Chapter 3 : Kitsune, Neko and Rapper!

It was a quiet day in the village of Konoha as the sun they began to set; Tsunade looked out over the buildings from her office in the Hokage Tower as she quietly sipped on some sake. It was one of the rare moments where she had actually finished her paper work, rather than just shove of it off to the side so she could drink herself into a stupor. As she looked out of the window she couldn't help but wonder how Naruto was doing, last she had heard from Jiraiya via toad summoning was about a month ago and simply stated he was doing well and still alive. It had been about a year since she had been convinced by Jiraiya that her son/brother/grandson figure needed to learn about the harsh realities of war and gain real life experience, it made her reluctantly give Naruto a mission that she had originally been going to throw away. She hoped he was ok, if he had been hurt or killed in Kiri she would never forgive herself for allowing Jiraiya to convince her to send the blond there. Of course if she found out that happened she would give Jiraiya a reason to regret convincing her to send Naruto as well.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts, "Come in!" she called.

The door opened to reveal Shizune walking in with a scroll; she walked over and put it on the desk for Tsunade. "It's a message from Kirigakure," Shizune said without preamble. The young woman did not know why they had sent a message out to Konoha since they were embroiled in a Civil War right now, but she assumed it was a call for help. Tsunade had not told anyone that she had actually sent help to them earlier when they had sent their first request; everyone had assumed that she had simply tossed the mission because of their policy involving foreign affairs.

Tsunade snatched the scroll from the desk as soon as those words left her assistants mouth and unrolled it, "Thank you Shizune," Tsunade said as she began to read. Shizune while curious decided not to ask as she bowed and left, closing the door behind her with a resounding click. Tsunade continued to read as the sun went down, by the time she was finished she leaned back against her chair with a shocked expression. She had just received a message from the new Mizukage Mei Terumi, apparently the war was over and Mei claimed that it was over because of Naruto. Of course given what she was reading…

"That little brat," Tsunade said with a smile as she turned back to look out at the village, "It looks like I'm going to have to call a council meeting soon…"

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"Is this information accurate?"

"Yes Danzo-Sama," said a kneeling figure, "both reports from our spies in Kiri and word going through the ranks of its shinobi have confirmed this."

Danzo Shimura frowned as he tried to think about what to do with this information. Danzo had always been a very shrewd and intelligent man, having once even been a candidate for Hokage because of his talents. Though he had been beaten by Hiruzen Sarutobi for the position Danzo had always been a player in the back ground, helping manipulate things along so that the village of Konoha remained safe from its enemies. His ROOT program was one such thing, having been originally created by the Nidaime Hokage to undertake missions from the shadows and train shinobi at a young age to be tools. Danzo was a man who would use any tactic no matter how underhanded if it meant he would be able to protect his home, taking missions that Tsunade and the other Hoakge's would have thrown away. Of course he refused to remain in the shadows forever; he had already hatched a plan to become the next Hokage. There were just a few problems that he needed to take care of first. One of them was Tsunade; the woman while powerful did not understand that to keep Konoha strong they needed to be more aggressive in their approach to foreign affairs.

Another problem was the information he just received, apparently Tsunade had done something he would not have expected her capable of and sent one of their shinobi to aid in the Bloodline Civil War in Kiri. That Shinobi was none other than Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the Kyuubi Jinchurikki and son of the Yondaime. Danzo of course knew of the boy's heritage; it had been a simple matter to find the information by having one of his ROOT steal the blood test on the boy, which had merely helped confirm his suspicions. It made sense in a way; Minato had always been one of the more noble people he had known, even when at war. It would make sense that he would not use anyone other than his own son for the sealing; he was definitely a man that Danzo had respect for; even if he did not agree with his soft policies. The problem that Danzo now had was information that Naruto had been the one responsible for granting the Kiri bloodline Clans victory, while that in itself was not quite a problem the fact that the boy had apparently been able to recreate the Hiraishin was. Danzo had spent a long time plotting and planning for the day when the ROOT's of Konoha could rule, this boy could be a great hindrance to his plans with the power he was gaining.

Of course he could be a great asset as well… Danzo thought to himself as he tried to come up with a way to get the blond under his thumb. If he could somehow get the boy under his control it would make Danzo's plans that much easier to accomplish. He would bide his time, the boy was to come back in two years and in that time Danzo would start to make his move. The one eyed man looked over at his subordinate still in a kneeling position, "I want the boy's progress monitored and I want to be sent weekly reports, get it done!"

"Hai Danzo-Sama!"

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"Halt!" Naruto and Jiraiya stopped as one of the Volt shinobi stepped in front of them, "Foreign ninja are not allowed in without a passport!"

Jiraiya stuck a hand in his vest and pulled out two small red books, "We've got our passports right here."

As the man looked over the passports Naruto studied the Volt officer's outfit. Volt was Kumo's version of the Anbu that Konoha was so famous for. They were typically assigned into three branches of the military - Assassination, Combat and Warfare (C&W) and the last one torture and interrogation (I&T), much like the Anbu of Konoha. Their attire was also very similar to the Anbu with the difference being in the colors of their vest which was white rather than black.

The Volt officer nodded, "Very well these look to be in order. Try not to cause any trouble and enjoy your stay here in Kumo."

Jiraiya nodded and the two of them passed through the gates and made their way into the village, Naruto used the time they were walking to look around and study Kumo's layout. Like all of the hidden village's, Kumo had not strayed far from the original design that all of the great shinobi nations possess, which were created during the founding of the hidden villages during the First Great War. However unlike Konoha, Kumo had not demilitarized themselves like many of the others had after the Third War. This was evidenced as Naruto looked around at most of the people who were milling about; it was easy to tell that aside from the children nearly 75% of Kumo's population were ninja from the way they walked; their walks being far more graceful then civilians. It was also the only place where Naruto had seen people with such dark skin.

Kumo had a large history of attempting to seek an edge over other hidden villages. During the Second and First Shinobi Wars, Kumo had attempted kidnapping several people who possessed special abilities. Naruto knew that after the third War, Hinata had an attempted kidnapping on her, which resulted in the death of Hizashi Hyuga the clan head's brother. Fortunately after that debacle the third Raikage had lost much of his power as people became dissatisfied with his rule, this led to the fourth Raikage, A taking the man's place. He did not know much about the Raikage, except that he apparently had no interest in bloodlines and respected strength; at least that was what he heard from Jiraiya's spy network.

They made their way into a large stone tower, which was situated in the middle of the village. Naruto could easily recognize it as the Raikage tower from its similar appearance to the Hokage tower in Konoha, except it was made of stone and concrete. Walking inside, Naruto followed Jiraiya to the top floor where the man stopped in front of a desk. The woman who was sitting at the desk looked up at the white haired Sennin.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Jiraiya grinned, "Yes I believe we have an appointment with the Raikage."

"Name?"

"Jiraiya."

The woman looked through her note book as she searched for the name, eventually finding it. Nodding to him she went over to the door and knocked on it, "Raikage-Sama, Jiraiya is here!"

"Send him in!"

The woman opened the door as Jiraiya and Naruto walked in, though not before the Toad Sennin tossed the young woman a wink which said woman ignored as she went back to her desk. Naruto took a look around the room and noticed it was pretty bland, there was not much around that really caught his interest aside from the few posters with weights on them.

"Ah! Jiraiya-Sama I have been expecting you!"

Naruto turned his attention to see a rather large man getting up from behind the desk with what looked like a dumb bell in his hand, which was promptly dropped causing several cracks to appear in the stone floor. A was a very large, muscular man with slicked back white hair and a small mustache. He was wearing his Kage hat and robe without a shirt underneath allowing others to see his hulk like physic, each wrist had a gold bracelet with protrusions sticking out of them. It was easy for Naruto to tell that the man was a taijutsu specialist, one who most likely used his large frame to smash up and overpower his enemies.

… and this is Naruto."

Naruto blinked as he turned his attention to the conversation that had apparently been taking place, he looked at the Raikage with unflinching blue eyes as the man studied him. For just a moment the Raikage could have sworn it was another spiky haired blond who was looking at him with those same eyes, there had only ever been one man who had the look Naruto had. The resemblance is uncanny as well, I wonder if… he shook the thoughts away.

After a few moments A grinned, "It's nice to meet you kid!"

The Raikage stuck out his hand which Naruto took without hesitation, Naruto soon found out that the man had a very firm grip. Deciding he was not one to be out done Naruto used his own strength which he had taken to enhancing along with his speed, he squeezed the Raikage's hand hard enough to let the man know he also had a great deal of physical prowess even if it did not show. "A pleasure to meet you as well Raikage-dono," Naruto said with a feral grin.

