Naruto vs Sasuke: The Aftermath

by Kingkakashi

At the Valley of the End, Sasuke nearly kills Naruto and it affects everyone in many ways. See a vastly different direction after this battle to the Naruto story, than what the Canon did. There will be action, surprises, & romance NarxHin KakxKur JirxTsu & many more. Warning be prepared for the most Evil Sadistic Sasuke ever, and Sakura takes a beating in the early chapters. Enjoy!

39. The Long Sad Goodbye Pt3

Chapter 39 Summary: As Naruto and company prepare to leave Konoha. The relationship between two old comrades has reached its climax and a conversation between the two decades overdue may decide the fate of whether or not their relationship survives. Meanwhile, another couple's relationship relatively young in nature must now endure a parting of ways, as saying goodbye to one another is the hardest thing they have ever done.

Naruto vs. Sasuke: The Aftermath

Chapter 39: "The Long Sad Goodbye Pt.3"

As Jiraiya gazed into the distance, he could see faint traces of sunlight slowly begin to illuminate the distant horizon. It would be dawn soon and still neither one of his traveling companions had arrived yet. The Toad Sage hoped he would not be forced to track down his grandson, as well as the boy's perpetually late Genin team Sensei. Jiraiya silently hoped that Kakashi understood the seriousness of this trip and would forgo his usual tardiness and be here before dawn. As for Naruto, Jiraiya knew leaving the village and all of his friends especially Hinata would be difficult for him to do. So he understood that the boy may be having second thoughts about departing. If that was the case, the Sannin realized he would need help in tracking down the orange-clad youth and openly grumbled.

"Damn it Kakashi! Where are you? Because I have a feeling were going to need your dogs to hunt down the little gaki before the sun rises."

It was then Jiraiya heard some footsteps approaching him from behind. Thinking it was the silver-haired Jounin, the Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku turned around while speaking and said.

"It's about damn time you got here Kakashiiiiiiiiii…………….."

Jiraiya drawled out the last part of Kakashi's name, as he was caught by surprise that it was not the one-eyed Jounin standing before him, but someone else whom he did not expect to see and he stammered.

"Tsu, Tsunade! I, I mean Hokage-sama, Wha, what are you doing here? I thought we agreed that it would be best if Naruto, Kakashi, and I left the village as quietly as possible without any fanfare."

Tsunade stood silently staring at the Toad-Sage, unsure of herself for the first time in a long time with Jiraiya. The blonde Hokage was hesitant of what she was about to do, but the uncertainty lasted only a mere second, as Tsunade knew it was the right thing to do. Covering the distance between them in an instant, Tsunade grabbed onto Jiraiya's vest and pulled him down to place a fierce kiss upon him that tried to convey all the things she wanted to say to the Sannin. Her kiss spoke of yearning, heartache, wretched loneliness, and fiery passion, but most of all it spoke of love. When they finally parted panting for breath, Jiraiya gently cupped her cheek and gazed lovingly at his lifetime love before saying.

"Not the send off I was expecting my hime considering our recent.......issues, but appreciated nonetheless. But I have to ask again, what are you doing here?"

Tsunade's heart pounded in her chest, while her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before finally stammering out.

"Li, listen, Jiraiya, I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it, my hime?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, which nearly caused Jiraiya to rocket back in nosebleed.

"Well, umm you see Jiraiya, I, I want, I want to, I, I mean I think we should…"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in utter confusion at the blonde woman before him. In all the years he had known Tsunade, he had never seen her act this way and with concern asked.

"Tsunade, you're acting really strange, are you feeling ok?"

The answer the Toad Sage received was Tsunade pulling him down for another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fisting her hands in his white hair, while Jiraiya's powerful arms wrapped around Tsunade's back pulling her tightly against him. As Jiraiya's lips moved in synchronized harmony with her own, the two Sannin tongues danced in frenzied passion with the other.

It was such an amazing feeling, Tsunade felt light-headed. Her heart was violently hammering in her chest, threatening to explode in desire. Tsunade didn't realize how much she had missed the feeling until right now, as to her it was the most marvelous sensation in the world. No one, not even Dan was ever able to bring forth the smoldering passion and excitement in her like Jiraiya could. Finally they broke apart once again, both of them gasping for air, as Tsunade gazed into Jiraiya's obsidian eyes filled with adoration for her and softly said.

"Marry me Jiraiya."

Tsunade's breath hitched in her throat when she saw the look of adoration in Jiraiya's eyes quickly disappear only to be replaced by a pained appearance, as the Toad Sage pushed her away from him. Tsunade felt tears start to well in her own auburn colored eyes when she saw Jiraiya turn his back to her and walk several feet away while saying in a biting and hurt tone of voice.

"That's cruel Tsunade even for you. I know you've always considered my marriage proposals to you as an annoyance or a joke, but I can assure you I never did."

Jiraiya didn't look up as heard her approach from behind. However, he had no choice but to look at Tsunade when she tilted his head up with a single finger lifting his chin and said.

"It's not a joke Jiraiya-kun, I want to marry you."

Tsunade then brought his face down for another kiss, but this time the Toad Sage didn't respond to it and after a moment she pulled back, as a feeling of dread spread through her body and stammered nervously.

"Jir, Jiraiya-kun?"

"Why are you doing this Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked with a jaded tone to his voice and cold gaze that hadn't left his eyes.

The blonde Hokage didn't really have an answer and could only stutter.

"Wha, what do you mean?"

"I mean why now Tsunade? Why do you suddenly want me to marry you after rejecting my proposals time and time again over the last 35 years? Is it out of pity, nostalgia, what? Or did you accidentally let slip your cellular manipulation jutsu and saw your true age and decided to give the consolation prize a chance because I'm the only one left!"

"I want to marry you Jiraiya-kun because I love you; you've never been a consolation prize!"

Jiraiya gave Tsunade another long hard look, before laughing derisively and saying.

"Ha, you don't love me and when have I ever been anything more to you than the consolation prize? First to Orochimaru and then to Dan, being nothing more than a temporary replacement to fill the void when you were hurting, yet always knowing no matter how hard I tried I would never have a place in your heart. Because with those two already occupying it, you had no room for the perverted baka as you've referred to me all these years."

"It's, it's not true Jiraiya-kun you were never a replacement for Orochimaru or for Dan."

"Bullshit!" Jiraiya shouted with clenched fists, as his eyes burned with years of pent-up rage before adding."

"Stop lying to me and yourself Tsunade, a replacement is all I've ever been to you! But I'm through being the fool; I should have realized that your proposal just now is because you're feeling depressed and lonely about our grandson leaving for so long. I mean it is the pattern of our relationship all these years, you reaching out to me for comfort in response to some occurrence or tragedy in your life. And once I've propped the princess back up what was always my reward, to be tossed aside like a tool that wasn't needed anymore. So don't stand there and lie to me about what I am to you in relation to Orochimaru and more importantly………Dan!"

"Damn it Jiraiya, stop thinking like you're a second place prize to me!" Tsunade cried out, while slapping her forehead in frustration.

"Then why do I feel like I am and always will be one in your eyes?"

"Jiraiya you know damn well that Orochimaru was simply nothing more than a foolish schoolgirl crush that's all."

"Nothing more than a crush huh, tell me Tsunade, do you remember what you said to me the first time I ever asked you out?"

(Flashback 39 years ago)

Jumping from tree to tree after having successfully completed a mission, Jiraiya gazed forlornly at the girl he loved Tsunade who was completely ignoring him, while only paying attention to her crush their pale-skinned teammate Orochimaru. The young white-haired youth sighed dejectedly and wished his dark-haired teammate would just disappear so he would have a chance to speak to Tsunade alone and uninterrupted. For today was a momentous day in Jiraiya's mind. Today was going to be the day that he would ask the Senju princess out on a date. Jiraiya grinned at the thought of being with Tsunade, but was soon interrupted by the voice of their Sensei Sarutobi Hiruzen the Sandaime Hokage announcing as they landed by front gate of the village and strolled in.

"I'm going to Hokage Tower to turn in our report. You did a splendid job on the mission, I'm proud of all of you and you deserve a break. We'll meet back at training ground #27 in the morning."

"Well everyone did a splendid job except for Jiraiya" Tsunade muttered under her breath sarcastically, but loud enough for Jiraiya to hear with disappointment of her derisive comment.

Orochimaru left his two teammates without saying a word and began walking away before stopping as Tsunade called out to him. Tsunade had seen Orochimaru leaving and decided she couldn't let him go without asking him out. She was determined that no matter what, today was going to be the day that she would ask the prodigy out on a date.

"What do you want Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked with an irritated tone to his voice.

