A/N: Start of my faux-filler arc. I say it's only faux-filler because I plan on answering a lot of questions in this arc, as well as set up many more things in future.

Summary: To be a Jinchuuriki, a container to one of The Nine, beings with the power to shape the world. More than just a state of being, The Power of Sacrifice is a process. Does being a demon make me any less human? No one is born a monster, are they[NaruxHina

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…I don't even own the computer I'm using to post this

Key: Normal "Speech" 'Thoughts' "Demon/Inner Speech"'Demon thoughts' /animal 'speech'/ Sound Effects/Illusions "Enchanting voice" "Enchanting Demonic Voice"

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Chapter 38

Chronicles of the Sun: prelude

The fox works to expand the sunny place, who in turn, works to enlighten the fox, and all become greater. The fox then dances with the hawk and blossom, but in the end the hawk stands triumphant. The dolphin and young leaf discuss the past and future with the fox, but the fox is forced to attend to the sun's chosen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Ten seconds until I reach the target…' Smirking, Naruto silently procured a fuuma shuriken from his pocket seal, his eyes never leaving his goal.

'Target is asleep, and appears to be unguarded' He nodded to himself, his nose twitching slightly as it took in his surroundings.

'Here I go!' Drawing his arm back, he hurled the tool with all his might, only to cringe as it let out a painful whistling sound.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!" With a terrific cry, a previously unnoticed guard hurled himself in front of the incoming steel. The blade cleaved cut through the would-be saviour's chest, but the deed was done, and Naruto's attack had been effectively halted. Snarling, Naruto brought out a second weapon, Keiri; Momochi Zabuza's oversized Kubikiri Houchou (Decapitating Knife).

Charging, Naruto made to fulfil the zanbatou's purpose and cleave through his waking target's neck. All too soon, his target's eyes flashed open, his mouth twisted into a crooked grin…and a second later, his head left his body to explore exciting new career opportunities as a raven's next meal.

'That was way too close…' Naruto sighed, returning the blade to it's home in his hip. Letting a self-satisfied smirk flicker across his face, the blonde shinobi leant back against a nearby tree, his hands held relaxedly behind his head.

'…Hmmm…it's sunrise…' Looking up, he was just able to catch a glimpse of the moons setting over the horizon.

'…Oh…fuck'As the moon and it's doppelganger set, the tree Naruto was leaning against revealed itself to be a rather cheeky youko, bearing red eyes and a fanged grin.

'How could I let myself get caught by Tsukinijuushin no Jutsu (Art of the Moon Doppelganger)?! I can perform it in my sleep!! Oh…'

Three tails of ethereal crimson sprang out, entrapping the blonde shinobi in their grasp.

"Didn't really think I'd be that easy, did you?" The fox asked, cocking its head to the side in a triumphant grin. Naruto just scowled as the tails squeezed tighter, one around his legs, and one around each arm; preventing any form of movement whatsoever. Glancing up, he noticed a glint of gold as what must have been the youko's accomplice made his appearance, a spinning sphere of chakra contained within his right hand.

"Fu-"

"RASENGAN!!" The devastating technique made short work of the Kage Bunshin, reducing it to compressed air and chakra immediately upon contact. As the second clone dispersed himself, Naruto closed his eyes as he went over the entire scenario through four different sets of eyes.

'Note to self; Fuuma Shuriken really bad idea for stealth assassinations…unless I could do something about the noise…it seems I still can't distinguish between the scent of just me, and the scent of me and my clones either…on the plus side, that Rasengan was formed half a second faster than last time, and contained three more directions. Just leaves 43 more directions to go until I got a flawless one' Nodding to himself, Naruto held his left hand over his right and formed another Rasengan, the burnt shape of a leave showing up clearly in his find. The self-inflicted wound had finally healed over, however it had left a nasty looking black scar where it had been. Fortunately for the spiral enthusiast, it retained its original shape, meaning it still served its purpose as a focal point.

In a few scant seconds, a miniature maelstrom of pure chakra sat just above his palm, a handful of leaves swirling around its edge. The Kyuubi-heir's tails flicked merrily as he gazed into the orb.

"Naruto-kun?" Surprised at the sudden sound, Naruto jumped, the deadly globe of chakra slipping off his hands to land rather heavily into the ground, dissipating quickly, but not before leaving a decent sized hole in the forest floor alarmingly close to theblonde's foot.

"GWAAH!" Hinata blinked as the object of her affections landed in front of her, bare naked and bouncing wildly from one foot to the other…bouncing

And then it all went black.

