Ha ha….hahahaha…hah…ok. Not funny. I'm really sorry. I have no idea what took me so long. Brief splurge on watchin all the Bleach episodes I could find…then playin Oblivion: Elder Scrolls…yeah, I've been kinda doing other things. But I will continue, don't worry!

Hmmm…It seems I forgot to put the jutsu list I used last chapter…I'll put em here real quick.

Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique) - The user, emerging from the ground below the target area, pulls down (or possibly swaps places with) the opponent so that only their head is above ground

"Hakke Rokujūyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) - This jutsu closes off sixty-four specific chakra points on an opponent's body, effectively eliminating their ability to use chakra for quite some time and making it quite difficult for them to move. It begins with two heavy strikes, followed by four more, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and finally sixty-four strikes.

"Konoha Daisenpu (Leaf Great Whirlwind) - This jutsu involves a powerful leap forward followed by a spinning kick with both legs in succession, the second kick being aimed lower in case the intended target ducks the first.

Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) - A modification of the Shadow Clone Technique, the user throws one shuriken at the victim and then uses this jutsu to create multiple copies of the shuriken to make the attack more powerful.

Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Release: Earth Shore Return) - After striking the ground with his hands, the user creates a large wall of earth that rises into place as defense. The defense is not perfect though, since a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall.

Hari Jizo (Needle Guardian) - Using this jutsu, the user can grow and harden his spiked hair to form a shield around him, protecting against most physical attacks and possibly injuring the attacker.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) - Similar to the Clone Technique, this jutsu creates clones of the user. Unlike the Clone Technique, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing jutsu on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one or two solid blows.

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld) - This jutsu turns a large area of land into a sinking swampland, making it impossible for anyone or anything in that area to move around. The size of the swamp is proportionate to the amount of chakra used to perform the technique. When performed by a drugged Jiraiya, this technique only created a large, semi-deep swamp that merely inhibited the movement of the snakes it was targeting. When performed properly, it is supposed to engulf the target completely.

Ok! Now that the formalities are over, I'm just going to say a few more things. In case you were wondering, Hirameki, in Japanese, means "Flash of Thunder" or "Flash of Lightning". Also, Buotoko means ugly.

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 9

"Ungh…where am I?" asked our young blonde hero, as he stood up shakily, rubbing his head. All he remembered was activating his newfound blade and dashing forward. After that, his memory went blank.

"Man, this feels so familiar…" he muttered, staring out at the golden plain that stretched out in front of him. "Which is strange, because I've never seen this place in my life…"

The entire land before him was a flat, monotonous land with golden grass growing out far as the eye could see. Naruto slowly turned, looking around him, but seeing nothing different at all angles. However, directly behind him, there was a single peak that jutted out of the flat landscape like a giant tooth. It was a long distance away, but Naruto decided to go that way anyway. He could get lost in that sea of grass…

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"Let's go! Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, Akamaru jumping onto his shoulders. "Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Technique)!"

The crowd roared in excitement. The final match had begun. Many betters, like Tsunade-sama herself were getting in some last minute bets. The odds were two to one, against Hinata. Everyone knew she was the weakest Hyuuga that had ever been born, right? Tsunade put her money down on Kiba, no matter how much she felt that Hinata had improved.

Kiba is just too strong of a ninja for her right now. He has is one of the most promising young talents that we have in Konoha. He has the right blend of speed, strength, and strategy to win this entire thing. Ah…what am I saying? Hinata has been getting pretty strong lately…bah. Now I'm confusing myself. Maybe I should bet for Hinata...hmmm…I'll go with my instincts and pick Kiba to win!

"I'll put down one thousand of the Inuzuka!" She removed herself from the small crowd in front of the gambling desk and rubbed her hands together. What she forgot was, her instincts were rarely right.

After using his jutsu, Kiba immediately became more animalistic in his appearance, dropping down on all fours and growing longer nails. Then, in a more bestial voice, he cried out "Jujin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone)!"

Akamaru jumped on his back and was disguised as Kiba. They both snarled at Hinata, but she only looked confused.

Why would he use that on me? I'm sure he knows that I can see which one of them is the true Kiba…

"Hinata! Let me ask you…" Kiba started off, "What good does it do if one can tell the difference, but can't stop them anyway? Gatsuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!"

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Naruto had made it to the stone peak. Finally. He had traveled for what seemed like days. But he never got tired, never got thirsty, and never got hungry. Naruto filed this under "S" for suspicious, but really didn't think about it too much. He was too focused on getting to the rock mountain that he seemed to gravitate to.

