Chapter Eighteen - Mission Assignment

The champions all stood in the arena, minus Gaara, and faced the Hokage and his advisors.

"I congratulate all of you on your performance," Hiruzen nodded his head at them. "You have shown that you shine among your peers and you are ready to be evaluated among an audience. For that, we will be choosing the fights right now through a lottery."

Everyone glanced at the bowl filled with folded plastic squares.

Ibiki walked forward to the first Genin, Fu, and allowed her to pick one of the folded squares before continuing on. As he did this, Hiruzen spoke. "In a moment, you will open up the block and you will be given a number that will be shared with one other person. From there, that will be your one and only opponent in the Third Exam. It will be held in a month, allowing you time to train and prepare as well as give time for our audience to arrive."

Naruto grabbed a block as he listened to the Hokage. Maybe I can fill the seats with some of my people, and make it so that if they decide to attack during the Exams that we will have less civilians to worry about.

But he did not want to risk his people for something that was not their fight. They had no fight in this, only him due to his emotional ties to the old man and the people he connected with. It wouldn't be right for him to have rebuilt his home only for them to have to protect a foreign village - one that is possibly tied to the failure in defenses so long ago.

He opened the block and looked at the red 2. Second fight maybe?

"I am going to ask for a show of hands to see who has the number I call," Ibiki announced as he took out a pencil and paper. "Who has number one?"

Lee bounced up and down with his hand in the air, a grin on his face, and Samui did the same but much more reserved.

"Rock Lee and Samui of Kumogakure," Ibiki nodded as he wrote down the names. "Now, number two?

Naruto was the only one to raise his hand, and everyone glanced around.

"So that means Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara of the Desert," Ibiki said after a second and wrote it down. "Number three?"

Yugito and Fu raised their hands, giving each other a stare - a grin in Fu's case.

"Yugito Nii and Fu of Takigakure," Ibiki wrote it down. "And lastly, number four."

Karui and Hinata raised their hands.

"Karui of Kumogakure and Hinata Hyuuga."

Hiruzen nodded his head. "That will be all for today. I can't wait to see you in a month's time."

Naruto nodded his head and began walking to the exit, noticing Kurenai grab Hinata's attention, and chuckled at the exasperated look on the poor girl's face. He sighed to himself as he planned the possible ways he can beat the redhead while making it at least interesting. The audience will want to see some action, so ending the fight with a Uzumaki Mark fuinjutsu or any of the Array subseals are out of the equation. Of course, he didn't want to just throw ninjutsu he was not confident in that will penetrate the defensive sand.

"Excuse me, can I talk to you?"

Naruto looked to the side and noticed the Ame team approaching him, the sensei being the one to talk to him. He nodded his head, "of course."

"I wanted to thank you for saving my student's life," the woman moved Ajisai to her side. "If not for your actions, she would not be here right now."

Naruto waved his hand with a smile. "Just enforcing my Hokage's rule, and it wouldn't be good for Ajisai-chan to die when she bravely faced someone like Gaara."

"Still," she insisted. "If there is anything we can do, just ask."

Naruto noted the tone of the woman and looked at her for a few seconds before humming. "Okay, I think I know something. I wanted to visit Amegakure at some point, but lately, they have had very strict border control and when I tried to have my grandfather-figure visit he was turned away without a single chance. If you can get me the ability to enter, I would appreciate it."

The woman pursed her lips before giving a nod. "I can do that, it won't be until after the Exams as I will have to talk to our village leader."

Naruto nodded his head with a smile. "I appreciate that. Can I get your name?"

"My name is Konan," she answered.

"Naruto Uzumaki, but you knew that," Naruto chuckled before waving. "Bye, Konan-chan, Suiren-chan, Fuyo-chan, Ajisai-chan."

With a wink to the last girl, he used a quick seal to teleport to his home before a reaction could be given.

"Naruto."

The blonde looked up as he took a bite of a sugar cookie Ayame baked and delivered to him, blinking as he saw Ginrei approach him. The older man sat across from him and accepted a cup and the iced lemonade pitcher brought by a clone.

"How did it go, jiji?"

