Itachi stood his ground as the massive and fearsome army of Naruto clones rushed at him from all directions with their weapons and jutsu of choice ready to bring about his demise. Despite how things appeared, Itachi looked calm and collected as though he still had everything under control. With his Mangekyō Sharingan activated, Itachi looked up and activated his jutsu.
"Amaterasu!" Itachi called out as a wall of black flames appeared and spread out wide, dispelling many of the clones that were closest to him. The remaining clones pulled back to avoid being taken out. The black flames continued to burn as it gave Itachi a form of protection from Naruto.
"Amaterasu," Naruto said, "I heard of that Uchiha jutsu. It's said that it can burn through just about anything."
"The very fact that you forced me to resort to this level of my Sharingan is surprising," Itachi replied, "Nevertheless that will not deter me."
"Before we continue showing whose balls are bigger than the other's Itachi, I do have some questions I want to ask you personally seeing that Kisame isn't here to listen to this private conversation," Naruto stated.
"I'm your enemy Naruto," Itachi reminded, "What I know will be of no use to you."
"Say what you want," Naruto retorted, "I checked both your records and history and found several discrepancies that don't add up."
"Discrepancies?" Itachi inquired with an emotionless tone, "I'm a wanted criminal like every other ninja that goes rogue. What about this that doesn't make sense?"
"You, a prodigy and ANBU captain at 13 years old gone rogue, slaughtered your entire clan in one night and it always bothered me that for whatever reason you spared Sasuke instead of killing him with rest of your clan. On top of this, no ANBU teams or hunter-nin groups were ever sent out to track you down and retrieve you in order to have you tried and executed for treason and mass murder; if not find you and kill you with your head and sword brought back as proof of your death," Naruto explained.
"I spared Sasuke on a whim," Itachi replied coldly, "His blood wasn't worth coating my blade with. And the Hokage didn't want to waste time and resources tracking down one man when he had to focus his remaining forces to hold up a strong front that Konoha was still a fearsome ninja nation even without the power of the Uchiha clan to back them up."
"Spare me your bullshit speech I'm not buying it," Naruto retorted, "Because on the other hand, years and resources were spent hunting and tracking down Orochimaru, a prodigy and Sannin gone rogue, after he turned traitor and kidnapped and experimented on men, women and children and ninja. Also, leads to him once being part of the Akatsuki, the very organization you're apart of, were found. These are the discrepancies that don't add up and I know there's an explanation for this."
Itachi gave no reply as he looked at stoic as ever.
"You spared Sasuke on a whim?" Naruto remarked, "No. You intentionally left your little brother as a loose end knowing he would want to track you down and kill you one day when he believes he's strong enough to do so. Honestly, what do you expect to gain out of that?"
"My affairs are just that Naruto, my affairs," Itachi remarked.
"Itachi," Naruto suggested, "We can either talk straight with each other, or fight till you're dead."
"You speak rather confidently in yourself to pull off such a feat," Itachi said.
"I'm guessing that you probably prefer your death to be done by Sasuke's hands alone and no one else's," Naruto replied, "Why else would you spare and keep Sasuke alive while slaughtering everyone else in your clan? Your clansmen must have done something very bad that triggered their demise by your hands while Sasuke had nothing to do with it. Otherwise he'd have been among the dead."
Itachi gave no reply to Naruto's words while keeping his emotions in check, though his silent reply gave Naruto the ground assurance that his theory was right. Naruto continued, "You're the only Uchiha I can think of that might know something behind Kyuubi's attack, considering that it was an Uchiha from your clan that was responsible for it."
"How do you deduce that it was an Uchiha who was responsible for what happened here 13 years ago?" Itachi questioned, "What proof do you have?"
"Henge!" Naruto said before a burst of white smoke came from out of him. When the smoke cleared, both of Itachi's eyebrows rose up at seeing the new and all too familiar appearance Naruto took on.
"Tell me Itachi!" Naruto demanded, "Who is this masked Uchiha?"
Itachi's mind was racing while trying to figure out how Naruto knew of Tobi's a.k.a. "Uchiha Madara's" existence.
"This man attacked Konoha by using Kyuubi as his weapon 13 years ago," Naruto explained while imitating the man's voice accurately after hearing Minato use and explain how the man sounded like, "He also had the Mangekyō Sharingan like you. I know this man is not Uchiha Madara. I know this as a fact and truth because a reliable and credible source confirmed it for me. Now, tell me who this man is!"
Once again, Itachi remained silent as he looked Naruto in the eye with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You're everything they say you are Naruto," Itachi remarked after breaking his silence, "But I will confess that you know more than I gave you credit for and hearing from you that it was one of my brethren that was responsible for Kyuubi's attack on Konoha was unexpected."
"Answer my question," Naruto replied using the same voice while still in his henge form, "Do you know who this man is?"
"I myself don't know how he looks like under that mask, let alone his true name as he chose to call himself "Madara"," Itachi said.
"So you do know this man," Naruto acknowledged, "But not his true name."
"Naruto, there's more to this than you know," Itachi stated before his eyes flickered as he suddenly moved and went straight for the real Naruto among the remaining five hundred clones.
'What the hell!?' Naruto mentally yelled, 'Shit! I got careless when I henge'd and let my guard down and Itachi capitalized on that to catch me off guard with his Mangekyō Sharingan!'
Naruto found himself being falling from reality into a whole other world. When everything gradually stabilized, he saw that he was in the Uchiha District.
"Where am I?" Naruto asked.
"Tsukiyomi!" Itachi's voice said seemingly from the skies, "In this world, I control space and time. What's one second in the real world can be like hours, days, weeks, months or years here in this world."
"Super," Naruto remarked cynically seeing the trouble he thought himself to be in as he started contemplating how he was going to free himself from Itachi's Tsukiyomi universe.
"Naruto," Itachi's voice said, "As I've said before, you know more than I credited you for and truths that I myself wasn't aware of. While in this world, I'll explain to you what really happened that led up to me being ordered by Sandaime-sama and Konoha's hierarchy to wipe out the Uchiha clan."
"What?!" Naruto replied in disbelief, "You can't be serious! The Uchiha Massacre was ordered by Jiisan and the hierarchy!?"
"It was a top secret S-rank mission," Itachi revealed, "Now if you will, watch and listen carefully. I'll start explaining my story and showing you in details the events that led up to the Uchiha Massacre."
As Naruto stood there, Itachi materialized beside him and started playing out scenes that happened days before the Uchiha Massacre took place.
(Meanwhile)
Kisame was holding his ground against Honoka and her deadly Forest of Death predator allies. Many of the animals were wounded and took a beating from the rogue member of the Seven Swordsmen much to Honoka's surprise. Honoka herself had a number of injuries but she wasn't out of the fight. She returned the wounded animals back to the Forest of Death, but in a location within that forest that was away from the other predators there.
"You gave me quite the exercise little girl," Kisame said confidently with a toothy grin, "As an Uzuamki you're quite a handful like how the rest of your clansmen were back then."
"Were? We still are you shark bait and then some!" Honoka retorted before summoning chakra chains again. She launched her chains to a nearby tree and completely uprooted it after wrapping her chains about it. Using it as a hammer, she attempted to crush Kisame with it. The Akatsuki ninja quickly got out of the way before the tree hit the ground, but Honoka just as quickly swung the tree into his direction, colliding it into him on contact and sending him flying straight into another tree. Honoka sought to follow up by plunging the tree into him. When the uprooted tree made contact, Kisame burst into a pool of water and soaked into the ground.
"A mizu bunshin!" Honoka realized before hearing…
"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique)!" Kisame called out as he shaped water he summoned into the form of a large shark and then jumped into the water shark to ride inside it to dramatically increase it speed as it flew straight into Honoka's direction. The jutsu collided into her only for her to be dispelled into a cloud of smoke upon impact.
"A kage bunshin!" Kisame realized after the initial impact. From the corner of his left eye, he caught sight of a kunai thrown at him that had an exploding tag attached to it. The kunai plunged into the water shark seconds before detonating. Kisame however escaped out of the water vessel before the kunai could explode on him.
Just as he escaped from that attack, several shuriken suddenly came flying his way. He dodged them in time and took cover behind one of the trees as a couple more were suddenly thrown at him. While he was taking a short moment to rethink his strategy, Honoka used her well timed speed to get in close and land several well placed kicks and punches that quickly had her opponent on the defensive. When it was clear that Honoka was the superior taijutsu user, her opponent switched to ninjutsu. Kisame raced through a required set of hand signs and…
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)!" Kisame yelled as he blasted a large torrent of water from his mouth and straight at the Uzumaki kunoichi. Honoka used her agility and flexibility to easily evade the attacks. Honoka then turned the water her opponent had summoned against him through a set of hand seals and said, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Kisame was suddenly surrounded by four mizu bunshin that wasted no time in attacking him simultaneously. Even though the clones had only a fraction of the user's strength, Kisame was still giving a difficult time fighting against four opponents. When he finally was able to cut them down, the Akatsuki swordsman was panting quite a bit. He looked about for th kunoichi but couldn't find her.
"Now where's she hiding?" Kisame asked himself when he heard a crack sound underneath him. he looked down in time to see Honoka burst through the ground like a geyser with her right fist colliding into Kisame's jaw. The swordsman was sent flying into the air as Honoka hurried forward to add further injuries to him. However, Kisame rebounded and delivered and brute kick to her side, causing her to lose balance before he followed up with a fierce punch to her midsection, effectively knocking the breath out of her as she crashed into the ground.
