A/N: HAHAHAHA! YOU WERE EXPECTING AN ACTION FILLED CHAPTER WITH NARUTO KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES WEREN'T YOU? TOO BAD THEN!

Every few chapters or so, while Naruto and Co. are out on a major mission, I'm going to be giving Yaiba a chapter so we don't miss out on any events surrounding him or Manami back in Konoha. Don't like? Then suck it up, 'cause it's my story bitches! HAHAHA! …I think I'm letting this creative power go to my head.

Oh yeah, for those of you who keep asking me to 'get to the NaruHina already', I must remind you that patience is a virtue. Do not fear my slav- readers, the NaurHina shall come. But I'm not going to make it the one hundred percent focus of this story, and it will be kinda angsty at parts, so there needs to be a build up to it. Besides, I'm a sadist and enjoy torturing you guys and poor Hinata.

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One thing that was quite obvious about Yaiba was that he had the patience of a saint. He needed it too. Dealing with a younger Naruto when he was first brought back, before he beat some patience and respect into said blonde, was a trial that not many could confidently say they could deal with.

Now however, he was dealing with something far, far worse. The red haired demon, the monstrous wailer…

A bored Uzumaki Manami…

"Manami-sama, please be quiet." Yaiba grunted, a vein throbbing in his forehead. His charge did not heed his words in the slightest, simply continuing her squirming on her baby blanket and crying out for attention. Several of these cries were accompanied by poorly aimed toys, plastic spoons, stuffed animals, and the occasional article of childs clothing. The brunette sighed, getting up from the desk in what was once Namikaze Minato's study and tearing himself away from his fuinjutsu studies, and marched over to the irate infant. "Very well Manami-sama, I suppose you have been patient. What do you wish to do?"

"Out, out!" The little redhead clapped, happy that she finally got her caretaker's attention. Yaiba cracked a small smile, finding it impossible to stay angry at the adorable infant.

"As you wish Manami-sama. But first, allow me to put the clothes you decided to throw at me back on you." The swordsman stated, gathering the clothes Manami had tossed in his direction while he was working. As he picked them up then used a Kage Bunshin to restrain the girl gently while placing them back on her, he was actually somewhat surprised she had lasted this long. He had been looking over the scrolls on several of Minato's more potent sealing techniques, including the Hiraishin, for nearly two hours now. Most children didn't have that kind of patience, though it helped that she had a plethora of toys and stuffed animals to play with. "Alright Manami-sama, let's go see what trouble we can stir up." He hoisted the infant into his arms, getting a happy squeal from her due to the sudden elevation change.

The swordsman strapped his katana and wakazashi onto his waist, forgoing his armor due to being in friendly territory, and grabbed a diaper bag he placed by the door every morning since he had taken to using Training Ground Three to practice his techniques and exercise. Yaiba always brought Manami with him, due to the fact that he did not trust anyone with her safety and could use a Kage Bunshin to care for her while he trained.

Ah, the wonders of making solid copies of oneself that transferred memories.

Closing the door behind him, the brunette simply reveled in the fresh air and beautiful skyline of his new home before setting out. He did not worry about anyone attempting to break into his master's new home, for many high-level shinobi, who had gotten greedy and hoped to steal either Minato's jutsu or the Uzumaki fortune that Kushina had hidden in the house, had failed spectacularly. None had even made it past the front gate. There was a small yard in front of the house with a garden, and a sparring/training ring surrounded by trees and privacy seal in the back, but Yaiba preferred to train at the public training grounds.

Besides, Manami would tear out his hair for neglecting to take her out in the village. Apparently, she shared more than just her father's exact same genetics. The little redhead was developing the same love for Konoha that Naruto had.

Closing the front gate behind him, Yaiba walked at a relaxed pace down the street to the main thoroughfare of the village. He had long since gotten used to the shocked expressions of the nearby citizens and shinobi who had seen him casually exiting one of, if not the most, secure buildings in the village. Not that he cared what they thought anyway.

It had been three days since his lord had left the mission on an urgent mission, charging him with taking care of his precious daughter in his absence, and Yaiba could still not get over some of the feelings that he held for the villagers. It wasn't the curious stares he got, those he could handle. After all, seeing a man in a black bodysuit with red trimmings and two high-quality swords on his belt carrying a squealing infant girl and a diaper bag wasn't exactly common, even in a shinobi village. No, it was the occasional stare of hatred pointed in his direction, specifically at his charge.

Despite the strong feelings Naruto held for the village, Yaiba simply couldn't bring himself to care for the villagers the same way his master did. He had seen Naruto's memories when he was reborn. Seen the hatred, felt the cold glares, relived the brutal beatings, fallen into the cold pit of despair and loneliness. It did not matter that the target of said inhumane actions had already forgiven the villagers for their actions, it did not matter if most of his master's tormentors had started to see him as hero they should have always seen him as, Yaiba still hated them with a burning passion and itched to deliver swift and painful retribution on every person he recalled having beaten or glared at Naruto.

But he didn't. As difficult as it was for him, Yaiba held himself back and simply ignored their existences, much like they had ignored his master's, and glared back at those who even looked at Manami wrong. He could tell that seeing the scowl on his face, one identical to his master in almost every way, put off many of the villagers. For anyone who was the target of his ire, it was the closest they would ever get to seeing Naruto glare back at them, since the blonde had always ignored their glares before.

Manami had no such feelings, since her infantile mind, however astonishingly developed it might be, didn't register such complex things. She simply looked around happily at all the villagers, taking after her father and ignoring the occasional look of disgust or anger, and smiling happily at anyone who directed the expression at her first. Most of the villagers had been wary of the infant when Naruto had first returned, but Yaiba's walks through town on the past three days and Manami's friendly disposition each time had washed away said wariness. It was amazing the effect babies could have on even the most hardened hearts.

Still, just because the majority of the population was relaxed around the brunette and his charge, didn't mean that some weren't stupid or ignorant enough to try something against the two. It was rather obvious, since there was a large group of men following Yaiba and he could easily feel the poorly disguised killing intent from its members, weak as it was.

As soon as he left the main street and started on the path to the training grounds, Yaiba and Manami's would-be attackers made their move.

"Hey! You!" A voice called from behind the brunette, who sighed in exasperation. He had been hoping that the changes he had noticed in the villager's behavior, which he had gained from viewing Naruto's memories, would be enough to deter any violence against him, but apparently that wasn't the case. He turned around to see seven rough looking men, led by an average looking Chuunin with a scowl on his face. "We heard that you're the one who's taking care of the demon's spawn. Hand her over."

Yaiba raised an eyebrow at the sheer audacity of the man's demand. "I apologize, but I have no idea what 'demon spawn' you might be referring to. The only one in my care at the moment is Manami-sama, and she is most certainly not a 'demon's spawn'." The brunette kept his voice calm, but his body was tense and his chakra was already molded for what was quickly becoming his favorite technique.

