Kiriko looks up from the walls of scrolls on either side and nods in satisfaction. Turning the placard to open she settles behind the counter and opens the latest book of a mystery series she found on her journeys. 

 

Among the items she brings back on these shopping trips are books and tv shows that might not have made it to Konoha yet. And no, she doesn't mean that *dreck* that fool Kakashi reads. The bell over the door rings and she looks up, slipping a bookmark in the book to save her page.

 

Ahhh, speak of the man and he shall appear. She glares at that screaming meemie bitch Sakura when the pink banshee opens her mouth and she gulps and closes it. She knows the other woman will knock her on her ass without a second thought and get away with it. Kakashi starts to glare at her and she growls. He quickly shuts up. Sasuke starts to complain and she grabs him by the collar and backhands him across the face. "Keep a civil tongue in your mouth while in my store or lose it fool. I don't have to put up with your whining. The fools on the Council can kiss my ass. Konoha needs me, I don't need you."

 

Sasuke sulks the whole time he selects his scrolls of supplies and brings them to the counter. He starts puffing up at the total and she tosses a kunai at him. He gulps at the five strands of hair that fall to the floor, pays his total, and heads outside.

 

"I. . .I need one of your special scrolls." Sakura whispers when she comes up to the counter. Kiriko nods and pulls a scroll out of a special box by her foot, sliding it across the counter. Dropping the bills in the box she smiles as Naruto comes over. In addition to the supplies for their mission he's got other scrolls.

 

"New ramen scrolls?"

 

"Not until next week. Teuchi and Ayame will be working on new batches over the next couple of nights."

 

Naruto nods and brings a handful of scrolls out of his pocket. Kiriko nods and drops them into another box behind the counter.

 

"Naruto?" Kakashi asks quietly.

 

"Dishes from the meal scrolls. You can either bring them back or keep them. The meal scrolls come in six, twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four meals with silverware. If you bring them back after washing them you get a discount. Ichiruko's makes two batches of each of his dishes every month, one for Naruto." She quickly reaches over and ruffles his hair, getting a complaint. "And the rest of my customers."

 

"Only Ichiruko?"

 

"No, I employ many clan females, and a few men, to cook meals for me." She waves a hand at the other wall and Kakashi looks over at the wall of shelves, each labeled with restaurant or clan name, meal, meal number, and price. "The more paranoid shinobi only buy the meals from their clan members, many people buy from other clans to see what their food is like." The bell over the door chimes and a shinobi comes in. "Kiriko, did your. . ." Kiriko holds up a hand and ducks under the counter, bringing out another scroll that she opens. "Oh, thank you. And thank Shuishi for me too." He puts the weapons back in the scroll and hands over his money. The money goes in a separate envelope she slides in her clothes.

 

"You sell weapons?"

 

"One of my clan members is a blacksmith. He does special orders."

 

"Why are you not a Kunoichi? You are obviously trained."

 

"Do you know my clan? The Izuno. If you do, you know why I am not."

 

"Oh." he slumps. Naruto looks at his sensei, the shopkeeper, and back. "My clan is one of the lesser known ones Naruto, because we don't have a kekkei genkai or use flashy jutsus. While we serve Konoha, most of our clan members do not become chunin until they are adults. And we have *no* jonin in our clan. While those clan members who *have* attended the academy teach the others, most of the clan have other jobs."

 

"I chose not to attend the academy when I was old enough to enroll."

 

"You would have been a fine kunoichi."

 

"At the whims of a teacher who may choose to fail me because of no fault of my own? Depending on team mates that may or may not be useless or have agendas of their own? Having my chakra bound if I am failed because of my teacher or team mates? Through no fault of my own?" Kiriko pointedly looks out at Sasuke and Sakura through the windows of the shop. "Used only as a weapon by whoever is in charge? No, I have too much self-worth to do that. Especially since the town sees my clan as nothing because we don't have the flashy gifts. I have a gift for sealing, my clan encouraged that gift."

 

Kakashi shakes his head as he leaves, how many students lives had been turned upside down through no fault of their own? How many lives did he ruin by failing teams year after year after year? In the store a man ducks in from the back room and Kiriko hands her father the scrolls Naruto had brought back and the money for Shuisui.

 

"The council will complain about how you treated their puppet Sasuke." He snorts.

 

"The council can blow it out their asses. If a civilian can easily slap him, an enemy will kill him." Her father sighs but nods, opening the scrolls in the back and running the bowls and silverware through the commercial dishwasher and putting everything away to be reused.

 

"You're getting low on dishes."

 

"Yes, I planned on buying more next month when I go off. Is Tio in the back? Send him off to our regular customers and tell him I plan on going next month, get me their lists and money in two weeks." He nods and ducks in the back, a youngish looking boy going out the front door and visiting a number of establishments, including those on the seedier part of town.

 

Naruto comes in three weeks later, filling his arms with scrolls from the other wall. At the counter Kiriko's father nods and starts running up the total, Naruto handing over a handful of bills and accepting the large storage scroll holding the other ones. "Kiriko?"

 

"Left last week on her biyearly shopping trips. She's got lists from most of the other stores and some of the other areas." Naruto lives in the bad part of the village, he knows what Kiriko's father is not saying. "Did she get in trouble for slapping Sasuke? I know he went whining to the council."

 

"Not hardly, the Hokage told them that if a civilian could take him down as easily as she could he needs more training. I heard rumors that he's in trouble?"

 

"Yeah, he went off on our mission and nearly got Sakura killed. Kakashi was not happy and beat his ass every night for the three days it took us to get home." Naruto shakes his head. 

 

Kiriko walks into the store two weeks later. Naruto leaps off the stool behind the counter and hugs her. She raises an eyebrow at him. "Your brother had an emergency and asked me to cover the counter."

 

"What? He eat his own cooking again?" Kiriko snorts.

 

"Ha ha ha." He says as he walks into the building. "Thanks for covering the store Naruto. No, the Hokage has a special order for Shuishi. Where's the rest of your team?" He asks Naruto.

 

"Sakura is on medical leave for another six weeks and Sasuke is on punishment detail for another six months. The old man isn't happy with what happened on our last assignment. So I'm at loose ends. Your dad's been paying me to work here." he looks at her. Kiriko waves a hand. "Go ahead, I'm going to be busy the next couple of days delivering everything I brought back for the others." She tosses her brother a handful of scrolls. "Supplies for the back."

 

"Oh good, we're down to a box of everything with filling meal scrolls." he sighs and opens them in the back room, putting everything away. The back door opens and their father sighs. "I heard she was back. We're first stop?"

 

"Yes, she's going to be delivering everything else over the next few days. Naruto's out front covering the counter."

 

"It's good money for him. I hear that his team might be breaking up?"

 

"For gods sake, why?"

 

"Because his teammate Sasuke is a little shit who needs his ass beaten ten times a day? And his female teammate was a stupid fangirl *before* she was hurt. She might not be able to return to active duty."

 

"Shit." 

 

"Oh yes." 

 

Kiriko tosses Shuishi a scroll later that night, a female clan member being tossed a second. Both are opened and barrels of supplies from the scrolls inside for his blacksmith building and the soap, cosmetics, and lotion making buildings being put away.

 

"Who else did you deliver to?" her father asks as the supplies for the main building are put away.

 

"Ichiruko's and the working women." Kiriko yawns. "I'll deliver to the other clans tomorrow and the rest of the stores the day after that. Are we officially hiring Naruto?"

 

"I was thinking about it. His female teammate is on medical leave for another six weeks and the medics don't know if she can return or not. Sasuke is on punishment for another *six* months and might not be allowed to continue too. Kakashi is being grilled over the coals for not teaching the other two and kissing that little fool's ass."

 

"Why? Everybody else praised the little fool." One of the women snorts. "I remember his parents. I would just as soon have killed them as look at them. His whole family was insufferable assholes."

 

"Too many people kissing their asses and nobody kicking them." Kiriko's father sighs. The others nod. "One of the reasons our clan was seen as failures, we have no special gifts."

 

"No, we work for everything we do. But that's not good enough for a lot of clans. Fuck, half the civilians in the academy the last few years were only there hoping to catch Uchiha's eye. That twit Haruno case in point."

 

The others in her clan nod. Once a week they get together and talk about things going on in the village. People gossip around ordinary civilians like they wouldn't shinobi and if somebody hears something they make sure that information gets back to the right people.

 

One of the women turns to look at Kiriko. "Did you hear anything about the ANBU?" 

 

"That they might be hiring us to cook for them since they don't have a cooking crew anymore? Yeah, the Hokage is trying to decide one way or another." Kiriko waves a hand. "If we get the order I'll head off again and get in more supplies." The others nod. "If I have to, I can buy the building next to ours and hire the new genin to clean the building, move the supplies, and set up the cooking areas."

 

Naruto looks around as he and Kakashi arrive at the Izuno farm outside town a couple days later.

 

"Okay, what do you need us to do."

 

"We've got three fields of potatoes that need to be dug up and stored in the potato cellar." Naruto looks at him and the head of the farm chuckles. "These are potato hills. Pull these up and pull the potatoes off, then check and make sure there's no more potatoes in the soil. Dig deep and to the sides. Toss the vines in the pile, we'll let them sit and in a couple years we'll put them on the ground when we plant again. The potatoes go in that building, then when we're done with these, the beans, corn, and rice are next."

 

"That's a lot of work."

 

"You're looking at three weeks of steady work."

 

Naruto sighs as he slips into the hot water of the baths. A cough has him opening one eye.

 

"The Izuno farm." Kiba says.

 

"Yeah, you've worked there before?"

 

"Yeah." Choji says, sliding into the water. "Our Dads sent us off to work there during the academy to get used to the work. It's a rite of passage for a lot of clan kids."

 

"Yeah, my mom went me off to work with them because Ino had a fit about getting dirty." Kiba snickers. "She got to deal with the pig pens. Her dad was not amused by the fit. What were you doing?"

 

"Potatoes, then the rice, corn, and beans."

 

"OOOOOhhhh, not hard hard work but long hours." Shika says from where he just slid into the water. "What's the latest on Sakura?"

 

"Can't return to the field. She's going to be training at the hospital because she's got such good chakra control. She'll be limping for the rest of her life."

 

"And Sasuke?" Chino asks.

 

"Now on permanent punishment detail and will not be returning unless he gets a serious attitude adjustment." A male voice says as Inoichi Yamanaka slides into the water. He looks at the boys who turn their attention on him. "This is not to be repeated boys. Naruto, I know you're down two teammates, the Hokage is planning on having you working with the various teams for extra training and will find you a team that needs an extra member when its time for the chunin exam. He also says if you want to work permanently with the Izunos, you have his blessing."

 

Kiriko sighs as she leans against the door. She looks over at Tio. "We have the ANBU job. I just got done talking to the people cooking and passing along information and copies of the meals they want, including some special ones." Their father comes in from the back room and nods. "It's not to start until the first of the year so I have time to get in the supplies needed. I stopped at the Tower, brought the building next door and one of the builders will be coming over to link the buildings after the new genin have cleaned the building top to bottom. I put in an order for more furnishings, they will arrive and be set up after the building is clean." 

 

"But *why* do they have such a big building?" A councilor whines in a meeting.

 

"Because Kiriko hires clan women and men to cook the meals she sells? They need a large building to do that work. And no," Sarutobi says as the fool woman opens her mouth. "I will not demand they stop selling the meals. It's good money for them and I agree, their clan has been looked down on for years since they don't have a kekkei genkai."

 

"We can stop them, we're the civilian council." She says smugly. "Can't we?" She whimpers, looking at her fellow council members.

 

"Their authority comes straight from the Daimyo. We have no authority over any of them." One of the others says. "They have pulled the store from Konoha before when we tried shutting them down. It did not go well for the civilian council. I am the only survivor of the council from that time. And I only stayed on the council because I was new and not part of the vote."

 

She blinks and howls until one of her own council silences her. Before one of the shinobi in the room can gut her.

 

"Grow up fool. Bother them and they will cheerfully destroy you." Tsume Inuzuka snorts. "All members of the clan train whether they attended the academy or not and can and will kill you as look as you. So mind your own business and but out of theirs."

 

"She'll bother them, won't she?" One of the others sighs as she runs out.

 

"Yep, and she'll get her ass handed to her for her stupidity. Depending on which one she annoys, she'll be killed. Or just beaten within an inch of her life."

 

"Okay, who's got the betting book started?" Ino's father laughs after the official meeting is over and the ninja council has settled in a room to get drunk and play cards.

 

"What set her off anyway?"

 

"Her daughter's a newbie and is one of the teams cleaning the building. She's coming home dirty and exhausted."

 

"Isn't that part of the job? Coming home dirty and exhausted after an assignment?" Another man snorts.

 

"She's seeing the glamour, not the real job. She planned on her daughter being a ninja to propel her to bigger and better things." The head of the civilian council says, having been invited along for beer and free food. "Needless to say, she failed. One of those damn fools who will go running telling her daughter she can't be a kunoichi anymore."

 

"If she's who I think she is, it's not that big a loss." Tsume snorts. She looks over at Shika. "Short, kinda mousy brown hair, always trying to hit her one teammate. A repeat of the Haruno girl except she's actually turning into a decent mednin after nearly losing her leg." 

 

Shika nods. "That is her. And it's very much a repeat of the Haruno situation. The mother trying to get on the civilian council because her beloved daughter graduated the academy."

 

"Troublesome."

 

Kiriko looks up as Hinata and a younger girl who can only be her sister walk into the store along with another girl and two boys. "This is where most of the shinobi and kunoichi in the village come for their supplies." She tells them. "In addition to the camping supplies they have packaged food ready for cooking over a fire, pots, pans, dishes, and silverware." Hinata shows them to the wall of mission ready supplies. "In addition Kiriko sells ready made meals from clans and Ichiruko." She lead them to the other wall and shows them a scroll.

 

"These. . .aren't the normal scrolls." Moegi says slowly.

 

"No, I created them. They're first in and first out, do you see the check marks along the side." Kiriko says. They nod they see them. "When an item is removed, it's marked off on the scroll so you know how many you have left. In addition the weapon scrolls have special features so you can bring out as many or as few as you need at one time."

 

"You created them?" Konohamaru asks.

 

"Yep, your grandfather saw I had a gift for sealing and got me books and in contact with a sealing master." She tells him.

 

"Girls, there is another scroll you will want to be familiar with when you are older and it is that time of them month." Hinata says, taking her sister and Moegi to the counter.

 

"I keep them under the counter." Kiriko says. "It's not a secret but most men never think about that time of the month unless they have a partner or in the case of younger ones, have sisters. Or have a female team member who grows homicidal." Moegi snickers despite herself. "Ahh speaking of homicidal female team members." A shinobi comes in and takes three scrolls, handing over the money with a sigh. "Bless you for creating these."

 

Hinabi looks at the items and nods in understanding. She's seen many women in the main and branch house with such things. 

 

"Yep." The bell over the door rings and Kiriko grins as Anko comes in. She starts grabbing scrolls from the wall of meals as Kiriko reaches under the counter and brings out three scrolls. Anko grins when she sees them and heads for the counter with her haul, going back to the walls twice more. She pulls out a handful of scrolls she drops on the counter, paying the bill and taking the special scroll. Hinata and the others look at it.

 

"You've never seen the larger scrolls? I use them for customers like Anko and Naruto who buy multiple scrolls at one time. Each one is marked so they know what they have when they return home."

 

"That wasn't the special scroll."

 

"No, that was Anko's dango. I keep it under the counter so nobody else buys it before she does." Kiriko chuckles. "Dad, make a bank run. Anko was just here. Tio, get the dirty dishes." 

 

Both men come out of the back, Tio grabbing the scrolls and going back in the back. Hinata looks at first him then the shopkeeper.

 

"Each meal scroll comes with dishes and silverware. You can either keep them or bring them back for a discount. We have a commercial dishwasher in the back where each will be washed again, sanitized must like the restaurants, and reused when we make more batches of food."

 

"How often do you make the food?'

 

"Monthly for the clan meals unless there's more demand. Ichiruko's makes two batches every month, one just for Naruto." Hinata snickers despite herself. She's seen how many bowls of ramen he eats. "Yep."

 

"Those aren't family meals." Konohamaru asks.

 

"No, they're individual portions for single people who don't have the time to cook, don't have the time or room to cook, or those who can't cook without poisoning themselves. I'd been thinking of bigger meals but it would be more work and more money."

 

"While most families do their own cooking." Moegi says. The others nod.

 

 

 

 

 

Kiriko reaches over and shoves the shoulder of a familiar figure. Shizune startles then relaxes when she sees who is there. She looks at her, it's not time for her usual trips.

 

"Special trip. I got an order for more meals. I'm getting more supplies and stocking up on some stuff we don't normally have." She yawns. "Oh come on, rain already. It's making me sleepy." Shizune chuckles as Tsunade comes over with tonton.

 

"Heya brat."

 

"Heya yourself, you old bat."

 

"How are things in Konoha?" Shizune asks later that night after Kiriko has done her shopping for the day and settled in a hotel.

 

"Quiet, now. I ended up buying the building next door and turning it into a larger place to cook since we got more orders. Some old bat on the council had a fit about that and came after me. Because her newbie genin daughter was tired, and dirty, and sore after cleaning the building."

 

"Ooooooh, how awful. The fool never thought that's what happens on assignments?" Shizune says sourly. A shadow has the two kunoichi stiffening. Kiriko just snorts. "You're late. . .grandfather."

 

"Did you *have* to tell the women I was peeping?" Jiraiya complains as he comes in the window.

 

"Yes, yes I did." She says, rolling her eyes. "Bad enough you write that dreck that Kakashi reads all the fucking time. I didn't need to deal with you while I'm trying to relax after being on the road for days. And it was only civilians, if you can't get away from them its time to retire and turn the spying over to one of the others in the family. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the little fool came after me with her claws out and I kicked her ass up one side and down the other. Then her daughter came after me for hurting her mommy and I beat her ass, then dragged her over my knee and tanned her hide. I'd have left that to her sensei but Mommy told her she couldn't be a kunoichi anymore because she didn't get what she wanted."

 

"Oh dear god." All three ninja moan. 

 

"Yeah." Kiriko snorts. "Needless to say, she lost her position on the Civilian Council and is now facing charges. Her daughter has had her chakra bound for that little stunt and was sent off on one of the gangs off cleaning buildings, picking up trash, sorting out trash. . ."

 

"I'd say this is why they shouldn't allow civilians to be shinobi but there are some good ones." Jiraiya sighs. He catches the scroll Kiriko tosses him, Tsunade and Shizune being handed their own.

 

"Can one of you *please* come home and teach the kunoichi? The academy got rid of all the sexual classes for the girls. The working women are teaching them now about the different types of body assignments, how to seduce men or women, and sexual areas." Shizune whimpers as Tsunade swears. "They never learned what to do if a target likes their own sex, likes both sexes, or like me is totally uninterested in either sex."

 

Jiraiya moans. The two females swear. "Yeah, the academy is still recovering from all the dumbing down the former teachers did to keep Naruto from graduating. Not to mention kissing the ass of the last Uchiha, fucking bastard." They look at her. "It's in the reports but short story is, he pulled some shit on their team's last assignment that nearly caused their female member to lose her leg. She's now training as a medical nin because she's got good chakra control and can't return to the field. He's on permanent punishment detail so Naruto is training with the other teams to learn what that fool Kakashi should have been teaching him and Haruno from the beginning." More swearing. "When its time for the chunin exams, the Hokage will find him a team that needs another member."

 

"How long are you going to be here?"

 

"Another couple days. I've got more supplies I need to pick up for the expanded orders, buy the booze for next year, barrels as well as bottles, do some more shopping, and hit the casinos."

 

A week later Kiriko slides into a window at the Tower. The ANBU stiffen until they see who it is and relax at Sarutobi's wave. She reaches into her blouse and pulls out a scroll she tosses on the desk. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune's reports."

 

"Thank you my dear. Did you get everything you needed?" He waves a hand and she drops onto a chair.

 

"Yes, the supplies for the ANBU meals, including the special spices. The booze for next year, including the barrels and bottles. Hit the casinos and have enough money for decades, even with all our expenses." He sends off a courier and the bank president arrives at the Tower with an escort, counting the money and taking it to the bank after giving her receipts. "Asked one of them to please come back and handle the kunoichi training, they weren't too happy about hearing the working ladies are doing the training but they'd be the ones who know what to do." The ANBU in the room sigh but nod.

 

An hour later she leaves the Tower as quietly as she comes.

 

"I agree with Kakashi. She'd be one hell of a kunoichi." Cat says, dropping into the seat she vacated.

 

"Yes, she would have been. But like she said, she had other plans. And her clan is still looked down by too many for not having flashy jutsus and actually working for what they achieve."

 

Tio smiles as she walks into the shop an hour before it would have closed for the day. She tosses him a scroll and he goes next door to put everything away. The last of the new appliances had been installed and they're just waiting for the extra supplies to start working. 

 

"Bank?" Her father asks, coming out of the back room.

 

"Already deposited my winnings, the Hokage sent for the bank president with an escort." She hands him the receipts for the clan records and he nods, putting them in his clothes. "Liquor?" She hands him another scroll and he heads off.

 

Tio and Kiriko lock up the buildings and head off, taking to the roofs until they hit the gate and nodding at the guards who mark them going out. Taking to the trees they soon arrive home. The women in the clan hug her and usher her off to the bathing rooms after traveling all day. And there's enough clan members to cover the store for the next few days.

 

"I saw grandfather." She says at dinner.

 

"Tell me you didn't yell about him peeping." Her father sighs as the others snigger.

 

"Of course I did, and it was only real civilians. If he can't get away from them, it's time he stopped spying and let somebody else handle it." 

 

The following Monday she unlocks the door of the store, looking around and nodding in satisfaction.

 

Settling behind the counter with a new book she starts to read, looking up as the bell rings. Naruto comes in and flies across the room to hug her. "Still need me today?"

 

"Not unless you have training instead." she says firmly.  She sees Maito Gai behind him and he nods. "Off with you then scamp." She says.

 

"Ick." 

 

"Lemme guess, one of the other farms."

 

"The sewers."

 

"Pharmacy. Buy a jar of the cold salve and put it under your noses. And buy a bottle of the lemon body wash for afterwards. I know they have showers for workers so they don't smell too bad coming through town." Maito Gai looks at her. "Some of my clan members work there."

 

"Thank you." Gai says. Naruto goes across and buys a scroll of emergency supplies. "We'll need to eat but we won't *want* to eat. This will keep us going." Kiriko nods and puts the money in the box.

 

"Naruto?" Tio asks an hour later when he comes in. He's in school part of the day.

 

"Sewers. I told him to get the cold salve for under his nose and the lemon body wash for afterwards." Tio nods and settles in the back room to work on his assignments.

 

Naruto whimpers as he comes in the store a couple days later for his regular work shift. "Corn, so much corn."

 

"It's the hard outer shell that people can't digest. That's why so much is left behind." Tio says quietly. "Yeah, everybody has that reaction." He stretches and sighs, putting his books up. Then looks at him. "That's usually a D-rank mission though. Shouldn't the newbies have been having to do that?"

 

"They needed the extra help and Gai's team was up." He sighs. "It's good money, especially since I'm not getting c-rank missions without a team. That's one of the reasons Jiji is letting me work here."

 

"Nobody has done anything bad enough to need replacing besides that little fool?" Kiriko asks, coming back from the pharmacy with more supplies for the special scrolls.

 

"No, most of the new teams failed miserably, the school is still trying to recover and the current students are having to deal with the new classes and can't keep up. Even those who have clans that should have been teaching them better are having problems."

 

Kiriko shakes her head in dismay, even with the changing classes none of her clan would be having a problem. Tio nods in agreement. "Your clan works for everything they want, the Dobe would have been running sobbing at nobody kissing his ass."

 

"You're coming out this weekend for a training session, right? Anko's coming out to help teach us."

 

"I'd be welcome?"

 

"Wouldn't have offered you a spot otherwise. Bring gear, you'll be staying at least one night. The loft over the hay barn is a good place to bed down and the shower works."

 

"Does everybody live out there?"

 

"Those of us not active shinobi or kunoichi. They live in the village in case of a mission. We have a compound in the village in case any of us need to stay over. It takes us less than ten minutes to get from the farm to the gates by the trees."

 

Gai follows Naruto through the gates at a distance. He doesn't know where the boy is heading and as his acting sensei he is concerned. Kakashi should normally be doing this but he's off on another assignment. And as loathe as he is to admit it about his rival, not the best teacher for the boy.

 

Naruto arrives at a farm and is greeted by the woman who owns the shop he'd stopped at earlier, the one where it appears he works when he's not training. She looks up and he swears the young woman can see him.

 

"You might as well come out Gai, since you're already here." Kiriko's father says, rolling his eyes.

 

"I was concerned where Naruto was going."

 

"You'd be the first adult in his life that was then." One of the clan women says in disgust. "His teacher just dropped him off here the first day he worked here and left, leaving him to find his own way back and forth the rest of the three weeks."

