Well, hoped you liked the last chapter. Did my best to make a lighthearted scene after several civilians were knocked unconscious or killed, whichever your imagination's preference. Anyway: Disclaimer: No idea if I need this, but I don't own Naruto. Same goes for all chapters I publish. Yay.

Chapter 16

"And one! And two! And three!" shouted Guy, his Genin doing pushups as he sounded off the number, "And four! And five! And six!"

Naruto complained between lapses. "Sensei! Why can't I work on this independently? I can go way faster than these two!"

"Shut it!" shouted TenTen, glaring at him. They were all beside each other, Naruto situated between Neji and TenTen. "You don't havta rub it in, you know!"

"It's the truth, though," countered Naruto.

"I don't care."

"And fifteen! And sixteen! And seventeen!"

Naruto piped up again. "I swear if this is practice for your counting skills, sensei, I'll take off these weights and throw them at you."

"Uzumaki-san."

"What, teme?"

"Silence." Naruto growled but didn't reply. He slowly did pushups, finding the slow pace to be grinding on his nerves. He settled into a mechanic pace, responding to Guy's voice. His mind wandered, and a slight grin appeared at the thought of his birthday a week ago. That was the most fun he'd had since, well, ever. Well, he didn't know. Painting the Academy pink had been fun.

"And ninety! And ninety-one! And ninety-two! And ninety-three!" Naruto heard Guy begin on ninety, and he pulled himself out of the trance, surprised at how sore his arms were. Nothing unbearable, but enough to get his attention. He looked between Neji and TenTen. TenTen's arms were shaking uncontrollably, and sweat poured off her forehead. Neji's jaw was clenched, and he too was drenched in sweat.

Naruto himself wasn't feeling that tired. "And ninety-eight! And ninety-nine! And one hundred! Stop!" TenTen and Neji fell to the ground, chests heaving, and Naruto looked up at Guy, still poised to do more pushups. "Are you going to take a break, Naruto?"

"After that? No," he replied, "What was hard about that?"

TenTen turned her head to glower. "You mean you don't notice the eight hundred pounds on your back, Blondie?"

"Eight hundred pounds?" repeated Naruto quizzically, turning to look behind him, "Really?" A solid stack of eight weights labeled 100lbs sat on his back, and Naruto blinked confusedly until the reality of it started to kick in. His arms began to tremble. "Aw, shi-," His arms slowly gave out, and he fell to the ground, weights sliding off to the side. "Great, now I'm really sore," he groaned.

"No shit, Sherlock! You just did pushups with two hundred pounds or more!"

At the number, Naruto rolled over, frowning. "Two hundred? What happened to eight hundred?"

Guy answered, "At twenty, I added fifty pounds to the backs of TenTen and Neji, but I decided to give extra weight to you, starting at two hundred. I added fifty to Neji and TenTen and two hundred to you at every interval of twenty. I bet you could've kept on, though. You were barely sweating."

Naruto snorted. "Well, now I can't. My arms are killing me. Shouldn't have looked around." He groaned again. "Just don't tell me next time, TenTen, OK?"

"What kind of person doesn't notice that kind of thing anyway!?"

"People like me, Guy, and Lee, apparently," said Naruto. He sat up, stacking the weights to his side.

"So psychos, basically."

Guy looked indignant, and Naruto laughed. "Right on the money, aren't you?" teased the blonde. TenTen continued to glare at him as she moved the weights to the side, and she sat up and punched Naruto in the arm. "Ow! That just added on about five more levels of pain, Buns!" he said, rubbing the arm.

"Don't be a baby," scolded TenTen, "That didn't hurt at all."

"It does when it already feels like someone's stabbing your arm."

"I can stab you for real. You want that?"

"You don't have the-," Neji cleared his throat, and Naruto looked irately at him. "What?"

Guy spoke, "As you remember, I assigned pushups to the beginning of today for a reason. Now we run."

Naruto shakily stumbled into the clearing where Guy was, huge sets of weights clamped to his calves and thighs. "You," he panted, pointing an unsteady finger at his sensei, "are psychotic." With that, he fell to the ground. "I hate you. A thousand pounds on top of my usual eight hundred? Damn, everything's killing me now."

Guy shot him a thumbs up. "You'll come to thank me later."

"Riiight." Naruto reached down and unclasping the weights, sealing them away before they could crack the ground. He patted the back of his leg. "Man, if I'm hurting, TenTen and teme probably aren't moving."

"An incorrect...assumption...Uzumaki-san," wheezed Neji, sluggishly trudging into the clearing. He fell into his hands and knees, legs also clamped with weights. As he regained his breath, Neji said, "Never make an assumption about me, Uzumaki-san. It will never be correct."

"Oh, so you're not some egotistical asshole with a pole shoved five feet up his ass?"

"Of course not. The pole is ten feet deep." At this uncharacteristic response, Naruto blinked and scrutinized Neji. "What, Uzumaki-san?" Naruto blinked again, and without warning punched the Hyuuga on the top of the head. "Ow! You imbecile!"

"So you're not TenTen," said Naruto slowly, still looking at Neji suspiciously, "Then who the hell are you if you're not teme?"

