Naruto was sitting in the ANBU lounge in the secret headquarters, reading idly and casually ignoring the fact that his ANBU guard had been assembled there.

Technically, he was there as Takamatsu Sōjirō, the genius ANBU operative Kitsune, since he had become an active ANBU agent under that alias some time back. As for what he was doing there...

...the answer was very simple. Naruto was bored.

Continuously working on the dumb immortality seal for months on end without ever reaching a breakthrough had to get boring at some point.

Naruto was more surprised that he managed to keep at it for an entire year before his patience worn thin.

Well, it was not exactly a year, but eleven months plus a week.

Naruto refused to return to his work. It only got increasingly frustrating the longer the process dragged and he needed a break from all of that. Other children were still playing, for goodness sake.

And since he did not want to continue working on his seals, which were so close yet so far from his goal, he decided to spend his time doing other more productive things. Such as going on S-rank missions with his ANBU team. He knew what it was like to go on ANBU missions, but it had been a while since he had last gone on a suicide mission. Missing the adrenaline rush, he decided to try his luck.

Unfortunately, all he got was a simple diplomatic mission to Suna.

Naruto did not mind the idea of seeing Gaara and Sasori again (separately, of course), but he would rather have gone for a mission to assassinate some big shot.

Before he could make up his mind to escape, leaving the job to his clone once more, Hiruzen walked in.

"You know the mission details. Kitsune, you're the only one who knows what is written in the scroll. If the Kazekage refuses, it is your job to convince him otherwise. The fate of our villages lies in your hands. The scroll is to remain unopened until it reaches the Kazekage's hands. Do you understand?" Hiruzen barked.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the ANBU members in the room shouted, balling their right hands into fists and slamming them into their chests.

"You may proceed. You are to ensure that the negotiations are successful. Your time limit is seven days. Use it wisely," Hiruzen announced.

And all six ANBU operatives vanished from the room in a simultaneous Shunshin.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

Somehow, their journey to Suna turned into a race to see who was fastest. However, Neko, Hebi and Inu were far outmatched by the other three. It ended up becoming a tough battle between Itachi, Karasu and Kitsune, which Kitsune managed to win by speeding up suddenly as soon as the gates had come into view and dashing in before anyone could react. He was too fast for the guards to spot, in fact, despite the lack of a sandstorm to conceal his entrance this time.

Itachi and Shisui tied and all three waited patiently at an inn for their slower teammates to arrive, during which Naruto managed to sneak off to visit Sasori, who informed Naruto that he had been approached by the one who called himself Pein. Considering that the three had made it to Suna in half a day when it was supposed to be a three-day journey, they had leeway. Naruto was about to sneak off to find Gaara when Kakashi, Yugao and Anko finally arrived, panting for breath.

The three ran nonstop for an entire day and night, unable to use Shunshin to transport themselves over such long distances as Itachi and Shisui did. Naruto, on the other hand, just dropped all his resistance seals and gravity seals before proceeding to sprint at breakneck speed. He only used Shunshin at the end for the little boost past the gates that neither Shisui nor Itachi was able to catch even with their Sharingan activated. All he looked like was a dark blur, here for an instant and there the next.

Kakashi managed to come in as the first one from the second group, arriving a full hour sooner than Yugao and Anko who had been completely against the race from the start. Kakashi had not expected the newcomer to be able to keep up with the two Uchiha, one of which was also known as the prodigy while the other was known as Shunshin no Shisui for his impeccable skill in utilising the jutsu in battle. Then again, Kitsune was known as the Genius.

He had stumbled upon Konoha, his clothes in tatters and with no memories other than the death of his parents, his journey to Konoha and his name, Takamatsu Sōjirō. It was quite obvious that he was but a civilian, having been put into that state by mere bandits. However, he proceeded to pick everything up at a ridiculous pace. His chakra system was unopened but turned out to have yet to stagnate. It also turned out that he had rather large reserves for one who had never used chakra in his entire life. Then he proceeded to easily grasp the basics of chakra control and weapon-wielding, proceeding to be recommended into ANBU by the Hokage himself who had taken him in and taught him a fair bit. What most amazed them all, however, was his amazing skill in kenjutsu.

