Thank you all who informed me that it they didn't feel it was a Gai x Kurenai scene! I'm much happier with that scene now.

Disclaimer: I own no Naruto. I could buy some, but that would be really...really, weird.

Word of Honor

Chapter 14: Blood Oath

Naruto stood before a waterfall, the noise not quite enough to drown out the other noises in the forest, but enough to give him something to focus on. He'd been there for several hours after ditching the returning group to find somewhere to train, and he was getting nowhere. If looks could kill…Naruto would be in the exact same situation, just with the ability to kill people on sight.

Growling frustrated, he dropped into a sitting position. Naruto had a problem. Normally, when he had a problem, there was a very good solution to it; beat it up or keep pushing until it did what he wanted it to do. Of course, those were mainly problems with his techniques, problems with strength, or problems with other people. Not once had he had a problem like this before...not counting his other promise-related issues.

Naruto couldn't get into his head. He'd planned it all out; leave for a secluded area, enter his mindscape, get some answers, and then train until it hurt to think about moving. After doing the first two parts of his plan, he'd realized that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get into his mindscape.

Which led to his current predicament. He'd tried pretty much anything he could think of that he could do without outside help. He'd meditated until he couldn't take it (roughly five minutes), he'd tried breathing slower (a surprising hour), and he'd tried listening to the waterfall to find his 'inner peace' (Another surprising hour). Now, he was out of ideas, and had wasted his time doing stuff that didn't help him at all.

Muttering curses under his breath, he picked up a rock and chucked it into the pooled water in front of him. "Stupid water trick. Didn't help me at all. How am I supposed to get into my mindscape now?"

Glaring at the water, though not expecting an answer, he lay back to stare up at the sky. It wasn't helping any, but it was better than staring at the ever frustrating water. Plus, it gave him time to do an activity that he was normally not prone to doing; thinking. He'd been doing a surprising amount of that recently, and it was oddly satisfying when he actually was able to figure stuff out, though twice as frustrating if he couldn't come up with an answer.

His greatest idea so far was what the thought of help him wear the spandex Gai and Lee had give him without anyone questioning him. It had taken a while, but eventually he'd thought of a way to hide it. In a stroke of genius, he'd just thrown his jumpsuit over it and worn it to where he was now. Neither Ino nor Sakura had questioned his fashion sense, seeing as no one could take his jumpsuit away from him. Like Gai and Lee's spandex were a part of what identified them, his jumpsuit was the same.

Now though, he'd shed the jumpsuit in favor of the spandex. He'd been all hyped up when Gai had told him how Lee had grown by leaps and bounds after wearing said spandex, but wasn't seeing much yet. Then again, he hadn't really been training yet.

"There's gotta be a way in!" He shouted, flailing about on the ground. "I mean come on! I was able to talk to Han'ishiki during the fight, so why can't I now? It's my brain, let me in!"

He was greeted only with the sound of nature in reply. At least, an outward reply. Inwardly, the little hamster in his head began to run on its wheel.

Sitting upright, his eyes widened. "Hey wait a sec. I was able to talk to Han'ishiki during my fight with Kiba and right after! Uh…how'd I do that?"
Scratching his head, he thought back on the fight. He remembered saying that he wouldn't back down, rushing past Kiba, focusing his chakra –

"Maybe I need to focus my chakra." Naruto muttered. Considering his other failed ideas, he was more than willing to give it a shot.

Closing his eyes and placing his hands into the 'ram' seal, he began focusing his chakra. He started with his feet, remembering how he'd been given a burst of speed during the fight. Not getting a response, he channeled it into his hands. He wasn't really sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot. Once again unable to get a peep out of him, he focused on his head.

As he did, he noticed something strange. In the front of his head, it felt like his chakra was going over some kind of lump. Figuring that was where Han'ishiki was, he focused as much of his chakra as he could towards the lump.

Then, everything began to fade.

