"And what the heck are you doing here, Kana-chan?"
Kaname's sandal was drilling a Kirigakure shinobi's head deeper into the sand, "What? Are you not happy seeing me, Snail Boy?" she smirked.
"Sensei, your presence is appreciated, but from what I remember, you were to stay back in the tent and await our return." the masked teen inquired.
"Torune-chan, four of you were having fun on the frontlines, and I was sitting on my ass. No more, it's too boring!" she complained.
"You call that fun, Sensei?" Koji pointed at the chaotic battlefield.
"Yep. The attackers don't even engage you. See? One of the enemies just looked this way and fled. So how did the rebels screw up so much?"
"*Sigh* That's just the aura you emanate, Kana-chan. The massive red butterfly flying above our heads does it work too. About the mess, it's the last stronghold of the enemy. Mei-san thought the fight is practically over, and no one expected the counter-offensive."
"We were caught in an ambush, Kaname-sensei. The entire unit got cut off from reinforcements. It's only thanks to Utakata-san that we didn't get overrun."
"Is that true, Snail Boy?"
"I couldn't protect your students and rip through the enemies at the same time. I'm just a man, Kana-chan. But with you here, we can finally conquer this region." the brown-haired man replied thankfully.
"Sure, go on, Snail Boy. I will watch from here."
--------
"What a disaster..." Mei grumbled, watching over the burned down city.
"That's war, Mei-chan. That's a standard scenery when a jinchūriki, or a Bijū, goes to town. True, you lost many shinobi's in the fight, but now we have only the Kirigakure left. And for this, you only need the select few of your forces. I believe the three of us will suffice." Kaname pointed at herself and the kimono-clad jinchūriki.
"You want me to go too?" the woman bit her thumbnail in a thought.
The Uchiha deadpanned, "I'm sorry, does miss double Kekkei Genkai feels inadequate for the job? I won't risk my neck just because you say so. The people need to know that it was you that fought for them."
"Yes, I know." Mei replied, "We need to put in some preparations, Yagura-kun can use his Tailed Beast's power as efficiently as Utakata-san does. The fight between the two would erase the Hidden Mist Village once and for all."
"Any ideas? With a well-timed strike, I could blast Isobu outside of the village."
"Really? I thought you were smarter, Kana-chan."
"That's the simplest solution, Mei-chan. Not without its drawbacks, but it's better than nothing."
"I will consider it. But now that we have an easy in, I can send some Anbus to infiltrate the city. If there is still something left out of Yagura-kun, I believe I know where he is spending his free time."
"Hmm? Your secret dating spot?" Kaname teased her.
"Nope," Mei answered instantly, "Saying that. Between the two of us, how long are you gonna lead on the poor Snail Boy? From the third perspective, it looks like you're having fun on his behalf."
Kaname shrugged off the accusation, "My mom is a little traditional on that point. She taught me that the man has to take the first step."
"I see, I will lecture Utakata-san about it."
"You better not, let him make his own decisions, Mei-chan."
"*Sigh* Once a teacher, always the teacher." the woman shook her head in disbelief. "How is your little brother doing back home?"
"Hah, to the ire of their teacher, he with his best friend, are continuously one-upping each other over the most middle spot in their age group. In a month, Naru-chan will finish his second year in the academy."
[AN: So it's a time skip ~1-year :-P]
"Don't beat around the bush, your little brother will make the biggest waves, Kana-chan, you said you trained him yourself. If he takes after your attitude, the clan of Uzumaki will once again rock this world."
"Thanks, I owe it to his real mother. I completed my first objective with Naru-chan already."
"What do you mean?"
"You know he is a jinchūriki?"
"Who do you think I am? You gave me enough clues already, The Kyūbi, right?"
"Naru-chan decided he won't hold back the secret from his classmates any longer, with me present, he spilled the beans."
"... How did it go?"
"Those that would think of him as monster didn't deserve his friendship anyway. But I believed in that group, most of them are bright kids, smart enough to understand what he truly is."
------
(Flashback no Jutsu: A week ago)
Kaname sat in the corner of the classroom waiting for the show to start, once Iruka finished his last of the day lesson, the homeroom he called Naruto out.
"Naruto-kun, are you sure you want to announce it?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
"Finish it quickly, Dobe. Scarecrow is already waiting for us outside." Sasuke smirked, pointing at the silver-haired jōnin perched on a tree reading a small book.
"*Psst* Hinata-chan, do you know what is going on?" the platinum-blonde asked.
"Of course, Ino-san. Naruto-kun will tell all of you a secret about him." Hinata whispered back.
"Let me begin," Iruka called out, "Investigation found out that Naruto-kun was being harassed by the Konoha's population for several years already."
"It wasn't so bad, Iruka-sensei ~dattebayo. The shopkeepers and the civilians shut up once I was with Sis at her side."
