Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the material relating to Pokégirls.

A/N: I'm glad to see that people are taking to this story. Hopefully this will inspire more Pokégirl-themed fanfiction and if so…THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRAVERY! Now then, I wish to thank the few people who have given their ideas to me in their reviews in regards to Pokégirl ideas and who should be what. I've taken them into consideration and they really inspired more plot for this fanfiction.

A shout out to X Abbodon X and his own fanfiction "A New Frontier" I'm a serious follower of that fanfiction and if you people like this kind of story, then definitely take some time to read his work, because it is one of the best Pokégirl-fanfiction I have seen thus far. There are others, I'm not forgetting them, but this is one of the few that actually updates pretty regularly. So give his story a chance and leave him some good reviews for all the work he's put into it, thank you!

xXx

Chapter 4

Things had been very different for the people of Konoha when the excavation teams began to literally dig out the side of the Hokage Monument. It amazed the shinobi and citizens who were needed for the actually digging just how vast the discovered laboratory was. They had to re-dig in another section of the base to keep from unearthing too much of the mountain as the laboratory practically expanded under the entire monument. It was soon decided that it was better to just restore the laboratory and leave it where it was than to try and move all the equipment out. The Sandaime supervised everything. From the handling of equipment to the supervising of information that he allowed to be accessed from the surviving databanks of the supercomputers that managed to stay functional over the course of time.

It turned out it wasn't that hard to restore what equipment had corroded. Once they realized it followed the same basic equipment that they had, such as television and radios, they were quickly able to replace any old wiring they found was beyond repair. Standing with them all had been Naruto. The Sandaime had explained to the newly recognized Namikaze that he would now be under his apprenticeship from now on, and he would aid in overseeing his family's legacy was handled properly. What really helped them speed up the process of restoring the lab was when the Sandaime had awoken more Pokégirls from the hibernation chamber. Some of them weren't all young Pokékits like the first three that were awakened.

The first few that were awoken were a breed called NurseJoys and OfficerJennys. It seemed that whoever had sealed away these Pokégirls wanted to make sure that there was a way for the survivors of mankind to have a way of taking care of any surviving Pokégirls, tamed or wild. The NurseJoys they found helped in showing how to use the healing technology they found and replicate them to create something they kept referring to as 'Pokecenters'. The concept was confusing at first, but then once they had explained the sufficience they held for a class of people labeled as 'Tamers', they soon decided it was important to create a Pokecenter in Konoha as the one in the laboratory wouldn't be efficient enough or easily accessible for any injured Pokégirl they may have to heal.

The OfficerJennys turned out to be very useful to the Uchiha Police Corp. The breed intermingled surprisingly well with the prideful clan as they showed great respect to them and stated how important it was for them to maintain law and order. To add to it, they showed the village's police force methods that had long been forgotten when dealing with the criminal element and use of detective skills, plus how to combat feral Pokégirls that they may run into out in the wilds, or by what the Jennys liked to classify as 'corrupted' Tamers. It amazed the Uchihas even further just how strong this breed was and the amount of intelligence they possessed.

It was almost a match with the Nara clan when it came to strategy as Shikaku had tested one of them with a simple game of shogi; which they were surprisingly very familiar with the game. Shikaku had broken out in a sweat as he had found himself hard pressed to beat the OfficerJenny, just barely winning after nearly losing all his pieces. Having such a powerful and intelligent breed of Pokégirl had made the Uchiha clan welcome them warmly into their police force, and it would become standard practice that an Uchiha officer be paired with an OfficerJenny, which would be joined by another breed of Pokégirl they called a "Growlie'. Once it was discovered these Pokégirls could use fire-based attacks, it only added to the Uchiha clan's delight to add them to their forces.

The Uchihas had some trouble with the Inuzaki clan when the Growlies were discovered were crossbred with a type of canine. The clan believed they were best able to tend to the breed as their clan revolved around using ninken, having been challenged by Tsume's husband who desired to have the Pokégirls become incorporated into the Inuzaki clan, and only them. It was finally settled after Tsume had been reasoned that the Growlies would be more affective with the OfficerJennys, and there were plenty of other canine-like Pokégirls that would be better suited to the Inuzaki clan. Tsume's husband had not been so rational about the final decision. He had tried to force the issue but once Tsume had laid into him that he did not run the clan, the man had decided to leave, voicing the clan had become too tamed for his liking and took his ninken and vanished into the night, and unfortunately being labeled a missing-nin.

The NurseJoys turned out to be the greatest asset they had discovered so far. The doctors could not believe the advancement in medicine the old world had achieved after the NurseJoys had begun showing the plans of creating the equipment used for restoring Pokégirls, even from certain death. They even showed the human doctors how to improve their own techniques when it came to healing wounded humans, and they themselves were eager to learn the chakra-techniques that focused on healing. Seeing the advancements in the hospital, Sarutobi started to see a problem growing. None of the doctors were really fit enough to keep up with a NurseJoy. The NurseJoys knowledge in medicine was staggering! It would take some time before they could really implement their techniques to actual field use. Seeing this as a serious issue, Sarutobi saw he would be forced to recall another student of his that had not ended up so well, Senju Tsunade: The Slug Sannin of the Legendary Three Sannin.