"Cease with that ridiculous title of mine! And what causes you to think that I'm TenTen?" demanded Neji, rubbing a knot rising on the back of his head. He had never thought TenTen and Naruto playfully traded blows like this.

" 'Cause you made a joke."

"I can make jokes," replied Neji flatly.

"Since when? That's the first one I've heard from you."

"I'm always mocking you, Uzumaki-san. Does your tiny brain even comprehend that?"

Naruto frowned, but then he grinned brightly. "All this tiny brain of mine knows is that you're the real deal, teme. No one can be that condescending."

"You could have spared me the pain."

"Nah, that felt good. I'll do again if you feel like it."

"I'll pass." Neji detached the weights, and Naruto sealed them away. The three of them gazed at the sky in silence, silence that was broken by TenTen's distant cursing. Naruto grinned foxily, and Neji casually looked in the direction of the cursing. TenTen, still cursing colorfully, shuffled into their view.

"Son of a bitch! To hell with these weights!" She bent over and unstrapped the weights, cracking the ground. "To hell with three hundred pound workouts!" She kicked them, but then she gripped her foot, hopping on the other. "OW! Goddammit!"

Naruto kept grinning. "What'd you think would happen? You just kicked a solid piece of metal, Buns. Of course it's gonna hurt." He looked at Neji. "I honestly don't know what you seen in her. Isn't her intelligence, I can see that much."

"Screw you, Blondie."

"I agree with that statement."

"So that's what you two have in common. You both hate me. Joy to the world!" beamed Naruto, standing. His teammates glared at him, and TenTen sealed the weights into the scroll which Naruto tossed her. She threw it to Guy who pocketed it. "Now what? Sit-ups with weights attached to our backs? Pull-ups with weights on our feet?"

TenTen punched him on the top of the head. "Shut up with the ideas, Naruto!"

"Can't two psychos be crazy openly?" asked Naruto, shooting TenTen a pleading, wide-eyed look, "I promise we'll only do this about five hundred more times." He ducked a swing from her staff. "Hey now, that's enough of that."

"Only when you shut the hell up!" yelled TenTen, swinging at him again. Guy smiled as the two began to chase each other around the forest, appearing in the small clearing every couple of seconds. Neji rolled his eyes. TenTen swung at Naruto, catching him at the legs. "AHA! Gotcha!" She leaped onto his back. "You gonna say mercy?" she asked mockingly.

Naruto turned his head, still grinning. "Nope." A puff of smoke erupted around her, and TenTen felt her legs meet the ground. She scrambled up, shaking a fist in the air. "That's not gonna do much, TenTen," teased Naruto, voice coming from every direction. "Not when I'm...EVERYWHERE!" Clones of Naruto rushed from the cover of the trees and charged for TenTen who smirked.

"Static Current!"

She tapped her staff to the ground, and lightning discharged around her. The clones' eyes widened, and they were blown back, all of them vanishing into smoke. TenTen smirked. "C'mon, scaredy-cat! You tired from the little run we just had? I thought you were more than just an Academy student, Naruto."

"I could say the same about you, TenTen," said Naruto, startling Neji and Guy. They looked up into the tree beside them, Naruto calmly standing on a branch. "A girl whose only talent is to hit stuff? Ohhh, scarey. And, hell no, I'm not tired. You're the tired one."

TenTen pointed her staff at him. "Then prove it."

Naruto grinned. "Alrighty." He vanished in a blur. TenTen's face was one for surprise, and Naruto appeared behind her. "Boo." She swung wildly, turning on her heel, but felt the staff only pass through air. He appeared to her right, and TenTen did not hesitate as the staff whipped to the side, crackling dangerously. As TenTen realized the blonde had dodged again, she discharged the electricity.

Naruto, who was about to materialize behind her again, was thrown back. He caught himself, skidding to a stop. The foxy grin widened, and he threw shuriken at her, taking off to the side simultaneously. She flicked her staff in fluid motions as she deflected them, and she unsealed her hammer to smash at Naruto who was coming from her right.

He disappeared into a puff of smoke before her hammer could make contact. TenTen heard the sharp, pinging sound of metal hitting metal, and Naruto reappeared to her left, hand drawn back for a punch. "Substitution!" TenTen turned, her staff already making its way around, but she knew Naruto would land his-

Naruto stopped, wrist clasped by a hand. He glared at the hand's owner. "Go to hell, teme. I was about to get a good hit on her." Neji smirked.

"That was old trick, Uzumaki-san. One that you unsuccessfully tried to utilize against me in our first spar and the others that followed." He let of Naruto's wrist. "I am well-aware of how you implement it. I'm surprised TenTen does not, however." Neji looked to her, and she looked away, flushing.

"Just a stupid mistake," she muttered.

"Indeed," said Neji.

"Such a charmer, aren't you, teme?"

Neji's smirk grew, and he turned to TenTen. "TenTen, you can take a break. I'll spar with Uzumaki-san for a while."

"What!?" cried TenTen, incensed, "I just got to the best part! You think I'm weak or something?"

"No," said Neji calmly, "I simply want to spar now. We can take turns."