X

"Hinata! Hinata!" Naruto yelled, shaking the unconscious Hyuuga back and forth in an attempt to wake her up. It had been two weeks since Naruto had arranged with the girl to train together at sunrise, and almost every single day the same thing happened. He supposed it would save time if he just stopped sleeping naked, but when you couldn't be sure what species you would wake up as, clothes were an obvious hindrance he could do without. If it happened during missions, then he probably would have actually been concerned on the matter, but since he only seemed to sleep-shift in the (relative) safety of the forest of death, the blonde simply chose to do without. Of course now that he had a very impressionable girl coming to his den every morning it might warrant a change…but old habits were so hard to break.

"Hinata-chan!" The now-pants wearing blonde called, starting to get desperate. He knew over fifteen techniques that were guaranteed to wake up a sleeping woman, but all of them inevitably required the removal ofher pants.

"Mmm…don't put the strawberries there!" She moaned, her eyes flickering open. For his part, Naruto had the decency to blush, but not before making a discreet mental note.

'Fruitsuper fun-fun'

Of course, when the girl had first turned up, after receiving the ambiguous message of 'meet up at (that hot blonde thing's) place for more 'training'' from a disturbingly perverted six-year-old sister, it was no wonder Hinata always turned up with ripe fruit on the brain.

"Great, you're awake. Are you okay?" Naruto asked, lifting the girl to her feet.

"Hai, I-I'm…fine." She muttered, shaking her head to dispel the lingering images from her mind.

"Great, lets get to it!" Naruto grinned, leaping back and forming a handseal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In an instant, Hinata was surrounded by untold numbers of blonde genin, each one releasing a formidable killing intent. Hinata let a slight grin grace her face as she assumed a stance somewhat different from the standard Jyuuken. Activating her Byakugan, she took in the full scope of her surroundings.

'…How thoughtful, Naruto-kun has thrown in some more clones' With a terrific cry, they struck. Instantly, the girl stepped back and spun around, her palm striking dead centre on a clone's chest. Without turning, both her arms shot out behind her, and struck out another pair of clones. Spinning to the right, she quickly took out three advancing clones in rapid succession, before deftly stepping out of the way of a sudden volley of shuriken.

"Nice dodge, Hinata-chan!" The girl ignored the urge to reply, she'd learnt the hard way that the boy was not above using compliments mid-battle as a distraction, even if they were earnest.

'Two to the left, three behind, one above, left and right, front, front, left, behind, right, below?' Without even shifting her momentum, Hinata danced aside as another clone burst from the ground beneath her, her swift hands making short work of the would-be sneak attacker.

Naruto couldn't help but grin as he sent his army at the girl, his chest swelling with pride. The first week they had been training had been strictly one on one, and even then the blonde had all but overwhelmed her. By the end of the first week, however, she had improved drastically, until by the start of the second week Naruto had less than a fifty chance of beating her in taijutsu alone. By that point, he'd decided to take things up a notch and began having her fighting against multiple opponents at once. Now, towards the end of the second week, she was managing to beat back his Tajuu Kage Bunshin, Naruto was actually finding himself running out of tricks that would work, especially against her Byakugan.

'Hehe, if she keeps up this pace, I think I might start brining my youki into our spars' Grinning, he quickly conjured more clones, before shifting himself into a fuuma shuriken.

Hinata back-stepped as the giant blades came screaming towards her, her mind racing though her possible options.

'It might just be a fuuma shuriken, it might have a weak explosive note on the back, it might be a clone, or it might be a distraction…'Making her decision, Hinata struck the blade out of the air, before quickly sidestepping away from the projectile, spinning around to take out the trio of clones approaching her.

'Too easy Naruto-kun' She smiled sympathetically as the clones dispersed in a puff of smoke. She might have relaxed, had she not caught sight of the remaining blonde behind her.

'It wasn't a clone!?' Spinning around, she caught a glimpse of chakra spinning wildly in the blonde's hand.

"Get ready!!" As the Kyuubi-heir came barrelling towards her, she had barley enough time to gather enough chakra.

"RASENGAN!"
"HAKKESHOU KAITEN!!"

The clearing was filled with a brilliant blue light at the two techniques clashed, stray chakra and sheer centrifugal force tearing up the ground beneath their feet, a tornado of leaves swirling around them. The pair clenched their teeth as they poured all their chakra into their techniques, each struggling to outdo the other with everything they had; it was only a matter of moments until one of them gave way.

"GWAAAAAH!"

CRUNCH

"Itai" Naruto groaned as he slid down the tree-trunk, his right hand bending off at a weird angle. With another groan, he struggled to his feet, before gripping his right wrist in his remaining hand.

"This might sting…" With an audible crunch he snapped the wounded joint back into place, a soft red glow encompassing his wrist as his youki got to work healing the injury.

