Chapter 3: The Next Step on the Path

Two Years Later

Turning in for the night, Ikari sighed in relief. The past two years had been most beneficial for him in multiple ways. The first was that his first meeting with his former family had possibly been pushed back another three years. The main reason for that being that they had improved the Academy's curriculum due to quite a few injuries and deaths that could have been prevented had the Genin actually received more in depth training than just the basic techniques that were covered as well as ensuring that the trainees were physically fit.

That had increased the graduation age from twelve to thirteen, and then there was the mandatory time as a Genin before being able to go to the Chunin exams that the Council had established, which meant that there was a two year time requirement to be able to go from Genin to Chunin.

Due to this delay in graduation, as well as the time requirement, there was a small possibility it had pushed the confrontation with his former relatives from when he was twelve to fifteen, and with the test he had undergone earlier today in trying to join the ANBU, he was certain that by the time he actually had the confrontation with his former family that he would be a Jonin and be firmly entrenched as a clan head.

While he was fairly certain that he did well enough to pass, he was still concerned because his age might be the one factor in him not being accepted. That and he was concerned about the possibility of his ex-relatives coming back earlier to ensure that their daughters were made Genin.

Then there was the new house that he had been living in for the last year and a half. He had been pleasantly surprised by the reaction he had received from Setsuki, and that had been the deciding factor in choosing to sign the contract.

*FLASHBACK START*

The dinner had been amazing, but Ikari could already tell that something was worrying Setsuki and he knew that he wasn't the only one to pick up on it. Once dinner was over, the conversation slowly became heavier, as both Itachi and Mikoto, his mother and chief advisor in his role as the Uchiha Clan head, directed the conversation toward why everyone was there this evening.

Eventually, the Uchiha Matriarch smiled and cleared her throat. "Setsuki-chan, there are multiple reasons for why we are all gathered here tonight. The first is to clear up the mystery concerning one of your dearest friends, one Uzumaki Naruto. I promised you when you were much younger that I would help you to find him or find out what happened to him, and I am happy to tell you that he is alive and well even if he has changed more than you might have expected."

Sitting up straight with a small smile on her face, the first one that anyone had seen on the seven-year olds face in quite some time, she looked expectantly at her Oba-san. "I had hoped so Oba-san, where has he been all this time? What happened to him? When will I see him again or…or h-has he f-f-forgotten all about me?"

Right as she stood to run to her room, her hands over her face, she was wrapped up in a hug from behind her. Then she heard a familiar voice in her ear. "Suki-chan, I never forgot you, I promise you that. I had to get strong though because I found out some rather disturbing things about my family and because of certain things that you will be made aware of tonight, I had to train in secret for the last three years. I know that I owe you an explanation at the very least and I promise you that I will give it to you. Believe it!"

Hearing those two very familiar words, she spun around and looked the person who was holding her, and since his eyes were closed she peered closely at his face, tracing the faint lines of the whiskers on his cheeks with her eyes. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she buried her face in his neck while crying softly. He had maneuvered her carefully, and sitting back in her chair, Ikari had placed her in his lap and rocked her as he comforted her.

Before they left that night, he had told everyone there everything, and had even Sasuke and Mikoto stunned by the level of betrayal that had happened to him. None of them batted an eye when he told them that he was the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune; although all three women present crowed about how the most powerful demon lord was a female.

What she was stunned about though was the fact that Miyuki-kaa-san had changed his body so that not only was he not related to his former family anymore, but that he had been given a new bloodline and was the beginning of a whole new clan as well. Setsuki thought about whether she would be allowed to marry him, and was a little put out about the fact that she would have to share him. "What do you mean that I will have to share you if I want this?"

Smiling at her gently, he placed a finger to her lips. "Suki-chan, can you share me? I want you to know that I will consider us all as equals under our roof. Only in public will I appear to greater, and that is only because I will be the head of our clan. In any important decision you and the others, whoever they might be, will have an equal say in what we choose. Can you accept this?"

