I do not own any characters of Naruto, or Naruto in general.

Chapter 4: Bells, Jutsus, and Plans

Hinata woke up in her own bed back in her house as the sun rose. Time to train, need to avenge Kiba's death… wait… Naruto is back. Suddenly the past day came back to her. The talk at the training grounds, her running into him at the ramen bar, him asking her to be on his team, him kissing her… She shook her head. No, that didn't happen. Just a dream. I guess that I'll just head over to Tsunade's early. Hinata got dressed in her usual garb. She wore a long coat that hid all of her features and wore her hair long, almost waist length now. Inside the coat she kept here supply of kunai and shurukin. As she headed out of her house she started humming a tune. She hadn't felt this good in ages. And why shouldn't I? Naruto wants me on his team! I don't care if it is even just so he can get chunin. I was willing to let him cheat the last time we took it together so he could pass. I just want to help Naruto succeed in his dream. Maybe be a part of them too… Hinata was almost at the Hokage Tower when she spotted Sakura walking in the same direction. Sakura seemed to spot her at the same time and gave her a wave. They met only a few steps later.

"Morning Hinata. That was sure a crazy day yesterday, huh?"
"Yes, it was. I am glad Naruto is back."

"I bet that is not all you are happy about, hmm?"
"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know… that… kiss?"

Hinata froze in mid step and her face became ever paler then it normally was. "Wait… that was … real?"

Sakura started laughing as Hinata went from the shade of a ghost and became a tomato. "Now, don't pass out on me Hinata. Of course it was real. You know that he as worried a lot when you passed out after bowling him over. Not only did he kiss you, but I heard him ask you on a date tonight."
Hinata was suddenly being dragged along by Sakura. "Now come on or we'll be late!" So all that stuff yesterday was… real? Naruto really kissed me? He really asked me out? Am I going crazy or is this my dream come true? I must be going crazy… but it is a good crazy!

The two girls walked, well, Sakura walked and Hinata was dragged, into Tsunade's office and Naruto greeted them.

"Hey! Morning! All we have to do is sign some papers and we are in! Hey, Hinata, are you ok? You look like you're in a daze, or something." Hinata just stared at him and shook her head. She had a wistful smile painted on her face. "I am fine, Naruto."

"Wow, Hinata. That was probably the first time you didn't stutter while talking to me!"
"Oh… yeah."

Tsunade passed out the forms to the potential chunin. "Alright, just sign them and bring them to room 301 of the ninja academy in exactly one week. The exam has been moved up a bit, due to the large amount of qualified entrants and the kazekage's schedule. I expect you all to do well. If Jiriya is right then I will be expecting you to win, Naruto."

"Yeah, I will." Naruto had a cool confidence in his voice. "I just hope no idiots interupt it like last time. Now we are going to go train, ok. Bye Ba-chan!" Naruto left while Sakura and Hinata followed, leaving Tsunade in her office alone. She pulled out a bottle of sake. Cheers, Naruto. I know you will do well.

Naruto stopped walking when the three reached a spot far into the woods outside the city. He removed a pack he had been wearing and set it next to a rock.

"Ok. I guess we need to train as a team. We are all capable by ourselves, but, while Sakura and I have worked together and I have worked with Hinata, we haven't all worked as a group. I don't exactly know how we are going to train as a team without a mission, so I asked Kakashi to come give us the bell test."

Sakura groaned and Hinata just stood there confused. "Naruto, what is the bell test?" Sakura answered. "It is where Kakashi sensei has two bells and we try to get them away from him. It is not easy. Last time we did it none of us got a bell. Hey Naruto!" Naruto was doing some basic stretches and he looked up. "Naruto, you know he is going to be at least an hour late." Naruto smiled.

"He would be if I told him to get here now, but I told him an hour ago. He is in the tree above you right now." Hinata squeaked as Kakashi appeared before the trio in a puff of smoke. He was still reading Jiriya's latest novel.

"That was a pretty smooth trick Naruto. I would ask how you knew I was up there, but I really don't care. How about I get this started." Kakashi took three bells from his pocket. "You all know the lesson intended by the two bell game. Now you all need a bell and I will do my absolute best to stop you from getting one." He pocketed his book. "You have until noon, it is now nine, begin." Immediately Hinata and Sakura bounded off in different directions. Naruto, though, stayed put.

"Going for a repeat of last time, huh Naruto?" Naruto just put his hands behind his head.

