A/N: Hello there! It's been a little while but we are back. Happy new year everyone. (I know its a bit late, but o well...) Me and GBA were stuck with irl stuff and couldn't get the chapter ready earlier so apologies. The least bit of satisfaction for me is that we managed to keep up our monthly schedule and not miss January. Outside the stories, it seems like 2024 is going to be one hell of a year for our whole world. So, hopefully this story will keep being a breath of fresh air from the dilly dailies of your lives as well as the chaos all around, this is mine and GBAboy313's sincere wish for this new year. And with that, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.

CHAPTER 39: MAKING UP WITH BIG SIS and other things

The inauguration ceremony had passed and to the relief of almost all the kunoichi of the village and Naruto as well some other protective boyfriends/husbands, Jiraya's first order didn't come to pass.

During the inauguration ceremony, Naruto and Hinata had decided on meeting again some of their friends and catch up.

And the couple were starting with Sakura.

They visited the girl at her place and her parents let them into Sakura's room.

"I don't know, how to say anything to this, I have heard about Sasuke, Sakura… I just wanted to apologize for not being able to do anything when it all happened." Naruto stated as he and Hinata visited the pinkette in her bedroom.

Sakura looked at Naruto with a variety of emotions running through her mind as Hinata recalled that their last encounter with the pink haired kunoichi during the final round of the chunin exams was not very pleasant.

The two images couldn't be more different. A rage-filled and love blinded fangirl…and this.

Sakura sighed after a moment.

"…Don't bother, Naruto." Sakura responded. "I don't know if you would have been able to do anything…Sasuke-kun…he's changed. Some new powers manifested and then he seemed so different afterwards."

"Huh?"

"That curse mark can change his body…making him look like…a hybrid of a human and a bird, I think? Something that had wings, and the wings looked like finned hands coming out of his back…He looked downright twisted, I don't think you could have taken him on to be honestly."

"Umm…I can't say anything about that until I have tried…but okay…I was just worried about you." Naruto stated.

"Thanks, its okay. This incident helped me learn that I need to do something about improving myself…you don't need to bother about me or Sasuke."

"Sakura-san…" Hinata said in concern.

"Don't look at me with pity, Hinata. You got your boy right, be happy…I didn't get mine!"

"That's not what I meant to imply." Hinata responded. "We really came here because we were worried about you."

"Thanks for your concern, but I don't need your pity..." Sakura said sounding annoyed.

'She has been really hit hard with this…she seems to not be in her right mind.' Naruto and Hinata talked between themselves through their eyes, sparing a glance towards each other.

"We are sorry, it seems that you would like to be left alone. But please, let us know if we or one of us can help you in some way. We just want you to know that we are here for you." Hinata stated.

"Besides, I just wanted to give you a promise." Naruto stated. "I promise I'll bring Sasuke back, no matter what…that teme really doesn't know what he is doing, I'll make him see things for real, that's my word and I don't go back on my word." The whiskered blonde declared.

Sakura didn't say anything back at the promise but regardless Naruto and Hinata got up and left the place, leaving her alone.

'Why did I get angry at them? They just wanted to cheer me up…' Sakura thought to herself.

'NO, THEY WANTED TO SHOVE IN YOUR FACE HOW THEY ARE HAPPILY ROMANCING WHILE YOU DON'T HAVE SASUKE-KUN!' An inner voice seemed to snap back at her.

"Urgh!" Sakura shook her head and held her forehead. 'That…couldn't even begin to be true. Naruto might be a big idiot and a dumbass but even he wouldn't go that far…' The pinkette thought to herself.

*With Naruto and Hinata*

"Sakura-san really seemed to troubled." Hinata commented.

"Yeah, she looked like she was about snap at you, and I might not have been able to keep myself under control had she done that."

"Don't worry dear. I don't mind, I know that she is not in her right mind. She will come around. I am sure of it." The lavender eyed girl replied.

"Yeah, lets hope for the best, if she keeps suffering like this, I won't forgive the teme for causing her so much pain." Naruto said in a serious tone with clenched fists.

The next people they were to meet were the members of Team-10, whom the couple met at a park where the team was relaxing.

Naruto mentally winced seeing the various bandages on the members visible body parts.

