Chapter 12: Welcome Back to Konoha

If anyone were to try and guess what attracted Naruto to his wife, they would probably say it was her jewel-like eyes or unusual hair colour. However if one was to ask Naruto he wouldn't say it was either. If Naruto had to pick a physical aspect of what drew him to his lovely wife, he would have to say it had been her gentle, kind and understanding smile. He, of course, couldn't deny that her exotic eyes and hair hadn't caught his attention at first, anyone would know that would be a lie. However, he himself wasn't captured by her beauty, her deep mind or never-ending compassion, until he saw her smile at him. Many would probably think that this was a flimsy attempt at hiding what they most likely thought was the actual truth, but for those that know him, they wouldn't doubt this at all. Naruto and his wife have been married for nearly four years and he has no intention of that changing. No one could ever doubt that Naruto loved his wife, no matter the reason of how and why.

If someone were to ask Ruka why she agreed to marry Naruto she would never be able to list only a single reason, her list would be too long to articulate. What sparked her interest in her love was a simple thing. However, Ruka's mood would both blacken and fill with anger if one would try and dig deeper. Her heart would give a twinge of hurt at the memory of how she found the broken and despaired boy. She would recall the despairingly beautiful stormy eyes, his fragmented soul easily reflected. She would feel the warmth of nostalgia and pride when her love built himself up again, even better than before. So if one were to ask Ruka what made her fall for Naruto Uzumaki she would say three words. His breathtaking soul or even his hardened spirit. There is no doubt that anyone who saw or heard this would believe that Ruka will ever give up Naruto or let anyone else try.

It was a bright and sunny day in Konoha is what many wish they could say, unfortunately, this was not quite the case. The sky was a greyish blue, even though it was still rather warm. It was as if the weather of Konoha was waiting to see if the village pleased or angered Naruto. The gate guards sat stock straight, tense while also maintaining decorum. A nervous, yet determined Tsunade stood just inside the gate. Alongside Lady Tsunade stood, a faithful and dutiful as ever Shizune, an energised Gai, a lazy but secretly on point Kakashi, as serious and scary as ever Ibiki and finally a very anxious Iruka. The group stood to wait on edge for the Tsukigakure (Hidden Moon Village) delegation, hoping that Naruto the sun of Konoha and holder of the Will of Fire, would be along with them.

Tsunade knew that today was the day that could make or break Konoha. The Leaf Village would never be able to stand against Tsukigakure in a war, despite having a larger force Konoha has been focused on quantity rather than quality when it has come to training and teaching shinobi over the past few years. Tsukigakure has nothing but quality, nearly all of their forces have the skill equal to one or more of the Sannin. Let alone any single of the Commanders that had the ability on par with or greater than any of the Kage. Ruka is no exception to this and she wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was as well. The Leaf has only fought in two large wars, whereas Tsukigakure has fought in many more wars, skirmishes and battles than Konoha could imagine. However unlike Konoha, Tsukigakure isn't arrogant in there abilities or power, they don't flaunt it around or allow it to delude them into superiority as the Leaf did. Yes, Tsunade knew that if the council angered the couple Konoha was doomed. Tsunade at least comforted herself that Danzo was executed not long after Naruto left, so at least he couldn't stir up trouble. On the other least comforting hand, the civilian council are going to be pissed about the "obviously unprovoked assault" or "attack" on the Uchiha, especially when they discover that Tsunade didn't tell them about it and Naruto is married to the person that virtually took him as a political hostage. She knew that they'd probably screw up the negotiation, so badly that Sasuke will most likely be executed and the village razed to the ground.

Iruka was anxious and thrilled at the thought of seeing Naruto again. He took it hard when Naruto banished and if it hadn't been of Ayame he didn't want to think what could have happened. From the day Naruto left until now, he always used to recall the small blonde sunshine of energy that couldn't sit still to save himself and his determination. He sometimes uses Naruto or his pranks as examples in his class. He hoped that Naruto was happy and also didn't hate him. He also wanted Naruto to say hello to Ayame and share the news of their engagement. He also couldn't wait to meet his pseudo-little brother's wife and children. It was time to see what kind of man the little hyperactive ball of sunshine he remembered had turned into.