 

Gai curses softly. "Yes, he might have had another assignment but *somebody* should have been around in case a teacher was needed. Naruto jumps into things headfirst, a competent teacher would work with him. I'm afraid Kakashi is beginning to backslide into not wanting to teach."

 

"I believe so too, I had to teach Naruto a few things any other student would have learned within their first few weeks with a sensei."

 

Gai is quiet when he returns to the village later that night. He had known of the Izuno clan but he had never worked with any of their members in the village. The idea that a fellow Shinobi would look down upon another one for not having a clan gift or using a flashy jutsu is abhorrent to him, especially after taking Lee on as a student. He has got where he is by hard work, just like the clan. He'd been offered a spot at the training session the next day and he brings Tenten and Lee along. Neji would not be a good fit to work with the clan. He's one of those who would be looking down on them. Even with being a member of the branch house.

 

Tenten is blinking the next morning when she finds out what is going on while Lee looks like he's falling in love. They immediately join the others in training, some of the shinobi walking around the others adjusting forms.

 

"Do you do this all the time?" She asks Kiriko when they break for lunch.

 

"Weekends twice a month though whoever is training us changes as those members who *are* ninjas might be on assignment at the time. We don't have a kekkei genkai or use flashy jutsus, we just use good old-fashioned hard work." She looks at Lee pointedly who is in conversation with three of the clan members and Gai then at Tenten. Who sighs and nods.

 

"Gai, you've been asked to go to the Tower when you returned." one of the gate guards tells the group when they return to the village. Gai nods and heads that way, his students looking at his back and following him.

 

"I was not aware I had summoned the two of you as well." Sarutobi tells Tenten and Lee.

 

"Gai is our sensei. If this will affect our training we should know."

 

"Very well. I asked you to come here Gai to ask you if you would have any objections to Naruto joining team ten permanently. I know your students have been working a year longer than his former team so it would be extra work getting him caught up, not to mention integrating him with your team."

 

"Sir, I was intending to ask you if it would be possible to become his new Sensei anyway." Gai says.

 

"Explain." Sarutobi snaps.

 

"I followed Naruto yesterday out of the village, concerned. I found him joining a clan in a training session. I also found out that Kakashi had taken him to the compound one time on a three week assignment and left, leaving him to make his own way back and forth the rest of the time."

 

Sarutobi starts swearing.

 

"I knew that little fool would start backsliding after being reprimanded for not being a teacher to Sakura and Naruto." he finally sighs. "I am glad he found some mentors in the Izuno clan." He sighs again. "Kakashi was not meant to be a teacher. The civilian council only wanted him to train Uchiha because of the Sharingen." Gai nods. Then looks at his students. "Do you two have any problems with Naruto joining us?"

 

"No Gai-Sensei, but Neji might."

 

"I will talk to him." Sarutobi excuses them and they leave the Tower. "Gai-Sensei, do you think something happened to Kakashi?"

 

"No, I believe he was given a choice and made the one that benefits him but not his student." Gai sighs. He arrives at the Hyuga compound. "I need to speak with Neji, it's about a change to the team."

 

"Is there a problem Gai-Sensei?" Neji asks, not quite rushing to the compound gates.

 

"I have been asked by the Hokage if it would be possible to have Naruto join the team on a permanent basis. It would be a good bit of work, catching him up to where you and the others are and integrating him. Tenten and Lee spent the day with him training outside the village with the Izuno clan and they have no objections."

 

Neji closes his eyes and silently counts to ten before opening them. "I have no objections Sensei. I . ..I was going to come talk to you about this in the morning." Gai motions him to walk with him. "I. . .I have to.  . . I must leave the corps. I have been feeling ill and went to the hospital for an examination today. I have an untreated infection from a mission that is affecting my heart. Using Chakra is making it worse." He squawks when Gai pulls him into a hug. "What are you plans for the future?"

 

"I will find work in the village. I must find an apartment in the village as well. The elders want me to leave the compound by the morning."

 

"Talk to Kiriko Izuno at the shop, I know she has many job openings as well as apartments for rent."

 

"Thank you. . .Gai-Sen. . .can I still call you Gai-Sensei?"

 

"Of course, you will forever be my student even if you are no longer a ninja. You are not the first to have to retire due to injury or illness."

 

"Tenten, a moment." Gai says.

 

"Gai-Sensei?" His student asks quietly.

 

"I have talked to Neji, he is being forced to leave the corps for health reasons. An untreated infection is affecting his heart." Her father sighs and his daughter moans. "He will be moving out of the compound as well as finding work in the village. I told him to talk to Kiriko Izuno, she knows where he can find work and an apartment."

 

"Yeah, she's the richest woman in the village. Much to the horror of some of the fools trying to look down on her." Tenten says.

 

"Only the village?" her father says. "Try the entire country. If not all of them." Tenten stares at him. "Oh yes, the other ninja clans might look down on them for not having a kekkei genkai or use flashy jutsus, they work for everything they have. And they have a lot."

 

Neji walks quietly in the store the next day. Kiriko holds up a hand. "I already know, Gai left a message on the door. You've still got a job here making food, helping everybody else will pretty much be a full time job. Tio will show you around to the apartments when he gets out of school."

 

"Thank you Kiriko. And thank you for not telling the others I've been working here for a while. The elders would not like it."

 

"The elders can blow it out their wrinkled asses. Are *you* okay?"

 

"I will be. The medication is working on the infection. As a civilian I can live forever, but as a ninja. . .it would be too much strain."

 

"Talk to Shikaku Nara's wife. . .I want to say she had a brother go through something similar." Kiriko says slowly. "Oh perfect, just who I was thinking of." She says as the door opens. "Neji. . ."

 

"We heard, the story is all over town. That's why I'm here." The man she dimly recognizes says. "I went through the same thing." He leads Neji off. "The family nursed me through it, they can nurse you through it. It's a troublesome infection." his voice trails off in the distance as Kiriko snickers softly.

 

"Yes, it *does* seem to be a favorite phrase for most of the male clan members." Shikamaru's mother says, rolling her eyes. "Is Neji going to be working here permanently."

 

"Yes, between the scrolls here and the meals for the ANBU, there's enough work for him full-time. Once he's recovered he can move into an apartment if he wants to. That's if your family lets him." she chuckles. "That will be the hard part." She gathers a few items, pays for them, and walks off.

 

"No, we will not seal his eyes permanently. The medication he is taking for the infection means he is unlikely to have children and he cannot be a ninja anymore."

 

"But he's no longer under our control." One of the elders wails.

 

"Then you shouldn't have thrown him out as soon as he was no longer a use to you. By your own words, I should throw you out since you're no longer ninjas." He wails louder. "Damn drama queens. And now I sound like the village children." he sighs.

 

Naruto rushes to the training grounds Team Ten usually uses. "I just heard, is Neji okay?"

 

"He will be, I told him to go to your friend Kiriko for a job and place to live since the Hyuga elders threw him out as soon as he was no longer useful to the clan."

 

"That's stupid. He could still train the younger kids until they attend the academy. Lots of former ninja do that for one reason or another."

 

"Yes, the elders know that. . .now. At the time they just saw him as a liability and not an asset. Needless to say, he refuses to return to the compound and his uncle. . .and the Hokage, refuse to allow his eyes to be sealed."

 

"Awwwwww." Naruto coos sarcastically. "Yes, that was everybody else's reaction. The news is all over town and everybody is talking bad about them. Much to their horror." Tenten smirks.

 

"The team? Are you still going to be okay with losing a member."

 

"Yeah, the Hokage was talking to Gai-Sensei last night about adding you to the roster permantly since Kakashi seems to be accepting a new assignment. Not that he was much of a teacher to you before, the Hokage was furious when he found out he basically dumped you at the farm, making you find your own way back and forth. The function of a sensei is to be there for their team." Tenten says in disgust.

 

"Kakashi was only there for the Uchiha."

 

"Indeed." Gai says.

 

At Tenten's father's shop, the bell over the door rings as Shuisui walks in.

 

"Oh good, you're here."

 

"You sent a begging for help message?" 

 

"Yes, I have three special orders." They go over everything and start working.

 

"Are you the only one who does your clan's weapons?"

 

"Nope, I've taught most of the younger kids in case something happens so we have a good supply of weapons on hand in an emergency. Kiriko brings supplies for me when she brings in supplies for you."

 

"Where is Neji?" Tio asks when he comes in from school.

 

"At the Nara compound, I remembered one of Shikamaru's uncles had the same thing happen to him. They showed up at the store five minutes after he did and took him off." Tio snickers. "Is he still going to work here?"

 

"Yep, between all the clans and the ANBU orders, he's pretty much got a full time job helping with the cooking." Tio snickers again as he settles in the back room. "Why did I agree to continue with school?"

 

"Because you're an idiot?"

 

"Oh yeah, that." Their father rolls his eyes as he comes into the store. His children are such drama queens.

 

"Anything we need?"

 

"No, it's been quiet. Everybody is busy badmouthing the Hyuga elders for throwing Neji away. The store's been dead, the apartment buildings are all in good shape, and we're still good on supplies since I made that extra trip. Go find some of your old friends and raise a little hell if you want."

 

A medical nin appears in the door of the store a couple hours later. She walks inside and Kiriko sees Sakura following her quietly.

 

"I understand you have medical supplies in your scrolls?" She asks imperiously. Kiriko decides she already hates her. "Yep, Hokage and Lady Tsunade approved."

 

"Oh." she deflates suddenly. "Can I see them please?" Kiriko opens a scroll and the woman looks over everything, her attitude totally different from when she'd entered the floor. "Are they used often?" 

 

"Yep, at least one team member has one when they go out. Naruto used it to save that one's life and kept her from losing her leg. Not bad for an annoyance, right?" Kiriko sneers. "Unlike your oh so special Sasuke."

 

Sakura ducks her head, she's slowly beginning to realize how her attitude made her a target of much of the village. "Yes, I've apologized to Naruto for being a bitch to him. Kakashi-sensei. . ."

 

"Kakashi is no longer a team leader, I don't know what he did but the Hokage asked Gai if he'd be willing to integrate him into team ten permanently. He said he was going to ask him to allow him to be his new teacher anyway. Seems both of them were annoyed to find out Kakashi took Naruto out to our farm to work the fields and just left him to make his own way back and forth for three weeks." Sakura stares at her and moans. 

 

"Sakura!" Ino calls as she walks out of the store. She hugs her briefly. "How are you doing?"

 

"Well, I can't say my family was sorry to see me leaving the field but they wish I hadn't been hurt. Are you on an assignment?"

 

"No, we're just getting in some extra training. Meet me at Ichiruko's in a couple hours for dinner and talk?"

 

"I'll be there."

 

"What was *that* all about?" Tio asks when they medical nin and Sakura have left.

 

"Oh, every couple of years somebody at the hospital gets a wild hair up their ass about medical supplies being sold here. They try getting it stopped but something like Sakura only living and walking on two legs because of them happens and they walk off pouting. Like I said, the Hokage and Lady Tsunade approve the scrolls and they skulk off with their tail between their legs looking like a fool."

 

One of the ANBU in civilian clothes leans in the door. "The Hokage wants one of your clan on the civilian council to replace that fool woman. Any suggestions."

 

"Our father." Tio says.

 

Kiriko nods, listing off another five names. He nods and heads off. "Dad is going to kill us if he does get on the council." Tio says.

 

Kiriko rolls her eyes. "Half his old cronies are on it already, attending the meetings will be just another excuse to join them getting drunk and playing cards." One of the clan women who'd been coming in the door cackles, nodding vigorously. She looks over at Kiriko. "Next week to start cooking?"

 

"Yeah, we've got a good selection left." Kiriko looks at the meal wall. "Neji has a permanent job helping with the cooking now." She nods in satisfaction and heads back off.

 

A shadow at the door has them blinking. "Uncle Hiruzen." Kiriko says since the Hokage is in civilian clothes.

 

"Please tell Naruto to continue with his pranks? The rest of the civilians are getting complacent and the ANBU are bored." He says dryly. "And your father told me to come beat you two for suggesting him as a council member."

 

"Oh please, the meetings will be an excuse to go off get drunk and play cards with his friends." Kiriko says, rolling her eyes. The Hokage snickers but nods, nobody would know it was him dressed in normal clothes but the clan is used to seeing him in civilian clothes and calling him uncle Hiruzen while wearing them.

 

An hour later Naruto is seen walking down the street and Tio grabs him, dragging him into the store. Naruto looks at him as Gai hurries inside after him.

 

"The Hokage sent a message. He wants you to continue with the pranks, the civilians are getting complacent and the ANBU are bored." Kiriko says, holding up a hand as Gai starts to speak. Naruto blinks a couple of times and starts cackling. "I had a few ideas but the mess with Sakura and becoming part of Gai-Sensei's team delayed them."

 

The following week the new building is bustling as the first clan members start making their meals, Neji is busy preparing everything to be cooked and other than sitting on a stool and taking more breaks than he usually would seems to be handling the job well.

 

Kiriko looks at the full to overstuffed wall of meal scrolls, nodding in satisfaction. Screaming from the other building has her running into the building. Stopping and staring she cackles and walks off, grabbing Tenten as she walks past the building.

 

"Run to the tower and get some ANBU." She tells her. "It appears the Hyuga elders didn't want to listen to their clan head and the Hokage telling them no, they weren't allowed to bind Neji's eyes for not being an active ninja. The clan members working on filling scrolls took exception to their attitude. Unfortunately for them, they actually train and keep active. Unlike the elders."

 

"Is. . .is Neji okay?" Tenten asks, dismayed.

 

"Yeah, they got him out of there as soon as they tried breaking in to grab him. Because he's *demeaning* the Hyuga name by working with the other clans."

 

"Fools." Lee snorts.

 

"We're talking the Hyuga, their reputation is the only thing they care about." Kiriko says, rolling her eyes. A few minutes later several ANBU appear as if from thin air and she whistles, the beaten elders being dragged out of the other building and tossed to them.

 

"I'm going to be suing them too for property damage and repayment for anything they destroyed. Plus lost wages for my employees." Kiriko calls as they're dragged away. One of the ANBU nods silently.

 

"So what happened?" Naruto asks a few days later as he's called to the Tower for an escort mission. He knows the person they're going to be escorting is Kiriko.

 

"The poor devasted dears had their eyes bound just like they wanted Neji's eyes bound." Kiriko says sarcastically. "They're busy working in the sewers on permanent punishment detail making the money to repay me for the damages. Or rather repay Konoha the money the village is giving me for my troubles."

 

"Why are we escorting you? I know you do these trips by yourself all the time." Naruto asks.

 

"There's still some fools among the main house that are complaining about what happened. The clan head is dealing with them but the Hokage wants me to have an escort until they are dealt with." Kiriko sighs. "That's one reason we're leaving from the village and not the farm."

 

Gai shakes his head in dismay. That's not a youthful thing to do. 

 

They take to the trees as soon as they're out of the village, Gai nodding in satisfaction that Kiriko can easily keep up with them even if she's not a Konoha ninja. As they're beginning to tire she drops out of the trees. "This is where I normally camp for the night. There's plenty of wood for a fire."

 

The tents are set up, Tenten sharing with Kiriko while the others take a larger one.

 

Shizune blinks as she sees a familiar figure. She pokes Tsunade as tonton rushes towards her. Kiriko calmly swoops him up and carries him back to them. "Long story, I'll explain after dinner."

 

Gai joins them at the unofficial meeting, Lady Tsunade wincing and swearing. "Yeah." Kiriko snorts. "So I'm here replacing the supplies destroyed in the fight. Thankfully we had extra from the ANBU order."

 

"The Nara. . ."

 

"Already swooped him up and are nursing him back to health since they had it happen to a clan member."

 

"I'm sending a letter back with you, there's no damn reason for us to be losing Shinobi to a damn infection. We know that area makes them more common. A more than casual exam when they return will catch it in time before any damage is done."

 

"Come back and take over the hospital? I had another medical nin come storming into the shop throwing a fit because we sell medical supplies in a scroll. At least until she learned that it was approved of by you and the Hokage."

 

"Idiots, the supplies are the best thing to keep an injured ninja alive until they can get help short of having a medical nin on the team."

 

"Yes, but they're oh so special and everybody should do what *they* want." Kiriko drawls. "So I'm going to destroy the casinos after I get the supplies I need to replace. And a few other things."

 

A week later they arrive back at the gate, the group appearing at the Tower to announce the mission completion. The Hokage just looks at her.

 

"I met Lady Tsunade while we were there and she sent back a letter complaining about losing ninja when the hospital *knows* the infection is common in that area and a more than casual exam when a team returns should catch it before it does any permanent damage."

 

"Yes, I have been complaining about that myself." The Hokage accepts the scroll from her, opening it up to read before sending it off by runner to the hospital and Gai's team have excused themselves. "Maybe this will convince your grandmother to get off her ass and come back to Konoha." 

"Now, bank?"

 

"Yes, I stopped to the casinos. And Naruto has the same luck I did. I have a scroll for him too. I know the bank would have a fit about him opening an account with this type of money. Probably try claiming it was stolen."

 

The Hokage sighs and nods. An ANBU heads off and the bank president arrives at the Tower. The new account is opened, Kiriko giving him the paperwork when she walks into the store where he's busy moving the new supplies that they had gone to purchase.

 

"How are we on supplies? Beyond the meal scrolls?"

 

"Good, the emergency rations take a hit whenever a team is stuck working the sewers." Tio says. "We'll have to buy more the next time you go shopping for the store and the others."

 

"Yeah, that should be after the first of the year."

 

"Any problems keeping up with a team?" her father asks.

 

"No, Gai looked concerned a second but relieved when I immediately took to the trees and was able to keep up with them."

 

"Keep up? You were beating us half the time." Naruto snorts. "I know a lot of the more stupid ninja would be howling at you showing them up and the civilians would be complaining about you playing ninja."

 

"The civilians need to get a damn life. Like that fool woman complaining because her baby was dirty and tired after cleaning the building they're only out for power. This is a ninja village, not a civilian village. They want to be in charge, they need to go somewhere else." Kiriko snorts. "That's why I only deliver to a limited number of stores on my trips, the others would complain too much, they can pay through the nose of getting their supplies later."

 

"Or the clan just opens a similar store and buys them out when their business goes under." Her father snorts. "Oh, you're going to be losing Tio at the store in a few months. Shuisui was helping Tenten's father with some special orders. He's going to be working there after classes and his schoolwork with an eye at taking over the business. Tenten doesn't have the gift for working with metal." Kiriko nods. "I was looking at Madi coming in anyway."

 

Her brother and father think a moment and nod. She's getting old enough to have a job.

 

Kiriko settles into the water in the bathing room at the compound when they return home, the hot water relaxing muscle she didn't know was tense. Traveling with an escort is different than traveling by herself. The other clan members laugh but nod in agreement. "You like working on your own. Being part of a group is different. You weren't in charge, Gai was."

 

Kiriko nods. "Has anybody heard rumors about the train coming this direction?"

 

"It would make travel more comfortable. Most civilians don't leave the village they were born in because things are too difficult."

 

"What's going on?" Kiriko asks a couple days later when she sees people working in one of the areas they don't normally use.

 

"We've been hearing rumors that there's going to be an attack on the village and we're putting together a bolt hole."

 

Kiriko sighs. "I'll start getting in supplies once it's finished, I might have to hit another casino." The clan elder snickers at her, patting her on the shoulder. "Should we pass this along?"

 

"Not until things come closer one way or the other."

 

"What about our friends?"

 

"Most of them are ninja and would be right in the middle of an attack."

 

Kiriko sighs again and closes her eyes. The clan elder pats her on the shoulder again. "We still have time to change things, start with getting our ninja friends better weapons. That's one of the reasons Shuisui and Tenten's father have been getting special orders from the Hokage. And getting Naruto a competent teacher. Kakashi is suited for other things than teaching, the Hokage might be sending him and that little bastard Uchiha on a suicide mission. He's got enough semen stored from him and the other former clan members to rebuild the clan if they need to, Without the whole, the last of my clan bs."

 

"I think most of the 'greater' clans in Konoha could be wiped out except for a few people." Kiriko snorts. "Or at least the bad apples weeded out or killed off. Hyuga's case in point." She looks at the elder. "Is the old tunnels still under the village?"

 

"Yes, but all the access points were blocked up. But yes, the civilians in town could take shelter there in case of an attack. They closed them up because they were too close to the sewers and the smell bothered people."

 

"Let them get their fool asses killed then." Kiriko drawls. "Is there a time limit?"

 

"Three years. We've seen it happening during a chunin test."

 

"Here?"

 

"Yes. We're up for it."

 

"Don't have one here for a few years then, cite the fact we're rebuilding the academy curriculum. It doesn't hurt the story that last year's graduates all failed their tests or were forced from their teams and this years doesn't look to be much better. And really, all you're doing is showing off. Winner gets the promotion. Big whoop, get a battlefield promotion. If Kakashi was still Naruto's teacher, I see the fool putting them in it for the chance to not have to teach them anymore."

 

The others listening to her nod.

 

"I'll go talk to the Hokage, see if he wants to make multiple scrolls of the medical supplies to have on hand."

 

"Yes." the Hokage says firmly the next morning when she asks the question. "I'll get you the funds, Naruto's team can go off with you again for the supplies and we can use the academy students to fill the scrolls. And to create them."

 

Naruto looks at Kiriko when they get the escort mission assignment.

 

"The Hokage wants to make multiple scrolls of medical supplies, beyond what I sell at the store. He's paying me to go get the supplies to make them and the students at the academy will be making the scrolls and filling them."

 

"Will the teachers be overseeing this?"

 

"Along with some of the medical nin, including your former teammate Sakura." Naruto snickers despite himself. "Yeah, that was my reaction."

 

They return a week later, Kiriko dropping an extra large scroll on the Hokage's desk. She accepts a scroll in return that she slides in her clothes to read later at his look. Quickly making her way home before the storm that looks like it's going to start blowing in she hands the scroll to her father since his name was on it.

 

"Do I want to know?" She says at the look of pure glee on his face that has been seen on her brother's face more than once.

 

"No, not really." He hurriedly grabs some other clan members as she heads for the bathing chamber to soak. These trips with an escort are *not* the same as going on her own. She *aches*. No, this is just more proof she was never meant to be a ninja.

 

Yelling from the street a few days later has her running to the door.

 

"What's going on?"

 

"The arena, it collapsed and caught on fire during the night. They found bodies in the debris." A civilian says, running down the street.

 

Nope, didn't want to know she thinks quietly, sliding behind the counter again and picking up the paper she'd been making notes of for a new, improved medical scroll for the hospital. Oh perfect, here's Sakura now. Reaching under the counter she hands her a special scroll at her quiet words and slides the page across the counter. "Look that over and see if it would work in emergency supplies for the hospital?" Sakura blinks at her, looks at the page, reads it then stops and reads it again. "I need to show this to the others."

 

"Yeah, they'd be the ones creating them and using them in an emergency when they can't get to the hospital." Kiriko says. "Something like this. . ." she waves a hand at the men and women still running down the street. "Made me think of it."

 

"That, natural disasters when the hospitals are overrun or gone, and times of war." One of the other medical nin sighs when Sakura brings up the topic of the new scroll when she returns to the hospital. "She gave us a good groundwork to build upon."

 

"Why would Sasuke have broken out and torched the arena?" Naruto asks quietly the next day when he arrives at Kiriko's shop to work helping fill scrolls of supplies for teams going on missions.

 

"Just meeting him when he came to the shop he came across as a spoiled brat who thought the world owed him whatever he wanted. He would never be able to be able to become a chunin, hell he wasn't even a genin now. He was being held responsible for his own actions, just like the former Hyuga elders. And he hated it. If he couldn't be a chunin, neither can anybody else. Just like they hated not being able to hurt Neji after they were so stupid as to throw him away when he couldn't be a ninja anymore."

 

The end of the year comes and Tio moves from being at the shop to working with Tenten's father. Madi replaces him as a part-time helper at the shop when she's out of school and she sends her off with a list of her regular customers to tell them it was nearly time for her regular trip out of the village to go shopping.

 

"Dad, can you and a couple of the others handle the shop while I'm gone? Normally Naruto could handle it with Tio but he's working with Tenten's dad."

 

"Yeah, we can take turns being there until you get back."

 

She wraps her arms around him in a hug and takes to the trees. At her usual stopping place she sets up her camp and settles in the tent after her meal.

 

A week later she returns and drops onto the ground at the farm. The others come out and she grins. "Much easier not racing a team." She pulls three large scrolls from her clothes. "Main house." A girl takes in and grins. "Shuisui's forge." That gets taken as well and placed on the door. "The working buildings." Again it's taken away. "This is for the bolthole, I know it's not needed yet but I figured get it ahead. And it can be used elsewhere."

 

The clan elder looks at her and she rattles off the list, the other woman nodding in satisfaction and putting it away until needed as Kiriko takes to the trees again, dropping down by the gate. The guards grin at her and welcome her back.

