After the very hectic and eventful morning, the rest of the day proved rather slow and lazy. After Naruto and Tsunami finished kissing, they agreed to act like nothing happened until after dinner when Naruto would 'recruit' his new fiance. They went back downstairs, and found Tazuna already on his third bottle and drunkenly singing sea shanties. Sasuke and Inari seemed to be locked in a staring contest.
After a solid hour, Team Yuugao and Kakashi had finished slitting the throats of every knocked out henchmen of Gato and sealing their corpses in specially prepared Storage Scrolls. Their bodies would be donated to the Hidden Leaf Hospital for research purposes; waste not, want not and all. They came back into the house, Kakashi gathering all his Dog Summons and sending them back to their home. And then they all were left with nothing to do all day, Tazuna passed out on the couch and snoring.
Genma unsealed his guitar and started to idly play. Naruto (who now half wished he had some cool creative outlet to pass time too), figuring he could multitask like no one's business, went outside and made around 50 Shadow Clones. "Back to the grind, boys," he ordered. "Standard groups of 5."
"Yes, Boss!" the copies all saluted before gathering into quints.
"Manipulated shuriken. Kunai throwing. Gentle Fist kata. Chakra control drills…" Naruto rattled off, assigning each group. He got to a final group of only 4, he'd made an odd number. "Well, Sasuke taught us Leaf Burning. Let's try and work out the other 4 elements. Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth. Cheat and get a 'feel' using the Runes if you have to."
"Yes, Boss!" the experimental group nodded before going to pick leaves to try and channel the right Nature chakra into.
The original Naruto went back into the house, passing the Decapitating Carving Knife he'd stabbed into the ground. "Yuugao, can I get that lesson now?" Naruto asked the ANBU woman.
"Very well, Genin Uzumaki," she nodded.
Naruto was treated to a 2-hour lecture mixed with drills as Yuugao tried to beat into his head proper technique for wielding a 'seversword'. It felt awkward and unnatural for the most part, but then so had throwing shuriken properly at first. Like any skill, he'd have to wear the right grooves into his brain and muscles to make it feel second nature. Naruto just knew he'd always been drawn to the idea of swords, and now that he had one he'd better use it right.
The two came in to find Tsunami halfway through making lunch. Naruto slipped next to her and offered to help. Inari, apparently, had managed to weasel Kakashi into telling anecdotes of the Third Shinobi War. Sasuke was pretending not to be just as avidly listening. Genma was still going strong on his instrument, and Raidou had pulled out a deck of cards and seemed to be playing some kind of one-player card game… or divining the future, it was hard to tell.
They ate the food, and Naruto learned that Tsunami was a pretty decent cook considering she didn't have much to work with. Gato's insane taxes on every product had limited the food supply in Wave, and she'd used precious little besides sea salt and some local herbs she apparently picked herself to help season everything. He was very eager to see what she and Hinata would manage to cook up together once they were all living together.
Speaking of Hinata, Naruto had been in constant telepathic communication with her since reopening the link. She most heartily approved of him recruiting Tsunami, assured him Sakura would not regret or resent him being a bit selfish, and helped him plan how he was going to handle the whole issue with the Nine-Tails. She informed him that life back in Hidden Leaf was proceeding as normal. Though apparently there was now a rumor flying around the village about the mysterious 'Progenitor' and how he was the reason over 100 people had been admitted or called in for chakra exhaustion the same day. So far, no one had linked the wielder of a brand-new Bloodline Limit with the Jinchuuriki pariah, though.
After all the plates were cleaned, Naruto was again left with a whole lot of time to kill. His Clones were still going strong outside, and would until they ran out of chakra or he ordered them to pop. Deciding he might as well put Yuugao's lesson to good use, he made an extra 20 Shadow Clones and ordered them to repeat all the drills the Jonin had just given him. Then he went back inside and settled on the couch. "So… should we all just swap life stories?" he asked rhetorically to the room.
"I am curious to learn more about you, Naruto-kun," Tsunami said.
"Me too. Kinda want to know more about the guy who saved our lives… and the country," Inari agreed with his mother.
Shrugging, Naruto figured there were worse things to do than brief his fiance and future stepchild about the man they were going to move in with. "Ok. Well, my father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. The Hokage is the leader of the whole Hidden Leaf Village, he or she has to be selected by both the previous Hokage and get the Fire Daimyo's blessing. I literally learned this two days ago, by the way, I thought I was some random orphan until I connected the dots… okay, I'm rambling, let me start over."
Naruto spent the afternoon telling his story and answering all Tsunami and Inari's questions. How he'd been born and within hours his father had made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life and using Naruto as the living prison of the rampaging Nine-Tailed Fox to save the Hidden Leaf Village. How the Third Hokage had come out of retirement and decreed Naruto be kept 'safe' and raised in ignorance of his heritage, even though over half the village was in the know about him being the Jinchuuriki. His earliest memories in the orphanage, feeling excluded in a thousand ways both subtle and overt. His only friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who took time out of his busy schedule to visit the orphanage and pay individual attention to him. How that probably had made the bullying worse from the special treatment by the village leader, in retrospect. Joining the Academy at 6, wanting to be a ninja because ninjas were important. And if he became Hokage, the most important ninja in the village, then surely people would start to see him, right? Aging out of the orphanage when he turned 12, Hiruzen helping him find an apartment he could afford on the stipend from the Academy. Meeting the Ichiraku family when he was hungry and just followed his nose one evening and discovered the best restaurant on the planet. Barely scraping by through the Academy each year with his poor study habits and near-incompatible learning style compared to a traditional classroom setting. His pranks, desperate cries for attention disguised as acts of mischief and tomfoolery. Then that fateful night almost 3 weeks ago when he'd failed the Graduation Exam a third time and got approached by Mizuki about a 'makeup test'. And all the things that had happened since Iruka tied his own headband to Naruto's forehead (minus the whole abduction by John Blake part, of course).
"... and then we got assigned this Mission to protect Tazuna and here I am now," Naruto wrapped up his tale.
"What are you, some shonen manga protagonist?!" Inari burst out. "A secret ninja prince, orphaned at birth, cursed to hold a demon inside, raised in hate and yet persevering to become the hero?! This shit doesn't happen in real life!"
