"Naruto." — Direct speech.

"Naruto." — Thoughts.

*Slurp* — Sounds.

e - The Author's words.


Hokage's Office – Four Days After the Chūnin Final Exam

"...so, relations with Takigakure are improving. Excellent. But we need to address the situation in the Land of Tea as soon as possible."

Seated across from the Hokage's desk were an elderly man and woman, examining several documents. The Hokage sat back, puffing on his pipe, exhaling smoke through the half-open window.

Suddenly, the man frowned and passed one of the documents to the woman, who immediately mirrored his expression, "Again, Hiruzen?"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, straightening slightly in his chair and setting his pipe aside.

"Uzumaki Naruto is a Chūnin." At those words, Hiruzen relaxed again, a small smile appearing as he brought the pipe back to his mouth. "You cannot keep assigning his team to missions crucial for Konoha's security."

The man nodded in agreement, "And that's without considering his other statuses... Do you know how much we hear from Danzo whenever he gets sent on an A-rank mission?"

Hiruzen shrugged, his small smile unfaltering, "You listen to him far too much."

He looked at the woman he had known almost all his life, noting for the umpteenth time how much they had all changed over time. She placed the document on his desk and sighed, "We need to exercise stricter control over the movements of both Uzumaki and Uchiha. They are both being hunted."

Hiruzen's smile faded as he tapped the ashes from his pipe into the wastebasket beside his desk.

"Koharu is right. Not only is he insufficiently qualified for high-ranking missions, but if word spreads that he is leaving the village–"

"Insufficiently qualified?" The Hokage interrupted, "Has he failed a single mission so far?"

"...Even so–"

Hiruzen raised a hand, stopping Koharu mid-sentence, "Naruto-kun can establish immediate contact with us and request reinforcements, has the support of the strongest Tailed Beast, and continues to hone his already formidable skills." Lowering his hand, he rested it on his knee.

"Sasuke-kun is not far behind Naruto-kun in ability, but his desire for vengeance against his brother – something for which the four of us, along with Danzo, are responsible – could lead him astray from the Will of Fire."

Koharu folded her hands into the sleeves of her kimono, "We did what was necessary for the safety of the village."

"And now you reap the consequences of your actions. So stop blaming the younger generation for your mistakes and help them grow – for Konoha's future."

Later That Day.

The Hokage sat at his desk, leisurely flipping through his beloved orange book when three knocks rapped against the window. With a sigh, he tucked the book into his desk drawer.

The window slid open, and Naruto leaped inside, wearing a black and silver outfit. "Hey, Gramps! Got any missions for me?"

"I asked you and your team to come tomorrow, not today."

Grinning Naruto nodded, "That's right. So, missions?"

The Hokage exhaled heavily and gestured with his hand. An ANBU appeared at his side. "Please fetch Kakashi-kun."

The ANBU barked a sharp "Hai!" before vanishing.

A Few Minutes Later

Naruto perched on a chair in the Hokage's office, carefully stacking a house of cards – both cards and table from his storage seal.

Meanwhile, the Hokage had summoned a few clones, diligently sorting through paperwork.

He preferred handling official matters rather than indulging in certain adult-themed literature in the presence of a thirteen-year-old.

Both stiffened slightly, their heads turning toward the door an instant before a knock came – having already sensed the approaching chakra.

"Come in!" the Hokage called.

The door opened revealing Kakashi accompanied by the ANBU, who bowed to the Hokage before disappearing silently.

Naruto exhaled, swiftly storing away his cards and table, "Still can't get used to you being on time, Kakashi-sensei."

The Hokage stood, handing a scroll forward, "Good to see you so early, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi nodded, wordlessly accepting the scroll and unfurling it, "Is this all the information..?"

Settling back into his chair, the Hokage shook his head, "Our scouting squad should return tomorrow morning from the last known sighting of the target."

Naruto stepped closer, resisting the urge to peek at the scroll, "Can you at least tell me what the mission is about?"

Ignoring Naruto, Kakashi rolled the scroll shut, "So this mission is officially ours now?"

The Hokage smiled and nodded, "You can consult Onari-chan about the assigned scouts."

Kakashi inclined his head, then grabbed Naruto by the collar, hauling him toward the door. As Naruto shut it behind him, a scroll suddenly flew at his face, which he barely caught in time.

"You are forbidden from opening that scroll," Kakashi said before Naruto could even open his mouth. "Because of you, we have incomplete intel on our target. Your task is to be here tomorrow morning, earlier than Onari-san, the Hokage's secretary, and wait for the scouts to return with additional information. Show her this scroll – she'll update it accordingly."

Turning, Kakashi started toward the exit, forcing Naruto to quicken his pace to keep up. "Once you have all the information, bring the scroll back to me. I'll be at home. Time is critical, so don't get distracted."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but Kakashi vanished in a blur, using the Shunshin no Jutsu.

"I told you not to provoke him."

Naruto sighed, staring at the scroll in his hand before turning toward Onari-san's office. "Yeah, yeah…"

Not all missions assigned to Konoha shinobi are reported directly to the Hokage. Mission reports are often handled by the chūnin appointed for the role, as well as the Hokage's secretary, Onari-san. They also have the authority to assign missions ranked below A-class.

Naruto knocked on the wooden door. Upon hearing "Come in!" he stepped inside.

His eyes landed on a woman with auburn hair styled in a high bun, oval glasses perched on her nose, and long, immaculately manicured nails.

"Naruto-san?" Her voice carried a trace of weariness, yet every word was spoken with confidence. "Have you finally decided to schedule an appointment with the Hokage?"

Despite her refined appearance, Onari-san had forty-three years of life behind her. Naruto had overheard a couple of ninjas discussing the most beautiful kunoichi they knew, and her name had come up more than once.

"Oh, no…" Naruto shut the door behind him with a smile, placing the scroll Kakashi had given him on her desk. "I already saw him."

She exhaled lightly, taking the scroll and swiftly unrolling it. Within seconds, she raised a delicate eyebrow and glanced at Naruto, "You couldn't wait one more day?"

Naruto's smile turned sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head, "Didn't think Jiji would punish me like this…"

"You just turned thirteen, didn't you?" At his nod, she added, "A perfect age to start thinking ahead."

Naruto let out an awkward chuckle, but Onari-san's expression remained entirely unimpressed.

"Reconnaissance on the Aburame–"

"Ah! Don't reveal the details to me." Naruto raised both his palms in front of him. "Kakashi-sensei decided to keep it a surprise for me."

Onari-san rolled her eyes slightly and tapped her fingernail on the table before starting again, "The reconnaissance report for this mission is expected to arrive tomorrow at six in the morning – just as I start work." Rolling the scroll back up, she handed it to Naruto. "I'll expect you at five."

"But you won't be here until six…" Onari-san said nothing, merely looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Her expression told Naruto she didn't care for his protests. "I'll be here at five."

"Good boy."

Naruto blushed slightly and exited the office through the door.

"Training?"

The Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails tossed the scroll into the air, and as soon as his hand touched it again, it disappeared into his storage seal, "Of course."

The Next Day. 5:00 AM. Hallway near Onari-san's Office and the Hokage's Office.

"Stab."

Naruto leaned against the wall, sighing heavily, "Blanket."

"Torture."

Lifting his head, he relaxed his knees and sat on the floor, "Enma."

"Amaterasu."

"Uzumaki."

"Indra."

"I've heard that name somewhere before. Who is it?"

"Doesn't matter."

An Hour Later.

"Spark."

"Kurama."

"Annihilation."

Naruto sensed Onari-san's chakra and stood up, "Nudity."

"I knew you liked her."

Naruto smiled as he saw the secretary, dressed the same as yesterday. Beige high heels complemented a matching knee-length skirt, while a dark green blazer accentuated her striking figure and deep blue blouse. A few auburn strands of hair framed her face, revealing an earring that reminded Naruto of a blood lily, a flower he had seen in Ino's shop. A small dark blue handbag rested on her left shoulder.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Naruto-san." She did not return his smile, unlocking the door to her office and stepping inside.

Following the red-haired woman in, Naruto was surprised to see an even bigger pile of paperwork on her desk. "Being a secretary seems pretty tough, huh?"

"You can wait for the reconnaissance team here." Onari-san gestured to a chair in the corner of the room.

Settling into the chair, he asked, "Where did you get such intricate nails? I've never seen such detailed nail art on anyone in Konoha."

Sitting at her desk, Onari-san began sifting through documents, letters, and scrolls. "I did them myself."

Naruto pondered this for a moment before asking, "Can you use Shadow Clones?"

Onari-san raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think that?"

Naruto held up his hands, examining his nails, "I can imagine painting my left hand, but doing my right with my left…" Lowering his hands, he looked at her again. "With a clone, it would be much easier."

Nodding slightly, the redhead flipped a letter over, "If I had enough chakra, I'd finish all this paperwork in just a few hours…"

Naruto chuckled, "Shame I can't help…"

Turning his head toward the door, he sensed the familiar chakra of the Hokage approaching the office.

Hiruzen entered the room with a smile, "Good morning, Onari-chan."

Onari-san stood and bowed at a perfect forty-degree angle, "Good morning, Hokage-sama."

Turning to Naruto, his smile widened slightly, "Ready for work, Naruto-kun?"

"Work..?"

Walking over to the blond, he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and turned back to Onari-san, "Sorry about this, but could you give him some simple tasks while we wait for the reconnaissance report?" Naruto, who had just been sinking comfortably into his chair, groaned upon hearing this. "Don't let him slack off."

Onari-san bowed again, "Hai, Hokage-sama." Gesturing toward the massive pile of scrolls and documents before her, she looked at Naruto. "Please sort these into civilian and shinobi matters. Also, set aside anything you deem urgent."

Naruto sighed and rose from his chair, watching as the Hokage left the office.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun. Have a nice day, Onari-chan."

As the door closed, Naruto sighed again, dragging his chair closer to Onari-san's desk.

Clearing a small corner of the table, he grabbed a scroll and unfurled it – then paused.

Glancing around the room once more, he focused and created three clones. Returning to the scroll, he felt Onari-san's gaze on him.

"They'll help sort the paperwork," he explained. "Any more than three, and there wouldn't be enough space for your visitors."

Five Hours Later

Naruto, or his clone sitting at the table, wiped his eyes and looked at Onari-san, "When should I start worrying about the state of the scouting team? Isn't five hours enough?"

"Sometimes the recon team can be a few days late," Onari-san replied as she sipped the coffee one of the clones brought for her. "But today is the third day they've been absent. If they don't return by the end of the day, we'll send a team out tomorrow to track them down."

The other Naruto placed another scroll in the stack of civilian affairs, "And that will be my team, of course."

Onari-san shrugged, "Your team leader has already seen the mission scroll."

The Naruto clones jumped from the floor, "This is the last one!"

Onari-san looked over all the documents in front of her, sorted into four stacks, picking up a few documents and nodding slightly, "Not bad." She turned her gaze to Naruto as he dispelled his clones, a huge smile on his face. "Now you can open that crate over there."

Naruto ran over to the box she pointed to and opened the lid to see more scrolls.

"These are the sorted D-rank missions." She pointed to another drawer, "And in this drawer is a list of all the Konoha genin currently awaiting missions, or their previous mission is about to end. It also contains their specialties, their usual teams, and brief information." Clasping her hands together in front of her face, she continued, "Your job is to pick the right teams for these missions."

Naruto looked at the box again and turned his gaze to Onari-san, "Am I the right guy for this task?"

Onari-san shook her head, "Of course not, but the Hokage has ordered to keep you busy until the intelligence officers return. Since you've already sorted through the documents that accumulated after the attack on Konoha, I'm giving you this. And, of course, all of your work will be reviewed by me once again before being passed on to the teams."

Naruto nodded and created three clones again, "Well, let's do our best guys..."

After distributing the scrolls equally to all the clones he began to read the details of one of the missions, "Painting fences... Man, I'm glad we don't get those awful missions anymore."

Turning back to the box with the list of genins, he saw his clone already rummaging through it. A moment later, each copy of Naruto received their journals. He was surprised to see the number of those in the box.

"These aren't all the journals we have." As if sensing Naruto's surprise, Onari-san said. "The rest are in that cabinet."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Is it normal for our shinobi's personal information to be just lying around in cardboard boxes?"

"In cardboard boxes located in the Hokage Residence," Onari-san added in a bored tone, "The most secure building in Konoha..."

Naruto started flipping through the journal, examining the genins, "Uh-huh, one that a twelve-year-old Academy student with no technique other than Kawarimi and Henge was able to break into..."

Onari-san stopped writing the document and looked at Naruto. As she prepared to say something, she sighed and continued writing with a shake of her head.

Six Hours Later

"Are these all B-rank missions?" Naruto asked, looking over the crates filled with mission scrolls that would be handed over to the assigned teams the next day.

Onari-san placed another crate marked with a 'B' seal and nodded, "Yes."

Suddenly, they heard quiet applause behind them and were surprised to see the Hokage standing in the open doorway. "Excellent work, Onari-kun, Naruto-kun. You are the only ones who managed to sort through all the missions and documents assigned to you today."

After the attack on Konoha, the number of missions of all ranks skyrocketed, forcing the Hokage to assign more people to administrative tasks.

Onari-san bowed slightly, "Naruto-san was surprisingly helpful, Hokage-sama. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to sort through all of this."

"Surprisingly..?"

"The reconnaissance team from Naruto-kun's mission hasn't returned yet?" the Hokage asked as he stepped closer to Naruto, letting a few shinobi into the room. They took the crates prepared by Naruto and Onari-san and carried them out of the office.

"Looks like we'll have to go search for them," Naruto said, throwing his hands behind his head.

"Seems that way…" The Hokage turned and left the office, with Naruto and Onari-san following him. "Well then, you are both dismissed. Once again, great job, both of you."

Onari-san bowed her head, and Naruto followed her example. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled and entered his office as they passed by.

"It was a pleasure working with you…" Naruto said, turning to Onari-san. "I hope I didn't tire you out too much."

Onari-san shook her head, "You were a great help, Naruto-san."

Naruto opened the door leading to Konoha's streets and held it open for her. "By the way, I have a request for you." When she turned to him, he continued, "I was thinking about a birthday gift for my girlfriend – Hinata Hyuga – and it would be great if you could do her nails."

The dark-haired secretary glanced at her nails. "You liked my design?"

Naruto nodded quickly several times, "Of course! Hinata-chan and Ino were once talking about manicures, and the only thing I remember is that there are no specialists in Konoha for this…"

Onari-san was silent for a few seconds as they walked down Konoha's main street, then turned back to him, "You want to gift your girlfriend a manicure?"

"Not exactly…" Naruto scratched his head with a nervous smile, "I have another gift for her, so you don't have to tell her that I asked you to do it."

"I've never spoken to her. Why would I suddenly decide to give her a manicure as a surprise?"

"Ah. Then–"

"I don't mind," Onari-san interrupted him, "But when you return from your mission, I want you to help me with the missions again."

With a wide grin, Naruto ran ahead of her and held out his hand, "Then it's a deal!"

Onari-san shook his hand without changing her expression.

As he released her hand, Naruto said, "See you later, Onari-san," and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Adjusting a strand of hair that had fallen over her face, Onari-san calmly headed home.

The Next Day. Forest Outside Konoha.

"So, what's this mission about, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she leaped from branch to branch at high speed.

Running slightly ahead, Kakashi slowed down, "We need to track down and bring back a dangerous shinobi to Konoha."

"Isn't that a job for hunter-nin?"

"Konoha doesn't have such a division, Sakura," Naruto replied from behind her.

"Sorry, I forgot to clarify that for you two," Kakashi said, amusement evident in his voice.

"I'm surprised Naruto knows about this…" Sasuke muttered, earning an irritated glare from the blond.

