Hey guys. Thank you very much for all the reviews. The last chapter was received very well and I am glad so many of you liked the fight. It was a fine balance between making sure Naruto and Sakura don't stomp Orochimaru, while keeping the S-rank status of the snake Sannin. So Yay!

As per this chapter, sorry about the delay. I am catching up in school from the accident last year and also going through physiotherapy, so I have been a little busy making sure my life is in order. For this chapter…for some bizarre reason I was under the impression that I already posted it. To distract myself a little I thought I would read some reviews until I saw lack of chapter 9. I really am sorry about this. I had this done a while ago but apparently forgot to post it. So here's the new chapter. I hope you have fun reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other character I used in the chapters except for OC's but they sometimes can't be helped. So, no money was made from this as I am only writing for the sake of my pleasure to get my creative juices flowing.

***OMT***

Numb…

That's all she felt at the moment. She wanted to rage and punch things but she knew it would come back to bite her if she let herself go. As Naruto lightly touched her arm she clenched her hand tightly to control her anger. With their plan backfiring it destroyed any chance they had of taking things at their own pace.

She wanted to find out what happened whether there was another player involved but she held herself back. She knew she wasn't objective at the moment and messing with things without a clear head would only make it worse. Once Tsunade allowed them time for Sakura to comprehend the situation she followed Naruto in a daze.

Looking around she recognized his house as he unlocked the door. Entering after him as he held open the door for her she stood in the middle of room waiting for him to activate the privacy seals. Once he set a barrier around the apartment, he held out his hand giving her a little smile. Putting her hand in his she closed her eyes feeling the displacement from his place to the hideout.

Opening her eyes she observed him taking deep breaths to calm himself from the exertion of making the jump along with her. Even though he was feeling much better the muscles in his body were still protesting the unfair treatment. 'Hiraishin' by itself was a demanding technique but the strain could be overwhelming when the person using it was not well.

Taking a deep breath to find her center she sent out a pulse of chakra looking for any traps in case their hideout was compromised. She had personally embedded the place with seals so she was pretty sure it was safe. Taking no chances she conducted her initial inspection with due diligence. Feeling confident she sent another pulse of chakra to power the seals maintaining the secrecy around the place.

Once her task was completed she laid Naruto down on the floor and healed him. As his face relaxed due to her chakra she couldn't help but feel better. It hurt her to see him in pain but his tranquil face made her imminently grateful to Tsunade for her teaching of medical Ninjutsu.

As the pain subsided, Naruto opened his eyes to scrutinize her silently. Watching her worried expression he slowly sat up to crawl behind her to rest his back against the wall pulling her towards him, "Sakura-chan..."

She just leaned back in his chest not saying anything. Feeling his arms tighten around her, she sighed looking at his thoughts through their link, "No," Sakura shook her head, "No…I am not alright."

"You can't keep worrying about it."

"Oh, I can't?" She asked sarcastically, "Because funny enough I just came from Hokage's office and found out I am apparently the Daimyo's granddaughter."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto sighed, "It's not the end of the world."

"It sure doesn't feel like that to me," she replied turning in his arms.

"Look I get it…we made a mistake," He emphasized, "But we have to move on."

"It's not that easy," Narrowing her eyes she went on, "Our plan backfired so stupidly that…that-"

"That what?" Naruto prompted, "That you became someone who will inherit the throne. You will be a damn sight better than the one in power right now."

"That wasn't our call," She said angrily, "We were only supposed to buy time."

"We still did," He replied soothingly.

"Not like this," she shook her head, "We didn't want anyone with this kind of power without a period of growth."

Naruto understood her meaning as she explained, "We kept telling ourselves that we didn't want someone like Danzo to amass power that's why we came up with this plan."

"And now you think we are being hypocritical," He outlined her unspoken words.

"But are we really?" He questioned with a shake of his head, "We didn't choose to put you in this position."

"That does not absolve us of our responsibility!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I know that…" He responded with similar passion, "I am not making any excuses. But we didn't want it. We didn't plan it. It was never about us amassing power."

"We know that but what about someone like Danzo?" She asked angrily, "There are other factions in Konoha as well that would now keep an eye on me."

"I know they would infringe upon your freedom…but we can deal with it."

Not saying anything for a while, she shuddered, "This is the part where everything might slip out of our hands."

Looking at him in anger she went on, "We could have taken over the capital anytime," She furrowed her brows, "It would have been easy but we didn't because we didn't want to entangle ourselves in politics."

"And now…what happened?" Sakura questioned fervently, "We need to look at our front and back?" Raising her finger she emphasized, "That would lead to mistakes."

"I see your point, Sakura-chan-"

"No, you still don't," She interrupted him with a self-deprecating smile, "What about when you become Hokage?"

"When it comes out that we are in a relationship…you think they would accept us easily?" She asked clenching her fists, "The throne, the army and Konoha's military under the rule of one family…"

Understanding her point of view he laid it out, "You are saying this will hurt my chances of being Hokage."

Of course there was a reason for not combining the power of Konoha's military with the Daimyo's army. Not just due to the possibility of a tyrant like Danzo ruling over everyone but the village as a whole was not mature enough to go in that direction. The Uchiha massacre occurring not due to Sandaime but on Danzo's orders was a prime example of the immaturity of Konoha's politics. It was evident that there were individuals in Konoha willing to go over Hokage's authority.

That's an heir to the throne as a kunoichi under the Hokage was a bad idea. It was fine as long as Tsunade was the leader since they knew her as a person but the position of Hokage itself was chosen not only by the Daimyo but also the Jounin council. If Tsunade ever passed on, they knew Danzo would make his play for the seat, which would lead to other complications that would expose them further.

Getting back to his wife he held her hands, "Sakura-chan, I know we wanted to avoid something like this in the first place…And I know not everything worked out but-"

"Nothing worked out."

"No," Naruto corrected with a determined voice, "Only one part failed. The rest still went somewhat according to plan."

"Oh really," She smiled bitingly, "Do explain then…what exactly went according to plan?"

Staring into her eyes, he conveyed his seriousness, "The scroll I prepared was accepted without a problem."

"Second," he continued showing two fingers, "We didn't have to make up any explanation regarding the procedure that," Making air quotes he emphasized the point, "Sandaime followed… so there is no suspicion on us."

"Third…they already took the blood sample from your parents while you were away from the village. They can't be suspicious of you since you weren't here," He finished showing three fingers.

Seeing that he was getting through to her he continued, "Then there is also the fact that both the Daimyo, his wife and your parents are all sealed. Even Inoichi-san can't go through their minds."

"And what about the part where we don't know how the plan changed?"

"That's a problem," Naruto agreed, "We don't know what happened."

Thinking on it a little he was unable to come up with anything to highlight their failure, "Okay…how about we go through the plan step by step?"

"You want to brainstorm?"

"Yeah," He concurred, "We need to break it apart…see what we are missing."

Seeing her considering it he breathed a sigh of relief. He of course wanted to discuss the plan among them but his first priority was to distract Sakura from her thoughts. He needed her to step away from her anger as it was clouding her judgement. Usually it would have been Sakura who would have sat down to divide the plan into its components and went through it meticulously. It was a testament to how shook up she was at the moment that he had to step into the role.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself she unclenched her hands. Controlling her anger she thought about Naruto's offer. They had to find some information regarding the failure and staying angry wouldn't help us. Once she had her feelings under check she replied, "Alright then, let start from the top."

With a nod of his head, Naruto started, "Okay then…our plan basically started when you contacted me in the capital after you came across the Princess's dead body."

Taking over she went on, "With no heir, we knew the Daimyo's time was limited, so we wanted someone in the way of the Daimyo being killed…essentially we wanted stability in the capital."

"I came up with a plan to prolong the Daimyo's reign by using a proxy to create a separate family related to the royal blood." Naruto came in after her.

"We used my parents especially my mother since I would have access to them anytime," She took over thinking back to the night, "If we needed to change something we would be able to adapt pretty quickly."

"We marked the Daimyo and Madam Shinji with seals to ward off an attempt from a mind probe…" He trailed off thinking about the seal.

Taking over Sakura thought back to the design of the seal, "The purpose of the seal was two-fold." Sitting back on the ground she tilted her head back, "One was to suppress anyone from going inside their head, while the other was to form a backstory for…"

Suddenly, snapping her head back into place she sat straight up, "No!"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded his head in shock, "It just hit me as well."

"But…but," Shaking her head she went on, "But he would have been 13 or 14 at most."

Staring at her, he didn't say anything for a while, "He was the Crown Prince of the Fire country," Shrugging his shoulders he continued, "Not a whole lot of people to stop him."

"What a freaking pervert," Sakura replied in disgust, "Probably wasn't even consensual."

"Might be…We don't know enough to judge, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah…," Feeling fatigued she closed her eyes, "You are right."

"What do we know about him?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, "I just remember the date of his birth…He was just a footnote in history."

Leaning back against the wall Naruto heaved a frustrated sigh. They had never met the Crown Prince since he was long dead by the time they were in leading position on Konoha's totem pole. Due to his early death the Prince hadn't done anything of value, 'It's no wonder we didn't factor this in the equation. We had no idea a complication like this existed,' he thought with weariness.

Observing her husband's thoughts she knew it was her turn to move the conversation along. It was irritating to think they were being sidelined by a dead teenager and they couldn't do anything about it. It was one of the dangers of messing around with the timeline especially when things spiralled out of control. They needed to take command of the situation now to avoid critical mistakes in the future.

"So…from what we understand," Sakura spoke as Naruto's came out of his thoughts, "The Crown Prince had a kid before he died."

"Yeah," He agreed, "And due to the way the seal placed on the Daimyo and Madam Shinji was designed, he essentially spoke the truth," Shrugging his shoulders Naruto shook his head at implausibility of the situation, "Except for the part about you being his grand-daughter."

As he finished speaking both understood the original heir was likely killed to avoid scandal. And it was just their luck that the seals they placed on both the noble's heads utilized their own experiences to create a coherent story. The whole point of the seals was to make sure the fabrication was derived from the truth to avoid unnecessary suspicion. Lying to the Hokage was not an easy thing especially if the person conveying the information did not believe in it themselves. It would be pretty easy for Tsunade to tell it apart.

That's why he planned to exploit the Daimyo's memory, where the original plan involved creating a story regarding the Daimyo's father siring a child outside of marriage. And it was supposed to be him that had begged Sandaime to take the child to Konoha.

Listening in to his thoughts Sakura intervened, "Which he would have done and that child was supposed to be my mother."

Agreeing he continued, "Since you don't have any other family on either side…your parents were good candidates."

"So, the only weak point would have been the previous Daimyo asking Sandaime to hide the child," She rubbed her eyes to ward off a headache.

"The story that the Daimyo told and the one we set up are so similar," He lingered in a daze, "Because the seal was designed to use life experience of the person tagged with it…Daimyo's father got changed to his son and your mother got changed to you."

"The rest stayed the same," He finished shrugging his shoulders.

"What about the scroll from the Sandaime?" She questioned thinking about their conversation with Tsunade.

"From Baachan's words I don't think anything changed," Remembering the night he penned the scroll he went on, "There was no date or time on the scroll."

"All it said was…with the knowledge of the Daimyo, he took the child to Konoha and gave it to a couple unable to have a child of their own."

Moving closer he held her close, "I also included the blood sample you gave me along with the story about blood transfusion to the parents of the child," Resting his forehead on top of her head he continued, "To top it off I added the family name and used the Hokage's seal to make it authentic."

"Of course," Sakura said numbly, "With no grandparents on either end there is nobody to question except for my parents."

"I can't believe the way it all lined up," He said dumbfounded, "Even the part where we didn't have to provide an explanation about how Sandaime did it all."

"Well," Sakura tilted her head thinking about it, "We know people come up with explanations for mysterious things. In this case, we just provided enough evidence for Shishou and Shizune-senpai to come up with answers that they think solve the unknown parts of the story."

Waving his head at the susceptibility of the human mind to find answers he carried on, "We are lucky your parents were not famous enough for others to know about them. They moved where they currently live from a different part of Konoha too."

Laughing sarcastically, Sakura could only shake her head in astonishment, "So, the plan to save the Daimyo from being killed by using my mother as a shield of sort turned into me being the Daimyo's grand-daughter," Moving away from Naruto's embrace she clenched her fists, "All because of a little pervert who couldn't keep his dick in his pants."

"Easy, Sakura-chan," He raised his hands to mollify her anger.

For the original plan they thought if it came out that Sakura's mother had royal blood in her then the Generals in the court would be hesitant about killing the Daimyo. It was well known that monarchies were very peculiar about having people with royal blood on the throne. The presence of a commoner with royal blood in them would halt their plans to kill the Daimyo, since doing so would have allowed Sakura's mother to inherit the throne. Taking advantage of the peculiar succession laws, he knew the Generals would want to avoid that scenario at all costs.

The same problem existed even now but Sakura's presence changed the balance of power. She was well known by the people in the capital due to the Daimyo's invitation after she participated in an S-ranked mission. She was an apprentice of the current Hokage and was brought to Konoha by Sandaime himself.

[Putting you on the team of Hatake Kakashi who was trained by the Yondaime…it almost seems like you had adequate protection the whole time even if nobody could acknowledge you as the heir,] Naruto send through the link in stunned silence at the seeming connection that come through the fabricated story.

It was eerie to think the whole thing started with a simple plan that drastically affected them while the pieces fit in perfectly. If he was honest with himself the new plan worked out better than anybody could have imagined, "Maybe, it was meant to be Sakura-chan?"

Following his line of thought even she had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, "I…I can't seem to find words to even come up with how well it fits," Shivering slightly from the impending thoughts she warned, "But the problems will only escalate now."

Listening to her unspoken thoughts he understood since she was now considered an heir to the throne there were several people in the Daimyo's court who would oppose her status especially since nothing was known about the mother. This would create instability in the court and she would have to expend a lot of time fending off inquiries. The other matter of her being a Kunoichi of Konoha would herald the accusations of Tsunade planning the whole thing. It would directly affect them since they would have to waste a lot of time on politics.

The fact that she was a ninja might also be a point of contention for the Daimyo's army as the Samurais' might refuse to follow her orders. Lastly the hidden players within Konoha such as Danzo might take it as a ploy by Tsunade to usurp power.

"There are too many factors right now to even consider solving them," Naruto said standing up trying to clear his head, "Let's get some sleep Sakura-chan…we will think clearly after we had some rest."

Nodding her head she stood up holding his hand, "Yeah, let's sleep. Then we need to go to my parents and explain things to them."

"Sure," Naruto replied walking towards the bed, "We can't really look at the Daimyo's seal right now especially with him being surrounded by ANBU."

Forgoing the shower due to tiredness from the revelations both of them fell into bed half asleep. Holding on to Sakura tightly Naruto sent all of his love to her through their bond to calm her worries. They had a lot on their plate but as long as they had each other they knew anything was possible. Putting aside their concerns they went to the land of dreams taking comfort from each other.

***OMT***

Next day…

As the news about the heir to the throne of the Fire country spread through Konoha there was a sudden tension in the village. The increase in security was a visible reminder of the rumours along with the word of presence of the Daimyo. Even though Tsunade had only released information about the existence of an heir there were many factors within Konoha waiting to hear the name.

At the moment various clan heads and top shinobi within the village were heading towards meeting place of the council. Everyone knew the agenda of the gathering even though nothing was said explicitly. There was no need for it as far as Akimichi Chouza was concerned. The rumours around Konoha were enough to get the general gist now he was just waiting for the Hokage to put the rumours to rest.

Thinking about the release of information he couldn't help but be impressed by Tsunade. The news about Daimyo's unexpected arrival had people asking for the reasons behind the visit. After the debacle at the capital the consensus was on protection. But Tsunade had made sure to ward off that train of thought by releasing information about a hidden heir within the village.

