I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

Chapter XI:

Then he noticed the odd exaggerations, the interplay of their limbs and the focus of their eyes. This wasn't the same, not like Jyuuken at all! There were variations, combinations of katas he had never thought of putting together, not in his or any lifetime! This level of mastery, of refinement was something a master would have put together after decades of research.

It was then he heard his teammates approaching, and looking down at his own blistered hands, let out an exasperated sigh. If Rock Lee learned these with the same zeal...

•••••••••••••

One Month to the Chuunin Exams

Hatake Kakashi was many things, but he was not stupid. There were rumors Anko Mitarashi had been seen with the Hyuuga heiress and Uzumaki at the far edge of the training grounds, along the edge of the nearby waterfall, and in the depths of the Academy's basement. While he was focusing his efforts training Uchiha for the rigorous examinations and combat ahead, he would not let his students linger on their own without guidance. He had insisted the boy seek out Jiraya-sama, hoping the Frog Hermit could do something about seal techniques and additional skills. However, he had checked in with Sarutobi's apprentice, and the the blonde had never arrived.

Arriving at the Hyuuga compound, he was surprised to find Kurenai there, as well. Raising an eyebrow, the former ANBU approached slowly at first. Then, as he noted the aging footprints of Uzumaki's boots leaving the compound with another pair, but none returning, he started to run towards his comrade. "Kurenai?" he asked. "You came to find your student, as well?"

Nodding, Yuuhi frowned. "They're both missing," she explained. Standing just beyond the edge of the door, Hiashi started to move out into the courtyard. "Hiashi-sama, if you have any ideas-"

Frowning, the clan leader shook his head. "Hinata has been missing for nearly three days now. I have had the entire clan searching for her, but to no avail." As the raven-haired woman tilted her head in condemnation, the man scowled. "You think I want to banish her? Even if she doesn't step up to lead the clan, she is a Hyuuga. Losing her would be… unwise." Kurenai noted the hint of stress wrinkles and redness around the man's eyes, but made no mention of it.

"If we find anything, we will notify you," Kakashi interjected, before signaling Kurenai to follow. Walking along the path out of the courtyard towards the main gate of the compound, Hatake placed a hand to his forehead, shaking it in frustration. "This is not how I intended to spend my day. Kurenai, we need to compare notes. What do you know about Hinata's habits? Does she have anywhere she and Naruto routinely visit?"

Shaking her head, Yuuhi sighed. "They keep their interaction private." It was then, she paused, thinking for a brief instant. "I've sent Shino and Kiba both to scout for the pair, but neither can find any trace."

"How is that possible?" Kakashi insisted. "You have good scent and chakra profiles on both of them, don't you?"

"Just Hinata," she answered. "Though… wouldn't you have something we could use to track Naruto? Maybe we need to approach it from that angle."

Nodding, Kakashi paused, looking back down at the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, or rather, Naruto's. Kneeling down, he studied them in further detail. "You recognize this footprint?" Waiting for Kurenai, the woman knelt beside him, studying the imprints, tracing her finger over the unusual shape. "This is a specific boot only Naruto wears. I noticed it months ago, after he returned."

Nodding, Kurenai noticed the second pair of footprints beside them. "This is definitely Hinata, but, where do they go?" She scanned the ground, suddenly noticing a deeper print of the same pattern for one foot, but not the other. Then, the opposing foot. Looking between the two sets, she noted both had the same variation. "Are they..?"

Kakashi nodded. "They changed from boots to sandals to throw us off the trail. That's rather creative, but why didn't we notice it before?"

"Because we're not thinking like genin with fewer techniques?"

"I don't think any genin has tried this hard to hide from their sensei before," Hatake commented. "But this gives us a starting point."

•••••••••••••

Neji had done his homework over the years, learning the traits of his uncle. In time, it had proven most useful, as it was now. Maneuvering quietly through the house on the verge of sunset, he started slowly towards the perimeter of the compound. The clearing was left open to prevent enemy forces from stealthily entering the premises without detection, but still, some cherry trees were allowed to grow. This was more an aesthetic sense than a defensive one, and that always proved the failing of the Main Branch. No matter how they stressed their clan's importance for all tactical matters, their flaw was rooted in their prestige.

