Naruto: Konoha's Incredible Hulk

by IdeasMaker

In his younger days, Naruto was chased into Orochimaru's undiscovered lab and fell into one of his experiments. End result he got turn into The Hulk. Watch how Konoha and the rest of the nation deal with it.

10. Chapter 10 - Preliminary

Disclaimer: Again I do not own Naruto nor The Incredible Hulk, the story I have written is only for my own entertainment.

Author's Note: Thank you for the review, they were encouraging in some way hence I thank you all for your contributions. I know it is another long wait for this chapter so I hope you were still looking forward to it. Unfortunately I find the humor lacking or rather the ideas in the OMAKE is not up to standards comparing to the previous so I had a long debate if I should release it as it is.

Kiba's and Hinata's fights too were questionable from my side too, so it would be helpful to let me know if it was too long or too detailed. I felt I should try to explain them clearly hence wondered if I dragged on in their story a bit too long. Hence, do let me know for future references.

I also read about the request on Hulk and Naruto clones OMAKE but unfortunately I could not think of another scene for them. Since I don't want to redo the Tazuna's bridge scene, I reserve the idea for the future. Sadly I simply can not see Naruto use that concept on D rank missions so I hope for an idea to hit me.

Regarding the animal tribes, I too love them but also considers if I made them a little too popular. Sadly I want them to stay within the 'Forest' and not get involved with ninja business hence a difficult choice there.

Anyway, on with the story and hope you like it.

Forest of Death - Heading to the Tower

With the rogue Sannin gone for good, Sakura finally sighs in relieve. Unfortunately she's left with a dilemma, having both of her teammates down and unconscious she was lost in what to do. One thing for sure, she will have to move them to a safer location.

At least away from their current position, the battle would have attract many unwanted attention and sadly she herself isn't built for fighting. Then again she still have to move both of her teammates because leaving one behind isn't an option. Anyway she thanked which ever deity above watching she doesn't have to move the Hulk because it would have been next to impossible even for Kakashi.

Ninja or no ninja, no-one could carry the giant on their own let alone someone such as Sakura. Chakra may help you run faster, make you a little stronger or even help strengthen your body so you can better defend yourself but it does not make you a super human. Hence why it took that many Anbus to carry Hulk to the secret hideout when he first appeared.

Thankfully she managed to hurl them somewhere safe by taking one of her team on her shoulder while the other under her arm. Luckily Naruto's wounds seems to close by itself hence all she needed was just a little bandaging to stop the bleeding.
She thought it may be due to the side effects of his transformation thus never thought much of it. For all she knew was whatever is in Naruto is automatically healing him thus turning him back to the original Naruto.

It was understandable for her mistake since the Kyubi is still a village secret to everyone their age. Thankfully with the fox in him, it is working overtime in both healing and counteracting the poison. Along with his Uzumaki heritage his wounds were less fatal then it was. Hence why Sakura have only to stop the bleeding and let his body do the rest.

Still due to her inexperience, it took her some time and effort to locate a secure site and getting them there. She even built some traps taught by the academy, hoping they will work well against animals and enemy shinobi alike. She had never felt so useless in her life as there was always one of her team member around to support her doing all the heavy lifting. This time however she is truly alone and on her own, she is now feeling the ultimate pressure of independence as she attempted to rest while guarding her team.

Unfortunately her traps were fairly low level thus were easily seen through by any competent genin. Hence why they were quickly noticed by Dosu from the Sound team. Only thanks to Lee from Team Gai then later Team 10's intervention did she and Team 7 managed to survive. In the end Sasuke woke up and finished the fight under the influence of Orochimaru's seal.

That's when Naruto's body decides his healing was over only to find his teammate Sasuke challenging him for a fight. Having just woke up from his slumber Naruto was in no mood for another bout, he is still sore from battling the sannin even if it wasn't him that was doing the fight it was nevertheless his body. Obviously his teammate couldn't take no for an answer thus charged at him. The battle was over before it got started, the last Uchiha was instantly smacked into the ground.

Coming from the same class, they had seen it many times thus no-one was surprised in the outcome. Only differences it usually only happens with Kiba instead of the level headed Uchiha, naturally it is Hulk now standing in Naruto's place. He was looking at everyone stupidly with the expression of "What?!" and no-one bothered trying to explain things to him. Shikamaru had long categorized the green guy as "troublesome", so he wouldn't even bother voicing it out loud. He was more afraid being robbed into explaining the word "troublesome" to the intellectual challenged giant, hence he was very careful not to use it around the big guy.

Naruto may not know what was going on, but seeing his teammate going psychotic he didn't bother holding back his instincts thus changing him to the Hulk. You don't need to be a genius to know something's wrong, the ugly looking and moving tattoos on him were already a dead away. Then there is the evil looking aura and his odd behavior even for an Uchiha, hence why Naruto's other self just bashes him without hesitation. For all he know, this isn't even his teammate.

You can also forgive Naruto too because obviously he must have been tired since the last fight, thus it was understandable why he is still grumpy and easily let the Hulk took over. Then again his transformation didn't last very long, after taken care of his deranged teammate the Hulk quickly de-transforms and again back to the very tired looking Naruto.
"That was weird?!" was all he said as others sweatdropped, must be strange for him to wake-up from the short transformation. To everyone else it was like watching someone waking-up in the morning, silencing the annoying alarm clock then went back to sleep again.

As said before, no-one was surprised. They were all part of the same graduation, so naturally they were familiar with the blond's condition and his antics. Slowly Sasuke rose back from his faceplant "What happened?!".
Again no-one said anything as it's getting weirder and weirder, it seems he didn't remember he was trying to kill his teammate. One second he was bloodthirsty and the next he is back to normal, it was like the Hulk just knocked out his evil twin with his smackdown.

As if to change the topic, Sakura decides to invite Team 10 to travel with them. The "more the merrier" and "safety in numbers" came to their minds, obviously Shikamaru nods with agreement thus the whole Team 10 agrees. Their team have already their scrolls thanks to their excellent teamwork and the shadow user's strategies. They each did their own parts thus easily stolen a scroll from some unsuspecting team, luckily they all got off without having to fight. The brains of the team knew they wouldn't be so lucky the closer they are to the tower and besides with Naruto around they are much safer than on their own.

Team 7 however thanks to Naruto interrupting the handover of their own scroll manages to keep theirs. After the battle Sakura found it littering in the dirt thus they were very lucky considering their opponent was Orochimaru. Along with the other left by the sound ninjas, they now have both thus can start heading for the tower. Both teams arrived safely thanks to Naruto?! Even Shikamaru was lost how that happened.

Somehow Naruto managed to convince them to take what he considers as shortcut and travel through the apes' territory. Of course in the beginning they didn't know it was filled with primates until it was too late. Team 10 was obviously sceptical because having navigated this far they never thought there could be any shortcuts. They also realizes the deeper you go into the forest the more dangerous the animals were hence they took numbers of detours. However since the whisker blond was so confident, they choose to follow him. After-all what could be worse then they have already faced.

Naturally they ended up in the middle of a monkey festival, they couldn't explain it otherwise. Why else would an army of primates gathered in one spot? It was just a clearing a minute ago and then suddenly they were surrounded by the animals. Thankfully one look at Naruto got them all a safe passage, at least this was what Shikamaru thought he saw as they trek through the ape creatures' home. Both teams can only stare at their team/classmate with disbelieve as he continues to lead them through the animal infested jungle like it was his backyard.

Had they took the normal route, they would have met with more possible ambush as well as potential resistance. Shikamaru didn't know what to say, "troublesome" is obviously inappropriate as the blond did managed to guide them to the finish-line without having to fight a single battle. Then again the image of ninja monkeys were disturbing, "Are they planning to take over a village?" he thought to himself. They have an army of them and were wearing ninja garments. Those were the Nara's troubled thoughts, thankfully he hadn't seen the other organized animal residents or he would have a mental meltdown.

