First of hopefully many chapters of 2018. Enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

…

Kin couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit out of place as she stood in the Hokage's office, the leader of Konohagakure sitting before her and behind the oaken desk. She had settled to the furthest corner of the room as if trying her best to make herself seem invisible. She couldn't help but feel this need to stay as far away from the Sannin as possible was due to her prior experience with village leaders who held that title. It did feel odd however with how well she got with Jiraiya in comparison to the other two war veterans, perhaps it was due to his normal laid back nature…or maybe the fact that he had assisted her that one evening.

Speaking of the other Sannin, the white haired sage was also in the office, his back leaning against the window as if preparing for a quick exit once the meeting was finished. Despite there being two of the most powerful shinobi in the Elemental Nations in the same room they weren't the person she was most terrified of now.

Her gaze shifted ever so slightly to where a village elder stood. Naruto had forewarned her before the meeting that this was possibly the most terrifying person in Konoha. "Danzo," she whispered under her breath. Even though they were technically in a secure area his posture made it very clear that this was someone who had been and thus was always prepared for war.

"So yea, that's about the gist of it," Tayuya declared, the other former member of Otogakure picking at her ear as she finished spilling the dirt on her last boss. Kin couldn't understand why the female member of the Sound Four was so confident in this room filled with dangerous people. Maybe it was because with her chakra sealed she essentially had no more strength than an academy student and thus posed no threat to those around her.

"They're going to try and kidnap me huh," Sasuke said, his hands in his pockets as he took in the information. Again, Kin couldn't understand why the last loyal Uchiha was so relaxed with the idea of it all. Was he that confident in his own abilities or was he just naturally nonchalant with everything that happened around him? She unfortunately was aware of what was coming for him. The other three members of the Sound Four still loyal to Orochimaru would be ruthless in their pursuit of him, the fear of the punishment they would receive were they to fail would be far greater than whatever they would suffer were they to be caught.

Heck she still feared the ramifications of what would occur were she ever to fall into the Snake Sannin's hands once more.

"The question is how do we go about this?" asked Tsunade as her gaze shifted towards the two Nara's present within the room. Shikaku looked down at his son who grumbled something beneath his breath which Kin couldn't make out from her position but heard something resembling the word 'Troublesome.'

"If we are to believe what Tayuya has said to be fact, Orochimaru has a very limited timeframe to jump to his next body," he stated. "If he was willing to try and take the Sharingan from our other 'S' ranked rouge then he would have no qualms with trying to take it from Sasuke now. Our defences are spread thin and since he was once part of Konoha he will know from where to best send his fighters. It will likely just be this small group of his forces, strong enough to deal damage if need be but not big enough to draw attention."

"Your real problem'll be if fucktard decides to send Kimimaro on his suicide run," added Tayuya.

"Kimimaro?" repeated Tsunade as Kin shivered in the background. All of Orochimaru's forces who had been present at the time had been summoned to watch the Sound Four tackle Kimimaro as a display of dominance. She had watched with her fingernails digging into her palm as one man systematically destroyed those he had been pitted against. It just went to show that if you were afraid of Orochimaru's elite force then you were in the right to be downright terrified of Kimimaro.

"Last member of some fucking bullshit clan who can manipulate their own bones."

"The Kaguya clan," stated Danzo, even his words causing Kin to shiver once more. His tone demanded that he be listened to and his commands obeyed. Kin shut her eyes and silently prayed that the old man never gave her an order.

"I thought they were all wiped out," Jiraiya added.

"Just another freak in Orochimaru's circus," said Tayuya.

"If he is as powerful as you say then why wouldn't Orochimaru use him and then wait for an easier opportunity to capture Sasuke?" asked Tsunade.

"Cause thank fuck he's sick," Tayuya said with a light laugh. "Fucker's basically on his deathbed and it's only because of the constant healing he's receiving that he's lasted this long. If Serpantdick was to tell him to collect ol' fancy eyes over here then nothing would stop him from achieving his goal, even if it meant marching into his own death."

"What kind of collateral would we be looking at were we to let someone of this calibre to step foot into the village?" the Hokage asked of Danzo.

The old man barely batted his one eye as he responded. "The Kaguya clan were hailed for their destructive prowess and only the strongest of our forces should even contemplate taking one of them on."

"I'll do it."

All eyes focused on the last member standing in the office who hadn't spoken a word until that point. "Are you sure about this Naruto?" asked Tsunade. "Since you aren't officially an active shinobi I can't command you otherwise but I need to know that…"

"Yea yea yea, don't worry Oba-chan," said Naruto earning a paperweight being launched at him faster than Kin's eyes could keep up with. As if to prove his point that he was ready for the task however he caught the paperweight in the palm of his hand, an audible clap resonating in the room. "I'm ready."

"Very well," said Tsunade. "An ANBU detail will be deployed to both the Uchiha compound and the Lucky Shuriken. We have too many openings to safely guard them all so the best course of action is to strike when the enemy is already trapped." She then tapped on a map in front of her displaying the Elemental Nations. "With Otogakure located here it means that the safest and most open place for a head on confrontation will be here, near the Valley of the End. When Orochimaru's forces have been spotted, we will send you the word Naruto and you will have my permission to go."

