AN: Whew! Another chapter done. First of all, I have to thank everyone for the reviews that you all gave me last chapter (chapter 9) once again. It was slightly humbling. I also have to say that I found this chapter hard to write. I kept trying to include Sasuke in with this chapter, but somehow it didn't seem right you know? And hey! I've broken the 60,000 word mark!

Anyway. Enjoy.

The Ladies Figure Things Out

Chapter 10

The sun had just started to rise when Hinata finally left the land of dreams to rejoin the land of the living. Opening her eyes, she immediately tensed. This was not her room. She sat bolt upright, her heart beating wildly, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out where she was. With a relieved sigh, she sank back into the bed. She knew this place, she could recognize the wallpaper. She was at Kurenai-san's house. But why? Why was she here and not at home. Hinata cast her mind back.

Flashback

Tears ran down from Hinata's pearly lavender eyes as she pressed her face into Naruto's dampening jacket. Sobbing, she poured out her heart to her crush, in her broken state leaving nothing out, telling him all that had been done to her. That they had done to her. Hinata had never before seen this side of Naruto-kun: instead of him growing angry and immediately charging off to bash some heads, he just stayed with her. He stayed with her, his hand stroking her back, soothing her bruised soul, as he listened to her words and calmed her broken spirit. He was just there for her, a shoulder to cry on as she went through her emotional breakdown.

Naruto spoke little to not at all and only spoke when she had a halt in her crying. Then he had asked her for all the names of the people who had done this to her. At this point, Hinata had just frozen up. She couldn't tell him! What would they do to her if they found out that she had told on them? But, in Naruto-kun's arms, the possibilities of anything bad happening to her had just seemed to fade away. In his grasp, with his arms wrapped comfortingly around her, she felt… safe. And so she had told him. Name after name had dropped from her lips, as well as what each of them had done to her. She started crying again after the third name, but Naruto was there, his hand stroking her hair, helping her to gain a release from all the pain and sorrow that she had bottled up in her heart, a release that was so desperately needed. Finally, about two hours later, her tears long since dried out, she had stopped sobbing. She just lay there for a small while, feeling suddenly acutely embarrassed that Naruto had been holding her like this for so long, that she had let him see what was buried within her. She looked up into his face, her eyes starting to droop as sleep started to claim her. "Don't worry Hinata-chan. I'll take care of things. I'll fix this. That's a promise." Hinata noticed the tenderness in his eyes, but also something else, a fire, hidden deep in its depths. A fire of determination, and a barely suppressed rage.

Flashback end.

Hinata swallowed. She did hope that Naruto was not going to do anything foolish. Although, odds are that that was exactly what he was planning on doing. Throwing off her covers, Hinata hopped lightly off the bed, only to give a small shriek as she stepped on a brush that had been left there on the floor, bristles up. Kurenai entered the room immediately, to find her student hopping on one foot, swearing soundlessly if her expression was anything to go by. Anko walked in right behind Kurenai and snickered a little bit at Hinata's expression. She had been the one to 'accidentally' leave the brush where Hinata was likely to step on it when she got out of bed. At least she didn't use the brush with sharp bristles. Or the one with poison on its tips…

"Hinata! You're awake," Kurenai said, stating the obvious. "How are you feeling?"

Hinata just paused for a moment, trying to sort out her feelings for herself. They were all just so very muddled at the moment. "Better," she said quietly. "Not exactly good, but better than I was yesterday." Physically, at least, that was true. There was not a single cut, bruise or mar on her pale skin, which made Kurenai wonder just what the heck was in that cream that Naruto gave her. But mentally, she was still convinced that the elders and her… father, would make sure that she could no longer be with Naruto-kun. And that hurt her more than anything else. But, at least she had told him why. He would not feel as hurt as he would have if she had just suddenly started avoiding him. Not that they could really do anything else. At first, Hinata had just thought that she would ignore what they had told her, come hell or high water. But they were threatening to put the caged bird seal on Naruto as well. This, she could not allow. Which meant, that she would have to stay away from Naruto. But first.

"Ano, h-how did I g-get here?" she asked.

"Blondie carried you over. He seemed pissed as holy fuck at what happened to you."

Hinata blushed at Anko's language.

Anko grinned evilly. "I think he likes you."

"Eep!" Hinata went a brick red in color, which caused Anko to roar with laughter. She stopped as she saw the faint prickling of tears in Hinata's eyes.

"What's the matter girl? You shouldn't get so upset over a boy liking you. It happens. Although," she said musingly, her eyes raking slowly over Hinata. "It would probably happen a lot more often if you wore some different clothes… OW!" The last word was from Kurenai punching her in the head.

"That's not it!" Hinata almost shouted, her stutter gone in her moment of distress. "I know Naruto likes me. As a friend, no more, no less. But that's what makes it so hard! I can't be friends with Naruto-kun, it is unfitting for a Hyuuga to be friends with the village pariah!"

Anko tensed at these words. They were too close to words that she herself had heard, many, many times.

"I never took you for being one of those stuck up Hyuuga pricks girl," Anko said, her voice cold as a grave. "Guess I was wrong." Deliberately, she turned her back on Hinata and caught the full force of Kurenai's arm behind her open handed slap. Anko took a surprised step back, astonishment in her stance, as she looked at Kurenai, who simply radiated fury.