Even both Ino and Sakura were exceptionally quiet as they venture through the land full of the monkeys, only Naruto was not worried as he lead the way urging them to hurry up. The others can only stare at him oddly, seeing he was least bothered by the stares from the primates. Unfortunately the trek was not without incident as Choji thought with his stomach as he tries to grab one of the bananas. He was only stopped by his best friend Shikimaru using his shadow bind technique. It was then a "Tug of War" as the Akimichi didn't give up easily, whereas his Nara friend held him while trying to convince him otherwise. No doubt they were attracting their attention, and from the snarls and growls they weren't very pleased. Sadly his teammate has yet to see the problem and openly trying to steal the primate's natural diet.

Just when the situation reaches critical point and to the surprise of both teams Naruto grabbed a few branches and tossed them to the "Big-Boned" genin. It seems Choji had long ran out of chips so he decided the delicious looking bananas were the next best thing. Since the boy's clan had treated him well in the past, Naruto knew the clan's habits so he took them in Choji's place and handed to him. This gave him amazement looks from the genins, excluding Choji of course as he was too busy gobbling down the only food source he now have. Sasuke thought it was somehow a trick thus tried to take one too but all the hissings made him retract his hands quickly.

Unknown to the teams, Naruto is an exception as the animals all recognizes him as the alpha. Besides aside from the Hokage, he seem to attract leaders of varies tribes like bees to honey. Shikamaru too noticed this, because as soon they came to the animal's territory one look on the blond the animals all relaxed. He had the feeling they would have acted differently had Naruto not been there with them.

Thoughts turns to questions as the Nara couldn't hold it in, "Naruto, do you know these animals? Can you talk to them?" The blond was shocked by the question, he had always thought it was normal so he didn't expect such question. Like others having a dog as your friend, it was the same isn't it? Just like Kiba.
"Sure, I met them when I was trying to leave the forest but they can't talk though." he responsed nonchalantly, not seeing a big deal out of it.

"Trying to leave the forest?!" "They can't talk though?!" thought the genius, it raises more questions than answers. He had the feeling that the monkeys weren't his ex-classmate's only friends. Just what has he been doing in his free time?! Then again some other animals can talk too?! As the young Nara often say, "It's just too troublesome!" He's already getting a headache from thinking all the possibilities.

The forest of death isn't just any walk in the park and the conversation they just had indicates that the blond comes here often. It was obvious, if he has special relations with them it must mean he can come and goes as he pleases. Besides there must be another mystery why they are not hostile with him so the blond must have done something that warranted their respect. God knows just what he did with the other animals they have yet seen.

Chunin Exams - Preliminary Round

Like the anime the fights went as expected until they got to Naruto's turn. Unfortunately for Kiba, he is called as his opponent. For years in the academy the Inuzuka and his dog suffered numbers humiliation by the blond. Whether they were intentionally or not doesn't matter, as a result Kiba was made the clown of his class.

Sadly even today it often served as a reminder of how he couldn't let go of his ego thus making him repeat his own mistakes over and over. Somehow at the time he couldn't figure out both the Hulk and Naruto are the same person thus making him act rashly challenging one or the other thoughtlessly. Since his first lost to the giant and by means of a single sneeze, Kiba took it as an insult to both him and his clan. He isn't stupid as to think he could beat the big guy so he set his sight on the weaker version of the two and that is Naruto himself.

His mindset is like that of a common bully, if you can't beat the big guy you pick on his friends instead. Hence why he act on his petty little revenge by setting a prank so others can laugh at his classmate. With Akamaru's help to jump on and surprise his classmate, Kiba hid behind Naruto's legs to trip him over. His plan worked and Naruto did fall to his prank but unfortunately Kiba neglected one important matter regarding his target. That is whenever the blond gets shocked, surprised or even angered he changes to his alter ego.

So when Naruto loses his balance, Kiba's smirk turns to horror as instead of the blond falling it's a mountain of muscle tipping over him. The whole scene was like a huge eclipse coming over the Inuzuka's face just before he was buried. Sadly the only noise managed get out of him was girly scream before it was silenced thus attracted the whole school to came and see his fabulous accomplishment.

It was laughable that the whole academy was there and memorable for those lucky enough to witness the spectacle. When Iruka had arrived he can immediately guess the situation and whom was involved. It wasn't hard to see the other culprit seeing Akamaru is on top of the whole situation. Since Kiba was nowhere to be seen, it would only be natural to assume the only visible 'claw-like' hands from beneath the Hulk is him.

It was a prank any normal kid would play but unfortunately Naruto isn't any normal kid thus how the Inuzuka's plan backfired. Thankfully they can still hear his almost silent muffled cry so they know he was in no imminent danger. Had he not been an Inuzuka Iruka would have been more worried, his clan were well known for their almost Gai-like training routines hence many were fairly physical conditioned. Hence a few scars and broken bones are normal for his clan.

To make matters worse Akamaru cutely stomps the Hulk's face thus preventing the big guy from getting back up. Not that the act could hurt him but it serves as good distraction, which the giant was feeling slightly annoyed for. The Hulk could have easily swatted him off but the little puppy was like those adorable little kids he usually hangs around with thus the Hulk let it slide. Sadly not knowing its master is under his supposed target, the little puppy continues to follow through in his task while celebrating it's false victory. This in turn, makes Kiba more of a clown since he can't exactly blame his partner.

So that's the reason why Iruka had his hand over his face, he was ashamed for his student's stupidity. His class had already first hand experience with Mizuki's unintended demonstration why it was such a bad idea going near the Hulk especially hiding behind him. Yet his wayward student decides to pull a prank that literary spells disaster.

After Iruka and Anbus removes the puppy and to get the Hulk off him, it was too dangerous to move him without causing him pain. Hence why they have a stretcher available to take him. They won't be taking him to the academy infirmary because his injuries will need some serious medical attention and hospital stay. Sadly they will be carrying him through the village as he yips for the medics not to be too rough. It's how the whole village came to learn about his stunt.

If Kiba thought things couldn't get any worst, he was sadly mistaken. First his partner hopping on him showing concerns for his friend/master but sadly the puppy simply didn't quite understand the term "broken bones" so he just kept on nudging Kiba. Then again he couldn't even scream or tell his partner to get off because his jaw was dislocated. So all he manages was some muffled screams which makes even less sense to the puppy.

Hence it was agonizing pain for him all the way to the village medical center, both physically and mentally as he will be known as the crazy kid that tried to fight the Hulk only to be defeated by it's fall. It has a certain funny side to it as the Hulk's fall was not meant for it's defeat but actually falling on top of the Inuzuka. His clan's special hearing isn't making it easy for him neither as he can hear all the gossips on his way to the infirmary.

Of course to add insult to the injury he was later scolded by his mother for his stupidity. She was also very vocal and did not care about the audiences consisting both patients and medical staff. Normally such loud discussion would get the alpha Inuzuka thrown out, but since the hospital had been boring for everyone they were rather entertained. Especially hearing the stunt was coming from the next clan heir and how it got him here. His mother was not helping neither since she isn't shy bringing up all his past shameful deeds too.

So for the duration of his stay and while in full body cast he received giggles from passing nurses and laughs from his neighboring patients. Some would come for a chat and offering him stuff before patted his shoulder for a job well done. He thought they were complimenting him for his guts, but later realized they thanked him for the entertainment. Sadly he only learned about it from some little brats as they point to him and telling their friends what he did.

After he got out and many months later, instead of staying away he tried an even more direct approach in hopes to regain his reputation by challenging the blond to an official sparring match. Somehow he got the idea if he managed to defeat his classmate before the transformation he could secure himself a win by default. So during a class Taijutsu match he specifically picked Naruto as his opponent. The blond was getting bored since he was always excluded from combat activities, so when Kiba decides he wants to fight him Naruto immediately jumped to his chance.

Unfortunately their teacher did not want to agree because he had seen just too many times what the Hulk could do. Having a head strong academy trying to fight him could only spell disaster. Even Anbus have trouble trying to pacify him and not always work, Iruka can see his own chances. Sadly the two headstrong boys trying to convince him otherwise isn't helping him making his decision easier.

Not when the entire class joins in on both boys' side isn't helping neither, calling it a learning experience before becoming a real ninja. Then there is the Uchiha pointing out that out there on the battle fields they would have to learn to take risks anyway. Truth is Sasuke too wanted to test just how powerful the Hulk really is, and if Kiba wants to be the guinea pig then whose to deny him. At least this way he could clear up some of the rumors and see for himself if they were true or not.