Pouting cutely at him, she turned and thought about it for a few minutes. On the one hand she knew that he would have to have at least three wives. She knew what kind of person he was, and knew that growing up he had had very little love and affection in his life, but amazingly enough he still had a big heart and she knew that she wouldn't be loved or cared for any less than the others. Setsuki was also very grateful that she wouldn't have to be a trophy wife, someone who was only kept around for her looks and to pop out babies.

As she tossed the idea around, Ikari was quietly carrying on conversation with his host and his family. They covered just about any topic you could think of, from his training regimen, to the ideas he had for getting back at certain people for just foolishly abandoning him. After a few more minutes she squeezed him gently to let him know that she had made her decision.

Gulping slightly at the attention on her, she cleared her throat afterward so that she could speak. "I…I accept the proposal. I know Na…Ikari-kun would never treat anyone precious to him badly, and to be honest I think I'd like the opportunity to grow together with him over the next few years, so that we can get to know each other better."

*FLASHBACK END*

In fact, the house had needed so much work done, that it was better off being torn down and rebuilt. He and Itachi had come to an agreement that they would match every single ryo that he put into the new building, and that was mainly due to the fact that they figured that he wouldn't be bringing in all that much until he gained more rank and was able to take on harder missions.

What they still didn't know is that he had his clones steadily making sealing scrolls and explosive tags on the side and that he was making around 15,000 ryo each month above and beyond what he was making with missions. It was part of the reason why they had managed to have a new house built so quickly, and with all the extra cash he had coming in he had personally commissioned a few extras, like the mixed bathing onsen, the training dojo, and a flower garden with a pond.

Laying there in bed as he prepared to go to sleep, the youth sat there and mentally estimated how much he had saved up over the last two years and whistled quietly as he figured he had saved up almost 500,000 ryo in the last two years, and that wasn't counting interest earned either. Smiling to himself as he fell asleep, he knew well that his future family wouldn't suffer the way he had growing up.

The Next Day

Ikari had awakened much refreshed this morning, showered and gotten dressed in his standard clothes. Black ANBU pants with pockets running down the legs, a sleeveless mesh undershirt with a dark green long sleeve shirt over it with his black Chunin vest over the top. He tied his hitai-ate around his left bicep and laced up his black steel toed boots. Walking downstairs he greeted the elderly housekeeper that he had hired on as soon as the house was complete.

"Ohayo Mika-san, how are you this morning?"

She turned as she finished with breakfast and smiled at the young man. "Ohayo Ikari-kun, I am just fine and how did you sleep last night?"

Grinning widely, Ikari chuckled. "I slept quite well, thanks. Training does wonders for ensuring that one sleeps well at night. Is there anything we are in need of that I can get for you while I am out and about today?"

Shaking her head, she slid a plate with eggs and toast in front of the young man. "No, we are good for now. You do remember that you have a meeting in half an hour at the Hokage's Office, yes?"

Nodding absent-mindedly, he grinned as he felt that he had indeed passed the test he needed to in order to join the ranks of the ANBU. It was then that he thought of a way to celebrate his passing the test. "Mika-san, if it's not too much of a hassle can I ask you for a favor today?"

Getting a nod from her, he grinned as he finished the last of his food and swallowed. "I was wondering if I could persuade you to pick up something extra special for dinner tonight, enough for eight people."

Nodding as she took the plate from his place at the head of the table she paused for a moment. "Something fancy Ikari-kun?"

Shaking his head for her to see, he stood and prepared to walk out the door. "Nothing too fancy, I would like to sit down and have a family dinner with all those whom I consider my family who will be available tonight. And by the way that includes you as well Mika-san." With a quick hug and a wink, he quickly ran out the door hearing her chuckles as he did so.

The Hokage's Office

Arriving about five minutes later, the young man knocked on the doors to Oji-san's office and opened them once he had heard someone tell him to enter. Walking inside, he kept his eyes focused on the Hokage, all the while taking everyone that was around him, whether they could be seen or only sensed.

Bowing to the Hokage, he stood once more, his face set in serious tones. "Chunin Sōjin reporting as ordered Hokage-sama."

