Quintessence

A Chouji X Hinata Fanfiction

Hey all! Tankou001 here with an all new chapter of Quintessence! It's been a while since I picked up the muse for Quintessence but all authoprs need their time to cool off. Regardless I am hoping that this will be a good chapter and that I can quickly fly back into the world of The Transcendance Trilogy as I have recently come to call this set of fics. It has already begun with Pulchritudinous, which centered around Hinata and Chouji's love starting from an insignificant ember to a bonfire of passion. Quintessence, as you may be coming to find, is their marriage, love and the beginning of their family building itself as well as subtle little side stories of the loves of Sai and the students that all three teachers have taken on. Zenith will be my final fic in the series. What will occur then is yet to be told but I have many an idea for it and I trust all of my fans out there are looking forward to it.

Now hopefully we all know what is happening in the story because I don't feel like talking about it.

Also for those who wouldn't know better all of the previous teams ARE important... They WILL be in other chapters in the future. For everyone's personal knowledge I am therefor putting up my chart of teams that attended the Chuunin Exam in the past chapters including our own three teams. They include names, ages and ranks. Please excuse the length of it all.

Team 4

Akimichi Chouji - Teacher/Jounin - 26 Years Old

Ibana Maya - Genin - 9 Years Old

Hyuuga Hizano - Chuunin - 12 Years Old

Hatake Anka - Genin - 10 Years Old

Team 13

Hyuuga Hinata - Teacher/Jounin - 26 Years Old

Nagamori Kyogi - Chuunin - 12 Years Old

Hazumi Ty Dao - Chuunin - 11 Years Old

Utagau Temano - Genin - 10 Years Old

Team 9

Sai - Teacher/Jounin - 26 Years Old

Nara Shikana - Chuunin - 8 Years Old

Nara Shikani - Genin - 8 Years Old

Yuuhi Asame - Genin - 11 Years Old

Himitsugakure - Team 11

Gaman Aryū – Teacher/Hidden Flower - 27 Years Old

Awa Kowagu - Genin – 14 Years Old

Kami Miyaku – Genin – 14 Years Old

Itamae Sōzō – Genin – 14 Years Old

Sunagakure - Team 2

Sabaku No Matsuri – Teacher/Jounin - 24

Adair Brayden – Genin – 9 Years Old

Owaga Nyamo – Genin – 10 Years Old

Areno Jukei Makoto – Chuunin – 12 Years Old

Kirigakure – Team 15

Doubutsu Tai Tanget – Teacher/Chosen Shinobi Sword – 22 Years Old

Doubutsu Tai Tankou – Chuunin – 12 Years Old

Doubutsu Tai Shoki – Genin – 13 Years Old

Kawaru Jintai – Genin – 13 Years Old

Amegakure – Team 1

Ichibani Kona – Teacher/Jounin – Unknown Age

Ichibani Midori – Genin – 11 Years Old

Umori Kodama – Genin – 12 Years Old

Moraga Tenshi – Genin – 12 Years Old

For those of you who don't know (which should be most) a "Hidden Flower" is a position above those of average Jounin Shinobi in Himitsugakure No Sato similar to how the Chosen Shinobi Sword is a shinobi above the skill and rank of the average Oinin in Kirigakure No Sato. They are cultural things. I would, if I were a reader such as yourselves, count them around Kage level because they are the personal warriors of the village leader as well as their voice, face and emmisary.

Enjoy and sorry for such a long author's note!

{HR}

Chapter Nine: Settling Scores Both Old And New

Five weeks had passed since the end of the Mountain Country Chuunin Exam. Akimichi Hinata now stood at the balcony of her home with Chouji. Already she had been feeling the steady onset of pregnancy and not at all found it to her liking. Hinata alone found comfort in the fact that the air was so fresh in their home outside of the walls of Konohagkure No Sato. She had, of course, been taken off teaching her students as ninja duty wouldn't be good for the baby growing inside of her. Now that she was just over two months along things certainly were changing. She hadn't really gotten bigger but she was definitely feeling the morning sickness, the need to use the bathroom on a very constant basis as well as the fact that many things that she used to love now made her nauseous beyond belief. Chouji stood behind Hinata as she breathed deep through her nose, trying to chase off the nausea. "Hinata... You going to be okay?"

Hinata nodded a bit. "I'm fine... Just the average stuff... It isn't like this hasn't been happening for the past week and I was... Ready isn't the word but I certainly was expecting something like this to happen." Hinata turned on her heel and walked into the room, putting on her jacket. Chouji wal;ked up to her and embraced her, drawing Hinata into a passionate kiss. When they parted Hinata giggled a bit before another wave of nausea hit her and she rushed into the bathroom.

Chouji sighed as he heard Hinata's wretching. It wasn't something he could help. In fact he was, quite literally in some ways, the reason that this was happening to his beloved. They had a shopping trip today as well as the fact that Chouji had offered to help teach Hinata's team while she was pregnant. She wasn't allowed to give any practical instructions nor was she allowed to do ninja work. Still Hinata was allowed to instruct verbally her students. Chouji and his team were now almost constant teammates to Hinata's team not because of Hinata and Chouji's connection alone, of course. They needed to learn to work with other teams and training together against and with each other was a good way to get better. Even Sai's team occasionally tagged into the playing field and all three of them trained together. Still, today training would come later than usual. Chouji and Hinata had to go shopping for some things and Chouji wanted all of that done before the day really started. Early morning was the time when the air bothered Hinata the least as well as the fact that it was the time where things like fresh baking bread and other less perishable things were made. Hinata still enjoyed such scents where the later day cooking scents in the shopping district didn't at all agree with her.

After Hinata washed up and steadied herself with the help of Chouji they left. Just as they were opening the door, however, a knock sounded, making Hinata jump a bit and giving Chouji a start as well. They opened it and on the other side was Sai with a book in his hand as usual. "Good morning, Chouji-kun and Hinata-chan."

Chouji smiled. "Good morning, Sai-kun. You need something?"

