StealthMaster: Hello readers, nice to finally be able to update this story. Apologies for the extremely long wait. I have also decided that from now on Naruto and his wives will be addressed along of the lines of 'Hai Uzukage-sama' when not in combat and 'Yes Sir!' when in combat. In addition I got a review before about using terms that in theory the UWN shouldn't have. The reason for this is so that people can get a very precise idea about the equipment being used in the story. Next story to be updated will be 'When Two Worlds Collide'. So far the next chapter has about 7,000 words done so only about 3,000 more to go. 'Wrath of the Swirling Tides' though is only about 3,000 words completed so that will take some time to finish. 'A Muggle's Bad Luck' has already been updated so I will need to start fresh for that one. Also note that for academic reasons it will take a lot of time before I can effectively continue writing so be prepared for a long wait between updates for all stories. Lastly there is another poll up about this fic.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing except for the OCs.

Chapter 5: R&R...Not!

The day after the massacre, CV-67, Codenamed Baseplate...

Naruto was in deep thought as he walked down the hallways of the Baseplate. In fact he was so deep that he wasn't even paying attention to the soldiers who stopped what they were doing to salute him. It had been 24 hours since the massacre in Konoha, he honestly couldn't call it a battle as the Oto-nin were slaughtered down till nobody was left and practically defenceless at that. He knew that they were lucky though. If the Oto-nin had had any sense to use Kawarimi no Jutsuand weren't in a panic the result would have been the same, but with his side actually suffering casualties.

'Okay, now that the massacre is out of the way though what's next? Kurama any thoughts?'

'Sure. First you need to talk to the Ichiraku couple in the sick bay. Second you need to meet with your wives and captains to discuss what's going to happen in the war. Then there is the meeting with your ex-comrades and the Hokage. Then there is that large amount of paperwork that needs to be finished and that's about it.', Kurama replied, mentally ticking off subjects as he went down the list.

'Fine, fine, Kurama. I'll go see Ayame-chan first, see how she's holding up. Going through something like what she did can be very damaging to a person's mind. In fact I wouldn't be very surprised if she flinches at my touch though I can only hope she knows me enough not to or else...', Naruto didn't finish his train of thought, too scared of the possibility of Ayame never being at ease around him.

Kurama rolled his eyes at his host, 'Kit there is no way she'll be like that, but I'm not going to waste my breath telling you this and then you denying it.', and with that he curled up and decided to take a nap whilst he still had the chance. He had this foreboding feeling that he wasn't going to get much of it in the near future.

Naruto sighed as the connection between him and Kurama broke. He knew Kurama wanted to chastise him for worrying but he couldn't help it. One of his closest friends, who had been friendly to him from the very beginning and had not insulted him unless he did something that could definitely be seen as stupid in every way possible, might be too frightened from the experience to ever be the same around him again. It made him feel helpless that he couldn't stop those kinds of things happening.

He took a deep breath to calm his thoughts. There was no need to panic now, if anything he needed to be the strong one here. Ayame was the one who had the right to be panicking at the moment given the circumstances and her father was probably in tears over the event that could have mentally scarred his only daughter.

His thoughts were interrupted by his arrival at a hatch door that had 'Sick Bay' written on the front.

Straightening himself so he didn't appear to be slouching and dusting off imaginary dust to seem more presentable, he placed his hand on the hatch. 'Well here goes...', he then pulled the hatch to open the door, walked in and surveyed the area.

The room was white and had the typical smell of disinfectant that all medical rooms seem to have. Most of the beds were folded away in the walls except for one.

There in the only unfolded bed was a sleeping Ayame and a concerned Teuchi, who was sitting in a chair opposite him. The man looked up to see who had entered and smiled when he realised who it was.

"Welcome Naruto. I take it you came to here to check on Ayame here?", he asked.

Nodding Naruto pulled a spare chair towards the bed and sat down on it opposite Teuchi.

"Yeah I read Captain Kyoto's report on her condition. Most of her injuries have been taken care of and physically she will be fine, only needs a bit of rest. Her main concern though is mentally. Ayame-chan was nearly raped and that in itself is something the mind will have trouble healing from, add in the fact she was attacked in her sleep doesn't help. She may have been unconscious at the time of the Oto-nin attack but sometimes things going on from the outside will still affect them in their state even if they are unconscious.", he explained.

Teuchi nodded in agreement and for a couple of minutes both men sat in silence, watching the girl who they cared for deeply sleep, neither knowing what to talk about for the moment.

"You know, I approve.", Teuchi said eventually, ending the tense silence and causing Naruto to face the man in shock. In fact Teuchi swore he heard the man's neck crack and for a moment worried he might have broken it.

"W-What?", Naruto spluttered, his blue eyes widening and even Kurama was shocked enough that he snapped open his own red eyes to stare at the old man through his host's.

"I approve of you dating my daughter.", Teuchi clarified with a grin and folded arms across his chest, his worry being washed away from the response.

"B-But I would've thought that you didn't like polygamous marriages?", Naruto asked, stuttering in shock at Teuchi's clarification.

Teuchi chuckled at the man's expense, "Normally you would be correct. I do not like polygamous marriages but I know you. You won't take advantage of her and only under some kind of mind control will you be forced to do otherwise.".

'Of course, though we both know that I block any mind attack on you. That's right, all mind probes beware of the great KYUUBI-SAMA!', Kurama laughed out smugly.

Naruto sweatdropped at his tenant's smugness. Although the pair were on good terms with each other it didn't stop Kurama from getting full of himself from time to time.

"Uh, Naruto you feeling alright there?", Teuchi asked in concern, having noticed Naruto's change in expression.

Focussing back on the conversation at hand, Naruto gave a small placating smile.

"Yeah, just Kurama getting full of himself again."

"Kurama?"

"Kyuubi.", Naruto corrected, ignoring the internal cry of 'IT'S KYUUBI-SAMA!' but wincing at the volume. He noticed Teuchi stiffen at the name but other wise didn't react and so for the next hour the pair just sat there and talked. Mostly it was about Naruto's adventures whilst in the West.