Naruto blinked as he tried to process all that. "Um, yeah, it does. My story really isn't all that interesting, Inari-kun. At least not compared to others out there in the world. You just haven't heard of them because, no offense, you've grown up in the middle of nowhere."
"Life imitates art, so they say," Kakashi drawled from where he was reading his 'literature' right in front of the gods and everyone. "And aren't we all the heroes in our own stories? Some just have a few more twists than others."
"Well… thank you for sharing your story, Naruto-kun," Tsunami finally said. "I think I'll get started on dinner, only we're a bit low. Could I ask to borrow from all your rations?"
"Of course, Tsunami-san," Yuugao said. She pulled out her own Storage Scroll of food, with Seals noticeably higher-quality and more complex than the D-rank version that was all Naruto could manage. "Name the ingredients, I most likely can provide them."
"I was thinking of a fisherman's stew, it's Inari's favorite and this is a day to celebrate," Tsunami said. She named a list of supplies, and Yuugao silently unsealed all of them from her scroll.
"Any chance I could learn how to do ninja magic like that?" Inari asked as he watched pounds and pounds of food appear in puffs of smoke from two-dimensional drawings on paper.
"It takes years of training and meditation to even start to feel your own chakra," Naruto answered. "Still, I'd be willing to try and give a few lessons."
"Stepfather-stepson bonding time?" Inari cracked a joke.
"Well, well. Are congratulations in order, Naruto, Tsunami?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Judge all you want to, I asked and she said yes. We'll pack up while Tazuna finishes up the bridge. Then at least Tsunami-chan and Inari-kun are coming back to Hidden Leaf with me. Maybe Tazuna too, once we can ask him when he's sober."
"You literally met each other yesterday," Sasuke said, as if the obvious needed to be stated.
"Your point, Uchiha?" Naruto countered. "It's our lives, not yours. What's it to you if we get together 'too fast'?"
"Hinata. Anko. Tenten. Hana. Sakura. Now Tsunami. When will it end, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, sounding rather holier-than-thou.
"Who says it has to end? Love is infinite, I've come to believe. You can make as much as you need for as many people who need it. What, are you worried I'll get all the 'good' ones and there won't be any left for you?" Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Hnn," Sasuke grunted, a non-response if ever there was one.
"Such repression in one so young," Raidou said offhandedly.
"You hate to see it," Genma chuckled.
"He's an Uchiha, what do you expect? They were as bad as the Hyuuga with the straight-laced attitude towards sex," Yuugao commented from where she was rolling her scroll back up after unsealing everything for Tsunami.
"That explains a lot," Naruto chuckled at his teammate's expense.
Tsunami started in on making dinner, Naruto again volunteering to help his fiance. Tazuna woke up still a little drunk just before they sat down and ate with them after a rather long trip to the bathroom. Naruto saved a portion for Sakura when she woke up after 9:00 from her first dose. After dinner was had and the dishes were all cleaned, Genma put on a little concert for everyone.
Tsunami and Naruto both went to her room after listening to the music for half an hour. Naruto did his best to make it romantic, but they both knew they were there for one thing. They kissed, Naruto did his best to make Tsunami know he saw her as beautiful and worthy of lust, and then she went down on him. She went into the daze associated with his precum, and after some mindless sucking he unloaded into her belly. He tucked her in after making the Connection, savoring a new imprint and woman he would spend forever with. Once he was sure she was comfortable, he went down the hall to the guest room. He got into a meditative pose and counted down the minutes until 9:00 PM.
While Sakura would soon be waking up, there was another Ward he had to deal with as well.
As soon as he felt the Nine-Tailed Fox regain consciousness, Naruto projected himself back into the Seal. He opened his eyes to find himself in front of the cage again, much as he had that morning. The only difference was that instead of being cloaked in shadow, the Fox was now revealed in his full glory. Larger than most Boss Summons, with a full 9 tails writhing and curling behind him. Naruto, oddly enough, was struck most by the bunny-like floppy ears and how oddly cute they looked attached to a monster's head.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" the Fox roared at a volume great enough to make the walls tremble and the water on the floor be blasted back by a shockwave of noise.
"Made you my Ward," Naruto answered as calmly as he could when on the inside he was nearly ready to piss his pants. He was protected by the Seal… in theory. Still, rather hard to be brave in the face of a pissed-off being fully capable of picking his teeth with your bones.
"What does that even mean?!" the Fox demanded.
"Just how aware of my body or surroundings are you in here? Did you even feel it when I changed species?" Naruto asked, wanting to get on the same page.
The Nine-Tails narrowed his eyes. "You are no longer human? I thought I felt something shift, but it was so subtle I wasn't sure. How can this be?"
"Basically, aliens are a thing. I got abducted by a very nice one and he 'adopted' me into his race. I'm a Progenitor now," Naruto laid out. "And Progenitors can make a network of Wards they can draw on for chakra. Basically, what I did earlier was bypass the Seal to make a Connection directly between my chakra system and your own."
"You mean when you force-fed me your seed?" The Fox sounded like he was ready to turn Naruto inside out slowly for the insult of such an act.
"I don't make the rules of how it works, that's just how the Connection is made," Naruto managed a weak shrug. "But that's not really why I'm here. I was in a real hurry earlier, and I did what I had to in order to survive. Now that I'm safe, I owe you a proper talk. So let's talk."
"I have nothing to say to you," the Nine-Tails scoffed.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Look, Nine-Tails. My father's Seal makes it so you're stuck inside me until I die, right? Well, Progenitors have eternal youth. Assuming I don't get killed, and with all my Connections and training and other advantages that's going to get increasingly less likely to happen, you're stuck with me. Forever. So we can try and hash things out and build a working relationship now, or you can spend however long it takes resisting before I manage to nag you to the point you cave anyway. Your choice."
"... You're not lying. Blood of the Sage, you're not lying. I'm trapped in this cell for eternity?!" The Fox seemed on the verge of a panic attack at the very thought.
"Unless you somehow convince me to let you out someday, yeah," Naruto nodded. "But not necessarily in this cell. This place is kind of depressing, ain't it? Let me try something." Naruto focused and activated the Spirit Rune. This was all a metaphysical pocket inside his soul, right? Well, the Spirit Rune dealt with manipulating the soul. With intention, he tried to warp the subjective environment of the Seal.
