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True potential in Naruto

One discussion in the academy introduces Naruto to his first real friends and changes his life forever. Together, they will work hard, push each other, and unlock their true potential. NaruHina NOTE: this is a story i want you to read i am gonna post this daily like 2-3 chapters until i have reach the author author name : DryBonesKing on FANFICTION.com

Milsum · Anime et bandes dessinées

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75 Chs

52. A United Kirigakure part 2

"It's a big deal to be here, you know that, Anko?" Jiraiya asked her.

"I know. Not many foreigners can say they've been in the HQ for the seven swordsmen. It's a big deal for both of us." She replied, her eyes beginning to wander hroughout the room.

"Big deal for you, especially." The Sannin commented.

"Hmm?" She turned his head to question him.

"Sorry I am late."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the entrance to the room. Aō was standing there. He bowed in respect to Zabuza before walking forward.

"You aren't late. In fact, you weren't invited." Zabuza stated bluntly.

"I realize that. However, Godaime-sama has ordered me to attend in her presence." Aō replied.

"What?" The swordsman nearly snarled. "Does she know what the purpose of this meeting is?"

"She realizes it's important, but other matters have arisen. She is terribly sorry for the inconvenience." Aō apologized. "She has, however, informed me on everything of merit about the proceedings. You won't have to inform me about anything; I'll simply listen and report everything back to her."

Zabuza began to grumble, saying something about 'Mei's lapdog' and 'fuck'. Aō ignored his comments, however, and took the other seat next to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama." He greeted.

"Good to see you are alright, Aō-san." Jiraiya returned the greeting. "Very glad to see you got your injuries patched up."

"Yeah, the medical shinobi needed to act quick. Thank you for keeping Itachi preoccupied. If he or anybody tried to attack me after that, I probably would have died." Aō commented, shaking his head slightly.

"Can you two talk about that later? If Mei's not showing up, I'd like to just get started with the meeting." Zabuza stated, interrupting the conversation.

Aō glared at Zabuza, but gave no verbal reply. Silence filled the room. Zabuza took that as a sign to get started. He proceeded to pull out three scrolls and sat them down on the table.

"As you are all aware, we have won the war. However, both Chōjūrō and I are the only current loyal members of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure." Zabuza declared. He took a moment to look around the room. "Three former members – one a loyal, good man and two disgusting, dumbass traitors – have passed on."

"And there are two traitors still out there, still holding onto their blades." Suigetsu grumbling, tightening his hands into fists.

"I'm aware that both Hoshigaki Kisame and Kurosuki Raiga are still alive and each holding onto the Samehada and Kiba blades respectively. They will both be hunted down and, once they have perished and their swords have been reclaimed, two more members to the swordsmen will be added in their places." Zabuza declared. He then turned his head towards Aō and started to glare at him. "I was hoping Mei would have been here so I could discuss with her the mission plans to kill Raiga and reclaim the Kiba thunder-blades. We know where he is and I would like to get the jump on him as quick as possible in case he can potentially go into hiding like fucking Kisame is doing with that organization of his."

"Mei-sama informed me of that discussion you had with her concerning Raiga and the Kiba blades. She wanted me to tell you that, once the repairs to Kirigakure have been made and the village is strong again, she will send out a team to do the job. It will most likely be in a month's time. However, the concern is focused on the recovery of the village." Aō answered.

"Hmph." Zabuza shook his head. "That's not the purpose of this meeting anyway. As I mentioned earlier, Jinin, Jinpachi, and Kushimaru are now dead and their swords are present in these scrolls. Only I, owner of Kubikiribōchō, and Chōjūrō, owner of Hiramekarei, are members of the swordsmen. It is time that the three other swords we own are passed down to their new owners."

Zabuza slid down one scroll towards Honoka. The Uzumaki had a grin on her face as she quickly placed her hand on the seal. A poof of smoke released the Nuibari longsword. She quickly grabbed onto it and held it carefully.

