The Dark Side of the Hyuuga

Chapter 7- "Hi ho, hi ho, off to Iron country we go"

Me: Yay 7 chapters and almost halfway through story. *Knock on door* Huh, who is it?

?: We have some complaints…

Me: Hey Sakura, Ino, Tenten…Ayame, Kurenai…Anko…uh oh

Kunoichi: WE WANT MORE FAN SERVICE!

Me: *blown back by uproar of pissed off kunoichi* Whoa. Okay, I'm sorry. I'll try I promise.

Kunoichi: (evil glares) you better (disappear)

Me: *whimpering in corner* save me… *silently crying as writing chapter 7*

"Wow, these creatures ARE really fast" Kurai said as she dismounted from the back of her bakeneko a little ways away from the gates of Konoha.

"Are you sure you don't want us to take you to the gates, Kurai-sama?" her summoning asked, looking up with yellow slit eyes.

"As much fun it is to ride there we're not ready to let others know that we can summon cat monsters and multi-tailed kitsune just yet. I promise you though, that I will be summoning all of you a lot more often."

Smiling and nodding to learn they would able to be summoned again the four mammals disappeared in poofs of smoke as the group walked the rest of the way to Konoha. As they neared the hidden leaf village, they noticed the gates were open and the damage in the roads was repaired from Tsunade's moment of rage. As they neared the gates, they were stopped by the guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, who recognized them instantly as they made their way towards them.

"Wow you guys made it back impossibly fast. I'm glad you four are all right though. Cool shades, by the way, I almost didn't recognize you. Hey, did you hear that you four were wanted for questioning of Hokage's sudden coma?"

The gang had just taken their shades off, but quickly looked up when the guards had said those words. Seeing the sour looks on their faces, Kotetsu quickly added, "but it's okay now because they cleared up the misunderstanding and you're not wanted anymore. Sighing in relief, Naruto held a guilty moment when he asked if the Tsunade clones prank was the cause of her sudden comatose.

"No, although many thought that but it turns out that the reason for it was chakra depletion from helping with the invasion of that "Pain" guy. It took some time before it finally caught up with her."

Feeling better, Naruto thanked them as they headed into the town where he was greeted by many people who saw him as a hero.

"I'm going to go turn in the report about our "mission" and I will meet you two at Ichiraku Ramen" Itachi said as he and Kurai suddenly disappeared to turn in their report. Holding hands along the way, Naruto and Hinata entered the fame ramen shop, Naruto in his usually loud voice ordering about 20 bowls of beef ramen. Hinata surprised everybody went she ordered 10 bowls of creamy chicken ramen and begin to eat at a fast pace saying she never been so hungry before.

"It must have something to do with your animalistic personality" Naruto joked as he started to devour his own ramen when Itachi and Kurai came in and joined them. Ordering 10 bowls of ramen each and 3 sets of onigirl the group begin to eat their lunch, since they skipped breakfast, as the rest of the Konoha 11, except Neji came in, surprised at how much they were eating.

"Wow Hinata, I never seen you eat so much food like that" Kiba said as he watched Hinata swiped Naruto's bowl of ramen, who laughed and ordered another one for himself.

"Well I skipped breakfast and I'm starving so I'm not surprised."

However the group was more surprised at how much Hinata had changed over the past few weeks.

"Did you hear that Danzo is to become the 6th Hokage?" Sakura asked right before a loud hissing noise was heard that made everybody look around. Sakura and the rest of the gang then looked at Itachi who was clearly eating an onigirl, a bored expression on his face, but Naruto, Hinata, and Kurai knew that the sound had come from him.

'Guess he couldn't contain his dislike for Danzo, huh?' Kurai told Hinata as she gave a slight nod in agreement.

"You look familiar…and not in a good way" Sakura said as she started looking deep into Itachi's eyes, the rest of the group staring just as hard as they seem to inch closer to him.

"You almost hit me some time ago" Itachi said calmly as he continued eating his onigirl, not once looking away from Sakura's green eyes.

'Kuso, if anybody can figure out who Yoru really is, it would be Sakura' Naruto thought mentally as he waited for the 'fist to hit the fan…literally.' Before Kurai could so much as hiss at Sakura for being in Itachi's space, he lazily closed his eyes…only to open them again and show that his eyes changed from black to a dark yellow-green with cat like slits that stared at the group in front of him.

"Eek what the fuck happened to your eyes?" Sakura screeched as she and the rest of the group took a couple of steps back while Kurai held back a snicker hearing Kiba whimper and Naruto and Hinata smiled softly, enjoying the scared look on Sakura's face.

"How troublesome" Shikamaru said as he tried to shake Ino off his arm where she had clung herself to when Sakura shrieked out.

"Wow, how are you able to change your eyes like that? Is it some kind of blood-line trait?" Tenten asked fascinated at how Itachi's eyes dilated when Sakura shrieked. Nodding his head, he said that he was one of the rare few in his family to be able to change their eyes.

"They help me spot things easier and are useful for night vision as somewhere deep in my family the blood of a cat runs deep within our veins and shows up only in a certain few. I happen to be one of the lucky few and those who don't, use cats as their animal partners to aid them in battles" Itachi lied smoothly as he finished off his onigirl and picked up another to eat. After Itachi finished explaining, two growling sounds came from Kiba and Akamaru as they looked at Itachi.

"Something doesn't smell right, you DO smell like a cat but you also smell like a fox, two creatures I dislike."

As Kurai was about to say something, no doubt it being very rude, Itachi took the onigirl he was chewing on and placed it into Kurai's mouth, who blinked, blushed, and bit off of it just as Itachi told Kiba,

"I don't care" and finished off the last onigirl. Sighing as they knew they would have to leave soon if thinks heated up, Hinata and Naruto paid for the food, just as Sakura put on her gloves.

"Who exactly are you? I haven't seen you around before."

That's when Kurai couldn't keep quiet anymore and angrily looked at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I'm getting sick and tired of your 'I'm-the-boss-you-must-obey-me" tone "Pinky" you too "Mutt". First you growl at him just because he happens to smell like two animals you don't like. I don't like dogs but you don't see me hissing at you or any other dog that passes by. And don't forget, Pinky, you already tried and knock him out once, stupidly mistaking him for Naruto who wasn't even freaking around and now you're questioning him like you have the right. Bitch please."

