35 Meeting with Gaara(18+)

It didn't take too long for Naruto and his girls to clear out the palisade: only a few hours or so. Seeing as the majority of the prisoners they rescued were girls, with two being around 5 years old, Naruto made sure to keep a fair distance out of expectation of them being jumpy. He was also expecting for someone to approach him since Clare had told him that a few were eager to meet him… though no one had come up to say 'hi' yet. But he was patient.

So he fiddled around with his tri-kunai for a bit.

The first was a brown-eyed redhead with freckles. She seemed to be in her mid-teens or so and fidgeted shyly as she approached. "Uh… hi. So, I take it you're the man responsible for sending those women to rescue us?"

Naruto held the handle of his tri-kunai and smiled at the girl. "Yeah." he confirmed, "My name's Naruto. A lotta the locals know me as the Ladykiller, because of all the women I'm staying with… the name is lame though. And if they're telling you I'm a womanizer, it's a damn lie!"

The redhead bit back a giggle, unable to help but find that cute. "I'm Nalani," she said with a curtsey. "Please to meet you. Tell me, is there any way I can repay you?"

"You don't need to repay me for anything," he told her with a warm chuckle. "I'd do it again for free because I can't stand seeing people suffer like that."

"It's easy to see how you're popular with the ladies, then," Nalani replied with a giggle. "Women around these parts are suckers for a man so kind. I insist, though. I'm a good cook, and I hear you have a castle. If you want, I'd be happy to be your chef or housekeeper. It's the least I can do..."

"Well, we could do with a cook or a housekeeper. But are you sure? The people living there aren't… well… normal. They're like the Claymores only, older. Much older, and they have their quirks."

"I don't mind at all," she replied with a bright smile. "After seeing what these women can do, I'm not sure anything can surprise me."

Naruto gave a nervous laugh, "ha ha ha ha, you'd be very surprised." they have over a dozen awakened beings living there, at least two of them are streakers. "I'll give you a test run first, just a few days to let you think it over, while you're there. If you're okay with the company, we'll keep you. If not, I'm sure there are a few places in Morris you can find a job and a place to stay."

"Alright," Nalani beamed. "That sounds good to me~!"

Naruto chuckled warmly at the girl. The cheery demeanour she had, despite what she'd been through was rather cute… and impressive, if he were, to be honest. This was one hardy girl.

After hearing her and Naruto chatting it up so happily, many of the other girls felt encouraged to approach the blond as well - much to Miria's irritation.

Once she was done taking inventory, the former Number 6 was none too happy to see no less than five of the rescued prisoners showering her man in praise and gratitude. She cleared her throat to get Naruto's attention and when she did, Miria said, "these bandits had quite a haul on their hands: ten wagons, twenty horses, several weapons and suits of armour, and over 10,000 bera, just to name a few of the items we found."

Naruto let out a low whistle. "Woah. That's quite a lot," he separated himself from the grateful women surrounding him, much to their disappointment, and said, "in that case, I'll take care of the haul. You girls did quite a lot here already."

"It was a pleasure, honey," Miria said with a smile.

"We'll get a caravan ready and see if we can find these girls a place to stay in Morris until they can get back on their feet," Naruto added. Miria bit back a scowl when she saw them swoon at that. "Also, Nalani, here, has offered to be our cook or housekeeper as a token of her gratitude." He gestured to the redhead in question. "Given our… 'company' I'm going to give her a test run, just to make sure she really wants to take that occupation."

"Very well," Miria sighed. Then, she yelped and giggled as she was scooped up into a loving hug.

"You know I love you, Miria," Naruto said with a warm chuckle. "Remember: I'm yours; right?"

"Damn straight," Miria said possessively. She then gave him a peck on the lips. "I'll let the others know that we're preparing to leave."

"I'll go make some clones and get everything ready to move in the meantime, then," he told her, then he let his wife go but not before giving her another quick kiss. Then after that, he went to gather the loot together, while Miria went to let everyone else know they are to prepare to leave.

----

It took a while to get everything loaded onto the wagons, but thanks to him using Kage Bunshin the number of hours it would normally take had been lessened to just one hour. So it did take a while, but not time-wasting amounts. Naruto made more clones and left them behind to clean up the fortress of bodies and to repair any buildings that were damaged in the assault. And for the obvious one, where Zelda had set it on fire, it had to be demolished for rebuilding.

The people that were rescued, are now riding on the back of the wagons as they made their way to Morris. A few of his family were riding on the back too. Naruto himself was on point, leading the way.

Miria was among the exceptions, riding on horseback to scout ahead with Undine, Flora, Betty, and Evianna. They and the remaining former single-digits also created clones to take to the sky as black thrushes, while the original Alicia and Beth were keeping Naruto company as one would expect.

"Today's outing was a success, I think." Naruto suddenly said. Then he looked to the twins, "What do you two think?"

They both smiled at him shyly as Alicia was the one to answer. "I think so too," she replied, then the former Number 1 averted her gaze, "I didn't like it when I had to kill a human, though; I also wish I hadn't frozen up like that."

Beth nodded in agreement, looking a bit dejected, herself.

Naruto pulled them both into a one-armed hug. "I know how you both feel," he said. "It's not easy. But, what you did save the people that were taken away by those bad men, from a fate worse than death. You also helped prevent the deaths of many other innocent people. You're heroes, now, and I won't let anyone make you think otherwise."

Alicia and Beth smiled at that, feeling remarkably better.

Then, a little black thrush fluttered on up next to the wagon and with a poof, a clone of Miria took its place, walking next to Naruto to give her report.