"Hinata-chan?" Looking up, the blonde saw the dark-haired girl come to a stop from her technique. She staggered forward a few steps before suddenly falling backwards, unable to cope with the extended rotation she had just undergone; her fall stopping only as a pair of hands caught her by the arms.

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Naruto gazed adoringly at the sleeping Hyuuga in his arms, the pair of them propped up against a tree at the edge of the clearing, the girl's head resting against his chin, and her legs parallel with his. His arms were wrapped rather possessively around her waist, and his tails lay splayed out alongside them. A silly grin adorned his face as he thought about the match. No matter which way he looked at it, she had beaten him fair and square. There was something undeniably satisfying about that fact that Hinata, his Hinata, a tingle shooting up his spine as he thought about the notion, was able to best him, and he knew he was no push over. Still, ever the vigilant shinobi, he pondered over how and why he lost.

'I figured she'd defend with Kaiten…I got through Neji's Kaiten with less effort than that though…then again, I used youki against him…no, that's not it. Their techniques differ…against Neji, it was like hitting a brick wall, everything was going in straight lines; I went straight forward, and if I didn't I would have been flung straight back…Hinata-chan's though…it was like hitting a waterfall…there was no-where near as much resistance so to speak…but in the end, I got carried away by the current and was flung to aside…Hehe, beaten out by a superior spiral…although if the Rasengan hit from above, then I might be able to get through…but then I'd risk demolishing her head, and no amount of demon blood could fix that…'

'The mate is strong…better not let her overtake you…otherwise control becomes impossible' Naruto frowned.

'I don't want to control Hinata-chan'

'What you don't want is a mate that defies you'

'Why would Hinata-chan defy me?'

'Who knows? But it is better to be prepared than caught unawares'

'…You're saying I need to keep control for when it counts'

'Of course if it's obvious, then the mate may start to feel trapped…'

'You just want to get Hinata-chan to cosplay don't you?' Naruto accused, pointing a mental finger at the demonic aspect.

'There is no me, only you' His Oni-Zenshin reminded him, Naruto just fumed silently.

'Its…so warm' without opening her eyes, the Hyuuga girl took in as much of her surroundings as possible. Noting the feel of the forest beneath her feet, the soft breeze blowing through her hair, the snug body pressed up against her, and the noticeable sound of a heartbeat, she quickly deduced her position.

'Naruto-kun…'Noting the relative lightness she felt upon her own body, and the softness of the body behind her, she also concluded that neither her, nor the blonde were wearing their jackets,

'Must have taken them off after training…' Instantly, the girls mind swam with images of the boy she adored undressing her helpless form, his matted hair clinging to his face as his breath became that much more laboured and…

"Hinata-chan, you're thinking perverted thoughts again, aren't you?" Instantly, the girl's eyes snapped open, revealing two cheerful blue orbs and an upside-down grin.

"I-ie! W-w-what makes you say that?" She stammered, desperately trying to cover up her guilt.

"It's no good, you little perv, you've got blood trickling down your nose" The fox-boy laughed, causing the girl's hands to shoot straight to her face to cover up.

"…So mean…" She pouted, hastily wiping away the telltale trickle. Naruto just laughed.

"Your form is improving" He said, causing the girl to blush further.

"N-Naruto-kun!!"

"Ehehe, I meant your Taijutsu"

"…Oh" The girl muttered, almost disappointedly.

"No, really. You look like you're dancing out there, I don't think I could ever move like that"

"Iie, I'm sure anyone could learn it," She muttered bashfully. Truth be told, the Taijutsu form she was using wasn't all she made it out to be. As far as Naruto believed, it was just her own adaptation of the Jyuuken stance, customised to suit her build and fighting style. In reality, it was the first step to a technique she was working on. Every morning, she worked on the stance and footwork with Naruto, then every evening she worked on the technique itself with her team, then every night she worked at melding the two together. If she had to guess, she would say she was a bit over 2/3rds getting the whole technique usable, and full 6/8ths away from actually perfecting to what she was aiming for. Still, if she could get it to the usable stage that would be enough. She was hoping to surprise the blonde once she got it down, and if at all possible impress him.

"You think? I mean, just imagine two people using your style against one another; it'd look…dream-worthy…" The Kyuubi-heir trailed off, his mind racing with possibilities.

'There would be music. An orchestra! Atop a moonlit lake at midnight…illuminated by fireflies…a grand performance!'

Hinata said nothing, instead choosing to enjoy the pair's intimate position a little while longer before they had to get up again.

"So, ready for round two?" Naruto grinned,

'…' With a demure sigh, the daughter of Hiashi relented, allowing the blonde to lift her up from her peaceful position.