In a blur that hurt his eyes to watch, the dank sewer transitioned into a clearing in the forest. The cage door turned into a traditional four-wall cage with a roof and floor. The Fox was still trapped inside barred walls. But now his surroundings were of grass, trees, a river, and most importantly fresh air and sunshine.
The Fox had frozen stiff during the whole change Naruto had wrought. The Tailed Beast slowly moved his paw to reach a claw past the bars. A butterfly flapped by and landed on the massive hunk of keratin.
"I cannot decide whether this is cruelty or kindness. I'm still trapped, and yet now you give me the illusion of being outside again," the Fox finally said at a low volume that was still louder than most humans shouting.
"I can change it back if you'd prefer. Or would you care more for the beach? A snowy mountain? A desert oasis? I'm open to requests here," Naruto offered.
"Why? Why accommodate me? Don't you hate or fear me?" the Fox asked 'quietly'. His blood-red slit eyes were locked on Naruto.
"Fear, most definitely. That's just respect for the crazy stupid amount of chakra and raw power you've got in one claw compared to my whole body," Naruto replied honestly. "Hate… that's a strong word. I'm definitely pissed at you for killing so many people and indirectly making their loved ones take out their pain on me throughout my life. But I shouldn't really blame you for people being idiots. I don't know if you had a good reason to attack the Hidden Leaf or not. I don't know you. That's what I want to fix. I'm not saying we're going to be best buddies, but if we're stuck together we might as well get to know each other, don't you think?"
"And the fact if you somehow trick me into liking you I'll give you access to my chakra is not a factor in this ploy at all, right?" the Fox asked rather cynically.
"I already have access to your chakra through the Connection," Naruto reminded the Tailed Beast. "You could probably make it a case of pulling teeth whenever I try to draw it, but I've got a direct line to your chakra core. And I know the trick to 'clean' it so it won't poison me to use it. But you're more than just a talking chakra battery. You think, therefore you are. You're… well, not human, obviously, but still a person. I'd like to get to know that person. In a way, you've been there my whole life. I feel we should make up for lost time. Is that a problem for you? Do you hate or fear me?" Naruto reversed the earlier question, ridiculous as it seemed to his mind.
The Fox regarded him, his snarl closing into an unreadable closed-mouth expression. "Neither. I simply gave up any faith I ever had in humanity LONG before you were born. Why get to know you only to inevitably be disappointed with your mortal failings?"
"I hear you. Thing is, I'm not human or mortal anymore," Naruto projected up at the massive creature.
"So you say. And deception is a defining trait of humanity," the Fox countered.
Naruto sighed. "So, it's like that. I won't trust you because you could literally eat my soul if I get too close. And you won't trust me because you won't believe I might be different from the type of humans you're used to. So where does that leave us?"
"An impasse," the Nine-Tails said, crossing his paws and regarding Naruto with a mix of wariness and curiosity. "Until such time as one of us yields or changes the opinion of the other."
"Well… if it's a contest of stubbornness, then prepare to lose," Naruto finally said with a smirk.
"I doubt it," the Fox smirked right back.
Naruto opened his real eyes, back out of the dive into the Seal. And he decided that while a change in scenery was all well and good, he could afford to go the extra mile to try and convince the Nine-Tails of his sincerity. He focused on their Connection and, much as he did with Hinata, opened up a mental link and locked it into place.
*Curious child. Almost reminds me of Ashura,* Naruto heard the Fox thinking at that moment.
*Who's Ashura?* Naruto projected back.
Naruto almost literally felt the Fox flinch inside the Seal. *By the God Tree, don't startle me like that! What are you doing?!*
*It's called the Mind Rune. We have Telepathy so long as I'm willing to provide the necessary chakra. Figured you'd like a live commentary of what's going on outside your cell instead of just sitting there all day,* Naruto explained.
*... This doesn't make me like you,* the Nine-Tails thought petulantly, but it was clear to Naruto that he was excited at the end to his constant boredom.
*Uh-huh. Sure. I'm still waiting on a name. Mine's Naruto, in case you forgot,* Naruto sent.
*It'll take a lot more than your stream of consciousness to make me tell you my true name, human,* his 'tenant' thought snidely.
*Not human anymore,* Naruto countered, sensing this would be the tone of their relationship for a while. He glanced at the clock and saw less than a minute had passed in the outside world. Sakura would be waking up in about 5 minutes or so.
*Naruto-kun? Who are you thinking to?* Hinata asked via their own link.
*I'm giving the Nine-Tails some radio to liven up the Seal,* Naruto projected at his wife.
*Ah. Well, I hope it works out the way you hope,* his wife thought supportively.
Naruto got out of the lotus position and went to get a glass of water from downstairs. He returned to the guest room just as Sakura was starting to stir. "Here, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, using the suffix again for the first time since they'd been put together on Team 7.
The pinkette sat up, looking around with a kind of cautious wonder. She accepted the cup and gulped it down. She set it down on the floor next to her. "I am still one instead of two," she said calmly. "So I presume you lived up to your side of the bargain. I am your Ward and you are 'holding me together', correct?"
"Yes," Naruto nodded. "Any other questions? I owe you a few answers. I didn't really get to explain all the strings attached to becoming my Ward or how the network really functions."
"I believe I can work out some of the details already," Sakura hummed. She had all the keen intellect he'd come to expect from Yin Sakura over the years, yet with the confidence of Yang Sakura behind every word and action. It was a good mix. "I already knew the Progenitor Bloodline Limit was based on certain proteins. Given I evidently joined your network directly after fellating you, I conclude the proteins are somehow mixed into your semen. The time skip is a bit confusing, though."
"There's a narcotic/muscle relaxant in my pre. First exposure knocks you out for 14 hours. Second exposure for 4, by the third a Ward has built up enough tolerance to stay awake," Naruto provided the information.
"Ah. No wonder you go off to the Hospital every day. You're donating your fluids to be distributed orally to volunteers," Sakura nodded. "But now I must ask, is there some significance to the fact I 'blew' you directly as opposed to drinking from a container or otherwise?"
Naruto winced. "This is the part where you'll probably want to hit my head for being an idiot again. And I'll probably let you."
"Go on," Sakura prompted with narrowed eyes.
