Amegakure
Nagato, looking through the eyes of Tendou, looked at the peaceful and rainy village of Amegakure. He had collected the six-tails and now he was waiting for the day all the Akatsuki members could reach their objectives. But the current plan was put to a halt since the two-tails was not recovered. You had to remember that Shukaku was also not captured. This whole plan was not going as well planned. He had thought things would go smoothly, but nothing has gone well. Without Shukaku and Matatabi, they could not seal the other Bijuus. This meant that they had to recover those two first then they could seal the others. This meant that they had to keep the captured Jinchuriki in lockdown until the other Jinchuriki are captured.
This of course would slow things down. Kumogakure would surely keep thing s tight up since their Jinchuriki was almost captured. Thanks to Naruto they had failed to the two-tails. And they had also lost two useful members. They had also lost Uchiha Itachi. This meant that three members were down, plus the other two who were killed in their attempt to get the one-tail. Five members now were already down. This put them low of members. But it was not that he alone could not head to other villages and capture the other Jinchuriki. Yes, if he wanted things to be done, he would have to do things himself.
He was the God of Amegakure, the God of peace, nothing was impossible for him.
''Nagato,'' Konan called out to him from inside.
Tendou turned around to look at her for a moment before going back inside. ''What is it?'' before Konan could reply, he had already sensed another presence in the room. He looked at the man in a mask standing still without care in the world. His lone Sharingan eye looking straight at his Rinnegan, lazily, as if he were bored to be even in this place.
''Did you succeed on your mission?'' Tendou asked looking straight at the man. The man did not look like he had even been in a battle or even want to be here. It always annoyed him how the man carried himself around him like he owned everything.
''I could have succeeded,'' Tobi replied simply in a tone slightly dark. ''But when I learned that Hidan and Kakuzu failed I decided against completing the task. It would not have done any good without the two-tails and one-tail sealed first.''
Tendou nodded. It was understandable since they could not keep all the Jinchuriki in one place. It was good that they let 'em play while they solved some troubling issues. ''We will have to collect the other Jinchuriki though - the one-tail and two-tail. I will head to Suna within a week to collect the one-tail,'' he stated calmly.
While the men spoke, Konan remained quite. She was listening and taking into consideration everything that was being said. She was just not going to say anything until she was alone with Nagato, himself, not his one of his paths. Right now, it was best to look at Madara and check his reactions on everything he says and how he reacts to what Nagato says.
''That would be a good thing. But right now, we have to halt our current plans and deal with a problem that can no longer be ignored,'' Tobi stated looking outside the tower, no longer looking at Tendou.
Nagato knew the problem that could no longer be ignored. ''I assume you are talking about Uchiha Naruto,'' he stated, never taking his eyes off the man despite him no longer looking towards him.
Tobi nodded slightly. ''He is becoming quite a problem to our plans. With him still alive, he will keep standing in the way of peace. We need to take care of him before anything else.''
Nagato nodded. ''What of the Kyuubi? It is no longer sealed within him,'' that was a stupid question. He could get the information using the Rinnegan. There was nothing that could be hidden from the Rinnegan's mind reading abilities.
Tobi seemed to read his thoughts. ''I have looked everywhere for it. But I have not been able to find it. But once you encounter him, you will be able to get that information out of his head.''
Again, Nagato nodded. ''Then I shall head to Konoha within a week,'' he also had a score to settle with the village Hidden in Leaves. He had his own personal vendetta against that village. He would not mind blowing it to bits after taking down Naruto.
''You will fight him, but not now, not in your current condition anyway. Although I have no doubt in your power, Naruto has proven to be strong, and he uses the Sharingan far better than you do with your Rinnegan. If you were to battle him like that, you would lose,'' Tobi stated bluntly, this time he had turned around to look at Nagato. He gave him a look that dared him to say he was wrong.
Nagato merely narrowed his eyes at the man, but he did not comment.
''Your Six Paths technique has proven to be powerful and sufficient against your previous opponents. But some of them fell quickly because they did not understand your power. But Naruto knows the Rinnegan. He knows all your strength and weaknesses. You cannot hope to defeat him in your current state, especially when he knows how to exploit your weakness,'' he paused for a moment as if daring Nagato to say otherwise. But the man did not say anything. He smiled behind his mask. ''But you can be a match for him. You just need to regain your mobility and gain more power. We have the Six-tails and five-tails in our possession, correct?''
Nagato nodded.
''Good, they will do. Now lead me to your real body so we can discuss how we are going to regain your mobility,'' the man spoke in a tone of finality and then started to walk away like he knew where Nagato's real body was located, even when he asked for Tendou to lead him to the real body.
Glancing at Konan and motioning for her to follow, Tendou began to walk away towards the real body of Nagato.
Meanwhile in Konoha
After Naruto's lengthy rant, Jiraiya had decided to keep his mouth shut because he could not argue with the blond. The blond did not waste words. Each word had an effect. He had said so many words that did not make him feel any good or younger. He had failed so many people in his life. Minato had died protecting the village, he would not have died, but instead, he as his sensei should have sacrificed himself. His sensei also died in the hands of his former friend. If he had done enough or stayed with his sensei, he could have dealt with Orochimaru once and for all. His greatest failure though, was Naruto. He had failed the blond in many ways possible. He had abandoned him when he needed him the most. He was his godfather, but yet he left him in a den of vultures so he could wallow in his own self-pity.
This same Naruto, was telling him to stop being a pathetic and miserable old goat and look past his mistakes. How could he? Could he really take another student after Minato? He was sure that Naruto did not care about his problems, but the blond was talking about the younger generation, the future of Konoha. Really, who looked promising in the generation below Naruto's to surpass him or even match the Densetsu no sannin? It did not look like it was going to be possible. Certainly, another failure would be dying without having someone to pass on the Toad contract to.
He looked at the blond. No, Naruto would have children, he may never get the chance to train them, but perhaps he may give them the contact. It was the least he could do. He said nothing, though.
Tsunade became fully conscious. She stretched her herself before settling to glare deathly at the blond in front of her. But before she could speak, Naruto beat her to it. And he was ignoring her death glare.