-xxxxx-

Several hours after dawn, the proctors and participants of the Chunin Exam's second test had arrived back in Konoha. Some when directly to their training, others visited family, and others still visited teammates in the hospital. Sasuke would have wanted to be in the first category, but had somehow been dragged into another category all together; the waiting for his sensei to show up and help him train, category.

Sasuke scowled as he looked around for his sensei, having been left waiting outside of a dango shop for nearly two hours. He was losing daylight, and wanted to start training. He'd seen what Gaara could do, and after reading a few scrolls on the Sharingan that he'd had with him, he wasn't feeling all that confident. Well, not in his current abilities. That's why he wanted to train; so that he would be ready, and so he'd win.

"I see you're on time."

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch as he turned to his sensei. "You're late."

Kakashi smiled at his response. "Ah, so you're finally becoming like your other teammates. I'm hurt."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've been waiting for two hours after you told me to be here. Naruto already left to train somewhere, and right now I don't know how I'm going to beat Gaara." He shuffled his feet nervously, the words he was about to say hurting to even think about. "I…I need your help."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. Well, I have an idea that could work."

Sasuke grinned, brightening like the kid he was. "So you're going to train me, and help me learn something to fight Gaara?"

Kakashi smiled as well, glad to see that Sasuke still had it in him to act his age. Unfortunately, "Sorry Sasuke, but I can't teach you during the month break."

Sasuke looked he'd been struck. "What? But, why not?"

"Look Sasuke, I've put a lot of thought into this and I can't." Kakashi said. Noting that Sasuke's hurt expression didn't change, he decided to explain. "It wouldn't be right to train you, especially since you weren't the only one to make it to the finals."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "So you're training Naruto?"

"I didn't say that. I said he made it too." Kakashi replied. Sasuke seemed to find the answer acceptable, though from what he could tell he did not understand what he was talking about. "Sasuke, I'm not training either of you."
"Then…how?" Sasuke asked. To him, Kakashi sounded like he was talking in circles. First he was going to help and then he wasn't? "You said you'd help."

"I said I had an idea." Kakashi stepped to the side and made a vague motion to the person that had just shown up. "I called in a favor."

Sasuke looked the man over with a critical eye. He wore a pair of sunglasses, a generic vest-less jonin outfit, and wore his hiate bandana style. He seemed…odd to Sasuke. Similar to Kakashi, but lacking that same 'danger' that Kakashi was able to pull off when he was serious. He looked serious enough, but it almost felt more like one of the Academy teachers was standing in front of him than an elite jonin. "Who's this?"

"This is Ebisu. Normally he's a private tutor, but like I said, he owed me a favor. He's a jonin with a higher level of skill than most, and has proven himself as a strong ally time and time again." Giving Ebisu a quick nod, he turned away. "I leave him to you Ebisu-san."

Sasuke blinked as Kakashi disappeared in a burst of smoke. Turning back to Ebisu, he looked at him curiously. "So, you owed Kakashi-sensei."

Ebisu nodded. "Yes Uchiha-sama. Now if you don't mind, I think –"

"What kind of favor was it?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Ebisu paused, shivering as he recalled exactly what sort of 'favor' he owed Kakashi. "I-it's not important right now. What is important is your training. Now, how well do you know your basic three?"

"What?"

"Your basic three. Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique), and the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique). " Ebisu repeated. "It may sound strange, but they are far more useful than most believe."

Sasuke scoffed. "Really? The only useful one is the last one, and that's because it's good for distractions and for getting out of tight situations without an enemy knowing. How will knowing the other two help me?"

Ebisu shook his head. "I see. Kakashi was not exaggerating when he said that you would need some convincing." A small smile crossed his face as he made a 'follow' motion. "Come. There is much to learn."

And, with nothing but his sensei's word and his own curiosity, Sasuke followed. He really had no idea of just how much he was going to learn.

-xxxxx-

The first thing Naruto noticed was the lack of sound. He'd been sitting in front of a waterfall listening to the dull roar, and then he wasn't. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked around. He was once again in the hallway that he'd been in when he'd been knocked out in the forest.

