Majikoi - Oh! Samurai Girls!/真剣で私に恋しなさい！！, Naruto 1. Home Away From Home

**_Yo! Now, people may be getting annoyed as this will be the third story I will begin typing up but I have a serious case of overloaded imagination syndrome. Simply put, I've got too many ideas in my head to carry on with unless I put most of the ideas down. By doing this, I can switch between stories to update when I get good ideas for each one. This is essentially the beginning of the re-write of my Naruto x Majikoi fanfic that failed the first time round... horribly failed. :'(_**

**_I want to give a quick shout out to 'absolutezero001' and give him credit for several parts in this chapter as I've taken some inspiration from it. Hope you're reading this and I hope you enjoy it man!_**

**_Now, disclaimers... don't own Naruto or Maji De Watashi Ni Koishinnasai. If I did, Naruto would not be getting sucky as it currently is and Majikoi would be in the third series by now..._**

Speech: "I will not stand down!"

_Thoughts: 'I will never give up!'_

_Whispering: "I need your help, Kurama..."_

**Kurama: "I will lend you my strength!"**

_**Kurama's Thoughts: 'Show them our power, Naruto!'**_

_**Techniques: "Bijudama!"**_

* * *

_**Wandering Kitsune**_

* * *

Home Away From Home

Tsunade Senju, the Gondaime Hokage of Konoha, was busy filling in the forms that was sent in for approval. Of course, the past two years was near traumatic for the busty blonde; naturally because of the damages and costs that followed after the village was decimated by the former leader of a group of ruthless mercenaries, the Akatsuki, known as Nagato. On top of that, she had the many diplomatic visits to the other four major nations and their respective Kages. It seemed that Naruto made a lasting impression for them to fight over who his loyalties would be to but she had quickly stopped the trail of thought, there and then. She remembered the response he had given them which stunned the whole group into silence:

_"My loyalties doesn't belong to Kiri, Kumo, Iwa, Suna or Konoha. My loyalties are to two things and to two things alone: first and foremost, my loyalty is to everyone who considers themselves to be a shinobi. Regardless of colour or creed, we are all one and the same under the banners which makes up the title of Shinobi. Secondly, my loyalty is to myself. Because I know that I will push myself further, beat myself harder, fight with more than everything I have until I can happily say that I gave everything I had and nothing less."_

Tsunade could only smile as she let those words replay in her mind as she remembered the stunned faces on all the other Kages, and Mifune, as they listened to the boy's words. It was because of this that they were able to form the first-ever 'Great Shinobi Alliance' between all five great nations.

However, the main thought that had occupied her mind for the past two years was that of a certain, familiar blond. After everything that happened, it was ultimately thanks to him that the five great nations pulled out the biggest victory to date. Sure he disobeyed orders from a superior, and was properly reprimanded for the action, but she was glad that he did. Having near-perfected his tenant's power, he managed to reach out to each of the divisions and help them with the fighting. Nevertheless, the biggest clincher was when he landed the killing blow on Madara and Obito. No-one expected it to happen: the strategy was flawless, well-prepared and worked to absolute perfection... not even Shikamaru could have thought of a plan like the one he did, admitting it himself.

Speaking of the blond in question...

"Tsunade-baachan?" The intruding figure ducked to avoid a paperweight that was thrown in his general direction. "Sorry to intrude but I'm here to report." he continued, straightening himself up before her. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the cryptic hint he had given her, a signal for him to continue as she placed everything back on her desk.

"Well? Spill it, brat."

"Hoshitsuchi decided to pay me a visit again, along with his three stooges. Gotta give it to them, full-marks for consistency." he replied nonchalantly. Tsunade rolled her eyes at the news, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What does that make it this time? Fifteen?" she wondered.

"Seventeen. Look, I understand their way of thinking; 'We can't kill the Yondaime so we'll settle for killing his brat-son! We'll get our revenge yet!'" he retorted, mocking a villainous expression and tone of voice. "Seriously, it was funny the first six times. Now, it's pointless. I can sense them coming from a hundred kilometres away, thanks to Kurama. They should just give up. Either that, or..." he trailed off, leaving his mind wander about the other option he just thought about.

"Or?" Tsunade hinted.

"Mah, it's nothing. The four of them are currently in the ever-careful hands of Ibiki and Anko. I'm sure they'll enjoy seeing familiar faces again." he sarcastically responded, shrugging his shoulders in note of his lack of caring. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched slightly from the blatant dismissal but decided to keep her cool about it. It was a common trait of his to draw attention to himself and shattering the atmosphere before anyone realized it; leaving him partially immune from Anko's and Ibiki's techniques. Hell, they even asked him if he wanted to have a shot at interrogation...

… safe to say, if he ever retired from the shinobi duty, they would happily accept him at the Interrogation and Torture Department.

"Very well. I'm assigning this as an A-Ranked mission and you will be paid accordingly." Tsunade replied, filling out an official form for the mission and stamped it. "That everything, brat?" she asked, turning her head towards the other blond in the room, only to find him spaced out in front of her. It seemed to be a habit he picked up after fighting in the Great War but no-one could explain what was causing these episodes, nor would they want to find out. His mind was territory that no-one would dare enter for two reasons: first, it was _his _mind. Secondly, and most importantly, his tenant was able to access the memories of the blond, leaving him as a guard so to speak.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Tsunade asked, in a much more worried tone. Upon hearing silence as his response, she made her way over to the blond and stood in front of him. Now standing at five-foot ten-inches, Naruto has grown into a fine young man. His blond hair was still unkempt as ever but it was a surprise to see him let his hair grow; leaving it long enough for him to place in a tail. His deep blue eyes still held the mirth of his naivety but there would be times when his eyes could turn colder than ice, and Kami help anyone who would be on the receiving end of such a glare. She can lay testament to that claim after bringing up a sore memory of his, leaving her overwhelmed with pure malice. His whisker-marks have also thickened a considerable amount but in turn, gave him a more dominant and feral presence.

To his fortune, or misfortune, he finds himself on the receiving end of numerous accounts of 'fangirling': ranging from letters, date requests, vows of marriage, photographs and autographs. He swore vehemently that he would never take the piss out of Sasuke again after his experiences.

Despite the familiarity of his looks, the main difference is his attire. Even at nineteen years old, the blond could not kick his habit for wearing a piece of clothing that was orange but thankfully he had managed to tone himself down. He wore a sleeveless Chinese-style shirt that conformed to his muscular frame (courtesy of Tenten's fashionable tastes), black khaki pants with two orange stripes running down the sides, steel-capped boots and black wrappings that covered his arms all the way up to his elbows. The rest of his exposed body was covered in seals he had asked her to place on him; namely storage seals and a gravity seal to help with his training. The most distinguishable feature on him was the white-dyed flak-jacket he received on his promotion to Jonin. '_That was one hell of a celebration... I'm jealous that the brat could out-drink me!'_

"You know, Naruto, I still don't know why you wanted to place storage seals on yourself. If you had the choice, you could just up and leave the village without anyone knowing." Tsunade smirked, hoping to gather his attention once more. Thankfully, the blond snapped out of his stupor and looked in her eyes, not realizing she was standing that close to him.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry... I spaced out again, didn't I?" Naruto asked, slightly embarrassed by the ordeal. Tsunade twitched in response, hoping that the blond didn't pick up on his sensei's ethnics.

"Seriously, Naruto, I don't know what's gotten into you but its obvious that its affecting you mentally. I'm thinking of calling it a night anyway, so c'mon. Talk to me." Tsunade suggested as she points towards the sofa for him to take. Albeit reluctantly, Naruto complies with her request and lays down on said sofa while she pulls up a chair and sits beside him.

"Heh, this is a new approach. Normally, you'd send Ino into my mind... well, attempt to, anyway." Naruto dead-panned, sighing.

"You know we wouldn't try that because of Kurama. How is he, these days?" she asked. Before the blond could answer for himself, she noticed the shift in his eyes, changing from blue to a crimson red.

"**Still here as ever. I must admit, it's unusual for someone to inquire about my well-being." **Kurama responded, taking over Naruto's body to communicate with the busty blonde.

"How is it, being cooped up in his memories?"

"**You don't want to know. That's all I'll say." **he warned.

"How come? I know that something plagued his mind because of the 'episodes' of him spacing out. Can you shed any light on the matter?" she inquired, hoping that his tenant would comply and give her the necessary information.

"**Yes, something has happened and no. As amusing as it is to occasionally watch my host lose control, I'm still respectful to his privacy. You know, he really holds you in high regards, Tsunade. He'll tell you when he feels comfortable to do so." **Kurama explained, genuinely concerned for his host's mindset. He has noticed that there's something going on and that he knows the reason why Naruto is acting this way.

"Damn. I understand. Anything you want to talk about while you're here?" Tsunade sighed disappointed.

"**I'm not the one who needs this, Tsunade. I will let him return to you." **Kurama replied before she noticed his eyes return to their playful blue.

"So, did you have a nice chat with Kurama, baachan?" he asked, not concerned by the tick-marks that appeared on her head. "Seriously, I've been calling you that for the past few years now and you're still getting ticked off by it?"

Slightly taken back by the statement, she admitted that he wouldn't call her by her title except for missions and diplomatic meetings where she would choose him as one of her personal guards. Admittedly, she missed the name when he left to train with Jiraiya six years ago. '_Six years... has it already been that long? Where has the time flown?'_ she inwardly asked herself, slightly surprised by the revelation. "Tch, I guess there's some truth to admitting that I don't mind you calling me that. I just wish you wouldn't call me by that in front of others! If it's just us, then fine." she replied, her tone taking a more gentle tone than usual. "Seriously, Naruto, I'm... worried."

"Eh?" Naruto asked in slight shock. '_Is it seriously that bad?' _he thought.

'**It's affecting you and your work, Naruto. I don't want to push you but this may be the best chance you have to tell her the truth.' **Kurama commented as he settled down in front of the fire-stove.

Since having the connection with Kurama, Naruto decided that it was finally time to sort out his mindscape, changing it from the drab and dreary cage it was stuck as, to one more befitting for the Kyuubi. It wasn't much creativity but the fox seemed to like it: it was the setting he encountered when he first stood at the base of the Waterfall of Truth, back on the island with Killer Bee. He made a small den made of rocks and leaves for him to sleep in, fitted with a pelt-rug on the floor which easily covered his entire frame. Just outside of the den was the ever-burning fire Naruto had placed there, making sure that the fox could get in and out without burning his tails. Adding some animals for him to hunt, Kurama was truly happy with the new setting, thanking Naruto for the uplifting change.

'_You really believe that, huh?'_

'**Listen to me carefully. You've proven yourself to be a strong-willed individual, one who is capable of taking a tremendous amount of strain, pressure, hatred and dependence upon yourself, turning that into your strength. If you couldn't, you would not be here with me talking like we are. You've shown me that you're nothing like the rest of my containers; actually spending time with me and talking to me. Sure, I find you an annoying little brat but you're still a good kid. Now, though, is one of those golden opportunities to get everything off your chest, starting with ****that****_ memory.' _**Kurama explained, leaving Naruto in utter shock. Of course, he and Kurama have gotten along much better after the war but this was an eye-opener for the blond. Having heard the most powerful bijuu (still around, anyway) saying that to you, it took an immediate effect on him.

'_Aw, I love you too, fuzzball!' _he teased before settling back down._ 'Seriously, thank you. I have a lot to be thankful for and you're probably number one on that list for keeping me alive enough to get here. I'm... glad I was used to have sealed you and... I'm glad to be your jinchuriki, Kurama.' _Naruto replied.

Kurama listened to the words and couldn't help but let them sink in. This was the first moment the two of them properly sat down and talked about everything and, safe to say, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, was speechless. To add to the fact, a stray tear fell out of his eyes as the words continued to chant within his thoughts. A genuine smile graced his appearance as he lies back down near the fire, resting his head on his paws.

'**Thank you... Naruto Uzumaki.'**

"Naruto, are you alright?"

"Yeah... having a heart-to-heart with Kurama. Look," he sighed, "I know you're wondering what the hell is causing everything to happen to me right? I think it's alright to tell you but I want the ANBU out of here. This conversation is kept between the two of us and will not be passed on to anyone else, is that understood?" he asked. Respectfully, Tsunade knew that this wasn't a request but an order. He was still mindful of her being the Hokage but he was as stubborn as she could be and she knew this was important to have the ANBU dismissed. She waved her hand, signalling that the ANBU was to leave. Once they promptly left, she activated the silencing seals dotted around the room.

"Right. Do you want me to ask questions or are you just gonna spill?" she asked bluntly.

"Give me a starting point and we'll go from there, I guess."

"How are you feeling?"

"What?" he asked, slightly surprised by the simple question.

"I'm not messing around here, brat! I want you to be open with me; how are you feeling?" Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. '_Seriously, he's a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with yet his mind is simple and complicated at the same time.' _she groaned mentally.

"Oh. Well, I guess... I'm kinda feeling bored." Naruto confessed. This remark wasn't one she was expecting from him. He would always come into the office requesting missions to undertake, then come back with a more-than-satisfactory report from the clients. Naruto has the record for most amount of missions completed out of everyone in Konoha.

"What do you mean, bored?" she asked, still trying to figure out why.

"I just... I've been an orphan my whole life, never really had the love of my mom and dad when I was growing up. I was hated by the village for being the jinchuriki of Kurama and I was struggling to live. I was raised to be a ninja, trained by some of the most influential figures of the Elemental Nations. I defeated Madara and the Juubi at the risk of my life but something doesn't feel right. I... I wanted to talk to you about a request I want to make but I couldn't bring myself to tell you about it." Naruto confessed.

"And that would be?" Tsunade asked back, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"..."

"..."

"... I want to take temporary leave from active duty."

Tsunade's eyes widened at the startling revelation. Naruto, the one person who would do anything to gain the position of Hokage and the only person who's strong enough to take on any and all threats that would come to Konoha, is requesting leave from duty? "Naruto-kun... why?" she asked once more, her voice laced heavily with concern as she changed into his mother-like figure.

"I've not had a normal childhood, as you know. I want to leave the worry of being a ninja behind me for a while and just focus on being me. I never got the opportunity to live a normal life; hunted by Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Kabuto, keeping my promise to Sakura and bringing Sasuke back... when have I ever asked for something that I wanted for myself?" the blond asked, his voice releasing more emotions than she had ever heard before.

Tsunade could only feel sorry for Naruto as she continued to listen to him; yes, she knew everything he was saying was true and that he's managed to deal with an amount of stress that could put make the title of Hokage seem like child's play. She felt like crying right now as she realized that he had to deal with all this before he's even reached twenty. He got a massive bump up in the list of people she respected.

"I get it now..." she whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Huh? Get what?" he asked, incredulously.

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Naruto, you're suffering from mild depression, emotional stress and Post-Traumatic War Syndrome. It makes everything fall into place; the increased take of missions, the anti-social tendencies you've picked up... it all makes sense. Answer me this... how long?" she probed. Naruto knew that it would be no point in hiding the truth any longer, so he began telling her with a shuddering sigh as he got his emotions under a decent control.

"Around a year ago. I don't hear much of anyone any more... Sakura's with Sasuke, Tenten is busy with her dad running the forge and the shop, Ino's in I&amp;T when she isn't keeping the shop open, Chouji's dealing with the restaurant, Shikamaru's your councilor when not looking after Asuma-kun, Sai's... well, Sai. Lee's the same as ever, Kiba's running the vets with his sister, Shino's taking care of his hives, Hinata's keeping up with the responsibilities of being the heiress of the Hyuga clan and Neji's helping her out as much as, Iruka-sensei's busy with the Academy, Kakashi-sensei's back in ANBU and I'm... well, here." he explained.

"It's like everyone's got something to do but I'm stuck here, not knowing what _I_ can do. My fuinjutsu's gotten much better to the point that Tenten's selling my custom-made sealing scrolls and explosive tags but that seems to be it for me. I've got the highest honour during the war but that's all it is, a title. I've never liked titles, you know that, and I just want to have something I can devote myself to without having to constantly trod through each day taking missions or fighting for my life. I just want time to find what I want to do and not having to worry about fighting every day to live." Naruto explained, relieved that he's finally got the matter off his chest. He seemed lighter, that was a good thing.

'_You're not sure of your purpose in life... many people have found themselves in the same place as you, Naruto, but for you of all people to be in this situation, I can't even begin to understand how painful it must be for you. Having nothing except your parents' legacies, there's nothing for you right now. He said he wanted to request some leave time, maybe to explore and find something for him to live for? Of course, he'll still want the chance to fight now and again, that's obvious knowing him. But where can I send him?' _she pondered, taking everything that he's talked about over the past hour into consideration.

"Tsunade, are you okay?" Naruto asked, slightly creeped out by how she wasn't responding to him. '_Is this what I'm like when I space out all the time?'_

**'_Yes.'_ **Kurama dead-panned.

'_Damn, I'm being more emo than Sasuke right now.' _he inwardly sighed.

**'_Pffft! You know I can't stand the Uchiha in whole but you have a better reason to act depressed than he did. Of course, I'm annoyed that you are depressed but I can't bring myself to blame you for that.' _**Kurama replied, slightly annoyed by his host's previous statement.

'_It's fine, honestly. I just take what's given to me and deal with it in my own way. Maybe a break from Konoha would do me a bit of good, ne?' _he thought before the idea struck him like a thunderbolt. _'Kawakami City!' _he mentally yelled.

_**'Oho? I believe you're on to something there, kid. I wonder if the others would still recognize you after all these years?'**_he mused, surprised that Naruto remembered his time there...

Actually, take that back. It was the one period in his life he wasn't constantly fighting to survive or facing down the hatred of the entire damn village. It was probably the closest Naruto had ever gotten to a normal childhood with friends who accepted him for who he was. Kurama sniggered as he remembered the three _girlfriends _he made while he was there as well...

_'Who knows? It'd be ideal as I can ask Tesshin-jiji if I can enter the Academy while I'm there... depending how long I'm gone for, I guess.' _Naurto replied, hyped up at the idea of returning back to the place he experienced true happiness as a child.

"Naruto, with everything you've said, I want to say that I'm sorry." Tsunade apologized, bowing her head respectfully.

"Why do you have to apologize to me for?" Naruto blurted out in response. If there was anything that annoyed Naruto more than anything it was when people apologized for something that wasn't their fault. Close to being pitied on, it was a major no-no.

"I should have seen it earlier. I should have done something about it earlier but I didn't know if you wanted my help or not. It was my insecurities that led you to this." she slightly bowed.

"Tsunade-baachan, don't be so stupid to apologize for something like that! Hindsight's twenty-twenty, right? Leave it at that. Anyway, I was wondering something." Naruto replied forcefully, much more than he wanted.

"What?" she asked.

"How much time are you giving me and where are you going to send me? I know you don't want me wondering around aimlessly in the off-chance that I might get into trouble as usual." he dead-panned. The past two years have taught him to look 'underneath the underneath' and in doing so, he's gotten better at reading people.

"Hmph. You must understand that you are one of, if not the most, influential and strongest shinobi within our forces. I cannot allow you to leave for too long without people catching on to your disappearance. There may still be spies within the village and the news could be passed on to other nations and allow them the chance to attack our village. However, I've decided that I'm giving you a year, no more, for you to do whatever you want. As for where I will be sending you, I have a few choices in mind." Tsunade calmly replied, expecting the outburst from Naruto...

… only to find that he was nodding in agreement. Damn, this must be bad...

"It's fine. I understand the position you're in and I can't condone you for it. Giving me a year is already more than I could ask for. When I was younger, jiji decided to send me to a place overseas for a small while so I could escape from the villagers. Do you know a place called Kawakami City?" he spoke up, wondering if it was such a good idea.

"Kawakami... wait, Kawakami Academy? '_Of course! Tesshin still owes me that favour from years ago when he visited me last.'_ Tell me, Naruto, what do you know about the place?" Tsunade smirked in response. '_This is perfect!'_

"A lot, actually. I know about the Temple there from talking to Tesshin-jiji. He taught me about some of the history of the Temple itself and also told me about the Academy there. It's not compulsory but it seems a good place for people who are more active. They have a dueling system there which allows students to settle disputes through games or combat. I know a bit of the city as well and I made a few friends over there. Just wondering if they'd recognize me after all these years..." he explained.

"You _know _Tesshin?" Tsunade jaw-dropped as she never knew about this. She had gone over Naruto's report several times as she noticed a sudden gap in his childhood spanning over six months. Hearing this, it was probably that time where Sarutobi had sent Naruto overseas to Kawakami City as a respite.

"Yeah. I know his two granddaughters as well, Momoyo and Kazuko. Heh, I wonder how those two have turned out." he mused to himself, missing the warm smile on Tsunade's face.

"'Thank_ you Naruto. I know exactly what I'll be doing...' _Then it's settled. You're leaving for Kawakami in a week's time. I remember him telling me that he finally managed to get a satellite over here so I can contact him instantly. I'll send him a message straight away and tell him the plan; he'll be more than happy to see you again." she smiled. "I'll summon the others and give them a few days vacation leave so you can get a proper send off." she told him, getting a warm smile from the blond as he surprised Tsunade and hugged her.

"Thank you, baachan. Means a lot to do so much for me." he smiled as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. Tsunade glanced at the boy before smiling, wrapping her arms around her surrogate son's torso and returning the hug.

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

A lone figure could be seen in the middle of the room as he continued to meditate. His facial expression could tell the most perceptive of people that he was still conscious to what was going on around him; the chants of the trainees as they practiced their katas, the sounds of cooking in the kitchen area not too far away and the sounds of nature in harmony outside his window. The room itself was spacious and spartan in design, only being fitted with lights and a cushion for him to sit on. The floor and walls had a natural wood finish to them with a sliding door and a window breaking the monotony of the room. As he continued to meditate, he suddenly felt a disturbance that entered the city...

His eyes opened slightly, only enough for him to see without revealing his eyes to the world. He was an elderly male figure with a long, pristine white beard that made up for the distinct lack of hair on his head. He had dressed himself in a white and black outfit that bellied his status as the master of Kawakami Temple. The meditation session was soon cut to a halt as his phone beeped a few times, telling him he had a message. Opening it up, his eyes widened in shock from who the text was from. He had not heard from Tsunade in over seven years and was a pleasure to hear from here once again. He was surprised to find out that she had become the Hokage, something she was adamant about not doing. He opened up the text and began reading the contents before his eyes opened fully, revealing his ash-gray eyes as a large smile appeared on his face.

"So Naruto-kun's coming back to Kawakami, eh? I believe things will get interesting indeed..." he chuckled as he began making arrangements for the young blond he had become a second uncle to. "I wonder what Momoyo and Kazuko will do once he returns?" he chuckled louder as he made his way out of the room.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

The following afternoon proved to be interesting as Naruto found himself being summoned to the Hokage's office. He decided that he didn't want to wait around and that he wanted to surprise everyone with the newest skill in his arsenal. Having dressed himself, he held up half a sign before disappearing in a flash of yellow.

He arrived in another flash of yellow, startling the people present in the room. He could feel several looks of wonder, admiration and shock from what he had just done but he paid no attention to them as he glanced around the room. In front of him were all his friends from his days at the Academy as well as the members from Team Gai. Neji was still indebted to Naruto on bringing him back from death by using his Yang chakra that belonged to Kurama, stunning the on-lookers at the feat. Alongside them were Iruka, Kakashi, Yamato, Anko, Yugao, Gai, Kurenai and Konohamaru as they all got the message to meet up at the office.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Sasuke spoke up from his place between Sakura and Kiba. "We got notices saying that there's something important happening."

"Indeed there is," Tsunade began, "However, I believe Naruto should be the one to tell you." she looked at him, nodding. The blond in question sighed before leaning back on the wall, minding the two ANBU he sensed either side of him.

"I know it's been a while since we've all met up like this but there's a bit of news I want to tell you guys." he started.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"I'm gonna be taking a break from the shinobi force for a year." he professed, getting a large shock from the crowd in front of them. "Before you bombard me with questions and what not, I have reasons for doing so. After talking with Tsunade-sama last night, she did a spontaneous psychology report on me and it seems I'm suffering from..." he trailed off, turning to the person in question.

"Mild Depression, Emotional Stress and PTWS." she clarified, getting several gasps from the people there.

"When did this happen?" Kakashi spoke up, concerned for his former student.

"About a year ago." he admitted, stunning them with every word that came out of his mouth. "You guys all had things to get on with and continue doing what you enjoy doing but me? What have I got apart from being a shinobi? Tenten, making seals to sell doesn't count." he interrupted before the weapon mistress could butt in. "You see, you've all passed me and moved on with your lives and have stuff to aim for. What's there for me?" he honestly asked. "I dealt with the Akatsuki. I dealt with the return of Madara Uchiha with help but you have to admit that most of the grunt work was done by me. I dealt with the Juubi, something that should've been impossible for me to do. I freed the trapped Bijuu and restored Kurama to full power once more. With so much to my name before I've hit twenty... what do I have left to look forward to?" he asked each one of them.

Silence. That was the only noise that filled the room as each person took the blond jinchuriki's words to heart. Each one of them knew everything that Naruto had put himself through and that they were indebted to him for being here doing what they do. Not once did he ask anything of them nor did he want them to feel like they owed him for it. As the words continued to sink in, he continued.

"This is why I'm leaving for a while to try and live the life I never had the pleasure of living. It'll let me take a break from everything and, hopefully, it'll give me a chance to figure out what I want to do in life." he finished. It was hard words for everyone to swallow but the matter of fact was this: he was right. They couldn't argue with him because there was nothing to argue about.

"Where will you be going, gaki?" Anko spoke up next, breaking the discomforting silence.

"I'll be leaving the Elemental Nations but I don't want to say where I'm going _exactly_. Don't get me wrong, it's not because I don't want you to know... I want to be able to leave this part of me behind and allow me to find the answers for myself with no distractions. I need to do this on my own and I can't allow you guys to interfere with this, so please respect my decision. I'll keep in touch with you guys and I'll bring back some souvenirs to boot, okay?" he asked, getting no response for a few minutes.

"Sure. I can respect that." Sasuke spoke up, breaking the silence. "I'll admit, I haven't made it easy on you and if anyone deserve the break... it'd be you." he nodded. Naruto nodded back, smiling at his rival.

"I agree with Sasuke-kun. You just go and find the answers you need." Sakura added her two cents in.

"Heh, things will be boring without you here. It's like adventure is naturally attracted to you!" Kiba joked, getting a bark from his companion in response. "I'm sure she has a crush on you." he chuckled.

"Who knows?" Naruto shrugged, grinning in response.

"I believe you'll find your meaning in life, Naruto-kun. Take your time and enjoy yourself." Hinata warmly smiled at him. Naruto nodded, returning the warm smile to her.

"Well... Naruto will be leaving in two days time. I just got message from your _escort _that he will be picking you up personally." Tsunade explained, getting a wide-eyed look from Naruto. "So, as Hokage, each one of you will have four days off to give the brat a decent send-off. This is in effect immediately. Understood?" she asked, getting a chorus of 'hai's' in response. "Good, now go do stuff." she shooed as everyone began clambering around the blond before they all left in their respective shunshins.

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

It had been a wild two days since been given the order and Naruto found himself standing in a private training field that had been covered in concrete for the plane that was coming to pick him up. Standing beside him was Tsunade, Shizune and Kakashi as everyone else had already said their farewells a few hours prior. He had several gifts from everyone there as a good-luck charm for his time away. The four of them looked up to see something heading towards them as a shape manifested itself through the parting clouds, signalling them it was time to go.

"Well, it's not really a goodbye... more like, see you soon." Naruto quipped, earning smiles from everyone there. Kakashi stepped forward and ruffled his hair before handing over his gift to the blond. Without saying a word, Kakashi gave him his signature eye-smile and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Shizune was the next one to step forward as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm gonna miss you, Naruto-kun." she smiled at her surrogate brother. "Try not to get into _too much _mischief!" she playfully scolded. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the sentiment as she soon joined him and giggled at her own order. "That's asking for too much, isn't it?" she smiled.

"You know it is! I'm a magnet for trouble!" he pouted, earning another giggle from the ravenette. To his shock, she got on the tip of her toes and planted a soft kiss on his forehead as her sign to be careful before she stepped back, the smile never leaving her face.

"Well, I hope you're not expecting anything from me, I've already given you enough." she smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." he waved dismissively before pulling out a scroll and chucking it to her. "That's why I'm giving you that as a thank you. Oh, Shizune-neechan? She's allowed to drink that, _my _orders." he told her, getting questioning looks from the pair before Tsunade opened the scroll up and summoned the contents. In her hand was a large, navy blue, hexagonal bottle that contained a fluid of some sort. "You wouldn't believe how many favors I pulled to get you a bottle... let alone three of them. Try not to drink them all in one go, they cost too much!" he chided as Tsunade's eyes widened at the drink she was holding.

"_Twilight Shadow_!?" she yelled. "How the hell did you manage to get hold of this!?" she practically begged him.

"I just asked some contacts of mine to keep an eye out for some for me. I gave them a reverse summoning seal and they summoned me there to pay for it. I placed a seal in my apartment and I did the same to get back thanks to a clone I constantly keep in the house. So, enjoy it while it lasts." he smiled as Tsunade ran over and hugged him once more._  
_

"I'll miss you, brat." she spoke before her words softened. "I hope you find what you're searching for. Keep safe and keep in touch, Naruto-kun." she requested as he returned the hug.

"I will, don't worry." he smiled as he pulled away from her. It was at that moment that the plane had landed on the concrete runway, slowing down to a standstill as the side door of the plane opened up, revealing a figure Naruto hadn't seen in years. With a quick wave towards the three of them, Naruto began heading towards the plane, giving them a wave before disappearing into the plane to head out to his new destination.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Shizune asked her mentor. Tsunade looked at her before turning her attention back to the plane, smiling a genuine smile.

"If there's anything I learned about him, is that he can hold his own. Don't forget," she spoke up, walking away as the plane disappeared out of sight, "He's the _Number One Unpredictable Knucklehead._ That title isn't just for show, you know?" she smiled as the pair made their way back to the office. She glanced down to see a note attached to the bottom of one of the bottles and read the contents. She soon burst out laughing in a mixture of amusement and relief as she showed Shizune what the note said:_  
_

_"Last parting gift: The solution to paperwork? Kage Bunshin. Thank me when I get back!"_

"You're right, Lady Tsunade. _Number One Unpredictable Knucklehead_ indeed..." Shizune warmly smiled as she followed the blonde back to the office.

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

"It's been a fair while, jiji. It's great to see you looking healthy as ever." Naruto smiled as he sank back into the chair he was sitting on. He had forgotten how amazing the chairs were on his personal jet plane as he could find himself falling asleep in them.

"It's good to see you as well, Naruto-kun." Tesshin smiled back. "You have grown splendidly since the last time I saw you. I'll admit, everyone will have a hard time recognizing you and I wish I could see their faces when they realize it's you." he chuckled warmly. Naruto shared in the sentiment before taking a mouthful of his drink. "So tell me, how's things been for you?"

"Man... where do I begin?" Naruto replied, rattling his brains. "Well, simply put, things resumed as normal when I got back and it pretty much continued for a fair while until a few years ago. I say why in a bit. Had my growth as a shinobi stunted because of me being a jinkchuriki and it left me in a bad state. I passed the Academy and got placed on a team under my old man's student, Kakashi Hatake." he began.

"Oh? The _Sharingan no Kakashi_? Intriguing... I take it you found out about your parents then?" Tesshin asked, curious.

"In the most unorthodox ways possible. Again, I'll say later as it'll link in nicely." he requested, getting a nod. "Well, not much after that... I guess. Chunin Exams got invaded by Suna and Oto and it turned out to be Orochimaru behind the whole thing and his apprentice, Kabuto. They killed the Yondaime Kazekage and Orochimaru disguised himself as him. Fought a released bijuu and saved Konoha from more damage than it should've taken. After that, met up with Jiraiya and went to get Tsunade to take the mantle after Sarutobi-jiji was killed during the invasion." he explained.