"Look at her Anko. Look at her," so saying, Kurenai took Anko by the shoulders and forcibly spun her around. Hinata had fallen to the ground, tears once more starting to stream silently down her face. She started speaking in an incredibly calm, soft voice and yet the two older women had no problem hearing her.

"It's not that. It's not that at all. Naruto-kun is the first real friend that I have ever had. I care for him, probably more than I care for anyone else. But the elders don't like him. My father doesn't like him either. If I carry on being friends with him, they'll hurt him. I don't mind if they hurt me. Not really, they've done it often enough. But if I carry on being his friend, they'll put one of those cursed torture seals on him. I can't cause him that kind of pain. I'm not worth it."

Kurenai walked over to her and rubbed her back soothingly. Anko stayed where she was for a while though, rubbing a very specific point above her right collarbone. Her own curse. She understood this girl's problem well. But she also knew what the boy's situation was. That was something that she also understood, far too well. In a few short steps, Anko was kneeling down by Hinata's side. Placing one hand on the girl's chin and the other on her upper arm, Anko lifted up her face so that their eyes met. "That's not going to happen," Anko said calmly. Hinata hung her head, wordlessly denying Anko's reassurances.

Anko just shook her slightly. "Listen to me girl. Your family cannot do that to Naruto. First of all, he's a friend of the Hokage, hell the old man looks at him like a grandson and he'd have a fit. The old man may not be as deadly as he used to be, but let me tell you this. There is no one in your entire clan who would even stand a chance against him. And besides that, your clan would not dare put that seal on Naruto, for… special reasons." Kurenai nodded backing up Anko's claim, which was nothing but the truth. The rest of the clans in Konoha would take a very dim view on the Hyuuga clan gaining complete control over the Kyuubi jinchuriki. It might even cause civil war to start in the village. They wouldn't care nearly as much if it were a normal kid.

"So. Don't worry about the seal or anything. It's not going to happen."

Hinata sniffed and dried her eyes. "But they'll still hurt him if I stay with him," she sighed. "Maybe it would be better if I just stayed away." She nodded slowly. That may be for the best, she thought. I will not let them hurt Naruto-kun because of my weakness!

Anko nodded slowly. She understood. She did not approve, but she understood. But she also knew that that was probably the worst decision that could be made at this point. But how to make Hinata see that? Anko grimaced slightly. She did not do the kind and caring crap. She really did not know how to deal with this situation. But she could try. "You know," Anko said slowly, thinking furiously about what she was going to say. "You may be right. Maybe he won't get hurt. Physically at least." Hinata looked up at Anko, confused. "Tell me girl, how do you think it would feel having to go through your life having no-one?" Anko asked quietly. "Looking around you everyday to see every other person, every other being with a companion, a friend, a family? Loneliness. Complete and utter loneliness. It is a torture so sharp, so excruciating, that only those others who have felt its poisonous bite can ever truly have a semblance of understanding at how painful it really is. It's like constantly being shut up in a dark place, with no light, not even a chink. Only the strongest of people can survive that darkness with their sanity intact." Here, Anko tilted her head and gave a slightly crazy grin. "Me? I was strong, but not that strong. But the best thing in the world for a person in that situation is when they find a light, a light in the form of a person, a person who accepts them for who they are. A friend. Sometimes it means that they'll hold on tightly to that person, because they never again want to go that dark place. What do you think will happen to Naruto if you decide to abandon him? You may stop the physical pain that your family may dish out to him. But in reality, the pain that you will be causing him will be far, far worse."

Anko looked self-consciously at the two other females who were just staring at her. She shifted nervously; slightly uncomfortable that she had revealed so much of herself during her little monologue. Snorting, she moved off to Kurenai's 'fridge. "Well, that's just my opinion you know." She began to rummage around inside. "But you're a big girl – ah!" She pulled out a beer, a triumphant grin on her face. "You'll make the right decision yourself." Ignoring Kurenai's protests that it was too early for that sort of thing, Anko twisted off the bottle cap and chugged half the bottle in one go. After letting loose like that, she needed a drink.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, just a couple of pieces of toast with jam. Hinata stayed silent for the entire time, obviously thinking on Anko's words. Kurenai attempted to make some small talk, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Anko just sat and brooded, another beer in her hand. Soon enough, it was time to leave. Kurenai took Hinata to the door and quirked an eyebrow at Anko, asking silently whether or not she wanted to come along. Anko just shook her head. She wasn't welcome in the Hyuuga compound. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't make sure that she could see the results of her bet with Blondie. As Hinata walked out of the door, she stopped, looking back. "Kurenai-san, please excuse me, I have something I n-need to do." Kurenai glanced curiously at her daughter figure; who walked back into the house and in a few short steps was standing in front of Anko. Anko stared challengingly at Hinata, before blinking in shock when the heiress bowed down to her. "Thank you Anko-san. I cannot tell you how much your words helped me," she said softly, with nary a stutter to cheapen her thanks. Turning around, she walked back towards the softly smiling Kurenai and the both of them left for the Hyuuga compound.