"Yo Naruto, Hinata." Shikamaru greeted.

"Hey Shikamaru." Naruto greeted back… "I would have asked how've you been, but I wanna give you guys an apology. My teammate caused a mess and got you into this…I'm sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it." Ino stated raising her hands with a smile. "It hurts how Sasuke left, but you don't need to blame yourself over this. Rather, I am more interested about the two of you. My title as the gossip queen will be under threat if I don't get the goods of our class's first lovely little couple!"

The couple in question began blushing.

"Come on! Start with how you two became a couple!" Ino pried with a look of a predator about to jump on its prey. Naruto and Hinata mentally winced and were almost ready to jump back and retreat at full speed.

"Ino…let's cut them some slack." Choji cut in. "Here you go." The chubby boy offered Naruto and Hinata some chips and they took it happily.

"Back before Ino tried to interrogate for gossip, don't worry about Sasuke causing us trouble. We went out and got our butts kicked, not the first time and probably won't be the last, but it just shows how missions tend to go." The Akimichi boy stated.

"Choji's right. Well, the missions I have been a part of, subduing Gaara and his siblings included were like nothing before this one. We faced off against Orochimaru's elite. It was an eye-opener as to how big a difference in skill exists between us and the ninja that are really powerful and we're not even talking about the big guns like the Sannin, the real Ino-Shika-Cho trio of our parents, the Sandaime and people like that. It's really troublesome with how much effort it will take us, but as our parents' children, it is our duty to catch up to them at least and not let the fame of Ino-Shika-Cho die down." Shikamaru explained.

"You're absolutely right Shika. We really need to train up and work on our skills big time!" Ino stated.

Naruto and Hinata were pleasantly surprised with how positively the other big Sasuke fangirl was taking this all as compared to Sakura.

"Ino-san…" Hinata stated in a low tone. "I am sorry, but I can really notice the difference with how you are dealing with Sasuke-san's betrayal and how Sakura-san is taking it. You are taking it in such a positive way." Hinata stated.

"Hmm…well, to be honest Hinata, I was quite sad about all this, about Sasuke leaving the village and turning his back on us. But it helped me realize some things…like how I care more about my friends Shikamaru and Choji than him, so kinda realized that my feelings for him were not that deep. This mission helped me with some good self-introspection. Well, turns out I haven't found my one true love yet. Sasuke is just not that…he was just a crush. Agreed, I am still worried about him and I would still like him brought back to Konoha, but I wouldn't want any of my friends, you two included to be put in peril because of him." The Yamanaka heiress stated.

Naruto and Hinata nodded and smiled.

"Well, as far as forehead girl is concerned, it seems that her feelings for Sasuke are deeper than mine somehow. It's been quite a while since me and Sakura have had a real conversation. All of that silly competition over a boy who we saw as a trophy, well at least I did. Something you said implies you tried getting through to her and she didn't listen or was too distraught. I'll try to get through to her once more and see if it can work out, kay?" Ino offered.

"That'd be nice of you, Ino-san. Sakura-san's distress is worrying for us."

"To be honest." Shikamaru spoke. "I don't particularly like Sasuke, the guy is too dark and serious…think one of the younger kids floated the term 'emo.' But still, he is a Konoha shinobi and one of our classmates. So, for the interests of our village, considering he is the last of the Uchiha clan, he really needs to be brought back."

"Makes sense… though I kinda see the teme in a different light. He is a loner like me, at least how I was until me and Hinata-Hime got together. So, I have a degree of understanding of what he's gone through. The teme's seen some really horrible things. It is quite natural that his mind isn't working right. And through that shared loneliness, I feel like he understands me the way I understand him. He cares for his friends; he was willing to put his life in line to protect me from Haku in wave. And I can't just abandon him when he needs help."

"Troublesome, but understandable. But if you're gonna do this, we'll help out, we were originally tasked with bringing him back, having him brought back will finally fulfil our mission." Shikamaru stated. "So, we'll help in any way we can." Shikamaru offered.

"You got it Shika." Naruto said with a grin and then the couple parted ways with Team-10.

*Later that day*

"Naruto nii-san!" The boy with the blue scarf happily called out.