She was renowned for her skills as a medic and devising elixirs that could cure even the deadliest of poisons…but was also the world's worst gambler and a heavy drinker. Sadly, she had left the village after suffering too much personal loss and had developed a phobia that had made her skills practically uselessly, homophobia; the fear of blood. It was understandable as she had tried to save the life of her lover, only to have him die before her with his blood staining her hands. She had also lost her younger brother to a mission that had gone horribly wrong. These tragedies had made her heart cold and bitter to everything her family had stood for, particularly the position of Hokage. She had voiced some opinions that would have made her grandfather the Shodaime weep in sadness, but Sarutobi had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt as she had suffered so much.

But things were no longer the same and he needed every shinobi at his disposal to make this project work. Hopefully, the time she had spent outside of the village had lessened her bitterness, but he had a feeling it hadn't. If she refused then he would have no choice but to use his position to force her back, at the very least, demand her only apprentice, Shizune, who had accompanied her sensei when she left the village, to return as she had not really been officially granted to leave the village. Her status has been left as 'inactive' since she left the village, but if she did not return, then she would have to place her and her master both as missing-nins…and if what he heard about her latest exploits were indeed correct, then he might be able to bribe her back as the Sannin had built up a huge amount of debt with various casinos she visited.

At least that would help solve one of his problems. Another issue that was quickly rising up was one he had expected all too well, and that was the increasing hostility from the citizens of Konoha, namely within the female populace. Once the full nature of the Pokégirl race had been revealed to the entire village, an uproar rose up with the women when it was learned what was required to keep the village's Pokégirls from going feral. Already there were petitions arriving in his office to 're-educate' the Pokégirls they were awakening and teach them how to be 'normal' members of society. It seemed they thought it could be trained out of them to not rely on taming to maintain their self-personalities. Many were outwardly voicing to get rid of the creatures before they corrupted all the menfolk and turned them into what all women hated the most: perverts.

As if that was not bad enough, the citizens were placing the blame entirely on young Naruto, as it was because of his lineage that led to the discovery of the Pokégirl race. Feeling it was a trick of the Kyuubi in destroying their village by corrupting its people. This was just a minor issue right now as none of the civilians that lived in the village would be directly handling the Pokégirls that were being awoken from their long slumber, especially the Pokékits. He would not allow the biased ideals of the old generation to poison the new. That was the mistake he made already with Naruto…he wouldn't allow another child, human or Pokékit to suffer like that again. He had selected his most trusted Anbu members to personally guard the young ones, allowing the other Pokégirls to tend to them until he could figure out a better system to integrate them safely into normal village life.

He was currently in his office with Naruto sitting on the couch practicing his kanji and writing them out. His Pokékits were with him and learning how to read kanji as well, as much of it had differed from the old world's version. They had started to adapt nicely to the new kind of world. One of them was each girl was wearing shinobi battle-outfits. It had taken some convincing to get them to understand that they couldn't go around un-attired, or put plainly, naked. They didn't wish to give the civilians more ammunition to use against them with allowing the Pokégirls or kits to go about in the nude.

The Charamanda had taken to only wearing black shorts with fishnet running down her legs and over her chest, wearing a black tank-top to cover her chest. The Vulvixx had chosen an orange battle-kimono; having picked orange when she learned their Tamer was very fond of that color. The Kitten had expressed she wasn't fond of that color, but she also wore a battle-kimono, only in a light brown to compliment her tan fur. None of them cared for footwear as their feet were tougher than an average human's. Naruto had seen that his Vulvixx and Kitten wore panties, seeing how short their kimonos were, he didn't want them to accidentally flash people when a gust of wind blew by; it would defeat the whole purpose of making them wear clothes.

Sarutobi started to get up and see how well they were progressing when a knock came from his door just before his secretary entered and bowed.

"Hokage-sama, Hyuga Hiashi has come to request a private meeting with you," she said.

"Hmm, bring him in," Sarutobi said, then snapped his fingers. Beside him Kakashi appeared with his Anbu mask on. "Please take Naruto and his 'girls for a little walk. Let them get some fresh air."

"But I've almost got this perfected!" Naruto whined, looking down at the unfinished kanji he had worked on. His handwriting was finally starting to look legible and he was eager to do more.

"You'll have plenty of time to improve your writing, Naruto. Trust me, but why don't you take your 'girls and get something to eat. Go to that ramen stand you like and order whatever you wish, my treat," Sarutobi offered with a gentle smile.

"YATTA!" Naruto cheered, completely forgetting his lessons in favor of getting free ramen.

"All right, gang, hop on and we'll shunshin out of here," Kakashi said as he walked over to them.

They had quickly learned that Naruto hated putting his Pokékits in their pokeballs. He felt it was treating them like property rather than individuals, and the kits weren't all too happy about going into their balls either, having spent centuries sleeping away in them. To compromise the problem, Kakashi had allowed the kits and Naruto to hug onto him when they used shunshin to get somewhere, making almost a kind of game for them. Each one would quick latch onto one of his limbs; usually Naruto and his Kitten got his arms while the other two glomped his legs, acting like giggling weights. It was then his job to get around while they held onto him and see how long they could keep going like that until they got to their location.

