Wow. It's amazing the kind of tunnel vision people develop when they're determined to leave a negative review. I guess the popularity of bashing fics should have tipped me off. But it's still weird. I can understand when I say something and it gets misinterpreted. But I don't get how people can give me crap for stuff I never said, or even said the exact opposite of. It not like they're hearing me second or third hand. My words are right here. You should be able to read them. Though a lot of what they say proves my point about the anime ruining the series. Well whatever. That's not what you're here for. It's review time!

Maelstrom of Swirling Tides: I based it off the Sage's treasures. They constantly drain chakra and it's said that people have died just from touching them. Yet Tenten picked one up, used it to launch a massive attack, and set it down, and while she was winded, she was still alive and ready to go. Her reserves must be huge. And we don't know where she comes from in canon. She's never given any sort of background. Her parents could be civilians or they could be ninja. And I don't know about Choji. All things considered his reserves are probably pretty big but I don't know how big in relation to everyone else. He's definitely near the upper end.

monkiepawn: Don't worry. It's coming. I can't say when exactly since sometimes things happen quicker than I think they will and other times they take longer. But it should start soon.

antishyguy weegee: OH MY GOD IT'S AMAZING! It's not perfect, it has it's share of flaws. But if you liked the first one, you'll probably like this one. I know I love it.

KarolineUzumaki: If it doesn't hurt anyone and it makes me feel better what's the problem? And I'd like to think years from now some kid will read Naruto, get to the end, and wonder what was wrong with us that we though it was good. And my rants aren't part of the story. You're under no obligation to read them. If you don't like them just skip them. And FYI I didn't put words in anyone's mouth. I repeated what I heard. If it's not true too bad. It doesn't affect me either way. And if he said that at Comic-Con, then just as I said he changed his story again. It doesn't matter if he was paid, if it was a last second decision, if he decided halfway through, or if he knew from the very beginning. He wrote a story for 15 years, then slapped on an end that completely undid that story. I don't have to respect bad writing just because it's made tens of millions. And I don't have to respect Kishimoto just because I used to like Naruto. Why should I have to put the work into respecting him when he doesn't respect himself?

GaryDoom: I'm aware Naruto wasn't a romance story. That's what the problem is. At first I was willing to accept that Naruto was another good manga with a bad end. Wasn't the first time it happened, won't be the last time. Then Kishimoto started running his mouth about how the entire story was all about Naruto and Hinata's romance and nothing else written mattered and if you can't see it you're an idiot. That's when I got upset. And I don't want to embarrass you in front of everyone but at the start of Chapter 7 I clearly said Shikamaru and Temari were the only couple in the ending that didn't suck. Granted they really push the limits of minimum interaction but still. Plus I've repeatedly said the ending undid everyone's character development and was filled with the characters being OOC. And I never said Kishimoto was a horrible person. I think he's a below average writer who got lucky and managed to throw together something great before he destroyed it. But I don't know him personally, so I can't say he's horrible.

T51b Moridin: Lots of reviews so I'll cover the highlights. You're more right than you know. Sorry but none of that. That's what they say. There's really nothing to prove it. In fact the entire sequel more or less disproves it. But whatever. That's what he said. But according to KarolineUzumaki he changed his story again. Either way, not my problem.

Dear Tamashi: Well rereading implies I've been updating and you feel behind. Don't worry. You haven't missed a thing.

ncpfan: Thanks. And I'm trying to find ways to give Kaguya more screen time and development without throwing off what I have planned. This upcoming arc should contain quite a few moments.

Wondering Knight: Thank you. I would love to discuss the ending. But there's nothing to discuss with the people who agree with me. And 9/10 people who disagree with me shoot down any discussion with insane troll logic. They either say it's canon, that automatically makes it good, or they insist I'm just "butthurt" over Naruto and Sakura not getting together, which I would accept as an argument, except they say it even when my complaint has absolutely nothing to do with the relationships. And I don't know about the interviews. I just repeat what I hear. Honestly weather they're true or not has no affect on me.

deathstalker982: Funny story about that. A lot of people left negative reviews for chapter 6 because people didn't like that I gender bent Nagato. In chapter 7 I mentioned I was surprised by the mixed reviews. There were a bunch of people in chapter 7 telling me I should expect it for "trashing" Hinata even though there were few actual complaints about how I portrayed Hinata.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The disclaimer from chapter 1 applies here. If I did Naruto wouldn't have so many entries on TVTropes Bad Writing Index.

=X=

Naruto stretched his arms as he walked towards Konoha's front gates. He was rather annoyed that Jiraiya had said they wouldn't be meeting until noon. But considering the other leaders were leaving this morning he probably wanted to see Konan and Nagato off. That's where he was heading.

"Hey Boss!" A voice yelled. Naruto turned and was greeted by a cloud of smoke. It cleared revealing a pair of busty women wearing nothing but a few surviving wisps of smoke covering their intimate parts. "What do you think?" They purred in a sexy voice as they began slowly grinding against each other. Naruto shrugged.