"Yo, Konohamaru, seems you brought the gang and…" Naruto started but ended up awkwardly trailing off.

"Nee-sama?" Hanabi started. Making a concentrated effort to not focus on Naruto. She felt those same red eyes staring hard at her soul, minus the ancient miasmic rage and intent she had felt then. Seeing them again would probably not due her any favours at the moment.

"Hanabi-chan?"

"Uh…"

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other in confusion. Sure, after arriving back from Snow, Hinata had heard about Hanabi undergoing some significant changes in her personality. But to see him hanging out with a group that had basically become a Naruto fan association of sorts…that was unexpected.

Hinata's relationship with her little sister had been…complicated to say the least, especially after that match where she had 'lost' to Hanabi. Since then, the two sisters had never had a good conversation.

But Hinata of late was aware that for some reason, Hanabi was following her and Naruto on some of their little dates and outings, but had chosen not to ask Hinata directly about it.

She had also heard from her aunt about how Hanabi was now hanging around with Konohamaru, but still to see her right there, the lavender eyed girl was a little surprised to say the least.

"Hinata nee-chan's your big sister, isn't she Hanabi-chan!?" Konohamaru asked excitedly.

The little Hyuuga girl nodded with a little embarrassment.

And it was at that moment that Hinata noticed how Hanabi was being around Konohamaru. Just like how Hinata herself was being when around Naruto, the way she looked at the energetic blonde when they were quite young in the academy, Hanabi had the same look towards Konohamaru.

And that made her start giggling.

"What's up, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked confused.

"Can I tell you later *giggle*?"

"Uh…okay?" Naruto responded rubbing the back of his head.

"So, what are we doing today?" Naruto asked with a thoughtful expression.

"You promised you'd teach us something."

"Yeah, new training!" Moegi said in agreement.

Hanabi stared at her sister and her sister's boyfriend with interest and expectation.

"Okay…so, where to start? You guys know how to tree walk?" Naruto asked.

And minus Hanabi, the kids shook their heads.

"Alright, then that's where we'll start today." Naruto said with a grin. "And once you get tree walking down, Hinata-chan'll teach you water walking!"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon all cheered but Hanabi looked on.

"W-what about m-me?" She asked.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto turned to his girlfriend. "Would you like to teach your sister water walking? I feel like you two should do some catching up…" The blonde whispered.

"You are right, Naruto." Hinata whispered back. "But I am a bit nervous… it's been so long since me and Hanabi-chan have really been on good terms…" The Hyuuga girl added.

"Don't worry Hime, you got this!" Naruto cheered his girlfriend up.

"Why don't you go with your sis to learn water walking?" Naruto turned to Hanabi and asked. "Will that be okay with you?"

The girl looked downwards. And Hinata began feeling like her sister didn't want this.

"Hanabi-chan…if you don-" Hinata began speaking up but was cut off when Hanabi opened her mouth.

"A-are y-you okay with it, Nee-sama?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "Yes, I am perfectly fine with it…" She responded with a smile after few seconds of shock of 'Hanabi-chan is willing to learn from me?'.

And with the two girls in agreement, they headed for a nearby pond at a corner of that training ground. Not before Hinata left a shadow clone of herself to assist Naruto in teaching the kids tree walking.

Naruto turned to the three before him who looked at him expectantly.

"Alrighty, the exercise is easy in theory. You gather chakra in your legs focus on it so that its neither too much nor too less and then walk up the tree like…"

Naruto began walking up the trunk of a nearby tree and reached a branch quite high up. "…this…"

"Whoa!" The three kids exclaimed. "That was so awesome, Naruto nii-san!"

"Yeah, the Boss is awesome!" Udon added.

"Hehe…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned.

"Well, now its your turn to try it, though, fair warning it won't be easy and you might be falling down multiple times, it will hurt but no ninja training is worth it if it doesn't hurt in one way or another. Clone Hinata-chan'll observe your chakra flow to warn you in case of too much or too less chakra, correct it in time so you get to stay standing, or you fall down. Got it?" Naruto asked.

"YES BOSS!" The kids collectively acknowledged.

"Then get on with it 'ttebayo!" Naruto ordered.

