Hi my name is T.r.o.y.13, and before we get started I will do you a courtesy and tell you some things concerning this fanfiction.

It will take place post Fourth Shinobi War. (Excluding the first two parts of this chapter, which will take place during part one and part two after Pein's defeat respectively.) Tsunade survived, Samui and Atsui survived. Inoichi and Shikaku, along with everyone else who was killed in the Shinobi HQ are still dead.

Naruto will not be a god. I personally like him the way he is. His sillyness is endearing. If he suddenly got Cool, became amazingly attractive and wielded a sword well...he would be Sasuke. Sasuke is already Sasuke so none of that from me. I will be giving him his dues and displaying his progress though. He isn't a loser either.

There will not be any Sakura, Sasuke, or Hinata bashing. And while we're on that topic, this story will take place after Naruto's defeat of Pein. So the village for the most part appreciates and loves Naruto. So the village won't be after his head.

That's all from me, please enjoy the story.

Chapter 1

"Is it time to eat yet? I'm starving!" Groaned a thirteen year old Naruto as he trekked through a large forest, the tree canopy hiding the sky from his sight.

The boy's sensei walked not much further ahead of him, and sent a glare back in the direction of his student.

"We're almost out of this forest Naruto, I'd prefer to not set up camp here, seeing as your campfires usually end up as potential wild fires. Let's wait until we get out into the open."

As he began to mumble something about sannin, perverts, and old man crankiness, Naruto stared up at the seemingly endless number of branches.

It had been nearly a year since he had embarked on his three year journey with Jiraiya of the Sannin. So far it had meant a lot of walking, a lot of errand running, and a lot of lecturing. With some sparce physical training in between. He would prefer to be learning new ninjutsu techniques, rather than gathering the firewood, fetching the water, and whatever trivial orders Jiraiya came up with. The Ero Sennin would reassure him of the importance of these duties, because he needed discipline.

It was all just an excuse to score some free labor off the genin, if you asked him.

Naruto had joined the legendary sannin on his travels, so that eventually he could be strong enough to return his best friend to the village hidden in the leaves. That friend's name was Sasuke Uchiha and he had willinlgy abandoned his home and gone rogue in his lust for great and darker power.

As they emerged out of the forest, the familiar warmth of a falling sunset in the distance welcomed them, as the clearing they entered began to approach dusk. Having done the job hundreds of times by now, Naruto began to gather whatever bark, tree branches, and any other flammable materials he could get his hands on without the old man telling him too. He would often complain about having to do the task at the beggining of their journey, but now he would take advantage of the work as an opportunity to be alone with his thoughts. Which were usually occupied by the same recurring themes. Sasuke's possible whereabouts, the current condition of his friends and the hidden leaf viilage, and ramen. Hot, nourishing, delicious ramen. He missed that the most.

"Naruto, I said get firewood, not gather the whole damn forest kid! Hurry up and get over here." Jiraiya yelled to his pupil.

"Hold on a second! Unless you're going to shut up and help, I'm going to get over there on my own time! The boy quipped back, having been broken away from his thoughts.

He began lugging his findings back over to the small space already occupied by Jiraiya and in no time a fire was started and the two companions sat in its presence for a while, eating what little food they had left since the last time the old man felt like trading.

Naruto had still not gotten around to asking Jiraiya whether the lack of food was part of his training, or if he simply wanted to see who could die first from malnutrition. Pondering questions like these and more, he was once again interrupted as the old man seemed to be yelling something at him.

"Hey, did you hear what I said?"

"No, what is it Sensei?"

"Naruto...why are you here with me, putting up with all the errands you dislike so much?" Jiraiya asked with a serious tone.

"It's obvious, I need to get stronger." The boy responded.

"And why is that?"

"So I can defeat Orochimaru and bring Sasuke back to the village." Said Naruto with a nod.

"And why do you want to do that?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the old man. Why suddenly the need to continuously question his motives? He hadn't a clue why, but if his experience with Jiraiya had served him well, he probably wouldn't like where it would eventually end up.

"Sasuke is my teammate...my friend and brother. If I can't save my best friend, than how can I..."

"Ever be worthy enough to become Hokage?" Interrupted Jiraiya.

"Listen Naruto, Sasuke wasn't kidnapped. He WANTED to leave. There is no guarantee that he will ever return to Konoha."

Naruto gritted his teeth, and then stood up to yell at his sensei.

"I WILL bring back Sasuke and become Hokage!"

Jiraiya began to grow frustrated as his apprentices' stubbornness.

"Naruto, Sasuke may never come back, he might continue down the road to destruction. I can repeat that as many times as necessary, until you get it."

Naruto turned his head in defiance, clearly undeterred.

Jiraiya took a moment before he brought up another possibility that Naruto may not enjoy, but one he hoped would find its way into the youth's thick skull.

"People don't always feel the way you do Naruto. They have their own choices to make and sometimes you can't change their minds. Sakura for instance. You've had a crush on her for quite some time; that much is obvious."

"Hey, it's not just some dumb puppy love if that's what you think it is!"

"No, Naruto, I don't doubt your feelings for a second. You definitely care deeply for Sakura. You care deeply for all your friends. And from what I gather, your relationship has improved immensely. You two are close and wonderful teammates. From what Kakashi has told me, she cares for you now more than ever."

Seeing the excitement building up in Naruto's expression hurt Jiraiya, knowing what he was going to say next.

"However, I would not be surprised at all that her feelings go nowhere beyond that of friendship and teammate. Trust me, I have seen it before, I have experienced it firsthand. Sakura is not in love with you. And it's possible she never will be."

Naruto's face turned pale as the words began to lay into him like a ton of bricks.

"Love and feelings aren't simple." Jiraiya continued. "You can train, work hard, and learn how to become a better ninja. You can work hard and become Hokage. You can become strong enough to defeat the Akatsuki. Though when it comes to romance it's different. You can be the perfect gentleman. You can work your hardest to court a girl, but it does not mean that she is indebted to your kindness. If all she can see you as is a friend, then you will just have to learn to live with it."

Naruto had quieted for this first time in months, as he mulled over what Jiraiya was saying. It was a lot to take in at once and he had no idea how to respond.