 

Her father is at the counter when she arrives after stopping at the bank and he grins and gives her a hug. "Stopped at the farm first?"

 

"Yeah, I dropped off all our supplies there." She hands him the receipts from the latest bank deposit and he shakes her head and laughs, taking the scrolls of supplies and putting everything away with Naruto and Neji in the back and the other building.

 

"How are the orders coming along?" She asks her father. She'd been gone when they first started going out.

 

"Good, the scrolls are delivered weekly to the tower along with the dishes and silverware being returned." The scrolls are kept in a locked room in the other building that only two people have keys to, herself and her father.

 

She makes the rest of the deliveries the next couple of days, looking around the village and smiling. The more annoying civilian shops had to raise their prices as the cost of getting in supplies had been increased by shippers. But nobody was buying their products when the same or something similar could be brought at another store and they were losing money.

 

"I know this is a longshot Kiriko, but do you know anybody who sells fabric when you go shopping?" One of the working women asks a couple weeks later.

 

"A number of places. Let me know colors and fabric and I'll make a trip out. The elders have been talking about refinishing furniture at the farm so I was looking at making a special trip that direction anyway."

 

Two weeks later she takes to the trees again, returning two weeks later with a number of scrolls. Half of them are dropped off at the farm and she walks to the bad part of town, emptying the scrolls and getting kisses on cheeks and thanks from the women who inspect the fabric in glee.

 

Hiruzen just looks at Kiriko when an ANBU drags her off to the tower. 

 

"One of the working women asked me if I knew anybody who sells fabric on my trips since the stores don't *like* their business." Hiruzen sighs as the ANBU silently snickers behind their mask. "I said several and the clan elders are getting ideas about refinishing furniture, painting. . ." Kiriko makes a and so on and so on and so on gesture that everybody who is married is very familiar with. "So I was going anyway and was coming back from delivering the fabric for them when I got hauled in."

 

"I had wondered why you were going off schedule."

 

Kiriko tips her head back to look at the ANBU. "Do I need to schedule a trip out for your people?"

 

"Let me talk to the bosses. We've got floors of costumes and other clothes to sort through."

 

Her father looks at her when she exits the Tower. They walk to the gate, the guards nodding at them as they walk out of sight before taking to the trees.

 

"The Hokage wanted to know why I left off schedule, everybody just sighed when I said the shops don't like the working women's business so they asked me if I knew places that sell fabric and I was going anyway because the clan elders are getting ideas about redecorating. When they're in that mood, it's easier to just nod and tell them to give you the money and the list of what they want."

 

"Time to look into taking those stores over too." Her father snorts.

 

"I also asked the ANBU who took me to the tower if I needed to make a trip out for them. They said they'd talk to their bosses, they have so much clothes to sort through." Her father nods as they arrive at the farm, dropping to the ground.

 

"The civilians would be horrified to learn the working women get their clothes made by the ANBU." 

 

"Has anybody heard any rumors about the old Uchiha district being up for sale?" one of the clan women asks at dinner.

 

"Not up for sale, but that little fool lost his precious heritage when the bastard attacked Sakura. The ANBU went in and cleared everything out after the massacre and again after he lost it, putting anything useful away for any future Uchiha." One of the elders says. "I've been in talks with Hiruzen and we're in the lead of getting the land since we plan on using it for homes and businesses instead of the other clans who just want to enlarge their compounds."

 

A list of businesses that can move out there if the buildings are suitable is quickly made and the next morning Kiriko's father drops it on the Hokage's desk. He looks it over and nods in satisfaction. "The land is yours then, cost is one ryo per year for the next ten years. And the ANBU inspect everything again."

 

"Deal, and the new graduates can get the jobs of cleaning up the buildings and tearing down any that need it. I'll send Kiriko off again to destroy some more casinos for the money we'll need to create the shops, I know the Daimyo's wife will be happy to be able to come to the stores and look at clothes and buy stuff."

 

"So will some of the richer merchant's wives. Those you haven't bankrupted yet." Hiruzen snorts. "Off with you and thank you for giving the village another way to weed out the more useless graduates from the academy. If they whine about cleaning buildings and doing basic work, they won't make it as a ninja." 

 

"We got it." He tells his daughter when he enters the store. "I'll have the elders get a list together of what we need, how much money it will take to do everything, and you can head off in a couple of months. Maybe even your usual trip."

 

"Okay."

 

Naruto looks at her in a silent question from where he's getting a month's worth of food scrolls. Gai is there buying his own as well. 

 

"We're looking at opening a few more stores. Dad said we got the land, now we're just working out the details on what I need to buy and how many casinos I have to hit. Yes," he says at his opening mouth. "I can hire your team for an escort mission. I know even working here you're not getting the money the more active teams are who are off getting bounties."

 

"Those teams are also dying young because they have bounties of their own." Kurenai snorts as she walks into the store with her team. "Our teams don't get the big money but we're working for the village just like the rest of them." Gai nods.

 

"Quick question." Kiriko asks quietly. "Is any other village going to be holding a chunin exam now that Konoha is out with the arena destroyed? While I was off buying fabric I was hearing complaints from merchants who were looking forward to making money from the nobles and other people flocking to Konoha." She scowls. "I'm disgusted to say I've heard similar complaints from merchants here in the village."

 

"Who?" Kurenai snaps. Kiriko pulls her and Gai in the back room and lists off merchants, many of whom her clan is actively destroying. "I know Ino's mother at the flower shop has heard them too."

 

"Damn, we're going on a mission." She looks at Gai.

 

"We are off, I can bring this to the Hokage's attention." He says. "And talk to Ino's mother if she's heard them."

 

Ino's mother nods firmly when she's pulled to the Tower. "Yes, I have." She lists off most of the same names, listing a few more. "Kiriko did not mention them." Gai says slowly.

 

"Kiriko's store is basically geared towards ninjas, the type of people complaining would never lower themselves to shop there." She says. "They buy flower arrangements, candy, fancy soaps. . ."

 

"Like that fool woman who wanted to join the council for the power."

 

"Yes, but being on a civilian council in a ninja village would be beneath them. They picture themselves as being the Daimyo's companions." Ino's mother snorts. "With the idea of becoming Daimyo themselves no doubt. The poor dears would be horrified at the simple shopkeeper they look down upon is richer than they can ever dream of being."

 

"Yes, because her clan works for what they have. While most of them inherited their money." The Hokage sighs. "I see I will need to deal with them."

 

"That was evil." Her father says, shaking his finger at her later that night. "It was the truth." She snorts. "I just happened to drop an innocent question in the right company."

 

"And it gets them out of our hair and we can buy the shops if they haven't been ruined by their greed and stupidity." a clan woman snorts. "I *still* say our clan runs the village, we just let Hiruzen deal with the whiners."

 

"And the paperwork." Somebody else laughs. 

 

A couple of weeks later Kiriko's father leans in the shop, catching his daughter's eye and motioning towards the back room. Since Naruto had just brought back dishes she busies herself filling the dishwasher and running it before looking at her father.

 

"Hiruzen needs a major distraction that will involve the ANBU and a good portion of the ninja force while he orders others to take out those complaining about not getting what they wanted with the chunin exam out of Konoha for the forseeable future. Do you have any ideas?"

 

Kiriko starts to say something then shakes her head. "Wait, maybe I do. I saw a game when I was traveling. At the time I thought it was just a ninja wannabe thing but now. . ." She leaves her father and Madi covering the shop and hurries to the Tower.

 

"I have an idea, what is the timeline?"

 

"Ideally six weeks, but I can hold out longer."

 

"It will be *tight*." She says slowly. "Summon Asuma, I think he might know what I'm talking about."

 

"While you part of the Daimyo's guards, did you ever hear of a sport called paintball?" She asks when he arrives. He blinks, then moans. "Oh dear gods, yes. The idiot nobles played it constantly."

 

"Give me a noble package then. I'll travel to the capital and buy the supplies, complaining that the backwards nation where I am forced to live now knows nothing of the sport. What team would be better as an undercover escort as my underlings?"

 

"I'd say Kurenai's and mine combined if you do as underlings and you hired a ninja team as escort." Asuma says slowly. His father nods. "Kiba and Shino would stand out as underlings but as an escort. . ." His father nods again.

 

"Hinata, Ino, and Tenten as my female companions with Kurenai as our escort. The boys as Ninja escorts along with you and Gai. I can hire a carriage in the capital to make an entrance."

 

"Taking the train will cut a week off coming and going."

 

"Yes."

 

Kurenai, Gai, and their teams are summoned to the Tower and given the assignment.

 

The girls shake their heads as they dress in the fancy clothes before getting on the train, how can people move in these outfits? And how does Kiriko turn herself into a vapid noble so completely?

 

"Yes, the area I have been *banished* to knows nothing about paintball. I need *everything*." Kiriko drawls in a bored noble voice at the store. "I mean *everything*."

 

Three weeks later Kiriko slumps onto a seat, she is tired and even the ninja are dragging. She tosses the scroll on the Hokage's desk. "Seventeen dozen pallets of paintballs, there's eight cases in each pallet and each case is two thousand paintballs divided into four bags of five hundred each. Each hopper holds two hundred paintballs and the air cartridges that power the guns will need to be pumped up. There's six dozen cases of guns and each case holds a dozen guns. There is nothing more to be had in the city, I brought it all. Stopping at every store there and at any larger vilage that might have supplies." Hiruzen nods in satisfaction. "Thank you my dear, now off with you. Your father is probably already on his way since the news you had returned made its rounds."

 

"Okay, how are we going to handle this?" Asuma asks his father after Kiriko and her father have left the office. The door opens again and Kiriko looks back inside. "Academy.Graduation.Exercise." She says slowly.

 

Asuma blinks and starts laughing despite himself while his father puts his head on his desk and *moans*.

 

"Look at it this way, the students can also be put to work cleaning everything up afterwards." She says.

 

"Go.Away.Kiriko," Hiruzen moans. "I already have a headache."

 

"The teachers can grade it as an exercise while we handle everything else." Asuma tells his father. "And as Kiriko said, they can scrub the damage."

 

"Do you, Gai, and Kurenai know how to operate these *things*?" His father asks, his head still on the desk.

 

"Yes, and so do the genin. I swear I saw Hinata's eyes glowing as she was aiming at targets. There can be an area set up with extras, the students will be 'out' if they cannot make it the safe areas to reload their weapons."

 

Iruka and the other teachers at the academy start to complain but stop and start thinking about how this can be turned into lessons. "Plain coveralls including face masks so nobody knows who another student is? An enemy that you have to shoot or be shot?"

 

"Teachers and jonin shadowing them to count them as out?"

 

"Yes, I brought our own. So did Naruto. And Hinata. And Tenten." She says at her father's look when they've returned to the farm. "I see the new genin doing a lot of scrubbing for a few weeks." The others snigger despite themselves. 

 

"I suggest we put a couple bedrolls upstairs in the store if we can't get away."

 

"Already have them upstairs as part of our emergency supplies." Tio says.

 

Naruto leans in the door of the shop one day and 'looks' at Kiriko. "Madi, we're closing a little early." she says calmly, shutting up the shop and walking towards the gate. Asuma nods as they walk past.

 

The following morning Tio and Madi are pointing and staring at the new decorations as Kiriko shakes her head. She can see welts on various people and snickers silently, the students must have found them just as annoying as she does it seems. Unlocking the door and shaking her head as the nearly paint covered windows she turns the placard to open and sits down to wait for the others to arrive. The clan members who work for her slowly trickle in, shaking their heads in dismay.

 

Two weeks later a team of the academy students arrive at her store, starting to scrub the paint off the windows and doors. One swears and picks up a rock to throw, Kiriko immediately grabbing her arm and pulling it behind her back. Walking her off while she swears and bringing an instructor running.

 

"What happened?"

 

"This stupid little shit didn't like having to clean my windows and picked up a rock to break them instead, this way her work was done for the day." She says, repeating what the girl had been whining.

 

"But you have such big windows. Why?" She wails. "It's not right we should have to clean them."

 

"Fucking idiot." A passing student with bucket and cleaning supplies snorts in disgust. "Your family has a shop, should we go break *their* windows so we don't have to clean them?" The academy student stops in disbelief and starts screeching.

 

The instructor grabs her by the collar, dragging her off. "I have the feeling she just failed."

 

"Yeah. She was an annoying brat who thought her parents money meant she was so much better than everybody else, even the kids from major clans. All the students hated her and she kept trying to say we were making her fail. Her own stupidity made her fail." the student says, putting his supplies away with the others for the next day.

 

She returns to her shop to find the other four scrubbing the windows. They pause when they see her returning, almost seeming to sigh in relief when she's alone.

 

"Are you *stupid*? The woman who owns that shop is the richest person in the village. And you tried breaking her windows because you didn't want to scrub them? You little brat." her father yells when he's summoned to the academy.

 

"But she has such big windows and I'd been scrubbing all day already." she whines.

 

"And just what do you think happens when you're a kunoichi?" Her teacher asks in disgust. "You can't just say, I'm tired, I wanna go home. You're a ninja the rest of your life no matter what you're doing. And you know this is the type of mission you get as a genin."

 

"Fucking idiot. Only in it for the power." Kiriko sighs that night at dinner.

 

"Like too many students until reality sets in. That's why so many new students fail their teacher's test. That's one area where clan students have an edge, they know they're in it for life. The civilians just think its all fun and games until it's not fun anymore."

 

"Damn, I didn't realize how many stupid civilians there were in the village." Tio says a few weeks later when he sees shops still closed because their owners are nowhere to be found in the city. The damage to the buildings from the paintballs had been fixed and many shop owners had decided to paint their buildings. 

 

"At least there's nothing in there that will go bad with the buildings shut up." Madi says as they drop onto the street to go through the gate. The gate guards nod at them and once they're out of sight they take to the trees again. Kiriko is off with the list of what they need for the new land as well as the orders from her usual customers and what they need to take over the closed businesses and Naruto's team, the new genin that had been cleaning the buildings after the paintball palooza as one of the older genin had termed it now set to cleaning the buildings in the new Izuno land.

 

Two weeks later Kiriko slumps into a seat in the Tower, pulling a scroll from her clothes she slides across the desk. "From Lady Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya. Expect the paintball scenario to show up in one of his books, they just *moaned* when the story was told. Even with finding out *why* it had happened."

 

Hiruzen sighs but nods.

 

"Bank?"

 

"Yes, both myself and Naruto." She pulls out two scrolls. The money is double counted and deposited into the accounts, she takes the receipts and yawns.

 

"Off with you then, I'm sure the news the team already made it to your father."

 

"Worrywart." she says fondly when she finds him waiting at the bottom of the tower. "I saw the other while I was there. They sent reports. And there was the bank deposits."

 

"Ahhh." He says, nodding in understanding. "Ichiruko's?"

 

"Yeah, drop that and the shop's orders off and take care of the others over the next couple of days."

 

Naruto is at the shop and she hands him his receipt. The supplies are put away and Naruto heads off with new meal scrolls.

 

"The new land." She says, handing her father one scroll. "The new shops." she says, handing him a second. He nods. "The land and buildings are nearly done. We've already got people interested in the new apartments."

 

"What's the latest on the other shops?"

 

"We're slowly taking them over and reopening them when the Hokage makes the announcement that the former owners are. . .missing."

 

"No relatives?"

 

"None that have come forward to ask what happened to my family?"

 

"People like that don't have families. They expect to be headed for bigger things and kids would slow them down." A clan elder snorts. "Unlike most civilians who know they're going to need somebody to take care of them when they're old. Clans have kids, they know they're probably going to die young."

 

"Yeah, it's only the special ninja like the Sannin and the Hokage that grow old."

 

Kiriko finishes delivering the last of the supplies, getting money from the others in thanks and heads to the new land, looking over everything in satisfaction. The clan women are already putting soap and other beauty items on the shelves in the new building and people are moving into the apartments.

 

"Grief, that idiot Uchiha could have done so much if he'd pulled his head out of his ass." Tio says as he comes through with a crate that goes into another building destined to be a store.

 

"Doing that would have made him a human being, not a high and mighty Uchiha. Same reason you don't see the Hyuga doing something like this. Or being medical nin beyond private ones for the clan."

 

"Yep."

 

"You've got medical nin in your clan?" Naruto asks quietly.

 

"Yeah, three of them live at the compound in the village permanently."

 

Two months later Naruto and the other genin from his year walk onto the Izuno farm grounds with their senseis. Tenten and Lee might not be familiar with this type of work but they quickly settle into their assignments with the others.

 

"You didn't hire any of the newer teams?" Asuma asks Kiriko's father quietly.

 

"They all need too much work, your teams have been working together for years. You know the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates. I'd rather spend more money for your teams and have things go well than pay less for the new genin and have to babysit them and their teachers all the time." Asuma snorts but nods. "Not to mention you all are making sure everything is saved, I'd probably lose half the potato harvest with them not bothering to check the soil." Tenten tosses three potatoes she'd just pulled from the ground into the cart Lee and Naruto are pulling. Looking at the potatoes they head to the cellar to dump this load.

 

"Yes, especially if some of the new genin that had washed out were still in training." Kurenai says, rolling her eyes. "I do hope this new class is better, they'll be the first ones graduating since the new classes were introduced at the academy."

 

"You and everybody else who went through the academy before the council started dumbing everything down." One of the clan elders says as they come over. "Lunch." he bellows. Everybody gratefully takes a break and washes up with the handpump before bringing out their scrolls with their meals to eat at the tables on the grounds.

 

Three weeks later the groups walk into the tower to announce the job is over, the Hokage chuckling softly in his office. With the older genin on assignment the newer ones had to step up on the jobs that were falling behind and more were wailing that the work was hard. Especially confronted with working in the sewers.

 

"Kiriko, I have a ninja I'd like you to hire as a worker. . .if he ever shows up that is." The Hokage says sourly a few days later. "Have you heard of the Eternal Genin?"

 

"Kosuke Maruboshi? Of course, he's been on the farm for the last three weeks helping with the cooking for the harvests. I thought you knew he was there. He sent a message to the Tower saying he arrived. We hired him when we hired the teams to harvest. The paperwork should have crossed your desk."

 

Hiruzen scowls at the stacks of paperwork on his desk. "It probably did, getting lost in this mess here. Or was filed somewhere. Anyway, as I was saying. I'd like you to hire him as part of the cooking crew."

 

Kiriko snickers. "He's already there. Like Neji, he's got a permanent job helping every crew working. And he's got an apartment on the new land."

 

"Of course he is." Hiruzen sighs. "I've been wanting him to retire for a while."

 

"Yeah, he's complaining of getting older and knows he's got a place with us where he can just relax and cook."

 

"Tell him to come to the Tower after you're done for the day."

 

Kiriko leans in the building when she returns. "You need to go to the Tower after work, the Hokage wanted me to hire you. . .if you ever showed up. He never found your message saying you were back and planned on retiring." She says, catching Kosuke's eye.

 

"Of course he didn't, the paperwork on his desk is as tall as he is some days." One of the female clan members snorts. "At least with the fools off the councils, stuff isn't being passed because he's too busy to ready the papers anymore."

 

"And teams of retired ninja are sorting through everything and filing the simpler stuff before it gets to him."

 

"Yeah, he said it might have already been filed before he saw it. And I doubt he'd have seen the paperwork from us hiring you to cook during the harvest."

 

"No, D-rank missions never cross his desk." One of the clan members who also works in records at the Tower says. The others nod. "Not unless something bad happens. Like somebody hurt, or in the case of the last couple years, the new genins failing because they were tired from cleaning buildings. Little brats thought it was all fun and games."

 

"If they're this bothered just doing chores in the village, how would they handle c-rank missions? Or worse."

 

"Exactly." Kosuke shakes his head. He'd heard about the problems the academy had had with new genins over the last couple of years and had hoped they had been exaggerated. At least the older genin and chunin were keeping the village strong and he'd heard good stories about the class that had started their last year.

 

Kiriko looks up at the noises from the street in front of her a month later. She smirks as she walks to the door, the Daimyo's wife surrounded by her entourage pausing and smiling. She sees the head of the major ninja clans in Konoha not quite running to catch up to the group and leads them to the new stores, smirking inwardly as they almost pout at not being acknowledged.

 

They're not the only ones sulking when the more important merchant's stores are bypassed by the group.

 

"Oh, you have your own clothing store now?"

 

"Yes, some of the merchants didn't like the customers *they* didn't approve of shopping with them. Our stores are open to anybody as long as the have the money to pay for what they want. Unfortunately those stores closed earlier this year after an incident and are yet to reopen, their owners seem to have abandoned them. We're trying to find family members to take the over but so far nothing."

 

The Daimyo's wife knows an opening when she sees it and raises an eyebrow. "Why has the village not taken them over then? If family *is* found they can be reimbursed."

 

"That was a setup, wasn't it?" Ino asks her parents quietly a couple nights later after the party have left the hotel they'd been staying at.

 

"Not in the beginning, but yes. The Hokage has been looking for a way to reopen those stores, not that the Daimyo's wife has said something, he can do so now." Inoichi says, smirking.

 

"And it was a good black eye for the shops that didn't like selling to the working women. . .or Naruto. They didn't get any business. And the others saw it. And will go to the shops they did buy from." Her mother smirks. "What the hell that fool Hiashi and the others thought when they came rushing to be seen by the Daimyo's wife I have no idea. Anybody with an ounce of sense knows she's interested in shopping, not the clans."

 

"Oh, they expected her to fawn all over them like the rest of the village does." Ino snorts. "They expected the lesser clan students and civilians to kiss their asses in class and were told if they didn't like their grades, concentrate on their own work instead of trying to to push their nonexistent weight around. Oh, not Hinata for all that she was the clan heir, but some of the others in the other grades. Neji was a right royal ass until he had to leave the corps because of his health. He's actually turning into a decent human being now."

 

"Getting away from that toxic environment that's the Hyuga compound helps." Her father says, rolling his eyes. 

 

Kiriko slumps into a seat at the farm that night. "How were the sales?"

 

"Tens of thousands of ryo, we have standing orders for clothes, soap, and other stuff." Tio says quietly. He and the others had been kept busy for three days at the stores. "Thankfully this doesn't happen every day."

 

"Nope."

 

"Is it just me or were those old fools sulking because the Daimyo's wife wasn't paying attention to them?" Madi asks.

 

"Yes, they were. They're so used to everybody in the village fawning over them they were stunned when they Daimyo's wife wouldn't do the same thing."

 

"Too long in power, they expected everybody to kiss their asses. The Daimyo's wife has no idea who they are and don't care to know who they are either." One of the clan elders snorts. "The poor dears were horrified."

 

"Morons, too damn long being in power." One of the clan elders snorts. "And yes, I know me saying that is the pot calling the kettle black."

 

"We work for a living and don't expect people to fawn all over us for existing."

 

"Did you set this up?" Hiruzen asks the next morning when he calls Kiriko and her father to his office.

 

"Not a chance." Kiriko says firmly. "We were just as surprised as you were. They wiped us out of all the stock we had on hand and ordered more besides." Her father nods in agreement. Kiriko snickers. "Not to mention not having a lot of cameras on hand to get pictures of the looks on people's faces when they were ignored by the Daimyo's wife and her party if it had been a setup."

 

"Go.Away.Please." Hiruzen moans. "Do you need to make a special trip for supplies?"

 

"Yeah, I was going to hire Gai's team as an escort. Our supplies on hand will be used up for these new orders. And more besides in some cases."

 

Three weeks later Kiriko returns, opening scrolls of supplies that are quickly put away. Or put to use in some cases. "We have the closed shops." One of the women tells Kiriko. "Some of the others are inspecting everything and we hope to have them reopened by the beginning of the year."

 

"That tells me I'll probably be making another trip for supplies."

 

"Not to mention deliver the stuff they ordered."

 

"Yep." 

 

At the end of the year Kiriko approaches the Daimyo's palace. One of the guards stiffens but a lady in waiting that had been walking nearby smiles. "Kiriko. Are you here with our orders?"

 

"I am." She smiles. She's shown into the palace, the Daimyo's wife running over and squealing as she brings everything out of the scrolls. 

 

The Daimyo calmly walks outside with his guards who look inside and snicker. "Happy wife, happy life." Is all he says. The other men nod. 

 

Kiriko waves off the others when they arrive at the farm. "Get to the village before the storm rolls in. It looks like it's going to be a bad one. Be glad those on guard duty have shelters they can huddle in." Gai looks at the sky and nods and they take to the trees again.

 

Naruto hugs her the next day when she hands him the receipt from the bank. Hinata, who'd been at the store picking up supplies nearly scowls and then slumps. There's no way she could compete with Kiriko for Naruto's affection. Her eyes follow Naruto as he walks out the door sadly.

