Here's a new chap.

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"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!!!!"

Naruto rolled to the side as he avoided Inuyasha's attack. He did a quick backflip, catching the hanyou with a kick to his chin. Inuyasha growled in anger and lunged at the ninja again.

The group had been tracking him down since he had taken their shards. Of course he had left them a clear trail. He had been searching for the best place to engage them. But it appeared that when Inuyasha had sensed him having stopped moving he forced the group into an all night march.

So they had caught up.

But now the majority were dead tired and no match for him and even though Inuyasha refused to show it even his movements were more sluggish and clumsier than normal and that was saying something.

Naruto sighed. Inuyasha was strong, but he could be so much stronger if he actually fought like a fighter instead of a brawler. With a side step Inuyasha's claws barely grazed his cheek and with a chakra enforced punch right into the red clad half demons gut, the Hanyou doubled over in a coughing fit. Naruto couldn't blame him, he had packed enough chakra in that fist to make over 100 shadow clones.

"Next time don't leave yourself so wide open. First shinobi technique: Taijutsu." He said in a similar tone to that of his old senseis when he did something wrong.

"Inuyasha!"

'The monk!' Naruto turned around and saw Miroku as he threw several of his Sutra at Naruto.

The young Anbu leapt into the air and back flipped to land safely in a tree branch.

"HIRAIKOTSU!"

Naruto's head snapped around in the direction he had heard the voice. "WHAT?!"

He barely registered the sight of Sango's massive boomerang before it plowed straight through the tree he had claimed as his perch.

He grunted in slight pain as he hit the ground. Luckily he was able to roll with it and got to his feet much quicker than what most would have been able to do were they in his position.

A shift in the air caught his attention and he caught an arrow, that would have hit him in the thigh, between his thumb and index finger. He looked at the point and then turned to the girl who fired it. "You could have hit me!" He mocked.

Kagome sweatdropped but then her temper flared. Was he insulting her?

'THAT JERK!' She mentally yelled before notching another arrow, this one glowed with miko energy.

'Ohhhhh, shit!' Naruto mentally yelped before sprinting away to avoid the demented one's arrows.

As he finally escaped Kagome's firing range the blond could breath again. Geeze, if he didn't know any better he'd say they were trying to kill him……

"HA!" Came Sango's voice as she slammed Her Hiraikotsu down in an attempt tocleave him in two from head to toe.

The blond side stepped and as Sango's boomerang slammed into the earth he swiftly placed his foot down on top of it, stopping her from lifting it up again.

Sango didn't even blink before she took out the sword she always kept as a backup and swiped at the blond.

As if it was done by magic a kunai was in Naruto's hands and he blocked the young demon slayers blade with his own. With his free hand he took out another kunai and moved to slice at her.

Sango, by reflex, let go of her Hiraikotsu and grabbed his wrist.

Naruto smirked and with some quick footwork, Hiraikotsu flew high into the air. Sango now saw his plan, he wanted to separate her from her weapon of choice.

Naruto saw Inuyasha approaching behind him from the reflection of Sango's blade and mentally cursed. He let go of the kunai that was in the hand Sango had grabbed and grabbed her wrist this time.

Sango's eyes went wide with shock before the blond gave her wrist a violent twist making her scream out in pain. Her grip on her sword slackened for a brief moment and Naruto seized it.

Before Sango knew what was happening her sword was out of her grasp and she was facing Inuyasha, who had stopped mid attack.

Naruto kicked her towards the Hanyou and leapt back to a safe distance.

He was about to make his escape when…

"WIND TUNNEL!" Miroku yelled. His intention was not to suck the blond in, since that would take the jewel shards as well, but to merely stall him long enough for the whole group to get there.

Naruto cursed as the howling winds drew him towards the black void. If it wasn't for using chakra to stick to the ground he would have been sucked in already. 'Allright, think Uzumaki. How do you get yourself out of this one?'

He thought for a few moments before something hit him. 'Of course!'

With a discrete hand seal he made a shadow clone.

