Sasuke didn't believe his eyes. Was he hallucinating? He had to be, because the prospect of what he saw being genuinely real scared him half to death. In front of him stood, as before, a man. However in his shadow rose the ghost of a gargantuan nine-tailed fox. Its eyes glowed an unearthly scarlet, emitting such potent murderous intent that he was forced to take an involuntary step away from the monster. Swallowing his fear, Sasuke leveled his vocals and chose his words carefully. "So… you're the Nine-tailed Demon Fox? That shouldn't be possible. The Fourth killed you, didn't he?" Sasuke sighed inwardly. He'd managed to pull that line off without a single hitch. He was mildly impressed with himself for holding it together.
"You and your entire generation have been deceived. I cannot die, Sasuke. I am literally immortal. The only way your Fourth Hokage could defeat me was by sealing me away. And so he did, into the body of a newborn child. That child was looked upon like a monster growing up, rather than the hero that protected them all from that monster, being me."
Sasuke wasn't sure what to say to that. Was it true? Had the adults of the village really lied to him… to his entire generation, about what happened? It seemed a moot question to ask, as living proof of Konoha's dirty little secret. Sasuke's eyes widened when he realized there was something he had missed. "If you were sealed into a child, why are you free now? What happened to your prison?"
The Kyuubi chuckled darkly. "An apt question. Look around us and you will see my former container with your own eyes. She is among us."
Among us? She? Sasuke whirled around, eyes scanning for any trace of a hidden presence. They were completely alone, aside from a few animals and the rest of his squad further away. Nothing.
"I don't have any idea what the hell you're talking about, you-" He turned once more to face the Kyuubi, only to find that he had vanished without a trace. When his gaze returned to his squad, he found that Naruto had also mysteriously disappeared. Neither Kakashi nor Sakura seemed to take notice. Sasuke began to question the reality of what just happened. And really, he reasoned as he gradually slipped back into character, these losers still weren't worth Sasuke's precious time.
He left the training ground without a word to anyone and returned home. He drew himself a warm bath and allowed the confusion of the day to melt from his mind as the tension seeped out of his muscles. Later on, he casually dressed himself and left to run some errands.
Naruto lay lazily upon her plush bed as she watched the seconds tick away on a nearby clock. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused, conveying her vivid state of boredom. The Kyuubi had given her the day off, a rare thing for him to do. While she had fully planned to take advantage of it, the damn stupid fox refused to transform her for the day. Naruto still felt very insecure in her new skin. It didn't feel right to her to be a woman. She had lived her entire life as a boy and her mind was already wired like one. Sure, she had used her Oiroke no Jutsu in her earlier days to get a rise out of the pervy old men of the village, but this was different. She was trapped in that form, without the benefit of returning to her original form. Hell, this was her original form. She had no physical male counterpart to revert to. She felt disarmed and vulnerable in this body. Naruto hated it! The girl still half hoped that in the she'd wake up from this bad dream to find the rays of the morning Sun spilling over the horizon. Then he could start his day as he had before and continue training and completing missions as any normal ninja would do. Naruto knew better though. In the light of day, there was never any question before whether the world was a dream or not. Only in dreams did that kind of confusion exist. In the waking world, there was a continuous continuity. This was real life, whether she liked it or not.
So here was Naruto, now dwelling within the body of a teenage girl equivalent to her former self. Her limbs were strewn about as she lay lethargically on her back. She was bored out of her mind watching the seconds tick by upside-down to her glassy blue eyes. The monotony of the clock slowly distorted and became a distant and hollow ringing to her ears. Naruto's eyelids grew heavy and slowly descended, replacing her sight with darkness. Her mind began wander now and she came to remember her last mission. Her team was tasked with protecting a boy during an annual race to determine the dominant, law-making clan in the Tea Country. A former Leaf ninja who had defected to the Hidden Rain Village fought them with the stolen Raijin no Ken, the so-called "Sword of the Thunder God."
"Take it back.…" Those were the words of Sasuke, rising once more after being struck and blown back by some crazy lightning sword. The Chidori hadn't worked out so well last time, and that bastard Aoi had just called him the last and weakest of the Uchiha. That hadn't gone over so well with Sasuke.
"Hmm?" Aoi's gaze focused on the Uchiha as he challenged him once more.
"Take it back!" Sasuke repeated, raising his voice.
"Take what back?" the Rain Jounin responded nonchalantly.
"What you said just now." The Chidori burst to life once more in Sasuke's hand, its size and intensity growing far beyond those he had generated previously. "Don't you dare underestimate me, the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan!"
