The Rise of a Warrior: Naruto: Shippuden

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Three years have come and gone, and while Tatsu and the ninja of the Hidden Leaf have grown stronger, they'll have a whole new group of enemies to face. The era of Team Dragon has arrived, but can they rise to the challenge? Sequel to the Rise of a Warrior: Naruto, second story in my Naruto trilogy. Please read each chapter until the end and check for notes.

21. Protect the Waterfall, New Couples Born

Tatsu entered the Hokage's tent, with Naruto and Lee right behind him "You wanted to see us?"

Danzo nodded "I did. I received a messenger hawk yesterday that the leader of another village is coming to meet with me. You should know him quite well, you've escorted him on a previous mission."

"Wait, you mean-?" Tatsu let out an exasperated groan "You mean that guy?"

"Yes, and that guy is standing right behind you."

Tatsu looked to see a young man with a certain headband standing behind him "Oh great, it's you." note the sarcasm in his tone.

"You know this guy?" asked Naruto.

"This is Shibuki, the leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village in the Land of Forests."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Shibuki then went up to Lee and held out his hand "Lee, it's great to see you again."

Lee shook his hand "The same to you Shibuki, I can tell you've truly become quite the capable warrior."

"I have, thanks to the jutsu you and Tatsu taught me." purple markings suddenly appeared around his cheeks "Now I can enter Sage Mode freely, and when I can't I can just use the Eight Gates to increase my capabilities as a substitute." the markings disappeared "A certain kunoichi was very adamant on accompanying me here, she really wanted to see you."

"Is she here?"

"She's here, and she'd also appreciate it if she was referred to by name!" then she came into the tent "Hey Lee!"

"Fu!" Lee spun Fu around in a hug and kissed her full on the lips.

Naruto couldn't have been more dumbstruck "...Huh?"

"Oh yeah, you guys haven't met." Lee wrapped an arm around Fu's waist "Naruto, this is my girlfriend Fu."

"...Huh?"

"She's a kunoichi from the Hidden Waterfall Village, and she's the former jinchuuriki of the Seven Tails."

"...Huh?"

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Lee handed Naruto a soda as they sat on the Hokage Monument "Okay, now you can start bombarding me with questions."

Naruto did just that "What the f*ck?! Who's that chick? How is she still alive if she was a jinchuuriki? Didn't the Akatsuki capture her? How did the extraction not kill her?!"

Lee smacked him upside the head "Okay, not that many at once. Let me start from the beginning." he took a deep breath and began his story "It all began with a simple C-rank mission. I was on a mission with Tatsu, Sasuke and Kin on escort duty, and we were supposed to see that Shibuki, the young leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village, got home safely. Shibuki's father Hisen had been the head of the village for many years during the Third Great Ninja War, he was a good and courageous leader who was respected by everyone in the village. Shibuki on the other hand wasn't exactly a chip off the old block. How that nervous wreck could ever hope to lead a village was honestly beyond me."

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Lee looked at where Shibuki was hiding behind Kin "Dude, it was just a bird."

Shibuki bolted up "I know that, I know what it was!" then he hid again.

'How I get stuck doing stuff like this I'll never know.'

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Soon enough they arrived at the waterfall.

Lee looked around "Woah, now that is what I call a waterfall."

Tatsu nodded "I know, it really is pretty impressive isn't it?"

"I take it that means we've arrived?" Sasuke guessed.

"Yep, we're here." then he pulled Sasuke aside so the others couldn't hear "You know about the rumors don't you?"

"You mean about how this is the only village outside of the five great shinobi villages that houses a jinchuuriki?"

"Yeah, and it's mainly because they're capable of producing such skilled jonin. I'm just saying, keep an eye out."

"Right." then they rejoined the others.

Lee looked around as they made their way along the river "Wow."

Shibuki nodded "I know, it really is beautiful isn't it? They say that this village was carved by my ancestors here years ago."

"Lord Shibuki!" a young voice called.

Shibuki looked to see a couple of kids running towards him "Now now, keep your distance. Show a little respect for your village leader. I'm sorry I don't have time to play with you right now."

"But that's not why we're here, we're supposed to clean up the trash by the shore. Mother is making us pick up every single piece."

"I see. Well look, I've brought you some help." he gestured to Lee and the rest "These ninja had come from the Hidden Leaf Village."

Lee immediately began to protest "Hey hold on a minute, you don't really mean-"

"It won't take much time, just think of it as part of the mission."

"Hold on a minute, do we look like garbage men to you? You've gotta be out of your-"

"Thank you ninja!" the kids were right up in his face "We could really use your help, the current is stronger near the edge and it can be pretty scary."

"...Tatsu, what do you think?"

Tatsu shrugged "That depends, we are getting extra pay in addition to the already existing fee for the escort mission aren't we?"

Shibuki nodded "Yes, that's fine."

"Then we're more than happy to help in any way we can."

"Thank you."

"So our bodyguard duty is over?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah that's right, I'm home safe and sound now."

Tatsu sighed "Alright guys, let's hurry up and get on to phase 2 of this mission, and we can cut the time in half." he formed a hand seal "Shadow Clone Jutsu." he promptly summoned 10 Shadow Clones "Alright guys, let's get this over with so Sasuke and Kin can make out."

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At the same time, Suien, a rogue jonin from the Hidden Waterfall, had recruited various Hidden Rain ninja by the name of Hisame, Kirisame and Murasame, as well as another rogue jonin from the Hidden Waterfall by the name of Suika, and they showed them how to enter the village.

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Tatsu was reading his favorite book while supervising the others picking up trash "You know all things considered, us sticking around for a little while might not be the worst idea."

"How do you figure?" asked Shibuki.

"We might be able to put a stop to these rumors."

"What rumors?"

"It may be nothing, but lately there's been some indications that some rogue ninja have certain plans for your village."

"Oh you don't have to worry, there have been rumors like that going around for ages."

"Oh believe me I know, my brother told me about them when I was a kid. Come to think of it, didn't your father have to fight off a bunch of trouble makers like that once?"

"That was a long time ago." then he ducked when he realized that a bird was coming.

Tatsu caught it "Calm down big guy, it's just a messenger bird from the Hidden Leaf Village. Air mail, special delivery." he checked out the message "Looks like I'm being called back for some important business."