Naruto smiled lopsidedly. "So it takes two of you to take me down? Nice, subtle compliment." He flashed backward and adopted his Iron Fist stance. "But this ain't gonna be a repeat of the other spars, y'know!"

Neji shifted into his Gentle Fist. "Nor do I expect it to be, Uzumaki-san." Naruto nodded, and he charged, sending a flurry of punches. TenTen sighed as the two fought and went to stand next to Guy who was happily watching the unfolding, unplanned fight. She leaned against a tree and took out her carving, nearly all of the feathers finished.

Naruto leaned backward to dodge a strike from Neji, hair brushing the ground, and planted his arms to kick up at Neji's jaw. With a tilt of the head, the kick missed, and Naruto responded by whipping his other leg to sweep out Neji's feet. Neji went down with a grunt, and the Hyuuga rolled, a punch landing where he had been. He rose and rushed the blonde.

Neji tried to strike at all tenketsu he could reach, but the blonde would dodge or deflect the strikes by slapping them away. The Hyuuga smiled in approval; this was going to be much more interesting. Naruto leaped back as the Gentle Fist barrage quickened. He made a handsign, and five clones appeared. Neji watched as they bolted toward him, the veins around his eyes slowly rising to the surface.

He threw the first to arrive over his shoulder and jabbed the next one. He dodged leaping, spinning kick and clapped two clones' chests with his palms. They flew into the remaining one. The original was rigid in surprise before the three clones crashed him into a tree, denting the trunk. Neji smirked and walked over to the groaning Naruto.

"I'm surprised. This strongly resembles the first spar we had, Uzumaki-san. Are you not more prepared?" mocked Neji, standing over Naruto, "Have you even grown weaker?"

Naruto coughed and then smiled mysteriously at Neji. "You wish, teme." He dissipated into smoke. Neji was speechless; that clone had the same chakra as the original according to his dojutsu. Had Naruto discovered a way to fool it? "Hey, turn around!" Neji turned his head to look behind him, and Naruto appeared in front of him. "Hah! Fooled ya!" Naruto sent Neji skidding with a left hook. "Never obey an enemy, you dope!"

Neji's lip curled, and he wiped blood from his mouth. "You will pay dearly for that, Uzumaki-san."

"Oh, sorry, did I mess up that pretty face of yours, teme? Call the hospital! Maybe they can finally work that pole out of your ass." Neji narrowed his eyes threateningly, and he threw a kunai at Naruto. Naruto drew his own kunai to block it, but was caught off-guard when Neji suddenly was in front of him, palm drawn back. Naruto, without thinking, activated his 'special'seal.

Neji felt confident as his palm drove toward the blonde's chest. 'I have won,' he thought unhesitatingly, but then felt his hand go through Naruto's chest. 'Wait...an afterimage!?'Naruto blurred into view about ten feet from his own image which was fading. He was panting, hands on his knees.

"Son of a bitch, teme. Got me scared there. Had to use my seal for my weights. Call it my special seal,"applauded Naruto after regaining his breath, "Hoo, man, that was close."

Guy shouted angrily from the sidelines. "Naruto! Why'd you take off the weights? They're only for emergencies, and you need my permission!" Naruto waved apologetically at Guy.

"Sorry. I'll put 'em back on after this. However, right now," The blonde grinned at Neji, "Who wants a taste of me full-speed?" Neji rolled his eyes and shifted back into his stance. Naruto clapped excitedly. "Yay! Lemme tell ya, teme, your shit's about to be ruined!"

He pushed off, leaving a small crater, and Neji felt his feet leave the ground before he could register Naruto had moved. Neji tumbled into the base of a tree and scrambled out of the way before Naruto could land another punch. Naruto stopped, fist just a few inches away from the trunk. He looked at Neji before blurring toward him.

Neji was able to stop one punch before Naruto vanished from his front and materialized behind him. His speed was even fooling the Byakugan; at the fast portions of Naruto's dashing, he was dropping in and out of view. Neji tried to turn to block an incoming punch, but he was sent tumbling and skidding. He recovered, and he shakily got to his feet. Naruto paused for second to shoot Neji a grin before tearing toward him.

Neji lashed out with a sweeping kick, but felt Naruto grab his leg and hurl him across the clearing. He rose, but then was sent into a tree trunk by a kick. The trunk cracked, and Neji slowly slid down the tree. The Hyuuga was panting, and his chest hurt. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a few cracked ribs. 'This speed...I won't be able to keep up...nor will I ever be.'

Naruto came into view about five feet from Neji. "What's the matter, teme? Too fast for ya?" Neji glared at the blonde who laughed. "You can't look scary when I just beat the piss out of you."

A voice behind Naruto startled them both. "Then let me return the favor!" There was a crackle, and Naruto froze and keeled over, muscles locking up. TenTen stood with her staff, the weapon growling low with lightning. "You bastard! We can't kept up with you if you don't have your weights on!" She thwacked him on the head, drawing a groan. "Don't you moan at me! Put those damn weights back on before I give ya another shock!"

Naruto didn't respond, and TenTen jolted him again, but this time, Naruto sprang up about a hundred feet. "TenTen! You promised not to shock me, dammit!" he shouted, landing back on the ground. "That hurt, for God's sake!"