When the clock showed that it was midday Naruto decided that he had better go. Standing up and stretching his limbs, Naruto bid Teuchi goodbye and gave Ayame a kiss on the forehead before walking towards the door.

Once he had opened the hatch-door, he stopped in the doorway and turned back to look at the pair. Ayame was still asleep, but had a small smile and Teuchi was smiling whilst holding his daughter's hand in both of his and slowly rubbing them together. Seeing that they would be okay, Naruto walked out and closed the hatch-door before making his way towards the War Room.

As Naruto walked through the corridors, Kurama decided to have a chat with his jailer, 'So kit, what exactly will our tactics be when a conflict occurs?'.

'Our men will have to utilise camouflage to its fullest and take down any enemy before they can raise the alarm.'

'Yeah. Your men have no chakra at all, so it would be pretty suspicious if a couple of soldiers tried to walk pass any ninja with sensory abilities because to them even civilians give off a little bit of chakra.'

'Sure, though I wonder how that camo-suit is coming along back at the Research and Development Department back at home?', Naruto thought back but only got a shrug of the shoulders from Kurama.

Seeing that there was no longer anything to talk about Naruto reached the War Room and followed the normal procedure of a retinal scan. After being confirmed of his identity the door unlocked itself and opened, alerting those inside that some else had entered the room. Since all the captains noticed that they were all already in attendance they came to the conclusion that it was a general and stood up at attention as Naruto walked into the room.

"At ease people.", Naruto announced loudly, causing the captains to sit back down and their subordinates to relax their posture.

Taking his position at the head of the table Naruto began the meeting.

"Okay before we start I would like to congratulate Sergeant Akita for his success in defeating the Akatsuki member, Deidara, when he attempted an attack on Baseplate yesterday midday.", a round of clapping ensued Naruto's announcement and continued for a couple of minutes before Naruto raised his hand. Instantly everyone quietened down.

Naruto then decided to voice the specifics of the treaty, more so for the sake of the sergeants.

"Okay moving on, as a reminder to the captains and new information to the sergeants, the treaty between the UWN and the Shinobi Alliance is as follows. In terms of combat, nobody will need to help the other so if in a battle our men don't have to help the Shinobi Alliance but the same applies vice versa. Outside combat though our doctors, nurses and medics will work alongside the medic-nin in hospitals to save lives. The only limitation is that soldiers and ninja alike can refuse treatment from the other, so soldiers can reject being seen by a medic-nin and ninja can reject a doctor, nurse or medic. This is done at the patient's risk as one of the medical staff may be to busy to help them immediately. Anybody who refuses to do as told will be facing a court-martial for insubordination, exceptions will be made based on the circumstances and their causes at the time. Also, unless given permission, no soldier or ninja are allowed in the other's territory. Is this clear?", he gave a pause before finishing, showing how serious the situation was.

"Hai, Uzukage-sama.", was the synchronised response from the rest of the occupants of the room, looks of intense attentiveness showing on each of the captains' and sergeants' faces.

Glancing at each person in the room briefly Naruto opened a draw from under the desk and pulled out a scroll. Biting his thumb until it started bleeding Naruto swiped the limb across the Uzumaki clan symbol that was located on the scroll, deactivating the blood seal he had applied earlier on. There was a puff of smoke and the seal was no longer there, signifying that the seal had been released. Naruto then placed it on the table and opened the scroll to reveal a much larger version of the original locking seal. Applying his, still bleeding, thumb to the new seal and another puff of smoke later an A4 sized metal cube box appeared.

The box itself looked like a standard safe only here there was also a fingerprint scanner and retinal scanner in addition to the normal combination lock. After going through the procedure there was a click and the locked door slowly opened with a creaking sound to reveal a large number of documents and folders.

This safe was Naruto's personal safe he kept. It contained all the information that he needed to keep safe and away from prying eyes. He designed it so that it took advantage of having both chakra and technology. This way it was unlikely that anybody could break in and since relations with the Shinobi Alliance were very strained he didn't see any ninja willing to research his nation's security systems without getting confused.

'Oi Kit! Stop daydreaming and admiring your work! Stay focused on the situation at hand, baka!', Kurama yelled at his host. To add to it he lashed out with his claws at the surrounding walls, causing Naruto a brief headache.

Outwardly Naruto flinched, making everyone rise an eyebrow in confusion. Blushing in embarrassment he explained Kurama's little rant. Kurama, angry at his scolding being called a 'little rant', decided to lash out again and causing more pain for his host. By the end of Naruto's explanation everyone else was smirking at their leader's embarrassment with one or two of the women letting out small giggles and a few of the men were chuckling.

"Ahem, anyway back to the situation at hand.", Naruto coughed out before taking a few vanilla coloured folders out of the safe. He then locked the safe back up and placed it in the draw.

"These folders contain your new orders for the next operation.", he said sliding each folder to their respective captains.

When each captain had received their folders they opened them to view them. Silence then reined the room for a couple of seconds as each captain read and absorbed their orders. After a couple of seconds Naruto picked up the remote control and pressed a button.

In response the lights dimmed down and the screen sprang to life, this time instead of showing the leaders of the Shinobi Alliance it had changed to show an aerial photograph of a town. In the top right corner was the words 'Top Secret' and 'Kurosu machi' in stencil font. The town itself was shaped similar to a circle with the edge being represented by a wall. It was surrounded by dense forests with the only exception being four roads that approached the town and continued pass the walls until all four met in the middle. The rest of the town was closely packed houses with many back streets and alleys with a big mansion in the centre that all four major roads circled around before meeting.

Once the captains had finished reading their orders they turned to look at the screen as naruto began explaining.