"You really don't know do you?" One of the men chuckled evilly, with a slight slur indicating intoxication. "Your so-called 'Manami-sama' is the wretched child of that demon boy, making her a demon too. Haven't you heard about the Kyuubi?" The man asked, technically not breaking the Third's law but coming dangerously close.

"I have, what of it?" Yaiba played along, simply biding his time. He knew of his master's status as a jinchuriki, rather obviously since he knew every facet of his life from the moment he was born to the day he activated the seal in Uzu. "The Yondaime killed it, sacrificing himself in the process."

The crowd of men laughed raucously, making Yaiba wince as the sound reached his ears. Since his body was based off Naruto's, his senses could almost be considered superhuman, though his were even less developed than Naruto's. Thus, the men's grating laughter was rather irritating.

"Wow, you really are dumb." The Chuunin chuckled cockily, getting no response from Yaiba other than another raised eyebrow. "Yondaime-sama couldn't kill the Kyuubi, it's impossible to kill a biju. Seriously, how stupid are you?" The man's sneering insult earned another round of laughter from his posse. "He didn't kill it dumbass, he turned it into a baby so we could kill it. But that fucking moron, the Sandaime, thought it was a good idea to let the boy live. It's bad enough that that monster is still alive, but to let him breed? That's complete madness! Everyone knows that he's simply buying time, building up his strength so he can destroy us all!" The man ranted, spit flying everywhere. "We couldn't kill the demon when he was younger, and now he's too strong for us, especially since the whore Tsunade protects him." He laughed maniacally, pulling out a poorly maintained kunai and prompting his followers to pull out their own weapons. "But his own child is still weak, and we can rid the world of another demon. Let us have the little shit, and you can go on your way."

"Naruto is the Kyuubi?!" Yaiba stated in obviously fake shock, though it was more than enough to fool the moronic idiots in front of him. He looked down at Manami with faked disgust, the infant having been oddly quiet since the men showed up. The swordsman shook his head angrily, as if he was mad at himself for being fooled, before stepping forward and shoving the bundle into the Chuunin's hands. "You're right, the world would be better off without another demon." He spat in mock disgust, turning and stomping away from the group of men.

"Glad you saw the truth." The Chuunin said cockily, smiling maliciously at the infant he was holding roughly. "Sh, it's okay demon. All your worries will be over soon." He stated in a sickeningly sweet tone, jerking his head at the men assembled behind him. They quickly gathered in a circle around the man, who tossed Manami into the middle of them. She hit the ground roughly, prompting her to start crying.

"Let's shut this little bitch up already." One of the men growled, getting grunts of agreement from the men around him. The ringleader nodded, and all the men advanced on the crying infant, raising up their blades as they closed in menacingly.

"On three. One, two, THREE!" The leader roared, bringing down his kunai with the intent to eviscerate the helpless baby. The men followed suit, their knives descending on Manami. The result was immediate and lethal, at least for one of the parties.

As soon as the Chuunin's kunai touched the girl, she exploded with a massive amount of force. Even if the men had been ten meters away, they still would have been severely injured. As it was, they were all less than a meter away from the explosions origins, and there wasn't a chance in hell that they survived.

Emerging from a tree twenty meters down the path to the training grounds, Yaiba sighed in exasperation. He had seamlessly created two Kage Bunshin, one loaded with three times the chakra of a normal one, when he had felt the men following him and Manami. The one loaded with extra chakra quickly transformed into Manami and sat in the arms of the regular Bunshin. Using a sealless Kawarimi with the actual Manami, Yaiba's quick plan had been executed perfectly. The Kage Bunshin carrying his charge was further down the path, in order to keep Manami from witnessing her would-be murderers' fates.

"The folly of man is that he fear's what he does not understand." Yaiba mused, observing the bloody paste that was all that remained of the men. "Thus, he hates what he does not understand, and attempts to destroy it. And when he fails, he finds that he is not above nature, or answering for the consequences of his actions. Isn't that right ANBU-san?"

An ANBU operative, the only defining feature being her long purple hair and cat mask, appeared in front of Yaiba as he called her out. Three more appeared behind her, quickly going about and cataloging the scene of destruction before cleaning up the remains and repairing the path with an earth ninjutsu.

"You are correct." The female droned in a relaxed tone, though there was an undertone of admiration and respect. "These men learned that lesson rather… harshly." She continued, an inquisitive not in her voice.

"I am a harsh teacher Neko-san." Yaiba chuckled, unfazed by the carnage he had caused. "Naruto-sama can attest to that fact." His face dropped into a serious frown. "I trust there is a reason you were following Manami-sama and I?"

Neko nodded, having expected this question. "Yes. Hokage-sama was rather… concerned for Manami-san's safety, so she assigned us to watch over her whenever you took her out with you. Obviously her concern was warranted." She gestured to the crater behind her that was being rapidly filled.

"Yes, so it seems." Yaiba nodded, crossing his arms. "Do need to take a statement from me, or haul me away to explain my actions?" He prodded, wondering exactly how much the ANBU saw.

"No." She replied flatly. "These men broke Sandaime-sama's law, which is still in effect mind you, threatened an important clan member of Konoha, and tried to kill an infant. We will file this incident with Hokage-sama, but you were well within your rights to deliver retribution. I applaud your usage of Kage Bunshin and Bunshin Daibakuha (Exploding clone) in conjunction with Kawarimi." Neko commented, turning back to her men.

"Thank you Neko-san, such high praise from one of your organization is unexpected and most appreciated." Yaiba bowed, before turning on his heel and continuing towards the training ground. "I hope to see you around the village."

"Likewise." The woman responded, not taking her eyes off the crime scene.

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"Manami-sama, please stop pulling on my hair." Yaiba winced, walking past the fence on the edge Training Ground Three. The aforementioned redhead was giggling merrily as she tugged on Yaiba's spikes, something she enjoyed doing to him whenever he put his head with reach, since Naruto didn't let her do it to his hair. "I know my hair is slightly longer than Naruto-sama's but-"

Yaiba halted his speech and instantly went on the defensive. He sensed a chakra signature nearby, maybe at the level of a mid-to-high Chuunin, and it put him on guard. He would normally not react so drastically to another shinobi's presence, but after the recent incident he was taking no chances. He had never encountered another shinobi using this training field either, so that added to his suspicion.

The final nail in the proverbial coffin was Manami's silence. The little redhead was like her father, always moving and making noise with a seemingly endless amount of energy compared to most babies. On a side note, she was most definitely not going to be a morning person when she grew up. But other than early mornings, which this most certainly was not considering it was nearly one in the afternoon, and when she was sensing negative emotions due to the influence of the Kyuubi's chakra in her 'birth', Manami was never quiet.