"I'm sorry to hear, Naruto-kun. He was an incredible man." Tesshin paid his respects.

"That he was, jiji." the blond smiled warmly. "Well, Orochimaru and Kabuto turned up again and asked Tsunade to heal his arms after jiji took them from him using the Shiki Fuin on him and sealing a portion of his soul in the Shinigami. Tsunade refused and it was then I learned my father's Rasengan." he explained, performing the technique as the familiar blue ball of energy appeared in the boy's right hand. Tesshin was impressed at the mastery of the skill as he watched the chakra rotate wildly inside the sphere before being safely drawn back into his body.

"I made a bet with her that I'd get the technique down in a week and I won. Doing so, she agreed to be the Godaime Hokage and the first female Hokage to boot." he explained, getting a chuckle from Tesshin.

"I knew you had something to do with why she changed her mind. You always were like that." he smiled.

"Well, during the trip... was when I found out about a group of S-Ranked mercenaries who were collecting the bijuu for their own plans, the Akatsuki. I ran into an ex-swordsman of the mist and Itachi Uchiha. I just managed to save myself from being taken by Jiraiya showing up and a distraction from Sasuke, who followed us. During the Chunin Exams, Sasuke got marked with a Cursed Seal and he ended up defecting from the village and joining Orochimaru, who simply wanted him for his Sharingan. Tsunade sent a rescue squad, with me in it, to bring him back but we were outgunned and I couldn't keep up with the seal... even with one tail's worth of chakra from Kurama. He got away and I woke up in hospital. After I was discharged, I left for three years on a training trip with Jiraiya before coming back to Konoha."

"My, you have been busy!" he claimed, enthralled by the tales.

"That's not the best of it, believe me..." Naruto replied. Before he could continue, a female voice broke the conversation as she spoke to the two of them.

"Tesshin-dono, Naruto-san, we're nearing our destination. ETA, fifteen minutes." she explained before the sound of the speaker turning off signalled them that she had finished speaking.

"Where was I?" Naruto resumed. "Well, did a few more missions and got placed on a new team with one of Danzo's ROOT members. Our first mission proved to be the most hilarious as we ran into our old team mate, Sasuke. After that, things got downright crazy... Akatsuki began making their move with the other jinchuriki, including Gaara, the same person who attacked Konoha. However, I managed to convince him that he didn't need to be alone anymore and he changed for the better. I was placed on the squad to retrieve him but we were too late. Yet, Chiyo, one of the people from Suna who came with us, she gave her life to bring him back and I gave her some of my chakra to complete the technique." he reminisced, letting a sad smile grace his face.

"I'm sorry..." Tesshin apologized while Naruto shook his head.

"It's fine. After that, the next significant thing was that Jiraiya was sent to do recon in Amegakure, where the Akatsuki were supposed to be based. During the mission, he found out who was behind it but he got killed in the process. After that, I was summoned by the Toads to Mount Myoboku and began my Toad Sage training. The moment I returned, Konoha was destroyed by the leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato. He was much stronger than everyone I faced before hand as he had the same eyes as the Six Sage, the _Rinnegan_." he explained. Tesshin's eye widened at the revelation.

"The rumours were true? I never would believe that there would be someone who would inherit those eyes..." he mused.

"Yeah. During the fight, I got pinned down and a girl who had a crush on me came in to protect me, nearly dying in the process. I lost control and entered my eight-tailed state... which was when I met my dad." he chuckled. "Turns out he planned ahead for when Kurama was close to escaping and made the seal so that he would intervene and make sure I didn't release him. It was after that I discovered the full potential I could have by entering my bijuu form. Carrying on, I defeated his puppets and talked with the real Nagato and convinced him to stop the attack. He used the last of his chakra to revive everyone who died during the invasion as his apology." he smiled as he remembered the smile on his fellow Uzumaki's face.

"So, the village was rebuilt soon after?" Tesshin asked, finding himself wanting to know more about the boy's adventures.

"Yeah but that was the turning point. By this time, the Akatsuki had acquired seven of the nine bijuu; leaving myself and the Hachibi jinchuriki, Killer Bee. He was much more powerful than me as he was on a friendly level with his bijuu while I had to fight mine... which was where I met my mom." he laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Things are never simple with you, are they?" Tesshin shook his head, chuckling softly to himself at the blond's warped sense of luck.

"Would they be interesting to listen to if they weren't?" he asked back, grinning. "Well, I found out about my mother, Kushina, and she she helped me fight the Kyuubi. I won the fight and absorbed all the chakra he had at the time, allowing me to access my bijuu mode and my cloak mode. the latter was myself being shrouded in Kurama's chakra that was clean; no malice, hate, nothing. It was at this time I found out that the 'true leader' of the Akatsuki had declared war on the five shinobi nations." he continued, earning a gasp from Tesshin.

"We heard about that... the Kuki Corporation had to move the satellite away for a while because of the damage that took place. It was a weird phenomena that took place as some of the backlash affect us as well." Tesshin explained, getting a shocked look from Naruto.

"You serious?" he asked. "Damn... didn't realize it was that big. Well, we're close to landing so I'm gonna skim the next parts: Sasuke killed Orochimaru, Kabuto absorbed Orochimaru, Five Great Nations formed the first ever 'Great Shinobi Alliance', Danzo was killed by Sasuke, Kabuto joined Obito. Obito was the guy who called himself Madara Uchiha but was, in fact, Kakashi's 'dead' team mate. Finally got Kurama on my side and unlocked the complete bijuu mode by transforming into the Kyuubi himself. Madara was brought back to life by the Edo Tensei, several Kage's were summoned, all four Hokages were summoned... even the ones who used the Shiki Fuin. Long ass fight between everyone and the Juubi was summoned. Another massive fight, Kabuto was defeated by Sasuke and a revived Itachi, who died to Sasuke. Orochimaru came back, helped out with the war and another long-ass battle before the turning point of the war..." Naruto slowed down as he readied himself for the next part. Tesshin leaned in as he wanted to know what happened next.

"I came up with a plan that freed the bijuu from the Gedo Statue and temporarily absorbed their power to fight against the Juubi. Madara and Obito couldn't control the original Juubi and they couldn't stand against me when my bijuu mode combined with my Sage mode and overpowered the three of them. We finally managed to seal Madara away for good, the Juubi was taken into a revived Nagato and died with the bijuu inside him. Obito tried to fight back but I ended up delivering the final blow and killed him. After that, the war was finished and it's been like that for the past two years, now." Naruto finished as he took a big gulp of his drink.

"I must say I cannot begin to imagine how powerful you've become." Tesshin smiled as he patted the boy on his shoulder. "To accomplish so much is nothing short of an achievement and you should be proud of the fact. It makes me feel somewhat silly for what I have to say to you next..." Tesshin shrugged.

"Huh? What do you mean, jiji?" Naruto replied, intrigued by the cryptic message.

"I've invoked the Kawakami Rule between classes 2F and 2S..." he started off as Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what that meant.

"Kawakami War... heh, now I see why you feel silly!" he chuckled heartily before settling down once more. "So, what are things looking like right now?" he asked, very much intrigued by the new situation.

"Well, I should let you know that Tachibana Takae is no longer a member of the 'Big Four'..." he began before Naruto suddenly stood up in his seat.

"What!? Who beat her?" he yelled, stunned by the news.

"Her name is Yukie Mayuzumi. You would know her father better than the child." he replied as the recognizing glint appeared in his eyes as he sat down and regained control of himself.

"The Eleventh Sword Saint... *whistles*, that shows just how good she really is. I heard the news that she's supposed to be better than her father, right?" he asked.

"Indeed. Before Tachibana could establish her position, she had lost to the same Sword Saint and lost her place in the Big Four. Also, I should let you know that she, and a transfer student from Lubeck, have joined the members of the 'Kazama Family' and are currently staying in their dorm." he explained, getting a slow methodical nod from the jinchuriki.

"So how does the family members play out in this?" he pestered, wanting to know details so that he could make an entry that _no-one _would be expecting.

"Each member of the family is fighting under the banner of 2F, with Momoyo deciding to side with 2S. In light of this, Yamato has informed me that he has asked the help of Ageha Kuki and Tsubame Matsunaga to deal with Momoyo. I take it that you'll reveal your return during the battle?" he probed, wanting to know more about what the blond was planning.

"Of course! Would I do it any other way?" the blond and elder chuckled together as they soon heard the announcement that they had arrived. Quickly making their way down the plane stairs, the two were soon greeted by a black limo that pulled up next to them. The back door opened up and revealed a slim leg that was concealed by a grey-pinstripe trousers. Soon the figure made herself known as she flicked her silver hair behind her shoulder, opening her eyes to reveal her grey orbs.

She knew about Tesshin bringing back an old friend but by _hell _she didn't expect him to come back to Kawakami so soon. With a smile appearing on her face, she jogged over to the blond and embraced him in a fierce hug. "Naru-chan!" she squealed in delight.

"Nice to see you too, Ageha-neesan." Naruto smiled as he returned the gesture for a few minutes before the two of them separated from one another. "D'you miss me?" he asked, getting a pinch of his cheek in response.

"And _why _didn't you contact us?" she chided.

"I had good reason, honestly!" he began, pulling himself free from the silverette's grasp. "Bad stuff happened back home and there was a war which took all five nations to fight against." he quickly explained, getting a wide-eye from Ageha as she soon scurried over his frame, checking if he was alright. "I'm okay, we managed to defeat him but that's a story for another time. Moving on... I've been told you're fighting alongside 2F tomorrow, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah." she nodded, smiling at her handsome brother. "Momoyo decided to swap teams because she was bored and was looking for a challenge." she giggled, allowing the blond to smile. "So, how're you gonna do it?" she asked, whispering to him.

"Oh... I got a few ideas." he grinned foxily, flashing his canines before making his way inside the limo as the three of the drove off. "Can I take a look at where we're gonna be fighting tomorrow? I want to get a feel for my environment." he quipped, getting odd looks from the two people that were with him.

_'He's up to something...'_

* * *

_**Chapter one done! And thus, this marks the re-write of Naruto x Majikoi! There will not be any FFVII references this time and will strictly be the two anime's involved.**_

_**Lemme know what you think of the chapter and R/R as always!**_

_**Ja ne! ;)**_


	2. Return of the Maelstrom

Return of The Maelstrom

A soft breeze traveled over the beautiful scenery of Tanzawa as the sun's luminous rays shone down on one of Japan's natural beauties. The crystal blue waters of the river that flowed through the mountainous clearing reflected the sun back at those who would take their time to watch it. All in all, it was a personification of the word 'peaceful'.

Well, it would've been if it were not for the thousands of students of Kawakami Academy having invaded the grounds as it would soon become the battlefield on which the classes of 2F and their rivals, 2S, would face-off. A long-standing feud would be settled here with only one side emerging victorious.

On the southern side of the clearing stood a large crowd wearing their academy's white uniform with a blue bandoleer across their torsos, signifying the team colour of 2F. The same went for the noticeably larger crowd of students that stood in their uniforms with a red bandoleer, their opposition.

As both sides were undergoing the final preparations for this event, they didn't pay attention to the large helicopter that was hovering over the battlegrounds. The logo on the side of the aircraft represented the local news company which had been assigned to cover the battle for a news story. Inside the helicopter sat three people; Tesshin Kawakami, a blonde-haired news reporter who sat next to him and the cameraman that sat across from the pair as he counted them down from five before shifting into a live coverage.

"Hello viewers! This is Kasumi Yukihiro reporting live from the Tazuna Mountain District, which will be the battleground for a spectacular event. Here with us is the Headmaster of Kawakami, and Master of the Kawakami Temple, Tesshin Kawakami." she smiled, looking into the camera before she turned her attention to him. "Tesshin-san, it's an honor to be speaking with you. Can you tell us a little bit about what's happening?" she asked.

"It is simple to explain. Two classes from the second years have a natural rivalry going on and they both wanted to prove which class is right. In seeing the potential dangers of letting this rivalry grow further, I decided to invoke a ruling that will allow the two classes to settle their dispute through combat. What you see is the fabled 'Kawakami War', the first one in over ten years." he chuckled humorously.

"Forgive my outburst but surely you must think that there are more _peaceful _ways of settling the matter without relying on combat?" she asked, concerned. "Also, aren't you concerned for the students getting seriously injured?"

"Indeed but there haven been several attempts of peaceful negotiations but, alas, they all fell through. Thus, we are here now. It would be better to think of this as a sport, not an actual war. Each weapon that will be used today are mere replicas of the weapons they mean to represent; even those with their personal weapons have been given replacements or strict orders to take non-lethal attacks. For the archers of the Academy, their arrows have had the heads replaced with suction caps, aimed to stick and not pierce." he explained with a smile on his face.

"Surely they will get injured!" she calmly yelled, winning another chuckle from the Headmaster.

"They are simply running around outside, of course there is a possibility of injury. Every one of the students who is taking part _knows_ that there will be a high chance of injury but they have still gone ahead. Don't fret, however, as we have several staff members keeping an eye out so things don't go out of control." he reasoned, earning a sigh of relief from the news reporter.

"So, Tesshin-san, how can you win this event?" she replied, glancing to the camera before turning her focus back.

"There is only one way; to defeat the enemy's 'Commander', or better known as their Class Representative. Hideo Kuki is representing 2S while Mayo Amakasu represents the class of 2F."

"I noticed you mention about archers... what other weapons are allowed in this fight?" she wondered, intrigued.

"Anything is allowed except for guns and horses." he calmly replied. "Some policy of only riding horses on school property. If an arrow hits a vital point, you're out. If you're hit three times, you're out. As mentioned, only replica weapons or the back of a real blade."

"So this is a simulation of a real-life war then?" she asked once more.

"Many would think so but I know of people who have fought in wars that were so one-sided that you wouldn't believe the tale." he shook his head as he remembered something he was told. "There's a young man, who I've seen as my grandson, who has recently came back for a little while for a vacation. By my guess I would make him the same age as most of the students here but... he has already seen the fires of war and was one of the few key pieces to the victory of the war. In comparison to what I have been told by his superiors, this is mere child's play but this is meant to be an outlet of frustration, a good-natured competition and a method of solving a dispute." he sadly smiled as he gave silent respect to the blond jinchuriki.

"T-That's incredible..." the reporter awed as she tried to imagine what it must've been like for someone so young to have experienced something so awful. "So who's involved altogether?" she continued to question him, moving away from her previous trail of thought.

"It's been confirmed that all our students are taking part in this fight. There is also an exception of up to fifty people who can join from outside the academy. I have heard that my granddaughter, Momoyo Kawakami, has sided with 2S, along with two other members of the 'Big Four', Yukie Mayuzumi and Tsubame Matsunaga. Meanwhile, 2F have gained the support of Ageha Kuki. However, I assure you that the unknown addition to 2F's army will prove to be an eye-opener for specific members of the students as an old figure re-emerges..." he chuckled as they all turned their attention back to the battle grounds.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

As the two sides continued their last-minute preparations, a pair of blue eyes gazed over the battlefield that would soon be the host to this event. His eyes turned to his left as he gazed through the canopy and landed on a certain brunette that caught his eye. Seeing him pointing to several people and waving his arms animatedly, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. _'Still the tactician as ever. I wonder how he'd fare against Shikamaru in a game of shogi?' _he thought to himself.

_**'You know, you're basically cheating right now after what you've done last night.' **_Kurama piped up from within Naruto's mind. Naruto could feel the smirk on the fox's face while the blond rolled his eyes at him.

_'I'm a shinobi; all's fair in love and war. This isn't a war but still... there's no such thing as cheating for me.' _he shrugged. _'How far should I let myself go when the main attraction starts?' _he asked.

_**'Limit yourself for a little while but when it comes down to that Momoyo girl, you will need to go all out if she can keep pace with the old man.' **_he sagely gave his opinion. Naruto stiffened for a split second as his clone just dispelled, giving him the information he needed about 2S's plans.

Naruto grinned as a puff of smoke appeared along side him, revealing a bluebird. Naruto quickly wrote out a note before giving it to the bird. "Make sure this gets across. It'll help him win this thing without too many casualties." he ordered. A quick chirp and the bird took to the air. "Now what will you do... Yamato." he asked, grinning.

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

Speaking of the brunette in question, he ran his hand through his hair. It was only brought to his attention the day before that Momoyo would be fighting for 2S instead of them. _'"It'll prove to be much more interesting!" she says. No matter, we'll still wi-' _he began before he saw a bluebird perch itself on his shoulder. "Hello there, Mr. Bluebird. What brings you here?" he asked childishly before he noticed the piece of paper in the beak of its mouth. Taking the note, he soon opened it and began reading the contents.

_Yamato._

_This may seem suspicious but I promise you that I have no ill intentions towards your side. If anything, consider me your 'Ace in the Hole' for when Momoyo appears near the end. Once you finished reading this, ask the bluebird to 'reveal his secrets'. What you do with them is up to you. Now, you may remember me or you may not... however, give Kazuko, Momoyo and Miyako this message..._

_'Witness the return of the Swirling Maelstrom...?' _Yamato wondered before he looked up to find said redhead looking at him with a puzzled look.

"Yamato? What's the note?" she asked, pointing at the piece of paper he held.

"It's a message from someone who says they're an ally of ours but I can't recall the name..." he explained, getting an eyebrow from her. "It doesn't matter." he shook his head before turning to the bird on his shoulder. "So... you've got something for me?" he asked, getting a chirp in response. The bird snatched the note from his hand before dropping it on the table. Placing it in the middle of the table, the bird soon chirped a few times before a puff of smoke appeared. What replaced the note was a copy of the battlefield that they were standing on but with several markings placed throughout.

"T-this is incredible!" Yamato beamed with delight as he looked over the details. "It's got all the information we'll need on 2S! We can win this!" he grinned as Kazuko looked at him with a smile that matched his own.

"Will we beat onee-sama?" she asked, her eyes burning with a determined flame.

"With this, we definitely can!" he replied, fist-bumping with the redhead before she and her squad made their way to their starting positions while Yamato began relaying his new orders through his microphone.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

The battle between 2S and 2F had been going on for the last hour or so and Naruto couldn't help but grin at the one-sided decimation that was being handed out by 2F. He had several clones spying on 2S's HQ and couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on their faces as every tactic they tried ended up leaving them worse off. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he could hear most of the reports coming in from several of 2F's units about how they defeated several of the enemy's units and the capture of one of their generals...

Though spanking her, recording it and uploading it to the net for everyone to see? Naruto broke down in hysterics at the perverted, yet incredibly amazing, idea as several more reports came in about how the rest of her unit soon quit. _'Heh, doing something productive and perverted at the same time? Damn, Ero-Sennin would've been proud of you!' _he smiled.

"Enemy sniper at seven o'clock: three hundred yards away! On my mark! Archers, fire!"

He turned to the voice as he continued to watch the action unfold from the confines of his tree branch. He couldn't help but be impressed by the confidence in her voice as the redhead gave her unit the command. She had long-curled crimson hair that flowed down to halfway down her back, contrasting against her navy blue combat uniform. Over her right eye was a leather eye-patch that covered one of her crimson eyes, giving the assumption that she was half-blind... but thanks to Naruto's sensing abilities, he could sense the eye underneath was more than functional. Food for thought, he supposed.

To the side of her stood a group of nearly fifty students who wore similar outfits to one another, even to the additional padding that covered their torsos and the right shoulders. In each of their hands were identical wooden bows, symbolizing that they were from the Archery Club in the academy. With the order given, they soon separated themselves into three lines and propped their bows with arrows. Quickly knocking their bows with arrows, they let loose for the sole attacker of the group.

With his eyes being enhanced by his chakra, following the trajectory of the arrow's flight, Naruto couldn't help but smile warmly to himself as he saw a familiar face of a girl he met long ago. She was currently standing by herself as a volley of arrows tried to reach her spot, only to find the arrows landing in the waters that surrounded her.

"You think those arrows can reach me, dattebayo?"

A lone purple eye was seen as she readied her arrow towards her attackers with a piece of paper added at the tip, sizzling. With a yell, she let loose the arrow as it flew into the middle of the attacking unit before letting loose a small explosion that scattered the unit and left several students unconscious.

"This bow was made for sniping people and is much sturdier than a normal bow. As for the explosion? It's a memento of a target whose heart I have yet to pierce... _yet_." she smirked as she prepared to fire another.

_==Flashback==_

A small girl was sitting on the swings in the local playground, seemingly ignored by the rest of the children that were there. It wasn't the first time which she found herself alone but it continued to cut into her self-esteem as no-one seemed to want to reach out to her.

She was the pariah of her class, the child who would always be bullied for something that was out of her control. It was all because of who, or _what_, her parents were that gave the other children ammunition to fire with. Her parents were together when she was born but a few years after, they divorced; her mother was a prostitute and as hard as she tried to kick her old habits, she couldn't fight back the constant need of sex. It was this reason that she was bullied because they believed that she was 'diseased' and would spread the disease on to others, so they stayed far away from her. Inside, she felt incredibly lonely and worthless as she continued to stare at the ground in front of her. It was heartbreaking to see a six year old girl cry silently as she thought about ending the misery that she found herself in.

"Um, hello?"

The girl snapped her head up to the new voice as she looked at the person who was talking to her. She couldn't help but blush when she saw his face and how cute he looked; the messy-blond hair, the cute whiskers that adorned his face...

It was his eyes... his eyes were what garnered her attention as she could see familiarity in those eyes, like he was suffering the same way she was. Shocked, she turned her head away as if she was expecting the heartbreak to return after finding out about her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look lonely."

"Yeah." she quietly spoke up, her voice raspy from the lack of conversational skills. She turned to him with a pleading look in her eyes, almost begging him for an answer. "Why are you here?"

"Huh?" the blond replied, confused. "Why shouldn't I be?" he asked in response. He noticed the down-trodden look as she looked away once again.

"Everyone hates me." she bluntly explained. "My parents are divorced and everyone bullies me because they think I'm 'diseased'." she replied. "I bet you're thinking the same thing and just want to get as far away from me." she sighed, expecting the natural response that followed.

"Nope." the blond replied with a smile on his face as the girl spun her head round with a look of shock in her eyes. Taking a look at her, he couldn't help but take in how amazing she looked. She had lavender hair and eyes to match but he couldn't help but notice the blue flower in her hair. _'She looks pretty!'_

"W-What?" she stammered, hope lacing her voice.

"I know how you feel." he started as his eyes reflected the pain he suffered. "Back home, I'm hated for some reason. I don't know why people hate me but they do. I was kicked out of the orphanage when I was four and I've had to live off the streets for a year before jiji gave me somewhere to live. It's thanks to him I have a chance to be happy because someone believed in me." he reminisced as the girl was entranced by his story.

"I know what it's like to be alone but I don't want others to be." he smiled as he stared into her eyes while she did the same. "Would you like to be my friend?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity. A few stray tears fell from the lavenderette's eyes as she let a small smile grace her features before jumping off the swing and standing in front of him. She soon took a hand of his and placed in over her heart.

"My name's Miyako. What's yours?" she asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meetcha!" he grinned, allowing his whiskers to stretch across his face like a fox's. She couldn't help but giggle at him but inside, she knew that she would always hold him close to her heart.

_==End Flashback==_

As the arrows fired once again towards her, another figure lept into the fray and used her naginata to deflect the incoming arrows, allowing the sniper of the duo to fire another explosive arrow into the enemy unit and wipe out the remaining members.

"Wanko? What are you doing over here?" she asked, grateful for the intervention but confused to why she broke off from her unit. The redhead smiled back at her in respose as she rested her weapon over her shoulders.

"I remember someone special say something to me; 'Those who abandon their mission are trash. Yet those who abandons their friends are worse than trash.' I wouldn't let them take you out as you still need to fight!" she grinned, wiping her nose with her thumb before giving her a thumbs up. Miyako nodded, giving Kazuko a warm smile in response as the redhead soon jumped back to her previous position and attack the main unit head on.

Having watched the whole interaction between the two of them and he couldn't have felt more proud of them and the advice of his they've taken to heart. He chuckled to himself as he continued to watch Miyako spam explosive-seals on her arrows but it was the redhead he had to smile most at. Taking in the most important rule of his and using it to the extent it was meant to be used... he was proud of her 'nee-chan'.

_==Flashback==_

Naruto was currently running alongside one of the river banks as he immersed himself in the feeling of the wind against his face, the sun giving his body warmth and the sound of the water beside him. He never felt so happy than any of the times he did back home.

However, he suddenly picked up the sounds of someone crying and, in his nature, went out of his way to find the source of the crying. Once he arrived, he found himself standing in a field which held residence to a large oak tree. From a glance, Naruto could tell that the tree could easily be climbed by the layout of the branches. He glanced up to find a small girl sitting on one of the branches as she continued to cry to herself.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting the girls attention. The girl soon snapped out of her crying as she raised her head to look at the person who called out. He felt familiarity with her red head, almost like he had seen it before on someone close to him. Her amber eyes were slightly red and puffy from the crying she's been doing. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned as muxh as a six year old could be.

"M-My parents... *sniff*... t-they've been k-k-k..." she began explaining before the tears came out once more. Unfortunately, because of a sudden movement, she soon lost her balance as she headed straight for the ground beneath her...

Only to find that the ground was softer than it normally was. She looked down to find herself lying on top of the young blond that called out to her as she realized that he was the one who broke her fall. She soon began crying again at her own stupidity but froze up when she felt him wrap his arms around her and hugged her. Not resisting the gesture, she buried her head in his chest and continued to cry.

"It hurts, right?" he began, trying to console her as he felt another girl he had a connection with. He felt her shake her head as she continued to hold herself close to him for support. "I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. I never had my mum or dad around me and I've always felt alone." he explained as the redhead took this moment to look at the blue-eyed blond. "It's not good to be alone. I know a girl who's lonely because she's bullied all the time and it's not nice to see a pretty girl cry, so you shouldn't cry either." he smiled as a blush appeared on her face, getting a look of admiration from her.

"W-What's your name?" she asked, still blushing as she idly traced one of his whiskers. She couldn't help but giggle as the blond beneath her began purring as she continued to play with his face.

"N-Naruto Uzumaki." he stuttered as he felt a tingling sensation when she played with his whiskers. "You?"

"Kazuko. Do... do you want to be my family?" she asked, hopeful. Naruto nodded with a grin as he pulled her into another hug, one she had no hesitation in returning as the two laid their basking in each other's presence.

"I'd like that, _nee-chan_." he replied with a tear in his eye as he could finally have someone to call family. Holding her like she was the most important thing to him, the two soon fell asleep in the comfort of having new family.

_==End Flashback==_

Having kept in touch with them over the years, he was genuinely surprised to find out that Kazuko had adopted his surname for his own, dubbing her as Kazuko Uzumaki. He, again, had to laugh because she could easily get away with being one for her red hair and her spunky personality. As he continued to reminisce, he realized that the army of 2S were slowly being pushed back thanks to the info he had sent to Yamato as the last of 2S's forces fought valiantly to retain the ground it defended but, with the majority of their side beaten and few casualties on their part, their efforts turned fruitless as 2F continued to overwhelm them...

… until _she _appeared.

A large explosion took place, knocking out a good third of the attacking force, as the smoke veiled the battles within from preying eyes as the screams and yells of the students rang out from within. Soon as the dust cleared, there stood the 'Trump Card of 2S': Momoyo Kawakami. He couldn't help but laugh at how badass she looked but he couldn't bring himself to admit that she wouldn't be anything _but _badass after the last time those two met...

_==Flashback==_

Naruto was currently sitting by himself as he continued to demolish another bowl of ramen, leaving the chef (and several passers-by) stunned as they watched the six year old blond put the food in the black hole he called his stomach.

"Hey!"

Naruto turned his head to find a crimson-eyed, black-haired young girl his age staring at him with a smirk that spelled trouble. "Gimme your ramen!" she ordered, getting a sweat-drop from a few of the spectators.

"No!" he cried back, pointing her chopsticks at her in rebuttal. "I paid for this ramen and you didn't ask me nicely!" he replied, getting a few giggles form the females in the crowd who thought he was cute. Her crimson eyes narrowed while her smirk widened at the cockiness of the blond in front of him.

"That _wasn't _a request..." she growled before she brought her fist back and punched the boy. To her surprise, he batted her arm away before landing a palm to her stomach. Having been taught by his 'secret sensei' for over a year before the Hokage sent him over here, he had a good amount of knowledge on hand-to-hand combat that passed some of the novice genin in the academy. Positioning himself in a stance, he watched her look at him with wide eyes.

_'W-what!? He hit me! People normally get hit with one move but he batted it away like it was nothing!' _she inwardly thought before she charged at him again. Coming in with several fast punches and kicks, she tried breeching his guard so that she could land a solid hit on his body. However, having no real experience to combat, she soon found herself on the receiving end of a strong jab that left her winded as she clutched her stomach in pain.

"That wasn't nice to demand something from me then attack me when I said no." Naruto chided as he walked up to the downed girl, who was in a fetal position. He rubbed her back for a few seconds before she let loose a loud burp, which Naruto chuckled at. She was about to hit him before she realized that the pain in her stomach had faded completely.

"W-Who are you?" she asked in wonder of the boy's strength.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." he grinned, pointing his thumb at himself. "You?" he asked, offering a hand to her, which she gratefully took.

"Momoyo Kawakami." she grinned back. "I'll get stronger and I'll beat you someday!" she proclaimed. Naruto and Momoyo both laughed in contentment before the two of them sat down and ate ramen together until she had to go home. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the three friends he had made here already and would be sad when he had to return.

_==End Flashback==_

Snapping out of his third trip down memory lane, he turned his attention back to the fight as he watches Momoyo smirk like she did all those years before. Lifting his mask up from around his neck, he lifted his hands into a sign before he disappeared in a yellow flash.

Back in the helicopter, Tesshin began chuckling once more as he gains the attention of the reporter and the cameraman. "Below us, the _real_ battle unfolds! The battle enters the final stages and the win will be well-fought for. Whatever the outcome, it will be remembered for a while." he smirked as he realized what his grandson wanted to do the night before.

"I've been getting bored holding back from the fighting. Now, Yamato... play with me!" she grinned sadistically.

Before Yamato could give out any more orders, everyone's attentions turned to the yellow streak of light that appeared all over the battlegrounds as several members of 2S were cut down quickly and effortlessly. Yamato, Kazuko, Miyako, Momoyo and several other students watched by as the enemy unit was cut down to a quarter of its original number. In another flash of yellow, a figure appeared in front of Momoyo in a similar 'BAMF' look that she was giving.

Naruto appeared in view of everyone as several people gasped at his look; a black sleeveless mesh-shirt with a piece of cloth that he had pulled over his chin to hide his whisker marks from view. (He had to thank Kakashi for getting him a few sets as it was incredibly comfortable to wear.) With that, he also wore a pair of sports bottoms that flared out at his ankles and covered the black boots that adorned his feet. Both of his arms had black tape that reached up to his elbows but that wasn't what people were gasping at...

It was the massive sword that rested on his back.

During the Fourth War, Naruto had found out that one of Sasuke's followers decided to steal Zabuza's Kubikiribocho, his favored sword that earned him the nickname of 'Demon of the Hidden Mist'. Upset by the blatant disregard shown for one of his most influential people, Naruto challenged Suigetsu for the sword. Being cocky about how he'd win, the water-user agreed and soon charged to take his opponent out in one blow.

He never stood a chance as Naruto tagged him with a seal that sealed his chakra away, leaving him a puddle on the floor. After acknowledging defeat, Naruto took his prize and headed back to Nami no Kuni to place the sword back...