''You had asked me if I had done all this to get your seat as Hokage. My answer is no. I would not go through such trouble for it. But if you had an enemy who wanted the seat wouldn't they have exploited your weakness? And say the Fire Daimyo was watching all that happened, what could have happened?''
Tsunade tried her best to restrain her anger. If she lashed out again, she would just prove him right that she could not control her emotions. She looked at her sake before drinking straight from the bottle. Neither of the men commented. ''I don't like the way you do things just to prove a point. I can hear the commotion outside because of you. And look at my office?''
''The best way to learn is through real experiences. You have just experienced real anger and thought I was planning to take your seat through all I did. That was an experience that should teach you something. Should you not learn, then you are beyond repair,'' Naruto explained smoothly, while keeping his eyes at Tsunade.
''Could you have not just talked to her about it?'' Jiraiya questioned looking straight at Naruto.
''I could have. But I did not want to. This way was more real, interesting as well as amusing for me to watch,'' Naruto stated, earning glares from both sannins. But he just shrugged the glares off like it was nothing.
''You did this for your own amusement? You are a cruel and selfish bustard. I don't know how I can even stand you,'' Tsunade stated taking another gulp of her sake. Again, neither man commented on her drinking.
''Eh,'' Naruto shrugged. ''But I do hope you have learned the dangers of not keeping your emotions at check. I would not want to end up killing someone who would try to overthrow you as Hokage because you are too emotional.''
Tsunade ignored some of the things he stated. ''You sound like you want me to be in charge of the village.''
''Yes,'' Naruto responded, for now that is. Senju had done all to see this village standing. They had ruled it over the years. But soon it would be time for Uchiha to lead the village.
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya did not say anything about it. ''So what in your right mind possessed you to crash into the Daimyo's palace and force your way into his presence without appointment? Not only that you insulted him and called him useless amongst other things. You even refused to apologize for your behavior. On your way out of the palace, you kicked his grandchild in the face as he tried to defend his grandfather. You even called him a toothless annoying little dog. If that was not enough, you almost killed all the guards in the palace!'' Tsunade's voice was getting higher, showing that she was not pleased, and would again, soon lose her temper.
''Nothing possessed me. I was merely expressing myself.''
Tsunade growled. ''Do you know what you have done?!''
''Yes,'' Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. ''I showed him that Konoha cannot be bullied and told him of his worth. In response, I guess he has threatened to cut off his funding to Konoha and leave the village dry.''
''If you know all that, then how could you? Konoha is not like Otogakure. We cannot function without the fire Daimyo's money. Without him we would suffer. Our economy would take a huge hit. We won't have enough money to keep the village standing. He had even threatened to denounce us in public. Do you even know how many clients will lose after that?!'' Tsunade's voice was not getting any lower.
She was also too busy trying to keep herself calm that she did not realize her Oto slip. But Naruto heard, he just chose not to say anything. Jiraiya also knew that the blond had just decided against saying anything about it. ''He won't do any of that. He is just doing that to scare you since he knows I was not sent by you. But you will not send a letter of apology to that old fool. I will make sure that he does not do anything stupid.''
''Can can you be certain about this?''
Then Naruto smiled. ''There is no Fire country without Konoha, but Konoha can exist without the Fire country's money. All it needs is a smart leader who can attract business. Konoha is the Fire country's power. We are the ones who make this country strong. And if the Fire Lord stops funding Konoha, it is not only Konoha that suffers.''
A realization dawned on Jiraiya. ''Son of a bitch,'' he whistled. ''When Konoha is weak the fire country is weak. If the Fire Lord stops funding us, he will weaken his own country. Then his power will also weaken, it will also mean less money to him. I know Feudal Lords, they are greedy and would never do anything to weaken their own power.''
''I politely added that when Konoha is weakened, Iwagakure would no doubt invade and take over this village. If they do it means, he loses power and will probably be killed with his children and grandchildren,'' he paused for a moment. ''I forgot to mention wife. Eh, he got my point.''
Tsunade was thoughtful for a moment. ''Why did you go to the Fire Lord, Naruto?''
''Just to set the record straight; Konoha is not his to control. He does not have a say in anything goes within the village. We give his country protection and gives us his funds and land, it's as simple as that.''
Tsunade was surprised. She rubbed her temple feeling a head ache coming and the sake was not doing any good. ''Why would you go that far, Naruto?''
''When Madara and Hashirama founded this village, they did not go to the Fire Lord to inform him of its formation. Hashirama and Tobirama set up everything about the village. This village is a military village, with civilians. The Fire Lord has no say in it and cannot run this village. He can get fat in his palace, I don't care, but shinobi matters are not his concern. Konoha does not need an old fool sniffing around it,'' Naruto explained coolly. He would rather have the village gain its independence. But what is important that that the Fire Lord knows that Konoha gives protection and keeps him alive and he says thank you by giving the village money.
''It would be good to have the chance to ignore to the Fire Lord bicker about everything. I mean, that old fart is annoying. Sometimes I just want to snap his neck and be done with it. Each time I see him, I have to calm myself down by drinking some sake. He annoys me to no end there is not a time I talk to him that I don't think of wiping off that smile he always has,'' Tsunade stopped realizing that she was rambling about her own thoughts. He cleared her throat. ''Well anyway, this is a gamble, Naruto, one that I cannot take.''
Naruto sighed; he had expected this from the woman. ''For someone who is known to gamble a lot, I would imagine who would have no problem with this gamble. But I guess it is best that you don't gamble since you don't have any luck anyway,'' he looked straight at the blonde Hokage. ''Jiraiya you must have heard a rumor that the Fire Lord is in war with the Wind Lord.''
Jiraiya nodded. ''I didn't think it was any serious or real. But the fact that you are bringing it up means that there is some truth to it.''
''There is some truth to it. That old fool has been fighting with the Wind lord. Both are old greedy fools who can't be satisfied with anything. Their relationship was a good one, but due to certain events, they have been at each other's throats. It has gotten nasty, that the two cannot stand each other. In response to this, the Wind Lord has again, chosen to fund Sunagakure again. I would imagine the Fire Lord has also increased his funding by a slight percentage,'' Tsunade nodded. ''What does that spell to you?''
