Hidden in the Night Sky

Chapter 1: The Monkey's Perspective On It

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a busy man. Rarely, if ever, did he find anything that could resemble free time. Even in his lightest work load, he was still always doing something, anything, that would protect or in some way help his village. That was the purpose he lived his life for, that was the very reason for his existence. It wasn't all that complex, really, it was what he lived to do, and that was as far as he ever thought of it.

But even he could not deal with the stress of constant work. Not for forty continued years, followed by a brief retirement that was unfortunately cut short by the tragic passing of his successor. Sarutobi Hiruzen was an unlucky man, for amongst the six likely candidates it'd been only he who had made the cut to become Hokage, only he had the strength of will and body to carry the burden of the village on his shoulders, and as such, it'd fallen to him.

Some days he regretted dedicating his life to his work, when he looked at his grandson, grown as he was. Some days, he regretted ever dedicating his life to the protection of the village, when he saw the scum of the earth disguise themselves with the faces of normal, every day people, and spit on his, and his predecessors', sacrifices, disrespecting them by word and act.

But at other times, he was quite glad that he'd chosen to protect this beautiful land, when he walked by the playgrounds and saw children, old enough to already have killed in his time, playing with toy kunai, their movements clumsy and slow, simple and predictable. They weren't trained. They wouldn't be trained. These children were merely playing and nothing more. At the end of the day, they'd return to their loving, civilian parents, and live their lives without ever worrying about getting the blood of the last man they killed on their pillows.

And there were benefits to being Hokage. He signed his own paycheck, for one, and for another, well, all those years of service had made him accumulate quite a bit of time for holidays. Homura, Koharu and Danzo could carry the village in his stead, all they had to worry about was a week anyway. Plus, he was sure that Koharu and Homura's cooler heads, in particular Homura's, would keep Danzo from overstepping his bounds. Failing that, well, he'd already made it clear that Danzo was merely advisorial, and that he was disposable. The old warhawk was tenacious and determined, but he wasn't stupid enough to provoke Sarutobi out into the open.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's accumulated wealth was vast. His children had quickly started to have an income of their own, so he hadn't had to spend much on them, and he was an austere man by nature, used to simpler pleasures, such as ramen from a stall or cheap tobacco and homegrown weeds. Which was why he could now afford a trip to the most luxurious beach to the east of the Land of Fire in which he brought along his grandchildren.

Ah, yes, grandchildren. Though he only had the one biological grandson, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not only an austere and pragmatic old fucker, he was also a very kind old man who'd grown up an orphan and had done his best to stand by and support the people who suffered like him. Which explained why Konoha had only the one orphanage. Odd for a ninja village, which would have a high rate of parents dying, but when it came down to it, it also had the single best adoption system in the entire continent. Even Danzo agreed it was for the best, orphan children in orphanages ate away at the village's resources and were flat out wasted potential, and keeping potential parents tied in legal bindings was ridiculous when it was so easy to have a Yamanaka screen them and clear them in a short while.

Incidentally, that measure also made him immensely popular with the Yamanaka, since it gave them loads of jobs as pyschologists once their expertise with the mind was proven. They hated using their psychological skills for torture... or most did, anyway. There were those who enjoyed being the torturer as much as the nurturer, and, well, there were also sadists.

It was a ninja village, and those were highly appreciated in one of them.

Still, Sarutobi smiled at the thought of his biological grandson and all sixteen of the orphans he'd be bringing to the beach today. It was an all-time low number of orphans in the village, and he felt like celebrating, so he invited the matron and her assistant, as well.

There was only one person he had to ask to accompany him now, and that was why he had taken so long musing in his own world, as he completed the journey to her home. He'd passed by the orphanage, which he imagined had prompted his thoughts on it. Now, however, he stood in front of a relatively quaint, old-school estate. White, two meter tall walls surrounded a two story house painted a blue so light it could be confused with white if one didn't pay attention, with blue tilled roofs. He smiled, the paint was perfectly spaced, and he noted how good the work was. Not bad for a genin team. The large dojo set to the furthest corner to the right reminded him that another D-rank would most likely come soon, as it had a sizable hole on its roof. The garden, however, looked absolutely perfect, and he had to commend the one tending to it for sure.