Tsunade blushed furiously before gazing up at him and answered stammering.

"Orochi-kun, would, would you like to go out with me for dinner tonight?"

The future Snake Sannin merely scowled at his blushing kunoichi teammate before tersely stating.

"No Tsunade I do not want to go to dinner with you, this night or any other night. Stop acting like a useless fan-girl, I have better things to do than waste my time with you."

Tsunade sighed in disappointment as she watched her crush walk away. A few tears welled in her eyes, as she was expecting that he would say no, but the harshness of his rejection tore into her terribly. Jiraiya smirked while watching the scene before him, as he knew Orochimaru was going to reject her offer. Now finally he had the chance to ask Tsunade out and walked over to her before encountering a deadly glare from the blonde kunoichi who was obviously not happy that Orochimaru had turned her down.

"What do you want baka?" Tsunade hissed in a cold and hostile tone of voice.

Jiraiya just gave the Senju princess his trademark goofy smile while rubbing the back of his head with his hand and said.

"Ummm, Tsunade I was wondering, would you like to go out with me for dinner tonight?"

Tsunade grimaced upon hearing this and growled out in pure anger.

"No you baka, I don't want to go out with you for dinner tonight or any other night! Get this through your thickhead Jiraiya, Even if you were the last boy on the planet, I will never go out with you!"

"But, but my hime, come out with me, it will be fun. You know that Orochimaru will never agree to go on a date with you, so why bother with someone like that who doesn't care for you like I do. I mean you're just wasting your time chasing after a teme like him, when you could……….argh!"

Tsunade's punch had interrupted what Jiraiya was going to say next and had sent him flying several feet away before he landed hard on the ground while clutching his bleeding broken nose in pain. But before he could do anything about it, Tsunade marched up to him and grabbed his vest yanking him up to make sure he was looking directly at her, as she spat with malevolence.

"Don't call Orochi-kun that, you're NOTHING compared to him! Who the Hell do you think you are that you think you can ask me out? I'm the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage and heiress of the Senju clan. Listen closely Jiraiya you perverted baka; I'd rather die than go out with someone like you! Orochi-kun is worth my time because he's handsome, cool, and talented, while you on the other hand are ugly, a loser, and have zero talent, so you're not worth my time!"

Tsunade then threw Jiraiya back to the ground and stormed off not caring that she had hurt the young boy badly. If Tsunade would have bothered to look back at her heartbroken teammate, she would've seen a couple of tears fall from his eyes, as he rose from the dirt and limped away.

(End of Flashback)

"I was spoiled, stuck-up bitch back then and I was twelve Jiraiya! I'm sorry how I hurt and mistreated you when we were younger, but girls that age when it comes to love only care about going after the cool dark silent type of boy instead of one they should have like you."

"Fine Tsunade, I'll give you a pass about Orochimaru because of our age back then. But don't you dare try to lie or make up excuses for what I am in relation to Dan, when I know for a fact that I will always be second to him in your heart!" Jiraiya snarled with spite.

"I won't lie to you Jiraiya, I did love Dan, but I don't understand why you think you're a second place prize to me in relation to him?"

"Gee, I don't know Tsunade? Maybe it has to do with the fact that after his death and my marriage proposal to you several months later, your answer to me was to abandon your son……….our son and me, just to go mourn his passing for the next 25 years!" Jiraiya shouted in righteous fury.

Tsunade could only stare at the pained and angry face of the man she loved with tears flowing down her own face upon realizing how deeply she had hurt him over the years. It pained her knowing she was the cause of all of his heartache, as she said in a choked voice.

"I, I know what I did Jiraiya and I've never forgiven myself for committing that sin against both you and Minato. But you have to believe me when I say I didn't leave to go mourn the death of my boyfriend."

"Don't you mean your fiancé Tsunade."

Tsunade gasped in abject shock and horror that Jiraiya had known all these years that she and Dan had been engaged. They had told virtually no one, as when Dan had proposed and she had accepted, he was killed the next day during the war.

"How, how did you know about that?"

"It doesn't really matter now does it Tsunade. But imagine the pain I felt………I feel in knowing that you were happily willing to marry Dan and raise our son and become a family with him. But the thought of doing that very same thing with me was so abhorrent to you that you would rather roam the elemental nations living your life out of the bottom of a sake bottle in a gambling parlor somewhere then share a life with me to raise our child and become a family. I love you Tsunade, but please don't say that you love me, it hurts too much knowing that it's a lie."

Tsunade nearly collapsed under the stress of hearing this from Jiraiya's anguished tone of voice. She was the first to admit that she had done nothing to deserve his love. And yet Jiraiya still loved her unconditionally, he always had, from their earliest days as Genin to now. It was the one thing that had always stayed resilient and absolute throughout the years. The one thing she could always count on……….. his love.

Tsunade had done so much to hurt him in the past. She abused him, neglected him, pushed him away, and ultimately abandoned him. Most men would have given up by now; it wasn't possible for anyone to be that devoted. And yet he was and that is what had always scared Tsunade the most. She was scared of the fact that even after all the cruel things she had done to him, he still loved her and she was scared to return those feelings. After all, everyone else Tsunade had given her heart to had been ripped away from her by the cold merciless hand of death, leaving her heart torn asunder.

When Nawaki had died, Jiraiya was by her side and held her as she sobbed and screamed and cursed at him and the heavens. Tsunade remembered him being there offering his comfort, support, and love to help her grieve the death of her little brother. And with his help over the coming months, she did recover from that loss and grew closer to the Toad Sannin. Eventually it led to that magical night they had conceived Minato and the very first time Jiraiya had asked Tsunade for her hand in marriage. She had promptly rejected his proposal, effectively breaking the young man's heart and driving him away.

Yet he returned once again, and the love Jiraiya held for her that Tsunade assumed would have flickered and faded away over time hadn't. In fact it had only grown stronger, as he came back to pick up the pieces of Tsunade's shattered heart. When Dan had died, he was by her side and weathered her painful recriminations and curses while holding her tightly, as she screamed and sobbed once again in his arms. All the while Jiraiya murmuring soft kind words of comfort, support, and once again love into her ear. How clearly she remembered that time, as once more with his help she did recover from that loss and grew even closer to the Toad Sannin. Ultimately it led to them making love once more and another proposal of marriage.

And once again, Tsunade broke his heart when she had left Konoha. She fled like a coward in the night, not just from the pain of death and loss, but from what could have been with the man she loved. Tsunade had been too afraid back then. It wasn't that she didn't love Jiraiya; he was her best friend, her safety net, her lover, and the father of her child. And while his love and devotion for her had never wavered, she would push him away because she was scared. Whenever Tsunade had given her love to someone, she was cursed to see them taken away from her. And Tsunade vowed that she would never let that happen to Jiraiya, but in doing that it meant that she could not love Jiraiya.

Looking over towards Jiraiya with tear-filled eyes Tsunade shook with panic. Kami she loves him, but she had been too much of a coward and too damn arrogant to tell him. Tsunade had been too afraid to try again, after Nawaki, after Dan, even beforeDan. She had endless chances in the past to tell Jiraiya how she truly feels about him and had thrown them all away. And now that she finally did muster the courage to tell Jiraiya, to learn that all of her past transgressions against him had caused the Toad Sage to believe that she never loved him was heart wrenching to the blonde Hokage. It was too much for Tsunade handle and she finally collapsed in heap onto the ground, truly broken both in mind and spirit.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted, as he saw her fall and ran over to cradle her in his arms.

As Jiraiya held her he brushed some errant blonde locks of hair away from her face while calling out to her in a panicked filled voice.

"Tsunade, Tsunade, please wake up my hime."

Tsunade slowly stirred as she heard the frightened tone of Jiraiya's voice and tentatively opened her eyes to gaze up into his concerned face. A tear rolled her cheek when she saw his worried expression for her, as she reached up to cup his cheek and said.

"Jiraiya-kun, we've been through so much together, please listen to what I have to say and don't interrupt me. Please believe me when I tell you that I love you and I always have. You have never been the consolation prize to me. In fact just the opposite, you are and always will be the grand prize in my heart. With Orochimaru, I was a stupid foolish girl who couldn't initially see what was right there in front of my eyes…………but eventually I did."

Tsunade took a deep breath as what she was about to say was the hardest thing she had ever admitted to herself, but deep down she knew it was the truth.

"As for Dan, yes I did love him. But he wasn't my true love, I know that now. I've always known that, but I've always been afraid to admit it to myself. Dan was a wonderful man, but you were never the second place prize or a replacement to him, he was the consolation prize for you Jiraiya-kun in my eyes."

