8 chapter 7

"You know, you're kinda cute in a pathetic sort of way when you concentrate on those maps."

Naruto looked up, only to see Kurotsuchi looking across the table at him. She had taken to some light flirting with him as of late, which was more amusing than anything else. If someone told his father or the now deceased Tschuchikage that their son and granddaughter, respectively, would begin flirting with each other – both men would probably laugh and then declare whoever told them to be insane.

She was perhaps a year or two older than him, but he had never bothered to ask. These days no one really cared about age anyway. People sure had changed plenty though, and both he and Kurotsuchi were two of those who had.

It went without saying that he was certainly less cheery and more down to earth, no longer the bastion of sunshine that he once was. Watching your close friends be lost to fighting or to the Red Moon Genjutsu day after day took its toll, and had been for nearly two years since the Fourth Great Shinobi War began. It had been over a year since he had lost two of the people closest to him, Tsunade and Sakura. The only other person alive that he was even somewhat close to on a personal level was Kakashi, but the times they actually got to sit down and talk were few and far between.

He didn't really know Kurotsuchi well until five or six months ago, when he stumbled across her when she was crying over the death of her father, a skilled man who had been one of their Generals. At first she completely recoiled at any attempt he made of soothing her pain, not because of who he was but just because it was the way she was; she hated showing weakness.

Of course he hung around until she was feeling better anyway, just out of principle, and pretty much let himself become a punching bag of sorts so that she could vent her frustrations. He didn't know she appreciated it until a week later, when she returned from one of her assignments and brought him lunch completely out of the blue.

They gradually started seeing each other more and more, though he didn't know if it was a conscious effort on either of their parts or if it just sort of happened. He wasn't sure who started the flirting between them, but he figured it was probably her since she was definitely a lot more outgoing than he was.

Somewhere along the line she had convinced him to get one of his ears pierced, to 'accentuate the bad-boy look he had going on sometimes' which she really seemed to like for some reason. Naruto had no idea how exactly he looked like a 'bad boy' other than perhaps a bad case of bed-head and a persistent five o'clock shadow. He had no idea whyhe went along with her crazy idea either, but did it anyway because there wasn't really a reason not to.

Along the same vein, he had made an off-handed comment at some point that he had a thing for longer hair. That was probably about two months ago, and she hadn't cut her hair since. When they first met she kept it quite short, and now it was reaching down to just a little above her shoulders, kept in a short ponytail. He had to admit to himself that it definitely looked good. When he asked her about it the first time, she just winked at him and didn't explain, though her action was enough of an explanation.

Looking up from the maps, he shot her a small grin, "Cute enough that you like what you see, then?"

That seemed to set of some sort of spark, as her eyes lit up, "Definitely. In fact, once I get back from this latest job Darui wants me to do, I'm thinking I'd show you just how much."

Naruto found himself chuckling instead of blushing. Normally something like this would have made him stutter and blush red like a tomato, but having been flirting and joking with her for a little while now... it felt natural. This wasn't the first time she had tossed some innuendo his way, but it would be the first time he planned on actually responding to it.

"Sure. If you behave, maybe I'll let you examine what's underneath the uniform."

She actually blushed a little, then licked her lips and gave him a mocking salute. "Is that an order, Uzumaki-sama?"

"Do you want me to make it one?"

"Mhm." She nodded slowly as her hand dropped to her hip. "I'll hurry back, I promise."

Naruto rose to his feet, walking around the table towards her. Her eyes went wide for a moment before they narrowed and she grinned as he walked up in front of her. Without saying another word, he cupped her chin in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips, letting them linger for a moment. When he pulled away, her face moved forward slightly, as if she didn't want him to stop. However, his hand was still on her chin and kept her from moving her lips back onto his.

"Kurotsuchi."

"Hmm?" Her question came out as more of a sensual hum rather than a coherent word, as she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Be safe. Don't get distracted thinking about this, or me. Do what you have to do and come back."

That snapped her from her slight daze, and she tossed him a cheshire grin before turning around and walking for the tent exit, obviously swaying her hips. "Who do you think I am? I can handle it. I'll be back in no time at all."

