Chapter 10

How long had she been here? Staring out at nothing and everything at once? How long had she been trapped within liquidified chakra? A year? Two years? Three? Four? She couldn't remember... there was no real way of knowing anyway. The years all just blurred together... though perhaps it had been the most peaceful sleep she had had in ages. Then again had she even been asleep? Of course she had been... or at least she thought she had been. She knew she had dreamed; for indeed, what else could it have been? How she wished she could return to those times, to the time when her son was no older than three.

She knew the dangers of a wish like that, knew that it could do more harm than good. But she hadn't cared for the longest time, for what else could she do while imprisoned? Yet what had she done that deserved containment like this? She had fought with Konoha forces against Iwa... she had fought with all her strength, fought to protect the village alongside the one she would come to love and call her husband. One would have thought that the villagers and the council would have been grateful to her. She was sure that if it wasn't for her during the Great Shinobi War, her future husband may have died several times over. Then again, they had always assumed their 'great hero' had been the one that killed so many and won the war as if by himself. That had never truly bothered her, she never was one to be the center of attention… she was happy enough to be by her husband's side.

Then thatnight happened, the night that the kitsune attacked the village. She had gone into labor earlier that day, and she had just given birth to a wonderful baby boy. That's when Minato showed up, he told her about his plan to use their son to stop the raging kitsune. Of course what she hadn't told Minato was that she had known the very kitsune that was attacking. She never did tell him, she never could tell anyone else after that night for fear of being blamed for the kitsune's attack. She had pleaded with him, begged him not to use their son that way, but he wouldn't listen to her, saying that only a new born baby could contain the kitsune's soul and power. She had still been weak after giving birth, perhaps she could have argued more or harder… she could have done many different things. Either way the stress of the birth combined with the kitsune's attack caused her to black out.

When she awoke, she found that her husband had died saving the village. She found out that her son was used to seal the kitsune's spirit and power. She wanted to hate the man she called her husband. She wanted to hate him for using her… their son like that. She wanted to hate him for ignoring her wishes. But she couldn't and that frustrated her. She knew the kind of life her son would now have. She knew that the villagers wouldn't see their son as the hero her late husband wished. It was then that she swore that she'd protect her son no matter who came after him. Was she being selfish? Or was she only trying to protect her new born son? She couldn't say either way.

She knew of the life that her son would now have. She knew that her son would now be hated by the villagers. She knew that they would see him as nothing more then a painful reminder of what happened, the whisker like marks on his cheeks only adding to it. She swore to herself that she'd defend her son from those foolish enough to act upon their hatred. Many a villager and shinobi alike had fallen to Benitsune's blade, she didn't enjoy killing the very villagers that she had sworn to protect… but she'd protect her child no matter what. Or at least she had, until the one night she had failed… overwhelmed by those in black ANBU cloaks, the kanji for ROOT standing out on the forehead of the white masks. She had underestimated them, and she paid the ultimate price.

Within the years that she had been contained, she had nothing more to do then to think… and plan out her revenge. How dare they take her away from her son! How dare they force her into a coma! How dare they try to steal her power to replicate the Uzumaki kekkei genkai! How dare they turn on her after everything that she had done for them! But more importantly, how dare they attack her son for things not in his control! How dare they blame a small and innocent child for their losses! How dare they act upon that hatred! They'll pay, all of them that had ever harmed her son. But how would she carry it out? That was the question to which she had no answer.

She knew that the chakra she was submerged in was keeping her alive; she had no way of knowing if the illness that the doctor warned her about was still fatal or if the liquid chakra had healed her. Or was there ever an illness, had the doctor lied about that as well? She couldn't say, nor would it surprise her if the doctor had lied. Either way, her wrists and ankles were bound and she was not strong enough to escape this confinement. She needed to find a way to escape; there had to be something that she could do! If she couldn't escape on her own power… then she would get someone else to release her. Over the years, she found that she could extend her consciousness into other minds. How it worked she didn't know and she didn't care enough to figure it out. In fact, the only one whose mind she could enter easily was her own son and even then it was only when he was sleeping. It was during that time that she learned of his past by watching his memories as one would a movie.