"Haha," the Raikage laughed as he felt the kids grip, which was far stronger then he had expected it to be. "I like you kid, you've got a firm grip! That shows your strong!"

Naruto grinned, "I've always been told I have more brawns then brains, besides who needs to think when you can just smash enemy shinobi right through a wall. Action and power are what Shinobi respect the most."

The Raikage chuckled as he went behind his desk and pulled out a small box, "You know what, your exactly right! I like you and because of that I'm going to give you these…" he held out a box of… protein bars?

Naruto blinked as he looked at the box of protein bars unsure of what to do, he looked up at the Raikage to see the man looking expectantly and realized this was most likely the man's way of showing respect. "Thank you Raikage-dono," Naruto replied as he took the box, "these will help increase my physical performance and training greatly."

"Hah! It's no problem kid," the Raikage said before turning to Jiraiya. "I have a hotel for the two of you already prepared," he handed Jiraiya a letter with directions to the hotel.

Jiraiya nodded in thanks before turning to Naruto and handing him the directions, "I have some business to discuss with Raikage-Dono, I want you to go to the hotel. You can explore for awhile if you want, but don't cause any trouble ok?"

Naruto sighed, "Who do you take me for Ero-Sensei, if anyone's going to get in trouble it will be you when you decide to go peeping into the hot springs."

"Stupid Gaki…" Jiraiya mumbled.

Naruto looked over at the Raikage, "I don't want to be too much trouble, but I was wondering if there were any training grounds you would be willing to let me use?"

The Raikage thought it over, "Yes I know of a few you could use. You can use the ones on the east side of the village, not many people go to those ones so they should be open."

Naruto nodded his head and left.

As soon as the blond was gone the atmosphere shifted as the two left in the room took on a more serious expression, "So what do you know about Akatsuki?" asked Jiraiya.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito swore to herself as she made her way to the training ground where she had been told the person she had been assigned to watch most likely was. She could not understand why she was the one doing this, there were other people who could do just as well with such an assignment. She should be undertaking more dangerous tasks then this, things like assassinations and defeating powerful ninja; she was the Nibi Jinchurikki for Kami's sake! Yet the Raikage had been rather adamant that she be the one to watch over this boy, who was apparently very important; though the Raikage refused to mention why.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Flashback…

"You can't be serious Raikage-Sama!" Yugito said in disbelief, "You want me to baby sit some brat from another village! Anyone could easily do such a task; why not assign it to team Samui? Hell even just one of them should be more than adequate for this mission!"

The Raikage frowned. He knew the reason Yugito did not want to be stuck on such a mission. Unlike his brother Killer Bee, the young blond woman was not nearly as respected. While a few of the civilians of Kumo hailed her as a hero, they still tended to remain weary of her; often keeping away from her for the most part. Add on to the fact that many of the shinobi resented her for her ability and Jinchurikki status, as well as the fact that some of the members on the council disliked her, A could see why she wanted to prove herself. Everyday Yugito tried as hard as she could to move out of Bee's shadow and become respected by her ninja peers and the people of this village.

"Yugito this is quite possibly one of the most important missions I will ever assign you or anyone else," the Raikage said in a serious voice.

This seemed to catch the young woman by surprise for a moment, before her face went back to a small scowl. "What's so special about this kid anyway?" she asked.

The Raikage laughed, "There is quite a bit that is special about him, if you complete this mission I will share it with you…"

Flashback end….

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Not only had the Raikage been extremely vague on what made this boy so important, he also would not let anyone else but her take it.

Finally she reached the training ground and found herself with a front row seat to an impressive sight. The person she had been assigned to watch was indeed there, however he was doing an exercise that the young woman was sure would even make the Raikage and his brother think twice about trying. The man, a young blond was currently balancing on a kunai with one finger as he did several one armed pushups. Sticking to his body were several decently sized rocks that blond was no doubt using chakra to keep in place, balanced on his feet were two large 4 foot boulders; one for each foot. He was currently blindfolded with Hitea-ate over his eyes, while several bunshin's of some kind were standing around him in a circle.

The boy was only wearing a pair of pants as he worked, allowing Yugito to see a physic that while not large like A's or Kirabi's was extremely well defined. It was lithe, firm and reminded her of a panther or some kind of powerful predator; no doubt his body designed for a combination of intense speed and strength. She could see the ripple of his muscle's every time the young man would move, watching him caused an unusual heat to rise to her cheeks.

'He's quite an impressive specimen isn't he kitten.'

'Nibi?'

'The one and only kitten,' was the answer she received through her mind. 'Back to the topic… that young tom is quite an impressive and handsome young man, don't you think?'

'Well…'

'You should go talk to him, then once you two are acquainted take him to your room and-'

'Nibi!' Yugito said as a blush began to spread across her cheeks.

'Oh come on kitten, don't be such a sex Nazi.' Nibi said, 'go out talk to the man and then ride him until you dr-'

'I can't believe you!" Yugito commented incredulously, though there was a large blush staining her cheeks and a small amount of blood trickling down her nose before she wiped it away. 'All you think about is sex, why can't you ever just give it a rest?'

'Because you need a man in your life kitten, you turn down men left and right. It's getting rather difficult to watch, besides just look at those muscles…'

Yugito immediately tuned the Nibi's perverted ranting out, though she could not keep the blush from her face. She looked back over to the young man who had switched arms, she couldn't deny that he was handsome; ridiculously so in fact. But she couldn't get herself involved with anyone, aside from the fact that she needed to work twice as hard as other ninja to get any respect, she was also a Jinchurikki. The few men who had taken an interest in her were not into her because they liked her, but because they wanted her body and to claim they had sex with Kumo's famed Jinchurikki. Bragging rights was all she was.

'You know that's not true kitten, you just haven't found anyone yet.'

Yugito sighed but gave a mental nod not wanting to argue with her tenant at this point, instead she turned her attention back to the young man. He was still going at his workout routine, as she watched she saw the clones that were surrounding him take out several kunai and without warning started launching them at him. She was just about to yell out in warning when her fellow blond took out his own kunai and began deflecting the attacks, even as he continued to do pushups. The few he couldn't block like the ones behind him were dodged, using the boulders on his feet as a counter balance to each other as he leaned his body from one side to the other as he dodged the kunai. In all her years Yugito had never seen anyone who had such a ridiculously dangerous training regime.

She watched him for what seemed like hours but in truth was only about 30 minutes as the man continued training. When it was done the clones dispelled and the man kicked the boulders off him and the rocks on his body dropped. Yugito watched as the man flipped himself off of the kunai, landing on his feet as he took off his Hitea-ate from around his eyes. Yugito assuming that he was going to go home, and turned around to leave. Only for a hand landed on her shoulder and a voice to whisper in her ear.

"And just where do you think you're going, hmm?"

Yugito yelped as she spun around and saw the blond looking at her with an amused expression, her eyes widened in surprise at how fast he had gotten to her. It hadn't even been a second since she had turned, that kind of speed was something she had never seen in anyone before.

Seeing as how she wasn't going to answer Naruto took a moment to look at the young woman, he had to hold in a whistle at how beautiful she was; she might even rival Mei! At a guess he would have to say the woman was in her mid to late twenties and carried an aura that all serious ninja posses. Her hair was blond much like himself, however rather than his golden sun kissed blond hers was a pale shade closer to that of the Yamanaka clan. It was tied in a long pony tail that reached her lower back, her Hitea-ate was wrapped around her head keeping her bangs from falling into her eyes and face. She was wearing a black short sleeve shirt with a purple piece of what looked like body armor that covered from her stomach to the middle of her breasts. She was wearing standard black shinobi pants, a violet bandana that crossed her hips and standard black shinobi sandals. Her body was the kind he was beginning to suspect were a standard when it came to strong Kunoichi, it was very lithe and agile looking; with a grace that reminded him strangely enough of a cat. Yet it still held a generous amount of curves, her legs were strong and slender looking rather well defined muscles yet still retaining their feminity. Her hips were not wide but neither were they narrow and also had nice definition, attached to the back of her hips was a perfectly round and firm bottom. She had a slender and toned stomach that moved up into a set of perky and perfectly sized breasts that were around a mid D cup. Naruto looked up at her face which was a mixture of slightly oval and heart shaped, with two emerald green eyes which were very feline in the way they were slightly slanted.