Hinata was once again quiet during the walk back to her… house. It was not a home. A home was a place where you were cared for, where you were loved. A home is a place where you can be yourself, where you can be who you are. The Hyuuga clan compound was not a home. It was just somewhere that she lived. But, maybe one day, it could become a home. Hinata remembered how Naruto had said that he would fix everything. That he would "take care of this." Remembering his words now had her slightly worried. Naruto-kun had a habit of rushing in before thinking. But that was one of the reasons why she liked him. She had already decided that no matter what, she would stay with Naruto. Anko had helped her see that that was the best choice. Besides, she didn't want to go back to that dark place herself.

The two females began to draw close to the Hyuuga gates. Looking ahead, Hinata could see the familiar white robes belonging to the two Hyuuga guards at the gate of the compound. At this distance, it was just possible to see that one of them had moved inside, probably to pass on a message. Hinata felt a small flutter of fear deep in her belly before she quelled it ruthlessly. She would not let them change her decision. Despite her feelings though, she slowly took a deep breath, beginning to mentally prepare herself for the ordeal that was sure to be ahead of her. The fact that the guards had been watching for her with the byakugan was not a good sign. "Don't worry Hinata. I'm right here next to you. Stay strong." Hinata nodded. She would stay strong.

The second guard came back just before the two of the fairer sex reached the gates. Kurenai was wary, very wary. The closer she got to the compound, the worse the feeling of unease got. That feeling rolled off of the Hyuuga home in waves. As she got near enough to take a closer look at the guards, she slowed down, one hand on Hinata's shoulder pulling her away from them. The guards were tense, unbelievably so. They were Hyuuga and they were showing emotion.

Suspiciously, Kurenai reached out with her senses and her eyes widened as she felt the ever so subtle feeling of a small, well placed genjutsu. Immediately, she pulled out a kunai. "Get behind me Hinata," she said calmly, her voice soft, icy. Startled, Hinata nevertheless obeyed without question. "Who are you?" Kurenai demanded. The two guards looked questioningly at Kurenai.

"We are this mornings guards." One of them drawled, as if he were talking to someone much younger and stupider than he. Scowling, Kurenai slapped her hands together. Both of the guards' eyes widened. "No! Don-"

"KAI!" Kurenai dispelled the genjutsu. She was most surprised when the same two guards as before standing in front of them. Peering closely at them, she immediately noticed that each of them had a red mark running across their throats. Kurenai's eyes widened as she noticed the placement of that mark. If a blade had done it then it would have cut through both of the jugular veins and severed the windpipe, leading to a quick, soundless death. In short, it resembled a perfect assassination strike.

One of the guards hissed quietly. 'It figures,' he thought. 'Of course the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha would be able to tell whether or not we were using a genjutsu to hide the mark of our shame.' The other guard simply glared at Kurenai. "I assure you, Yuuhi-san. We are all who we appear to be. And we would appreciate it if this would be the last time that you dispel this particular henge." Kurenai nodded slowly. The guards redid their henge and one of them led Hinata and Kurenai into the compound.

Hinata almost gave a squeak when she saw that what appeared to be the entire clan was standing in the clearing in front of the house. Her mind was in a whirlwind of activity as she tried to remember the few things that required the entire clan as witnesses. The only one that she could think of at this point was banishment… Hinata's father was the first of the crowd of people before her, directly in front of the Hyuuga elders.

"Hinata," Hiashi said. Hinata's first impulse was to flinch. But she ruthlessly crushed this instinct and faced both her father and the rest of the Hyuuga clan with her head held high. She had promised herself that she would stay strong. She would true to that promise.

"Yes father?" she asked, her voice sounding a little bit forced, but firm and questioning.

"For a long time now, the elders and I have said that you were not worthy to be the heir of the Hyuuga clan, that you were not worthy of being a Hyuuga." Kurenai slowly started to tense, not liking where this was going. Her sensing skills were screaming at her that this was a trap. Each and every single person in the area, apart from herself and Hinata, was under a henge. It was not a position that any ninja would find welcome. But, as she strained her genjutsu sensing to the highest of her ability, she realized that they all had most of their chakra centered around their necks. Despite this, she slowly forced her muscles to relax, preparing them for explosive movement. She didn't really know what was going on, but whatever it was, she would not be unprepared for it. She was prepared for anything.

Hiashi continued to speak. "In our efforts to mold you into our image of what we thought the Hyuuga heiress should be, we berated you, pulled you down and constantly insulted you. All of us." The rest of the Hyuuga's nodded in agreement, their faces expressionless.

"When you still retained your kindness and your shy nature, extra training sessions were introduced in the hopes that you would become more confident. But you proceeded to become shyer, and you never lost your kind nature. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, you were an outcast amongst your own clan. Unaccepted and abused. Because of this," Hiashi's voice rose in a crescendo. Hinata maintained her silence, neither flinching, nor making any sign that her father's words affected her.