"You've proven to be more than a bother, girl," Kisame growled as he wielded his Samehada and prepared to shave the skin off her body. While gradually pulling herself together, Honoka began radiating a large amount of chakra out of her body in an effort to form new chakra chains. However Kisame quickly used his Samehada to absorb the chakra before she could finish solidifying them. Samehada was seen getting larger as it was hungrily consuming more and more of Honoka's chakra. Eventually it burst out of the bandages that were wrapped around it, revealing itself to be a large living shark-like sentient sword, comparable in size to Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō. The sword made up of razor sharp scales that grew in size and sharpness after eating a huge quantity of Honoka's chakra. The sword even had a large mouth packed with shark teeth.
"Damn it!" Honoka cursed, "What kind of sword is that thing!? It ate a considerable amount of my chakra along with my incomplete chakra chains!"
"This is no ordinary sword as it can eat chakra without suffering any ill effects," Kisame said with a confident smile, "This is Samahada and it's described as "the most terrifying of all the Seven Swordsmen's blades" and it even earned the title of "greatsword," further adding to its fearsome reputation which will be used to bring around your demise!"
Kisame performed a forward slash at her but she dodged to her left and leaped out of the way as he swung the Samehada upwards as he was looking to catch her by the face. She flipped away backwards a couple of times in an effort to make some distance between them. However Kisame had no intentions of giving her time to recuperate or escape as he followed in pursuit, closing the gap between them with his sword in hand as he got it ready and took a swing with it at her.
Honoka leaped over the blade in a cartwheel like motion, landed on her feet, and threw a punch at Kisame's face. Kisame snarled and caught her wrist before her fist could reach him. He spun around, taking Honoka with him in the motion and slammed her against a tree.
Honoka burst into a puddle of water from the impact. Kisame turned again and blocked a kunai that would have dug deeply into his ribcage. Pushing the female Uzumaki off him, he then swung his sword, aiming for the woman's upper torso. Honoka ducked and then moved into Kisame's follow up swing, close enough to render his large blade ineffective, and plunged her kunai into Kisame's abdominal.
"Bitch!" Kisame yelled before he grabbed a handful of her hair with his left hand and forced her head down as he quickly brought his right kneecap up, smashing it into her nose and face. Honoka was left completely dazed and disoriented as her blood was now coming down from her injured nose with her head throbbing and aching from the brute force of the impact. Kisame then pulled the kunai out of his abdominal and looked back at Honoka with a vengeful glare.
"This is what your kunai felt like!" Kisame remarked before he plunged the same kunai deep into Honoka's stomach. Honoka felt excruciating pain tore through her body as she felt the cold sharp steel tear and penetrate through her body with a stream of blood pouring out of her wound. Despite this, she refused to dignify Kisame with a vocal cry of pain and anguish as she held her scream back.
"Please don't hold back on my account," the Akatsuki swordsman mocked, "By all means, bring joy to my ears and scream as much as you want!"
Kisame then threw the wounded Uzumaki into a boulder, adding additional injuries to her wounded body. Blood coughed from out of her mouth after she impacted hard into the boulder and fell to the dirt covered ground. Kisame held his wounded abs with his left hand, but it wasn't anything he couldn't heal from. He held his Samehada in his right hand and approached Honoka who was on the ground disoriented, in a lot of pain and at his mercy.
"Like I said before," Kisame remarked, "As an Uzuamki you're quite a handful like how the rest of your clansmen were back then. And now…"
Honoka looked up at him weakly as he raised his enlarged Samehada at her, ready to finish her off.
"It's time you joined the rest of your fallen Uzumaki brethren!" Kisame declared as he raised his sword to the air, aiming to shave her to death, "Now Die!"
Kisame swung his sword in a downwards motion as Honoka cringed and closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. Just as the sword was about to reach her, it suddenly dodged and moved around her so as to hit the ground next to her instead, which served to completely confused Kisame.
"What!?" Kisame exclaimed as he was puzzled at the sudden development of his situation, "My sword went and dodged her! But why!?"
The handle of Samehada suddenly grew sharp spikes around itself that stabbed Kisame's hand.
"Aaaarrrggghhh!" Kisame screamed as he was forced to release the sword from his hand. With its razor sharp scales Samehada turned and slashed at Kisame, who narrowly evaded the attack and jumped back away from it. The sword then turned its attention back to Honoka who was lying next to it. While doing so it made a comment to Kisame that he found hard to believe.
"You enjoy and like her chakra that much?" the shocked and confused Kisame asked as he witnessed Samehada turn on him in exchange for a new owner, a female to boot. Samehada removed the kunai out of her stomach before it moved and stationed itself over Honoka's body and after doing so, it started releasing chakra over her body. Soon Honoka found her injuries gradually going away with her open bleeding wound slowly closing and healing up.
"It's giving that Uzumaki trash my chakra and helping her to heal!" Kisame growled angrily as he ran over to them in an attempt to kick Samehada away from Honoka in order to finish her off. Before he could reach them however, a Naruto clone appeared in front of him and detonated in a huge explosion, blasting Kisame away from both Honoka and Samehada. Kisame was thrown back a considerable distance from the wounded Uzumaki before hitting and skidding off the ground several times before making a hard impact on the ground. Getting back up sore and with addition injuries and a couple of burns, Kisame looked in time to see another Naruto clone appear and retrieve both Honoka and Samehada. While holding them both, the clone teleported to another location from the scene via Shunshin no Jutsu.
"Goddamn it!" Kisame screamed in rage seeing that he won the battle but at the cost of his sword that turned on him, "I can't believe Samehada betrayed me in favor of that damn Uzumaki bitch!"
Kisame looked around to see how far he was from Itachi and their target.
"I wonder how Itachi is doing in his fight with Naruto," Kisame grumbled, "I hope he's having better luck than I am."
Kisame turned and decided to return back to find his partner.
(Meanwhile)
Naruto was staring at Itachi with a calm and contemplative expression after being brought out of Tsukiyomi. By this time Naruto had dropped his henge of "Tobi."
"And that's my entire story," Itachi said with his usual demeanor.
"Straight from the horse's mouth," Naruto remarked, "It answers a lot of questions I had surrounding the Uchiha Massacre. With the help of this Madara impostor, you exterminated your entire clan to stop their intended coup d'état and took the fall as the scapegoat making everyone believe that you turned traitor for the sake of preserving the Uchiha name and reputation after your entire clan except Sasuke and Shusui turned traitor. It sucks that you even had to kill your own girlfriend who was also part of the attempted coup. It would have been like me having to kill Hinata-chan for turning traitor."
"If the Uchiha clan through with their plot to initiate their coup d'état, it would have triggered a civil war within Konoha's walls and total chaos throughout all of Hi no Kuni," Itachi stated, "Kumo, Iwa and Amegakure would have jumped at that opportunity to war with Konoha if a civil war of that magnitude did break out."
"That in effect would have triggered the next Shinobi World War," Naruto realized.
"Yes indeed," Itachi said, "Resulting in the needless loss of countless lives from all sides. I trust that you will keep what I shared with you to yourself and not disclose this information to Sasuke."
"I will, in exchange for your help in unmasking the Madara impostor responsible for forcing Kyuubi to attack Konoha 13 years ago and finding out why he's so intent on finding and capturing all nine bijuu," Naruto replied.
"As far as I know his objective is most top secret and even I've been hard pressed trying to find out more than what I know," Itachi explained.
"So he doesn't completely trust you, nor does he completely trust anyone else in the organization," Nauto figured.
"No," Itachi confirmed, "And he's been doing what he can to keep tabs on us when he can though I've managed to evade being spied on from time to time."
"Who are the other S-class members of the Akatsuki?" Naruto asked, "And what powers do they possess?"
Itachi didn't give a verbal reply. Rather, he suddenly threw a kunai at Naruto's head. As Naruto caught it, Itachi appeared from behind and moved in quickly to throw a punch. A group of Naruto clones jumped in to ambush Itachi just before…
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu (Water Release; Water Bullet Technique)!" Kisame yelled out as the mighty water attack went straight into Naruto's direction. Itachi moved out of the way of the attack as a team of Naruto bomb clones rushed towards the attack and hurled themselves into it, detonating themselves in the process as they canceled out Kisame's attack. Itachi took notice that Kisame was without Samehada.
"Kisame?" Itachi asked, "What became of Samehada?"
"It turned on me!" Kisame growled angrily, "And took sides with that female Uzumaki!"
"How unexpected," Itachi replied with a hidden spark of interest.
"Regardless I can still fight and take out our assigned target," Kisame insisted.
"No," Itachi objected, "By now reinforcements from Konoha will be arriving to this location soon considering our earlier run in with Kakashi and the others. Plus, losing Samehada wasn't supposed to happen as it now left you with a handicap."
"No need to rub it in Itachi," Kisame retorted, though he reluctantly complied. Itachi turned to Naruto and said, "We'll meet again, Naruto."
Itachi and Kisame disappeared via shunshin, leaving Naruto and his remaining clones behind.
"Itachi must have heard Kisame approaching us and abruptly stopped his explanation to attack me so as to not arouse suspicion as to why we stopped fighting," Naruto figured.
"That's the only explanation that would make sense," one of his clones agreed. Just then another clone look at the kunai thrown at Naruto and noticed something about it.