"Sorry Konohamaru," He said. "That was pretty good, but I've seen better." The girls pouted and vanished in another cloud of smoke, leaving a teenage boy in their place.

"Aww, come on." He groaned. "I worked really hard on that. Moegi and Udon even gave me pointers." He pointed over his shoulder. Naruto blinked in confusion seeing Konohamaru's teammates suddenly standing behind him. Or had they been there the whole time?

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you've been training." He said. "You even came up with a new version, that shows you're thinking outside the box and planning for the future." Konohamaru's face lit up with joy hearing Naruto's praise. "I'm just saying I have something better. I even beat a kage even stronger than your grandfather with it. And I've made it even better since than." The three young teens stared in amazement.

"You're so cool Boss!" Moegi said. "Do you think you could give us a demonstration?" Konohamaru and Udon eagerly nodded in agreement. Naruto got an evil grin.

"Why not?" He agreed. "If fact I was just about to say goodbye to the kage I beat. Let's go." Naruto walked away with Konohamaru's team right behind him. Udon walked up next to Naruto.

"So all this stuff about us going to war is true isn't it?" He asked. "It's no just a ploy to get us to train harder or work better with other villages." Naruto gave a low sigh.

"I really wish it was." He said sadly. "But apparently Sasuke got it in his head that the world needs saving, and he's the only one who can do it, and the best way to do that is killing everyone everywhere. Or something like that. I honestly have no idea what's going through his head right now."

"Do….. Do you think we'll be OK?" Moegi asked nervously while poking her fingers together. Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I can't really answer that." He said. "I'd like to think that as long as we work together and watch our teammates back we'll be fine. But I can't promise that everybody is going to make it through this unscratched." Konohamaru's team seemed to become cautiously optimistic at his words. "But let's focus on the present." He said as they approached the gates. The leaders of Ame, Kiri, and Suna were preparing to leave. Seeing them off were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and surprisingly, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. Jiraiya was saying goodbye to Konan and Nagato. Sakura was explaining to Itachi the schedule for his medication, while handing it and written instructions for the nurses in Ame to him. Ino was talking to the group from Kiri, while being introduced to Kushina. Tsunade and Hinata were off to the side, discussing something else. "Hey Mei!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto! You came." She yelled happily as she grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss. Team Konohamaru's jaws dropped as they watch Naruto make out with an unbelievably beautiful woman, who was apparently also the Mizukage.

"Well of course I did." Naruto said as he pulled away. "I couldn't let any of you leave without saying good-bye. Besides Konohamaru didn't believe that I beat you in one move." Mei looked at the still gawking teens before smiling and taking a step back.

"You didn't beat me, you caught me off guard." She insisted. "Now that I know what to expect that weak little move couldn't possibly beat me." Naruto gave a grin of his own.

"I wouldn't expect you to be beaten by the same move twice." He said. "That's why I've improved it." Mei's grin faltered slightly, but she decided to risk it and made a 'bring it' motion with her hand.

"Well then, go ahead and 'beat' me." She said. Itachi, Nagato, and the group from Suna shook their heads, knowing what was likely coming. Konan, Kushina, and Rin were all grinning, eager to see what would happen. And everyone from Konoha was confused. Naruto made a hand seal and vanished in a cloud of smoke. As Mei expected, the smoke cleared, revealing several incredibly hunky guys. What she wasn't expecting were the extremely busty women mixed in with them. And instead of being naked they were all wearing unbelievably skimpy devil themed undergarments.

"Want to come play with us?" asked a woman who looked exactly like Kushina, only blond with blue eyes. She pressed their chests together and leaned in for a kiss before Mei passed out with a massive nosebleed and very dopey grin. Blond Kushina caught her and giggled before the crowd vanished leaving Naruto holding the knocked out beauty. "That was my Bi-Harem Jutsu. Perfect for taking out perverts with a wider range of tastes."

"I don't know Naruto." Kushina said between laughs. "Seems to me like that was made especially to take out Mei." Konan and Rin joined in her laughter. The Suna group face palmed. Itachi was glad his eyes were still bandaged. Nagato looked away with an angry expression and a bright blush while muttering to herself. Sakura was also blushing and attempting to complain about the jutsu, though her inability to form a sentence was making it hard. Ino was whistling and catcalling. Hinata had covered her eyes, though the bulging veins around them told everyone that she saw everything. Jiraiya was giggling and writing up a storm. Everyone else from Konoha was slack jawed that the Mizukage had been taken out so easily.

"Hey it's not my fault she can't resist a hot blond." He said as her wiped her face. "Wakey wakey." He teased while poking her cheek. Mei's eyes fluttered open before she jumped out of his arms.

"Naruto Uzumaki you are forbidden from every using that technique in Kiri." She ordered. "Do I make myself clear?" Naruto grinned and made the hand seal again.