 

"Hinata, sweetie." Kiriko tips up her head with two fingers under her chin so their eyes meet as Kurenai looks concerned. "Do you remember your classes with the working women where they told you about how some people have no interest in either their own sex or the other sex?" She nods, blushing. "I'm one of those people, I only see Naruto as another kid brother." Hinata smiles suddenly. "Go make your stake on *your* man, the poor boy hasn't figured out you like him that way yet." She hurries off, catching up with Naruto and taking his hand. He stops a moment, confused.

 

Kiba walk over, laughing. "She likes you as more than just a friend Naruto. She thought Kiriko might be interested but she just told her she doesn't like boys or girls that way and only sees you as another kid brother." Naruto stares at him then blushes. Kiba walks back to the store, paying for his purchases and Hinata's, handing her the scroll of supplies as he walks past.

 

"Congratulations little sister." A male voice says behind them.

 

"Neji." Talking to Kiriko has emboldened Hinata. She hugs her cousin and is pleased that he hugs her back.

 

"How are you feeling?"

 

"Better, the medical nin say the infection is nearly gone. I can use chakra but the stress of being a shinobi is out of the question."

 

"Neji?" A voice calls.

 

"Tenten, ready for our date?" He asks quietly. She smiles and nods. "What are we doing?"

 

"I thought dinner and then a movie?" He takes her hand and they walk away. Hinata smiles after them. Leaving the clan has done wonders for Neji.

 

"Naruto finally knows Hinata likes him that way." Kiba yells when he walks into his home in the Inuzuka clan compound.

 

"About damn time." His mother says. "What clued him in?" They'd been smelling her interest in him for a couple years now, especially after Sakura was out of the picture.

 

"Hinata thought that Kiriko was interested in him when he hugged her. She told her she's one of those people who don't like either sex that way and to stake her claim, he doesn't know she likes him that way. I had to tell him why she had taken his hand and was blushing. He blushed too. It was so cute."

 

"I'm glad that the Hyuga lost so much power when they threw Neji away, they might actually have a chance to get together without the Hokage having to get involved. Or tell them who his parents are." His sister says as she walks into the building.

 

"You know, one good thing came out from Sasuke losing his damn mind and Sakura having to leave active duty, Naruto's becoming more confident in his abilities. Especially since he got the job working with Kiriko and having Gai be his new sensei. I'd hate to see how he'd have turned out with Kakashi as a teacher."

 

"Yeah. I think if the chunin exam had happened here, Kakashi would have entered his team in the hopes of getting rid of them one way or the other. And Naruto just wasn't ready, let alone Sakura. Hell, I know *I'm* not ready to be a chunin. I don't want the damn responsibility, I work better in groups."

 

"A lot of people are like that. The Hokage is good at knowing our abilities and putting us where they'd work the best. Unlike other villages where a team is thrown at a mission whether they can do it or not."

 

"Having to totally revamp the academy helps, teachers now can see where a student's strengths lay and help encourage those areas. And work on their weaknesses.

 

Naruto sighs as he looks around his apartment. At least with so many civilians being put in their places by the other ninjas and Kiriko's clan his apartment has stopped being trashed. And with the other shopkeepers put in their places or replaced, he can buy groceries without spending too much money. Or getting bad food. He's got a teacher who actually wants to teach him stuff. He's got money in the bank from his trips with Kiriko, much more than he would have had just from accepting missions. Maybe it's time he starts looking into building a compound of his own. Or see if his parents had had something, from what the old man has said he knew them both.

 

"Kiriko, do you own the building my apartment is in?" He asks a couple days later.

 

"No, I think the village owns it. Why?"

 

"I. . .I need to start thinking about the future if. . .if Hinata and I do end up getting together."

 

"Think about finding some land outside the village and building a home." Kiriko's father says. "Maybe have a farm bringing in money."

 

Naruto thinks, and nods. "I thought once that I might like to be Hokage but after seeing all the nonsense he has to go through on a daily basis. . .no. And the other ninja villages are a lot worse off. They depend on the missions coming in to fund everything."

 

"Yeah." Kiriko says. "We're a lot better off than most. We've got goods and services going out more than we have stuff coming in. Wasn't there a village that turned way from the ninja life and became a resort?"

 

"I think so, history wasn't really that interesting in the academy."

 

"Find the library and start reading up on stuff like this. Konohagakure was the first ninja village."

 

"Who do I see to buy land?"

 

"The Tower, second floor. Third door on the right, they handle buildings and land in the village and the surrounding areas. If they don't handle it, you need to go to the capital and talk to the Daimyo who ceded the land to the village." Kiriko's father says. "I've had to do it in the past when we expanded the farm."

 

"And we'll have to do it again if the rumors are right about the train coming to Konoha."

 

Naruto travels to the capital with Kiriko and her father a few months later. One of the Daimyo's wife's ladies in waiting waves them to a stop.

 

"She's not here right now."

 

"Actually, we need to talk to her husband about more land." She grins and leads them to his private office, tapping on the door. 

 

"Kiriko, her father, and a young man with them need to talk to you about land."

 

The Daimyo leans back in the easy chair in his office that he only uses for special visitors instead of that gaudy throne in the throne room. "Expanding again?" He asks when they come into the room.

 

"Yes, Naruto has found some land outside the village and we're looking at more land ourself." He finds the map of the area and lays it on the table, the three of them pointing at the land they want. 

 

"Done deal, A ryo for all of it. I'll have my people write up the deeds and it will be done by tomorrow. And yes my wife will be demanding I hold you here so she can put in another order." He calls in a person as they walk out. Naruto is still blinking. "Yes, it's like that for us." Kiriko chuckles at his look. "We've proven we're good managers of our land and making money hand over fist. Most of the villages can't say the same."

 

"The Hokage stepped in to take over after the fourth was killed in that battle and has been leading the village ever since. I know he wants to retire but there's nobody with his strength of character to take over. He's worried, and I know the Daimyo is too, that the village will be ruined by somebody taking his place like too many other villages. Mist was in the middle of a civil war killing their own people who had clan gifts. Their fucking academy had the students killing each other as a graduation exercise." Kiriko's father says in their hotel room that night.

 

"Makes the paintballs flying a helluva lot better." Naruto says, shuddering.

 

"Yeah, the new kage is trying to rebuild but it's tough. Suna isn't much better, I hear their former leader tried turning his youngest son into a weapon and he had to be put down because he couldn't, or wouldn't, stop killing."

 

"The Uchiha massacre."

 

"Yeah."

 

"You missed the graduation exercise." Madi says dryly when they drop to the ground at the farm a week later. "Oh, did you get the land?"

 

"We did, as well as more orders for the stores. The Daimyo asked us to stay later because his wife was gone the day we arrived and he knew she'd want to put in some orders."

 

"Supplies?"

 

"Yeah, we shopped while we were there." Kiriko sorts out the scrolls for the farm and hands them over.

 

"Paintballs again?" Naruto asks, moaning.

 

"Paintballs again."

 

"Ohhhh, hell." Kiriko moans as she sees boarded over windows on various buildings.

 

"Yeah, there was some . . .problems this year." Tio says, walking over. "Supplies?" She sorts out their scrolls and hands them over. "I'll deliver to the others in a day or two, everybody's probably busy."

 

"Yep."

 

She goes to the stores. "Ladies, I bear orders from the Daimyo's wife and supplies."

 

"Money?"

 

That scroll is handed over and they take it into another room to count and deposit. The bank is technically closed but the bank president allows them inside and the money from the order and the casino visits are deposited. 

 

"Did Naruto get the land he wanted?"

 

"Yep, we increased the farm's holdings too. And more land on the other side of the mountain since the Daimyo agrees with the rumors that the train should be coming through and that's the best place for a station. When that happens, more businesses will want to come into the area." The others nod. Kiriko inks in the new land boundaries and Naruto's land.

 

"Okay, am I insane or. . ."

 

"No, our land is bigger than the village itself. . .now." Kiriko's father sighs. "And I have the feeling we're just going to be growing in the future."

 

The Hokage shakes his head as he sees the updated map only he and any future Hokages can see. Mostly so he can overrule any expansion of the village limits that direction. "Oh, I know." Kiroko's father says. "But the Daimyo knows we'll be making him money hand over fist."

 

"And this is the scroll store." Shino says, leading a group of new genin around. "This store sells scrolls filled with all the supplies you need for missions outside the village. Camping gear, weapons, food including emergency supplies and for cooking over a campfire. Know where the emergency rations are, you will want them when you are working in the sewers. You will not want to eat but you have to keep your strength up. Yes, we've all handled shifts working down there, you are not being singled out for being new graduates. We are all genin, we *all* work down there. In addition, kunoichi?" He catchs their eyes. "There is a special scroll for that time of the month. This way you don't 'accidentally' kill your teammates or sensei." More than one snicker.

 

"And you will want to stop at the pharmacy for the cold salve to put under your nose to help with the smell." Naruto says coming from the back room. "It helps with the smell. And buy the lemon body wash to shower with afterwards, everybody around you will thank you." Shino nods. "Especially those clans with enhanced senses like the Inuzuka."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How many genin teams? All together?" Kiriko asks Naruto quietly. "So I know if I have to make more scrolls of camping supplies for their first trips out of the village?" She says at his look. "Not the older ones, your year and under? The older genin already have the basics and just buy their supplies on trips out of the village."

 

"Our three, that's including Gai even though the others graduated the year before us. Two from the year after us, out of seventeen that graduated from the academy. Four from last year out of eleven. That's still actively training. And fourteen this year, barring those that failed the graduation exercise for one reason or another." He waves a hand at the street where windows are slowly being replaced. The bank was the first one that had their windows replaced as being necessary for security.

 

"Are there enough teachers for them?"

 

"Barely," Iruka from the academy says as he walks into the building. "We're talking with some retired ninjas still active to at least get them started on working together in teams here in the village until we can bring in some jonin to take over the c-ranked missions. It's not ideal but. . ."

 

"You're not going to be able to work with your team leader all the time." Kiriko's father says. "This gets them used to the idea they'll be working with other people." 

 

"And eventually you won't be working with a team at all. You're going to *have* to go out on your own." Iruka says. 

 

"Okay, do genin *have* to become chunin? I mean Kosuke was a genin his entire career *because* he felt he didn't deserve a promotion."

 

"No, some people choose to stay where they are and just serve the village in whatever way they can. Medical nin case in point, they and the remaining academy teachers know their limits. We are good and what we do, have steady jobs, and don't need the promotion. There's also some who don't work well on their own. . ."

 

"Kiba, he's already said he knows he's not ready to become a chunin." Naruto says. His former teacher looks at him. "We get together and hang out after training some days. With Ino and I having steady jobs we can get together more often."

 

"Yes, the Inuzuka have a pack mentality because of their kekkei genkai. They work best in groups."

 

Kiriko starts making a list of what she's going to need for new scrolls. Her father looks over her shoulder, nodding and making a few suggestions.

 

"Okay, I have what is probably a dumb question. Not a word Naruto." Kiba says a few days later as he walks in with his team to get last minute supplies for their mission out of the village in the morning. "Why do you have such a small shop here, why not move to a bigger location?"

 

"Location, we are near the gate so those leaving on missions can grab supplies and go. One way in or out, we're nearby when they need to resupply after a mission."

 

Kiba looks out and nods in understanding. "The other stores can be anywhere in the village. And what I sell is already in scrolls, we don't need that big of an area. Even with the meal scrolls."

 

Kiba chuckles but nods.

 

Kiriko looks around the building and adds an item to the list. "Yes, I was going to say we're running low on supplies for scrolls."

 

"It's been a couple years since I brought the paper and ink. I'll have to rent a cart to pick them up and then put them in scrolls." He nods.

 

Kiriko slumps into her seat at the counter three weeks later, tossing Madi and her father scrolls. "I already dropped off the paper and ink at the warehouse. I got tapped to buy for the village too."

 

"Thank you dear. Go soak at the hot springs, you look sore." Her father says.

 

"I'm afraid I'd fall asleep and drown as tired as I am." She snorts. "And I know if I sleep now, I'll be up all night and be just as tired tomorrow."

 

Madi and her father nod in understanding. The clan women cluck at her when she returns to the farm but agree with her reasoning. Sometimes you just have to push through it and keep going, even civilians. Especially when the crops are coming in.

 

"What's the village going to do with the arena?" Madi asks at dinner.

 

"They're working on getting the debris carted away, then they'll be cleaning up the area so it can be rebuilt. They're working on plans right now, they've been wanting to make it bigger for a few years now."

 

The others look at Kiriko, who nods. "Yes, I'll have the job of bringing back the supplies needed to build it when they decide on a plan. It will save on shipping everything to the village. I understand the man who hired team seven for that mission that got Sasuke in trouble in Sakura hurt is going to be building it?"

 

"That's what I've heard as well. No doubt Naruto will be hired as well since he can make so many clones to do much of the grunt work."The others nod.

 

In the Tower, Naruto is nodding as he goes over plans for the rebuilding of the arena with the Hokage and other senior jonin. "Yes, your team will be escorting her to get the supplies. You've been proven to work well with her in the past."

 

"Can she get that amount of supplies in a scroll?"

 

"Oh yes, she has some super duper uper schmuper scrolls as she's called them in the past that hold enough supplies to build the hospital and academy, including all the furnishings." The Hokage chuckles. "She uses them when the clan buys more land and start putting up buildings. It might take four or five scrolls but she can do it."

 

"Okay," Kiriko asks the next morning. "It's been a few years, are we going through the scrolls again?"

 

"We probably *should*." One of the elders looks the direction of the archive. In it are copies of scrolls from all the other clans that *should* have been burned for being too wore out but were thrown in the garbage instead. Naruto might think he's the only one who has copies of material the other clans don't want getting out but he's not. Not by a long shot. If any of them wanted to, some of the clan members could break into the other clan libraries and steal all their precious secrets, replacing them with blank scrolls. But they know Hiruzen would know it was them and give them his 'I am so disappointed' look. 

 

All the clan jutsus that don't involve their Kekkei Gankai have been copied and taught to most of the clan. Hiruzen knows what they're doing, as long as they don't flaunt it he doesn't care. If anybody figures out what they're doing, too damn bad. They shouldn't know away clan information like that.

 

Kiriko silently goes through the alleys later that night, finding all sorts of scrolls in the trash that are dropped into bags to be looked at and copied in the case of anything new by the clan elders. She's not the only one with full bags she dumps in front of the elders. And the Hokage. Who just moans.

 

"Let me know who I need to talk to about clan security?" He asks dryly. 

 

The list of what they'd gathered on the scrolls and the originals are tossed on his desk a few weeks later. He summons the heads of the clans to his office and Kiriko can almost imagine she sees the windows rattling. Her father chuckles.

 

"Are we showing Naruto the archive?"

 

"This weekend after training."

 

Naruto moan as he's led into a building, seeing racks of scrolls labeled by clans everywhere. "Like you, our clan goes through the garbage and collects the worn out scrolls the others *should* be burning." Kiriko's father says. "But we go a step further in that after we copy them we let the Hokage know who's not taking things seriously so they can get yelled at by him."

 

"Do you have scrolls from all the clans here?"

 

"Yes, and if anything is updated we have the original and new version." Kiriko says. "We also have scrolls from the other villages but not here. Nobody expects our clan to take, copy, and replace scrolls whenever we have missions outside of the village."

 

"Uchiha?" He asks, finding racks of scrolls.

 

"Gathered after the massacre. And again after Sasuke was dealt with. Not that the little fool added anything to them." Kiriko's father says in disgust.

 

"Senju? U. . .Uzumaki?" He whimpers. 

 

"Yes, the Uzumaki used to be the premier clan of a village that was destroyed by other villages. Everybody was killed, or scattered to the wind and never able to recover. It used to be mentioned in the academy but like a lot of stuff was removed. You won't find anything in it in the village library for similar reasons but if you go to the Tower library, you can find the record on Uzushiogakure. Your mother came from there before it was destroyed."

 

"This. . .this is the symbol on our jackets?" He asks quietly.

 

"Yes, that was the symbol of the village, it's worn on the flak jackets to signify that Konoha was once close friends with the village." 

 

"Namikaze? The fourth Hokage?"

 

"Yes, Hiruzen gave us copies of his clan scrolls to save. So many people were lost in the war. We were able to save the information but have no way of using it. Hopefully someday in the future it can be used again."

 

How many secrets does the Izuno clan hide Naruto thinks a couple days later when he returns to his apartment. He's off for a couple of days and almost without thinking about it he finds himself heading to the Tower and the archive, finding the scrolls Kiriko's father had mentioned and sitting down to read quietly. The others stare at him. One hurries over to try to stop him and is waved off by the ANBU.

 

"Why isn't this mentioned at the Academy Jiji?" He asks, looking up to find the Hokage sitting across from him watching.

 

"Because the fools on the council wanted this knowledge gone. They didn't like the idea of other villages being just as powerful as Konoha." He says quietly. "I take it you have seen the Izuno library?"

 

"Yes." He says, looking around, seeing they're alone except for the ever present ANBU and the sigils silencing the room to anybody except them active. "How *stupid* are clans to just throw all that information away where anybody can get it?"

 

"Stupid, greedy, stubborn. . .any of another dozen ways to say foolish because they think they're so powerful nothing will ever happen to them. The Hyuga clan lost a lot of power then the fool elders tried attacking Neji after they threw him from the clan. I've ordered the teachers to start teaching it again at the academy and the older graduates are going to get strong hints to come to the Tower and look up history on lost villages and *why* they were lost. Because things happen."

 

"Jiji, the other villages. . .they're failing, aren't they?"

 

"Yes Naruto, I'm afraid they are. They rely so much on their ninja forces to pay for everything. Where Konoha has a thriving civilian population and businesses that bring in money. Now that a few of the bad apples have been dealt with." He says sourly. "They can't afford to put on chunin exams of their own and with ours having to be delayed until the arena is rebuilt they're faltering. But unlike them, we're still going strong. We have a flourishing economy, our academy is recovering after a couple bad years, and we don't rely on jobs from the Daimyo to keep everything going."

 

"Jiji, are we going to have another war?"

 

"No Naruto, we will *not*." the Hokage says firmly. "We are a strong village and even working together two or three of them they cannot defeat us. The other villages, they're dying. They can't afford to keep their academies running so they have no new genin to replace older ninja who are dying. In another five or ten years. . .they will be lost unless they totally turn their villages around. And I don't see that happening."

 

"Jiji, you're old." Naruto says bluntly.

 

"Ouch brat, that hurts. It's the truth, but it still hurts." he says dryly. "Do you mean what happens if I retire again or die? Asuma has been working with the Daimyo and will be taking over from me some day. And Konohamaru will be taking over from him unless something happens and somebody else takes over." Probably be one of the Izunos he thinks. Maybe even Kiriko. That would make the other clans howl though. "Now, changing the subject. What are your plans for your land?"

 

"Farming, I've been talking with the clan elders about what will grow in the location, sell well here in the village, or can be shipped off for sale elsewhere."

 

"They'd know what to do, part of why the other clans look down on them is they actively bring in money besides being ninjas. They're successful and the other clans are miserable.

 

"Just like the civilians."

 

Hiruzen nods.

 

Over the next couple of weeks the other genin in Naruto's year and his teammates are in the Tower library, looking over the information on the villages can be lost and talk about it with their senseis. 

 

"This is what I wanted, well-rounded genin who actually think things through instead of weapons to point at people." Hiruzen says in disgust at a meeting of the ninja and civilian councils. Much to his dismay and disgust, Kiriko's father *is* on the council and blatantly ignoring his friends laughing and pointing at him before the meeting.

 

"But it doesn't seem right." One of the more moronic civilians whine.

 

"Oh shut up," Kiriko's father finally says in disgust. "It's not your damn decision, it's the Hokage's. Get *over* it you little fool. It's a part of the heritage of the village and I for one am glad to see it returning to the academy."

 

"Kiriko, I hate to ask you this. I really, really, *really* hate to ask you this." The Hokage moans a couple weeks later.

 

"Need more paintballs?" She smirks.

 

"Yes. And quit laughing."

 

"Excuse me, are you related to the young woman who was here a couple years ago and brought out the store?" One of the men behind the desk asks when she walks into the store she'd brought from before. She's looking around in dismay and rolling her eyes while looking at a piece of paper in front of her.

 

"Yeeeeesssssss," Kiriko says in pretend disgust. "Sister. She's an idiot but the family humors her so I had to come get more toys for her. Because she's bored. Gods forbid the little fool actually work like the rest of the family." She hands over copies of the pictures of the village and the man behind the counter desperately tries not to laugh. "Scrubbing, lots and lots and lots of scrubbing. Then they went and did it *again*." She wails. The man does laugh this time. "Please tell me you don't do special orders? The little fool wants paint colors to match her clothes."

 

"No Ma'am, they only come in standard colors."

 

"Thank you gods." She sighs as they start lifting the cases and carrying them to the cart outside and moved to scrolls when she's out of sight. Taking the train as far as she can she drops the scroll on the Hokage's desk along with the remaining money. He shoves it back at her. "Consider it a bonus for your work. Have any trouble?"

 

"The man behind the counter asked if I was related to the girl who'd been there before. I said sister, she was an idiot but the family humored her so I was sent off to buy her more toys. I asked if they could be special ordered, the damn fool wanted paint colors to match her clothes." Hiruzen desperately holds back the cackle that wants to escape him. "I showed him doctored copies of the photos without any identifying marks then wailed as soon as everything was scrubbed clean they did it again."

 

Kiriko slides into the water at the farm, everybody laughing at her antics. "So I made just as much an impression as I did when we were there before but everybody will think we're two different people. One a wannabe noble and the other just trying to make a living and having to deal with the idiot." The others nod.

 

"Best type of story to spin and something that might trip up a genin."

 

The next day she walks into the shop, looking around in satisfaction before taking a seat. She can hear the others working in the other building through the cracked doors and Ayame comes in with a bag of scrolls for the racks. She fills one rack, grins, and heads off making three more trips to fill more racks.

 

"I could come and get the scrolls, you know." She says, sighing.

 

"Dad is making a special dish. The smell. . .it's good money and it tastes good but the smell cooking is enough to knock my socks off. I had to get away for a few minutes." Ayame sighs.

 

"Yeah, the clan has a couple dishes like that. Thankfully they don't make them all the time and there's enough warning I can be elsewhere for a few days."

 

"Everybody has dishes that taste wonderful but smell awful being made." One of the clanswomen says from the door, snickering. "You're too young to remember, hell I was only a child myself but some damn fool wanted to shut down restaurants because the smell of cooking made *her* nauseous. The little fool went wailing to the Hokage. . .it was the fourth then, and got nothing but tossed out of the Tower and told to grow up."

 

"Idiot."

 

Teuchi chuckles when his daughter returns from her errands. "It's nearly done."

 

"I know."

 

Gai walks into the store with Lee. "Mission?" Kiriko asks when he gathers supplies.

 

"Special training. We have booked a training ground and will be gone a week."

 

Kiriko nods.

 

A week later Naruto comes into the store. "Enjoy yourself?"

 

"No, but I learned a lot." He yawns. "Need me for anything? Otherwise I'm going to sleep a week. Then roll over and sleep another week."

 

Kiriko chuckles and waves him off.

 

Naruto looks at the plans for houses, finally selecting one. Kiriko nods. "Now have you found a place on your land where you want to put it?"

 

"Yes, there's a clearing that will do well. Surrounded by trees, a supply of water to tap for electricity and water. We'll have to put in a system to heat it."

 

The engineers in the family nod. "We have them in the kitchen and bathing room to heat the water there."

 

 

Kiriko grabs the finger pointing and her and breaks it, the other woman screaming. "I don't care who the hell you are, you ever threaten me again bitch and I'll do more than break your finger." Acting on her words she beats the fool within an inch of her life without breaking a sweat. Passing teams drag her off and she's taken to an interrogation room.

 

"Who the hell is that fool?" Kiriko asks a few days later when she's summoned to the Tower.

 

"One of the remaining Hyuga Main House elders. She was incensed that you were stealing from the clan by selling meal scrolls. You take food from her mouth."

 

"That bitch looks like she never missed a meal a day in her life." Kiriko snorts. "And we don't sell Hyuga clan meals, the clan is so full of themselves for the most part they'd never lower themselves to work for a living."

 

"Indeed, they know that. . .now. I told that stupid bitch and Hiashi just what goes on in the meal preparations, what clans actually do the cooking, and that you buy all the ingrediants and pay them for their work. The little fool is horrified at not being given control of your business in an attempt to make the Hyugas important again and he about killed her for embarrassing them again. She was screaming that Neji works there so of *course* they have to be stealing from us as she was dragged off. She is now the laughing stock of the village, the high and mighty Hyuga beaten by a civilian. Not clan members, a civilian." Hiruzen smirks. "She is now working punishment detail to pay a judgment in your favor. And Hiashi has laid down the law, you are to be left alone unless they are buying scrolls from you or you are friends with them. In that case Neji and Hinata. The Branch House is hiding the fact they're gleefully enjoying the downfall of the Main House and Hiashi is trying not to drink himself to death because that would leave this mess on Hinata and Hinabi."