'Naruto-kun…you will pay for disturbing our moment!' She scowled to herself, trying to ignore the irate itching sensation that seemed to have arisen between her shoulder blades.

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With an utmost cheerful grin, Naruto walked up to his two teammates, he couldn't help it. There was something about sparring with Hinata that was just so…invigorating, for two hours they had continued to train, and after each match it never took either of them more than ten or so minutes to recover.

'I guess my blood has had a few bonus side effects' He chuckled to himself, of course the girl had been training hard, it was only natural for her stamina to increase, but still…of course, she was no-where near Naruto's own ungodly level of endurance, but with more red meat and carbohydrates (read: live game, and ramen), he was certain she would be able to run with the best of them in no time at all.

"Why are you so cheerful then? You look like you just got named Hokage" Sakura asked, hopping of the bridge's railings.

"Nothing, just enjoying the afterglow of the great night I had with Sasuke-kun" The blonde jested, holding his hands behind his head and flashing the girl a cheeky grin. When the kunoichi just gave an exasperated sigh, and Sasuke full on ignored him, the fox-boy inwardly cursed.

'I guess the jokes gone old…I guess its time for something new…'Closing his eyes in deep concentration, the Kyuubi-heir fell silent as he focused on his senses. If he were to pull of what he had planned, then it would require the utmost precise planning.

'…Wait for it…wait for it…now!' There was a poof of smoke, and instantly the man known as Hatake Kakashi appeared at the end of the bridge.

"Yo-"

"YOU BASTARD, YOU GOT ME PREGNANT!!" before he could even finish, the copy-nin was confronted by young, voluptuous, blonde haired, young, smooth skinned, and very heavily pregnant young girl. Did I mention she was young?

"I…that is…she…you did…legal age!!" He sputtered, slowly backing away from the advancing girl with both his hands held up in a feeble effort to keep the furious teen away.

"Boo"

"GAAAAAHH!!" For a split second, the girl's eyes flashed red, and the man fell flat on his backside.

"BWAHAHAHAHAH!! You should have seen the look on your stupid face!!" Naruto bellowed, his form shifting away to reveal his normal form. Kakashi stared deadpanned at the boy, resisting the urge to lift his headband and impale the brat on a Raikiri enhanced Sennen Goroshi. Glancing at his other two students, he was disappointed to see Sakura barley stifling a fit of giggles, and Sasuke's sharingan discreetly fading away into his normal black.

'Great, now he's got the image imprinted in his brain forever…' With a dignified cough, he steadily rose, pausing to brush the dirt off his pants, before standing at full height.

"Ishould set a month's worth of d-rank missions for that," He began, his eyes devoid of all traces of humour. His three students gulped. "I could even charge you all with insubordination, and conspiring against a senior shinobi" He continued, smiling with glee behind his mask. "If I tried, I bet I could even argue treason, which would be enough grounds for me to execute you here and now…but instead, I'm going to have you punish each other for me." He smiled evilly, rubbing his hands together in delight.

"What?"

"A three-way battle royal. The winner gets off Scot free, the losers…well that's a surprise" He smiled, before clapping his hands together. Similar thoughts raced through each of his student's minds.

'Whatever he's planning…I bet it's something perverted…'

'Shannaro! I can't afford to lose!'

'…I don't even want to think about what he has planned…'

'It would do good to establish your dominance over the other two, prove who is alpha'

'I don't care, it was soo worth it'

'You should be more concerned that you're becoming predictable, if it should happen again, you'd best drown in your own shame'

The group moved to their training area, the three stumps behind tem serving as a reminder for their sensei's whimsical ways. Steeling themselves, they formed a rough triangle, trying to stare down both their opponents at the same time, Naruto going cross-eyed in the process.

"Okay, this is just a practice spar, no need to do anything drastic. If I say you're out, you're out" Kakashi instructed, himself sitting lazily atop one of the thick training posts.

'As it happens, this is pretty convenient for me as well, since I missed their matches in the chuunin exam, and haven't actually seen any of them in a serious fight since then. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a hint of what Naruto and Sakura have learned…that and Sasuke has seemed like he needs to blow some steam for the past few weeks'

"Begin"

Immediately, Sasuke launched a quick barrage of shuriken at Sakura, before performing a small Shunshin towards Naruto. He drew back his fist to strike, only to suddenly find a clone in front of him, and was sent sprawling by a kick to the chest. Instantly, the original suddenly ducked as a kunai whizzed past his head, before throwing up his arms to guard against Sakura's chakra laced punch.

