An unfortunate event on his fifth birthday forces Naruto to meet the Kyuubi. After making a pact with the demon lord Naruto releases the seal holding the kitsune in place. But something goes wrong that forces Naruto to leave the village. Now, Naruto returns to Konoha to finish what he started, and become the : I do not own Naruto, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho or any other anime's, manga's, or game's I may incorporate into this story.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Demon/Summon Talking"
'Demon/Summon Thinking'
Jutsu Names
Author Notes: Okay, before this chapter begins I would just like to say thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts I have seen so far. I never expected to get such a large immediate response. Also, I would like to say that there are going to be some interesting plot twists in the team line-ups. Anyway, I know what your all here for, so let's get this show on the road.
Kitsune Legends: Return of the Thief's Apprentice
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
North Gate
There was a thin fog in the air. The village of Konoha was dead silent as not even the wild life living in the training grounds were up yet. Yes, the mornings were a peaceful time for many Shinobi in the Hidden Leaf.
"THE SPRING TIME OF YOUTH SHALL LEAD ME TO VICTORY!"
That is, until Maito Gai started his morning exercise routine!
"Ugh, Why does he have to get up this early in the morning to workout. Morning guard duty is already bad enough without having to listen to him scream to the heavens." An on-duty Chuunin complained to his partner. Every experienced ninja in Konoha knew there were two missions you never wanted to get assigned to. Catching Tora the cat, and morning guard duty.
"I know! It's bad enough were forced to be up this early just to watch an empty road, can't he give us some mercy?" The other Chuunin answered to his friend's complaint. The man proceeded to hit his head on the table of the stand he and his partner sat at. "I wish something would happen already. Anything to keep myself from falling asleep."
"Why are you worried about falling asleep? I'm about to doze off right now!" The first Chuunin who complained stated as he started to lay his head down.
"I wouldn't if I were you. You know how Gai passes by this gate every morning before he does those laps around Konoha's perimeter?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, I heard that the last time Gai passed by a pair of Chuunin who fell asleep on duty he wrote 'Unyouthful', in permanent ink, on their foreheads. They couldn't get it off for the rest of the week."
The other Chuunin went bug-eyed and lifted his head up immediately. "Okay, now I definitely don't want to fall asleep!" The man turned tiredly to the gate once again to stare at… "Hey, look over there!" His friend looked and saw two figures in the distance. "Who do you suppose that is?"
"I don't know, but there headed this way." Then, the Chuunin realized something. "Hey, how many people do you know would be up at four in the morning besides Gai, guard duty shinobi, and Jounin on missions?"
"I don't know anybody who would do that. Do you think they could be enemy ninja from a hidden village?" The Chuunin questioned his partner.
"I have no idea but I'm not taking any chances." The man proceeded to pull out a kunai from his holster before his friend did the same. As the figures approached closer the two on duty shinobi finally got a look at them through the morning fog. The man on the right was significantly taller than the other one, and his long red hair flowed behind him to his lower back. Both wore tattered black cloaks that covered everything but their legs, and black pants. They were both barefoot and it was a wonder they weren't limping in pain from all the sharp stones that littered the road. The straw hats that adorned their heads kept their faces and the little one's hair shadowed from the two Chuunin's view and furthered the men's suspicion of the traveling pair. As they came within five yards of the gate the Chuunin who pulled out his knife first stepped forward to prevent their entrance.
"Remove your hats then state your name and what business you have with our village." Demanded the ninja. The taller of the two travelers removed his hat first. The man's deep red hair draped over his forehead as two strands of his hair hung on the sides of his face.
"Who, us? We are just two simple villagers returning to our home. My name is Youko Kurama. Now, if you'll kindly get out of my way, I have some business to talk to the Hokage about." The man's smile was so wide his eyes were forced shut. The grin on his face seemed both friendly and terrifying all in one. Both men started walking forward into the village when the same Chuunin took a step back and pointed his kunai towards them.
"Hold it! I said both of you remove your hats. That means you too kid." The Chuunin now faced the child with his kunai pointed towards the boy. The shorter traveler proceeded to slowly remove the hat on his head. The spiky blonde hair that the boy uncovered reminded the two shinobi of someone they knew, but neither could place whom. Most of the boy's face was covered in a metal strip that went over his forehead and eyes and went all the way around his head. The two Chuunin were sure that if they could see the boy's eyes they would match the mischievous grin plastered on his face with whomever he looked like.
"Happy now?" The boy asked. Hearing the child's voice made the two Chuunin sure they had met him before. "Oh, I guess you want my name, huh?"
"Yes, that would be much obliged." The mystery of who this kid was, was seriously aggravating the man.
The grin that grew on the boys face seemed to actually stretch his jaw out and make his face longer. However, his face was back to normal a moment later and the two men wondered how tired they really were, cause they had to be seeing things. The boy's face had looked like that of a dog or a fox. "Well, then I have a message for Sarutobi Ojii-san. If you don't mind delivering it." The Chuunin who hadn't been giving orders to the two travelers was about to chastise the boy about respect before the child continued speaking. "Tell the Hokage that Uzumaki Naruto has returned!"
The two Chuunin stood with their mouths agape. That's why they recognized him. It was the Kyuubi boy. The Chuunin in front of the boy turned to go tell the Hokage about the blondes return when a large green blur ran up next to them.
"Having a good morning my youthful comrades?" The two Chuunin were relieved that the travelers had kept them from falling asleep. Maito Gai was scary when you went against his views of 'The Power of Youth'.
"Good as it can be Gai. You going out for your morning jog around the village?" The Chuunin gave the green clad man the best smile he could while resisting the urge to vomit.
"YES, THE POWER OF YOUTH SHALL LEAD ME TO VICTORY THE NEXT TIME I FACE MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" The man's unexpectedly loud answer caused both Chuunin to wince in pain and cover their ears. "Now, why are two standing here? Shouldn't you be standing at your post?"
"Oh, we were just questioning these two travelers behind us." The Chuunin pointed over his shoulder to show who he was talking about.
"What are you talking about? What travelers?" Gai asked in confusion as he looked between the two men. The two Chuunin looked behind them, having both turned around to talk with Gai. The man and the boy weren't there. "Maybe you two should go ask the Hokage for a change of the guard. I don't think it would be very good if you guys kept imagining things on duty. You both look like you need some sleep anyway."
"They were there a moment ago. I swear they were!" The other Chuunin exclaimed as he put his kunai back in his holster.
"I didn't see anyone standing here other than you two." Gai shook his head before he jogged passed the two men towards the gate. "I'm going to run three laps around the village today. When I return through this gate I expect there to be two different guards on duty here. If I find you two still here I will be forced to submit you to Ibiki's care for mental instability."