"Hey boss, take a closer at Itachi's kunai," the cloned advised. Naruto turned his attention to the kunai. The handle of the kunai had seal writings on it.
"There's something sealed within this kunai," Naruto realized before channeling chakra into it, "Kai!"
A burst of what smoke came from out of the kunai, releasing something from out of it. When the smoke cleared, Naruto found in his right hand a black book. However there was nothing written or inscribed in front of the book.
"It's a journal of some kind," Naruto took notice as he opened and briefly scanned the first two pages, "Looks like Itachi has been spying and keeping detailed tabs of his own about the Akatsuki and their clients. He's quite the double agent."
"Are you going to report this book to Jiisan and Jiraiya?" one of the clones asked.
"No," Naruto said, "For now, we'll keep this book to ourselves. Itachi is in deep cover and it would be best if we don't reveal the existence of this black book just yet."
"Amazing how how you got Itachi to become your secret informant in the Akatsuki," one of the clones remarked as Naruto closed and hid the book in his vest, "I wonder when will be the next time we'll be "contacted" by him."
"When the Akatsuki is looking to hunt me again no doubt," Naruto replied, "We'll just have to wait till that time and be ready."
Moments later, Jiraiiya, Kurenai, Gai, Asuma and Ebisu arrived on the scene.
"Naruto!" Jiraiya called out as he approached the Jinchuuriki, "Where's Itachi and Kisame?"
"They ran off," Naruto said, "Knowing you were coming apparently scared them off. Honoka was taken to the hospital. She sustained some serious injuries but she'll pull through. She's a strong ninja after all."
"Engaging Itachi and Kisame was reckless of both you and Honoka," Asuma chastised, "You may be a strong Chuunin but-"
"Not to be rude Asuma-sensei," Naruto abruptly cut in, "But it's not like they gave Honoka-nee and I much of a choice! It was either we fight or die, those were our options! And frankly Honoka-nee and I weren't so prone on dying today!"
"In any case," Jiraiya suggested, "Let's report back to the Hokage and explain what happened here and with Kakashi."
"What happened with Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto inquired.
"He, Asuma and Kurenai took on Itachi earlier," Jiraiya explained, "Sorry to say, Kakashi got his ass handed to him after he suffered a severe psychological attack from Itachi's Sharingan that knocked him into a coma."
"I wonder how Sasuke will react when he learns that his big brother stopped by without giving him so much as a greeting," Naruto remarked with a touch of cynicism.
"Naruto," Kurenai chided, "Don't make such tasteless jokes. Itachi committed a vicious crime in murdering his entire clan and traumatizing Sasuke in the process."
"My remark wasn't aimed as a joke as it was in sarcasm," Naruto retorted, "What I was actually getting at is how my teammate will take to finding out that Itachi was here today as he'll want an explanation to what happened to Kakashi-sensei."
"It would be best if we keep Sasuke in the dark and not inform him that Itachi was here today," Jiraiya recommended, "If he ask about Kakashi, we'll tell him that an unknown enemy ambushed and attacked him."
"How long will it be before Kakashi is healed?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya sighed and replied, "That's the problem. No medic in Konoha can heal the kind of effects Kakashi suffered from as a result of Itachi's Tsukiyomi. The only person capable of doing so is Tsunade and it's anyone's guess where she is."
"Then let's go out, find her and drag her ass back here," Naruto suggested rudely.
"Naruto," Jiraiya replied, "I should remind you that Tsunade is a Sannin like myself and Orochimaru and finding her won't be as easy as you may think it'll be. Though I can-"
"I never said finding her will be easy Jiraiya," Narutu interrupted, "But I know two people who'll be an excellent aid in helping the both of us find her a lot faster."
"You're being presumptuous in stating how you and your two helpers will team up with me in finding Tsunade," Jiraiya replied.
"Her grandmother was Uzumaki Mito; she has Uzumaki blood in her veins like me Jiraiya," Naruto shot back, "That makes her kindred regardless of her Senju heritage from Senju Hashirama. Besides, I have something personal to settle with her."
"You never met Tsunade-sama," Asuma stated with a skeptic tone, "What personal issue could you possibly have with her?"
"It's Uzumaki business," Naruto said with a cool tone, "It's a matter between me, her and my fellow Uzumaki. Please respect that Asuma-sensei."
Asuma knew when not to press a matter further and now was one of those times.
"C'mon," Jiraiya said, "Let's report back to Sarutobi-sensei."
(Meanwhile)
Itachi and Kisame were at the far outskirts of Hi no Kuni overlooking a mountainous area. Itachi sat on the ledge of the cliff they were on quietly while Kisame stood beside him. He was still feeling the pains of his injuries but his years of experience helped him to bear the pains of his wounds. Still, he would need to find a medic to fully heal his injuries.
"Damn her!" Kisame growled, "I can't believe I lost my sword to that damn Uzumaki bitch! Samehada spoke to me and said how it found that Uzumaki's chakra beyond compare and that it was the sweetest it ever tasted and that it wanted more. I'll be sure to gut that Uzumaki open and use her organs as fishing bait next time."
"There is a way you can replace Samehada," Itachi suggested in his usual stoic tone.
"Really?" Kisame asked, "And what pray tell do you suggest? Samehada was no ordinary sword."
"The sword I have in mind is not an ordinary sword either," Itachi replied.
Kisame looked down at Itachi and said, "I'm listening."
"There's a special sword from Konoha known as Raijin that's been recently stolen from the Hokage Tower," Itachi explained, "This sword once belonged to the Nidaime Hokage."
"Oh, that sword," Kisame said with sparked interests, "Yes I heard about the legendary Raijin and the power it possesses. Do you know who stole that sword?"
"A Jounin from Konoha named Rokusho Aoi who fled the village after stealing and acquiring Nidaime's sword for himself," Itachi enlightened, "If we track down and find him, you can acquire the Raijin as a suitable replacement."
"Leave it to you to quickly find an answer to my dilemma," Kisame grinned, "But how did you find this out?"
"While in Konoha, one of my disguised clones overheard it from Ibiki who was conversing with one of his colleagues about Aoi's actions," Itachi revealed, "From what my clone learned, two Jounin were dispatched to locate and bring back Aoi who is still in Hi no Kuni rushing to cross the border out of the country. We can intersect and find Aoi before they do and acquire Nidaime's Raijin if we leave now."
"What about Uzumaki Naruto?" Kisame asked.
"Naruto really isn't a matter for us to worry about and there's no real hurry to capture him," Itachi answered before he got up and stood back up on his feet, "Let's go."
Itachi and Kisame turned away from the ledge and started leaving the area to go search out and kill the traitor Aoi and acquire the Raijin.
(Later At The Hospital)
Honoka was resting on the recovery bed with Samehada resting next to her. A few of the medics were nearly attacked by the sword after they tried to remove it from Honoka so they could treat her wounds and injuries. Thankfully Honoka was able to calm the Samehada down enough for the medics to completely heal her injuries.
Soon, one of Naruto clones and Karin entered the room and closed the door behind them. They approached Honoka and stood by her bed.
"Feeling better?" the Naruto clone asked.
"I got myself one of the legendary swords of Kirigakure like you Naruto-kun!" Honoka exclaimed with as she smiled brightly, "I'd say it was worth the temporary wounds and injuries!"
"And yet you call me a masochist," Karin remarked.
"What was that?" Honoka retorted.
"Alright you two," the Naruto clone interjected, "Let's put aside our normal interactions with each other for a moment to talk serious here concerning this new threat that attack Honoka-nee and I earlier today."
"Do you know anything about them?" Karin asked.
"The two missing-nin who attacked us are part of a secret organization known as the Akatsuki," Naruto explained, "They're made up entirely of S-class criminals and Orochimaru was once part of that group until he defected and left that organization for unknown reasons. They work together in pairs of two and from what I know they're after me and all of the other nine Jinchuuriki. Their objectives in doing so are currently unknown."
"How did you find this out so fast?" Karin asked.
"Through Jiraiya who's been tracking this organization for some time now after he got word of Orochimaru joining that group before his defection," the Naruto clone explained, "Currently we know Itachi and Kisame are part of the Akatsuki while the identities of the others members are still unknown."
"Terrific," Karin said cynically as she watched Honoka pet and caress Samehada like a house cat. The sword purred docilely as Honoka prepared to feed it some of her chakra.
"What kind of freakish sword is that thing?" Karin asked as she looked at both Honoka and Samehada with a disturbed expression.
"She's my new friend," Honoka said, "Her name is Samehada and she saved my life and protected me from Kisame earlier today."
"That thing is a "she"?" Karin asked skeptically while the sword fed off the chakra Honoka gave it, "How do you know thi…Forget it. I'd rather not know."
(Meanwhile At The Hokage Tower)
Hiruzen was listening to the reports from Naruto, Jiraiya, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai. The Hokage kept a calm demeanor as he thought about everything he was told while at the same time he was intrigued that the Uzumaki clan now possessed two of Kirigakure's legendary swords.
"This is most disturbing," Hiruzen remarked, "One of our best Jounin is out of commission and Tsunade is the only one who can heal him."
"Her and that mysterious medic who healed my pupil Lee and restored his burning youth, making it stronger than before," Gai remarked.
"Well we don't know who that mysterious medic is and right now Tsunade is the only option we have," Hiruzen stated before turning to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, do you have any information on Tsunade's whereabouts?"
"I can get some new information on where she probably is," Jiraiya said, "However Naruto said he knows of a faster way to help me find her with the aid of two others."
