Chapter 43

(One Week Later, 2:30 p.m. ; Forest Half-Mile Due North of Konoha)

"Are we almost there?!" Anko whined from her position atop Naruto's back. The kunoichi had previously been complaining about her sore feet, so Naruto had offered to carry her. This quickly earned Anko several glares from the other girls. Anko grinned and playfully stuck her tongue out as she climbed on Naruto's back. However, Naruto didn't miss the annoyed looks his girls shot at Anko. After releasing a light sigh, Naruto had quickly formed a hand seal; causing several Kage Bunshin to appear. All of the girls smiled brightly as they allowed Naruto and his clones to carry them. "We've been walking for hours!"

"More like I've been carrying you for hours." Naruto muttered underneath his breath. Seconds later Naruto yelped when he felt Anko pull hard on his ear.

"What was that gaki?" Anko asked darkly, as she leaned down to whisper into Naruto's ear. "Are you seriously complaining about carrying the women that 'you' got pregnant?"

"N-No! Of c-course not, Anko-chan!" Naruto stammered out, forcing a weak smile onto his face. "I'm happy to carry my girls when they're tired."

"That's what I thought." Anko said, as she patted Naruto on the head. Turning around, Anko called out to Shisui, who was currently near the back of the group. "Oi, magic eyes! You've got the map, so are we getting close or what?!"

"I have a name." Shisui thought, his left eye twitching ever so slightly in annoyance. Grumbling to himself, Shisui unfolded the map and quickly scanned over it. "At our current pace we should be back in Konoha in about ten minutes."

"Thank kami!" Choji exclaimed, as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I've been dying to get back home. I have so much I want to tell Shikamaru and Asuma-sensai."

"You just want to tell them that you have a girlfriend now." Ino teased, causing Choji's face to flush red in embarassment.

"I just want to get back and see how Itachi and Obito are doing." Shisui said, as he put the map back into his pack. "It's been months since I last saw them, and I want to see how the new police force is coming along."

"I too would like to see how the police force is doing." Sai said, which caused Naruto to quirk an eyebrow.

"You thinking about becoming a cop Sai?" The 'real' Naruto asked, as he walked up next to his pale teammate.

"No...Well not yet at least." Sai replied, shaking his head. "Maybe when I'm a little older. But for right now I still want to be a shinobi."

"That's great to hear." Naruto said, as he patted Sai on the back. "Because when I'm Hokage I'm gonna need capable shinobi like you."

"Thanks, Naruto." Sai said with a genuine smile on his face.

"You're a member of Team 7, Sai. Don't ever forget that." Sakura said, as she hopped off the clone's back and place a hand on Sai's shoulder. "Naruto and I will be there whenever you need us."

"Yeah! Team 7 is a like family, and we always stick together!" Naruto cheered with a large foxlike grin. However, no one noticed the brief look of sadness that flashed in Naruto's eyes. "All except one...stupid teme. Damn it, you were supposed to be my brother. Why'd you have to go and do something so despicable. I could handle you hurting me, but I can never forgive you for hurting Sakura-chan."

"You okay, Naruto?" Sai asked, noticing that the blonde jinchuriki was hanging his head.

"Of course!" Naruto quickly yelled, as he flashed Sai a bright smile. "I'm just a little tired. Can't wait to get back home and get some rest."

"He must have been thinking about Sasuke again." Sai thought, deciding to drop the subject for now.

"Well you won't have to wait much longer, because we're here." Shisui said, just as the village gates come into view. "Welcome back to Konoha everyone."

"Finally!" Choji exclaimed, releasing a large sigh of relief.

"Hey guys look!" Tenten exclaimed, as she pointed at the Hokage Monument.

"Well would you look at that." Naruto said with a grin, the group continuing their short walk to the village's gates. "Looks like they already put Kakashi-sensei's face up there." The blonde jinchuriki felt a rush of determination as he stared at his father and sensei's faces etched into the stone. "Soon my face is gonna be up there as well, ttebayo!"

"Well, well, well look who's finally returned home." A familiar voice caught the attention of Naruto's group. Naruto turned to see Izumo and Kotetsu waving his group over.

"It's been a while Naruto! How have you all been?" Kotetsu asked with a grin, as Naruto's team walked over.

"We've been great!" Naruto replied with his signature grin. "The mission went out without a hitch." A sudden elbow from Sakura caused Naruto to nervously chuckle. "Heheh, let's just say the mission went well." It was then that Naruto noticed that Izumo and Kotetsu weren't wearing their standard Konoha shinobi attire. Instead their normal green flak jackets were replaced with dark blue ones. Both of them also sported a small golden Konoha leaf badge that was pinned to their flak jackets. "What's with the new outfits guys?"