''War,'' Jiraiya was the first to respond. ''The Wind Lord is funding Suna to strengthen its military power, while the Fire lord is doing the same. They are both preparing for war. Unless their personal fight is solved, they might push both Konoha and Suna into war despite our alliance.''
''What? Do you think he would do that? I mean certainly he would not expect us to fight with Sunagakure,'' Tsunade said even more surprised by what Jiraiya was saying.
''It is possible. Now if it were Kumo or Iwa I would happily ignite the fireworks myself or even be the one to fight in the front lines,'' both Tsunade and Jiraiya gave him blank stares at these words. ''But this is Suna. I know that Gaara will not attack Konoha unless you do it. So the question to you Tsunade will be this; will you go begging to the Fire Lord to apologize? After which he will have you attack your friends or he will pull the funds which you seem to value very much.''
Tsunade knew it, if the Fire Lord threatened to pull off his funds, he would do anything he requested. But this was a hard decision to make. Now, she could understand why Naruto would want the Fire Lord to stay away from Konoha. It means that he can't force them into war with Suna. ''But, with situation like that, he won't easily accept your terms.''
''He is has no choice really. If he stops funding, Suna attacks him without us protecting him. If he accepts, Gaara won't attack because Konoha will be protecting him,'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''But to make things easier, you send a message to Gaara and inform that you won't break their alliance. Gaara will be forced to tell the Wind Lord that he won't fight and if he continues to fight, Konoha will come and crush him and Suna won't do anything. When you hold strong, the Fire Lord will be forced to accept the terms for his own safety. But he will also know that you won't attack the Wind Lord. The chain of reaction will be set, the fools will be left to protect their own skins, and both Lords will seek each other. I don't care if they reconcile of find other means to kill each other, but as long as they stay away from shinobi business, I won't have to go back to the Fire capital again.''
''That seems like a good plan. Were you planning these when you said you had important things to deal with when we were in Kumo?'' Jiraiya questioned looking straight at Naruto. The blond nodded. ''I will contact my spy network and find out more details about this.''
Naruto stood up. ''Well then, that solves everything,'' he turned around to leave. ''I will return, perhaps tomorrow, then you can tell me why Konoha is not like Otogakure,'' with that Naruto became engulfed in a swirl of flames and disappeared.
''Well it appears we are going to talk about it,'' Jiraiya said standing up. ''I am going. You should get this place fixed up. You can't work like this, you don't even have a desk anymore.'' The Toad Sage disappeared leaving Tsunade alone.
Now that everyone was gone, Tsunade could think about that sweet dream she had.
Later that day
Yugao was having a nice meal alone at her favorite restaurant. She was aware that Naruto had returned to the village, but she had been busy all day. Instead of going to the Uchiha compound after work, she decided to get something to eat first. It was not like she was going to have found the Uchiha having cooked something. She was also too tired to cook anything. Perhaps if she was not tired she would have gone there and cooked something. Still, she was excited that she was going to see him again. It has been a number of days since she saw him.
She stopped eating when she saw her friends appear at the restaurant. She sighed, there was Anko. She would have to deal with questions she would rather not answer. But despite that, she was her friend. ''Yugao!'' loudly as ever, Anko called out to her while Kurenai just shook her head beside her.
''You know Anko, Yugao had already seen us. Why call out to her?'' her question seemed curious. But Kurenai knew that even if she asked that question, she would not get a satisfactory answer. Anko was always like that, and she feared she would grow old being like that. It would be weird if she became old still acting the way she does. But still, it would be funny since she won't do anything she used to do in these flexible and young days.
''Get used to it,'' Anko replied with a shrug. She was just like that. She could not help herself but call out for the purple haired ANBU, former Anbu rather.
''Hello guys, I did not think I would see you today,'' Yugao said as her two friends sat down beside him. She looked at them all, smiling slightly as they returned her smile. She definitely could not ask for better friends. They were all so different, yet they got along quite well.
''I was also at home when Anko dragged me out to meet you when she became aware that you were eating here,'' Kurenai said sending Anko a slightly glare. The woman in question merely grinned.
''Ah come on, Kurenai. It is not like you were waiting for Asuma to come back home,'' she said so while smiling all ears, knowing that Kurenai was very quiet about her relationship with the jounin and son of the Sandaime Hokage. At first the woman did not admit it, but the evidence was there.
''Anko!'' Kurenai yelled as a small tint of pink spread across her cheeks. ''Can we not talk about this?''
''Oh, so it is okay to talk about other people's personal life but you don't want to talk about yours.''
Yugao shook her head smiling. This was the daily routine. Anko would always say staff like that to get Kurenai to talk about Asuma. Sometimes it usually went well; sometimes Kurenai would not say anything. The genjutsu mistress seemed to like to have her relationship with Asuma a secret but everyone knew they were dating. She did not know whose idea it was that they deny it when confronted about it. But you could see that they were dating given that Kurenai always blushed when they spoke about it.
''Fine, Anko, What do you want to know?'' she knew that Anko would not stop bugging her about it unless she gave in. The snake mistress was tireless in her quest for answers. She was also not afraid to take measures that could be called extreme to the answers she wanted.
''Nothing,'' Anko said shrugging her shoulders. ''The fact that you were willing to answer so easily means that all is going well. I won't have to stop at Asuma's to feed him to my children,'' she said the last part grinning like a mad woman. Anko was very protective of her friends. Even if it was Naruto had done wrong, she would not hesitate to go to him and play her mischievous ways with him or show him her sadistic side. It was a wonder if she could actually scare the blond Uchiha head clan who has never seemed to be scared of something.
''How about you, Anko? When are you going to enter into a relationship and be happy?'' Yugao questioned curiously as she looked straight at her friend. If you were expecting Anko to blush or stutter, you are in for a disappointment.
The woman merely shrugged. ''I am happy as I am,'' she replied in a calm tone.
