Escape to Kumo

by bjdakooch

Minato kills Obito on the night of the Kyuubi attack and sacrifices himself to seal the biju into his son, Naruto. It was not your standard interaction, so how will the new seal affect Naruto? Fugaku nominated as Hokage. Kushina survives and does her best to raise Naruto but it doesn't take long for problems to arise. Watch as they escape and build a new home.

17. Chapter 17

-Plans for Wave-

After Hanzo left and Amie got settled into the Maki compound, Naruto was called to Ai's office. In his office, Ai and his mother told him that he was to become the emissary to Wave country on behalf of Uzushiogakore and Kumo. Since Wave is now linked to the land of Fire, they each worried about what would happen to Wave once it was discovered to be an ally of the two nations. They told Naruto to take Rias and return to Wave to form recommendations for defense improvement and seal application. They each gave Naruto a scroll on behalf of Kumo and Uzushio to deliver to Tsunami.

Two days later, Ruto and Rias landed in Wave where they were welcomed with open arms. The people of Wave offered a variety of fish snacks to Virginia, remembering her as the summon of their hero. Virginia accepted the snacks greedily and Ruto let her enjoy the impromptu feast as he walked to Tsunami's house alongside Rias. Ruto smiled beneath his mask at Rias' enthusiasm and excitement as they made the walk. The girl had taken a while to recover from her traumatic experience with Gato and it was refreshing to know that the chakra dyed, Sunkissed blonde hair signified Rias turning over a new leaf in her life.

The duo made it to the first step on Tsunami's porch when a blur rocketed from somewhere in the yard and tackled Ruto to the ground, which Ruto let happen for fear of the boy hurting himself. Ruto rolled on the ground with an excited Inari and played with him for a couple minutes. The boy was completely different from the downtrodden boy that Ruto met in the Raikage's office, and it brought a sincere joy to his heart. Rias watched the display of childish roughhousing alongside Tsunami from the porch, each woman wearing a massive smile on her face.

"Ruto-Kun, why don't you collect that little mudball there and rinse him off in the ocean for me before you come inside?" Tsunami called out melodically as she leaned against a support beam on the porch.

"Sure thing, Tsunami-Chan!" Ruto answered as he tossed Inari into a particularly muddy spot in the yard before scooping the giggling boy into his arms and dashing toward the ocean.

The two ladies watched wistfully as Ruto carried the squirming child and jumped high into the sky before doing a 'can opener' into the ocean. Seconds later, Inari squealed happily as Ruto washed the mud off of himself and the growing child. Rias noted the look on Tsunami's face and couldn't help but harbor similar feelings.

"He is quite the guy, eh. Tsunami-Dono?" Rias asked in an insinuating tone.

Tsunami's crossed arms tightened a smidgeon as she reflexively stiffened at being caught. She relented and sighed, "Yes, Rias-Chan, and no need for the honorifics. Ruto-Kun is quite the man and watching how he played with Inari … well it would be enough to make any widow give in to wishful thinking."

Rias smirked, "Oh, I don't know about wishful. If you ask me, I think it is more than realistic. He won't drop everything and move here, but if your okay with an absentee father with multiple future wives and lovers that is on a quest to change the world then I think he is just the guy you're looking for."

Tsunami spit out the sip of tea that just reached her lips before squealing, "Rias-Chan!"

"Hehe, sorry, I couldn't stop myself. He has that particular affect on the women in his life. I will say this, if you love him, he won't refuse you anything. The Uzumaki clan needs to be rebuilt and Lady Kushina is struggling to talk to him about what will be necessary."

Tsunami cocked an eyebrow and leaned toward Rias, and he eyes remained fixed on Inari frolicking in the ocean with Ruto. "Please explain."

Rias realized she may have overstepped and backpedaled a bit. "Sorry, in due time. It isn't my place to tell. Let's just say our blonde hero will be … busy. If you think he is the man for you and you don't mind sharing, go for it."

Tsunami saw Ruto carrying a soaked Inari back to the house and decided to shelve the talk for later. "This isn't over, young lady."

Rias winked before walking off of the porch and meeting the duo in front of the porch. Tsunami watched Ruto use some wind jutsu, or whatever the shinobi called it, to dry Inari off rapidly. The child squealed happily at the sensation before Ruto set him down and he gave his mother a big hug.

"Ka-Chan! Ruto is back!" The grin Inari was wearing was splitting his face and it filled Tsunami's heart with a warm tingly feeling.

"Indeed, Inari-Chan, he is. Now, Ruto-Kun, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Tsunami asked as she remained leaned against the post of the porch.

