Leaving the land of Grass was something the blonde ninja really looked forward to. He had done what he had done with all the hideouts he no longer needed and used the Earth Release to submerge them. It's still useable but with all those seals near undetectable and out of the way.
Naruto was tense for the last week after the operation to free Karin's mother he was on high alert, seemingly for nothing. It looked like such things were common and his ruse of disguising himself as one of Orochimaru's men even supported everything more than expected.
For the moment he tried to forget what had happened. What he heard. Now Jiraiya and himself were on the road again. They would use the main streets and even see the capital of Hi no Kuni, even if Jiraiya said they would stay out of it for the moment. Naruto had asked Jiraiya why they would go to see the capital. First Jiraiya had only chuckled before the adamant blonde had nailed the Sannin down with his chains and had the better arguments. Jiraiya explained quickly that the capital was a dangerous place for ninjas with all the nobles around. Noble's that by law could force him on a mission he would not want to take if you looked at the Daimyo and his staff.
As unbelieving as it sounds the laws of the elemental nations are clear on that. While the Kage may have full authority over their forces. The respective Daimyo could easily cut off the financial support for his or her village. If you looked at Sunagakure that could have devastating effects. Not to mention what the thousands and thousands of samurai could do.
Yes, shinobi had chakra and their jutsu, but only those of rank B and higher would be able to cause problems for most samurai. All below this rank were child's play for the highly trained and disciplined forces. All the jutsu in the world were worth nothing if the sword was faster than the finger signs to mold one's chakra. So the only thing Naruto was able to see of the capital was the skyline in the distance as they moved past it. Getting eyed critically by the samurai patrols.
They always looked ready to strike and those big bows some of them had in those guard towers. One would say they would miss them, well Naruto and Jiraiya maybe but the slower ones. The arrows would be fired with precision and most usually end life with each arrow leaving the strings. Leaving those thoughts behind as they did the capital they moved towards the Land of Noodles. Occasionally the two of them would spar and with Naruto's rising hormone levels he even outmatched his sensei on some nights because he was just better in his approach to getting the attention of the other gender. Jiraiya always sulked on those night outs.
Meanwhile in Konohagakure
"... you want me to buy all of that?" One pink-haired Kunoichi said to the one with the long midnight-blue colored hair.
"Yes, and also you will throw out all those stupid safety shorts. Anko-Sensei is right. We Kunoichi have one weapon more than each of the males and we should use it to its fullest!" was the proud answer of Hinata. The young Kunoichi was wearing a sweater as usual but this showed her midsection and a good part of her cleavage. Not too much though, but the hint of her developing bust was clearly on display. While once she would wear loosely fitted clothes that were all tailored to accent her curvaceous and developing body. Both girls had finished the daily dose of training and now had retreated to Hinata's room. Something, that was now a regular occurrence after Hinata had placed the seal on Sakura's stomach. At first, Sakura had tried to rebel, only to be punished most creatively which in the end led to more embarrassment which somehow turned her on even more.
"But, why would I need those things? Clamps? Paddles? And what is a Buttplug? I mean those bodies too. Where do I even get all those things?" Sakura whined as Hinata chuckled, as she sat on her bed and looked at the kneeling Sakura.
"Oh that is easy I may use a transformed Kage Bunshin of mine to inform a shop owner of your arrival. Enough questions get back to your task or you will lick them next!" Hinata exclaimed as Sakura hurried to return to give Hinata's feet a massage.
Not so far away one masked Jonin and one purple-haired just finished crossing Kunai. Kakashi sat down on one of the logs as he unsealed their bentos throwing one to Anko. Unlike in the past where Kakashi would take out his Icha-Icha in an instant he looked at the slightly more winded Anko and smiled. "You are getting better Anko-Chan."
Catching her bento she looked back at her boyfriend and smiled. "All thanks to you Kashi-Kun. This additional training really helps to keep in shape. You know, it also helps with endurance for later". She smirked and gave him a saucy grin. Kakashi had to chuckle as he began eating. Anko was still thinking about his offer to ask Naruto and that at times got her thinking. Like today, so she used a break between bites and swallowing to address her concerns. "You're sure that Naruto will try to help me? He must hate Orochimaru for what he did to that Uchiha brat."