Scaling the larger of the cherry trees ever so slowly, Hizashi's son blended into the trunk and branches of the growth, working his way up the rungs until he could pass undetected over the perimeter wall. Once on the opposite side, he inspected his equipment. Besides the rations and foul-weather layers, his ordinary cache of shuriken and kunai were doubled. He did not know what to expect from this Uzumaki, but he would wait, and patiently observe.

Yes, he thought, gripping the kunai in his hand. He would wait for his chance, and take what he wanted.

•••••••••••••

With night setting in around Konoha, Teams Seven, Eight, and Nine had all retired. That is, all but two members. That was where Neji found them, still hard at work, practicing their techniques. Frowning, he sat hunched in the same tree from before, studying in the pitch black darkness. His eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, he was surprised as the two continued without so much as torchlight to guide them. Of course, Hinata-sama would not require it, but what about Uzumaki? Surely he was having difficulty in the pitch of night.

Quickly, a third shape joined them, the lean, muscular woman in the tan trenchcoat standing to the side of the pair. In her arms, the woman revealed a key, handing it to Hinata. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid with this," she insisted, receiving a nod from the heiress. "It took a lot of effort getting this out of the landlord's hands without the Council knowing. Don't make me regret this."

"Thank you," Naruto replied, taking a step closer to Anko Mitarashi. "You have been very helpful with the last two months of training."

"Seems you don't need me anymore," she said. "You have everything you need for the exams."

"Not everything," Hinata replied. The other two looked up in surprise. Neji also stared in shock, seeing a look of determination he had never seen before in his cousin. "You still haven't shown us how to summon a familiar." Neji squinted as Mitarashi and Hinata-sama spoke so openly. Something was different here, amongst these two.

"That's not something I can help with," Anko hesitantly stuttered, turning her head to the side. "The only way you can summon a familiar is if you make a pact in your own blood with the scroll belonging to that familiar."

"Still, you have a scroll for-" Uzumaki started, but was quickly silenced by the woman's sharp stare.

"I won't have anyone else binding themselves to snakes!" Anko insisted. "Not in Konoha, not now, not ever!" She watched the two flinch momentarily, then sighed, looking down at her feet. "It is a long story, but you do not want to bind your fates with me. I would only drag you down."

Naruto nodded quietly. "Then we will just have to blaze our own path."

Smiling faintly, Hinata turned to Anko. "We will, it is our way, the way Hyuuga-sensei insisted we push forward."

Neji scowled. How they referred to his distant uncle, a Branch Member, no less; to hear it was refreshing. He stared at the three, watching even as Mitarashi trailed off into the inky blackness beyond the clearing. "What are you up to, Uzumaki?" the Branch Hyuuga snarled under his breath.

Turning their backs to the tree Neji sat perched in, the pair studied the brass key, numbered for a specific apartment. "Are you sure about this, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly. Suddenly, the discomfort and the hesitation returned, the heiress once again clinging to the boy's outstretched arm.

"I don't know about you," Naruto started, "but Hyuuga-sensei started us down a path." He examined the key in the darkness, a slight glint of the moon's reflection cutting into the jagged surface. "I can't turn away now. I must know everything." As his cousin held the boy tighter, Neji's hands clenched into balled fists.

Here he was, the pinnacle of the Branch House, forced to watch as his fate was ruled by an inferior cousin. Forced to watch again as she chose to follow a disowned member of the Branch House, he couldn't fathom what insidious plot she had concocted for his father's people. What would happen to the family? The stability of the clan was in jeopardy, all because of this Uzumaki, and now Hinata was contaminated in his filth.

Uzumaki froze, turning to look up to the tree. In the stillness of night, the icy blue eyes glinted in the moonlight, and for a moment, they seemed to glow with an inhuman flame.

•••••••••••••

Sakura stared at the Yamanaka flower shop in the rising daylight. Looking towards the second floor, the kunoichi bit her bottom lip. In time, she would face her rival, her best friend, and her adversary. It was inevitable, but the outcome, that was still unknown.