"Because of this," Hiashi continued, his voice quiet, "we ask for your forgiveness." Hinata and Kurenai blinked, surprised at Hiashi's words. Hinata gasped as her father got on his knees in front of her. Behind him, the rest of the Hyuuga clan got onto their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground. "We were the ones who were in the wrong and have committed many injustices upon your person. Yesterday was the first time that you have ever acted as the Hyuuga heiress that we wished to have, when you defied both the elders and myself. You showed the type of strength that is rare in this world. You may have been capable of this strength throughout your life, if we had not stunted your growth. We have failed as a clan in helping you grow. And I," at this point, it was possible to see the shame in Hiashi's eyes. "I have failed as a father." Hiashi Hyuuga, clan head of the Hyuuga clan, the strongest clan in Konoha, the mightiest of Hidden Villages, placed his forehead on the ground bowing down to his daughter, wishing that his hair were longer, if only to hide the beginnings of the tears that were welling up in his eyes. He heard a small thud in background, reminiscent of someone hitting the ground in a dead faint. Not lifting his head from the ground, Hiashi activated his byakugan and saw Hinata staring at the bowed heads of the entire Hyuuga clan in shock, ignoring the unconscious form of her mentor on the ground beside her.

Naruto was walking down one of the main roads of Konoha, ignoring the customary dirty looks that he received on the way. He was feeling exceptionally pleased with himself. He had been able to leave a couple of henged clones in the Hyuuga compound so he had a perfect view of the entire thing. Although it had been a little bit awkward when Hinata had gotten over the shock of the entire thing and had started to – Naruto's thoughts were abruptly cut off as a rope suddenly wrapped around his neck.

"Shit!"

Kurenai left the Hyuuga compound in a complete daze. Never, never in a thousand years had she ever expected something like that to happen. It was unthinkable! Unexplainable! It was… damn it all to hell, it was just so completely confusing! What on earth could have made it so that the entire Hyuuga clan would get on bended knee and offer their apologies to anyone, least of all Hinata? Kurenai frowned. The only things that would make the clan act in concert like that was if it would increase the clan's status, or if both the elders and Hiashi had ordered it done. But even then, Kurenai doubted that a regular order from the elders and clan heads would succeed in making the Hyuuga's debase themselves.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she let out a gasp. There was possibly one more thing that would force the entire clan to act in concert in such a thing. Fear. But that was impossible, for that option to be accomplished one would have to have threatened the entire population of the Hyuuga clan. But then again… Kurenai's mind trailed back to the two long red marks that seemed to be almost painted across the two Hyuuga guards' throats, in the perfect position for a soundless kill. She remembered feeling the genjutsu on each and every Hyuuga in the compound, all of them hiding something in the exact same place. Kurenai swallowed, seeing it now. It had been a warning. Someone, or something had shown the Hyuuga clan that if he or she had so wished it, he could have killed each and every single one of them. But who would be able to do that?

Infiltrating the Hyuuga compound was supposed to be impossible! Especially with their all-seeing eyes guarding the compound! Kurenai shook her head. Obviously, it wasn't impossible and thinking about who had the skill to do something like that would get her nowhere. Kurenai didn't know of any assassin who would do something like that just to help out Hinata. And it was obvious that this had been done for Hinata. And the only ones who really knew what had happened to her the girl had been her, Anko and Naruto. Anko had been at her house all night, so that ruled her out. Unless she herself had some very interesting sleeping habits, then Kurenai knew that she had nothing to do with it. All that that left was Naruto, the dead last of the academy. There was no way that he could pull of something like this. Not only was it way beyond his skill level, but it also seemed to be far too… subtle, for him to pull off. Even so, a niggling doubt remained in Kurenai's mind that refused to quiet itself.

By now, she had reached her home. Opening the front door, she immediately moved to the flowers on he windowsill. Watering them always helped her think. With a sigh, she began going over what she knew of Naruto. He was an obnoxious, hyperactive child with way too much energy and far too much enthusiasm. He always wore a bright orange jumpsuit, seemingly so that people would notice him straight away. Lately, he had become a good friend of Hinata's and was helping bring her out of her shell. He was also completely oblivious and more than a little bit cheeky. All in all, most of the time he seemed like an ordinary kid. Kurenai bit her lip. No, he was no ordinary kid. Not by a long shot. Quickly, Kurenai picked up on all the small things. The small things which she had missed. The first time she saw him carrying Hinata, he had been wearing a black ensemble with a hood that masked his features perfectly: just the thing for an assassination. Then there was fact that he knew far more about her than he had a right to. And his words… He hid it well, but every now and then he said something that showed that he was not what he made himself out to be.

"Thing that they don't realize is, that while they might not be looking at me, I'm always looking at them." A small, sad smile as he gestured for Kurenai to take the unconscious Hinata from him. "I don't want her to get into trouble and the Hyuuga clan won't like it if they see her in the arms of the "Demon Brat."

And then, there had been last night. Kami above, how could she have forgotten about last night? Naruto had come through the door, shown a knowledge of Anko more complete than what they had for her in the bingo books! (Anko was included in the bingo books after castrating a daimyo's son with a spoon. Her only words on the subject were: "He had it coming.") And his knowledge was so extensive that it also included A class secrets! Not only that, but after matching her Killing intent without effort, not to mention insulting her, Naruto then proceeded to befriend the Snake Mistress! Her eyes widened and she dropped the watering can that she had held in her hands, not even noticing the pained shout as it dropped to the ground, with a small interruption in its way down.

Flashback

Silence remained in the air as Naruto finished his story about what had happened to Hinata. "I'll kill them," Kurenai said furiously through gritted teeth. Naruto shook his head.

"Thought about that already. Hinata would never forgive you. Or me," he finished darkly.