"Kurosu machi is located in Hi no Kuni just before the border to Ta no Kuni. It has been recently confirmed to be a hostile controlled settlement after a battle between Oto-nin and Samurai from Testu no Kuni two days ago but due to heavy casualties the Oto-nin are only able to guard the town and cannot go beyond the border of the wall surrounding it. This does mean though that there are more ninja inside the town then normally. The capture of the town has given Orochimaru a foothold and we can be fairly sure he will launch other attacks from this point. We will be conducting an operation here codenamed: Operation Repossession.", Naruto then pulled out a stylus pen and tapped the table. A portion of the table then turned into a smaller version of the screen but with touch screen capabilities. Picking up the remote again he pressed a button that changed the screen to show a person. The person looked at about his late teens or early twenties, flat silver hair framed the person's face and had a low pony tail tied at the back, glasses covered the man's closed eyes and he had a smile that was unnerving to even the captains.

"At 20:00 yesterday intelligence confirmed that Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's head spy, entered Kurosu machi with a scroll.", Naruto then shrunk the smiling picture of Kabuto to bring the town photograph back into view but with Kabuto's picture in the lower right hand corner.

"He then approached the centre mansion and entered with the scroll, however when he came out he was empty handed. Since then the town has been receiving more supplies and troops at a day-by-day rate. They are organised in convoys that consist of four wagons carrying supplies with two men riding each. During this the settlement reinforcements travelling with them guard the supplies until they finish the journey. From the looks of it intel have determined that whatever that scroll contained was very valuable and I have decided that this will be our first step into fighting this war. The objective is to infiltrate the town, kill the commander of the enemy forces and steal the scroll.", he then paused as each captain took down details of the operation.

When they had finished Naruto continued.

"Now the operation will commence at 21:30 hours the day after tomorrow. Intel have predicted accurately the time it will take for the next convoy to be 10 miles away from the town. We will request the aid of ninja from the Shinobi Alliance but if they refuse then a contingency will be initiated, to which you will be informed promptly if there will be any changes. Captain Fujita you will contact Foxhound and have them here as fast as possible. They will be our infiltration force. Now the taskforce will ambush the convoy here.".

Naruto drew a cross over a spot on the bottom road.

"The ambush must be conducted where no blood is shed. This means tranquilisers and hand-to-hand combat will be used to take out the guards. Then the ninja will disguise themselves as the enemy guards whilst Foxhound will empty the last two wagons and hide in them. The convoy will then proceed to the town gates...".

This time he drew a circle around where the road met the town wall, "...Where after the guards have checked the first two wagons that still contain supplies and haven't discovered Foxhound the convoy will then be allowed into the town and will be taken to an unloading area...".

"But sir, what happens if the Oto-nin do check the wagons that contain Foxhound", Inoue questioned, concerned for the soldiers' safety. Naruto looked at the woman before answering.

"If Foxhound are discovered, Captain Kyoto then the operation will be scrapped and we will have to assault the town within the next few days."

At Inoue's responding nod Naruto drew a circle in an area just beyond the entrance.

"... From there the ninja will interact with the hostiles and try to gain as much information as possible. Foxhound will stay hidden in the wagons until 23:00 where Foxhound will exit the wagons and will make their way silently along the back streets and alleys...".

He drew a line along a back street as an example.

"...But they must avoid the rooftops and main roads as they are patrolled frequently...".

Large crosses appeared over the four main roads.

"...This won't mean that there are no patrols in the streets but they are few in number and not frequently patrolled. Quick and silent kills should not arouse suspicion. Foxhound will only have one hour to navigate a route towards the mansion in the centre...".

A circle appeared in the centre of the town.

"...The mansion itself has a large number of guards ranging from 15 to 20 men. Foxhound must be on the opposite side of the road that surrounds the mansion and must wait. At 00:00 Captain Kumamoto will fire artillery on the settlement to provide cover for Foxhound but he must avoid the four main roads and the mansion itself. As soon as the barrage begins Foxhound must assault the mansion, kill the commander and steal the scroll. At the same time a vehicle convoy will smash their way through the town and head straight for the mansion where Foxhound will board the vehicles and exfiltrate back to FOB Uzushio. Whether or not the ninja will be picked up as well will depend on their superior's orders.", Naruto then finished by drawing an arrow from the centre down the road.

"Hopefully the scroll will contain important information that can be used in the future. If this is not the case then we can at least set another example to both our enemy and the Shinobi Alliance that the United Whirlpool Nation is capable of fighting in this war.", Naruto finished turning the screen off and brightening the lights.

He then stood up, the captains following the action and standing to attention.

"You know your orders, dismissed.", the captains and sergeants saluted him before marching out of the room. Soon it was only Naruto in the room.

Sitting back in his chair Naruto sighed, staring at the ceiling. Feeling a headache coming on he raised a hand to block out the lights.

'Damn-it that was a long meeting.', he thought tiredly.

'Yep, but remember kit you still need to clear this with the kages, not to mention this long overdue talk with the Konoha 11.', Kurama reminded his host from his sleeping position.

'Yeah. That's going to be a pain in the neck. That'll be literally if they really get on my nerves and then they start shouting.', he replied.

'Best make your way there then.'

'Sure, but first I need some fresh air.'

3pm, same day, Port into FOB Uzushio...

"Okay bring it forward! Keep going! Keep going!... And stop!", a workman on the port ordered over the radio to his colleague, who was operating a big crane to move a huge tarp wrapped object off of a military transport ship. All of the workers at the port were wearing high visibility jackets and white hard hats over their uniforms, both of which had a UWN flag on their back and front respectively. The object that was being lifted was almost completely covered by the tarp except for the wheels, which peeked out from the bottom.

"Private, status report on the equipment.", Yugito ordered as she walked towards the scene from the nearby village. The worker quickly turned to face his superior and saluted her.

"Everything is going according to plan General-sama. The vehicles are the first to be dropped off here and the only one left to be moved is this one here...", the worker replied, indicating the tarp covered object behind him that still hung in the air.

"...Following that the artillery will be unloaded and then the small arms and ammunition.", the worker finished.

"Good, we'll need all of this for our next operation. Now what about the civilian merchant ships?", Yugito questioned.

