Chapter 28 Home

Forest of Death

Naruto sat alone on a tree branch - he was waiting for Sasuke to make his way to the place. The forest was a good place to spar without having to destroy anything valuable. If he danced at the compound, he would surely destroy buildings. The training ground at their home was limited to a certain space. But within this forest, you could spar as much as you wanted without worrying about anything. But Naruto knew that it would not take long for some people to come into the training ground to check what was happening, especially ANBU and high ranked jonins. It did not bother him much though. He did not care if anybody watched while he trained Sasuke in the ways of the Mangekyou Sharingan. It would not be a training, per say, it will be more like a battle. He wanted the Uchiha to learn fighting against strong opponents. It would be good for him to get used to a high-ranked fight. There was also no better training than engaging in an actual fight.

It would be good since he did not take things lightly, or played when he danced. He would not touch his fellow Uchiha like a woman would - he would play it rough. A real fight does something like that. Sasuke will know this for sure. The Uchiha had to be the strongest in Konohagakure no Sato. There was also something that was coming soon, he could feel it. Sasuke's power would be needed. A war may also arise. The cause of the war would probably be him. But not his fault entirely. The Kages just did not like to have someone powerful from another village. They did not like that at all. But it was alright, he would ensure that nothing stepped out of his control. It would be disappointing and a pain if things spiraled out of his control. But at the same time, it would offer a bit more interesting things for him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his left when he felt someone. A kunai whizzed past his head, he did enough to avoid it. Had he not done that, it would have hit him straight on his forehead. Still, he did not moved away from his position. No one would dare try to assassinate him, so he knew it was probably a Konoha shinobi. And when he saw the snakes coming away from tree branches towards him in quite fast speeds, he knew who it was. The snakes moved faster and tied themselves around him - there were four of them. Even with their hisses and glaring sharp fangs, Naruto seemed not too concerned about them.

''So the kunai was just a distraction for the snakes to bind me,'' Naruto stated as Mitarashi Anko appeared behind him - where he sat despite the snakes binding him. He was not afraid of little snakes, though they could probably bite him before he could even activate his Mangekyou to fend them away.

Anko grinned mischievously as she looked at the blond. But her grin disappeared when she realized that he was not even flinching with the snakes binding him. He did not even look amused or even trying to get away from her ''children''. It was disappointing to say the least. ''What are you doing here all alone? Is Yugao's company too much for you?''

''I am waiting for someone,'' Naruto paused as he sensed Sasuke's chakra. ''...and he has come,'' it was then that the Uchiha appeared a few feet away from Anko along with Kakashi. Figures, he would have brought his sensei to watch him battle. The copy-nin would also have loved nothing than to see him battle with Sasuke.

Naruto jumped down the tree with the snakes still binding him. But before he could say anything, Anko was first to speak. ''Kakashi, what are you doing here? Have I crashed a party?''

The famed Sharingan no Kakashi merely shrugged his shoulders carelessly, flipping a page on his book. ''I just followed Sasuke here,'' he replied, not even looking at the snake mistress.

''Get the snakes off me, woman.'' Naruto ordered, earning a wide grin from Anko. It was apparent that she was not going to do it that easily. She would have to be forced to get her ''children'' off the blond. If she could not scare him, she could as well, let her snakes have fun with him.

''Make me,'' she said looking straight at the blond, her grin never fading.

Kakashi sighed. ''Anko, please just do it. I want to see Naruto spar with Sasuke. I might even get a chance with him. I have not fought anyone strong other than Sasuke. And if you do it...'' the rest of the words were mouthed only for Anko to hear him. It seemed whatever he had said worked as the snakes on Naruto left him.

Naruto pulled over his cloak as he did not want it to become messed up. The cloak was made with extremely rare materials. But it was not that easy to tear. He threw the cloak onto the tree branch where he had been sitting and cracked his knuckles for a moment. ''Kakashi wants to test me, I shall give him that. I am also interested in your use of the Sharingan. I want to see how far your control is over the doujutsu. But that will be some other time though.''

''...And here I thought you were going to fight me now,'' Kakashi said with a sigh. When the blond started talking, he thought they were going to fight but the blond had to say some other time.

''You will have your time Kakashi-sensei. But this is my fight with Naruto. I have yet to test my Mangekyou Sharingan against another Mangekyou - wielded by an Uchiha. No offence to you,'' the man also had the Mangekyou Sharingan. But he could not use all of its abilities because he was not an Uchiha, even though he had unlocked the doujutsu.

''None taken,'' Kakashi replied in a uncaring manner. It was no bother to him. He knew it himself that he could not use the Mangekyou Sharingan like one who has Uchiha blood in them.

''Rules of engagement; do not hold back, you can use the power of your cursed seal. I want you to reach your limit.''

Sasuke grinned, ''Fine by me,'' he said happily. When sparing with Kakashi, the elite jounin had always put some restrictions on both of them. But right now, he would have no restrictions. He could burn down the entire forest with the blond.

Kakashi and Anko made their distance as Sasuke activated the first level of his cursed seal. But his Sharingan was not activated, since Naruto did not have his activated, he would play it that way. One thing he knew was that, if he played around, it would be over soon. And it would be so painfully for him. He had seen Naruto fight before; the blond was brutal in his way of fighting. He did not want to have something broken at the end of the day when he could have avoided it.

Sasuke rushed towards Naruto in blinding speeds. The blond had not expected the Uchiha to move so fast. But he was ready for the attack. The raven haired Uchiha jumped up and attempted a roundhouse kick at him. Because of the speed of the attack and his lack of Sharingan, Naruto was only able to hastily bring out both his hands to block the attack as he was in no position to dodge it. When Sasuke's kick connected with his hasty defense, Naruto felt that the power behind the raven head's kick was way more that he would have thought. He was unable to hold his ground, thus was pushed back and lost his balance.