Sasuke was ready. More than ready, she reminded herself. Haruno had seen the end result of a training session between Kakashi-sensei and Uchiha. The wooden practice posts, the surrounding trees, even the grass itself was scarred from combat. Both of them had worked so hard, but in the end, she knew there was no one on Sasuke's level. She, on the other hand, where did she actually measure up?

Running her hands through the roughly chopped tresses dangling from her head, Sakura thought she sensed movement behind her. Freezing in place, she noted the spotless, crisp white of a kimono worn on broad, proud shoulders. It was only when the man stepped two paces in front of her left side, back to her, that she could recognize the figure.

Hiashi Hyuuga, leader of the Main House, stood silently in front of the flower shop. "Miss, do you know if the Yamanakas are open for business yet?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Haruno flinched nervously. "N-no, Hyuuga-sama," she answered respectfully, bowing deeply to the man. "They will not be open for at least another hour."

Nodding, the man paused, turning to face the girl. "Then, may I ask why you are here?" He looked at her curiously, then beamed a faint, almost happy smile. "You must be Haruno's daughter." As Sakura's mouth worked open and closed like a gaping fish, the clan leader raised a hand in apology. "I can tell by the eyes. Haruno always had such kind eyes."

Fumbling for words, Sakura blushed. "What are you doing here, Hyuuga-sama?"

It was Hiashi's turn to frown and fumble for words. "My daughter… I need to find some flowers for her." He looked down at his hands, the knots and callouses worked into the rough surfaces of his palms. "For us, sometimes it is hard to express just what we feel for our daughters. Perhaps… perhaps expressing ourselves through fighting is the shinobi way."

"Then, doesn't she know how you feel?" Sakura ventured. "I mean, Hinata-sama is a proud shinobi, herself." Blushing, Sakura looked down at her feet. What was she doing, getting into a talk like this with one of the most reputable clan heads in the village?

Hiashi shook his head in disgrace. He would not normally speak to someone so openly, but this girl, something about this girl was different. It was Haruno's eyes, he presumed. She had always been so open to him, too. Even when the others shied away, when he isolated himself in shame for his brother's fate at the Academy, Haruno always welcomed him openly. "Hinata… is not like that, not in a way I can express how I feel."

As the curtains rippled and shifted in the second story window, Sakura noticed the blonde with cornflower blue eyes peek out from behind the glass. The two exchanged glances, each smiling, then frowning. "There are things only flowers express, I suppose," Sakura answered.

•••••••••••••

The apartment was in the last place Naruto would expect, and yet, in a way, exactly where it should be. Located in the center of the village, the ground-level apartment overlooked the main gate, the rows of merchant tents, and the poorer districts. Opening the door with the key, Uzumaki studied the etchings and scrapes gouged into the door. It was a cheaper apartment, hardly maintained on the outside. Some said it was there since the founding of Konoha, itself. Moving into the entry way, however, the interior was in pristine condition. The contents left unattended, Naruto hoped for a desperate moment his master would return through that door any minute. He had reportedly died before. How was this time any different?

Yet the room remained still, only the motes of dust dancing past the sun streaking in through the window. Uzumaki shook himself free of his thoughts, remembering the reason he had come. Opening the black book, he studied the text in detail. Then, in his left tactical pouch, he retrieved the eyes, now placed in a small graduated cylinder. Pulling the shades on the windows, the blonde was welcomed by the faint blue glow once again, the invisible ink coming to life on the pages under the residual chakra. Yes, he thought, he was here!

The book had hinted about many things in the hidden text. Studying both the published material and the hidden codes, Uzumaki was convinced his master was either a brilliant strategist, or a madman. Truly, there was only one way to be sure.

Closing the front door, the closet to Naruto's right was revealed. Locking the front door's latch, he opened the closet's sliding wooden door, and found the small numerical code etched in the doorjamb. Working his hands over the edges and down to the floor, he spotted the ever so delicate outline of a loose floor panel the width of a man. Taking his kunai, Naruto pried at one edge, eventually freeing the panel, and setting it aside, peered into the darkness.