"Did he now?" Hiruzen inquired before turning his attention to Naruto, "And what means do you have in finding the elusive Sannin and Slug Princess?"
"Glad you asked," Naruto replied and then explained, "First, I have the ability of sensing and tracking my lost Uzumaki kin, with me finding Honoka-nee and later Karin being proof to my abilities. Senju Tsunade's grandmother was Uzumaki Mito, thus she has Uzumaki blood running through her veins. Second, Karin is a sensor type like me and has the capacity of sensing and identifying one's chakra from large distances. Third, there's Hinata-chan's Byakugan which can see and scan terrain from far and wide distances, shortening the time we'd have to use in tracking and finding Tsunade. Leaving things to chance through Jiraiya's spy network alone will double the amount of time used up in finding her."
Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen found that Naruto made some good points and saw that they didn't have real grounds to refute him on.
"An impressive résumé you have there gaki," Asuma remarked with a grin, "I'll pay for your next meal at the ramen stand if you can prove your plan in finding Tsunade faster than Jiraiya's spy network."
"Call your accountant and file for bankruptcy today Asuma-sensei because I'm holding you to your word," Naruto remarked with a sinister smile that sent an arctic chill down Asuma's back.
"You had to be a big mouth, did you? You had to open up your mouth," Kurenai stated with a disapproving frown. Hiruzen cleared his through audibly on purpose to return everyone's attention back to the actual subject at hand.
"Naruto," Hiruzen said, "You made very good points but knowing that an organization of S-class criminals made an attempt at acquiring you places your well-being at risk, at least for now."
"Jiisan," Naruto reasoned, "The team will consist of a Sannin, two Chuunin and the one Genin who solo'd and owned Manda the Snake Boss and that's no feat I would laugh at. Also, you and everyone in this room saw that for yourselves. Plus you and everyone here is already aware of what my girlfriend is capable of and the Toad Sage's position speaks for itself."
Hiruzen rubbed his beard as he gave consideration to Naruto's words. After thinking about it…
"Very well," Hiruzen agreed, "You, Hinata and Karin will accompany Jiraiya on the mission to locate and bring back Tsunade."
"I know Tsunade; she'll refuse to comply to return with us. What then?" Jiraiya asked.
"Then convince her by any means necessary," Hiruzen stated, "I don't care what you have to resort to. If you have to arrest her to bring her here then do it. Make it clear to her that it's a Hokage decree and that I for one am tired of her running from her problems. Are my instructions clear?"
"Yes…crystal clear," Jiraiya said as he nodded his head, understanding the seriousness behind Hiruzen's orders. A moment later, Sasuke and Sakura entered the office together.
"Sandaime," Sasuke said calmly, "Sakura and I got word that Kakashi was attacked and hospitalized. And after seeing and examining him for myself, I know for a fact that what he suffered was an attack from the Mangekyō Sharingan. I know because it's the same attack Itachi used on me."
'I'm amazed how calm and collective Sasuke is about all this,' Naruto noted quietly, 'But I'm even more surprised that Sasuke figured out who attacked Kakashi on his own and not flip out about wanting to prove that he's an avenger and that only he'll kill Itachi.'
"It is true that Itachi did attack Kakashi and placed him into a coma," Hiruzen admitted, "It's not known what the severity of the attack was and how long it'll be until Kakashi awakes from it."
"What reason would Itachi have in returning and attacking Kakashi?" Sasuke inquired, "I don't know of any bad history Itachi would have with Kakashi before turning traitor that would move him to want to return and attack him. If anything, I thought I would be Itachi's target and reason for his return."
Jiraiya explained, "Right now it's being looked into as to why Itachi returned and-"
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called as she entered the office and found her boyfriend along with the rest of the other ninja there.
"Hinata-chan, why are you here?" Naruto asked.
"I heard from Honoka-san that Itachi and his partner Kisame were both looking for you and attacked you earlier today and that you were forced to fight the traitor Uchiha," Hinata replied, "Are you alright?"
Jiraiya groaned in annoyance seeing that his plan in keeping Sasuke in the dark about Itachi's reason for returning failed completely due to outside variables. Hiruzen shook his head seeing the situation that was now in front of him. Sasuke looked at Naruto in disbelief and stated, "Naruto, if Itachi had attacked me instead, then I would have understood since we both have unfinished business to settle. I'm confused as to why my brother searched you out and attacked you instead of me. You two have no bad blood history with each other unless he was trying to make a statement of some sort."
"I suppose there's no point in keeping this a secret from either of you or Sakura," Naruto replied.
"So you do know something," Sasuke remarked as he, Hinata and Sakura waited patiently for Naruto's explanation.
"I only know what Jiraiya has explained to me in details seeing that he's been tracking and keeping tabs on this organization Itachi is presently part of," Naruto started off before explaining what he was told about the organization from Jiraiya. Before long, Naruto was done.
"So as you three can see," Naruto remarked, "Like my Uzumaki ancestors, I have a lot of enemies in high places."
"Itachi already killed everyone in my clan and now he set his sight on attacking my team members," Sasuke stated and then asked, "What do they seek to accomplish in gathering all nine bijuu?"
"Currently, Jiraiya doesn't know what they intend to accomplish, but all we know is that it can't be for a good purpose," Naruto answered.
"I have a question," Hinata asked, "Since your father sealed Kyuubi into you, what would happen if it was extracted out of you Naruto-kun?"
"Simply put Hinata-chan," Naruto replied at he looked directly at her, "I'll die. When a Jinchuuriki like me have their bijuu extracted out of them, the Jinchuuriki dies. The same rule held true to my mother and my ancestor Uzumaki Mito."
"We won't let that happen!" Hinata said with a determined tone.
"No we will not," Sasuke agreed.
"It's reassuring to know that I can count of you guys for moral support," Naruto remarked, "But I don't want you guys dying because of me."
"Don't talk such nonsense Naruto!" Sasuke retorted, "Itachi did more than enough damage and I can't stand that all I can do at my level is watch! You and Sakura are my teammates and Kakashi is our team captain! Itachi attacked you both, which I consider an on me! The fact that I wasn't there to stop him is as bad as what happened when he slaughtered my clan!"
Seeing that his anger and emotions was getting the better of him, Sasuke turned and made a quick exit out of the Hokage office, slamming the down behind him in the process.
"Sasuke is taking Itachi's attack on me and Kakashi-sensei more personal than I thought," Naruto remarked, "I honestly didn't expect that. I'll have to talk to him after he gets some time to cool off."
"Don't be too hard on yourself Naruto," Hiruzen said, "I'm sure Sasuke knew you didn't mean to upset him and Itachi's actions against you and Kakashi brought back traumatic memories of his dark past."
'It's unfortunate that he can't learn the truth behind why his clan was really executed,' Naruto thought somberly and then headed for the door. Reaching the door he said, "If there's nothing else, I'm going to take my leave and prepare for tomorrow."
Hiruzen nodded his head in acknowledgment as he allowed Naruto to leave his office.
(At The Uchiha District; Later That Night)
Naruto walked along the deserted streets. Not many people liked to come down that particular way since it was the path that led to where the Uchiha Massacre took place. Many of the houses were falling into disrepair from being abandoned. Naruto heard the ridiculous stories of how the spirits of the dead haunted those houses. It was beyond everyone except Naruto how and why Sasuke would choose to live alone in the formerly inhabited land that was once occupied by the Uchiha clan that was all but entirely extinct.
Naruto walked passed an old building that was once used as the headquarters for the Uchiha Police force. He didn't remember much about that old force but from what he heard it certainly freed up Konoha ninja for other matters. Hiruzen however still hadn't been able to find a way to replace the Uchiha Police force, even after all these years. The only professional police force was all dead with no one left to train potential non-Uchiha replacements.
After another ten minutes, Naruto walked up to the only house that looked both cared for and lived in.
"This is obviously the place," Naruto commented to himself as he walked right up to the front door. He knocked on the door and waited. He knew Sasuke had to be in there, after all he could hear something moving around inside. Naruto sighed and waited while he mentally counted, wondering how long it took to open a door.
"Hey anyone home?" Naruto called out and then the door opened, revealing a barefooted and naked Sasuke wearing nothing but his towel around his waist.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked as he was obviously annoyed by Naruto's inconvenient and unannounced visit.
"Well it's my first time stopping by. Plus, I came to talk to you about earlier," Naruto said going straight to the point, "About what happened in the Hokage's office."
"That's why you made this uninvited journey to my home?" Sasuke asked of him.
"Listen," Naruto said, "I wasn't trying to upset you earlier and I didn't think you would take Itachi's actions against me so personally. I'm rather touched."
"You don't have to worry about it," Sasuke replied, "If that's all you came for then you can escort yourself from my house."
"Oh? One small talk and then you want to get rid of me in a hurry, huh? What for?" Naruto interrogated as he had a feeling that there was something going on. Sasuke though was trying to think of a way to get Naruto to leave.
"Listen Naruto," Sasuke suggested, "This can wait till tomor-"
"Yo Numb Nuts!" a very familiar female voice called out rudely that made the Sasuke's eyes bulge out.
'What the hell is she thinking!?' Sasuke mentally yelled out as he turned to look. Naruto looked in passed Sasuke and stood there shocked. Tayuya, while coming around the corner in only a small bath towel that barely covered her body, said, "Why the hell are you keeping me waiting!? The bath is getting cold and I'm in there waiting for your ass to come join-!"