With that said, Gai took off. The two Chuunin stood in shock for a moment before they both headed off to tell the next shift that they were switching early. Maybe they did need some sleep.
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Hokage's Office
Sarutobi hated the morning. The morning was when his assistant brought in the first bunch of his days paperwork. The morning was when he got woken up to go to the council room for a discussion of plans and events. The morning was when Gai screamed to the village about the 'Power of Youth' while he did his typical workout routine. So, when the old man got a knock on his office door and a certain spiky haired jinchuuriki walked in, his morning got a lot better.
Sandaime Hokage sat in his chair with his mouth open and eyes wide. The old man couldn't believe it. Naruto was finally home! The boy stood a few feet in front of his office door with the man who had taken him a little over five years ago, Youko Kurama, standing behind him. Neither the blonde nor the redhead was smiling at the Hokage. The boy was the first of the two to open his mouth.
"Surprised to see me Ojii-san? I told you in my last letter that I would be back soon." Sarutobi had gotten the letter but it was still surprising to see the boy in front of him after all these years. Then, words finally reached the old man's tongue.
"Is that really you Naruto?"
"Hai, Ojii-san. I'm finally home." A small smile finally broke out on the boy's face, and was gone a second later. After a small silence the same smile spread over Sarutobi's face. His smile, however, stayed on his face.
"Hokage-sama, you and me have some things to discuss. Like that spot in the ninja academy I told you to keep open." It was the man behind Naruto who spoke this time. The happy smile on his face, however, didn't seem to lighten the intense stare he was giving the old man.
"Kurama right?" Sarutobi met the man's stare with one of his own, his smile from before gone. The man in question nodded his head. "I have done as you asked and kept a spot open in one of the academy's classrooms. Now, before we get to any more business, I would like to discuss a few things about the night you both left. Seeing how your letters were very blunt on the incident."
"Alright Hokage-sama, but tell your Anbu to stop hiding in that weak genjutsu. He is just as much involved in this as the rest of us, so he shouldn't have to spy in on it." When Kurama finished speaking a section of the wall to his right wavered before a man in a dog-faced Anbu mask appeared. He wore the traditional white hooded coat of an Anbu captain with the hood up.
"Happy now Youko?" The now visible Akari asked.
"Not until you pay me that 2 million ryo from our shougi (Japanese chess) and poker bets." Youko proclaimed with a cocky grin on his face. "I'm going to remember those debts for all eternity Dokueki (Venom)."
The Hokage sat confused. "Dokueki? Akari, how do you know this man?"
The Anbu captain ground his teeth together before taking off his mask. The removal of his mask caused two pointy appendages to appear on his head, barely visible under the hood, and his face looked as if he hadn't aged at all since Naruto had left. Maybe even before then.
The Anbu looked quizzically at the boy next to him. "You don't seem surprised at all Naruto."
"Kurama told me the truth about you while we were in Gekkougakure (hidden moonlight) and I was training with Jigoku-sensei (Inferno teacher). " The boy shivered slightly in recollection. Oh, those were not fun times.
"Wait, you don't mean?" The boy nodded his head. "You're saying you actually trained with that crazy bastard!"
"What the hell are you all talking about?!" Everyone turned to the Hokage. The old man looked pissed. He had been left out of the loop and it was not making him feel any better that they were all but ignoring him. The Hokage took a deep breath before giving everyone in the room a 'death glare' (stare + killing intent). "First, Akari, why did Youko-san call you that ands how do you know him?"
The Anbu captain sighed. It looked like the cat was out of the bag. "He called me Dokueki because that is my real name. I hid it from you because I didn't want my family to come searching for me. As for how I know Kurama-kun, we met about 300 years ago at a banquet my father was hosting. He and his friend Hiei were there as honorary guests."
"Judging by the way you said his name I'm going to guess that this Hiei is the same person Naruto called Jigoku-sensei." The Hokage turned toward the child.
"Hai, Ojii-san! Though you probably know him by another name. Does the codename 'Black Dragon' ring any bells?" Sarutobi's eyes widened at the boy's question.
"He's one of the Anbu captains that came with the Gekkoukage (Moonlight shadow)!" The blonde nodded his head. The old man looked towards the man known as Youko. "Whom else from that village has he trained with?"
The redhead looked towards the ceiling in a thoughtful pose. "Hmm, well, I could tell you who his other teachers are but I don't think you would recognize any of their names anyway. Besides, every one of them will be visiting at some point to reestablish the decade old treaty with Konoha. At that time I will introduce you to all of the ones he's trained with. Until then you will just have to watch the boy and see the skills he's picked up for yourself."
The Hokage sighed. "Fine, it's about 7:00 now so Naruto has about an hour before his class at the academy starts, so I will show you two your apartments in the mean time."
"There will be no need for that Ojii-san. We took care of our living arrangements before we came to see you, so there's no need to worry." The jinchuuriki stated.
"I'll give you the location of our living quarters later Hokage-sama, but at the moment I have some other business to deal with, jane (see you)." Youko said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Wait a moment!" But they were already gone. Kurama had preformed Shuushin no Jutsu and transported the two of them away. The Hokage turned towards his Anbu captain with a stern face. "Dokueki find Youko-san and follow him. I don't like the way he phrased that last sentence."
"What was wrong with what he said Hokage-sama?" The Anbu asked as he put his mask back over his face.
"He said he would tell me the location of where they lived." The old man frowned further.
"I don't understand sir." Dokueki did not understand the Hokage's logic.
"He said the word 'location', not 'address'." The Anbu's eyes widened before he took off to follow his leader's orders. The aged shinobi turned towards his office window. "So, it as you said in your letter Naruto. That night, you did turn into a…"
Hi no Kuni Konohagakure Ichiraku Ramen
"Business is pretty slow today, isn't it Ayame?" The old ramen chef said to his daughter.
"Hai, Otou-san! It just hasn't been the same without Naruto around. He always brought so much energy to this place." Ayame's eyes glazed over in remembrance.
"Ahh, yes! It was always a wonder how the boy could eat so much and still keep the same figure. Didn't the Hokage say he would be back in a couple of years?" Teuchi took on a thinking pose when he was finished speaking.
"Yeah, Hokage-sama said he would return in about five years." Suddenly, the bell that told them someone had entered their stall rang. "Irashaimase (A greeting used to welcome someone into your store)!" Ayame said as she closed her eyes and turned around to greet their customer.
"Ohaiyo, Ayame-neechan. Can I get 3 orders of miso ramen?" The young girl opened her eyes and saw the same boy her and her father had been talking just moments ago.
"N-Naruto, is that r-really you?" She stammered out.
"Yeah, did you guys miss me?" The boy that stood in front of them was definitely Naruto. The grin he had plastered on his face proved it. The old man was the first of the two to get over his shock.