Yaiba relaxed however when he made out a figure, a young woman to be more precise, sitting at the base of the middle post in the field with her legs drawn to her chest and her face buried in her knees. It appeared that, whoever she was, was simply distraught over one thing or another.

That was why Yaiba and Naruto himself didn't rely on both the blonde's and Manami's ability to sense negative emotion. Every emotion that could be considered negative set it off, not just hatred or the desire to kill, so using it to determine whether someone was a threat or not was idiotic. Though Naruto was getting better at it, so he should be able to distinguish between the emotions with some practice.

However, Yaiba turned his attention back to the young woman, notcing that Manami was looking at her curiously as well. She was somewhat small, the brunette noted, guessing her height to be around 160 centimeters (62 inches) just from a glance. She wore black low-heeled sandals, similar to the Godaime and her first apprentice Yaiba observed. Her arms were clad in the sleeves of a jacket, colored cream except for her sleeves, which had lavender cuffs. Said arms were wrapped around her legs, which were covered by ankle-length baggy navy-colored pants. He did not see her face, since it was buried in her knees, but Yaiba had a vague memory of his master speaking of someone with dark blue, almost black, hair with great passion and caring.

"Excuse me." The Uzushio no Hosho spoke softly, not wanting to alarm or disturb the woman, but still possessing the desire to train. He also inherited the Uzumaki family's legendary concern and generosity when it came to people in distress from being 'resurrected', for lack of a better term, so many times. "Are you alright miss? You seem to be upset by something."

The woman jerked her head back in surprise, nearly smacking it against the pole she was seated against, and Yaiba's eyes widened in surprise. Staring back at him was a beautiful, noble face with pale, creamy skin and high cheekbones. Her incredible looks were framed by two bangs that tapered down from her hime-style haircut to points that reached her shoulders. But the thing that had captivated and jolted Yaiba's memory the most were the pale, lavender-tinged, featureless eyes that had a hint of red to them.

"Ahhh, Hinata-sama! Forgive my rudeness!" Yaiba bowed hastily, making sure to move his arms and keep Manami secure during the abrupt motion. "I did not mean to disturb you, but you seemed to be distressed by something." He spoke formally and in a repentant tone, causing the identified Hyuuga Hinata to frown in confusion.

"Um, I'm so-sorry, b-but wh-who are y-you?" The Hyuuga heiress asked in confusion. She wiped her eyes, sniffling a little as she cleared her nose, and stood up shakily from her position at the base of her favorite wooden pillar. "An-and how d-do you kn-know m-me?" The blunette asked, her tone clipped despite her stutter. She knew she was being rude, but she wasn't exactly in the mood for pleasantries.

Hinata hadn't been in the best of moods the past few days for several reasons. The elders from her clan were pressuring her to find a suitable candidate from the rather long list of men who had sent in marriage proposals, but there was only one man she truly wanted. Her father was helping in that regard, since she was adamant about marrying for love, but even he thought that she should at least consider some of them, much to her chagrin. The beautiful heiress had had her heart stolen by a golden-haired knight at an early age, and she was certain she wouldn't love anyone but him.

Unfortunately for her, the man she loved with all her heart and soul, Uzumaki Naruto, had found someone else during his three years away from the village. Hinata had been aching for him to return just so she could be near him again, hear his smooth masculine voice, gaze into his cerulean depths with her own eyes, but he had been taken from her by another woman. She had heard he had a daughter, and knew that Naruto was not the type of man to simply sleep with someone on a whim, so as much as she hated to admit it, the pale beauty had to face the fact that he had fallen in love with someone who reciprocated.

Overhearing the fact that Naruto had a child, one that wasn't hers, had shattered her delicate heart. All the hope she had of catching his attention and winning his love had been completely and utterly destroyed, along with most of her confidence, based off the fact that she was stuttering severely which was something she hadn't done for over a year. As long as she wasn't embarrassed of course.

Now, her misery had been interrupted by a stranger male who appeared to be approximately her age, in the one place she went to get some privacy from her all-seeing clan and highly skilled trackers of teammates. Hinata liked Training Ground Three, because it reminded her of Naruto and all of the (in her mind at least) intimate moments she had shared with him. And because it would take either her friends or a member of her clan at least half an hour to find her here.

"Of course, forgive my impertinence Hinata-sama." Yaiba said apologetically, mentally berating himself for forgetting that despite his access to Naruto's memories and the experiences he had shared with his friends, they knew nothing about him, or even that he existed. "You may call me Yaiba. I am the Uzushio no Hosho." He bowed again, his brown spikes dangling dangerously close to Manami.

Not that the little girl noticed, her attention was fixed on Hinata for some reason. The sapphire eyes she had inherited from her father bored into Hinata's pale lavender orbs, a light of curiosity shining in them.

"Uz-uzshio?" Hinata asked, raising both dark and delicate eyebrows in surprise. Despite the Academy culling Uzu no Kuni from the history books, thanks to the interference of the civilian council, the Hyuuga was aware of the small but powerful country due to her clan studies. As the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, she was expected to know about all of the major clans that were, at some point in history, involved with Konoha or the Hyuuga clan. But according to her tutors, the Uzumaki clan and Uzu had been completely destroyed. "I d-didn't kn-know anyone h-had survived…"

"I didn't." Yaiba responded bluntly, getting a confused look from Hinata. "I am not a member of the Uzumaki clan, nor am I originally from Uzushiogakure." That was technically true. Yaiba, during his first lifetime, had been born in a small village in Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron). It was only later in life that he came into the service of the Uzumaki clan. "However, I owe a debt to their clan for reasons that are my own, and I have pledged my service to Naruto-sama in order to repay that debt."

"You kn-know N-nar-naruto-k-kun?" Hinata stuttered, an involuntary blush heating her cheeks. Just the mention of her lifelong love's name was enough to get her flustered. The fact that he had someone else and a child to boot was simply an insignificant detail when it came to her desire for the blonde.

Yaiba raised an eyebrow, amused and somewhat disturbed by his fellow teen's (physically speaking) response to simply hearing his master's name. The brunette's sensitive nose, while only about a quarter as effective as an Inuzuka's, could easily detect the scent of arousal coming off of her. Idly, Yaiba noted that this was what Naruto must have been smelling when he said that Hinata smelled like vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. If Naruto's name aroused her, what would happen when his master actually attempted physical contact with her?