"Now if you are successful and bring Sasuke back, you do realize that Sakura may still want to pursue him? Could you handle that outcome Naruto?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

Naruto lifted his head up slowly.

"Sasuke and Sakura...are my best friends. And if they end up being together, I'd be happy for both of them. Having team seven reunite is what matters the most to me."

Jiraiya sighed and nodded. He really did sympathize with Naruto; he had never gotten Tsunade to go on single date when they were younger. He wanted to prepare Naruto for the potential disappointment, but now felt a little sour about the whole thing.

He still wasn't exactly sure how he'd ever get Sasuke back, but he couldn't help but be anything other than impressed with the maturity and selflessness the kid was displaying. He had never wanted to be proven wrong so badly than right now concerning Sasuke Uchiha.

Feeling guilty about bringing down the mood of his young companion, Jiraiya gazed up at the sky in twilight, looking for a way to brighten Naruto up. He then smiled towards his young charge and blurted out.

"I bet some real ravishing women would jump at the chance to get their hands on a young man with those kinds of sappy ideals."

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Asked a puzzled Naruto.

"I'm just saying that there is a bunch of other fish in the sea. Yes, there are plenty of voluptuous, sexy, and sensual fish in the sea." The pervert began to drool at the thought of such women.

Naruto sat in stunned silence before responding. "Did you...just call fish sexy?"

Jiraiya ignored the insult and continued on. "I mean women of course my boy! It's a big world out there, and it's brimming with beauties I tell ya! There might even be the one for you, if you believe in that kind of thing anyway. I prefer to stay available if you know what I mean..."

"No old man, I don't have a problem looking at a bunch of girls, but I've been in love with just Sakura my whole life, and that's what I think it ought to be, just one girl." He finished with a firm nod.

"Well than, what kind of girl does Naruto Uzumaki want then huh?

Inquiring minds want to know." He eyed his student, anticipating the boy's response.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he began to wonder what kind of girl he would be attracted to.

"Well...someone really beautiful I guess..." He stated before he took a drink of water from his canteen.

"Geez kid, no shit." His mentor replied.

"How about that Hyuga girl? She seems nice. I bet she wouldn't mind going on a date with you." Jiraiya said with a wink, trying to give his student a hint.

"Hinata chan? Now that I think about it... she is kind of cute. She seems really shy though. I don't know if she would even like having a conversation, let alone a date."

Jiraiya sighed at his student's obliviousness. "Well, aren't there more girls your age?"

"Well, there is Tenten. I see her every now and then. She's cool; she's learning to master so many cool weapons! She's pretty in her own way for sure. Although with all the training she has to do with Lee and Guy sensei, and with all the time she uses to mastering weapons, when does she even have time for a date?"

"Wow Naruto, you are awfully analytical when it comes to girls." Jiraiya noted.

"How about Inoichi Yamanaka's daughter? She's a feisty, young blonde like you."

Naruto nearly spat out the water he had just taken into his mouth.

"INO? SERIOUSLY? No way! She's always bothering Sakura-chan and Shikamaru is always complaining about her. Besides, she's just as hung up on Sasuke as Sakura is!"

Jiraiya let out a laugh from deep within his belly as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Picky guy, aren't you Naruto? Well then how about somebody older than you? In a couple of years, you'll practically be a man and some older ladies might start taking a look at you." The old man teased.

Naruto's face went into a deep blush.

"Uh, well older might be ok, I guess…"

"How old we talking here? Tsunade old? I hope you realize the whole thing is just an illusion kid." Jiraiya let out a booming laugh as he began to slap his knee in amusement.

Naruto spat out some more water from his mouth from the mere thought.

"No way, never! Not Granny Tsunade! I'd never feel that way about her!"

Jiraiya rested his chin on his palm as he contemplated some more.

"Well how about Kurenai, or even Anko. I especially would keep an eye out for that Anko. She really seems like a good time." He nodded in agreeance with himself.

"A..Anko? The crazy snake lady? Uh...no, no thanks." He said with his voice shaking a little. Having previously met her around the time of the Chunin exams, she had seemed particularly fond of him, and his blood...

Not to mention he had seen her on rare occasions eating dango from across the Ichiraku ramen shop where he usually was. And he had witnessed her reject then knock rude drunks unconscious. Not that they didn't deserve it, most likely thinking that she was an easy score, and not taking the hint after she told them to fuck off and/or themselves. But the way she would beat them and where she would injure them, well; it still deserved some sympathy.

"I like Kurenai sensei, she's really nice. I think she is dating Asuma though, at least that's the rumor I heard Ino blabbing out. I think someone a little younger than her and Anko would be better. They're my teachers."

Jiraiya nodded as he thought it over.

"Alright then, now that we've sort of narrowed that down, what about her as a person? Seeing as you seem so keen on having a relationship."

Naruto immediately began to blurt out all the qualities on his list.

"A strong kunoichi, someone who can hold her own. And she has to care about her friends, like Kakashi sensei said, anyone who doesn't protect their comrades is worse than scum!

And she needs to be loyal to her village too...

She won't gossip, or even care about it. And won't be afraid to be honest, like me!"

Jiraiya placed his hand under his chin and gazed at Naruto.

"That's a pretty long list kid; temper your expectations just a little, alright?"

"I can't help it, that's what I want. I really just want her to be somebody incredible...somebody...cool."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Should of figured, you dream big kid, you want to be Hokage and you want this incredible fantasy women."

Before Naruto could even answer, Jiraiya put his hand on the genin's hair and smiled.

"And I think you have got the guts to do both."

Naruto blinked and then immediately grinned.

"Hell yeah I do, believe it!" He exclaimed thrusting a fist into the air.

"I don't think anyone would have ever expected you to put a stop to Gaara's rampage. Not only that, you helped save one of the legendary sannin and even brought her back to the village. You helped find the village a great Hokage.

I think you have the guts to be a great Hokage yourself, maybe even save Sasuke. And if you can do those two things, I can't imagine finding a women even being a problem."

Jiraiya smiled softly before he stood up and put out the campfire.

"Just make sure you keep your eyes open for such a woman, you never know when she could pop up right in front of your eyes."