Ruto looked up and gulped at the beautiful, shapely, motherly figure. Tsunami's blue hair was tucked up into a loose ponytail and it framed her heart-shaped face. She was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans that hugged her shapely figure. Hikari snickered at his reaction from inside the seal and caused him to blush further beneath his mask.

"Tsunami-San, Lady Shina and the Raikage have nominated me as the emissary to Wave country and we wish to offer our input into the rebuilding of Wave. Sadly, your relationship to us may have implications for Wave's future and we want to help prepare you and the people of this beautiful country." He replied professionally.

Tsunami frowned slightly at the 'San' honorific attached to her name but realized that it was because Ruto was in his professional mode. "Very well, Ruto-Kun, please come in and we can discuss things."

Tsunami didn't let her title as Daimyo get to her head. She still managed her kitchen and prepared the tea before she dismissed two attendants that were assigned to aid her in her duties. She served the tea to her guests and watched as Ruto casually flipped through a couple hand signs before placing his palms on the wall of the house. She watched blue flickers of light race around her house before the whole house was encompassed in the bluish light. The light snuffed itself out of existence and Ruto removed his mask before he sighed contentedly and began to sip on the tea. Once again, a fierce blush found its way to Tsunami's cheeks as she took in the cute, yet manly, face of Naruto.

Naruto set his cup down and relaxed back into the wooden chair. "Okay, Tsunami-San, I am here to introduce myself as the emissary to Kumo and Uzushiogakore. The rebuilding of Uzu is nearly complete and Kumo intends to use Uzu as an intermediary. What you don't know is that this will draw attention from people around the nations, especially once they figure out Uzushio has been rebuilt. Before anybody can take advantage of you, the Raikage and my mother asked me to come here and help you iron out some basic security measures."

"Well, I appreciate that Naruto-Kun, but could you please drop the 'San' stuff? I am new to this Daimyo business, and I do not wish for the formality when it is just us. As for the unwanted attention, could you explain that to me?"

Naruto smiled at the lovely woman across the table, "Sure thing, Tsunami-Chan. Well, the history of Uzu and its role in the shinobi world is a long story…"

After an hour or so of sharing the history of Uzushiogakore, Naruto told Tsunami about how this would draw the attention of the Land of Fire and other unsavory figures. He explained how it would get worse once the world knew his family's true identity, especially if they were able to link it to the invasion of Konoha. He had to explain the invasion of Konoha to Tsunami, which included the story of his childhood to justify Kumo's role in the invasion.

Tsunami paid rapt attention to Naruto throughout his explanation. During the story of his childhood, she couldn't stop the hand that shot across the table to offer her love and concern as she placed it on his much larger hand. To her delight, Naruto's hand shifted naturally and accepted her dainty hand. She continued to listen as their fingers intertwined and Naruto's thumb rubbed affectionately across the top of her hand.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me, Naruto-Kun. That explains a lot and I will convene the newly elected Wave council to share your concerns with them. Will you be staying with us in the meantime?"

"If you will have us, we would love to accept your hospitality." Naruto replied naturally.

Naruto spent three weeks in Wave helping to plan out Wave's defenses. One of the first things he did was to place screening seals on the bridge. Dual guard shacks were also built on each end of the bridge for added security and many plans were formed. The biggest project was setting up barriers around the ports, around each village on the island and any important area Tsunami designated. The Raikage offered his help rebuilding Wave and he signed a three-year contract to hire Kumo shinobi for security. Twenty Kumo shinobi would rotate through security duties and offer their assistance in rebuilding Wave as they were stationed there.

In addition, a port would be built on the Northwest side of the island for Kumo and Uzu ships to use exclusively. They would use this new location to import goods from Kumo, allow for transportation of Kaminari no Kuni civilians and shinobi and also allow for a direct link to Uzushio. This port would have a higher security level than the ports near the Land of Fire and Tsunami would be responsible for screening the dockworkers. Ai didn't want to broadcast Kumo's involvement in the island nation to Fire country and Tsunami agreed to that.

A long-term plan was also laid out to establish a land bridge with a two-way train to link Uzushio to Wave's main island. This would take nearly a decade to complete and both nations needed to secure funding, but the idea was to incorporate Wave into the New Uzu. Tazuna was jumping at the chance to one-up his previous creation and he was already drawing out blueprints. Naruto spent many nights sipping sake with him as he asked questions on the capabilities of shinobi and how they could assist with the bridge's construction.