And the three kids immediately got on with their jobs, taking on one tree each as the Hinata clone activated her Byakugan and began observing.

"…Konohamaru-kun too much chakra…" The Hinata clone warned as Konohamaru had gone of about three feet up the trunk of a tree.

"What!? Oh shit!...Aaaaah…OUCH!" The Sarutobi kid fell flat on his butt.

"Moegi-chan, you are using too little chakra!" Clone Hinata warned again.

"Oh NOOOO!" The little girl slipped down the trunk after a few steps up.

"Udon-kun…too much…"

*BAM* "Ouch!"

"…chakra…"

And that's how it went on. It was going to be some time before the kids got it down.

*With Hinata and Hanabi*

The two sisters stood quietly before the pond as if waiting for the other to say something.

Well, Hinata was the elder one so she had to break the ice.

"So…Hanabi-chan…I am sure you know about this exercise…it's like…" Hinata began explaining.

"Nee-sama, can I…say something?" Hanabi asked somewhat unsure of herself and Hinata saw that the girl might start crying from the slight wateriness of her eyes and the cracking facial expressions.

"Anything Hanabi-chan." She said in a reassuring tone.

"I-I…I am so sorry!" Hanabi suddenly got to her knees and apologized and began sobbing.

"Hanabi-chan, why are you crying? Why are you apologizing?" Hinata asked as she crouched down next to her sister and held the girl by her shoulders.

"F-for…everything…" Hanabi said in between her sobs.

Hinata embraced her sister tight and began rubbing her back.

"I have never been angry with you…I am your older sister. I won't abandon you no matter what." She said in a reassuring tone.

"B-But…"

"It's alright, Hanabi-chan. Aunt Kyoko told me how much you're trying to change yourself; big sister is proud of you." Hinata said softly.

"R-Really?" Hanabi asked, still sobbing.

"Really." Hinata said as a few tears of her own fell down. Just how much Naruto had repaired her family. Knowingly or unknowingly, Naruto had given her everyone in her family back by changing them. Her father who now talked to her like her father, and her aunt whose affection she was able to count on. Neji nii-san was finally being the big brother he was so many years ago and finally this.

"I can never thank you enough, Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered very lightly as she hugged Hanabi and let the girl let it all out. And she knew she could tease Hanabi over Konohamaru later.

Once she had taught Hanabi water walking that is.

It was going to take a while.

*a few hours later*

A very wet and sneezing Hanabi, a Konohamaru with both sets of cheeks swollen, a Moegi full of scratches, and an Udon with a swollen face… that's how the kids had faired. But they had completed their tasks. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon had gotten tree walking down while Hanabi had gotten water walking down.

"Maybe we should wait and do the water walking tomorrow…" Naruto commented thoughtfully.

"I agree Naruto-kun. They seem so exhausted."

That agreement settled it. "Alrighty, then let's call it a day, everyone."

"Okay…*pant* boss" Konohamaru stated.

"Yeah, lets meet here again tomorrow and continue, go rest up." Naruto advised.

"Good work today, everyone." Hinata said with a smile.

"Thank you, nii-san, nee-chan…"

Hanabi came forward and gave her sister a hug before leaving with her friends.

And once they were gone, Hinata glomped Naruto and began kissing him all over the face.

"…Hinata-chan…!?" Naruto asked blushing.

"…*chu* *chu* Hanabi-chan and I …she…*chu*…It's all thanks to you…*chu* they all changed thanks to you. *kiss* *kiss* My father, Neji, Hanabi-chan…*chu* all of them…they all acknowledge me now…and its all thanks to you…" Hinata said as tears of happiness fell from her eyes…

If Hinata wore lipstick, Naruto's face would have been covered in it.

"Well, anything for my Hime…" Naruto said with a foxy grin albeit with a bit reddened face.

"You lovely boy…I love you." Hinata said and kissed Naruto again. She was just so happy that she couldn't help it. Had they been of age, she might have taken Naruto then and there. But she stuck to kissing and cuddling him for the time being.

*Later that day*

Our lovely couple had a long day of meeting and catching up. Their last meeting was with Hinata's former jonin sensei, Kurenai Yuhi.