Assuming their place on their favorite limbs, Kakashi bowed as best he could before he shunshined them all out of the office. Once they were gone, the Sandaime signaled to his waiting secretary to tell the clan leader he may enter. Walking in with his head raised regally, Hyuga Hiashi of the Hyuga Clan walked into the office with his hands folded into the sleeves of his white robe and bowed respectively to the Sandaime once he had approached the desk.

"Hokage-sama, I have an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you," Hiashi requested.

"Since you hardly ever come to my office by yourself, this must be a personal matter," Sarutobi quickly deduced. Normally, Hiashi would be accompanied by one of the other members of his clan, usually two, an elder and his twin brother, Hizashi. Whatever the situation it was that called on him appearing by himself had to be a personal matter.

Hiashi nodded to confirm he was correct. "Yes…it relates to my daughter…and my upcoming one."

"Yes, how is Hina doing with the pregnancy? I saw her last just a few weeks ago and she didn't look too well," Sarutobi said with concern.

"Yes…she is not faring well. Our clan healers are worried that she may not survive the pregnancy," Hiashi said and just a crack of emotion moistened his stoic, stern gaze. "…But my wife's health is not the main issue to why I have requested this meeting."

"Please, take a seat, Hiashi," Sarutobi offered and as an after though, sat up from his desk and went to his private shelf and pulled out a bottle of expensive lily-plum sake. He brought two cups with him and poured just a small amount into both cups and handed one to Hiashi, who confirmed a suspicion of his when the clan leader accept the cup and gulped down the hard liquid swiftly. Refilling the cup, Sarutobi adopted his fatherly persona and left the bottle with Hiashi and sat back down behind his desk. "Tell me…what is going on?"

"The elders…they have become paranoid since news of the creature Cocooner has been revealed to us. They feel that the clan is endanger of losing our Kekkei Genkai should a single member of our clan be taken, dead or alive, to this…this…Pokégirl," Hiashi stated and filled his cup and gulped another mouthful of the sake down. "They are talking about creating a new seal…and I fear one far worse than the Caged Bird Seal."

"What would this new seal do?" Sarutobi demanded, dropping the friendly exterior and replacing it with the steely attitude that had made him the leader of the Hidden Leaf for so many, long years.

"…If they proceed with making this new seal, it will turn my clansmen into nothing more than walking death traps," Hiashi said, almost starting to lose his composure.

"Explain!" Sarutobi commanded. "I want full details."

"Instead of sealing away the Kekkei Genkai, which would normally prevent our enemies from ever gaining the Kekkei Genkai…it would instead overcharge their chakra coil system and create a detonating affect that will kill anyone after a fallen Hyuga has died, destroying the body entirely, and taking out whoever was attempting to harvest the body," Hiashi explained. "In a sense, it is an upgraded version of an explosive tag."

Sarutobi could not help but stare at the Hyuga clan leader. He completely forgot his own drink and slammed his hand on the desk, sitting up angrily. "Do you realize what this means!?"

Hiashi nodded. "I know all too well, Hokage-sama…hence why I am here on my own accord."

"This is unthinkable! I realize how this new threat might scare your clan, as it would any one individual possessing a Kekkei Genkai, but to turn someone into a potential bomb?! This wouldn't just be a problem for the enemy. It would be an unacceptable risk to a comrade!" Sarutobi almost shouted, bearing down at Hiashi, who did not try to defend himself. "Are your clansmen so desperate to protect their secrets that they'd willingly force their people to become literal walking bombs?!"

"I am fully aware of what it means. I wish to prevent this tragedy before it can take root," Hiashi said, bowing his head sadly. "The elders have always done as they deem appropriate for the 'protection' of our clan. My position as clean leader is really just a joke. I cannot stop them if they wish to implement this course of action, and if I do try to stand in their way, then they will simply have me removed as head of the Hyuga Clan and take control of it themselves. What had finally forced my hand to come forth with this news to you, Hokage-sama, is of another danger this new seal may present."

"And what could be worse than what you have told me?" Sarutobi said, almost growling the words out. He was trying to contain his anger and not take it out on Hiashi. The man looked ready to break at any moment and yet the very idea that the Hyuga elders would go behind his back and implement a plan so barbaric and dangerous was too much for him to take.

"The seal, once perfected…will be made so it will be invisible and can be used…on anyone with a Kekkei Genkai," Hiashi revealed, and here the man started to break, leaning forward and placing his face in his hands. "They plan to test it on my daughter Hinata…use her as a guinea pig for the prototype. She…She failed a simple sparring session and they deemed her unfit right there, but I knew. They were only looking for someone to test it and they chose my daughter, because I had voiced my objection to this new seal!"

Sarutobi walked around the desk and placed a hand on Hiashi's back. "…I had no idea they would steep so low. If the Shodaime were still alive he would be too full of shame to look at what this village had become."