"Does this mean you're leaving?"

"I'm afraid so but don't worry, Lee and the others have the clean up pretty much covered." then he looked over to the others "Hey guys, I hate to spoil your fun but I've gotta get going."

"Did something happen?" asked Lee.

"Apparently they need me to deal with another mission right away, something about taking care of some rogue ninja from the Hidden Sand. I'm gonna head back early, you guys follow once you're done with the clean up."

"Got it, I'm sure that if the Hokage needs you then it must be important."

"That's the point. Alright guys, I'll see you later." and he took off.

'So he basically just bailed on us. Typical.'

"So what's a Hokage?" asked the kids.

"Oh the Hokage is what we call the leader of our village, the one who's responsible for protecting it and all the people in it. You know, kind of like the village chief."

"Oh yeah, you mean like Lord Shibuki right?"

"...We're talking about the same Shibuki right?"

They immediately grew defensive "Don't you make fun of Lord Shibuki, just because he isn't the bravest person in the world doesn't mean he isn't a hero to us! He's much stronger than he looks, he's tougher than you are!" they shoved him.

'Dammit!'

Sasuke grabbed Lee, preventing him from stepping in dog crap "We're not dealing with any of that."

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Suien and Suika were explaining the plan to the others but warned them to keep the killing to a minimum, planning to use the villagers as hostages for the Hero's Water, but only Shibuki knew the location.

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About an hour passed, and the cleanup was finished.

Sasuke cracked his neck a little "Alright, that's taken care of. Let's head back."

Lee groaned "Can't we just get a bite to eat or something?"

"Forget it, if you're done then you guys can go." Shibuki told them firmly.

"What's that?"

"You heard me, there's nothing keeping you guys here any longer so go home already."

"Fine by me then, let's go." Sasuke started walking away.

"Sasuke, hold on a minute." Kin stopped him "What's going on?"

"You haven't noticed? The secret entrance to the Hidden Waterfall Village must be close by, and he clearly doesn't want us to see it."

"Really? You think he has that little trust for us? But the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Waterfall are supposed to be allies."

Shibuki let out a loud scoff "Yes but what if one day they're not, what's to keep you from betraying us?"

Sasuke nodded "Sound logic, I can see your reasoning."

"You son of a-" Lee rounded on him "How much of an ungrateful bastard can you be?! The least you could do is thank us after everything you've put us through!"

Shibuki didn't bother to have a stare down "Now will you please just get out of here?"

"Fine by me, good riddance." he started walking away.

"Thanks a lot Lee!" the kids waved "Bye, see ya!"

"Sure thing, see ya."

"Mother!"

Lee looked back and saw an older woman limping towards them.

"Lord Shibuki… it was awful…" she got out.

"What is it? What happened?" asked Shibuki.

"They attacked without warning…" then she collapsed, revealing a kunai in her back.

Kin was quick to check on her "She's lost consciousness but she should be fine."

The kids were still worried "We've gotta hurry and get to the village right away."

"No, that's the wrong move in a situation like this." Sasuke told them "Remember, she said that they attacked without any sort of warning."

"But that's impossible." Shibuki protested "How could anyone even find the village?"

"I've got a couple of theories, I'll tell you on the way. Kin, I want you to take the children and the woman and find a safe place to take care of her while we deal with this. Alright?"

Lee was quick to round on a terrified looking Shibuki "Are you just going to sit here and do nothing? Just show us the way to your village already, whoever these guys might be we'll deal with them."

Shibuki then rounded on him in return "Oh you will will you? I'd like that, how could you possibly help us anyway?"

"Listen you son of a-"

"Will you two shut up and get down!" Sasuke pinned both of them to the ground.

"What the hell was that for Sasuke?"

"Just stay down." Sasuke leapt up.

Then Suika emerged from the waterfall with Murasame several followers "Just come on, let's finish this already! Fire Style: Red Spider!" he breathed out some flames that took on the form of a spider, while Murasame the others just threw a barrage of kunai.

Sasuke drew a large shuriken "Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Thunder!" he infused the shuriken with lightning and cut threw the lackeys, taking them out in an instant, as wek

"So it looks like they've gotten help. Murasame, we're retreating." and he fled back into the waterfall, with Murasame following.

"I got all but two of them." Sasuke looked over to see Shibuki cowering "For crying out loud, get ahold of yourself."

Shibuki looked up "Oh sorry, I was just excited that's all."

"Alright, now that we're in this we're going to see it through to the end. This is a new mission."

Lee gripped his fists and smirked "Perfect, there's nothing like getting a little bit of combat training in right Sasuke?"

"We've gotta get ready for the Akatsuki don't we? This will be a good chance."

Shibuki just looked away 'These guys… Come on, I'll lead you into the village since I clearly have no other choice."

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Once Kin and the others were hidden away, Shibuki began leading Naruto and Lee to the entrance to the village "These natural surroundings have been serving as a barrier that protects our village and hides us from the outside world. There's only one way in, and that's through the waterfall."

Lee looked at the waterfall 'It's magnificent. Is there really an entrance down there?"

"Let me make one thing clear, you must never reveal this secret to anyone."

"Yeah I know, we've already got it now let's go."

"Fine, then follow me." Shibuki led them into a cave behind the waterfall.

"Be careful, watch yourself." Sasuke warned "I'm not sensing the presence of any enemies here, I think it's safe."

"Good, let's move." Shibuki went ahead "If you're coming then hurry up already." and he dove into one of the pools.

Lee was skeptical "I don't know, should we?"

"It's not like we really have any kind of choice." Sasuke followed after Shibuki into one of the pools.

"Hey, wait up!" Lee followed after him 'At least with the three of us, the enemy can't be that much of a problem.'

He was wrong.

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Outside the village, Kin and the others were quickly captured by Kirisame and taken to the others.

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Shibuki led the others into the village "Here we are."

Lee looked at the massive tree in front of them "Woah, no way."

"Come on, this way." Shibuki led them to shore.

"This is a really cool place you've got here, no wonder you'd want to keep it hidden."

Sasuke looked around 'It's strange, something isn't right here. Where are all the people?' he looked and saw Shibuki sneak away in the water 'Son of a- Lee, move!" he shoved Lee into the water.

Lee burst back up, looking pissed "Hey man, what the hell is that for?!"