"Nah, this time I am going to see what my teammates can do on their own. We will get together at, oh, around ten. So I'll just wait on this rock here." Naruto sat down on the rock next to his pack. Kakashi just stared at him. What is that kid thinking? He is willing to just blow an hour so he can better understand his teammates? I better keep an eye on him… Suddenly Hinata burst from a tree limb and came flying towards him. Kakashi dodged her juken strikes and countered with his own kick to her head. She flew into a tree, but disappeared as she hit. Kakashi suddenly felt his feet grabbed. Sakura used her chakra like scalpels and cut the tendons in Kakashi's legs. Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing a log. Sakura jumped from the ground and scanned the area. Hinata jumped to her side. "Sakura! He made water clones!" Three Kakashis came out of the surrounding area and Hinata stood back to back with Sakura. Naruto continued to just watch. One of the Kakashis made the hand signs for a jutsu. Hinata jumped in front of Sakura. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" "Kaiten!" Five large fireballs came out of Kakashi's mouth and converged on the two girls. Hinata, though, had begun to spin. As she spun she released chakra from her body creating a shield. Her kaiten was perfectly made and caught the fire on it and sent it back to its source. The Kakashi water clone instantly evaporated in the intense heat. The second and third Kakashis each pulled out kunai. Sakura took the attack this time, pulling out two kunai of her own. The two clashed against Sakura. Sakura used her muscle enhancing techniques learned from Tsunade to force the water clones back. The two regrouped and once again stood at the ready. Sakura, though, just smiled and dropped her own kunai. She held out arms to her opponents, and then drew them both back suddenly. The kunai her opponents were holding leapt from their hands. Sakura then whipped her arms out again, catching the clones in her chakra wire. They were specially made so Sakura could control where the four strands went with her chakra at any time and only her specific chakra would be able to control them. She clenched her hands into fists and the two clones were shredded. Naruto was standing on his rock, now, clapping.

"Wow! That was great! You both have improved so much while I was gone. Now let me show you how much I have improved."
Naruto disappeared off of his rock. A second later Kakashi came flying into the clearing and into a tree. Damn, that kid is strong. Kakashi removed his headband from his eye, revealing the sharigan.

"Alright you three, time to get serious." He charged Hinata first. He threw a punch that would have caught her completely off guard and might have knocked her out, but instantly Naruto's arm was blocking the blow. How the hell? The kid was thirty feet away a second ago! Naruto suddenly began a flurry of punches all aimed at Kakashi. Kakashi couldn't keep up. He could see where Naruto would strike and try to block it, but Naruto was just too fast. For each one he blocked, two got through. Naruto gave Kakashi a kick in the chest that sent him back ten meters, but Kakashi still stood.

"Sensei, I haven't even taken off my weights." Naruto started the attack again, except this time he would punch Kakashi once and then just jingle the bells on Kakashi's belt with his hand. Kakashi still couldn't keep up with Naruto's attacks, let alone protect the bells. Naruto suddenly jumped back to stand with an amazed Hinata and Sakura. "Now, it really doesn't matter whether we can or can't get the bells. I really just wanted to know what my team could do so I could develop some strategy. Here..." Naruto threw the three bells back to Kakashi. He held them in his hand and then looked at his belt, where there were three more. "I took them and replaced them with bells from my pack the instant you said go. It is a jutsu I learned from Jiriya. Apparently only the Forth had mastered it before I did. It allows me to use thirty seconds of my time in the space of everyone else's one second. Cool, huh? Ok, well thanks Kakashi sensei. We need to go over some strategy now, so we would appreciate it if you left."

Kakashi was still staring at the bells. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn that kid is good. Five years and now he can waste me? Maybe I should go train with Jiriya…

"Well, Naruto, I can't say this wasn't an enlightening experience. In fact, I would say you are jonin level right now. Good luck in the exam. All of you have my compliments on your abilities and, rest assured, I will be watching you in the finals." Kakashi poofed away with a bow. Naruto turned back to his gaping teammates.

"What?"

"Naruto… that was amazing! How the hell did you do that? You just showed up one of the cities best ninja in a straight on fist fight." Sakura was raving while Hinata just looked at Naruto. Wow… he is amazing… how can I even deserve to stand by him, let alone be on his team. Naruto gave a big smile as he put his arms over his head. "I have been training almost non-stop since leaving five years ago."

"Yeah, but to grow from a genin ninja to an advanced jonin in five years is amazing!"

"Yeah…" Hinata was having doubts about her ability to help Naruto achieve his dreams. How am I supposed to help someone who doesn't need help to do anything? Naruto failed to notice Hinata's slightly downcast face, so he just sat and then motioned for them to do the same.

