"Leave that to me," Naruto replied and flew down and put a number of seals onto Hidan's body and one onto the ground between his feet, "I suggest you get a bit away, as this will be messy."
...
The ANBU nodded and stepped back.
"You won't be able to defeat me! God Jashin will make me the winner, stupid tree huggers!" Hidan cursed.
"Fuinjutsu: Ant lion trap and wind sword seals activate," Naruto stated while closing two handseal, which triggered both seals.
First the tag under Hidan's feet created a hole in the ground, which had fine sand rolling downwards, preventing that you could simply run upwards to escape the trap. Then the other seals cut the spot they were placed on with a sharp sword made of wind.
"Wow, I never thought you could create seals that imitate A-rank jutsus," Cheetah said very impressed.
"Nothing is impossible with the right level of knowledge in fuinjutsu," Naruto replied.
Down in the trap, Hidan was cursing up a storm, insulting the Konoha group, and promising them a very painful death, as soon as he was out of there.
"It's scary to think that he could survive being cut apart like that," Mantis commented, watching the spectacle, "And how are we getting him out to take him into a secure spot where he can't escape?"
"I can place a shell of earth around him that we can take with us to Konoha in a normal storage scroll," Badger informed the other ANBU, "Though it would probably best if we put some chakra suppression seals into the prison before that. Just to make sure. This guy is really a freak."
The others agreed and left Hidan under watch of Cheetah to assist the other group with Mala, if they hadn't finished their fight yet. Though the lack of sound suggested that they had managed as well.
...
Thankfully it was like they had suspected. Tiger had restrained Mala with wood and she was cursing them all out for interfering in her holy mission for God Jashin.
"I see you're done as well. How did the fight go?" Dove asked.
"Very hard, he's a slippery opponent, but we managed to trap him and he's currently guarded by Cheetah in an ant lion trap that Dark Phoenix set up," Mantis answered, "Dark Phoenix also placed seals that imitate the effect of a wind sword on several places on his body after Cheetah managed to catch him in his jutsu for the second time.
The first time we hit him with some of our best jutsus, but he got back up again and gave us trouble again. His healing factor for any kind of physical wound that only injures his body, is really annoying."
"I see. Well, we need to make sure that their plans never come to pass. I would say, do the same to Mala and then we take them to Konoha in storage scrolls to let the Hokage decide what to do about them. But first, Dark Phoenix, poison her like discussed," Dove ordered.
"Badger, I also want you to hit her womb with your gentle fist. We are not taking any risk of her being able to become pregnant any time soon."
"No! Don't you dare! I will bear the human form of God Jashin!" Mala screeched, before Tiger let some wood cover her mouth.
Naruto stepped forward and unsealed a vial with a strong poison that corroded any kind of flesh it got in contact with. He put it into a syringe and injected it directly into the womb area of her body, where Tiger shifted his wood a little to the side to allow Naruto and Badger access.
Once Naruto was done, Badger targeted specific spots and destroyed any kind of vital organ for reproduction with his chakra strikes. Then Mala was given the same treatment as Hidan and sealed up into a prisoner scroll.
"We were lucky to get to them just in time. Good work team. Let's get Hidan's pieces sealed up as well and then give these poor people a decent burial," Dove told the group and they confirmed.
...
It was five hours later that they were back in Konoha. Naruto had given another ruse with a shadow clone to use the flying thundergod jutsu to get the group back to Konoha and now Dove had just reported back to Kakashi.
"I see, good work, teams. Leave the secured parts of Hidan and Mala with Ibiki to see if he can get some information out of them. ANBU you are dismissed, Dark Phoenix, stay," Kakashi ordered and they all followed.
Kakashi then proceeded to set up privacy seals to talk to his student undisturbed.
"How are you?" Kakashi asked.
"Glad that it is over and a bit exhausted, sensei," Naruto answered honestly.
"You will be taking off the next two weeks and are banned from training for the next three days. You really need to have some real down time, Naruto," Kakashi said sternly.
"I also suggest looking into spending some time with your comrades that are on leave as well. Hinata and Sakura have training at the hospital for the next month and are not going to take mission as long as there isn't any need for medics.
Tsunade asked to have the most promising candidates kept in the village for that time and I granted it, as we have covered enough of the built up missions to have a little breathing space. Not to mention that Danzo sent us a number of chunin level ROOT agents to fill some empty spots."
"I didn't think he would do so. He likes to keep them in reserve and hidden away," Naruto commented.
"He wants to see the village rise to the undisputed top more than anything and right now that needs manpower to appear strong to any kind of opponent. Letting a few ROOT agents take normal missions will help with that. Even if they mostly take border patrol missions, to free up the ones that can be allowed to be in contact with clients," Kakashi explained.