Only to be greeted by Zabuza's spirit telling him to use the sword instead. _Weird_.

So here he was standing in front of everyone as he continued to stare down Momoyo, who's face soon turned to one of confusion as she gazed at his face. "Who's this, bro? Some wannabe who thinks he can stand up to me?" she grinned as she moved from her spot and threw a fist towards him. the new figure tilted his body to the side and allowed her fist to collide with the flat of his blade. She continued her assault on the new figure by launching several punches towards him, which he dodged and blocked with ease before launching a counter-attack that landed in her gut. The force of the punch sent her back a few feet as everyone watched on in shock at the blond who's arm was still extended in a punching stance.

_'H-He landed a hit on me!? That's impossible! There's only one per- wait... blond hair, blue eyes?' _Momoyo thought as she stood back upright and walked over to him. "There's something about you that looks familiar..." she mused as she took a few steps forward.

"Now that she mentions it, he _does _look like someone I know..." Kazuko tilted her head as she tried rattling her brains to place a name to the face. Miyako did the same but her eyes widened in response as everything clicked. Before she had the chance to call out on it, the blond chuckled before moving his mask down...

… revealing the whisker marks on his face.

"The 'Swirling Maelstrom' returns to Kawakami City!" he grinned. Before he could prepare himself for what happened next, he was suddenly glomped by the three girls, pinning him on the ground as they continued to hug him.

"Naruto!/Naruto-kun!/Nii-san!" Momoyo, Miyako and Kazuko respectively replied as they fought over him, earning a sheepish chuckle from the blond and several death glares from the male students who looked on.

"Fuck! Naruto!? That you?" Yamato yelled as he ran up to the dog-pile and quickly pulled the girls off him. Reaching a hand out, the blond quickly took it as he lifted him back to his feet. "Where'd you go? It's like you disappeared off the face of the earth for a few years!" he chided.

"Sorry, Yamato." he apologized, looking genuinely upset. "A lot of stuff happened back home and it meant being out of contact for a fair while. War broke out back home and we needed to fight to save the five nations, man. I'll tell you guys the rest of the details later, right now is a battle which needs to be finished." he winked. "Oh, how was the info on 2S?" he smirked as Yamato's face turned into a grin.

"I couldn't believe how you managed to get the information on everything that 2S would do!" he replied, getting some odd stares. "Seriously, how'd you do it?" he asked.

"Heh..." Naruto winked, tapping the side of his nose. "Shinobi secret, Yama-chan!" he finished, laughing at the murderous glare he was getting from the tactician of 2F, earning a few giggles from some of the people around them as they watched on.

"You mean you _knew _what we would do?" a new voice spoke up as another red head appeared on the scene. It was the same figure as the one who gave the archers the order to attack Miyako and take her out of commission.

"The first rule to combat is to know how the enemy will move." Naruto replied as his shinobi instincts kicked in once more. "I was able to keep an eye on you for the whole time you guys were planning; battle formations, available units, strategies, tactics, surprise attacks, the whole shabam." Naruto continued, taking in the look of shock on the older redhead's face. "Of course, being in military means you'd know that knowledge is power... _Margit Eberbach._" the blond finished, getting a startled look from her before turning his attention back to his favorite three girls.

"Inu-chan!" Naruto grinned as he picked the redhead up by her waist and twirled around a few times, earning a giggle from her. "How's my kick-ass nee-chan been?" he asked, watching as her smile brighten the field a little.

"I've gotten much stronger, nii-san!" she replied, twirling her naginata around before performing a few moves and parries. "Whatcha think?" she grinned. She sighed in contentment as she felt his hand rub her hair, reaching her sensitive spot as her dog-like ears appeared on her head.

"You've come far, I'm proud of ya." he smiled before he entered his lecturer mode. "However, your form was slightly off and you made some wasted movements. We'll need to catch up and train together and work on your form. How does that sound?" he asked, noticing she had sadden a little before she perked up again and nodded enthusiastically.

"Miy-mph!" he started before the lavenderette rushed up to him, grabbed his head with her hands and pressed his head into her impressive breasts. _'How was I NOT expecting that?' _he inwardly chided himself as he remembered how much perverseness was running through the lavenderette's brain. _'I swear she's the female equivalent to Ero-sennin...'_

"Naruto-kun! Can you hear my heart beat faster because you've returned?" she asked, rubbing his head into her boobs unashamedly. "Now that you're back, we can catch up! I mean, we could always pick up from where we... _left off_..." she seductively suggested, earning a muffle from the blond while several male members passed out from blood loss. Releasing him, she giggled at the red blush across his face before he shook his head.

"Damn, Miyako-chan!" he chuckled. "You've _grown_ since the last time I saw you! Who'd think you'd turn out to be a natural beauty, huh?" he winked. "Seems those guys were idiots for throwing you away, right?" he smiled warmly, getting one in response from the lavenderette. He turned to the final female of the three and smirked. "So, Momo-chan..." he started, hand reaching for his sword and throwing it in front of him. "Rematch?" he smirked. "What's the score now?"

"I've lost count." she smirked.

"Really? You mean you can't remember that the score is currently thirty-six to zero... in _my _favor?" he grinned his usual foxy smile. "Doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is the here and now!" he yelled as he folded his arms.

"You've no idea how long I've been waiting for this!" she smirked, mimicking his action in response as she released her KI at full blast at her blond rival. Naruto simply smirked as he released his own back, earning shocked gasps as everyone watched the blond newcomer match Momoyo with no sweat.

"You've grown, Naru-chan!" she smirked as a purple aura wafted off her frame before converging into one place and forming a figure behind her. Her hair shadowed her eyes, giving her crimson eyes a demonic glow as a figure of the Grim Reaper appeared behind her. Naruto grinned as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, several gasps were heard as his eyes had changed from their usual blue to an amethyst with a swirling gold wisp in each eye, fitted with the fox's slitted pupil. Gold chakra soon rose off him before forming a smaller version of Kurama above him, who roared in response.

_"I-Incredible!"_ Tsubame whispered in awe as she watched him square off with Momoyo like it was child's play. "Just how strong is he?" she asked her partner, Yukie.

"I-I don't know but he is incredibly strong." she replied, curious to how good he is with a sword once she laid eyes on his zanbato.

"I'd leave the two of them fight it out." Ageha spoke up as she appeared next to Yamato, shocking them all out of their stupor from watching the powerhouses. "They've waited for years for this rematch. I remember Momoyo saying that it was this kid who had beaten her when she was younger and is the reason she's as strong as she is now... so she would beat him when they met next." she explained, smiling, as several more gasps rung out from the students. Thanks to the two of them, all the fighting stopped as the battle rested on their shoulders. The two of them continued before a leaf flew in between them, giving them the signal they needed to start as the two disappeared in a black and gold flash before reappearing in mid-air as the two continued to trade blows at speeds no-one could keep up with.

Naruto quickly went on the offensive as he quickly feinted Momoyo to open up her guard for a quick strike but she counter back by aiming for an elbow to the face and a knee to the inside of his thigh. Noticing this, she soon found herself doubling over from a knee to the gut and a strong palm thrust that sent her crashing to the ground, causing dust to spring up and cloud the view from everyone else.

"Kitsune-kun and onee-sama are so strong!" Kazuko awed as her eyes shimmered from watching her surrogate brother fight off against her adoptive sister. The two were nothing more than blurs to the untrained eye but to those who could keep up with the speed were awed at the sight of the new blond who was easily overpowering Momoyo. It lasted for another few minutes before everyone saw the two standing apart from each other.

Naruto was lightly panting with a sheen of sweat falling into his hitai-ate while keeping a calm gaze on his opponent. Momoyo was panting as well but she looked generally worse off as her jacket had flown off her shoulders during the fight. Her black zip-up top also had a patch missing near her right bust but modest enough to keep her modesty intact. If you looked closer, you could see a spiral-shaped mark near the swell of her breast before sizzling away to reveal flawless skin.

"Heh, that's a new one. What move was that?" Momoyo asked chuckling a little at Naruto, who simply ginned back.

"I'll show you later. Well... I'm done." he grinned as he walked over and picked up his sword again and placed it on his back. Momoyo was confused as to why her lifetime rival was choosing to walk away...

**"Class 2S's Commander, Hideo Kuki, has retired. Class 2F wins! Kawakami War, Over!"** boomed Tesshin's voice as it permeated throughout the battleground before a thunderous cheer was released from the throats of the 2F army.

"That's why." Naruto smiled as he walked over towards Yamato and the others. Momoyo was left standing stunned as she realized that she had lost, not once... but twice. While she gawked, she couldn't help but recall the fight (as short as it was) before she came to realize that he had greatly improved since the last time they met. What annoyed her was that she _knew _he was holding back against him but she couldn't help keep the smile off her face while her heart fluttered a little.

_'You've only showed up again today and, yet again, you've given me another reason to love you more. Naruto-kun, I'm NOT letting you outta my sights!' _she thought to herself before she joined the gathering crowd as they gave a celebratory speech.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

Long after the celebrations died down, we could find our favorite blond sitting by himself as he continued to admire the sunset by the river. Having seen all his friends after so many years was something that made him feel at peace about himself. He continued to watch the sunset as a new figure made themselves known by sitting down next to him. The red eyes that didn't remind him of the Sharingan was looking at him with a soft look, almost boarder in admiration, as a smile appeared on their faces as they both settled fro watching the sunset together.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Naruto spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." she smiled back, keeping her gaze on the city outline. "It's good to have you back, Naruto-kun."

"Good to be back, Momo-chan." he grinned, turning his gaze towards her while she mimicked his actions. Her breath hitched as she gazed into those blue eyes which captivated her so many times before, enhanced by the golden glow that was the combined efforts of his tanned skin and his golden hair. "I've got a few gifts for you..." he began, reaching into his pocket as he soon pulled out a velvet box. "Happy birthday, Momoyo." he smiled.

She smiled back as she slowly lifted the box in her hand, only for her to gasp once more as her eyes settled on the gift inside. She couldn't believe that her rival had gone out of his way to buy her a _ring _of all things! She couldn't help but admire the piece of jewelry as she trailed a finger over the red and onyx gems that formed the Uzumaki symbol. She quickly took it out of the box and placed it on the ring finger of her right hand. She lifted her hand to her face for her to adore the ring he had given her before she felt something else in her hand's grasp.

"You always wondered how I got so strong, right?" he began, seeing her eyes widen in realization. "That is a forbidden technique by my clansmen which would favor someone as resilient as you, the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_. It creates copies of you and all the things your clones learn, you learn once they dispel. So, if your clone found out that there was a challenger for you and you were in school..." he trailed off._  
_

"The clone would dispel and I'd get the information back..." she picked up as her eyes widened. "That goes the same for your damn techniques, right?" she probed, locking him in a headlock.

"Jutsu, get it right!" he retorted as he flipped their positions around, leaving her pinned down by his arms while he straddled her waist. "Anyway, I believe it's time for my final gift." he smiled, much more sincerely than just now. She was about to ask what it was before her eyes widened in shock as she felt his lips connect with hers. Her mind began shutting down of all functions while she focused on the feel of his lips on hers; her eyes fluttering shut before returning the kiss.

She sucked on his lower lip as his tongue rubbed against her top lip, secretly asking for her to open her mouth. She happily obliged as their tongues met with one another, causing even more heat throughout her body as she began to moan throatily into his mouth. She grasped his cheeks and smashed her lips into him, wanting even more contact with him as she began sucking on his tongue. Everything else didn't matter at that moment...

... just him, the kiss and the heavenly sensations her body was feeling right now.

Her hands moved downwards and began traveling up and down his torso, feeling his well-developed muscles beneath his top before she interlocked one of his hands with hers and moved it towards her right breast and squeezed it, giving him the intuition to continue as she began rubbing her hands frantically over his body like she couldn't get enough of him. They had kept it going for a few minutes before the two had to part before they took it too far. Staring into each other's half-lidded eyes, they stared into each others eyes before the two of them chuckled/giggled to one another.

"You know how to spoil a girl, you know?" she smirked as her hands wrapped round his neck once more. "I bet you've done it to all the girls back home." she winked while he shook his head negatively.

"Nope. It'd never work out with any of them, anyhow." he sadly smiled, leaning into the hand that appeared on his cheek as it rubbed the whisker marks. "You know how to make me feel good, don't you?" he asked back. She giggled before a cheeky grin appeared on her face as she leaned into his ear.

_"Isn't it my job to know your pleasure spots?" _she whipsered before she moved in to kiss him once again, not paying attention to the four figures that watched on from afar.

"Yamato..."

"No, I knew she only had feelings for Naruto." he shrugged, smiling. "Someone who overpowers her... someone who's able to stand with her on level footing? _That's _the kind of guy she wants." he explained.

"Yeah, guess you're right." Captain replied, smiling. "Girls?" he spoke up to the two female members of the group.

"Share him, Miyako?" Kazuko asked, completely out of character. The two guys had to double-take as they process what she just said while said lavenderette looked at her in surprise before settling into a determined grin.

_"You bet."_

* * *

**_So that's chapter two people! I've already passed the stats from last time around and I'm happy that you all continue reading my stuff. Another shout out for the inspiration for this chapter and I hope you're reading!_**

**_As for pairings? I will let slip that Momoyo will be one of the main girls for him but the others are up to me to decide! ;)_**

**_For now, I'm out!_**


	3. Reminisce

**_Hey all! Sorry for the late update but my inspiration has dwindle a bit as of late, so I'm not going as active as I used to. I'll try to keep to an update a month, or so. In response to the absence of update, I've uploaded two chapters for you to read instead of the one. I should also mention that there is a lime in this chapter. Which will be explained later. (For those who don't know the terminology, limes cover everything up to third base. Lemons are the 'home-runs'.)_**

**_Also, I appreciate the reviews I'm getting and (yes) I understand that I'm slightly watering down Momoyo's powers but I really need to balance the two out and go from there. Of course, they'll improve and Momoyo hits full throttle but bear with me until then!_**

Speech: "I will not stand down!"

__Thoughts: 'I will never give up!'__

__Whispering: "I need your help, Kurama..."__

****Kurama: "I will lend you my strength!"****

**_**Kurama's Thoughts: 'Show them our power, Naruto!'**_**

**Techniques: ****_**"Bijudama!"**_**

* * *

_**Wandering Kitsune**_

* * *

Reminisce

It had been a total of seven days since Naruto returned to Kawakami City and everyone within the Kamina Family were still buzzing at the fact that their favourite blond was there with them. Kazuko's energy seemed to have tripled as she would hardly stay still when around Naruto, pestering him for training and the occasional spar.

Miyako began opening up to everyone a little more now that Naruto was back. Despite how many times he told her, she wouldn't budge for any other guy. She specifically told him that there were no other guys who could compare to him and she wouldn't let him out of her grasp. To reaffirm this, she had spent the past few mornings sneaking into her crushes room as she tried to jump his bones only to find that:

One; he was already up meditating or training by himself or with others.

Two; she'd always fall for the traps he decided to set up, leaving her in provocative and helpless positions.

Three; she'd stay like that until he finished his training or until he felt like it. He had purposefully left her hog-tied for the entire day with a pair of his pants to gag her. It proved to be a bad mistake as he found a puddle underneath her, starting from the damp patch on her pink underwear. She unashamedly admitted that she came from it and came once more when she began imagining him taking her by force and having hot, raunchy sex with her in that position...

He remembered to not use that method on her any more. Damn fetishes.

Despite always falling for his traps, she didn't care as she always got the chance to see her romantic interest sweat while training, watching the sweat fall off his toned body and down into parts unknown...

Damn fetishes.

Yamato and Naruto took the chance to catch up with one another, sharing stories on how they've changed over the past few years since they last met. Yamato had shown him the latest in video-game technology and had even taken the time to go out with him and buy him an Android smart-phone. It was confusing at first but he soon got the hang of how it worked when Yamato explained it to him several times over. Naruto admitted that this would be pretty useful back home and would discuss it with a few contacts (cough, cough, Ageha, cough) to get something sorted.

It didn't last long between the two of them as the rest of the guys ended up gate-crashing and made a 'boys-only' night of it, catching up and sharing more embarrassing stories between them all. Yamato had gotten his payback by revealing Naruto's Oroike no Jutsu, earning a glare from the blond as he was pestered into performing it once.

Damn fetishes!

He also remembered hearing about Kazuko's 'Tacchan' in passing but meeting him in person was an interesting experience. The two, surprisingly, got along well once Naruto explained how the two of them met. Tadakatsu was pretty introverted but he always seem to gotten along with him whenever the two talked, much to Yamato's annoyance.

Momoyo hung out at the dorm and the hideout much more often and would spend some time bantering with the blond shinobi, aiming to taunt him into a spar. Naruto kept having to explain to her that Tesshin wouldn't allow them to without permission and a _lot_of open land. Despite that, the two of them were spending time together shopping and generally mucking around with one another. Everyone could see just how much happier Momoyo was whenever she was around Naruto and, in turn, made them happy as well. Even Tesshin had commented on how much happier she was.

It was the first time he met with Chris and Yukie and it was interesting to say the least. Yukie had asked Naruto to a sword fight, stunning everyone when the two found themselves in a deadlock with one another. With Naruto's zanbatou and his strength contrasting against Yukie's grace and speed with her katana, the two of them kept finding themselves unable to out-do the other. Impressed with the skill shown, the two of them agreed to continue sparring to keep their kenjutsu up to scratch.

Unfortunately, Naruto and Chris' first meeting couldn't worse as she began accusing him of 'under-handed tactics' and 'not being righteous' to his enemies. Having enough of her spiel, Naruto walked off.

Despite the unpleasantness of having the other blonde running her mouth, he was really happy that he was back in Kawakami. He didn't need to watch over his shoulder for enemies or worry about serving his duty to the Hokage; he could be free. He was his own person again, just like he was when he had visited for the first time all those years ago.

The others insisted that he stayed at the Kazama Dorm, giving him the spare room that was halfway through renovations. Naruto said he appreciated the gesture and that he'd finish the rest of the renovations himself. He had stunned everyone by finishing the task in four days, thanks to his Kage Bunshin. The walls were painted in a bright white, giving way to the wooden flooring he had placed down. Unlike the others, he didn't have much need for materialistic things so he had decided to keep it simple; mattresses, pillows, quilts, several plants and a table for his scrolls. Deciding to keep used to what he knew, he kept his possessions in his scrolls until they were needed.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

"Yamato, you better have a good reason for dragging me out of bed this early."

"Listen, I wouldn't bring you along if I didn't need your help. Also, it'll help us out if they find my escort being the same one to stand against Nee-san." the brunette replied as the two made their way into the room. The room had been decorated in a dull white that seemed to suck the room of energy with very little in design. A low kabuki table was placed in the middle of the floor as cushions lined either side up to the center stage at the front end of the room. On the raised platform stood three, more elegant, cushions that were reserved for the teachers who would often request students for commissions. "We need this commission so we can earn some free passes, ya know?"

"I hear ya but..." he trailed off. "Miyako-chan's gonna notice."

"Didn't you use a clone?" he asked, gulping.

"You didn't give me the damn chance!" Naruto rebutted. "Jeez, and you're supposed to be the _smart _one." he face-palmed. "You know what, I'll leave a clone here with you while I meet up with her." he sighed as a bunshin appeared in view before the original vanished in a burst of white.

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

Since Naruto bought the sleeping utilities for his room, many questioned why he needed so much. After simply showing them his 'Crash Pad', they were more than satisfied with the answer; he laid everything out in such a way that he could just walk in and clean himself before he collapsed on the fluffy pile.

Now? He had set it up for this exact reason.

The past week was more than amusing for him as he watched Miyako 'sneak' into his room without him knowing and try to slip into bed with him and force him to... no, make... nope...

Okay, she wanted to rape him.

From his position on the ceiling, he watched in amusement as she sauntered over to the figure that hid under the covers. He knew that she knew that he wasn't much of a morning person and took the opportunity to try and pin him down.

Miyako stared lovingly at the bunched up sheets as the white robe she wore slowly slid down her hourglass frame and onto the floor. "Naruto-kun... I've waited for so long to show you how I feel..." Miyako said in a seductive manner. She giggled sexily as she slid underneath the biggest of the quilts that spread over the mattresses.

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes at how vulnerable she left herself, despite appreciating the fact that she didn't give up on her attempts, to what he planned next as he dropped silently from the roof of his room and raised his right hand into a sign, "Fuin." The quilt's corners glowed a light blue as he activated the seals he placed on there a few minutes beforehand, clamping together and constricting the lavenderette within its confines. A squeak of surprise rose from the quilt as Naruto quickly bound his infiltrator in ninja-wire and left her wiggling on the floor.

"Naruto-kun~" Miyako moaned piteously.

"Morning, Miyako-chan. Comfy?" Naruto quipped back, amusement clear in his voice. He moved over to the lump and sat on top of her back, pinning her down to the floor stomach first.

"Can you move a little lower so I can grind against you please?" she requested shamelessly. Naruto simply chuckled to himself before making his way towards the scrolls that held his towels. He paused for a brief moment before an idea formed in his head...

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

After chuckling to himself for leaving a panting Miyako in the baths with Gaukto and Yamato, running from a furious Chris and giving his regards to Reiko, he soon washed himself with one of his suiton jutsu and quickly donned his training outfit. This would be the first day in which he would attend Kawakami Academy and has still yet to find which class he would be placed in but before all that...

He needed to find-

"Nii-sama!"

Well, that was easy.

"Ah, Kazu-nee! Just the person I was looking for! What're you doing here at the dorm so early?" Naruto asked, somewhat curious as to his surrogate sister's actions.

"Oh! I was wondering if I could spar with you before Academy..." she trailed off, one hand clutching the grip on her naginata. Naruto took a few moments to decide what to do but soon decided to grant the redhead her wish.

"I won't spar with you but I'll help you with training." he replied, getting a beaming smile from the dog-girl. "Now, have you been practicing what I've asked you to do?" he asked. Kazuko nodded fiercely as she took a few steps away from Naruto and placed her naginata on the ground. She took a breath before she slowly began performing seals that he had taught her many years ago after finding out that she would be capable of harnessing chakra like him. It was even impressed that she had his wind and water affinities, his two most proficient affinities.

"_**Suiton: Suiryuudan!" **_Kazuko shouted as the water from the nearby pond slowly rose up and converted into a dragon's head; three bullets of water that shout out of the water dragon's mouth headed towards Naruto. Without nary a sound, a gush of wind dismantled the oncoming attack into droplets of water.

"Nice going. Need to improve on your seals speed but you've shown promise." Naruto warmly smiled as he couldn't help the pride that well-up in his chest for teaching his sister his art. "However, if we're gonna do this properly..." he trailed off as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

In a white flash, the two arrived on the battlefield in which 2F took the win against 2S as Naruto left one of his Hiraishin kunai behind for whenever he wanted to break away and train in private. Seeing as hardly anyone frequented the more natural aspects of the place, it was more than adequate for his training.

"We'll need an area to cut loose in." he finished as he sped through the same hand signs that she did. "This is what you'll be like once I'm finished with you, nee-chan! _**Suiton: Suiryuudan!**_" he yelled. Kazuko could only watch on in wonder as a massive dragon rose up from the lake behind him before crashing back into it.

"Wow..." Kazuko awed as she let herself feel the rain fall on her face. "I don't think I'll ever reach your strength, nii-sama." she finished dejectedly. Naruto sighed as she walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek to face him.

"Don't put yourself down. I was the dead-last of my class and I was ridiculed. I pushed myself hard and took more note of my tools to discover that I had the _best _training tool for learning ninjutsu... a tool I want to share with you." he smiled warmly as a clone appeared behind her and hugged her.

"Hawawawa!" she stuttered, her face blushing to match her hair. Naruto smiled as the two let her go, giving her chance to regain her bearings. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Everything my clone learns, I learn when it dispels. Chakra control, chakra manipulation and elemental manipulation, muscle memory and intelligence. One hour's training with a clone will double it to two hours." he explained, getting a jaw-drop from Kazuko. "Here, lemme help you." he smiled as he took her hands in his and began teaching her his signature Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

Two hours later and the usual rag-tag group were making their way towards the Academy. Having decided to leave a little early for all of them to enjoy the walk together, the eleven of them spend the time catching up and exchanging stories of what happened while Naruto was away. In turn, he began recalling everything that happened with the Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha on top of it. They were stunned at the fact that their lovable blonde was the target of their focus but the mood was soon ruined by the usual culprit.

"I don't see why you would bother trying so hard. Shinobi have no sense of virtue or justice when everything they do is back-handed, cheating and downright scandalous. Those who have no honor can never fight for it." Chris haughtily replied before she found herself frozen in place. She looked down to find that her feet were encased in ice. She turned to the culprit, only to shiver in fear as she stared into those violet eyes that exuded raw power.

"I was hated since the day I was born because people had misconceptions of exactly _what _a jinchuriki is. I host the embodiment of the strongest Biju of all nine that exists and I have gone through a great deal to get here. I fought the darkness in my heart of the constant rejection, fear and ignorance as people didn't have the courtesy to grant me an existence."he began, letting his emotions get the better of him as his voice began cracking.

"By the time I was nine, I had suffered over two hundred assassination attempts on my life and I was ill-equipped to defend myself against the very same ninja I often worked with. It wasn't until I had a piece of advice given to me from an enemy I once faced did I realize that there is more to simply having brute strength and skill." he continued, not noticing the small crowd that began gathering around him.

"True strength comes from fighting to protect those precious to you. A mother will gain a burst of strength when defending her child; a father for his son and his family. Me, I am no different. Call me what you want, cause I've heard it all and I'm still here. However, if you _dare _attempt to hurt one of my friends... **I will not hold back." **he finished, hearing a group of girls fawn over his words as they all took his speech to heart. With that, he nodded to himself before looking up to the sky for a moment. With a serene smile on his face and his precious person remembered, he made himself towards the Academy in a much better mood than before.

"H-He speaks with w-w-wisdom in his voice. I-It's like he's s-seen the flames of w-war." Yukie commented as she carried her katana on her back, wrapped in a cloth. She had her hair tied into a ponytail that flowed down to the base of her back as it blended nicely with the academy uniform.

"It's because he has." Momoyo replied, unusually solemn. "Ten of the most powerful shinobi in the world wanted the power within him: that of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. They were willing to kill him for it and went to the point where they declared war on the five Great Nations of his home. If anyone knows what a war is like, it would be him." she finished, walking away with Kazuko and Miyako in tail. The boys of the groups all walked away as they gave the female blonde a disapproving glance. Even the usually stuttering and shy Yukie was looking at her with disappointment visible in her eyes as she also walked off. Chris stood there for a few moments as the rest of the group dispersed, leaving the blonde on her own to ponder on his words.

"That was uncalled for." Gakuto bluntly commented as the rest of them continued across the bridge. Others nodded in agreement while continued walking, only to find a figure waiting in front of them. He was dressed in an outfit befitting the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt, pointing towards the powerhouses of the group.

"I wish to challenge the two of you to combat! I am the Prince of the Seventh Dynasty of Persians, Prince Tatukamen! I will destroy you both with the divine might of the Sun God Ra!" he blabbered out, leaving Momoyo and Naruto to sweat-drop.

"Mah, I don't mind giving you a fight. I need to blow off some steam anyway." Naruto spoke up as he walked a few steps in front of Momoyo. He calmly drew a kunai out of the pouch on his right thigh and held it loosely in his hand. "If you can survive this attack, I'll forfeit. Deal?" he proposed, earning mutters from the crowd who wanted to see the newcomer in action. In the crowd, Chris was watching on to see if he could back his words up from earlier.

"Oh? Do you really believe that I would- h-hey! You didn't say th-" he began before swiftly dodging the kunai that was thrown at a near-invisible speed, only to feel the skin on his bare back burn from grinding against something. He glanced back to find the blond that had 'magically teleported' behind him as a large blue ball was pressed firmly into his back. It had taken a grand total of two seconds to see his challenger fly at break-neck speeds into the distant horizon.

"One, don't ever underestimate me. Two, don't think I'll play fair; I'm a shinobi... I don't do fair often. Three, don't brag like you're Kami's greatest gift to man." Naruto rolled off his fingers as he retrieved his kunai to slip back into his pouch. "That's just asking for your ass to be kicked." he grinned foxily as he made his way back towards the stunned group.

"What the hell was that move, Naru-chan?" Momoyo asked, intrigued and impressed by his speed. She almost lost sight of him when he vanished in a flash of white and appeared behind him with a larger version of the same move he had used against her.

"My legacy." he cryptically replied with a smile. He was soon glomped by Kazuko and Miyako as they both fought for the space on his back, only for a second Naruto to appear and pry the redhead off his back and placed her on his back while Miyako climbed on Naruto's back as they made their way onward. Momoyo looked puzzled for a second before she realized what he meant; she remembered that Tesshin had told her about Naruto's heritage and made her swear that she kept it a secret from him, much to her protest. She soon nodded as she fell in line with the original and the rest of the group just a shy bit behind them.

Trailing far behind them was Chris as she began questioning herself and everything she believed in. She always thought that those who were righteous always won but... seeing Naruto in action and how easily he had taken his opponent out, it seriously made herself ask the question if the phrase 'honour among thieves' could apply to shinobi...

No, it can't be.

* * *

**WK**

* * *

It had been an interesting first day for the young shinobi as he found himself placed in the same class he helped out a week ago: 2F. It was mainly because Naruto was asked to keep an eye on several... _delinquents_... that he wanted an eye on. Then again, no-one in 2F could complain with how it turned out as they had a sure fire boost in class rankings.

Miyako and Kazuko had both quickly took the two seats next to Naruto as everyone else introduced themselves to the blond, receiving a few looks from one of the girls in the class... Chika, was it? He found it amusing the looks between his 'bodyguards' and Chika as they stared off heatedly with one another. Suddenly the doors of 2F suddenly flew off its hinges as a newcomer came into the class and immediately got in Naruto's face.

The newcomer promptly found himself on the floor, knee driven to his back and a kunai to his neck. In his other hand was another kunai that was aimed at a vital point in the attacker's figure behind him; despite there being a blade at his neck.

"Who are you?" Naruto bluntly asked as he felt his tenant keeping an eye on the girl behind him. "I take it from the looks in the class that you're not too well liked." he finished.

"Such reaction times that could even best Momoyo herself!" he proclaimed happily, not paying his predicament any mind. "I am Hideo Kuki! Class representative of 2S. It is a pleasure to meet you in person... despite the predicament we're in." he slowly replied, getting a chuckle from the blond on his back.

"Apologies, Hideo-san. Fancy telling your _maid_ to take her blade away from her neck before my hand slips?" he calmly replied, pushing the kunai into her skin for emphasis. With a quick nod from the man below, the blade withdrew from his neck. Keeping a kunai out for defence, Naruto held an open hand out for Hideo as he helped him back to his feet.

"Good to see that you're still as sharp as ever."

"I could say the same for you." Naruto smiled as he retracted his kunai before turning to face his assailant. He turned to face a young brunette that was outfitted in a blueish-grey maid's outfit, accented with a white mini-apron that tied around her waist. On top of her head was a pinny (he thought it was called) that held her bangs back from her eyes. It had been a few years since they saw each other on the battlefield but the two have a mutual understanding of fighting for survival. "Been too long, Azumi." he smiled as the two hugged one another, shocking several members in the class. Miyako and Kazuko watched cautiously at the interaction between them.

"Naruto-taichou." she smiled back as she ended the hug by pulling away. "It's been... three years now? Last time you were here was with Jiraiya-san, the old pervert. How is he?" she asked.

"Ah... he was KIA." he replied with a fond smile as he remembered his godfather's last heroic attempt. "One of his ex-students delivered the final blow but left me a message to discover and, in turn, saved Konoha from being completely obliterated."