"I'm gonna stay here and hold these guys off." he started kicking out random lackeys left and right "You find Shibuki and get him to safety."

"Yeah, sure." Lee looked around "Hey Shibuki, where the hell did you go?" he swam off after him.

Sasuke leapt into the air "Lightning Style: Purple Thunder!" he quickly fired a blast of lightning, frying three lackeys at once.

"Well now, you're not bad at all kid." Hisame and Murasame suddenly appeared and bound him with the Water Whip.

'Dammit, they caught me before I could even sense their presence. These guys are tough.'

"You really didn't think it would be as easy as last time did you? Should we cut him in half or let him suffer first?"

'...Crap.'

"Wait." Suien appeared behind Sasuke "He might come in handy when the time comes for us to negotiate."

'Who the hell is this guy?' Sasuke was then fried by the jutsu, causing him to scream in pain and black out.

"This kid got off way too lucky." Murasam commented "Alright, so what the hell are we waiting for? Where's the leader of this village supposed to be?"

Suien smirked "Don't worry, I'm sure he's on his way to secure the Hero's Water at this very moment."

"And once he's got it that's when we begin to negotiate right?" Hisame guessed.

"Exactly, it won't be long now."

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Shibuki swam towards the large tree in the center of the village and came across a small hiding place, which he opened to reveal a small jug of water 'It must be protected, I can't let them have it no matter what.'

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Things were getting bad, since Suien and the rest had taken the villagers hostage.

Sasuke himself was bound on a tori gate 'Dammit, I can't move my arms!'

"Don't bother." Suika told him "Unless you wanna be armless from now on that is, if you even try to use any jutsu then that wire will cut both of your arms off."

'Dammit.'

Then Kirisame dropped in with Kin and the others "Just like your ordered, I bagged them and brought them."

'Kin!'

"They're a bunch of kids, anyone could've done that." Suika pointed out dryly.

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Shibuki watched from where he was hiding 'I don't get it, how in the world did they ever find their way here undetected?' then he froze 'It can't be… Suien and Suika! Those two led them here!'

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"Why Suien?" one of the villagers demanded "You and Suika were both our most respected jonin, how could you betray us like this? Are you planning on taking over the village?"

Suien let out a scoff "Please, what would I want with such a pathetic collection of huts? No, I've come for the Hero's Water."

"You're insane, do you really think Lord Shibuki will just hand it over to you? He'd pour it all on the ground before he'd let someone like you have it!"

"If Shibuki were a different sort of village leader then he might do something like that yes, but you forget that I'm the one who taught him and Suika the secret ways of ninjutsu. I know Shibuki better than anyone."

The villagers glared.

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Shibuki just watched from his hiding place 'What should I do?'

Then Lee suddenly dropped down out of nowhere "Hey."

Shibuki yelped and fell back "How did- How did you get here?"

"I was just poking around the roots of that gigantic tree and I just kind of wound up here by chance. But never mind that right now, who are those guys out there and what are they after?"

"Their leader is named Suien, he and another named Suika both used to be jonin from this village."

"Used to be? So they're both rogue ninja?"

"Yes."

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"Hey Shibuki, I know you can hear me wherever you're hiding!" Suien called "Now don't be shy, come on out right now and bring the Hero's Water with you! Don't make this village suffer anymore because of you!"

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Shibuki gripped the Hero's Water "I…"

"That stuff, is that the Hero's Water he's talking about?" asked Lee.

"Yes it is, and making sure it's protected is the most sacred of the leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village."

"That thing? It doesn't look like anything more than some regular old jug of water."

"It's much much more than that, this water is drawn from the trunk of the Sacred Tree only once every 100 years, and whoever drinks it will have his chakra increased 10-fold and maybe even more."

"Wh- 10 fold or more? Are you serious?"

"Yes. The Hidden Waterfall Village doesn't have any ninja as strong as your Hokage, so in times of trouble we've had to rely on the Hero's Water to defend ourselves. During the Third Great Ninja War, the Hero's Water was the only thing that saved us from destruction. However, drinking the Hero's Water comes with a terrible price that makes it a double-edged sword."

"What sort of price?"

"Whoever drinks the Hero's Water has their life shortened by the same degree to which their chakra was increased. Many of our shinobi have died not in battle, but from the effects of the Hero's Water. Since then, the Hero's Water has been hidden away to keep it out of people's hands, and it was made the duty of the village leader to guard it. Some years ago we were attacked by shinobi from a distant land, and as leader of the village my father did what he felt he had to do to protect us. He drank the Hero's Water but he wasn't exactly a young man, and the increase of his chakra was too great. My father was a fool, he performed his sacred duty and was hailed as a great leader because he drank the Hero's Water and died."

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Suien was still waiting "Shibuki, you wouldn't be foolish enough to think of pouring it out would you? No, if someone came along and attacked the village again then you wouldn't be able to defend yourself without the Hero's Water."

"That's enough!" one of the villagers barked.

"Why, because it's true?"

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Shibuki was still shaking "I know I'm the leader of the village, I have to guard the Hero's Water at all costs. But if I let them take it then I will have betrayed the trust of my people and doomed my village."

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"Time's running out Shibuki!" Suien warned "There's a limit to how long you can sit out there hiding away, so hand over the Hero's Water now or I'll start killing your villagers one by one very slowly and painfully."

"Don't do it Lord Shibuki, don't come out!" the kids called "You can't let them have the Hero's Water no matter what happens!"

Kirisame promptly smacked them with his Water Whip "Quiet you brats!"

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Lee gripped his fists and looked back at Shibuki "For crying out loud, we have to hurry and do something!"

"Just leave me alone!" Shibuki looked fearfully at a picture of his father.

"Those kids earlier told me that you were strong, you may not have very much faith in yourself Shibuki but they do. They talk about you like you're a hero."

"That's because they're only kids and they have it stuck in their heads that the village leader has to be a hero! I am not my father, all I did was inherit his title."

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Things were getting even worst.

Suien took the girl and held a kunai to her throat "Hey Shibuki, I've warned you before that my patience is not without limits! I'm going to give you one more minute, if you don't come out by that point then I'll start killing the children one by one starting with her!"

"Let her go!" the villagers demanded "If you're going to kill anyone then start with us not the children!"