"It would appear that a fairly large caravan is approaching Morris," she said. "They are being led by someone with a powerful yoki signature."

"A powerful yoki signature?" Naruto mused; a possible awakened being perhaps? How odd that this person is approaching Morris with a large caravan. Could it be some kind of cover? He gave the clone of his wife a thoughtful frown. "Who's leading them? Were you able to get a good look at them?"

"He's dressed like someone from your land," Miria replied. "A redhead with a giant gourd on his back."

THAT got Naruto to abruptly stop in his tracks and he looked at the sandy brunette with wide eyes. "A giant gourd!? You're sure?!"

Miria frowned worriedly and nodded.

"Ha… ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Naruto began to laugh loudly and heartfully. His loud laughter had gotten the attention of several others, though they didn't say anything to state their curiosity. They merely eavesdropped on him as best they could. "Let the scouts know to not engage him. If that is the person I suspect, then they'd be outmatched."

The clone nodded. "Anything else?"

"Have them meet up with him peacefully and tell them 'the hero of the war is heading in their direction'. He'll know what it means."

The clone of Miria nodded and went up in a poof of smoke.

"...Who is this person?" Beth asked. If the mere mention of a specific detail was enough to get this kind of reaction from her man, then he must be someone of great importance. Or someone who is a great deal to Naruto.

Naruto, noticeably more cheery, had his eyes closed and a giant grin on his face as he reached out with his senses to located this caravan. "A friend," he said. "You'll meet him soon enough. At our current pace, it should take us a quarter of an hour to get to him, if I'm not mistaken."

----

When Miria received the memory of her clone, she frowned with concern and curiosity. She had never seen or heard this sort of reaction from her husband before. Nevertheless, she did as instructed.

The meeting between her team and Gaara was a… tense one. The redhead viewed them with no small amount of suspicion, having sensed their yoki. But, the message he received from them had piqued his interest, so he humoured these strange, foreign women… mostly because they were careful not to provoke him and his ninja.

The women in question were unnerved by the redhead's lack of emotion; he honestly reminded them of Alicia and Beth. But, there was something about him that nagged them. Miria, especially... but for the life of her, she had no idea why.

Indeed, it hadn't taken long for Naruto's caravan to arrive. And when Gaara laid his eyes on Naruto for the first time in years, he smiled.

"When I heard you of all people were here, I couldn't believe it!" exclaimed a widely smiling Naruto, as he eagerly approached his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Without missing a beat Gaara answered, "Word has reached the Hidden Villages that you are opposing an organization that is similar in some ways to the Akatsuki."

"And you came here to check up on me," Naruto said; it wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Of course," Gaara replied, holding out a hand.

Naruto happily grabbed and shook it. "It's good to see you, again."

Then someone else joined the conversation."Yay, we found him! Can we go now?! I have such a crick in the neck!" Shukaku complained.

"Wha-what the?!" Miria, and many others, reached for the handle of their sword in alarm and wildly looked around for something that wasn't there.

Naruto blinked owlishly and slowly looked over his shoulder at the gourd itself. "...Is?" he asked his friend, pointing at the gourd that is normally used to carry his sand around.

"Yes. He too wanted to see you." Gaara confirmed.

"...ah." the blond tried so hard to keep himself from sniggering. He did.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up… make fun of my misery why dontcha!?"

"Don't worry, buddy," Naruto chuckled warmly. "I'll set up a place for you to roam around freely without causing everyone around you to shit themselves. The locals here are a bit… jumpy."

"Naruto, what's going on?" Clare asked, walking up to the front of the caravan. "Why are we not moving?"

"Oh! Sorry," Naruto chuckled. "This is my friend, Gaara. The Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato."

"A Kage!? Here?!" Miria almost fell off her saddle at the revelation.

Those who heard of the redhead were in as much surprise as Miria. This was the infamous Gaara of the Sands! Someone who was psychotic and a sociopath before he met Naruto!

"Yup," Naruto chirped. "There is nothing to worry about. He's my best friend, remember?"

"You told them of the time I tried to kill you, didn't you," Gaara said with a sigh; and the way he said it was phrased as a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, one of my wives was very much like you when we first met," Naruto explained. "I had to kick her ass to get her to calm down; a few of them read my autobiography, though, so some of them learned about it that way."

"Fair enough," Gaara said with a shrug. "Now that we're together let us travel to our destination together as well."

"Alright!" the blond agreed with his friend wholeheartedly. "We can catch up too!"

"I'm sure this would be easier if you lead the way," the redhead added. "We were late because we ran into several yoma along the way."

"Oh? We were on our way back from clearing out a bandit campsite. We rescued a lot of people they had taken from their homes." he jerked a thumb at the cargo and added, "We got quite a bit of loot from them, too. Though I'm pretty sure a bit of it belongs to the prisoners. We'll sort it out back in Morris."

Gaara nodded. "I'll get everyone ready to move, then."

With that, the redheaded kage immediately started barking orders to his men and they were back on the road within the minute.

----

The return to Morris went without a hitch as the old friends got caught up.

"So what happened to the Shinobi Union? It is still a thing right?" Naruto asked.

Gaara sighed heavily. "Konoha was unanimously ousted when the Suna Incident happened, but it is, for the most part."

"...I think you should give Konoha a chance. Not to let them back in, but, to be associated with the Shinobi Union. If what I heard is right, Tsunade personally killed the people who authorised the 'mission' that ended up became that shitshow. And ever since he took the hat, Kakashi's been cleaning house in her absence, as well, I hear."