"Perfectly. But we're in Konoha right now, so there's really nothing stopping me from doing it again." Mei shook her head, before kissing him again.

"Just please be careful." She whispered. "I don't know if I could take it if something happened to you." Naruto pulled her into a hug.

"I promise I'll stay safe until the next time I can make it to Kiri." He said. Mei sighed and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said with a blush. "I'll see you soon." She turned and nodded to the rest of her group. Kushina quickly ran forward and pulled Naruto into a hug.

"I don't want to go." She whined. "I just got here and we barely got to spend any time together." Behind her Rin gave several angry sputters as she tried and failed to form an insult.

"Relax, you heard what I told Mei." He said assuringly. "I'll come visit Kiri in no time. Plus I'm sure Mei wouldn't mind keeping you company." Kushina blushed but said nothing as Naruto pulled her into a kiss. "I love you."

"And I love you, my baby." She replied softly. She returned to Mei's side as Rin barely contained the urge to run up to him.

"So I guess this is good-bye again." She said sadly. Trying to lighten the mood she grinned and leaned closer. "It's such a shame we never got to sneak away for that quicky." Naruto returned the grin and pulled a scroll out of his pocket.

"That's why I stuck a shadow clone in this scroll." He said. "It may not be tough enough for sex, but as long as you don't pull it's hair too hard it's really useful for, 'other things.'" Rin's eyes lit up and she quickly grabbed the scroll and put it in her pocket.

"You certainly know how to treat a lady." She teased. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. One hand drifted towards her ass, but stopped when the bundle on her back growled. She let go of Naruto and elbowed the bundle. "Quiet you." She said.

"I don't think Samehada likes me very much." Naruto said. Rin smiled and pulled the sword off of her back.

"Oh it's just jealous." She said as she started rubbing the top. "Yes you are! Yes you are!" The bandages on the end parted and a long tongue began licking her face. "Who's a good sword? You are! Yes you are. Now do you think you can play nice with Naruto?" She held Samehada up and it instantly snapped at Naruto's face. Rin began smacking the base of the blade. "No! Bad! Bad sentient sword!" Samehada whimpered and retreated into its wrappings. "Sorry about that. I love you sweetie."

"I love you." Naruto replied. "Like I told the others I'll be in Kiri as soon as possible." She kissed him again and returned to her group.

"Alright team, let's move out." Mei said. The three waved at Naruto one last time. "Bye honey! See you soon!" Naruto waved as they walked away before a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"You know most people would think it weird watching a guy make out with three women." Konan said. "But I think it's romantic how you give them your undivided attention as soon as they ask for it. Of course I could be a little biased given that I've been on the receiving end of that romance." Naruto looked over his shoulder and kissed her deeply. "You're going to see me in Ame right?"

"Of course," Naruto said as he cupped he cheek. "I'd never think of coming to Ame with seeing my beloved angel." Nagato snorted causing Naruto and Konan to stare at her. After a few seconds Naruto turned back to Konan and kissed her again. "I love you, my angel."

"I love you, Naruto." She said as she kissed his cheek. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying holding him close. She slowly inhaled his scent before reluctantly letting him go. "I'll see you in Ame."

"See you soon, hopefully." He said as she approached Nagato. The young woman resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she summoned the demonic three winged bird they'd ridden to Konoha. Konan, Nagato, and Itachi jumped on it's back. Konan blew Naruto one last kiss as the bird spread it's wings and took off. Naruto gave a final wave before turing to the Suna siblings. "So Temari, how'd things go with Shikamaru?" He asked.

"As well as they could have gone, I suppose." She said. "We had a lovely dinner, and agreed that we'll go out again as soon as he's in Suna."

"By 'agreed' you mean you told him he was taking you out again." Naruto said with a grin. Temari blushed and shrugged.

"Well it was a lot faster than waiting for him to ask me." She said. "And I probably wouldn't have thought of it without you. So thank you." She pulled him into a hug before turning to Ino. "And thank you for helping me pick out that dress. I think he really liked it." She pulling Ino into a hug and whispered something in her ear. Ino blushed and smacked Temari on the arm. Temari laughed and returned to Gaara's side.

"Thank you once again for saving not only myself, but all of Suna." Gaara said. He held out his hand, which Naruto shook.

"No problem. We need to look out for our allies if we're going to keep from dying." He said. "Plus it would look bad if the future Hokage let his best friend get blown up." Gaara shook his head but wasn't able to stop the corners of his mouth from turning into a tiny grin. The Suna team gave their final goodbyes and walked away. Naruto turned back to Konohamaru and the others. "And that's how you beat a Kage in one move." The three young teens were watching with slacked jaws.

"Umm… why did you kiss four different girls." Moegi nervously asked. "Aren't you only supposed to do that with people you're dating?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Well I am dating all four of them." He said. "Plus I also recently started dating Ino." He looked over and saw the blond teasing Sakura about her slight nose bleed.

