(Insert disclaimer here)

Blah Blah Blah basic text (i.e. description, speech, etc)

Blah Blah Blah Thought or some transaction within someone's mind (also flashbacks)

Blah Blah Blah Kyuubi talking Jutsu will also be bold

BLAH yelling, or emphasis of some sort

Naruto of the Nine Tails

Rated M for language, violence, graphic imagery, and clowns

A/N

Sry for the wait everyone I've had my hands full for the past few weeks with the end of school, graduating, moving, etc.

Another thing that I noticed that no one called me on, I went back and reread the other chps. My spelling sucks it through a straw, I don't know how you guys could take it but I will be more careful in the future(and will be going back to edit).

On to business, for all of you still telling me to turn this into a harem, NO, I've already outlined the story and will not be changing it.

Next, if you're confused about something please ask. Although I do my best to explain everything I do miss stuff.

I also got a question on Naruto's power. He is not actually stronger then the third, yet, the third was not using lethal force.

Lastly, I'm going to do my best to tie up a lot of loose ends and explain some of the "whys" in this chp so read carefully.

Again I'm sorry about the long wait I do a lot of reading myself and I hate it when some one leaves off on a cliffy then takes a long time to get the next chp done.

Chapter 5: Leepōn

Several seconds passed in horrified silence as Naruto remained poised above Hinata and nothing happened, no one moved an inch, fearing to provoke him.

Meanwhile, the Sandaime's eyes flicked in every direction, the wheels in his head spinning furiously as he searched frantically for something, anything, he could do to save the poor girl. Thousands of scenarios and their outcomes tumbled through his mind, but even as he considered one plan after another he knew deep down that there was nothing he could do to change the outcome. No jutsu, no tool, nothing that he knew would make a difference, not quickly enough.

Then in the blink of an eye, it was over. On the edge of the blood-soaked earth, Hinata lay, like all the other victims of the night's events, motionless on the ground her body limp and eyes glazed over gazing unseeing into the distance.

For a moment longer no one moved not believing what they had just witnessed. Then, as one, all those that had been observing... face vaulted, or in Anko's case fell to the ground laughing hysterically.

Naruto, who just prior to Hinata's appearance had been slaughtering people left, right, and center, had leaned down and affectionately licked the Hyuuga heiress on the cheek and had then situated himself in her lap, curling into a tight ball. Needless to say (because I already did) everyone was floored (literally).

Surprisingly the first to recover was actually Hinata. Still somewhat dazed, she sat up to stare bemusedly at the blood-soaked jinchuuriki lying in her lap like he was some cute harmless beagle. A few seconds passed and then, very tentatively as if he were a bomb that could go off at any time (which, let's face it, to some extent he is), she reached out her hand and began stroking his back. Hearing him respond with a low contented growl she took that as a sign to continue.

By now all of the shinobi present, with the exception Anko who was still rolling on the ground laughing her ass off, had recovered from the shock of seeing the red-headed killing machine suddenly switch to what would later be jokingly dubbed "Lovable House-Pet Mode."

"Ooookay, so…what now?" asked a silver-haired ANBU turning toward the Third as he spoke.

For several moments Sarutobi said nothing then, "Escort them both to my office. I'll be there shortly and someone get me Hiashi... and coffee," he ordered, it was going to be a long night. "I'm getting too old for this shit," Hiruzen sighed as he walked back to his office.

He really needed to retire... again.

Roughly thirty minutes later in the Hokage's office

The Sandaime sat behind his desk staring into the corner of his office where Hinata was fast asleep against Naruto who had curled up next to the wall. It was at this time when a rather grouchy Hyuuga Hiashi made his grand entrance.

Don't think at me like that. Of course, it was a "grand" entrance! He's the self-righteous head honcho of the most narcissistic clan in the village, how could he settle for less than grand? Pajamas are no excuse to neglecting pomp and posturing!

"WHAT IS THE IDEA OF-" Hiashi began but the carefully prepared rant died on his lips as he caught sight of his eldest daughter curled up in a corner of the office, her bedclothes stained with dirt, blood, and brain matter as she used the demon container as a pillow.

"Coffee?" offered Sarutobi, not even turning to look.

Hiashi gaped in a very un-Hyuuga-like manner completely speechless. Here was the Third Hokage, the "Professor," the "God of Shinobi," sitting by as his daughter took a nap on what was one of the most dangerous and unstable individuals in Konoha, in the middle of the night no less, and he was acting as though it happened every day.

"What's going on?" he asked, finally finding his voice.

"Earlier tonight," the Third explained, "a group of villagers provoked Naruto. His keeper radioed for backup, but by the time I got there nearly half of the mob had been slaughtered." He paused for a moment to let that sink in then continued, "While I did what I could to distract Naruto a group ANBU and available Jounin evacuated the remaining civilians. Once that was done we attempted to recapture Naruto. Frankly, we were failing spectacularly... until your daughter showed up." Stealing a glance at the Hyuuga head the Third was not surprised to see that Hiashi looked completely bewildered. "The moment your daughter, I believe her name is Hinata," he said checking a file in his lap, "showed up Naruto curled up like a harmless pet."