'Gah! They hurt even more than they used to!' Leaping aside from another heavy blow, the blonde conjured up another pair of clones. Grabbing them both by the wrists, he spun around before hurling them at his pink-haired teammate. Scowling, she drove her fists into the clone's head as they approached, dispelling them, before charging once again at the blonde. For his part, Naruto was already defending against an aggressive assault courtesy of Sasuke. Noticing his second attacker out of the corner of his eye, Naruto let a smirk slip onto his face.

'They think they can get me two on one? I go through worse than that after breakfast'Taking a step back, Naruto threw down a smoke bomb. Concealed by the smokescreen, the pair suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of about two-dozen shuriken each. Sakura deftly performed Kawarimi, while Sasuke immediately activate his sharingan, and beat back the projectiles with a kunai. Glancing at her teammate, Sakura also pulled out a kunai, before charging at the dark-haired youth. The Uchiha calmly met her attack blow for blow, before managing to strike the blade from her hands. Cursing, she leapt backwards, before flashing through a volley of handseals.

"Uchinaru Sakura: Uragaeshi (Inner Sakura: Inside-Out" The girl momentarily slumped, letting out a maniacal laugh.

"HAHA! SHANNARO!!" Drawing another kunai, the adrenaline pumped kunoichi charged, only to suddenly find her attack blocked by a much larger blade. Between Sakura and Sasuke stood Naruto, An unfurled fuuma shuriken in each hand, with which he held off the attack of both his teammates. Immediately, the three broke out into an intense clash of blades; with Sasuke's sharingan giving him a distinct advantage, however doing little to help him against the sheer brute strength his opponents were exhibiting. Cursing as his kunai suddenly snapped under the pressure, the Uchiha deftly leapt back, before flashing through some handseals.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Art of the Mythical Fire-Phoenix)!" This two teammates sprang away as a barrage of fireballs shot past them. Taking advantage, Sasuke leapt at Sakura, and Naruto soon joined him. Cursing, Inner-Sakura struggled to hold them off as Outer-Sakura frantically analysed their attacks for any sign of opening. Cursing, she quickly performed another Kawarimi, landing on a nearby tree, and immediately flashing into some handseals.

'Now's my only chance' Just as she was about to begin her technique, her tool pouch suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by grinning blonde.

"Have a nice flight!" The Kyuubi-heir slapped an explosive note on the branch beside her, before leaping away. Frantically, the pink-haired Nin was only just able to cancel her technique in time to perform another Kawarimi before the tree was reduced to a smoking pile of ashen timber.

"SHANNARO! You tryin' to kill me!?" She demanded, only to suddenly feel cold steel slide past her neck, drawing the faintest trickle of blood. Had he chosen so, he could easily have applied a little more pressure to the blade, and Sakura would have bled significantly more than a tickle.

"I just did" Sasuke smirked, pushing the girl unceremoniously out from her hiding place.

"Haruno Sakura just had her throat slit, and died!" Kakashi called out, in almost grim humour. Scowling, the girl made her way over to the training posts to join her sensei in observation.

"Oi, Usuratonkatchi (Total Moron)! I know where you're hiding" The Uchiha goaded, his sharingan staring straight at the Kyuubi-heir as he cursed from within a bush.

"Hey, Teme, your fly's undone" Naruto shot back, emerging from his hiding place confidently. From the sidelines, Kakashi tensed in case he had to make any sudden moves.

Bearing identical smirks, the two rivals charged at each other, an almost insane joy pulsing through them.

'This will be fun'As they charged, the pair both flashed through some handseals, before launching their attacks.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu (Art of the Great Fireball)!" As the fireball came coursing towards him, Naruto leapt into the air, soaring over the attack before launching his own technique.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" The Uchiha performed a quick Shunshin, and all eighty-one of the projectiles struck harmlessly against the ground where he had stood. A third Shunshin, and Naruto suddenly found himself kicked into the air, but before Sasuke could perform a follow-up attack, Naruto formed a cross seal, and conjured up another two-dozen shadow clones. As their momentum came to a peak, the clones paired off, and hurled one another to the ground.

"Taei-Geki Rendan! (Multi-Shadow Attack Combo)" As the clones came crashing down, a great cloud of smoke billowed out, making it impossible for the Uchiha to avoid the incoming make-shift projectiles. After being struck repeatedly, Sasuke managed to deflect another, before darting out of the smokescreen, bringing him face-to-face with his rival.

'As it is…I could probably pull off another one or two Shunshin before my muscles start to give…I think it best I end this quickly' Just as Naruto moved to strike the dark-haired youth, he was suddenly doubled over by an exceptionally fast blow to the sternum.

'Yes! This is the real one!' Immediately, Sasuke tackled the blonde to the ground, sitting himself on the boy's stomach to ensure he couldn't escape. Flashing through three handseals, he began his most lethal technique.