Standing from behind his desk, he went through a couple of hand seals and activated the improved privacy seals in his office. Once he was done with that, he turned to all the others who were in his office and motioned for them to drop their masks. Cat turned out to be Yuugao, Dog was Kakashi, Weasel was Itachi and the ANBU Commander, otherwise known as Wolf, was Hyuuga Hana. Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, the Hokage began to speak.

"Sōjin-san you have been called here today to join the ranks of the ANBU. You will be joining the ANBU Black Ops Squad, under the command of Hatake Kakashi, and whose members are as follows: Weasel who is their long-range combat specialist and interrogator, and Cat who is the team's assassination and close-combat specialist. There are three masks that you can choose from here, and they are the Hawk, Boar, and Fox masks. Once you have chosen your mask, then we will ask you to take off your shirt to receive your tattoo which will designate you as an ANBU."

Standing and approaching the desk, Ikari looked over the masks that were there and quickly picked up the Fox mask. Taking it in hand and stepping back, he looked to his Aniki and handed him his Chunin vest and mask with a nod, and then stripped off his hitai-ate and his long-sleeved shirt. Sitting en seiza in front of the Hokage, he looked up at the old man with a smile on his face. "I'm ready Hokage-sama."

Smiling down at the young man, he then turned to Yuugao and Hana, who were the tattoo specialists in the ANBU, and motioned them forward. Yuugao looked down at her Otōto and smiled widely. "You have come a long way, Otōto. As a special gift for today Hana-san and I will give you one more tattoo, free of charge, wherever you would like and whatever you would like."

Thinking about it for a moment, he was struck with inspiration. While Hana was busy tattooing the ANBU mark on his left shoulder, he smiled up at his Onēsan. "A fox head sitting directly over nine fox tails arranged in a circle, directly over my heart. She changed my life for the better and this will be my clan's new symbol, minus the fox head of course."

Nodding her head, Yuugao waited until Hana was finished and then asked Ikari to stand so that they could do the requested tattoo. Once it was done he looked down at it and smiled. "That one is for you, kaa-san."

'Thank you Ikari-kun, I appreciate the touch. There is something we will need to talk about though, in regards to your clan and the first betrothal you have arranged as well as any other wives you marry.'

'Okay then, how about before dinner this evening so that we can discuss any possible courses of action with all who might be involved?'

Once he had gotten the feeling that she agreed with his timing, he looked up at everyone there and grinned. "Well this is another step towards my goal, huh Oji-san?"

Gently smiling at the young man, Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed it is Ikari-kun, now then I have a mission briefing for all of you in the morning, so be here at eight and don't be late. Dismissed."

Getting the attention of the three ANBU he needed to invite, he motioned for them to follow him. Once they had left the Hokage Tower, he led the way to one of the parks nearby. Once there he threw down a disposable privacy seal that he had created and then handed each of them an invite. "The invite is to a family dinner at my home tonight. I know that we can't discuss certain aspects of our lives, not even with our closest of loved ones but I kinda had a feeling that I would pass the test and figured that it would be a good reason to celebrate tonight, as a family, because some of you are family already to me, and a few of you will become family to me in time."

Looking around at all three of them, Ikari smiled as he saw them all nod. "Well then let's get me kitted out with the ANBU gear I'm going to need, ne?" Everyone simply smiled at the young man and then shunshined away.

Next Day

Having awoken early the next morning, the young heir had conducted his morning business and gotten dressed in his new attire. A new sleeveless emerald green shirt that was covered by a dark blue Jonin style ANBU vest, dark blue ANBU pants and the steel toed boots, and his hitai-ate was the final touch as he finished getting dressed. On the way out the door, he let Mika-san know that he was going to be gone on a mission and didn't know how long he was going to be gone for.

Disappearing in a swirl of ice shards, he re-appeared in the Hokage's Office with his mask on and ready to go. Seeing as he was the first one there, and that not even the Hokage was there yet, he covered himself in a genjutsu and hid his chakra levels and then waited for everyone else to get there.