Of course it still remained to be seen whether or not this was the Hokage's plan, 'It would certainly give Tsunade power if someone from Konoha, especially a Shinobi was an heir to the throne.'

If the Hokage was providing protection to the Daimyo it was a good opportunity to control the capital from behind the scenes by being a shadow ruler. Hindering that line of thought was the announcement of an heir which required Tsunade to put in political capital to fight off opponents from within Konoha. The adversaries from the capital was a whole another set of problems that he couldn't see Tsunade agreeing to put up with.

Before he could contemplate it any further he felt Tsume's presence beside him, "What have you in such a deep thought?"

Spreading his hands he waved at the room, "About all this…If I remember correctly this room hasn't been used since the last war."

"You are correct," Aburame Shibi cut in, "It has been a while."

"Not to mention the ninja and the civilian sides are both present at the same time," Inuzuka Tsume finished.

"Yeah," Chouza replied with seriousness, "So, what do you think about the meeting?"

"With the speculation around the village…" Tsume scoffed, "What else could it be about?"

"Any idea on the identity?" Chouza asked in a low voice.

"I have my suspicions," Shibi uttered.

"Hokage-sama has been careful about the identity of the person," The Inuzuka matriarch spoke looking around the room, "Guess we won't have to wait long now."

"Yeah," The Akimichi clan head nodded, "I do wonder who it will be."

"The timing doesn't seem suspicious to you?" Tsume asked with narrowed eyes.

Nodding his head, Shibi replied, "Of course…especially with civil war in the capital."

Remembering the last mission Kiba had at the capital Tsume turned her head towards the Akimichi patriarch, "How is Chouji-kun now?"

"He is well…almost fully healed," Chouza replied with relief evident on his face, "He will back to full health in another day or two."

"That's good news," Shibi stated with uncharacteristic somberness in his voice, "Do let him know that he is always welcome in our home. We are thankful to him."

"That we are," Tsume showed her support as well, "Our door is always open to your family Chouza…Kiba is in his debt."

"Thank you," Chouza replied with a small smile tinged with pride, "I will let him know. I am just glad that the kids were able to work together and keep themselves alive."

Staring at Inoichi's seat he went on, "I am grateful to Ino-chan as well. I heard that she kept him alive until Sakura was able to help her."

"We are lucky to have Tsunade-sama," The bug user stated going back to his monotone voice, "The future of Medical Ninjutsu looks bright."

"We should have a celebration with all of them," Tsume laid out an idea, "I have to thank Naruto and Sakura as well. They saved Kiba and Akamaru's life."

"That's not a bad idea," Chouza agreed thinking about throwing a party. As the last of the stragglers arrived in the chamber the ANBU closed off the front door.

Observing the room Chouza saw majority of the seats being filled, with a few missing its occupants such as the head of the Uchiha clan. Though everybody knew the clan was almost extinct and the last Uchiha had turned traitor the seat was still allowed to remain out of respect for the clan's service to Konoha. With the empty chairs beside his he noted the absence of his previous teammates Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.

Hearing the back door open he stood up along with the other people in the chamber as the ANBU commander walked in along with the Captain of Intelligence division, Yamanaka Inoichi. After him came the Jounin commander Nara Shikaku followed by the Hokage of Konoha with her aid Shizune. At Tsunade's signal as everyone took their seats Inochi and Shikaku along with the ANBU commander opted to remain standing.

After the formalities were out of the way, Tsunade rose from her seat to address the council, "I know many of you are wondering about the rumours going around the village?"

At the agreement from the council, Tsunade smirked a little thinking about the news she was going to deliver, "Before that I have an announcement to make."

Knowing she had the attention of the chamber, centering herself she spoke, "One week ago I sent a team to Grass country to capture an Akatsuki agent who was spying on Orochimaru."

The unexpected topic surprised the majority of the council, "The team had to engage Orochimaru since he turned out to be waiting in the shadows."

As the civilians leaned forward in anticipation, she noted the straightened shoulders of majority of the ninja. The dangers of engaging someone of Orochimaru's caliber was well known among the shinobi populace. Most of them knew if they had to fight the Snake, the chances of coming back alive were very slim. So for a team to engage Orochimaru the likelihood of survival was not good.

Without any pretenses Tsunade stoically gazed at the council, "And I am very happy to report that Orochimaru is dead."

Eyeing the assembly of people she could see stunned visages throughout the room as she waited for the inevitable questions. She knew it was a lot to take in since Orochimaru was one of the boogeyman of Konoha. Before everyone could start asking their questions, Hyuuga Hiashi stood up from his seat, "Hokage-sama if I have your permission then I would like to ask the question that is on everyone's mind."

"About the identity of the people who killed Orochimaru?" She asked with a thankful smile knowing Hiashi stood up to ward off the questions from the civilian side.

Indicating him to take his seat Tsunade gazed at the chamber, "I will not keep you in suspense anymore."

Holding her head proudly she explained, "I sent out Team Kakashi to capture the spy. Of them Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura engaged the traitor and killed him."

Siting back in his seat Chouza was stunned as he reflected on the fact that two 15 year old teenagers took out a genius level Shinobi who was responsible for the death of Sandaime Hokage. He had a hard time believing that they were the same age as his son who he knew was not ready to face someone of Orochimaru's level.

Reflecting on the difference in strength the two teenagers had compared to the rest of their generation he gazed at his teammates standing behind Tsunade. He could see acceptance and a bit of shock behind Inoichi's eyes which led him to believe that he had taken some time to digest the information. For Chouza that was enough to know that there was something else going on if the Captain of the Intelligence division was informed just prior to the meeting.

Reading Shikaku's facial expression Chouza saw pride mixed in with acceptance of the news, which meant he was aware of it beforehand as well. Nevertheless, there was something in his eyes that gave him pause. It was one of those expressions where he wasn't smug but happy with himself. He hadn't seen that expression on his friend's face for quite a while so Naruto and Sakura must have done something to make him feel this way.

He reminded himself to ask Shikaku about it as one of the elders stood up, "And what were the other three doing? I thought you sent out a team of five?"

Seeing as she had the attention of the chamber on herself Tsunade sat down in her seat before looking at Koharu. It was important that she convey this part very clearly to show the seriousness of the situation.

"From their debrief it seems our hunch was correct as Yakushi Kabuto did turn out to be the spy. So, Hatake Kakashi took him on personally," She replied with seriousness, "But it seems even without an arm and a leg he was able to escape."

Facing the chamber she declared, "Rest assured we will not rest until that traitor is put down as well," Turning her head to the elders, she shook her head, "As per the other two…I can't say anything. It's an ongoing investigation."

She saw the single narrowed eye of Danzo but didn't give him the satisfaction of even acknowledging the fact. It was much better for her to keep him in the dark then to provide any sort of explanation. As long as he stumbled in the dark about his student's whereabouts Tsunade could rest easy. She just hoped her gamble paid off as she expected otherwise she would have to confront Danzo a lot sooner.

"Anyway, I thought it prudent to make you all aware of the fact that the 'Sannin' are no more," Making sure her point came across she elaborated, "We are at the stage where no more traitors will be tolerated. Spread the word throughout the village…if anyone even dares to betray us they will find out the hard way why we are at the top of the food chain."

"Here…Here," Rang out throughout the chamber as Shinobi and civilian alike pounded fists on the desks in front of them.

With the rhythmic thumping inside the chamber Chouza saw Tsunade taking charge of the chamber after a really long time. He remembered the Kyuubi attack affecting Sandaime as the council meetings were never the same. At first when Tsunade came to power he had seen her drive but the three years since had seemed to rob her of it.

'Naruto and Sakura are providing her with hope,' He thought with a happy smile. The presence of high ranking ninja in the village increased their capacity to conduct missions and gave moral to the citizens if the chamber was any indication. It also bolstered Tsunade's confidence lighting the fire within her once more, 'If this is what the two of them are capable of, I can't wait to see how far Konoha will go when the rest of the generation takes over.'

At the happy expressions of the Shinobi and civilians alike, Tsunade raised her hand grabbing their attention, "I know this is a joyous occasion and we will have a celebration in the honor of the fallen at Orochimaru's hands along with commemorating the new generation."

"But…now is not the time to get complacent," Bearing her serious expression she went on, "Our country just went through a civil war in the capital. The life of our Daimyo was in danger."

As the chamber sobered up she rammed the point home, "We have apprehended the traitor. I am happy to report that Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto played a big part in not only gathering intelligence but relating it to their commander Hatake Kakashi in time to capture the High General."

As whispers broke out Tsunade continued, "If that's not enough both of them also made sure to protect the heirs of Inuzuka, Aburame, Hyuuga, Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clan whose lives might I add…were in danger while they were protecting the Daimyo and Madam Shinji."

At the mention of their respected clan, and the way Tsunade was embossing the role of the teenagers almost confirmed for Chouza that something else was afoot. Turning his head he saw the Inuzuka matriarch had reached the same conclusion. Gazing at his friends behind the Hokage he found both of them staring straight ahead. It was a telltale mark that they knew something he was not privy to at the moment.

Observing the elder's faces put a smile on Tsume's face as it was clear they were hearing the information for the first time as well. It also pointed to the fact that they must not have met the Daimyo despite his presence in Konoha.

'Tsunade-sama is being extremely cautious if she was able to hide secrets from the political might of Konoha's elders,' Tsume thought with an amused expression on her face.

When Tsunade had mentioned the clan heirs and their part during the mission to the capital she knew the blonde Hokage had an agenda. The way Naruto and Sakura were being lauded also seemed strange to her since it wasn't the first time that clan heirs were part of teams that were in danger of dying they were ninja and acceptance of death was part of the clan teachings.

Getting out of her thoughts she saw Tsunade raise her hand once again as the chamber quietened, "You might be wondering why exactly I am telling you this. There is a very specific reason for it."

"I am sure many of you are aware of the presence of the Daimyo in Konoha right now," She stated the obvious, "However, what you might not be aware of is the reason behind his visit."

Of course it was a load of baloney since she had made sure the talk about the heir to the throne was leaked from her office. It was the talk of the town but appearances had to be maintained, "During the attack on the capital evidence about the death of the Crown Prince was uncovered."

"It has come to our attention that his death was no accident but premeditated murder," Hearing the gasps from the council she carried on, "The person responsible was none other than the High General."

Inwardly smiling at the pin drop silence in the room she eyed the various faces around the chamber. She knew she had the civilians on her side from their expressions, "During the investigation conducted after the attack it was found, he not only plotted against the current Daimyo but killed the Crown Prince as well."

The clan heads were reserving judgement until they heard everything. It helped her side that most of the clan heirs were present at the capital but had not been part of the clean-up crew. As such they wouldn't be able to deny anything but just in case she had Kakashi and Yamato ready if they needed to be called as witnesses.

"For his transgressions the High General has been put to death," Watching the nods around her she kept her face stoic as she announced the next part, "Before he died he revealed a secret that has far reaching consequences for this country."

"It has come to our attention…Before his death the Crown Prince sired an heir," At the mention of the heir she knew she had everyone's attention, "And she was brought to Konoha by Sandaime Hokage around 15 years ago."

With the revelation there was a sudden rise in volume as the rumour around Konoha turned out to be true. Looking around she saw the suspicion on the faces of clan heads along with the elders. Knowing that she needed to keep control of the situation she raised her hand, "I know you have a lot of questions but I would like you to listen to the whole story first. It would save us a lot of time."

As the conversations died down Tsunade held out her hand for Shikaku to place a scroll in it, "This scroll was signed by the Sandaime Hokage. I have personally verified its authenticity but to provide another set of proof, I had the Jounin and the ANBU commanders look through it."

At the mention of his part, the ANBU commander stepped forward, "I have personally conducted every possible test there is to analyse the paper, the ink along with any possible chakra residues that would create any doubt towards its legitimacy."

Looking around the council room he spoke in a monotone, "Through forensic analysis I can report that the scroll is authentic as used by Konoha for the highest levels of classified documents."

When the ANBU commander stepped back, Shikaku stepped forward. His posture oozed laziness but anyone present could see alertness in his eyes, "Hokage-sama asked me to go through the scroll line by line to see if there was any sign of forgery."

"I have used every known technique to find anything that would point towards falsification of the scroll," Staring at the chamber he clarified, "The scroll is 100 percent authentic."

"I have compared it to Sandaime's previous scrolls. There was nothing amiss…from the length of the signatures, to the small breaks in writing, ink blots or shaky lines. Even at the microscopic level the hand writing matched," Sighing he looked around, "It might be troublesome to believe but the scroll is genuine." He finished by stepping back.

Taking over from Shikaku, Tsunade spoke once more, "As you just heard the three of us have verified the scroll and I have no doubt in my mind that Sandaime Hokage penned it."

"So imagine my surprise when I read the scroll and found out that the Crown Prince begged Sandaime to take the child to Konoha," Surveying the chamber she went on, "At the behest of the High General."

As whispers broke out in the chamber Tsunade took stock of the situation. Shikaku had advised her to use the High General as a scapegoat for people's anger, "The High General used the Prince's inexperience in politics and the death of the child's mother during birth to scare him into thinking that the Daimyo would not approve of his daughter."

Hearing the gasp at the mention of the gender of the child she rested her chin on the back of her hand, "The High General used the Crown Prince's insecurities to become his confidante and provided the suggestion of asking Sandaime to hide the child."

Observing the Shinobi she saw many of them deduce her next words but she wanted the civilians on her side as well, "At no time was the Daimyo aware of any of this."

"The High General contacted the Hokage since he knew Sensei abhorred killing children," She smiled sadly remembering her teacher's reluctance, "Once Sandaime heard the story he agreed to hide the child and brought her to Konoha."

Leaning back with a sigh she closed her eyes for a moment. The Daimyo's name had to remain clear at all times to make sure his reputation wasn't tarnished. Even if there were rumours about the court killing illegitimate children as long as there was no proof nobody would say anything.

Opening her eyes she continued, "Before he took the child to Konoha, Sensei wrote a letter to the Daimyo to keep him bereft of the situation."

"He was under the impression that the High General was acting on behalf of the Daimyo," Pausing a little to emphasize the point she took stock of her audience, "But the High General never informed the Daimyo."

"He hid the truth from everyone…along with the scroll," Raising the scroll she showed it to the audience, "This particular scroll."

"All of this came out during the interrogation and once Daimyo found out about it he personally recovered the scroll from the traitor's house," Softening her tone she finished, "And came here immediately to meet his grand-daughter."

"You must be wondering about the reasons for the treason of High General," Changing tactics, Tsunade put the question out there. Seeing the nods she spoke, "During the investigation on the night of the attack Haruno Sakura interrogated the aide to the High General."

"From there we had a general idea but since then we have uncovered that High General wanted the throne. To that end he not only killed the child's mother during birth but murdered the Crown Prince as well."

As people in the chamber started to talk Tsunade raised her voice to override them, "The death of the Crown Prince was no accident. The saddle was compromised from the beginning."

"So, the Crown Prince was killed to keep the word about an heir to the throne a secret?" Danzo asked with an obvious frown staring at Tsunade.

Closely watching Danzo's disbelief at her words she turned her head to look around the room, "Yes…he knew the presence of an heir would jeopardize his chances. So he killed off the Prince to stop word from getting out."

"Then during the attack at the capital he had the Crown Princess killed as well. Luckily we had Shinobi in the capital who protected the Daimyo," Not giving anyone else a chance to ask another question she went on, "As you can imagine the knowledge of the heir to the Fire country was almost lost."

Lifting her finger she stressed "Except for one person in Konoha. The Sandaime Hokage made sure even if no one knew about it…the grand-daughter of the Daimyo was always protected."

"She was given to two civilians who were trying to have a child of their own," Leaning forward once more she folded her hands in front of her, "He made sure to change the blood of the parents along with facial reconstruction to ward off suspicion."

"I have personally checked the medical side and it is all consistent with Sensei's explanation in the scroll," She said indicating the scroll with her head, "To protect the child he moved the parents from slums to a better part of Konoha. Gave them well-paying jobs."