"Yes, he would. If they succeed in making the seal, then they will no doubt try and force the seal on every clan in Konoha," Hiashi predicted.

"Are they that arrogant? I knew the Uchiha were renowned for their pride…but I would never imagine the Hyugas would become this radical," Sarutobi murmured.

"With the news of these Pokégirls now appearing, and the threat of a creature that can steal secrets even from the sealed dead, yes. They have finally lost themselves to their paranoia," Hiashi said, almost starting to weep. The man was obviously under great distress and now that he had come out into the open with his clan's sins, he could not keep up his controlled exterior.

Right then, the Sandaime's secretary's voice rose up. "He is busy with a meeting and cannot be disturbed! Hey, let me go!"

The office door burst open and entered three Hyuga elders and approached the Sandaime without any permission.

Sarutobi turned to them with an outraged look. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"This doesn't concern you, Sandaime. We've merely come to escort Hiashi back to our compound. He had not alerted us to this meeting and must answer for his secrecy," an elder with a balding hairline stated, obviously appointing himself in charge of the group.

"If one of the village's clan leaders wishes to discuss 'anything' to me in private, he is well within his right to do so, regardless of clan rules or risk of violation," Sarutobi reminded the stoic bunch.

The balding elder sniffed indigently. "The Hyuga Clan has always settled its own matters. It does not need outsiders to aid in this."

"I think it does when the matter we were discussing regards to the safety and trust of every Kekkei Genkai member in the village," Sarutobi retorted harshly. There was no point playing around. These men knew exactly why Hiashi had come to him, and if he allowed these men to take Hiashi back to the compound, they would pass their own judgment on the poor man without fair trial.

"So…you betrayed us after all, Hiashi," one of the other elders, an elderly woman with her hair tied in a tight bun on top of her head. "You have brought only misfortune upon yourself."

Hiashi, regaining his calm, stoic compose, stood up and faced the elders with the same cold exterior he was renowned for. "As leader of our clan…yes, I betrayed you by revealing your plan. But I am also a father and I cannot bear the thought of my child, even my unborn one, to suffer from the cruel fate you have divined against her." He stood proudly and showed no sign of shame. "And I am loyal to the Leaf…as all Hyuga should be. I did only what was best for the village, even if it means turning away from my own clan's ways."

"Then you have forsaken your place! You are no longer the leader of our prestigious clan! You will join your brother in the Branch side…as you should have been placed from the start!" the balding elder decreed, waving an arm out angrily. "Your entire family will be branded and you will be marked as cowards and dishonorable members among the Hyuga!"

Hiashi did not flinch at all from the verdict. "I accept the dishonor…but I refuse the punishment."

"You have no say! We will see…"

That was as far as the balding elder got until he suddenly started clutching his chest where Hiashi's palm had appeared out of nowhere. The elder looked right into Hiashi's blank, hard eyes as they froze over with apathy. "For my children and for all the children of Konoha…I will not allow you to continue your barbaric ways any further!" He watched as the elder's life slowly faded from his eyes, seeing the disbelieving look on his face as it locked on that expression as he died and fell to the floor.

"You…you killed him?!" the elder woman gasped just as she and her remaining fellow elder fell into their traditional fighting pose, staring down the clan leader with pure rage. "You have betrayed your clan and your village!"

Here Sandaime reminded the elders of his presence. He was suddenly beside the elder that had been silent the whole time with a kunai shoved into the man's kidney, killing him almost instantly. He did not pay any attention to the dead corpse as it collapsed to join its fellow cadaver on his office floor. "It seems I must remind this village who its leader is. The Hyuga does not make up the village nor do they pass judgment on its shinobi. Only the Hokage may decree final verdict…and as I am the Sandaime, the Kami No Shinobi, I will show this village exactly why I am its leader!"

He snapped his fingers and the Anbu members that had been patiently waiting to take action were immediately around the remaining Hyuga elder, their swords crossed around her neck and trapping her as they crisscrossed their blades with one another. Should she attempt to kill one of them, they would all strike as one and execute her right on the spot. They only stayed their blades until the Hokage, as he rightly put it, passed final judgment.

"Arrest her and take her to Ibiki. I want him to extract all she knows so we have a better idea of what they were planning with their improved seal," Sarutobi commanded, signaling with a wave of his arm.

As one, the Anbu shunshined out of the office, taking the elder with them.

Sarutobi looked down grimly at the dead bodies, walking over to his office and calling for a disposal team to come and collect the dead bodies to be properly incinerated. He would not give them any honorific funeral. Traitors to the village devised no remembrance.

"I will have a full squad of Anbu and inform the Uchiha Police Force to head for your compound and arrest the remaining elders and anyone who resists," Sarutobi stated, not leaving a hint in his voice that he would he was going to be lenient on the order to Hiashi.

Hiashi bowed his head, accepting his leader's decision. "I shall accompany the Main family to the prison cells then."