Naruto favored her with a sly grin, "So what's a beautiful woman such as yourself doing spying on little old me?"

'Ooh I think I'm going to like him kitten.'

Yugito felt her face heat up at that comment as she tried to think of something to say, "I… I wasn't spying I was just… I was passing through and well… you see I…"

Naruto laughed as the woman literally tripped over herself to explain what she was doing here. Naruto already guessed the Raikage had sent her to watch over him while Ero-Sensei spoke with the man. No doubt to make sure he not only stayed out of trouble but also to see his skills, something that most hidden villages usually do when a foreign shinobi is present.

Yugito's blush instantly became a scowl, "What's so funny!"

Naruto chuckled as he waved a hand in front of his face as if toward the woman off, "Sorry it's just that I've never seen a kunoichi get so flustered. Or at least not a serious Kunoichi like you obviously are."

Yugito blinked unsure whether she had just been given a compliment or an insult, "Are you insulting me?"

"Not at all," Naruto replied, "I was just teasing you a little, that's all. Though I would still like to know why you were spying on me."

Yugito was instantly cowed, "Sorry, I was just passing through to the training field I usually use when I heard you practicing. I guess I just got caught up in watching you," Yugito's eyes widened as she realized how her words could be taken. "I mean I was watching you train! No I mean watching your training regime… I mean…"

Naruto grinned at the hole she had just dug herself in, not being able to pass up such a glorious opportunity he walked up until he was right next to her. "So you got caught up watching me hmm… I take it you like what you see then?"

'Kitten this one is perfect! Take him now and ride him till you howl at the mo-'

"GOD DAMMIT NIBI SHUT UP!'

Yugito blushed as she tried to speak but could not come up with anything, that blushing soon increased as Nibi began sending images of a nude Naruto and her in various sexual positions. She looked over at the blond only to blush more as she realized not only how close he was but that his body looked even better up close, unable to stop herself Yugito's eyes wandered up and down the blond mans well toned physic. She stopped when she got to his face and noticed the knowing grin he was giving her; she looked away as another blush stained her cheeks.

"My you're a lot bolder then most," Naruto said with a foxy grin, "we don't even know each other's names yet and your already stripping me with your eyes."

"I… I wasn't…" Yugito tried to deny it, yet the fact that her face was beat red took any credence she may have had away. Not knowing what else to do she let her anger get the better of her and with a small huff began walking away.

Seeing her leave Naruto ran to catch up with her, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her to stop. "Hey look I'm sorry," Naruto apologized, "I didn't mean to tease you so much…" Naruto blinked as he paused in thought, "Well I did… but I didn't mean to make you mad."

Yugito looked at him as she used the enhanced senses Nibi gave her to try and detect a lie, to her surprise she found none and that his apology was completely genuine. She decided to offer him a small smile, "It's ok I guess, I supposed I deserved it for intruding on your training…"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Not at all, I'm a foreign ninja so it's only natural you would be curious about how I train."

"That reminds me," Yugito said, "what was that training regime you just did? I don't think I've ever seen some one do something so… insane before."

Naruto gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Actually it's a training exercise I set up for myself." Yugito raised an eyebrow as he continued, "it's designed to make me split my attention on numerous exercises. The rocks sticking to my body are a more difficult version of the leaf sticking exercise that the academy in Konoha has, balancing myself on a kunai increases the difficulty in chakra control as well. The boulders are used as weights and balancers to keep me in balance especially when my clones begin to toss kunai into the mix. I use pushups to increase the physical difficulty of the exercise and the blindfold is to increase my senses other then sight, this also helps with my spatial awareness."

Yugito listened to Naruto explanation and found herself greatly impressed with what was obviously a well thought out workout. It was kind of like an all in one extreme training routine; it would allow someone to get the maximum affect out of their exercise while also doing something one could do on the road if so desired.

"So anyways," Naruto said snapping Yugito out of her thoughts. "I would like to make up for my teasing you…"

"You really don't have to…" Yugito started only to be interrupted by the young blond.

"I know but I want to," Naruto said as he gave her a charming smile, "so I would like to make it up to you Miss…"

"Em… It's Yugito," she told him with a light blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Yugito huh? That's a beautiful name," Naruto said with a smile, causing the young woman to blush again. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Yugito tilted her head as she looked thoughtful before shaking her head, "No I don't have anything particular that I'm doing tomorrow." her job was to watch him so she would technically not be doing anything, "Why do you ask?"

"Well I was wondering if you would allow me to take you out to dinner tomorrow, say around 7:00?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

For the eighteenth time in the last hour Yugito began to smooth out her dress as she continued to pace the room to her apartment. She could not deny that she was nervous, despite being extremely confident in her abilities as a kunoichi she had a hard time being confident in her abilities as a woman. Not because of any problems she had with her looks, Yugito was well aware that many people in Kumo thought she was beautiful. Her problem stemmed from the fact that she had never really focused on being a woman, her duties as a ninja had always kept her occupied enough that even if people asked her she would never be able to go out on a dates and the like. The few times she had been out it was always with the small circle of friends she had, namely Killer Bee's students.

'You worry too much kitten.'

Yugito stopped smoothing out her dress as she addressed her tenant, 'I've never done this before Nibi. What happens if I do something wrong and screw this up?'

Yugito heard Nibi giggle in her mind, 'what's this? Is Yugito-chan worried about making a good impression on her date?'

Yugito face flushed red, 'Th-that's not it at all! I… I just wanted to make sure that I leave a good impression on him so that it doesn't reflect badly on Kumo!'

'You know I'm not buying that ridiculous excuse.'

Yugito was about to reply when she was snapped out of her conversation by the door bell ringing, she walked over to the door knowing that it was most likely Naruto. Taking a deep breath she smoothed out her dress one more time, opening the door she came out to greet Naruto - only to find all of her breath leaving her.

Naruto was not in the shinobi clothing she had seen him in today or yesterday, instead he was dressed in a set of well maintained civilian clothes. He was wearing a pair of dark brown dress shoes which were polished to a shine; for pants he had on a pair of black slacks with creases on the sides, his shirt was a black short sleeve collared shirt with dark orange stripes running down the side of the sleeves. Yugito could see that the shirt seemed strained in certain places mainly his pectorals and biceps showing that while he was not overly large he still had strong muscles.

Seeing the young woman's stare Naruto grinned, "So you like what you see Yugito-chan?"

For several moments Yugito blinked as she tried to reboot her mental functions and decipher what Naruto said, when she did her face began turning bright red. As she began to sputter and make excuses about why she was staring, Naruto took the time to look her over.

When she was wearing her shinobi clothing Naruto could easily tell Yugito was a beautiful woman, but with a dress on she looked absolutely stunning. Yugito was wearing a dark purple strapless dress that seemed to hug the contours of her body, showing off the luscious curves in ways her ninja clothing couldn't. The dress ended just above the knees and started just a little below the upper part of her chest, allowing Naruto a nice view of her cleavage which seemed to be pushed up by the dress making them even perkier then they already were. She had let her hair out of the pony tail allowing Naruto to see it in all its glory as it hung down her back freely; it also looked like she had used some kind of special shampoo or something because it had a brilliant shine to it and looked extremely soft. Naruto also noticed that she had just a small touch of make up on, her lips were a light red from lipstick and she had a small amount of purple eye line which brought out the beautiful and exotic look of her eyes; all in all she was…

"Beautiful…" Naruto breathed unaware that he had spoken out loud.

Yugito felt heat rise to her face at the awed tone in Naruto's voice, she put her head down so he would not see how red her cheeks were getting. "Do you really think so?" she asked in a low voice.

Naruto blinked as he realized that he must have spoken his thoughts; he reached out with his left hand and put his thumb and forefinger under her chin. Raising it up so she could see his smile, "I have rarely met anyone who could match how beautiful you look right now…"

Yugito felt herself actually becoming somewhat faint from the compliment; no one had ever said something like that to her and actually meant it, the few who had she was easily able to smell the lust coming off them. She willed herself not to pass out and took several deep breaths as she steadied her heart rate, which had been beating far faster then she had ever felt it even after her toughest training routine. Once she steadied herself Yugito offered him a dazzling smile, which literally seemed to light up her face, "Thank you."

Naruto grinned as he stuck out his arm, "Shall we?"