"You know those 'side effects' Hinata and I mentioned on Team assignment day? They include personality changes to every Ward. The most pertinent is an 'imprint'. Every Ward is artificially triggered to fall totally and completely in love with their first sexual partner from exposure to the proteins. Given you literally had my cock in your mouth when they hit your bloodstream, that's me. That's why I asked you to marry me before you went down on me. Now that you have blown me, I'm your only option. Or at least the only man you could ever be happy with," Naruto revealed.
"Ah." Sakura tilted her head. "Well, Yang had already shifted her obsession from Sasuke to you. And Yin was losing faith in Sasuke as well while seeing you more and more as a good man. Having seen firsthand how good a husband you are to Hinata, I'm actually rather excited to one day receive the same treatment."
"You're not mad?" Naruto asked, hardly daring to believe the girl with the shortest temper he knew was taking this so calm.
"Oh, I am furious. You took advantage of me while I was desperate and vulnerable to get a sex act and an effectively unbreakable engagement out of me," Sakura said in a dangerously flat tone. "But no amount of head bonking or other violence will undo this imprint, correct?"
"That's right," Naruto said, already feeling like a schmuck.
"In which case, I'm going to do what works for my parents. I am going to bottle up all this rage and let it simmer and ferment in the back of my mind. Then, on our wedding night, I will channel ALL of it into trying to break your damn pelvis riding you into the ground while I carve my nails across your skin. Unless you manage to overpower me and take charge, in which case you better pray you can bang me to exhaustion so I don't get my revenge after you stop." The words were very clearly meant as a warning rather than an innuendo or flirting.
Naruto gulped, and wondered how healthy it was that he was so turned on. "So, just so we're on the same page, you're going to get back at me for trapping you by… making our first time as rough and hot as possible?"
"We could go with me giving you a goose egg bigger than your scrotum if you'd prefer," Sakura drawled threateningly.
"No, no, the rage sex works," Naruto quickly confirmed.
"Very well, then," Sakura nodded. "Now, I am starving. I lost my breakfast and the whole day. Tell me you saved me some dinner."
*Well, that certainly could have gone worse,* Hinata thought supportively.
*You have issues, Progenitor,* the Nine-Tails thought scathingly.
*I agree,* Naruto projected to both while he helped Sakura back to her feet and down to the kitchen.
The Progenitor-Nin
A week later, Tazuna cut the ribbon drawn across the Wave end of his completed bridge. There was applause and cheering from the whole gathered village as well as those from other islands in Wave Country who'd come to witness the occasion.
The day after the full attack and their complete victory, Tazuna had gone into town. The word of the town drunk and reckless dreamer that Gato had been beaten by 'super ninja' would normally have been met with derision and disbelief. But for some reason the sight of Naruto, the Decapitating Carving Knife in a holster across his back, combined with the noted absence of any of Gato's men for a whole day managed to convince the masses. There'd almost literally been a riot as the whole village lost their shit celebrating right after they all looted Gato's base and yacht for everything not nailed down. The sight of half-starved, threadbare citizens partying like there was no tomorrow was somehow both heartwarming and chilling.
The day after, most of the volunteers nursing severe hangovers, Tazuna had restarted construction of the bridge. Naruto had happily contributed his super-strength and ability to make perfectly obedient copies by the dozen. With the Shadow Clones to do all the grunt work while those with actual construction experience supervised, they managed a week's worth of work to the day.
And now, here they were, at the opening ceremony for the great structure. Naruto had his pack on, ready to leave as soon as Tazuna was done having his moment. Raidou had helpfully volunteered to tattoo a Storage Seal like he used for the Black Blade on Naruto's own arm to store the Decapitating Carving Knife for ease of access. His pack was bulging, the number of Storage Scrolls almost doubled as he carried the sum of Tsunami and Inari's earthly possessions. Tazuna had decided to man the fort back in Wave Country (there were whispers that he was in the running to be elected mayor of his village now that they weren't under Gato's martial law anymore) and stay in the house he'd built. He promised to visit for the official wedding to give Tsunami away and then to visit his grandchildren, both Inari and any new arrivals to come.
While most of Naruto's efforts had been focused on speeding up construction of the bridge and helping his fiance and future stepson get packed, he'd also gotten some training in. Kakashi, in his first real practical lesson for Team 7, had introduced all 3 Genin to the Tree Walking and Water Walking exercises. Sakura, with her pinpoint chakra control and small reserves, got Tree Walking on the first try but lacked the stamina to do Water Walking for even a full minute. Sasuke had gotten Tree Walking on the second day, and was ironing out the kinks of Water Walking while trying to work on his endurance for both. Naruto, being Naruto, spammed Shadow Clones who spent 3 days working out the trick for Tree Walking, after which he had the reserves to do it all damn day. He'd gotten the hang of Water Walking on still water but moving water still led to him getting soaked. Naruto, of course, also did all his other training, including a couple more lessons from Yuugao on Kenjutsu.
Refocusing on his future father-in-law, Naruto saw him pop the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine, likely one of the spoils from the raid on Gato's base. "To the future! To roaring trade and commerce! To the Great Progenitor Bridge!"
Naruto blinked. "Um, did I hear that right?" Naruto asked Tsunami next to him, holding his hand.
"He was actually going for the 'Great Naruto Bridge' at first but I convinced him that was a little too blatant a case of nepotism," Tsunami chuckled. She was still mostly the same shape, having grown a full inch in the last week but not fully in the Ward build yet. Sakura was in the same boat, given that if Naruto finished their Changes they'd suddenly be too big for all their current clothes.
"Ah," Naruto nodded.
Tazuna finished a short impromptu speech, thanking the 'super ninja' who had come to save their country, before guzzling down the bottle of bubbly. With a roar of applause, Team 7, Team Yuugao, and Tsunami with Inari walked down the Great Progenitor Bridge as the first to cross it.
They reached the other side purely for sentimental reasons. Then Raidou exploited his Flying Thunder God kunai back in his apartment in the Hidden Leaf Village and saved them 2 days' hard travel by teleporting them straight to their destination.
"That's much less unpleasant than the Body Flicker," Naruto noted once he'd seamlessly transitioned from the Fire end of the Bridge to a well-maintained two-bedroom apartment.
"I know, and no distance constraints. If you're serious about cracking the formula, I'll commission plenty of Flying Thunder God kunai from you once you're a proper Uzumaki Sealing master," Raidou grinned before flashing back to pick up the next passenger.
