*******
"Damn you talk too much!" Naruto spat as his body multiplied instantly.
"Eh? So you'll be the first to die?"
"Who said I was going to die!" Naruto's clones bellowed in chorus. Every single clone powered up a blue light of chakra that formed in the palms of their hands. So early? He was ready to use the Rasagen so early? Artemis floated silently. She was giving a simple look of boredom. She did nothing. Absolutely and utterly nothing. The clones encircled her wildly, trying to draw fear into her eyes, but nothing made her fear him. Her actions made their anger grow and all of the clones landed a separate Rasagen against her. A large explosion and rupture in the air caused everyone to stare at the spot the powerful enemy stood, yet she still floated there unharmed. 5 Rasagen attacks in one blow yet none of them were effective enough. She was not human, that was all they deciphered. Naruto's clones disappeared and he stood mouth agape. One of his strongest abilities and it didn't make a scratch.
"What? Cat gotcha tongue?" Artemis howled, snickering to her pleasure, seeing the horror in each of their faces. She gallantly took out an arrow and then shot it in a swift, firm grip, that when the arrow left the bow it gave a clear "twang". Naruto watched the bow and automatically darted out of the way.
"Ha! Niice shot." Naruto snorted.
"Ayaah! Naruto-kun watch out!" Hinata cried. Just in time Naruto spun around and swerved so that the arrow that was previously shot missed his body.
"Yes. The arrow hits anything in its path till it reaches its main goal. It will not stop till it slices you in half. Oh and don't worry. The speed increases." As Naruto darted from place to place dodging the arrow, trying to put trees between the path of Naruto and the arrow to slow it down. While Naruto attended to his uninvited complication, Artemis diverted her attention to the group fairly still in a clump. Neji and Hinata both tried to use their Byakugan.
"Uh-huh. love tap!" Artemis gave a playful grin as a jutsu seemed to start their effect on those who had the Byakugan. Their eyes were suddenly clouded and as Neji and Hinata regained focus, they switched their positions to face Tenten and Kiba.
"Those with special eyes fall victim so easily to this technique." Artemis gave a queer giggle as the two Hyuga gained on the two partly injured allies.
"Jyukenhou Hakke 64 Shou!" Neji yelled aloud as he started using his palm attacks against Tenten.
"What are you doing Neji?" Tenten gasped weakly, as he set his finger against her chakra holes sealing them completely. Stumbling backwards, her hand completely immobilized, she got up and growled,
"Stop it Neji! You're stronger than her magic! Fight it!" Neji continued to press onward like a mindless drone.
Hinata, who rarely showed her attacks, was now showing what it really meant to be on the main branches. Shino couldn't fight back; it was hard enough trying to get close enough near her in the first place. When she sealed up all his chakra as well, she neared Kiba. Struggling, Kiba strained himself to move father and farther back. "Wait! Hinata! It's me Kiba!" He continued to lower himself as Hinata, almost lifelessly leaned over him, holding her hands together, preparing for a gentle fist attack. Kiba, knowing he was useless, used the remaining strength he had left and transmitted some of his chakra to Shino.

****** Naruto spun around, walking around the trees cross the treetops. He then heard the cries for help. He was in tight position, but he right now was the only individual who could do something. Think fast. He had to come up with a strategy. The only problem was, he usually beat enemies with luck, and not real strategy like Shikamaru did. "Naruto. I'll diverge them." Naruto looked down at Shino with queer look, "This is not your problem. You already lost your charka."
"I don't plan to sacrifice myself and I have Kiba's chakra."
"Huh?"
"Just pass me and allow the Shuriken to hit me. Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Naruto hesitantly nodded and then grinned, "I have no idea what the hell's going on, but then again. I don't have any better ideas!"
Bugs started to flow form Shino's mouth calling upon other bugs as well. They surrounded Shino almost like a cocoon, but he had no chakra left to make the shield stronger. The arrow headed Shino's way and they sliced through a section of insects, but when they dispersed from their position, no body was left. The arrow stopped as well. It killed enough bugs to serve as hitting a life form, but where had Shino gone?
"Shino! But why? Why are you guys doing this?" Naruto answered as he looked at where the bugs crawled around. One of the bugs crawled closer to Naruto and in a cloud of smoke it turned into Shino,
"Cause you're the only one who can do it."
