The next morning, despite everyone's protests, Naruto went to help at the bridge and created over four hundred clones. Everyone was shocked by this because of the sheer number of them, even Kakashi, who could only make an eighth of that at most, but it would leave him drained. But Naruto didn't look as through he even noticed the drain, as he was working along side his clones. The other workers weren't fazed by the arrival of hundreds of the same boy at all, being that either Kakashi or Naruto himself had done the same thing every day since they arrived. Between the large amount of extra hands, and the use of Katon jutsu to weld the supports together, the bridge was finished in just under a week.
The morning after, Teams Seven and Eight, along with Haku, stood at the Wave end of the bridge, saying their goodbyes. Tazuna was the first to reach Naruto and held out his hand, which Naruto grasped. "We owe you a lot Gaki, if it weren't for you this bridge might have never been finished and Inari wouldn't have gotten out of his depression."
"Seriously, you don't have to thank me, I didn't really do anything that one of my teammates wouldn't have if they were in my place. The only thing I really did was give you was a lot of extra hands for the construction. Those seven are more deserving of your thanks than I am."
Tazuna chuckled as he shook his head. "I am thankful to them for protecting me Gaki, but I'm thankful to you for protect Tsunami and Inari. Even if one of your teammates would have done the same if they were in your place, the fact remains you were the one that did and for that I'll always be grateful."
"Just promise not to get completely smashed at the celebration I'm sure you're going to have and we'll call it even."
Tazuna let out a bellied laugh. "Sounds good Gaki."
Tazuna went over to the others as Tsunami and Inari came up to him. "Naruto-nii-san, do you have to leave?"
Naruto's smile saddened a bit. "Afraid so kiddo."
"You'll come back and visit right?"
Naruto knelt down so he was close to eye level with Inari. "Promise Otouto, and I always keep my promises. Besides, your Kaa-san's cooking is awesome, it's going to be hard not eating it when I get back to Konoha, I don't even think Ichiraku's Ramen can compare to her cooking." He said the last part loud enough for Tsunami to hear, and both Kakashi and Kiba were shocked speechless due to both knowing how serious his addiction to ramen is.
Inari jumped and hugged him and he felt some wetness on his shirt. Inari pulled away and started wiping his eyes. "I said I wasn't going to cry anymore."
"It's okay to cry when you're happy, and even when you lose someone close to you, but you can't expect things to get any better if all you do is cry all the time, okay?" Inari smiles through his tears and nods. "Alright, now you take care of your Kaa-san and the old drunk, make sure he doesn't drink himself into a stupor. Oh and be sure to say goodbye to Akamaru or he'll whine all the way home." Inari laughed a little and run over to Tazuna.
Naruto stood back up and was wrapped in a hug by Tsunami. "Thank you for everything you did Naruto-kun."
"It was the least I could do since you opened your house to us."
"It was no where near enough for what you've all done, the whole country owes you and your friends far more than we can ever hope repay."
"And you'll never have to." After a few more goodbyes, the group of nine left Nami no Kuni. Naruto spent most of the trip back to Konoha getting to know Haku better, she had started to open up more to them after his return, but still preferred to spend most of her time with Shino. A few days of tree hopping, as opposed to the week and a half walking, they could see the gates of Konoha just ahead. It only took a single glance to tell Naruto was anything but enthusiastic. 'Let's see what do I have to do today. Stand in Ojii-san's stuffy office while they give a full report, probably get the third degree for being reckless and be worried over for making my first kill and nearly dying, which will probably lead to them trying to convince me to tell Sasuke. Then going to meet Oba-san, and if she doesn't know, get interrogated to find out how I can understand Akamaru, but if she does, probably get bitched at for not coming to see her sooner. Then the talk with Kurenai-sensei, and I'd bet a year's worth of ramen I know how that's going to go. Wonder if I'd be able to ditch them for a second and send a clone so I can just go home.'
He felt a hand placed on his shoulder and turned to find Kakashi leaning down by his ear. "Don't even think about it. If I have to sit through the report, so do you." He then gave him one of his trademark eye smiles. "Besides, I tried sending a clone once and he killed it before it said a word. If it worked, I'd be the first to do it, especially considering what we have to tell him."
"Do we have to tell him everything?"
"You know we do, but just out of curiosity, what don't you want to tell him?"
"Everything that involves me, especially what happened with the demon brothers, on the bridge, and the day I came back."
"Ah, you don't want him to worry about your physical or mental health. However, you know he has to be informed of everything vital to the mission, and just because you have the spirit within the sword beaten, doesn't mean it won't try again." Naruto nodded with a sigh as they continued the rest of the walk in silence.
