Naruto: Tornado of Souls

Revelations

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'll probably be throttling back on this story to work on other ones. I expect I'll be updating once a week (instead of twice) as well. Here is chapter 17. Enjoy!

Last time:

Fire Country, Hyūga Compound

The Head Hyūga Elder came into the meeting chambers to address his fellow Elders about the results of the omiai between Hinata and Hotaka. He overheard Elder Minako talking to the others. "My grandson Hotaka seems quite taken with Hinata-sama!" Minako said happily. "He said she was beautiful and very kind to him. Hotaka wants to push forward with this relationship, but he said that Hinata-sama seemed shy and didn't want to rush things. I for one am quite pleased with the results."

The Head Elder sighed and shook his head. 'If only they knew…'

Elder Hiraku chuckled. "So, it seems love has tamed the savage beast." he said with a slight sneer in his tone.

"I'm not so sure this is the best idea…" said Elder Majo with a tiny bit of fear in her voice.

"Nonsense!" crowed Elder Hiraku. "Obviously she's just a teenage girl underneath the façade of being an Angry Fire Goddess."

Hinata's Grandfather stepped into the room and cleared his throat. He said authoritatively, "I'm afraid the omiai was…less than successful."

All the other Elders turned to him and stared. Their byakugan eyes then widened to comical proportions and their jaws hit the floor…

Flashback…

Hotaka left the omiai feeling lighter than air and rushed to tell his beloved Grandmother Minako what a truly lovely girl Hinata-sama is. That left Hinata and her Grandfather alone…

"Well, Hinata, what do you think of young Hotaka-kun?" asked the Elder.

"He seems pleasant enough." said Hinata in a neutral tone. Then she smiled softly and said, "I thank you for the lovely meal Elder sama." She kissed her hand and blew her Grandfather a kiss which amused him greatly…Until the kiss turned out to be superheated fire chakra the neatly burned his long mane of hair off leaving his head bald and shiny as a cue ball….

Hinata said in a voice that would make the shinigami wet himself in fear; "DON'T DO THAT AGAIN."

Flashback end…

"It seems that swaying my lovely granddaughter through affection won't be so easy after all." stated the Hyūga Head Elder. That's when he noticed all the other Elders were shielding their long hair subconsciously with their hands. They all looked terrified. "What are you all cowering for?!" he thundered. "I'm the one that's totally bald!"

Majo weakly pointed past him into the entryway to the room where Hinata was standing with glowing eyes and demonic smile on her beautiful face. "It looks like you Elders haven't learned your lesson. I do hope you like wigs…"

The cries of baldness reached throughout the compound…

Chapter 17

Fire Country, Konoha, Naruto's Apartment

The next evening, Naruto was practicing his fuinjutstu on a low table in his living room with Pyrrha after their two patrols for the day. It had been a long day for Team 7. The blonde seemed very preoccupied to Pyrrha. "What's wrong Naruto-kun?" asked the radiant redhead. "You seem really distracted. Is it Sakura?"

The orange loving ninja shook his head as he set down his calligraphy brush. "Honestly, I have something else on my mind entirely. In my mind the Sakura and Sasuke I knew are dead. The people that replaced them are enemies of my friends and my enemies as a result. They've killed people that should have been closest to them. I can't forgive them after this."

Pyrrha's green eyes were full of concern. "Well, if it's not that then what is bothering you so much Naruto-kun?"

Naruto sighed. "It's…girls. Could I ask your advice Pyrrha-chan? I don't feel like I can talk to Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei isn't here."

Pyrrha smiled softly and said, "Well, tell me what's wrong and I'll see how I can help."

The blonde looked pensive and said, "I wasn't sure before now but I'm almost positive both Hinata-chan and Blake-chan both like me. I…I really like both of them back and I don't know what to do."

Pyrrha said sadly, "I once liked someone, and he liked someone else. When he asked for my advice on what to do; I told him he should be honest and tell the girl he liked how he felt…"

"So, what happened?" asked Naruto curiously.

