The forest by a stream Naruto trained in during the Chunin Exam break was a welcome sight. Its greenery he so thoroughly abused was visibly healing, short patches of grass and sapling trees where his victims were. While some of his old marks were missing, it delighted him to see many lingering. This was likely the last time he'd ever be there. He insisted they go so he could reminisce as well as practice.

"You said you'd tell me a few Wind Style tricks the other day if I told you what I used the Rasengan on but never did."

Anko raised two fingers. "There's the Breakthrough and Great Breakthrough Jutsu, but they're only really good for forcing back a fireball, supercharging it, or pushing back your enemy. Pretty redundant for you with that Gale Palm." They were joined by two more. "Vacuum Blast and Vacuum Blast Barrage are sweeping blades of pure air. With enough control, you can swirl a Vacuum Blast to kill multiple people at once. Vacuum Blast Barrage is several of them concentrated on a single point. It's meant to ensure a super tough enemy is dead or break a super strong defense." Her pinky joined the other four. "Then there's the Vacuum Sphere Jutsu, which is shooting beams of air from your mouth." She lowered her hand. "I used it against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death."

"I want to learn that one!" He smiled and began bouncing.

She giggled before bringing her hands together to form the hand seals. "Rat, rabbit, dog, tiger, and bird." Taking a deep breath, she looked up to the sky. A cylindrical collection of concentrated air shot from her lips. Five more left until she stopped to look back down."Like the Vacuum Blade Jutsu, you're going to want to infuse your breath with chakra. The key is shape transformation, which is probably nothing to you now that you know the Rasengan."

"About that." He went still, looking down at his palm. "Pervy Sage said it was used with just normal chakra. Do you think I can make it wind?"

"Jiraiya would've done something like that by now if it were that easy. It's already one of the most chakra control intensive jutsu out there; imagine how complicated making it elemental would be."

"I'll try it some other time then." He tilted his head. "What were the signs again?"

"Rat, rabbit, dog, tiger, and bird."

Nodding, he whispered them under his breath before following through with his hands. He took a deep breath, turned his head back, and spat several uneven beams of wind into the sky. "Just a few more, and I think I'll have it." His favorite sensei applauding him triggered a blush. "What about the others?" He nearly rolled his eyes at her raised eyebrow. "I know, I know: knowing a lot of jutsu doesn't make you a good shinobi."

"What's the rush? It's not like you have another duel in a month."

"Ever since my first real mission in Wave, I haven't had the chance to really rest. Something's always come up. That's why I want to learn all I can now." He pouted at her unchanging expression. "Fine, I'll just practice the Vacuum Sphere Jutsu."

She patted his head. "Good boy." She stepped back as he followed through with his words. "...You know, you were a bit off before you left."

He frowned after the last of the wind beams left his lips. "I was still dealing with some stuff."

"That's fine. Just… Are you alright?"

"More than alright, Anko-sensei." He stopped mid-seal. "You don't have to watch me." A smile formed on his lips. "Go hang out with Hana or any of the other jonin."

She hummed. "I guess your teammates are wai–"

"Not him!" He scowled, eyes turning red. "You're my sensei!" He blushed and looked down as her face scrunched in confusion. "...Anyone but him. He already got almost two weeks with you. That's more than enough."

Her lips parted, froze, and shut as they curved into a smile. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" The red of his eyes faded back to blue. "He doesn't deserve you, and he'll hurt you, if you get close enough."

"Is that what Itachi told you?" The smile on her face disappeared when he stayed silent. "Was it really that bad?" She scoffed at his commitment to it. "Holy shit, really?"

"Please promise me you'll keep your distance from him."

"Not like I really know him but alright, if it helps you keep calm. I promise I'll keep my distance from your swirly-eyed ex-boyfriend."

"I'm not…" He shook his head before going back to practicing his jutsu.

Anko formed the tiger seal. "I'll be back in a few hours." She disappeared in a flicker, leaving him to his own devices.

While he did want to spend as much time as possible with her, he didn't want her to be too attached anymore either. It was better for both of them to move on. That wasn't something he could directly say, but it was something he could insinuate and push her towards. He couldn't let his teammate become her precious person or vice versa, fearing the ramifications of such a relationship. Killing him was a thought that crossed his mind far more than once ever since he learned the truth from the elder brother. Chances were he'd get an opportunity to settle things between them forever before he left. A good part of him was counting on it.