Kakashi thought about that for a moment before he gave a curt nod. "I would think so. Not that he will feel indebted to me or something but I hope to think that his motivations to free the world of the snake bastard will be enough."
Anko gave him another nod before she changed the topic "You have a clue what happened to your pink-haired fangirl? Since two months or so she not only took a deep dive into training but also seems to be attached to the Hyuuga Heiress. Do you have any ideas what happened?"
Kakashi choked on his riceball for a moment before he gave a small nod. "After some investigating I would say that the heiress found something incriminating on my former student. Now she is using that to force a change in attitude in her."
Anko got wide eyes. "Little Miss Perfect? Using Ransom against a fellow Shinobi? You are joking aren't you?"
Kakashi slowly shook his head. "No, after her transformation of attitude that had followed the chunin exam finals and the failed invasion, she got headstrong and assertive."
"I noticed," answered Anko, who now had fully stopped eating and pointed with her Chopsticks at Kakashi. "Should you not, I don't know intervene or something?"
Kakashi shook his head once in denial. "I thought about it, but the change in her attitude was needed. She is now worthy of her vest and title as Chunin as are the others in Naruto's year. As far as I could uncover it is kinda consensual. Maybe on a similar standing like our agreement before we got together. And while I don't think they both play for the same team, they could be curious about it. You know how missions could work out, in our line of work Anko-Chan. While I may be a perverted dog sometimes I certainly won't look into this matter any further without being ordered to."
"Yeah, I put a leash on those tendencies of yours. Still love to have my not-so-little perverted dog to my own." Anko took a moment to ponder her next words. "As fellow Kunoichi, I may observe how it develops. Just so I can stop them if it goes too far down the road"
"Har Har, You stop them? Join them or take over is more likely." Kakashi joked before he noticed Anko's change in demeanor. She looked at him with a sadistic glint in her eyes as she liked over a Kunai. The single mock-whispered Run was enough for the Jonin to sprint off.
Land of Noodles with Jiraiya and Naruto
They had traveled for some time and finally reached the Land of Noodles. After the excitement in Claw and Rain Naruto hoped he could relax for a moment. Jiraiya was talking to him with a calm voice. "So Naruto, we are in the Land of Noodles for around two to three weeks till our passage will take us to the Hidden Mist. We will use your Henge seals to mingle with the locals in the Noodle Capital. I for one will try to establish a new point of contact for my network. While I am away you will stay in the capital and for the log please stay out of trouble?" He asked.
Naruto sighed and pouted. "You know trouble usually finds me. I am not to be held responsible if I merely defend myself and or bystanders, am I?"
The white-haired veteran shook his head in the negative. "No, you are not. But please. Stick to the training plan we agreed on and if you can manage stay under the radar."
Naruto but it was clear that he still thought that his Sensei treated him unfairly. That got him thinking. Looking from an outsider's perspective you could say that Naruto had trouble staying out of trouble. I mean to save Akane was a given. The fight before was solved by Han very quickly.
He even managed to parlay with the reasonable leaders of Akatsuki. While he hoped that Pain and Konan would keep those guys distracted, he would still need to be on the lookout for people like Orochimaru and Danzo or their goons. After checking into the inn with their new personas Naruto took off to the market. He was hungry and he had not had the food of gods for so long he hoped that in the Land of Noodles, he would be able to find a food stall with ramen of Ichirakus quality.
The capital city of the Land of Noodles is aptly named "Kotori-no-Soba" or "Bird's Nest of Soba." This city embodies the essence of an Edo-period Japanese town, with its narrow cobblestone streets lined by traditional wooden buildings and a central market area bustling with activity. However, in place of the usual array of food stalls selling vegetables, fish, and rice, Kotori-no-Soba's market is exclusively devoted to noodle dishes from all corners of the elemental nations.
From the famous Hakata ramen of Nagi island to the delicate somen of Iron Country, every region's unique flavor and style can be found here. There are also many small shops selling freshly made noodles to take home, as well as vendors offering tasty snacks like tempura udon or yakisoba on a stick.
