Here you go, a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
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About an hour later;
Naruto walked out of Fugaku's study after their conversation lasted for an hour. As Naruto walked towards the front door, Mikoto accompanied him to see him off.
"Thank you for coming, Naruto-kun," Mikoto said to Naruto as they reached the front door
"I couldn't say no to your invitation, could I?" Naruto replied with a bit of a cheeky smile, making Mikoto chuckle a bit.
"I am glad you came, Naruto-kun. And thank you for giving us your time." Mikoto said with a warm smile.
"Think nothing of it, Nee-san," Naruto replied
"Ni-san." Sasuke's voice came from behind Mikoto, making her and Naruto look at him as he came running.
"You are leaving?" Sasuke asked Naruto with a bit of sadness in his voice as he stood beside Mikoto.
"Yeah, it's already dark. But don't worry, I will be around." Naruto replied with a soft smile.
"Then, can you see my progress with the Transformation Jutsu before you leave?" Sasuke asked
"Of course, show me and your mother your progress," Naruto said, to which Mikoto nodded with a warm smile on her face, making Sasuke smile.
Sasuke proceeded to form the three hand signs before his form was enveloped with a puff of smoke. Out came a very good replica of Itachi. It isn't perfect yet, but it was much better than the one before dinner.
"Excellent, Sasuke. It is almost perfect. Train a bit more on the transformation itself and then try to replicate Itachi's voice and manaremes." Naruto said with a smile, making Sasuke let go of his transformation and smile excitedly.
"Good job, Sasuke-kun." Mikoto said as she ruffled her son's hair, making Sasuke a bit embarrassed.
Naruto smiled warmly at the two, but then his expression turned blank and he looked to the side. There in the shadow of a nearby tree, an Anbu operative looked at him intently.
Naruto let out a sigh. Looks like he is needed elsewhere.
"I will be taking my leave now, nee-san. Seems like I am needed." Naruto said with an apologetic smile
"That is fine, Naruto-kun. Just don't be a stranger." Mikoto replied with a warm smile.
"Then, I will be going," Naruto said with a smile before turning around and walking towards the clan's gate.
As Naruto walked outside the clan compound, he reflected on his conversation with Fugaku. Their discussion lasted over an hour, focusing on strategies to help the Uchiha clan reintegrate with the village. They considered many suggestions, most of which Naruto proposed. It is now up to Fugaku to implement them. The outcome will depend on how diligently he tries and how effectively he executes them.
After Naruto left the premises of the Uchiha compound, the Anbu operative that he had spotted earlier appeared beside him.
"Hawk-Taicho has requested you to be present in the Anbu medical ward, as there are multiple Anbu operatives with critical injuries being taken to the headquarters out of the field." The Female Anbu operative, wearing a mouse mask, said this with a blank tone. Even though it can't be seen on her face or in her tone of voice, she is feeling grateful towards Naruto as he healed her from death's door before.
"Then let's go," Naruto said before disappearing in a body flicker, followed by Mouse.
A week later, the Hokage office;
Hiruzen sat in his office, his face blank. He just met the Kumo ambassador along with his escort, and he doesn't know how to feel about it. They seem sincere, but Hiruzen doesn't know why he is feeling that this is just a facade.
"Ryuu," Hiruzen called, making the Anbu operative appear in front of Hiruzen's desk.
Ryuu was shadowing the envoy since they arrived at Konoha. The envoy and his escorts were greeted by Shikaku as soon as they arrived at the village, and then they were escorted to meet Hiruzen in his office. And after they met Hiruzen, they were escorted to where they were going to stay until the negotiation ended.
"What do you think?" Hiruzen asked Ryuu as he took out his smoking pipe.
"Something doesn't seem right, Hokage-sama?" Ryuu said with a blank tone
"Oh. How so?" Hiruzen asked as he lit his pipe with a small fire jutsu.
"From what I sense, most of the escorts feel as normal as a ninja in a foreign hidden village can be, with nothing out of the ordinary. But the Ambassador, Masaru, and his assistant, Daiki, give out a lot of negative emotions; I could feel them being nervous, fearful, anxious, and dreadful, with envy and greed being the most prominent. They are hiding or planning something, and I know it is nothing good." Ryuu reported in a blank tone.
Hiruzen let out a cloud of smoke as he thought deeply about what he just heard. He had Ryuu tail the envoy so that he could try to figure out their intention. Ryuu's emotion sensing would make things simpler.
But things aren't as simple as one hoped. Why do the envoy leader have a different emotional profile compared to their companions?
"For now, let's stick with the assumption that they are here for peace negotiations, but at the same time, I will tighten the security measures and have the surveillance on the envoy strengthened. As for you, keep a vigilant eye on the clans' district." Hiruzen said, to which Ryuu nodded.
"You are dismissed," Hiruzen said, to which Ryuu disappeared in a body flicker.
Later that Evening;
Tsunade had a hand on her neck before cracking it slightly, making her sigh with relief. She is just steps away from the Senju compound, returning home from a long shift in the hospital.
"This paperwork is killing me." She muttered to her as she reached for the gate.
As the hospital director, she spends most of her time in her office dealing with paperwork more than anything else. If it weren't for her regular training and sparring with her son, she would have become rusty very quickly.
As she entered the compound, she smiled softly as she spotted her son's numerous clones training in the compound's yard. Her expression turned to one of confusion when she saw multiple clones walking around the perimeter of the compound with sealing equipment in hand.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" Tsunade asked as she approached the clones.
"Hey, Kaasan. Welcome back." The clones smiled at Tsunade before one of them stepped forward towards Tsunade while leaving the other clones to continue their work.
"We are making sure that the seals and barrier are working properly. We are also adding some upgrades." The clone said
"What brought that up?" Tsunade asked
"Prime wanted everything to be in order and working, as he has a bad feeling from the Kumo envoy that arrived today. And seeing what they have done to Kushina-nee-san, he doesn't want to take chances." The clone replied
"Good thinking," Tsunade said as she watched the clones work.
"Where are Akari and the little girls?" Tsunade asked
"Akari-nee-san is watching over Mito and Karen as they play at home. You should go and freshen up, as one of us is about to finish preparing dinner." The clone said
"Will Naruto be home for dinner?" Tsunade asked
"I am afraid not. Prime is on a mission for the next few days." The clone replied without details.
Tsunade sighed as she walked towards the main house. As a Shinobi, she knows how important missions are, but as a mother, she wishes that she could have her son around all the time.
To be continued.
Guys and Gals, show me those powerstones.
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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
'100 power stones if you want an additional chapter with next week's release.'
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Thank you all for your support.
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