Smiling just a little wider Yugito wrapped her own arms around his after she closed and locked the door to her apartment. The two walked along the streets making small conversation as Yugito told Naruto the directions to her favorite sushi bar, which was where he had decided to take her to. As they walked Naruto noticed the odd looks Yugito was getting from some of the populace, no doubt they were surprised to see her not only with a man but in a dress of all things. It was easy for Naruto to see that the young woman was not one for dressing up; in fact it amused him that he could still see the shopping tag on her dress; meaning either she never wore it and so forgot to take it off, or she had just bought it recently and didn't even see it. He figured it was the latter.

Naruto also noticed that he seemed to be getting many glares from the males of the village; it was rather easy to see they were jealous. In the one day he had known her it was plain to Naruto that Yugito was not really the kind of person who would go out on dates and what not, in fact given how nervous she seemed chances were good that this was her first date ever. Given how attractive the blond woman was he knew that at least some of the men here had probably asked her out, most likely to be turned down the moment the request for a date left their mouths. Then along comes this new guy, a foreigner no less and in less than a day gets a date with one of the most desirable women in Kumo. It was rather easy to see why they were jealous of him.

Not that he cared.

They arrived at the sushi bar and made their way inside, seating themselves at two seats at the bar. The way Yugito moved to the seat gave Naruto a hunch that it was reserved for her, much like his own seat at Ichiraku Ramen. The thought of the Ramen stand and the two people who were like family to him brought a smile to his face.

"Oi, Kenshi-san can I have the usual please?"

Naruto watched as an old man came out of the back, wiping his hands off with a rag. The man had the same air about him that old man Teuchi had, Naruto figured it must be a chef thing.

"Wow Yugito-chan, look at you all dressed up," Kenshi said with a smile as he looked between her and Naruto. "I take it your actually on a date ne? About time if you ask me."

"K-Kenshi!" Yugito said with a small whine as her face began to heat up.

Kenshi just laughed, "so one of the usual eh? And what can I get for your date?" he asked turning to Naruto.

Naruto smiled, "I'll have the same thing she's having."

Kenshi actually looked surprised before shrugging, "you must have quite the appetite if you're gonna eat that, they'll be right up." with that said Kenshi went into the back room to get supplies to make the food.

While the food was being prepared Naruto and Yugito engaged in some conversation, telling each other about their experience as ninja. For the most part they left out anything that could be considered delicate information such as some of the classified missions they had gone on, Yugito normally just told her fellow blond shinobi about the different places she visited and her time as a genin under Killer Bee's tutelage; making sure to leave out her Jinchurikki status as Naruto was a foreigner. As for Naruto himself he regaled her in tails of his accomplishments when his team had just started, telling her about his first C turned A rank mission where they had taken on Zabuza Momochi and his mission to protect Koyuki Kazahana. Yugito had to admit she was impressed that a mere team of genin had accomplished missions of that caliber, though he did have Kakashi Hatake as his sensei so it was not too much to think such feats were possible.

A few minutes after the conversation began to die down the food arrived, Naruto was shocked to see that it was 10 servings of each dish of sushi they served here. Naruto had never seen so much sushi in his entire life, "Wow when you said I better have an appetite you really meant it…"

Kenshi laughed as he went into the back of the store again.

Yugito looked at Naruto with a smirk as he stared at the incredible amounts of sushi, "if you can't eat it all I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands."

Naruto looked over at Yugito and saw the challenging look in her eyes; he gave her his patented foxy grin. "Not a chance! This will all be gone long before you can even think of sinking your paws into it!" Naruto stated in a confident tone.

Yugito gave him a challenging grin, "Ooh wanna make a bet?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jiraiya sighed as he entered the hotel room he was sharing with Naruto. It had taken a lot of effort and negotiation on his part but he had finally convinced the Raikage to allow Killer Bee to help Naruto train in using his Bijuu's chakra. He had been forced to not only give up all the information he had on Akatsuki, but he was also forced to send Tsunade a message asking for 4 jutsus from each element to give to Kumo as payment. It had been a hassle to get Tsunade to give them up and had taken longer than he had expected because of that. Still the Toad Sennin felt it was worth the effort, he had received information that Akatsuki would begin to make their move sometime within the next year. His apprentice while strong would not last in a fight with two S class ninja without some kind of trump card, in other words his student needed to learn to harness the Kyuubi's chakra as best he could within the next year.

Moving into the bed room Jiraiya frowned when he noticed his apprentice was not there; figuring that he was just out practicing since the white haired man had not received a message via toad summons nor felt any spike in Naruto's chakra the man decided to get some rest.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito patted Naruto on the cheek as she gave him a condescending smile, "There, there you should have known I would win… really now Naruto that look doesn't suit you."

Naruto just continued to pout; he couldn't believe he had lost in an eating contest. The only person who had ever been able to out eat him in anything was Chouji and even then the Akimichi heir couldn't do it with some things like Ramen. He couldn't believe that this woman had not only scarfed down her entire sushi platter but managed to steal at least half of his as well, it was not fair!

"You cheated…" Naruto sniffed with his pout still in place.

Yugito guffawed, "Your just upset because you lost and now owe me."

At that comment Naruto's pout disappeared and was replaced with a smile that Yugito was coming to recognize, "Speaking of owing you never told me what it is you want from me…"

Yugito hummed in thought as the two got up and left the restaurant, beginning to make their way to her apartment. "I haven't decided yet…" she said as she began to tap her chin.

Naruto grinned as he closed the distance between them, "I've been told I give a pretty good message, if you wanted I could do that." Naruto started as his grin became larger, "who knows we may even be able to make it a full body massage…"

Yugito stumbled as a large blush spread across her face; she looked over at Naruto and opened her mouth only to close it as she could not find anything to say. After opening and closing her mouth a few more times she just huffed and began walking again, making Naruto chuckle as he caught up. They stayed like that for a while, just walking in comfortable silence as the two went into their own thoughts.

Yugito was replaying the date over in her head as they walked. The blond woman could not help but smile as she thought of how fun it was to actually go out with someone and be seen as a woman for once rather than a kunoichi. Throughout the entire date Naruto had given her small subtle compliments, whether it was on her beauty or her skills didn't matter as each were enough to make her face heat up and her heart flutter. He was the first person to see her as a woman first and a kunoichi second, while she knew the Raikage appreciated her she also realized that he still saw her as a Kunoichi and weapon. Her few friends likewise saw her as the strong kunoichi she constantly made herself out to be, while that was in part her own fault for not really trying to be seen as anything other than a powerful ninja; it was still nice for someone to notice another side of her that does not deal with death.

She was shaken from her thought when she felt something move into her hand and give it a gentle squeeze; looking down Yugito saw Naruto had grabbed her hand with his own. He laced their fingers together entwining their hands; she looked up at Naruto to see a smile on his face causing her to blush and she looked away. She was not sure what it was about this young man, but something about him brought her a sense of comfort she had never felt before, not even when she was with her adoptive sister Samui did she feel this comfortable. Maybe it had something to do with his eyes she mused to herself; she had to admit that Naruto had some of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. A deep and startling blue that seemed to pierce into her soul, she could probably get completely lost in those eyes for hours on end. Or perhaps it was his smile? Whenever he smiled at her she could feel her heart rate increase and blood rush to her face, it felt as if she had just run a 200 mile marathon. Yet at the same time that smile brought her a sense of security and made her feel safe and at peace, it was a perplexing conundrum that she just couldn't get a grasp on.

"Thinking deep thought's Yugi-chan?" Naruto asked.

Yugito turned to face him with a small blush on her cheeks at his new nickname for her, "Just thinking about… things," she finished lamely.

"Oh?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow at her, "What kind of things?"

"Er… well…" she wasn't sure what to say, she had always been a somewhat reserved person. Even with Bee and her other friends, she would never admit to being embarrassed or unsure and she would certainly never admit to being so taken in with someone after only knowing them for two days.

Naruto looked at her with a gleam in his eyes, "I hope your thinking about me and our amazing date." Yugito blushed and Naruto smiled as he continued, "Perhaps thinking about how you would like to go on another one?"

Yugito felt her face heat up more as she looked down at the ground, "You would go on another date with me?"

Naruto smiled as the two stopped outside her apartment, turning her around to face him as he took both her hands in his. "If you would let me, I would love to take you out again," Naruto moved her hands to his lips, gently kissing each one.

Yugito could not help but feel like she was on fire when she felt Naruto's lips against her skin, all of the emotions and experiences she had with Naruto were so new to her. She was unsure of how to react to him, he was so different from any of the other men who had asked her out; which was part of the reason she had agreed to his request for a date. "I… would like that," she said as she looked at him with a small smile and a tint of pink on her cheeks. She was so glad Nibi was keeping silent for the moment; though she had a feeling she would be paying for that later on.