"You can do that?" Moegi asked amazed. She blushed and poked her fingers together. "So how exactly does that work? And could it work in reverse maybe?" Her blush grew brighter as the three men stared at her.

"Well… sure it can." Naruto said. "But it isn't easy to do. You have to treat everyone equally and do your best to try and make time for everyone. You can't play favorites. There's no top member or alpha or whatever you want to call it." He leaned closer to Moegi. "Were you hoping to start a little harem of your own?" Moegi turned even redder.

"No I was just curious! Alright it was great seeing you Boss! OK! Got to go! Bye!" She rapidly shouted before running off quickly. Naruto, Konohamaru, and Udon looked at each other before shrugging.

"Well I guess we'll go find out what that was all about." Konohamaru said. "Later Boss." Naruto waved as the two boys took off after their teammate. He heard a laugh and looked over his shoulder to see Ino standing next to him.

"Well, those apprentices of yours certainly are interesting." She said. Naruto laughed in agreement. Konohamaru and his friends were certainly odd, but that was why he liked them so much. "So, Naruto. Asuma was saying since we're leaving soon training for the next few days is going to be easy. So I was wondering if you might like to go out again tonight?" Naruto smiled brightly.

"Sure thing Ino. Sounds like fun." He said. "Did you have something in mind you wanted to do?" Ino smiled and nodded.

"Meet me back here at….. let's say 5." Ino said. "I'll take care of everything. See you then." With a wink she turned and walked away. Naruto smiled and turned to Jiraiya and Sakura. Sakura had taken Jiraiya's notebook and was threatening to rip it up if he did stop acting pervy around her.

"So Pervy Sage, what are we doing today?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya gave up trying to get his notes back and turned to Naruto.

"Well unfortunately, like your newest girlfriend said we're going to be traveling soon and don't want to burn ourselves out training." Naruto pouted but decided not to complain.

"Alright so when are we leaving and where are we going?" He asked. Tsunade stepped forward, followed by a still blushing Hinata.

"Team Jiraiya will be part of a squadron leaving tomorrow morning." She said. "You'll be heading to Ame to help repeal any potential invasion by Iwa." This time Naruto did complain.

"Why couldn't we have just left now?" He asked. "We can probably catch up if we leave now. That demon bird thing Nagato summons can't have flown that far by now." Jiraiya and Tsunade shook their heads.

"Look Naruto, you were the one who said we should lay low right?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded in agreement. "Well moving a lot of soldiers is going to catch someone's attention. It's better to let the leaders get back to their villages before we set everything off." Naruto sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said. "Well it that case, what are we doing today?" He knew it couldn't be that hard since not everyone had stamina like his.

"For now we're going to focus on getting you to better coordinate your attacks." Jiraiya replied. "You don't need powerful attacks if you can just combine attacks with your teammates. So meet me at the training grounds in 5 minutes." Naruto saluted.

"You got it!" He said. "Come on Sakura. Let's go." Sakura, reluctantly, gave Jiraiya his notebook back before turning to walk the opposite direction.

"Sorry but I need to talk to Shizune at the hospital first." She said. "I'll meet you there." She yelled before taking off. Jiraiya snickered, seeing the blush on Sakura's face. Naruto shrugged to himself before walking towards the training grounds. As he walked he noticed something in a nearby ally. Looking down it he saw Kaguya standing there, staring blankly ahead, with a massive blush on her face.

"Hey Kaguya, are you OK?" He asked. She continued to stare off into space. "Hello? Kaguya? Can you hear me?" He asked waving his hand in front of her face. Kaguya slowly blinked but otherwise didn't react. "Well, if you're listening I'm going to be at the training grounds most of the day. So I guess I'll see you there." With that he walked away leaving the blushing princess behind.

"Well that was certainly interesting." Tsunade said sarcastically as the ninja scattered. "Well come on Hinata. We have training to do today." Hinata followed with a confused look on her face.

"Lady Tsunade, shouldn't I be meeting up with my team soon?" Hinata asked. While she couldn't say Anko was a better teacher after only one day, she couldn't remember the last time Kurenai had pushed her as hard as Anko did.

"No need." Tsunade said. "I agreed to take you as an apprentice so I fully intend to train you. You will alternate between training with me and training with the rest of your team." Hinata blinked in confusion.

"So what exactly am I supposed to do once my team is deployed to the field?" She asked. Tsunade turned and looked at her newest student.

"That's simple. Your team isn't being deployed." Hinata looked like she was about to protest but stopped when Tsunade held up her hand. "Before you complain, most of the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame aren't being deployed. At least not in large numbers. The same skills that make you excellent trackers also make you excellent security. I need you to help keep Konoha safe. Plus while all three of your clans have reputations as trackers, you have very little experience working together. I'd like to change that."

"I see." Hinata said. She could easily see the benefit of it. While her team had been a little rough at first once they had gotten to know each other, working together had made most missions extremely easy. "So what are we learning today?"

