Chapter 28: Back in Konoha

Wow. So this fanfic was given an anonymous review. Can you all guess what it was?

That's right, it was a flame. Because there are people out there who are too cowardly and too afraid to be beaten by logic to actually respond with who they are so people like me can properly address them.

Of course this wasn't a flame against my fanfic. No, it was a flame against me liking Hinata. Because this person is one of those rabid fans who feels that if you don't like the girl or character they like, you must be delusional or a, and I quote, 'virgin loser'.

Now…I've always been one to just try and let people enjoy what they like to enjoy. Because we all have a right to our own opinions and such. But I'm going to deconstruct this person's sadly inept argument, so they can realize how pathetic they are for wasting people's time with their trivial trash.

1. "Hinata is a fangirl of Ino and Sakura proportions". Yeah, I'm sorry, but wouldn't that mean that Hinata was running around screaming about how cool Naruto was, and beating up people who disagreed with her? Because you know, that's exactly what we see Ino and Sakura do. They constantly scream about how cool Sasuke is, and beat the crap, regularly, out of Naruto when he aggravates Sasuke. But, we don't see Hinata do that, do we? We see Hinata cheer Naruto on silently. But, we also see something from her that Sakura and Ino DON'T ever do. Which is what, you might ask? She recognizes Naruto has flaws. She doesn't see Naruto as some perfect idol, she sees him as a person that she admires and respects. That right there not only shows her feelings towards Naruto are more genuine then Sakura and Ino's fangirlness, but it also shows she's a stronger person, because she's able to see the flaws in Naruto and yet still accept them and him.

2. "Hinata is the most useless kunoichi ever." Wow, so the girl who not only DEVELOPED her own techniques outside of the ones her clan or family uses, but also willingly rushed to protect Naruto from Pein while all the other shinobi and kunoichi, including the supposedly strongest and most beautiful kunoichi Sakura, just sat there and stared, is supposedly the most useless kunoichi ever. The girl (Hinata) who actually proved to be useful to her team throughout the manga, and throughout the anime, whether filler or not, is more useless then the girl (Sakura) who simply cheered on Sasuke throughout almost the entirety of Naruto manga and anime, until Sasuke defected from Konoha. I know there are those of you don't count the filler anime episodes as anything but garbage, but they are a part of Naruto. And in them, guess what? Ino and Sakura are largely useless. We literally see them offer nothing in terms of helping their teams. Whereas Hinata? She's actually useful. She actually saves Naruto's life not once, not twice, BUT THREE TIMES. Yeah, it's filler anime, but even in canon Naruto, Sakura still ultimately shows nothing worthwhile until the Chuunin Exams, and even afterwards she barely offers anything to the plate. Hinata at least gives a somewhat strong showing against a shinobi who was stronger than Sasuke and actually helps Naruto when he's down. Something we, again, never see Sakura or Ino do, now do we?

3. "Hinata is in love with a false mask of confidence, and would dump him if he lost that". Yeah, somebody obviously didn't bother reading or watching Naruto if they believe this. As stated in 1, Hinata see's Naruto has got flaws. She's watched him struggle, she's watched him fail, and she understands he's not perfect. She even says 'he's a proud failure'. But that's just the thing. Hinata's not in love with his fake mask of confidence. She's in love with the fact that no matter what is thrown at Naruto, he gets back up. She's in love with the fact that he is true to himself, and that he will never back down, ever. And when Naruto is not sure of himself, when he confesses his belief that he can't beat Neji, Hinata is there to bolster his faith, and help him regain his confidence. None of that is her being in love with a mask of false confidence. It's her being in love with his determination, and his strength of character. Heck, that scene before Naruto goes to the Chuunin exams for the Finals discounts this flamer's argument because Naruto shows he's not confident, and Hinata doesn't dump him. She helps him out! The canon manga and anime proves this guy wrong with that scene.

