(a/n: hey guys merry Christmas! sorry for the hiatus but between working 2 jobs and school i just couldn't keep up. But i'm back now my last final is on monday so wish me luck! Anyway heres a new chapter and the start of the uzumaki arc! please please please tell me if you want to se team 7's adventure in wave along side this or if i should skip the wave arc and let that be background info. also have a nice day and please read and review :) )
Naruto stared at the gates to the leaf village, and sighed. Three days looking through old titles and nothing came up. He shook the thoughts from his head as his siblings walked up.
"You ready to leave the village for the first time Naruto?" His sister asked. Naruto nodded hesitantly, both of siblings exchanged glances "Don't worry about combat on this mission, not only are you as strong as a chunin, but, if you need protection, you have us," Naruto grimaced " mom, Jiraiya sensei and dads coming with us till we reach suna.."
Naruto waved his sister off "thats not it, Im pretty sure we have combat covered." Naruto shifted uncomfortably "look its nothing, but… this mission is a diplomatic and recruitment mission right? Maybe I should stay back. I mean there were a few Suna and Kusa nin in the crowd at the festival right? And merchants from all over too.." Menma and Mito frowned, "Look I'm just saying I don't want to be a liability, and in big political -.
"Your not a liability sweetie, your our son." Kushina assured in a motherly tone, Minato and Jiraiya beside her. Internally the three were kicking themselves, Naruto's fear was not entirely unrealistic, but they wanted to include him in this mission to show him he wasn't rejected.
"If you say so." Naruto sighed 'I wonder how my clansmen will treat me…' he thought as he prepared to move out the gate.
"So all the teams leave at the same time!" A voice called out as kiba approached, his team in the distance running up behind him "i'd say you planed this but you were too busy stuck in the spiral tower with a bucha scrolls, whacha doing training seals or something?" Naruto's siblings sighed.
Before Naruto could respond Akira appeared behind the dog-boy and slapped him upside the head. "Don' run off when yas guarden' me's ya shit! Ya left ya team behind too's." The rest of the team caught up and Kurnai scolded him.
Naruto looked up at his parents "Want to wait till everyone else gets here so we can leave together?
Minato closed his eyes for a second before he grinned "I can flash us to the border of fire and grass so no need to worry about time."
Kakashi was surprisingly on time coming, before his team. Naruto savored seeing team 7's faces but raised an eyebrow when Rumiko was with them too. She just smiled at him knowingly. Soon a old man with an alcohol jug attached to his side grumbled his way up to the gate and stood by the team.
"Guarding a day drunk?" Kiba laughed "Man I feel bad for you."
Satsuki squinted at the boy "We all KNOW you are going to be carried by your client so don't say anything."
Naruto grinned as he wrote something and handed it to Sasuke "Anything." Satsuki, Sasuke Kiba, Akira and Sakura hit him for that.
Soon afterwards a bald Might Guy ran in with his team following afterwards. Kakashi stifled a laugh. Kiba didn't. Akira brushed off the former bowl cut wearing ninja's scowls "I told you, offer that green monstrosity to me or my students and i'll shave you bald. You chose your fate." Tanjiro chuckled as he approached the group. "it'd be best to heed my clansmen's words, despite being a crass ruffian she has the power to follow through on all her threats."
Soon Ino Shikamaru and Choji came walking up. Issac and Ino were very deep in a conversation so much so that they missed Naruto's confused look. "Ino found the one person who uses more beauty product than her. They'er comparing notes." Choji supplied. Naruto shot they boys a look of pity, as Asuma spoke with the other Jonin.
Naruto rolled his eyes as Umi waked up with a team of former root children; Sai, Shin, and Tsuchinoe led by Yamato. "It seems it's Bring a Biniru to work day, why were we left out?"
Umi laughed at the joke "We thought it would be best to start using the money we earned to help build our clan compounds among other necessary things if other members are coming in. Since our hidden jutsu alter our bodies in many ways we need more accommodations." Those who know what what the Biniru clan really were read between the lines, the others accepted it at face value. "Issac, Tanjiro, and I are getting materials, Akira found an old writing that may lead to ancient documents that will prove … interesting to you," Umi winked at the blonde genin "and Rumiko is checking some old ruins in wave for us." While this took place jirayia was smacked upside his head by multiple women for staring where he shouldn't.