"Only the borders have been scouted so far and it doesn't look good, but it is certainly better than we thought," Ginrei answered before taking a sip and setting the cup down. "The Sound village is from the Land of Rice Patties, now the Land of Sound, and the new leader is Orochimaru as he made a deal with the Daimyo to make a hidden village. While Fire does not share a border with Wind, we had found the village was mobilizing a lot of its forces and the Kazekage is also preparing a separate envoy to head here during the Third Exam. Iwa has been quiet due to none of their teams making it through and they haven't mobilized as Suna has so it is very likely that they aren't going to do anything."

Naruto nodded his head. "What of Kumo and Kiri?"

"Kiri is still in a civil war, hence why they did not send many teams for the exams this time, so they are very likely not in a position to support any attack on Konoha without leaving their village open for the rebels to attack."

Naruto remembered at that moment that he offered for his home to be used as a sanctuary for the rebels. "How are they situated in Uzushio? Any issues?"

"Other than that Terumi woman, there hasn't been any issues," Ginrei answered before noticing the look his Prince was giving him. "Many of the older retainer clans and those who have a long loyal history to your family have been on edge with the woman. I believe it was Aizen who believed the woman should be detained and find out if she has Uzumaki blood or not."

Naruto sighed at that, shaking his head in amusement at one of his most aggressive Captains. Aizen is one of his biggest supporters, taking the Captain position of the Division that handles Uzushio expansion and influence without a second thought. He wanted their country to be a superpower and able to prevent any future attacks from happening again.

However, it is also because of his love for the Uzumaki and Uzushio that causes the man to question why Naruto stays in Konoha or helps them. He doesn't understand it and while the man has not brought it up again, his eyes always narrowed angrily whenever Konoha was brought up.

"I can understand his concern for my blood being used by another village, but if it was truly a concern then it should be brought to my attention," Naruto sighed and rubbed his head. "Anything happen after that?"

"No, Kyoraku-san was able to diffuse the rebels before anything could happen after that. Retsu and I had a conversation with Aizen to bring it up to you as you are the Prince and should handle any familial issues." Ginrei drank more of the lemonade with a sigh. "You should come, however, before another issue happens. Division Four is especially on edge after Aizen decided that he would be better off patrolling the areas that the rebels have settled on. I agree that if the Terumi truly are related to us then it should be brought to the woman's attention. We cannot allow such powerful blood to continue without monitoring."

Naruto understood the man's concern and nodded. "Let me ask Hiruzen-jiji about going to Uzushio to handle this. I think that the only way I can leave, however, is with a team as leaving alone would raise too many questions by the village."

Ginrei nodded. "Then we should handle that as quickly as possible."

Naruto created a few clones to handle the cleanup before he and Ginrei began making their way to the Hokage Tower. With many of the other villages' teams leaving to either train or continue on with their Genin cells that failed, the Leaf Village returned to normal with many of their shinobi returning to their missions until the Third Exam started. It's a relief, if Naruto was honest, as he wasn't sure what would happen if five of nine Jinchuuriki stayed inside the same village for such an extended period of time.

"I wanted to ask, but how did it go with the Sound team?"

Naruto immediately activated the privacy seal he kept itched into his headband. "Captured them and I have them sitting in one of the space-time scrolls after I interrogated them. Only Dosu and Kin seem to be cooperative as Zaku seems fanatically loyal to the Snake."

Ginrei nodded. "There's always going to be one."

"From what I learned, however, the snake is alive due to the seals he puts on those he considers the most promising. The same seal on Anko-chan but these are much more advanced but still not complete. The seal he gives contains a fragment of himself and his chakra and upon any type of death, the seal activates and revives him while consuming the lifeforce of what the seal is attached to."

"That is concerning," Ginrei hummed in thought. "But if the seal requires the host to be alive for him to be brought back from death…"

"Then if the seal cannot be gotten rid of, we can at least transfer it to an inanimate object so that it will never activate," Naruto finished with a nod of his head. "I already have plans to look at the incomplete one on Anko-chan before looking into one of the newer ones but there are only ten people with that seal, all within his so-called village."

"I will see about getting a Whirling Tide Unit into that area," Ginrei said as they entered the Hokage Tower.

Naruto deactivated the seal and walked past the secretary, flashing his ninja identification at the woman as proof of who he was. It didn't take long to make it to Hiruzen's door and be allowed inside.

"Naruto-kun, Ginrei-san," Hiruzen greeted the two with a small smile, setting his pen down and sliding the paper to the side. "What brings you here?"

"I need to head to Uzushio," Naruto told his grandfather figure. "I am willing to pay for a mission to be escorted there and back as well, but I have some things I must take care of personally."