"So I've heard," Gaara said, "but politics are… complicated - a lesson I learned the hard way. Most of Suna's people are unwilling to even give them the time of day, for the most part. There are exceptions, of course. Anko-San and Sasuke are well received among my village's people, but as I'm sure you could tell at the time, I wasn't the only one who wanted to declare open hostility towards the Leaf when I heard what happened. It had opened the old wound from when the Daimyo of Wind started doing business with Konoha, instead. I simply lead the charge."

Naruto let out a tired sigh. One problem solved and another springs up in its place. The same old shit. "Truth be told, the Suna Incident wouldn't have even happened, if it weren't for a few specific people that had gotten my ninja licence revoked. They were all over the Elemental Nations; they were powerful people too. People with influence. The type Daimyo would listen to."

"We know that now," Gaara said with a nod and a sigh. "But mending the relations will take time. Iwa's especially unwilling to help because they've feel Konoha can't be trusted after seeing what they did to you. The new Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, is especially spiteful towards them, I hear."

"The more I listen, the more I want to go back and just… bust some heads like I use to do." the blond admitted with a low chuckle. Then he latched on to a more brighter subject, "So Kurotsuchi is the Tsuchikage now? Onoki finally stepped down at last?"

"Yes, he said 'I'm too old for this shit' when he passed down the torch, I hear," Gaara said.

Naruto snickered at that, "That doesn't sound like him at all. I thought he would have held onto that hat until he died. He seemed like the type of guy to do that."

"He was stubborn enough to try," Gaara replied with a smirk. "But, the man was quite old. It was only a matter of time before his age caught up to him, and I hear Kurotsuchi inherited his stubbornness."

"She calls me minion, and she's a bit crude. I think she got that from him," he said with a chuckle; she's still smoking hot though. He certainly wouldn't have minded being her minion in another life… "Her heart is in the right place, though. I'm sure she'll do fine leading Iwagakure."

Unable to help but overhear their conversation, a jealous Alicia muttered, "you want to make her one of your wives, don't you?"

Naruto let out a loud, hearty chuckle at that. "I admittedly wouldn't mind if she offered, but I don't think that'll happen," he admitted. "She's a Kage, now. Kurotsuchi can't exactly drop her duties to her people and come here to elope. Not to mention she thinks of me as a minion. A subordinate… she even treats me like one."

"Like Priscilla," Alicia pointed out, completely unconvinced.

"Priscilla is... different," he countered somewhat weakly. Truth be told, he didn't mind, because she loved him, regardless. "She and I are very close, just like I am with all my wives. Kurotsuchi, though, doesn't seem to like me."

Deciding to give his friend a hard time, Gaara replied with an unusually impish grin. "I beg to differ."

"Wait, what?" Naruto looked at his friend owlishly. "What do you mean?"

"As I said, Kurotsuchi is especially spiteful towards Konoha," the redhead explained. "To the point that she's even rumoured to have been motivated by… personal reasons. In short, most of us back home suspect she has a secret crush on you."

"That's just speculation though," the blond pointed out, "Hell, you remember how much hate they had for Konoha-nins after the Third War, right? As much as I would love to believe that I solved everyone's problems, some grudges can never go so easily."

"That old grudge is precisely why she would keep her feelings a secret, though," Gaara added with a shrug. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was trying to convince herself that she didn't like you. My sister has a similar attitude towards Shikamaru, so I know what it looks like."

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT BUM!"

Naruto couldn't help but grin as he turned to look at said sister, "Oh, hey Temari! Is Kankuro here, too?"

The beet red blonde sighed and nodded. "He's keeping an eye on everything in the back."

"Oh, okay, it's nice to see you again by the way." then he grinned impishly and asked her, "How is Shikamaru by the way?"

"H-how should I know?! I haven't seen him in months!"

"Alright, alright," Naruto chuckled, letting it drop. "Hope you and your siblings like it here. Morris is a nice town… very peaceful."

"How long until we reach there?" Gaara asked.

"Not too long now actually," Naruto said, gesturing to a large castle on the mountain ahead. "That citadel over there is where I'm staying; that said, we should be there within an hour or so, given our current pace. The town is partially obscured by the surrounding hills, so it's hard to see from here."

"...That's a big fortress." Temari said with wide eyes.

"With how many people are living there, it needs to be," Naruto replied with a chuckle. Then the blond looked to the eldest twin and brought her in a one-armed hug. Alicia stopped glaring immediately and leaned into her husband's shoulder. "There's a village the castle overlooks as well; and since everyone likes to call me 'Lord Naruto of Morris', you can say I'm technically a Kage, myself."

"You would find a way to get that title," Gaara said with an amused grin. "You're not one to give up."

Temari chuckled in agreement.

"Truth be told, that title was somewhat forced on me," Naruto said with a grin of his own. "Not that I mind, it just kinda happened." then he snapped his fingers in remembrance, "oh, now that we're on the subject of Morris, there are people there who have their own… 'quirks.'"

"So I've heard," Gaara said. "You've collected quite the… diverse harem. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose."

"Well, just to give you a little heads up - one is a streaker and likes to glomp me out of nowhere… she's also strong enough to have Kurama worried, and in his words, she could fight the five Kages and win. She's very… possessive of me, too. She just had a kid, though, so she's likely keeping to herself."

"Noted," Gaara muttered. "I'll be sure not to anger them, including the one you mentioned."

Temari added, "I'll keep my distance so no one gets the wrong idea. You're cute, I'll admit, but not my type. No offence."

"None took," Naruto chuckled. "We all have our preferences." then he gestured to Alicia, "Alicia here is practically glued to my hip. So is her twin sister Beth. When I first encountered them, Gaara, they were worse off than you. And knowing what you went through, that is saying something."