Naruto grinned, "Then how about tomorrow we go out for some breakfast?"

"Okay," Yugito said in a low voice as she fidgeted with her keys.

"Maybe afterwards we could even have a spar," Naruto said as challenging gleam came to his eyes.

Yugito looked up at him and grinned, "I suppose we could, though I should warn you I'm not considered the second strongest ninja in Kumo for nothing." in truth she had wanted to test herself against him since she had seen his training, if he was even half as strong as she thought he was it would be a good match.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, I may even surprise you," Naruto said with a smile as he leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

As he walked off to his hotel Yugito stood at the entrance to her apartment for a good while as she held a hand to the cheek Naruto had kissed. After awhile of standing there she smiled as a small blush came to her features before she went inside. Moving into her room, she removed her clothing and threw them in the dirty hamper before going to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her face of the small amount of makeup she had on, Yugito moved to her bed, lying down on it with a content sigh. When she fell asleep it was with a content smile on her face.

Deep within the recesses of the young woman's mind a giant two tailed cat was grinning, she was happy for Yugito finding someone nice to be with. It was well known that the Nibi was much more in touch with the emotions and feelings of her tenant then other Bijuu were with their Jinchurikki, since unlike most she was not really into violence. Nibi had grown very protective of the young woman she was sealed inside of, so knowing that Yugito was happy was definitely a good thing for the giant cat. She was also happy that she now had some serious blackmail material on the young woman; while she could not use it she could still tease the girl mercilessly.

'At least she picked a good man,' Nibi mused, 'and to think he holds the Kyuubi. I wonder what Yugito will think when she finds out; it should be amusing to see.'

With nothing left to watch Nibi settled down and went to sleep, tomorrow was going to be fun… for her at least.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto ducked under a swipe from Yugito as he tried to sweep the woman's legs out from under her, Yugito jumped over him twisting her body as she dodged the snap kick Naruto sent her way. She landed on the ground and immediately went in with multitude of kicks, switching from high to middle to low as she tried to catch Naruto with one of them. It didn't work as the young blond dodged or blocked all of them, catching the last one in his hands before he spun her around and threw her, thrusting out his hands and grabbing her legs with chakra strings Naruto pulled her to the ground. Yugito landed on her back with a grunt, looking up she was forced to roll out of the way as Naruto sent a punch for her head. As she rolled she pushed up with one hand, flipping herself back onto her feet. As soon as she got back to her feet Naruto was right in front of her, Yugito dodged the punch sent to her face. Sidestepping the next punch she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a kick, only for Naruto to bring up a knee as he blocked. Yugito jumped away to gain some distance and reassess her opponent.

They had been going at it for about an hour now and Yugito was constantly finding herself impressed with the young man's ability. She realized that like her own style his relied on speed and capitalizing on weak points in ones guard, however unlike her style his also used his great strength to maximum efficiency. Where she would usually go with grapples and claw swipes which were meant to be combined with Nibi's chakra, Naruto used joints, pressure points, nerves and any weak point on a person to deal as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. His defense was absolutely impeccable and Yugito had been unable to find a way around his guard, not only that but whenever she tried get him into a grapple hold he would break free with an amazing degree of flexibility. His stamina was also something to be desired, even with Nibi sealed in her she was starting to have problems keeping up.

Deciding to try a different approach Yugito began to run around Naruto, launching Kunais at the blond as she circled him. Naruto took out two of his own Kunai and began to block and dodge the weapons, weaving through them with a minimal amount of movement. Yugito shot at him with a burst of speed, aiming a punch at Naruto's head. Tilting his head to the side Naruto thrust an open palm at Yugito's solar plexus, he connected but rather then flying away from the hit Yugito grabbed his arm keeping them together. She gave Naruto a grin, "Katsu."

Naruto eyes widened just as Yugito exploded in a shower of electricity, appearing a little ways from the explosion Yugito waited for it to end. When it did she walked up to him to make sure he was alright, she found Naruto completely unconscious with several burns where the electricity hit him hardest. Yugito instantly felt bad about hurting him this much during a spar, she crouched down too check on him only for Naruto to disappear in a puff of smoke. Before she could even widen her eyes Yugito felt a kunai at her neck, "That was a good tactic," Naruto said from behind her, "it would have worked on most other people."

"It didn't seem to work on you," Yugito said as she turned her head to look at him, "when did you switch with a bunshin?"

Naruto grinned at her, "the moment you created and switched with your own bunshin." Seeing Yugito's eyes widen in slight shock as Naruto explained further, "Raiton is one of my most powerful elements, I sensed the Raiton chakra as soon as you began to channel it. It didn't take a genius to guess what you were making; I created my own bunshin as soon as I realized what you were doing, then when yours came at me I kariwimi'd with it."

Yugito nodded in understanding at what was one of the more subtle tactics a shinobi could use; she herself had used Kariwimi with a bunshin to deceive her enemies on many occasions. Still to be able to sense when she created her clone and plan accordingly was nothing short of impressive, she doubted even Raikage-Sama had mastered his Raiton element to the point where he could sense the use of it in others. "You really are good, I'm impressed," Yugito said with a smile as she took the hand Naruto had just offered her and pulled herself up.

Naruto pulled her up and grinned, "Why thank you, your pretty good yourself."

Before anything more could be said Naruto felt something land on his head, looking up he saw that it was one of the messenger toads he and Jiraiya used. "Yo, Jiraiya wants you to head back to the hotel," it said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed, he didn't really want to leave right now. He was having far too much fun, but he supposed the old pervert had some kind of reason for wanting him there. He turned to Yugito, "It looks like a I have to head over to see what Ero-sensei wants from me."

Yugito giggled at Naruto's nickname for his sensei, "That's fine I should probably report to the Raikage anyway. I had fun sparring with you; we should do it again sometime."

"Of course," Naruto said with a smile, "but only if you let me take you out to dinner again."

Yugito blushed, "That's fine," she said having enjoyed going out with him last time she certainly would not mind having him take her out again. "I had fun going out with you last night so…"

Naruto gave her a grin, "I'm glad if possible perhaps we could go out again tonight, say same time?"

Yugito nodded, "Tonight sounds good."

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you later," Naruto said as he began to walk tossing a small wave over his shoulder.

'Soooo, are you regretting this assignment now kitten?'

Yugito flushed red, 'Well I…'

'You seem to be getting quite close to that young man,' Nibi's voice leaked amusement, 'not that I could blame you. If I had the choice I would have been riding him hard the moment I-'

'NIBI!' Yugito yelled in her mind trying to get her perverted tenant to shut up, it didn't work and the rest of the way to the Raikage tower was spent trying not to blush or pass out from a nose bleed as Nibi began sending images of her and Naruto nude together.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto entered his apartment to find Jiraiya looking at him with a grin, "You know when I saw that you hadn't come to hotel last night I was worried." the man's grin turned lecherous causing Naruto to groan as he knew what was coming, "To think that my apprentice has not only stolen the heart of that hot read headed Mizukage but also a hot blond kunoichi of Kumo." he began to sniff as he wiped fake tears from his eyes, "I'm... so proud."

Naruto glared at the man as he sat across from him, "You better pray to Kami that I don't find you spying on me when I'm with a woman Ero-sensei, or I'll give you a Rasengan Enema."

Jiraiya just laughed him off, if he was willing to risk life and limb to peek on Tsunade there was no way his apprentice could stop him no matter how strong he got. "That's a good one gaki, so anyway I need you to get ready."

Naruto stopped glaring at his sensei and tilted his head to the side as he looked at the man; he was tempted to ask what the man wanted him to get ready for. But he knew Jiraiya well enough to know he would just give a half assed explanation or not tell him at all. Sighing Naruto went to the bathroom where he took a quick shower to clean the grime and dirt he had gotten from his spar with Yugito off. Finishing up Naruto changed into his standard shinobi clothes with his cloak thrown over them. Finishing up he walked back into the living room, "Alright I'm ready, so where do we need to be Ero-sensei?"