Five minutes later everyone else was there and he pulled down the genjutsu and stood next to Weasel. Glancing up to see that they were all there, the Hokage sighed mentally. "I have two missions so I am going to need the four of you to split up. The first mission is to assess the efforts and capabilities of the rebels in Mist. From there if your assessment is favorable, the two that go are to remain and assist them. Do not get captured by their enemies as they are on a witch-hunt against bloodline users. One of the two who will be going on this mission is Fox, as he will be needed if the assessment indeed turns out favorable and the reason for that is because their Yondaime Mizukage is the Jinchuriki of the Sanbi."

Stopping here for a moment, he could feel the tension and realized that there wasn't anything he could do about it now but pray that everything turned out well. "The other mission is to remain off the books for now, because it involves subterfuge of the highest level due to the nature of the people you will be in contact with. I need two of you to deliver a scroll to the Sennin Jiraiya, and let him know that training mission or not, if he doesn't get back on the ball with his spy network I will have him marked as a nukenin and put a kill on sight order out for him in the Bingo books. If he argues with you or tries to blow you off, let him know that twice now in the last six months I have had to find out about some rather important events that could have had major ramifications from his spy network and even then it was almost too late for us to do anything about it! Not to mention that they have told me that he has not been in contact with them for over a year!"

Giving himself a moment or two to calm down, he sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "My apologies, I do not mean to take these things out on you, but lately I find myself wondering what the hell I was thinking allowing those idiots to carry out their foolish plan. I want you to make your plans and depart no later than noon."

Looking around for a moment, he located the two scrolls he was searching for and tossed them to Dog. "The blue-edged scroll contains your contact location and passwords to meet up with your contact in the port city of Otāzu no Odori. The green edged scroll is the one that I need delivered to Jiraiya. Once you have taken care of that, then and only then will the two of you link up with the others who will be in Mizu no Kuni. Understood?"

Four replies of "Hai, Hokage-sama," were his answer and he nodded. "Good then all I have to say is good luck and return safely." His only response was four nods and then they vanished in various methods of shunshin. Once they were safely out of sight and hearing, he sagged back in his seat and tilted his head back. "May Kami watch over and protect you all."

Once they had reappeared at the ANBU training ground, Kakashi removed his mask and turned towards the others. After gazing at both Itachi and Yuugao for a moment, he sighed and looked to Ikari. "I know that you have been in life and death situations before Otōto, I want you to promise me something though. I need you to promise me that you will follow Itachi's instructions. You are important to me, and I am unsure of how long it will take us to locate our target and link back up with you."

Taken aback for a moment, Ikari nodded and sighed. "You have my word that I will do my best to follow Itachi's instructions."

Eye-smiling at his younger brother, Kakashi sighed mentally, relieved at how easily that had gone over. Clipping his mask back into place, he straightened his shoulders and turned to Yuugao. "You're with me Cat, Weasel and Fox you are to head out to the contact's location and be there in three days. Good luck and be cautious."

He then disappeared in a swirl of leaves along with Cat, leaving the other two to their own devices. Fox turned to Weasel and frowned even though he knew the other man couldn't see it. "I need to stop by and see Suki-chan before we leave, just to let her know I'm going to be gone for a while."

Nodding at the young man, he smirked at Ikari, grateful for the mask that he wore so that he wouldn't be able to see it. Disappearing in two swirls of fire, the ANBU training grounds were soon left empty.

Three Days Later

Once they had arrived near the outskirts of Otāzu no Odori, they slowed down and after ensuring that there was no one around them, removed their masks and used a Henge to conceal their looks. Looking around as they walked around the town, they stopped by a dango stand to grab some food and continued on.

About a half hour later they found the inn that they were supposed to meet their contact at and headed inside. Once they had arranged for a room for the night, they then took a seat at table where they could observe everything and everyone going by. After ordering a bottle of sake and some food, they sat there quietly conversing for a little over an hour before someone came in that caught Ikari's eye.

Motioning to Itachi where only he could see, he communicated using ANBU hand signals that their contact had just shown up. Getting a nod in return, he stood and approached the table that she was sitting at with one other person, figuring that since he was the more un-assuming of the two that he would be greeted with slightly less hostility than Itachi would have.

Sitting down at the table he smiled lightly at the woman across from him. "The waters are cold this time of year."

Catching the slight widening of her eyes, he watched as she nodded and spoke quietly. "Yes, they are indeed, I just hope that the fires will keep us warm. Have we kept you waiting long?"