"Pardon me if I don't believe you, but, how could they have had it worse than Gaara?" Temari asked.

Naruto looked at Alicia and asked, "Is it okay if I were to tell them what happened to you?"

Alicia frowned a little at that and looked at the ground in front of her contemplatively. Then Alicia looked back at her husband, her decision made. "...You told me what had happened to you. Gaara's story has been told too. I feel it is only fair if you were to tell him what I had gone through."

"Okay," permission granted Naruto turned to his Gaara and Temari. "Alicia and Beth were taken from their father when they were several months old. Then when they transformed to become what they are, the Organization tried to break them." he paused to collect his thoughts and to keep the vicious growl that threatened to escape the back of his throat. Then he picked up where he left off, "They tried to strip them of their emotions and made them undergo gruelling training for as long as they can remember; the Organization tried to make them into emotionless killing machines, that are incapable of individual thought. Alicia here can transform into… what is basically a demon, and with her sister's help, her soul is protected from being lost forever. This is all in an attempt to create a demon they can control. When I first ran into them, they barely had any emotion. They couldn't feel anger. Love. Or Pain. Let alone understand what they were."

"That's… horrible." Gaara admitted, now that he looked at her - really looked at her, the redhead could what his friend was talking about. Alicia's expression was blank. Featureless. More so than his. It was… unnerving.

"She seems to have improved, then," Temari pointed out. "You've always had a talent for healing people."

"I try," Naruto said with a chuckle. "It's not always easy, but it's still worth it in the end."

----

Quite sometime later in Staff, Miranda let loose a tired sigh as she helped Dae with unhooking the last two warriors, Elizabeth and Uranus, from the machinery. Now, it was just a matter of time and the whole band with be together.

When she questioningly looked to the hooded man, he waved her off, so she took that as her dismissal and left the room.

Number 35 was becoming a little suspicious now. He had done this quite a few times on her. But, she didn't question it. After all, he always had her come back when they were making signs of movement. Oddly enough, they would always be naked when that happened…

A shudder ran through her body; he didn't do… that to them while they were unconscious! ...did he?

She didn't want to think about it.

And, of course, her train of thought came to a screeching halt when Neideen glomped her from behind. "Hey, cutie~!" the one-eyed woman whispered into her ear.

For once, Miranda was grateful for the distraction but would die before admitting it.

She let out a sigh, "...hello, Neideen. Please don't grope me." the pigtailed blonde pleaded with her.

"Awww~! What's wrong, my pet?" Neideen cooed. "Something got you in the dumps?"

"I… guess?" Miranda offered weakly. "I guess I'm just nervous, is all." she let out a weak laugh and tried to get Neideen to let go of her.

"You don't want to fight, I take it?" the former Number 9 asked, cocking her head.

Miranda looked over her shoulder and gave the one-eyed woman a flat stare. "Do you want to fight someone that can make several thousand copies of himself?" she deadpanned.

Neideen shrugged. "I don't, simply because he seems to be a nice guy. His heart's in the right place, and he has a legitimate reason to be pissed off. But, unfortunately, at the end of the day, he is a danger to the innocent lives of the world… or continent, it would seem. If he kills the organization, the youma will run amok and no one wants that." Neideen sighed. "I hate to say it, but taking him out is ultimately the lesser of two evils. We must protect the people."

Miranda was taken aback by that, looking at the perverted woman like she'd grown a second head.

"What?" she giggled. "I was a single-digit, y'know… for twenty years, no less! One doesn't tend to keep a rank like that for long, even with raw power, if they don't have their priorities straight." She then gave Miranda a playful swat on the rear as she let the former Number 35 go. "Now, let's see if we can get you whipped into shape for the big day, no?"

"A-ah, okay." the pigtailed blonde yelped. She was pleasantly surprised by the former Number 9; now, if only she kept that mindset instead of focusing on molesting other people…

----

A few hours later, Miranda wanted to kick herself for looking a gift horse in the mouth, earlier, as she let out an undignified squawk upon feeling a hand on her ass. Of course, Neideen would turn this training exercise into an excuse to molest every last one of the other women she was 'training' in yoki perception.

"You're not focusing~!" Neideen sang to the now-blindfolded former Number 35. "Try to focus on my yoki and avoid me." she reminded her with a leer. The only person who didn't need to do this exercise was Roxanne; since she already knew it.

"The Ladykiller had used a similar exercise. Only they had to fight him." Sistina said, and she certainly wouldn't have minded being a part of that little exercise… if only for the outcome of those who were caught. She was still getting wet dreams from that vision she had all those years ago~!

"Of course an insatiable womanizer like him would find any excuse he could to grope and fondle countless women," Roxanne muttered.

Miranda did her best to reach out with her senses and predict Neideen's movements. The exercise she was being given was surprisingly well thought out. Her not wanting to be groped served as motivation to get it down while her eyes and ears were rendered useless by the blindfold and Neideen's quiet movements. She also couldn't use her hands to feel around for her, because the former single-digit was too quick. All she could use was her yoki perception. In short, she was being forced to sharpen it naturally by being forced to rely on it to keep Neideen from groping her.

Cassandra, who sat cross-legged on the sidelines, scowled deeply as she resisted the urge to march on over and deck a one-eyed bitch. "Naruto is a foe who is trained to fight dirty. He was teaching them to fight an enemy who would use any means to kill. Even causing embarrassment to make it harder to fight him." the elf eared woman clarified in Naruto's defence since he wasn't here to defend himself. Not to mention the way he did it was pretty damn ingenious. "I dare say they had improved to the point they are capable of putting even him on his toes."

"Still a pervert," Roxanne grumbled.