"It's very tempting and personally I'd be happy to, but no offense but killing them is a much more effective argument then killing you guys. After all, Shibuki has always had a soft spot for the kiddies."

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Shibuki huddled himself up "I can't… I just can't…"

"I'm not going to pretend I know anything about you or your village, but it sounds to me like your father was a pretty great man." Lee told him.

"Well who are you? You don't know anything about my father!" he heard Suien call that he had 20 seconds left.

"You're right I don't know anything, but the one thing I do know is that your father was the type of man who was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his village and that's not something any ordinary man would do." he heard Suien call 10 seconds and promptly removed his leg weights.

"What are you going to do?"

"To risk everything like that without caring what happens to himself, that's a hero." Lee then tightened his headband "The way I see, it sounds to me like your father was the kind of man I would respect." and he leapt out.

'Lee…'

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"3… 2… 1!" Suien finished counting and prepared to strike, when…

"Leaf Hurricane!' a green blur shot out of the tree.

Suien was sent flying but a kick to the face, but he rebounded "What the-?"

Lee suddenly appeared on the ground in front of him and set the girl down, then got into a taijutsu stance "I hope you're ready, the Green Beast of the Leaf, your hero, has arrived."

"I ask for the Hero's Water and instead I get… whatever the hell this kid is supposed to be. Well I guess it's time I show you that I'm serious. Do it!"

Lee suddenly found himself bound by the Water Whip on both sides and found himself electrocuted, causing him to scream in pain and fall to his knees.

Kirisame chuckled "You just don't learn do you kid?" he then picked Lee up by the front of his shirt "So tell me, what kind of hero are you now?"

"You're about to find out…"

"Enough, this is only wasting our time." Suien picked up the girl "Come here girl, I'm not done with you."

"No!"

"Let's see just how tough our puny little hero really is." Kirisame promptly kicked Lee in the gut.

Then Hisame recognized him "Hold on a minute, this is the one who was with Shibuki. Maybe he can tell us where he's hiding if we're persuasive enough.

"Forget it… I'll never tell…" Lee snarled.

Suika promptly kicked him for good measure "This kid is all bark and no bite." he promptly stepped on Lee's back.

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Shibuki watched in sheer horror from his hiding place 'He's a fool… a fool just like my father was.'

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Hisame picked up Lee by the front of his shirt "If you talk then we'll let you live for a little while."

"Lady… you're so gonna regret this…" Lee rasped out.

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Shibuki fell to his knees "But why? Why would he do it? Why would he risk his life like that, and for some random people he doesn't even know?" he thought about Lee's words from before about being a hero 'Lee… father…'

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Sukia stomped on Lee's back "You're really getting on my nerves now."

"Okay… now I'm mad…" Lee snarled.

Kirisame smirked "Still playing the hero are you? You know how you spell hero? F-O-O-L."

'Dammit!'

"Pathetic." Suien mocked "We won't find any heroes here. Do you hear that Shibuki? This Hidden Waterfall Village hasn't had any sort of heroes for years, not since your father died!"

"No, that's a lie!" the kids protested "We have Lord Shibuki, he's our heroes!"

"Oh please, you really still believe that? Dream on."

"Just you wait, he'll come and when he gets here he'll tear you all to pieces!"

"Not the Shibuki I know, he's nothing but a weakling and a coward. He never fought a battle he couldn't run away from."

"You're wrong, Lord Shibuki doesn't run away! He's a hero!"

Suien held a kunai to the girl's throat "Well then I guess I'll just have to show you how much of a hero Shibuki really is, you're about to die because he cares more about saving himself than saving you."

"HEY!" then a water typhoon suddenly shot down in front of them, blitzing through Kirisame, Hisame and Murasame in an instant.

"What the-?"

The typhoon disappeared, revealing a pissed off Shibuki underneath it "Let the villagers go you coward, this is your only warning. You've been waiting for me this whole time, so here I am like you wanted."

Lee smirked bitterly "Better late than never I guess. His chakra must be powerful, I can see it radiating from his body.'

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Shibuku quickly summoned a water dragon and quickly took out the rest of the lackeys.

Now only Suien was left, along with Suika, but he was as confident as ever "Well well, it's been a long time Shibuki."

"And you haven't changed a bit, you're still as ugly as ever."

"Impressive chakra, I take it you drank from the Hero's Water?"

"Yes I did."

"But not all of it surely, where's the rest of it?"

"It's too late for you to do any good, I'm going to defeat you right here and right now."

"Quite the little hero aren't you? You're aware of what happens to someone of your limited abilities who drinks from the Hero's Water aren't you? You of all people should know that. It won't do you any good in any case you fool, you are so far out of your league. If you increase your chakra by 10 fold or even 20 fold, it's still no match for the level of chakra I already possess."

"We'll soon see about that won't we? Alright then, let's just test that little theory of your shall we? Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Slicing Blade!" Shibuki held out his hand and a water sword formed in his grip.

Suien tossed away the girl and formed his own sword, then began clashing with Shibuki "It doesn't matter if your chakra has increased, your moves haven't gotten any better. You left your guard wide open, just like you always have!" he knocked Shibuki's sword out of his grip and stabbed him in the chest, much to the horror of the villagers.

Shibuki lay on the ground, the effects of the Hero's Water wearing off "Move… get up… I must… for the village… for the children… I have to protect them…"

"You haven't changed either Shibuki, you never did show much ability." Suien kicked him over and stomped on his chest "You were weak then and you're weak now." then he reached into his shirt and pulled out the Hero's Water "How convenient, you were actually foolish enough to bring it with you. Now I have it at last, the Hero's Water! The world is finally mine for the taking!"

"Give it back…"

Suien promptly stomped on his foot and drank it, increasing his power as he stomped down even harder "Oh sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength! Did I just hear one of your ribs crack? You should feel honored Shibuki, you'll be the first demonstration of just how strong your old teacher has become!"

"Do you ever shut up?"

Shibuki looked back to see Lee struggling to his feet 'This one again, huh?'

"It's always the same thing with people like you…" Lee struggled to his feet "You think that just because you say it that makes it so, well I'm going to make you eat those words."

"You tell him… Lee…" Shibuki rasped out weakly.

"Well let's see how you like this!" Lee blitzed forward and attempted to kick Suien into the air for a Primary Lotus.

