33. The Aftermath

Nighttime had fallen over Konoha. The Suna and Oto invaders had either retreated after the failed invasion or were placed in captivity in Konoha. Many of the shinobi and civilian villagers were celebrating the strength of their shinobi and the death of Orochimaru. There was even joint celebration with the Iwa shinobi in the village. Their assistance proved valuable in holding off the Suna/Oto invaders and helped bridge the gap between the two former-enemy villages.

While most of the villagers were celebrating their victory, Mitarashi Anko was not one of them. After the death of Orochimaru, the Sandaime had forced her to go to the hospital. Once she was treated by a squad of medical shinobi and released home, she started to walk towards a small cemetery deep within the heart of Konoha. The tokubetsu jōnin walked through the cemetery underneath the full moon's moonlight before she stopped at two tombstones. She was at the resting place for Jikan Mamoru and Motō Himura, her former teammates.

"Hey Mamoru. Hey Himura. It's been a while since I last paid you guys a visit, huh? Hopefully you both aren't too pissed at me." Anko spoke with a small chuckle. "I've been really busy since the beginning of this year. The Hokage actually assigned me to a genin team. Can you guys believe it?"

Although she received no response, she could just hear the laughter from beyond the grave. Both her former teammates, although they treated Anko like a sister to them, considered her extremely irresponsible and immature at times. They often joked how awful of a jōnin-sensei she would be. She actually joked with them about the same.

"Yeah, that happened. But their good kids and I'm glad I got a hold of them. They're really going to be something one of these days." The tokubetsu jōnin commented with a smile. "The Chūnin Exams were today and I just know that they're all going to get promoted."

"… Speaking of the Chūnin Exams, though…" Anko's voice started to trail off for a moment as she contemplated her words. Finally, she took a deep breath and started to speak. "Konoha was invaded. Suna and this new village, Oto, attacked. Turns out the leader of this village was our former sensei, Orochimaru."

"I ended up fighting him face-to-face for a moment. I couldn't beat him. He was way too strong. But Hokage-sama arrived just in-time. I distracted Orochimaru for long enough and he was able to kill him." She stated. The kunoichi sighed in relief as she, once again, thought about finally witnessing the death of Orochimaru. "Yeah… Orochimaru is dead. He's finally gone."

Tears started to develop in her eyes. The tears fell onto the tombstones of her former teammates.

"It's so surreal just thinking about. He's finally dead. The man who ended up killing you both is finally dead. I… I don't know what to say. Or do. Or think." Anko commented between her sobs. "I just feel so relieved… yet so empty. He's finally gone, but my curse mark is still here. The damage he has done will never go away… and you two will never be coming back."

Anko stopped talking for a moment, as if she was waiting for the tombstones to reply. She tried to imagine Mamoru and Himura looking at her and telling her something.

For a moment, she felt nothing while standing in the cemetery. Then, in the corner of her eyes, she thought she saw the spirits of her two friends and teammates smiling at her. The two of them were nodding their heads at her, trying to tell her something non-verbally: 'He's gone. That's all that matters. Everything is going to be okay.'

The tokubetsu jōnin rubbed the sleeve of her coat against her eyes, brushing away the tears. When she cleared her eyes, the image of her teammates was gone. She blinked in confusion and scanned the whole cemetery, looking for them again. They were, however, not present in the cemetery any longer.

"… I think you two are right." Anko finally spoke up again as a smile developed on her face. She turned her attention back to the tombstones and continued to smile. "He's gone. I had spent so much of my life worrying about him and focusing on killing him for what he did. But now that he's gone… I think I can finally put things to the side and actually live again."

The jōnin-sensei proceeded to walk away from the cemetery, the smile on her lips growing. "… I'll come back more often. I promise. Just know that I'll be okay. And one day, when I die, I'll have a lot of things to tell you two. I promise."

With those words, Anko left the cemetery and returned to her apartment. She was unaware of the images of Mamoru and Himura returning. The spirits of her former teammates watched on with a smile on their lips as they watched her make the first steps towards a new life.

'This can't be happening. Not a single thing went according to plan!'

Yakushi Kabuto paced back-and-forth in a large room filled with beakers, blood samples, and textbooks. He was in one of Orochimaru's smaller laboratories – the only one that was still present in Konoha that the shinobi had not discovered and destroyed. As soon as the invasion failed, he hurried to the laboratory and hid in there. He needed to be somewhere safe where he could try and think about what had just happened and what his next plan of action should be.

'Orochimaru-sama is dead…' He repeated that fact in his head.

For the past few years, Kabuto had spent his life as Orochimaru's spy in Konoha and his 'right-hand'. He had spent his life before his service to the Sannin rotating allegiances: Root, Konoha, Orochimaru, and Sasori. These rotating allegiances and his own circumstances had him deeply confused about his own identity and what his purpose was in life. Finally centering his loyalty to Orochimaru helped him come to an understanding of his own place in life. He had truly been happy for the first time in years when he pledged his true, honest loyalty to Orochimaru, knowing that he finally had an identity he could focus on.

With the Sannin dead, Kabuto lost his identity. Now, the former 'right-hand' of Oto needed to create a new identity… once again.

'Where do I go from here? Due to that debacle with Dosu, Konoha knows that I was a spy. I can't remain a shinobi here. And I can't go back to Sasori. He still believes that I was his mole within Orochimaru's ranks. With him dead, I serve no purpose to the man. He'd probably find some reason to kill me.' Kabuto cursed mentally as he ran through options in his head. '… What should I be doing?'