"He had over 10 warriors fighting a small number of his clones like they were an Awakened Being. He was using only the most basic of abilities," Sistina pointed out, "He still managed to wipe the floor with them. Pervert or not, he is the last opponent you want to underestimate."

"You seem to know a lot about this, and you weren't there." Noel pointed out.

"I saw it all in a vision before I died," Sistina explained. "Then I was underwater with some… weird, low-pitched music coming out of nowhere. Like… Daaaa-na. Daaaa-na. I can't explain it, but it sounded like some sort of string instrument I've never heard before."

"...weird," Sophia said.

"...Wait, you saw it in a vision before you died. And you ended up underwater…" Roxanne said, blinking owlishly. "D-did you think you were actually there?" if she did then that was one fucking shitty way to go.

"I don't know…" Sistina muttered, frowning in confusion. "It's fuzzy. All I know for sure is that I was in a trance at the time. I saw visions of Naruto's life from early childhood to his campaign against the Organization. Then, I saw us trying to fight him off and seeing his terrifying might. It.. scared me. Then, I… died."

"They said you suddenly screamed your head off for no apparent reason and jumped off a cliff to your death," Sophia said, grimly. "I guess... we now know the reason why you did that."

"Eaten by sharks. What a way to go. It was a lot better than I how went, at least… Fucking Isley." Lutecia grumbled. She still felt bitter that over getting killed in such a humiliating manner. If she could, she would love to give that prick a taste of his own medicine.

"He was so overwhelming," Sistina muttered uncomfortably. "Powerful. In the vision that led to my death, we were divided and there was little communication or teamwork between us all. Because of this, he managed to kill us, one by one."

They would still lose against his terrifying might; that part of her vision had not changed. What did change was what would happen after they were defeated?

Originally, when they fought the blond, he massacred them without mercy. He tore into their ranks and ripped them to shreds. Their deaths, while quick, was brutal and graphic. It… scared her.

Now, however, they were working together and putting up one hell of a fight. They still end up being defeated by him, but instead of dying, he merely healed them and later they end up having sex with him and becoming his wives.

She prefered this outcome more than the original one.

"We're still going to lose aren't we?" Chloe asked with a sigh.

"The future is not written in stone. Even the bleakest of outcomes can change with enough effort." Sistina replied. "The vision of our battle with him has changed. We all live. Not die."

"We also have his babies…" Licht reminded her; then she let out a sigh, "I'm not sure what I like more: your original vision where we all die. Or the 'current' one where we all have his babies."

"...How do we have his babies anyway? Didn't our conversion to becoming half-human, half-youma make us barren?" Hilda asked; that was what gripped her the most. They had that unhealable gash reaching from their neck on down to their crotch; the stitching may have done the job at keeping their guts from hanging out, but she's pretty damn sure the conversion had made them barren. Not to mention having their bellies stretch out when they're having a baby would give a lot of strain on their stitches.

"I do not know," Sistina replied; the Divine Oracle was being truthful here. She had no idea how they have his babies. "Perhaps his people have a method we do not know about. He is from a land where they use a mysterious power after all." the elf-eared woman pointed out. "It… appears to be how he's able to heal our stigma. This is how he won over so many of the organization's warriors in Pieta. The one known as Drillsword Jean swore her loyalty to him the instant he healed hers and now, she's one of his most devoted wives."

Now that got everyone's attention; they all stared at her in utter shock and awe - Miranda pulling up her blindfold to stare Sistina in the eye.

"He can heal our stigma? This isn't some sick joke, is it?" the former Number 35 asked frantically.

Sistina shook her head, no. "No. It is not. It is a… very well guarded secret, among those loyal to Naruto. And for good reason."

"What reason would they have for keeping this a secret?" Chloe demanded. The Organization had tried every method they could think of to get their unhealable gash closed; the best they could do was crudely stitch it shut. And here, the Divine Oracle was saying the person they were going to the right had a way to get that fucking gash on their front closed?

"If the Organization discovers that he can heal our stigma, they will stop at nothing to get their hands on him. They will send everything they have against him, just so they could have his power for themselves," Sistina explained grimly. "This also poses a threat to the multitude of children he's already produced with the lovers he has already, which is why he and his lovers have holed themselves up in the citadel of a fortified town in the mountains to the West. It's a far more defensible position."

"Oh shit…" Noel cursed with her eyes wide with realization, "and if the Organization finds out he has kids you can bet the Organization will be very interested in them since they're his offspring."

"As well as that of either a hybrid or an awakened being," Sistina confirmed, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her foresight. "At least one should have been produced with a foreigner from his land, by now, as well. They'd be very interested in him, as well. And… if his allies from his land discover what the Organization has done to their hero, they will declare war. We may be powerful, but there is no way we are equipped to fight a war against no less than five nations… possibly more." she opened her eyes once more, and she gave everyone a grim look. "The timeline of that possibility is rather muddled, so it's hard to tell just what we would be facing in that case, but if my memories of his early childhood are correct, then all of them are capable of what Naruto can do - albeit on a far lesser scale."

The room seemed to go cold as everyone therein shuddered in fear.

"It would appear that we are in quite the precarious position…" Hilda muttered. "Perhaps… perhaps this can be dealt with diplomatically? M-maybe we can convince him to leave and take his wives with him?"

"Naruto does not break a promise." Sistine told her with a sigh, "As long as the Phantom is determined on fighting the Organization, he too shall fight them."

"W-well, on the bright side of things, he's not after us warriors particularly," Roxanne said with faux cheer. But everyone knew she was trying to hide her fear. Going up against someone capable of wiping out town is one thing. Going up against thousands of people that are just as capable of what he is doing, but on a far lesser scale would be a nightmare.