Naruto bowed his head ever so slightly in acknowledgment as Tsunade dismissed everyone bar Jiraiya, apparently needing to still speak with the other member of the Sannin in regards to something important. Kin simply followed Naruto out of the room, still doing her best not to show any kind of weakness that could be exploited with Danzo walking behind her. It was only when he turned into another office did she allow herself to release a breath that she had been unaware that she had been holding.

"You alright?" asked Naruto, snapping her back into reality as Shukaku turned into a nearby room, saying a small goodbye to his son and telling him that he'd be home in time for dinner.

"Yea, it just seemed a lot to take in," said Kin softly.

"You'll get used to it," said Tayuya, smacking Kin on the back for good measure.

"How about you Shikamaru, your first battle meeting?" Naruto asked, paying attention to the fact that there were still others around them.

"Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe it," declared the Nara.

"And you Sasuke?"

"I knew he was going to come after me eventually," said Sasuke, rubbing at the skin where he could recall Orochimaru sinking his fangs into his flesh. "Guess we just get to finish this sooner than expected."

"If he fails this time it just means he's going to come after you again," said Naruto. "The plan's going to remain the same though so no backing out now."

"Yea yea," said Sasuke nonchalantly as they stepped out of the Hokage tower, many of them shielding their eyes as their sight adjusted itself to deal with the brightness of the day. "Go run your ramen bar or something and wait for your signal."

"Fine, Tenten's probably going to show up in about the next fourteen and a half minutes so I need to make sure her meal's ready," said Naruto, giving a small wave to everybody in the vicinity before leaping away.

"That seems way too specific," said Tayuya as she watched as Sasuke and Shikamaru vanished much like the blonde had moments earlier. She would have done the same but with her chakra sealed she wouldn't have even been able to make it to the nearby rooftops. "Looks like it's just you and me Kin, now what kind of activities can two smoking hot babes like ourselves do on a day like today?"

"Should I have been in that meeting?"

Tayuya blinked twice as she looked down at the younger kunoichi. Allowing a sigh to escape her lips, she pulled back her hand and swung as hard as she could, her fist connecting cleanly with Kin's jaw. While she may have been restricted in regards to her chakra, her muscle strength hadn't waned in the slightest and as such Kin found herself flat on her back, staring at the sky wondering what had just happened. "That's what you get for doubting yourself," said Tayuya as she shook her hand before offering it to Kin, the black haired girl taking it and allowing herself to be hoisted to her feet. "Shitstain brought you there for a reason and you may not figure out why the fuck he did it for the rest of your life. Remember, this ain't the shithole our last leader pulled out of his ass. There were three Genin in that office, two of which helped break down and plan a counterattack for when Jirobo's fat ass gets those three dicks caught. You got to witness some pretty heavy shit go down and don't you fucking forget it."

Kin couldn't help but allow a small smile to grace her features before Tayuya grabbed her by the hand. "Now take me somewhere interesting, I haven't had fun in ages."

"Hot springs?" suggested Kin.

"Now you're talking."

…

"Alright, I know the other night we were a bit…harsh towards you and it seemed only right that we make it up to you," said Sakura, the pink haired Genin holding a shopping bag in front of her.

"Don't assume that this makes us friends though," said Tenten, some hostility very clear in her voice.

"I'm beginning to like you more and more bitch," said Tayuya in response, a venomous smile spread across her face.

"What did you just call me?" Tenten growled, her hands clenching into fists as she prepared to show the former Sound shinobi just what she thought of her.

"No messing up the house," said Kin as she rummaged through the fridge for some snacks to give to the houseguests. She had been approached the previous day and asked by Hinata whether they would be permitted to come over the following evening to try and make amends for the poor treatment that they had shown Tayuya. Kin had the sneaking suspicion that for at least a couple of the young women present they just needed to form some kind of bond with Tayuya to at least be accommodating to her so that they could see Naruto more often.

Just a suspicion though.

"There's no need to be violent," said Hinata trying her best to diffuse the situation.

Grinding her teeth together, Tenten lowered her fist and took in a deep breath. "Alright then, so Naruto's gone out for the night I take it," she said changing the conversation topic. The breaking of some containers in the fridge informed her that this probably wasn't the best topic to switch it to.

"Are you alright?" asked Hinata as she made her way to where Kin was. Tenten meanwhile shifted her gaze back to Tayuya who still held that predatory smile on her face and the brown haired Genin couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right.

…

"You really had to come at this time in the morning didn't you," said Naruto as he rubbed at his eyes. "Seriously, sunrise is pretty much only an hour away and you decide to come now."

"So you have been expecting me then," said Kimimaro, the last member of the Kaguya clan standing before Naruto as the moon shone light upon their battlefield.

"Yep, Tayuya basically gave me a rundown before I left saying that I was going to get both a reality check and spear through the chest just for coming out here to face you but here I am," said Naruto as he pushed himself to his feet. "She basically said to watch out for your dancing and surprisingly didn't call you a pansy or anything degrading so I take it that yes, your dancing is dangerous."

"It seems you know much about me but I know very little about you," Kimimaro declared.

"Aww, Orochimaru didn't even bother to tell you about me, I feel a little bit upset about that," Naruto said in a mocking tone. "Very well then, let me introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, second best ramen chef in Konoha and the man who is about to kick your ass from here to Tuesday."

"I must complete the assignment Orochimaru-sama has given me, as such I will make your death quick," declared Kimimaro. "Prepare yourself."

Rolling his shoulders, Naruto settled into his old stance and braced himself for the battle ahead.

The first of many.

…

Hope you enjoyed.