Both freshly-made chunin in Team 7 left their sensei's home in favor of their own after he began to nod off. He at least got an update on the major happenings of the village before then. Thinking it prudent to let him rest, they went to their substitute sensei's home and rang her doorbell for no one to answer it. She typically slept in so fetching her was the first thing they usually did every morning since she took their actual sensei's place.

"Think we should check?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke shrugged before setting his foot on the wall of the building. "May as well."

"That isn't necessary," Kakashi, standing on a nearby tree branch and reading his favorite book, said. "I saw Anko and Naruto this morning."

Sakura look up to him. "Where?" She raised an eyebrow. "Wait, should you even be up?"

"Probably not but duty calls." He walked down the tree over to them. "We were briefed by Lady Hokage: the Leaf is now in an alliance with the Sand, who suspect their recently found dead Kazekage was assassinated by Orochimaru. Conveniently, it seems to have taken place before the Chunin Exams began."

Sakura scoffed. "An attack on the scale they made had to take more than a month of planning."

"Nothing we can do about it. Politics, you see. Better we make peace...for now."

"Only jonin were briefed?" Sasuke asked.

He nodded. "Major organizational changes and political happenings go to us first and anyone else that needs to know before trickling down. If it's information thought best confidential, it goes to just us or whomever the Hokage and the council think appropriate." He eye-smiled. "Don't take it personally."

"Well, we're not. Are you going to train us?"

The white-haired man almost twitched. "...Is that why you came here?"

"I didn't think she'd be a good teacher, but Anko-sensei actually knows a lot of things," Sakura said. She tilted her head at his frozen expression. "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous? I've been teaching all three of you since you got out of the academy."

She squinted and leaned towards her teammate. "He's jealous."

"I know," Sasuke whispered back.

"And here I was about to train you both into jonin." Kakashi took a deep breath and sighed. "I guess I'll go steal Guy's kids; cheer him up by playing into our 'eternal rivalry.'"

"Okay, you're the best sensei we could ever have, Kakashi-sensei. Now can you train us? Pretty please?" She wrapped a hand over her fist beneath her chin, fluttering her lashes for added effect. When he turned to the other chunin, she did so as well.

Sasuke twitched. "...Pretty please?"

"Pretty please what?" Kakashi inclined his head. "Come on."

"Pretty please, Kakashi?"

"Pretty please, Kakashiiii?"

Gritting his teeth, he forced his eyes shut. "Pretty please, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Okay!" He eye-smiled. "What exactly did Anko teach you two?"

"Mud wall, rock fist, and I guess I can thank her for Kurenai-sensei teaching me the Shredding Sakura Flowers Jutsu," Sakura said.

He chuckled. "Awfully punny of her." He looked from her blushing face to the stoic one of his other student.

"Just the Thunderbolt Jutsu; I've been refining my shape transformation with it and the Chidori."

"Good on her for showing some restraint. I was worried for a second she taught one of you something as ridiculous as the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu. Let's get going." He turned and started walking towards the nearest practice field.

"Did…" Drifting off, Sakura looked down. "Did Naruto seem different to you?"

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. "Somewhat. I think he's finally settling down, but it's too early to say. I did just wake up." He glanced in the direction of his other, silent student.

There was nothing any of them could do.

A stamp slamming on to a piece of paper echoed through the Hokage's office. It was an ever-present sound in that accursed room. Even when there was no paperwork on the desk itself, there was always paperwork waiting to be placed on it. The first female Hokage tried to pawn it off on her assistant, but she went missing that morning, without a doubt trying to make her fulfill her responsibility. Anbu agents were sent to retrieve her alive and unharmed. Eternally weary was the head bent to look over paperwork.

"You could've at least read over them for me, Shizune!" She put the stamped document on to the growing pile to her left. "That would've made this so much easier!" The door creaking open made her pause mid-stamp slam.

Danzo stepped inside. "Lady Tsunade."

"The Shinobi of Darkness himself graces me with his presence." She stamped the document. "I knew it was a matter of time with the way Sarutobi-sensei talked about you."

"I wish to discuss the matter of Naruto Uzumaki."

"Don't think he's ready to be jonin?"

"Actually, I find him more than suited for the position. The responsibilities are lost on him, but he is hardly unique in that regard."

"Then what is there to discuss?" She raised an eyebrow.

"There are certain people close to him that have a profound influence on his mental state. Perhaps the greatest of them all is Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's former student. While her loyalty shows no signs of faltering, his feelings may mirror hers if she were to become discontent."