"Wait, that worked?" Naruto questioned to himself, looking around. Pushing himself up, he grinned. "Yes! I am awesome!"

"I'm gonna hug you, and squeeze you, and play with your hair all day long!"

Naruto blinked, turning to where he'd heard the strange shout. Walking down the hallway, he peeked around each corner hesitantly, not sure what he'd heard. After not seeing anyone for the first couple of corners, he got slightly bolder. When he got to the main room though, he found a very odd sight.

Han'ishiki was hanging upside-down by the balcony, his ever impassive expression staring at the odd sight in the center of the cylindrical room. Kushina was sitting in the room, chatting absentmindedly with someone else who Naruto couldn't quite see. She had found a brush from…somewhere, and was messing around with it.

Naruto tilted his head in a confused manner, looking up at Han'ishiki. "Uh…what did I miss?"

Han'ishiki looked down…up at him. :: Hm? Oh Naruto, good to see you baka::

"What?" Naruto asked.

Han'ishiki dropped down from the balcony. :: We'll get to that later. First, getting Kushina away from our guest::

"Wait what? Why am I a baka? What guest? What's going on here?" Naruto yelled, his eye twitching.

His yell got Kushina's attention, making her jump from where she sat. "Naruto! I-I wasn't expecting you to get back here so fast." She scooted in front of the other person, hiding her from view. "Uh, so what are you doing here?"

"I had some questions." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing at her as she tried to distract him. "But now, I just want to know who that is."

Kushina looked away in attempt to be nonchalant. "I don't know what you're talking –"

:: You brought Hinata into your mind, baka:: Han'ishiki cut her off, with what could have been a ghost of a smile on his face.

Kushina glared at Han'ishiki. "Hey! You didn't have to do that!"

Han'ishiki didn't bother saying anything. Naruto on the other hand, "Wait, what are you talking about? Hinata's not…"

Whatever he was going to say died away as the 'guest' peaked around Kushina's legs. He caught sight of her for a brief second before there was a squeak and she disappeared back behind her legs. Naruto's eyebrows leapt into his hairline, knowing only one girl that acted like that.

"…uh…what…" He gripped his head in pain. "I'm so lost!"

:: That's cause you're a baka, and made a far bigger promise than you were ready for::

Naruto glared at Han'ishiki. "Yes, because that explains everything!" He turned to Kushina with a pleading look. "What is going on?"

Kushina sighed, stepping out from in front of Hinata. The poor girl squeaked again and dropped her gaze to the ground. "Han'ishiki is right, you made a bigger promise than you were ready for. He could have said it better, but he's right."

Naruto shook his head. "Okay, how?"

:: Nice spandex:: Han'ishiki said, distracting them again.

Kushina raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?" She looked at Naruto, her eyes widening as she took in his appearance. It shifted really quickly to an expression reminiscing of a fish. "N-Naruto! What are you wearing?"

Naruto looked down at his clothes. Oddly enough, he was still wearing the spandex that he'd worn to train in. "What? What does that have to do with –?"

"That is…who gave…no!" Kushina said, crossing her arms angrily. "I cannot allow you to wear that!"

"What? It increases my training capability and will help make me twice as strong as I am now." Naruto said, frowning at Kushina's sudden anger.

:: It also makes him more streamline:: Han'ishiki said helpfully.

"Stay out of this Han'ishiki!" Kushina shouted, glaring at him. "You aren't helping!"

Han'ishiki gave Kushina a half lidded look. :: Well, it's one against one, so we'll need a tie breaker. Naruto's not allowed to give his opinion, so that leaves…Hinata::

"That's a great idea!" Kushina said, rounding on Hinata. "What do you think Hinata?"

Hinata's head snapped up, her eyes wide in terror. Her mouth opened and closed in an attempt to say something. She looked between Han'ishiki and Kushina, before turning to Naruto. Naruto felt rather uncomfortable as he felt her eyes dart over his spandex clad form, not sure what she was thinking. After a moment her eyes dropped back to the ground to hide her rosy red face, and she gave Han'ishiki a thumbs up.