Sai shook his head a bit with a slight smile. "Actually I don't have anything to do today so I was wondering if you two were free. I have found that social interaction has been, as of late, more fulfilling than my average book reading and artwork."

Chouji looked at Hinata, who smiled slightly and gave a nod. "Well Hinata is alright with it and I see n problem. We were just heading out to go shopping for some things. I don't mind if you tag along as long as you don't mind carrying groceries of course." Sai shook his head at this. With that the group departed. "What is that book you are reading, by the way, Sai-kun?"

Sai raised the book a bit and showed the title. "It is A Guide To The Fine Art Of Flighting." Sai spoke with a mild smile. Hinata gave a face that Chouji could only guess was a mixture of shock and an emmotion that existed yet hadn't had a one word title made for it yet. Something like an "I'm not touching hat with a ten foot pole" look. Sai, of course, didn't catch up on this. "It is a wonderful piece of literature, as well. Never before have I learned such valuable coping tools to verbal abuse."

"Well... Sai-kun," Chouji started. "I am sure I speak for both myself and my lovely wife when I say that you probably shouldn't be using those skills on a regular basis. Most people find it hard enough to like you as normal. I think that the art of competitive insult would gain you about as many friends as one who eagerly steps into public to make a fool of himself. Mind you I suppose it would be interesting to use it in appropriate situations." Chouji didn't quite like the "art" of flighting. It wasn't fit for he, who would rather take his problems into the ring of physical combat. Verbal combat was something better left to those who knew long words and could craft witty retorts like Shikamaru.

Sai shrugged. "I never said I would use it on a regular basis. It simply relieves me to know that, in a case where violence would best not be involved, I have a backup weapon for less savory individuals." Chouji thought on his previous thoughts and suspected that perhaps Sai, however, was a very likely candidate for flighting after hearing the battery of well placed words he had just uttered.

Minutes later the three arrived in the shopping district of Konoha. As always even in the morning it was a bustling area, full of busy people who wanted the freshest, tastiest and warmest items in stock. The bakery smelled of wonderfully warm, soft bread. The fish stall smelled of nothing yet, as fresh fish that were worth the ryo that anyone paid for them, did not smell. The vegetable stalls had all of the freshest items, not a speck of decay about them this early in the day. Chouji loved sorting through such things so early on. He had always made a habit of arriving at the market district early for only the best things. He was glad that Hinata had always felt the same way. "Chouji, Let's get some bread first." Hinata muttered to his as she started dragging him toward the bakery.

Into the bakery they went and the scent of fresh and baking bread purveyed their senses, filling every fiber of their being as they walked in. Sai smiled a genuine one and Chouji knew it. It was difficult to make a bad face when the smell of fresh bread, baking nicely in its ovens, filled the senses. Hinata was alread sorting through the various breads, asking for new varieties and asking about which ones were to be recommended. Chouji smiled at the baker, who he always had kept in a small place in his heart. She had been one of the women that he had longed after when he was younger, before he had found Hinata. She, on the other hand, was swooning over Sai at that moment. As usual, even now Chouji really didn't rate on the attractiveness scale, at least not while some of Konoha's more attractive men loomed in the vicinity. It was a shame that Sai was after Aryū because the bakwer girl was quite the catch, iof Chouji could say himself. Regardless the baker girl would have to deal with Sai being just out of reach as well as Chouji not having to care about winning the love of another. He had Hinata now and that was all that mattered.

The morning went by slowly, Hinata dragging Chouji from one shop to another, picking out choice cuts of meat, fresh fish, bread, vegetables and fruits. By the time all was said and done Chouji, Hinata and Sai alike were loaded down with supplies for the kitchen at Chouji and Hinata's home. Sai never complained once though Hinata and Chouji apologized more than once. "You think we could get going home already, Hinata? I don't think poor Sai could carry any more groceries and we both need to get to our teams together. You need to get some food in your stomach, you're eating for two after all. You need to sit down too, I can see it." Hinata tired more easily now for reasons that were obvious. She hadn't grown a belly yet but Chouji knew that pregnancy could wear people out in many more than one way. Chouji could already tell wen Hinata was starting to unknowingly wear herself out.

"You guys should stick around a bit longer. I have some business with the expectant mother." Came a strange yet all too familiar voice from behind. Hinata turned on her heel and, in shock, dropped her bags. Chouji took a step forward and caught the bag with the eggs and milk with his foot, letting the bag of bread fall to the ground. A little dirt wouldn't harmn bread. It was the fall that would bust the eggs and carton of milk. Chouji looked and smiled at the visitor. It was all too clearly a friend from a long time ago. Uzumaki Naruto now stood in the company of the group. Hinata just stared in shock. Naruto looked, for all intents and purposes, like he always had. He was taller, albeit not nearly as tall as Chouji was. His hair was a bit longer but still as spiked and untamed as before. He wore a red cloak now, a great whirlpool symbol on the back.

"Naruto-kun! Nice to see you after so long!" Chouji spoke out with a grin. "You haven't changed much at all, I could call you out in a crowd of hundreds. I am glad you're okay too. When did you get out of the hospital?"

Naruto looked at Chouji but didn't smile. "I got out two weeks ago. You've changed a lot, Chouji-kun. However, I have some things to discuss with Hinata-chan... And it needs to be private."

Hinata just stood silent and frozen in shock as Chouji lowered the bag with milk and eggs to the ground. "I am sure if you can talk to her about it you can talk to me about it." He spoke, starting to sense the atmosphere. Naruto wasn't here to chat idly about the good old days as Chouji had, at one point, planned it when he returned. Naruto had been horribly injured by Hinata before Chouji had returned. It had caused major internal conflict within the village. Chouji had heard that Ino had gotten out months ago but, for one reason or another, she was never about when he went to see her. Ino had made herself a ghost to Chouji at least. Still, he had heard that Hinata had been talking with Ino on occasion. Ino and Hinata had apparently spoken about a sort of "exchange" of lovers. Ino had been coupled with Naruto from the very start and Hinata hadn't known it until the day that she walked in on a romantic session with them. When Naruto spilt to Hinata what he really had thought of her she nearly took his life as well as Ino's. The day of Hyuuga Hiashi's death Ino agreed that she would take Chouji so Naruto could start a relationship with Hinata to see if things would work. It had been very quickly decided that this was not what would happen.