4. "Hinata just stood by and watched Naruto be alone and desperate for a friend, and did nothing". Yeah admittedly, this one I don't really have an answer for. It is a black mark against Hinata, I'll admit that. Hinata knew better than anyone in their age group that Naruto was alone and wanted friends. So it is a bad mark against her. But at the same time, this doesn't make any of the other characters any better. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji were all 'friends' with Naruto, and yet we see these same three boys tear the fuck out of Naruto in the Academy and the Chuunin Exams. While Hinata never gave Naruto friendship until the series gets rolling, at least she also never took it away after giving it to him. And at least she didn't feel she had the right to treat Naruto like a punching bag. This is again a black mark against Hinata, but at the end, it makes her character more human. Because she does have a flaw, a fault that stops from making her perfect. And when it comes down to it, Hinata was actually there for Naruto when he needed someone. Her, Iruka, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi. Each of them was there for Naruto when he needed someone to help him. Sakura or Ino? Sasuke? Any of the other Konoha 12? Sorry I don't recall seeing them.

Look, I'm not going to sit here and pretend NaruHina is perfect. It's not. It's got flaws just like any other pairing. And if you don't like it, that's your call. You like what you like and I'll like what I like. But at least have the decency to let other people enjoy what they like, instead of tearing them down because they don't agree with you. And if you're going to disagree with them, then have the decency to actually get your facts straight or have enough courage to let them respond, rather than hiding like some cowardly troll.

Anyways, sorry to bore you all with this. On with the chapter, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.

Chapter 28

Back in Konoha

"I must say, that's quite the debriefing," Sarutobi said, looking at the two jounin and their teams. They had just finished reporting in on the events of their missions to Nami, as well as telling Sarutobi that Raphael was staying in that area for a bit. Anko didn't elaborate beyond that, due to Team Seven and Kakashi not needing to know more than that.

"Yes sir," Kakashi said, standing to attention. "Tazuna assured us that reparations would be made to Konoha for the false mission labeling as soon as Nami had regained its economy. They've sent proposed terms on payment, which they are open to negotiate on."

As Kakashi set the proposed terms on the table, Sarutobi nodded. "Very well, Team Seven, congratulations. You're dismissed. Team Eight, remain for your own debrief."

As Team Seven left, Anko moved forward now. "Hokage-sama, we completed our mission in assisting Team Seven, as well as Raphael-san in investigating and bringing down Gato. Raphael-san asked me to deliver this information to you," he said, as he handed over the scroll that contained copies of the information Raphael had gathered from Gato's mansion. "Raphael-san also wanted me to inform you that he'll be staying in the area to train a potential new Assassin down there. He's left me in charge in the meantime."

Sarutobi took the scroll, and nodded. "I understand," he said. "Do you know when he will return?"

"It won't likely be for some months," Anko reported. 'Hopefully as soon as possible,' she added mentally, nervous about leading the Assassins.

"Very well, then. You will be receiving your pay shortly. You're dismissed. And congratulations on a job well done," Sarutobi said, dismissing them as he opened the scroll of information.

Team Eight all bowed, and headed off, leaving his office as he began to peruse the information before him.

Outside the Hokage's Tower, Anko turned to her genin, focusing on Ino. "Listen, Ino," she said. "I want you to go home, and talk to your dad about what happened in Nami, okay? He can help you come to grips with everything that happened. Take some time off, and recuperate, alright?"

Ino nodded quietly, looking down. "Yeah…alright sensei," she said, only looking up when Anko touched her shoulder.

"And if you need anything, let me know, okay? You can talk to me too, if you need to," she said, as Ino nodded again, before heading off. Turning to her other two students, Anko took a deep breath.

"Right. Well we're going to take it easy for a bit here. D-rank missions for the next few weeks, maybe a C-rank or two if she's feeling up to it. So you two should have lots of time to continue training," she said to them. "For now though, go home, take a shower, and relax. You've got the day off. We'll reconvene tomorrow at the usual place, and move on from there. Naruto, make sure you get some rest, because there's something I want to talk to you about tomorrow as well," Anko said, making the blond nod.

"You got it sensei," Naruto said, feeling a bit nervous about what she wanted to talk about.

"Alright, well I'll see you tomorrow Naruto. And see you later, imouto-chan," Anko said, grinning at Hinata, before heading off.

Hinata let out a tired sigh, turning to Naruto. "So, what shall we do now?" she asked.

"I think I promised you some Ichiraku, if you're interested," Naruto said with a grin, as Hinata gave a slight nod of remembrance. "Then shall we?"