"Sensei." a boy with a long coat called out.
"Yes, Shino-kun?"
"Can we know what does the report mentions in terms of Naruto-kun's harassment?" the Aburame clan member asked.
"Naruto-kun, go on, knowing some of your friends, it will end today," Kaname stood up and walked behind the blonde standing in front of the classroom.
"Chōji, how expensive is a bag of chips for ya?"
"It depends, Naruto-kun. I would say it's somewhere between three to four Ryo each."
"Right, before I understood what's the value of money, I have been sold each one of them for sixty Ryo ~dattebayo."
"But..."
"Wait, Ino-chan. It's not only that, excluding Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-chan, I wasn't ever let in a restaurant. The only shop that sold ninja apparel to me was the one run by Tetsuo-jiji. The rest of the ninja suppliers prohibited me from entering their shops."
"You must have pranked them!"
"No, Banshee-chan, I'm sure I did not," Naruto assured.
"Isn't it illegal to prohibit an academy student from buying ninja-ware?"
"Good thinking, Shika-kun. However, some people are mule-level stubborn. I tried to bash their stupid ideas out of their heads, but I can't be everywhere." Kaname praised.
"... Troublesome."
"Why would they break the law just to spite you, Naruto-kun?"
"Ino-chan, it's an S-rank secret about me ~dattebayo. Everyone that doesn't want to listen to it can leave right now."
With the mentioning of the rank, everyone in the class got instantly interested in the topic.
"Let me give your friends the ordered details, Naru-chan." the Uchiha woman called out, "So class, who knows what a Tailed Beast is?... Yes, Pinky-chan?"
"It's a chakra-being, a mindless gargantuan monster that brings death and destruction."
"Yes, that's all the information you can find in the books. Now, who can tell me how many there are left?" Kaname continued, "... Hmm, Pinky-chan, once again, you're the fastest."
"Thank you, Sensei," Sakura smirked towards Ino, making the blonde roll her eyes in indifference, "There are Eight Tailed Beasts left."
"From what I know, you're probably wrong."
[AN: There was no contact with Chōmei whatsoever, but Kaname is awaiting the good news.]
"Sensei, but Yondaime-sama defeated the Nine-Tails."
"*Sigh* How would you defeat a Tailed-Beast, a being - made out of chakra so dense it's physical?" this time, the hands did not shot up. After a moment, only one arm slowly rose.
"Shino-chan?"
"It's impossible to defeat a Bijū, Sensei. It would only recreate itself back with time. Taking that into account, I would attempt to seal the monster."
"Ha! Funny, did Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyūbi in a jar or something?"
"Something... Or someone, Wolfie-kun. For the seal to keep hold of the being of such immense power, it needs a steady supply of chakra, meaning, it has to be a human, or more precisely as young human as it's possible, a newborn is preferable." The revelation caused a massive murmur across the classroom.
"It's the power of human sacrifice. That ill-fated night, ten years ago, was the moment that the Nine-Tails got sealed into a baby ~dattebayo." Naruto continued, "I'm the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. Yondaime sealed the fox into me." the boy closed his eyes and dropped his head waiting for his friends' reactions.
"And? What's the big secret? Why would the populace treat you wrongly, Naruto-kun?" the platinum blonde inquired.
"Eh? Wha-?" Naruto replied dumbly.
"It's really troublesome. There is a difference between a seal holding a kunai and the weapon itself."
"Ah! That's why Akamaru always whined about you smelling like a wet mutt."
Sakura looked around, "Geez~ Baka. Even I understand enough to know you're not the monster, who else knows of it?"
"Pretty much everyone three years our senior," Naruto stated.
"*Sigh* Now, that's what you call a secret." Shikamaru deadpanned.
"Yep, Shika-chan. The one that published it across the population got fined."
"Kaname-sensei? I thought that revealing S-class secret would get you a bigger punishment than a fine."
"Ino-chan, you misunderstood. I fined this cockroach myself - I might have killed him a teeny weeny bit." Kaname replied with an evil grin on her face.
At this moment, she heard a loud buzzing sounds, resembling a horde of angry bees. The noise was coming from the far side of the classroom, "Sensei. I request a toilet break!" Aburame called out, quickly leaving his seat and bolting behind the sliding doors.
As the doors closed behind Shino's back, the entire academy heard his voice, "OH MY GOD! HE IS HIS LEGACY! HE IS ALIVE!"
The black-haired Aburame came back to the classroom two seconds later, "*Ehem* I'm sorry for that, Sensei. I had to blow my nose."
"Heh, sure, Shino-chan. It looks like you're as smart as your older brother."
"Thank you."
"Hmm." Kaname watched the boy with pineapple-shaped hair. It seemed like he began connecting the dots. Shikamaru had his eyes closed in deep thought. A moment later, Nara's brows shot up in bewilderment the black-haired boy pointed his finger at Naruto, "Eh?! You're-."