"Who are we looking for, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I'll tell you more once we reach the next town."

"Oh, alright…" Sakura turned to Naruto. "So, care to explain why the mission scroll was in your possession when we met this morning?"

"Grandpa gave it to Kakashi-sensei yesterday, after I…" Naruto hesitated, swallowing slightly before continuing, "As I understood from their conversation, the scroll only contained unconfirmed intel on this shinobi's last known location. He handed it to us before our scouts could return and verify it."

Without looking at him, Sasuke asked, "So you pestered the Hokage so much about missions that he gave you an incomplete one?" When Naruto didn't reply, he smirked. "At least he didn't send us on a D-rank mission."

"Naruto, if we end up on a D-rank because of you, I'll break all your ribs," Sakura threatened.

"Try hitting me in a sparring match first," Naruto teased with a grin, making Sakura even angrier.

"I'll help her with that," Sasuke suddenly added.

Sakura grinned menacingly at Naruto, "I'll ask the entire Rookie Twelve to attack you while you sleep."

Naruto smiled wider, "Finally, a real challenge."

The Next Morning. Land of Noodles. Town of Broth.

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he stepped out of the room alongside Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi had insisted they save money, so they had only rented two rooms – one for Sakura and another for all the boys.

The only issue was that the room had only one bed, meaning Kakashi had forced Naruto and Sasuke to share a mattress on the floor.

After meeting up with Sakura, Team 7 took a short walk through the town, which turned out to be a paradise for Naruto.

Different noodle shops lined every corner, their owners enthusiastically calling out to passersby to try their noodles. Pretty girls held up cardboard signs advertising their respective shops, flashing warm smiles at potential customers.

"Is all of Noodle Country… like this?" Sakura asked, holding onto Naruto's collar to keep him from running into yet another noodle shop.

"This is one of the largest Noodle Towns in the country. There aren't many like it, and they're all near the country's borders or ports. These towns serve as tourist hotspots and generate a lot of revenue." Kakashi finished his explanation and abruptly turned into a dark alley. Naruto mirrored his movement, easily slipping free from Sakura's grip and vanishing into the shadows.

Following their teammates, Sakura and Sasuke spotted them jumping onto the rooftops and using Shunshin to disappear. Sasuke sighed before swiftly picking up Sakura and vanishing as well, leaving behind no visible traces.

Reappearing on the outskirts of town, Sasuke carefully set Sakura down, keeping a hand on her back to ensure she didn't stumble.

"I should learn that jutsu…" Sakura mumbled, cheeks slightly pink.

"Alright, now I'll explain the details of our mission," Kakashi said while Naruto created a few clones to set up barrier seals. As clones channeled chakra into the seals, the four of them vanished from sight, leaving only a faint trail of chakra behind.

"Our target is Aburame Renki, a former chūnin of Konoha. He abandoned the village after killing his partner and stealing scrolls meant for the Hokage's hands." Naruto and Sasuke's eyes narrowed immediately, while Sakura covered her mouth, her eyes widening slightly. "He did this during a mission, so Konoha didn't react immediately," Kakashi continued, watching his students' expressions. "A genin team later found his partner's body and brought it back to Konoha. After that, the Hokage sent scouts to an area where another genin team had reportedly seen a shinobi resembling Aburame."

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded slightly, "But the scouts never returned, so we're heading to their last known location."

"Exactly."

"What do we know about his abilities?"

"Interestingly enough, he rarely used his clan's techniques." Kakashi glanced at Naruto before extending his hand toward him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but then smirked, lifting his left hand and placing it over Kakashi's.

Kakashi turned back to Sasuke and Sakura, now holding the mission scroll. He unrolled it and began reading, "His genjutsu skills are fairly weak, as are his shurikenjutsu and fūinjutsu. However, his taijutsu and ninjutsu were among the best in his Academy graduation class."

"Ooh, ninjutsu?" Naruto grinned.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu, Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, Fire Style: Infernal Butterflies… Now this one is quite interesting. Fire Style: Flaming Fist."

Naruto's interest was visibly piqued at the last technique, "Flaming Fist?"

"A close-combat technique requiring only three hand seals that enhances the user's punches with… a little extra spark. Aside from that, he also learned the Paralyzing Mist Technique and a Sensory Jutsu."

"A sensor…" Naruto mused, turning to Sasuke. "His jutsu seems specifically tailored to counter Aburame techniques."

Sakura tilted her head, "Maybe he just focused on his primary element, as he should."

Kakashi shrugged, "We may never know, but what's important for you to remember is that, like you, he was part of a team of powerhouses."

Naruto mimicked Kakashi's shrug, "Well then, we better find our scouts quickly."

Kakashi nodded, rolling up the scroll and tucking it into his vest pocket, "Let's come up with a search strategy for this…"

Four Days Later. The City of Kadzenaka.

Every city looks the same. Busy streets, dark alleyways. Friendly merchants – so long as you have money. Drunken revelers gather in groups, wreaking havoc on city property. Authorities turn a blind eye to their drinking buddies who get wasted, yet relentlessly chase after a starving child who stole a loaf of bread.

"Hah-uh, huh, Huh-aah."

A small, black-haired girl darted through the narrow alleyways of the city, the shouts of her pursuers echoing behind her. Clutched in her hands were a few rolls she had taken from an unattended market stall – better to eat them than let them go to waste, she thought.

"He went that way!" one of the men yelled, apparently mistaking her for a boy due to her oversized, obviously male clothing. Her hair barely stayed in place under a hat, held by a thin cord securing it to her head.

She slightly regretted her decision – not the theft, of course. The bread was worth it. But how had she failed to notice those thugs in the crowd?

She cursed under her breath as she spotted another brute standing at the end of the alley, shouting for her to stop. Making a sharp turn, she barely avoided crashing into a wall.

Dead end.

Her eyes darted around, searching for any footholds she could use to climb to the rooftops, but luck was not on her side. Her heartbeat pounded even faster than it had during her sprint, and sweat dripped down her forehead in a frenzy.

"No…!"

Suddenly, her world spun. She nearly collapsed but instead found herself pressing against something soft rather than the hard ground. Lifting her head and looking around, she was startled to see she was now on a rooftop. Immediately, she recognized the dome of a church nearby, realizing where she was. "But that church is several blocks away from that alley…"

Back in the alley.

"What the…? She definitely turned this way!" One of the men skidded to a stop, looking around in confusion. "Ryuunosuke, check those crates!"

"Alright, then let Kenji dig through the garbage bins!" Ryuunosuke, a blond, called out with a smirk.

"What?!"

"I don't mind!"

On the rooftop, where the black-haired girl had appeared.

"Hey, you alright?" A rough voice suddenly came from nearby. She scrambled to her feet, quickly scanning the man beside her.

Dark blue hair that fell to his shoulders, freckles across his nose, a simple tracksuit, and a silver cross dangling from his neck. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary drunk – his tracksuit was worn, his hair unkempt, and a fresh bruise darkened his eye.

"How did I get here?"

The man ignored her question just as she had ignored his, kneeling to examine her arms. "You injured yourself while running from those guys."

Looking down, she finally noticed the streaks of blood trailing down her forearm. Good thing she had rolled up her sleeves...

Suddenly, a burning sensation shot through her arm, and her eyes welled up with tears, "Ouch…"

"Looks like the adrenaline's wearing off, huh?" The man sighed before gently lifting her into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll take you to someone who can help."

She wanted to struggle, to break free, but as warmth enveloped her, the tears in her eyes blurred her vision. She managed to mutter between sniffles, "...Let go."

But once again, her world spun, and this time, darkness swallowed her whole. As unconsciousness took over, the only thing she could think about was how warm she felt.

A Few Hours Later.

"And after that, you brought her here?"

"Yes. I didn't know the place would be empty."

"Idiot. At least you knew how to bandage a wound…"

"Hey! I am y–"

"Quiet."

Buried under soft blankets, the girl stirred and slowly opened her eyes, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She bolted upright, scanning the room and spotting two men and a woman.

One of the men was familiar, but the other was a stranger. He wore a traditional black kimono to match his black hair. The only splash of color was a small red box hanging from his belt, with a tiny gemstone attached.

"You're awake. Good," the woman said, her voice warm. She had the same dark, wavy hair that framed her face and fell down her back, as a man beside her. Leaning slightly toward her, she revealed a white kimono – unadorned, but so exquisitely made it looked like it cost a fortune. "Can you tell us your name?" Her neatly manicured nails and emerald earrings subtly enhanced her elegant features.

"Kageno."

"Kage, like in 'shadow'?" The blue-haired man twirled an iron flask in his hand, which had appeared as if from nowhere. His pockets were far too small for it…

"No," Kageno answered curtly and leaped out of bed.

The man in the black kimono remained seated, but the woman quickly stepped forward, concern flashing across her face. She opened her mouth to speak but glanced at the dark-haired man. Catching his silent gaze, she stopped.

"Can you find your way home?" the man asked as the girl wordlessly walked toward the door.

"Yeah, of course…"

Opening the door, she entered a living area where a slightly older boy with almost golden hair lounged on a bed, reading a book. He lazily turned his head toward her and smirked slightly. "Oh, you're up. How're you feeling?"

His outfit caught her off guard – a black cloak with nothing underneath. What kind of pervert is he..?

"Great." And she wasn't lying. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. Even her skin felt softer beneath the fabric of her pink kimono– Wait. Pink kimono!?

She looked down in horror, inspecting the unfamiliar garment. The blond boy noticed and, setting his book aside, rolled over to face her better, "What? Don't like my choice? Heh."

"Where are my clothes?!"

"We threw them away." Her eyes widened in shock at the calm response from the dark-haired woman, who had followed her out alongside the two men. "A child as lovely as you shouldn't wear rags like those. Though this kimono…" She shot the blond a pointed look. He only chuckled. "We can go shopping together. I'll buy you something new."

"You threw away my clothes!? But my things were in them!"

The woman faltered at the anger in the girl's eyes. Meanwhile, the man in the black kimono turned his gaze toward the blue-haired one, who sighed and ascended a staircase Kageno hadn't noticed before.

"Don't worry. I asked Aokami not to throw your belongings away, just to hide them from Kuroni…" He gestured toward the woman beside him, who blushed slightly at his next words. "She tends to be a bit impulsive and reckless."

"..."

"This is disgusting. I'm leaving." Kageno glanced at the blond, who yawned and headed for the door. "You know what to do."

The dark-haired man smirked slightly and saluted with two fingers, "Of course, boss."

As the door shut behind the blond, the woman, Kuroni, approached Kageno with a gentle smile, "Would you like some tea? Aokami is slow with simple tasks, so we'll have time to enjoy some sweets…"

At that moment, Kageno's body reminded her of something crucial – a loud grumble echoed through the room, and she flushed crimson. Kuroni's smile didn't falter. She lightly touched the girl's shoulder and gestured toward a doorway leading into another room.

The man with the red box on his belt followed them into the kitchen. "Won't your parents be worried about your absence?"

Parents. Kageno frowned slightly but masked it with an expression of annoyance toward her kimono. "I don't have parents."

Neither the man nor the woman reacted, which surprised Kageno. Usually, people treated her differently after learning she was an orphan. "They probably guessed from my clothes…"

"Would you mind telling us what happened in that alley? Why those men were chasing you?"

This time, Kageno didn't bother hiding her scowl, "They're pedophiles." Her blunt response drew amused smiles from both adults. "Tch… They're not buying it."

"I didn't know Ryuunosuke-san and Kenji-san had such… hobbies in their free time," the woman said with a smirk, pulling something from the oven that filled the air with an intoxicating aroma.

Kageno focused on the woman's words but couldn't take her eyes off the dish in her hands. "Damn, they know those shitheads…"

"Tadanobu-san was there too, wasn't he?" The man pulled out a chair for Kageno, who quickly hopped onto it, while he took a seat across from her. "I always suspected those bastards were up to something…"

"Shinkuro!" Kuroni scolded in a sharp tone.

"...What's with all these names? Why do they all have colors in them?"

Shinkuro clasped his hands together, watching the girl in silence. At that moment, a blue-haired man entered the room, carrying a tied-up bundle.

Setting the bundle down near the door, he pulled out a flask seemingly from nowhere. "Your things are here." He sat on the nearest chair and turned to Shinkuro. "So, what are we going to do with her?"

Kageno tensed, shifting her gaze toward the dark-haired man.

"Didn't you bring her here?" he asked, mildly annoyed. "She's your responsibility now."

"What?! How do you figure?!" Aokami waved his flask above his head. "I don't even have an apartment! You want her to sleep on the streets with me?!"

"Why not let her stay with us?" Kuroni approached the table, setting down a plate with a perfectly roasted chicken leg and golden rice. Kageno's mouth immediately watered, "Just for a little while."

Tearing her eyes from the food, Kageno looked at Kuroni, "Why do you want me here?"

"We won't force you to stay, don't worry." Kuroni placed another plate in front of her with a gentle smile. "But I'm interested in your abilities."

Kageno blinked, now even more confused, "My… abilities?"

Shinkuro coughed lightly, and Kuroni sat beside him, still smiling.

"While Aokami was, as usual, drinking in some alley, he saw you running from his acquaintances," Shinkuro explained. "But he didn't interfere at first. Even though he dislikes our 'honorable' law enforcers, you did steal those buns."

Kageno swallowed, momentarily forgetting about the chicken leg in front of her.

Aokami nodded slightly and placed his flask on the table, "But in that dead-end alley, I felt a strong surge of chakra from you – directed at nothing…" He smirked, taking another sip. "I thought you were about to use the Body Flicker Technique, but your chakra was completely blocked – like a corked bottle of wine."

"Chakura?"

"Chakra." Shinkuro raised a hand, and a piece of paper materialized in his palm. "Chakra is energy present in all living things. It's what keeps us alive." Suddenly, the paper hovered a few inches above his hand. "People can learn to use this energy for various techniques…"

"So, you're a magician?"

Shinkuro chuckled, and the floating paper burst into bright orange flames, making Kageno jump. "Something like that."

"...So I have this chakra, and that's why you want me to stay here?" Remembering the chicken, she grabbed the leg and began tearing into it hungrily.

"The amount of chakra I sensed from you back in that alley was enough to perform a B-rank technique," Aokami continued drinking from his flask while talking, "And if I'm right, your chakra hasn't fully awakened yet, meaning you might have even more potential."

"Hmmm…" Kageno swallowed her bite and looked at Shinkuro. "If I stay, can I live in this house?"

"My sister and I wouldn't mind if you took one of our beds."

"Ew, you sleep with your sister?"

"Fu-fu-fu… What a vulgar child," Kuroni giggled. "My relationship with my brother is strictly familial."

Finishing her rice, Kageno sighed and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her new pink kimono. "If you feed me and don't turn me over to those bastards, I don't mind staying. Even if you do seem like a bunch of cultists…"

"Wonderful!" Kuroni clapped her hands and stood, grabbing Kageno by the wrist and leading her toward the exit. "Shinkuro, I'm taking Kageno-chan to get new clothes!"

As the door shut behind them, Aokami exhaled, "The boss wasn't happy."

"You know that's just his initial reaction. The girl has no parents. No home. He's glad we helped her."

At the Same Time. The Forest Near the City of Kadzenaka.

Naruto sighed as he leaped from tree to tree, "Kakashi-sensei is not going to be happy…"

Suddenly, the blond stopped just before a small clearing, where nothing but grass and a few scattered stones lay. Touching a nearby tree, he stepped into the open area and spotted two tents and his team. "Oh… You're all here."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Not happy to see us?"

Kakashi rolled up a scroll and gave Naruto a one-eyed smile, "How did the reconnaissance go today?"

"Aokami overheard some drunkards talking about a group of shinobi operating around this city. He tried getting more details, but all they knew were rumors about robberies…" Sitting on a folding chair next to Kakashi, Naruto glanced at Sasuke and Sakura. "Huh, these two are sitting pretty close, aren't they?"

