In my story, Neji is already a chunin having been promoted through a mission. It makes more sense then when everyone else becomes Chunin as there is not enough time for him to be turned Jonin... in the anime he is just turned from Chunin to Jonin in the same day which is dumb. I changed that, he is an epic ninja and a genius so I am treating him as one.

"Naruto, can you explain something to me?" Kushina asked her son's clone as it shot through the forest, eyes flickering from side to side as it searched for lunch. They had found deer tracks nearby and Kushina wanted him to start killing them to get used to taking a life, blood and violence. Her goal was to desensitize her son at least some what before his first human kill. " I know you hate Jiraiya for abandoning you as an infant and Kakashi for not training you but why is it that you still like Tsunade? She was and is technically your cousin, she knew this before hand and could have come back to raise you."

The question was so sudden and random Naruto's clone almost stumbled out of the tree. "Why do you ask?"

"I have an idea that you might not like but it depends on your answer wether or not you explain why you still like her."

Scratching his head, even as he finally saw a deer and thus started to ready himself, Naruto's clone frowned and considered his thoughts on the matter. It wasn't until the deer was dead, kicked in the head hard enough to snap it's neck, that he started to open up. "To be honest... it's because she cares. I get why she left the village, her loses were too much for her to handle. She is more Senju then Uzumaki so she probably never made the connection that we are family any more then I did until you explained it to me. Since she came back though... she actually has faith in me, treats me like a person and loves me. She can be mean and I don't like how she hits people but I like her for that... you know?"

"Hmm... I see... that's good and very mature of you Naruto. I'm proud that your not falling solely into hate." He could taste Kushina's pride, her deep well of love. "Now as for my idea... well it hit me after we helped and manipulated that Hinata girl. The basic premise is actually rather simple. I think we should tell Tsunade before I fade... and have her assign missions for you in secret afterward. After she tests your powers."

"Why? I mean I get the missions thing but why tell her at all? Wouldn't that break my cover?"

"I may hate Jiraiya but just being around him keeps you safe, so by doing it in secret we get the best of both worlds. Protection and experience for you to really get a hold of your training and master what only experience can help you with. It will also help you become Hokage by doing missions and earning experience and respect. You would do them in secret like ANBU, under guise but with the rest of your comrades. The idea is to reveal you as that disguised person and Hinata as whomever she is once you reveal your relation to Minato.

Now, before you ask, you would leave a clone with Jiraiya sealed to be resilant and fueled with Kurama's energy to keep it long term. That way you can keep the benefits of being around Jiraiya alongside your training... Tsunade can be trusted and I think that she will allow you to do this if you spar with her and show her your powers, yours and Hinata's. I saw your memories of her fight with Neji, she has a lot of potential. If she follows your advice I see her reaching Jonin level in the next six months easy. If she does missions under guise with you, you too will gain great teamwork and be better able to handle those coming after you as well as the monster who killed me."

"Huh.. that's a really good idea mom." Smiling, Naruto's clone tore open the deer's ribs with a single motion of his hands, his strength being more then enough to easily do so. " Maybe I can even participate in the next Chunin exams under guise as well, that way I can become Chunin and then Jonin through field promotion. I mean I am easily Jonin level right now. I could take on any Jonin bar maybe Gai and Kakashi and beat them in sheer skill and power. With a years worth of experience... I would be unstoppable, a real S Rank in more then just skill. I would get battle experience, real respect from the village and other ninja... I like this. Thank you!"

"I just wanted to make sure that your taken care of when I fade away. Anything that helps you is something I am welcome to try."

"""

Surgeries were only a little gross to Hinata, a part of her was actually excited to watch as Hana worked over the injured dogs. How she moved her hands, glowing blue, to stem the bleeding without opening a visible wound. The dog, knocked out with a simple jutsu and some drugs, never even flinched as it's innards were opened up and Hana moved her hands around slowly wiggling out a tumor. It had been a fascinating sight...

And while it had not be entirely easy, Hinata knew that she had found a place that she could excel at. Something that would make her unique and give her the power to fight even her father and win, to be useful to her team, to be beloved by her village, to be admired by her clan...

Her head was high as Hana, exhausted but determined, walked out of the surgery room. The Chunin turned to her, smiling roughly. "So, what do you think?"

"I can do this!" She barely managed to keep her desperation out of her voice, the all powerful stuttering ending passion burning in her chest that threatened to spill out everywhere. "When can I start?"

"Hmm... I'll tell you what. I know you are training every other day, as do most heirs, with your father so we can train on the days your not with him."

"So Saturday, Thursday and Monday leaving me Sundays to recuperate. That sounds wonderful. " And it did, Hinata felt her life coming together in a way that had never given her so much control. For the first time she looked forward to the future and knew it wouldn't be terrible to behold. She would be worthy and valued and no one not even her father could take that away from her.