Naruto shook his head. "I think we have some unfinished business that you had best stay out of, Chouji-kun." The look in his eyes told Chouji that there was something more on Naruto's mind than simple conversation. He didn't at all like it. Hinata recoiled slightly toward Chouji. "Hinata-chan. Why don't you come with me? We'll have a little talk at my place and after that you'll go home. I just wante to talk with you, that's all." Hinata looked back at Chouji for a bit and Chouji gave her a look that told her that he didn't like the situation. Naruto caught this and looked at Chouji. "Chouji-kun, I can promise that nothing wrong is going to happen. I've heard about you two getting married and all. From what I heard a bit ago Hinata-chan is gonna be having a kid eventually. I wouldn't do anything bad, I promise."

Hinata struggled for a moment with her thoughts and Chouji stepped forward to speak to her but Hinata stepped to Naruto. "Alright... Chouji can you get the rest of the groceries? I'll be home soon. Naruto-kun won't do anything he shouldn't do, I can tell." Deep inside Hinata wanted to believe that Naruto was still the happy-go-lucky guy he always had been. The knucklehead that he always acted. Surely he would forgive her for her past actions.

Slowly Chouji nodded and reached down, bags still in hand, to pick up the others. He looked at Naruto and forced a smile. "Alright. Naruto-kun, you better treat my wife right, okay? I'm sure I can trust you toi do the right thing, of course. We'll catch up later, alright? I better be getting these groceries hme though. See you soon, okay Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and watched as her husband left with Sai in toe. Naruto smiled slightly. "Well now that we have them gone wopuld you come with me Hinata-chan?" he asked. Hinata nodded and started walking with him. "You know I was pretty surprised when you attacked me those months back. Ino told me about everything that happened while I was in the hospital... At least everything that she was there for. I got most of the rest of my info from Neji-kun and Sakura-chan though." Hinata nodded slowly as there walked through Konoha, nearing Naruto's apartment. "I apologize for those things I say... I don't... forgive you for attacking me but I see where I went wrong."

As they climbed the stairs to Naruto's apartment he unlocked the door and she walked in. "I am sorry, Naruto-kun. I just kind of snapped. I shouldn't have done it. But I am sure you really didn't mean those things, you know? I suppose back then I was a bit shocked but I didn't have a good reason to wreck your home and hurt you like that." Looking around the whole apartment was now cleaned up and fixed. It was like nothing had ever happened in the first place.

"I know you didn't mean it, Hinata-chan. You want some tea?" Hinata nodded and Naruto smiled as he left to the kitchen, still speaking. "In all honesty I never knew that you would do something as bold as that. You really surprised me. I was thinking that you wouldrun off and cry or something but you really beat the crap out of me, that's for sure. I am, however, surprised you got with Chouji-kun. He has turned out to be a pretty cool guy. He's lucky to have you." Hinata nodded as Naruto brought her a cup full of tea. He always prepared such things quickly. Naruto could simply touch the bottom of a full kettle and heat the water to boiling in seconds because of his fire chakra. Hinata sipped delicately at her tea, listening to Naruto's words. He really wasn't all that mad at her. He was just the knuckleheaded fun guy he always had been. Hinata was feeling much less scared now, atnd it was a good feeling of relief. "Still I do expect you to somehow make it up to me." Hinata's attention was piqued at these words. Make it up to him? How would she do that? Quickly she finished her tea as Naruto sipped on his own a bit slower. Something didn't feel right.

"I think... I think I had better get going. Thank you, Naruto-kun but I need to get back to Chouji before he worries." Hinata said as she stood up, starting to walk to the door.

A hand, however, caught her wrist. "Hinata-chan, you should wait for a bit. You are pregnant after all and you must be tired after all that time you must have spent to get those groceries." Something was wrong, Hinata didn't feel right. It wasn't nausea, it was fear and something like clouds in her mind. What had been in that tea? "Just sit back down, Hinata-chan, you look pale." Effortlessly Naruto pulled Hinata back down into the couch. Her vision was getting clouded and she couldn't think straight. Naruto smiled. "You're feeling it right? Don't worry, it won't hurt you or the baby. This will just give me the time and the chance to take a little revenge, alright, Hinata-chan. You just be still and quiet."

Hinata knew now that something was dreadfully wrong. She was lethargic now but not stupid. Her mind was clouded but didn't have a complete sheet of fog over it. Naruto's hands reached to her breasts and he began to unzip her jacket. Hinata's hands reached out for something, anything. One hand happened to find Naruto's tea cup, hot to the touch. She grabbed it and smashed it over the side of his head. He screamed and she crawled from the couch as he shook the hot tea and tea cup shards from his hair. Somehow Hinata had already worked herself to the door and was trying to open it. It was locked so she struggled with the lock, her fingers choosing this one, crucial time, not to work for her. Naruto's hand came hard across the side of her head from behind and she hit the floor. "I spent months in the hospital, Hinata! I was out cold in a coma for over half of that time, I'll have you know! You beat the shit out of me and now, when I ask just that you lay down and take your punishment, you decide that it would be great to try again? I was just going to have a little fun with you but clearly you don't know when to quit. I don't know why Chouji-kun took a woman like you," Naruto said as he dealt Hinata a kick, "But I think I may just have to punish you a little worse than I planned!" Hinata couldn't move, she couldn't resist. Naruto's hands and feet beat on her and later tore her clothes from her figure and felt her where she would normally only let Chouji feel. She lost reality. She couldn't stay alert. What was happening?

