A/N: Yes, I'm back after a long break, which I apologize for. I could give you the standard excuses (work, college, etc.) but I won't bore you with the gorey details. I wasn't too sure if I would ever finish this chapter, but a recent burst of inspiration gave it to me. Maybe my muse finally forgave me for actually having the gall to ask for story arc ideas from my readers (big no-no among the professionals). Recent Naruto canon isn't helping much either. I am just a short hop from just ignoring canon and going my own way.

Also, I reread the first two chapters. Why didn't anyone tell me they were so bad? Expect them to get edited in the hopefully near future. First change: Milia becomes Miria. That applies to an offhand comment in this chapter.

With that, on to the story!

Disclaimer: Naruto? Claymore? Nope, still not mine. Be cool if they were, though.

It was not often that Claire kicked herself mentally. But here she was doing just that. She had expected that the scent of Yoma would be rather thick. She had also been expecting that there would be a light smell of demon in the air.

But she had not been expecting the two to smell so much alike.

There were minor differences between the two, but the scents mingled to a point that it was difficult to distinguish between one scent or the other without truly concentrating. The blonde man that had been attacked by the Yoma was proof of that. He did not have the aura of a monster, so she had not been worried about that. But she had also smelled something else about him. Walking through the streets of Konoha had given Claire the opportunity to think about what he was. After a little thought she had come to the conclusion that he was the carrier of the fox demon that Rubel had told her about.

Thus the reason for the mental kicking she was getting. It was obvious to anyone who considered it that the demon was probably a sore spot with the ninja. By bringing up the Nine-tailed Fox and the Hokage who sealed it, Claire had probably touched a nerve. Experience had taught Claire that it was not the best idea to irritate the residents of the towns she was supposed to be helping. And while it was usually best to leave the local peacekeepers out of the Yoma hunt, sometimes it was useful to have their assistance if the Yoma had grown too large for just Claire to handle. She had already accepted the fact that, even with what Miria had told her and the others, she was not as strong as Teresa…

Claire severed that line of thought. It was not wise for a slayer to dwell on the past. Teresa was gone. The only thing that Claire could do was focus on the job at hand. If Raki had managed to do anything for Claire, it was that he had reminded Claire how terrifying a Yoma could be to a human. The average one got killed the moment a hungry Yoma spotted them. That the blonde man actually survived an encounter with one was an amazing act in and of itself.

There it was. Claire's thoughts had done a full circle and brought her right back to where she had been before. Claire nearly gave herself another mental kick before remembering the chastising she had given herself a minute earlier. If she had angered the blonde man by bringing up the subject of the demon, he would hopefully tell her and Claire would explain herself.

Claire shook her head. She had not let her mind wander that much in a long time. But the longer she waited, that worse the battle would be when she did finally find the Yoma. The mental ramble she had been on would have gotten her killed had the Yoma been nearby.

Claire took a deep breath and started concentrating. If she could sense where the Yoma was, things would go much smoother. But, unfortunately, luck wasn't with her. Either the Yoma was too far away to sense at the moment, or it had suppressed its aura enough that she could not detect it. Either way, Claire had to resort to the old fashioned way of finding things.

She would have to look.

Konoha was a large place compared to the western towns and villages that Claire was familiar with. It was also reasonably crowded, which was odd considering the fact that a Yoma was active. Usually when a Yoma had begun feeding, the local population started going out less and less until towns became virtually deserted. Perhaps the people living here were cut from a braver mold than the ones back west. Or perhaps they were just stupid. That was possible, but the woman who had identified herself as the current Hokage seemed like an intelligent type of person. If ninja battles were as common as Claire had been led to believe, it was likely that the Hokage had tried to keep the local population calm by saying that it was the work of an enemy rather than a monster. It was also true that towns with larger garrisons did tend to be stronger mentally, as if the courage the soldiers possessed spilled out into the main population.

What truly confused Claire were the oddly respectful nods that she was getting when people got a good look at her face. It was almost like the villagers believed that they vaguely recognized her. They might believe that she was someone else. The Claymore blade strapped on her back got its own stares, especially from one girl who had her hair tied up into two buns on the top of her head. That one had a strange look on her face, one that seemed to contain a strange mix of joy, curiosity, and jealousy. Worse, the girl had started to follow Claire as she walked around Konoha. But since she had yet to interfere with Claire's searching, Claire decided to ignore the girl for as long as possible.

Claire reached the gates that she had entered Konoha by and still had yet to sense the Yoma. The situation was getting worse and worse. A Yoma that was this stealthy was going to be nearly impossible to find until it attacked again. Claire made a right turn and started to walk parallel to the village walls. Perhaps making a lap of Konoha would give her a bit more information on where the Yoma was.

