Chapter 41: Hello Kumo

"Well," Jiraiya began. "It seems that this is as far as I can go."

I stopped in my tracks and turned back to him. The fog had grown so thick on the mountain that, if I was to take a few more steps forward, I wouldn't have been able to see him. "Weren't you supposed to escort me into Kumo?"

"Just to the gate," Jiraiya replied.

The gate? I turned back around and found that there indeed was a small gate on the side of the mountain path with an outpost built into its side. "We're here already?" I hadn't even noticed.

"Take care and I'll see you some other time," Jiraiya waved as he turned to leave.

"That's it?" That was Jiraiya's goodbye? He was leaving me in an entirely different country and he couldn't come up with something better than that?

"What did you expect?" Jiraiya asked. "With everything that you've been through, I know you'll be alright. I've no doubt that we'll see each other again in the future, so I don't need to act worried."

So it wasn't a matter of him not really caring, but rather that he had faith in me and that everything would turn out alright.

"Yeah, I'll see you later… Oh, one last thing, Jiraiya, try not to piss Tsunade off too much. I'm not going to be there to stop her from kicking your ass next time."

"And you thought my goodbye was half-assed," Jiraiya chuckled as he disappeared into the mist.

Shaking my head, I followed C and Darui through the gate and into the village. It was difficult to make out because of the clouds that engulfed the area, but I was barely able to make out a small section of the village. There were large platforms built into the side of the mountain which held all manners of buildings.

It would probably look more impressive once the clouds receded, although I didn't exactly know when that would be. This was the village hidden in the clouds after all.

We continued onward, being unimpeded as we slowly made our way through the village. Climbing up several sets of stairs, we climbed above the cloud layer and soon found ourselves standing at the base of a building that was built around the mountain and extended all the way to the top.

Entering the building, I found myself the subject of curious stares from several Kumo Shinobi that were currently working. I soon found myself coming to a stop alongside C while Darui knocked on the door.

"Enter," Ay's gruff voice called out.

Entering the room, I was greeted to the odd sight of Ay sitting behind his desk, filling out paperwork with one hand while casually lifting a massive weight with his other hand.

"Darui and C reporting in having successfully escorted the Konoha Shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto to Kumo," C announced stiffly.

Ay's gaze washed over us before locking onto me. "You're early."

"Better early than late, Raikage-sama," I replied easily. I wasn't exactly sure what the protocol here was other than being respectful. Digging in my pocket, I pulled out a pair of scrolls and held them in front of me. "The Hokage wanted me to give these to you, by the way."

Placing his weight down on the floor, Ay took the scrolls and briefly looked through them before nodding. "I'll have my top medical Shinobi start working on this once we are done here. Darui, C, the two of you can leave for now. Your mission is marked as a success."

Tsunade really had been having her Shadow Clones work overtime in order to prepare that one scroll. Through a ton of effort, she'd managed to create a way to inoculate Jinchuriki against the effects of Sasori's poison, removing the need to carry an antidote for it.

The other scroll was just a more detailed report on what happened back in Takigakure.

"Thank you Raikage-sama," C said while Darui nodded easily. The duo quickly left the room and I was left standing in front of the Raikage by myself.

"Nervous, Uzumaki?"

"A little," I admitted. "I'm really hoping this alliance works out and there's a lot of pressure for me to not accidentally screw it up by saying the wrong thing."

"I meant for yourself. You're a Jinchuriki standing before a foreign Kage after all."

Oh, that's what he was getting at. "Not really. If it comes down to it and we start fighting, I'm sure that I'd be able to escape Kumo at the very least."

"Part of this alliance is helping you master using the Kyuubi's Chakra," Ay began. "Do you really think that you would be capable of withstanding the full might of Kumo without being able to use the Kyuubi's Chakra properly?"

"Not for long, no," I replied easily. "But I wouldn't exactly need to fight the entirety of Kumo for long if I wanted to escape. After that, I wouldn't have to worry about fighting on my own, I'd have my own nation to back me up."