She stopped when she saw the scene in front of her and cursed herself for her brazenness and stupidity.
'Shit!' Tayuya mentally cursed, 'I'm so fucked! It's Naruto! He's either going to kill me on the spot or report both me and Sasuke!'
Naruto blinked a few times seeing the position both Sasuke and Tayuya were in. He looked back at Sasuke with a now serious expression.
"Naruto listen," Sasuke pleaded knowing how much trouble he and Tayuya would be in if Naruto takes off to report her to Hiruzen, "Give me a chance to explain this!"
"What's to explain?!" Naruto replied seriously, "What I'm seeing here speaks for itself!"
That was when Naruto burst into a loud fit of laughter, confusing both Sasuke and Tayuya.
"I can't believe this happened Sasuke!" Naruto laughed, "…I can't believe you beat me in getting laid first!"
Sasuke and Tayuya blinked at hearing what Naruto said.
"So this is what's going on in secret?" Naruto asked while still laughing, "Damn it Sasuke why didn't you tell me about your secret lover!? I'm torn between shaking your hand and throwing you a block party! What's your name girl?"
"I'm Tayuya," Tayuya revealed, "And you must be Uzumaki Naruto. Numb Nuts there told me lots of things about you."
""Numb Nuts!"…That's her pet name for you!…This is so priceless!" Naruto laughed harder as tears streamed down his face. He held onto his sides after they started hurting from his laughter, "I guess you really do want to keep the clan going huh? I'm happy you found someone you wanted to get it on with!"
"Are you done now Naruto!?" Sasuke yelled in angered irritation.
'Oh I can blackmail you hard for this Sasuke,' Naruto contemplated as he took a moment to catch his breath and calm his laughter and perversion down, which took him two minutes to do. After regaining his composure, Naruto looked at Sasuke and said, "All jokes aside, you and I, along with your lover Tayuya over there are going to have a nice long private chat about this but it won't include anyone else, at least until I know the full story. At the present moment however, it doesn't really look like a good time for us to talk. So we'll save it for much later tomorrow night."
"Fine!" Sasuke agreed, "We'll talk tomorrow night at whatever time you want! We'll give you our explanation then! Just don't tell anyone!"
"Don't worry; so long we have that talk and your explanation, my lips are sealed," Naruto assured, "That's a promise."
"Thanks," Sasuke replied, "Now can you please leave us?"
"Alright I'll go," Naruto said as he was about to turn and leave, but then turned back and said, "But I do have one question for you that I would like an answer to."
"And that is?" Sasuke asked.
"What's your favorite sex position or is Tayuya the domineering one that always gets to be on top Numb Nuts?" Naruto asked with a lecherously smile with his pen and notepad in hand. Jiraiya's influence obviously took over him again. The next thing Naruto saw was the door slammed to his face and locked with the door just missing his face by less than an inch.
"No matter," Naruto shrugged before putting his pen and notepad away, "I'll just have to get my new source material and answers from him tomorrow night."
Naruto turned and started making his way out of the Uchiha district.
"But Damn!" Naruto grumbled, "I still can't believe Sasuke is secretly getting some ass, and before me which is even worse! I really need to get laid, Big Time!"
(Meanwhile Back Inside The House)
"Naruto is not going to report this to the Hokage is he?" Tayuya asked with a hint of worry. Tayuya knew both her and Sasuke were strong but she wasn't going to gamble her safety with Naruto after seeing how he had her teammates and many other Suna and Oto ninja slaughtered days earlier.
"Naruto knows how to keep a secret when it really counts," Sasuke assured, "And he's not one to break his promises."
"Are you sure about that?" Tayuya questioned skeptically.
"It would violate and go completely against his nindo if he broke a promise he himself made," Sasuke explained, "Believe me when I say you can trust Naruto not to reveal you. You have nothing to worry about."
"If you so say so Numb Nuts," Tayuya replied and then added, "How much should we tell him?"
"Everything," Sasuke stated bluntly.
"Are you fucking crazy!?" Tayuya barked.
"Naruto has ways of finding out things and he'll eventually find out if we're lying or hiding something from him," Sasuke made clear, "For your protection it would be best for both of our sakes if we come clean and tell him the whole truth."
"Fine," Tayuya reluctantly agreed, "I'll trust you."
Tayuya turned and made her way back to the bathroom.
"You coming to join me or not Numb Nuts!?" Tayuya asked. Shaking his head, Sasuke decided to put his worries aside for now and just enjoy the moment as he went and joined Tayuya in the bath.
(The Next Day; At The Hokage Tower)
Naruto and Hiruzen were both in the office awaiting Shion's arrival. Naruto had arrived on time for the meeting Shion requested and it wouldn't be long before the priestess' arrival.
"Do you suppose she canceled this meeting Jiisan?" Naruto asked, "I thought about telling Hinata-chan about it but I decided against it in the end considering the dirty looks both Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan were giving the priestess the other day. They looked ready to attack her."
"It would bring for you more trouble than it would be worth had you opened your mouth and told your girlfriend about today's meeting with the priestess," Hiruzen commented, "Even I'm not too old to notice when a young female gets jealous."
"I know," Naruto agreed, "You were always a closet perve before Jiraiya was born back then. By the way, what was it like having sensei and pupil moments with Jiraiya as you both peep in women's bathhouses together? Kakashi-sensei and I have bonding moments whenever we talk about the latest issue of Icha-Icha Paradise, especially the limited edition."
"Really?" Hiruzen asked before taking a puff of his smoking pipe, "It wouldn't be a problem if I as the Hokage were to share such moments with you both, would it?"
Naruto grinned and replied, "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei wouldn't mind having a Hokage's point of view about our favorite reading novel series. It would be like our own book club. And as the famed Professor, you might even teach Kakashi-sensei and I a thing or two more than what we already know."
"Well," Hiruzen grinned, "If there's anything I do pride myself on, it's having in-depth knowledge and insight on-"
Hiruzen was interrupted when a knock came from the office door.
"Sandaime-sama," came the voice of the secretary from behind the door, "Shion-sama and her entourage are here to meet with you and Naruto."
"Just a moment," Hiruzen replied as he walked back to his desk and sat down behind it with Naruto heading to stand in front of Hiruzen's desk. Once in position, Hiruzen said, "Please send in Shion and her entourage."
A moment later, the door was opened by the secretary allowing Shion, who was being carried bridal style by one of her three guards, one of them being a female. Shion again was dressed in her ceremonial dress and ornaments befitted for a priestess since she was to meet with the Hokage and Naruto. Therefore dressing in her more "comfortable" clothes would have been rather inappropriate. Once inside the office, the secretary closed the door behind them and went back to performing her normal duties. After Shion was set down on her feet, she walked over and stood in front of Hiruzen's desk and gave a respectful bow.
"Sandaime-sama," Shion greeted, "I'm honored to meet with you again."
Shion then turned to Naruto and gave the same respectful bow to him and greeted, "I'm honored to meet with you again Naruto-kun."
"I'm honored to meet with you also Shion," Naruto replied respectfully as he gave a bow of his own. Though Naruto wasn't one for formalities, he knew that this wasn't an occasion to be casual or perverted as such behavior could lead to an international incident that could lead to trouble for both his clan seeing that he was now the Uzumaki clan leader and a Shinobi Council member.
"Shion," Naruto started off, "I was informed by the Hokage that you wanted to meet with me. May I inquire of your reasons for wanting an audience with me?"
"Naruto-kun," Shion began explaining, "During the day your village was attacked and you rescued both me and Koyuki-hime from the attackers, you took us to the location where the Uzumaki Mask Temple is located. While on those sacred grounds and inside that temple, I felt power housed in that temple, power that was unlike anything I ever experienced.
"Your clone that was presiding there as a monk explained to me about the dark in nature of those forbidden masks and how the use of them can and most times will cost the wearers their lives regardless of the power they grant the user."
"Yes Shion," Naruto confirmed, "While it's true that it was my clone you were speaking to, all memories of all of my clones are transferred to me. Therefore, I'm very well aware of everything that was discussed in details."
"I see," Shion acknowledged, "I recall too how you explained that it's a sacred duty for your clan to guard those dark masks and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and avert misuse of their power. Though your monk clone serves faithfully as a guardian of that temple, I felt that it would benefit your clan and by extension Konoha if they were to have a priestess of my descent dedicated to serving and protecting that temple as its gatekeeper. As I explained before, I have the power to seal away demons whereas the Uzumaki clan possesses unrivaled mastery of seals and the power to seal away bijuu and summon powerful deities.
"A fusion of these factors would bring forth a powerful Uzumaki temple priestess and seal mistress for the Uzumaki clan. But unlike what my mother did which sadly served to cripple me though unintentional, it would also be best if future priestesses from my descent were trained by ninja in order to better defend themselves and the Uzumaki Mask Temple."
Naruto stayed quiet as he careful contemplated on Shion's words. Hiruzen too was enthralled and captivated by Shion's extraordinary and generous proposal and saw many beneficial possibilities that could result should Naruto accept her offer. Shion looked at Naruto and saw that he was seriously giving careful consideration to her words. After a reasonable amount of time thinking about what he was told, Naruto broke his silence.
"You make a most intriguing offer Shion and I must admit the idea sounds truly enlightening," Naruto remarked and then asked, "But why a priestess and not a priest?"
"Providing a temple priest for the Uzumaki clan won't be possible I'm afraid," Shion revealed.