"Today we're toning your taijutsu." Tsunade said. "The Gentle Fist is good, but it never hurts to expand your skills."

=X=

"So given what you all know about each other," Jiraiya began. "How would you deal with an unknown opponent?" Naruto, Sakura, and Sai looked at each other, deep in thought. Naruto's eyes lit up and he raised his hand.

"We should start by sending in Sai's ink beasts." He said. "If they're weak the ink beasts will take care of them. If not they'll be enough of a distraction for me to stun them with some air bullets. Then Sakura moves in and takes them out with her super strength." Jiraiya slowly nodded.

"That's not bad." He agreed. "But there's one minor problem with it. Can either of you figure it out?" Sakura and Sai thought for a moment before Sakura smiled.

"If they're strong enough to take on Sai's ink beasts then there's a chance they'd be able to dodge Naruto's air bullets." She said. "He should shoot the air bullets no matter what so just in case they're strong they'll still get hit." Jiraiya nodded.

"That's better, but there's still room for improvement." He said looking at the pale boy. "How about you Sai? Do you have any suggestions?" The creepy artist gave his weird fake smile.

"Given the speed of the air bullets and the time it takes to summon my ink beasts it would be better if Dickless made the opening move." He said. "In their attempts to avoid the attack it creates an opening for my ink beasts. Following the ink beast attack it should be easy for Ugly to get in a few hits." Naruto and Sakura growled at the nicknames, while Sai obliviously continued his creepy fake smile.

"That sounds like a decent plan." Jiraiya said. "Now it's time to see if it works. You all have one hour to land a hit on me. And I'll only be holding back a little. Good luck. And go!" Jiraiya leapt forward, causing Team 7 to scatter for safety.

=X=

Hinata went through the motions of the taijutsu that Tsunade had shown her. The first step was to get the movements down. The second was to put as much power behind them as possible. The final step was using chakra to magnify that strength to massive levels. Tsunade watched Hinata's performance, impressed with how quickly she had picked up the new taijutsu. So far she hadn't seen any of the supposed confidence problems Hinata allegedly had. She decided to confront her suspicions.

"Hinata can I ask you something?" She began. Hinata nodded as she picked up the towel and bottle of water she had placed nearby. "Why exactly are you interested in Naruto?" Hinata wiped her face and stared at Tsunade.

"Why wouldn't I be interested?" She asked before drinking her water. "No matter how bad things get, he never gives up. No matter how much others try to put him down, he always gets back up. He gives me hope and makes me think maybe my dreams aren't as unreachable as I think." Tsunade took a drink of her water and stared at Hinata.

"That doesn't really sound like you're interested in him romantically." She said. Hinata's eyes widened before narrowing in anger. "I mean, Naruto isn't the only ninja who's overcome hardship. What about Lee? He had to deal with people constantly putting him down and saying he'd never be a ninja. Everyone insisted that with his low chakra levels and terrible control trying to be a ninja was foolish. He never gave up and set out to prove one can be a ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu. Why aren't you interested in him?"

"Naruto's different." Hinata said, though her voice had lost some of it's fire. "He doesn't just try his hardest, he inspires others to try their hardest. You should know. Didn't he inspire you to be Hokage?"

"Yes, he did." Tsunade said. "And I've worked my hardest to show that his faith wasn't misplaced. What exactly have you done?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "As far as I know, you haven't done anything to help him, or even anything to advance you own goals."

"Shut up!" Hinata screamed. "You don't know the first thing about me or my goals!" She dropped back into her stance, a move mirrored by Tsunade.

"I remember you being in the hospital when I first got back." Tsunade said. "You talked a lot about how you hated how divided your family was and how you wanted to free the branch family from the caged bird seal. So tell me, how much extra training have you done to secure your position as heiress? How much research into fuinjutsu have you done to remove the seal? Do you even interact with any branch members besides Neji if you don't need to? Or is all that big talk just a cute sob story to get Naruto to pay attention to you?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Hinata screamed as she charged Tsunade. "Just you watch, I'll become head of my clan, I'll reunite the two branches, and I will get Naruto to notice me! And nothing you say or do will stop me!" Tsunade smiled as she effortlessly ducked and weaved between Hinata's blows.

"I have no intention of stopping you." Tsunade said. "The only one stopping you, is you. None of your goals are going to be accomplished by sitting around talking about them. If you put as much effort into them as you are in trying to hit me right now, they'd probably already be accomplished." Hinata growled and panted as she pulled off her jacket and resumed attacking. "I'd take it easy if I were you. No matter how tired you make yourself right now, you're still completing your training today." Hinata ignored her and continued trying to work out her frustration.

=X=

Kakashi smiled as her watched his new students help each other out. Tenten was sparing with Lee, who was holding back, but not nearly as much as he normally would. Being on Guy's team meant that even though she was out of focus she still had taijutsu above most people. Now Lee was helping her fine tune it. Two of her clones were receiving chakra control training from Neji. Thankfully here chakra levels were nowhere near Naruto's. Trying to teach her to control that would be a nightmare. Meanwhile her remaining five clones were practicing the leaf cutting exercise.