Shaking his head, he signaled Itachi to join them. "No as we just got into town today. My companion and I have some questions for you before we leave with you." He then turned to Itachi once she nodded and motioned for him to take over the conversation.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Itachi nodded to his younger comrade before turning to their host. "I'm thinking that we should discuss this in a more private location, we have a room upstairs and I think it might be best if you and your companion joined us so that we aren't overheard."

Smirking, the woman turned to her companion and looked at him in a questioning manner. He returned her gaze with certainty and nodded back at her. She then stood and motioned for them to lead the way, which Ikari did, followed closely by the two strangers and Itachi as the rearguard.

Upon reaching their room, Ikari slapped a seal on the door and channeled a little chakra into it. Then slipped in some hand seals after biting his thumb, and slammed his hand into the floor. "Kuchiyose no jutsu" Two three-tailed Kitsune, one that was an icy blue in color and the other the blazing reddish-orange of a fire, popped out of a small cloud of smoke and looked to their summoner.

"What do you require of us Ikari-sama?" Hiding his grimace, he spoke quietly to them, yet still loud enough to be heard by everyone there in the room. "Greetings to both of you, Shimo, Takibi, I need the two of you to make certain that we are not overheard by anyone. Do not attack and employ your stealth skills to observe and report any chakra usage outside of this room within five hundred meters."

Both nodding at their summoner, they popped out of the room as Ikari looked up at his partner. "We should be secure now, so we can begin anytime you wish to."

This got Itachi's attention and he turned towards the pair who were just sitting there, somewhat stunned by the ability of the young man. "The first thing that we would like to know is your names. I am Uchiha Itachi, and my partner is Sōjin Ikari." It was at this point that the two of them dropped their respective Henge and resumed their normal looks.

The woman nodded and pointed to her companion first. "This is Ao, and my name is Terumi Mei. I must admit to being impressed as I wasn't expecting someone so young."

Smirking just a bit, Itachi replied, "True but we weren't expecting to meet with the leader of the rebels and her second-in-command either."

"Touché, now what questions do you have for us, because I'll be honest with you, the reality of things is that we are in dire straits and we will need the aid of a Jinchuriki if we are to end Yagura's reign of terror and bloodshed."

Motioning to his younger partner Itachi let Ikari take the floor. "That would be why I am here, what can you tell us as far as the numbers you are up against and what condition your own troops are in?"

Mei turned to Ao and nodded. Sighing a little, Ao shook his head a bit. "We are out-numbered three to one at this point in time. Our troops are in good shape for now, but morale is slowly starting to waver as we have been slowly losing ground. Most of the civilians want Yagura gone, but with so many Shinobi against us, the most they are willing to do is secretly provide us with food and medicine. In all honesty if we can't win at least one major victory and soon, things will come crashing down around our ears and the rebellion will fail. The worst part is that if Yagura wins, it will not bode well for countries like Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni who have well-known bloodlines."

Sitting back in their chairs, the two Konoha Nin took their time sorting through the information they had just received. Itachi turned to Ikari and raised an eyebrow at him, to which he responded by shrugging. Turning back to the Kiri Nin, he slowly nodded his head. "If we assist you and you win, have you given any thought to who will become the new Mizukage? Also what are you offering for our services as we are here in an off-the-books mission because of the chance of capture?"

The two Mist ninja looked at each other and nodded, and then Mei looked at both of them. "Once we win I will more than likely become the Godaime Mizukage, as far as what you would receive in return for your services I am afraid that we won't be able to afford to give you much in return. I am inclined to offer an alliance with Konoha with very favorable terms, but other than that I can't really offer much else."

Sharing a quick glance the two younger ninja nodded. "That is acceptable perhaps we could receive a favor redeemable at a later date instead of direct payment, but nothing too unreasonable of course."

"That is indeed acceptable. I am guessing that Ikari-san here is the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

Simply smirking at her, Ikari bowed slightly. "Indeed I am Mei-san. I compliment you on your deductive reasoning."