Kurenai snorted, ''Yeah, you mean with that perverted one-eyed Cyclops, Kakashi,'' the name Kakashi said with as much distaste as she could master.
''What is really going on with you and Kakashi?'' Yugao asked nicely. She had never really questioned about it. But she found it curious, her senpai with a woman? Neh, she never even dreamed off it. The only woman that man needed was his orange book. He always had it in his hands. He would freak out if one was stolen. Though, it was near impossible to steal the book from that man. He guarded it with his life. She thought the man could cry tears if his book was burned.
''We are just friends who have a mutual agreement on something. Neither of us wants to be tied down on a relationship,'' Anko responded without as much interest in her answer. ''I thought you would be at the Uchiha compound since your Naruto has returned,'' she was very quick to change the subject to focus more on others or what she was interested in other than questions being directed at her.
''I was planning on going there after this meal,'' Yugao replied with a pure genuine smile. Her friends noticed, but neither commented on it. They just left it as it was. Even Anko here was careful enough not to say anything. But she would not keep quite forever, she would question about it someday.
''How are things going between you two?'' Kurenai questioned curiously. She was interested in how well her relationship with the blond Uchiha was going. If she got married to him, she would become wife of the Uchiha clan head. This would make her something of a political figure.
''They are well,'' Yugao gave a short reply, not bothering to go into details about it. There was nothing much to tell though. She did not do much with Naruto, but she was going to change that.
''So have you two tied the knot?'' Anko questioned, the eagerness to know was clear in her voice. She was also right in front of Yugao's face.
''Anko!''
''So you have not. Is he still a virgin?''
This time Yugao replied. ''No,'' she knew that and the blond had showed it to her.
Before Anko could ask any more personal questions, Kurenai decided to change the subject. ''How goes your retirement from ANBU?'' the woman had said she wanted to quit and become a jounin of the village. She no longer wanted to serve in the shadows, but she wanted to step into the light.
''Well,'' Yugao responded smiling. ''Everything should be signed out in three days. After that, I will be just a jounin of Konoha.''
Kurenai nodded. ''Perhaps we might even go on missions with you.''
Anko sighed. ''You guys are boring sometimes. There are more interesting things to talk about than that. Like today; Yugao why don't you tell us what your boyfriend did to get the lady Hokage furious enough to punch him through the wall of her office. And also why there were ANBU swarming around the Hokage tower after he had been punched through the wall. There was also that bust of chakra. If anyone can release that much chakra, it's Naruto; so, what really happened?''
''S-class secret''
Few hours later (Uchiha compound)
Yugao was lying in bed with Naruto close beside her. The blond was not wearing a top and was looking over the ceiling. She had ended up taking much time with Anko and Kurenai before when she came here, she found the blond already in bed. But it was unlike him to be in bed at this time. She did not say much other than exchange a few words, before stripping down to get in bed.
''I had thought you would not take much more days to return to the village after leaving Kumogakure,'' she said after some few moments of silence.
''I had rather important things to do. I also had some training to do,'' Naruto responded in a calm tone, not so blank like the one he usually uses. Yugao noticed it, she also noticed that he looked weary.
''It must have been some training to make you weary,''
''It was. Training here does not give me the right environment. While training here I am likely to be interrupted by someone. But when I am out of this village, I can train all day long without having someone to disturb my training,'' Naruto explained lightly. The hideout was the best place to train without someone annoying him. While he was there, he could focus on training only and complete it without delays. He could even train in the night, as long as his body allowed him to move.
''Don't you get enough training? I mean, ever since you returned, you have been training within this compound, that is after you had taken three years of training leave outside the village walls,'' she could not understand with his desire to be training always. Other people trained also, but Naruto overdid his training. She could understand if someone like Gai and Lee felt the need to train each day. But the blond was already strong enough. What more power did he want?
''I was merely perfecting a few things that had yet to be perfected,'' Naruto responded. ''How was your stay within the village while I was away?''
The question was a surprise to her. She had never expected him to ask her such a question. She smiled though. Perhaps things between them were going to change for the better. ''It okay, I guess. I did not have much to do. I was just missing you,'' she replied honestly.
''Perhaps next time I leave for a mission I should leave with you,'' he seemed to be in thought, if his stone suggested anything.
''That would be great,'' Yugao said smiling. She doubted it would be possible though. But it was the thought that counted. ''How was your time outside the village?''
''It started as interesting, but then became empty. But in the end, it was interesting enough to put a smile on my face,'' Naruto responded before turning over to look into Yugao. He was just about her. Something about this intimate position made Yugao feel, a bit excited. Naruto then moved closer to her until there was little space between their heads. He smiled slightly before grasping her lips with his. Yugao did not need an invitation to enjoy the moment. The kiss was passionate, unlike the last time, and it lasted for a few moments. In the end when the blond stopped, she wanted more.
''I want you to know this Yugao; I love you. Although, I never really thought my heart could experience such a thing as love especially to a woman. But it has grasped, and it can't be helped,'' Yugao could feel his warm breath invading her skin as he spoke. ''If you wake up before me, don't make me up. I need much rest. My body is a little worn out.'' with that he got off her before turning to his side of the bed and pulling the sheets over himself.
Yugao stayed as she was with a smile on her face for a few moments. Naruto had just confessed to loving her. What more could she want other than that. This was Uchiha Naruto could once regarded emotions as trivial things. But here he was, having just told her that he loved her. She touched her purple lips. He had never kissed her like that. He kissed her, like anyone kisses whom they loved. This was truly the beginning of new things. Yugao slept peacefully with a happy smile never fading as she entered the world of dreams.
Two days later
Naruto was about to leave the house when he found a young Hyûga girl standing in front of the door. She had the same look all the Hyûga's possessed. He looked straight at her as she seemed to compose herself. ''Excuse me, Uchiha-sama, is Sasuke-sama in here? We have not seen him in three days for your training.''
''He is not in,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''You must be Hiashi's younger daughter, Hanabi.''
''Yes,'' though, it left her surprised to hear someone so young calling her father just by his name without a honorific. People tended to be very respectful towards her father. But one in front of her just called out her father like that. Well, her father had told her that he was the clan head. She could guess that they talked like that.
