(I'm thinking)

"I'm speaking"

Naruto x OC 'Dan' / Ranmaru / Natsu / Sagi / Kankuro

Last Time:

The hokage didn't answer. He simply walked over to the table where Kushina put the adoption forms until he signed them. The pen next to the papers made it to Minato's fingers and he signed his name making Naruto Mina's guardian …

XXXXXXXXXX

*Ring*Ring*

Orochimaru answered the phone and his eyes widened "Naruto! … it's for you, they say it's about Mina's adoption"

"ok" Naruto set Mina on the ground to keep coloring, but she pouted and held his leg as he took the phone "Naruto Sarutobi here … ok … yes … I see … thank you very much for calling" he hung up he phone with the little girl still attached to his leg.

"so you're my Daddy now?" Mina asked hopefully.

Naruto smiled "yes I am" he said happily, but he must admit he was surprised to hear that Minato signed the papers and even turned them in. This recent mission must've really hit the hokage hard. It made him wonder if Kushina knew and why she didn't say anything each time they visited Natsu. Maybe it's a surprise, if so then it was a good one …

"YAY!" Mina cheered and Naruto scooped her up into his arms as she giggled happily "can we tell Natsu-nii?"

"Natsu is getting out of the hospital today so we can tell him soon and there's another surprise you can help me tell" said Naruto sneakily.

Mina's purple eyes grew wide with excitement "I want to help! What surprise? What surprise?!"

The little girl's excitement made them chuckle. Orochimaru couldn't help but smile seeing as he knew the surprise already, but it made him a little sad too. This was going to happen eventually though he hoped it wouldn't come so soon.

"you know how I said Dan is going to be staying here and Ranmaru too?" Naruto said drawing out the suspense.

"yeah, yeah! Almost all of your kissy friends are coming to stay!" Mina exclaimed happily as she bounced on her tiptoes.

"well with all those people we're going to need more space so …" Naruto paused dramatically letting the suspense build, but those big pleading eyes were too much "we're getting a home to ourselves. One that will fit everyone and … it's right next to this compound" Naruto mentally smirked as he heard his Dad gasp. Of course he told his Dad about needing bigger accommodations, but he never said the deal was done or that the new home was the three story home right next to the Sarutobi compound that even shared the land behind them.

The snake sage grinned as the little girl cheered "you didn't tell me this Naruto!" he exclaimed in an accusing tone that sounded too happy for anyone to believe that he was mad in any way.

"like I said it's a surprise" Naruto grinned cheekily at his Dad as he scooped the little girl up into his arms "now lets go get Natsu … what's wrong Mina?" he asked as the little girl tugged his collar cutely.
"I can call you Daddy right?" she asked sweetly with a little pout as she stared right into Naruto's eyes with her puppy eyes.

Naruto blushed slightly at the idea "of course" as if he could ever say no to Mina. The two left to get Natsu and bring him home.

Ibiki came out of the bedroom he shares with Orochimaru and saw the sage smiling who was cleaning up the counter in a sexy pair of jeans that hugged the sage's tight ass and a flattering deep purple long sleeve shirt "what's up Oro-chan?" Ibiki purred as he wrapped his arms around the slim waist from behind loving the way his sage melted against his chest.

"Naruto apparently found a house already and you were right. I shouldn't have been so sad … they're right next to the compound" Orochimaru chuckled softly.

"really? … so with Naruto and Mina moving, Konohamaru taking Naruto's old separate living quarters and Hiruzen moving in with Danzo this means we have the place all to ourselves" Ibiki whispered huskily into Orochimaru's ear earning a shiver. His hands slipped up the snake sage's shirt and found a nipple.

Orochimaru gasped and squirmed as his nipple was teased "I-Ibiki we ah hah s-shouldn't do t-this ahhhh hahh!" Orochimaru threw his head back and moaned as his pants were quickly pulled down so Ibiki's free hand could stroke the cock. The flushed sage bucked and moaned as his cock was stroked to full hardness and began dripping pre cum "ahhh hah hhah"

Suddenly Ibiki bent his lover over the table loving the way Orochimaru as he massaged the plump ass. He kneeled and looked at the hot pulsing pucker practically begging him to fuck it. The strong hands spread the cheeks allowing Ibiki's hot tongue to push into the sage's clenching heat.

"Ibiki! Ah hahhh m-more ah more!" Orochimaru pleaded between lustful screams as the wet muscle massaged his opening. He bucked and moaned wantonly trying to get more of the tongue that was teasing him mercilessly. A yelp slipped passed his lips when a hand cupped his balls and began fondling them as the tongue continued to work its magic.

The tightness in his pants became too much for Ibiki to ignore so he stood up and unzipped his pants freeing his cock. A smirk came to his lips when heard the desperate whimper from the sexy flushed snake sage splayed out on the counter "now be patient … I have something bigger for you. Do you want it?"

A shiver ran up Orochimaru's as those strong hands grabbed his hips and he mewled hotly as the tip of Ibiki's thick hard cock poked his entrance "please IBIKI! Ahh" Orochimaru yelped as his hips were pressed downwards pressing his cock firmly against the counter causing delicious friction making his pre cum spread across the countertop.

Ibiki groaned as that sexy ass wiggled temptingly as they tried to move and he thrust all the way into the tight heat earning a passionate scream "damn you're so fucking tight" the interrogator growled as his cock was hugged by Orochimaru's hot clenching ass. He found that spot that had his lover writhing in pleasure and began pounding into the sage …

"oh god oh god oh god harder oh yes!" Orochimaru screamed in pure ecstasy as he trashed wildly. He gripped the countertop edge for dear life as his ass was rammed with that big cock. With his breath speeding up and his toes curling he felt his release wash over him. cum splashed onto the countertop and the snake sage fell limp on the counter.