"Currently we have four building company ships docked into the new civilian port and have started to move inland to begin construction of the more structurally sound buildings. Also we have six trading ships and their eta is tomorrow at around midday. When they arrive they will begin trading with the nearby villages and towns."

"That's good progress there Private.", a voice said behind them. When both Yugito and the worker turned, they saw Naruto walking towards them at a slow pace and in full combat gear.

"Uzukage-sama!", the worker said nervously as he realised that he was in the presence of his nation's ruler and one of his wives that was also his commanding officer.

"At ease soldier, you're not in any trouble so relax a little.", Naruto placated the man. The worker was able to get out a 'Hai Uzukage-sama' before walking off to continue with helping to unload the cargo. When the man was out of earshot Yugito smirked at her husband.

"Aren't you getting a bit soft towards the soldiers?", she teased. Naruto sighed at his wife before replying.

"Yugito-chan you know I have to try and balance out my attitude towards them. If I am cold and harsh towards them then I'll be no better than Gato from when I was a Konoha-nin. However if I'm too soft on them then they'll try to walk all over me. I am not stupid to believe that everyone here is fighting purely for our nation. The vast majority...yes, all of them... no. There are some who want to gain more power and if I am soft then they will take it as a sign of weakness and try to turn my nation against me. This current method reassures the soldiers that I am not going to punish them for every little mistake they make but at the same time it deters those who would try to take control by force from taking any action."

Yugito's smirk turned into a soft smile as her husband finished replying.

"Hai, that's true.", she then wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and kissed him passionately for a few moments. When they broke for air Naruto wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

"What was that for? Not that I am complaining though.", he asked.

"For good luck. You're having that meeting with kages and the Konoha 11 today. No doubt by the time you come back you'll be very stressed out.", she said seductively, winking at him.

"And so we thought you would need some cheering up before you left.", another voice whispered into his ear as their arms wound their way from behind him to his chest.

"Yes though I think we should stop now.", Naruto stated.

"Why?", Fuu questioned.

"Because firstly we are in public and secondly everyone on the ship is staring at us.", Naruto pointed out.

A vein showed up on both of his wives faces as they as one gave an evil look towards the frozen and blushing crew.

"Get back to work.", they both stated angrily, causing the crew to jump before going back to work with a new vigour whilst still blushing.

Huffing in disappointment both wives gave their husband a small peck each.

"Be careful Naruto-kun. The Shinobi Alliance may not be our enemy directly, but that doesn't mean all of them will allow you to simply enter their villages without causing you some grief even though the treaty allows it. Then there is the threat of Oto, Akatsuki and everyday thugs that will no doubt try to kill you. To make the situation worse the army hasn't been able to clear any of the land outside of Uzu no Kuni and are currently standing guard at the whirlpool defence system that the Uzumaki clan activated to keep Uzushiogakure out of enemy hands.", Fuu pleaded with her husband.

"And don't forget that in addition to all of this there are a lot ninja from both Kumo and Iwa who lost someone in the previous war due to your father. To them this would seem the perfect opportunity to kill you whilst we cannot help and do anything about it.", Yugito added, worried for her husband's safety.

Naruto smiled at his wives in a placating manner before grabbing them both around the waist and hugging them close to him.

"I promise you I'll return here safe and sound okay. Plus you know what happens when I promise something?", he teased. Yugito and Fuu giggled as a few tears appeared in their eyes.

"You always come through.", they both declared.

"Right, anyway I need to go and pick up the rest of my gear before heading out, so look after each other and make sure we don't lose our foothold in the Elemental Nations.", he then gave each wife a goodbye kiss before smiling and walking off towards Baseplate that was located a few docks away, his wives looking at him with affection as he met and talked with a few people. Both native from Uzu no Kuni and from his own forces.

When he was out of sight Yugito and Fuu smirked at each other.

"He really knows how to worry us and reassure us at the same time.", Yugito stated.

"Yep.", was Fuu's short reply.

"Well I need to keep checking the inventory of everything that comes into port."

"And I need to overlook the training of our soldiers in the nearby camp."

With their pieces said the two generals separated.

'You know kitten, you really shouldn't worry so much about Naruto-kun. Remember he has access to our weaponry, Kurama's chakra, Sage mode and can use jutsu that don't require handseals. Then there is the experience all three of you gained between heading west and today. So although, yes, Naruto needs to be careful it doesn't mean you should be paranoid over it.', Matatabi lightly scolded her container.

Yugito sighed at her biju's logic but gave a mental nod in acknowledgement.

'Young one, Naruto is strong enough to handle just about anything that could be pushed into his way. So stop being overly concerned and have faith in him.', Chomei told his host.

'I know, I know but given all that has happened to us I'm not sure either Yugito-chan or I could live if Naruto is gone. Survive, yes, live, no.', Fuu replied.

'I understand young one, but you both should also know that Naruto would not like it if you two couldn't move on should he die. You all know that by involving yourselves in this war you are putting your lives at great risk. Just keep hold of the idea that Naruto is coming back safely and that should help you at least push on each day.'

'Fine.', and with that Fuu cut off her link to Chomei.

CV-67, Codenamed Baseplate, Gun Cage...

"Okay, that's: three flashbangs, three smoke grenades, four M67 fragmentation grenades, one canteen and one first aid kit. Sign here.", a soldier behind a wired fence listed, a box containing said equipment in front of him. On the other side of the fence was another soldier, who grabbed the clipboard and a pen to sign his name on the document. Once finished he pushed the clipboard through the open slot in the fence and the other soldier then slid the box to him in return.

"Thanks.", the now fully equipped soldier said, picking up his new supplies, before turning round and walking off, allowing the person behind him to get their ordered equipment.

It was this scene that Naruto arrived to. The room was fairly narrow with only enough space to form three columns of people from side to side. The room was coloured in battleship grey and the walls were decorated with warnings such as 'All collectors must have a proof of identity' or 'All weapons must be holstered and have their safeties on before entering'. In front of Naruto was a queue that stretched about half of the room that consisted of a mixture of men and women.

