Naruto: Kōkai

by Ken Miyamoto

After the failure of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission the Council of the Hidden Leaf decides to punish Naruto with banishment from the village forcing the hand of Tsunade. Now alone and no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Naruto decides to take his newfound life into his own hands. Follow Naruto Uzumaki as he tries to find his place in the ninja world.

26. Chapter 26

Super Quick Note

The regular author's note has been moved down to below the story, so you'll find the reviews after you read the chapter. This chapter has been segmented into a lot more sections than usual so beware of that haha.

Also, this chapter while not having explicit content has initimate content so this is your warning.

Thank you, see you when you're done reading!

{...}

Chapter 26: Welcome Home

"Of course, it's my duty."

The voice of a young woman said while a pair of dark eyes looked toward her, it was the dead of night and Sasuke was on a trial mission with his newest granted partner from Orochimaru.

Karin.

He didn't really have much of an opinion of the girl other than an ever so slight reminder of one of his teammates... perhaps she really didn't and this sensation he was receiving was just nostalgia. Sasuke has been really nostalgic these days when it came to them, he blamed that snake bastard for even reminding him of them with his current assignment.

Find Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke nearly shivered just thinking about the task, there were multiple things that went through his mind about the potential places or reasons he could be there but there was no way that idiot would have made it far on his own.

Regardless.

That was the point of Karin, he decided to test if the girl could keep up with him so he stepped in to assist her with the runaway prisoners that got excited about the fact that their warden would be gone for a potentially long period of time and decided to take advantage of that. It was a bit of a pain, but it worked out for him in the end.

The girl stood only slightly shorter than him with brilliant red hair, her eyes were also the same odd red color paired with a pair of glasses she would adjust occasionally. Her intellect alone was enough to impress Sasuke that paired with her cautious nature should allow her to be quite the asset on their task and maybe even future endeavors.

Most importantly, Karin was able to detect chakra signatures.

Her sensor abilities were unmatched by anyone he had met before her. They hadn't started all that long ago and she had already located multiple targets that had been promptly taken down. If this was the scale of her power then, locating Naruto if the teen was somehow alive would be very easy as well as their extra target along the way.

Sasuke stared toward the girl before he looked ahead dashing into the trees even faster, Karin made a face before she huffed following closely after him. "There, directly below us." the girl said calmly while Sasuke's eyes flicked downward before he allowed himself to drop on top of the prisoner who yelled as the black-haired boy landed on top of him.

"Another one, approaching your flank."

Karin said while Sasuke closed his eyes ducking his head avoiding a knife slash before he turned grabbing the man's collar before slamming his hand into the inmate's neck knocking him out before he turned to keep moving.

"Sasuke... Why not just kill them? They're prisoners anyway, no one's going to miss them. Most of them are on death row anyway."

The girl stated while Sasuke gave a look toward the downed man, the black-haired boy had a rule about killing. If he didn't have to he wouldn't, not because he was some altruistic person or anything but she did bring up an interesting point for a moment. When they ran into Naruto on the road eventually, they are going to fight there's no question about that.

Will he have to?

Sasuke thought of Naruto on the ground in the Valley of the End with closed eyes before the black-haired boy shook his head to get the image out of it before he focused on his true objective.

"Karin... I'm not killing them because I don't have to. I also only want to kill one man..."

Sasuke said a little darker while Karin's eyes widened a little bit before she took a step back, the sharingan eyes of his older brother looking toward him on the street that day. The day he slaughtered their clan in cold blood, since that day he's been doing whatever, it took so that one day he could kill that man.

Itachi Uchiha.

"...Ok."

Karin spoke while Sasuke noticed her tone had changed all the sudden and for some reason, she now had a slight flush on her face he could barely see in the dark of night.

It wasn't even that cold.

The black-haired boy shook of that thought before he turned, "Karin." Sasuke said simply while the girl nodded her head before closing her eyes to detect chakra again. With Karin on his side, he was expecting that once they began their trip together that they wouldn't take long finding Naruto at all and then he would have to face off with the blonde once more.

He was confident in the case where they would have to fight again, while Naruto's drive was annoying it wasn't anywhere near his own. That means even now he should engulf the blonde in strength and taking him down should be simple enough. What has he gone through since then? It had been months upon months, so he had to have survived much.

Did he suffer at all?

The thought crossed Sasuke's brain causing the black-haired boy even while moving to look down slightly thinking about the grinning blonde giving him a thumbs up before Sasuke shook his head.

The black-haired boy watched Karin fall from the treeline toward the armed prisoner below before he took a deep breath, for the sake of his revenge he needed power. The power to finally put an end to his brother and avenge his clan, and for that he would have to throw away petty attachments and especially that blonde idiot. He could have no distractions.

Sasuke dove from the treeline quickly saving Karin from the prisoner with a quick unsheathing of his sword before he landed with the girl in his arms, Karin looked toward the teen with admiration before the black-haired teen nearly dropped back to her feet before he walked forward with a darkened expression.

'Naruto... I'm coming to find you.'

For the sake of power... Sasuke was more than willing to kill his past.

{...}

The sound of an explosion sent dust flying into the air while the sound of horse galloping filled the ears of two teens, another explosion blew up nearby causing the horse to pivot before jumping over a large fallen log on the ground.

"I thought you said they liked you?!"

"Well, we must not be in the Land of Fang anymore. The good news is that means we're getting really close?"

Naruto tried to look optimistically while Kurotsuchi gave the blonde a look before she quickly stood on the back of the horse forming hand signs, "Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!" the girl yelled out while spikes poked out of the ground behind them causing their pursuers to halt while Naruto kept directing the horse forward.

"Don't let the rogue escape!"

One of the ninja called out from behind them while Kurotsuchi sighed, "You know if you were going to tell me you were this popular in these parts I would have just asked to take the long way." the girl said while Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"How was I supposed to know my face was starting to get around? Hell, the last time I checked I was pretty much a nobody!"

Naruto yelled while Kurotsuchi chuckled at the blonde before she turned her head watching the ninja with the waterfall symbol on their headbands approaching them. "Fire Style: Mist Blaze Breath!" the girl exhaled causing flames to shoot out of her mouth while the ninja dodged out of the way throwing kunai and shuriken at the pair who weaved past them.

Kurotsuchi felt a hand touch her shoulder while she looked toward Naruto who was grinning at her while standing up causing her to look at him with surprise, "Naruto! Who's driving the horse?" the girl asked while the blonde pointed a thumb at a clone who waved.

"You're incorrigible."

"Sorry."

The blonde said before he placed his palm on the small of her back causing her to transform in a puff of smoke into a demon wind shuriken that Naruto threw toward the approaching ninja before he pulled out several kunai launching them right after it.

The ninja dodged the demon wind that spun past them while the kunai stabbed into the ground with the last one detonating causing an explosion that caused the ninja to jump backward, the demon wind behind them transformed back into Kurotsuchi while she finished forming hand signs.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!"

The girl called before slapping her hand against the ground causing large rock spikes to pop out of the ground the ninja dodged them while they all looked toward the black-haired girl, the discarded kunai then became clones of Naruto attacking the advancing men before the original footstolled one of them landing beside Kurotsuchi with a grin on his face.

"Fools, you've trapped yourself in here with us!"

One of the ninja yelled while he looked around at the large, spiked rocks surrounding them while Kurotsuchi looked around with small grin on her face.

"Trapped in here with you?"

"Heh, nah… You're trapped in here with us!"

Naruto finished after Kurotsuchi while the ninja gave the pair of teens a look while the blonde formed his famous hand sign creating multiple shadow clones while the girl popped her knuckles.

The clones dashed ahead at the men in front of them while they advanced as well, Naruto back flipped before he threw several shuriken into the air. Kurotsuchi meanwhile slid off of the back of one of Naruto's clones kicking one of the ninja backward before she almost effortlessly dodged several swings from another one of the ninja before she ducked her head downward allowing Naruto's kick to slam against the ninja's face.

Kurotsuchi the grabbed Naruto's hand with a smile on her face before the blonde twirled her allowing her to sweep the legs of one of the ninja before pulling her in closely.

"Need a lift?"

The blonde asked while Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes before he tossed her in the air, "Water Style: Water Pellet!" one of the ninja yelled while one of the clones blocked the water blast. Naruto formed several more hand signs as Kurotsuchi snatched the shuriken in the air into her hands.

"Shuriken Clone Jutsu!"

The blonde yelled while the shuriken multiplied around Kurotsuchi who ignited the ones in her hands with fire, "Try this!" the girl yelled before she began launching fire-covered shuriken toward the ninja who did their best to dodge on the ground while Naruto weaved through the falling ignited blades attacking the retreating ninja.

Kurotsuchi landed while Naruto began gathering wind chakra around his feet while the girl started forming hand signs, the ninja on the other side began launching jutsu at them while the kunoichi backflipped right as Naruto unleashed his wind covered kick launching the girl forward.

