"A goose flew up your nose, and helped you later by turning into a phoenix," Seiken summarized slowly as Naruto stood there awkwardly. "Yeah, that sounds perfectly normal!"

Naruto was taken aback by that. "It is? Really?"

"Really! Animals that absorb Bijuu chakra can end up adapting to it. That happened a lot with us," Saiken answered with a chuckle.

Naruto squinted his eyes in suspicion. "Wait...are you where the Slug Summons come from?!"

Saiken nodded his head proudly. "I was so happy when I heard about that Tsunade woman! I hadn't heard about those little neonates in a long time before that," he explained giddily. "Sometimes it makes them giant, sometimes it just lets them generate chakra to perform Jutsu of their own. It doesn't always make them smarter though, but the feral ones usually get killed off."

Naruto scratched his head. "That makes a lot of sense, really. So, giant animals like the summons weren't a thing before you and the other Bijuu?"

"Yes and no? There were some. If I remember it right, the toads were one of the few that began evolving first, back before my Father made us Bijuu," Saiken explained thoughtfully. "But a lot more of them started showing up after us."

Naruto was still trying to wrap his head around that, someone made the Bijuu. And they called him Father, rather affectionately. There was a...long story there Naruto would have to ask about at some point.

His ears twitched as he looked up past the walls of the bubble and to the surface. "Sorry, but I have to run, Saiken."

"Is everything alright?" Saiken asked curiously.

"Yeah. But you better scram. Thanks for the talk," Naruto advised as he left the air pocket and began to return to the beach.

He surfaced with a flare of chakra, his fur drying in an instant as he looked upon the situation.

There was a group of ANBU who were on the beach, one with a drawn katana standing dangerously close to the Chunin sent to watch on Naruto.

Most importantly, these were not Konoha ANBU. No, that was definitely the symbol for Kiri.

Naturally, every one of them tensed at his arrival, as he loomed over them ominously.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting guests," Naruto remarked evenly. "Is there a reason I shouldn't tail-flick you all across the water?"

The leader had a mask with a green mark on either side, the Kiri symbol between them. "I am Kappa, the leader of this Hunter team. We have reason to believe a rogue ninja from our land is in this area."

"Well, your reason is wrong," Naruto said, feigning a yawn, feeling the many eyes lingering on his teeth. "Now please get the hell off my beach so I can take a nap in peace. And stop fucking with my shipwreck collection!" Naruto said, head snapping to an ANBU on one of the broken boats, who stumbled backward in surprise.

"We will leave when we have finished our search," Kappa said neutrally.

Naruto lowered his head down to their level, and he could see many of them shaking as his nose was now right in front of Kappa. "You think my ears are for show? That my nose is a decoration?" he asked in annoyance. "I know everything going on at this beach. I sensed the ones you had in the water before I rose up, you all on this beach, and even the rest of you hiding in the trees over there."

To emphasize his point, Naruto's tail snapped down, just missing where several of the ANBU were hiding.

Kappa steeled his nerves and did not budge. "So if we were to find anyone here, you are knowingly harboring them."

Naruto snorted, and the sudden gust made the ANBU leader step back, nearly falling over. "You can go home yourself or you can be sent back. Your choice."

"Bold fucking beast."

Naruto's eyes snapped right to the ANBU in question, a mask that looked like a baboon's face. This one did fall over at the sudden attention. "I'll remember you," Naruto remarked as he raised his head back up. "Well, I tried to play nice. You all mind taking it from here?"

The Kiri ninja tense as several more ANBU appeared in the area.

These ones decided were from Konoha, having a few Kiri ANBU already in custody.

Kappa felt a sword against his neck and looked to see an ANBU with a cat mask that had green and red markings. "Hello, I'm Tenzo," he greeted in a false-friendly tone. "I'm the leader of the ANBU team sent to guard him-" he paused to nod to Naruto. "-in case someone had the foolish idea to try and seal him while he is still recovering from his battle with the Hakaju. And what do you know, several of your members have sealing preparations on their person."

Kappa clicked his tongue. "We're not here for your Bijuu."

'Then you shouldn't have come to his beach," Tenzo advised helpfully. "For the record, he does in fact own this beach, by decree of the Daimyo of Fire Country."

"You threaten to make this incident not just between our villages but our entire countries?" Kappa asked in a dark tone. "Has having a Bijuu aiding you made Konoha this arrogant?"

"Did having no Bijuu at all make Kiri this desperate?" Tenzo retorted in kind. "Now, how would you like to leave this beach?"

Kappa held his gaze for a moment. But as Naruto let his chakra flow more freely, the air grew heavy on the Kiri ninja's shoulders, daring them to make this something he had to deal with himself.

"Our quarry isn't here," Kappa said loudly. "Let us leave."

With that, the Kiri ANBU stepped away from their Konoha counterparts, the Konoha ninjas releasing the restrained ones. They steadily put distance between them as they began to retreat before turning to leave quickly.

"Kappa."