Jiraiya grunted as he got to his feet, "We have a meeting with the Raikage, come on we don't want to be late."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito stood at attention as she finished giving her report on what she had discovered about one Naruto Uzumaki so far, to say the Raikage was impressed was akin to saying that Tsunade liked to drink or Orochimaru had a small thing for boys. Meaning a big understatement, he wasn't just impressed about the boy's skills in combat either. Yugito had much to her embarrassment been forced to tell A about her date with Naruto since he had heard about it from some of the people in the village on his way here. That the young man could actually get Yugito to do something so out of character for her was impressive. He absently wondered if he could use this to form some kind of alliance between Konoha and Kumo. It would be hard given the tensions between the two nations that had risen since the Hyuga incident years ago when the third Raikage tried to kidnap the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Still it could work…

"Excellent job Yugito," A said after a moment, "tell me what would you rate his level of skills at?"

Yugito thought about it for a moment as she went through the skill Naruto had shown her, "I can't say for certain since I doubt I saw all of his abilities but if I had to guess I would say about Elite Jonin to low Kage level."

A scratched his chin as he thought about that. In truth he was not surprised that Naruto was around that level. His spies from Kiri had just gotten back and given him some interesting information, "I see… I'm going to be giving you a new assignment just as soon as…" he was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Come in!"

The door opened and in walked Jiraiya and Naruto, as the two entered Naruto spotted Yugito and waved to her. Yugito blushed a bit as she waved back, of course this interaction did not go unnoticed by Jiraiya. "Hoho so this is the woman I was told you were spending time with, I must say you have fine taste Naruto she is quite the looker…"

Yugito felt a mixture of embarrassment and anger at Jiraiya's blatant stare, which she knew from previous experiencing with perverts like him that he was stripping her clothing with his eyes. She was just about to act when Naruto beat her to it smashing his fist into Jiraiya's face and sending him into a wall. "Ero-sensei I swear to Kami if you keep this up I'm going to shove a Rasengan so far up your ass you won't be sitting straight for a month!"

As Jiraiya pried himself from the wall grumbling about disrespectful brats not letting a man get his looks in, A decided to move on. "Despite how amusing this is I believe we should move on, now as I was telling Yugito here…"

He was interrupted again, this time by a crash as someone bust through his door, "Have no fear, Killer Bee is here! Yo!"

"Bee…" the Raikage said in a dangerous voice as his eyebrow twitched, "what have I told you about breaking in without knocking first?"

Killer Bee shrugged, "Don't remember yo! I think it was something about making a mess in your nest."

Before anything else could be said Yugito kicked Killer Bee in the back of the head, "Damnit Bee! How many times have I told you to stop with that stupid rapping!"

As Naruto watched the man known as Killer Bee shrug off Yugito's kick like it was nothing, he used the time the two spent arguing to analyze the man. Bee looked very similar in appearance to the Raikage making Naruto assume that they were related, most likely brothers given their close age. On his right shoulder was a tattoo that said Tetsu (Iron) and on his left cheek was a tattoo of a bulls horn, he had oval shaped glasses and a white Hitea-ate on his head. He had a white one strap over one shoulder flak jacket, a red rope tied around his waist, white hand bands, and a white scarf around his neck. Naruto also noticed that he had seven swords on his back, making Naruto wonder what he did with them all.

"Bee, Yugito," A said as they got over the argument they were having, "I am assigning you two a new mission. You are to help Naruto Uzumaki with his training."

Yugito felt her eyes widen is surprise; this was not what she had expected to hear. Naruto from what she had seen was already fairly skilled; in fact she was almost positive that in terms of raw ability he had more talent than her. "Umm… excuse me Raikage-Sama, but why do we need to train Naruto-kun he already seems to be very strong…"

It was only after she saw the looks she was receiving that she realized what she had said, currently both A and Bee were looking at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement. Jiraiya was giving perverted giggles and he had taken out a note book that he began writing in; occasionally muttering about blond gaki's being a gold mind.

However it was Naruto reaction that was causing her to blush, in a burst of speed he appeared behind her with a large grin planted on his face and wrapped an arm around her waist as he pulled her back into his chest. "So it's Naruto-kun now, eh?" Naruto mused with a growing grin, "I didn't realize you felt so close to me already Yugi-chan."

As Yugito felt her embarrassment reach a peak as Nibi decided to add her own comment, 'Kitten I'm so proud of you! Remember to give me lots and lots of little ones with this young man!"

"I didn't… what I meant was…"

Naruto made a mock hurt face, "So you don't like me Yugi-chan?" he made some sniffling noises and used the Inu Koinu Metsuki No Jutsu (Puppy dog eyes jutsu) on her.

Yugito's eyes widened, "NO! Of course I do I just…" She paused once again realizing what she was saying and felt herself becoming even more embarrassed. She literally felt her face burning which got worse when Killer Bee walked up and gave Naruto a grin.

"So your Yugito's boyfriend eh? You must be something to get this kitty to play!"

Hearing Bee's rap Yugito became irate again; as soon as Naruto let her go she lunged at the large man. Naruto and the others watched with some amusement as Yugito proceeded to kick Killer Bee in the face, only for him to get back up a moment later as if nothing had ever happened.

"Now then if you two are done," the Raikage said, "I did not mean help teach Naruto-san here techniques, I want you to help him with his Bijuu."

"What?" Yugito asked with wide eyes as she looked at Naruto, 'Did the Raikage pretty much just say that Naruto was a Jinchurikki?' She looked at the others around the room; none of them seemed surprised by that statement. Not even Killer Bee and she was sure he had not been told previously, he hadn't even met Naruto. "You're a Jinchurikki?" she asked as she looked at Naruto.

"You didn't know that Yugito?" questioned Bee, "He's the 9, yo! Why didn't your Bijuu let you in, that Nibi wouldn't tell you is such a sin!"

'Nibi, why didn't you tell me Naruto-kun was a Jinchurikki?'

'Uh… well you see kitten…' Nibi said in a nervous voice, 'I uh…'

'NIBI!'

'Wah! I'm sorry kitten it just slipped my mind to be honest!'

"Um, are you alright Yugi-chan?" asked Naruto watching the various emotions play across her face. There were several ranging from surprise, confusion and anger, "… Are you mad that I didn't tell you?"

Yugito snapped out of her thoughts when she heard what Naruto said, "No of course I'm not mad at you. You're not a shinobi of this village so I can understand why you wouldn't tell me, we've only known each other for 2 days so it's not like I expected to know all of your secrets."

Naruto smiled at her, pleased to know that she wasn't upset at him, "Thank you Yugi-chan."

Yugito blushed, "Your welcome."

'We will be talking about you not telling me something as important as this later!'

Yugito smiled when she heard a gulp in her mind, "So if we're going to be teaching Naruto-kun to control his Bijuu why am I here? Killer Bee is a much better person to teach than me," she admitted, while she could control her Bijuu's power completely hers was only the two tails. Kirabi not only had the eight tails but was also called the perfect vessel for a reason.

"Because while we live with our Bijuu in harmony, the Kyuubi prefers to harm many!"

Yugito sweat dropped, "Ok that was bad even for you Kirabi."

Killer Bee looked somewhat depressed, "I can't believe your dissing on my rhymes Yugito, after all I've done for you yo!"

Naruto found himself sweat dropping as Yugito kicked him in the head again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself back inside his mindscape. Under Kirabi's instruction he was coming here to try and get the Kyuubi to cooperate. It had been a long time since he had last entered his mind; in fact he had not been here since he had learned the Kuchiyose No Jutsu during the Chunin Selection Exams. He was pleasantly surprised to see the place looked a little better then the last time he was here, while it was still a sewer the walls that were once chipped and cracked were now more pristine. The water that had once been knee deep on the floor was gone, the place looked much better; though it was still a sewer. Following the red pipe Naruto once again came upon the sight of a large cage, in the middle of the cage was a single piece of paper with the kanji for seal.

As Naruto walked up to the bars two large blood red eyes with black slits running down the middle opened up, "It's been a long time since you've come here boy." The creature revealed itself as it walked up to the cage; it was a giant fox, with nine red tails swishing around behind it.

"Kyuubi," Naruto said as he starred at the fox with an impassive face.

The fox gave him a massive grin filled with malice, "What's this? No hello how are you? I must admit to feeling a little hurt."

"Cut the crap," Naruto said with a scowl, "you know why I'm here."

"You wish to use my chakra," the fox said as it looked at him, "However, I don't really feel like giving it to you." Kyuubi gave Naruto another grin, "Tell me little ningen, why should I the greatest of the Bijuu give you my chakra?"

Naruto forced himself to remain calm; he knew Kyuubi's game and getting angry at the fox would only be playing into its hands. "You know why you should lend me your chakra, we both know that if I die you die," Naruto gave the fox a small grin. "Whether we like it or not we need each other to survive, right now there are nine S class criminals after your power. If they capture me they will suck you out and seal you into a statue for whatever their purpose is. Is that something you want?"