After a mostly uninterrupted report, Haku correcting them when they mentioned her as a boy. "Both Teams Seven and Eight will be on a week leave, that means no training and no missions." After saying this the Hokage asked all but Haku, Naruto, Kakashi, and Kurenai to leave. As soon as the door was closed, he turned to Haku. "Now Miss Haku, since you are here, am I right to assume you wish to join the village?"
"Yes Hokage-sama. If it is possible, I would also like to be allowed to become a ninja."
"From what I heard in the report, you and your Kekkei Genkai would be a welcome additions to our forces. However as with everyone who joins our village from other countries, you have be on a six-month probation, during which you will not be allowed to leave the village, and will have Anbu watching you to ensure the safety of the village. After the six months, you will be tested to see what rank you should be given, is that acceptable." She nodded. "I'm pleased to hear that, now on to the matter of your citizenship, you'll have to sign a few forms that will require a family name in addition to your given name for our records."
"I gave up my father's name when he killed my mother and tried to kill me. As far as I'm concerned, Zabuza was my father, so I'll use his name, Momochi."
Sarutobi nodded and wrote on a piece of paper before sliding it and a pen across the desk to her. "Sign at the bottom, and your citizenship is official and the probation will start as of today." She picked up the pen and signed before sliding it back to him. "Now, if you'd like, you can wait outside till we are done and Naruto can give you a tour of the village, or I can send for someone."
"If it's alright Hokage-sama, Shino Aburame agreed to give me a tour when we were done here."
"That quite alright Haku. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, but please come back when the tour is over, I should have a place for you to stay set up by then."
"Thank you Hokage-sama." Haku bowed her head and left the office shortly there after.
As the door closed, Naruto finished the set of seals he had slowly been going through since everyone else had left. His chakra covered every wall just as the Hokage brought his hands together. "It's already up Ojii-san. So let's hear it."
"Are you alright with the fact you took someone's life, have you dealt with it?"
"If I weren't alright, you three would be the first to know. I was fine with it the day it happened because he was trying to kill me, and would have if I were anyone else. From what Haku told me about the poison, I shouldn't have made it to camp that day, or made it back to the village had we turned around."
"Is there reason for worry that the sword you've acquire will try to take control again?"
"It's possible, but at the moment it is weakened from it's first failed attempt. It would also seem that it is confined to the same room as the seal, at least for the time being. Kyuubi has been keeping an eye on it and will tell me if it tries to make another bid at control, if that happens, Kyuubi and I will fight it off again like last time."
"About the last time, why did it take so long for you to regain control?"
"I don't know, I was fighting the whole way, only being able to barely keep myself from seriously harming the people of Nami, but when it tried to make me kill Kurenai-sensei and Hinata, something snapped and I took back enough control to stop myself. I don't know how, or even why it happened, I just refused to let it hurt them."
"Naruto, I want you to go and get a full physical, and once Jiraiya returns, I'll have him check the seal, just to be safe. Is that understood?"
Naruto sighed. "Yes. Is that all Ojii-san?"
"Just one more thing Naruto, due to your near death experience, I once again strongly urge you to tell Sasuke the truth."
Naruto turned and walked to the door, but turned his head to the side as he grabbed the knob. "I'll consider it." The sound barrier went down the moment the door was opened. Outside the office, he found both Kiba and Hinata waiting. "Sorry guys, because of me we're not going on any missions, or even train for the next week."
"Don't worry about it man, Okaa-san and Nee-san told me that's standard procedure after first kills. Speaking of which, we should get going. Hinata, are you sure you have to go, I'm sure Naruto wouldn't mind if you came."
"I'm sure, my father will want to know how the mission went. Beside, it a family matter, and I wouldn't want to intrude on that."
"Alright if you're sure, but just so you know Hinata, I consider you as much a part of my family as Kiba and Kakashi are."
She wrapped him in a hug. "Thanks." After she pulled away, she gave Kiba a peck on the lips. "I see you tomorrow."
After she left, Kiba set Naruto in a level stare. "Are you regretting not asking her out when you had the chance now?"
Naruto couldn't help but smile. "Even if I was, which I'm not, the two of you are my best friends, and I would never get in the way of what you have. I really do think of her as family, like a younger sister, you… well, I'm not sure if I'd consider you a younger or older brother because it's hard to tell at times, Kakashi is like my perverted older brother, and Anko is the crazy older sister no one talks about."
"Aw, now I'm hurt brat, who wouldn't want to talk about me?" He jumped before turning around to come face to face with a leaning over Anko. "How was your mission?"
"Fine. Not that I'm not happy to see you Anko, but why are you here."
"Not sure myself, the Hokage sent a Anbu to get me a few minutes ago."
"Don't let me keep you, I have to get going anyway. I'll see you later Anko."
"Yeah, later brat."
Naruto turned back to Kiba. "Lead the way."
"Can't you just Shunshin us there?"