And that led them to believe that he was an Uzumaki.

After all, he possessed the trademark red hair and violet eyes of the Uzumaki clan, along with their naturally massive chakra reserves. It was not that difficult for them to come to such a conclusion. Most of those in Konoha who had been alive when Uzushiogakure had still prospered knew that the Uzumaki had scattered after the attack on their village by Iwa, Kumo and Kiri. It was not impossible for a young Uzumaki with no shinobi training to have decided to become part of the merchant life and continue life as a civilian, only to birth a child of great talent.

Even Hiruzen believed that rumour, which he had proven to be true when he sent a hair sample he had taken from "Sōjirō" for a DNA test.

Thankfully, Naruto had disguised the blood clone's DNA signature as the DNA of a pure main branch Uzumaki (in other words, a member of Uzu's royal family) with no other notable relations except for the Senju. He was glad that he had done it when Sōjirō was suddenly approached by Hiruzen who told him that he had a clan. Hiruzen had also explained to Sōjirō that he had family in Konoha, showing him Naruto's file. Even the clone had trouble stopping himself from chuckling.

Kakashi also frequently used that as an excuse for why Sōjirō happened to do so well in practically everything.

"Maa, maa, Sōjirō-san is an Uzumaki. They're good at everything!" had somehow become a famous catchphrase after Kakashi had said that for the fiftieth time in the Hokage's office when the Sandaime had asked after Naruto's clone's progress.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

The team of six ANBU operatives stood before the Kazekage in full uniform, Kitsune standing right in front of the group of masked shinobi who were still at attention.

None of them so much as twitched even as Rasa scrutinised him with his piercing gaze, remaining perfectly still with Naruto before Rasa and presenting the scroll with contents that were intended to improve the relations between their villages. They had been allowed entrance as an envoy from their allied Konohagakure no Sato, even if much suspicion from the fact that an ANBU team - a black ops group in Konoha that is well known as the precursor to Kiri's hunter-nin and Seven Swordsmen, along with the systems in all the other villages which appeared soon after as the Kage imitated the Nidaime Hokage's actions in setting up a specialised force consisting of highly skilled shinobi. Those not affiliated to Konoha's ANBU knew nothing of their operations, skill sets or even the basic system, of course, but that did not mean that rumours were not heard.

The fact that an ANBU team was sent for an agreement based on the treaty between the two villages was highly suspicious. Naruto had the sinking feeling that the only reason why Suna may have ended up in such a sad state the last time around was that the scroll he kept safely in his messenger's carrier pouch, which doubled as a pouch for all his readied fūinjutsu scrolls, had not been signed. He doubted this was because of an interception, considering that this was an ANBU team. There was still the possibility the mission had been unsuccessful due to failed negotiations, though.

Even if his ANBU team was easily the best in skill with the highest success rate, most ANBU operatives had poor social skills and would not be all that good at politics or negotiations with a Kage.

Besides, Naruto had the feeling that no one on the team would have known the contents of the scroll if not for his being there. Hiruzen trusted the teenage male known as Takamatsu Sōjirō, whom he thought of as a son of his own. The Sandaime Hokage had willingly trained his blood clone and even offered to let him sign the monkey contract, though he had declined. Even so, Hiruzen had told Naruto's clone that the offer would still stand should he ever change his mind, even going so far as to list all the benefits of having a summoning contract.

Thankfully, the contract scroll was in the hands of the Monkey King Enma and not even the aged Hokage himself had access to it.

Should he ever choose to sign it, Hiruzen would still be in the dark that it was the one and only Uzumaki Naruto who was his best (though this was understandably arguable) ANBU operative.

"So you claim to be here to deliver a proposal on an addition to the treaty?" Rasa questioned.

His smooth voice had gravelly undertones and sounded deceptively calm.

"Indeed, Kazekage-sama. I apologise for my forwardness, but please understand that we are not permitted to unmask during an ANBU mission. Our identities are, unfortunately, a village secret. I am aware that it is not the norm for a team like ours to be assigned to such a mission, but what is enclosed within this scroll is too sensitive for the likes of a mere chūnin envoy. It is highly classified information that cannot fall into the wrong hands. Please do understand," Naruto stated, his voice a steady monotone.