Naruto nodded as all the teams exchanged good byes and headed out. and Minato flashed team 11 to the border guard tower. The scenery was almost comical in its juxtaposition, on the land of fire side there was large mighty oaks towering over the land creating a lush forrest of greens and browns with an array of natural paths used exclusively by animals and one well worn path for humans to use.
On the other side was green field with wild grass about knee high. Hills rolled over the plains as a single visible path was shone. Farther back there was a forrest of giant mushrooms with grass that seemed to grow over the head of a full grown adult. Naruto looked and saw a caravan he was familiar with.
Naruto was about to wave at the workers when his father caught his hand. "we can do in the village but on a mission its un-ninja like."
Naruto's face reddened at the chastisement. "o-oh. Sorry."
Seeing his son fluster he decided to change the subject as Jiraiya took care of the check-ins "Naruto what was on that note you handed Sasuke?"
"General c-rank body guarding contract clause 18."
"If a client is deemed too drunk/under the influence of any other substance by any ninja guarding them that it increases the difficulty guarding them they may confiscate their alcohol? why?"
"Their client was already drinking when they arrived and only him and Kakashi looked happy, too happy so I decided to fix that."
"That evil."
"Thanks, I try."
Everyone shared a small laugh. Since Minato flashed everyone to the border tower between the land of grass and the land of fire they had skipped about two days worth of travel.
"This gives us time to train as we travel," Kushina said "Come Naruto, i'll teach you the shunshin!"
"umm, sure!" The boy nodded, eagerly.
"Actually mom," Mito said looking apologetic at her brother, who she knew she was going to have to be let down "Ever since the mission debrief I was thinking we might want to head into grass early and catch the village off guard. The reports said the Uzumaki was seen in a hospital with bite marks right? We know what that means, and although we are allied with grass, I don't think they are going to give up their free healing source easily. They are most likely going to hide her when we are supposed to come."
There was a pause in the air as everyone digested what Mito said. "She's right." Naruto spoke "we can train later the mission is more important right now."
"It wouldn't matter much." Jiraiya stated "I just finished the check ins they are going to be radioing back to the village as we speak. If we wanted to catch them off guard we'd all have to get there by the the next hour, and that's can only be done if we move at s-rank speeds something you two can only do with kyubi chakra and Naruto can't do it at all. Nice plan but you need to think of your and your team's limitations."
"Sorry." Naruto's voice betrayed his frustrations
"it's not your fault kid, your siblings can't keep up either." The Sanin sighed.
Naruto mumbled "but they can." His mom ruffled his hair.
Soon the family head into the land of grass, and started teaching Naruto the shunshin. He Started off with small flashes that didn't go very far but soon was able to keep pace with his family as well. Together they traveled through the grass and mushroom forrest Naruto joking and laughing along the way and Jiraiya encouraging him. Naruto and his siblings didn't notice it but Minato was getting sadder. Soon they stopped at a certain landmark. "so they rebuilt it huh…" The blonde father said to noone.
"Dad what are we looking at?" Naruto asked.
"Kannibi bridge. Where I failed my student."
"o-oh." Naruto and the rest of the family took in the site minato took out a scroll and unsealed some flowers a quick flash later they were laid to rest at the group slowly made their way over the bridge, since it was faster then their original route, Kushina wrapping their arms around Minato the entire time. After they left a swirl appeared behind them, and a certain masked man stepped out. He reached his hand out and hesitated before picking up the flowers. "Now that you know she's alive are you rethinking our plans?" A voice asked.
"… no. It may re-contextualize my goals, but in the end my plan stays the same. Now I do it for them, not to spite him. They suffer as well in this hell world. I will free them." He disappeared into his swirl
"…Good."
A short while after team 11 found themselves in front a long concrete gate. Naruto looked up and down "Hmm not as inviting as Konoha's main gate."
"Perhaps but I guarantee the inside is just as lively." A man spoke up from behind him. Causing Naruto to jump. "Welcome to Kusagakure."