That's right, ladies and gents, another chapter has finally been completed! I would have finished faster, but near the end I ran out of brain food(aka: wheat crackers and Dr.Pepper). I had to finish without, but I persevered for the sake of my fans. Thanks to all those speedy reviews, I got it all wrapped up, and if the output is good, I should have another chapter up by this weekend.

But now, it's time for replies.

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Saria19: You absolutely rock! With this money, I can get my planetary energy siphoning device, and its satellites, out of the pawn shop and use them to take power from every major city on the globe! -cackles manically-

I think your help is definitely worth giving you Japan, and Taiwan too, just because I'm feeling generous. But in exchange, I demand that I take half of the royalties for all manga, so I can say I partly do own Naruto.

Foxretainer: Like I said, this is simply based off of it. I want this to be as original as a plot like this can be. To be honest, I didn't think about fielding in Haku until you mentioned him. Thanks to you, one of the pieces I was missing has now fallen into place. Thanks for your recommendation and the praise. -hands over a cookie-

Arora HickoryEye: Don't nitpick about the obvious. heh. Glad you're enjoying my fic thus far.

ChibiWhaley: You think it sounds sophisticated? -blushes and grins- I'm glad you think it does. I hope you'll enjoy the progressing chapters.

The Gandhara: I don't want to ruin anything yet, so I'll merely say that Kiba is not where you'd expect him to be..or you would, depending if you think on a similar wavelength to my own. And if you do, you have my condolences.

For the sake of alittle continuity, the Jounin instructors do indeed know that name, but they'll keep his background pretty much a secret. And just like you said, Kakashi is a plotter, and you'll understand his reasons abit better by the end of this chapter.

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"Blah" Normal Speak

"Blah" Thought Speak

Beauty of the Beasts

Chapter 2: How I Killed My Ramen

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The quintet of shinobi moved through the trees at a breakneck pace, which said a great deal about their leader, since he was moving faster then the four Genin while carrying two large bags filled with groceries. Of course, that was the silent admiration of those that were following him, since no one had spoken since they began this little outing.

Sakura was quiet because she was trying to figure out how anyone could be so familiar with the Forest of Death, as demonstrated by the cyclopic Jounin. Did the Hokage actually have ninja whose primary mission was to patrol the forest? It would explain why she had never seen him before, and how he knew about the genjutsu on the gate. "But that dosen't explain why he would be so willing bring us along. Something's not right." she could hear Inner Sakura screaming at the one eyed ninja, promising days upon days of torture if this was all some kind of devious trap.

Lee was in the midst of trying to unravel the mystery of the Jounin's identity, since a man of this skill would have definitely been spoken of by Gai-sensei. His wise and humble teacher was the strongest Jounin instructor in Konoha, but this one seemed to move almost as fast as he did. "I shall have to ask Gai-sensei upon my return." he thought, eyes narrowing as he planned his mission after this one.

TenTen's line of thought was far simpler then the two Genin ahead of her. "Neji better be alright, or I'll feel guilty for killing him!"

Hinata, the one furthest back in the group, felt herself frowning as she ran. "I hope Neji-niisan is alright." was all she could think, though she felt guilty that his hatred of her and the Main House was so great that he would actually come here to avoid them.

Their leader wasn't as oblivious to their various states of mental concentration as they had assumed, which was obvious when he suddenly stopped and watched them approach. "What is wrong with you kids? You all look like we're on a death march or something. It's a real downer." he says with a shake of his head, seemingly oblivious to the glares he had earned in return. With an over exaggerated sigh, he rolled his eyes to the tops of the trees and blinked. "Oh yeah. There it is." he said before suddenly leaping straight upward, the three Genin tilting the heads skyward to see where their final destination was.

To the surprise of some, a simple tree house was seemingly built in the higher branches of a tree, wrapping around the trunk in a design that could only be called 'doughnut' shaped. After a moment of taking in the wooden underside, they quickly followed the amused Jounin to the plank porch, the four teens staring at the door as if it was going to spontaneously spawn a mouth and tell them what they had gotten into. But before the entryway could attempt such a feat, a strange howl that came from inside caused them all to open the door before their guide could stop, and see something that would defy their current level of understanding.

"YAHOOO! VICTORY IS MINE, NEJI-KUUUN!" shouted someone that was seemingly bouncing all around the room, though never straying far from the scowling Hyuuga Neji and the shogi board. Unaware of the new arrivals, the exuberant mass of orange hopped down in the chair that was across from his fallen opponent, revealing a boy their age with hair that was as yellow as scarecrow hay. Unlike most ninja, who favored darker clothes because of their stealth-oriented vocation, this one was wearing an orange coat and pants that seemed as flagrantly flamboyant as the Cheshire cat grin he was toting, as though the thought of being covert had never dawned on him. Something that seemed even stranger were the small scar marks that jutted out from the corner of his mouth, which were almost lightning-shaped in their appearance. From where they were positioned, they almost looked like...whiskers?

