A/N: I get disappointingly few responses to my request for help on the petition. When over 200 people read each of my chapters I expect more than 2 people to try to help. I understand that many of you are busy, and that maybe some of you don't trust me (though I have no idea what I could do with your e-mail address and site name) but please, if you want me to continue writing, help me out here. In the end, I hope that the reason I got so few responses was that you have signed the petition elsewhere. Thanks to those of you for whom that is the case.

Also, the request is still out for fan art. It has a new aspect now though. An incentive if you will. If you send me a drawing I will write a chapter to go with that drawing. Sounds good ne? And I will still create a site to post any art that I get. So um please? I really do want to see what you can do.

One more thing. There might not be a chapter tomorrow because of exhaustion. Fair warning.

Thorns

This was it. The moment that she had spent the past three months preparing for. It was true that others had volunteered for this mission, but in the end she was the one who was best suited for it. There were some who were stronger than her (though not many), and some with better assassination techniques, but there were none who could match her balance of strength and stealth. This mission required both of those in spades.

The mission was to eliminate the leader of a hidden village. The village was the Hidden Sound. The leader was Yakushi Kabuto, the former right hand man of the now dead Orochimaru, and a traitor of the leaf. He was strong. Perhaps not as strong as the kages of the main hidden villages and certainly not as powerful as Naruto or Gaara, but he would be a difficult fight for almost anyone. One doesn't survive long as the leader of a village without being strong, especially not one with as much internal strife as the Sound.

It had been exceedingly difficult for her to get this far. She had had to sneak into the village, avoiding detection the whole time. Her byakugan had been very helpful in this endeavor. Being able to see through walls had allowed her to know when it was safe to advance, and allowed her to strike targets from around corners when they just wouldn't get out of her way.

Stealth was one of her specialties though, and it had gotten her this far with relatively little difficulty. Now he was within her sights, and she was waiting for the most opportune moment to strike down this despicable man. This man who had betrayed his village. This man who had served one of the most evil men ever. This man that was now plotting to once again try to bring down the Leaf. This man that had nearly killed her Naruto-kun. Normally she detested actually taking someone's life. If there was any way that she could end a fight without ending a life she would take it. This time was different though. There would be no escape for him. He would die for his misdeeds, and he would die by her hands.

He sat in the dimly lit main hall of his headquarters. His chin rested in his palm as he stared off into space. His grayish-white bangs hung loosely in front of his eyes. The lenses of his glasses reflecting what little light was available. It seemed like he was contemplating something. Hinata couldn't help but think that it must be something about his conspiracy against the Leaf. Suddenly he chuckled. Steadily it grew in volume until it echoed throughout the chamber. And as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Without turning his head, he spoke.

"You can come out now. I know you're there."

Plan one: Stealth, had failed. Abandoning that, she charged from her hiding place. Reaching the chair Kabuto was seated in under a second, she thrust the kodachi she had recieved from Tenten through the back of it. He was surprised by her speed and power, if had been any slower in exiting his seat he would have been impaled on the blade that now existed where his heart had just been. Without wasting a movement she pulled the blade from where it was embedded and rushed at her opponent again. He was ready this time, as the green chakra glowing around his hands attested. She was more ready this time as well. As she ran she brandished the kodachi in one hand, drawing the hilt back behind her head with the point facing the spectacled man. As soon as she was within range she drove the tip towards his throat. His reaction time and movements were flawless as he used the fingers of one hand to push the blade away and too the ground. He stepped on the edge, ripping the hilt from her hands. He snapped back upright attempting to backhand her in the face. With ultimate grace she arched away from the blow, linking that into a backflip she kicked him in the chin. Her hands hit the ground in such a way that her right hand was back on the handle of her kodachi, and with him no longer standing on it she carried it back up with her. And then she was back on her feet, a confident smirk on her face. Kabuto was up again as well and he used his thumb to wipe away a trickle of blood that had escaped the corner of his mouth. He cocked his head to the side, cracking his neck in the process. He returned her smirk.

"It seems I have underestimated you."

She lowered herself into a ready position as he spoke. Realization dawned on his face, and he pointed his finger at her shaking it slightly.

"You. I know you. You're Naruto-kun's wife aren't you?" His smile broadened. "This could be fun."

Her pale eyes narrowed in anger even as the veins leading to them bulged with increased chakra flow.

"You have no right to use that name."

He quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Ooo, touchy. And just what do you plan to do about it?"

Actions spoke louder than words as she charged him again, kodachi in front of her ready to strike. He attacked first this time, lunging forward and to the side or the outstretched weapon. He aimed a punch at her face, green chakra blazing. It missed by under an inch as she deftly moved her head to the side. His fist hit her hair, but apparently the chakra scalpel has no effect on hair. Quickly she brought her kodachi around, forcing Kabuto to roll out of the way. Unlike the chakra scalpel the kodachi does work on hair, as was evidenced by the few grayish-white hairs that slowly floated to the ground behind the blade. Kabuto was fast to regain his feet and turned to face the lavender-eyed girl that was already running at him once more. This time she led with her open palm, and knowing how dangerous the gentle fist style is if it connects he dodged nimbly to the side. It was not, however, nimble enough to dodge the blade that was arcing towards him now, at least not completely. The razor sharp steel cut sharply into his arm. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was long and it was bleeding profusely, not to mention that it hurt a lot. Swiftly he ran his palm over the wound, sealing it closed with an infusion of healing chakra. He winced slightly as he did so. Healing always hurt, but it was much better than leaving an open wound. Hinata was not about to just let him take the time to heal though. Quickly she set upon him again, swinging her sword with practiced movements as she thrust her palm forward between swings. Kabuto found that he was only able to dodge the strikes without any opportunity to attack back.