"Yes, Naruto-sama and I…" Yaiba trailed off, unsure how to explain his rather unique origins. He doubted that Naruto would approve of him lying to one of his precious people, especially the one he held dear above all else, but on the other hand he had orders from Tsunade. When he had finally met the Godaime during Naruto's Jonin test, he had explained his origins and the busty Hokage had told him, in no uncertain terms, that Yaiba was to keep the knowledge from as many people as possible. "…let's just say, I owe Naruto-sama a debt for finding me and freeing me from certain shackles that prevented me from moving about freely…"

Hinata frowned at the evasive statement, her political training kicking in. While Yaiba had lived multiple abnormally long lives, since his life force was tied to the clan head that resurrected him at the time, and was an extremely polished and practiced politician, he could not hide everything from the princess's all-seeing eyes. Anyone else would have been easily fooled, even the majority of the Hyuuga clan, but Hinata wasn't. She had been taught by her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, the man with the most powerful Byakugan (White Eye) in nearly a century, and could tell when someone was holding back information. In addition to her father, she had been tutored by her cousin Neji as well, and his Byakugan was comparable to Hiashi's in perceptive power and detail.

However, she was too shy to press for answers. Besides, despite this Yaiba's close relationship with Naruto, she had no right to pry into his personal life. "I-I see…" She stuttered, not sure where else to go with the conversation.

"Kaasan?" Manami squeaked, deciding to finally speak up. The word surprised the heiress immensely, since she didn't expect a child so young to be able to speak, but it scared Yaiba to his core. Having been around Naruto and Manami for most of the latter's lifetime, he knew that Naruto had told Manami about Hinata in affectionate terms, often referring to her as the redhead's 'kaasan'. Naruto was unaware that his feelings for Hinata were reciprocated, and even though his confidence was abysmal when it came to winning the pale beauty's heart, he conditioned Manami to recognize her as her mother so if by chance he did get together with her the little girl would take to Hinata rather quickly. But Yaiba was unsure of the Hyuuga's feelings for his master. He didn't expect Manami to speak up and call Hinata her mother, and panicked, thinking that this would ruin Naruto's chances with the gorgeous bluenette.

Besides, Naruto was supposed to confess his feelings for the pale beauty in a romantic setting after a lovely date, not have Yaiba awkwardly explain that the blonde's daughter was calling Hinata 'mom' because said blonde was in love with her and wanted her to be the mother to his daughter.

"Wh-what?!" Hinata squeaked relatively loudly, unsure if she had just heard correctly.

"Please excuse Manami-sama's manners Hinata-sama!" Yaiba said loudly, subtly covering the infant's mouth but leaving her nostril's open so she could breathe. "She is only six months, and as we both know Naruto-sama does not have the best manners! He must have passed them on to his daughter!" The guardian laughed nervously, hoping that Hinata would simply dismiss the comment as an infant's babbling.

Yaiba seallessly created a Kage Bunshin, handing both his charge and her diaper bag to the clone in order to stall for time. The duplicate hastily took Manami and walked to the edge of the clearing, setting down the bag and pulling out an old blanket the original had found in the Namikaze household. It spread out the blanket and then set Manami down on it, pulling out several stuffed animals and other baby toys to entertain the little bundle of energy.

"Wh-why di-did Na-naruto-kun's b-baby cal-call me k-k-ka-kaasan?" Hinata asked quietly, having heard the tiny Uzumaki quite clearly. The question caused Yaiba to stand ramrod straight, his mind working furiously as he tried to create a believable excuse. "Do-does-n't she h-have her ow-own ka-kaasan?"

The Hyuuga tilted her head cutely inn confusion, wondering why Naruto's daughter would call her mom when she obviously wasn't the girl's mother. After all, neither she nor Naruto had red hair. Plus, the Byakugan tended to make most infant's uncomfortable, unless said infant actually possessed the Byakugan, which Manami obviously did not. The Kekkai Genkai was an extremely dominant trait, genetically speaking, and even if only one of the parents had the famous Hyuuga bloodline then it was a 99 percent chance that it would pass on to the children. Hinata's musings gave Yaiba time to think, and the brunette resisted the urge to pat himself on the back as he came up with an excuse.

"Pardon me for Manami-sama's behavior, I did not mean to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable." Yaiba said sincerely, once again bowing to the heiress apologetically. "Manami-sama's kaasama died shortly after childbirth, the strain of having a child with such large chakra reserves too much for her. She was only a civilian, though she was an incredibly unique person." Yaiba stated, his voice heavy with sorrow. It wasn't fake, Yaiba simply channeled the sadness he felt for lying to Hinata and applied it to his fabricated story.

"I'm s-sorry t-to he-hear th-that." Hinata stuttered sadly, torn between feeling depressed and elated. The depression stemmed from the pain she was sure Naruto felt for the loss of someone she loved and the fact that she felt any sort of happiness upon hearing of someone's death. The joy was because she realized that she still had a chance with Naruto, which sparked a flicker of hope in her heart that she could take the blonde for herself. Though that happiness certainly didn't make her feel better about herself.

"Thank you." Yaiba responded softly, looking over at the happily giggling Manami trying to grab a stuffed frog out of his duplicate's hands as it teased the baby with it by darting in and tickling her with it, then pulling it back out of Manami's tiny reach. "She was an amazing person; strong but kind, soft-spoken yet firm in her convictions, small but with a large, calming presence. She was a lot like you actually, without the stutter." Yaiba gave the Hyuuga a tight smile, amused at seeing her face heat up and turn scarlet.

"I-I s-see…" Hinata sputtered, blushing heavily at the implication. This raised her hopes even more; if Naruto had fallen in love with a girl that Yaiba said was similar to her, then that increased her chances by a great deal. The comment also embarrassed the hell out of her. "Wh-what did sh-she l-look like?" She patted herself on the back for reducing her stutter, mentally of course.

Yaiba stared at her blankly, as if gathering his thoughts. The intensity of his emerald eyes gazing at her unblinkingly caused Hinata to fidget in place. "Like you." The brunette replied finally, causing her to start in surprise. "Her skin was the color of alabaster, and smooth as silk. Her hair was like a flowing river, dark and wavy, flowing down her back perfectly. Her eyes were a beautiful violet color, complimenting her hair and skin perfectly. She was quite petite, though no less womanly despite her small size, and seemed to move with the grace of a princess." His tone was fond, affectionate, as if he was speaking of a very old friend.

He was unaware of what his description did to Hinata though, since he was staring off into space. Though Yaiba was looking in her direction, he didn't notice her deflate with every compliment he gave Naruto's imaginary love. Hinata was very self-conscious of her looks and held a poor view of herself, and was extremely body conscious. She believed that her skin was pasty and rough, that her breasts were obscenely large and too big for her body, that her face was average at best. That was the self-image she possessed, no matter how wrong it might be, and being compared to someone that Yaiba described so beautifully was simply dragging it down further. Hinata turned her gaze to her feet, shadowing her eyes so no one could see the tears that were building up in them. The Hyuuga believed there was no way she could ever compare to Naruto's previous love, and that the blonde would never love her when he had been intimate with such an incredibly attractive woman. Yaiba had unknowingly crushed all the renewed hope she had of being with Naruto.