"No, Hiashi. Your actions saved this village from a great upset. Had those foolish elders been allowed to create their seal unopposed, it would have brought this village down in a civil war," Sarutobi said as he continued to stare at the dead bodies, then slowly locked his aged, but sharp eyes on the clan leader. "This is your chance to mend your household, Hiashi. You have unknowingly opened the cage your clan has locked themselves within."

That realization broke Hiashi's stoic exterior. He stared agape at the real implications of his actions and was nearly gawking in shock. He had done what many in his direct family line have tried to do since his clan joined Konoha: free itself from its own arrogance. "I…I did not think this would be possible. I only wanted to protect the village."

"And in doing so, you helped a part of your clan and your village, Hiashi," Sarutobi congratulated as he worked on pouring both of them another cup of sake. "I imagine you will find running your clan with more ease from now on."

Hiashi nodded in agreement after he drained his cup with a bit more composure and calmly placed it on the Sandaime's desk and stood up. "I best head back to my compound. The clan will be in a state of uproar and I must make sure both sides of the family understand what is going to happen."

Sarutobi gazed at him curiously. "…Do you plan to abolish the Caged-Bird Seal now?"

"I am. That seal has been a stain on my family and a reminder of times when we were…less civilized." A faint smile cracked his thin, tired lips. "My brother is going to faint when I deliver the news. His son was about to undergo the sealing in three days' time."

"Ah, now I am truly glad things had worked out this way!" Sarutobi cheered, finishing off his cup quickly in salute to the good fortune. Then his face set somewhat serious. "Hiashi…this may be an awkward moment to bring this up, but I need a favor to ask."

"What will this favor detail?" Hiashi asked curiously.

"It has to do with Naruto," Sarutobi replied cautiously. He understood many in the village did not like the boy. That hate wouldn't be surprised to be found in some of the clans, especially the clan leaders as they had lost many of their people when the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha. He wasn't sure yet of Hiashi's view on the boy, but as soon as he said the boy's name, the Hyuga raised his eyebrow in curiosity rather than frown.

"What of the Uzumaki boy?" Hiashi said with a normal tone with no hint of malice toward the child.

Satisfied now, Sarutobi bent forward on his desk as he rested his elbows on top of it. "This mission will be a long term one after you've settled matters with your clansmen. I need a pair of eyes on Naruto at all times, eyes that can see him no matter where he might get to. With this new project underway, I cannot spare too many Anbu to continue watching young Uzumaki as much as I'd like. He will have his own personal Anbu squad, but he will need more. I need your clansmen that are not on missions to help keep an eye on any civilians for any possible threat around Naruto, and just him. Where he goes, I want to know who seems to spend their time close to him. Who's watching him when he's not looking. He needs to be protected and I no longer can risk believing everyone in the village will act accordingly around him. This new event with the discovery of Pokégirls has only increased the animosity toward him."

"Are you referring to the Haruno clan?" Hiashi inquired with a deep frown. Since the discovery had been announced…and the nature of taking care of these magical creatures…the Haruno clan had been the most loudest in the protest of incorporating them into village life.

They honestly believed that the method used to keep the Pokégirls from going feral, was unneeded. It was something that could be worked out of them, so they could be decent, proper members of society. The Haruno Clan actually believed Pokégirls were just humans who were forced to be sex-slaves, but after Anubust had explained the true dangers of a feral Pokégirl, the Sandaime was not going to take that chance. Regardless, the Haruno Clan did not think there was any danger, feeling it was just part of the old world's conspiracy to keep the creatures under control.

But what made them a serious issue were their attempts to gain access to the Pokékits. They were pressing too hard to try and educate the young ones into their chosen mindset. Now, it was no unknown fact that many women hated anything that was openingly perverted, but the females of the Haruno clan were the worst. They held no punches when they encountered someone they felt was acting in a perverted way. Sarutobi's old student, Jiraiya of the Sannin, could attest to that and openingly admitted of staying clear away from all Haruno females, stating they were scarier than any other angry female he had the misfortune of pissing off, even more so than Tsunade.

It would not be surprising when the Haruno clan started targeting Naruto to either gain his trust, or get him to their way of thinking. Whatever they tried, none of it would be good for the boy or any Pokégirl. It was imperative that they did not have a chance influence the son of the Yondaime. Hiashi was never really fond of the Haruno from the start. Out of all the civilian clans that helped run the village, they thought themselves above the rest, including the shinobi who protected Konoha. The gull of them to think they were superior when none of them had ever spilt any of their blood for their own village.

Hiashi may not really understand the full nature of these Pokégirl creatures, but he knew they were better off under shinobi control than in the hands of reckless civilians. Although, technically Naruto was a civilian himself, since his heritage had been declared he would be protected by clan laws until he either forsook his clan or decided not to become a shinobi. Neither would happen as both men knew with Naruto. The boy was determined to become a shinobi of the same or greater caliber as his father, and what was more it was a burning desire to do so. Not for glory or for power, but because it was the right choice.

The boy was indeed his father's son.

Sarutobi nodded seeing once more Hiashi was onboard. "You can see my concern now. And it is not just them I worry about. I worry about other factors that will try to come after Naruto to gain more access to the lost knowledge."

