Author's Note: Welcome back, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful Holiday Season! I meant to have this chapter out over the weekend but ran into some writer's block. Hard to believe we're at over 200 favorites already. Thank you all!

Disclaimer: Naruto and Inuyasha belong to their respective owners.

Dialogue Legend:

"Unforgivable" – Normal dialogue

'Unforgivable' – character's thoughts/speaking to Inner Demon

"Unforgivable" – Jutsu name

'Unforgivable' – Inner Demon/Inner Spirit/Supernatural Being speaking

Review Corner:

TigrezzTail: So glad you loved the arm and the Jutsu!

kazikamikage24: Good to hear that you like the story! I know certain elements of it aren't for everyone, so I'm glad you were able to enjoy it despite that.

Chapter 13 – Homecoming

"Company, halt!" Kakashi ordered. "The sun will be setting soon, and our current location is as good a place as any to set up camp for the night." It had been around noon when Team 7 had left the Land of Waves with Zabuza and Haku in tow. The duo had given their word that they would not cause any problems while in transit to Konoha. The former Anbu Commander believed them, but established precedents demanded at least some degree of confinement until their loyalty could be verified. Thus, their hands were lightly bound in front of them and Chakra-sealing tags were fastened to their bodies. Zabuza and Haku knew better than to protest; if anything, they were tempted to view such lax measures as naïve but they knew the absence of more restraints was a show of good faith on Team 7's part.

For Haku, at least, it was working. Zabuza's body was still adapting to the onslaught of sub-zero temperature from his divine arm. He was freezing to death, but he couldn't die; not from this. Until he acclimated to his new circumstances, Zabuza's only recourse was moving around as much as possible to distract himself from his predicament. The relative freedom Kakashi allowed them was a gift equivalent to finding water in the desert. Zabuza tolerated his agony with as much indifference as he could muster. He knew they had to stop for the night at some point but he was not looking forward to sitting down in a tent.

"Zabuza-san, please allow me to close the Tenketsu connecting your right arm to the rest of your Chakra Network! You will soon be a Shinobi of Konoha, and I cannot bear to see a future comrade in such distress!" Hinata insisted for the eighteenth time that day.

"Hinata-chan, how many times do I need to say 'No' before you get the point? When you blocked my Tenketsu earlier today, the pain only weakened; it did not go away completely. Kuraokami-sama was quite clear; any attempt to suppress my suffering will only prolong the adaptation progress. The sooner I'm out of this Hell, the better!" Zabuza rebutted, hopefully for the last time.

"Hinata, drop it." Naruto said wearily. "I hate seeing Zabuza-san like this too but there's nothing we can do. Haku-san's been using acupuncture to suppress Zabuza's sensory nerves while he sleeps. He's already delaying the adaptation process to ensure that he gets enough rest to function; it would be cruel to insist on more than that."

"Wow, the dobe speaks! I thought you'd gone mute on us!" Sasuke's jest masked his concern. Naruto had barely spoken a word since they'd left the Land of Waves. At first, the Last Uchiha assumed that Naruto was suffering from some degree of Chakra exhaustion and was simply conserving his energy, but he quickly dismissed the notion. Naruto Namikaze, run out of Chakra? The sun would stop rising before that happens! No, something was wrong with his best friend. A glare from Hinata ended the conversation before it could truly begin, and the six Shinobi set up camp in silence.

Gatou had ordered his thugs to destroy Zabuza's hideout before confronting the ex-Kiri Jonin on the bridge, so he and Haku had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Kakashi had brought three tents for the mission; one for himself, one for all three Genin, and one for Tazuna. With the mission complete, Tazuna's tent was given to Zabuza and Haku. Once camp was fully prepared and dinner had been eaten, Team 7 drew straws to determine the watch order for the night.

"Fuck! Being on watch duty right after supper is a pain; why aren't Zabuza-san and Haku-san on the watch roster?" Though annoyed that he drew the short straw, Sasuke's question was derived more from curiosity than indignation.

"Our mission is not truly over until we have returned to Konoha and reported to Hokage-sama; unless there is no other choice, Shinobi not allied with Konoha cannot contribute to the duties of a Konoha mission." Kakashi explained. Sasuke grunted in response and assumed his post.