The redhead replied, "I didn't follow my own advice. When I died, he still didn't truly know how much I cared about him. I regret that. You should talk to both of them or you'll always wonder what might have happened." Pyrrha had glassy eyes.

Naruto felt guilty. "I'm really sorry Pyrrha-chan; I didn't mean to upset you."

Pyrrha shook her head and said, "I won't let it happen again…" She reached over and planted a gentle, loving kiss on Naruto's lips. "I like you Uzumaki Naruto. You are very dear to me. I think I just made your problem worse but I'm not going to be left out this time." She smiled at Naruto's surprised but happy look.

Naruto smiled shyly and said, "I like you too Pyrrha-chan. I didn't know you felt that way."

She smiled with amusement in her eyes. "You are a bit dense to women Naruto-kun. What about Blake-chan and Hinata-chan?"

Naruto looked at his hands in his lap. "I need to tell them how I feel about all three of you. I feel a bit better about things now. Thanks for talking with me Pyrrha-chan!"

Pyrrha nodded. "Any time Naruto-kun." 'This time will be different. I won't just sit back and watch the one I care about drift away from me.'

Naruto's thoughts were much darker. 'I need to be honest and tell all three of them about the Kyubi…'

Hyūga Compound, Hinata's Room

Hinata was getting ready for bed. As she adjusted her sleeping yukata; the young kunoichi reflected upon her day. 'Well, if nothing else I scored points against those irritating Elders today. Father is going to be irate when he hears about this omiai business.' The Hyūga Heiress had proven two things to the Elder Council:

1) If they continued their meddling the Council could expect severe consequences from now on.

2) Hinata may be a superb kunoichi, but she simply wasn't cut out to be a hairdresser.

'I'll keep a close eye on the toupee troupe in case they try anything stupid with Hanabi-chan.' thought Hinata protectively.

The pearl eyed beauty heard a knock at her door and saw her little sister with her byakugan. Hinata opened the door and saw Hanabi was in her pajamas and looked a bit concerned. "Hanabi-chan, I thought you already went to bed. Is everything okay?"

Hanabi rubbed a sleepy eye and said, "Nee-chan; I got up to get a drink of water and saw the Head Elder was walking around in a turban. Then I saw the other Elders had them too. Is something going on?"

Hinata smiled and said, "Perhaps our Honored Elders are trying to make a fashion statement."

The younger sibling narrowed her eyes with a cute frown and said, "I wouldn't be caught dead dressed like that. They were using old towels from the looks of it."

The Heiress was barely able to stifle a snort at her little sister's apt description and the mental imagery going through her mind. 'Perhaps some pictures are in order. Blackmail material on top of everything else can't hurt. I may as well stack the deck that much more in my favor.' "Say Hanabi-chan; let's have a little fun together tonight." whispered Hinata. "What do you say?"

Hanabi saw pure mischief in her big sister's eyes and immediately got enthused. "What are we going to do together nee-chan?"

"We're going to take pictures of the Elders in their old towel turbans and show them to Father when he gets back." said Hinata conspiratorially.

The younger sister clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles. Once she calmed down Hanabi said, "Let me get my camera."

As Hinata went back to fetch her own camera she thought with a giggle, 'Naruto-kun is rubbing off on me.'

Anko & Blake's Apartment

Blake was lying awake in bed thinking about Naruto. She'd just finished a chapter of Icha-Icha and was a bit restless. (Sigh) 'What am I going to do with you Naruto-kun? I know Hinata likes him a lot too and it really bugs me. Maybe I should have kissed him in front of her just to mark my territory.' She rolled over onto her stomach and smiled. 'Naruto-kun really likes my ears on the other hand.' She giggled. 'That's one area where Hinata can't compete with me. Shame there isn't any telephone service in this place. I'd call Naruto-kun otherwise. When Anko nee-chan gets back I'll ask her for some advice.'

The feline faunus girl's thoughts drifted to other events of the day. 'I don't know what to think of the situation with Sakura. If she survived a run in with Pyrrha-chan and has one of those damned curse seals, then I can't afford to underestimate her. When I discovered her parent's deaths, she was the furthest from my mind as a possible suspect.' Blake yawned. "Enough about that, I need some sleep."