Shaking his head to get rid imaginary dust, Naruto walked briskly down the queue on the left hand side. He ignored the gasps and whispering that started to rise up when he walked passed each individual until he made it to the wired fence where the gun cage soldier saluted him.

"U-Uzkage-sama, what can I do for you?", he asked nervously.

"At ease and where is Sergeant Suzuki Saitama?", Naruto ordered.

"Sergeant Saitama is currently inspecting some of the stock behind me sir.", the man replied after relaxing his posture.

"Right carry on.", Naruto said walking towards the fenced door a metre away from the gun cage attendant. Raising his right hand, he retracted the armour covering it before placing his, now uncovered, hand onto a handprint scanner. For a second nothing happened until the screen on the scanner changed to show the words 'Access Granted General Uzumaki' and a click was heard as the door unlocked. It then swung automatically open.

Before stepping into the gun cage Naruto brought his armour back over his hand and then as he had finished entering he heard the door close itself and another click, signifying that the door was now locked. Looking at his surroundings Naruto observed the room, though if he was honest it was more like a small warehouse. Metal shelves lined the walls and formed isles in between them, reaching as high as five stories tall. On each shelf was a padlocked wooden box, their sizes ranging from small shoeboxes to six feet high. Walking along the isles Naruto eventually came across the sergeant.

Suzuki Saitama was the sergeant to Kinjo' squad, the 1st Supply Squad. Standing at 5''8', she had dark royal blue hair with a pixie style and purple eyes. The only additional feature she had was a scar was on the left hand side of her jaw. Currently she was reading off the order numbers from each container and checking that they were written down on a form she had attached to a clipboard. If the number was on the form then she would tick it off with a pencil she had in her right hand and if not then she would write down the order number for future reference when investigating its purpose.

Hearing footsteps approaching her, Suzuki turned to look at the person. When she noticed that it was Naruto she saluted him as all the others did.

"Uzukage-sama.", she said professionally.

"Stand easy Sergeant Saitama.", Naruto stated, internally sighing at the number of times he has had to repeatedly say that order whenever he met a subordinate. This elicited a chuckle from Kurama.

'Poor, poor kit, having to listen to everyone bow down to him. Heh heh heh.', Kurama said humorously and slightly sarcastically.

'Shut up.', Naruto mentally retorted before addressing the sergeant.

"Now I have come to pick up my new equipment.", he said outwardly.

Suzuki looked at the form on her clipboard, flipping a few pages she eventually saw Naruto's name with the order number next to it.

"Ah here we are sir. Order number: 673409112378. I'll take you there.", she said happily. She then started walking towards the end of the isle where a one of the bigger crates were located. Naruto followed her and soon the pair made it to one of the crates at the back of the room, though it was different than the rest of them. Instead of being wooden it was metal and instead of having the standard padlock it had another handprint scanner.

Repeating the procedure he had done at the door Naruto open the container and started to pull its contents out. Meanwhile Suzuki listed off the equipment as Naruto pulled them out. The first to come out was a plastic box the size of a small briefcase. Opening it Naruto found two pistols with four magazines of bullets each and a twin pistol holster.

"2 Sig Sauer P226 pistols, 4 magazines per pistol carrying 12 rounds of .357 Sig each and a twin holster.", Suzuki recited from the list.

Nodding Naruto closed the case and placed it on top of the container. He then reached in and pulled out another plastic case, only this time it was long than the one containing the pistols. Moving the case to sit next to the pistol case he opened it to reveal a rifle.

"1 Sig Sauer 516 OD green rifle, 6 magazines containing 30 rounds of 5.56mm NATO each. In addition it comes with a harness.", Suzuki listed.

Nodding again in acknowledgement Naruto closed the case before pulling out another case, this one being shorter than the rifle one but wider. When the case was opened it showed a grenade launcher.

"Heckler and Koch 69 grenade launcher. Harness included and 10 40mm grenades, 5 of them being smoke and another 5 being high explosive. That should be all of the weapons sir.", Suzuki finished.

Naruto nodded in agreement, closing the HK69's case. He then reached into the container and pulled out the last item.

"And finally a Yamaha FZ-09 motorcycle. Sign here sir.", Suzuki finished before handing the clipboard and pencil to her superior, who signed for it.

"Thank you Sergeant Saitama, carry on.", Naruto thanked with a soft smile. Saluting him one last time Suzuki walked off to continue checking the other equipment in the gun cage.

Naruto then went about changing his gear. He first removed his old rifle and pistols. Then he replaced them with the new equipment. They were arranged so that the pistols were strapped to his hips and the grenade launcher and rifle were crossed over each other on his back. The ammunition was stored in seals that were etched into his armour.

Once he had finished kitting up he took his old weapons and dumped them onto the desk of the gun cage attendant, startling the man in the process.

"Give these to anybody who needs them.", was all Naruto said to the man before walking back towards the motorbike. The attendant could only nod at his superior before placing the guns to the side and went back to sorting out the requests the other soldiers had.

'Well lets get a move on.', Naruto thought as he grabbed the FZ-09 by the handlebars and started pushing it to the larger bay doors. After going through the usual process of identification the bay doors opened to reveal the lower deck to Baseplate. He then proceeded to walk with the motorbike towards Baseplate's landing deck, all the while wondering what would come of the talk between him and the kages about his plan.

'I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted longer than a day.', he thought grimly, not wanting to stay in Konoha for any longer than he had to.

Konoha, Hokage tower…

"So what is this about Tsunade-sama?", Shizune asked her old mentor. Currently she was sitting in a chair in front the Hokage's desk whilst Tsunade herself was seated behind it as usual. Flanking Shizune on her left and right were Izumo and Kotetsu respectively. Behind the them were Iruka and a number of chunins that were conversing with each other, mostly about the reason as to why they were all called to the Hokage's office.

"We are just waiting for two more people to arrive.", was all a tired Tsunade would give.