 

Kiriko shakes her head as she watches the once proud Hyuga jeered at as she walks down the street.

 

Hiashi walks into the shop that he has never entered before. Going to the wall of racks he sees as the Hokage has said, there is no racks for Hyuga meals. And since the racks are built into the wall and the names and meals stamped into the wood it's not a case of they just removed them quickly. Shaking his head he examines the other wall, nodding at everything a ninja would need on a mission. "I apologize for the stupidity of my clan member, she was looking to steal your businesses in an attempt to gain power. She is now working in the sewers, permanently." Kiriko desperately wants to cackle, it takes all her willpower to keep a straight face.

 

Hinata freezes in the doorway when she sees her father. "Are you happy with Naruto?" he asks, seeing him shadowing her protectively.

 

"Y. . .yes father."

 

"Good, that's all I wanted for my children in the end. For them to be happy. I knew your father boy, he would be very proud of you." He tells Naruto. "Treat her like the princess she is?"

 

"Of course sir."

 

"I will not have your eyes bound, if any of your children inherit the Byakugan, have them trained by the branch house. They're the ones who are actively using it." Neji freezes in the doorway of the other building. Almost faster than can be seen, Hiashi clasps his nephew on the shoulder. "I am pleased to see you recovering your health nephew. Be happy, be well."

 

"What the hell just happened?" Neji asks quietly after Hiashi has left.

 

"The Hyuga lost a lot of power when the clan elders tried attacking the building to bind your eyes even after being told no. They lost more respectability when that fool woman tried claiming I was stealing from the clan by selling meals even though I've never sold their meals. Hiashi is now having to deal with the fact he's a human being and not a god among men." Kirito's father drawls from the back room. "Even in your former clan, the main house has lost a lot of power. The branch house was always the ones who did the actual work, the main house just reaping the benefits of that."

 

"JiJi, Hinata's father said he knew mine." Naruto asks quietly, making sure all sigils hiding their conversation are on and the ANBU have been removed from the room. "Who was he?"

 

"I. . .I knew this time would come." Hiruzen says. He wraps an arm around Naruto's shoulders and they face the Hokage monument. "What do you see out there?"

 

"The Hokage faces. The first. The second. Yours. and. . .the fourth?" He looks up at the other man, stunned. "The fourth was my father?"

 

"Yes, we had to protect your identity. Your father still has a lot of enemies in the other villages. In a few more years, once the other villages have been lost it will be announced formally. Your birth name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, your father was Namikaze Minato, and your mother was Uzumaki Kushina, she was known as the red hot habenaro in the bingo books."

 

"I've heard of her. Tenten is a fan because she was a competent kunoichi who worked for everything she had. Wait. . .Kiriko's father knew my mother?"

 

"Yes, and your father."

 

 

Naruto looks at him. "You know I have a special relationship with the family? Your father had the same relationship." Naruto nods, he knows the clan has more power in the village than the others think. "That's one reason I'm glad you're making friends with the clan. I'd hoped to see you behind the desk one day but I know you know what the job actually entails and want nothing to do with it." Naruto nods firmly.

 

Naruto looks at Kiriko's father a few days later. "Jiji told me. . .who they were."

 

"Come to the farm this weekend, no it's not a training weekend but we can share stories about your parents. Including a few that would have one or the other of them killing me for embarrassing them." he smirks. 

 

"Doe. . .is. . .kekkei genkai?" He asks Kiriko's father when he arrives at the farm.

 

"Yes, the clan had one but it was very chakra intensive and not many could use it. Your father couldn't, that's why he turned to creating things he *could* do. Your speciality is wind, right?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Probably not then, it combines wind and water in a release." a clan elder says, tipping her head to one side. "Kiriko, send a message to that fool Jiraiya to get his ass here to teach Naruto." she bellows. "He taught your father and he's your godfather." she says at his look. "He's also Kiriko's grandfather and should have been here by now."

 

Kiriko summons a toad and sends that message. "You have a summons?" Naruto asks her, he thought civilians couldn't use them.

 

"Myeah." Kiriko makes a yesnomaybe hand waggle. "I never signed the scroll but he introduced me to his summons years ago and they like me better than they do him some days. Many of them listen in case I need help and they're more than happy to deliver messages to him. And like Grandma Miri says, he should have been here by now." The summons returns, shaking his head. "Is he in the middle of something important or just peeping?" 

 

"Talking with Lady Tsunade and her student."

 

"You know what then, have Gamabunta swallow his ass and deliver him here." the elder says sourly.

 

Tsunade sighs as Gamabunta does just that, packing up his supplies for the new Toad that arrives. "Thank you Lady Tsunade." He says, accepting the scroll.

 

"The Hokage?" She's seen him summoned that way by him in the past.

 

"Kiriko. It seems that Naruto has learned of his heritage and the clan summoned him to find out if he could use the Kekkei Genkai. And the fool is his godfather, he should have looked in on him by *now*." he says sourly.

 

Shizune swears softly as Tsunade moans. 

 

"Your grandfather?" Naruto asks quietly, sidling up to Kiriko as the clan elder cusses her former academy classmate out for being a damn fool.

 

"Dad's father. His mother was one of the working women in the village, she brought him to the clan after birth  because she knew he would be raised well by the family. Miri basically raised him." Another clan elder says. "And Kiriko's grandmother is Lady Tsunade through *her* mother, she's on an extended mission so you haven't met her yet."

 

The sound of leaves rustling has her looking up. "Spoke too soon."

 

"Oh fuck. Use the damn sigils you two." Kiriko bellows as her parents approach each other. "They are *loud* when they have sex." She says at Naruto's look. "Every building on the farm has two sets of sigils for silence, both on the buildings themselves and individual rooms. But some of that is for the snorers." Naruto sniggers despite himself.

 

Kiriko grabs Tsume's arm the next day on the street. "My mother is home." she says, rolling her eyes. Tsume cackles. "Then we won't be seeing your father for at least a week." Kiba, who had stiffened when the other woman had grabbed his mother, relaxes. He knows what that laugh means. Sex, lots and lots and lots of sex.

 

"Try two at the earliest, she *has* been gone three years." She says sourly. Kiba chuckles, that's the same look his sister gets when their mother is acting up. "I may end up living at the store for a month. Or two. Or three. The longer they're separated, the louder they get. Even with the sigils on my home *and* my room I could still hear them."

 

"The better the sex, the louder it is." Tsume chuckles. 

 

"And the greater the chance I have another brother or sister next year." Tsume laughs again, claps her on the shoulder and walks off to spread the news. Which is why Kiriko had grabbed her to pass along the news instead of one of his other friends.

 

"Are you still warned not to be found in closets at the academy?" Tsume asks her son. He nods. "Her parents are the reason for the warning. They were caught multiple time by the teachers but it never stopped them. They just became worse after graduation."

 

"Kiriko, this is an imposition but I need you to go find your grandfather and bring him back to the village." The Hokage says when he summons her to the Tower a few hours later. "I know you have a way of finding out where he is." Kiriko sighs. "He's already here, Grandma Miri asked me to use a Toad to summon his fool ass back here to see if Naruto can use the Namikaze clan Kekkei Genkai."

 

"Which is why I was going to ask you to go get him." He chuckles. "I understand your parents are. . ."

 

"are reconnecting? Yes." She says sourly. "Please gods, don't let them get caught on the roofs of the village having sex again." she moans.

 

"At least they're not academy students being caught in a closet again." He chuckles.

 

"You're.not.helping." she moans. Then winces, grabbing the Hokage. The ANBU start to move but he holds them off, recognizing the signs of a vision. She doesn't get them often but when she does. . .

 

"The other villages are coming to attack us again." She says, telling him and the others the whole vision.

 

"Do you see us ending it without bloodshed?" Hiruzen snaps.

 

"Yes, my parents sending everybody in the village rutting like animals." She says sourly. The ANBU cackle despite themselves. "Have a couple squads out of the village so they're not affected and gather everybody up where they're lying in the streets since all the buildings are locked up. Put them in cells and hold them until any children are born and given to the clans here to be raised before the enemy are 'taken out'. There will be *no* villages left once the Daimyo hears about this and sweeps in with his armies."

 

"Do have a firm date?" He asks seriously.

 

"Two. . .two days?" She says. "Yes, they're on the move. They're. . .she tells them where she sees them gathering and the ANBU nods, carrying her off to the hospital while the others start gathering the heads of the clans and the senior jonin. Another ANBU is sent off the to the farm, repeating what she saw and bringing her parents running. While the Hokage dashes off a message to the Daimyo.

 

Three days later Kiriko comes from the hospital after recovering from the migraine the visions cause, seeing the signs of rutting all over the streets as she makes her way to the store. "I will personally shove a red hot kunai up the ass of the first person who repeats that old adage about making love, not war." Hinata chuckles despite herself as she joins her. Kiriko looks at her in the store. "Soaking helps with the pain after first times, or so the clan women have told all us girls. Also with the lingering pain after birth." She recognizes the signs.

 

"Yes, the working women said the same thing. How. . how. . how did you know what would happen?"

 

"While it's not a clan gift, some of the Izuno see visions of the future. And my mother has a gift of projecting emotions, in her case lust. This has happened before, not an invasion but my parents having sex and causing the whole village to have sex."

 

"I. . .is that similar to how some of the medical nin can force calm on patients so they recover?"

 

"Yes. I also see a run on the hospital for salves and pain relievers." She says quietly. "And I see a trip for more supplies to make baby clothes, and diapers." Kiriko's probably the only person not hissing in pain sitting on a hard chair.

 

"Fabric for baby clothes and diapers?" She asks a few days later when she's summoned to the Tower.

 

"Yes, as well as more supplies for meals for the prisoners and pregnancy safe pain relievers, the hospital sent me the list." The Hokage says. "Take Naruto's team as an escort. I know he was just here." He hands her a case of money and the list that she puts in a scroll. She taps Gai on the shoulder where he's talking with Asuma. "I just got the job of heading to get supplies for the Hokage, he wants your team as my escort." He nods. "We will leave tomorrow morning then from the village, I will let the others know."

 

The next morning they take to the trees outside the gates, while it looks like life in Konoha is returning to normal all of them can sees the signs of trouble still around. From the guards and Daimyo arriving to the bustling hospital.

 

"Come.Home." Kiriko says firmly when they meet Tsunade and Shizune in the capital. "Shizune is probably the only Konoha medical nin young enough to become pregnant who is *not* pregnant if it was their fertile period." 

 

"Your parents?" Tsunade moans.

 

"Yes, but this time they had an excuse. I had a vision of the other villages trying to invade us. So I'm here picking up cloth for diapers, baby clothes, pregnancy safe medications for the hospital, and supplies for the prisoners until any females give birth. Torture and Interrogation is digging through their minds, the hospital is jacking the men off to save their sperm for future children, and I see a shitload of kids in the future for Konoha."

 

"Thank god, I was hoping Kiriko would find you while she was off with the others and manage to get you to come back." Hiruzen says when Tsunade and Shizune walk into his office. "I am looking at least two years of being without a good portion of the kunoichi force if they were young enough to bear children. That's not counting the genin and any academy students old enough for sexual intercourse. I see a drastic need for midwives since so many of the women who deliver the children will be having their own." Tsunade nods. "If all the working women are *not* pregnant it's because it wasn't their time to be fertile, and I did not need to know the sexual proclivities of so many of my ninja. Who likes to be beaten, who likes to be humiliated, who needs to hold a stuffed animal. . .and those are the men." Tsunade brays with laughter despite herself. Hiruzen just gives her a 'not.helping' look. "And of course Jiraiya is taking notes for another damn book of his."

 

The head of the hospital sighs in relief as Kiriko hands her the scroll. "Thank you, I fear these will be needed more in the future than your special scroll for that time of the month."

 

The Daimyo returns to the capital, contacting the others on his television system and sending their guards off to inspect the villages the captured ninja have come from. Three weeks later he gets the report that he passes along to Hiruzen.

 

"Fuck, well I was expecting it." He sighs.

 

"The other villages were empty?" Jiraiya asks.

 

"Yes, the few civilians they had probably ran off the second they left. Everything will be packed up and sent to us to look through and the villages allowed to fall to ruin."

 

 

A tap on the door has Hiruzen looking that direction. Kiriko leans in the doorway. "Do we have places where parents with jobs can take the children to be watched? Both civilians and those who don't have clans to watch the children?" Hiruzen moans but makes a note. "Yes, they will be needed. As well as more money for the orphanage no doubt."

 

Kiriko gathers Tenten and Hinata. "Girls, if you are pregnant and need a place to leave the baby while you're on missions or training for the day the farm is available."

 

"Thank you, I've been talking with Neji. He has been told quite firmly that if I am pregnant we can leave them at the Nara clan compound." 

 

"The branch house has offered to take my child if I am pregnant but I am . . .concerned the remaining Main House members might try something."

 

"Leave them with us," Shikamaru's mother says walking past. "One more won't make that big of a difference." She looks at Kiriko. "Baby supplies?"

 

"I brought in fabric for clothes and diapers, as we know how many pregnancies we're looking at we're start making everything." She nods in satisfaction. Then sighs. "I know it was for a good reason, but I so hate your parents right now."

 

"Join the club." Kiriko sighs. "They're *still* going at it back home. Thank god I was able to get some sleep when the Hokage had me go get that stuff."

 

Shikamaru's mother cackles softly and pats her on the shoulder. "They were that bad when we were students."

 

"Yes, the Hokage reminded me how many times they'd been caught in academy closets when he learned Mom was back home and they were 'reconnecting'."

 

Shikamaru's mother walks off sniggering. 

 

"I thought your father was a civilian?"

 

"He is. . .now. He chose to leave the corps when his team was forced to disband due to injuries. He didn't fail the test so his chakra wasn't bound but his strengths lie elsewhere and like the rest of the clan he keeps in practice. Mom stayed in the corps and is one of those kunoichi who are dispatched on long term missions."

 

"Like Asuma."

 

"Yep."

 

"Oh thank god." Kiriko moans when she wakes up to blessed silence.

 

"Yes, your parents *finally* got it out of their systems." One of the clan elders sighs as she slumps at the table, spooning out a bowl of porridge and adding toppings. "Are we rescheduling the training sessions since we couldn't do it while they were going at it?"

 

"That would have two back to back, just skip it until the next one." Another elder says. Everybody nods.

 

 

Kiriko looks up as the bell over the door rings. "Your parents finally get it out of their system?" Tsume asks, smirking.

 

"Yeeeeessss," she sighs. "They should start showing up in the. . ." She points behind her and Tsume grins when she sees her old sparring partners at the door. They walk off laughing and talking.

 

"Do I want to know?" Kiriko's father asks at the next meeting of the ninja and civilian councils a few days later.

 

"Twenty-eight pregnancies at the hospital, thankfully none of the patients since they knew early enough to keep everybody drugged. Fifteen among the academy students old enough to have sex. Nearly an hundred among the clans. Forty-five among the older genin, chunin, and jonin who don't have clans. Over a hundred among the prisoners. No idea how many among the civilians." the Hokage sighs at the council meeting. "I'm sending Kiriko out for more supplies. And to buy more land for fields since we'll have so many more mouths to feed."

 

"She's been expecting it." Her father says. Kiriko's mother had laughed for a good five minutes when she found out her husband was on the civilian council now, nodding frantically at her daughter's response it was just an excuse for him to go join his friends drinking beer and playing cards.

 

"Eighty-nine pregnancies." One of the merchants says. "My wife has been going around to everybody making a list. There's been more than a few quick marriages in families among teenage girls. Whether the boys wanted to or not. They're living at home until they can afford apartments or houses."

 

"So that's it." Kiriko says, slumping in the chair the Daimyo had waved her to when she arrived at the palace. "We're looking at over four hundred new babies over the next year. More if any of them are twins or more since some of the clans are known to have more than one child at a time. I'm going to be coming to the capital monthly to be picking up supplies for the village and. . .we're planting new fields."

 

"So you're looking at more land?"

 

"Yes, and we'll be bringing in more supplies for planting."

 

The map is brought out and she marks the areas the others had listed. He nods and accepts the one whole ryo as payment.

 

"The prisoners?"

 

"The men are being 'milked' as it were for semen and their Daimyos have ordered them killed for the attack. The females, once they've delivered. . .it's up to their Daimyos." He nods. "There were some missing nin in the group that tried attacking, the Hokage is trying to see who would be responsible for any bounties."

 

Kiriko walks into the Hokage's office. "Got the land, the supplies for planting, and the baby supplies you asked me for and money to deposit for Naruto, myself, and the stores."

 

"Thank you my dear." The map is updated with the fields and crops noted after the bank president has left with the money before Kiriko walks to the warehouse where the fabric and other baby supplies are kept, removing the orders from the scrolls under the eyes of the guards. The warehouse is locked back up and Kiriko walks to the shop, sliding Naruto's receipt in his pocket. He'd made a special trip to the casino to get enough money to build a house for him and Hinata in the future for when they outgrow the apartment. Hinata hadn't turned out to be one of them pregnant, neither of them is unhappy with that because they're not ready for a family yet. They want to concentrate on their training and have more money put away before they take that step.

 

 

The map at the farm is updated with the new fields and the clan elders sigh but nod. "It's been needed for a while and the daimyo will be making money hand over fist. But we're going to need more housing."

 

"Yeah, I saw at the Tower the Hokage was sketching out ideas for apartment buildings. Larger than the ones we have now. On par with the larger buildings in the capital."

 

"Ohhhh fuck." Kiriko moans. "They're going to need furniture in the future too."

 

"That's something that can happen in the future." Grandma Miri says firmly.

 

"Okay, with most of the other Ninja villages gone bye-bye now." Kiriko says slowly. The others look at her. "Do we still see Chunin exams happening?"

 

"Not for a while, if there are any groups that didn't get involved in the plot they need to gather together, put a person in charge, go to the Daimyo with their hat in hand to beg to be not killed outright. . ." The others laugh but nod. "Then by any godsblessed chance they are successful in being allowed to be official ninja again they'll have to create a new village, bring in civilians to live in the village since they just proved you can't have a functional village without civilians bringing in money, build an academy. . .get missions from their daimyo to bring in more money. . ."

 

"So, no on the arena being rebuilt?"

 

"I can see more it being used for exhibitions and graduation exercises than chunin exams." One of the clan elders says slowly. "Still having the Daimyo and other guests arriving but no fights to the death, no single person being allowed to become a chunin. . ."

 

"I can see that more. And I think the Hokage would appreciate that more than the running paintball battles." 

 

The others nod. "Otherwise that land could be used for apartments."

 

"Paintball battles?" Kiriko's mother asks dryly.

 

"Your daughter started it." Her father says just ask dryly. Kiriko rolls her eyes at him. "I dropped a hint that some of the more annoying merchants in the village were upset about the chunin exams being canceled, they were looking forward to the money from the visitors. That reached the ears of the Hokage and my story was confirmed by Ino's mother who had a few more names. Dad asked me if I had an idea for a distraction so the ANBU could come in and take them out. I remembered the paintball games in the capital, had him call in Asuma who agreed with me and we had Kurenai, Gai's, and Asuma's teams as my companions and ninja escorts hired for the trip because nobody knowed the sport where I was living. . .now. I came off as an airhead wannabe noble. . ." Her mother sniggers. "And came back to the village loaded down with supplies. The Hokage asked how they were going to do this and I suggested an academy graduation exercise. This way the new graduates could clean up after themselves too."

 

Pictures of the village after that night are handed to Kiriko's mother and she howls with laughter.

 

"Yeah, unfortunately while the academy was revamping the curriculum after it was changed to kiss the Uchiha's ass we started losing new graduates. Of the eleven teams that graduated the first year only five passed their genin tests or didn't wash out during their d-ranked missions." One of the clan members says.

 

"Seventeen teams and only two teams. That was before the paintballs. Of the eleven teams that graduated the following year only four are still together. We were gone when they did it again but that was the first year of graduates who have been taught the new classes from the beginning and we're hoping the fourteen teams stick it out. Once the idiot civilians who didn't know what being a ninja was really like or wanted their kids in the academy for the power were weeded out anyway."

 

"Then she made a trip out for more of them." Her mother looks at her.

 

"The Hokage *really* didn't me to do it. And he told me to quit laughing. The guy at the store I went to asked if I was related to the girl who'd been there before, I spun a tale she was my idiot sister our family fawned on and I had been sent to get her some new toys because she was bored. Asking if they did special orders because she wanted paint that matched her clothes might have been over the top but they think we're two different people if I have to make another trip out."

 

"I don't see it happening this year."

 

"No, not with the pregnant students having to leave the academy until after they give birth and starting the year over again. If they *do* return." Madi says. "Has anybody been said about battlefield promotions?"

 

"Not right now, the genin are actually concentrating on honing their skills and working together. Both in their teams and working with other teams." An elder says slowly."I could see that fool Uchiha wailing about being disrespected for not getting a promotion. Because he thought he was all that." Everybody snickers but nods.

 

"Okay," one of the civilian clan members asks. "Why be promoted? It's not an increase in money. The base pay is the same for all the ranks." She's an accountant, she knows this.

 

"No, it's an increase in power. You're accepting more responsibility and making more money on higher ranked missions. And except for the village's portion, that money is going to you, not split among your team for genin. That's why so many new genin are living hand to mouth or have jobs for extra money."

 

"Naruto, please go to the Izuno farm and bring Kiriko back. I need her services. I know she's not in the village today." The Hokage says one day, having called him to the Tower.

 

Naruto looks around Kiriko's home. He'd never been there before, usually staying in the haybarn or the main building when he does visit. It's bigger than it looks with one room that takes up the entire first floor filled with various seating areas. He feels eyes on him and turns, finding a number of cats lounging on various surfaces.

 

"Ummm Kiriko?" He asks quietly.

 

"Oh, the few clan jutsus we do use are usually cat based." She says absently from a corner. He heads that way finding her sitting on a couch with her feet up, a cat on her lap that she's petting absently as she turns the television off.

 

"Are they. . .partners?" He doesn't think so, he's never heard of cat summons or cat partners but he never heard of the Izuno clan before he became better friends with Kiriko's clan.

 

Kiriko brays with laughter. "Have you *ever* seen a cat do something they don't want to do? No, not like the Inuzuka dogs. They're pets. What's up?"

 

"The Hokage sent for you."

 

"Off Benji, I gotta get up and make enough money for your food." She says. "Lemme guess, another trip out for supplies?"

 

"Most likely." Kiriko sticks her head in the main building, catching the eyes of the nearest clan member. "I'm being summoned by the Hokage, probably going to be sent off for more supplies. Feed the cats while I'm gone? I'll know more when I get back." They nod and Kiriko follows Naruto into the trees.

 

"Thank you Kiriko, I know you weren't in the village today so we had to get you from your home." Hiruzen says when she walks into his office at the Tower. "As you probably guessed, we need you to pick up supplies."

 

"Babies or buildings?"

 

"Both. We are gathering supplies to rebuild the arena. Your family had a good idea for using it." Naruto looks at her. "Graduation exercises. Still a way to show off, bring in people to buy shit, and less headaches than the paintball wars." Naruto brays with laughter and Tenten isn't far behind.

 

"And barrels of formula for when the babies are older. The Daimyo had the factories make a special order for us. And more bottles." 

 

Three weeks later Kiriko delivers the supplies to the warehouses and the empty area where the arena once stood. "The Daimyo wants to talk to you about expanding the schooling with so many children arriving at once. Including higher education." She tells the Hokage. Her family sends off two or three civilians every generation to the capital for degrees.

 

"Yes, I had been thinking of that myself. We will need more classrooms, more teachers, more supplies. . ."

 

Hiruzen looks around in satisfaction, the supplies of fabric that had been getting demolished by all the need for diapers and baby clothes has been replenished but he knows he'll be sending Kiriko off for more over the next few years. Asuma nods in agreement, while he and Kurenai hadn't been affected by the lust bomb as it were, they had tumbled into bed later and Kurenai was expecting their child.

 

Kiriko bends to pet the meowing monsters who swear they hadn't been fed the entire time she was gone. She can see the full dishes of food and water from where she's standing. Her grandma Miri chuckles at their antics. "Babies or buildings?"

 

"Both, a special order of barrels of formula, cases of bottles, more fabric, and supplies to rebuild the arena. The first of many I see in the future." Miri nods. "Because the Daimyo wants the Hokage to think about expanding schooling, including higher education."

 

"The academy is large but not for hundreds of new students coming in." Kiriko's father says, sighing.

 

"Yes, not to mention the civilian schooling. And the need for teachers, buildings, supplies. . ." 

 

"And we need to find the land *for* the buildings. If the train does come through I'd suggest putting a university on the plateau." 

 

"For ease of travel, yes. And housing up there also. And businesses."

 

"They have much larger buildings in the capital, I'd suggest building the bigger ones up there.

 

"Along with businesses up there so they don't have to come down the mountain."

 

"Gentlemen, how many students can you comfortably handle in a classroom?" The Hokage asks the teachers.