Naruto wasted no time getting into the tent and preparing for bed. If he could do so silently, he gladly would have punched himself into unconsciousness to evade his own agony. The close proximity to Haku and her tantalizing scent was torture for the young Daiyoukai. Every instinct in his body, both human and demon, demanded that he claim the maiden resting not ten feet from him. During Team 7's "vacation," he had begun to study the history of his clan.

Sesshomaru was a dog Daiyoukai and thus had an instinctive need to mark his territory. Fortunately for every female living in his lands, the Namikaze progenitor's adamantine will enabled him to express his dominance in decidedly non-sexual ways. Only two women had ever earned a place in Sesshomaru's heart, and one of them had been killed by his most hated enemy. Naruto was currently attempting to replicate that feat of sheer resolve but was having limited results.

"Hinata, we need to talk." Naruto addressed his fiancé as she entered the tent and began preparing for bed. He was losing control, but talking with Hinata – the brightest light in what was once a very dark existence – always soothed him.

"You're in love with Haku-san." Hinata replied curtly, cutting to the heart of the matter. She had deduced the cause of Naruto's anguish almost as soon as the six Shinobi had departed for Konoha, and she was not pleased.

"I'm attracted to her, yes. Please, don't call this combination of human hormones and demonic instincts 'love'. "Naruto grimaced. "Between my first encounter with her during my evening tree climbing exercises, our fight on the bridge, and the journey home I've known her for less than a day. Comparing this Kami-damned lust to what I have with you feels wrong on more levels than I can fathom."

"Are you certain that your feelings for Haku-san are purely instinctual?" Hinata's eyes softened slightly. "She inspired you to greatness and showed you the path to true strength. That is a powerful thing, Naruto; I do not fault you for feeling some degree of true affection for Haku-san. What frustrates me is your body's reaction to her presence. I know you cannot help it, and that you are doing all you can to suppress your urges, but I cannot help but feel rage at the sight of my fiancé lusting after a girl he's known less than twenty-four hours!" They were speaking in whispers to avoid disrupting the peace of the camp, but Hinata's fury struck Naruto with the force of a thunderbolt.

Naruto winced. "As much as I'd like to say that this will subside in a day or two, the Namikaze clan records state otherwise. Much like Zabuza's arm, the only cure is to be around Haku-san long enough that my body adapts to her scent. When we get back to Konoha, I'll look to see if the records give any indication as to how long that will take."

Hinata sighed, "That will have to be enough; as much as I dislike the notion, Haku will be your second harem candidate. Tomorrow, we will both spend as much time with her as possible. You need to adapt yourself to her presence as swiftly as possible, and I must learn everything there is to know about my potential sister-wife. Hopefully, for all of our sakes, what she reveals about herself will show her to be worthy of, at least, true friendship. However, for tonight, you need a distraction." Hinata, now clad in her pajamas, kissed her future husband with a fiery passion.

Naruto returned the kiss with equal vigor, and all thoughts of Haku were soon banished from his mind.

"Ha! Congratulations, future Mrs. Namikaze~"

"Zabuza-sama, shut up." Haku's response to her master's taunt was to finish their acupuncture session with far more force than was prudent. Zabuza would feel it when he woke up, but Haku was far too flustered to care. Naruto and Hinata's discussion was spoken entirely in whispers, but they might as well have been shouting at the two ex-Kiri Shinobi. The pair's hearing was conditioned to be at the very peak of natural human potential, and that was without them using Chakra to enhance their senses. While Haku was overjoyed that her attraction to Naruto was reciprocated, albeit on a largely instinctive level, she dreaded Hinata's interrogation. The former tool of Zabuza had no way of knowing if she could meet the Hyuuga heiress' standards. Full transparency would have to be enough. Haku did her best to tune out the sounds emanating from Team 7's tent. Eventually, she succeeded and drifted into sleep.

Kumogakure

"Was it truly necessary to use Mjollnir? We may still have my scroll, but displaying Thor-sama's power to both Konoha and Iwa presents an enormous risk!" By some miracle, Ay resisted the urge to scream at Bee as he began making his post-mission report.