He waved off to Naruto and made his way to his tent for a long nights sleep.

Naruto looked up into the now pitch black sky above and promised himself that he would always keep that bit of advice from the Ero Sennin in his mind.

"I'll definitely keep an eye out, hell she might even be the next woman I see!"

"YOU DUMBASS!" A clenched fist connected to Naruto's face, causing him to sink to the ground.

A slender girl with dark skin stood above the now teenage Naruto with an enraged look plastered on her face.

She wore a long, short-sleeved dress with a flak jacket, and kept her forehead protector like a bandanna on her head. She proceeded to mount him and Naruto could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. He began to regret his offer for the Kumo kunoichi to beat him to a bloody pulp, but only just a little. If this is what I have to do to stay loyal, then I've got no problem. He shut his eyes as the onslaught continued.

This wasn't exactly how he envisioned the rest of his day going especially after having just defeated Pein of the Akatsuki, and finally receiving the love and admiration from the village. Of which he had craved for the longest time.

The girls' teammate, named Omoi, watched as his teammate continued to wail on Naruto. He wasn't really in favor of the beating that Karui was putting on Naruto, but he didn't feel like getting in her way at the moment.

After what seemed like forever, Karui pushed herself off the blonde to take in some air.

Naruto took the chance to bring himself up on his feet, breathing heavily through his mouth, as blood flowed from and blocked his nostrils.

In a nearby bush Sai had been watching the events unfold and was pained to see his teammate take a beating for a traitor. He could bear the sight no longer and zipped in front of Naruto just as he was about to receive another blow from the red haired stranger.

"Hey, you, don't interfere, he asked for it!" Yelled Karui as her fist came to a stop in the pale ninja's grasp.

"Sai, stay out of this." Naruto whispered as blood dripped from his face.

"Naruto, you don't need to protect Sasuke."

"Sai, it's my decision." Blood continued to fall from Naruto's face; he was beaten pretty badly but refused to let Sai get involved.

Karui threw her other fist in the direction of Sai's face, but was stunned to find it being held back by Omoi.

Omoi looked and then shook his head at Karui. "Beating them up won't get us anywhere, besides, this guy is obviously loyal." I like him.

"Have you two found any information on the Uchiha yet?"

Karui and Omoi turned to see their team leader arrive.

"Samui san?" The two kumo nin shouted in unison.

"I hope you two haven't done anything stupid yet". Samui warned as she approached her teammates. She came to a stop when she noticed Naruto.

Her comrades walked in front of her and obstructed her view of the leaf ninja.

"We've learned that Bee sensei may still be alive! We should go after him!"

"And then what? The three of us will go after the Akatsuki, the organization who captured both Yugito and Bee sensei?

What foolish thinking, come on we are going to report our findings to the Raikage."

"Take me with you." Said Naruto, as he lifted his head up. "I want to help you save your sensei and besides, I need to talk with your Raikage..."

"Are you kidding you idiot? We'd never just…"

"Karui." Said Samui, as she threw her arm in front of the girl, cutting her off.

"So this is the Jinchuuriki? The one everyone in this village is talking about... He looks like an ordinary teenager...but the village people already hold him in high regard as they would the Hokage. He even defeated the Akatsuki leader."

She stared into his eyes for a couple of seconds, trying to study the boy's character.

"His eyes...he has that same look I've seen in the Raikage and Bee Sensei. He may be a teenager, but he has the eyes of a man. Uzumaki Naruto..."

She broke away from her thoughts and addressed him directly.

"I'm sorry, but we don't exactly know you. A meeting with the Raikage isn't just easily granted to any request."

She didn't really think he was of any threat, but Kumo and Konoha had a long and unfavorable history and she knew it was more trouble than it would be worth.

"Kamui and Omoi, we are going to gather what intel about Uchiha Sasuke and the Akatsuki we have and report back to the Raikage."

She took one more look at Konoha's Jinchuuriki and leapt back into the forest, Omoi and Karui trailing her.

Naruto watched on as they disappeared and then requested that Sai take him to Yamato and Kakashi. He hadn't been able to get a good look at the third Kumo ninja, his wounds having blurred his vision, but he was thankful she had arrived and settled the qualm. He only regretted that he would probably never see her again nor have the chance to thank her.

Shikamaru Nara banged fervently on the apartment door of Naruto Uzumaki. At first he had politely knocked, as it was still morning and he didn't want to rush Naruto since he was supposed to be up now and getting ready. He merely wanted to alert the now 17 year old Blonde boy to his presence. However, he suspected that the knucklehead was still asleep and didn't care if he woke him up from a comfortable slumber.

"NARUTO, WAKE UP ALREADY, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON OUR WAY TEN MINUTES AGO, AND YOU STILL AREN'T AWAKE YET? WHAT THE HELL!"

Ever since the end of the fourth great shinobi war, the five villages had agreed to meet on occasion for a couple of weeks at a time. This was to accomplish two things: First, to lessen the individual burdens of each village after the war. Plenty of damage had been done to the villages, Konoha and Kumo in particular. The meetings helped to assign groups of ninja from each village to aid the hosting village in its recovery. Secondly, the ultimate hope of these meetings and efforts was creating a sustained peace between all the villages. Enough blood had been spilled through each generation and most had wanted to end the cycle of hatred permeating throughout the ninja world. An initiative spearheaded by Naruto Uzumaki himself.

Shikamaru had been tasked with bringing Naruto to the meetings this time around, and he had lamented the task set upon him but he had no choice, Tsunade was determined to have Naruto participate in every aspect of the village's restoration, so that when it came time, he would be ready to lead Konoha back into its former glory.

Shikamaru decided to continue his overdramatic attempt at waking Naruto.

"NARUTO QUICK, TEUCHI DIED YESTERDAY, AYAME IS TOO TRAUMATIZED TO TAKE HIS PLACE, AND THE LAST BOWL OF ICHIRAKU RAMEN WAS LEFT JUST FOR YOU. AND SAKURA IS GOING TO FEED IT TO YOU. IN HER UNDERWEAR."

The door swung open with Naruto standing in the entrance, looking half asleep and clearly annoyed, he took a step towards Shikamaru.