Kiba may tie closely second to Sasuke in physical combat, but compares to the Hulk he is like an ant trying to fight an elephant. Yet Iruka baffled why and how his student fails to see that and still continues to challenge the big guy every now and then. Just as the kid preaches or rather trying to convince him that some lessons they have to learn by doing before going out on actual battle fields. The scar-face teacher wonders if the boy can really understand what he just said because the brat has yet to figure out why he shouldn't pick fight with someone that is bigger than he is. In the end the teacher sighs in defeat, with Kiba it's like trying to shoot a kunai to the moon because it can never reach it. Thus he gave up trying to convince the boy not to do it.

Looking sadly to his wallet he wonder how many bowls of ramen the giant would want before finally let go of Kiba in exchange. Iruka wonders if it was a good thing the anbus gave him tips on how to calm the giant. The only thing he could do now is hoping Kiba won't get the big guy too mad because otherwise he will need a lot more ramen bowls.

As for Kiba, he was eager to show off his new technique "Beast Human Body Technique Secret Art: Fang Passing Fang". It had took him weeks to learn and many days after that to get it usable, hence why he was so confident and sure. Against the Hulk his chances may be small, but against just his classmate the blond wouldn't stand a chance.

Another reason why Kiba was so confident was because it was a clan art. Like the "Gentle Fist" of the Hyugas, "Fang Passing Fang" is part of his clan's "Beast Human Taijutsu" style. The attack utilizes the full uses of the main style combining physical strength, speed, agility as well as endurance for the spinning attack.

"Beast Human" art is a concept made by the Inuzukas, imitating their animal partner and using all four limbs to their advantage. Hence "Fang Passing Fang" isn't just a simple leaping and spin technique, it uses full power of the user's four 'legs' to initiate and rotate. The rotation is just to make attack more deadly while at the same time defending themselves, thus their enemies can't land a direct hit while they are in motion. Similar notion as a spinning top, all projectiles aiming at it ended up being deflected. No wonder why Kiba was extra confident because he really does understand his clan art.

So besides showing off he wanted to teach the blond a lesson using his family style hoping to take him by surprise. Indeed to his expectations, Naruto couldn't even put up a defense thus his aim was met with flesh directly. The force was so powerful it lifted Naruto off the ground, taking him into Kiba's vortex as his whole body spins along with the Inuzuka's. However, just as Kiba thought he had won both he and the rest of the class learned that knocking Naruto out does not mean it's over.

Kiba knew something was wrong when he heard something stomps into ground and at the same-time his target somehow gotten heavier. Apparently after the blond was literary taken for a spin, he starts to change. Like an anchor just deployed, the green leg stops his body from spining to Kiba's rhythm. It was too late for the dog user so he can only push on hoping his attack can still pull through.

Even Naruto stopped spinning, he was still over powered as "Fang Passing Fang" pushes him back making drag marks as the two fought for dominance. However, unknown to Kiba Naruto was only half transformed hence how he manages to push him this far. As his opponent slowly gains mass and strength his gain in distance starts to decrease. In the end Kiba found himself under the Hulk's grasp.

Before things could escalate Iruka immediately declares Naruto the winner. Silence was all he got and even the good teacher felt awkward waiting for the giant to acknowledge him. Even the whole class held their breaths not knowing what their huge classmate would do to their other classmate. Kiba too found himself very nervous because the big naturally held him like he's just a toothpick.

The Hulk too probably didn't know what was going on, he was again brought out to this world with something pressing into him. So naturally he instinctively oppose the force with his own. When it was over the other nice teacher that often treats for ramen says he's the winner. It was no surprise why the Hulk was confused thus even forgotten about Kiba in his hand.

It took a little while for him to realize it, seeing it wasn't ramen the Hulk just toss him like its was useless garbage. Humiliatingly somehow his aim manages to land the Inuzuka right in the garbage can. Unfortunately Kiba couldn't complain because he is already unconscious. Like his every encounter with the giant, something bad always happens to him.

Coming back to the preliminary, Kiba can already see it. Even if he had added Akamaru to the fight the Hulk would just smack them around like they were children. His only future would be whether the giant would be merciful in the end. Either way their fight would only end in his humiliation and pain again.

So when he was called, for the first time the next heir to the Inuzuka made an intellectual choice - he forfeited. His declaration shocked many of his classmates excepted for one that keeps complaining how troublesome it was. Naruto was just making his way to the arena and he too was surprised by the dog boy's declaration. The two were very much alike, thus he was very surprise his opponent would give up this easy.

Even those around Sandaime Hokage thought perhaps the boy could have made chunin if he is always this level headed. Kiba too was a little overwhelmed because he is actually receiving praises from his sensei and other jonins. They all said it was a very mature decision as they congratulates him. Then he asks a stupid question "Does it mean I am now Chunin?".

Kurenai can only sigh, for her student can be both bright and stupid at the same time. Patting the boy over the head she nevertheless tells him the bad news, to all her students she is more like a mother than a sensei. She did think he is capable of becoming Chunin, his loyalty and care of his team is a good example for a leader. In fact each and everyone of her students has their own part that could easily get them promoted, it was the reason why she had nominated them in the first place.

Sadly Kiba's match was just a matter of bad luck, his decision may have merit but unfortunately it does not give him an automatic promotion. His action in the eyes of those that knew him shown huge leaps of maturity to his old behavior but not enough to make him an official chunin. He will at least needs to reach the finals for that opportunity, there many lords and nobles will witness what kind of chunin ninja he is thus increasing prospects of missions. It's how the ninja nations advertise their ninjas and at the same time let their potential clients see who they could hire.

Of course, one can always get field promotions only they wouldn't be well known unless something extraordinary happens during the mission. Normal ninja missions are usually boring, such as border patrols and gate guarding duty etc. Big clients wouldn't hire just anyone, hence it's important you show what you can do in the exams. In the meantime for Kiba his peers will see him a little differently.

Hinata and Neji Preliminary Fight

Another match to note was Hinata Hyuga against her cousin, it was a close match but Neji came out clearly the victor but not without injury. Apparently thanks to the incident in her younger days, her personality was slightly changed due to that event. Everyone has their own trigger and hers was all down to protecting something she values the most. For that sole reason her cousin had a very difficult time breaking the usual meek and shy girl.

At first the elder Hyuga just down talk her, which like the anime Naruto rebuked hotly as he hates attitudes like that. In order to defend her crush and friend Hinata was willing to fight her brother figure because she too believes one can change. She was hoping to show her older cousin she is very different and perhaps to show him he too can change. Sadly Neji was dead set in his fate believes to see what she was trying to do and Hinata too was not yet ready to face such adversary.

Having lived under the same roof, Neji knew about his cousin's precious garden. It was not difficult to see how she waters it, getting herself all dirty like a commoner taking care of it. He too had heard about the incident but unfortunately he had no interest learning what she did afterwards but only what upsets her.

Making her take all the blame of the main house's crime, Neji attacks her weaknesses. So he verbally abuses her while smirking at her insecurities, he wanted to destroy her already small confidence for the insult by remaining in the arena then he will finish her afterwards. It was probably a great plan and one that may have worked until he brought up her stupid garden. Saying how he will cut down the monstrosity into pieces then burn it as fire wood as it fated to be.

Had he knew beforehand what he unleashes afterwards he probably think twice before using that approach. Sadly when Hinata lowers her head, Neji could not see her eyes so he thought he's breaking her thus continuing his threats and promises. If he could, his actions are like adding fuel to a fire. Then again her posture made her look like she was about to give up or cry in the shadows of her hair.

Neji was so sure and confident, he didn't bother to check with his ever seeing Byakugan eyes. Otherwise he would have shut up long ago, because the anger he about to see isn't anything like the usual meek looking and lack of confidence Hinata. Her general outlook was the main reasons the elders' dislike her, because made their clan look weak and stupid. Hyugas should always look proud and have their head held high to show their superiority but her posture screams otherwise. They don't think she is fit representative as one of their noble clan, let alone the clan heir.