"Was that bitch insulting me?"

Naruto had been considering what the Claymore had said to him, and when he had finally made sense of what the girl had told him he sat bolt upright in bed. Whether intentionally or not, she had more or less told him that the only ninja that was worth his weight in salt had been the Yondaime Hokage.

"Was she getting her jollies out of that Yoma beating me? Or was she just trying to piss me off?" What Naruto was sure about was that he was sick and tired of just sitting in bed. Shizune had come in a few minutes ago to check up on him, making sure to remind him as she left that he was still supposed to be in bed as per Tsunade's orders. Well, now that he had fully thought out what the girl had said, he was getting dressed and heading towards the window. But with his hand on the window frame, Naruto hesitated.

"They probably wouldn't be too happy with me for leaving like this," Naruto thought aloud. Then he gave a small grin. "But then again, when have I ever really cared whether the old hag is upset or not?" Naruto leapt out of the window. He had a Claymore to find.

Sakura came into the hospital room. "Hey Naruto. I've finished my rounds so I came to check…" Sakura realized that she was talking to an empty room. She looked around, saw the open window, and groaned. "Tsunade-sama is not going to be happy when she finds out about this."

Raki was excited, to say the least. He had seen Claire fight before, but now he was going to get a chance to see people who actually used magic in their battles. It was a struggle to keep himself from jumping up and down. Of course, doing so would probably result in a nasty bump on the head from one of the tree branches. For some reason, Hinata was leading him through a forest. Raki thought it weird that military magic users would train in the middle of a forest. Surely the trees would get in the way.

"Raki-kun, before we reach them, I think I should explain something to you."

"What? Do we have to keep a certain distance away so that the magic doesn't hit us?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. What I meant was that we ninja don't fight using magic. We use a special form of physical and mental energy called chakra. What you think is magic is just forming chakra into something that we can use."

"'We'?" Raki asked. He stared up at Hinata. "You can use this chakra stuff, too?"

Hinata smiled down at the boy. "Yes, I can. Anyone who is trained as a ninja, like I am, can use chakra. Although there is one exception, and you are going to be meeting that exception in just a minute."

"I am?"

"Yes. Lee-san, a friend of mine, is unable to shape his chakra at all. But he has still become a splendid ninja with only his physical abilities." Hinata stopped as she heard the sounds of fists and kicks taking their toll on trees and human flesh. "We're here."

Raki's eyes lit up and he hurried towards where he could hear someone fighting. He found two men locked in combat; using their hands and feet rather than any weapons. At least, that is what Raki thought was going on. They were moving so fast that they seemed to be only two blurs.

Hinata came up next to Raki as he watched Neji and Lee spar. They were going at about half-speed; although, judging by the look on his face, Raki was having a hard time keeping up.

Lee was rebounding off of a tree to launch a flying kick at Neji. The Hyuuga used his forearm to block the kick and attacked Lee's chin with an uppercut. The force of the blow knocked Lee back into the tree; the resulting crack echoed throughout the forest. Lee rose slowly only to see Neji's fist incoming. He ducked the strike and dashed away from the tree, with Neji's punch hitting the trunk and leaving a fist-sized crater.

"Getting a bit slow are you, Lee?"

"Not at all, Neji. I have been going easy on you until now."

"I'm sure you have Lee. Now stop doing so and fight. If neither of us is going to go all out, this is a waste of time."

"Very well then. Prepare yourself."

Lee exploded towards Neji, leaping towards the Hyuuga with a flying roundhouse kick. Neji ducked the maneuver, only to receive a foot to his face as Lee completed his rotation, kept spinning, and aimed lower. Neji was sent back hard, sliding away from his opponent. He stood up, very slowly.

"Damn it Lee, do you always have to aim for my jaw?"

"You did request that I go full force. In a full force fight, a broken jaw can hamper an enemy with a good degree of effectiveness."

"Maybe so, but Sakura says that she's getting tired of fixing my face all the time. You wouldn't want to anger her, would you?"

Lee shivered. If there was one thing he would never want to face in his life, it was a fully enraged Sakura. "Very well then. Shall we finish?"

Neji calmly shifted into his jyuuken stance while Lee shifted into his standard fighting pose. The two were motionless for a moment. Suddenly, the fighters dashed towards each other and each swung a punch. Both connected and both of them fell to the ground with a thud. A few moments of silence, and then:

"Once again, a draw."

"Considering you went five years always getting defeated by me, I should think you would enjoy a draw once in awhile."