"Uzumaki Honoka, I realize that you are mainly focused on your fūinjutsu, but I've seen your kenjutsu and you are good. I feel that Nuibari will suit your fighting style and thread within it can help you extend the reach of your seals. You are the ideal candidate for it." The original member of the seven swordsmen declared.

"I believe it can help my fighting style a lot." Honoka stated as she examined Nuibari. She proceeded to swing the longsword in the air slightly, enjoying the feel of it.

"Use it to serve Kirigakure with all of your might." Zabuza requested. The black-haired swordsman turned his attention to Suigetsu. He slid the second scroll towards him. "Hōzuki Suigetsu, I know your brother Mangetsu. While I do feel you need to grow more, I can tell you have the raw talent of a true swordsman. You'll grow further in time, but what I appreciate in you is that you have grace, but you also seem to know how to use raw power. Kabutowari is perfect for you."

Suigetsu immediately activated the scroll. Once the smoke blew away, the Kabutowari blunt-sword remained in its place. The Hōzuki quickly picked it up, holding onto the axe and the hammer in both hands.

"Heh, I can get used to this. I'll definitely create havoc with this!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Heh, I guess I'm the youngest person ever to be inducted into the swordsmen, huh? I'm even a year younger than Mangetsu when he got in!"

"That may be true, but I'm pretty sure Chōjūrō-san, actually, got in younger." Aō spoke up nonchalantly.

Suigetsu's grin dropped. He immediately turned his head to face the glasses-wearing shinobi. Chōjūrō looked downward sheepishly.

"Um… s-sorry f-for stealing your th-thunder." He apologized.

"Chōjūrō, you don't have to apologize to anybody for something like that." Aō sighed. "Be a man. Stand your ground and be proud of what you have done. Don't apologize."

"Ahem!" Zabuza coughed, gathering attention back to him. The room focused on the senior member of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, which prompted him to continue to speak. "Anyway, I understand that you can cause havoc with Kabutowari, but you must remember what it means to be a swordsman of Kirigakure. You are more than a mindless murderer. That is what Jinpachi and Kushimaru were. With that sword, you are inheriting Akebino Jinin's legacy, in addition to the legacy of your brother's. Honor them well, Suigetsu."

"I know that. I will." Suigetsu stated. The excited grin on his face faded slightly and, in its place, was a proud, confident smile. "I'll do them proud. With this sword, I'll keep Kirigakure safe."

"Good." Zabuza nodded his head in approval.

The swordsman then turned his attention to the next occupant in the room – Anko. The Konoha jōnin noticed his attention and gave him a confused look.

"You staring at me for a…" Anko's voice started to drag on as realization clicked in her head.

As soon as Zabuza talked about the purpose of the meeting and tossed the first scroll to Honoka, Anko was wondering why she had actually been invited. Now, seeing Zabuza looking at her expectantly and with his hand on the third-and-final scroll, she knew what he was going to do.

And she was incredibly confused.

"Are… Are you serious?" She questioned.

"Do I look like the kind of person who makes jokes like this?" Zabuza answered dismissively.

"You don't look like the kind of person who makes jokes in general." Suigetsu commented with a snicker.

Zabuza turned his head to face Suigetsu. The look in his eyes caused Suigetsu to stop snickering and made shivers run down his spine. Once he had stopped talking, he turned his attention back to Anko.

"This is incredibly unorthodox to have a non-Kiri shinobi in the ranks. We are called the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure for a reason, after all." He stated.

"Exactly. So why consider me?" Anko asked.

"I can help with that." Jiraiya spoke-up, drawing attention to himself. "This was an idea that Mei proposed to me when we talked about developing an alliance. She wanted to contribute something to Konoha as gratitude, so she felt that one of the swords would be a contribution."

"To elaborate on that, Godaime-sama feels as if Kiri owes Konoha." Aō continued. "Your village's help proved instrumental in supplying extra numbers and resources that were able to win us control of the village again. Consider the sword and the status associated with it as both a gift and an honor."