"I-I'm so-sorry, bu-but I j-just rem-remembered that I ha-had some bus-business to ta-take c-ca-care of. I-it was ni-nice to m-m-meet you Yaiba-san, Ma-manami-ch-chan." The Hyuuga quickly turned and sped out of the clearing tears blinding her as she ran from her broken dreams.

"Hinata-sama?!" Yaiba shouted in concern, completely clueless as to what he might have said to cause the bluenette to leave so suddenly and with such haste.

Hinata didn't even stop when she heard his voice, nor when she brushed past her teammates on her way out of the clearing. Her two male best friends were baffled as to why she had sprinted past them without so much as a hello, but the tears they saw were more than enough to piss of both of the males on Team Eight, now known as Team Kurenai.

"That son of a bitch…" One of them growled, his dog-like features contorting in anger as he recognized the scent of the person who Hinata had been talking to. "Three years, she hasn't seen him in three years, and the first thing he does is make her cry. He's fucking dead…" He spun around, marching towards the clearing.

His companion did not speak, he rarely did, but his non-verbal response was familiar enough to his teammate. The silent one was enraged, a very distinct buzzing coming from him. It was evident that he concurred with his more vocal companion.

"Oi, Naruto-teme!" The feral ninja yelled at the source of his female teammate's pain, pissed beyond rationality. "Why the fuck did you make Hinata cry?!" He demanded, stalking towards Yaiba.

The Uzushio no Hosho was beyond confused. First, Hinata asked about the person he claimed to be Manami's mother. After indirectly complimenting her looks and personality by comparing her to one of the most gorgeous and amazing women he had ever had the pleasure of knowing, the heiress had taken off like he had killed her puppy. Now, two teens who appeared to have mistaken him for Naruto were approaching him with murderous intent.

"I apologize, but you are mistaken." Yaiba said politely, observing the two newcomers. He recognized them as Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, the latter being an educated guess since he couldn't see any defining features on him. "I am not Naruto-sama. My name is Yaiba, and I am his daughter Manami-sama's appointed guardian and caretaker while Naruto-sama is gone. You must be Inuzuka Kiba-san and Aburame Shino-san, it is a pleasure to meet friends of Naruto-sama." Yaiba bowed, his posture, tone, and expression polite.

"Cut the crap Naruto." The newly identified Kiba growled. He was a feral-looking teen with messy brown hair that was held back by a black headband sporting his hitai-ite and dog-like features. He had dark, slit pupils like the animal he was partnered with, and longer canines to match. His cheeks were adorned with the red triangular tattoos of his clan. His clothing consisted of a black leather jacket with many zippers and pocket on it, zippered black pants that matched his jacket, and black shinobi sandaled boots. "I would recognize your scent anywhere, even after three years. Why the hell did you make Hinata cry?"

"Kiba." Shino droned, placing a firm hand on Kiba's shoulder to hold him back. The Aburame was covered from head to toe in a green overcoat with the hood up, along with a dark gray high-collared jacket underneath. His pants were a dark green that matched his overcoat, the ends disappearing into his black shinobi sandaled boots and wrapped in white bandages. Shino's eyes were covered, though his old sunglasses had been replaced by equally dark goggles. The buzzing around him had slightly abated, but it was still noticeable. "This teen is not under a Henge, nor does he have as much chakra as Naruto. I suggest we give him a chance to explain why he hurt out teammate." The Aburame's goggles flashed dangerously, the light reflecting off them menacingly.

Kiba frowned at Yaiba, reigning in his anger. Now that he wasn't blinded by the urge to pummel whoever hurt Hinata into the ground, he could tell that the person in front of him wasn't Naruto. The brown hair and green eyes, combined with the lack of whisker marks, gave that away. Though the Inuzuka's rage was still present, it gave way to confusion as he could tell that Yaiba had that exact same scent as Naruto, and looked eerily similar to what he thought the blonde would look like when he got older, though he didn't expect Naruto to be this tall.

Yaiba eyed both of the shorter men warily, sensing their violent intentions and on guard for any sudden moves from either. Kiba was quite a bit smaller than him, in both height at 169 centimeters (66 inches) and build, but seemed no less dangerous because of it. Shino was nearly his height at 175 centimeters (69 inches), and his clothing made it impossible to tell what the Aburame's build was. Still, he was eager to avoid a conflict.

"Forgive me if I caused Hinata-sama any distress, but that was not my intention." Yaiba stated truthfully, his posture tense and drawn to his full height, his hands itching to grab his swords thanks to the hostile atmosphere. "I was simply telling her about Manami-sama's mother."

"Bullshit." Kiba growled, shrugging off Shino's hand and prodding the taller teen in the chest with his right index finger. "There's no way that Hinata would start crying just because you told about some gaki's mother. What did you really do to her?" His eyes narrowed threateningly, and the feral shinobi bared his canines.

"Forgive my teammate for his brashness." Shino stated emotionlessly, grabbing Kiba by the arm and forcibly dragging him away from Yaiba. The buzzing around him had died down further, indicating his acceptance of Yaiba's explanation. "He has some difficulty when it comes to deciphering situations." Shino looked over at Manami, who was currently fussing in the clone's arms because of the anger Kiba and Shino were radiating.

"What?!" Kiba said indignantly, yanking himself out of Shino's grasp. The Inuzuka eyed his friend incredulously. "Shino, you don't really believe that do you?! There's no way Hinata would start crying because of that! Naruto's little kissass must have said something to her!" Kiba shouted, not understanding the situation. He had always been slightly resentful of Naruto for being thicker than rock when it came to Hinata. Kiba saw how much it hurt his teammate to be ignored by her crush, and now he was causing her pain because he knocked up some girl and had a kid now. It wasn't rational, but Kiba never was the best when it came to controlling his emotions.

"Kiba." Shino said sharply, making the Inuzuka gulp in fear. The bug user was terrifying when he was serious and used it to gain Kiba's compliance when the dog-nin was being idiotic. "We both know how Hinata feels when it comes to Naruto, and we both know how honorable he is. If he has a daughter, then he likely has strong feelings for her mother. Talking to Yaiba-san about her must have caused Hinata a good deal of distress."

Kiba scowled as he realized his teammate was probably correct. Still, that only fed the resentment he felt towards Naruto and his child for Hinata's depression. The girl had been upset for the past few days, ever since she found out and told them about Naruto's daughter, and seeing a member of his 'pack' like that really irritated him. The Hyuuga had gone through so much pain because of Naruto, and he was pissed that the blonde didn't even realize that he was hurting her or that she loved him.

"Whatever, he and that bastard Naruto still hurt her." Kiba said angrily, marching back over to Yaiba, who had been observing the interplay neutrally. Shino sighed in exasperation, knowing that Kiba wasn't going to let the slights against Hinata go unpunished. His natural instinct when someone hurt a member of his 'pack' was to rip that person to shreds, then piss of the remains. Logic simply didn't work on the Inuzuka, or any member of his clan for that matter, when they were in this state. "The baka ignores her for years, leaves her for three years, and comes back with some stranger and is in love with her? And they have a gaki? That's complete crap and you know it Shino!"