"Boy did we ever. It's been real dull without you around here kid. Ayame, let's cook our favorite customer a welcome back meal, on the house!"
"Not right now Teuchi-ojiisan. I've got to get to the ninja academy in a half an hour for my first class. I'll be by later, so we can celebrate then." Teuchi nodded and got to work on the boy's order. While the old man was cooking Naruto's order Ayame proceeded to question the blonde about what he had been doing during his 5-year absence from the village.
"So, Naruto, Hokage-sama said you left on a training trip to help with your ninja skills, but you hadn't even been enrolled in the academy yet. So, why did you really leave, Naruto?" Ayame shot a questioning glance at the boy.
"Well, Ojiisan was telling the truth about it being a training trip. However, I bet he left out the fact that an attempt was made on my life the night I left. It was because Jiji wanted me to know how to defend myself should something like that happen again that I went on that trip with Kurama-oniisan." The boy had sat there telling his story without any emotion on his face, as if he were trying to suppress the memory. By the time Naruto had finished speaking Teuchi had brought over his first bowl and gone back to start the second. The rest of Naruto's time there was spent in moderate silence, as Teuchi and his daughter didn't want to say anything to the boy that might bring up unpleasant memories. About 20 minutes later Naruto had finished his meal and, with a quick goodbye, left the ramen stand for the ninja academy. After all, it was his first day and he didn't want to be late.
Konohagakure
Ninja Academy
Classroom 201
There was an echo of girlish squeals and gossip around the room. Two people in particular, a blonde and a pink haired girl were feverishly talking about the latest class gossip. There was going to be a new boy in there class.
"I heard that he use to live in Konoha until he was taken away by a group of ninja so they could train him to be the ultimate killing machine!" Stated the blonde.
"That's a load of bull Ino! I heard that he's from a very wealthy family that's going to donate money to Konoha so their heir can become a ninja." The pink one said.
"If that is true Sakura he won't last ten minutes in Iruka-sensei's class." Ino said
The rest of the girls around the room were all having similar conversations to theirs'. All but one, Hyuuga Hinata. The dark haired girl considered herself above such petty conversation. It was pointless to gossip as it provided no real knowledge of anything. Hinata knew that, in a ninja's career, false information could mean your life or the lives of others. The girl also knew that the best way to get the information you needed was directly from the source. If she wanted to know anything about the new boy she would ask him herself.
Hinata remembered when she used to be like Sakura and Ino, weak and unaware of the true nature of the world. Her family had done a good job of beating reality into her. Ever since her start at the ninja academy, and her family's realization of how weak she had been, Hinata strived to get stronger. And stronger is what she became!
One day during her training Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga, the clan head, had been pulled away to a meeting with the Hyuuga council. Hiashi told her to continue practicing the form she was learning until he got back. When he had left the room Hinata turned back to the training post she had been hitting. However, she slipped on the grass of the field, which had been watered 5 minutes before her training had started. In an attempt to keep her self from hitting the ground she stuck out her arms so her palms would hit the wood and keep her from falling too far. The pulse of chakra she had sent to her hands to cushion the fall had had an unexpected result, one that had changed the Hyuuga's life forever.
"Idiotic, isn't it?" Hinata jumped in her seat. She had been so entranced in her musings of the past that she hadn't noticed the blonde boy sit down next to her. With the clothes he was wearing it was even more curious how she hadn't noticed him. The loose white pants and white hooded jacket should have been easily noticed. Either this boy was that stealthy or Hinata was growing lax.
"Yeah, it is." Hinata knew the guy sitting next to her had been talking about the gitty girls gossiping around the room. "And I'm guessing you're the new kid?"
"That would be me. My name's Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name? It's pretty easy to tell from your eyes that you're from the esteemed Hyuuga clan." Hinata had not seen the boy smile during the entire time he talked. Good, that meant that he was a serious person. Getting along with him was going to be easy.
"Hinata Hyuuga." The boy nodded his head in understanding. "So, how much of this idiotic jabber is true about you?" The Hyuuga fixed the boy with a determined glare.
"You know that look doesn't quite fit someone like you Hyuuga-san. I would gladly share that information with someone as cleaver as you." Hinata was utterly shocked. How could he tell how she was looking at him? He had a metal plate covering the top half of his face! "The truth is that I used to live in Konoha and was taken away to train a power of mine that I couldn't control at the time. If you'd like to know more about it I will gladly show you later tonight, but for now the teacher is here and I believe he is suppose to introduce me to the class." Hinata stared at him quizzically then looked around the room. Their teacher was not there yet, what was the boy talking about? Then just as she turned to speak to him again Iruka Umino came through the door.
"Everyone sit down and shut up!" The black haired man screamed to the class. They all followed his order. After getting set up at his desk he looked up and smiled at his class. "Welcome back to school everyone. Now, as you all know by now, we have a new student joining us this year and I've been assured by the Hokage that he is just as good as the rest of you. I'd be glad to introduce him, but it seems that he's late."
"What are you talking about sensei I'm right here." Iruka turned around to find the boy leaning up against the board with his name already spelled out on it. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, douzo yoroshiku (It's a pleasure to meet you)."
Hinata looked to her side and saw a vacant seat. 'How did he move that fast? Shuushin?' Now Hinata's theory about his stealth skills seemed plausible. She hadn't even realized he had moved.
The boy's talents amazed Iruka. There was no way Naruto could have used a jutsu to get behind him, as he would have sensed it. The boy had moved by pure speed alone. Though the real mystery was where he had been before. "Well, I must say I'm impressed Uzumaki-san. Why don't you take a seat next to…"
"Hinata!" Everyone's eyes shifted towards the voice at the back of the room. The boy had once again seemingly teleported across the room. "I was already sitting here before you came into the class so, if it's okay with you sensei, I'd like to keep this seat."
"That's fine Uzumaki-san. Just try not to bother Hinata-san too much." Iruka was really worried that the demon brat was going to corrupt the Hyuuga heiress, but the Hokage's words of warning were still echoing in his head (Remember Iruka has never met Naruto before so he's still kind of biased). "Alright, now that introductions are over we are going to start the year with a taijutsu tournament to see if your skills have improved or decreased over the break. Everyone head outside to the training grounds, I'll be there in five minutes."
All the students rushed out the door towards the training grounds. All except Naruto, Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Nara Shikamaru, who was asleep. The other three exited the class slowly as Iruka walked over and woke up Shikamaru. Once they exited the class the dark haired boy turned around to face the blonde.
"How did you move that fast?" The boy questioned the jinchuuriki. Ever since Sasuke's clan had been massacred 2 years ago the boy had been training as hard as he could to kill the bastard who did it. If he could learn to move as fast as Naruto it would bring him one step closer to his goal.
"What's your name?" The blonde asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke." The raven hair boy answered, cockily.