Ay glared at me for several moments as his Chakra flared before smirking. "Good. I wouldn't want to be in an alliance with Konoha if their Jinchuriki buckled under the slightest bit of pressure."

So it had been a test of will after all. I hadn't been sure, but I did remember that the Raikage respected strength and those that didn't bow their heads.

"A room has been prepared for you. I don't believe that I need to inform you that while you are in Kumo, it's expected that you'll actively make sure that the Akatsuki's spy is not within the village," Ay began. "You'll be spending the next month in Kumo and the month after that in a secluded location where you'll be learning how to properly control the Kyuubi's Chakra, before coming back here for another month and then you'll return to Konoha for a time."

The secluded location was most likely the Turtle Island that housed the Jinchuriki training temple.

"About that, I'm probably not going to be needed all day every day, so I was wondering if I could occasionally go back to Konoha earlier."

Ay's face settled into his trademark scowl. "It took you three days to travel to Kumo and it would take you another three days for you to travel back. Outside of that, you would still be spending a few days in your village to rest from the trip, leading to at minimum a week and a half spent out of Kumo… You would also need to be escorted by at least two Jonin level Shinobi."

I had to hide a smirk at that. From the way the Raikage worded it, he clearly didn't know that I was now able to use the Hiraishin.

"What if time spent traveling was no longer a factor and the need for an escort?" I asked as I pulled out a marked Kunai. Flicking it towards the door, I disappeared in a flash and immediately caught the blade before it imbedded itself into the wood.

It was generally a good idea to keep your abilities hidden, even from allies, but revealing my ability to use the Hiraishin helped on multiple fronts. It showed that I was being honest with Kumo while also showing Ay that being on my bad side wasn't a good idea. Kumo would likely be less willing to break the alliance.

From a military perspective, it would be an absolute nightmare to fight a village that has someone that can use the Hiraishin, especially someone with as much Chakra as I have.

All it would take to launch a full, surprise invasion would be for a single marked Kunai to find its way into the village. From there I would be able to teleport a full invading party… that was if we decided to invade. There was always the option of teleporting a bijuudama directly into the village.

Entire armies could be repositioned or immediately evacuated only to have the entire area blown up. The supply chain was no longer an issue because supplies would be transported immediately.

The Hiraishin would be a scary technique to have to face and plan around and that was without even considering its direct combat capabilities.

"So that's why you seemed unconcerned in escaping an entire village. It doesn't matter how many powerful Shinobi attack you, it's not an issue as they won't be able to follow you," Ay noted before letting out a deep chuckle. "You've learned your fathers technique, it's fitting. However, I doubt that you're able to use it as effectively."

"Not yet, but with some more training and a little time, I will reach his level."

The Raikage nodded. "Powerful Shinobi can be divided into two different groups. There are geniuses like your father that are gifted in both body and mind. They learn powerful techniques at a rapid rate and are capable of taking on entire armies by themselves… Then there is the fool, an example would be my brother. He doesn't stop when he sees an impossible situation. Instead, he finds a new path only a fool would think of and refuses to give up regardless of what he has to face. I wonder which one of these groups you belong to."

"Probably a little of both," I shrugged.

I didn't really want to call myself a genius as I used Shadow Clones to speed up the learning process, but at the same time, I couldn't exactly deny that I had a ton of natural advantages that would signify me as one.

The only reason why I'd come this far is because I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could and waited for the proper time to strike.

"Then I will look forward to seeing what you will be capable of in the future" Ay replied. "Now that distance is no longer a problem, I will have to rethink the schedule and may need to meet with your Hokage again. I will take your request into consideration, as it stands, you'll be staying in Kumo for the time being."

That was good to hear. I know that this alliance is important, but, now that I was capable of using the Hiraishin, there were more efficient and safer ways of doing things.

Now, all I needed to do was get a marked Kunai onto the Turtle Island, either by carrying it myself or by having a Kumo Shinobi take it there and then I could get started on mastering Kurama's Chakra.