"I assume you mean Danzo," Hiashi frown. It had been known since the Sandaime had taken the Hokage position, his rival in both politics and ethics, would seek to try and get his hands on as much as he could from the lost knowledge. Particularly if it might increase his chances to become the next Hokage.

"Him among others. But it will not be long before Orochimaru realizes that we, too, have gained access to the same knowledge he is working on wielding. And if things do not go well with the other Kages…I wish to make sure none of them try to abduct young Naruto," Sarutobi added with a grimaced look. "Things will be crazy enough as it is within the village. I need to make sure we can prevent as many incidents as possible."

"Once I have all the internal affairs in my clan straightened out, I will have my clan begin keeping surveillance over the young Namikaze," Hiashi declared.

"Then I will not hold you up any further," Sarutobi said and stood up from his desk as Hiashi did. "Many things will change, this is only the start."

Hiashi bowed and began making his way to door, wondering if this change to come would be for the better…or for the worst.

xXx

Out in the village, in a small ramen stand called Ichiraku, Naruto was downing his third bowl of ramen. His 'girls sat around him, having fought over who would get to sit next to him as there were only two available seats on either side of him. Naturally, the Charamanda assumed to take his right side, stating her claim as something called the 'Alpha' in the 'group'. She had really called it a harem, but a quick reminder from Kakashi had cautioned them to use 'safer words' around civilians, as they would not understand the true meaning behind the term. This left the Vulvixx and the Kitten to fight over who got Naruto's left side.

Sadly, the Vulvixx lost due to her shy nature as she could not compete with the Kitten's more direct and slightly forceful nature, (having squeezed the poor Vulvixx's butt to make her squeak and blush madly and look away from everyone in sheer embarrassment.) This gave the Kitten enough time to slip into the seat on Naruto's left, claiming her victory of being the potential 'Beta', leaving the Vulvixx last in line. She had been depressed that she would be considered the last girl in Naruto's line-up, but a quick reminder from the Charamanda that Naruto would have to get more girls at some point will mean she won't be the last one for long…or until she grew a pair and kicked the Kitten's ass and claim the Beta position for herself.

Kakashi sat nearby the small group, lounging next to the Charamanda with his Anbu mask on as he was still technically on duty. The chef had offered to fix him a meal for free, but Kakashi politely declined. He needed to keep all his senses on alert in case of danger and eating would be a distraction and the digestion would hamper his reflexes. As it was, he already picked up fifteen potential threats from some of the civilians who walked by the stand. One had even tried to come right up to the booth and looked ready to do something violet, but as soon as Kakashi was seen in his full Anbu uniform, any intention was quickly forgotten and wandered off.

It might have seemed like a dull and boring mission to play bodyguard for the little whiskered-face blonde, but Naruto was anything but ordinary. With the mixed feelings everyone had with him being the container of the Kyuubi and the son of the Yondaime, the entire village was confused on how to respond to him. Some had just dropped their hostility and acted downright kiss-asses as they didn't want any bad blood with the Yondaime's son. Others had increased their hatred for the boy, seeing it as nothing more than a trick the Kyuubi was playing on everyone to ensure its survival. What these fools keep forgetting was if Naruto was the fox, they would all be slaughtered in a heartbeat…

But there were some that were starting to get to know the young boy as the person that he was. It was very slow going and hopefully it would pick up speed with the years to come. The first were Naruto's Pokékits. They were the first to actually get past the goofy mask he wore to hide his real emotions. Having finally made a connection with someone, even creatures of a long forgotten era, had done wonders in improving he boy's outlook in life. The next, of course, were the chef and his young daughter, Ayame, who although had known the boy longer than the Pokékits only rated second as they could only give the boy a break on the food they served him and welcomed him wholeheartedly whenever he showed up. The third was the Sandaime himself.

The boy had been very forgiving of why the Sandaime had tried to hide the boy's heritage and shown remarkable maturity for understanding the importance of the secrecy needed. It still hurt the boy knowing that all that time that the man he considered his adoptive grandfather had known who he really was and who his parents were, but time would easily patch up that mistrust, especially now that the Sandaime was breaking his back to make sure Naruto truly became the hero his father, the Yondaime, wanted him to be. Now seeing his sensei's son look so happy and with friends, even if they weren't human, Kakashi was very happy for Naruto.

Unfortunately, his pleasant mood shifted when he suddenly sensed multiple chakra signatures all moving wildly from a nearby location. 'Wait…that area…that's the Hyuga Compound!'

Naturally, Kakashi's first instinct was to leave to investigate what was going on and see if he could help, but his primary orders was to safeguard Naruto and his Pokékits at all times. Were he not so aware of the village's take on Naruto's 'girls, Kakashi would feel he could risk an hour to go look. Knowing better now, he would just have to wait and hope whatever is going on turns out all right. Yet with the potential danger nearby, Kakashi couldn't risk this being a distraction set up in hopes of getting Naruto and his 'girls.

Thinking quick on his feet, Kakashi looked up at the chef just as he was almost finished with Naruto's next round. "Could you make that into a double and to go?"