"Good job, Shika-kun." Kaname interrupted him, "But hush, it's triple S-class secret." she winked.
"Ugh... Soooo~ Troublesome."
"What? What did you found out, Shikamaru?"
"Connect all the dots, Ino-chan. I can't talk about it."
"Meh, I will get it out of you sooner or later. Naruto-kun, why didn't you tell me you got harassed by the shopkeepers for something so stupid as being a jinchūriki? They should be thankful to you."
"Hehe" Naruto scratched the back of his head, "It wasn't so bad Ino-chan. I couldn't go shopping myself - My sister accompanied me for it."
"Ah, to hell with this! Naruto-kun, you are going with me. I will show you how to do it!" Ino replied indignantly.
...
Kaname followed from afar the group of four friends. Ino was pulling Naruto's hand towards one of the best restaurants in the city.
"So how did it go, Kana-chan?"
"Ah, Doofus-kun. Better than I expected, I think that Jiji's plan worked. The new generation of Shinobi Clan Heads is not scared of Naruto. Two of them even guessed his true parentage."
"*Sigh* Those brains run in the family, I tell you. What are they all doing? The management prohibited Naruto from entering that restaurant. You remember what happened last time?"
"Hey! They played the dare game with me!"
"Was that a good enough reason to level the establishment? Sandaime had to reconstruct it from his coffers."
"I gave the money back to Jiji the next day, Doofus-kun. Don't worry this time Naru-chan is in a much nicer company of two shinobi clan princesses."
"Don't forget about the Little Duckling, as Mikoto-san calls his son." he mocked, "It always pulls a string when you call Sasuke-kun that name. His glare could kill every single time."
"Ha! I will have to try that someday. Now, let's watch."
-----
"Hey, you! A table for four people." Ino pointed a kunai at the closest waiter.
A burly man in a posh outfit walked towards the group and gave a stink eye towards the blonde boy. Ino's hand gripped the kunai a little harder, "Is there a problem?"
"No, Ojou-sama. Please, follow me."
"That's why I hate eating here." Hinata murmured tacitly.
"Not this time, Hinata-chan. Naruto-kun needs our help, can you do that for him?"
"For Naru-kun? Yes, what do you need of me, Ino-chan!" Hearing the name of her favorite blonde - Hinata's mood recovered completely.
Naruto listened to their conversation, "Hey Teme. Is it just me or they forgot I'm standing next to them?"
"*Sigh* Just shut up Dobe. I think Ino-chan has got a good plan."
...
Once the waiter delivered three exquisite meals on the table, Naruto was only one left without anything to eat. Ino instantly called him out on that.
"And how long will my friend have to wait for a freaking Miso Ramen?"
"Our best chefs are preparing it, Ojou-sama." the man squinted his eyes at Naruto.
"Did I ever prank you?"
"*Tsk*" the man walked away from the table.
"It's okay, Naru-kun. You can eat mine." Hinata blushed profusely.
"No, it won't do!" Ino shouted out, "Asshole, come back here now!" she threw a kunai nicking the waiter's neck, "Your manager, NOW!"
"Eh?" the man touched his neck and noted that it was bleeding, he remained calm, "Whatever you might need from the manager, can be sorted out with me, Ojou-sama."
"I don't care anymore. I gave you and your friends a chance, not only I saw contempt in your attitude, but now you clearly won't even attend to one of my friends. I thought this establishment was more professional than that. As the future shinobi clan head, I request a meeting with the manager."
"I'm sorry, someone as young and beautiful as you, shouldn't deal with little monsters like him." he tried to compliment her.
"Sasuke-kun, how many problems you would have to deal if you make this asshole vanish in an accident?"
"Problems?" the Uchiha replied with their famous smirk, "No one would even know it was me."
"*Gulp*."
"The Manager. Now!" the restaurant already quieted watching the show.
Thirty seconds later, a chubby, small man walked towards the group, "Yes, young lady? How can I help you?"
"Why won't your employees serve one of my friends?"
"I believe you do not understand, young lady. It," he spat, "was exclusively prohibited from entering my establishment. You see, he is bad for my clientele."
"Oh, really?" the platinum blonde seethed out, "I see. I hope you will get well-off the civilians out in your shitty restaurant, as the future clan head of Yamanaka I will make sure my family won't ever put their foot in this shithole."
"Eh?! Wait, just a moment, young lady." the man took a step back in fright. The shinobi clans were a massive portion of the village's economy without them, no restaurant or a shop could survive for long. Such a move would put a dent in the profit of any shop.
"What? Not enough for you? No problem, I'm pretty sure I can convince two of my best friends, the future Nara and Akimichi clan heads. Just to make sure your clientele would become only the most exquisite personas."