"An area where you can officially teleport into and out of Kumo will need to be prepared," Ay muttered. "I'll figure out the details later, but for now, you'll need to get settled into living in Kumo… My assistant will guide you to your new living quarters," He gestured to the door.

There was a click as it opened, revealing the Raikage's assistant.

"It's nice to meet you, Naruto-sama. My name is Mabui and I'll be your guide for today," Mabui introduced herself, bowing slightly.

"Oh, uh, it's nice to meet you too," I replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. I wasn't exactly used to people treating me with this level of respect. Most people didn't bother with using honorifics with me back in Konoha… other than Lee, that is.

"Mabui will show you around Kumo. Feel free to ask her any questions that you might have," Ay explained. "The two of you may leave now. I have much that I need to think about."

"At once, Raikage-sama," Mabui nodded as she turned to leave the room.

I followed closely behind, not wanting to wear out my welcome.

"Where would you like to go first, Naruto-sama?" Mabui asked as we exited the building. "I could guide you to your assigned apartment, or I could take you somewhere else."

"Could we make a stop by the apartment first and then look around?" I asked. I probably wasn't going to remember where it was and I didn't know if Mabui might be busy later today, so I wanted to head there first and leave one of my Kunai in the event that I can't find it later on.

"That is acceptable," Mabui replied as she began to lead me down one of the numerous staircases.

I wasn't really getting much of a read on her. While she was incredibly attractive, she kept a mask of professionalism. I wonder how much of that was her natural personality and how much was her simply acting professional around me seeing as I am I high profile guest in Kumo.

"Would you like to find out?"Kurama suddenly asked.

I raised an eyebrow. Kurama speaking up probably meant that she was feeling something negative right now.

"She's not."

'Then how would we find out?'

"It's simple, we put her in a stressful situation, one that won't impact this alliance?"

'And how do we…' I began to ask, but was interrupted when Kurama flared his Chakra. It didn't have any outward effect, but there would probably be a few sensors that felt that. 'How is that supposed to help? Kumo knows that I'm here.'

"Kumo might know, but there is one out there that likely isn't aware that you've arrived today."

'What do you… are you talking about Bee?'

"Naruto-sama?" Mabui began, standing by the next set of stairs. "We need to go this way now… Or would you rather we stop and look around."

"We can keep going," I replied, stepping forward. "I was just… taking in the view."

"I see," Mabui noted as she patiently waited by the stairs. "I suppose that Kumo would be different to Konoha, although I've never been to Konoha myself."

"I'll say," I hummed. "There are a ton of stairs here. Back in Konoha, while there are some stairs and hills here and there, it's mostly flat with a lot of trees."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Mabui nodded. "Although, I have to admit that I would likely be just as distracted as you are if I had to be sent to Konoha… It's very rare that I go on missions outside of Kumo."

Huh, so it seemed I just needed to stop and talk for a bit in order to get Mabui to open up. "Well maybe now that…"

"Heads up!"

Much to Mabui's and my surprise, I was suddenly tugged into the air by a massive tentacle which quickly pulled me towards an airborne Killer Bee who was currently leaping between the mountain peaks.

"Sup, Naruto. You're here early," Bee yelled over the wind drag. "The two of us got your signal loud and clear."

"Good to see you too, Bee. Now do you think that you could land?!" I yelled back. Having Fu fly high above Konoha while holding on to me was bad enough, but now I had to deal with Bee swinging between the mountains using the Gyuki' s tentacles.

"You got it," Bee called out. A tentacle quickly latched onto one of the peaks and reeled us in.

"Sweet ground," I muttered as the tentacle that was holding me quickly deposited me onto the mountain side.

"So, how've you been my man?" Bee asked.

"I've been alright… just very busy," I replied honestly. "I was rushing to fix a few things before I had to come to Kumo." Standing up, I quickly employed the wall walking technique as I stood up. The peak we were standing on was pretty much a sheer cliff. "And you? How have things been here in Kumo since the alliance was solidified?"

