Hey all you Naruto of the Dead fans, sorry for the delay. My other story, Steam Powered Naruto has eaten up quite the amount of my time but I'll be updating all my stories soon.

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own Naruto and neither do I.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Higher Being Speech"

'Higher Being Thoughts'

"Jutsu"

(Technique Translations)

Scene Shift

Chapter 8: New Recruits

Happy humming could be heard all throughout Konoha wherever Anko Mitarashi went. From the dango shop, to the Hokage's office, while torturing a convicted criminal with a bathtub and some jumper cables…The humming never ceased.

"So, what's got you in such a chipper mood this morning? Does Naruto have something to do with it?" asked Hana as she and Anko met for coffee. Seeing as they were friends, Hana was naturally curious about Anko's moods and daily happenings.

The snake mistress grinned as she took a sip of her morning elixir. "Oh, nothing much… Just had a good time last night," she said with a barely noticeable blush on her face as she thought about the 'farewell' she gave a certain blonde.

"Really? What could've possibly happened to make you so giddy?"

"A certain fox," Anko answered with her grin widening slightly.

"Naruto? What could he have…?" asked the Inuzuka before it hit her. "You two went out last night, didn't you?" A nod was her answer, making Hana grin slightly. "So…how was he?"

Anko snorted in laughter. "We didn't do that. It was just dinner…and a goodbye kiss. And maybe a slight fondle or two."

"I never thought I'd see the day… Anko Mitarashi, one of the best in the IT Dept. and known to make men shit themselves, falling for the village pariah..." She then smiled to her friend and said, "I'm happy for you, you psycho bitch."

"Thanks… I never thought I'd ever let anyone else in after…well, you know," she said, making Hana nod. "But Foxy-chan…he's done so much for me and he never asked for anything in return. I mean, he got rid of my damn mark; the one thing I thought I'd carry for the rest of my life! And he did it no problem; I mean this burden that I'd had on me since I was a teenager! Gone, like it was never there!"

"That's just how he is… My brother told me about Naruto when they were kids. He may have been a loudmouth kid who didn't look like much, but he always stuck by those he cared about; even going as far as putting himself in harm's way for them. He's a real lion…Or fox…or whatever."

Anko nodded as she remembered the blonde during his Genin days. It brought a smile to her face remembering his determination and knack for shocking everyone with the most unexpected accomplishments. Hell, he farted in his match with Kiba and it helped him win! Ninja should always be unpredictable, right?

"Well anyway, I'm just glad that you're finally opening up again. I was worried that you'd remain alone for awhile…"

Anko rolled her eyes as she sarcastically replied, "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I feel infinitely better."

The two women shared a small laugh at that as they returned to their drinks.

With Naruto

Said blonde was seated on his couch, elbows on his knees and chin on his clasped hands in thought. He was going over what he had at his disposal and the people he had to call on before he realized something, something somewhat obvious.

'I need more summons if I want my plans to succeed… The problem is who I should look for. I don't exactly have many choices since most people I know are alive, and I don't feel like killing them just to have them in my arsenal…I could always ask kaa-san.'

Kushina looked to her son and was curious as to what had him so deep in his thoughts. She and her husband had spent the entire night going over Orochimaru's notes and found almost nothing of use that wasn't already known by Naruto and Konoha.

The only thing worth mentioning was the small note with the location of a hidden base that Naruto didn't know of, one of the few. This base was situated right inside the walls of Sunagakure. When they told Naruto of this, he immediately decided to pay the base a visit, as well as visit Gaara after over three years.

"What's troubling you, Sochi? You seem so tense!"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking of who else I could use with the Edo Tensei… I mean, you two and the Oto ninja that I have are great; awesome even… But I know that I need a few more…I need something to completely boost my arsenal."

"Exactly how many others were you interested in?"

'At least five… I already have two in mind; Haku and Zabuza… They didn't deserve to die the way they did and I want to give them another chance; even if it's as undead soldiers. I just hope they accept the offer."

"Even that is better than a dishonorable death," Kushina said with a small smile. "I'm sure they'll appreciate what you plan to do."