Unfortunately for the young branch member, he only hears how incompetent and useless she was and not the incident she sent a main house member to hospital. It was not surprising because aside from those present, everyone kept a tight lip over the incident. Since the one injured is also grandson of their elder no branch member dared to speak about the event.

Neji says fate was pre-determined, his too were sealed when he couldn't keep his mouth shut. As for the moment Hinata set her eyes on him, he was momentary stopped dead like a deer caught in a headlight. He almost swallowed his own tongue. To say she switched herself with a demon would be an understatement as her glare was as deadly as what her eyes told him. The message was clear, it promises pain worse than what a "Cage Bird" can deliver.

Then there's her death aura as even Gaara took a step back, so it's understandable why Neji's confidence and fate induced chance of winning plunges to rock bottom. Even the Hokage had to wince at her sudden transformation, he had heard of the incident from Hiashi and her sensei Kurenai. He was warned beforehand so he wouldn't think it's another demon attack or mistaking it as some kind of possession.

At the time, even Hiashi had to turn away to not look directly in her daughter's eyes. The Hyuga impassive stare was already intimidating enough but Hinata's glare could literary freeze anyone and maybe bore holes in them. He had already his fair share of horrors from his wife when she was extremely angry so he knew how it felt. Like her mother Hinata too has the look of the Grim Reaper which is scary even to him.

He had hoped his daughter could find ways to control that over protective attitude like her mother and use it for the clan. It was how the two got married in the first place, the elders were against their wedding but her silent stare was enough to make them change their minds. She didn't need to be vocal as all she gave them was the silent death stare, daring them to give her a reasonable explanation. Since the elder couldn't handled the pressure nor came up with a plausible reason they let them go on with the wedding.

It was the reason why they didn't like her, but since she often gets what she wants they had to respect that side of her. Now that his daughter inherit that death glare and only manifests when her loved ones were threaten. He had to admit it was a good trait to have because like her mother she would defend those whom she deem precious. Hence why he let her kept the monster plant.

Then again he didn't have the heart to face her look if he gave orders to have her plant destroyed. Like they say it's better to be on the side of the devil then in it's path, in his case in the path of her wraith. Hence it would be understandable why Neji was horrified when Hinata brought out her "Extremely-Pissed-Goddess" act. In fact everyone in the exam felt the chill when she exploded.

There was no hesitation and only took a blink of an eye to execute. One moment she was giving her cousin the look and the next a devastating blow was sent to his bowels. The result was not only spectacular, it was so powerful that Neji flew all the way into the wall. Silence fell as the audiences stared with slack jaws, they couldn't believe how such small girl was able to generate this much power.

Of all those present, only Gai seems to see her secret as he stared at her hind foot. It dug at least an inch into the ground, only a Taijutsu master such as he would see the small details and admire how the move was executed. In fact he too was fooled by her weak look and be completely surprised by the sudden attack.

However what was more impressive was her total execution of her technique. He had heard the original 64 palm uses the fundamental aspects of the 8 Trigram philosophy thus produces the eight by eight strikes as result. By using the circular motions as basis the repetition was built up thus enforcing each hit after another until the final attack is delivered. The concept is similar to a sling, the force and powers builds up until it is used to strike someone, hence why the last would be most devastating. Unfortunately on a battlefield no-one's going to stand around until you finish building up and it use on them. Hence the original Hyuga devised the preemptive strikes to both to delay or use as defensive measure against their opponent. However with the "Gentle Fist" later developed, 64 palm became even deadlier thus how the Hyuga art became one of the strongest Taijutsu techniques in the ninja world.

In Hinata's case, she skipped the original purposes of the 64 palm and went straight for the final blow. In Gai's eyes he knew she hasn't completely skipped the build up concept, instead she took it internally within her body. Had others been more observant they would have seen the foot print of hers. Using her pivoting foot as support she was able to channel the force by using twisting motion as she executes the full technique.

Most of the audiences probably only see the quick step before delivering the famous Hyuga palm strike. While the speed of the execute was impressive, it was the power to send her opponent into the wall that is jaw dropping. Of course most of the audiences only knew this because of her final stance looking like a clockwise capital "K".

Others may not know it but Gai saw more than just a simple palm strike. The split second execution and almost synchronize movement on her whole was something not even he could do because it requires a flexible body like hers. By connecting her foot, ankle, knee, hip to upper body movements, the entire process was something the Taijutsu expert gives her the most credit. Not to mention how she pulls back one shoulder, pushing and enforcing the other while applying the "Corkscrew" technique to her "Gentle Fist". It was like a driving force using the little movements building up as it travels up her body before delivering it to Neji. This was the reason Gai was speechless because he actually understood the value in her entire technique.

The entire technique can be felt when Neji tries to get his body off the wall only to almost fall to his knee. He managed stop himself due to both his personal pride and hate against the main branch members, he would never fall before his despicable cousin. Then again he couldn't straighten his back like a Hyuga should hence why he was so angry now. If was as if his cousin just blew a hole through him. It was true in a way because the blow did rip a hole where it had landed thus proving Gai's "Corkscrew" theory.

The first blow was spectacular as the whole audience can see Neji almost had his guts spilled. Naturally his defenses were now heavily centered around his mid-sections, he can't afford another direct hit to the same spot again. While his cousin also uses the same art, Neji was angry in hers. He thinks it's a bastardized version of the real "Gentle Fist". Instead of the rigid and solid ground work of their traditional style, hers sways like a willow making it look weak and silly. However, combining it with chakra it was ridiculously effective because it attacks him like a whip and very difficult to defend.

He was also exceptionally angry because he was almost tagged by the bastardized version of the "Gentle Fist" as he believe it is inferior. Yet if it manages to hit him, it contradicts his believe hence why he is so angry at his cousin. He thought he could read her movements until her hands suddenly snakes around his arm and "Juken" his shoulder. The prodigy wanted to scream for her perversion of their tradition but Hinata came dangerously close in kicking his face. That's when those from Konoha realizes this was no ordinary "Gentle Fist" because their style never had kicks.

It was an eye opener for those that knew the Hyuga style because Hinata's foot attacks somehow resembles the style. Hence why Neji was confused because he was both familiar and unfamiliar with the attack, it was the reason he can still dodge several surprises. He is truly a prodigy of his generation, no-one around his age knew more about their style than he. It was how he could seem to predict her next move.

However, the pattern soon changes again as she switches back and forth between "Fists" and "Feet" versions making it very difficult for Neji to see what she would do next. Surprisingly he had only been fighting with one hand because the other was disabled earlier by her surprise. Yet he still manages to come to a stand still against something that's almost completely new to him. Even more amazing is that he was handicapped, anyone can see how he concentrated most of his defenses around his mid-section. No doubt Hinata's initial blow still effecting him.

Thankfully the young branch member is very proficient in his art as he defend himself with one functioning hand while using chakra as shield. Then there is also the "Eight Trigrams" Neji has yet to see, there is a maximum of 64 strikes which the prodigy child mastered thus why he immediately recognizes the opening stance. Fortunately for the older family member Hinata has yet to achieve the complete 64 combo, but unfortunately for him she has other means to compensate for the lost numbers. She did this by adding her legs to complete the full combo.

Traditional or not, the male Hyuga couldn't fault them as they were certainly effective. While no permanent damage were taken, he was not sure how many surprises his crazy cousin can dish out or better question how long he can hold on. Unlike his stiff but more powerful version of "Eight Trigrams", Hinata's version seems to spam almost infinite number of "Eight Trigram" attack. It was like when her hands are tired she switches to using her legs, followed by her hands again then vice versa.

Neji knew the family style well, he could defeat even chunin Hyuga members without problem. However, when 2 extra limbs were added to the style and even if it was remotely looking like another "Hyuga Technique" it was not something his inexperience mind can handle. Also taking his cousin's flexibility into account, the assault would look like it changes direction in the middle. His injuries and closed chakra path points were evidence on how surprisingly effective they were.