When he got to the base of the mountain, he looked up. Great. Another long journey. This is a major pain in the ass.

He began his slow ascent up the side of the cliff, using his chakra to stick to the side of the rock. Every now and then, however, he would apply his chakra incorrectly, not giving him enough adhesiveness to stick, or too much causing his hand to be repelled by the excess force. There were multiple times when he hung by a single finger, as he looked down the steep cliff, his other arm hanging down at his side and his feet swaying in the wind.

Finally, he made it to the top. After he heaved his entire body onto the clearing, he stood up and looked around. The peak was actually more like a plateau, its flat top quite large in diameter. He continued to look around for any sign of life, but nothing was there. Suddenly, he felt a presence above him.

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Two whirling cyclones of spinning Kibas launched themselves at Hinata. Hinata tensed up, waiting until the last possible moment and jumped into the air. Immediately, she realized she made a mistake, as the second cyclone of claws and teeth adjusted straight up at her, preparing to make a direct hit. Unable to do much more, Hinata reached into her weapons pouch and threw a kunai with an exploding tag on it.

The tag erupted in mid air, causing the Gatsuuga to fall apart, however, Kiba and Akamaru landed on the ground gracefully. The same could not be said of Hinata. The explosion had occurred earlier than she had expected, and the shockwaves threw her off balance, causing her to fall straight onto her back.

"Ow…" she muttered, rubbing her back as she sat up.

"Don't let up Akamaru! Gatsuuga!"

Hinata stood up and her eyes widened as she saw a path of destruction headed towards her. This time, instead of dodging up, she dodged left, but again, the second Kiba that trailed behind pursued her, making her life much harder. Again, she threw a tagged kunai to prevent her opponent from getting closer.

This is not working…he is using the same strategy and winning. I have to figure out a way to stop that, otherwise I'm going to run out of tags and he will win…

"Ok Akamaru! We've got her on the ropes! Gatsuuga!"

Hinata formed eight bunshins which all ran in separate directions. The two Kibas were not fooled, however, as their keen sense of smell told them exactly which one was real. The continued following, but this time, Hinata had something in her sleeve.

She turned around and yelled, "Fuuton! Diatoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

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"Fuuton! Diatoppa!" Naruto yelled instinctively, sending a large gust of wind out from his body. As the jutsu took effect, Naruto glanced behind him to see who his enemy was. A strange warrior was blown off his feet and was in midair. And stayed there. Perhaps the strangest thing about his adversary was the huge white feathered wings spread over eight feet in diameter from his back. His gold armor shone in the sun, and his helmet prevented his face from being seen. And in his hand was Hirameki.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded, holding out one fist and shifting one foot in front of him, balancing himself. Being taught by Jiraiya wasn't half bad sometimes, and Naruto knew he had greatly improved in ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu to an extent.

"My identity does not concern you. How did u come into the possession of this sword?" the armored warrior asked sternly.

"Well maybe that doesn't concern you either!" Naruto answered caustically. He didn't like it when people ignored his questions. He didn't like it when people ignored him in general.

"Yes, it does. You could say that me and the sword have a…connection."

"Define a 'connection'"

"That knowledge I cannot impart. However, if you prove your worthiness, then I will answer all you questions"

"Uh, are you gonna use my own sword against me?" asked Naruto trying his patented puppy eyes. He wanted to use guilt to cause this mysterious man to not use Hirameki. If he did, he was doomed.

"Yes, but I will not use its powers. Yes, I know of them, I know much more about this sword than you could ever imagine," the swordman said as he gazed at the blade. "Come."

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An enormous gust of wind blew out from where Hinata planted her feet, causing the twin spinning cyclones to slow, then come to a complete stop. The crowd gasped at the spectacle, as it was amazing to see. The attack seemed to have frozen, but was still rotating in midair.

Finally, Kiba's jutsu wore off, but he just smirked. "Heh, it figures Hinata-chan would find a way to stop that eventually. Akamaru! Let's show her how far we've grown!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen him use that jutsu before, although she was on the same squad as Kiba. Not even her Byakugan could see which was real. All of the Kibas jumped into the air causing the sun to get blocked out partially.

"Tsuga Rein (Piercing Fang Rain)!" he cried, as all of the clones spun at high velocities and began to fall to the earth.