"Teuchi is not dead, I went for a bowl just last night. Ayame is brave, she would continue the Ichiraku legacy without question and Sakura would never go outside in just her underwear. And I would know if she was close by, I have good instincts when it comes to women."

Shikamaru stared back in disbelief at Naruto's statement.

"Yeah, you have great instincts about women, especially since you had no idea Hinata had the most obvious crush on you since only forever, and you had no idea until she practically confessed to you that time when we were fighting Obito..."

"Get inside anyway; I don't need you to break the door." Naruto stepped back inside; Shikamaru followed him and took a minute to survey the apartment.

Messy was an understatement. Dirty clothes were strewn across the few furniture that occupied the living room, and empty foam instant ramen cups were spilling out of the trash can.

"Geez Naruto, are you so desperate for a roommate that you are trying to attract raccoons to this dump? Considering you are the front runner for Sixth Hokage, I would have figured you'd be more organized, especially when it comes to your home."

Naruto emerged from his room in his familiar orange pants and was yanking on a black shirt as he looked around the living room before turning his attention to Shikamaru.

"Yeah, it's not perfect, but everything is where I left it." He stated with a trademark grin.

Shikamaru frowned and eyed the blonde disapprovingly.

"You're practically an adult, but you still make it feel like I'm arguing with a kid, what a drag..."

"Oh come on, I have been busy every day of the week. Like you said, I'm pretty much guaranteed the position of Hokage. I've had to meet with Tsunade and those two oldsters about getting prepped. I traveled with Kakashi sensei to the other hidden villages. On top of that, I had to complete a crazy number of S Rank assignments in order to bypass the Chunin exams and I still need to finish a team assignment soon before I can be considered for the Jounin rank!" Naruto spat all of that out in a hurry, as he slipped on and zipped up his Chunin vest.

Shikamaru sighed and then nodded. "Fair enough, can't say that I can relate to all of that responsibility. To be honest, the only reason I even clean my apartment is because Temari refuses to come over otherwise. Living with a woman is such a drag sometimes..."

Well that was only partially true, Temari still resided in Suna, but when she had to stay in Konoha for the Five Village Summit, she often stayed with Shikamaru. And it wasn't always such a drag, specifically during the night.

"Man, quit complaining, Temari is gorgeous, a little too gorgeous to be wasting her time on a slacker like you!" Naruto teased Shikamaru as he put on his sandals. "I would be pretty grateful for someone like her. It's not like you couldn't benefit from being around her."

"Believe me Naruto, its almost more trouble than it's worth. You have to stay on your guard; feels like you can't slip up. The number one rule is to not piss your woman off. You'll see someday."

"Ha Ha, I don't think I'll have that problem anytime soon. Come on, let's get going." Naruto and Shikamaru and descended the stairs from the apartment building into the busy street, already stuck in a mid-morning rush.

They began to make the trek towards the academy, Konoha's temporary meeting place for the Five Village Summit.

"Hey did you even bother to eat anything for breakfast? You know these meetings can take a while, you'll be starving by lunchtime."

"Yes, I know, I promise to eat something next time mom." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Shikamaru mockingly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, Naruto certainly made him feel like a mother dealing with an immature child. That was Naruto though; he was never too serious, taking it upon himself to lighten the mood. Shikamaru and even the rest of the rookie 9 noticed it even more upon returning from the war. Naruto had gone out of his way to spend time with Shikamaru and Choji, even though Shikamaru would never be in the mood to hang out, especially after his father's death during the war. Naruto would force him, Choji, and Kiba into doing stupid things, like checking out the best places to peek at girls, the knowledge having been passed on to Naruto from the late Jiraiya. They'd gotten caught, without even seeing anything, and were left with concussions courtesy of Ino and Sakura.

And as odd as their adventures had been, he came to realize how it helped to make things feel normal again and he was glad that he had someone to help him get his mind off of his loss. And when he was ready, Naruto listened and sympathized with his grief. Despite never knowing Minato, he had felt a similar pain upon learning of Jiraiya's demise. He had told Shikamaru how Jiraiya had been like a surrogate father to him and how he eventually came to terms with it.

Amidst all these thoughts, Shikamaru hadn't noticed that they were almost at their destination and were now passing the Ichiraku Ramen shop. It took all his strength to hold Naruto back by the end of his collar.

"Naruto, we're already late, we can't stop now."

"Oh, come on Shikamaru! Just one bowl, really quick, please! I can practically inhale it all in 10 seconds flat!"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO CHOKE, IDIOT!" Shikamaru shook Naruto, trying to get through to him.

"Wow that used to be me. It looks really hilarious when you're not the one restraining Naruto." Iruka said with a laugh, sitting atop one of the stools in the Ichiraku shop.

Naruto pointed a finger at his first teacher "Iruka-sensei, you traitor! How dare you eat at Ichiraku without inviting me?"

"Well, I knew you'd be busy this morning, though I'd be happy to treat you afterwards if you survive the meeting on an empty stomach." He responded with a smile.

"I'd make it through hell and back for a bowl of that heavenly stuff, believe it! Prepare yourself, because I'll be eating a ton when I get out." Said Naruto, as he promised with a fist struck into the air.

"Sheesh, this guy is so energetic; I have a whole new level of respect for you sensei." Sighed Shikamaru, relieved to know he wouldn't be the one to treat Naruto, his wallet was still recovering from the last occasion.

Iruka nodded sternly. "Indeed, it's not an easy job. I wish you the best of luck. Take care of Naruto please; he is a lot to handle when it comes to things he is not interested in." He bowed his head low, as if making a difficult request.

Waving his arms frantically, Naruto scolded Iruka "Oh come on, I'm not that bad at all!"

"Yeah, back off Naruto, leave the teasing for another time, that could take all day, we've got business to take care of." Said a voice that was approaching the group from behind.

"Yo, Kiba! How you been?" Naruto bumped fists with Kiba, then put his hand on Akamaru's head and began to pet him. "And how about you Akamaru?" The dog woofed in response and licked Naruto's hand.