The leader stopped in mid-run, looking back to see the golden Kyuubi staring directly at him with a look that seemed cold and even to him.

"Be careful where you swim."

With that ominous warning in the air, the Kiri ANBU all left the area.

"Be careful where you swim," Tenzo repeated. "Was that a threat or a warning?"

"Both," Naruto answered before looking at the Chunin sent to watch him, who had visibly relaxed now that the situation was resolved. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm glad I was warned about the ANBU guarding the area or I might have gotten myself killed before you showed up," he remarked in relief.

"That was the boldest anyone has ever been in coming here," Tenzo remarked. "Spies and scouts, yes, but a whole team of ANBU in the open?"

"They're looking for the slug Bijuu," Naruto remarked with a yawn.

"Hmm? How do you know that?" Tenzo asked curiously.

Naruto shrugged and lied with another truth. "I heard one of them muttering about it in the trees. Though, why aren't they looking for the turtle? Didn't you say they lost both of them?"

"The Sanbi hasn't reformed yet after its last host was killed," Tenzo explained with a hum. "So, Kiri believes the Ryukobi is in the area. I'll have to inform Lady Tsunade."

"Thanks for helping take care of all of this," Naruto said, waving to the ANBU in general.

"Thank you for pointing out where the rest of them were," Tenzo returned.

Naruto hummed as he looked off to where the Kiri ANBU had left while the Konoha ANBU returned to their posts. Tsunade hadn't sent those ANBU because she was overly worried about him being sealed, the battle with the Hakaju hadn't really weakened him. But they were trying to avoid an international incident.

And the nations were getting bolder now.

Naruto didn't know a lot about politics, but he knew one thing. Bad things, like war, often start with someone trying something stupid and dragging a lot of people into it.

Still, there wasn't anything to do about it right now. "So…anyone want to try whale meat?"

Meanwhile

Normally, instant communication across long distances was not something possible, except with very specific Justus.

Danzo was privy to one of them.

A special set of scrolls. When one was written on, the writing was copied on the other. Unfortunately, Danzo had only found this worked reliably with one of his young root agents who specialized in Ink-based Jutsu. Anyone else and the chance of failing rose greatly, especially over a certain distance.

"So, Kiri intruded into the Kyuubi's grounds with the excuse of searching for their own missing Jinchuriki," Danzo mused to himself. That would not do. The Mist Village no doubt felt a bit of confidence, knowing there was an ocean between them and the mainland. A non-factor once Naruto learned to water walk again, which he steadily was, but having no Bijuu at all likely made them desperate enough to pry where they should not.

Still, Danzo was uncertain if he should become involved yet. He already had enough to look into. They were still combing for any clues regarding the Hakaju's creation or controller, but more than that? Naruto had influenced the Fire Daimyo to give aid to the Hidden Rain.

Honestly, not a prospect Danzo disagreed with, given everything. The Leader of the Akatsuki was clearly formidable, one of the few who might be able to subdue a Bijuu long enough to seal them, all on his own. And letting that group grow stronger would be a mistake.

Still, Hanzo himself was an element to not underestimate. In any case, Danzo intended to either bleed the Akatsuki and Rain or push them out entirely. Preferably the first, he'd rather not give Hanzo a chance to get too powerful either.

Danzo scuffed at the memory of Hanzo. "Time barely touches some of us," he remarked. The Leader of Rain was only a bit younger than himself and the late Sarutobi. But Hanzo's power had only barely waned from all reports. He was almost jealous in a way.

He'd keep an eye on Kiri, but he'd leave it in the hands of the Hokage for now. He wrote back to his agent, instructing him to return to observing for now and to remain hidden.

Said agent was regularly posted near the Kyuubi's beach to keep an eye on Naruto.

Something the golden Bijuu was well aware of, Danzo was certain. He also knew that Naruto had made no effort to expose or remove the agent.

Putting the Bijuu under his full control was not a possibility Danzo had ruled out, nor was sealing him. But the state of things spoke volumes, how powerful it was to have a free Bijuu loyal to a village. That was a boon for the village, Danzo couldn't deny.

"How long have you been expecting this meeting of ours?"

"When did you think I wasn't expecting it?"

That exchange echoed in his mind. Just how much did that boy really know now? What could one learn if they could hear everything in the village? Even with seals and barriers crafted to keep sound from escaping, there would always be words slipped and things hinted at.

And with a Bijuu who could hear everything and had nothing to do but listen and contemplate what he overheard?

"To think, those ears are almost more terrifying than his tails," Danzo remarked to himself with a scoff.

Meanwhile

"This is the village."

Hinata's statement broke the silence of the night as the ninja team looked at the recent destruction. There were a lot of buildings damaged on this side of the village, and the entire countryside outside this gate was upturned and devastated.

"This must have been where Naruto first fought it," Sakura said, looking at a wall that had a caved-in section.

"Honestly, for a giant monster fight, I think this place is in good condition," Ino remarked in surprise.

"Blondie, you're right, but don't say that to the locals," Anko recommended, glancing at the setting sun. "We better find an inn for the night."