He charged the Ame Nin, the might of his Chidori tearing up the earth in its wake. Aoi raised the lightning blade to block, his face betraying some surprise. The power Sasuke had fed his attack was enough to force Aoi back, even as his feet dug into the ground.
"You bastard!" screamed the prodigy, his Sharingan glaring wrathfully at his foe.
A small crack formed on the lightning blade, yielded by the most potent attack in Sasuke's arsenal. Still, it was not enough. The energies of the thunder blade soon canceled out those of the Chidori. The light this produced was bright enough to force all eyes to look away. But when the flash dimmed, a scream of agony tore its way from Sasuke's throat as he was very painfully electrocuted. The Sword of the Thunder God had lifted the Uchiha off his feet and trapped him in a continuous current. The boy continued to scream until he finally lost consciousness, at which point Aoi flung him at the nearby rope bridge. Sakura threw a kunai at Aoi to remove him from her path as she rushed to the Uchiha's aid.
"The Bottom of the Sea will surely be cold," the man said whimsically, cutting both remaining ropes holding up the bridge before anyone had time to react. Unfortunately, she was not quick enough to pull Sasuke to safety before the final roped that supported the bridge had been cut. The Uchiha's body was just too heavy for Sakura to hold onto and she quickly joined Sasuke in free-fall.
Naruto could only look on in horror as he saw his friends fall into the abyss. "You bastard, you dare you do that to Sasuke and Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled at the Ame Jounin.
"Relax, I'll send you down there to visit them shortly," the man said casually.
"There's no way I'll lose that easily," Naruto shot back.
Aoi narrowed his eyes and activated the Thunder Blade. Naruto summoned several dozen Shadow Clones and attempted to hit Aoi with the Rasengan numerous times before finally noticing the crack Sasuke had made in the sword. After that, it only took a very simple diversion using a few clones before he announced his presence above the Ame Jounin, Rasengan in hand. Predictably, Aoi raised the blade to block. That was just what Naruto had expected as he drove the Rasengan into the crack Sasuke had made with all his might, breaking all of the blade above the crack before landing in a crouch and driving the maelstrom of turbulent chakra straight into his opponent's chest, making him drop the broken hilt and sending him spiraling uncontrollably over the edge of the cliff, where he more than likely met his demise.
Naruto smiled to herself, glad that Sakura had stayed on her toes and saved both herself and Sasuke from a cold and murky death.
"That fight took a lot out of me," she mused, extracting a small bundle from her orange jacket, "but it was well worth the effort it took to win."
She unwrapped the cloth and looked at the finial-like brass handle it concealed. "I really should try to get this damn thing fixed up," she said to herself, totally tuning out that annoying ticking sound her analog clock continued to make.
"Hell, why not?" she said, rising from her bed and opening her closet to examine the wardrobe the Kyuubi had assembled for her. "Well I'll be a snake-faced pedo! This is a pretty sweet collection of girly clothes that furball got me. Let's see what looks good on me…" she said, shrugging the loosely tied cyan robe she wore from her shoulders and stepping from it stark naked. Well, unless you consider the Shodaime's necklace an article of clothing. She always wore that, ever since she'd won it from Tsunade for mastering the Rasengan in a week.
The memory of that brought a sly smile to her lips. She always had been a good gambler. Hell, she won the lottery her first try. While perhaps not the luckiest of her peers in the way of preexisting family and childhood friends, she often made up for it in some rather interesting ways. Perhaps she should hit the slots some time? That might be fun to do with Granny Tsunade some time. The old bird never could pass up a chance to blow a lot of cash on a continuous losing streak. Perhaps she should have a contest for whose streak lasted longer? That'd be a good idea, seeing as their luck would doubtlessly go in opposite directions. She made a mental note to propose such an excursion to the lady Hokage the very next time opportunity knocked. That in mind, she picked one she liked from the rack and tried it on. It was in keeping with her favorite color, being orange of course, but also bearing heavy black highlights. This one was a miniskirt and a matching jacket not unlike the kind she usually wore, but still radical enough that it didn't broadcast her rather high-profile masculine identity, both in the design and to a lesser degree its color scheme.
After much fumbling in trying to obtain the proper undergarments and then applying them and finding a suitable shirt to wear beneath the jacket, she stood before the full-length mirror in the corner of her room and admired her new look. She decided against trying her hair in the usual pigtails in an attempt to draw a little less attention to herself this time around. She grinned.
That'll be the day, for sure, she thought to herself, chuckling a little as she did.
