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!

54. The Truth Revealed to All

Chapter 54 Summary: Nearly two have passed since thesiege of Konoha by Orochimaru failed and the Leaf village has come back stronger from it. Also, three Leaf shinobi who have carved out a heroic reputation in their travels have embarked on their ultimate and final training. Meanwhile, the land they call home, Konohagakure the Village Hidden in the Leaves is celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Kyuubi no Youko's defeat. Even more anticipated by the people is the final message their beloved Yondaime had left for them to be heard on this anniversary. However, the villagers have no idea that their lives will be forever changed this night after hearing the Fourth Hokage's words left to them.

Naruto vs. Sasuke: The Aftermath

Chapter 54: "The Truth Revealed to All."

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Allow me to introduce all of you good people to my son.

Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze

A collective gasp was released by the majority of people within the Leaf village upon hearing that statement and name uttered by the Yondaime. After which an eerie pall of silence seemed to envelop the village, as Minato continued on addressing the crowd.

My son Naruto, isn't he the most beautiful baby boy you have ever seen? I suppose every parent feels that way when they first set eyes upon their child, but right now I can't recall ever seeing a more handsome boy.

A monstrous roar off in the distance momentarily distracted Minato, before his attention returned towards the baby boy being held in his arms.

Naruto-kun, you have no idea how much it pains me knowing that neither I nor your mother will get the chance to see you grow up into the fine man I know you will become.

Minato then turned his head to the side and the enormous 3D projection panned over to see a beautiful red-haired woman lying on the floor in a blood-stained dress with her hands crossed over her chest and her eyes forever closed. Minato then appeared next to her and kneeling down lovingly brushed an errant hair off her face and in a tear-choked voice spoke.

Kushina my love, my wife, you've already given up your life protecting our son from the Kyuubi no Youko. Now I find I must do the same to not only save Naruto, but to save everyone in the Leaf village. The only comfort I take in doing this is that I will once again be reunited with you, because I can't comprehend living in this world without you by my side. I pray to Kami that when we see each other again that you won't hate me for the terrible burden I'm going to place upon our child. I wish I could find another way to stop the nine-tailed demon fox, but there just isn't time.

As if to confirm what Minato had just said another gruesome roar was heard in the background again only this time it sounded much closer. Minato then turned his attention back to Naruto and in the same pain-filled voice said.

Naruto my son, I also pray to Kami that you won't come to hate me for the dreadful responsibility I'm placing upon you. You may wonder when you're older why I chose you and not some other child born within the past few weeks to bear the burden of containing the Kyuubi no Youko. I could have easily done so and spared you the hardships and ordeals you will have to face in keeping the fox-demon sealed away.

Several Leaf villagers who had sons and daughters born a few weeks prior to Naruto's birth held or hugged their children a bit tighter upon hearing that statement from the Yondaime before Minato continued on.

But what kind of leader and father would I be to ask such a sacrifice of a family, if I wasn't willing to make that very same sacrifice?

By now several men, women, civilian, or shinobi alike were openly weeping at this point. Then another ghastly roar was heard so loud it the villagers could actually feel the vibrations of its sound reverberate through their bodies.

My son, how I wish I could spend a few more precious minutes with you, but it appears we are out of time as the great demon is nearly upon us. We must leave soon if we are to save the Leaf village and its people.

Minato then looked up and addressed his sorrowful yet captivated audience once more.

Good citizens of Konoha, my son and I must now take our leave from you to stop the Kyuubi no Youko once and for all. As I said before, I gladly choose to give my life to save such a fine home as the Village Hidden in the Leaves and its noble people. My only regret in making this sacrifice is the cost of making my son an orphan before he is even a day old. So I say do not revere me as a hero, as my heart is breaking knowing this. The true hero of this night and for the rest of his life is my son Naruto. Who through the strength of his will and resolve shall always keep you safe and the mighty fox-demon at bay.

Minato then leaned down and kissed his son's forehead before saying.

Naruto-kun know that your mother and I love you very much. I'm sorry we won't be able to show you how much we love you, but worry not. I know that you will have as you grow up the love, respect, and admiration of the citizens of the Leaf village for bearing the ordeal you must endure. Never will you find a more kind, loving, and noble people anywhere in the world than those that reside within Konohagakure. So I take comfort in knowing that though you bear a heavy burden in protecting us all, your life as you grow will not be bereft of the love and support of the village for they will understand the sacrifice you are making for them.

Minato then looked up again and with tears flowing down his face said in a grateful tone of voice.

It is a sorrowful tragedy to become an orphan on the very day you are born. And I know it doesn't matter to you good people whether he is a Kage's child or not. I still wish to thank all of you for that love and support you will give Naruto-kun as he grows up, as you would any child who was forced to carry such a grave responsibility as keeping the world safe from the mightiest of the tailed demons.

Goodbye noble villagers of Konohagakure. Though I will die this night, I take solace in knowing my son will grow up in the finest village with the most wonderful and caring people of all the elemental nations.

With a wave of his hand while cradling Naruto, a bright yellow flash suddenly burst out and in an instant Minato and his son had disappeared. A moment later the beam of light coming from the seal flickered before shutting off and ending the colossal 3D projection.

The eerie pall of silence that had seized the village at the start of Minato's message had now become an icy grip tugging at the hearts of the villagers. In fact the only sounds one could hear was that of weeping or of guilty self-recriminations and admonishments being voiced by many people. Tsunade looked out over the throng of people with a look of disgust upon her face before snatching the microphone in her hand and mocking sarcastically what Minato had said, the bile and scorn towards them evident to all by her tone of voice.

"Good citizens of Konoha!"

"Noble people of the Leaf village!"

"The finest village with the most wonderful and caring people of all the elemental nations!"

Each sentence Tsunade voiced was like a dagger continuously plunging into the hearts of many villagers before she finally declared.

"Minato Namikaze was a fine Hokage and a wise man in many aspects of his life."

"But he was a naïve fool in placing such blind faith and trust in such a sorry, contemptible, and pathetic lot of mongrels as you've shown yourselves to be! For had the Yondaime opened his eyes and truly glimpsed into your hearts he would have seen what I already knew was there. Minato would have seen how arrogant, snobbish, and conceited a people you've become since the days of my grandfather the Shodai. He would have seen how condescending a village we've turned into forever looking upon the other great lands and villages with utter contempt, while spouting off about how much more noble and superior we are to them."

Tsunade's words stung, but no one could deny what she was saying was the truth. The Leaf village and its inhabitants had grown arrogant and full of themselves over the years flushed by their successes in the Great Shinobi wars and in their subsequent rise in power throughout the elemental nations because of it. However, their sin of pride was not their most egregious sin, as Tsunade was about to declare.

"Arrogant pride though is not this village's greatest sin."

The crowd of villagers shivered as they felt Tsunade's killing intent steadily rise towards them.

"No, this village's greatest sin is one of misguided wrath you leveled upon Naruto! So selfishly wrapped up in your rage towards the Kyuubi no Youko that you tortured and tormented an innocent child, the Yondaime's child his entire life growing up!"

Several more villagers broke down in tears, as the memories of the sins they had committed against Naruto came to life within them.

Finally the shame and self-reproach became too much for one villager who cried out in an attempt to dispute the truth and remove his disgrace.

"No, it can't be true, it must be a trick! The Kyuubi-brat cannot be the Yondaime's legacy!"

Infuriated upon hearing this, Tsunade grabbed a pitcher of water sitting by the podium and hurled it with astonishing speed smashing the pitcher onto the villager head and knocking him to the ground bleeding profusely, before she grabbed the microphone and shouted with vitriol echoing in her voice.

"You stupid bastards, even when the truth is right before your very eyes, you dare to try and deny it just to assuage your guilty conscience! Well, I'm not going to let you! Everything the Yondaime has just revealed to you is the truth, Naruto Uzumaki is his son. Look to the clan leaders standing upon this stage before you. You don't see any of them denying what they know to be true or trying to make up excuses to ease any sins they or their clans may have committed against Minato's living legacy. Unlike you pathetic scum who would try to grasp at anything that would lessen the guilt you're now feeling of how you treated Naruto growing up."

"But, but had we known who the boy truly was we would have honored the Yondaime's wishes, he would have been treated as a hero!" A villager shouted out in protest.

"Why should who he was have mattered in being treated as a hero? You heard the Yondaime say he believed in you people so much that it didn't even occur to him that you would ever condemn and torture a child out of your anger and hatred of the Kyuubi, whether he was a Kage's son or not!"