Blake soon drifted off thinking about a certain whiskered blonde…

Yamanaka Residence

Pyrrha got home a little later than planned. She saw Asuma lying on the couch reading. The cigarette smoking jonin said, "Well good evening, Nikos-san. Running late?"

The redhead shrugged. "Naruto-kun and I were working on a new fuinjutsu formula and lost track of time. Are Ayano-san and Ino-chan already asleep?"

"Ayano went on to bed, but Ino is still up last I checked." replied Asuma. "You might want to talk with her before you head to bed."

Pyrrha nodded, "Thanks for staying over Asuma-sensei. I know it's a huge load off Ayano's mind."

Asuma grinned and said, "It's not a big problem. Since you defeated Sakura it's really doubtful she'll be back anytime soon. Still, Ino's a bit paranoid. Kakashi and I are going to switch out every other day for a few days so you can rest easy."

The Gladiator nodded in approval and said, "I'll check on Ino-chan before I go to bed then." She then went upstairs and peered into Ayano's room and saw she was sleeping peacefully.

Ino heard a soft knock on her door and panicked. Then she heard Pyrrha's voice say softly, "Ino-chan, are you awake still?"

The blonde girl sighed in relief and said, "Come on in Pyrrha-chan; I'm awake."

Pyrrha quietly opened the door and said, "Sorry I am late. I was working on fuinjutsu with Naruto-kun. I talked to Asuma-sensei for a few minutes. I thought I'd check on you before I go to bed."

"Well, I'm glad everything is okay." said Ino. "Asuma-sensei being here is a huge relief."

"Your sensei said that both he and Kakashi-sensei are going to switch out over the next few nights." said the red-haired beauty. "I think it's safe for you to relax."

The blonde kunoichi nodded. "It's hard not to be unsettled, I guess. I still can't believe how much Sakura has changed…Speaking of changes, is it just me or has Naruto matured a lot? I saw him without his jacket and he's all muscle now. It's hard to believe the blonde knucklehead has become such a strong ninja. It was really cool of him to say how he'd keep me and Mama safe. It really made me happy."

Pyrrha nodded slowly in agreement and thought to herself, 'Since when has Ino-chan had any interest in Naruto-kun?'

Rice Country, Konoha Camp

In the middle of the night, Jiraiya unleashed his Swamp of the Underworld jutsu. He said, "I wasn't expecting a 4 AM night offensive."

Flashback…

Jiraiya was getting ready to turn in for the night in the Command Tent when he heard an explosion in the distance. "There's no rest for the wicked." grumped the Toad Sage. He ran towards the western edge of the camp to see what going on. He saw Morino Ibiki was already rallying the troops. "Give me a report Morino!" ordered Jiraiya.

Ibiki replied, "Jiraiya-sama; the enemy has mounted an attack from both the east and the west ends of the camp. They set off our barrier alerts and we opened up on them before they could get across our lines. Nara Shikaku is in charge in the east and I'm the senior officer here in the west. What are your orders sir?"

Jiraiya looked out at the lines and said, "When in doubt, attack!"

The Konoha forces at the west end of the camp reversed tactics from defensive to offensive and a large chunk the Oto forces were soon bogged down in Jiraiya's Swamp of the Underworld…

Flashback end

At the east end under Shikaku's command, Tayuya was in a Konoha uniform so she wouldn't be mistaken for an enemy by her new allies. She was playing her flute in a fast and high-pitched melody that was a wide area genjutsu. Shikaku was impressed. The Oto forces were turning on each other from Tayuya's genjutsu and that gave the head of the Nara Clan time to reorganize and start a counterattack. It didn't take long for the shadow wielder to link up with his old teammates Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi and the three bulldozed a path for the Konoha forces to exploit.