Later on Chouji sat with Hizano in the house. Hinata had been gone all day. Hinata hadn't come back to the house and hadn't shown up for training. Sai had long left and Hizano now took his place, playing shogi with Chouji in the living room. Chouji, however, was sure Hinata probably just got distracted with something. Maybe Naruto and her had just lost track of time in their chatting. No, definitely it was alright. Naruto wouldn't do anything to Hinata or she wouldn't have gone with him. Surely there was nothing wrong. It never occured at all to Chouji that his best way of checking up on Hinata happened to be sitting right across from him, beating him soundly in a game of shogi. Hizano had been sitting, waiting for Chouji to move and every way Chouji saw it he had clearly lost. "You know, Chouji-sensei, it isn't disgraceful just to admit you are defeated.."

"And it isn't polite to but in when I'm thinking, Hizano-kun..." Chouji said smiling. "But I guess you're right I lose." Hizano grinned. "And for that I think it's five hundred push-ups." Hizano then ceased frowning as Chouji gave him a hard slap to the back. "I'm joking, Hizano-kun. You need to lighten up, you know that?"

Hizano smiled and started to clean up the board. "I suppose I should... There's someone outside your door, Chouji-sensei."

Chouji gave Hizano a mild look of confusion but walked to the door and opened it to see a positively battered Hinata sitting against the outsaide wall of the house. She was bleeding from one arm, her hand tightly gripped around the injury. Her face was swollen from both tears and violent damage. Chouji leaned down and picked her up immediately, carrying her into the house in fear and shock. He set her down on the couch and Hizano, seeing this, dropped the shogi board and ran to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. "Hinata, what happened?!?" Chouji cried out as she sobbed on the couch. "Hinata don't tell me Naruto-kun did this! Hinata answer me right now!"

Hinata sobbed a bit and looked up at Chouji. "He hurt me... He said... It was punishment for what I did... Put something in the tea and tried things but when I hit him with a cup he got... really angry. I tried to resist... I never wanted it to happen but he touched me in places that I didn't want him to... He did things to me that only you'd done... and it hurt." Hizano had already rushed in with the first aid kit and was bandaging up Hinata's arm, which had a deep cut on it.

Chouji was wroth at these words. It had happened and he hadn't been there to do anything about it. Naruto had hurt Hinata. He had beaten her bloody and done things that not only weren't right but far outside of his realm of permission. "Hizano-kun... Get Hinata to the hospital. Tell them to make sure she and the baby are alright. After that go to the Yamanaka Flower Shop and ask for Yamanaka Ino. Just tell her that after tonight her old teammate might have to kill her boyfriend."

Hizano stood up and stepped to Chouji. "Chouji-sensei, don't act rash. This can be soprted out some other way. What happened was wrong but don't respond with violence like he di--"

"NOW HIZANO!!!!" Chouji yelled, his voice booming through the house like a rally call to an army. He stepped out of the house and sunk into the ground as if it wasn't there, moving through the earthen substrate that existed as air to the Akimichi. Well within the city walls he appeared, the night sky dark, almost without stars tonight it seemed. One hand seal sent him body flickering to Naruto's door.

Slowly he reached up to the door and knocked lightly. Soon enough he door opened and Naruto stood in the doorway clothed in night clothes with a towel over his head. His eyes went wide as Chouji grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air, tossing him clear across the room where he impacted against the wall rather loudly. "I think we need to have a chat, Naruto-kun." Chouji said in a low tone as he stepped into the apartment, slamming the door behind him. "I think I made it very clear that while Hinata was in your care you were to treat her well. After not seeing her all day I expected not only that you guys had made up but that you two were just having such a great time," Chouji started as he grabbed Naruto by the shirt and slammed him into the wall, "that Hinata had simply forgotten to call home or leave and was so busy enjoying herself," Chouji continued as he slid Naruto along the wall, making sure to slide him right through any wall sdecorations that happened to be in the way as he steadily made his way to Naruto's bathroom, "That she had been swept off in her own world to having a good time! Chouji made it into the bathroom and slammed Naruto's face clean through the toilet seat, dunking his head into the water inside. He let Naruto struggle for a moment before pulling him out and tossing him through the wall. "Never did I expect that not only did you give my beloved a couple of beatings but also happened to rape her! Was that REALLY CALLED FOR?!?" Chouji yelled as he swung to give Naruto a punch.

Naruto, however, had gotten his bearings and dodged Chouji's attack. He now stood near his couch, shaking his head a bit. "Sorry, Chouji-kun but what can I say. It was a bit of retribution. She put me in the hospital for a few months." Naruto dodged aside as Chouji went to punch at him again. "I think what I did was quite a bit more tame than what she did," Naruto paused as he dodged another one of Chouji's punches, "to me. It never occured to me that you would get so worked up about it." Naruto grinned and stepped forward as Chouji went for yet another punch, ducking under it and delivering a similar punch to Chouji's gut. The force was extreme. Chouji's hadn't seem it coming at all. He staggered backward as Naruto advanced. "It's not my fault that she is insane." Naruto spoke up with another punch to Chouji, the hit landing against Chouji's face and sending him staggering more. "I thought that after that I would just call it even. A day of fun with a previous admirer and a little tension getting released in the process." Naruto dealt another telling blow to Chouji, this time a vicious double handed strike to the back of Chouji's head, knocking him to the floor. "As far as I am concerned you are unlucky for having such a bitch in your company all the time. I feel sorry for you having to deal with her pregnant though. I bet she'll get even worse." Naruto leaned down and looked at Chouji as he breathed hard on the floor, face down. "How about you go home now, Chouji-kun? I have made your wife pay for what she did tome. I even got to beat you around a bit but that was hardly a surprise. I've seen that Hinata was better than I thought but clearly after this little meeting you've only gotten weaker. When in the world would anybody like you be anything more than a fat, lazy, tub of lard. No you, the useless guy on the team, gets the useless woman. I think it's fitti-"

Naruto was cut off as Chouji's hand rose, enveloping his face completely. Chouji slammed Naruto's face into the ground time and again and finally when Naruto struggled free he was bleeding profusely. "You take that back!" Chouji called out.

"Okay, I suppose you aren't as fat as you used to be." Naruto said with a grimace about his now bloodied face.

Chouji's fist, however, sent Naruto careening through the walls and out into the streets. "You take back what you said about my wife!" Chouji called as he leaped down, Naruto rolling out of the way just as Chouji landed, cratering into the ground. "Take it back NOW, Uzsumaki Naruto!"