Many villagers looked down to the ground in shame, as they realized they were nothing but a disgrace and undeserving of the unwavering love, trust, and faith Minato had in them.

"Never will you find a more kind, loving, and noble people anywhere in the world than those that reside within Konohagakure!" Tsunade spat with disdain, mocking Minato's words once again.

"Yes, you kind, loving, and noble people through your stupidity and hate labeled Naruto a monster, when all he truly was is the child that kept all of you safe from the Kyuubi. The true monsters of this village are the people who hated him, who tortured him, who tormented and tried everything to make his life as miserable as they could. And most unforgivable are those of you who tried to kill him. Yes you bastards, I know all about your little fox hunts! That is proof enough that the only true monsters in this village are the people in front of me."

Tsunade's words stabbed at the very souls of the majority of the villagers, as the shame and guilt of the sins they had committed against Naruto felt like an oppressive weight upon their hearts. Many of the foreigners who had traveled to Konoha for the celebration and had marveled at the sight of the Leaf village and its people were now viewing the village and its inhabitants with accusation and disgust.

"Yet despite of all your crimes and treatment towards Naruto, the young man bears none of you any animosity and for the life of me I can't understand why he doesn't? All Naruto knew growing up was the hatred, pain, loneliness, and resentment you miserable lot heaped upon him, yet he always faced all of it with a smile no matter how bad it got. If it were anyone else who had lived the life he did thanks to you loving people, they would want to see this village razed from the very earth and who could blame them for feeling like that. However, Naruto is such an honorable forgiving person as was his father that he always tries to see the best in people, even with all of you though none of you deserve it!"

Many villagers winced at this, as they knew deep down they didn't deserve Naruto's forgiveness.

"Not only has Naruto forgiven you, but even now he strives to protect all of you by undergoing the most arduous and unrelenting training a human being can go through under the tutelage of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, the Sage of Mt. Myoboku. And why is Naruto doing this for you miserable people, it's to save all of you from the traitor and scourge of Konoha the past two years one Sasuke Uchiha!"

A shiver went through the crowd at the mention of that name, as very few Leaf villagers didn't know of a friend, relative or loved one whose life hadn't been cruelly touched in the last two years by the Sasuke's rampage of robbery, rape, and murder he wantonly committed outside of the safety of the Leaf village. So great was his evil that the Uchiha youth had become something akin to the boogeyman to the Leaf villagers. Adults now used Sasuke's name control and frighten children into compliant behavior if needed. Many a night across the village one could hear a parent scolding a child with a phrase like you need to behave or Sasuke Uchiha will get you. However, before they could ponder any further about the treacherous Uchiha, Tsunade's voice cut through the air like a knife once again.

"That's right Sasuke Uchiha! The same Uchiha you fools pampered, spoiled, and lavished with undeserving praise his whole life, while at the same time leveling nothing but scorn, anger, and hatred, upon a boy whose only curse was something that wasn't his fault and did not make him a demon, but all of you acted as if it had. Perhaps this Kami's punishment of you lot that the boy you worshiped with such adoration turned out to be the true monster of this village, while the one you did label as a monster now stands and fights to save all of you as the hero he truly is. And make no mistake; Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is the only one who can stop the evil that is Sasuke Uchiha!"

A pall of silence once again gripped the villagers like a vice and the only sounds punctuating the air was that of sorrowful weeping. However, in the throng of the grief-stricken villagers a chuckle emerged, which soon grew in pitch and strength into a boisterous and maniacal laugh. The villagers standing around this laughing individual moved away from him forming a circle around the cloaked and hooded figure who continued to wickedly laugh before speaking in a voice many Konoha shinobi recognized, especially those young ninja who comprised the Konoha 10.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, it all makes sense now! I always wondered how a no-talent orphaned dobe like Naruto was able to fight me and survive; now I know!" Sasuke shouted, as he ripped his hood away revealing his face causing many villagers to shriek with terror and scramble away from the Uchiha.

"To think all those battles I've fought against Naruto, I never dreamed they were fights of the elite like Namikaze versus Uchiha!"

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Tsunade shouted, as she signaled several Anbu to surround the Uchiha.

Sasuke looked around at the ten Anbu surrounding him and smirked before his gaze settled onto Tsunade and he insultingly stated with arrogance.

"You presume too much Slug-bitch, if you think these fools can stop me! You forget I've been trained by the most powerful of all of you Sannin!"

"Really, I don't recall Jiraiya ever training you." Tsunade sarcastically replied.

"Hn, that idiot of a Toad-Sage, Lord Orochimaru was always stronger than him , which is why I'm certain that perverted fool will never return to the Leaf village, …..not after what's happened." Sasuke surreptitiously stated with an evil grin plastered upon his face.

Tsunade didn't like the ominous tone of Sasuke's veiled statement and gnashing her teeth shouted.

"Anbu, arrest that traitor now!"

As the Anbu moved in to comply with the blonde Hokage's orders, Sasuke drew out his own version of a Kusanagi sword and his body suddenly became engulfed in electrical currents emanating from the blade. Sasuke then uttered two words.

"Chidori Nagashi." (Thousand Birds Current)

A scant second later, before the Anbu could even react, the electrical currents extended outside of his body striking all the Anbu and forming a protective zone around his person. This zone of electricity can shock and immobilize a foe by attacking their nervous system. However, Sasuke was not so benevolent and the voltage of electrical current he sent into the Anbu was so strong that smoke rose from their charred bodies, as they fell to the ground around him.

"Impressive technique Sasuke, but judging by the amount of chakra you had to utilize I doubt you can use it twice in quick succession!" Shikamaru shouted out, as he and the rest of the Konoha 10 leapt forth to attack their former classmate.

"Ha, ha, ha, actually Nara I have plenty of chakra left and could use the technique again, but if I did that then I might not have enough chakra to do this!"

Sasuke then slammed the palm of his hand to the ground while releasing a massive amount of chakra and shouted.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique)

Suddenly, the ground began shake causing Shikamaru and the others to halt their charge towards Sasuke. A moment later, both Neji and Hinata with their trademark Byakugan activated grew wide-eyed and Hinata looked to the crowd of villagers still surrounding Sasuke and cried out in a panic.

"All of you run, get away from the Uchiha!"

Alas, the young Hyuga girl's warning was too late, as Sasuke suddenly leapt high in the air and the ground below him exploded showing Manda the King of the Snake summons rising skyward with its enormous maw of a mouth wide open scooping up and swallowing any person who had been unlucky enough to be standing in the serpents path. As Sasuke landed deftly atop the head of Manda, he wickedly laughed at the chaos and pandemonium that ensued upon horned viper's arrival.

The Uchiha youth took great pleasure in listening to the villagers screams of panic and terror, as Manda swooped down and scooped up another mass of the fleeing people around him. Many shinobi attempted to surge forward to take up defensive positions to fight and drive off the massive serpent, but were finding it difficult to maneuver through the throng of hysterical villagers running around in every direction.

Sasuke looked around and saw that indeed the Leaf shinobi were getting into position to counter-attack at any moment. He spied Tsunade still on the stage giving orders and called out to the buxom blonde Hokage.

"It's been fun reunion Tsunade, but Lord Orochimaru merely wanted to know what the Yondaime's message was so I must be going. But before I leave, since it's the dobe's birthday I got a present for you and be sure to open it in front of my former classmates and comrades."

Sasuke then reached into his cloak and pulled out a small package wrapped in plain brown paper and tossed it at the feet of the Slug Sannin and proclaimed laughingly.

"Keep waiting for your so called heroes to return and save you, but I can assure you after you open my gift, you'll realize you're going to be waiting a long time, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Manda with Sasuke still riding atop his head dove back into the hole he had erupted from only minutes earlier and slithered away into the darkness under a hail of kunai, shuriken, exploding bombs and whatever other weapons the Leaf shinobi had launched in their attempt to prevent Sasuke from escaping. Tsunade picked up the inconspicuous package and handed it over to Ibiki Moreno to have it analyzed and checked for any seal booby-traps. She then turned her attention back to the village and heaved a heavy sigh at the carnage that lay in front of her. Just as she was about to leave to oversee the damage Sasuke's attack had wrought a hand gripped her shoulder stopping her. Tsunade turned around to see Hiashi with an ashen look upon his face who stammered at the blonde Hokage.

"It, it can't be true Tsunade, Naruto isn't Minato's son!"