"Same old, same old," Bee grinned. "A few people thinking that they know better, but they're just fooling. All the actual important people are handling all the work. Big bro's been busy though."

"Yeah, about that," I chuckled as I scratched the back of my neck. "I think I've just given him more work. Apparently, he's going to have to reconsider a part of the alliance due to a technique that I've learned."

"Oh," Bee hummed thoughtfully. "And what technique could do that?"

"The yellow flash kind," I replied, pulling a Kunai out. I handed it to him.

Bee's eyebrows shot up as he took the Kunai and inspected it, before flinging it into the distance. "You think you can take us to where the Kunai lands?"

Placing my hand on Bee's shoulder, we both disappeared, only to reappear on top of a mountain overlooking a large bulk of the village. The clouds were slowly beginning to clear, revealing the numerous buildings and platforms built into the mountain.

"Naruto, my man," Bee began, an excited look on his face. "The two of us are going to have a hell of a time with that technique. I'm gonna show you all my favorite villages in the Land of Lightning!"

"Well… maybe when I'm not needed here," I replied, plucking the Kunai out of the mountain side. "You do realize that if we do decide to go on a trip, I'm going to need my Kunai to be there before I can take us there, right?"

"I'll just have one of my fans take it for us," Bee shrugged. "For now, I'm gonna show you the place that I hang out around the most."

The layout to Kumo was extremely different to Konoha. I mean, it was a given that Kumo was built into the mountains while Konoha was built on a mostly flat area.

The main difference was that Kumo didn't have a circular layout like Konoha. Instead, it took advantage of the limited space it had and instead built upward.

There was no official boundary for where Kumo began, although there were watchtowers built around it where arriving Shinobi were expected to sign in. There was also a quieter area with fewer buildings that existed near the sea, which happened to be the area that Killer Bee was leading me towards.

I immediately recognized the area as the one where Killer Bee and Sasuke would have had their fight if I hadn't changed things.

"This is where I write most of my sick beats," Bee said as we came to a stop at the base of a set of stairs that led up to a temple. "I also train my students here."

Well I didn't expect that. We were pretty far from the main village for this to be a training ground. It had likely been chosen as Bee's training ground to prevent any damage done by some of his more… powerful techniques.

"Bee-sensei, Why'd you run off so suddenly?" A dark skinned red haired girl called out from the top of the stairs.

"I just went to fetch a fellow brother," Bee yelled back.

"Brother?!" male voice yelped. "Sensei's brother is the Raikage! Why's he here? Is he disappointed with our performance? Is he impressed with us? Maybe he's coming to send us on a high ranking mission and if we fail, it'll start the next Shinobi world war!"

"Shut up, Omoi," Karui yelled. "The Raikage's not here."

"Then why would Bee-sensei say that he's here?" Omoi asked. "Unless he's under a Genjutsu! What if someone is infiltrating Kumo and they're going to trick Bee into unleashing the Hachibi to destroy the village."

I bit back a laugh as Bee and I quickly made our way up the stairs.

"They're a lively duo," Bee explained. "I'd be bored if they weren't."

"I get it," I nodded.

Teaching someone like Kakashi when he was a kid would be boring as he was pretty apathetic and wouldn't need much help. Teaching someone as enthusiastic as Gai, however… that would be a lot more entertaining. It was probably one of the things in the original timeline that drew Jiraiya to Naruto.

"Will you just shut up," Karui grunted. "Bee-sense is bringing a guest and I want to make a good impression."

It was a bit too late for that. We'd finally reached to top of the stairs and were greeted to the sight of a fretting Omoi being violently shook by Karui.

Bee coughed and Karui suddenly dropped Omoi and turned towards us. "Bee-sensei… I was just… helping Omoi with the training you told us to do," She struggled to explain. "Who's that you've brought with you?"

I shot a quick glance to Omoi before an amusing plan took route in my mind. "I'm N of the special infiltration squad. The two of you have been selected to infiltrate Konoha and I'm going to help you blend! This mission is of the utmost importance."