"My condolences, Naruto." she sadly replied, bringing a hand to her heart. "He was a good man... if not the _BIGGEST_ pervert I have ever met! He puts that damned _'Monkey'_ to shame for all the smut he wrote!" she snarled fiercely. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the response, soon catching on as Azumi soon followed.

"Do you both know each other?" Hideo asked, confused and intrigued to see his subordinate converse so openly with someone else. Miyako and Kazuko soon walked up as they were curious as to how the two met as well.

"Missions." the two replied in unison before she continued further. "I was team leader at the time but Naruto-taichou stepped up as second in command after knocking the Vice-Captain out for suggesting they left me there to die." Azumi explained, getting wide-eyes from everyone in the room.

"I never abandoned those in need and I won't stop now. _'Those who abandons the rules are trash. Those who abandons their friends are worse than trash.'_" he quoted his father's saying as Hideo appreciatively nodded. "Oh, Mayo-chan, I've got a letter for you to read. There's no pressure and it's completely your choice." he smiled as he handed a letter to the young pinkette. She took it gratefully from his hand before opening and reading the contents within.

"I accept, Uzumaki-san." she smiled.

"Please, I hate titles. Just Naruto." he sheepishly grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Well, now that Mayo-chan accepts..." he trailed off as the speakers flared into life.

"_**Good morning students! This is a quick announcement to explain a change in class representatives. Mayo-san has now stepped down to Vice-Rep while the Class Representative role goes to 2F's newest addition, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Have a pleasant day." **_Tesshin boomed with amusement in his voice as the speakers fuzzed out of active use. The class of 2F murmured among themselves while Naruto turned to Hideo with Mayo beside him.

"I swear he knows much more than he lets on." he mused to himself. "So, after the recent events of the Kawakami War, I would like to form a truce." he began as everyone watched in interest to see how this would turn out. "These are my terms: assistance and support in team events and first choices in commissions. I will have you refer to Yamato to finalize any commissioned related inquiries. In return, we will offer our help to you in events and..." he trailed off as he leaned into Hideo's ear.

"Y-You're serious!?" Hideo bellowed, startling the class. "I accept these terms, Naruto-san! May this be a partnership that will truly prosper!" he smiled as the two men shook hands.

"He did it." Yamato awed. "He got a truce with 2S in our favour."

"I believe it's time for class. Say hey to Aghea-nee for me!" he called after the pair as they left the room much quieter than they arrived. Smiling to himself, he took his spot between the redhead and lavenderette as their teacher soon entered the room. She had a wine-red shade of hair that was neatly tied into a pineapple tail, leaving bangs frame the sides of her face. She was dressed in a navy uniform with a light blue blouse underneath. Attached to her waist was a nine-tails that looked like she could properly use.

"Morning Class. You may refer to me as Umeko-sensei. I have heard the announcement of the transfer in Class representative. Uzumaki-san, would you please come up to the front and introduce yourself properly to your fellow classmates?" Umeko requested. The blond jinchuriki nodded his head before making his way to the front of the class.

The Academy had always been on a strict code for uniforms but there have been instances where certain _political _families would often fund the school in return for special privileges, such as leniency towards the set uniform code. Having been approached by Tesshin beforehand, he had proceeded to inform Naruto that his schooling was being funded by Tsunade and Shizune, personally, so he was also given the option of... _bending _the rules for uniform. With this in mind, he had acquired himself an exact replica of the school uniforms and had dyed them jet black with fitted burnt-orange accents.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and I would prefer to be referred to without honorific as I never had any care for them. I enjoy morning runs, training, reading, shogi, performing music and spending time with friends. My hobbies are similar to my interests. I dislike people who use others to their own advantage and people who would abandon others to save themselves. I also hate stereotyping and prejudice on others before getting to know that person. Dreams for the future is to take my parent's legacies and make them proud as I make my own impact on the world." he smiled charmingly. "Questions?" he asked. "Umeko-sensei?" he called, surprised that his teacher would ask him something so early on.

"Naruto-san, what do you mean when you said about abandoning others?" she asked, noticing a charming smile appear on his whiskered face.

"To explain, I must tell you a bit more about what I do." he nodded. "I am a shinobi. I am a fighter that strikes from the shadows. I come and go and you'll never know I was there when the life had left your eyes." he began explaining. "One of the main lessons my home village insists on is the value of teamwork. My village is called Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We believe that a strong tree comes from strong roots; these roots being the bonds we share with others and the camaraderie that we have for one another in the field."

"My father was the greatest Hokage that ever came to pass. His name was Minato Namikaze and he was the Fourth Hokage of my village. It was him who coined the phrase but it is everything that I stand for." he finished explaining, earning several approving nods in response.

"A-Ano, Naruto-san, does that mean you've... _killed_?" Chika asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.

"Yes, I have killed many times but you must realized that in the shinobi world there is only one rule: kill or be killed. Despite that, I do not kill without meaning and I often resort to diplomacy to gain allies instead and I do it for the interests of the safety of my home and that I hold dear." he explained, getting an understanding nod.

"That is quite an insight, Naruto-san." Umeko replied as she kept the information safe away. "Thank you, you may take your seat next to Shiina-san and Uzu..." she trailed off. "Final question, if I may. Can you explain as to why Kazuko shares part of your surname?"

"Because I see her as a sister of mine after she lost her family years ago. Like me, she's an orphan and never had her parents to look after her. She soon gave up her birth surname and adopted mine as a symbol of relation to one another. Actually, it's funny as the Uzumaki Clan was renowned for their liveliness and the traditional red hair." he grinned, making said person blush slightly. Umeko looked at him with an approving smile. Sensing he was finished, he was allowed to take his seat once more. It was while he was walking back to his seat that Umeko had a cunning idea in her head as she moved her hand to quickly unleash her weapon, only to find a hand holding her hand firmly in place. She turned to find a copy of the retreating blond behind her before disappearing in a puff of smoke. She smirked a little as she could sense a fellow prankster in her midst.

_'Naruto-san... I believe we may get along rather well.' _she thought with a smile as she began reading out the names for the rest of the class.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

After an eventful first day filled with making new acquaintances and catching up with old friends, the Kazama Family found themselves chilling out at the hideout. It wasn't massive but the building it was held in was abandoned years ago due to unleavened foundations. The owner got in touch with them and asked them to keep an eye on the building. In return, they could use the building as a headquarters of sorts... leading to the hideout.

Naruto already knew that this was going to happened as he held no sympathy for a struggling Yamato as he just relayed the commission he grabbed for them all to complete. While he would laugh at the antics, he was currently busy doing their job for them by entering his Gama-Sennin mode. He was currently sitting in the corner with his back against the wall while everyone else was around the tables and sofas.

"A dog!? I wanted a chance to kick loose considering Naru-chan's being a spoilsport and not spar with me!" Momoyo ranted as she continued to squeeze the life out of him.

"Momoyo, I'll give you my share of the effort if you let him go. I've already found him." he calmly replied. In that instant, a clone appeared with a white-furred dog that greatly resembled his master (A/N: For those who know the anime, I don't need to explain.)

"Yamato! We're keeping Naru-chan!" Momoyo demanded as she held him in another headlock. Yamato began sputtering nonsense as he flapped about like a fish. "We're. Keeping. Naru-chan!"

"Heh, seems I'm staying." Naruto mused as the dog was placed in a sealing array placed up by Naruto in detaining prisoners. Momoyo smirks as she releases Yamato and pounced on an unexpected Naruto. Slowly spinning the two of them around, she straddled his waist as she held his hands above his head, leaving him at her mercy... and those eyes weren't doing favours as they were filled with desire and lust.

"I called you last night to keep me company but you never showed up for your Momo-chan. I was lonely while you were gone and I thought you could use some company with me and Kazuko-chan. Who knows, we may have taken things a little... _further_..." she whispered tantalizingly in his ear as she slowly licks his neck, placing butterfly kisses that made his skin shiver in pleasure.

"I dunno, Momo-chan... you should know I am one and _many_." a clone spoke up from behind her as he wrapped his as his hands hovered just underneath her belly button. Miyako promptly fainted as she collided with the back wall thanks to a powerful nosebleed while Kazuko's face was the same colour as her hair. The only thing you could distinguish was her amber eyes blinking with a glazed gleam in them.

"Stop this insolence! Have you no shame when in the presence of others?" Chris yelled up, shattering the atmosphere with her interruption. "I honestly don't see why you guys would act so... _unruly_! I heard much about you, Naruto-san, and I am utterly appalled when meeting you in person and you utterly disproved all my views on you." she rounded on the shinobi with a stern glare. "I very much doubt that you even know the hardships in life if you act so carefree-urk!" Chris tried to finish before she was grounded to the floor by an overwhelming presence of KI. She strained her neck up to find the blond jinchuriki standing in front of her with a stern look on his face and a pair of uncaring crimson eyes glaring down at her.

"**I assure you, Christiane Friedrich, that many of us here knows _more _about hardships than you'll ever have the pleasure of not knowing." **Kurama growled as his voice leaked through the jinchuriki.

"W-Who are you!?" Chris shrieked in fear as Yukie was close to fainting on the spot, her will proving dominance as she watched on in fascination and fear. Everyone else watched on in shock as Yamato, Shoichi, Momoyo, Kazuko and Miyako made the connection at the same time...

"_**Kurama." **_they chorused at the same time, the latter having not long regained consciousness with tissues pushed up her nose.

"**I am." **Kurama replied with a lighter tone in his voice. **"I'm happy to see the people who had so much of an effect on Naruto's life in person for the first time. Thank you." **he bowed in respect to the five of them. They stood there stunned as they registered that a _biju _was inadvertently bowing to them. They noticed the KI wash over the room once more as Kurama turned back to Chris to speak.

"**There was a point in my life that I wanted nothing more than to break Naruto's will so that I can be released from him, killing him in the process. I saw his life and, admittedly, I felt sorry for him. I never showed him my sympathy as he was obnoxious and foolish that he could achieve what would be impossible for him to achieve; recognition for himself and not for me." **he began explaining as silence filled the room. The tension in the air let up a small amount as Kurama took a softer tone, allowing Chris to rise to her knees.

"**Yet, over time, he began getting everything he wanted to work for; acknowledgement, respect, friendship... he got everything he wanted because he pushed through all the shit people gave him and proved them all wrong through his actions, whether through his fists or his words. I saw his determination and his steeled resolve to resolve the hate within me..." **he trailed off, allowing a foxy smirk on his face as he turned to face the others.

"**He did it. Unlike my previous containers, they wanted nothing to do with me and they bound me to the point I couldn't escape. Yet Naruto took the time to talk to me and did something no-one ever did before... he respected me and he didn't think he was better than me. He saw me not as a prisoner or a source of power, he saw me as a partner and as a friend. It was then I saw how great he would become and how powerful he'd be when fighting to protect everything that was precious to him, me included. It was our power... _his _power that defeated the Akatsuki and saved the Elemental Nations from eternal enslavement." **he explained with pride lacing each and every word he spoke to them. Inside the mindscape, Naruto couldn't help tears fall from his eyes as he listened to the pride in his voice as he knew that the two were bonded on a level that no-one could achieve.

"**So how do you think _I _feel when you stand here and call him worthless and irresponsible!" **he growled once more as his attention shifted back to the blonde. **"I'd love to see you live the life he's lived and still come out like he has! You don't know the horrors of being an orphan, the instinct to fight to live another day, the disdain from the people you were protecting, the denial of basic living rights, constant sabotage in his education, the scapegoat of every crime, hunted down for holding something that was out of your control in having, the need to fight for _simply existing_!" **he yelled at the end as he'd never spoken with so much conviction since the stand-off with Obito.

"**He is fifty-times the person you'll ever be and if _anyone_ deserves the chance to act childlike, idiotic and downright crazy... it's Naruto. Remember this... he's gone through everything I've just told you and he hasn't lived to see his twentieth birthday yet. What's your excuse?" **Kurama finished as the crimson eyes soon faded back into their usual blue. The atmosphere in the room was sullen as everyone let those words sink in with different reactions.

Yamato looked at Naruto with nothing short of respect for the man in front of him. Yamato knew that when it came to tactics and strategies, he was hard pressed when he faced him and would seriously give him a run for his money. Yamato admitted he had made promises for his own ideals and that it was time to take steps to achieve them like Naruto did.

Captain looked on with pride in his eyes. He knew Naruto was just like him in many aspects in going so far to ensure that everyone else was well off before he thought about looking out for himself. To go out of his way and have such a profound effect on his, Yamato's, Gakuto's, Momoyo's, Miyako's and Kazuko's lives spoke wonders for how well-received he was with them.

Gakuto smiled as he listened to the story told by Kurama. Sure, he wasn't as well connected to Naruto as most of the others but it never stopped the blond from talking with him and listening to him when he had problems of his own. He remembered when Naruto began teaching him taijutsu and drove him into the ground when they first sparred but it edged him on to get better and one day be able to go twenty minutes with Naruto in a fist-to-fist spar.

Moro simply sat in silence next to him as he pondered on Kurama's words.

Yukie bowed her head in respect for her senpai, not realizing that such a life was possible to live. She still wanted to have a spar with him but she would respect him as she resolved to make a friend in the blond jinchuriki in front of her.

Momoyo's respect for Naruto bumped up massively (if it was possible) for having to deal with all that shit. She was also impressed to find out that he had managed to gain the complete trust of the Kurama after finding out how he treated him initially. It also made her realize how much of a diamond he was for having such a strong will and never going back on his word... a trait which she admired in a man and Naruto had that in spades.

Miyako could only listen on with tears in her eyes as she tried to compare how his life was to hers yet she saw just how well he was able to interact with others and draw them close to him with his personality. She resolved that she would make it up to him in showing him affection that he clearly lacked when he was a child, or a teen for that matter.

Kazuko stared at her brother with a look that bordered on respect, inspiration and... love? She took a moment to sort out her feelings for him when the last feeling cropped up, not realizing that she was developing true feelings of love for him. She thought back to the moment they first met and every moment the two of them had together. She smiled warmly at the memories of him always dotting about her and caring for her when she cried... also blushing when she realized she was the first person to see sides of him that she didn't let anyone else know about...

_==Flashback – WARNING, LIME SCENE!==_

_A pair of thirteen year old could be seen running across the muddy field, ducking and weaving through the bushes that impeded their course as they continued to run through the wooded forest that the two of them were caught in. To make matters worse, the weather reports said that today would be one of the worst storms Kawakami would've had in over fifteen years._

_Naruto and Kazuko never got the memo._

"_Onii-chan! Over here!" Kazuko yelled out, pointing towards a cave that was etched into the side of a cliff. Naruto looked a little dubious but realized that they needed food, fire and needed to desperately get out of their wet clothes to avoid pneumonia. Decided to forego caution, he nodded as he let her guide him into the cave to wait till the storm passed over. The two of them panted for breath as the redhead collapsed on her back, not minding the state of the cave._

"_O-Okay..." Naruto panted, "We need something to eat, we need a fire and we need a way to dry ourselves and warm ourselves up." he recalled. Having been denied the basics back home, he had resorted to hunting in the nearby forests for wildlife, berries and plants. He'd often forego dairy until the merchants came through as they held no grudge against him and let him pay normal prices._

"_H-Hai!" Kazuko nodded as she took a deep breath before making her way to her feet. She turned to find wood, dry grass and paper nearby and began rearranging them into a pile to set alight. Naruto had already ran back out into the rain as he tried killing animals for the two of them to eat. It hadn't taken long as he returned with a dead rabbit and a few fish from the local stream. On his back, tied to a piece of blue rope he found on the ground, was a bunch of large leaves that dragged behind him on the ground. (Think really big leaves like those off survival shows.)_

"_I've got us something to eat. It's not much but it'll do for now, nee-chan." he sighed as he began skinning the rabbit with the kunai he used to strike the final blow. Kazuko couldn't stomach the sight of her brother skinning an animal so she turned away to keep the fire going as she huddled closer for warmth. "Done."_

_Kazuko looked back to find Naruto placing the meat and fish on sticks and placed them on the fire before moving over to her and placing a few on the floor for the two of them to sit on. "Kazu-nee, we need to... take our clothes off if we want to get warm. The longer we stay in our clothes, the higher the chance we could catch pneumonia." he explained, having learned some hunting basics from his sensei. He was slowly entering puberty so he couldn't help but blush when he suggested it as he knew that he would be naked to an equally naked girl. He turned to face her to retract his statement..._

_He was blushing the same shade as her hair when he watched her gracefully remove herself of her wet clothing, leaving them neatly laid out by the fire to dry. She turned around to find Naruto's blue eyes resting on her naked body, only now realizing that she was revealing herself to him as she tried closing herself in embarrassment. Her long red hair was currently clamped together as it took a darker shade of red from the rain, letting it stick to her face and her back. Her budding B-cup breasts were starting to show, her lightly-tanned skin contrasting against the light pink nipples. He could see there were no blemishes on her skin and very little baby fat. He lowered his gaze to her sacred spot, noting a small tuft of hair that nested just above her nether lips, which were being pushed together in an attempt to hide herself._

_Naruto gulped for a moment as he felt his mouth and throat dry up suddenly as his eyes roamed her body as his curiosity of seeing a real-life girl's body for the first time was completely different to the magazines he saw when researching for his Oroike no Jutsu. Deciding it was only fair to return the gesture, he began taking off his baggy orange jumpsuit and boxers. It was a few minutes later that Naruto joined Kazuko in wearing his birthday suit and couldn't help blush as he felt her eyes take him in like he did just now._

_She was curious as well about a boy's anatomy as she knew the differences between a boy and a girl. Seeing one in person, from her brother-figure no less, was something else entirely. She gazed at his blue eyes as they shone through the soaked mop of blond hair as it stuck to his face and neck. She glanced down to his torso and admired that he was much fitter than most boys her age were; his muscles were a perfect balance between power and speed, giving him a figure most guys would kill for._

_Her blush intensified to sub-atomic levels as she glanced towards his member, noting that it was currently pointing upwards. She didn't often listen into girly conversations but she overheard that most guys were normally small around this age but Naruto..._

_He shivered as he watched her lick her lips absent-mindedly as the two caught each other's gaze when blue met amber. They didn't register that their bodies moved closer to one another or that their hormones were slowly overriding their functions but the two of them found themselves gazing at the illuminated faces of the other before their eyes darted to their lips..._

_The two pushed forward as their lips met in a chaste kiss before they both jerked back. Both of them let themselves compose themselves as they let the kiss sink in before Kazuko took initiative and engaged another kiss with him as their bodies moved closer until they both found themselves lying on the leaves in a passionate embrace. Being curious teenagers about the throes of love and exploring each other's bodies, they both looked at each other with an understanding look in their eyes._

"_Onii-chan..." she whispered, "C-Can I...?" she trailed off as she slowly took him in her hand as she rubbed her hand up and down slowly. "I-I... I won't mind i-if..." she stuttered furiously as she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. However, she didn't need to as he found his hand exploring her body. She shivered as his hands ghosted other her breasts and gently kneaded them, sending pleasant shivers down her back as she moaned into the kiss. She was hesitant but soon let her curious side free as she soon deepened the kiss between them, letting her hand pump him with a bit more force._

"_K-Kazu-chan..." Naruto breathed out as he felt a stirring in his stomach as he felt her soft hand slowly move over his shaft, sending him light-headed as the two broke the kiss. "A-Are you s-sure you-" he began before she slowly kissed him as an interruption._

"_I want to, onii-chan." she whispered as she slowly moved her hand to guide him in between her thighs, allowing her to rub herself on him. "Ahn... s-so hot..." she moaned as her hips slowly rocked back and for as she felt the heat amplify through her stomach. Naruto couldn't form any rational thoughts as he tried to commit to memory the feel of her nether lips rubbing on his shaft, feeling her leaking her juices onto him as she moved faster. _

"_O-Onii-chan...!" Kazuko panted as small throaty moans escaped her throat when she felt one of his hands dipping down to where the two were rubbing as a finger slowly worked up and down her slit before taking the plunge and inserting a finger inside her. She gasped loudly as she felt his finger exploring her insides as she felt a coil begin to quickly tighten in her stomach. She felt another finger brush against something on the outside but it was all that was needed as she latched on to Naruto's lips with her own as she screamed inside his mouth, ejaculating on his shaft in between her legs. It started a chain reaction as Naruto groaned back as her hand quickened to finish him off as he felt something escape from him and land on her thighs and nether lips. The two continued kissing as they both travelled back down from their highs before they broke for much needed air._

"_Onii-chan..." she whispered as she dipped her hand down her legs to pick up some of his seed as she looked at it in wonder. She slowly sniffed it a few times as her dog-ears came into view before she placed the finger in her mouth. She scrunched her face as she tried to figure out the taste before her eyes widened in realization. "Ramen!" she beamed as she picked up another bit and placed in her mouth before moaning at the taste. She turned to him to find his eyes glazed over as a drop of blood appeared from under his nose. "Hawawawa! Onii-chan!" she yelled, snapping him back to reality._

"_That... was incredible..." he whispered as he looked down to look at his juice-soaked tool before deciding to follow her suit as he wiped off some of the juice with his finger before placing it in his mouth. She looked stunned that he would copy her and soon became self-conscious as her blush returned in full force. "Haaaa... berries?" he wondered._

"_I-I... eat a lot of berries..." she shyly replied as she watched his smile widen as he took another scoop and placed in his mouth._

"_It's really sweet, it's... nice." he beamed at her, making her smile a little as well as she just realized she had a romantic moment with Naruto. She was curious as to how it felt but she could say it was a nice feeling._

_'It was much better because it was Naruto-nii.' she thought to herself as she giggled cutely as the two ran outside into the rain for a makeshift shower for the two of them as they found themselves taking a repeat performance..._

_==End Flashback – Lime Scene Over!==_

While Kazuko was reminiscing with a massive blush on her face, Chris remained in the same position as she let his words sink in. She was initially scared that Naruto had a sentient being inside of him but she could feel that he wasn't lying. She continued to replay the words inside her head as she had a glimpse into the kind of life he must've lived. To hear it from someone who once loathed him and had been there through it all was a bit too much for her as silent sobs broke from her throat as she cried for everything she said to him. She still didn't like it but it was those tactics in which he had to use just to live. Not nicely or in comfort... just _live_.

"Gomennasai." she whispered as she bowed in dogma. "Gomennasai, gomennasai, gomennasai." she repeated as her forehead touched the floor. She was expecting some kind of harsh response but she felt a hand gently cup her chin, forcing her to look her fellow blond in the eyes as blue met with blue.

"It's alright. Mine's a story not many would believe so I don't blame you, neither do I hold it against you." Naruto smiled as she hiccuped with a smile as she softly rubbed her tears from her face. "Sorry guys but d'you mind if I grab a nap? Feel a little exhausted." he asked, getting smiles from everyone else as Naruto made his way over to the couch that Kazuko and Miyako sat on. Taking his place in between the two girls, he leaned his head back before feeling himself being pulled to his right and onto Miyako's shoulder. She allowed herself to rest her head on top of his while Kazuko snuggled under his right arm as the two Uzumaki dozed off to sleep.

Miyako glanced downwards to the sleeping face of Naruto as she slowly used her free hand to idly trace his whisker marks, winning a low purr which made her smile at him. _'Naru-koi's whiskers are sensitive. Note to self!' _she inwardly smirked as she filed that piece of information away for a later date.

* * *

_**So, chapter three up and posted! I know that most of you may be a little skeptical about the flashback but even though Kazuko is completely innocent in the anime and... a klutz... she does have a natural curiosity with the opposite sex. The combination of her being curious and oblivious to her effects on him adds a little bit of light-relief between the two.**_

_**Anyway, next chapter is up as well so continue reading! Don't forget to F&amp;F and leave a review or two! :)**_


	4. Starlight and Lavenders

_**This is the second of the double-chapter upload and it'll mainly be a deep delve into the progress of Naruto and Miyako's relationship with one another. Most of you had probably guessed that she'd be one of the girls he'd be involved in and it seems such a great pairing because the two of them have common background in being bullied for something out of their control and being denied an existence because of it.**_

_**This story isn't so much as the story of Naruto in Kawakami but more of a story about his development in character. He's discovering new feelings for himself that he's neglected in fighting for so long and he's trying to fulfil those desires he's suppressed for the benefit of everyone else.**_

_**So yeah, this chapter will have a lot of NaruxMiya involved and it will be a bit mushy but it'll be the start of Naruto finding that crucial answer he asked himself in the beginning. Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter.**_

_**(Also, I have a plot twist going on and it'll **_**definitely ****_surprise [and possibly upset] a lot of you but... it's my story.) ;)_**

Speech: "I will not stand down!"

__Thoughts: 'I will never give up!'__

__Whispering/Inward Speaking: "I need your help, Kurama..."__

****Kurama: "I will lend you my strength!"****

**_**Kurama's Thoughts: 'Show them our power, Naruto!'**_**

**_**Kurama Inwardly Speaking/Loud Voices: "Now!"**_**

**Techniques: ****_**"Bijudama!"**_**

**Non-Speech text: ******Incoming Message****

* * *

**Wandering Kitsune**

* * *

Starlight and Lavenders

Slowly fluttering his eyes open to the waking world once more, Naruto let loose a suppressed yawn as he took a deep breath through his nose. He immediately recognized the familiar scent of lavender and windflower (a local blue and grey flower that looked similar to a rose) as he glanced upwards to the peacefully sleeping face of Miyako. He pieced together that his head must've slipped from her shoulder while he slept as he found himself neatly in her lap with her impressive D-cupped breasts hiding some of her facial features. Glancing around the room, he noticed that everyone else had already gone home as his eyes caught a note on the table. Channelling chakra to his eyes, he could just make out the note:

"_Rest of us headed home. Left keys for you if you wanted to stay here for tonight. Yamato. :) "_

Allowing himself a relaxing sigh, he moved his head back down into the lavenderette's lap as he took a quick glance at the unfamiliar weight underneath his right arm, only to find that Kazuko was still asleep. Reaching out, his hands found a certain spot on her head and began to scratch, watching in fascination as her dog-like features came into view. Her ears drooped in contentment as he continued scratching her scalp as he felt the small wags of her red-furred tail thump repeatedly into his right leg.

Deciding he was too comfortable to want to move, he took the time to gather his thoughts on how things had gone since he arrived here a little over a week ago. It was amazing to finally catch up with the rest of his friends here and made a few new ones. He sighed tiredly as he realized that he had been choosing to hang out with some people more than others and wanted to rectify that. The thought soon passed as he thought about his current predicament as he continued to lie there.

"_Kurama? You awake?" _Naruto inwardly asked his tenant. He heard a slow grumbling sound, the tell-tale sign of him waking up, before the fox grunted in slight annoyance.

"_**What seems to be on your mind?" **_Kurama reply, stretching his muscles before lying down with his head rested upon his paws.

"_I'm just thinking about a few things and I wanted your opinion on some of them." _he replied, getting a inward nod from the fox as a sign to continue. "_Have you ever noticed that there seemed to be something... I dunno, missing?" _he asked. Kurama's ears picked up as he had an inkling where this topic was heading.

"_**Explain."**_

"_Well... think about it for a moment, what have I gone through up till now since graduating? Dealing with the mission to Nami no Kuni, the Chunin Exams and the invasion from Orochimaru and Suna, Jiji's death and the mission to retrieve Tsunade to take up the role of the Godaime, the training gap with Jiraiya-"_

"_**The brief trip over here thanks to the hermit and that little **_**incident ****_with that dog-girl of yours." _**Kurama smirked, getting a pout from his container as he began laughing at the teasing. "_**Anyway, I already know what you've been through so please get to the point."** _he sighed tiredly.

"_I've accomplished so much when it comes to fighting but... why is there the feeling that something's missing? What is that small piece of me which I can't seem to pinpoint that'll give me an inkling on what I want to do with my life? What's wrong with me, Kurama?" _he quietly asked as he let himself bury his face into Miyako's lap, hiding the tears that threatened to escape.

Kurama sighed tiredly as he closed his eyes in deep thought. He couldn't blame him for not recognizing the glaringly obvious problem that's slapping him in the face but he couldn't help but be annoyed that Naruto was so damn _oblivious _to feelings that he's unsuspectingly closed off. Then again, having most of his teachers being perverts and his violent team-mate constantly berating him for every suggestion of romance he made, he wasn't that much surprised to discovered that that Sakura person had literally beaten the fear of women into him. Oh, Kurama _knew _what it was that was bothering him but he wanted Naruto to come to the answer himself instead of having the solution been given to him.

"_**Answer me honestly, Naruto: how many times have you thought about what you wanted for yourself?" **_Kurama asked, earning silence from Naruto as he took the time to try and answer this question. "**_The problem is that you've become so ingrained into putting others first that you've pushed yourself and your own emotions on the back burner."_**

"_W-Wait, what?" _he asked, slightly surprised as he soon came to the same conclusion as Kurama did.

"_**I see you finally understand. You've disregarded what **_**you ****_wanted for yourself and you haven't the faintest idea what you want now you have a chance to explore yourself. You've already proven that you've gotten the acknowledgement from the villagers for your duties. What about the acknowledgement for being _you_?" _**he asked once more, getting complete silence as Naruto took the words in slowly. _**"Since you've been dealing with all you've been through, you've completely detached yourself from any form of companionship and romance. You knew that you'd never be accepted romantically by the ningen back in Konoha and you're feeling like you're unloveable. I'm not far off, am I?" **_Kurama softly asked, showing concern for his container.

"_... yeah." _Naruto sighed heavily as the reason soon smashed into him like bricks. Now that he thought deeply about it, he never saw anyone in a romantic light because of the combined efforts of his childhood treatment and the fact that he was scared to deal with several past experiences that shunted his emotional growth.

"_**I'm not forcing you to go out and... 'get laid'... but are you so oblivious to the fact that there's two women who'll never shun you, never berate you and never abandon you because they know how it feels in certain regards to your life. Kazuko and you are linked together because both of you had no family to rely on, which is why you two chose to become adopted siblings. You've also got Miyako who's gone through the exact same pain for being shunned by everyone for something out of her control." **_Kurama continued explaining to him as he could see the thoughts having a deep impact on his emotional state as Kurama noticed a slight shift in the atmosphere.

Naruto's mindscape was a visual representation of three things: experiences, strength of will and the visualization of his emotional state. He had managed to control his mind to a certain extent to be able to reshape the previous jail-like sewers into this natural piece of beauty. Despite what form it should take, however, there was always a door that was tightly shut. It was this door that contained all his memories, those he can remember, those he can't and those he's repressed to avoid breaking down. Currently, it was hidden just behind the cascading waterfall a few yards away from Kurama's den.

"_**You're afraid that if you tried to reach out to someone, they'll act just like the villagers once did and reject you. Only, it'd hurt much more because it was someone you thought you could trust, right?" **_he continued, sensing the shift much more prominently now.

"_Am... am I really that broken, Kurama?" _Naruto whispered, not trusting his voice right now. However, he didn't realize he had spoken out loud as Miyako woke up from her position, only to notice that Naruto was currently crying in her lap while muttering something softly to himself...

Or Kurama.

"_Have I really been so emotionally broken that I can't even show feelings to someone I know would never betray my trust, despite the fact I don't deserve her?" _he sobbed, not being capable of holding his tears back any more before he found himself being hauled up to a soft pair of breasts. He felt a hand brush through his golden blond hair as Miyako whispered comforting words into his ear.

"_**Naruto... tell her. Tell her how you feel and tell her how much she means to you. She's waited for so long for you to finally reproach her feelings for you and has remained undyingly loyal to you and you alone." **_Kurama smiled wistfully as he sensed how much of a calming presence the lavenderette was having on him. **_"Don't you think she deserves that, at least, from you?" _**he finished as he closed the connection. He could've stayed longer but he knew that Naruto needed to confront Miyako and finally start moving past the barrier that had been placed up for so many years. Closing his eyes once more, his parting thoughts went to that of his container, wishing him luck in finding something with Miyako that will eventually lead to love...