The group suddenly grew scared as they saw chakra start to form around Kurai, giving her the look of a wild animal when a hand from Hinata stopped her from gathering her chakra further and attacking the poor kunoichi.

"Enough, Kurai you don't need to attack them."

Kiba and Sakura looked please for a second before they realized that Hinata was wearing a similar frown on her face.

"But she makes an excellent point, why should he tell you who he is besides his name?"

The group heard a growl come from Kiba who was about to say something when a voice stopped him.

"Tell ME who he is, Hinata-sama, please" Neji said as he walked into the ramen shop, an unpleased look on his face.

"At least you said please" Kurai muttered as she got up from her seat along with Naruto and Hinata.

"You are wanted at the Main House, Hinata-sama" Neji said eyeing Itachi who had started to walk away from the group.

"See you later, Yoru" Naruto said as he started following Hinata and Kurai to the Hyuuga Manor.

"Actually, he needs to come too… maybe he can clear some things up" Neji said as he started walking away, not saying another word.

"Why?" Hinata stated confusingly but not getting a response from the retreating back of Neji. Confused, the four members plus the rest of the Konoha 11 made their way to the front of the Manor. Ayame, Anko and Kurenai joined them at some point as they neared the Main House. As Hinata and the rest was about to go inside, a servant came out and whispered something in Neji's ear, who nodded and turned to the group.

"They're waiting in the dojo for you" and he made his way towards the dojo as the group followed since no one stopped them and they were curious as to what was about to happen. As they neared the dojo, the Konoha 11, except Naruto, Neji, and Hinata stopped just short as the group of five continued to the sliding doors. Kurai did a quick henge as she wasn't sure if the council knew the truth yet as Neji knocked softly on the dojo doors. After he finished knocking, they were given permission to enter and they did, noticing the face expressions of everybody in the room. The council in their usual spots all held scowls on their faces as Hiashi was frowning and seemed…scared in a way as he watch the group enter the dojo. However, the face expression that caught everybody's attention was Hanabi, who had a super-smug grin on her face, as if she knew something they didn't.

'I thought she was up to something two days ago' Kurai told Hinata telepathically as they sat down in front of Hiashi and Hanabi while Neji sat on the side of them. Hiashi turned his gaze to Itachi and his eyes narrowed as if not liking what he was seeing.

"Who are you and how do you know my daughter?" Hiashi asked, clearly in protective parent mode as he seemed to be sizing Itachi up, who wasn't intimidated in the least.

"My name is Yoru Karasu, I'm a friend of Naruto and I met Hinata-sama when I help moved Naruto's things from the apartment to the house with her team-mates."

Hiashi nodded in understanding as he continues to stare at Itachi.

"What kind of relation do you have with my daughter?" Naruto, Hinata, and Kurai each were getting bad feelings as the questions seemed to imply that something was going on between Itachi and Hinata. Without hesitating Itachi answered.

"I was their guide to and from Suna, other than that I have had no relation with your daughter. I was once Naruto-kun's neighbor until he moved out, but he is still my friend."

Hiashi didn't seem to like that answer as he asked if there was anything else regarding his daughter. Itachi's eyes narrowed a little as he sensed that something wasn't right and that he didn't like where Hiashi was taking the conversation.

"What are you implying, Hyuuga-sama?" Itachi asked calmly, although there was a slight catch in his voice that everybody heard. Hiashi nodded as Itachi got straight to the point and said with all seriousness, "you sleeping in my daughter's house without my permission."

'Let's see…white dye in her shampoo bottle…put itching powder in her clothes…poison her with Pinky's cooking…' was just some of the things going through Kurai's head as she tried and plan ways to get back at Hanabi because she knew that she was behind the reasoning of the summoning.

'Not now Kurai…besides I want to help you with that list later' Hinata thought darkly as she noticed the smug look on Hanabi's face get bigger, if it was possible, as she waited to see what Itachi was going to say. Itachi didn't say anything as he gave the main house Hyuuga a look that basically said "Are you serious?" Frowning still, Hiashi informed the group that he was brought evidence of an older man living in the house; evidence that clearly didn't belong to Naruto.

'Teleport her into the middle of the desert without food or water…' Kurai continued to think evil thoughts as she and the rest of the people in the dojo (and outside) waited for "Yoru" to respond to the question.

'Kuso, how are we going to get out of this one?' Naruto thought as the Kyuubi was tempting him to go into one-tail mode and distract them long enough for Itachi to make an escape, but put the idea in the back of his mind when Itachi finally answered.

"I don't live in the house" was his quick and simple answer as he wore a bored expression on his face. The dojo was quiet as everybody seemed to have had to process the meaning behind that short little statement. Hinata tried hard not to laugh at Hanabi whose face took on a look of surprise then anger as she saw her plan wasn't going exactly right. Clearing his throat, Hiashi said, with a slight blush, "We found a pair of an older man's underwear in a drawer of one of the rooms. Are you saying that they're not yours?" Hiashi asked, something that sounded like hope heard in his voice as he looked at Itachi. Naruto watched Itachi out of the corner of his eye, though he saw something twitch just above somebody else's head but put it off as his imagination as he waited along with everybody else to see what Itachi was going to say.

'Oh man, "fire cracker" is going to be in for a big surprise when she finds out the truth…' Hanabi's eyes narrowed as she noticed the smirk on Kurai's face and Hinata seeming to be chewing on the inside of her mouth. Hinata's eyes grew wide at what Kurai had told her what she heard a certain kunoichi outside say and she literally had to bite her cheek from almost bursting into giggles. Naruto, noticing Hanabi's face expression and line of sight, was about to ask what they knew when Itachi said something that seem to change the atmosphere in the dojo. Outside the dojo, all the kunoichi, including Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Ayame (from the ramen shop), Anko (who saw the group), and Kurenai (who was concerned for Hinata) were standing, listening in on the meeting as Kurai accidently (or purposely) forgot to close the door all the way so that the kunoichi outside where able to hear everything that was happening inside the dojo. When Hiashi had explained the "evidence" that was found, Anko chuckled and said lowly that a man that fine shouldn't be wearing clothes at all, earning a blush from the rest of the girls and Kurenai who told her to stop. The tension outside from the curious (or nosy) kunoichi was just as thick inside as they waited for "Yoru" to answer the question. The boys more or less left after they knew the girls would talk their ears off at their latest gossip. What they heard next made the three young kunoichi gasp as Kurenai and Ayame blush while Anko was grinning saying that Kurai was one lucky girl after all.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. They're not mine because…I don't wear underwear."

