The sealed kunai

Chapter 58: Unconditional Surrender

A new mission. This had been what Naruto had received barely one day following the fall of Tenchi Bridge. For once the Konoha forces were able to sleep easy knowing that as they slept their own side were pouring forces over that bridge and preparing for an all-out offensive on the traitorous Kusagakure to end their ambitions. While they would need to be prepared for brutal deep forest fighting in order to reach the village it was nothing that Konoha hadn't already anticipated.

Meanwhile Naruto himself would not be taking part. Much like he had been told would be his responsibility during his briefing with a select few shinobi in his shoes, Naruto would be shuttled from front to front, used where he was the most needed and where his presence wouldn't result in him effectively killing himself in the process of completing his mission.

Thus he was called away from the northwestern command post and back to Konoha for the specifics of his next mission.

The very peaceful trip back across the countryside of Hi no Kuni belied just how intense things were at each border of the nation. The only truly safe border of the country happened to be further towards the southern coast, as everywhere else the nation happened to be surrounded by enemies on all sides. Even the enemies between Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni could focus their efforts all on Konoha, because Suna would certainly not be launching any offensives.

However the northwestern theater of the war seemed to be proceeding nicely. With the fall of the Tenchi Bridge the advance into the wilder territory of Kusagakure could begin. It would be a grueling campaign, but no matter how hard Kusa fought on their strange and various terrains they would eventually fall. This Naruto believed with all of his heart. With Yamato there, it was just too much of a benefit to the invading Konoha forces.

So he could sincerely focus on whatever his next mission was scheduled to be.

After a quick stop at home to replenish his wares and to check in on his lover/servant/former fuuinjutsu teacher of course. And he hadn't contacted her to his position through their shared communications seal because he wished to surprise her.

What he wasn't expecting upon walking into his Hokage Monument mountainside home was a guest. Actually, that wasn't it at all. It wasn't that he wasn't expecting a guest because Hamako had friends (of course she did, she was a wonderful young woman), it was that the person that was the guest in his home was greatly unexpected.

"Yugito?" Sitting on one of the couches of the living room the moment he walked down the chamber stairs entering the home was the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata, Yugito Nii. She was also the representative of Kumo's stake in the alliance with Konoha and since those two villages were the two primary mainland forces of the Grand Shinobi Alliance they each had a rep in the other's village, "What are you doing here?"

Said young woman was simply calmly sipping a glass of milk and looking at the view of Konoha from Naruto's window. It really was magnificent scenery. How he managed to secure a home like this she would wonder for quite some time. In the meantime though she found nothing wrong with addressing him, "What am I doing here? And here I thought you would be happy to actually see me after your time in the field."

Naruto rolled his eyes and entered the living room choosing to take a seat on the couch next to the foreign kunoichi, "Don't even be like that. It's kind of weird that I get home for a bit before my next mission and you're right here. You'd be suspicious too wouldn't you?"

"Guilty." Yugito chimed in, continuing to drink the milk she had been provided free access to as a guest in this home, "But for now let's just catch up. So what have you been doing since you left Konoha?"

Turning towards her with a deadpan look on his face, Naruto's lips quirked only momentarily in amusement before he answered, "I've been dealing with people trying to kill me. It really isn't that different from any other time yet... except for the fact that I've got to fight more than usual and they usually know I'm coming."