The Kazekage nodded slowly, but followed the ANBU operative's explanation with a question, "And what exactly does it entail?"

Kitsune did not even flinch, calmly meeting the Kazekage's gaze with his own through the eye holes of his mask as he replied simply, "That is highly classified information, sir. Not even my teammates are aware of what is entailed except for the fact that it is a clause concerning the treaty between our villages."

Rasa swept his eyes over the team of ANBU briefly before nodding.

"Very well. All of you are dismissed, except for your team leader Kitsune," the Kazekage spoke.

Inu, who usually held the position as the leader of their team, glanced at Kitsune imploringly.

The team leader held absolute authority during an ANBU mission. Not even a Kage of an allied village would be able to undermine the orders of their leader. That was just how powerful the word of the team leader was to an ANBU operative.

Kitsune nodded slightly, the movement so small that it was barely perceptible even to the trained eyes of the Kazekage. This was, of course, only because he had not been looking for it, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless. It was difficult to make such small precise signals without drawing any attention to them, after all.

Inu nodded back as the five ANBU operatives saluted their team leader and bowed to their village's allied Kage before swiftly retreating from the office.

Once the door was shut behind the group, the palpable tenseness in the atmosphere dissipated. The Kazekage proceeded to wave a hand almost lazily as his personal guard left the room right after. Then, the village leader did a series of hand seals as the seals covering the walls of the office lit up and dimmed. The man relaxed, yet eyed Kitsune critically.

"I am aware that you are here for negotiations and will attempt to convince me to sign whatever agreement Hokage-dono may have thought up, so please do give me a brief overview of what it entails," Rasa requested, albeit it came across as more of an order.

Naruto, still in the form of Sōjirō, did not bother to stall.

Instead, he pulled off his mask and bowed to the Kazekage at his waist.

This was to no small amount of shock to Rasa, though his training as a shinobi helped help him mask that emotion from his potential enemy.

"As a symbol of trust and goodwill from Hokage-sama to yourself as the Kage of an allied village, Kazekage-sama, I was sent with the instructions to reveal my identity before beginning with the negotiations," he said curtly, maintaining a passive mask.

When the Kazekage merely nodded in a sign for him to continue, he introduced himself with a low bow, "I am here today as Takamatsu Sōjirō, a trusted jōnin and the diplomat that has been sent by Hokage-sama. I will not be speaking as ANBU captain Kitsune for the duration of our negotiations."

"And I take that such information is meant only for my ears?" Rasa questioned, carefully hiding his disbelief at this sudden revelation.

"Indeed," 'Sōjirō' said demurely, bowing his head to the Kazekage.

"Very well... You may begin your rundown of the agreement. I will reserve my right to reject that scroll of yours in the situation where it does not appease me," the Kazekage stated.

Naruto showed no sign of having heard the latter part of the Kazekage's instructions.

"Hokage-sama has heard wind of the situation here in Suna," he began bluntly. "He is aware of the problem that your shinobi are facing here due to the actions of the Daimyō of Kaze no Kuni."

Rasa tensed slightly but showed no other sign of his discomfort.

"If so, what does your Kage propose?" he asked as he stared at the redhead intently.

"Hokage-sama proposes that we send fifteen per cent of the mission requests that the office in Konohagakure receives over to Sunagakure. This will consist mostly of missions of B- and C-rank, along with a small percentage of A-rank missions which will be easier for a Suna team to carry out than it would be for the Konoha shinobi," the disguised blond laid out the basics of the plan.

Rasa's eyes narrowed immediately in suspicion because the offer was simply far too good to be true.

"How does Konoha benefit from such an arrangement?" the Kazekage questioned, doubtfully staring at the redhead.

"There are no technicalities to blindside Suna -- if that was what you were asking, Kazekage-sama. Konoha, in all of its high prestige, is simply receiving too many requests. Low-ranking missions are difficult to distribute due to the sheer number of them. The manpower in Konohagakure is being stretched thin by the number of mission requests that we are receiving from our various clientele. The large number of C-ranks has the Konohagakure jōnin and ANBU forces doing them as well. This is already causing problems in the village and there are insufficient shinobi for deployment within the village. This arrangement benefits Konoha as much as it is intended to help our ally," Naruto explained, remaining calm despite the accusing tone of the other male.