In addition to its culinary delights, Kotori-no-Soba retains other elements typical of Edo-period towns such as tea houses, geisha districts, and beautifully landscaped gardens. However, the city's most distinctive feature is the towering monument dedicated to the beloved national dish – a giant bronze bowl filled with steaming noodles that dominates the skyline.
Standing before this monument Naruto looked with drool coming out of his mouth. He was in heaven. So many dishes to try. He would need to increase his physical training to manage all the Carbohydrates he would will his stomach with. All those big restaurants and unlike Konoha where he sometimes was not welcomed in the bigger ones here he could have a taste. He started with the bigger ones and over time worked through them to the smaller more bistro-like establishments.
Finally, he reached the poorer-looking streets. Dishes were offered here directly on the street. Either from small sheds or prepared on converted handcarts. One of those handcarts was manned by an elderly woman who looked at her big pots of noodles and broth with a caring gaze. Naruto, always abusing his clones had heard some rumors regarding that very woman. According to those she was the best. The best Ramen in town and even those who could easily dine in the restaurants would sometimes come to this area to taste her creations.
The blonde's ramen senses tingled and he quickly found her. Alone observing how she made her noodles or broth was enough for the blonde to know that she loved what she was doing and he could taste her expertise in the hearty smell in the air.
Before Naruto could cross the street to the old lady's stall, three rather bossy-looking samurai approached the stall. The three men looked quite young, but they not only wore their katana openly but also their hair in the traditional form of the warrior caste.
"Ohh Look Tao, this old thing again. Say you fossil did you not get the note that we don't want you here?" One of them exclaimed. The old woman looked scared as one of the third of them stepped forward and was about to draw his sword. At that very moment, the third could feel cold steel.
"Why don't you three leave the good lady in peace?" Naruto in his disguise said with a cold voice. His kunai was transformed into a small tanto and the back of the blade was pointing at the neck of the one that wanted to demolish the old lady's stall.
The two others were shocked before they looked at Naruto and their friend the leader of them sneered at the blonde. "What do you peasant think you are doing?"
Naruto blinked before he shook himself. "Peasant you say? This Peasant has your friend at knifepoint. You may want to take your two friends and leave this good woman alone. Or you may find out how deadly this peasant is gonna be." The blonde-turned-maroon-haired boy leaked his killing intent. The three swordsmen began shaking.
"Okay Okay," The spokesperson held his hands up in defeat and looked at his two friends. "We will leave if you let my friend go"
Naruto nodded and pushed the friend at the other two and the three left quickly looking back scared. He shook his head before he looked at the woman. "Sorry about that"
The old lady gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you very much, young man. But, I am afraid that they will come back sooner or later. They are some of the guards of one of the big restaurants, that come down in our streets protected by their contacts. They are often seen here damaging stalls or extorting protection money. As they are friends with the troops who keep order here, they are not persecuted for this. You could almost say it's a leisure activity for these men. Oh," she turned a little red in the face with embarrassment, "forgive this old woman for her ramblings, and let me offer you a portion of my ramen."
"Well, that was the reason for me being here so if you would fix me up a bowl and keep them coming I would appreciate it. I would really love to hear more about all those leisure activity people" Naruto said while he gave her a big smile. Something in him was already invested in solving this situation.
While she prepared his first bowl she started into the explanations. To say that Naruto's anger increased during her explanation would be an understatement. It all reminded him too much of all the ignorant people in Konoha. It seemed as if the rich didn't want the people in the slums to have a lot of customers and thus get enough money and prestige to get out of there. When Naruto had finished his third bowl, he began to describe his idea to the old woman. He would make sure that they were left alone, all he needed were names. But the old lady just shook her head.
"I can't allow that Naruto-Kun. To put you in danger like this. I am old and one of the last the others may have a chance to make a better life for themselves but for me soon the time will come when not only Sinigami-Sama will call me to him but I will also be reunited with my loved ones."
She finished his fourth bowl with a smile and handed it over.