"There were some stipulations to this idea, though." Jiraiya stated. He held out two fingers. "One, you will not train someone in Konoha as a student to pass on the sword to unless the candidate is approved by the Mizukage and the other members of the Seven Swordsmen. Perhaps the sword will remain in Konoha's possession, but if it does, Kiri deserves a say in who uses it. And two, you may be asked before any other shinobi to go on missions on Kiri's behalf. If a mission requires travel to Mizu no Kuni or Kirigakure or somehow relates to the Seven Swordsmen, you will be asked to go on it. Therefore, you will also report to the Mizukage."

"That does come with benefits, though." Aō replied with a chuckle. "For starters, you get access to visit Kirigakure whenever you desire, even for business not-related to missions. You also will get paid double for any missions that require your services in the name of Kiri. Both Konoha and Kiri will pay you for these missions. You also get, on your record, that you are a member of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure. If you are the type of person that cares for your reputation, that'll sure bolster it!"

Anko remained quiet. The kunoichi processed the words of both Jiraiya and Aō. She now seemingly understood why she was being selected. It was part of the deal for an alliance between Kiri and Konoha. Listening to them go over the benefits and stipulations helped her rationalize why they were apparently going to do this. However, that didn't stop her from having one final question.

"Why me, though?" She asked. "Wouldn't Kakashi be a better choice or something? I'm not known for skill with kenjutsu, after all."

"It was Mei's and Jiraiya's decision that one of the swords go to a Konoha shinobi, but it was my choice on who to give it to." Zabuza claimed. Anko turned to face him and gestured with her hand, urging him to continue speaking. "As you heard me said, I felt Nuibari was best suited for Honoka and that Kabutowari worked best with Suigetsu. That meant the sword to go to a Konoha shinobi was Shibuki – the blast-sword."

"The sword used by Jinpachi." The snake mistress noted, scowling at the memory.

"Correct. That did factor into the decision, actually. I realized that you had a history with him. I do feel that, if there is an afterlife, then Jinpachi is looking up from hell right now and is seeing you get his sword. I'm sure he's incredibly pissed right now." The swordsman said with a light chuckle. "But that's not the only reason. I feel the fighting style of Shibuki suits you. It's not your standard sword and, therefore, is not suited for someone who practices standard kenjutsu. While you can, indeed, use it for cutting and stabbing like most swords, its main function is to be used for detonations, explosions, and creating fires. You're a fire-elemental user. Quite the good one, I might add. I've seen you at work. I've trained with you. I know that you can make use of the explosions that'll suit your fighting style. I think that the Shibuki blast-sword will make you an incredibly dangerous opponent worthy of the title of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure."

Zabuza proceeded to slide the scroll down the table towards Anko. It stopped directly in front of her.

"That is why I believe you are a stronger pick than somebody like Kakashi. It's ultimately your choice. However, I feel this is beneficial to all of us: Konoha, Kiri, the Seven Swordsmen, and you. Do you accept?"

Anko eyed the scroll intently. Zabuza's words helped answer her questions. His explanation made sense. She recalled her battles with Jinpachi and recalled his fighting style.

'I can make this work. No, I can definitely make this work. This thing will fit right in with my style!' She realized.

With a grin on her face, Anko placed her hand on the scroll and activated it. Once the smoke cleared away, the Shibuki blast-sword was now visible on the table. Anko picked it and held it tightly.

"I take it that's a yes?" Zabuza questioned, smirking behind the bandages on his lips.

"It's a hell yes." Anko nodded her head in affirmation. She swung Shibuki in the air slightly, getting a feel to it. "It's an honor to be a part of it. I'll make sure that neither you nor Mei will regret this choice!"

"Th-The numbers of the s-swordsmen are increasing. W-We're up to f-five." Chōjūrō commented with a smile. His hands instinctively went to his back, gripping onto Hiramekarei, which was attached to his back.

"It's the beginning of a new era. For Kirigakure, Konoha, and the elemental nations entirely." Honoka declared excitedly, still eyeing her Nuibari longsword.

"We'll get Kiba and Samehada back asap! The Seven Swordsmen will be reformed in no time!" Suigetsu exclaimed, tightening his grip on Kabutowari.