There was intake of breathe, from where, no one knew followed by a long period of silence. The council members, Hiashi, and Neji seem to fidget as they felt the change in the air from seriousness to a feeling of awkwardness after Itachi's statement. Kurai's invisible cat ear twitched as she caught more of the conversation outside as they talked about Itachi going "commando." Hanabi, the first to snap out of her daze, jumped up with anger in her voice.

"How do we know he's not lying" she yelled, earning a gasp from the council and putting Hiashi in a very uncomfortable situation that was made worse by Kurai who said, "I can vouch for him if you want" loud enough for everybody to hear. Neji was secretly laughing at the situation as he waited for somebody to do something for, as funny as it was, very uncomfortable to talk about. Itachi, however, cleared all that up with his next statement. Standing up, he said, with a slight grin on his face, "I can prove it if you want" and put his hands on his pants as if to pull them down.

"No" Hiashi and Neji cried out but were drowned out by voices inside the dojo from Hanabi and Kurai who said "sure" and from outside the door where all the girls were screaming their opinions.

"Oh my" was muttered softly by Ayame and Kurenai.

"YES!" was squealed by Sakura and Ino.

Tenten screeched with "TAKE IT OFF".

"STRIP BABY STRIP" was yelled the loudest by Anko, which made everybody inside and outside the dojo go quiet.

The sound was finally broken by Kurai, who was laughing and shaking her head at the eager kunoichi outside.

"I'll be back" Kurai said not sure if she could hold the henge much longer as she disappeared outside and closed the dojo door. Hiashi looked at Hanabi with a frown on his face as she, embarrassed, looked down unable to look any of them in the eye as Itachi sat back down next to a slightly embarrassed Naruto, a howling Kyuubi who was holding his sides in laughter, and Hinata who was hanging her head as to not be seen laughing at her sister's outcry. 15 minutes later, Kurai returned with her usual smirk and a hand full of cash as she sat back down in her spot saying she got everything under control all the while counting the money in her hands. Looking at Kurai counting her money and sighing, Hiashi told Itachi he would take his word for it as they got back to business.

"So, if they're not yours, then whose are they Hinata?" Hiashi said, looking at his daughter for an answer just as Kurai spoke up, after she had pocketed the money and once again surprised everybody in the room.

"They're mine…is that a crime?" she asked and chuckled when she noticed everybody started fidgeting again as the trio looked at her, an eyebrow raised on how she was going to get out of this one. "Since I see you're afraid to ask how they're mine, I'll answer the question. I wear them at night because they're really comfy and breathable. You guys are so lucky."

Every male in the room, besides Itachi and Naruto who were now somehow used to Kurai's answers for everything, by now were blushing and sighing in defeat as they were scared to press on in case of more awkward answers. Hanabi, who wasn't done yet, used her last resort that she knew the group couldn't talk their way out of.

"There were signs of a fourth person living in that house. Since they just got back, they couldn't have had time to fix things. Let's go" Hanabi said angrily as she stormed out of the dojo with Hiashi, Neji, Hinata, Kurai, Naruto, and Itachi right on her heels.

'Anybody got a plan on how to get out of this one?' Just then Kyuubi spoke up in Naruto's mind saying that they didn't have to worry about anything.

"Heh, with the way you four luck's been going, I wouldn't be surprised if Inari-sama or his "friend" already figured this was going to happen and taken precautions."

And the Kyuubi was right. As soon as the group entered the house, Hanabi started looking for anything that would have proved that a fourth person lived there but couldn't find anything. Hiashi, seeing that there was no clear evidence, apologized to Itachi which infuriated Hanabi accusing Kurai of cleaning up when she left.

"Trust me, fire cracker, I didn't have time to clean up…I was too busy conducting business" she said smugly as she patted the pocket with her money in it. Not wanting to know, Hiashi told Hanabi to head back to the main house but she still wasn't giving up.

"Maybe the other kunoichi stole it."

No sooner had those words left her mouth that Sakura, Ino, and Tenten came into view, breathing hard, saying they got their list.

"Thank you, also can you inform 'fire cracker' that you didn't go near this house at all this past week, especially today."

The kunoichi argued their point as Kurai checked the scrolls they handed her. Accepting that they were telling the truth, Hiashi dismissed them as he headed back to the main house.

"I want to challenge the real Hinata to the right as heir in a match to the finish" Hanabi called out, anger clearly heard in her voice as her plan failed miserably.

'Take the challenge and show her what you're made of'the voice from before urged Hinata as she saw Hiashi about to refuse.

"I accept your challenge" Hinata said full of confidence that surprised everybody as they made their way back to the dojo where the council still sat. Neji started the match by explaining the rules and the stakes to the people in the dojo as everybody sat down to watch.

'This battle will be over quickly' Itachi thought as he noticed that Hanabi was angry and seriously underestimating Hinata's power. Neji started the battle…and after 5 minutes, the battle ended. Due to her anger, Hinata's training, and secretly her kitsune ability she was able to cleanly knock out Hanabi before she could even get a hit in. The council, clearly impressed at Hinata's progress, approved the match and Hinata's position as heir, and once again apologized to Itachi for accusing him. As the group headed for the house in the forest, Itachi made his way off the Hyuuga property, in case he was being followed which gave Hinata time to congratulate Kurai on the story she came up with.

"I can't believe you came up with the story of wearing men's underwear at night to hide the fact Itachi lived in the house."

Kurai stopped suddenly and looked at Hinata and Naruto, a soft smile on her face as she told them, "I wasn't lying. Those really ARE my underwear because I bought them at the store when we bought Itachi-kun his clothes. By the way, Itachi-kun DOESN'T wear underwear."

Kurai laughed as she noticed how Hinata blushed and continued walking to the house while she pulled out some scrolls and place it with the pocket with the scrolls the other kunoichi gave her.

"I'm almost afraid to ask but exactly what did you do after you left?" Naruto said looking at Kurai who had placed the money and scrolls back in her backpack.

"Oh yea, I didn't tell you. Well…" and Kurai began to explain to Naruto and Hinata what had went down after the kunoichi's rejoice at Itachi wanting to take his pants off.