"And," Here she hung on to the word before continuing, "Once the child was old enough enrolled her in the academy."

At the mention of the academy everyone particularly the clan heads sat up, "I see many of you understand. To the rest who are wondering Sandaime made sure she was able to protect herself by becoming a Kunoichi of Konoha."

Hearing the admission from her Hokage, Tsume almost stood up from her seat. If she was to believe the whole charade then she had figured out the person whom Tsunade was talking about. She had a hard time believing that they were in the presence of royalty the whole time.

Leaning forward she raised her voice to be heard over other conversations. Observing the other clan heads she saw them reaching the same conclusion, "Tsunade-sama…if the child was brought to Konoha 15 years ago wouldn't she be part of this batch of graduates?"

Inwardly smirking Tsunade stared at the Inuzuka matriarch, "Precisely…"

Standing up she noticed the silence permeating around the room. Facing the Shinobi and the civilian council she elaborated, "The person I am talking about…the heir to the throne of the Fire Country is none other than Jounin of Konoha, Haruno Sakura."

***OMT***

Akatsuki Base…Amegakure

Standing in the dark the current members of Akatsuki were gathered in one place. While waiting for their leader to arrive, the members noted the oppressive pressure permeating the room. Watching his surroundings with a calm face, Uchiha Itachi seemed relax standing in the room with other S-ranked ninja.

Under his robe he was tightly wound knowing the reason behind the domineering pressure in the room. Standing still to not attract attention he concentrated on being ready in case of an unexpected attack. There were many things he was capable of but facing someone of Madara's caliber was still out of his reach even with the downfall of the once great shinobi.

At the moment from what he could deduce the masked man was angry, 'It might be the motive behind this meeting.'

It was unusual for everyone to gather in one place so soon after they extracted the Yonbi from Iwagakure's Jinchuuriki. He knew Zetsu must have uncovered some disturbing information likely to cause problems for Akatsuki. Sensing the arrival of the leader or at least the make believe one he got out of his musing as the person with the Rinnegan spoke.

"This week we have gained some disturbing information," looking around the members he nodded to Zetsu, "Inform them."

Stepping in the middle of the gathered members, "Orochimaru is dead," spoke the dark half.

"What?" Deidara asked in surprise, "I wanted to kill him."

"So who killed the snake?" Kisame asked showing his teeth.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura," The white Zetsu replied, "There wasn't even a single piece of evidence left behind."

"Well, well…what do you know," Kisame smiled even more as he looked at Deidara, "Seems you were lucky to come out of it alive."

"You want to find out how lucky my art is?" Deidara threatened with hands in the clay.

"Enough!" Pein intoned, "This is a serious matter. We have underestimated the ability of the Kyuubi Jinchuurki."

"Let me go after the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. I have a score to settle with him, hm," he stared straight at the leader, "I will take care of the nuisance."

"Wait…" Zetsu interrupted Deidara, "before you start going about getting your revenge. There is more information."

Before he could speak his dark half interrupted him, "Heh…you all will find the next one interesting."

"Yeah," The white half agreed, "It seems Mizu has made a new Jinchuuriki." As the oppressive pressure inside the room increased everyone readied themselves for the attack before the spell was broken by Zetsu, "We do not know who the Jinchuuriki is but there is no sign of Sanbi where it was supposed to be."

"Yeah," Deidara replied wondering why Tobi was being so quiet, "When Tobi and I went there…the lake was empty."

"Heh…" Kisame smirked, "Mist must have stabilized if the new Mizukage allowed a Jinchuuriki to be made."

"This is problematic for us," Zetsu intoned, "They are keeping very quiet. I haven't been able to find anything about the Jinchuuriki."

"Mizu must be taking our threat very seriously," Kakuzu cut in hearing the situation, "If Water country is stabilizing then I need to take care of a lot of bounties quickly."

"Oh shut up!" Hidan spoke irritably, "You miserable money grabbing bastard. We have more important things to do then go after a few small prey."

"You want me to send you to your god, Hidan?" Kakuzu glared at his partner, "I can get a lot of money for your carcass."

Before Hidan could reply back, they were interrupted by black Zetsu, "What a waste that would be. At least when I eat him it would help us."

"Yeah," Agreeing with his other half, the white Zetsu went on, "There is news out of Fire Country as well."

"Oh?" Deidara questioned as the nation of his target was suddenly heard.

"What is it with this week?" Kakuzu questioned in surprise, "So many things happened in such a short time?"

"It seems the capital of the Fire Country just went through a civil war a week or so ago," Not deeming to provide Kakuzu an answer Zetsu went on, "Though the fight ended in a single night…Team Kakashi was an instrumental part of it."

"Wow, Itachi-san," Kisame asked, "What is with your village? It seems to churn out quite a few strong people."

"Yeah," The dark half of the plant man concurred before falling silent, "The Fire Daimyo has gone to Konoha to apparently find his hidden heir in the village."

"Hidden heir?" Itachi questioned utterly surprised with the development.

"Yeah…" Zetsu shrugged, "I haven't been able to find more about it yet."

"I see," Itachi intoned going silent.

Keeping a particular eye on the masked man due to the overbearing pressure, Pein observed the rest of his subordinates. It seems the news about the Village hidden in the Mist making a new Jinchuuriki really annoyed the masked man as silence settled in the chamber. Pein was worried as well since Zetsu was unable to find the identity of the individual harboring the beast.

Still he knew it was only a matter of time before the plant man unearthed new information, "You can now see why you were all called here."

"If that's all," Hidan said sarcastically, "Then I have wasted enough time. I need to present a few heathens to Jashin-sama."

"You both will capture the Nibi Jinchuurki," Pein ordered Hidan and Kakuzu. Turning towards Itachi and Kisame he called out, "The two of you will capture Gobi. Zetsu will give you the coordinates."

"Tobi and Deidara will go after Rokubi," Seeing that Deidara was going to interrupt he stopped him with a glare, "We can't have Rokubi falling back into Kirigakure's hands."

Seeing the glare Deidara nodded his head, "Fine…but after we are done I will go after Uzumaki."

"Zetsu find out information about the new Jinchuurki," Facing the rest he intoned, "We can't afford to be distracted. Before the nations become guarded I want the Jinchuurki captured."

"Do not forget your roles," Nodding his head he dismissed them, "You have your orders…get to them."

Once they were dismissed the rest of the people started to leave slowly. Standing at his place Pein saw Hidan and Kakuzu walking out arguing about God and money the whole time. In contrast Itachi and Kisame were silent almost as if enjoying the view.

Before he could move from his place he felt movement behind his head, "Find out the identity of the new Jinchuuriki," a voice whispered like a ghost before the person was gone. Narrowing his eyes at the technique Pein turned around and walked out of the cave.

***OMT***

Coming out of the bath Sakura sensed the barrier surrounding the hideout. She wanted to make sure it was working as she had designed. Finding it at optimum level she looked around breathing in the peace and serenity the place provided. While Naruto was out training with Jiraiya on his three year journey she had chosen this location very carefully. It was strategically placed out of the village but the distance wasn't so far away that they couldn't reach the village quickly.

The main reason behind the hideout was to have their own operation centre. The place was so heavily guarded with seals she didn't think there was anyone in the world that could bypass security. However, just because the possibility of anyone getting through the seals was low did not mean that their hideout couldn't be found.

If she had learned anything from the previous timeline it was that life always threw curveballs. The best thing she could do for such a case was to prepare in advance and then deal with the situation. Getting back to observing the place she thought back to the time when she searched the village and the surrounding areas. In the end though she took the idea from the Uzumaki Temple outside of the village.

As the smell of food floated in the air she turned to walk towards the kitchen. Watching Naruto prepare the dishes she had a hard time keeping herself in check. Though she didn't know if it was because of the hunger due to the missed meal last night or was it because a shirtless Naruto making brunch was tickling her funny bone.

Wrapping her arms around him from the back Sakura breathed in his scent. Mixed with the smell of the food she felt like losing herself. As he pried her hands from his chest she allowed him to turn around before standing on her tip toes and kissing him for all he was worth.

Breaking the kiss Naruto smiled slightly, "You look beautiful, Sakura-chan."

Hearing him she whispered in reply, "If I wasn't so hungry I would have so had my way with you."

Chuckling at her words he held her even closer, "I am game…" Then taking a deep breath he stepped back, "You don't understand how hard it is for me to hold myself back."

Happy at his words she gave him a teasing smile, "You think I am pretty."

Laughing a little at the childishness, he gave her one more kiss, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."

Blushing at her husband's statement, Sakura shook her head. Even if it was not literally true hearing the sincerity and conviction in his voice she couldn't help the speeding of her heart. No matter how many years she had lived, she felt a flutter deep within her. She knew only Naruto was capable of doing that to her and it made things alright in her world. She appreciated the fact even if the whole world was against her there was one person who would never leave her.

"Baka," She lovingly turned around to ward off embarrassment, "You shouldn't say stuff like that…gives a girl the wrong impression."

Watching her cheeks tinged with a hint of red he chuckled, "I always mean it Sakura-chan…I love you."

Twisting her neck she looked him in the eyes, "Love you too…I love you more than I can say."

Giving her a serene smile he pointed towards the bedroom, "While you are getting ready I will set the table."

Wearing her regular clothes she draped her haori on the back of the chair, "It all looks delicious."

Smiling at her as she sat down Naruto took the lids off the dishes, "We will start with Miso," Pouring her a bowl of soup he pointed at the other tableware, "Then we have rice, fish, some vegetables and last but not the least…God's food Ramen."

"Of course," she deadpanned while having her soup.

Snickering at her expression he focussed on eating his brunch, "So…what's the plan?"

While eating her food she sighed a little, "I think…it's time I face my parents."

"What's there to face Sakura-chan?" He questioned, "They are still your parents…nobody can disprove that."

Bobbing her head in agreement she gave him a grateful smile, "I know…I wonder what their reaction would be."

Before he could say anything he heard her speaking once more, "Though I don't get why you aren't worried. They are your in-laws."

"Worried?" He amusedly asked, "I know you and I know your parents," Shrugging he went on, "I think it will work out fine."

"Ah," She smirked, "But you are forgetting one thing. This time…due to our mistake the Daimyo of the Fire Country is also your in-law."

Grimacing at the surprised reminder he acknowledged, "Yeah…forgot about that part."

"I wonder what sort of uproar we will raise in Konoha and the Fire country when truth about our relationship comes out."

"As long as we are together…does it really matter?" He shrugged, "I could care less about their reaction. It's not their decision."

Shaking her head at his dismissal of the argument she went back to the original question, "We need to find a place for my parents."

As her current residence was connected on either side to the rest of the apartment block Naruto understood her dilemma. The place was a nightmare for the ANBU guarding her parents. It was one of the main reasons Tsunade sent her parents to the hotel where members of ANBU could provide effective protection.

Their hideout was out of the way since they didn't want to undermine the security as ANBU would have to know about it as well. Thinking on it a little more he sat up straight as an idea came to him, "What about we have a new place built for them?"

"New Place?" She questioned.

"They are your parents, Sakura-chan," Shrugging a little he went on, "They will need security around them."

Pulling a face Sakura finished her breakfast, "You want to use some of the money from the S-rank missions to build it?"

"Yeah."

Sighing she agreed, "Our projects would lag behind."

"We can make it up with other missions," he replied with a smile, "And for the time being they can stay at my place."

It was an ideal solution since her parents could stay on the top floor of Naruto's place. It would also make it easier for ANBU to keep an eye on them. Even though it was a sound idea a part of Sakura was hesitating. Last time when her parents met Naruto he was already a hero of the Fourth ninja war. Not only was he considered one of the strongest shinobi in the world he was also the Hokage of Konoha.

This time things were different and she worried that they might hold negative views towards him, [It will be fine Sakura-chan. We can deal with it.]

As Naruto interrupted her train of thought she vehemently shook her head, "I am worried about myself. If they disrespect you-"

"You won't do anything…except for talking," He replied with seriousness, "I don't want to come between you and your parents."

Smiling at his concern she tried to reassure him, "First of all I will talk but make no mistake…if they don't understand…there is no choice."

"Sakura-chan-"

"No," She emphasized, "Together we will work towards changing their mind if we have to but we will not separate."

Finishing her breakfast she got up from her seat, "When we got married we promised we will be together till our last breath. It doesn't matter whether we are in the past, present or future we won't break that promise," Taking his hands in hers she continued, "We are connected with more than red string of fate. So, no matter what happens…nobody will ever come between us."

Hearing her declaration Naruto wrapped his arms around her, "I just…don't want you to choose Sakura-chan. I want us to become a family like last time."

Burrowing herself in his chest she held onto him tightly, "We will," Looking up into his eyes she sent her love through the link, "Together we will change the world…my parents are only two individuals."

Smiling at her words Naruto bent his head down to kiss her. He wanted to show her how much her words meant to him. He knew they were taking a big risk but the situation demanded it. If Sakura would have to deal with politics then she needed to make sure her baggage was tightly bundled up so that her opponents couldn't take advantage of it.

Stepping back a little he hinted towards the door, "Shall we leave?"

"No," Sakura replied immediately, "We still have one thing to discuss."

"What?"

Folding her hands in front of her chest she looked him in the eyes, "What happened during the fight with Orochimaru?"

Pulling a face at the abrupt change in topic, Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "I was hoping you might forget about that."

At the raised eyebrow he raised his hands in a conciliatory fashion, "I know…" Taking a deep breath he shrugged, "What do you want me to say Sakura-chan? The snake's poison attacked me so quickly that my chakra was down to zero."

"I know that. What I want to know is why you lost control. I thought Kurama was working with you."

Before he could answer the question both of them felt the pull from the bond. Letting go they found themselves in front of the nine tailed fox, "Him losing control would partly be my fault."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked surprised.

"The bond we share," Kurama indicated between Naruto and himself, "It's a two way bond."

"So, when my chakra got dangerously low I was essentially leaving my part up to him," Naruto finished sitting down in the mindscape.

"Is chakra the only conduit between you two?" She asked surprised by the revelation. She always thought that both of them were melded through the merging of their soul.

"Yeah…Chakra is the only thing binding our bond together," The towering beast agreed, "We can do a lot of things with our combined chakra but there is one very important aspect of the bond."

"When I say a two way bond…I mean that without your chakra Naruto my chakra can't be your trump card," He emphasized, "As long as you are there with your part of the deal we can do anything."

"Without chakra we can't survive Kurama," Sakura pointed out, "So when Naruto was using your chakra during the fight you should have been able to balance it."

"No…" Naruto stopped Kurama from answering the question, "I wasn't just running low on chakra Sakura-chan…I was literally out of chakra."

Nodding his head Kurama went on, "I was the only thing keeping him alive."

Glaring at her husband Sakura clenched her fists, "Then why the heck did you join the fight?"

"I told you before didn't I?" He replied seriously, "I am not leaving you…We will fight together, live together and if need be then die together."

"There was no point in putting yourself in danger," She pointed out angrily, "I could have taken care of Orochimaru."

"I know, Sakura-chan. I am not doubting your ability but there is no way I was going to let you fight that snake alone."

Gathering herself before she could explode Sakura took a deep breath. Looking Naruto in the eyes she intoned, "This is not over. We will talk more once we get a chance."

"Fine."

Taking her mind of her anger she turned towards Kurama, "So, if you were not actively fighting with Naruto then why was your chakra corrosive to him?"

"That's because no matter how much I control it my chakra is more powerful than any human," He pointed out, "With the seal open Naruto filters the harmful effects of my chakra but without his chakra he can't do anything. Even though the effects are not detrimental right when he used my chakra…over time the accumulation and chakra poisoning injured him. "

"So…it all comes down to the construction of the bond through chakra," She thought aloud to herself.

"That's right," Kurama concurred, "If he had even a little chakra left I would have taken care of the rest."

"So the aggressiveness came from your chakra as well?"