Naruto grinned. "So we'll make this a real fight then? I guess I would like to see what you have learned out in the wilderness." Naruto placed his hands together. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Four more of Naruto appeared, two running off right away while the last three Naruto bodies stayed. "Then let's do it!" Chouji ran forward with a cry of rage and Naruto's cones met him head on, the two copies meeting him half way. One was completely trampled, disappearing in a puff of smoke as Chouji's massive body slammed into him and threw him against a nearby building. The other hung on, however, and Chouji felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as the Naruto clone stabbed him with a kunai. The real Naruto laughed and Chouji leaped at him, missing Naruto completely. However, this wasn't quite Chouji's real objective. He rolled aside and smashed the clone on his back under him, sinking into the stone street as he stood. Naruto looked around and Chouji leaped out behind him, tackling him and finding nothing but a blast of smoke in his face. "Good jutsu, Chouji-kun! You caught me off guard with that one. How about some of my own jutsu! Fire Style: Flaming Puppetry!" As Chouji turned about to catch sight of Naruto he breathed forth five fireballs which came alive with human shapes but clearly no substance. Chouji dodged aside a few before he got bored of rolling away from fiery little puppets.

He rolled up to Naruto and the puppets followed him, leaping toward Chouji as he formed some hand seals. "Fire Style: Human Heat Sponge!" The fire puppets splashed against Chouji's body but instead of injuring him they were pulled right into his form. Chouji's mouth opened and Naruto was caught in the blaze that exited Chouji's maw. Naruto, however, was replaced with a burning box that fell to the ground, appearing behind Chouji and punching him right in the spine. It sent chouji staggering once more but as Naruto followed up for another punch Chouji reached back to grab his wrist, pulling him around and launching him through the wall of a nearby building, some screaming people inside caught by surprise. Naruto created ten more clones and leaped into battle, Chouji countering with his own various fire and earth jutsu. The battle went on for minutes and although many people bore witness to this merciless battle of the two they didn't dare step in. The Anbu eventually showed up, however, trying to step in.

Chouji stopped fighting as the Anbu arrived, just after he had thrown Naruto into a nearby pile of construction equipment. The surrounding area was a wreck. "Stop this now!" The Anbu called out and Chouji stepped toward the Anbu, his hands up. He knew when he would need to stop, even if Naruto hadn't gotten even a fraction of the beating that he needed. "Where is the other one?" The Anbu asked.

At that moment Naruto appeared behind Chouji, reaching around his neck with an arm and cutting off Chouji air. The Akimichi choked a bit, Naruto's strong arm keeping him from getting breath. The Anbu started all stepping in but Chouji choked out. "Get back!" As he placed his hands together and is whole body exploded into flames, catching Naruto in the blast. The flames died down and more Naruto clones appeared. "You've got to be kidding me." Chouji muttered as he ran into the ensuing Naruto horde, no longer caring about the Anbu trying to halt the fight. "This is too far Uzumaki Naruto! I didn't want to resort to this!"

Sliding under a couple leaping clones Chouji began a dance of sorts. He slid around the stirkes of the clones as the air quickly became colder and colder, frost forming in the air around him. He dealt blows to several clones that left them frozen in place before disappearing. Many of the clones bounced right off of him as the polar energies made him a veritable monster of impenetrability. Then three Narutos stepped out of the shadows. They all had strange eyes and Naruto definitely seemed different. Chouji proceeded with his Kata, his body glistening with frost and his arms holding icicles which hung as he advanced on Naruto and his clones. The three Narutos met him head on, as usual. With a clean blow from one Naruto, however, Chouj was thrown tens of feet backward, blasting through the wall of a building and into the common room of a restaurant. Chouji stood, his body cool against the warm night air. "That all ya got, Chouji-kun? I have seen better!"

The Anbu dared not strike Naruto now. They knew what he was doing and they knew what Chouji was doing. Instead they simply cleared the area, evacuating the people around so that they couldn't be hurt. Naruto and his clones worked immediately on forming a Rasen Shuirken, Chouji charged forward, twirling in front of Naruto like a dance as usual. That moment Naruto let the windy sphere go, slicing Chouji in twain. Naruto looked on as Chouji's body exploded in blood, bone, flesh and earth. Immediately what was Chouji became clay and stone on the ground. Chouji appeared behind Naruto, rising from the earth. His body was now somewhat more grizzled, more dominating and his hair more wild. On his head a polar bear cub sat. Chouji was smeared with what looked to be blood but it wasn't on him. It was instead part of him, the markings all those of flesh. His skin had a strange blue tint and his eyes were bestial in appearance. "Don't think you are the only one with a clone technique, Naruto-kun. I have learned many more tricks, and more powerful ones, i would suppse, than you have over the years." Chouji grabbed the two outside clones and threw them into the air, higher than could be seen. "If the real one is among them I don't have to worry! But let's hope you aren't a clone!" Chouji said as Naruto turned around to strike. He caught Naruto's arm in mid-swing under his armpit and delivered a telling blow to Naruto's face. Once, twice, thrice Chouji pummeled Naruto's face before he regained his composure and hammer punched Chouji about the top of his head, knocking the Akimichi literally into the ground. Chouji's arms tore through the stone road and reached out at Naruto's legs, pulling him into the hole in the ground. "We're just getting started, Naruto-kun! I have a LOT of pain to deal you tonight!" Chouji called out as he pushed Naruto through a section of stone, launching him a few blocks away.

Of course Naruto wasn't finished either. As Chouji climbed from the hole in the ground Naruto's fist found its target in Chouji's face, knocking him into another nearby building. Chouji, seemingly unscathed, ran back out, starting yet another brawl with Chouji. "You really have gotten better, Chouji-kun!" Naruto caled as he dodged a blow from Chouji that tore a whole corner of a building off when it couldn't find Naruto as its mark. "But not good enough!" Naruto called as he retaliated with a hard punch to Chouji's kidney.