Miroku watched the ninja struggle to keep himself from being sucked in. As a matter of fact…Just HOW was he keeping himself in place anyway?" He wasn't even holding onto a branch or anything?

Before he could ponder on this anymore he watched as the blond threw a chain into the bushes and pulled the chain back, in which emerged…

SHIPPOU!!

Miroku's eyes went wide for a brief moment before he quickly wrapped his cursed hand with the prayer beads again. But his shock turned to confusion as 'Shippou' vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Second Shinobi technique: Genjutsu."

Naruto smirked but it died as soon as he saw that he was surrounded. Miroku infront of him, Inuyasha behind him, Sango to his left and Kagome to his right.

He looked up.

Nope Kirara had that covered too.

Kagome then.

"Fox fire!" Came Shippou's cry as the area infront of Kagome was covered in blue flames. It appeared as if the little fox knew where his train of thought was heading. Oh well.

"Well now, this is a predicament isn't it?" He asked with his usual laziness.

Inuyasha growled. "Hurry up and give us back the jewel shards and maybe I wont kill you."

Naruto lazily took out the small glass jar from his pocket. "You mean these?" He asked as he lazily rolled them between his thumb and index finger.

He saw the whole group tense and he smiled.

"Nah, I think I'll keep them!" He said happily.

"Feh" Inuyasha snorted. "Have it your way!" He said before unsheathing Tetsusaiga and running for the blond.

Naruto's eyes glinted with mischievousness. A glint that was not lost on Miroku.

"INUYASHA STOP!" He tried to call out, but it was far too late.

Before Inuyasha could react he felt two hand's wrap around his ankles and in a flash he was neck deep in dirt.

Naruto sprouted from the ground infront of him with his eyes as upside down U's that practically danced with amusement. "Third Shinobi technique: Ninjutsu."

He then felt the cold edge of Sango's sword on his neck. She had managed to seize the opportunity, while Miroku, Kagome, Shippou and…scratch that Kirara was breathing down his neck. But still the other three were gawking at him.

"Give us the shards and release Inuyasha now, assassin!" Her voice was as cold as the steel on his neck.

But still. He wasn't going to give them the illusion of victory. They had been getting by through the skin of their teeth. They had to learn, especially Inuyasha that they were not invincible or they would find out the hard way.

Already if it wasn't for Sesshomaru's timely arrival against the mercenary that used poisons most, if not all of the group would never have made it past the Mnt.Hakurei adventure.

So yes. This was one battle; they were not going to win.

With movement none of the Inu group believed any human capable of Naruto had managed to twist around In Sango's hold with only a tiny cut on his neck to show for it and managed to grab her sword arm and twist it behind her back.

"Sango!" Miroku moved forward but with a few one handed seals he, Kagome, Shippou and Kirara were surrounded by shadow clones that were pointing some very sharp objects at their necks.

"It looks like you guy's lose. Naruto said in a bored tone.

The inu group all gulped and came to the realization that indeed. They had lost.

Then in an instant, the shadow clones vanished and Sango was released.

Naruto smiled and tossed Kagome the bottle of shards. "Here ya go!"

Kagome fumbled as she caught the bottle and stared at the blond ninja with wide disbelieving eyes. "Bu-but why?"

Naruto leveled her with a blank stare. "You can't figure it out?"

Kagome and the rest of the group including Inuyasha, who was still buried stared confusedly at the young ninja. Naruto sighed. "It was all a test. A way for me to test you."

Inuyasha blinked stupidly. "Test us? For what?"

Naruto turned to the entombed Hanyou with a lazy eye. "Your abilities, and I must say they are quite…lacking. You have potential but it is all mostly untapped."

"What the hell do you mean lacking? I'll show you lacking you little blond haired bastard!" Was Inuyasha's reply as he started grunting and trying to escape his earthly imprisonment.

Naruto sighed and turned to the others. "Like I said before. I was sent by a mutual friend to help you. And I'm going to do it even if I have to beat all of you on a daily basis to do it."

Everyone exchanged glances. Was he serious? Miroku chose to step up first. "Excuse me but…How exactly will you be helping us?"