Kakashi nodded and crossed his arms, "We also found no traces in the forest or the nearby settlements"

Sasuke brushed an ant off his knee and looked at Kakashi, "How much longer are we staying near this city?"

"The Hokage has dispatched several teams to the surrounding regions where Aburame Renki or any of his associates might have fled. But none of them have reported any shinobi activity."

"My clones with Kagura's Mind Eye are stationed in every nearby settlement. If any trained shinobi showed up, they'd detect them immediately." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "They even detected that girl… and her chakra wasn't even unlocked yet."

"There's a chance they fled the country," Sakura suggested.

"Or they're hiding under the seals that mask them from my sensory skills… though with Kurama, that's unlikely. You'll have to tell me how you sense people like that."

"Maybe later."

"Another week or two," Kakashi said, looking at Sasuke. "After that, we return to Konoha." Flashing his signature eye-smile again, he turned to Naruto. "No problems in town?"

"Heh, I wouldn't call it a problem…"

"What did you do this time…?" Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up at the sky.

"Aokami found a girl stealing bread and took her to Shinkuro and Kuroni. She was also being chased by those scumbags who insulted us when we arrived as Konoha shinobi," Naruto said with a small grin. "She unconsciously released a strong burst of chakra when they cornered her. Aokami thought she was interesting. And she was injured."

Kakashi sighed, "This could interfere with our mission, Naruto…"

"I understand, but I couldn't leave her with them. Who knows what they might have done to her?"

"What's her condition now?" Sakura asked.

"She was conscious when I left Shinkuro and Kuroni's house. Her wounds and exhaustion were completely healed. I think they can handle her without me."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Help her use chakra." Naruto clapped his hands lightly, and a small bento box appeared on his lap. Picking up wooden chopsticks, he started eating fresh sushi. "Her chakra was really strong. Stronger than Konohamaru's, even though she looked younger than him. And considering it was just a weak outburst…"

"I'd forbid it if you were handling it personally and it interfered with our mission. But if your clones do it…" Kakashi stroked his chin and nodded. "I won't object."

Sakura stood from her chair and headed toward her tent. "Why do all your clones have such simple names? You lack imagination?"

"Hah? What's wrong with them?"

Shinkuro and Kuroni's House. Midnight.

The front door suddenly swung open without warning, and a cheerful voice rang out, "We're home!"

From the kitchen to the right of the entrance, a lazy voice responded, "Welcome back." Shinkuro was just about to cover the food on the table to protect it from insects before 'heading to bed'. He hadn't expected to wait for the girls. "Should I reheat the food?"

"No! We ate at my friend's place!" came the reply from the hallway. A second later, Shinkuro saw Kuroni leading Kageno by the hand into the kitchen. "Well, what do you think?"

The first thing Shinkuro noticed about the little girl was the dark blue wide-brimmed hat with a black ribbon on one side, which she removed upon entering. Her wild hair cascaded over a deep burgundy shirt adorned with thin black vertical stripes forming an elegant pattern. Charcoal-black high-waisted shorts fastened with a button completed her outfit.

He also noted that her wrists were noticeably smaller than the cuffs of her shirt. The shorts looked almost a size too big, but it seemed Kuroni intended to feed her well.

"Not bad."

Kuroni puffed her cheeks playfully, "That's it? You should give a proper compliment to a lady!"

"I don't see any ladies in front of me."

Kuroni gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. Kageno smirked at her theatrics.

"Shall I prepare a bed in the living room?" Shinkuro asked as he stored the food in the fridge.

"No." Kuroni placed a hand on Kageno's shoulder with a smile. "She'll sleep with me."

Though Kageno's eyes widened slightly, Shinkuro simply nodded as he shut the fridge. "Then good night. I have work tomorrow, so you'll have to start teaching her yourself." With that, he quickly left the kitchen and headed upstairs.

"Well then, we should sleep too. We'll start early tomorrow morning." Noticing that Kageno was still clutching her hat, Kuroni smiled. "You can leave it here. No one will take it."

The girl hesitated but obeyed and placed the hat on the armrest of a chair as she passed by.

"But first, a bath!" Kuroni suddenly exclaimed, flashing a wide grin as she pulled Kageno toward the stairs. But just as she placed a foot on the first step, she stopped. "Wait. This is wrong."

Kageno tilted her head slightly, her hair cascading to one side, "Wrong?"

Kuroni suddenly broke into a sweat but shrugged it off a second later and continued up the stairs. "Original's problems. She's too young for me to feel anything. Besides, I don't even have my Kunai in this form…"

Somewhere in the forest near the city.

*Achoo!* Naruto suddenly sneezed in his half-sleep. Looking around, he heard Sasuke shift in his sleep. "Damn clones…"

"What do you mean?"

"...I don't know yet."

"Either way, focus. You almost dozed off."

"Too bad I can't maintain clones while I sleep…"

"By circulating your chakra, you'll feel the effects of sleepless nights less. I can also add some of mine, and you'll feel as good as new…"

Naruto sighed, got up, slipped on his white sandals, and stepped out of the tent, carefully stepping over Kakashi.

Sakura's tent was closed, the fire had burned out, and the night had fully embraced their camp.

"I have an interesting idea for a seal," Kurama suddenly said, making Naruto chuckle.

"You're incredible."

"Hmph, of course I am." Naruto could hear the smirk in her voice and smiled himself, sitting down near the embers and reigniting them with a weak Fire Style technique. "A tracking seal."

"Tracking what?"

"Chakra, of course. Try creating a matrix. If it works as I plan, we can place them around the city perimeter and monitor anyone with a certain chakra level entering or leaving."

The Next Morning.

"You look awful, Naruto."

Naruto lifted his head from the seal in front of him and saw Sakura. Realizing how he could see her, he looked up at the sky, "It's already morning?"

"Did you even sleep?"

Naruto shook his head and turned back to the seal, "I can't get these two cores to synchronize."

"If you made some clones, we could've finished this overnight…"

"I'm already at my limit with supporting this many clones for this long…"

"Then we need clones who will replenish their chakra on their own."

"That's absurd."

"For humans, yes."

Suddenly, a loud thud came from the nearby tent. Moments later, Sasuke and Kakashi stepped out, the latter scratching his head in pain. Seems like Sasuke tripped over his head, Naruto chuckled.

"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto didn't sleep all night," Sakura said casually, placing a metal bowl near the fire.

Naruto's eyes widened at the betrayal.

"Hmm? Is that true, Naruto?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto nodded, "I figured it was worth patrolling with clones overnight. Who knows? Maybe they only move in the dark."

Kakashi sighed, stepping aside as Sakura went to gather more firewood near their tent. He approached Naruto, "I need you at full strength. I didn't think I'd have to order this, but you need to sleep, Naruto."

"What if they do move at night?" Sasuke asked, sitting across from Naruto.

"Don't worry. Another Konoha squad is patrolling at night."

"I ran into them… Had to apologize to the Hyūga in their team for trying to hide from him," Naruto muttered, making Kakashi sigh. Blonde's voice grew more interested, "This Renki must have stolen something incredibly valuable if so many squads have been dispatched to find him."

Sasuke nodded, "Especially when Konoha needs all its shinobi for the village's recovery."

Sakura returned and began arranging the firewood in an intricate pattern. Naruto suddenly snapped his fingers, "What about that girl?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "What about her?"

"She still doesn't know that Shinkuro and Kuroni are my clones."

Kakashi shrugged, "That's your problem." Then, smirking, he pulled out a red-covered book from his pouch. "Handle it yourself. But make sure it doesn't interfere with the mission."

Naruto sighed and turned to Sakura, who was pulling his hand toward the fire. He lit it with a weak Fire Style technique. "Then one last suggestion." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How about moving to Shinkuro's house? There's plenty of space for us."

Kakashi shrugged, "I don't mind. Your clones have already made every sensor in the area aware that there are shinobi in the city."

At the same time. Shinkuro's House.

Kuroni yawned and sat up in bed, "So this is… sleeping."

"What are you talking about?" a small voice asked beside her.

Turning, she saw Kageno tucked under the blanket next to her, "Never mind. Let's get up and start training."

Kageno yawned as well, sat up, and began getting dressed, pulling new clothes from a bag.

Five Minutes Later.

"Shinkuro made us breakfast…" Kuroni said, placing a plate in front of Kageno.

Kageno raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you eating?"

Kuroni smiled, "I maintain my figure, so I don't eat in the morning."

"That must be unhealthy…"

Forty Minutes Later.

Leaving the house, Kuroni took Kageno's hand and led her to a secluded training ground on the edge of the city. Fortunately, their house was also on the outskirts, so the walk wasn't too long.

"Alright, let's begin our training!" Kuroni plucked a leaf from a tree and placed it on Kageno's hand. "Put this leaf on your forehead and focus on the point where it touches your skin. Try to keep it there even if you tilt your head forward."

Kageno watched as Kuroni sat under a tree, smiling at her, "Are you serious?"

Kuroni kept her smile and raised a hand, pointing at a leaf at least three feet away on a tree branch. The leaf detached and, seemingly ignoring air resistance, shot toward her finger. "As I recently learned from a certain silver-haired man, this technique is called Chakra Thread. It allows control over puppets and lifting small objects." Holding the leaf between her fingers, she flicked it toward the ground in front of Kageno. It shot forward unnaturally fast, ignoring the air entirely.

The dark-haired girl leaned closer to the leaf, which had embedded itself into the ground. Her eyes widened as she saw that it had cut into the earth by nearly an inch.

"That's Wind Release Nature Transformation," Kuroni explained, pointing at the leaf as the wind carried it away. "A technique a little beyond your current level."

Kageno looked at the leaf in her hand, then back at Kuroni. Sighing softly through her nose, she placed it on her forehead, tilted her head forward, and watched as it fluttered to the ground.

"Fu-fu-fu… How adorable."

Two Hours Later.

"Hey! It stuck for a second, didn't it?"

"It just clung to your forehead because of sweat."

"Argh!"

Suddenly, a new voice called out from nearby, "How's it going?"

Kageno turned and saw the blond boy she had met at Shinkuro's house the day before.

Kuroni simply smiled, "She's got spirit."

"Hmmm…" The stranger observed Kageno intently, making her slightly nervous. Then, turning to Kuroni, he grinned. "Sorry, but Kakashi-sensei ordered me to sleep, so I should just tell her right away."

Kageno frowned and turned to Kuroni, who sighed. "Tell me what?"

"With chakra, you can create an exact copy of yourself that's almost completely autonomous from the shinobi," Naruto said, forming a clone beside him, momentarily startling Kageno.

The clone grinned and held out a fist.

Cautiously, Kageno extended a finger and tapped the clone's fist, confirming it wasn't an illusion.

"And with the Transformation Jutsu, I can change into another person or even a creature." Immediately, the clone performed Henge, deliberately creating a puff of white smoke for dramatic effect. As it cleared, an exact copy of Kuroni stood before her.

Kageno's eyes widened as she stepped closer, inspecting the woman's face carefully.

Kuroni, who had been sitting under a tree, stood and approached Kageno. "And to reveal everything – I'm also a clone." With those words, she vanished in a small explosion of white smoke.

Kageno's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What?!"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and shook his head slightly. "Hope I won't pick up Kuroni's feminine mannerisms…"

"So Kuroni… was you?"

Naruto nodded, "Shinkuro and Aokami are also my clones. Sorry for lying."

Kageno collapsed onto the grass, exhaling deeply, "But she didn't act like a boy at all… We even bathed together."

"Ah, right… I'll ask you not to tell anyone about that. I'd rather not collect even more negative labels in the village."

"So… what now?"

Naruto smiled and held out his fist.

Kageno hesitantly touched her finger to his fist again, and he opened his palm, revealing a leaf inside. The girl sighed, "Friggin leaf."

"Hey, how old are you?"

"Eight." Kageno took the leaf and looked at Naruto's face. "And you?"

"Thirteen."

"What's with your cheeks? Are those scars?"

"No, birthmarks."

"Was your mother a fox?"

"That's kind of rude. No, she was human."

"Are you from this town? He said was…"

"No, not even from this country."

"Where are you from?"

"Hmm… I'll tell you if you can keep this leaf on your forehead for a full minute."

"Deal." … "What's that on your forehead?"

"A forehead protector."

"What's it for?"

"To protect my forehead."

"Why does it have a leaf? Do you love this exercise that much?"

"It's the symbol of my village."

"Your village chose a leaf as its symbol? Why?"

"Hmm… No idea."

"Don't boys have something else between their legs?"

"…What?"

"When I was with Kuroni in the bath, she had those li–"

"I completely transform my body into a female form when I change into Kuroni."

"Can I make clones?"

"If you train hard enough."

"And I can transform into a boy?"

"…Yes."

"So if my male clone and I…"

"I'm not answering that."

"Hmmm…" … "Why do all your clones have hair color names?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Just weird. Ah, so that's why Kuroni didn't eat this morning…"

"Clones don't need food or sleep."

"Why are you in this town?"

"I'm tracking a dangerous shinobi."

"A shinobi? Dangerous?"

"Shinobi are the military force of a country, also known as a ninja. Female ninjas are called kunoichi. The shinobi I'm tracking killed several people for his gain and fled."

"Are you a shinobi or a kunoichi? If you transform into–"

"I'm a shinobi, period."

"What's the name of the shinobi you're looking for?"

"Aburame Renki."

"Oh, that bastard. I saw him near a bar, drunk and shouting his name at passersby. Everyone seemed to avoid him."

"I've heard about that."

"Do you get paid?"

"If I complete missions, yes."

"A lot?"

"Depends on the mission."

"How much will you get if you find Renki?"

"Just finding him – about ten thousand. Bringing him back alive to my village – a hundred thousand. Dead – seventy thousand. That's already divided among my team, of course."

"…Will you kill him?"

"I'll try to capture him alive, but killing is part of a shinobi's job."

"Killing?"

"Yeah."

"Can I become a kunoichi?"

"…If you can hold that leaf on your forehead for a minute – maybe."

Later that Evening.

Naruto appeared near Shinkuro's house with Kageno on his back.

"I don't want to train with you anymore…" Kageno mumbled, wiping dirt from her face. "Bring back Kuroni-san."

"She is me, so she would've done the same."

"You're mean."

Opening the door, Naruto found Kakashi lounging in a chair in the living room with Sasuke nearby. "Hey, back from patrol?"

Kageno lifted her head off Naruto's shoulder to glance at the strangers. "Who are they?"

"My team."

"Are they as weird as you?"

"I don't get what you mean."

Sakura peeked from the kitchen with a smile, "Want some ramen?"

Naruto nodded, but Kageno's head bobbed up and down at incredible speed. "But first, we clean up."

Kageno narrowed her eyes at Naruto, "This time separat–LPFH!"

Naruto quickly covered her mouth with his hand, nervously smiling as he led her upstairs, avoiding Kakashi and Sasuke's stares. "Haaah… Go wash your face and hands. I'll get you clean clothes."

Kageno nodded sweetly and ran to the bathroom.

Ten Minutes Later.

While Naruto showered, Kageno wandered downstairs, curiously observing Sasuke and Kakashi.

Kakashi looked up from his book, "Why are you just standing there?"

Kageno quickly sat beside Sasuke.

"I'm Kakashi." Setting his book aside, he pointed at Sasuke. "That's Sasuke, and the girl in the kitchen is Sakura."

"I'm Kageno."

"Nice to meet you." Kakashi smiled slightly, easing her nerves. "How was training with Naruto?"

Kageno pouted and leaned back, "I couldn't keep that dumb leaf on my forehead for more than fifteen seconds."

"Fourteen," Naruto's voice interjected, making Kageno leap onto the couch and point at him.

"Not true! I counted!"