It had been one of the homes that belonged to his clan, but its owners had long since vacated it and moved into the main Sarutobi Compound, citing reasons of safety to raise their child. Sarutobi had bought it from them and then offered it as a gift to the person he perhaps treasured the most in the village.

A smile drew itself on the wizened Hokage's face as he rang the doorbell, a relatively recent addition to the house, given that the last one had been destroyed. The outer gates still bore the mark from when Sarutobi witnessed a malet tear through them. He shuddered visibly when he remembered how close it'd come to nailing him in the groin. The ringing of the doorbell continued for a few seconds before it ceased.

"Uzumaki residence, how may I help you?" a cold, calm and collected voice spoke. It was a female voice, speaking with authority and dominance. He knew the visage of the one who spoke matched the voice perfectly, as she was a stern and collected woman who might appear to be a cold and rather unapproachable person at first glance.

"I'm here to talk with Naruto-chan," Sarutobi answered, simply. "I believe I sent a courier this morning..?" he trailed off.

"Ah, yes... my apologies, Hokage-dono, I didn't recognize your voice," she said, the surprise minimal but evident to one as experienced as Sarutobi.

"My pipe is in my mouth right now," Sarutobi said, taking his right hand out of his robes' pocket and using it to remove the pipe from his mouth. "That might be it," he added.

"Ah, yes," she said.

Sarutobi didn't blame her. Few knew his voice well enough to pick him across an intercom, much less so when you consider that the left side of his mouth had remained closed to keep his pipe on his lips.

"It is not lit, I assume?" she said.

Sarutobi chuckled. This was one of the reasons he respected this woman very much, and why he even allowed her near his most precious person in the first place. "Of course it isn't," he said, "I am not inconsiderate enough to smoke in another's home without permission."

He knew that wasn't the reason she asked, but so did she, and she knew that he knew. Their conversation didn't really need him to point that out.

"Very well," she said, "you may enter," she added.

The door in front of him gave a mighty creak, and the bars began to slide into the walls around him. The gate itself wasn't a real defense, not when the wall could be jumped so easily, but that wasn't its purpose in the first place. Ninja won't sneak into your house through the front door after all. Sarutobi mused, however, that they served their purpose quite nicely. After all, they were only there to give them a chance to screen friendly visitors.

The walk through the gardens was quite pleasant, and Sarutobi was met halfway by a smiling blonde wearing a long white skirt and a green long sleeved jacket thrown over a darker green shirt. The alabaster path contrasted nicely with the predominantly green yet varied flora that surrounded it. "Good evening, Hokage-dono," she said, giving him a warm smile accompanying her light and similarly warm voice.

"To you, as well," Sarutobi replied. "I do so love visiting you all, and I hope I am not imposing," he said.

"Oh, no, not at all," the blonde said, shaking her head. "Naruto-chan was excited when you said you'd visit," she added.

"I'm sure she'll be really excited when I tell her why I'm visiting," he added, chuckling.

"Oh, I'm sure she will," she replied with a smile, nodding at him, "please, follow me."

Sarutobi nodded, and when she turned around and lead the way, he followed after her. He may or may not have managed to sneak a few glances at her pert behind. It was interesting to note that, even with the rather loose fitting skirt the woman wore, it was still quite a nice view.

His eyes never did wander to check the house around him, as he knew it fairly well. He used to come here fairly often, after all. It wasn't long until he was led to the sitting room, where he was seated in front of a table. The blonde had even served him tea while he waited for a minute or two until a much smaller blonde walked into the room. She was slightly pale and somewhat flushed, though the smile on her face told him the flush was probably because of physical exhertion. She did so love to run around and play.

"Hello, Naruto-chan," Sarutobi said.

She walked up to him, and he opened his arms, welcoming her welcome hug. "Hiya, old guy," Naruto replied, before separating from him and walking to sit across from him on the table. He absent mindedly noted that she squirmed a bit on her seat.

"You're full of energy, as usual," he said. "You were having fun?"

"Lots!" Naruto replied, grinning widely.

"I figured, you didn't get all the mud off your fingers," Sarutobi noted, causing Naruto to bring her hands up and look at her hands. There was some brown in between her fingers and at the tip of her fingernails, and Sarutobi had easily noticed it. "Were you having a mud war or something?"