The Toad Sage's eyes grew wide in astonishment upon hearing this and began to well with tears as Tsunade continued on.

"I fell in love with Dan because he reminded me of you Jiraiya-kun. His eyes, the color of his hair, the devotion he held for me, all of it reminders of you. After you left the village when I rejected your marriage proposal when we conceived Minato, I thought I had nothing left. The villagers back then weren't exactly kind to unwed pregnant women, even if they were the granddaughter of the First Hokage, in fact that made it worse. In their eyes I had forever sullied the name of the Senju clan by giving birth to a bastard."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed both in anguish and in anger which Tsunade took notice of and stated.

"I'm not blaming you Jiraiya-kun for how my life was in the past. No, any blame for my life back then falls upon me; I was the one that drove you away and for committing that sin against you the treatment of the villagers was my penance. Then when I was at my lowest, I met Dan and he made me feel special just as you always had. Eventually over time I fell in love with him, but I knew deep down in my heart he was just a replacement for the one I truly wanted, but felt didn't deserve."

A lone tear rolled down Jiraiya's cheek upon hearing Tsunade's woeful lament, as he silently wondered could he have done something different in the past to let Tsunade know it didn't have to be like this in their lives. As if reading the Toad Sage's thoughts, the blonde-haired Hokage spoke again and said without recrimination.

"Don't blame yourself for how things turned out with us Jiraiya-kun. You gave me ample opportunities to be with you and I foolishly threw them all away out of fear and insecurity. I won't ask for your forgiveness Jiraiya-kun because I know I don't deserve it for the sins I've committed against you in the past. You probably think I'm crazy or under the influence for springing all of this upon you now, but I'm not crazy. I'm completely sane and sober and I'm tired of being afraid to be with the man I have always loved with all of my heart and soul."

The Slug Sannin then pulled Jiraiya down to place a soft yet passionate kiss upon him before breaking apart, as Tsunade stared straight into Jiraiya's smoldering dark eyes before saying in a voice barely more than a whisper.

"I love you Jiraiya-kun and would honored and privileged to be the wife if you will still have me of the Sage of Mt. Myoboku and Toad Sannin extraordinaire."

"Tsunade my hime I………."

Tsunade brought a finger up to Jiraiya's lips to silence him and said.

"Please don't answer me now. I don't want you to decide on the spur of the moment, that's not fair to you. I want to think about everything I've said here and to take this letter I've written with you when you leave."

The blonde-haired Hokage then reached into her pocket and pulled out said letter shoving it into Jiraiya's hand before continuing on.

"I know I've said and done terrible things to hurt you in the past and I hate myself for that. Like I said earlier, I won't ask for your forgiveness, because truthfully I don't deserve it. But if you could find it in your heart to give me one more chance to be the one you can love and who will love you back. You will make me the happiest woman on the planet when you return. And if you can't give me that chance anymore, I understand. Before you decide, please read that letter during your journeys and take care of yourself and our grandson."

"Alright my hime, I shall give you my answer upon my return. And don't worry about me or Naruto, we'll both be fine and……….."

Jiraiya suddenly stopped speaking and tilted his head up in the air before rising from the ground bringing Tsunade along with him and said.

"Kakashi is here."

A couple of seconds later, the one-eyed silver-haired Jounin landed a few feet from the two Sannin carrying two packs of supplies with him.

"Hokage-sama, Master Jiraiya." Kakashi greeted the two Sannin while giving a respectful bow.

"Hello Kakashi, nice to see you on time for once. I don't suppose you know where Naruto is right now?"

"No Lady Tsunade, I do not, but I'm sure he will be arriving shortly. He's probably spending his last moments here in the village with Hinata. I mean it's got to be difficult for him to say goodbye. One never forgets their first love." Kakashi solemnly states.

"No, you never do." Both Jiraiya and Tsunade say in unison, surprising the other, while they give one another a wry smile.

Tsunade then looked over to see Kakashi leaning against the gate in deep reflective thought and asked.

"Are you alright Kakashi, your nose isn't buried in that perverted book of yours like it usually is."

"I'm, I'm fine Lady Tsunade, I'm just thinking about someone." Kakashi somberly replies.

The blonde Hokage hears the dismal and solemn tone of the copy nin's voice and knew he was not fine. However, before she can inquire further both she, Jiraiya, and Kakashi sense several chakra signatures heading towards their location. A few seconds later, Shizune and the remnants of the Konoha 11 minus Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Lee appear out of the darkness and approach the annoyed Hokage who growls out.

"Shizune, just what in Kami's name are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye to my otoutosan (little brother) Lady Tsunade and ran into all of his friends on the way. You'll have to ask them why they're here."

"Ummm, well we're not really sure why we're here Lady Tsunade?" Ino pensively answers.

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

"It's troublesome Hokage-sama, but Ino is correct. We really don't why we're here other than all of us were alerted by Shino and Kiba that something major was going down with Naruto this morning at this gate." Shikamaru declared.

Tsunade then turned her attention to the male members of Team #8 and leveled a hard glare at them before Kiba finally spoke up and said.

"I don't know what's going on either Hokage-sama? Shino only told me to round everyone up from the Konoha 11 and to meet at this gate."

"Alright Shino, you seem to be the ring leader in bringing this party together. Now would you like to explain why you have done this?"

Shino merely adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before speaking in his trademark monotone voice to answer Tsunade's question.

"I gathered everyone here Lady Tsunade because earlier this morning the Kikai insect I had assigned to watch over Hinata returned to me and reported that Hinata was in distress and then relayed the information it had gathered back to me."

"You had your own teammate literally bugged Shino!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Hai, I have a Kikai insect assigned to both my teammates and those people who are…….important to me."

"Ewwwwwww!" Ino exclaimed while shuddering.

"Does Hinata know you have done this and invaded her privacy Aburame?" Neji growled out in anger.

"No Hyuga, she does not. But I believe there has been a misunderstanding. My Kikai insects are not used to spy or invade the privacy of my teammates. Their only function is to alert me if they are in distress or peril so I may go and assist them if necessary. They do not relay any information to me about their lives in general."

"That's kind of cool actually. (munch, munch) It's sort of like having a guardian angel watching over you, but in this case it's a guardian insect. (munch, munch) Chouji mused out loud while eating his trademark barbeque chips.

"Be that as it may, just how much do you know about what's going on Shino?"

"What I know Hokage-sama is that our friend and comrade Naruto is the leaving the village from this gate this morning for several years and that Hinata is quite distraught over it. As to why Naruto is leaving, that information I do not possess."

All eyes of the seven young Shinobi turn their attention towards the blonde Hokage and focus on her. Tsunade heaves a heavy sigh and turns to look at her fellow Sannin who can only shrug his shoulders and say.

"You might as well tell them my hime; they won't stop pestering you until you do."

"Alright you gaki's (brats), I'm not exactly pleased that you all are here, as we wanted to make Naruto's departure as quiet and secretive as possible. But you're here now and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Troublesome, but if you wanted Naruto's exit from the village to be unobtrusive Hokage-sama, then shouldn't you not be here as well?"

Tsunade's answer to the Nara heir was to level a hard and deadly glare at him, before she spoke once more.

"I'm here because I had a personal matter to attend to and as Hokage I can be wherever the Hell I want to be in this village! Is that clear enough for you Nara Shikamaru?"

"Hai Hokage-sama."

The blonde-haired Hokage then turned her attention to the rest of the young shinobi before her and stated with authority.

"What I'm about to tell you is to remain a secret until I deem it appropriate to let others know about it. Do you all understand?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Everyone simultaneously replied.

"Alright, because of Orochimaru and your former classmate Sasuke Uchiha, along with some other forces that poses a threat to the Leaf village or more specifically Naruto. I have authorized Master Jiraiya and Jounin Kakashi to take Naruto away from village to train him to his fullest potential. So when he returns, Naruto will be able to combat these enemies and eliminate their threat once and for all."

A pall of silence gripped all of Naruto's friends as they processed what they had just heard. After a moment; Kiba broke the silence and asked.

"Look I know Naruto is the strongest one out of the Konoha 11 and that he's the Fourth's son and all. But shouldn't some of us be going with him to get stronger and reach our full potential as well?"

"I don't understand why Naruto has to leave at all? Can't you guys just train him here in the village along with the rest of us? It's not fair that Naruto has to bear the burden of defeating Sasuke on his own. And it will kill Hinata if Naruto has to leave the village!" Ino interjected with vigor.