"It's not my fault you can't count."

"I can!"

"Then why did you mess up?"

"I didn't mess up!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved to another chair, giving up his seat to Naruto, who immediately sat down. "What's the difference? Fourteen is still fourteen more than most kids entering the Academy can manage."

Kageno turned to Kakashi with a deadpan look, "He's lying, isn't he?"

"Tch…"

Kakashi chuckled slightly and shook his head, "Normally, kids with no prior chakra experience struggle a lot with this exercise. Fourteen–" He paused as Kageno glared at him, then smirked. "–I mean, fifteen seconds is quite a lot for a beginner. By the way, how old are you?"

"Eight," Kageno replied before turning toward the kitchen, drawn by the pleasant aroma of ramen.

Kakashi turned to Naruto, "Why was she covered in dirt?"

"Endurance training."

Sakura walked out of the kitchen, carrying two bowls of ramen. Kageno turned toward the table, waiting for her bowl to be placed down. As soon as chopsticks were in her hand, she began devouring the food at an unbelievable speed.

Two Hours Later.

Sakura led Kageno to Kuroni's room and agreed to sleep alongside the little girl.

Meanwhile, only Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto remained in the living room.

"How was today's scouting?" Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who closed his eyes for a second, dispelling all his clones.

After a few moments, he reopened his eyes, sorting through the gathered information. "Nothing new… There are traces of dead animals in the forest, but that could just be the local wildlife. No chakra signatures." Sighing, he sprawled out on the couch. "Too bad my sensory range isn't as large as Karin's yet…"

"Tomorrow, focus on the area where the animals were killed. They might be hiding underground," Kakashi suggested.

"And hunting animals to survive?" Sasuke asked. "If they have an Earth Release user among them…"

"I can sense chakra up to three hundred feet around me. They'd have to be ridiculously deep underground."

Kakashi shrugged, "Nothing's impossible. And about the girl, Naruto…"

Naruto shifted his gaze from Kakashi to the ceiling, "If she can keep the leaf on her forehead for a full minute, she'll be able to perform at least two out of three Academy jutsu. If that happens, I want her to return to Konoha with us."

Five Days Later. Late Evening.

Naruto's clone sat camouflaged in a tree, staring at the ground. He had been doing this all day, and nothing had changed, except for the occasional animal wandering by. He was already expecting the original to dispel him, but he decided to focus once more using Kagura's Mind Eye to scan the area.

Closing his eyes, he anticipated seeing the same emptiness as before – nothing. But this time, he sensed something. And that something was approaching.

His eyes widened, "A chakra reserve! Where…? Underground! And it's moving!" Quickly creating and dispelling a clone, he leaped from one tree to another, heading toward the chakra source. Camouflaging himself once more in the foliage, he waited for reinforcements and for the chakra to emerge.

Suddenly, he felt the shinobi activate an Earth Release technique, and the ground split open like enormous doors, revealing a long staircase. From the tunnel emerged a kunoichi, who performed a series of short hand signs, sealing the entrance behind her.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as the red-haired woman retrieved a sealing tag from her pouch and pressed it against the ground. Instantly, all traces of chakra in the earth were absorbed into the seal, though the chakra of living organisms remained untouched.

"Interesting seal…"

Tracking the kunoichi further, Naruto moved closer to eavesdrop and understood the reason behind her frustration. She was angry at a guy named Benito and a girl named Mari. He had sensed her emotions from the start, but beneath the anger, he also detected a deep sorrow and despair.

"Well, I suppose all people have some hidden depth."

Suddenly, he sensed the chakra of his original body, which likely meant that both he and the kunoichi had been detected. The real Naruto halted nearby. Without making a sound, the clone formed a hand sign and prepared to dispel himself silently.

"Earth Spikes!" a voice suddenly shouted behind him. The ground beneath his feet trembled.

Team 7's Position.

"Shit… She spotted him!" Naruto sprang from his position and used the Body Flicker Technique to cover the distance to the enemy kunoichi. Kakashi and Sasuke split off, flanking the area where she had been seen, while Sakura followed behind Naruto, preparing to cast a genjutsu at the right moment.

The kunoichi wasted no time and sprinted toward their camp but skidded to a halt upon spotting Naruto perched on a tree branch to her right.

"Hey, how about we talk?"

Her chakra flared violently – she was trying to alert her allies. Forming hand seals, she launched a barrage of earth projectiles at Naruto before dashing toward the camp once again.

Unfortunately for her, she was heading straight toward Kakashi.

She barely managed to dodge three shuriken aimed at her vital points before she felt a heavy punch strike her abdomen, sending her crashing into a tree.

"I come in peace!" Naruto reappeared, waving his hands dramatically.

The kunoichi began forming more hand signs, but suddenly, she screamed in horror as her hands crumbled into fine sand. Her entire body began dissolving. Her eyes widened in realization – it was a genjutsu, "Release!"

She leaped backward, just barely avoiding Naruto's outstretched hand. Throwing a kunai at the blonde, she was then struck from behind by Sasuke, sending her tumbling face-first into the dirt.

Naruto deflected the kunai and placed a sealing tag on her, immobilizing her chakra and movements. "You should have raised the alarm…" Turning to Kakashi while still holding her shoulder, he asked, "What's the plan? There's a chance they sensed her chakra, though we're roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards from the entrance."

Kakashi approached the kunoichi, who was still groaning from Sasuke's strike, "Hello."

The redhead spat dirt from her mouth and gritted her teeth, glaring at Kakashi. But within seconds, her face contorted into fear, "Copy Ninja…"

Naruto grinned and released her shoulder, keeping the seal active. "This is going to be easier than I thought. Being famous is great."

"I hope you'll cooperate," Kakashi said in a calm tone, kneeling to her eye level. "I'd rather not have to start an interrogation lesson for my students on this fine evening."

"O-of course…"

"Excellent." Maintaining his relaxed tone, Kakashi continued, "How many people are inside the hideout at this moment?"

She swallowed hard, "Five."

"Any sensors among them?"

"…One."

"Aburame is the sensor, isn't he?" Naruto thought to himself. "Kakashi-sensei said his sensory abilities were weak…"

"Are there any other exits from the hideout?" Kakashi asked, standing up without breaking eye contact.

"Only one, near Kadzenaka."

"Now…" Kakashi retrieved a Bingo Book from his pouch and flipped to the first page. "Tell us about the five underground."

The woman hesitated and gulped, "Y-you won't kill me, right?"

"…Naruto, you did read our manual on handling captives, didn't you?" Seeing Naruto nod, Kakashi closed the Bingo Book and asked, "So, according to that manual, what should we do with her?" He gestured toward the red-haired woman.

"Ensure her supervision and safety. Once the primary mission objective is completed, escort her to Konoha for questioning. Execution is only permitted as a last resort."

"Sakura." The girl jumped at being called and stepped closer. "Does Konoha practice death punishment?"

"Erm… Betrayal of the village and one's team is considered the worst possible crime and can be punishable by death."

The woman broke into a cold sweat, trying to decipher Kakashi's thought process.

"But this kunoichi isn't from Konoha, is she? Sasuke." Sasuke straightened slightly when called. "This woman may be involved in the murder or abduction of several Konoha shinobi. What sentence would she receive?"

Her eyes widened. "I-I wasn't involved in–"

"Quiet." Kakashi shook his head. "Can't you see I'm testing my students?"

Naruto smirked. "I'll have to try this sometime."

"If she's found guilty, she could face anywhere from seven years to life imprisonment, depending on her involvement."

"Well, Konoha seems merciful." Kakashi flipped the Bingo Book open again. "Now, tell us about your comrades."

Underground Hideout.

A bald man with a wide grin held a blue-haired beauty by the waist. "Hahaha, sorry, Renki. You know how it is – love is a hurricane!"

"If we're found because of you…"

The girl on his lap ran a hand over his bare chest, "Relax, boys, she'll cool off and come back."

A grinning blond pointed at her, "You should be quiet, Mari. This is all your fault anyway!"

"What?"

The boy crossed his arms and nodded, "Why do you walk around in that mini-skirt, flaunting your enormous chest?"

He clutched his head as a smack landed on him. He turned to glare at the dark-haired shinobi with a long katana who had struck him. "Have some decency, Kaito."

"We're rogues. What decency?" The blond scowled and turned to Renki. The dark-haired man noticed that and also looked at Aburame, who had jumped to his feet, eyes wide open.

"Klara has been attacked!"

Entrance to the Underground Hideout.

Naruto tossed a sealed scroll into the air and caught it repeatedly, his wide grin contrasting with Sakura's sympathetic glance.

"I hope she doesn't feel that…" she muttered, turning Sasuke and Kakashi's gaze to the scroll.

"Sealed beings enter stasis inside a seal. She doesn't even feel her own heartbeat."

"Enough playing with the prisoner, Naruto," Kakashi instructed. "Create a clone and send it east. That's where the team I mentioned is stationed. Have him relay all the details."

Naruto sealed the scroll into his palm and created a clone, which immediately vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

"We can't wait for backup. They might have sensed our chakra and fled. Maybe creating another exit," Kakashi said, forming Earth Release hand signs before slamming his hands into the ground, roughly tearing a large hole where an entrance once was. "Sasuke, you go first. Naruto and Sakura will stay in the center, and I'll cover the formation. Stay focused."

The team descended the staircase, and soon, Kakashi asked Naruto to create a small fireball for light, as the tunnel was pitch black.

Reaching the bottom, Naruto frowned, "I don't sense anyone."

Sasuke suddenly halted at the last step, "A trap."

Naruto squinted and noticed a thin wire at Sasuke's ankle level.

Sasuke carefully stepped over it, but as he moved forward, he felt his foot graze something else. His eyes widened, "Back!"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's collar and yanked him backward while Kakashi rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his palm into the ground.

*BOOM*

The tunnel shook violently as a chain explosion of tags detonated. As the dust settled and the team stopped coughing, they quickly checked each other for injuries.

Other than a scratch on Naruto's arm – which was already healing – only Sasuke had sustained a nasty burn on his right shoulder and back. Sakura immediately formed hand signs and began treating the burn.

"Sakura, patch up Sasuke. Naruto, you and I will carefully search the hideout for more traps and locate another exit," Kakashi ordered. "They're probably already in the city."

Naruto nodded and moved in the opposite direction from Kakashi. "We need to hurry. My clone hasn't been dispelled yet, which means he still hasn't found the other Konoha team."

Kakashi and Naruto scoured the hideout and found no more traps. It seemed they had planted the explosive tags just before escaping.

The hideout wasn't large. A small common area, six beds, a makeshift kitchen, and a bathroom. They didn't find the scouts sent to find Renki, which was bad, but they were still optimistic about the chances of finding him.

Kakashi inspected the walls until he found one that looked fresher than the others.

Forming another set of hand signs, he punched a hole through the wall, revealing a hidden passage. Turning back to his students, he saw Sakura finishing up Sasuke's treatment. They were ready to move on.

Near Kadzenaka. Same Time.

Aburame Renki emerged from the tunnel, inhaling deeply, "We need to move. That explosion – convenient, yet a bad omen." Without a high collar or dark glasses, his reddish-brown eyes made him unrecognizable as an Aburame.

"Maybe they all blew up!" a bald man behind him laughed.

Renki narrowed his eyes and turned toward the city, "They have reinforcements. Two shinobi are approaching fast."

"Should we run?" a blue-haired woman asked.

Renki exhaled and looked the other way, "Three more coming from the other side." Pulling out a kunai, he prepared to leap into the trees but hesitated, "One of them vanished… must've been a clone."

With Team 7.

"My clone found the Chunin patrol team," Naruto said, sprinting up the stairs while holding a torch. If they set more traps… "He sensed five enemy shinobi and directed two chūnin toward them."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow while running alongside him. "You sent two chūnins against five B and one A-ranked shinobi?"

"The clone sensed two other chūnins already approaching. One of them is a Hyūga."

"Four against five is still bad odds," Sakura pointed out. "Especially with an A-rank rogue involved."

"Let's move faster," Kakashi ordered, channeling chakra into every leap up the stairs.

One Minute Later.

Team 7 burst onto the surface, immediately feeling the force of an explosion from the city's direction. Naruto closed his eyes for a second before dashing toward the source, Team 7 following closely behind.

"Our shinobi are trying to keep them from reaching the city!" Naruto called.

"If they take civilians hostage, this gets much worse…" Kakashi added.

Breaking through the tree line, they finally saw the enemy shinobi. Naruto immediately formed Wind Release hand seals, targeting Aburame Renki on the left flank.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and lunged at the bald man – Benito – positioned in the center.

Sakura formed several seals, casting a genjutsu on the blue-haired woman – Mari.

Kakashi appeared behind his target – Soraku, a long-katana user with Lightning Release – attempting to stab him in the back with a kunai.

Two Konoha chūnins lay wounded on the ground. One, badly burned, lay near Aburame Renki, who was about to finish him off before dodging Naruto's attack.

The other chūnin lay before Benito, an earth spike protruding from his abdomen, coated in blood.

Kaito, the final enemy shinobi, drew his bow and infused his arrow with Wind Release, aiming at Kakashi. But before he could fire, a Hyūga intercepted it mid-flight.

Soraku turned and nearly bisected Kakashi, who barely evaded. The tall man analyzed the battlefield before making a decision. Forming a quick series of hand seals, he covered the entire area in thick mist, blinding everyone except the Hyūga.

Kakashi moved toward the Hyūga's last position but couldn't find him. A second later, Naruto's wind jutsu cleared the mist, revealing the battlefield again.

Creating several clones to use Paralysis Jutsu, Naruto ignored Renki's hand seals and rushed in.

Renki felt his body freeze, but not before completing his last seal. A wave of fire burst from him, transforming into glowing orange butterflies that attacked Naruto.

Burns covered Naruto's body, but he ignored them, shielding only his eyes. Drawing back his arm, he took the final steps and struck Renki with a Rasengan.

A second later, Renki crashed into the city wall, coughing blood. His torso had been reinforced with chakra, but it wasn't enough to block an A-rank technique.

Meanwhile, Benito had encased himself in an earth dome to shield him from Sasuke. Understanding the risk of Sharingan, he didn't dare fight directly. Sasuke gathered lightning chakra in his hand, forming a Chidori.

Sakura, meanwhile, approached Mari, who was still trapped in genjutsu. She placed a sealing tag on the woman's forehead before running to the impaled chūnin.

Kakashi halted as he saw the Hyūga held at knifepoint.

Soraku stood next to Kaito, who was restraining the Hyūga. The swordsman scanned the battlefield again – Renki down, Benito about to fall, Mari incapacitated.

"Hmph…" Turning to Kakashi, he smirked, "Chase us, and the boy dies."

In an instant, Soraku and Kaito vanished with the Hyūga.

"Naruto! Follow them on the edge of your sensory range!" Kakashi shouted before they both disappeared after them.

A moment later, Sasuke shattered the earth dome, his Chidori piercing Benito's chest. The rogue shinobi collapsed, barely alive.

Sakura continued treating the fallen chūnin as Sasuke secured the remaining enemy shinobi.

Glancing at the forest, Sasuke muttered, "Better to stay here… Finding them in that forest is near impossible."

With Naruto and Kakashi.

Naruto could feel the distance between them and the city growing. After running for some time, he noticed the Hyūga's chakra signature weakening. Clenching his fists, he realized they had abandoned him and started fleeing.

Reaching the wounded Hyūga, they saw a kunai lodged in his chest, blood trickling from his mouth. Naruto quickly turned the shinobi onto his side and lifted him slightly to prevent him from choking on his blood.

"I can't heal this, Sensei. Maybe Sakura can!"

"Send him to her with a clone. We can still catch up to them."