Tsunade wrenched her arm away from the shaken Hyuga clan leader and in a self-satisfied tone of voice answered.

"It's true; you saw it yourself just now fool. What I find amazing is that after all these years you couldn't piece together that Naruto was your friend's son, all the rest of the clan leaders had figured it out."

Hiashi could only stand motionless fuming at Tsunade's biting words as she continued on.

"By the way Hiashi, do remember what I said to you in my office the day you relinquished all of your rights and obligations towards Hinata and made her a ward of the village?"

"No I don't remember what you said."

"That's too bad, what I said is that I wanted you to remember that date, because it's the day you blew your shot at getting a Hyuga into the Hokage's office."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's too bad your memory has gotten so shoddy in your old age. If you recall, I said you would learn the answer along with everyone else when Yondaime's message is released on the 16th anniversary of his passing."

"I still don't understand, what does Naruto being Minato's son have anything to do with that?"

"Kami you're so narrow-minded, I guess I have to spell it out for you. Your dream has always been to have a Hyuga as the Hokage of this village. Well as you already know, Naruto is slated to become the next Hokage after me and given his relationship with your daughter…I'm sorry, I mean former daughter thanks to you. There's a high probability that the first offspring between those two would eventually grow up to assume that position. Thus you would have achieved your dream of a Hyuga,…..your grandson more than likely of becoming Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village."

Hiashi's eyes grew wide in realization at what Tsunade had just said and he stumbled backwards in shock before sitting down in a chair, as Tsunade with a devilish grin on her face threw one last barb at the Hyuga patriarch.

"I also said that day in my office that I was going to enjoy the look on your face on this day and I have to say I do enjoy it immensely, ha ha ha!"

With her laughter still ringing in Hiashi's ears, Tsunade jumped off the stage and started barking various orders, while she and the rest of the medical shinobi began tending to the wounded and sadly the dead. Meanwhile, all Hiashi could do was lean forward and drop his face into the palms of his hands, as he reflected upon what might have been.

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To say the following days in the Konoha were miserable at best would be an understatement. Upon the villager's learning the truth about Naruto's heritage and after Sasuke's vicious attack, the morale in the Leaf village was at an all time low. The Kyuubi festival fell apart and was shut down mere hours after Minato's message with many of the foreign vendors, dignitaries, and visitors cursing the people of the Leaf village as they left for the sins they had committed against the Yondaime's son.

Indeed within days upon their return to their own homelands Konoha's reputation had taken such a severe blow with the rest of the elemental nations that the Fire Daimyo had come to the Leaf village to personally vilify the villager's for embarrassing him by their actions committed towards Naruto. He was also furious that the Uchiha traitor had managed to infiltrate the village and launch his sneak attack. Sasuke's assault had resulted in 17 casualties and 126 missing and presumed dead courtesy of Manda's appetite. Of that figure 23 of those people were foreign visitors, which meant the Fire Daimyo was going have to pay monetary damages to the families of those victims lest he spark an international incident with the rest of the elemental nations by not doing so.

So, the Fire Daimyo was already in a very bad mood when he addressed the Konoha Council and became even more incensed when he asked why none of the Shinobi clans had offered refuge, protection, or outright adopted the Yondaime's legacy growing up. When he learned that it was the Civilian Council that had prevented the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans the ability to do those things during Naruto's life, he cut the budget of future missions for the Leaf village by 50%. He then ordered that any member who served on the Civilian Council during Naruto's life before he left was to make a sizable monetary restitution into an account to be set-up by Tsunade and given to the Yondaime's son upon his return. The Fire Daimyo also made it very clear that any civilian councilman who failed to do so or if the amount of their restitution was deemed insufficient in Tsunade's eyes, then they would soon be occupying a prison cell back in the capital. The Fire Daimyo then left to head back to the capital leaving the village to stew in its own misery and despair that they had brought upon themselves.

Tsunade immediately liquidated the bulk of Danzo's estate, which was being held in trust and transferred $10 million ryo's into the restitution account and ordered her advisors Koharu and Homura to pay $2.5 million ryo's each. Both elders protested saying they weren't Civilian Council members, before a implied comment from Tsunade to them about who the biggest rat's were in Naruto's life growing up shut them up and they silently obeyed. The blonde Hokage with Shikaku Nara's help in going over the finances of the guilty civilian councilmen then issued the various amounts each councilman had to pay. The amounts varied dependent upon the financial status of each person. Tsunade wished she could just go ahead and bankrupt all the corrupt bastards, as she put it, but to do so would also financially cripple the Leaf village. In the end, she was still quite pleased that Naruto would have a nest egg of over $25 million ryo's waiting for him upon his return.

As Tsunade gazed upon the village from her office balcony, she could see the villager's mill about as they normally had before, except now there was listlessness to their movements. A shroud of shame and guilt now hung in the air and had seemingly choked the very life out of the once vibrant village. Tsunade didn't regret what she had voiced to the people after Minato's message to them. They needed their sins to be brought into the light and now they would have to live with it. However, the blonde Hokage soon realized that they couldn't forever dwell upon their guilt and shame or the village would never recover. Tsunade knew she had to come up with something to instill at least a small bit of pride back into the dispirited village, but she struggled to come up with a plan to do just that. A knock on her office door interrupted her musings on that subject, as she called out.

"Enter."

"Lady Tsunade, I have the Anbu report on last night's activities in the village for your review." Shizune politely stated, as she entered the office and placed the report on the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade looked towards her longtime friend and apprentice and heaved a weary sigh, before walking over to her chair and flopping down in it while complaining.

"Do I really need to look at it? I doubt that it's any different than the previous reports of the past few days."

"You're right milady, it's not any different, but it still requires your review and signature before it's filed away."

"Fine, is there anything of significance in this report?" Tsunade groused with irritation.

"Well, the number of suicides dropped again into single digits this time and hopefully will soon be ending."

"Was there anyone of note who took the easy way out last-night?"

"The caretaker of the orphanage who tossed Naruto out onto the streets when he was seven hung herself in her bedroom."

"No loss there, Sarutobi-Sensei should have thrown her gnarly butt in jail years ago when she did that!" Tsunade snapped with disgust.

"I believe he tried, but the Civilian Council at the time overruled him."

"Well, the days of Civilian Council overruling anything have ended!"

"Thank Kami for that."

"Kami had nothing to do with that!" Tsunade snapped, before asking.

"Tell me Shizune, anything else of significance in the report?"

"No Lady Tsunade, just the usual events of the past few nights. There have been more filings for divorce usually because either the wife or husband had been an ardent antagonist and or bore hatred against Naruto. Numerous drunken bar fights between civilian and shinobi alike between supporters of Naruto and those that still refuse to accept the truth. Masses of people at the Hokage Memorial praying and begging for forgiveness to Minato for the sins they committed against his son in the past. Overall milady, there's just a general atmosphere of shame, guilt, and sorrow rampant throughout the village."

"Yes, I can sense it as well. I don't regret what I did in laying into those bastards, the truth of what they did to Naruto needed to be exposed. However, I didn't foresee magnitude of the fallout that has transpired because of it. I need to come up with something to inspire and rally the village around or they're just going to wallow in their misery forever."

"Look to the younger generation." Shizune casually commented.

"What was that Shizune?"

"I said look to the younger generation Lady Tsunade. All of the people who are wallowing around in shame and self-pity are the adults. Show the people the younger generation, Naruto's generation in some way that will give them something to be proud of."

As Tsunade contemplated Shizune's words, an inspired idea popped into her head and she leapt up from her chair with glee and hugged her startled apprentice before shouting.

"Shizune you're a genius! I want you to send out invitations to every Daimyo and foreign dignitary announcing the first ever Hidden Leaf village tournament for Leaf Shinobi 18yrs old or younger to be held in two weeks!"

"A, a tournament, I don't understand Lady Tsunade?"

"Yes, a tournament, it's perfect. Not only can we display the talents, strength and skills of our younger shinobi to the Daimyo's, it will also show them that we are still a strong and viable shinobi village and perhaps the Fire Lord will then lift his 50% reduction of future missions for us. Not to mention a possible increase in missions from the other Daimyo's if they are suitably impressed with our young ninja."

"That will help out the village financially, but how will a tournament help do away with the pain and guilt the people are feeling?" Shizune asked with confusion.

"It won't, their pain and guilt for what they did or didn't do for Naruto in the past is something they're going to have to come to terms with on their own. However, this tournament does provide us with an opportunity to show that the younger generation in no way resembles the previous generation by their love and support for Naruto. It will also give the previous generation something to grasp onto and instill a bit of pride back into themselves and the village by seeing how the current generation has surpassed them."

