"Thank you, what few meals that I can cook are hit and miss. It's not something my mother bothered to teach me. And the first time out of the village. . ." she looks at her leg sadly. "May that bastard Sasuke burn in hell."

"Little bastard should have been dragged to heel years ago but the former civilian council fawned all over him thinking his eyes were so damn special." Kiriko says in agreement. "The fact that I could easily hit him showed the Hokage he needed more training. But he thought he was so special and you paid the price for his stupidity. Now, a little homework for you. Go to the Tower library and look up the clans that have died out in Konoha over the years. Except for those lost in wars, there's usually a *reason* why they were lost. And that was something the damn council never wanted students to know."

In the doorway to the cooking building a woman nods firmly as Sakura walks off. "That's why so many clans have their own history lessons for their children. But that doesn't help the civilians or orphans."

"Yep." Kiriko sighs. "And we're going to have to start writing down what happened, how the village is changing. And why." She nods and heads back inside. 

The Hokage settles across the table from where Sakura is looking at various scrolls that the retired ninjas had tried keeping her from and had been stopped. "Is what Sakura said true? The reason why this was never mentioned was the former civilian council?" She asks quietly.

"Yes, the more powerful the clan, the more likely something will happen. The Hyuga lost a lot of power first from the elders trying to seal Neji's eyes after being told no and then that fool woman trying to steal Kiriko's business. They were too long in power."

"Just like the civilians."

"Yes."

A couple months later an announcement for everybody in the village to gather outside the Tower for an announcement unless otherwise busy happens.

"Not going?" Shikamaru's mother asks Kiriko.

"I already know what it's about, revealing the truth about Naruto's heritage." The older woman nods in understanding and goes back to what they'd been doing. The ANBU is busy making a second sweep of village for stragglers and nods in understanding when he sees her not moving from her spot. She's bounced off her chair by the screaming and sourly picks herself up, the others sniggering in the other room at the rude comments she makes about the absolute fucking *stupidity* of people who can't see the forest for the trees.

"I mean come *on*, the damn face on the Hokage monument looks just like Naruto since 'somebody' painted them." Kiriko says in disgust. "This couldn't have fucking waited until I was gone in two days?"

"That's why he announced it now." Shikamaru's mother says, rolling his eyes. "Unless Naruto wasn't going on this trip?"

"Nope, just me."

Naruto quickly runs through the shop, shutting himself in the empty building. "Lemme guess, now that they know who he is, they're all. . .oh, we're ssssooooooo sorry we treated you sooooooo bad." Kiriko sighs. She and everybody else can almost hear the nod from behind the door. "While you're there, start laying out the baskets on the shelves for the scrolls." She says absently. 

The furor is still going when she leaves a couple days later and she's not surprised to find Gai's team waiting for her at the farm. "The Hokage admits that maybe springing the news now hadn't been such a good idea." Tenten says dryly. "The civilians still alive that had been treating Naruto poorly are being targeted by other civilians who aren't getting business from ninjas now. They also realize how much money Naruto has now, both from these trips and his parents money. A good portion of the village that you don't own he does." Naruto twitches for a second.

They arrive back to the village three weeks later, Naruto finally having calmed down. The civilians on the street merely nod at they stop at the Tower to announce their return and Naruto and Kiriko wait for the bank president to arrive for their deposits.

"Is everything finally settled back down? We took a few days extra just in case." Kiriko says when he leaves with the ANBU escort.

"Yes, the fools that had blamed Naruto for Minato's death agree that a parent *might* die protecting their child." The Hokage says, rolling his eyes. "There were a few beatings of the stupidest of the civilians, Tsunade refused to allow them to be treated at the hospital so they have to recover on their own once any broken bones were set."

"Oh Jiji, whatever happened to the Uchiha money that he was so damn proud of?"