Hesitantly, Kabuto walked forward in the room towards a mirror on the wall. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and scowled. Just like when he was younger, when he was rotating his allegiances, he couldn't recognize his own reflection. He knew the man he was looking at was somebody named 'Yakushi Kabuto', but he had no idea who exactly that man was!

He gripped his hand tightly and prepared to punch the mirror to destroy his reflection, but he stopped himself when he noticed something about his reflection. He was still wearing a forehead protector with the symbol for Otogakure on his head: the 'village' Orochimaru had created.

'Orochimaru…'

Finally, a smirk developed on Kabuto's face as he walked away from the mirror.

'Orochimaru-sama is dead… So I should honor his memory by continuing where he left off. I'll become immortal and learn every jutsu this world has to offer and more.' Kabuto's eyes widened as his thoughts continued to develop. '… But why stop there? I can do more than just fulfill Orochimaru-sama's goals. There is so much I could do… So much I could become.'

With that thought, Kabuto moved to Orochimaru's textbooks and began to review the research notes the Sannin had left behind. The 'right-hand' of Otogakure, in his mind, now had a purpose in his life once again.

"Hokage-sama, Koharu-dono and Homura-dono have arrived. They wish to speak with you." A Konoha ANBU agent informed his village's leader.

Hiruzen nodded his head in understanding. The ANBU proceeded to leave the room wordlessly, leaving the Hokage along for a moment.

It was surprising just how much one day can make somebody feel. Sarutobi Hiruzen had often joked with many people about his age and about being an old man. Today, however, was the first day he truly felt every year of his age. It had been a long time since he had been in intense, war-like combat and it was in the face of an invasion by his former student: an invasion he could have prevented if he simply killed his student years ago.

'I can't be thinking like that.' Hiruzen shook his head at the thoughts, reprimanding himself. 'The invasion was a failure. Suna realizes that they were duped and Orochimaru is now dead.'

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the door to his office opening up once again. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, Hiruzen's advisors and former squad-mates, walked into the room. Each of them were carrying a stack of papers.

"Homura, Koharu." Hiruzen greeted them with a nod. "Do you have anything to report?"

"We do." Homura replied as he walked forward and laid his paper stack on the desk. He then took the top sheet of paper off and held it over to the Hokage. "These are the confirmed statistics about the number of deaths in the invasion."

Hiruzen nodded and immediately scanned the paper. His eyes widened at the sight of the numbers.

"No confirmed civilian casualties?" He noted quietly.

"The evacuation attempts we made prior to the exams worked. We were able to get all civilians into hiding before Suna and Oto troops could begin their attack." Koharu commented. She let a small smile develop on her face. "The information Jiraiya received from that Oto genin, Kinuta Dosu, was life-saving. Your student has done a great service to the village."

For the first time all day, Hiruzen smiled at the news. 'What a relief…' He then let a small chuckle out as he thought about 'Dosu'. 'Jiraiya does deserve credit, but I think it was more than just him. Naruto was certainly involved at least.'

The Hokage made a note to remember this statistic, however. He had plans for Kinuta Dosu and this statistic would help his cause in that matter.

"Although we were lucky to get all of our civilians out of the combat unscathed, we did lose a decent amount of shinobi. And we have many more seriously wounded." Homura spoke up. His words destroyed Hiruzen's smile as the Hokage was forced to recall the other statistics on the paper. "Suna must pay for-"

"No, Homura." Hiruzen interrupted his former teammate. "We will not be initiating war with Suna. They attacked under order of Orochimaru, who had killed the Yondaime Kazekage and took his place-"

"That doesn't change the fact that they did attack!" Homura exclaimed curtly. "We need to-"

"Orochimaru is dead, their leader is dead, and they didn't even desire this conflict!" Hiruzen stated, interrupting his teammate once again. "I've already discussed this with Ōnoki earlier this morning and even he was willing to agree with me that we should not try to go to war with Suna for this. I'm going to say this one more time to you, Homura: Konoha will not wave war!"

"… As you say. You are the Hokage, after all." Homura replied dismissively.

Hiruzen glared at his former teammate. Homura was a man who prided himself on his ability to conceal his emotions and to be composed at any given moment. The Hokage, however, after spending nearly sixty years of his life working side-by-side with the man, could read his emotions quite well. Therefore, it disappointed Hiruzen to see his former teammate so frustrated and angry that Konoha was not going to attack Suna.

'God… How are you so hungry for war when even Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki doesn't desire it?' Hiruzen shook his head. 'Danzō… you've really affected him in the worst way possible.'

"Putting the issue with Suna aside," Koharu spoke up, ignoring the tension between her teammates, "we have other issues to address."

Koharu walked forward and placed her stack of papers next to the stack Homura had set down on the desk.

"Most of those papers are records of all the property damage that was done during the invasion. I took the liberties of converting many of them into D-ranked missions. They just need your approval before we can start handing them out." Koharu informed him.

Hiruzen nodded in understanding. Most of the active, uninjured shinobi were already participating in attempts to rebuild the village. Creating D-ranked missions would help focus the work load in Konoha: the genin could be assigned to these repair missions and would free up the schedules for the higher-ranking shinobi to continue with more-demanding missions.

"There are also a few other papers related to economics and business partners that need your signature. You can check over those and sign, if you wish." Koharu continued. "… Also, amongst those papers are the evaluations of the candidates for the Chūnin Exams. Although the invasion did happen and spoiled the conclusion, it is still important that we show the world that we can ignore the invasion and continue moving forward. And the best way to do that is just continue uninterrupted and select the chūnin."