"Yet a team of ANBU was sent here for simply that? Though I admit that such village matters are indeed sensitive, I find it rather improbable that the Hokage would send a full team here with the forces stretched thin as you so claim," Rasa noted, as perceptive as one would expect of a Kage.

"Of course not," the redhead quickly denied, yet not sounding defensive. "This is explained in more detail within the scroll you have yet to accept, but Hokage-sama also proposes to open free trade between our villages. Civilian merchants and shinobi equipment alike are intended to be included in this deal. Suna has resources that Konoha has no access to, while Konoha has easy access to products that will no doubt benefit your forces."

Rasa could not hide his shock at this point as his jaw dropped.

"These arrangements help Suna as much as they will benefit Konoha," the Konoha nin said conclusively.

Still slightly bewildered, Rasa said dazedly, "I will take that scroll off your hands. You will be called in should I seek further clarification on the terms. This matter will be further discussed with the Suna council."

Naruto nodded, nicking his finger on the seal on the cylindrical container which held the scroll and channelled chakra into the carved fūinjutsu matrix that the seal was a part of.

It popped open and he presented the scroll to the Kazekage.

"I was not aware that Konoha held the loyalty of a fūinjutsu expert," Rasa commented idly as he picked up the scroll and started to unroll the parchment.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

That was a very basic seal that he was intending to release to Konohagakure's shinobi market via the Hokage's private channels.

"I made that," he commented offhandedly even as the Kazekage froze in shock.

He did not see much point in keeping it a secret anyway. It was bound to get out anyway. He used fūinjutsu in his fights, though he stuck to pre-made ones as Takamatsu Sōjirō.

"I... see..." Rasa said numbly as he channelled his chakra into the seal matrix on the otherwise blank parchment and the ink flowed across the white paper to form hiragana and kanji.

The Kazekage seemed to think this over.

"Are your seals available for sale?" he asked.

"They are sold in the shinobi market of Konohagakure. If you agree to the deal, my work with seals should not be difficult for you to have access to. From what I know of Suna's shinobi forces, there are no proficient fūinjutsu experts in service. The closest is the village elders and not even they hold the title of Seal Master. They specialise in puppetry. This deal will help your village in that regard," the redhead added, easily sweetening the deal.

Rasa nodded slowly, contemplatively.

"You are dismissed. As a representative from Konoha, you are permitted to reside in the guest quarters in my residence for the duration of your stay here," the Kazekage told him.

"I appreciate your hospitality, Kazekage-sama, but I am afraid that I will have to decline. I am required to stay with my team, after all," Naruto said apologetically.

"That is unfortunate. If so, I must insist that you and your teammates stay at Kogane no Taiyō. It is the best hotel we have here and has an entire wing reserved for use by the Kazekage's guests," Rasa said amiably.

Naruto was well aware that the only reason why the Kazekage was being so hospitable and friendly was that he had presented such an irresistible offer. For that reason, he simply accepted the invitation without complaint. He did not want to come off as impudent, after all.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama," he said plainly as he donned his mask.

"I hope you would enjoy your stay here. Feel free to consider this trip as a short vacation until I get back to you," stated the Kazekage.

Taking that as the final dismissal, the redhead bowed once more and left the office without a word.

He watched the privacy seals glow again before vanishing as the doors swung open.

"Single-use seals?" he mumbled in disbelief.

Perhaps the fūinjutsu situation in Suna was worse than he had thought.

He had suspicions considering how a glorified storage seal that he was unable to believe did not immediately fail and release the Ichibi was used on Gaara. However, to be unable to make multi-use privacy seals was just a bit too much. Even a beginner should have been capable of making them. Then again, that was by Uzumaki standards.

Perhaps a level three Uzumaki fūinjutsu practitioner was considered a Seal Master by the rest of the world. Such a thing would not surprise him all that much. It did not seem particularly atypical of the Uzumaki clan. Either overdo it or do not do it at all.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

Naruto had just managed to escape his fellow ANBU operatives and was strolling through the streets. He had opted for a path through one of the less crowded areas and was simply walking around aimlessly. His eyes were focused on the view as he took in the scenery all around him.