The Oto offensive lasted about three hours and the fighting in the dark was particularly savage. By morning light, the Konoha forces stood victorious but had taken a real beating in the darkness. On the other hand, their suicidally determined Oto opponents had fought to the last man. As the morning scouts reported in from their reconnaissance patrols it was the same everywhere: All the Oto troops in the area were dead.

Fire Country, Konoha

Early the next morning Team 7 went out to the weapons shop that Tenten's family ran. They were there to pick up Pyrrha's new Miló and Akoúo̱. The Miló was a Xiphos sword that could transform into a javelin. It was crafted out of red and gold chakra metal. Akoúo̱ was a disc shaped shield likewise made of chakra metal. It was bronze with a brown backing that matched Pyrrha's armor. Likewise, Kakashi's White Light Chakra was fully restored to its original glory….

Naruto said brightly, "So Kakashi-sensei, Blake-chan's Gambol Shroud turns into a kusarigama and a katana; Pyrrha-chan's Miló changes from a Xiphos sword into a javelin; what does the White Light Chakra Saber do?"

Kakashi sweat dropped, "Well, it's a tanto that gives off white light when a channel chakra through it…Ummm…it's really sharp too…" Seeing Naruto looked completely let down, Kakashi said, "It's a family heirloom."

"Oh, I see!" said Naruto more enthused. "I just figured it turned into something else with a long name like that. It's cool anyway."

The girls were both snickering at Kakashi's expense as the group went to Training Ground 52 to get their morning practice in…

Hokage Tower

Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking over the reports on the spy Teams 7 and 9 captured from Kumo. Although he wasn't really surprised; the seasoned Hokage was a bit frustrated. 'For every spy we find there are two or three others in Fire Country that are supporting him. Damn it. According to the reports from Torture and Interrogation the man was a rookie. It's little wonder the idiot got caught. What game are you playing A? As the Raikage you knew he was bound to get caught with such a sloppy infiltration job.' Sarutobi's secretary called him on his desk intercom. "What is it Maki? Did more reports come in from Jiraiya?"

"No sir, I have copies of the special report from Kakashi pending your approval to distribute them to our forces." said Makii.

The elderly Hokage was soon looking at the rough images. 'Beowolves, Nevermores, Griffons and other associated creatures….' He read the brief descriptions and found that the creatures seemed to feed on negative energy. "I hope none of these beasts show up in Rice Country. They would have a feast up there…"

Rain Country, Ame Village

Uzumaki Nagato, otherwise known as Pein sent his Deva Path along with his 'Angel' Konan at the east edge of Ame where a massive battle was taking place. It was there he saw an enormous raven like creature that was ripping up and eating Zetsu like a fresh kill. The half black/half white creature that served as a spy to the Akatsuki ended his existence as a massive "BBEEELLCHH!" for the avian creature. Pein and Konan watched with wide eyes as the thing absorbed centuries of negative energy from the black half of Zetsu and grew to a mammoth size as a result. It had been big before but now it was colossal. The now massive creature attacked Tobi and Hidan as well. Tobi phased through the attack but was somehow wounded in the process. Hidan on the other hand wasn't so lucky….

The crazed priest was impaled on the creature's talon and had a one-way ticket heading towards its open maw. Hidan raged, "YOU MOTHERFUCKING BIRD! I'LL SEND YOU TO JASHIN IN LITTLE TINY PIECES! DAMN YOU; I'LL-"

"BBEEELLCHH!" said the creature seconds later as Hidan joined Zetsu as vittles for the beast. It comically spat out Hidan's scythe before started growing even more from all the negative energy coming from Hidan.

The orange haired Deva Path of Pein roared, "Shinra Tensei!" and the massive bird like creature was utterly crushed leaving behind a crater with a small raven body at its epicenter…The giant Nevermore dissolved before their eyes. It was dead and no trace of Zetsu or Hidan was left.

Konan landed by the wounded Tobi who was coughing up blood. He rasped out, "It was just a (cough) big bird of prey (cough) until it latched on to Zetsu's black arm and started feeding like mad. We (cough) tried to destroy it, but it had already grown too big to take out easily. (Cough, cough) I think it must feed on the spirit. I can't feel the parts of my body where its talons passed though me…" Tobi passed out from his injuries.