Seeing that his opponent has lost his balance, Sasuke prepared for another attack by spinning around, while still in midair. His left leg went straight to Naruto's temple. He knew that even if Naruto would block the kick, it would not do him any good - he had put as much power as he could behind the kick. Naruto knowing that it would not end well for him, he threw himself down on his behind. He was already losing balance over the previous kick, so he just allowed himself to fall back. With that, he was able to duck under the kick and fell down on his back. But before he hit the ground, he brought out his hands and used them as cushion.

Sasuke landed down on the ground gracefully after missing his opponent, but he did not stop with his attacks. While Naruto was still on the ground, he flashed through hand seals. Naruto was able to recognize the hand seals and allowed himself to fall on his back, leaving his hands completely free. He also went on his own hand seals while still lying down on his back.

''Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!'' Sasuke yelled as he released flames of high temperatures. The fire was so great that the heat around the area began to increase. It would probably turn the blond into ash if he was hit by it. But Sasuke was sure that Naruto would not be hit by the jutsu. The blond also showed himself to be a master of the Fire element.

Naruto also released his own jutsu. ''Wind Style: Great Wind Breakthrough!'' he released a powerful gust of wind that sped towards the incoming flames. When the jutsus collided, they did nothing more than to increase the heat in the atmosphere. When they seemed to be pushing each other for dominance, Sasuke's own jutsu swallowed Naruto's wind and continued to match on forward. Naruto had known that his jutsu would not hold up. He just needed it to by himself some time to get out of the way. He quickly disappeared from the ground and appeared a distance away from the path of Sasuke's jutsu. The jutsu hit the ground before dying down.

Sasuke turned around to face Naruto with an small smirk on his face, before he did the same jutsu again. Naruto did a few hand seals before clasping his hands together, ''Wind Style: Violent Storm!'' he released some much powerful gusts of winds that had wind blades within them. The wind jutsu covered a lot of ground before storming towards Sasuke's Katon jutsu. The jutsu picked up a lot of debris as it sped towards its target. When the Jutsus collided, a resounding explosion occurred, increasing the heat further. And because of the violent storm Naruto had released, there seemed to be violent winds, mixed with intense flames picking up. The explosion finally died down, revealing that both opponents were still unhurt.

''You activated your Sharingan,'' Sasuke said smiling looking at the blond a distance away from him. He too activated his own Sharingan, knowing that he would definitely be at a disadvantage if he did not do that. He did not activate the Mangekyou though.

''I would end up embarrassing myself if I did not do that,'' Naruto stated calmly. ''I also underestimated your speed. I did not think you could move that fast,'' the blond then held a single hand seal while muttering a few words. As he did, a pure wave of potent chakra hit the area, coming from Naruto. ''Well then, shall we continue with this dance?''

Both took off like bullets, picking up dust as they took off. Both had moved insanely fast, making it hard for the untrained eye to see them. The two Uchihas met in between and threw their punches. Each blocked as they were able to keep an eye on the other because of the Sharingan. They exchanged punches while moving around the area. This caused several blows to appear around. This went on for a few moments until Sasuke suddenly increased his speed and appeared behind Naruto. Despite being able to see the other Uchiha, and blocking his kick, Naruto was still sent flying backwards.

Sasuke did not let up; he quickly went through hand seals. ''Raikiri,'' the lighting hound rushed towards Naruto. The blond had recovered from the hit and had just landed down the ground. He quickly used Kawarimi to replace himself so that he did not get hit by the lighting jutsu.

''So you are just as fast as me,'' Naruto said coming from behind Sasuke. ''But should you move onto the next level of the cursed seal, you will be faster than me,'' he was going through hand seals. He slammed his hands on the ground. In a puff of smoke, his Gunbai appeared. He took it up and strapped it behind him before crackling his neck.

In the next second, he was gone. He appeared in front of Sasuke and drove his right fist towards the Uchiha's face. Sasuke was quick to block the punch with both his hands. But he winced when the punch connected with his hand - the blond could certainly hit hard. Naruto was not deterred because of his blocked attempt; he quickly spun around and attempted to kick Sasuke straight on his face. But the raven haired teen ducked under the punch. He then attempted to knee Naruto, but the blond blocked the attempt by using both his hands. Sasuke smirked, and quickly held a single hand seal. ''Wind Style: Gale palm'' the technique sent Naruto flying away from him.

Naruto flipped several times before landing on the ground. He would have to give Sasuke some credit, using that technique at such a position required some great chakra control. Sasuke threw a kunai towards him and quickly did a few hand seals. ''Kage Kunai no Jutsu!'' the kunai became many and Sasuke quickly added this with a Gale Palm to increase the speed of the kunais. Naruto quickly brought out his Gunbai and swung it in front of him. It released gusts of winds that deflected the kunais.

But while that was happening, Sasuke appeared behide Naruto. The blond quickly noticed. ''Interesting tactic, but...'' Sasuke was about to kick Naruto from behind when the blond could not protect himself. But he quickly noticed something behind him. He widened his eyes as he saw another Naruto. Before he could do anything, the other Naruto kicked him hard on the back and sent him crashing towards the trees. But he was able to recover before he hit the tree painfully. The other Naruto then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto then noticed that the black smoke that had been gathering in the air had now turned into a large cloud.

Sasuke got up and looked straight at Naruto, ''When did you create the clone?''

Naruto strapped his gunbai and looked at the skies again - the cloud was unnatural. It then began to rain and the cloud produced lightning. He looked up to Sasuke. ''Some time ago,'' he paused looking at the expression on Sasuke's face. ''So this is your doing,'' he muttered quietly.

Sasuke only smirked and raised his right hand. Naruto could feel a rise of chakra from the raven haired. He looked up at the clouds and noticed that something was happening. ''I have yet to try this when fighting someone with intent to kill. But if anyone can survive it's you. But if you die, well, you will be dead,'' he paused for a moment as the thunderstorms grew even furious, ''Kirin!''