Kyuubi gave a hum of thought, "well I don't quite like the idea of being sealed into a statue…" it looked at Naruto, "and I must admit you have gotten… stronger."

"What's this?" Naruto asked with mock sarcasm, "Did I just here respect in the great Kyuubi No Kitsune's voice?"

"Don't patronize me Human!" Kyuubi roared at Naruto causing the blonds' hair to fly out of his face. "I am the Kyuubi No Kitsune, the most powerful of the Bijuu; a mere mortal like you is nothing more than an ant to me!"

Naruto held up his hands in a pacifying gesture, "Easy there fuzzy I was just surprised that's all." Kyuubi glared at him for the fuzzy comment but seemed to let it slide for now, "So how about it? You gonna work with me?"

"Very well," Kyuubi grumbled, "But do not think that this means I like you in any way. The only reason I am doing this is because I would rather not be sealed in a statue."

"The feelings mutual Kyuubi," Naruto said as he disappeared.

Kyuubi stared at the spot where Naruto had been for awhile before grumbling as it laid down deciding to get more shut eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside the seal Yugito and Killer Bee were watching Naruto carefully to make sure that Kyuubi didn't take over. They were currently at Bee's home in the valley of clouds and lightning, a place that was isolated enough that if Naruto went berserk they could subdue him without causing any casualties. As they watched Naruto red chakra began to pour out of his tenketsu points, while neither would admit it they had never felt such a vile chakra before even from their own Bijuu. The chakra began to take shape, giving Naruto a pair of fox ears as what Killer Bee called the Bijuu shroud appeared. A tail soon began to form behind Naruto, as it did his features became more demonic; with his nails lengthening into claws, his whiskers marks got thicker and his eyelids became black making it look like he was wearing eyeliner. A few minutes after that a second tail began to form as Naruto grit his teeth, after awhile when it seemed no more tails would form Naruto opened his eyes revealing blood red pupils with black slits running down the middle.

Killer Bee nodded, "So two tails is your max little man, let's have you fight Yugito and see where you stand."

Yugito's eye twitched at the bad rap but she ignored it as she walked over to the opposite side of Naruto, stopping a few feet away she looked at the blond shinobi. "Are you ready?" she asked as she got into her own stance. She began channeling Nibi's chakra forming a shroud much more quickly than Naruto did and moving to up to two tails.

Naruto nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be," he said in a guttural and more demonic sounding voice.

"Remember you have to maintain your tails, otherwise this exercise fails, yo!"

"Shut up Kirabi!"

Killer Bee sighed at the fact that Yugito never seemed to appreciate his rapping, getting over it he held his hand out and made a cutting motion. "Start the fight Yo, let's see a show!"

Naruto and Yugito ran at each other and clashed with a resounding boom.

XXXXXXXXXXX

6 months later…

Naruto ducked under a claw swipe as he slid into Yugito's guard hitting her multiple times on the lower ribs and stomach before kicking her away.

Yugito managed to flip herself through the air before skidding to a halt on the ground and falling to her knees. She winced as she tried to get up, that last attack had completely knocked the air from her and cracked several ribs; though she could feel Nibi healing her. She lifted her head as Naruto sat down next to her.

"You're getting better," Naruto stated.

Yugito grunted, "I still can't hit you."

Naruto laughed, the warmth in his tone relaxing her, "True, but that's because I'm not letting you use Nibi's chakra today like you normally do when we spar."

Yugito said nothing as she got into a more comfortable position, only to moan when Naruto began to massager her back and shoulders, channeling chakra to his hands increasing the sensation.

Naruto had been here for about six months, working on being able to better utilize Kyuubi's chakra with the help of Yugito and Killer Bee. During this time he had met the members of team Samui which Naruto learned were students of Bee's. Karui a young dark skinned woman with red hair and yellow eyes, she wore a long black battle Kimono with a modified armored sword holster. Omoi a man with dark skin, light yellow hair and red eyes, he wore black Anbu clothing with white bandages around the ankles and sword holster like Karui's. You could usually find him with a lollipop in his mouth. The last member of team Samui who was also their leader was Samui Nii, Yugito's older sister; she had short blond hair that went down to her shoulders, and she wore a revealing skirt with a shirt, and had a body comparable to that of Tsunade, since she had fair skin, blond hair, and very large breasts. She also wore what appeared to be a sheath strapped horizontally across her lower back.

They were an odd group to say the least; Omoi and Karui were always arguing with each other about one thing or another. Omoi would usually over think things, which seemed to piss off Karui who would hit him. Samui was fairly quiet and would often talk about how much her back hurt, apparently her breasts were so large that her frame could not support them. Naruto had decided to help her out by giving her a back message, which had seemed to endear the woman to him as she would often come by his hotel after a mission to get one. Though after Jiraiya had caught them and began crying about how his precious student had gotten two hot blond Kumo girl's Naruto had gone to her place instead.

Of course this did not sit well with Yugito and she had gotten very pissed when she saw Naruto giving the large chested woman a back rub. Of course Yugito refused to say why it bothered her so much, but Naruto knew the reason and had easily made it up to the young blonde woman… by making her sushi.

When not training with Killer Bee most of his time he had spent with Yugito, who had shown Naruto many of her favorite spots when she wanted to be alone or at least away from some of the more ignorant shinobi who were jealous of her status or when they or the villagers stared at her with lust. Naruto had also much to the secret delight of the beautiful blonde taken her on several more dates.

Naruto had become very protective of Yugito over the last six months as well; something Jiraiya had made a point to tease him about constantly; though he stopped when Naruto actually went through on his promise and gave him a Rasengan Enema that sent him flying out of Kumo. During one of the dates he took her on, Naruto had overheard two low ranking ninja talking about how they were jealous and wished they could get in the pants of the 'demon'. Naruto had taken them outside and made an example out of them, showing what happens when someone disrespects his friends; by literally removing the appendage that made them male. After that no one had dared talk bad about Yugito in his presence, though Naruto found it odd that no one seemed to have a problem with Bee yet several ninja and civilians seemed to have an issue with Yugito. Naruto had been reprimanded by A after that incident, though he got the feeling that the man was actually grateful. Also it seemed that Jiraiya had also become weary of him afterwards, since Naruto had threatened the man with castration should he catch Jiraiya spying on him and Yugito.

Speaking of A, Naruto had sparred with the man a few times and had to admit he was extremely impressed. While not as fast as him or as varied in the ninja arts he was definitely powerful and completely outclassed him in taijutsu. Especially when A used the Raiton No Yoroi (Lightning Armor) which allowed the bulky Raikage's speed and strength far superior to Naruto. The blond had learned that the jutsu sped up a person's neural synapses increasing their speed, strength and reflexes by a factor of 4. The only way the blond could keep up with him was when Naruto used Kyuubi's chakra; even then it was hard since A had sparred with Killer Bee many times. He could have used the Hiraishin of course but he did not want to draw attention to himself. Naruto himself had earned the man's respect after their first spar and had been asked to have one again with him as well as an arm wrestling match.

He felt Yugito start to sway and realized that if he did not stop she would fall asleep. Taking his hands off her back Naruto used his water affinity to draw in the moisture from the air before freezing it into a wall, which he leaned against pulling Yugito with him and wrapping his arms around her waist. Even if she had wanted to Yugito doubted she could have resisted, her body felt like it had been turned into a pile of warm goop by Naruto's magic hands. With a slight blush she wondered what else he could do with his hands.

They stayed like that for about 15 minutes before Naruto broke the silence, "Ero-sensei and I are going to be leaving tomorrow."

Yugito who had wiggled onto her side looked up at him in surprise and sadness, "So soon?" she asked. "I mean you've only been here for six months and I thought that well…" she trailed off. How could she tell him how she felt, she could not even admit it to herself.

She was broken from her thoughts when Naruto lifted her face to meet his, "Unfortunately Ero-sensei's saying it's time to move on. I've learned a lot while I was here and even though I can't fully control the Kyuubi's chakra the old pervert feels it's enough for now, we've spent all the time we can here."

"I understand," Yugito said her voice was far softer than normal.

Naruto tightened his hold on her waist bringing her closer to him as he put his fore head against hers. "Don't think that this is the last time we will see each other Yugito-chan," Naruto said in a warm and compassionate voice. Naruto sat up straight as he reached into his cloak and pulled out one of the oddest kunai that Yugito had ever seen. It was several inches bigger than standard kunai and had strange symbols that Yugito recognized as seals along the handle; it had a tri pronged blade rather than one blade.