"Hmph." Zabuza chuckled again as his hand went to Kubikiribōchō. "It really is a new day." His hand then left the sword and he pulled out three more, smaller scrolls. "Now, let's get the paperwork out of the way so we can celebrate. First round of drinks are on me and they're going to be cheaper for the next hour, so hurry this up so we can actually get to the bar."

Anko, Honoka, and Suigetsu nodded their heads as Zabuza slid them their scrolls to sign.

The next day came by. Upon waking up, Naruto got dressed for the day. He then left a note to his still-sleeping friends, letting them know that he was going to be gone for the morning and that he would meet up with them for lunch later that day at a ramen stand he saw at 1:00. After writing his letter and placing it on the table in the room, he looked back at his friends, still sleeping in the beds. He quickly noticed that someone was present.

'Anko-sensei never came back last night…' A blush crossed his face. 'Well, congrats for her I guess…'

"You should follow her example at some point."

Naruto nearly choked upon hearing the voice in his head.

The Kyūbi always had the ability to talk to him ever since the second part of the Chūnin Exams, but he never took the time to speak to Naruto randomly. He always had some purpose. Hearing his voice was always a surprise. This was the first time that Naruto could recall that the fox just randomly decided to say something to him… and the blonde's cheeks brightened red as soon as he realized what exactly he said.

'K-Kurama, what the hell?' Naruto nearly spat out.

"What? It's just some advice for you." The Kyūbi shrugged. "I managed to get around a bit before that bastard Madara found me years ago, and I have to say that-"

'Okay, I was not going to have this conversation with Anko-sensei and I'm definitely not going to have it with you!' The Uzumaki interrupted, shaking his head. 'I'm just going to go do what I was originally planning on doing and checking up on Mei and Yagura.'

"Suits yourself. It was just a suggestion." Kurama, again, shrugged. "Ask him how Isobu is doing for me."

'I can do that.' Naruto replied. 'Do you want me to ask if we can do some mindscape thing and you can talk to him yourself?'

"Not really. I don't feel like talking much." Kurama replied with a yawn.

'That's consistent.' Naruto chuckled. 'When do you ever?'

He received no response back, which caused Naruto to chuckle more. If there was one thing Naruto had learned about the fox personally, it was that he was loner. He preferred conversations to be brief as possible. It explained his blunt speech pattern and why he rarely spoke to him.

Having said that, it was a nice gesture to Naruto that the Kyūbi decided to speak to him in the first place.

Naruto proceeded to get his belongings and walked out of the room and the inn. As he left, he heard the fox's voice in his head once again.

"I may not be in the mood, but still; make sure to ask about him for me." Kurama asked again.

'I will, don't worry.' Naruto reassured the fox as he hurried on his way towards his first destination – the Mizukage's mansion.

"Enter." Mei stated upon hearing a knock on the door, barely paying attention as she focused on paperwork.

The door to the Mizukage's office opened. Naruto entered and bowed upon entrance. Mei briefly looked up to see who it was. She immediately put her paperwork down and smiled at the blonde.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything or something." Naruto said with an uneasy chuckle as he took a seat in front of her.

"Nothing at all. I'm just doing paperwork." Mei replied with a sigh. "I've heard you want to be Hokage, right? I'd advise against it. This paperwork is hell."

"… You're like the third person who has warned me about that. I'm starting to get concerned." The Uzumaki swallowed uneasily as he imagined his tenure as Hokage being focused solely on reading and signing papers.

"Be concerned, kid." The Mizukage said with a laugh. "But I'll gladly welcome a break. How are you doing, Naruto? Did you come for any particular reason?"

"Not really. I just wanted to ask about Yagura." Naruto admitted.

Mei nodded in understanding. She made a hand sign, causing a seal in the room to be activated. Naruto turned his head towards it.

"Silencing seal. I highly doubt it, but I'm just making sure nobody could possibly hear this conversation." She answered. Understanding fell upon Naruto's face. "Anyway, what do you want to know?"