The occasional local wildlife; a greenhouse here or there; the house of the random unsociable shinobi citizen of Sunagakure. It was all these little things that Naruto took in during his walk around the village. He was not wearing his uniform or his hitai-ate, though, so no one recognised him as a citizen and shinobi of Konohagakure.

Other than the sounds of the wind rustling through the sparse desert brush, the entire district was silent.

His light footsteps were soundless, every footfall a centimetre above the dirt path, a testimony to his nigh impossible level of pure chakra control. His civilian clothes, equipped with various seals, were durable, lightweight and cut through the air itself with little to no resistance. Additionally, the material which made the clothing in itself was made of cotton strengthened by the thin threads of nylon woven through it. They simply did not rustle even as he moved.

He relished in the simple peacefulness he would never be able to find in the cacophonous embrace that was Konohagakure, allowing his consciousness to drift as he walked through the empty streets down the dirt path.

That was why he did not notice the tiny elderly woman until it was too late.

In other words, he collided with a surprisingly strong little grey-haired lady and sent the large pile of scrolls and notebooks that she carried in her arms tumbling to the floor as the elderly woman fell on her bum. On his part, he only stumbled backwards slightly, more out of shock than anything else. He had not been concentrating on his surroundings and hence did not sense her at all.

She opened her mouth, probably to yell at him, but before the words on her tongue could leave her lips, he had rushed forward and started to pick up the fallen items with a string of rather sincere apologies falling from his lips.

"I'm sorry, obaa-san! I was just a little lost in thought. I beg your forgiveness. I hope you're alright, ma'am..." he trailed off in his words as his eyes landed on the notes scrawled on one page of an open notebook and his gaze suddenly intensified. Then his eyes darted to the open scroll next to it as ideas started to fill his mind, finally taking a solid form instead of simply vanishing into wispy dredges of mist whenever his eyes landed upon them. After months upon months of research and fruitless labour, he had come upon an epiphany.

"That's it..." he murmured lowly to himself, eyes wide and slightly unfocused as his mind ran at impossible speeds to put everything he knew together.

Then he snapped back into focus, stacking the rest of the scrolls and books neatly on the one he held in one hand before turning around to face the elderly woman that he had knocked down.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Naruto asked in concern as he leaned down while reaching his free hand out in an impressive display of balance and coordination.

She blinked at him before nodding, ignoring his outstretched hand in favour of picking herself off the ground.

"I am quite alright," she said curtly.

"These are rather heavy... would you like for me to help you bring this to wherever you intend to head to right now?" the disguised blond asked, his polite mannerisms concealing his great urge to abandon the mission to continue working on the seal which he had finally gotten some form of headway on.

She gave him a cursory glance before nodding in assent.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

As the pair walked down the dirt road -- the old lady's light footsteps generating a rhythmic tap-tap-tap while she led the redhead towards her intended destination, the elderly woman eyed her younger companion.

She observed him keenly, her gaze unclouded by the age that caused her skin to wrinkle and sag.

Abruptly, she broke the peaceful silence that hung between them with a short statement.

"I don't recall ever seeing you here in the village before."

The redhead only smiled down at her, replying demurely, "I am not from these parts. I am but a traveller passing through Sunagakure."

There was another brief silence between them, though this was less comfortable and more of an awkward sort.

"What is your name?" she questioned.

"You may address me as Sōjirō," he replied. "And may I ask for yours?"

"Chiyo," she responded curtly.

"Nice to meet you, Chiyo-san," Naruto said politely.

Another break in conversation followed, but this one was far more natural.

"Sōjirō-san... I apologise if this makes you feel uncomfortable, but you remind me of a child that I had known and lost," Chiyo stated all of a sudden.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Oh?"

"My grandson," she elaborated. "He had red hair, just like yours. He was also painfully polite and uncomfortable with speaking to others. He was never much good at interacting with others and had always preferred puppets to human contact. He was a very intelligent child."

Naruto suppressed a wince at the way Chiyo spoke of Sasori in the past tense, almost as though he was dead.