"I unlocked your muscles," informed TenTen curtly, "Be damn thankful I didn't just leave you there. Now put back on your weights and let me take another whack at you." Naruto pouted, but he reached inside his jacket and tapped something. There was a loud thud, and the blonde stumbled.

"Whoa...it's odd to be so heavy again. And plus these weights give me terrible balance," whined Naruto, shaking a leg experimentally, "C'mon, can't I take you on with weights off?"

"No!"

"You're no fun, TenTen. You just take the fun out of everything."

"Well, sorry, but I'd rather have an even fight than you just flitting everywhere like a Goddamn fairy," retorted TenTen brusquely, "Now shape up before I whack you again."

Guy watched as his students dueled each other, sometimes all three joining in the melee at once. TenTen usually chose to stay back and swing when she saw an opening, usually electrifying the blow. However, it was difficult to find such openings in Naruto and especially Neji. Both boys were aggressive. This surprised Guy; he had expected Naruto to be so, but not Neji.

He furrowed his brow as TenTen leaped back from the fray and drew out a scroll. She unfurled it mid-air, a seal exposing itself. "Heads up, boys!" Dozens of projectiles erupted from the seal, shooting toward Naruto and Neji. Neji jumped to the side, and Naruto turned resolutely to face the oncoming projectiles. Guy saw the blonde's hand flash into quick signs.

"Great Breakthrough!"

A violent tempest tore through the forest, and the projectiles seemed to freeze in air and fall harmlessly. Leaves and branches were wrenched from their places, and TenTen quickly slapped down a barrier tag to shield herself. Naruto, wind flapping his jacket, motioned to someone behind him. A clone, transformed flush to the ground, appeared in a puff of smoke that was quickly whisked away by the wind.

The clone fiddled with something on its ankle, and Guy squinted at it, brow knitting together. Through the roar of the wind, a click was heard. "Betcha your barrier can't hold up to this!" shouted the clone, hurling its leg weights at the barrier. TenTen was dumbfounded for a moment, but then she jumped from beneath the cover of the barrier which shattered as the weights burst through.

TenTen glared at Naruto, and her hands lit up with hissing, blue lightning. "You're gonna pay for that, Blondie!" she yelled, whipping her hand and shooting it. Naruto caught the bolt in the chest, and he felt his heart stop, start, and do a funny hop. "And another!"

Naruto held up an arm to absorb it, bu the thunderbolt grazed his side and exploded a tree behind him. The blonde managed to smirk at TenTen. "Ha! You really that bad? Was that first one just a lucky shot?" She growled and recharged two more bolts. Naruto felt sweat run down his forehead. "Teme! Get your ass over here now!"

Neji appeared beside TenTen, finger pressing an important nerve at the neck. She crumpled to the ground, electricity sparking into the air around her. Neji's body locked up, and he was frozen while Naruto ran at him, fist drawn back and face split with a grin.

"Take this!" shouted the blonde, pumping chakra into the punch. To Neji's dojutsu, it was almost a torrent of chakra flowing around Naruto's fist. Neji struggled to move, trying to put a palm up to catch the blow. Suddenly, Naruto was upon him, jumping and swinging the chakra-laden fist.

Naruto smirked confidently as Neji smashed into the forest behind him, the force of the punch sending the Hyuuga at least fifty feet. The blonde whistled, impressed. "Man, never thought I'd be able to get you like that, teme. You're getting rusty." Naruto peered through the dust that had been kicked up, but frowned in mild concern as he saw the broken form of Neji. "Ah, hell. Hope I didn't-,"

Neji's form dissipated into smoke, and Naruto narrowed his eyes before rolling to the side to avoid Neji's strike from above. The blonde grinned at him. "That's an old trick, teme. Don't you remember the first time we fought?" Neji scowled, and Naruto beckoned him forward tauntingly. "C'mon. Bring it!" Naruto's fist flared with chakra, and Neji focused chakra to his palm.

They ran at each other, a maddened light in the blonde's eyes and a calm, calculating look in Neji's. Guy watched in anticipation from his perch in a tree, one that had fortunately escaped the wrath of his team. The two met in the center of the clearing, and their blows impacted simultaneously. There was a great explosion, and Guy covered his face as dust and dirt flew up. As the air cleared, he looked at the result. He smiled exasperatedly. "Of course."

Naruto woke with sunlight shining intrusively into his eyes. He covered them and grunted and rolled over to his side. He blinked the spots from his eyes and realized that he tucked into his own bed, still in his clothes. Naruto frowned and looked over to the alarm clock on his nightstand. 8:30...A.M. 'Wait, I know the fights were well after 8:30...Have I been out an entire day?'

Naruto sat up, and something fluttered onto his lap. He looked down, and he frowned as he picked up a small piece of paper that read: Good work, Naruto! Because all of you gave such a valiant and youth-filled effort, I decided that you can have a one-day break! Go on and be youthful! Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering about the outcome of his match. He turned the paper over.

On the back, scribbled hastily, was: By the way, you and Neji tied. Both of you were knocked out at the same time.