"What money, he was the only one left and not making any just starting out. His clan never bothered to save anything, they thought they were so special and that the village owed them everything they wanted." An ANBU says sourly. The Hokage sighs but nods in agreement. "Yes, he routinely came in asking if we'd *finally* found the missing Uchiha money until the bank president showed him that there *wasn't* any money in the accounts. The clan was land rich, but money poor. Like yourself he was having to sit down and budget everything and hated every second of it. Especially after he was placed on permanent punishment and had *no* money coming in. While the orphan budget was *degrading*, it was money coming in monthly to feed and house him until he could start making money on missions." The Hokage looks at him.

"I was wondering why Sakura didn't get it for what happened. I know she's working in the hospital but with so many people returning to work and how quiet it is now. . ."

"Because she was a kunoichi on a mission and officially it could have been construed as an accident and not a deliberate attack like the actions of the Hyuga against both Neji and myself." Kiriko says quietly. "Add the fact she's a civilian with nobody backing her up, she was left to sink or swim on her own. Add in her prickly personality. . .it was a bad combination." The Hokage nods sadly. "Though she is going to be working with us making meals after the academy closes, like you said the hospital is quiet and with so many people coming back from being off for the babies. . .her hours are being cut. Not to mention even there not being part of a clan is hurting her." The Hokage sighs and nods again.

"You know, I really think the Izuno *do* have a kekkei genkai." The ANBU says after Kiriko and Naruto have left. "And it's called having some common sense. And being a dozen steps ahead of everybody and just waiting for us to catch up." The Hokage sniggers but nods.

"Is Tsunade sticking around?" Kiriko asks at the clan meeting after she's finished delivering everything.

"No, the hospital doesn't need her anymore and she's happiest on the move. Being around here, reminds her too much of everything. . .and everyone, she lost being a shinobi, her parents, her grandfather and great-uncle, her brother, her lover. . ." The others nod. "Seeing the village moving towards the life she wishes she could have had, a life where she might have had more children than just your mother. . .it hurts her." Grandma Miri says. "Unlike your grandfather who's just a womanizing fool and I still don't know how he hasn't died from a disease he got off his whoring."

"Oh, did he figure out if Naruto can do the Namikaze clan kekkei genkai?" She asks.

"Him and Hinata working together since her chakra is water. And since they're so ooey gooey in love it's not a hardship." Kiriko snickers.

"Okay, are you ready for the new orders?"

"Yes, I got the last of the supplies we needed, we just start working on them after the graduation exercise. And with everybody who is anybody being there, I see any ninja in the village stocking up on supplies before it happens." The others nod. "I'll stick around the other stores, that's where the business will be coming in." The others nod.

"When are we going to expect the visitors to start arriving?"

"Two weeks, with staying in the village for three weeks. The graduation exercise will be two weeks, each student will be fighting no less than three times, some five. There's also going to be exhibitions of the older genin and Chunin."

Kiriko looks up from the sounds of the streets, finding the Daimyo's wife walking down the street to the Izuno shops. She catches her eye and smiles.

"Oh thank god, that is over." Kiriko moans five weeks later. The others are just as quiet as everybody slumps into seats in the main building. They'd made meals up ahead of time and open scrolls so people can eat and go to bed.

Sakura is quiet the first morning she arrives at the shop to work, Naruto pulling her into the second building and handing her an apron to put on over her clothes. "Our job is to help prepare the ingrediants and give it to the others."

"The other building?"

"Neji still works there, and Tenten and Lee are working there too."

"Your whole team?"

"No missions except for trips to escort Kiriko on trips to get in supplies." He says, shaking his head. "It's steady money and if we need to be elsewhere it's come back when you're done."

Kiriko looks in the buildings and nods. 

"Is it just me or is the village too quiet?" Madi asks a few hours later when she comes in from her classes.

"Everybody is waiting to exhale after *knowing* the Daimyo is gone. The Academy is shut down but they're still waiting on their new genin teams because of how they showed at the graduation exercises. I'm sure some teams will be switched around."

A week later genins start trooping into the shop in groups of ten or fifteen people being shown where to find the supplies they need for missions in and out of the village. The emergency supplies for those working in the sewers is pointedly shown. Some of the students whimper but at the news that *everybody* takes turns working down there because this is an essential part of keeping the village running they quiet down. 

