"How many have we lost?"

"13 Genin, 24 Chunin, 3 Special Jounin, 1 Jounin and 47 civilians."

"Damage to our sectors?"

"All sectors have suffered minimal damage as all combat was forced to the outskirts of the village."

"The walls?"

"The eastern and western walls suffered significant damage, but thankfully, the entrance gates and all of the important infrastructure near them were left undamaged."

"The damage could have been worse, but Naruto and his clones really helped us a lot, huh?" Hiruzen heard one of the Jounin whisper to his friends and smiled proudly as they all nodded discreetly.

That was all he had heard for the past two days since the invasion of how Naruto and his clones not only repelled most of the invaders to the outskirts of the village but also how he had made sure that every civilian was delivered to one of the five safehouses scattered throughout the village.

Not just that, but he was surprised to hear the reports of hundreds of Naruto clones jumping at the enemy while wielding a maelstrom of chakra concentrated into a sphere-like shape, having not heard of that jutsu since the times of when the Fourth Hokage took out armies on his own.

'Like father, like son, I suppose. Hah, I dread having to have that discussion with him.' Hiruzen thought with a subtle sigh as he remembered Naruto's words to him before the tournament started.

He wished that the boy had not found out through the Nine Tails telling him, but at the same time, he was relieved as it meant that he did not have to break the news to him.

Unfortunately, he knew that the discussion would lead to one point, that being why Hiruzen did not tell Naruto of who his parents are and why he kept it secret.

"Hiruzen?" Hiruzen blinked as he heard a voice calling out to him, looking at his friend to see him looking back with a frown before smiling and shaking his head as he looked towards the group of gathered jounin.

"Apologies, everyone. It appears my bout with my former student left me more tired than I expected."

"No need to apologize, Lord Third." Kakashi spoke up from the front of the group and he smiled as the rest of the jounin nodded, subtly giving Asuma a reassuring glance as he saw the concern in his son's eyes.

"Thank you. Now, with this mess behind us, we have a new matter to discuss. That being who of the young contestants shall be joining the ranks of Chunin from today on."

"So…how do you know she's an Uzumaki?" I turned to Kiba as he spoke up before shrugging as I looked back at Karin sleeping in the hospital bed.

"The red hair and her powerful chakra are all characteristics one would find in the Uzumaki Clan. At least, that's what I read when I was training."

"You? You read?" Sasuke asked with an amused tone and I rolled my eyes with a snort as Sakura giggled.

"I swear, I'm going to beat the shit out of you before we leave this place."

"N-Naruto! No cursing in public." Hinata spoke with a frown and I just nodded while still glaring at the smirking bastard that had the audacity to cross his arms and act all cool.

'Damned emo bastard in all-black.'

"So, when were you two going to tell us about this? When did it happen? Who asked who out?" Ino however quickly brought my attention to her and I blinked at her rapid fire questions while Hinata just turned more and more red with each one.

Thankfully, she was gagged by Shikamaru placing his hand over her mouth, nodding at my thankful glance while Ino grumbled as he removed his hand with an eyeroll.

"What they do is none of our business, nosey blonde."

"Oi, thanks for the help, but I'm still blonde too."

"And? You're nosey too, aren't you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and I went to respond before nodding slowly.

"Touché."

"Anyone else weirded out by the fact that the blonde idiot we all knew a month ago grew into…this?" Tenten asked while gesturing to me and Shino and Neji simply raised an eyebrow as everyone else shrugged.

"It's Naruto. One minute he's a dumbass falling over his own two feet and the next he's fighting experienced jounin while talking shit. You get used to it." Choji added as he finished off his chips and opened another one, the weapon specialist simply blinking and looking at me.

"Eh, they're not wrong. Also, why is everyone here?" I asked as I looked at the cramped room filled with the Konoha 12, to which they all looked at each other before Shikamaru responded.

"Want us to leave?"

"No, just curious on why everyone is here."

"Everyone else…in the village…are busy with…repairs…"

"Lee buddy, I think you should be resting", I said as I looked at Lee, a bit concerned at why he thought doing one-handed handstand push-ups was a good idea.

"I…am fine…Naruto…The springtime of youth…is never-ending!" He grunted and I simply shrugged and nodded as his teammates shook their heads before I sighed as Kiba dropped and started doing them right next to him.

"…Let's ignore that. Anyway, you guys not going to help with repairs?"

"Considering you made a few hundred clones again to help with repairs, I don't think they'd need us." Shikamaru chimed in and I smirked as I remembered that I did make about four hundred clones or so to spread out to help.

To my credit, I didn't even need Kurama's chakra this time as I made them with my own, which was probably because of how much I strained my chakra coils when I made those couple thousand clones in the invasion.

'Man, Shadow Clones really do make grinding chakra capacity and chakra control that much faster.'

"I still can't believe you fought an entire army by yourself. Also, where did you all of those jutsu from?" Sakura asked and I shrugged as I turned to see if Karin was still sleeping.

"A member of the Sannin trained me for the past month."