The two hadn't informed the red eyed jonin beforehand. When they reached her home, just after sunset, they found the house to be locked. So, they went looking for her at different places. And to their utter surprise, they found the genjutsu mistress at Ichiraku ramen of all places.

"Kurenai-sensei! Good evening!" The two greeted.

"Hey there, Old man Teuchi."

"Hello Naruto, it's been a while, long mission?"

"Yeah. Went to Yukigakure and kicked some ass there hehe." The blonde responded with a grin as he and Hinata sat by Kurenai, who had gotten herself a bowl of beef ramen.

"So, what would our lovely couple like to have?" Teuchi asked clapping his hands.

"Umm…Miso-pork ramen, a little spicy, you Hinata-chan?"

"Miso ramen with chicken please."

"One Miso-pork and one Miso-chicken ramen coming right up!"

As they waited for their orders to be served Kurenai turned to her former student whom she cared for as a younger sister.

"Hinata, its hasn't been that long since the chunin exams but you have really opened up. You look so much more confident in yourself."

"Thank you, sensei."

"Naruto really did his magic on you, didn't he?" Kurenai doubled down with a teasy tone, making Hinata blush but she nodded regardless, with some embarrassment.

"I hope you're taking good care of Hinata, Naruto…"

"Yeah, but to be honest, its Hinata-chan that takes care of me…" Naruto admitted with a slight blush of his own.

"So, sensei…."

"Yeah, Hinata. I know its hard hearing that Team-8 got disbanded as part of Jiraiya-sama's restructuring efforts. But I can see the rationality of his decision. Besides, you got to be on Team-7 with your boyfriend. I am happy for you." Kurenai said with a smile.

"T-Thank you sensei. But, what about you…I heard that everyone from Team-8 was pulled out and sent to different teams." Hinata questioned.

"True, Hokage-sama wants me to lead a team of genjutsu specialists. He assigned me with Sakura from Team-7 and the boy you two helped and sent with Tsunade-sama."

"Ranmaru?" Naruto asked.

Kurenai nodded. "He has a special dojutsu based bloodline limit which allows him to cast very powerful genjutsu. Mostly geared towards interfering with sensory and dojutsu."

"Hai. His genjutsu is so powerful that the forms he creates under it appear to have chakra networks of their own which fools the Byakugan. And if you don't understand that you are under a genjutsu, you can't dispel it."

"Hm…I haven't seen the boy in action since he is staying with Tsunade-sama and is getting treatment as well as adjusting to life in Konoha. I heard that he knows the recipe of a dish called 'Curry of Life'. He once made it and offered the curry to Lee after meeting him once in the hospital. The dish was so energetic that, Tsunade-sama had to put quite in the effort and intimidation to stop the boy from running to the nearest training ground and start doing laps around it." The genjutsu mistress explained. "Fair warning though, the taste is not as good as you might think it is, so try it at your own discretion." Kurenai cautioned.

The lovebirds nodded.

"And what about the third member?" Naruto questioned.

Kurenai began looking down. "That's the complicated part about this setup. The third member is a girl named Yakumo… she was a former apprentice of mine. To put it simply, she is a once-in-a-generation prodigy among a clan of genjutsu users, the Kurama clan."

"The what clan?" Naruto couldn't ask in total confusion. Hinata got confused as well and looked at Naruto.

"The Kurama clan. Well, if you haven't heard the name that's because they are very secretive, and presently, they have very few members left." Kurenai explained.

'What I am shocked is that they actually named a clan after Kurama…'

"I am amused as well." Kurama commented in the mindscape.

"Well, we are aware of them, but I just forgot to mention them. No real reason to mention them." Minato stated. "Quite the genjutsu users. Their bloodline gives them great genjutsu affinity which allows them to turn their imagination into a genjutsu and those under it usually have a very hard time detecting that they are actually under a genjutsu. The genjutsu can be so powerful that if you die inside that genjutsu, you die in the real world as well, but the more terrifying Kuramas inherit their bloodline so strongly that it becomes what they call Demonic Reality…the illusions altering reality until dispelled." The yellow flash explained.