"Woo! I did it!" One of the clones yelled. Everyone gathered around and saw a small cut in the corner of the leaf. "Well, sort of."

"Considering how long it can take to learn elemental manipulation I'd say you're off to an amazing start." Kakashi said. "I'm glad to see my theory about using shadow clones to train is working."

"I just wish you'd let me use more." She replied. "I managed to make twelve when you first taught it to me." Neji shook his head.

"Tenten, you were completely exhausted after that." He said. "Even Lee doesn't push himself that hard, and he's, well, him." Tenten blushed and looked away.

"Well I want to get this down as soon as possible." She said. "Things are about to get really bad and I don't want to hold this team back."

"Now Tenten, nobody becomes amazing overnight." Kakashi said. "Even Lee took years to get this far." Lee cheered at having his hard work recognized, while Tenten smiled at being compared to Lee. "And besides, we're being sent to help reenforce Suna. I'm sure someone there can give you some good tips." Tenten's grin turned dark as she imagined using wind ninjutsu to show up Temari.

"I'm sure I can find someone to help." She said. "But enough sitting around talking. Back to work, all of you!" Her clones all saluted and said "Yes ma'am!" before resuming their previous tasks. "Hmm… maybe I should be Hokage." She said to herself as the clones followed her orders.

"Well anythings possible." Kakashi said. "But for now why not have the rest of your clones practice leaf cutting? Since the boys enjoy hand to hand combat and you prefer using weapons, I think all three of you could benefit from learning to use swords."

"I know how to use swords!" Tenten declared proudly. Her smile lessened when she noticed everyone staring at her.

"I hate to break it to you Tenten, but most swords aren't meant to be thrown." Kakashi said. "And despite want most action movies show, throwing your sword does not always work." Tenten blushed but let Kakashi continue. "Now let's go get your swords. We only have a few days to train before we set out." With that the new Team Kakashi set out to get their new equipment, leaving seven identical girls to try cutting a leaf.

=X=

Ino grumbled as she tried to wring the water out of her hair. Since she knew a few water jutsu she figured manipulating water with her chakra would be easy. She had learned the hard way, it was not. Shikamaru was practicing the new taijutsu style that he felt could go with his earth affinity. Choji, who still wasn't quite sure what to do with his fire affinity, was getting tips from Asuma.

"Man this sucks." She muttered. "Whenever I use a water jutsu the water is drawn straight to my chakra. Why isn't it working now?" Shikamaru sighed and began wiping his forehead.

"Maybe you're structuring your chakra wrong." He suggested. Ino raised an eyebrow in confusion, before motioning him to continue. "Well you said the water was drawn to your chakra right? Maybe you should try moving your chakra differently. How are you doing it right now?"

"I'm shaping my chakra like a tube." She replied. "I figured the water would flow around it and keep its shape." Shikamaru put his hand on his chin.

"I suppose that could work." He said. "But if you make it too wide the water could be spread too far and lose its structural integrity and go flying everywhere. Maybe instead of a tube try making a rope in whatever shape you're trying to form. If you need more water just put more chakra in it." Ino nodded and refilled her water bottle. She focused her chakra into a thin cord and ran it through the water. A tendril of water slowly left the bottle and began circling Ino. She smiled as it circled her a few more times before she snapped her fingers and let it fall to the ground, leaving her completely dry.

"Perfect!" She cheered. "Now I just need to perfectly incorporate it into a taijutsu style." She deflated slightly upon realizing how much work she still had to do. Refilling her water again she sat under the tree. She looked at her teammates. Shikamaru had gone back to practicing while Choji was spitting small fireballs to see how far they could go before dissipating. Ino perked back up, unable to remember the last time her team trained this hard. "Speaking of training hard, I need to plan for our date tonight." She said to herself as she resumed manipulating the water.

=X=

Yugao ducked underneath a chain that threatened to take her head off. She had quickly learned that Haku and Karin could easily read it other and were a dangerous duo. They were have trouble integrating Shiho into their attacks, mainly due to the girl's lack of experience with combat. However the duo were quickly learning her strengths and weaknesses. Yugao prepared to counterattack Karin when she realized her limbs couldn't move. Slowly several chains faded into view, wrapped tightly around her limbs. Before she could complain Haku also appeared, holding his sword to her throat.

"How did you get so close?" She asked. Haku pointed over his shoulder, where Shiho faded into view. She nervously waved under Yugao's glare. "Impressive. Perhaps next time I won't go so easy on you." Haku and Karin glanced at each other, not believing her excuse for a second. "Now show Shiho so medical techniques that can be used for fighting." She said while pulling her flask from her belt. She walked over to a nearby tree and took a swig before lying down. "She's smart so she should learn them in no time."