 

"Not many more than we already do for book classes. We just don't have the room." Iruka says as spokesperson for the academy. "We've already been whimpering at the thought of so many students in a few years. We don't have the supplies or the room. Yes, we can add onto the academy and sigils will keep the noise of the work out of the classrooms. We can get more books and other supplies, but unless we all use clones we cannot teach the number of students we're looking at."

 

"Are there any among the retired ninja, including clan elders, you would suggest hiring as teachers?"

 

"I would suggest Hiashi Hyuga as a teacher for history or politics." Iruka says slowly. More names are said from various clans, including a couple of the Izuno clan members. "We would be offering them limited contracts until after the influx of new students?"

 

"Yes, that's one of the problems I'm looking at. If we *do* add onto the academy, those classes will be sitting empty in a few years. If we offer second classes after the first students are done for the day with fresh teachers. . ."

 

"We don't have that problem but we do have more wear and tear on the building. Not to mention those classes that are hands on would be held only during the day. Which would be doubling those class sizes or having a second session that would make for very long days if they still have regular classes that afternoon and evening." The Hokage sighs. The teachers nod. "While if we do have the extra rooms for classes, we can use them for something. Be it storage. . ."

 

"or spaces for the kids to fool around in. Or even Kiriko's parents." One of the older teachers chuckles.

 

"Don't.Encourage.Them.Please." The Hokage says slowly. "They're the reason we're looking at this mess but they're also the reason why we weren't all killed in our sleep."

 

"How are we going to handle this?"

 

"The same builders that we are bringing in for the arena will be working on the Academy. I have the money coming in from the bounties on our former captives, the Daimyos are paying those that now former villages cannot." The Hokage says calmly. "Once I have the money I will send Kiriko on another supply run."

 

"The additions won't be needed for a few years, we have time to plan." The others nod. "And we need to think about the civilians."

 

"Yes, they will need a larger school as well." The Hokage sighs. "I know you have worked together in the past, bring me the person in charge?"

 

"Hokage, sir?" The man asks.

 

"Your school, what do you need for the influx of the civilian students."

 

"Truthfully sir, a whole new building. Ours is too small now."

 

An inspection has the Hokage sighing. "Yes, you need a new one desperately. Not just additions but having it tore down and rebuilt." He starts making plans and six weeks later Kiriko is summoned to the Tower.

 

"I know it is nearly time for you to go on your twice-yearly shopping trips. I need you to get supplies for the civilian school so it can be torn down and rebuilt." The Hokage says, handing her a list of supplies and a case. "Yes, take Gai's team with you." He says at her look.

 

"Tenten, grab the others." Kiriko yells when she is outside. "The Hokage wants your team escorting me on the trip I was going to be taking next week." She stares at her and then hurries over, followed by her father who'd been walking with her.

 

"The civilian school needs major work, as in being torn down and rebuilt." She says quietly. "Meet me at the farm a week from Thursday. Usual time." She nods and hurries off. 

 

"Escort mission for Kiriko, next Thursday. Meet her at the farm." She says, coming into the training ground.

 

"Why?" Naruto asks. There's usually a reason for them to be escorting her. Gai nods.

 

"The civilian school. Kiriko is getting supplies to tear down and rebuild it for the influx of kids in a few years."

 

The team is waiting for her as she walks out of her home and they take to the trees.

 

Four weeks later she walks into the Tower, handing over the scroll of supplies for the civilian school and the remaining money. It's handed back to her by the Hokage. "Thank you my dear, we have already started tearing down the old school and saving everything we can. Now bank?"

 

"Yes, for myself and Naruto." She says, dropping into a seat and waiting for the banker. "Dumbass civilian question." He makes a go on gesture, looking at her. Her dumbass civilian questions usually bring up something he and the others haven't thought of yet. "Genin teams. Do you have enough jonin and chunin who've been active for a while to teach them? Iruka already said they're looking at older clan members training the new graduates."

 

Multiple moans from everybody in the room as the door opens for the banker.

"Kiriko is right, we had to call out some of the older clan members who can still teach to train the new students now. We will not have enough jonin to teach the graduates unless we start giving promoting some of the older genin. Even if we have chunin leading teams too, it wouldn't be enough." Hiruzen moans later that night. "Nobody expected this big of a graduating class when they decided on three person teams."

 

"Wha. . .no." An ANBU says. "The current graduates would still be too new themselves to train teams. Even after a decade."

 

"Exactly." Hiruzen moans. "As it is, they're looking at two or three jonin training them. Which is good in one way, it gets them used early to working with more than their teacher but they have different teaching styles and the new genin have to get used to it quickly."

 

"Yeah, they're usually chunin when they have to work with a different jonin." Another ANBU sighs. "Another year of classes where they're doing d-ranked missions in the village in rotating teams so we know who works best together? Expanding different areas of training?"

 

"A thought, also putting together larger squads and having them working under the ninja who don't go out on missions?"

 

"Another thought." Hiruzen starts making a list. Thankfully they've still got over ten years before this happens so they can make plans for the future.

 

Kiriko's father waggles a finger in her direction later that night when she makes her way back to the compound. "Please, if they're having trouble getting enough teachers now, what's it going to be like when you got 200 students in one year graduating?"

 

"Yeah." He sighs. "At least Hiruzen has ten years to make plans."

 

"Oh shit." Kiriko facepalms. "How the hell is the village going to pay all those new genin?"

 

"Not our problem." Her father says firmly. The others nod. "Maybe send some of them to the capital for training with the Daimyo's guards."

 

"Yeah, the clans are going to have to think about leading them to different jobs either out of the academy or instead of going to the academy. Not our problem anyway."

 

"Yep. Except if they *do* have that many new graduates I'll have to get in more supplies for scrolls." Her father snickers. "So anyway, the new fields?"

 

"Plowed and planted." Kiriko cackles and her father silently repeats what he just said and moans. "Yes, the same can be said for the humans." He says, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, the village's fields will be harvested and taken to the village for storage or to be made into stuff while ours is stored here on our land. Or sent to the village to be made into stuff. And you're still a brat."

 

"I wonder where I could possibly have got it from?" She drawls as she pushes herself to her feet after the clan meeting is over.

 

"Your father.Your mother." is said at the same time by her parents. The rest of the clan snickers. 

 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. Yes, that is a problem." The Hokage sighs a couple days later when Kiriko *innocently* brings up the question of how the village is going to pay for all the new graduates in a decade. "Not just base pay but there won't be enough missions." 

 

"Ship them off for training with the Daimyo guards?"

 

"Even then there'd not be enough money for all of them. Even if I sent you off to destroy another casino and left that money in the bank for years until they graduated it might be enough for a couple years of base pay, not to mention there would *not* be enough missions."

 

"Yep."

 

"I could say some type of entrance examination but with most of the incoming students clan raised, it would be useless. Or else close the academy for a number of years and allow those children who would normally be students be taught by the clans. They could still protect the village but not as ninja."

 

"Village guards, another police force since we haven't had any since the Uchiha massacre, advanced search and rescue.. ."

 

"Are there any unusual kekkei genkai among the prisoners?"

 

"Not a one. Thanks to the damn purges."

 

"Can we hold lotteries and only allow a certain number of students in at a time? Maybe every other year or every three years? So as one class graduates another starts?"

 

"We'd have to. Or close the academy down for over ten years until everybody who would have graduated is working. Nothing says they can't train, just not officially."

 

"The civilian interest in the academy is slowing down with people realizing it's not all fun and games, being a ninja is hard work and it's going to be a life's work."

 

"They're also reeling from the information they could have all been killed and so many pregnancies, while difficult, is much better than being dead."

 

The babies start arriving a few months later, thankfully one or two at a time so they don't overwhelm the midwives. The pregnant kunoichi who had been part of the invasion had been separated from the others and the babies handed over to their new families. Hiruzen *had* hoped to keep some of them together but they were so brainwashed by their former villages they had no minds or personalities beyond killing.

 

"428 babies with four sets of twins. And a set of triplets. . .Kiriko's newest brothers and sister." The Hokage says tiredly as he gives his report to the Daimyo as the remaining prisoners are taken away by guards. They have lost all fight over the last year and go quietly. They know they have lost and are waiting for their punishments from their Daimyos. 

 

"Are you. . .okay?"

 

"I am feeling my age. Asuma and Kurenai are expecting, but not from this." He says. "Earlier this year Asuma started taking over the office a couple days a week, we're hoping to expand that to most of the week."

 

"Can you afford to have all those children become Ninja?" The Daimyo says bluntly.

 

"Not a chance, we are looking at having to shut down the academy until those children who were born this year would have graduated because we don't have enough people to train them. We didn't open the Academy to new students last year, any clan children that would have normally enrolled are being trained by their families." The Daimyo sighs in relief. "Once the students that are attending graduate it will be closed. And right now, I don't know if it will reopen. For anything beyond normal civilian classes."

 

"Good, I was . . .concerned."

 

"We all are, even if we send some to the capital for training, we were looking at over two hundred clan raised students in one year. We *did* end up tearing down and rebuilding the civilian school, it desperately needed more room even before this."

 

"So the children will be trained?"

 

"Trained yes, protecting the village one way or another. . .yes. Going on missions? Not unless it's something like working the fields or improving the village. Going on missions where it's a chance of kill or be killed. No."

 

The Daimyo sighs in relief. He hadn't liked the thought that Konoha was planning their own invasion force. He can see the look of agreement in Hiruzen's eyes.

 

"I did not want this to happen."

 

"None of us did. We knew the other villages were failing, this was a desperate attempt to survive. You've proven that with careful management villages can survive. . .because you've allowed the civilians to be bringing money into the village instead of relying solely on missions like the other villages."

 

"Okay, the Uchiha?" The Hokage looks at him. "Dead clan?"

 

"They may be reintroduced in the future but not for a few generations until the massacre and the last Uchiha's actions are forgotten by the village. Their eyes are not needed, the Hyuga is facing similar choices except for all of them but one being killed. They are turning their attention to other endeavors, much to the horror of the elders longing for good old days of having power."

 

"Ah yes, much like some of the old soldiers I've talked to in the past." The Daimyo sighs. "They're not in charge anymore, they can't force anybody to listen to them, and they're miserable." He looks at him seriously again and the Hokage stiffens. "I have eyes, when are you going to announce that Naruto is the fourth's son?"

 

"Not until he's got a more firm position of power in the city and the damn fools who hated him for surviving the battle that killed his parents are gone." Hiruzen says bluntly. "The civilians that hated him have all but died out, he's firm friends with the others that graduated with him at the academy and helps train the newer graduates. His team is the go to team for escorting Kiriko when she's been running to and fro getting in supplies for the village to be prepared for the babies arriving. Like Kiriko he cheerfully will go to the casinos and make money hand over fist." The Daimyo chuckles at his bland tone, nodding. "I also intend to beat Jiraiya around the head and shoulders to get him to stay here long enough to teach him his father's signature moves."

 

"What about the older ninjas?"

 

"Those who have worked with him know he is talented. Those who have not. . .soon learn."

 

"Promotions."

 

"I plan on going over records next year and promoting chunin and genin who I believe have proven they deserve it."

 

The Daimyo stays for a few more days so his wife and her friends can shop and they leave. "So many babies." His wife moans when they've returned to the palace. "Did you get the answers you wanted?"

 

"Yes, the Hokage will be training the new children to serve the village but *not* as ninjas. He closed the academy to new students this year and once the current students graduate it will most likely not open except for civilian classes. He had to rebuild the civilian school last year because it was too small."

 

"With all the new babies, no doubt both schools will be full." She says. He nods. "Naruto?" She is calmly doing needlework. While she may come off as an airhead, she is no fool. Like her husband she had quickly recognized Kiriko as the noble buying all the paintball supplies and had summoned Asuma with a look. Kiriko had caught that look and had briefly rolled her eyes, joining him at the meeting. She had recognized the look and briskly started scratching the other woman's back. "Yes, the outfits *do* itch." She had laughed at the audible moan.

 

"He plans on announcing Naruto's heritage in a few years when he is more settled in a position of power in the village and the fools who hated him for surviving that battle when so many did not have died off. Though what they thought a newborn would be able to do. . ." She nods in agreement. Like her husband, she had worked with Minato in the past and had instantly recognized the younger man as his son. "He also plans to force Jiraiya to stay in the village to teach Naruto his father's signature moves."

 

"Promotions?"

 

"He plans on going over their files next year and promoting those who have proven they deserve it." She nods in satisfaction. "I had hoped that the prisoners babies could stay with their mothers." She murmurs. "But those poor women, they were dead inside long before they were captured."

 

"Yes, may their leaders burn in hell. It just proves that their villages were dying. They were weapons, they were not people." She nods. "I do prefer Konaha, their ninja are also people who have their own interests outside of missions." She'd seem some painting pictures, doing yardwork, like herself many of the women do handiwork. And there is of course the women who work for Kiriko cooking. "Now, what is the latest on the train coming to Konoha?"

 

"They're still working on the details but hope to start laying the track next year and be in operation there in three years." He says briskly. "With all the new 'civilians' being trained in the next couple of decades he is seriously looking into expanding the civilian schooling to include degrees. The plateau where the trains would come in would be an ideal location for another school." She nods in satisfaction. "Now, did you find out everything you were looking for while you went shopping?"

 

"Yes, as I'd suspected the shops that were closed when we were last there have reopened under the control of Kiriko's clan." She says, not looking up from her work. "The fools who tried getting my attention expecting me to fawn all over them lost a good bit of power and are still sulking according to the village gossip. The stores that wouldn't sell to Naruto or the working women of the village are under new management and those shops I did go to are doing brisk business."

 

"Fools thought they were so special and you and Kiriko proved who had the real power in the village." Her husband snorts.

 

Kiriko slumps into a seat for the clan meeting. Her mother would normally be there but she's recovering from the birth of the triplets. "I am so glad these information gathering missions/shopping trips don't happen all the time." The others nod. 

 

She's waved to a seat in the Hokage office a couple days later. "I know you don't need me to go get more supplies." She says firmly. A muffled snicker from the wall behind her. 

 

"How are you supplied on four or eight man tents?" He asks.

 

"Four man tents, I have eighteen boxes of them currently in storage for new genin teams going out of the village for the first time with another dozen in scrolls of supplies on the racks. I have another six dozen boxes of the two men tents in storages along with two dozen more in scrolls. Larger ones no. I didn't see the need for them since the only large groups I can see going out would be those harvesting fields and they would be coming back and forth daily with the harvests." Hiruzen nods in satisfaction. "Not to mention the supplies here and at clan compounds for those who don't buy them from me." He nods again. "Any larger tents would be used for somebody like the Daimyo guards while training."

 

"Supplies for when they're working the fields?"

 

"We've already tripled the supply of emergency food and we make more every week." she says. He nods in satisfaction. "Unlike your farm, they'll have to eat during breaks because there's no place to sit down for meals and will need to bring food with them."

 

"Does the village have enough storage space to hold everything?"

 

"Yes. The farm?"

 

"Yes, even with doubling the fields we have plenty of storage space. We've been adding onto it over the last few years, not that anybody expected . . ." she waves a hand at the room in general and he nods. "That's not counting what is sold to the village."

 

Kiriko's father looks at her when she returns to the shop. "The Hokage just wanted to know what I had in the way of larger tents in storage. I don't see a need for anything larger than what I already have, the only big groups leaving the village now are those harvesting fields and they're bringing back the harvests." Her father nods in agreement. 

 

"Okay, we've gone through everything from the villages the Daimyos sent to us before they allowed the villages to fall into ruins. Is there anything we can actually use in that?" The Hokage asks at a meeting with Asuma a few days later.

 

"No, the few jutsus we found were those we already had. Or were so weak they were useless." Asuma says. "It looks like the only thing they taught was the basic jutsus and nothing else."

 

The Hokage sighs. "What were they thinking?"

 

"They weren't. Not even the Uchiha or Hyuga were so arrogant at their worse." Asuma sighs, looking at his father across the desk. "They were bargaining on the element of surprise and might have succeeded except for Kiriko's vision and being so tired from marching for so long. They'd been living on emergency rations and soldier pills. Because they probably had no money to stop to eat anywhere and would have been noticed if they had."

 

"Yeah, the villages on the way would have noticed large groups of people moving through." An ANBU sighs. "They probably brought what food they had with them and when it ran out switched to the emergency food and soldier pills, sleeping wherever they could and marching whenever they could. The medical nin said they were so low on chakra, they'd have died within a week at that pace. I don't doubt they *did* have people die on the march. Or those who couldn't go on were left behind."

 

"How are we on money?"

 

"Good, the Daimyos sent along funds to help with the costs of feeding and housing the prisoners including the resulting babies and will continue to send it along for another five years. We didn't have any major damages to the village, a few water jutsus cleaned up most of the signs of what happened."

 

"Can we handle this?" Asuma asks.

 

"We're going to have to." His father says tiredly. "I would rather this had never happened but we are much better off than what might have happened."

 

"I'm surprised there was as many pregnancies among the females as there were."

 

"The medical nin said they had been given drugs to conceive, no doubt they planned on stealing children from the clans for breeding stock and use as many men as they could."

 

"I had wondered." Asuma sighs. "I know there are drugs to stop conception but not drugs to ensure it."

 

"They had to ensure breeding in their villages somehow." An ANBU snorts. "Even with forced breeding they were unable to keep their academies open." Tsunade snorts as she walks into the room. "How is the treasury?"

 

"In good shape, most of what we have been buying the last two years has been from the funds supplied by the Daimyos." Hiruzen looks at her. "Is there anything the hospital needs?"

 

"No, I'm just making sure we can recover after all the money we've been spending for the last two years." She says quietly.

 

"No, we are good. I have been working with the Daimyo for money to still be coming into the treasury even with the academy closing in three years."

 

"Thank you, I worry."

 

"We all do, we know we got off very, very, very lucky."

Kiriko looks around the shop then picks up a piece of paper. Her father chuckles and pats her shoulder. "Even with no 'official' ninja with the academy closing except for civilian classes, I really can't see the shop closing."

 

"Neither can I, the meals will sell no matter what. Plenty of people working long hours who can't or don't have the time to make meals ahead of time." She says. "There's still going to be the older shinobi and kunoichi going on missions. Once the new teams have their first mission outside the village though, I doubt I'll see the need for the camping scrolls unless their gear need to be replaced. I can move those to the back room and use that area for other scrolls."

 

Her mother comes in with the babies in a collapsible stroller, nodding as she listens to her husband and daughter talk.

 

"With so many people working in the village we might be looking at the need to have entire meals prepared in scrolls for grab and go." One of the clan women in the building next door looks at her from the doorway and slowly nods. "Two, four, or eight person meals?"

 

"Something that you and the others will have to consider." Kiriko says quietly. "It won't be right away."

 

"No, mothers are going to be with their children for at least another year or so unless they *have* to work." She sighs. "Meals for children who are being watched. Unless their parents bring meals for them."

 

"Yes, something mild that will fill their bellies and allow them to grow. Something to ask the medical nins."

 

"Or any mother." She snorts. "Heads up," she yells going back into the other building. "We might be on tap for meals for kids in daycare as well as complete meals in the future. Unless their parents have meals for them when they drop them off." The others nod as they continue to work.

 

"Especially when we have a large number of children in the same building."

 

"And it would be quicker to grab scrolls and putting food down in front of them than bringing out their meals."

 

"Not to mention some people can't be around other foods because it makes them sick." Somebody else says. "Not so much here, but I know it's a problem at the capital."

 

Kiriko's father nods at the buy more dishes and silverware note his daughter makes on the paper in front of her. "If you are supplying meals for the children, you'll need them."

 

"How does the civilian school handle meals?" Kiriko's mother asks.

 

"Like the academy they bring it with them. Neither school has the facilities or manpower to cook for so many children. You might be asked to feed them too." Her father says.

 

She makes a note of that on the list and puts it in the drawer as the door opens for a new genin team who buy supplies and head off.

 

"How are the girls coming on the jewelry, hair pins, and stuff like that?"

 

"Going like gangbusters, it's something they make all the time because they know if it doesn't sell here it will in the capital." Her father says. Kiriko nods and makes a note of that on the list she'd brought back out. "Tio's doing well working with Shuisui and Gen at their forges making weapons."

 

"Have either of you heard anything about growing food in water?"

 

"Hy dro pon ics." Kiriko's mother says slowly, sounding out the word carefully. "Not water but some sort of liquid. The Daimyo was looking into information some of his scholars brought back from places where it's used. I know the land of snow uses it because they have snow year-round. Otherwise they'd have to bring in everything and that would be expensive."

 

"Something to think about in the future if they ever have a degree."  Her parents and the clan elders nod when they return to the farm.

 

A few months later the lady in waiting that always seems to be walking past the gates when Kiriko arrives grins as she is let in. "Our orders?"

 

"Yes, along with some new soaps and jewelry."

 

The Daimyo's wife squeals girlishly as she not quite comes running at the news and Kiriko starts bringing everything out of the scrolls, including fabric rolls for the jewelry. A report for the Hokage is slipped to Kiriko along with the money and she wishes them well.

 

"Are you going to be here long?"

 

"A few days, I'm back to making my regular trips for the village instead of every other month now that we have so many supplies on hand." Kiriko sighs. "At least my parents have finally stopped having noisy sex everywhere, but then they do have triplets waking them up every night." The Daimyo's wife brays with laughter despite herself. "Yes, that was my thoughts exactly." Kiriko smirks nastily.

 

Two weeks later Kiriko slides the report across the Hokage's desk. "From the Hokage's wife."

 

"Thank you my dear, was I your first stop?"

 

"Because of that, yes." She says dryly. "And yes, I need the bank president. Both for the store and my casino visit."

 

Kiriko walks into the store, tossing a receipt wrapped around scrolls with a rubber band.

 

"Thank you my dear, did you bring anything back?"

 

"No, and I have more orders for you in there."

 

Another woman laughs and starts unwrapping the bundle and emptying the scrolls, tossing the bundle back to Kiriko later that night. They go in another scroll to be reused as they gather for the clan meeting now that she's returned.

 

"Did you bring anything back?"

 

"Yes, both for the Hokage and us." She closes her eyes, picturing the report in her mind and reading it out loud. It's something all the clan kids have been taught, especially the civilians in case they 'accidentally' see something they can report it. She opens her eyes, the others nodding slowly. 

 

Over the next few days everything is delivered and the empty scrolls put together for the next trip. Neji comes in one day, holding a jonin jacket. Kiriko blinks as he carefully places it in a scroll. "The Hokage insisted. He says I would have earned this honor if I hadn't had to retire and I deserve it."

 

"Yes you do." The female clan member in the doorway says loudly. "Ladies, the Hokage made Neji a Jonin even if he's retired."

 

Shikamaru's mother squeals as she comes out of the other building, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He's pulled into the other building and after showing it off to everybody, puts the scroll away and starts to work.

 

Naruto comes in and Kiriko runs across the room to hug him, seeing the chunin vest he's wearing. "Sakura got one too even though she's a medical nin now. Is Shikamaru's mother here? He was being called to the Tower when we were leaving."

 

"Yeah, she's in the next room. Neji got promoted to jonin even if he's retired."

 

"Good." He walks in, catching everybody's eyes. "Shikamaru was heading to the Tower."

 

"Go." one of her clanmembers says. "We have this covered today. It's a cause for celebration." Naruto grabs the knife from Neji and pushes him after her, getting a nod of thanks. Naruto takes Neji's spot and begins to do what the others tell him to do.

 

"Only Naruto's classmates, Lee, and Tenten?" Madi asks that night after dinner.

 

"The other genin are still too new and the older genin who would be trying to advance in the exam aren't here right now. They've been working and training hard, learning new skills, and bettering themselves every day."

 

The others arrive at the farm for their first day of picking the crops, getting hugs from everybody who knows them. Kurenai is not there, she's at the stage of her pregnancy where it's too hard to constantly move and she's settled in a chair at the tower handling paperwork until she delivers. Asuma is looking after both their teams with help from Gai and she knows everybody is in good hands. 

 

After finishing the crops at the farm the teams are working with the newer genin on the fields of the village, it's another six to eight weeks but everything is harvested and in warehouses or being sent off to be processed in the case of the wheat.

 

"Okay, dumb question but how long. . ."

 

"It's been over three years for Naruto's class, four for Lee and even longer for the teams that would normally be showing up for a chunin test. And some of those teams were taking the test for the tenth or twelfth time."

 

"Why?"

 

"They wanted a promotion? You never see them around the village. I truly doubt they ever *will* become chunin. And the tests to become a jonin are even tougher. Do you *really* think Neji, Tenten, and Lee are the only graduates of the academy the year before Naruto?"

 

"No, not when they were team *nine*. That means there was at least eight more teams that either made chunin in less than a year or failed their genin exams. But since you only saw team seven, eight, and nine in Naruto's year. . ."

 

"Yeah, I know some of them no doubt failed, but I hope some of them joined the pool of genin working in the village without teachers."