"Yes, Raikage-sama; the presence of over one hundred Iwa Jonin, including the Tsuchikage's elite guard, necessitated the use of Mjollnir." Ay and his two attendants – Darui and Cee – were simultaneously flabbergasted and somewhat terrified by Bee's current vernacular. Gyuki's Jinchuriki had resolved to become the world's greatest rapper shortly after the conclusion of the Third Shinobi World War. Since that day, no one in all of Kumogakure had ever heard him speak in something other than a rhyme scheme.

"What happened on the bridge, brother?" Ay asked fearfully. Something that could make Bee abandon his raps was not to be underestimated.

"Per your orders, Raikage-sama, I shadowed Naruto-dono's team during their escort mission to the Land of Waves." Bee began. "They faced a powerful enemy, Zabuza Momochi – the Devil of the Hidden Mist – twice. In both encounters, Naruto-dono invoked a powerful transformation unlike anything resembling a Jinchuriki's power. Rather than attempt to describe the transformation, it would be better if Cee-san could project an image of it from my mind."

Ay waved his approval and Cee began using Yin Release to produce an image derived from Bee's memories. Darui and Cee were unnerved by the projection's appearance; even as a memory, the might of Naruto's demonic lineage was apparent to them. However, Ay's reaction to the twelve-year-old's appearance nearly saw him fall from his chair in shock.

"Raikage-sama, what's wrong?" Cee canceled his Jutsu and rushed to his master's side. Ay produced a small, black token from within the Raikage's desk and handed it to Cee.

"This is a key to the most secure vault of Kumogakure's intelligence division. Go there and bring back a large scroll marked "for the Raikage's eyes only." Ay looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Yes, Raikage-sama!" Cee buried all questions he had about his new orders and fled the Raikage's office. Once he had left, Ay activated the maximum-security privacy seals engraved upon each window and every metal plate on the office's floor.

"Only Cee and the three of us can pass through these seals unscathed. All discussion shall wait until Cee returns with the scroll." Ay's voice was tightly controlled, and Darui realized his master was truly astonished.

'What could possibly cause Raikage-sama to react in such a way?' Darui didn't need to wait long to find out; Cee had returned with the requested scroll within thirty minutes. With a single sweep, Ay cleared his desk of all but the scroll Cee had delivered to him. Once opened, the massive parchment rolled onto the floor. Ay carefully examined the scroll as his subordinates watched. After what seemed to be hours, Ay stopped studying the confidential document and addressed his younger brother.

"Bee, your suspicion is correct; while he is transformed; Naruto-dono's appearance is nearly identical to Sesshomaru-sama."

"I thought so; since I was a once a Raikage candidate myself, I was told the Great Dog General's son sired a mortal clan, but – like you, brother – I had assumed they died out ages ago. Now our humiliation at the hands of the Yellow Flash makes much more sense; even if it was inactive, a single drop of Daiyoukai blood in Minato-dono's veins guaranteed his status as a god among men. And Naruto-dono's blood is most certainly active."

"Indeed; Cee, Darui – what do you know of the False Ragnarok?" Ay inquired of his two most trusted servants.

"The False Ragnarok was a cataclysm initiated by Loki-dono, the traitorous brother of Thor-sama." Cee began. "Originally, Ragnarok was meant to be a final means of saving this world from invasion by gods or other powerful entities not of this realm. All beings and magics categorized as being capable of drastically affecting Midgard would be forcibly purged. If they survived, they would never be able to manifest upon Midgard again."

"Loki-dono, in a feat of unadulterated madness, inverted the divine mechanisms powering the Ragnarok Protocol and activated it." Darui continued. "Instead of wiping this world clean of powerful supernatural influences, horrors from across the multiverse spilled into Midgard. Eventually, Loki was killed and the Ragnarok Protocol was halted, but many of the gods worshipped by the Norse people perished in the process. The pantheons of the Egyptian and Roman peoples suffered similar fates."

"That's the extent of what's taught in our Academy." Bee affirmed. "Curiously, most of the gods worshipped by the ancient Japanese survived. Why do you think that is?"

After giving it some thought, Cee answered for both himself and Darui. "Either the gods of the Japanese were allied with Loki-dono in some way, and were spared the wrath of his machinations, or they were powerful enough to endure the onslaught with minimal casualties."