''What do you need Sasuke for?'' he closed the door behind him as he questioned the young Hyûga before him. He had not seen Sasuke since he returned to the village, but he knew the Uchiha was somewhere in the village. He just had not bothered to waste time searching, or have Zetsu search for him.
''I was just curious of his whereabouts. It is suitable for a commander to be there each time his subordinates train to supervise the training. And since we have not seen him for three days, we were begging to wonder if he was still alive or dead.''
Naruto raised a brow at the girl's words, but did not comment. He began to walk towards the Military Police HQ, they were still being built. It would take a few more weeks for construction to be completed. Hanabi followed him quietly seeing that he was taking the direction of their training ground. The training ground was behind HQ.
There were about 20 genins and 10 chunins. Everyone quieted down once they saw him. He had never bothered to see the children training. It was Sasuke's business. But he was just passing by, he was not going to train them or supervise them.
''Has everyone been taken through extensive chakra control exercises?'' he questioned the Hyûga girl standing beside him.
''Yes, we have been busy with taijutsu training over the past days,'' Hanabi replied stoically like any other Hyûga.
''You need a taijutsu master to teach you taijutsu. Anything less than that will be unsatisfactory. Perhaps I should get Gai to teach you Taijutsu,'' he seemed to think of it for a second.
He walked in front of the Police Force trainees and folded his hands across his chest. They all looked at him with mixed emotions. ''Just by looking me like that, you have exposed yourself to me. You seem tense, afraid. But that is expected, you are children after all,'' he paused for a moment. ''You work under Uchiha; Uchiha does not condone weak minded fools, Uchiha does not like foolish little children who think being a shinobi is paradise. You are being trained because you have to become strong. If you cannot improve, you will be kicked out of the training. Now, from tomorrow you will have a taijutsu master to teach you taijutsu. After four weeks of extensive training, if your taijutsu is still pathetic, you will be rejected, is that understood?''
''Hai!''
''Good,'' he looked at Hanabi. ''Hyûga, your taijutsu is unique; you don't have to train with them. From today, you will be supervising, ensuring that they train without slacking. You will teach them discipline. If anyone refuses to follow your commands, you are free to send them to the hospital in tears.'' Naruto was already in a swirl of flames without waiting for the Hyûga to reply.
''Hai,'' Hanabi replied. Her father had told her to do whatever she was told without question. She knew though, out of this entire bunch, she was far more disciplined than any of them. She would make sure that they are discipline, just like her father made sure she learned all manners. They had already read the laws of the Police Force and knew how to behave; they would enforce all those rules until it became their second language.
Her father will be proud once he hears of this.
Later
Team Gai was doing their usual everyday training with their sensei, Maito Gai - taijutsu master. The self proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha, though, was busy with his beloved student Rock Lee, another taijutsu master. Tenten and Neji were busy with their own training aside. It was not until, that Gai and Lee started to yell about their enthusiastic passions loudly then, the other teammates sighed deeply and thought of abandoning the training ground. Regardless, of how many times they had have been exposed to seeing such things, they could not get used to it.
Neji had his Byakugan activated as he dodged Tenten's weapon. His eyes, turned to a nearby tree as he spun around to dodge a projectile that was glaring down at him. He stopped suddenly, eyes little wide. Tenten was quick to notice that there was something that Neji had seen.
''What is wrong, Neji?'' she asked carefully with a curious look on her face. She had also noticed the look on his face.
''There is someone, watching us,'' he knew who it was. He was a jonin and should have sensed the person, but he did not. The person was able to keep his presence hidden away from him. Of course, he could not hide from his ''all seeing eyes''. His eyes could see everything, which is why he had been able to see what his senses had failed to sense. By the looks of things, it seems that Gai had sensed him. Gai may look somewhat, but he was very perceptive of his surroundings.
''Now that you say that, I have had this feeling that we were being watched for some time,'' she paused for a moment a grinned. She moved closer to Neji and whispered to his ear, ''Let us teach whoever that is watching a lesson to never spy on us.''
Neji smirked. Tenten might not know who it was, but that was no consequence. Perhaps some pay back would be nice, if they could manage it, that is. ''Good idea Tenten,'' he said before telling her the precise location of their target.
Tenten nodded, knowing what to do. She jumped back and took out a scroll before unfolding it. As she did, a bundle of Kunais and Shurikens were sent hailing towards the tree. Neji watched calmly with his eyes narrowed. The person in the tree seemed to know all along that they had noticed his presence. In a fast movement, like a bullet, he jumped out of the tree to avoid being hit by the projectiles. Neji followed him swiftly.
Tenten then saw who it was; Uchiha Naruto. That was a day she thought would never come. The famous impassive Hero of Kiri in flesh in their own training ground. She snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that Neji had not stopped attacking the blond. When Naruto landed on the ground, the Hyûga was right in front of him. His gentle fist was poised to strike his chest. The open palm hit Naruto's chest as he seemed not to have been expecting Neji to follow up to Tenten's attack. The then exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing a log.
Neji knew that the blond had used a replacement jutsu. He also noticed that the cursed Sharingan was not activated, which explained why the blond had settled for using Kawirami no jutsu. If the Sharingan had been activated, he would predicted the move and thought of a way to counter. He had done it in the chunin exams; the blond was a lot faster than most people.
Before Naruto could say anything about the unique greeting, Gai spoke happily. ''Good Idea my students! Testing Naruto-kun's flames of youth! Lee, join them and test your youth flames with an opponent like him!''
''Hai, Gai-sensei,'' Lee responded with a salute before rushing to aid his teammates. Gai looked at the blank expression of Naruto carefully. He too noticed the ever activated Sharingan was not activated. This would serve his students well. 'Let us see how long you can hold on before you activate your Sharingan.
But it seems that Naruto was not there to fight. The blond stood still with his hands folded across his chest. He spoke before Lee could attack him, ''I did not come here to dance.'' His voice forced Lee's movements to come to an abrupt end. ''I came to speak with you, Gai.'' It was as if he had dismissed the other three as he looked towards the Green Beast.