Hinata was about to finish her attack as she makes her final assault with a flying leap and came crushing down on her cousin. He hadn't anticipated that the Hyuga style could be used in mid-air thus was too late to get out of the way. There had never been a direct top down attack in the Hyuga style thus Neji had to made do with improvisation. He defend by striking his opponent upwards.

Hence how they ended up in such a stalemate where the two were joined like a pillar, palm against palm and one on top of the other. Unfortunately since Neji is at the bottom he is literary supporting his cousin's entire weight with one arm whereas Hinata watches him like a hawk. She was waiting for him to tire himself out before coming down to finish him off, she still has her other hand ready as soon as he gives up.

It's not like he could just shift the weight and let his cousin fall because it was the only reason his free arm is not broken. In his current condition his arm is like a small twig balancing and supporting another weight. If he so much as to tilt, the weight would snap his arm like a twig. Without his only functioning arm he might as well give up the match like he said in the beginning of the match. He would rather die than lose to his cousin thus why the stalemate they have now.

Amazingly Hinata could still keep her balance while still in the air. The spectators wondered if this was meant to be a circus that the two were just performers. However, the nervous sweat Neji's displaying and Hinata's glare tells them they were really trying to kill each other.

Just when he was at his limits and reaching his breaking point, Hinata fainted thus fell to the ground and never got back up again. Ironically he was only still standing because he couldn't move anymore. Seeing he is the only conscious contestant Hayate declared his win. Neji wanted to sprout some fate non-sense but seeing his injuries and his cousin not awake he wasn't sure if fate took a break on him today.

Gaara and Lee

Another change from the manga is Rock Lee and Gaara's fight, somehow the youngest son of the Kazekage didn't see Lee as threat hence only bashed him aside. That was until he start using his "Gates" which the sand genin took seriously however Gaara's attention seems to focus on something else. Obviously he probably sensed a lingering threat in the air, like a sleeping dragon but just not knowing where he is. The Hulk does have that effect inside Naruto hence how most animals avoid him and due to Shukaku inside him he may be a little bit cautious of his surroundings.

Both his sibling too was a little concerned because their brother is a little quieter than usual and would have demanded blood for his mother. Still the fight was quite spectacular as in the end the spandex genin loses conscious while still standing his ground. Even though he didn't win he earn number of respect from his fellow gennins and few of the chunins and jonins. Against any other genin he could probably won with ease, he was just unlucky he was paired against Gaara as his opponent.

One Month Training Break

After the preliminary, Naruto ended up wondering around the hospital to check up on his teammate bumping into his sensei in the process. Taking the opportunity he asked him if he will be training both he and Sasuke. Since they both passed the preliminary it's reasonable to train for the finals. Unfortunately Kakashi couldn't help him, his jutsus were just too advanced for the blond and he didn't know what to do with the Hulk neither.

Not to discourage his student the scarecrow ninja said that he would be winning the tournament either way. This statement took the blond by surprise as he thought Kakashi was saying he was useless. Seeing his words caught his student's attention he clarifies what he had meant. All this time they were in the same team Kakashi learned to read his student's habits and Naruto is the most expressive thus making it easy to know what he was think.

The Jonin had to admit he is too complex for him to handle and like Iruka did in the academy it is better categorizing both Naruto and the Hulk separately. As Naruto he has great potential but due to his vast amount of chakra it would be difficult for him to learn more advanced jutsus. Only Kage Bunshi was an exception because it only requires Jonin amount of chakra. Hence he encourages him to work on his control, thus giving him some exercises as motivation. Taijutsu too weren't his speciality thus he suggested his student to find some books on katas or someone that specializes in them. Naruto seems to have some ideas so Kakashi left him at that and introduce him to "Ebisu" the elite tutor.

Then again he added, as himself Naruto had already an unfair advantage over the other genins. He could always transform to the Hulk then beat everyone black and blue until they surrender. Most Jonin bet on him winning the whole tournament including Kakashi himself as he show the blond his tickets. While disappointed, Naruto was nevertheless happy for the support. As final piece of advise, the grey haired ninja told him winning isn't everything. He will need to both impress the judges and prove that he is chunin material. Unfortunately Kakashi wouldn't tell him what he meant, he said he will have to figure them out on his own.

No personal training aside, Kakashi was not joking when he said most jonins supports him. In fact most of Konoha changed because of the green giant hence it's no wonder the Hulk gave everyone a ever lasting impact. Not just shinobi, even villagers couldn't wait to see him in the exam as they too rooted for him as they too interested to know if any genin would be even a match. The Chunin exams isn't just any event, thus it would be no surprise everyone knew about it.
Hence Naruto and the Hulk entering is no secret to the village population. Some light heartedly joked to the boy to go easy on other genins.

Others too encouraged him to do his best as they too bet on him to win the tournament. It made the boy very happy finally getting the recognition he strives for all his life. People don't associate him with the Kyubi anymore, instead they see him and the Hulk the same being. Sometimes they refer him as the Hulk, other times vise versa so he was not feeling being replaced. Once people got past their hate, they began to accept him for who he is hence they start talking about his antics.

Being a ninja for several months makes him even more famous as he surprises them with both his abilities and strange ways in accomplishing the missions. His D rank missions were often talked about among the village because many didn't think he would cut out for such menial tasks. Many had front row seats when the Hulk start demolishing building with ease, thus it would be difficult to picture him painting a fence. Hence when those whom hired Team 7 for missions start telling them how Naruto took over and finishing the job faster then his teammates everyone was shocked. It was how most of his D rank missions were known across the whole village.

Team 7's most recent C rank too were a hot topic among the shinobis as they too were interested to know how the Hulk fare outside the village. Then again most only wanted to know if Zabuza had shit himself when he was pitted against the giant. The news was widely spread to the local population, some even had the blond to tell them his story. Even he had not remember any of it, Naruto learned the event from Tazuna and his sensei so he more or less followed the situation.

Since the news will earn the boy more frame and even better reputation the Hokage see no reason to keep it a secret. It's about time Konoha repay the years of ill treatment and since Naruto was not one for arrogance the Sandaime was not worried. It's what he loved most about him, even with the strength of the Hulk Naruto still trains to proof himself.

Jiraiya - Hot Spring Exchange

While it is true that using the Hulk would be an overkill on other genins, but Naruto was determined to prove himself as himself thus hoped to improve his own abilities. For that reason Kakashi introduce him an elite Jonin "Ebisu" whom owns him a favour to guide and oversee his training. Thanks to the village's attitude change towards him, the two were more forth coming with each other and "Ebisu" seems to know how to explain the importance of chakra control. At least he got the first impression right by taking the boy for ramen as their initial discussion.

Unfortunately due to mishap, the elite jonin was knocked out by Jiraiya by interrupting his research. A little angry that his teacher was assaulted by the unknown person, naturally Naruto complains to the sannin and demanding for compensation. Since he had incapacitated his current teacher, it would only make sense for him to take over his training. While Naruto didn't know who he is but since he somehow manages to knock out a jonin then he must be strong. Hence why he kept on pestering him until he finally realized he don't know who he is.

Perhaps it's not often he gets the chance to introduce himself because everybody knows him, thus he was more enthusiastic. Unfortunately his audience was not so impressed. In fact Naruto thought he was mocking him thus why he unconsciously transforms himself to the Hulk. First the ninja peeks in the women's bath, then he knocks out his sensei and now he is making fun of him. No wonder Naruto's pissed.

Sadly Jiraiya was so absorbed in his performance he fails to see his summon trying to signal him before unsummons himself from the danger zone. The pervert was in the middle of his silly dance where he had his eyes closed while rolling his head in a comical manner. As soon as he introduces himself as the "Toad Sannin", he was pomptly punched and sent crashing through the peek hole. When he wakes up he would have cursed his luck for falling unconscious because if he was going to get punched into the hot-springs he rather be awake to at least get an eye full of naked bodies.

Then again because of that stunt he didn't even get to see whom had hit him. Having delivered his punishment the Hulk blew air through his nostrils as if he was not impressed - "Puny Sannin" he says before turning to leave. It seems thanks to his unfortunate encounter with Orochimaru both the Hulk and Naruto were a little sensitive with the title. Hence why he didn't even let Jiraiya finish after hearing the word "Sannin".

