(A/N) We are back. I've just finished rereading my entire story, and I am still quite pleased with how few grammatical errors that I have. I must say that I have a problem with using "strait" when "straight" should be used though. But other than that, there are minimal grammatical errors and I think spelling errors are nonexistent, aside from initially misspelling Sheogorath as Sheagorath. Thank you Microsoft word and your spellcheck. That is the only sort of reviewing I do as I type, because no one is a perfect speller, especially with how weird the rules for English are. I am too lazy to go back and reread my chapter when I finish typing it, and I find it fun to spot out the few errors that I have made when I do my reading of my story on fanfiction. For those of you who have written stories, and have not read your own stories without the critical eye of the writer, you should go back and enjoy your own personal genius.

Now for some reviews. Please read the first one, but the others are not as important. It goes into some details about Naruto and Hinata's weapons, and some of my preferences when it comes to fan created weapons.

.3792: I'm glad that you noticed that Shin'en's ability basically made it an advanced form of Jyuken. Shin'en will be Hinata's primary weapon, but it is not a sword. It is a sickle or Kusarigama. Hinata will use Nijitanken when chakra disruption won't work or she needs elements to help her. I will not have the macabre bone pulse be able to be absorbed by the Nijitanken. I am actually thinking of redeeming Kimimaru later in the story though. He is cool, but his trust is just put in the wrong person. Tsunade will be able to heal him though, and I will probably have Naruto be the one to knock some sense into him. Finally, there is no way that I would just give Naruto a different dimension's weapon, especially Zangetsu. Don't get me wrong, I love Bleach, and I love Zangetsu as a character, but his ability is sort of lame. Getsuga Tensho is the only attack that Ichigo can use for the majority of the series, and the hyper-speed that Ichigo uses against Byakuya is never really seen again after that fight. I like unique abilities, and an energy blast is pretty standard. While Rasenkadou is pretty similar to Getsuga Tensho, it is much more versatile, as it can use Naruto's elements to have variations. And I never said that the Rasenkadou was Kadouken's only ability, did I? I also prefer unique weapons, as in swords are really boring and overused, which is why out of the four, there is only one sword. I have never seen a kusarigama used by a main character in any Naruto fanfic that I have read, and the way Hanzo uses it in Storm 3 is badass. So I gave Hinata one of those, with an ability that complements the standard Hyuuga style of fighting. The trench knives I have seen used before, but they are a very unique weapon in themselves, which is one of the reasons why Asuma is cool. And finally the butterfly daggers I got from Taki from soul caliber, as I have said before. Of all of my weapons, I would say Shin'en is by far the most unique, because it is a Kusarigama and its abilities don't focus on manipulating elements, although it is made of chakra conducting metal, so Hinata can channel her chakra natures through it. I forgot to mention that she has foxfire as well, but hers is even more unique than Naruto's. Her foxfire is lavender colored and has properties akin to phoenix flames, meaning they heal what they burn if she wants them to. How did you think she stabilized Zabuza so fast?

Legionary Prime: I do have to admit that Deadpool would be perfect for the omake. He is now on my to-do list.

3154: I do like the goron idea, and I have added it to my list of things to do in the omake. I have not played DMC though.

Finally, Hinata will not be using the standard Jyuken (gentle fist) when she fights without her weapons. She will be using the style that she created, Juho (gentle step). It is much more fluid than the precise Jyuken. And instead of canon Hinata's Juho: Shoshiken (Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists), she will have Juho: Tsuinkitsuneken, which translates to Gentle Step: Twin Fox Fists. It will be similar to the lion variety, but her fists will have a lavender fox head shroud, and it is more powerful than the lion variety.

So enough rambling, and on with the show we go!

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Chapter 17: Bonds

Tsunami finished up with the story of Inari and his adoptive father (You all should know it by now) and silence hung in the air. Naruto and Hinata then got up and started to head upstairs. Hinata turned and said to Tsunami grimly "We are going to have a few words with your son. If he thinks that he knows pain, then he is sorely mistaken. Ask Kakashi-san for the details of our lives if you wish. Try not to be too horrified by our stories though. Our pain is much worse."