"Traitor." Kushina muttered.

:: So we're agreed:: Han'ishiki said, patting Naruto on the shoulder. :: The spandex are in::

Naruto blinked, allowing what just happened to go through his head a couple times before he grinned, rushed up, and hugged Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan! Now my training will continue to grow faster than –" Thump. "Hinata! What happened?"

Kushina face-palmed at Naruto's actions. "She's probably not used to such intimate contact."

"Intimate?" Naruto asked, dropping Hinata rather unceremoniously to the floor. "But…it's a hug. How is that intimate?"

:: Later Naruto. Now, your big screw up…baka::

Naruto could feel steam coming from his head as he turned to Han'ishiki angrily. "You're the one who keeps changing the subject!"

"Naruto." Kushina said as she rubbed her forehead in an attempt to quell the headache she was getting from all of Naruto's screaming. "Just don't, okay? He may not look like it, but he's enjoying this…a lot."

:: I'm a troublemaker by nature. If you want to blame anyone, blame Naruto:: Han'ishiki said, walking calmly away from the two. Both had to restrain the other from kicking him as his back was turned. When he realized that they were still standing there, he looked over his shoulder. :: Are you coming? ::

Neither wanted to, but both followed. Kushina carried Hinata, as they would need to explain why she was in his head after this particular talk. She stared at Han'ishiki as he led them forwards. 'He's not really what I expected him to be. He's trying to provoke Naruto into doing…something. I'd better keep an eye on him.'

As they continued down the hall, Naruto noticed that it was slightly different from the others. For one, there was red carpet that lined the floor as they walked on. The lighting was somewhat dimmer, almost in a reverent manner; as though the lighting was set to match whatever was happening in the rooms. It was amazing to Naruto, and he felt a sense of peace as he followed along.

Another thing that was different was that the rooms had no doors, just an arch that led into the room. Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto peeked into one of the rooms they passed. It looked empty for the most part, except for a thumbtack board on the other side of the room. Walking over to it, he looked over what was currently tacked to the board.

"I won't as Sakura on dates…I won't pull pranks for the day…I'll help Ino get – what the heck?" Naruto asked, reading the first few before he realized what he was reading. Spinning around to Han'ishiki and Kushina, he pointed at the board. "This is where my promises are?"

Kushina looked over the board, chewing on her lip as she looked over Naruto's past promises. "Huh, you have a very organized way of putting your promises. Then again, you don't have a whole bunch to take care of yet." Setting Hinata –who had just woken- onto her feet, she walked up to the board. Gently, she ran her fingers along the board's edge. "These are the promises you don't really hold in high regard, the ones you regret making."

Naruto looked between Kushina and the board, noticing something else. "Hey, there's a red piece of tape behind the prank one."

:: That's because you already were released from that particular promise:: Han'ishiki said, staying outside of the room and leaning against the arch. :: The others are ones that you have yet to fulfill, and haven't been released from::

"Released? Fulfilled?" Naruto glanced between the board and Han'ishiki. Slowly, realization slowly dawning on his face. "Wait, so if I get Sakura or Ino to tell me that I don't have to keep my promise, I won't have to?"

:: Pretty much::

Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! I don't have to follow Ino around forever!" He suddenly fell to knees, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you Kami-sama…thank you."

Kushina and Hinata sweatdropped at Naruto's odd behavior, though Kushina vaguely understood what Naruto meant by that. "Alright, enough thanking, more moving!"

Naruto shook his head, clearing it of his momentary delirium. Wiping the tears away and jumping to his feet, he ran after Han'ishiki who had once again walked away without them.

Another moment later, they arrived at their destination. Naruto raised an eyebrow at how simple the entrance was until he stepped inside. Once inside, he had to collect his jaw, as the room was a near perfect replica of the Hokage's room. He didn't take a moment to take anything in; instead he threw himself forwards and ran past the Hokage's desk to look out the window. Sure enough, behind the desk was a giant mountain with faces carved into it.