Kotetsu and Izumo gave each other worrying looks. Everyone else had arrived earlier and it was getting very close to the deadline for the meeting. Since there was a large number of chunin attending and so far only Shizune as a jounin that meant that the last people to arrive were most probably jounin as well. That meant that there was a good chance that it was Kakashi who was supposed to be here, but given his inability to make it to meetings on time there was a very real chance they would be waiting here for at most three hours. Something they certainly didn't want to be doing for that amount of time whilst not out on a mission.

They were forced out of their thoughts though as a purple blur flew in through the open window, startling many out of their thoughts and a few instinctually reached for their kunai leg holster.

"Here's Anko!", Anko gleefully announced with her usual childish smile. Those present relaxed again when they noticed who it was.

"Damn-it Anko, your just as bad as Jiraiya!", Tsunade loudly scolded woman. Said woman scowled at the comparison.

"I am not like that pervert-"

"Super pervert!", Jiraiya's voice echoed in from across Konoha, making many of the civilians jump and the ninja to roll their eyes.

"-Whatever! Anyway at least I don't peek in on naked people and then write so-called novels that a really porn with a bit more plot.", Anko retorted angrily.

"Yes that's true Anko but you have the same habit as him when it comes to arriving at the Hokage's office, through the window.", a voice dryly said from the door to the office. Many heads turned to see Kurenai in her usual jounin outfit.

"But I don't drool at the sight of a good looking girl.", Anko argued to her friend, with a pout in place.

"Your straight that's why you're not attracted to girls but you sure were close to drooling when Naruto-kun came round to take you out for dinner.", Kurenai easily countered her friend.

"Ahem.", a cough interrupted their argument. Looking at the source they saw Tsunade with her elbows on the desk and her hands clasped together in front of her, looking at them with a deadpanned expression.

"If you two ladies are finished arguing about who's a pervert and who's not I believe we are to discuss your mission."

Anko gave her superior a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head in a manner similar to Naruto when he was caught after a prank.

Kurenai was looking embarrassed as indicated by the averting of her eyes to the floor and a small dust of pink tinting her cheeks.

"H-Ha ha, sorry about that Hokage-sama.", Anko started off with a nervous chuckle before quietening down to softly apologising.

"You should be. Anyway back to the reason why you're here.", Tsunade stated, causing everyone to stand to attention as the situation became serious. Upon seeing that she had everyone's undivided attention Tsunade continued.

"Now about an hour ago the Shinobi Alliance received a message from the UWN about a joint mission between us and them to take place the day after tomorrow at night. Details were scarce and all that was made clear was that the mission was firstly ranked as B but could ascend to A or even S depending on the information they will give us, the decisions we make and the mission itself. The other piece of information provided was that if we did intend to participate in this mission then we would need a certain number of chunins and jounins with high stealth capabilities. The Raikage has decided to throw in two chunins himself and the Kazekage can spare one jounin but the other kages don't have the manpower to spare. The Uzukage himself is on his way here even as we speak so expect him to be arriving here soon.", Tsunade finished stating, giving them a few seconds to take in the information. When everybody seemed to understand what she had added one more comment.

"I am telling you this because you will be the group I will be committing to this mission if it goes ahead. You have the entire day off tomorrow but use that time to prepare for the mission because on the day of the mission you will be sleeping most of the day away or getting to know your new comrades, understood?", Tsunade questioned them.

"Hai Hokage-sama.", was the resounding response.

"Good dismissed.", Tsunade ordered. The group started walking out of the office, quite a few mumbling about their displeasure at having to work with the 'demon' but otherwise did not comment. When the majority had left the room Tsunade noticed that Iruka, Anko and Kurenai were still in the room.

"May I help you?", she asked them.

Iruka took a step forward so that he was now the closest one to her.

"Hokage-sama since Naruto will be coming to Konoha is there a possibility of sitting in on the meeting between him and the Konoha 11?", he asked politely.

Tsunade remained silent as she pondered on the request.

'I would have preferred it if as little people as possible to attend but it's probably best that there should be as many people who Naruto likes there as possible. He's neutral with Jiraiya and I, rather okay with Shikamaru, Shino and Chouji and definitely good with Konohamaru, his friends and Iruka here. With the senseis he probably hates Kakashi, neutral with Gai and Asuma and fine with Kurenai. All in all better to have him there so that the chances of a fight breaking out are smaller.', Tsunade thought grimly.

"Fine. I'll send someone to inform you when the meeting is taking place.", she relented.

Iruka smiled before giving a bow and walking out of the room, thoughts about meeting Naruto again for the first in years.

"Hey why can't I join in as well? I mean I'm his girlfriend for kami's sake.", was Anko's outburst as the door closed, signifying Iruka's leaving.

Tsunade massaged her temple as a headache started coming on.

"Fine, you can come as well. Just leave before you cause this headache of mine to worsen.", she grumbled.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama.", a happy Anko thanked before proceeding to pull a protesting Kurenai out of the room.

'Thank kami all quiet.', Tsunade mentally sighing in relief and slouching in her seat in relaxation.

She turned around in her chair and looked over the sunset on the horizon, admiring the view.

'I could stay like this all day.', she thought happily.

"Hokage-sama, here's the new stack of forms that need your approval.", came Tsunade's secretary voice.

'Why fucking now?', Tsunade thought, anime tears streaming down her face and herself going pale as the secretary struggled to walk into her office. The secretary had so much paperwork that her entire face was obscured from view.

At the same time, every kage felt a shiver go down their spines.

'Someone must have gotten lumbered with paperwork.', they thought simultaneously before going back to their own duties.

CV-67 Baseplate, Sick Bay…

Ayame's eyes fluttered as she awoke from her semi-coma. Looking at her surroundings she recognised that she was in some kind of makeshift hospital, not an actual hospital but similar to it. At first she had panicked, thinking that she was in enemy hands but when she saw her father snoozing in a chair next to her she calmed down slightly but was still very nervous about the unrecognisable environment.

"I see you're awake then.", a humour filled voice began from Ayame's left. Quickly turning to face the unknown person, Ayame noticed that it was a woman in a grey urban camouflage uniform. Just above her left elbow was a white band with a red cross on it.