"Oh these?" Izumo asked, looking down at his new attire. "Me and Kotetsu joined the police force. Itachi convinced us to give it a try."

"Yeah, it's been pretty good so far." Kotetsu said, as he inspected the badge on his chest. "It's not as exciting as being a shinobi, but it makes me feel good being able to help the civilians within the village. Plus, now that we have a police force again we don't have to let shinobi waste their time dealing with common criminals."

"So you two are done being shinobi?" Tenten asked with a small frown.

"Who said that?" Kotetsu replied with a grin. "Hokage-sama, kami it still feels weird to call Kakashi that, well Kakashi said we could rejoin the shinobi ranks whenever we wanted. And if he ever needed us, he'd enlist us back into the normal shinobi ranks."

"Speaking of Kakashi, you all better go see him. I'll bet he'll be eager to hear your mission report." Izumo said, as he gestured to the Hokage Tower. "He's actually been expecting your arrival for the past few days now, so better not keep him waiting any longer."

"Thanks for the head up." Naruto said, turning to face the rest of his group. "Well I'm going to turn in the mission report, the rest of you are free to do whatever you want. I suggest you all get some much needed R&R."

"I'm gonna go check up on Itachi and Obito." Shisui said, as he jumped onto a nearby rooftop.

"I shall accompany you." Sai called out, following behind Shisui.

"I'm going home to take a nap." Choji said, as he waved to the group before walking off.

"You girls should head home too, I bet your parents would love to see you all." Naruto said, earning nods from most of his girls. "Konan-chan, Ryuuzetsu-chan you two take Temari-chan over to my place. When I'm done speaking with Kakashi-sensei we'll find a place for you to stay, Temari-chan. Because it's starting to get a little crowded in my apartment." Another large grin spread across Naruto's face. "Well, great work girls. You all did great on this mission, and I'm proud of you. We'll have to all go out later and celebrate." Moments later Naruto was gone, making his way towards the Hokage Tower.

(Ten Minutes Later; Hokage Tower)

"This place is pretty quite today." Naruto said to himself, as he walked through the Hokage Tower's halls. When the blonde jinchuriki had walked into the tower he was surprised to see that there was only a handful of people working. The tower was usually bustling with activity, and people rushing to complete various jobs. As Naruto walked through the building most of the people working noticed him, and expressed their joy at his return. "I guess things have started to calm down since we're now in peace time, and with our new strengthened relationships with the other shinobi villages we don't have to worry about being attacked." When Naruto reached the door to Kakashi's office, he reached out and gently knocked. Immidiately Naruto began to hear hushed whispers and the sounds rustling papers. The blonde quirked an eyebrow as he waited outside the room.

"Come in!" Kakashi's voice rang out after a few more moments.

When Naruto entered the office he quickly spotted his sensei sitting behind his desk, with Shizune standing off to the side. After hearing the whispers from out in the hall, Naruto immidiately began to scan around the room. Nothing on Kakashi's desk seemed out of order, and the Hokage himself seemed perfectly calm and collected. But that's not what really caught Naruto's attention. The blonde jinchuriki's eyes soon landed upon Shizune. Naruto noticed that Shizune's hair was slightly disheveled, and looked as if she had tried to quickly fix it. Then he noticed that her clothes were ruffled. However, one thing stood out above everything else. On Shizune's neck, just above her collarbone, was a large hickey that she failed to hide.

"Looks like Kakashi-sensei has been busy." Naruto thought, as he slowly approached Kakashi's desk. "Good for him. I'm glad Kakashi-sensei found a girl as nice as Shizune."

"Ah Naruto, you're finally back." Kakashi said with an eye smile. The silver-haired man gestured to a seat in front of his desk. "So, where's the rest of your team?"

"They're all off doing their own thing." Naruto replied, sinking into the comfy leather chair. "I figured they all deserved a break."

"Well after such a long mission, I'd imagine they're all fairy homesick." Kakashi said, as he clasped his hands on top of the desk. "If you're ready Naruto, we can begin your mission report."

"Actually sensei before we begin, can I ask you a question?" Naruto asked, causing Kakashi to nod his head. "Did Suigetsu ever come to the village to get Zabuza's sword?"

"Oh yes, he dropped by the village about a week and a half a go." Kakashi replied, as he leaned back in his seat. "I know he has great respect for that Sword, so I was happy to give it to him. Plus the sword does rightfully belong to Kirigakure, wouldn't want to cause a problem between our villages over such a simple matter."