Normally, Gai would have acted or responded in his usual way. But this was no just anyone. If had to be something important for Naruto come and see him. ''Lee, continue your training with your teammates. Perhaps you may test your youthful flames with Naruto-kun some other day.'' Lee nodded, a bit down though by Gai's words. It seemed that the prospect of facing someone like Naruto had excited him, but now, he was not going to get that chance.
Gai walked towards the blond, while smiling, ''What can I do for you?''
''I have a request.''
Later that day
Naruto was at the BBQ restaurant enjoying a meal with Yugao. Since they normally did not go out, they had decided it was best to eat something else for the day. Naruto did not mind going out since it would help forgetting about some things and focusing on some things. The time with Yugao was a little different from the time his spent with other people. Still, he managed his emotions well. Ever since he met Madara, he had always been in control of his emotions. He was not the one to suddenly start acting all touchy and talking about trivial things because he felt something in his heart. No, for now he understood what it was that he felt. And he was willing to handle it in a way that would please him and Yugao also. It would be inconsiderate of him to shrug off anything she felt.
''Naruto,'' Yugao started, breaking the silence that had settled between them. It was not any awkward or tense silence, it was pleasant. ''We have never talked about our relationship,'' she stated looking straight at the blond. But she did not forget her meal.
Naruto looked at Yugao - his expression was not impassive, yet it displayed little emotion. ''What is there to talk about?'' his tone did not betray the look on his face. Yugao knew it was a genuine question. He was not being rude or anything. It was just Naruto - he did not completely understand some things.
''Like how we are going to proceed with things, or if this is really a serious relationship,'' this was important to her. She was not worried about anyone listening it to their conversation, she had taken care of that. Naruto had confessed that he loved her, but things did not just have to end there. They would have to talk about some things that involvement their relationship.
The blond stopped eating. It was in rare occasions that he actually drank sake. He did not like the bitter taste it gave. It was not his tonic for stress or anything. Perhaps in all his life, he may have drank it twice or thrice. He took his saucer and took a few gulps. It was almost empty. This is why he hated this drink. Despite since sour taste, he could never find himself savoring it - he drank it all at once like water. Perhaps it was because of the fact that had housed the Kyuubi most of his life. But the fact remained; it took a lot to get him drunk. Yugao was waiting for an answer from him. She waited patiently chewing her meal softly.
After taking the gulp of sake, Naruto sighed. ''I never thought I would find myself having this conversation'', I seem to be saying these words a lot lately. My entire emotional outlook has changed drastically,'' he paused for a moment. ''I recall you saying you were my girlfriend, which in turn makes me your boyfriend. It would seem that we will just have to move on with things the way relationships do. Although I am stranger in that department, I think we can work it out to perfection, don't you think?''
Yugao smiled and nodded. ''I have some experience in relationships. It should not be a trouble. Though, you should learn more on how to treat a woman. You are rough and honestly quite rude. I don't expect certain things from you. But I do expect you to treat me like your girlfriend, and someone you love. I don't want to be treated like some bimbo you found in a brothel,'' while it was true that she did not expect certain things from him. She wanted him to grow and show her some love. She did not want to be shown indifference.
This time, it was Naruto's time to smile. The smile was quite beautiful in Yugao's eyes. She loved it when he smiled. ''Is anything more you would like to get off your chest, Yugao?'' it was like with Mei. She had been very frank with him. Of course, none of her words did any damage to him. It was more like refreshing to hear people what will be close to him being honest. He always spoke his mind; why not allow others to say what they think?
Yugao was surprised by the question, but she shrugged it off and spoke again. ''I am a woman, and would like you to see me as such. I have emotions and words sometimes can be hurtful. You should be more careful with what you say to me instead of just saying anything. Sometimes it is best to color things in different colors rather than to put them in black and white. As I have said, I have more experience with relationships. You obviously don't, so it will take some time to get things going smoothly, or perfectly if you could say.''
It could be said that Naruto has a rather sharp tongue and is quite blunt in his speech. The blond was rude in every way. She wanted him to be at least polite when he speaks and think more of her feelings. It is obvious that when the blond speaks, he disregards how others will perceive his words or how hurtful his words are. As far as Yugao could tell, Naruto has never been in a relationship of this nature before, and he has never had any relationship which deals with much emotions and showing affection to the other. It made things a little hard when things were like that, but she was glad that Naruto seems willing to listen and a bit changed. Normally, he would have shrugged her off. But it seems like he wants to do things right to make both of them happy.
Naruto nodded again. Mei had said something of this nature. If he could get things right, perhaps mother would be proud. She certainly would not be happy if he treated her fellow females like shit. Given all he knows about her, she would certainly beat the crap out of him until he gets things right. Well, with Madara, he would certainly indifferent about all this. He was sure that the relationship with his grandmother may have happened so he could the perfect subject to experiment on. With Uchiha Madara, you could never know. Madara was kind when he wanted to be, but he could change in the blink of an eye. Well, he was not living for anyone's approval though, but still, it would please him to know his mother was proud. Madara would not care about his personal choices, he would certainly be happy about his growing power. If the man were to come back to life, he would surely have them dance for death.
''This is quite troublesome,'' Naruto said shaking his head. ''About being serious; do you think I have time to play?'' Yugao shook her head, smiling. She knew that he would not do a temporary relationship. Something like that to him would be like a waste of valuable time. ''As of moving forward, you already sleep beside me in my bed. Perhaps you should just move in at the compound.''
Yugao nearly choked at the last words. They have not even gone far in their relationship and he was talking about moving in together? Well, she did sleep in the Uchiha compound whenever he is around, as of late that is. But if she moved in, it would be like rushing things. ''Naruto, that would be like moving things too fast. We have not even...you know.''
A curious brow rose from the blond. ''Hmm?''
''We have yet to even sleep together,'' she said so, looking at him. She was an ANBU, she controlled her emotions. But perhaps this was the first time she spoke to Naruto about such a subject with a straight face. She noticed that Naruto did not appreciate people who were shy to speak their thoughts. He would probably have ignored it if she said so stuttering while looking away from him. Her blond boyfriend liked someone who could face him when they talked.
