Three days after his meeting with Tsunade, Naruto was with Kurotsuchi walking around the village. It had been almost 6 months after Sasuke's defection. (And Somehow Naruto still couldn't find a care in the world to get his armor repainted, oh well.) As they walked around Kurotsuchi, who was holding her back with her two hands as Naruto rested his arm on her waist asked him "Where were you the other day?"

"On a mission," Naruto stated. Feeling the frown coming off of her.

"Couldn't you had rescheduled for the day after, I don't like you skipping out on our dates."

Naruto gave her a side glance as he hugged her tighter. "What do you think we are going to do tonight?"

Kurotsuchi stopped and forced him to face her heated glare. Pink eyes smoldering the coal-black ones as she hissed "Just because you're taking me out today doesn't mean you get to skip out on an appointed date."

"I truly didn't mean to skip out. If I did, I wouldn't have left you the note and-"

"Chocolates? You think you're gonna bribe me with chocolates?" The Iwa born interrupted him as her eyebrow rose higher on her head.

"No, merely alert you of the fact I am thinking of you. And that I hadn't forgotten and that I apologized." Naruto's tone caught Kurotsuchi off guard, it was flat. Before she knew it they were no longer in Konoha square but in some hill, and the two were engaged in a fierce battle over tickling supremacy.

"No" squeaked Kurotsuchi "Stop…. Naruto… stop" kurotsuchi begged between bouts of laughter and tickles that continued to assault her midriff.

"Heh." Naruto laughed a bit as she sat up, realizing the cloth underneath her.

She glanced around to see an art worthy picturesque scene of orange and red leaves as the auto colors set in, giving way to mats of leaves coloring the ground, an orange sunset setting on the horizon, a very nice and clear view.

As she took the sights in Naruto set about a wide variety of dishes including their favorites, from roast beef to pork belly. As the aromatics of the food hit Kurotsuchi, all her previous annoyances lay forgotten as they rugged into the food, forgetting all about the everyday troubles. They relished in the relaxing atmosphere as they shared the moment with each other, with Naruto even feeding her from his own plate.

A while later, 2 happy and settled stomach Kurotsuchi said with a low tone "I'm due to return to Iwa soon."

"I know, I signed your dismissal papers for this period." Naruto said, holding a bowl of fruits as he fed himself one.

"Who will be appointed as Konoha's diplomat to Iwa?"

The son of the fourth Homage shrugged at the question coming from the Lava maiden "I don't know. All the candidates I trust are neither qualified to serve as Diplomats, nor do I think the people of Iwa would welcome them. But I do know I'll be visiting to meet with Onoki soon before you are due to return to Konoha."

"How did you get me to become the head Ambassador to Konoha?" Kurotsuchi asked him with a suspicious glance.

Naruto feigned ignorance and asked, "Whatever you mean my dearest?"

She gave him a punch in the shoulder and said "From the day we met you have had an attraction towards me. Someone who is not even from your own village, so I must assume you had something to do with it. My Grandfather is old, not senile."

"Well, what can I say? Your beauty caught my eye from the moment we met." The man answered earnestly.

Sly eyes and a grin was all he needed to know what was to happen next as he was tackled into a hug with a pair of lips printing themselves on his.

Next day.

A blonde blue-eyed genin in a dress made of contrasting patterns of dark burnt orange dark greens and browns with her hair tied into a donut bun focused her eyes as she continued to focus a steady stream of chakra into the waterfall before her, her task? She was to sharpen her ability to control wind nature Chakra into stopping a waterfall at will.

She had been able to do so with the help of shadow clones, now she was to do it by herself. Of course, she had taken the easier route and began with the same shadow clones she was to do without slowly reducing the numbers aiding her, but it was taking its time.

"Nii-chan!" Hitomi screamed as she felt a presence appear behind her.

"Hitomi, what's your progress so far?"

An eloquent raspberry was his only answer

"So none?"

Head tilt

Whoosh

Thumb

"Now now Imouto-chan, what have I told you about throwing Kunais at your brother?" Naruto teased

"Whatever."

Eyebrow quirk

"I thought you wanted to go see Haku." Naruto started with an over exaggerated sigh "Oh well, i guess I'll have to go on my own"

"Wait!" Hitomi yelled, jumping off from her perch.

And ran to catch up to him. Taking his hand in hers as she pulled him.

After the Invasion Zabuza and Haku both had been released from their probation into an observation period, but otherwise were allowed to take up missions… D rank missions.

As Naruto and Hitomi approached the apartment the two were given, they saw Haku leave the apartment.

"Oh, Naruto-sama, Hitomi-san." The boy greeted.

"Haku-kun what have i told you about calling me as such." Naruto reprimanded lightly.

"I apologize Naruto-san."

Hitomi hugged the boy and asked him after releasing him "where are you going?"

"Oh just to pick up some things in the market." Haku answered.