"So did you know if he meet up with Karin and Juugo while he was here?" Naruto continued his questioning. "Actually, how is Juugo?"

"To answer your first question." Kakashi said, holding up one of his fingers. "Yes, Suigetsu did find Karin and Juugo, and from what I hear they had a rather enjoyable time together before he left. They caused quite a ruckus at one of the bars, Suigetsu even got in a fight with Kiba. Don't ask me how, because I honestly don't know. Now onto your second question..." Kakashi released a light sigh and closed his eyes. "Since Otogakure was...destroyed...Juugo has no place to go. I originally didn't feel comfortable keeping someone with his...tendencies...in the village. But Karin convinced me to let him stay. She's actually been doing a great job keeping his impulses under control. Since Juugo's been in the village he's only had one violent incident, even then no one was injured just some minor property damage."

"Have we made any headway in finding who wiped out Oto?" Naruto asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Please tell me we have something, anything."

"*Sigh* I'm sorry Naruto, but we aren't any closer to finding the culprit." Kakashi replied, which caused Naruto to sink back into his seat, a sad look on his face. "Whoever destroyed Otogakure covered their tracks extremely well. Even Kiba and Shino couldn't find any evidence." Kakashi sighed again as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "All we have to go on is a unique wound one of the Oto shinobi had. He had been stabbed through the chest, but the strange thing was that the clothing and skin around the wound were singed. However, the burns were caused by electricity not fire."

"Sensei...that's sounds an awful like Chidori." Naruto said, as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "And the only people who know Chidori are you...and Sasuke. Do you...do you think-"

"I don't want to rule out any possibilities." Kakashi said, releasing a heavy sigh.

"But how can that be possible? I killed him with my own hands. I even have one of his fucking eyes for kami's sake!" Naruto exclaimed, as he ran his hands through his long blonde hair.

"It could be Edo Tensei." Shizune said, causing Naruto's eyes to widen.

"Oh, that's just fucking great." Naruto said, as he sunk even deeper into his chair. "Just what the world needs, an immortal Sasuke who is insane and has unlimited chakra."

"Listen Naruto, we don't even know if it's really Sasuke yet." Kakashi said, trying his best calm his student. "Until we have solid evidence identifying who or what wiped out Oto, you can just sit back and relax. And if it is somehow Sasuke...we'll make sure he does nothing to your girls and children...we'll stop him for sure." Kakashi's words seemed to do the trick, because Naruto seemed to relax slightly. "Now, why don't we move on and go over your mission report?"

"Sure sensei, I've got it right here." Naruto said, as he began to dig through his pack.

(One Hour Later)

"Well I must say, you and your team did an excellent job, Naruto." Kakashi said, scanning over the report Naruto had given him. "Except for some minor 'incidents' and one unsanctioned stop..." Naruto chuckled nervously when Kakashi sent him a knowing look. "It seems your mission was a complete success. Some of the other kage even requested you to return to their village. Seems you've become quite popular, Naruto."

"I'm quite impressed, Naruto." Shizune said, as she flashed Naruto a bright smile. "I knew you'd do a great job."

"Heheh, what can I say. It wasn't just me, my team helped a lot too." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yes, the other villages wished to express their gratitude to you and your team." Kakashi said, as he stood up from his seat. The silver-haired kage walked up to Naruto, and placed his hand on the jinchuriki's shoulder. "Great job Naruto, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sensei." Naruto said, feeling a rush of joy flow through his body.

"Well you better go home and get some rest." Kakashi said, as he patted Naruto's shoulder. "I'll give you the next week off, and all of your girls will be absolved of all their shinobi duties until after their pregnancies are complete and they've had ample time to recover."

"That sounds good to me." Naruto said, standing up from his chair as well. "I better head home, I need to help find Temari-chan a place to stay."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Kakashi said, which caused Naruto to quirk an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Naruto said in a confused tone. "What are you talking about sensei?"

"NARUTO!" Before Kakashi had a chance to answer the door to the office burst open. Both Naruto and Kakashi turned to see Konan, Ryuuzetsu, and Temari standing in the doorway. The girls were breathing heavily and had a worried look on their faces.

"What's up girls? Why do you all look so freaked out?" Naruto asked, as he walked up to the three girls.

"Your apartment!" Konan exclaimed, still trying to catch her breath.

"What about my apartment?" Naruto said, as he started to feel worried himself. "Girls, tell me what's going on."