"Yes, I can see how they would have problems with that. Danzo really overdoes it with his conditioning," Naruto nodded, "Who else is in the village right now?"
"Choji, Ino and Kiba have just come back three days ago from a C-rank mission with Sasuke leading the team and I plan giving them the next one the day after tomorrow. Sasuke has gone onto the next mission this morning. Shikamaru will be here until tomorrow morning and Shino is away with a chunin team," Kakashi answered.
"Okay, I'll see if I can at least get something to eat with some of them," Naruto agreed, thinking that catching up on the missions they had had would be a good idea.
"Once you are done with your leave, which I definitely won't cut short again, I want you to give a shot seminar about sealing basics at the academy.
We need more ninjas that at least understand the basics of fuinjutsu, even if it is just recognising the kind of seal they come across and making storage scrolls. And I think we could find some talented students that will be put into a program similar to Tsunade's medic program," Kakashi told Naruto.
"Not a bad idea, sensei, well, I'll be off. I really need a shower and something to eat," Naruto commented and left concentrating on one of his kunais, which was placed in his secret home. He wouldn't give up that safety for the world.
...
When Naruto was done showering, he pondered who he would like to hang out with. While Sakura was his teammate, he didn't really like her enough to spend his free time with her or Sasuke, if it wasn't for something that others had arranged.
Hinata, well, he didn't know how to react to her behaviour. He knew she liked him in some way, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to support that by making her believe that he reciprocated. Well, he would see who he could find beforehand.
If he got a number of others to agree to meet for dinner, he could simply tell her she was invited as well and it wouldn't give the girl ideas. As a friend and comrade she was nice enough, but he really couldn't see him being a good match for her. They were very different after all.
Choji and Shikamaru were a good choice to hang out with. They had never shown any obvious dislike for him, even during the academy time, and even skipped classes with him from time to time, when he had played the idiot to deceive people. Ino and Kiba were still loud, but they had become better ever since the training of the three rookie teams had been increased.
With Sasuke and Shino out on missions that was the selection he had. While he knew Gai's team as well, he didn't really have any closer contact with them and they would probably be out on a mission.
An experienced genin team like theirs was currently given more missions, not to mention that the next chunin exams would take place soon and they were going to enter again.
Gai hadn't been too disappointed that his team hadn't managed to get into the finals. It was just bad luck. Instead he motivated them to train even harder to have better abilities and speed next time the exams came around and he was sure that they would have their chance to excel then.
As far as Naruto had found out, the exams would be held in Kumo, which had taken over the exams from Suna, which had been banned from holding them for the next two years. While they had been tricked by Orochimaru, there had to be repercussions for attacking a supposed ally.
And Konoha still had Gaara and Temari in custody, while Kankuro had been let go, as a sign of good-will, after Suna had sent the first delivery of jutsu scrolls that were part of the agreement that Konoha had set up with Suna to let them pay off their debts from the invasion.
In the end, once Suna had met all the demands for their actions, Gaara, whose seal had been greatly improved to prevent him going on an uncontrolled rampage and who had been forced to attend counselling, not to mention that Naruto gave him a piece of his mind, which, coming from another jinchuriki, actually stuck better, would be sent back.
It had been discussed to extract the Ichibi from Gaara, but in the end nobody wanted to have that crazy monster influencing one of Konoha's shinobi.
Jiraiya had managed to convince the council that influencing Gaara to think favourably of Konoha for helping him when Suna never even tried would in the long run be more beneficial for them than burdening a poor child with a demon that was known to cause mental instability in its container.
Kakashi agreed with Jiraiya, as he knew too well that it was a miracle that Naruto hadn't gone down the road Gaara had gone.
Even if there was the occasional civilian that didn't want to understand and which Naruto beat up when he was attacked.
Tsunade really didn't have any pity for them and only told them that they were stupid attacking a ninja and that they had to deal with the outcome.
Thankfully most people were smart enough to not voice their opinion anymore and leave Naruto be.
Naruto didn't care for them at all and showed it when somebody tried to mouth off with him. Temari meanwhile would be kept hostage in Konoha for at least the next five years, depending on the behaviour of Suna.
As a daughter of the Fourth Kazekage and one of the best wind users in Suna, she was a valuable one and a good insurance that at least her brothers would behave.
And as distasteful as it might be, a political hostage of a strong bloodline could always be used to be married into one of the clans to give that clan powerful offspring.
And so far Temari was more or less resigned to her fate, knowing that she and her brothers could have as well been executed for their participation in the invasion. Konoha would have had every right to do that.
In the end Naruto decided to go and start with Shikamaru and Choji and then see if others also wanted to hang out for dinner.
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