"Is he still alive?" asked Pein.

Konan checked Tobi's vitals and said "Barely…"

Pein nodded, "Let's take him back to base. This attack was completely unexpected." The Deva Path walked over to the remnants of the raven that was once the core of the Nevermore. He picked it up and said, "…It just looks like the body of an ordinary bird…"

…The Akatsuki had no idea the Gedō Mazō statue's very existence could draw the other-dimensional Creatures of Grimm to it with its mass of negative energy. Ame Village had the potential to become the very epicenter of hell

Fire Country, Konoha, Training Ground 52

After a particularly brutal morning workout (to break in their new weapons); Team 7 was relaxing under a tree a regaining their breath. "Kakashi-sensei sure has been on a rampage this morning." said Naruto from his spot laying on the ground.

The girls were leaning against the tree with their feet propped comically on Naruto's legs and back. "I think we poked a little too much fun at Kakashi-sensei's little tanto Naruto-kun." said Blake with a smile as she got out her Icha-Icha book.

Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, we really did put our new weapons to the test, so it was all good." She wiped the sweat from her brow. "It feels good to get the blood pumping and the adrenalin flowing anyway." She looked over to her left. "It seems that Kurenai-sensei and Team 8 are here. They must have finished their morning patrol."

Kurenai waved and then sweat dropped seeing Kakashi and Blake both eagerly reading Icha-Icha Paradise in perfect synch with each other. Kakashi gave a double eye smile and said, "Good afternoon, Kurenai; all finished with the dawn patrol?"

Team 8's sensei nodded. "We brought lunch so our teams can eat together. Hinata-chan left a note on Naruto's door this morning."

"So that's why you weren't so eager to rush back to the village for lunch." said Pyrrha. "Well, eating Hinata-chan's cooking is a treat."

Naruto nodded. "Hinata-chan left a note on my door that we could all eat together so I thought I'd surprise everybody."

Hinata happily unsealed a large picnic basket much to everyone's delight. The main dish was Tataki made with Skipjack Tuna…in other words, a certain feline faunus was thrilled…

Kakashi was informing the group of his observations. "The biggest drawback of an implanted sharingan is the massive drain of chakra. I find it hard to believe Sakura could use it very long at all. With her reserves she would be bordering on chakra exhaustion within a minute or two. From what Pyrrha and Ino described she must have a good grasp on the genjutsu aspects of it, but her other abilities aren't up to par. Her implanted eye may be able to predict the movements of an opponent, but her body cannot keep up with it. That's a factor in her defeat in a sword duel with Pyrrha-chan. I have to wonder where she learned to fight with a jian though. As far as I know she never held a sword in her life."

"Have we heard any news about the war in Rice Country?" asked Kiba. "I haven't heard anything from Kaa-san or nee-chan."

Kurenai replied, "Things are progressing at a rapid pace so I doubt we will hear much news. The Hokage has assured us that things are going well. The last I heard the Oto lines were breeched."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Kurenai and I both fought in the Third Shinobi War. Believe me Kiba; things fly by during an offensive so there simply isn't enough time to write to your loved ones. I'm sure they are thinking about you though. I've fought with Jiraiya-sama on the battleground and he's a hell of a field commander. He'll get them through."

"So, Jiraiya-sensei has a lot of experience in wartime?" asked Naruto.

The red eyed jonin nodded. "In spite of the fact I'm not too fond of his writings; (She glared briefly at Kakashi and Blake who both promptly ignored her in favor of their literature) Jiraiya-sama was in both the Second and Third Shinobi Wars and is a leader we can have confidence in. Besides, if anyone aside from Hokage-sama can defeat Orochimaru in open combat it is Jiraiya-sama. They are both Sannin after all."

"Speaking of Sannin, my clansmen have been saying Tsunade-sama has returned." said Shino. "Do you know if there is any truth to this sensei?"

"Her apprentice Shizune is working at the hospital." said Kakashi with a shrug. "I suppose anything is possible."