"I, I guess that could work."

"Of course it will work, now be sure to get those invitations out by the day's end and I don't suppose you happen to know where my prized stars of this tournament the Konoha 10 happen to be at? Make sure to also send a messenger to inform all of them about the tournament"

"Ummm, today is Rock Lee's 18th birthday and Sakura and the others wanted to surprise him at his dojo."

"Sakura wanted to surprise him huh, that's good to hear."

"Yes, but I wish Sakura and Lee would finally get together and become a couple. I mean for the last two years any event that required an escort Lee and Sakura have attended together. Not to mention Sakura was by his side throughout his entire rehabilitation process. But whenever anyone asks either one of them if they're a couple they both say they're just friends. It's so tragic Lady Tsunade, I don't understand what's keeping those two apart, when one can easily see they both care about one another as more than just friends." Shizune commented with a tinge of sadness before leaving the office to resume her duties.

Tsunade leaned back into her chair and her thoughts drifted to Sakura and Lee, as she mused to herself with heartache.

'You're right Shizune, it is tragic. Lee believes Sakura will only love him as a friend because her heart belongs to Naruto and Sakura believes she isn't worthy of Lee's love after her betrayal and because of what Sasuke did to her. Even worse is the fact they both love one another, but will never admit it and that's the true tragedy of those two.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where are Sakura and Lee? They should have been here by now!" Neji groused in irritation.

"I'm sure they will be here soon Neji-niisan." Hinata softly replied.

"Just kick back and relax for once." Kiba nonchalantly remarked.

"Bark, Bark!" Akamaru chimed in agreement.

"It's troublesome, but they're right Neji, we should relax a little bit. We've busted our butts the past few months turning that broken down shack Lee called a dojo into something that actually looks like a proper dojo now."

"Broken down shack, don't you mean a pile of wood after it took a hit from one of the catapult boulders during the Sound invasion?"

"That's true Kiba, but look at what we did with that pile of wood." Shino openly declared.

"I agree, I think we all did an awesome job for Lee considering what we had to work with." Tenten said in agreement, as everyone gazed at the structure they had built.

The dojo the other members of the Konoha 10 had built for their friend and comrade was not as extravagant as most dojos would be, but they were still proud of what they had constructed. The Rock Lee Dojo as they had named it consisted of a single honden (main building) built in planed, unfinished wood, 60x60 feet in size. It had a raised floor and a gabled roof with a single entry on one of the non-gabled sides. It had no upward curve at the eaves of the roof as some of the more fancy dojos did, but the Konoha 10 did splurge to include decorative logs called chigi and Katsuogi protruding from the roof's ridge.

They had also built a small Tamagaki (fence) made up of un-stripped logs that surrounded the dojo. Ino had talked her father into providing some pine bonsai trees, which framed each side of the path that led up to the entrance of the dojo. To mark the starting point of the path, Shikamaru had provided two Kasuga lanterns, which were a type of tachi-gata or pedestal style lantern. The lanterns had a Pagoda style kasa or hat and side panels featuring the image of a deer, as deer served as messengers of Gods carrying news from paradise according to legend. And for a final touch, the large bell cast in bronze hanging from a makeshift wooden support frame the Konoha 10 had been using as part of their gauntlet training now stood to the side of the dojo.

As Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stood and admired the work they had accomplished, they heard Sakura's voice in the distance.

"Just keep your blindfold on for a little bit more Lee-kun we're almost at your dojo."

"What dojo Sakura-chan, the Sound invasion destroyed my dojo a long time ago. I don't want to see its once proud structure lay strewn about the ground again."

"Just wait; I have a surprise for you." Sakura coyly remarked.

A minute later with Sakura guiding Lee up the path they stopped in front of their friends and the newly rebuilt dojo and the pink-haired kunoichi said.

"Ok Lee-kun, you can take the blindfold off now."

The green-clad Chunin removed the cloth from around his head and was greeted with a sight that left him momentarily speechless, as his friends chorused in unison.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE!"

Lee gazed at the smiling faces of his friends standing before him before his attention was drawn to the building behind them and then to the surrounding area before he stammered in shock.

"What, what is all of this?"

"What's it look like, it's your new dojo." Tenten happily quipped.

"I, I don't understand, my new dojo?"

"Yes, Lee your new dojo, now close your mouth you look like a fish out of water." Neji sarcastically answered, which earned him a smack to the back of his head from Tenten who scolded her boyfriend.

"Be nice, it's Lee-kun's birthday and remember the last time he saw his dojo it was a pile of wood."

"All, all of you rebuilt my dojo for me as a birthday gift." Lee stammered in astonishment.

"It was Sakura's idea Lee-kun; she told us how dejected you were after you got out of the hospital from rehabilitating your injuries from your fight with Sasuke and discovered your dojo had been destroyed during the invasion." Hinata kindly conveyed to her bushy-browed friend.

Lee turned to look at Sakura and in a soft and affectionate tone of voice acknowledged.

"This was your idea Sakura-chan, you did this for me."

"Hai, I wanted,….I mean all of us wanted to do something special for you on your 18th birthday. Do you like it?"

When Lee didn't answer right away, Sakura felt a slight pang of concern before she suddenly found herself lifted in the air and swung around by the green-clad young man whom she had grown very close to of nearly three years who shouted with exuberance and joy.

"Like it…..I LOVE IT!"

Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino smiled as they watched their enthusiastic friend and comrade swing a laughing Sakura round and round before pulling the girl into a loving hug. After a minute, neither Lee nor Sakura had made any movement to break their embrace before Kiba clearing his throat alerted the couple of their present stance and of their friends around them, as they sheepishly separated, both of them sporting fierce blushes upon their faces. It was then Sakura took Lee's hand and in an effort to remove themselves from their awkward and embarrassing situation said with excitement.

"Come on Lee-kun; let me show you the insides of the dojo. I picked out the artwork and furnishings myself!"

As Sakura and Lee's friends watched the pink-haired girl usher the young bushy-browed man into the dojo, Tenten sighed and commented in frustration.

"I wish those two would stop dancing around one another and just get together already. Everyone can see how much they care about each other, but every-time I ask Lee about it he just says they're good friends and nothing more before changing the subject."

"Yeah, it does seem kind of stupid to me that they haven't hooked-up yet."

"It's not stupid Kiba-kun, just sad that they aren't together. They both act much happier when they are together then when they are apart."

"I have to agree with both you and Hinata of your assessment of Sakura and Lee's current relationship. It is both foolish and sad that they deny themselves the happiness of being a couple." Shino stoically commented in his infamous monotone voice.

"Regardless, there is nothing we can do to remedy their situation, it is something those two must work out for themselves."

"It's a drag, but Neji is right, there's nothing we can do about it." Shikamaru lazily stated in agreement.

"It's still heartbreaking to watch Neji-kun." Tenten glumly replied, before her Hyuga boyfriend wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"Well speaking of relationships, it's almost the dinner hour so I need get over to Ichiraku's to help my Ayame-chan and her old man out. I'll tell you it's been crazy there since it was revealed to the whole village that Naruto is the Yondaime's son."

"Why has that news made everything go crazy at Ichiraku's?" Tenten inquired with curiosity.

"Well word got out that Ichiraku's is where Naruto liked to eat. So now they've got literally hundreds of villagers milling around and beating down the door around lunch and dinner time to eat the food of the Yondaimes son's favorite restaurant. Ayame-chan and her old man have already made more money in the past week than they had in the last six months."

"Troublesome, all because Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's kid."

"Yeah Shikamaru, they're all a bunch of hypocritical assholes as far as I'm concerned. I mean as if eating at Naruto's favorite food-joint will somehow give them atonement for all the crap they put him through growing up. I'd like to kick the shit out of all of them, but their money is good and at least they're saying nice things about Naruto now."

"Kiba-kun, does anyone come in and say terrible things about Naruto anymore?"

"Naw, not really Hinata, every now and then some jerk will spout off and say something about Naruto being a demon or monster, but that's why I'm there to bounce them out of the restaurant and onto the streets, usually to the applause of the people already in there."

"So you are Ichiraku's bouncer."

"Yup Shino, old man Teuchi hired me to handle those duties after he saw what my Ayame-chan did to a customer a few days ago who said something nasty about Naruto. Let me tell you, that girl is vicious and deadly with a frying pan when she wants to be."