Flashback end

At the time, Kurenai had thought the words so incongruous that she had not even spared them a second thought, sure that what he had said had been an idle jest. But, looking on it, the blond kid had been completely serious. He really did want to kill them. But Hinata would not have forgiven him and so, he had done the next best thing, or got someone else to do it for him. "Either way," Kurenai murmured to herself. "Naruto Uzumaki is a lot more dangerous than we first thought him to be."

Said dangerous individual cursed fluently as he was hauled off of his feet with a jerk by the rope, which sharply pulled him deep into an alley. His unseen foe acted quickly as soon as Naruto was within range, yanking him to his feet before grabbing him close to her with an arm around his neck. Naruto acted on instinct.

Immediately sending chakra to his limbs to strengthen them, he arched his hips and threw himself forward, breaking out of the hold. Falling to his hands as he did so he used them as the support necessary to bring his legs round as he lashed out in a kick behind him. His opponent, however, jumped back, pulling on the rope around Naruto's neck, which sent him crashing to the ground. Scrabbling in the dirt, gagging for breath, Naruto performed two hand signs and slammed his palm on a rock in front. Channeling his wind chakra to the newly henged rock, Naruto swung the kunai at the rope, which parted easily to wind enhanced blade, before he threw said kunai at his attacker.

His masked enemy disdained dodging and simply snagged the knife out of the air. Naruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, impressed by her skill. It was a rather risky business catching an augmented kunai. Especially if said augmentation was wind chakra. And yes. It was definitely a her, wearing a skintight black body suit underneath a large baggy sleeved coat, which showed tantalizing glimpses of a well-curved figure and a pair of pert… 'No! NO! NO! Not a pervert, not a pervert. DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN!" Nevertheless, he blushed slightly at the remembered feeling of softness as she had held him close to advantage of Naruto's agitation, his opponent settled into a fighter's stance, before charging forward. "Um, kid? Really not the time to be thinking about these things right now." Naruto silently agreed with Shinigami as he moved his head to the side, missing the swing the kunai by a hairsbreadth. Once again, he ducked, trying to avoid the blade held in his enemy's hand. Naruto cursed the academy rules of not owning any real weapons until graduating. 'Next time, screw the rules,' he thought. 'I'm not leaving the house unarmed.'

"Kid! The rope!"

Naruto mentally thanked Shinigami and kicked the ground in front of him, sending up a cloud of dust with wind chakra that, for the moment, shielded him from view. He thought that it was more than enough time to bend down and grab the rope off the ground. The boot to his chin told him otherwise. Naruto used the momentum given by the kick to pull into a backflip, gaining some distance from his adversary. Immediately, he charged, weaving to the side to avoid another swing from the kunai, which was handled as if the person knew a lot about how to use it.

"It's got no elemental compositioning."

'Got it!'

Using his inferior height to ruthless effect, Naruto got under the masked nin's arm and drove his fist into her solar plexus, frowning as she was able to arch her back in order to prevent herself from taking all of the damage. It wouldn't have decided the fight, he had been too close to her to be able to put his full body weight behind the punch, but the chakra he had pumped into his limb should have been enough to at least slow her down… He hoped.

Naruto grunted as he received the force of an elbow hammering down on the muscle above his right collarbone. He needed to focus. A fight never slowed down, it was always flowing, moving and you had to be completely aware of your surroundings. He hadn't been focusing above him and so his enemy had brought her elbow down in a pumping motion, aiming to deaden his arm. She had miscalculated. It wasn't completely on target, but it was still able to send Naruto staggering back a pace, which was enough for the kunai to once again be brought into play.

Acting on instinct, Naruto reached out – and caught it by the blade. Quickly the blade was pulled back, which would have sent a deep gash into the palm of Naruto's hand. Or it would have, if it had moved. Or, perhaps if Naruto had not wrapped the rope that had been used to choke him several times around his hand. Naruto heard a gasp as he brought his other forearm into the crook of her elbow, forcing her arm up and allowing Naruto to disarm her. Not to be outdone, his opponent, showing remarkable flexibility, bent backwards and kicked Naruto's hand, sending the kunai spinning up into the air. Using the same leg, another kick sent Naruto stumbling back a pace and she caught the kunai by its handle once more.

The next thirty seconds was spent in a whirlwind of taijutsu, Naruto forced to use the frog kumite in order to keep up. His opponent fought with a highly flexible, sinuous taijutsu that seemed almost tailor made to fight against the frog kumite. It was only by throwing in a couple of brawling moves, using his unpredictability to its fullest extent and his own pure headed stubbornness that allowed Naruto to keep up. The rope, although well made, was starting to get a little frayed from being used to constantly block the slashes that were sent his way. The healing factor might have also helped in the fight... just a little bit. 'I'm going to need a new jacket after this,' Naruto pouted.

But his opponent wasn't completely unscathed either. Naruto had still managed to get a few heavy blows in. Even, she wasn't even starting to slow down and he was still fresh. This could go on for a very long while. But her body language at this point wasn't pointing towards desperation, anger, or any negative emotion. In fact, according to Shinigami, her body language indicated… satisfaction? 'Can I use a jutsu now?' Naruto asked irritably.

"I said no. The only ones you know right now are to recognizable. Either that, or they'll kill your opponent outright. You don't want that. Especially if this is who I think it is. Besides, she's got a nice rack."

Naruto started. 'I'm telling Arlia you said that when she gets back."