Hinata was surprised. Not only had Kiba never shown her this technique, it was obviously one that someone as proud as he would have trouble keeping a secret. Perhaps Kiba had more cunning than she had previously thought…But now was not the time for that. She snapped her attention back to the battle and performed one of the techniques that she had not shown her squad either.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding Mist)!" she called, as the area in the arena was covered by a thick veil of mist. The deadly bullets falling from the sky were still a problem, but the mist was a perfect solution. Not only could Hinata see just as well as before, due to her Byakugan, but Kiba could not as easily locate her, making the most of his attack clumsy and ineffective.

All of the piercing fangs collided with the earth, leaving sizeable craters in their wake, but after the impact, the clones were destroyed. The crowd groaned in displeasure, as their vision of the final battle had been severely hampered. Kiba began to search through the mist, sniffing the air and locating her presence. He continued to get nearer, until he could make her figure out vaguely. She had her back to him and seemed to be doing something he couldn't exactly make out.

"Hinata! You can't hide from me for long in this mist!"

"Kiba…I don't plan on hiding for much longer. It's over."

"You're forfeiting?" Kiba asked quizzically.

Hinata turned around, allowing Kiba to see the swirling ball spinning in front of her. "No, I'm going to end this, right now."

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Naruto had found the swordsman much more of a challenge than he'd previously thought. Many of his earth techniques were useless, since his opponent could fly. But he had managed to land a rasengan on him, and the man seemed to be down for the count. Naruto regained his breath and composure and called out to him from a distance.

"You're a lot stronger than you look, I'll give you that much. But I beat you, fair and square. Can I have my sword back or am I going to have to kick your ass all over again?"

The man slowly sat up, and used Hirameki to brace himself as he pushed his body into a standing position. "Hmph. You still don't understand, do you? This sword is more mine than it is your's. Let me show you what I mean."

The man stood up straight and thrust the sword into the ground, causing an amazing explosion to tear through the distance that Naruto had maintained. Naruto protected his eyes from the brilliant flash of light that resulted from the sword entering the earth. When Naruto looked up, he felt something he had pushed away from his emotions for a long time: fear.

Before him was, something enormous. It was the one thing that Naruto truly did not expect to face. It was a demon.

There it floated, grinning a strange, insane grin at Naruto, towering above him. It resembled some type of bird, a falcon Naruto guessed. Its wings were giant clouds, ready to block out the sun at any moment. Its eyes glinted red in the evening sun. Its talons were sharp as knives and its beak as pointed as a katana.

"You…you…a demon?" asked Naruto, falling down on his behind and shuffling a little away from the sight before him.

"So you finally realize the truth. I guess the old saying is true, seeing is believing. I am the four-tailed falcon."

"But…but…how?" asked Naruto, completely dumbfounded and confused as to how his opponent magically transformed into something so…impossible.

"Hmph, I suppose you still don't understand completely. I'll break it down for you, human, I am the four-tailed demon. You can call me…Hirameki. I do love irony…I can see you're confused again. Well, I'll see if I can explain that too. You see, about one-hundred years ago, I discovered a man who had stolen from me. Let me tell you a rule about demons: You do NOT steal from us. So I tracked him down to his village, and attacked. But their head ninja was able to fight me toe to toe. Not an easy task for a human"

"Pah, don't believe a word he says Naruto, he's such an egotistical blowhard. In reality, he was always one of the weakest tailed demons…except for his annoying speed"

Naruto, surprised at the arrival of a new voice spun around to find the origin of this new entity. Before him stood…himself. Yet different. He looked like Naruto, but you could tell that this person was not who he seemed. He radiated killer intent without even trying, and you knew just by looking at him that he could and would kill you without a second thought.

"Kyu…kyuubi?" sputtered Naruto, completely confused by this point.

"My my, it seems that we have confused my dear container Hirameki"

"Hmph. Kyuubi. So this is your container. At least mine doesn't ask stupid questions. And it's a lot smarter"

"Pah. Your container is a sword. Sure it might not ask questions and is probably a lot smarter, at least mine…come to think of it, what do you do?" Kyuubi asked as he turned to face Naruto.

Naruto stood there, looking from the clone of himself to the demon, still grinning maniacally at him. Eventually, the only words that he could mutter were "I'm not dumber than a damn sword."

"Haha, now I remember kid. You've got spunk! That's why I leave you alone…most of the time"

"So, mind if I continue on my story Kyuubi?" Hirameki asked, sarcasm evident in his polite words.

"No, not at all, please continue" Kyuubi responded, flourishing his hands in a way that was excessively honorific, but Hirameki ignored it.