This is repeated four more times that day and for the next five days until the last of the new genin know where to find the scrolls they will need on their missions.

The first time one of the genin teams are forced to work the sewers Kiriko brays with laughter.

"Sewers?" One of the clan women asks from the doorway.

"Oh yes, no matter how often they're told *everybody* does this they still think we're joking."

In the Tower the Hokage shakes his head but laughs in agreement. "They'll learn, we all did."

"I wonder how many went home sobbing?" Kiriko laughs as she shuts the door for the night.

"All of them, but the clan raised kids will be told to get over it." one of the clan women snorts as she walks in the direction of her home. "And the civilian kids don't have the power to have Mommy or Daddy run and tell the Hokage everybody is being mean to them. . .now."

"The farm?" Naruto asks quietly.

"The waste from the buildings go into a pit and the chemicals used in the sewer are also used on the farm." Kiriko says. "There are some poorer farms where it was collected in containers thrown onto the same piles the animal waste was and used for the fields but we don't have to go that far. Yes," She says at his quiet shudder, "The tanks are part of the plans for your home. With earth jutsus, it's easy enough to create the pit."

"For one building." Her father snorts. "As you add more buildings it gets creative."

"He's talking about my home." Kiriko drawls, looking at Naruto. "It was a bit of work adding onto the pit and laying pipe from my house to it. We *could* have made a second pit you know, you've been talking about it for years."

"My baby was growing up." he mock wails.

Kiriko rolls her eyes, the guards at the gate sniggering at her father's antics. They've seen it a million times before.

"Okay," Grandma Miri says later that night at the clan meeting. "Has anybody had any experience with those newfangled phones the Daimyo was talking about?" She looks at Kiriko since she does the most traveling in the clan.

"I've seen them used at the palace, it's similar to the setup that the Daimyos use to stay in touch or for the Hokage to contact the Daimyo but audio only, not video and audio like theirs. Some can also be used to transmit information. If the village was still sending off teams, I might see something like this being used. . ." The others nod. "But with everybody sticking close to the village except for those chunin teams that are long gone. . ." More nods. "Or jonin off on special assignment." Nods again.

"What about computers?"

"I know the Tower staff uses them but I don't see the need for them for the rest of the village right away except something that's a status symbol. Until we're falling all over scrolls of information, then we can get a computer, put everything in that, and put the scrolls away for a backup."

"We can also sort the scrolls into bigger scrolls for more room. Either by area or date." 

"Okay, are we needing to enlarge the bathing building?"

"We *have* been talking about it." Grandma Miri says slowly. "Maybe add a second building, one for men and one for women."

"Something to think about in future expansion plans.

"Railroad?"

"Started laying track this direction but it will be *years* before we have train service."

"Yeah, they'll be stopping at every village that can be called a village on the way to us."

"Has anybody heard anything about the land of Wave and airships?" 

"Yes, the man who was in charge of rebuilding the arena, Tuna?"

"Tazuna."

"Oh right, I knew that didn't make sense but some people have weird names. Anyway, he's working on a fleet of them to transport people and products. I know the land of snow uses them."

"Why do I see some of them on the plateau?" Kiriko sighs.

"Because that's something the Hokage and Daimyo would do? And it would be a faster way to deliver crops." Grandma Miri says. "And I'm sure the idiot nobles would pay through the nose to be special and go on trips nowhere fast."

The next day Kiriko's father repeats the conversation. "Yes, the Daimyo and I have been in conversations about bringing out an airship, specifically for those reasons." He sighs.

"What is the status on the missing genin teams?" The Hokage asks after Kiriko's father has left the tower.

"Nothing has been seen or heard of them. Normally it's not a problem, but they should have found a way to get in touch with the village by now." One of the ANBU says. "Not to cast doubt on their abilities, but we have to consider the idea that some of them are dead."