The moment Sasuke said ''Kirin'', Naruto was already activating his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. A huge lightning bolt rushed towards the blond in insane speeds. Boom! It hit the space around the blond creating an explosion which caused some debris to pick. But the debris was quickly overshadowed by the dark orange Susano'o of Naruto. When the debris died down, Naruto was on his knees. He was panting slightly - so was Sasuke. He deactivated his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and stood up.

He noticed that there were a few ANBU and some jonin watching. They probably saw Sasuke's technique. It would not have surprised him if Kakashi had invited them. It was not every day that you saw two Uchihas battling. Looking back at Sasuke, who seemed to have recovered from his use of Kirin, he spoke. ''If it had not been for Susano'o you would have probably killed me. That is a dangerous jutsu you used there. I guess I can do that also, though the trees will have to be planted again. I shall add a new song for this dance by playing S-ranked jutsu. It should make things interesting.'' The blond was already going through hand seals as he spoke.

Suddenly, Sasuke had an uneasy feeling in his gut when he saw Naruto smile. Everyone who saw the smile also had the same feeling as Sasuke. He probably should not have thrown the jutsu at the blond that early in the battle.

Later that day (Kumo)

The Yondaime Raikage looked seriously at the latest report he received from his spies. He was finding things to be a bit curious and troubling. He had received some Intel from his spy which troubled him greatly. If it was not enough that he had to deal with Naruto and Sasuke, the two Uchiha's who could become powerhouses that could threaten everything; he had to receive this kind of report. Things were not looking good. If villages continued to act this way, they would probably start fighting again and another war would break out. Kumo and Iwagakure are the only two villages from the Great Five Hidden Villages who have not suffered causalities recently. They still had much power with them, not to mention that both villages had two Jinchurikis, each.

Iwa had suffered much from the previous war, especially with what the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze did to them. They had lost much of their shinobi in the war. They probably suffered the most than any other village. And if Konoha had not called for the war to end, they probably would have lost badly and perhaps even suffered more casualties that would make them drop from the Five Great shinobi villages. Minato had surely did a number on them, he could clearly understand their eternal hatred towards the man. It was amusing that some shinobi from Iwa held a grudge against the Kyuubi for ''killing'' the Yondaime. They argued that they were supposed to have been the ones to kill the man. But at the same time, he understood that it was war, things like that happen. Minato had greatly wounded their pride, probably why they hate him even more than anyone.

Their hatred for the dead Hokage was somewhat amusing. A would not be surprised if there was a class in Iwagakure's academy that taught the academy students hatred towards the famed Yellow Flash. He had never seen someone so famous in all the corners of the Elemental Nations, yet become so hated in another village. He was sure that when the man was still alive, speaking his name might have been blasphemy punishable by death. Still, even he could understand that their pride was wounded; he doubted that he could actually come to hate someone over the results of war. War was war, there is bound to be deaths, a hero and a villain.

Even so, over the years, the village has been building its forces. It was also quite difficult to get into the village when you were a foreigner, especially from the land of Fire. The village's security had been kept tight after their loss in the Third Shinobi Word War. It was also difficult for even spies to get in and leave the village without being caught. Also, Intel about their military forces had proven difficult to gather. It had not been until recently that he was able to get something useful. One could never understand what that stubborn Tsuchikage was thinking. But he knew that the village had amassed its military power. It was worrying for him; he always wanted to be on top to make sure that his village was safe.

If anything proved to be a threat to his village's security and safety, he would surely rush to exterminate it.

Konohagakure; while not the same as Iwa, the village was still powerful. You can never forget that they have two Densetsu no sannin and that brat Naruto, and also the strongest of the tailed beasts. This did not dwell with him at all, especially now of all the times. Despite all this, he could take comfort over the fact that Konoha had been losing its military power of the years. Like everyone, they lost some shinobi during the previous year. But there was the Kyuubi attack when they lost a number of their top shinobi including their famous blond Hokage. He had battled with the man himself, and he had been able to leave without him being able to touch him. That time, neither of them had been Kages, yet. But he was still alive and Minato now was dead.

Konoha also lost due to the Uchiha massacre. Even he could not deny the power of the historic clan. The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful clans in all the clans that existed. That cursed Sharingan of theirs was one thing that everyone hated and feared. There was once a time that when you met an Uchiha as your opponent, runaway if you did not have a teammate. Those cursed eyes could quickly put you under some powerful illusions just by looking at them. This made fighting the Uchiha very difficult. But now they were gone, this reduced the village's power drastically, but yet the village still remained the strongest of the Great Five. No village dared to attack the village in its weakened state. The Uchiha could have been easily be 1/3 of Konoha's power. But even with their extermination, they still remained strong.

There was also the invasion that happened more than three years ago. They did not lose much during the invasion. He could say that the invasion had been pathetic. Who dared to attack a major village like Konoha within its walls? But the village lost their Hokage, again. This time, it was the God of Shinobi. A had to admit it himself that even in his old age; Hiruzen was still a powerful shinobi. For Konoha to lose him was a big loss. But even that was not enough to weaken the great village. It still remained powerful, and now it seemed even more powerful.

Sunagakure and Kiri were weak; he could not talk much about them. But that did not mean that they could be taken out of the picture. No, far from it. A village like Sunagakure is suicide to fight in the desert. That is their home ground, especially when their Kazekage can manipulate sand at his own will. The Kazekage, despite being a boy was a Jinchuriki. This meant that the village was also powerful, but not as powerful as the other. Kiri was also recovering from a recent civil war, they would not rush into a battle because they would surely lose, and in a humiliating way too.

But the fact that his village was still remaining strong put a smile on his face.

He still had to deal with the Akatsuki. He had taken them very lightly and they had nearly taken Yugito away from him. They had defeated a Jinchuriki who could transform into her Bijuu. They could no longer be underestimated. He guessed he could thank Naruto for saving Yugito. The thought made him snort. But the threat posed by the criminal organization was nothing compared to what other Great Villages could cause. Sighing, A put down his report and looked at Yugito.