Naruto let out a sigh and a short laugh as she moved through the tent flap, leaving him alone once again. Shaking his head, he grinned as he looked over the maps and the recent scouting reports. He never thought he'd get together with Kurotsuchi of all people. She'd lasted this long, and he knew she was strong enough to be there with him until the end. It was strange how the war had made them odd bedfellows. He never thought he'd be interested in anyone again after losing Sakura so suddenly last year.

Unfortunately he didn't know then that he would never see Kurotsuchi again.

"Come in."

Naruto grabbed the handle and opened the door to the Hokage's office, quickly moving through and closing the door behind him. When he finally looked towards the Hokage, he stopped short, surprised to see who was standing in the room with him.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were all standing at attention, though giving him rather impassive looks. After a few seconds of staring between them, Naruto managed to find his voice.

"Sorry, I just got back and – never mind, I can always report in later, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime waved him off. "Nonsense. I'm most curious to hear about your mission. I think my students would also be more likely to believe what I'm trying to explain to them if they heard about your capabilities directly from you."

Naruto nodded and moved forward, consciously trying to avoid getting too close to the snake summoner. He had no idea if the man noticed, and didn't care either. The less he had to deal with the man now, the better. While Orochimaru wasn't the same man he was in the future – yet – he didn't know how far the man had already fallen. The few labs they had found so far could only attest that he ran experiments, but so far none of them were on people.

"I'd like to say the mission was a complete success. We had a little run in with the Mist's Jinchuuriki, however, so I'm not so sure if anything will come from that."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, and all of the Sannin tensed. "Explain."

Naruto nodded again, "As I was returning to our camp from meeting with the Yuki clan, I sensed some pretty large chakra signatures, including one that felt like a bijuu. I got to the camp as fast as I could, only to arrive in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of verbal diplomatic spar between Minato and Yagura, Mist's newest jinchuuriki."

As the blond went on to explain the rest of the encounter, including how he had talked the young jinchuuriki into leaving them alone as well as their encounter later, various expressions passed over the Sandaime's face, and some interesting gasps and grumbles came from the direction of the Sannin. It wasn't until the very end when he explained how he stopped a jinchuuriki that Jiraiya finally felt he had to talk.

"You mean to tell me you stopped a Jinchuuriki with a suppression seal you wrote while on the battlefield? I realize I'm not a sealing expert, but I'd like to think I'm a fair hand at it. I don't think I've ever even heard of that before."

Naruto shrugged, and tried to keep a straight face. Jiraiya was the one who used to use the seal on him in the future, after all. "I'm no expert with seals, but this one should seem fairly obvious. It just takes a decent amount of chakra and concentration to prepare. I can show you how to make one, if you'd like."

Jiraiya's face twitched for the briefest of moments before he grinned slightly. "Sure, thanks. What about you, Orochimaru? This sort of thing sounds right up your alley."

The snake summoner shook his head negatively. "I prefer ninjutsu. Seals aren't my style."

Naruto had to bite his tongue to keep from making any scathing comments, and was glad he did when the Hokage looked at him again. "How did your main objective turn out, and what is the status of your team?"

"My team is fine, no injuries to report. My left calf was speared by one of the Sanbi Jinchuuriki's tails, but I have no trouble walking anymore so I'm pretty sure it's healed by-"

"What!"

Naruto stopped speaking, cut off suddenly by Tsunade, who was simply staring at him incredulously. "You were speared by a bijuu's chakra and you aren't suffering from chakra poisioning? How?"

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it a few times, wondering how much to say. So he settled for "I'm sturdy?"

That didn't go over very well, as Tsunade literally threw him into a nearby chair and proceeded to unwrap the bloody bandage around his calf. He thought he heard a chuckle from Jiraiya, but it was quickly overshadowed by the gasp from Tsunade.

"How? I don't even see a scar!" Her hand was glowing a light green as she inspected his calf.

"I'm an Uzumaki. Longevity and enhanced healing is our blood limit of sorts, you know."

Tsunade looked at him sharply, and then at the Hokage, who slowly nodded. "Even if you are an Uzumaki, the only one I know of who heals that fast is a... result of special circumstances. I don't see how it's possible for you to not be affected by the chakra at all."