Hinata set down her drink. "I'm sure Tenten from Team 9 will find out for sure. Tsunade-sama is her idol after all."

Kiba grinned. "Speaking of Team 9, I heard from Hinata-chan that you really busted that arrogant prick Neji's ass Naruto."

Naruto frowned. "He said some hateful things that were completely out of line; even Gai-sensei agreed. Besides, I still owe Neji a thorough beating for what he did to Hinata-chan."

The Hyūga Heiress smiled happily knowing Naruto always kept his promises. She said, "I talked to Gai-sensei and Tenten. You've already done enough for me Naruto-kun."

"I want to flatten him in an officiated match." said Naruto. "All I did was knock him down."

"He did have to visit the hospital Naruto-kun." said Pyrrha. "It was pretty brutal for just knocking him down."

Kakashi patted Naruto's shoulder. "It had been a long day and tempers were running hot. Naruto's getting better about controlling his anger."

Blake nodded. "Naruto-kun didn't use any chakra techniques so he was holding back Kiba. Neji did deserve it though. I have no idea what Neji's problem is, but I was ready to hit him myself."

"I heard you learned to summon from Hinata-chan, Naruto." said Shino.

Naruto brightened up. "Yep! I am a holder of the Toad contract."

"Can you demonstrate?" asked the bug user.

The orange loving ninja shook his head and said, "Sorry Shino; not right now. Jiraiya-sensei needs the toads' help for the war. Unless it's a serious combat situation I shouldn't summon any of them right now."

Shino nodded in understanding. "You seem to handle your summons with uncharacteristic responsibility Naruto."

Naruto shrugged. "We all have to grow up sometime."

"Not me!" retorted Kiba. "I'll never grow up!" Akamaru barked enthusiastically in agreement.

Kurenai shook her head and smiled at Kiba's antics…

Rice Country, Konoha Camp

Jiraiya saw that his forces were ready to move again. They spent the morning waiting for the scouts and engineers to confirm a path had been cleared. "There were a few traps left behind by last night's attackers, but they expended almost all of their weapons in the assault last night." said Jiraiya. He turned to the young red haired kunoichi beside him and said, "Those weren't standard tactics from what you've said Tayuya. What do you think is going on?"

Tayuya focused her brown eyes towards the path leading to Oto. "I think those were the tactics of some of the ex-Taki jonins Oto had. I'd lay odds Orochimaru left them to their own devices, and they decided to attack instead of lay in wait to ambush us. They always were an impatient lot and never liked guarding."

The white-haired Toad Sage had come to much the same conclusions himself but wanted Tayuya's input. 'She's proven to be a very valuable asset to Konoha. I'm going to recommend to Sarutobi-sensei to give her a full commission as a ninja of Konoha.'

Akimichi Choza came up and saluted. "Jiraiya-sama; both divisions are ready to move out. Hyūga Hiashi just arrived from the rear. Do you want him heading up a scouting division again?"

"Have him come up and join the Command Unit." said Jiraiya. "I want to talk with him. Give the order; we are moving out."

The Konoha Army was moving at a brisk march. The area ahead of them was clear of enemies so they were making good time. Hiashi reported in to see Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama, I'm ready to return to duty." said the Hyūga Clan head as he joined the command troops.

Jiraiya grinned. "It's good to see you well again Hiashi. That was one hell of a battle you fought alone to protect your people." The sage motioned to the red-haired girl beside him. "Hyūga Hiashi; this is the former Oto kunoichi Tayuya that hauled you out of there afterwards." He turned to Tayuya and said, "Tayuya; this is Hyūga Hiashi-sama, the head of the exalted Hyūga Clan of Konoha. I'm sure you two have a bit to talk about."

Hiashi came over and said politely, "It seems I owe you my life young lady. The Hyūgas always repay their debts. I thank you."

Tayuya started chuckling. "You don't have to be so formal man. I'm no noble or anything. For what it's worth you're welcome though. I didn't even know you had a title until now."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at the girl's rather blunt (but refreshingly honest) attitude. "So, what clan do you hail from Tayuya?"