Once all 9 of them were fully transported, Kakashi cleared his throat. "Tsunami, Inari, we ninjas have to report to Hokage-sama for the end of the Mission. Naruto, why don't you make a Shadow Clone to lead them back to your and Hinata's place?"
"Right," Naruto nodded, making the right hand seal. His chakra control had improved to the point he could get the precise number right, albeit with probably a horrible amount of wasted chakra. He made a single Shadow Clone and handed off his pack to the doppelganger. "Tsunami-chan, Inari-kun, follow him. Hinata-chan's out with her Team right now, so you'll have the place to yourselves. If you blink and a purple-haired woman in a trench coat pops up, she's my friend Anko Mitarashi. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Okay, Naruto-kun," Tsunami nodded, darting in for a quick peck on the lips.
"Sure thing, Pops," Inari said in the most sarcastic and mocking manner possible. He'd decided to point out at every opportunity the ludicrously small age gap between him and his mother's new fiance. It was all in good fun… at least, Naruto hoped so.
Raidou led them through his apartment complex back to street level. Clone-Naruto led Tsunami and Inari off once he oriented himself from the landmarks. The rest of them went for the clearly visible Hokage Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the village located at the base of Hokage Rock.
They showed their Shinobi IDs at each security checkpoint and were led straight to the Hokage's office to directly report for their A-rank Mission as opposed to just dropping off the signed scroll at the Mission Assignment Desk. At a respectful knock on the closed door and a muffled "Enter,", Team 7 and Team Yuugao entered the private workspace of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen was actually Naruto's first male Ward and therefore a 6' 2 muscular stud in the prime of youth. For security reasons, though, he'd elected to conceal his new appearance with a constant Transformation of his former, much frailer look. He regarded them, hands steepled and his lit pipe tucked into the corner of his mouth. "Ah, welcome back, all. I already have a good idea given the 4 captured Missing-Nin Raidou-kun delivered over the past few days along with Gato himself, but how went the Wave Mission?"
Kakashi stood at attention and gave a clear, concise yet detailed breakdown of all major events since the group had departed out the Main Gate 10 days earlier. He didn't embellish but nor did he gloss over everyone's achievements; Naruto felt oddly embarrassed when Kakashi brought up how many times he provided 'crucial assistance at the pivotal moment'. He even mentioned how Hinata donating life force had saved Tazuna from his heart attack. At the end, Hiruzen was silent as he processed all that and puffed away on his clay pipe.
"You all rose to the occasion splendidly," he finally stated clearly. "Especially you, Team 7. Iruka-kun was not entirely wrong to question my decision to send freshly graduated Genin on an A-rank Mission. I am most pleased that you each performed as well as could be expected and beyond. You shall be credited with an A–rank Mission. While Tazuna-san slowly provides the funds through the payment plan we made before the Mission started, all of you will receive vouchers for full payment of an A-rank Mission of this length and difficulty today." So saying, Hiruzen opened a folder on his desk and handed out the official mission payment vouchers he'd filled out himself for each of them.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi bowed low on all their behalf.
"Naruto-kun, if I could trouble you to stay a moment? The rest of you, you are dismissed. You may return to your regular duties at your discretion," Hiruzen said calmly.
"Team 7, the Third Training Ground at 7:00 AM tomorrow. I promise to only be an hour late." Order given, Kakashi turned on his heel to walk out along with the silent Yuugao, Genma, and Raidou.
"Hokage-sama," Sasuke bowed, before turning to leave.
"I'll head home, Naruto, but we're still on for dinner?" Sakura checked quickly.
"Yep. 7:00, Ichiraku's, my treat," Naruto promised.
Sakura nodded, turning to leave the office herself.
When the door closed, Hiruzen cleared his throat. "ANBU guards, full privacy. Return on my signal only."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," came about 4 disembodied voices before there were subtle shifts in air pressure and acoustics as the invisible sentries vanished from the room.
"What's this about, Hiruzen?" Naruto asked. He'd had a week to process the 'betrayal' of this man hiding his parents' identities from Naruto his whole life. And they'd been friends for as long as Naruto could remember, the bond becoming even tighter when Hiruzen joined his network. Still, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be in the same room as the man at the moment.
Hiruzen stood. With a certain ceremony, he took off the Hokage hat and laid it on his desk. He breathed out one last puff of smoke and laid his pipe on a stand. Then he walked around the desk until he was standing face-to-face with Naruto. Then, to Naruto's shock and near horror, the Third Hokage sank to his knees and bowed full dogeza.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." The voice was strong and steady, but Naruto could hear the tears behind it. "I am so sorry. Do with me as you will, I owe you a debt I can never repay. Take my life if you must."
Naruto sank to his knees and forced Hiruzen back up to face him. "Are you insane?! You're the motherfucking Third Hokage! You don't kowtow to a green Genin! Have some pride, man!"
"I called you family. And I put you through… what you shared with me. I have no pride left, Naruto-kun, only shame," Hiruzen said soberly, eyes wet and face set in resignation and guilt.
Naruto pulled the closest thing he'd ever had to a real male role model into a crushing hug. "I forgive you, Hiruzen-aniki," he found himself saying. "Yeah, I was pissed, but it's not worth seeing you this broken. Sure, growing up sucked. But I can let that go. I know now, and I'll make them both proud. Now go back to being the invincible Hokage, you're freaking me out."
Hiruzen's arms tightened around Naruto in a hug so tight it was almost painful. Then he let go, prompting Naruto to release his own hold. Hiruzen stood back up and walked back around the desk. He took the Hokage hat and placed it back on his head. "Okay. Moment over. Now, I actually did have some business I needed to discuss with you."
"What, Hiruzen-aniki?" Naruto asked, still a bit disturbed at such a drastic response from Hiruzen over sharing his pain through the Empathy Rune last week.
"Your inheritance." Hiruzen reached into his desk and pulled out an ornate Storage Scroll. He placed it on the desk facing Naruto. "Every possession of your mother and father we could recover from the ruins of their house in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' attack. Their life savings, in excess of 12 million ryo, has been deposited directly into your personal checking account. You are also now eligible to receive the monthly payments from their pensions as their only next of kin. You are now a fairly wealthy man and set to receive a decent amount each month regardless of Missions or other work. I'd advise that you save and invest a good amount of it, which I am happy to give some helpful tips and tricks for."