Eventually he was able to put some distance between himself and the very angry kunoichi. They both stood facing each other, breathing heavily. He had a few nicks and cuts on his body from the onslaught but nothing that was worth wasting chakra on. They could wait for later. He silently reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a small pill. Casually he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it. Hinata's eyes went wide at what she saw. Almost immediately the chakra in her opponent's body nearly doubled, some of it coming off of him like wisps of fire. He grinned as he pulled a kunai from it's holster, twirling it cooly around his right index finger.

"Well, it's been fun, but I think it's time we end this."

Hinata crouched, preparing for the assault she knew was coming. She was barely in position when he dashed forward. His kunai approached her head in a high arc, only to be met by flat of her kodachi. With his free hand he tried to punch her in the gut, but she was well aware of the danger that came with the chakra scalpel and pulled her stomach back out of range. This action left her off balance though, and that was all the opening Kabuto needed to plant his foot into her unprotected chest. The blow sent her careening backwards, slamming into a pillar that cracked under the impact. She winced as she slid to the floor. She was far from done though, and was quickly back on her feet. Kabuto was right next to her as she stood, jabbing her left bicep with his blade of chakra. The muscles were cut clean through and Hinata yelped at the pain. The pain did not cause her to lose her concentration and she quickly leapt to the center of the room. She sheathed her kodachi and used her newly free hand to stitch the muscle back together with the help of a wave of warm green chakra. Behind his glasses Kabuto's eyes opened wide with surprise. She smirked at his reaction.

"You're not the only med-nin around you know?"

Kabuto just shrugged before renewing his attack. She was much more prepared this time. When he was within five feet of her he suddenly drew her kodachi and began to spin.

"Kaiten!"

The whirling blue chakra combined with the razor sharp steel was devestating. The blade cut deep into his abdominal muscles even as he was flung back into one of the room's many pillars. Unlike when he had been fighting with Naruto he had not had the time to focus chakra into his stomach to regenerate from the injury. And so he sat, slumped against the pillar, rapidly gathering the chakra into his hands to heal himself. He didn't have the time. Hinata was upon him before he had a chance to even begin healing. Fiercely she plunged her kodachi through his right hand, pinning it to the ground. He cursed his stupidity for not expecting that attack from her. He had been so angry that she had healed herself that he ignored all that he had learned about the Hyuuga fighting style. Defensively, he swung his left arm around. If he could get her to back off for a moment he could still have a chance. No luck. She caught his wrist mid swing with her left hand, and then used her right hand to jab at the tenketsu in his arm, effectively ending his ability to move it. She shook her head at the now helpless man before her.

"You should never have threatened Konoha again. We were going to let you live."

She tapped him lightly above each eye, disconnecting the flow of chakra to his eyes and eyelids. They slowly slid closed, not that it mattered since he was blind for now anyways.

"Now sleep."

She pulled back her right hand, palm open. All of a sudden she slammed it forward into his chest, directly above his heart. All the regeneration in the world doesn't matter if you can't get the chakra where it needs to be. And so ended the life of one Yakushi Kabuto, head of the Hidden Village of the Sound, traitor of the Leaf.

A/N: Hinata as an beat down artist. You wanted it. You got it.

Dark16: Welcome to the raging hobo reviewers gang. Glad to have you on board. I'm oh so happy that I've earned a convert with my little ball of nuttiness. Keep reading. Keep loving.

Dragon Man 180: The dog's name is um something. I'll come up with it later. And the sand doesn't need Gaara around to function. It's infused with his chakra.

Jays Arravan: I'm liked greased lightning. What's the mistake? I looked it over and couldn't find one. Glad you liked the kids names. I put a fair amount of thought into them.

Aloi-chan: You know the Uzumaki's are studs.

thestoneox: Thanks. And more there shall be. You didn't miss it. I didn't write a chapter where he tells her about the Kyuubi. I'm not entirely sure I could do anything different than what everyone else has done. Then again, maybe I can...

hopeless-flame: I want that gift too. I would play with that all the time. I have plans for Kanai. He's no more perverted than Naruto. Take that as you will.

Firedude328: Fair enough.

Madnarutofan (): The kids are fun. I enjoy writing them. They expand the story nicely too.

RawD: Kanai good times. I hope so too. If they do I'll have to re post it sans responses, and thats no fun.

ShinobiFighter101: They are indeed threatening us like that. I dont know why, but they are. Don't know why it says that (others didnt have a problem) anways it's sullaaar at msu dot com . Thanks for your help.

Anime/Manga lubber (): It makes the world turn. In the end reviews equal happiness for everyone.

kirarahinoneko: Welcome to the reviewers gang. I'm very pleased that you're enjoying it. It's nice to know we have the same ideas about Gaara. He's a nut job but a funny and friendly one. The kids names are mentioned in the authors notes at the end of the chapter this is true for all of the kids except Natsuki and Ami because I didn't make those up myself. Instead I got those from outside sources. I tried very hard to remain true to how they are in the real story. Glad you feel ive succeeded. And I took the name from other fics too so I can't get upset about you using it. It's the natural abbreviation anyways. Keep reading. Keep loving.

Danny-171984: Everyone loves a party. Sake at a 4 year olds birthday party though? Seems a bit iffy. Age/time jumping is something you shoudl have grown to expect by now. It helps me keep the ideas flowing by not restricting me. I haven't forgotten about your request, and I'll probably get around to it eventually. I just don't feel like it right now. I've got other ideas to use at the moment.