"Oh my god, Omoi was right!" Karui blurted out.

"We're really being sent out on an infiltration mission?" Omoi asked, wide eyed.

"No, because that was all a ruse to get you two to lower your guard. I've placed Bee under a Genjutsu and will now do the same to the two of you."

"WHAT?!" Karui and Omoi all but shrieked.

Omoi quickly fumbled with his sword as he tried to unsheathe it, before Bee raised his hand stopping him, looking highly amused.

"I'm not under a Genjutsu, fools," Bee said, grinning. "We heard the two of you arguing while we walked up the stairs. Naruto was just messing with you."

"That's true, sorry about that," I apologized. "It's just, the way you kept thinking of the worst case scenario made it too easy! I'm actually the Kyuubi Jinchuriki and I'm going to be staying in Kumo for the next few months."

Karui rushed forward and launched her fist towards my face. "Enough with all the bullshit!"

Raising my eyebrow, I stood still. This was a good opportunity to test something I'd been working on in a more controlled environment. There was a crunching sound as her fist impacted my face, before she yelped and pulled her hand back, cradling it.

"What the hell was that? Punching you felt like punching a stone wall!"

"Earth style Chakra used as armor to shield me from harm," I explained nonchalantly, pointing to the grey section on my face. "I get that you don't believe me, but you didn't need to try and punch me."

"And you don't need to keep screwing with us," Karui snapped back. "Now who are you really?"

Bee coughed awkwardly. "He actually is the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. Part of the terms for the alliance between Kumo and Konoha is that Naruto here periodically comes to stay in Kumo."

Karui's eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. "I… I…"

"You just punched the Kyuubi Jinchuriki." Omoi began. "Now the alliance is going to be broken and we're going to go to war with Konoha. The other nations won't sit idly by and they'll take Konoha's side since it was us that broke the alliance."

"You really like to think of the absolute worst case scenario, don't you," I muttered. "You can both relax. I did kind of have it coming. The alliance isn't going to be broken over something as small as a single punch to the face."

"It's as Naruto here says. If this was brought to my brother, he'd laugh at the two of you. You should only start worrying if you had a body that you needed to hide," Bee explained.

Karui let out a relieved breath while Omoi looked less panicked… although, he did still appear bothered, but that was just his natural state. Constantly worrying about everything.

"So I'm not going to get in trouble?" Karui asked

"That depends on what you've done," Mabui said, stepping out from behind her. She glanced at Bee and myself before letting out a sigh. "Bee-sama… Please refrain from abducting important guests to Kumo."

Right, I'd kind of forgotten about Mabui when Bee arrived.

"Hey, what can I say. I felt that Naruto was in Kumo and decided to say hey," Bee answered cheerfully.

"You didn't need to abduct Naruto-sama in order to greet him," Mabui replied stoically, before turning her attention to me and bowed low. "I apologize for the current turn of events. I trust that nothing… unpleasant has happened in my absence?"

Karui stiffened.

"Ah, I should be the one that's apologizing for leaving you behind," I said, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly. "Bee was showing me the view of Kumo, we actually just got here."

"I see," Mabui nodded. "Then I'll be happy to continue guiding you around Kumo once you are done here."

I shot a quick glance around and let out a short sigh. Both Karui and Omoi were shooting nervous glances towards Mabui with Omoi occasionally muttering while Bee stood back and was letting things play out. I wasn't going to be able to get to talk to them with how tense they were around Mabui.

"Hey Bee, I think I'll come around and visit later if that's alright?"

"Sure thing, my man. Come around whenever you want," Bee shot me a smirk. "We'll have plenty of time to hang out."

I slipped a Kunai out of its holster and passed it to Bee. "Here, put this somewhere that you won't mind if I suddenly appear."

"No problem," Bee smirked.

Waving my goodbye, I followed Mabui back towards the more populated area of Kumo. It would have taken us hours to get back if we decided to walk, so, instead, we hopped between cliffs, moving at a much higher speed.

Once we entered the main village, we slowed back down to a walking speed.