"I would prefer if you did not insult Naruto-sama or Manami-sama." Yaiba said lowly, his green orbs hard and dangerous. "Naruto-sama is a great man, far greater than any I have ever met, and Manami-sama is an innocent child. Whatever your problems with either of them are, I assure you they are neither intentional nor malicious." Yaiba narrowed his eyes at Kiba, who was coiled like a spring. "And you should watch your mouth, there are children here."

"Ha!" Kiba barked, amused by the threat. "What are you gonna do about it huh? Anyone who follows around that dobe Naruto like a lost pup is probably even weaker than he is." The Inuzuka sneered, conveniently forgetting that Naruto had handed him ass in the Chuunin Exams three years ago, and had been training under one of the legendary Sannin during the intervening time.

"I am not weaker than Naruto-sama, we are evenly matched." Yaiba responded evenly. The Uzushio no Hosho may have been more skilled than Naruto and possessed better form in both the Mugenjinton and the Kaitenken, plus having several decades of experience fighting strong enemies, but the blonde's physical attributes were honed to an insane level. Speed, strength, flexibility, stamina, durability, Naruto excelled in each category, going far past the norm and into superhuman levels. Still, like his battle with Kakashi, the Uzumaki was pressed by Yaiba's superior form and higher level of skill. "But if you wish a demonstration of my skill, then I shall give you one." The brunette added, a challenge in his tone. "Shino-san, will you referee the match?"

The Aburame heaved a heavy sigh, knowing that Kiba would be very eager to fight their fellow teen even if he were to warn him. Still, Shino wasn't emotionless, and he was also somewhat angry with Naruto and Yaiba for their ignorance of Hinata's feelings. So he nodded in response, hoping to see Kiba thrash some sense into his opponent and by extension Naruto. He disappeared in a cloud of bugs, reforming at the edge of the clearing near Manami and Yaiba's clone. The former squealed in terror at the bug man, getting a twitch out of Shino.

"Why do children hate me?" The Aburame wept comically, the sentence barely above a whisper so no one heard. Composing himself, Shino called out to the participants of the spar, who had backed up until there was ten meters of space between them. "You will both limit this spar to taijutsu and supplementary ninjutsu. The winner is decided by knockout, ringout," he gestured to the ring of trees, indicating that they were the ring, "or if I decide to halt the match. Should either of you not heed these rules, I will step in, and it will not be pleasant." The bug user's goggles flashed dangerously in a silent promise.

"Yeah yeah, just start already so I can beat the stuffing out of the dobe's bitch." Kiba sneered, eager to get started. Yaiba wasn't aware of it, but the Inuzuka had just used an insult that was taboo among his clan, getting a raised eyebrow from Shino, who shrugged and turned to Yaiba.

"I am ready Shino-san, please begin whenever you are ready." Yaiba said flatly. He thanked Kami that he had had the foresight to create a clone to watch over Manami. Said clone had been covering Manami's ears whenever Kiba swore, knowing that Naruto would castrate the original should Manami start swearing at six months old. He turned his mind back to the fight, unbuckling his sword belt and placing both of them on the ground behind him. "I do not think I will need them, besides it is against the rules Shino-san stipulated." He stated.

"Not like they would help you." Kiba grinned ferally, eager to begin. He slid his feet shoulder width apart, muscles in his legs tensing in preparation to move.

Yaiba simply stood across from him, his muscles loose and relaxed, his expression blank. He was prepared but not overly so, and from reading his opponent he guessed the Inuzuka was going to charge him, so he simply relaxed and waited for the spar to start. There was no point staying tense and ready to move in any direction when he knew exactly what his opponent was going to do.

Shino raised his arm above his head, ready to start the spar. He was unaware of Yaiba's level of skill, although his insects had gotten a good reading on his chakra. Shino himself had the reserves of a mid-level Jonin, though they were closer to a high Chuunin's thanks to his insects constantly feeding off him, and Kiba had those of a low-level Jonin. Yaiba's were nearly double that of an average elite Jonin, putting him somewhere around Kakashi's level. But Shino knew that Kiba was very fast, the fastest in their age group other than Uchiha Sasuke (Lee doesn't count, he's a year above them), and chakra capacity was no indication of strength. So he was confident in Kiba's ability to win this spar.

"Hajime!"

Kiba went through some hand seals at a rapid pace, familiarity with the jutsu making him far faster than he normally was with his seals. "Ninpo: Shikyaku no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique)!" The dog-nin's appearance became even more feral, his teeth and fingernails lengthening into fangs and claws. Chakra wisps emanated from his body, the blue energy running through his body and reinforcing it, making him faster, stronger, tougher.

He grinned at his enemy, who hadn't moved or changed expression in the slightest. "Here I come!" He barked, echoing his statement from his match with Naruto.

Kiba sprinted forward on all fours, a blur to anyone below the level of Jonin. His claws dug into the ground as he dashed forward, his hands and feet kicking up grass and dirt in his wake. His charge was headlong and quite fast, the force behind his body enough to smash clean through a wall.

Yaiba simply stood there, his expression almost bored. The brunette made no move to dodge his charging enemy, even at the impressive speed Kiba was moving. The Inuzuka got within two meters of Yaiba within a split second, and he still made no move to dodge.

"Yaiba-san!" Shino shouted in alarm. Behind him, unheard over his shout, was a high-pitched squeak of fear. "Move!" The Aburame warned, readying his bugs to intervene but knowing that he would be far too late. Kiba was too fast for his insects to latch onto when he was using his Shikyaku no Jutsu, and they wouldn't even get there in time since Kiba was so close to Yaiba.

Behind him, and several trees after that, stood Hinata. She had realized how rude she had been to Yaiba when she ran away like that, and wanted to apologize to Naruto's guardian. Besides, the Hyuuga had found a surge of courage when she had been thinking over Yaiba's description of Manami's mother, recalling that he had said that she was like her in personality.

That filled her with hope; she may not be even close to as attractive as Manami's mother, nor good-looking enough to be with someone as handsome as Naruto, but she could still win him over with her personality. Hinata recalled the nindo she shared with her loved one, and knew that she would never have a chance with Naruto if she gave up now. Besides, she knew Naruto would never reject her simply because she wasn't pretty.

Instead of finding Yaiba training, she had stumbled upon him about to fight with Kiba. Hinata had been about to run out and stop her teammate, but Shino had started the match and Kiba had charged before she could do anything.

Both members of Team Kurenai's thoughts aligned, though neither of them knew it. Both of them had seen Kiba disembowel people with those claws before, and it looked like Yaiba was about to suffer the same fate.