She had not been pleased by the first six years of her son's life, or more precisely, the three years after she had 'disappeared'. She was, however, grateful that someone adopted him and raised him in her stead. She had tried, every time she entered his mind, to talk to her son but every time failed. She didn't know what was blocking her; perhaps she simply did not have the mental power for it. Yet it didn't matter now, she had been able to show her son some of her own memories. She knew that there was a slim chance that he didn't know it was her, but in due time he'd figure it out, of that she was sure. He'd figure out who she was and he'd seek her out. He would free her from this containment.

Once done, they would punish those that had wronged both of them. They would have their vengeance and kill those responsible for her current situation. Together they would show what happens when you anger a mother and her son. The liquid chakra around her bled red, as if in harmony with her emotions, her lips morphing into a smirk and had she been able to see it… her only visible eye shining brightly.

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Naruto jumped from tree branch to tree branch within the fenced off area of Training Grounds 44... or the "Forest of Death" as the second proctor, Mitarashi Anko, called it. Naruto wasn't intimidated... his feathered wing ruffling in agitation, or perhaps restlessness, he knew not which one. They had been given a scroll with the kanji for 'Earth' on it; apparently they were to find a scroll with the kanji for 'Heaven' on it without losing the one they had. The only problem was that any genin team that made it to this portion could have the one they needed or they could have the same one. They had a full week to find the scroll they needed, then make their way to the tower in the middle of the forest.

It sounded simple enough, but that had been before they were ambushed and he was separated from both Hinata and Sasuke. An abnormally strong gust of wind had swept through the clearing they were resting in; he had tried to use his wing to ride out the gust. The raging winds proved to be the stronger and he had bashed his wing against a tree's trunk when he lost control. Now he was sprinting through the trees, since his wing had yet to fully heal, trying to find where his other teammates had ended up, though he was more worried about Hinata then he was worried about Sasuke. He knew that both of them were strong in their own right, yet this feeling of uneasiness wouldn't leave him. Someone must have used a wind type ninjutsu; it was the only explanation for the gust that had swept through the clearing.

Benitsuneappeared in his hand, easily cutting through several kunai that had been thrown at him. Naruto came to a stop on the next tree branch, three genin bearing the mark of Amegakuresurrounding him. "Well, well, look what we came across. A little genin separated from his team." The other two Ame-nin chuckled at this, "So, tell you what, if you hand over your scroll… or you tell us where to find it, we may let you leave with your life." Naruto smirked, he needed something to help vent his frustration and these three genin just happened to be in the right place at the right time… or in the wrong place at the wrong time depending on your point of view.

Naruto reappeared behind the genin, a large gash appearing on the Ame-nin's chest before turning into water. He launched both fuuma shuriken at the other two genin, only to have them turn into water. Naruto smirked as dozens of clones made of water surrounded him; he liked it when he was outnumbered. Benitsune flashed, tearing into the water clones like they were nothing, only for two more clones to replace the ones that had been destroyed. Now Naruto was annoyed, he knew the Ame-genin were using the water clones to exhaust him… "Bloody cowards," he muttered under his breath. Normally he would have stayed around and played with them, but he did not have the time to do so.

He knew of only one technique that could help him deal with the Ame genin quickly. The technique involved pouring Benihime's power into Benitsune and then with a verbal command, unleash the stored power in a devastating blast. It was a technique that he had only mastered recently… he hadn't even had the time to test it out properly. So, now seemed like the best time to see the full power of the move. Reappearing behind all of the water clones Naruto called out, "Sing… sing for me, my Crimson Princess… nakeBenihime!" Naruto spun around, pure red energy blasting out of Benitsune's blade and tearing through anything and everything in its path. When the dust settled, the trees within a twenty yard range had all toppled, burying the Ame genin.

Naruto took a few quick moments to search the corpses, finding another scroll with the kanji for "Earth" on it and while it may not be the one they needed, he was going to hold onto it anyway. Naruto spread his wing, now that it was fully healed, and took flight, weaving around the trees as they were spread farther apart this deep into the forest. After few minutes of flying, he noticed that the temperature suddenly dropped which could only mean one thing… Hinata was fighting someone. The thought of what could happen to her, the thought of losing her to a stronger opponent flooded his mind making him angrier then he already was. His anger flowed through him, his silver hair lengthening a few inches as his speed increased.