"How's he doing? After I let, that is." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Yagura-kun's… fine. He'll be fine." Mei sighed. Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing the '-kun' honorific, something he had not heard yesterday. "He, well, to be honest, still has a lot of negative feelings and emotions right now. Not that I can't blame him. He's trying to calm himself down and get those feelings of anger and self-hate out of his system so he can try and move on. It'll… probably be a long time. Maybe never happen. But he's going to try and move on."

"You never know." The Uzumaki commented. "He'll get better. It just takes time."

"I know. That's what I'm hoping for at least." The Mizukage said, a small smile developing on her lips. "Apparently the two of you briefly mentioned getting back at Madara. That seems to be the only reason he accepted the shinobi identity I had for him."

"So you are going to give him a new identity?" Naruto asked.

"Mhmm." Mei replied as she pointed to some completed paperwork to the side of her desk. "First thing I did after I left Yagura-kun's side yesterday. He'll be an ANBU operative that's been undercover in Kiri for me during the war, reporting to me. To people, he'll be somebody who was acting as one of my spies. The two of us are going to design the specifics for what his 'henge' transformed appearance will look like when he's out in public." Mei's smile seemed to grow a little wider. "I've arranged for him to take the name 'Kamui'."

"Kamui?" Naruto repeated the name in confusion.

"It actually translates to 'spiritual or divine being'. Considering Yagura's a spiritual man, I thought it was fitting." Mei said with a chuckle.

"What did he think of it?" He questioned.

"Oh, he said that it was sacrilegious." Mei stated, her chuckle turning into a laugh. Her laugh was infectious, however, and Naruto quickly joined in. "But when he called me out on that, he actually laughed. I got him to laugh again, so I'm making it official. His shinobi identity will be named Kamui."

"Oh that's great!" Naruto exclaimed.

The two proceeded to laugh for nearly a whole minute before they calmed down.

"So, is he still at the hospital? Am I allowed to go visit him?" He questioned.

"You are, yes. Being honest, I think he'd enjoy the company. I told Utakata to go that way and I think he might be there now." Mei nodded. "You know where he is and how to get there. Just be careful and make sure nobody is following you."

"Understood." Naruto replied with a smile.

The blonde proceeded to bow before leaving the room, leaving Mei with her paperwork. With a heavy sigh, the auburn-haired woman turned her attention back to it and focused on her work once again.

Naruto left the Mizukage's mansion, heading towards the hospital. It took him only a few minutes to arrive. Just as he was about to enter, the door to the building opened. He immediately bumped into Utakata. A smile developed on Naruto's face upon seeing his fellow jinchūriki.

"Hey! Utakata!" He greeted.

"Good morning, Naruto-san." Utakata bowed his head slightly upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see the same guy you just saw." Naruto answered. "How was he?"

"Ah. I see." Utakata nodded his head in understanding. "He was alright. In a better mood than I thought he'd be. I just wanted to briefly talk to him before I leave the village."

"That's good to hear-" The Uzumaki's words died on his throat as he processed what the black-haired man said. "Wait, you're leaving? Where to? Why?"

"I don't know yet. Somewhere." The Rokubi jinchūriki. "And I'm leaving because it was part of my deal with Mei-san. I helped take back the village and now I have been officially removed from Kiri's bingo book. I can now wander in peace."

"Wander?" Naruto frowned. "Utakata, isn't this village your home?"

"Hardly." Utakata laughed harshly in response. "No offense, Naruto-san, but Kiri has never felt like a home to me. And even thought the village will become more peaceful now that Mei-san is in charge, I still don't feel at home here." A smile crossed his lips. "My home is the open dirt and a path to the next village. I prefer just visiting places and never staying long in one area. Something about traveling and moving from one place to another relaxes me."

"Hmm…" Naruto's frown seemingly deepened. "I don't understand that."

"You don't have to." He chuckled in response. "Just don't judge me for it."

"Utakata-sensei!"

Naruto and Utakata turned their heads to see Hotaru rushing forward. The blonde-haired girl had two backpacks over her shoulders. She took one off upon arriving and held it out towards Utakata.