"I see. I do hope I am not causing you any unnecessary pain," he spoke diplomatically.

She shook her head, a small yet almost fond smile tugging at her lips.

"No, it is quite the opposite. It is nice for me to meet someone like you. It is like having my grandson with me all over again," she told him. "It is a rather pleasant feeling."

The redhead was silent in thought for a minute as he looked at the grey-haired female with a contemplative expression.

"I do not particularly mind spending some time with you during my stay here, Chiyo-obaa-san," Naruto finally said.

Chiyo looked up in surprise, her eyes prickling slightly with emotion.

"I would like that," she whispered softly, her gaze drifting down.

Soon, they stopped in front of what seemed to be a dune not far from the wall that was the boundary of Sunagakure.

"You may come and look for me here. I do not often leave this place, so you should be able to find me if you come here," Chiyo told her new surrogate grandson as she pressed her hand to the side of the dune, revealing it to be a genjutsu as her hand passed right through the seemingly solid wall.

When she stepped through the hidden entrance of the cave, Naruto followed after her as she opened a door that led into a workshop and then set the stack of scrolls and notebooks on the first table he saw.

"I can teach you the art of puppetry and about basic poisons, if you come here again," Chiyo offered.

"I would like that," Naruto replied with a nod.

"See you tomorrow, obaa-san," he called over his shoulder as he started making his way out of the workshop.

"Stay safe, Sōjirō-san," she replied.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

"High-speed regeneration... soul anchor... no ageing... space-time... medical jutsu..." Naruto mumbled as his pencil scratched down notes on the small notepad he always kept on hand, hunched over the table as he scribbled down the list with feverish excitement.

"Sōjirō-san?"

The disguised redhead was jolted out of his thoughts as Hatake Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom into their shared hotel room.

None of them even knew why the decision was made for them to room up in pairs. It was just a unanimous agreement that had not needed words, the ANBU operatives swiftly pairing off with a strange efficiency. They had then gone off to claim their respective rooms, leaving the redhead standing at the reception with an oddly pleased Inu.

Kakashi's mask was nowhere to be seen, and the only thing preserving his decency was a white towel wrapped around his hips. Water dripped off his silver hair, slightly flattened and resembling the hair of a normal person where it was usually far from tame in its gravity-defying sweep. Rivulets of water trekked down his toned arms, mapped out the planes of his abdomen -- a defined six-pack not uncommon within the ANBU ranks -- and dipped under the towel as it followed the V line of his pelvis.

The one known as Kitsune did not care to look any lower.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi, less known as ANBU captain Inu, asked in concern.

"I'm fine. I was just working on a seal," Naruto replied truthfully.

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement as he went to his side of the room.

"Just don't overdo it..." he warned, sounding slightly concerned.

The disguised blond just waved his hand at his fellow ANBU operative in a dismissive manner as he closed his notebook and slid it into a drawer.

"I'm fine," he insisted.

Then, he casually changed the topic as the silver-haired jōnin pulled on a sweatshirt, "Besides, why do you hide your face behind that mask in the first place? You have nothing to hide."

Kakashi looked taken aback.

"Was that a compliment?" he barely managed to get out.

"It was a statement of fact," Naruto responded without even looking at his teammate.

Before Kakashi could continue pestering him, Naruto entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

Naruto inserted his copy of the key into the door of the hotel room he shared with Kakashi, who was out drinking with Itachi and Shisui.

He pushed some chakra into the key and twisted the doorknob, pulling the door open before removing the key and entering Sasori's secret workshop.

He was truly surprised by how empty the room was.

A number of the puppets that had been placed here or there on racks that supported them had vanished and there was no sign of Sasori being there at all.

Going further into the now-abandoned - well, mostly - workshop, Naruto noticed a sheet of paper on Sasori's workstation.

The note read:

Naruto,

Apologies. I was outside and had been gathering resources when I was approached by a black and white plant which took me to the one with the Rinnegan. Orange-haired, of average height and with black piercings all over his face. He introduced himself as Pein and declared himself a god. They presented me with the offer to join Akatsuki. I was originally planning to reject them before I remembered that you had said that I needed to do it, leaving me with no choice but to join.