"Er- I was totally not playing with mud, honest!" Naruto said, shaking her head.

"It's okay, Naruto, we all enjoy throwing a mud bomb or two at someone every once in a while. Why, I know some people who used to throw poop at each other," he mentioned, though he failed to point out that those people were his summoned monkeys. "Ah, but I digress. I'm sorry that I cannot truly stay for long and chat, Naruto-chan, but I did come here with a purpose today."

"Really?" she asked, pouting. He knew she was upset that he couldn't stay long enough to really entertain her, but he couldn't succumb to her pout now.

"Yes, indeed," he said. "I've come to invite you and your family to go on holiday with me, for all of next week, at a beach a few kilometers east from here."

"Just us, Old Guy?" Naruto asked, frowning with suspicion at her. He couldn't blame her, she knew him.

"No, I'm afraid not. There'll be quite a few others with us..."

Naruto nodded. "Sounds fun," she said. "I'll tell everyone, and we'll pack! When are we leaving?"

"Right now," Sarutobi said. "I sent a messenger ahead so your family could pack, I wanted to spring it on you as a surprise."

Naruto blinked. "Hey! That's mean!" she yelled, puffing her cheeks.

Sarutobi laughed. That face was exactly why he'd done it that way.

The Uzumaki contingent was... an odd one, to say the least.

The beach wasn't particularly packed, but it wasn't particularly empty, either, and they drew quite a few gazes. It'd be easy to see why.

After all, beautiful people drew the gaze of all they crossed, and even more so when you combine beauty with exotic looks. In the Land of Fire, where there was very little in the way of ethnical diversity, they did cut quite the exotic group.

Sarutobi smiled as he looked at the Uzumaki family as they all sat under a large parasol, designed to provide enough space for four people to rest in the shade, and placed in just the right way to provide the maximum amount of shade. They'd spread out four towels under the parasol, and three of them had laid down on it. The two adult women of the group and the only male were relaxing on a towel each, all three within reach of the portable mini fridge that they'd brought along and put ice and drinks in. It was now almost empty, as the plastic bottles that contained water had been distributed amongst the boys and girls that were now enjoying the warm and beautifully clear water of the sea.

The old Hokage's smile wasn't just there because of the display of generosity and kindness. If it was, it wouldn't have the hint of lecherous pleasure it had. No, he was having a hell of a time looking at the people who'd been guests in Konoha for quite a while now.

While their odd pigmentation would be the first to draw the eye, as the lead female's dark pink hair was an uncommon sight, what drew Sarutobi's eyes first and foremost was what they chose to wear. The blonde who had greeted him in the mansion had gone for a rather daring two piece bikini in pink trimmed with white, the bottom being side-tie with decorative ribbons as well as a strapless top that matched, while the pink haired female had gone for a similar choice with a two piece bikini in pale yellow, though hers was kept together by golden rings rather than white ribbons, and her top tied both on her neck and behind her back.

As his eyes trailed to the final occupant of the towels, Sarutobi couldn't help but feel somewhat bummed. Even during his youth, he hadn't looked as good as the sole male of the group, who happened to be fairly tall white haired man with rippling muscles on every inch of his body, which he'd put on display when he chose to wear a rather small red speedo. It wasn't any wonder that he'd drawn the eye of most females on the beach the very moment he set foot on it.

Next to them were Naruto and the smallest female of the group, a small girl with long red hair set in twin braids behind her. Sarutobi smiled as he noted the swimsuit she wore. By itself, it wouldn't be eye catching, as it was designed for a child and as such not provocative. What made Sarutobi smile was the stylized plush rabits that she'd used to accessorize, one on each side of her bikini's bottom and one on each strap of the top. There was also one in a hairpin that kept some of the longer bangs on top of her head from falling in front of her face.

Naruto herself was wearing a simple orange one-piece with a simple blue ribbon in the center of her chest, where the valley between her breasts would be, if she had any. She was still very young, after all. Sarutobi eyed her sides for an instant, and he smiled. He remembered, a long time ago, when he could count her ribs through clothing that clung to her skin, and was glad that it was no longer the case.