"…Say what?" Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one who said that, but he was not the only shocked one as even Lee and Kiba couldn't keep themselves upright as they fell over, Hinata giggling softly besides me as I smirked and shrugged.

"Yeah, Jiraiya the Toad Sage."

"Or 'Pervy Sage' as he calls him." Hinata added and I was proud at her little snipe at Jiraiya as the others just looked confused and looked at me.

"He's a big pervert like Kakashi-sensei and Old Man Hokage so I call him Pervy Sage. That reminds me. I need to make up a nickname for the other two as well."

"I don't believe that will be necessary." I looked towards the door as it opened, an amused Hokage walking in along with a humming Kakashi and a glaring Jiraiya looking directly at me.

"Not cool, kid."

"Eh, don't worry about it, Pervy Sage. You're still a cool old pervert in my books just like the old man."

"I feel that's a compliment and an insult at the same time. Not too bad considering you're not that bright."

"Yep, it's called a backhand compliment, Kakashi-sensei. You might wanna pick up a dictionary or two."

"As soon as you hit your growth spurt, I will."

"That will happen when you get a girlfriend."

"Then I suppose you'll stay short forever. Don't worry, I hear ladies like a short man."

"Sensei, your hands do not count as ladies." I just burst out laughing as Hinata fired a comeback at him, everyone looking surprised as even the Old Man and Pervy Sage had to look away to hide their stifling laughter.

"Oh! Oh, that's gold! Hahaha! Damn, she got you!" I had to hold onto my knees to not fall off, Hinata realizing what she said as she turned a bright red and quickly bowed her head.

"S-Sorry, sensei! I-I wasn't thinking."

"…I think I'm going to go jump off of a cliff." Kakashi-sensei muttered as he went to turn before groaning as Pervy Sage grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around.

"Nope, you're not getting an easy out." Kakashi grumbled at the arm holding him still and I felt my joy leaving me as I saw the serious look in all of their eyes even with the smile the Old Man gave them.

"Everyone, may we talk to Naruto alone?"

"Is this because the ANBU found itching powder in their shorts? I swear that wasn't me. That was a clone."

"What?" Kakashi-sensei asked with a raised eyebrow and I blinked before giving an innocent smile as he nodded.

"Nothing! Please, let's talk."

"We'll be waiting outside." Sasuke said as he and Shikamaru were the first to leave, to which the others all gave unsure nods as they followed after them while Hinata looked a bit hesitant.

"Don't worry, they'll probably just tell that I've been promoted to Jounin, right?"

"Ha! In your dreams." Unlike the other two who just looked amused, Pervy Sage had no hesitation in tearing my expectations apart and I rolled my eyes as Hinata giggled, giving me a soft kiss on the cheek before bowing slightly and walking out to join the others.

"First your dad gets a former princess of a Nation and now you get the former heiress to a clan. That's not mentioning the fact that each of you fought back an invading army before you could even hit thirty. You two are so similar that it's almost scary." Pervy Sage said with a smirk as he leaned against the wall.

I simply shrugged in response as Kakashi-sensei leaned next to him against the wall with an amused smile while the chuckling Old Man Hokage sat down in the chair at the end of the bed.

"We both follow the motto that fits all those destined to be Hokage: Go above and beyond to make sure the village prospers."

"That's the biggest lie you've told since you woke up in this body." I simply gave a mental eyeroll at Kurama's words as my answer seemed to appease all three of them, Pervy Sage nodding in agreement while both Kakashi-sensei and the Old Man had a proud look in their eyes.

"They would be proud of you."

"She would. He would only be proud after I knock out a dozen teeth or so for putting the fluffy guy in me."

"Do you…resent him for what he did?" Kakashi asked and I frowned slightly as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair.

"If he had other options other than this, definitely. If he didn't, then I admire him for being able to make the difficult choice of condemning one's child to a life of animosity and anger."

"He didn't. There's a reason you were picked and not the many other children from different clans that were already there at the time."

"Because my mom was the previous Jinchuriki? Don't worry, Kurama told me." I answered with an amused smile as all three looked at me in shock, Pervy Sage frowning slightly before he spoke up.

"Kurama?"

"You get to use my name. If he does, I'm ripping his throat out and firing a Tailed Beast Bomb down his throat."

'Touchy~ Also, I thought I wasn't allowed to. What changed?'I asked Kurama before smirking as the only answer I got was a huff before looking at the others.

"That's his name. Also, don't use his name or else he's going to…rip your throat out and then fire a chakra blast down your throat for doing so." I repeated Kurama's message back to Pervy Sage, who blinked at the descriptive answer.

However, I heard the Old Man clear his throat and turned to see him looking at him.

"Is it possible that…we may meet him?"

"I would have to highly advise against that, sensei." Pervy Sage spoke up before I could and I looked at him with a frown while tuning back to Kurama

'You wanna come out without killing anyone on the continent other than Obito or Zetsu?'