Suien blocked it with ease "It doesn't matter how many times you try and attack, you're still nothing in the face of my might!" he promptly kicked Lee into the tree, then blitzed above him and kicked him into the river.

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The kids looked on in horror "Lee… Lord Shibuki… Suien defeated them both without even trying… we're done for…"

"Speak for yourself." Sasuke got their attention "Giving up without even trying is exactly what he wants us to do."

Then Shibuki freed him "There…"

"Shibuki…"

"It's hopeless, at this rate we'll all die… and we've still got the other one over there to deal with…" he pointed to where Suika stood uncaringly on the sidelines "Take the children and escape…"

"Escape? I think I've heard that word from the occasional coward too afraid to fight, but I've never been quite sure of the meaning." he quickly formed a Thunder Clone "I'll take care of that one, you go help Lee."

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Suien let out a laugh "It's working beyond my wildest imagination, my body is overflowing with power!" then he looked down "Where did that one go?"

"Don't worry about him!"

Suien looked and saw Sasuke's clone fire off a shuriken, but he dodged it with ease "What was that?"

"A diversion!" Lee suddenly blitzed in front of him.

"Where did you come from?"

"Leaf Whirlwind!" Lee promptly kicked Suien into the lake "I just came up the tree, it's hollow all the way through after all."

"Lee be careful, he's still ridiculously powerful." Sasuke pointed out.

"Oh believe me I know that first hand. I guess I've just gotta power up enough to the point where I can match it." Lee got into a stance "Eight Inner Gates: Second Gate of Rest: Open!" he opened the second gate.

"Gotcha you little brat!" Suien suddenly blitzed behind Lee and slugged him in the face, sending him flying across the lake "So what? I'll just kill both of you!"

"I wouldn't count on it! Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke launched several small fireballs forward.

Water Style: Water Wall!" Suien summoned a wall of water, putting out the flames and revealing a barrage of kunai underneath, which he quickly blocked "Young punk I wouldn't be so overconfident if I were you."

"Yeah, well it looks to me like you're the one who's being overconfident here."

"What?"

"We all know that drinking the Hero's Water makes you stronger, but the thing is that it's not the same as real strength. Just look at you, you're already out of breath."

"Shut up!" Suien sent Sasuke skidding across the lake and into the tree, dissipating the clone upon impact 'What? How could I have not noticed it was a clone? The Hero's Water must be wearing off already. Alright then.' he started drinking more, increasing his level of power even further "What do you think of me now?"

"Not much. Fourth Gate of Pain: Open!"

Suien looked back and saw Lee standing behind him, his skin now red with a green vapor emanating from his body "What?"

"You called Shibuki weak, you said he was a coward, but he stood and fought and he protected the people of his village. He did all of that despite knowing he wasn't strong, and that my friend is what real courage is all about! But you are nothing but scum who abandoned your village, you drink your courage out of a jug of water! You think I'm scared of you? Well come at me you gutless creep, I'll show you that I don't do scared!" he burst forward and thrusted his fist forward.

Suien blocked it, but the force shattered the jug "No, the Hero's Water!"

"Fifth Gate of Closing: OPEN!" Lee burst forward and kicked Suien into the air, then leapt into the air himself "HIDDEN LOTUS!" and he slammed Suien straight in the stomach, sending him crashing down to the bottom of the waterfall, killing him upon impact. Then he landed back on the ground as the gates closed, and he collapsed in exhaustion "It's over… now all that's left is for Sasuke to wrap things up on his end."

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"Chidori!" Sasuke charged through the Red Spider from Suika, now sporting minor burns across his body, and thrusted it into his chest, killing him instantly "Okay, that's done." he deactivated his Sharingan.

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"So yeah, that's about it." Sasuke finished.

Tatsu nodded "I see, nice work guys."

"You couldn't pretend to be at least a little impressed?" Lee grumbled.

"I would if I didn't expect it, I knew you guys could handle someone like that no problems at all."

"...Oh." then he turned to Shibuki "So everything's okay now Shibuki, you're alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Shibuki assured him.

"And that's the best part about the whole thing, you drank that crazy stuff and survived after all to tell the tale so if that doesn't mean you were meant to be the hero of the Hidden Waterfall Village then I don't know what does."

"I'm afraid I'm just as much of a coward as I ever was, I may not have seemed it but I was scared out of my mind the whole time."

"Well yeah, you would've had to have been out of your mind not to be. But the difference there is that you didn't let your fear stop you."

"Yeah I guess so."

"But you can't rely on the Hero's Water every time." Tatsu pointed out.

"I know, I have to get stronger on my own power before my village is attacked again. As it stands, I'd never be able to protect them."

"I think I know something that could help." Tatsu pulled a brown scroll out of his bag and handed it to Shibuki "Here."

"What is it?"

"A summoning contract that my clan hasn't used since the days of the First Hokage, the wolf summons."

"You're giving it to me?"

"I'm giving it to your village, a gift from one ally to another."

"Well if that's the case then here." Shibuki handed Tatsu a blue scroll "A jutsu created by the people of this village, the Water Slicing Blade. Think of it as payment for everything you guys have been through, and you're all welcome in the Hidden Waterfall Village anytime."

"Thank you." then Tatsu turned to the others "I think it's about time we headed back."

"Right." and they went on their way

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"And that's about it." Lee finished his story.

Naruto blinked "Okay, that only answers one of my questions. And more importantly, where the hell does Fu come into that?"

"Oh I never said I met Fu on that mission, I said I met her when I went to the Hidden Waterfall on a mission but I never said which one. See, when I met her was when Ino and I were on a joint mission with the Hidden Waterfall about a month later."

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(2 months after the original mission)

Lee stood with Shibuki outside his home in the Hidden Waterfall Village, with Ino standing right behind him "Well that ends our joint mission."

Shibuki nodded "Yes of course, thank you both for coming all the way from the Hidden Leaf Village to help us."

"Oh it's no problem, that's what allies are for right? Well we should get going."

"Actually Lee, there's one other thing I could use your help with, if you would come inside. Alone." he led Lee inside and shut the door before Ino could come in, much to her ire.

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Lee sat on the ground in front of Shibuki "Is something wrong?"