Smiling brightly at the young man, she nodded her head once. "If that is all for your questions, I suggest we all get ready for tomorrow, as that is when our ship returns for us. We leave at daybreak."

Before they got up to go Ikari flared his chakra twice and then there were two puffs of smoke that appeared in front of him. Glancing down at his two summons he spoke quietly. "Anything to report?"

"Nothing Ikari-sama, there were a few flares of chakra but they were much further out and were separate instances. Plus they were all in the direction of Konoha."

"Very well done you two, now I have one more task for you and it will last until we meet back up at daybreak tomorrow. Takibi your job is to keep a watch for Mei-san and Ao-san, Shimo the same applies for you with Itachi and me. Stay out of sight at all times and if anyone tries anything suspicious wake us and we'll figure out what kind of action is needed from there, any questions?"

Getting two head shakes as his answer, he smiled and turned towards Mei and Ao. "Just a small precaution enabling us to get a restful night's sleep, Takibi is a fire oriented Kitsune just so you know if anything comes up."

Thanking the young man, Mei and Ao got up and left for their own room. As soon as they had left, both of the summons left as well leaving the two alone in their room. Lying back on his bed for a moment Ikari sighed. Turning his head to Itachi he frowned. "Do you think that we gave too much away at the moment?"

Itachi lay back on his own bed for a bit and thought about it. "No, I don't feel like they are going to take advantage of us or anything like that. So I think that we did just fine with the level of information that we gained as well as gave away. Before we go to sleep tonight we need to make sure we send a report to Kakashi, I will write it up if you will take care of summoning a fox to send it."

"Agreed, I am just a tad bit nervous though. I've fought bandits and nukenin before, but in an actual battle or part of a civil war? I'm not scared so much as anxious, as I know that this will be on a far larger scale than anything I have ever been through before."

Itachi turned to look at the young man that he regarded as part of his own family. "I trust you to do what you feel is truly right. It isn't all that uncommon to feel that way, all it means is that you are human. What you need to worry about is when you feel nothing at all for that is when you have truly lost all touch with humanity."

Exhaling heavily, Ikari turned to look at Itachi and smiled slightly. "Thanks Itachi, I appreciate that greatly. I suppose that we should get that report written up so Aniki can get it sent to the Hokage along with his own report."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ikari thought back to the conversation he had had with his family the night before he had left. It had been extremely nerve-wracking as he wasn't too certain how well the topic would go over. It had involved what he and Miyuki-chan had discussed earlier that day.

*FLASHBACK START*

He had just gotten home and was putting the finishing touches on a few notes for a jutsu he was trying to finish, when he sighed and stretched out for a minute. Taking a gander at the clock he saw that he had about an hour before anyone would start to show up, and he remembered what his kaa-san had asked of him. Wrapping up what he had been working on, he put the scroll into a seal that was tattooed on his wrist and sat on his bed.

Relaxing, Ikari quickly entered his mindscape and found Miyuki lying out in the sun in her Kitsune form. Approaching her, he lay down with his head on her flank, just soaking in the closeness he felt. After a few minutes of this, he gently shook her awake and lay still while she woke up and shifted to her human form. In short order he was lying there with his head in her lap, and she had her hands running through his hair.

Smiling up at her, he gently cleared his throat. "What was that you wanted to talk with me about earlier, kaa-san?"

Returning his smile, she sighed softly as she looked off into the distance. "I know how alone you have been most of your life, and I know that you desire a large and loving family. What would you say if I told you that there is a way for you to ensure not only your bloodline, but to ensure that your wives would live as long as you will, and also enjoy the slower aging effects that you will?"

As he considered the option his eyes became rather unfocused and thus he didn't notice as Miyuki laid a motherly kiss on his forehead. He was lost in thought about it for a few minutes and finally shook his head and re-focused his eyes on her. "What exactly does this entail? I'm sure that whatever the actual process is it won't be painless…"

Shaking her head sadly, she frowned a bit. "No unfortunately. It is a rather simple process, and it involves you channeling my chakra into your partner after biting them. It won't leave a mark, but it requires physical contact for at least eight hours after you channel enough of my chakra into them so that I can work through the required changes to their blood and body. I won't be changing as much so they will still be related to their parents and not to you, but I would need to do it soon at least in the case of Setsuki."