The young blonde hero created hundreds of his clones every day that ran around the island helping people. It was an amazing workforce and only served to secure his title as the Hero of Wave. Every person in Wave was grateful for him and they gave him their trust readily. In return, Naruto asked for their discretion when talking about him in public. During a town hall, Ruto revealed how people were likely to come to Wave and probe for information. He discussed the implications of information being revealed too soon and asked for their discretion, which they readily agreed to.

During that town hall, Ruto told them that Kumo would fund a new school on the island and that applications for the ninja academy would be accepted. It wasn't disclosed where the ninja academy would be, only that their children would be safe for the duration of their ninja education. Many of the poor citizens saw this as a way to earn a better living and were excited send their children, but they were forced to rethink things when Naruto laid out the standards for acceptance into the academy. Uzu academy standards were high, and the children of Wave would need substantial supplementary education before they could realistically begin attending Uzu's shinobi academy.

Inari was the first Wave islander to be accepted into the Uzu academy and he would start in the first year there in a couple months. Naruto spent a couple hours screening children that wished to apply along with a couple of adults that wanted training to protect their homeland. Rather than send the adults to Uzu, Naruto informed them that the shinobi stationed in Wave will conduct classes for the populace. Naruto found out that day that a large number of Wave citizens would be attending the public classes because they had all resolved never to let themselves be pushed around again.

For all of the assistance, Wave country agreed to pay back Kumo and Uzu over the next twenty years. Uzu's name was not listed on the contract because Ruto didn't trust all of the new councilors on the Wave council, but if chakra was applied to the seal on the bottom of the original copy, then Uzu's name could be seen. This was a simple nation that was shielded from the shinobi world from the most part and Ruto knew that shinobi spies would set their sights on Wave soon. This small and young nation wasn't ready to defend itself against such threats, so Naruto knew that it was his duty to protect Uzu's secrets and interest. Overall, the council would do anything within reason that Kumo requested and in return Kumo provided assistance and security.

Throughout the weeks, Tsunami grew closer to Naruto, and she grew more irritated with her father for taking so much of Naruto's time. She shooed Tazuna off by sending him to the town for a grocery run in order to get some alone time with our intrepid blonde. Tsunami had hesitated to reveal her feelings to Naruto, but he hadn't missed the signals. With 5-days left in his planned stay in Wave, Tsunami finally worked up the courage to make her move.

She began by sending Inari to a friend's house, giving her father money to go to the bars, bribing Rias and cooking a wonderful meal. Naruto returned to the house that night to find it empty with the table set for two and lit with candles. He smiled as Tsunami welcomed him 'home' with a hug. His smile grew when he saw the candlelit table set for two and Hikari closed the connection to give him some privacy.

After a shower and a quick change of clothes, Naruto joined Tsunami in the kitchen, ignored her protests and proceeded to help her finish dinner. The time in the kitchen was flirty with many brushings of fingers on shoulders and waistlines, soft touches that insinuated far more than either would say out loud. Many quick and flirty glances that served to build the sexual tension and brought feelings to the surface. Finally, the two sat down for dinner to relax and a clone brought out the food and wine.

After eating, Tsunami grabbed Naruto's hand from across the table and made comments about it being a wonderful night for a walk on the beach. Naruto wasn't completely clueless, so he scooped her up and ran out onto the beach before he set her down. He wrapped a muscular arm over her shoulder and the two walked along the beach while chatting amicably. If you were to ask Tsunami, she felt like a schoolgirl that landed the quarterback since she was so happy inside. Naruto was pleasantly surprised by the feelings of respect and attraction that continued to grow in his heart as he listened to Tsunami speak about her family, country and past.

Serious conversation gave way to shameless flirting, flirting led to touching, touching led to kissing and somehow the two found themselves making out in the ocean. As the waves rolled in, Naruto's thick body sheltered Tsunami from the brunt of their impact as he held her protectively against his chest. The passionate kiss refused to end and was punctuated by gasps of ecstasy or desperate breaths for air. Eventually, Tsunami led Naruto to the beach where Naruto unsealed a blanket and laid it on the soft sand. The two christened their relationship on that blanket, and then in the ocean, and then in the shower and finally they came to rest that night on Tsunami's bed.

The morning sun peeked over the ocean the next day and its brilliant light snuck through Tsunami's window and into her eyes. She cracked her eyes open and thanked Kami for a wonderful dream. She snuggled into an unfamiliar warmth before fully opening her eyes and craning her head up to look at what she was resting on. The familiar shaggy blonde locks and cute whisker marks on a handsome face answered her. She refused to get up and snuggled further into Naruto's chest, thanking Kami that last night was real.