Lee sat up with a groan, which Neji mirrored. With them no longer in motion, Hinata and Raki could see the wounds that each of them was sporting. The side of Neji's face was turning purple and Lee's hands were bright red from all of the scratches and cuts they had. Both had a healthy layer of dirt on their faces, with grass stains adding a bit of green color.

Neji noticed the audience that the two fighters had gained. "Lee, we have company."

Lee looked and saw Hinata and Raki. "Ah, Hinata-san!" He bounded over to her. "You are looking well. And you have brought a friend with you. Who is he?"

Hinata saw how Raki was slowly backing away from the over-exuberant Lee and gave a small giggle. "Lee-san, this is Raki. Raki-kun, I would like you to meet Lee and Neji." Raki seemed encouraged by the introduction and slowly shook Lee's outstretched hand. "Raki is visiting Konoha and was curious about our ninja training."

"Is that so?" Neji asked as he came up next to Lee. "Where are you visiting from, Raki?"

"He comes from the west," Hinata said, before Raki could open his mouth. "The woman he was traveling with had business with Hokage-sama, and Raki came with her. Hokage-sama suggested that I show Raki-kun around the village, and he wanted to know more about our form of combat, so I brought him here so he could watch."

"Business?" Neji stared hard at Raki before turning to Lee. "Lee, do you think you could demonstrate a little bit while I talk to Hinata for a moment?"

Lee beamed. "Of course. I will strive to be as great a teacher as Gai-sensei! Come Raki-kun, I will show you the power of youth!" Lee grabbed Raki by the arm and dragged the boy off before Raki could protest.

"Please go easy on him, Lee-san!" Hinata called after him. She turned to Neji. "What did you need to talk to me about, Neji-niisan?"

Neji sighed. "Hiashi-sama wants you to come back and live in the Hyuuga house."

Hinata stared hard. Could she have misheard her cousin? "What?"

"Hiashi-sama wants you to come back. He does not want any Hyuuga, branch family or main, to live anywhere but on Hyuuga property."

Hinata bit her lip. "More like he does not like my living with Naruto-kun."

"Perhaps, but that is what he told me. He is willing to forgive your leaving, although you would still be a branch member."

Hinata was silent. So, he wanted her back did he? After telling her that she was a disgrace and that she was not worthy of the Hyuuga name? That she was a worthless shinobi, despite achieving jounin rank like all of her friends? "The Hiashi-sama that I know would not change his mind like that. I was under the impression that, in his eyes, I was not deserving of the Hyuuga bloodline. I doubt he has changed his mind in only a year when he thought that way for more than a decade."

"I am merely the messenger, Hinata-sama. I am relaying what Hiashi-sama told me to tell you."

Hinata watched as Lee punched a tree and then stood back so Raki could mimic him. The younger boy hit the tree, and then started waving his hand around like it was in pain. What Raki and she talked about at Ichiraku's came back to her. How each of them had been alone, but had found someone who could give them a feeling of being welcome. "Neji-niisan, the Hyuuga mansion is no longer my home. I have not been welcome there in years. It was not just because of my unwillingness to fight Hanabi that I was disowned. I have never been able to live up to Hiashi-sama's expectations of me, and if it weren't for you, there would be no one at all who lives there that I could actually call family. The apartment that I live in with Naruto-kun may not be anywhere near as big as the Hyuuga estate. Naruto may be completely lacking in basic house cleaning skills. He may be impossibly energetic, and completely unwilling to buy anything to eat besides instant ramen without my begging him. But he has given me a home. A place where I will always be welcome, no matter what." Hinata looked directly into Neji's eyes. "Tell Hiashi-sama that I will never go back to that foul place ever again."

As Hinata said those words, Neji could see the determination in Hinata's eyes. While he and Naruto may not have always been in agreement about things, Neji had to admit that the hyperactive ninja had given Hinata a truly great gift. He smiled at his cousin, one of the precious few that actually spread across Neji's eternally stoic face. "Very well, Hinata-sama. If that is your wish, I will tell Hiashi-sama that you send your wishes and hopes that he goes to hell."

Hinata returned his smile before darting in to give her cousin a hug. She broke the embrace when she heard Raki's yowl of pain. "Perhaps we should stop Lee before the power of youth breaks Raki-kun's hand."

Halfway through her lap around Konoha, Claire came to realize two things. One was that the girl that had been following her, all the while staring at the Claire's sword, had finally stopped trailing her. Claire had heard her give a small, maybe wistful, sigh before turning around and heading back towards the center of town. Knowing that she was not being followed anymore did give Claire some comfort, as it meant that the girl had merely been an unknowing annoyance rather than a spy.

The second thing realized was that Claire was beginning to develop an enormous headache.