Naruto was going to ask why, but in the background, he heard Kiba's cries. He zoomed landing onto the ground, a dust cloud rising from the dirt he landed upon. He outstretched his arms, separating where Hinata was from where Kiba was.
"Stop it!" Sweat trickled down his brow, a fire of urgency burning in his lungs. His fierce blue eyes glistened and they stopped Hinata dead in her tracks, focusing deeply on her colorless eyes.
Kiba watched what was going on through slitted eyes. He did not deny the fact that he was grateful for Naruto saving him, but.. he felt so. worthless. Why had it always been Naruto? Kiba knew that Naruto was an outcast at first, but sometimes, isn't being an outcast make you special, and at least you're noticed. It makes you different from just being 'that guy over there, with the dog' if anything, people knew Kiba mostly because of Akamaru, not because of himself. Why did Hinata have to love Naruto? Why did it have to be Naruto as the only one to save her? He held up his bruised hand to the radiance of the moon, the blood trickling down his arm, the hair on the back of his arms prickling. The dark cloth of his shirt started to soak up the substance, letting it mat on his bare skin. He closed his eyes, not knowing what else to do.
It wasn't that simple though. Naruto considered that maybe he had reached Hinata in a way, but he was wrong, instead she pulled out a blade.
"You can't hurt her, you know you can't. Her mind is so weak to infiltrate." A grin slinked its way onto Hinata's face, yet her voice was as monotonous as ever. A low growl escaped from the bowels of Naruto's throat.
"Humph. Don't worry. I'm not killing to you. No, what I'm about to do is going to be ten times worse." She flicked the blade and held it up to her throat.
"What?!"
"It doesn't effect me if I kill this girl right now. it truly makes no difference to me."
"No!" Naruto ran towards Hinata, his hand cupped around her trying to pull the blade out of her grip. There seemed to be an eccentric aura that weakened his power so that his grab was feeble and limp, "Hinata! Listen! You can beat it!"
"She can't hear you now."
Naruto was at loss for ideas. He couldn't screw this up. No matter what, he couldn't. The pressure of people finally being able to acknowledge him was not the case, but that this girl chose to acknowledge him as someone, that he was existent. She was the only true person, her and Iruka that saw him as the klutzy, imperfect boy that he sometimes still wanted to be. And they were alright with that Naruto. He had to reach her, but how? No one else could. That's what Shino said right? But how? 'She's always watching you' Ugh! He hated it! He really did! He still couldn't figure it out. what it meant! No one could ever love him. He figured that he must really had known what it meant it was just. he was too afraid to admit it. She liked him, she really did. He could tell in everyone's faces, and the more he thought of her, the more he had to come to actually, possibly liking her too. But why? Why did she think he was worthy of her love? He didn't deserve it. He stepped closer with loud pants, the malevolent aura of the spirit inside of Hinata. In hopes of gaining possibly more strength, Naruto's initial movements were to move in closer to push it out from her fingers.
"Take another step and I'll blast you away! I'll-"
Clink. Clank. The kunai dropped from Hinata's fingertips and the rest of the forest was in pure silence, only the rustling of the leaves in the restless air could be heard. Everyone turned towards the two in utter shock. Even Neji snapped out of the trance.
Hinata felt her lips quiver against those of Naruto. Then in no more then a split second they both stumbled backwards. Kiba's eyes were open yet, pain raced through his chest as though he was actually punctured by a Kunai himself.
'What did I just do?' Naruto murmured to himself. Still gasping in amazement. What the hell happened? He didn't ever realize what he did. He licked his lips slowly, feeling the taste of strawberry against his lips. Hinata's lip-gloss probably, but she probably just had something simple. He didn't think too much to the fact that she wore lip gloss with flavoring in the first place. He was more astonished by his actions.
Hinata was blushing madly. She might had been under control, but she was still aware of everything that was going on. One moment she was yelling from inside her self, telling Naruto to save himself, and her life was not that important, to a split second later where she had full consciousness and control of her body, yet she had nothing to say. Did he really like her then? Why did Naruto do it? Why? Did he just do it just to break the charm or was it for real?
"Well. well. it's like in the old fairytales. Breaking the spell with a kiss. well you know what? I'm tired of waiting around! I cam here for a challenge, not a romance movie!" Artemis barked impatiently.
'Naruto. how could you do this?' Kiba cried to himself, feeling betrayed.

******* Chapter 13 End To be continued..