Naruto couldn't do anything more than look innocent and shrug again. "I don't know. It's been like this for as long as I can remember." Of course he knew why his abilities in that area were enhanced, still having bijuu chakra in him now made him relatively immune. He was honestly surprised Tsunade didn't pick up on it, but then she was probably only doing a surface scan of his chakra and not the kind of stuff they did in the hospital. He considered sharing the secret for a moment before siding against it. The blond was still being very careful about what he said in front of anyone else other than the Hokage, for now.

Tsunade seemed to take his comments at face value at least, though she didn't look too happy about it. She gave him a critical eye as she rose to her feet, offering him a hand to help him stand as well. He took a moment to really look at her now, and noticed that she was older looking than he remembered, but her grip was just as strong. She apparently hadn't taken to permanently rejuvenating herself yet, as there were small lines on her face around her lips, and crows feet in the corners of her eyes. Unlike the youth she tried to emulate in his time, right now she radiated a sort of mature beauty that he could easily appreciate.

Other than that she looked mostly the same from what he remembered. It took all his willpower not to engulf her in a hug, but a quick mental check reminded him that she likely wouldn't appreciate it right now.

He thought he was looking discretely, but he forgot who he was dealing with. He saw her eyes narrow, and he quickly murmured his thanks and looked away, back towards the Hokage. If she was going to say anything she decided not to, and moved back over to her teammates.

"Sensei, if you don't need us any longer, I have some research to do, and I'm certain that Tsunade would like to visit Shizune. Not to mention that I would bet Jiraiya-kun has some research to do."

Naruto was honestly surprised by the tone of voice Orochimaru used, he actually sounded amused when he mentioned Jiraiya's research. Was this what a normal Orochimaru was like before he went crazy?

"Very well. I need to finish up with Naruto too, and then get back to my own work. Dismissed."

His three students all nodded, and then Jiraiya and Orochimaru offered him nods as well before they turned and walked for the door. Tsunade simply stared at him for a moment before her lips formed a tight smile and she shook her head, following her teammates.

Once the door closed behind them, Naruto once again turned to face the Hokage, and continued with his report, "I only got confirmation from the Kaguya clan that they would come join, and I promised them that baa-chan would take a look at their blood to see if she could find out what the disease was that was killing them."

Hiruzen leaned back in his seat, "The Kaguya? So they went for it. Interesting. I've heard that they are a rather... bloodthirsty clan, however."

"That's only partially true. I had to fight one of their members because they didn't believe me at first, but after they were willing to listen we discussed things normally. I think whatever the disease in their blood is also makes them act somewhat irrationally, if only because they're frustrated with their looming death."

Sarutobi rubbed at the stubble on his chin. "Very well. But you will be the one to inform Tsunade about what needs to be done. When will they be here?"

"Soon. Likely within the month."

"Alright. What about any other clans?"

"I didn't get any promises out of them, other than that they'd think about it. Once word gets out about where the Kaguya have gone though, some others may follow. The civil war there is still in it's infancy and many of the bloodline clans have fled from the village itself to their old clan grounds, so the non-bloodline faction will have a hard time keeping them all in Water Country should they try to leave."

Hiruzen nodded slowly, propping his elbows on his desk and pressing his fingertips together. "I guess I'll have to prepare some of our empty districts for any new arrivals. If we get a lot, we may need to modify the walls. "

Naruto's eyes went wide, he had never even considered the space issue. They may start needing to build homes outside the walls...

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a chuckle from the Hokage, "Well, at least things will be getting interesting, it seems. Other than the skirmishes we've been watching, things have been fairly slow as of late. Normally I wouldn't care, but it seems the paperwork load has been increasing too."

It was Naruto's turn to grin and chuckle, but Sarutobi just smiled and shook his head. "If that's all, you're dismissed. Oh – and I know you're from the future, but I wouldn't suggest calling Tsunade 'baa-chan' to her face if you want to keep your head on your shoulders."

The blond gulped and nodded as he turned towards the door, "I also need to talk to you some more about Orochimaru."

The Hokage frowned slightly. "Yes, I remember. Stop by tomorrow, we'll discuss him then."

Mikoto sighed deeply as she let her head rest back against the stone behind her in the hot spring. The warm water worked wonders when it came to relieving stress, and that was something she had plenty of lately. It had been a while since she actually had some free time, both from doing missions and from clan responsibilities, so she was going to make the most of it and the hot spring was her first stop.