As he looked over said faces, he realized something was off. For one, there were two faces, not the four that everyone was used to seeing. Another difference was that the second was distinctly a girls face. And finally, the faces had rock color that matched the faces of the two people.

The first face was distinctly his own. He had no idea where they got the color for his face from, but it made him look a little pudgy. The other face had lighter skin-rock tone, making it look softer against the mountain. As he stared closer, he realized that the girl's face was actually not complete; the color for her skin was the only color that was 'colored in'.

"Hey, who's that girl?" Naruto asked, turning to his three companions. As he did, he got an eyeful of picture that he'd missed running into the room. Looking at the first, he froze, his eyes darting over the picture as he tried to take it in.

It was a picture of him. Or at least, that's what it was probably supposed to be. He didn't remember ever having a bunch of spears and other weapons protruding from his back. In fact, he looked like Zabuza, only with his jacket still on; albeit, the jacket was unzipped and looked as though it was slightly carried in the breeze. He had a feral grin that stretched around a kunai in his mouth that covered with flecks of blood, similar to the blood covering the ground around him. The angle of the picture appeared to be looking up at picture-him from the ground of the bridge, allowing his picture-eyes to be shadowed by his hair since his hiate had fallen to his feet. Written in blood red lettering above picture-Naruto's head were four words.

I won't run away!

Naruto stared at the picture, rubbing his eyes a few times as though to make sure that he wasn't imagining it. He'd never thought that he could look so…cool.

"Is…is that me?" Naruto asked, walking over to the painting.

Kushina nodded, a small smile on her face. "This is the first promise you made with your bloodline. Actually, it's what activated your bloodline. Your very first blood oath."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Huh, I didn't see this coming." He muttered, inwardly wondering if he could look as cool as picture-Naruto without having the weapons in his back.

:: You're second blood oath is right here:: Han'ishiki said, patting another picture that he'd missed a moment before.

Looking over the second picture, Naruto tilted his head to the side. Like the first, he was in it. However, this time he didn't look like a porcupine with different weapons in his back. This picture though, was also different in a number of other ways.

For one, only the top half was done. It depicted him, just like the first, covered with various cuts and wielding ninja wire strung through nine kunai that curved behind him. His eyes were completely white; whether they were unfinished or shining with some ethereal light, he didn't know. Over the kunai wreath were four words written in red lettering, just like the first.

I vow to win.

"What happened to the bottom half of this picture?" Naruto asked.

The bottom half of the picture was partly white, the other part beginning to depict something. When he tilted his head and squinted his eyes, it looked like there was someone else in the picture. Who they were, and what they were doing weren't yet painted, which didn't make sense. The top half was depicted really well considering it had only been one day; so why wasn't the rest of it done?

Kushina sighed. It was time to explain his mistake. "Naruto, that picture's not finished because the second promise hasn't been made."

Naruto's head snapped around. "Second promise? What second promise?"

"You used another person's blood with your own when you made the promise. For an Uzumaki, a blood oath is one of the most powerfully binding of any promise you can make. One of the biggest reasons behind this is that a blood oath is to be taken far more seriously by you, and just as much by the person you're making your promise to." Kushina explained, her hand resting on Hinata's head. "When you use another person's blood though, it becomes twice as powerful because it becomes a conditional promise."

"Conditional?" Naruto said with a frown. "Is that like signing a contract?"

Kushina blinked at the odd –though fitting– connection, before nodding. "Yes, it's like signing a contract. As long as you live up to your end of the contract, the other person is obligated to uphold their end. But, if they don't uphold their end of the contract, you aren't held to the rules of the contract."

Her visage changed dramatically as she continued, far more serious about what was about to be said. "Now, just to prevent this from happening again out of ignorance, there are three kinds of promises. Verbal promises, contact contracts, and blood oaths. Each one creates a stronger 'contract' than the next, due to chakra connection. A verbal contract uses only your chakra, meaning that you're bound to your promise absolutely, but get little for it as there isn't any wiggle room.