Suddenly Orochimaru yelped as he was flipped over so his back was against the countertop and his legs were draped over his lover's shoulders "we are far from done love" Ibiki purred before thrusting his still rock hard cock into the tight ass making the snake sage scream lustfully. With his lover's legs secured on his shoulders Ibiki had his hands free to tweak and molest where he wanted earning even more lustful sounds from Orochimaru …

XXXXXXXXXX

Natsu was cursing himself for being so weak. Naruto barely left his side for more than a minute during his week, but now Naruto wasn't there and he kept flinching at every sound and thinking every guy was out to hurt him. this was only supposed to be a quick break for the blonde to sleep, shower and to bring Mina to pick him up. His lover ws going to take them to their knew home. Naruto had shown him pictures 0f several places and they agreed on the perfect one, which was the large home near the Sarutobi compound. This should've been exciting, but he was actually on the verge of tears from fear.

He hated it! Nothing that bad happened, right? It could have been so much worse. These nurses and doctors should be helping the other victims who were far worse off …

Why was he so scared? That question plagued his mind as he got dressed in some fresh clothes Naruto brought him before actually relenting to taking a break. He flinched as the fabric hit his wrists. The bruises were long gone thanks to the nine tailed fox's healing powers, but the memory wasn't. The memory of those men holding him down still haunted him.

A knock on the door to his hospital room made him jump in shock. For a split second the icy grip of fear grabbed him and dragged him into a flashback. It was like he was back in that cold cell completely naked being touched by those bastards … he could actually see those eyes raking his naked body. He felt sick as the vivid memory brought back the feeling of those bastards hand crawling all over him as they smirked.

"Natsu? Are you ok? It's me, Mito. Karin and Mom are here too. Can we come in?"

Natsu had to take several deep breaths to calm himself "you can come in" he said desperately trying not to sound as scared as he was, but he still felt like he was shaking uncontrollably.

Mito opened the door and the three woman came in. Karin and Mito were both wearing light blue scrubs "hey Natsu, we wanted to check on you again before you left. What do you think of our scrubs? We're volunteering here!"

"I can't wait to tell Kotetsu! We should tell them before we go out on the next mission with our sensei, Yamato. We … are improving with our training, but I don't think I want to go passed chunin. It was hard enough to kill I can't imagine being told to assassinate someone" Karin said with a shiver of sadness as she remembered the first real mission where they had to kill a gang of bandits who tried to the scrolls they were hired to deliver.

They left on the mission just after Natsu left on his horrific mission and returned before he returned. Yamato could've handled it easily, but the Namikaze girls wanted to help. Though they were strong they never used a living target before … Mito and Karin never realized what happened until the blood of the bandits splashed across the ground. It was a terrible experience, but nothing compared to what happened to their own brother …

When Minato told them what happened they were shocked. First Kushina asked the hokage to leave the house before she killed him. Minato is currently renting an apartment on the other side of town. The next the three woman did was go through the hospital training procedure to know how to behave in these situations so they didn't make things worse. Kushina didn't become a volunteer, but once she was sure Natsu was recovering she might. After all she has been reconsidering her ninja career lately. Naruto was a better sensei than either her and Kakashi ever were.

Now you might be wondering why they are babbling. There are some rules and guidelines in that branch of the hospital to help victims. One is to never touch the places that are bruised or marked on the chart for it may bring back bad memories. Another is to not ask anything about the experience, but make it clear that they aren't alone and that you're there to talk if they need someone. Try to stay professional, but upbeat and discuss anything that keeps them from dwelling or from closing themselves off. That's where the babbling comes in. Mito, Karin and Kushina weren't sure if they should be happy or insulted when the instructor said they were great at babbling about nonsense …

Even though they before they finished the very thorough week long volunteer training Naruto was always there, which they were thankful for.

Natsu raised an eyebrow "Kotetsu and Izumo? You guys have been getting very close. Should I expect nieces or nephews anytime soon?" he chuckled as his sisters blushed furiously.

"oh I'm hoping for grandkids so I have no problems there!" Kushina chimed in happily making the two women blush even deeper "I'm sure Naruto will be here soon, but I'll give you a hint-"

"Natsu-nii! Naru-nii is my Daddy now!" Mina yelled as she ran into the room. Mito was worried the little girl would jump on Natsu. But instead she stopped and reached up with her tiny hands hoping to be picked up.

Kushina pouted playfully as Mina was scooped up into Natsu's arm "awww well there goes my surprise" she paused as Naruto entered the room "how are things?"
"everything is going well … better than I honestly expected. It was a nice surprise" Naruto said with a smile clearly referring to Mina's adoption going through so smoothly. The three women followed Naruto, Natsu and a happy Mina who was hugging Natsu's neck as she was carried. With a little distance between him and the orangette he spoke so only the women could hear "I see you guys completed training for volunteering here. Would either of you be interested in helping with setting up a class?"

"a class? We don't know much about teaching" Karin admitted.

"it's a class that will help academy students understand the consequences of taking the ninja career before they get too deep. Part of it will involve an exercise like the one Natsu and I used to get you both to understand. Of course it won't be ready for a few months so you don't need to worry about deciding anything right away. Minato still hasn't finished the paperwork anyway" the ROOT leader said feeling a little more comfortable being around them

Mito smiled "it sounds like a good idea. Will you be dumping some of those civilian classes? I remember some of those from long ago. I was too young to be in school, but Arashi always complained about a flower arranging class and some other things that made no sense for ninjas"

"so true … yes, we're planning a complete revamp of the school-" Naruto heard a yelp and they all saw Arashi suddenly appear next to Natsu.

Kushina and her daughters paled. Arashi didn't know how to act and they couldn't tell him anything since Arashi hid himself away to sulk … most likely with his father "hold it Arashi!" Kushina snapped, but she was ignored.