"Yes Ms…", Ayame trailed off.

"Asuka Kita. Sergeant Kita in public and in front of the other soldiers. Captain Kyoto was originally in charge of healing you but as you are were only resting and she has received new orders, she had to delegate your case to me.", Asuka informed the girl.

"Where am I?", Ayame asked, glancing around the room in slight awe now.

"The Sick Bay. This is where the soldiers who suffer from wounds or some other ailment come to be healed. This room is also part of an extremely large metal ship known as Baseplate under the command of the Uzukage.", Asuka answered before walking towards Ayame's bed, her combat boots making large clanking noises against the metal floor as she took step after step.

"Uzukage? Naruto-kun?", Ayame questioned as she recalled the memory of seeing Naruto for the first time after so long.

"Correct, Uzukage-sama is the person you know as Naruto Uzumaki. In fact it was Uzukage-sama who saved you from those…people.", Asuka hesitated to finish, refraining from using words that would make even Jiraiya blush at the vulgarity.

At the mention of the criminals Ayame started to shudder and tremble in remembrance as flashes of the event danced in front of hers.

'T-They w-were about to rape me.', Ayame thought as she began to hyperventilate.

When Asuka caught a glimpse of Ayame's breathing increase she quickly went up to the girl and bent down so that she was eyelevel with her. She then began to rub her soothingly to help calm her down.

"Shhh, relax there. Those wannabe rapists are not here.", Asuka whispered to Ayame softly. After a couple of minutes of repeating this pattern Ayame eventually ceased hyperventilating and started to rest her tense muscles.

"Where is Naruto-kun?", Ayame asked when she was able to speak without stuttering.

"He's on his way to Konoha to explain the details about a mission into enemy territory. He won't be back for at least a few days, a week at most if something happens. He gave us strict orders though to make sure you recover. After reading over Captain Kyoto's diagnosis it was decided that you should have limited contact with men that you don't know or personally trust. Chances are you would panic if one of our male medics came in here and also when you are ready we have been ordered to move you to Uzukage-sama's personal quarters for the duration of your stay here. When you have fully healed, you and your otousan will be moved onto the first ship to the United Whirlpool Nation to start up your new life there.", Asuka informed the girl.

Ayame blushed at the transfer to Naruto's room but it soon died down when she heard the last piece of information.

"But wouldn't Konoha try to get me back?", Ayame inquired.

"Normally? Probably. However after the incident that nearly ended with you being raped, your otousan decided to cut ties with Konoha and become a citizen of the UWN. The Hokage didn't object to it and although the Civilian Council initially opposed the idea at first the Hokage cowed them and they decided to cut their losses by allowing it. Uzukage-sama then approved the citizenship and at that moment you and your otousan became a part of our country. Welcome to United Whirlpool Nation.", Asuka finished with a chuckle.

Ayame stared at the wall opposite in thought as she processed what had been set. Most people would have felt guilty in some form from leaving their own country to live in another but despite Konoha's noble birth, it grew into something that disgusted her. Whatever good reason the Shodaime Hokage had when Konoha was founded had all but been twisted into arrogance of the largest of scales. Not that the other nations were much better save Suna. They all had their own type of arrogance, the difference being where it surrounded.

'Hopefully this will be a good start over.', Ayame thought.

"Well now that you're up we can start making preparations for you to be transferred to Uzukage-sama's quarters but before then we will need to see how bad the trauma has affected you with your interactions with men. We very well can't tell all men to avoid certain corridors because they may be needed in certain areas that require going pass us and despite you being a close friend of Uzukage-sama we can't allow disruptions at the moment. Is that understood?", Asuka explained.

Ayame nodded silently in understanding.

"Good, your first treatment will be held tomorrow at 10am. Until then I need to be elsewhere so sayonara.", Asuka finished before walking out of the Sick Bay.

When Ayame heard the hatch door shut, she turned her attention towards her still asleep father.

'He must have been worried sick about me.', Ayame thought sadly as she noticed that her conversation with the sergeant hadn't disturbed her father's sleeping. She noticed that his clothes were a bit wrinkled, showing that he probably hadn't changed clothes since she arrived but it had not been too long that that they were obviously dirty.

'I hope Naruto-kun comes back soon.', was her last thought as she decided to try and sleep a little while longer before waking her father up.

Edge of Uzu no Kuni…

Naruto looked across the expanse of water that separated his newly acquired land and Hi no Kuni. He had spent the last hour riding in a supply truck that was travelling towards the UWN's current attempt at building a bridge between the two lands so that transportation wasn't entirely reliant on boats. His experience from Nami no Kuni being a prime example of overspecialisation and its downfalls. When the truck had arrived Naruto saw the beginnings of the bridge and saw that so far they had only gone about ten feet, but given the state of the roads, them being paved with stones instead of tarmac, and the priority the war had he knew it would be slow going. The design was a double trunnion bascule type bridge so that if Konoha fell to enemy hands or Konoha itself became an enemy then the bridge could be raised and cut off the enemy from a possible land entry route.

'Oi! Stop daydreaming gaki and focus on getting across.', Kurama scolded his host, causing said man to blush again in embarrassment.

'Kurama!', Naruto mentally whined.

'Well get on with it gaki. You need to hurry before nightfall.', Kurama reminded Naruto.

'Okay, okay, sheesh someone's grumpy today.'

'Just go!'

'Fine.', and with that Naruto grabbed his motorbike from beside him by the handlebars and started to guide it down the incline towards the beach. When he got there he looked out over the ocean and activated the zoom in capabilities of his armour.

'About ten miles then, eleven at most. Should be able to do it with about ten minutes worth of Sage mode.', Naruto mentally calculated. Kicking the kickstand down on the motorbike so that it stand on its own, Naruto then sat down cross legged with his hands in the typical Sage mode position and started to absorb in natural energy. Whilst doing this Naruto silently thanked the toads again and soon after he had started the gathering of natural energy his eyes had gained the orange lining, yellow irises and rectangle pupils that signified his status as a sage.