"What's this?" she asked as Naruto handed her the kunai.

"That is how you will be able to see me again, whenever you are in need of help or want someone to talk to, just throw that kunai into a wall and I will come." Seeing Yugito's confused look he decided to elaborate, "That kunai is the secret to one of the most powerful jutsu in the world and was what gave my father his nickname."

It took a second to realize what he was talking about; Naruto had confidentially told her who his parents were so she knew he was the son of the Kiroii Senkou; though Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that A also knew this. When she figured out what this Kunai was for her eyes widened, "Hiraishin…" she breathed out. She looked at the Kunai in awe; this was for the technique that had won the Third Great Ninja War. The Jutsu that created fear amongst Iwa and gave a man the first and only ever SS rank in the bingo books. And Naruto was giving it to her, essentially telling her that he would always be there for her.

"Now there are some rules that you need to follow when using this," Naruto said getting her attention. "The most important rule is that you cannot use this around others, I don't want to end up starting a war with Iwa because of this; so the less people who know the better. Also when using it just limit it to when you really need me, like you are in danger; you can also use it once every two weeks just so we can see each other. Because of my duties I may not always be able to come if you just use it whenever you feel like it, this will ensure that I come every time you use it."

Yugito nodded as she looked at him, "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto ears perked as a sly grin crossed his face, "There's no need to thank me Yugi-chan, after all being able to spend time with a woman as beautiful as you is always a pleasure."

Yugito blushed, "Thank you I've always found it pleasurable to be with you as well…" her eyes widened and her face heated up as she realized how her words could be taken, "I mean I always found your company to be-"

Her rambling was stopped as Naruto put a finger to her lips, "No need to get so flustered I was only teasing."

Yugito puffed out her cheeks as she pouted, before they both burst out laughing. When the laughter died down Yugito did something that she probably would have never done had she thought about it, leaning into him she claimed his mouth with her own.

Naruto while surprised that she had actually taken the initiative recovered admirably and kissed back, deciding not to be outdone he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Gently snaking his tongue into her mouth causing the young woman to let out a moan as he began to explore. He was actually surprised that she did not taste like sushi considering how much of the stuff she ate; her mouth tasted sweet reminding him of vanilla ice cream. He decided not to think about it and just enjoy the feeling as Yugito began to use her own tongue in their little duel. Taking her by surprise Naruto wrapped his own tongue around hers and pulled it into his mouth, allowing her to explore. At first she only probed him tentatively; she had never actually kissed anyone before so she was not sure what to do, with a little prodding from Naruto however she soon began to feel her way around with vigor. She found out that Naruto tasted a lot like ramen, much to her amusement.

As she continued 'tasting' her fellow blond Yugito felt as light as a feather, her stomach was doing flip flops and there was an intense heat that she had never felt before as she was swept away by the sensations and taste of Naruto. It was everything she had ever imagined a kiss would be. Despite being a strong and powerful kunoichi who hated being dependent on others she still had the same desire to eventually find love, no matter how much she would try to deny it.

Deciding to take this elsewhere Naruto picked Yugito up bridal style and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and Jiraiya were at the gate about to leave; Naruto smiled as all the friends he had made while here stood in front of him. Omoi, Karui and Samui standing next to their sensei the Hachibi Jinchurikki Killer Bee. A the Raikage was standing a little off to the side with a smirk on his face as he looked over at Yugito who was right in front of Naruto; a slight limp in her walk that the others noticed, especially Jiraiya who was going to tease the gaki for this later. Yugito herself had that afterglow that women seemed to get after sex as she stood there, though there was also a slight melancholic look on her face. It was rather easy for everyone to see how much the young woman would miss Naruto; he had done more for her and spent more time with her than anyone besides A and Bee.

"…So I guess this is it?" Yugito asked trying to be stoic.

Naruto smiled as he cupped her left cheek rubbing his thumb along the smooth skin, "Yeah… but it won't be the last time you see me so I wouldn't worry too much."

"You gonna have to come back soon, to help me make some tunes, yo!"

Naruto blinked as Killer Bee came up to him and started rapping again; he shook his head as he chuckled. "Sorry but I don't think I can help you rap, or improve your rap. But if you need a good fight look me up."

Bee grinned, "That's all I need Yo! Just give me a fight and I'll do things right fool!"

"Shut up Bee!" Yugito jumped up and kicked him in the head, causing everyone to chuckle.

"I do hope you'll come back soon…" Samui said as she Omoi and Karui came up to him, "I'm going to miss your massage's…" she rubbed her neck in emphasis.

Yugito growled at her but Naruto just laughed, "Then I'll be sure to visit when I can, wouldn't want you to get all cramped up and unable to perform your duty as a Kunoichi would we?"

Omoi came up to him and did something no one would have expected; reaching into his bag he pulled out a sucker and handed it to Naruto. "I figured you could use one for the road," he said as Naruto took it.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he unwrapped the sucker, putting it in his mouth.

"How come you give him a sucker but not me?" Karui asked with her hands on her hips. She had asked Omoi for suckers on numerous occasion but he would never give her one.

"Because," Omoi rubbed the back of his head, "you're always so violent and loud, why can't you be quieter like our big breasted team mate? Perhaps if you-"

He was cut off as Karui smashed her fist into his face, sending the man flying, "Ass hole!"

A shook his head as he moved over and shook Naruto's hand, "Make sure you come back to visit, I could use another spar soon, perhaps you'd even be able to compete with me in an arm wrestling match again."

Naruto chuckled, "of course." As soon as he let go of the Raikage's hand Yugito came up and glomped him, nearly knocking the boy off balance as he was forced to readjust his footing. Naruto smiled as he wrapped his arms around the blond woman, rubbing her back in a soothing manner, "Hey come on now, I told you this won't be the last time you see me. Whenever you need me just throw my kunai…"

"I know," Yugito said as she held him tighter, "make sure you're careful… the last thing I need is for my fiancé to go and get himself killed," she said in a small whisper.

Naruto laughed as he kissed Yugito on the head "You should know I'm always careful."

"Uh huh," Yugito said looking up with a deadpanned expression, not believing that for a second, "that's why you tried fighting both Bee and Raikage-Sama at the same time, right?"

Naruto looked sheepish, "Err… well I just wanted to make sure I could fight two powerful ninja at the same time is all, you know to get ready for when I face Akatsuki." Naruto turned his head away from her, getting nervous from the way she was staring straight through him.

"Come on gaki you can make kissy faces with your girlfriend when you come back!" Jiraiya yelled already walking away.

"I'm coming Ero-sensei! Kami can't I even say good bye!" he looked back at every one and gave them a two fingered salute, "I'll see you guys around!" he took off at a quick jog to catch up to Jiraiya.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that young man," Killer Bee said as he put a hand on Yugito's shoulder, "he's not the type to go and kick the can. Yo!"

"Bee shut up!" Yugito said as she sent another kick at his head.

The Hachibi Jinchurikki chuckled as he stood up and walked off; Yugito looked back out where Naruto had been for a second before leaving as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Omake:

Yugito frowned as she walked around Kumo; she had been looking for Naruto for nearly three hours now. She was just about to give up when she heard something that made her freeze.

"People keep comin' to hear our rhymes; we're the Jinchurikki 8 and 9!"

Yugito began to rush to the source of the noise as quick as she could praying to Kami and whatever other deities' she could think of that this was not what she feared it was.

"When they see us rappin' the peeps gather round, everyone wants to hear our sound!"

Yugito turned around a corner and froze as her worst fears were confirmed; Killer Bee had somehow roped Naruto into rapping with him. The two were currently standing on the roof of a building; both of them were taking turns rapping to the masses that were walking by and giving Naruto strange looks.

Anger began to take over Yugito as she channeled Nibi's chakra.

"BBBBBEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Naruto and Killer Bee stopped rapping as they heard the scream and saw a giant 2-tailed demon cat that was growing larger by the minute.

"I think the kitty has really gotten mad, this seems to be bad."

Naruto looked over at Bee, "Dude you might want to stop rapping and start running."

"Man have no fear, I'm the 8-tails Jinchurikki here! Yo!"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

BOOM!

Inside his office A watched as the giant 2-tailed cat rampaged the city and shook his head, "Great, now I'm gonna have to pay for damages again. At least my assistant can't complain about it being me this time…"