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," Cassandra sighed.

Chloe sported a determined look, crossing her arms with a defiant huff. "Well, if we're fucked either way, then we might as well go down fighting."

"...How about we do the obvious thing and just ask him?" Miranda said questioningly, "We all know he's convinced the warriors that were sent to Pieta that the Organization are the ones who made the yoma and all that. So… when we go to fight him, let's just ask before we do anything." the former Number 35 looked to Sistina. "You say he isn't the leader of this rebellion, and that one of his lovers is; so, she must have been the one to convince him."

Sistina closed her eyes and focused on her foresight once more. "... one of the phantoms, Miria, has told Naruto she wants to take down the Organization. Something about... Exper-something... experiments? Everything else is muddled. But what she has said has convinced him to join her cause. She is the one at the root of all this, the one who convinced him and her comrades that the Organization is the one creating the yoma for some sort of nefarious gain."

"Miria...what happened to you?" Hilda sighed. "You were such a good kid… Why are you doing this?"

"As strong as I am, I wouldn't mind just straight up asking him. I've been eaten once by Luciela, I am not eager to go through an ordeal like that again." Chloe said with a shudder. She did not want to run the risk of pissing off thousands of people from his homeland. "But, again, we've fucked either way," she added grimly. "If I'm getting eaten a second time, I might as well go down fighting."

"Sadly, I agree with Chloe," Neideen chimed in, crossing her arms with a frown. "It seems like we're being drawn into this fight whether we like it or not. On one hand, he is putting the people of the continent at risk. On the other, we'd have to go through him to confront Miria, and that's assuming she's even willing to talk - not likely, given her vendetta. We're fighting, either way, though keeping his ability to heal our stigmas a secret is probably for the best, if only for the collective sake of his children."

No one had the heart to argue with her on that last point. Well, Roxanne did, but she's trying not to piss anyone off, so she kept her mouth shut. Furthermore, she didn't like the thought of having to fight off those children's mothers to collect them. She knew damn well how protective a woman was of her kids, and two of them were Abyssal Ones!

"...I'm still for asking him," Miranda said with a pout. There just had to be a way to avoid this. While the Organization is determined on getting rid of Naruto, there just had to be a way for them to solve this matter peacefully!

"As am I, admittedly," Roxanne chimed in, "if only to avoid such a complicated situation, but it would be wise to prepare for the worst. If negotiations fail, we will have to fight them."

"Indeed," Cassandra added. Agreeing with that bitch put a bad taste in her mouth, but the scorned former Number One knew a good point when she heard it. Then, she looked to Hilda and asked, "so what exactly is your connection to Miria? We can all tell you have one, I'm sure."

"I was her best friend," Hilda admitted, drawing a wince from Cassandra. "I was on the verge of awakening, and I gave another warrior my black card so she could deliver it... but, the bitch I gave it to tore it up in front of me and laughed." the former Number 6 scowled at the memory, her fists clenched so hard her knuckles became white. "And when I saw her again, I was an awakened being; Miria delivered the killing blow." she frowned and looked at herself, "How I came back to being a hybrid, upon being revived is a mystery for me though. I'll say Dae had something to do with it and leave it at that."

"She was revived to emotionally compromise Phantom Miria in the upcoming conflict," Miranda added grimly. Many women in the room did not like the sound of that - Cassandra, especially. Then the former Number 35 addressed Hilda directly. "But, seeing as how you and she are so close, maybe she'll be willing to talk to you?"

"Phantom Miria holds you, dear, to her heart to this day," Sistina added, groaning uncomfortably as she held a hand to the side of her head. "I see... that she even names her firstborn daughter after you."

Hilda's head snapped to Sistina in utter shock. "W-what…? She… she named her firstborn after me?!"

The Divine Oracle nodded. "Your death affected her more than you know," Sistina answered, she closed her eyes and focused on recollecting past events. "She misses you dearly, and… her personality has changed since your death. She is far more cynical, now… more serious - only reverting to her old self around Naruto."

Hilda squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cry. "Miria…" she whispered. Then she opened her eyes again and looked to Miranda since talking to the blond and her friend was her idea. "I-I'll talk to her. Maybe seeing me again will get her to open up." She let out a deep, calming breath. Deep inside, though, there was a pang of guilt and rage at the memory of that warrior who caused all this in the first place. "Does… does anyone know what happened to a warrior by the name of Ophelia?" The hollow tone promised a world of pain for the woman in question, telling all that this chick had better hope she's dead. Hell, a few of the warriors present hoped she was out of sheer pity for the suffering she'd endure.

Sistina hummed, "The one called Ophelia had awakened years ago. She was the first awakened being Naruto had encountered."

Once again, Hilda took a deep, calming breath. Either she was dead or one of his lovers, then. Either way, she was not getting her revenge on the bitch.

"...Is she dead?" Sophia asked, glancing at Hilda with worried eyes.

"No," Sistina answered, "Naruto and Ophelia fought. Naruto won, and he helped her come to terms with herself. By now, she should have born him two children… maybe three? I'm not quite sure. By the time we were to meet the Ladykiller, he had impregnated her with a fourth, but the timeline has been warped, so it's hard to say."

So she was the latter, then… Great, just great… Hilda growled but took a moment to calm back down.

Judging by her reaction, though several women present were quite easily able to surmise that this Ophelia was the woman who'd torn up Hilda's black card. This realization gave Roxanne, in particular, hope that if they did lose and become his wives, then Naruto theoretically should at least be willing to look past her misdeeds in the past and treat her well.

Perhaps Sistina wasn't delusional, after all...?