"SHIT!"

"AND IF HE DOESN'T, I WILL TELL HER."

"DOUBLE SHIT!"

"Tell me what?" Arlia said.

"And of course, triple shit," Shinigami whimpered. Kyuubi laughed as he let go of the illusion. Naruto tuned them out before anything else happened.

"BAKA-KITSUNE!" Or at least, he tried to.

Once again, Naruto snorted. But he was not going to let this distraction cost him. Instead, Naruto was searching for an opening. He had an idea, an idea that just might work. If only he could – there! Bringing his hand round in a sharp movement, he whipped the rope bound to ho his hand around, the frayed end connecting solidly with his enemy's eyes. As she blinked in shock, her hand automatically going to her face, Naruto struck, grabbing the kunai with his rope bound hand, he succeeded in twisting it out of her grasp. Twirling it around so that it was blade first, Naruto drove it forward, flinching slightly as he felt it connect with… nothing.

Too smart to stay still while in a vulnerable position, his opponent leapt back, performing a small series of hand signs as she did so before thrusting her arms forward. Snakes erupted from her baggy sleeves and completely entangled Naruto, tying him tightly. Naruto struggled for a couple of seconds, before smirking and changing into a log with a puff of smoke. Cursing, the snake summoner turned around, expecting Naruto to come from behind. And so, she did not see the soundless smoke as Naruto undid his henge. Nor did she hear the jump that Naruto did to deliver himself right behind her, where a chakra-powered chop to the neck knocked her unconscious.

When Anko came to, she had been unmasked, unarmed and tied up both securely and efficiently. The room she was in was quite spartan, with light blue walls and a single chair, which was currently occupied. She raised an eyebrow at her captor, who was sitting in front of her munching on a bowl of ramen. (AN: When I say efficiently tied, I mean that she was covered in rope pretty much from head to toe. The only way that she would be able to move was by crawling away like a worm.) Reaching into herself, she tried to access her chakra, only to find that it was for some reason inaccessible.

She watched her captor for a moment, her gaze curious. He seemed to be talking to himself, or rather, as if he was having a conversation with several others, others that she was unable to hear. "Alright boys. So now what do I do with her?" Naruto turned a bright red worthy of Hinata. "ERO-BAKA! I'm not going to do that!" He suddenly grimaced "No kidding fuzz-butt, I already knew that this was going to make things more difficult." He frowned. "No, we can't kill the crazy snake lady." At this, Anko made herself known by clearing her throat a little. Naruto jumped as he turned and saw that the purple haired woman was awake. Mentally berating the fact that he hadn't noticed that she had woken up, as well as the fact that he had been talking out loud instead of in his head.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, kid. You haven't really been getting a lot of sleep lately now have you? Naruto sighed, before looking questioningly at Anko.

"What? Do the voices in my head bother you?"

Anko blinked, then slowly shook her head. "Isn't all of this just a little bit excessive?" she asked with a wry look to her face, shrugging her shoulders to gesture at all of the different measures that were being used to contain her. Naruto just shook his head.

"Not at all," Naruto said. "Let's just call it a compliment to my respect for your ability. That and I just happened to have the chakra seals on me at the time." He shrugged. "I don't really believe in the concept of overkill."

Anko snorted. "It wouldn't have anything to do with that stunt you pulled with the Hyuuga clan would it?"

Naruto smiled disarmingly. "Tell me Anko-san, what could I, the dead last academy student, possibly do to the mighty Hyuuga clan?"

Anko laughed openly at him. "Dead last? You? You forget that I just fought with you kid.

"Seriously. Just look up my academy records. It states there quite clearly that I am a, and I quote: "hopeless student with no potential at all to be a ninja who will most likely get killed on his first C-rank mission."

Anko just looked at him. "Bullshit. Like I just said, I just fought with you."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are," Naruto suggested musingly.

Anko flushed. "Oi! Watch it kid! Or I'll-"

"Or you'll what, Anko-san? In case you haven't noticed, you don't exactly hold very many advantages right now," Naruto deadpanned.

Blinking, Anko looked down on herself, the kid had a point. At the moment, well, her hands were tied.

"Ah, touché. But you're going to have to let me go sooner or later, and when you do… Well, that'll be interesting now won't it?"

"What do you mean," Naruto asked warily.

"For instance," Anko said, a lazy smile starting to stretch across her face. "There's nothing stopping me from informing your academy teachers, or the Hokage about your true potential. Not to mention that I'm sure the Hyuuga clan will be very interested to know what, or who, happened last night."

Naruto's mind was racing. He knew that none of Anko's accusations would really stick with the Hyuuga clan, or with his academy teachers. But he wasn't too sure about what would happen if Anko informed old man Sarutobi. Naruto had been avoiding him ever since he came back. It was strange, most would have thought that Sarutobi would have been the first one that Naruto would have visited, but this was not the case. The old man had died a long time ago and although it took a while, Naruto had eventually made peace with that. But the Third Hokage had been like a grandfather to him, one of Naruto's most precious people. When he died, it was as if a piece of Naruto had died as well. But now, now that his 'grandfather' was alive again, Naruto was… scared. Scared to see him again, scared to know him again.