Yes, as he saw Naruto and the redhead play in the sand, only to be joined by a few of the younger kids from the orphanage, he mused that it'd been the right choice to allow them to live with her when they'd appeared, quite out of nowhere, and declared their intent to do so. Well, the day at the beach was just starting. He would get a suntan, show off that despite being an old man he could still put the pathetic younglings around him to shame, maybe play some Volleyball and then go out and knock out some punks making a ruckus in the village or something.

It felt good to be the most powerful man in the country when you didn't have to worry about your responsibilities. "Hm, Moena-chan, would you mind rubbing lotion on my back? I can't quite reach it, myself," he asked of the younger assistant of the matron, a rather fetching young lass of just twenty five years. Some would've called him a dirty old man for the obvious pass at a young woman, but it didn't really matter.

She smiled. "Oh, should I assume you want a massage to go with it, then?" she asked.

It'd taken a while for the young woman to relax in his presence, but her aunt, the matron, had insisted that off duty Hokage was just that perverted old guy, and that it was okay to verbally abuse him and to throw things at him when he got out of line. All ninja had quirks, and being a harmless pervert of that sort was a small price to pay in exchange for such an otherwise outstanding and competent leader for their village, or so was Sarutobi's own humble opinion, at any rate. "I won't be saying no," Sarutobi replied.

It was also part of the reason why she accepted with just a giggle. She knew he was harmless, and that he was a really kind person who would never dare touch a woman who did not wish to be touched. Hell, he had tightened up the laws against sexual harassment in the village. Some rumors said that the man had done it to make the position of a kunoichi more attractive, or to bring more women to Konoha... and they'd be right. Really, there was no reason not to. The people who complained about it were a disruptive element anyway, and for a village as concerned with teamwork as Konoha was, that was intolerable.

So, despite being a pervert, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he was still fairly popular with Konoha's female population. As he felt the cool, lotion-covered fingers of a young woman beginning to knead the knots on his back to extinction, he let out a groan of contentment and figured that it was good to be the Kage.

"Mistress..!" the pink haired woman protested, looking somewhat scandalized, as Naruto pulled her to her feet by one of her arms.

"Mou, I told you to quit that already, Signum!" Naruto said, waving her hand. "Besides, we're at the beach! This is a day off for everyone! So none of that stuff!" Naruto said, waving her hand. "Now, come here and help me bury Zafira in the sand while he's asleep!" she said, gesturing to the group's sole male, who had his eyes closed still.

"That's rather mean, isn't it?" the bigger blonde of the group said, frowning a little.

"Don't be silly, Shamal, it's tradition!" Naruto said, nodding her head and stroking her chin, as if she were a sage dispensing advice. Too bad she didn't have a fake beard. "Ain't it right, Vita-chan?"

"Don't ask me," the redhead replied, glaring at her.

"I'm your mistress, shouldn't you back me up unconditionally?" Naruto said, pouting, crossing her arms and glaring at her.

"You just said we didn't have to do all that stuff like a second ago!" Vita countered.

Naruto blinked. "I did, didn't I?" she asked, before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. Just back me up on this," she said.

"... Zafira isn't even asleep, you know? He's just pretending," Signum said, deadpan.

"... He is!?" Naruto said. "Are you?" she asked, turning to Zafira.

"I am currently asleep," Zafira said, completely serious, turning to face Naruto.

"See? He's totally asleep," Naruto said, smiling widely at Signum. "... Wait. Oh... it's not as funny if he's not actually asleep. I'll go for a swim, then. Accompany me, Vita-chan?"

"Sure," Vita said, nodding her head and dropping the bucket that was on her hand, already full of sand to dump on Zafira. Then they both walked out of the shade provided by their parasol and took off towards the sea at a brisk pace.

"It's nice to see her energetic and cheerful, isn't it?" Shamal asked, turning towards Signum. "But that's our cute little mistress for you."

Signum smiled and laid back on her towel. "It's nice to relax like this..."

"It's new, but not unwelcome," Zafira said.

"I wish these kinds of days could just go on forever..." Shamal said.

"It's our duty to make sure they do," Signum said, looking in the distance at the sea, where she could see Naruto and Vita playing with several children, throwing water at them and being splashed in return. She noted that Vita steered Naruto away every time the blonde looked like she might be heading deeper into the ocean and smiled a little to herself.