"Mmmm, that does sound good. Some food, and then home," Hinata said, as they headed off to eat.

Ino meanwhile quietly entered her home, glancing around. "I'm home," she called out, only to smile as she saw her mom appear.

"Ino! I'm so glad to see you!" She said, rushing over and hugging her. "You're back, and you're safe," she said, holding onto her.

Ino hesitated a moment, and then hugged her mom tightly. "Mom...it…it's so good to see you," she whispered, as tears started to fall from her eyes.

Ino's mom, sensing something was wrong, pulled back enough to see her daughter's face while remaining in her daughter's embrace. "Sweetie? What happened?" She asked her daughter.

Ino just sniffled, trying to blink away her tears. "I…can we find Daddy? I-I need to talk to you both," she said.

Her mother, rather than asking questions, simply nodded and took Ino's hand, leading her next door to the flower shop.

Inochi was quietly sitting behind the cash register, sighing softly as he was bored. He had nothing to do at the moment, with no customers, and no call from the Hokage requiring his skills. He was also a bit worried about his daughter, whose team was still out on a mission.

Which was why it was a pleasant surprise when his wife entered, followed by his little girl. He grinned as he stood up. "Sweetie, you're back!" he said with a grin, only to stop as he saw the signs that his daughter had been crying, if only slightly. "Ino?"

Ino trembled slightly. "…D-daddy," she said, before rushing and hugging him, burying her face into his chest.

Inoichi held his daughter tightly, blinking. "Sweetie, what happened? What's wrong?" He asked her, as she held onto him.

However, his daughter couldn't respond except to cry as she hugged onto her father, letting all her emotions out. The horror at the killing, the exhaustion from the mission, the fear from the fights that could have killed her, and the relief to be home with her family.

Inoichi held her, glancing worriedly at his wife who shrugged helplessly. Inoichi patted Ino on the back, letting her cry, worriedly waiting for her to calm down, so he could try to understand what had happened.

When Ino finally calmed down, she hiccupped a bit, pulling away. "S-Sorry. I'm just…I'm happy to be home," she said, smiling at her father.

"So you're not hurt? Nothing bad happened on your mission?" He asked her softly, kneeling down to look her in the eye. Ino simply hiccupped again, and shrugged.

"Well…none of us were really badly hurt, if that's what you mean," she said. "But…there…Daddy…there was a lot of…a lot of fighting. And killing…I…I killed people," she said softly, her eyes still tearing up.

A flash of realization spread across Inoichi's face, as he gently gripped her shoulders. "I see. It's okay, sweetie. You're safe now," he said softly, as he wiped away a few tears from her cheeks. "You did what you had to do out there."

Ino nodded softly. "I know Dad…but still…they…they were going to kill us…they were coming at us…to kill us. Or worse," she whispered. "And then me and Sakura…we were throwing our kunai and shuriken…and there was blood…and they were on the ground…they were dead…and we killed them."

Inoichi just kept her close. "I know sweetie…I know…but you're here now. Mommy and daddy are going to help you. And Sakura too, if she needs it," he said, looking at his wife, who nodded.

"You father's right Ino. We're here for you," she said, touching her daughter's shoulder.

Ino glanced at her, then moved and hugged her, still sniffling. Inoichi watched his daughter, quietly cursing the fact that he couldn't protect his daughter from this. It was part of the life she had chosen, but it didn't make it any easier for him to see her like this. He decided quietly to call upon his friends Shikaku Nara and Chouza Akamichi, to see if they could bring their boys around. He was sure having their three kids spend time together would help Ino out. And Sakura as well, if she joined in. He quietly leaned down, kissing the top of his daughter's head, reassuring her, as she hugged her mother. No matter what, he'd help his daughter deal with this.

Elsewhere, Sasuke sighed as he entered the Uchiha District, feeling tired but somewhat exhilarated after his first successful C-ranked mission. Or rather, C-ranked turned A-ranked. The fact that he had one so soon after graduating made him feel good. While Kakashi, Anko, and that Raphael person had done most of the work, he still felt proud at having completed such a dangerous and high ranked mission. It just showed that he was moving closer to his goals, of proving the Uchiha were still a strong clan, and growing strong enough to bring his brother to justice for his crimes.