Kurotsuchi weaved through the jutsu while flying through the air before she flipped, allowing the impact of the wind to slam against them before she exhaled, "Combination Style: Mist Blaze Explosion!" flames came out of her mouth before they made contact with the wind slamming against the ninja causing an explosion.

The kunoichi landed while looking toward the downed ninja before she took a breath, "Are they dead?" Naruto asked while her pink eyes looked toward the groaning men while she shook her head.

"Nope, let's tie them up."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Mercy for your enemies now, Kuro?" the blonde asked in a joking manner while the girl chuckled.

"I wouldn't call these men my enemies, now that I think about it, I don't really have that many enemies anymore. I guess I just don't want to kill them, they were just doing their jobs. Also, I had a pretty bad influence hanging around me."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto grinned at her, she genuinely felt no need to execute these ninjas despite the fact that they did just try to kill them. After the Land of Iron Arc and traveling with Naruto she felt that her horizons had grown.

That she had grown.

"Have I ever told you how much I love fighting with you?"

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto smiled toward her while tying up the ninja, "Funny you say that I'm a pretty big fan of fighting with you too." The blonde said while he started to pull them up into the trees with a rope line he made.

"We should do it more often."

The girl spoke a little quieter while Naruto grinned, "Hey, who knows. We could get into another scuffle before we reach the Hidden Stone, I know it's super close but never say never." the blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi felt herself slowly get pulled back into reality. When they were fighting together it completely slipped her mind because it felt so normal fighting with him.

It felt like business as usual, she had his back and he had hers. Just like they had been doing for months, she had been improving her techniques and even gained the Lava Style she had been training. All the time she spent thinking up of more combo styles to make up with him she was completely forgetting about the glaring truth staring at her.

That was coming to an end.

The horse had made their trip way faster, what would have taken a week had only taken 3 days and they were almost already at the border of the Hidden Stone and the Land of Waterfalls. The girl blinked silently before Naruto finished walking toward her.

"Kuro?"

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi gave him a smile, "Yeah, we're super close. Almost there." the girl said while Naruto grabbed her hand rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand.

"Don't worry I've gotcha."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi smiled before she looked into his blue eyes, slowly she watched the horse return with the blonde disappearing from the back of it. The pair walked toward the horse before Naruto got back on holding a handout toward the kunoichi who grabbed it allowing him to pull her up.

How many more adventures could they have had if only they took that week instead of the faster route with the horse? No offense to the horse at all, but she silently wishes they never took him.

Kurotsuchi held onto Naruto tighter while the blonde got them moving back on the road again toward the Hidden Stone.

"Naruto Uzumaki, your friendly wandering ninja!"

The blonde boy stood in front of Kurotsuchi whose ears were still bleeding, the girl blinked while she watched the blonde beginning to fight against the sound ninja who attacked her. Some strange guy that came out of the bushes was helping her and he was strong.

Why?

"It's a ninja kill ninja world."

Kurotsuchi pointed her sword toward Naruto who was sitting down across from her while she glared toward him. Trusting some rogue ninja, that couldn't ever happen. Yes, she was injured but she would have to make do on her own, this guy was untrustworthy.

An enemy.

He would agree with her sentiment, after all rogue or not he was a ninja too. This Naruto shouldn't trust her either. Kurotsuchi watched the tip of her blade move while Naruto's warm blue eyes looked into her pink ones.

"It doesn't have to be with me."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi looked toward the teen, he could have said anything or done anything because she was vulnerable. Instead, he looked her in the eye, she couldn't detect even a trace of a lie. Either he was really good at lying or he was an idiot.

She just hated how relieved she felt when he said those words.

"I want to try being happy."

The blonde spoke with that expression on his face while Kurotsuchi could feel her heartbreaking looking toward the blonde.

This guy.

This guy was just a person, she watched him decimate those ninjas as a demon. He was just like her, a killer. Yet when they left Kou, Naruto cried. Tears came out of the eyes of this monster; he wasn't like her at all.

He was human.

Naruto just wanted to be happy while she just fought for her village's sake, she was tied down to her duty while this boy.

He was living.

Kurotsuchi looked at Naruto while the pair began walking together. Perhaps if she stuck with him a little longer than maybe she could live too?

More memories flashed of Naruto facing off with Deidara for her sake while she couldn't do a thing to then fighting together. Meeting Koyori and taking a bath together. Naruto protecting her from Arashi's blade, getting himself cut in the process.

"You're a pretty as always, Kuro."

They had gone through so much together.

It had been four months of fighting alongside each other, growing closer, trusting one another, deepening their feelings.

Now it was coming to a close.

"Kuro!"

Naruto called while Kurotsuchi blinked, looking toward the blonde, "Yeah?" The black-haired girl spoke while the blonde tilted his head to look at her.

"You doing ok?"

The blonde asked while the horse they were on galloped forward, "Yeah, just thinking about the Land of Iron." The girl said while Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah, that was super crazy, wasn't it? I'm grateful though."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi looked at him sadly, "Yeah, it's been a long journey back." The girl spoke softly while the boy grinned.

"Not too long now! I was going to tell you we're reaching the border of the Land of Stone according to the map. We're super close! Almost mission accomplished."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi looked toward him, "Oh? Yeah, it's almost over." She spoke while Naruto looked toward her.

"You sure you're ok? You don't seem super happy. I thought you would be more excited… I mean it's your home."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi waved her hands, "I mean I am excited but I'm just a little worn out from all the activity lately." The girl said while the blonde gave her a grin.

"You're probably still feeling a little hungover from your drinking spree a few days back."

Naruto teased while Kurotsuchi smiled at him before slapping his back, "Shut up, I am not… Hey Naruto? Let's set up camp for the day." The girl said while the blonde pulled back on the reins of their steed.

"Camp here? We're almost there, we'll be at the Land of Stone by nightfall at this rate."

The blonde spoke while he looked into Kurotsuchi's stare before he nodded his head, the horse stopped before the pair got off of it. Soon they were sitting by a fire, pink eyes watched the fire crackle while Naruto placed more wood into the fire fueling it.

"There. That should keep it going for a while, so we can get some good warm rest. One last time before you're done camping for a while. "

The blonde joked while Kurotsuchi looked toward him, she didn't say a word, but Naruto could already tell what she was thinking.

"I'm trying to make you laugh, Kuro… Hell, I'm trying to make myself laugh."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi sighed, "It doesn't feel real… that is the end of the line." The girl spoke while Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah, it feels so long yet so short. It's kinda strange, isn't it? You think they're going to freak out seeing you again?"

The boy asked while Kurotsuchi huffed, "Freak out? My grandfather might just die from shock. My parents… they're going to kill me. I don't know how to face them."

Kurotsuchi lied slightly while Naruto gave her a look, "Well Kuro, if you just face them, I'm sure you'll be welcomed back with open arms. I'm sure they missed you." The blonde spoke while she looked toward him.

"What about the Leaf Village? If you went back, how would that feel?"

Kurotsuchi asked while Naruto tapped his chin, "Super strange, I've changed so much. I might give a couple of people heart attacks, but I'm sure it would be fine after a little bit."

Naruto reassured while Kurotsuchi looked toward him guiltily, "Would you… would you even want to go back?" The girl asked while the blonde blinked at her.

"One day… just to visit and see how everyone's doing. Then it's back on the road for me."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi gave him a confused look, "Wait. You wouldn't go back to stay? Why? You said it would be fine after a while, don't you miss it?" The girl asked while the blonde chuckled.

"Of course, I do but like I said things have changed, the Leaf Village will always be my home no matter what. It's just a place I don't live anymore. I still have so much more to see out here y'know?"

Naruto spoke confidently while Kurotsuchi gave him a look, "Isn't it tiring? Continuing to camp and move constantly? Don't you want to settle down somewhere? Call it home?" The girl asked while Naruto gave her a look.

"That's an idea, I have no idea where though. The world's a big place so it could be anywhere."

Naruto said while Kurotsuchi stared at him, 'Stay with me.' The girl thought to herself before she looked away.

She couldn't ask him that.

If she could discover who he was then her village would definitely find out who he was, apparently Naruto was pretty well known from the lands they have gone through. The moment her grandfather caught wind of Naruto, that man would hesitate to capture him on sight.

As badly as she wanted him to stay with her, it wouldn't be any better than the road. It would be dooming him to a worse fate.

"So, where to next for Naruto Uzumaki?"

The girl asked quickly while Naruto blinked before he gave her a look, "I'm headed east toward the Land of Water… I've been having these dreams about my parents, I think. I want to know more about them and where better than the Village Hidden in Whirlpools?" The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi tilted her head toward him.

"That's a big trip, the distance is insane. You'll be doing that alone?" The brunette asked while Naruto nodded his head.

"Yup, it's fine though. I'm pretty used to it… well I was used to it, but I can get used to it again. Who knows maybe I could make some more friends along the way."