"First off Kiba, I can't be sending several of my most promising young shinobi off with Naruto for training when all of you can and will reach your fullest potential training here in the village. Secondly Ino, Naruto needs to leave the village because Sasuke and his master Orochimaru could launch another attack just to try and get at him again. And I know Hinata will be heartbroken with Naruto being gone as will we all. But if he stays, it puts not only Hinata in danger, but also all of you and the entire village at risk as well. But if Sasuke and Orochimaru know Naruto is no longer present in the village, then it lessens the chances of them attacking the village and coming after him."

"Troublesome, pardon me Hokage-sama and I'm not trying to be rude, but that line of thinking doesn't seem logical to me. I don't think that three of the strongest shinobi Konoha has leaving would lessen the chances of Sasuke and Orochimaru attacking the village. If anything, I'd say it was the opposite and increases the chances of an attack because three of your strongest shinobi are no longer here to help protect the village anymore. So logically speaking, it might prove more prudent for Naruto to stay and receive his advanced training to help protect the Leaf village." Shikamaru openly surmised to everyone present.

Tsunade merely pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before saying with irritation.

"Shikamaru, I'll tell you the same thing I told Naruto when he made that same argument, leave the strategic thinking to the adults!"

"But can Naruto really get strong enough through this training to defeat Sasuke and Orochimaru?" Tenten questioned.

"Tenten, the powers and skills Naruto has already developed in such a short amount of time, lead both me and Master Jiraiya to believe he could become one of the greatest shinobi this or any village has ever produced. I believe one day the boy will even exceed his own father, the Yondaimeand become a Hokage in his own right in the future"

A shroud of silence fell over all of Naruto's friends as they contemplated a future with their knuckle-headed friend as Hokage. In their academy days, many of them scoffed at the notion of Naruto becoming Hokage. But after thinking about it a little more, all of them came to the same conclusion that knowing Naruto as they do now; it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that he may indeed become Hokage one day.

"So where is the future Hokage?" Ino quipped.

"I don't know? I fear Naruto might be having second thoughts about leaving the village. Kakashi, you might want to summon up your Nin-Dogs to track him down because we need to be leaving very soon." Jiraiya ordered with authority.

"As you wish Master Jiraiya."

"There's no need to do that, Naruto and Hinata are coming this way and will be here shortly."

"How do you know that Kiba?" Ino asked with curiosity.

A grim and saddened visage appeared on the Inuzuka boy's face before he solemnly replied.

"I can hear Hinata………she's crying."

A few minutes later off in the distance two figures emerged on the horizon, as the darkness of the night was slowly giving way to morning rays of the sun. One figure was a blonde-haired boy clad in orange jumpsuit and was carrying the other figure in his arms who held a deathlike grip on the jumpsuit while keeping her face buried in the crook of the blondes neck crying uncontrollably. As they approached the gate, all the people waiting for them to arrive felt such sorrow for the weeping girl Naruto carried. When the couple finally arrived, everyone could see the streaks of dried tears on the young man's face, as he gently placed the girl he was carrying on her feet and softly said.

"We're here ritoru hana (little flower), you have to let go now."

The answer Naruto received was of Hinata vigorously shaking her head, as she continued to weep.

"Come on Hina-hime, you know I don't want to leave you, but I have to, please let go."

For her part, Hinata merely looked up as tears rolled down her face and in a choked voice, but also a voice filled with resolve and stated.

"No Naru-kun, if I don't let go then you have to stay here in the village or take me with you."

The sight of Hinata's pained and anguished face broke Naruto's heart even further. He quickly looked over to Jiraiya and Kakashi and sent them a silent plea for Hinata to accompany them on their journey. Unfortunately, both legendary shinobi could only shake their heads sadly at their blonde pupil, letting him know that wasn't an option. Gazing back down at the weeping Hyuga girl in his arms, Naruto stated with sadness and regret.

"Hina-hime, as much as I would love for you to come with me, you can't. We talked about this already, with the teme and the Snake Sannin after me, it would be much too dangerous for you and you're safer staying here under the protection of the village. If you went with me my hime, you could get hurt or killed."

"I, I don't care Naru-kun, because if you're gone, I don't think I can survive without you anyway."

"Hina-hime that's not true.

"Yes it is Naru-kun, you give me strength and confidence and the will to believe in myself. Without you around………I'm nothing."

"Don't ever let me hear you say that about yourself again Hinata!" Naruto shouted, startling the young Hyuga heiress before he calmed down and said.

"I'm sorry my hime, I did mean to snap at you, but I get upset when I hear you demean yourself like that. You have never been nothing Hinata. You are the most remarkable girl I've ever met in my life and you have more strength inside of you then anyone else I know. You don't need me to give you strength and confidence. You just have to believe in yourself Hinata like I believe in you. Like all of your friends believe in you my hime. So please, let go Hinata."

Moved by Naruto's words, the lavender-eyed girl reluctantly released her vice-like grip of his jumpsuit before dropping her gaze to the ground in sorrow knowing that Naruto would soon be gone. Naruto saw the despondent demeanor of his girlfriend and in an attempt to lighten the somber mood that had fallen tilted her head up with a single finger lifting her chin and said while looking in her eyes.

"Besides Hina-hime, you need to stay to show everyone that not all Hyuga's have a giant stick shoved up there ass…………no offense Neji."

Hinata burst into a giggle before covering her mouth with her hands in an attempt to stifle her laughter. But while she attempted to control her amusement, the rest of the people present made no such attempt and were openly snickering and chuckling. Meanwhile Neji had his eyes closed and was grinding his teeth before he grumbled in angry annoyance.

"None taken Naruto!"

After a minute, the hilarity finally died down and Naruto went around saying goodbye to all of his friends and comrades.

"Chouji my friend, you take care of yourself, because I still want a barbeque eating rematch with you when I get back."

"I will Naruto and I look forward to that rematch."

"Shikamaru, even though you're the laziest person I know, you still managed to become a Chunin before anyone else. So I expect you to be a Jounin by the time I get back. So no slacking off when it comes to training."

"Ugh, you're so troublesome Naruto. I won't make any promises about being a Jounin, but I'll try." Shikamaru replied with a smirk shaking Naruto's hand before the orange-clad boy turned his attention to the purple-clad former kunoichi of Team #10.

"Ino, I know we never really got along in the past, but I'm glad you're not a selfish, annoying, self-absorbed fan-girl of the teme's anymore. Take care of yourself and thanks for being a friend to Hinata-chan. I'm counting on you to keep any jerks away from bothering my hime while I'm gone ok."

Ino only stared at Naruto before shocking everyone by enveloping him in a hug and kissed his cheek while saying.

"I'm sorry about the past that was my fault. You don't have to worry about any guy bugging Hinata while you're gone. Even though she could probably do a lot better than a knucklehead like you. You do bring out the best in her and who knows, maybe you'll return as one prime hunk of man-meat for the girl. You just make sure that you take care of yourself and do return to her alright. Because if you don't, I'm going track your ass down and show you what I've learned from Anko-Sensei about how to make a man scream got it!"

"I, I got it Ino." Naruto stammered in trepidation before turning to Neji and Tenten. The weapons mistress also enveloped Naruto in a hug and said.

"Take care Naruto, we'll all miss you very much. I'm sorry Lee isn't here to say goodbye to you."

"I'll miss everyone here as well Tenten. Don't worry about Lee, I stopped by the hospital earlier to say goodbye to him and some other........people."

Naruto released the young kunoichi and extended his hand out towards Neji while saying.

"Neji, I know I don't have to tell you to train because I know by the time I get back you're going to an even more awesome shinobi than you are already. So, I want to spar with you when I back ok."

"I'm going to ignore your earlier comment regarding a certain stick and my anatomy because I know you didn't mean it and were only trying to lift my cousin's spirits. Train hard Naruto, as I look forward to testing myself against you upon your return." The Hyuga prodigy stated, while shaking Naruto's hand.

"Oh I meant what I said Neji, but hopefully Tenten along with Hinata-chans help can get it pulled out before I get back and you can finally loosen up a little bit." Naruto replied with a grin before bounding over to Shino and Kiba leaving a fuming Neji to start grinding his teeth some more.

"Shino, Kiba, and you to Akamaru take care of yourselves and don't let my hime get hurt on any missions alright." Naruto says while kneeling down to scratch Akamaru's ear.

"Our team always watches each other's back, Hinata will be fine. You just make sure you complete your training as quickly as you can and return to her." Shino stoically stated.

"Yeah, Shino's right! You make sure you bring your bony butt back here as soon as possible for Hinata. Because if you don't or we catch wind that you hooked up with some hottie while you were traveling. Then Shino and I will be joining Ino on her crusade to hunt you down right Akamaru."

"Bark, bark!"