Something Kurama _knew _he deserved more than anything else.

Miyako softly brushed her fingers through his hair in a comforting manner before she felt him shift out of her grasp, allowing her to fully look at his tear-streaked face and his broken sapphire eyes that dulled considerably. Knowing that look from several times before, she wordlessly motioned him to follow her. Naruto agreed, using a Kawarimi with the clone that appeared to keep Kazuko company if she woke up from the sudden shift. Already knowing what the original wanted, the clone nodded dutifully before the pair made their way up to the rooftop.

The roof itself was nondescript as discarded boxes littered the rooftop, leaving a large space for the two of them to walk on. Turning behind the fire-exit door, the two began climbing up the small platforms before finding themselves sitting at the peak of the complex. Miyako quietly sat next to Naruto as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder, allowing herself contact with him. She inwardly smiled as she felt his right arm droop over her lithe waist in response as they took a few moments to stargaze and admire the city as it shone in bright lights.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she softly asked, laying her head on his shoulder. "You were crying... you've never cried to me before."

"I..." he began, giving himself a moment to gather his erratic thoughts before pushing himself forwards. "I don't think I've told you the real reason why I came back, did I?" he asked, earning a subtle shake from her. "I've reached a point where I'm trying to find some purpose in my life." he sighed tiredly, allowing his mental age to crack through his dulled blue eyes.

"I've been fighting for so long that I've become desensitized to my own feelings and so afraid to confront my emotions, it's... really pathetic of me." he depreciatively chuckled to himself, feeling her arms tighten around him for support.

"I don't think so, Naru-kun." she softly replied, taking the chance to stare lovingly into his eyes. "You've dealt with things that most people would only hear about in myths and legends. You've had to prioritize your training just to be able to keep up with the Akatsuki chasing you constantly, I can somewhat understand how you feel but..." she trailed off as she moved positions so that she was kneeling in front of him, her arms now wrapped around his neck.

"_Is that all that's bothering you?" _she whispered. Naruto's breath hitched in his throat as he found himself mesmerized by how she looked with the moonlight glowing off her face, leaving her eyes sparkle with a look he often dreamt about he would one day receive from someone he cared about.

"_Miyako-chan..."_ he whispered, finding his breath quickening as he continued to gaze at her. She blushed slightly, contrasting nicely with her creamy skin as she leaned closer into his face. She rested her forehead on his as she lost herself in those broken eyes, finding a glint of hope as she wrapped her arms tighter around him.

"_I know how much it hurts... the pain of rejection, the pain of not being acknowledged, no-one even wanting to know that you exist..." _she shuddered as tears began forming on the corners of her eyes. _"The pain of thinking that there will never be anyone who would love you, despite what you've done to impress others. I know that feeling, Naru-kun... more than you know." _she continued, allowing the first few tears to fall.

"_I've promised myself the day we first met that you would always hold a piece of my heart for simply being there and acknowledging that I existed. You took the time to know me better and made sure that I was comfortable with you... I can never thank you enough for saving me from that hell." _she half-whispered, half-cried. _"I can't imagine anyone else doing what you've done for me and I can't imagine myself falling in love with anyone else except for you, Naruto-kun. Please..." _she whispered sweetly as her lips hovered above his own, allowing them the lightest of touches.

"_Let me experience what it means to be in love."_

She closed the rest of the distance between them as her eyes fluttered close, relishing in the feeling that after _thirteen years _of patiently waiting, she was finally kissing Naruto. She waited as they held the kiss there before she felt him react to her and began kissing her back. One of his arms slipped around her waist, pulling her into him as her breasts crashed up against his torso, while his other hand began running through her soft hair. The smell of lavender and windflower assaulting his nose once again as the two slowly deepened the kiss.

Soft gasps escaped her lips as she felt him softly pull her bottom lip while she moved her hands from his neck and back into his golden mane of hair, allowing the blond spikes to slip effortlessly through her fingers. She gasped once more as she felt his tongue lick the ridges of her teeth, asking permission to meet hers halfway. She soon acquiesced with his request as they both began intertwining their tongues together, relishing in the taste of each other's mouths.

Naruto found himself entranced by her natural scent while mixed with her pheromones, sending him into a sense of curiosity as his hands travelled downwards to her firm rear, pulling her on top of his lap. She moved with him, moaning into his mouth when he gently squeezed her behind, as they pulled apart for air. Both of them looked at each other as blue lost themselves in amethyst.

"_Miyako-chan..."_ he whispered as he began committing to memory the natural beauty currently sitting in his lap, _"I... I love you." _he shuddered. Her eyes lit up in pure, unbridled joy as the three words she dreamed she'd hear from him finally became a reality. With a tear-filled smile, she pulled him close into her as she leaned into his ear.

"_I love you too, Naru-koi." _she whispered lovingly before slowly nibbling on his ear lobe, sending tingles of pleasure down his spine as she continued her administrations. While she caressed his ear, he began running his hands up the front of her shirt before stopping short before reaching her breasts. She understood his hesitation but she needed him to know that she was comfortable with whatever he did; grabbing his hands in hers before placing them firmly on her breasts. She gave a squeeze for initiative, hoping he'd get the message.

The loud moan that escaped her throat signalled that he took her suggestion to heart, smiling at him as she began placing butterfly kisses down his jugular vein, leaving him shivering every time her lips met his skin. She gasped into his neck when she felt his hands slip underneath her skirt and began rubbing her inner thighs. She wasn't a stranger when it comes to masturbation but she already knew that the warmth in her stomach was _much _hotter than usual as his fingertips brushed against the edge of her underwear, sending shivers down her back as she gently bit into his neck before licking the bite mark.

"_Miyako-chan..." _he panted as he felt his arousal hit him at full force, earning a sexy giggle from her as her hips slowly moved to accommodate the thing poking at her core. _"A-Ahh!" _he gasped as he felt himself harden from her grinding against his member.

"_Ahn... Naru-koi!" _she gasped as she felt her underwear dampen from her own administrations when she felt him pull her in for another kiss, no hesitation as their tongues met in the middle and intertwined with each other once more.

Being relatively new to the experience of foreplay, it didn't take long before Miyako muffled a scream into his mouth as she stabbed herself with his member while she rode out her first orgasm (that wasn't self-induced), clinging to his body like a lifeline as they continued to kiss. It caused a domino effect as Naruto grunted before he found himself releasing into his boxers, breathing quickly through his nose to make up for the sudden loss of breath. The two pulled apart when they realized they needed desperate air, panting heavily as a sheen of sweat coated their bodies as they remained locked in the embrace.

"_Thank you, Naru-koi." _she sighed happily as she softly kiss his love-bite, allowing her tongue to gently lick it before the two of them separated from each other. Not wanting to lose total contact, she kept one of her hands interlocked with his before Naruto's eyes returned to the vibrant blue she had fallen for so many times before.

"_Thanks as well for accepting me, Miyako-chan... I've been so afraid that I'd never find someone I could love and have them love me back as well. The fact that you do is... just... ah! I can't explain how amazing it feels!" _he replied, earning a giggle before he joined in and chuckled softly. "Now, we need a shower." he prompted.

"Ah, Wanko." she replied, nodding as she remembered that Kazuko's sense of smell was more than likely capable of picking up their pheromones. Naruto nodded as he pulled her into him once more before the pair vanished in a burst of white and purple.

* * *

**_**WK**_**

* * *

Kazuko slowly stirred awake, allowing herself to stretch out the kinks in her body before snuggling back down into the warmth of the body she was sleeping on.

"Huh?" she spoke up, confused.

"Oh? You're awake, are you?" a familiar voice called out as Kazuko found her ears being scratched once again, sending her tail softly wagging once again. "How did you sleep, Kazu-nee?" he asked, earning a sleepy smile from the redhead.

"You're really warm..." she trailed off before she found herself in the land of dreams once more. The clone smiled warmly as a clone poofed into existence next to him. With a nod, the first clone softly picked the redhead up bridal style, feeling her snuggle deeply into his neck and chest, before they disappeared in a red and white flash. The remaining clone made his way around the room, cleaning up the mess and locking the building behind him before heading to give boss the keys.

* * *

**_**WK**_**

* * *

As soon as they said their good-nights, Miyako slowly closed the door to the room before she found herself lunging for her futon as she wrestled with the pillow. She laughed, not giggle or chuckle... she full-heartedly laughed as she recalled what happened moments ago with her life-long crush. Snuggling herself into the pillow, she couldn't help the feeling as her heart leapt inside her while her stomach had butterflies whenever she thought back to the kisses she shared with Naruto.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto!" she sang as she continued to roll across the floor of her room, imagining that she was still holding her charming blond in her arms. When she did finally settle down, she took some time to remember everything that had happened today, namely what happened since they all arrived at the hideout. She still didn't forgive Chris for her harsh words but, then again, she was against having her inducted as a member of the Kazama Family because of the statement she made against it.

_==Flashback==_

"_What meaning does this place hold?"_

_Everyone stopped what they were doing as soon as the words left the blonde's mouth. Up till now they've all been showing Chris and Yukie around their Hideout (sans Yamato as he was speaking with Yukie up till a few moments ago on the roof), showing her the various collections of manga, anime and facilities they've all brought here. Everyone had a part of themselves in this small space and it reminded them of a place they could all go to that always means something special to them._

"_If you want to play, you can do such at home. I don't understand why we need to gather at a place like this." she continued. "At the very least, it's not a constructive effort and seems rather childish."_

"_Stop it, Chris." Yamato firmly rebutted, feeling offended by her choice of words. It seems he wasn't the only one as everyone's eyes narrowed._

"_It is my honest opinion, Yamato Naoe." she replied haughtily. "An abandoned building such as this should be demolished for something else to take its place."_

"_You can go die."_

_Everyone's heads whipped round to find that Miyako had shifted from her seat and was now glaring dangerously at the young Friedrich. Even Chris had a surprised look on her face as Miyako continued to walk closer to her._

"_How dare you." she whispered, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!" she yelled, her eyes dilated to an extreme degree as she spat at the blonde's careless words._

"_Miyako, stop!" Yamato yelled, quickly moving on her position to avoid any physical conflict. He didn't even blink before he found Momoyo wrapping her arms around her, restraining her. Miyako struggled fruitlessly against her temporary prison as she glared vehemently at Chris._

"_You don't understand! This place, this atmosphere... you don't understand how important this is!" she raged on, earning a confused mutter from Chris as she jumped at the sudden outburst at the usually calm lavenderette. She turned to the others with a stern gaze. "_This _is why I didn't want her to join!" she yelled before turning her attention back to Chris. "They should destroy the place? Who the fuck do you think you are, saying that in front of everyone?"_

_Eyes widened and jaws dropped as they registered Miyako actually cussing at Chris. They knew instantly that she wasn't going to stop before she ripped into Chris a bit more._

"_M-Miyako-san, p-please listen to me..." she tried to placate._

"_Go home! You're not a friend of mine!" she snapped._

"_Miyako, that's enough!" Yamato yelled, running up to her and pulling her into a hug. "I need you to calm down, Miyako." he softly whispered._

"_Yamato... she insulted this place! I can't forgive her!" she replied, slightly calmer than what she was as she rested her shoulder on his. It wasn't an act of closeness but more of comfort as she needed someone to vent on since her usual confidant wasn't here. Yamato simply held her tighter in response, wishing that Naruto was here instead as he was the only one who could calm her down efficiently enough. It soon turned into a stunned silence before her sobs began breaking the atmosphere, crying for her Naruto-kun to be here. Everyone looked on in sympathy as they all could do with his calming presence here right now._

"_W-What offended you? I said something that was right..." she stammered, feeling slightly guilty but not understanding what she had done wrong._

"_D'you really believe that?" Takuya spoke up for the first time since the ordeal. A small nod from the blonde was all he needed as he put on an uncaring smile. "Then I guess this is goodbye. I'm sorry we couldn't be friends. Take care as you head home and we'll see you in school!" he smiled, everyone knowing it was faked. Yamato's eyes widened as he knew that he was just as pissed as Miyako._

"_W-W-What?" Chris stammered as she caught the looks of everyone else there, noticing the disappointed looks in their eyes. Momoyo sighed as she said their unspoken thoughts._

"_Kri, you're annoying." she started. "You say it's meaningless and non-constructive but they're all by _your _standards. We're not here for a reason, we're here because we want to be. We won't stop regardless of who tells us." she finished, looking down on her._

"_But I just-"_

"_Shut up, Chris. Don't you realize you're in the wrong here?" Yamato piped back up as he continued holding a whimpering Miyako in his arms._

"_W-Wrong? Are you saying I'm evil!?" she retorted back, visibly offended by the accusation._

"_Yeah! Can't you read the atmosphere right now?" Yamato incredulously asked._

"_It's true they're my standards but I know that people would share my sentiments as well! Pray tell why this leads to the deduction that I am evil?" she asked in response._

"_You're too stubborn. Oh well, this is a good opportunity to reflect on your behaviour and your actions." he replied calmly._

"_I don't want you preaching to me. This is a good opportunity so I'll say this as well... everything you do is good if you call it tactics and such but... you're just cheap." she retorted._

"_Yeah, so? I'm cheap, sly and unfair. You may condone me but no one else here does; that's the only praise for me. Even so, I can't claim I'm the best as I know that Naruto's practically second-natured to those things for his line of work." he explained, watching with a smile how much happier people sounded at the mere mention of his name. "I do what I can to win."_

"_How disposable of you to assert pride in that fact." Chris barbed back._

"_Kri, Yamato's only doing this to make sure none of us gets hurt. True, he can be cheap but he's always got our interests as his driving focus." Momoyo intervened, getting tired of the argument. "It's a trait he's gotten from Naru-chan."_

"_Huh? Who's this Naruto person you're all on about?" Chris asked, slightly confused and curious at the same time._

"_'Those who abandons the rules are trash. Those who abandons their friends are worse than trash.'" Kazuko spoke up, completely serious as she folded her arms. Everyone had to double-take at her tone, noticing it had the similar edge Naruto would use when explaining something important. "Even though he isn't here, Naruto-nii is as much of the family as everyone else is. He took me in when I had no family, made friends with Miyako when she was being bullied, stayed with Yamato and Captain when they had no-one to turn to, became a motivation for Momo-senpai to get stronger." she explained with a fond smile on her face. "He's suffered far worse than all of us combined yet he proves himself to his friends by giving up his own needs to make sure that we're content and that we're better off, even if it means he goes without or he places himself in harm's way for us." she finished strongly. Everyone couldn't keep the smiles off their faces as they let their minds trail off to when they interacted with the Konoha jinchuriki. None of them notice the German transfer student leave the room in deep reflection on her actions._

_==End Flashback==_

Pushing those thoughts aside, she recalled just how broken he was when she found him crying in her lap. That was what threw her off the most; the one person who had been her rock over the last thirteen years, seeing him break down with his own problems was shocking but also humbling. Not in a harsh manner but... she was glad he had that moment of weakness because it lead to one of... no, the _greatest _moment of her life so far.

Allowing herself to diverge herself of her clothing, she slipped into her futon as she still felt the warmth in her stomach from when she rubbed herself against him earlier. Letting that warmth spread throughout her body, she fell into one of the best sleeps she had in a long time.

* * *

**_**WK**_**

* * *

Naruto had just received the keys from the clone of his clone as the two of them dispelled, giving Naruto the feedback from locking up the hideout and taking Kazuko back to a smiling Tesshin as he greeted him with a grandfatherly smile.

He couldn't begin to explain how happy he felt right now. He could only describe the feeling to having a large weight lifted off his shoulders but also... feeling something within him which he didn't notice he was missing until now.

"_**Bah! I wouldn't have told you if you were gonna get all soppy on me!" **_Kurama groaned in protest from listening to the blond's thoughts.

"_I really don't care, right now. Before you say, I don't mean it like I'm not caring for your preferences but I just feel amazing!" _he beamed with a foxy smile. Kurama sighed tiredly before Naruto felt a grin appear on the Kyuubi's face.

"_**Heh, I suppose I'll let this slide... this time. I must admit it's nice to see your childish side for the first time in so many years." **_the fox admitted. Naruto quickly sat down in a meditative position as he allowed Kurama to pull him into his mindscape, sitting in front of the nine-tailed fox as it huddled up by the fire.

"Heh, I do owe you one." he grinned before the grin toned down to a heartfelt smile. "Really... thank you, Kurama." he bowed his head. Kurama tilted his head in response before he decided to tell Naruto the real reason he wanted to meet with him face to face.

"**Now I should tell you that now you have reclaimed my Yin portion of youkai, it should be possible for you to finally complete your transformation into my original state. The chakra haves have finally merged together and you should be able to access your..." **he trailed off. Naruto looked up in alarm as he wondered if he imagined the last bit of what he said was true.

"Say that again?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"**You'll be able to access your hanyou form!" **he yelled in slight embarrassment. **"It means you'll essentially copy that Kazuko's traits with the ears and tails."**

"Wait... _tails_?" Naruto asked, not quite getting his words.

"**Yes, _tails_! With your current chakra levels, mine not included, you're easily on the same level as Son Goku." **he regrettably explained. Naruto took a few moments before deciding on whether or not this form would be worth the hassle...

Oh yeah, they celebrated Halloween over here, didn't they?

"I'll try it at my own discretion." he replied, getting a thankful sigh from Kurama. "That all? Need any alterations to this place?" he asked.

"**No, I'm fine for now. Naruto?" **Kurama called out before his container left. He saw the blond mop of hair turn around to face him, expecting him to say something. **"Any preferable positions you wanna imagine yourself with that vixen of yours tonight?"**

"Damare yo, ero baka-kitsune!" Naruto called out, giving Kurama the finger before he left his mindscape. Kurama chuckled to himself before lying his head back down on his paws.

_**'You deserve the happiness Naruto. Never let her go...' **_he thought to himself before settling down to sleep.

Now returning to his main body, Naruto stretched himself before making his way towards the 'crash pad' and collapsing on top of it. He tried to make himself comfortable before he realized that it didn't feel half as comfortable as he did when he was next to Miyako. Sighing to himself, he unsealed his phone and began texting her.

**Miyako-chan, you still awake?**

He sighed as he hit the send message button, slightly cursing himself for acting so... soppy? He couldn't really blame himself as it was still uncharted territory for him when it came to actually being in a relationship with someone. He heard a buzz from his phone as he received a text, opening it to check who it was from.

**Hai, Naru-koi. What's wrong? :/**

**I was wondering... I can't sleep so would you want to come downstairs for a bit? :)**

**Sure! Lemme get dressed and I'll be down now... unless you prefer me naked? ;) xx**

Naruto couldn't stop the blush rising to his face and the violent coughing fit she sent him into after his mind began imagining what Miyako would look like without any clothes on. It was at that moment he remembered one _very _important fact...

_He _was the 'Prankster King of Konoha'!

**I certainly won't complain! D'you want me to follow suit, Miyako-hime? ;) xx**

He couldn't help but snicker loudly as he heard the subtle sounds of banging upstairs. He deducted it to being one of two possibilities...

Blood-propelled rocket into wall or her jumping over the bannister onto the ground floor.

"Naru-koi~!"

Yep, definitely the latter. He had to do a double-take as he found Miyako standing in the doorway with nothing on apart from a white robe that barely covered her bodily curves. She had to try and withhold a nosebleed as this was the first time she had seen him without a t-shirt on since he arrived over a week ago... and she liked (read: drooled at) what she saw.

"Wanna close the door? I'm sure you may have woken someone up from jumping over the bannister, ya know?" he gently chided, earning a giggle from the lavenderette as she complied and shut the door behind her, locking it.

"So what's up, Naru-kun?" she asked as she took a seat next to him on the fluffy pile that was his bed. "I don't think you called me down to have a social chat, did you?" she smiled warmly at him. "Seriously, I hope not." she dead-panned, winning a chuckle from the blond before she joined in.

"No, it's not that, I just..." he trailed off, finding it incredibly hard to say what he wanted to say. Thankfully, he found his head being gently turned to face hers as she gave him a warm smile as she rubbed her thumb over one of his whiskers. She wasn't disappointed when she heard him softly purr at the feeling while he noticed it felt much stronger than normal.

"_You wanna spend a little more time with me, don't you?"_ she softly asked, having a better understanding in reading his facial features than any other member of the family. _"I don't mind, you know... I'm more than happy to be with you if you want me to."_ she giggled as she pushed him backwards onto the pile before she leaned down for another kiss.

"_Miyako-chan?"_ he paused as the two broke from the kiss.

"_Hmhmm?"_ she responded.

"_Don't you feel... uncomfortable?"_ he shyly asked. She took that moment to sit up properly on his waist. He was slightly grateful that she had a pair of his... _"And can I ask _why_ you're wearing a pair of my boxers?"_

"They're really comfy, you know." she replied, lifting the bottom of her robe up to reveal a pair of his black boxers on her body, finished with the design of Kurama on the left side. _"To answer your other question... I'm not so much uncomfortable but more curious than anything."_ she replied, letting go of the parts of the robe she was holding on to. _"I understand that you're probably incredibly nervous about asking me to be here but you're doing the two of us a favour..."_ she trailed off, her hand grabbing her elbow as she turned her face away.

"_You feel just as nervous as I do, don't you?"_ he softly asked, leaning on his elbows.

"_Hmhmm." _she nodded, looking at him with a mild blush on her face. He softly smiled as he held himself up with one hand while the other hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to find his blue eyes staring once more into her amethyst eyes, looking for something. She smiled at him before she guided his hand underneath the robe and onto her bare skin.

**_~Afire Love - Ed Sheeran~ (Namely the chorus more than anything.)_**

"_So soft..." _he whispered as she moved their hands a little to the left, letting there hands rest over her heart. She left his hand there before she copied him and placed her soft hand on top of his heart, closing her eyes as she felt the pulses of his heartbeat travel up her arm.

"_Can you feel it, Naruto-kun?" _she whispered as she placed her forehead on his, letting the two of them listen to their heartbeats, finding that the two slowly merged into one. _"Our hearts are beating as one..." _she whispered once more before she stared into his eyes. His eyes met with hers and he could honestly say he could never get bored looking at them, always finding undiscovered depths and new angles to reflect their natural beauty.

"_I can..." _he trailed off before the two of them kissed once more, her body falling on top of his as they fell backwards onto the bed. The two teased each other with light fluttering kisses and gentle tugs on each others lips as they slowly delve deeper into untouched territory and experiences. Miyako gently shrugged the robe off her shoulders, revealing her in nothing but his black boxers, feeling a little bit self-conscious as she felt his stare linger on her body.

He swallowed hard when his mouth became incredibly dry as he took in her body for the first time semi-naked. The usual butterfly clip in her hair was discarded, allowing her fringe to shadow her left eye, something that Naruto found enchanting considering it was such a small accessory. He followed her neck down before his gaze lingered on her unbound breasts. Naruto couldn't keep the blush down as he took note that there was no sag to them and the right balance between firm and perky, also noting that her creamy skin contrasted with the pink tint of her nipples. Admiring her chest once more, his gaze went further downwards and he had to admire the toned shape of her stomach. It showed that she was diligent in her training and showed that she took incredible care of her body to keep it in such a fine state. Noticing the tightness of his boxers on her body, she blushed a bright red when she felt him staring at his boxers on her body before she felt his eyes travel down her thighs and legs... noticing how well toned they were as well.

"_Do... do you like what you see... Naruto-kun?" _she whispered, slightly fearing the rejection that could occur. She didn't have chance to squeak when Naruto pounced on her, rolling across the quilts and pillows before Naruto pinned her down on the bed. He had to do a double-take when he watched her yawn cutely from underneath him and chuckled as he slid off her and landed on her left side.

"You tired, Miyako-chan?" he asked with a smile. She rubbed her eyes with a balled fist and another yawn before nodding softly. He grabbed one of the quilts from behind him and threw it over the two of them as they huddled close to each other.

"I'm sorry, Naru-koi..." she yawned again, earning a peck on her lips from Naruto as he hugged her close into his body.

"S'alright." he smiled as the two snuggled down together to sleep. _"Ne, Miyako-chan?"_

"_Hai?"_

"_Will... you stay with me?" _he asked, earning a puzzled-slash-sleepy look from her. _"I'm scared to think that you'll leave me when you get bored of me and..." _he began before he felt a finger to his lips. The finger was soon replaced by a pair of lips that lingered there for a few seconds before pulling away, just as gently.

"_Now and forever, Naruto-kun." _she whispered lovingly before she snuggled into his chest and neck. Naruto sighed, feeling a weight off his shoulders. Wrapping his arm around her, he fell into one of the most peaceful sleeps he had since he was a child.

* * *

**_**WK**_**

* * *

If there was one thing that Naruto was thankful for being where he was would be that he didn't have to deal with the annoyance of being woken up by the luminous rays of sunshine that would wake him up. His bed was in the south-western corner while the door leading out towards the patio behind the dorm was settled on the northern wall. He tried moving his arm to stretched but he felt a weight pinning him down, startling him as he turned to the source. He turned his head as a smile slowly appeared on his face as he watched a sleeping Miyako next to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He could feel every contour of her breasts pressing into the side of his body when she breathed and how peaceful she seemed sleeping next to him. He used a finger to move a stray lock of hair out of her mouth and moved it behind her ear, slowly feeling her soft cheeks on the way.

"_Good morning, Miyako-chan." _he whispered softly, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. It seemed to have the desired effect as she cutely moaned before shifting herself into a sitting position, the quilt covering her body as she yawned.

"_Hauuuun~ Good morning, Naru-koi." _she whispered back, looking at him with a pair of sleepy amethyst eyes. Naruto chuckled quietly as he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips, something she tried to hold but moaned when he broke apart.

"_We need to get you back to your room before anyone finds out what we've done. I don't think Reiko would mind but I don't want the others finding out about us... yet." _he explained, getting an understanding nod from Miyako as she knew that it'd complicate things... _especially _for Momoyo. A clone appeared next to the pair as Naruto handed him one of his kunai, the clone already knowing what to do. Unlocking the door, the clone made his way upstairs to Miyako's room to place the kunai there. The clone dispelled, signalling that everything was ready, as Naruto wrapped his arms around Miyako before the two jumped from his room to hers in a flash.

"_That technique is incredibly useful." _she grinned as she held onto him a little longer. Burying her head into his shoulder, she took a breath to inhale his natural scent. It reminded her of a mixture of lemongrass and peppermint, something that seemed to work for her.

"_I know, right?" _he grinned back. _"I've gotta head out, though. I've got a few things I need to do today and I need to catch up with some associates of mine. You gonna head to the archery range?" _he asked, getting a small nod from her as the two of them separated. _"Alright. I'll catch you later, okay?" _he toned down to a smile before leaving her with one last kiss before vanishing in a white flash. She sighed blissfully as she made her way over to her futon, immediately knowing that it didn't feel as warm as Naruto did. She glanced over at the time, shaking her head, before deciding to grab a few more hours of sleep.

Back in his room, Naruto allowed himself a moment to savour the sensations he felt when he spent time with Miyako before he decided that he needed to work on one of his newest projects. Running his thumb over one of the seals on his right pectoral, he found himself standing in his training outfit that consisted of a burnt orange tank-top, black sports trousers and a black pair of trainers Captain got for him as a welcoming present a few days ago. Checking himself once more, he disappeared in another flash of white.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

It was still early in the morning in the mountainous region of Tanzawa and Naruto took the moment to admire the scene before him: the sky painted in a natural blend of blue's, purple's and a soft orange that rose over the mountain tops; a few stars were still visible in the sky above him. The crisp cold air sending chills down his spine and the soft smell of nature that assaulted his nostrils.

"_**I take it you're gonna try working on that again?" **_Kurama asked, having been up for a while. A nod from Naruto signalled he was correct as he allowed himself to gather the natural energy from the area, the pigments of his eyes switching into the familiar orange of his sennin-mode. **_"Remember, you may have been able to pull of a bastardized version of other kekkei genkai techniques but what you're planning to pull of will be nothing short of impossible for anyone else apart from you." _**he warned, earning a non-committal nod from the blond as he concentrated on channelling his chakra into his ice element, having been the first secondary element he worked on in respect to Haku.

He kept an eye on the flow of his chakra as he saw his wind and water elements split from the rest of his chakra before slowly merging together into ice. It had been one of the biggest problems he had to deal with but soon discovered that he needed to purify the chakra into nothing apart from the individual element for the technique to work. It was a pain to learn how to 'purify' his chakra into the different elements but it soon paid off as he could create the jutsu faster and perform it with much more power than before.

Pleased that he had the desired amount, he created a Rasengan in his right hand before slowly feeding the Ice chakra into the spinning ball of chakra. Unlike the Rasenshuriken, the ball began to glow in a lighter blue colour as shards of ice began rotating around the sphere. Naruto could feel the pulsing cold air coming from his technique and had to concentrate harder if he didn't want his right arm completely frozen over. He opened his eyes as he looked down in a triumphant smile at the completed technique, admiring how beautiful the jutsu looked. He stood up with a determined grin as he threw his arm back to launch the ball of chakra.

"_**Hyoton: Rasenkoridama!" (Ice Release: Spiralling Ice Bomb!)**_

Throwing the ball a good distance in front of him, he watched the sphere been pierced by the many pebbles on the ground. What happened next stunned him as the entire area within a fifteen-meter radius was completely frozen over. Trees glistened beautifully under the rising sun, the river nearby stopped as water flowed over the sudden block of ice that appeared, the ground was crisp as snow fell on the ground.

"_**That, I'll admit, was impressive." **_Kurama complimented as he watched the after effects with interest. **_"If used correctly, that'll be a very effective jutsu against your opponents. I don't think even Momoyo could fully stand against it and come out unscathed."_**

"Possibly... but I'm just glad that I've finally got this project done and a new jutsu under my belt. Also, it's showing that I _can _combine my Rasengan with secondary elements." he smiled as he began running his hands through hand seals. _**"Shakuton**__**: **__**Taiyo no Senkou**__**!" (Scorch Release: Flash of the Sun God)**_

Sighing as he stared at the stumps where the trees used to be, he noticed that the ice was nowhere to be seen thanks to the jutsu evaporating everything within a twenty-meter radius. He took a deep breath in before he began running through his katas, deciding on that before he began brushing up on his weaponry skills.

* * *

**_**WK**_**

* * *

In a disclosed location, two figures could be seen staring at something of interest through a double-glazed window that separated the two rooms. The figure standing furthest back was a female dressed in a maid outfit, signalling her services towards the Kuki Corporation. The second figure had long silver hair that flowed down to just beneath her shoulder blades. Wearing a white blouse with a soot-grey, knee-length skirt, she looked on at the startling remains of the report she received from one of her subordinates.

"Report." she ordered, not in the mood for any playing around.

"We discovered the remains a few days ago near the President's residence. They had released to the press that it was an incoming missile that was programmed to seek out this particular tank. However, the official report and the official video file showed that someone had jumped on top of the tank and smashed her hand into the gun turret, igniting the tank in an explosion. The culprit was seen fleeing the scene soon after." Azumi reported, standing at attention. Ageha nodded curtly before she pressed a few buttons on the glass panel in front of her, bringing up the video footage they had managed to attain. Pausing at the moment the figure turned to face them, Ageha's face turned into a snarl before she punched her fist through the glass, smashing it into fragments.

"Get in touch with Naruto-kun." Ageha replied, taking deep breaths to calm down.

"What's the reason?" Azumi replied, immediately on the same wavelength of thought.