"Your apartment is completely empty, Naruto!" Ryuuzetsu shouted, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. "There's nothing left in there! It's like you got robbed or something!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, as he whipped around to face Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, did you know about this?!"

"Maybe." Kakashi replied, scratching his chin. "But don't worry Naruto."

"Don't worry! How can I not worry?!" Naruto screamed, as he stormed over to Kakashi. The blonde jinchuriki began to pull on his hair. "I've been robbed! All my things are gone!"

"You weren't robbed Naruto." Kakashi said, which caused Naruto to look even more confused. "I had all of your possessions moved...to your new home."

"My...new home?" Naruto repeated, as his eyes slowly widened.

"Yes, you didn't expect me to let you live in that cramped apartment when you have eight wives and over a dozen children on the way." Kakashi said, tossing a small object to Naruto. Catching the metallic object, Naruto was surprised to see a golden key in his hands. "Tazuna and Inari were more than happy to build you a new house. Think of it as an early wedding gift, and a thank you for all the things you've done for the village."

"A-Are you serious?" Naruto asked, as he stared down at the key in his hands.

"Of course I am Naruto." Kakashi said with a hidden smile. The silver-haired haired Hokage grunted slightly when he felt something tightly wrap around him. Looking down, Kakashi saw that Naruto was hugging him.

"Thank you, sensei." Naruto said, as he felt tears sting his eyes.

"There's no need to thank me, Naruto." Kakashi said, patting Naruto on the back. "Now get going and check out your new home. I've already sent word to your other girls, so they should be making their way now, and I took the liberty of moving most of their possessions as well. One of my receptionists will you give you the address on your way out."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered, as he let go of Kakashi and sprinted towards the door. "Konan-chan! Ryuuzetsu-chan! Temari-chan! Let's go and check out our new house!"

"Hold on, Naruto!" The three girls shouted simultaneously, chasing after the jinchuriki.

"That sure was nice of you, building Naruto a new home." Shizune said, as she placed a kiss on Kakashi's cheek.

"Well it was time for him to move out of that apartment anyways." Kakashi said, leaning back in his chair. "With all those kids on the way, he's gonna need a big house. It was the least I could do for him, he's my student after all and the son of my teacher. Plus, Tazuna and Inari really were excited to build Naruto a home."

"You really are too kind Kakashi Hatake." Shizune said, as she leaned down to whisper into Kakashi's ear. "Maybe tonight I can-"

"Oh! I almost forgot one thing!" Naruto exclaimed, poking his head back into the office. The blonde had a massive smirk on his face as he locked eyes with Shizune. "Um, Shizune you got a little something on your neck." The dark-haired woman immidiately turned beat red, and let out a girlish squeal as she covered the hickey on her neck. Letting out a boisterous laugh, Naruto once again left the office. "Have fun you two!"

(Ten Minutes Later; Northern Edge of the Village)

"This area looks completely new to me." Sakura commented, as she walked besides Ino. The pinkette as surprised by all the new shops and buildings she was seeing. "I've never seen any of this before."

"Yeah, daddy told me that village has started undergoing expansion ever since we left on our mission." Ino explained, gazing at all the new sights around her. "Apparently the village was starting to get too crowded, so we needed to expand. Daddy said they're planning on tearing down some of the eastern wall, so that more housing space can be built."

"So much has changed since we left." Sakura said, a small smile gracing her lips. "Jiraiya-sama and Shishou are planning to get married next spring. Kakashi-sensei and Shizune are dating. Karin and Itachi are a couple, and I hear that she already moved in with him. The new police force has made our jobs that much easier. Plus, the village is growing each day."

"Yeah, things sure are different now." Ino said, staring down at her feet with a smile of her own. "But they're all good changes, you know. Everyone seems so happy now, we might be able to enjoy some 'actual' peace for a change."

"That would be nice." Sakura said, just as she spotted Naruto and the rest of the girls. "Looks like everyone is already here."

"Hey you two!" Naruto called out excitedly, practically shaking with anxiousness. "Hurry up so we can check out our new home!"

"Slow down you baka!" Sakura yelled, as she placed a hand on her bulging stomach. "Did you forget I'm carrying triplets?! I can't move as fast as I used to!"

"Sorry Sakura-chan, I'm just really excited." Naruto said with a grin on his face, rubbing the back of his head. "This is 'our' home we're going to see."

"I know you're excited." Sakura said in a sweet tone, as she placed a hand on Naruto's whiskered cheek. "Just try to remember that us girls gotta take it easy for a while."