"wait Natsu! Please!" Arashi pleaded, but in an attempt to keep Natsu from backing away he grabbed the orangette's wrist. The eldest Namikaze didn't seem to notice Natsu become dead white and freeze "Nat-" he didn't get another word out … Naruto vanished at speeds that even Kushina couldn't follow and grabbed Arashi's forearm in a near bone crushing grip. Arashi hissed in pain and let go of the orange haired ninja, but that pain quickly gave way to fear as he looked up into those deadly blue eyes belonging to the furious ROOT commander.

"Natsu-nii are you ok?" Mina asked softly. She could feel how stiff Natsu became and knew something was wrong, which automatically made her more observant than Arashi "Daddy, he hurt Natsu-nii" Mina pouted angrily and glared at Arashi, which was surprisingly intimidating for a six year old girl.

Arashi winced as Naruto subtly twisted his arm before letting go "I only … wanted to apologize" he said in a weak voice. Finally he looked more carefully at his scared young brother and regretted his actions.

The ROOT commander's eyes glared harshly "have a talk with your mother and sisters before attempting that again" he said in a neutral tone though his eyes pierced straight through the eldest Namikaze. Naruto noticed a seal on the ground and realized that Arashi used the hiraishin to suddenly appear near Natsu. It would be considered clever if this was a different set of circumstances, but it wasn't. Naruto sighed and his blue eyes softened as he turned to Natsu "the house is this way, but you were right. The yard needs work" he said as he gently touched the orangette's shoulder effectively snapping Natsu out of his horror filled flashback.

"we can work on that" Natsu said softly giving the little girl in his arms a reassuring smile, which Mina didn't seem to believe completely … smart girl.

Karin grabbed her foolish older brother by the collar before he could run after the trio as they walked away "you're coming with us" she said and dragged him to the hospital for a long talk …

XXXXXXXXXX

"wow … this is the place … strange … I never knew it was here. Those trees block the view from the Sarutobi compound completely" Natsu commented as they stood in front of a beautiful home surrounded by a forest.

Naruto nodded "yeah, I sometimes forget it's here too … I would consider taking down some trees, but I have a feeling we won't want to risk seeing Ibiki and Dad doing certain things" he said with an amused tone. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Natsu give a slightly stained smile. It was very clear that Natsu was uncomfortable with the subject, but hoped that the orange haired ninja will open up about it.

"will Oro-jiji be alright without us?" Mina asked cutely.

The blonde's lip twitched in amusement at his Dad's new nickname, but even if the snake sage went from Orochimaru to Oro-jiji. Though the sage most likely wouldn't mind since Naruto was her Dad now … and he would definitely find it cute anyway "Oro-jiji huh … I'm sure Ibiki can take good care of him. Besides we're only a little bit away so we can always drop by"

Mina smiled "ok Daddy … when do we get our stuff to move in?"

"that was already taken care of" Naruto pointed at the house where the door suddenly opened revealing Kankuro, Dan, Ranmaru and Sagi there waiting for them. Mina wriggled out of Natsu's arms and ran over to them excitedly.

Ranmaru chuckled as he took Mina's hand "come on sweety. We have all your things, but we haven't picked rooms yet so you get to choose first" Mina followed Ranmaru and Sagi.

"Sagi are you staying longer this time?" the little girl asked hopefully.

Sagi couldn't resist those big purple eyes and smiled "yes I will be and soon I'll be staying here too. My sister is going to have a baby so the title of Daimyo will pass to her child. I'm teaching her to take my place so she can help her child, but I won't officially give away the title until her child is of age so I'll still be leaving every so often" he said as they went to show Mina around the house leaving Kankuro, Dan, Naruto and Natsu on the porch outside.

"Gaara's here I take it" Naruto commented.

Kankuro, without any make-up, nodded seriously "yes and he's ready to help put this Akatsuki issue out of the way. The meeting should start soon, but he wants to talk before Minato gets involved"

"no surprise … ok, I'll be right back" Naruto said before kissing Dan, Kankuro and Natsu. He felt Natsu take hold of his shirt for a second before letting go. Leaving Natsu alone again wasn't something he wanted to do, but he had to meet Gaara and get these issues sorted out. Unlike like his paperwork and delegating mission he couldn't do this with a clone. No matter what happens he will come back and have a talk with Natsu. This can't stay bottled up for long. Naruto will help Natsu talk about what happened before it starts to fester …

XXXXXXXXXX

Minato entered the hospital only to find that Natsu had checked out already and Arashi was being scolded by Tsunade, Kushina, Mito and Karin in Tsunade's office "what happened?" he asked. It hurt when they glared at him, but he knew he deserved it.

"Arashi ambushed Natsu outside the hospital and started grabbing him without even considering how it might affect Natsu" Kushina stated almost coldly without even looking at her husband. She was still mad at him for what he did to Natsu. Of course she knew Minato didn't intend to send his son on such a dangerous mission, but it was because of his foolish actions that Natsu suffered.

Arashi flinched "I … just wanted to see Natsu and apologize"

"what makes you think he wants to see you so soon after what happened?" Tsunade snorted as she glanced from the purple eyed blonde to the hokage "either of you … you should let him recover and if you must say something write a fucking letter first before jumping him. Now get out!"

The hokage twitched at the harsh dismissal "yes"

As the two men left the hospital in silence they found themselves on the path going up to the top of the Hokage mountain. They had no clue how long it took, but they went all the way to the top and looked out at the village. It was so peaceful and it provide a good spot to reflect on everything.

"I want to be pulled from the ninja program completely" Arashi said without a shred of doubt in his voice.