"Are you ready to move out?" She questioned cheerfully.

"Stop calling me –sensei, Hotaru." Utakata said sternly.

Despite the tone of his voice, Utakata had a smile on his lips. He took the backpack from her and put over his shoulders. He then turned back to face Naruto.

"We'll meet again one day, Naruto-san. Perhaps sooner than you think. If I'm in Hi no Kuni, perhaps I'll swing by Konoha for a bit." Utakata said, retaining his smile.

"… Well, that'd be one positive to you traveling." Naruto admitted, smiling back to the jinchūriki. He then held out his hand to him. "You take care, Utakata."

"Same to you." The Rokubi jinchūriki replied as he took Naruto's hand and shook it.

After a few seconds passed, the two broke their handshakes and parted ways. Naruto rushed into the hospital, aiming to meet up with Yagura. Utakata and Hotaru proceeded to walk towards the village exit with no clear destination in mind.

"Naruto-san, I wasn't expecting to see you today." Yagura admitted as he watched Naruto enter the hidden hospital room.

"Why? Our conversation last time got cut short." Naruto said with a smile.

"I suppose. It was nice seeing Mei-chan, so I apologize for making the situation awkward for you." The former Mizukage apologized to the blonde.

Just as he noticed with Mei, Naruto caught onto the additional '-chan' honorific Yagura used. He remembered him using it during the fight he had, but this time, it was said with no malice. This –chan was used affectionately and seemed to have some reverence behind it.

"I actually talked to her before coming over here." The Uzumaki commented, his smile turning into a smirk. "How are you doing, Kamui?"

"That name." Yagura shook his head, resisting the urge to chuckle. "I feel blasphemous responding to it."

"Maybe, but you're amused. Stop trying to hide your laugh dammit!" Naruto demanded with a laugh of his own.

"Don't use language like that!" Yagura scolded.

Despite his statement, Yagura couldn't resist any longer and let out his laugh. This brought a smile to Naruto's face.

"If it gets a reaction like that out of you, sorry, but I make no promises." He said with a smile.

"It normally wouldn't. You just talk a little like Mei-chan does. Or, well, did when we were growing up." Yagura replied, shaking his head. "As to Kamui, I don't mind it. I suppose I'll get used to being called it. At least she didn't name me after one of the actual gods. I'd be upset if she had chosen something like Izanagi."

Naruto began to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Er, being completely honest, I know very little about the gods and religion in general, so I have absolutely no idea who that is."

"… I'll educate you later." The Yondaime Mizukage said seriously, his eyes narrowing on the boy in front of him.

"… Sure…" Naruto let out an uneasy laugh and gulped. "Er, s-so, how are you feeling today?"

"Honestly, better than yesterday. Talking to Mei-chan helped. A lot." Yagura said, a small smile developing on his face again. "It's so painfully cliché, but she seems to give me purpose. Just talking to her helped remind me about my passions in life. She seems so adamant that I'll be able to do some good and repair the damage Madara did in my name that I almost believe her."

"Believe her!" The Kyūbi jinchūriki demanded. "You can definitely fix the crap he did. I have faith in you too!"

"I appreciate it. Honestly." Yagura replied before sighing. "It's just, I can't fully escape some of my feelings at the moment. I still can't get over that so many innocent people are dead because of me. And honestly, I don't think I should."

"Yagura, it's not your fault-"

"I said it earlier to you; I was unable to fend off Madara." The Sanbi jinchūriki replied, interrupting him. "That makes it loosely my fault. The blood is on my heads, both metaphorically and literally."

Naruto frowned in response. He still did not know what to say to that. He disagreed with Yagura's logic, but he was uncertain with how to combat it.

"Regardless, I suppose that I'm given a second chance." Yagura said, pulling Naruto from his thoughts. "I don't deserve it, but I won't pass it up. I'll do what I can and try to repair the damages in any way I can. And if it means becoming a man named Kamui and being a foot soldier for Mei-chan, then so be it."

"Do whatever you can, Yagura. But, at the end of the day, just try and be happy." Naruto advised, his frown turning back into a smile. "We all deserve the right to be happy."