"Most of them, it's been years." Another sighs. "I don't know what type of missions the fourth might have sent them on if he did since there's nothing listed in their records, he kept a lot of things close to his chest. And if they were to show up now, they'd have to have a good explanation for why they've been out of touch for so long. An explanation including a lot of time in T&I explaining why they shouldn't be considered missing nins."

"Bingo books?"

"All the ones listed in ours and we could get from the other villages are dead. Either in the attempted invasion or some calamity or another. Akatsuki appears to be dead, the members we were able to identify are deceased. Orichimaru is locked away in a box, never to escape his body again. He was seeking immortality. He found it but not the way he wanted."

"Yes." the Hokage says quietly.

Kiriko slides into the hot water of the bathing building. "Is it just me or are we expecting a storm?"

"Nothing in the forecast but not the first time one came in suddenly." Madi chuckles softly. Kiriko snickers, they both know that the new genin teams will have to be out in the middle of it.

"Girls behave, they'll soon get over the self-entitlement of new genins and either settle down to work for the village or wash out." Grandma Miri chuckles, she's been thinking the same thing. One good thing about being retired, she can stay inside any damn time she wants.

The next day Kiriko shudders under the waterproof cloak as she opens the door, the others shaking off their gear and making their way inside the buildings as Kiriko strikes a match on the stove by the back wall, the heat of the pellets invented by the land of snow for heat during their perpetual winter warming the building. 

"No, you can't come in her complaining that Sakura Haruno is working elsewhere in the village when you have been cutting her hours for weeks." The Hokage says firmly. "If you're embarrassed because she has to have another job so she can afford to eat and keep a roof over her head, good. She worked long days first training and then having to cover the hospital when the others were off with their babies."

"Wellll. . .yes, the head of the hospital finally sighs. "But she was making so much money from the hospital, that's one of the reasons I cut her hours. But now everybody is talking bad about the hospital."

"Good." The Hokage sneers. "Now go away you little fool and if I ever hear you complaining about an employee having to have a second job to survive you will find yourself replaced with somebody with some decency and you'll be the one having to work a different job to survive." She runs off sobbing. "Idiot woman, can't have it both ways as Kiriko would no doubt say. He looks out the windows at the rain pouring sheets. "So how many new genin are whining at having to be out in this?"

"Most of them, even the clan raised are realizing that while they were able to go inside to dry off and train another day before, they can't now that they're genin." An ANBU says, chuckling softly.

"Really, you little fool." A merchant asks his wife scathingly. "Do we have a place for all those women to work? Do we have the money for all those supplies? Do we have people who can seal all that food? Try thinking for a second instead of whining and you might realize why we don't have the business she does." He continues to rail at her foolishness, leaving her sobbing because as she keeps blubbering she was just trying to help.

"She puts in a lot of work making sure her businesses run smoothly. The Hokage knows this, he knows that she will get the job done. If you were in charge of it like you're whining you'd screw everything up."

"But I could do it too." She wails. Her husband laughs nastily. "You don't cook now."

"But everytime I pass the shop, I just see her sitting behind the counter." She wails. "I have to actually workkkkkk. . ."

"And that is why my soon to be former wife went crying through the streets of the village saying her husband was trying to kill her." Her husband says, standing in front of the Hokage. "I told her to get a second job if she wanted the oodles and gobs of money she sees the shop making."

"What I figured." the Hokage says sourly. "I take it you're wanting to dissolve the marriage?"

"Please, she was my parents decision and I've been miserable this entire time. We never had children and she has a job so she can easily rent an apartment."

She lays sobbing on the floor of the apartment that she has to live in now instead of the house she had wanted to be bigger as befitting her station in life. Like her now former husband had wanted, she's working two jobs and picking up extra work cleaning homes. She'd been so sure life would be better than this if she could just have gotten the scroll shop away from Kiriko. She. . .she. . .she's not even a prostitute, the working women laughed at her. At *HER*. Telling her she was too ugly inside and out to be making any money.