"Chidori!!" There was a sudden screeching sound, followed by a muffled thump as the Uchiha's hand plunged into the ground beside Naruto. Had he chosen so, he could have just as easily destroyed his heart.

"Uzumaki Naruto was just impaled by a Chidori, and died" Kakashi called, out. With a smug grin, Sasuke deactivated his sharingan.

"I'm not dead yet!!" Naruto demanded, struggling against the weight of the taller boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto was impaled by a Chidori, and now lays dying on the battlefield," Kakashi corrected, rolling his eye.

"I'm getting better"

"Uzumaki Naruto, who, just as he seemed was about to recover, suddenly felt the icy black hands of death upon him"

Nodding to his sensei, Sasuke stood up, off his teammate, and immediately delivered a hard kick to the blonde's ribs, before poking him experimentally with his toe.

"Oh dear, it seems he's died" The Uchiha called out casually, before walking away from the injured fox-boy.

XXX

After Naruto had recovered, Team Seven sat atop a post each as their sensei went over their match.

"Well, that was interesting. First off, Sakura."

"Hai"

"The technique Inoichi taught you seems most interesting, I'm not sure how it works, but he explained the gist of it. However, if you want to use it to your full potential, I'm afraid you're going to have to work on your Taijutsu a bit more, particularly in terms of raw strength. Although enhancing your attacks with chakra can be very effective, it would be that much more effective if your strikes were already strong to begin with" The one-eyed Nin explained. Sakura nodded dutifully, but said nothing.

"I'm impressed by how quickly you were able to perform Kawarimi no Jutsu at the spur of the moment, but as Sasuke showed, you need to work on your guesswork, and anticipation, also, you don't quite seem to grasp all the possible options you have at your disposal."

"Hai"

"Next, Naruto"

"Yeah? Yeah?"

"You've certainly become more adept at using your clones efficiently, but there's still room for improvement. Also, you seemed to be a tad too self-indulgent, prolonging the battle unnecessary, and the like. Your capacity for sheer deviousness is as evident as ever, and I noticed you seemed to side with whoever was attacking the other at the time"

"Well Teme's best at one-on-one, and I really don't want to get hit by Sakura-chan's genjutsu, so I figured I had to make them fight each other as much as possible, while I apply pressure or something" The blonde shrugged, idly wondering how long until it was lunch time.

"A sound strategy, I guess, that said, you really need to work on your defence, far too often you're leaving yourself wide open for counterattacks, and pre-emptive strikes" Kakashi explained. Naruto grumbled something about self-healing, but nodded anyway.

'I didn't even get a chance to show off Rasengan…'

"And as for Sasuke" Upon hearing his name, the Uchiha immediately shot to attention. "You're getting good at Shunshin no Jutsu (Art of Body Flicker), and the rest of your skills have all-around improved as well. However, you have this nasty habit of using excessively chakra-heavy techniques, which means if you're up against someone who can dodge or block most of your attacks, you tend to run out of steam real quick. That said, you still managed to take out both Sakura, and Naruto so it looks like you've won the match" Kakashi smiled. Sasuke allowed a small, self-satisfied grin to form on his face.

'Well, at least he doesn't seem as tense as he did before' Kakashi thought to himself, unaware of just what was going on in his student's head.

'I see…the only reason Naruto defeated Gaara was his insane stamina. Had I paced myself better, then I, too, could have defeated him'

'Your so-called 'triumph' today is a joke. Uzumaki revealed nothing of what the Sannin has taught him, and neither you nor he were able to unleash your full power against one another' Sasuke's mind drifted to the malevolent purple chakra that pulsed, waiting to be called upon within his body. Just how did it compare to the burning red chakra that Naruto had used before…?

'It doesn't matter. Today was a test of skill, not power'

'There are some levels of power that no amount of skill can breach. How can you claim superiority against the unknown?'

'Enough! I have beaten that dobe, and that's final!' Ignoring the slight burning offered by the curse seal, Sasuke returned his attention to his sensei.

"Now then, onto your punishments. Naruto, Sakura since you lost, today's training has now been extended by four hours. Sasuke, as a reward, I'm going to train you for an extra four hours today" Kakashi smiled cheerfully at his genin.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well then, since you're so enthusiastic, lets get to it!"

XXXXXXXX

With a grunt, Naruto dropped himself down on his stool at Ichiraku Ramen, his happy mood from the morning waning somewhat after not only his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Uchiha prodigy, but having to put up with another four hours of Kakashi hooting 'De-Fence! De-Fence!' over and over again while attacking the blonde with a shadow clone.