The redhead paused and said, "My Clan's damn near extinct…I might tell you about it someday."

'What a mysterious girl.' thought Hiashi. "Well, regardless of where you hail from; the Hyūga Clan will help support you should you decide to settle in Konoha."

"What's Konoha like?" asked Tayuya with curiosity in her voice.

"It is surrounded by forests and is warm most of the year." said Hiashi. "Fire Country is not as wet and muddy as Rice Country. I think it is a good place to live."

Tayuya said absentmindedly, "It sounds nice…"

"How old are you Tayuya?" asked Hiashi.

Tayuya's eyes grew huge. "I'm way too young for you, old man!"

Hiashi nearly face-faulted. "I didn't mean that!" He face palmed and then regained his composure. "I have a daughter that's in her teens. I thought you might get along with her."

The redhead let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry man, I misread you. A kunoichi has to watch her back in Oto. I'm seventeen."

The clan head nodded. "My eldest daughter Hinata is sixteen. She is a genin kunoichi. Perhaps you'd enjoy her company."

"Stranger things have happened." said Tayuya with a shrug.

A few steps back Jiraiya was half listening to the two talking. 'Note to self: Introduce Tayuya to Hinata as her future stepmother while Hiashi is present. Then dive for cover as the fireworks go off…Hmmm, I think Naruto is rubbing off on me.' thought Jiraiya with a snort.

Fire Country, Konoha

…Somewhere in Konoha; Naruto sneezed while he was out on patrol with Team 7. "I wonder if someone is talking about me." he wondered aloud. The blonde suddenly had an immense feeling of pride well up within him. 'I haven't felt this way since I converted Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon into pranksters. I wonder if someone else has taken up the sacred ways of mischief.'

Konoha Photo Studio

…Hinata sneezed as she picked up the developed pictures of the Elders in their impromptu headwear. "Pffft! I've seen rodeo clowns with more dignity than these hairless wonders!" said Hinata as she cackled evilly. Kurenai, Kiba and Shino all shivered slightly at the dark aura coming off their teammate. Akamaru whimpered and hid in Kiba's jacket…

Hyūga Compound

…Meanwhile, the Hyūga Elders collectively sneezed as they looked through a wig catalog that they could get express delivery from the Fire Capital. "Look here! There is a half off sale if you order waist length fuchsia and chartreuse colored wigs in bulk!" said Elder Hiraku excitedly at the bargain he found.

"This is about saving face, not saving money you idiot!" roared Elder Majo.

The murderous killing intent coming from his fellow Elders surrounding him promptly made Hiraku shut up…

Naruto's Apartment

That evening Naruto invited Hinata, Blake and Pyrrha over to hang out. He was very nervous. In spite of the fact he wanted to confess how he felt to all the girls (even though Pyrrha already knew); the matter of Kyubi being sealed within him was far more important. The blonde was worried that they would hate him but at the same time he didn't believe any of them would do that. He sent out a clone to pick up the ingredients for a sukiyaki hot pot. Naruto figured he could cook that okay and did want to entertain his guests…

Blake arrived just before six in the evening and greeted him with a warm kiss. She had a light dusting on her cheeks and said, "Good evening, Naruto-kun. Thank you for inviting me over." She took off her bow and Naruto smiled at her adorable ears.

"Thank you for coming over Blake-chan." said Naruto.

Hinata arrived a few minutes later and also rewarded Naruto with a kiss. "Mmmm…smells like that sukiyaki recipe I gave you."

Naruto nodded and blushed a bit at Hinata's warm smile. He said, "Welcome Hinata-chan."

Both Hinata and Blake glared at each other to mark their territory…

Pyrrha arrived soon and said, "Hello everybody!" She then turned to Naruto and gave him a passionate kiss. "And hello to you especially Naruto-kun!"

Hinata had wide eyes and Blake's jaw hit the floor. They thought as one, 'Since when has Pyrrha been involved?!'

Naruto said, "Good evening Pyrrha-chan, I'm glad you could make it."