The blonde spoke while the girl looked toward the dirt, "What about me?" Kurotsuchi allowed to slip out of her mouth while Naruto moved closer to her, grabbing her hand.

"I'm here with you right now. I'm not going anywhere yet Kuro, I'll even hang around the Hidden Stone for a bit. What's the worst that could happen?"

The blonde laughed while Kurotsuchi paled at the words, unfortunately Naruto was unaware of the history of his lineage and her home.

"Let me give you the big tour, once we get there. I'll even take you to my favorite rice bowl place, mark off another food item from your list."

The girl spoke while Naruto grinned widely at her, "Seriously? Hell yeah!" The boy yelled while Kurotsuchi looked toward him with a small smile on her face.

There were so many things going through her mind, she had finally made it back home but in exchange.

She was going to lose Naruto.

He couldn't stay, they would hunt him down. They would have to constantly avoid her grandfather and he couldn't become a ninja there either.

Maybe… she could leave?

She could toss the map and get them lost in the world again, they could continue to travel together to distant lands and spend more time together. She could beg her grandfather; she could make Naruto's journey into an escort mission and stay with him that way.

That would be difficult.

What if she just left with Naruto? Lie about the mission and just leave with him to the Land of Water… willingly abandoning her home.

Her thoughts went to Deidara while the girl shook her head.

She couldn't do that.

Kurotsuchi stressed while Naruto looked toward her, "Kuro?" The blonde asked while the girl gave him a nudge.

"Let's read some more of your porn."

"Oi! I told you it's not porn!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Now come on, I need a good laugh. You gotta do the voice though."

"Ah, see I told you it was better with the voice! My Kakashi impression has improved."

"Whatever, hurry up."

"Yes ma'am!"

Naruto pulled out Makeout Paradise Vol. 2 while she looked toward him sadly, she would try to enjoy this time while it was beginning to run out with him.

She had to figure out what her next move was going to be.

And she had to figure it out very soon.

{...}

"Woah…"

Naruto spoke in awe while the gates in front of them opened slowly, the large stone gates slid against the earth while Kurotsuchi gave them a look. They had gotten here pretty fast, since they left their camp in the morning, they got there at little after noon. Kurotsuchi was so busy stressing about what she could do in her situation she couldn't even distract the blonde long enough to give her more time to think.

Now… they were here.

The gates opened completely while Naruto looked at the village inside with awe, "This looks nothing like the Hidden Leaf." The blonde said out loud while Kurotsuchi gave the boy a quick smack to the back of his head.

"What gives?"

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi gave him a look, "Try not to talk so loudly… my people are a little aloof." The girl spoke while Naruto blinked.

"Jeez, the Hidden Stone is pretty hardcore."

The boy said while they began to enter on the back of the horse, Kurotsuchi looked around while she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She quickly jumped down from the horse standing in front of it and Naruto while two ninja suddenly appeared right in front of her. They both had on brown flak jackets with the Hidden Stone symbol on their heads while Naruto grinned toward the men.

"What's your business he- Lady Kurotsuchi?!"

One of the ninja yelled while the girl looked back toward him, "Yes, I'm back. I'd like to report back to my grandfather as soon as possible so if you could just let us by." The girl spoke while the other sighed.

"Lady Kurotsuchi, we thought you had perished! It had been months since you disappeared without communication, The Tsuchikage sent out multiple search parties looking for you!"

The ninja spoke while Kurotsuchi rubbed the back of her head, "I apologize for my absence, look let me go report my return to him and-" the girl was cut off by one of the ninja's eyes widening as he looked at Naruto.

"Who is this?"

The ninja asked while the blonde grinned, "I'm Naruto Uz-" The blonde was cut off by a slap to his leg while Kurotsuchi grinned.

"This is a guy… I uh borrowed his horse…"

Kurotsuchi spoke while one ninja looked at the other before they both looked toward Naruto before they spoke.

"Doesn't he look like-?"

One of the men spoke while Kurotsuchi grabbed onto the reins of the horse pulling it and Naruto along with her. "This is the man who saved my life, now if you'll excuse me, I need to bring him to my grandfather, so I'll talk with you soon!" Kurotsuchi said while she quickly dragged both the horse and Naruto away from the two men who stared toward them.

"Kuro, what's going on? Why are you acting so weird? Those guys are probably sketched out of their minds now."

Naruto said while the girl looked toward him, "Like I said, my people are a little aloof and you're a high-profile character who needs to keep a low profile." Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto gave her a confused look before he suddenly had an idea.

"Ohhhh, I see what's going on here."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi's eyes widened toward the boy who just had an epiphany.

"It's because I'm technically a rogue ninja, isn't it? I almost forgot Hidden villages weren't the biggest fans of those types."

Naruto spoke confidently while Kurotsuchi sighed before giving him a smile, "Exactly! So, uh low profile." The girl spoke while the blonde nodded his head.

"It's been a while since I used one of these but I gotta try it."

The blonde formed hand signs before smoke poofed around him, suddenly the boy's hair became black, and his eyes were a green color his whisker marks had also disappeared while he gave her a grin.

"This work? Pretty good huh?"

The blonde asked while Kurotsuchi grinned, she could kiss him right there and then. "That's amazing! Keep that up for as long as possible, ok?" She asked while Naruto nodded.

"Ok."

The blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi sighed in relief before she looked ahead, nostalgia washed over her while she looked at the village.

She was home.

It had barely changed but it was home, Kurotsuchi was stressed but she was kind of happy being able to see it again after so much time. Now then, to hatch a plan. First, she would take Naruto to the rice bowl place, then she would-

"Kuro?! Is that really you!?"

A voice screamed out while she was suddenly tackled into a running hug from a brown-haired boy also wearing red with a bandana that had the metal plate bearing the insignia of the Hidden Stone on it.

"Damn it Akatsuchi!"

Kurotsuchi yelled while the brown-haired boy held onto her tightly, Naruto watched them both with a smile while the brown-haired boy looked at the girl. "I thought you were dead! We looked for days and couldn't find a trace of you!" Akatsuchi cried a little while the girl struggled in his grip before she sighed ending her struggling, Kurotsuchi hugged the boy back while rubbing his back.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

Akatsuchi said while his eyes looked toward Naruto who smiled at them both, "Hate to be that guy but who's this?" Akatsuchi asked while Kurotsuchi blinked.

"Oh this is-"

"Nori!"

Naruto exclaimed using his Kakashi impression nearly causing the brunette to do a spit take while Akatsuchi gave the boy a look. "Nori, huh? You must be the one who helped bring Kuro home. I'm really grateful!" The boy exclaimed while Naruto raised an eyebrow, this guy was nothing like Kurotsuchi but they seemed close.

"Yeah, it was a bit of a long trip, but we made it in one piece thanks to her navigation."

Naruto spoke with a grin while Kurotsuchi gave him a small smile, "That's Kurotsuchi for you, super handy." The boy spoke while the girl cleared her throat.

"Anyway, it's super nice seeing you but we gotta get a move on."

Kurotsuchi said actively trying to get away from the larger boy while Akatsuchi gave her a look, "Right, you have to report to the Tsuchikage. He's going to be so relieved; his bones have been constantly rattling thinking about you despite the serious front he was putting up… don't tell him I said that." the brown-haired boy laughed while Kurotsuchi sweatdropped.

"Well… I will definitely report to the Tsuchikage but honestly, we've had such a long trip and I'd like to thank Nori here by giving him a room to stay in. So, we're in a little bit of a rush."

The girl spoke while Akatsuchi grinned, "Well that's great! You know I know plenty of places around here for lodging! Let me escort you, while we're on the way we could stop by your parent's house and the Tsuchikage!" the boy said excitedly while Kurotsuchi growled.

"Why are you so dead set on following us around?!"

The girl yelled while Akatsuchi blinked before he smiled, "I… I'm really glad you're safe. I know we haven't been on the same team since we were Genin but I still consider us friends. I just want everyone that's been worried about you to know you're ok too." the brown-haired boy said while Kurotsuchi looked at the boy with a touched expression.

Naruto meanwhile watched the pair and immediately thought about himself and Sakura, the dynamic they had was almost exactly like theirs without the failed flirting of course. A smile grew on his face while Akatsuchi looked toward Kurotsuchi again.

"Your hair… you cut it. I can actually see your eyes now. You… you seem different now."

Akatsuchi spoke while Kurotsuchi huffed, "That's because I am different. Being on the road for a while can change a person." the kunoichi said while the brown-haired boy smiled.

He hadn't seen her like this in years, since Deidara was around. Akatsuchi after that point slowly watched as Kurotsuchi fell deeper and deeper into her duties, she stopped smiling the same way she did all that time ago losing a part of herself.

But now.

She seemed like she had been brought back to life.