"If the restaurant is that busy, is it going to be a problem having Lee's birthday dinner there tonight?"

"Naw, we're all VIPs' as far as old man Teuchi is concerned, so we've already got a couple of tables reserved for all of us at 8:00 o'clock tonight, so no worries Tenten. Anyway, I've got to go; I'll see all of you there later. Come on Akamaru let's hit it!" Kiba shouted before he leapt onto the back of his large canine familiar and the dog with rider bounded off.

"Well it's good to know that we hold such a high prominence in Mr. Ichiraku's eyes." Tenten remarked gratefully.

"Yes, I'm surprised by it as well considering it was Hinata who set his daughter up with Kiba. I was expecting that at the very least, we would all be barred from the restaurant considering the misfortune that has befallen him because of that." Neji sardonically declared, as everyone chuckled at his remark.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tsunade was smiling from ear to ear as she sat in the Kage box next to Gaara and waited for the semi-finals of her 18 and under Konohagakure tournament of Leaf Shinobi to get underway. The tournament had been a rousing success not only in impressing the Daimyo's seated in the skyboxes above her, but also in lifting the atmosphere of depression that the village had been under since the opening night of the now defunct Kyuubi festival. The village was once again able to feel some pride in themselves and it was all thanks to nine young shinobi who comprised the remaining members of the Konoha 10 still in the village.

The tournament had started off with nearly 100 Leaf Chunin 18yrs old or younger and all of them had displayed great skills in their efforts. However, it soon became abundantly clear to everyone that the members of the Konoha 10 in the tournament were head and shoulders above the rest of the Chunin participating. Every event regularly saw all of them finishing in the top five with one of them winning each event outright. The tournament itself was broken into two divisions one for the male shinobi and one for the female kunoichi's. The participants would be graded on a 100 point system administered by five Tokubetsu Jounin sitting in judgment. There were four main categories which comprised the overall tournament, Strategy and Intelligence, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Weapons. However, Tsunade decided to affix her own personal touch to the Kunoichi division of the tournament and for the first time ever a Medical Ninjutsu category was added.

The buxom blonde Hokage was also running a gambling book on the side of the tournament and surprisingly her infamous bad luck as the Legendary Sucker was not holding true. Tsunade had been doing quite well gambling on the fortunes of the Konoha 10 with many of the foreign dignitaries that had come to watch the tournament. Of course it helped being the Hokage that she knew the strengths and weaknesses of all those young shinobi. All in all she was quite pleased with the success she had with her wagers, but Tsunade knew the real money to be made would be in semi-finals and finals of the Ninjutsu one-on-one battles, the last event of the tournament.

The first event of the tournament had been the Strategy and Intelligence category. Although Shino had given his fellow clan heir a run for his money, as expected Shikamaru had won the event on the male shinobi side of the tournament, but truth be told he'd been given no choice in the matter. His mother Yoshino had sternly promised him a world of pain should he attempt to slack off as he did in the academy. Furthermore much to Shikamaru's annoyance, his girlfriend Temari had demanded that he win so she could impress her brother the Kazekage who was still not 100% on board with their relationship. So, the final tally of that event reflected the Nara's intelligence as he achieved a perfect score.

Shikamaru Nara 100

Shino Aburame 099

Neji Hyuga 097

Rock Lee 095

Kiba Inuzuka 095

The surprises of the Strategy and Intelligence category came in the excellent showings of Rock Lee and Kiba Inuzuka. They both showed that the intensive tutoring the past two years Shino and Hinata had drilled into Kiba, as well as the rigorous teaching Sakura, Neji, and Tenten had given to Lee were not wasted efforts. The final scoring of the Strategy and Intelligence category for the Kunoichi side was also quite impressive.

Sakura Haruno 099

Hinata Hyuga 098

Tenten Sato 097

Ino Yamanaka 096

The second event of the tournament was of weapons usage, as the participants had to demonstrate an expert proficiency in one or more weapons. And while it was a foregone conclusion that Tenten would dominate this category on the kunoichi side, it was anyone's guess how their male comrades would finish. Surprisingly, it was Rock Lee who came out on top, as he showed that his Sensei Might Gai had taught him his prized Nunchaku techniques. And although the young man was still not as skilled as his infamous teacher with the weapon, one could easily tell he would be in a few more years.

Shikamaru finished a close second by displaying his battle skills using his former Sensei's Knuckle-duster Trench knives. Neji then showed that being the boyfriend of Konoha's weapons mistress had its advantages, as he demonstrated his skills with a traditional Bo-staff that he had learned from her over the years. Kiba's weapons of choice were the Shuko and Ashiko. The Shuko or hand claw could be used as a weapon or tool as it was capable in helping the user climb up trees or walls, as well as being helpful in grappling with and grabbing onto an opponent. It could even be used defensively to catch the blade of a sword and redirect it onto the attacker. Used in conjunction with the Ashiko or foot spikes these were very painful weapons if one were kicked in the face or punched by a ninja wearing these armaments. Finally Shino demonstrated high skills with concealed weapons such as the shuriken and throwing stars. And though the young shinobi did not possess the pinpoint accuracy that Tenten had, he still showed he could hit the vital areas of an enemy with those projectiles.

Rock Lee 096

Shikamaru Nara 095

Neji Hyuga 094

Kiba Inuzuka 094

Shino Aburame 094

The Kunoichi division of the Weapons usage category had been a show of complete dominance by Tenten Sato. The young woman displayed her superior skills with over a dozen different types of weaponry. Her father Civilian Councilman Hanshiro Sato, as well as being Konoha's preeminent weapons-maker was bursting with pride, as he watched his daughter giving the attending audience a dazzling show of weapons usage they would never forget. Ino Yamanaka took second place by a narrow margin over Hinata. The blonde kunoichi displayed a deadly mastery using kunai and one could easily see why Anko had openly bragged that no one in the village save herself or Tenten was more skilled with that particular weapon of choice.

Hinata like her teammate Shino had also become proficient with concealed weapons such as the shuriken and throwing stars. Also through many hours of practice with Ino she was also very skilled with hand-to-hand kunai battles as well. However, the ace up her sleeve literally was what her Medical-Sensei Shizune had given and trained the young girl with her own signature weapon the poisoned needle launcher. Hidden on her right forearm underneath a sleeve, the needle launcher can be used to send poison tipped needles at an opponent. After lifting her sleeve Hinata can pull the launch cable taught and then let it loose, which will launch the five poison tipped needles towards her target with deadly accuracy. Tying Hinata was Sakura who bore specialized tough leather arm and leg gauntlets given to her by Tsunade herself. What made these gauntlets special was when used in conjunction with the blonde Hokage's super-strength style of fighting the gauntlets would allow the user to store chakra within them increasing the strength of the punches and kicks considerably.

Tenten Sato 100

Ino Yamanaka 095

Hinata Hyuga 094

Sakura Haruno 094

The Taijutsu portion of the tournament proved to be very exciting as this was strictly one-on-one and hand-to-hand combat using Taijutsu only. No Ninjutsu utilizing chakra techniques of any kind were allowed. Even the use of inherent bloodline abilities was disallowed. The matches were fierce, but in the end it was the two prized pupils of Might Gai who stood out above the others. In the finals, it was Rock Lee versus Neji Hyuga and even though Neji was not allowed to use his Hyuga bloodline abilities in his Taijutsu techniques. It became apparent that since his defeat by Naruto at the Chunin exams he had taken it upon himself to learn his Sensei's Dynamic Taijutsu style to go along with his own Hyuga Gentle Fist style.

It was an exciting final and had the crowd roaring with approval, but in the end Rock Lee was more proficient in the Dynamic style and bested his teammate for the overall win. Might Gai was in tears and full of pride for his students, as he boasted about the flames of youth burning brightly within them. Kiba finished a very respectable third losing in the semi-finals against Neji, while Shikamaru had barely managed to edge out a win against Shino in the quarter-finals, before succumbing rather quickly to Lee in their semi-final. Still it was an impressive showing by all five shinobi and once again showed their superiority over all the other Chunin participants.

Rock Lee 100

Neji Hyuga 099

Kiba Inuzuka 097

Shikamaru Nara 095

Shino Aburame 094

The Kunoichi portion of the Taijutsu category also proved exciting and pleased the crowd greatly. The first semi-final involved Sakura and Tenten and was a slug-fest. Fortunately, Tenten being on the most infamous Taijutsu squad the Leaf village had seen in years had also learned her Sensei's Dynamic style of fighting. In the end, it proved to be a superior method to Tsunade's style that Sakura had been taught. However, most people agreed that had Sakura been able to utilize chakra to increase her strength the outcome would have been different.