However before the Hulk can disappear from the scene, his actions weren't unnoticed. Obviously it was the main reason why Jiraiya was there in the first place hence why there's panic within the women's bath when the pervert crashes through. Since he was both famous and infamous for his work, everyone recognizes him thus came to the right conclusion what the sannin's been doing. Somehow they came to the wrong conclusion that the Hulk was trying to protect their chastity.

Chivalry maybe frowned upon by kunoichis for how they spent years trying to prove themselves just as capable and strong to stand along side their male counter part. However in this case it was not entirely unwelcome. Every women knew about the infamous author of "Icha Icha" and where he gets his inspiration, thus it was obvious why he's here. Since they are in a ninja village, thus it came as no surprise many within the bath are kunoichis. Hence it would not be a surprise when most wouldn't just run off and hide by the incident thus giving the giant a show he would never forget.

Especially Anko as she stood without shame, she was the most daring as she was next to the broken fence and with her perky breasts pointing his way. It's her perfect little payback for the earlier mishap. She may not be able to physically harm him, but the look she got was priceless thus why she didn't hold back in the teasing. The other kunoichis too giggles as they too find it endearing and a little cute watching him squirm, then blush and pretend to look away. Like a little kid acting like he didn't see anything.

He can hear them talk about his muscles then about his other muscles, making him very self-conscious especially when they talk about his rod. Not knowing what he should do, the Hulk jump away before it escalates any further. His quick get away results in many laughter and all coming from the Kunoichis as they laugh to their heart's contend. The Hulk may not have understood what they were talking about but like any pre-teen they get a little sensitive and self conscious when others start talking about them. Hence somehow he felt embarrassed knowing they were all just teasing him. It's not everyday Anko gets to embarrass the giant so she took every advantage she got.

"That was strange, I tried many times to flirt with the big guy but never got such reaction?" it was more like she was asking herself than her friends. In the past she had tried to convince the Hulk to hand over the ninjas but was never successful thus she thought he just doesn't like women. Then again she didn't have so much trouble with the boy Naruto, hence she took it as a challenge to catch his attention. Sadly the giant was more interested in a bowl of ramen than her sexy appeal.

"Perhaps you needed more beautiful girls to get his attention! After all he is quite big." Anko's friend too shows off her body.
"Maybe I should take some lessons from that blond kid, I heard he can floor the Hokage using his self made 'Sexy Jutsu'. Maybe I can use it to make a female version of the Hulk."
She was quickly stopped by her best friend Kurenai as she bonked her lightly for the stupid idea. Then again she wonders what she would look like in a female Hulk body, green, athletic and with a slim waist was her ideal built. Her mind starts to drift to what her boyfriend Asuma would say.

All her friends gave her the deadpanned look, obviously they knew her a little too well to understand what she is going through. She may act all proper and like an ice queen but deep down she's just like any of them hence why they got on so well. As the girls chat and poses to one other their best sexy poses and which the Hulk would prefered Jiraiya would have wished he was awake to see them. Too bad he was not thus missed his golden opportunity.

As for the perverted sannin himself, his deeds were not forgotten. Since he liked naked flesh so much the Kunoichis decides to tie him up in the bath while casting an invisibility genjutsu over him. When he finally wakes up, he thought he was in heaven because instead of peeking from the other side he is now in the same side of his dreams. His first thought was it must be one of his more enthusiastic fans that loves his work thus offering this gift for him. Too bad he didn't think about why he was also tied up and secured in place, his mind were already too busy picturing all the heavenly scenes he is about to receive thus thinking how to thank his fan by personally signing his autograph.

Unknown to him, this was the time specially reserved for the two over exuberant duo. Not that the two know about it, it was unanimously decided by all the bath goers. Since the two always train for long hours when they came in they thought everyone's finished hence why wherever they arrive it's always empty. Sadly this news is only known by the locals hence why Jiraiya wasn't aware of it.

Gai isn't just a strong Taijutsu specialist he is also a great trainer, thus he advised his students to soak in the baths after the intensive workout. He explains that it would help them both to relax and rejuvenate their body. Naturally only his favorite student Lee follows him wherever he go while his other teammate Neji excuses himself saying it's a clan matter thus avoid joining them. TenTen too scarce herself due to her gender difference as she says she will have to bath separately.

It was the reason why only Gai and Lee always show up together in the baths. Gai says it's a male bonding experience, guys telling each other their experience and stories. Very much like how men can learn about one another just by fighting each other with their fists. The two was sadly disappointed because they were the only ones there.

Not one to be down so easily the older spandex wearer cheers his student up telling him they can have the whole bath for themselves. Nevertheless and true to his words Gai told Lee stories of his genin days and how his father was still a genin to his death. This was a surprising news even for Lee as he never heard about his sensei talk about his father and yet it sounds very similar to his situation.

Unlike his famous rival's father Sakumo Hatake that is not only a genius, his strength is greater if not equal to the three sannins. However, Might Gai's father Might Duy unfortunately nicknamed the eternal genin. Yet in his final moment he had not only saved those that riddled him he also managed to fend off the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist until help arrives. That reason Gai is telling his student this is because this is part of his father's legacy hence why Lee must never use the art unless it's the last resort.

Unlike Kakashi's father Sakumo Hatake who is not just a genius but a prodigy that rival even the three sannins, Might Gai's father Might Duy however was still a genin to his dying days. He was called the eternal genin for that reason and yet in his final moment he not only saved the ninja whom had riddled him he too manages to fend off Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Hence why their secret can only be used in last and desperate moments. After the story like always Lee end up hugging his Gai sensei and sworn to train hard for the skills.

Hence why there is nothing illicit involved, Gai always takes his students seriously but just a little too serious that others find it disturbing. If you ask anyone in Konoha that knew him, you will know that he is a great teacher and many respect him for it.

Unfortunately for Jiraiya, he knew something was wrong when he start hearing male voices and immediately knew who they were. As spy master and coming from the same village, he knew Gai and his over abundant attitudes. While he respects him both as person and a ninja for it was a very long road to get to where he is now. However in this scenario, 'respect' and 'like' are two very different issues.

It was for this reason no sane men would use the baths in this hour. The teacher and student duo had always thought it was free due to no-one coming this late thus were happy to have the place for themselves. Since Gai believed that a nice bath after workout helps their body relax and rejuvenate, Lee happily share his enthusiasm. Perhaps it was why he keeps calling it youth.

While it was great source of encouragement for the two, it was difficult for others to keep up that is outside their circle of understanding. Sadly for the Sannin he had to endure their naked glory as they hug each other. There's nothing illicit between the two as they do have towels between them but for someone with a creative mind like Jiraiya's there no doubt where his imagination took him. Hence why the results were devastating as he wished he could mind wipe himself.

Unfortunately the sannin did not have this luxury to make himself scarce. As one of the kunoichi was a medic she made sure he would endure entire manly process without blinking. Jiraiya was weeping silently as tears fall from his face. Maybe Inoichi can help him erase that image from his mind so he can stay innocent.

Since that incident, Jiraiya tried to find the kid again but couldn't find him anywhere in the village. Unknown to the sannin, Naruto took it upon himself to seek help from the Rat Master Splinter thus went back to the "Forest of Death". Like the turtles, he is another resident of the forest that can communicate and he is as wise as the way he speaks. For this reason, he is often the mediator for other animal residents and animal clans. Unlike the Panda tribe that have their own elders, the monkeys and many other animals don't. Hence Master Splinter was often called to mediate their affairs.

It also helped the giant rat is incredibly strong, he may not hop around like his turtle students like a wild animal but he made up for his experience. Naruto had often watch he spar against his students so he knows he is very powerful. The turtles may be faster and much more energetic, but every movement from the master could easily disable each one of them. Hence the turtles had to work together just to hold their grounds.

For this reason the turtles too were some of the few top fighters in the forest. The Pandas too were a disciplined bunch thus able to formed their own schools of their own art. The monkeys however while uncouth, they were more than made up for their imitation talents that later integrate them into their own. That's how the Hyugas found out their art being stolen by a gorilla during the Hinata incident. These were few of the note worthy tribes from the forest as they possesses more humane attributes.