"Yes, I understand." Hiruzen nodded in understanding. "I'll make my decisions after looking over the evaluations. I'll have the Chūnin chosen within the next two days."

"That was all we had for you. We should be leaving, now." Homura mentioned. He gave a bow before he left the room.

Koharu took a brief look back to the other retreating advisor before she returned her focus to Hiruzen. She bowed her head. "I suppose he has a point. That is all we had to report. Look over everything at your own time, but faster is preferred." She turned her back and began to walk away. As she began her walk, a smile crept onto her face. "… But Hiruzen. No matter what Homura or Danzō may say, you saved many of the lives of Konoha citizens, especially the lives of those who wouldn't be able to fight back. You did well yesterday, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime Hokage smiled in response to his former teammate's words. He watched her leave the room and close the door. Once she was gone, he then turned his attention towards the piles of paperwork that both she and Homura had given to him.

He sighed as he took over the first sheet of paper he could reach. He knew today was going to be a long day. The Hokage couldn't complain too much however. He, along with his village, could have been destroyed yesterday by his former student. The fact that he, and Konoha, was still alive was all that mattered. Hiruzen repeated that thought in his head as he focused on his paperwork with determination in his eyes.

"Hey, Old Man Teuchi! Ayame-neesan! Three bowls of miso ramen please: one for me and each of my friends!" Naruto called out to the ramen chefs as he and his fellow jinchūriki, Han and Rōshi, took a seat at Ichiraku's Ramen.

Both Teuchi and Ayame nodded before they got to work preparing the food.

"So this is the famous Ichiraku's that you wouldn't stop talking about." Han noted with an amused tone-of-voice. "It seems rather… quaint. I've been excited to try this place."

"I'm just excited to eat something! I haven't eaten all day today, so this better be good." Rōshi commented with a chuckle.

"Trust me: it's good. It's going to change your life." Naruto declared excitedly.

"Ha!" Rōshi laughed loudly at that. "I'll take you word on that, kid! My life has been pretty boring these past sixty-something years and needs a good change."

Naruto and Han laughed in response to Rōshi's joke. The three then continued to chat about random topics. Rōshi told Naruto a few of his experiences as a shinobi and about his own life in Iwa. Naruto, in return, answered every question Rōshi asked about himself. Han mostly sat back and let his fellow jinchūriki talk, occasionally commenting when he had something to add to the conversation. Conversation came to a complete halt, however, once Teuchi and Ayame brought out the bowls of ramen. The trio accepted their bowls and began eating immediately.

"Well damn kid!" Rōshi exclaimed after he took his first bite. He then began to eat his ramen quickly. "Mmm… This right there… This is good shit!"

Han, unlike his fellow Iwa shinobi, did not comment on his food while he was eating. He instead focused on finishing his bowl as fast as he could. Once he was done, he moved his bowl to the side and sighed contently.

"I must say, this is very good. I'm not normally a fan of ramen, but this was really good." Han noted. He then brought his right hand to his chin in thought. "Although I suppose it could be a little bit spicier…"

"We have a chicken curry ramen that we are working on. It's the spiciest thing we can make." Teuchi spoke up.

Han immediately turned his attention towards the ramen chef and nodded his head. "Then I would like to try a bowl of it, please."

"Me too!" Rōshi declared as he finished his bowl.

Naruto blinked in surprise as he watched Ayame and Teuchi take away the empty bowls of ramen before they went to the back to start preparations for the next bowls. The blonde then turned his attention towards his own bowl of miso ramen: half-eaten. 'Damn, I'm getting slow or something. I gotta pick up the pace.'

"Thanks again for the invite, Naruto. It's nice to just kinda sit back, relax with some good company, and just enjoy some quality food." Rōshi chuckled, still sighing in relief. His face almost instantly sobered up as he started to speak. "Especially considering what happened here yesterday."

Naruto nodded with a sigh. Yesterday was a hectic day. He was glad everything worked out fine in the end and that Konoha managed to hold back against the Suna/Oto invaders, but the whole day was still something that bothered him. It was his first experience to what a war-like combat would feel like.

"… So, is that what war is like? Fighting just like yesterday, only going on for more days?" Naruto questioned.

"Sorta." Rōshi answered with a shrug. "Honestly, I'd say war-time battles are worse… or at least the ones that I participated in. It's some scary shit."

"I would agree with that." Han mentioned with a sigh. "I'm glad that everything worked out yesterday and that your friends were okay and Konoha was safe. Combat like that usually doesn't end so favorably for anybody. There is usually a lot more death."

Naruto grimaced at the thought of more death. There were indeed casualties amongst the Konoha shinobi. Although the Uzumaki did not know anyone personally who died, he did see a few of their bodies. There was going to be a joint funeral in the next few days for all of shinobi who passed away. It was a scary thought to imagine multiple battles where even more of his fellow shinobi died.

'I'm just glad everybody's okay. Anko-sensei, Shikamaru, Hinata…' Naruto's cheeks blushed at the thought of the Hyūga heiress and the kiss she had given him. His thoughts then started to focus on her. 'Hinata…'

Rōshi noticed the tint of red on his cheeks almost immediately. The solemn look on his face vanished and was replaced by a sly, teasing grin. "Hmm? Hey kid! Your face just got red. Thinking about someone?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in response.