In the other semi-final, it was Hinata versus Ino and it proved to be even more exciting. The Serpentine Taijutsu style Ino had learned from her Sensei Anko was very similar to the Gentle Fist style Hinata employed, but as with Neji she was not allowed to disrupt or stop the chakra flow in the inner chakra channels of her best friend. So as the battle carried on the Serpentine style and the Gentle Fist style appeared to cancel one another out. However, Hinata then utilized her own personal style that she had been developing on her own since Naruto left. It was a combination of Jyuuken techniques, Dynamic Techniques, and some techniques she had learned from Naruto before he left. This blended style of techniques was so unique that everyone looked on in curiosity and awe at its use. Ultimately, this multi-combo style showed to be too much for Ino to overcome and Hinata was victorious. However, the judges were suitably impressed with Ino's style and how long she had been able to battle Hinata before finally succumbing and scored the Yamanaka girl highly. Hinata quickly dispatched Tenten in the finals cementing what the Weapons mistress had already known for nearly three years that Hinata had become best kunoichi Taijutsu fighter in their age group.

Hinata Hyuga 100

Ino Yamanaka 098

Tenten Sato 095

Sakura Haruno 094

Before the final division of the tournament the one-on-one combat utilizing Ninjutsu was to begin, the Medical Ninjutsu category for the Kunoichi's was to take place. Tsunade was beaming with pride, as the audience was amazed at the medical prowess the kunoichi's were demonstrating to them. Once again as in all the other categories, it was the same four young women who stood out from the others.

Much to Tsunade and Shizune's chagrin, both Sakura and Hinata had perfect scores and tied for the top spot of the division, still leaving their nearly three year old argument unsettled of who were the better student and teacher Tsunade and Sakura or Shizune and Hinata? Aside from that both Tenten and Ino scored remarkably well thanks to the tutoring of Tenten by Sakura at the behest of Lee and Hinata teaching Ino the medicinal arts over the years as well.

Hinata Hyuga 100

Sakura Haruno 100

Ino Yamanaka 097

Tenten Sato 097

The final day of the tournament also marked the final competition category the Ninjutsu division. The crowd was abuzz with excitement of the matches and they were not disappointed. Finishing in fifth place was Rock Lee who unfortunately had to bow out of his quarter-final match against Kiba. Lee had been able to battle his way through the division even though he couldn't utilize chakra normally, but by using his Celestial-Gate technique. Unfortunately, use of this technique and of the tremendous power it generates comes at a price, as each subsequent gate is opened; the ninja increases the damage to their body and comes closer to death.

Regrettably, Lee found as he went further and further along he was forced to open more gates each time to gain victory over his opponent. So by the time he had reached the quarter-finals against Kiba, Lee knew he would possibly have to open five gates to gain victory over his Inuzuka comrade. It pained Lee greatly to forfeit his match, but the price he would have to pay was not worth the potential damage his body would suffer just to achieve a victory over a friend. So Lee gallantly bowed out much to the relief of all of his friends and comrades. It was still a remarkable achievement that he had made it to the quarter-finals and he received a standing ovation from everyone present.

The first semi-final match as in the Taijutsu category pitted Neji against Kiba in an electrifying and action-packed fight. Their battle lasted for over half an hour before the Hyuga prodigy was finally able to best his comrade. Still it had been an impressive showing on Kiba's part, which even Neji begrudgingly recognized and in a show of honor and sportsmanship raised up the Inuzuka's hand in victory with his own. The next semi-final was a far cry from the physical brutality of the first semi, but in its own way no less exhilarating. Shikamaru and Shino battled it out in a war of attrition.

From a distance they both attacked one another, one using shadows, the other using Kikai insects. As the wave of bugs intercepted the chakra-infused shadows it soon became clear what was happening. As the Kikai insects flowed from Shino and fed on Shikamaru's shadows everyone was speculating who would fall first? Would Shino run out of bugs first or would Shikamaru run out of chakra? In the end, they both fell at the same time, Shino had depleted his colony of insects and Shikamaru had exhausted his chakra, so the match ended in a draw and Neji was declared the Ninjutsu winner.

Neji Hyuga 100

Kiba Inuzuka 098

Shino Aburame 097

Shikamaru 097

Rock Lee 094

The Kunoichi Ninjutsu division of the tournament was set to get underway and while it was set to be just as exciting and entertaining as their male counterparts Ninjutsu division had been. It also took on an ominous tone as the semi-final matches had several underlying currents to them that only a few people knew about or understood. In the first semifinal match would pit Hinata Hyuga versus her younger sister Hanabi Hyuga.

Hiashi Hyuga had petitioned Tsunade to allow his youngest daughter into the Ninjutsu division of the tournament even though the girl was still a Genin. The blonde Hokage was reluctant at first, but after spending a few minutes with arrogant pampered princess she allowed the girl to enter. Tsunade had heard rumors that Hanabi's conceited attitude was only outmatched by her father and decided that taking the girl down a peg or two might just be what the young girl needed to prevent her from becoming a female version of Hiashi later on in life.

Hiashi saw Hanabi's participation as a way to show off his daughter to all the foreign dignitaries and perhaps garner some future marriage proposals for the girl and further increase the Hyuga clan's status and power throughout the elemental nations. The Hyuga patriarch was confident that Hanabi and the Gentle Fist style could easily defeat all the other kunoichi's and was already thinking of ways to promote the superiority of his clan after her victory.

When Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon had caught wind that Hanabi had been allowed to enter the Ninjutsu division, they marched over to the blonde Hokage and demanded that they too be allowed to participate. Tsunade was a little put off at their audacity, but after taking a moment to think about it, realized it would be a very good idea to let them in for several reasons.

The first reason being Konohamaru's lofty status within the village of being the grandson of the Third Hokage, but perhaps even more important was his prominence within the Shinobi Academy, as the young Genin had become somewhat of a hero figure to all the students after he was credited with the first official enemy kill of the Otogakure invasion over two years ago. However, Tsunade had heard that Konohamaru's reputation along with Moegi's and Udon's had grown to even greater heights after the Yondaime revealed to the village that Naruto was his son. The Konohamaru Corp had proudly boasted for years that their Sensei was Naruto Uzumaki. And now that Naruto's true heritage was known, the rest of the students held a reverence towards the three at being taught by the son of the Fourth Hokage.

It pleased Tsunade greatly when both Konohamaru and Udon had made it to the quarterfinals of the Ninjutsu division. Although she would have to make a mental note to chew out Naruto upon his return for teaching them that perverted Oiroke no jutsu and the variations they had come up with. Even Moegi used a form of it involving young men to win some of her matches, as she too was able to get to the quarterfinals of the Kunoichi division. Unfortunately the quarterfinals marked the end of the advance as Ino took down Moegi, while Udon and Konohamaru lost to Shikamaru and Kiba respectively.

As for Hanabi, she met Tenten in her quarterfinal match and upon their introduction smugly boasted that this match would not take very long to finish. Needless to say the young Hyuga girl was in for a shock when the match did not end quickly and even worse was the fact that the weapons mistress was actually winning. Years of training with Neji had taught Tenten how to fight against the Hyuga clans Jyuuken style and Hanabi was on the verge of defeat. However, when Tenten honorably offered her a chance to concede and extended her hand to help the young Genin up, it looked as though Hanabi was going to accept, as she declared.

"I concede….NOTHING!"

The Hyuga princess then threw a handful of dirt she had been concealing in her other hand blinding Tenten before she then unleashed one of the Hyuga clan's most successful Jyuuken Ninjutsu techniques and yelled out.

"Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!" (Gentle Fist Style Eight Trigrams 64 Palms of the Hand)

"Two hands, four hands, eight hands, sixteen hands, thirty-two hands, sixty-four hands!"

Hanabi cried out, as Tenten crumpled to a heap onto the ground after taking the multiple strikes from the young Hyuga girl effectively closing her main chakra points. When the proctor of the matches Genma announced that Tenten could no longer defend herself and declared Hanabi as the winner, the crowd erupted with booing and shouts of foul or cheater. The remaining Konoha 10 members were infuriated at how Hanabi had defeated their friend and comrade and wanted the girl disqualified.