The woman in question suddenly went stiff, her eyes wide as she yelled, "IN THE FUTURE-"

"It was going so well!!" many women screamed out in despair.

"A GREAT WAR SHALL BE WAGED BETWEEN WOMEN WHO WANT A FICTIONAL MAIDEN TO BETROTHED A SPARKLING LORD OF THE EDGE AND THOSE WHO WANT HER TO BOARD A SHIP WITH A CAKE OF BEEF!"

----

Back in Morris, Gaara looked rather nervous as several of the castle's residents were seen dragging many a poor sod into one of the buildings within the bailey.

He almost jumped when he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, Gaara. Just… ignore the-" the screams of the poor sods could be heard from the building they were dragged into before they were abruptly cut short, "-screams." he finished, with a sigh.

"I still find it hard to believe that so many of them are among your lovers," the redhead admitted. "But, as long as they are treating you well, I suppose it doesn't matter."

"Quite a few of them are my lovers, you know." Naruto told his friend with a sheepish grin, "You already met three of them."

"I see…" Gaara muttered. "Out of curiosity, which ones are among your lovers."

"Evianna, Glissa and Opheli," Naruto said, pointing to each woman in question. "Evianna's more of a friend with benefits, though. The same goes for Helen and Deneve." he pointed at the two best friends in question as well. "Glissa's my fiancee, as is Clarice, over there. She's an… unusual case. Her body rejected the conversion to becoming a hybrid, so she was deemed a failure. I saved her from a suicide mission a while back. The kid clinging to her is our adoptive child, Miata."

"She is… different." Gaara said; he was talking about Miata of course; even from where he stood, he could see there is something wrong with her.

"She's thirteen years old but has the mind of a 5-year-old. Miata thinks Clarice is her mum. She wanted me to be her dad, so, I agreed."

"You always were said to have a heart of gold," Gaara said with a small smile.

"I can't stand the sight of people being miserable. You and I both know what that is as more than anyone."

"Indeed," Gaara muttered, deciding to change the subject. "I take it the twins are also among your lovers? I saw the look Alicia gave my sister a while back."

"Yeah, they're the possessive type," Naruto said sheepishly. "So are Miria and Priscilla." Upon saying the streaker's name he gestured to her as she pulled the last hapless sap from one of the wagons. "You got any dead missing-nin or bandits preserved in a scroll? I'm expecting a new arrival called Chronis coming any day now."

"I don't, unfortunately," Gaara said. Of course, Naruto would be the one asking such outlandish questions.

Naruto shrugged. "I'll see if I can get Pyrrha to hand one of hers over, then," he said. "She's the redhead with the ponytail. Turns out she has a knack for fuuinjutsu."

"Is she also among your lovers?" Gaara asked.

"Nope, though she does seem to like me…" Naruto said with a shrug. "I'm not sure if it's because she's just shy or if I'm not her type, but she hasn't approached me, yet. So I've been leaving her alone about it. She's very friendly, though. Same goes for most of the other awakened beings… the female ones, at least. I'm not into guys. My other lovers among them are Riful and Europa." He pointed out which one was which as he called their names. "The latter and I have just started our relationship, though, so it's hard to say where I stand with her, just yet."

"It would seem you have a child on the way," Gaara observed.

"Two, actually," Naruto replied. "One of my other wives is also pregnant, though she's only a couple months in. She's in the castle, looking after the kids with a few of my other wives."

"I see," was all Gaara had said. Then he frowned, upon Shukaku detecting a familiar source of chakra, "So this is where Lady fifth ended up."

"Hmm? Oh, Granny-Tsunade? Yeah, she's been here almost as long as I was." Naruto explained. "I didn't find out about it until a few months ago. Now she's helping out here and there."

"She hasn't tried anything has she?"

"Excluding her acting as our doctor and helping the 'complicated ones' by growing them some food to eat, then no. She hasn't tried anything. She blames herself for what happened to me." Naruto answered. He crossed his arms and inhaled deeply, and exhaling. "I'm planning on asking her to take Clarice as her apprentice. As well as a few others, here. Tsunade won't be around forever, and short of killing, these women, and men are practically immortal. If they can grow their food, then, they won't have to move from place to place looking for something… or rather someone to eat."

Gaara stared at his friend in silence for a moment, before he nodded with acceptance. What he said made sense; Tsunade is still regarded as the best damn medic in the Elemental Nations, if anyone can teach these people how to grow their food, it will be her.

"I see. As long as you know what you are doing then I will not argue with you."

"It's nice to hear you be so understanding."

"You're my friend." the way he said it, made it sound as if it should explain everything. And for Naruto, it did. The redhead trusts him and is his best friend, so he would believe him until proven otherwise.

"It's so nice to see you two bond again, but can I please for the love of my father come out of this damned Gourd?! I'm cramping up in here!" Shukaku complained.

"Are you able to shrink yourself?" Naruto asked.

Shukaku's shrunken head emerged from the gourd to stare at him. "I may be a mass of chakra, but I am also made of sand. Changing my size is child's play."

Naruto made a thoughtful sound, "...make yourself human-sized and you can come out." he bargained.

Shukaku didn't hesitate. "DEAL!!"

The racoon broke down into the sand, that then proceeded to defy gravity and physics as it emerged from the gourd. This supernatural act had captured the attention of nearly everyone in the bailey and they watched as it slammed against the ground beside his former host, much like a title wave. Then the sand began to take the shape of a chubby raccoon and continued to grow in size and height until it was the height of an adult.

"Oh, thank god!" the tailed beast groaned, reaching back to massage his neck. "That damn gourd was giving me the pins and needles."

