Chapter 2: Hinata's First Test and the Monstrous Forest

She moved quickly through the forest but a loud crash stopped her. Several trees fell over and smoke started to rise before settling again. Now she could see what had caused the damage to the forest. It looked to be a giant toad of some sort, only it wasn't red, like Naruto's jutsu. No it was a purple color, almost seeming poisonous. But she didn't plan on trying to eat it any time soon. She stood back but it seemed to spot her as it tried to catch her with it's sticky tongue. She managed to dodge before throwing a few kunai at it. It made a high pitched screeching noise before trying to eat her again. She had to some how kill it before it ate her alive. But she had never fought something like this before. Her soft fist style wouldn't work against it as it was.

'I must get stronger. To do so I must kill this giant toad.' And she did her hand signs before calling out Byakugon. There were veins that appeared around her eyes. This only allowed her to see the chakra points and was no real use against the toad. She'd have to get close and personal to be able to kill it, but she'd have to use kunai in order to do so. But she knew she could not die now. It was still far too early in her training to do so.

She pulled out two more kunai before attacking the toad thing quickly, avoiding the toad's tongue. She seemed to vanish and reappear several times, landing hit after hit on the giant toad. Again it screeched, but she paid it no mind and continued attacking until it finally collapsed dead, the slim getting all over her. She was disgruntled about this but continued on, not noticing her sensei hiding in the trees just a few yards away.

Hinata fought toads, giant cats, snakes, dogs, and even slugs as she made her way across the forest. And now she could see a summit over head, with ominous clouds surrounding it. She shivered as she frowned but continued on, stopping when she heard a low rumble. She looked around and spotted an injured fox inside some bushes, blood spewing from it side. She approached but it hissed and she stopped in her tracks. She had to figure out what she knew about foxes.

She knew they were affectionate creatures, but often hunted for their pelts. Then there was the fact that they were possessive of their young and kind. She figured that the fox was protecting something. Then she heard it. The soft bark sound of what could be possible be the fox's young. So she stopped and pulled something out. It always seemed to calm down Akumaru when he got like this so she figured it would work on the fox as well, not to mention heal it. So she knelt, the fox still hissing and placed the item on the floor a few feet away from her, before backing a way a good distance to see what the fox would do.

The fox stopped hissing but didn't take it's eyes off of her as it approached what she had put down. It sniffed it a few times before giving a slight bark and eating it, healing almost instantly. In that moment there was a puff of smoke and the fox was gone. In the foxes place stood a silver haired woman. She was pale in complexion but her smile was a kind one.

"I'm Kitomi, the guardian of Kichigaiyama. This was a test to see if you were worthy of getting to the summit. You have passed." And there was another puff of smoke and she found herself on the summit, her sensei sitting on the edge looking out on the forest.

"I see you have made it. To get this far you must have passed Kitomi's test." She smiled. "Kitomi is very protective of this place. No one will be able to reach here, so we are in complete solitude." She grinned when she saw the dry slime Hinata was in. "Perhaps you should change and bathe. But first to get to the campsite." Kagome stood again and started to walk up the steep incline. Hinata didn't complain, even if she were sore all over and reeked of toad slime, cat blood, dog drool and snake venom. This was just too gross for her.

"Here we are." She spread her arms out and Hinata saw all that was around them. There was a hot spring that was fed by the slow trickle of the river and naturally heated by the underground. There was a fire off to the side and what seemed to be two beds set up. Kagome's pack seemed to be by one of the makeshift beds and she was already undressing.

That was what made Hinata blush. She had never bathed with another person. Even if this was another female, she was still embarrassed.

"Come now Hinata. You need to get all that filth off you." She looked Hinata over pointedly. "But I guess if you want to stay like that…"

"I'm coming," she whispered as she quickly undressed and got in the water, the dried up substances falling away from her body and into the water, only to vanish a few moments later. And she looked at the effects such substances had on her.

She felt a lot stronger and braver, not to mention clean, like a polluting substance was finally gone. She figured that it had been the pressure of her family. She didn't feel like she had to live up to any expectation but her own, and it was a great feeling to have. So she smiled and washed the remainder out of her hair as Kagome washed her self with what looked like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Hinata felt bad again. She forgot to bring some, but she saw Kagome throw it to her.

"Hurry up and wash yourself. It'll get cold soon and we need to turn in for the night. We'll be up early so we need to hurry." Kagome rose from the spring and dressed before walking across the rather large clearing and to her bed. She seemed to pull something out so Hinata quickly washed herself and got out, dressing quickly and coming in time to see her close the book she had taken out.

"I've done a little research real quick." She looked Hinata in the eye. "You had bathed in the slime of a toad, which means you have gained poison and an immunity to all poisons. Next would be the venom of a snake. This means that no venom will affect your system. Also that you can attack the nervous system of another, completely shutting them down. It is a useful trait. Then there is cat blood. You will become far more quicker and have a better sense of sight, not to mention a cat like cleverness about you." She smirked at this. "And finally, the drool of a dog. It actually amazes me that it didn't attack you. It means you are extremely loyal. But being bathed in the drool has some side effects of their own. You'll have a keen sense of smell, not to mention you will be stronger and have become blessed with bravery. Those are admirable traits to have." She smiled. "If you had been sprayed with even a little fox blood you would have been given the attractiveness of the fox. You see foxes are friendly, unless provoked. They are protective and will do all in their power to see the one safe. And they thrive off of affection. They are attractive creatures, and thus gather a lot of attention." But what Kagome had failed to notice was that fox blood did indeed spray on her, just before the fox turned into the being that protected the mountain.

"If that were to happen, then there could be some great surprises." Kagome smiled. "When I went through this test I was bathed in the blood of a cat, the drool of a dog, the blood of a fox, the hair of a mighty tiger, and I was bit by a wolf. Seeing as you know the effects of the first three I'll tell you the last two. Being bathed in the tiger's hair gave me added strength and the ability to leap great distances. The bite from the wolf granted me a loyalty that surpasses that of the dog. If I were to ever fall in love with someone, I would forever be cursed to think of them. Even if they had hurt me, I would forgive them and remain by their side. As well it made me the best hunter alive. I can track anything."

Hinata seemed to nod as she took this all in. There seemed to be many things she didn't know, and this had brought many questions to her mind. Was there truly a limit to the amount of power someone could have? She didn't know, but if what her sensei said was true, then there was going to be repercussions. She wasn't sure if they were good or bad, but that would be seen in the future, but for now she had to sleep, and regain the energy she had lost during the long day.

Author's Corner:

Quick translation for everyone:

Kichigaiyama is basically two parts: Yama= mountain, Kichigai=crazy, so it means crazy mountain.

Sadly there is no poll for this story, but bare with the Kag pairing when it is revealed. Hinata will be with Naruto, it is a kawaii pairing and not really seen or hinted at. Kagome is human, she didn't go back into the past, but I do have a Vampire Knight story I will be posting soon.

But I hope you enjoyed this story so far and thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed. Please keep it up.