Hiruzen nodded and snapped his finger, a parrot-masked Anbu dropping down. "Get me a mission log."

The Anbu nodded and disappeared for a few moments before returning with a large book nearly seven hundred pages thick.

"An escort mission that will take you to the coast of Fire, and through international waters that are filled with merchant-hunters," Hiruzen began writing in his book about the details of what a mission would take. "It's at least half a week trek there, another back, and then at least one more week for what you need. No more than a month as you need to be back for the Third Exam."

"Not even, Hokage-jiji, I do have the seals to the island so I and the team will not need to take that long of a trip," Naruto smiled.

Hiruzen paused and then chuckled with a shake of his head as he crossed out the travel time. "Of course, Naruto-kun. Either way, this is a C-rank mission of B-rank importance, and assuming that they will be in Uzushio with you it will be a classified mission?"

"I would like it to be, but I don't think it is necessary anymore," Naruto stated the last part with a look at Ginrei.

"No longer, we are strong enough currently to fend off any would-be aggressor."

Hiruzen nodded his head. "I will authorize for a two-cell mission of C-rank, which will come out to a base cost of 20,000 with 2,000 per Genin and 15,000 per Jonin. That's a total of 62,000 ryo."

Naruto pulled out a slip of paper and wrote out the check for the Hokage. "If possible, I would like to choose the teams if they are available."

"I can see about it if they are available, but if not I will be choosing the teams," Hiruzen nodded his head and began looking over his book.

"I would like Asuma's team and my team, as Hinata-chan has to train for the Third Exam."

Hiruzen looked through his book that had each team and their activity recorded and found the two teams. "Both teams are available, yours being a given as they are incomplete, so I will organize for their departure. Where should they meet you?"

"At my compound, Kakashi-sensei should know the location."

Kakashi entered the office of the Hokage with two of his students in tow. Sasuke has been very quiet lately after his loss against Fu, and not the broody quiet type of silence. He had been docile, for lack of better words. He doesn't demand training anymore, simply asking for a yes or no before leaving.

Sakura, on the other hand, has taken up getting medical training from the shinobi hospital. She is learning iryojutsu as well as field surgery techniques. From what the man has heard, she is a natural and many of the doctors are thinking of offering her an apprenticeship under them once she reaches Chunin.

He couldn't have been more proud of her taking her profession more seriously, but he wonders what happened to cause her to switch. Maybe it was facing Orochimaru?

"Good to see you make it, Kakashi-kun," Hiruzen smiled and motioned to Asuma and his team. "I have an assignment for you all. You've been requested personally by the client."

The Genin all perked up at this.

"Personally requested, huh," Asuma asked with a bit of surprise.

"Yes, but it is a C-rank escort mission, likely to stay that way," Hiruzen said with an amused glance at Kakashi. "But the gist is you will escort the client to his home so he can handle his business for a week or two then you will come back with him. Here is the parameters scroll."

Kakashi took the scroll and opened it. His eyes scanned the scroll until he found the client's name and his one eye widened. "H-Hokage-sama?"

"You know where he is," Hiruzen waved his hand. "Now go, you are dismissed."

Kakashi continued to read the scroll as he and Asuma's teams left the room and stood in the hall. He was quiet as he read it, getting the Genin's attention.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?"

He looked at his student and shook his head, rolling up the scroll before waving at everyone to follow him. "Nothing is wrong, Sakura, just surprised is all. But there is no need to pack for this mission."

"How so," Asuma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure everything will be taken care of by our client," Kakashi chuckled. "But here is the mission. We are escorting Naruto-kun to Uzushio for reasons I assume as it wouldn't be smart to have a Jinchuuriki let alone a Genin travel alone. We will be there for a week or two."

"Uzushio, why does that name sound familiar," Asuma asked himself.

"It's the island of the Uzumaki," Sasuke answered without looking back at the man. "Their village was known as Uzushiogakure."

"Oh right," Asuma said as he remembered the times his father would tell him about the Uzumaki clan being allies and all. "But why are we going there if it's a bunch of ruins?"

"Because it's not," Team Seven answered at the same time.

Kakashi chuckled and gave an eye-smile as he approached the gate to the Uzumaki compound. "We will let Naruto-kun explain further."

"Naruto!"