Shibuki sighed "How do I put this… How do you feel about jinchuuriki?"

"Well a very close friend of mine happens to be a jinchuuriki, so…"

"I see. Good, now I know for sure I can trust you with this." Shibuki took a long deep breath.

"You guys have a jinchuuriki don't you?"

"Yes, her name is Fu and she's like a little sister to me. The only problem is-"

"The villagers fear and despise her, she's isolating herself further and further and the way it's going you fear she'll leave the village."

"I know she'd probably be happier, but…"

"But you're worried that with a terrorist group after Tailed Beasts on the rise you're concerned for her safety."

"...Yes."

"And what exactly do you want me to do?"

Shibuki actually bowed to Lee "Please, show her that there's at least one person out there aside from me who accepts her and cares about her."

"...I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, thank you so much."

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Lee was later wandering around and stopped at the massive tree at the center of the village 'So how am I supposed to find this girl anyway?' then he heard sobbing and rounded the tree, where he found a girl crying, with mint green hair and tan skin. He knelt down beside her, his voice soft and gentle "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she got up and rubbed her bright orange eyes.

Lee suddenly found himself lost in them 'I've gotta admit, she's cute. Really cute.' he then blurted out the next thing that came to his mind "You're beautiful. Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

The girl blushed, but then regained her composure and turned sad again "You wouldn't be calling me if you knew what I was."

"What you are?"

"Yeah, I'm a monster just like everyone says I am!"

"A monster?"

"Yeah that's right, I'm a monster. So go ahead and get it over with, shun me, attack me or throw something like everyone else!"

"...You're a jinchuuriki aren't you?"

"Yeah I'm a jinchuuriki, a monster in human form-"

Lee cut her off by grabbing her shoulders "Let me make one thing clear, you are not a monster and you never will be."

"Why are you saying that?"

"Because it would be the same as insulting a very close friend of mine."

"...This friend of yours is a jinchuuriki too?" there was hope in her voice, hope that there was someone else like her out there."

"He holds #9, what about you?"

"7."

"I see. My name is Rock Lee, what about you?"

"My name is Fu."

"Nice to meet you Fu." he gave her a grin, causing her to blush.

"You too… so did you mean what you said before, about me being beautiful I mean?"

"Well… yeah…" he tried not to look her in the eye.

Fu suddenly tackled him to the ground and hugged him "You're not so bad yourself."

"Well thanks I work out a lot-"

Fu cut him off by bringing him into a kiss "I know we just met but I'm glad I finally found someone like you, someone who accepts me."

"Yeah, I'm glad I found someone like you too." he wrapped his arms around her back.

Then she noticed the headband "You're a Leaf ninja?"

"Yeah, I was just here for a mission."

"Oh. When are you leaving?"

"In about a week, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, just promise that you'll be sure to come back and visit me."

"I will, I promise."

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"Over time we kept growing closer, I took any missions to the Hidden Waterfall that I could so I could get a chance to see her." Lee finished "I actually went to see her while you guys were off tracking Itachi."

"But I thought the Akatsuki had the Seven-Tails already." Naruto pointed out "So how is she still alive?"

"Well I consulted Tatsu about this and we met Kurama in Limbo about a year before you came back to see if there was a way for a jinchuuriki to survive Tailed Beast extraction. He told us that there was only one way, and that was for a small portion of Tailed Beast chakra to remain in the body after the Tailed Beast itself has been extracted. So we worked out a plan with Fu and Shibuki. That is, to have Fu transform into her full Tailed Beast state and sever one of her tails, then seal it inside her. When Kakuzu and Hidan showed up and captured her, the Seven-Tails was extracted, but the minute her body hit the ground she disappeared."

"But how?"

"Through a Reverse Summoning. We summoned her back to the home of the wolves and then back to the Hidden Waterfall, and bam, she's free of her burden."

"...Damn."

"Yeah."

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Tatsu stood with Danzo and Shibuki in the Hokage's tent "So what exactly did you want to talk about?"

Shibuki let out a loud sigh "It's about Fu."

"The Seven Tails jinchuuriki." Danzo noted.

"You mean former jinchuuriki." he stressed the word former as much as he could "But compared to your jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki I believe his name is, Fu has lived a horrible life. Aside from me and my father, no one in the village has ever cared about her. Everyone knows what she had sealed within her, unlike what your Third Hokage has done here. They had never been able to look past it, and they still aren't. My father, and later myself, had to privately tutor her ourselves for her to even get the training of one of your academy students. She can't even go out for a walk without being verbally and at times even physically abused. At this point the only reason she hasn't been raped is because the people are afraid she'd reproduced." he gripped his fists as he was shaking in anger "I just want to see her happy, and she won't be happy in the Hidden Waterfall."

'A village leader should really hold his emotions in greater control.'

"While your passion for your goal is very admirable, what exactly would make this a fair trade anyway?" asked Tatsu.

"We can use it to show our trust." Shibuki told him "If you do this for us then the Hidden Waterfall will provide full support in your rebuilding efforts, as well as offering full support in your efforts to combat the Akatsuki."

Danzo shared a look with Tatsu, then nodded "Very well."

"You have my deepest thanks." Shibuki bowed further "I give you my word, you will not regret this."

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Tatsu met up with Naruto on the Fourth Hokage's head later "Hey."

"Hey, so Fu's joining the Leaf?" asked Naruto.

"Yep."

"And she and Lee are celebrating right now?"

"Most likely."

"And I'm the only one in our team without a girlfriend."

"Unless you count Sasuke's rough patch, but pretty much yeah."

Naruto grew anime depressed.

"Hey don't look so down man, you've got Hinata after all don't you?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing, now go confess to her already you jackass."

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Ino had quickly gathered the girls, then immediately rounded on Hinata "Alright, spill."

Hinata immediately grew flustered "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"You and Naruto, spill."

Hinata's face went red "What?"

"Don't "What" me like that, have you even talked to the guy since he got back from training with Jiraiya?"

"Well… once when he was looking for a teammate for the Tenchi Bridge mission…"

"And?"

"I fainted…"

"Of course you did."

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(And now a segment of all of Hinata's interaction with Naruto since he returned from training)

Tatsu climbed up the wall of Naruto's apartment building and found Hinata already there, airing out his blanket "Oh hey, what are you doing here?"