He blinked as he passed through the gates, sensing a presence nearby. He glanced over, seeing the hooded form of Kiseki. "Kiseki nee-chan?" He asked, blinking in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Kiseki smiled as she approached Sasuke. "I saw you returning from your mission, and thought I'd greet you. So how did it go?" She asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "It went well. We completed our objective, and helped Team Eight complete theirs. Though I think you have some idea on what it was they were doing," he said.

Kiseki titled her head questioning as they walked towards the clan head's home. "What do you mean Sasuke?" She asked.

"You wear clothing similar to what Anko-sensei, Naruto, and that man Raphael wear," Sasuke said, indicating her hood. "Not to mention those bracers you've got as well. They even have that same emblem on them as well. So I think whatever it is they're up to, you're a part of it too," he concluded.

Kiseki looked at him. "…well you are right Sasuke. I am part of a special group. Though rest assured, my group is nothing you need to worry about. After…well after what happened they helped me cope with things," Kiseki said simply. "So don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried…but if you are part of this group, then…perhaps you could answer a question I have," he said. "How is Naruto so strong? He has no clan, no family to teach him, and yet…he's able to match me in spars, when I not only train hard, but have my whole clan to help me grow stronger."

Kiseki let out a chuckle. "If there's one thing I've learned Sasuke, it's that you don't need a clan or a bloodline to be strong. Naruto is strong…because he is determined. He pushes himself everyday to be stronger than he was the day before. Originally he did it so that when he was strong, people would acknowledge him; acknowledge he exists, instead of ignoring him like they were doing. Now though…he wants to be strong not for himself, but so he can help his friends, and his teachers. That is why Naruto is so strong. He's training and fighting for more than just himself."

Sasuke blinked at that. "I see then," he said. "He's like me. He's fighting for his friends, and I'm fighting for my clan," Sasuke said. "I guess that makes us strong."

Before Kiseki could respond, they had arrived at the clan head's house, and Mikoto, using some unknown sixth sense mothers' posses, was already at the door, waiting for them. She smiled as she quickly rushed to her son and hugged him. "Oh Sasuke, I'm so happy to see you home," she said, hugging him tightly.

Sasuke smiled as he hugged his mom, while Kiseki just let out a sigh. Sasuke might have thought he and Naruto were similar, but that wasn't the case. Sasuke's reasons were noble, but they were born out of arrogance, arrogance that Fugaku Uchiha had instilled in him, that the Uchiha were and always had to be the best. When Sasuke fought for the clan, it wasn't to protect the clan members; it was to protect the clan's image. Not to mention his need to find Itachi and bring him back to Konoha for 'justice'. Shaking her head, she moved on, letting the two reunite after Sasuke's long mission.

The Next Day

Ino smiled gently as she watched Chouji tear into his plate of BBQ, while Shikamaru just sighed. "It's good to see your appetite hasn't changed Chouji," she said with a giggle, while Chouji just smiled while chewing his food.

"You should hear Asuma-sensei sometimes. He's constantly on Chouji to eat less and work harder. It's so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, before looking at Ino. "So your team and Team seven just got back from a C-ranked mission turned A-ranked, huh?" He asked, looking between Ino and Sakura, the latter of whom was with them. Inoichi had stopped by the Haruno household to talk to Sakura's parents, and found out she had a similar reaction to Ino when she got home. So after helping them understand why she had reacted like that, Inoichi had suggested Sakura spend time with Ino and her friends, to help her cope. Thus, Sakura's reason for being there.

Ino nodded, glancing down a bit. "Yeah, we did," she said, slowly sipping some of her tea, as Sakura looked down as well, while the two boys looked at them, Chouji pausing in his eating.

"Was it bad?" Chouji asked a bit nervously, causing Ino to shrug.

"I…we all came out of it alright. We weren't hurt," Ino said, but she kept looking at her tea, while Sakura looked down at her hands.

Shikamaru, who was watching the two, nodded quietly. His dad had told him what Inoichi had told him, that Ino and Sakura were both dealing still with seeing so much death, and even causing some of it. He had told his son that spending time with the girls would at least help them out, but would also give Shikamaru and Chouji some experience for when they had to actually fight and kill people.