For a split second Minato thought about talking his son out of it, but he quickly changed his mind "it's your choice … you were already demoted, but I can pull you if you really want"

"I do … with me it's much more than getting proper training. Mito and Karin have had their first kill and recovered, became stronger. They found their paths and limitations, but … no matter how many times I think of my future I can't see me being a ninja. In fact I don't think I ever wanted to be a ninja … it was just something I thought you expected me to be and it didn't help that you made it sound so glamorous, which it isn't" Arashi admitted sadly.

Minato frowned, it hurt to think he never really considered what his kids really wanted out of life "no … no it isn't … I'll do that. Do you know what you'll do?"

"not sure. I did like modeling, but in Paris I learned how to cook so I can try something with that … I'll figure it out" Arashi said feeling as if a weight fell off his shoulders

The hokage sighed "alright I'll remove you and then put some thought into retiring myself"

The eldest son sighed in exasperation and shook his head "you're doing it again"

"what are you talking about?" Minato asked. It made sense, right? After all the mistakes he made he shouldn't be allowed to continue as the hokage.

"Dad please think carefully. All of the problems we've had was because you and Mom made decisions through that paternal part of your mind during ninja related issues and we made it worse by following your lead. Not once has your abilities of being a kage been questioned unless it had to do with your choices as a father" explained Arashi.

Minato shook his head "maybe, but after that mission-"

"no Arashi is right Minato" the two blondes were startled by the sudden voice and turned to see Danzo standing there "what Hiruzen said about regretting making you the hokage was … perhaps not what he meant. Hiruzen was furious, of course, but he placed his family ahead of everything from the beginning and he did so by making things difficult for those he loved in the ninja career. He actually denied them promotions until he was sure they were ready. You let that temptation to spoil your kids or to show them they are capable to control your decisions. You aren't a chef who can use his job to give free meals to his kids. You're doing the same thing as a kage by giving away promotions away like candy. With this job that isn't what you should do. In your own way you were trying to show you cared even it increased the chances of killing them"

The hokage winced at the harsh tone in the former ROOT leader's voice "yes, I realize that"

Danzo sighed at the look of defeat on Minato's face "it's your choice, but think carefully and for heaven's sake would you talk to Naruto about this. If I recall correctly he never mocked your abilities as a hokage, only the stupidity you displayed as a father. That incident with Natsu was basically you trying to prove yourself to Naruto because he wanted to have Mina. Granted, it backfired, but it wasn't something you would normally do … talk to Naruto"

"ok … what are you doing here anyway, Danzo?" Minato asked curiously.

"Hiruzen and I finally decided to move in with each other now that everything has settled. He put Naruto in command of the Sarutobi compound until Konohamaru is old enough" Danzo smiled and rare smile, he was happy to finally have his love under the same roof even if it took decades to do it.

"isn't that a bit much for Naruto to handle considering his other duties? Wait … move in? when were you guys an item?" Arashi asked sporting a look of pure confusion just like his father.

"we secretly started dating before Hiruzen was forced to marry Biwako, but she was very understanding and was happy as long as they had some kids. We were good friends. When she died we officially got married in the chaos after the nine tailed fox's attack knowing we needed each other, but kept it quiet. Manipulating the council was easy if they believed we were rivals and hated each other … though he never faked being a pervert, he always was" Danzo shrugged as if he and his lover tricking an entire village for decades was no big deal.

Arashi gaped for a couple seconds before regaining his senses "why didn't you guys get rid of the council before they hurt Naruto? You guys together had the influence to do so right?" he asked seriously. Danzo however just chuckled as if he was dealing with a foolish child and glanced at Minato.

Minato took the hint and explained "they had that power, but they didn't have the power to change the fools' minds and the villagers would have attacked regardless. The only ones who could get the villagers to see reason was me, but I was 'dead' so they kept the council up. The council members were a link to the fools who tried to hurt Naruto and they were apparently very good at manipulating the council" Minato looked at Danzo with a sad smile "you did it to protect Naruto … thank you"

"he's my grandson. I am always happy to protect him. oh and he can handle the extra work for a while" Danzo said simply and walked over to a nearby house where Hiruzen was watching Minato through the window making the hokage fidget nervously before the blondes finally retreated …

XXXXXXXXXX

Gaara stood on the roof the hokage tower as he waited for the meeting to start "how is he?" the kazekage asked as he turned to face the ROOT leader who appeared behind him without a single sound.

"Natsu is …" Naruto frowned, he saw every flinch, every shiver in fear, every shade of white that adorned those normally tan cheeks "he's scared. Yes he made me leave to go get Mina and sleep, but when I came back … he isn't letting himself recover. Natsu refuses to talk about it"

The red head sighed "it will come to that … just remind him of your own past. Once he remembers he isn't alone then he will open up and the healing will begin"

"you're right … I plan on talking to him after I get back. Mina's adoption went through by the way" Naruto said as he leaned on the rail circling the roof's edges

A smile twitched its way to Gaara's lips "that is very good to hear … how did get him to sign?"

"it was willing thank you very much! No blackmail or anything!" Naruto exclaimed with a smirk. Gaara knew him well enough to know what he was capable of and Naruto was considering doing something harsh after Natsu was better. Lucky for Minato everything went through quickly "he signed after Natsu was saved apparently. The call came this morning"

"I see … well it would be hard to continue deluding yourself on your parenting skills when you send one child into a trap and the anbu son pukes at the sight of blood" Gaara said sarcastically.

Naruto chuckled "we sound a little like Jiji and Opa "

"perhaps, but you're not my type and we don't play chess … yours and Hiruzen's little revenge via mountains of paperwork will have to end if you want Minato to move faster in approving the academy updates you both agreed on" the kazekage said with an amused smile as his friend mumbled something sulkily. He felt a presence in the meeting room two floors down and knew it was Minato "he's here, shall we?" they both went off to the meeting room and found the hokage waiting there "everything set?"