"Ah, I'm soooo tired~!" Naruto let out a long sigh as she threw herself on top of the exceedingly soft hotel bed that was in the room she shared with her servants. It should be noted that she had just leaped down from the arms of the talest of her servants, Zafira, and had thus made quite the indent when she landed, before the mattress righted itself.

"Uhm... Mistress, there's only one bed in the room," Signum said, blinking and looking into the room. She knew something was odd when they'd taken the elevator all the way up.

"I know, right?" Naruto said, looking around at the lavishly decorated room, plus the oversized bed she now laid upon. "They had this big room all nice and vacant!"

"How did you convince Hokage-dono to pay for this room? It can't have been cheap," Vita asked, looking around and whistling. She went and opened the fridge, revealing several rather expensive bottles of sake. All complimentary.

"Apparently he knows the guy who owns the hotel, so he let us use it for free. Said something about being a really old friend or having saved his life and his family's life. Maybe both, multiple times," Naruto said, waving her hand.

"But still, wouldn't Hokage-dono take this room for himself? It seems... odd," Signum said.

"You know full well that our little mistress is irresistible when she wants something," Shamal said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Indeed," Zafira said, frowning a little. He'd carried her all the way to the room from the beach without protest, and all it'd taken was her asking him with a smile on her face. She was almost criminally persuasive when she wanted to be, and it was easily noticeable.

Naruto merely giggled. "I'm the bestest!" she said. "Anyway, you guys going to sleep or what?" she asked.

"Uhm... Mistress, like I said, there is only the one bed," Signum repeated.

"Of course there is!" Naruto said, nodding. "So?"

"This is..."

"Signum! I'm tired of you refusing this, so I didn't want to give you any chance to! So today, you're all going to sleep with me!" Naruto said, standing up and crossing her arms, trying to look intimidating. It obviously didn't quite work.

Signum didn't bother protesting, she just sighed. "As you say, my mistress," she said, sounding somewhat defeated.

Naruto cheered. "Okay then! Now let's get to sleep! We have to get up early tomorrow! I wanna check every shop in the town!"

The scene was one she remembered well.

The four stood in each of the cardinal points around a circle, with a shining glyph providing lighting in the otherwise dark room, the book shining in ominous purple light behind them. Their heads were bowed and their eyes closed as they knelt, as if swearing fealty to a feudal lord. At the time, she'd tought they were ANBU, or ninja that had managed to sneak into her home, since they'd dressed in all black and had appeared out of nowhere.

And then they spoke, swearing to forever protect and defend her. They promised to fight in her name, to attack any and all who would mean her harm.

To be her protectors against the world.

To be her knights.

To be hers.

It was a scene she remembered well, and one she remembered fondly. It'd marked a turning point in her life, where it'd changed upside down. Suddenly she, who had nobody, had a family, who would stick by her. By her, who had to struggle to attract even a passing glance?

Was it really any wonder that she had accepted them and their words without question?

She hadn't really regretted it since.

With a smile on her sleeping face, Naruto stirred a little, her arms beginning to move before her searching hands found exactly what she had been looking for. Still asleep, Naruto forcefully pulled Vita to her side and at the same time she snuggled a little closer to the larger body behind her.

Her smile widened a bit and Naruto returned to sleeping peacefully, having dreams of a pretty woman with beautiful eyes smiling at her and patting her head.

"We have spent more money in a week than we otherwise would in a month," Signum said, then turned to look at the Hokage, who seemed somewhat surprised at the figures. "My deepest apologies," she said, shaking her head, "I should have-"

Sarutobi waved his hand. "This entire trip has spent less than what I make in a month, so it's well under expected costs," Sarutobi said, waving his hand, "we got really lucky."

Signum nodded in thanks for the dismissal, knowing full well that the man could have been very angry about the fact that Naruto had been almost entirely unrestrained in her spending. It was her duty as her guardian to restrain her when she went overboard. However, she also knew that this wasn't the reason she'd been called to the Hokage's side.