(Meanwhile in Amegakure)

A certain orange haired Akatsuki leader was meditating in the rain that was falling gently down on a statue high up on the highest tower (The place that he meets with Obito). Suddenly he felt a jolt run through him. He said to himself "It would seem that someone has acknowledged their great pain. I sense that the pain that they hold rivals the great pains of my past. I must go out and find whoever holds this pain. We shall see whose pain is greater."

With that said he walked inside the tower and said to Konan who was waiting for him "Come, someone has acknowledged a great pain. We must go and see what pain they have felt. I am the god of pain, and I will see if their pain is worth acknowledging." They then walked deeper into the tower to wake the other five paths.

(I know that I said that I wanted to leave the Akatsuki out of this for the time being, but Nagato is too cool to be ignored. His pain senses were tingling. I intend on redeeming him though, and that will not involve him dying. But it will take some time for him to find Naruto and Hinata, and the confrontation will probably happen after the Chunin Exams)

(Back in the land of waves)

Naruto and Hinata got a shudder down their spines, as if somebody had just acknowledged their pain, and wished to test their own against it, but they ignored the feeling (Hey, Naruto and Hinata have the pain sense too!). They continued heading upstairs, and they entered Inari's room. They found it empty, but they noticed that the window was slightly open. They exited through the window and made their way onto the roof. They found Inari sitting on the roof, crying. Hinata and Naruto then took a seat next to him on either side.

"I see that we are not the only ones with a special place with a good view to go to when we want to escape the pains of our life, Ruto-kun." Said Hinata sadly.

Where they were sitting on the roof looked through a clearing in the forest down onto the village. It was quite a beautiful sight, especially since the sun was beginning to set.

Naruto smiled sadly and said "I was four when I found our spot on top of my dad's head, but I shared it with you on that fateful day when I turned five. Did I ever tell you that the day that changed both of our lives for the better was my birthday? It must have been some sort of divine birthday present. Hard to believe that that was eight years ago."

Inari noticed something that bothered him in his words, so he said "It sounds like you are saying that you are thirteen years old. But that's impossible, you have to be at least eighteen."

Naruto gave a dry laugh and said "Well spotted, kid. Both Hina-chan and I have lived in this world for thirteen years, but our bodies are aged to eighteen. We heard your story of pain from your mother, so allow us to tell you the story of our pain. It all began the day that I was born, October tenth, thirteen years ago. My mother was the holder of the nine tailed fox, and that is where our troubles started. You see, if a female container of a demon gets pregnant, the seal holding the demon will weaken during childbirth. My father, the yondaime Hokage, knew this, and he set up every precaution possible to prevent the Kyuubi's escape. But even still, an evil man found out where my mom was giving birth and slipped inside the barrier where my mom was being kept for childbirth. I had just been born, and my father was about to finish resealing the Kyuubi back into my mom, when the man slaughtered the guards, and took me hostage. My father was able to rescue me and take me to a safe place, but the man was able to get my mom. He took her out of the village, and ripped the Kyuubi from my mother, before placing it under his control. He ordered it to kill my mother, but my dad arrived just in time to save her life. However, my mom was already dying. If it wasn't for my clan's renowned vitality, she would have already been dead. My dad took her to where he had taken me, and left her there while he went off to fight the man. He succeeded in wounding the man, removing the kyuubi from his control, and forcing him to retreat, but he still had the problem of a rampaging demon. Using his special jutsu, he teleported it away from the village, and then teleported me and my mom to where it was. Even in her weakened state, my mom was able to hold down the Kyuubi long enough for my dad to prepare something special. He prepared to seal the Kyuubi within me. The Kyuubi noticed what they were doing and tried to kill me, but my mom and dad shielded me with their bodies. With the last of his strength, my dad asked the sandaime Hokage, who had just arrived, that I was to be viewed as a hero by the village. They then finished sealing the Kyuubi and themselves into me."

Naruto paused to take a breath of air, before continuing "The sandaime took me back to the village, but the civilians did not follow the fourth's final wish. Instead, as I grew up, I was beaten and refused services that a child should normally have. Stores refused to do any business with me, and I was given rotten food if they even gave anything to me. I was kicked out of the orphanage when I was four, and the sandaime pitied me, so he gave me a rundown apartment. It was around this time that I met Hina-chan for the first time. I was wandering through the village when I saw some older boys kicking someone on the ground. They were beating up Hina-chan for being a part of a clan that she wished to have nothing to do with. I stood up for her, and was promptly beaten up for it, but it got them off of Hinata, and they were satisfied, so they took off. Hina-chan was going to check up on me, but her caretaker who had just been watching us get beat up took her away. This continued until my fifth birthday came around. That was when my life started to change for the better."