''I want you to go pick up training to increase your power. I want you prepared for what is coming,'' he stated in a firm tone. ''Have Killer Bee assist you in the training.''

Yugito raised a curious eye brow at this. She had no problem training with Killer Bee - it was always fun. But the Raikage's words were making her curious. ''What is it that is coming, Raikage-sama?''

''Probably war, depending on what other villages do,'' A responded leaning against his chair. If other villages reacted wisely, another war would be avoided. He did not like to see war started at this time. But he would be forced to fight should his village be threatened.

''War..? But there has not been any conflict between the major villages that could cause war to breakout,'' Yugito responded. The Great Villages had been trying really hard to avoid conflicts. It went as far as to get out of the other village's way. Most villages did not want another war to breakout. Most shinobi say that the previous three wars were enough. She certainly did not want to experience the horrors of war. She has heard people talking about it, and it was fine that way.

''That is true, but something is coming, I can feel it. That is why I want you to be prepared. Not so long, we will be hearing fall outs between other villages,'' A said looking straight the Jinchuriki standing before him. Killer Bee was always prepared, he did not have to worry about him. But Yugito had been beaten seriously, it was best for her to get stronger than she was.

She blonde woman nodded. ''I was thinking of trying to improve anyway. I was told that when I transform into my Bijuu, I was nothing more than an oversized monster,'' she seemed a little bitter about that.

''Who told you that?'' the Yondaime Raikage questioned with narrowed eyes.

''Naruto, Uchiha Naruto.''

The Raikage was quite for a few moments before shaking his head. ''If ever there is a confrontation between him and Kumo, can I count on you to protect the village?''

Yugito froze. She was being asked if she could fight her savior. If not for him, she would be probably dead by now. She nodded stiffly, not trusting her voice. A waved her, dismissing her. Yugito silently left the office.

The Raikage took the report on his desk and looked at it again. Iwa has gathered shinobi in preparation for trying to take control over Otogakure. He could not deny that the village was becoming powerful. Recent reports has shown that the village as allied itself with Kirigakure, Takigakure, the Wave country, and the River Country. He had also received a report saying that the princess of the land of Snow was heading there. Though, she should have already arrived, she was held up by something. He knew very well that the Snow was advanced in technology. He liked their chakra armors more. He had tried to get his hands on them, but he failed. If a deal between the Snow and Oto happens, it would only increase the latters power. The village was also becoming very rich. He was digging more to that as he wondered where the riches were coming from.

Because of all these, he could not allow Iwa to take it. If that happened, the village would become stronger than it already was. He would act before Iwa manages to capture Oto to increase its own power.

But his action would lead to a confrontation with Iwagakure. Would he risk that?

Another thing that was concerning was Konoha's actions, lack of rather. Otogakure was their enemy - the village was previously led by Orochimaru, a missing-nin from the village. Orochimaru had done evil things towards Konoha. He attacked his former village with the Sound shinobi. On top of that, he manipulated Sunagakure into attacking Konoha with him by killing their Kazekage. He also was responsible for the death of the Sandaime Hokage, his former sensei. They should be thinking about making the village pay for their former leader's actions. But they were not doing anything. His Intel suggests that the village was not doing anything.

From the latest report; there were shinobi being trained in Takigakure in a secret hideout. The training regime was ridiculous. He would never impose it on his shinobi. It was obvious that the training has been going on for a while now. But there were not many shinobi being trained. Still, the fact that this shinobi were from Oto did not bode well with him. However, given that the military personnel was not much, it would not pose much problem, or do much resistance, especially given the numbers Iwa has amassed to conquer the village. This meant that he will surely have to act before Iwa got stronger.

Valley of the End

Uchiha Madara or rather Uchiha Obito stood calmly at the Valley of the End along with Yakushi Kabuto. Orochimaru's number two was patiently waiting for the man to tell him what he was brought here for. The man had said he wanted for them to meet since he had something for him to do. He was curious as to what he was about to do.

''What is it that you want me to do, Madara?'' Of course, Kabuto being a curious man was aware that the man beside him was not in fact Uchiha Madara. But he let the man think otherwise. Though, he had an idea that the man was very much aware of this fact.

''Ohnoki plans to attack Oto and take over. Of course this will force Naruto to crush him as he seems intent on seeing his little project succeed. After Ohnoki is humiliated by Naruto, he will seek revenge, but he will be cautious not to provoke Konoha's wrath. I want you to be on standby, make contact with him after Naruto crushes him, make contact with his army and remind him of Iwa's past humiliation by Konoha shinobi,'' Obito stated in a tone devoid of any emotion.

''If Iwa does attack Konoha, they will be defeated easily given now that they only have one Jinchuriki and Naruto has the Kyuubi,'' he glanced at the man before him as he spoke.

''We can temporarily give back the other Jinchuriki we captured since we have yet to extract the Bijuu, to even things out. Iwagakure has also been training its shinobi tirelessly unlike Konoha.''

''What do you hope to gain by this?''

''I want to see Naruto's reaction to this,'' he paused for a moment. ''Go now.'' Kabuto went away without any other question asked. Obito stayed onto of the valley for a few moments. Another voice spoke.

''Is the other reason you are doing this being that you just want to keep him busy while you work on Nagato and Naruto?''

Obito shrugged nonchalantly. ''Who do you think will win between Naruto and Nagato?''

''Has Nagato returned to a prime form?'' Obito nodded. ''It will be tough given that the Rinnegan makes ninjutsu useless, but Naruto knows it in and out. There is nothing that Nagato can do that will surprise him. And if Naruto uses his Perfect Susano'o, he will destroy all hope for Nagato.''

''Perfect Susano'o?''

''Yes, I have only seen it once while he was training - He keeps it a secret and does not use it or even talk about it.''