"...So?"

This time it was Sarutobi's turn to look dumbstruck but then Hiashi continued.

"If that was all you had to say you would have sent her home and informed me in the morning. So, for you to feel the need see me at this time of night, excuse me," he said glaring pointedly at the clock on the wall, "morning. There must be something more to it than simply telling me that the boy killed a few civilians lacking in common sense."

Smiling slightly at the tactful save. 'Never miss a beat do you.' "You're quite right but I'd think it would be obvious."

"Hm, how so?"

'Ok so maybe he did miss a beat. No wonder he doesn't like being woken up early. He's not even half as sharp as usual if he missed that one,' Sarutobi mused then, "Well think about what I just told you."

'Alright, the villagers in their infinite wisdom did something to piss off blondie-er, carrot top… mmm down comforter…said red-haired Minato clone, I need to remember to ask about that again, proceeds to route said village idiots thereby cleaning the gene pool, if only a little bit… I think we may want to add a little more fabric softener next time those sheets were kind of rough… the kid's watcher, who was it again, radioed for backup no surprise there, you'd have to be crazy to mess with that kid all on your own… '

As Hiashi had been staring off into space for upwards of two and a half minutes now, Sarutobi was beginning to get impatient, however, Hiashi remained blissfully ignorant of this as he sleepily sifted through the information he'd been given.

Meanwhile back in Hiashi's mind '…Hokage-sama distracted the kid…is he really that strong I mean sure he's got the Kyuubi but to give Hokage-sama such trouble is something else… ANBU evac the morons lucky enough to still be alive… real shame we could do to lose a few more of those ignorant pests… I wonder if Tora-san was able to take care of those termites for me…'

"Are you sure you wouldn't like some coffee? Or tea perhaps?" Sarutobi asked, quirking a brow at the Hyuuga patriarch. 'Or a bucket of ice water or something else to wake you up?'

'…Hinata showed up… what was she doing out at a time nigh-wait a sec the kid stopped when she…' At this point, Hiashi was suddenly very much awake as his mind went into the special brand of overdrive only available to parents, his face slowly becoming the picture of disgruntled disbelief.

"I see you seem to have drawn some conclusion," but it was more of an invitation than an actual statement.

"You want Hinata to become the boy's… keeper," he answered.

"Precisely."

'Aw shit... I hate it when I'm right,' Hiashi thought bitterly.

Chuckling softly at the 'wince' now adorning Hiashi's usually stern face. "Though I wouldn't call her his 'keeper' he's actually not that hard to look after," snickering slightly at horrified look Hiashi was giving him. "I propose that she keep a constant watch on Naruto."

"Unacceptable, having her constantly guarding his cage would interfere with her training as both a ninja as well as the future head of our clan," he argued waving his hand as though to brush the idea out of the air.

"I couldn't agree," the Sandaime replied amicably, nodding his head sagely for emphasis.

'Come again?' thought Hiashi as he turned to see a triumphant smile adorning the Third's aged features, 'Oh... damnit.' Somehow he just knew he was not going to like what his aged leader was about to say. (Ever hear the saying, "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.")

"I propose that Naruto come to live with her, stay with or," seeing the murderous glare Hiashi had shot at him, "close to her at all times."

'Did I mention that I hate being right?' Hiashi wondered, remembering an old saying he heard once 'old age and treachery will overcome youth and enthusiasm.' 'Note to self up Hinata's philosophy regimen.'

(...that prick stole my line!)

"Hokage-sama," he began holding the bridge of his nose attempting to stave off the oncoming migraine. "With all due respect, putting the boy-"

"Naruto," he corrected.

"Yes, Naruto," he corrected absently before continuing. "Placing Naruto in a densely populated compound, with no quick access to the resources necessary to contain him is... not a course of action that I would suggest."

"A valid point, however, our observations of Naruto since his… accident," the Third's expression fell slightly as he remembered, "indicate that Naruto is protective of those he recognizes as friendly, a kind of pack mentality of sorts. You remember your youngest's incident where she fell into Naruto's cage, yes?"

"Yes," he responded thinking back. He had been talking with some of the members of the council when a messenger had come telling him that there had been an accident and that Hanabi had been injured. Later after visiting Hanabi in the hospital he had talked to one of the medics to find out what to expect and found out she had suffered a concussion, a broken left arm and a broken neck. The medic had said it was lucky that the demon kid had interfered since the standard procedure was to treat for shock because of the head injury, but if Anko had turned her on her side like she was supposed to she would have sheered the spinal cord killing Hanabi instantly. As it was she'd be out of the hospital in a matter of days no worse for wear. At the time he hadn't thought anything of it, but now...

"Do you remember the brief on what we believed had happened to Naruto and the effects it would have on him?"