"Since he is blushing, I think it's safe to assume is thinking of his teammate, Hyūga Hinata. If my memory is correct, she gave you a kiss on the cheek before she rushed off to fight the Suna puppeteer." Han noted as he gave the Kyūbi jinchūriki an amused look. "Am I right?"

"Um… W-Well, you see, th-that's…" Naruto began to mumble as his cheeks reddened further. A few seconds passed before he simply sighed. "Yeah. I'm thinking about her. Just thinking of my friends reminded me of her and that kiss."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Rōshi questioned curiously. Naruto shook his head in response. "Then why're you red then? What is she to you?"

Naruto closed his eyes in deep thought for a moment before he started to speak: "She's just a friend: one of my best friends, actually. She's one of the first people to really try and get to know me and believe in me. She used to be really quiet, but she was always really nice, humble, and polite. She's opened up recently and has become a lot more talkative and even makes jokes. She's really funny and I always have an amazing time hanging out with her. She is also one of the most determined people I know and I respect her. She's… well, she's precious to me."

"… I don't consider myself particularly good at understanding relationships, but to me, it sounds like you have feelings for her." Han stated.

"I-I… I don't know." Naruto, once again, sighed. "I guess I'm kinda like you then, Han-nii. I'm not good with relationship stuff like this. I've only ever liked one girl in my life and, looking back, I realized I only liked her because she was one of the few people who gave me attention before I became with friends with Hinata and Shikamaru. I really don't know what it means to like somebody."

"Naruto, if I told you that the sunglasses-wearing kid on Han's team liked Hinata, what would you do?" Rōshi questioned.

Both Naruto and Han looked over to the older jinchūriki in confusion. Naruto's confusion quickly turned to panic as he started to speak.

"Roto does? He likes her? B-But he can't! I mean, Hinata can't like him. I-I mean, they're from different villages and all! And, well…" Naruto's words started to trail off as he tried to think of more reasons why Hinata and Roto shouldn't get together.

"But you said it yourself: you didn't like Hinata. Why would it be an issue then if somebody else liked her?" Rōshi asked, his teasing grin becoming even wider. "Because if that was the case, then you shouldn't be jealous."

Naruto's eyes widened in response at the revelation. He looked downwards as he contemplated Rōshi's words and the feeling he felt when he thought of the possibility of Hinata being together with Roto.

"… I guess you're right. I guess I do like Hinata." He admitted. A small smile developed on his face and he felt a little more comfortable with the idea now that he had said it. "Yeah… I guess I do. I should probably talk to her sometime soon then. If she kissed me… maybe she feels the same way... hopefully!"

"Yeah, go for it kid! That's the spirit!" Rōshi encouraged with a laugh. "Just maybe give it a few days or so and let this whole invasion thing calm down a bit. But yeah, I'd suggest just talking with her and see where it goes."

Han chuckled quietly to himself, but nodded to show Naruto that he agreed with the advice of his fellow Iwa jōnin. The Uzumaki gave both of them a smile, appreciating them listening to him. He then turned his attention back to the bowl of ramen in front of him. He was about to start eating again when a Konoha ANBU agent approached the restaurant and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Uzumaki Naruto: you have been summoned by Hokage-sama." The ANBU requested.

Naruto, along with Han and Rōshi, looked at the ANBU agent with confusion evident in their eyes.

"What does the Old Man want with me?" Naruto questioned.

"He has a request for you to deliver something to someone, along with a message." The ANBU replied. "He'll explain when you get to his office. Just follow me there, if you please."

Naruto frowned in response. He wasn't one to ignore a request from the Hokage, but he was having fun with his fellow jinchūriki. With a sigh, he turned his attention towards Han and Rōshi and gave them a small smile.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted. I'll try and see you guys again for lunch some other time." Naruto told them.

"Good luck with whatever you have to do, Naruto." Han bowed his head in response: a gesture that Rōshi mimicked.

The Uzumaki chuckled as he left the area, leaving the two Iwa jōnin alone at Ichiraku's.

"He's a good kid. And kinda funny." Rōshi commented with a chuckle. "Don't think I've seen anybody that red since the day Ōnoki met his wife."

"Love is a strange thing. I don't pretend to understand it." Han admitted. "But whatever makes them happy, I guess. Naruto deserves happiness, after all."

Rōshi nodded his head in agreement. He opened his mouth to reply to his friend when he noticed Teuchi come forward, holding two bowls of chicken curry ramen. He placed them in front of both Iwa jinchūriki. They both thanked the man and took their first bite. They each had their eyes widen in response.

"This… is the food of the gods." Rōshi commented, in a daze.

"… I concur." Han nodded his head dumbly. His eyes were focused solely on his ramen.

In just a few seconds, the two men slurped down their food and immediately requested seconds. Teuchi chuckled to himself as he prepared more bowls for them. He assumed that both Iwa jinchūriki, while they were still in Konoha, were going to be a lot of business for him.

After his brief meeting with the Sandaime Hokage, Naruto was escorted by an ANBU agent to the Hokage's Mansion. The blonde was gripping a Konoha forehead protector in his right hand tightly. He was then brought through a trapdoor in the ground outside of the mansion. The Uzumaki and the ANBU agent went through the door and walked through a cave-like hallway underneath the mansion. At the end of the hallway was a brown door. The ANBU agent stopped walking.