Chouji, however, didn't feel this punch. He didn't notice that even though he was powerful and Yuji-Yuki was keeping him bolstered against attack he was being injured. He flew through the air into another bulding and Naruto followed him, leaping up to the sexcond floor where Naruto had launched him. Chouji blocked his blow, a reaction that sent Chouji careening down into the first floor. All around people, civilians and ninja alike, were afraid, getting out of the way if they could, cowering in fear if they couldn't. Chouji caught Naruto as he jumped down to attack, slamming him into the floor of the building that they now fought in. As Naruto again got up Chouji dealt him more blows, beating him into a wall and through it, sending him flying into the outside street. It was now chaos. Naruto and Chouji were destroying the area in their fighting and nothing any other ninja could do would be enough to stop them. Chouji finally Caught Naruto's punch the right way, a way to avoid sending him flying. He was able to bend Naruto down and lower himself, causing Naruto's back to pop and make noises that Chouji knew no back would ever like to make. Naruto called out in pain and Chouji dropped him, stepping back a bit with heavy breathing. He felt horrible.

Still, something wasn't right. As Chouji turned he heard a horrible noise. It sounded like bubbling or something and he turned back to see Naruto standing again, a cloak of red chakra covering him as his features grew more bestial. Gone were his Sage eyes. Now his eyes showed red and hair whisker markings more bold. His hair lengthened and grew more wild and his fingernails grew long and sharp. Most obvious and worst to see, of course, were three red tails of chakra that extended from behind Naruto. "Son of a b--" Chouji started until one of Naruto's tails flew out and struck him, sending him careening away through three buildings before he finally found himself lying in somebody's kitchen against a rather broken refrigerater. Chouji groaned in pain and anger as he stood back up.

Yuji-Yuki spoke up, rubbing is litte bear head. "Onii-chan, you think we just went a bit over our heads on this one? I know you were given the power of the Beast Man as a wedding gift from Father but that's the nine tailed bijuu."

"Ya, I know, Brother... and I have to kick his ass for hurting Hinata." The little bear started to speak but a great red tail ripped through the building and Chouji sank into the ground to avoid it. The building crumbled into rubble atop the ground under which Chouji loomed. Chouji swam through the earth for a bit, trying to get a better position but another tail tore through the earth, forcing Chouji out. He leaped out into the air, landing atop Naruto's form and pushing him to the ground. "You know what polar bears do to foxes, Naruto-kun?" Chouji started as one of Naruto's tails threw him off into another building. Chouji seemed entirely unphased now. "We kill and eat them!" Chouji called as he charged back at Naruto, sending the blond clean through the nearest building in his path. As the building started falling Chouji just charged into the falling rubble, becoming buried under the three story building and bursting out a Naruto only a second later.

Of course Naruto countered with his tails, slapping Chouji off of him and into the ground. "Don't make me kill you Chouji-kun! I can do it easy now!" Naruto said with a heavy scratchiness in his voice. He sent one tail out to knock Chouji high into the air and the next to strike him out of it. "I gave mercy to Hinata-chan but I won't on you if you act like this!"

Chouji looked at the onrushing tail as he fell through the air and though, just for an instant. Maybe Naruto was giving a fair deal. Narto was right, he could beat Chouji right then if he really wanted. He hadn't done the worst of things to Hinata and, so far as Chouji knew, Hinata was fine aside from some scratches, bruises and a bit of mental scarring. As Naruto's tail continued to fly at him Chouji then snapped out of his stupidity. Naruto's "mercy" had hurt Hinata. Scars didn't go away, even mental ones! Naruto had marred Hinata's body and mind and that alone meant that Chouji would need to kill Naruto for even thinking to do such a thing to his beloved. Forget Naruto being the nine tails jinchuuriki. Forget that onrushing tail of chakra that was about to bash Chouji further into the sky. No! Chouji would get revenge for Hinata. He would show Naruto that he wasn't one to be fooled with! He now took the guise of the Beast Man. That was what he would become, then, if it meant he would take revenge on Naruto for Hinata. "NO!" He called as his whole body grew. It wasn't the normal "grow" that Chouji knew as his clan jutsu. No, this was a different grow, not from his jutsu. Chouji hair grew longer and his body bulked up to become more built and ferocious. Chouji felt the oncoming tail strike him and rolled along it ato avoid it. He fell and landed next to Naruto, the ground exploding as he hit it.

Chouji's eyes glowed light blue and his body was now covered in tribal markings all blood red. His hair was an untamed mane of red hair mixed with bloody snow. Chouji's body, was covered in his own blood, old scars having ripped themselves open in a gruesome display of barbarism upon his own form. Chouji's muscled bulged and his teeth seemed to have taken some sort of transformation from once normal teeth to a new set with gnarled, sharpened canines covered in the blood of his own mouth. Naruto turned and two tails went to attack but Chouji only opened his mouth, sending a frigid gale that threw the nine tails Jinchuuriki backward into a pile of rubble where a building had stood. He emerged from the rubble with a yell. "I see how this will be! I'm sorry Chouji-kun but I'll take great care of Hinata-chan for ya!"