"Partly...The amount of pain he was in loosened his inhibitions," Flicking Naruto with one of his tails Kurama continued, "You and I both know about his temper. As he has grown he can control it but during that time pain overrode that control."

"Oye!" Naruto exclaimed rubbing his head, "Your tails can destroy mountains…My neck is a bit delicate."

Then looking at Sakura he smiled a little, "Now do you get why we lost control?"

"I allowed my anger to cloud my judgement and used Kurama's power," He smiled self-deprecatingly, "He was trying to fight me the whole time but I superseded him."

Thinking about it a little Sakura went towards Naruto and gave him a hug, "You need to start thinking of something to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It's a prime example of things surprising you even if you have lived longer than the rest of your species," Kurama added to Sakura's point.

Agreeing with the giant beast, Sakura lined out the next step, "And I need to analyze the poison to counter the effects in case we face something like it in the future,"

"We also need to work on Orochimaru's body," Naruto reminded her, "We can at least neutralize the curse seal…make sure Anko's is fully neutralized."

"Yeah," She nodded, "At least block the Snake's pathway of coming back to this realm."

"Too bad we missed our chance with Sasuke," Naruto replied feeling irritation, "Could have ruined quite a few of Obito's plans."

"We will get our chance. I do wonder how Sasuke-kun is going about without Orochimaru around."

"You think he will organize Taka once more?" Naruto asked thinking about it from their past experience.

"It's very likely," She concurred, "In fact I would bet money on it."

"We need to stop the confrontation between Itachi and Sasuke."

Thinking along the same line of thought Sakura agreed with Naruto's assessment. Knowing that Uchiha gain power through ill-tempered mental predisposition towards hatred meant they had to stop the confrontation from happening. The main question they had was how?

They needed a mission that would allow either Uchiha Itachi to die a peaceful death without Sasuke gaining power or kill off Sasuke to either grant Itachi a chance to revive the clan or if he so wished kill him. If both Uchiha's could be persuaded to come back to the village without bloodshed that would be the ideal solution since it would essentially take away two resources from Obito.

"We need to talk to Tsunade-sama."

"Then let's go there now," Naruto replied, "It's already past noon. The council meeting would have ended. It's high time we get your parents as well."

"Yeah," Nodding her head she turned towards the fox, "See you later Kurama."

"Next time," Kurama stopped them from leaving, "You should visit Isoku as well."

"I intend to," Sakura responded with a smile, "As things settle down we will think of something to keep him company."

Exiting the mindscape both of them found themselves in the hideout. Grabbing the tableware they cleaned the dishes while cataloging things they needed to complete before the day was over. At the top of the list was the meeting with Tsunade and Sakura's parents.

***OMT***

Arriving at the Hokage tower in the middle of the village both of them made sure they kept walking towards the Hokage's office. Taking the long way to enter the village after leaving their hideout they took stock of the situation within the village. Through the shadows they saw people talking about Sakura and her identity as the heir to the throne. Knowing there was a chance of causing a riot if she appeared in the middle of the street both of them remained unseen.

Going inside the tower Sakura got a sense of déjà vu as people started bowing to her. It reminded her of their past life when they used to be the oldest humans alive. Considering they were also two of the strongest to ever live made sure they were known throughout the world.

[Reminds you of the past doesn't it?] Naruto asked her through the link.

[It's surreal,] She replied with a tinge of worry. She was never very comfortable with all the bowing people did in front of her. After 3 years of anonymity it was hard to let her guard down.

As they reached the office Sakura heard Shizune's voice, "Sakura?"

Breathing a sigh of relief she sped up a little, "Senpai…Thank god you are here."

Watching her Kouhai with an amused expression Shizune shook her head. Most people would be over the moon to be the Princess of a country but Sakura seemed to have other ideas regarding her new found fame. She knew Sakura had left the Hokage's office in a rage of anger after Tsunade told her the news. Any doubts she had regarding her Kouhai's involvement to be declared an heir to the throne went away the minute she saw the taut muscles under her haori.

Sakura was wound so tight that Shizune was afraid the slightest hint of noise would throw her on edge. Naruto it seemed was faring a bit better though he was coiled like a spring as well acting as Sakura's bodyguard. Seeing the camaraderie between the two Shizune smiled in fond remembrance aware of Naruto's crush on his teammate. Watching Sakura lean unconsciously towards him made her wonder about their future.

Getting back to the two, she asked, "How are you feeling now, Naruto-kun?"

"Feeling much better Shizune nee-chan," He rolled his shoulders, "The pain is way down. I think by tomorrow I might be fully healed."

Sighing in exasperation at his antics she berated him, "Leave your shoulders alone, Naruto-kun," Raising her finger in warning she continued, "And no training or practice or any mission for the whole week."

"What?"

Turning towards her Kouhai she ordered, "That goes for you as well. I know you were not as hurt but you have many things to take care of including him," She added with amusement, "So, I don't want to hear about either of you training at all."

"Oh come on Shizune-neechan," Naruto whined, "That's not fair."

"I never said anything about being fair. That's an order for both of you."

"Of course, Senpai," Sakura bowed in understanding, "I don't mind following your orders," She replied purposefully avoiding Naruto's betrayed eyes.

"Good," Moving towards the door she went on, "Let's go in. As it is word of your presence in the tower will start to spread throughout the village."

Knocking on the door she opened it after hearing Tsunade's permission, "Tsunade-sama, both of them are here."

"Bring them in Shizune and lock the door," Tsunade ordered putting the paperwork aside.

Seeing the dejected look on Naruto's face she raised an eyebrow in question, "What's going on?"

"Baachan," Naruto wailed dramatically, "Shizune-neechan is being mean."

"That won't work Naruto," She replied shaking her head at the childishness of someone who took out Orochimaru, "Its standard recuperating procedure when you come back from S-rank missions."

Understanding the likely cause of Naruto's belly aching Tsunade added her two cents, "Especially when you come back injured."

As Naruto stood dejected Tsunade concentrated on her pink haired apprentice, "I see you have calmed down."

Embarrassed at the reminder of her debacle yesterday, she could only nod her head, "I...I am sorry Shishou."

She knew she had done a great disservice to Tsunade by leaving the way she did. The only consolation was that she had listened to the whole plan her teacher had lined out before leaving the room in a haze of anger. It was a good thing Naruto had come after her otherwise there was a high probability of destruction around Konoha.

"No," Giving her apprentice a small smile Tsunade shook her head, "There is nothing to be sorry about. I can understand how hard it must have been for you."

Hearing the words, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. With a grateful expression on her face she genuflected, "Thanks, Shishou."

"So, have you sorted things out?"

"As much as I could," Sakura replied with a shrug. Hinting at Naruto she went on, "We talked it out."

"It was a close thing too," Naruto cut in with an amused expression, "I thought my life was in danger."

"It wasn't anything as dramatic," Sakura quickly clarified at Tsunade's expression.

"Sure," Naruto cut in teasingly, "Says someone with a monstrous strength who can flatten mountains with a punch."

"Are you calling us monsters, brat?" Tsunade asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Gulping at the frightening expression Naruto frantically waved his hands in front of him, "Of course not Baachan…You guys are the greatest," He finished showing a full set of teeth in a Guy-esque fashion.

"Stop that," Sakura berated him shuddering at the sight of glinting teeth, "2 people doing that is more than enough in the world."

Removing the disturbing image of Naruto in a green jumpsuit, Tsunade got back to the task at hand, "Then are you ready for it Sakura?"

"I don't know about being ready Shishou," Sakura gesticulated with her shoulders, "But I don't see any other choice."

"There are always choices you can make," She spoke remembering her past, "The question is…Which path you will choose?"

Contemplating the question Sakura didn't say anything for a while. As seconds turned to a minute she spoke softly, "I really don't want to do this, Shishou…"

"But?"

Nodding her head she continued, "But I am not a little kid anymore…and it's not like accepting this will be the end of the world."

"Even though it will feel like it?"

"Yeah," She grimaced, "I am sure the politics will be a nightmare…nonetheless this is needed for the country."

"That it is," Tsunade agreed with her apprentice's conclusion, "With your presence the Daimyo's life will not be in danger…especially with the security we will provide."

"And in a few months after things have settled down, stability might return to the capital," Naruto added.

"It might..." Tsunade verbalized, "You might have to put your carrier on hold till things become normal."

Stilling at the thought, Sakura shook her head, "I am sorry Shishou…I won't do that."

At the questioning look she elaborated, "3 years ago I made a promise to myself that I would be the best Kunoichi in the world."

"Even if I go to the capital this village will always be my home. I am not leaving my duty," She declared with a determined voice, "To serve and protect is the oath I took with this headband and I intend to do that."

"You are my leader and I will follow whatever order you give me but…as long as Akatsuki is out there I am not leaving Naruto," She finished with clenched fists.

Hearing the determination in her apprentice's voice and observing the expression on Naruto's face, Tsunade could barely hold back her smile. She felt so proud of her student and her desire to protect her teammate. She knew when Naruto took the hat from her, together the two of them would bring about changes throughout the Fire country.

"Well said, Sakura," Shizune spoke for Tsunade as their leader was trying to gather herself.

Nodding her thanks Sakura waited for Tsunade to gather herself, "Shishou, I don't mind going to the capital but I think it would be better to make it clear to the Daimyo, I am not leaving the ninja corps behind."

"You would be the first heir in the Fire country who was a Kunoichi," Tsunade explained, "Since the male heirs are usually taught Bushido by Samurai. I think it would be better for Daimyo to be aware of your intension."

"We also need to decide on the ceremony to present you in front of the Fire country," She reminded her apprentice, "I will make sure to include you in the meeting with the Daimyo."

As silence settled in the room, Tsunade smiled a little, "I am glad you were able to sort it out."

Turning her chair a little she looked outside the windows, "I know it won't be easy but I think the future generations would rejoice at your decision."

Bowing her head Sakura smiled at her teacher's confidence in her, "Thanks Shishou…I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," She agreed turning back towards them.

"Now that the depressing stuff is out of the way…"She smirked changing the topic, "When are you going to see your parents?"

"We did come here to talk to you about that," She admitted, "To be exact we wanted to ask if you have any plans regarding them."

"Nothing…other than moving them to a new place of residence," Tsunade acknowledged with a shrug, "They need protection since people might use them against you."

Acquiescing Sakura laid out the plan, "Naruto and I were discussing the same thing and we were thinking until their place of residence is finalized if they agree my parents can stay at Naruto's place."

"Naruto's place?" Tsunade asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, "It would give Sakura-chan a chance to not only talk it out with them but assure them that they are still her parents."

Thinking on it a little she couldn't come up with an argument against it. She knew Jiraiya had gifted his Godson with the place as an apology for 12 years of neglect. The teenager had gratefully accepted his teacher's present. After living alone for so long the gift presented by his Godfather was something he cherished more than as a place to stay. It was a reminder that there were others out there who cared about him.

"I have no problem with it," She consented, "In fact it would help ANBU as they will have an easier time."

"That's what we thought," Sakura replied with a nod, "Shishou what about a new place of residence?"

"We still need to figure it out. I have to talk to the Daimyo first."

"Daimyo?" She questioned, "I can look for a place for them and if you are willing to help then I can take care of the rest of the payment."

Shaking her head Tsunade clarified, "There is no need for that Sakura. They are your parents…we need to move them to an affluent area."

"What?" Surprised at her teacher's proposition she narrowed her eyes, "Is it because of security?"

"Of course," The blonde Hokage conceded, "But more than that since they are your parents they have to live a certain way. It's part of the change that they have to deal with."

"I see."

"That is why I am sure the Daimyo would take care of a place for them," She smiled in understanding at Sakura's concern, "You don't need to worry. It's one of the perks of being an heir to the Fire Country."

"People will flock to do my bidding?"

"And take advantage of you," Tsunade added a warning.

"I understand."

"Good," Seeing that her student understand the meaning behind the words she propped her chip on the back of her hand, "Was there anything else?"

"Yes, Shishou. There is," Sakura looked her in the eyes, "It's about the autopsy."

"Orochimaru's?"

"His body likely holds the secret behind the curse seal," She explained, "During the Forest of the Death when he bit Sasuke I am pretty sure he injected an enzyme into his body."

"You think that's the key behind the curse seal?" Surprised at the justification, she tried to think of an enzyme that would give an instant boost in terms of abilities and chakra.

"Baachan, during the fight his last technique reminded me of having nature's energy mixed in," Thinking about the fight he tried to focus his memory on the feelings that he unconsciously gathered likely putting them aside due to pain.

"Sage mode?" Tsunade straightened in surprise, "You think curse seal is a way of granting Sage mode to people?"

"A bastardized version of it."

Of course they already knew how to destroy the curse seal but the main ingredient for it had to come from either Orochimaru or Juugo. They knew about Juugo's ability to absorb natural energy and change shape. All they needed was the enzyme so that they could destroy the seal making sure to destroy Orochimaru's DNA as well.

"It's all conjecture at this point but I think we can solve the riddle," Sakura added after Naruto, "We might be able to destroy the curse seal."

Thinking about the situation Tsunade couldn't come up with anything that would constitute a problem at the teenagers' request. She knew Sakura would follow proper procedure to log everything. If they were successful in breaking the seal there was at least one person in Konoha to benefit from it. There was also the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had the curse seal and if they could destroy it then they would take away his trump card.

Coming to a decision she nodded her head, "Okay, you have the permission."

With the green light, Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but congratulate each other as it made one of their top priorities easier. They would be able to use Orochimaru's body as an excuse to give out the information they wanted Konoha to know. Before they could contemplate it further Tsunade gave an order, "I want everything written out. Full explanation along with any suspicions."

"You got it, Shishou," Sakura agreed immediately, "I will make sure the report is to your specifications."

Sitting back in her seat she asked the teenagers in her room, "Is there anything else?"

"No, Baachan," Naruto shook his head, "We are done."

Gazing at Sakura she pointed out, "Then you should go and see your parents."

"Yeah…" Taking a deep breath she replied, "They must be a nervous wreck by now."

As the teenagers walked out of the room, Shizune looked them with fondness. Both teenagers were turning out to be powerful shinobi that would change the face of Konoha, and it's perception around the world. The differences were already visible as the word of their exploit against Orochimaru spread around the village. In time she was sure the two of them would become 2 of the most powerful people in the world. She just hoped she was there to see it all.

***OMT***

In an underground room in Konoha sat an old man with his face wrapped in bandages. On the outside he seemed the epitome of a calm and collected individual but on the inside he seethed with rage. He hadn't felt this angry since the time Sarutobi Hiruzen was chosen as the Hokage. The reason for his fury was the current Hokage of Konoha Senju Tsunade.

He had to give her credit he never thought she would gain power by ruling from the shadows. Since his return from the Council meeting in the morning he had been trying to understand how things had gotten so out of hand. His dream of becoming Hokage seemed to be getting further and further away. With the addition of controlling the Daimyo, Tsunade had amassed power that he wanted.

Thinking back to the reason for her power he narrowed his eye. Since the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki came back things had been going against him. The news of both teenagers being capable of going against S-rank ninja along with Konoha and Suna signing more treaties made his blood boil. With the Kazekage back in his village Suna was strong as ever but the promotion of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki made things worse.

At the meeting in the morning he was surprised to learn they were able to kill Orochimaru. While that was not bad news, the announcement of their kill made sure the whole village was aware of the feat. If that wasn't enough then Tsunade had played her best hand by describing the make-believe story.

'Because that's all it was,' He thought furiously. He refused to believe that Tsunade's apprentice was the heir to the throne. He had already made plans to get rid of the Daimyo and elect a person more sympathetic to his cause. But the introduction of Haruno Sakura as the Crown Princess had ruined all his plans.

He didn't want to believe for a second that Tsunade had outsmarted him, 'She is aware of the price of instability.' Reflecting on it he thought back to the memory of the meeting. With the godforsaken smirk on her face he knew she enjoyed pulling the wool over his eyes. With her apprentice as the heir Tsunade held not only the military power of Konoha but also the might of the Daimyo's army.