"Are you suggesting I bribe her?"

"I doubt Mitarashi has any interest in money, These are perilous times, Lady Tsunade. We cannot risk our jinchuriki on missions, and by extension, we cannot risk Mitarashi. You have been informed of what happened when Hiruzen died, correct?"

She nodded. "I am aware, and I understand where your concern is coming from. Naruto isn't the type of person to accept coddling, however." Frowning, she let go of her stamp and folded her hands together. "In fact, I fear trying to confine him to the village will spur him to leave."

"I understand. At the very least, Mitarashi should be kept in the village's vicinity. She rarely seeks out missions or is given any, so neither will suspect anything.

"That might be wisest course of action. I'll take your words into consideration." She watched the man her sensei looked down on so much close leave and close the door behind him. "Was that it?" Focusing back on her latest document, she scoffed. "You had headaches over that, Sarutobi-sensei?"

It was a simple matter he needed to relay his thoughts on. He would never approach her if he thought she wouldn't at least consider his proposals. If she didn't or did something he thought worse for the village, he would take matters into his own hands. The Third often worked with him because it was less difficult than working against.

When Anko came back to their training area, Naruto was blowing perfect beams of destruction into the sky. It was also time for lunch, so they decided to go out for dango. The boy was somewhat sick of it, but he wanted to appease his precious sensei. Her squeal of happiness made the increasingly middling experience of eating sweet dumplings more than worth enduring. Both sat next to each other on a table in her favorite dango shop, munching away.

He swallowed his mouthful of sweetness. "So what did you do?"

"Dwped ii aww Haa." She finished chewing and gulped. "Dropped in on Hana, worked out for a bit, and went to Kakashi's, but he wasn't there."

"...Kakashi's?"

"Thought I'd drop by. He's probably with the Uchiha and Pink though. Really should be taking it easy after being in a coma: the man's got a stamina problem." Moving the skewer to position the remaining dumpling by her mouth, she raised an eyebrow at his twitching face.

"What kind of stamina problem?"

She blinked, giggled, and bit the ball of doughy goodness off. "The kind a transplanted Sharingan gives you," she said, sweet in her teeth.

"I hate those stupid eyes." He raised a skewer of his own to tear from.

"Naruto, is that you?" A vaguely familiar voice behind him asked.

He turned and saw a silver-haired young man walking over. "You're that one guy…" He tilted his head as he chewed. "Uh?"

"Kabuto." The medic-nin sat down on the other side of the table. "I heard you've been making waves." He turned to the woman. "Anko Mitarashi, right?" Holding out his hand, he smiled. "I'm a student of Hiraku's."

She flinched at that name before swallowing. "I know."

"Bad blood?" He took his hand back.

"What would you call running off with your batshit crazy sensei after helping him use his best friend as a guinea pig?"

"...That's bad."

"That's a fucking understatement." She scoffed.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, alleviating her self-aggravation. "Is there any reason you swung by?"

"I have a sweet tooth." Kabuto rubbed the back of his head and looked to the approaching waiter. "I'll have what they're having." Focusing back on the boy, he leaned over the table. "Is it true what they say?" He whispered, eyes narrowing. "You're a jonin now?" His posture went back to neutral when he, grinning, nodded. "Wow… I really was wrong about you." He glanced at some of the staring or peaking customers. "A shame they still think the same, huh?"

"I became a ninja for my own sake." He waved it off with his free hand.

The medic-nin spied the look of concern in Anko's eyes without looking directly at her. His lord was counting on him holding on to those sentiments. Mitarashi seemed to have latched on to the boy from what he saw and heard. While they could retrieve him with little issue using the right words, she would never allow him to fall into Orochimaru's clutches, knowing full well what he intended to do.

Anko drank several gulps from her cooling cup of tea. "His entire team made chunin."

"Mine failed to even reach the final stage." Kabuto chuckled. "Can't say I'm surprised though: we're not exactly the most proactive bunch, and your team has a prodigal Uchiha with Kakashi the Copy Ninja of all people teaching you."

"Please!" Naruto almost spat on his dango. "Sasuke's a one-trick pony, like every other kekkai genkai loser." He pointed his thumb at the person to his side. "Anko-sensei is the one who really taught me.

"I thought you and Sasuke were friends."

He looked down at his skewers. "So did I."

