Patriot-112: And another chapter folks. Sorry again it took a while, but I have no correct schedule for this, or my other fics. So I beg you, to please try and be patient. It takes me a while to think what to write in the next chapter, and let me tell you, Writer's Block is NO FUN, whatsoever. Now, enjoy the chapter and leave a review.

Oh, and to the fic troll who calls himself Agato - The Hadou Inari, you can try to make as much more profiles so you can make as much rude insulting remarks to me and others hard work as much as you want, I as well as them will just keep blocking you. You're nothing but a bully, and everyone hates bullies. That goes for every other troll here who use this site and the rest of the internet to bully people. If you don't like the fic, DON'T read it, and leave an insulting review about it, it will only give you a bad reputation.

Sorry had to rant. Anyway, let's continue.

Chapter 7

Prelude to Wave

4 Weeks after Team Test

Konoha

Hokage Tower

Minato sighed as he went about his boring part of his position as Hokage...yup, doing paper work. It was times like these he wished he hadn't taken the Hokage position. Unfortunately, Kami was laughing at his misery.

After finishing with his mental episode. He thought back to when he told Jiraiya about how Naruto had the natural attributes to a true Jinchuriki.

Well, needless to say that the Toad Sannin was quite shocked at what he was told.

Flashback

It was quiet in the office as Jiraiya stood there with eyes wide as saucers, mouth slightly agape, and looking at his favorite student like he had grown a second head.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry Minato, I didn't quite get what you were saying. You wanna run that by me again?" he said, and Minato sighed a bit.

"You heard me right, sensei," he said, "I believe that somewhere down the line, Naruto has somehow become a True Jinchuriki, rather than a Pseudo Jinchuriki. Especially if what Kushina said about the chakra he was exhuming when he was fighting Mizuki being colored green was any indication."

Jiraiya blinked at that, "What a minute did you say green chakra?" he said, and Minato nodded.

"You're gonna have to ask Kushina about it since she saw it with her own eyes." he said, and then sighed sadly, "And we haven't gained enough trust for Naruto to tell us,"

Jiraiya immediately thought about his pupil just told him, and began to seriously think about that.

"This is something I never heard of before," the sannin said, "If somehow, that Naruto became a Jinchuriki to something born out of the Kyuubi's chakra...if any of the other villages find out about this, they're gonna start sending spies to figure out what it is he's carrying,"

Minato immediately paled at that. There was no doubt that if the other hidden villages find out that the Leaf had somehow acquired a possibly new bijuu that was sealed in the son of the Hokage was bound to give the village, and his son, problems.

"What'll I do then sensei?" the Yondaime asked, "I want to give Naruto some time, and let us take it slow until he trusts us again. But with this discovery, he'll need to be watched and protected just like Shinri,"

Jiraiya didn't say anything as he placed his hand on his students shoulder, "Just take it nice and easy, kid," he said, "The other villages don't know, yet. But before they do, just concentrate on leading the village and getting back in Naruto's good graces. I'll go and talk to Kushina about what you told me, then I'll stay for a little bit and then head back out and manage my spy network, drop by Mount Myoboku in the process. If it's anyone that knows this kind of stuff, it's the elder toads."

Minato nodded in agreement to that plan, and Jiraiya smiled before bidding his student farewell, leaving the youngest Hokage alone with his thoughts.

Flashback End

After that, Minato began to assign one ANBU to watch Naruto, with instructions of course to remain out of sight, and far away so that his son wouldn't notice.

Speaking of Naruto, he and his sister's team had already completed 25 D-Ranked missions, including four which involved Tora, the wife of the Daimyo's cat, also known as the Devil Cat. While the cat gave Shinri nasty scratches when she tried to catch the ferocious feline, for some strange reason, whenever Naruto caught Tora, the damn cat would instantly calm down. After the fourth time, Minato asked his son how he did, while his answer was a shrug and Naruto saying:

"I just have a way with animals." he had said

That memory caused him to have a sweat drop.

His thoughts were interrupted when the object of his thoughts walked in.

"Missions accomplished, Hokage-sama," said Yugao as she gave the five D-Rank scrolls to him, "We completed them quickly and efficiently."

Minato nodded as he looked through each scroll and giving a nod of approval.