The beach was abuzz with activity, and she could see Shamal playing referee for a game of volleyball as a group of six boys tried to outperform Zafira and Vita, who seemed to be having a great time in showing them that no, those muscles on Zafira weren't meaningless and that just because she was shorter than them didn't mean Vita couldn't outperform all of them. Several of the boys and girls, including Naruto, were cheering Zafira and Vita on, along with the females that had accompanied the boys.

Signum absent mindedly wondered if the boys had tried to get Shamal to accompany them. It wasn't unlikely, and it wouldn't be the first time it happened in that week. It'd happened to Signum no less than four times, Shamal was on her ninth time being asked out and Zafira had been propositioned six times himself. Of course, the unlucky gals and guys that asked them out couldn't know that their hopes would be in vain. After all, none of them would ever look at any other than their master, would never leave their master's side just to satisfy their carnal desires.

Much less so considering how much trouble their cute little mistress was likely to get into if left alone. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"We have talked about it," Signum said, evenly, closing her eyes.

"Her parents' money won't last forever," Sarutobi said, "and the stipend was discontinued since your situation was legalized."

"I understand, but I am reluctant to leave her side nonetheless," Signum said.

"Shouldn't be too difficult... All of you easily qualify for jounin rank. In terms of ability as well as mentality. Shamal-san would most likely be welcome in the hospital, as well. Your duties needn't take you from Konoha. So long as you are willing to take a genin team..."

"I could never do that," Signum said, "it'd feel as if I am betraying her. We've already taken her dream from her... to flaunt it in her face would be just plain cruel."

"Do you think she'd feel like that? It doesn't sound very much like Naruto to me. She'd be happy for you," Sarutobi said.

"I know she would, but it doesn't change how I would feel," Signum said, finally. "We haven't reached a decision yet, but we are leaning towards a negative."

"How about my second proposal, then?" Sarutobi said.

"It did pique our interest quite a bit more," Signum admitted. "Our first allegiance will always and forever be to our Mistress..." Signum stated.

"Asking you to swear loyalty to Konoha would be a tad too much," Sarutobi admitted. "You're not opposed to mercenary work, though?"

"We will do anything and everything in our capacity to ensure our Mistress' continued health, good cheer and security, be it physical, psychological or financial."

"Anything?" Sarutobi asked. "It's quite surprising. That's a wide statement."

"If it would please our mistress," Signum said.

"Of course..." Sarutobi said, smiling, knowing full well that Signum's loyalty was supreme and undeniable. "Naruto is a very lucky girl."

"It was time her luck turned," Signum replied, simply. "She is our dear mistress, and she did not deserve to be alone."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Truth, I say," he said. "Could I interest you in a saucer, perhaps?" he asked, gesturing to his right, where a bottle of sake rested.

"I do not drink while on duty," Signum said, matter of factly.

There wouldn't really be a way to change that response, Sarutobi realized. No matter how much he were to insist that they were there to simply rest and relax. He himself was guilty of even now using his 'free time' to reflect back on the path the year had taken to try and predict where it would go from now, where he would lead Konoha. Sarutobi nodded and drank without much ado.

Signum stood up. "It seems Naruto-sama has decided that I've had enough of a break. I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but-"

"Not at all," Sarutobi said, waving his hand. "I'll be watching and cheering you on from here."

Unsaid was the fact that his eyes'd be glued to her breasts or butt, depending on which faced him at the time. But then again, he didn't need to say it. She knew.

It was sad that tomorrow they'd be returning to Konoha, because he would so miss seeing girls in bikinis.

Ask me no questions, and I shall tell you no lies. Ask me questions, and I will try to answer as truthfully as possible. Ask me questions that reveal spoilers, though, and I will... probably avoid answering. If you have any concerns, seriously, ask. I at least try to read all my reviews.

Also, when have you seen a fic that OPENS with the Beach Breather Episode? Never before, I tell you! I'm original as phuck!

(But original don't mean good, now do it?... Welp, this might not have been such a good idea after all...)

Interesting Trivia: The Wolkenritter's swimsuits are based on the swimsuits they wear in the Gears of Destiny game for the PSP. Naruto's is based on Hayate's.

The Sandaime Hokage, despite his advanced age, still works out, so he still looks like a younger man than he should. All except for his face.

The reason the Wolkenritter aren't listed was because of limited space. Otherwise, the character tags would include them.