Just as the red head asked Naruto set up several privacy seals and nodded to signal that it was safe to talk. The tree sat down at the table trying to ignore the obvious awkwardness that hovered over them like a cloud. Gaara seemed to enjoy watching Minato squirm. Naruto was waiting for someone to talk. Minato had trouble making eye contact with Naruto due to the guilt he felt and this continue meaning the 'meeting' was silent for a few minutes …

"screw it, I'll start" Naruto unsealed a set of documents and spread them out onto the table. Each document had a picture and summary of an Akatsuki member "Itachi and Deidara have provided detailed information on the other Akasuki members. According to them the Akatsuki is moving to find the demon vessel now so we need to stop them"

Gaara nodded as he skimmed the summary on Hidan "the immortals will be tricky … are we sure that Deidara is trustworthy?"

The ROOT commander nodded as he noticed Minato looking intently at the picture of the masked man "yes, Itachi left nothing to chance and even scanned the bomber's mind to be sure. As for the immortals, Hidan and Kakuzu, I think we can take both easily with the right plan. Two of my men are long range snipers and can take out Kakuzu's five hearts once he is forced to show them. Now Gaara, I was thinking Temari would be the best choice to handle Hidan"

A smirk appeared on the kazekage's lips "that would be an ingenious move. Temari's wind will make for a great defense and should Hidan manage to cast his curse on someone Temari can use her wind to harmlessly separate him from this cursed mark he draws in the ground to cancel the curse. We need someone to seal Hidan's body and this spy Zetsu since Kakuzu shouldn't have the same issue"

Minato looked up "I can and Kakashi can as well" he said seriously. For a split second he thought Naruto was going to shoot down the idea, but instead the commander just waited for him to give a well thought out reason "Kakashi has been training for a while now. That's why he hasn't been around much. I have seen him. He is stronger than before the nine tail's attack and more caught up with recent politics, but more to the point he is well versed in seals. Normally I would suggest Jiraiya, but he is still recovering from Tsunade's … sessions and in jail though even if he was well I refuse to send someone who can't be trusted on a mission like this"

Tsunade did a number on the toad sage. She had to heal from the brink of death twice before continuing to show him what Naruto went through as a child before ending the session by castrating the fool and offering them as a peace offering to Naruto. Minato remembered because it took over a week for her to finish and it was right before Natsu, Mito and Karin went on that 'training trip'. At first he was stunned when they returned and asked to be demoted, but in the last week he finally started thinking reasonably and asked his daughters what happened on that trip …

Never in his life has he truly thought abut what could go wrong for his kids, but Naruto and Natsu used a very clever plan to drive and point home. The test effected him as much as his daughters and he immediately agreed to work it into the school program. If it wasn't for that damn paperwork it would be done. The former civilian council members weren't helping either. It was complaint after complaint with them because he quickly dumped all the civilian classes, but they had no power beyond being annoying now so they were all ignored.

"understandable, Jiraiya couldn't do his own job so I agree, but you're the hokage. You shouldn't leave the village for too long" Naruto said knowing that people need a leader. Gaara had a set of plans in place and clones keeping the village going. Minato hasn't figured that use yet.

"true, but Konoha is set up the way it is so you are kage too and can make decisions to keep everything going should something happen. Nothing should happen for I only intend to seal and return, but I will participate if needed. What of the other members?" Minato asked feeling himself relax a little when Naruto said that he agreed to the plan.

Naruto nodded and moved the papers to show the others "Sasori is Deidara's teammate and while he is wiling to help he isn't sure how to beat a guy who has a puppet body"

"so he is a full human puppet?" Gaara asked curiously. Naruto nodded making the red head nod as well "that is an old art from Sand. It has a big weakness for all anyone needs to do is stab his make shift heart. There should be a core in his chest that sticks out a little and it may be labeled heart"

The ROOT commander made a few quick notes and summoned a chameleon to take it to Itachi, which stunned Minato because he had no clue that Naruto had a summon animal "that's good to know. Now for the other members. Kisame isn't a problem actually. Itachi's most recent report states that Zabuza came out of no where and slaughtered Kisame saying … and I'm quoting, 'all shall suffer to the wrath of the squirrel race. Behold this head as a sacrifice to the talking fluffy tailed gods' … so he took the head and sword and hasn't been seen since …" Naruto let his sentence trail off.

(sooo I inadvertently made Zabuza insane … oh well, one less Akatsuki member to deal with) Naruto thought. He decided not to mention his bloodlines to Minato feeling that it would be best to keep some secrets, but that's the only things … except the fact that he ran into them in New York before they even returned to Konoha. That little tidbit will never be revealed.

Minato blinked in shock "oook … that was good"

The blonde ROOT leader hummed in agreement as he pushed Kisame's file out of the way "true … it also made things easier for Itachi. Zetsu is the only member that goes around without a partner so Itachi was told to stay at the hideout until he got a new partner. While there he can take out Nagato who is the one … powering Yahiko so to speak. You see it seems Yahiko is just a dead body brought to life so once Nagato dies it stops Yahiko. Konan is the one that guards Nagato who is in a medical tank and the hideout is also the best place to catch the masked man and Zestsu, but that won't be easy with how easy they get away and just seem to disappear"

"a chakra seal" Minato said confidently gaining the other ninjas' attention "I had plenty of time to consider a solution after my first fight with the masked man and the best way is to set a series of seals that will block chakra when it's applied. The main issue is holding in place to apply the seal"

Gears in Naruto's head started spinning as he thought about the other sealing options "not necessarily … yes, that kind of seal is best with direct contact, but why does it need to be delivered by hand? We could have itachi place those seals all over the hideout's floor" he explained. Naruto would've mentioned the gas he used before, but apparently Orochimaru discovered that some people become immune to it and they couldn't take those risks now.