Kiba knew, in his rational mind, that what he was about to do was wrong. But as he saw the nonchalant, almost lazy expression on his opponent's face, all rational thought left the Inuzuka's mind. He was a feral animal now, about to destroy the person in front of him that had enraged him so completely. He leapt, all four limbs leaving the ground, his claws bared as he readied himself to decapitate Yaiba.

None of the members of Team Kurenai saw what happened next.

One moment Yaiba was standing there relaxed, and a millisecond later he was bent over nearly ninety degress at the waist, his legs still straight and relaxed. His right arm planted itself in the ground, and the guardian pushed off with his legs, swinging them upwards and above his body. His knees bent and he curled his legs into his chest, as if he were tucked into a ball. It was a jaw-dropping display of agility and flexibility, one that had Shino and Hinata gaping. Neither of them saw it; all they saw was a blur, then Yaiba was curled into his current position, right under Kiba's flying body.

Kiba was confused; one moment he was flying towards his enemy, ready to rip out his throat, the next he was flying through empty air. His confusion didn't last long, and turned to agony as he was violently sent upwards.

Yaiba had uncurled his legs, firing them into Kiba's chest as he flew over him. The blow knocked the wind out of the dog-nin and sent him a good five meters in the air before he hung there for a split second, trying to figure out why his ribs felt like they were broken. Yaiba's left hand planted itself in the ground next to his right, the former having been held against his side the entire time like he was standing up straight. With a mighty heave, the Uzushio no Hosho sent himself hurtling into the air at incredible speeds.

Once again, to the two outside observers, Yaiba had simply seemed to disappear from his position on the ground and reappeared above Kiba. Neither Chuunin had seen such incredible speed combined with such raw power and insane flexibility. Sure they had seen Kakashi and Gai spar with nearly no restraints, but neither of them possessed the lithe form Yaiba did.

Yaiba floated above his fellow brunette for a moment, both of his hands closed tightly into fists. His elbows were cocked backward and his hands followed suit, tucking into his sides with the palms facing upwards, had they been open. Channeling the necessary chakra, Yaiba whispered the name of the technique, yet everyone in the training ground heard it.

"Uzumaki Taijutsu: Nibaihigyou (Uzumaki Body Techniques: Double Strike)."

Yaiba's blows nearly broke Kiba's shoulder blades, instead settling for cracking them both. The Inuzuka was sent rocketing towards the ground, until his body hit with immense force. The ground cracked, Kiba's body leaving a decent sized indent in it.

Yaiba, who had been sent higher into the air from the force of the blows he delivered, back flipped several times to avoid landing on Kiba. To Hinata and Shino, the teen seemed to float downwards as he fell. The brunette landed, making almost no noise as he gracefully returned to earth. He walked forward slowly, his face still neutral.

"Not even close." Yaiba said clearly, his breathing normal. He stopped at Kiba's side, rolling him over with one foot. "You have a long way to go until you are able to contend with me Kiba-san."

The Inuzuka growled in irritation before wincing in severe pain. His entire chest was in agony from the blows he had received, along with his back. While they most certainly weren't lethal or crippling injuries, they were easily enough to take him out of the fight. In addition to the several fractured ribs he had received from Yaiba's kick and the cracked shoulder blades from the Nibaihigyou, Kiba's nose had been broken from landing on his face, and his fractured ribs had actually broken. They were severe injuries, but with the aid of a medic-nin the Inuzuka would be back on his feet in a few days.

"If I had Akamaru with me, you'd be the one on the ground." Kiba growled, his breathing labored and pained. His faithful companion had been wounded on their last mission, a B-Ranked patrol on the border with Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth), and so he was being treated by his older sister Hana, who was a shinobi animal veterinarian.

Yaiba shook his head in exasperation at Kiba's stubborn refusal to believe that he was simply outclassed by both him and Naruto. However, he said nothing and channeled some chakra to his hands, molding it and changing it so that it glowed a soothing, healing green. The teen placed his hands on Kiba's chest, pushing precise amount of chakra through his tenketsu to speed up the healing process.

"No Kiba, if you had had Akamaru with you, he would be lying on the ground as well." Shino droned in disapproval of his teammate's hard-headedness. He turned to Yaiba, deciding to let bygones be bygones. Both he and Kiba had been angry at him, though his was quite subtle and weak considering the bug user knew how irrational it was, but there was no real reason to be angry in the first place. What had happened with Hinata was a complete accident, and Yaiba did not mean to cause harm. "Thank you for taking it easy on my teammate Yaiba-san. Please pardon his pig-headedness, he does not know any better. I also appreciate you taking the time to heal him, as Akarmaru would be less useful without him."

The not-so-subtle jab at his temper and warning glance he got from Shino was enough to quiet and Kiba and make him face facts. He had lost to Yaiba, quite badly, and that was putting it mildly. Though he acknowledged that Yaiba most likely hadn't meant to hurt Hinata in any way with his words, the feral shinobi was still too stubborn to drop his grudge against Naruto.

"Why do you talk about that dobe like the sun shines out of his ass?" Kiba asked his healer weakly, still unable to move without his entire chest hurting. It was getting better, but wasn't good enough to even consider sitting up. "He ignored Hinata for so long…"

"You keep saying that, but I don't really know what you are referring to." Yaiba said, frowning at Kiba's lack of respect for Naruto. "From what Naruto-sama told me, he was quite good friends with Hinata-sama. I don't think someone who would speak of her as fondly as he did the rest of his friends, if not more so, would have ignored her at all."

Everyone was listening to Yaiba as he used his limited healing abilities to help Kiba's recovery. Especially Hinata, who desperately wanted to know what Naruto thought of her. Yaiba's words made her breath catch in her throat and her heart skip with joy.

"Of course you don't." Kiba sighed, reminding himself that Yaiba had never actually seen Hinata around Naruto and thus didn't have any knowledge about how much the bluenette loved her blonde knight and how thick Naruto could be when it came to the Hyuuga princess. "Everyone in the village knows-"

"Kiba!" Shino barked warningly, but the dog-nin plowed on.

"That Hinata is completely in love with the stupid dobe." Kiba finished, ignoring Shino's subsequent murderous glare about spilling Hinata's supposed 'biggest secret'. "She's liked him ever since the Academy, and the idiot never once noticed her. The orange wonder was always chasing after Sakura, even though she would always beat the crap out of him."

Yaiba's face was as blank as it ever was, but inside he was reeling with shock, so much so that he didn't push more chakra into his healing to cause Kiba some pain like he had planned to the next time the dog-nin insulted Naruto. He had no idea that Hinata returned Naruto's affections, and felt like jumping for joy at the news. He wouldn't tell Naruto, his master needed to figure it out for himself, but Yaiba would push him harder to form a relationship with the heiress, consequences be damned. They both deserved the happiness.