"NAKE BENIHIME!" Naruto screamed out, the red wave like blast tearing through the remaining trees and severing the head of a giant snake which was about to make Hinata its lunch. Naruto hovered protectively in front of Hinata, Benitsune's tip pointing at a kunoichi wearing the mark of Kusagakure no Sato. Naruto turned his head slightly, he saw Sasuke off to the side clutching his neck in pain. He saw Hinata behind him, leaning against Yukihime and breathing heavily but otherwise unwounded. The Kusa-nin chuckled, opening her mouth so that a snake's head appeared, pulling out a double-edged straight sword from the snake's mouth. Naruto gave her no time to react as he appeared right in front of her, their blades clashing against each other.

Hinata watched silently, glad that Naruto was here and she could take a small rest. She didn't know how much longer she could have survived, not after Sasuke had been injured. What exactly the Kusa-nin did, Hinata wasn't sure, yet whatever it was caused Sasuke to be in extreme pain. She could see with her Byakugan the mark in the shape of three commas, she could also see the dark and foul chakra forcibly injected into Sasuke's own system. What it was doing, she didn't know and perhaps she didn't wantto know what it was doing to Sasuke. She knew that Naruto could hold his own against the Kusa-nin; this would allow her to check Sasuke and see if there was anything that she could do. As it was, she could only knock him out and hope that whatever it was, he could beat it.

Hinata wanted to help Naruto, she really did, yet she knew that jumping into the fight would only cause him to be distracted. Yet that was not the only reason why she wouldn't help fight. She knew how Naruto got when she was in danger, she knew that anger that built up inside of him and she knew that he needed to release that anger. Jumping in now would only cause him to worry about her safety, and he could be hurt because of it. And if he got hurt because of her, Hinata knew she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. So she waited, following as Naruto's blade clashed against that of the Kusa-nin's.

Naruto himself was getting rather agitated, as the Kusa-nin blocked every attack. He had tried using Benitsune's extreme sharpness to cut through the sword the Kusa-nin held, it didn't work. His frustration must have gotten to him, for his attacks were becoming more and more erratic and uncontrolled. The Kusa-nin's tongue shot out, elongating and stretching until it wrapped around Naruto's neck and bound his wrists behind his back in such a way that he couldn't escape. The tips of the Kusa-nin's fingers erupted in blue fire and jammed them into Naruto's stomach, the effects were immediate. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt Benihime's power forcibly suppressed, the lightning around Benitsune dying out and his entire body going limp. Naruto was tossed aside, yet he did not fall, his single wing flapping and keeping him hovering in the air. His entire body was surrounded by the green aura that was Sephiroth's power, his silver hair lengthening to his hip and his green cat-like eyes glaring.

He no longer saw a Kusa kunoichi whose eyes widened. He only saw an enemy that had taken someone important to him away and so had to die. With a loud shout of "SHI-NEH!" Naruto sped forward, intent on killing the Kusa-nin. His attacks became more precise, his strikes came quicker, yet his anger did not abate. All he knew was the emptiness that he felt within himself now that Benihime's phantom presence no longer filled him. It felt oddly colder then it usually did, as if a part of himself had died and there was nothing but empty space. He swore that this kunoichi would pay for what she had done, Naruto would kill her himself. And that's what he did; he severed the kunoichi's head from her shoulders, only for the entire body to dissolve into mud.

The battle over and his vengeance taken from him, Naruto screamed out into the sky. He screamed out his anger and he screamed out his frustrations until he felt someone wrap their arms around him. Within his grief he knew it was Hinata that was hugging him, yet that knowledge did nothing to truly sooth him. Knowing that she was there did nothing to relieve the fact that he could no longer feel Benihime within him. He could no longer feel the kitsune queen's power surging through him, even though he knew… he knew that she was still deep within him. He allowed Hinata to comfort him as best she could, he allowed his emotional defenses to crumble and he cried. He cried until exhaustion overtook him and he slipped into the peaceful world of slumber.