Naruto very nearly ripped the paper into a million pieces. Given that, he just ripped it into two. 'Freakin' teme and his assholery assholeness,' thought Naruto angrily, throwing the blanket, 'Swear to God next time I see him I'll-,' Naruto continued to rant mentally as he went into the kitchen and fixed some cereal. His anger cooled, and he languidly played with his cereal.

'Well, better than last time, I suppose,' rationalized the blonde, taking his bowl to the sink. He yawned. 'God, I'm tired. Might go lay down for a bit.' He went to lay back down, but he didn't, choosing to sit up and read a book, propping it against his knees which were drawn close. The book was fiction and one of his favorites, but after a while it started to wear on him.

The blonde yawned again, and he looked over to his nightstand. He smiled; there it was, the picture from his birthday party about a week ago. He was there between Neji and Lee grinning like an idiot while Lee shot the camera a thumbs up and Neji scowled. Tomitsu was in the back, a small smile on his face and arms crossed. Iruka was smiling, and Touza's face was level with them, a grin matching Naruto's on it. TenTen and Yakumo were smiling with a hand on their hip, and Hinata was smiling shyly, hands clasped cutely behind her back.

The blonde's smile softened, and his finger traced the swirl design on the shirt she had given him. That night was the best in his life so far...probably ever. Everyone actually cared about him, even Neji, and Naruto had finally eaten his first birthday cake. It had been delicious. And after finding out that Hinata had been gifting him all those years...that night was priceless, especially with that firework hug from her.

'Wonder how she's doing,' thought Naruto, 'Hell, I'm wondering how my old class is doing again.' He grinned and grabbed a fuinjutsu scroll from his bookcase. 'Let''s go check then.'

Naruto was sitting quietly under a tree, apart from the ones used for target practice, eyes skimming along the words of the scroll and ears twitching to pick up any familiar voice. The group that had been out when he had arrived were students of the class a year under his original one. They had ignored him, and he had done the same.

A familiar but unpleasant bark-like shout reached his ears, and Naruto looked up from his scroll to see Kitame and Touza's class out doing target practice. They shaped up to throw shuriken at the trees which held a small target, far smaller than any Naruto had ever tried to hit during his Academy years. The blonde frowned, and the frown deepened as he noticed there was only about a third of the number he had seen before.

'Where the hell did they go?' he wondered, watching Touza carefully take aim. The boy's stance was almost perfect: relaxed, unhurried, and slightly-bent arms. Naruto smiled; TenTen had definitely helped with that. Really no small wonder. She was the weapons specialist of the team after all.

Touza whipped his hand, and the shuriken sang through the air and stuck the center with a satisfying thunk. Touza, instead of leaping into the air in celebration as Naruto expected, turned expectantly to Kitame who nodded stoically. "Good, Touza-san." Kitame motioned toward tree with a hand, and a smaller target appeared. "Now this one." The small boy nodded.

Naruto blinked. He watched closely as Kitame observed a nervous-looking girl who had a good stance, but she seemed to be second-guessing herself. She would act as if to throw it, but then quickly stop and look in indecision at the target. Kitame watched her, and the girl finally threw the shuriken. It grazed the tree and clattered off the courtyard wall. The girl's face fell, and she looked apologetically at Kitame. Naruto expected the man to shout, but he was surprised.

Kitame nodded. "You doubt yourself too much, Siada. Once you decide, there is no doubt. Your stance is good, and I see potential, but your doubt is the major obstacle." The girl looked up at him hopefully. "Yes, I see potential. Why do you think you're here? Do you think you were only lucky? Let me tell you one thing: I see potential in every single one of these students. Even the worst of this group is better than those who failed to advance. You are strong. Remember that."

Siada smiled thankfully, and she drew another shuriken, smiling in renewed confidence. Naruto blinked again. This definitely was not the rude, belligerent Kitame he had first encountered. This Kitame was calmer, wiser, and, above all, more willing to help the students. Naruto considered what he had heard. The man had said something failing to advance...had Kitame purposely failed students? If he had, why?

Naruto pondered this as Kitame's class moved through its practice routine, and Naruto was stilling mulling over Kitame's words as the class went back in and another came out. A whoop caught his attention, and the blonde looked up just in time to see Kiba waving madly at him.

"Naruto! How ya been?"

Naruto waved back. "Fine! You?"

"Awesome!"

"And you, Shikamaru?"

"This is troublesome..." Naruto smiled at the familiar phrase, and he smirked at Sasuke who was staring dagger-like from across the courtyard.

"Somethin' wrong, Uchiha? You wanna fight?" asked Naruto, grinning sharply.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You couldn't take me on your best day, dobe."

Naruto kept his grin, an edge behind it. "Oh? Is that so?" Behind the group of students, Iruka furiously shook his head. Sasuke nodded arrogantly.

"Come at me if you think you can," challenged Sasuke, not even taking some form of stance. Naruto shook his head, and he vanished from his spot beneath the tree. Sasuke widened his eyes, and he went rigid as a voice berated him.

"You're really damn too arrogant, Uchiha." Sasuke spun around, lashing out with a kick. Naruto lazily caught with a hand. "And really damn too slow, too." Naruto released his leg, and Sasuke glared murderously at him. "That death stare ain't gonna do crap to me, Uchiha. Maybe on someone about five years old, but not me."