By the time you are reading this, I will already be with the Akatsuki. I will, of course, map out all the bases I visit, as well as the headquarters itself. From what I understand from your earlier explanation of the various functions of those seals on the Workshop, they should become accessible to you too.

Sasori

Naruto sighed.

Well, it was just in time, he supposed. Sasori was supposed to have joined the Akatsuki at some point before Uchiha Itachi would have joined. Seeing as the Uchiha clan massacre was scheduled to happen in a few months, Sasori joining the Akatsuki was probably long overdue.

Naruto trudged back out of the Workshop (he snickered at the reminder that Sasori named his secret workshop Workshop, capitalised, even), resigning himself to a dull evening alone in the hotel room.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

He had taken Chiyo up on her offer.

He went back to the cave workshop daily to learn about puppetry and poisons.

He learned how to make chakra strings (or threads) and then how to make them thinner but more sturdy. He learned how to control a puppet using chakra strings and then about the finer controls which required the puppet to have artificial chakra systems to work more effectively. He even managed to get the hang of controlling ten puppets at one go, one for each of his ten fingers.

He was taught how to make puppet parts. He was taught how to polish puppets and oil their joints to prevent excess friction which might cause damage to them. He was then taught how to put them together to assemble puppets and equip them with weapons of all kinds.

He learned about the various components of various poisons and the exact composition of each one. He learned about the effects of the various ratios of ingredients and understood, intrinsically, the theory and chemistry behind it, resolving to learn how to concoct counters based on an analysis of the components of the poison alone. He even learned about how to make antidotes to each poison, though this was a subject more complex than the poison-making itself.

There were many things that he had managed to learn from Chiyo, even if his favourite type of shinobi art, fūinjutsu, was not something that she had great skill in.

Time flew by and soon, Naruto was returning to Konoha with a scroll from the Kazekage to the Hokage to reply in affirmative to the proposal.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

"Sasuke! Come here, dammit! I need someone else to go over this thing to make sure there are no flaws before I can even think to start testing it," Naruto shouted as he burst into their secret hideout, a scroll in hand.

Both Sasuke and Sakura almost jumped out of their skins in fright.

"Hokage-sama!" Sakura exclaimed in pure exasperation. "Where in the world did you vanish to this time? You were gone for two days, not even showing up here for so much as a minute to tell us you're alright."

Naruto blinked in confusion.

Only to realise that his blood clone had saved him from Sakura's wrath for having left without a word and staying out for almost three weeks, causing her to think that he had only left when it went back to its job as Takamatsu Sōjirō. He was truly glad that he had such a loyal... Uh... Subordinate? Then again, it was still a clone. It was in their nature to be subservient to their creator and always act in their creator's best interests.

"That doesn't matter!" he shouted, annoyance at his friend for not understanding the situation making itself known. "I got a breakthrough! I've found a way to obtain true immortality!"

Sasuke and Sakura found their jaws dropping in matching expressions of pure shock.

That was not what they had expected when Naruto kept brushing them off the past few months while muttering about a side project.

To think of finding a seal to grant one immortality as a side project was something only Naruto could do.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused when all he received were blank stares.

"Naruto."

"Yes?"

"Finding a feasible method to gain immortality is not something that you should be upset over failing to accomplish after only working on it for eleven months."

"It took an entire year. Besides, it was getting frustrating."

"I am pretty sure no one can claim to have done such a thing in less than a decade, other than you."

"But it was taking all my-"

"One does not consider a quest to find a method to gain immortality a side project!" Sasuke burst out, interrupting the exchange between Sakura and Naruto.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"That scroll you have there is information that many people would be willing to kill to obtain," Sasuke gritted out, barely maintaining any level of calm.

"Like Orochimaru?" Naruto asked, his head tilted to the side.

"Yes, like Orochimaru," Sasuke agreed, only to turn a little green before starting to run out of the room while throwing over his shoulder, "I need...! Bathroom!"

Naruto and Sakura locked gazes.

"Oops?" Naruto spoke sheepishly.

"Naruto..." Sakura sighed, "You never change, always making us worry about you."

"Sorry?"

Sakura face-palmed.

"That doesn't help, Naruto."