Growing concerned Ikari looked up at her with a slight frown. "I only have two questions, kaa-san. First is when you say physical contact what exactly do you mean? Second just why would you need to do this sooner for Setsuki than you would need to for someone else?"

Miyuki chuckled at his questions. "Your first question is rather easy to answer; all you would need to do is sleep next to each other, preferably holding each other close. The second one is a touch more complicated, as the reason for needing to do it sooner is because on the off-chance that Setsuki actually activates her Sharingan, it would take far more of my chakra than would be safe for her to have in her system and it would more than likely kill her. So if you think about it, not only does she gain all the benefits from your bloodline, but she also goes from maybe gaining her Sharingan, to definitely gaining the Seigi if we do this."

He laid there stunned for a few minutes before snapping out of it. Looking up at her with gratitude, he sat up and tackled her in a hug, all the while mumbling his thanks to her for her kindness and care. She simply hugged him back rocking him back and forth until it was nearly time to get ready to receive the guests for dinner that night.

*FLASHBACK END*

Ikari smiled to himself as he remembered the reactions he had gotten from everyone who had participated in that particular conversation. He would admit to a certain level of nervousness since Setsuki was going to give him her answer once he got back from this mission. Hoping that she would say yes, he shook his head to clear it and sat up. "You about done with that report Itachi?"

Getting a nod from his older partner, he quickly ran through the process of summoning, and a one-tail fox popped up. "Greetings Ikari-sama, you have something for me to do?"

Picking up the small Kitsune and scratching behind her ears, he chuckled as he spoke to her. "Yes Yuri-chan I do indeed. Here in a few minutes once my partner here is done, I need you to take the report that he is writing to Hatake Kakashi. I want you to ensure that no one else but Uzuki Yuugao is around when you deliver it. Stealth is essential, so that's why I summoned you, because you are the sneakiest Kitsune I know next to Miyuki-chan."

Giggling softly, Yuri nodded and lay down in his lap, enjoying his attention for the moment. Itachi smiled slightly as he took in Ikari leaning back against the wall with Yuri lying on his lap. It never ceased to amaze him how big a heart the young man had especially with how badly he had been treated growing up.

Clearing his throat to get Ikari's attention, he watched as the young man's eyes snapped open. "I'm ready to send the report, are you ready?"

Nodding his head, Ikari leaned forward and stretched his hand out. Once he had the scroll in hand, he held it out for Yuri to grab hold of it. One last scratch of her ears and she was gone in a puff of smoke. Standing and stretching, the young man smiled at his sensei. "I'm going to grab some food before turning in, care to join me?"

Taking a moment to consider this, Itachi nodded. "That and I would like to discuss a few different seals I have thinking about to see if they could be modified in different ways."

Shrugging his shoulders as he led the way out of their room, Ikari just smiled. "I'm sure they could be, as fuinjutsu is probably among the strongest and most flexible, if not the most versatile, of the ninja arts."

Early Next Morning

Having gotten used to a funky sleep schedule was a huge benefit for Ikari, as he awoke in plenty of time to shower and was downstairs getting a large breakfast order placed by the time everyone else was there. Getting a couple of warmed chunks of raw liver, he greeted his summons. "Ohayo Shimo, Takibi. I trust that everything went well last night?"

"Hai Ikari-sama. There was only one isolated incident but we quickly managed to root it out before it became a problem." After hearing about the ROOT possibly getting involved where they shouldn't be, Ikari sighed mentally. "Very well done you two, here is your reward for such good work." Holding out his hands, he allowed them each to each the chunks of liver, channeled some water natured chakra and washed his hands of the residue, and then scratched their ears a bit.

"One last thing you two, I need one of you to relay a message to your eldest sister. I need you to let her know that her services might very well be needed in the not too distant future." He looked at both of them, trying to impress upon them the importance of this message.

Shimo and Takibi simply nodded. "Hai Ikari-sama. You do realize though that Shinibana-ane is going to ask for you to start learning Senjutsu soon if you do summon her here, right?"