"You're an idiot dog-breath! Like there's anyone in the world more awesome than my Hina-hime." Naruto vehemently declared, insulted at what the Inuzuka was even suggesting, as he walked over to Shizune and hugged her as he said.

"Goodbye Oneesan (big sister) I'm going miss you. Please do your best to keep baa-chan from drinking herself into an early grave while I'm gone ok."

"I'm going to miss you to otoutosan (little brother). Please be careful while you're gone and return to us safe. I promise I'll do my best with lady baa-chan alright."

"SHIZUNE!" Tsunade shouted out with indignation at her apprentice causing both Shizune and Naruto to giggle before they released their embrace. When Naruto turned to the blonde Hokage, he received a bone-crushing hug from the Slug Sannin who had tears in her eyes as she said.

"You little gaki, I'm going to miss you so much. Now I want you to train and study hard while you're gone. But more importantly, I want you to stay safe and healthy. Now don't give any of your usual backtalk to Jiraiya and Kakashi while you're training. You do everything they tell you to do while you are gone got it."

"Everything we say." Both Jiraiya and Kakashi said in unison with a mischievous glint in their eyes. Tsunade noticed this and releasing Naruto from her embrace turned to the two legendary shinobi.

Neither Jiraiya nor Kakashi took notice of Tsunade until her head exploded and grew ten times in size using Iruka Umino's famous head expansion jutsu and releasing massive amount of killing intent screamed at the two shinobi.

"When all of you return, if I find that you've turned Naruto into a pervert like yourselves, I'll be joining Ibiki and Anko as we explain to you both in the Anbu Interrogation Department what a mistake that was in doing that! Are we clear?"

"Clear, clear!" Both Jiraiya and Kakashi shouted with tears in understanding up towards the giant Tsunade head hovering over their trembling bodies, as they hugged one another in absolute terror.

Satisfied that she had made her point Tsunade's head shrank back to normal size and she turned her attention back to a visibly shaken Naruto and hugged the boy once more and whispered in his ear.

"Please be careful and stay safe while you're gone Naruto-kun, I, I love you very much."

"I, I love you to baa-ch……Tsunade-sama." Naruto whispered back returning the hug with earnest.

After a minute, they both pulled away from their embrace and Tsunade stated with sad resignation.

"There's still one more person you need to say goodbye to Naruto."

"I know." Naruto replied with sad regret, as he turned to see Hinata silently weeping standing next to Ino who had her arm around the young Hyuga girl for support. Exhaling a heavy sigh, Naruto walked over to the two kunoichi's.

"Excuse us for a moment Ino."

A nod from Ino indicated she understood and walked back over to her former Genin teammates, as Naruto took Hinata's hands into his and with tears in his eyes said.

"Hinata please don't cry anymore, you know how I hate to see you sad. It's not like I'm never coming back, I promise you that I will return and you know I never go back on my word believe it."

"Douzo (Please) come back to me." Hinata whispered, as she gazed up with tear-filled lavender colored eyes into Naruto's azure colored tear-filled eyes.

"I will Hina-hime, that's my promise of a lifetime to you." Naruto declared, as he and Hinata hugged each other fiercely.

As Naruto embraced the girl he loved, the scent of lavender and cinnamon from her hair wafted up and filled Naruto's nose with its wonderful aroma. The orange-clad youth didn't know why, but his heart felt as if it would burst through his chest. And when Hinata broke off their embrace and stepped back, before she could get further away, Naruto suddenly pulled her forward to him. As their lips crashed together the sunlight crested over the horizon and bathed the young couple in its warm sunlight. However this went unnoticed by Naruto and Hinata who were both lost in a world of pure rapture and bliss, each of them moaning the others name in unison as the love and passion they felt for one another was truly self-evident and special. After a heavenly minute, the young couple finally broke their kiss off shakily and Naruto slowly pulled away from a breathless Hinata, as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes before Naruto said.

"Hina-hime, I need you to do one thing for me while I'm gone."

"What is it Naru-kun?"

"I need you to get stronger while I'm gone my hime."

"Str, stronger Naru-kun."

"Yeah Hina-hime, stronger, I know you're already an incredible kunoichi, but I think you can be even better than you are right now. When I get back, I want to see that you've become such a badass kunoichi that you can give baa-chan a run for her money in a fight. I know you can do it because I believe in you. Can you do this for me Hina-hime?"

"Hai Naru-kun I will. Consider it my promise of a lifetime to you."

"In fact I want all of you to become stronger while I'm gone. Since I won't be around to watch over and protect my hime from the teme and anyone else who wishes to hurt her. I'm counting on all of you guys to lookout and take care of her while I'm away." Naruto announced to his fellow classmates and friends.

"That goes without saying Naruto. Sasuke has targeted all of us, but we know he has specifically targeted Hinata because of her relationship with you. We will all be watching each other's back and training to get stronger just as you will be. Just make sure that when you do return that you are strong enough to take down the Uchiha scum once and for all."

"I will be Shino and thanks you guys for looking after Hinata-chan while I'm gone."

Naruto then turned his attention back Hinata and reaching inside his jumpsuit pulled out a small light blue colored flower with five petals surrounding a small yellow stigma in the center. Hinata couldn't help but notice that the colors of the flower matched Naruto's eyes and hair. However, the Hyuga girl didn't recognize the type of flower it was and turned to look at Ino who answered.

"It's a Wasurenagusa (Forget-me-not) flower Hinata."

Naruto then tucked the blossom into Hinata's indigo colored hair while the Hyuga girl blushed and fought herself from spilling new tears over her true loves departure when she heard him say with regret.

"Kami, you always look so beautiful with a flower in your hair. I'm going to miss giving you a flower for your hair every day my hime. It's going to be the first thing I do when I get back."

"After today Naru-kun, I won't wear a flower in my hair until you come back to me." Hinata declared with certainty.

Naruto smiled and lovingly wrapped his arms around Hinata and she returned his embrace as he stated with adoration while gazing into her eyes.

"I love you Hina-hime."

"And I love you Naru-kun."

The young couple then leaned in and kissed each other softly yet also with passion once more. All the kunoichi's present were blushing profusely after having watched Naruto and Hinata interact with one another the past few minutes. Even some of the males present though they would never openly admit it, were touched as well by the love Naruto and Hinata had for one another. After a blissful minute, Naruto and Hinata broke apart panting and both of them smiled while gazing into each other's eyes. Naruto then leaned in for another kiss before a hand grabbed the collar of his jumpsuit behind his neck and pulled him away while saying.

"Alright Naruto much as I hate to break you two lovebirds up, it's time for us to go. We're already running late, as we were suppose to leave before sun-up not afterwards." Jiraiya groused.

"Awwww come on pervy-sage, just one more kiss from my hime pleeeeease!"

"Sorry kiddo, believe me when I tell you it's better this way. Come on Kakashi, let's get going."

"Hai Master Jiraiya."

"Kakashi-Sensei, did you keep your promise to me?" Hinata called out asking.

Kakashi stopped walking and without turning around replied in the most forlorn voice anyone had ever heard him speak.

"Hai Hinata, I did."

Kakashi then resumed his trek over to the Toad Sannin who was still busy trying to keep Naruto contained. Jiraiya then announced for everyone to hear.

"We're leaving now, all of you take care of yourselves and we'll be back as soon as we can."

Jiraiya then shot a quick glance over to Tsunade and gave the blonde Hokage a small sad smile before he, Kakashi, and Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves. As Tsunade watched them disappear, a lone tear rolled slowly down her cheek.

After their departure, everyone remaining at the gate was deathly silent before a sob from Hinata punctuated the air, as the enormity of Naruto being gone for so long hit the young girl once again. Ino rushed over to console her, as Hinata wept into her shoulder. It was then another voice pierced the air with authority.

"Hinata, stop your blubbering and come over here, I wish to speak to you!"

Everyone looked over at Neji in shock and a little anger at the cold and brutal tone of the Hyuga prodigy's voice. Hinata hesitantly walked over to her cousin and stood before his with her head hung low and still weeping when she heard him say.

"Hinata cease your crying and act like the heiress of the Hyuga clan for Kami's sake!"

"Neji!" Tenten shouted out, appalled at the way her boyfriend was acting.

"Be quiet woman! This doesn't concern you only Hinata and our clan."

Before Tenten could respond, Hinata spoke up and stated.

"I'm no longer the heiress of the Hyuga clan or even belong to it anymore and neither do you Neji-kun. We were cast out by my father or did you forget that?"

"The decree of a foolish and spiteful old man means nothing to me Hinata. Whether or not we officially belong to the clan does not change the fact that we are Hyuga and you were born to lead this clan into the future. Now, I have only one thing I wish to ask you. Did you mean what you said to Naruto?"