"We've been good, working hard, picking up the slack whenever you're not around to protect us." Kiba said with a laugh. Akamaru had continued to grow and if Kiba wanted to, he could probably ride the large canine, not that he would ever do that. It was something occasionally suggested by Naruto, who was interested in seeing it for no other reason than curiosity.

"It has been a while though, Naruto. How's it been, traveling to the other villages?

"It's been incredible! I was just in Suna, and I got to hang out some more with Killer Bee! He can rhyme about ANYTHING! And he touches fists with everyone as a greeting, it's really cool, I'm trying it out myself! You're the first person in Konoha I've done it with!"

Shikamaru stepped over to Naruto with a puzzled look. "Huh? That's really how you're going to greet people? Then why didn't you bump fists with me earlier when I picked you up this morning?"

"That's because you were banging on my door like an idiot and shouting lies! You don't deserve the next hokage's super cool greeting Shikamaru." Said Naruto with his eyes narrowed in annoyance, remembering the day's earlier events.

"We are LATE because of you Naruto! And I don't care that you didn't greet me, just because you think it's cool, doesn't mean it's cool. You think Lee and Guy's outfits are stylish!"

Iruka leaned from his seat in the bar and addressed the trio.

"Cut it out guys, you can argue like children again on your own time. You need to get to the meeting. Come here Shikamaru, I'll write you a pardon so you guys don't get scolded."

They really were acting like children and he was basically giving them a hall pass so that they would leave and let him enjoy his ramen in peace.

As Shikamaru sighed and made his way over to Iruka, Naruto's attention was caught by the sight of Anko sitting over at a Dango stand, attempting to ignore yet another man trying to pursue her.

The man in question had short, blond hair and green eyes. Naruto recognized the Kumogakure flak jacket he was wearing, and the kanji for heat tattooed on his shoulder.

"Poor guy doesn't stand a chance. If he's lucky she'll just brush him off and he'll take the hint."

"Oooooh, come on. Tell me your name! Give me that at least!" Begged the ninja from Kumo.

"Nope." Said Anko with eyes closed and back turned to him, as she continued to enjoy her dango and tea.

"Well, how about I go first? I am Atsui of the village hidden in the clouds! I'm well known for my hot fighting techniques and hot blooded passion when it comes to beautiful women such as you." He said with a bow. Swinging his head back up, showcasing his goofy smile.

"That's nice. You can leave now." Anko waved her hand at him in a shooing motion.

"Can't you see this is fate mam? A hot individual such as myself arriving at this fine village for the first time and immediately laying eyes on a hot specimen such as yourself."

That was a lie. He had been eyeballing practically every attractive female since he had arrived. He figured her to be an easy target, judging her solely on her wardrobe.

Anko turned to him, giving him a genuine smile.

"Atsui was it? Thanks very much for those err..compliments. You have a pretty smile, I like your hair. Wish I could get mines to look that nice. And your bow was adorable. While I still have to say no to whatever requests you have, I would like to thank you. Just by taking one look at you, I was able to confirm an interesting rumor."

"And what rumor would that be?" Atsui leaned forward on the counter, interested in what she had to say.

"That male ninja from Kumo were gay." Anko said with a huge grin.

Atsui's jaw dropped in an instant at the declaration, before falling over in disbelief.

Naruto chuckled to himself after that exchange. Maybe it wouldn't end up too bad after all. Now the guy could give up and leave with, if nothing else, his body intact.

He spoke too soon, as Atsui quickly recollected himself and put his hand on Anko's forearm and gripped it tightly.

"I've been hitting on you this entire time! I'm straight, and I can't understand why you have to be a bitch about someone asking for your name." He practically shouted at her.

Anko stared blankly at him. She hadn't heard a word that he said. She looked at the hand holding tightly onto her forearm. She then looked back up to Atsui.

"I tried very hard to let you off easy. I was enjoying my Dango, and didn't feel like squashing some punk who thinks he's hot stuff. However, YOU. DON'T. TOUCH. ME."

Anko grabbed the hand of the Kumo nin, proceeded to snap it, and then throw him over the counter. She then grabbed him by the leg and began to drag him into the ally next to the stand, her free hand reaching into her bag for a kunai as she prepared to give him an encounter that was the opposite of what he had been hoping for.

Naruto's eyes almost jumped out of his skull at what had just transpired.

"She...can't kill him can she? He was being a real pest but...what is she gonna do?" Naruto fretted at the potential backlash it could create from the hidden cloud village.

"What are you yammering on about Naruto? Come on let's go!" Kiba said before dragging Naruto away by the collar towards the direction of the ninja academy. Unaware of the horrors that the blonde had witnessed and had left him petrified and unable to move.

When they arrived to the meeting, Shikamaru was pleased to see that although they had been late, and most of the groups were already seated, the meeting did not seem to be in session just yet, as all of the ninja that had crammed into the academy's auditorium were talking loudly amongst themselves.

"Naruto, Kiba, go find our table while I hand in the pardon we got from Iruka." Shikamaru pointed them into the right direction before he headed over to the registration table.

Naruto took a long look around the auditorium as he and Kiba made their way through the thin aisles, crammed full of tables for each group of ninja.

The seating was not too unlike the way academy students were seated. Three tables next to each other with three more tables on the tier above, going all the way to the back of the auditorium. An isle breaking off in between each set of three tables, resulting in about four sections of seating, with somewhere ten rows in each section.

At one time, they had attempted to separate each section according to the village from which the groups hailed from. However, this seemed to promote segregation in a way, and ended up in a meeting that was nothing but each village finding fault with the other participant's way of doing things. Kumo would feel the Mist Village was too weak to oversee security for that period of restoration, Suna refused to co-operate with any village besides the hidden leaf with most ventures and etc. Eventually the kages began to attend some of the meetings to settle the discourse before it would get out of hand. And so presently, they mixed the seating so that they each village was shoulder to shoulder with each other. After a few meetings in this arraignment, the meetings became increasingly productive. The few reoccurring malcontents who tried to stir up trouble were identified and either positioned in the meetings closer to the ushers who kept an eye on them, or were banned from all future meetings and sent home.

They finally arrived to their aisle and Naruto continued to survey the other tables as he plopped down into his seat. Tables with their village symbol hanging on a tag, scattered all around. Leaf, Sand, Mist, Stone, and Cloud. Yes, they were all there.