"Your second answer is, mostly, correct." Ay replied. "The savior of the Japanese pantheon was no god; quite the reverse, Sesshomaru-sama is the second-most powerful Daiyoukai to ever exist. Only the Kyuubi no Kitsune is mightier, and not by much. The majority of ancient Japan was ruled by Sesshomaru-sama, and he single-handedly annihilated every invader that entered his territory. Once his own borders were secure, he assisted Thor-sama with the defense of the Aesir's territories within Midgard. Without Sesshomaru-sama's intervention, Loki's madness may never have ended.

Once the False Ragnarok was halted, Thor-sama vowed upon the graves of all his fallen brethren to assist Sesshomaru-sama should he ever request his aid. In life, Sesshomaru-sama never invoked Thor-sama's favor, and he eventually died. For untold generations, the descendants of Thor-sama have believed that Sesshomaru-sama's clan perished due to some unknown calamity. Perhaps such a thing did occur but was only partially successful, or, maybe, the Namikaze Clan were always few in number and kept their influence upon the world to a minimum while steadily increasing their resources and power until they were needed once more."

"And, now, Naruto Namikaze has awakened to his progenitor's power. We have an opportunity to achieve in this era what our distant ancestor could not accomplish in his: an alliance with the Daiyoukai." Bee declared. "Ay was already willing to make amends with Konoha; now, those efforts are of absolute importance. To be anything less than unconditional allies with the nation Sesshomaru-sama's descendant calls home is an insult to not only Thor-sama, but all among the Aesir upon whose graves he swore his oath of friendship."

"Undertsood, Bee-sama! I shall re-triple my efforts to monitor Iwa's movements." Cee vowed. "They will almost certainly attempt to assassinate Naruto-dono during the Chuunin Exams three months from now."

"Very good; Darui, who among our Genin would you say are most ready for the Chuunin Exams?" Ay inquired.

"Currently, the two Genin on Team Samui are ranked the highest among their peers." Darui answered.

"Then inform Samui-san that all upcoming missions for her team are suspended until the end of the Chuunin Exams. Work with Samui-san to put Karui-chan and Omoi-kun through hell. In three months, I want both of them to be, if not Tokubetsu Jonin-tier, then as close as you can get, and it better be damn close!" Ay commanded.

"At once, Raikage-sama!" Darui acknowledged.

Kirigakure

Mei Terumi, the fifth Mizukage of Kiri, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On one hand, she was overjoyed that Zabuza's dream of a village free from Yagura's tyranny had finally been realized. On the other hand, she had not expected to be forced into the role of Mizukage so soon. She had been prepared to assume the title eventually but had hoped the surviving members of Kiri's Council would wait a while before handing the reigns over to her. She should have known better; under Yagura's rule, the Council had no power and he had reigned for years. The Council no longer had any idea how to rule Kiri and solved the problem by dumping it into Mei's lap. She would have to reeducate them on how to perform their duties, or the sheer volume of tasks needed to run her village would overwhelm her.

Even worse, the Chuunin Exams were rapidly approaching. As much as Mei wanted to refuse to participate, she knew she couldn't. All of the Elemental Nations knew that Kirigakure had just finished a civil war; Mei had to demonstrate to the other villages that Kiri's military strength had not been severely compromised. Luckily for her, the rebellion had ended in complete success; no Shinobi that had sworn allegiance to Yagura remained among the living and all independent factions had sworn loyalty to her. However, the war had not been kind to Kiri's most powerful sect of Shinobi: the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Kisame had defected once he realized Yagura's defeat was inevitable, and Zabuza had been forced into exile when his and Mei's first attempt at rebellion failed.

Of the remaining five, only two of the Seven Swordsmen – the owners of Hiramekari and Kabutowari – survived. Finding worthy successors for the remaining three blades – Kiba, Nuibari, and Shibuki – was Mei's top priority. As much as she would like to simply award them to the most gifted Jonin within Kiri, she knew that would end in disaster. The blades chose their owners, and any who attempted to wield them against their will were either killed or severely injured. She had gathered blood samples from every active Shinobi and sent to them be offered to the blades. While the swords made their decision, Mei resigned herself to the ocean of paperwork that awaited her.