Naruto felt in very real danger of fainting. "12 million? Million? Hiruzen-aniki, that's a house. A big house."
"Ah, yes, on that topic. Your apartment really is barely big enough for just you and Hinata-chan, let alone your ever-growing harem and all your future children. It just so happens that I own a rather lovely three-story with a cellar on a good-sized plot of land with plenty of room for additions. But I've had little to no use for it since moving back into the Hokage Residence. I'd be happy to discuss a very reasonable price," Hiruzen said, relighting his pipe and puffing with visible amusement.
"If you're trying to buy back my love, it's unnecessary but it's definitely working," Naruto managed to chuckle.
"It really is just burning a hole in my account each month paying the D-ranks to keep it maintained when I have government-provided housing and both my children have their own homes now," Hiruzen gave a warm grin. "Since apparently I'll be living much longer than I expected, knock on wood, I do actually need a good price to pad my own savings. Shall we say 6 million?"
"Sight unseen? Give me the address and I'll send a Shadow Clone to check it out," Naruto countered, years of having to haggle just to survive kicking in.
Hiruzen gave the address, in one of the high-scale residential neighborhoods that hugged the border between the main village center and all the Training Grounds and sprawling forests within the village walls. He also gave a key so Clone-Naruto could let himself in and explore. Naruto and Hiruzen talked like normal, just catching up on all Naruto had missed while he was away and going into more detail about the Wave Mission. 30 minutes later, the Clone returned to hand back the key and popped, Naruto got a demented grin on his face. "Furniture included?"
"Of course, of course," Hiruzen nodded.
"What's the monthly utilities look like?" Naruto checked.
"Roughly triple what you're paying for your current apartment, which the pension payments will easily cover with plenty to spare," Hiruzen answered.
"Deal!" Naruto said, hardly believing his luck. He was getting a house. A real house! And he was paying for it with money from his inheritance, which he'd never thought existed or he'd ever see.
There were certain advantages to being close friends with the chief executive of the city-state you lived in. Hiruzen produced all the relevant paperwork to authorize a direct transfer of 6 million ryo from Naruto's account to Hiruzen's, as well as a transfer of deed for the house itself. "The safe is under the rug in the master bedroom's closet. The combination is 34-24-36. I'd advise you tuck the deed in there," Hiruzen said, handing the official new deed over to a near-trembling Naruto.
"Please don't tell me those were your ex-wife's measurements," Naruto joked, even as he very carefully folded and tucked the deed into his jacket's breast pocket.
"Okay, I won't," Hiruzen quipped without blinking.
"Thank you, Hiruzen-aniki. Thank you so much. You really didn't owe me, y'know," Naruto said, feeling bubbly and ebullient at the fact he was a homeowner.
"Agree to disagree, my boy. Now, I believe you have quite a bit of moving to do. Don't be a stranger," Hiruzen grinned.
Naruto walked out of the office and the Hokage Tower. He ran at the nearest wall and 'walked' up to the roof. He oriented to face his current apartment building and planned the route there across the rooftops. He ran to the edge of the roof he was on, overcharging the chakra in his feet to launch him and amplify his leap to the next building. In half the time it would have taken using the streets, Naruto got to his apartment building and sprinted up to his apartment.
He opened the door to his apartment. "I'm ho–" He paused. "There's a story here, isn't there?"
Anko and Tsunami were having tea at the dining table, and Naruto noticed a bead of sweat on his fiance's brow. Inari was literally hiding under Naruto's bed, shaking so bad he looked like he had hypothermia.
"Just a teensy misunderstanding, Brat. Your Clone popped before I swung by and I thought these two were breaking and entering my favorite Genin's apartment. I only tried to scare them a little, really," Anko said, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
"Anko-chan, you have a very skewed perspective of what's 'scary' for veteran ninja, let alone civilians," Naruto sighed. Really, she was great fun, but Anko could be just too much at times. "How bad did you traumatize my future wife and her son?"
"How was I supposed to know the kid had ophidiophobia? He took one look at my buddy Hebimaru, screamed like a little girl, and bolted under the bed. It's been 10 minutes, I really don't understand the issue," Anko sighed.
"The sad part is I know you're being honest," Naruto sighed. He walked over to his bed. "Inari-kun, yes, ninjas have magic snakes that are as big as people. Yes, there's some even bigger than the one Anko summoned to intimidate you two. I'm sorry the world is a scarier place than you knew this morning."
"It could have swallowed me whole…" Inari stuttered, honestly still high on adrenaline from the sheer sustained fright of seeing that big a snake.
Naruto sighed and used the Empathy/Healing Runes to cure the legit trauma and anxiety in his future stepson's psyche. "Well, he didn't. And he won't. Because Anko-chan likes me, and now she knows I care about you and Tsunami-chan she's never going to pull a stunt like this again. Right?"
"I had good intentions," Anko protested her innocence.
Naruto pinched his nose. "Okay, let's try and start over here. Inari-kun, Tsunami-chan, this is my friend Anko Mitarashi. She's a Special Jonin like Raidou and Genma, but she's actually strong as a Jonin like Yuugao or Kakashi. There's some dumb politics stopping her from getting a promotion. She's also one of my Wards. Anko-chan, these are Tsunami and Inari, my new fiance and future stepson. I met them on my Mission in Wave Country."
"Damn, Brat, you were recruiting for the harem even when you were on the clock for an A-rank? Seems I underestimated you," Anko chuckled. She pulled out her flask and poured a small measure of her private stash into her tea. "Want a nip?" she offered to Tsunami.
"That 'nip' will hit harder than a whole bottle of your dad's normal stuff, Tsunami-chan," Naruto warned.
"I could actually use it after the shock of meeting a hostile ninja, really," Tsunami said with a shaky grin. "This woman really means us no harm, Naruto-kun?"
"If I play my cards right and hold her interest before she picks someone else, she's set to end up Inari's aunt someday," Naruto replied. "Now she knows we're all on the same side, she's harmless… well, mostly harmless."
"I was about to say, don't insult me Brat," Anko cackled low in her throat.
The lock turned and Hinata let herself in a few minutes later. "I'm home!"
"Welcome back!" Naruto chimed. "Hinata-chan, these are Tsunami and Inari."
"Oh, welcome to the Uzumaki family!" Hinata beamed, going to give Inari a big hug and then something more resembling a standing cuddle with Tsunami. "Naruto-kun told me all about you both! We'll do our best to keep you happy, healthy, and safe!"