"Oi! Ji-san! Four bowls of pork ramen, and keep 'em coming after that!" The blonde hollered.

"Well, well, you're hungry today" Iruka chuckled, taking a seat next to his former student.

"Naruto-Nii-San!

"Konohamaru!" The Kyuubi-heir grinned excitedly as his protégé in the perverse to the seat to the other side.

"Konohamaru did particularly well on his last test, so I offered to treat him to ramen to celebrate." The scarred Chuunin explained, before calling out "I'll have a miso please"

"Beef for me!" As the father-daughter duo got to work preparing their orders, the three talked among themselves.

"So, Iruka-sensei, Konohamaru's doing well in class then?"

"Sometimes. Other times he's almost as bad as you were, but without the subtlety" Iruka chuckled, much to the young Sarutobi's chagrin.

"Konohamaru! I'm disappointed in you" Naruto said gravely. The young boy hung his head in shame. "What's the first rule of being a shinobi?"

"Don't get caught…"

"Right!"

"Actually, it's 'loyal to the Daimyo, above all else'" Iruka interjected, earning him a sour look from his student and former student.

"Nah, I'm rewriting all the rules-ttebayo!" Naruto grinned, pointing his chopsticks at his old teacher.

"Here's your ramen" Ayame smiled, placing the bowls before their respective recipients. Smiling, Naruto procured a small, sealed jug of sake from his pocket-seal, and placed it respectfully upon the miniature shrine on the counter, before snapping his chopsticks apart.

"Itadakimasu!" With a vehement cry, the fox-boy imminently devoured his precious ramen, muttering fervent praise to Inari between each blessed mouthful.

"Itadakimasu" With a similar cheer, the blonde's two companions followed suit, albeit at a somewhat slower rate. After several moments of not-so-silent slurping, Konohamaru spoke up.

"Ne, Naruto-nii-san, you learned any super cool jutsu yet?" Ever eagre to impress, Naruto grinned.

"Oh yeah, I've learned heaps. I can turn one shuriken into almost a hundred; I can breathe this really hot fire that can practically melt through rocks, I even got this ultra-cool jutsu that can turn a tree into sawdust, and boulders into rubble." The fox-boy boasted, his hands flying into a flurry of exaggerated hand-gestures and mimed explosions.

"No way, really?"

"Come now, Naruto, surely you're exaggerating, you're still just a genin after all" Iruka interjected, much to the blonde's dismay.

"Oi, Oi, I'm telling the truth. Besides, I got to the finals in the chuunin exam didn't I? That means I'm not just any genin!"

"Okay, okay, if you say so" The chuunin yielded, knowing the folly of arguing with the blonde when he got serious. Naruto paused, before gulping down the last of his ramen and moving onto the second bowl.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei?"

"Oh? If you really are so special, then wouldn't that mean you're better than I am? It wouldn't be right for such a 'super-cool ninja' such as you to refer to a lowly academy instructor like me as 'sensei'" Iruka joked, swallowing another mouthful of the golden noodles.

"Nah, you gotta remember who got you where you are. Even when I'm Hokage, I'll still call you sensei" Naruto grinned, offering the elder man a thumbs up.

"Well, it's good to known us lowly peons are being acknowledged" Iruka smiled, appreciative of the affection the young boy bore him.

"But back to my question," Naruto said, causing the pair to look at him.

"Nani?"

"Well I was thinking, I mean, you instructor guys taught us Henge, Bushin, and Kawarimi, which don't get me wrong, their completely awesome,"

"See? Even Naruto thinks their worth learning" The chuunin muttered to his occasionally wayward student.

"But why don't you teach us any offensive jutsu? I mean, unless Kawarimi with a bomb, you can't actually beat anyone with them, they just keep you alive" The fox-boy frowned, mulling over the problem. "I mean, couldn't they teach us just a few weaker ones? Like, how to shoot a fireball or something, y'know?" Iruka couldn't help but smile at the boy, even though he was just a genin he was already considering the things that a Hokage decided.

"Well the problem lies not in new graduates being able to defend themselves, but what happens to those that don't"

"Eh?"
"Not everyone is cut out to be a ninja, and quite a few people who don't graduate, or are failed by their jounin-sensei, have a nasty habit of giving up"

"What? Why would anyone do a thing like that?"

"Well I guess they just can't muster the effort needed. So tell me, what does it mean to have someone with shinobi training who's not a shinobi?"

"…No-ones…keeping an eye on them?" Naruto hesitated, unsure of the scenario.

"Right. These people have training and abilities not available not the common public. Of course, there's a ban on civilians practicing ninjutsu, but not everyone follows the rules"

"…They might think their better than everyone else" The blonde offered, starting to realise what his old teacher was getting at.