Luckily it was actually rather quiet here today, unlike the last few times she had been. There were only four other women in the area, and they must have all arrived together since they were chatting amongst themselves near one of the corners. She had her back to the stone she was leaning against, which was near the outside wall just in case sensei was in town. She had never been a victim, but she had heard the stories.

There was another small splash near the entrance, and Mikoto looked over to see Kushina finally enter the area. She had dragged the younger woman along with her, first and foremost because she was her best friend, but also because she just knew the redhead likely had tons of questions about their mission.

Minato had been busy since they got back yesterday trying to work on some kind of technique that he had been testing little by little over the past year or so. Apparently during their mission he came across something that he believed would further help him with the technique. She honestly had no idea what it was he was working on – Kushina may have a better idea, but even she often just shook her head and shrugged whenever she was asked.

"Mikotoooo, why are you all the way over there?" Kushina began to groan as she pushed her way through the warm water, a white towel wrapped around her torso. Mikoto noticed as the other women stopped talking to look over then quickly went back to gossip as they noticed the 'Bloody Habanero'.

"I usually come over here so my back is to the outside wall. Just in case sensei is in town."

Kushina made an 'oh' face, then nodded and scooted over next to Mikoto so their arms barely touched, settling with her back to the rock as well. "So..."

The older woman tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow as she waited for Kushina to continue. When she didn't, she continued the question, "So... what?"

The redhead giggled, then looked at her friend with a grin. "You already know what I want to know. How was the mission? I can't get anything out of Minato-kun, he's so focused on his new jutsu again."

Mikoto slowly shrugged, resting her head back against the large stone once again. "For the first few days it was incredibly boring. Just sitting in camp doing nothing. On the last day, the Mist's newest jinchuuriki showed up with an escort. He looked like a little kid, but he had so much power..."

Kushina gasped, wide-eyed, "Isn't he one of the faction leaders of the 'Bloody Mist'? He's the one that started the civil war going on there, right? Is he really that young?"

The raven-haired woman shrugged. "I don't know the details, but from what I heard while there that sounds about right. He didn't seem to believe us when we said we were there on a diplomatic mission of sorts, but finally did when Naruto-san arrived and managed to convince him."

Kushina's eyes lit up a bit at the mention of Naruto, she had likely been waiting to hear information about her 'relative'. "How did Naruto-aniki do?"

Mikoto leaned her head back against the rock and sighed as she closed her eyes, letting out a bitter chuckle. "He saved our lives."

There was silence for a moment before Kushina caught Mikoto's arm in a death grip, "What? You and the others almost died?"

Mikoto winced at the grip on her arm, but tried not to pay it too much mind. The redhead always did tend to be a clingy person when those she cared about were threatened, probably as a result of losing her clan in Uzushio.

"The jinchuuriki... Yagura, apparently changed his mind and chased us down not too long after we left. Naruto-san asked us to keep him distracted while he drew up a seal. Just as he was about to use the seal he had made, the boy launched a huge attack at us, and I wasn't able to get out of the way in time. At least not without Minato's help." Mikoto let her head hang forward slightly, her loose, damp hair hiding most of the expression on her face, "Naruto-san somehow managed to shout a warning in time. I wasn't really paying attention after hearing that as I tried to get away, but when Minato grabbed me I was at a good angle to see Naruto-san. He was near Kakashi-kun and looked to be glowing, though I was moving to quickly to really notice. However one second I thought he was there, and the next both he and Kakashi-kun were gone."

She let out a sigh as she finished. "I didn't think about it too much before now. Minato and I got caught in the edge of the blast from Yagura's attack, and we were more worried about getting home without any further attacks against us. I was probably just seeing things."

Kushina had started going pale the moment Mikoto made mention of the jinchuuriki. It wasn't every day they were discussed, let alone encountered or even fought. Mikoto knew about Kushina and the Kyuubi, as did the rest of her team because Kushina told them. There were a few others that she believed knew about the Kyuubi as well, but it wasn't something that anyone really talked about. The large majority of Konoha was likely completely oblivious that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was even in Konoha.

Mikoto continued, "Anyway - after saving us, he went back to place a seal on Yagura. He got injured when he did it, but the seal worked, and the bijuu's chakra went away, leaving only the boy there. Yagura passed out shortly after, and Naruto-san wrapped up his leg before we left. That's it."