The hokage's jaw dropped "once they step on it the seal transfers to the skin and permanently blocks their chakra, but they can still move and fight even without chakra. However we could add a gravity seal to trap them so they can't get away. So that would take care of the masked man, Zetsu, Konan, Nagato and inadvertently Yahiko"

"my Sand ninjas, Kakashi and Naruto's snipers will take out Hidan and Kakuzu. I will assist those going to fight the puppet master" Gaara said in agreement.

Naruto nodded "Deidara will need back up so some of my men will help fight Sasori. All of them should be taken out quickly during the next week before they realize something is wrong or they find any demon vessels. The one person we need to learn everything from is whoever is behind that mask. So once each team achieves their goal they should head to the Akatsuki hideout to help if needed and we'll figure everything out there. Minato, you made up your mind already so you will seal Zetsu when we find out what he is since Itachi suspects he isn't quite human … I guess that means I'm staying here"

The kazekage rolled his eyes "yes, you have to stay in the village with your multiple horny lovers … that must suck"

The Sarutobi laughed at the play on words "when you say it like that I guess I can't complain"

After a few more minutes of arranging the final teams the three kage level ninjas got ready to leave. Gaara was the first to go so he could inform his ninjas of the plan and give them a copy of the files that Naruto had. Minato watched helplessly as Naruto sealed the files away after creating another copy using a jutsu so Kakashi could see them. It was something he never really did before … asking Naruto his opinion, that is, but he steeled his nerves anyway.

"Naruto, do you think I should remain as the hokage even after everything?" Minato blurted out before he lost his nerve.

The ROOT commander blinked and looked at Minato for a few awkward seconds before sighing "you know what you did wrong and now that you now your faults you can avoid making those mistakes again. Even if you did end up slipping back into those habits what makes you can I won't step in and knock some sense back in you? I think you should continue on as the hokage and make a wise choice with your successor down the road" Naruto said sincerely as he headed for the door …

Minato smiled at the words and vowed to do whatever he could to be a great hokage …

"and if you need help Minato try using a special technique that Opa, Gaara, Jiji and I have been using for years … Shadow Clones, they kick ass where paperwork is concerned" Naruto said before leaving and not looking back.

The hokage stood there in a stunned silence …

A few minutes of a near comatose state later Minato started laughing insanely and crying at the same time. With time he was fine. Better than fine with the speed his paperwork was going with the addition of 20 clones helping, but the next few days will be dangerous …

When Naruto returned to his new home everyone had settled in and Mina was happily decorating her room with Kankuro's help. He took that moment to try and talk to Natsu, but the orange haired twin refused to talk …

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later …

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Hidan snapped angrily as he was caught in a tornado and blown away from the curse mark that was under his feet. The poor victim he cursed to sacrifice to his god was knocked out by a Kakashi and pulled out of the line of fire. The person was safe with Hidan away from the mark, but until the immortal was sealed it's best not to take chances.

"now that's not nice" Temari said with amusement lacing her tone as she smirked at the easily infuriated immortal that landed on his ass. A swift jab of her giant fan cracked the seal on the ground rendering it useless.

Hidan's face became red with rage "HOW DARE YOU BITCH! Why aren't you fucking helping Kakuzu?! Move it you damn bastard! I need a sacrifice!"

"fine, just quit cussing" Kakuzu growled grumpily as he stepped towards the Sand ninja. Before he could get far he was cut off by Kakashi …

"we came just in time" Kakashi muttered through his mask. He has been training diligently for months now and was ready to earn his position in Naruto's eyes. During the chunin exams he realized something … Naruto was the one who really trained his team. It was Naruto who motivated Sakura and pushed her in the right direction. Naruto was doing everything and it felt wrong so he started training like he did years ago before he started wallowing in his self pity.

All those thoughts were reinforced when he saw Naruto sincerely talk with Sasuke about the Uchiha massacre. Kakashi checked the information and has been kicking himself for missing so much. A certain conversation overheard between Izumo, Kotetsu, Mito and Karin explaining their reason for asking for a demotion made him realize what Naruto subtly pointing out with every 'nearly retired' comment. His former student didn't believe he should still be fighting and maybe in the beginning Naruto was right, but Kakashi was determined to prove to himself that he was still a strong ninja of Konoha and maybe earn some forgiveness from the boy he wrongly tormented …

Kakuzu grunted as he blocked a powerful kick from the Leaf ninja "you're a tough one … this could be fun"

There was a powerful exchange of blows and jutsus zipped by faster than most could see. A crack sounded Kakashi winced as his arm broke, but he ignored the pain and used the chance to plunge a kunai into one of the immortal's hearts. Kakuzu punched him furiously through two trees and was about to attack again, but he was distracted by a scream. He turned to see Hidan being sliced up by a gust of wind.

Hidan was cut up from head to toe, but he managed to dodge or block the worse wind blades. Even so Temari looked bored and it pissed him off even more so he charged hoping to kill her with his red double bladed scythe, but he forgot to watch out behind him. A flying weasel with a scythe of his own raced out of its hiding spot in the trees. The animal was a summon of Temari's that she summoned before the fight as a trap and it worked … one slice with the scythe the weasel severed Hidan's head from his shoulders.

"hurry the fuck up Kakuzu!" screamed the severed head.

"sure … he took one of my hearts so I'll use him to replenish" said Kakuzu not caring one bit that Temari was using the cussing head as a gory ping pong ball with her fan. The immortal in one piece began to transform into a black mass with four masks.

Kakashi eye smiled while clutching his injured arm "finally" he dropped down against the ground as a red dot appeared on each mask and four nearly simultaneous pops from the distant snipers' guns went off. Kakuzu fell to the ground dead with multiple bullet holes. Kakashi checked to be sure before going to seal Hidan "errr … Temari … I need his head" the silver haired ninja sweat dropped as the Sand ninja pouted and tossed him the cussing head.