If that wasn't enough then Daimyo's ears certainly helped Tsunade's case. With the introduction of a new Crown Princess she had made sure the other Generals had good reason to keep the Daimyo alive. And as long as the Daimyo lived he would be grateful to Tsunade since she was the one who saved him. Knowing how the head of the Fire Country operated Danzo understood it was only a matter of time before Tsunade got all her demands especially the ones currently blocked by bureaucracy of Konoha.

Getting out of his thoughts he called out, "Fu, Torune," As both shinobi appeared kneeling down he got up from his seat.

"Danzo-sama," Both of them intoned at the same time.

"What have you heard about the new heir?" Danzo asked.

"That...Haruno Sakura's name was declared today," Fu answered keeping his head down.

"Find out whether she really is the child of the former Crown Prince or not," Danzo ordered with a monotone voice, "I want to know how a child that was supposed to be dead suddenly turned up alive."

"Yes sir."

'Interrogating the parents of the girl would be impossible right now as the security around them and the Daimyo would be at an all-time high,' He thought to himself, "Go to the capital and find me everything you can about the Prince and his child."

As the shinobi in front of him bowed he suddenly remembered his other subordinate, "What about Sai's whereabouts?"

"We are unable to locate him at the moment," Torune answered.

Narrowing his eye Danzo tapped his cane on the ground, "Go," he ordered his shinobi. As they left the room he thought back to the conversation with Tsunade. She had rebuffed his arguments about Sai's whereabouts saying he had been assigned a secret mission. He would have loved to use Shisui's Sharingan on her but the cost of such an attack stopped him.

She was using the same tactic he had used to thwart others in the past. He knew Sai was being held captive when he came back to Konoha but Tsunade had denied anything of the sort. In fact she offset his claim by praising Sai for his exemplary duty and sense of professionalism. As such she had immediately utilized him for another mission. Unable to do anything he had retreated.

Tsunade was bolstering her camp with powerful Shinobi especially since hers and Jiraiya's apprentice re-formed Team Kakashi. With their exploits already popular throughout the village, their fame was now reaching new heights with Orochimaru's kill behind them.

Sitting back down on his seat Danzo went to his deepest thoughts to think of a way to counter Tsunade's plan. At the moment he might not have anything but he was the shadow of the night and many dark things lurked in the shadows that usually didn't get enlightened during the day. For now he would bid his time waiting for the right moment to strike.

***OMT***

Keeping an eye out for intruders a cat masked ANBU hid in the corner to keep an eye out along the corridor. It was the first time in her life she was protecting civilians who had nothing to do with any part of the government. Considering the people inside the room were parents of the heir of Fire Country, Yugao understood the importance of her job. She knew Tsunade had shown a great deal of trust in her ability to tell her the secret before it was revealed to the village.

Entrusting her with the mission to protect the couple Tsunade indicated her belief in the purple haired ANBU. Now she needed to make sure that trust was retained and the only way to do that would be to complete the mission. Sending out chakra through her ANBU tattoo, she concentrated on the response signal. Beside her the other ANBU were stationed throughout the building to protect the couple.

The reason for protection was simple as the parents of the heir they were a good resource to find information on Haruno Sakura. With the word spreading throughout the village she knew it was only a matter of time before spies from outside and within Konoha made an attempt to find more information about the Grand-daughter of the Daimyo. As such it was imperative Konoha do everything in its power to protect the civilians.

Thinking about the couple, Yugao thought back to the time when they heard the news regarding their daughter's status. She could sympathize with the confusion and anger both displayed. But the presence of the seals inside their heads cemented the possibility of Sandaime Hokage making sure they wouldn't be compromised.

'It must be some seal if Inoichi-san couldn't pry their thoughts,' she thought with utmost respect for the previous Hokage, 'Even after his death the seals are going strong.'

She had to ruefully shake her head at the genius of 'Kami no shinobi' to keep his word. Coming back to the couple she listened as the parents talked about their daughter once more. Before placing the couple in the room, she had personally made sure to install equipment throughout the whole place.

The invasion of privacy was less of a worry than failing to fulfill the task given by her Hokage. She was aware the situation at the capital wasn't great and Konoha couldn't afford to get involved in the nightmare if the two civilians died.

The sudden appearance of two teenagers in front of the door she was guarding disrupted her train of thought. Moving on autopilot she left her hiding spot appearing behind the male. With her tanto in hand she attacked the blind spot going in for the kill. Before the blade could pierce the back of the intruder Yugao unexpectedly lost control of her arm. As the blade clattered to the ground she found herself on the floor unable to move her legs.

Feeling the presence of other ANBU as they appeared around them Naruto raised his hands in a placating fashion, "Wait!" He shouted waving his arms.

Recognizing the voice Yugao looked closely at the trespassers and found herself looking at Sakura. Sending a quick signal to her team she ordered, "Stop."

As the ANBU halted their advance Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "Sorry about that Uzuki-san. When you attacked I just moved without thinking."

Keeping her surprise in check Yugao blinked at the apology. She couldn't believe how quickly she was sidelined by the Hokage's apprentice. The movement was so fast she didn't see the two hits she received. It was only because of loss of sensation through her arm and chest did she realize she was injured.

Getting back to the task at hand she suddenly recognized the person talking to her, "Ah…it's alright Sakura-sama."

Seeing the other ANBU bow down to her Sakura released a defeated sigh. She knew there was no use fighting it anymore for better or worse she was now the Princess of Fire country. Facing the ANBU she called out, "Please raise your heads."

Moving towards Yugao, she knelt down activating "Shousen no Jutsu," to heal her wounds, "Once again, I am sorry about this Uzuki-san," Ducking her head in embarrassment she continued, "I was too tightly wound."

With the feeling back in her arm Yugao straightened as the medic's hand went to her chest, "I should be the one to apologies Sakura-sama. I thought you were spies-"

"It's ok. I know you were just doing your job," She cut in with a smile, "Thank you for protecting my parents."

Moving back she pulled the purple haired ANBU to her feet. Bowing to the rest of the team Sakura politely apologized, "We are sorry for the trouble."

Rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, Naruto followed Sakura's example, "Yeah, sorry about that, dattebayo," Turning towards the cat masked ANBU he smiled, "That was an awesome attack, Neko-chan."

Blinking at the blatant lack of respect Yugao just looked at the blonde haired teenager. Hearing a snigger from one of the ANBU she turned her stare at them. As they stopped she spoke to Naruto, "Thank you."

"Heh…don't mention it," He replied almost laughing on the inside. He never expected to meet the purple haired ANBU so soon but he wasn't going to waste this chance. While Sakura talked to her parents he wanted to get to know the leader of his old protection team.

As an awkward silence settled around them everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Sakura's parents opened the door. Naruto observed Sakura going straight towards them as the whole family cried. He knew it was cathartic after the news heard by the parents and their child. Even though they knew the truth it was a very different reality for her parents. They knew they had given birth to Sakura but now the whole world was telling them it was a lie.

'If that doesn't qualify as a mind-fuck…I don't know what else does,' He thought with a hint of sadness as Sakura placated her parents fears that she was still their daughter.

Giving them a bit of privacy she took her parents inside the room. Once the door closed, Naruto turned towards Yugao, "So? Wanna play a game to pass the time?" He didn't know what to make of the blank masked stare he received but taking it as a good sign he took out a scroll from his haori.

***OMT***

Walking in the room with her parents clinging to her Sakura closed the door. Crying herself from seeing her parents' tears she supported them. She understood they were hurting considering the shock they must have felt when they found out they did not give birth to their only daughter.

It hurt her more to hide the truth but she had no other choice. The whole country was at stake so she took on this sacrifice with her parents. But just because she was willing to surrender to the situation did not mean she was willing to let go of her parents. In fact she knew Naruto would insist on making sure the bond between them remained strong.

Getting love and support from her husband through the link, she walked her parents to the bed to sit them down. When she tried to pry her hand from her mother's lap she heard, "We didn't know Sakura…we really didn't know. I still remember giving birth to you."

Taking a deep breath to stabilize herself Sakura looked at her, "No matter what anyone says…you are still my parents."

"Did you hear what Sandaime did?" She asked looking her mother and father in the eyes.

"Yes," Her father answered with a somber expression on his face, "Tsunade-sama told us."

Nodding her head she explained, "There is a seal placed in your head to stop others from prying…it also functions to give you false memories."

"But Okaa-san, Tou-san…to me it doesn't matter," She hugged them both, "I love you."

"We were so scared, Sakura," Her father said looking at her, "But I am glad you are my daughter. I am so glad."

Sitting down on the floor in front of her parents she held onto their hands, "I know both of you love me and there is nothing in this world that would make me doubt it."

"The situation right now is pretty unique," Illuminating the state of affairs she went on, "The things in the capital are very unstable right now."

"So please understand that I had no choice but to accept it," Pointing towards her headband she explained, "When I got this I took an oath to protect this village."

"And your duty required you to become the Princess of the Fire country?" Haruno Mebuki asked her daughter.

"Yes," Nodding her head she expounded on the situation, "My presence will help keep the Daimyo alive and that would bring constancy back to the nation's capital."

"Can't they just kill the Daimyo and declare you unsuitable to rule the land or something," Kizashi asked his daughter thinking about what little he knew about politics.

"First there are patriots in the capital who would rather see Fire Country flourish then be destroyed so they would stop that from happening," She explained with a smile, "Second if they do go after the Daimyo it would benefit the Hokage since she can have the capital locked down under martial law."

"After that she can install a puppet ruler or just take over directly?" Her father finished her statement.

"Something along those lines," She deflected knowing that if something like that happened then Tsunade would most likely create an alliance in the capital and kill off all the ambitious Generals. Though that solution would bring down the military might of the Fire country it would make sure there was at least a nation to defend.

"So, what does she want with us, Sakura-chan?" Her mother inquired with fear in her eyes, "We can't even go home."

"Yeah," She tightened her grip on her mother's hands to provide her comfort, "That's for your safety. Our house is not easy to defend in case of intruders."

"Now that people know about my connection to the Daimyo, they would use you to gather information about me," She expounded on Tsunade's reasoning, "In simple words you need security around you to protect you from spies that might harm you to get to me."

"So we can't ever go to our house?" Mebuki asked aghast, "Where will we live?"

"We can go to our house to collect our things..." She smiled a little to calm her mother, "But it is true we can't stay at our current home."

"Instead," She continued over her mother's objection, "Tsunade-sama is sure the Daimyo will provide us with a new home…one where guards can be posted to defend you."

Though there was a relieved expression on her mother's face the sadness in her father's eyes tugged at her heart strings, "You are not happy Tou-san?"

Sighing Kizashi explained, "I don't mind moving Sakura…especially now because of fake memories but for some reason I still remember the first time you came into that house..."

Raising herself on her knees she hugged her father, "I understand Tou-san. But I would rather see you and Kaa-san safe. After all we can always make new memories."

"And there is no point in worrying about old memories if they might get you killed?" Her mother questioned, with a small smile on her face.

"Something like that," She nodded in appreciation.

"I understand," Kizashi replied wiping his eyes, "I am glad you are my daughter, Sakura."

"I am too."

As the family descended into a comfortable silence Mebuki looked at her daughter. With her eyes closed Sakura looked so peaceful like a small child falling asleep with her head on her father's lap. But she knew it was far from the truth. She had observed the young girl change into a woman especially after her teammates had left.

She might not be a ninja but she knew enough about them to know her daughter was extraordinarily powerful. Thinking about it she almost laughed out loud thinking about her daughter's strength. She was aware that Sakura could break boulders with a flick of her wrists and it scared her. More than fear there was a feeling that only a parent could have when their only child achieved their goals.

Since studying under the Hokage her daughter had matured quickly and it put her mind to rest to know she would be able to protect herself when going got tough. It was hard thinking about her only child fighting others. However, watching her daughter progress through her training and earning her promotions subsided her concerns giving her heart to know Sakura could take care of herself.

Interrupting her train of thought she felt Sakura shift from her position to stand up, "Sakura?" She asked thinking her daughter was leaving.

"Hmm…" Sakura replied lazily rotating her shoulder to keep her mind to task. She was thinking about how to broach the topic regarding their stay at Naruto's house.

"Are you going to stay with us?" Mebuki asked her daughter with a little hesitancy.

Taking a deep breath to centre herself, she spoke, "I wanted to talk to you guys about that."

"What is it?" Kizashi asked.

"It is about where we are going to stay…at least until Tsunade-sama talks to the Daimyo," She explained with a shrug.

With confusion on her face, Mebuki thought about the situation, "You are saying we have to move from here?"

"Yes, not today but soon," Sakura clarified for her parents, "This place is especially built for dignitaries who stay during Chuunin exams and other events."

"And?"

"Pretty soon people will start arriving from the capital as the news spread," Looking at her parents apologetically she continued, "You will have to move then."

"And where will we go?" Kizashi queried with concern written on his face.

"They will likely move you to a safe house," Sakura divulged with a sigh.

At her parents lack of reply she gingerly walked towards them. Reaching them she held onto their hands to provide comfort. She knew hearing about safe house terrified them considering ninja's usually didn't do location swaps. Most of the time safe houses were used to provide people with a sense of belonging until they spilled their secrets. Then the house was quietly vacated awaiting the next arrival.

She knew their apprehension was about living in the same place where other's had been killed. Steadying herself she spoke tentatively, "I know you don't want to stay in a safe house…" Gauging her parents' reaction she continued, "I do have another place…but I don't know if you…would want to stay there."

"What do you mean?" Mystified Mebuki asked her daughter, "Where is this place?"

"It's in the village," She replied quietly composing herself in case her parents spoke against the idea. Once her emotions were under control she faced them, "If you guys don't mind…we can stay at Naruto's place."

Hearing the name both Mebuki and Kizashi looked at each other. They both were surprised at Sakura's mention since the last time they talked about Naruto both parents got the impression they were being watched very closely. It wasn't like they both didn't have doubts, after all it wasn't easy to forget what you have been conditioned to believe for a long time even if it was indirectly.

They hadn't done anything against the boy but they hadn't gone out of their way to help either. Seeing the way other people behaved around the kid they had made sure to distance themselves from him as well. They hadn't actively tried to push him away but when Sakura was younger Mebuki certain warned her daughter to stay away from Naruto.

It wasn't because of anything against the child but they just didn't want to associate with someone that had the potential of giving them trouble. Since, they had their business it was important for them to not give anyone a chance against the family. So, they kept their heads down and pretended Naruto didn't exist.

However, both of them had seen the changes Sakura had gone through in the past three years. Before Naruto left for his training there wasn't a day where Sakura didn't complain about Naruto. Afterwards, they had noticed how protective she was of him. So, they knew they had to tread very carefully to not upset their daughter.

Before they could contemplate it further, Sakura spoke, "He has a lot of space at his house and we can stay over there while we wait for the Daimyo's decision."

"Sakura…we can't impose on him like this," Kizashi tried to reason with his daughter.

"He doesn't mind Tou-san," She explained, "In fact it was his idea."

With her husband at a loss for words Mebuki attempted to talk to her daughter, "His idea? Is his house even big enough for us to stay there?"

"It's big enough Kaa-san. Not many people know about this but when he came back from his training trip, Jiraiya-sama presented him the place as a gift," She replied thinking about it, "From the outside it might not look any bigger than a normal home but you will find it very spacious from the inside."

"Why there?" Kizashi questioned his daughter trying to find his footing.

"It's away from regular population that ANBU can easily do their job without disturbing you and you will be able to relax over there without worrying about your life," Smirking she elaborated her point, "And trust me the people who will be able to break into that house…will have to be on a whole another level."

