In a quiet, peaceful woodland, basking under a cloudless diamond filled sky, two figures were sitting on a long, hollow tree trunk roasting their hunted prey. The unshaped shadows dancing randomly behind their backs, aroma richly filled their nostrils. The female figure was in deep thought, still thinking her surprised day encountering a leaf Jounnin examiner, Uzumaki Naruto. His words stunned her completely.

Flashback

Still panting slightly after the confrontation, she was confused. "Jounnin …examination? Me? How? Why? Obviously I am not ready, but no, he just said I pass…the first round! I…passed! But why…should I trust him? He…he's rogue ninja!" she thought frantically.

"Technique of Summoning," whispered Naruto.

Beside him, three thirty feet long snakes with a radius of fifty inches puffed out of no where near the Hyuga's fallen comrades.

Hearing his words, she again prepared for an assault but none came.

"Fetch and bring them along. Do NOT…play with them, they area no toys for you." commanded the blonde.

The snakes nodded obediently.

"Do you believe me now, Hyuga san? Summoning contract of snakes is my father's trait. You learnt that from the ninja academy, no? Trust me."

"You don't have your Konoha head band!"

"…are you…blind? It's around my left thigh, under these pants, Use your blood limit if you will."

She gulped. Under his pants?

He raised his right eyebrow, "Don't tell me you never seen a guy naked before. Plus, confidence is the key to Byakugan, or so I have heard."

With a deep breath, she activated her x-ray vision and confirmed his fact.

With a sigh, she deactivated it.

"How are they?" she inquired anxiously.

"Only unconscious, but your bug friend will wake up in a day or two. Your dog friend…in a couple of hours. I'll explain my use here. Come along."

She cautiously nodded her head followed his lead, the three summoned snakes not far behind.

Running for three and half hours straight, Naruto decided camp for the night, seeing the sun setting.

"We'll hunt in the dark. Consider it training if you will. Now sit and be as comfortable as you can. I'll explain everything to you."

She obeyed. Hinata's heart is pounding rapidly, curiosity written all on her face.

"Kurenai-san nominated your team to take the jounnin exam. From your facial expression earlier, I am fairly certain she never informed you that."

She nodded; soaking in his every word with the most attention she could muster.

He continued, "Your so called mission given by the Hokage was only a distraction. And yes, if you pass this mission, you will be a jounin. Back in track, my objective given by Lord Sarutobi was to test your team. Your jounnin instructor already knows that you will be ambushed, but do not know by whom or when. She, I believe, expected to be a band of high chunnins and one jounin. She never expected to confront by a sole jounin, or a single, young ninja that she had never encountered.

"I objective was to test your individual skills, team work and individual leadership potential and, from the three of you, find one leader to be given the title Jounnin. Sadly and I apologize for what am going to say, your team is a total disaster."

He heard her choke. He shakes his head solemnly.

He pressed on, "Your team's downfall started right after you spotted me. Inuzuka san was highly agitated and wanted to…his words were, 'Kick my ass, correct?' "

She blushed. "You heard us? How? I did not find any other…"

"The one you found was only a shadow clone. You can not penetrate my physical defence with your eyes because I shrouded myself in my unique chakra, my own simple transformation technique."

"Moving on. Kiba-san's noise already made him a target, alerted every single enemy within the area. When he was facing my shadow clone, he became hot headed, crave for battle after such a long, boring, mission. He clouded his mind also with anger. He was the easiest target to nullify. Plus, he is the weakest member in your group."

"I was not worried about Aburame san. My report states his abilities can only do so much. Poisons, chakra sucking, explosive, meat-eating, nerve-cutting bugs etc can be easily countered. His tactics were too old-fashioned. I knew my chakra was poisonous, but he did not analyze me first, trusting and depending too much on his bugs. His low limit in ninja arts was also his weakness."

"Your teacher's actions were abysmal. She not only did she think I am weak, greatly underestimated me, but planned to leave me to you and save Kiba-san. She will be demoted back to chunnin, mark my words."

"You, on the other hand, in the beginning, hesitated to strike me to death, even the hit on the heart. Only when I abducted your teacher and trapped your ally, you found no choice but to show your fiercer side. You did well in the end. Handling and passing your limit on a mission is requirement expected from a jounnin. Your decision on my given proposal was also correct. If your allies were still standing, I might give them another chance. Alas, life is not fair. They failed miserably.

"I recommend you to study water element based ninja arts. You have great chakra control, and water element techniques usually use less chakra once you know how to manipulate it. Obviously, your stamina is low, upgrade it."

"My report states you wish you change your Clan's ninja way once you are named the clan's head?"

She turned crimson. "Y-yes. I do, Uzumaki-san," she muttered silently.

"Hnn, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you listen to my advice, break through your clan's tradition, and that will be your first step towards your dream. I wish you will pass this exam, you have great potential, and you just need to force your fiercer side out more."

"Wow…you sounds like you r-really are really e-experienced,"

"I became a chunnin at the age of seven. I learned many from my precious people."

Her jaws dropped, "S-seven years old?" no wonder we lost to him, she thought to herself.

The male ninja chuckled, "Yes, many people had that reaction. You are another one in my 'hall of jaw-hanging' list," he joked.

She grinned," How old are you, really?" asked the Byakugan possessor.

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to inquire such sensitive information, my lady?" the blonde asked teasingly.

She started to stutter even more until Naruto couldn't handle anymore and stated laughing heartily.

"I was only teasing, Hyuga-san. I'm fourteen, going on fifteen next week."

"You never seize to amaze me, Uzumaki-san." 'My age…and he's so strong, even easily surpasses Shino-kun and to possess such insight at such a young age…'

She feels humiliated. Even more so than being beaten in mock duels with her younger sister Hanabi.

"Cheer up, Hinata-san, I can call you that right?"

She smiled, "Yes of course you can, and can I call you Naruto-san?"

"Of course, and I thank you. Before I forget, I need to remind you that from tomorrow's sun rise onward; your jounin's second exam will start. Aburame-san's injury might be healed, but he's not in condition to fight alongside with you. The Inuzuka duo will be mentally unbalanced for a while. I did humiliate him less than twenty seconds after all. I believe his pride crumbled into nothingness. Your objective is to lead and command your team," naruto explained carefully.

He continues, "When you and your team reach my cottage, where as the Hokage instructed you to deliver the message, you will pass the exam. But you must be cautious. Only one day of traveling will arrive to your destination, but shorter the distance, the more dangerous it becomes. And no, I do not know what lies ahead of you,"

The air grew tense between them, Hinata knowing that what lies ahead for her will be even more challenging than facing the Snake Sannin's apprentice, or so she thought.

Minutes later, Naruto broke the silence, "Well, I better go hunting, watch them carefully, and when I return, it will be your turn to hunt, alright?"

Knowing that this pattern was for her training in the dark, she accepted.