"I have to know where I'm going, or I could end up anywhere, and in case you've forgotten, I've never been to the Inuzuka Compound before." The dog boy sighed and leapt up on to the roof with Naruto right behind him.
It wasn't long before they dropped to street level in front of several large building, with chain link fencing connecting them on the backsides. Kiba found Naruto staring at the fence. "It keep's the untrained and in-training pups from causing trouble in town and gives the younger kids a place to run around outside where their parents don't have to worry about something happening to them. The adults take turns watching, usually they have their ninken do it while they do something else, but if for some reason they can't, they trade days with someone who can." Naruto stays silent, but nods and they head inside. "Kaa-san, I'm home!"
"Why don't you yell a bit louder Otouto, I don't think the Tsuchikage heard you." A woman with long hair tied into a ponytail with cloth wrappings as the tie walked into the room with three gray wolf-like dogs behind her. Two strands of hair fell on to her face from above her eyes, and two more, shorter ones from the top of her ears. She wore black almost skin tight pants, and a chunin vest that was zipped up most of the way. What could be seen made it seem as though there was nothing beneath it. Her right bicep was bandaged, and from beneath the wrapping, a red line went up towards her shoulder and connected to the bottom of a half circle, and where the center of the circle would be was a red dot, all in all it looked something like a flower. "Kaa-san's at the clinic, I was just about to take over for her."
"Okay, but first, nee-san this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is my sister Hana and her ninken the Haimaru Sankyodai. The one on the left is Kaijin, on the right is Haigara, and the one in the back is Haiiro."
"Is this the one who Kiba doesn't quit yapping about?"
"That is the female with pale eyes brother, I believe this is the one who gives Akamaru the bowls of noodles."
"All right you three, we better get to the clinic, before Kaa-san tans our hides. It was nice meeting you Naruto."
"You as well Hana." They heard the door close as they went further into the house. "She didn't seem anywhere near as bad as you made her out to be."
"You don't have to live with her. She could easily be jonin if she wanted to be, when I asked her about why she hadn't taken the test, she said she was fine with being a chunin because she enjoys working at the clinic and if she was a jonin she wouldn't be able to spend as much time there as she could be sent on missions for months at a time."
"That doesn't surprise me, Kurenai-sensei was a chunin teacher for five years before she decided to become a jonin. She became one last year, so we're luck enough to be the first genin squad she's taught."
"You seem to know her pretty well, she's not going to try and play favorites because of it is she?"
"Not a chance, if anything, she'll be more strict on me because of it. Even so, I'll going to give you fair warning, I've known her most of my life, and know she can be the nicest person you'll ever meet, or the cruelest, so try to stay on her good side."
They both heard laughing from behind them and turned to see an Inuzuka woman with an unruly mane of shoulder lengthen brown hair, with red make-up on her eyelids, and purple lipstick. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt under her Jonin vest, and black pants tapped from the ankles to mid-shin. "Gaki, that's a rule for all women, one that your friend Kakashi can't seem to grasp."
"He's not so much a friend, but family. Am I right to assume you are Kiba's mother?"
"That's right, my name's Tsume. I've wanted to meet you for some time Naruto. I've heard a lot about you from Kiba, through I have to wonder how much is true, he likes to exaggerate."
"Well he'd have to considering what we've been doing until recently, like catching that cat ten to twelve times a week."
"No, I mean like being able to Shunshin clear across the village while still in the academy. I know you have extremely large chakra reserves for your age, but that would even be difficult for most Jonin."
"I've never tried to do that, but I did make it from the academy to the Ojii-san's office and back within fifteen minutes. I think that's the furthest I gone, but I don't really keep track."
She eyes looked to be on fire and a scowl was on her face as she spoke again. "I also recall something about knocking the Hokage out with a perverted jutsu."
Kiba was cowering, but Naruto was calm and even smiling. "That one's true." He saw she was about to jump him, so he waved his hand in a placating manner. "Immediately afterwards, I was made to promise, by someone a whole lot scarier than you, that I'd never use it again, and Ojii-san made it a Kinjutsu. I saw him write it in the Scroll of Sealing myself, along with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Anko, who happens to be the one who made me promise."
The flames were gone in an instant and she was smiling again. "Alright then. So, when were you planning to pay you dear Oba-san a visit?" She caught him giving Kiba a death glare. "You can't blame him entirely. My sister and I still spent time together after she was disowned, she told me she was pregnant the day before she left on the mission Obito died on. She came back a few days later with Kakashi, but he had to go back to the front lines soon after. We spent most of the time together as I was on leave as well, being pregnant with Kiba. After Kyuubi's attack I had assumed you were her son, because of how Kakashi started looking out for you, but I wasn't sure till Kiba came home from the first day of the academy and told me you could understand Akamaru. I still wonder how you turned out blond though."