"This is where he is. When you are finished, report to Hokage-sama about his response." The shinobi stated before he made a hand sign and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

With the ANBU gone, Naruto continued to walk forward to the door by himself. He opened it and walked inside the dark, plain room. The only things present in the room were a small, simple bed in the corner and the bandage-wearing genin lying on top of it. The sound of the door opening alerted the occupant of the room, causing him to wake up from his sleep and look towards Naruto with his visible eye.

"Dosu… It's good to see you again." Naruto smiled at the boy as he walked forward towards him.

Dosu blinked in response at the sight of the blonde. He had not spoken with Jiraiya or the Hokage in a few days and, considering that yesterday was supposed to be the day of the invasion, he assumed that Orochimaru must have succeeded. Seeing Naruto, perfectly fine and okay, assured him that the invasion, at the very least, wasn't a total success.

It was also a major relief for him to see that the blonde survived and was okay.

"Naruto… It's great to see you again as well." Dosu stated, smiling behind the bandages over his mouth.

"You know, I was freaking out these past few weeks about you, wondering where you were and if you were okay." Naruto admitted with a laugh.

"My apologies." The former Oto genin chuckled in response. "If it's any consolation, I was worried about your safety yesterday. I'm… I'm glad you are alright Naruto."

"It's all thanks to you that Konoha's safe, Dosu." The Uzumaki stated. Dosu's visible eye widened in response, urging Naruto to continue speaking. "Everything you told the Hokage about the invasion helped him prepare for it. You may have well saved his life and saved the lives of many villagers… hell, you may have saved my own life!"

"… I see that you were informed about everything then." Dosu commented with a sigh, a scowl developing on his face. Naruto now knew about Otogakure's leader and knew precisely what the purpose of the Oto shinobi were during the exams. "… Do you hate me, Naruto? For being a part of Oto?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion at the question. He then immediately shook his head rapidly. "No! I mean… I was surprised to hear everything I learned about Oto. Honestly, I really couldn't imagine you working with a man like him. But you ended up doing the right thing and siding against him and his village. And, again, everything you said managed to save so many lives and ensure that Orochimaru died!"

Dosu closed his eyes at that statement. 'Orochimaru is dead…' His initial feeling was guilt at the thought of betraying the man who gave him a second chance at life. This feeling went away almost immediately as he shook his head. 'He was using me. He had no loyalty towards me or the other Oto shinobi. He even sent Kabuto to kill me. No… guilt is the last thing I should be feeling!'

Instead of his 'guilt', Dosu turned his focused towards Naruto's words on his actions. This caused him, once again, to smile underneath his bandages.

"… I'm relieved that you don't hate me, Naruto-san." He admitted.

"I couldn't hate you Dosu! Besides everything you did for Konoha, you're my friend. That's not going to change." The Uzumaki declared.

'… You're my friend too, Naruto. My first real friend, honestly.' The Oto genin realized.

"Anyway, as much as I am here to talk and see how you are doing, I am also here to let you know that the invasion failed and that Oto has been removed from the village. It's safe for you to come out of this room now and reenter the village." Naruto informed with a smile. He then held out the hand that was holding the Konoha forehead protector and showed it to the boy. "… I was also told to offer this to you. Old Man Hokage wants to thank you properly for everything you did for Konoha and he wants to offer you shinobi status."

Dosu's visible eye, once again, widened in shock.

"Wh-Why?" He questioned. "I was with Oto. I've done things for Orochimaru that have probably damned me to hell. Why would your Hokage-"

"Well, again, you did a lot for Konoha and helped prevent our village from taking a lot of damage during the invasion. And, in the end, you turned against Orochimaru. You've done a lot and showed that you are honorable and the Old Man respects you enough that he wants you to join our village." Naruto explained. He then then held out his further to Dosu. "Dosu, you're a good guy. And I'd be stoked to work with you and go on missions with you. So… Just take it!"

Tears started to roll down the former Oto genin's eyes as he wordlessly nodded and took the forehead protector. He then slowly tied it on his forehead, making it official: Kinuta Dosu was now officially a shinobi of Konoha.

"It looks good on you." Naruto chuckled.

"… It's a forehead protector. I don't think it really changes my appearance at all." Dosu replied with a laugh of his own.

"Oh ha ha. You're so funny." The Uzumaki commented with an eye roll and a mock laugh. He then gave his friend an excited look. "Anyway, now that you're able to get out of here, let's go do something. I was in the middle of eating and was interrupted, so I'm still a bit hungry. Do you want to eat?"

The smile on Dosu's face under his bandages grew at the offer.

"Do you know anywhere that serves good teriyaki chicken?" He questioned.

"Do I?" Naruto laughed in response. "Dosu, let me show you what Konoha has to offer!"

With those words, the two friends walked out of the room and headed back to the village. The only that remained in the room was a discarded forehead protector with the Otogakure symbol on it.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork and noticed that Mitarashi Anko had entered his office. The man nodded his head, urging the woman to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk. Her eyes were focused solely on the Hokage.

"Your eyes are drooping. Did you get any sleep last night?" She questioned.

"Of course not." Hiruzen replied with a chuckle. "And I began work immediately, starting on all of this paperwork. A lot of work needs to get done, thanks to this invasion."

"I see." Anko nodded her head in understanding. "Hopefully I won't take too much of your time, then. What's going on?"

"It's nothing too much. I just wanted to thank you for your service yesterday, again. If it wasn't for you, I believe Orochimaru could have easily escaped the village. I'm proud that you were able to hold him off as long as you could." The Sandaime Hokage informed her.

"I'm glad I was able to help." Anko responded. A scowl then developed on her face. "… What did you do with the body again?"