Then there was also the fact that the Third had known him for longer than anyone else, aside from maybe Teuchi and Ayame. He had also known him better than anyone else. Naruto was sure that he would be able to tell that he had changed, in the 'short' time that they hadn't been seeing each other. So, while Anko's plan wouldn't affect him in the short term, it would result in him being closely watched. And with all the things that he got up to, not to mention the places he went and the training he did, being watched would lead to a number of… awkward, questions.

"HEY KIT, JUST REPEAT AFTER ME, I'VE GOT THIS ONE COVERED."

Grasping at straws, Naruto unthinkingly repeated exactly what the fox said. Not the smartest idea he'd ever had.

"That may be true, Anko-san, but as you've said I've still got to let you go. But I don't really want you to find out where I hid you, so I'll probably have to knock you out before hand. Where you wake up all depends on you. For instance, you could wake up in your bed." Anko frowned at that. Opening her mouth to ask a question, she was interrupted before she could speak. "17 Hashirama road, apartment 203," Naruto continued, without even pausing to breath. Anko's mouth snapped shut with an audible click. That was her address. "Or," Naruto said, with no emotion at all in his voice. "You could wake up in an S & M outfit, tied up in the men's onsen." Naruto almost choked as he realized what he said.

'ERO-KITSUNE!' he roared in his mind as both the demon fox and the death god rolled around on the floor, laughing their asses off. But none of them were at all prepared for what happened next. A slow smile spread across Anko's face.

"Wow," she said musingly. "Kinky, you're a little bit young to already be into that sot of stuff, but..." at this point, her grin grew feral. "Do your worst."

Naruto sweatdropped. That… was unexpected. Although, this was the crazy snake lady… Who now thought he was a pervert... Whose interest he had just succeeded in gaining. Who was looking at him as if she wasn't sure whether filleting or some other mentally scarring, trauma-causing way would be the best way of dealing with him… 'Oh Kami-sama. Help.'

Shinigami shrugged, before giving him a suggestion that had Naruto looking at him with something approaching worship.

Kyuubi just nodded. "THAT'D DO IT."

Marveling at his top of the range acting skills, Naruto looked appraisingly at Anko apparently thinking about it. "Alright," he said, which earned a shocked look from Anko before she quickly managed to school her features. "But that means that we're going to have to wait for about an hour." Anko blinked. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked, that feral grin growing wider on her face. Naruto shrugged, before a grin that matched, then exceeded her own in its savageness appeared on his face.

"Because, if I remember right, that's the time that an old man who recently came back to Konoha usually goes to the onsen."

Anko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And pray tell me, who is this man?"

Naruto put his hand to his chin and a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know, I didn't really catch his name. But he's almost twice as tall as me, was wearing this weird outfit too. Oh yeah, now I remember, he had long spiky hair."

Anko started to sweat a little bit. It couldn't be… could it?

She cleared her throat nervously. "What color was this man's hair," she asked, trying desperately to keep her grin on her face.

"White."

Anko felt her smile slide off her face like so much mud. Naruto's next words sent all the blood rushing away from her face, leaving it as pale as her old mentor.

"He called himself the Toad Sage."

Naruto watched Anko with a slightly awed air to him, as the strong woman was reduced to a quivering mess. Even he would admit that this was fighting dirty in the extreme, but he would never have expected Anko to react this badly to the thinly veiled threat. How was he to know that Jiraiya had sworn revenge on Anko ever since she had stolen his telescope? A revenge which he had yet to collect on. Therefore, this reaction merely enforced his opinion that Ero-sennin really was a Super Pervert of the highest order.

"Y-You wouldn't dare." Her face only held one expression now. Fear. Well, two. A little pinch of disgust was added to the mixture. The blonde's grin just got wider.

"Try me."

Anko seemed to deflate a little bit. "Alright, alright, I won't tell anyone about anything. Are you happy?"

Naruto grinned. "Very."

With a put on sigh, Anko shifted uncomfortably. "So, can you get me out of this now?"

Naruto frowned. "Excuse me a second, I'll need to think about it." As he finished talking, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. The room opened up to a familiar corridor, which meant that there was plenty of room for Naruto to do as planned. Sitting down, Naruto got into the lotus position and took a couple of deep breaths. Slowly, the real world faded and was blown away like mist as Naruto entered his mindscape.

When he came to, it was to see Shinigami and Kyuubi both sitting on the couch playing on something that the Death God called an 'X-box.' Naruto paled dramatically as he saw the fox seemingly free. "What the fuck is he doing out here?" Naruto screamed, slightly incoherent. Shinigami just waved over his shoulder at him.

"Relax kid. Kyuubi is still caged, I just needed another person to play co-op with."

Frowning, Naruto took a closer look at the fox. He quickly realized that the fox was not the one that had been the usual occurrence in his nightmares, which started three years ago. Or was it… eh, forget it. The dynamics of time travel were simply too confusing to think about for long periods of time. It gave you a headache that you would not believe possible. Instead, Kyuubi looked more like an anthro' a mix between both human and fox, with a lot more human detail on the hands, which enabled his erstwhile claws to handle the small buttons on his controller. Kyuubi was in the process of ignoring him. ("DIE COVENANT SCUM!") Naruto sweat dropped. "So… what do you think I should do with Anko?"