"Would it be alright if I asked you a question?"

Well that got my attention. "Yeah, sure… What do you want to know?"

"Why you tried to hide the fact that a Kumo Genin just assaulted you."

"You knew?" I asked suddenly.

Mabui nodded. "I saw it happen, but unfortunately I was too far away to prevent it. Could you please answer my question?"

"The reason why I didn't tell you," I sighed. "I suppose it was to protect Karui. She hit me because she didn't believe that I'm the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and she didn't believe me because I was messing with them to begin with. I don't know if she would've been punished for it, so instead I tried to keep it hidden."

"Striking a guest of Kumo, specifically one that is as important as you are is grounds for punishment," Mabui nodded.

"Well it was mostly my fault for what happened there, so she shouldn't be punished for it… besides, I wasn't hurt at all," I replied. "You would be doing me a favor if you kept this quiet."

"Seeing as you haven't been harmed by any of this, I won't inform the Raikage."

"Thank you," I said sincerely. For this alliance to work, there needs to be as few problems as possible.

"This will be your apartment for the foreseeable future," Mabui explained as she came to a stop in front of a door.

The building had been located at the central point of the village, both horizontally and vertically. If I was to venture a guess, I would say that this place was both the safest and most observed on virtue of being surrounded by the rest of Kumo.

Mabui opened the door and I was immediately greeted to a modest sized apartment that was a little bigger than the one I had back in Konoha. It was a different layout than I'd been used to and the appliances seemed a bit more modern. It shouldn't be too long until I get used to it.

Before I did anything else, I placed one of my marked Kunai on the kitchen countertop, next to the kettle. I was going to get lost, there was no question about that and once I did, this Kunai would bring me back here. Kumo is a large village with an absurd amount of stairs and I was new here.

"You're placing a Kunai in your kitchen?" Mabui noted in a confused tone. "And you gave one to Bee-sama."

"Oh, that. It's a marker for the Hiraishin," I said nonchalantly. "It's just so I can get back here without having to worry about getting lost."

Mabui's eyes widened before she recomposed herself. "I… see. Getting lost in Kumo wouldn't have been an issue. Although I'm only going to be guiding you today, someone else has already been assigned to help guide you through Kumo for the rest of your stay."

"Oh," I muttered.

"It was the next thing that I was going to inform you about," Mabui said. "Although I am permanently in Kumo, I still have duties to attend, such as being Raikage-sama's assistant. There would be times where you could need assistance and I would be unavailable, so a suitably ranked Kunoichi was selected to help you acclimate to Kumo. She's moved in to the apartment next to yours so as to be available at all hours."

That was… a little creepy. I mean, yeah, I was glad to know that I would always have someone help me, but it seemed that they wouldn't be doing anything else. "She's not… forced into doing this, right?"

"No, she volunteered," Mabui replied. "From what I understand, she feels partly responsible for the tension that our villages have recently experienced and wishes to help keep things stable."

Partly responsible? Unless Mabui was talking about the one that assigned the mission for Kumo to investigate the Land of the Sea, then she was most likely talking about Samui. I suppose the Demon Island incident weighed on her mind.

"Can we go meet her now?" I asked. I don't exactly like it when people blame themselves for something that wasn't their fault. The Akatsuki was the group that orchestrated the conflict between Konoha and Kumo back in the Land of the Sea, thus she should be blaming them instead.

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Mabui answered. "Samui is currently out on a mission and is only expected back in Kumo by tomorrow at the earliest. Your early arrival is the reason why I'm guiding you today and not her."

"Oh," I muttered. That was too bad, I'd hoped that I would be able to clear the air as soon as possible, but it seemed that was going to have to wait for now.

"Seeing as I've now shown you your apartment, would you like to see the rest of Kumo?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. It wasn't like I had anything better to do right now.

It was night when I next returned to my apartment. Mabui had spent the entire day guiding me through the village, showing me important areas, from where the shopping district is to where the boarder of the village begins.