The one they were supposed to retrieve wasn't as confused as they were, since he stood up in his seat and planted his hands on the table. "I demand another match, Naruto!" he snapped, only to be silenced when he was struck in the hitai-ate by a closed fan his opponent seemed to draw from nowhere.

With a flick of the wrist, the boy opened the fan, smirking as Neji stole a glance at the red kanji for 'king' that rested in the middle of the spread. "Now what was our arrangement, Neji-kun? I said I would teach you that jutsu of mine if you won, and you'd have to be nicer if you lost. Now, ask nicely, and I'll be more then happy to give you your second chance." he stated in a calm voice, as though he were stating something obvious to a child.

This only caused Neji's glare to harden before he forced himself to sit down. "Naruto, I would like to play another match with you." he said through gritted teeth, obviously restraining himself from leaping over that shogi board and making the blonde eat his pieces.

Seemingly placated by his forced politeness, the blonde closes his fan and grins. "That's better. Trust me, it took forever for me to learn being calm after I lost to Shikamaru all those times." his words are soon followed by his own laughter, though it's cut off when a soft cough comes from behind his audience. All six of them turn around and look at the one eyed Jounin, who has his eye crinkled shut as he waves to the blond. "Yo."

The room was dead silent for what seemed like forever, the orange-clad boy looking at the Genin spectators, his ocean blue eyes wandering from person to person, and stopping on the slightly fidgeting Hinata. His glance is soon joined in by one from Neji, though his is more of a glare that makes the other Genin wince slightly. "Umm..who is your friend, Neji-niisan?" Hinata was the first to finally speak, which surprised almost everyone in the assembled party.

Before the scowling Hyuuga could speak, he was silenced when the blonde suddenly leapt to his feet and stuck his thumb to his chest. "The name's Uzamaki Naruto, and I've been keeping your cousin company while we waited for Kakashi-sensei to come back with food." he says with a grin, motioning for them all to come in, which they all complied to. Naruto eagerly took one of the bags from the Jounin and set it in the chair he had been occupying, rifling through its contents until he came across a small styrofome cup. "Alright! You got the shrimp kind! And here's one for you too!" he grins and pulls out a second. "Let's get a bite, then we can take them back to the gate." he tosses Kakashi one of the cups and heads to another room, waiting for the slow-walking Jounin to follow before suddenly closing the door.

Sakura blinked several times, then looked at the others. "Did anyone else find that strange?" she asked, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head when everyone nodded in unison. "I wonder what they're doing in there."

"They're arguing." Neji stated flatly as he stared at the wall, the veins jutting out alerting everyone that he was in the midst of using his familiar bloodline limit. "I can't read Naruto's lips because his back is to the wall, and the other one is wearing that mask." he admitted with an expression of slight irritation, wanting to know what turned that jovial fool so angry so quickly.

"I think I can make a similar rendition for you." TenTen states in a nonchalant manner, waiting for Neji to release his byakugan and turn to face her before she drew her kodachi and thrust it forward, stopping just as the tip of the blade rested between his eyes, and scaring the living daylights out of Sakura and Hinata. "What the hell is wrong you, Neji-san? Skipping our training session is inconsiderate and rude, and you should have at least told me and Lee where you were going before going off on your own! And into the Forest of Death, where you could have gotten killed! I oughta carve some common sense right into your brain!" she practically bellows, ignoring the placating pleas from her other teammate.

After a full minute of haunting silence, the unexplainable happened. "I suppose I should have thought it through more, TenTen-san." Neji says with a slight nod, his words barely above a whisper. When he looked up, he saw that everyone's jaw was hanging open. The concept that the high and mighty Hyuuga Neji would actually make something that resembled an apology was simply too much to take in. Thankfully, there was one in the group who was quick on the rebound.

"Such heartwarming words!" Lee felt the tears stream down his face as he embraced Neji, lifting the young Hyuuga out of his chair so he could make the embrace more comfortable for the both of them, even though it was only Lee that had and sort of comfort at that moment. "Truly, my friend, your newfound caring for your comrades has made you an even worthier rival for me! But do not let such feelings cloud your mind when next we battle, or else my victory will only be a hollow one!" by then, he had clasped Neji's shoulders and turned to stare into his off-white eyes as leaves floated around behind them.

Naruto blew on his cup of instant ramen as he closed the window. "Sorry about that. I left it open because of how stuffy this place can get." he chuckles and scratches the back of his head with his free hand, having surprised several people since they didn't hear him or the Jounin come back in. "Well, Neji-kun, I promise that we'll play again later. But you should go back with your friends and tell your sensei where you've been. Maybe I can meet you tomorrow afternoon for the rematch." he has that happy-go-lucky smile on his face, as though his argument moments ago had never transpired.