He took another breath of air before continuing "On my birthdays, it was the annual festival of the fourth stopping the Kyuubi from destroying the village. It was also the day of the annual "Demon Hunts". I was running away from a crowd when I accidently bumped into Hinata. They crowd caught up and were about to kill me when Hinata stopped them. They turned on her. However I got close enough to death that I met the Kyuubi that was inside me for the first time. We made a deal, and I freed him from his seal, and in the process merged with him. I used my new powers to slaughter the crowd, before taking Hina-chan to my special spot on top of the Fourth's stone head. She was intrigued by what had happened, as I then had my tails and ears. She wanted tails and ears too, so I offered her to become my mate for life. She accepted, and I transformed her, but in the process, our bodies became those of eighteen year olds. We were then asked by the Kyuubi to be put under a special transformation until we were strong enough to be our true selves. We accepted and we began living our lives under a mask. It was not until recently that we stopped, and revealed our true selves to everybody. While some people now accept us for who we are, we are still treated horribly by the general civilian populace. However we are not dwelling in our pain, and we are working to change everybody's opinions of us. I follow my father's wishes to become stronger and live a good life, as he was a hero that saved our village and gave us the chance to live."

"But he died! He failed!" blurted out Inari.

Hinata laughed softly and said "He may have died, but he certainly did not fail. None of us would be here if he hadn't given up his life to save everybody. His only regret was that he would not be able to see his son grow up and become strong, a regret that is no longer valid."

"What do you mean?" asked Inari.

"This is what she means!" said Naruto as he flew through hand signs and shouted "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, standing there was Minato and Kushina. Kushina immediately bent down and gave Inari a big hug. She then said "There, there, you should stop thinking of what you have lost and think of what you still have."

"Inari's eyes widened at the strangers actions and he asked "Who are these people, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and said "These are my parents. They sealed themselves within me to help control the Kyuubi's power, but they didn't have the chance to help with the odd way that I gained his power. So now I can summon them at any time."

Inari then stuttered out "But…but…that means that you still have them!"

Minato smiled sadly and said "He still has us, but he does not truly have us. We are still dead. We are just the remnants of the chakra that we sealed inside of him. He cannot keep us out indefinitely, and we will eventually fade, but it does give us the chance to see how our son has grown up, and allows us to help him in his times of need. We are here, but at the same time, we are not. We cannot give him a younger sibling, or dote on him like all parents should be able to."

Inari pouted and said "But something is better than nothing."

Kushina just said "Exactly! And you still have something, and you always will! You have your mom and Tazuna. They are your loving family too! Naruto had absolutely nothing the first few years of his life. His first bond was formed with two kind makers of ramen who knew both of us. I was their best customer, and now he is too. If it were not for their kindness, Naruto would have starved to death a long time ago. But now Naruto is making more bonds, and has found his greatest one in Hinata. If he never met her, I don't even want to know what his life would have been like! Naruto treasures each and every one of his bonds, and that is what keeps him going. If you treasure the bonds that you have, then you will never lose hope. Heroes really do exist, you know. So allow the heroes to come and save your land!"

Inari let out one last big sniff and said "Thank you. All of you. I will treasure my bonds with my Oka-san and Jiji, and I won't give up hope. I believe that you can help save the wave and become true heroes, just like your father was. But you only told me your story, nii-san. I would like to hear nee-chan's story. Wasn't she from a clan? If so, shouldn't her life have been a happy one?"