"Well, Uchiha-san, how about this. If we face each other during the taijutsu tournament and you win I will teach you the secret behind my technique, deal?" Naruto put his hand forth for Sasuke to shake.
"Pfft, you're making this too easy Uzumaki-san." Sasuke stuck out his own hand and the two shook on the agreement.
The blonde frowned. "Your overconfidence will be your downfall Uchiha-san." With that said, Naruto walked away with Hinata by his side. From what the girl had seen of the boy's wrist when he had stretched out his hand to shake with Sasuke his matches were going to be interesting to watch (I have learned over years of experience that if you train your eyes well enough you can actually judge someone's exact strength by their wrist alone).
A couple of minutes after Naruto and the others had joined the group of kids; Iruka came walking towards them with a clipboard and pencil in hand. "Alright, girls on my left, boys on my right." The students followed the teacher's strictly stated instructions and separated into two groups. "Good, now, there will be three parts to the tournament. The boys and the girls will have separate matches to decide the two best taijutsu fighters and then those two will face off in a final match. We will start off with the boy's. Naruto, Kiba, you two are up first!" The two boys stepped into the ring.
"Ha-ha! This is going to be too easy. Taijutsu is my specialty." The dog boy chuckled heartily.
Naruto just shook his head. "Baka Inu (Stupid dog)." He whispered. Unfortunately, Kiba still heard him with his sensitive ears.
Iruka looked back and forth between the fighters. "Hajime (begin)!"
Kiba started off the match by charging forward towards the boy, enraged by the blonde's comment. The dog boy threw a fast punch at the blonde that would have made most guys block. Instead, Naruto crouched under the punch before shifting his weight to his hands. The blonde then launched his feet upwards while simultainuously twisting his body. The kick hit Kiba in the chin and sent him spiraling through the air. Naruto landed on his feet from his upwards kick and ran towards the falling boy. Once he was close enough, Naruto jumped in the air and slammed his wrist down onto the boys back (Think of the way he fights with the Kyuubi's chakra. It's as if he has claws and he doesn't want to scratch his opponent). Kiba's body hit the ground and bounced before he laid still.
"Winner of the first match of the tournament, Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka called out. The Chuunin couldn't be positive but he was sure he had seen it. The boy had pulled back on both of those hits. While it proved just how strong Naruto truly was it also proved that he might not be the kind of monster everyone described him as being. If he was truly the Kyuubi reincarnated he would have put enough force into those hits to snap Kiba's neck or break his spine, right? "Next match, Sasuke vs. Namariashi (lead feet)!"
Naruto left the ring as the other two entered it, and he joined Hinata in the crowd to watch as the two fighters got into position. The stance Sasuke assumed was very relaxed and versatile. It was probably created to counter any attack that came at the user and seemed like it required immense flexibility to maximize its use. The other guy's stance, however, was very tight knit and meant solely for defense. An amateur defense compared to some of the ones Naruto had seen over the years, but he figured it would suffice for this little spar.
"Hajime!" Iruka's voice rang out. Unlike the last match, this one did not start out too explosively. Sasuke circled the other boy, looking for an opening. Obviously, Sasuke did not have much experience facing a defensive fighter. Naruto knew that the best way to attack someone like the Uchiha's opponent was to either slip through a blind spot to get past his or her defenses or attack in a fashion that they were weak against. Unless the kid had developed this style over the break Sasuke should have known what the kid's weaknesses were. Finally, the raven-haired boy made a move. He charged in from behind the brown-haired boy and kicked at his back. The boy spun around and caught the Uchiha's offending leg with both hands. Sasuke then let his other leg fall out from beneath him and planted his right hand on the ground. The boy's body did a 180-degree flip until his left heel plummeted onto the other boy's shoulder. The boy who had been holding the Uchiha's leg let go of the leg as his body slumped forward. Sasuke lifted his now free foot into the air above the crouched boy's head before bringing it down. The resulting crash with the floor knocked the boy unconscious.
"Winner of the second match, Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka called out. Sasuke proceeded to walk back into crowd as a horde of fan-girls fluttered around him. Naruto tried to ignore the girlish squeals as he watched the other matches. The thing that perturbed the boy the most was the way the Aburame kid fought. Naruto knew his clan was made of bug users but it seemed as if he was uncomfortable fighting with just his body, without help from his colony. However, Shino was the only one whose fight was unexpected to the blonde. The Nara boy had immediately given up upon having his name called, but it was easy to tell how lazy he was. Then, Iruka-sensei had said that the Akamichi boy had greatly improved when he won his match, but Naruto could think of a few ways that he could have altered the boy's stance to fit his body better. They were interesting matches, but not unexpected to Naruto.
The matches that had followed the first round were all expected in Iruka's mind. People lost as they faced better opponents and the best fighters moved up through the rounds. Out of all of the matches, Naruto's were the ones that stuck in Iruka's brain the most. Iruka was now positive that the boy was holding back on all of his blows as he had in his first match. The Chuunin could no longer believe that the Jinchuuriki was the kind of monster everyone else had described him as being. The matches went on until it came down to the final round. "Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, step into the ring please." Iruka called out. Both fighters took up their positions at opposite sides of the ring.
"Here we are Uzumaki-san. It's you versus me. Now I will show you who the strongest one of us is. Then, you will teach me the technique you used to move across the classroom." The Uchiha smirked as he spoke to the blonde. Naruto frowned at the boy.
"I've already told you once before Uchiha. Your overconfidence will be your downfall." The Jinchuuriki bit down on his thumb before leaning his head down and swiping his finger across the back of the metal plate that covered his eyes. The metal blindfold fell into Naruto's hand before he put the two halves in the pocket of his white sweater. Then, without lifting his head, Naruto took out a strip of cloth from his pants pocket and tied it around his forehead. "I can tell you this Sasuke-san. You have no chance of winning this match at the moment. Your arrogance has left you weak. Even if you're the strongest person in this class there is always the chance that there is someone out there that is stronger and younger than you are. Until you start training like your going to be facing them instead of your classmates you will never beat me. It's like Jigoku-sensei always told me. This is a kill or be killed world, if you're too weak to defend yourself you deserve to fall." Naruto lifted his head and his fiery teal eyes burned into Sasuke's jet black eyes. "I will never fall to you Uchiha! The treatment you have received from this village has made you weak. Maybe your brother was right."
Sasuke's eyes grew wide before he narrowed them at Naruto. "You've met Itachi? Where is he? Tell me where you saw him!"
"I met him on a ship heading out of Kirigakure last year. I have no idea where he is now though, but I advise you not to go searching for him. You know what, he was right about you Teme." Sasuke looked quizzically at the blonde.
"What did he say about me?" Sasuke yelled.