"May I ask why?" Naruto requested with a curious tone.
"You see," Shion expounded, "my powers can only be naturally given to my daughters. It wouldn't be passed on if I were to conceive a son I'm sorry to say. The same held true when my mother conceived and gave birth to me before later proclaiming me to serve as her successor and next priestess. Because of my responsibilities to my country and people, I can't have one daughter serve as priestess for both Oni no Kuni and the Uzumaki clan here in Konoha at the same time. For this reason, I seek to conceive and birth two daughters: one to be chosen to become my successor and the other to be chosen to become the first Uzumaki Mask Temple priestess and seal mistress by birthright."
Naruto blinked at her last statement and inquired sensibly, "By birthright, what do you mean exactly?"
"What I mean Naruto-kun is that in order for my proposal to work properly and legally according to the laws and customs of my country," Shion answered candidly as she looked Naruto directly in the eyes, "I must conceive two daughters with you, one to become my future successor as priestess of Oni no Kuni and the other to become the first Uzumaki Mask Temple priestess and seal mistress."
Both Naruto and Hiruzen were left speechless. They expected a lot of things from Shion but what they heard was not one of them.
"I'm well aware of your romantic involvement with the Hyuuga heiress and I have no intentions of intruding or coming in between you two," Shion said honestly, "However, if you were to accept my proposal, then I must conceive two daughters with you as you're the rightful heir and clan leader of the Uzumaki clan."
Naruto's mind was racing fast as he was trying to come up with a way to explain his way out of what was being asked of him by the priestess. And because of the sensitive diplomatic nature of the situation, he knew he had to choose his words cautiously otherwise he would trigger an international problem for Konoha with Oni no Kuni.
"Is there no other way or alternative your proposal can be done without having negative repercussions?" Naruto tactfully beseeched, "Surely we can put together an arranged marriage between our future descendants. That is, my future son marrying one of your future daughters with her being allowed to become the new temple mistress?"
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," Shion apologized with completely sincerity, "But that wouldn't work. As I explained earlier, I'm bound by duty as priestess to my people and country and I can't leave to serve as priestess in or for another country even if I did marry a man from another shinobi nation. The same laws and principles would be bound to my daughters if they're not conceived as your offspring because neither of them would possess the legal birthright to leave and become temple priestess and seal mistress for your clan and village."
Naruto closed his eyes as he silently took in everything that was explained to him. Hiruzen watched and listened carefully to Shion's words and found no form of deception of any sort in her words or tone. He was very well aware of countries having their own set of laws, traditions and customs and he was in no position to force any country to change their customs or laws for the sake of one person's convenience.
"I won't look for any means to force this on you Naruto-kun if my proposal carries too great of price for you," Shion said, "I know you're concerned about your relationship with the Hyuuga heiress and I can tell that hurting her is the one thing you don't ever want to do. But there's also a more personal reason why I chose you and no one else:
"Three days ago when you told told me the history about your burden of being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the hardships you endured throughout your life, I couldn't help but feel my heart go out to you. Your past and your story of your lonesome childhood before Hinata came into your life made me see that you truly did understand what it meant to be alone, like I was. I went the wrong way and treated others badly because of how lonely and empty my life was. But you showed and helped me to see that you sincerely understood my pain, sadness and loneliness because like you I was always feared for my powers and treated as an outcast. You opened my eyes to see people and life in more positive and constructive way and that I can find those who can become precious people to me; precious people whom I want to protect with my life.
"You taught me this lesson; you changed me Naruto-kun; your courageous selfless spirit saved me from the flawed ideology I once believed in about others and myself. That's why I want my lineage of priestesses to descend and continue from your bloodline so they can carry your spirit of always wanting to protect those precious to them with their lives."
Naruto was left speechless by Shion's words and couldn't find a trace of falsity in them. She spoke completely from her heart and he honestly had no idea he had that kind of impact on Shion's life in such a short time. Though she didn't come right out and say it, but her personal reasons for choosing Naruto instead of anyone else sounded more like a love confession.
Her personal guards who were present in the office listening to Shion's words were also shocked by them as they knew the kind of priestess she was back then. They remembered Shion for always being cold, aloof, spoiled, selfish, bratty, disrespectful and thinking little of others and those to risk their lives for her. The very fact that she had undergone such an amazing transformation into the priestess she was now because of Naruto left them astonished.
Hiruzen quietly looked at the scene unfolding in front of him. He saw that Naruto was in deep thought while thinking about what he just heard from the priestess.
'It amazes me that without even being a pervert or a flirt Naruto is still able to get females from high places to fall for him even though that wasn't his intention in Shion's case,' Hiruzen thought, 'But still, even if I wanted to, I can't force Naruto into accepting the priestess' offer though I also know how much Naruto and by extension Konoha will stand to lose if he chooses not to accept Shion's proposal.'
With such thick tension in the office's atmosphere, Hiruzen was about to say something when…
"I don't want to become a burden for you if my proposal appears that way to you Naruto-kun," Shion assured, "I know I'm asking more than I should from you through my proposal in having my future priestesses be Uzumaki through generations. Regardless how I feel however, this isn't something I want forced on you if you're not willing to accept it."
Not wanting the priestess to think negatively of herself, Naruto broke his silence and assured her and said, "I don't consider you a burden Shion. Please don't believe yourself to be one. Truly your offer to me is a most unique and extraordinary one that offers many valuable prospects. And because of the serious nature behind your proposal, I can't make such a decision lightly as I'll require time to carefully consider and contemplate on it before I give you a proper and honest decision."
"I understand," Shion replied with a gentle smile, "You don't have to quickly give me a reply to my proposal as there's no real hurry for anything to happen. Please, take as much time as you need Naruto-kun."
"Thank you," Naruto said before he gave a respectful bow to Shion who bowed to him respectfully in return. They both stood back up and faced the Hokage.
"Sandaime-sama," Shion said in gratitude as she bowed to him, "Thank you for generously hosting my meeting with Naruto-kun. I hope through this meeting that our ties with Konoha and Hi no Kuni will be strengthened."
"You're most welcome young priestess," Hiruzen said with a genuine smile, "And thank you for choosing Konoha to establish your country's ties with. I'm sure all of us will benefit from such connections."
Shion stood back up and turned to Naruto. Flashing him a toothy affectionate smile, Shion said, "I'm happy I got to know and meet you Naruto-kun. The Hyuuga heiress is very lucky to have someone like you in her life and at her side. I hope we meet again soon. But until then, I'll wait and pray for your well-being."
Shion turned to her entourage and nodded to them. Understanding her gesture, the one guard that was carrying her earlier stepped forward. However, he and the other two with him turned to Naruto and bowed to him respectfully.
"Thank you for protecting our priestess and becoming her greatest inspiration Naruto-sama," the lead body guard thanked, "We and all of our people from Oni no Kuni owed you so much for having such a great and beneficial influence on her. We wish you good fortune Naruto-sama."
Naruto wasn't used to being addressed with such formality but out of respects for them, he bowed to them in return and replied, "I'm honored and privileged to have met all of you. Thank you."
They all then stood back up. The lead guard turned to Shion and lifted her up again bridal style. Holding onto him, Shion left the Hokage office with her entourage, leaving Naruto alone with Hiruzen after the door closed behind them.
Once alone, Hiruzen smiled and praised, "I'm proud of the way you handle yourself Naruto. You've spoke and conducted yourself in the exact way your father would have, like a true Hokage. You truly have grown and matured these past years."
"Jiisan," Naruto admitted, "I'm honestly lost for words. It was hard keeping myself together after listening to what Shion was offering to my clan and her reasons for wanting to do so. For the first time I really don't know what I should do and I know I'll have to live with whatever decision I make and the results that will emerge from it."
"That's what being part of the Shinobi Council and clan leader entails," Hiruzen said, "The fact that you didn't give an immediate decision but instead requested time to carefully weigh and contemplate your options demonstrated your wisdom and insight. Your decision on whether or not you'll accept Shion's proposal will affect not only you but your entire clan, Konoha and all of Oni no Kuni."
"That's what makes this so hard for me," Naruto replied, "I just wish I knew what to do and it's a pity that the ninja academy never teaches this side of reality to us before becoming ninja."
"The instructors at the academy can only teach potential Genin so much Naruto considering that there are things that they themselves never experienced or have knowledge or insight on," Hiruzen remarked, "Naruto, tell me please, what do you think could result should you actually go through with the proposal of fathering two daughters with the priestess of Oni no Kuni."
Naruto remained silent as he deeply thought about what Hiruzen asked of him. The Hokage patiently waited for Naruto's reply as he saw him carefully taking everything into account before voicing his opinions. It wasn't until another couple of minutes when Naruto finally decided to talk.
"Jiisan," Naruto started off, "As a clan leader and Shinobi Council member, should I actually go through with conceiving two daughters with Shion, this will open many doors of possibilities. First off, the line of priestesses that Shion descended from would be permanently shifted into the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, which Shion clearly stated as her desire.
"Shion mentioned that her daughters should I conceive them with her would be entitled to claim their birthright to journey here Konoha to become priestesses and seal mistresses to the Uzumaki Mask Temple. But the same can also be done in reverse as potential Uzumaki granddaughters born from Shion's bloodline could journey to Oni no Kuni and claim their birthright to the role of priestesses there and stake their claim to everything owned by Shion and her ancestresses. My clan would in effect have a powerful influence and affect on life in both Oni no Kuni and its people.