"Right. Now, as it is, they only know basic taijutsu, shuriken and kunai training, and a couple supplementary jutsu. Now what do you suppose would happen if they also had some offensive jutsu in their repertoire as well?"

"I think I get it. They'd be a lot harder for civilians to defend against"

"Exactly. So we limit what we teach them to help hinder any would-be spiteful dropouts"

"I still think there's a better way" Naruto grumbled, gulping down more ramen.

"Well it's up to your sensei to teach you the advanced stuff, so it's not like you're missing out on anything"

"Yeah, but if the sensei didn't have to teach them all the other basic stuff, he could get straight to the intermediate"

"Hehe, well I'm sure you'll think of something" Iruka grinned, rustling the blonde's hair.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Konohamaru, you want me to show you some of my new tricks?"

"Hell yeah!" Slurping down the last of their bowls, the pair let out a synchronised gasp, before jumping from their stools.

"Thanks for the ramen Iruka-sensei"

"Yeah, please treat us again some time" The chuunin blinked at the retreating backs of the two boys before turning to the substantial pile of empty bowls beside him.

'…I think my wallet hurts' He sighed, cringing under the accusing glare of Teuchi.

'Just try and skip the bill. I dare you!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two boys found themselves secluded in a rather quiet, out of the way training area.

"Now, this technique is a super secret technique created by the Yondaime himself" Naruto grinned, holding out his hands to his side. Konohamaru watched unblinkingly in fascination. As the blonde concentrated, blue charka flowed into the space between his hands, pouring out from his fingertips into a steady, violent torrent of whirling potential destruction. Nodding to the younger boy, Naruto thrust the sphere into a nearby tree.

"Rasengan!" As he drove the ball into the wood, splinters and smoke flew everywhere, until the trunk eventually gave way, and the tree shattered,

"WOW!! That was so cool!!" The young Sarutobi exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the debris.

"Yeah, but it takes a lot of concentration, and heaps of charka, andits really complicated, it took me like a month to learn it."

"Hah, I bet I could still learn it"

"Yeah, maybe in a few years at least," Before he could continue, Naruto suddenly paused. "Hey, you hear something?"

"Hear what?"

"…sounds like…flapping?" Even as he spoke, a large silhouette came flying over the treetops into the clearing. The flying creature circled the area twice, before landing rather noisily on Naruto's shoulder. The Kyuubi-heir blinked, as he looked the bird up and down. It was a large, mottled white owl that carried itself with the dignity and grace of a specially trained avian servant.

/What want?/ The fox-boy growled, beneath his breath.

/Master white-eyes calls, asks for man-fox. You man-fox. Go to master/ The indignant bird chortled. Naruto frowned as he interpreted the unfamiliar bird-talk.

'Master white eyes…Hiashi-dono? I didn't think he'd have a job for me so quick' Having delivered its message, the owl took flight again, vanishing into the distant sky.

"Ah, gomen Konohamaru, it looks like I've been summoned. I'll have to show off some other time" The blonde called, darting out from the clearing.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The prestigious head of the Hyuuga clan sat deep in meditation as he contemplated the coming events, his highly trained eyes focused entirely on the entrance to his private chamber.

'…I won't let that 'boy' embarrass me a second time' several minutes passed, and still nothing happened, Hiashi didn't even blink, until…

"Boo" Once again, the chosen head of the Hyuuga clan found himself with a rather pointed kunai pressed uncomfortably against his lower back. A most undignified position, and the man could feel his pride tearing under the pressure.

"Might I ask how you managed to get behind me without my seeing you?" The stoic clan head demanded bristly.

"Slipt in through the ceiling" Naruto shrugged, removing the kunai before walking over and seating himself before the white-eyed man.

"…This complex doesn't have ventilation ducts…" Hiashi said slowly, dreading the explanation that would surely to come

"Eh? I just dug a hole to crawl through, and popped out just over there" Naruto explained, pointing to a rather prominent hole that had been torn through the ceiling behind him. For his part, Hiashi tried not to cringe at the damages, instead he wonder exactly how he could explain it to the repairmen.

"I got your owl. Weird accent on it" The fox-boy muttered,

'…racoons…yes...I'll say some raccoons got in...'

"Indeed." Not knowing how a bird could have an accent, the man changed topics "I have summoned you here, because I have a task for you…" Hiashi started, and his willing servant leaned forward to listen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: What is Naruto's secret mission? Find out next update.

Also, I more or less gave up on –ttebayo a while back…but it seemed like the only thing to throw in there…I don't know…Pyro says I should start using it again…but it doesn't sound right on lines that don't end with a vowel (which is most sentences in English don't)…