(A/N Lol, I wanna apologize in advance for my poor descriptive skills. So just bear with me on this next part and really use your imagination)

"I understand Sakura-chan." Naruto said, placing a quick kiss on the seal on Sakura's forehead. "Now let's see our home." Pulling out the golden key, Naruto walked up to the large iron gate surrounding the house. The blonde jinchuriki took a moment to admire the Uzumaki symbol that adorned the center of the gate. With a bright smile, Naruto placed the key in the lock and pushed the gates open. Everyone gasped as the gates opened up to an expansive front yard that led up to a massive three story home. Naruto and his girls were in awe at the gorgeous landscaping that decorated the front yard. Walking up the pathway leading to the house, Naruto slowly opened the front doors. The doors opened up into a large foyer area that was illuminated by a beautiful chandelier overhead. "Holy crap..." Naruto breathed out as he stepped foot into the house. From what Naruto could see, the house was truly massive with dozens of rooms filling its halls. However, the house appeared to be lightly furnished, but Naruto knew the girls would soon fix that problem. "Well girls, I guess we should get to exploring the house. After all this is 'our' home now." All the girls squealed in excitement as they ran off in different directions.

Ino quickly headed towards the back of the house. She was delighted to see that the backyard was just as expansive as the front. The Yamanaka inwardly cheered when she saw the large swimming pool as she stepped into the backyard; summer was only a few months away, so the pool would definitely be put to good use. However, Ino almost screamed for joy when she saw the greenhouse near the back of the yard. Walking into the greenhouse, Ino found everything she would need to keep her own personal garden all year round. The greenhouse was already full of beautiful flowers, their fragrance causing Ino to release a content sigh. Ino smiled when she saw a single purple rose amongst the many flowers, which reminded her of her first date with Naruto. Maybe she could get the blonde baka to help her out with the garden.

As Ino explored the backyard, Tenten and Temari were busy checking out the house's basement. Like the rest of the house, the basement was large and had several different rooms. But the largest room was a training area in the center of the basement. Temari grinned, imagining all the practice fights she could have with Tenten down here; they still had to settle their little rivalry after all. While Temari admired the features of the training area, Tenten was inspecting what appeared to be an armory. Tenten's mouth watered slightly as she browsed through the dozens weapons that lined the room's wall. The weapons ranged from beautiful katanas all the way down to simple shuriken. Tenten could already picture her own weapons filling the empty weapon stands. She'd have to teach Naruto how to use a sword one these days.

With Temari and Tenten in the basement, Konan and Ryuuzetsu explored the house's third floor. Konan was ecstatic when she found a fully stocked library and a tucked away study. The blue-haired woman couldn't help chuckling when she found every issue of Icha Icha amongst the library's contents; no doubt insisted by Jiraiya. The library even sported a fireplace in the center. Konan could already picture Naruto and her spending many quite nights in this room; sitting around the fire and possibly even reading stories to their children. As Konan got lost in her thoughts, Ryuuzetsu wandered through the rest of the third floor. Many of the rooms appeared to be empty guest rooms, however one room caught Ryuuzetsu's attention. The white-haired woman stumbled upon a rather beautiful looking bath. Ryuuzetsu noted that the large bath could easily fit all of them in it at once. Sticking a hand in the water, Ryuuzetsu couldn't help moaning because of the warm water; it was the perfect temperature. After their long mission she could definitely use a good, long soak. Hmm, maybe she could get Naruto to join her for a private bath?

While Konan and Ryuuzetsu where on the third floor, Hinata was busy exploring the first floor. The Hyuuga was happy to find a modern kitchen, full of everything she would need to cook. Hinata had already decided that she would be the family's main cook. It's not that the other girls were bad at cooking, Hinata was just...better than them when it came to culinary arts. It's something the other girls quickly came to accept, because their cooking simply couldn't compare to Hinata's. The Hyuuga girl had happily accepted the job, because she truly loved to cook and bake. However, the other girls and Naruto made it clear that they wouldn't let Hinata make every meal, and that they'd help her in the kitchen whenever she needed it. After inspecting the kitchen, Hinata made her way into a rather large empty room. She could only image that it was supposed to be the living room. A smile graced Hinata's face, as she placed a hand over her stomach. She could already picture all of them laughing and playing with the children in this room.