Naruto had to admit, this weird get-up looked good on her. It would take a little getting used to now that it wouldn't be too easy to switch back to her male form and she didn't feel nearly as arrogant as she did when the transformation had been as temporary as a few seconds of foolery and a quick return to normal for a laugh at whoever had been the victim of her Super-Secret-Ultimate-Anti-Pervert Ninja Art. Okay, so it was a modified henge. It had still worked like a charm whenever Naruto had used it in the past. She'd have to use a lot more discretion now that this form was permanent. Still, the attention whore in her couldn't help but dress with the intention of drawing looks from passers-by. The jacket, she left unzipped. The necklace of the Shodai dangled from her neck in plain view. The shirt and jacket were both short in length, ending just below her upper chest. Her abdomen stood on full display, as did the vast majority of her taut, slender legs.
It seemed like all of those Shinobi exercises hadn't gone to waste in defining her new body. Each and every muscle in her body was still in peak shape. Though she wasn't really ripped anymore, as Naruto had been when she was a boy, she still looked quite fit and healthy. Yes, she looked very attractive as a female and she'd be the first to admit it.
Then again, Naruto already knew what he'd look like as a girl and had known for a while now. Even still, she missed how she used to be. At least as a boy, Naruto had a secure identity. Now she felt like a stranger to her own body. Familiarity with the Oiroke no Jutsu only went so far. Naruto had only ever kept it active for a second or two most times. It was never enough time to feel the full array of sensations and their subtle transitions. It took a lot of getting used to now, but it seemed she'd lost none of her devious old charms.
She took one last look at the mirror before giving her overall appearance a wink. Having slipped into her zori, Naruto pocketed the broken chakra sword and made for the business district of the Leaf Village. The Sun gleamed brightly amidst fluffy white clouds of all shaped and sized, scattered all across the balmy summer sky.
Naruto walked the streets of Konoha as casually as she could. It felt awkward wearing as little as she was, but Naruto had seen women get away with worse every day. In fact, many of them were kunoichi themselves. That did little to settle the feeling of slight apprehension as her presence predictably drew a certain degree of attention from passers-by.
Naruto grimaced a little. So she was a kunoichi now? That didn't feel right, somehow. She'd received none of the kunoichi's special training in poison or disguise, though she supposed though would be easy enough to find elsewhere. She didn't know much about foreign cultures and even less about things like floral arrangement. Ceremony, she was a little more familiar with. Even then, what she knew wasn't very useful. Women played by a different set of rules than men in most ceremonies. They generally had more rules to follow in these. What were some other things they taught kunoichi? It was something like "The Nine Talents" if she recalled. Whatever class taught that was never one he paid a terrible amount of attention to. It made enough sense though. "Ku" (or "kyuu") was "nine" while "no" was obviously a possessive of "ichi", which was "one." It probably meant something like "nine skills in one (person)" but then, she'd never really paid attention in that class. Maybe she'd ask Sakura sometime. She'd probably know well enough to read the entire textbook passage back from memory. She didn't really know herself, but she guessed those "nine skills" were stuff like poison, deception, seduction and formal ceremony. Was close combat one of them? Eh… she didn't know. Fighting seemed a bit too generic, but it could have been. Three more of the skills were probably the usual "Nin-Gen-Taijutsu" deal. Naruto made a mental note to ask Sakura about it later.
Her thoughts drifted to her practice in the elements. She had improved her a lot in her training with the Kyuubi. She could manipulate the Wind properly but she was having trouble with the other elements. The Kyuubi had told her that each element had its own corresponding emotions. Wind responded to peace and tranquility because it usually caressed everything it passed by, providing comfort. Water responded to generosity and kindness, as it enriched the land so that plants and animals could thrive. Fire responded to passion and determination, as it blazed and inspired everyone. Earth, if she recalled correctly, responded to a focused calm, being strong and powerful, yet patient in its conquests. She had Wind down to a science now. Next would be… well, given her connection to the Bijuu it would likely be Fire.