She remained in a half-asleep and content state until she heard the door to the house crash open and Inari's voice filled the house. The excited boy ran straight to his mother's room since he didn't see her in the kitchen or outside. Inari froze when he opened the door to his mother's room and saw Naruto with a 'deer in the headlights' look on his face while holding his clothes. His mother was wrapped in her bedsheets and blushing furiously while Inari was confused.

Eventually, the child came to a wishful conclusion and ran up to a stunned and mostly naked Naruto and hugged his leg. Naruto sputtered and didn't know what to do when Inari asked if this meant that Naruto was going to be his new dad. Tsunami made eye contact with Naruto and the two broke out in smiles. Naruto didn't feel like ruining it for Inari and just said that he would be around from time to time. The little boy was so excited that the two couldn't help but smiled and sigh contentedly as the boy jumped on the bed.

The rest of the week was a lover's vacation for Naruto with only one minor distractions. He knew he would have some explaining to do when he returned to Kumo, but he didn't feel like he did anything wrong. Rias was torn due to jealousy because Naruto hadn't touched her since he rescued her. She saw the love and compassion he offered freely to Tsunami and wanted nothing more than that. She fell into a slight depression thinking that Naruto didn't want damaged goods since she was soiled by the likes of Gato. For the last week, she started avoiding Naruto, especially when he was around Tsunami.

Naruto noticed the strange behavior from his clan member and after a nudge from Tsunami he went to find her. She was sitting on the dock at the water's edge with her feet kicking idly in the water. He sat down next to her and threw an arm around her shoulder.

"You wanna talk about it cuz?" He opened up casually.

Rias initially stiffened at the contact but was unable to stop herself from leaning into his warmth. She sighed, "I don't know, Ruto. I don't know what or how I am supposed to feel."

Naruto was confused but he pulled her closer and leaned his head on hers. "Okay, we can just sit here then and enjoy the sunset. I want you to know that I care about you, and you will always be family."

Rias whimpered as a tear fell from her eye. "Is that all I will ever be to you?" At Naruto's confused feel and grunt, she elaborated. "I don't know if you know this but each of your adopted sisters loves you. Not just like a brother, but actual love. Tayuya is really the only one that sees you like a true brother because you two grew up together. Even she would be willing to give up Atsui if it meant she could share your love."

Naruto gasped at that; he would never want that. "Look, Rias, I don't want Tayuya to break up something good. I know that mom talked about the purity of the Uzumaki bloodlines, and I am coming around to the idea, but I would never want to stop you girls from finding true love."

Rias turned her head and put both her hands on Naruto's cheeks before forcing him to look her in the eye. "What if my true love is you?"

Naruto's deep azure blues softened as he processed the thinly veiled tears and sense of desperation, and a contemplative look fixed itself on his face. "Maybe now, but what if you find a great guy in the future? You will always be someone special to me, but I don't want you to close your heart to others. I already have more women than I deserve…"

Rias' tone gained a ferocity that caught Naruto off guard. "Isn't that for us girls to decide? You don't know what a good guy you are, Ruto-Kun. You saved me when I was broken by Gato, and you gave me a home and a family. You are something truly unique in this world and I would be happy with a small piece of your heart. Please … Ruto…"

Rias' eyes glistened with unfallen tears in the sunset and her face looked like the vision of beauty. Naruto leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before tenderly kissing her forehead. He smiled at her as expression remained frozen in surprise.

"I don't know where this will go from here, but I want you to know you are already in my heart, Rias-Chan, and you are not broken. That being said, I only have a couple days left with Tsunami-Chan and I don't want to be disrespectful to her in her own house. For now, can you wait until we get home?"

Rias smiled beautifully at him and replaced her head on his shoulder. The two watched the sunset over the ocean horizon and enjoyed the beauty of the land of Waves. Tsunami saw the two out of the kitchen window and a contented smile fixed itself on her face. She thought she would be more jealous seeing Naruto with another woman after claiming him, but it surprisingly didn't bother her. She continued to watch Naruto display a love and tenderness that one wouldn't expect from such a big and powerful man until she retired to the living room to enjoy the fire and a bottle of sake.

-One Year Later-

The year passed in a flash for the Maki, UchiMaki and other shinobi that left Konoha. If one were to take a peek at the world news, it may look something like this. The Maki clan started selling seals in bulk outside of Kumo. The Maki clan accepted sealing contracts in countries allied to Kumo, which included Wave, Kiri and Ame. They had been stonewalling requests from Konoha but have provided services to the Fire Daimyo at a premium price. With the growth of the clan and the increased proficiency at Kumo's overall fuinjutsu, mass production of seals became Kumo's main export.