"no fair … I always wanted a little head" she winked at the perverted message in her comment giving both men and severed head get a nosebleed before Kakashi sealed Hidan away with one arm. The seal made the immortal dissolve into nothing with no hope of return and the bodies were burned …

XXXXXXXXXX

A team of six ROOT agents armed and the kazekage to the teeth stood in his and Deidara's way "so you all want to see my art. Very well, we'll take the kazekage's demon when this is over" said Sasori from under a human scorpion hybrid puppet. The puppet master suddenly noticed a twitch in the puppet as if something was crawling in its joints. Before he could discover the source a blast went off. The red haired puppet man escaped the shell just in time and realized what happened. One of Deidara's tiny C4 creatures attacked him "so you're a traitor"

"yep!" Deidara exclaimed with a grin.

"no matter, my art is far superior" Sasori said and the fight began. The puppet master proved his skill by unsealing and operating hundreds of puppets at once. Gaara managed to crush half of the force so the ROOT agents could get close enough to Sasori. During the long fight Sasori's cloak was damaged revealing a red circle marked in white with kanji for heart. Sasori attempted to use a flamethrower to kill 6he ROOT agent that was getting too close, but missed because Deidara flew him away on a clay bird just in time. That agent managed to throw a grenade into the flames.

The resulting explosion resulted in shrapnel being buried in Sasori's 'heart' killing him instantly …

Deidara grinned and clapped the agent's back "nice shot … those weapons are cool! Where'd you get them?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Konan glanced at the Uchiha reading on the couch "good book?"

"yeah, not bad. I do love a good mystery and the killer is about to be exposed" Itachi mumbled never taking his eyes away from the book.

The woman rolled her eyes "you're an odd one … I'll be happy when you get a new partner" she said as she disappeared into the hall where Itachi knew the hidden room protecting Nagato was.

Once he was alone he smirked and the bookmark tucked in the cover turned into a small chameleon, which started helping Itachi apply all the seals to the floor. In no time they were done and they went back as they were a moment ago to wait. It took a few minutes, but sure enough he had the timing right. Zestsu appeared to give a report and soon after Konan and the masked man joined them …

All three jolted as they felt the chakra blocking seals attach to them and he triggered the gravity seal as the chameleon disappeared to inform everyone …

XXXXXXXXXX

Dan frowned as he watched Natsu flinch away from Ranmaru who looked a little hurt by that action "Naruto you need to talk to him. I understand you don't want to force him, but he's worrying everyone … even Mina"

The blonde nodded "I know" he stood and went over to the orange haired ninja "hey Natsu, I was going to go see the training area in the back, want to come?" Natsu smiled nervously, but followed anyway. Natsu has been more nervous around Naruto ever since he caught the blonde fucking Kankuro … bad memories perhaps …

It took a little while to just stroll outside and around the dense forest. As they went deeper the ROOT agent "Natsu … you are by no means the only one to go through such a traumatic experience"

"it wasn't that bad … nothing really happened" Natsu said taking note of the fact that he couldn't see anything beyond the trees "I don't want to discuss it, can we go back?"

"I wasn't raped, but I went through a horrific life that was so bad I was made a ROOT gent to help keep my mind intact … what I lived through was not nothing …what you went through is not nothing" Natsu stopped at the blonde's words and looked at Naruto "I know what it's like to feel weak against the people hurting you. I know how it feels to be helpless. You aren't alone and I made sure those fools would never touch you or anyone else"

Natsu's eyes widened "you were able to fight them?"

"yes … I am a rank higher than the Black brothers because I can do many things they can't. Of course even with that it would be foolish to take on people like that alone … I am stronger than you Natsu and I have far more experience. I could have hurt you at any point, but I never have and I never will. I won't do anything you don't want" Naruto said seriously, but then smiled as Natsu visibly relaxed "I will do whatever you need to prove it" he said as he gently let out two chakra threads reach out to touch Natsu's wrists.

A shiver ran up Natsu's spine at the obvious sexual notion … and besides unconsciously flinching he didn't seem to notice the unseen chakra threads gently desensitizing him "you will? … you still want me even after …"

"of course, I still love you" Naruto said softly as he realized Natsu's fear. The chakra threads were dispelled no longer being needed.

After a second getting his thoughts straight Natsu blushed "anything?" Naruto nodded "strip" the blonde did as ordered with question and moments later he stood unashamed in front of Natsu without any clothes. Natsu felt his heart race as he looked at the muscled tanned body of the ROOT commander "touch me"

Naruto gently touched Natsu's wrist and let only his fingertips caress the soft skin "you need to be more specific love" he said when Natsu pouted.

The shorter twin wanted to complain, but then he noticed where he was being touched. A sense of relief flooded him and he placed his hands on the strong chest "strip me" he ordered, but then stopped Naruto "with a kunai, strip me with a kunai" Natsu said shyly.

Though he was naked Naruto was not unarmed. A kunai appeared in Naruto's hand and with a few quick slashes Natsu was left naked with his semi-erect cock free …

"kiss m-my nipples" Natsu stuttered shyly. This shouldn't be so embarrassing. He had sex with Naruto before, but now … he was saying out loud exactly what he wanted and Naruto was there for him "ahhh mm hah" Natsu moaned softly as Naruto tweakd his nipple between those lips "u-use ahh your t-tongue too and your hand onahhhh hah your hand on the other ah!"

Natsu felt his cock harden as the blonde molested his nipples and soon he felt like he wanted to go further. Order after order and soon Natsu was screaming in pleasure … Naruto followed each from 'kiss lower' and 'grab my ass' and with each motion he touched a spot that a week before would've brought back a bad memory. Now there was nothing but pleasure seen as he looked into Naruto's eyes. By the end he was sucking hard on the orange haired ninja's cock while massaging his ass earning the most delicious screams of pleasure.