Exhaling his breath Kizashi covered his eyes with his hands. Trying to find the right words he removed his hand to look at his wife. As she stared back at him with a blank expression he understood she couldn't come up with an argument against it. He tried to think of something against Sakura's idea but he wasn't sure how it would go down with his daughter.

Scrutinizing the emotions of her father's face Sakura held onto his hand, "Tou-san, if you have any doubts please say them now. I think it would be better to get to them right now."

"I am not sure how to say them," Her father admitted, "I don't want to make you angry."

Listening to her father's concern, she relaxed herself to bring down his anxiety, "Go on please. I am willing to listen."

Knowing that his daughter was cooperative enough to listen to him he breathed a sigh of relief, "I personally have nothing against, Naruto-kun. We didn't lose any family during the Kyuubi attack…we were terrified and so were you. As civilians we were one of the first people sent to the shelter so we didn't see the terrible loss of life."

At Sakura's nod he continued, "By the time we came out most of the streets had been cleared and even though there were signs of destruction everywhere, we weren't affected much," Reminiscing back to the time's past he opened up, "That's why I didn't say anything when you were placed with him."

"I am not a Shinobi so I don't understand the reason behind the decision but I trusted the Hokage to know what he was doing," Seeing his daughter's thankful face he pursed his lips, "That does not mean…that I wasn't scared."

"Of Naruto?"

"Your mother and I have heard people talk about him. We didn't understand it but every time someone said anything it came with a warning to stay away from him. Mostly it was people like us but there were some Shinobi as well," He explained with a frown on his face.

"But then you started defending Naruto three years ago and it make me think…At home…you remember that argument you and your mother had," He looked at his daughter pointedly to find her staring in his eyes.

"I do," Sakura nodded, "I still stand by what I said. He is a hero and no matter how much people deny it…it's a fact."

"It's because of this determination of yours," He said emphatically, "After listening to you…I decided to trust in your judgement."

"So for me it's not about having anything against staying at Naruto's house but…Sakura we don't know him," He explicated his problem, "You are his teammate so you are familiar with him."

"We on the other hand," He steered his hand between his wife and himself, "Don't know him."

Shaking her head at her father's worry she couldn't help but ruminate about the past. It was ironic that her father was worried about such a trivial thing when both her parents had loved Naruto in the other timeline. The way her father used to brag about her husband to his friends was endearing to watch. Similarly, Naruto's devotion to her parents was also something that other people used to talk about.

Getting back to her father's question she gave them a beautiful smile, "I can assure you…by the time Daimyo provides us with a house where guards can be stationed…you both will be in love with him."

At the skeptical expression on her mother's face she grinned, "He is a very good person, Kaa-san. It still surprises me…with the level of neglect he faced he turned out to be such a beautiful soul."

"The Kazekage of Suna, The Daimyo of the Snow country, Sandaime, Godaime and Jiraiya-sama didn't stand a chance," Aiming her finger at her parents she smiled, "You both are my parents and I know you…Trust me there is no way you will be exempt from his charm."

Looking at her husband Mebuki saw him shrug his shoulders before he spoke, "I got nothing."

Knowing a lost cause she hugged her daughter, "Fine…you win. If you think it's a good idea then we would be honored to stay at Naruto-kun's place."

"Thanks Kaa-san," Tightly embracing her mother she expressed her happiness, "I can't wait for you to meet him. Trust me you won't regret this."

"As long as you are there, daughter mine…I am sure I won't," Mebuki replied cheerfully at the expression on Sakura's face. She was glad her husband had talked about their insecurities to her. It made the decision easier since they were able to work things out as a family.

She didn't know what the future held for them but she knew as long as Sakura was there she and her husband would be able to cope with anything. When the Hokage told her the news she was just about ready to lose it but her daughter had laid rest to those fears.

After seeing her she knew becoming the grand-daughter of the Daimyo hadn't changed Sakura. If nothing else her desire for her parents to stay with her even if it was at a friend's place let her know Sakura still held both of them dear to her heart.

Getting back to her feet Sakura gave a parents a wide smile, "Let me call him…he is just waiting outside."

Walking towards the door she heard a commotion outside. Concentrating on the link the only thing she got was amusement from Naruto's end. Knowing her husband's childishness and tendency to prank people she cautiously opened the door. The scene that greeted her left her speechless as she stood there shaking her head.

Watching their daughter both parents were surprised to see her stand beside the open door and gaze outside. Getting ready in case there was trouble both of them stood up from their seat before Mebuki stopped herself from panicking as she observed Sakura's face. What she saw gave her pause as she held her husband's hand to calm him down.

The smile on her daughter's face was something she had never seen before. It was a smile of a woman in love as she watched the object of her affection. The meaning behind the smile wasn't lost on her though glancing at her husband let her know he was clueless regarding the issue.

Glad she was the only one who noticed the smile Mebuki knew she needed to think about the implications of such a relationship, 'Until I sort out my feelings talking to Sakura won't help.' Thinking about her daughter's emotions she was grateful for the opportunity to get to know Naruto.

Walking towards the door both Mebuki and Kizashi came upon an extraordinary scene. On the floor in front of their door sat Uzumaki Naruto and the purple haired ANBU who had escorted them to the room. However, the pile of money and the cards spread out on the floor left them speechless.

"I win!" Naruto exclaimed standing up doing a little jig.

Suddenly, the purple haired ANBU bellowed, "The hell you did," standing up herself, "You cheated."

"What?" He rounded on her, "You have any proof of that?"

"This time I do."

"Yeah right," He uttered sarcastically, "Just like you had proof the last six times."

Gritting her teeth, Yugao growled through the mask, "I know you were cheating."

"Kitty-chan," Naruto shook his head taking pity on her, "How could you. I thought you were better than this."

"Stop calling me Kitty," Yugao shouted at the teenager ignoring the snickering of her colleagues, "I am Neko. And I know you were cheating the whole time."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah…I might not have been able to catch you before but this time I have proof," She hollered at the top of her lungs.

"What proof? I had a better hand so I won…now give me my money."

Brandishing her sword she stood on top of the money, "I know you changed cards at the last minute."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did," She raised her voice, "They told me you did."

"How could you Kitty-chan?" Gasping Naruto's eyes widened dramatically, "Hokage's ANBU cheating against a teenager..." Swooning theatrically he continued, "Oh what has this world come to?"

Holding his hand to his heart, he turned towards the other ANBU, "And you guys…I thought you were on my side?"

Turning back towards Yugao he turned on his puppy dog eyes, "Kitty-chan, first you cheat against little ole me and then you accuse me of cheating in turn?"

"Why?" He went near the ANBU, "I was just trying to play an honest game with you. Was it too much to ask?"

As others stood still while Naruto played their conscience, Sakura noticed him nearing the pile of cash. Before he could reach the money she went up to him and grabbed him by the collar. Hearing his surprised, "What the…?" She starting walking towards the room.

Recognizing his wife he tried to get his feet under him, "Sakura-chan? What are you doing?"

Watching the pile of dough getting farther away he cried, "Wait…my money…let me get my money."

"Uzuki-san, you can keep the money," Sakura said without turning her head, "I know he likely cheated."

"Ah…"

"On second thought," She went on interrupting Yugao, "Would you please join us? I think you need to be aware of this as well."

Straightening up after collecting the money, she replied, "Of course, Sakura-sama," Teasingly she walked behind the blonde teenager taking her time to store the money.

She didn't know what it was about him but the way he was bawling his eyes out made her feel really good. She knew he was cheating though she was unable to catch him in the act. Finally having enough of it she enlisted the help of her team on the last turn and they let her know his tactic.

Being aware that the teenagers in front of her were responsible for the death of Orochimaru, she knew they were both capable. Still it infuriated her the way Naruto blatantly cheated and was so smug about it. Taking extreme pleasure at his sulking face she walked into the room as Sakura closed the door behind her.

***OMT***

Next day…

Waking up in the morning Naruto found himself sleeping on his side with Sakura's head tucked underneath his chin. Opening his eyes he looked around the room making sure to keep still. If there was one thing he hated about being a Shinobi, at least a good one it was the tendency to be a light sleeper.

The slightest of movement was usually enough to wake a person from slumbering. Making sure to keep breathing with the same pattern he thought back to last night. Meeting his wife's parents for the first time in this timeline was a little awkward. There were a couple of times where he found himself on the verge of calling them mother and father.

'I wonder if I will be able to get to that stage with them once more,' He thought to himself gazing at the ceiling.

[I am sure you will,] Came the reply through the link.

[I am sorry…did I wake you?] He asked Sakura feeling guilty.

[No, that's alright. It's time to wake up anyway.]

Placing his hand on her cheek he raised her head to meet him halfway. As their lips met Sakura placed her hands on the back of his neck. Moving her hands to his hair she played with it in her hand. As the kiss became heated he brought her closer to him with Sakura almost lying on top of him.

Before things could get heated Naruto let out a loud groan. It was getting harder to hold back but they just didn't have the time, "Your parents just left their room." Grumbling at the interruption Sakura got up from the bed to go to her room.

Getting up in the morning involved cleaning and cooking at the Haruno house. For Mebuki finding free time in the morning was a novel experience. Leaving the bedroom to take a look around she reminded herself that looks were usually deceiving when dealing with ninja as she could see from the space inside the house. From the outside it didn't look any bigger than the rest of the houses in the area but when you entered inside there was a lot more room.

Browsing the house she heard some noise emanating from the kitchen. Silently walking towards it she found Naruto making breakfast which she assumed was for the four of them. Just standing there looking at the teenager she was startled when he turned around to greet her, "Good morning, Mebuki-san."

Getting her breathing under control she replied, "Good morning, Naruto-kun," Indicating to the food being cooked she asked, "I see you are making breakfast. Would you like some help?"

His first inclination was to be a good host and tell her to rest but discerning the situation he smiled, inviting her, "Sure Mebuki-san. If you don't mind I would be honored to cook with you."

He knew he made the right decision when the Haruno matriarch smiled gratefully as she walked into the kitchen. It was the start of building a relationship with the Haruno parents and Naruto knew Mebuki loved cooking.

Taking a look around the kitchen, she found it organized with all the cabinets labelled with various things, "I am surprised you keep things so neat and tidy."

Tilting his head with a small smile he asked teasingly, "Did you expect me to be a slob Mebuki-san?"

"Oh heavens no, Naruto-kun," She shook her head, "I am just surprised that a teenager keeps his house so clean."

"Thank you," He nodded his head in thanks, "But I am afraid you are right to be surprised. I am usually not so organized but I have an advantage that other's don't,"

At her inquisitive expression he created a clone, "I can create my own help to clean the house."

"Wow," She said surprised, "Was that Ninjutsu?"

Dismissing the clone he took the lid off the utensil to check on boiled rice, "Yes it was."

"One of the hardest actually," Sakura came in the kitchen, "He is one of the few people in the world who can use it properly."

"Good morning, Sakura-chan" Naruto winked at her teasingly.

"Good morning," She shook her head at his antics. Moving around the kitchen she grabbed plates and bowls, "I am going to set the table. Is it going to take long?"

"No," Mebuki replied, "The fish is almost done. The rest is ready."

"Okay then, I am going to call Tou-san," Sakura walked out to set the dining table.

As everybody sat down to eat breakfast, Kizashi noticed the clothes both teenagers were wearing, "Are you guys going to work today?"

Nodding her head, Sakura answered, "Yeah, Tou-san. Tsunade-sama has some work for us."

"I thought you both had the week off?" Mebuki questioned enjoying her breakfast.

"We do," Naruto smiled slightly, "The standard procedure after an S-rank mission is at least a week off but that's mostly to allow for any injuries to settle down."

"Since we are going to be in the village and not doing anything strenuous…Baachan allowed us to work."

Shaking her head at the informal way of addressing the Hokage of Konoha, Mebuki looked at her husband. She knew he was amused by Naruto's antics especially by the lack of propriety when speaking of authority figures. It was something her husband would have loved to do but when you were a civilian down the social ladder the lack of formality counted against you.

"Calling the Hokage, Baachan…You have some balls kid," Kizashi grinned.

"I call it like I see it, Kizashi-san," Naruto shrugged finishing his breakfast, "And anyway I am technically the only one who could call her that."

"What do you mean?" Kizashi questioned at the unexpected explanation.

"Uzumaki and Senju clans are related, Tou-san," Sakura provided an explanation, "Shishou's grandmother was an Uzumaki."

"That's Shodaime's wife right?" Mebuki inquired with surprising alacrity.

"Yes."

"You might be related to the First Hokage then Naruto-kun."

"I don't know about that, Mebuki-san," Naruto smiled in understanding, "I haven't been able to find out the connection between my mother and Baachan's grandmother…other than them being from the same clan."

"Mother? You know who your parents are?" Kizashi enquired leaning forward.

"I do but I can't say anything about them yet," He responded with an apologetic smile.

Seeing the frown on her father's face Sakura clarified, "Tsunade-sama has ordered not to, Tou-san," At his confusion she elaborated, "Both his parents were famous and it might create additional problems if it came out right now."

"Really?" Mebuki asked as she looked at Naruto.

"Also, since the two of you will be unable to defend yourself…it's a big security risk right now," Sakura provided further justification for the problem.

Understanding the quandary both Mebuki and Kizashi let go. They knew it must be a big secret if it would place their lives in danger just to know it. If Mebuki was true to herself then her suspicion was being raised as she stared hard at Naruto. Not knowing what to think at the moment, she waited until the two teenagers took the dishes to the kitchen before taking over the rest of the chores from Naruto. As they left she kept busy taking care of the house while thinking about the conversation.

***OMT***

Few hours later…

Stretching her back from bending forward the past few hours, Sakura got up from her seat. They were in a small room at the back of the hospital not known by the majority of Konoha. It was used by ANBU for forensic work to identify the remains of missing nins killed by Konoha ninja.

"Finally!" She exclaimed rubbing her eyes tiredly, "I had forgotten how much work it was to isolate the enzyme."

"You were successful?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, it's done," Nodding her head she smiled, "Now we just need to decide, which way we want to proceed."

"Whether we remove the curse seal or give Anko-san a chance to use it?"

"If we can," She pointed out, "It can be her trump card."

"We need to neutralize the snake's DNA first," Thinking back to the time when Orochimaru was able to summon the previous Hokage he knew they needed to prevent it.

"Of course…That cockroach is out there." She uttered thinking about Kabuto and his escape from Kakashi. From the information Konoha had received Uchiha Sasuke had left the hideout and formed Team Taka once more. Kabuto was lying low for now considering they had no information on his whereabouts.

"Were you able to find anything else from his skin?"

"Yeah," She smirked thinking about it, "The poison that affected you…"

"Really?" He asked with surprise written clearly on his face.

"That's not all," Closing her eyes she thought about her next words, "I think there is a chemical here that absorbs natural energy on its own…but I still need to run more tests on it."

"How long?"

"Don't know yet…We can work on it but if it's successful then I have an idea that…" Looking into her husband's eyes she continued, "If it's successful I will have something that will give me an Orochimaruesque ability to survive attacks."

"Don't you already have something similar?" Naruto questioned.

"I do but there are limitations to what I can heal…little as they might be but…and this is a big but...if I can bring my idea to life it will be a real trump card."

"I see," He said contemplating her words, "So, it's like a defensive ability."

"Yeah," She replied reflecting on his words, "Though if you think about it…not really defensive either. More along the lines of last resort to survive."

"I understand," He looked through her thoughts to get a better idea, [Isn't it similar in principle to the Hiraishin variant I used against Tou-chan?] He asked through the link in case the room was bugged despite their precautions.

[The spreading of the seal around the area still required your chakra…at least in the beginning before it took the energy from its surroundings] She directed, [This would be done on a purely chemical level…something that I don't have to expend any energy on.]

[Only you will be able to use it?]

[The technique I have in mind?] At his nod she went on, [Yeah…I don't think there is anybody else who can.]

[You think we can use this chemical with a seal?]

[I don't know.] She shook her head, [Why? What do you have in mind?]