"It fills my old heart with joy to see someone enjoy my craft as those did before they were hunted to extinction."
Naruto perked up as he thanked her for bowl number four. "Who do you mean granny?"
The old lady sighed and with a look at the blonde and sorrow clearly written over her face she looked around to see if there were potential listeners. "When I was younger my family lived in the Land of Whirlpools. Not that we were a part of the ruling clan. The Uzumaki. We just lived there and loved to cook noodles." Naruto was slurping his first noodle and nearly choked on it as he heard not only the name of his land but shortly after the name of his clan too? that was too much for him. However, the old woman was so caught up in her conversation that she didn't notice.
"... Before that fateful day, my family owned a fairly well-run restaurant. These red-haired demons, rather peace-loving, eccentric Uzumaki were addicted to our ramen. How often I went to the mountains with my mother just to look for the herbs we needed for the broth. Where was I? Oh yes, the Uzumaki!" She laughed briefly and almost subconsciously started to prepare the next portion as she spoke. "You wouldn't believe what they could eat. They couldn't eat less than five bowls. We had already planned to expand our restaurant, but unfortunately, things turned out differently. The villages attacked and Ashina-Sama did everything he could to get not only the Uzumaki but also us civilians out of the danger zone. My family and I made it out. We came to the land of noodles and built a new life for ourselves.
With all the initial difficulties, we had built up a solid existence here by the end. But despite all the satisfaction, I miss the smell of the island. The peace and quiet of the natural onsen."
She looked at her one and only customer and held out the next bowl to him.
Naruto had emptied his bowl and picked up the next one, nodding briefly before looking around himself. "Say lady, if you had the chance to go back there, would you want to?"
The white-haired woman stopped what she was doing, looking somewhat startled at her guest. Shock was written all over her face as she registered Naruto's intention and matter of speech. He sounded completely serious. She looked at him and after she brushed his hand the realization was visible on her face. "You... You are? But I thought you all died?"
Naruto shook his head. Before clones put up a small barrier. "We're not that easy to keep down," he said with a broad grin. Shortly afterward, Naruto and the lady who introduced herself as Kaede Uzuki spoke of the new Uzushio. The old woman nodded quickly when asked if she wanted to move. Kaede was already looking forward to returning to her old home. Naruto's clones took on the tasks of a relocation company without any problems, thanks to the many storage scrolls. Kaede's belongings were quickly stowed in the scrolls and leaving one Uzu clone behind, Naruto transported them personally with the Hiraishin.
Both of them landed in the Biju reserved area of the island. Han had really made his presence known a small cabin was standing in a clearing. Naruto could feel Son Goku in the distance as the door opened and Han, who was wearing a casual kimono shirt with normal pants was holding a watering can. He poured some water into some pots where small herbs had blossomed and spread a pleasant scent into their environment. As the Jinchuriki noticed Naruto with his guest he waved friendly. "Oh hello, Naruto-San. And greetings to you Elder-sama," he said respectfully in the end.
Kaede chuckled. "Oh, don't you dare to call me elder. It is just Uzuki Kaede. Or just Kaede-San. I see you are men caring for herbs, do you? Do you mind exchanging words about some of them I will maybe will need some assistance growing some?"
Before Naruto could intervene the two older enthusiasts were talking about different herbs and species as Shisui without his mask appeared beside him. "Did I hear you right? Uzuki? As in Yuugao Uzuki, one of the Anbu of Konoha?"
"Heeh? Naruto looked puzzled at Shisui. "That is Kaede Uzuki, a former and emigrated citizen of Uzushio. As far as she knows kown of her clan is still around the living."
Shisui was staying in a thinking pose. "Well, that would make sense. She came to Konoha as a war orphan like many others. Worked her arse off and got into Anbu shortly after. She was in Kakashi's and Itachi's squats before you know that." He made an awkward pause as Naruto nodded and gave him a sign to continue.
"I think it would be good for her to have the chance to reconnect if you ask me."