"You're made of sand and yoki, Shukaku." an amused Naruto pointed out, "you can't get pins and needles."

"IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH!"

"...Mama, why does that animal look like it is made of sand?" Miata innocently asked.

Clarice blinked owlishly. "Uh… I don't know?"

"That is because he is made of sand, dear," Naruto told Miata with a chuckle. Then he looked at Shukaku and gave him an impish grin. It immediately put the tailed beast on edge as the blond looked back at the young girl. "Want to hug him?"

Shukaku's eyes grew wide, "H-hey, now! I'm not the type of tailed beast to hug- ack!" the racoon found himself interrupted when a squealing Miata tackled him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Naruto chuckled heartily at the awkward display.

Shukaku gave his former tenant the most desperate, pleading look both Naruto and Gaara had ever seen. "G-Gaara! Naruto! Help! I'm not good with kids! What do I do!?"

"Hug her back?" a thoroughly amused Naruto suggested.

Shukaku whined at that, but he nevertheless did as the blond suggested. Everyone in the bailey, and looking out of the windows and doorways, could see how nervous the tailed beast was. It was honestly adorable.

Naruto chuckled at the heartwarming display with a wide-faced grin. He didn't think he would see Shukaku of all tailed beasts hugging a child.

"Naruto!" Galatea and Veronica both came running out of the castle, as did Yuma, Rafaela, Diana, Emelia, Eliza, Jean and Tabitha shortly after. Veronica was worried, "There is a foreign- who and what is that?" she began only to pause and change her sentence upon noticing Shukaku being hugged by Miata.

"Someone who is being hugged against his will!" the one-tailed racoon whined.

"For someone who is 'being hugged against his will', you're not doing much about it." Naruto pointed out.

"She's a kid; I'm not going down that route again." deadpanned the racoon. He already fucked up Gaara's childhood; and after befriending both his former host and Kurama's, he didn't want to revert to his old ways. He liked them now.

Diana narrowed her eyes as she looked at the sandy racoon. "...wait a second. He's a tailed beast, isn't he?" she recalled Naruto saying there are more than one-tailed beasts, and that one of them was a racoon made of sand. He never mentioned how many tails the raccoon had though.

"Yep! I'm Shukaku! The esteemed One-Tailed Tanuki!" the tailed beast introduced himself with a great deal of pride.

The warriors and a few awakened present took a long, hard look at him upon hearing that and a few noted that he was significantly stronger than the average Number One, though Riful was quite proud that she was stronger than him by leaps and bounds.

Suddenly Shukaku glared at Riful. As if he knew what she was thinking; "Hey! What are you thinking over there, you brat?! You better not be thinking you're stronger than me because of the lack of tails! I get enough of that from that smug ass fox!"

Riful blinked in surprise but shrugged it off with a polite smile. "Just appreciating my place in life," she giggled. "I'm not one to rub it in others' faces, though, so you have nothing to worry about. I'm also older than I look."

Shukaku merely squinted at her, before letting out a snort. "Coulda' fooled me," the Tanuki said, "Also, I can tell the form you're in now is fake. Your yoki is constantly coursing through your body to keep up the facade." then he suddenly looked to Naruto and asked, "You told them about us tailed beasts, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I can't exactly keep something like that hidden for long." Naruto pointed out. "Especially after taking on Kurama's form and wiping an entire city off the map…" he then scowled deeply as the memories of Natalie opened up and old wound. "Though, to be fair, I had a damn good reason to be pissed," he added, muttering under his breath.

"Yeah… I remember being told about that." Shukaku said sympathetically, and he growled with relief when Miata stopped hugging him. Though he sighed exasperatingly when she sat down and snuggled up against him seconds later.

Naruto released what he meant by that: the shared mindscape the tailed beasts all share. To be honest, he wasn't that surprised Shukaku knew about it.

"Enough with the depressing stuff!" the Tanuki shouted with enthusiasm, only changing his last word at the last second upon realising there is a minor here. "It's good to see you again, brat! It certainly felt like a decade had passed!"

"The last time any of us saw Naruto was eight to ten years ago." Gaara pointed out, "But, yes, it certainly has been a long time."

"Yeah, it has," said blond chuckled. "It's nice to see you, too." he clenched his hand into a fist, holding it up for Shukaku to fist bump.

The tailed beast grinned and bumped his fist against Naruto. The blond felt the familiar but foreign rush of Shukaku's yoki surging into his body. Shukaku's yoki synchronising with his own.

Everyone, excluding the visitors from the Elemental Nations, stared on with rapt attention when they felt Shukaku's yoki mixing with Naruto's own.

"A little gift," the Tanuki said with a grin. "You never know when a little more 'oomph' can come in handy."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Shukaku!" then he looked to his best friend, and asked, "So how long are you here for? It took me around a year to get here by boat, the first time. And since you didn't show up via the seal the Raikage has, I'm guessing you came here by boat?"

"Indeed we did," Gaara said with a nod. "I had volunteered to deliver this 'meat shipment' for you, as you can tell. Seeing as how everyone back home is so eager to know how you're doing, I figured a second opinion from another Kage would be for the best. If it turned out that Ei wasn't exaggerating, it would also help bolster relations with Kumo."

"Ah, well, as you can see," Naruto gestured to the women and men that were around, "Ei wasn't exaggerating." then he looked at the caravan for a moment, then back to his friend, "If you want, you can stay here for a few days to get some rest. We can easily send you back to the Elemental Nations through the seal we have set up with Kumo."

"That would be good, thank you." Gaara agreed.

Naruto grinned and clapped his friend on the shoulder. With another familiar face here, his day was brightening up!