"Yes, I meant what I said, I love Naruto-kun."

"No not that! Did you mean what you said when you promised Naruto that you would train and become one of the strongest and most skilled kunoichi's the Leaf village has ever seen?"

"Hai Neji-kun I meant it!"

"Very well, then I shall help you to achieve that goal since the honor of the Hyuga name is at stake. I noticed during the rescue mission for yourself and Kurenai-Sensei that you've achieved level two of the Byakugan. That is an impressive feat you've accomplished. You were able to do that a full year before I was able to."

Hinata's eyes grew wide with astonishment, but before she could say anything Tsunade spoke up and asked.

"Level two of the Byakugan, I've never heard of the Byakugan having different levels. What are you talking about Neji Hyuga?"

"I'm sorry, but it is a clan technique so I cannot answer that Hokage-sama. For me to divulge any information about it would be like asking you to discuss any Senju clan techniques. But I will say that as far as I know in the history of our clan, only three people have achieved this level and two of them are standing before you Hokage-sama."

"Neji, Neji-kun, what level of Byakugan do you possess?" Hinata hesitantly asked with curiosity.

"I recently achieved level three Hinata."

"Level three, I didn't know that such a level existed!" Hinata exclaimed in bewilderment.

"It does Hinata and I believe there are even further levels beyond that and I will teach you."

"Teach, teach me Neji-kun."

"Yes Hinata, I shall teach you to advance your Byakugan to new heights. Also you will begin weapons training with Ten-chan to advance your skills in that area. And finally you will receive Tai-jutsu instruction from Lee to incorporate into your Gentle Fist style of fighting. Once you complete all of this additional training, I guarantee you will become the skilled kunoichi Naruto is expecting upon his return."

"Weapons training with Ten-chan huh? Don't you think you should have asked me first Neji?"

"Do you not wish to help Hinata Ten-chan?"

"That's not it; of course I'll help Hinata!"

"Then I fail to see the importance of asking you to do something that I already knew you would agree to do."

"That's not the point Neji!" Tenten shouted out in frustration.

"Hey, what about us?" Kiba asked.

"What about you mutt-boy?" Neji snidely remarked.

"Grrrrrrrrr, were Hinata's teammates you arrogant prick! We can give Hinata any additional training if we need to!"

"Actually, you can't." Neji calmly states.

"And why is that?"

"Because you idiot mongrel both you and Shino's skills are all based upon family clan techniques that no one other than an Inuzuka or Aburame can learn or use! However, if I want Hinata to learn how to fetch a stick or scratch oneself inappropriately you'll be the first person I call Kiba!"

Hearing this brought about a series of chuckles from many of the people there. Kiba looked as though he was ready to kill the Hyuga male and was only being held back by Shino who spoke up and stated.

"He's correct Kiba; there is nothing we can teach to Hinata in the use of our fighting styles or techniques because they are based upon our respective clans. But that doesn't mean we cannot help with Hinata's advanced training either. If Hinata is willing to learn, I can teach her about strategic thinking and the ability to formulate tactical and calculated battle plans while out in the field. Although I'm not as good as Shikamaru at such things, I'm not a novice either. You Kiba can help Hinata increase her physical stamina and strength. Which as you know is vital to ones survival both in the field and in a battle."

"Alright, as much as I hate to admit Shino, you're right about what Neji said." Kiba grumbled, as he calmed down

"I can help you Kiba with the physical training for Hinata." Chouji announces.

"It's troublesome, but I can help Shino with the strategy training for Hinata." Shikamaru offers in support.

"Yeah, and I can teach Hinata some radical moves I've learned from Anko-Sensei as well." Ino pipes up wanting to help her friend out before adding.

"What about you Lady Tsunade? Can't you teach Hinata some of your medical jutsu's? Hinata has nearly perfect chakra control and I've heard that's what you need for that type of training."

"Lady Tsunade has chosen another to share her divine medical knowledge with Ino!" Shizune snapped in an icy tone of voice while shooting a quick glare at her teacher.

Tsunade merely turned her head to the side and wouldn't look at her apprentice not wanting to resume the argument the two had yesterday. It was then the blonde Hokage heard Shizune say in a much friendlier tone of voice.

"But I would be glad to take Hinata on as my medical apprentice, if she is willing?"

Tsunade turned her head around and stared at her longtime assistant and friend in shock. However, before the Slug Sannin could say anything the very subject of all of training talk that had been going on spoke up and asked.

"Why, why would all of you do this for me?"

"That's a pretty stupid question Hinata. We're all doing this because you're our friend and we care about you duh!" Ino answers sarcastically.

Hinata could only gaze at all of her friends and comrades with admiration that all of them were willing to do this for her before she bowed to all of them and said with sincerity.

"Arigatou (Thank you) everyone, it means so much to me that all of you consider me a friend."

Hinata then turned her attention back to Neji who spoke once more and said.

"Well it seems with all of the training being offered to you Hinata that you truly will become a splendid shinobi to borrow one of Lee's phrases. But I must warn you, I can't speak for the others but the Byakugan training will prove to be most arduous and difficult for you to learn. And I won't hold back on you either. Are you sure you are ready to undertake such a task?"

"Hai Neji-san I am willing to accept your training." Hinata answered with confidence before turning around and stating with vigor.

"I am willing to accept everyone's training because I want to become the kunoichi Naruto believes I can be or die trying!"

"Well I can't speak for Neji Hinata, but I'm pretty sure you won't end up dying from anyone else's training." Tenten stated with derision, still irritated as being referred to as "woman" and of Neji's lack of tact for not at least asking her first if she would be willing to help Hinata.

By the sarcastic tone of Tenten's voice and what she had just said, Neji knew he was going to catch Hell from his girlfriend later on. Exhaling a heavy sigh, he responded to Tenten's biting statement.

"I promise Hinata, you won't die from my training either."

"Thank you Neji-kun, that's good to knooooooooow." Hinata replied as her final drifting word signaled the young girl falling to the ground unconscious.

"Hinata!" Neji cried out and in an instant caught and scooped his cousin up into his arms before she hit ground.

Tsunade and Shizune immediately rushed over to check on the Hyuga girl's condition. After a moment they both sighed in relief and Tsunade announced to everyone.

"Hinata is fine; she's just fainted from exhaustion. I'm actually surprised she was able to stay conscious and upright as long as she did. Her body has not fully recovered yet from being in a coma for such a long time. We should get Hinata back to the hospital so she can rest."

"Give her to me; I can carry Hinata back to the hospital." Kiba declared, as he reached over to retrieve his teammate from Neji when the prodigy spat.

"Keep your paws off of her Inuzuka! I shall carry Hinata back to the hospital."

"But Neji-kun, it's almost five miles to the hospital from here." Tenten stated with concern.

"Bah, if Naruto can carry her that distance, then I certainly can as well."

"Get bent Hyuga! Naruto is way stronger than you physically and so am I. And I'm not going to let your arrogance hurt Hinata when you end up dropping her after a mile. So let me carry her!" Kiba growled out in anger and concern for his teammate.

"And I said back off mutt-boy! I will carry Hinata back and afterwards if you would like to test how strong you are in comparison to me. We can settle the matter once and for all."

"I have $100 ryo's that says Neji drops her before they get to the hospital, any takers?"

Everyone turned to look at Tsunade in astonishment and anger that the blonde Hokage would dare to make such a wager regarding Hinata's safety. Tenten was furious that the Hokage was basically demeaning her boyfriend and insinuating that he would be unable to carry his cousin back to the hospital and the weapons mistress shouted out with fury.

"I'll take that bet Hokage-sama, but why don't we make it $200 ryo's!"

"I accept Tenten, but if you're going to win you might want to get your boyfriend moving along, he's already starting to look a little shaky."

"Ha, don't try your mind games with us! Neji-kun will be more than fine and able to bring Hinata back to the hospital. You just have my money ready when we get there Hokage-sama."

Neji glanced over to Tenten and gave a barely perceptible smile at how vigorously she not only defended him to the Hokage, but more importantly believed in him. Clearing his throat, he announced for everyone to hear.

"Ahem, come Ten-chan let us depart. The sooner we get Hinata back safe and sound, the sooner you will collect your money."

"Hai Neji-kun."

As Tsunade and Shizune watched Neji walk away with Hinata in his arms followed closely behind by everyone else. A wry smile spread across the blonde Hokage's face, which Shizune noticed and commented on.

"A very unusual wager you made Lady Tsunade, but I've never known you to bet on something when it concerns the health and safety of someone."