Humming, the silver-haired young man tilted his head while Anko's concern grew. "What about the other one? What was her name again?"

"Sakura." He shrugged. "She's alright, but she's in too deep with that swirly-eyed douchebag."

"Guess it's a good thing you're all promoted: doesn't seem like you'd work well together ever again."

An awkward silence spread over the table. The waiter set down plates of dango skewers and tea for Kabuto, who joined them in quietly partaking. Everyone close to Naruto aside from Anko was estranged, distant, or dead. While he likely heard more than enough tales of Orochimaru's wickedness, they wouldn't be enough to dissuade him if he thought the risk was well worth the reward, and vengeance was the sweetest prize for a wronged man. It made retrieving both him and Sasuke difficult prospect though. When they finished, they went their separate ways from him, returning to their training area.

Almost all of Team 7 was walking through the streets of the Leaf Village under the auburn sky, guided by their sensei. Passerby stared, raised eyebrows, or shrugged at the sight of them. Only the team leader could witness the gawking because he blindfolded his two faithful students. They protested at first, but he insisted it was for a matter of the upmost importance. Holding the possibility of learning new jutsu over their heads also worked wonders.

"Can you at least tell us what this is about?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "If he was willing to tell us, he would have said why the moment he held out the blindfolds."

"Relax!" Kakashi patted their shoulders. "We're almost there."

Sakura huffed. "Almost where?"

"The place where I'm going to undo your blindfolds. You'll understand everything when we're inside."

There was peace and silence, save for some grumbling, after that. A fancy door they couldn't see but could hear creaked open for them. Like the blinded children they were, their sensei nudged them into the exclusive, vibrantly crimson establishment. A fancy-dressed man behind the counter parted his lips to say something but was silenced with a shake of the jonin's head. He led them down into the center of the first floor where others were.

"You're on time for once, Kakashi," Asuma, leaning on a nearby wall, said.

Kurenai smiled at the confused faces on the blindfolded chunin. "He couldn't be late for this."

"No one would ever let him live it down," a sitting Genma said with a smirk.

Raido sat with his chin held up by his palm opposite of his partner. "Seems like the man of the hour is going to be late instead."

"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head. "Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei?"

Jiraiya, off by himself in his own seat, chuckled at them. "Not that I'm complaining, but is that really necessary? We didn't really do that back in my day."

"The times change, old man." Tsume sat on top of a table. She turned to the man properly in one of its seat. "Isn't that right, Aburame?"

"Yes," Shibi deadpanned.

A grin spread across her face. "Have I mentioned how much I love that about you?"

"Precisely five times. Six now."

The sound of the door practically slamming open interrupted what was an awkward conversation to most listeners. "I don't get it," Naruto said as he walked in. "Why this fancy ass place?"

"Why not?" Anko led him deeper.

Kakashi undid the blindfolds and turned around to wave at his student. "Surprise!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him before looking at all the jonin and clan heads. "I still don't get it." He tilted his head. "This some kind of secret club or something?" His eyes narrowed at his former friend. "If it's for jonin, why are they here?"

"This is the first time an entire squad of genin has made chunin on the same exam and one was promoted to jonin at the same time," Shikaku at the Ino-Shika-Cho table said.

Choza nodded. "It's a special occasion, so we've all decided to let in more outsiders than usual."

Sakura, looking around to get a grip on her surroundings, gaped at all the clan heads. "You're…" She focused on her sensei. "Where exactly are we?"

"We are the elite of the elite: everyone here–considering power, skill, and reputation– is a candidate for Hokage," Kakashi elaborated.

Sasuke felt an anxious pit grow in his chest. "And you're inducting Naruto as one of you."

"The kid blew up a fucking Tailed Beast," Tsume said, checking her nails. "Only a few of us could've taken on a thing like that."

Raising a shaking finger at the blond, Sakura struggled to find words. "H-H-H-He's beyond most of you?" She whined when her sensei nodded.

"Save me, Jiraiya, Hiashi, maybe Shibi, maybe Choza, maybe Shikaku, maybe Anko, and Guy." Kakashi looked at his fellow jonin, some of which were irritated by his statement. "Speaking of, where is he?"

Anko crossed her arms and scoffed. "Maybe?! I trained the kid!"

"So did I; you're not special." He kept looking at them for answers.

Asuma shook his head. "With Lee: Lady Hokage said there was a fifty-fifty chance he might die during surgery."

