(A/N) And we are finally back. I'm sorry about not updating for two days again, but this week has been crazy busy for me. Hopefully I will be able to get back to updating daily again. That and this chapter had me stumped on how I wanted to work it. Usually I have planned the events for chapters several chapters in advance, but I completely forgot to plan what happened during the month of training. But now I've thought of some things, so I can finally get this chapter done!

Without further ado, let's begin!

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Chapter 31: Preparations

When Naruto and Hinata finally got back home, they went straight to their haven to relax (In other words, have sex). After their "relaxing session", they were sitting in the hot spring, when Hinata said "So how do you want to do this month, Ruto-kun?"

"I say we should just focus on getting stronger. I know that we pretty much outclass everybody else in the finals, but we know the invasion is happening, and it is our job to save as many people as we can. We have to be sure that we are strong enough to take somebody of Orochimaru's level and win. But the only way we could be sure of that is if we were able to beat another sannin. Nobody knows where Tsunade is, and I doubt my Godfather will be showing up soon, so it looks like we will just stick with training with Kurama-sensei, Ammy, and my parents." Answered Naruto.

"Okay, Naru-kun, we'll train our hardest with them. Hopefully a month of focused training will be enough to ensure that we are at that level." Replied Hinata.

(Timeskip no Jutsu)

After that day, Naruto and Hinata began their harsh training regime. They split their time evenly between Kurama, who taught them advanced control with their foxfire, Ammy, who taught them the advanced portions of the basic brush techniques, Minato, who taught them advanced fuinjutsu, as well as starting to help them combine their rasengan with elemental chakra, and Kushina, who helped both Naruto and Hinata become more adept at using their unique weapons, as Kushina was an adept weaponsmaster.

For the next fifteen days, all Naruto and Hinata did was eat, sleep, train, and occasionally have sex. By the end of those days, both Naruto and Hinata had full control over foxfire, and were able to use the advanced brush techniques Fireburst, Icestorm, Whirlwind, and Deluge, as well as bringing their power slash's strength to level two. Naruto was now officially a fuinjutsu master, and Hinata was an advanced user. Both Naruto and Hinata were able to combine their wind and water elements respectively with their rasengans, but they still both were not able to combine regular fire or foxfire with it. They also had not taken the elemental combination to its finest level yet (So no Rasenshuriken yet, but Futon: Rasengan and Suiton: Rasengan are usable). Naruto was now able to fight on par with Asuma in a fight that used solely their trench knives, and his swordsmanship had increased even further. Hinata, although she didn't know it, was at the level that Hanzo was in his prime at using her Kusarigama, and she was able to use her butterfly daggers at the level of Taki, who Minato had brought to the Narutoverse temporarily for her to train with. Both Naruto and Hinata were now able to use each other's weapons comfortably, but they still preferred their own.

(Timeskip no Jutsu KAI!)

On the sixteenth day, Naruto and Hinata decided to take a break from training. They decided to check in with the Hokage on how the defense of the leaf was shaping up.

When Naruto and Hinata appeared in front of Hiruzen in a flash of lavender, he said "Ah, Naruto, Hinata, what can I do for you two?"

"I would like to know how the defensive measures are coming along old man." Requested Naruto.

"They are coming along as well as they are able to regarding the fact that I am doing them in secret. I do not want Suna and Oto to become suspicious. I have increased ANBU patrols, and those who are not patrolling are training. By time the finals come around, they will be better than they have ever been. I have also had all jonin and chunin step up their own training, but I haven't told them about the invasion. I cannot risk our enemies knowing that we know about their plans." Answered Hiruzen.

Naruto nodded and said "Good. When the attack comes, we will hit them back with our full power. Suna and Oto will not be expecting that we have been training harder than ever. However, we still have to be careful. I have a hunch that Orochimaru is somehow behind this attack, and that he will appear during it. Hina-chan and I have been training extra hard so that we will be able to defeat him in a fight, but we have no way of knowing where we are compared to him, as both Tsunade and Jiraiya are nowhere to be found so we can't test ourselves against them."

Hiruzen also nodded and said "I agree with you that Orochimaru must be behind this attack. His sudden appearance in the forest of death only strengthens that theory. However, you two are in luck. I just received word that Jiraiya has just returned to the village. He has not come by yet, so I would say that he is doing "research" at the hot springs. He was last here when you were three, so he knows nothing about your current life. I would suggest meeting with him before he comes by here so that you two can explain your own story to him, instead of me. He will undoubtedly want to know what has become of his godson after all."

Naruto gained an evil grin upon hearing this and said "Thanks for telling me that old man. My wife and I are going to have a little chat with my godfather about responsibilities. Ja Na!"

With that, Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand and the pair disappeared in a flash of lavender.

Hiruzen was left there thinking "Jiraiya you poor bastard. You had better hope that he doesn't summon his parents."