"Nori… Kurotsuchi has always been difficult to deal with, thank you. For taking care of her and bringing her home."

Akatsuchi said while Kurotsuchi shot him a glare, "I am not difficult." the girl spoke while Naruto chuckled a little.

"Don't you start!"

Kurotsuchi raised her voice toward Naruto while Akatsuchi could tell just by looking at the way she looked at him that she was very fond of the boy.

"Hey Akatsuchi, I really am pretty tired so as much as I would love to meet people Kurotsuchi said she would take me to some lodging she already found. When we leave in the morning why don't you tag along? We'll report to the Tsuchikage together."

Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi gave the boy a look, "Oh… yeah that works. Sorry Mr. Nori, I didn't even think about how you felt. I'll let Kurotsuchi take you then, meanwhile I'll tell your parents you returned Kuro. Come and see them as soon as possible." Akatsuchi spoke while the girl looked toward him.

"Tell them I'll be back late."

The girl spoke while Akatsuchi nodded his head, "It was super nice to meet you Mr, Nori. Thank you so much!" the boy said before he dashed off. Kurotsuchi and Naruto watched the boy leave while the kunoichi sighed.

"That guy… Now you've got us stuck with him later."

"Well… I may have kind of lied to him."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I feel kinda bad, but he was really clingy. I felt like that was the best way to get rid of him for right now."

"Why would you-"

"You wanted some alone time with me, didn't you?"

The blonde said simply while Kurotsuchi felt herself flush, "You know you honestly could have just said so, I wouldn't have disagreed. Instead, you were jumping through all kinds of hoops and stuff." Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi's eye twitched.

"Idiot."

Kurotsuchi spoke with a smile on her face while Naruto got off of the horse to walk alongside the girl, "Now that I think about it… isn't this a first date?" the disguised blonde asked while Kurotsuchi gave him a confused look.

"Date? What's that?"

Kurotsuchi asked while Naruto started laughing before he looked at her genuinely confused face, "Oh, you aren't joking." the boy spoke while the girl narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

The girl asked while Naruto shook his head, "I'm not but I'm surprised you don't know what a date is. I thought all girls knew that stuff." the disguised blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi huffed.

"Unlike some people… I never had anyone that I wanted to spend a lot of alone time with… so whatever those other girls you took on dates were like I'm not like them."

Kurotsuchi spoke while the blonde grinned, "Jealous? Well, you don't need to be. I, Naruto Uzumaki, am going to give you the best first date ever!" The blonde yelled while the girl smiled toward him.

"Do your best then, Naruto."

The pair walked together while that approached her favorite rice bowl stand, they entered sitting at the bar before they began to talk to each other. It still weighed on her mind, what she could do next. Time was burning away so fast.

Akatsuchi showing up only made that fact more prominent, at this rate. Naruto had truly completed his mission, she was home. Soon…

He would be gone.

If only there was some way this could be simpler, if only there was just some great answer, she could come up with to allow her to do what she wants to do. Kurotsuchi didn't want Naruto to leave, and she didn't want to leave him.

This feeling…

It was a blessing just as much as it was a curse.

The rice bowls were placed right in front of them while the faux brunette rubbed his hands together, "Time to dig in!" the blonde exclaimed while Kurotsuchi chuckled.

"Be careful, these are hot."

"Only makes it better!"

The blonde exclaimed while he took his first bite of the food, "That's awesome…" he trailed off while Kurotsuchi laughed.

"See? I told you, the best in the world."

Kurotsuchi spoke while she watched Naruto eating before she took her first bite from the rice bowl she had in front of her, the girl closed her eyes while she was transported back years ago. She eagerly ate her rice bowl while Akatsuchi joined her in eating with gusto. Meanwhile Deidara looked at them with slight disgust before he chuckled a little eating into his own rice as well while the tree of them enjoyed their meal together.

A smile crawled on her before the soft contact of a thumb touched her face, her pink eyes opened up to look toward Naruto who dragged his thumb along the corner of her lips.

"You had some rice on your face."

The blonde spoke while the girl looked at him before her smile grew even bigger, Naruto's hand lingered cupping her cheek while she rested her face into his palm smiling toward him. The boy smiled back at her while they sat in the booth.

"Thanks."

The girl said a little quieter while Naruto nodded his head while she looked into his eyes, it was so funny how those eyes of his had once belonged to the boogeyman of her childhood yet here she was adoring them in Naruto's face.

"Naruto…"

Kurotsuchi spoke while the blonde chuckled, "I'm sorry Kuro… I kinda got a little attached during our trip together. I'm pretty sure you don't mind but it's been tough for me, thinking about my next steps in my journey in the world." Naruto said while Kurotsuchi gave him a look.

"You've become a really precious person to me and usually I'm a bit better with goodbyes and stuff but that doesn't mean it doesn't make it hard. I genuinely had an amazing time with you, and I really wanted you to know that."

The blonde said while Kurotsuchi closed her eyes to stop them from watering before she took a deep breath inward, "I did too Naruto… so much." the girl spoke while she opened her eyes before chuckling at the blonde boy.

"Jeez, you think all of that smooth talk is going to get you bonus points?"

"I'm not smooth talking, I'm just being honest."

"Yeah yeah, keep it up."

There was only one thing she could do.

That smile of his was so precious to her and she wouldn't want to give it away for the world and that in of itself led her to her answer.

Not one driven by her duty.

But one driven by her heart.

All for the sake of the boy who helped her become human and she wasn't going to waste a single moment.

The pair ate their rice bowls while they exited from the shop, "Phew, that hit the spot. I'm pretty impressed." Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi gave him a look.

"I'm glad you enjoyed them… would you mind if this date went on for a little bit longer?"

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto gave her a look, "Sure. What would you like to do next?" the blonde said while she grabbed his hands.

"I want to show you something. My biggest secret."

The girl said while Naruto gave her a look, "Are you sure you want to trust me with something like that?" the boy said while Kurotsuchi sighed.

"There's no one else in the world I would rather trust with it. Come on."

The girl said while Naruto smiled before he climbed back onto the horse along with Kurotsuchi before he gave the horse a little slap.

"Yah!"

The blonde rode further into the village with Kurotsuchi holding on to him as she began to guide the boy to the place, she wanted him to see, the wind blew in her short hair while she looked at the blonde riding through the city.

She would show him her one last little secret.

Something she could trust with Naruto and him alone.

{...}

It was a small traditional house perfectly engaged with nature, it was older with wild grasses and vines growing from the small cracks in the wood of the building. Behind the building was a small field of grass that led into the forest, a stream cut through them both separating them.

"Kuro… this is…"

Naruto trailed off as he walked toward the building alongside Kurotsuchi who had a small smile on her face. "My little patch of heaven… not even my grandfather knows about this place. It's kind of like my escape." Kurotsuchi said while Naruto grinned at her, the two of them entered the small house. Their feet touched the soft tatami mat flooring as the boy looked around.

"This place is tiny."

"Did you make sure to tie the horse before we walked in?"

"Yes ma'am, of course I did."

"Don't ma'am me, I just wanted to make sure. Based on our adventures you have a knack for irresponsibility."

"Oi."

Naruto chuckled while Kurotsuchi laughed as well, the two of them then fell into a comfortable silence.

His eyes trailed to her pink ones while she looked back into his blue ones, they then trailed to her hair. She had cut it during the assault on the capital, it was short now where her braid he tied for her used to be.

He liked it like this.

That soft smile she had on her face, the way her fingers intertwined with each other in her lap peacefully.

She was beautiful.

'There's… something I want to tell you… but I can't tell you now. I want to say it when I'm not like this… so you know it's real.'

The words of the inebriated girl echoed in his head while he looked back toward her eyes, for some reason those words stuck with him. He wanted to know what she wanted to say to him.

"Hey uh Kuro… you mentioned something about telling me something when you were drunk-"

Naruto started but was cut off by the black-haired girl suddenly standing up, "I'll make us some tea, I'll be right back." Kurotsuchi said quickly before she escaped to the kitchen.

The blonde boy just blinked as she seemed to have disappeared right in front of his eyes, he sighed a little bit before he waited for her to return. Kurotsuchi came back into the room with two cups of steaming tea, placing one in front of Naruto before she sat down.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome.'

Kurotsuchi said before they both took a sip from their tea, her eyes lingered on the blonde before she set her cup down.

"Naruto."

Kurotsuchi spoke while the blonde set his cup down, "Yeah?" He responded while the girl took a breath.

"I can't even begin to thank you enough for everything you've done for me since you first found me… or I guess since I found you."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto smiled, "Yeah, I already told you. It's my mission and getting you back home was something I was going to do no matter what." The blonde said while she smiled.

"I know but that's not all you've done for me at all, when I first met you, I was just a shinobi. A warrior hell bent on my duty to the point I threw myself away... A monster."