Naruto nodded, created a clone to carry the Hyūga, and then took off at full speed toward the fleeing shinobi. Kakashi kept pace effortlessly. "You take Kaito," Kakashi instructed, receiving a nod from Naruto.

Of the five enemy shinobi, Soraku and Kaito had known each other before joining Renki's team. They had traveled together and gained notoriety – Soraku being the team's powerhouse with an A-rank in the Bingo Book, and Kaito, his backup, classified as C-rank.

"Why did they abandon their human shield?" Naruto asked, referring to the Hyūga.

"They knew we wouldn't let them go easily and hoped someone would stay behind with the injured while they found an advantageous location for battle," Kakashi explained. "Besides, the only land border out of the Land of Noodles leads to the Land of Fire. They won't be able to disappear into a crowd because we have a sensor, and escaping to another country won't be an option…"

Naruto suddenly sensed the two slowing down, "Looks like they found a battleground."

Kakashi hummed slightly, "One of them might be a sensor. My guess is Kaito. Stay on guard."

Naruto nodded, created multiple clones, and began surrounding the two shinobi.

As they got closer, Kaito shouted, "Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto and one of his clones were caught in a massive gust of wind, sending them tumbling back. Seeing that Kakashi hadn't launched an attack yet, Naruto created another clone upon landing.

Both clones formed hand signs, inhaled deeply, and exhaled powerful streams of wind and fire.

Soraku's eyes narrowed at the massive column of flames rushing toward him and Kaito, forcing him to leap aside.

Naruto landed in the clearing, ignoring the burning trees around him. The river behind the enemy shinobi provided Soraku with an advantage, while the open area made it easier for Kaito to take precise shots with his bow.

Naruto's clones leaped from the forest and the river behind Kaito as the archer dodged the towering flames. Kaito swiftly drew his bow and, without pausing, eliminated three clones with rapid shots, then struck another that emerged from the river with the sharpened end of his bow.

Soraku sprinted beyond Naruto's fire radius, only to feel the ground tremble beneath him. Jumping back, he deflected a kunai that shot up from the earth with his katana. Locking eyes with Kakashi, who had just emerged with a kunai aimed at his throat, he noticed the Sharingan now fully revealed beneath his headband. Pushing Kakashi back, he tried to retreat toward the other side of the river.

"Oh? You're just going to leave your friend behind?" Kakashi taunted, eyes locked onto Soraku, who stood on the flowing water. "Go on, run," he gestured over his shoulder. "Save your miserable hide."

Maybe it was the warrior's pride deep inside him or a subtle genjutsu from Kakashi. Whatever it was, his attempt to separate the two shinobi and use the Hidden Mist Technique failed as Soraku surged forward, katana ready to cut Kakashi in half.

"Hmph… So you do have some fight in you," Kakashi remarked smugly, dodging the first slash.

A flurry of attacks followed, surprising Kakashi with their speed. With his Sharingan, he noticed Soraku channeling lightning chakra into his katana with each swing. Parrying the attacks with his kunai, Kakashi mirrored the technique.

Naruto sighed as another clone was shot down and had to dodge an arrow himself. Glancing at Kakashi's fight, he smirked, "This is just like with Zabuza. Well, except lightning." Knocking aside an arrow with a kunai infused with Wind Release, he fully turned toward Kakashi, creating two clones to engage Kaito.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto suddenly called out. "Don't get caught in the Water Prison again!"

Soraku smirked as he backflipped away from Kakashi, forming a quick series of hand signs, "The famous Copy Ninja was saved by some rookie?"

Kakashi formed his own hand seals, "That won't happen here. The stakes were much higher back then."

Finishing on the Bird seal, Kakashi activated his jutsu, and from behind Soraku, a massive dragon head rose from the water. Soraku's eyes widened, and he hurriedly completed his seals, summoning a water dragon as well. But Kakashi's attack struck first, tearing through Soraku's dragon and slamming into the ground where he had stood moments ago, drenching him instead.

Kakashi appeared nearby, hands positioned for his next technique. "Electromagnetic Murder!"

"Argh!" Soraku howled as the lightning coursed through his soaked body, sending him crashing to the water, barely gripping his katana.

Kakashi moved in for the final blow, but even in his weakened state, Soraku managed to parry the kunai, nearly slicing Kakashi's face.

Soraku formed a mist jutsu, blanketing the battlefield, but intentionally left Kaito's line of sight as clear as possible.

Finding himself in a familiar situation – trapped in the mist with an assassin hunting him – Kakashi didn't move. He felt the katana graze his neck and a second later his head flew into the air.

Soraku screamed in pain as Kakashi's Lightning Clone exploded, shocking him once more.

Suddenly, water surged from beneath his feet, attempting to encase him. Leaping into the air, he barely avoided it but noticed his foot was still in the water.

"Water Compression."

Hearing Kakashi's voice, Soraku pinpointed his location but was too late – his foot was crushed in an instant, reducing it to a bloody mess.

Falling onto the water, he raised his katana in a last-ditch effort, sensing Kakashi's movement.

Kakashi landed on him, slamming a heel into his stomach. The shinobi lost his grip on his katana as it clattered to the side.

Taking out a sealing tag, Kakashi sighed, "Why am I always fighting in this damn mist…?" Looking toward Naruto, who was finishing off Kaito, he dragged Soraku onto the riverbank.

Kaito easily dispelled dozens of clones with each shot, but no matter how rapidly he fired, he began to breathe increasingly heavily, his fingers ached from the tension of the bowstring, and as one of the clones almost reached him, he reached behind his back for the arrow and realized he had miscalculated. His arrow quiver was empty.

Forming the seal with one hand, he pointed his bow toward the clone and a concentrated stream of wind suddenly flew at him.

Quickly raising his bow for protection, he was able to stop and throw another clone back. After folding the seals for the wind technique, he took a deep breath of air and began to exhale a huge amount of wind while turning his head around. He was able to blast all of the clones around him and continued to push them back, thinking of ways to retreat.

But he noticed that one of Naruto's clones was not knocked back by his attack.

Pouring in more chakra, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs, but the wind power increased many times over, destroying the clone. Suddenly, all the clones began to resist his wind and even move forward a little.

Unfortunately, he lost control of his technique and fell to the ground, coughing up blood from his lungs. He felt the chakra of only one Naruto approaching him, but he couldn't get up no matter how hard he tried.

"Not bad for a C-rank." Naruto tapped his back, sealing his chakra and movements. Creating a clone to carry Kaito, he turned to Kakashi, who stood beside the unconscious Soraku. Smiling, Naruto formed another clone.

Sweat glistened on his forehead, evidence of the intense battle they had just fought. Though it could have been only because of the exercise that all his clones had just tried to do.

Approaching Kakashi, the clone lifted Soraku, and together, they ran back toward the city walls.

"What were you trying to do?" Kakashi asked, glancing at Naruto.

"With the wind? Control the air around me."

"Without hand seals?"

Naruto threw a fist into the air. "Hand seals are overrated!" Calming down, he added, "But I think using the Bird seal might make it easier. Maybe I should create a full set of activation seals…?"

"…You developed another new technique?"

Naruto turned toward the new voice and felt his clone's memories and chakra return to him. "Oh, Sasuke. Not exactly new – it's just wind nature manipulation."

Having brought the wounded Hyūga, he left him with Sakura. Sasuke then asked a clone to take him to the battlefield in case they still needed help. The remaining chūnin stayed behind to protect Sakura as she healed the injured.

Sasuke turned to Kakashi as he ran alongside him, who shook his head, "I've never seen a technique like that."

Turning to Naruto, he pointed at Kakashi, "Walking jutsu encyclopedia."

Naruto sensed new chakra signatures at the edge of his sensory range, "Are we expecting more reinforcements?"

"No. Not near this city."

"Then we need to hurry. They're heading toward Sakura."

They appeared in a clearing in the Shunshin, standing between the wounded Konoha chūnin and a team from Iwagakure.

Naruto's eyes immediately landed on the man with the highest chakra level. His chakra surpassed even Kakashi's, but what truly caught his attention was someone else.

Short black hair, strange pink eyes, the standard Iwa-nin uniform with a missing right sleeve. A girl slightly older than Naruto – a chūnin. But what intrigued him most wasn't her appearance; it was her chakra. He had never seen such a hellish combination in a person before. She looked like a walking volcano.

A sudden smack to the back of his head snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to Sasuke.

"I thought you had a girlfriend?"

Naruto glanced back at the girl, who had noticed his stare and smirked.

"People with such elements always taste better…" Naruto suddenly heard. "It adds a bit of spice."

Naruto returned her smirk, but something in his expression made hers falter.

"…fighting the student of Konoha's Yellow Flash would be… problematic." Naruto caught part of a sentence from the senior shinobi of their team, and his smile vanished. "We're retreating."

As their chakra signatures disappeared from Naruto's sensory range, Kakashi sighed and went to check on the chūnin team.

Meanwhile, Sasuke turned to Naruto, "What's wrong with you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he watched the Hyūga and his team thank Sakura for saving their lives, "What do you mean?"

"Control yourself. The Iwagakure chūnin were ready to throw everything they had at you when you smiled with those fangs."

Naruto noticed that his nails had turned into claws, though his vision remained human. "Huh, I don't even feel these changes anymore."

"That's excellent news," Kurama's voice purred softly in his head.

"You're Naruto, right?" As he examined his claws, one of the chūnin approached him. "Thanks for helping with Renki. I don't think I could've beaten him."

Naruto nodded and extended his hand, "No problem. Uzumaki Naruto."

The chūnin shook his hand, "Kazehaya Naotake. You have Wind Release too?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he finally noticed the chūnin's chakra, "Oh, you have Wind Release too! We're lucky to meet."

Naotake smiled slightly and scratched his silver hair, "I think I'm the lucky one. I wanted to ask for your help with Wind Release Chakra Transformation if you're willing. I saw your technique earlier and during the invasion…"

"His cheeks turned a little pink," Naruto noted. "Damn, it must be tough asking a kid half your age for help…" Smiling, he nodded. "I don't mind. Let's meet the day after this mission at Third Training Ground."

"I'd appreciate that."

"Naruto!" Turning his head, he caught the scroll Kakashi tossed to him. "Seal this and don't open it."

Naruto immediately sealed it and stepped closer to Kakashi and the unconscious Aburame Renki. "Mission complete?"

"Seal them too," Kakashi instructed, pointing to the unconscious shinobi before turning to Naotake. "Does anyone in your team use Earth Release?"

"Keigo." He gestured toward the Hyūga, who was standing with a hand on his teammate's shoulder.

Kakashi nodded and looked back at Naruto, "You and I will check the underground hideout again and bury it completely."

Naruto nodded and glanced up at the starry sky. "Huh… Kageno is probably asleep by now."

Morning. Outskirts of Kadzenaka.

Kageno slid off Naruto's back and adjusted her hat. Naruto placed her suitcase with clothes on the ground, plucked a leaf from a tree, and handed it to her.

"Show them what you've learned."

Kageno looked at Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura standing nearby. Nodding slightly, she placed the leaf on her forehead.

Though her face remained neutral, Naruto smiled, feeling her nervousness.

Every second stretched endlessly for Kageno. At that moment, she recalled and repeated every word Naruto had taught her over the past week. Every hand seal, every chakra theory. She knew the hand seals for all three Academy jutsu. Naruto didn't know this, but she had already performed all three techniques while he couldn't sense her with his sensory abilities.

Opening her eyes, she panicked upon realizing the leaf had fallen to the ground. She had lost count…

"Excellent. She'll enter the Academy with ease," Kakashi said with a smile in his voice.

Kageno felt Naruto hug her and place a hand on her hat, "Congratulations." She was slightly surprised when she felt his sleeve brush against her cheek, but as a burning sensation rose in her eyes, she quickly lowered her head and wiped them with his sleeve.

"Sasuke, carry the suitcase?"

"No."

"Hey! We're teammates!"

"That's your problem."

Kakashi looked at the sun's position, shading his eyes with his hand, "Time to move. Kazehaya's team already left ahead of us."

Naruto knelt in front of Kageno, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He supported her legs with his hands, sealing the suitcase in his right palm. "Alright, let's catch up to them."

Evening…

"You didn't find the reconnaissance team?" The Hokage exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

Team 7 and Team Kazehaya stood before the Hokage, reporting their mission while a small girl sat in a chair, nibbling on a cookie, watching them with curious green eyes.

Kakashi nodded, "We found no traces of them in the underground hideout or the surrounding area. Since we aren't professional interrogators, we decided it would be best to hand things over to T&I."

The Hokage nodded, "Bird."

A masked ANBU appeared before the desk in an instant.

"Take these scrolls to Inoichi."

"Understood!"

The ANBU and the scrolls vanished without a trace.

"Congratulations on completing an A-rank mission. The rewards for the captured shinobi will be distributed according to your reports." Pulling the pipe from his lips, Hiruzen retrieved several scrolls, stamped them, and handed them to the team leaders. "Everyone except Naruto and his guest is dismissed."

As the room cleared, Naruto waved to Kageno, who quickly ran to his side.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, raising his pipe once again. "What's your friend's name, Naruto-kun?"

"Her name is Kageno," Naruto answered. "She's an orphan I found in the city. I helped her unlock her chakra and develop her control. I'd like to request that she be admitted into the Academy in a class suitable for her."

Sighing, Hiruzen turned his gaze to Kageno. Her face remained neutral, but the way her hand clutched Naruto's sleeve betrayed her nervousness. "Very well. Take her to Iruka-kun – he'll handle all the necessary paperwork. But Naruto, remember that good deeds can sometimes lead to mission failure." Pointing to the door, he smiled, "We'll talk later."

Naruto nodded, then took Kageno's hand and led her toward the Academy. Before they left the Hokage's residence, he dropped by Onari-san's office and promised to help her tomorrow by providing clones.

"That easy?" Kageno asked, memorizing the streets around her. Many shops were closing, but a few still had their lights on.

"Something bothering you?"

She shook her head, "Just looking for the catch."

Naruto smirked, "You'll have to study hard." Hearing her sigh, he chuckled, "The only problem is living arrangements."

Kageno looked up at him, "Living arrangements..?"

"I don't want you living alone," Naruto said, turning onto the next street and spotting the Academy in the distance. "But I also feel that you wouldn't want to go to an orphanage."

Kageno tightened her grip on his hand and lowered her head, "I thought we'd live together."

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, Naruto suddenly sensed Iruka's chakra nearby. Without a word, he scooped Kageno into his arms and used Shunshin.

"What..? Naruto! You're back from your mission?" Iruka looked surprised as he noticed the girl in Naruto's arms. "Who's this?"

Setting her down, Naruto placed a hand on her hat. "This is Kageno-chan. She wants to join the Academy and apply for an orphan stipend."

Iruka met the girl's gaze, then looked at Naruto. With a sigh, he turned toward the Academy. "I just locked everything up, Naruto…"

"We can come back tomorrow…"

Iruka waved a hand dismissively, "Follow me."

Naruto took Kageno's hand again, and they jogged to catch up with Iruka.

"Does she know how to use chakra?"

"Yep. She has potential."

"Well, let's hope a rookie chūnin's opinion means something," Iruka said with a smirk before unlocking the Academy gates. His smile faded as he retrieved his keys again. "Is she from Konoha?"

"No."

"From the Land of Fire?"

"Nope."

Iruka sighed, "That could be a problem."

"She won't get the orphan stipend?" Naruto asked.

Iruka nodded, "That stipend is only for Konoha citizens, or in some cases, residents of the Land of Fire."

"Just register her as a Land of Fire resident. I'll get all the signatures and approval from the Jiji."

Iruka nodded, unlocking his office. Inside, Naruto and his clones helped fill out the paperwork. They prepared her admission forms, personal records, medical book, and a fabricated background of her orphan status.