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Hinata was worried, and not just about her two teammates who were resting under a giant tree root. She had immediately known that they were being followed. Normally this wouldn't worry her, however, her teammates were unconscious and she had no idea when they would recover. Because of this she would be at a disadvantage, yet there was one thing that she could use. Yukihime had shown her new techniques as well as the new form for her katana that goes with those techniques. There were three techniques that went with the new form, though Hinata had only managed to master the first move. However, since Hinata has not mastered getting her sword into its next form in mid-battle she had to do it before hand. Yet that was the tricky part, she not only had to be in harmony with herself but with the ice dragon that was Yukihime as well. Once that was done, she could channel Yukihime's power right into the blade, causing it to change form and become much more powerful.

So Hinata kneeled in the opening, facing outwards, her eyes closed in meditation. Yukihimeresting in front of her, its pure white sheath glistening in the sun's rays… or what little made it through the tree tops. How long were the enemy genin planning to stay hidden? How long were they going to think they were hiding from her Byakugan? It didn't matter to her really, the longer they took to make a move, the more prepared she would be. Yet a deeper part of her worried that she wouldn't be able to defend her unconscious teammates. A deeper part of her worried that she would be overwhelmed in the three-on-one battle that would take place. Then she remembered the promise that she had made to herself, the promise that she would always be by Naruto-kun's side and protect him when she could. This promise gave her the strength she needed to quell the doubts within her, and as the doubts died, her spirits raised.

In harmony with her spirits she rose to her feet, pulling Yukihime from her sheath and uttering two words, "Mai, Yukihime!" The already long white ribbon lengthened until it was six feet in total length with a diamond shaped bell attached to the elongated hilt, the blade becoming as white as freshly fallen snow. Yukihime lashed out in whip form, Hinata vaguely noticed the chain that kept the segmented blade together also turned white, cutting through the bushes where she saw the Oto-genin hiding. The bush froze on contact with the blade, before shattering and leaving nothing there but a few pieces of ice behind. Yukihimereturned to katana form, Hinata holding the snow white blade in front of her ready to defend herself and her teammates.

She took in her attackers; a female with long black hair almost touching the ground, a male with short spiky brown hair and another male with bandages covering the entirety of his face save his left eye and ear. It didn't matter whether these Oto-genin were here for their scroll or if they were here to kill her and her teammates. Hinata would not allow them to harm either Sasuke or Naruto… though more importantly Naruto. She really didn't care for Sasuke, yet the Uchiha was needed in order to pass this exam, Naruto however… was much more important to her. She wouldn't allow anyone to harm the one she loved, certainly not when he was defenseless and needed her protection the most.

"Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!" The faint ringing of a bell was all the indication that Hinata had moved behind the three Oto-genin, entrapping them within a circle of ice. The ice quickly shot skywards, becoming more of a cylinder in appearance. Hinata turned intent on shattering the cylinder and thereby killing the three enemy genin, however, her diamond wing shot in front of her to block the chunks of ice as something else shattered it. The three Oto-genin stood there, slightly dazed but otherwise fine. Hinata did not allow the surprise to show on her face, instead blurring pass the Oto-genin to stand where she had originally been, ready to protect her Naruto-kun.

The genin with the bandages covering his face stepped forward, holding his right arm up which was covered in some kind of metal gauntlet, "If it were not for my Melody Arm then we would have died, as it is, sound shatters ice. Now hand over the Uchiha so we can kill him and complete our mission." Hinata didn't respond, even though she didn't like the Uchiha, Sasuke was still her teammate and she'd defend him as she would Naruto. "Very well, Zaku, kill her."

The one with spiky brown hair stepped forward, "No problems, Dosu, I'll finish her in one shot." Zaku held out his hands, palms facing Hinata exposing to small holes, "Zankuuha!" Twin blasts of highly pressurized air came flying at Hinata, who created another pillar of ice to protect herself and deflect the blast. When the pillar of ice shattered, Hinata was no where to be seen, until Dosu raised his Melody Arm to block a sword strike aimed at his neck. A sharp ringing threw Hinata's senses into a loop and she dropped to her knees, feeling as though her eardrums had ruptured. Dosu raised his arm ready to strike, until Yukihime extended and pierced through his chest, encasing the corpse in ice. As Yukihime returned to katana form the ice encased corpse fell to the ground, shattering on impact.