Slayers like her almost never got headaches. Claire herself usually only got them long after she had used her Yoma power and those were only small, momentary ones brought on by using too much power. But apparently all the concentrating she was doing to try and locate this Yoma was doing nothing but cause that pain in her head.

Her lap around Konoha had brought her to a large open area. She had passed similar areas a short distance back, and Claire's best guess was that these were training areas. But this particular one was different from the others. Its distinguishing feature was a smooth, rectangular shaped rock near its center. Curiosity getting the best of her, Claire walked towards the rock. As she neared it, her silver eyes began to pick up shapes carved into the rock. When she reached the rock, Claire saw that the shapes were actually names, reaching from the top down to the bottom where the rock merged with its platform base. A few of them leapt out at her as her eyes scanned downward. Uchiha Obito…Gekko Hayate… Sarutobi Asuma… other names carved in between those, before them, and after.

Claire's curiosity was suddenly piqued. She was in Konoha to slay a Yoma, but she could not keep from deciding that before she left, Claire would ask one of the residents about the meaning behind this rock.

"I see you're admiring one of Konoha's many tourist destinations."

Claire whipped around, drawing her sword in the process. Someone had snuck up on her without her senses telling her! Someone that could do that was dangerous!

It was the blonde man from the hospital. He was just standing there a few meters away, doing nothing but watching her as she brandished her Claymore blade at him.

"I say again, you seem to be admiring one of our tourist destinations."

Claire hesitated before sheathing her blade and returning the man's stare. "I was merely curious as to the meaning behind it. For names to be carved into a rock this way is a… different way of displaying them."

The man tilted his head slightly, as if he was considering what Claire had said, before calmly walking up to the rock next to Claire and crouching down in front of it. His eyes slowly read the names, reaching out to trace one, before rising back up to his full height, nearly two heads taller than Claire, and looking down into her silver eyes. "The names on this rock belong to the village's heroes. Every name on this rock is a person who died in the noblest way possible, serving and protecting Konohagakure. In this way, even if the act itself isn't remembered, the person that did it will be."

So that was it. Claire understood now. It was just like when Claire and Raki had buried Elena. "I had been wondering what it was. But now it reminds me of a memorial I once built for a friend."

"Oh?"

Claire paused while she returned the blonde man's stare. He seemed like he wanted to her to continue. The problem was that Claire was not entirely willing to tell parts of her past to anyone, much less someone she had only met a few hours ago. Claire was reticent to tell even Raki about what she had undergone before she met him. But considering the blonde man had sought her out, and that Claire had vowed to explain herself should he be angry for her comments in the hospital, it would probably be for the best. Besides, she was the one who brought the subject up.

"When I first became a slayer," Claire began, "I had only one true friend. Her name was Elena, and she was also a slayer. I was… with her when she died, and to honor her memory, I buried her and placed her sword into the rock she was buried under. It was a small way to honor her, but a passerby would at least know that a warrior had been laid to rest there."

The blonde man said nothing. Perhaps he had noticed the shortness of her explanation and did not completely believe everything that she had said. What she had told him was the truth, just not all of it. But, for now, that was all that Claire was willing to give him.

The two of them simply stood there for a few moments, not saying anything, both lost in their thoughts. Claire could sense some inner turmoil in the man next to her, as if he wanted to say something, but was unable to think of how best to phrase it. Claire's best guess was that it had something to do with their earlier conversation, but for some reason she was not entirely thrilled at the subject being brought up.

"What were you implying?"

"Implying?"

"Earlier," the man replied, "When I was in my hospital bed. You said how the only one who had been ready for the crisis of the demon fox had been the Yondaime Hokage. Were you insulting the shinobi of Konoha, or did I simply misunderstand?"

There it was. He had brought up the talk in the hospital. "I was not insulting you or your fellow soldiers," Claire said. "You asked me how it could be possible for one trained for a specific purpose, such as I am trained for Yoma slaying, to be killed performing that duty. What I meant was, you are trained to defend your village, as were the ninja from the time of the demon fox's attack. But the only one who was able to succeed in fulfilling that duty in any measurable way was the Yondaime Hokage. I am sorry if you felt that I was insulting you. I was merely making an observation using the little information I had been given concerning the situation here."

The man looked deep into Claire's eyes. There was something familiar in his eyes, but Claire could not place it. It was almost like she had seen eyes like his before. She almost did not notice the hand being extended to her.

"My name," the man said, "is Naruto." His face was expressionless, but Claire understood. She reached out and shook his hand.

"My name is Claire."

A/N: Yeah, I made everyone wait and not a whole lot happened. Wasn't overly satisfied with everything either. Hopefully the next chapter will be more exciting. One can only hope.

As a final note, reviews are the niftyest things on the planet. If only people would leave them for me...