"I just wanted to ensure that Neji didn't drop Hinata on the way to the hospital that's all Shizune."

"I understand Lady Tsunade, that's quite shrewd on your part using your luck to work for you rather than against you as it usually does. I commend you for the brilliance of that play"

"Arigatou (Thank you) Shizune, but let's see if the play I made works." Tsunade stated, as she and Shizune began to follow the young group of shinobi ahead of them before the blonde Hokage asked her assistant.

"By the way Shizune, do you have $200 ryo's on you by chance?"

"Lady Tsunade!!!!!"

---

As Neji laid Hinata gently onto her hospital bed he turned around and arrogantly declared while panting to everyone present.

"You see, (pant, pant) I told you if Naruto could do it (pant, pant) I could as well. (pant, pant)"

"Yes you did Neji-kun." Tenten replied before kissing her boyfriends cheek in support of him.

"Funny, I don't recall Naruto being drenched in sweat and panting when he carried Hinata from the hospital." Kiba pondered out loud in amusement.

Neji shot an angry glare at the Inuzuka heir before Tsunade entered the room and derisively ordered.

"Alright, now that Neji has proven he's a he-man, all of you need to leave so Hinata can get some rest."

As the remnants of the Konoha 11 exited the hospital, they encountered five upset clan leaders in the courtyard of the hospital. Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, Chouji, and Ino looked at one another nervously, when Ino attempted her puppy-dog eyes jutsu and said in a sickening sweet tone of voice.

"Hi Daddy."

"Don't you "hi daddy" me and turn off that damn jutsu Ino, it's not going to work this time!" Inoichi Yamanaka sternly proclaimed.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.

"It is indeed most troublesome sochi (son) you're mother has made my life very unpleasant this morning because of your little escapade." Shikaku Nara stated with annoyance.

"Or did none of you pups think that the sudden disappearance of five clan heirs in the middle of the night would go unnoticed by people!" Tsume Inuzuka growled out while shooting a glare at Kiba.

"Your mother has been worried sick about you Chouji. We were ready to call out the Anbu to search for all of you before Shibi-san found us and informed us that all of you were together and of what you were doing." Chouza Akimichi commented with concern.

The Aburame clan leader merely adjusted his sun-glasses and nodded his head.

"Apparently Shino was the only one of you to actually inform his parents of what was going on before he left." Inoichi stated with irritation.

"We're sorry daddy about not telling you about where we were going, but we were kind of rushed if we wanted to say goodbye to Naruto before he left."

"I know this princess, which is why we've decided to let this transgression slide……..this time."

"But if any of you pull something like this again, there will be severe consequences." Tsume snarled with authority.

"Now all of you get over to the Akimichi restaurant. Your mothers are there preparing breakfast for you as we speak." Chouza announced.

As the leaders of five of the great clans of Konoha watched their heirs run off to the restaurant, Tsunade joined them in the hospital courtyard and said.

"That was most kind of you all not to punish them."

"The reason behind their actions was just." Shibi Aburame stoically replied.

"I can't punish my pup for leaving to say goodbye to a friend and fellow comrade." Tsume added.

"Besides, I'm glad all of them have formed such a tight bond with one another. Because with the dark days I fear are coming, they're going to need each other now more than ever." Inoichi grimly asserts.

"You're correct Inoichi-san, because I believe the entire future of the Village Hidden in the Leaves is going to rest upon their shoulders……….and Naruto in the coming years. Tsunade proclaimed with unwavering conviction.

---

Author Notes: My Valentine's day gift to all of you, although I'm not sure the chapters overall content is conducive or appropriate to the holiday? I will say that it is the biggest chapter I've ever written even without my author notes. But fitting as we are now at the official halfway point of my story, I think? Well, I guesstimate anyway. Now the next few chapters are going to be totally original AU creations showing life on the road for Naruto and co, as well as life back in the Leaf village for all the other characters, my own sort of gaiden chapters so to speak. I have a lot of original ideas I need to sort through for these upcoming chapters, but I think everyone will enjoy them. Now since a lot of people have forgotten what I wrote in my A/N from chapter 35 with regards to the training trip lasting 10 years, let me repeat it. Jiraiya just made an estimate of how long he thought it might take Naruto to learn everything, which was 5-10yrs. But Naruto being Naruto will learn at an even faster rate than the Toad Sage thought and all of them will be returning in 3yrs. Now that is settled, first off I wish to thank……

"Naruto-kun you're back from training, it's so wonderful to see you….. mmmph!" Sakura exclaimed before Naruto caught her in a passionate kiss.

Sakura moaned in pleasure and seemed to melt into the kiss, as she snaked her arms around Naruto's neck pulling him close to her body. Naruto's hand undid the front zipper of her vest and slowly slid the garment off of Sakura's arms revealing the lacey silk bra encasing her breasts which Naruto began to fondle softly.

"Naruto-kun what are doing?" Sakura moaned in surprise.

"Relax Sakura-chan, I promise you'll enjoy this." Naruto replied in a deep and sultry voice.

Oh yeah, this stuff is pure gold!

Oh Kami not again! Lobo just what the Hell are you doing over there? I swear life isn't easy with a Wolf demon in your head. Especially, when said demon is currently sitting in front of a computer screen writing on Microsoft Word 2007.

Be quiet you miserable meat-bag! I'm working on that Naruto/Sakura lemon I'm going to give to all those other puny human meat-bag mortals who read this story.

I've told you before Lobo, that isn't going to happen.

Like you can stop me you puny, pathetic, worthless vessel, I'm going to take over one of these days. Your will and resolve grows weak when you get less reviews then what you were expecting! One day it will be weakened enough and your guard will slip and I'll be taking over you gutless, spineless, sack of meat. And then the longest, sloppiest, and most descriptive lemon involving Naruto and the pink-monster ever written will be released for everyone to read! Mwhahahahaha.........Arooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Well it isn't happening today, so knock it off.

Bite me you gutless, spineless, meat-sack vessel! Stick your head in-between the bars of my cage so I can eat your face! The same goes for all those puny meat sack mortals who threatened my demon life in reviews. Don't they know if I die you die! There was only one reviewer who took the threat of me taking you over seriously.

Arynia - *Gasps* A Sakura/Naruto lemon? You wouldn't! Not even Lobo could stoop that low!
But, just to be safe, I think I'll be reviewing from now on - it'll be better than reading this story, expecting a new chapter, and then end up gouging my eyes out.

Well Arynia I can stoop that low and when I do get out of this insufferable cage and take over this puny, spineless, and worthless vessel. I'll look forward to hearing your screams of anguish and pain the most out of everyone, as you gouge your eyes before I track you down and eat your face.

That's it, you can threaten and insult me all you want Lobo, you're my Wolf demon so I have to live with it! But when you start doing same to my readers I draw the line, take that!

Kingkakashi slaps a blown up page #17 of manga issue #482 onto the bars of lobo's cage bearing the huge forehead and face of the pink-monster uttering the now most famous line in the history of the Naruto Canon.

Sasuke-kun…..I will follow you! I'll leave Konoha!!

Arrrrgh!!!! Put it away, put it away! Alright, you win this round vessel, but I will be back!

Yeah, yeah, whatever now where was I? Oh yeah, sorry for this interruption, now I can get back to my author note. I'll be addressing manga #482 in more detail a little bit later.

First off, I wish to thank everyone both old and new readers who took the time to review my last chapter, it's much appreciated by me. Though the number I received was a bit lower than I was expecting as Lobo pointed out. But I have to say the quality of the majority of the reviews was indeed very high. You all had a lot to say about the last chapter which was cool to read. So, I'm very curious to see what the responses to this chapter will be from everyone? Because, I've never seen a story with the conversation Jiraiya and Tsunade needed to have in the manga a long time ago. I hope you all enjoyed my perspective on their 40 year relationship. Once again thanks to everyone who gave a review, as it does help a writer get the thoughts and opinions of the fans of a story. And remember, reviews are the motivation that helps give any writer the will to continue on with their tale. Also, to any readers who are staff members to any C2 communities, please feel free to add my story to your community if you feel it is worthy of it. I won't mind, I swear. I'll even pinkie swear if I need to?

Before we get into my p.o.v. of the latest manga chapters, I have some exciting news to tell you all about.

*NEW POLL*NEWPOLL*NEW POLL*NEW POLL*NEW POLL*NEW POLL*NEW POLL*

That's right, I've posted a new poll on my profile page and it's an important one but also a lot of fun. I want to find the answer to a question that has plagued man since the dawn of the 20th century.

"Who is the hottest, sexiest, most beautiful girl ever created in the world of anime?"