*flashback*

"You think they heard us" Ino whispered as they noticed nobody made a sound after their loud outburst about Itachi going "commando".

"Oh yea, they heard you" Kurai stated from behind the girls, making them jump slightly as they all blushed about being caught (except Anko who grinned even more). Going to the dojo door, she firmly closed it with a loud "snap" and turned to look at the guilty kunoichi. "Now I know you all are curious about what he is hiding…except maybe Kurenai and Anko who can probably guess after our last conversation" but he's taken and I won't allow it."

All the kunoichi suddenly looked down in disappointment as they realized that Kurai had already claimed the new guy. However, what they missed was the cat-like glow of Kurai's eyes as she said lowly, "but I can get you secret posters of your favorite shinobi in all their sexiness for 500 yen a piece." The kunoichi just looked up at Kurai, curiosity filled in their eyes as Kurai continued.

"How would you like a picture of Sasuke all wet and looking hot under a waterfall with his sharingan activated?" she taunted Sakura and Ino who eyes went wide at the thought of the poster hanging up in their room. "Are maybe Neji and the awesome six-pack he hides underneath the Hyuuga robes…along with something else" Tenten almost started drooling at the site in her mind as she started searching her pockets for money. Turning to Kurenai, Anko, and Ayame, she started talking about a trio poster consisted of Asuma, Iruka, and Kakashi which got two of the kunoichi blushing as bad as Hinata and Anko making an order for three of Iruka.

"I can also make custom-made posters with whatever design and character you choose, in color, for let's say…1000 yen a piece. Kurai noticed the kunoichi were thinking long and hard about it when she decided to seal the deal with her next few words. "Well when you decide what you want I take cash up front and you can give me the list later" Kurai pretended to go the dojo door. "Oh and thanks to the byakugan I can draw them real ACCURATE since it can see more than just the chakra points…plus thanks to Hinata's memories I can even draw people not around…naked."

That was the icing on the cake, as 6 pair of hands suddenly dragged her back from the door giving her orders of how many posters they wanted and of what shinobi boy or man.

"Our money is at home" they whined as Kurenai and Anko disappeared in a puff of smoke as they went home to get their money…and list…to place their orders.

"No problem, I can teleport all of you back home real quick" and with those words, Kurai took the three kunoichi and Ayame home where they all ordered their posters, handed Kurai the money, and said they would give her the list later. Ayame, who secretly already had a list, gave it to Kurai as Kurenai and Anko reappeared at the Hyuuga Manor the same time Kurai did to place their orders.

"Thank you, I should have all the posters done by the end of the week. Glad doing business with you" As the two older women left, Kurai placed the list in her pocket and begin to count her money as she redid her henge and teleport back into the dojo.

*end of flashback*

Naruto and Hinata stood in shock as Kurai told them how she got rid of the kunoichi and made a hefty profit at the same time.

"I didn't know you could draw" is all that comes to Hinata's mind after hearing Kurai's story…well not all.

'I'll make you a couple, free of charge of course'

Out-loud, Kurai said that she didn't but she learned a new jutsu, thanks to Inari, on how to possess people.

"I was either going to possess Sai long enough to make their paintings before the end of the week or ask him to draw them for me for some of the profits. I don't think he will mind."

Naruto and Kyuubi were secretly laughing at how Kurai was not only pulling pranks, but making money off of them too. As they made it to the house, Itachi suddenly appeared next to them as they were about to open the door.

"Do you think I should have done that a little differently?"

"NO" the group responded laughing as they entered the house and instantly felt that something wasn't right. Looking around, Hinata noticed a fuda placed above the door that seemed to glow with power.

"I guess that what cast the illusion" Naruto stated simply as Itachi took the fuda down and placed it in his bag. As soon as the fuda was put away, the illusion in the house wore off, putting everything back to normal…although something was still off.

"Eh, hey Hinata-chan, how did your backpack get on the table because I thought you put it in your room when you first came in?"

Agreeing, the group went over to the bag, opened it up, and noticed a scroll placed neatly on top for all to see.

"That scroll wasn't there before…" Kurai said, curious as to who left it while Hinata unraveled it and fueled chakra through it to have word appear on it.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME ANOTHER RIDDLE?" Naruto screamed as he noticed the crisp lines on the scroll take the form of the riddle, this time longer than the other two.

"Go ahead and read it Hinata-chan" Itachi urged as the group ignored Naruto's outburst as she read:

The powers within you, have now been unlocked,

Now the real challenge begins, as you race against the clock.

You must accept the starball, the soul of your kind,

You must hurry, for you're running out of time.

To find the starball, you must face the sun,

And prove to them, the battle you won.

Bring back the body of a black fox, and he will see,

You are ready for the secret hidden in the tree.

The fox whose fur is as black as the night,

With bright pale eyes that seek the light.

The black and white fox, looking for their mate,

Will soon join together as seen as their fate.

This is the final riddle, time for me to go,

Take care of each other, Hinata and Naruto.

Naruto: Why do you keep giving us riddles? This one looks even harder and more complex than the last two.

Me: I don't know. Maybe I like torturing you with riddles. Maybe I want you to actually try and use your brain to figure them out.

Kyuubi: What brain?

Me: *laughing*

Naruto: Shut up you stupid fox and help me figure out this dumb riddle

Me: It's okay, Naruto. I promise this is the last riddle.

Naruto: It better. (Goes off grumbling about stupid riddles)

"Ugh, why is it that every time we get a scroll there is a riddle in it?"

The group suddenly frowned as they remembered something that happened yesterday.

"Hey, Naruto-kun do you still have the scroll Inari-sama gave you?" Hinata asked as if on to something.

"Huh, yea, it's in my bag…oh no. You know what Itachi I'm going to let you get it because I can't take any more riddles."

Handing him the backpack, he left for his room to take a shower as Itachi fished out the scroll and begin to fuel it with chakra.

"Somebody must really like riddles" Itachi said softly as he read what the paper had to say to Hinata and Kurai.

To find the person you seek,

You need to go back about a week.

That night that you all remember well,

Something was different, that you can tell.

Find what was different about that day,

And you will soon know the way.

To find the truth of what took place,

And help find the soul you need to replace.

"Well at least it's not as bad as that one."