"But there's more; Shion possesses great power and not only that, she can foretell events and deaths of an individual or groups of people with accuracy and none of her predictions were ever proven wrong. By asking to me to conceive daughters with her, she's principally offering to give that power and ability to foresee future events to my clan, but more specifically those from my direct descent. If that power and ability were to be combined that with my Uzumaki longevity, massive chakra reserves, chakra chains as a possibility, ninja and seal training, and the possibility that one of them could become a future Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi, then we would have a very powerful and formidable Uzumaki temple priestess indeed like Shion stated."
"Those were the very same assessments I quietly discerned also after listening to Shion's offer," Hiruzen revealed, "From what I saw and heard it's clear that Shion didn't just choose you to hopefully conceive children with her simply as a "thank you" for saving her life. No, she truly thought this through and it's clear that she does carry a love interest in you after listening to her speech."
"…I didn't miss it either Jiisan," Naruto sighed as he thought about another factor of concern.
"But you're also clearly troubled by all this," Hiruzen acknowledged.
"It shouldn't be hard to know why," Naruto remarked and continued, "When I started dating Hinata-chan, I always envisioned her as the new matriarch of the new Uzumaki clan. I envisioned how she would help me reestablish the esteem and might of my clan as both Uzumaki and Hyuuga joined through marriage."
"I don't see you and Hinata having any problems in your relationship," Hiruzen stated, "Unless there's something I'm not aware of."
"There is no problem between Hinata-chan and I as I've always worked hard to keep my relationship with her healthy while preventing others from stealing her from me," Naruto assured and then said, "Hinata-chan and I have always had an open line of communication though we both have our share of secrets in terms of ninja skills and training."
"That's to be expected," Hiruzen remarked, "No ninja ever reveals everything about his or her prowess and abilities. Even I didn't while my wife was still alive, but we still loved and trusted each other and the decisions we made especially when we had long discussions about deep and important matters of concern."
"That's what worries me when I have to discuss with Hinata-chan what happened here in this office today," Naruto confessed, "Though I didn't decide on anything yet, regardless, Hinata-chan will be anything but happy when I tell her what Shion proposed to me and I don't think she would agree to the idea of allowing Shion to conceive two daughters with me in spite of the fact that she's only seeking to give my clan a priestess with her powers and have her future successor and descendants be Uzumaki both from my bloodline. And though I haven't said anything about it, but I am well aware that Hyuuga Hanabi-chan sees me the same way Hinata-chan does though she didn't used to before. Simply put, I'm caught in a love web."
"Though she's not here any longer in the village, I'm surprised you didn't mention the daughter of the late Kazekage," Hiruzen remarked with a puff of his pipe, "I know that Temari was quite smitten by you considering how you charmed and appealed to her interest. And yes Naruto, I have ways to keeping tabs on you also."
"You're not helping," Naruto grumbled in annoyance while Hiruzen gave a light chuckle in amusement at Naruto's plight.
"All jokes aside Naruto," Hiruzen said before becoming serious again, "I will say that Shion's request that her meeting with the both of us be a private one saved us a lot of headaches and grief. If that meeting had been in front of the Shinobi Council and village hierarchy, I know for a fact that Danzo and the rest of the hierarchy would have capitalized on Shion's proposal to you in a heartbeat and look for methods to coerce you into accepting her offer whether you wanted to or not if it meant more power and influence for Konoha.
"And while it's understandable and noteworthy that you're concerned for Hinata's feelings, keep in mind too that it's not an arranged marriage that's being asked for. It's diplomatic and clan business between you as the Uzumaki clan leader and Oni no Kuni. The Hyuuga clan and everyone else have neither any part or say in it. As a clan leader, what you'll decide will also affect your clan's relations with Oni no Kuni considering that it's a most important dignitary from their country who approached you. So please live up to your word, and make your decision wisely."
There was a brief paused after Hiruzen was done talking. The aged Hokage saw that Naruto was in deep thought about what he heard just a moment ago. After another minute of deliberation…
"What decision would you have went with if you were in my position right now Jiisan?" Naruto implored while hoping for a good measure of insight, "As the Hokage and Sarutobi clan leader, you make crucial decisions every day; some of them unfavorable no doubt but they were choices that had to be made knowing how they would affect many whether or not they live here in Konoha. So tell me please, how you would have gone about this."
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't have liberties to answer that question," Hiruzen replied frankly.
"And why not?" Naruto inquired.
"Like I explained to you a moment ago," Hiruzen clarified, "This is diplomatic and clan business between you as the Uzumaki clan leader and Oni no Kuni. When I stated that everyone else have neither any part or say in it, that also included me. Telling you what choice I would have chosen would mean that I as the Hokage am overstepping my boundaries and influencing whatever decision you'll make. The priestess Shion asked me to be there as her eyewitness of the meeting she had with you and because the issue didn't jeopardize the safety of the village and people or demonstrate abuse of authority of any sort, I as the Hokage have no jurisdiction in your decision. I'm sorry but it's not my place to tell you what decision to make or what I would have done."
"You're not going to make this easy for me are you?" Naruto asked gravely.
"You have to make this decision as clan leader and a Shinobi Council member," Hiruzen emphasized, "because whatever choice you make will affect everyone, especially the future of your clan."
Naruto knew Hiruzen was right regardless how much he wish the Hokage wasn't. Naruto was about to say something when a knock came at the door.
"Yes?" Hiruzen asked.
"Begging your pardon Sandaime-sama but Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Karin are here seeking an audience with you. They said that they were scheduled to come here during this time. Jiraiya-sama is here with them also. Shall I send them in?"
"Yes I remember," Hiruzen replied, "Please send them in."
A moment later, the door opened and the said people entered the office before closing the door behind them. Instinctively Hinata went and took her place at Naruto's right hand side and flashed him a "happy to see you" smile. Naruto smiled back at her in return however Hinata sensed that it was more forced than natural.
"We were told that you wanted to see us here Sandaime-sama," Karin stated.
"Yes I do and your timing is most punctual," Hiruzen said.
"What task do you require of us?" Hinata politely asked.
"I'm assigning both you and Karin to team up with Jiraiya and Naruto on an S-rank retrieval mission," Hiruzen stated. Karin's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her sockets while Hinata looked at Hiruzen in surprise.
"What kind of retrieval mission would prove so dangerous that it must be designated as S-rank?" Karin inquired.
"The four of you are to track down, find and bring back Senju Tsunade by any means necessary," Hiruzen answered.
"You want us to find and bring back a Sannin whether she's cooperative or not?" Hinata asked in disbelief.
"Like I said," Hiruzen emphasized, "By any means necessary."
"So you're saying that there's a chance we'll have to fight her," Karin asked.
"I'm sure it won't come down to that, but if it does…" Hiruzen left the statement open in the air briefly and then added, "Plus it was Naruto who personally requested you both specifically because he explained to me very clearly how the combined abilities from you both will help speed up the search in finding Tsunade who has proven to be a most elusive kunoichi renown for keep a very low profile. Do you both accept the mission?"
"Yes," Hinata and Karin said simultaneously.
"I have no reasons to question Naruto-kun's judgment in choosing me as one of his partners," Hinata stated with conviction.
"Naruto-kun wouldn't have chosen us haphazardly for such an important mission like this," Karin said, "Besides I need to get out of this village and face a new challenge."
"Though Naruto requested you both to be part of this time however, Jiraiya will be team leader in this mission," Hiruzen made clear, "I expect you three to cooperate with Jiraiya completely. Is that understood?"
They all nodded.
"This really blows Sarutobi-sensei," Jiraiya remarked disapprovingly.
"Jiraiya," Hiruzen said calmly but with some firmness, "You already agreed to this arrangement!"
"That's not the problem!" Jiraiya retorted.
"Then what is it?" Hiruzen asked patiently.
"During my days as a Chuunin you never allowed me to choose which hot females I wanted in my company during missions!" Jiraiya whined with teary-eyed, "It's so not fair!"
Hiruzen and everyone else in the room to looked at Jiraiya with sweat-drop expressions.
"While it's grievous that nothing can be done to change what happened in our past Jiraiya," Hiruzen remarked with a touch of sarcasm, "We can only focus on the present and what lies ahead. The four of you will leave for your mission early tomorrow. Till then, you're all dismissed."
Naruto turned and started to exit the office with Hinata following next to him. The walk was silent and Hinata felt bothered by Naruto's unusual deeply concentrated silence.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in concerned, "Are you alright? You're clearly very troubled by something."
"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized, "I just have a lot on my mind and I'm at a total loss."
"It's that serious?" Hinata asked while wondering if there was anything she could do to help him in his dilemma.
"Gravely," Naruto said seriously.
"Does it have something to do with that earlier meeting with Sandaime-sama?" Hinata inquired.
"It does," Naruto confirmed, "And for the first time I truly don't know what to do and Jiisan made it very clear that it's not his place to give me ideas on what decision to make and that no one else has a say in whichever decision I have to make since it's a diplomatic affair that deeply involves my clan. But this decision I have to make will affect everyone in Konoha, especially the future of my clan and Jiisan stated that I have to make this decision as both a clan leader and Shinobi Council member though I don't have to decide on the matter right away."
"Do you want to talk to me about it?" Hinata offered seeing her boyfriend's stress-filled troubled expression. Naruto sighed audibly not knowing what to say or how to start explaining his meeting with Shion and Hiruzen.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a concerned expression, "You're very stressed and troubled by whatever it is that's weighing heavily on your mind. And when you're troubled, I'm troubled."
