusing on the annoying questions being shouted all around him. The Hokage had not officially entered yet leaving him to wait with the Council, Dragon, and his sensei (Ino and Haku were both outside glaring at each other in some territorial standoff when Asuma shoved him inside the chamber and slammed the door shut claiming it was for his benefit, whatever that meant).

No, he was being distracted by the cooing bubbling up from his chest through the mental link he shared with Ella-chan. He couldn't describe it any other way other than a trilling warble barely two decibels deeper than a dove in the park after finding a fresh bed of crumbs, the occasional "Waaarrrrrrmmmmm!" or "Sooooo waaaaaarrrrrrmmmmmmm!" bubbling up to break up the monotony.

Suddenly his hand snapped up to catch a rubber pencil eraser flung in the general direction of his head from the Civilian side of the u-shaped table, his eyes snapping over in a hateful scowl as the perpetrator flinched.

"I will answer your questions once Hokage-sama joins us and not before," he snapped out, the petulant merchant, he believed it was the one with the daughter transferring to the medic corps, folding his arms across a pudgy chest in a childish huff. Naruto simply scoffed and tossed the eraser back on to the table in front of the annoying man.

The guy really needed to work on his throwing form but, before that conversation could take place, the Sandaime entered the chamber trailed by a slightly distant Dragon and an ANBU he hadn't seen much of in years, not since his last visit to the Sarutobi Clan home just before beginning the Academy. He fought to keep his face neutral as he watched the decidedly female ANBU glide along in Dragon's wake to stand just to her left along the back wall.

'Hun, I wonder what Rinkusu is doing here?'

The thought did not last as, as soon as the chamber doors closed, the interrogation began.

"Name of the summoning Clan?" Iruka began still somewhat awed by what he saw.

"Umihebi." Everyone in the room blinked almost in unison.

"Sea snake?" the confused Chunin inquired, his face twisted up into a mask of confusion.

"Serpent, Iruka-sensei. The correct name is 'Sea Serpent.'" The scar-faced shinobi nodded and began scribbling.

"Class of summons, meaning personal, low, common, elite, legendary…" Iruka's voice trailed off as he began to run out of descriptors.

"Celestial," came the terse reply. More scribbling but Naruto could feel the still cooing serpent preening inside the chakra construct.

"Was that the boss summons, Naruto?" The boy shook his head with a smirk.

"No, that was his eldest child. The boss summons appears similar except he has horns and about thirty percent more mass." Everyone except for the two ANBU in the back was openly gaping at this point.

"Last but not least, any notable powers we should be aware of?" Here Naruto paused, his arms folding across his chest as he considered the question.

"Those are clan secrets, Iruka-sensei." Naruto made it clear he wasn't about to answer that question even as the Hokage roared for silence once the Council began shouting their disapproval.

"Need I remind the members of the Council before I open the floor to general discovery that Clans are well within their rights to withhold sensitive secrets?" It really wasn't a question though he almost phrased it as one. "Good."

And just like that, Hiruzen turned a circus frenzy into a fifteen-minute stonewalling session. Naruto ended it by turning around and walking towards the door.

"The Uzumaki aren't a clan of Konoha and therefore aren't entitled to the same protections," a dishwater blond-haired Councilwoman chimed out, her eyes cunning and narrowed to sandy beads. Her comment did manage to stop the Genin before he could stroll right through the chamber doors.

"No, we're a royal clan living in Konoha so that we can uphold our family's treaty obligations." His eyes turned to lock with the conniving Haruno woman. "Are you saying that Konoha is willing to absolve the treaty?"

The silence hung in the air far too long for the Hokage's liking, many suddenly nervous faces bouncing back and forth between the two verbal combatants. Mebuki, for all her scheming and plotting, refused to answer and instead pointedly turned away to stare at the wall on the far side of the room. Apparently, no one, not even Mebuki Haruno, was willing to surrender the power of the Umihebi to an enemy.

Naruto chuffed out an annoyed grunt as he stalked from the room and back to the freedom of his training regimen.

~III~

"This is a bad time for me to be leaving the village," Jiraiya groused. It was already late, and several fine women were anxiously awaiting his return to The Cherry Blossom after his impromptu summons by ANBU to the Hokage's office.

"I wanted to be sure and catch you before things became too unfocused for you." He smirked even as he handed the S-ranked scroll to his impetuous student. Jiraiya snatched it open, read the first two lines, then allowed it to roll closed with a snap like an old-fashioned curtain.

"Ha! Nice try but now is not the time to stroll down memory lane!"

Hiruzen waved off the comment. "This is not optional. We will need her here for the invasion. Make it happen, Jiraiya." The steel in Hiruzen's voice washed away any uncertainty even as his wisened mind continued to refine his real reason for bringing her back.

"I'm taking the Gaki with me then."

"No!" came the iron-clad response from the Sandaime, meaning Jiraiya's petulance immediately burst through.

"He's the best chance I got at winning her over!"

"Nothing can interrupt his training. The village needs him back at his normal level of control as soon as possible," Jiraiya opened his mouth to interject, however, the Hokage steamrolled right over him, "and that means you can take anyone with you other than those directly involved in his training." Hiruzen promptly set his jaw in that stubborn fashion Jiraiya hated so completely.

"Ino?"

"No."

"Anko?"

"No, of course not. You're not going out on an assassination mission!"

"Kurenai?"

"As if! She'd keep you locked in a Genjutsu nightmare the whole time!" Jiraiya scowled. He wasn't that bad, was he? "And stop picking kunoichi because they meet your definition of attractive!"

"Sasuke?"

Hiruzen merely scowled at this.

"Okay, okay, I'll take that as a resounding 'no.' Kakashi?"

"No, already assigned."

"The pineapple-haired Nara boy," the Toad Sage muttered out half-heartedly. To be honest he expected the boy to be committed to Naruto's training program which was why he was pleasantly surprised when the Hokage agreed.

"Done."

Jiraiya blinked and leaped out the window to swing by the mission office before it closed. If he acted quickly enough, he could have the scroll drafted and be out of the village by lunchtime tomorrow.

Tsunade had been the inspiration for many a book in the past, after all.

~III~

A/N: This seemed like a good place to break it off. Plans are in motion, schemes are being worked out, and the players are setting up for the first conflict of the final arc. Sorry for the long build-up but a good conflict takes time to set into place.

Until next time,

~Siva'a-tasi