"Hmm, the Uchiha clan, or what's left of it, will not bother with this shithole either. Have fun going bankrupt, asshole."
"Eto~." Hinata murmured, "Because of the decorum, I can't speak such words. But I agree with Ino-chan. The Hyūga clan-"
"I'm sorry. I was mistaken!" the manager cried out, falling on his knees, "From now on..."
"You don't even know my name..." Naruto grumbled out.
"Ugh, I'm sorry... Uzukaki-sama? Yes, he will be a VIP client in my establishment! You! Give him his order on the double!" the managed shouted out, pointing at the closest waiter.
As the group left the building ten minutes later, all of them laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, what was that, Ino-chan?"
"Heh, that's the way you deal with stupid civilians, Naruto-kun. Some successful ones forget that it is a Shinobi Village, from time to time, you need to make them remember who rules the neighborhood. So how was the ramen?"
"It was meh, bland, and tasteless. Sis makes a better one ~dattebayo. Teuchi-ojisan shouldn't even be worried about competition. Would you really do that for me? Would your clans' listen to your words?"
"*Sigh* You will always be a Dobe. We can only advise our clan members - it's their prerogative if they listen to our words." Looking at the questioning look on his rival's face, Sasuke mumbled, "it's their choice, Dobe. To completely forbid the shinobi from entering a shop or a restaurant, you would need to go through Hokage's office."
"Eto~ Sasuke-kun. I believe you are wrong - after I talk with my mother about what happened, she will privately request all of the Hyūga clan members to avoid this restaurant."
"Yep! My Papa will listen to me as well." Ino nodded her head.
Sasuke stood there looking at his two friends astonished, after a moment he grumbled something under his nose.
"Hey, we're not problematic. Hmm, Shikamaru would call us troublesome at most!" Ino replied with a smile, "Now who is up to prank another shopkeeper, this time, let's go to a ninja apparel shop?"
-------
(The day of Kirigakure invasion)
"Baka-Sensei. You are insane! Did anyone tell you how stupid you are?" Izumi laughed out, patting the back of Kaname barfing her breakfast out.
"It's necessary for the future, Izumi-chan." Kaname wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
"And how the hell is taking a lethal dose of poison into your own body necessary for the future, Baka-Sensei?"
"I'm helping my body build its natural resistance to poisons that way. In hindsight, I might have taken a bit too much this time."
"Wait! For how long are you-."
"The moment I woke up after the ambush, Izumi-chan."
"*Sigh* You are the sole reason for my headaches, Kaname-sensei." the teen massaged her forehead, "Let's change the topic, how is your research going?"
"If you are talking about the most pressing one, I lack the means to acquire a crucial part for me to test the thesis. I know you and Doofus-kun are willing, but we will put the Mangekyō Sharingan training on hold. I don't want either of you to go blind."
"It all depends on you, Kaname-sensei."
"What do you mean?"
"If you get killed today, we will go blind either way. We don't have any siblings to get our sight back."
"Ha, don't worry, I'm not going to fight much. I'm there just to eradicate the genjutsu."
"Yep, I call bullshit on that, Sensei."
Kaname rose her brows in shock, "Wow, you know me so much, Izumi-chan."
"Just... Be careful out there."
-------
"So what's the plan, Mei-san?" Utakata inquired.
"One of my Anbus found out the Yagura-kun's location. Luckily he is spending his free time outside the village, on the other side of the lake."
"Yes, thanks, Saiken. It's disadvantageous to us. Isobu's armor is almost impenetrable near a large body of water," he explained.
"True, but it's either that or the middle of the Kirigakure. Take your pick."
"Don't worry, Snail Boy. I have a plan that should give you a massive boost in power."
"Susanoo? Don't you need to conserve your chakra for your job, Kana-chan."
"No, I believe I know who I'm dealing with here."
"Kana-chan, are you sure? I wouldn't mind the help from you, but your mission is as important as ours." the auburn-haired woman asked worriedly.
"If you are sure about that. I ordered a small platoon to act as a diversion on the other side of the village. The team will pull most of the remaining forces away from us, but we should still be careful. We are attempting to capture a Kage."
"Hmm, never thought of it that way, Mei-chan. Another one for my books! Hehehe."
"Whatever, let's go." the woman ordered, flickering southwards, with the Six-Tails jinchūriki right behind her.
"I'm on my way to kick your arse sky-high... Obito-chan." Kaname growled out the name, joining the group.
Here you go :-) I'm sorry for the filler in the middle, I had a hangover after a birthday party, it was heard to assemble coherent sentences :-) From the next chapter, the story will turn into some relationship building. I would like to see all your comments about the chapter, and any ideas concerning the story :-)
If you found any mistakes please inform me :-) I don't like mistakes :-)