Naruto stopped walking but he didn't turn to face Hinata as he was deep in thought though he heard and listened to Hinata's words. Hinata stopped walking after seeing that Naruto stood where he was.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata reassured with a warm smile, "I may not be allowed to influence your decision based on what Sandaime-sama instructed, but I'm still willing to help and support you in any other way I can. I'll do whatever it takes, no matter what it is you ask of me, so long it helps ease your troubles and relieve your stress."
"Do you really mean what you're saying Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked while thinking about what her words could possibly entail. Hinata looked hurt that Naruto questioned her integrity and the lengths she'd go at personal cost to help him.
"I never thought you would question my sincerity to you and my desires to help you in anyway I can Naruto-kun," Hinata said as she looked ready to cry. Seeing that he hurt his girlfriend's feelings, Naruto apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be thoughtless and hurt your feelings like that."
"I forgive you Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a comforting smile, "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose. But I wholeheartedly meant it when I said I'd do anything for you. I'd sacrifice myself and my dreams for you if I had to if meant your survival because you would do the exact same thing for me. I love you and that's without question."
Naruto turned to face Hinata with direct eye contact. He looked her straight in the eyes as though he was reading her soul and inner thoughts. Hinata fidgeted a little under Naruto's silent analytical gaze at her while wondering what was going through his mind at that moment.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked with concern before Naruto suddenly took hold of her by both of her arms, holding them to her sides. She squealed in surprise as Naruto pushed and held her up against the hallway wall. Before Hinata could ask Naruto what had gotten into him, he suddenly smashed his lips against hers shamelessly and pried her mouth open before slipping his tongue into her mouth. Hinata was completely caught off guard by Naruto making out with her so openly while still inside the Hokage Tower.
As Chuunin, they knew they could get into serious trouble for engaging in such an intimate act in public view inside a governmental building if an important figure were to walk in on them. But at that moment Naruto didn't care. All that mattered to him was the needed distraction in the form of Hinata who was caught between continuing with what they were doing and stopping him in order to suggest they go someplace else and continue. But the amount of heated passion Naruto was putting into his French kiss with her made it difficult for Hinata to resist and think clearly.
So loss was Naruto's mind that his body went on autopilot and released his hold on her arms and fully embraced her tightly, pressing his body into hers. Hinata unwitting moaned after feeling his body being pressed against her as she instinctively responded and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and returned the embrace. Without thinking, Naruto got bolder and moved his hands down to Hinata's rear and groped her as he pressed his crotch into hers. So surprised and shocked by Naruto's bold and shameless act that Hinata's eyes immediately shot open with her face dark crimson, especially after she felt his arousal being pressed against her crotch area. It drove her mind and hormones wild and she knew that if she didn't stop him now in his tracks, she wouldn't stop him at all.
Before anyone could catch them and before Hinata could do anything, Naruto pulled his hands away from her butt and pulled his mouth away from hers as his lips pulled on her tongue as though he was reluctantly letting it go. Hinata felt heat generating in her body with her face still dark red. It didn't helped that she felt a bit of wetness in her pants because of Naruto's sensual acts of arousing and turning her on.
"Before I discuss with you what happened," Naruto replied, "I need some time to think and clear my thoughts. Meet me on top of the Hokage Monument late tonight. I'll tell you everything there. Until then…"
Not giving Hinata time to reply, Naruto shunshin'd to another location, leaving a speechless and horny Hinata in the Hokage Tower hallway. As aroused as she was, she was also irritated that Naruto put her in this position with the need to be satisfied and cooled off. While remembering the feeling of Naruto's hands on her butt, Hinata mumbled, "Naruto-kun's hands…his strong hands…"
"Hinata?" a voice called out, causing the female Chuunin to yelp in surprise and embarrassment before turning to see who called out to her, only to find that it was Karin approaching her.
"K-Karin-san," Hinata said as politely as possible while trying to act normal, "Can I help you with something?"
"You can by sharing with me why your face is all red and why there's a small trickle of blood coming down your nose," Karin teased knowingly, "Did you and Naruto-kun just do something naughty?"
"I-I…I don't know wh-what yo-you-re t-talking about," Hinata denied pitifully.
"There's no need to be shy or embarrassed around me," Karin remarked with a pervy giggle, "I don't mind it at all. If you like, I can give you pointers on how to excite Naruto-kun with a popsicle of your choosing."
"I gotta go!" Hinata replied quickly as she rushed out of the tower and straight home to take a needed cold shower to calm her arousal down. Watching the scene, Karin smiled and said, "I'm going to have so much fun with those two."
Karin recalled something very important and rushed out of the building in a hurry to locate Naruto. Being a sensor type ninja, it wasn't long till she caught up to him.
"Hey Naruto-kun!" Karin yelled out to him, catching his attention as he stopped to face her.
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"I just remembered that Honoka and I never got to collect on your winnings against Sasuke," Karin said as she grabbed his right arm and started dragging him to stadium where the Chuunin Exam Finals were held a few days ago, "Let's go collect our well earned money."
"You and Honoka made bets on my match with Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"We betted against everyone who betted against you," Karin stated, "They were stupid to believe you'd lose to Sasuke just because he comes from the Uchiha clan and possesses the Sharingan. It helped that they didn't know about you and what you're capable of because that placed the betting pool to our advantage. I wonder how much we'll collect from their losses."
"I suppose we'll just have to go and find out for ourselves," Naruto suggested as they continued on their way to the facility. Everyone moved out of the way as Karin was rushing through the streets with Naruto being pulled along by her. They could only wonder what the hurry was but decided not to get in their way. It was a while until they finally arrived at their destination but Karin wasted no time in locating the office to collect their money. She barged into the office with Naruto and went straight to the man sitting behind his desk.
"May I help you?" the man asked patiently after seeing how rudely Karin entered the office without proper introduction. He then turned to see Naruto standing beside her, "The son of the famed Yondaime is with you I see."
"That's right," Karin said, "I'm Uzumaki Karin. I'm here to collect on the money Uzumaki Honoka and I won from the Chuunin Exams Finals betting pool. It was the first match of the event."
"Oh yes," the official said, "It's you and as vibrantly as ever."
"Damn straight!" Karin said as she pumped her right fist enthusiastically as Naruto simply sighed, "So do we get a check or collect our winnings in cash?"
"How about a direct deposit into the Uzumaki clan bank account?" the official suggested, "Electronic transactions are the fastest ways of sending money from one account to another."
"Deal!" Karin said before turning to Naruto and saying, "You're going have to take care of this part for me. I don't have access to our clan's account."
"Fine," Naruto agreed and stepped forward to handle all of the needed paperwork and signatures in order for the electronic transfer to go through into his clan's bank account. After all of the required paperwork was done and signed, the official went ahead and performed the transaction from his computer. Naruto and Karin waited patiently and a few minutes later, a receipt for the transactions was printed out and handed to Naruto. The official retrieved the receipt and the copies of the other paperwork before handing it over to Naruto.
"And that's everything," the official said, "Thanks for doing business with us. Come back again soon."
"Right," Karin smirked and then exited the office with Naruto who placed the documents and receipts into his vest pocket. Just as they were about to exit the building…
"Hey?" Karin asked, "Exactly how much did we win?"
"Funny," Naruto realized, "I didn't actually check the receipt yet."
"Are you serious!?" Karin asked while looking at Naruto incredulously, "Well hurry up and let's see!"
"I'm sure it's just a decent amount," Naruto figured as he retrieved the receipt from his pocket and examined it with Karin. Upon seeing the numerical figure however, both Naruto's and Karin's eyes widened like dish plates. Their mouths almost drooled while processing the number they were looking at.
"Just how many of those foreign diplomats and daimyōs along with those businessmen made bets against you in your match with Sasuke!?" Karin asked with shocked expression, "I can buy a row of palaces with just a portion of this money!"
"Palaces?!" Naruto remarked, "Konoha's treasury would possibly go under liquidation if they owed this amount to anyone! Just how much were each of those people betting when they assumed I would lose?"
"Who cares!" Karin replied, "Their loss is our greatest financial success!"
"With this money I can truly get my graphic book novel series off the ground and into the market!" Naruto said and thought, 'Not to mention that with some of this money I can also finance my spy network more effectively.'
"Success indeed," Naruto commented, "Not only are we recognized as an official clan once again and back in Konoha's history books, but foreign powers have so generously, though unwittingly, ensured the Uzumaki clan's financial status and influence. Things are looking up for the Uzumaki!"
Naruto placed the receipt back in his pocket and exited the building with Karin following next to him.
"But the way," Karin asked, "How did that private meeting with Sandaime and the priestess go?"
"I'd rather not discuss it so openly," Naruto said with a sudden change in tone, "The topic is most sensitive and confidential. I'll tell you and Honoka-nee about it after I had time to meditate on it."
Karin knew when not to press the subject and saw from Naruto's change in character that now was one of those times.
"Alright then," Karin consented, "I'll wait till you're ready to tell me and Honoka about it."
"Thanks," Naruto said as they continued walking together while thinking about how he was going to explain to Hinata what was discussed between him, Shion and Hiruzen.
'I wonder how Hinata is doing after the way I made out with her, while inside the Hokage Tower no less,' Naruto wondered, 'I almost lost control of myself because I was so stressed out and needed an outlet. I hope Hinata isn't too angry at me about that.'