Normally Shikamaru would find the whole situation troublesome, but he had known Ino for some time now. She was a friend, and he'd help her out if he could. But before he could do anything, Chouji actually spoke up first. "What happened?" He asked. His tone was inquisitive, but it wasn't an enthusiastic form of curiosity. It was more of a worried tone, as he could see it had shaken up their friends.

The two girls glanced at each other, and Sakura looked down a bit. "We don't want to ruin things here," she said, not wanting to bother them with their problems.

"It'd be more troublesome wondering if you two are okay," Shikamaru said. "We're your friends, so you can tell us. We want to help, right Chouji?" he asked, as Chouji nodded in agreement.

The two girls looked at each other, before Ino let out a quiet sigh. "It…It's just difficult," she said quietly. "We…the three of us, we grew up listening to our dads talk about their missions and adventures, right?" She asked her two male friends. When they nodded, she continued. "But…they never told us about the people they killed, have they…they never talked about the dead…and the blood…that part of the stories they always left out."

Shikamaru let out a soft sigh, as Ino continued. "The worst part is…the dreams…or nightmares," she said quietly. "I see…I see the men we killed in my sleep…just lying there…staring at me," she whispered. Besides her, Sakura shuddered and nodded as well. "They had us…they had us kill those chickens you know, in school? But…it's really not the same," Ino said.

"No, I'm guessing it wouldn't be, would it?" Shikamaru said in agreement. Ino and Sakura both just nodded quietly, until Chouji touched Ino's hand, to comfort her

"Ino…that's so horrible," Chouji said softly. "I…I wish I knew what to say." Ino just shrugged a bit, looking down.

Shikamaru just let out a sigh. "You know Ino…Chouji and I, we don't have any experience with this kind of stuff. But I can say this. As troublesome as it is, we're your friends. And if you ever need to come talk to someone, or just hang out, or need a shoulder to cry on…well I guess we're here, right Chouji?"

"Yeah, what Shikamaru said," Chouji agreed with a smile. "We're here to help you, anyway we can. So if you two need someone, just come find us."

Ino glanced up, giving a small smile. "I…thanks guys," she said. "That means a lot." She had to admit, just hearing the guys being supportive helped her feel a little bit better. Not a whole lot, but still a little bit. Sakura glanced up to, feeling a bit better at their support as well. Ino took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. "So let's move on from that depressing subject. What have you guys been up to? Shino being an okay teammate?" She asked.

Shikamaru nudged Chouji with his elbow, letting the larger boy answer, as he sat back, mentally frowning as he watched Ino and Sakura. Ino had always been the most outgoing and confident of them. To see her so badly shaken…it was really weird and worrying. He quietly hoped that when the time came, he and Chouji handled their first brushes with death and killing as well as she seemed to be. Letting out a mental sigh, he leaned forward, joining the conversation as Chouji told the girls about this time Shino attempted to collect insects attracted to Chouji's food, while Chouji kept running from said insects, feeling some relief as he saw the smile appearing on both girl's faces.

Elsewhere, Naruto grunted as he blocked Yugito's katar with his ninjato, quickly pulling the blade away before she could twist the tri-bladed weapon and send the blade spinning from his hand. He ducked under a swipe from Kiseki and her tanto, back flipping away as Yugito moved to attack Kiseki, giving him a brief moment of breathing space. A brief moment almost instantly ended by one of Hinata's training arrows moving right by his head, making him dodge out of the way. He quickly jumped into a back handstand, dodging another arrow.

Anko meanwhile watched as the three Assassins and one Assassin recruit fought in a free for all, testing their situational awareness and adaptability. Nodding as she saw Hinata move in with her short sword, she watched her 'sister' flow around Naruto's side strike and spin around, thrusting back at Yugito, making the Nibi jinchuuriki jump back and block an overhead blow from Kiseki, who then threw a training kunai at Naruto who barely dodged out of the way. The four broke, each taking a corner of the sparring floor, panting lightly and watching each other, until Anko clapped her hands. "That's enough for now," she said, moving forward. "Take a break. I need to talk to Naruto and Hinata about something," she said.