"Tell him that I need a favour done. I also know he wants to meet up with me for something so we can both kill two birds with one stone here." the elder Kuki spoke up, calming down as she examined her bleeding knuckles. "If he asks how serious this is, tell him S-Rank. He'll soon understand the seriousness of the situation." she finished. Azumi gave a curt bow before she disappeared. Ageha turned to face the charred remains of the tank that sat in front of her for a few more moments before she turned tail and exited the room.

* * *

_**And that's the second chapter of the double-update done. Things are starting to progress now so lemme know what you think of the chapter and if you're favoring the first person to be revealed in Naruto's lovelife! Hopefully will update soon and (embarrassingly) gotta give props to my mum who's really gotten into the story and given me most of the inspiration for this chapter. Cheers mum! ^.^**_


	5. An Old Serpent Returns

_**Yo, yo, yo! Such a great buzz from the last two chapters and I'm really glad to see a lot of you take an interest in the re-write now that I've not over-complicated the plot! This chapter will have a pretty lengthy flashback explaining how Naruto and Azumi became comrades and, later, friends. (Just so you know, I though of the flashback based on stuff that's happening, happened and what I'd like to see happen. That and my geography sucks.)**_

**_This will essentially be the start of the 'Revenge Arc' I have planned and this chapter will be mainly action-focused. There will still be similarities with the canon but I want to try and diverge off sticking to the main storyline and come up with something to keep you lovely readers interested._**

**_Enough from me... here's chapter five for you all. :)_**

**_(Note: I kept changing what Kazuko calls Naruto in regards to brother, so it'll be Onii-sama when talking about her training, Naruto-nii in general conversations. In turn, Naruto will call her Kazu-nee in general conversation and kohai when training. In private, they'll just call each other whatever they feel like.)_**

Speech: "I will not stand down!"

_Thoughts: 'I will never give up!'_

_Whispering/Inward Speaking: "I need your help, Kurama..."_

**Kurama: "I will lend you my strength!"**

_**Kurama's Thoughts: 'Show them our power, Naruto!'**_

_**Kurama Inwardly Speaking/Loud Voices: "Now!"**_

_**Techniques: "Bijudama!"**_

**Non-Speech text: Incoming Message**

* * *

**Wandering Kitsune**

* * *

An Old Serpent Returns...

He sighed as he slowly leaned back on his elbows, drinking in the magnificence of the morning sunrise as the sky glowed in a cacophony of purples, oranges and reds. It had been one of the few comforts he indulged himself since the end of the war against Madara and Kaguya... that, and moon-gazing.

When the moon was a visual reflection of the damn Sharingan, notwithstanding.

Never the less, Naruto slowly took the features in as Nature once more moved her hands to paint a picture only she could truly pull off. He enjoyed these times alone as he could simply be free... free from his past, present, worries and responsibilities... and free from himself. He softly smiled as he recalled the past two months he had spent with everyone, seeing first hand how much they've changed in the last six years. He ruffled his blond mane of hair as he released a shuddering breath, taking a small amount of pleasure in the shiver from the crisp autumn morning as it hit his bare torso.

Yes, he was sitting on the roof of a dorm in nothing but a pair of black boxers in October.

He sighed once more when he realized how close it was to the _one day_ he held no love for; his birthday. The same day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, left him an orphan and the day he became Kurama's jinchuriki. Even though he accepted the fox's apologies and had forgiven him long ago, the pain still remained there when he would still expect assassination attempts and mobs smashing down the door to his apartment.

It was currently the Fifth of October before Naruto decided that it was time to make a move and go through his routine training schedule. He stretched quickly before jumping off the roof and into the back garden.

"Naruto!"

Said blond glanced over his head as the voice broke through the silence of the early morning, looking at a figure slowly jogging up to his position. His eyes widened slightly as his head registered the female figure currently slowing down to a walking pace as she unplugged her earphones and let them rest freely in the groove of her black sports top, easily showing off her impressive bust. His eyes travelled downwards to see her unblemished abs, athletic muscles bulging nicely against her skin while still keeping that feminine attractiveness to it, leading down to a pair of matching thigh-length jogging shorts that did nothing to hide her curvaceous figure. Quickly glancing further down, he took note of the toned legs and thighs she had that ended in a pair of white custom-made trainers that offered a perfect balance of durability and comfort.

"Huh... never thought I'd see the day I'd see you out of a maid's outfit, Azumi-chan." he smirked. He knew that she knew that he took the moment to give her an appreciative look and he couldn't help but chuckle further as he watched her drink his features in; a small pink tint resting against her slightly-tanned face. "That, and I'm curious as to why you've decided to visit me now of all times." he asked nonchalantly.

"As perceptive as ever, Naruto-kun." she smiled, shaking her head in amusement. "I simply have a message to pass along and I wanted to ask if you'd like to join me in a morning jog." she explained before a glint appeared in her eyes. "Although... I'd _pay _to see you jogging as you are now." she winked playfully.

"Why not? The cold air will cool me down nicely and I can consider it a warm-up before I properly train." he grinned back, delighting in the splutter that escaped her mouth as a pair of black trainers appeared on his feet and a towel tucked into the hem of his boxers. "Keep up if you can!" he shouted back as he began jogging at a reasonable pace for the Kuki maid to keep up with.

"So, I expect you have a good reason to get in touch with me. I'm guessing it has something to do with Ageha-nee, right?" he asked, allowing a smile to remain on his face. Azumi wasn't fooled as she knew from experience that he was serious, despite his happy personality. Having worked with him before she could pick up the subtle shifts in tone and facial features.

"Hai, taichou." she responded, snapping into the façade of his subordinate like she was a few years ago. "She asked me to tell you that she needs your help and that it was 'S-Rank', whatever that means." she trailed off.

"It means it's serious news, Azumi." he replied, the lack of honorific signifying how important this was. He glanced at her puzzled look before he elaborated further, "Back home, we have missions classified and organized into different ranks. D-Ranks are simple chores put aside for beginner genin teams to incorporate teamwork. C-Ranks are for more advanced genin teams and chunin. B-Ranks are for chunin and jonin, A-Ranks are normally reserved for a team of jonin with the possible chunin as back-up or a solo mission for our ANBU Black-Ops. Then after that, you have S-Rank and the very rare SS or SSS-Rank missions. They only have one outcome: Successful. If not, then there will be dire consequences to yourself and can risk the security of your village and risk war with others." he briefly explained, getting an understanding nod from his companion.

"If I may ask briefly, what is your mission record?" Azumi asked, curious as to his work ethnics. "I can tell you must have an impressive record if your last indication was any worthwhile sign."

"276 D-Ranks, 214 C-Ranks, 158 B-Ranks, 78 A-Ranks, 26 S-Ranks, 8 SS-Ranks and only 3 SSS-Ranks. There was only one mission I failed because I chose to break protocol and disobey direct orders from the Hokage and Raikage. That, being an S-Rank." he explained, getting wide eyes from her as she began estimating how powerful he must be to have such an outstanding track-record.

"You broke protocol?" she asked, very much intrigued.

"Hai, I did." he grinned. "It was a joint-mission from both the Godaime Hokage and Yondaime Raikage. They thought it was time for me to learn how to control the power of the Kyuubi inside of me and use it to my will. My sensei, Killer Bee, was the jinchuriki to the Hachibi and he had attained perfect synchronization with his biju. He taught me how to face the hatred inside of me and the steps I needed to defeat the Kyuubi in combat. That was the only way I could achieve that power since Kurama wasn't willing to work _with _me." he began explaining.

"One of my old sensei, Yamato-san, informed me about the War that was currently going on and that everyone were sacrificing themselves to protect me and Killer Bee from the clutches of the Akatsuki." he smiled as he recalled the memories. "I wouldn't stand for that so I decided to show them my new power... by obliterating all _twenty-six _barriers that stood in my way and moving towards the front-lines so that I could fight alongside them." he chuckled.

"How am I _not _surprised?" she laughed heartily as she didn't expect any other reaction from him. Since he stood up and disobeyed orders from his superior when he proposed leaving her behind, she realized that he wasn't the kind of person who would throw away a life if he had the power to prevent it.

_==Flashback==_

_It was a mission that was simple in explanation, yet it didn't subtract any of the importance of the mission or the sheer number of lives that were currently involved; a mission that had been carefully brewed for nearly forty years and the time was now to see the work come to fruition. It started off small for a few decades after Ireland successfully claimed independence. A few years back, Scotland finally built up enough resources and held a public vote to declare their independence from England. Not liking the thought of losing another country out of their control, the Prime Minister gave them a fight back claiming to provide much better care, more political power and care in return of remaining under their control._

_Needless to say, Scotland had enough of English rule and finally declared their independence when a resounding ninety-seven percent of Scottish-residents voted in favour of the notion and, hence, split away._

_After that, England had gripped Wales tighter in their grasps in fear of losing them as well. Despite being called 'United Kingdom', there was no unity there between the countries. Their global representation was sullied thanks to the Prime Minister's foolish decisions and leniency to their economical crisis and allowing their residents to act out of control while abroad. Having enough of being grouped in the same group when they did nothing wrong to any of the neighboring EU countries, Wales decided that if they cannot escape their clutches peacefully and politically, they would resort to force and break away._

_The plan to break ties with England had started not long after Ireland claimed independence but the main problem that Wales had was that there were an increasing number of immigrants making their roots in their country and, in turn, the immigrants showed their favour to the current Prime Minister and the power of the Welsh government had no power left to have their voices heard._

_It had taken them over a decade more to build up connections with other countries to build a reputation for themselves and build a trade with other countries; ranging from metals, livestocks, alcohol, farm produce and so-on. Being known for the usual stereotype of big-shouldered 'henchmen' who could probably take on an ox, there was a small few numbers that were loaned out for several international diplomatic missions; ranging from escort, protection and assassinations. It had taken a long time but they had finally built strong relationships with Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Russia and Japan... just to name a few countries that they built good relations with._

_The contractor that contacted them had wisely decided to keep their identity a secret in fear of having a potential spy within their ranks. They had shown no leniency in paying out money as they wanted a group of the most powerful and most skilled mercenaries acting as their 'Ace-in-the-Sleeve'. Despite there being a group of ten, they had nominated two specific members of the ten-man group as Captain and Vice-Captain; Azumi Oshitari and Raphael Romanov, respectively. The other members understood as they had the best experiences in taking command (at that time)._

_The first piece of information that was disclosed to them had told them that their family had been the ones organizing the entire Welsh Revolution Movement for the past three generations and that they had so much riding on this mission that would forever change history and the potential future which Wales would face. They had given their word to the ten of them that the country would forever be indebted to them and would form ties with their represented nations; France, Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia and the secretive Elemental Nations (that was currently positioned somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean). (A/N: It's not but just go with it. It's pretty hard to try and integrate something as big as the Elemental Nations into the World Map and my geography leaves much to be desired.)_

_The current mission had turned into the seventh month of operation and things had progressed reasonably smoothly up until now. However, things had taken a turn for the worse as the fighting had boiled down to seven main areas: Merthyr Tydfil (the main landing dock for the Welsh/Irish docking grounds), Brecon Beacons (the main Welsh Forces Main Base, shared with half the Irish troops), Severn Bridge (the main bridge connecting Wales and England; also the main mode of transporting trading goods. Both ends being blockaded by the Rebel forces and the English forces for their respective sides), London (the home of Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament and the main base for the English Forces), Dover (one of the main docking positions that held under English control), Peak District (one of the many national parks of England before having been converted to the main air-base for the English forces that was currently being attacked by Irish/Scottish forces) and Newcastle (having been taken by the combination of Scotland/Irish forces and expanding the area which they had under their control.)_

_The balance was, at one point, four sectors to the English's three but things seemed to change when the English forces had managed to infiltrate the sectors and wrestle them back under their control. Doing so, the Welsh/Irish forces had been pushed back to Newport and the Severn Bridge was fully underneath English control. The contractor had asked for several members of their team to go and provide backup to reclaim the sectors but they had been ambushed en route to their designated targets and were either captured or killed._

_At this precise moment, ten months into the long-term operation, four of the remaining ten mercenaries-for-hire were standing around a holographic map that showed them where the main forces were residing and where the main fighting was taking place. Overall, there were five main beacons that represented the three forces: the Rebels (designated as blue for Scottish forces, green for the Irish and Red for the Welsh forces), the English forces (designated as white circles) and themselves (for some unknown reason, designated as orange fox-heads.)_

"_Alright... as much as this pains me to state, we have received demands from the enemy forces saying that they have Azumi captured and are currently holding her in their main base up in London." Romanov explaining, swiping the pad a few times before bringing up several pictures of her capture._

"_So what's the plan to rescue her?" Naruto asked, scratching the armour he had on him. It bugged him out as it was much bulkier and less maneuverable to move in in comparison to his jonin vest. "I know I'm not the main strategist but with Jackson having been killed two months ago but I have an idea in which we can infiltrate the HQ and possibly rescue her." he stated._

"_As much as I would like to hear the idea, I'm afraid we do not have the manpower we need to be able to sneak into London, confront the general stationed there, deal with the enemy camp _and _rescue and retrieve Azumi back here. We do not have anyone here who would be able to execute such stealth-" Romanov began before Naruto's slammed hand broke him, Momoyo and Sylvester Cooper. (Sylvester originating from Paris, France, he had several run-ins with the law but had never been captured. Despite his criminal activity, his records from Interpol had shown that he had a hand in several arrests of some well-known international criminal-heads.)_

"_What did you just say?" he growled quietly, everyone turning their attention to the blond of the group._

"_I told you already, Uzumaki, that we cannot go back for Azumi!" he protested. "We cannot afford to allow one of us to go out and possibly head into another ambush! We've already been pushed back so far and losing even _one _of us will decrease the percentage of us succeeding much more!" he explained calmly._

"_Cannot afford?" he dead-panned. "Tell me, have you even bothered reading over our profiles?" he asked, getting a negative shake in the head. "You; Raphael Romanov, thirty-six years old and residing in Moscow, Russia. Grew up within the army before being placed in the KGB at the age of twenty-two. Ammunitions expert, explosives expert and Class One Sniper with sixty-four successful sniper assassinations underneath your record." he began, pointing at the man before rounding round to Sylvester._

"_Sylvester James Cooper, goes by the alias 'Sly' Cooper. Only twenty years old and a self-proclaimed Master Thief. He had evaded Interpol up until now and have successfully executed over two-hundred thefts from criminals who have records from stealing from others. He has skills in taijutsu and also in using his family's signature cane as a weapon and as a tool for infiltration. He has a hand in arresting several high-ranking criminals and organizations and the retrieval of some priceless pieces of treasure... the Heart of Africa being the biggest known case." he grinned, getting an approving nod from the grey-haired male._

"_Momoyo Kawakami; one of Kawakami's 'Big Four' and the heir to the Kawakami Temple. She has never lost a fight, officially. Having trained in her family's arts, she just as strong, if not stronger, than her grandfather; Tesshin Kawakami, and someone I've had the pleasure of knowing as I grew up with her." he smiled warmly at her, getting a poke of tongue in response before planting his thumb in his chest._

"_And me, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, current ranking as elite jonin and the 'Last Sennin'. I am also the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Trained by the former Gama-Sennin, current Hokage of Konohagakure and the Kyuubi himself in taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu and my family's signature art of fuinjutsu. In simple terms, I am a Shinobi." he rounded off, stunning everyone. "I've taken the time to read everyone's profiles, despite not being in charge of the group. That was your first mistake." he continued._

"_Since the beginning of the operation, our bosses had informed me that there was a strong possibility of having a spy within our ranks and they had asked me _personally _to deal with the traitor and snuff him out." he explained as he pulled out a file. "There's three things to successfully pin someone as a spy; audio, pictures of rendezvous and documents showing support in the act. Here, I have items two and three." he began, allowing the item to be sealed away into the mark on his wrist before a CD appeared in his hand._

"_Uzumaki, I command you to stand down before I suspend you from insubordination!" Romanov coldly snapped. Blue eyes stared defiantly into brown as the two continued to stand off at one another. Naruto began unclipping his protective armour, allowing it to fall haphazardly to the floor. He ripped the ear piece off his torso, not even wincing from the tape being torn from his skin, before performing a hand sign. In a puff of smoke, he stood there in his shinobi clothing; black tank-top, black trousers that flared out near the ankles, black shinobi sandals and white wrappings on his arms that started from his knuckles and travelled to just below his elbows. The Russian began moving forward to snatch the CD from his hand but another hand stopped him from the side, revealing it to be Sly._

"_Naruto, what's going on?" the silver-haired thief asked, his chocolate orbs staring daggers into the Russian. Instead of answering him, he spun on his heel before placing the CD on the pad in the middle of the room. It loaded the track that was burned onto the disc, shocking everyone with the contents._

"_Oh? I wonder why you're paling like that... _traitor._" he began before glancing over to Momoyo with a discreet signal. Within a blink of an eye, Romanov was pinned to the ground with Momoyo's foot planted firmly into his back. Sly had removed the cane from the holster on his back and had the crook underneath his neck._

"_Hello? Yes, this is Vice-Captain Raphael Romanov... I've just finished the meeting. They've decided that they would be sending the Captain, Azumi, to the dropping point on the Welsh entrance to the Severn Bridge... She'll be escorted by Jincho and Askai and will be making their way from Newport upwards... They'll be travelling in a black Jeep, plate number Romeo, Echo, Two-Nine, Seven, Whiskey, Whiskey... Take your forces and lie in wait near the tunnel entrance and make your way up to the bridge from there as they'll be forced to walk the last ten miles or so; ample time for you to ambush them and flank them from both sides... No, they don't suspect anything but I need to be cautious around the Uzumaki. It seems he has an uncanny ability to sense something's up with me... I understand. As Vice-Captain, I can take temporary control of the situation and allow them to focus on another sector while you finally claim the last sector and squash the rebel-oh shit! I-I gotta go! *Bzzzt*"_

_The sector remained in complete silence as they all looked disapprovingly at a thrashing Romanov underneath Momoyo's boot, which was now on the verge of snapping his spine._

"_Seeing as both Captain and Vice-Captain are unable to proceed with their duties, I am requesting that I, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, takes temporary role as Vice-Captain until we retrieve Azumi back from the enemy forces' clutches. Any objections?" he spoke up, getting silence in response. "Good." he nodded. "First order of business: we're gonna send the English forces a message saying how wrong they were to fuck with us. There's no more point in remaining incognito and it's time to play as the 'Aces' we are." he explained._

"_What's the plan, Naruto?" Sly asked his new superior after finish tying Romanov up with speed that Naruto couldn't help but be impressed with._

"_Tell me, do you still have communications with your friends?" he asked, getting a nod as Sly handed over his custom-made binoculars. The blond placed them on the table, establishing the link with a green-haired man with glasses, sitting in a wheelchair. "Bentley, I need your help with the current situation. Can you pull up satellite information on the main forces stationed in London? I need a rough estimate, shift times, rotas, the whole package."_

"_Alright!" the smarts of the 'Cooper Gang' replied. "Well, the place is heavily guarded and they've seemed to up the security of the place with some new technology they had managed to have shipped in from Whitehall. You won't be able to make a move until I can get close enough to the terminal a mile underneath the palace and manually hack into the defence system and shut it down. If I don't, they'll be able to take you out before you have a chance to move." he explained. "Forces are roughly numbering in the two-millions. It looks unlikely." he admitted._

"_No, that'll be fine Bentley. If that's the case, the operation will be situated in three stages." he began explaining as he brought up the holographic map once more. "We will have to reveal ourselves if we have any chance of recovering Azumi and completing the mission with less casualties than needed. To do so, we will need to deal with the blockade that's set up on the Severn Bridge and take out the forces there. Sly, I want you and your friends to deal with the bridge forces and clear it. If the bridge is one piece, it'll help for the reinforcements. How you do it is up to you, just as long as it's done." Naruto ordered, getting a grin from Cooper as he spun his cane._

"_Consider it done, Captain." he nodded. "What will you and Momoyo be doing, if I may ask?"_

_Naruto hummed in response before pulling out a coin. Placing it on the tip of his thumb, he flipped it before catching and slapping it on the back of his free hand. "Call it."_

"_Heads!" she replied, snapping her fingers when it showed up as tails. "Damn it!"_

"_Nice try, Momo-chan! Seems I will be focusing on the main camp located in the Western part of London, near Buckingham Palace. Momoyo, I will want you to head over to Dover and allow the Rebel forces to land and begin reclaiming the sector. With luck, you and the rebel forces should have reclaimed the sector and meet me in London where you'll provide reinforcements." he explained._

"_Got it, taichou." she responded seriously, knowing that he meant business. "How do you want me to proceed?"_

"_Just... no meteors." he sweat-dropped._

"_Meteors?" Sly asked._

"_Don't ask. Seriously." Naruto warned._

"_O...kay. Naruto, how do _you_ plan on taking out the main forces in London? You're just one person." Sly remarked, somewhat curious as to how the blond shinobi would pull it off. Naruto ordered Momoyo to keep an eye on the Russian traitor while the two of them disappeared in a white flash..._

_(Two Weeks Later)_

_Azumi was currently being held captive in the enemy stronghold, just near Buckingham Palace. She had been captured a few months ago thanks to the enemy forces being tipped off on how and where they would travel. She found out shortly after the fact that her Vice-Captain, Romanov, was the one responsible for feeding the enemy their movements. She hung her head in shame knowing that she had badly fucked up the mission. It was while she was reflecting that she saw a figure in the distance. She couldn't help but wonder if she was going insane because it looked like a fifty-foot giant orange fox heading straight for them with an impressive speed. With one final leap the fox landed right beside her make-shift cage, killing a majority of the bases' defences with one swipe._

"_Nice to see you hanging around, Captain." the fox smirked, looking directly at her._

"_W-who are you?" she rasped, her throat dry. The figure seemingly shifted before the beast's jaws opened, revealing the golden cloak surrounding a male figure. She didn't know who it was until she saw the whisker marks on his cheeks. "N-Naruto!? That's you!?" she yelled._

"_Yep!" he grinned. "Now it's time to get you out and get you seen to. Momoyo's in Dover, clearing it for the Rebels to land and flank from the other side and finish the assault on London. Sly's now in Manchester and I've got some clones of mine sweeping through the Welsh sectors and finally reclaiming them. Yes, I can make clones of myself and I'll explain everything later. Now, let's get you out." he smiled, crushing the cage's lock with a clawed finger. A clone appeared next to her, taking in her disheveled state of... _undress_ and quickly placed his clothes over her, covering her up._

"_W-Why did you come back for me?" she asked._

"_Because I never leave a comrade behind. The others were killed and I could do nothing about that but when Romanov suggested we leave you, I disobeyed him and outed him as the traitor. I wouldn't let you be killed if I could help it." he smiled warmly at her, winning one in response._

"_Thank you... Naruto-taichou." she smiled warmly, relishing in the warmth his aura seemed to give off as she snuggled herself closer into his chest._

"_Now... wanna see something powerful and awesome that it'll blow your mind?" he smirked, earning a curious gaze from her as Naruto took Azumi in her arms before moving back into the jaws of the fox as they leapt a good forty miles out of London. Two arm-structures appeared behind Naruto before the nine tails of the fox curled around to just in front of his face, allowing him to perform Kurama's most destructive move... the Bijudama. Azumi was awed by the pulsating blackish-purple orb before she saw something trying to break free. In an instant, the ball was tossed into the air and was set on course for London itself. A thunderous boom blasted throughout the atmosphere as she saw something akin to a nuclear bomb completely obliterate what used to be left of London._

"_Pretty cool huh?" he grinned, watching the woman in his arms imitate a fish._

"_Remind me to _never _piss you off, Naruto-kun." she paled, watching in fear and fascination the pure destruction of his technique._

_It had taken three months, one week, two days, four well-placed Bijudamas and a mass-recall of Rebel forces as they were all deported back to their bases, later... but the mission was finished and completed. England had suffered damages and were forced to fend for themselves while Wales had help from their alliances in quickly rebuilding the damaged sectors where the fighting took place. All in all, England soon fell without their hold on the other countries and fell into an economic crisis. Scotland had moved in and claimed the Northern half of England while Wales claimed the Southern and Western parts. It was then the Dragon-Alliance was born, courtesy of the new _Queen_ of Wales, who revealed herself to the remaining three mercenaries. They had been knighted and spent some vacation time there before being deported back to their respective homes..._

_One _massive _no-holds-barred vacation._

_==End Flashback==_

"Yeah. It was a pretty long mission and it was awesome to get the postcards from Sly and the others. They're doing pretty well for themselves." Naruto nodded, smiling at the memory of his comrade-turned-friend. "First thing I did when I got back when I finished the briefing and got a month of work-leave? Slept the first week away, chomped on nothing but ramen the two days after then trained like hell." he grinned, earning a laugh from his companion.

"True, Sly was such a charmer." she nodded, smiling. "So, when can we expect you to pay us a visit, Naruto-kun?"

"Tell Ageha-nee that I'll be there at seven. Just tell her 'Aschente' and she'll know where to meet me." he smiled as he noticed that the two of them had arrived back at the Kazama dorm. "Anyway, it's great to catch up with you again and I'll probably see you later on."

"Hai, I can say the same to you, Naruto-kun." she smiled before surprising him and moving in for a hug, one he returned. _"Take care, taichou."_

"_You too, kohai." _he whispered back, earning a chuckle from the maid before she jogged off, sending him a wave before she turned the corner out of sight. "Enjoy the pictures!" he yelled.

"Will do!" she shouted back, making the blond laugh before he entered through his room's door from the garden. He was thankful that it was the weekend as he could allow himself to laze about. He surprised everyone at how fast his homework had been completed as no-one ever saw him do it.

Kage Bunshin for the win, he thought to himself as he collapsed on his pad.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

"You have _got _to be kidding me."

"Ummmm... ehehe!"

"Damn it, Yamato! I know you got us another commission but _really_?" Momoyo fumed as she pinned the brunette in another headlock after revealing to them that their History teacher, Maro's dog has escaped again. Everyone apart from Kazuko, Naruto and Captain showed up as the others had other commitments to attend to. "To make it worse, our two _best trackers_ are busy! That means we need to search!" she moaned. The Kazama family were currently standing in the middle of an alleyway near the market district of Kawakami City. They received the commission last night when Yamato got the call and they managed to win the mission again for them. Chris was pumped for the chase, Yukie simply wanted to help, Miyako was annoyed about her Naru-koi not being there with her, Momoyo was busy strangling Yamato. Gakuto and Moro had both agreed to stay behind at the hideout and search the internet to see if there had been any reports on sightings.

"I do not see what the fuss is about. It's an opportunity for us to earn food!" Chris argued back, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Hmph. Whatever. I'm expecting your share, bro." the elder Kawakami growled, folding her arms as she leaned back against the fence. "Seriously wish Naruto was here... him or Kazuko. They'd be able to spot the dog in no time." she sighed.

"Found it." Miyako pointed towards the white blob that sat at the end of the alleyway, revealing to be the same dog that Naruto magically appeared with the last time they were hanging out at the hideout. The dog must've picked up on her as it looked at the group before picking up speed as it ran away. As if on cue, the seven of them began running after the canine to capture it.

And so... the wild chase began for Yamato and the rest of the Kazama family. The dog began running throughout the city and made use of the many inter-webbed alleyways and back routes to try and stave off its pursuers. Despite the canine's efforts, the six students had easily kept up with him as they darted from the park to the more suburban area near the train station. The dog turned a corner to find a pile of wooden crates stacked up upon one another and swiftly dived through the pile to escape. Yamato was the closest to the dog and he made a running dive to try and catch the hind leg of the dog. The rest weren't far behind him as, one by one, they all jumped of Yamato's back like a makeshift springboard. Yukie was the last one to catch up but she had drawn her katana and cleanly split the pile into splinters. Offering her a quick thanks, the two of them caught up with the rest of them.

It was proving well for the students as they led the dog into a dead end. Thinking they finally caught him, the dog proved to be a more worthy foe as he began springboard off the many railings and landed neatly on the roof of the block of flats. "That's no normal dog." Yukie calmly spoke, somewhat impressed by the canine's finesse. Unfortunately, with no real way up there, Miyako quickly took out her bow to try and land a locator tag that Naruto had given her in a hope to keep tabs on it. She didn't expect the dog to quickly change direction as the arrow narrowly missed as it flew into the distance.

"I'll cook that mutt when I get my hands on him." Miyako growled, upset that she had wasted something Naruto gave her.

"Well, we can try looking for him tomorrow as it's nearing sunset. It'll prove to be too dangerous if we try to continue the pursuit." Yamato sighed, slightly miffed at losing track of the dog. Everyone solemnly nodded in agreement as they all made their way back to the dorm.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

She allowed herself a small reprieve as she blew into her cold hands, trying to keep them warm as she quickly grasped the cup that she held in her hand. She had received the message back from Azumi saying that he agreed to meet her. She was about to ask where before the mercenary-come-maid turned around and said something about 'Aschente'. Ageha burst out in laughter as she remembered fondly where her blond brother-figure wanted to meet up. She turned her head to find that the clock had just moved to reveal that it just turned seven o'clock in the evening. Turning her head to the sound that escaped when a chair was pulled away from the table, allowing a blond-haired person to sit down next to her.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun." Ageha smiled warmly as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Same for you, Ageha-nee." he nodded, grinning as a waiter soon walked up to him. "I'll have a bottle of your finest whiskey, please." he ordered. With a small bow, the waiter left.

"I didn't think you drink, Naruto-kun." she curiously raised an eyebrow.

"I don't often. I just get the little niggle for it now and again." he shrugged nonchalantly. "Then again, if this 'favour' of yours is an S-Rank, I think I may be needing it." he explained, his eyes sharpening to the same icy blue stare his father was once well known for. Ageha sighed as her light-hearted conversation turned serious as she pulled a file out of her lap and handed it over to him to inspect.

"There's a threat currently going around... and I have reason to believe that it may have something to do with this person." she explained seriously, sliding the file on the table in front of Naruto. Quickly checking the file for traps, he slowly pulled back the envelope fold and pulled out one of the contents. His eyes widened as his eyes landed on an old face he recognized.

"Ageha, are you sure about all this?" he asked, somewhat stunned that _she'd _be involved with this.

"I'm afraid so, Naruto-kun." she nodded grimly. "I have received some information from my sources that she's helping out with a secret weapons shipment that's currently located in an abandoned warehouse just off the river. I do not wish to rush you but..." she trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"You want me to do it tonight, if possible?" he finished the unsaid question.

"Please..." she begged. "I want to get to the bottom of this. I can't let my friend continue this meaningless destruction and I want to try and get her back, despite everything she's done." she quietly sobbed. Naruto's eyes softened at his silver-haired sister-figure as he motioned her over to him. She hesitated for a moment before she stood up and moved over to his lap. She immediately felt a pair of arms holding her protectively as she let loose the feelings she held for her old friend, crying into his chest.

_"Consider it done. Am I interception the shipment or just recon work?" _he whispered, rubbing her back in comfort. He waited a few moments for Ageha to regain her bearings before flashing him a warm smile in thanks.

"I'd like you to gather evidence of the shipment taking place: receipts, shipping logs, documents, photo evidence and whatever else you can. If you can find a way to recover the weapons, I'd be eternally grateful, Naru-kun." she explained. "Expect to run into some resistance but... knowing you, I don't need to worry." she giggled, infecting Naruto with a bubble of happiness as he joined in with the laughter.

"You've got it. I'm gonna head back and get ready for tonight but I want you to relax for tonight. You're emotionally drained and you need a good rest. Let Azumi know that I'm ordering you this and that she's to make sure you do." he grinned foxily at her, making her nod in defeat.

"Yes, _tou-san!_" she replied, smacking his chest gently. He gave her one final hug before she stood up, allowing Naruto to disappear in a white flash. She noticed something he left behind on the table, revealing to be enough to cover the bill for the two of them and a hefty tip for the waiter. She shook her head, allowing another giggle to escape her lips before she turned to head home. She missed the blue eyes that narrowed from the rooftop near the position she just left, the figure sighing to himself as one last thought crossed his mind before he left...