"No problem," Teuchi replied and started on the improved order.

"Awww, but I was hoping to eat more!" Naruto complained softly.

"I know, I know…but on such a beautiful day I thought we might…!"

Any excuse that Kakashi was working on to get Naruto back to the Namikaze Compound died in his throat when his instincts started screaming. Sensing the danger, Kakashi scooped up all Naruto and the Pokékits at a blindingly speed and yanked them out of the ramen stand. Just as he did, a body went flying right where they were sitting and crashed against the counter. Looking at the person who was thrown, he quickly spotted a Uchiha fan symbol on the man's coat. Kakashi whipped his had in the direction the Uchiha was thrown and saw a panting Hyuga, an older one, standing in the middle of the street…in his arm was a very young girl.

The Hyuga saw Kakashi and snarled at the Anbu. "Don't stand against me, Anbu! You won't stand chance against a true Hyuga!" the elderly man said dangerously.

Kakashi didn't pay his words any mind, he was looking at the girl in the man's arm. She appeared to be unconscious. Kakashi's suspicions were answered when the thrown Uchiha pulled out of the ramen stand, holding his bleeding right arm.

"Anbu-san! The Hokage ordered the arrest of the Hyuga elder council! That man tried to make a break for it with the clan leader's daughter!" the Uchiha said quickly.

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. "So that's what's going on here. Well, then…" Kakashi looked at the Hyuga elder. "What do you have to say about that?"

"I say if you come near me, you'll endanger this weak, pathetic excuse of a Hyuga offspring!" the elder threatened, holding two figures at the base of the little girl's skull where it met the neck.

"So that's how it is…" Kakashi murmured, looking at those fingers. No doubt if he made a single move, that elder would jab those fingers in the girl's neck and kill her instantaneously.

He glanced over at the Uchiha next to him, seeing—like him—he was already working out a strategy on how to take the dangerous elder out, but Kakashi wasn't sure if the Uchiha was thinking of ways that ended with the little girl making out of this alive. As if sensing Kakashi's worry, the Uchiha stepped closer to him. "Whatever we do, we need to get the child away from that lunatic."

Glad to see they were of the same mind, Kakashi could relax there. "Got any ideas?"

"…If she's on time," the Uchiha murmured under his breath.

"She?" Kakashi uttered before his ears were suddenly bombarded by the loudest, most ear-piercing noise he had ever heard in his life.

The horrible noise startled the elder, and forgetting himself, dropped his hostage to free his arms to cover his to block out the painful sound. That was his biggest mistake. The Uchiha appeared to have been waiting for that to happen as he dashed into action. He darted start for the elder and then tackled the man to the ground, kunai in hand and pressing it right on the man's throat.

"Try anything and I make a new breathing hole in your throat," the Uchiha hissed.

The elder looked around wildly as he tried to figure out what happened. "W-What was that?"

"That would be me, criminal!" a perky, yet authoritative voice answered.

A woman dropped down, wearing an Uchiha Police Force uniform like the Uchiha and stood at attention and saluted to Kakashi. She wasn't an Uchiha herself as her hair or eyes were not the traditional colors of anyone from the clan. Her hair was a shade of blue, almost turquoise and her eyes were green.

"Excuse me while I aid in apprehend this criminal!" the woman said, and then produced a set of handcuff almost from nowhere and kneeled down to slap them on the elder's wrists after she wrestled to get his arms behind his back. The Uchiha worked with her while keeping the kunai at the elder's throat, not able to do much else with his busted arm.

"Good work, Kiko-chan!" the Uchiha praised, looking over at the girl with a warm smile.

Kiko smiled proudly with a blush on her face after receiving such high praise. "All in the line of work, Kuro-kun!"

Kakashi looked closer at the girl. "You're one of the OfficerJennys that had just joined the Uchiha Police Force, aren't you?"

Kiko smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir! Office Kiko at your service!"

Kakashi smiled, showing only in his one visible eye, but then he suddenly looked curiously at the duo. "What was that noise earlier? It was like a flock of birds dying all at once."

Kiko giggled and produced a small silver object that hung on a chained necklace. It was narrow and cylinder in shape with a flat end on one end. "Riot Whistle. It was used to strike fear into the hearts of all criminals who try and break the law."

"Scared me shitless when I first heard it, too," Kuro admitted as he slapped a chakra dampener tag on the back of the elder's head. "I thought the sky was crashing down on me after she used it. I figured it might have that same effect on someone who never heard one of those things go off."

Kakashi chuckled nervously as he adverted his eye. "Well…you were correct."

Kuro and Kiko laughed and with the OfficerJenny's help, they picked up the Hyuga elder. "Better take this one in and join the rest of the other old geezers."

"Then we're taking you straight to the hospital to get your arm looked at!" Kiko stated firmly.

"My shoulder's fine, it'll be better in a little bit…" Kuro said, trying to weasel out of a trip at the hospital.

"No! We are going to make sure you're fine!" Kiko said with a forceful glare yet edged with concern.

Seeing that look Kuro knew he lost. "Fine, fine…As soon as we drop this guy off, we'll go to the Hospital."