"Good, no more interruptions out of you. So, I was in an even battle with a ninja from some village, I really don't remember which, you humans all look alike to me. Eventually, he found some kind of jutsu and sealed me in a damn sword. Annnd, Behold! Hirameki, the sword of wonders!"

"Sword of wonders my ass, more like sword of…my ass" interrupted Kyuubi.

"So…wait a minute…I'm confused" Naruto butted in before the two demons could start arguing again.

"As always" Kyuubi said as he rolled his eyes.

"So, since you were sealed in the sword, that's how the sword has its powers?" he asked, ignoring Kyuubi.

"Sounds like you've finally got it kid" Hirameki replied.

"Buuut…how did I get here?"

"Ah, good question. You see, when you activated my power, you were brought to my realm"

"But, why did you bring me here?"

"To be tested."

"Tested?"

"If you can fight me toe to toe, just like the ninja that sealed me into this prison, I will allow you to use my powers at any time"

"I have to…fight you?"

"Prepare yourself. I'm coming!" Hirameki roared, as he blasted forward, chakra covering his body forming a sharp spear at the tip of his beak.

Naruto's eyes widened, but he instinctively dived to the side, effectively dodging the attack. He was not ready to fight a demon. It was a demon! How could he hope to fight against one of the most powerful beings on the planet?

"Hey kid, don't give up" Kyuubi advised, suddenly standing very calmly at Naruto's side. Naruto heaved his way back up into a standing position.

"It's a demon! How am I supposed to fight against a demon?!"

"Listen up kid. He's been sealed. His powers are only a fraction of what he used to have. You can take him. But don't underestimate him. Take a look" Kyuubi pointed to the area Hirameki had made contact with after missing Naruto. At that point, there was an enormous crater. If Naruto took one hit from an attack like that, he was done for.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll think of something. After all, you are Konoha's most surprising ninja!" Kyuubi said cheerfully. With that, he disappeared.

"Shit…" Naruto muttered, as he looked back in front of him. Hirameki was missing.

"Pay attention kid!" a voice screamed from above him. Naruto looked up and audibly screamed. Again, he dove to his left, but this time, the area of effect of Hirameki's tremendous attack took its toll on Naruto. He roughly landed on the earth, slightly worse off than he started out.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto screamed, forming the familiar cross with his two index fingers.

"Oh goody! More of you to smash!" Hirameki screeched, still grinning maniacally. He flew up into the air and began his dive bomb attack again.

I see…he gains altitude, and then dives…at the same time, he applies a spin to his attack, making it even more powerful… Naruto mused as he watched a clump of his shadow clones get obliterated. It's time to improvise.

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Hinata held the blue swirling mass in between her hands. She looked up with sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Kiba, but for me to get stronger, I have to do this."

"The…the…the rasengan?!" Kiba exclaimed. (A/N: heehee, made ya look)

"Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!" Hinata cried as the sphere of water she had been collecting from the mist she had created exploded towards Kiba. His eyes widened and tried to dodge, but the dragon followed his every movement, until it finally came crashing down onto him. After Kiba fell into blissful unconsciousness, Hinata too slumped down. She sat down, thinking about the battle she had just won against her teammate. But now that was all over. Yet, it was just the beginning. If she truly wanted to become stronger, chunnin rank was only the beginning. Hinata relaxed and released her mist technique, revealing to the anxious crowd the verdict of the battle. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats as the jounin checked both nins.

"Inuzuka Kiba is unable to battle. Hyuuga Hinata is the winner!"

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"Hahaha! You're weaker than I'd thought kid! You can't even touch me!"

"That's right, keep talking you ugly buzzard…" Naruto muttered as he began to execute his plan. All Hirameki had been doing for the last half hour was continue his dive attack. This allowed Naruto to come up with a plan.

"Here I come again kid!" Hirameki screeched as he dove yet again, taking out even more clones of Naruto.

"Ok guys, let's go!" Naruto yelled, gathering the rest of his clones together.

"Oh? Making an easy target for me so I can finish you off? How thoughtful!" Hirameki cackled sinisterly.

The remaining Narutos, about fifty, had gathered close together and began summoning all the chakra they could.

"Hm? Trying something sneaky eh? Well I won't let you finish!"

Hirameki dove towards the huddled Narutos and began to spin, effectively becoming a deadly drill prepared to obliterate Naruto, clones and all. However, as he neared, he noticed something amiss. All the Naruto clones were slowly backing away from one Naruto, presumably the original, and were summoning chakra to the center of the ring of clones. A blue orb had appeared in Naruto's hand and was growing by the second. From the size of a grapefruit to the size of his head, it continued to grow. All of the clones were dripping with sweat from the effort necessary to channel the necessary chakra and to maintain control of the devastating jutsu.