Not far ahead, she spotted her destination. It was a Shinobi weapons shop run by one of the most prolific craftsmen in the Fire country, or so she'd heard. Not a minute later, she stood at the entrance. Swallowing any lingering apprehension she had for her new appearance, Naruto stepped into the shop and took a look around. The walls were lined with all kinds of lethal-looking blades. The sheer number of serrated edges and spikes made Naruto shiver as she imagined the copious amount of flesh those wicked-looking blades could rend. Some of the weapons were mounted within glass display cases. Though not all of them looked all that special, some really were a sight to behold. One of these in particular caught her eye. The design was comparable to a guardless double-edged jain, however that was not what drew Naruto's attention. The blade was totally black and looked more like some kind of glassy stone than an actual metal. It also seemed to… glow? Yes, it definitely had some type of aura surrounding it. Naruto found herself mesmerized by this sword. The edges looked sharp enough to cut through a ghost. The closer she scrutinized it, the more detail came into focus. Into the blade were etched an intricate series of symbols are other writings she was not at all familiar with. Her ears began to pick up a faint hum and a hideous reflection glared back at her.
"You have a good eye, my dear. That's the Shinigami no Tsurugi, a new arrival. It was dug recently from a ruin in the Cloud Country. It cost me more than this shop to get my hand on it," said a voice from behind.
Naruto, so entranced by the sword's eerie gleam, failed to hear anyone approach. She whirled around faster than she could think to see who had spoken. It was an old man, sixty or seventy by the look of him. His hair had long since lost all its color, but his eyes had not, still sparkling with some youthful mirth. He laughed heartily. "My name is Mayakashi Kougimaru and this is my shop! I've got the most deadly blades in all the Fire country, sold exclusively to Leaf Shinobi at the best prices around! Tell me now, what's your name, dear?"
Naruto blanched. Name? Okay, name… what was she supposed to say? Should she give her real name? No, she didn't want anyone to know who she was. A fake name, maybe? What would work…?
"Er… I'm Na- Nanako, Mayakashi-san. Ameraku Nanako." Whew! That went well, didn't it?
"Nanako…" the old man repeated to himself, "well, if you're a Konoha Nin looking for some new weapons, then this is the place. What can I get for you?"
"Uhm, I have this really cool chakra sword I picked up on a mission but it's broken. Think you could fix it up for me? I'd like to make it my own," she said, fishing out the brass hilt from her Shinobi tool pouch and handing it to the old man.
"Ooh, this is a special piece, here. It once belonged to the Nidaime Hokage. Its proper name is the Raijin no Ken, if I remember right. Where did you get something like this?" He asked incredulously.
Naruto tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "I beat this Rain Jounin who was trying to take out my squad's client and he dropped it before falling into the ocean and freezing to death. He kicked my friend's ass with that sword, so it's gotta be powerful. I had to bust it to beat that guy though, so now it's not a very useful weapon anymore. Think you can fix it, Oji-san?"
Kougimaru examined the brass hilt, taking in its every little detail. It wasn't until he applied his own chakra to it that the weapon ignited with a sharp zap, and only the very base of the blade seemed intact. The rest was just gone. "I think I may be able to restore the blade somehow, but it will take some time," he said pensively, weighing the sword absentmindedly, "give me a few days with this thing. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks a lot. I'll be back at the end of the week to check in, m'kay? G'luck, Oji-san!" she said, turning to leave.
"Always a pleasure, Ameraku-san," said the old man, taking the broken Raijin sword to the back room. When he returned to the front of the shop, he had a new visitor.
"Good to see you again, Uchiha-san." He said cordially. "Your order is ready now. All of your specifications have been met to the letter and I added the finishing touches myself, just last night. I believe you'll be quite pleased with the results, sir."
He presented his customer a carved wooden shikomizue-like sheath, painted black and concealing within it a steel chokutou blade of the highest quality.
"Hn." He drew the blade from its sheath with an echoing ring and his eyes grew wide as he saw how high the quality of the weapon was. "How much to I owe you…?" He fished out his wallet and sifted through it for the appropriate denominations. "Will this do?" he asked, handing the old man a fat roll of money. The shopkeeper examined the sum and determined it was adequate, nodding his head in approval and thanking the young man for his business as he turned to leave. Sasuke left the shop a satisfied customer, ready to try out his new weapon.
That little visit to the weapons shop had gone rather well and had boosted Naruto's confidence quite a bit that her appearance was nigh unrecognizable to most people she came across. Now, she felt like spending some time at the local bath house. A warm soak would do her good. Another thought occurred to her then. She'd be utilizing the female section of the hot spring. Naruto grinned to herself. It wasn't just any grin either. It was a lecherous one. It became a frown the moment she thought of Jiraiya. She hoped he wasn't anywhere near. She really did, for his sake if not for hers.
It was not yet noon when she reached the local hot spring and entered it. The woman at the front desk greeted her. Naruto gave her some money and in return she received a towel from the large shelf behind the desk and given the key to a locker in which to place her belongings while she enjoyed her time at the spring. She thanked the lady and entered the locker room. The women's locker, Naruto noted with some glee.