Anko and Sakura wandered the second floor together. They found out that the second floor was where all of their rooms were. Each of them had their own separate rooms, all of them equal in size. Both girls were slightly surprised to see that most of their belongings had already been moved into each room. Clearly labeled boxes filled each bedroom, signifying which room belonged to each girl. Each bedroom was fairly large, and came with its own bathroom and expansive built in closet. However, Anko and Sakura were not surprised that Naruto's room was by far the largest and most elegant. The blonde jinchuriki's room even had a balcony that overlooked the backyard. Sakura and Anko both had a feeling they'd be spending more time in this room than their own. As Sakura and Anko walked through the halls, they both stopped at one particular room. Both women clutched a hand over their hearts when they saw that the room was clearly supposed to be the nursery. The room was left largely undecorated, which allowed the girls to do that themselves. However, a lone crib sat in the center of the room, signifying exactly what the room was supposed to be. Both women shared a smile as they pictured their future children sleeping soundly in this very room.

"Hey girls! Can you come here for a second?!" Naruto called out from the foyer. After a few minutes all of the girls had made their way back into the foyer. "Good you're all here."

"Why did you call us all here, Naruto?" Sakura asked, cocking a pink eyebrow.

"I wanted to wait until after our mission was complete to do this. And now that we have our very own home, I have feel that it's the perfect time." Naruto said, as seven Kage Bunshin appeared beside him. All the girls gasped when Naruto and all his clones took a knee in front of them. Naruto and his clones held out their hands, and a small box popped into their outstretched hand. Taking a calming breath, Naruto popped the question.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Hinata-chan..."

"Ino-chan..."

"Anko-chan..."

"Tenten-chan..."

"Temari-chan..."

"Konan-chan..."

"Ryuuzetsu-chan..."

"Will you marry me?" Naruto and his clones asked simultaneously, opening the small boxes. All of the girls had tears streaming down their faces when they saw the diamond rings. Each ring had a diamond that individually matched the girl's eyes. Naruto began to get slightly nervous as the girls just stared at him in shock. "So..."

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" Each girl yelled, as they all hugged Naruto. The smile on Naruto's face couldn't be brighter as he hugged his girls tightly. After Naruto and his clones released the girls, they all hurried to put on their rings.

"I'm gonna be Mrs. Sakura Uzumaki." Sakura thought, staring at the bright green diamond on her ring.

"I'm so happy you said yes." Naruto said, as he kissed Sakura on the cheek.

"Of course I was going to say yes." Sakura said with a chuckle, giving Naruto a chaste kiss. "I love you, you baka."

"I love you too, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, as he pulled Sakura in for a tight hug. "I was thinking we should wait until after the babies are born before we have the wedding."

"That sounds like a great idea." Sakura said with a small smile, burying her head into Naruto's chest. "I can't wait to start our new family."

"I can't either." Naruto said, as he kissed the top of Sakura's head.

(One Week Later; Hokage Tower)

"You wanted to see me, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, stepping into the Hokage's office.

"Yes, I wanted to give you something, Naruto. Something that is very overdue." Kakashi said, as Naruto took a seat in front of his desk. The silver-haired Hokage reached into a drawer, and pulled out a manila envelope. Naruto could tell that Kakashi was smiling behind his mask, as handed Naruto the envelope.

"What's this?" Naruto asked, but he received no reply from Kakashi. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto opened the envelope. The blonde quirked an eyebrow when he pulled out a single piece of paper. However, when Naruto began to read the paper his eyes slowly began to widen. "S-Sensei, are you serious?"

"Of course I am, Naruto." Kakashi replied with an eye smile. "Congratulations on becoming a jonin."

"Thank you, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, as he ran over to Kakashi and pulled him in for a hug. "But are you sure I'm ready?"

"I absolutely know you're ready Naruto." Kakashi said, placing his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "There is no one in the village more deserving of the tile of jonin than you. And this mission you completed only further proved that you're ready. You proved to me that you can handle a team, and can successfully negotiate with foreign leaders. You're more than qualified to be a jonin."

"I don't know what to say." Naruto said in an excited tone, as he reread the note another time. "I can't believe I'm finally a jonin!"

"There's one more thing I wanted to tell your, Naruto." Kakashi said, getting the blonde jinchuriki's attention. "Starting next week, Tsunade-sama and I will be officially starting your Hokage training."

"Alright! I'm finally on the road to becoming Hokage!" Naruto cheered, as a massive grin spread across his face. However, Naruto stopped when he suddenly ran out of breath. "Shit, I forgot to take my pills this morning." Reaching into his pocket, Naruto popped a handful of Tsunade's pills.

"You still need to take those?" Kakashi said, releasing a light sigh. "Speaking of Tsunade-sama, she wanted to speak with you. She should be at the hospital. So you better go see her right away."

"Okay, I'll head over to the hospital right now." Naruto said, as he hopped onto a nearby windowsill. "I'll see you later Kakashi-sensei!"