_'What are you hiding from me... nee-san?'_

* * *

**_WK_**

* * *

"Geez, that dog must be nimble if he escaped from all of you." Kazuko sighed as she allowed the water to cover her body. Herself and the rest of the female members of the Kazama Family were currently sharing a bath together while the boys were busy doing their own things. Captain was stuck somewhere after his bike suffered from a flat tire, Gakuto and Moro were both playing video-games with Yamato in his room and Naruto was meeting up with someone about something. This gave the five girls a chance to relax and chat with each other about... _girl _things.

"I'd like to see _you _try running up the side of the building and chasing it over the rooftops, Dog." Chris retorted, not liking the fact that the redhead brought up their defeat to a mere dog of all things!

"Ano... I can't yet. I'm still struggling with the trees." she replied sheepishly, earning confused looks from the rest of the girls there. "What? Onii-sama's training me to walk up trees!" she defended herself, pouting cutely.

"Is Naru-koi teaching you that?" Miyako asked in her defence. With a slight nod, the five girls relaxed as they knew that he was training her but they didn't really know what in. "I remember him saying it was a chakra control technique and that the next stage was water-walking. If so, he's training you in his art, Wanko." she nodded, smiling slightly.

"I know. Onii-sama said that I'm capable of using my chakra so he's developing me to do what he normally does. I have a long way to go but I'm determined to make him proud!" she grinned, fist-pumping the air. However, this had the added effect of making her breasts jiggle, making Chris and Yukie blush slightly.

"Well, how do we find it? Should we try luring it in?" Yukie spoke up, feeling relaxed enough to speak without a stutter. She used to have a problem with it but with the light conversations she's been having with her spars against Naruto, she had been getting more confident and speaking better and more calmly.

"Hai! Wanko, what do dogs like?" Chris asked.

"Well, I like meat!" she replied, allowing her canine ears to appear on her head.

"We're not talking about you, Wanko." Miyako shook her head in amusement. "However, you do have a good point." she admitted. "I can head into town tomorrow to pick... up..." she trailed off as she, and the other girls, watched as a white blob of fur swan through the gap that formed between the five girls. They all turned their heads as the unknown figure jump out of the water and shake itself dry. The head turned to face them all with rosy cheeks...

_"Arf!"_

Time froze for the five girls as they realized that the dog they were searching for had the _tenacity _to sneak into their baths, listen in on their conversation, stare at their naked bodies and tease them that he was still being chased by them all. It didn't last long as the five girls roared, running out of the bath and began the chase anew. Turning down one of the dorm corridors, Miyako whipped out her bow and launched an arrow at the retreating dog. He shocked everyone as he twirled himself in mid-air, allowing him to miss the arrow matrix-style.

"He's good. He must be a skilled warrior." Miyako spoke to no-one in particular.

"Interesting! I don't hold back from a warrior, even _if _he's a dog!" Momoyo grinned with a twinkle in her eyes as the five of them chased the dog on foot. The dog turned the corner and dive into the room just in front of it. Unfortunately for him, the five girls all picked up speed and dog-piled on top of him.

"We got him!" Kazuko beamed in delight.

"Got who?"

The five girls snapped their heads up to the familiar male voice, only to find themselves speechless at the sight that beheld them all. Standing in front of them was a nude Naruto with a towel wrapped around his waist, looking like he just came back from a quick wash. They watched as a bead of water dropped from his wet mane of blond hair, down his chest, abs and underneath the towel into parts unknown. Of course, Murphy felt vindictive to him as a strong gust of wind entered the room, loosening the towel and allowing it to fall to the floor.

This caused several reactions from the girls: Miayko passed out from a strong nosebleed, Yukie had a fierce blush on her face, Chris immediately closed her eyes with a girlish scream, Kazuko found herself entranced by his manhood (despite having seen it a few years ago, she couldn't help but notice that it had grown in length and width... resurfacing old desires she put to rest six years ago). Momoyo? She couldn't hold the blush off her cheeks but she still had the willpower to smirk cheekily at him.

"Damn, Naru-chan! I wonder where you hide it all..." she purred seductively.

"That's for me to know..." he winked. "Then again, if you stay here any longer, I'll have to resort to my more... _baser _instincts seeing you all naked in my room." he reminded them with a sly smile on his face. Chris immediately bolted out of the room, Yukie simply covered herself up with her body with a large blush matching one which Hinata used to give before following suit. Miyako quickly recovered from her unconsciousness and snapped a photo of a naked Naruto for her _private _collection. Kazuko's dog features were on full display as her tail began wagging behind her, not minding that she was naked in front of him. Momoyo was the bravest of the five as she stood up, revealing everything to the blond shinobi as she swayed up to him, taking him in full view.

"Oh? I'm sure I'm a big-enough girl to look after myself." she smirked coyly as her hand trailed down his chest. "I'm wondering why you haven't covered yourself up yet." she mused out loud.

"I dunno... maybe cause it's _my _room?" he chuckled, pushing her back playfully before picking up his towel to dry his hair. "What's your excuse?"

"I'm not ashamed of myself or my body." she replied honestly, turning back to face the only remaining person in the room. "Honestly, I'm surprised Kazuko's still here." she admitted.

"It's because she's already seen me naked before now." he shrugged. "Quite a few years back, actually. Remember that really bad storm we had? Me and Kazu-nee ended up in a cave in the forest until it passed over. Our clothes were drenched so we needed to get out of them to avoid catching pneumonia." he explained, getting a wide-eyed response from the Kawakami heir.

"You... you've seen him naked before?" Momoyo asked her.

"Hai! I was really embarrassed at first but I saw I wasn't the only one. We both hid ourselves for a while before we felt more comfortable with each other and finally revealed ourselves. Now, we're just comfortable with each other knowing that neither of us goes too far." she explained with a smile on her face as her tail picked up pace in her wagging. "Oh no! The dog!" she yelled, sprinting back to the baths for her clothes.

"Well, I gotta go. I got something to do tonight." Naruto spoke up, already haven got dressed without Momoyo noticing. "Don't wait up for me and I'll keep an eye out for the dog." he smiled before disappearing in a white flash, leaving a naked Momoyo to her thoughts.

_'Something bugs me about her response... she said that they don't go too far...' _she began before her eyes widened in shock. _'D-Does that mean that...? Oh my... I-I... she can't have! No, Kazuko's not like that. Does that mean they got curious then? That seems more likely; thirteen years old, going through puberty, with someone you fully trust... it makes sense. Still... I'm kinda jealous!' _she licked her lips as she committed that sight to her memory, allowing a hand to slide down in between her thighs.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

Naruto landed silently on the rooftop of a building, blending in with the shadows of the night. Donning his present from his ex-sensei, Naruto had a black-sleeved top which also had enough cloth to cover the lower half of his face, his usual black trousers that were tied down to his ankles with black tape before being tucked into a pair of black shinobi boots. His face was further hidden by his custom-made mask as a present from Yamato and an open offer if he ever wanted to officially join the ANBU as codename 'Kitsune'. The mask was a burnt orange with black rings circling the eyes and trailing upwards to where Kurama's ears would be. To finish the mask were three black whisker marks on either side of his face.

He took a glance at the warehouse in question through a pair of binoculars he had gotten from Bentley after the mission years ago, allowing him to zoom in on a potential opening in one of the windows on the second floor. He quickly glanced around before deciding to use that entrance as his point of entry. Pulling out one of his Hiraishin kunai, he flicked it through the small crack in the window before appearing right next to it and snatching it out of mid-air. He crouched down and glanced at his surroundings; finding that he was in the clear, he straightened up slightly before his eyes shifted from their usual blue to a glowing amethyst. Habing channeled his chakra to his eyes, he could see as clearly as if it was the day.

_"Not here..." _he mused to himself as he glanced around the room, noting it was more akin to a storage room. He made it to the door before he found something that caught his eye in the far corner of the room. Moving towards it, he found a metal locker that screamed 'search me!'. Doing so, he quickly use a kunai to unlock the mechanism and open the drawers. He found nothing in the first two drawers but the last draw brought a smile to his face as he skimmed the file he held in his hand, showing him the log of not just this shipment but the of _all _the shipments that had been made within the last six months and where they were delivered, who it was for and how much they paid. He sealed it away in one of his sealed compartments before being brought out of his stupor when he heard a large explosion coming from downstairs. He quickly made his way towards the balcony overlooking the basement of the warehouse to find several men in black suits shooting at a group of girls...

His eyes widened before narrowing when he realized it was Momoyo and the others. He was about to ask himself why they were there but the quivering dog pinned to the wall with _several _arrows pinning him there quelled that thought. He kept himself hidden from view and masked his chakra and scent from them to remain undetected in case they needed back-up. He sighed as he watched Momoyo pick up a M134 minigun and rest it on her shoulder. The men in suits took that as a signal as they began firing their rounds at her, watching as she dodged the bullets with ease before smashing them over the head with her minigun. Naruto sweat-dropped at the unorthodox use of the gun but it was certainly _efficient_.

His eyes turned to Yukie, who launched forward to a group of six or seven men with her katana drawn and held firmly at her side. She saw an incoming bullet heading for a killing shot but she maneuvered her katana and swung it down, watching both halves of the bullets fly past her harmlessly. Following up the attack, she managed to cleave the handgun in half before landing a knockout blow to the man's neck with the butt of her sword. The remaining six men moved in closer to overpower her but Yukie had different plans as she managed to knock out the remaining guards with little difficulty. Naruto was more than impressed with how she used her katana so fluently, thinking about asking her to train him in using a katana himself like his mother once did. Naruto was about to blow his cover by warning Yukie of the four guns pointed at her blindside but four arrows collided with the barrels of the guns and the backfire knocked them out of the security's hands. Following the disarm, Miyako launched four more blunted arrows to them and knocked them unconscious.

Chris and Kazuko were surrounded by a large group of twenty guards, all aiming towards the two girls. Kazuko quickly scanned around her to see if she could use anything to her advantage, noticing a leaking pipe just above them.

"Kri, can you pierce the pipe above us?" Kazuko asked her partner. Said blonde looked up at the pipe, noticing the weakened pivot, before giving her a reassuring nod. She threw her rapier up towards the pipe, allowing the water to break free. Kazuko took that moment to wrap her leg around her naginata for balance as her hand ran through hand signs. _**"Suiton: Suiryuudan!" **_she yelled, putting everything she had been learning with Naruto into account. She was well-rewarded when the water began reforming into a terrifying water dragon that crashed into the group of twenty, washing them out of the warehouse and into the river nearby.

"T-That was incredible!" Chris turned to her with awed eyes. "Where did you learn that?" she asked.

"Oh, Onii-sama taught me that a few weeks ago!" she beamed in delight. "It wasn't complete yet but I'm sure he'd say it was perfected after watching that." she smiled, not knowing how right her words were as Naruto beamed with pride for her Kazu-nee. Before anyone could continue further with their conversation, a grenade fell from the gap in the roof, aiming to blow the warehouse after having their operation discovered and sabotaged. Naruto knew he couldn't hide anymore as a kunai whistled through the air, near the grenade. Flashing to it, Naruto firmly grabbed the grenade before lobbing it back to the gap in the roof. He croutched on the ground once the explosion took place. It was that moment that four new figures appeared in front of them all, copying his style of dress as they garbed themselves in black.

"Oh? I didn't realize there were more than five of you. No matter, none of you will le-" the sole male figure began speaking before the four of them crumpled to the ground from the overwhelming KI that flooded the warehouse. Whilst on the floor, he noticed a figure walking towards him and the rest of his group. His eyes widened when the one became four and all four ripped the masks off their faces, leaving them clear for everyone to see.

_**"You..." **_Momoyo growled as her KI amplified what was already there, making the four girls collapse to their knees. She was about to move to finish her traitorous ex-sensei but a familiar sword rose in front of her, keeping her in place. The four didn't have chance to react to the sudden flash of light as Naruto took a photo of their identities but he couldn't move as he was tackled to the floor by Momoyo. The distraction was all they needed as the four figures made their escape. _**"Who are you? Tell me and I'll kill you qui-"**_

_**"Stand down, Kawakami!" **_a distorted, familiar male voice yelled out. Her eyes widened as she quickly got off of him, allowing him to get to his feet. He snapped his mask off, revealing himself as he pulled the cloth from his mouth. "What the hell are you doing here?" he ordered.

"N-Naruto?" she stuttered, shocked to find the blond here in all black. Her sheepishness soon schooled into anger as she poked his chest hard a few times. "I could ask the same for _you_!"

"I'm here because of the favor to my friend, remember?" he quipped back, watching as the other females running up to their position. "I was supposed to find documents of illegal shipments coming in and out of Kawakami and see if I can get any faces on who could be involved with the operations. I was about to apprehend the four of them but thanks to you tackling me, I lost them. Now they'll tell their superiors and they'll tighten up security further and make any later operations _much _harder to find!" he reprimanded. "Thankfully..." he sighed, allowing the file to appear in his hand, "I managed to find the log book and I got a photo of those four there. That should be more than enough to sate my client's fears."

"You were hired to steal documents and apprehend whoever was involved with this?" Chris asked, slightly miffed to see the blond again after their last meeting.

"In leyman's terms, yeah." he shrugged. Kazuko came up to him and quickly hugged him, calming him down as he noticed her slight shivering. His arms wrapped back around her as she softly sobbed as the emotions overwhelmed her. "S'alright, Kazu-chan, I'm here now." he softly soothed, smiling as he rested his head on top of hers. "I'm especially proud of you, ya know? You've finally mastered that jutsu so I can begin teaching you a new one next time."

Her eyes snapped up to his, still teary from the sobbing, but the smile on her face told him all he needed to know at how happy she was to hear that from him. She nodded with adoration in her eyes, feeling elated at her brother's words. Everyone couldn't help but watch in wonder as brother and sister held each other in comfort. Momoyo had the decency to look sheepish at her blunder and was thankful she didn't botch the mission up.

"I take it that the mission was a success, Naruto-kun?" a new voice spoke up as heads turned to the origin of the voice. Momoyo's eyes widened as she watched as Ageha, fellow 'Big Four' member, walking up towards the group in her usual blouse-trouser suit.

"Yeah. Got the log for everything within the last six months; logs for everything that came in and out, who it was for, how much, what was contained and who was assigned to deliver them. There was supposed to be a delivery tonight but the girls stumbled across this place searching for a dog for their commission." he explained, pointing to the clone that was holding the subdued canine in his arms. "The four of them got away but from Momoyo's reaction, she personally knew one of them..." he trailed off, all eyes bar Kazuko's landing on said person.

"Yeah, I knew him as he used to train me in the Temple. His name is Gyobu Shakadou. He wanted to teach me a few of the forbidden Kawakami techniques but my old man stopped him and exiled him. If anything, those three were students of his he ended up teaching once he left." she explained getting a nod from Ageha. Naruto moved over to a few of the crates and pulled out a storage scroll, quickly sealing three of them away for Ageha to examine later on. Happy with everything, he tied everything together before handing the items over to her.

"Thank you, Naru-kun, this means a lot to me." the silver-haired Kuki smiled as she moved up to him and enveloped him in a quick hug. The two pulled away as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'll deliver your payment personally and I'll get in touch with Tsunade to add this to your record." she smiled. "I'll keep in touch about my developments and anything else that pops up. Night all." she waved over her shoulder as she strode out of the warehouse.

"See ya, Ageha-nee." he smiled. "I'm tired, dunno about you all. D'you need a lift back?" he asked everyone. Kazuko returned to his arms, along with Miyako, Momoyo grinned as she jumped on his back and began rubbing her cheek affectionately on his, Yukie smiled as she took hold of his right arm. Chris was a little apprehensive but she had seen his mode of transport and she couldn't push back her curiosity as she took a hold of his right arm. The six of them disappeared in a myriad of colours, leaving the abandoned warehouse devoid of life.

A few minutes passed before six figures made themselves known as they stood in the same place the Kazama six just left. "That Naruto-person is gonna be a major thorn in our side. He's stronger than Momoyo is and we'll need to get rid of him _permanently _if we're gonna continue our operations." the male figure from earlier, Gyobu, spoke up.

"Kukukuku... Naruto-kun won't be a problem if you know how to get under his skin. I can see how _affectionate _he is with that redhead." the new figure chuckled as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, allowing an ominous light to travel across them. "You have three days. Move out." he ordered before disappearing into snakes. The five remaining figures looked at one another before making their way out of there.

A few more minutes passed in silence before a lone mouse appeared in the middle of the room. The small creature soon made his way over to one of the unusual crates that seemed out of place and sniffed it a few times. It soon vanished in a burst of smoke before the mouse itself vanished in a white light. The snake that followed it simply hissed in anger before slithering back to its master.

* * *

_**Boom! Chapter five done! Not much of an ending note this time, except that I've finally got a beta reader for the re-write of Naruto: Legend Reborn! Expect the first chapter to be updated in the next fortnight or so.**_

_**Anywho, favorite, follow and review as always! Ja ne! ;)**_


	6. Duel

_**Hello! I'm back after so long and it's really nice to see this story get a few more reads! I'm sorry this story had been collecting dust for a while; had a bit of a stump in where I wanted this to go and how I went about it. I hope this chapter plays out how I wanted it to and that it continues nicely with the on-going story so far.**_

_**On a side note, a team of translators have taken it upon themselves to finish the English Translation pack for the Majikoi Light Novel! So for all those who've been waiting for the translated ending to Miyako's path, go check it out! :D**_

_**Partly the reason why I'm updating it now as it's given me a spark of ideas!**_

_**Not much of an AN this time, so let's get straight into it. :)**_

Speech: "I will not stand down!"

_Thoughts: 'I will never give up!'_

_Whispering: "I need your help, Kurama..."_

**Kurama: "I will lend you my strength!"**

_**Kurama's Thoughts: 'Show them our power, Naruto!'**_

_**Techniques: "Bijudama!"**_

* * *

**_Wandering Kitsune_**

* * *

Duel

Left backhand slip, followed with a downward parry with his right arm.

Two palm strikes to the chest, slipping fluidly into an upward deflection.

From an observer's point of view, they could be dancing more than they were sparring. Yet this was the view that Yamato stumbled across when he opened the back panel leading into the garden, revealing the resident blonde sparring (yet again) with his surrogate sister. He knew that Naruto would be vigilant in his training but the past few weeks had been a shock to everyone when he began training with everyone and improving their abilities. Yamato had suspected something was wrong but knowing the blonde... he'd just grin and wave it off. He had been peerless when it came to training everyone in their taijutsu and kenjutsu but everyone knew that Kazuko would benefit more from him as she was the only one who could use chakra beside him.

Still, it was a sight to behold the two of them moving in synchronicity as they were training in a fighting style which a close friend of Naruto's had taught him. Gentle... something. Shaking his head as he noticed the two of them grinning at one another, he decided to break it up for the morning as they needed to make their way to the Academy.

"Yo! Time for breakfast!" the brunette shouted. This had to be a trigger they were waiting for as the two of them jumped back and began rushing through hand signs before they both stopped.

_**"Suiton: Suiryuudan!"**_

_**"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"**_

Yamato smiled as he watched the two of them spit out wind and water orbs as they collided into one another and exploded, drenching the two of them in water. The two of them began laughing before he pulled her into an head lock as she tried (read: failed) to struggle free. He couldn't help but notice how at home the two were with one another and how well they suited one another. It was brother and sister... and maybe something a little more... but it was perfect for them. He knew that she was at home wherever he was and it would be the same when he'd eventually go back.

"You're getting better, Kazu-nee! Still too slow to keep up with me though!" he grinned as he rubbed her head while she was still in lock.

"Mou~ Onii-samaaaa!" she pouted, still giggling at their interaction with one another. "I heard Reiko-san made extra food for us because she watches us sometimes and knows how much we can eat!" she smiled as Naruto finally let his grip loosen, giving her the chance to jump on his back and snuggle into his wet mane of hair. Naruto let loose a small chuckle as he carried the redhead back to his room to allow her a chance to freshen up before Academy.

"That's awesome! I love Reiko-chan's cooking in the mornings!" he grinned, speaking loud enough as a squeal came from down the hallway.

_**"Ah! Naruto-san is such a gentleman! I shall be adding a couple of extra portions to your meal for you and Kazuko-chan!" **_said woman's response came through from the kitchen area. She trailed off about how Gakuto should learn from the two of them but it only made the duo laugh. The two soon moved into Naruto's room as they began to freshen up for their day back at the Academy; Naruto allowing her to change in the room while he headed into the walk-in wardrobe he had installed.

_**"I still think you should tell someone at least. You know how bad you get when you bottle up something and let it fester until breaking point." **_Kurama suggested, watching the somewhat paranoid movements of his host. Kurama and Naruto both regained the clone's memories a few nights ago after the spectacle at the warehouse. It also made Naruto's blood boil from the fact that it was the _last _person he had expected to see.

_"I would've thought that Sasuke and Itachi would've dealt with him there and then but it seemed that they overlooked that detail and that he eventually broke free." _Naruto inwardly sighed as he slowly put on his uniform. _"There's nothing but bad news as long as he's still in the picture here."_

_**"So **_**that's _why you're pushing the others into form?" _**Kurama asked lazily from inside his den.

_"... yeah. I know how Kabuto'll operate and I can't afford the others to become a liability in all this." _he paused, lowering his head so his eyes were shadowed by his bangs. _"I would never forgive myself if anything happened to any of them."_

The pause that followed the two of them wasn't all that uncomfortable; it was more like an understandable silence and that they were secretly trying to work together on how to push through this dilemma. It was all well and good training them similar to how he was trained back home but the difference being; they were too specialized in their skills and it would be hard to teach them something they know more about than he did. Despite having worked with Kurama to create a new taijutsu style which would only be accessible to those with enormous amounts of chakra and have put the effort into their chakra control, nature manipulation and shape manipulation. The only person who would be able to use such a skill was Kazuko... but her reserves were nowhere near enough to even _try _to attempt his style. It was one of the reasons why he was showing her the bases of the Jyuuken; taijutsu of the Hyuuga Clan; allowing her to develop her reaction times, her fluidity, and hopefully allow to incorporate the stances with her naginata.

Yukie and Chris were both sword users but the swordplay they specialized in was, once again, different to his own. Yukie was dubbed as the "Eleventh Sword Saint", a title she had earned through hard work and determination, after defeating her father in a duel of swords. Having sparred with her in blades, Naruto could plainly see that her title was well-earned and that it proved a challenge, even for him, to keep up with her. Chris is more familiar with a rapier, a sword that Naruto had only interacted with a few times. Despite their unstable relationship, he was civil in offering help to her in defending against other styles of swordplay. It was of this idea that the three of them would often find themselves in a clash of swords; Yukie's katana, Chris' rapier and Naruto's Kubikiribōchō. With three different styles brought to the forefront at once, it helped them all on how to deal with their responding attacks and how to effectively counter them and block multiple styles.

Momoyo... he couldn't train properly because the two would need to go all out to improve anything. He eventually blackmailed her into agreeing with his schedule for the two to take a day every fortnight up to Tanzawa and spend the day in nature, meditating. She complained at first but soon backed off when she realized that it was the basis for his Senjutsu. Miyako was another problem. He could help her with close combat but her specialty would be better tutored in the hands of TenTen. So until he could request TenTen's help in training her, he ended up giving her a specialized sling-shot and helped work on her trajectory and her angle-work to pull of impossible shots.

_**"There's no point dwelling on it for now. All I can suggest is that you allow me out of the seal and I can go out and snoop out some more information for you and try and establish a spy network with that pervert from the Academy. I'll be able to cover the footwork while he backs me up with this... 'internet'." **_Kurama asked rhetorically, having yet to get used to the new technological advancement this place had over the Elemental Nations.

_"That... can work." _Naruto agreed as he nicked the edge of his thumb and swiped it on his, now slightly edited, Eight-Trigrams Seal. A small burst of smoke appeared before quickly fading to clear air, revealing a chibified version of Kurama. Naruto couldn't help but admire how 'cute' he looked but knew better than to tease him as he was _still _powerful enough to give him the mother of all beatdowns. "Stay safe, Kurama." Naruto smiled towards his partner as Kurama utilized his own shunshin and disappeared in a orange haze. Having one less problem to worry about, Naruto quickly finished getting dressed, ready for school.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

"... so if the root note of the chord is an E-flat, and I wanted to add to add a minor third, a sharpened fifth and a minor seventh on top; what chord would I have played?" Umeko turned to the class after drawing out the corresponding image on the blackboard. She scanned across the classroom to quickly inspect the current state of her students. _'It seems like nothing's changed; Kazuko is trying to sleep in the middle of my class... again. It seems that Miyako is... somewhat paying attention for a change. As ever, only Mayo, Christiane, Yamato and Naruto are the only real ones paying attention.' _she inwardly sighed as she registered a hand having been raised up, courtesy of Naruto. "Hai, Naruto?"

"Wouldn't it be a E-flat minor 7 with a sharpened fifth?" he asked.

"Very good. Now, what would happen if I changed the third and seventh to a _major _third and seventh, turned the fifth to a natural fifth, while adding a major ninth to the chord?" she asked further, wondering how well the newcomer was with his musical theory.

"Then I believe it would become an E-Flat Major Ninth." Naruto smiled. "Really nice chord to play, although it can be a little tricky when positioning quickly." he added as a forethought. Meanwhile, Umeko was impressed with the blond student's musical knowledge.

"I'm impressed, Naruto. It almost sounds like you play an instrument." she smirked ever so slightly.

"I do, actually." he grinned back to her, taking a slight delight in her surprised face. "I've been pretty partial to guitars but I also enjoy playing piano from time to time." he smiled. "Who knows? Maybe I'll treat you all and play sometime." he grinned cheekily, earning a few squeals form the girls in his class. Umeko couldn't help the smirk appear on her face at the brazen blond's words and simply chuckled. Thankfully, as if cued, the lunchtime bell began to ring as everyone in the class began making movement to clear up their desks and make their way to procuring food.

"Alright class! I want you all to work through pages forty-eight through fifty-seven. I will be testing you all on Friday so I expect good grades from you all." Umeko called out as an afterthought, looking at a certain redhead who had the decency to look sheepish and giggle uncomfortably at her teacher's _not-so-subtle _hint. With a firm nod, she packed up her things and left the class to head towards the teacher's lounge for food. While it wasn't a popular choice, most students would leave the campus and head into the district to eat out or to pick up food for them to eat once they returned. For those who packed their own lunches, they would go find a place to eat with friends around the school and interact with people from the different classes. For the Class of 2F, they preferred to stay in the room and eat together as a class and tidy up the room just before the next lesson. It was while the class of 2F was eating their meal that they had received a few... _unexpected _guests.

"Hello, my fellow students! I shall bless you with my presence, Hideo Kuki!"

Everyone turned to the door of the classroom to see the 2S Class Rep standing in the doorway with a mega-watt grin on his face as his gaze lingered on Kazuko for longer than Naruto would've cared to admit he'd like. He smiled, though, when he watched Azumi pull harshly on his ear as a sign to curb his voice and actions. Naruto also took note of a few of the other members who had decided to come over to 2F and 'congregate'. He recalled the redhead that had been involved with the Kawakami War and remembered Margit as she made her way over to Chris and began conversing with her. He turned his attention back to a group of three figures he recognized but didn't know the names of. The first person Naruto had noticed was brunette 'bishonen' that had almost every girl's attention when he walked into the room. He was rather tall for someone of his descent but Naruto wasn't one to judge people on their nationalities or likes; he had dealt with enough of that all of his life and wouldn't start acting a hypocrite and doing the same to others. He had shoulder-length hair that matched the playful brown eyes that hid behind a pair of navy-rimmed glasses; wearing the normal uniform of a white shirt with navy cuffs and navy blue trousers.

The second person standing next to him was a bald-haired man who was slightly more 'toned' than the bishonen but the difference being his grey eyes. Like the male, he was also dressed in the usual uniform but it wasn't them that had his attention... no.

That honour belonged to the whitette that stared at him with a slightly agape expression. He trailed his eyes down the cascading platinum white hair that flowed behind and over her shoulders, framing an angelic face which adorned a pair of ruby eyes. She was wearing the usual uniform for the female students and he noticed that she was staring right at him and not even trying to hide it. Miyako and Kazuko were annoyed by the blatant 'oogling' but were shocked when they heard a noise from Naruto's direction and found that the girl had crossed the distance of the classroom in less than a second. The two also noticed the sudden disappearance of a certain blond before they remembered to look up...

... finding said blond sitting upside down on the ceiling of the classroom with his bento box 'upside down'. He grinned playfully at the newcomer as he skillfully picked a piece of meat from his box and ate it. _(A/N: He's upside down so the box would be 'upside down' in his case because if it wasn't, the food would spill out due to the force of gravity.) _Everyone in the classroom was stunned at the impossible display shown by Naruto as he calmly continued to eat his food, despite the shocked looks he received. He looked up (still upside down!) to see the stunned look on the newcomer's face before she pouted cutely.

"Ara, ara... such an unusual skill." the bishonen remarked with a smile as he made his way further into the classroom. "And such good reaction times for the person who could fight Momoyo to a standstill." he joked heartily.

"I get that reaction quite a lot. You'd be surprised how many girls seem to think I'm... cute." he smiled, deadpanning at the word 'cute'. "So I take it you must be 2S' tactician back in the Kawakami War?" Naruto smiled, asking with a small grin on his face. The brunette chuckled lightly, causing his hair to sway slightly with his face before glancing up to where Naruto was with an amused smile on his face.

"Indeed. My name is Aoi Touma. Pleasure to make your acquaintances, Naruto-san." the now identified Aoi bowed politely, receiving a respectful nod from the blond on the ceiling.

"Please don't call me '-san'. I hate formalities." Naruto smiled back before turning towards the pouting whitette that was looking at him with shimmering ruby eyes. "And what is the name of this cute thing before me?" he playfully smiled, earning an annoyed look from Miyako, Kazuko and (strangely enough) Azumi.

"Haaaai~! My name is Koyuki Sakakibara!" she beamed with a sleepy kind of smile. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he smiled and slowly released himself off the ceiling and landed back on the floor near her, twisting his bento so none of it spilled out.

"You know, I have a friend who's called Koyuki. She currently lives back home in a place called the Land of Spring." Naruto smiled, earning the attention of everyone there. "It used to be called the Land of Snow at one point because the weather would always snow there. I went there when I was younger and helped Koyuki defeat her evil uncle, who wanted her necklace to use the power her father had protected from him for his own gain. We defeated him and melted the snow, turning it into a land of beauty and sunlight. It's funny because she is now currently the residing Princess over the Land of Spring." he chuckled, earning even more shocked reactions from the class. It was while Naruto was recalling his mission to the class that Momoyo strode up to the classroom door and leaned against the frame with her eyes closed and her arms crossed under her impressive bust. She could only smile at her favorite blond as he engaged the others a little further, imagining when she could go on another of these 'missions' with him.

"Wow~! That's amazing!" Koyuki beamed with stars in her eyes as she kneeled down before Naruto, clasping her hands in front of her chest like a certain blond-haired nun-turned-devil. Yet there was the usual person ruining the mood as usual as someone made their annoyance known with a scoff.

"Such a far-fetched story for someone without honour or justice." Chris butted in sourly as she glared at the blond with disdain. The class went quiet at the sudden outburst from the foreign student as she continued to make her piece known. "Only knights or heroes are allowed to court and saves princesses, not liars or thieves or... _ninjas_!" she continued, stopping as she recognized the shocked looks from everyone else. She was snapped out of her musings when she heard something hit the table in front of her, earning loud gasps from all around the room. Chris looked down in front of her and noticed the school badge resting on the table before snapping her head up to the blond that suddenly appeared in front of her.