This earned him another sigh from the former Mizukage. "I don't know if I can be fully happy again, Naruto-san, but I'll try."

"That's all I ask for." The blonde replied. "How's Isobu, by the way? Has he tried to talk to you?"

"Isobu's alright." Yagura answered. "We've been in communication whenever I'm alone in the rooms. He's been helping me keep calm and rational, honestly. I like to think I'm doing the same for him. He was very angry when we both woke up that someone managed to control us like that."

"I only got to fight and talk to him for a bit, but he doesn't seem like the person you want to ever get mad." Naruto shivered at the thought.

"Most definitely not!" Yagura shook his head. "Especially since Isobu is difficult to anger. He is a very relaxed person and it takes a lot to get him stressed." Another small smile developed on the jinchūriki's face. "But he's a good friend of mine. If it wasn't for Mei-chan, he would have been my only friend growing up. He's doing alright now and I'm glad that he is."

"That's good to hear. And I'm sure a certain fox is glad to hear that." Naruto said with a chuckle.

The boy heard some type of growl in his head, causing him to chuckle. He could tell that, despite his reaction, Kurama was pleased to hear that Isobu was doing fine.

"Speaking of him, do you mind telling me a little bit more about yourself?" Yagura questioned.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in response. "What for?"

"To be honest, I don't know horribly much about you other than stuff from our interactions and what has actually come up in conversation with Mei-chan. I'd like to learn more." The Yondaime Mizukage explained.

The grey-haired man proceeded to change the way he was sitting on his hospital bed; he was now sitting with his legs crossed. He had both of his hands clapped together and he was looking at Naruto expectantly.

"Um… I don't really have much to say… oh!" The blonde's eyes widened in realization. "Well, if you want to know more about me, then I gotta tell you about Hinata-chan and Shikamaru!"

A grin developed on Naruto's face as he began telling Yagura about his girlfriend and best friend. The former Mizukage remained in his sitting-position, listening intently as Naruto starting talking about them from the day where they all became friends.

"You talked about us with him?" Hinata questioned, her cheeks blushing.

Despite the fact that Naruto had wrote his letter hoping that all of his friends would show up, only Hinata arrived at the ramen stand to eat with him. Shikamaru and Dosu had apparently made plans with Haku and Misora respectively. Anko, for her part, was still missing from the inn.

Not that this was too much of an issue for either Naruto or Hinata. The two did enjoy some time by themselves. They hadn't gotten too many chances to do this since they had talked to each other about their feelings and it was nice to have a moment, even for just a little while.

"Yeah, Yagura was interested once I started. I actually talked about you in particular for about an hour." Naruto admitted as he turned to his bowl of miso ramen.

"Oh…" Hinata blushed slightly.

"He was actually interested in how far you've gone with water-style. I don't think it's going to happen while we are in Kiri right now, but if we ever come back here and he's able to leave the hospital, I think he'd like to see what you can do." Naruto commented in between bites.

"I'd love that opportunity." The Hyūga said. She then turned to her own, already-finish bowl of ramen. She started picking at the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks. "Isn't it weird though, Naruto-kun?"

"What's weird?" He asked.

"Well, we haven't been in Konoha in a while. It feels like we've been gone for a while." She said. "I wonder if anything's changed."

Naruto proceeded to bring the bowl of ramen to his lips. He proceeded to finish it off before placing the bowl back down on the table and signaling the chef to make him another.

"I mean, I guess it's been a while, but I don't think much has changed. Not too much can change in comparison to what we've seen down here." He said with a chuckle. "It's going to be nice to be back home and relax for a bit."

"I know." Hinata nodded in agreement. "I've been missing my father a lot actually. And Neji-niisan and Hanabi!"

"Er…" Naruto proceeded to blush for a moment. He then rubbed the back of his head. "Your father… he's not gonna, y'know, have an issue with… us… right?"

"Father?" Hinata blinked in response. "No. I don't think so."

"Okay, good. If you say so." He breathed a sigh of relief in response.