The group began to work on the scroll Inari gave them before trying to figure out what the scroll in the backpack meant.

"Ok what was different about that day?" Kurai muttered as they kept their attention on that one line. After several minutes, they heard the sound of running water coming from upstairs that seemed to jump start their brains.

"The rain…it never rains like that in Konoha, especially during this time of year" Hinata said proudly as she figured out what the riddle meant.

"So our next destination has to be the rain village" Itachi said as he rolled up the scroll and placed it back in Naruto's backpack.

"What about the rain village now?" Naruto asked, hair dripping, as he came downstairs with nothing but a pair of pants on and a towel around his neck.

"We believe our next destination is the rain village, Naruto-kun" Itachi answered as he noticed a certain kunoichi was a little tongue-tied at seeing Naruto.

"I think I know what to draw for you" Kurai muttered as Hinata blushed at looked away from Naruto as he put on a shirt. Oblivious to what Kurai had said, he asked how they were going to get a mission to the rain village, unless he could get a message out to Konan and see if she can help them. Before the group could dwell more on that or look at the third scroll there was a sharp knock on the door. Itachi and Kurai disappeared as Hinata and Naruto opened the door to show Kakashi and Yamato with grim looks on their faces. Sensing something bad was about their visit, Naruto left with his two sensei as Itachi and Kurai came down from upstairs.

'Something isn't right' Hinata thought but she wasn't just talking about the situation with Naruto. Hinata started noticing that Kurai was acting funny and becoming more distant from them in the way she walked farther from them and other minor things. Telling herself she would ask her later, Hinata left and met with her team and their discussion about what they overheard.

"I hear they are to have a meeting and figure out what to do about Sasuke-kun. I believe…I believe that we should kill him. It's the only way that Naruto will stop chasing after him and fulfilling that promise to bring him back" Sakura said, her voice shaking a bit as she looked at the group.

That's when everybody noticed Hinata, who quickly ran off, unable to bear the news she just heard. Hearing the group call her name, she quickly imagined where Naruto was and teleported close by in a tree as she spotted him talking with Kakashi and Konohamaru, obviously planning something by the large grins on their faces. Mind-linking with him, she heard his plan about how to deal with the ANBU following him and decided to help in her own secret way. Hinata suddenly ran up to Naruto as she told him the plan about what they should do. Naruto, Konohamaru, and Hinata all did sexy no jutsu and transformed into sexy females. The only difference was Konohamaru was a normal female while Naruto and Hinata had changed into their hanyo forms right before using sexy no jutsu which just added a tail and ears to the females. After the ANBU, thanks to Kakashi were knocked out Naruto explained to Hinata that he was going to talk to the Raikage about sparing Sasuke's life. Realizing that it was something he needed to do, she gave him a sad smile and quickly gave him a kiss, all the while telling him about the other's plans for Sasuke that the other teams he would deal with them later he quickly and quietly left for the land of Iron, not before getting another goodbye kiss, as Hinata headed for home where Itachi was in town shopping while Kurai was waiting for her. As they sat outside, each brunette in their own little world, Neji and Hiashi came to visit them after checking on Hanabi and seeing if everything was okay with Hinata. As they approached, Hiashi noticed the necklace in Hinata's hand as she kept twirling it between her fingers like a nervous habit. Hearing her sigh, Neji and Hiashi looked at each other before talking to Hinata.

"You want to go with him, don't you?" Hiashi asked calmly as Hinata nodded absent-mindly surprising Neji who still wasn't use to the new, more confident Hinata. Neji then glanced at Kurai, who was also equally deep in thought, about what, no one but Kurai knew. However, Hiashi's next words drew everybody's attention from whatever they were thinking about.

"You have my permission to go with him."

Neji, Hinata, and Kurai suddenly looked up at Hiashi who nodded and continued with, "Wherever your adventure takes you, you're allowed to go."

Hinata eyes got big as she smiled greatly, something she felt she haven't done in far too long for her father. "Just be safe" was his only rule as he saw tears fall down Hinata's face as she went over to hug her father.

"Come on Kurai, we have to hurry and catch up with Naruto-kun" she stated as she quickly pack her bag with some clothes, grabbed Kurai's hand, and disappeared to find Itachi and get him to join them on their quest to save Sasuke. Back to Neji and Hiashi, Neji was looking at his uncle as he stared at the house, a distant look in his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips.

"Are you sure that was a wise choice? I mean you she is living with a complete stranger who nobody knows anything about and most likely will leave with him to go catch up with Naruto."

Hiashi just looked at Neji and smiled.

"I know all about the stranger who is living with my daughter and I know he will protect her like he would protect Sasuke and Naruto."

Confused about his uncle actions and words, Neji just sighed and looked down only to gasp which made Hiashi look down and see what surprised Neji. On the ground around their feet were pale blue flowers blooming and growing right before their eyes.

"Wha-how?"

Both Hyuuga suddenly heard rustling and looked off into the forest to see a small one-tailed silver fox run swiftly from the underbrush to a nearby den as Hiashi nodded and headed towards the Manor.

"Neji, there is something I must show you" is all he said as both Hyuuga males made their way back to the main house and a secret that will blow the mind of one unexpected Neji.

*time skip*

Itachi, Hinata, and Kurai had finally made it to the land of Iron where Naruto had already talked to the Raikage…who wasn't going to change his mind. Wanting to talk to Naruto, the group stayed hidden as they noticed Sakura and Sai talking to him, which Hinata sensed was not something good. Dropping the henge, she reverted to her hanyo form where, with her heightened sense of hearing, she heard the last words she wanted Sakura to ever say to Naruto.

"…can you repeat that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked cleaning out his ears as he looked at the pink haired kunoichi who just smiled at him and repeated herself.

"I said…I love you, Naruto" Naruto suddenly felt a burning sensation around his chest as the necklace seemed to be radiating heat.

'What the hell…is Hinata in trouble?' Naruto asked the Kyuubi who silently chucked as the heated necklace began to burn Naruto's skin.

"No but Sakura will be in a minute. The reason the necklace's burning is because Hinata is mad; the hotter it burns the angrier she is. And by how hot that sucker is burning I'd say she just heard Sakura's little confession and is pissed to the max."