"Good work, Team 6," he said, "And since you completed 30 D-Ranks, without a lot of hassle, you now qualify to do C-Rank missions," the three genin all had small smiles on their faces, Shinri being the more excited one, since they don't have to do the chores they call D-Ranks anymore.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," Naruto queried, while Minato, while a little put out that Naruto didn't call him tou-chan, listened, "I was wondering, what if we put D-Ranks into the Academy curriculum so that way, the Academy will learn more teamwork and have a head start in missions?"

Everyone blinked at what Naruto said, all of them surprised at the wise advice he just gave.

"That's...not a bad idea, Naruto," Minato managed to say, smiling at the smart advice gave him, "I think that would help out a lot,"

Iruka, who served as an mission giver while not in the Academy, couldn't help but smile. While Naruto was only in the Academy for a few months, he could already tell he was going to be a splendid shinobi.

Yugao smiled softly at her surrogate little brother's advice, clearly proud of him for making such an suggestion.

Shinri was flabbergasted at what her brother told their father, and felt a little envious, but couldn't help but feel proud at the same time.

Hinata, gave a small smile, happy that her crush was being given praise.

"Well, if that is all, I will give you the details of the mission: You are to escort Tazuna, a bridge builder, of Nami no Kuni, back to his homeland, so he could complete the bridge he is building," he said, "It's highly possible that he would be targeted by bandits on his way back home, and thus you need to be prepared while on the road."

The three Genin nodded at that, before Minato called in the client. And as soon as the door open, the smell of alcohol hit Naruto's like a sledge hammer as he struggled not to gag or flinch at the smell. The Triplets also didn't like the smell one bit, either, but unlike Naruto they actually showed their dislike by sneezing. Kibo was the same, due to sharing his senses with Naruto.

"AH CRUD! I HATE THE SMELL OF ALCOHOL!"

'Sorry Kibo, but just try to bear with it, okay?' Naruto consoled, while the aspirant nine-tailed wolf just nodded, and the young blonde turned to the old man who walked in through the door. (You all know what he looks like so I'm skipping that part.)

"What's this?," the obviously drunk old said, with some slight slurring in his speech, "I ask for ninja and all I get is a bunch of brats and three mutts,"

The moment he finished that sentence, he gasped in pain as the Wolf Trio slammed him to the ground and began growling angrily at the now suddenly sober bridge builder, and now had a look of pure terror on his face. Minato, and Yugao could only sigh at that. Anyone who has ever insulted the Wolf Trio, get immediately jumped by them, and after a good bites or scratches from them, they learn never to do it again.

"You shouldn't insult them," said Naruto as he walked over and looked down at the frightened man, "They are easily offended, and will not hesitate to bite off your manhood if given the chance,"

"WHOA! OKAY I TAKE IT BACK!" Tazuna screamed fearfully, "JUST CALL THEM OFF! I LIKE WHAT MAKES ME A MAN TO REMAIN WHERE IT IS PLEASE!"

Naruto only nodded, a small smirk on his face, "Good answer," he said, and managed to get the cooled down but still irate Trio off the Bridge Builder, with Koka snorting at him for good measure.

Minato, Iruka, and Yugao sighed as they rubbed their temples, in order to stave off the headache they were now having.

'Oh boy...,' they thought at the same time.

"Tazuna-san, I advise against insults when regarding this team," Minato said a little warningly, "Especially concerning the wolves you see before you. They will attack anyone who insults them, even if it's just a joke,"

Tazuna only nodded as he stood up, protectively hovering over his private region.

"D-Don't worry, I understand perfectly crystal clear," he said with a slight stammer.

Naruto nodded as he pat Koka's head to calm her down.

"Glad you understand Tazuna-san," the blonde Jinchuriki said, "So, Yugao-sensei, shall we get ready for departure,"

Said former ANBU only smiled as she shook her head.

"Only you, Naruto," she said, "Alright Team 6, go home and get whatever supplies and weapons that you need. Be at the gate at 0800 hours tomorrow morning,"

The three genin, and, unsurprisingly, the wolf trio, all nodded in confirmation before they left the Hokage's office, with the three wolves giving the old man a sideways glance, which made the bridge builder flinch, and the canines, satisfied with the result, went to rejoin with Naruto.

Minato could only sigh, 'I have a feeling this is going to be a LONG mission for them.' he thought, as he thanked Tazuna who walked out, heading for the nearest bar he could find to calm his rattled nerves.

One Hour Later, at the Namikaze Family Home.