Hinata grew flustered "Well I thought that it wouldn't be right if I let it get all dusty since I thought Naruto would return soon and-"

"Easy easy, I'm not accusing you. I actually had the same thing in mind, I just can't get to it very often since I'm always busy with training or missions."

"O-Oh…"

"So you wanna go get something to eat while you pour your heart out about how you're head over heels in love with Naruto to the point where you've been stalking him like every other girl does with Sasuke?"

Hinata blushed "Well I would but I was actually about to leave on a mission and I just wanted to dust a little before I left."

'And yet she doesn't deny stalking him or having feelings for him.'

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Later, Naruto stopped by his apartment with Sasuke "I just wanna put my stuff away before we get into this huge brawl of a test."

"Well to be fair, our opponent really isn't the brawling type." Sasuke told him.

"Yeah I know, that's more Kiba's thing but I'm really just making a point." Naruto opened the door to his apartment and was surprised to find it all sparkly and shiny "What the hell happened here? It's way cleaner than I could ever do."

"You can thank Hinata for that, ever since you left she's been cleaning your home until it sparkled every chance she got."

"Hinata?!" Naruto immediately started sniffing "Yeah, her scent is all over the place…" he then started drooling.

"Uh…"

"...Anyway, let me just put my stuff away first and then we can head over to the training grounds." he opened his bag, revealing his old jacket.

"Isn't that the outfit that you used to wear?"

"Yeah, it doesn't fit on me anymore but it's got a lot of sentimental value to me so I can't just throw it away like that."

"...I'm not sure what's more surprising, the fact that you kept that thing all this time or the fact that you know the meaning of the word sentimental."

Naruto sprouted a tic mark.

"But the point is that it's like a memento."

"It's kind of embarrassing when you put it that way. I'm not sure how secure it is in here though, you mind finding a place for it?"

"Sure, I'll do it the first chance I get. Or pawn it off on Tatsu."

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Tatsu sat with Naruto, Sasuke and Lee at Ichiraku "Okay guys, now that celebrating is out of the way we've gotta get down to business."

"The Akatsuki?" Naruto guessed.

"Other business. You and Hinata."

"Oh. That." Naruto's cheeks turned pink 'F*ck, I was hoping to put this off for as long as I could.'

"You've got the hots for Hinata now don't you?" he took the blood trickling down Naruto's nose as his answer "Asked and answered. So tell us, what brought this on?"

"Well after the Land of Waves mission, any sort of feelings I had for Sakura were pretty much dead, so I decided to look elsewhere, but…"

"But pretty much everyone hated you and thought you were repulsive either for Kurama or for the fact that you rarely ever brushed your teeth?"

"You swore you wouldn't tell anyone about that!" then he calmed down "Anyway, I didn't really find anyone our age I was interested in or didn't treat me like crap. I mean there was Ino but-"

"But I would've shoved a Rasengan up your ass."

"Exactly. I didn't really notice Hinata until she went up against Neji during the preliminaries, and when he almost killed her I probably would've gone Kurama on his ass if it wasn't for that seal that Orochimaru put on me. Thought of here were what spurred me on to beat Neji during the finals, and against Gaara, Kabuto and Aoi. That, and I kept having dreams about her during training that would've made Pervy Sage keel over from blood loss."

"Okay I can't listen to this anymore." Ayame cut into the conversation.

"You heard what we were talking about?"

"Every word of it and I have to say, you guys are pathetic. Sasuke here is the only one with half a brain cell when it comes to romance."

"Oh really? Well alright then sensei, let's hear your opinion on this."

"It's simple. You're head over heels for her."

"...Huh?"

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About 3 days went by.

Tatsu was in the middle of a workout, one of him against 50 Shadow Clones at once, when he saw Hinata coming up to him "Oh hey Hinata, what's up?"

"Well after Konohamaru asked me to hit him with Rotation, I heard from Lee that Naruto was back but I didn't see him when I stopped by his apartment to check." Hinata told him.

"I didn't expect you to come across him, he left on a mission about 2 days ago with Ino and Kakashi."

"He just got back and Lady Tsunade already sent him on a mission?"

"It was an emergency, they needed the strongest they could spare. From what I gather, Gaara was captured by a group of rogue ninja called the Akatsuki."

"Gaara?" Hinata recalled memories of Gaara's brutality during the Chunin Exams.

"Yeah, I'm going with Sasuke and Lee to back him up once Neji gets back from his mission. I'd offer to bring you instead but the Akatsuki are serious business."

"Actually Neji just returned a little while ago."

"Then I have no business waiting. Later Hinata." and he took off.

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After the Akatsuki mission, after Naruto met up with team 8, set at Ichiraku:

Naruto let out a groan "I'm an idiot. I'm a complete and utter idiot."

"I could've told you that." Ayame said dryly "Telling her to just come with you without saying a word is basically like saying you wanna have a quickie with her!"

"...And you know that how?"

"Not important! The point is that you can't rush stuff like that!"

"I was asking for her help with a mission, not asking her out on a date!"

"Both cases are extremely delicate!"

Teuchi and Mizuki just shared a look and sighed.

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After Tenchi Bridge:

Tatsu was thrown back by the force of his own explosion "Dammit!"

"You're really working hard here."

Tatsu looked back to see Kiba and Shino approaching him "Oh hey guys, what brings you out here?"

"We heard from Lee that you were working on a new jutsu so we thought we'd come check up on you."

"I appreciate it but I don't have time to stand around and talk, I've gotta get back to training."

"Why?"

"I've been working on this jutsu for the past 3 years and I finally decided to teach it to Naruto when I haven't even mastered it!" he slapped his face into his hands "I bought myself a little bit of time by giving him a bunch of other jutsu to master so he'd get a better grip on his wind nature, but I don't the same colossal chakra reserves he does!"

"You feel that you must master this jutsu before him." Shino guessed "This is because you worry that if he feels that he has surpassed you then his motivation will go down."

"Exactly."

"But Naruto's dream is not simply to surpass you, he dreams of becoming the Hokage and to do that he must surpass even Lady Tsunade herself. Consider that." and he walked away.

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Hinata herself was watching Naruto's Rasenshuriken training from afar 'Naruto… you just keep aiming higher, don't you?'