Both Naruto and Hinata blinked in surprise, before coming over to Anko, who had pulled out a scroll from one of her pouches. "I've got a surprise for one of you," she said, grinning as she saw Tomo, Naruto's fox, trot over from where he had been sitting and watching them spar, and plop down next to Naruto. "Raphael found this scroll in Nami while infiltrating Gato's mansion," she said. "This is a summoning contract. By signing your name and leaving your fingerprints in blood on it, you're able to summon the entities tied to this contract from their dimension. If they agree to work with you, they can aid you in various ways. They're not exactly something any shinobi can use, as they're very rare, and each group can be very picky on whom they serve. But, I have a feeling one of you two might be able to do it."

Naruto blinked at that, while Hinata tried to look at the scroll. "Which summoning group does this contract belong to?" She asked, as Anko flipped the scroll over.

"That's the interesting part. They're called fennec foxes apparently. The latter part of the name is obvious, but not sure about the first part," she said.

"Fennec foxes huh?" Naruto asked. "Are you sure it's not a bit cliché for the guy with the pet fox and the kitsune themed biju in his belly to have a fox based summoning contract?"

"Actually, it might help you out more than it would me," Hinata said, making Naruto look at her. "I'll admit, I'm intrigued by the idea of having a summoning contract. But given that its fox themed, I'm betting they're a tracking based group of summoning animals. I have my Byakugan for that, while you've got Tomo. But since he's still being trained, it might be a good idea for you to sign it so you can have them, if they are tracking type summons. If not, well then you've got a new group of friends for Tomo," she said with a giggle, as the young fox next to Naruto blinked, tilting his head to one side as his tail wagged each time Hinata said his name.

Naruto stroked his chin for a moment in thought, and then nodded. "That makes sense," he said with a grin. "So let's do this then!"

Anko handed him the scroll and watched as he unraveled it, before sneezing as doing so threw up some dust caught in the old scroll. There were several vertical spaces for prospective summoners to sign their names, with only one of them being filled. However the name was old and smudged, making it relatively illegible. Naruto shrugged as he cleaned the next spot of any dust or dirt, then bit his thumb deep enough to cause it to bleed. He began to write his name in blood, before leaving bloody fingerprints at the bottom. Anko nodded as she saw him finished.

"Good! Now we wait for the blood to dry, and you can start practicing on summoning them. If they end up accepting you, you'll be their new summoner. But if they reject you…well they might either just take the summoning scroll, or they might attack you. It varies from summoning group to group," Anko said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as Naruto's head shot up.

"Wait, attack me?! You didn't say anything about that!" He protested.

"I said might, gaki. Might," Anko said. "Anyways, we should go somewhere more open to practice. Who knows how big these guys are," she said. "Hinata, why don't you stay and keep practicing with Yugito and Kiseki. Naruto and I will handle his summoning training."

"Yes sensei," Hinata said, moving to the two older Assassins, as Naruto and Anko left, Tomo happily following Hinata. They both quickly took the rooftops, heading for the training ground.

When they found one that wasn't occupied, Anko turned to her blonde male student. "Alright gaki, the summoning jutsu is relatively simple. Just draw some blood again, use these hand signs while channeling chakra, and slam your hand down on the ground," she said, while showing him the hand signs. Naruto began to copy her, slowly running through them, memorizing the handsigns and practicing them.

When he soon was able to do them rapidly several times in a row, she nodded, stepping back. "Alright, give it a shot! But I'd suggest putting a good amount of chakra into the technique."

Naruto nodded, taking a deep breath before biting his thumb again, running through the handsigns, he raised his hand and slammed it down. "Kuchiyose no jutsu! (Summoning Technique!)"

Nothing happened, and Naruto frowned, repeating the process again. Again nothing happened, and so he frowned, doing it several more times. After his sixth try, Anko began to approach him, just as he let out a frustrated cry and did it again, this time with considerably more chakra.

There was a cloud of smoke as what looked like a sealing array appeared where his hand touched the ground. Naruto was almost engulfed in the smoke, causing him to cough and pull his hand back. Anko blinked, not seeing anything in the smoke except Naruto's head. As the smoke cleared though, a small animal could be seen standing where the sealing array had been.