'Amazing, but then again, its strange that they named their clan after Kurama. After all, Kurama and Genjutsu mix just as well as water and oil. Rather, Kurama is actually capable of dispelling any genjutsu when having a perfect jinchuuriki.'

"An accurate assessment. To be precise, all of the Biju are vulnerable to genjutsu, especially those based on a Mangekyou Sharingan or beyond, when they are not in full sync with their host." Kurama stated. "It is indeed strange that a clan of genjutsu users are named after me, when I actually don't like genjutsu at all. Not sure why my name was used unless they decided it after my resemblance to Kitsune Yokai legends. Only Isobu really uses genjutsu out of the Biju."

'Maybe we should pry them about it. Some interesting history might come out of it.' Naruto suggested.

"I am not against it; I am interested to know as well."

Meanwhile Kurenai continued. "However, her control over her own Bloodline Limit, named Demonic Reality due to how strongly the illusions alter areas they are put over, is very unstable which makes her a potential security threat: and so, during the Sandaime's time, she was never allowed to become a ninja. However, now Jiraiya-sama wants to put her in a genin team and make her a ninja."

"Umm…well, I wouldn't want to waste potential, especially as good as you say she has. Perhaps that's why Ero-Sennin wants to get her on a team and put her in service." Naruto reasoned with a thoughtful expression.

"That's the reason he gave me…Ero-Sennin?" Kurenai asked amused.

"Well, he is a big fat pervert and he's a sage, so Ero-Sennin; Pervy Sage. Makes sense, doesn't it?" Naruto replied with a grin.

Kurenai burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha. Oh Kami. That's brilliant. Ero-Sennin…Hahahaha!"

Hinata giggled and Teuchi and Ayame began laughing at the self-proclaimed super pervert's expense.

"Anyways…" Kurenai spoke once the laughter was over. "So, I need to go back to her and help her control her powers."

"Hmm…but you look worried, sensei." Hinata questioned.

Kurenai nodded. "Well, initially I promised her that I'll help her be a ninja. But after training her, I understood that her powers were too unstable. So, I sealed her ability to utilize genjutsu which left her in a state that won't allow her to pursue the path of a shinobi. And she sees it as a betrayal…rightfully so. That's why we have a massive trust issue that we… or rather I need to work upon. Besides, her power is very dangerous. So, it is indeed a risky endeavour. But I have to do this."

"We can help sensei." Naruto offered with Hinata nodding.

Kurenai shook her head. "I would rather that you stayed out of this. It was a mess that started because of my actions, I need to clean it up myself. So, focus on your own training and missions. Besides, Hokage-sama did say that he will provide me with backup, so don't worry." The genjutsu mistress reassured. "Now excuse me, I need to get going. It was nice to see you, Hinata, Naruto. Take good care of each other."

And the genjutsu mistress got up, paid her bill and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"It seems that she is hiding exactly how big of a mess this is…." Hinata commented.

"I agree, Hime, let's see. I will try to ask Ero-Sennin to send us, Team-7 as the backup."

Elsewhere…

In a dark, ethereal place, a cage stood and contained an Oni like creature in the vague shape of a girl.

The creature has the kanji 'Ido' tattooed onto her 'skin.'

A panicking girl was next to the cage.

The demon was pushing against the cage, and the seal gradually weakens.

The demon mutters: "Soon…soon I'll be free…soon our powers will return…soon I'll destroy those fools. Soon…revenge will be mine and I will be Yakumo."

The cage snaps open. "Soon is NOW, YAKUMO!"

Chains appear from nowhere and Yakumo is functionally crucified in suspension.

The demon laughs sinisterly. "But first, let's get even with Uncle and Kurenai."

A/N: And done! Well, nothing much to do here except for slowly setting up the next arc, which is going to be based on the filler Yakumo Kurama arc of the anime. (I have said that in author's notes earlier then my bad, but anyways.) This arc as you might already be able to guess will not be that much action packed but hey, we need to space out the action heavy stuff a little don't we? So, that's that.

I hope you all had a good time reading this chapter and I thank you all again for your continued love and support. I sincerely wish that our efforts are always able to satisfy your expectations as best as possible. Let's have another good storytelling year together. And with that, it's time to sign off.

See ya all in the next chapter. Cheers and Peace.