The black book sparked to life, burning in Naruto's hand as the obscure seal written in blood smoldered on the back of the trap door. Uzumaki dropped the book down the pitch black crevasse plunging into the cold, damp soil, the light reflecting on the shimmering dew. A series of wooden ladder rungs protruded from the soil, leading into the darkness below.

For the longest time, Naruto stared into the darkness of the pit. Finally, his feet moved to the edge, and along the muddy earth. Gaining a foothold on the rungs of the half-buried ladder, the blonde pulled the panel over the opening, concealing it once again. As the fire burned below, the blue chakra of the scorched eyes faded into darkness.

Naruto climbed down the ladder, finding his feet on solid ground as he stared towards the gaping maw of the tunnel ahead. The last of his master's legacy, the original hardcover edition of his work, burned to ashes as the apprentice worked his way into the darkness.

•••••••••••••

Day of the Chuunin Exams

Hinata stood in line with the others of Team Eight, awaiting registration. Dressed in her stark black outfit against the tans, greens, blues, and grays of the others, the heiress looked down at her feet. The fully enclosed toes were an unusual sight for the genin walking by, leading to a few sneers and joking remarks. However, Hinata was not upset by them. Pensively studying the ground ahead of her, she was upset because Naruto had not returned to visit for nearly a week. He said just before he left there was something that needed to be done, a final trail waiting to be discovered.

Watching as that Rock Lee, who oddly resembled his jounin-sensei, walked by, flirting with Haruno, the heiress bit her bottom lip. Where was he? She felt oddly alone, exposed, even with her group, without him. Watching as Rock Lee's efforts to intrigue Sakura failed miserably, she felt the cold stare of his other teammates on her. Her cousin, Neji, bored his eyes into her remorselessly, while Tenten simply looked on, her face contorted in an odd frown.

Detecting her student's concern, Kurenai stepped closer, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He will be here," Yuuhi sighed. She had just spoken with Kakashi, and confirmed, much against her wishes, that Naruto would be participating.

Almost on cue, Team Seven's outcast arrived, with Anko Mitarashi in tow. Hinata studied him cautiously, noticing something dark hidden behind his eyes. Sprinting to the blonde, the heiress reached out, squeezing his hand in a very visible display of affection. Blushing brilliantly, however, she did not care as her cousin let out a disapproving hiss. Uzumaki was here, and that was all that mattered. "I wasn't sure you would make it," she whispered. "Where have you been?"

Naruto nodded quietly, and wrapped his arms cautiously around Hyuuga. Looking across the room to Team Gai, and Neji in particular, blue eyes met silver, deadlocked as each tried to penetrate the other's intent. Letting a feral, predatory smile cross his lips, the blonde couldn't help but size up the threat. "Our master's last lessons took longer than I expected," the boy answered. "But don't worry, it's all over now."

The couple stood as an island in the growing crowd, the jounin instructors watching in curiosity. "Any idea what he has up his sleeves?" Kurenai asked, turning to Kakashi.

Hatake shook his head, folding his arms defensively across his chest. "I've asked Jiraya-sama to check in on him from time to time, but Mitarashi has been sheltering Naruto from him, but nothing that would provoke a more… direct response." Frowning underneath his mask, the former ANBU looked over his shoulder at the last Uchiha. "If it comes down to it, I've taken precautionary measures." He scanned the room casually, noting the several ANBU surrounding the perimeter. "However, he's my student, and he hasn't done anything to threaten the village. We can't assume anything."

A small fly worked its way through the room, hovering within arm's length of the blonde. Kakashi squinted, watching as the insect was there one moment, and simply vaporized the next. Yuuhi paused, her face pulled down in a nervous tick, while in the distance, Neji clenched his teeth. He knew that technique, feeling his hands instinctively duplicate the gesture as if tutored by his uncle once again.

Raidon's disciple was ready.

•••••••••••••

End of Chapter XI

-October 25th, 2012: Thanks again for all the support, and everyone who is adding me for my other projects, as well. Life is normalizing, and now that everything is falling under a routine, I will keep at the chapter updates.

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