"Isn't this amazing Kiba? All the villages here, and for the most part, still getting along, even after the war!" Naruto said with a grin.

Kiba nodded "Yeah, it really is something to see. And we have you to thank Naruto."

"Haha thanks, but everyone has been really helpful, I had a ton of help." Naruto said with a laugh, as he scratched the back of his head.

He was being genuinely modest about his efforts and he liked to think they succeeded because people really did share his desire for peace. And the best example was the meeting they were participating in.

He was particularly happy to see Gaara positioned just a row above them, but didn't wave to him as he could see Gaara was already deep in discussions with his siblings. He looked at the row below them and noticed the Kumo symbol attached to the empty table, its occupants having not arrived.

Silence slowly fell over the auditorium as the moderators and each village's elected speaker arrived and took their seats in the center of the auditorium. The newest practice implemented in these meetings was having a head speaker be in charge of voicing their village's ideas, concerns, and requests.

The head moderator, Konoha's own council woman, Koharu Utatane, stood before the entire auditorium. The kanji for Shinobi, the symbol used to unite the villages during the war, hung behind her on a large banner.

"I hope you found your way to our village without much difficulty." Koharu started.

"As head moderator, and a member of the elder council of the village hidden in the leaves, I'd like to thank the great and honorable Ninja Villages of Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure and Kirigakure respectively for participating in the ongoing restoration efforts for the Allied Shinobi Force. By now, I hope you have all had plenty of time to talk amongst yourselves about what questions and requests you wish to present before the conference. Please continue to display the respect we know that all of our villages are capable of, by not rudely interrupting what each village has to say, and by also avoiding malicious criticisms of the opinions and goals of the other villages. I hope that we may have an enlightening, productive meeting. With that said, the meeting will now commence. Please be seated."

Everyone took their seats, and waited to see which speaker would kick things off.

Kakashi stood up and bowed towards the moderators before beginning.

"I am Hatake Kakashi, representing the village hidden in the leaves. We would like to update the Allied Shinobi Force on the status of the captive, Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto sat quietly observing his sensei, already aware of what he had to report, and interested to see how the other villages reacted to it.

Kakashi turned to face the whole of the auditorium before continuing.

"Uchiha Sasuke remains in the possession of the village hidden in the leaves. He has remained in our possession since his surrender to Uzumaki Naruto directly after the conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi War. He has been cooperative, and complied with our investigation. He has agreed to continue to cooperate with us and in a short time, we will be open to allowing the other villages a chance for interrogation, within a guideline that will be put together by the Fifth Hokage Tsunade of the Senju clan. We wish to continue to keep him in our sole possession as we continue to work with the Allied Shinobi Force in determining a sentence suitable for him. Until that time, we ask for and appreciate everyone's patience concerning that matter." Kakashi bowed his head once more before returning to his seat.

Soft mumbling could be overheard amongst the meeting's participants before Koharu clapped her hands together, silence reigning once again.

"Thank you representative Hatake. Do any other representatives have a question or statement to add? If so, bring them forth now, before we close discussion on the subject for today and move onto the next one."

The representatives aside from the one with Kumo remained silent. Kumo's representative finally stood and addressed Koharu. "I am Darui, representative of the village hidden in the clouds. We are willing to accept the hidden leaf's stipulations with the addition of a stipulation of our own. That would be that Kumogakure be granted the first opportunity to interrogate the criminal."

Koharu turned to Kakashi for his answer. He seemed to think about it for a second before finally nodding. She then turned attention back to the Kumo representative.

"Very well, the Allied Shinobi Force is in agreeance with Konohagakure's request to retain possession of the criminal Uchiha Sasuke, and grants them more time to continue its investigation. The added stipulation requested by Kumogakure to have the first opportunity to interrogate Uchiha Sasuke within guidelines to be created in the near future, has also been approved. Discussion on this subject is now over and may not be brought up again until the next meeting."

Behind her, the other moderators began to write down the happenings down onto scrolls; to be later delivered to the Kage's and Daimyo's of the Allied Shinobi Force.

Naruto was a little worried about Kumo being the first to cross interrogate Sasuke, but he knew that relations with Kumo had come a long way, thanks in large part to his friendship with Killer Bee. They had previously requested possession of Sasuke, and Naruto had to explain to Bee his fears of Sasuke being trapped in the land where he had nothing but enemies who wished for a slow and painful demise to end the criminal's life. Clearly Bee had come through for his fellow Jinchuuriki and gotten their side to calm down and do things by the books.

"Next on the agenda is the matter of resource inventory. We need a few groups in charge of taking inventory of the resources we have. Keeping track of how quick the resources are being spent and which we need more of. Among the other responsibilities are..."

Naruto slumped back into his chair and sighed. He was not particularly fond when it came to the numbers and facts part of these meetings. Not really his interest.

What did catch his attention however were three people making their way up the aisle, a boy and girl arguing with each other as the third member, a woman, seemed to be ignoring them.

"Wow, we may have been late but these guys are ridiculous, showing up now in the middle of the meeting. And they won't even shut up! The nerve of these guys. Hey wait a minute..."

He leaned forward and noticed the boy and girl were awfully familiar. As the group came closer he recognized the voices of Karui and Omoi.

"Huh? It's THEM? They're the ones sitting below us? Aw, man. I hope that girl doesn't see me; I'd be perfectly fine with never speaking to her again."

His recollection of the beating she had given him, albeit one he agreed to, caused him to shudder slightly.

The Kumo trio finally made their way to their row and shuffled to their table.

"You can't be counted on for anything Omoi! Next time, we'll just leave your dumbass."

Karui pushed Omoi down the row to their table, while nagging his ear off.

Omoi planted his feet and then shoved his hand into her face.

"Quiet ugly, I took the time needed to prepare myself for the possibility that one of these hidden leaf kunoichi's becomes attracted to me and then another and another until I would have to make a final, and heart breaking decision between them all. It took a while, but now I'm ready and I don't regret it at all."

Karui glared at him and almost bit Omoi's hand.

"Are you serious? As if that would ever happen, you shit head!"

Before an argument could break out, their leader reprimanded them.