After collecting the completed documents and thanking Iruka, Naruto took Kageno home. As much as he wanted to see Hinata, it was already late. On the way, Kageno began yawning, so he picked her up again and used Shunshin to get home faster.

Kageno opened her eyes just enough to see a bed in front of her. She immediately dove into it, pulling the blanket over herself.

"Hey! That's my bed!"

Zzz…*

Naruto tossed a futon onto the floor and sighed, collapsing onto it without bothering to undress.

"They might give her a place like they did for you."

"They only gave me a house because Jiji knew about my parents. Plus, my parents had money, so they used these funds to cover my basic needs," Naruto responded to Kurama's lazy remark, though he knew the fox didn't care about the girl.

"So what, are you just going to live with her?"

"I'll be gone on missions most of the time, but she doesn't know anyone in Konoha except our team. And neither Kakashi, Sasuke, nor Sakura – or rather, her parents – would take her in."

"She'll learn to be independent."

Naruto sighed, turning to his side and closing his eyes, "She's eight years old. At that age, it's called loneliness."

Iwagakure no Sato.

"The student of the Yellow Flash?!" The nearly bald old man clenched his teeth, slamming his fist on the table. "I take it the mission was a failure?"

"Aburame and his team were already immobilized when we arrived, and the scroll had fallen into Konoha's hands."

A girl with pink eyes observed as the elder calmed himself. After a moment, she spoke. "That boy with the fangs was there too."

Two chūnin beside her flinched at her words, catching the old man's attention, "What are you talking about?"

"A boy, around twelve years old. Blond. He wasn't wearing a flak jacket – just a strange black cloak that didn't even cover his torso," the girl listed quickly. "At first, I thought he was just a pervert since he kept staring at my body for a while…"

At these words, the old man emitted an aura so intense that the men in the room started sweating profusely. The girl, however, simply continued speaking.

"…but then he suddenly smiled, and I saw those long fangs. And his eyes…"

The old man glanced around at the chūnin, then struck the table again, "Well?! What about his eyes?!"

With a sigh, the jōnin stepped in to continue for her, "That boy was the second reason I chose not to attack them. His chakra was unbelievably strong when he released it on my chunin. The other boy, with black eyes and hair, looked like a typical Uchiha."

"Damn, the last survivor of that massacre?" The old man stroked his beard, finally calming down. "I understand your decision. You're all dismissed – except for you." He pointed at the girl, who sighed and nodded.

Once everyone else had left the office, the old man continued, "Kumo is encroaching on our territory again, trying to steal our missions. When Akatsuchi returns from his assignment, we'll have another meeting with our 'friends.'"

"Don't you think we're relying on them too much?"

"What other choice do we have? Attack Kumo? Hah! I wouldn't mind!" The elder slammed the table again, finally breaking the poor wooden surface.

The girl gave a nervous smile, raising her hands in a placating gesture, "Sorry, sorry, you're right."

Settling back into his chair, the old man huffed, "We could go to war with Kumogakure, but what would Konoha and Kiri do in that case? Especially Konoha… How did that old turd even survive that damn invasion?" He sighed, then looked up at the girl. "Now, what was that you were mumbling about the boy's eyes? Found yourself a match? If so, I don't approve."

"No, it's just… for a second, I thought they turned red, but then they went back to blue."

The Next Day

Naruto woke up early, leaving Kageno asleep as he took her documents to the Hokage for approval. They agreed that she would live in Naruto's apartment – after all, it was an improvement over the streets of Kadzenaka.

He created a clone and sent it to meet with Naotake, the chūnin who had requested his help with Wind Release.

On his way home, he stopped by the Hyūga estate and visited Karin, bringing both of them along without revealing anything about Kageno.

As he unlocked his door with a wide grin, he noticed Karin already sensing Kageno's chakra inside but was unable to identify her.

Both girls' eyes widened when they saw a sleepy child curled up in Naruto's bed. They turned to Naruto, who was laughing at their expressions.

"Did you kidnap a little girl?!" Karin suddenly shouted, startling and slightly scaring Kageno awake.

Naruto calmed down a bit, "Do I look like someone who would do that?"

Hinata scratched her cheek as she walked over to the drowsy girl rubbing her eyes, "You look like someone who would do anything just to get a reaction out of us…"

Naruto chuckled nervously at the surprisingly accurate description.

Kageno opened her eyes, scanning the people around her before locking gazes with Naruto. A moment passed, and suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. She threw herself at Hinata, hugging her tightly, "Save me!"

Karin sensed the amusement inside Kageno and sighed, while Hinata's face contorted with confusion.

"I will support Naruto-kun in anything, but…" Hinata mumbled, making Kageno giggle.

Naruto cleared his throat, "This is Kageno-chan. She'll be living with me until she becomes a Konoha shinobi."

Kageno once again met Naruto's gaze, but this time, she smiled a little brighter, squeezing Hinata tighter.

"I think we need the full story, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, holding the small girl in her arms. Karin nodded, sitting on the bed next to Kageno.

After a Brief Explanation

"Wait, your female transformation is that realistic?" Karin asked, making Hinata blush furiously.

"Incredibly realistic…" Hinata muttered.

Kageno suddenly wriggled free from Hinata's embrace and hopped to the floor, "Naruto, I want to bathe with Kuroni-san again."

"..."

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Naruto asked with teary eyes as he felt Hinata's cold stare burn into him. Karin simply smirked, enjoying the little girl's antics.

Kageno grinned mischievously and ran off to the bathroom. Suddenly, she dashed back, stopping in front of Naruto, bewildering everyone in the room. Her face was blank again as she extended her hand, "My things."

Clicking his tongue in mild annoyance, Naruto retrieved her suitcase, which was almost bigger than she was. "Carry it yourself."

Without hesitation, Kageno grabbed the handle and dragged the suitcase across the wooden floor. Before entering the bathroom, she turned it so it would fit through the doorway.

Hinata suddenly smiled and turned toward the bathroom, "She has a strong spirit."

"Wow, you're good at acting… And you're right about the girl," Karin added with a grin. Naruto couldn't help but smile as well, happy that they liked Kageno.

"Still, Naruto…" Karin's voice turned more serious. "You do realize that picking up orphans off the streets and training them might be noble, but–"

"Kakashi-sensei and Jiji already reminded me of that. Don't worry, I'm not going to start collecting strays left and right." Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Neither I nor my clones would've picked up Kageno if not for her immense chakra. You sensed it too, right?"

Karin nodded, "The chakra this girl has is insane."

Hinata raised an eyebrow, "How strong is her chakra?"

"About the same as yours, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a smile, shocking her. "Maybe even stronger. But what's more important is that her control is decent too. Not on your level or Sakura's, but for her reserves and age…"

The room fell into silence as everyone reflected on their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Karin raised an eyebrow, "But did you really buy her that much stuff?"

When Naruto nodded, she sighed, "Your kids are going to be ridiculously spoiled…"

Both Hinata and Naruto turned bright red, unable to look at each other.

Karin smirked and moved on, "So, what are your plans for the near future? I've been assigned to a temporary team, so I'll be heading out on my first mission soon."

"My team hasn't taken a mission in a while because of my recovery," Hinata said, "I think we've rested enough. We'll probably take one next week."

"We'll rest for about a week, then head out again," Naruto shrugged, walking toward the fridge. "Though I could go on a quick solo mission… Or with another team."

Hinata fell on the bed while puffing out her cheeks. "By 'rest,' you mean 'sit around working on seals for a week and then leave on a mission,' don't you?"

Naruto pulled out a questionable-looking juice, took a sip, and grinned, "Yep."

"Hey!" Hinata scolded, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I wanted to help Kageno settle into the village before my next mission," Naruto added, calming Hinata down slightly.

"Then maybe she should meet Hanabi-chan…" Karin suggested.

Hinata rested her chin on her hand, looking at Naruto, "That would be great. Hanabi-chan has started talking to me again, but I feel like she's still closing herself off."

Naruto nodded, "Then we have a plan for today."

An Hour Later. Hyūga Estate.

Two dark-haired girls sat on the grass, silently staring at each other while Naruto and the others spoke with the clan's head.

Hanabi was starting to sweat under Kageno's intense gaze. She forced a smile, though it came out more nervous than friendly, "So… you're not from Konoha?"

"..."

Hanabi swallowed hard as Kageno completely ignored her question. "Why is she looking at me like that…?"

Suddenly, Kageno narrowed her eyes, making Hanabi flinch slightly. But before the tension could build, Naruto sat down beside Kageno, breaking the moment.

"Kageno."

"Naruto."

"Behave."

"You can't just say–"

"If I hear that you're bullying Hanabi, I'll double your training."

Kageno's eyes widened in horror. In an instant, she sprang to her feet and threw an arm around Hanabi's neck in a dramatic hug, "We're practically best friends already, Naruto-sama! No need to worry!"

Naruto gave a serious nod and turned back to Hinata and Hiashi.

Kageno sighed and flopped onto her back beside Hanabi, "You're not a rat, are you?"

"...What?"

Kageno turned her head, meeting Hanabi's gaze again before sighing, "Forget it. Do you know anything about chakra? Naruto said you're already in the Academy."

Hanabi's smile became more genuine as she nodded, "Father personally teaches me the Hyūga clan's techniques. But sometimes, Neji-niisan and Hinata-neesan train with me too."

"So you know that leaf trick?"

Hanabi nodded, "It's an exercise for beginners. The Academy says that if you can keep a leaf steady for thirty minutes, you're ready to move on."

Kageno's eyes widened, "Thirty minutes?! That's a lifetime!"

Hanabi nodded again, this time with a hint of disappointment, "I managed ten minutes once, but I got distracted. After that, I haven't been able to hold it for more than five…"

"I can't even hold it for two," Kageno said flatly, standing up and walking toward a nearby tree with perfectly round foliage.

Hanabi quickly followed, whispering nervously, "You shouldn't take leaves from those trees… Our gardeners take care of them."

Ignoring her, Kageno climbed the trunk, plucked two leaves, and leaped back down. Brushing dirt off her burgundy shirt, she handed one to Hanabi, "Now you're an accomplice. If you tell anyone, you'll get in trouble too."

Hanabi's eyes widened as she quickly stuffed the leaf into her pocket.

Kageno smirked and sat beneath the tree, placing the remaining leaf on her forehead.

Not wanting to leave her guest alone, Hanabi sighed and sat beside her, placing her leaf on her forehead.

A Few Hours Later

Naruto exited the dining hall, where Hinata, Hiashi, and Karin were still enjoying a meal prepared by Konoha's finest chefs. Closing his eyes, he easily sensed Kageno and Hanabi's chakra – it was calm and completely still in the same location.

After weaving through the long corridors, he stepped into a small garden and spotted the two girls beneath a tree. Hanabi lay on the grass beside Kageno, lightly snoring, while Kageno, propped against the tree, was sound asleep with her mouth slightly open.

"Hah, this reminds me of something…" Approaching Kageno, he gently poked her cheek. "Hey, wake up."

She only snored louder.

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto pinched her cheek and pulled lightly.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kageno yelped, jerking awake and startling Hanabi. "Naruto, you shithead!"

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead. He twisted her cheek slightly more.

"AaAAH! Sorry!"

Naruto sighed and released her, "I wasn't even pulling that hard…"

Kageno scowled and hid behind Hanabi, peeking out with a pout, "I was training, you know."

"Yeah, you must be training for the World Championship of Loudest Snoring…"

"I don't snore!"

"Uh-huh."

Lifting his hand, Naruto pulled a slip of chakra paper from his seal and handed it to Kageno.

She flipped it over a few times, about to ask something when Hanabi gasped.

"Chakra paper?" She looked at Naruto, who nodded, then turned back to Kageno. "So you don't know your chakra nature yet?"

Kageno's mind quickly sifted through Naruto's lessons. She turned to him with narrowed eyes, "You said it was too early for me."

"It still is," Naruto admitted, sitting down beside them. "But knowing your chakra nature won't hurt. I just wish Kakashi-sensei had told me about it earlier."

Kageno nodded and examined the paper again. It felt slightly softer than regular paper. "So I just push my chakra into it?" When Hanabi nodded, she did just that.

Naruto watched as one side of the paper ignited while the other became soaked with water. His smile twitched, "Hey, hey, what's that? Double Affinity? Though I already kinda knew that…"

Hanabi also stared in surprise at the paper's strong reaction. "Not only do you have both Fire and Water chakra… but the paper's reaction also shows how powerful your chakra is. That's a lot of fire and water…" She pointed at the small puddle forming beneath Kageno's feet.

Kageno wiped her hands together and looked at Naruto, "Is this why you picked me up?"

Naruto shrugged, "I've never seen such a strong and conflicting chakra in such a small body before."

"…I'm not small."

"Uh-huh."

"What kind of response is that?!"

Hanabi suddenly raised her hand toward the sky, determined, "I-I also think you're not small!"

Kageno and Naruto shared a moment of silence before both sighed, shocking Hanabi.

"Coming from you, that just sounds…" Kageno shook her head.

"That's because you're even smaller than her," Naruto added, gesturing at Kageno with his thumb.

Hanabi's raised hand trembled as tears welled in her eyes. Both Naruto and Kageno immediately panicked, jumping to their feet and waving their arms.

"Hey, don't cry!" Kageno blurted. "Don't be a crybaby!"

"Shhh, calm down, Hanabi-chan…" Naruto pleaded. "Hinata and Hiashi-san will kill me if you don't pull yourself together!"

Nearby, Hinata, Hiashi, and Karin stood watching as the two flailed, trying to console Hanabi. They all smiled when Naruto started pulling random items from his storage seal, desperately trying to cheer up the seven-year-old.

Thirty Minutes Later

After leaving the Hyūga estate, the group made their way to the market to buy groceries for Naruto and Kageno. Kageno was surprised to learn that, out of the four of them, Naruto was the best cook, which meant he was also in charge of picking the ingredients.

As they passed by a butcher shop, Naruto suddenly grinned and waved at a woman with black hair that shimmered with a faint blue tint under the sunlight. Kageno noticed her revealing outfit and then looked at Naruto, comparing them a few times.

"Anko-sensei!" Naruto called, noticing the shopping bag in her hand. He rubbed his chin with the hand he had raised in greeting, "I sometimes forget you need food too. I always assumed you lived off the blood of your victims or something."

His casual remark earned a chuckle from Anko and a terrified glance from Kageno.

"Rude brat." Crouching beside Kageno, Anko placed a hand on the girl's head and ruffled her hair. "And what's this?"

Kageno swatted the hand away and took a step back, "I'm not a 'what.'"

Naruto placed his hand on her head too with a grin, "Her name is Kageno. Kageno, this is Anko, my second teacher after Kakashi-sensei."

"Who's stronger, her or Kakashi?"

"Her." / "Me." Anko and Naruto answered simultaneously, while Hinata and Karin spoke at the same time as well.

Kageno's eyes widened at their immediate responses. "Cool."

Karin suddenly shuddered and hugged herself, "I still remember my last training session with her…"

"Anyway, Kageno will be joining the Academy next semester," Naruto explained while inspecting the fresh fish display. "She's living with me because I don't want to leave her completely alone." Turning back to Anko with a smile, he continued, "But I'll be heading out on missions, so I'm hoping you'll keep an eye on her."

"Uh-huh. No way."

Kageno felt like she'd heard that exact answer before, but before she could dwell on it, she noticed a familiar face behind Anko.

"Be kinder to children, Anko…" Kakashi commented as he approached, balancing four large shopping bags in each hand.

After greeting everyone, he turned to Anko, "Weren't you supposed to be at T an hour ago?"

Anko sighed, handed him another bag, waved at the group, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Kakashi shrugged, gave a lazy wave, and vanished similarly.

With their shopping done, Naruto led the girls to Ichiraku Ramen. He stored all the groceries in a seal on his right hand.