Naruto shrugged. "Traveling with you, hunting shards, fighting Naraku, the usual. Who knows give it time and I might even teach you guys a thing or two."

"Feh, like anything you can do is better than what I could do." Was Inuyasha's reply as he continued to struggle.

Naruto turned to him with a lazy eye roll. "I'm not the one who's buried up to my neck am I?"

Inuyasha had the decency to blush before he growled and began spouting off curses.

Naruto and the rest of the group shook their heads before Naruto decided to start his mission. "Now then, can anyone tell me why I was able to defeat you?"

No one spoke until Shippou shyly raised his hand.

Naruto turned to the Kitsune with a smile. "Yes?"

"Ummm, because you were stronger than all of us?" He said looking at the ninja with wide innocent eyes.

Naruto's smile grew. "Sorry wrong, but thanks for the vote of confidence. No the real reason I lost was because none of you truly know teamwork."

"What do you mean?" Kagome began "We've all worked together for a long time now!"

Naruto nodded. "True, you've all worked together but you don't know teamwork. I'm stronger than you individually but if the guy with dog ears and the demon slayer would have pulled a double team along with you Kagome giving long range support I don't think even I would have survived 'without the use of jutsu' But instead you all attacked me in a disorganized rabble. If you all learn how to work together, truly work together, then even ten Narakus with no teamwork won't stand a chance against you."

Everyone, but Inuyasha, who was still busy trying to get free seemed to be considering this.

Naruto decided to continue. "Another reason you all lost is that I imagine one man army over here." He pointed to Inuyasha. "Made you run all night in an effort to catch up to me ne?"

They all gave a reluctant nod. Naruto smiled even wider. "I thought so, all of your moves were sluggish and slightly off target. In your desperation to catch up with me, you left yourself vulnerable and would have been dead right now if I truly was an assassin."

Inuyasha, who had caught this part of the conversation let his ears drop against his head and diverted his eyes away from the group.

Naruto gave a yawn. "Right, well I suggest we get him out of there so we can start heading back wherever it is your going. My name is Naruto by the way." He said with upside down U's as eyes.

"Kagome" She said with a bright smile.

"Miroku" The monk said with a formal respect and even a little fear, though he hid it well.

"Sango" She introduced herself with a tone of respect one has for another's abilities.

Shippou bounded up to the ninja and waved at him. "Hi, I'm Shippou!" Naruto smiled and bent down to ruffle the fox kits hair. "It's nice to meet you Shippou."

Kirara in her small two tailed form walked up next to the kitsune and gave a soft mew.

"Ohh, and who might this be?"

"Kirara." Sango replied as she bent down and the small cat crawled up her arm and perched itself on her shoulder.

"Glad were all introduced. NOW CAN YOU GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Ahh, of course." Naruto said absently before making a few hand seals. "Kai"

Inuyasha rose in a cocoon of earth that crumbled to dust as it raised itself above the surface.

Inuyasha dusted himself off and turned.

Only to find Naruto's blue eyes right infront of him. "What the hell do you want?" He snapped. The blond had humiliated him and his ego was still very bruised.

"We're gonna go back to Kaede's village right Inuyasha?" Kagome asked the Hanyou.

"Yeah." He grunted back before kneeling so she could get up on his back.

Kagome did so with Shippou climbing on Inuyasha's shoulder and Miroku and Sango climbing up on Kirara.

"You'd better keep up!" Inuyasha said in warning before taking to the trees.

Sango turned to ask if he wanted to mount Kirara but with a smile and a shake of his head he sent them off.

He sighed tiredly. "Midoriko, just what have you gotten me into?" He muttered before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

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Well, here's an update. Also stop voting. The polls are closed for now and will be reopened later on in the story. Specifically when you see just exactly how the relationship between Naruto and (whoever he ends up with) will be like. He will share a scene with each one of the females and then you can place your votes.

That's all I wanted to say if anyone, preferably an expert on Inuyasha has any ideas they think could be integrated in this story then go ahead and share