Tsunade was also furious as Hanabi's deceitful actions, as it tarnished the whole point of the tournament to show that the Hidden Leaf village was not only strong, but more importantly honorable. The blonde Hokage was about to rule for disqualifying Hanabi when Hinata stopped her. She asked Tsunade not to disqualify Hanabi because the next opponent her sister would face would be against her in the semifinals. Hinata promised everyone that she would make sure Hanabi paid a heavy price for her dishonorable actions and the fierce look of determination in her eyes conveyed that to everyone.

When Hiashi saw that Hanabi would be fighting her disavowed sister, he was almost giddy with excitement. He remembered all those defeats Hanabi had given to her sister growing up and now the whole village would see why Hinata was cast out of the clan. So confident was the Hyuga clan leader that he openly boasted about all of Hanabi's victories over her weak older sister. Hiashi even went so far as to take bets on the outcome of the match. However, he grew a little concerned when all of Hinata's friends, the leaders of the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans along with Kurenai, Might Gai, Anko, Iruka, Civilian Councilmen Sato and Ichiraku, Shizune, and even the Hokage herself all placed heavy wagers on Hinata to win. However, as Hiashi's anxiety started to grow at so many people betting on his weak former daughter, his Hyuga pride would not allow him to refuse any of the wagers and he waited impatiently for the match to start.

An hour later both combatants moved to the center of the arena and faced with another. Hanabi gazed at her older sister and felt a little unnerved at the look of stern resolve Hinata bore upon her face. In an attempt to ease her growing apprehension Hanabi mustered up her courage and spoke, her voice filled with contempt and derision for all to hear.

"You should just concede now neesan (older sister) you know you can't beat me, you never have before. Just give up like you've always done and save yourself the embarrassment of another humiliating defeat."

"Foolish imouto (little sister) I never defeated you in the past because I never wanted to hurt you. I see now that I was a mistaken in doing that. Allowing you those victories has turned you into a spoiled, deceitful, and overconfident little brat. However, even though I know you won't accept it, like my friend Tenten I'm going to give you the opportunity to concede and walk away before you suffer the embarrassment of a humiliating defeat."

"Bah, your skills in the Gentle Fist style are pitiful in comparison to mine. Or are you planning to defeat me with that bastardized style of the Jyuuken you used during the Taijutsu division?"

"No Hanabi, since you and the clan are so proud of the Gentle Fist style even with its flaws. I will only use it to beat you."

"The Gentle Fist has no flaws! The only flaws are those who are weak and can't utilize it to its utmost extent. Weak users like yourself neesan!" Hanabi spat with fury before getting into a battle stance and shouted.

"Byakugan!"

"I'm sorry that it has come to this imouto." Hinata stated with sad regret before activating her own Byakugan and stepping forward.

"This is already over, as you are now within my field of divination!" Hanabi barked with confidence before shouting.

"Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!" (Gentle Fist Style Eight Trigrams 64 Palms of the Hand)

"Two hands, four hands, eight hands, sixteen hands, thirty-two hands, sixty-four hands!" Hanabi cried out as she delivered in a blur a series of Jyuuken strikes towards her sister. However, to the astonishment of everyone save for a grinning Neji, Hinata was adeptly deflecting every single blow her sister was throwing. Even more humiliating to the young Hyuga girl was the fact that Hinata was doing it with one hand. When Hanabi was finished she jumped back a few feet panting in labored breath from her attack and she stammered in disbelief.

"How, how did you do that, it, it's impossible?"

Hinata exhaled a mournful sigh, before she replied.

"No Hanabi, it's not impossible, I tried to warn you that my skills in the Gentle Fist arts are just more advanced than yours, they always have been."

Hanabi's eyes grew wide upon hearing this truth, as her mind was unable to come to grips with what just happened. Unfortunately, she would have no time to contemplate the matter any further when she heard Hinata state with regret.

"And by the way imouto, you are now within my field of divination."

"Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou!" (Gentle Fist Style Eight Trigrams 128 Palms)

"Two hands, four hands, eight hands, sixteen hands, thirty-two hands, sixty-four hands, one hundred-twenty eight hands!" Hinata cried out, as she launched with lightning speed a succession of Jyuuken strikes all over her little sisters body.

Hanabi dropped to her knees, her arms hung lifeless at her sides. The young Hyuga girl's body felt as if it had been numbed to the core. She could only watch helplessly, as Hinata walked towards her with their family's infamous bloodline the Byakugan still flaring in her eyes. When Hinata raised her hand above her sister's head, Hanabi closed her eyes and waited for the final blow render her unconscious and end the match. The Hyuga princess was not prepared for the resounding slap and stinging sensation of pain across her face Hinata had delivered. Opening her eyes she looked up at her older sister, who gazed back at her with pity before saying.

"I can only pray to Kami that your defeat on this day will have the same effect on you that Neji-niisan defeat by Naruto-kun at the Chunin exams did. No matter what the elders and father say the Hyuga clan is not perfect. No, the reality is our clan is very flawed and will remain that way unless we let go of the arrogance, conceit, and superiority complex our clan demonstrates to others, as well as the overconfident pride the clan embraces. A pride you so shamelessly displayed on this day for all to see. I hope you will take this lesson in humility you received on this day to heart imouto."

Hinata then turned and walked away, as the proctor announced her as the winner to the roaring applause of the crowd, while Hiashi and the Hyuga elders sat in stunned silence. When the next two participants were announced for the second semifinal, a sense of dread was felt by the Konoha 11 and those people closest to them. This was a fight that had been brewing for nearly three years and everyone who knew the combatants realized this battle represented so much more than just winning or losing. This would be no ordinary fight, as it held a lot of pent-up bitterness, pain, and emotions between the two competitors for this battle pitted none other than.

Ino Yamanaka versus Sakura Haruno.

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Author Note: Well, I am a man of my word and the majority of you spoke by a 2 to 1 margin that you wanted the chapter split into two separate ones, hence the posting of this chapter. Many of you already know the reasons for the delay in updating for so long from the explanation I posted last week. However, for those of you who missed it, I'll repeat it. So for those of you who already know, you can skip over the following paragraph.

My computer has been down and out for the last three+ months with several viruses; it's in really bad shape. Unfortunately because of this, I now have no access to a computer except for some sporadic use of a computer belonging to a friend of mine, like right now. So consequently I've been behind on everything from leaving reviews, replying to pm's, and more importantly writing my story. I also had some medical issues pop-up on me that took me out of action for about three weeks recently. It just sucks to be me right now.

Now, onto the chapter itself. Well, the Leaf village and its people have certainly seen better days. What about that tournament, it's good to see the Konoha 10 kicking ass and taking names for all to see. And Sasuke is an even bigger maniacal asshole than he was before. There was definitely a lot going on within this chapter and there's plenty more action, suspense, angst, and surprises still to come. Also I can assure you that the fight between Ino and Sakura will not be a watered down version like the canon did so long ago.

I have to tell you the two parts that were most difficult for me to write in this chapter was at the start, Minato's message and then Tsunade's follow-up. I wanted to convey in Minato's message the love he held for Naruto and also the naïve bind-faith and trust he felt for the villagers. As for Tsunade, I wanted her follow-up speech to have an accusatory vibe of a vengeful grandmother lighting into the people who mistreated her grandson for so long. I think I succeeded on both counts, but I guess it's up to all of you to judge. As for the next chapter, it's about 90% done, not including my author note and rants. I'm also still without access to my computer as it is still being fixed. When it will be posted, I would guess probably within a few weeks, perhaps sooner if I'm inundated with an overabundance of reviews on this chapter, lol.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'm anxious to see what your reviews will be for it. I do wish to thank everyone both old and new readers who took the time to review my last chapter. For those of you who did review, you all had a lot to say about it and I'm pleased that this story has such a strong fan base with readers who actually write out well thought-out reviews. Because of that, I enjoy reading many of your reviews, so please leave lots of them, as they do help a writer get an idea of the thoughts and opinions of the fans of a story. They also can help lift the spirits of an author as well. 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?

Also, I've placed into this chapter another subtle homage to a classic science-fiction fighting scene. It could prove to be a challenging one to identify or not. Now, when Hinata was fighting Hanabi and deflecting all of her little sister's punches with one-hand easily. Just name the movie and two characters that were fighting each other as where I got the inspiration for that. I'll give you a hint in the form of a quote from the movie.

"You are… The One"

Once again, a cyber-cookie and milk or a cyber-beer and mozzarella stick's your choice if you can name the movie and characters. All I ask is don't write a review just answering the question, but please also say something about the chapter as well.

