Naruto stood beside Tsunade while all the Kage-level ninja who had participated in the exams stood before the attendees as the crowd applauded them.
A faint smile appeared on Naruto's face as he saw Ino, Kiba, Choji, and Sakura being promoted.
After the match, Gaara led everyone back to his office.
"When Naruto and I fought outside, we encountered two members of the Akatsuki organization—Hidan and Kakuzu."
"They used some kind of technique that let them fight from a distance by using someone else as a proxy. We can't even be sure whether they're still in this country."
Kurotsuchi frowned,
"What scum."
Gaara spoke again,
"It goes without saying that this organization's goal is to capture all the Jinchuriki."
Tsunade said expressionlessly,
"Jiraiya's report stated that the Jinchuriki of Kokuo and Gyuki had already been captured."
Onoki showed displeasure on his face,
"We thought Han had run away. How exactly did they manage to take him? That's deeply concerning." He looked at Tsunade and Gaara. "Who remains?"
Tsunade answered him,
"There's still One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails left."
Naruto spoke up from the corner of the room,
"They were also gathering information."
"Oh, right," Gaara continued, "Sasori had plenty of spies. After leaving Sunagakure, he built an espionage network spread across many places."
Onoki said,
"So what now? Should we go after them directly?"
Tsunade shook her head,
"We don't know their exact location."
"Can you tell us how many members there are?" Kurotsuchi asked.
Naruto scratched the back of his head,
"Well, I heard there were nine or ten. Orochimaru used to be one, but I think they split ways. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were the first members I met. Then there was Hidan and Kakuzu. And then Red Sand no Sasori—I killed him—and his partner Deidara."
Onoki quickly turned toward Naruto,
"You actually defeated Deidara?"
Naruto nodded,
"Yeah. Now that I think about it, he actually wore the forehead protector of Iwagakure. The sly bastard… he got away."
Kurotsuchi looked at Naruto in surprise,
"You defeated Deidara?"
Naruto still couldn't reveal that he'd received help from Sai, or he'd be completely exposed.
"Well...I'm still alive, so I guess he couldn't blow me into pieces."
Tsunade stated solemnly,
"They might infiltrate Konoha and confront Naruto directly."
Gaara spoke again,
"They won't come after me or Naruto immediately. For now, they'll probably target other Jinchuriki."
Onoki's beard twitched slightly,
"…I need to recall Roshi."
Naruto said calmly,
"How long will it take to find this man called Roshi?"
Onoki shrugged,
"At least two weeks."
Naruto shook his head,
"That might not be fast enough. Wherever he is, they may already know. I only told my team leader where my ancestral home was, yet they still found me. They might already know his location."
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise.
"You don't have any news about him, Lord Third Tsuchikage?"
Onoki said,
"No. I allowed him to leave years ago so he could learn how to control the Four-Tails' chakra."
Onoki continued,
"So you're suggesting he may already have been captured?"
Naruto nodded,
"Yeah. This is more of a guess on my part."
******
##Five Days Later##
The next morning, they started early and returned to Konoha.
Naruto trudged wearily down the empty streets. He was too exhausted. He took off his sandals, dropped his gear, and then flopped face-down onto the bed and passed out instantly.
******
The next morning, Naruto woke up to a tapping sound at the window.
As he tried to roll over, he felt a weight pressing against his back.
Turning around, he saw Tamako clinging tightly to his back, fast asleep.
"Damn it... did she sneak into my bed while I was away? ...Well, at least the sheets are still clean."
Sighing, Naruto wondered how not to wake her up.
He turned toward the window and saw an Anbu member wearing a cat mask.
Naruto furrowed his brow, created a Shadow Clone, and performed the Substitution Jutsu to swap places with it, then shuffled toward the window sleepily.
"Oh no. Less than twelve hours ago, and she's sending me out again?" He whispered carefully, careful not to wake Tamako.
Yamato shrugged and motioned for Naruto to open the window. Sighing, Naruto complied.
"Hey, Captain. Can't say I'm happy to see you since I didn't feel like working."
Yamato patted Naruto's head.
"Naruto. Lady Hokage wants you to keep your schedule open, ready to take missions at any moment."
Naruto covered his face.
"Alright, fine. At least I can rest for now. Thanks for the message, Captain."
Yamato nodded, then jumped down to continue his routine duties.
Rubbing his head, Naruto turned back around.
The clone beneath Tamako maintained a neutral expression.
"Boss, how should I handle this situation?"
Naruto closed the window and walked away from the bedroom.
"I'll step out for a bit. You stay put until you can get out without waking her."
Smirking, Naruto left the dormitory and shut the door.
Seconds later, the Shadow Clone smirked too. He gently rolled over, gently cradling Tamako in his arms.
"I could really get used to this..."
His grin widened further as Tamako snuggled closer to his chest.
"This is better."
******
Naruto aimlessly wandered through the village, eventually finding himself standing before the Hokage Tower.
Not walking far, he suddenly heard someone calling him:
"Naruto!"
He turned around and saw Sakura approaching with a stack of documents in her arms.
"Hey, Sakura. Long time no see. And by the way, congrats on the promotion."
Smiling, Sakura said,
"Thanks. I've been doing pretty well as Lady Tsunade's apprentice, right?"
Naruto chuckled,
"Yeah. Just... don't hit me like she does..."
Sakura gave a slight nervous laugh, then perked up,
"You rarely show up in the village recently. How have you been lately? Oh, and I ran into that girl who lives in your dorm."
Naruto frowned.
"Tamako's a good kid. She's just a friend I wanted to look out for. All you need to know is that everything that happened in the dorm was completely innocent."
"Hmm, I'm actually pretty swamped right now," Sakura said, waving the papers in her hand. "I need to deliver these to the infirmary, and I have a shift today too. Catch you later."
Naruto gave a slow nod.
Sakura gave a quick wave and left.
******
## The Next Day ##
Naruto sat on the sofa in the dorm, staring at the message board on the wall. It was filled with all the information they'd gathered about the Akatsuki members.
Tamako sat beside him, wearing a black collar with a golden clasp at the back and an emerald stone at the front—a gift from Naruto.
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