"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 Genkai 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 chunin 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 ingredients 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." Kiriko'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, the yellow flash and your mother was Uzumaki Kushina, she was known as the red hot habanero 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 specialty 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." She chuckles.

"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 times 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.

Kiriko is carried into her home by her father, her mother putting her to bed with a jug of water and the pills the hospital gave her on the nightstand next to it to take when she wakes up. The others will be checking on her over the next couple of days. Those not actively involved in preparations for the upcoming event.

Five days later Kiriko comes into the village 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." She mutters. 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 in the village from sitting on a hard chair. Men and women.

"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. If Naruto is not doing that now." He says, seeing the boy heading off. He nods even as he walks away.

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. If they didn't kill them before that. 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?" Tenten asks, confused.

"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's, Gai's, and Asuma's teams as my companions and ninja escorts hired for the trip because nobody knew 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 hay barn 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 storage 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 daily." 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."