"Screw you, dobe."

"You're too kind, Uchi-,"

"NARUTO! Quit interrupting my class!" bellowed Iruka, silencing the both of them. "Almost every time you're here , you try to fight someone!"

"Yeah, but-,"

"NO BUTS!"

"You're so mean sometimes, Iruka-sensei," complained Naruto lightly, vanishing and reappearing to sit under the tree. He picked up the scroll, and smirked at an angry Sasuke. "Too bad about today, Uchiha. Give you a rain-check." Sasuke clenched his fists but didn't respond. Naruto let the smirk continue for another moment before he began to read.

Iruka sighed, partly in relief, partly in exasperation. "Alright, pair up! We're going to be spar today." Naruto raised his eyes curiously, and watched as Shikamaru paired off with Choji. They weren't going to get anything done. Sakura and Ino were paired, glowering at each other. Shino and another, ghostly-pale kid with black hair and a false smile paired off. Kiba waved at Hinata who nodded.

Iruka coordinated the rest of the students into pairs, and he set apart each pair by about six feet. Naruto watched inquisitively as Hinata fought. She moved with a fluidness that he had never seen, and Kiba certainly was good, his little dog cheering him on from the sidelines. Hinata was also smiling-something Naruto had never seen her do in combat. Her face was usually drawn, afraid to strike, but this...this made her look stunning.

'That's my hime.' Naruto clapped to support her. "Woo! Go, Hinata!" Hinata blunted a punch from Kiba and smiled over at Naruto before quickly flipping backward to avoid another punch. Naruto leaned forward, scroll again forgotten. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice someone standing directly beside him. "Go! Beat 'im, Hinata!" cheered Naruto, pumping a fist in the air.

"Why do you support her?"

Naruto jumped and looked up to see Neji leaning against the other side of the tree. "Hey, teme. Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "I could ask you the same question, and I will repeat my earlier one: why do you support her?"

"Who? Hinata?"

"Yes."

"Because she's a good friend of mine like TenTen. Well, a lot better than TenTen, but still!" replied the blonde, thinking nothing of it. 'Maybe he's just protective. Hell, I don't know.' Naruto kept watching the fight, unaware of Neji's jaw working.

"Is that the only reason?" Neji asked.

Naruto looked back at Neji. "Ehh...well, I do kinda like her..."

"Why?"

"Why the hell not? When'd you become so damn nosy, teme?"

"Hinata-sama is the failure of the clan, Uzumaki-san. That is why you should not like her," stated Neji plainly and flatly, drawing up Naruto's ire. The blonde did not notice the honorific attached to Hinata's name.

"Failure?" demanded Naruto, leaping up and turning on Neji, "Now what hell gives you the right to call her a failure?"

Neji's eyes were cold and hard. "From the time she began training with the Gentle Fist, it was obvious that she was not competent with it. Her personality was lacking confidence and a certain ruthlessness. To the Hyuuga clan, a Hyuuga who cannot perform Gentle Fist is a disgrace."

"Lacking confidence?" repeated Naruto incredulously. He pointed at Hinata. "Then explain that, teme! I certainly don't see any doubt in the way she's fighting! In fact, I think she's pretty damn good! And leave her personality out of this. She's a caring person who doesn't want to hurt anyone else-,"

"Precisely," cut in Neji, "A Hyuuga who cares for others are destined to be weak, and ones that care and take measures to never fight will be failures. It is that simple."

"No, it isn't that simple! Open your eyes, teme! Look with something beside that stupid dojutsu of yours! Hinata is trying, dammit, and your words will just make her give up!"

"That may be for the best."

"To hell it is!"

"Hinata is a failure. She cannot change that, no matter how much she tries. It is simply destiny."

"Oh, here we go again," said Naruto, rolling his eyes, "Destiny! Fate! Goddammit, I thought I had changed your mind about that in the spars we had!"

"You lost every one. You never achieved that goal. Fate, in my opinion, can never be altered," said Neji. He paused. "Uzumaki-san, I have gained respect for you. Do not make me lose it."

"Well, I'm just honored to gain your respect, but it can go die if it means I have go along with your destiny-fate bullcrap! What happened to my long ass speech during the first friggin' spar? Did you forget it?"

"No, I remember. You simply had a fluke. Luck decided to intervene that day, it seems."

"You little-," Naruto moved to slug Neji, but he bit his tongue. "I oughta beat the livin' hell outta you right about now. Why do you hate Hinata so much anyway? She's never done anything to you!"

"The fact she is still part of the Hyuuga clan rankles me everyday. She doesn't deserve the title of heiress."

"You are a bastard, teme. But, still, why? Just 'cause she's a failure? Why do you really hate her?" Neji lowered his head, casting his features into shadows. "Why? Answer me!" Neji raised his head abruptly, and he seized the blonde's wrist, dragging him into the Academy's front hall, a spacious place with stairs that lead to doors on either side. "Hey! Lemme go!"