"…I think I have another you could add," Minato said, gaining their attention. "My old student, Rin Nohara. She was a field medic and a Chunin in skill. She was also Kakashi's old teammate."

"Is she buried here in the village?"

"No… Konoha makes a point of removing the bodies of our shinobi. However, I know where I can get some of her DNA."

"You put her in high regard… Is she that important?" asked the whiskered blonde.

"Yes she is… She was one of my only students and I'm ashamed to say that I couldn't do anything for her when she died…and I'm sure that Kakashi is still saddened by it. By having her join us, I feel as if I can repay her for my mistakes…"

"What caused her death?" asked Naruto in intrigue while Kushina was interested as well. Minato never told her how Rin died, but she knew he was saddened by it.

"Kiri kidnapped her and forcefully turned her into an unstable Jinchuriki with plans to release her and the Bijuu inside of her inside of Konoha after her seal shattered. Kakashi went to her aid, only to be ambushed by Kiri ANBU. Knowing they would most likely just rape and kill her, Kakashi took her life himself to spare her the Hell and passed out soon after hitting her with his Chidori. All the ANBU were slaughtered when he awoke and he was never the same again."

Naruto and Kushina had their heads lowered in a sort of salute for her death. Naruto was the first to raise his head, eyes brimming with determination. "Alright, I'll add her to the ranks. Count on it."

"I have another in mind, Sochi," Kushina said with a serious face. At his nod, she continued, "She was my friend…and Sasuke's mother. Mikoto Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan matriarch."

Naruto looked slightly surprised that his mother and Sasuke's were close friends and he briefly wondered if things could have been different if both women had survived their respective deaths.

"Okay… I'll add her too, assuming that she has the skills we need."

"I know she is since she and I were students under Tsunade," Kushina replied with a small smirk, making Naruto widen his eyes in surprise before he smirked back.

"Got it… I need you two to find the needed DNA from them since I assume you know where to get them both. I'm going to go see if I can get baa-chan to allow me to go to Nami and Suna. I'll get the bodies of Haku and Zabuza and visit Oro-teme's base."

The two reanimated adults nodded to their son before he left in a Shunshin. They both put on the maroon cloaks that Naruto got for them and put the hoods down before they made their way out of the apartment. No one in the village ever noticed that the cloaked figures that a few passed were their beloved Yondaime and his wife.

Tsunade's Office

"So let me get this straight… You want me to let you practically go grave robbing in Nami and then go visit a supposed base that Orochimaru has in Suna?" asked Tsunade with a raised brow. When Naruto nodded, she sighed and pulled out a small sake bottle. "Honestly Naruto, I wonder what goes on through that thick head of yours…"

"I want to give two people that I have a great respect for another chance and I want to see if there is anything valuable in Orochimaru's base. Plus, I haven't seen Gaara for a while and I wanted to see how he was doing… I hear that he's become Kazekage?"

The blonde Kage smiled and nodded. "Yes, in fact he's been noted as the youngest shinobi to be appointed as a Kage; even younger than the Mizukage, Yagura."

Naruto smiled at the info. "That's good to hear. I might as well congratulate him when I see him."

"Not so fast there, gaki. I never authorized this little trip of yours. If you're dead set on going, take Anko and Hana with you; just in case any Akatsuki show up."

Naruto nodded and Tsunade filled out the paperwork to authorize Naruto's trip as an A-Class Mission for his team.

On the path to Nami; 1 Hour Later

"You really think that Orochimaru has a base in Suna, Naruto?" asked Hana as the three shinobi and three ninken flew through the trees.

"I have little doubt that there is… If there isn't, then at least I still get to visit Gaara and his siblings." He then noticed the bridge that Tazuna had built coming up and he dropped down from the trees followed by the others. When they all saw the name of the bridge, their mouths were agape in surprise. "What the hell?"

"You have a bridge named after you?" asked Anko before she grinned. "Looks like you're famous, Foxy-kun."