"Um, much appreciated, Hinata," Tsunami managed, blushing with her face all but smashed into Hinata's generous 32D bosom.
"She's supposed to be my 'aunt'?" Inari asked, a mortified flush on his cheeks as he tried to hide his physical reaction to being embraced by a beautiful woman.
"Well, your Mom's sister-wife, not exactly the same thing," Hinata chuckled, having mercy and letting Tsunami go to turn back to Inari. "I acknowledge that the age gap is just as ridiculous between you and I as you and Naruto-kun, Inari-kun. Still, I'll do my best to be a positive mother-like figure in your life just as Naruto-kun will do his best to fulfill the role of stepfather."
"Well… cool beans," Inari finally managed, apparently saying the first thing to go through his head.
"I actually have some news. We need to pack," Naruto grinned.
"We already have, Naruto-kun," Tsunami frowned in confusion.
"I meant me and Hinata-chan. Hiruzen just sold me his old house. I can handle the headache of breaking my lease with Hekeru-san later, for now I just don't want to stay in this hole when I could be moving into our new home!" Naruto said brightly.
"Sage's saggy sack, Hokage-sama really has a soft spot for you, Brat. How much of a discount did he give you from the market price?" Anko blinked.
"Not as much as you think, he finally gave me my inheritance since I worked out who my parents are so no need to keep it classified anymore," Naruto shrugged.
"Your parents? Why would that be… classified…" Anko's jaw dropped. "Holy sheet biscuits, how did I not see the resemblance? You got his coloring to a tee!"
"Yeah, but I got Mom's face, plus the whisker marks, and then all the alterations from the Change, so don't feel too bad," Naruto waved off. He made his favorite hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A round half dozen copies appeared and immediately went to his stash of spare Storage Scrolls to pack up everything he owned in the apartment that didn't come with the building. Naruto hefted up his pack which still had all his Mission supplies as well as Tsunami and Inari's things. "They can catch up with us, let's get out of here!" Naruto cheered.
Naruto, Hinata, Tsunami, Inari, and naturally Anko who invited herself along exited the apartment. They followed Naruto through the streets as he led them to the right street. They finally stopped at the front gate to their new house. Naruto unlocked the gate door with the right key on the keyring Hiruzen gave him, letting the party into the property.
"This is yours?" Inari gaped up at the spacious 3-story house with quite a bit of yard on all sides within the confines of the plot's gate.
"Ours, Inari-kun. What's mine is yours, after all, even before Tsunami-chan and I get properly married," Naruto corrected.
"It's gorgeous!" Tsunami gushed, looking up at the residence with stars in her eyes.
"It's… warm. Not cold like the Hyuuga Compound. This place is for a family, not a Clan," Hinata mused, looking over the place herself with her light gray eyes.
"We might have to build a couple additions to fit the whole family, though," Naruto chuckled. "We're already at 3 imprints besides you, Hinata-chan, and I've been a Progenitor less than a month. And I believe there was something about 9 kids just between you and I at some point, wasn't there?"
"When you put it like that, we might have to buy the neighbors out and combine the properties in the future," Hinata giggled, the sound pure and light and free.
"Care to give a tour, Brat?" Anko asked.
Naruto went to unlock the front door and let them all in. They all eagerly explored, Naruto only having one Shadow Clone's memories of the whole place himself. The first floor was open design, with a large kitchen that opened into a dining nook with a table that could fit a good 10 people in a pinch. The living room was filled with a big leather couch and a couple loveseats, all angled towards the brick fireplace. A half-bath was just off the kitchen. The cellar, reached by a door beside the corner staircase, was clearly mostly storage space, though there was a cast-iron wine rack to store multiple bottles in the dark, cold space. The second floor had 3 bedrooms as well as two full baths. The third floor was all the master bedroom, ensuite bathroom, and walk-in closet. A double-king bed took pride of place at one end of the floor.
Naruto, taking Hiruzen's advice, stashed the deed in the safe 'hidden' in the closet. Then he happily made a horde of Shadow Clones to unpack everything and rearrange the furniture however anyone wanted. Inari, for the moment, got his own room and he eagerly made himself at home. The Shadow Clones from the old apartment arrived soon enough, and then Hinata was sorting her whole wardrobe in the top floor's closet. Tsunami dealt more with the decorating and 'flow' of each room. The original Naruto handled the executive decisions of what to keep and what to toss in the cellar to either store or sell off at some point.
By 5:00 pm, they were all as moved in as possible. Naruto left Hinata, Tsunami, and Anko engaging in the esoteric practice of 'girl-talk' while Inari was out exploring the yard to see if he could find anything exciting. Getting some privacy, he went up to the master bedroom and sat down in one of the chairs by the bed. He took out the scroll of all his parents' possessions that had survived the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage.
The first Seal held a wedding album, and Naruto happily spent a good 20 minutes just flipping through the photos, getting glimpses of his mother and father on the happiest day of their lives. Setting that aside to probably tuck into the safe right next to the deed, Naruto worked through the rest of the scroll. A case of Flying Thunder God kunai, each personalized to Minato and thus worthless apart from keepsakes and maybe study material when he got good enough to try and make his own version of the Sealing matrix. Lots of clothes, including a copy of the infamous 'Fourth Hokage' white coat with the flames at the edges. Near the end of the scroll, after a number of books from his parent's personal library he was most eager to dive into, Naruto got so choked up he needed a moment. He'd reached the contents of what must have been his nursery. Stuffed animals, little baby outfits, a mobile. Even a hand-carved bassinet that must have somehow survived the collapse of the building during the attack.
The Nine-Tails projected more than background thoughts for the first time that day. *Why aren't you cursing my existence for a monster and murderer?* It was an honest question, seeking clarity from confusion.
*Because I'm not sure you are,* Naruto thought back, still wrestling with his leaking tear ducts and trembling lip. *I haven't heard your side of the story. I spent my whole damn life being judged on assumptions. I sure as hell won't make the same mistake. So, if you feel like answering, why did you attack the Hidden Leaf that day?*
*... I don't feel like answering, actually. It's not a memory I enjoy revisiting,* the Fox sent back before retreating further into the Seal, muting his thoughts as much as possible.