"We've already given it to a group of our medics. They're investigating it and studying it for any secrets." Hiruzen answered. His face twisted into a scowl. "The investigation is still going underway… but one thing we did prove, however, was that Orochimaru's body was that of a woman."

Anko blinked in confusion. "… Excuse me?"

"… I suppose you never learned about Orochimaru's 'immortality' technique that he was working on." The Hokage sighed in response.

The Sandaime took the moment to explain to Anko the specifics behind Orochimaru's immortality jutsu. He informed her how Orochimaru transferred his soul into a new body, taking it over and becoming the person. The Hokage then informed her of his attentions to keep transferring to new bodies, preventing himself from ever dying naturally and, so long as he did not die in combat, keeping him alive forever.

After hearing about the technique, Anko's eyes narrowed in rage. It wasn't difficult for her to imagine Orochimaru kidnapping some young woman and forcing his soul into her body, killing her in the process and taking over her body completely. She could easily imagine him doing this over-and-over again over the years. If he had it his way, death would have never come to him at all and he would have avoided the punishment he so rightfully deserved.

'… Deep breaths Anko. He's dead.' She told herself, trying to calm herself down. The kunoichi took a few seconds to calm herself down before she finally focused her attention on the Hokage once again.

"I understand your anger, Anko. I feel the same way. I pity the woman whose body we are studying… She is one more victim I could have saved if I had just killed Orochimaru years ago." Hiruzen sighed. "… Regardless, Orochimaru wasn't why I called you in here. I wanted to inform you of something important that concerns you."

The Hokage pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to the kunoichi in front of her. Anko only looked at the top of the sheet of paper before her eyes widened.

"Hokage-sama… Do you mean…" She started to mumble, unable to fully process what she was reading.

"That's right, Anko. It's about time we remove the 'tokubetsu' in your title. Congratulations on your promotion to jōnin."

"I… I…" A grin developed on Anko's face as she stood up from the chair and she bowed elaborately at the man in front of her. "It's about damn time I reach jōnin! You won't regret this, Hokage-sama."

"I know I won't. Truth be told, I had been looking for a reason to promote you now for a while. You well earned it, Anko." Hiruzen chuckled in response.

The newly-appointed jōnin opened her mouth to say something in response, but she was interrupted as a medic shinobi entered the room, carrying a report in his hands.

"Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt. However, I wanted to let you know that the blood sample of the 'special prisoner' has been analyzed." The medic spoke to the Hokage.

Hiruzen's eyes focused solely on the man. "And the results?"

"Positive. It's just as you suspected." He answered.

The Sandaime's eyes widened at the information. He then stood up from his own desk and walked towards the door.

"Forgive me, Anko, but I'm going to cut this meeting short. I'm going to have to visit somebody and see something that I've been suspecting for a while. We can talk a little more and make the arrangements regarding your promotion." Hiruzen informed her. "Once again, though: congratulations!"

Hiruzen, along with the medical shinobi, left the Hokage's office. Anko was left alone for a moment. She took a second, staring back-and-forth between the door to the office and the paper in her hands. Finally, with a shrug, she started to walk towards the door and leave the room. The entire way, her mind was focused on the conversation she had just had with the Sandaime.

'I'm a jōnin, I'm a jōnin, I'm a jōnin, I'm a motherfucking jōnin!' She chanted in her mind excitedly.

This was something worth celebrating. Anko already had an order of dango placed once she arrived at Dangoya.

"I knew you'd come eventually."

Hiruzen gave no reply as he walked inside the prison cell. He then continued to walk until he was face-to-face with the prisoner inside: Tayuya.

The former member of the Sound Four was currently lying on a small bed in the room. A seal was placed on her arm that prevented her from accessing any of her chakra and kept her from trying to break out of the room.

"I'm sorry this meeting took so long. It's been rather busy since the invasion." Hiruzen replied with a neutral tone-of-voice.

"Psh. Yeah, yeah. Busy. I get it." Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Well, you're here now. Let's just get this over you old piece of shit." Her hands then went to the bottom of her shirt and she started to lift it up. "Just know that I won't fucking forget this. I'll get my revenge for this somehow!

Hiruzen blinked in response to her actions and blushed slightly. The woman in front of him had now taken off her top. Her hands were then going for her bra. Finally, Hiruzen gained control of his rational mind and he looked at her in confusion.

"What exactly are you doing?" He questioned.

"What am I doing? I'm doing exactly what you spared me for." Tayuya spat out. She ignored him and removed her bra, leaving her completely topless. "You fought all four of us and conveniently the one you decide to spare and leave alive is the only kunoichi? And Orochimaru made it very clear that you were a pervert. Your intentions are laughably unsubtle. Fucking perverted old man!" The woman hissed. "Having said that, I do want to live, so I'll… accept your perverted stipulations. But mark my words: I don't know how, but I'll make you pay for this. I'll make you fucking-"

"I am not a pervert and I am not somebody who would EVER force a prisoner into sex! I don't know what man Orochimaru told you I was, but I am not him. Now, put on your clothes… NOW!" Hiruzen ordered with a scowl on his face, unconsciously releasing some of his killing intent. Her accusations insulted him and he wasn't going to let them slide by.

His words, along with the killing intent, shocked Tayuya. The former Sound For member stared at him in fright for a moment before she finally regained her composure. Realizing that she was wrong about his intentions, she put her bra and her shirt back on. Now fully clothed once again, she focused her attention solely on glaring at the man.