Naruto smiled. 'I hope this helps you a little bit Itachi-san.' "He told me that whatever power you have gained is worthless if it is clouded by your arrogance. You have not been getting stronger over all these years Teme. You've been getting weaker!"
"Shut up, you don't know anything about the pain I've gone through!" Sasuke was getting angry, and that anger was fueling his determination. Naruto's plan was working.
"Your right, I don't." That statement startled Sasuke. "I don't know what it's like to have my entire family taken from me, but I do know the pain of not having that family there. I know how lonely you must feel Sasuke, but that's why I will win this match. I have overcome my problems and found people who are more like a family to me than anything I could have wished for. It's because I strive to get stronger not only to achieve my goals, but theirs as well. That is where my power comes from, and it is the reason I will win!" Naruto's speech left everyone silent, even his opponent. Finally, Iruka was the one to speak.
"Are both fighters ready?" The man asked. Naruto nodded and dropped into a low fighting stance with his hands near the ground, but Sasuke stood still for a moment, staring downward. Then, he looked up at the blonde with a fierce determination in his midnight black eyes.
"Ready." Sasuke slipped into the stance he had used during all of his other matches and stood ready to fight. Iruka looked between the two fighters before nodding in acknowledgement.
"Hajime!"
Konohagakure
Academy Training Grounds
Middle of The Crowd
Hinata saw the way Naruto had purposely kept his head down while he had put that headband on. Now that she thought of it, his metal visor covered his forehead too. Obviously he was trying to hide something that resided on his head. The girl activated her Byakugan and peered at the boy through the crowd. As the magnification of her sight increased Hinata came to realize, 'That band has some kind of seal imprinted in chakra ink on it and it's preventing me from seeing through to his head.' Then, the dark haired girl noticed something moving on the side of her field of view (Remember, the Byakugan's vision zooms in on things like a camera). Hinata widened her view and saw a blur of chakra swaying behind Naruto. Suddenly, Hinata noticed something else. The boy had similar chakra like structures on top of his head. 'Hmm, I wonder.' The girl then repeatedly switched between activating her Byakugan and disabling it while trying out some different things. Eventually she came up with the conclusion that Naruto was using some kind of genjutsu and she guessed it was related to whatever was being hidden behind that band. It made Hinata even more anxious to take him up on his offer for tonight.
"Hajime!" Iruka's shout for the start of the match startled Hinata out of her thoughts. Sasuke rushed forward first and launched a punch at the other boy. Naruto stood his ground and took the hit directly on the top of his head. Hinata was surprised that the blonde had let the Uchiha hit him. In all of his other matches Naruto had never let his opponents get even close to hitting him. Sasuke, too, was stunned that the boy had let him get in a free punch. Sasuke had watched all of Naruto's matches in an attempt to figure out his fighting style so he could easily defeat the blonde, but Naruto had never used the style he was utilizing now in any of his matches. The Uchiha had expected the blonde to use some strange moves, but the raven-haired boy never expected this.
Naruto, taking Sasuke's moment of shock, grabbed the boy's wrist with his right hand and pulled on his arm as the blonde's hand shot out at the boy's side. The result of the strikes forced Sasuke's arm out of his socket. The black-haired boy let out a cry of pain as he jumped away from the blonde, holding his injured arm.
"If that's as hard as you can hit Uchiha, then you're not worth my time." Stated the blonde as he turned around. Sasuke growled at the boy, then reset his shoulder before charging at the blonde. Just as the Uchiha got within striking range of Naruto the blonde boy smiled. Naruto's body disappeared from where he was standing just as Sasuke's fist shot out, causing the black-haired boy to stumble forward. After righting himself, Sasuke looked around him to find the blonde.
"Where are you baka? Come out and stop hiding like a little wimp!" Sasuke yelled to the surrounding shrubbery.
"You are a fool Uchiha." A voice stated from somewhere in the trees. "Being a ninja is not just about having the skills needed to fighting your opponent head on. It's about stealth." Naruto appeared beside the boy and punched him in the face before disappearing back into the trees. "It's about utilizing the element of surprise. But most of all, …" Suddenly the ground below Sasuke started to shake. The raven-haired boy jumped back to avoid what was about to surface. "… It's about deception and trickery." Sasuke quickly turned his head to face the person he knew was behind him. But, before he could face the blonde powerhouse, two strikes were dealt to his spine that caused his body to go numb. Naruto walked around the boy before lifting the Uchiha's head up by his chin. "You lost this match Sasuke. Accept it, learn from it, and grow stronger from it. Winning never teaches you anything. We all learn from our mistakes and our losses. Remember why and how you lost this match and maybe someday you'll be able to beat me Uchiha." Naruto stood up and walked out of the ring, not even paying attention to Iruka when he announced him the winner.
Hinata clapped her hands as the blonde walked towards her. "Very nice Uzumaki-san. You even seemed to have earned yourself a little following." The dark haired girl said as she pointed towards another section of the crowd. Naruto tilted his head to look and saw a bunch of girls with hearts in their eyes staring at him. The blonde boy sighed as he turned his head back towards the Hyuuga heiress.
"That's why I was hoping to avoid taking off my visor." Hinata just now realized that his eyes were showing with the headband off. The girl was too focused on the chakra seals as well as the genjutsu to notice his eyes. The dark-haired girl couldn't help but stare at his teal orbs in awe of their mix of colors and shades. "And you can call me Naruto, Hinata-chan. I was never one for formalities." The blonde stated. Hinata nodded her head before leaning in towards the boy's ear and whispering something to him. Naruto nodded his head before walking passed the girl.
"Hyuuga Hinata!" The girl turned towards her sensei.
"Yes Iruka-sensei?"
"It's your match." The Chuunin stated. Hinata walked forward into the ring and faced Sakura, her opponent.
Back in the Crowd
As the girl's matches went on Naruto became extremely bored. Iruka kept saying that every one of them had improved in some way or another but Naruto knew they were a long way off from proving themselves as kunoichi, except Hinata. The girl seemed to move with the liquid grace of water as she fought her opponents. She never wasted any movement like the other girls did, and always kept her opponent moving so they never had time to launch a counter attack.
'It's going to be fun fighting her.' Naruto thought. Naruto also noticed the way she held the hand that she wasn't using to strike her opponent. Her free hand was curled as if she was holding something, and seemed to be doing it more out of muscle memory than in preparation for an attack. The Blonde stored the information in his brain until later as Iruka announced Hinata the winner of the final match of the girls.
Hinata stood in the ring panting slightly when she saw Naruto walk out of the crowd. "You ready Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked coyly, trying to toy with the blonde. The girl didn't know why, but the boy in front of her intrigued Hinata to no end. Every time one of her questions about him was answered at least two more popped up in its place. Hinata hoped to get all the answers she wanted when she met with him tonight.
Naruto smiled at the girl in front of him. "I'm ready, but I'll give you a moment to catch your breath." Hinata frowned.