 

"Or the academy and their teachers conspired so only nine students from those who graduated become genin every year?" Kiriko says, smirking at her parents. "After all, the stories are. . .fail my exam and go back to the academy?"

 

"There wouldn't be any students attending the academy if that was the truth." Her mother scowls. "Not to mention doubling the size of the graduating class every year?"

 

"I'd be fucking annoyed if I was told, sorry you're not one of the nine we selected, back to school you go even if you *did* pass our test." Madi says as she walks past.

 

"Son, are you sure you don't want to attend the academy?" Kiriko drawls. "Mom, there's 270 'students' waiting for a shot at nine spots. There's no room."

 

"We're a ninja village, we have to have people who can protect us and do the jobs we can't. Nine students? Pshea." Her fathr makes a rude sound. That's stupidity you'd find in one of Jiraiya's books."

 

"Team Gai, I have an escort mission for you. Yes, it is Kiriko. Do not smile, this is not a good assignment."

 

"Manure?" Kiriko moans from her seat.

 

"Yes, contact the other farms and see how many barrels they will need."

 

"Manure?"

 

"Cow shit, horse shit, goat shit, sheep shit, well you get the idea." Kiriko sighs. "Buy the salve to take along with us and take your oldest clothes to wear when we go pick up the barrels. You'll want to change clothes as soon as we're done and put them in a scroll until we're back." She looks over at the Hokage. "Am I picking up the information on that new growing system while I'm there?"

 

"Yes, both for yourself and the village. And yes, go destroy a few casinos while you're there. Both of you." He says, waving a hand.

 

Kiriko and the others head off a week later with the money, everybody thanking her silently for telling them to buy the salve and use it after they've put the barrels in scrolls for each purchase. Their clothes are put in scrolls for the trip home and they use the baths before settling in at the hotel for the night. The next day they do their other errands before starting back home three days later.

 

They return to the village, each scroll with the individual orders being brought out and put where needed. At the farm Kiriko brings her clothes out to air out, various noses wrinkling but nodding they need it. A couple of days later she tosses them in the wash and hangs them out to dry.

 

"How long did you air your clothes out?" Tenten asks, walking into the shop a week later.

 

"A couple of days, I live on a farm. They're used to that smell. You guys live in the village, somebody would complain."

 

Tenten nods silently. "We set them washing as soon as we got home."

 

"Mission?"

 

"The rainy season will be coming soon, we've got a three week mission of inspecting and cleaning all the drains in the village so the water flows into the system instead of puddling in the streets." They'd all seen that on various trips to the capital, water flowing over the streets because of blocked drains, where they existed anyway.

 

The clean water drains into separate tanks to be reused, some will drink it while others use it on the plants they grow in the village.

 

The Hokage nods in satisfaction when he gets the report that they had all been inspected and those that had been damaged had been made a note of so they can be repaired. Mostly they had just needed to have the dirt and other debris pulled away from them and repainted bright colors so people know what they are.

 

At the farm the water is welcomed for the next year's crops as clan members turn their attention to the other chores that happen after the crops are in or are performed year-round. Kiriko brays with laughter suddenly.

 

"Lemme guess, some old fool who didn't *wike* how we have so much land and demanded to know why?"

 

Kiriko nods frantically. "We just use it to lord over everybody, like she wants to. The Hokage called her a damn fool and told her the farms have so much land *because* we're farms and if we turned it over to her, where was the food everybody eats going to come from? And no, not the store because the shops buy the food from us and the others. The little bitch ran off sobbing like her heart was breaking because she can't *be* somebody in the village."

 

"Always going to be fools out there." One of the clan elders snorts. "People grow old but they never grow up. Look how many people wanted their kids to attend the academy so they could get on the civilian council and push their weight around."

 

"Like that stupid bitch who was upset that I had brought the building for the cooks, her precious daughter was *tired* and dirty and sore coming home from cleaning it."

 

"And what the hell did the fool think happened on missions?"

 

"They were seeing the glamour, not the real life of a ninja. Like that fool who tried smashing the windows of Kiriko's shop because she was tired and wanted to go home and if they didn't have to clean the windows they covered with paint she was done for the day."

 

"I liked how one of her classmates said her parents had a shop, should they go break *their* windows so they didn't have to clean them?" Madi snorts. "Needless to say, she failed big time." Kiriko's mother sighs. "I can't say there hasn't been *good* civilians come through the academy, but. . ."

 

"Too many are just looking at the power. Or to catch the eye of the last Uchiha. That and the classes being revamped is why so many failed those two years. The new genin *know* what their life is going to be like and *want* to serve the village."

 

"Nine genin a year?" Hiruzen snorts in disgust as he looks over something Jiraiya had found on his travels. "And anybody who failed the genin test went back to the academy? Whoever wrote this nonsense never met a ninja a day in their life." He rolls his eyes. "If you only have nine genin a year, who is supposed to be protecting and serving the village when they're on missions? Gai's team is the oldest ones still in the village, all the others have left for missions and only showed up to take the chunin exam. . .for the eighteenth time."

 

The watching ANBU snicker and nod in agreement.

 

Naruto and the others without families are surprised to find themselves invited to an end of the year celebration at the Izuno farm.

 

"We do this every year, it's a time to reflect on the year that just happened and to think about the year ahead." Grandma Miri says at their looks. "Everybody not on a mission or who has to work will be here today. That's why we're using the main building." More tables had been set up and covered with clothes and covered with food. "we made food all year and leave it in scrolls for this day."

 

"We've had a few things happen this year. The babies arrived at the village, Naruto, his team, and the students he graduated with became chunin."

 

"There's only one year of students at the academy now, and when this year graduates it will be shut down until the babies are old enough for schooling." one of the clan that's an active shinobi winces but nods that it had to be done. There was no way the village would be able to handle so many new shinobi. As Kiriko and the others had said, there was not enough money for base pay when they graduated, not enough missions, and nowhere near enough teachers for them all.

 

"How are the latest genin handling working with two or three instructors?" Madi asks him.

 

"On one hand it's good practice for when they are older and on a mission without their teacher, but on the other hand it slows their training down as they get used to working with a different instructor." Everybody nods. 

 

"Well, if some of the damn 'genin' teams from the other years ever showed back up at the village there'd *be* enough teachers for the new students." Grandma Miri says. "They only show up to fail the fucking chunin exams and vanish again."

 

Madi starts laughing suddenly. "Re. . .remember when we were talking about what would happen if there was *really* only nine genin a year and everybody else was sent back to the academy?" Naruto moans. Gai looks at him. "That's something Kakashi said before our genin test, that only nine students out of the 27 who had graduated became genin." Gai moans as Lee whimpers. "Anyway, Jiraiya found a series like that on his travels and passed along a book to the Hokage. He was not impressed to put it mildly."

 

"Who is supposed to be taking care of the village with only nine genin?" Gai moans. "Especially when they are all off on missions? Some of the older genin haven't been back to the village in years."

 

"Okay, how long does it take for genin to be let go? Either being promoted to chunin or being told, there's nothing more I can teach you. I've been given a new team in the cases of the older ones?" Tio asks Gai. He waves a hand at his team.

 

"The Hokage asked us to stay together because we work well as a team." Naruto says. "Not to mention we can keep up with Kiriko when she leaves the village. Asuma is still working part-time with his team, but he's also working part-time at the Tower."

 

"My team split up after they became chunin because of Kurenai's pregnancy, working with our clans. Kiba isn't ready to go on his own, he's more confident working with others." Hinata says quietly. "We take missions two or three time a week, same with the others."

 

"Do you see any of your teams leading teams in the future? If the last couple years had been different?"

 

"No, not permanently anyway." Naruto says slowly, tipping his head sideways and looking into the distance. "It's not where our strengths lie. Same with how Kakashi was such a horrible teacher but a very competent ninja." He looks at Gai who nods. 

 

"Part of the problem is your genin teams were all clan heirs except for yourself and Sakura, everybody was expected to lead their clans in the future. That kinda shoots down the idea of training teams unless your parents are still alive." Madi says. "Other clan members who don't have that responsibility *can* be jonin instructors." Gai sighs but nods.

 

"That won't be a problem for a while, children will be learning first from their clans then others doing the same job they are." Grandma Miri says briskly. "Now, plans for the year?" She looks at the younger clan members.

 

"This is tradition too." Kiriko says quietly at Gai's look. "Those younger clan members who are in school or don't have steady jobs yet talk about what they have planned for the future. Tio would have been doing this a couple years ago, now that he's working with Tenten's dad at the forge he's got a pass."

 

"And Madi?" Gai asks quietly.

 

"Might be one of the kids we send to the capital for a few years to get more education than is available here. I know the Daimyo wants a university in the future in the village and if . . ." Kiriko waves a hand, getting everybody's attention. "What's the latest on the Thunder Rail coming to the village?"

 

"They're going to be laying track this direction next year." Her father says. "You're going to be making multiple trips to the capital to buy the supplies needed to put up larger buildings over the Hokage monument including larger apartment buildings like you find at the capital and a university."

 

"What is a university?" Hinata asks quietly.

 

"A civilian school that teaches classes in various areas for jobs." Kiriko's mother says briskly. "Every generation two or three kids in the clan go to the capital and get degrees they use for the clan. They have people coming from all over to the capital for the classes, they stay in dorms. . .mini-apartments that are basically bedrooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms for the entire floor of students. Our students wouldn't need to board since they have homes here in the village and our school wouldn't be big enough for decades to have students coming in from elsewhere."

 

"Yes, our university would be for the village students for a few years unless the smaller villages in the area send students." One of the elders says. "It won't be for a good fifteen years or more, it will take both time to build the buildings, bring in teachers to teach the classes, and get enough students to make it necessary."

 

"Not to mention a way to get up to the plateau from the village for students." Another clan elder says. "Unlike Naruto, the students can't be expected to climb the mountain." Hinata giggles despite herself. "What? I was young and stupid. .  .er." he says as everybody laughs. 

 

"Wasn't there something in one of the records. . ." Madi says slowly. "In other countries they have carriages that travel up and down the mountains there on tracks, one going up while another is going down?"

 

"Something to look into in the future. And it's going to be the future, two or three generations before any of this happens." Grandma Miri says firmly. "It will take at least three years to lay the tracks to the village and put up a place for them to get on and off the train."

 

"Let alone have enough people using it to make bringing a train to the village more than once a month worth the money." The accountant in the family says dryly. The others laugh and nod. "I can see more freight traveling the trains instead of by wagon, especially in the beginning." One of the others says quietly.

 

One of the farmers starts to shake his head but slowly nods. "That would take doubling or tripling our harvests, but that's what is going to have to happen as all the kids get older and start eating solid food."

 

"Not to mention a way to get the harvests up to the plateau besides putting everything in scrolls and bringing it out up there." Kiriko's father says.

 

The Hokage nods firmly as Gai repeats what had been talked about at the gathering. "Yes, unlike fools who could see the plateau built up in their lifetimes." He says quietly. "The Izunos *know* it will take decades and they will not see it happening, but their great-grandchildren will. Not my generation or yours, but somebody like Asuma's and Kurenai's twins great-grandchildren."

 

"Kiriko, next time you go to the capital, see if you can get information on the hydroponics we were talking about for the village and ourselves?" Her father asks a few days later. "You might have have the Daimyo get it for you if it's not readily available."

 

"Already did." Kiriko says absently. Her parents look at her. "Our last trip out to get the manure."

 

"And you didn't think to tell us this?" her mother asks dryly, hands on her hips. Grandma Miri sniggers behind her. "You've been a little busy with the new babies, it's in the library."

 

 

 

 

 

“Mom, don't start.” Her father moans.

 

“Payback's a bitch and all that nonsense.” Kiriko drawls, waving a hand. "Look at this, will you?" She hands the paper she's been working on to Grandma Miri. "I know I've made a mistake somewhere but I'm damned if I can see it."

 

Miri looks it over two or three times, finally spotting the problem. "Here, you switched two numbers."

 

"Ahhh, thank you. This has been bugging me for a couple hours." Kiriko fixes the problem and nods, the damn answer is finally making sense. The cost of supplies shouldn't cost *that* damn much.

 

"*Do* we see the new system being used?" Her father asks at the next clan meeting.

 

"Not right away, the liquids used as a growing medium is the sticking point." The head of the farmers says. "It's not available commercially anywhere around here in the amounts we would need. The cost of bringing it in would be too much until we get the railroad in making frequent trips to bring the costs down." The others nod. "We made plans for double the new mouths when we added all the new fields, both ours and the village's." Everybody nods again. 

 

Sakura sighs as she walks from the hospital to her apartment after another quiet day at the hospital. Most of what she sees is common strains and sprains and overuse by the new graduates and while it keeps her busy, it's not the adventures she dreamed of as a new student at the academy.

 

She knows she is damn lucky though, she so easily could have lost her life or her leg thanks to Sasuke losing his damn mind. She can still serve the village as a medical nin and Tsunade herself had taken her on as a student while she is still in the village. She still looks off towards the distance every once in a while as if wanting to be elsewhere but swiftly turns her attention back to the here and now.

 

Which is what Sakura firmly tells herself to do as well. She walks down the streets of the village towards her apartment in the old Uchiha compound, stopping at shops along the way to get the few groceries she needs.

 

She'd been dismayed and a little upset that she hadn't been affected by the lust bomb that night, wondering how much of her schoolgirl crush on Sasuke had just been youthful fantasies. Most if not all of it she has decided in the cold light of day. She'd been talking to Ino and they're both dismayed at how they acted over him. Their friendship had recovered, thankfully. And she knows her parents are grateful she wasn't affected, they'd been looking at having to raise her child as well as their own since they *were* just young enough to still have children when it had happened. She was now the older sister of twin brothers.

 

"Oh hey, Miss Sakura." Konohamaru's voice breaks into her thoughts. "Have you seen the boss? He was going to teach us some new moves." Konohamaru's crew was now an official genin team but still looked up to Naruto. How had she missed everything hidden behind that goofy nature? She'd been too busy fawning over Sasuke trying to get him to notice her she thinks in disgust.

 

"I'm sorry Konohamaru, I haven't seen him today."

 

"He's with your grandfather and uncle." Kiriko's voice says from the sidewalk. "The last of the supplies are in the capital for the new arena and we're off tomorrow to go pick them up."

 

"Oh cool." He says. "So it's going to be at least a week?"

 

"Probably closer to two or three since we'll be bringing supplies back to feed and house the people building it when they arrive." She turns to look at Sakura. "Are you coming out this weekend for another training weekend?" Some of the others had taken her in and showed her how to stay in practice even with her limitations. She's happy she can still stay in shape.

 

"Yes, I'm off since I've covered the last three weekends. The other medical nin are returning from their leaves after they had the babies."

 

"Things are getting back to normal in the village." Kiriko sighs. Sakura looks around and nods, heading to her apartment. She looks around the room as she enters and takes off her shoes. She didn't realize how much she had depended on her parents before having to move out, how the hell had those students who were orphans and lived on their own did it? How fucking useless had she been as a genin? She had used to sneer at how Naruto and the others brought meals premade at Kiriko's shop, now she does it herself when she had been working ten to twelve hour days six days a week, first in training and then having to cover for so many other people. Walking into the kitchen she puts her purchases away. Looking at the refrigerator and cupboards and finding nothing that interests her, she pulls a meal scroll at random from the shelf and brings one out. It doesn't even matter what she's eating, just eating and washing the dish and silverware to put in a scroll to return to the shop when clean. Just like she's done too many nights before. How had her life turned out so unfulfilling? This isn't what she'd thought her life would be life when she was younger. 

 

The next day the others arrive at the farm, Kiriko using the bathroom before they take to the trees and arriving at the capital a few days later.

 

Three weeks later she delivers the supplies, including larger tents, cooking supplies, and food. The Hokage nods in thanks, silently waving the bank president into the room for the money from Kiriko's casino trip, Naruto's casino trip, and the purchases by the Daimyo's wife.

 

The workers arrive a couple days later and settle into the tents in the training ground that's been removed of all the dangers that would have been found there during a chunin exercise for the safety of the men building the new arena. Naruto had taken a mission to help with the work, opening scrolls of supplies as needed.

 

A month later the men are heading off with the bonuses from the Hokage burning holes in their pockets. Naruto working with them had cut the job to a fraction of the time they'd expected it to take and nobody is complaining, this way they can get home to their families so much sooner. 

 

"Is this it for the major renovations for a few years?" Kiriko asks her father when he returns from the council meeting.

 

"Yes, they're still trying to decide if both schools will handle all the students or they need to add onto the academy after the students graduate." Her father sighs. "With the book classes only taking part of the day, they might have morning and afternoon classes."

 

"They were talking about it before but that was when it was training classes too. With those gone they should easily be able to get in two sessions a day." The others nod. 

 

"Are you okay?" Kiriko asks a couple days later when Sakura brings the dishes back to the shop with the empty scrolls. Sakura starts making excuses then slumps. "No, no I'm not. I'm working ten, twelve hour days first when I was training and now with so many of the others being off. Things are getting better now but I keep asking myself how the hell did my life turn out this way. I had so many dreams and plans and they turned to dust around me. I'm a chunin, but not from proving myself to the village like I had wanted. I wanted Sasuke to notice me and nearly destroyed my relationship with my best friend over it. I used to look down on Naruto for buying pre-made meals, now I live on them myself because when I *am* home I have no interest in cooking for myself. I don't even care what I eat, it's just grab a scroll and start eating. And some days I have to force myself to do that. I'm beginning to feel as empty as the women we captured. And it scares the living hell out of me."

 

"Have you talked to anybody? No, not the medical nin." She says, holding up a hand. "Talk to Naruto, talk to Hinata, get together with your former classmates and *talk* about how things have gone over the past few years." She says firmly.

 

"Th. . .thank you." she says quietly a few days later. "Everybody else was feeling the same way and everybody thought it was just them. Things have been so different the last few years, it affected everybody."

 

"Yep, that's what happens when nobody talks about things that are bothering them. Maybe if they had and Sasuke had gotten the help he needed, he might not have turned out to be a psychopath. You are not mindless weapons no matter how the other villages saw their ninja, you have the right to be people. And people have needs. Companionship, even if it's just good friends, is one of them."

 

In the doorway unseen to Sakura Tsunade nods in agreement, walking away before she can see her.

 

"Thank you, I'd noticed she was acting stressed." Tsunade tells her granddaughter when she walks into the building after the other woman had left. "Everybody is wore out from the long hours, I didn't realize she was still dealing with the incident with Sasuke, not being an active kunoichi, and feeling alone since she moved out of her family home due to her mother's pregnancy."

 

"That's why so many clans live in compounds. You're still in your own home but you're surrounded by your family. Some people are not meant to live on their own, I think Sakura is one of them. Before this, she was living with her parents, she had meals prepared for her. She had her laundry done. . . She didn't need to take care of herself because she's the only one there. Now she is. And she can't handle it."

 

Her grandmother nods. "Of her year, only her and Naruto live on their own. The others live with family. Naruto has lived on his own for years, ever since he got kicked out of the orphanage. He's used to taking care of herself, she wasn't. All I can say is thank god she didn't get pregnant from that time."

 

"Even as a new genin, I could never see her making it as a kunoichi."

 

"No, me neither. She was one of those fools who only did it to get attention from the Uchiha." Kiriko's father snorts from the back room. "Meal scrolls? We're running low in the other building."

 

"Basket on the shelf over the dishwasher, I just toss them in there after I empty them so you need to sort them out."

 

"Thank you." He finds the basket and starts laying them out, a small item on them to keep them from rolling up and wrapping rubber bands around them when they're sorted out and putting them on the shelves in the other building. "We still need to make new ones." He says finally.

 

"Yeah." Kiriko sighs, looking at the partially full shallow baskets on the shelves and then the racks in the other room. "Especially if we have to start feeding kids in day care, or the schools." The others nod.

 

Three weeks later everybody looks around in satisfaction at the full shelves of scrolls ready to be filled and racks of scrolls ready to be purchased. More are upstairs in storage to be used later and Kiriko slides down the ladder from the upstairs, pushing it up until it clicks and then shoving up the trap door leading to the top floor. She turns around to find the Hokage walking into the building. She just gives him a look, the ANBU with him snickering softly.

 

"How are you on extra scrolls?"  

 

"I've been making them for the last three weeks, the baskets are full in the other building and there's more upstairs. Let me guess, this is where you tell me I need to be getting in more supplies when I go because I'm going to be supplying meals for the daycare centers and the schools?" She drawls. "For the next twenty years at least as clan raised people in the village work on projects. While they can get breakfast and dinner at home, they'll need lunch on the go."

 

The now audible sniggering from the ANBU is her answer. "Okay, do I at least have until next year to start getting in more supplies? And how many different meals are we looking at?" she asks in exasperation.

 

They calmly agree on prices, the meals, and the distribution of the scrolls, the Hokage handing over the deed for the building on the other side of the shop and the orders to have it cleaned, supplied, and linked to the shop.

 

"I take it you heard?" Kiriko asks dryly, leaning in the next room. "Copy these out." she hands the recipes to Neji. "And talk to anybody you know who will be looking at a semi-permanent job cooking. We start making meals in the other building summer next year. With delivery to the day care centers the first of the following year."

 

The mothers in the room nod. "Yes, by that time the children will be able to feed themselves."

 

The chunin start working with the younger genin when the crops start coming in, nobody is surprised when Konohamaru's team immediately gravitates towards Naruto as their leader. Three *long* months later for the genin the last of the crops are either put away in warehouses, sent out by wagon train to be processed in the capital and made into stuff, or put away at the farm.

 

The Daimyo's lips twitch as he looks at Kiriko when he summons her to the palace finding her buying extra supplies when she goes out for her end of the year trip.

 

"Oh go ahead and laugh, my father fell to the floor cackling like the idiot he is." Kiriko sighs after the story is told. "I felt like stepping on him somewhere painful but my mother would no doubt complain. At least the triplets are finally sleeping through the night now.." That sets him off howling. His wife pats her on the shoulder in a there, there gesture, her own lips twitching madly.

 

Three weeks later she returns to Konoha, shoving scrolls at Madi. "Cooking supplies, dishes, and silverware for the new meals." She nods and puts everything in storage until it's needed. "How's the work coming on the new building?"

 

"Cleaning is done, they're painting right now. Then the appliances and tables will be going in. The supplies will be the last thing going in before they start working."

 

"Supplies for the old building." Those are brought out and put away. "More supplies for here, including extra dishes and silverware." Those are brought out and put away until needed. "No orders for the store?"

 

"My first stop after the bank." The rest of the purchases are handed out over the next couple of days. She slumps into her seat at the clan meeting the night after everything's been delivered.

 

"Is that everything?"

 

"Until my next trip out next year." She sighs. "Now, I've been hearing rumors about a special demonstration at the arena for the final academy graduates next year?"

 

"Yes, I've been hearing the same thing. It's going to be a special event and the Hokage has invited the Daimyo and other dignitaries."

 

The night air is cool and Kiriko lights a fire in the fireplace when she gets back home with the special fuel from the land of snow. The cats immediately lay in front of it as she warms herself by the fire, adding extra blankets to the bed. She's always tired after these trips. At least she's got a fireplace in her home and not having to burn the dried animal droppings so many other people have to she's seen on her trips. The others who do any amount of traveling away from the village agree with her.

 

"Is it just me. . .?" Kiriko asks the next morning.

 

"No, if feels like a storm is blowing in. Everybody is cold this morning, everybody's got on long sleeves and pants." Her mother says quietly as she checks momentarily on the triplets to make sure they're not in a draft even though every window and door in the building is shut up tight.

 

The rain starts coming down a few hours after the sky gets dark and they hurry back to the homes with food from the main house to keep them fed until after the storm breaks.

 

It's a couple days later when she reopens the shop, unless you had to be out in that weather nobody had been. And unless you were a village guard, nobody had been outside. The sensors had agreed it had been a normal storm, not forced or influenced in any way.

 

The others start coming in a few minutes later, heat coming through the cracked open door as the stoves are turned on so they can start cooking. The bell rings over the door and she looks over to find Sakura shaking her waterproof cloak off before coming inside. She slides scrolls across the desk, grabbing new ones off the shelve and getting a scroll handed to her after she pays and walks back outside on her way to her shift at the hospital.

 

Tossing the now empty scrolls in the basket she finishes filling the dishwasher and starts it running.

 

A couple of weeks later is the end of the year celebration at the farm again, this time Sakura being invited along with the others. She shyly settles herself in a seat, Naruto wrapping an arm around her in an absent hug among friends as he talks with Neji who'd also been invited.

 

"Do you. . .I understand you're going to be offering meals for the children." Sakura asks a few days later.

 

"Yes, we start cooking them after the special graduation exercise for the Academy and will start delivering them next year. Are you looking for another job? Not getting enough time at the hospital? Or feeling burned out?"

 

"A bit of both. With so many people coming back my hours are being cut. And with the loss of the other villages there's not that big of a need for so many medical nin."