Kageno still couldn't understand why Naruto made such a fuss about ramen. It was delicious, no doubt, but she suspected her enthusiasm was dampened by the fact that the only ramen she had eaten before was instant noodles that had 'accidentally' fallen out of a family's grocery bag. She hadn't even had water to cook them, so she had just crunched on the dry noodles and seasoning packet.

After their meal, they finally returned to Naruto's apartment. The sun was setting, painting the sky in a beautiful orange hue.

Once the groceries were unloaded into the fridge, Naruto turned to Kageno, "You're helping me with dinner tonight."

"Why?" Karin and Hinata also turned toward him from the hallway, curiosity in their eyes.

"You need to learn how to cook for yourself when I'm away on missions," he explained, handing her a small knife and pointing at a bowl of vegetables. "Start by peeling these."

Kageno stared blankly at the knife and vegetables for a few seconds. Seeing her confusion, Naruto grabbed another knife and a carrot, demonstrating what he meant. Kageno nodded and started peeling while Naruto moved on to other preparations.

In the end, Kageno managed to make simple onigiri and vegetable tempura on her own, while Naruto prepared sushi and okonomiyaki – Karin's favorite. For dessert, he made red bean soup.

Later That Night

After walking Karin and Hinata home, Naruto returned to find Kageno sitting with a piece of paper on her forehead, trying to improve her concentration. However, she was slowly dozing off, and the paper kept slipping to the floor.

Naruto made her help with the dishes before finally sitting down on his futon. Kageno climbed onto his bed and watched him. Closing his eyes, he sat motionless for about two minutes, prompting Kageno to climb down and wave her hand in front of his face.

"I'm not asleep. Stop that," he said, making Kageno jump in surprise. "I was just dispelling my clones."

"That takes that long?"

"When you've made several thousand clones for fifteen hours of training – yes."

"And you don't run out of chakra?"

"No."

"Are you some kind of monster?"

"Something like that."

"Will I be able to train like that?"

"No."

"Meanie."

"Don't try to act cute. It's because I have both massive chakra reserves and extraordinary regeneration."

"Show me."

"You just want to see me get hurt, don't you?"

"Yes."

"...Go take a bath."

"Ugh, I'm so exhausted…"

"Bath first."

"I think I've used up all my chakra… I'm losing consciousness…"

"Take a bath and lose consciousness as much as you want."

"Hrrr…"

"Don't make me transform into Kuroni."

"Fine, fine…"

The Next Morning.

After making breakfast for himself and Kageno, Naruto decided to create clones for training before waking up the little sleepyhead. As he stepped onto his apartment's porch, preparing to use Shunshin, he sensed a shinobi rapidly approaching.

Turning toward them, he saw an ANBU wearing a cat-like mask appear before him.

"Hey, Gazeru-san."

The ANBU, a woman with long purple hair, nodded slightly in greeting, "Hokage-sama has summoned Uzumaki Naruto to his office."

Slipping his apartment key into his pocket, Naruto grinned, "Thanks for the message!" With that, he vanished, heading toward the Hokage's Residence.

Arriving in the office, he sighed heavily upon spotting the same ANBU with a cat mask.

"Maybe next time," the ANBU's voice teased before the purple-haired woman bowed to the Hokage and disappeared.

"Still can't outspeed her…" Looking around the room, Naruto didn't recognize any of the three chūnin present. Stepping closer to the Hokage's desk and standing beside them, he asked, "Mission?"

Hiruzen nodded and handed him a blue scroll. "Reigen Hiroya, Kazuma Katsuo, Sorato Takeru. Under Uzumaki Naruto's command, you are to travel east of the Land of Fire to eliminate and retrieve the body of a rogue shinobi from Kirigakure. Details will be provided by your team leader." Taking a puff from his pipe, Hiruzen added, "If you work well as a team, expect future missions together."

As the shinobi around him shouted "Hai!", Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Of course… I just got back from a mission, but sure…" Flashing a grin at his new teammates, he raised a finger. "Meet me at the eastern gate in thirty minutes!" With those words, he disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Thirty Minutes Later.

Naruto appeared at the gate with a deep sigh, earning a smirk from the guard who had known him for some time.

"Another mission already?"

Nodding, Naruto leaned against the large gates, waiting for his team. "I just got chewed out by an eight-year-old."

Suddenly, a chūnin with silver hair, held up by his forehead protector in a style similar to Kakashi's, appeared before him. A long two-handed sword rested on his back, catching Naruto's attention – especially since he had recently started learning kenjutsu himself.

"Naruto… san?" The chūnin stepped closer, his height over six feet making him tower over Naruto.

Two black-haired chūnin appeared behind him, both carrying a tanto and a katana. Naruto noted the similarity, "Oh, I should grab my sword from the seal…"

Implementing his stray thought, Naruto materialized a tanto – the birthday gift from Kakashi – and secured its holster to his belt, rolling up his black jacket slightly.

The chūnin watched in silence as Naruto grinned at his handiwork.

"Alright…" Naruto glanced at his team. "Let's introduce ourselves first. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I'm thirteen. I like ramen and clones. I hate the shinobi world… and clones. My hobbies are gardening and training with clones. My dream is to destroy the old shinobi system."

"..." The chunin exchanged glances before the silver-haired one cleared his throat.

"My name is Sorato Takeru, I'm twenty-two. I like sweet food and a good book. I hate bitter food and spiders. My hobbies include reading novels. My dream is to open my own bookstore."

Following the clockwise order, the slightly longer-haired chūnin with a katana introduced himself next.

"My name is Reigen Hiroya, I'm nineteen. I enjoy kenjutsu and genjutsu and dislike people who look down on genjutsu. My only hobbies are genjutsu and kenjutsu. My dream is to leave my mark in history as one of the greatest genjutsu and kenjutsu users."

The last chūnin smiled. "My name is Kazuma Katsuo, I'm twenty-four. I like spicy food and the night sky. I hate traitors and gambling houses. My hobbies are astronomy and kenjutsu. My dream is to have a loving family and ensure Konoha prospers."

Naruto clapped for them with a wide grin, "Great! Now… I know I'm the youngest in the team despite being the leader, but I hope you'll respect the Hokage's decision and work with me."

The chunin nodded and each responded with a simple "Hai." Not as enthusiastic as before with Hokage, but still acceptable.

Surveying his team, Naruto motioned forward. "Let's move out. I'll explain the mission details on the way."

Channeling chakra into their legs, the four of them sprinted along the main road heading east, occasionally leaping into the trees to avoid civilians. Upon reaching a fork in the path, they didn't slow down, continuing eastward through the treetops, following Naruto's lead.

"The governor of Bankei hired us after an unknown group of shinobi attacked a vital shipment of food and alcohol bound for the city. The hired mercenaries escorting the convoy were completely overwhelmed."

Naruto paused for a long moment, causing the chūnin to exchange uncertain glances.

"That's it…?"

With a wide grin, Naruto nodded, "For now, yeah. It was an emergency request with minimal details. We'll have to speak with the governor to get more information first."

Katsuo sighed, "That's not a lot to go on…"

"That's why a team of chūnin was assigned to the mission," Naruto said with a grin. "Now, we need to know each other's abilities. I'll start. My chakra control is quite advanced. My primary affinity is Wind Release, and I have excellent mastery of chakra transformation and shape manipulation for both Wind and Water."

To demonstrate, he raised his hand, and the three chūnin immediately felt the air resistance around them decrease, making their movements significantly faster. Gradually, Naruto restored the air resistance, then turned his palm upward, forming a droplet of water. The water twisted into the shape of a fox before changing color to a shimmering blend of red and orange.

"Incredible! Two chakra transformations at such a young age…" Takeru murmured, while the other two chūnin nodded in agreement.

Dismissing the liquid in his hand, Naruto continued, "I primarily use taijutsu in close combat, but I've recently started learning kenjutsu. My main combat tactic is overwhelming the enemy with Shadow Clones. I also excel at Kanashibari no Jutsu (Temporary Paralysis Technique) and am highly skilled in Fūinjutsu – barriers, explosions, sealing, and more, that's my expertise." He pointed at himself with his thumb, enjoying the shocked expressions of his teammates. "I'm also a sensory-type ninja and can use the Mystical Palm Technique, though my medical knowledge is pretty basic."

"Your chakra reserves must be pretty low, then…?" Hiroya asked.

"I may be short, but I can summon thousands of Shadow Clones." Hiroya's eyes widened. "If you're looking for my weakness – it's taijutsu. With my small frame, I don't have the raw strength of an adult."

Giving them a moment to process everything, Naruto pointed at Hiroya. "You're next, Hiroya."

"I have decent chakra control and a Fire Release affinity, but I haven't developed nature transformation yet and rarely use elemental techniques. In close combat, I specialize in kenjutsu, which I'm quite confident in. My main strategy relies on surprise genjutsu and quickly disarming the opponent. I have seven genjutsu techniques, and with my chakra reserves, I can only use all of them twice per battle. Except the most basic one."

Naruto nodded, then turned to the silver-haired chūnin, "Takeru, your turn."

Takeru cleared his throat, "My chakra control is decent. I possess the Kekkei Genkai Tenhō (Heavenly Step) and have an affinity for Wind Release."

"Ooh, a Kekkei Genkai in our team?! That's great!" Naruto's eyes sparkled, and the other chūnin also turned their attention to Takeru. Naruto asked, "Heavenly Step? I've never heard of a Kekkei Genkai like that in Konoha…"

Takeru smiled, "My parents were originally from the Land of Wind, so I suspect this bloodline ability comes from Sunagakure. Essentially, it allows me to create small platforms of wind that I can stand on." To demonstrate, he leaped into the air, appearing to step onto an invisible stair mid-air before propelling himself even higher onto a tree branch. Returning to the group, he smirked at Naruto's amazed expression. "I combine kenjutsu with these steps to create my fighting style, Tenshō Senbu. My chakra reserves are quite large, and I also know several Wind Release techniques."

Katsuo grinned, "Ambitious name – Heavenly Battle Dance."

Naruto noticed Takeru's slight blush but chose not to tease him, "Your turn, Katsuo."

Nodding, Katsuo raised his hand, summoning a flame in the shape of a beautiful woman, "My primary affinity is Fire. I can manipulate both the nature and form of my chakra, and I've created several original techniques." Dispelling the fire, he tapped the tanto on his back. "Using fire in combination with my Chakra Blade, I usually fight in close quarters, though I do have some ranged attacks. My chakra reserves are also quite large."

"So, a close-combat team with a few ranged techniques. Can't wait to see you all in action!"

"Hai, hai," replied three chūnin with smiles.

A Few Hours Later. Bankei City Hall.

During their pleasant journey, Naruto had shared details about his girlfriend, and upon discovering that none of his new teammates had one, he took the opportunity to brag about his sweet moments with Hinata the entire trip, grinning ear to ear.

Upon reaching the city, they were easily granted entry through the main gates and escorted to the governor's residence.

Sensing several people approaching the office doors, Naruto stood up, prompting the other chūnin to do the same.

The doors opened, revealing an elderly man with gray hair and a wrinkled face. To his right stood an elderly woman with the same hair color, and to his left, a young man with jet-black hair. All three wore elegant, formal attire.

"Welcome to Bankei, shinobi of Konohagakure," the man in the center slightly inclined his head. Upon seeing the ninja before him – who also bowed in return – his gaze landed on Naruto.

Raising his head, Naruto greeted him, "I'm the leader of this team, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Yasuda Anzai. A pleasure to meet you, Naruto-san," the elderly man responded. "I apologize for the lack of hospitality, but I already have a scheduled meeting at this time. My advisor, Akira Ban, will provide you with all the details regarding your mission." He gestured toward the young man on his left before bowing slightly again, "Please excuse me."

With that, he and the elderly woman exited the office, leaving Naruto's team alone with Ban.

"We only wish to clarify the mission details, Ban-san," Naruto said, watching as the young man walked to a desk, pulled a key from his pocket, and unlocked a drawer, retrieving a scroll.

"Everything is outlined here," Ban explained as he unrolled the scroll on the desk. "Due to our governor's upcoming birthday celebration, a large shipment of food and alcohol was supposed to arrive in the city. Three carts were transporting the supplies, guarded by mercenaries. We found the site of the attack three miles from the city. The ground was scorched, trees were burned, and the only tracks led into the forest. We also discovered the remains of the mercenaries and transport workers – completely charred and unidentifiable."

"A forest three miles east of the city…" Naruto muttered, examining a small map that marked the attack site. "Were there any survivors from the convoy?"

Ban lifted the attached map and scanned the list of names underneath, "Not a single one."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and, raising his hand, surprised everyone in the room as a small book materialized in his grasp. Noticing all eyes on him, he casually sat down in the chair in front of the governor's desk, "This might take a while. You should probably sit."

Nodding, Ban took a seat at the governor's desk, while the chūnin remained standing behind Naruto.

"Ban-san," Katsuo suddenly spoke up. "Could you explain… why this scroll wasn't sent with the mission request to Konoha?"

Ban gave a slightly nervous smile, placing his hands on the desk, "The request was made personally by Governor Yasuda-sama in a hurry. He was quite… furious that his convoy had been stolen and didn't wait for a full report from our territorial defense forces." Glancing toward the office doors, he let out a barely audible sigh, "Plus, he was heavily preoccupied with preparations for his birthday celebration, which is happening tomorrow."

"Is it going to be such a grand event?" Katsuo asked with interest.

Naruto caught his curiosity and smirked, "If possible, I'd like to return to Konoha by tonight."

Katsuo chuckled, "But there's a chance we won't even find him in this massive forest…"

Ban smiled slightly, "Yasuda-sama is organizing a grand festival that will take place throughout the entire city. Anyone is welcome to join the celebration, so you'd be our honored guests."

"Bankei is quite a wealthy city, huh?" Naruto murmured, still flipping through the small book – the Bingo Book, which the chūnin now recognized.

"Of course. Along with Tanzaku Quarters, Saikei, and Kazoro'i, this city is part of the 'Four Gambling Capitals' of the Land of Fire."

Naruto suddenly stopped on one of the pages, carefully reading the details of a wanted shinobi or kunoichi. After a moment, he nodded, "This is our target. That was fast, huh?"

"Mitsui Koto. Former Kirigakure shinobi, now a rogue ninja. Bingo Book bounty – five million ryo," Kurama read aloud in his mind. "Are you sure?"

"Of course not…" After scanning the shinobi's details once more, Naruto closed the book. "But this is our main lead now."

Standing up, he extended a hand toward Ban, "We'll head to the attack site now. Thank you for your assistance, Ban-san."

Ban also stood up, shaking Naruto's hand with a nervous expression. "Do you know who attacked our caravan?"

Naruto smiled slightly, "Without witnesses, I can't say for certain. We need to examine the attack site to confirm."

Leaving the town hall, the four shinobi vanished in a swirl of leaves and reappeared on the outskirts of Bankei, following Naruto toward the caravan's last known location.

Attack Site.

Upon arrival, they immediately noticed a large area of scorched earth. Katsuo pointed to hardened, stone-like tracks left by the caravan wheels, calling everyone over.

Picking up a piece of the ground, Naruto crushed it between his fingers, revealing a glass-like texture, "Well, this definitely wasn't just regular Fire Release."

Turning back to his team, he clapped his hands, "First things first – who here has no experience with killing?" Hiroya raised his hand, and Naruto nodded.

"It looks like our target is Mitsui Koto. His bounty in Konoha is five million ryo."

Takeru and Katsuo's eyes widened, "Five million?! That's A-rank!"

Hiroya looked visibly uneasy and glanced at Naruto, "Are you sure he's the one who attacked the caravan?"

Naruto nodded.

"Even if we don't get the full bounty due to Konoha's deductions, that's still a huge sum split between four people," Katsuo said, recovering from his initial shock with a small smile. "He must've caused Konoha some serious trouble for them to put such a high price on his head."