''Sex?'' Yugao nodded. ''I don't think it is that important to have sex before you move in. But if you believe that it is necessary, it can be arranged.''
Uzuki looked at her boyfriend for a moment. His tone had been as it had been since they started talking. He seemed to have even shrugged off when he finished talking. ''Somehow I feel offended that you are not so eager to get in my pants.''
''Hmm?''
Yugao sighed, ''Never mind. Let us just give it some time,'' she paused for a moment as she recalled something. ''You said you went to Kiri, neh? How is the Mizukage?'' She was particularly curious as to what he had spoke about and talked about with her.
''Fine,'' Naruto gave a short reply. That was enough for him. He could tell that Yugao was not really interested in knowing how Mei was doing.
''That is good. What did you do with her? And what did you speak with her?''
Naruto gave the woman in front of him a blank look for a few moments. His gaze did not do anything to make her comfortable. ''I sense that there is an ulterior motive to your question. And you don't seem to like Mei that much,'' he waited for a moment to see if she could responded. But before she could another voice spoke.
''Oh great, what is this bastard doing here?'' It was the voice of the Inuzuka heir. He seemed to growl as he looked at the couple in front of him. As he said those words, the rest of Naruto's graduate class appeared, along with Uchiha Sasuke.
''Come on, Kiba. Don't try to ruin this time for us by doing something stupid,'' Chouji stated, already hungry as he could clearly smell the food being cooked inside the restaurant. He did not want to leave here without eating because the Inuzuka heir could not keep his mouth shut.
''As long as he does not do anything to piss me off like last time,'' Kiba responded in a low growl. He never did like people who thought they were high and all mighty. He did not like being looked down. And Naruto was an ass that looked down on other people without shame.
Shikamaru sighed, ''This is going to be a troublesome night,'' he shook his head. He would have rather not come here as it was obvious there was going to be some nasty words being exchanged because some people could not shut out their mouths.
''Come on guys! Let's go sit with the happy couple,'' Ino said rather happily. Well, she did like to get some news. So it would not hurt to find something about the blond Uchiha and his purple haired girlfriend.
''Ino, don't you see they are on a date? We would be intruding if we joined them,'' Sakura reasoned with her best friend. Frankly, she did not want another confrontation after what happened last time. She would rather avoid the blond than be on his way.
''If you guys are going to stand here all night, you are free do so. I am going to join Naruto and Yugao-san,'' Sasuke said as he walked away from the group. The rest of the gang followed him.
Back with Naruto and Yugao
Yugao moved close to Naruto, instead of sitting across the blond. ''Naruto, can you do something for me?''
Naruto was careful to choose his words. ''What is it?''
''Your former academy class mates are coming - you can see them. Please don't push them away and act nice, for me. If you find their company unlikeable at the end of the night, I will never ask of you again. Please just do it this once,'' her tone sounded like she was pleading. This caused Naruto to look at her curiously. But he did not respond.
The gang finally arrived. Sasuke was first to speak, ''Naruto,'' the blond nodded. ''Hello, Yugao-san.''
''Hi, Sasuke, how have you been? I have not seen you at the compound lately,'' Yugao responded looking at the raven haired Uchiha. It was all, truth; Sasuke had not been home since Naruto returned. The other part was that, Naruto did not bother to look for him.
''I am well,'' Sasuke responded. He chose to ignore her other statement since it was not a question. He was not at liberty to answer it.
The rest of the greetings were passed, and Naruto merely nodded to everyone who greeted him. But the Kiba was left standing, so Hinata had to hit him to greet the blond. He had only greeted the Yugao and ignored Naruto. ''Hello, oh high and mighty head of the Uchiha clan,'' the boy greeted sarcastically.
The others looked to see how Naruto would respond to this. ''How expected for the puppy to bark annoyingly when it feels threat-'' he was cut off by a stomp on his foot thanks to Yugao.
She gave him an expression that clearly said; be nice, or...
Kiba had to be again bottled down by Hinata so that he would not cause a scene. He should not complain since he had started it. Still, it was amusing that he was called a puppy. Even Yugao found it amusing; she was just able to keep her laugh down.
''So what were you love birds talking about?'' Ino questioned without a waste of time. Her question earned looks from others. But the teenage Yamanaka girl shrugged of their looks. They should be now used to this. She often asked questions like this.
Naruto looked at Ino - she had not changed that much. But Sakura had changed from being an annoying little fan girl into a good Kunoichi. He would not disregard what the girl has achieved so far given her attitude three years ago. But now she was the best Medic-nin behind Tsunade in the whole village, and she had been trained in those arts damaging chakra enhancing punches. It was ironic that both she and Tsunade had such short tempers which made them dangerous. But for the young Yamanaka girl, there was little improvement.
''If you were out with your friends and found Inoichi and your mother on a date, would you question what they were talking about?'' there was something hidden along those words. It was possibly between the lines of it was above her to question what the elders were talking about. But the fact was that Naruto did not look for an answer to the question. He looked at Shikamaru, ''Has Temari left the village?''
The question caught the Nara genius off-guard. But he was quick to recover, yet he played oblivious. ''Why would I know that?'' He cursed himself for asking the question, knowing how Naruto would respond. And with the way the blond would respond, it would open doors for more questions.
Shikamaru's fears were confirmed when Naruto spoke again. But he added what he had not expected. ''It has become apparent to me that when the woman comes to the village, she spends an awful lot of her time with you. You were not friends when she came here for the chunin exams. And your interaction with her has led some to believe that you have developed a certain emotional attachment with her,'' Naruto made sure to use ''some'' to avoid questions since he has not been in the village. And if he had said he believed that Shikamaru's interaction with Temari has led him to believe that there is a bond between them, it would question how he was aware of that. The others would not notice that though. But the Nara heir would certainly do.