Naruto, rubbing his chest where the necklace was burning his skin, used his heightened senses to pinpoint Hinata's location. Naruto almost laughed out loud as he sensed Itachi's and Kurai's desperate-ness mingling with Hinata's anger and guessed that they were trying to hold her back or something. Over to where Hinata, Itachi, and Kurai were hidden…that was exactly what they were doing.

"Come on, all I want to do is "talk" to her" Hinata said as she struggled against Itachi and Kurai who were holding her back with all their strength yet smiling at how protective she was.

"Hinata, remember I can read your mind and the only "talking" you're thinking of has to do with your gentle fist technique."

Naruto grew scared as he felt the killing intent radiated and pointed at Sakura all the way from where Hinata and the others were hiding.

"Kit, fox illusion, did you forget?"

'Oh yea, but don't I have to make the hand seals-'

"I'll do it for you this time."

Thanking the fox and feeling the illusion take place, he looked back up at Sakura who wore a confused look on her face as she looked around and then back at him. Naruto looked deep in her eyes and asked her when she realized her feeling for him. Sakura then told him about not loving Sasuke anymore and saying that he could stop chasing him. Mentally, Naruto was trying to calm down a pissed off Hyuuga who he finally managed to convince not to kill Sakura. Tuning back in to Sakura's answer, he almost laughed at the irony of it all as he remembered asking her out multiple times and being shot down…well "punched" down each and every time.

"Hinata, please calm down before you give our location away?" Kurai said as she knew the others could feel the killing intent coming at them from their direction. Naruto then informed them about the illusion with Kurai, who sighed in relief.

'Hinata-chan at least calm down enough to listen to what I have to say to her confession, okay?'

That seemed to do the trick as Hinata calmed down and listened closely as she waited for Naruto's answer.

"You can stop lying to yourself Sakura. I know that you don't really love me and that you are still deeply in love with Sasuke but I made a promise, not only to you but to a lot of people, that I would bring Sasuke-teme back and that's what I plan on doing."

The group was surprised at Naruto's answer as Hinata was secretly cheering with Itachi and Kurai smirking at how Naruto put Sakura in her place. Shocked, Sakura and Sai both left seeing that Naruto wasn't going to change his mind about chasing Sasuke. As Hinata, Kurai, and Itachi were about to turn invisible and go see Naruto, avoiding Kakashi of course, they stopped when they noticed Sai make an ink clone and waited to see what he had to say.

"Since Naruto-kun is still talking how about we go tail Sakura and Sai and see if we can stop them from doing something stupid, I mean wrong" Hinata whispered as they turned invisible and followed the two team-mates to an opening where things were about to heat up.

'Oh my, this doesn't look good' Hinata thought as she noticed a shinobi who looked similar to Itachi appear with a redhead who was wearing thick glasses on as she mentally told Naruto what was going on. The trio watched silently as the events unfolded around them as Naruto, Yamato, and Kakashi made their way to the area where Sasuke was waiting. As the group watched, Itachi remained quiet and motionless except for the occasional sigh and his usual trademark of calling his brother "foolish". Watching as Sasuke attacked his former team and use Karin as a shield, both kunoichi wondered how Itachi and Sasuke were even related since they acted so differently.

"He will go blind soon if he keeps up using his sharingan" Itachi stated after a while surprising both girls as they watch Sasuke use his ultimate attack against Kakashi and Naruto.

"Let's go get him now and beat some freaking sense into him then" Kurai tempted, getting the urge to go do just that until Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder saying it would be pointless. As soon as he said that, Sasuke went blind and Madara came to take him away.

'I'm…sorry…everybody' Naruto thought mentally before he passed out due to the poison kunai Sakura had accidently slashed him with.

"Oh Naruto-kun" Hinata said sadly as she watched Kakashi pick up his pupil and make their way back to Konoha with the group following silently. As Yamato's team plus a few hidden extra people made it back to Konoha, they were rejoiced to hear about Tsunade's recovery as Kakashi was about to be elected as the 6th Hokage. After Naruto's recovery, he had a hard time looking at Itachi as he felt he betrayed him by not bringing back Sasuke.

"It's okay Naruto-kun besides I have a feeling that we will be seeing him again sooner than we think. Call it instinct but I think I will need everybody's help in talking to Sasuke later."

Agreeing, Naruto decided to have a bowl of ramen as Itachi and Kurai left for home while Hinata disappeared talking about needing to do something important. Itachi, Kurai, and Hinata, after Kurai called out to her and she returned with a little-too-big smile on her face, quickly made their way over to where Naruto was re-summoned just minutes before.

"Hey everybody what-"

"It's time" Itachi calmly interrupted him with all seriousness heard in his voice. Nodding the four member's teleported to Hinata's house where Naruto switched to sage mode then he grabbed Sasuke's forehead protector and began to concentrate. Itachi then begin to fuel chakra to Naruto as Hinata and Kurai did the same which led to a weird reaction between the four. Gasping, Naruto clearly saw Sasuke in a dark room, underground he thought as he smelled the dampness of the walls and lack of sunlight, with Zetsu who told him the operation was a success.

'Sasuke' Naruto thought before he felt a strange lightness in his body as if his whole body was thinning, along with Hinata, Kurai and Itachi as they disappeared in a flash of light.

*still in Hinata's house*

"Their powers are getting stronger, especially Hinata" a male voice said, coming out of the shadows of one of the rooms as he was joined by a small group of people.

"Well she did take after her you know…at least that's what I heard" a familiar voice in the form of JT said as she gathered her group from their hiding place and move to the center of the room. "Man, that took a lot of chakra…at least Naruto was in sage mode when he was looking for Sasuke and made it easier."

Agreeing, Maru joined up with JT as he looked at the group.

"So are we heading back now?" a tall handsome man said as his hand went to his pocket to pull out a box of pocky and place one in his mouth where he started sucking on the chocolate coating. Nodding, Maru asked if everybody was ready as they were soft cries of 'yes' from the group.

"Will we be visiting Suna soon?" a soft voice said as an elderly woman looked up at Maru and JT.

"Soon baa-sama, we will visit soon" an elderly man said, going over to the man with the pocky and placing his hand on his shoulder. The group then started fueling chakra to Maru and JT who changed forms and said, "Demon Style: Pack Teleportation" right before they too disappeared.