Naruto charged out of the rubble pile and at Chouji. However, Chouji caught one of the oncoming tails and threw Naruto over his shoulder by it, slamming him into the ground. Chouji spoke out but his language didn't make sense. It was a strange mixture of unintelligible grunts and the calls of a polar bear. He heard himself speaking sense but to all others it would have been the gibberish of a maddened beast. Regardless his companion could understand him and he could understand Yuji-Yuki. Right then Yuji-Yuki was cheering him on, though the little bear had, as well, taken on a more wild appearance, his body covered in tribal markings and his face stained with blood of a sort. Naruto's tails battered Chouji but the Akimichi took them, cleaving through the chakra tails as they struck at him. Of course they immediately regenerated but the fact that they did nothing meant that a good deal of Naruto's power had become null. It was then that a voce could be heard from far off. Chouji looked over for an instant to see Tsunade herself standing, looking at the battle in utter shock. It was in this small period of time that Chouji forgot his own opponent and was sent flying backward by an all too solid seeming tail, deep red and black and not at all transparant anymore. As he landed Chouji looked up to see not three but four tails descending on his, ripping through the ground and taking him with them, leaving him at the bottom of the hole that they made. Chouji dove into the earth as the tails withdrew to smash him more. He popped up behind Naruto, his enemy now a miniature version of the true nine tailed fox. "Naruto-kun," He began in a language that only he and his companion seemed to understand. "Why did it come to this? I guess we'll just kill each other now..." Chouji said as Naruto smacked him into the air with a tail. Chouji sighed as he flew and spoke. "I guess we'll just have to kill each other now because you can't stop..." Chouji spoke softly as he righted himself to see a tail traveling toward him for a strike, "AND I WON'T STOP!!!" he roared out as he held his hands out and a translucent figure appeared in front of him, a female figure with black hair and light blue skin that rent the oncoming tail asunder and slammed into Naruto. The figure grabbed Naruto by the neck and began to sink into the ground, pulling Naruto down as Chouji landed beside him with a heavy crash, denting the ground where he landed.

Naruto's tails smashed against Chouji's body, ripping his skin and breaking his bones. Chouji, however, didn't feel it as his apparition held Naruto's head down while Chouji beat him and took beatings alike. Finally the blue mistress' arms ripped clean from Naruto's neck, her body disappearing. Naruto's form loomed in front of Chouji's as they stared each othe down. "Let's see just who has more power, Naruto-kun... I'm betting the Beast Man will triump over the beast." Chouji said smiling, his whole body so battered as to be covering him in his own blood. Naruto charged and Chouji raced forward in kind, dodging the initial blows and rolling in range of striking Naruto. As he closed in under Naruto's body Naruto reached down and bit into Chouji's shoulder. Chouji cared not for this. He swung with his free arm, his left arm. Snow and chakra and blood all combined with some bestial, unknowable energy inside of Chouji and his arm caught fire with a cold, purple flame. His fist struck Naruto's face and, in that instant, it was all over. The whole of the kyuubi's form blasted off of Naruto's form, leaving an injured Naruto in human form standing, his face right next to Chouji's shoulder, Chouji's fist against his cheek. He fell at Chouji's feet and Chouji turned away, staggering toward Tsunade where several others stood. Kiba stood shocked behind Tsunade with Ayame in bed clothed. Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hanabi stood next to them with about twenty other Hyuuga members, all with fear in their eyes. Shino stood with Chinmoku beside Tsunade, Shino's wife looking at Chouji with an almost scared expression. Shikamaru stood beside Temari, Shikani and Shikana standing behind their parents, trying to hide. Temari held her horribly large belly and looked at Chouji in abject horror. Shikamaru only gave Chouji a look that asked when he had become what he had. It wasn't the bad sort of asking, just amazed. Finally there were Ino and Hinata, standing side by side. Ino looked at Naruto on the ground then to Chouji and both looks were of neither fear nor horror. No, they were of sadness. She stared at Chouji sad no doubt that he had been forced to harm her lover. She stared at Naruto sad that he had needed to be beaten so brutally and that he had let himself get so out of control. Hinata gave no look other than shock. It wasn't at anyone or anything. It was the blind man's stare; just off into the distance, a scared look that spoke for the whole world, that what Hinata gave wasn't a look of fear at Naruto or Chouji or anything. It was pure shock that the world had made something such as this to happen. She didn't see anything, Chouji could tell.

Slowly Chouji walked up to Tsunade, his body changing back to normal. The pain started returning and Yuji-Yuki changed back as well to his normal polar bear cub form. He disappeared and Chouji limped to Tsunade's side. "You... May want to help Naruto-kun... I gave him... A really... Good beating..." Chouji muttered as he slowly staggered past Tsunade in the general direction of the hospital.

Hinata finally came to life, rushing to Chouji. "Chouji! Stop moving! Just let someone carry you! You're hurt!"

Chouji just kept walking, his legs not wanting to stop their steady trudging toward the hospital. "Don't worry Hinata... I can... do it... It's not that... bad..." He looked back at Hinata, her eyes full of tears. There was some unspoken conversation in that look she gave him, unable to be truly decoded but completely understood at that very moment. Hinata didn't need words when that look practically ordered Chouji to stop and be tended to, even if it wasn't her that would do the tending. "H-Hinata... If you're really... Going to... Look at me... Like that..." Chouji paused as he struggled to breath before raising a finger to point a Hinata. "Then you better... Let me name the baby." Chouji managed to let out before he lost all sight and sound, the world not fading to black but instead turning brown and gray as he fell and abruptly turning black in an instant when his face slapped against the ground.

Chouji woke up feeling horrible. It felt like he had just taken on the Kyuubi by himself. He only realized then that such a thing was exactly what he had done. The sun fell across his eyes in a sensation that made him wish he had never been born. Everything hurt, he couldn't move at all. His head was pumping so badly that all Chouji wanted to do was roll over and die. Still one thing made everything so much worse. A high pitched scream and a body slamming into his sent Chouji into fits of pain and rage. It did, that is, until he realized just who had thrown themself on top of him. Hinata lay now atop Chouji's figure sobbing hard into his heavily bandaged chest, her arms wrapped around his neck as he wept in hysterics at seeing him awake. "You son of a bitch..." Naruto's voice echoed into Chouji's mind.

Chouji looked at the door to see Ino and Naruto standing there. Naruto seemed practically unhurt altogether. Just a brace around his wrist remained from the fight. How long had Chouji been out. "Naruto-kun? Ino?"

Hinata didn't get up but Ino came over and tugged the hysterical Hinata from Chouji's form with a bit of difficulty, only sending Chouji into more pain. Naruto spoke again. "You know, despite the fact that I was the one who lost you seemed to get the short straw on this one, Chouji-kun. Six broken ribs, one broken leg, one broken arm. Both of your feet were broken and all of the bones in your right hand been turned to powder from the final punch that I've been hearing about that took me out of the fight. Your jaw was broken and apparently a hit I dealt you literally made your kidney explode in your own body. The old lady told me that you were lucky your brains weren't flowing out of your head you were so messed up. I'm surprised you lived."