With only fifty feet separating the two attacks, Naruto looked upward, his preparations complete. The rest of the clones poofed out of existence, completely drained after their ordeal. The end result: A completely normal looking rasengan with only one difference. It was dark, opaque blue, different from his original light blue translucent orb. With twenty feet separating them, Naruto held out the attack and leapt forward, thrusting his hand to meet the demon head on.

"Rasengan toukai! (Destruction Rasengan)"

In a bright flash, the two powerful techniques met and the landscape was engulfed by a bright light. Naruto clamped his eyelids shut to block out the light instinctively, but continued to press his palm forward, completely halting the progress of his foe.

And in a moment, the battle was over. Naruto found himself lying on his back, in the real world, the sword imprisoning the four tailed demon Hirameki lying beside him.

"Naruto! Naruto! Are you alright?"

Naruto sat up and opened his eyes. Jiraiya was running down the hill towards him, obvious concern in his eyes. Naruto silently stood up and picked up Hirameki. Apparently, his long ordeal with Hirameki had lasted only a split second in the real world.

"Hm…yeah old man. I'm fine. Just some chakra exhaustion, that's all."

"Baka! Don't worry me like that!" Jiraiya yelled, as he swung his fist down towards Naruto's head, only to feel his hand sailing through empty space.

"Too slow you fat geezer!" Naruto yelled, already a half mile away.

"I am going to kill him." Jiraiya resolved, inwardly smiling at his student's antics.

"Sigh, I guess I proved myself, eh Hirameki?"

"Yes, from now on, I am part of you, my powers, and my thoughts"

"Great, another damn demon in my head, just what I wanted" Naruto grumbled.

"Hey, Hirameki, that's a funny looking scar u got there on your beak, where'd you get it?" taunted Kyuubi.

"Shut up! I wasn't expecting the Rasengan! Even so, it would have been fine if I hadn't gone easy on him!"

"Suuuure, whatever you say Hirameki"

"Will you two just shut up!?" screamed Naruto, scaring Jiraiya, who had just caught up.

"Uh, loosing your wits there Naruto?"

"I'm fine old man, you're the one going senile"

"Says the guy yelling at himself"

"For your information, I'm yelling at Kyuubi" Naruto stated a matter-of-factly.

"You said two…"

"Hm?"

"You said, "will you TWO shut up"…something wrong Naruto?"

Naruto seemed to slump, intriguing Jiraiya. It wasn't often that Naruto kept secrets from him, since Jiraiya was as close to a father figure as Naruto had ever had.

"Sigh…I wanted to keep this a secret a little longer, but I guess you have a right to know more than anyone else…you see…well, Hirameki, the sword, is holding Hirameki, the demon."

"…Wait, what?"

"That's what I said at first. Basically, this sword holds the sealed four tailed demon Hirameki. That's where it got it's powers, and it's name. I proved myself worthy, and now Hirameki is a part of me."

"…There's a demon in there?!"

"Yeeeep."

"And…you're going to keep it."

"Yeeeep."

"Hm…ok."

"You're okay with this?!" Naruto cried incredulously.

"Of course. You're a big boy now Naruto. You've grown. Plus, you already know how to deal with one demon influence, I don't see what's wrong with another."

"Uh, nice to see the confidence you have in me…I…I appreciate it…sensei."

"Hm? No "Ero-senin?""

"Hmph. Only when you act like it. By the way…the partner sword…I feel like it's my duty to get that one too…can't have too many demonic weapons floating around…"

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get moving!"

"Hai!"

"One more thing," Jiraiya said, grinning, "You remember how I told you that some elements combine into a new one?"

"Like…doton and suiton create wood, right?"

"Exactly. We'll need to work on yours too."

"What!? What is it?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

"…Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"Still no"

"Now?"

"Nope."

"Okay…fine…"

"Be patient Naruto"

"I'm trying!"

"Well, keep it that way."

"………How about now?"

"Oh. God."

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Three Years Later

"Ok Naruto, your training is complete. I don't think Akatsuki is too big of a threat any more. We should head back to Konoha! You excited?"

"Sure sensei. I can go see all my…friends…"

"Ok, finish packing up and we'll get going. I'll wait for you at the hot springs"

Naruto's cheerful face fell the second Jiraiya left the room.

"Konoha…I'm coming home."

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Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!