"Naruto-aniki... he fought a jinchuuriki and won? Is he okay?"

Mikoto nodded, and let out another sigh. "He made it back to Konoha with us and wasn't slowed down at all." Naruto had saved them all, and battled and won against another who was both a jinchuuriki and rumored to be the leader of the anti-bloodline faction. Who knew how strong he was. Heck, even if that's as strong as he really was, he could probably beat a lot of people. Even when injured he didn't complain once when Minato requested they set a grueling pace to return to Konoha.

She absently began to wonder who would be stronger, Naruto or her fiance, Fugaku...

"Mikoto... do you think I should tell him?"

"Tell what?"

Kushina gave Mikoto an exasperated look. "Tell Naruto-aniki that I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Just in case," she explained.

Mikoto stared at her best friend for a second before offering her best friend a rather somber grin. "Naruto-san doesn't really strike me as the kind of person who would care if you are or aren't. He seemed to know that Yagura was a jinchuuriki, and at first managed to keep him from attacking us just by talking to him. Besides, if he knew that the Mist had one, maybe the Hokage already told him you are."

"Maybe you're right. That means-"

"Hey, what are you doing Ero-sennin?"

A voice that both women recognized was clear enough to make it over the fence, causing both of them too go rigid and look at each other in shock.

"Ero-sennin? I'm not a- oh, hey... Naruto, right? Be quiet, or you'll alert the lovely ladies on the far side of the bath."

Both girls visibly relaxed, realizing that there were fully hidden behind the rock and couldn't be seen.

"Doing the research I heard about, I take it?"

"Yeah. What of it, did you want some pointers?"

"No thanks. I was just making sure that Kushina-chan and Mikoto-san weren't in there."

"I know better than to peep on those two." There was a brief period of cackling laughter from the other side of the fence before Jiraiya continued, "Buuuut... you got a thing for both of them, eh?"

Both girls were still staring at each other slack-jawed now as they continued listening to the barely audible conversation.

"Errr... not really, no. Yes, they are both beautiful women, but they are both spoken for and I know better."

Kushina immediately blushed crimson, hiding her face behind her hands. Mikoto, on the other hand, was completely rigid in total shock. She had been called pretty and attractive before, but she got the feeling it was more out of obligation than anything else. But not even Fugaku had ever called her beautiful. Sure, it was only a word... but it was a rare one for her to hear, and it was never applied to her. She realized that the standard Konoha jonin attire wasn't exactly the most flattering clothing, and it is probably what kept other people from being more interested in her.

Besides the fact that she was the Uchiha heir. Apparently it involuntarily made her rather intimidating, or so she'd heard from the few other friends she had.

"Well aren't you charming. A 'look but don't touch' mindset, I see."

"I probably shouldn't even be looking. Even that makes me feel guilty as hell. Especially because Kushina-chan looks up to me like a brother."

By this time Kushina had completely sunk into the water almost up to her ears. Mikoto, meanwhile, was straining hers to pick up every word.

"I know where you're coming from, Naruto." Both ladies could hear a loud sigh of exasperation from the other side. "I know better than to peep on Kushina, because I value my manhood too much. Mikoto was on my genin team with Minato and Taichi, so that would just be wrong on so many levels if I peeped on her."

Both women held their breath as they waited for the response, which wasn't long in coming.

"Good. I was just making sure. Anyway, I have to go find baa-chan on Hokage-sama's orders, so just don't stick around long enough to get caught, Ero-sennin."

"Baa-chan? And hey, I told you I'm not- oh whatever. Leave me alone."

"Right. See you."

Mikoto still couldn't believe the conversation she had just overheard. Kushina was still as red as could be, and was obviously trying to compose herself. She was visibly startled when Mikoto made a move to stand up.

"Mikoto-nee?"

The raven-haired woman tossed her friend a vicious grin. "You can stay here, I think I should go have a nice chat with sensei about his habits."

As Mikoto moved away from behind the rock, they all heard a loud yelp followed by a string of curses come from behind the wall, including the four other women who were in the other corner of the springs. The noise caused Kushina to smile, and she clenched her own towel around herself.

"Wait up, I think I'll join you in your talk with Ero-sennin."

Already a few rooftops away, Naruto suddenly felt like bursting into laughter.