The girl spoke while her hands tightened around her teacup, "You challenged me, you helped me relax and even supported me during my darker moments without even a sliver of judgment. You helped me know what it's like to be human." Kurotsuchi nodded her head while Naruto smiled back at her.

"Thank you."

The girl said while Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "I can't take all the credit, you've done a lot for me too. For a while when I was out in the world, I was just whatever I needed to be to help other people. You pulled me out of that and showed me that I matter just as much as anyone else. So, thank you." The blonde admitted while the girl chuckled.

Naruto could help but smile at her grin while she herself had recognized his growth as a person, the two of them had done so much for each it was an amazing memory he would always keep with him.

"Naruto… that night. When I left the compound, I had to make a choice… As a shinobi from the Land of Stone with you being from the Leaf Village. That should have made us enemies."

Kurotsuchi said while she looked down toward her cup before letting go of it and looking the blonde in the eyes.

"You are the son of a very dangerous man that caused my village a lot of grief, I was even considering killing you because of how dangerous you were becoming... I almost killed you when you were just trying to reach out to me."

Kurotsuchi said while she moved toward Naruto on the other side of the table while he gave her a surprised look. "Then I saw your face while you were trying to rest after your fight… I had to choose at that moment whether to pick protecting my village… or you." The girl confessed while she was directly next to the blonde before, she slowly held his hands in hers.

"I chose you."

Naruto's eyes slowly widened while Kurotsuchi rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand slowly and tenderly. "It was a selfish decision I made just for me for the saake of you... Call me scum but I couldn't do that to you… I couldn't lose you; I didn't want to lose you. Naruto…" Kurotsuchi spoke softly while Naruto looked at the girl in shock.

"Even if it would have killed me, I was more than ready to die so you wouldn't have to suffer anymore by yourself. I realize now that it would have made you suffer too if I did just thinking about it. Huh how selfish and human of me huh? Imagine the obit... Killed by love. How pathetic huh?"

The girl spoke while Naruto's eyes widened in shock even further while Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in realization, "Huh?" the boy said while Kurotsuchi chuckled before she sighed.

"Damn it, I didn't want to say it like that... The things to do to me you. Let me say it properly."

Kurotsuchi turned grabbing Naruto's hands before she looked into his warm ocean blue eyes before a big smile came to her face, the girl took a deep breath while Naruto hung on every moment still not believing what he was hearing.

"I'm in love with you."

The blonde nearly felt his heart stop at the words as the short haired girl places her hand on his cheek. "I know that you're headed to the Land of Whirlpools to learn more about your past and your family, but I just couldn't not say anything." Kurotsuchi looked into the boy's eyes as he slowly placed a hand on her cheek as well.

It was warm.

Far warmer than he ever would have thought it would be.

This was real.

Not some illusion or lie or even some dream. She was right here in front of him, bearing her entire heart to him honestly.

"You're in love... with me?"

The blonde uttered in slight shock as the girl slowly nodded her head to confirm, "Truth." She said while the boy grinned.

"I-"

Naruto was cut off by lips pressing gently against his, it was a quick motion from the girl not even giving him a chance to react. Slowly he closed his eyes and kissed her back. The two of them held each other close while Kurotsuchi pushed his head closer to hers. Naruto held both sides of her face kissing the girl deeply, they stayed like this before the blonde pulled back to watch Kurotsuchi take another breath before closing the distance between them again, their lips collided a little harder this time.

The blonde felt heat rising in his chest as he kissed her back with the same amount of passion, her hands gripping the front of his shirt while his hands ran through her hair. They separated again while Naruto panted, his heart felt like it was lit ablaze while Kurotsuchi panted as well.

They had moved again while they were in their embrace with Naruto looking down at her with both of hands on both sides of her head while she laid on the floor beneath had her pinned underneath him, he wasn't sure what the heat in him was but it ran through him like a forest fire.

He wanted to continue but he was afraid of falling into this feeling.

"Kuro."

The blonde spoke between his breaths while the girl cupped his face, "Naruto." The girl said while trying to pull him closer.

"Wait… what if… What if I hurt you?"

The blonde said the vulnerability in his voice revealed itself while Kurotsuchi ran her hand across his cheek. "I trust you. Remember?" The girl said simply while Naruto looked at her half lidded pink eyes before he kissed her again, her hands pulled at his collar loosening it before the blonde pulled back.

"I… I've never done any of this before."

"Neither have I… Some first date huh?"

"...What about the tea?"

"Shut up, Naruto."

Kurotsuchi quickly responded with an amused smile before she lifted her hands, peeling the blonde out of his shirt, he felt his exposed chest meet the slightly cool night air. Naruto flinched slightly at her fingers while she trailed them across his scars he had gained in the Land of Iron.

She lifted herself slightly to kiss the scar over the pec before Naruto's hand went to her shirt, opening it slightly. His fingers brushed the bindings underneath it while she looked into his eyes. "I want you to see, it's ok." The girl reassured him while she kissed his throat before using her hands to take off the rest of her shirt.

Naruto's eyes landed on the bindings before she grabbed his hands leading it to where he could take them off.

Blue met pink while Naruto pulled at the bindings, freeing her chest.

"You're so beautiful."

Naruto said while he gently touched the scar on her ribs before she lifted his face high enough to capture his lips again. His arms wrapped around her waist before he lifted her from the ground, he did his best to move but ended up getting steered into the wall by Kurotsuchi. Her back gently hit the wall while her hands still ran through Naruto's hair, she used one of her hands to reach down to her shorts removing them.

"Kuro."

Naruto spoked while she met his eyes, he had grown taller than her during their travels. "Naruto… there's a warmth in you that I've never seen in anyone else in this world…" The girl spoked while she pulled him in a little closer.

"I want to feel that warmth in me too."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto's eyes widened before he looked at her again. Speechless he wordlessly nodded before the girl smiled. He leaned to kiss her neck while she closed her eyes, her hands trailed to his bare back slightly digging her nails into him.

"I love you."

Her voice burned his ear as he made his way to her jaw leaving a trail of peppered kisses in his wake before he looked her in the eyes.

She trusted him.

She loved him.

He cherished her.

As two became one and lips met once more under the moonlight of the night that had arrived, his blue eyes looked into hers warmly while she smiled at him lifting her hand to touch his face. Naruto moved his face to press his lips into her palm while he moved. Kurotsuchi closed her eyes while she allowed Naruto's warmth to engulf her, their hearts touched each other in ways their hearts have never been touched before.

Naruto looked toward Kurotsuchi's pink colored eyes one time before he met her lips again allowing himself to fall into the feeling burning in his chest with her who trusted him.

He felt nothing but happiness as the rest of the night faded away with the pair intertwined.

Leaving just him and her.

{...}

Blue eyes slowly opened with a wide smile on his face, the light of the day peeking in, illuminating the room as he yawned slightly. Naruto kept the smile on his face as he looked around the small house from where he was laying down.

He still couldn't believe last night happened.

It was… a lot.

He felt like he understood a lot of things and at the same time couldn't even come close to understanding any other things. But that didn't matter. Because he had her with him.

Or at least he thought he did.

Naruto turned not feeling the warmth of Kurotsuchi only to find that he was in the small house by himself, he turned his head looking around the room more before he spoke.

"Kuro?"

The blonde called out her name while he received no response from the girl, Naruto had stretched a little before he was about to stand up. He noticed his current nude state before he turned toward his clothes grabbing them as he got up.

The blonde got dressed before he looked around the peaceful quiet room, just last night he and Kuro were here but she just vanished all of a sudden. Where did she go? The boy pondered before he thought about it smacking a fist against his hand.

Obviously, she had to go and report to her grandfather, the Tsuchikage. Kurotsuchi had told him that her land had some bad memories with his father from what he could gather… it was clear that if he had left to go meet the man as well it wouldn't have ended well.

"Jeez, you could have just told me, Kuro."

The boy said out loud while he looked outside at the morning light touching the grass illuminating the beautiful green, should he wait for her? They could meet up back here and then discuss their plans, he would have to tell her he was going to be leaving today.

Naruto turned back to look into the small house one more time, he raised an eyebrow while his eyes landed on something. The teen had found a letter on the wall stuck into it by a kunai that had a small red ribbon tied on the blade...

'Dear Naruto,

I'm sorry you had to find this letter like this… I really wanted to say these things to you directly, but something came up. Good morning though. Remember last night? When I told you I chose you? I meant that from the bottom of my heart, but I also realized something…

If I'm going to choose you, there's something I have to do first.'

Naruto read the letter as he looked outside at the field toward the horse peacefully eating.

'My grandfather doesn't exactly know who you are, but once he does, he won't accept you.

The sins of your father in his eyes are too much for him to bear, meaning if you stay right now chances are the Stone will treat you like the Leaf did if not worse… there's a lot of weight in that and I want to bear it for you this time.

I'm going to help make that peaceful world you wanted so much. I'm also going to make this place, the Hidden Stone into somewhere you can hopefully call home one day.'