Naruto walked the many isles of locker racks, seeking out her number. It didn't take long for her to find it, and even less time for her to strip naked, tossing her cloths haphazardly in an available basket and throwing it all into the locker without a second glance. All she had on now was her Shodai necklace and since Naruto rarely removed it, she didn't take notice. Either way, it was far too valuable to leave behind. Naruto picked up the provided towel and wrapped it around her waist. Being a boy for so long, it never really occurred to her that she might want to cover her chest. It didn't matter all that much to her anyway and she doubted anyone else would care too much.
Naruto quickly cleared the locker room and slid the wooden-paper door aside. Her senses were instantly filled with the subtle smell of sulfur and the air was sultry all around. A thick steamy mist obscured everything to half its normal visibility. Nonetheless, several eyes turned up at Naruto's initial entrance. Today looked like a relatively busy day. She didn't immediately recognize any of her fellow patrons, which could all be attributed to the obscuring mist. Oh, well. If she didn't meet anyone she knew, that was perfectly okay. She wouldn't mind the opportunity to see some of Konoha's finest ladies in the buff, but it wasn't all that high on her list of priorities.
She discarded her towel by the edge of a nearby pool and stepped into the water, watching with some idle fascination as her taut-yet-slender limbs disappeared into the steaming water with barely a sound. The rest of her body soon followed her legs as she relaxed against an aesthetic stack of large rocks. The warm water felt wonderful as it soaked into her muscles and soothed her whole body, taking away all of her minor aches and pains.
On the other side of the wooden divider, she heard the door slide open and then close. She paid it no mind, continuing resolutely in her enjoyment of this delightful hot spring.
"Ano… are you a Shinobi? You're very beautiful, by the way."
Naruto opened her eyes, seeking out the source of the new voice. Meek though it was, there was no stutter. Although, it sounded an awful lot like…
"Eh? Hin- er, I mean… Hello, there. Yeah, I'm a ninja, alright. What gave me away?" Naruto said, catching herself before she gave anything away.
"You're in really good physical shape, but what I really noticed was that necklace of yours. It's very special, you know," said the girl, her voice quiet but uncharacteristically steady.
"Yeah," Naruto said softly, running her fingers lightly over the jewel, "I know it is…"
There was a short, mildly awkward silence before the girl spoke up again. "My name is Hinata… that is, I'm Hyuuga Hinata," she said, avoiding eye contact. "What's your name?" she asked.
Finally! Now I can use her name without looking suspicious. I still don't want to give myself away, so I'll use that name I made up earlier. That should work… I think.
Outwardly, however, Naruto's response was a cordial "Nice to meet chya, Hinata! I'm Nanako. That's Ameraku Nanako, don't ya know! You can just call me the number one most unpredictable ninja alive. That works fine too," said Naruto, tossing a big wink and a 'thumbs-up' at the bewildered-looking Hyuuga girl.
"Wow, you really are a lot like… someone I know," she said, turning her head away to hide the slight blush blooming in her cheeks.
"I do? That's weird. I didn't think there were a whole lot of people like me out there, let alone in the same village. Poor Konoha, huh?" said Naruto, accompanied by a mirthful chuckle on her part. "No worries though, who are ya talkin' about anyway?" she asked, cocking her head quizzically.
"He's… someone I admire. He never seems to notice me though," Hinata said, her face no longer turned away, but remaining downcast.
"So it's a boy I remind you of? How flattering!" she said, laughing heartily now. The poor Hyuuga girl sunk deeper into the pool to hide her sudden embarrassment. "No, it's alright. I'm not offended or anything. I am kinda boyish, ain't I?" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. New body or not, I guess I'm still me inside. "So tell me more about this guy I remind you of. What's he like?" Though perhaps glaringly obvious, Naruto didn't really have any idea who Hinata was actually talking about. It couldn't be anyone I know, 'cause I still haven't met any "evil twins" of mine. Heh…
"Well… he's really strong. Always seems to have a smile on his face… never gives up, even when the chips are down. He's only my age, but I've never been so inspired by anyone in my life but him. God, he's so strong, so powerful… I don't think I could ever surpass him, no matter how hard I tried. And his creed, his 'Way of the Ninja', is one I found so noble I want nothing more than to make it my own. With all my heart, I want to make it my Way of the Ninja, no matter what it takes," she said, her tone obviously conveying a deep sense of revere for whomever it she was talking about.