"Mizukage-sama, all three blades have chosen a successor!" A Kiri Jonin stormed into her office to deliver the news.

"Excellent! Who have they chosen?" Mei was too excited to reprimand her subordinate for his lack of propriety.

"The swords have acknowledged the three daughters of Yama Umino as their new masters, milady." The Jonin responded.

"I see," Mei said after a moment of hesitation, "bring Yama-san and his daughters here immediately!"

"At once, Mizukage-sama!" The Jonin departed, leaving Mei to contemplate the ramifications of his message.

'Umino's daughters may only be Genin, but they performed extremely well during the war.' Mei mused. 'A good case could have been made for them to be field-promoted to Chuunin. Too bad that never occurred; Kiri tradition dictates that the Seven Swords cannot be wielded by Genin. Well, at least I know who to send to Konoha.' For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile spread across the fifth Mizukage's face.

Konoha – Namikaze Estate

"Calm down, dobe; Carving a new trench into the floor with your feet won't make Zabuza-san and Haku-san's interrogations go any faster!" Sasuke was getting tired of watching Naruto pace around his mansion's dining hall. When Team 7 returned to Konoha with their "guests" in tow, Kakashi immediately requested an Anbu squad to escort them to one of Konoha's interrogation facilities while he and his students reported to the Hokage for debriefing.

As the Jonin suspected, Hiruzen was less than pleased by how the mission turned out, but he decreed that Zabuza and Haku would be inducted into Konoha's Shinobi ranks if Inoichi and Ibiki's interrogation revealed no falsehoods. Since the Land of Waves presently lacked the funds needed to reward Team 7 for an A-Rank mission, The Sandaime allowed the country to pay in installments. While this did introduce the problem of interest, Hiruzen applied the lowest interest rate he could implement without appearing weak to other nations or future clients.

It had been almost five hours since Team 7 was dismissed. Naruto had immediately returned home, followed by Sasuke, and Hinata joined them after reporting to Hiashi. The Hyuuga lord was greatly impressed by Hinata's willingness to be the Land of Wave's temporary ambassador and quickly arranged for a Hyuuga Chuunin to fill the post permanently once consistent communication was established. Just as Naruto began to contemplate the idea of storming the main office of Konoha's Intelligence Division, Kakashi entered the mansion with Zabuza and Haku trailing behind him.

"Naruto-dono, your two new clan members – Zabuza-san and Haku-san – have been deemed loyal to Konoha and are now official members of Konoha's military. Zabuza-san shall retain his former Jonin rank bestowed upon him by Kiri. Since Haku-san was never officially a Kiri Shinobi, we had to test her abilities extensively to determine her rank. Her Taijutsu and Ninjutsu prowess are Jonin-level, but her stamina leaves much to be desired. Given her specialty in instant-killing, Shikaku-dono has granted her the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin." Kakashi's good eye wilted as he recalled just how easily Haku had detected and destroyed his concealed Kage Bushin during her evaluation.

"Awesome! Zabuza-san, Haku-san, your formal induction into the Namikaze Clan will occur tomorrow morning; welcome home!"

Chapter End

Ah, Team Umino, my first OCs! I've got some fun plans for them down the road.

For those wondering, Hinata's "distraction" was not a fade-to-black moment, at least not in the truest sense. All they did was make out, Naruto promised Hiashi he wouldn't have sex with Hinata until they were married and he doesn't go back on his word!

Those of you familiar with Norse mythology know that I mutilated the nature/true purpose of Ragnarok. In this fanfic the Ragnarok Protocol was agreed upon by all the pantheons mentioned in the chapter: Norse, Greek/Roman, Egyptian, and Japanese, so it's naturally going to be different than what happened in the Norse myths.

Canon-Sesshomaru, while very powerful, is nowhere near Kurama in terms of raw power. At best, I'd rate him somewhere in between Shukaku and Matatabi. Bakusaiga's organic decomposition/healing factor negation would allow him to punch above his weight class to a degree but beating Kurama is not something he'd be able to pull off. Here, Sesshomaru was powerful enough to easily destroy entities capable of killing gods. That's the goalpost, not sure yet if Naruto will get that strong over the course of this fanfic, but if he does it will be a long ways off.

Thank you for reading!