A small smile grew on Naruto's face as he started grabbing his stuff, the teen took his sword before opening a scroll. He channeled chakra into it before he sealed the katana into the scroll before closing it. In the distance dust began to kick up from an approach.

'I know you are going back out into the world toward the Land of Whirlpools to find out more about your past.

So, I can't stop you, but I can believe in you, I really wish I could go with you… but I can't abandon them, my home... Naruto, you are a brilliant man that will accomplish so much for this world. You saved my life and taught me how to live and I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

I'm going to find you again. So live. Live long and strong so that I can find you again. I know you won't ever give up but that still doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you.'

The letter continued to read while Naruto, now geared up, hopped on the back of his horse after untying him. He looked back at the approaching stone ninja quickly moving toward his position.

"Demon!"

One of the ninja yelled while Naruto tugged on the reins of his horse.

'I met Akatsuchi earlier today before you woke up and he told me that they were pursuing a blonde rouge nin that the ninja at the gate reported spotting.

They were talking about you because I miscalculated thinking about what I was going to do, I'm sorry. I wish I could be there with you, but I can't. I'm not worried about you though.

You'll find a way you always do...'

Naruto watched the men looking toward him while they dashed toward him, in their eyes he could see and for some reason felt their intent. It was a familar sensation before he looked into the window of the small house where he saw the visage of himself and Kurotsuchi drinking tea and talking. Her pink eyes brightly shining while Naruto gave it one last smile.

'Go Naruto.

Get to the Land Hidden in the Whirlpools and find your past and all the while I'm going to be working hard to get back to you.

I'm dragging this thing on but I believe in you always. Once you make it to where you're going, send me a letter or something. I'll miss you but I'll see you again soon. Believe it.'

"Yah!"

Naruto called while his horse neighed before they hit the ground running dashing away from the pursuit of the ninja chasing them.

'Much love, Kuro.'

The letter finished reading while Naruto continued dashing through the forest on horseback.

Meanwhile in the Tsuchikage temple Onoki looked toward his granddaughter with pride while the girl kneeled in front of him.

"Kurotsuchi of the Land of Stone. In honor of your accomplishments during your mission and contributions to the Land of Stone. I am presenting you with the rank of Jonin."

The Tsuchikage spoke while the black-haired girl kneeled in front of her grandfather.

"Thank you, sir. It's an honor."

The girl spoke while the older man noticed the lack of excitement in her voice, "Is there something wrong, Kurotsuchi? If you really must know, I'm glad you returned safely. I hold no ill will toward you." He spoke while the girl rose to her feet.

"No sir, I just have a confession to make."

Kurotsuchi spoke while her grandfather tilted his head, "Confession? You've returned home a hero? What would you need to confess to?" The older man asked while the girl lifted her head.

"I didn't return here alone… I was rescued and supported by someone on my way back."

Kurotsuchi said while her grandfather leaned back in his chair, "By who?" The man asked while she took in another breath.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

The girl spoke while the Tsuchikage's eyes widened, "You don't mean that rogue shinobi, do you? The Blue-Eyed Demon?" The older man said while she nodded her head.

"He is the one responsible for helping me return, he also faced off with Deidara alongside of me to protect me and we nearly succeeded in ending him. Don't call him a rogue, he's nothing but a hero in my eyes."

Kurotsuchi spoke while the older man looked at his granddaughter with surprise before sighing, "Why are you telling me this? Kurotsuchi, it matters not to me what that man has done. He has my gratitude for helping you return but he's still a threat." The Tsuchikage asked while the girl smiled.

"He left me with a dream and the hopes of fulfilling it no matter what… Right now, your men are hunting him. That burden he bears of being that demon in your eyes and despite all of that he still does his best. I want to do my best as well because of him."

Kurotsuchi explained as he looked flabbergasted at his granddaughter, she was a completely different person than she was when she left.

She had grown so much.

"Listen here old man, I'm honored to have become a Jonin, but my ambitions don't stop here. For the sake of the man who saved me as well as my own sake in this world..."

The girl spoke with passion as the older man felt himself get taken back from his granddaughter's speech. She pointed a finger at him with a confident look in her eyes.

"I'm going to become Tsuchikage!"

Kurotsuchi raised her voice while the older man looked at his granddaughter like she had gone crazy.

"I'm retiring you to a peaceful life of an old man while I'll do my best to make a more peaceful world… not based on the blood spilled in the past. But a world where we can trust looking forward to the future."

Kurotsuchi spoke while the older man kept his shocked expression on his face before she bowed toward him. "Thank you, sir." Kurotsuchi said before she turned and walked out of the room leaving her grandfather surprised, he blinked before a Stone Anbu landed beside him.

"Sir."

The masked man said while the Tsuchikage looked toward him, "Reach the pursuit team as soon as possible, tell them to cease pursuing the rogue nin." The man said while the masked man nodded before disappearing.

The Tsuchikage looked at his desk before he thought back to the smile on his granddaughter's face.

"Naruto Uzumaki…"

The man thought aloud to himself as he pondered at his desk the visages of Naruto from the description he received and of the Yellow Flash stood side by side while the older man closed his eyes.

Meanwhile outside of the room in the hallway, Akatsuchi noticed Kurotsuchi walking away from her grandfather's office.

"Hey Kurotsuchi, how'd it go?"

The brown haired boy asked while Kurotsuchi kept walking, "Rather well if you'd ask me." The girl mentioned while Akatsuchi caught up with her.

"So, what now? What you're doing is going to require a lot of work so we gotta start somewhere."

The boy asked while Kurotsuchi stopped looking out one of the windows in the hallway. "I'll take on more missions, gain more merit, and get stronger. Then I'll make this place a home." The girl said while her eyes shined in the light of the morning sun while Akatsuchi looked down toward the ground.

"I know it's probably none of my business but… you and that guy Nori, I mean Naruto when you came here with him you looked close… Are you going to be alright now that he's gone?"

The brown-haired boy asked while Kurotsuchi huffed. "Of course. I have faith in him, he's going to be alright… He's Naruto." The girl trailed off while Akatsuchi watched her hand go toward her face wiping at it, she stayed silent as she wiped at her face a couple more times with her hand.

"Damn it you idiot… why didn't you tell me the seasons changed while I was gone? My allergies are going nuts..."

The girl said while Akatsuchi approached the girl placing a hand on her back. He knew that it wasn't allergies, but for the sake of his old friend he would ignore her crying face he could see in the reflection of the window she was staring into.

"I'm going to find you again…."

The girl spoke mostly to herself while she wiped her face again before lightly sniffling.

"Naruto."

She said while trying to regain her composure, Akatsuchi rubbed her back lightly in his attempt to comfort her while he looked out of the window at the vast world outside of it.

The sound of galloping hooves stamped against the ground while a horse moved faster and faster through a forest. Naruto looked back toward the Hidden Village behind him as it got smaller the further away, he got from it. Time has flown right on by since he left the village nearly a year ago, so much has changed in himself as he made his way forward in his life.

He learned so much about himself.

He even had a brand-new dream now.

He still missed the Hidden Leaf and all of his friends dearly but now the journey ahead of him was his own.

Perhaps he may run into them again one day. Until then he would have to continue moving ahead, so he can accomplish his dreams of creating a peaceful world.

And learn about his past.

He was the son of the 4th Hokage which alone shocked him to learn but who was his mother and who were the Uzumaki? In order to properly fulfill his dreams he would have to learn far more about himself and become far stronger than he even is right now.

For the sake of everyone he wishes to protect and for his own sake.

He would win.

He would accomplish his dream and make this world into a more peaceful place.

Naruto cheered as his horse jumped over a large fallen tree his horse landed before dashing even faster toward the vast distance ahead of him while the blonde closed his eyes allowing the wind to blow past his face whipping the hair on his head.

The look of Kou's crying yet smiling face while he was surrounded by himself and the people who cared about him in that small restaurant entered Naruto's mind while the horse galloped ahead before the sight of Koyori and Kurotsuchi at the Hot Springs entered his thoughts as well.

Naruto envisioned himself looking toward Judon while the man gave him a pride filled last wish, he then thought of Amanai in his arms while she smiled toward him even at her death granting him his strength, he then thought of Koga's last smile while the old man recognized his growth and conviction, before the thoughts trailed to the look on Arashi's face when he thought about his wife.

That visage was then replaced with the sight of the Iron Treasures buried into the ground representing the generals right where he had left them to rest after his fights with them.

Finally, he envisioned Mifune, Marika, and Kurotsuchi sitting at a table together having tea before the last smile he received from Kurotsuchi last night he opened his bright blue eyes to the vast green of the world as he once more found himself alone in the world.

Small tears formed in Naruto's eyes as he thought back to the fond memories of his experiences while his horse jumped over another obstacle allowing the tears to flow away from his face freely into the air while his smile returned to his face.