*at the Hyuuga Manor*

"And that's the truth Neji. That is why I've been taken the events of the last two weeks extremely well. Now this is between you and me and no one else except a select few need to know about this" Hiashi said as he had finished telling Neji a story that more or less made him shocked and stunned to the point of being speechless. Leaving his office, Hiashi walked down the halls of the main house with Neji, who finally found his voice again, in tow.

"Does Hanabi-sama know?" Neji asked as he knew that Hanabi would not accept what he learned without a fight. Hiashi's face turned sad as he nodded and said he told her after the first match for heiress.

"She didn't take it well and after the second match…she went and told the council about Kurai, which in the end sealed her fate as they realized that since both Hinata and Kurai was able to defeat and had the most change that either one would be selected as heiress and then she-"

Hiashi stopped suddenly, which made Neji check his surroundings and notice that they were in front of Hiashi's door. Hiashi opened the door, beckoning Neji in as he closed and placed a seal on the door as to stop people from unexpectedly coming in. Going to the back of his room, he fueled chakra to his right hand and waved it against the back of the wall to reveal a hidden panel. Taking the panel off, he reached inside the hidden storage and pulled something out that he handed to Neji before replacing the wall.

"Wait oji-san isn't this…"

*elsewhere*

"When can I take my bandages off?" an impatient Sasuke asked for the 3rd time within the past 3 days as he felt that something wasn't right with his eyes. Zetsu gave him the same response that he answered with the last 2 times Sasuke asked.

"Not yet" the white half of Zetsu said as the black half of him began to talk about eating him to stop him from asking again. As the two sides of Zetsu argued, the clearly irritated and impatient Uchiha was about to say something else when he felt a weird sensation in the air that Zetsu didn't seem to feel.

'Sasuke' he thought he heard a voice whisper his name lightly in his head as the air around him seemed to thicken. Looking at the frowning plant man, he narrowed his eyes and asked Zetsu to leave which his white said to yell if he needed anything while his black side said he would happily do without a demanding Uchiha. As Zetsu continued to argue with himself and left through the floor, Sasuke waited till he was sure he was completely gone before calling out.

"Show yourself" he said in a somewhat commanding voice and the air in front of the bed seemed to crackle with energy before returning to normal as he sensed four new chakra signatures. All four signatures felt familiar, similar even, but different and Sasuke just couldn't pinpoint who was there in front of him.

"…Naruto, is that you?" Sasuke said, malice in his voice, as he turned his bandaged eyes to the signature that he knew so well but was a lot different from the blonde he knew.

'Did he become even stronger since we last met and if so how? Also what is with the strange chakra and the other three people he is with?' is what was going through Sasuke's mind until he heared a voice starting a jutsu.

"Demon style: Blood Clone no Jutsu" as he felt chakra emit from somebody beside Naruto that makes Sasuke's blood run cold at the voice.

'That…sounded like…impossible, it can't be him. Naruto must be using some kind of jutsu to sound like him.' Sasuke thought as he was about to do his own jutsu when he felt the air beside him thicken and before he could so much as curse he felt a quick slice in his arm as someone cut him with a kunai. The person was joined by the one doing the jutsu as the speaker swiped their hand over the cut, making hand seals, which was followed by a thump as the speaker slammed their hand on the bed. Feeling the bed shift as someone else joined, Sasuke was about to call out to Zetsu, while mentally cursing himself, when he was suddenly grabbed by something soft, warm, and fluffy. The fluffy thing wrapped itself around Sasuke's mouth, effectively stopping him from calling out as 6 other fluffy things wrapped around the rest of his body; 2 around his arms to prevent him from doing jutsus, 2 around his legs to prevent him from fleeing and 2 around his torso that lifted him in the air as he heard more shifting from the bed. Before Sasuke could have time to figure out what was happening, a female voice said, "Let's get out of here before plant man comes back." He felt his body go light as the group that captured him teleported to a well hidden cave near the training grounds of Konoha where Naruto, Hinata, and Kurai first met Itachi after his resurrection. As Sasuke felt his body become heavy again and noticed the changes in environment he figured they made it to their destination. Smelling the dampness in the air, the fluffy "ropes" holding Sasuke gently placed him on a rock which confirmed Sasuke's suspicion that he was in a cave.

"Nice use with the henge. So Kyu showed you how to grab with those…cool. Now that we got 'Bird Ass', what are we going to do with him?"

The cave went quiet after that statement as Naruto was trying hard not to laugh at Kurai's nickname for Sasuke. Not going without a fight, Sasuke started to struggle greatly, trying to get his hands free to try attack whoever kidnapped him when he heard a sigh, talking, movement, and a jutsu being used that made him stop his struggles.

"Choose another nickname for him, please?" Hearing footsteps start and stop and then the same male voice from earlier say "Fire style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu" and Sasuke could fell the chill of the cave leave as someone started several fires on spread out piles of wood that lit the whole area.

'There are only two people besides myself I know who can use that jutsu…'

"Kakashi?" tried to call out but his mouth was still covered so it came out muffled.

"You can remove the tail from his mouth now."

'Tail?' Sasuke thought as he felt the tail leave his face right before he screamed at the top of his lungs,

"Let go of me so I can kill all of you, you-" before Sasuke could finish that sentence his mouth was once again covered over by the tail as the same female voice that gave him the horrible nickname said,

"Damn, he's loud. I never thought he could yell like that, especially to who he is related too."

Naruto, Itachi, and Hinata agreed with Kurai as they looked at the usually cool and calmed Uchiha tied up with Naruto's 6 tailed form henge, extremely angry as Itachi left to place silence tag barriers all over the cave.

"Everything's set" Itachi said coming back to the group where Sasuke was still struggling against his binds.

"Are you sure about this? He seems very angry and might do something drastic" Hinata asked just as Sasuke loosen the tail around his face just enough to open his mouth and bite down hard on it. Hearing a poof, he knew that that henge was over and was about to start yelling again when an angry voice he knew so well talked to him.

"Ouch teme that hurt, I can't believe you bit me" Naruto said rubbing his poor tail where there were faint bite marks thanks to the pissed off Uchiha. Sasuke turned in the direction of the voice for there was only one person who was bold enough, or in his mind stupid enough, to call him Sasuke-teme.

"Naruto?" he called out trying to get a better sense of his surroundings.

"Yea it's me Sasuke-teme…and I brought along with me a few friends."

Naruto restarted his henge to cover the ears and tail as Kurai went over to Sasuke and begin to fuel chakra to him.