Hinata smiled sadly and said "Yes I was from a clan. In fact I was heiress to the "greatest" clan in Konoha, the Hyuuga. But that was exactly what made my life horrible. You see, the Hyuuga clan is very traditional, and expect you to be hard and emotionless. I was the exact opposite of that. I was always to kind and forgiving for the clan's tastes, and to gentle to fight. My only saving grace was that my mother was just like me. When I was three years old, I was kidnapped by ninja who were after my clan's special eyes. My father saved my life, but due to political complications, my father's twin had to give up his life in recompense for the man that my father had killed. Both my father and my cousin blamed me for his death. Soon after, my mother died. I still believe that the clan elders poisoned her, but there was no proof as to how she died. After she died, my life became horrible. Every day, the clan elders would brutally train me until I could no longer move. No matter what I did, it was never enough to please them. I lived my life in fear of my own family. The only ones who treated me nicely were the branch members of my clan. But if any of them were ever seen treating me nicely, they were severely punished. I gradually had all of my possessions taken away from me, until only the few that I had hidden in a special place remained. I was forced to sleep on an uncomfortable mat. I contemplated running away several times, but I knew that would never work. You cannot hide from the all-seeing eyes of my clan. But then one fateful day, I saved Ruto-kun's life, and he saved mine, along with making me like him. I had a reason to live from then on, so I took whatever my clan threw at me. My life changed because of Ruto-kun, and he freed me from the prison of my own home. Now I live quite happily with Ruto-kun in his father's clan compound, and my life has been worth living because of him. I continue to live outside of the Hyuuga's oppression, and I have become strong to ensure the safety of those that I hold dear."

Inari once again had tears in his eyes when he said "To be treated as trash by strangers is one thing, but to be treated as trash by your own family? I cannot even imagine what that must have felt like. How are you both able to remain so strong when you have had such horrible lives?"

Naruto and Hinata just smiled and they said together "By grabbing onto the bonds that we have and never letting them go, no matter what!"

Inari wiped the tears from his eyes and said with great determination "Then I will hold onto the bonds that I have, and I will never let them go! My life has been amazing compared to yours', and I refuse to let the life that I have been given get away from me!"

Naruto, Hinata, Kushina, and Minato all smiled at the kid's newfound determination, and Naruto said "Just keep thinking that, and never give up hope. There is always the hope that a Hero can come and salvage even the worst of situations. Now let's get back down to your mother, I'm sure that she has been worried about you."

They all climbed back down off of the roof, and made their way downstairs. Inari immediately ran towards his mother and gave her a huge hug, saying "I'm so sorry at how I treated you after Tou-san's death! Will you ever forgive me? I don't want to lose the bonds that I have been blessed with."

Tsunami was a bit shocked by the sudden change in his behavior, but she smiled and said "There is nothing to be forgiven, Inari. You were just going through a tough spot in your life, that's all."

Inari smiled brilliantly at her and said "Thank you so much Kaa-san! I will work hard to support the family, and I believe nii-san and nee-chan will be the heroes to save our village!"

It was at this point that Naruto, Hinata, Kushina, and Minato made their way down the stairs. Tsunami turned to them and said "Nii-san? Nee-chan? He is calling you brother and sister now? I heard what Kakashi said about your lives, but he didn't go into that much detail, even if what he said was horrific. How did you ever manage to get my boy to do such a complete 180 from how he was acting before? And who are these two? They were not here before."

Hinata giggled and said "We just made him realize the bonds that he already had. And these people are my Ruto-kun's par-"

She was interrupted by Kakashi and Team 7 walking through the door saying "We are back from the village. We got the information we needed. Now we just-"Kakashi cut himself off when he noticed Minato and Kushina standing there. Kakashi stood there for a moment before saying "Minato-sensei? Kushina-san? How?"

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And that's a wrap. Quite the emotional chapter there. I retold Naruto's past and told a little of Hinata's, and I made Inari see the light. Did you guys think that I was all laughs and giggles? I can do the emotional stuff too, you know. But of course I had to leave it on a cliffhanger. In the next chapter, Kakashi gets to meet his sensei again, and will get some sense knocked into him about moping about his past.

Anyways, onto the omake.

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Wheel of Torture Chapter 9

The root members were at it once again. So of course they were failing once again. Apparently learning their lesson was an emotion, because they certainly didn't have it.

Today the wheel stopped on "Angry Birds".

The sky was filled with the sounds of angry tweeting, and the root members just stood there in shock as to what they saw flying at them.

There was a horde of rotund birds of all sizes flying at them.

The birds smashed into the root members, shattering their bones like toothpicks.

The backup root who watched the battalion get smashed by a horde of round feather balls quickly retreated back to their base with one message to their leaders:

"Chickens are not the only member of the feathered kind that they should fear."

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And that's that. Special thanks to DanteShindo for suggesting Angry Birds. I figure if those bird can break through solid stone walls, then bones should be no problem at all. And of course now the root members will not look at any kind of bird the same way again.

Until next time,

Slice N Dicer