Naruto soon served dinner to the three girls and somehow the subject drifted to the Creatures of Grimm. "It really depends on how many of them actually made it through." said Hinata analytically. "We don't know how big of a threat they are currently, but they should be killed on sight. The potential threat they represent is great."

"It sounds strange coming from you." said Blake.

Hinata frowned, "I no longer serve Salem. I'm a Konoha kunoichi."

"There's no need to argue amongst ourselves." said Pyrrha. "It will get nothing accomplished. Isn't that right Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded. "I wonder if there are others out there from Remnant like you girls and Kakashi-sensei."

"There is no telling Naruto-kun." said Hinata. "Other than our little circle no one knows about it. I explained the situation to Kurenai-sensei and then Kiba-kun and Shino-kun but they are sworn to secrecy. I couldn't hide such a secret from my team."

"Have you told anyone in your family Hinata?" asked Blake.

The Heiress shook her head. "I'm going to tell Hanabi-chan when she is older but right now, she is too young to understand."

"That must be hard." said Pyrrha sympathetically. Hinata just nodded.

After Naruto cleared the table, he finally worked up enough nerve to talk to the girls about his situation. They went into the living room. Naruto sat the three girls on the couch, and he sat on the floor in front of them. He said, "Hinata-chan, Blake-chan, Pyrrha-chan; you've all trusted me with your secrets about Remnant and it's time I share my secret with all of you."

Pyrrha was expecting a confession, but this took the redhead off guard. "What secret do you mean Naruto-kun?" 'He sounds very afraid.'

Hinata and Blake had similar thoughts. 'Could this be about the red chakra?' wondered Hinata.

Naruto said, "I know Hinata-chan knows a bit about Kyubi. Pyrrha-chan, Blake-chan; do you know about the nine-tails?"

"I know that it attacked on October 10th and it destroyed a lot of the village years ago." said Blake. "It cost Konoha a lot of ninjas before it died."

Pyrrha nodded. "I know the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to kill it. Why do you ask?"

Naruto took a breath and said, "You can't kill a bijuu. The Fourth Hokage couldn't kill it, so he did the next best thing; he sealed it away."

"You mean the Kyubi is still alive?" asked Blake with a gasp.

Hinata whispered, "The red chakra…" with a look of realization.

"Where is it sealed?" asked Pyrrha.

"It was sealed into a newborn baby." said Naruto. "It was too powerful to be sealed in an inanimate object."

"Then…" said Blake.

Hinata said, "Y-your birthday is October 10th. You were that baby weren't you Naruto-kun?" She had tears in her pearl-like eyes.

The blonde nodded. "I am the container of the Kyubi no Kitsune. That's why so many villagers hate me. I'll understand if any of you girls don't want to be around me anymore. I wanted you all to know because…because I like all of you very much…"

Naruto found himself locked in the embrace of all three girls. He was shocked. Everything was a blur and he started crying as he did his best to hug all the girls back. They were all crying too. Hinata kissed him and said, "Naruto-kun…I wish I had known. I would have been there for you so much sooner."

Blake kissed him as well, "I guess that's why you always smelled like a fox to me Naruto-kun. You've had a terrible burden on you since the day you were born. I would never turn away from you. You just hold the Kyubi; you are you Naruto-kun."

Pyrrha ruffled Naruto's hair and kissed his forehead before she kissed him again on the lips. "I always wondered why people talked the way they did about you. We will keep you safe Naruto-kun."

"Thank you…" whispered Naruto. "You are all so special to me."

The girls all eyed each other and an unwritten war was declared. All three thought, 'Naruto-kun will be mine!'

Oblivious to the fact he had just become a target, Naruto spent the evening with all three girls relaxing and enjoying their company. Blake, Pyrrha and Hinata each kissed Naruto goodnight later that night. Naruto felt better about himself than he had in years. He made a clone to escort each of the girls home.

The blonde ninja thought to himself as he laid down for the night, 'I'll do everything in my power to protect you girls. You are my most precious ones…'

POSTSCRIPT:

See you next time. Blue out. 12/23/23