"This isn't the first time shinobi have been sent after him. He's already taken down two squads of chūnin before us."

Hiroya, now even more nervous, asked, "Then why weren't we assigned a jōnin for this mission?"

Naruto shrugged, "You'd have to ask the Hokage that yourselves. Now, as for his abilities… We don't have much information, but civilians who survived his previous attacks swore they had been thrown into hell the moment he appeared."

Hiroya wiped the sweat forming on his forehead, while Takeru and Katsuo swallowed hard. Their reactions made Naruto grin.

"Genjutsu?"

He shook his head. "Kirigakure's five-year-old Bingo Book had no mention of genjutsu, and his elemental affinities are marked as 'Classified.'" He gestured around at the scorched battlefield. "Besides, does this look like genjutsu to you?"

"Then…"

"The battle site where Konoha shinobi fought Koto was completely incinerated. Their bodies were never found." Naruto's smile didn't waver as he felt the tension rising in the group. "He either has an incredibly strong Fire Release or uses explosive seals. Given the secrecy surrounding his affinities, he might even possess a Kekkei Genkai."

"A Kekkei Genkai?"

Bending down, Naruto picked up another hardened chunk of earth, tossing it into the air and catching it again. "Lava. Fire alone wouldn't have caused this." Tossing the fragment aside, he turned toward the tracks. "What interests me most is how he managed to move three carts by himself." Spotting hoofprints, his curiosity deepened. "It looks like the horses survived his attack… and were even able to walk on lava."

"Could he be working with someone?" Takeru asked while examining the tracks.

"Kirigakure's Bingo Book states that he was highly antisocial and incompatible with every team he was placed in." Brushing off his hands, Naruto faced the forest. "We need to hurry and track him down. My Bingo Book listed his last known location as the Land of Rivers, meaning he moves frequently."

Naruto sprinted along the trail, weaving through the thin but tall trees, his team following closely behind. Tracking the cart's path, which had scraped against trees in this sparse forest, they soon reached a clearing where they found a dead horse and an abandoned cart.

Inspecting the horse, Naruto couldn't determine the cause of death. Examining its hooves, he found some dirt and shit.

Meanwhile, Katsuo and Takeru checked the cart, finding no food or alcohol inside. They concluded that Koto had likely transferred the goods onto the other carts after the horse had died and continued without it.

With no further tracks leading away, Naruto created several dozen clones and dispersed them to search the surrounding forest for miles in every direction.

A Few Hours Later.

"Is he still here?" Katsuo asked, staring at the cave entrance. Next to it stood two empty carts and five horses tied to stone pillars nearby.

"I can sense his chakra underground…" Naruto felt just as uneasy as the chūnin beside him, still uncertain about the rogue shinobi's true intentions.

"What's the plan?" Takeru asked, tapping the tree he was leaning against with his finger.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "If he has Yōton, then we'll be in hell the moment we step into that cave. The confined space will make the fight incredibly difficult for both Takeru and me… Katsuo also won't be able to use fire techniques effectively."

"Wouldn't he also be at risk using lava in a cave?" Katsuo asked, swinging his leg idly as he sat on a tree branch.

"Of course, but I'd rather not let him take us down with him into Hades' Realm."

Katsuo grinned, "Not sure about you guys, but my soul is heading straight for the clouds, drinking wine poured by angels."

Naruto smirked without turning around, "And what if they throw you across the Sanzu River instead?"

"I'll jump onto the river and run upstream. Maybe it'll lead me to heaven?"

Takeru chuckled, folding his arms, "You think Kotoamatsukami would even let you in?"

Katsuo laughed, "Maybe not…"

Naruto sat down on a branch, facing his team, "We'll wait for him to leave the cave. I'll send a clone to place a few explosive tags above the entrance. That'll be the safest approach."

"Are you sure he'll come out soon?" Hiroya asked nervously, rubbing his arm.

Naruto pointed at the horses near the cave, "See the bowls in front of them?"

Hiroya nodded, "So he comes out to feed them…"

A Few More Hours Later.

Naruto suddenly shot to his feet, eyes locked on the cave entrance, startling the chūnin around him.

All of them immediately drew their weapons, watching the cave intently.

A middle-aged, black-haired man emerged at a leisurely pace, carrying two buckets in his hands. He wore no emblems or identifying marks, just ordinary civilian clothes. His face matched the one from the Bingo Book.

Naruto formed a hand seal, activating the explosive tags placed above the cave entrance. The tags detonated, causing an explosion just above the shinobi's head. The horses reared and neighed in panic, kicking the ground but unable to escape due to their bindings.

Naruto felt a sharp surge of chakra from the rogue shinobi. Shaking his head, he signaled to the chūnin, directing their attack positions.

Leaping down from the tree, Naruto stepped onto the clearing and locked eyes with Mitsui Koto.

"Konoha… wonderful…" the black-haired man muttered under his breath, tightening a makeshift bandage around his injured left arm. "And a kid? Just wonderful…"

"Hey, I am not a kid."

"Then I am not a middle-aged man."

"Nah, you are." Naruto waited for him to catch his breath and smiled, "Why the hell did you attack this caravan?"

"Wonderful city, y'know," all his words came out quietly, but Naruto heard him easily. "Shame that they have a bastard for a governor…"

Naruto felt his clones in positions and hummed, "Well, he does seem shitty."

Around him, dozens of Naruto's clones appeared, all forming the Snake hand seal.

"Sorry, nice talk, but it's time for you to rest," Naruto called out from across the clearing.

"Hmm, I see… Yes, I am tired…" the man murmured again. Naruto could feel the chakra seeping into the ground beneath the clearing, and the temperature began to rise.

"I hope you brought friends… this would be far too boring otherwise."

His words were abruptly cut short as he narrowly dodged a precise katana strike from Hiroya. The chūnin's eyes widened, surprised by how the rogue had sensed the attack, but his body instinctively adjusted, preparing another strike.

Koto rapidly formed a short sequence of hand seals. Hiroya's katana barely missed his face as the rogue spat a red-hot sphere of molten lava toward him.

Hiroya immediately leaped backward, vanishing into the air as he cast another genjutsu.

"Wonderful…" Koto clicked his tongue and continued forming hand seals, keeping his eyes locked on Naruto. He completely ignored the increasing number of clones surrounding him with the Snake seal.

Completing his sequence, he stomped his foot onto the ground and muttered, "…Lava Burial."

The earth beneath Naruto churned and transformed into scorching red lava, swallowing his entire body. The blond vanished into a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, two shinobi wielding tanto and a straight sword appeared beside Koto. The rogue's eyes flicked toward the tanto, which ignited with flames before plunging toward his face.

Takeru and Katsuo immediately leaped back as the body they had struck melted into lava and splattered in all directions.

Glancing at his weapon, Takeru frowned as he noticed visible damage on the blade. His long sword, coated in Wind Release chakra, had sustained burns from the lava. Katsuo examined his tanto and found similar damage.

Without warning, a red dragon's head erupted from the ground near them, spewing massive blobs of molten magma. Dodging the attacks, they spotted Naruto in the distance, seemingly engaged in battle with the real Koto.

"Well, this is just perfect. A bunch of weaklings…" Koto muttered, forming a Lava Release technique to create a defensive wall against two massive serpents that Naruto had summoned. As Naruto's clones appeared behind him, Koto expanded the wall into a dome.

Clones immediately exploded, not dealing him any damage.

The lava dragon stopped spewing molten rock, and all four chūnin immediately felt an immense surge of chakra radiating from the dome where Koto was hiding.

Naruto retrieved a scroll from the seal on his hand, channeling chakra into a pre-prepared matrix. In an instant, a massive ice spear formed and shot toward the dome.

The ground beneath them began to emit steam, and suddenly, from all directions, crimson lava surged upward, trapping them within a massive molten prison.

Naruto sensed Hiroya's chakra outside the dome and frowned, reinforcing his body with chakra to shield himself from the unbearable heat. His sensory abilities could no longer detect Koto – his chakra was everywhere, infused into the lava itself.

"You're interesting…" A quiet voice sounded behind him.

Without hesitation, Naruto created several clones, all of whom immediately formed the Snake seal for Temporary Paralysis. At the same time, he slashed backward with his kunai, only to find it melting against the lava.

Clicking his tongue, he tossed the damaged kunai aside and turned toward his two chūnin allies, just in time to see multiple dragon heads forming around them, spewing waves of lava. Katsuo dodged using a significant amount of chakra to keep himself from making direct contact, but even so, his footwear was beginning to melt. Takeru relied on his Wind platforms, avoiding the lava entirely, though he too showed signs of weariness.

"Use the Ice Chakra Flow on your tanto…" Kurama's voice resonated in Naruto's mind.

Without hesitation, Naruto retrieved the named seal and applied it to his tanto.

Forming a Rasengan in his left hand, he funneled a large amount of chakra into his legs and dashed toward Takeru. With a powerful strike, he slammed the Rasengan into the lava wall, ensuring it was thoroughly destroyed.

Grabbing Takeru and signaling a clone to grab Katsuo, he hurled them both through the opening. As the lava above began collapsing, Naruto barely had time to react – he shoved Takeru out but failed to escape himself.

A sharp pain shot through his arm as molten rock scorched his skin. Gritting his teeth, he funneled even more chakra into his limb, desperately trying to save it.

But it wasn't over as the remaining lava was rapidly filling the shrinking space around him.

Retrieving another scroll from his seal, Naruto unrolled it and channeled a massive amount of chakra into it, forming a protective ice dome around himself.

Dropping to his knees, he panted heavily, dizziness washing over him.

"Looks like he can create poisonous clouds too…" Kurama mused with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm kinda in a life-threatening situation here…" Naruto muttered, activating the Mystical Palm Technique to heal his burnt arm, parts of which were missing patches of skin. "I might use that incomplete technique…"

To his surprise, the wounds closed at an incredible speed, bringing a small smile to his lips. "Thanks…"

Pouring even more chakra into the melting ice, Naruto considered his next move, but Kurama interrupted.

"Don't be an idiot. You will damage your hands again. And he is too close for that."

"Well, if I just use another Rasengan I could run from this lava. But he could have reinforced it after my first attack…"

"Moron. You forgot about that Hyōton Jutsu?"

"Oh… Yeah…"

"Just close your eyes and focus on my chakra for now."

Naruto sighed, shutting his eyes as he pulled a vast amount of the Tailed Beast's chakra into himself. "Now what?"

"Focus on the emotions around you."

"What am I supposed to feel?"

Kurama let out an irritated sigh, "With your sensory abilities, this should be easy. Negative emotions."

"I don't feel anything… Maybe it's because his chakra is everywhere in the lava?"

A sharp pain shot through his stomach, followed by a loud ringing in his head. "It's that damn seal… Forget it and pour all my chakra into an Ice Technique."

Pulling out another scroll, Naruto glanced over his shoulder and saw three fiery-orange tails swaying behind him. "This is gonna be big."

Koto completely ignored the three chūnin, who could barely defend themselves from his lava attacks and focused all his chakra on Naruto's ice barrier. He raised the temperature of the lava to the maximum that he was capable of.

"Wonderful… Where did a damn Yuki Clan member come from..?"

Suddenly, an immense surge of chakra erupted from within the ice dome. A bone-chilling cold shot through Koto's spine. Instinctively, he leaped away from the lava dome shielding him from the chūnin, attempting to escape – but stopped dead in his tracks as he looked back.

His lava had completely solidified, and a powerful vortex of snow and ice was raging outward from the dome.

Desperately forming more lava, he surrounded himself with another protective barrier, only to watch in horror as even that began freezing instantly.

He barely caught a glimpse of the three chūnin vanishing into the forest before his world turned white.

Naruto shattered the frozen lava with a powerful kick and locked onto Koto's chakra. Channeling an immense amount of energy into his tanto, which became enveloped in icy mist, he vanished using Shunshin, appearing in front of the melting dome. With a precise thrust, he easily pierced through the remaining lava, feeling Koto's life force flicker.

Pouring even more chakra into his blade, he slashed upward in a clean, final motion. He no longer sensed Koto.

Realizing the lava was beginning to collapse inward, his eyes widened, "Damn it!"

Quickly pulling out another scroll, he placed it over the dome and channeled chakra into it. A powerful gust of icy wind blasted outward, freezing the lava once more and securing the corpse inside of it.

Collapsing onto the ground, Naruto exhaled heavily, sealing both the scroll and his tanto back into storage.

Moments later, the three chūnin rushed out from the forest and sprinted toward him.

"Naruto! What happened?!"

Naruto lazily pointed at the frozen lava dome, "Mission accomplished." Scanning his team, he noticed multiple cuts and snowflakes clinging to their clothing. "Sorry about that."

Katsuo sighed, dropping to a seated position and rubbing his head, "I thought I was gonna die…"

Hiroya examined his damaged katana, "Kekkei Genkai is terrifying…"

Takeru opened his mouth to say something, but Naruto suddenly turned over and vomited, expelling both his last meal and a concerning amount of blood. Takeru immediately knelt beside him, gripping his shoulder. "What's wrong?!"

Naruto gagged a few more times before weakly waving him off. "Just… check his cave. He used poison – so you might've inhaled some while inside the magma dome. He should have an antidote."

"…Poison?" Takeru exchanged uneasy glances with Katsuo and Hiroya before all three of them dashed toward the cave, leaving Naruto alone in the clearing.

Shifting onto his knees, Naruto crawled a few feet away from his vomit before collapsing onto his back, "Thanks for the help."

"If you want to thank me – remove this damn seal already," Kurama growled, sending another sharp pang through Naruto's stomach.

Naruto turned his gaze toward the bright blue sky. Closing his eyes, he felt his consciousness slipping into the depths of the seal.

"I'll die if you leave the seal," he said without opening his eyes.

"I'll stay inside."

Naruto opened his eyes and realized they were outside Kurama's cage. "What's the point of this barrier if it doesn't hold you in..?" He met her calculating red gaze – a skill he had only hoped to learn himself. "What really happened the day you attacked Konoha?"

Kurama sighed and shifted her gaze toward the seal, "…A man with the Sharingan appeared and killed my previous jinchūriki. He placed me under a powerful genjutsu. When I woke up, I was already being sealed away again. I tried to fight back…" She glanced back at Naruto and noticed that his expression hadn't changed in the slightest. "…I tried to kill you. But the Fourth and my previous vessel protected you with their bodies."

Naruto closed his eyes again and suddenly felt her arms wrap around him.

Hearing Katsuo's voice, Naruto felt a few pushes on his chest, "...What happened?"

"There was no antidote! Takeru too vomited blood!"

Naruto sighed, feeling his body fighting the poison. Upon opening his eyes he saw Hiroya holding Takeru nearby. Concentrating on his chakra he summoned a scroll and quickly unrolled it in front of the dome. After a few hand seals dome disappeared and he again coughed some blood.

Once it was done, he motioned for Katsuo to roll it back up and handed it to him.

"Now take us both to Konoha ASAP…"

"What about Bankei..?"

"We will inform them via letter."

Katsuo suddenly grinned and, without warning, threw Naruto on his back, "Hey! I didn't know you were from the Yuki clan!"

Hiroya too piggybacked Takeru and they ran toward Konoha at top speed.

Naruto shook his head, "I'm an Uzumaki. I don't have a single drop of Yuki blood in me."

Katsuo's grin widened, although he sweated noting how raspy Naruto's voice came out, "Then what was that technique? I've never seen anything like it before!"

"That technique saved all of our lives. It would be nice to know the name of our savior," Takeru added with a bloody smirk.

"That was the Ice Storm Technique Seal. And that's all I'm going to say." When Katsuo opened his mouth to ask more, Naruto shook his head. "I highly recommend you don't ask any further questions."

Katsuo pouted like a child, "Ehh, fine…"