"Bushy Brows…" Naruto frowned.

"It's tragic, but that is a risk all shinobi may face in this life," Hiashi said, standing in front of an occupied chair. "Before the end, we must do all we can and all we wish to." He glanced behind his shoulder. "Isn't that right?"

The occupant stood up and walked out. "Y-Yes." Barely holding herself together, she moved towards the main attraction of the event.

"Wait," Sakura said, eyes widening alongside Sasuke's, "what are you…"

The blood rushed to the boy's whiskered cheeks at the sight of a pink-faced girl. "H-Hinata?"

"N-Naruto." She struggled to meet his eyes with her own.

"What… I…" He raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "Uh… H-Hey."

She began tapping her fingers together. "I… I…" Meeting his gaze, she felt the eyes of everyone watching on her too. "Y-You've become the strongest out of everyone in our class," she forced out.

"Th-Thanks! You look a lot better now that your wounds are healed."

Her heart soared thanks to his concern. "Naruto… I…" Her face turned beet red. "I l–"

He stepped forward, putting their faces inches away from each other, and put a hand on her forehead. "Are you okay?" Her falling back, eyes closed, made him blink. "H-Hinata?!" He caught her by the shoulders before she could hit the ground.

"Damn, kid," Asuma said, cigarette stuck in his grinning teeth.

"The fuck did I do?!"

Kurenai sighed and walked over. "It was too much for her." She took her surrogate daughter off his hands.

Hiashi closed his eyes. "There is more work to be done as far as her tolerance for pressure is concerned."

"Two young cuts of meat from opposite sexes just oozing blood to attract each other, but neither can take the heat needed to cook them into a complimenting set." Tsume shook her head.

Shibi murmured. "That is a colorful yet accurate metaphor."

"Delicious too!" Choza raised his fists into the air. "Bring on the food!"

Inoichi facepalmed. "That's what my daughter won't shut up about?"

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered.

Kakashi eye-smiled at his red-faced wayward student while Anko, patting the boy on the back, snickered. "I've never seen you like this, Naruto." He laughed at his glare.

Sakura giggled, a hue of pink on her own cheeks. "You've never looked as cute as you are right now."

"Can we just get on with this?!" Naruto averted his gaze.

Jiraiya chuckled a little too gleefully, attracting the narrow blank eyes of Hiashi. "Do you have any idea how he's been since the Chunin Exams?" His smile held nothing but warmth. "That's the first time I've seen him look so innocent in a while."

They all picked out their tables. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio remained in theirs, reminiscing about their own inductions. Hiashi retrieved his daughter and sat down at an empty table with her in his arms. Kurenai and Asuma, doing their best to ignore everyone's suggestive looks, were together. Shibi remained oblivious or willfully ignorant of Tsume's one-sided flirting. Jiraiya was joined by Genma and Raido wanting to hear tales about the Fourth Hokage in his youth. To Naruto's displeasure, he was sharing one with his team, which was almost saved by Anko's presence.

"Okay!" Kakashi glanced from one of his quarreling students to the other. "Why does one of you look like he wants to kill the other?'

Anko rolled her eyes. "Good luck getting either of them to talk."

"They haven't said a word to each other since Naruto came back." Sakura looked down at the table.

He looked to the silent boy in question. "It's that bad, huh?

"Seriously, don't ask." Anko shook her head. "They're not saying shit."

The well-dressed waiters came out and began taking their orders. Both former delinquents weren't interested in most of the items on the menu, so they just ordered what closely met their favorite foods. Sasuke went with okaka and tomato onigiri, Sakura went for fancy seared tuna instead of sweets to try impressing nonexistent onlookers, and Kakashi requested salt-broiled saury. Other than their chewing, their table was silent as most others had chatting.

Anko stood up with her plate of gyoza. "Excuse me for a second." She walked over to the Hyuga table where Hinata still slept, sat down in one of the chairs, and narrowed her eyes at the clan head. "What are your intentions with Naruto?"

Hiashi looked up from his bowl of tempura with a blank expression on his face. "I should be asking him what his intentions are with my daughter."

"Good luck getting a straight answer out of him for that. If you try and make it political, you'll ruin any chance for them both though."

"I'm not. Hinata has been excluded from succession and is free to marry whomever she pleases."

She held down laughter. "Marry?" She held on to her sides. "They can't even talk to each other."

"I noticed." He shook his head. "She insisted on coming when I told her I was to meet with Naruto Uzumaki. The others accepted her presence under the usual conditions."