They used Wave country as a distribution point for Kiri and Konoha while they set up a trading post on Kumo's border with Iwa. The Maki sealing corporation used Wave because Tsunami had taken over the remnants of Gato shipping and Wave country was at a perfect spot in the Elemental Oceans since it linked Kiri, Uzushio, Kumo and Fire Country. Wave country accepted Kumo's aid in setting up a shinobi and samurai presence on the island nation due to the increased attention the country was getting.

A small side note for Wave country, the Maki family agreed to let Naruto fulfill Tsunami's request. After a couple passion filled nights during Naruto's travels, Tsunami got her wish. Last month, Tsunami popped out a blonde baby with blue tips on his hair and Tsunami named him Kaisa. Inari was overjoyed and has insisted on calling Naruto his Tu-San since then. Naruto stopped by Wave every now and then, but the agreement with Tsunami was that she would be primarily responsible for raising the child. Naruto cared for her, but he had his duties to Kumo, Uzu and Wave that required him to stay on his current path.

The main seals that the Maki Corporation sold were quality of life seals, such as deployable barrier seals that were often equipped in caravans. With one seal, the caravan could erect a barrier that lasted 24-hours and the barrier automatically sent out an SOS to the nearest seal link. The Daimyo of each nation were keenly interested in these, and they offered samurai response squads to cut down on highway crimes and bandits. Over time, these reforms were effective at reducing crime like highway robbery, which encouraged travel and stimulated the economy, which in turn made the Daimyos richer.

Another seal that sold like hot cakes was the anti-rape seal that Naruto and Kushina developed. This was a popular seal in every hidden village and civilians around the elemental nations began keeping these on their person. The seal became a standard issue for every Kumo kunoichi due to its high success rate and even more praise and notoriety was given to Ruto Maki. When the seals were activated by a small, civilian level burst of chakra, the seal would emit an electric shock strong enough to incapacitate most attackers. If the seal were activated a second time, then a barrier would pop up around the distressed individual. The Makis were happy to help protect the women of the world from the most heinous act, and it brought international fame to the family.

Other news in the Maki clan was the announcement of four marriages for the sole male of the clan, Ruto Maki. His fiancées were Mabui, Samui, Amie and Itachi, who's public alias was Chi. I believe that last name calls for a flashback no jutsu.

-Flashback-

Itachi was getting incorporated into Kumo's force and she was widely accepted for her prowess as one of Kumo's top kunoichi. She had already eclipsed Anko, and she was in line to challenge Yugito Ni. Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan may have been a contributing factor to her success, but she did not overuse the doujutsu. Tsunade was monitoring her diminishing eyesight and had warned her multiple times about the risks of overuse. The plan for now, thanks to intelligence from Mikoto, was for her and Itachi to swap eyes soon. Anyway, Itachi was scheduled for a ranked match against Yugito Ni, and she requested Naruto's aid in preparing for the match.

On an informational note, Kumo developed a ranking system for its chunin and jonin shinobi. Once a month, those of 2 ranks lower could issue challenges to advance their overall rank in Kumo. Ai created this system to promote friendly competition and provide quality entertainment to the people of Kumo. The main rule for these matches was no killing to ensure that the competition remained positive rather than a tool for grudge matches. Due to the security seals, Kumo hasn't had to worry about spies, so Ai lets the people enjoy weekly exhibition matches at the stadium. It was so popular that people began making trips from the Lightning capitol if the event card were interesting enough.

The number one spot belongs to Killer Bee still, since Ai deemed it fair for him to use Gyuuki. Ruto then countered by saying he should be able to use his fuinjutsu in matches, but Ai overruled him on that. Ruto occupied the number two spot and has fended off 12 challengers in the last year alone. Everyone wanted to take a shot at Ruto after his exhibition match with Hanzo to see how they stacked up and claim that they fought against the Tenshi no Raijin.

One day, around four months after arriving in Kumo and spending a significant portion of her free time at the Maki compound, Itachi decided to be more direct with Naruto. After a rigorous training session, the two were relaxing in the private onsen with some sake. A couple saucers in, a blushing Itachi used her liquid courage to bring up an old conversation.

"Ano, Ruto-Kun, do you happen to remember the last conversation we had before you fled from Konoha?" Itachi asked in a sheepish tone that was totally foreign to the normally composed Uchiha girl.

Naruto pondered it for a little bit before he recalled the reminder that the girls gave him a couple months back. "Yeah, Itachi, I do. You will never know how much your friendship meant to me back then. And did you just 'ano' me?"