''Hmmm, it does not matter who wins. I hope that Nagato will excite Naruto enough to make him abandon strategy and just throw jutsus around, wasting chakra. I might be able to take advantage of it. Though, it will be a pity if he performs bellows the standard. Madara thought he would be someone who could rival even Hashirama. But if he performs poorly, it means he was not worth the efforts Madara went through to make him strong.''

''If Naruto wins, he will take the Rinnegan.''

''It is not a problem. You know where he hides things, so you will take it from him and give it to me - that is if Nagato is unsuccessful.''

Two days later

Hokage's office

Tsunade sighed as she stared down her paperwork. These days with more missions requests the village has been getting means that she gets to do more paperwork. Well, at least she has Shizune to help her get rid of some of the work load she has to do. The said woman was on her little table just besides her doing the paperwork as hard as she could. The woman worked hard each time she gave her a job to do, especially when it was Hokage related. It was not always that Shizune did her job because she had asked her. Sometimes she did it because she would be suffering from a hangover and in no condition to work. It would be embarrassing if someone were to come here and find the Hokage being absent. When asked where she is, the answer be that she is suffering from a hangover. But these days she has been limiting her drinking because of that. She mostly drank when she got a very bad day.

Still, it was fine to have someone to cover for her. Those bitches of the council would surely give her a headache over things that did not concern them. Well, it is a good thing that these days they were more controlled and tend not to go over the limit with their ''request''. They used to bother her very much before Naruto. But now that he was part of the council, things have been good for her. Well, she never did take crap from them like her late sensei. But that did not stop them from annoying her. They would bitch about this and that all day long, making it difficult for her to do her job. But now they did not just stop by to talk nonsense, they had quieted down.

Shizune has always been there for her. Sometimes the woman's loyalty surprised her greatly. When she left the village long ago, she went along with her and she followed her without protest. Although she did protest about her ways of living often, she always did take care of her when she was not having good days. She trained the woman everything that she knew in medical ninjutsu. She had thought that there would not be one like her again. It was a bit of a surprise when Sakura came. Well, she could argue that Sakura's case was special. But Shizune held more experience and her knowledge in medical ninjutsu far beyond Sakura's. It was why she was not worried about anything when sometimes she allowed Shizune to train the girl in medical ninjutsu. Now that she thought of it, Shizune covered more teaching on Sakura's medical ninjutsu training. She taught more on her special chakra enhanced punches.

She has never done anything for the woman before. Perhaps she should do something for her. She has done so much for her. Everyone deserves a reward once in a while for their dedication and hard work. The woman has no personal life because she is always by her side making sure that she was doing her job. Sometimes she did act as her superior. She smiled at the thought.

''Tsunade-sama,'' Shizune called snapping Tsunade out of her thoughts. The blonde Hokage turned to look at her assistant. ''Have you seen this report?''

''What is it?'' Tsunade questioned curiously.

''It is a letter from the Daimyo. He will be coming to Konoha in a few days to discuss some things with you as the Godaime Hokage,'' Shizune stated after having read the letter. Looking carefully, Shizune realized that she had given this letter to Tsunade after receiving it two days ago. ''I gave it to you two days ago. Didn't you read it?''

Tsunade blushed slightly in embarrassment. She had not taken a look at it because she had seen the seal of the Daimyo's palace. She had thought she would open it later because she was thinking that whatever he was going to say to her would only be troublesome given the ''Naruto incident'' and her actions about it, lack of rather. ''O-of course I did.''

''Tsunade-sama!'' Shizune gave her master a heated glare.

Fortunately, Tsunade was saved when her former teammate crashed in through the window. The blonde Hokage was actually glad he had come in that time. ''Hime, I'm home!''

''Yes yes, I can see that,'' Tsunade responded trying not to sound too happy about the Toad Sage's appearance. She did succeed in doing that.

''Ah, come one Hime. When are you going to actually admit it that you miss me when I am outside the village?'' The sannin spoke happily with a flashy grin complementing his tone. He did know that each time he went away for some time, his teammate did miss him. Well that sort of started happening when she came back to the village to act as the Godaime Hokage.

''Like I actually do miss a pervert like you,'' the blonde snorted looking straight at the sannin. She was actually good at this. Jiraiya was the one who had no shame in showering his emotions over to her. But she never did something like that. The sannin would actually be at her door every day, if she gave him the satisfaction.

Before Jiraiya could reply, Naruto appeared in the office in his usual signature Shunshin. He still wore his red dark red cloak, what Tsunade did notice was that he no longer kept his Sharingan activated all the time these days. The blond sat down and looked at both her and Jiraiya. ''You are all here,'' he said.

''Yes, we were just waiting for you,'' Tsunade replied, giving him a slight glare. She was still a little bitter about the incident that happened in her office a few days ago. She had never been so infuriated in her life. He was lucky she did not break each bone in his body. Though, she would have done it if he had not put her under an illusion. It did not please her how he could easily tick her off just to prove a point.

''Good,'' Naruto turned to Shizune. ''I have a request,'' it did not sound like it. Perhaps it was just because he was not able to put it in a voice that could define that or he was just not used to making requests.

Shizune looked at Tsunade - who nodded - before responding. ''What request?''

''I want you to apprentice Hyûga Hanabi in your free time. Teach her medical ninjutsu and the ways of a leader. You know what a leader is and how he/she should behave given that you normally teach such principles to Tsunade,'' this earned him a slight glare from the blonde Hokage. ''Your knowledge in medical ninjutsu is quite attracting.''

Shizune was quite for a moment. She never did expect to hear such a request from the blond. ''I would love to but I don't get much free time these days.''

''Actually, I was thinking of giving you some free time given all you have done for me. But since this is another opportunity for you to impart what I have taught you, I won't have you say otherwise,'' Tsunade stated looking straight at Shizune.