"I'm not so sure about this." Shiho said. "Are we really expected to follow a drunken former ANBU into a war zone?" Haku and Karin nodded in agreement as they gathered their medical supplies.

"Perhaps Lady Tsunade is hoping that we can get her to open up and stop destroying herself?" Haku suggested. Karin and Shiho continued frowning.

"I really hope that's true." Karin said. "Because the alternative is she's hoping Yugao will have a brush with death and scare her straight. I'd like to think Lady Tsunade isn't that reckless." Haku nodded in agreement as he opened a chart showing areas to target with senbon.

"Maybe we could help her get a head start." Shiho suggested. "I'm sure she'd be better if she wasn't always drinking." They glanced over to the tree where Yugao had fallen asleep.

"I suppose that can't hurt." Haku said. "Karin, why I don't you get Shiho started. I'll see about making Yugao's drinking problem disappear." Karin nodded and began instructing Shiho in properly holding and throwing senbon. Haku set down Kubikiribocho and quickly made he way over to Yugao. Moving as silently as he could Haku slowly crept up, and was glad to see Yugao had set her flask next to her instead of putting it back in her belt. He carefully grabbed it and began to pick it up. Suddenly everything spun around and he found himself pinned to the ground with Yugao's sword directly in his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked dangerously. Haku nervously glanced at the flask in his hand before he dropped it. She picked it up and took a drink, her blade never leaving his face. "Well since it seems Karin can handle Shiho on her own, I'm guessing you want some extra tips in kenjutsu?" Haku nodded, hoping it would distract her. Yugao let him up and he quickly grabbed Kubikiribocho. Turning around her was barely able to block a strike from her. "Since you're so eager to learn I won't go easy on you." She quickly cut through his defense and left a slash on his cheek before kicking him in the chest sending him flying across the training ground. "I hope you're a good teacher Karin, because Shiho is the only one allowed to heal him." She chased after Haku, leaving both girls terrified.

"Lesson learned," Shiho said. "Don't even try and get Yugao to stop drinking." Karin nodded in agreement before quickly trying to teach Shiho everything she knew. She really hoped Yugao was smart enough to not hurt Haku too badly. But hearing their swords clashing, she didn't think that was likely.

=X=

Naruto stood in front of Konoha's front gate, humming to himself. After spending all day trying to keep Sakura from killing Sai, while struggling to suppress his own urge to slaughter the former ROOT operative, he was looking forward to whatever it was Ino had planned.

"How's it going?" Naruto turned and saw Ino standing there with a picnic basket in her hand. "Ready for our date?" She asked. Naruto smiled and approached her.

"Of course. I hope you don't mind me dressing casually." He said. "You didn't exactly give me any clues about what we're doing."

"Don't worry about it." She replied. "We're just going to have a nice picnic in the forest. Nothing fancy about it." She held out her arm to him. "My I escort you to the park?" She asked in an overly fancy tone.

"I shall be honored m'lady." He replied. The two snickered as they made their way to the park at the forest's entrance. After a few minutes of walking they arrived at a clearing where Ino pulled a blanket out of the basket and set it down. "So what are we having?" He asked.

"Well I figured you'd enjoy having your favorite." She said as she pulled a covered bowl from the basket. Naruto took it with a smile, but his eyes widened in shock when he opened it up.

"Red bean soup? How did you remember that this was my favorite?" He asked confused. "I only mentioned it once." Ino laughed at the look on Naruto's face.

"Well you have a reputation for eating nothing but ramen." She said. "So when you mentioned that your favorite food was something else, it was rather shocking. I'm not going to forget something as amazing as 'Naruto Uzumaki's favorite food isn't ramen.'"

"I guess I do talk about ramen a little too much." He laughed as Ino handed him a spoon. "Thank you for thinking for me." Ino blushed slightly and reached into the basket.

"It was no big deal really." She said as she held up another bowl. "Plus I did grab some Ichiraku for you." Naruto smiled even brighter while Ino set the ramen next to him, before grabbing another bowl of ramen for herself. "So how's your training going?"

"As good as it can be I suppose." He said. "Though Sai's going to be killed by Sakura and me if he doesn't learn to shut his mouth." Ino laughed through her noodles.

"Is he really that bad?" She asked. "I thought most ROOT members we trained to act normally in public. There was a guy in my clan who I'd met a few times. I never would have guess he was an emotionless tool."

"Well that only applies to members who needed to work with others outside the organization." Naruto explained. "Since that guy was a member of a clan he'd need to talk to other clan members, even if he didn't have any immediate family. Sai was just a random orphan Danzo kidnapped. He's never really needed to work with people."

"So what's the problem?" Ino asked as she set down the empty bowl and grabbed a bag of cherry tomatoes from the basket. "Is he trying to do everything himself and getting in your way?"