The blonde jinchuriki couldn't help the feeling of elation he felt, while he sprinted atop the village's rooftops. He couldn't be any happier right now! He had a new home to live in with his girls. His children would be born in a few months. He was just promoted to jonin, and his Hokage would start next week. Naruto was on top of the world right now. The only thing nagging him was the poison coursing through his body, and the identity of whoever or whatever destroyed Oto. But for the time being, Naruto focused on finding Tsunade. As Naruto entered the hospital, he noted that it was busy as usual. He quickly found a nurse, and learned that Tsunade was in her office. Thanking the nurse, Naruto made his way up to Tsunade's office. Knocking on the door, Naruto stepped into Tsunade's office.

"Kakashi-sensei said you wanted to see me Baa-chan?" Naruto said, walking up to Tsunade's desk.

"Yeah, we have some test to run gaki." Tsunade replied, as she stood up from her desk and walked up to Naruto. "We're gonna need some fresh blood samples so that we can further study the poison. All that I've been able to determine so far is that it's a synthetic man-made poison that I've never seen before." The busty blonde lead Naruto over to an examination table. Naruto sat down and rolled up his sleeve. Tsunade inserted a needle into Naruto's exposed arm, and began to drain some of his blood. "Whoever made this poison designed it to directly affect jinchuriki. We're just lucky the Akatsuki never got their hands on whatever this stuff is."

"Do you think you'll be able to find a cure Baa-chan?" Naruto asked in a somewhat dejected tone. "I mean you've been researching this poison ever since Sakura-chan told you about it. It's got both of you, the greatest medical minds in the world, completely stumped."

"We'll find a cure Naruto, don't you worry." Tsunade reassured Naruto with a small smile. "It might take time, but you'll eventually be back to your old self. You're my grandson after all, I have to protect you."

"Thanks Baa-chan." Naruto said, as Tsunade pulled the needle out of his arm.

"Alright, that should do it." Tsunade said, putting a label on Naruto's blood sample. "You're free to leave, but take it easy for a while. I took about a liter of blood."

"Okay, I'll see you later Baa-chan. Say hi to ero-sennin for me!" Naruto called out, as he left the office.

"*Sigh* Time to get to work." Tsunade said, beginning her tests on Naruto's blood.

After several hours had passed, Tsunade hadn't made any headway in her research. She had run dozens of tests multiple times, but hadn't come any closer to finding a possible cure. All that she had managed to find out, was that the poison was actually hidden within Naruto's blood vessels. Which made the infected cells harder to find. The only way to distinguish infected blood cells from clean ones, was that infected cells were a slightly darker shade of red. With a heavy sigh, Tsunade pushed away from the microscope she had been looking through. She heard the door open behind her, and soon found a cup of coffee next to her.

"Have you found anything new?" Shizune asked, as she took a seat next to Tsunade.

"No." Tsunade replied, running a hand down her face. "This...poison is unlike anything I've seen before. It seems to mutate and adapt to any tests I try, which makes it extremely hard to study. I can't get any consistent or conclusive results, because this damn poison is always changing."

"Maybe you should take a break." Shizune said, as she rested a hand on her master's shoulder. "You've been at this for hours, you should get some rest. Pick back up where you left off tomorrow."

"You're probably right Shizune." Tsunade said, taking a sip of her coffee. "I'll call it a night. Heh, Jiraiya is probably worried sick about me." After a quick laugh, Tsunade exited her office. "Whoever created this damn poison is one evil bastard."

(Four Months Later; Konoha's Hospital)

"AGHHH! I'm gonna fucking kill you Naruto!" Sakura screamed, as she lay panting on her hospital bed. The pinkette fiercely glared at Naruto, who was sitting in a chair next to her bed. "This is all your fault!"

"Y-You're doing great S-Sakura-chan." Naruto said, trying his best to hold back tears. The blonde jinchuriki was currently holding Sakura's hand, but the pinkette must have lost control over her immense strength. Naruto knew that his hand was definitely broken. "J-Just do what Tsunade-baachan tells you."

"Shut up!" Sakura roared, as she felt another wave of pain wash over her.

"You're doing great Sakura, you're almost there." Tsunade said, doing her best to calm Sakura down. "Just give me another big push." Sakura screamed out as she pushed with all her might. "Alright! I can see a head! Give me another push!" After Sakura gave another push, a piercing cry filled the room. "It's a boy!" A large smile spread across Sakura and Naruto's face as Tsunade handed their first son to a nurse. "You'll be able to see them later, but you've still got two more Sakura. Now give me another push!" Sakura let out another scream, just as Tsunade spotted another head. Another loud cry, and Tsunade held up their second child. "This one is a girl! Just one more Sakura, you're doing great!" Sakura gave one last push, which lead to yet another piercing cry. "And it's...a boy! Okay, you're done Sakura!"