This fact did not go unnoticed by his former opponent, who simply nodded and looked to the others. "Let's go." he said coldly, preparing to leave until Naruto got infront of him again.

"What did I say about being nice, Neji-kun? You have to be nicer to everyone, and that includes Hinata-chan and your other friends." he points to the assembled group, though the mention of her name caused Hinata to blush and glance down at her feet. . "If you don't, I won't have that rematch with you, and I'll brag to everyone in Konoha that I neat the legendary Hyuuga genius." his grins became more conspiratorial as he spoke, trying very hard not to laugh as he saw the internal battle that was being waged inside Neji's mind. At the sound of Neji's defeated sigh, he whooped loudly and pumped his feet into the air, his grin positively infectious.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Lee was beaming his smile at the young boy, as was TenTen, though hers was more demure. Sakura was smile, though her eyes were trying obviously curious about the boy that had defeated someone as smart as Neji, despite how he acted like a total moron. Hinata was torn between looking at the blonde, her cousin, and the floor. Someone standing up for her was something she had only really seen once before, and it seemed that the universe was not without a sense of humor.

"Now, you should all head back. I think we can skip telling the Hokage all five of you came in without authorization." Naruto opened the door and casually walked out onto the makeshift porch, turning around and sighing when he saw the expressions of confusion scrawl onto four of the five Genin. "Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei used that 'deputizing' shtick with you bunch." he said with a snicker, though the heated glare he got from Sakura got him to be quiet.

The pink-haired kunoichi thrust a finger back at Kakashi, who was trying to look as innocent as he could, which meant he failed utterly. "Are you saying he lied to us? Then why on earth would he drag us into the forest if he knew that we could all get into trouble?" she growled under her breath and turned her angered expression on Kakashi, who had his attention focused on a little orange book. She grit her teeth and screamed out her anger, looking back at the others and making a gesture with her hand. "Let's get out of here, before we get as absentminded as him." those words of warning get the others to the edge of the porch, though Hinata was rather hesitant to leave.

When the others weren't looking, she looked at Naruto and smiled in a shy manner. "I…It was good seeing you again, Naruto-kun." she said with a bow, though she blushed even more when he bowed in kind. They were both unaware that the two of them bowing to one another had caught everyone's attention, Kakashi's visible eyebrow quirked in obvious curiosity. Before Lee or Neji could ruin the moment, Sakura and TenTen each put a hand over their mouths, effectively silencing them long enough for the two to complete their blushing and bowing.

"You too, Hinata-san. Oh! That reminds me!" Naruto grins and looks at Hinata, then to the other four. "To help Neji with his 'be a nicer guy' training, I want you all to call him Neji-kun. You can keep calling him niisan if you want to." he says that last part to Hinata, who stifles a giggle and nods.

But before the others could agree, Kakashi cut in. "And be sure to tell your senseis that Hatake Kakashi sends his regards. That should keep 'em off your back for awhile." he chuckles and ambles back inside, soon followed by Naruto, with the other shinobi quickly departing.

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Back to being alone, Naruto made sure the door was closed before looking at Kakashi with a serious expression. "That was reckless, even for you, Kakashi-sensei." he says, pulling another cup of ramen out of the bag and filling it with water. "I know you were trying to help, but like I said before, it's all just a waste of time." he sits down in the chair Neji had been occupying earlier, closing his eyes and focusing his chakra into the cup, imagining its insides heating up and spinning.

The aforementioned shinobi sighed and put the groceries on the shogi board before sitting down. "You don't know that, Naruto-kun. I was just showing you your options. Jiraya has already found the forth candidate, and the invitations are ready to be delivered to their homes this evening. You may think there's only one way, but we don't." he gets to his feet and picks up his book while he walks away, wanting to be out of blast range when he throw out alittle bait. "Besides, from how chummy you acted with that cute Hyuuga girl, we may get this curse lifted by the end of the week."

The reaction was priceless. Naruto sat up alittle straighter as his cheeks suddenly began to turn red, the sudden change in his charka flow causing the cup of instant ramen to suddenly explode, sending noodles and veggies in every direction like edible shrapnel. Kakashi had been smart enough to take refuge behind a stunned Naruto, who was left sputtering and spitting out peas and flavored water while he plotted revenge.

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Longest chapter to date, and I couldn't be prouder. But my muse is screaming at me to get the next chapter up faster then usual, so I suggest that you all review as soon as you can!

I know this seems rather Neji/Ten-centric so far, but it's because they're the main catalyst for getting the intro off the ground. From here on out, the chapters should have more input from the other characters, and sometimes most of a chapter will be donated to them. But that won't be the case with the next chappy, when we hear about the details of the invitations Kakashi mentioned, and find out who the last candidate is.

For what, you ask? And hows does Hinata know Naruto, you wonder?

You'll just have to wait and see. Be sure to review, everyone!