"Why would you do that? You'd be giving me too much of an advantage if you let me recuperate." Naruto's idea didn't seem very rational to the Hyuuga. Why would he let her gain her strength back?
Naruto frowned at Hinata. "Don't tell me the Hyuuga's are just as arrogant as the Uchiha is, and his dead ancestors were." Sasuke could be heard grumbling somewhere in the crowd of kids.
"It's not arrogance, it's knowledge. I paid attention to your whole match against Sasuke-san, so I know how you fight. Besides, I can follow your every move with my Byakugan." Hinata slipped into the standard Gentle Fist stance and activated her kekkei genkai.
Naruto sighed before turning towards Iruka. "We're ready to start sensei." Iruka nodded his head.
"Hajime!"
"You know Hinata, you should never judge someone's fighting style or strength on just one match alone." Naruto stated as he slipped into the same stance he had used at the start of his match against Sasuke.
"I'm not judging you on one of your matches, I'm doing it based off of all of them." Hinata stated in defense.
"Then you should have noticed what I was doing in all of my matches, even against Sasuke-teme." Naruto retorted back.
"What is that?" Hinata was getting anxious to get this show on the road, so her voice came out a bit strained. Then, a smile appeared on the blonde's face as Hinata heard a voice whisper in her ear.
"I was holding back." As Naruto's voice reached her ears Hinata finally realized that the boy was no longer standing before her. He had moved so fast that her brain didn't process the image until after he was behind her. The girl stood perfectly still in shock.
"How did you …" Hinata started to say before Naruto whispered in her ear.
"Maybe I'll teach you how, later tonight." Hinata took the opportune moment and brought her hand back to strike at the boy's side. Naruto calmly blocked her strike by stepping back and hitting her wrist away from his body. "I would be more than happy to dance with you Hime."
Hinata spun her body out and away from the blonde. Naruto bowed in response before the girl rushed forward. Hinata's hands shot out at such amazing speeds that it seemed impossible for Naruto to be dodging all of her strikes. But that was exactly what he was doing. The blonde was twisting, turning, and bending his body in obscure ways to keep Hinata from landing any hits, and it was frustrating the girl.
'Damn it, he shouldn't be able to move this fast. I know he was trained outside of Konoha but this should be impossible to dodge for anyone who hasn't fought against this style before.' Hinata thought as she continued to pummel the air around the boy with strikes. Now that Hinata thought about it, she guessed it did look a little bit like they were dancing. Then, Naruto decided to end their dance and jumped away from the Hyuuga. The blonde bowed to the girl just as he had done before.
"That was wonderful. You danced beautifully Hinata-chan, but I noticed some areas where your form could use a little improvement. Would like to give it another try? Except, this time…" Naruto disappeared again, but this time he reappeared in front of the Hyuuga heiress. "… I'll take the lead." Now, it was the boy's hands that shot out in a barrage of strikes, but at even faster speeds than Hinata's did.
The Byakugan user was tiring, and quickly. There was no way she was going to be able to keep this up for much longer. She couldn't even dodge the blonde's strikes. Instead, Hinata was forced to block his attacks that had, seemingly, no end to them. He wasn't even breathing hard yet.
Suddenly, Hinata's back hit a tree. The dark-haired girl saw his strike coming towards her face and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. The pain never reached her body, but when the sound of splintering wood entered Hinata's ears, her eyes shot open.
"I've won this round Hinata." Naruto secretly snuck a piece of paper into the girl's jacket pocket. Naruto started to walk away before he stopped with his head down. "Next time you're backed into a corner and have no way of escaping, don't close your eyes. Take the pain of life and face the fright of death head-on. Only then shall you know what it truly means to be a warrior, a fighter, and in the profession we've chosen, a killer." The blonde took the strip of cloth off his forehead before taking his metal blindfold out of his pocket and reattaching the two halves to cover the top of his face. "Once you are a true shinobi, killing shall become inevitable. Only those who can live with taking the life of another will survive in the shinobi world, like I have." Naruto turned back towards Hinata. "I hope you are one of those that shall thrive with me Hime." This time when Naruto started walking away, he didn't stop.
"Alright kids, now that the tournament is over we're going to spend the rest of the day reviewing your ninja history." The Happy tune Iruka used with his statement earned him a resounding grunt from the rest of the class. As everyone started heading in Iruka looked back towards Hinata as she leaned against the tree with a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, the Chuunin looked towards the boy that was the result of Hinata's internal dilemma. 'I hope your words are heeded seriously Naruto-san. We don't need any more unnecessary deaths in Konoha. The truth hurts and these kids are going to have to realize that someday. I just hope the truth didn't hurt you too badly.' Iruka looked back towards the girl and found her walking towards him with a determined, yet happy look in her eyes.
"Come on Iruka-sensei, hurry up." The girl said as she passed her teacher. Hinata walked into the academy, heading towards the second floor, until she noticed Naruto standing by the stairs to the second floor.
"When you come see me tonight I expect an answer to this question. If your family got in the way of your dream or something you thought was more important, could you stand to kill them?" The boy turned and walked up the stairs before going into their classroom. Hinata followed him in moments later. They both sat down in their seats at the back of the room and remained silent, even as their teacher brought in a stack of papers for a surprise quiz.
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Training Ground 9
Two figures stood in the open field of the training grounds. Maito Gai, Konoha's taijutsu expert, fell to his knees panting. His green jump suit and bowl-cut black hair were drenched in sweat from his spar with the other man on the field. Youko Kurama, Gai's opponent, stood in front of the man in a serene calm. His dark red hair complimented by the padded red haori and hakama he wore. And, in a show of pure amazement, Kurama stood before Gai with not but a single drop of sweat on his body.
"I see you haven't lost your touch at all, Gai." Kurama said in a friendly manner. "In fact, I think you've gotten a lot better since I last saw you."
"It's…been…a little over…ten years…since you last…saw me, so of course…I've gotten…better." Gai panted out. Even after all his training, Kurama was still so far ahead of him.
Kurama smiled. "Indeed, it has been a while hasn't it. Anyway, thanks for your assistance at the gate this morning. It's just too annoying to have to deal with all their stupid procedures."
Gai took a deep breath and stood up before he spoke. "Don't worry about it Kurama. I was happy to help."
Kurama nodded and turned to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow Gai." With that Youko disappeared to pick up Naruto from school, leaving Gai to pass out on the grass. If one looked around the field they would see what looked like the results of multiple explosions. There were bunches of craters in the ground. Some holes were as wide and deep as Gai is tall. The surrounding trees looked as if they had been hit by a train, and thrown thirty meter from where they once stood. It truly looked like the results of a battle between two gods, or two demons.