She wrapped an arm around him and hugged him carefully. "Good! I'd hate my new Tamer to be in pain, even in the line of duty."

Kuro blushed some but looked very happy at the Pokégirl's worry over him.

Kakashi turned his eyes away to give the two a moment. It was obvious the two had formed a very strong bond, and he wondered if maybe something more from the way they were looking at each other. It made him wonder if this was how it was like for everyone in the old world when Pokégirls were a daily common thing. If that was so, then things could only get better for the future of Konoha. His musing was interrupted when he suddenly remembered the child the elder had been holding as captive. He looked around for her only to spot Naruto had already taken care of that for him. Naruto had her in his arms while his kits were huddled around her. He was in the process of trying to wake her up.

"Hey, you're safe now! You should wake up now," Naruto said encouragingly.

The little girl slowly started to open her eyes, fluttering them briefly and slowly widening them when she saw Naruto and the faces of his Pokékits hovering over her.

"W-Who are you?" the girl asked softly with a very timid and shy voice.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto! These are my Pokékits!" Naruto introduced, nodding his head to the three kits.

The girl started to regain enough strength to sit up on her own and then looked at the three Pokékits in awe. She had heard about them from her father and most of her clan, but this was the first time seeing one in real life. She stared at them for a moment, taking in their abnormal, animalistic features until she saw the Vulvixx and her huge fluffy tail. Upon seeing something so cute, a little girl of her age could only do one thing.

"Kawaii!" she squealed and latched her arms around the Vulvixx, rubbing her cheek against the fox-like girl's furry face.

The poor Vulvixx was so stunned by the girl's reaction and close contact. She froze all over, her bushy tail standing straight up and fully puffed out. She was very shy when it came to contact and to have a total stranger suddenly latched on her made her extremely nervous. The other kits and Naruto thought it was hilarious and let the moment ride on as long as possible. The Hyuga girl soon remembered herself and quickly released the Vulvixx with a look of shame for acting the way she did. It was just the site of that tail and those fuzzy cheeks made was just so cute! Glancing over at the blonde, she saw he was rather cute, too.

"P-Pardon me, please!" she said quickly, staring down at the ground as he face suddenly heated up after making that observation.

Naruto laughed wildly. "It's okay! After what you just went through, I'm glad to see you're fine!"

Now the girl froze as a wave of nervousness washed over her, looking slowly up from the ground and staring bashfully up at the boy, then finally, her young mind remembered the name Namikaze. "Oh! Y-You're the Yondaime's son!" she stuttered out and then lowered her head in respect. "T-Thank you, honorable son of the Yondaime...f-for saving me!"

Naruto lost his smile and replaced it with a frown. He wasn't used to people using honorifics with him. It was just too weird after the years of being glared at and treated like a plague. "Hey, just call me Naruto, okay? I don't give a crap about all those suffixes." He grinned at himself. He actually managed to fit a fancy word like suffixes into a sentence. "Besides, it wasn't me that saved you. It was my bodyguard and the Uchiha-san and his Pokégirl." He pointed over to them.

"They deserve the credit. I just happened to be here and carry you out of danger had this broken out into a really bad fight!" Naruto confessed.

"S-Still, that was b-brave!" the girl defended shyly. That was more than she could ever hope to do. She wasn't that courageous in nature. Had it been in reverse, she was sure she would have been too scared to do anything. That's why it was so easy for the elder to grab her. When the entire compound was suddenly raided by the Uchiha police force, she was startled when the elder suddenly came right at her and picked her up, threatening her to do as he said or else she would be killed. She felt so helpless and scared that she couldn't even left a finger to try and defend herself.

Naruto obviously didn't think much of what he did. He waved it off and shrugged. "Nah! I would have been brave if I actually tried to fight that adult! But Jiji-san taught me how to size up an opponent and know when you're likely to get your butt handed back to you! That elder was close to Jiji-san's age…and if he was anything like him, I'd never have a chance of winning."

The girl was amazed at him. He was able to tell he was completely outclassed with just gauging a person's age? That was remarkable in her book. He was far more matured than his age would give him credit and that made her admire this blonde in way she wouldn't completely understand until she was a few years older.

"Say, what's your name, anyway?" Naruto asked after realizing she never introduced herself as he told her his name.

"Oh-h!" she squeaked out in alarm. "I-I did-dn't mean to be r-rude! My n-name is Hyuga Hinata."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan!" Naruto beamed, not aware that his use of words had sealed something that would blossom into something far more than he would have dreamed over time.

Hinata gazed with fluttering eyes at the blonde, her heart beginning to beat faster and faster. Blood rushed to her head and her vision started to go blurry again…and then she fainted from the overexcitement.

Naruto panicked, quickly grabbing her before she fell and hit her head. "Waa? What I do? Hinata-chan, hey! Wake up!"

The Charamanda looked down at the unconscious Hyuga with a frown. "I think you broke her."

xXx

A/N: There you have it. Another chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought and I'm still opened to suggestions regarding who should be turned into Pokégirl and what kind. Please and thank you.

Till then…