"Yes, you said that somehow the seal had malfunctioned and leaked the demon's youkai into the boy at an accelerated rate and that it mutated his cells. You also said that the majority of the higher thought processes had shut down. So he was, in essence, an animal. But…" his voice trailed off and his eyes widened.

(That ladies and germs is what we call an epiphany!)

"We theorized that he would retain an impression of his former self but that it would be more instinctive in nature rather than a conscious decision," finished the Third. "Hanabi was in his class and it is my understanding that they knew each other at least in passing. Hinata was always kind to him when they spoke and after his transformation visited him regularly. On one occasion she even spent the night in his cage, for what reason I do not know."

"She what now?!" Hiashi demanded. (typical a girl spends the night with a boy and her father assumes the worst. They're night numbnuts, they still think you get cooties from kissing, a cookie to anyone who knows what cuddies actually are or takes the time to look it up though I may have the spelling wrong)

Ignoring this Sarutobi continued, "What I'm trying to explain is that we have found nothing to suggest that Naruto would attack without reason. However, in the event that he perceives a threat and engages it, we need a way to control him and up until now we have had no way short of killing him to do so... something that is not an option as it would release the Kyuubi to reform itself," he finished with a pointed look at Hinata.

"I fail to see how this would better contain the child. The situation you are suggesting would necessitate that he be mobile, wouldn't that be taking more of a risk?"

"In a way, however, the risk posed to others is nothing in the face of the possible benefits. Besides with Hinata accompanying him everywhere he goes, we should have no problems."

"Assuming she can control him in the first place... And what kind of benefits?" Hiashi asked skeptically.

"Well for one, the ability to a closer look at what actually happened to Naruto."

This interested Hiashi, "Why have you not been able to do this before now?"

"We couldn't risk it. We couldn't sedate him, nothing we have worked and we had no way of knowing whether or not he would interpret our actions as hostile. Now with Hinata factored in we may be able to have her there to assure him that he isn't in danger. That coupled with any observations your family can provide, whether through the Byakuugan or otherwise, may provide a better explanation as to what happened."

"But you would still be asking my family to take an awful risk simply to protect the rest of the village, not to mention the posi-" but the Third cut him off.

"True, there is a risk, but there are always risks and, in this case, the potential benefits far outweigh any danger your kinsmen might face," he paused waiting to see Hiashi's reaction.

"Such as?" he prompted, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly. He could see a few benefits, primarily, if the boy were as protective as he was being led to believe, Hinata would have quite the bodyguard not to mention the guilt trip that he could have from his family having to care for "The Demon."

"Well, as you have no doubt realized Naruto would make quite the ally for your daughter," he began in a "stating the obvious" tone, "not to mention the political power you would gain from being the ones to care for him." Pausing briefly to let that sink in, Sarutobi waited for Hiashi to nod before he went for the kill. "There are also quite a few benefits for those who cared for Naruto should he ever regain his… 'humanity.'"

At first, this statement puzzled Hiashi. What could the boy's return to 'humanity' as the Third had put it possibly hold for them but very slowly he began to see what the old geezer was getting at? The boy would be in their debt at the very least and then if he and Hinata were to…

As realization dawned upon the Hyuuga patriarch Sarutobi added his final bait. "As I understand it most of the blood limits were created through the sealing of lesser demons. According to some myths, the Sage of Six Paths gained his abilities from contact with the primordial form of the Tailed Beasts... The greatest demon of our time is sealed in that boy and he seems to have taken quite a liking to your daughter. I imagine that if they keep this up we may not need the Sharingan in the not so distant future."

If anyone were to look they would notice that the usually cold and composed face of the Hyuuga patriarch was almost glowing with suppressed glee.

(Hook, line, and sinker)

Edited: 06/27/19

End Notes

Ok I know at least some of you are looking at the name of this chp and saying WTF. No I haven't lost it; you can't lose what you never had. It's Greek (spelled in phonetic English); it means "Then" as in Naruto jumped Hinata "then" licked her cheek causing Hiashi to rupture a blood vessel in his temple necessitating his trip to the hospital to be treated for blood loss.

Also for any of you that didn't figure it out at the end there, in my story bloodlines are created in one of two ways, a natural mutation or the sealing of a demon. The Byakuugan was formed by sealing a lesser demon, for a comparison the demon sealed was the equivilant of about a hair from one of kyuubi's tails. Now knowing that think of the bloodline that sealing kyuubi would create

Muse Rant

Three cheers for insomia… I want to sleep…I want to sleep…I want to sleep

Delta wrote all of this after dark and half of it when he couldn't sleep, kind of like me and my story 'Who's the Hostage' which by the way Delta is posting for me. I don't get it but for some reason I can't think of squat when I try but then at like 4:00 in the morning it just comes to me.

Ya sure it's not the moon rocks you're snorting?

Ha ha very funny. You know full well that I stopped making those.

I know. I'm the one who got you to stop.

Oooh…really?

I give up.