"Why would I come back?" Sakura sneers as she looks at the woman wailing across the desk. "You told me I wasn't needed or wanted here. You're having to work yourself since some of the others left? Good." She turns around and walks out, finding her former coworkers gathered outside the door. They look at her a moment and start clapping. She's smiling as she walks out the door.

"Think we should drug the little fool?"

"If we do that, she won't be able to handle her shift. Get to work moron, you still have all that laundry down in the basement that needs to be washed." The administrator screams louder. She hadn't listened to the Hokage's orders to stop playing with Sakura's hours and been caught with her pants down when two of the medical nin who'd returned from being off with their babies had left the hospital again. And another had left on an extended leave to nurse a family member through a wasting disease that would prove to be fatal. 

She'd tried demanding Sakura return to the hospital but the Hokage had gotten word of her actions from the others and had shut down her attempts demanding her to quit working for Kiriko and accept unpaid hours at the hospital. Because she owed it to them. And had been told no. She'd tried increasing her afternoon and night shifts instead and been told no again. She'd demanded her attendance at the hospital just now and hadn't gotten what she wanted now either.

"So, you're off from the hospital for good?" Naruto asks the next day.

"Yes, they really didn't want me back. But the little fool in charge had gone whining to the Hokage since I was working here to cover my bills." The clanswomen in both rooms snort in disgust as everybody gets ready to work. "They had three medical nin leave, two decided they wanted to spend more time with their babies and the last is nursing a family member through a wasting disease." The others sigh and nod their heads in silent thanks that their families and anybody else they care about is disgustingly healthy. "Little fool was playing power games and wanted me to work at the hospital without pay. Because I *owed* it to them."

"Idiot."

"Too long in power, she thought she was all that when we were at the Academy together. Little bitch thought she was so special." One of the women says as they start working. "I hear stories that a lot of the people working at the hospital got yelled at by Tsunade and the Hokage?" She asks Sakura.

"Yes, rumor has it a lot of them ended up in T&I and never returned to the hospital. She was sulking because Lady Tsunade made a lot of changes to the hospital that needed to happen, the hospital is running so much better now, and she's sulking because she can't go back to the way it was before." The others make poor baby sounds or  bray with laughter. "And to add insult to injury, with so many people gone now she has to work herself. Scut work, like emptying bedpans and doing laundry."

More poor baby sounds. "Like that fool who went running through the streets claiming her husband was trying to kill her. All he told her was to get a second job if she wanted more money, she didn't like me sitting behind the counter here and thought she could handle everything just as good."

"Oh bullshit, its only you bringing in the supplies that allow us to make everything so cheap." Shikamaru's mother says, rolling her eyes. "They'd have to pay the cost of shipping everything and the prices would double. The Hokage knows this." A shadow has Kiriko running outside.

"What the fuck is that?" Naruto asks.

"That," Kiriko sighs. "Is an airship created by your friend from Wave Tazuna. He sees it as a way for goods to get to different places quickly. The Daimyo sees it as a way for his idiot nobles to show off by going nowhere fast."

"Doesn't the land of snow uses something similar?"

"Yes they do. That and the railroad."

"I hear rumors we're going to be getting it?"

"They started laying tracks this direction but it will be years before it arrives."

"Where?"

"The plateau over the Hokage monument. And it will be even longer for passenger service. I see it more as a way to deliver harvests in the beginning." The others nod and head back inside.

"But nobody's coming to see us land." One of the nobles on board wails as they hover over the plateau and wait to make a grand entrance.

"Of course they're not, nobody knew we were coming and they have better things to do than dance attendance on you." The captain of the ship says as they head back towards the capital.

The nobles go wailing to the Daimyo and are told to grow up, what did they think would happen if nobody knows they were coming by airship? They run off sobbing that nobody is taking their sides, saying they're just going to lay down and die at what happened.

"Make sure you don't lay down somewhere where people have to work." The Daimyo's wife calls after one of the whiners. "People got things to do and places to go, they don't need to step over. . .or *on*. . .your worthless carcass." They run off screeching louder, how can they be so cruel to them?