 

"Well, you can come to work for me whenever you need." Kiriko says calmly. "There will be enough workers that you can learn everything you need."

 

 

 

"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?

"Fucking idiots, that's why I didn't pay to have that special trip out." The Daimyo mutters later that night after he's finished with serious court appointments for the day.

 

"They expected everybody to drop what they were doing and rush to them for the privelege of being in the same area as them. Unlike those fools, many people actually work for a living. Anybody who would come running to them would actually be working for the airship company and too busy doing their jobs to dance attendance to them."

 

"But the whole wide world owes it to them to remind them daily how *special* they are." His wife says sourly. "For everybody in the court that actually works for a living, we have several dozen only here to be seen."

 

The whole clan is laughing that night, imagining the looks of dismay on the faces of the idiot nobles who were being 'disrespected' because nobody had come running.

 

"I almost wish some of the fools *would* come rushing to the Hokage, whining." Kiriko snickers. "Ummm ooopps, I kinda tortured some of your nobles to insanity for annoying me. I hope you don't mind." Her mother says dryly in imitation of the Hokage.

 

"Please, you want to come and deal with some more of the whiners?" Her father says in imitation of the Daimyo. The others laugh and nod, everybody can see just that happening. 

 

"Okay, other news. How are we coming along on the new meals?"

 

"Good, there's supposed to be somebody there who can use chakra unseal the meals, wash them, and reseal the dishes and silverware. We'll be dropping off enough meals for the week and somebody will deliver them to the shop at the end of the week." Grandma Miri nods in satisfaction. "The arrangements will probably change when the students start school and they need more. Maybe two or three times a week if not daily."

 

"Did you hear, the Hokage fined that fool woman who was in charge of the hospital?" Kiriko says a few days later when she unlocks the shop for the others.

 

"Really?" Sakura stops and stares at her.

 

"Yeah, seems some of the older medical nin didn't like a newbie coming in who might take their cushy jobs so close to retirement. Add in the fact that you're a civilian. . ." The others nod in nearly unison. "They were frantically trying to hold onto their position of power. Because with the changes the village is going through."

 

"They were losing it and miserable." Shikamaru's mother says. "The Hyuga elders case in point."

 

"Yep, now they're working the long hours they put Sakura through at the hospital at punishment wages along with that fool, so now they're all looking at working two jobs to make enough money to live on. At the hospital and wherever else the Hokage puts them."

 

"Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of assholes."

 

"Too many people wanting things to stay the way it is or take what other people have worked hard to achieve." Another clan woman snorts. "That fool woman who tried claiming her former husband was trying to kill her. She's now working two jobs and cleaning houses weekends. She couldn't even get a place with the working women, nobody would pay to fuck her." The older women bray with laughter as the younger people blush.

 

"Still so innocent." Shikamaru's mother says, patting them on the cheeks. She looks at Kiriko who just snorts. "My parents?"

 

"True."

 

"So that's it." Kiriko's father says a couple days later. "The Hokage is looking at setting up a building on the plateau that in a few years that will work for both the railroad when it arrives and the airships. It will be a while before it's used for anything beyond transportation of the crops, same with the railroad." Everybody in the clan at the meeting nods.

 

"Plans?"

 

"They're working on it right now, as well as a way to get the harvests up to the plateau and the people down. Like the Hokage said, it won't be used for a while and if need be, somebody like Naruto's team with everything in scrolls putting it onboard here."

 

"Are we hiring the new genin teams for the harvests?"

 

"No, they're too new yet. Give them another year. We didn't have problems last year with the chunin and the older genin teams." The others nod.

 

A month or so later the chunin and genin teams descend on the farm and the village's fields, quickly setting to work. There's a few hiccups as people get used to working in the fields again but six weeks later carts are sent off with harvests to be processed as more is put away in buildings on the farm or warehouses in the village.

 

"It's a lot of work." Naruto sighs.

 

"And it's just going to get worse as the babies grow older and start eating more solid food. The Hokage has already warned us that the fields are going to be double or triple the size we have now." Naruto moans slightly but nods. 

 

"Are we still going to be sending off food by carts?" Hinata asks quietly.

 

"Not much longer, there's no chance of bandits but it's going to be too many carts. Naruto's friend Tazuna, the one with the airship?" They nod. "Is going to be picking up the food and delivering it as needed, it's both faster and takes less manpower. I also see traders using the service."

 

"Yes, instead of traveling for days and hiring escorts, they can be there in a day."

 

Kiriko is called to the Tower a few days later. Her father looks at her when she returns. "They decided on a building design for up on the plateau, basically a warehouse for now. . ." Her father nods in understanding. "And when I go off to deliver the orders for the Daimyo's wife I'm to get as much of it as I can. He understands it's going to be at least two trips."

 

"And at least a year to be needed after that. Either for the railroad or the airship." Her mother says that night at the clan meeting. 

 

Everybody in the room nods. "Now us, do we need to add more buildings to the farm for storage?"

 

The elders tip their heads sideways, looking at walls as if seeing through them to the various storage buildings outside.

 

"Possibly, but not for years in the future. We planned ahead and made the buildings much, much, much larger than we needed when we brought them with future crops in mind. Now mind you Kiriko," Grandma Miri waves a finger the other woman's direction as she starts to snicker. "We never had an invasion and the village growing so quickly so soon in mind when we made the plans."

 

"And need be, we can put stuff in scrolls until it's needed." Another clan elder says. "Not like anything goes to waste here."

 

"No, we know how much time and effort goes into producing it. Unlike the new genin."

 

"The only thing they know about food is eating it."

 

"Madi." Kiriko calls a month later.

 

"Go off to our regular customers and the other shops for their lists and money?" Madi asks, leaning against the doorway of the back room where she'd been working on her assignments.

 

"Yes, tell them two weeks from Monday. And have the order and money for me the Friday before that."

 

Kiriko returns to the village three weeks after she had headed off with Naruto's team, sliding two scrolls across the Hokage's desk. "The supplies for the building with what I was able to get marked off." She nods at one. He nods in appreciation and takes the case with the remaining money. "And reports from my grandparents and the Daimyo." He nods again. "Bank?"

 

"Yes, for Naruto and myself."

 

The bank president arrives and gives them receipts for their money, including the payments from the Daimyo's wife and her ladies.

 

The shops are the first stops, Madi taking the scrolls of supplies and bringing everything out with the help of the others.

 

"Money?" One of the women asks as Kiriko walks into the shop.

 

"Already deposited at the bank." She hands over the receipt and the clanswoman overseeing the finances nods in satisfaction as the new orders are brought out as well as the supplies they'd needed and extra for the new orders.

 

"Oh good." She says.

 

"I knew we'd need extra. Especially in the future with the airship making travel so easy."

 

The women in the shop sigh but nod. "It's good money though."

 

"And easier travel for you."

 

The rest of the orders are delivered over the next couple of days, the others thanking her and settling into work.

 

The merchants in the village that don't use Kiriko's delivery service wail in front of the Hokage as they are told she does not *have* to deliver for them. Yes, her services are cheaper than having it delivered. She does this as favors for people she likes. She doesn't like you. So no, I'm not going to ask her to deliver to you as well. You can use the delivery services you have previously and *like.it*. Because if you demand she deliver for you, she'd laugh in your faces. And if you try forcing the matter, she'd walk over your bleeding bodies."

 

The merchants wail but know they have no way of forcing the issue. They're among the group that had attacked Naruto and had lost a lot of power once his true parentage had been revealed.

 

The end of the year celebration is hopping at the Izuno compound. Sakura is getting used to being welcomed by the Izuno clan and her friends. She's not the only one who's not an active ninja now and she knows her place in the community. The idiots at the hospital were wailing to anybody who listened that it wasn't fair that they were being punished for their actions. Nobody was paying any attention to them however, which was the worst hardship in their eyes.

 

"I didn't expect you to be delivering the scrolls Kiriko," the clanswoman who is running the day care center says when Kiriko hands over the scroll with the meals.

 

"I needed to get outside and walk around for a few minutes." She says. "The damn weather. . ." she nods, it doesn't know whether to rain or not and if you can be outside for a few minutes for some fresh air, you go outside. Then hurry right back inside because it's so cold.

 

"Yes, I know the children want to go outside and play but with the weather the way it is." She sighs. "Thank you for preparing the meals. It's one less thing the working parents have to deal with."

 

"What's going on?" Kiriko asks, returning to the shop and seeing a man and woman who look vaguely familiar walking down the street. The doorway is full of people watching them walking away so she must have missed a confrontation.

 

"Sakura's parents. Idiots pushed her off when they had twins and now they're working two jobs and have to have the babies in day care. They were trying to guilt her into quitting and returning home to take care of the babies and the house, have meals on the table waiting on them." Shikamaru's mother says is disgust. "Needless to say, everybody told them where to go and what they could do when they got there."

 

"Idiots."

 

"But if she's taking care of them and the house, we don't have to buy meals, pay for somebody else to take care of the babies. . ." Madi says scathingly. "Try being a damn grownup instead of a two year old."

 

The story of what her parents had tried doing is soon all over the village and everybody looks at them in disgust. "For gods sake," one of the other village women says in disgust. "Many places are working two shifts, one of you work days and one nights so you can clean the house, cook meals, and take care of the babies if you can't afford to keep them in daycare. Or hire somebody to cook meals for you and clean your home."

 

"But everybody's talking bad about us now." Mebuki wails.

 

"Good, you threw your daughter away without any damn life skills." The other woman snorts. "It's only working for Kiriko that she knows how to cook more than basic meals. As she said, she lived on the meals Kiriko says because living on her own left her numb. Maybe you'd know that if you ever bothered to look in on her once in a while instead of forgetting she existed until you needed something from her." Kizashi moans. Why had he never even looked in on his daughter since the boys were born? Did he think so little of her now that he has two fine, strong sons.

 

"I. . .I didn't realize it had been so long since we saw Sakura. We. . .we visited her at the apartment. . .didn't we?" Mebuki wails. She frantically is looking through her diaries and finds nothing about her daughter for years. "Please, tell me we had her come home for Sunday dinners. Tell me we invited her home for Sunday dinners." She wails, collapsing to the floor in great big heaping sobs.

 

"Damn fool, she's more sobbing about how she's being seen by the village than anything else." One of the clan women says. "She had this majestic fantasy and real life is kicking it in the ass. Her daughter would take care of them their entire lives. Now they need her and she doesn't need. . .or want them." The others nod. 

 

Her parents soon quit their histrionics when nothing happens and they go back to their lives, having to split their schedules to they can be home part of the day to cook and clean.

 

"Isn't that what most parents do if they can, work different schedules?" Madi snorts as they walk onto the farm.

 

"Yes, but I doubt they thoght their daughter wouldn't come running home the second they paid her any attention. They realized how much work two babies was and thought, oh hey yeah, we have a daughter who can cook for us, clean for us. . ."

 

"Kiss our asses and wipe our noses." Kiriko's mother says scathingly. "One thing about being in the clan, there's always somebody to take care of you and teach you everything you need to live on your own.

 

Kiriko lights the stove the next morning, the others nodding as they walk into the cooking rooms and soon the heat comes out of the buildings as they start cooking.

 

"So how are Sakura's parents faring?" Shikamaru's mother asks quietly.

 

"Still working two jobs, splitting their times so somebody is home with the boys While the other is at work. This way there's somebody there to clean the house and cook meals."

 

"Not enough money for just one of them to work while the other stays home?"

 

"No. Not without the base pay of Sakura as a chunin. They were both working full-time as soon as Sakura was old enough to attend the Academy. They lost a good bit of power when Naruto's parentage was revealed."

 

"And more when people realized how they threw Sakura away without giving her the training she needed to live on her own. I really doubt the academy taught cooking, how to do laundry, clean your apartment, budgeting. . ."

 

"Something the orphans were taught. And those who had families that actually cared about them." Shikamaru's mother sighs. Walking into the other building she hugs Naruto and Sakura and goes back to work. She's already hugged Neji, Tenten, and Lee. Who all need it.

 

"You know. . ." Kiriko says with a mean smirk. "They have days off work. They could work a day in the sewers and probably make just as much money as they do working their regular jobs."

 

Naruto and Sakura slowly repeat what Kiriko said and start laughing. "They would be horrified. But I agree, it's good money."

 

 

Mekubi sobs brokenheartedly as she sees her husband off for his day of work in the sewers. She'll be working there tomorrow. It's extra money coming in, but at a horrible price.

 

"Damn drama queens, you'd think she was sending him off to his death." A neighbor says, closing the door of her house.

 

"In her eyes, it probably is death. The death of her dreams and schemes to *be* somebody in the village." her husband snorts. "I'm glad we weren't able to have more kids."

 

"I am too, ours are grown and out of the house able to live life on their own. I hate to see how the boys will turn out from how she raised her daughter."

 

"Oh, but a boy won't need to know how to cook, clean, do laundry, or even wipe his own ass after he goes to the bathroom. He'll have a wife for that." Their brother-in-law drawls as he comes into the house. They'd made plans for the day which include a new movie and visiting their favorite restaurant.

 

The next day is a repeat of the day before and more eyes are rolling at their theatrics. Fucking morons is the nicest thing said about them and they sullenly settle down the histrionics when they realize nobody is going to come running with cases of cash.

 

"Fucking morons." Sakura sighs when she walks into the scroll shop. "Yes, I heard all about it from the neighbors who heard them and gleefully told me they were back to their usual nonsense. Yes, they did this before. The sad thing is I'm sure they'll have to do this again next weekend since they never bothered to actually save any money. Even before they had the boys."

 

"Isn't their home paid off?"

 

"No, they borrowed money from the bank to add onto it before I moved out. So they could be *seen*. If they could have had their own compound, they would have."

 

Kiriko rolls her eyes. "Please, this is the woman who tried getting on the civilian council because she thought she was all that." Sakura says as she puts on her apron and they start to work. "Now I know just how powermad my parents are. If we lived in the capital, I can see them trying to get an in with the Daimyo and his wife."

 

"I am so glad the Izuno clan keeps their head down and works for a living." Kiriko mutters. The others laugh but nod.

 

Kiriko shakes her head as she passes the house that had been identified as belonging to Sakura's parents on her way to the Tower. Too opulent for two civilians, that's something that would be seen on the palace grounds in the capital.

 

"How is the meals coming along?" The Hokage asks, waving her to a seat.

 

"Good, we're delivering to the day care buildings consistently and storing some away for the future when the schools reopen in a couple of years. I have already planned on doubling my supplies over the next ten to fifteen years, leaving some in scrolls until needed." Hiruzen nods in satisfaction.

 

Sakura's parents sob quietly as they force themselves to work in the sewers, part of the extra money is going to pay off the loan they took out to add onto their home, which they realize now they never needed. Oh, everybody in the village is 'seeing' them alright, and nobody is impressed. But hopefully they can start saving some money once the loan is paid off.

 

"Doubt it." is said by more than one neighbor. "They both liked to spend. . .on themselves." 

 

"Yup." Sakura says a few days later when the gossip reaches the scroll shop. "All the time, anytime they needed to get something for me, they had to have something for themselves. I didn't know it then, but I was well rid of them when they turned me out because they had the twins to think of. Or so they claimed."

 

"Are we going to have enough supplies when the schools reopen?" Madi asks, looking around.

 

"Yeah, I plan on basically doubling my supplies for the next fifteen years and that's already doubled when I got the news the Hokage had tapped me for meals. I'll have to leave the extra in scrolls until needed, we just don't have the room. Yes, we could add onto the buildings again but eventually the schools will be closing and what have you then? We won't have the need. Yes, the Hokage and I see the need for those protecting the village to have meals while they're working but not the frantic need to feed over 400 growing children one meal a day for over ten years."

 

The others listening nod in agreement. "Do you see scrolls being brought that day?"

 

"Yes, it all depends on how many people are eating at a certain site. Individual scrolls, not a chance. Too much work." The others nod. "Unless each person buys their own and brings them back when they're done."

 

"On the go, there's also they need for a second scroll to dump them in when they're done if it's individuals." Nods from everybody. Then they look at the boxes of dishes and utensils. "Yes, I need to start buying more and storing it upstairs for when the schools reopen."

 

Kiriko sighs as she settles into the steaming water of the bathing room.

 

"Is it just me or is this weather dragging on?" Madi asks.

 

"No, everybody is complaining about aches and pains, the hot springs are full of people either soaking out aches or trying to get warm. The only *warm* place in the village is probably the shop with both kitchens going." Kiriko opens an eye to look at her mother when she walks into the room, sighing as she settles in the water with Kiriko. "It's something you tend to ignore as a shinobi but unless you're actively working now you feel the cold."

 

"Reminds me once again why I never wanted to become a ninja." Like Kiriko Madi takes place in the every other weekend exercises and could easily have attended the academy but had other plans for her life. This time next year they'd be taking her and a couple other youngsters in the clan to the capital for higher education. They'd be taken care of by the Daimyo's wife and entering the university under her 'request' so any of the stupider students in the school would be told to bother them for being from a small village and not the big city and be prepared to face the consequences.

 

Kiriko herself brings back books from the university in areas that interest her, she could easily have taken several degrees from the university in any number of areas. Indeed, some of her trips she tests out of areas that she's been working on at the farm and been presented with degrees as a 'working student' since she's needed at the village. Ohhh, the administrators hadn't liked it but they'd seen her at work in the village on some of the trips with the Daimyo and agreed that she could work at her own pace in any program that caught her interest.

 

Sakura looks out the window of her apartment at the rain that had *finally* started arriving, maybe now the damn cold snap would ease up a little. Her leg aches in this rain, now she knows why some of the older jonin come monthly to have prescriptions filled for the pain. She's trying not to go that way, but times like this she needs the extra help. And she will only use them when she's not at work, too easy for an accident to happen in a kitchen where knives are used all the time. Pulling the curtains and lighting the stove for heat, she sits down and waits for the pill she'd just swallowed to take affect. What is her plans for the future? Kiriko has told her that she has a job at the scroll shop for as long as she wants, the need for the meals appears to be a lifetime affair. Looking at her leg as the warmth and pain pill start to take effect she suddenly chuckles, at least with her leg being so damaged, she never had to work in the sewers like the others.

 

Naruto is looking around his apartment, with the civilians knowing who he is now he has been able to fix it up and *leave* it fixed up. And buy new furniture. It's a cozy little nook for one person, or even two he thinks as Hinata's arms wrap around him and he wraps an arm around her.

 

"Thinking?"

 

"I want to start buying the supplies to build a house on our land next year. Like Kiriko, it would only take a few minutes to get from the farm to the village and then the shop."

 

"Plans for afterwards?"

 

"I like working with my hands, I've been offered a job making stuff by the clan." He sighs, looking out the window. "I keep thinking how things could be so different right now. We could be preparing for a war instead of being at peace, you could have been banished from your clan for the 'crime' of being interested in me. . ." he pauses as Hinata stiffens under his arm.

 

"I would have left the clan anyway." She says firmly. "I am not. . .the proper Hyuga the elders wanted. Now that they are gone it is not a problem, but. . .I would have left. I would have missed my father. . .and Hanabi. But I would have gone." She chuckles suddenly. "You could be still running around saying you want to be the Hokage one day."

 

Naruto shudders. "Oh gods, and as bad as things were when my parentage was revealed it could have been so much worse. I've seen the older records, there used to be things called jinchuriki, they were the human jailers of large monsters created when the ten tails was broken apart. Back in the early days, there was a village that had control of these monsters and handed them out to the others to use as weapons. They all vanished in the days of the second hokage, I remember Lady Tsunade says a clan member of hers used to be the jailer. They vanished suddenly one day, remember the sand ninja that had to be taken out because he couldn't . . .or wouldn't stop killing?" Hinata shudders and nods against him. "Rumor is it they were trying to recreate them and seal the lesser one into him as a weapon."

 

"Oh gods," she whimpers. "And Lady Tsunade says the one in her clan member was the most powerful. And they had to be sealed into *babies." She shudders against him. "Yes, I can see the life I would have lived if I'd been the container to a beast like that. I was hated before for my father dying of his wounds to proteact me, how would I have been treated having that as a burden?"

 

"I could have been living in the shadow of the Hyuga, too scared to live life on my own." She looks up at Naruto. "Do. . .do you ever think about Sasuke?"

 

Naruto sighs. "Yes, and I'm afraid he'd have snapped sooner or later. Everybody was fawning on him as the last Uchiha and he was licking it up. I talked to the people at T&I, he never should have been allowed to enroll at the academy. He was a loose cannon waiting to happen. Lady Tsunade was not happy when she found he hadn't got any counseling after the massacre."

 

"Of course not, the high and mighty Uchiha would never lower themselves to show human failing." Hinata snorts. "The Main Branch was the same way. And like the Uchiha, they lost all their power."

 

"Exactly, let alone his vendetta against his brother for killing everybody. He would have left the village as a missing nin to try to find his brother and kill him. In one way we're lucky, he snapped early and while Sakura had to pay the price for it with a bad leg the rest of her life, nobody had to die for his stupidity."

 

"Do you know why Itachi did it? Did he snap too?" Hinata asks as they settle on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate as the news plays on the television across the room.

 

"I asked Jiji once, he said there's been rumors of a coup attempt by the Uchiha. He wasn't in charge at the time, that was the fourth and he doesn't have all the details. Itachi was ordered to take out the clan but spared his brother for some reason or another. Now looking at Sakura hissing in pain in the kitchen as she moves wrong I wish he had." he says softly. 

 

At the Inuzuka compound Hana touches her brother's shoulder. "Big think?"

 

"Or thinking period. I know the others think I'm just a dumb mutt." He sighs. "I'm just going over the last few years and trying to figure out what caused everything to change. Was it just Sasuke going nuts?"

 

"Sasuke started it. Having so many babies born at once just helped it along." His mother says. "Little bastard should have been trained better as a pup but his whole family was as stuck up as he was. There's stories they were going to overthrow the fourth because they thought they were so special and Itachi had been ordered to do it. You're too young to remember it, but like the Hyuga the Uchiha loved flaunting the power around the village."

 

"What did they think would happen?"

 

"They'd install one of their own as Hokage and the village wouldn't *dare* do anything about it." Hana snorts. "I know you've been told this before, go to the Tower library and start looking up the history that you weren't taught at school." His mother nods when he looks at her. "It won't kill you to read and know your history Pup, being stupid on the battlefield would have."

 

"And what do you plan on doing for a future career?"

 

"I've been thinking about helping to train the dogs in the village for protection and guard duty. There used to be a village police force. . . "

 

"Mostly Uchiha but with so many clan raised children and all the genin the Hokage plans to reintroduce it since the ANBU can't be expected to handle everything."

 

"I think I'd like to work with them." He says firmly. 

 

"Good, I'm glad you kids are all making plans for the future. What about the others?" Hana asks.

 

"Naruto and Sakura work for Kiriko making meals, they're looking at a good fifteen years for that and Naruto is working with his hands making furniture on the side with more of the Izuno. The others are working with their clans just like me but they'll be *heading* their clans one day, I won't." He stops to think a moment. Well, maybe not Hinata. She's still with Naruto."

 

The sound of screaming and cursing from Kiriko's home has the other clan members waiting for her the next morning in the main building, giving her varying 'this had better be good looks'.

 

"And you complain about the noise your mother and I make." Her father says, teasing her.

 

"Dad, hush. I just woke myself up screaming out of a nightmare. The cats are all giving me disgusted looks and I can *sssssooooo* see it happening." She says, shuddering as she fixes herself a meal and sits down to eat.

 

"Give." her father says after she's eaten.

 

"I was at the shop and the Hokage summoned me to the Tower. I didn't think anything of it, I was making a trip out for supplies in a few weeks, we were still waiting on supplies to finish putting up the building on the plateau for the airships." The others nod.

 

"I walked into the tower and the Hokage dropped the hat on me. And I quote, tag you're it. You own the village already, you might as well have the 'fun' of the paperwork."

 

The others stare at her and start howling with laughter. "Yeah. And when I stopped cussing in the dream, he told me the academy was full of paperwork I needed to sort through. Oh, and I couldn't use Chakra to destroy it. He'd tried, the damn thing multiplied."

 

More laughter as the clan elders nod. Especially those who handle the paperwork for the clan.

 

"How would you have handled it?" Madi asks, smirking.

 

"Two words. Flame thrower." Everybody who's had the 'pleasure' of doing paperwork for either the clan or as an active ninja nod firmly.

 

OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE 

 

Kiriko reaches over and wraps her arm around Sakura's neck, pulling her down for a kiss where they. . .who the fuck wrote this shit? Dawn Summers howls as she goes back to her laptop after breaking for lunch.

 

Snickering has her looking behind her at the doorway to find Xander. Payback for writing me and Anya as Kiriko's parents. 

 

Xander she wails.

 

Oh relax, I saved your fic and that's a duplicate. You really should have a password on that Dawnie

 

If I do, Buffy breaks them. Literally. Oh she apologizes and says she won't do it again. But she does.