This time, he was strong enough to face it. This time he had learned to cherish it, now his curse had become his adventure as he would continue to fight and learn in this world. In the sky clouds had formed shaped like a vortex while Naruto and his horse jumped sailing right alongside it from the ground.

He was going to live.

Believe it.

{...}

Leaves blew gently in the wind while the villagers peacefully went on with their lives, the shops had been opened and the villagers had shopped in them. Kids played on the streets laughing together while they nearly bumped into a woman with short black hair. The woman looked at the children that ran past her leg while she gave them a hurried smile before she began sprinting at full speed toward a large building.

Shizune usually loved days like these.

Normally or shall she say rarely whenever she had this much time to herself not having to watch over her mentor Lady Tsunade or scramble at the hospital she would do something she enjoyed.

Have a nice meal.

Enjoy a good book.

Instead, she found herself sprinting toward the Hokage tower, thinking back on it she hadn't run this fast before. Sure, she's had urgent things come up in the past with her job but this…

This was far different.

Tsunade was working on paperwork on her desk while sipping on her bottle of sake before groaning. You would think after all this time it would get better.

It didn't.

Not even a little.

The blonde woman had been Hokage in the Leaf Village for 10 months and she already wanted to retire, constantly taking shit from the council. The diplomatic butt kissing she had to do and working on all of these damn papers.

Not to mention constantly being reminded of her biggest regret. Tsunade looked toward a blue headband that had laid on her desk, she barely moved it. She still even after all this time couldn't bear to move it, afraid that if she touched it that the former owner's fate would be sealed.

So much time had passed, and she heard nothing, not even from Jiraiya whom she was sure was scouring the entire world for even a trace.

Tsunade didn't want to believe it but maybe it was time.

Time to let the boy go.

The blonde hokage closed her eyes before she looked away from the headband reaching toward it before her fingers touched the metal plate.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Shizune busted into the room causing the Hokage to jump slightly pulling her hand back, "What's gotten into you? Did you get a hot date or something?" The blonde teased while trying not to look suspicious before the black-haired woman panted while shaking her head.

"No… ma'am… the bingo book… it's updated."

Shizune choked out between breaths while Tsunade tilted her head at her protégé with worry and confusion marking her face. "Of course, it was Shizune, that book updates every 10 or so months with fresh information… why are you bringing it up?" The blonde hokage asked while Shizune flipped through the pages trying to find one in particular for her mentor.

"Shizune, what is it? Some kind of S- Class criminal?"

Tsunade asked while Shizune finally found the page she wanted, slapping the book with her hand as a smile grew on her face, "Look!" The black-haired woman practically screamed while the blonde grabbed the book.

"Shizune, relax, you're acting like a mad woman. I'm sure it's-"

Tsunade's words died in her throat while she looked at the book, shock filled her face as she slowly put a hand over her mouth. "Is this… is this real?" The blond hokage asked while Shizune nodded her head rapidly while her eyes watered slightly looking toward her mentor.

Tsunade felt her eyes tear up a little as a smile grew on her face.

"Summon Kakashi and Shikamaru."

Tsunade said while she looked at the book like it was the most precious thing she had, rubbing her thumb against the page gently at the smiling familiar face on it.

"Tell them it's urgent."

{...}

A campfire burned.

The wood crackled under the heat of the flames lighting up the night, Naruto sat on a log as he set his book down. He looked ahead of himself silently over the campfire while his horse was resting peacefully behind him quietly.

"So…"

The blonde started speaking while the fire continued to crackle in front of him.

"You gonna tell me what you want?"

Naruto asked while another figure stepped forward allowing the light of the fire to illuminate her features. The eight trigrams seal, the armor plating on her chest, long purple hair, and her mask with flames dancing across it as the design.

"Finally…"

The masked woman spoke while she looked back at the blonde sitting on his log, her hand reaching toward her mask slowly taking it off in front of him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw her face, her eyes focused on his as she spoke.

"I found you."

{...}

The river flowed gently yet roughly as the water streamed over its stone bed toward it's final destination, going wherever it wanted with no restrictions whatsoever free to see the world.

The river wasn't like her.

It was better.

It had been for the longest time.

The sounds of children playing in a small village while adults roamed around talking, communicating, and smiling echoed way further behind her while her eyes stared into the rushing water of the river. Those villages weren't like her either, even after all this time lingering among them that fact had only become more prominent with each day.

That was why someone as broken as her was even here, to end the useless feeling. A rough sigh exited from the mouth of the girl while her wheelchair reflected the water in it's shiny surfaces.

"Fuck it, it's time to go."

The girl said while she wheeled closer to the edge of the river almost falling in while in the distance slowly moving with the flow of the river passing by the girl who approached it.

Something wearing orange floated toward her.

LAND OF IRON ARC: END

{...}

Yo, it's Ken.

I want to thank you all for the incredible year of 2023 when it came to this story, when I first started writing this it came to me like a flash because I had read something that made me really want to write this, I can't remember exactly what it was but whoever wrote it I say thank you to you too. I was holding on to this story for the longest but finally published the first chapter after just taking the dive. I learned a lot and gained a lot from all of you since chapter one and while I am writing because I want to, I can't not thank you all for following along the writing journey for this year and this fun story.

So thank you.

Big tirade aside allow me to get to the reviews!

Alexander4443: Thank you so much bro! I appreciate you for following and putting up with me for a good long while and I'm glad you've enjoyed the ride so far. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Hnbutt: Believe it or not I was thinking the same way for a while to allow Arashi to live and rebuild however after studying Bushido and Samurai Codes I wanted to give Arashi a worthy close to his character according to his beliefs. I really enjoyed writing for Arashi but I was glad to send him off properly closing out his arc. Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you Next Year!

Dragonkeeper10: I appreciate the awesome summaries as always! The mission between Naruto and Kurotsuchi has finally come to an end with Kuro making it back home safely and Naruto making his way to the Land of Whirlpools. Like you said there are multiple groups that will be coming after Naruto I've added some extra scenes for some of those groups but the next arc is going to be a busy one for both myself and Naruto as he has now become public target number 1 in the ninja world with the Akatsuki, Sasuke and Karin, and any other ninja after his bounty in the Bingo Book chase after him. As for Jinchuriki meetings I won't spoil anything for next arc but I'll just say I like your idea haha. I appreciate that, I wanted the samurai to pose as a proper threat as well as have a culture that acts hand in hand with the Shinobi yet has it's own feeling. I'm glad I was able to achieve that. The next arc is filled with exciting stuff so look forward to it. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Raiku1186: I am honored to receive your review and I'm glad you are liking the story. I read the other banished fics but I wanted to try to do something different since almost all of them have very similar elements that was my goal and I'm glad I'm achieving it so far. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Javiur: This last chapter was the chapter before the ending that was this chapter but I'm glad you enjoyed it. I actually am writing a book of my own surprisingly but I'm storyboarding the hell out of it because I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to tell a good story but I'm not here to plug I'm here to do what I love haha thank you for the vote of confidence though. I made sure to read on the history of seppuku and used the scene from '47 Ronin' as my inspiration I'm glad it came out well. The next arc is going to be something and that's all I can say about for now haha. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Jagsboy: Jags! Glad to see ya! Also, you were right it was almost inevitable at this rate. I have a lot I want to do with Naruto's journey and Uzushiogakure has a massive role in that so I'm looking forward to getting there. I am also going to push both Naruto and chakra to it's limits in the next arc so I'm looking forward to Naruto adopting new skills along the way while learning about his history. Also I'll go ahead and give you one spoiler just for you, the next arc is actually going to begin in the Hidden Leaf. I'll let you do with that what you will. Lastly I know you may have thought Kurotsuchi was going to be a permanant part of the crew so I apologize but this is the way it has to go down, don't worry though this isn't the last we've seen of her I promise. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Krieger Techpriest: Krieger! Hello my friend! Yes, the story of Arashi closes out. I really enjoyed writing an antagonist like Arashi, fleshing him out and writing for him a was a genuine pleasure and I plan on approaching a lot of the antagonists in this manner I will remember you Arashi and carry your writing with me. Now we reach the next arc! I'll announce the name here in a little bit but the interactions of the Hidden Stone have ended along with Kurotsuchi's character for now, but she'll be back along with the Land of Stone trust me. Thank you so much for reading my friend and I hope to see you Next Year!

Spellbat: It's been a blast reading your scenarios this year as we dive into the mystery of the reviewer even further, let's both push past our limits in the new year and reach greater heights in our writing stuff! I'll be honest with you bud, I'm right there with you haha I hope the next arc is better than this one too but I'm pretty confident in it so you'll have to see but I'm really glad you enjoyed the arc. I also apologize for the Marika fake out I considered it but it would have interrupted the flow of this last chapter going into the next arc so for now Marika will stay put in the Land of Iron however she will be returning believe that. I actually felt Arashi grow on me too so I kinda wanted to see it go down that way too but I had to remain in line with his character up to that point it was still sad to see though. Thank you for showing up and giving me a good laugh this year bud, I want to thank you for reading and I hope to see you Next Year!