Shinigami paused the game, to Kyuubi's whine of disappointment and turned to Naruto. "Well, as long as you have her tied up, I think you should (Censored) (Censored) her (Censored) and (Censored) before you (CENSORED)."

Naruto gagged a little bit, while trying to stop all of the blood from going to his head…s. "Come on dude! I'm only eleven years old! I'm too young for that kind of stuff!"

"Well, technically speaking… you're actually almost seventeen years old… And you've never actually purposefully kissed a girl yet…"

"OW, LOW BLOW," Kyuubi muttered, a small grin crossing his face.

A tick mark grew on Naruto's forehead. Two could play at that game.

"Hello Arlia, don't hurt him too bad."

Shinigami gave a yelp like a little girl, before looking wildly behind him, to see no one there. He glared at Naruto, his face dramatically pale.

"Don't do that!" Shinigami yelled at the boy and immortal Demon Lord, both of whom were killing themselves laughing.

"KAMIS ABOVE! YOU ARE SO WHIPPED!" Kyuubi chuckled.

"Alright," Naruto said, wiping a tear from his eye. "In all seriousness now, what do I do with the snake lady?"

Shinigami sighed. "Look, at this point of time, she will become one of two things: ally or enemy. We can't afford to have her as an enemy, so you're going to have to make her an ally. That might mean showing her a couple of things that you may have preferred to keep hidden."

Naruto sighed. "Alright, I get what you mean. See you boys soon." With that, he left his mindscape and returned to the real world.

It was a couple of minutes before Naruto returned to Anko, a peace offering held in his hands. Anko immediately started to have the same reaction as he normally did when confronted with a fresh bowl of ramen: she started drooling. 'DANGO!' she thought. Naruto looked at her. "Alright lady, stay still, I don't want to hurt you." Anko frowned at him, but nevertheless, she did not move, she just watched as the blonde flicked a wrist at her and suddenly, all her ropes were cut, leaving her completely unharmed. Her eyes widened. Such control over his element and at such a young age! It was almost unheard of! Slowly, Anko stood to her feet. "You did have something to do with the Hyuuga Clan. Didn't you?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Most of the bastards can't show any emotion due to the pole stuck up their ass. They just needed to be taught a little lesson and I happen to be a good teacher when it comes to said lesson."

"And what lesson is that?" Anko asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Naruto grinned rabidly as he handed Anko the dango. "Humility."

It was not long after Anko had finished her dango that Naruto had lead her out of the room and towards the front entrance.

"So, Blondie," Anko said, picking her teeth with the pointed end of one of her dango sticks. "Where did you take me anyway?"

Naruto smirked. "My place," he said, throwing open the front door. Anko walked out, her hand shielding herself from the bright light that seemed to come from all around her. Blinking, she took in her surroundings. She was standing on a wide plateau, with a wide open plain surrounding her that was bordered by a small copse of trees. Anko knew this place. But it was impossible! If Naruto had been able to enter that building then it would make him. Spinning around wildly to confirm her suspicion, she was confronted by the smirking face of Naruto Uzumaki, framed by the backdrop of the village of Konoha from on top of the Hokage Monument. "Y-you! You, you're…" Anko stuttered.

Naruto swept himself into a deep bow, twirling an imaginary cloak as he did so. "Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, at your service." Anko blinked, once, twice, looking at the son of the Fourth Hokage.

"Well fuck me."

Naruto smirked. "Tempting, but no."

A pair of burning grey eyes watched as the Hyuuga heiress walked throughout the clan compound.

"Oh yes, you may think that you're safe now. Thanks to that Yurei, everyone is treating you like a human being aren't they? But it won't last. No. It won't last. Yurei can't be everywhere. He can't know everything. Just you wait. Because I'll be waiting and when you least expect it… kukukukukuku."

Hinata was in a daze as she walked into her room. She didn't know what had happened, or how it had happened, but somehow, she was suspiciously certain that it had to do with Naruto. Walking into her room, she closed her door softly, before resting her forehead against it and closing her eyes. Things would be better now. They had to be. Turning around, Hinata gave a small jump at the figure that was lounging on her bed. "Who, who are you?" The figure, a woman of surpassing beauty gave Hinata a tender, motherly smile. But even so, there was an aura of power that seemed to surround her like a robe.

"Hello Hinata. I am someone who hopes to be your friend. At this point you could me… a spirit I suppose, as I am not up to my usual strength. But as to who I am… I am the Goddess of Love and Matrimony, wife of the Shinigami, Lord of the Dead and daughter to Kami, who doesn't really need any introduction. But you? You can call me Arlia."

Hinata nodded her head slowly. "Oh," she said. Hinata just looked her up and down.

"Would you like some tea?"

To be honest, after everything that had already happened to her today, this wasn't nearly as big a surprise as one might think.

AN:

Hope you liked it. Just a thought though, after finishing this chapter it occurred to me that this fic has somehow done a lot of growing while I wasn't looking. In other words, it's probably going to be a real long one. Hope you guys will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. The poll is hereby closed and Arlia has been revealed to Hinata. I've decided against putting any more spoilers about what's going to happen in the next chapter in here. Frankly, it seems as if I don't really know what's going to happen in the chapter until after I've written it!

So. Read. Enjoy. Review. Not necessarily in that order.

P.S. I've made a couple of changes to the first couple of chapters that might answer at least one question which I did not fully explain.