Eventually, they saw four adult silhouettes and four rather small shadows walking between them. The Konoha ninjas didn't dare blink as the black shadowed human blobs moved closer toward them and the light reveals the people they were waiting for. The Konoha group took in the sight of their former comrade and the joy at seeing him once more, even when they couldn't see his face and that he'd changed so much over the years. Naruto had been the first they'd seen, he was wearing his mask that was decorated in markings that they couldn't decipher. His single silver earring dangling from his right ear. He wore his signature black trench coat that differed from Ibiki's own, his red muscle shirt sat tightly to his now tall and large form without outlining his strength. Black customised Anbu style pants that had more pockets then necessary, covered the tops of his black ninja combat boots. He has white tape wrapped tightly around his left leg and has a Kunai holder on his left hip, while his Shuriken holder sat on his right leg. His hands were clad fingerless black gloves to give his hands a better grip. On his back sat the Katana that is known as Eien no Kizuato (Eternal Scar), it was red and white handled, with a black sheath and was rumoured to have a unique black blade. The group of Konoha ninja were amazed at how grown-up and mature Naruto looked, never in a million years when they heard Kakashi's report could they imagine him as he is now. It brought tears to both Tsunade and Shizune's eyes and pride within Iruka's.

The next person they saw after drawing their eyes away was Ruka Osorubeki. Well, that should be Ruka Osorubeki-Uzumaki now, if what they'd learned was true. She was still as gorgeous as ever, her long knee length silver and black hair picking up the sunlight making it almost sparkle. She was walking or gliding as graceful as ever, making it seem that she was floating rather than walking. Her black battle kimono sat off the shoulders and reached her calf in length, the long sleeves of the kimono covered up to the beginning of her dainty fingers. The kimono flared outwards in an upside-down V shape at the knees. The black kimono was outlined in silver and decorated with a purple and silver butterfly pattern. The sash that tied the gown was purple and was outlined silver with the rest of the kimono. The kimono fitted her like a glove, giving plenty of room for movement while also emphasising her curves and a generous bust. On her feet, she wore black ninja sandals. She wore no mask or jewellery, no make-up stained her face either. Her lips still held their natural blood red colouring she was known for. She seemingly had no weapons on her person, but the Konoha ninja weren't fools, they were well aware she was a master at seals and probably had a very large number of weapons sealed on her person. Everyone there was amazed that the Naruto they remember could convince a girl like this to marry him. Her beauty was not exaggerated in the rumours they had heard about the Crimson Blood Princess, Commander and head of the Osorubeki Clan. They also knew her skill was even better than her beauty, the Konoha ninja knew to tread carefully with her.

Their well-trained eyes eventually drifted down to the small girl holding Ruka's hand. The small girl was an exact replica of Ruka. She had Ruka's pale creamy skin and long black and silver hair. However, unlike her mother who kept her hair loose, the little girl kept her hair braided. She had other small differences from Ruka as well, her eyes were a mix of sapphire and azure blue and most drastically and obvious to all was the thin very faint whisker marks that adorned her face. The girl was wearing a violet cheongsam qipao dress with white flowers, wearing black tights underneath. She had purple ninja sandals on her feet. The Konoha Shinobi especially the woman thought that the little girl replica was adorable and it made them wish, a little for their own.

Next to her was another girl, this one had sun blonde hair with silver streaks giving it a platinum blonde look. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail style reminiscent to Ino's own. She had pure sapphire blue eyes sparkling like the gem they're coloured after, on her face was the exact same thin whisker marks, as the girl holding Ruka's hand. The blonde girl wore a light blue cheongsam qipao dress with no sleeves. The dress has an orange vine pattern. She had black bike shorts underneath. She was wearing blue ninja sandals like her sister.

Walking on the left side of the girl was a slightly taller boy. The boy had sun blonde hair with black streaks. His hair is spiky and seems to reach to the top of the boy's shoulders. His hair spikes tilt to the right side of his head making it shorter on the left. The boy had sharp and bright sapphire blue eyes. The face shape was a mix of both Ruka and Naruto, but the whisker marks were all his father. The boy was dressed in a dark green tank top with a black jacket. They found it rather adorable he matched his father, even if the jacket was far shorter. He had on black shorts and was wearing black ninja sandals. The style was practical and was good for blending in with foliage, good ninja wear. Simply looking at the boy, the Konoha delegation knew that this boy would grow into an amazing ninja one day without a doubt.