[During the fight with Orochimaru when I couldn't use my chakra…] He contemplated the helplessness of the situation, [I literally couldn't do anything. Not even Hiraishin to get out.]

[Kurama's chakra was the only thing that saved me,] Staring into her concerned eyes he sent his love to her, [I couldn't even use the Hiraishin variant where the seals spread through nature chakra.]

[You could have used Kurama's chakra to power them.]

[Couldn't concentrate…even the Fire technique I used during the fight took a lot out of me…something like Hiraishin was out of reach. So, if this chemical of yours work then I was thinking we implant seals to help us navigate during a fight.]

Thinking about his idea she asked, [You mean instead of us providing chakra for say floating through the air…we use the chemical to gather chakra on its own?]

[Yeah,] He replied with a smile thinking about the technique, [We can use it to fly or fast movement and we wouldn't have to expend chakra to use it.]

[That really affected you, huh?]

[You don't understand, Sakura-chan…It was horrible. Maybe I am arrogant but I never thought I would be in a position where I wouldn't be able to use anything in my arsenal.]

[That's why Orochimaru was dangerous. He wasn't the best fighter out there but it was his tinkering that made him dangerous,] She thought back to the fight, [We have fought people who were smarter and stronger than him. So, to be so affected…I think it was a good wake up call.]

Getting out of the link Naruto raised his hands in the air stretching himself, "So what now?"

"Now?" She shrugged, "We relax…let's go enjoy the weather."

***OMT***

Walking around the village Ino was ready to pull out her hair. The reason for her frustration was her friend Sakura who turned out to be the grand-daughter of the Daimyo. Going to the Hokage tower she tried asking Tsunade for Sakura's whereabouts but Shizune turned her back telling her that Sakura was at Naruto's house.

Getting over the surprise that Haruno Sakura would willingly stay at Naruto's house she had gone to his place but found it empty. Asking others she learned that Naruto had moved to a new place when he returned from his training trip.

Tired of her search she found herself face to face with her team as they lazed about their day. Frowning at the expressions of content on their faces she rounded on them, "What are you doing? Have you guys been loafing about?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, "Why do you have to be so loud Ino?"

Chuckling at his students' antics Asuma explained, "Because of the announcement yesterday, most of the Shinobi have been held back from missions."

"I still can't believe that Sakura is a Princess," Ino grumbled.

"I am hungry," Chouji said rubbing his stomach, "Let's get something to eat Asuma-sensei."

"Sure," Asuma shrugged, "I am hungry as well."

Before Chouji could say anything in reply he heard a voice behind him, "Going somewhere?"

"Kurenai-sensei," Ino called out sidestepping Chouji, "How are you?"

Smiling at the teenager who was also her medic Kurenai replied, "I am fine, Ino."

"Of course she is," Kiba said sitting on Akamaru's back, "Hinata checked sensei before coming outside."

"Hinata checked out Kurenai-sensei?" They heard an amused voice from the rooftops, "Wow Hinata, I didn't know you had it in you."

Turning in the direction of the noise they suddenly heard a big impact, "Stop acting perverted Naruto," As Sakura punched the daylights out of Naruto.

In the commotion created by them everyone forgot about the Hyuuga Heiress swaying side to side in embarrassment before falling unconscious. Grabbing her before she hit the ground Kiba shouted, "Naruto you perverted shit…Look what you did."

"Kiba, I believe that Naruto was just being his usual self. Hinata should have exercised more self-control," Shino calmly said to Kiba's boisterous voice.

"Shut it, Shino. I don't want to hear your lecture right now."

Shaking his head at the disorder in front of him, Shikamaru sighed, "Naruto you are so troublesome. Why did you have to say something like that?"

Getting up from his position Naruto looked at everyone, "Wow what are you all doing here? All we need is Team Gai and we can have a party."

As if waiting for his question said team came into view, "Yosh, Naruto-kun, what a youthful thing to say," Lee shouted from the end of the street, "We can have a Taijutsu party where we express ourselves through our fists."

Seeing Hinata unconscious Neji pushed Lee to the side to stop his tirade rushing forward, "What happened to Hinata-sama?"

"Uh…she fainted," Kiba replied with a shrug, "It was Naruto's fault."

"Oye! I didn't do anything to her," Naruto flailed his arms in front of him seeing Neji's glare.

Ignoring the man-child her husband had turned into, Sakura walked towards Sensei of Team 8, "Kurenai-sensei…How are you and the baby?"

Smiling at the pink haired teenager she put her hand on her belly, "The baby and I are both fine Sakura."

"Who is your physician?"

"I am," Ino replied.

"Good," She nodded, "Then you are in good hands."

Looking around at the chaos created by the teenagers Asuma raised his voice, "Guys," Giving a sharp whistle to get everyone's attention, "Aren't we all forgetting something?"

"What is it, Asuma-sensei?" Chouji asked as Kiba shoved Naruto away from Hinata who seemed on the verge of fainting once more.

"We have the Grand-daughter of the Daimyo in our midst," Asuma replied looking at Sakura, "Sorry about that Sakura-sama," He held a bow as others followed his lead.

Surprised at the formality, Sakura felt Naruto's amusement through the bond. Breaking apart from her trance Sakura held Kurenai's arm, "Please raise your head Kurenai-sensei," Making sure the red eyed woman was okay.

"Asuma-sensei, Gai-sensei…guys, please raise your head," She implored them, "You don't have to bow to me or anything."

Smiling at the worry in her eyes especially at Kurenai's discomfort Asuma nodded his head, "Are you sure, Sakura-sama?"

"Yes, please," She replied in a relieved voice, "I am no different than before sensei. You don't have to be so formal. Sakura is fine."

Acquiescing her request Asuma observed Gai and Kurenai's reaction. Seeing the smile on both their faces he knew both of them wouldn't mind serving under Sakura when it came time for her to take the throne, "You know…this sash on my waist is a reminder of my tour of duty as one of the Ninja Guardians."

At her nod he continued, "The group might not exist anymore but I would like to make a pledge to you on my service. If you need any help please do not hesitate to ask."

"From what I have heard, my father brought you to Konoha and protected you. It seems Sarutobi clan has been protecting the Daimyo's family one way or another. If you will accept it I am willing to pledge the service of the clan to you."

Wide eyed at the unforeseen declaration, Sakura gathered herself looking straight at him. With eyes filled with gratitude she gave a deep bow in return, "Asuma-sensei…thank you."

"You don't know what it means to me…that you are willing to place your trust in me," Raising her head with tears in her eyes she stood upright with an air of authority around her, "Please know I will be deeply honored to accept your offer…if I am accepted by the court."

"For the trust you showed me let me say this…Even though I don't have a clan to back me, if you ever need any help…I will do everything in my power to uphold the pledge in the spirit it was made."

"Well said," Gai shouted loudly as cheers broke out all over the street, "Your flames of youth are indeed shining brightly."

As the event unfolded Naruto looked at Sakura with a proud expression. They might not have wanted it but he was sure there was no better person for the job. As the people around them cheered her on, he saw her embarrassed expression, [See, I told you everyone would love you.]

[You are enjoying this too much,] She sent back with annoyance clear in her emotions.

Getting back to their friends Sakura noticed Ino standing in front of her, "Sakura-sama," She said hesitantly.

"Sakura-sama? Really Ino-pig?" She teased her friend and rival.

At the amused expression on Sakura's face, Ino grimaced mockingly, "Yeah…I felt dirty saying it, Forehead."

Laughing at her friend's jibe she had to steady herself as Ino hugged her suddenly. Regaining her balance she listened to her go on about how Sakura was a Princess now and she was a Princess's best friend, "Ino-pig, I am not a Princess yet."

"Oh please," Ino replied taking a step back, "Tsunade-sama is onto it. She will make sure Konoha has a Princess."

Turning around she grabbed Hinata and Tenten bringing them back to Sakura, "We will have to go clothes shopping. You will get new dresses from the capital right?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked at Ino's question. It had been a really long time since she had even thought about clothes and fashion. Last time it happened she was 15 in the other timeline. Since, then she had lived a lifetime and was living it once again.

Making sure to keep the expectations down she raised her hand in a placating fashion, "Calm down Ino. I don't even know if the Daimyo's court will accept me. The dresses are far away."

"Sakura, you can't think like that anymore. You are going to be a Princess so of course you will need to look pretty," Ino daydreamed thinking about all the clothes she would be able to buy if she was a Princess.

"I can just Henge the dress over," Sakura shrugged feeling awkward with all the people around them.

Kurenai listened to the banter with an amused expression. Seeing the wistful expression on Ino's face and the almost pained expression on Sakura's let her know everything. It seemed Sakura had outgrown her girly phase in the past three years, outgrowing her peers.

'You have grown Sakura. If you are not willing to part with your shinobi clothes,' Kurenai thought wistfully, 'Killing a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber doesn't happen by being a fan-girl, after all,' She smiled remembering the 12 year old who used to swoon at Sasuke's name.

Kakashi's arrival in the middle of the group interrupted the ramblings of the teenagers. Seeing the intense expression on his face everyone inevitably tensed though Sakura turned towards Kurenai to distract her, "Kurenai-sensei, please calm down. Don't raise the adrenaline level so much."

With her concentration broken she saw Kurenai taking a deep breath to get her heart rate down. Facing Kakashi, she raised her eyebrow in question as several ANBU arrived behind him, "Something the matter, Kakashi-sensei?"

Hiding his shock at the gathering in the middle of the village, Kakashi eyed his female student, "Tsunade-sama is requesting your presence in front of the Daimyo and his court."

Letting go of the breath she was holding, Sakura looked towards her husband to see his determined nod. Taking her cue she centered herself to keep her emotions in check. Bobbing her head in agreement she walked towards Naruto as the ANBU surrounded the two of them. Before they left however, she saw Naruto rooted on the spot looking at their friends.

[Naruto?] She questioned at his lack of movement.

Instead of answering her through the link, Naruto walked towards their friends, "Guys would you all mind coming with us?"

Startled by the question all of them turned towards Kakashi as he asked, "Naruto? What are you doing?"

"Nothing Kakashi-sensei," He winked at his teacher mischievously before turning towards his teammate, "Sakura-chan, if all of them are there…it will send a message to everyone that they are behind you."

"The future political might of Konoha?" Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes remembering his father's words regarding both members of Team Kakashi.

"Are you against it, Shika?" He asked with glittering eyes.

Sighing at the roguish behaviour by one of the powerful people in their generation, Shikamaru could only shake his head uttering, "Troublesome," As he walked towards Sakura he saw the grateful look on her face.

Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment he shrugged his shoulder, "I don't mind coming with you. We do have a friend thing."

Hearing Shikamaru's reasoning, the other two members of Team 10 silently walked towards Sakura and stood by her. Not one to wait patiently, Kiba grabbed Hinata's arm dragging her towards the pink haired teenager.

"What are you doing to Hinata-sama?" Neji shouted at Kiba pulling the Hyuuga heiress along.

"What do you think?" Kiba replied as he reached members of Team 10, indicating Shino to join them, "We have a Princess to support…and when Sakura becomes one she can help Akamaru get better accommodations than a stable to sleep at night whenever we have a mission to the capital or something."

"I believe helping Sakura is the right thing to do. You should not ask for a favor for such a noble task, Kiba," Shino said while walking towards the group.

Amused by Kiba's reasoning she shook her head fondly. No matter how ridiculous the demand she would make sure Akamaru got good accommodations if she had any power to do so. Before she could contemplate any further she heard Tenten walking towards them.

At Naruto's gratitude, Tenten shrugged her shoulders, "She will be the first kunoichi Princess. I am not missing this one."

"Yosh, Sakura-san I promised you during the Chuunin exams that I will protect you. I am not one to go back on my words. I will raise my flames of youth by supporting you," Lee shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Very well said, my student," Gai came in with tears in his eyes, "Your flames are truly-"

"Oh look at the time," Kakashi suddenly exclaimed interrupting Gai's impassioned speech. He knew if the show went on they would have to see the dreaded Genjutsu so turning towards the remaining shinobi he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Of course I am going," Neji replied already halfway through, "Unhand Hinata-sama this instant," He ordered glaring at Kiba.

Shaking her head at the antics of her friends Sakura watched Asuma hold onto Kurenai's hand as they calmly walked towards the rest of them. Smiling in gratitude to the people beside her Sakura set a slow pace towards the meeting.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei but with Kurenai-sensei's pregnancy we might be a little late," She apologized for the slow speed.

Shrugging his shoulders in nonchalance, Kakashi replied, "It's not a problem, Sakura. I just said that earlier to stop Gai's tirade."

"That was un-youthful of you, Kakashi," Gai exclaimed in outrage.

"Hmm?" Kakashi opened his orange book, "Did you say something?"

"Oh! That was so hip of you Kakashi," Gai exclaimed. Seeing that he was having no effect on his fellow shinobi he admitted defeat, "Grr…alright, Kakashi you might have won this one. It drives me nuts when you act so cool."

***OMT***

Reaching the council room in the middle of the village the group found themselves barred from entering by samurai guards. Narrowing his eyes at the blatant disrespect to the Hokage of Konoha by the Daimyo of Fire Country with the guards stationed outside the chamber, Naruto was ready to enter the room by force.

"Stop!" Sakura called out startling everyone around them, "This is the matter of the capital so the priority is given as such."

"Even the guards?" Naruto asked pointedly.

"It's unorthodox," She nodded in acknowledgement, "But how much do you want to bet the Daimyo is not aware of this?"

Paying close attention to the uniform of the now tensed guards he noticed the patches from East of the Fire country. Recalling the history of various Generals of the capital he remembered the overly militaristic views of one of the advisors sitting inside. From what he had read about the man, he was similar to Danzo on his views about governance.

Suddenly recollecting a piece of information from the dossier Jiraiya gave him to study Naruto grabbed Sakura's attention through the link, [He is also one of those blood purists.]

[What?]

[Yeah, I remember reading about it.]

[The whole thing makes sense now,] Sakura replied shaking her head.

"Still…" Naruto uttered loud enough for everyone around them to hear.

"It's not your decision to make. You are not in power right now, Naruto," Sakura stated with a deliberately barbed voice to hold him off.

"Sakura is right, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted their conversation, "You will stand down…right now is not the time for the use of force."

"Who said anything about using force?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow, "It's about sending a message…Nobody can come in here and try to usurp Baachan's authority."

"Nobody is doing that," Asuma cut in, "You don't know whether Tsunade-sama allowed it or not."

"In a military village? Run by Baachan…you think she would allow someone else to guard the chamber?"

"Others are guarding the chamber, Naruto" Kakashi pointed out.

Looking at the guards he answered back, "I know ANBU has this place surrounded like nobody's business," Seeing the tensing of the guard's shoulders he was about to go on before being interrupted by an individual exiting the chamber from a side door.

"What is going on here?" Wearing the clothes of the Daimyo's administration said person asked as he neared the group.

"Hamano-san," Sakura walked out of the middle as she recognized the man's voice.

Spotting the pink haired teenager, Hamano bowed deeply, "Princess Sakura, it is good to see you again."

Embarrassed at such a deep bow Sakura replied, "Please Hamano-san, call me Sakura. Princess feels weird."

Smiling at her demeanor he shook his head, "I am sorry Princess but decorum needs to be followed at all times. I would be honored to address you as per your instructions in private…if that's all right with you."

Sighing in defeat Sakura just nodded her head. Interrupting the conversation Naruto stepped forward addressing the Daimyo's staffer, "Hamano-san, why are Samurai guarding the chamber entrance?"

Hearing the question, he took a closer look at the guards. Recognizing the symbol on their lapels he asked them, "What are the guards of the General of the East doing here?"

"We have been ordered to guard the chamber," The leader of the samurai guards replied with his hand on his sword.

"Who ordered you?"

"Whom do you think?" The soldier asked haughtily, "My lord of course."