As its name implied, it looked very fox like in appearance, except it was smaller than most foxes, and had a pair of very large ears. This particular fennec fox had dark brown fur with a creamy white fur running from its lower jaw along the underside of its body, and covering its four paws, as well as a white tip for its tail.

Said fox was blinking, looking around while blinking with large brown eyes, its ears twitching and moving, searching for any sounds. It turned as it heard Naruto coughing, and stopped, staring up at him, its whole body tense. Naruto saw it, and smiled a bit sheepishly, opening his mouth to say hi when it let out a yip of fear and disappeared in a much smaller cloud of smoke.

Naruto just stared at the smoke cloud, while Anko blinked, and chuckled a bit. "Well…that could have gone better," she said, approaching Naruto.

Naruto just blinked at her. "Do they normally do that?" He asked, only for Anko to shake her head.

"Not all of them. The first snake I summoned tried to eat me. I had to beat it off in order to prove my worth as their summoner. Every snake I've ever summoned, I defeated in a fight. That's how I prove myself worthy to them," she said.

"Huh…well should I try summoning again, or-," he said, only to yelp as there was a rather large cloud of smoke that erupted around them, only to rapidly disperse, revealing dozens of fennec foxes. Only unlike the one Naruto had summoned, the majority of these were considerably larger, ranging from the size of medium sized dogs to a couple being the size of wolves. They all had a variety of fur colors, and a few even wore pieces of clothing, while some of the larger ones bore scars or injuries of past battles. The largest of them in particular had a scar on his snout and a piece of his left ear missing.

Yet Anko and Naruto's attention was drawn to the smaller, silver furred fennec fox sitting on the largest one's back. Said fox was studying the pair quietly before speaking in an old masculine voice. "I am the Elder Kikite (Listener) of the fennec fox tribe. Which of you is the summoner?" He demanded.

Naruto glanced around at the various foxes surrounding them, and then spoke. "I am," he said, stepping forward. "I'm the one who signed the contract."

Kikite hopped off the larger foxes back, and approached Naruto, studying him. "It has been many, many years since my tribe had a summoner. Tell me, young human. What makes you think you are worthy of summoning us?" He asked.

Naruto bit his lip. "Well…I don't know," he said truthfully. "I do not know what you'd expect of someone for them to be worthy enough to be your summoner. And for me to try and say otherwise would simply mean I'm either a liar or a fool."

Kikite let out a small barking laugh. "A statement that is wiser than you might think," he said, hopping down and approaching Naruto. He began to sniff the air, blinking as he did so. "You smell quite unique, boy. I smell…I smell kitsune upon you. As well as…the scent of another…one who almost smells of kin, and yet doesn't. What is it I smell?" He asked.

"Well…the kitsune you're smelling is probably because…I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Naruto said, making the fennec foxes all start to bark or yip in surprise, only to be silenced by a commanding bark from Kikite. With the foxes now silent, Naruto continued. "The other you smell…well perhaps it's Tomo? He's my pet fox, who I found when I was younger, and adopted."

"Hmmm…I'd like to meet this Tomo. It intrigues me that his scent on you is that of kin. But as for Kyuubi…we know well of Kyuubi. It is an entity that has helped cause much suspicion on my kind in the past. Many people associate us with it, because of how similar foxes like us and kitsune like it are. We have reason to not trust it…but we have reason to respect it as well. It is truly powerful. To find a vessel of it as our summoner…I must say, you intrigue me greatly. What is your name?"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," the blond jinchuuriki said, making Kikite nod.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Please bring this Tomo here tomorrow at this time. We will speak with him and then judge if you're worthy of being our summoner. In the meantime, please do not attempt to summon us again," Kikite said, before barking to his fellow foxes. They all disappeared in a massive cloud of smoke, leaving Naruto and Anko alone.

Anko approached Naruto, who was waving smoke out of his face. "Well…that went better than my first summoning," she said with a grin.

Naruto however looked serious. "Why are they interested in Tomo? He doesn't look like a fennec fox, so how can he smell like kin to them?" He asked quietly, a bit nervous about why they wanted to meet Tomo. The little fox was his first real friend and family, and losing him…would be a devastating blow.

Anko chuckled softly. "Well he does sort of have their ears in a way," she said. "Don't worry Naruto, I'm sure they won't hurt him or anything."