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Later, after Hayate was killed by Hidan and Kakuzu:

Tsunade hung her head when she'd heard what had happened "I see…"

"Milady, what about Yugao?" asked Mizuki "Who will tell her?"

Tsunade let out a long sigh "Notify everyone else regarding the funeral services, I will personally inform Yugao-"

"No." Tatsu cut her off "I'll do it. I'd like to tell her myself. I have a message for her from Hayate-sensei."

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"I saw it…" Hinata murmured "I saw what Naruto was training for, he's working on an incredible jutsu that will be his and his alone."

"That technically isn't true." Shino pointed out "After all, Tatsu will most likely master this jutsu before Naruto will."

"Yes, but-"

"Guys."

Hinata looked to see Shikamaru drop down in front of them, his face looking grim "Shikamaru."

"I'm bringing a message from Lady Hokage."

"What happened?" asked Kiba.

"I was on a mission to find and eliminate two of the Akatsuki." Shikamaru breathed out a long, deep sigh "Hayate-sensei… was killed in battle."

All three of them froze.

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The day of the funeral came.

Yugao placed some flowers on Hayate's grave.

Naruto stood by Ino and Lee, looking around for Tatsu but not seeing any sign of his presence in the area.

Hinata looked at Naruto as she stood with her team, noticing him firmly staring forward and refusing to shed a tear 'I see… Naruto… you've already decided haven't you? But even now… I still…'

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After the funeral, Hinata quickly got changed and headed out "Let's go."

"Hold on a minute Hinata, where are you going?" asked Kiba.

"I'm going to train."

"But Hinata, if you're thinking about trying to avenge Hayate-sensei-"

"I know. I know right now I don't stand a chance of even surviving against the Akatsuki. But even despite this tragedy, Naruto continues to train. He's most likely perfecting his new jutsu as we speak. I don't want to stay behind him any longer than I have to." and she walked off, with Shino and Kiba following.

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After Naruto leaves to train at Mount Myoboku:

Tatsu heard a knock at his door and found Hinata standing there "Oh good you're here, glad you could make it."

"Sasuke said you wanted to see me?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah I did. Come with me, there's something I need you to do."

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Tatsu led Hinata to Naruto's apartment and pulled a certain object out "And this is what I need from you."

Hinata was quick to recognize it "This is…"

"Sasuke pawned this off on me after the thing with the Akatsuki and Gaara, I'm supposed to find somewhere safe to put this thing where it won't be damaged. I think you're best suited for that."

Hinata accepted it "But…"

"And don't bother trying to check it for his scent, the thing has been washed."

"Why would I-?"

"It's clearly some kind of fetish you both have, from what Sasuke tells me he did the same thing to his entire apartment when he found out you cleaned it before he got back."

Hinata's face went red.

(And that's all of them)

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Tatsu let out a groan "You're even more hopeless than I thought you were."

"Don't remind me." Naruto grumbled.

"That's understating it."

Naruto looked back and saw Yahiko join them "Hey."

"Apparently Konan is getting together with the girls and getting their side of the story. You both suck at this."

"Tell me about it."

"Um… Naruto…" a meek voice called.

Naruto looked back to see Hinata standing there, looking timid "Hinata… hey. What's up?

"Um… well… there's something that I wanted to show you…" she motioned for him to follow her "If you could just come with me for a minute."

"Alright…"

"Okay…" she walked off, with Naruto following.

Tatsu and Yahiko shared a look and reached a single conclusion "They're so gonna get together."

Then Tatsu paused "Oh crap."

"What's wrong?" asked Yahiko.

"I can sense Neji close by, he's gonna try and ruin it."

"Then he shall be stopped!" Yahiko got into the Jiraiya stance "In the name of all that is pure, he shall be thwarted before this treacherous scheme comes to fruition!" he looked around but realized that Tatsu was gone "Where'd he go?"

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Naruto was rather thrown off to find that Hinata had brought him to the evacuation center above the Hokage Monument "I don't understand Hinata, why did you bring me to the evacuation shelter? What's so important here that you needed me to see?"

"Just a little further." Hinata led Naruto inside and down the stairs to the storage area.

"I still don't get it, what exactly are we doing in here?"

"Here." Hinata knelt down in and pulled out a large box "This is the storage space that's used by the Hyuga clan." she opened it, revealing what was inside.

Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he realized what was inside "This is my old jacket… Hinata, you saved this for me?"

"Tatsu asked me to find somewhere to put this for you, it's your treasure after all and I thought you'd be sad if anything happened to it."

"Hinata… you really are awesome." Naruto wrapped his arms around her and quickly caught her in a hug.

Hinata's face instantly turned red 'He's hugging me… Naruto's hugging me…'

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Neji was watching from afar, and he had started foaming at the mouth when he saw Naruto hug Hinata 'That idiot would dare to lay his hands on Lady Hinata? I must stop this!' he activated his Byakugan "8 Trigrams-"

"Boot to the head!" Tatsu suddenly appeared and kicked Neji in the face, sending him tumbling back.

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Naruto released Hinata from the hug, looking deadly serious "Hinata, there's something I need to tell you."

Hinata's face turned even redder "O-Okay…"

Naruto took a deep breath 'No going back now. Listen Hinata, when I thought that Pain had killed you I was practically losing my mind. I actually did lose my mind when you think about it."

"Yes…"

"Anyway, I was losing my mind at the thought of never seeing you again. That was when I realized… I love you too Hinata, I just wish I'd realized it before so I didn't waste as much time as I did on Sakura." and he leaned in and kissed her.

Hinata felt steam coming out of her ears, her face turning bright red, but she eagerly returned the kiss once she processed what was happening.

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"YES!" Tatsu gave Yahiko a high five.

"NO!" Neji screamed from where he was pinned to the ground beneath Tatsu, anime tears running down his face from unyielding horror.

A/N:

I figured not including any characters from the Hidden Waterfall would only be wasting their potential.

As for Shibuki's Sage Mode, think the markings when Inuyasha goes full demon mode.

I figured pairing Lee with Fu because, well why not?

Suika is from Shippuden episode 236, I added him because, again, why not?

I added the Naruto and Hinata stuff in because I wanted to get it up to a 10k word count.

I had to add in the "Boot to the head" thing, I just couldn't resist. For those who don't understand, look it up on YouTube.