Breaking News, Musing, and a Question:

News:

For the past few chapters I've alerted my readers to a couple of polls set up on each of their accounts by the fine authors brown phantom and Zentary asking the question.

Who is the best Naruto fanfic writer on this site?

Zentary's poll has remained open and is still active.

Regrettably, brown phantom has ended his poll on this question. However, he has started a new poll asking,

"Which is the best Naruto fan fiction story on this site?

So I humbly ask if you feel I'm worthy of being one of your 10 picks to please place a vote for me in Zentary's poll. And if you feel this story is worth of nomination in brown phantom's new poll. I thank you in advance for your support and the links to the profile pages for both brown phantom and Zentary are listed below.

brown phantom http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1634435/

Zentary http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2022054/

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I wish to thank all of those readers who hooked me up with the story I was looking for from last chapter. For those you who are interested, the story link is listed below.

.net/s/7122571/1/bYin_b_and_bYang_b_What_a_difference_it_can_make

End of News:

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Musing

I was wondering if anyone else was as bummed out as I am that we might be looking at the final days of both the Naruto and the Bleach manga very soon. I swear I will never understand these authors who create something so special that millions of people love and they make a ton of money off of it as well, to willingly choose to end their series. I mean don't they realize that because of the joy their work brings to so many people that ultimately the world is better off with Naruto and Bleach continuing on instead of ending.

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Question

Would the correct pronunciation of the title of Seventh Hokage be Dainanadaime?

That's what I got from an English to Japanese dictionary online or is this pronunciation better?

Nanatsudaime

Translated:

Dainana - Seventh

Nanatsu - Seven

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Now, onto everyone's favorite section Kingkakashi's rants on the manga yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Surprisingly, I have very few negative things to say about the following issues of the Naruto manga!

*Warning I do give away some spoilers in my rants, so read at your own risk.

#568 – This chapter starts with the continuation of Gai and Kakashi still fighting the five remaining ET-Jinchuuriki and Naruto still desperately trying to keep the Four-Tailed Demon-Ape Yonbi from eating him. Hachibi then chastises Kyuubi for not helping Naruto out and he gets swallowed up by the Yonbi. However, instaed of getting digested, Naruto ends up in the Yonbi's mindscape and learns that the Four-Tailed demon's name is Son Goku. I'm guessing this is an homage from Kishimoto towards Dragonball. I can live it since I enjoyed Dragonball and all of its subsequent series to follow. Naruto also learns that the Kyuubi's name is Kurama and goes about to set free the Yonbi. This chapter was alright, but a bit boring as well.

#569 – This chapter begins with Naruto attempting to remove the chakra stake from Yonbi that let's Tobi control him. As Naruto is attempting to remove the stake, you then get a series of flashbacks of his life growing up. And that's pretty much the bulk of the chapter. It wasn't a bad chapter, but you certainly can't call it great either.

#570 – The start of this chapter with Naruto removing the stake from Yonbi thinking he has freed the demon-ape. However, he then learns from Son Goku that he didn't free him, but by removing the stake had stopped him, which was his goal. Tobi then has the Gedou Mazou statue suck the Yonbi's chakra back into it leaving behind the body of the dead Jinchuuriki. Tobi is pissed that Naruto was able to stop the Yonbi and releases the rest of the ET-Jinchuuriki into their full Bijuu form. Kyuubi and Naruto talk and agree to combine their chakra's in an effort to defeat them, thus ending the chapter. A decent chapter as the excitement and drama is finally starting to build again.

#571 – This chapter starts off with some kickass drama of the five remaining ET-Bijuu about to unleash Bijuu bombs onto Kakashi and Gai. Naruto arrives and combined with the Kyuubi's chakra changes into his true Bijuu form and is able to defect all five bombs away decorating the land faraway with five nuclear-sized explosions. Tobi once again is pissed and sends his ET-Bijuu charging in. However, Naruto's Bijuu form is able to handle it and knocks the five of them down. Then a five on one free for all battle between Naruto/Kurama versus the five ET-Bijuu begins. KB/Hachibi joins in even though injured helps out and between him and Naruto/Kurama they gain the upper-hand in the fight. The end of the chapter has the five ET-Bijuu combining their power into one massive Bijuu bomb. Naruto/Kurama creates one of their own to counteract it and the final scene of the chapter is of the two massive bombs colliding. This was a pretty good chapter even if it was too damn short, only 12 pages.

#572 – This chapter starts off with a bang literally as Naruto/Kurama's bijuu bomb is able to deflect the ET-Bijuu's bomb high into the atmosphere where it explodes. Naruto/Kurama then grab onto the five remaining ET-Bijuu and begin extracting all of their stakes. Now the chapter gets a little weird as Naruto enters what I think is some sort of universal mindscape that all the Bijuu share with one another. Anyway, Naruto greeted to the sight of the five Bijuu and the five Jinchuuriki. Ok, this is good, now were going to get into some serious shit, but no! Kishimoto up and ruins the start of the scene with this idiotic diatribe involving Naruto's first kiss coming from Sasuke. One can only assume he thought it was funny, but humor is not one of Kishi's strongest suits when it comes to writing.

Moving on, the Bijuu and the Jinchuuriki all start to introduce themselves to Naruto and give him their true names. You then cut to a scene of all of the Bijuu as kids surrounding the Rikudou Sennin who is advising them to follow a rightful path as they grow. All the Bijuu and Jinchuuriki believe Naruto is that path and he is able to succeed in extracting all of the stakes controlling. Tobi uses the Gedou Mazou statue to re-assimilate the Bijuu back into it, but I can't tell if he was successful in doing it or not. The chapter ends with Naruto declaring he knows their names, which means trouble for Tobi. This was a very good chapter and would have been great if not for Kishi's attempt at humor.

#573 – This chapter was the morale booster of the war. As the Shinobi Alliance HQ realize the Naruto, Killer Bee, Kakashi, and Might Gai are slowly winning against the Tobi or the 'Masked Madara' as they call him. Shikaku Nara orders Inoichi Yamaanaka and the rest of the Telepathy squad to send that news out to all of their forces to boost their morale. Inoichi succeeds nearly frying his brain in the process. Then we start cutting to individual scenes from the members of the Konoha 11, as each of their thoughts turn towards Naruto. It starts off as it should with Hinata declaring she will no longer be chasing after Naruto, but by his side holding his hand, as they walk together in the future. (As I'm sure all of you would agree, I for one pray that Kishimoto doesn't fuck up the entire series by not making that happen!) We then go to each Konoha 11 member asking Naruto to wait for them, as they and the rest of the reinforcements rush towards Naruto's position. The final scene is one of Sasuke walking at a leisurely pace, as we all wait for his path to cross with Naruto's. This was a good chapter without a doubt.

(Rants on issues 574 to present will be in the next chapter.)

Yes, I'm still thoroughly disgusted that Kishimoto hasn't done anything yet with Hinata's confession to Naruto now reaching 136 freaking issues!

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Now I'd like to give a shout out to a couple of stories of quality work that I recommend. I urge all of you to check-out these fine works when you have the time.

Recommendations:

"Matchmaker" by scorpiowarrior: This is a really interesting and clever tale involving the members of Team's 7 and 8 attempting to get their Sensei's involved in a romantic relationship. The storyline is very original and it has a great mix of angst, drama, and humor which makes it fun to read. The author does an excellent job with all the characters personalities and how they interact with one another There are also several developing side-pairing stories involving several of the other characters including a quite rare Kiba/Sakura/Sasuke triangle. Overall, this is just an enjoyable story to read and if you're looking for something fresh and different in a Naruto story, then this is one you should checkout.

"Uzamaki Kombat" by VFSNAKE: Another angst driven and action-packed tale from the King of the Crossover story. This one involves the blending of the Naruto universe with the Mortal Kombat universe. As usual, this author has taken two unique genre's and actually crafted an interesting and believable storyline for the readers. Even better is the fact that this writer has returned to including some lemony goodness into his stories of which he is quite skilled at writing. If you're not already familiar with this author already, VFSNAKE has written several stories about many different anime genre's and in my opinion is one of the very best fan fiction writers on this or any other site. So if you're looking for a quality tale to read, then check this author and his stories out.

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

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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.

Take it easy and be good!

Kingkakashi

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School Time:

Vitriol

Definition: Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will.

Etymology: Medieval Latin to Anglo-French to Middle English 1350-1400a.d.

Part of Speech: Noun