"It would be easier to simply ignore them and cast the summoning contract aside, if you're so worried boy," Kyuubi spoke from within his mind. "Though it would be a shame to lose a potentially useful group of allies over simple fear. I do not know what these…rodents can truly offer, but they're services will most likely be valuable."

Naruto blinked before he mentally responded. 'You sound like you don't like them that much,' he thought.

"I have no 'like' except for my fellow kin and the few of you hairless apes that have managed to impress me without making me loathe them. But I will respect that these foxes may provide help, if they find you worthy. Of course, if you simply let loose some of my power, they would fear you and likely follow you out of terror of what you might unleash upon them," Kyuubi said, his voice taking on a more sadistically gleeful tone.

Naruto just let out a mental sweatdrop. 'Yeah, let's call that plan B. But ummm...they're not going to try and kill me because of you, are they?'

"I doubt it. I never interacted with them, as far as I know. And besides, even if they wanted to attack you, I would ensure they'd be dead for it. And they more than likely know it. So you'll be safe…though I would miss the chance for some amusement. One can only enjoy chasing imaginary prey and destroying fake cities for so long before one becomes bored," Kyuubi said, shutting down his mental connection to Naruto, while Naruto sighed, already imaging Kyuubi trotting through his portion of Naruto's mindscape. It had been Naruto's initial gesture of friendship, or at least an offer of a truce to the Kyuubi. He had worked to transform his mindscape into something more habitable and less depressing. The majority of Naruto's mindscape had become similar to the Assassin headquarters in appearance, his memories and knowledge filed away in books on shelves. Kyuubi's portion however had been turned into a woodland setting, with mental imitations of animals and villages for Kyuubi to let out his anger, wrath, and frustration on. So far, it had made Kyuubi more willing to speak to Naruto, though it was usually to insult Naruto or whoever Naruto was talking or thinking about.

Naruto just sighed, shaking his head before glancing at Anko, who was looking at him strangely. "Just Kyuubi making some comments," he said.

"Right. Well, why don't you head back to the warehouse. I'm going to go check on Ino and Sakura," Anko said, handing Naruto the rolled up scroll.

Naruto nodded, taking the scroll. "Right. See you later Anko-sensei," he said, heading off, as Anko chuckled softly, turning and heading in a different direction.

Unknown Location

A figure was quietly contemplating the report before them, before glancing up at the armored man before him. "So…Gato is dead," the figure said in a masculine voice. "That is quite a shame."

"Indeed Ichigawa-dono. We've also received reports that several of the villages he took as part of the plan have since fallen out of the hands of his company. We will no longer be able to utilize them when the time comes," the armored figure said, as the now named Ichigawa stood.

"It is a setback, but not one that cannot be overcome. We will simply need to bide our time. However, I am worried about the ones who brought about Gato's end. Are they the same ones who have been hounding his efforts for the past few years?" He asked.

"We do not know. The ones who defeated Gato were Konoha shinobi. Whether it's Konoha who's been investigating him or another group, we do not know at this time," the armored man said.

"Very well…in the end, it doesn't matter. Gato's role was not truly necessary. Simply a means for him to perhaps prove his family's former worth once again. However, take what happened to him and his family to heart. His death is simply an example of what has happened to this world, and how the natural order has been unbalanced. Remember, we will correct it," Ichigawa said.

"Yes, Ichigawa-dono," the figure said, bowing, before leaving. Ichigawa meanwhile simply turned to a map of the Elemental Nations. He picked up a pen, and used it to lightly circle the emblem of Konoha in hi no Kuni.

"Your time will come, Konoha. Oh yes. Your time will come," he said quietly.

Well…I finally did it…finally got this stupid chapter typed up…I am so sorry…so sorry. This was a filler chapter, and yet it took me forever to write it. I feel so horrible guys, like I've failed you. Sorry.

I have no excuse; I simply couldn't type this chapter out for some reason. I don't know why. I thought starting my new fanfic might help get creative juices flowing, but…well I don't know.

Still, I hope this chapter is okay. I think it's alright…sort of. I just hope you all like it.

Thanks go out to my beta readers for their help. Thank you Bill Alain and Kyuubi123. You guys are awesome.

Till next chapter, readers.