In the kitchen of the Hokage Family's home, Kushina was making dinner for her family, make that ENTIRE family. She would always make sure that a space was set for Naruto as it should be, and, being paranoid, always checked to make sure she did just that. The currently inactive kunoichi-turned-housewife swore not to make the same ever again when it came to her son, and by Kami, she would commit seppuku before hurting him again.

She immediately then turned her thoughts to when Jiraiya came to the house and apparently Minato told him about Naruto being a possible true Jinchuriki to something else other than the Kyuubi's excess chakra. When she gave him the details, the Perverted Toad Sage thought it over and told her that he will talk to the toads about, and ask for their opinion on what this meant, and advised her to keep an eye on Naruto, just as much as Shinri. Kushina had no problem with that. In fact, he was planning on it.

Although, it was a bit hard trying to talk to Naruto, who would sport a slightly uneasy look when she talked to him. She understood he had trust issues with her, and she understood that, but it didn't make the pain she felt in her heart any lesser.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of the door opening and she saw her two children walk in, along with the residential wolves that are now, in her opinion, part of the family, with Shinri, having a gleeful look on her face, while also looked happy, but the smile was not as big as his sister's.

"Hey Kaa-san!" Shinri said, "Guess what? We got our first C-Rank Mission starting tomorrow morning!"

Kushina smiled, happy for her two children.

"That's good to hear," she said as she approached them, and gave them a hug, though Naruto tensed a bit before relaxing, "I'm proud of both of you!"

Shinri continued to chuckle while Naruto nodded. The Uzumaki matriarch then formed a slight frown on her face.

"However, I want you two to promise me this," she said in a neutral tone, "That you both watch each other's backs and that of your teammate. A C-Rank is not as dangerous as the A and S Rank missions, but things can change while outside the village. You get me?"

The twins nodded their heads in understanding, before the smile returned to her face again.

"I'm proud of you two though," she said, as a few small traces of tears fell from her eyes.

Naruto looked at his mother, and could tell, she was trying very hard to not play favorites ever again, and wanted to, from now on, to be what a true mother is suppose to be.

'At least she's getting better,' he thought to himself, remembering the scars he saw on her arms, 'I wouldn't want her to do another suicide attempt,'

"Yeah, and I still want to meet her." said Kibo, "Despite what happened during the days she forgot about you, she's a very interesting person. I just hope she accepts me,"

Naruto nodded slightly at that, knowing about Kibo's wish to be part of a family. Remembering what Yugao said to them he turned to his sister and gave her a slight nudge.

"We better get our equipment ready for tomorrow, Shinri-imouto," he said, and Shinri nodded with a smile.

"Right," she said and Kushina let them be as they went upstairs to get everything they need ready.

"They both have grown up so fast," she said, as she returned to making dinner for the family.

Hyuuga Compound

Hinata was in her room as she prepared her pack for her mission tomorrow. She already informed her father about the news, and in typical Hyuuga fashion, kept a cold façade and only nodded. Normally, Hinata would be deeply affected by her father's cold persona, but being with Naruto and his sister these past few weeks has really helped her gain a confidence boost. And the wolves that followed Naruto everywhere he went also helped, especially Basho, the wolf with a spot around his eye.

Whenever she felt down, and Naruto would comfort her, Basho would immediately be by her side giving her a friendly lick or nuzzle. In her honest opinion, Basho was her favorite among the Wolf Trio.

"Onee-chan?," came a familiar voice and Hinata turned and smiled softly at the sight of her little sister Hanabi. Before the incident in which Naruto rescued from the second kidnapping attempt by Kumo, the relationship between the two sisters was strained at best, but after hearing Naruto's encouraging words, and after defeating her sister in more matches, the relationship between them had improved. However, the same couldn't be said for their cousin Neji.

"Hello, Hanabi-chan," she said, as she motioned for her to come stand beside her, which the younger girl obliged. "How was your day?"

Hanabi sighed a bit, "It was fine, except for the part when Neji came home and started ranting about fate again." she said, and Hinata could only shake her head. Their Uncle Hizashi, who was placed in the Branch House, was killed on a High ranked mission, and it affected Neji ever since (1). He developed a resentment towards the Main House, more specifically herself and her compassion for others, and always spouted about fate this, destiny that, and all other whatnot.