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Outside the Ninja Academy
Naruto yawned. History was so boring that the blonde had fallen asleep only to be woken up by a chalk eraser hitting his head. Hopefully tomorrow's class would be better.
Naruto looked around to see everyone else's parents already there. "Looking for me Kit." Naruto turned around to greet his guardian of the last 5 years. "I'm giving you your first mission of this village tonight. You think your ready for it?" A devious smile grew on Naruto's face.
"I know I'm ready. Let's head home so I can do this quickly. I have an important engagement later tonight." Kurama nodded.
"Very well, Kit." Kurama put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and the two disappeared.
"Damn it!" A cloaked figure whispered as he stood on the academy roof. "Just as I find him he throws me off his trail again. I guess I'll inform Hokage-sama that it was impossible to track him and locate their living quarters." With that the cloaked figure Shunshin'd away.
On the ground, Hinata stood in wonder, her Byakugan active. 'Why would the Anbu black ops be following Naruto and that strange man?' The girl deactivated her bloodline and turned to face her cousin, who had been told to escort her home this afternoon. 'I guess that's just one more thing I'll have to ask him tonight.' Hinata reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that Naruto had placed there. 'Where's training ground 45?'
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Hokage's Office
"So you couldn't follow him?" Sarutobi asked the man in front of him.
"No, Hokage-sama!" Dokueki replied to his superior. "Every time I was able to locate him he would disappear, so I couldn't trace his movements. It looks like we'll just have to find out where they live when Youko-senpai takes us there tonight."
"I can take you two there right now if you wish." The Hokage and his Anbu captain turned to their side to see Youko Kurama slouching against the wall. "Naruto's on an assignment right now so I have some free time."
"Youko-san, why did you say location instead of address when you spoke of where you and Naruto are living earlier?" The Hokage said in a demanding tone.
"Because, like you guessed, we are not living in a house, Sarutobi-san." That answer just made the Hokage even more worried. "If you two wish to see what I'm talking about then follow me." Kurama stood up off the wall and headed towards the door with Sarutobi and Dokueki in tow. Thirty minutes of walking later lead the trio to a clear open field surrounded by trees. "Here we are!" The red headed man stated.
"Are you saying this is where you and Naruto live, Youko-san?" The Hokage questioned skeptically.
"Are you kidding me?" Kurama said in amusement. "We live down here." The tall man turned around and made the hand sign for 'sheep'. "Kai!" The ground in front of Kurama shifted before a door became visible.
"So, you have a genjutsu cloaking the entrance to your living space, which is underground. I guess with the way the villagers treated him before it would be a better idea to live away from them in a safe location like this. What do you think Hokage-sama?" Dokueki turned to face the village leader but was met with the sight of the old man cowering in fear. "Hokage-sama, are you okay?"
"T-t-this i-is…this is…"
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Hyuuga Complex
"Training Ground 45? Why do you want to know about that place?" Hyuuga Hiashi questioned his eldest daughter.
"I read in a history book that Konoha has 45 training grounds, but only 44 of them are listed and given location, and I wanted to know why training ground 45 is not shown on any map of Konoha?" Hinata asked her Father. It was true too. When the girl had gone searching for the location of the meeting place the blonde enigma known as Naruto had specified she couldn't find it. So, not one to be deterred from her goal, Hinata dug further, and the result led her to ask her father. After all, he was the oldest person she knew besides the Hokage and the Hyuuga elders, and there was no way she was going to ask either of them.
"This is really something you should be asking Hokage-sama, but from what I remember, training ground 45 was an underground training ground that came to be known as 'The Spirit's Tunnel'. It was filled with seals meant to cut off all senses. The tunnel use to be used to determine which of the Hokage's successor choices would be the next leader, but at some point before the fourth took office Sarutobi closed it off, saying it caused more harm than good." Hiashi took a deep breath before continuing. "It is said that even the strongest of men will go insane if they walk through it. Losing your sight alone is scary enough for most people but to have all your senses taken from you and being forced to walk through unknown territory is like telling someone to walk through hell five times over. That's why it was given the nickname…"
Back in the Forest
"The Demons Cavern." The Hokage shook as he spoke.
"I see you have been here before Sarutobi-san." Youko stated calmly. The old man turned towards Kurama.
"Are you insane. Why would you want to live down there?" Sarutobi yelled.
"I already told you Saru-kun. It was Naruto who chose this place as our living quarters, not me." Kurama moved forth to open the doors that led to his and Naruto's 'house'. The double doors were designed with two ogres, one on each door, and their hands were positioned so that made it look like they were gripping the lock (Think KH2 when you have to beat that heartless who took over the door in Beast's castle). Kurama gripped the clawed hands and pulled the double doors open. "Don't worry Sarutobi-san, I've deactivated the seals. We'd never want poor Naruto to go insane and kill the whole village like Itachi did to his clan."
"I don't think I need to see that place again. I know it will be safe for you two to stay here. Naruto will be protected from the villagers and he'll have the seclusion he needs for training. We'll be going now." Sarutobi walked a few feet forward before Dokueki stopped him.
"Hokage-sama, The village is in the opposite direction." The Anbu captain called out.
"I know. I'm taking the long way around." Dokueki stood there in wonder. 'What could have possibly happened down there that would make the Hokage want to avoid that place?' Dokueki turned around and nodded to Youko before taking off towards the library. He was going to find the answer if it took him to the end of the world.
With the other two gone Kurama quietly walked down the steps of the entrance into the darkness below, closing the doors behind him. "This is kind of early for you to be back, Naruto. Did you fail to get them?" Kurama spoke to the boy in front of him who was digging through a large bag. The boy paused for a moment before he pulled out a small scroll and two orbs, one green and the other red.
"Are you kidding? This kind of stuff was harder to do in Gekkougakure. I already got them." Naruto said as he tossed the two orbs to the man. It was impossible to tell if Kurama could actually see the orbs in the darkness of the room, but he caught them anyway.
"I'm glad the people of Konoha were too stupid to realize what these are. If I hadn't released my hoshi no tama on that fateful day I would be left with vary little power right now." Kurama brought the two orbs towards his mouth as his face lengthened and his jaw grew. Then, he ate them. His body was surrounded by energy for a few moments before it disappeared and his face returned to normal.
"I thought kitsune youkai only had one hoshi no tama." Naruto stated in confusion.
"They usually do, but when the soul of the body I had years ago fused with my original soul I gained a second one. It's the same reason why I was able to gain my other tails so fast. It usually takes 9000 years to gain 9 tails but I gained them in only 2000." Kurama stated proudly.
"And I guess it didn't have anything to do with the fact that you're blessed by Inari, Kami, and Shinigami-sama." Naruto retorted back. "Actually, that reminds me. When are you going to teach me how to draw out my hoshi no tama so I can start utilizing all the kitsune techniques?"