It was, however, the last child that made them pause and suck in a breath. Because the last child was identical to a young Naruto in every way. The boy had spiky blonde hair which reached to his shoulders. His eyes were a bright azure blue that he inherited from his mother. He was as short as his sisters, as Naruto had once been shorter than anyone in his year. On his face were the exact same whisker marks as both his brother and father, he was also wearing Naruto's patterned sunny grin. He had on an orange shirt that was, thankfully, a burnt orange not the fluorescent orange that Naruto had been famous for. He wore black shorts and ninja sandals. There was no doubt to anyone that this was Naruto's child. It took everything in them not to look amazed at the mini Naruto and even more in Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka not to smile at the nostalgic remembrance that the child's appearance brought them and the bittersweet feelings that it gave.

Behind them travelled a tall man, he had blonde hair which if looked at closely had a layer of black underneath. He had warm amber eyes and had a black scarf around his neck. He wore an olive green traditional plain kimono, with an aqua jacket over top and he had regular black ninja sandals. From Kakashi's report, this was Kubinashi, after finding out his name, appearance and his odd weapon they researched into him further. He was known as 'Kubinashi of the Red String' (Akai himo no Kubinashi) in the bingo book, he has a large bounty, especially for a simple vassal.

Standing next to him stood a woman, the woman had long wavy brown hair tied up in a single ponytail with half of it covering her face. She had light green eyes on her face. The woman was wearing a white and pink dress kimono with flowers decorated the bottom. The kimono highlighted her voluptuous features, such as her large bust and curves. The kimono also covered her feet, making it unable to tell what type of shoes she was wearing. The woman was beautiful that was no doubt, but her beauty fell slightly short of Ruka's own. After finding more information on Kubinashi, it was discovered that this woman was known as Kejōrō and was considered to be a partner or at the very least an associate of Kubinashi. Her name in the Bingo Book is 'Kejōrō of the Demon Hair' (Oni ke no keijorou) and occasionally uses Tessan (Fan) as weapons.

As they walked closer to the gate a shadow dashed out of the treetops, nothing but a shadowed blur to those from Konoha. Their eyes widened from worry that this could be a possible assassination, but the Tsukigakure delegation didn't even flinch. Now walking on the other side of the blonde, amber-eyed man, stood a tall black-clad man. He had black hair and dark green eyes. The man was lean but appeared to have muscle. He wore all black, both his forearms were wrapped in white bandages. He had black gloves covering his hands. On his back sat a very large sword that was also covered in white bandages, instead of a sheath. This is who the recognised to be Saizō. He was a ninja taught in the very old ways and was extremely skilled at assassination and sabotage. However the sword he keeps on his back is not for show, it is rumoured that he once fought all of The Seven Swordsman of the Mist into a standstill and the only reason the fight was a standstill is because Saizō got bored and decided to leave. 'Saizō of the Heavenly Darkness' (Ten no Yami no Nishikura) was not a man to be trifled with especially when he has been compared to a demon in human skin.

The Konoha delegate took the time to file their observations away into their minds and compare it to the information they already had. All of them knew that the chance of these people helping or joining them was slim. The chances that Naruto would be pleased to see them was very small and the chances that the civilian council would screw the whole thing up was extremely large. The Naruto clone probably would not help in that regard. This was something that struck all of the ninja's with curiosity, why bring their children? It was strange that they would bring their children into a possibly hostile environment. Another thing that was weird was that they only had a group of five adults. Usually, a delegation from another country would send more. It was something else to add to the pile of things that kept and would continue to keep the Konoha ninja on edge.

Eventually, they made it to the gate were Tsunade and co moved to greet them. This was the usual protocol for welcoming another countries people into their village for a political reason. However, before they could utter a word, Naruto partially removed his mask so it was only covering the left side of his face. There was a light in his jewel hard eyes, a look at Iruka would remember that Naruto would get when he was about to prank somebody.

"Hello, Granny Tsunade." Spoke Naruto, with a giant smirk only visible on one half of his face. Making everyone from Konoha pause and think "We are so doomed."