Uday Sra: Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed!

the ultimite deity: This was really sad wasn't it? Seriously, I was sad writing it haha but it had to be this way. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you Next Year.

Guest Guest: Listen... I got myself too haha but it was a fitting end for a character like him so I'm glad you enjoyed it as for this chapter it wraps up this arc in a nice little bow. I will continue to do my best and get better at my craft, thank you for the vote of confidence! Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you next year!

Poizonn98: Hey! This is the official ending of the arc but the last chapter was the kick off to this one. I apologize! I wanted a few different elements to happen before Kurotsuchi's confession so they did end up in the Hidden Stone first but I really wanted to have the confession be one of the last big moments. I'm looking forward to the ninja fights next arc and boy do I have plently planned out so look forward to it! Also, Kokai means Voyage in the translation that I used but it can also mean Free or Laid Open funnily enough that fits the story quite well and I didn't plan for that transaltion too haha thanks for researching that!

Ok, some final notes.

I know that a lot of you are probably going to hate me for this but I promise I actually thought about and considered Kurotsuchi for the rest of Naruto's journey but when I thought about how her character was going (And still going because she will be back) this was where I ended up landing and I have plans with this taken in consideration so there's a method to the madness I promise. However, I am going to miss writing for Kurotsuchi's character she was by far one of my favorites to write for in this arc and I look forward to writing again for her soon.

As for the New Year, I had a blast this year writing with all of you guys reading and I hope to do the same next year as well so everyone let's make it as good one! I know I mentioned I hope to see you next year but for those of you who can't wait, I have finally made a discord server for Naruto: Kokai! I'll paste the link here to use to enter the server but you don't have to if you don't want to, this server is for hanging out and talking about the story together as well as any ideas for it. As an improving writer I'm happy to recieve feedback and bounce ideas off of others so If you want to join and chat about the story with me and others feel free to join the server with this link! (Quick warning I haven't made a lot of channels in the past so this one is still being worked on bear with me lol)

(remove the caps, this site doesn't like the link lol I gotta find a better way to do this) HTTPS Double Backslash discord dot gg/GrBdzPv9zD

Now then, I've buttered you up enough I'll now announce the name of the next arc that will be taking Naruto through the Lands of Grass, Lightning, and Water as he makes his way to Uzushiogakure aka The Land of Whirlpools arc I've also teased who the next of his companions is going to be in the last section let me know who you think it is! I may take an extra week to start publishing the first chapter of the new year just to make sure everything is written up to par so if you see a late post that could be why.

Next Time! Journey to the East/Renegades Arc!

Thank you all again so much for reading and putting so much time into this story it means so much to me as you all do as well. Let's make 2024 awesome as we move into the next part of our lives. I've added one more section to the story to wrap things off with Naruto's current progress since his journey began 10 months ago. Below this note you'll find Naruto's Bingo Book Profile to read for yourself.

That's all for me guys, Happy New Year. I'll see you all soon!

{...}

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Titles: Blue Eyed Demon, The Wandering Orange Ninja, Dancing Blade.

Registration ID: 009781

Age: 14

Date of Birth: Oct 10th

Home Village: Hidden Leaf

Village Rank: Genin (Last Known)

Biography: Born in the Hidden Leaf to parents of unknown origin with a possible connection to long destroyed Uzumaki clan. Target stands at 5'6" from head to toe, has a Fuinjutsu seal resembling the 8 Trigrams seal on the center of his abdomen. Target also has a scar running along the left pectoral, blonde hair and blue eyes with whisker-like birthmarks on his face.

Target Data:

Rank: A+ (High Jonin)

Classification: Wandering/Rogue Nin

Status: Active

Organization: None

Alliances: None

Affiliations: Possible contacts in Hidden Sand such as Gaara, Temari no Sanbaku, Kankuro, Tazuna and Tsunami of Land of Waves, Jasmine Village of the Land of Rice, Land of Tea, Land of Hotsprings, Land of Waterfalls, General Mifune of Land of Iron and Kurotsuchi of the Land of Stone.

Wanted For: High Treason

History: After being banished from the Hidden Leaf due to relations with the Nine Tailed Fox responsible for the devastating attack against the Leaf the target became a wandering nin. The target has been identified as a threat as a roaming Jinchuriki.

Other Known Information

Known Chakra Natures: Wind Nature

Weapons: Standard Issue Kunai and Shuriken, Demon Wind Shuriken, Kaze no Yakusoku Katana.

Signature Jutsu: Shadow Clone Jutsu- Ability to half one's chakra to create a near perfect clone of themselves to assist in battle.

Special Abilities: Specialized High Chunin level Taijutsu, High Jonin level Ninjutsu, and High Chunin level Kenjutsu. Immense durability along with the ability to heal quickly from wounds. Access to the chakra of a Tailed Beast.

Feats:

Defeated Banira of the Land of Waves gang.

Responsible for the destruction of several Hidden Sound hideouts single handedly in the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Rice.

Fought against S-Rank Terrorist Deidara of the Akatsuki leading to his retreat.

Faced off with the army of Samurai from the Land of Iron.

Survived a Duel and Training with Mifune of the Land of Iron.

Defeated multiple A+ Ranked Generals Judon, Amanai, and Koga from the Land of Iron.

Defeated Arashi Nobuzagi, High General of the Land of Iron.

Bounty Information

Reward: 13,500,000 Ryo

Capture Instructions: Alive

Known Jutsu

Name: Wind Style: Great Gale Separation

Rank: C

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Wind

Range: 0-10 Meters

Handseals: Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger

Description: Target channels chakra through their bodies before activating the jutsu by clapping their hands together or extending them outward; this jutsu has been seen being activated without hand seals. Wind chakra is rapidly dispersed from the user in a barrier that dissipates shortly after activation, this technique is mainly used for defensive and crowd control purposes. Naruto created the jutsu using the 8 Trigrams Rotation technique as his inspiration.

Name: Wind Style: Gale/Blast Step

Rank: B

Type: Ninjutsu

Element: Wind

Range: Based on Target

Handseals: Dragon

Description: The user channels Wind chakra through their bodies before releasing it from their extremities to boost both speed and power to their attacks and movements. The more chakra used the greater the effect.

Name: Wind Style: Vacuum Kick

Rank: C

Type: Ninjutsu

Element: Wind

Range: 0-30 Meters

Handseals: DragonRamBoar

Description: The user channels Wind chakra through their bodies concentrating it before releasing it through their legs in medium to long distance attacks, the further away a target the less power the technique has.

Name: Wind Style: Explosive Galm Palm

Rank: C+

Type: Ninjutsu

Element: Wind

Range: 0-5 meters

Handseals: Ram

Description: The user channels Wind chakra through their palms before attacking an opponent with a palm strike usually involving a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it before detonating it at close range with concentrated wind chakra.

Name: Nature/Formless Stances Samurai Kenjutsu

Rank: A

Type: Ninkenjutsu

Nature: Wind

Range: Based On Target

Handseals: None

Description: The user allows Wind chakra to generate and flow naturally through their bodies and into their blades, this technique is an exhaustive series of attacks that flow into each other perfectly with complete chakra control.

Name: Shadow Clone Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Yang

Range: Based on Target

Handseals: Custom

Description: The user generates near perfect clones of themselves that can be used in multiple scenarios such as reconnaissance or enhancing battle performance.

Name: Shuriken Clone Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Yang

Range: Based on Target

Handseals: Custom

Description: The user generates near perfect clones of shuriken or kunai projectiles thrown from their hand, these copies are just as effective as the genuine weaponry. The amount can be multiplied from the first thrown projectile by 2 up to 10 depending on the amount of chakra put into the jutsu.

Name: Wind Style: Shadows of the Wind

Rank: B

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Wind

Power: Based on User

Handseals: Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger

Description: The user generates Shadow Clones made up of Wind chakra for reconnaissance and offensive purposes, once these Shadow Clones are destroyed they release destructive winds to attack unknowing opponents.

Name: Wind Style: Wind Clone Explosion

Rank: B+

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Wind

Range: Based On Target (Undestroyed clone traveling distance)

Handseals: Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger

Description: The user generates Shadow Clones made up of Wind chakra to attack their opponent, once these clones are destroyed they will explode outwards with great force and are virtually indistinguishable from normal clones. The force the clone explodes with is the equivalent of three Explosive Bomb Tags.

Name: Rasengan

Rank: A

Type: Ninjutsu

Nature: Yin

Range: Based on Target

Handseals: None

Description: The user gathers and shapes chakra to create a spiraling sphere of destructive chakra, once the sphere makes contact with an object the chakra proceeds to tear and shred into the object. The more chakra poured into the technique the more powerful it becomes.