''This is troublesome,'' Shikamaru said his making working on ways to get on to this. Though he did wonder this ''some'' since he knows Naruto does not spend time with other people. And he was not the one to be interested in rumors. It was too troublesome to think of it further so he decided to answer the question. ''She is still in the village,'' he said lowly.
''Tell her to see me at the Uchiha compound tomorrow evening,'' Naruto stated earning looks from others, but he ignored them all. He also noticed that Yugao gave him a curious glance. He ignored it though. If she is interested in what he had to say to Temari, she would ask.
Shikamaru nodded, but he was not given the time to breathe a sigh of relief when Ino spoke, ''So it is true? Has Shika fallen in love with the Suna kunoichi?'' she has noticed that Shikamaru spends some time with Temari. And she is aware that what the blond Suna Kunoichi comes here for has nothing to do with Shikamaru but the Hokage.
''Let it go, Ino,'' Shikamaru said, not wanting to be questioned about the matter. Really, it was just too troublesome to talk and think about it. He would rather not deal with it.
''Although, it is none of my business, I am also curious,'' Sakura added, although, her tone was a bit more calm than Ino's.
Shikamaru sighed. ''Nothing is going on. I am just her personal guide while she is in the village - Hokage-sama's orders.''
''A curious choice,'' Naruto stated. Tsunade's order had to have an ulterior motive behind. But it was too trivial to bother about it. He looked at Sasuke. ''So, Sasuke, where have you been sleeping? I would have thought that since you said you needed to speak with when I returned, you would have been at the compound the day I returned.'' His eyes were quick to notice the reactions of the rest of the group.
''I have spoken to Kakashi about it. So there is no need to speak to you,'' The younger brother of the notorious Uchiha Itachi responded looking straight at Naruto. His face was not mixed with different emotions. Naruto noticed this.
''Is that so,'' clearly he was not surprised by this. ''That still does not answer my question. Though, since there is nothing to discuss, I guess it does not matter, as long as you are not doing anything stupid.'' the blond shrugged, clearly not interested in knowing where the fellow Uchiha has been sleeping. Sasuke knew what ''stupid'' thing Naruto was talking about. But the others did not.
''So, Naruto,'' Sakura started slowly. ''How does it feel being the head of the Uchiha clan? I mean the clan is one of the founding clans in Konoha along with the Senju clan. The Uchiha are probably the most powerful clan in the Elemental Nation. There has to be some weight heading a clan like that.''
Kiba was quick to snort. This drew a narrowed look from Sasuke. ''Clan my ass; there are just the two of them; it should not really be a clan in my eyes. And the most powerful clan? Please, the Hyûga is the strongest clan. Wasn't the Uchiha who were massacred by a single man, how can a clan like that be the most powerful?''
The atmosphere became tense. It did not help when a killer intent hit everyone. Naruto ignored it though and ate his food. He had not been eating much food over the previous days. It was good to pack up. Shikamaru noticed that the blond was ignoring Sasuke's killer intent and sighed. The blond would have probably not responded like that. But it was obvious to everyone that Uchiha pride had taken a swipe. If there was something that the clan held closely, it was their pride. They did not take kindly to it being insulted. Naruto was just different because he did not respond to petty insults.
Sasuke gave Kiba a murderous glare, his Mangekyou Sharingan, did not make things better for the Inuzuka heir. ''What did you just say?'' He dared Kiba to repeat what he had said.
Under the murderous gaze of Sasuke and the killing intent, the puppy shrunk down, ''N-nothing.''
The Killing intent vanished and Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan. ''Good, and puppy, ff you ever insult the Uchiha clan again in my presence, I will not forgive it. Do. You. Understand. Puppy?'' he was not going to allow anything to insult his clan no matter what. Especially if the insult is coming from a lowly clan such as the Inuzuka - that clan could not even hope to compete with Uchiha.
Kiba growled at being called a puppy again, but said nothing because no matter how arrogant he was, he had never been able to beat Sasuke. Even when they were at the academy, he could never defeat the Uchiha. Each battle with him always ended in humiliation. He would rather not have that, no in front of Hinata.
''Puppy?'' Ino said stroking her chin. ''This is your knew name Kiba,'' she blonde Yamanaka heir said in a gleeful manner. Kiba responded by glaring at the girl, but it had no effect on her. To him it was all Naruto's fault. He was the one to call him that.
Meanwhile...
Ohnoki stared down in front of a group of jonin and chunin as he was floating in the air. They were just outside of the walls of Iwagakure no Sato. There were about 650 shinobi that he wanted to send out on an important mission. He needed to act before any other village could act. He had read reports that Kumogakure was ready to act. He did not know anything about Konoha or Sunagakure, but he would act. Kirigakure has already acted. But even if he insulted their Mizukage and spat on her, they would not dare try to fight them alone because they were weak. The village could not stand an on slaughter from Iwa.
Attacking Kiri itself would be a risk though. The village was secluded from others in an island. It would be difficult to get there without a strong naval force. His village did not have that; neither did any of the other villages. But the village was of no consequence. He would not worry about it. He could spit on them and say he was sorry. They would accept his apology because they would have no other choice.
But the fact that Kiri was also allied with the strongest of the great Five Hidden Villages, did not please him. Well it was no problem since the village was far away. But knowing Konoha, they would probably fight for their allies until they got to land. Konoha may be strong, but he had amassed his army secretly over the past years. His army has grown stronger by the day.
Otogakure was blooming faster than he had anticipated. The village was becoming like a goldmine. It would not be long that other villages attack it given its little military power. But he could not deny that they were effective. No spy has ever gotten there and left with any real information. It was most surprising because the village was not in lockdown. They just did not allow everyone to enter the village. Even his own Daimyo has become interested in Otogakure. If he could have that village, he could grow his power.
Attacking the village also served another purpose: it would force whoever is behind it to come out of the shadows. But he has his suspicions. However, he has no real proof.
''You all have been briefed of your mission. It is a very delicate matter that I want to see handled to success. You will be divided into five groups and move on different routes towards your target. But your mission will not start now. You have a week to hone your skills and prepare everything. Then after a week, you will match out to the target. For now, you will camp out in the borders of our country in your groups until you receive your orders to move on!''