"I have to say that it's very impressive… Not many people could boast about something like this," Hana commented.

Naruto shook his head and made his way across the structure while the fox laughed it up in his mind. "You never noticed how much you helped these people! They named a fucking bridge after you and you never knew!" the Kyuubi laughed in between its comment.

'Shut up, fox! Kami-sama, I never thought I'd get this kind of appreciation!'

"Just think... You may even have your own fan base in this little town."

Naruto suddenly froze and shuddered in fear, making the others look to him in concern. 'Don't even joke like that, fox!'

The Bijuu just chuckled before it went back to sleep in the blonde's mind. As the team made its way through the streets of the port town, Naruto was going through his memories and trying to remember where Haku and Zabuza were buried. He was brought out of his thoughts when he accidently bumped into a woman and she almost fell over.

"Oh, sorry about that," Naruto apologized.

"No it's alright. I wasn't- Wait, you look familiar," the woman said while Naruto got a better look at her. It took a few seconds before they both widened their eyes in recognition.

"Naruto-san/Tsunami-san!"

"When did you get here?" asked the woman excitedly.

"I just got here with my team about ten minutes ago. We came to pick up something before making our way to Suna."

Tsunami nodded before she went to introduce herself to Anko and Hana. Naruto meanwhile looked to his surroundings before he spotted a hill outside of town with something stabbed into it. He smirked before he made his way there, leaving the women to talk amongst themselves.

Once he got there, his smirk grew at the sight of the two graves, but it turned into a frown when he saw that Zabuza's sword was missing. 'Damn it… Someone took it already. But who?'

"Figure it out later. For now, just take the bodies and fix up the graves so that no one knows you were here.'

Naruto nodded and he began to dig through the dirt before he finally reached the decaying bodies of the two people who changed his early ninja career. He moved the dirt away from the bodies and carefully pulled them out of the graves. As soon as the bodies were out, he sealed them into a scroll and replaced the dirt in the graves. It looked as if the dirt was moved around a little, but not enough to warrant grave desecration.

He pocketed the scrolls and sighed. 'That makes two new additions while mom and dad get two more… One more ought to do it. But, I need to get Zabuza a decent weapon… At least until I find his sword.'

"Maybe you'll find one in Suna when you get there…"

'Yea… Maybe I will.'

It took about half an hour for the Jinchuriki to make it to Tazuna's old place, another hour to talk and catch up with them all, and ten minutes for the team to leave the town. As they made their way to the deserts surrounding Suna, Naruto called out, "We'll camp for the night when we get to the desert border. We're going to need our strength for the travel."

Both his teammates and the Haimaru Bros nodded as they continued their journey. By the time they made it to the border, it was late in the evening and the team quickly set up and went to sleep; though Anko kept contemplating sneaking into Naruto's tent to surprise him in the morning.

Morning

The first thing Naruto noticed when he woke up was the extra weight on his chest. He cracked an eye open and saw a head of violet hair snoozing on him. 'When did she-? What the hell?'

The fox laughed at its container's predicament. "Well well brat, I never thought you'd have a woman actually choose to sleep with you! Ha! You should see the look on your face!"

The blonde groaned before he started shaking Anko awake. She groaned in retaliation and didn't budge, making his eye twitch. "Anko!"

"Huh? What?" Anko said as she jolted awake. When she saw her position, she grinned at Naruto. "Good morning, Foxy!"

He rolled his eyes at her grin. "Good morning to you too. Now, can you explain why you're in my tent?"

She gave a fake pout, complete with a quivering lip. "I was lonely…" His eye twitched, making her internally smirk. "Besides, you're warm and I happen to like my new fox plushy!"

The fox couldn't hold back anymore and busted up laughing in the cage. "Oh Kami, she's an interesting one. I wonder how it'll take for you to hold her down, rip off her clothes, and-"

Naruto cut the connection before he could hear anymore, but his blush wasn't able to prevent its appearance; something Anko grinned at. "Oh, is Foxy embarrassed that I decided to sleep in his tent with him?"