Neji dragged Naruto into a corner, protests still coming from the blonde. He released Naruto and scowled angrily, more angrily than Naruto had ever seen from him. "Uzumaki-san," began Neji tightly, "do you have any inclination of the Hyuuga clan's structure?"

Naruto frowned, rubbing his wrist. He answered truthfully, sensing something different about Neji, "No. Not a clue."

"Then let me explain the tyranny of it all," said Neji.

"The Hyuuga clan is divided into two houses: the Main Family and the Side Family. The Side Family is subservient to the Main Family who controls all of the jutsu usage of the Side Family. One cannot even attend the Academy without the Main Family's permission. The main figures of the Main Family are its patriarch and elders. The Side Family is not represented in any way.

"You see, the reason I hate Hinata-sama is because she is part of the Main Family, and I part of the Side Family. The placement was decided by a cruel twist of fate," said Neji, eyes darkening. "The patriarch of my clan is my uncle, and his brother was my father. They were twins.

"During childbirth, fate so chose the current patriarch to be birthed first, and my father to be birthed seconds later. Those few crucial seconds led to my father being branded into the Side Family." Neji caught a horrified look on Naruto's face. "Yes, I do mean literally branded. Even I bear the mark of the Side Family." Neji reached up and untied his headband, slowly and deliberately. "See the monstrosity that the Main Family forces us to wear."

Neji pulled away the headband, and Naruto was transfixed by the seal that Neji had tattooed onto his forehead. Two hooks, one facing upwards and the other downwards, lay to the side of a manji which itself had hooks at its ends. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That's a...curse mark. Two hooks...cage. Manji...freedom...Hooks on the ends...restriction," murmured Naruto.

Neji nodded. "Yes, its name is the Caged Bird Seal, and it was put onto my forehead at the age of four. It is used by the Main Family to punish any disobedient Side members. Its activation causes the bearer incomprehensible pain, and with prolonged use, the mind will turn to mush. It is the cage that I, the bird, am forced to stay in, and the cage only disappears in death along the Byakugan.

"And so this mark was put upon my father so that he would become a Side member. And so the patriarch stayed in the Main Family. Years later, a Cloud ambassador came to the Leaf to negotiate peace agreements. However, he had a much more sinister plan. During the night, the ambassador tried to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress who had just turned three that day.

"The patriarch quickly caught and killed him. It was dark, and the kidnapper had a mask. Who do you think it was?"

"The ambassador..."

"Correct. So when the Cloud village received word that their subterfuge had failed, they demanded recompense. The price: the body of the man who killed the ambassador. And the Leaf agreed. However, the Main Family schemed and found a way to send the head without sending the Byakugan."

Naruto was nearly speechless. "Your dad...they...killed him?"

"Yes, and they sent his body to the Cloud, and the ninja there gleaned nothing from the corpse of my father who protected the precious blood of the Hyuuga by dying. Fate chose him to be born second, chose him to be branded, and chose him to be the sacrifice of the Main Family!

"And that's not all. My mother fell ill at the time of my father's death, and the Main Family never intervened to care for her, never considered the fact even. Even when she died and I held her in my arms, the Main Family had the bravery to call her a loved member of the Hyuuga clan!

"Do not preach to me about how someone can change fate by simply trying! I know fate entirely too well to be fooled by such a naïve statement!" Neji was yelling, and Naruto was silent, eyes conflicted.

"So the next time you desire to defend Hinata-sama, remember my words," said Neji frostily. He moved to leave, but Naruto laid a hand on his chest. "Uzumaki-san, move or you will regret it."

"No. I listened to your spiel, and you'll listen to mine. I just got one question for ya: Why do you think that I, Hinata, and every other failure out there tries to change themselves? Why do they do that, if fate ain't gonna let them change? Why?"

"Because they are ignorant and too dim to realize their own foolishness."

"No. I got news for ya, teme. Hinata isn't trying because she's too stupid," said Naruto, pushing Neji back into a wall and looking straight at him, "She's doing it because she was called a failure." Naruto regarded Neji a moment longer before letting him go and walking off. Neji was mute, and he stared at nothing before he too walked off.

Tomitsu's chest heaved as he repeatedly parried sword blows striking from the darkness that surrounded him. He was at his home in the small, dark dojo he and his father had built. His kimono was off, revealing a tight-fitting black gi and dark blue pants. Sweat poured off of him, and the gi was stained dark. Tomitsu parried another strike, and he closed his eyes before moving to parry another.

Suddenly the blows stopped, and a door was opened, letting light in that was quickly blocked by a massive figure stepping the doorway. The figure disappeared, and the door closed. Tomitsu waited, panting, loosely gripping his katana. 'A sensory exercise and this lull...I see.' The door opened again, and a deep, smooth voice came from outside.

"Tomitsu, head to the room downstairs. It is time again." The young samurai nodded, and he felt along the bottom of the dojo until he came across a small ridge. Digging his fingernails in, he pulled a trapdoor up, a ladder leading into darkness. Tomitsu paused, and then he dropped down, forgoing the ladder. He landed on the floor about ten feet below with a surprisingly soft thump. He sheathed his katana and peered into the inky blackness.