"Why don't you let Hitomi give you a hand. I got some things to discuss with Zabuza." Naruto suggested. He watched the two leave without much of a second thought. He continued on to the apartment, not bothering to knock on the front door.

"Namikaze." A gruff voice greeted him from the couch. "What brings you here?"

"Kiri"

Zabuza stood up to prepare him and the guest a drink "What about Kiri?"

"As you know, Konoha has, while not outright, always supported the rebellion. Weapons, Money, volunteers."

Zabuza frowned "Go on."

Naruto gave him a nod and explained "The war in Kiri is coming to a critical phase. Come winter and the war will be over. Could go either way, we don't want that. For obvious. The rebels need to win, but now Yagura himself has gotten involved personally ."

"So you want me to return to Kiri?"

"Temporally. We have hired an outside source as well, but. For the time being, you will lead 10 S class shinobi. That's all we can afford to give at the moment. And even then. That's forcing us to pull 10,000 other shinobi from their current postings and shifting them around the map to cover the weaknesses."

Zabuza thought about it, "I'm in."

The next day

In the Hokage training ground Naruto and Hiruzen were trading blows as they carried out their daily sparring session. Avoiding a particularly vicious hit from the retired Hokage's staff Naruto said "Most of our plans are in motion."

"I know. I am still worried about the stone however." Sarutobi responded as he in turn parried a gunbai strike.

"The ruling clans of the stone will no doubt become split over Onoki's choice to pass an olive branch." The younger man admitted.

Grunt

"I'm surprised they haven't already, it's been 6 months. And the alliance was finalized last week."

Clink

"If something does happen, we are at the best position. But I doubt it will come to that." The dimensional traveler assured the retired hokage.

Sarutobi gave him a look. "Do you really trust her that Much?"

"She might not be my equal yet, but she is still strong in her own right. Plus I've been training her."

Pause

If this were any other situation I'd had your head on a spike.

Snort

"She has a right. It is simply knowledge my sharingan contains but cannot replicate. Knowledge I took from battling her counterpart in the first place."

Sigh

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Sarutobi warned.

At that moment, both Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived.

Jiraiya paired up to spar with Sarutobi and Tsunade and Naruto took off in their own little deadly dance.

As they did so Jiraiya noted "Jeez, with how viciously they attack one another. You might have thought that they hate each other."

"Naruto still hasn't forgiven Tsunade for Abandoning Hitomi. And Tsunade herself is very critical of Naruto's failures." Taking a pause Hiruzen thought to an earlier time now long gone. "Much like Madara and Tobirama."

"Thank god she doesn't know he is a dimensional traveler exactly"

Shudder

"Banish such thoughts from your mind jiraiya. We don't need a civil war in our village."

After the sparring sessions came to a close, with Naruto and Jiraiya being the fine switch. Naruto decided to pay his lover of far a visit.

Her apartment was a bit cluttered as she packed the essentials for the return trip to Iwa.

"Naruto. Come give me a hand." As she continued going back and forth. Naruto took to sealing everything she handed him up in a scroll. After a couple minutes the last of the packing was up.

"So what brings you here" Kurotsuchi asked

"I was wondering if you would join me for some lunch my lady?"

The iwa native scrunched her nose up. "Take a shower first, I can tell exactly who you trained with, how long and where they landed hits."

"Hmm." Naruto said as he did as ordered.

While he took a shower, Kurotsuchi set out some clothes for him to wear. Yup. She had taken to doing that when she realized, it was either his armor. Or all black clothes.

As she sat down to wait for him, she thought back to a talk she had with Onoki

Flashback

Naruto had just left her hospital room, she was due to be dismissed soon. She really didn't have any noteworthy injuries, but was still being kept in for observation.

The door opened to reveal her Grandfather. As he floated in, she noted the grim look in his face.

"You two are getting along."

"Yes" Kurotsuchi answered.

"That will make thus alliance easier." Onoki stated. Before turning towards a window and approaching it. It had a nice view of the village.

"I don't approve of the attraction you two share. But you are an Adult. I won't interfere in your relationship."

Kurotsuchi gripped the sheets in frustration

"Is it because he is a Konoha shinobi? Or the son of the flash?"

Onoki shook his head "No. He reminds me of someone so terrible. That even today the mere mention of his name causes fear itself… Madara Uchiha."

He was right. As soon as the name was uttered, goosebumps spread through her skin. Mothers may caution children about the yellow flash in Iwa, but Madara was the Boogeyman of the Shinobi.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard The Nidaime Hokage. Naruto reminded him of Madara. Be careful Kurotsuchi."

With his warning delivered, Onoki floated back out the room to leave his Granddaughter to think.

Flashback end.

As Naruto came out of the shower he noted the clothes on the bed. He chuckled a bit as he got dressed and left the room to find Kurotsuchi in the living room. Leaving to have their last lunch together for a time before Kurotsuchi left for Iwa.