"Then why did you spare me? What do you want from me?" Tayuya questioned with a bitter chuckle. "I heard you killed Orochimaru from one of the prison guards. What information could I possibly have that you'd find valuable."

"… There is plenty of information you could give. Information that I will indeed find out." Hiruzen spoke neutrally in response. "… But, I must admit, that's not why I spared you. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure why I didn't kill you in battle. It was almost an unconscious decision." The Hokage let a small, humorless chuckle escape his lips. "I guess I've seen too many Uzumaki die in my lifetime to personally kill another."

Silence filled the entire room. Tayuya's face became blank for a few seconds. Finally, her face hardened into an angry, annoyed expression.

"So you believe that bullshit stereotype that anybody with red-hair is a fucking Uzumaki, huh? God, you really are a dense motherfucker. Some leader you are!" She spat out. "What about-"

"I realize it's a stereotype, but it's a stereotype for a reason. Red hair is very rare outside of that clan, especially the shade of red-hair that you have." Hiruzen stated, interrupting Tayuya's 'angry' rant. "Besides, I had one of my shinobi do a blood check of you while you were unconscious from our battle and it confirmed my suspicious: you are an Uzumaki."

Tayuya's anger away immediately as a concerned look crossed her face. The woman took a deep breath before she started to speak up once again.

"Since you already know, then fine. I'm an Uzumaki. Uzumaki Tayuya, at your service." She grumbled in response. "So, what does this mean now? Why does it matter if I'm an Uzumaki? You're not going to put me in one those bullshit breeding programs Kumo has, are you?"

"No!" Hiruzen declared immediately. A frown crossed his lips at the accusation. 'Just how cynical are you?' He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away before turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. "I was simply curious about meeting an Uzumaki. I then wanted to ask some questions about your loyalties to Orochimaru. If you're cooperative… I can't promise you anything yet, considering that you were one of Orochimaru's elite shinobi, but I can at least maybe promise you a comfortable, if restricted, life in Konoha."

"… What do you want to know?" Tayuya shrugged in response. She was still quite angry at the man in front of her, but she was going to humor his questions. If anything, Tayuya was a survivalist, and if answering some questions would keep her alive, then so be it.

"For starters, where are you from? Do you have family? When did you start working with Orochimaru? And why?" Hiruzen questioned.

"… You don't beat around the bush do you, old man." Tayuya rolled her eyes. "To answer your questions: I'm from Ta no Kuni. Lived there my whole life. I lived with my parents, two Uzumaki clan members who were very proud about our heritage, but they died a long time ago. No siblings and no other immediate family around. I knew there are other Uzumaki out there somewhere in the world, but I didn't know where any of them were. After all, our kind was scattered after the fall of Uzushiogakure." Tayuya's hands tightened into fists at the mention of the old village of the Uzumaki clan. "I met Orochimaru when I was around ten. He found me playing my flute for some spare change and he recognized my heritage immediately. After talking with him for a while, we struck a deal."

"Deal?" Hiruzen repeated the word, prodding the former Sound Four member to continue.

"Contrary to popular belief, not all of Orochimaru's shinobi agreed with his actions or what he did. He was a fucked up human being. All of the members of the Sound Four knew that. But we also knew that he is a man with connections that ultimately made him a great ally to have. We all had other purposes for working with him." Tayuya explained. "For me personally, I joined up with Orochimaru in hopes that, through the connections he has made, I would be able to find some of the other Uzumaki clan members scattered across the Elemental Nations. And once I found enough, I'd defect from Orochimaru and form a village with my clansmen in honor of our clan."

'Finding other Uzumaki? Making a village solely of Uzumaki clan members? She's much more ambitious than I thought.' Hiruzen realized as he continued to study the woman in front of him. "Did Orochimaru honor his word? Have you met any other Uzumaki?"

"We ran into one: a girl one year younger than me named Karin from Kusagakure." The former Sound Four member noted. "Orochimaru was actually in the process of trying to get her to defect her village and head to Oto. I guess considering he's dead, he can't continue his attempts and she'll still be in Kusa." The kunoichi then proceeded to sigh. "Other than her, though, I haven't met any others. I was too busy training and doing some stupid bullshit errands for Orochimaru to properly continue my search."

"So that is what you intend on doing: to search for your clansmen." Hiruzen commented.

Tayuya's eyes narrowed at the Sandaime in anger. "As if I'm going to have the opportunity to do that while I'm stuck in prison. Don't make me laugh Old Man."

"I never said you would remain in prison. I said I could make your life comfortable, if restricted, if I thought you weren't a danger. If you can convince me that you aren't a threat to Konoha, I'd be willing to have somebody travel with you and look for your fellow clansmen." Hiruzen informed her. He then started to chuckle slightly. "After all, you have a cousin here in this village that I feel would really like to know he had family alive in this world."

The former Sound Four member was prepared to go on a rant about Hiruzen's 'promise' to help her in her search for her clan members, but the rant died on her tongue once he finished. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Y-Your village has an Uzumaki?" She questioned. Her entire tone-of-voice changed. There was no hint of anger or frustration in it: only shock and hope.

The Sandaime nodded his head in affirmation. "Uzumaki Naruto. And believe me Tayuya: I really do want to help you… if for no other reason than I want Naruto-kun to be able to have a family." He then gave the kunoichi a serious look. "Therefore, I need proof that you are willing to be cooperative and that you won't be a threat to my village. If you can prove that to me, then I'll help."