"I am here," he announced, crossing his arms. A lantern flared in one corner of the room, throwing light upon iron shackles and chains. Old bloodstains dotted the floor, and the air smelled of rust and decay. Tomitsu was unaffected, however, as he continued to stare as lanterns flared in each corner. With the entire room illuminated, Tomitsu could see the person that he was going to kill.

Or rather people.

In the Leaf jailhouse, a guard frowned as he counted the prisoners. He recounted, and he called down the hall, "Hey! We're short two!" Two men burst into the hall. "Prisoners from Cell B-3 are gone."

"B-3?" repeated one of the men, "The crazy guy and one of his cronies? Did the damn Snatcher come by again?" There was a rumor that every couple of months, a demon or spirit whisked away one of the prisoners. It had been a while, but the guards had remained vigilant. The Snatcher had still gotten by them somehow.

"Two? That's a new record," commented the other man, "Whoever this guy is, he's good. Or she. This could be done by either."

"I don't know," said the guard on duty, "All I know that this is gonna be hard to explain in the report."

Tomitsu studied the men he needed to kill. Both were kneeling, hands tied behind their back. One was of average build with short brown hair and wide, fearful brown eyes. His clothes were dirtied and torn, and he sported a bruise on his chest, it just visible by the rips in his clothes. Tomitsu looked at the other. He was an older man, or at least he gave off the air of being older, with oily black hair and twitching, shifty eyes. Tomitsu placed a hand on his katana; he recognized the latter man.

The same deep voice echoed in the room. "It is time for your exercises, Tomitsu. Now draw your blade and lay down a proper justice upon these two criminals." The young samurai nodded, and he slowly drew his blade singing out of its sheath.

The younger man looked up, begging, "No, please! Spare me! I didn't mean to chase the kid! I didn't mean to hurt him! I was just under orders-,"

"Shut up!" shouted the other man, "You joined me wholeheartedly to execute that demon which you call a child! How quickly your loyalty sways!" Tomitsu put his katana under the older man's chin and pushed his head up.

"I recognize you," said Tomitsu, eyes blank, "You are the ringleader of the group who attacked Naruto-san."

"Yes, oh yes, I am! And I take pride in it! God told me to kill that imposter, and I would've gladly carried it out if it hadn't have been for you pipsqueaks! And I would've bathed in his blood!"

"You see just how crazy this guy is?" said the younger man pleadingly, "You see? How about you just let me go and we'll forget this whole thing-," His words stopped as Tomitsu's katana swung to point at his throat. "Please don't kill me," whispered the man, his voice small.

"May you find peace in death," said Tomitsu. The man's eyes bulged, and the katana's blade plunged into his throat. The man fell to the ground, gurgling and choking as blood pooled around him. Tomitsu returned his attention to the leader. "So now we are alone."

"Are we?" said the man, "What about that voice? That one who ordered you to kill us?"

"He will not interfere."

"And how can you kill like that in cold blood and call yourself a savior? You are no savior! You are a demon! You're just as insidious as that Kyuubi demon brat! May God smite you!" Tomitsu's katana was at the man's throat, but he paid it no heed. "Even if you kill me, I will live on as a martyr! You cannot imagine my influence once that happens! I am the next-," The man was cut off as Tomitsu lifted him bodily from the ground with a single hand.

"Why must you rant?" asked Tomitsu, almost in an exasperated voice, "It does bore the one listening."

"Rant? I preach! I preach of the goodness of Him and all He does! One like you cannot understand just how mighty He is! Only I can! I have deemed-,"

"You have been deemed nothing, sir, for by your laws, you have sinned."

"Sin? I don't know it! I was simply fulfilling my duty!"

"By persecuting an innocent?"

"Don't make me laugh! An innocent? How could the Kyuubi with the blood of hundreds on its hands be innocent?"

"I was not referring to the Kyuubi. I was referring to the child."

"The demon? My beliefs do not-," Tomitsu slammed the man into the wall, face hardening. "Let me go!"

"Beliefs. Spirituality. Religion. That is how you justify your actions? How you rationalize the hunting of a child? How did you plan to rationalize when you finally killed him? Would your nonexistent conscience even feel the sting of regret?" asked Tomitsu lowly.

"Regret for doing what's right?" demanded the man.

"Regret for using the name of your God for misdeeds. Take this to the grave: Religion is a double-edged blade. Wield it well, and it will propagate prosperity. Wield it badly, and it will vanquish those around you." Tomitsu stabbed the man in the abdomen, blade stopping short as it made contact with the wall. The man gave Tomitsu a final reproachful look before falling to the ground.

The young samurai closed his eyes and inhaled, collecting himself. "I am sorry for the outburst. It will not happen again," he apologized, wiping his katana on the man's shirt, "I knew this man, and I desired to see him die."

"May it not happen again indeed," rang out the voice, "The true power of a samurai is only shown when he has no emotion during battle, only the lust that calls for battle. You may be excused." A pair of onyx eyes observed as Tomitsu bowed deeply to the direction of the voice.

"Thank you, Father."

And cue the dramatic music: Dun-dun-da! And thanks for the reviews! This chapter should be sort of a reply to some of them, but anyway, the next few chapters are going to be some of my favorite to write. TOODLES!