"So..." Chouji began, looking to Hinata who was wiping the tears from her eyes. "What does this all mean?"

"It means you have been in a coma for four weeks is what it means!" Tsunade's voice called from the doorway. "It means you nearly got yourself killed in a battle that not even I dared step in on!" Tsunade shouted as she lifted Chouji's arm up and jabbed a needle into it, causing Chouji to scream in pain from both the needle and the arm being lifted up. "It means you levels fifteen blocks of residential and business buildings!" Tsunade yelled out, hitting Chouji hard in the chest with a clipboard, making Chouji scream all the more. "And it MEANS..." Tsunade's face softened a bit now. "It means that you, as any good husband would be in such a situation, were genuinely concerned enough for you wife to kill and be killed for her. Granted this doesn't mean at all that you are going to be let off for how stupid you were. Still I think what you did, albeit stupid, was noble. Don't expect to be able to walk right away, though. You don't have Naruto's healing abilities. If you hadn't had the little friend sitting on your head for that battle you certainly would have been made into Akimichi Puree by Naruto-kun's third tail slap... and that would be before he got the fourth one out. I heard the story and I don't think that Uzumaki Naruto did the right thing at all... But that has been taken care of."

Chouji looked at Naruto and the blond grinned, raising his unbraced hand to show three rings around his wrist. "Until I get my full sentence I camn't use my chakra. Tsunade-baa had my chakra coils sealed up until then. I'm a civilian until further notice."

Chouji sat up with the help of Tsunade and Ino. Now that he looked at it, Hinata's belly had grown a bit. It was just a little "baby bump" but he could see it. Four weeks he'd been out of it all. Still the woman was wiping her eyes. "Hinata... don't worry, I'm fine." He said, leaning over to Hinata and kissing her on the lips softly.

"No you aren't..." Said Ino with a grimace. "You're lucky you're able to open your mouth. We wired your jaw closed for the first couple of weeks because it was about to fall off. Thanks to our medical jutsu you can talk and move your mouth. Thanks to our jutsu you still have both of your kidneys intact instead of one whole kidney and a blown up sack of what used to be your kidney floating around inside of you. Still, you have a few broken ribs and your hand is still pretty broken. We pulled out all the stops on you to make sure you kept breathing for another few minutes. Tsunade-sama made your whole body go into overdrive so that you wouldn't die on the spot, which you nearly did. Did I mention that the shock of it all made Temari-chan go into labor? Cause it did. Sakura-chan didn't go into labor because of the fight but she did go into labor a couple days afterward. She's been back on duty for the past couple of weeks helping to make sure you didn't die on us. Kiba-kun almost had Hana-chan come in to help out despite the fact that she doesn't doctor humans."

Chouji couldn't help but chuckle at this. The laughing hurt but he didn't mind it. "I hope nobody got injured..."

"Aside from you and Naruto-kun..." Shikamaru's voice echoed from the doorway, Chouji looking over to see him leaning against the doorway, Temari behind him holding a child wrapped up in her arms. Shikani and Shikana stood smiling behind her, both holding flowers. "Nobody got hurt at all. Us Anbu were able to evacuate the area for the super death fight. I'll tell you one thing, though... You are one troublesome guy, you know that Chouji? I can't believe the damages to the buildings. I understand how Naruto-kun could do it but the fact that you caused over half of the damages by throwing him around in the buildings themselves surprised me."

Chouji groaned at Shikamaru's usual line. Still, something nagged at him. He looked at Naruto and frowned. "Naruto-kun... About why this all happened..."

Naruto shook his head. "Chouji-kun, I apologize. I understand that nothing I can say or do will make it better."

"I forgave him..." Hinata spoke out finally. Chouji looked at her. "It wasn't worth it to do that... I forgave Naruto-kun when he woke up. He understood very well what he did wrong and I forgave him."

"Not to mention as soon as he was stable enough to take a beating I gave him one...." Ino said quietly, like a passing note on the subject. "Personally I'll have you all know that I didn't know about any of this until Hyuuga Hizano showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night telling me that Akimichi Chouji was going to kill my boyfriend. I almost laughed at him before I saw the explosion from a mile away from your fight scene. Do you know how scared I was?"

Chouji smiled at this. "Sorry Ino. Sorry for worrying you... And Naruto-kun... I suppose I could call it even now... even if you seem to have faired better than me." At this Naruto and Chouji alike shared a chuckle. "I guess I just didn't think about it when I saw Hinata at the door, so hurt. When she told me what you did as Hizano-kun was bandaging her up I couldn't help but to go insane with rage."

Naruto smiled and put a hand on Chouji's shoulder. "I wouldn't be offended if you decided to give me a couple more punches. I don't bla--" Naruto was cut off as Chouji's right hand flew up and struck his cheek, sending him flying against the opposite wall. He held his face and looked at Chouji, who only grinned at him before grinning back. "I shouldn't have said a thing..." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Tsunade sighed and the room slowly became more relaxed with a moment of silence after Chouji's punching of Naruto. Finally she spoke. "Well, I suppose it's time to let the happy couple get a little alone time. Alright, everyone OUT!" With that everyone but Hinata seemed to rush out all too quickly. Tsunade closed the door and left Hinata and Chouji alone in the room.

Hinata smiled and sat next to Chouji, gently kissing his lips. "Please never do that again, Chouji."

Chouji turned to look Hinata in the eyes with a smile. "I promise I won't if I don't have to. Let's just say I don't plan on having a need to fight the kyuubi again." Chouji sai with a small chuckle. It certainly was good to know that all scores had been evened out now though. Chouji wouldn't have liked to face off again against Naruto. He wasn't sure he was up to another round like that.

{HR}

Hope everyone liked the fight! Yes, Naruto went a little angry crazy and raped Hinata. Yes, she forgave him. Yes the battle, if put into picture or anime, would have been AWESOME! Aside from that it was just pretty cool stuff I think. No real ending athour's not this time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Yours,

Tankou001