Chapter 12:

Next to her was the young woman from the other day, wearing a simple black kimono that he vaguely recognized as the uniform of those shinobi he'd seen all these years. She had a large blush on her face and was trying desperately to look anywhere but at him, which he found absolutely adorable.

Then there was the rather large man standing with them. He was a tall man standing at least over 200 centimetres, which surprised Naruto since he hadn't met anyone larger than himself before now; the man possessed a rather.

. .

bulbous build, and curly brown hair and a large chin. Kami that chin was huge, he thought idly.

He was wearing a black kimono as well, but also had what appeared to be a badge of some sort on his left arm and a plush purple collar. He was looking about the clearing in what could almost be construed as disdain, his leering eyes passing over Naruto as if he wasn't even there.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched; was that a scoff he heard just then?

Yoruichi strode forward confidently, taking in his state of dress, which was more suited to working outdoors than his haori and usual garments. His mesh shirt was still in place, revealing his toned, muscular torso, and his legs were adorned with a pair of simple brown trousers instead of his hakama.

'Very nice Naruto-kun. The years have definitely been kind to you.

' Yoruichi thought with an almost perverse inner chuckle. "It's been quite some time, ne Naruto?"

Naruto turned to face the woman who'd sent him off and nodded. "That it has, Yoruichi.

I was just catching dinner, if you could wait for just a moment I'll go and bring it inside. " He then turned to continue what he'd been doing, making his way over to the shore to gather up the several buckets of fish he'd caught that morning.

Yoruichi nodded, her impish grin never once leaving her face as Sui-Feng and the as of yet unidentified man walked up beside her.

"Taichou, is there a particular reason we are here? Visiting a commoner such as this should not have necessitated such fine dress. " The large man stated rather loudly, and Yoruichi's grin disappeared.

"Omaeda, shut up. "

"Hai, Taichou. "

Once Naruto had made his way back over to them he gestured with his head towards the door and the three followed him inside. When the door closed behind them on it's own volition, Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and Omeada jumped while Sui-Feng, having seen it before, didn't show a reaction.

The three of them removed their footwear as Naruto disappeared into the house, leaving Sui-Feng to show them the way to the sitting room where a large table had been set up in the centre of the room, lined with cushions and place settings already adorning its' surface.

Walking back in through the door from the yard after depositing several of the full buckets into the shed, Naruto carried the bucket he was still holding into the kitchen next to the sitting room. "Dinner should be ready soon, you all can take a seat wherever you like, I'll be with you shortly.

"

Yoruichi stated her affirmation and took a seat at one end of the table, the large pile of cushions at the other end reminding her of another friend of hers, while Sui-Feng sat at the side of the table to her left and Omaeda to her right, still looking about at the surroundings, though with less disdain since the house they were currently lounging in seemed more fit for a noble.

When Naruto returned once again he was holding a large tray bearing four small sake bottles and a tea pot with four cups and an equal number of sake dishes; he'd also somehow managed to change back into his usual attire, his red haori and black hakama, while he'd been out of sight. Setting the tray down on the table he took a bottle of sake and a dish before moving to the head of the table and setting himself down in the pile of cushions.

"Help yourselves, the sake's my own personal recipe and the tea was blended just this morning. " Naruto poured some sake into his dish before setting the bottle on the table in front of him and settling back into his seat with a sigh, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension from working all night.

Yoruichi took a bottle of sake and a dish before following Naruto's example, once she'd poured some sake into her own dish and placed the bottle back on the table, she took a tentative sip and her eyes went wide. She pulled back and looked at the dish in surprise before placing it back to her lips and tipping it back.

"Damn, racking up some serious brownie points here mister. That is some damn good sake.

"

Sui-Feng, remembering how much she liked the tea from her previous visit simply poured herself a cup and took a sip, before smiling in delight with a sigh. Omaeda himself had taken some sake and had tried it himself before nodding, seemingly satisfied.

Naruto chuckled. "You can't have the recipe.

" He said it in a joking manner but they could tell he was serious, he had told Sui-Feng and Yoruichi had already known that it was a secret recipe handed down through the Toad Sages of Myubokuzan. "So, I heard you wanted to talk to me Yoruichi and here we are.

Might as well get the serious stuff out of the way before dinner. "

Yoruichi nodded, filling her dish with more sake before she spoke. "Do you remember how your father died? How he sealed the Kyuubi inside of you that day?"

Naruto nodded. "Ah, I do.

He summoned a shinigami to aid him in powering the seal; since I highly doubt one of you ate him, with the exception of tubby over there, then that must mean the actual deal was a bit different then the one I know of. "