"Guess she's gonna regret it when she wakes up."

Humming, he looked at his daughter's slumbering, smiling face. "If she almost said it in front of the most powerful shinobi in the village…"

"Maybe." She stood up with her plate in her hands. Walking back to Team 7's table, she paused, noticing Tsume in her place.

The Inuzuka head grinned at the blond boy. "I heard what you said about my Hana from my Kiba." Her slit eyes narrowed when he nervously laughed. "You've got guts, kid. But if all you can do is talk, you'll never get your hands on a woman. Overpowering them is just the first step." She rose, raised a hand in greeting at his favorite sensei, and went back to her place by Shibi.

Sakura blinked. "Did… Did she just tell you to force yourself on Hinata?"

"Hana, actually." Anko sat back down. "He beat her more than a few times while he was training for the final round of the Chunin Exams."

"...What?" Naruto said more than asked.

Kakashi used the Body Flicker to sneak another piece of his meal into his mouth. "It's an Inuzuka thing."

"Not really rape: it's flirty sparring followed by sex where the winner goes all the way with the loser," Anko elaborated.

Sasuke squinted at those words, swallowing a bite of fish slices and rice. "That doesn't imply consent."

"Well… Uh?" She tilted her head. "I never actually heard what happened to Hana's father or who he was."

"Kiba said he ran away when I asked about his family way back during detention," Naruto said, doing the same.

"...Oh my fuck."

"Watch what you say," Kakashi said, eye glancing in her direction. "She is a clan head."

"But you can't do that," Sakura whispered.

"We don't know for sure if she did."

Anko tilted her head from side to side. "I wouldn't put it behind her."

"Not. Helping."

"She's been sizing up that guy who looks like Shino," Naruto whispered.

"That's his father, and he's more than capable of defending himself."

Sakura smirked. "So you do think she might've done it."

Knowing anything he'd say would be misconstrued to fit their opinions, Kakashi stayed silent. More slices of his broiled meat disappeared behind his mask. He noticed them trying to see what was under, something he absolutely could not let happen. A thought coming to his mind made him focus on his most troublesome student. "Naruto, you've become one of the most powerful shinobi in the village and accepted as one of us, but you haven't said anything about it."

He pursed his lips "...I just don't see a point." He nearly acknowledged his former friend when he flinched. "Good to know where I stand as far as ninja go, but I really couldn't care less."

"Huh… You really have changed." He eye-smiled. "I was half-expecting you to make several hundred clones to dance with you when you heard the news; really rub it in."

"I don't see a point in trying to prove something to everyone anymore."

It was the honest truth. He fought and won against his first rival, a Tailed Beast, an S class criminal, and a complete enigma he was certain had abilities beyond anyone in the establishment. As far as he was concerned, others needed to prove themselves to him. There was no desire left in his heart to change the look in the eyes of the villagers, save twisting them with fear and agony. All the conflict that tormented him for so long was finally gone. Only one or two more things were left for him to do before setting out. The fate his father cursed him with was something he was about to break free from forever. He'd accept whatever came next with open arms.

AN: Do you feel it coming? We're nearly there now. I'm constantly second-guessing myself as I write now. Really don't want to fuck this up now that we're so close. And far much more will come after.

Kage level is really a broad range when you consider jonin is the bare minimum. The Cool Ninja's Club among cool ninja clubs is how I distinguish between jonin and potential Kage material. You have lower Kage in the form of everyone present Kakashi didn't list, mid-Kage in the maybe (he was messing with Anko but not by much), and High Kage in the ones he said could outright beat Naruto as he is now. Of course, there arebad matchups where that maybe is a definitely(Naruto has no counter for Shibi's bugs and giant Choza would literally stomp him).

Is Naruto being Kage-level strange? I don't think so, considering he and Sasuke were easily low to mid during the canon Valley of the End fight. Their clash demolished the feet of the statues when they were a good distance from each other. Not counting that, he brought down the One-Tail (granted it was with a summon and Nine-Tails chakra) and Kabuto, who was around Kakashi's level (he still is in this fic but he was caught off guard in the hospital by Yamato/Tenzo, who is also around Kakashi's level).

I'm not trying to turn this into a power level fest, though that will be difficult as this goes on. Strategy will decide fights more than outright destructive power and hax. Far more interesting to write for me and hopefully far more interesting for you all to read.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.