Tayuya closed her eyes in thought for roughly a minute, making no attempts to communicate. Finally, after a minute had passed, she opened her eyes and nodded at the man in front of her. There was a small trace of fear present in her eyes, worried that she would end up being unable to complete her ambition, but there was also determination.

"Then what would it take for me to convince you these things?" She questioned.

Hiruzen smiled at her in response. "Let's talk and we'll see what we can do."

Three days has passed since the Suna/Oto invasion of Konoha. Hiruzen was sitting at his desk. Standing to his side were Ōnoki and the Chūnin Exam proctors: Morino Ibiki, Yūhi Kurenai, and Shiranui Genma. In front of them were five of the participants in the exams: Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi.

"After reviewing the evaluations of your exams and witnessing the fights and potential that I saw in all five of you, I believe that you have five had earned your promotions to chūnin." Hiruzen spoke up. "Ōnoki-san here has agreed with me and the council and proctors had no agreement. From this day forward, you are all chūnin."

Genma walked forward, holding onto four Konoha green chūnin flak jackets. One-by-one, the Konoha shinobi walked forward and accepted one from the exam proctor. Naruto received his first and quickly put it on over his clothes. Shikamaru received his, followed by Hinata, and then Sasuke. Once they had all received their jackets, Ōnoki walked forward and held out the brown flak jacket for Iwa shinobi, Kurotsuchi walked forward and took the jacket from her grandfather.

"You earned it, Kurotsuchi. I'm proud of you." He told the newly-appointed chūnin.

"Heh." Kurotsuchi grinned in response. "Thanks Grandpa. I'm glad I managed to make you proud."

Naruto had a grin of his own on his face as his eyes focused on himself, his teammates, Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi. "We're chūnin. We've been promoted already!"

"It's just going to end up being more work now." Shikamaru sighed in response. Despite appearing to be indifferent and frustrated, the Nara did have a smirk on his face, showing that he was indeed proud of his work.

"You need to do more work, lazy ass!" Kurotsuchi informed him sharply as she returned to her position next to the other newly-appointed chūnin.

Her comment caused both Naruto and Hinata to laugh and cause Shikamaru to scowl in response. Even Sasuke was amused by the interaction around him. However, the last Uchiha was focused on his own flak jacket.

'I'm a chūnin now… I'm getting stronger and stronger. I'm getting closer to you Itachi.' He told himself, allowing a smirk to develop on his face. He could tell that his strength was growing. It was only a matter of time before he would be able to properly fight his brother in battle.

"That was all I had for you all. You are all dismissed… with the exception of Naruto." Hiruzen stated.

The newly-appointed chūnin gave a curious look to the Hokage before they all nodded in understanding. Kurotsuchi, in particular, walked over to the door of the Hokage's office.

"So, I'm going to go get lunch somewhere. Grandpa's paying. Anybody want to come with?" She questioned.

Ōnoki's eyes widened at the declaration. Before he could say anything, however, the people around him started to speak up.

"I'd love to come." Hinata answered politely.

"Why not? I got nothing better to do." Shikamaru responded with a chuckle.

"… I'll come." Sasuke commented. He wasn't a person who enjoyed company but he was hungry. Besides, he was interested in maybe sparring Shikamaru or Kurotsuchi at some point soon and would want to make arrangements with them.

"We'll pass, sorry. We've already made plans." Kurenai spoke up for the other Chūnin Exam proctors.

"Understood." Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding. She then turned her head towards Naruto and gave him a thumbs up. "Head over to that barbeque place downtown when your meeting's over. That's where we'll be at. See you soon Naruto!"

With those words, the newly-appointed chūnin left the room. They were followed the Chūnin Exam proctors. Once they were gone, Ōnoki finally managed to get his ability to speak back.

"KUROTSUCHI, I SAID I WOULD PAY FOR YOUR LUNCH TODAY! I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT COVERING FOR A WHOLE GROUP! GET BACK HERE!" He shouted as he left the room quickly.

Almost immediately after he left the room, a loud 'crashing' noise could be heard in the hallway, along with a meek whisper of 'My back.' Naruto and Hiruzen both laughed loudly at that.

"Man, I didn't realize the Tsuchikage was so funny! With everything Kurotsuchi said about him, I thought he was going to be this loud, obnoxious old man." Naruto noted in-between his laughs.

"Yes, Ōnoki is a lot different than I remembered when I first met him. Regardless, he has always been an… interesting character." Hiruzen commented, trying to contain his own laughter. He was, however, failing to do so.

A few seconds passed before the two managed to calm down. Once they both were calm, they turned to face each other and prepared for their own meeting.

"So what's up Old Man. Got anything you wanted to tell me in particular?" Naruto questioned innocently and cheerfully.

Hiruzen nodded his head. The Hokage seemed tense about the approaching conversation.

"I do, Naruto-kun. I have news that I was planning on telling you: news that was going to wait until you turned eighteen or when you reached the rank of chūnin. Whichever came first. Obviously, you are a chūnin now. Therefore, I believe you are mature enough to know…" The Sandaime Hokage's voice started to trail off slightly.

"… Know about what?" Naruto questioned with a frown on his face.

Hiruzen remained quiet for a few moments. He had been preparing for this conversation for years, planning exactly how it was going to go and what he would say. All of the explanations he had planned were, ultimately, escaping him now that he was finally in the moment.

The Sandaime Hokage took a deep breath, calming himself down, before he finally started to talk to Naruto about the topic: "… I suppose it's about time we talked about your parents."