"Alright. We know the layout of the test. Written, survival, duels. So we just need a strategy for each. The test is first. I won't have any trouble cheating at all with my technique. I can move faster then any human eye can track. Hinata, you should be able to get answers with your Byakugan from me or one of the jonin plants. Sakura, I don't know how you intend to cheat."

"Oh, I will do just fine. Believe it or not, I found a copy of the questions in Tsunade's office. I figured since the whole point was an information gathering exercise I might as well start early. I memorized the answers and left the sheet. If they turn out to be wrong then I will still get by. I got through the first time after all."

"Ok, so now the survival test. This one should be easy for us. If that battle with Kakashi was any indication than we are going to out rank most if not all of the entrants. I vote that Hinata hold the scroll."

"W…what? W…why me?"

"Because, out of the three of us you appear to be the weakest, but we know that you are fully capable of keeping it safe. Don't worry, it won't be like you are left alone. I promise that, just like Kakashi's punch, I won't let anyone touch you." Hinata looked Naruto in the eyes then, and saw something she hadn't noticed before. It was a seriousness that he had never shown before except when he had talked to her about Kiba's death.

"I believe you, Naruto."
Naruto gave a small blush. "Well, ok then. Here is the plan. Can you both walk on water?" They nodded. "Good, I think we should take the river entrance. Then we can run the river until we reach the tower. I happen to know that at least three teams specializing in water jutsu will be in this exam. They will obviously come after us. When they do we will be able to get the other scroll. The third test I don't think we need any strategy for. You are both capable of reaching the finals. So I will see you in the winner's circle."

"Ok. Are we done for today? I want to start training my healing jutsus for the forest."

"Yeah, but could you stay Hinata?" Sakura ran off and threw a wave over her shoulder. Finally those two are getting together. Hinata was lightly blushing as Sakura disappeared into the forest. What is he going to say? What am I going to say? Why am I not passing out? Oh, please let me pass out! Naruto was sitting a few feet from Hinata and looking right at her. Hinata couldn't even look him in his eyes. They are so beautiful! Why does he have to look at me like this? Wait, isn't this what I have always wanted? Hinata looked up at Naruto's face with a deep blush. His eyes are so beautiful. She didn't know that that was the exact thought that was in Naruto's mind also.

"Um… Hinata? I really want you to tell you something. It is kind of a secret…"

"I won't tell anyone your secret, Naruto." Hinata knew all about keeping secrets, she had tried to keep her love for Naruto secret for almost ten years.

"Ok. I need to tell you something before… well, I just need to tell you. You know when my birthday is, right?" Hinata nodded. "Well, do you know what else happened on that day?"

"The Kyuubi attacked…"

"Yeah, and the books all say that he was killed by the Forth in a sacrificial jutsu that killed both of them. The reason they say that is not because that is the truth… they say it because the real story is an S ranked secret, one only I am allowed to tell to anyone on penalty of death. What actually happened that day was that the Forth performed a sealing jutsu, because that high of demon could not be killed by mortals. The demon would need to be sealed in a living creature that had highly enhanced chakra coils. So that limited the seal bearers to humans, no plans or animals. The chakra coils couldn't be too developed or the human would die in the sealing. So they chose a brand new child to do the ritual. I was that child. They sealed the Kyuubi in me. So now the Kyuubi lives in me. These marks on my cheeks are not my own creation, they are side effects of his chakra in my body. When I defeated Neji it was the Kyuubi's chakra that allowed me to unseal my tenketsu and win. This is why the village hates me. I contain the killer of countless mothers, wives, fathers, sons and daughters. I wanted to tell you because I know you… like me. If you don't anymore, that's ok." Naruto was looking at the ground now. Hinata sat in her place where she stared at Naruto. This explains everything! The beatings, the evil looks, the hatred. Everything that I hated about how people treated Naruto… because of something he didn't even do or even had a choice in!

"Naruto… Naruto, why did you assume I wouldn't like you after you told me that? If anything, your story just makes me like you more!" Naruto looked up at Hinata with surprise. She was now on her knees in front of Naruto. "The way I see it, you are the savior of the village many times over now. You saved us at birth and saved us from Gaara. You shouldn't be treated as anything less than a hero! You are not the Kyuubi, you are the cage! People just don't see you for who you are. You are the bravest and strongest ninja ever in my eyes and this only increases my opinion of you!"

"Really, Hinata?"

"Yes!"

"You know, I have never thought about ever actually getting close to someone before. You are the only one who I have told this to. I was afraid that you would hate me like the others did. You rock Hinata!"
Naruto leaned forward from his seat and planted a small kiss directly on Hinata's lips. Hinata felt her body go stiff, and then she went completely limp. Hinata passed out.

"Wow, I guess she really likes me…"