"Hey, what are you doing here!?" a voice called out, a guard approaching them with a spear. "Didn't we tell you lot to-"

He stopped as more than one of the kunoichi put a hand on their ninja pouch.

"Wait...are you from Konoha?" he asked in surprise, squinting at their headbands.

"That we are. Is there a problem?" Anko asked with a sickly sweet smile.

"No, my apologies. I thought you were someone else," he answered, cocking his helmeted head at them. "Though, what are ninjas doing here now?"

"We're mapping out the, umm, footpaths caused by N- the Kyuubi. For the Landscaping Corp?" Sakura informed.

"That's real? I thought that was some ninja joke," the guard said in surprise. "If you're looking for an Inn, you'll need to head near the village center. All the ones in this area are taken up."

"Thank you for the information," Hinata said with a nod of her head.

"May I ask who or what you thought we were at first?" Anko asked neutrally.

"If I may be frank, Ma'am? I thought you might be some prostitutes," the guard explained honestly.

"What?!" Ino asked in offense until Anko put a hand on her shoulder.

"Really?" Anko questioned. "And why is that on your radar?"

The man motioned to the destruction around them. "Workers have been coming for the reconstruction and repairs. Naturally, other people came hoping for more business; Salesmen, street entertainers, and whores. There's a certain group of whores who have a habit of trying to loot the buildings while they're empty," the guard explained. "Have a good night."

Sakura frowned in understanding. Much like a body repairing a wound, repairing a town from this much damage involved a lot of people and activity. And with those people came opportunists that preyed on tragedy.

"Say, umm, the Kyuubi comes to your village a lot, right?" the guard asked awkwardly. "Please send him our thanks. If not for him, well, all of us would be undead minions of that monster."

"We'll definitely pass that along," Hinata promised with a smile.

With that, they left for the undamaged areas of the village, in hopes of finding a place to stay.

"I'm a little annoyed that man thought we were whores," Ino said with a scuff.

"Don't be. He's just doing his job, the same as us. Even if whores weren't some of the main thieves, we're still suspicious coming through the destroyed end of town," Anko remarked, waving her off before smirking. "Besides, the whore comment was clearly aimed at me, and I want people making that mistake sometimes!"

"You do?" Sakura asked in surprise as Anko grinned. "...You've killed people who let you get too close, thinking they were getting lucky, haven't you?"

"You are the smart one," Anko mock praised.

"I'm telling you, I had it!"

They slowed their walk as they heard a man ranting in some kind of food bar.

"Sure you did, you drunk," another customer said dismissively.

"It was a strand of that golden fur! Bright as the sun! And it vanished in my hand! I could have made a fortune on it!" the man ranted, pounding his fist on the table.

"...Is it a little weird that people would want to make clothes out of Naruto's fur?" Ino asked uncertainty. "I get the appeal, that idiot gleams in the sunlight and everything! I wish I could get a shine like that! But..."

"Yeah, I'd be weirded out if someone made clothes out of my hair," Sakura decided, Hinata nodding in agreement.

Anko chose not to mention she had joked about making some fur boots out of Naruto's hairs.

Meanwhile

"What did you just say!?" Orochimaru snapped with a rare growl in his voice.

"All of the samples from the Hakaju have been destroyed, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto answered with a scowl.

"Someone found one of my most secure labs, entered and left without detection, while destroying my work!?" Orochimaru shouted.

"My Lord, I don't know how yet. I've found no trace of anything that would have allowed them in, let alone undetected," Kabuto answered firmly.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Not even Jiraiya could do all of that. He might have been able to slip by the initial defenses, but there were several traps in that room, seals that would summon various snakes or trigger an alarm.

His eyes remained fixed on Kabuto. Could he have done it? Possibly, but unlikely. There were at least three traps he made sure Kabuto didn't know about. What's more, Kabuto was no fool. He would not report this without someone to potentially and confidently frame. And there was no motive, Kabuto had nothing to gain and everything to lose by destroying the research.

Orochimaru smiled suddenly.

"My Lord?" Kabuto asked in surprise.

"I believe the puppet-master has overplayed his hand," Orochimaru said.

Kabuto only took a moment to guess the meaning. "You believe our saboteur is the one who created that Grave Beast?"

"Indeed. Perhaps, just perhaps, he left some evidence after all," Orochimaru said, stroking his chin. "And if not, well, that alone certainly tells us a great deal about our quarry."

Kabuto said nothing as the Snake Sannin walked by him. He personally didn't like this. Just who else was lurking in these shadows with them?

End of Chapter

Oi boy, lots of little things happened. So, yeah, Summons and other creatures are a result of normal animals absorbing Bijuu chakra and evolving over time. Some Kiri Anbu got a little too bold and promptly got sent home. Danzo is being Danzo. Anko and our trio o young kunoicih reached that first village Naruto saved. And someone fucked with Orochimaru's samples from the Hakaju. Things are decided not slowing down but so much.

Early viewing of chapters 35-36:

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