"ah ahhhhh hah oh not hah yet hhhahhh s-stop, kneel" Natsu gasped and tried to keep from cumming too soon. Naruto stopped his ministrations and sat on his knees with his rock hard cock sticking up in the air. The flushed orange haired ninja licked his lips as he eyed the engorged throbbing manhood and leaned over to brace himself on the blonde's shoulders. He lowered himself onto Naruto's big thick cock and loved the feeling of being filled to the point where his sweet spot was hit right away. After a second of holding Naruto he looked at those lust filled eyes "make love to me"

Nothing else had to be said …

The ROOT commander kissed Natsu passionately as his hands held the plump ass impaled on his cock and easily lifted his over up and down to fuck him. Natsu gripped those broad shoulders for dear life as his mind melted. He felt complete … safe … loved … home.

"ahahhhh hahh mmm hahh ohh Naruto I'm ahhh!" Natsu's eyes rolled back and his toes curled as he came hard, but the blonde didn't stop until two more orgasms were ripped from Natsu's body. They fell back on a patch of soft moss to bask in their afterglow. Finally Natsu started talking about what happened no longer afraid of losing Naruto …

"you're going to give my something to wear so I can get back in the house without flashing someone, right?" Natsu aske as he rested on the moss and watched Naruto dress. He saw Naruto quickly activate and deactivate a byakugan and … smirk. Naruto scooped up a protesting Natsu and carried him home where only his other lovers were …

Mina was playing at Oro-jiji's so there was no reason to worry about her seeing anything … though Natsu was still blushing brightly …

XXXXXXXXXX

The masked man was pinned to the floor by the gravity seal and was helpless to stop it. How could this have gone so wrong so fast?

Nagato was just killed so Yahiko was stopped from getting here …

Without chakra he couldn't send a distress signal through the ring …

It was bad, but it can't be over yet … he refused to give up!

As he watched the Leaf ninjas, ROOT agents and Sand ninjas swarm his hideout he tried to think of an escape plan. It was too late to hide his identity because they already had a ROOT agent scan his mind so they knew … they just didn't bother with removing his mask. His single eye widened as he saw the hokage … Minato … the leader of the village he wanted destroyed … the man he wanted dead was right there and he could do nothing but watch his creation, Zetsu, get sealed away and destroyed.

Minato turned to the man and kneeled next to him. With a surprisingly emotionless face the blonde removed the orange spiraled mask to see the badly scarred face of his student who was believed to have died years ago "Obito"

"hello sensei … Kakashi" Obito smirked as Kakashi came over. The silver ninja must've just been told, but he just stayed there and watched in silence. Maybe he can use these fools heartstrings and manipulate them into letting him go. They were sentimental fools after all.

"you did all this because you believed you were entitled to power and respect, you convinced your family to start a coup so they'd die and you wanted to use the demons to put the entire world into a jutsu that you would control" Minato summarized in a flat tone. Suffice to say his mind was spinning, but as he thought back he did recall Obito always trying to be seen as the best … were things that bad?

Obito huffed "I deserved it! I deserved more respect, but those snobs didn't even look at me until I pretended to be Madara. I should've been treated right from the beginning … but no, you two never cared. You both were like everyone else …"

As Obito continued talking about the past and trying to get the two ninjas to listen to the heart wrenching tale Kakashi and Minato's minds were elsewhere. The word 'deserved' seemed to echo in their heads. Did Naruto deserve what happened to him, which was a result of the nine tail's attack Obito caused? Did the boy deserve having his childhood stained with pain and blood?

"No …" Minato mumbled the answer to those questions out loud catching Obito's attention. Naruto didn't deserve that. Granted it was in part their fault, but it started because of the 'masked man' who attacked them and scared most of the family into hiding … all he could think about Naruto's medical files as he looked Obito in the eye "life sucks … and then you die"

That was all the hokage said before pulling out a kunai and slashing his old student's throat …

XXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke heard that his brother was back and eagerly went to find him. He smirked as he found his brother in the park kissing some blonde "I almost thought you were asexual once" he snickered as the couple was startled and pulled away blushing.

"hey Sasuke … it as been too long. Oh, this is Deidara" Itachi smiled and hugged his brother. Finally this mission was over …

XXXXXXXXXX

Mina yawned sleepily. The day had been busy …

Natsu was happy again and was talking with Arashi and Minato. She heard them come in and went to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't hurt Natsu again. Kushina, Karin and Mito stopped by qiuickly To her surprise the Namikaze family even apologized to her for not being a good family, but it didn't make sense really.

Every time Minato and Kushina mentioned her in private they always mentioned Naruto. Though they didn't know Mina heard them that conversation resulted in Mina assuming that Naruto was her real family. It didn't help that she wasn't close to the Namikazes except for Natsu … Natsu was the only who always remembered her and took care of her so in her mind Natsu was like a mommy with Naruto being the family she was meant to be with. It will be a few years before she understands, but it won't matter. She had Naruto and his kissy friends as family. Other than agreeing to help Arashi pick meals for his restaurant he plans to open she didn't say much to them …

"it's time for bed Mina" she heard her Daddy say after the Namikazes left. Strong arms scooped her up and tucked her into her bed "goodnight Mina"

"goodnight Daddy" she mumbled softly as her Daddy shut the door making the pretty butterflies that flutter around the room glow gently to keep the dark less scary. Natsu said Naruto made them from seals. She asked if she could learn without being a ninja. Her Daddy said the other night that he'd teach her whatever she wants and she doesn't need to be a ninja. That made her excited because being a ninja sounded too scary, but seals looked fun!

Sadly thinking about it now made her too excited to fall asleep …

With her little finger she tapped the water lily on the beautiful music box Naruto made her over a year ago and she slowly drifted to sleep as the flute played its song …

The End