But the brunette knew exactly why Naruto hadn't noticed her affections. After all, how would you recognize what you were never shown?

Hinata was mortified that Kiba had revealed her secret love for Naruto, but she had nearly fainted when he told Yaiba that nearly everyone knew about it. She panicked, thinking that word might reach her clan and she would be branded or disowned for loving the village pariah, but her thoughts were halted as Yaiba chuckled.

Everyone (excluding his clone) stared at the Uzushio no Hosho as he laughed heartily. Despite having nearly the same voice as Naruto, just a good deal deeper, the sound didn't exactly sound natural coming from his mouth. Shino, Hinata and Kiba were starting to grow angry, thinking he was mocking her crush on Naruto, but they were shot down before they could even speak.

"How could you recognize what you have never known?" Yaiba said cryptically, getting confused looks from the three Chuunin, though one wasn't visible. "As Chuunin of Konoha, I trust you know about Naruto-sama being the vessel for the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

All three of them flinched as they remembered receiving that information when they had reached Chuunin. They were pissed that such a large secret had been kept from them, and some of their group started wondering if Naruto was the Kyuubi itself, but were quickly shot down by Shikamaru and Sakura. Both knew of the secret long before they did, though the former had figured it out on his own, while the latter had been told by Naruto himself. In the end, it didn't change their view of Naruto, not that Hinata's would have changed even if Naruto was the Kyuubi since she still would have loved him.

One thing that did change was their knowledge of Naruto's childhood. Sakura had told them about the hellish beatings he had received, the neglect, the cold stares of hatred, the overpriced goods from the shopkeepers, the fake smiles he gave them all in the Academy to hide his incredible pain. All of them felt sick to their stomachs knowing what their own village had put the blonde through, and how they had either ridiculed him to look good in class or simply stayed away from him. No matter what their intentions were for distancing themselves from him, they still did it, and they loathed themselves for it.

"I see that you do." Yaiba nodded, this made things much easier to explain. "Then you must know how terrible his childhood was." Another round of nods, one unseen. "What you don't know, is that his childhood scarred him, mentally and emotionally." Suddenly, Yaiba looked tired, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. "Naruto-sama was alone for most of his life. The Sandaime spent time with him and tried to care for him, but he was unable to do it very often, since the civilian portion of the council kept him busy to keep Naruto-sama isolated. Thus, he was never shown any emotions other than hatred or cold indifference throughout his formative years." Yaiba's sadness was nearly tangible, a cloud of misery hanging over him as he recalled his master's treatment. "This gave him a severe case of empathetic disconnection; in layman's terms, he could not gauge other's emotions save anger and hatred. Eventually, his time with Umino Iruka-san and Team Seven enabled him to start feeling other's emotions, but Jiraiya-sama and I were actually the ones to cure him of it. Why do you think he kept pestering Sakura-sama for a date when he had what he believed was a crush on her? Anger was the only emotion he truly knew how to feel from others, thus he gravitated to her for his version of 'affection'."

Kiba and Shino were extremely upset. Yaiba's own depression was spreading to them, and it made them feel horrible about not noticing Naruto's lack of knowledge when it came to emotions. They berated themselves for being so harsh on Naruto in the past for ignoring Hinata's quite obvious, at least to any normal person, infatuation with the blonde. They also felt incredible rage towards their home for treating a child so cruelly that he saw anger as a form of affection, and wanted to tear the villagers apart for their transgressions against one of their greatest friends.

Hianta herself was sobbing quietly, hidden behind her tree. She had no idea that Naruto had been emotionally crippled as a child, and felt intense loathing for herself and the village. The reasons for her hatred towards the village were obvious, the ones for hating herself less so. The Hyuuga hated herself for being so shy when it came to Naruto, blaming herself for his emotional handicap. She believed that she was a coward for not approaching Naruto and that if she wasn't such a terrified failure she could have helped him and he wouldn't have had his emotional handicap, and they could have been together sooner.

"That is why I will follow Naruto-sama into the depths of Hell if he asks me to." Yaiba finished with a sad, admiring look on his face. "Because despite being beaten within an inch of his life countless times, despite being emotionally crippled, despite all the hatred the villagers felt, and still feel, towards him for something completely out of his control, he does not hate them in return. He still loves Konoha with all his heart and soul, and will give his life to keep each and every person within its walls safe. For his precious people, which you two and Hinata-sama over there can count yourselves lucky to be a part of, he will defy death itself if it meant any of you would live even a second longer." Yaiba gave a watery smile to Shino and the partially healed Kiba, having done all he could for his sparring partner, and towards Hinata's hiding place.

None of the members of Team Kurenai said anything as Yaiba walked towards his clone and Manami, his duplicate having packed up the toys and blanket after feeding Manami. He strapped on his swords, grabbed his infant charge and diaper bag from the clone, and released the Kage Bunshin's chakra. It disappeared in a 'poof', leaving behind a small cloud of smoke.

"Men like Naruto-sama are a rarity in this world." Yaiba said idly with his back to the clearing, not noticing Hinata shuffle out of her hiding place. "They are the unique men who are strong enough to forgive any hurts that may have been inflicted on them, who will stop at nothing to protect the innocents no matter what may have been done to them in the past. I believe he will become one of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen, and bring about a true peace that will last for decades." With those parting words, the Uzushio no Hosho left Team Kurenai to stew in their individual thoughts.

The one thing that all of them agreed on; Naruto was the strongest, greatest person they knew, and Yaiba wasn't far behind. Mentally, physically, emotionally, Uzumaki Naruto was the most resilient person on the planet.

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A/N: And done! Whew, that was kind of draining to write. It was probably a bit too emotional, and maybe unrealistic, so let me know if it is. I'm not the best at writing real emotional stuff like this, so please be considerate of that in any reviews you may write.

On a side note, woohoo! Over 250 followers already! I can't believe how popular this thing got, and I thank all of you who find my story worth following! Especially those of you who review, you guys get a gold star. Congratualtions.

I noticed in the reviews that a lot of you are asking why I included Sakura into the party when Naruto and Kakashi are probably more than enough to take on Sasori and Deidara. The answer is simple: caution. When dealing with a superior or unknown force, one must always be cautious and considerate of the enemy's capabilities. This is especially true when said force is both unknown and superior. Besides, who the hell leaves their medic behind when they're going into a fight? Seriously, that's just dumb. But in addition to the logical side of it, there are two factors that have to do with the story. One, this fight is very important for Sakura's growth as a character. Two, I really don't want to change the fight since I'm too lazy to write out the changes. Sound good?

And finally, Hendrixson, I'm just messing with you. I don't take offense to criticism, unless it's poorly worded or you're just being a dick, and you were neither. So no need to apologize. By the way, of course I play on Xbox One, and it would also be an honor to play with a fellow writer from fanfiction.