When he had about the right amount of natural energy he stood up and effortlessly picked up his motorbike with one hand. He then slung it onto his back and took up a crouching start.

Meanwhile up on the bridge a private had seen the Uzukage walk down the side of the bridge and had stopped working. When they did this the rest of the work party stopped as well to see what was going on. When they saw it was the Uzukage many started whispering to each other about what he was doing there. They soon quietened when they saw the Uzukage sit down in a kind of meditative pose and were quickly excited when they saw the famed Sage mode eyes. They were then left gaping in shock as the Uzukage picked up his motorbike with one hand and crouched down.

Naruto smirked as he noticed the bridge workers stop and observed him.

'Well then let us give them a sight to remember.', Naruto thought mischievously.

In the blink of an eye Naruto took off at high speeds and for a moment the workers were looking at an empty spot of the ground, until they heard a light splash from the ocean. Quickly turning their attention to the source of the noise, they saw the Uzukage taking another step from about thirty metres away from his original position and onto the water. They were further gobsmacked as the Uzukage kept on repeating this manoeuvre until he was out of eyesight.

"Wow.", was all they could say. They didn't have time to contemplate on the Uzukage's techniques because the project leader had come back from his lunch break and had started ordering them back to work.

When Naruto finally reached the other side of the ocean he had just enough time to place his motorbike onto the ground safely before exhaustion started to take effect. Dropping down on one knee he panted as his eyes turned back to their sky blue hue and the orange highlights disappeared, signifying the lack of natural energy.

'Just made it.', he thought tiredly. For a few seconds he remained their panting before he was able to control his breathing and once that was accomplished he was able to go back to standing on both feet.

'Kami that was intense. I almost ran out natural energy then.', he assessed.

'Tch, I could do that in one leap if I wanted to and still have enough chakra left to fight.', Kurama said smugly.

'Oi, careful there Kurama. If you hadn't continued speaking you would've been imitating Sasuke-teme.', Naruto shot back in good humour.

'No way in hell am I anything like that gaki, gaki.', Kurama fumed at him.

'Well then stop using his signature grunt.'

'Whatever just get a move on.'

Smirking at his small victory, Naruto mounted the motorbike and unsealed its key from one of the many seals he had on his armour.

Starting the engine up, Naruto's smirk grew as he heard the thunderous sound blast out of his motorbike. He strapped his sword to the side of the motorbike and activated his interface. The visual plates slid into place and soon Naruto saw in addition with his own eyes the status of his motorbike, the distance from his current position and Konoha, a compass and a wind direction dial with wind speed recording.

Clutching the brake handle tightly, Naruto revved the engine. He did this for a few seconds before suddenly letting go of the brake.

Without the brake keeping the bike in place, the rear wheel started spinning at eye-blinding speeds and as a result a lot of dirt was kicked up into the air before it took off at high speeds onto the paved road and towards Konoha.

'I bet I'll be stopped before I've even entered the village.'

'That's a sucker's bet kit.'

'You mean a Tsunade bet Kurama?'

'Ha, ha, ha, sure kit after all she called the 'Legendary Sucker'.'

'There's no denying that fact.'

Up in the Hokage's office, Tsunade sneezed and had the sudden urge to punch Naruto through a wall.

Akatsuki hideout…

"So the jinchuriki has entered into an alliance with the Shinobi Alliance.", Madara stated as he addressed Zetsu.

"Not so much as an alliance, more of a mutual pact. The UWN does not have to help the Shinobi Alliance in battle and it is the same the other way round. The actual agreement was that the UWN may help the Shinobi Alliance in battle if both sides agree to fight together for that time. In addition they will pool their medical resources together, however patients can reject to be healed by either side at their own risk, and the leaders of each nation are allowed entrance into each other's territory, though special permission is required for anyone below that rank. The only other thing to take note of is that the UWN are officially are our enemies as shown by the massacre in Konoha not long ago.", Zetsu reported.

"Hmm, yes that is true. Another thorn in my side. Orochimaru how goes the preparations for the advance into more of Hi no Kuni's territory?", Madara questioned the other man in the room.

"Ku, ku, ku, so far everything is going as planned, just a few more days of bringing in supplies and reinforcements and we'll be ready to advance further towards Konoha.", Orochimaru hissed out gleefully at the prospect of invading his old home again.

"Good, Danzo give me the details of Konoha's defences.", Madara demanded.

Out of the shadows hobbled said war hawk. Using his cane to steady him, though all present knew he didn't need it.

Danzo looked over each of the three men present and did a mental assessment of them.

'Orochimaru, still as power hungry as ever. I'll be glad to decapitate you myself when I rise Konoha from the ashes. Madara and Zetsu are the more threatening here. Madara's powers are unknown and everything that he has shown is advanced in their own right. Zetsu, slippery and will be on equal grounds with Madara when it comes to escaping, maybe even higher.', Danzo thought.

"Konoha is a very quiet and ignorant place. If you attack them head on straight away then they will quickly strengthen that particular part of Konoha. Your best strategy would be to use a decoy at one end of the village. Then whilst the Konoha-nin are dealing with the decoy, send in your main forces from the opposite side. Make sure to target significant structures such as the Hokage Monument, the Academy and other such buildings. Konoha-nin will be more focused with keeping everyone safe than fighting so use that to your advantage.", Danzo advised Madara coldly.

"Very well. When the appropriate supplies and ninja have arrived commence the mission the next day. Dismissed.", Madara informed them. The three men bowed before walking out of the room.

'Humph, weaklings the lot of them. Orochimaru and his foolish obsession with the Sharingan, Zetsu, although powerful, wouldn't last long against three jounin and Danzo, you thought I didn't know about you Sharingan implants well you'll be in for a big surprise.', Madara thought amusedly. Walking towards a large and pitch black room, Madara smirked under his mask as he stared at the figure asleep before him.

'Soon you will show them what it means to be strong.', he mentally stated as the eyes of the figure opened to reveal two white slitted eyes.