"Cool down. The meeting already started, take your seats, shut up and listen." Samui sat down and faced forward, already tiring of being their baby sitter.

Naruto only caught a glimpse of her blond hair as she walked over to the table with her group and sat down.

"Wait a minute...is that the lady from before? I recognize her voice but I didn't really get a look at her back then, I could hardly see. I was so beat up. She seems really different from those two crazies. What's her story, I wonder..."

He looked back up at Koharu going on about who knows what. Most likely still discussing something boring. Her words went through one ear and out the other. Try as he might, his anxiety would not allow him to focus on the meeting. Not with mystery of the third Kumo ninja's identity plaguing his mind.

"Aww crap, now I really want to see what she looks like! I won't be able to get through the rest of this meeting if I don't! I've decided that this is an important mission that I must accomplish. Just look at her once and then get back to the meeting. There is no other solution!"

Naruto nodded, he was strong in his resolve, and he was going to do this. First he had to figure out how he was going to do it. He was seated in between Shikamaru and Kiba, which meant he couldn't just step into the aisle and walk past her row on the way to the bathroom without alerting his comrades, and they would definitely keep an eye on him. If they caught him trying to look at a girl, they'd scold him for not taking the meeting serious, and most likely report it back to Tsunade.

"Ok, I'm not giving up, I'll just be creative. Yeah, I can just lean over Shikamaru's side of the table and take a quick peek...no sweat."

Naruto once again looked up at Koharu, still addressing the auditorium. He pretended to look interested in what she was saying, as he began to slowly move his chair over to his left. When he was close enough, he began to slowly lean over the table, until he was yanked by his jacket by Shikamaru, and thrown back into his seat.

"What the hell are you doing Naruto?" Shikamaru whispered.

"I know you're feeling antsy, but you need to bear with us. This'll be all over before you know it."

"Damn!" Naruto thought to himself as he crossed his arms in frustration. "A couple of seconds more and I would have seen her! I'm not gonna give up! Naruto Uzumaki doesn't quit!

Maybe I shouldn't be trying to look at her...but instead get her to look at me! If I can just tap the back of her chair, she'll turn around and give me a clear view! I can just play it off and say it was an accident. Yeah, that's the plan. This will work!"

Feeling confident about the plan he had just half assed, he went to work. Once again looking at Koharu once more, he began to move his seat forward and stuck out his foot from out under his table. At the last second he decided that it would be safer if he looked elsewhere, just in case Shikamaru was watching. He stared back up at Koharu and then quickly jabbed his foot out forward. However, he missed the back of a seat and instead kicked the backbone of the person sitting in the chair. Suddenly Karui's head swung around glaring at Naruto's table.

"Damn it, I should have just looked. Wrong person."

Karui silently whispered the words. "Who…just…kicked me?"

Before Naruto could even respond, Kiba absent mindedly coughed into his hand, bringing Karui's attention towards him.

Karui turned to Kiba, who had no idea what was going on, he was actually paying attention to the meeting.

Karui smiled and waved a hand in front of Kiba; once she had his attention she then beckoned him with her finger. He leaned forward and she whispered into this ear.

"Hey dog breath. Fuck off."

She then proceeded to grab him by the back of his head and slammed his face into the table before letting go, and turning back to the meeting.

Kiba covered his mouth and suppressed a yelp. Still clueless to what had just happened.

Naruto felt like crap seeing his friend take the punishment meant for him. He would make it up to him later. He would not waste Kiba's sacrifice, he was going to look at this girl, and he had come too far.

"Screw it, I'm just going to stand up and look over at her."

Gathering all his courage, Naruto put both hands on the table and then stood straight up, leaned over the table and prepared to say something to Samui when he noticed Koharu pointing straight at him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, are you volunteering to head the inventory effort?"

Naruto began to sweat as every head in the auditorium swiveled over in his direction as he stood there dumbfounded. She was probably looking too but he didn't dare to look now, he was clearly embarrassed.

"Uh...no thank you. I was just...stretching." He bowed and sat back down immediately.

Koharu squinted over at him. "Well...fine. Someone is still going to have to do it, even if no one volunteers." She said, before finally moving onto a new subject.

Naruto put his head down on the table and sighed.

"What am I doing? Granny Tsunade is really counting on me. I've been wasting time to see some girl. Am I that immature? No, not anymore. I have to do my best; I am going to pay attention to the rest of it. No more playing around." And with that he faced forward and focused himself on the meeting and did not move at all for the rest of the discussions.

After a few hours the meeting was finally almost over. Naruto had fought a tough battle with anxiety and boredom, but emerged victorious in the end. And he had a better understanding of the Allied Shinobi Force's operations as a result.

Koharu stood up to address the auditorium a final time.

"Before we conclude today's meeting, I would like to let you all know, that for the next few weeks, each group will be pairing with a group from a different village for this stage of the restoration. Those of you who registered your group today are already aware of this assignment. Feel free to intermingle with each other before leaving today. Thank you all once again for a successful meet, and we hope you find our village helpful and accommodating."

With a final bow, she stepped away from the center of the auditorium, the rest of the moderators following her. And just like that, it was as if class dismissed and the room filled with loud chatter as the ninja reacted to Alliance's announcement.

Naruto stood up and stretched his arms.

"Finally! I thought that it would never end! Time to get some lunch."

"Don't you wanna see who we'll be working with first Naruto?" Kiba remarked, while rubbing the side of his face, still feeling the after effects from Karui's little outburst.

"Ah, can't we do that tomorrow? I want to go eat with Iruka sensei already!" Groaned The blonde.

Just then he felt someone poking his back. Surprised, he spun around to see who it was.

"Hello Naruto, it's been a while." In front of him stood his friend, Gaara of the Sand, the Kazekage.

Naruto's face lit up instantly.

"Gaara! Hey buddy, how have you been?" Said Naruto putting out his fist.

Gaara stared at Naruto's fist confusingly. "Uh, I've been good Naruto; it's nice to see you."

Shikamaru shook his head at Naruto. "Why are you still doing that fist bump thing? Stop it, it's dumb!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Never mind him Gaara, this is the cool way they greet friends in Kumogakure."