"Thank kami, I thought I was gonna die." Sakura breathed out, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Y-You did great, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, forcing a smile onto his face. The blonde jinchuriki was only able to keep the facade for a few more moments, before he passed out from the pain. When Naruto awoke several hours later, he found that he was is in a different room.

"Sorry about your hand." Sakura's soft voice, caused Naruto's head to snap up. The blonde jinchuriki's heart instantly melted when he saw two sleeping babies in Sakura's arms.

"You broke the poor boy's hand, Sakura." Tsunade teased, as she gently rocked Naruto's third child.

"I said I was sorry." Sakura said, turning to face Naruto again. "So...have you thought of any names?"

Naruto walked up to the two children that Sakura was holding. Sakura was currently holding one of their sons and their only daughter. The boy had a tuft Naruto's bright blonde hair and his blue eyes. The girl on the other hand had Sakura's pink hair, but Naruto's blue eyes. Naruto had previously discussed this with Sakura, and he knew what he wanted to name these two.

"Minato..." Naruto said, as he gently picked up his first son. He kissed the baby on the forehead, and then handed him back to Sakura. "And Kushina..."

"They're beautiful names, Naruto. It's a great way to honor your parents." Sakura said, gazing lovingly at the babies in her arms. "Minato...and Kushina...it really suits them."

"What about this little guy?" Tsunade asked, as she handed Naruto his other son.

"Hmm..." Naruto hummed, staring down at the little child. The baby had a patch of blonde hair, but its color much more closely resembled Temari's hair color. However, the baby had inherited Sakura's bright green eyes. "How about...Shinachiku?"

"Shinachiku?" Sakura repeated, as she tossed the name around in her head. "You know what...I really like it."

"Really?" Naruto said a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's a cute name and for some reason it just sounds right." Sakura said, staring at the child in Naruto's arms. "Yes, he's our little Shinachiku."

Over the next month the rest of Naruto's children would be born. Anko followed shortly after Sakura, giving birth to a baby girl. The little girl had Anko's purple hair, but Naruto's blue eyes. After some debate, Naruto and Anko decided to call their baby girl Hikaru. Following Anko was Ino, the platinum blonde gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Because the little boy had cried very little, Naruto and Ino settled named the little boy Reiji. Mere days after Ino was Tenten, who gave birth to to a beautiful baby boy. The small child had dirty blonde hair and Tenten's brown eyes. Tenten was so happy when she held her son that she thought of his name almost immidiately, Sachihiro. About a week after Tenten it was Hinata's turn. The Hyuuga gave birth to a set of twins, a boy and a girl. The boy had Naruto's bright blonde hair and blue eyes. While the girl had inherited Hinata's indigo hair and her Byakugan eyes. Naruto was surprised when Hinata easily came up with names for the children. The boy was named Boruto, or Bolt for short, and the girl was called Himawari. After Hinata was Ryuuzetsu and Konan. Both girls gave birth on the same day. Ryuuzetsu's child was actually born first. The white haired beauty gave birth to a beautiful boy, who inherited both his mother's white hair and unique eyes. Ryuuzetsu felt that only one name was really appropriate, Yūdōtō. About an hour after Ryuuzetsu, Konan gave birth to baby girl. The little girl was almost a carbon copy of her mother, sharing her blue hair and stunning amber eyes. Konan decided to honor her home village, and named the baby girl Ame. Last, but certainly not least, was Temari. The Suna native gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Because of Temari's affinity for wind she quickly found a name for her son, Amanokaze.

With the birth of his children, and Hokage training underway, Naruto felt that a new chapter of his life was finally starting. However, one last threat for Naruto loomed over the horizon. Like a coiled snake, a hooded figure waited for the perfect time to strike.

"So, the dobe had some kids." Sasuke said, standing in a large tree that overlooked the entire village. The Uchiha's Sharingan blazed as an evil smirk spread across his face. "This just made my task a little easier."

Sakura: - Minato, Kushina, and Shinachiku

Anko: Hikaru - Shining Brilliance

Ino: Reiji- A well mannered baby

Tenten: Sachihiro - Extreme happiness

Hinata: Boruto, Himawari

Ryuuzetsu: Yūdōtō - Guiding light

Konan: Ame - Rain

Temari: Amanokaze - Heavenly wind