"Come around Eight, that way you can finish whatever training regimen you have for yourself before you get here... actually can you do this? Will your father let you do this?"

Panic struck Hinata's heart, she had never even considered that her father might intervene... she might have fainted had it not been for a voice, that sounded a bit like Naruto's, echoing in her head. 'Who is he, the man who said he didn't care if you lived or died, to change your life. He has never cared for us so why should we do that for him? If he doesn't ask then it's not his business and besides, your in the main branch so there are no rules to what you can do in terms of training.'

Feeling empowered by that, Hinata turned to Hana with strong eyes and no stutter. " My father has no right to determine my path... he lost that right when he told Kurenai that he doesn't care if I live or die." She saw Hana's face turn white at that. " Beside, I am a genin, legally he has no rights to control what I train in... once I make Chunin I will leave my family home. He cannot legally brand me with the seal once I became a genin that would be enslaving a ninja and even clan rights cannot break that law."

Hana actually unleashed a surprisingly high sliver of killer intent for a moment before calming herself with a few deep breathes. "I... you... that bastard... you know what, screw him. We are making you the most powerful Kunoichi I can. I'll even have you join me for my training after I am done with work so you can learn medical combat and some of my personal style and I'll help you with tracking. Doesn't care if you live or die, we'll see when you whip is ugly ass won't we."

Hinata smirked a little, unable to stop herself as some satisfaction filled her. She had never told anyone that before, that she had heard her father's words about her... only Kurenai knew and cared. That someone else saw it and reacted to the wrongness of it... it changed her somehow, and made her realize that she had more worth then just being Naruto's potential girlfriend. She had to matter if someone else wanted to defend her from her father...

Right?

""""

"This is sort of fun." Hinata's clone whispered as it moved through the Kata suggestions Gai had given her. It was awkward to do them, with Byakugan activated to ensure she wasn't found, as they were so fundamentally different then anything she had ever done. Using her feet and legs for combat was foreign to her. Incorporating flips and kicks in general was weird but here she saw, doing just that. "They feel weird but less repetitive then the family jutsu."

She could almost see the changes they would make and how it would make her harder to fight. She knew that her father and Neji would never expect her to fight them with anything other then the Gentle Fist as they knew it but she would do it...

"It's more useful then the Gentle fist, I don't have to rely on my chakra for every move, just like Gai planned and for a clone that is heaven, for the real Hinata it will be a life saver since she has lower chakra levels then Neji and father."

Hinata had never noticed that glaring weakness in herself and in the Gentle Fist before but when the strange Taijutsu master had explained it, it had seemed so obvious. The glaring hole in her family's style... take away their chakra with a seal or poison and any one of them would lose a fight with almost anyone.

"Father will not know what hit him... and neither will Hinabi… oh Kami, I will have to fight her first won't I?" The clone stopped her movements as the realization hit her. The mere notion of hurting Hinabi killed her. She knew that she could easily beat her sister at this point, she just never tried to keep her safe and without that damn seal... to keep her from suffering her father's wrath and abuse.

Could she risk hurting her?

"Yes we can... I love Hinabi but father has chosen her to lead, even if I beat her he will not change that. Maybe the loss will be good for her too... she has never suffered a loss outside of father anyway..." Hinata knew that if one thing was absolutely clear to her it was the power of a loss to teach you something. Neji had proven that when Naruto defeated him...

"Then it is decided... we will fight her... and defeat her … in one month, once I get my style on it's feet. I need to keep a clone training... no... two clones training in it at all times. I can have another clone reading up so that when our chakra grows to allow more clones to be used then we can train in jutsu… maybe the real Hinata can do some Ninjutsu and Genjutsu training since she has more chakra then we clones do... yes, that sounds right... " She stopped. "No... we need to study sealing... alright... the clone will study and practice seals. We can worry about jutsu at night, reading before bed and trying them for at least an hour day... yes... that sounds better. This way we can work on saving the branch family and get ourselves powerful. Besides we will be learning healing from Hana so that will take up a lot of chakra s it is... and with this new training regime we will be getting better and taijutsu and much faster especially with those weights I bought the real Hinata... yes... that's better. Sealing with the clone, two training taijutsu, the real Hinata learning healing, tracking, Medical taijutsu, family jutsu and practicing lightly with other jutsu… it is going to be exhausting but we can do it."

Satisfied beyond measure, even if uncomfortable with the notion of hurting her sister, Hinata's clone buried itself in more training, happy and hopeful to one day do enough to show her family just where it failed her.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

Next arc, fighting the Yami and Hinata's growth!

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.