As it turned out, the boarder to Kumo wasn't just horizontal, it was also vertical. If you traveled down far enough while on the outskirts of the village, you would technically be leaving the village. Instead of how it was for Konoha where you could draw a circle around the village to show its territory, for Kumo it was more of a sphere.

Mabui also informed me about a few things that I should know for my stay in Kumo, but it all pretty much amounted to common sense. I wasn't allowed to leave the boarders of the village alone. I wasn't allowed to use and of Kurama's Chakra in the village. I was allowed to spar with people, but not to the point of critical injury… all very basic things.

Collapsing on my bed, I let out a sigh. I was going to have to get used to sleeping alone again. On our way to Kumo, I'd been distracted by constantly being on the lookout for potential ambushes and Akatsuki members, but now that I had time to myself, I realized just how accustomed I'd grown to Tsunade's presence.

I was tempted to Hiraishin back to Konoha for a few hours and then come back, but, if I was caught, it would likely put a large amount of strain on the alliance. I first needed to wait for the Raikage's approval before I could do that.

"You're not going to keep moaning about how much you miss Tsunade, are you?"

'Maybe for a bit,' I thought back. 'And don't pretend that you're not going to miss her too. I've seen how the two of you have bonded over a love for movies.'

"I have," Kurama admitted."However, instead of moping about it, I've thought of an idea that will allow us to continue our movie nights. Now are you going to continue whining or are you going to listen to my idea?"

'I'll listen.'

"That's what I thought,"Kurama smirked. "Now, make a clone, get comfortable and enter the seal."

Raising an eyebrow, I followed Kurama's advice and soon found myself standing in front of the massive fox. I couldn't help but marvel on how much had changed since I'd first met him to this point. I'd been terrified and absolutely intimidated when we first met. He was a force of nature that I couldn't ever see myself matching.

Now, however...

While Kurama was still a force of nature, it felt different. The feeling of intimidation and terror had faded away and I was left with a feeling of familiarity and fondness. I could honestly say that the massive immortal being that was able to wipe out entire cities in an instance was one of my favorite beings to hang around.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Now we wait," Kurama replied.

Crossing my arms I began to wait impatiently.

"Well, well, well. It hasn't even been a week and you're already finding loopholes for us to spend some time together," Tsunade announced as she stepped forward. "You might want to work on your timing. Konoha is six hours behind Kumo, It's still the middle of the day here."

"It is?" I asked suddenly. I hadn't thought about Konoha and Kumo being on different time zones, but I suppose it made sense. Kumo was pretty far away after all. "I guess I'll just have to figure out a good time where the both of us are free," I said walking up to her. "But for now, why don't we…"

"None of that,"Kurama interrupted, placing one of his tails in between us. "This seal is where I live. I didn't bring Tsunade here so that the two of you could… hook up… I brought her here so you would stop moping and we could all spend some time together."

"Moping?" Tsunade asked.

"From the second that he got back to his apartment,"Kurama nodded as he pulled his tail back.

"I wasn't that bad," I muttered.

"Well, maybe we could remedy that," Tsunade replied.

"Alright,"Kurama began. "I'm setting some ground rules for this and future visitations. The first and most important rule… absolutely no sex. Don't look at me like that, I know how you humans can get when you're separated. Any funny business and I'll use every drop of my Chakra to drag Kushina here to help interrupt the two of you."

Well that was a massive threat if I've ever seen one. Tsunade stiffened and the teasing smirk on her face disappeared.

"Got it," Tsunade nodded, taking Kurama's threat seriously.

"Yeah," I hummed.

If it had been a few months ago, I would have called Kurama's bluff, but too had changed a lot in the past few months. Being exposed to an alien culture would do that to a person… well, sentient mass of Chakra.

"Good,"Kurama hummed. "Now, We can discuss the other rules in the future, but for now, let's continue where we left off."

And that's chapter 41 done.

Naruto meets up with Bee, pranks his students and starts to settle in to his new routine.

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 48 on the spooky P word website.

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I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 11th of October.
See you all then dudes and dudettes.