Itachi's blush deepened and she bought time by sipping more sake from her saucer. "Yeah, well, what do you think about it?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to take an extra long sip of sake. "Well, I guess I would rather ask you why you took it so seriously? I have nothing against you, Itachi, you are a gorgeous and powerful kunoichi. I figured you could have had any man you wanted in the world, so why latch onto a childhood promise and why would you wish to marry me?"

Itachi was sporting a blush that put the Hyuga's to shame. "Umm, I guess it was because you were the first boy I ever liked. Then, when you said it, you had the biggest and most genuine smile on your face and it kind of got stuck in my memory. Whenever I thought about my future, you were the one that popped into my fantasies. My mom always shared Kushina's letters with me so I kinda kept tabs on you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "The beautiful and proud Itachi Uchiha kept tabs on little ole' me?"

"Yeah, well, don't let it get to your head, baka. After you left, I graduated the following year and then I was in ANBU two years later. I stayed so busy that I never made time for love, but when I thought about it, your face and smile would always pop into my head. When my fool of a father promised me to the Hyuga, it made me sick, and your face was the one I thought of."

"Well, thank you, sweetheart. That is sweet and I appreciate the sentiment. If I were to ask you what in the last six months confirmed your feelings, what would you say?"

Itachi sighed, "What is this, Ruto, twenty questions?"

Naruto held his hands up in mock defense. "No, no. Sigh, I just have three fiancées already, and that's not including Hikari-Chan. Why would you want to share me when you could have any guy in Kumo?"

Itachi was getting frustrated now, so she crossed the onsen and pinned Naruto in with both arms and looked him straight in the eye. The coal black eyes held a fragility that Naruto thought was foreign to the Uchiha. As black met azure blue, Naruto felt the now familiar feeling of souls linking up. Itachi kept creeping her face closer to his in a sensually slow manner, before she whispered.

"What if I don't want any guy in Kumo, what if I only want you, Ruto-Kun?"

By the time Itachi finished asking the question, Itachi's lips were a mere inch from his and her hot breath crashed upon his whisker marks in a sensual manner. Her breath smelled like cinnamon and her hair carried a cherry scent with it. Naruto decided to give her his answer with a tentative kiss to her lips. It started slowly, with just the soft sensation of moist lips, then a small soft tongue licked his top lip, followed by a small nibble to his bottom lip. Naruto ceased all attempts to resist, and Itachi placed herself in Naruto's lap, barely conscious of the rod that was now placed in between their two bodies.

Inside the seal, Hikari was enjoying the enhanced link. She bore no love for the Uchiha clan in general, but this one was okay. This one felt different in a gentler way, like the typical taint around the Uchiha soul was absent. She decided that this girl would have a chance to earn her trust and a shot at a spot in the family.

-End of Flashback-

Since the initial makeout session, the girls had approved of Itachi and given their blessing. After Ruto officially proposed to Samui and Mabui, he decided that he would extend the same offer to Itachi. Naruto approached Mikoto over dinner and Mikoto and Kushina squealed like schoolgirls when their master plan came together. Naruto then took Itachi up to his favorite spot in Kumo, the roof of the Raikage tower, and treated her to chocolate strawberries, stargazing and a fire ruby ring. The delicate mask that Itachi usually wore cracked completely and Naruto got a true glimpse of the beautiful and kind girl he remembered as a kid.

The proposal to Itachi brought her to tears of happiness as her visage was framed by the sun setting over the clouds and mountains of Kumo. After she said yes and accepted the ring, Itachi snuggled into Naruto and enjoyed the beautiful scene. Michelangelo would have been entirely incapable of depicting the beauty of mother nature as the Maki and Uchimaki cuddled atop the Raikage's tower. That night was the first night that Itachi shared a bed with Naruto, it was the first night that she became one with a man and it was the first night of her life where she felt complete.

Through liberal use of shadow clones, Naruto has been able to keep his girls happy. When Naruto is in town, the girls agreed to share the real him equally, but if they were being honest, cuddling with shadow clones wasn't so bad. The clones were so eager to please and they somehow possessed Naruto's warmth and ability to transition into their Hanyu forms. At nighttime, Ruto became a cuddle pillow to every girl in the house, yes, even Kin, Rias and Karin. There were even nights that Kushina wanted to cuddle into the softness of her sochi's tails, so Ruto became accustomed to sending shadow clones in to cuddle with each girl every night he was in town.