''Wouldn't you have to talk to Hiashi about this?'' Jiraiya questioned. The girl was once considered to be the one to lead the Hyûga clan before her elder sister Hinata. And Hiashi seemed to prize her above her elder sister given that he was always with her. It was a little surprise to him also to learn that he had given her to the Police Force.

''That matter has already been handled. When Hiashi offered her to the Military Police Force, I made him aware that I would do with her what I pleased. Hiashi agreed, but as long as his daughter's physical health and mental health were assured. I also informed the girl yesterday that she would be trained in medical ninjutsu,'' Naruto explained. What Hiashi wanted did not really matter. What mattered was what he wanted to do with the girl.

''You assumed that Shizune would agree to this before you even talked to her?'' Naruto did not reply. ''Why I am not surprised,'' Tsunade mumbled to herself lightly.

''I will do it,'' Shizune said, smiling. Hyûga's were much easier to train in medical ninjutsu given their freakish chakra control. The clan was known for greater control over their chakra. Learning medical ninjutsu required having almost perfect chakra control. And the Byakugan made it easy for the Hyûga's to learn. It was a pity that many of them were either too focused or obsessed in learning and mastering clan techniques.

''Why her?''

''I have my reasons,'' Naruto responded coolly. ''Let us get to the important matters, shall we?''

Tsunade sighed, ''The Daimyo wants a meeting with me. He will be within the village in a few days,'' the blonde Hokage again gave Naruto a glare because it was his mess. The feudal lord was annoying, and he will certainly try to get things to work in his favor when they do meet. He would not risk losing Konoha or have it spiral out of his control. Before taking any measures, he will try again to assert his authority over her. It was funny that if she wanted, she could kill the man by just snapping his neck with her fingers, yet the man had more authority than her.

''This will be a good chance to see what he wants,'' Jiraiya said in a thoughtful tone. ''You will have to be calm and not play into his trap. That man may be old but he is not stupid. He knows how to work around things to have them work for him. He has not been leading this country over years in stupidity.''

''I know,'' Tsunade admitted. She knew that the feudal lord was a shrewd man. ''I wonder what he will try to force me to do this time,'' she said thoughtfully.

''Try not to think too much about it, hime. You just have to be prepared and clear your head. I know you will do what is best for Konoha,'' Jiraiya said in confidence of his words. He had no doubt in Tsunade's leadership skills. The woman would make the right choice should she be forced to do that. Even if she makes a bad choice, he would stick by her side and support her.

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a grateful smile before turning to Naruto. ''Do you plan on crashing on the meeting?''

Naruto shook his head. ''No, politics bore me. And I dislike talking to someone who is always trying to assert his authority over me. When someone does that continuously, I have to prove him wrong. And that usually ends up with death. That man's way of talking also annoys me,'' the blond explained quietly.

''And I was actually thinking you would join us. But this is good. It will ensure that the Daimyo does not think that I do not have control over my shinobi,'' Tsunade said, smiling. If the man thought she did not have control over her shinobi, he would deem her incompetent to lead the village. If he certainly says something like that, she was not sure she would be able to control her temper.

''I was able to confirm that what Naruto had said is true. But it is far worse than how Naruto painted it. They have started sending assassins after the other. The Fire Lord has lost his grandson, and some of his advisors. The Wind Lord lost his grandson also. His youngest daughter has had three failed attempts to her life,'' Jiraiya explained. After which, he gave Naruto a narrowed look. The blond should have known about this if he was able to know of the conflicts going on. But when he told them about it, he did not make mention of these details. He also did not seem to be surprised about it.

''This does not make things easier,'' Tsunade stated, breathing out a sigh.

''On the contrary, it makes things a lot easier,'' Naruto said, making Tsunade look at him curiously. But the blond did not explain things over to her. Jiraiya, who agreed with Naruto, explained it to her.

''He is desperate. It is probably why he is coming here to speak with you. He may be old, but he values his life and his family's lives more than anything. Konoha is his protection, it is what is standing between him and the Wind Lord hiring mercenaries to lay siege to his palace. He cannot afford to lose Konoha in this time. But because he is desperate, it does not mean he will bulk under any demand.'' While the feaudal lord had his own army, they could not hold on to an assault of strong shinobi.

''That means he will do anything to test my resolve,'' Tsunade concluded, feeling a headache coming towards her. The man will surely put her to her limit. By the end of that meeting, she will probably drink till sleeps consumes her.

''For a Hokage that should be a good challenge,'' Naruto said looking straight at Tsunade. The woman only snorted in response, and did not comment on it.

Jiraiya also did not comment on it. ''I would personally like for the Fire Lord to exclude us from his war with the Wind Lord and also limit his power in Konoha.'' He eyed Naruto when a thought came to his mind, but he did not voice it. It was better to keep it to himself, especially when the blond seemed to in a good mood. He has not insulted him or Tsunade since they started talking.

Tsunade nodded. ''It will be nice for the Hokage to ellude bending over his will,'' she paused for a moment. ''I think I will also talk to him about changing Konoha's laws and leadership structure. There are many things that the Hokage does and should not be doing. But there ought to be people assigned to do those tasks. Some of the laws are old and need to be rectified to accommodate the new age.''

''That is a good idea. I never actually thought you would be brave enough to do something like that,'' Tsunade ignored the jab from Naruto. ''But you don't have to necessarily get an approval from the Fire Lord. You just need his ''council'' on the matter. And to rectify the constitution, the majority of the council - both shinobi and civilians - have to agree upon it. I believe Hashirama put this little detail to avoid someone changing it to suite their likes instead of what is good for the villagers. But of course, you can change it without anyone approving it. You are the Godaime Hokage and have control over Konoha. The council selected you as Hokage; it means they trusted your judgment. They should trust in your decision making abilities. The villagers had no say in the matter. In this regard, they should also accept what their leader has done for them, as long as it benefits them.''

Tsunade absorbed it all quietly before responding. ''I will think about it,'' she said.