Others such as the Elemental Tigers mentioned in the past were also strong but they were more animal than those that can stand on their hind legs. It was the reason why Naruto has less interactions with them, but from time to time as he passes their territory he would help out so most animals recognizes him. He too plays with the tiger cubs but sees them more of a pet than a friend, then again it would be hard for him to differentiate the differences.

So anyway Naruto spoke with Master Splinter and he agreed to train him how to fight with and against weaponry. However, he suggested the blond to seek out the Pandas too, because he believes the young man is better suited to their Taijutsu and their meditation can greatly help him. Like in Konoha, the boy is also an interesting subject among the forest animals thus nearly everyone knows what the only human among them been up to.

Only by the end of the week did Jiraiya find his wayward Godson and apologize for knocking out his temporary sensei. So as peace offering he agrees to help train him as he had previously requested. Naruto was at first suspicious, but in the end he agrees to the offer. He really do need the extra help. He may not know who he is or what a sannin is, but it's better than no one.

Then again he hesitated because the sannin's behavior is questionable. After all who in their right mind would self proclaim themselve as not a 'pervert' but a 'super pervert'.
"Hey kid, I have been looking for you for a while."
"You.. You are that pervert from the baths." it was the first thing that came to mind.
"Who you calling a pervert, I am a super pervert." Naruto didn't know what to say to that ridiculous declaration.
"Listen kid, I am sorry for knocking out your temporary sensei. So as apology I will teach you something useful, what do you say?"

Since his scarecrow sensei reads a perverted book all the time the blond guesses all strong ninjas are alike so he couldn't be too choosy. Luckily for the sannin Naruto didn't punch him this time. Unfortunately Jiraiya spoke too soon as by the end of the day he was a little curious about the Hulk thus asked the kid for a demonstration. Seeing no harm in it, the whole village already knew he's the Hulk so naturally he agrees.

Thankfully it was much easier to transform now, all he needed is just a little concentration. Sadly for the sannin, the Hulk recognizes him which he knew it was not such a great idea. "Oh, oh!" was all he got before the Hulk uppercuts him.

Naturally for comedy reasons, he again ended up falling into the same hot spring which happens to have the same group of Kunoichis there as the other day. So when sannin woke-up he was just in time for the teacher and student (Gai and Lee) show as he cry river of tears. In fact all three end up crying rivers of tears but only for different reasons. Gai and Lee obviously were going about their youth antics whereas Jiraiya having forced to endure all of it.

In the end Naruto split his time training with the Sannin, then the Rat Master and the Pandas. Jiraiya only knew he had been going in the "Forest of Death" but didn't know the reason why. He had asked about it but when the blond mentions the Hulk likes to go there the sannin stops asking for more details. Obviously the giant didn't seem to like him so he try not to bring him up and often making himself scarce when he's around. Then again Naruto too had low opinion of him because they are bascially the same person. Only Naruto's more tolerate of him whereas the Hulk was more expressive.

Jiraiya can still remember when Naruto first summons Gamabunta after throwing him over the local chasm. Normally Naruto would have transformed to the Hulk but due to fright, that instinct was buried hence how he ended up meeting the Kyubi and eventually get to summon the toad boss Gamabunta. Unfortunately the boss giant didn't believe him thus making angry thus the Hulk ended up taking over. The sannin was long gone when that happens, whether he was hidding from Gamabunta or the Hulk is not known but it's likely both.

So when the Hulk instead of Naruto drops to his snout the toad was surprised by the green small giant. Naturally even the Hulk is huge, he is still relatively small to the toad boss. Angry that he was dismissed so easily the Hulk answers "HULK SUMMONS TOAD."
"Yeah, right!" Gamabunta starts ordering the sannin to show himself.
"That's it Jiraiya, you better get out here and explain."

Obviously pissed being ignored, the Hulk stomp him sending Gamabunta face first crashing into the ground before leaping off to do whatever he normally do. That's when Jiraiya decides to show himself and update his partner who that was. The toad boss may not like how he was treated but he liked the kid's attitude, the no bullshit attitude is just exactly how his gangster outlook should be.
"Tell the kid he can summon me and my family anytime."

The sannin was speechless because he will need to pick up his jaw first if he still wants to complain.
"The brat just sent Gamabunta to the floor and got approved by him?!"
"Just like his father." mutters the sannin.
Not that Minato beat the toad boss's ass, but he got the toad's approval on his first try too.

So overall it was a successful month, Naruto believes he is at least prepared to face anything. He had been training righteously and even the Hulk did his part under the strict guidance of the Pandas. The big guy was made to sit in meditative stance, practising how to calm himself and maybe to synchronize with his other self. The Hulk may not know why he is doing it, but deep down instinctively he knew he needs it hence why he followed through with the ridiculous practise.

It was the reason when the Panda bashed him with it's iron staff with spikes the Hulk didn't kill him. Unconsciously he knew he did something wrong thus couldn't blame the elder animal. Apparently communication isn't much a problem between them, the pandas have many trainees hence the Hulk only need to see what everyone's doing before copying them. The elder took him to the waterfall and obviously wanted to sit on the largest and empty stone as he tap it with his staff.

Even the water felt cold to the Hulk but followed through with the exercise. It took a few tries as the elder smacks him a few times while points to his neighbours showing him how it was done. The Hulk may not quite understand it but after a while he knew he had to sit still hence how he managed to get through the exercise. Of course it still took sometime and much convincing from the elder with a badassed staff.

The aged panda too has it's guts because he was not light in dishing out punishment everytime. It didn't stop the Hulk from glaring at him while the elder held the glaze, daring him to do something. Thankfully the Hulk backed down but unfortunately glaring was not part of the lesson curriculum thus he got another wrack. While it did no damage to our green friend, it was nevertheless annoying it was like being hit by a fly swatter no matter how lethal it looked.

The same for Naruto after the Hulk calms down, shrinking back to the him. He was shocked to see what the elder had in his hands thus was more motivated to get on with the program. Unknown to him the elder smirked, thinking his intimidation act might work also on their young cubs too.

Of course some time later, there was a silent exchange between the chief Panda and the said elder. While it may look silent in fact it was the language the animals used to communicate, but if one would listen carefully there were some grunts and growls in there too. In human language this is what they say.
"Do you have to carry that stick around wherever you go?!" questions the chief.
Thoughtfully but sagely the elder didn't quite answers the question.
"Nowadays Younglings forget how they should respect their elders as they used to, we just needed a little help nothing wrong with that."
The elder panda patted his spike iron staff emphasizing his little help.
"Those don't respect me will surely respect the staff." stomping it to the ground and alerting other's eyes to his monstrous staff.
"See?!"
Naturally all the eyes were drawn warily to the staff making the panda chief to roll his eyes.
"Besides intimidating young trainees, it is useful tool for getting from one place to another."
It ended the conversation then as he walked away using the staff like a walking stick. The chief can only shake his head because most of his elders all have their own iron staff turning it into some kind of tradition. Somehow making him look bad as he is the chief so he need to get himself one too. Even some youngings asks him when they can get their own "Badassed" or "Kickassed" fight staff. He may need to find himself one too if just for the looks, because a chief mustn't look bad since he is representing the tribe.

OMAKE - D Rank before the Exams

At the time the Hokage was not overseeing the missions, thus like usual the D rank mission were handed out to low ranking genins. It was another reason how Team 7 ended up with another "Catch Tora" mission. Having got the hang of the job, most members knew what they have to do.

Kakashi was sure that the Hulk had mellowed out since the Wave mission thus didn't think it would be a problem. Besides Naruto had now better control over his emotion so it shouldn't go like last time, right? The jonin was partially right, it certainly didn't go like last time.

It didn't take long for the mission to go underway and somehow instead of his blond student returning the Hulk came to him. Kakashi can only sigh but unfortunately the giant wasn't alone. In it's hand he had an Anbu ninja with the mask Neko, obviously the ex-anbu captain recognizes her as she was one of his old subordinates. The Hulk had her head held in his fist as he dangles the ninja infront of Kakashi.