Outside of Naruto's love life, there have been a couple of international events worth reporting. First was the attack by a rogue group of ninjas on Takigakore. There were nearly 50-percent civilian casualties and over 80-percent shinobi casualties in Taki. Evidently, the attack force was led by one of their rogue ninjas, Kakazu, and he was accompanied by Kisame Hoshigaki, Hidan the Jashinist and multiple unidentified shinobi. The town was sacked and looted and their jinchuriki is unaccounted for. The only information to come out of this attack was that Kakuzu and Kisame were wearing black cloaks with red clouds, which incensed Nagato, Konan and Yahiko.

Suna is no more. After the initial attack, the civilian population was evacuated, and the town has turned into a shinobi outpost. Most people speculate that Konoha is manning Suna, but the desert makes it hard to get information out. The city has been on lockdown and Konoha has been taking all mission requests from Kaze no Kuni as a guise of recompense for the invasion. The militant nature of Konoha is concerning Iwa, Kumo and Kiri, but since their takeover could be seen as justified, nobody has done anything official about it.

On top of Suna, Konoha has attempted to invade Otogakore, but the village has proven difficult to find and root out. The snake Sanin Orochimaru is still on the loose and Fugaku is still hell bent on getting revenge, an ambition shared by his son. Speaking of Fugaku, he has taken multiple wives and concubines to restore the Uchiha clan. His primary wife was Mibuki Haruno, who helps him control the civilian side of the council. The man has lost support on the shinobi side of the council, but nobody stands in open defiance of him for fear of retaliation.

The Hyuga clan had almost completely fallen from grace. Their old rivals, the Uchiha, used legislative measures to ensure that they would never rise in defiance. Fugaku worked with the elders to ensure that clan customs would be honored, and in return Fugaku got leniency from the Hyuga along with their political influence. Hinata had recovered from her beating at the hands of Tayuya and she purged all emotion following the deaths of her mother and sister. She had turned into the female version of her father and was set to marry her cousin Neji in order to maintain the purity of the Byakugan.

In Uzushiogakore, the two Hyuga stowaways were working to establish themselves on the island. Hannabi trained alongside Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and a number of other shinobi that had come to the island recently. The shinobi academy was already up and running that everyone on the island attended two days a week for intro to fuinjutsu. Even if they weren't Uzumakis by blood, the people of Uzushio would honor their traditions and gain a mastery over fuinjutsu that dwarfed modern standards.

The Sand siblings were devastated when they heard about the fall of their home, but they were not surprised. Suna had committed over half of its shinobi force to the invasion of Konoha and it failed. Their sensei Baki had died in order to get a message to them that they should not return to the village anytime soon, which is why the sought shelter on Uzu. They were committing themselves to getting stronger in order to carry on the traditions and legacy of Suna.

-Jiraiya's Report-

Jiraiya, the Toad Sanin, was the last remaining Sanin loyal to Konoha. He didn't much like serving Fugaku, but he believed in serving Konoha and right now his village needed him. Too much was changing on the world stage and most of it didn't bode well for Konoha. He was returning from a round of information gathering with his spy network and he knew that the Hokage wasn't going to like his most recent news. So, Jiraiya did what he always did when he had bad news to deliver, he stalled and went to peep at the hot springs.

After a good amount of research and a healthy beating, Jiraiya brushed the dust off his haori and proceeded to the Hokage's office. One might be inclined to ask how a legendary Sanin known for his information gathering prowess repeatedly gets caught peeking at women in the hot springs. If one forced an answer, Jiraiya would tell them that he deserves it for all of his failures in life. That, and it was totally awesome getting beaten by nude or scantily clad women. Regardless, the Toad sage had a report to give, and he had stalled long enough.

Fugaku was mulling over recent developments in his office. Black zetsu had detached from him a year ago and latched onto a white zetsu in order to be his eyes in the field. There were an increasing number of cities that zetsu could no longer enter without being discovered, which was greatly hindering the plant's information gathering. He was waiting on a report from Jiraiya to supplement his information and get a clearer picture of what exactly was going on in the elemental nations.

As Fugaku was thinking about it, the long mane of white hair appeared on his windowsill. Instead of entering, Jiraiya reclined into the windowsill, and decided to give his report from there. He had an image to maintain, so he kept his tone casual yet professional.

"The Great Toad Sage reporting in, Hokage-Sama."

Fugaku turned and locked eyes with Jiraiya, "I was expecting you here yesterday, but I have already received reports of your beating at the bath houses, so no need for an excuse. Let's hear your report."