"No he's actually pretty good when it comes to combat." Naruto said while opening his ramen. "The problem is he can't work on a personal level. He wants to be friends with us. But he has no idea how to bond with people. He tried giving us nicknames. Since I have several girlfriends and I'm not a macho jerk to them I'm 'Dickless.' I guess he doesn't find Sakura attractive because he calls her 'Ugly.'" Ino laughed as she imagined it was very hard for Naruto to stop Sakura from going on a rampage. "Speaking of training, how's your's going?"

"Pretty good. Asuma's got us working on nintaijutsu." She said. "I've managed to get my water affinity to help me control water in a way I think could be useful. Though right now I can't do it fast enough or with enough power to be useful in a fight."

"I'm sure you'll get it." Naruto reassured her. He reached into the basket and pulled out two cups of pudding. Handing one to Ino he asked "How about Choji and Shikamaru?"

"It didn't take Shikamaru long to figure something out." She said. "He's already working on his taijutsu and I think he knows exactly what he's going to do with his earth affinity. Choji's having some trouble finding a way to mix his fire affinity with taijutsu. I think Asuma might end up getting him a weapon." Ino threw her empty cup in the basket. "So where are you being sent?" She asked.

"Tsunade said we're going to Ame." He said. "It'll be nice to see Konan again, but given how close Iwa is we probably won't get to spend that much time together."

"Konan made Ame sound really nice while she was here." Ino said. "Though I imagine the endless rain would take some getting used to. You've been everywhere haven't you? What places did you like?" She listened as Naruto told her of all the places he'd been. She wished she could go to those places without needing to fight a war. They spent the next hour talking about various places around the world before Naruto walked her home.

"Which is why I think the mountain in the Land of Lightning look better than the ones in the Land of Earth." Naruto said, finishing a story about climbing the mountains around Kumo.

"That sounds amazing." Ino said. She was a little disappointed they were back at her house and he was leaving tomorrow. "So this is our second date. Can I get that kiss now?"

"Ino, did you invite me out just to get a kiss?" Ino blushed but didn't deny it. "Well I don't want to disappoint." He put his hand on her chin and leaned in. The kiss was rather chaste, but since it was Ino's first it was setting fireworks off in her brain. Naruto pulled away, leaving Ino with a large grin on her face. "I hope it was worth the wait." He said. Ino quickly nodded it agreement. "So Ino, would you like to officially be one of my girlfriends?" Ino leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'd like that." She said and pulled him into another kiss. This one got deeper, though it was still tame compared to some of the other kisses Naruto had experienced. She stepped back and caught her breath while walking to the door. "See you around." She said with a wink. Naruto smiled and waved as she walked inside. Naruto walked home and climbed into bed thinking of his new blond girlfriend the whole time. As he was about to fall asleep his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rush of memories. He had one last thought before he feel asleep.

"Rin's tasty."

=X=

Several large groups of ninja stood around Konoha's front gates. They were all saying goodbye to each other as they prepared to set out.

"So you're going to the Fire-Rice Fields border?" Naruto nervously asked. Ino nodded, just as nervous. "Be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine." Ino tried to assure him. "We'll be together again soon enough. And then we can have another date. It'll be really 'fun'." She said in a seductive voice. Naruto smiled and gave her another light kiss.

"Dickies, it's time to go." Naruto sighed and turned to see Sai, Sakura, and Jiraiya standing there. Sai looked at Ino and gave a smile that was a little less creepy than his other ones. "Hello Beautiful. How are you?"

"I'm fine." Ino said. "Though you should lay off the compliments. I'm already dating Naruto." Sakura and Sai both looked confused, though for different reasons.

"So you don't mind being called Beautiful?" He asked. Ino shook her head. "I see. It appears I offended my teammates when I gave them accurate nicknames. But since you enjoy an inaccurate nickname I'll just do that from now on." Ino blinked in confusion before Sai's words registered in her brain.

"Wait, are you calling me ugly?" She asked. Sai proudly nodded, his grin never fading. He very quickly found Ino being held back in a way he'd seen Sakura be held back constantly.

"We really need to teach you how to talk to women." Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. Sai agreed, still confused about what he did wrong. Eventually Naruto calmed Ino down and they promised to see each other again and soon. With that they, their teams, and the whole world, set out for an uncertain future.

=X=

FUCK! This chapter gave me so much trouble. The dialog just wasn't coming out right no matter how I rewrote it. I was about to rewrite it again, but then I realized how long it'd been since I last posted so I figured fuck it. Any complaints can be taken care of in future chapters. Speaking of fucking it Kishimoto continues to prove he's out of fuck to give. Apparently Studio Pierrot, with no involvement from Kishimoto, is making another Boruto movie. The purpose of this movie is to serve as an intro to a new Boruto manga being written by one of Kishimoto's former assistants, again with zero involvement from Kishimoto himself. So Naruto has been reduced to an intro to another manga series. But it doesn't set anything up and can be completely skipped. Ugh. Well whatever. No idea when the next chapter will be, but I'll do my best to make sure it's not three months from now.