Naruto sighed as he got out of his bedroll and exited his tent. He saw Hana cooking them some small rabbits for breakfast while the Haimaru Bros were busy eating a baby deer. Hana waved to him in greeting before she saw Anko exit Naruto's tent and grinned. "So…you remembered to use protection, right? We can't have Anko getting pregnant and preventing her from her shinobi career."

Anko snickered while Naruto sighed at his teammates. 'Geez… I got two women who could give Ero-Sennin some pretty good material making innuendos at my expense… Super…'

After breakfast, the team quickly made their way across the desert, unknowingly being slower than Gai's record by just seven seconds. When they reached the entrance to the village, the guards ordered them to present identification and were slightly surprised when they read Naruto's name. Ever since Naruto helped Gaara when they were younger, the Ichibi Jinchuriki made it a personal mission to spread Naruto's "fight for your comrades" mentality to his people. The blonde was well known among the Chunin and Jonin of Suna.

When the team was allowed entrance, one of the guards had a messenger go tell Gaara about an "interesting visitor". With Naruto and the others, they were extending their senses as far as possible for the faint smell of snakes as they walked through the village streets. As they walked, Naruto noticed a familiar blonde hairdo and called out, "Hey, Temari!"

Said wind user turned to see a slightly grinning blonde with whiskered cheeks with the proctor for the second stage of the Konoha Chunin Exams and an Inuzuka woman.

'Wait… Whiskered cheeks…? It couldn't be…' "Naruto?" she asked as she walked to them.

"I knew it was you. No one has a hair style like yours," Naruto commented with his grin still in place. "How have you been?"

"Me? What about you?! Last I heard, you were Orochimaru's prisoner!" she exclaimed, making the two women flinch and Naruto's face turn neutral. "Everyone was worried sick about you; especially Gaara! He sent out dozens of search parties to find you, and all of a sudden you just pop up here!"

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yea, I know… And I'm sorry for making everyone worry. If you must know, Anko found me a few months ago and brought me back to Konoha. I was reinstated, got promoted to Tokubetsu, and requested a mission to come here as well as visit Gaara. Is he in his office?"

Temari glared at him for a few seconds longer before she sighed and gave him a small smile. "Yea… He's there. I'll take you to him, but don't be surprised if he gets pissed off at ya, Whiskers."

Naruto chuckled and replied, "I'll keep that in mind, Fan Girl."

It didn't even take ten minutes for them to reach Gaara's office. As soon as the Kazekage allowed them entry and they stepped in, Naruto was pushed against the wall by a claw of sand. The blonde looked to see Gaara with a passive face, but it had a barely noticeable eye twitch every now and then. "Uzumaki…" began the redhead. "Where have you been?"

Naruto gave a sheepish grin and would have rubbed the back of his head if his hands weren't indisposed. "Well you see, Anko here found me a few months ago and brought me back to Konoha. A lot of shit happened as soon as I returned, like a trial under false accusations, and I was placed under probation before I could get reinstated as a shinobi. Then I took a test, became a Chunin, formed a team with the girls and the Haimaru Bros, got promoted to Tokubetsu, and now here I am."

The girls and ninken just watched as the blonde went through the long-winded explanation while Gaara gave a small smile when he finished. He released the sand holding the Uzumaki and stepped up to him before he placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see you again, Naruto."

The whiskered blonde grinned at his redheaded friend. "Yea, it's good to see you too Gaara. Sorry I never came sooner, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you when the Akatsuki took you."

"It is of no consequence. You were held by Orochimaru, so I understand why you weren't there. However, now that you have returned, I expect you to help us should Suna need you."

Naruto smirked and stepped back with his team. 'You can count on us. After all, Tsunade wants us to become a cell specifically designed to handle the Akatsuki. If you need us, we'll come as fast as we can." Behind him, the others nodded in agreement before Anko nudged him. "Oh right… We're also here to see if Orochimaru had any bases here. In his documents that I stole after Anko found me, it mentioned a base in the village. We're here to see if there was one or if it was just an idea for one."