"Although, you should probably talk to him." The Hyūga heiress admitted with a giggle. "Father is pretty traditional. I think he'd appreciate it if my boyfriend visited and asked for his permission to date me."

"Permission?" Naruto's eyes widened at the word. "That means he could technically say no!"

Hinata, once again, giggled in response. "He wouldn't. He wouldn't want to upset me, now would he?"

"I don't know; you know him better than I do!" Naruto exclaimed, panicking slightly.

Hinata's giggling turned into full-blown laughter. Naruto, however, did not join in. He was too busy stressing himself out about how his conversation with Hiashi would go and whether or not he would have to deal with an angry Hyūga clan head in his near future.

"I repeat myself. He's not going to do anything or stop us from being together." Hinata replied with a smile. "I've grown a lot stronger, both physically and emotionally, since we've been friends. I'm sure he'll see that and understand what you mean to me. He's not going to stop that. He'll be supportive, I promise."

"… Alright, alright." Naruto finally sighed in relief before giving Hinata a small smile. "If you say so."

"I do say so." She replied.

At that moment, the ramen chef came by the duo. He took their empty bowls of ramen and replaced them with two new fresh bowls or miso ramen. Both Naruto and Hinata exchanged a look between each other. A daring grin developed on Naruto's face, one Hinata quickly returned.

"Race ya?" He questioned.

Hinata did not verbally reply; she just immediately started eating. Naruto, in turn, focused on his own bowl of ramen and quickly began eating it as well. Within a minute, Hinata placed her bowl down, completely empty. Naruto finished his close behind.

"I win." She said with a smile.

"Not fair! You had a second head start." Naruto replied indignantly.

"It's completely fair!" Hinata replied, the smile remaining on her lips.

Almost immediately after, the ramen chef came by and took their bowls. Naruto made a gesture, signaling for two more bowls.

"Two out of three?" He questioned his girlfriend.

"Sure." She replied, still smiling.

Their competition was officially on!

"So full…" Hinata mumbled.

Both she and Naruto were now lying on the bed in the inn. They were the only two present in the room at the moment. After eating, they came back and were unable to get up after lying down momentarily.

"Remind me… never to challenge you again." Naruto admitted with a chuckle. "Totally worth it, though, since I ended up winning in the end."

Hinata shook her head. "I actually ate more than you, though."

"Yeah, but I ate my bowls faster!" Naruto replied.

The Hyūga opened her mouth to respond, but a poof of smoke filled the room. Naruto and Hinata both forced themselves to sit up on the bed to see what was happening. From the poof of smoke, Gamakichi appeared, holding a piece of paper in his hand. He then tossed it at Naruto.

"Naruto, that sucked. Never have me do something like that again." Gamakichi grumbled.

"You got it delivered, though!" Naruto smiled as he caught the paper. "Thanks a lot Gamakichi!"

The orange toad grumbled something about 'not being a messenger toad' before disappearing in the same poof of smoke.

"What was that about Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned curiously.

"You'll know when Shikamaru gets back." Naruto replied with a chuckle

Just then, the sound of keys rustling could be heard. They looked over and saw the door to the room being opened. Shikamaru came walking in, bruised and with a set of fresh cuts present on his body.

"Speak of the devil, and he appears." Naruto continued to chuckle.

"Hey, I'm back. Sorry for bailing on lunch, Naruto. Haku wanted another spar and that guy is merciless." Shikamaru replied with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it. Just read this and all will be forgiven." The Uzumaki replied as he tossed the note he had just been given at the boy.

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the sight of the incoming piece of paper. He caught in his index fingers.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Just read it." Naruto said dismissively with a yawn. "I think I'm gonna take a nap. Hinata-chan, you're still tired, right?"

Hinata nodded her head. The two proceeded to lie back down on the bed. Shikamaru's eyes were focused on his friends for a moment before he shook his head and sat down at the table.

"Troublesome people." He grumbled as he turned his attention to the note. He opened it and began to look at the writing. His eyes widened almost instantly. "Wait, is this…"