"Don't let it bother you too much, Hanabi-chan," Hinata said as she gently caressed her sister's face, "You know Uncle Hizashi's death had a negative affect on him, and he feels that it was the Main House's fault that he lost his father,"

Hanabi nodded at that, she hadn't had the chance to meet her uncle, but from what she heard, Hizashi was a person who, despite being in the branch house, and their father in the Main House, he never resented his older twin brother for it. The younger sibling then noticed the backpack and the other assorted items.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked, and Hinata gave a smile.

"Yes, my team and I have done enough D-Rank missions to qualify for a C-Rank mission, which will take us outside the village to Nami no Kuni," she said, "I believe we should thank Naruto-kun for that, since he came up with the idea of using shadow clones to multiple missions at once. And considering his and Shinri-chan's chakra reserves... they can make a lot,"

Hanabi's eyes widened at the high number of clones those two could make.

"Sugoi...," she gasped in surprise and Hinata giggled.

"Oh yes, a veritable sea of blonde and red hair running through the streets of Konoha doing all of those missions," she said, "Saves us time really to get the needed number of D-Ranks. However, the real Naruto-kun and Shinri stay with me and Yugao-sensei, so we could work on our teamwork and training,"

Hanabi nodded at that, before she remembered how her sister said Naruto's name, and a sly smirk appeared on her face.

"Speaking of the former, is he your boyfriend?" she asked, and Hinata eeped as she dropped her ninja tool bag, which was thankfully already closed, as a tomato red blush formed on her face as she snapped her head toward her younger sister.

"HANABI!" she screeched in embarrassment, and Hanabi just laughed her sister's misfortune. However she soon regretted as her older sister began to tickle her, causing her laugh harder and uncontrollably.

"...NO...HAHAHA...ONEE-CHAN STOP...HAHAHAHA...I'M SORRY PLEASE!" she said between her laughs, but Hinata continued for another five minutes until she stopped leaving the young girl on the floor panting from lack of air.

"No...fair..." she said between pants, while Hinata finished packing what she needed.

"That's what you get for embarrassing me!," she said as she zipped her pack up and placed it near her nightstand.

"Sorry...couldn't help it," Hanabi managed to breath out before she sat herself back up, "Still though, Naruto helped you get more confident, so there's bound to be something between you, right?"

Hinata stood frozen for a moment contemplating what her sister said.

"Nothing is going on between us Hanabi," She said, but a stray thought entered her mind, 'Yet..'

The next day

7:50 AM

All three of the genin of Team 6 were at the gate waiting for their sensei to show up along with their client. They arrived ten minutes early, so they used the extra time to check their respective inventories.

Before they left home, Shinri and Naruto were both given a bento lunch from Kushina, while she also made one for Hinata which she told her children to give to the Hyuuga once they meet up with her.

The three then chatted amongst themselves, while the Wolf Trio all received attention from them. The ten minutes passed quickly and Yugao arrived, while sporting a disapproving frown and pulling a certain bridge builder by the ear.

"When I say we're leaving by eight o'clock, I meant eight o'clock!" she scolded as the older man was grunting in pain from the ear pull and the massive hangover he has.

"I said I was sorry!" He yelled, "Now please let go of my ear! My hangover is bad enough!"

The sight of the former ANBU reprimanding the bridge was a humorous sight to the three genin and wolves as they snickered at Tazuna's predicament.

Yugao finally let go of the Bridge builder's ear only as they arrived at the team's location, resulting in the drunk man tenderly rubbing his ear, all the while muttering about 'disrespectful brats' and 'cranky kunoichi'.

"Alright, everyone ready?" she asked and the group all nodded, "Good, then we shall begin Team 6's first C-Rank mission."

She then turned to Naruto and instructed him to make a few Kage Bunshin to act as scouts, which he nodded in agreement to and did exactly that. Then, with the clones away, Team 6 and their client left Konoha to begin their journey to Nami no Kuni.

However, on their way to Nami, they will not be expecting to get more trouble than a bunch of bandits.

Patriot-112: And done! Finally! I hope you are all happy with this, and I gotta say, despite only being recently started this fic has gained a VERY big popularity pool! It has trumped all of my other works, and I can't help but be proud. To those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this fic, I thank you!

(1) Yes, Neji's did die and he is a dick in this fic. However, the main he died was because of a political mission gone bad, not the other thing. But he still blames the Main House because of it. I will work on the backstory to this later. End of input.

Until next time my friends! Sayonara!