So what I've done is chosen 99 women from over 55 different anime's for you to choose your own personal top 10. And if by some slim chance a girl you like isn't listed on the poll, there is a choice of "other" you can use. Also for your benefit, I've placed in my bio page a link to a picture of every single girl listed on the poll that you can check out before you vote. Voting is easy as I've listed the anime the girl appears on in parenthesis first then her name. I'll be honest as I've not seen all the anime's I listed, but the women chosen were the names that seem to come up the most off of this forum page I used as a guide. The topic of which was to list the top 5 hottest anime girls. So please check out the poll and vote. The only things I ask is do not vote in your review as they will not count. And please if a girl you like wasn't listed on the poll don't argue the point in a review either. Just send me a pm and I'll discuss the matter with you. To all my female readers, I apologize to all of you for this blatantly sexist poll. But I'm sure some of the women listed on the poll are characters you like and respect so please vote for them on that criteria. To any authors of stories out there who read my tale, if you are willing please copy and paste the following to add into any chapter updates you might post in the future.

Have you ever wondered "Who is the hottest, sexiest, most beautiful girl ever created in the world of anime?" Well now's your chance to vote for your own Top 10. Kingkakashi besides having a great story has set-up a poll about this very question on his profile page. Help answer and settle this issue once and for all.

I'm trying to get as many people as I possibly can to vote on the poll because I've never seen one done to the scale I have on this particular question. So any help you all can provide is much appreciated by me. Thanks to everyone and I hope you have fun with the voting. And believe me when I tell you, picking 10 choices isn't as easy as you would think it be on this poll. (Lol)

Comments with regards about the poll results so far:

I have to say I've learned a great many things from the poll that I never knew before and have been surprised by a few things as well.

First, the complete domination at the top of the poll by the majority of the Naruto and Bleach women listed. This isn't so surprising, but I am shocked that Orihime and Rangiku from Bleach aren't getting more love. I mean Orihime is the Hinata of the Bleach world for Kami's sake and Rangiku well, she's basically Anko and Tsunade rolled into one fun-filled package.

Ami Mizuno (Sailor Mercury) is the most popular Sailor Moon girl and the actual Sailor Moon Usagi Tsukino is the least popular, I never knew that.

Nico Robin being more popular than Nami from One Piece, I never would have guessed that.

Final Fantasy VII Tifa Lockhart having such a strong showing in the poll blew me away.

I'm stunned that Faye Valentine of Cowboy Bebop is struggling as much as she is. In virtually every other similar type poll I've seen in the past, she was always in the top 10 and a lot of the time the top 5.

I'm also pleasantly surprised that of the Inuyasha girls, Sango is outdistancing Kagome in the poll.

And finally I must address Neon Genesis Evangelion Misato Katsuragi. I realize that this particular anime ran over 15 years ago and had a brief rerun on Cartoon Network back in 2003, so many of you may not have ever seen this anime. But this anime is looked upon as one of the benchmarks of the anime universe. And Misato Katsuragi is the template from which we got the characters of Faye Valentine, Anko Mitarashi, Yoruichi Shihoin and many other female characters that have been created over the last 15 years. People, she deserves much more love than what she has gotten so far in the poll. Ok, onto everyone's favorite section Kingkakashi's rants on the manga yaaaaaayyyyyy!

This time I do have some positive things to say about the last few issues of the Naruto manga!

#479 – Nothing much to this chapter, it's just the continuation of the never-ending fight between Sasuke and Danzo. Both using god-like powers and slugging it out yada, yada.

#480 – Well, we finally get the end of the Sasuke vs. Danzo fight. Which of course Sasuke wins and how he wins is to sacrifice Karin just for his revenge to kill Danzo. Thus showing what a truly dark and evil bastard the emo-Uchiha really is. Overall a good chapter for that reason alone.

#481 – Danzo is dying and reflects back to his days as a Chunin with Sarutobi and his never-ending rivalry with the God of Shinobi. It's an introspection chapter to which Danzo thinks about what could have been if he had just been more like Sarutobi. I liked the chapter as the flashback memories of Danzo were cool to see. At the end Danzo makes a suicidal run to try and kill Sasuke and Madara which fails.

#482 – I don't know what say about this chapter other than it is the greatest one Kishimoto ever produced if you're a Naruto/Hinata fan for the manga. If you're a Naruto/Sakura fan you probably have a different opinion of the chapter. (lol) I've got the champagne chilling on the ice after I read the final panel that finally Kishimoto will start moving this story towards the rightful and justified Naruto/Hinata pairing that it should be. Now, can Kishimoto still screw all this up, sure he can. That's why I'm not popping the cork just yet. But I have to say this chapter merely strengthens what I have always believed and that is Kishimoto was always going to pair his favorite character Sasuke with his #1 fan-girl Sakura before the story ends.

Essentially, this chapter is about Sakura's betrayals. First she betrays Lee, Kiba, and Sai after they locate Sasuke for her by putting them asleep so she can go after Sasuke alone. Naruto finally awakes from his spazz attack in #476 and escapes from Yamato to go after Sakura and presumably Sasuke. Madara tells Sasuke to kill Karin if she's of no more use to him, which Sasuke agrees to do and we finally learn why Karin was such a devoted slut to Sasuke. I have to say this was the first issue in which I didn't detest Karin. Finally, we reach the end of the chapter in which Sasuke is about to chidori Karin and Sakura arrives and says what will now be the most famous line in the Naruto universe to date.

"Sasuke-kun…..I will follow you! I'll leave Konoha!!"

Thus showing she's never quit loving the emo-Uchiha even after all these years and after all the sins he has committed since he betrayed the Leaf village. Sakura is willing to commit the same betrayal just to be with him. Just like when she was 12yrs old begging Sasuke to take her with him when he deserted Konoha. So overall, this chapter was AWESOME!

Yes, I'm still thoroughly disgusted that Kishimoto hasn't done anything yet with the Hinata confession to Naruto now reaching 46 issues.

As always, if anyone wants to discuss my story in greater detail, just shoot me a PM. I enjoy talking about the story with any readers who really have an interest in it. I'll try to respond back to you as quickly as I can. Also some readers ask me questions in reviews, but if you have your private messaging disabled, I can't respond back. Now I'd like to give a shout out to a couple stories that I recommend and hope you all will checkout when you have the time.

"Alone I Suffer" by GrimMalice: I'm guessing some of you already know about this story and will understand what I have to say next about it. I debated a long time whether or not to recommend this story to all my readers. Not from a quality standpoint as there are very few stories out that are better than this tale. No, my dilemma comes from the fact the author has only updated this magnificent story once over the last two years. And judging by his profile page, don't expect to see another update for who knows how long? So while I highly recommend what is already there, I can understand if people don't want to get invested into a story that may never resume. The story is a gut-wrenching tale involving the ultimate betrayal of Naruto by Sakura and Sasuke. The emotional intensity is through the roof in this story and is overall one of the best written, creative, and original pieces you will ever read.

"Hot for Teacher" by Dirty Reid: Don't let the title sway you from reading this. It's a fairly romantic one-shot involving an older Naruto with Kurenai. There is a little bit of lemony goodness to the story, but overall it's a nice little piece showing how the two characters fell in love with one another.

On a side note, have you checked out my new story "Supreme Genetics – Creation of a Bloodline" yet? If you haven't, don't forget to do so. The link to the story is on my profile page and the story is being co-authored with Hefster. In my own opinion, that story will become one of the better Naru/Hina/Saku stories out there. Chapter 3 was released on Christmas as a gift to everyone.

Also be sure to check out as well.

"My Purpose? What is my Purpose?" by NeonZangetsu & Kingkakashi: If you didn't already know, I am now co-writing an amazing Bleach/Naruto crossover story with my fellow author NeonZangetsu. The story involves Naruto who had 3 loves in his life; all of them broke his heart. Life in the village becomes too much for him, as the pain and despair he feels threatens to destroy him. Leaving the village he sets off a chain of events, as friends and foes aren't ready for Naruto to disappear from their lives, and want him back at any cost. If you're a fan of the angst, drama, suspense, surprises, and romance I've done with my story. Then you should enjoy reading this tale as well. NZ and I alternate on writing the chapters. He has the even numbered chapters, and I have the odd beginning with chapter 11 when I began co-writing with him. The link to this story is also on my profile page.

Now please be kind and leave precious valuable reviews on all of these stories.

Take it easy and be good!

Kingkakashi

School time:

Arduous

Definition: Hard to accomplish or achieve, marked by great labor or effort.

Etymology: Medieval Latin to old Irish 1538.

Part of Speech: Adjective