Gaara shook his head at the blonde's explanation. "No, there isn't… At least, there isn't a base anymore. Disposing of it was the first thing we did when I was instated as Yondaime Kazekage. There were some scientists and Chunin level Oto Nin, but no one else worth mentioning."

"What exactly was the base designed for, Kazekage-sama?" asked Anko.

"It looked to be made to hold some prisoners for experimentation," answered the redhead. "We freed any prisoner we could, but some were too far gone to be saved. We gave them a mercy killing…"

The others could see the look of regret on his face and Naruto placed a consoling hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure that they would understand why you did what you had to, Gaara. It was either that or a life as a wild beast."

Gaara nodded in thanks before he said, "I apologize that you came all this way for nothing."

"Nah, it's cool. At least I got to see you again," Naruto grinned, making the redhead smirk back.

In his mind, Kyuubi called out, "Hey brat, ask Ichibi's old host if there are any bodies worth using. Make sure it's done in private though."

Naruto mentally nodded before he asked, "Hey Gaara, you mind if we talk alone for a minute. I have something I need to ask you privately."

Gaara thought about it for a few seconds before he nodded. He gave Temari a small gesture and she nodded in understanding before she led the others out of the office. "Speak, Naruto."

"Before I returned to Konoha, I was taught some things during my imprisonment, in hopes of becoming Orochimaru's secret weapon. One of them was a jutsu that brought back the dead and allowed them to fight by my side," informed the blonde, making Gaara's eyes widen slightly. "What I'm asking you is if there were any deceased shinobi from Suna that I could use. I know it sounds selfish, but I need more summons for the plans I have for the future."

Gaara closed his eyes in contemplation for a minute before he asked, "How many do you have now, and who are they?"

"I should have fourteen when I get back, if you don't allow me to use someone from here. As for who I have, I have the Oto Five, the Oto Genin from the Chunin Exams three years ago, my parents, two Kiri Nin from my past, my father's old student, and Sasuke's dead mother."

"Your parents? You found out who they were?" asked Gaara.

"Yea and I'm still surprised to tell you the truth. But, I'm happy that I found them and can see them whenever I wish."

Gaara surprisingly looked anxious at the blonde's words, making Naruto raise a brow in confusion. "If… If I gave you what you needed to summon someone, could you allow me to speak with them?"

Naruto didn't hesitate with his smile. "Of course. Who did you have in mind?"

"…My mother," answered Gaara.

One Hour Later; Catacombs beneath Suna

Naruto followed Gaara through the underground pathways beneath the village in surprise. To think that Suna had this under them was a shock. "You should count yourself lucky, Naruto," began Gaara, breaking Naruto from his wandering eyes. "Very few people know of this place; most of them being past Kages of the village. As of now, only my siblings, myself, and you know of this place. As such, I request that you refrain from telling anyone of this place."

"Sure thing. You can trust me, Gaara," replied the blonde.

"Thank you… Now then, up ahead is where we bury the bodies of the past Kage and their closest family. It's there that we'll find my mother's body."

Naruto nodded as the duo entered a wide clearing full of coffins. The clearing was big enough to hold Konoha's Stadium and then some. They made their way past many coffins before Gaara stopped at one that had the name "Karura" on it.

"This…is my mother's coffin," Gaara informed Naruto before he carefully removed the lid. In the coffin was a skeletal body with brown hair that was dressed in a full-body brown cloak with a sandy yellow scarf around its neck.

Naruto gently removed some hair from the skeleton and stepped into a more open area of the room. Once he had enough space, he opened up a scroll with the sealing array for the jutsu, placed the hairs in the center, and began to call upon the fox's energy.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"

The array shined a bright yellow and Gaara watched in fascination as the hairs slowly faded away. He heard the distinct sound of something "popping" out of existence and turned to see his mother's coffin gone. He then heard the earth rumble near Naruto and turned back to see a new coffin rise with the kanji for "Love" on it. Once it was fully raised, the lid fell to reveal a woman dressed in his mother's clothes.