''Now let us get onto why I came here. We have already discussed the Fire Lord enough,'' Naruto stated, his tone a little demanding and expression becoming a lot more impassive than it had been. Last time he was here, they had discussed the greedy Daimyo and they have done it again. He was becoming tired of that subject, especially since no one has spoken to that fool since they last spoke.

Neither of the sannin seemed too eager to speak the next words. But it was no doubt that they knew what Naruto had come for. They had organized this meeting for discussing that matter. Tsunade had thought it be better they waited for Jiraiya to return because he was out of the village to gather some Intel. Seeing that both sannin were not going to speak, Naruto spoke again. ''Both of you have made the bases that I am behind Otogakure - which is true. Neither of you were willing to come to me about it. You decided that I had no hurtful plans towards Konoha so you chose not to worry much about it. You did not even inform my fellow head clans about it. I would imagine you were waiting for me to come and tell you about it or when it became public knowledge.''

''Why Otogakure? With the investments you have pulled down there, you could have done much in this village,'' Jiraiya questioned immediately after Naruto had spoken. He did not need to hear if the blond planned to use the village against Konoha since he already knew that was not the case. He was also aware of the fact that the blond was not going to abandon Konoha for the village he has build. So there was no need to question that.

''Yare, the big questions first,'' Naruto said smiling slightly towards the sannin. ''I killed Orochimaru and I had a perfect idea to reform the village. The land had no one to claim it other than me. Uzushiogakure is an island and too secluded like Kirigakure to function as what I have planned for Otogakure. Does that satisfy your curiosity?''

''Hardly,'' Jiraiya responded keeping a neutral tone and expression on his face. ''You have not answered; why did you not plan some projects in Konoha. I am sure there could be so many things that could have been changed in here.''

''I am not Konoha's leader, am I? As much as much as dislike this reality, I have no real power in Konoha to make any changes I want. Anything has to go through the Hokage, and if she does not like it I cannot do anything. Well, that is unless I force it to happen,'' Naruto explained lightly. ''Another point is that, I just did not want to it in Konoha. I would not want those fools out there to rejoice in my efforts.''

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade accepted his honesty. ''What plans do you really have for Otogakure?'' Tsunade questioned with a tone dripping with curiosity. She was curious to what the blond wanted to achieve with Otogakure. If he chose it to do what he wanted and invested so much in it, there has to be goal he wants to achieve in all that.

''All in due time, But both of you should be alive to see it,'' Naruto stated. He was not threatening them or anything. He was merely standing a fact. In the shinobi world, you could never guarantee how long you will be able to live. You may take a mission today and never return from it. That was how the shinobi world was like. Of course civilians don't understand such things. They think being a shinobi is cool and everything. But there is no fun, but pain and hardships. Well, he faced little or not of that.

''Why did not say anything in the beginning?'' Naruto merely shrugged in response. He did not have the words to answer such a question. The answer was obvious; he did not have to spell it out.

''I am curious. You don't like following orders and like to be in charge of everything. You have a superiority complex. I would think that with those qualities you would like to be Hokage after I stand down. But with Oto, would that be possible for you to be Hokage?'' Tsunade eyed Naruto with a critical eye to see how he would react. But she got nothing. His expression stayed impassive. There was not even a twitch of his skin. It was almost as if he expected her to say those words.

''Anything is possible, Tsunade,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''Especially for Uchiha Naruto''

Jiraiya snorted at Naruto's last words, but did not say anything about it. ''Given Tsunade's words. One would assume that you reformed Otogakure to compensate for the fact that you are not in control of Konoha,'' the sannin stated. If he was expecting something from Naruto, he got none. ''But I also would like to know if you want to be Hokage someday. If you change some things about your personality, and way of doing things, you might just become the Rokudaime. But given your current attitude, it is highly unlikely that hime will select you as her successor.''

Tsunade nodded. ''I agree with Jiraiya. Naruto, you have the power to protect this village. But your attitude leaves little to be desired. I can still go on a few more years as Hokage, but sooner or later I will have to start looking as to who I will pass on the Hat. If I were to step down right now, I would rather choose Kakashi than you,'' Tsunade spoke in a serious tone, befitting a Hokage.

Naruto merely smiled at this. ''Tsunade, there will be no one to succeed in you as Hokage other than Uchiha Naruto. But that is another matter for another day,'' he paused for a moment. ''Have you both thought of the consequences of the truth coming out that I am being behind Oto - when it becomes known to the other Kages?''

''Consequences?''

''Konoha is the strongest of the Great Five Villages. Do you think that Kumo and Iwagakure will keep quiet when they learn that Otogakure is in Konoha's grasp, being that a Konoha shinobi is behind it?''

Jiraiya shook his head. ''No they won't. When Oto becomes part of Konoha, our power will increase. This will only threaten other villages. And no doubt they will act.''

''Iwagakure has already gathered shinobi to match over to Otogakure. I will handle them, but as consequence, my involvement will become public knowledge. Given that Iwa already hates Minato, and my relations with him. Their defeat will only make them bitter, putting more strain between them and Konoha,'' Naruto stated calmly. He was even thinking of using the Hiraishin against those Iwa shinobi just to piss them off. It would be amusing to see them frightened by the rebirth of Konoha's yellow flash.

''Damn it Naruto. This is not good,'' Jiraiya said through gritted teeth. He did not want another confrontation with Iwagakure. The past conflicts were enough. Another one will be too much. Enough blood has been shed.

''Tsunade, when you talk to the Fire Lord, inform him of Otogakure. He will surely be happy about the benefits. Oto is at the borders of the Fire country, it can be alligned with the Fire country.''

''But this will cause problems with other Feudal Lords,'' Tsunade stated.

''No, Otogakure is within the sound country, the daimio is dead. And I have made sure that no one is installed after him. This leaves the country under my control. What the Oto has become is not the results of any country. It is the work of Uchiha Naruto. Since it is I who killed Orochimaru, it is I who claims his land. Oto is something because I changed it. When Orochimaru still led it, no one bothered with it. So if anyone says anything contrary to this, they have a problem with me.''