Naruto wiped his eyes and sighed. The Nine-Tails was proving to be a tough nut to crack. But Naruto had determination in spades. He'd manage at some point, given eternity, that was a statistical certainty.
Tucking all his mementos from his dead parents away, Naruto went back down to the ground floor. "Well, it's getting close to dinner time. I made plans with Sakura-chan to meet up at Ichiraku's. Want to come, Anko-chan?"
"You know, Brat, I do have a life outside my interactions with you. I'm going drinking with the guys from T&I tonight. See you around, you still owe me a talk," Anko gave a little two-finger salute before vanishing in a Body Flicker.
Naruto gathered Hinata, Tsunami, and Inari and locked the door and gate behind them. He led them through the streets to Ichiraku Ramen. Inari noticed the glaring first. "You warned us, but wow, they really hate you," he muttered, huddling as close to his mom as his teenage pride would allow.
"It is what it is," Naruto sighed.
"You'll prove them all wrong. One day they'll see you for the hero you are, Naruto-kun," Tsunami said with certainty, reaching out to take his hand.
"That's the plan, Tsunami-chan," Naruto grinned at his newest imprint.
They got to the ramen bar to find Sakura already waiting out front. "Hey, Naruto," she nodded in recognition. "Hinata, how you been?"
Hinata shocked the pinkette by greeting her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "We're sister-wives, Sakura-chan. No need to worry about whether or not you're welcome in our marriage. You're part of my family now, remember that."
"Um, sure," Sakura said, sounding a bit too surprised to properly react. "It's really that simple, in your mind?"
"We have the most important thing in common: we love Naruto Uzumaki. Everything else will work itself out over the decades," Hinata waved off as if it really was a foregone conclusion. "So, what's it like to see through both your halves' eyes at once?"
"It's like seeing in color after a lifetime of black and white," Sakura said with a grin of pure wonder. "I never realized how limited I was as just Yin, blocking out Yang. Even near the end where I tried to be both equally wasn't like this."
"I'm so looking forward to getting to know the new you!" Hinata said brightly. "Now, come, Naruto-kun has been having withdrawals, not having Ichiraku's in over a week."
"It wasn't that bad," Naruto protested, though his stomach was growling and his mouth leaking at the sheer aroma wafting from the restaurant past the flaps.
The five of them entered the small 8-seat restaurant. To Naruto's pleasant surprise, Iruka was seated at the end. "Yo, Iruka-sensei! Small world!"
Iruka turned and grinned at his former student he'd come to see as a little brother. "Naruto-kun, you graduated from the Academy. Just 'Iruka' is fine now. Oh, who are these two?" His eyes went to Tsunami and Inari.
"Okay, Iruka-aniki then," Naruto chuckled. "This is Tsunami, my fiance. And this is Inari, her son who I'll officially adopt once we're married."
"Is that even legal?" Inari wisecracked. "And is this my 'uncle', then?"
"I'm, technically, an adult and you're still a minor; of course it'll be legal. And this guy was my favorite teacher at the Academy and one of my only friends. No blood relation, but yeah, he's like my brother so he'll be your uncle, Inari-kun," Naruto confirmed.
"Pleasure to meet you, Iruka," Tsunami gave a polite bow.
"Ah, Naruto-kun! Back from your big Mission, I see! And you seem to have brought back some new customers for me!" Teuchi greeted from behind the counter when he looked over his shoulder at all the noise.
"Naruto, please don't tell me these two are from Wave Country," Iruka said in a half-joking tone. "You were supposed to be focusing on protecting Tazuna-san, not getting yet another girlfriend."
"I'm a good multitasker," Naruto snarked at his big brother figure.
The 5 of them all sat down beside Iruka, Ayame coming to get each of their drink and then food orders. Conversation flowed as Naruto introduced Tsunami and Inari to Iruka and Hinata bonded with Sakura. Iruka ended up lingering long after he settled his own bill to keep talking with all of them. After a solid hour, where Naruto nearly broke his personal record for most consecutive bowls, Naruto finally paid for his family's meals and then got up to leave.
"So, Iruka-aniki, did my eyes deceive me or were you and Ayame-chan mentally undressing each other?" Naruto asked point-blank once they were a block away from Ichiraku's.
Iruka blushed almost as bad as the old Hinata. "Well, we had that moment during your and Hinata's 'reception' dinner. I swung by for dinner while you were out of the village and ended up asking her out. It's new, but I feel it could really go somewhere."
"Not to sound like a pushy salesman, but if you both join my network then you both can imprint on each other and live happily ever after," Naruto pointed out.
Iruka cleared his throat. "Um, I'm well aware of the advantages of being your Ward, Naruto-kun. It's just the 'price of admission' that I struggle with."
"If it helps, just think of it as a protein shake," Hinata offered her own advice. "Even looks and tastes like the vanilla ones they sell in stores, Progenitors are sugary where humans are salty."
"Um, thanks for that, Hinata-chan. I'll give your offer due consideration, Naruto-kun," Iruka said before taking the turn to head for his own apartment.
Naruto paused and turned to Sakura. "So, don't suppose I could convince you to sleepover? I could finish your Change with your second dose along with Tsunami-chan."
"My parents barely 'let' me leave the house to get dinner, they apparently got hit with empty nest syndrome as soon as I left the village for the Mission," Sakura huffed. "Let's say tomorrow after training and our rinky-dink D-rank. 4 hours is short enough where I can be home by 'curfew'. I'd like to at least introduce you to them before I just up and move in with you and Hinata et al. So I suppose we part ways here for the night."
Naruto nodded, accepting her decision. He leaned in and cupped her cheek. Her breath hitched but she didn't pull away as he leaned down and gave her a deep kiss goodbye. "See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan," he breathed against her lips once he was done.
"Tomorrow… Naruto-kun," she said back, using the affectionate suffix for the first time in their entire relationship. Then she turned and took off for her parents' home.
"Right in front of my mom?" Inari asked, not sounding offended so much as impressed at Naruto's gall.
"I didn't mind, Inari. I actually found it rather… arousing," Tsunami admitted.
"Mom, please!" Inari moaned, covering his ears.
"You liked that, you can get a proper show tonight in bed between me and Naruto-kun before you get your second dose," Hinata said with an angelic smile despite her sinful words.
Naruto took just a second to thank the gods and John Blake that this was his life now.