"I asked the same question. If it weren't for the fact that I have the Sharingan, I'd seriously have to question who my father was, I mean when Kakashi showed me the picture of his team, I looked like a chibi Yondaime with whiskers."
"You still kind of do pup."
A black wolf-like dog with an eye patch over the right eye and missing the left ear sat at the doorway to the room. "Only a little. It's mainly the shade of blond my hair is and cerulean eyes."
The dog cocked his head to the side and Tsume smiled at their interaction. "Naruto, this is my ninken Kuromaru. Kuromaru, this is Rin's son Naruto."
Kuromaru walked up to Naruto and sniffed him. "You smell like her, a bit like foxes, and a hint of blood."
"Can't really say I'm surprised about the first two, but that last one somebody better explain to me."
Naruto sighed. "The mission we were on was a joint B-rank mission to Nami no Kuni. Before we got to the sea, four missing-nins attacked us. Kiba, Hinata, Sasuke, and I each took on one, and from what they said, knocked them out with little problems. I on the other hand, was hit by the guy's poisoned claw, and in an act to end the fight quickly, I used one of the two kunai in my hands to knock away the claw and the when I stopped he fell to the ground holding his bleeding throat. If it weren't for Kyuubi, and some knowledge of herbs, the poison would have killed me before returning to the village to receive medical help, or to where we set up camp that night. Or it could be from the chakra sword I found before we left that tried to take over my body to kill every living thing, Kakashi called it the Satsubatsu sword. I kept it from killing anyone, but stabbed it through my arm when it tried to make me hurt Kurenai-sensei. I should probably get going."
"You just got here Naruto, and I want to get to know my nephew."
"I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to go grocery shopping, and if I'm right about why Anko was at Ojii-san's office, I'm going to get a visit from her later. If it's alright with you Oba-san, I was wondering if I could stop by sometime later this week."
"Of course Naruto, you're always welcome here." She smiled playfully at him. "Hopefully next time you'll stay a bit longer so we can get to know each other better."
"Sounds like fun, maybe I can get to know Hana too, cause she didn't seem anything like what Kiba told me."
From Tsume's side, Kuromaru made a sound that Naruto swore was laughter. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that pup."
There was a disgruntled 'Hey!' from Kiba that had the other three laughing. After calming down, Naruto turned back to Tsume. "I should get going, if I'm late for a meeting with Anko, even if only by a few minutes, she'll threaten me with some sadistic method to ensure I never have children. I swear she's the only person who can get Kakashi to arrive on time because of what she did the last time he made her wait." Naruto shuddered. "He's normally there half an hour early when he's to meet her just to be safe."
Half an hour later Naruto was atop Yondaime's head on the Hokage Monument, looking out over the village when he heard the popping sound signaling the arrival of someone via Shunshin. "Why do you keep making me come up here to talk to you gaki?"
"Because it annoys you to no end." He heard her growl and he smiled. "I know why you're here Anko, and I know that Ojii-san is watching from his office. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him, because it's the truth, I'm fine."
"Okay, that's one thing down, now on to something more interesting, Kurenai and Kakashi told me what happened between you two, not at the same time of course, and that you told her how you feel."
The blond sighed. "Yes, I did. She wanted to talk to me about it when we got back, and I already know what she'll say."
"And what's that?"
"The same thing you and Kakashi have been telling me, that the age difference is too big, that it's probably just a crush and I'll get over it. And maybe you're right, maybe I like her just because she's out of my reach. Because I hold Kyuubi, it's not likely that someone will stick around after she finds out about him, so choosing someone who could never return my feelins, I avoid the pain of wondering if he wasn't sealed in me they might still care about me."
Anko smiled sadly. "There is one thing that you're wrong about Naruto, the old man isn't watching, I asked him not to because that's what I figured it was and didn't want him to hear what I'm going to say." Naruto looked at her curiously and she sighed before taking a deep breath. "Because of what happened with Orochimaru, I got pretty much no chance with any guy in the village, and what few I do are perverts that have no intension of starting a family, something I've always wanted." She snorted. "Hell, after everything that bastard put me through, I'm not even sure if I'm able to have children." She saw an evil smirk find its way on to Naruto's face. "What?"
Oh nothing, just that you're not as perceptive as you say you are." Anko looked at him confused, and his smirk turned into a smile. "You've never noticed how Iruka looks at you, how his face turns dark red when you hang off of him, but doesn't even try to get you to stop like anyone else would, or how depressed he is when you do it to someone else." An evil glint appeared in his eyes. "And I've seen the looks you give him when you think no one's looking."
Anko's face lit up with a blush. "I don't know what you're talking about, I told you before he's not someone I could stand to be to be with."
"And yet you're blushing. If that were true, you'd be throwing things at me and chasing me around the village yelling curses at the top of your lungs." Anko's blushed deepen and she disappeared in a puff of smoke while Naruto started laughing.