The Anbu knew it was useless to struggle thus had her arms folded nonchalantly as if waiting for the giant to eventually release her. Since it was pointless to talk or to fight so she just let him do what he wanted and get it over with sooner. She had a feeling this is somehow one of those D rank missions that the Hulk is too high leveled for.

"No, that's Neko. We want a cat not an Anbu, no ninja!" emphasizes the jonin, trying to clarify their main objective so that the massive genin can understand. Neko guess this is some sort of everyday thing, it still took a while to convince him otherwise hence why the hesitation. In the end the two watches as the Hulk leaps off to search for a new target, the Jonin wondered if he had missed anything. Before the two can start some light exchange between co-workers, there was already shouting and screaming from the distance. No doubt Kakashi knew it's something to do with his thick-headed student.

Already preparing for the migraine that's about to come, the jonin massages his face with one hand. It didn't take long for his transformed student to arrive accompanied by a cat-girl in his hand. The word "accompanied" would probably be the wrong choice of word as she was not a willing participant, but there is very little she could do when she was held by the waist in the giant's hand. That was how the Hulk presented his catch, at least he didn't have the poor girl by the head like he did with the Anbu.

"No, no, no! That is not an animal neither, we want a real cat."
Somehow the Hulk had acknowledged his previous instructions and not bring back another ninja but came back still with the wrong results.
"No fake ears, no fake tail, real fur and whiskiers! A cat!" he emphasize with his hands the actual size of a cat.
This time Kakashi was more specific, hoping the giant finally understood what a cat really is.

As if a light bulb lights up in his head, he unceremoniously drops the civilian girl before leaping off. The sudden shift of gravity caused the girl to scream in fright but without injury. She couldn't berate the giant as he was long gone, so naturally she redirected her fury to Kakashi. Added fact that she recognized the local porn reader didn't help the jonin's apology easy. Hence how she gave him a full course lecture for both his indecency and not teaching his student properly.

Only after she was gone did the Hulk return, it was like one headache after another and Kakashi can already see another popping up. It seems Naruto's luck carries over to his alter ego thus missing out the chew out session. Anyway this time the Hulk brought back an animal that can somewhat called a cat. Technically it is a cat hence why the proud look all over his face, obviously thinking he's finally got something right.

It walks on four legs, has functional cat ears along with the cute whiskers. On top of that, it has it's own fur as well a real tail so obviously it must be the cat they were looking for right? This time even the anbu Neko seems to see the giant's thoughts, the big guy is just that easy to read. As matter of fact he did follow every instruction Kakashi gave, even down to the size comparison but sadly only from the Hulk's perspective.

Kakashi knew he may have forgotten something, because they don't want just any cat but the Daimyo's cat. Then again the so-called cat he brought back is in fact a huge tiger, "Tora" maybe translated as tiger in Japanese so he may have got it half right. However the daimyo probably wouldn't trade "Tora" for a real Tora, so the jonin wouldn't risk trying anyway. Who know what the Daimyo's wife's reaction would be, the worse case probably they would be chasing a lose tiger in the future. From the look of the animal this could be one of the rare chakra tigers or element tigers, there were rumors of the Hyugas finding them in the "Forest of the Death".

Like the usual cases with the Hulk, the appearance of a huge tiger sets off a minor riot in the streets. Villagers scampers away and out of sight hoping they aren't it's target when it's lose. It's never a dull moment with the Hulk around.

Kakashi sighs in defeat as he didn't know what to do with the giant, he should have done this right from the start. So he held out a photo of the real Tora hoping the giant can at least distinguish the differences himself. The Hulk had to crouch and bend down to the same height just to be on the same level. Then he also had to squint his eyes to see what he considers the microscopic picture before comparing it to the "cat" in his hand. Kakashi waited patiently because the Hulk had to check a few times before figuring out something was off. Somehow the animal in his grasp seems to see the mistake before him hence the deadpanned look it gave the giant.

The jonin had to sweatdrop, even he could see the look the tiger is giving his student.
Clearly it was saying "Do I look anything like the cat in the picture?!"
Ignoring the tiger but seeing that he had got the wrong animal the green giant toss it away. After landing properly the animal growled for the ill treatment, but one look from the Hulk was enough for it to leave quickly with it's tail behind it's legs.

With the dangerous animal now free, there was another chain of commotion as the villagers panic while the Anbus gave chase. They never caught it of course as it manages to lose the ninjas and return back to it's home. Thankfully the Konoha's eternal gate guardian duo Izumo and Kotetsu manage to testify that the tiger did indeed left the village. At least they are doing their job right.

Back to the Hulk, Kakashi ignores the ongoing chaos Konoha is already used them anyway. He calls out his other two students.
"Sasuke! Sakura! You both have already Madam Shijimi's cat, right?!"
It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yes, sensei. We just wanted to see what Naruto would bring next." said the only female member of the team.
Obviously they had been hidding there for a while but it was a surprise that Sasuke followed along.
Sakura admitted "It was kind of cute how he kept on trying despite his failures."
Her statement earned her a snarled look from her transformed teammate. They both knew Naruto wouldn't do anything as long as they don't go too far with the teasing.

Both genins have Tora already secured in her cage as they kept themselves hidden to see the event unfold itself. It wasn't often they get to top Naruto in missions thanks to his bizarre and ludicrous methods he use to complete them, even Kakashi was sometimes baffled. Hence when Naruto came back as Hulk, both genins couldn't help but hidden themselves and watch the fireworks. Naturally in the end the green giant came back with a feline that is definitely not house trained. Even the Uchiha couldn't help but smirked in the outcome which pisses the Hulk off more. Somehow he hates the Uchiha for all the insults.

Especially that aggravating smirk that his Uchiha teammate uses everytime they compete against one another. So angry, the Hulk kicked the merchant's kart sending it flying out of the village. Of course Kakashi had to pay for the wares. The competitiveness of his two student is going to bankrupt him.

Like talking about the weather, the two eternal gate guardians spoke to one another.
"Wherever it lands, it is definitely going to hurt."
"You are right my friend, I feel sorry for the poor fool on the other end of it."
"Even worst I feel even sorrier for me not being there to see the aftermath."

Small Scene in Fire Country Prison

Somewhere in the Fire country prison, Mizuki is again thanks to the previous incident couldn't get anywhere with his escape plan. Worst of all the guards searched him everytime making sure he isn't smuggling anything for any of his plans. Pissed and cursing the 'demon boy' for his ill fortune, he shout to the gods.
"Give me a shovel, give me a hammer, give me anything to get out of this wretched place."
Ask and you shall receive, the kart full of tools came smashing down on him.

Most of the prisoners and guards tends to stay away from him believing he's somehow cursed by some evil spirit. So no-one was surprise when a kart out of nowhere came crashing down on him. In fact most inmates were quite annoyed by the crazy ex-chunin that's always talking and muttering to himself. Hence it was a breath of relieve when he was shutted up no matter how abnormal it was, so nobody cared as they knew the staff will come and dig him out. At least the idiot would be in the hospital ward for a while.

Tiger Tribe

Like in the village, in the "Forest of Death" a few of the cubs too brought up the incident to their elders.
"Mama, Mama the big green human took uncle away."
"Relax pup, it's probably some misunderstanding. Your uncle will be back later."
Having met the giant many times, she knew the big guy's harmless. In the beginning the Hulk had fought their entire tribe defeating everyone of them. However, when he got to her and seeing her babies he decided to back down. That was the first time they encountered each other, the other times he helped her when she was alone and being bullied by a pack of hyena. He came in and literary gave them the boot before walking off.
Later Naruto came around and start playing with her cubs, so most of the tribe grew a little friendly with him. It was another reason why the tiger he took looked deadpanned and went along with it. Besides it was no use to struggle, like the anbu warrior he too is an elite of his tribe.
Hence it was the reason why the ninjas couldn't catch him when he was released as he made his way back into the forest.
The big cat chuckles as he made the anbus chase him in circles, it's not often he gets to play so it took him a little longer to return.

Author's Note: Please do write your ideas and inputs in the review because they do help me speeding up my progress as well as giving me new ideas. Next chapter would be the invasion, hopefully I can finish it quickly and see you then.