'Who is touching me? It can't be Naruto because the touch is too gentle.'

Feeling chakra rush through him in return his being absorbed he gasped as his vision seemed to return as he could clearly see the details of the cave he was in.

'But why does it feel like I'm not the one who is looking around?'

Maybe because he wasn't as he soon realized. Kurai, who was letting Sasuke see through her eyes, began to take in the surroundings around them as Itachi quickly hid in the shadows for he wasn't sure how Sasuke would react to seeing again yet.

"You can use a shadow clone to fuel the chakra so you can come over here too" Naruto said as Kurai agreed and did just that. As soon as Kurai stopped fueling Sasuke her chakra, his eyesight was lost once again and he found it funny at how people took for granted their senses like sight. Hearing movement and the same gentle touch, his sight was once again restored as he instantly looked at Naruto who held his usual goofy grin on his face.

'Same old Naruto' an old part of himself spoke up before Sasuke shook his head, getting rid of the little voice in his head. Looking beside him, he took in the ink blue hair of Hinata who had a worried look on her face.

'Who is she again? If I remember correctly that's girl is Neji's cousin…I believe her name is Hyuuga Hinata. Oh right, the only girl who didn't seemed to chase me around like a lovesick puppy since she decided to stalk Naruto. I guess dobe finally realized her feelings for him since it was stupidly obvious.'

Scuffing, his vision turned to a person hidden in the shadows as far away from the light as possible. Before Sasuke could get a good look at the person, his view was drawn to the final person, who created the shadow clone and called him "Bird Ass", and it temporarily made him forget about the shadow person. Sasuke frowned as he mentally looked between Hinata and Kurai, extremely confused as he tried to figure out what was going on.

'That can't be Hinata's sister I heard about because this kunoichi is too old. It's not a shadow clone either because their chakra is different from each other. What the hell…?'

Sasuke then turned his gaze to Naruto who was chuckling at the confused look on Sasuke's face.

"Wow, this must be the first time I actually seen you this confused teme."

"What- how- who-" Sasuke tried to piece the situation together but was having a hard time as Naruto sighed and said he would explain everything later.

"This is Kurai, by the way, and you're in a cave near Konoha-" Naruto started but was interrupted by Sasuke who sneered.

"Dobe, you explain to me who she is now because there won't be time later after I finish destroying you and Konoha. Thanks for making it easier for me to get here."

Noticing the group all turn their attention towards the person in the shadows, he heard a sigh and looked as the person started walking forward.

"Foolish brother…" the voice said, making Sasuke's eyes go wide in fear as he heard the voice from the last person he was expecting. "Haven't you learned by now that revenge isn't the best answer?"

A snort was heard nearby while Sasuke had yet to take his eyes off the person in the shadows.

"Not likely since he's still trying" Naruto muttered as Sasuke asked loudly, "who are you?" to the figure coming out of the shadows. Smirking, the shadowed figure stepped closer to the fires to reveal Itachi who was smiling at his little brother. Sasuke grew real quiet as he looked at his supposedly blind and dead brother who was staring at him with un-blind and life-filled eyes smiling at him.

"Hey "Katana", you're going to just sit there all day or are you going to do something?" Kurai asked making Sasuke snap out his trance and look at her.

"…" was Sasuke only response until he started making some quick hand seals which in turn caused Naruto to curse.

"Kuso, he's using Chidori Current" Naruto yelled as Hinata and Kurai stepped in front of the boys and began to build a chakra force-field just as Sasuke finished making hand seals.

"Chidori Current" he cried out as electrified chakra went in every direction, hitting the clone Kurai made making it disappear along with his sight. Sensing that his attack didn't hit them due to lack of bodies falling, he turned in the direction he last saw them.

"You idiot that could have hit us" Kurai replied angrily as she and Hinata stopped making the chakra wall and glared at the smirking Uchiha.

"That was the point" he said still smirking until he heard an animalistic snarl come from the direction of the group and quickly got up from his seat.

"Kurai-chan, no stop" Itachi called out as Sasuke jumped back in time to narrowly missed Kurai's claws as she changed back into her hanyo form. The attack, close enough where he could feel the wind from it, was intercepted as Hinata appeared next to Kurai and tackled her to the ground. Sensing that the two kunoichi were busy, Sasuke found now was the perfect time to get rid of his two biggest problems. Making hand seals, that went unseen by all except Naruto who was watching him, he brought his hand to his mouth and did his second most famous jutsu, the first being chidori. 'Fire style: Great Fireball jutsu' he thought as he sent a giant ball of fire heading straight towards Itachi who didn't see in time.

"NOOO" Kurai screamed as the attack was about to engulf Itachi when he was pushed out of the way by Naruto who took the full blast of the attack. Kyuubi quickly fueled chakra to Naruto in time to prevent him from being burned to death. He still held many burn marks all over his body as he was cleanly knocked out when he was thrown against the wall, due to the fact that although the chakra cloak shielded him it strengthen the attack due to Naruto's wind element. The cave went silent after that attack and the group looked at Sasuke who seemed proud that he "got rid of" Naruto, but inside he felt a twinge of pain as he believed he killed the only person who had tried and become his friend. However his attention was soon brought back to the cave as he felt two strong surges of chakra and two powerful killing intents aimed at him as he turned his attention to the two kunoichi who were on the ground. Paying attention to the two kunoichi, Sasuke didn't sense when Naruto reverted back to his hanyo form as the kunoichi also changed, too angry to keep up the appearance anymore. They quickly stood as chakra formed all around them as they let out more animalistic snarls and growls. Sasuke, actually became uneasy, as he felt the chakra around the girls only grow stronger and stronger, almost the point of being the same as Naruto's, Hinata's chakra might be even stronger. Surprised, Sasuke suddenly felt his vision restore, although the bandages were still covering his face as he caught a glimpse of the girl's new forms. Kurai's chakra, still rushing through him, activated causing him to see the cat and fox like cloak around Hinata and Kurai who then charged, crazed looks in their eyes as they were hunting for a certain fire and lightning chakra using Uchiha. As Sasuke jumped back, he tried to activate his sharingan but found to his horror that he couldn't. Cursing mentally, he tried to dodge their attacks to the best of his ability as he asked himself what kind of mess that he got into and would he actually make it out alive this time.