"I remember Tesshin-jiji telling me about this..." Naruto quietly spoke in a chilling voice, "That he allows a 'Dueling' system between students who have some kind of grudge against one another." he slowly looked up, startling everyone as his eyes had shifted from blue to amethyst. "I don't know what bullshit you've been fed about honour and justice... but even though we shinobi kill, lie, steal, cheat and sabotage; we do these things so that we protect that which we hold close to us. Things like family, friends, political upstandings, economic tradings and alliances with other nations... even for peace." Everyone watched as Naruto pointed to the badge he had slammed down on the table moments ago before pointing towards Chris.

"If you have _that _much of an issue with me and what I've been raised to do... then show me your will and show me the conviction you have to prove yourself right. I won't sit back while I let you slander my creed and rub dirt on the title of_ 'Shinobi'_. I have done a lot to get where I am today so where, exactly, do you get off telling me that what I do is _worthless_!?" he yelled, stunning everyone into silence, including the newcomers that had appeared when the sudden silence caught their attention. Chris made a move to place her badge on top when another badge smacked against Naruto's.

"I will not have you speak to milady in such a tone." Margit interrupted, her hand frozen in a slamming position. "I know how powerful you are to stand fairly against Momoyo-san and I know you would not hold back against Friedrich-sama. For that, I request that I duel in her stead." she calmly replied in an icy tone. Naruto remained silent before a cold chuckle escaped from his throat, stunning the females who knew him in their seats.

_'W-when did Naruto-kun sound so... cold?' _Momoyo thought inwardly, shocked to see a darker side of the blond she loved. Miyako and Kazuko were in similar positions but the latter was on the verge of tears seeing her 'onii-sama' act so harshly towards them, even if she believed they deserved it.

"So it seems that Chris can't even fight her own battles, huh?" Naruto spoke in an uncharacteristically snide tone of voice, shocking Momoyo, Miyako, Kazuko and everyone else there who knew him well. "She spouts all this nonsense about honour and justice... yet she has her _'maid'_ fight her own battles. That," he trailed off, moving past Margit...

"... is _pathetic_." he finished coldly, picking up his badge before leaving the stunned classroom. No-one made a sound as Kazuko and Miyako made their way through the classroom and making their way to find the pissed-off blond. Chris, however, stood silently as thoughts ran amok in her head; namely around the blond she knew she had insulted greatly.

Meanwhile, Tesshin had overheard the conversation that had taken place (thanks to the speakers he had placed in the classrooms) and was greatly disappointed in the German's mindset and harsh tones. He almost had the mind to allow the original duel request to go through but he wouldn't like to deal with a possible death with a General's only daughter and cause a war between Germany and Japan, not to mention the backlash it'd have on the Elemental Nations as well. He closed his eyes and silently prayed for the three girls to calm him down enough so that he could look past her words. Despite that, he knew he needed to try and accommodate a new place of residence if she continues with this behaviour.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

Naruto decided to skip the rest of his classes for the day as he sat by himself on the school rooftop, lying down on one of the benches that was placed there for students to have a meal. It was empty as class had started over fifteen minutes ago and he was thankful for the fact as he didn't want to interact with anyone at that precise moment. He berated himself for letting his emotions get the better of him and knew that he would need to head back to Tanzawa and meditate for a few days in the mountains. His training plans were set on hold when he sensed three familiar signatures appear from the sole entry/exit to the roof itself. He sighed slightly as they neared him, all wearing worried expression on their faces.

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much for me. I let my emotions get the better of me and you all had to see a side of me I never wanted you all to see." he apologized humbly, going so far as to move off the bench he had been lying down on, sitting in dogma and bowing his head to the floor. Momoyo, Miyako and Kazuko were all shocked by the display Naruto was showing before Momoyo knelt down and raised his head up to find his eyes were screwed shut. She silently sighed as her thumbs traced his whiskers as she spoke to him in a soft voice.

_"Naru-kun... look at me."_ she whispered, feeling tears threatening to escape her eyes when he didn't._ "Naruto-kun... please. It hurts seeing you do this."_ she confessed, feeling a stray tear escape as she placed her forehead on his.

_"I... I-I can't..."_ he whispered in a broken voice. It made the three girls mentally recoil from how hurt his voice sounded. _"I never wanted you to see me like that..."_ he grit through his teeth, trying his best not to cry in front of them all. Momoyo hushed him gently before pulling him to her chest, allowing him to rest on her bosom for comfort as she ran her fingers through his hair (knowing that it was an action that never failed to soothe him down). It was a cue as Naruto let a few tears fall down his face but still trying not to openly cry. _"I'm not the same person I once was... and I would've been better off never letting you see the darker side of me that I try desperately to hide from everyone." _he whispered shakily. Miyako and Kazuko were silently crying for him as they both made their move to comfort Naruto in this rare moment of weakness. The three of them said nothing as his soft sobbing continued to wrench their hearts. It took him fifteen minutes before the sobs stopped as they noticed that he had fallen asleep; the three girls being thankful that they didn't have to listen to their blond shinobi sound so... _broken_. The three said nothing as they all silently promised to stay with him until he woke back up.

From within the mindscape, the door that held back the memories he had suppressed shuddered violently before one of the locks had suddenly snapped off, weakening the chain that held it closed.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

The walk home from the Academy was much quieter than normal... uncomfortably so. Miyako had taken to glaring at the German transfer student for her outburst earlier against her childhood crush, furthering her great dislike for her. Kazuko was much quieter than normal and seemed... tired. Her movements were lethargic and everyone knew it looked so out of place for her personality, but after seeing what had transpired earlier on, they could understand why she felt so tired; it was an emotional tiredness, not a physical one. Yamato simply walked with his hands in his pockets while glancing up to the sunny skies, thinking on a way to cheer Naruto up. Moro and Gakuto also reigned in their perversion for a day and simply chatted with one another about the upcoming video games coming out, occasionally bringing Yamato into the conversation to see if he could get early access for said games. Yukie decided to speak with Matsukaze about making a small bento for Naruto to eat when he felt hungry, knowing that he wouldn't be making an appearance for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Chris was deep in thought about the words that had been said by the resident blond. She felt angry that he said such things about her but the chilling fact is that she knew he was right; she wasn't strong enough to deal with her own problems as Margit had made a move to fight him in her stead. She grit her teeth as the more she interacted with the blond shinobi, the more confused it made her. As a child, she had been brought up in a militaristic background; so discipline was a must-have necessity when dealing with such an important general that was also her father. Being exposed to fighting and civil wars and rebellion movements, she quickly grew up to categorize what she saw into things she could recognize; there was fighting when two or more factions both have a goal which clashes against one another. Because of this, wars break out and fighting ensues. Despite that, she had also quickly come to the conclusion that the righteous will always prevail over evil from watching the many samurai films back home in Lubeck; satisfying her secret love for all things Japanese and the culture it had there.

So from what Naruto had openly spoken about of his profession, she knew that he had killed before. She knew he had stolen before. She knew he had cheated others out of something and also knew he had sabotaged another person's hard efforts. Yet she never took the time to wonder _why _he did all these things until she remembered his words from earlier on:

_"... we do these things so that we protect that which we hold close to us. Things like family, friends, political upstandings, economic tradings and alliances with other nations... even for peace."_

It was then that she had mentally asked herself the golden question... if Naruto did these for the sake of all that is precious to him, then why is it that she can't agree with the manner in which he does these things? On top of that... is justice and honour really as black and white as she made it out to be and missed the infinite number of grays that lie in between? It was with that question that her eyes gained a determined edge to them as she knew what she must do to have that answer questioned.

She would have to accept Naruto's duel request.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

After everyone had made their way to their dorms for the night, only three people remained in the kitchen-come-dining area of the residence; Chris, Yukie and Yamato. Chris had sat in silence as she picked at the food that was prepared for them all earlier, as her mind was so pre-occupied on the words the blond had said to her since she had first met him. Yamato was currently on his laptop as he was contacted earlier on by Kurama and was beginning to set up a spy connection for them all to keep an eye on what's going on with the government and the decision they're making, as well as any underground operations; drug-smuggling, weapons, black market, traficking, everything. Lastly, Yukie was preparing a pot of tea for the three of them as she had an inkling that they would be there for a while longer. It was in the silence that Chris finally managed to utter her first few words since her outburst earlier on.

"A-Ano... Yamato-san?"

Yamato glanced up from his laptop to acknowledge the fact that she had spoken to him before quickly typing in something on his laptop. "Hmm?" he hummed, hinting for her to ask her question. She placed her chopsticks down on her plate and gently moved it away from her, leaving a space for her elbows to rest, allowing her to prop her chin on her folded hands.

"Why do you all think so highly of Naruto-san?" she asked, trying to word her question without giving off that she was being snobbish. Yamato paused as his fingers hovered over the keyboard before he let loose a sigh. He quickly bookmarked what he was doing before setting the laptop down on the table; giving Chris his full attention. For a few moments, he said nothing as he stared into her uncertain blue eyes, looking for something of sorts. Having found what he was looking for, he leaned back with a small smile.

"It's not really my story to tell you, if I'm completely honest," he started, "... but knowing Naruto, he wouldn't care if I said anything. He's just that kind of person." he professed, turning his attention back to her. "You see, despite that we all have different backgrounds and that we have our own strengths and weaknesses, we're a family because we have all suffered in one way or another." he started off, carefully measuring his words. Chris' head tilted slightly in confusion as she waited patiently for Yamato to continue.

"Miyako was bullied a lot when she was younger. Her mother and father had split up because she was a nymphomaniac and she wasn't satisfied with her husband. Because the two of them had split up, rumours started spreading around that she was 'diseased'; going as far as to calling it the 'Shiina Virus'." he sighed once again as Chris' eyes widened slightly. "I'm not sure how long the bullying went on for but I was so nihilistic when I was younger that I didn't do anything to help out. She was that hurt by it that she confessed that she would've committed suicide if it wasn't for, what she calls it, a 'divine intervention'."

"Divine... intervention?" Chris asked confused, eyes widening further at the warm smile on the brunette's face as Yukie, who had finished placing the filled tea cups down on the table as she listened to his tale, sat down next to her.

"It was the day she met Naruto for the first time." Yamato warmly spoke. "It was thanks to him meeting her and becoming her friend that she managed to find her will to push through the bullying and become stronger because of it. She had someone that believed in her and someone who knew the emotional pain that could be brought on by mere words. When no-one else would... _he did_." he paused. "I could say the same thing has happened for a number of us; Wanko included."

"K-Kazuko-san as well?" Yukie politely interrupted, wanting to hear a little more.

"Yeah. She was orphaned when she was younger as her parents were killed on a training holiday. There was a shooting that took place in the hotel they stayed at and the two of them had sacrificed themselves so that the others could go get help. It was because of them that no-one else had died that day and the shooters were arrested and executed. It was also why Kazuko wanted to give up because she was all alone in the world. That's where Naruto comes in once again." he smiled, staring Chris in the eyes.

"When she had no-one... _he. Did. _That's what Naruto is all about; he knows the hardships of being an orphan and being hated for something that was out of his control. He's part of the family because he knows the pain we go through and he makes sure that no-one else has to suffer the way he had before them. He has this... aura." he paused as his hands moved slightly, "It's when you're near him that you feel drawn towards him and feel like believing in him. It makes you feel like he can do anything he puts his mind to and he never goes back on his promises. Not once, ever." Yamato smiled while Chris and Yukie were left speechless by the revelation.

"I know that it's hard to see just how much he's done for everyone but he still takes care of things without ever asking for thanks for. Did you both notice that the house looks a little brighter than before?" he asked the two of them, earning a pair of negative shakes. "Naruto used his clones to paint the exterior of the place. He's even tended to the garden and made sure it looks spotless as ever. I've even seen him help Reiko-san when she didn't feel well enough to cook meals and he would cook breakfast and then leave for his training." he pointed off as each reason took their aim at Chris' emotions.

"He's even cleaned everyone's rooms, with Reiko-san's permission, placed anti-dusting seals to keep the rooms staying cleaner for longer, changed everyone's sleeping gear with high-quality items he had bought from Ageha-san, cleans the baths daily and pumps the generator..." he continued to point off the things he does during the day when everyone else is busy at school or busy out with friends. "You'd be genuinely surprised just how much Naruto does so that everyone else can simply relax and enjoy themselves."

The two of the females sat in silence for a while as Yamato calmly sipped his tea, allowing the two girls to deal with the new update of information. Yukie's opinion of Naruto could only increase as she couldn't begin to fathom with just how much work Naruto does behind the scenes for everyone. She knew just how much of a chore it could be to properly clean a room and just how much effort it would take for someone to daily take on the tasks suitable for several people's worth of work, just for the sake that no-one else needed to do it. Chris couldn't help the silent tears fall down her face as she had noticed her room staying much cleaner than usual and that the new sheets were simply amazing to sleep with. She chalked it up to being a new delivery from her father but...

"D-Does... does he really do that much?" Chris stammered, her voice wavering as she found herself on the verge of tears. Yukie didn't speak as she knew her voice would betray her as well, leaving Yamato smiling as he finished the rest of his tea before grabbing his laptop and heading towards the door. "Why does he do all this for us?" she asked bitterly, knowing she didn't deserve the kindness he had shown her. "I-I... I don't deserve any of this..." she nearly cried. Yukie could sense the turmoil in her eyes and placed a comforting shoulder on the blonde's shoulder, letting her know she wasn't alone. Yamato turned his head slightly and allowed a smile to appear on his face as he knew it was up to Naruto to drive the rest of the words home tomorrow.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance." he simply said before waving the two goodnight and make his way back to his room. He smiled as he walked slightly away from the door before stopping, glancing over his shoulder with a smile before continuing his way down the hallway. From behind, a small sigh could be heard as Naruto shimmered back into view before he leaned slightly against the door and quietly listened to the soft sobbing of Chris. He simply allowed a small smile to grace his face before he vanished in a burst of white light.

* * *

_**WK**_

* * *

It was another slow lesson before the lunch period bell began to blaze throughout the Academy. People quickly made their way out of the classrooms to go about their daily food rituals and sit wherever they felt like it. Like the day before, the members of 2F decided to eat together as they all began animatedly chatting with one another. Miyako and Kazuko were extra protective of Naruto after yesterday's outburst but were hesitant when yesterday's perpetrator slowly walked up to Naruto's desks and patiently waited for his attention. Said person glanced up from his bag and noted the steely determined look that the fellow blonde held in her blue orbs and noticed that she finally discovered what he had been trying to tell her all along. He knew she had been told of how much effort he puts in daily for the housework but it's no skin off his bones as he can simply make clones to help him in that regard. He slowly placed the bento box back in his bag before he stood up and regarded her attention. She reached into her blouse and placed her badge back down on the table, waiting for what he would do now. It was at that moment that Margit had burst into the room and saw Chris standing in front of Naruto once more.

"Milady! You cannot defeat him! Allow-" she began before she was silenced by Chris' hand motioning her to stop. Everyone silenced themselves quickly as she lowered her hand back down to her side as she stared Naruto directly into his eyes.

"Naruto-san. I have only been shown just how much of an effort you put in for all of us. I have only just came to know that despite my attitude, you have helped me in ways that I would have taken for granted if I was never told such things. For those things, you have my gratitude." she politely bowed before him, surprising everyone in the class. Miyako's and Kazuko's eyebrows were raised in shock and astonishment as they watched the prideful blond apologize publicly to him. "As for your comment yesterday..." she trailed off, "I've come to realize that I should start facing my own battles... regardless of how impossibly stacked the odds may seem against me."

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief of Chris challenging Naruto to a duel in combat, knowing that he could defeat Momoyo if he tried hard enough (and that piece of information came from Momoyo herself). Naruto simply said nothing before he allowed a small smile to grace his face as he let loose a small chuckle. He simply walked up to Chris and placed his hand on her shoulder and allowed himself to look her in the eyes with a warmth she, admittedly, missed.

"You're taking the first step in the right direction. Now show me how much you're willing to fight for this." he spoke to her with a grin as he pulled back. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his badge and slammed it down on top of hers before making his way to the main courtyard where the duel would be taking place. It was that moment, in the office, where Tesshin allowed a smile on his face at the lesson the blonde had learned and how far she'd go to rectify it. He coughed lightly before activating the speakers and spoke into them.

**"Students, this is an announcement that a duel will be taking place in the courtyard in five minutes. The duel is between 2F's Christiane Friedrich and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze." **he finished announcing as he heard the uproar of the students as they all rushed outside to see the duel starting. Tesshin made his way out as well as he would gladly referee the upcoming duel between the two students of 2F.

The students quickly crowded around the two students while leaving ample room for the upcoming combatants to maneuver freely without having any interference from the onlooking students. Tesshin and Momoyo both made their way through the crowd before standing in front of the two grinning blond's. Tesshin quickly glanced to each combatant and nodded politely to them with a smile. He quickly spoke up, capturing everyone's attention once more. "As Chris was the one to challenge Naruto to the duel, it will be up to Naruto to place the stipulations on the duel. What will you decide?" he asked him. Naruto didn't answer as he bit the corner of his thumb before wiping it on the back of his hand. In a burst of smoke, everyone watched as Naruto pulled out his Kubikiribōchō and rested it upon his shoulder. Everyone who hadn't seen him use the sword before was shocked to see such a massive sword be swung so easily.

"Then I'll choose it to be a pure kenjutsu match. No techniques, no jutsu, no chakra. Just full out swordplay." Naruto smirked as Chris' eyes widened slightly in shock from the favorable stipulations he had placed on her. It also showed her that despite having his power, he wasn't afraid to fight others when he had a slight disadvantage. She simply smirked in return as she drew her rapier, performing a few flurries and thrusts before bringing it parallel with her body, allowing Naruto to see half her face and the sword in front. She simply nodded, accepting the stipulations. Tesshin smiled once more as he watched the two ready themselves, ready for the battle that was about to begin. Momoyo smirked at her blond crush when she raised her hand.

"Ready?" she smirked, bringing her hand down in one swipe. "Haijime!"

The two wasted no time as they both closed the distance with one another as the two blades clashed against one another in a shower of sparks. The two fighters smirked as the kept their gazes on one another as they struggled for dominance; Naruto's girth being able to grant him more leverage on Chris while her rapier could slip underneath the curved semi-circle in the blade-edge and threaten to pierce his guard. The two quickly broke free as they continued to slam swords against one another in a hope to attain the first advantage of the fight and gain the upper hand. Shockingly to all, Chris had managed to find a small break in his guard and capitalized on it, forcing him to quickly shift his blade down to parry her attack. His eyes slightly widened when he realized it was a feint and left his shoulder exposed and quickly took a hold of it and landed the first solid hit of the match on him.

The two of them quickly jumped apart from one another to put some distance between them both. Naruto quickly glanced down to his shirt to find a small tear in the corner of his shirt and prodded it lightly with his index finger. Letting out a small chuckle as the patch instantly began repairing itself together, he immediately lifted his sword back up and pointed it straight at Chris, who immediately went on guard. "Not bad, Chris! Now let's see if you can keep up!" he grinned before he blurred out of sight. Chris' eyes widened immediately as her danger senses kicked in and instantly raised her rapier up to block the incoming attack as she spun on her feet and blocked the attack. Chris' arms buckled slightly from the sheer force of the swing and began to sweat from exertion as she slowly pushed back up to a standing position.

"I... w-will... not..." she gritted through her teeth before she glared at Naruto's grinning face. _**"QUIT!" **_She quickly pushed her rapier up and swiftly locked his blade down by placing her sword through the large hole near the tip, before she flicked her wrist and yanked it out of his hands and flung it away into the crowd. Thankfully, they could see the incoming sword and quickly dove out of the way as it pierced the ground with a large cloud of dust. Naruto, and everyone else watching, was in shock by the sudden turn of events as Chris took the moment of surprise and quickly dashed in to end this duel in her win. Unfortunately, he recovered quickly enough to nick his thumb once more while under the guise of the dust cloud that had been kicked up by Chris' sudden rush of movement.

A large clang appeared out of the dust cloud as everyone gasped at the sight that stood in front of them all; Chris had managed to dash over to the Kubikiribōchō and used both of her hands to swing the large sword, albeit with great effort, but her eyes widened at the fact that Naruto had somehow managed to pull another sword out of nowhere. Her first thoughts were occupied on the large sword that seemed to materialize out of his wind chakra before giving it a form; a six-foot masamune. The grip on the handle was black with a white diamond motif design that traveled down the length of the grip, giving way to a seemingly small guard that separated the sword from the handle. The sword itself looked like it was crafted to perfection as there wasn't a single flaw that could be found on the blade itself; slightly curved with an edge that could split a falling leaf with a single stroke. Due to her position in mid-air, she had no real way to defend herself as Naruto quickly swung his sword and swiped at her, causing her blouse to split a little across her abdomen area.

She leaped back several time to allow herself a quick damage assessment. She tugged at the slashed top to notice the perfectly clean cut that went horizontally across her abdomen area. She quickly returned her gaze to a calm and collective Naruto as he shifted the sword above his left shoulder, pointing the tip towards Chris. She steeled herself as she lifted his sword with surprising ease, positioning it like Yukie did in a two-handed grip in front of her. Without a warning, the two dashed back in and let loose a shower of sparks as each sword clashed with one another, neither of them letting down their guard or leaving an opening. She opened up with a wide swipe, aiming to deal a fair bit of damage to the male swordsman but he quickly spun and parried the blow before using the momentum of his spin to deal a counterattack, which she quickly jumped back from. He followed up with a quick lunge but she returned the attack with trapping the blade in the center of the hole-shaped indent near the tip of the sword and quickly placed the sword near his neck. She smirked when she thought she had him but soon felt a tap on the soft flesh of her exposed neck; turning her eyes to find his blade at her throat. The two locked eyes before letting loose a loud laugh before the two of them jumped back from one another, allowing a small breather.

"I'm surprised you've been able to keep up with me with my sword, Chris!" he grinned playfully as he cracked his neck and arms. "You're a lot stronger than you look." he complimented. She let loose a small laugh as she rolled her shoulders and stretched her back slightly, feeling slightly sore from the sudden movements and the weight of her bust moving so much on her chest.

"Hai! I'm enjoying this fight, Naruto-san!" she replied happily as she moved the sword parallel to the ground and spread her legs slightly wider than normal. "But it's not over yet!" she yelled defiantly as Naruto took the sword and swiped it down so that the tip of the sword was mere millimeters from the ground. The two paused once more before the two disappeared from sight and found each other standing at opposite sides of the courtyard with their swords drawn. There was silence in the courtyard before a feminine grunt rang out through the air as Chris slowly collapsed to one knee; her shirt exposing much more of her chest area, but not enough to rob her of her modesty. Naruto huffed slightly before he rested his head back and face towards the sky, eyes closed; much happier than he had been for a while.

_"Zabuza... I think I found someone who's more worthy of carrying your sword." _he mentally spoke out, his mind playing with the idea he had running in his head. Slowly, he made his way over to Chris who, he noted, was being tended to by Margit. Naruto knelt down before Chris and motioned for Margit to stand back before quickly transforming into his Jinchuriki-Sage form, igniting his whole body in a golden flame cloak of energy, before he placed his hand just over her chest area. Chris was stunned speechless but soon let loose an involuntarily throaty moan from feeling her injuries washed away and having a warm sensation run all over her body. Naruto had the decency to blush from the moan but soon finished his work and allowed the cloak to fade away. Naruto smiled as he offered a hand out to Chris, who looked at the appendage in confusion.

"You've done well." he smiled warmly. She allowed a small tear to fall down her face before she smiled warmly back at him and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. She quickly picked up his sword and offered it back to him but her eyes widened in shock when Naruto placed his hands over hers and pushed it back to her.

"N-Naruto-san!" she stammered, shocked by his actions.

"You've shown me just how far you're willing to fight for what you believe in. Despite the outcome of this fight, I can sense you've won the war that's been going on in your mind for a while now." Naruto smiled before allowing a teasing smirk to appear on his face. "You're much stronger than you let on, Christiane Friedrich." he complimented before taking a step back from her and the sword.

"But why would you give me this?" she asked, utterly bewildered by his actions. Naruto ran a hand through his hair before sealing his masamune back into it's pocket dimension.

"Because that sword represented the will of a man who wanted to defy his fate." he began explaining, catching the attention of students and teachers alike. "It was my first ever C-Rank mission to a place called Nami no Kuni; the Land of Waves. It started off as a C-Rank but soon turned into an A-Rank because of a rogue ninja was hired to kill the client we were hired to protect. His name was Zabuza Momochi and was one of seven extraordinary and superb swords men that came from Kirigakure; the Village Hidden in the Mist." he paused for a moment, recalling his mission briefly.

"What happened?" Chris asked, intrigued by the story.

"There was a civil war back in Kiri. There would be ninja from clans who had their own unique abilities that couldn't be copied by anyone else; these were called Kekkei Genkai. The current Mizukage at the time decided to give the order to execute all known kekkei users to 'keep Mizu pure from tainted blood.'" Naruto spat distastefully. "Though I'll admit he wasn't in control of himself but that's a different story for another time. Zabuza took the job to kill our client so that he could use the money to fund the resistance group he was fighting for and overturn the Mizukage's reign and kill him; allowing the current Mizukage, Mei, to take over. Ironic because she has two kekkei genkai to her name." he chuckled, remembering the steamy redhead at the aftermath meeting once the war had finished...

_XXX-Flashback!-XXX_

_The war had just been called to an end and the last of the white Zetsu clones had been dealt with, thanks to Naruto's efforts with sensing the negative intentions from several of their own members (who turned out to be the Zetsu in disguise). They had managed to get a secured location for the five Kages to meet together and assess the damages that had taken place. For now, though, they all sat down and decided to rest after all the fighting that had taken place. The five kages made their way into one of the medical tents where they stumbled across a familiar blond-haired ninja who was currently being tended to by Sakura and Shizune. Tsunade smirked at watching the blond fidget about, trying to assure them that he was fine and that he didn't need tending to. Gaara smiled slightly as he moved forward and made himself._

_"You truly are a remarkable ninja, Naruto Uzumaki." the current Kazekage and former jinchuriki spoke out with a small smile. The three of them turned to the new group as Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head and giving his trademark foxy grin._

_"Heh, we made it though! I'm trying to tell Sakura-chan and Shizune-neechan that I'm fine! Kurama has taken the damages and has patched me back to full health, not to mention that the senjutsu had increased the recovery rate and I'm now back at a hundred percent!" he grinned, flexing his muscles before feeling a hard smack to the back of his head courtesy of Sakura._

_"It doesn't mean that we can't check up on you for any side-effects!" she chided back, earning a small giggle from Shizune._

_"Well, it's over. Thankfully we came out on top but I'm not looking forward to the paperwork that we'll be dealing with once we get back." A sighed tiredly, all the present kages nodding reluctantly. Tsunade then walked up to Naruto and gave him a stern glare. Naruto had the decency to look sheepish for a few moments before he started glaring back at her. The two had sparks coming out of their eyes before they both burst out laughing at one another, much to the confusion of the other people watching on. Tsunade smirked as she sat next to Naruto and began ruffling his hair fondly._

_"You really are Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Knucklehead aren't you brat?" she smirked before her smile softened as she pulled Naruto into a tight embrace. Naruto stiffened slightly from the sannin's actions but soon relaxed. "I'm glad you're safe, Naruto." she whispered into his ear. Naruto simply smiled as he returned the affectionate gesture with his own hug._

_"Thank you, Tsunade-baachan. Thank you for everything." he replied honestly, earning a small tear from her as the two kept the hug going for a few more moments before a polite cough interrupted the two of them._

_"What would your grandfather say if he caught you cradle-robbing, eh Tsunade?" Onoki chuckled heartily before he yelped in pain from his back giving in once more. Tsunade growled at the implication of his words but was soon interrupted by Naruto._

_"Oi, old man! Leave Tsunade alone!" he stood up, pointing his finger towards his direction, "Tsunade has been the closest thing to family I've ever experienced so I won't stand here as you bad-mouth her! If I didn't know who my parents were, I would be tempted to say she has been as much of a mother to me than anyone else!" he yelled defiantly, stopping all actions in the room. Tsunade's eyes widened dramatically on the profession of her distant Uzumaki-relative as she slowly repeated the words in her head, finding herself speechless that Naruto would think of her as a parent-figure to him. She smiled. She genuinely smiled as she wiped away a small tear from her eyes before watching Mei saunter forwards slightly._

_"My my, Naruto-kun, such powerful words." she smiled warmly but the glint in her eyes spelled mischief. "Then I hope she doesn't mind if I do this..." she trailed off. Naruto was about to ask what she meant but that option was taken out of his hands when she slammed her lips over his and initiated a very steamy lip-lock with the blond hero. She pulled away to find his eyes staring at nothing in particular and his face as red as his mother's hair..._

_Promptly before he fainted._

_XXX-End Flashback!-XXX_

"That sword represented all that he lived and died for. The very same man that hired him had turned on him after his son-like figured was killed on the bridge by my sensei, taking the killing blow instead of Zabuza, and he decided to take him out and kill the very same man. His nickname was the 'Demon of the Mist', and he fought like a man possessed; taking down over a hundred men before killing Gato, his employer." Naruto explained solemnly as everyone quietly paid their respects to him. "Yes we kill. We lie. Cheat. Steal. Sabotage. Often on times, the best of people ends up on the opposite side but what can we do?" he asked rhetorically. "We carry on and shoulder that burden so that people can sleep safely at night. Families can stay together with their loved ones once more. We do all this to keep our precious people safe; never taking credit for our actions." he trailed off as he slipped his hands into his pockets and began walking away, but not before stopping and looking over his shoulder at a speechless Chris.

_"That is what it means to be Shinobi." _he smiled warmly before walking away.

**"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze!" **Tesshin shouted loudly, inwardly proud of his surrogate grandson's words, noting the inspiration that his words had imbued in each of the student's minds as they thought about what he had said. Chris took the sword in her hands and remember everything that Naruto had said and done up until this point and she smiled fondly at the sword.

"I remember hearing a while ago that when a swordsman relinquishes his sword to another; there is an old tradition that the new owner is allowed to give the sword a brand new name." Yukie commented lightly as she and Wanko both came over. The redhead was smiling at the events that had happened and could sense the change in Chris, giving her another chance like her brother-turned-love-interest did. Chris looked up for a moment before her eyes shifted back down to the sword, nodding to herself.

"If that is so, I have the perfect name for this sword..." she smiled to herself before hefting it on her back and walking away, somewhat shocked that it stayed there without a strap.

"What is it?" Kazuko asked expectantly. Chris paused as she turned her head, similar to how Naruto did. With a smile, she answered...

"Kibō no kisōsha; meaning 'Giver of Hope'." she smiled before walking away. Margit, who watched the whole interaction, could only stand in awe of the blond's words and actions. She was highly impressed by his code of honour and fairness by restricting himself to only his swordplay and she was highly interested in dueling him as well, if Tesshin allowed it. Smiling to herself and chuckling lightly, she soon followed her mistress.

Unknown to them all, another set of eyes had been watching the events that unfolded before the figure smiled to themselves and turned around and walked away. One thought on their mind was of the blond shinobi...

_"You changed so much... Naruto-kun."_

* * *

**_And done! Been a while since I started this chapter and I'm glad I finally finished it and updated this story! More of a challenge to my descriptive writing as I've noticed I'm not great with fight scenes for some reason. So this was mainly a fight-based chapter in a hope to challenge my writing skills and hope you readers enjoyed the chapter!_**

**_For those who've noticed, then yes. Naruto's sword is the exact replica of Sephiroth's. Had a FF7 inspiration for a little bit of the fight and went for it._**

**_So! Until next time folks! R/R, F/F, whatever you wanna do! :D_**


End file.