Naruto visibly had to think about Shisui's words. That would mean giving information to an Anbu of Konoha to not only get here but potentially give the moles in Konoha's system ammunition to work against him before he was ready to take on this bunch of schemers. He really didn't envy Tsuande her job. Perhaps he should offer her the chance to retire in Uzu? But who would become Hokage after her? Would the person abide by the agreements between Uzumaki and Konha, or would he have to fight for it? Even if it hurt.
"Maybe we can arrange some sort of communication at first? While Uzushio is fortified with seals and everything we can't risk the peace by coming out of the shadows this early."
Shisui raised a brow. "You know that you have four Shinobi with S-Rank abilities on this island. Somebody not keyed into the seal using aggressive Jutsu will only get his chakra sucked out and strengthen the barrier around the island. Don't start me on the Biju and the little private army in the backyard."
Naruto shook his head. "Because I won't ask Son or Han to fight if we can evade it. Please arrange for the communication I need to get back to Jiraiya my clone popped in the safehouse after he checked in today. Looks like it we travel to Kirigakure next. Any news from Itachi or on the Sanbi?" The now again blonde asked as he had deactivated his disguise for the moment.
Shisui nodded but frowned on Naruto's answer. "It could be happening in the next weeks so maybe you are lucky. What you usually are. Remember me to never play against one of your clones again. How can they have the same damn luck as you Blondie?"
Naruto chuckled. "Noted, I won't remember you and let you lose your money. That the Sanbi is reforming when I am around is perfect. I will send him here asap if I can make it. So what about Itachi? He is still wandering with that shark man?"
Shisui growled at Naruto's cheek before he got back to speaking "He is but this Pain person always collects all of them at the end of the month. So Itachi began the task to use the scroll you gave him. We still have no clue what Danzo is about. But, Itachi said in his last report, that he thinks your seal should work against the other Uchiha. This plant thing though. He is not his partner but the one reading he got is in his report with your R Clones."
The young shinobi nodded gratefully in Shisui's direction. "After all, if possible, please tell Itachi that his safety comes first. According to Hatsumi-chan, we have no reliable data on Orochimaru or Sasuke's current whereabouts. Nor do we have any idea about his condition. I think my clones have a good idea for the Juin, something I can test, if Tayuya agrees, as soon as I finish my sage training. According to Hiero-Sama, I need the chakra to burn out the corruption. Whatever he means by that," Naruto adds with a sigh.
Shishui thought about Naruto's words for a moment. "I think Tayu-Chan will help you if it means she can break the shackles of the snake. Also, Itachi will be grateful for Hatsumi's efforts and we know how elusive the snake is. But maybe, we will get to him and save Sasuke before it is too late."
Naruto gave a solemn nod. "Also please make sure you get Kaede and my clone to a small plot of her choosing. The clone should be able to make a cabin. Maybe get one of the operatives to help her set up" He pointed at the clone that had one big storage scroll. "He has all her belongings. The set-up should therefore not be so complicated."
Shisui nodded again. "Sounds good I will take care." Naruto gave him a wave before Shisui held him back. "Naruto. Take care will you?" The Uchiha fixed the Uzumaki with his gaze, his normal eyes, not the Sharingan but normal eyes, eyes that conveyed a certain worry. Naruto gave him a small nod.
Sometime later, Konohagakure
One Yuugao Uzuki looked at a small note. It came through the usual Anbu channels. It was encoded with an older Anbu code. But still an Konoha Anbu code.
As she read the note her features fell a bit. Could it be true? She took out some paper and a pen and scribbled down a short answer. Maybe after all this time, she could get some pieces of information about her family. Even if that meant not following up on suspicious outdated code chiffre. The woman could see a problem just in trying to figure out if she and this anonymous person called Kaede were related somehow.
She understood that she was an elder now. Old enough to be her grandmother. While in good health travel to Konoha seemed to be out of reach for the moment so she would follow the instructions to get her answer back to this Kaede person, and hopefully she could find someone. After Hayate had found his freedom in his heroic actions she had finally stopped mourning, got back in her uniform, and mostly protected Tsunade-Sama not counting the occasional mission to stay sharp. Maybe she could ask her for a relationship tag? While not to be sold it would be the perfect way to check if they are related.