"Not good, I'm afraid. I have failed to infiltrate Kumo multiple times. Each time I enter, I am discovered almost immediately and without fail. Based on that, I am guessing that my chakra signature is flagged and the only reason I am not dead or imprisoned is my Sanin status. The last attempt caused Kirinji to revoke my travelling rights in Kaminari no Kuni, which means if I am caught again, I will not be spared."

Fugaku growled at this. "How have they been able to reinforce their security so much in just ten years? It is truly unbelievable what the Maki clan has done for that wretched nation."

"Well, you hit the nail on the head. During my travels through the towns of Lightning country, I can tell you that each town is experiencing unprecedented growth and development. It used to be a barren landscape, but the land is developed now and tamed by earth jutsu. I saw multiple ninjas assisting everyday people with jutsus and the spread of seals throughout the country is fascinating. At this time, Kumo is Konoha's greatest threat, and it is not even a close contest."

Fugaku sighed and rested his head on his hands. "Yes, well the non-aggression pact is holding, and they even helped us recover from the invasion. For now, they do not see us as a threat. What of the other countries?"

"Well, I can confirm that Ame allied with Kumo via a political marriage of Hanzo's daughter to Ruto Maki. That land was nearly impossible to infiltrate before and it appears that Kumo shared its defensive seals with Ame. Same story for Wave and Kiri, although many islands in Mizu no Kuni do not have such protections."

"Tell me of Kiri, any news on the whereabouts of the Rokubi or Sanbi? What of their rebuilding efforts?"

"This is the bad news. No new news on the jinchuriki, it appears the Rokubi is still roaming throughout Water country because it is not inside Kiri. Kiri appears to be getting substantial outside support in their rebuilding efforts. Most of that support is funneled through the Land of Waves, but there are whispers about Uzushiogakore being rebuilt. That island is locked down tighter than a princess' chastity though and I have had nobody capable of infiltrating the island."

"Then how did you hear of Uzu being rebuilt?" Fugaku asked, clearly frustrated.

"Drunken sailors at a bar in Water country. I tried probing further but they didn't have any more information than that. It does merit looking into and it begs the question of why an old ally wouldn't contact us." Jiraiya said in his thinking pose.

"Very well, we will look into that further and discuss it at a later date. What of Iwa's jinchuriki?" Fugaku's tone sounded hopeful for a bit of positive news.

"Both of them are still roaming and are only protected by a squad of jonin a piece. Han is in some mountain retreats, still haven't pinpointed him, but Roshi is up in the volcano. The old bastard is constantly hanging around lava, which would make him a real threat, even to your elite band of merry men."

Fugaku let that stir around in his mind for a while. The volcano was in the heart of Iwa, and it wasn't far from Iwagakore, so reinforcements would be close by. 'Maybe a more underhanded approach could be used?' thought Fugaku. He seemed to make up his mind before he asked his next question.

"What of the jonin exams coming up in Iwa?"

Jiraiya seemed to perk up, since he actually had information on this topic. "Well, it appears like Kumo has committed to sending a couple teams, any guess which team will win it?"

Fugaku growled, "The Divine Bolts with Ruto Maki."

"Yup, and that's not all. The Tsuchikage's granddaughter will be taking part as well. Rumors say that a team or two from Kiri will also take part, which would be interesting to see the caliber of shinobi coming from that war."

Fugaku interlocked his fingers. "It appears that we will need to send a team or two to represent. What happened to Tsunade? I find her betrayal in our time of need truly infuriating."

Jiraiya looked hesitant to share the information, but at a stern look from Fugaku, he relented. "Tsunade is indeed in Kumo. I don't know much more than that, but there were rumors of her helping many people from Kumo. If she is there, then Shizune Kaito is there with her."

Fugaku growled, "Kumo really does have their hands in everything. While we cannot afford to take direct action, I believe it is time for us to put our missing nin to the use and these jonin exams provide an opportunity."

"Who is your target?" Jiraiya asked with a mix of interest and concern.

"Do not worry about such things, Jiraiya. Any updates on Oto?"

"The old snake is as slippery as ever. We have taken out a couple bases and found a few more deserted ones. The Daimyo of the Land of Rice Paddies has denounced Orochimaru and give us passage on his lands. Us and Kumo, it would seem."

"What is Kumo's connection to that pathetic country?" Fugaku asked.

"Well, the Divine Bolts helped him out of a jam before our chunin exam fiasco. Then he was here during the finals and saw their performance, so he has been using them for most of his missions."

"Very well, Jiraiya, enjoy a week off then get back out into the field. I want you to focus on Iwa and Uzu, we may be able to use those two to our advantage."