"A physical contract is more similar to a blood oath than a verbal promise, but doesn't have the same depth. There is a bit more room to work with the promise, as you can just promise a person and shake hands, or you can have the other person make a promise of their own, making it a conditional promise like a blood oath. The other person's chakra intermixes into your own through their skin, but is only wisps of chakra compared to your oaths.

"Blood oaths are the strongest, and shouldn't be made unless you are dead set on making the promise, and know how to word your promise so that you aren't so bound by your promise that you fail every time something comes up. If you use someone else's blood, it becomes even more powerful, but…" Kushina paused in her explanation, turning to Hinata. "There is a cost to doing that."

Naruto nodded, actually understanding just a little of what Kushina had said. Looking at the first picture, his mind whirled as it finally made a connection. "Hey, I think I figured out my keyword thing!"

Kushina looked surprised at the statement. She hadn't thought he'd figure it out for a while, seeing as there were a lot of words to go through. 'Maybe he's just more talented in his bloodline than I gave him credit for.'

:: No, no you didn't:: Han'ishiki said dashing the thought away.

Naruto glared at him frustrated glare. "What do you mean I didn't? Isn't it one of the words I said to Kiba?"

Han'ishiki shook his head. :: No, it isn't one of those words. However, you did get it half right::

"…you lost me."

:: The blood oath part of your bloodline is like a box within a box. The box with your main power is constantly overflowing with power, power that you have yet to delve into and truly experience. Then, there's the second box that carries some of the overflow from the first box before it's released into you:: Han'ishiki motioned to the first painting. :: You said these words during your fight, right before you became stronger. Repeating your promise is apparently the key to your overflow power…your second box. Now, all you have to do is find your key to your main power, or first box if you will::

Naruto stared at the paining, his mind crunching through the sudden overload of information he'd been given. As he went through the information, a thought occurred to him. "Why?"

"Why what?" Kushina asked, caught off balanced by the question.

"Why didn't you tell me this stuff before?" Naruto said, looking at Kushina and Han'ishiki with a betrayed look.

Kushina took a step back, feeling guilty about not telling him. Han'ishiki on the other hand, didn't seem as affected. :: Because you weren't ready::

"Ready?" Naruto asked, enraged by the statement. "I am ready! Why won't you tell me what –?"

"If we told you, would you have hesitated?"

Naruto stumbled in his words, turning his glare to Kushina. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kushina sighed. "Naruto, you can't make a promise you aren't sure you'll be able to keep at that time. Remember when Sasuke told you to win? You didn't promise him that you could. Why didn't you?"

Naruto flinched, turning away as if struck. "I-it wasn't…I didn't…"

"Exactly. You weren't sure if you could win. You were still shaken up from the Kusa genin that attacked you, you weren't sure if you'd be strong enough to take them on. You were even worried to take on Kiba!"

Naruto growled at that. "I could've taken on dog-breath any day of the week."

:: You say that now, but are you sure that's what you were thinking before the fight?:: Han'ishiki asked, his blank face somehow managing a 'knowing' look. Naruto cursed his subconsciousness under his breath. :: I know what you were thinking, and it wasn't 'I can win'. It was 'how can I win'. You were scared, even if you didn't show it, and that made it impossible for you to make your promises::

"Which brings us back to your current problem." Kushina said, glad that Naruto was getting what they were saying and that the yelling was at a minimum. When she'd had a similar talk, the yelling had gone on for over an hour before her father and subconsciousness were able to calm her down.

"What problem?"

"You made a big blood oath yesterday. One that you might not be able to keep as you are now." Kushina shook her head. "Honestly, you don't even have the second promise."

"Second…oh!" Naruto snapped to the second picture, the reasoning behind the missing half suddenly clear to him now. "So, I have to find Neji and make him make me a promise?"