A moment of silence stretched out before the door opened to reveal Ginrei. "You've arrived. Good, the seal is almost done."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow but entered without questioning what he meant. He was sure the answer would come naturally.

"I will not let a single seal made by him come near me," Sasuke muttered as he heard what happened to Zaku.

"You do not have a choice, Uchiha-san, as it is the way we are taking to get to Uzushio faster."

"Uh, excuse me," Ino raised her hand, gaining the elder's gaze on her. "What kind of seal can be able to cross such large distances? Even Yondaime-sama's seals didn't go that far."

"Because the Yondaime's formula that gave him his fame was incomplete, even to the standards of the original formula developed by Tobirama in his notes," Naruto answered as they entered a large barren room set aside for the group transportation seal. "The Uzumaki have developed and perfected more seal types and formulas than the rest of the Elemental Nations combined. We have thousands of years of progress."

"Not like it accounted for anything," Sasuke muttered with his arms crossed, but avoiding his teammate's line of sight.

"Takes one to know one, eh, Sasuke-chan?" Naruto teased with a smirk. "Anyways, the formula is finished, so please stand in the center circle and we will be able to get going. I'm sure Hokage-jiji explained to you what I am paying you for, but as a more personal note please don't do anything stupid. You will be the only people who are stepping foot on Uzushio with the exception of what makes me have to take this trip in the first place."

"You will be monitored by the Third Division while you are on your mission, and this isn't because I don't trust you but because my people don't trust you. I'm sure you can understand, the whole being betrayed and killed to near-extinction thing, so be on your best behavior. But if you see something you are curious about or want to learn more about, feel free to ask me or any of the Division Captains or Lieutenants if you see one."

"Understood," Kakashi spoke for the group.

Meanwhile

"More than half of the Biju in one place, this is too good to be true."

"It is quite a unique opportunity but it also makes it too dangerous in such a high-profile area," Itachi drawled.

"What's wrong Itachi, are you scared of a little risk?" Kisame began laughing as he teased his partner.

"She's right," Sasori sighed. "And while four of the Jinchuuriki are Genin, the fifth is a veteran of the Third Shinobi War and is a skilled combatant. If we were to try and capture all of them, we would need to all be there."

"Orochimaru is planning an invasion with the help of Suna," Zetsu informed the silhouette of their leader. "That would be a good time."

"Hm," the man hummed in thought.

"I also got news that the Kyuubi will be leaving the village," Black Zetsu spoke up with a gritty voice. "If we can take him out, Konoha will be crippled and too focused on handling the invasion to notice us getting inside and capturing the other Biju."

"Where is he going?"

"To Uzushio," Zetsu answered this time. "We don't know why."

"Itachi, Kisame," the purple Rinnegan eyes turned to them. "You will get access to the island and you will capture the Kyuubi. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Leader-sama," the two rogue-nin nodded their heads before disappearing.

"Our plans will soon be in motion. We will not afford failure now."

The Rinnegan eyes swirled.

So we move on for a month to Uzushio, where we will see how the island nation is doing for ourselves. This will be multiple chapters, and you get to meet the other possible girls.

PraetorXyn: Thank you, and yeah as I said Hinata will be much more confident and strong in this alternate universe.

Freddielebron: Nah Sasuke didn't stand a chance, and as you can see the string of losses is wearing him down so maybe he'll learn to be humble while in Uzushio.

Xerzo LotCN: No its not bashing on Sasuke, just a bit of development for future character-building. As for the teasing, it happens because he gets upset too easily and Naruto enjoys bugging him. And no, Sasuke isn't female just a bit of fun against his female admirers. Also the situation with Aizen isn't everything I have revealed it to be just yet. Samui is a character that strikes me as a professional person who takes her profession very seriously so since she is in a foreign country that is just how I see her being in this alternate universe. As for the situation going down during the Finals, that is going to be fun that's all I gotta say :D

iamshinydragonmist: Someone you don't see as a female ever (for me) and I have seen stories with a female Madara (I love those) but they are close to Haku's age than Naruto.

Guest: Sakura hasn't been Naruto's crush in this alternate universe as he didn't focus on trying to hold onto friendships or falling in love with the first person that gave him attention. So for this reality, it is not possible currently for him to have any feelings for her beyond seeing her as a comrade and someone he hopes to see succeed as a kunoichi.

NinjaFang1331 and Prenicolado: Thank you :D