"Wow, this guy must be the real deal, huh? You should tell him how you feel, I think. Things are always easier and more simple when you're straightforward and honest with people. Whoever he is, I'm sure he'd be honored you think so much of him. Ever think of just doing that?" Naruto was now making a conscious effort to establish some direct eye contact with the other girl, all the while wracking her brain for anyone she knew of that might match such a profound description. She wasn't coming up with any conclusive results so far. The only person she really knew of that matched that kind of description was…
"You… you're right. I really should, but whenever I get close to him I can't help but feel really nervous. I get the feeling that I'm burning up inside and if he gets too close, I just pass out. Too much blood going to my head, ya know?" The Hyuuga's response immediately drew Naruto out of her thoughts and now, she found herself contemplating these words.
"You pass out? Like, faint? That sure sucks, I bet. It's like being unable to express your feelings, no matter how much you want to. Hey, maybe I could help you out. I don't scare that easy, but if this guy is really that amazing, why hasn't he figured it out yet? The way you say you react should be pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain," said Naruto in a matter-o-fact tone, nodding sagely.
"Yeah, I am pretty obvious, huh? All of my friends notice, but I guess he doesn't. Maybe he just doesn't like me that way, but I wish he did. I wish… I just wish he'd acknowledge me is all, I guess. I don't need flowers or kisses or anything romantic like that. I just want him to see me and to know how much I look up to him, how highly I think of him. That'd be enough for me, really. I don't know if it will ever happen, but I do wish could…" She sounded sad, almost… wistful.
"Hey, I'm sure he would appreciate how you feel about him. I'd be very flattered to have someone who idolized to me like that. You just need to have more confidence in yourself. If he doesn't notice you on his own, then you have to make him notice you. If you don't take it into your own hands and make sure it gets done, then there aren't too many other people who will do it for you. It's not a crime to want to be happy and to want people to notice you. I think acknowledgment is something everyone craves deep down. It's only natural to want what you do. And trust me when I say that the greatest thing you'll ever know is just to love and be loved in return." Though Naruto wasn't entirely sure where the words came from, they seemed fitting to her.
"I… I guess you're right. I just… I wish it could be different. I wish I didn't have to work to hard to achieve what everyone else seems to already have. Confidence, I mean."
"Hey, we all have our shortcomings. I think it's part of what helps us grow. If we were all born perfect, the life wouldn't ever be as beautiful as it is. The world would be a very boring place without its flaws."
"So then… what can I do to overcome them?" Hinata said, now looking curiously at the other girl.
"Well… that's not really something I can tell you. It's different for all of us. Beating your own weaknesses is part of growing up. I can't tell you how to do it. It's something you'll have to figure out for yourself," she said.
"So then… what's love?"
Naruto's eyes developed a kind of shimmering, faraway quality to them as her gaze traveled skyward. "Love is… well, that's a really good question. Everyone has their own ideas of what it is or isn't. Most people tend to mixing it up with lust. I don't think that's true. To me, love is something that only happens when people really get to know each other. I never believed in any of that 'love at first sight' crap. What they're thinking of is more physical. Love is when you see someone for who they really are and you accept them for it. It doesn't have to be a mutual thing, but if you really care about someone and you see them as a complete person, with all their strengths and weaknesses and you still accept them for it and feel out-and-out, unconditional compassion for them, then that's love. When you'd be willing to lay down your life for that person without a second thought, you'll know."
"I've always thought it was something like that, but I never really knew until you said it that way. Now I know…" She said, looked down and clenching her fist resolutely.
"Know what?" Said Naruto, giving the Hyuuga girl an inquisitive look.
"That I love him." She said, a kind of burning intensity, like fire, in her eyes.
"Okay, I'll bite. Who is it?" Naruto asked as her curiosity got the better of her.
"Uzumaki Naruto-kun, the one I admire."
Here are some of the foreign terms I mentioned.
Shinigami no Tsurugi: Sword of the Death God.
Shodai: "First" or "Founding" referring to the First and Founding Hokage.
Shikomizue: A sword mounting designed to conceal or hide the blade by making it not look like a sword. Historically, this mounting was used almost exclusively with the shinobi.
Chokutou: A type of Japanese sword that dates back to pre-Heian times. The design was generally straight and single-edged (sometimes partially double) with a curved tip.
Jain: The specific kind I described is similar to Orochimaru's Grass Cutter Sword. It's a type of Chinese sword whose blade is totally straight, kind of like a Bronze Age long sword. It's a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China.