Naruto stepped up to the body and injected his chakra into her forehead, making her groan slightly and open her eyes. While Gaara could not remember what her eyes looked like, it still brought relief to him that her amethyst ones showed no signs of hate.

"W-Where am I?" asked the reanimated woman.

"You're back in the land of the living, Karura-san. I summoned you here because of a request made by my friend. I'm sure you'll recognize him," Naruto informed her as he moved aside, allowing her to see Gaara fully.

Her eyes studied his form as if trying to remember before they reached his face. Her own eyes widened in recognition and she slowly stepped up to the redhead. "G-Gaara…is it really…?"

Gaara remained silent, shocked that his mother was actually looking to him without any signs of disgust or hatred. No, in her eyes he saw hope, happiness and…love.

"My son," she whispered as she enveloped him in a warm embrace, making him tense. He looked to Naruto, who nodded with a smile, before he slowly returned the hug. "I never thought I'd see you again…Gaara-kun."

Gaara said nothing as tears spilled from his eyes and he held his mother close. She noticed this and smiled warmly. Before she was forced to prematurely deliver Gaara, Karura begged for him to not be used as the Ichibi's container. She never wanted to submit her son to a life of a Jinchuriki. Unfortunately, her pleas fell on deaf ears and before she passed on, she swore to protect Gaara, unconsciously pouring her chakra and will into him. Many people believed that Gaara's automatic defense was due to the Ichibi, but it was actually Karura's will to protect her child.

Naruto smiled at the scene before him. It reminded him of his initial meeting with his parents and how overjoyed he was. It made his smile grow when he thought of how he helped his friend find a similar feeling of joy.

After some time, the two finally released one another and began to talk for the first time. Naruto, not wanting to intrude, left them to bond and finally be a family.

The Next Day

The team was at the entrance of Konoha with a maroon cloaked figure next to them. Gaara and his siblings were there to bid them farewell.

The night before, Karura was told of Gaara's entire life from the man's own lips and it brought her to tears hearing how her son was treated. But, when Gaara told her of Naruto and how he helped the redhead, she smiled and mentally thanked the blonde. Temari and Kankuro were also reunited with Karura, though they didn't believe it was her at first. It wasn't until Karura showed them her Shakuton (Scorch Release) that they finally believed her. The family had their first meal together that evening, even if Karura no longer required food to survive.

Now, the woman was going with Naruto to Konoha seeing as he was her summoner. She had no qualms with leaving so long as she was able to see Gaara and her children whenever she wished. Naruto promised her that his parents would be able to help with that and she thanked him.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Naruto said as he stood before Gaara.

The redhead nodded with a smile and shook the blonde's hand. "It won't be for as long as last time, I hope. I still need to find some way to repay you for all that you've done for me and my family."

"I told you, you don't have to do that," Naruto said exasperatedly. He knew his words would be ignored, but he didn't want Gaara to go out of his way just as a thank you.

The cloaked Karura smiled at the scene and the friendly, almost brotherly, bond that her son had with her blonde summoner. 'Naruto-san… Thank you for all you've done for Gaara-kun.'

The group of four, plus three ninken, bid the Suna Siblings goodbye before they made their way back to Konoha. Before they left, Naruto told Gaara not to be surprised if his parents suddenly show up in Suna and the Kazekage nodded in understanding.

Along the way, Naruto smirked at the thought of five new recruits to his list of summons. 'Things are coming together very well… It won't be much longer before my plan can finally begin.'

The Kyuubi smirked as well. "I never thought that you could be so devious, brat. But then again, you do have a Kitsune sealed within you. My deceptive nature must've rubbed off on you."

'Maybe so… But it still doesn't deny the fact that the Elemental Nations are in for a big surprise,' Naruto mentally replied before he gave a low, dark chuckle.

The kind of chuckle that meant Hell was about to be unleashed.

(End)

How are all of my loyal readers doing out there? I love updating for you guys because you leave the best reviews (Hint Hint). It's been awhile, I know, but as soon as I'm back from boot camp I'll be cranking these chapters out like China cranks out babies.

Love you, bro's.