:: You're half right, baka::

Naruto gave Han'ishiki a deadpanned look. "Why do you keep calling me a baka?"

:: Because you have to have Hinata make you a promise that she'll likely break, otherwise, you'll never be allowed to lose. Ever:: Han'ishiki replied, waiting for the upcoming explosion.

There was a moment of silence as Naruto stared at Han'ishiki. Then, his head slowly turned to Hinata, who squeaked and looked away. Then, it clicked. "But…what…how…why?"

:: All you're missing is who, where, and when::

Kushina and Naruto face-planted at that. Kushina quickly picked herself up and glared at Han'ishiki. 'This guy is ridiculous! There is no way that he's Naruto's subconscious. He's too…unpredictable.'

Naruto sighed, scratching his cheek absentmindedly. "So, I what your saying is, I can't lose without breaking my oath?"

Kushina nodded. "Yep."

"And it'll stay that way unless Hinata makes and breaks a promise to me?"

Han'ishiki shrugged. :: Basically. The only other thing would be for her to release you from that promise, but that's too dangerous at the moment::

Naruto nodded to himself, a large grin on his face. "Then I won't lose! Not to Neji, not to anyone!" Naruto's resolution startled Kushina, though what he said next did so more than that. "Now then, how can I beat Neji, if I only can use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)?"

"The…what?" Kushina asked, a dark aura coming over her. "Naruto, I must not have heard you right. What technique did you say you know?"

Naruto, ever oblivious, answered promptly. "Kage Bunshin, shadow clones. I learned it from the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. Why?"

It was a shame that his conscious mind wasn't able to catch what he'd just said in time, because by the time he did, it was too late.

"Naruto~" Kushina said, her voice laced with rage as she slowly cracked each of her knuckles.

Naruto paled at the sight. "Uh-oh."

Han'ishiki watched as Kushina started throttling Naruto, yelling about how he was far too young to be learning forbidden techniques like that, with a nearly invisible bemused look. :: Well what do you know? The popcorn I packed didn't go to waste after all. It must be my lucky day:: He popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth that he'd gotten from…somewhere, watching as Kushina switched to a choke hold. He looked at Hinata from the corner of his eyes, noting her unease. He sighed, offering the bowl of popcorn to her. :: Popcorn?::

Hinata blinked, slowly reaching out and grabbing a few pieces. Han'ishiki leaned back silently, watching Naruto was placed in an arm lock as Kushina yelled in his ear. He had a lot planned for the future, he just had to hope that Naruto got the hint. Glancing at Hinata, he nodded to himself. Naruto would have his eyes opened to this girl; he'd help make sure of that.

AN: Han'ishiki is a NaruHina fan…go figure. He's also very ADHD as many people believe Naruto is. He just more random. He is Naruto's subconsciousness after all.

The first picture I described has actually been bugging me since I wrote the first chapter. Once I started writing, I had to have it in my story. The other was just a bonus that's only half done.

Now, the "Chidori Theory" that I promised last chapter. Sasuke gets curse seal, Orochimaru threatens Kakashi, Kabuto threatens Sasuke and Kakashi, Kakashi petitions to teach him to protect himself, and that's how Sasuke learns Chidori. Simple, but it would make sense. I mean, Kakashi just taught him an A-ranked jutsu, just because he wanted to? That doesn't really sound like Kakashi. Plus, now there's fandom drama; Sasuke's not learning the Chidori during the Chunin Exams! I'll go over a bit of what he learns next chapter, along with playing a little keep away with Jiraiya.

Also, Ebisu and some of the mannerisms I'm using for him come partly from an awesome fic; Chunin Exam Day by Perfect Lionheart. The story seemed repetitive at first, but the humor hooked me 'till I caught up to where it's at now.

One last thing…just an FYI that I wanted to say really; I've got more subscribers than reviews right now! That is all.

Next chapter of Word of Honor; Sweat and Blood. Training and a spin on a few known techniques for two of our favorite characters; one of said techniques showing why it's considered forbidden.