Sighing aloud this time, he nodded. "I know, and soon I won't be able to turn her offer down, but that is not an issue for the moment. Now go back home and ensure that she gets my message."

They popped away, leaving everyone at the table staring at the young man. "What?" was his response as he sat there blinking in confusion at everyone there. Itachi was the one who responded in humorous undertones.

"I believe that the cause for shock in this case is the fact that no one ever knew that any of the other summon families besides the Toads and the Snakes could teach the art of Senjutsu to their summoner." He then looked to the other two that were there and received nods from the both of them. Mei cleared her throat and shook her head before speaking up as well.

"There's also the fact that you are quite possibly the youngest person I have ever heard of being able to summon, let alone being taught the Sage Arts." Her voice was soft and respectful as she spoke, somehow also filled with awe at the strength this young man possessed.

Chuckling lightly Ikari simply nodded at them. "Well dig in before it gets cold, we need to be at our best so I woke a little early and arranged for this spread."

Throughout the meal everyone was discussing the upcoming trip and what they should expect from their hosts. They learned about how the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri had attempted a coup to try and overthrow Yagura and how the attempt had failed. Most of them had then disappeared, with the exception of Ringo Ameyuri and Chojuro, who had both joined the rebellion to aid Mei.

When he heard this, Ikari got a gleam in his eyes as he thought about getting the opportunity to spar with one of the Seven Swordsmen. He continued to listen as they spoke about other issues that they had come across, like the extermination of the Kaguya and Yuki clans and their bloodlines. It was while they were finally leaving the town and out to sea that he got up the courage to ask about what their bloodlines where that he got the shock of his life.

"Ne, Mei-san, can you tell me a little bit about the two clans and what their bloodlines were?" Ikari stood at the railing, enjoying the sea breeze that was blowing in his face while they talked.

Her eyes closed, Mei mentally shrugged as she thought about whether or not she should be talking about these things when she realized it really couldn't do any harm. "The Kaguya had the ability to call their bones out from there body in various ways, either as weapons or as ways of entrapping their foes. The Yuki clan was able to utilize one of the sub-elemental chakra as their bloodline, much like my own family. The Terumi clan has the ability to use both Youton and Futton sub-elements as part of our Kekkei Genkai."

Here the young smiled as he thought about what her elemental affinities were. "So you're very similar to me then. I was given a new bloodline by the Bijuu that I contain the ability to use the Shakuton and Hyouton sub-elements…" He trailed off for a moment when he sensed that she was staring at him. Opening his eyes and looking at her face, Ikari was surprised to see the look of shock on her face. "What's wrong, Mei-san?"

Shaking her head, she turned her head to look back out to sea. "The sub-element of the Yuki clan was Hyouton…"

Realizing that he might have brought up some bad memories, he sighed. "Gomen Mei-san, as I did not mean to remind you of anything bad."

Waving his concerns off for the moment, she turned back to him. "You couldn't have known Ikari-san. I will say this though; you will find it much easier to use your Hyouton abilities while in Mizu no Kuni, seeing as it will be easier for you to draw out water from the surrounding area to use in your jutsu."

Taking a moment to consider this new revelation, Mei was struck by an idea. "Say Ikari-san, what would you say to receiving copies of any jutsu that they had, if we can find any of their scrolls?"

Growing wide-eyed for a moment, Ikari stopped to think about it for a bit. "Will this be in lieu of my receiving a favor for later?"

The red-haired woman immediately shook her head. "No this will be a bonus of sorts, as there is no guarantee of there even being anything of theirs still around."

Bowing ever so slightly, Ikari drew her attention back towards him. "Even if we find nothing to help me, I will be honored to help in any way I can."

Stunned for a few seconds, Mei turned to look at the young man. "Why would you put yourself out there for us even forgoing any type of payment?"

Standing up straight, he headed for where there quarters were on the ship. "That's quite simple: because it is the right thing to do."

A/N: So far in this story we have a fem Haku, and an OC as two of his wives, and I am debating who will be the third member of his mini-harem. It will more than likely NOT be any one from Konoha, and I am kinda leaning towards either a fem Gaara or possibly Tsuchi Kin.