"Then leave," Hamano intoned, "This is under the jurisdiction of the Hokage and the Royal Guard."

Scoffing at the order, the leader of the Samurai freed the blade from his scabbard, "We do not take orders from you…You would do well to remember that."

Seeing the narrowed eyes of the teenager Hamano remembered the new Princess and the blonde were apprentices of two of the strongest ninja in the world. Considering they had just killed Orochimaru drove the point home for anyone that they were dangerous.

Placating the blonde haired teenager Hamano stepped in front of him before he did anything rash, "Naruto-san, I understand your anger but let me take care of it."

"They are not important enough for you to even acknowledge them," Hamano shrugged as the guards bristled at the insult, "If you will please wait, I will personally bring the royal guards here."

Hearing the conversation from his perch hidden in the corner of the roof, Yamato materialized in front of Kakashi, "Senpai, the royal guards were dispatched to make rounds of the village."

Recognizing the voice Naruto understood the message loud and clear. He wasn't sure what game the advisor was trying to play but he wanted to make sure everyone knew that messing with Konoha was not in their best interest.

Thinking about the situation, Hamano recognized the signs of anger in Naruto's face. Knowing that leaving the situation would only make it worse he asked, "Kakashi-san, would it be possible to call the Royal Guards back here?"

Nodding his head in answer, Kakashi indicated to Yamato to message the ANBU keeping an eye on the Royal guard. It was a ninja village, no other force was allowed to roam free without supervision anymore especially after the debacle during the war with Suna and Oto.

"They are on the way," Yamato intoned through the mask before going back to his hiding spot.

"I hope this satisfies you Naruto-san. Rest assured the royal guards along with ninja from Konoha will be assigned to guard the chamber." Hamano looked at Naruto to make sure there was no commotion.

Then turning towards Sakura he spoke once more, "Princess, your presence will soon be required in front of the council. Would you please join me?"

"Certainly, Hamano-san. Please give me a minute to talk to Naruto first." Receiving a nod of acceptance from the senior aide of the Daimyo, Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him to the side.

Activating a privacy shield for show, she looked at Naruto, [Why are you so intent on this? It's not like they can do anything?]

[That's not the point, Sakura-chan,] Naruto shook his head, [This was a deliberate insult to Baachan. This kind of thing cannot be allowed.]

[You think the ANBU commander isn't aware that no Konoha ninja was visibly guarding the gate?] Sakura asked with exasperation.

[That's the problem, Sakura-chan. It means that Baachan is not aware of it since she would have never allowed it in the first place. You can't set a precedent like this no matter what.]

Thinking about his past life he continued, [I didn't allow it to happen when I was governing and our time was a lot peaceful. For an ANBU commander to allow it shows complacency and incompetence.]

Listening to his reasoning, she asked him a simple question, [You really want to make a big deal out of it?]

[You don't like it?] He asked a question of his own.

Sighing she sent her love to him through the bond to let him know she understood his point of view, [No, I really don't since it gives our enemies something against us.]

[Then what do you have in mind?]

[We let Shishou deal with the security issue. Our job should be to show her the problem.]

Deactivating the barrier she subtly wove a Genjutsu around the guards making them stand at attention to the side of the entrance. Recognizing the illusion Sakura saw the rigidity within the stances of the Shinobi. Smiling to calm them down Sakura sedately walked towards the aide of the Daimyo, "Hamano-san, I am sorry but I am going to take a different approach."

Without giving him a chance to ask a question, she turned towards the group that she came with, "I am going inside and I want you all to come with me…as my friends."

Turning around once more, she walked towards the main doors to the chamber. She knew without turning around that Naruto was right behind her and she could feel the presence of the rest of the group as they ambled together behind her.

Smiling at the trust shown in her, Sakura was surprised to find Hamano walking past the group reaching the door before her. At her unasked question, he shrugged his shoulders, "You are not the first Princess I had to deal with but I think it's alright for me to say that it will be a pleasure serving you."

With that he turned around and opened the door with a flourish. Quickly entering the chamber he stood to the side allowing the rest of the group to go inside. Walking beside his wife, Naruto immediately noticed everyone's eyes on them. Looking around the chamber he recognized the room mainly used during times of war. In this case the presence of the Daimyo and his council required all the pomp.

Observing the chamber he recognized the various clan heads from Konoha along with the elders and the Hokage sitting on one side while the advisors to the Daimyo sat opposite them. At Tsunade's questioning look he winked at her mischievously before the atmosphere was shattered by one of the councils.

"What is the meaning of this?" An advisor stood up from his seat, "This is a meeting of distinguished people. Who gave you permission to enter?"

Before anyone could reply, Hamano came to the forefront of the group and bowed, "My apologies, honored Council...Advisor Heike-sama but may I present the Princess of the Fire country, Haruno Sakura-sama as requested."

"It hasn't been decided whether she is the true heir to the throne yet," Heike pointed out with narrowed eyes, "You would do well to remember the standard procedure."

"Of course sir, I apologize," Hamano replied promptly.

"Advisor Heike, I am at a loss regarding your refusal to accept the presence of an heir to the Crown," The Daimyo spoke from his seat in the middle of the Council chamber, "All the requirement have been met so what is your reason against the inauguration?" The Daimyo asked with an uncharacteristically seriously face.

"Daimyo-sama, I am but your humble servant but the rules have to be followed," Heike answered with a solemn voice, "Sire, throughout the evidence presented to the council there was no mention of the mother. We do not know whether she was a commoner or not."

"The mother died during child-birth Advisor Heike," Tsunade replied to move the conversation along, "We are hardly to find anything about her now."

"Presicely, Hokage," Heike crowed loudly, "Without that identity we cannot let anyone be an heir otherwise the legitimacy of the throne would be in doubt."

Turning towards the leader of the country he started once more, "Daimyo-sama, only people of royal blood can ascend the throne."

"And she has royal blood in her…Hokage-dono has tested it herself," The Daimyo cut in sharply, "That's good enough for us."

Seeing that the Daimyo was getting angry, Heike knew he had to get other advisors under his side. He wanted to create doubt on the legitimacy of the heir to change the mind of the ruler of Fire country. He was surprised to find such a fire lit under the usually complacent and cowardly ruler. Though he should have realized the man was such a weakling that the thought of dying might have made him grow a spine, even if it was only there to make sure he survived.

"Sire, I understand your point of view but-"

Interrupting Heike's argument, another advisor rose from his seat, "Advisor Heike, with the death toll in the capital I am sure people will understand if we tell them the evidence regarding the mother was destroyed."

As other advisors talked amongst themselves, Tsunade spoke once more, "That is a reasonable assumption, Advisor Watanabe. With the death toll, I am sure the population will understand."

"They might understand right now but what about when the capital has settled down? If it came out that the mother is a commoner, people might revolt," Another advisor on the right of Watanabe spoke.

"I think the opposite would happen," Shikaku spoke from the other side, "People will love the fact they have a Princess who can understand them, considering till now she has lived a happy life as one of them."

"That might be so, Nara-san," Heike replied with narrowed eyes, "But we cannot allow commoners to think that anyone can become the ruler of the Fire Nation."

"And no one is doing that, Advisor Heike," Inoichi answered with a controlled voice, "It has been spread all over the nation that the Princess is the daughter of the late Crown Prince."

"Daughter of the Crown Prince and someone we don't know anything about," Heike looked around the council, "For all we know the mother could be a whore-"

As soon as those words were uttered a wave of pressure enveloped the chamber as Naruto unleashed his killing intent. As the very walls shook at their foundation the Daimyo found himself rooted to his seat having trouble breathing from the intensity of the bloodlust. The rest of the seated advisors were faring no better as they sat on their seats wide eyed.

Struggling to keep himself seated, Shikaku found himself clenching his fist from the flight or fight response his body was giving off. The sheer pressure he felt from the killing intent left him flabbergasted. He had read about Shodaime having the ability to freeze his opponents from sheer intent alone, he never thought he would ever feel anything like it against himself once more. The Kyuubi attack 15 years ago was the first time where he felt the terrifying killing intent.

Looking around he noted his teammates were faring no better. Watching other he saw the wide eyes of Hyuuga Hiashi trying to fight against the pressure, while Shibi was trying to control his insects as they buzzed around him. Looking at Tsume, he was glad Kuromaru wasn't here otherwise he wasn't sure what the canine would have done.

Turning his gaze upon the group that came in he saw most of them were standing there in sheer terror while Akamaru was trying to burrow in the ground. Seeing Asuma, Gai and Kakashi were faring no better than him he was about to call out the ANBU but the sight of Kurenai calmly standing there surprised him. Seeing Sakura's hand covered in a green glow against her stomach left him breathless. He understood she was deflecting the killing intent from Team Eight's Sensei, to protect the baby.

He watched as she moved away from Kurenai and brought her hand to Naruto's shoulder. As the pressure dissipated, he inhaled deeply to get oxygen into his lungs. Once in control he noted the staggered looks on the chamber's occupants as they stared at Naruto.

'The intent was so strong the past few seconds seemed like a lifetime,' He thought finally understanding the difference in strength between the teenagers of Team Kakashi when compared to the rest of the generation.

Interrupting his contemplation, he heard Inoichi speak in a dazed voice, "What the heck was that?"

"I…" Chouza replied as he failed to come up with an answer.

With an abrupt drop in pressure, the Daimyo and his advisors took in gulps of air trying to control their heartbeats. As everyone came to their senses, they watched Sakura slowly walk towards the Daimyo. Observing the way she walked Shikaku thought she looked almost ethereal, covered in black she was distant from the image of a Princess to be. But watching her, he realized there was something regal about her.

It was very hard to pin-point but the way she held herself seemed like she was meant to be a Queen. It was as if she was used to people staring and pointing at her. With her head held high he saw her reach the Daimyo and kneel down in front of him.

Knowing she held the attention of the whole room, Sakura thought about what she wanted to say. When Naruto unleashed his power, she had quickly moved back to deflect the pressure off Kurenai so that the baby wasn't affected. She understood Naruto's anger especially when Heike called her mother a whore. He might not have meant Haruno Mebuki but to the both of them it was the same.

She knew she had to take away Heike's wings from under him to keeps doubts to a minimum. The only thing she could come up with to thwart his plan was her next course of action. Taking a second to think about it she searched through the bond she shared with Naruto. He was her rock especially at times like this when she was doubtful of her ability to do something. Thinking back to her training in the other realm, she kept her teacher's words in mind.

'Your strength does not come from the techniques you know but the bonds you make…Listen to others, watch them, learn from them and if you can teach them. Breathe life into your connections and protect those bonds with your life…make the world see you Sakura.'

'Make the world look to you to shine light in the darkness,' Recalling the words of her teacher, she raised her head to look at the head of the Fire country, "Daimyo-sama, I understand that there is doubt regarding my blood and nobility."

"I can't do anything about that," She dipped her head towards the advisors, "I know there will always be doubters."

"And I can only think of one way to counter them," Taking off her headband she held it in front of her, "When I got this headband, I took an oath to protect and serve Konoha even if I had to lay my life on the line for it," Tightening her hold on the forehead protector she continued, "If you will allow me then I would like to extend that oath to the whole of Fire Nation."

With a determined grit to her voice she went on, "To the last man, woman and child I will live to serve and protect. I will be the Kunoichi of the people. A Kunoichi Princess for the Fire Nation."

The ruler of the Fire country found himself mesmerized by the resolve in the eyes of the pink haired teenager. Reminding himself that she was his Grand-daughter he couldn't help but feel his chest fill with pride. He felt small as he remembered his thoughts over the years about his power and position as the head of a nation. That a 15 year old girl was willing to put her life on the line for something she deemed important gave him a lot of heart. Even though his reasons behind the decision were selfish, the decision itself felt like it was the right one.

Bending down he held Sakura as they both stood up. Nodding his head he acknowledged her message, "I am honored to accept your pledge, Grand-daughter."

Turning his head he faced the people in the chamber, "From this day onward let it be known far and wide that I, Tokugawa Ieyasu proclaim Haruno Sakura as the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation."

As he finished his words the whole of the room rang out in thunderous applause. Looking around he noticed a few of his advisors and some council members from Konoha were less enthusiastic about it. But the Shinobi in the room, the heads of the Clans, his administrators and the Hokage of Konoha were indeed very happy at the news.

Looking out the still open doors he saw a line of people had gathered around the building. If he was reading the situation correctly his words were being spread throughout the village. Feeling euphoric regarding his decision, he raised his hands to ask for silence. As people settled down, he made another announcement, "This is the first time in the history of the Fire nation that a royal heir is also a trained Kunoichi."

Facing his grand-daughter he smiled, "Sakura you are now more than the Kunoichi of the Leaf. From now on, you are a Shinobi of the Fire Country. A symbol of a stronger bond between the Capital and the Village of Konoha."

Overlooking the crowd he continued, "This is a new beginning for Konoha and the Fire Nation. Let us make sure these bonds are never broken."

"Here, here." The people shouted around the room as the Royal Guard who had run inside when Naruto unleashed his intent tapped their weapons on the ground, while the Council members banged their fists on the table.

Raising his voice he declared, "People of Konoha, Fire Nation and the world beyond, I present to you, Crown Princess Sakura."

As the people around her celebrated her inclusion in the royal family, Sakura looked at Naruto across the table as he celebrated with the rest of their friends. Feeling his euphoria through the bond she met his eyes, giving him a wink at the happy grin on his face she took a deep bow in front of everyone.

Feeling giddy Sakura caught Tsunade's eye to find her smiling happily as well. Walking towards her teacher she was surprised by the sudden embrace of the Hokage of Konoha as she reached her. As Tsunade pulled back she nodded to her student, "I am so proud of you, Sakura. That was a beautiful oath."

"Thank you, Shishou."

Watching the embrace between the master and student, Naruto asked with a teasing smile, "Baachan can we meet our Princess as well or are you going to hog her all day?"

Releasing her hold on Sakura she smiled, "Go enjoy yourself," Facing Naruto she shook her head at his impish grin.

Remembering his antics beforehand, she stopped him with a warning, "We will talk about proper etiquette, when dealing with nobles later, brat."

Acknowledging her admonition with uncharacteristic seriousness, he dragged Sakura with him to join their friends.

Remembering Jiraiya's words when he worried about Naruto being in the centre of events she couldn't help but feel the same way about Sakura. It was a very big deal to go from being a Kunoichi from a civilian family to be a Princess of a whole country. Remembering the speech gave her heart that her student was ready for the challenge.

Getting out of her introspection she felt Shikaku's presence near her, "You have trained her well, Tsunade-sama."

"That was all her, Shikaku. I had no role in that."

"Then I think Konoha and Fire country is in good hands. She will make a fine Princess," Shikaku replied observing the teenagers surrounding Sakura.

"Let's hope so. Our challenges are just beginning but I have hope...Naruto and Sakura might just change this world of ours," Tsunade whispered with a serene smile.

Looking towards the Daimyo she saw him observing Sakura with a surprised expression on his face. She knew he had never seen a royal heir mingle with regular people with such ease before. After all, children with royal blood were usually hidden for their safety. Observing the teenagers acting like children she couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She could feel the times changing, she needed to make sure Konoha changed as well. She just hoped Naruto and Sakura would use it to take the village and the country to new heights of prosperity.

***OMT***

Well here it is. Sorry about the wait once again. I seriously thought I posted this chapter already.

Anyway, I know it is a transition chapter but I thought it was needed. With the fight the last chapter and Sakura being a Fire Princess is a big deal so I wanted to show how other characters deal with it, especially people around Naruto and Sakura. Of course their problems needed to be tackled as well. I know some of you may think the inauguration was done really quickly but the reason behind it will come up in the next chapter. I don't know what else to say to justify my reasoning behind the chapter.

Thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. It was so much fun reading them. I am glad there are so many people enjoying the story.

For now the only thing I can say is I hope you guys are here for the next chapter as well.

Please review. It's one of the thing that makes it really fun to write a story.