''I understand your reasoning Naruto. I really do. But even when there is logic in all you said when no one can deny you Otogakure, the other Kages won't like it. If it continues to grow like this, it may become ruins like Uzu. I don't want to involve my shinobi in unnecessary deaths,'' Tsunade stated seriously. If the other villages started to fight for Otogakure, she would not offer support. It would only cause another war.

''Konoha will keep neutrality unless provoked. Well, I never do like anyone fighting my battles,'' Naruto said standing up. ''Otogakure will fight its battles. If war breaks out, Oto will have enough military power to protect itself and subdue its enemies. I will ensure of that. You worry about Konoha and I will worry about Oto. Before I forget, Guren will come here in the next weeks to discuss some trade deals which will benefit both Oto and Konoha,'' that said, he disappeared in a swirl of flames.

''What have we brought upon ourselves Jiraiya?'' Tsunade asked quietly. ''Did you see that look on his face when he spoke of dealing with his enemies?''

Jiraiya nodded. ''It sort of reminds me of Orochimaru when he got something new to experiment on. For some reason, I think I prefer seeing that look on Orochimaru than on him.''

''Me too''

Shizune shook her head as the two conversed. Sometimes she could never really understand what goes on between these two old friends. Sometimes it was just too complex for her to understand. So she never tries to understand any of it. She just shook her head and continued with her work.

Later that day (Uchiha compound)

Perhaps for the first time Naruto saw the Uchiha compound as home, he was coming back home late. If it had been days ago, he would not have worried about it. But these days, there is Yugao who is always waiting for him when he returns home. He had decided to spend some quite time alone in the Forest of Death after his meeting with Jiraiya and Tsunade. He had stayed there for a long time and did not even realize that it was late. But even when it was late, he decided to take a walk back home. The walk was quite slow but nice to say the least. There was not anyone to bump into him and say something, especially since the Uchiha Compound was away from other residents - it was in a secluded place.

He was surprised when he got back home and heard laughter's coming from the dinner table. That was an unusual thing to come from the Uchiha household. He walked towards the place and found people sitting down with warm smiles across their faces. He looked at Yugao who was standing along with Sakura. The two were placing the dinner on the table. Yugao smiled at him. ''You came back just in time for dinner,'' she said. ''Come and sit down.''

Silently, Naruto took an empty chair and sat down. He looked around the table for a moment before speaking. ''What is this?'' he questioned. The question was directed to either Sasuke or Yugao who lived in the house.

Sasuke merely shrugged, giving Naruto a glare - which Naruto brushed aside. Yugao decided to respond before anyone spoke. ''I had called Kakashi-senpai for dinner tonight, and it turned out that Sakura was going to spend the night here. Anko was invited by senpai. So in the end, we are going to have dinner together.''

Naruto looked between Kakashi and Anko. ''A pervert and a proud sadist, Mmm, quite the pair,'' he then looked at Sasuke who was still glaring at him. ''So my suspicion was correct. You were sleeping with our former teammate those previous days. It is quite surprising given that you used to see her as annoying more than anything else.''

''How so like you to ruin the mood, Naruto,'' Kakashi said sighing, but he kept his eye smile as he spoke. "But that is not true. Sasuke has not been sleeping with Sakura. She is only here because she has some troubles at home with her parents. Sasuke just offered her a place to stay since there are so many rooms in this compound."

Naruto raised a brow… he was wrong? When has that happened?

''I think his problem is that he isn't getting laid,'' Anko suggested with a wide grin. While some blushed, they all stared at the woman, well except for Naruto. Seeing their stares, Anko shrugged. ''What? It is not like I am talking about something any of you have never done before,'' she defended herself so casually. Her gaze was turned on to Sakura and Sasuke the most as she spoke.

Naruto merely shrugged as both Sakura and Yugao sat down. He looked at Sasuke who was still giving him a glare. ''If you have something to say, say it. That look is becoming annoying.''

Sakura responded before Sasuke could. ''I think he is still bitter about what happened when you two were sparing. Though, I would not call that fight a sparring match,'' the girl spoke looking at Naruto, with a nervous smile spreading across her face.

Naruto shrugged. ''You should not complain, Sasuke. Your limits were tested. I danced with you till you could no longer activate your Sharingan. You should be happy with the battle experience you gained.''

''How can I be happy when you nearly burned half of the forest down and turned me into ash? Had it not been for Kakashi-sensei, I would be lying in the hospital now,'' Sasuke retorted, sounding angry with Naruto. Really, there was a time when he thought he was going to die when the blond kept coming at him. ''Do you even know how painful it is to keep Susano'o activated, or releasing Amaterasu?''

''I told you the trees would need to be planted again. But you should not complain when you nearly shattered my rib cage. I did not leave unscratched also.'' Naruto said, not even making a big deal out of the fact that he almost turned the Forest of Death into ash. ''There is always a prize for power.''

''On that note,'' Kakashi interjected. ''Sasuke, you should be careful with how you use the Mangekyou. The more you use it, the more it damages your eyesight. That reminds me of something I have always wanted to ask you Naruto; how badly damaged is your eyesight?''

''Crystal clear; I do not suffer such a thing. Neither will Sasuke,'' well he will suffer before he implants Itachi's eyes. But that was for later. Kakashi decided to ask how he did not suffer from damaged eye sight. The blond has been using the Mangekyou for over three years, and yet he did not seem like he was suffering from overuse of the Mangekyou. But he did not get the chance.

''Come on guys, enough of this kind of subject. We are having dinner, let us not talk about things we would rather talk of at a training ground,'' Yugao said in a firm tone.

Later (Naruto and Yugao)

''Naruto,'' Yugao said looking at the ceiling.

''Hmm?''

''I want to meet your fiancé.''