Hinata rose unsteadily to her feet, her vision blurry as her senses had yet to return to normal. She faced the Oto kunoichi, ready to fight when a scream turned both of their attention to where Zaku had been standing. Hinata nearly fell to the ground in relief, seeing Naruto standing there, dark green energy a vortex around him. Instead she gasped, apparently Zaku had screamed out because he was missing both of his arms at the elbows, Benitsune pinning him to the ground. What had happened to Naruto when he was unconscious to cause him to be so angry?

Naruto was in a foul mood and not because of these…. worthless genin trying to kill him and his team. No, he was enraged because he had seen her… he had seen Benihime deep within his mind. She had been slumbering, five giant chains keeping her beautiful form bound to the ground of his mindscape. In that moment he saw her, not as a demon and not as a teacher, but as a woman. He saw someone who should not have to be sealed away, and he swore. He swore that he would find a way to free her from her imprisonment. But first they had to get out of this forest and pass the second part of the Exams. Yet the sight that he had awoken to did nothing to ease his anger.

There was Hinata, surrounded and about to be attacked in the back, so he did the first thing that he thought of, he severed the arms of the Oto-genin that had been about to attack; stabbing Benitsune through the genin as he fell to the ground just to be on the safe side. Naruto walked up to Hinata, the dark green vortex of power dying away as he stood in front of her, staring into her lavender colored eyes. He didn't care that the remaining Oto kunoichi was impaled on the sword of a now awake Sasuke. He didn't care that Sasuke's skin was covered in flame like markings. And he didn't care that Sasuke found the scroll they needed to pass this test. All he cared about was Hinata and her safety.

The loss of Benihime awakened something else deep within him. What this was he wasn't sure, but he knew that it had to do with Hinata. He knew she was strong within her own right, he knew that she could take care of herself, yet he wished to protect her all the same. Was this what his adoptive father meant when he said that words need not be exchanged to know that someone loved you, or you loved them? Or was it simply the desire to not lose anyone else so close to his iced-over heart? He knew not which one but he would figure it out eventually. Turning he walked away, picking up Benitsune as he went and holding it in a reverse grip, "Come, we're leaving." With that he walked away, Hinata and Sasuke closely following him. None of them noticed a head of blonde hair watching as they headed for the tower in the center of the forest.

Nake: "Sing" Urahara uses this command to unleash a blast from Benihime. I used it here because since I named Kyuubi, Benihime, it only seemed to fit.

Shi-neh: means "Die Now!" Considering how angry Naruto was at that point it just fit.

Mai: "Dance" Rukia uses this command to release her katana into its next state. Now, before you ask why I didn't just give Hinata Sode no Shirayuki, the answer is simple... I hadn't planned on using anything from Bleach at the time. I will only use the katana from Bleach in the future for a few other characters, so nothing else from Bleach will appear.

Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro: "First Dance, White Moon" This is Rukia's first dance or move she uses with Sode no Shirayuki. The move involves a circle of ice around her target and then freezes everything within the circle from the ground up.

Now that that's out of the way, there's no real reason why I need to keep the person I was talking about at the start of the chapter, a secret... it's just more fun that way. And before I forget: to avoid confusion in the futurewhen ever the katana's name is in italics, like Yukihime or Genesis, I am talking about the sword itself; whenever it is typed out regularly, like Yukihime or Genesis, I am talking about the person. I had meant to say that a few chapters ago but it slipped my mind.

And yes, I killed off Zaku, Dosu and Kin. In all truth they really didn't have much of a role. And I killed Kin because... well, I wasn't going to give her to Naruto for the simple fact that I'm leaving it at Hinata, Fem Haku, Benihime (Fem Kyuubi), Yugito, and Yoruichi (Fem Nibi). THAT WILL BE ALL FOR NARUTO'S SAMLL HAREM!!!!!!!! I may decide to give the other girls to other characters but that will be later. With that outt of the way... there really isn't much to say. Except, how do you think Benihime is going to get free and who was that blonde I was talking about at the very end?

Please Review and I hope to see you next chapter!