"Stay in this prison cell or scare humans for a few minutes? Hmm, I wonder which one the caged fox would like to do." Kurama spoke with a sarcastic tone and I rolled my eyes before feeling us two switch, the shift instant as I went from looking at the Old Man to standing right next to Kurama while still able to feel all five of my senses from inside.

It was a weird experience, but it was basically like I was spectating a VR game from a first-person perspective if that makes sense.

"Hello." Immediately, Kurama felt amused while I felt shock as the Old Man had clones scattered around the room while Kakashi-sensei had a Lightning Blade and Pervy Sage a Rasengan ready to fire.

It was only through Kurama enhancing my senses that I managed to catch their movements and even then I only caught the slightest glimpses before each one was ready to attack.

"Don't worry. Naruto has handed control over to me on the condition that I do not attack anyone so you have nothing to fear."

"And what reason do we have to trust your word, especially after what happened thirteen years ago?" The Old Man asked and I heard Kurama scoff as I felt 'myself' crossing my arms.

"Because if I were fully in control of myself thirteen years ago, this little village would be nothing but a footnote in history today."

"Wait, you're saying…that you weren't in control all those years ago?" Pervy Sage asked and I decided to tune out the conversation as I knew he was going to tell them about everything, looking around before blinking at the sight of Kurama's body sleeping peacefully.

'…I'm too fucking curious.' I thought with a grumble as I walked forward and slipped through the bars that separated Kurama's body from me, frowning at the never-ending darkness inside the cage before looking at how the fox was sleeping peacefully on his arms.

If one ignored his colossal size as well as the permanent frown on his face, the fox…actually looked like a kaiju-sized plushy, all furry and soft and he kind of smelled like charcoal and the ground after a day of rain mixed together.

All in all, he was awesome.

Walking up to him, I grunted as I leapt right onto his arms, making sure to shake off any water as I leapt before being surprised at the soft velvety fur under my feet as I landed.

Crouching down, I ran my fingers through his fur before smiling at just how silky smooth it felt, falling face first onto his arms and groaning as it felt as if I was sleeping on an actual cloud.

I don't know how long I was lying there, but it felt far too comfortable to leave and I could feel the siren of sleep calling my name from far away…

"Enjoying yourself?" Right before the burst of adrenaline ripped through my body and shot me wide awake, slowly turning my head to stare at the eye of Kurama looking directly at me.

"…Hey, buddy."

"Be lucky that I'm in a good mood." He muttered as he laid his head back down and I looked at his amused gaze in surprise before shrugging as I rolled off of his arm and landed on the water with a grunt.

"Not going to kill me?"

"And spend the next couple of years feeling my body being regenerated cell by cell? I'd rather take my chances with the Shinigami." He said and I smirked at his answer before looking around at the darkness.

"Can I alter this to give more light?"

"No, a mindscape is a representation of who we truly are and yours will change if given time and years to grow. Also, more light in here would just irritate me since it would interrupt my sleep."

"Of course, it would." I muttered and he snorted at my response before I turned and began walking away.

"Naruto." I was surprised to hear him calling my name for the first time and turned to see him looking at me, unable to figure out what the look in his eyes was as he stared at me before shaking his head.

"You are unbearably naive."

"I prefer optimistic, buddy. Also, nothing wrong with being a bit optimistic when all the rest of the world does is try to kill each other."

"Hmm, what if your friend Sasuke defects like he did before?"

"He won't because I'm going to show him that the world is not all about revenge and killing."

"And if he does?"

"I kill him." The quick response surprised me just as much as it did Kurama, the fox raising an eyebrow as I took a deep breath before nodding.

"If he agrees that I can help him fight Itachi in exchange for coming back to the village willingly, I'll let him live. However, if he decides that attacking Konoha and potentially killing the people I care about is what he wants, former teammate or not, I will kill him. If I can't, I'll make sure he's can't ever use another jutsu ever again."

"…You're a far better jailor than the other one at least." Kurama muttered with a smirk as he laid back down and I rolled my eyes as I turned to face him with my arms crossed.

"Buddy, Kurama. Not jailor."

"Sure. Now, go back." He grumbled and I found myself being able to move my body yet again, blinking a few times to get used to the sensory overload before looking at the three men in front of me.

"…What did I miss?" I asked, all three of them letting out a relieved sigh before the four of us turned right as another groan echoed in the room, Karin slowly opening her eyes as she sat up.

"Hey, cousin!" I greeted with a smile, making her freeze in place as she looked at me and I'm certain the sight of a genin, a member of the Sannin, an Elite Jounin known throughout the world and the Hokage himself must have been a shocking sight of her.

I guess it was as the girl fell back unconscious once again, making me scratch the back of my head as I looked at the other three who were busy shaking their heads to stop their laughter.

"I guess we can wait. …Anyone got games to play?"

A/N: And a quick and short chapter to end off the Arc…I think.

Eh, we'll find out next week.

Anyway, the teams do some bonding, Naruto bonds with the three male rolemodels in his life(Kinda) and Naruto and Kurama do some bonding as well.

Next chapter, the Uzumakis together are trouble and who gets promotions?!

Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...

Ba-Bye~!