"I guess I could teach you now, Kit. I just didn't want the power surge to be noticed by anyone, but this place has seals that will keep the energy from leaking out. Come sit over here and we'll begin." Kurama sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. In moments Naruto was across from him sitting in the same meditative pose with his eyes shut. "Now, first you have to mold the majority of your youki into an orb inside of you so you can remove it from your body."
Hi no Kuni
Konohagakure
Hyuuga Mansion
Hinata yawned as she closed the book in front of her. Even after hours of searching through the Hyuuga library the young girl was unable to find anything about training ground 45 except its name. Hinata sighed for probably the hundredth time that evening.
'I guess my questions can wait one more day.' Hinata thought. If there was one thing the Hyuuga heiress was not known for, it was her patience. 'I will get the answers I need from you, Uzumaki, and in-turn you will get your answer from me.' With that thought, Hinata put the book in front of her away and headed out of her family's library.
The young kunoichi walked silently through the halls of the Hyuuga manor, trying not to wake anyone. It was about 10:00 at night and Hinata believed everyone else throughout the mansion was asleep. The Hyuuga heiress reached her room and silently slid the door open before closing it behind her. Hinata turned around and stared towards the window on the other side of the room. Someone had to have snuck in cause the window was wide open.
"Come out, I know your in here!" Hinata said to the darkness. The kunoichi spotted something moving in her peripheral vision and turned to her left to see… a fox? "Are you the one who opened my window Kitsune-san?" The girl smiled at the white fox.
When Hinata had been very young her father had instructed her to be kind to foxes, as they were the messengers of Inari. Then, half a year ago, one of her academy instructors had told her the story of the Kyuubi's attack. Curious as to why her father had told her to be kind to foxes, even though the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha, Hinata went searching for information about Inari and Kitsune. She found out that Inari was the god of fertility, agriculture, and foxes, among other things. The text she found went on to state that foxes of Inari's court were essentially good or indifferent in nature and had white or gold-colored fur. Since the Kyuubi was described as having red fur Hinata figured it was a Yako (Outsider fox, known for their mischievous nature), and had no affiliation to Inari foxes, which were the ones her dad had told her to treat well.
The little white bundle of fur in front of her ran in a circle before holding out its paw as if it was getting a manicure. Then, Hinata noticed something attached to the creature's outstretched limb. "What is this?" The kunoichi whispered. Taking a closer look she realized it was a rolled up piece of notepaper like the kind that was used to send messages via carrier bird. Hinata took the message off the kitsune's paw and unrolled it. "Follow me?" She said, repeating the words written on the paper.
The fox yipped before jumping out her window. "Matte (Wait)!" Hinata yelled as she took off behind the fox. The little guy was fast and was hard to catch up. Finally, Hinata caught up to the kitsune as they entered the trees of some training ground. The girl panted heavily, obviously out of breath from running so hard. "How the hell can something so small be so fast?" Hinata staggered out between breaths. The fox tilted its head at the girl's question before it turned around and fled into the trees. Hinata stood up and looked at her surroundings. She didn't know why the fox had brought her here but she suspected it had something to do with Naruto.
The sound of a twig snapping echoed behind the Hyuuga heiress, and Hinata turned around to find herself standing inches away from the boy she had just been thinking about. The girl couldn't help but stare into his deep, teal colored eyes, mesmerized by the way the moon reflected off of them. He must have taken his metal blindfold off sometime earlier in the day. Finally, after what seemed like hours to Hinata of just staring into the blonde's eyes, Naruto spoke to the girl.
"I asked you a question earlier. What is your answer Hyuuga?" The boy's voice was stern and rough. Hinata knew that whatever answer she gave him would affect the outcome of the night's events. The Hyuuga heiress closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath and let it out. Then, she opened her eyes, which gleamed with ferocity in the moonlight, and fixed Naruto with a look that would make most men's balls crinkle and turn frostbitten. When the kunoichi-to-be spoke her voice came out with the same strength that her eyes held.
"Yes!" Hinata stated with determination. "If someone from my family tried to get into the way of my dream I would kill them. Cause if they really were my family they would help me in anyway they could to achieve my dreams."
Naruto stood there for a moment in silence, his eyes scanning her features to see if she was lying. He closed his eyes and turned around before beckoning the girl to follow him as he walked into the forest. "I bet you're wondering where training ground 45 is, huh?" Naruto asked with a calm demeanor. The blonde turned his head while he kept walking forward, so he could gauge her answer.
"Yes! The only text's I could find about it gave me nothing more than what is was used for." The heiress said to the boy in front of her.
Naruto smiled before he stopped walking. "Actually, you're standing right above it." Hinata looked down towards her feet in confusion. Then, she remembered what her father told her.
"It's underground, right?" Naruto nodded his head. "So, where's the entrance?" The Hyuuga asked.
"It's right in front of me, but we don't have to go down there to talk." The blonde turned around to face the girl with his eyes closed again. "Right here should be fine. What do you want to know?"
Hinata activated her Byakugan before walking up to the boy. "First of all, I want to know what these chakra structures on your head and behind your back are." The young kunoichi stated as she reached for the one behind his back. However, the last thing Hinata expected to happen when she grabbed it was for Naruto to react violently and pin her to the ground. She hadn't even really grabbed it. She just barely touched her finger to it and the boy had just tackled her.
"Try that again and you won't be getting away from here alive." Naruto growled at the girl below him. The blonde had pinned her arms at her sides with his legs. Naruto sighed before he slowly raised himself off the Hyuuga's arms and stood up. Hinata quickly got out from under the boy and stood up as well. "If you really want to know what they are, I guess I could show you." Slowly, the blonde lifted his hand to top of his head where his headband laid.
POOF
Hinata covered her eyes from the wave of smoke that enveloped the surrounding area. Slowly, the clouds lifted to reveal…
POST: Thank you lord Jashin, I am finally finished with this chapter. Yes, that is where I am ending this chapter. You won't find out what happened until the Chuunin exams. Next chapter I am introducing one of my major Oc's of this story. Also, Zabuza and Haku are going to have another companion from mist with them.
Poll:
Should Sakura die early on during a mission or join a more annoying enemy later and become a bigger nuisance?
Who should be in Naruto's Harem? I already have a few definite one's but I'm not going tell you guys. You might convince me to change it. Also, people from other anime's are allowed if you give me a good enough reason to put them in.
P.S. - These poles will end when the wave mission starts.
Preview –
Naruto: No, No, No! Why does it have to be him?
Iruka: Class, meet our transfer student from Gekkougakure.
???: Hajimemashite. My name is…
Next time on Kitsune Legends – The Thief's Second Apprentice
Iruka: Now, let's get started with the graduation exam.
Read And Review Please! Lord Jashin will make me sacrifice you to him if you don't!