Gaara blinked a couple of times, before slowly raising his fist and connecting it with Naruto's.

"Like this?"

"Ha ha, that's right! Pretty cool huh? Matter of fact, you know how you can make it even cooler? Make a fist out of sand and bump with me!

Gaara just stood there looking even more confused.

Shikamaru knew he would never fully get Naruto. "Look, don't even do it Gaara. Naruto, he already did the stupid fist bump thing with you, stop it."

"Well we got to get it right, after all we are going to be working together. Isn't that why you came over here?"

"Well yes, I was on my way to meet the group that me and my siblings will be working with."

"See? So we gotta practice our new greeting!"

"Well, I meant that I was going to ask you if I could get through since you're blocking the aisle. I did want to say hello though."

Naruto blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Oh uh...sure thing. Sorry about that haha!"

He stepped away as Gaara nodded at him and made his way down a couple of rows.

Shikamaru walked over to Naruto looking unamused.

"Geez Naruto, quit jumping to conclusions."

"Eh it was a mistake, can't be helped."

"Get your facts straight and quit making so many mistakes."

"Fine fine, then who is the group we are really going to be working with?"

Shikamaru took out a letter he had gotten from the registration table.

"Well...let's see here. Looks like they are ninja from Kumogakure. First name is..."

"Hey, Samui! Look who we're partnered with, that Naruto guy!" Shouted Omoi out of nowhere.

Naruto blinked. "Huh Samui...that name...wait a second, is it...her?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks as he realized who the name was attached to.

As quickly as his brain began to put two and two together, he noticed someone moving towards him out of the corner of his eyes.

He witnessed her turn in what seemed like slow motion, but it must of just been him experiencing the slowdown, seeing as Shikamaru and Kiba just looked on seemingly indifferent, because if they had been looking in the same direction as he; they would also been experiencing the world stopping its rotation underneath their feet and reveled in the spectacle that was her face turning, her features slowly revealing themselves to him.

She was tall for a woman, wearing high boots and a short skirt. She had her Kumo flak jacket wrapped around her waist as if it were a girdle. Which only helped her figure to display her generous cleavage that was emerging from her low cut top.

He continued to look on in amazement, examining her beauty from her short golden hair, her perfect bangs, bright blue eyes, soft looking lips. Having run out of adjectives to describe her with and feeling a little bold, he began to steer his sight a little lower to gaze at her voluptuous assets. Then his attention was brought back up to those same soft looking lips; they were forming words that he could barely make out.

"Stop that please." The Kumo Kunoichi repeated.

"Huh...stop..what?" Said Naruto cluelessly.

"You were staring. Not cool." The Women stated blankly.

Not wanting to be caught and considered a pervert, Naruto unwittingly let loose the first words his mind could conjure. "Well, I couldn't help myself...I got lost in your beautiful eyes; right until you found me." He said with a smug looking smirk.

It got quiet in the section they were at, everyone else within hearing distance had heard the awfully cheesy line, and they looked for the culprit who had unleashed such an abomination unto the world.

They all stared at Naruto and Samui.

Kiba and Shikamaru just stood there behind Naruto with their mouths open.

Karui and Omoi mirrored their reaction, as they stood behind Samui.

He may have heard Jiraiya speak those words once before to cover up for his ogling. It had earned the Sannin a nice smack to the face. It was such a lame excuse for…an excuse. This woman looked fairly strong and Naruto feared for the worst possible outcome.

"Yeah, it wouldn't suck to just die now and save me from embarrassment."

He looked at Samui, awaiting her response.

She stood there seemingly unaffected. As if she had no opinion. Naruto hoped that through some miracle, she hadn't heard what he had just said.

"Ok, Uzumaki Naruto, I am Samui. These are my comrades, Omoi and Karui. We've all met before. I'm sure our groups will work hard together." With that she turned and headed down the aisle. "Karui, Omoi, we're going."

The pair shut their mouths, looked at each other and followed after their team leader without uttering a single word.

With the Kumo trio gone, everyone who had turned to see what had been going on, slowly went back to what they had been doing, leaving Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru standing there unsure of what to do next.

"Uh...what just happened? Did she just like, shut me down or something?" Naruto asked to nobody in particular.

"Well...she didn't try to kill you. Let's be happy with that and get out of here." Said Kiba as he was eager to get home and apply some ice to his aching cheek.

"Naruto...you're a pervert man." Said Shikamaru as he laid a hand on his should before walking ahead of him to the nearest exit.

"Well...what the hell. Sure, I'm a bit of a perv, but she was GORGEOUS, I was in awe if anything. I wasn't just ogling her."

"Well, unfortunately for you, i think any small fraction of a chance you had with her is all but shattered now." Said Kiba as he pushed Naruto down the aisle.

"Yeah...you're probably right." Said Naruto looking up at the sky as they stepped through the exit.

"Can you believe that pervert? Checking out Samui like that. And what a weak pick up line." Kamui said to Omoi as they followed Samui to their quarters.

"He got caught looking, it happens. Least he wasn't too intimidated to try and make a move on her. I'll say it again, I like him." Said Omoi with his hands tied behind his head.

"Oh come on, don't give me any of that. Samui, you seen him staring at you right? Wasn't it insulting and pathetic!" She shouted out to Samui in front of them.

Samui kept walking, thinking about it for a moment, before turning her head back slightly and responding. "Actually, I thought it was cute."

She turned back around and kept going.

Karui stopped walking, her mouth agape once more. Samui usually never even bothered to answer their questions when it came to the trivial stuff. She hadn't expected her to say anything; especially that she thought that the Jinchuuriki's attempt was cute. She personally wouldn't associate cute with that blockhead.

Omoi and Samui continued ahead, leaving Karui stranded and confused.

"Hey, maybe he'll hit on you again Samui." Omoi wanted to see if Samui was now willing to participate in their conversations.

Alas, she uttered not a word.

Omoi shrugged. "Well maybe he and I can become friends. And we'll hang out with his friends. And I'll meet his female friends. And they'll start fighting over me. And then...hey, wait a minute."

"Where the hell is Atsui?"

And there it is. Thanks for reading chapter one. Please review, reviews are greatly appreciated.