(Konoha's Hot Springs)

Naruto and Hinata appeared in a flash of lavender a little ways from where Jiraiya was currently doing his research. The pair henged into their thirteen year old selves, although Hinata had her jacket unzipped, and started walking over to the pervert. Naruto tapped him on the shoulder and said "Hey mister, you probably shouldn't be peeping on girls. Who knows what they would do to you if they found out. They'll probably think your some kind of pervert."

Jiraiya whirled around and said "Who do you think you are, kid? You don't even have a clue who I am, do you? Allow me to enlighten you!" He made a dramatic pose with his arms outstretched and palms open and continued "I am the one who has trained with the toads to become a sage! I am the one who has traveled the world and written best-selling novels! I am the one who has been named a sannin! I am the one, the only, the great and powerful Jiraiya!"

Naruto and Hinata sweat dropped at his ridiculous introduction and Hinata said "You just seem like a pervert to me."

Jiriaya shifted his attention to Hinata, who he hadn't noticed before, at the sound of her voice and said "Well hello their little lady! How about me, you, and your C-cups meet up later for- OOOPH!"

Jiriaya was cut off by Naruto's fist slamming into his gut. Naruto then growled "That's my wife that you're going after you pervert. And we are both thirteen, don't you have any boundaries? And you call yourself my godfather."

"Boundaries, shmounderies, if she has breasts that big than she's old enough for me! Wait a moment, did you say godfather? Wait, blonde hair and whisker marks? Your name wouldn't happen to be Naruto would it?" asked Jiraiya carefully.

Jiraiya was standing up again now, only for Naruto to punch him in the gut again and say "So ero-sennin finally figures it out. Now apologize to my wife, you pervert!"

Jiraiya groaned as he stood up again and said "Well, well, it seems that my godson is doing better than I ever thought he would. Married at thirteen! And to a Hyuuga from the looks of it! I've heard good things about Hyuuga women, you know." He then bowed deeply to Hinata, and continued "My apologies, miss. It seems that you are taken already."

While Jiraiya was bowing, Naruto slammed his palm into the back of Jiraiya's head, sending him crashing to the ground. Jiraiya was instantly indignant and he leapt up and said "What now? I apologized!"

Naruto grinned and said "Yes, but you were staring at my wife's breasts while you bowed. Don't do it again or I will use my full strength next time."

Hinata giggled and said "Ruto-kun and I have been married since we were both five. My name is Hinata, and if you value your life, I would listen to what my husband says. He's very strong you know."

The gears in Jiraiya's brain started turning after hearing this, and he turned to Naruto and said "Wait, you're telling me that you are married to Hinata Hyuuga, who is the daughter to Hiashi Hyuuga and heiress to the Hyuuga clan? The last time I was here, most of the village hated you as far as I could tell! That, and Hiashi is one of the biggest pricks in existence! How the hell did you pull off marrying his daughter?

Naruto grinned and said "I completely bypassed Hiashi and the entire Hyuuga clan by using a very rarely used style of marrying. Hina-chan then relinquished all of her rights as heiress to her little sister by using a rarely used clan law and officially joined my clan. That didn't happen till earlier this year, although we've been technically married since we were five."

The gears in Jiraiya's brain were working overtime as he tried to process this, and he looked at Hinata once more. This time he actually noticed her tattoo when he looked at her breasts. Realizing what it was, he turned back to Naruto with a horrified look on his face and said "Pull up your shirt and start channeling chakra, now! There is something I need to check that is of utmost importance!"

Naruto grinned and motioned to Hinata. She grabbed both Naruto and Jiraiya's hands and warped with Sorime.

When they reappeared, Jiraiya yelled "What the hell was that? It felt like my old student's jutsu, the Hiraishin!"

Hinata giggled and said "No, it's not the Hiraishin. It's a jutsu of my own making called Sorime."

Jiraiya was dumbstruck. He asked "How the hell did you make that? A genin shouldn't be able to use space-time jutsu at all!"

Naruto grinned and said "She made it by basing it on the mechanics of the Hiraishin, and modifying it so that you don't need the seals necessary for Hiraishin. Sorime allows the user to warp anywhere within their eyesight. Since Hina-chan has the Byakugan, she can use Sorime to its full potential."

"How would she even know the mechanics behind the Hiraishin? The only people that Minato ever explained it to where his bodyguards." He then looked around for the first time and said "And where the hell are we? It looks like some sort of clan compound bedroom. Wait. What clan did Hinata join when she left the Hyuuga?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto's grin widened and he said "Hina-chan joined me in the Namikaze clan!"

"B-but…h-how?" was all that Jiraiya stuttered out before he gathered himself and said "You were not supposed to learn of your heritage until you turned eighteen!"

Hinata giggled and said "Technically, we are eighteen. Why don't you check on Ruto-kun's seal now?"

Ignoring the fact that Hinata apparently knew about Naruto's seal, Jiraiya walked over to Naruto and lifted his shirt. Naruto then began channeling chakra while Jiraiya watched on, and to Jiraiya's horrifying surprise, the seal didn't show up.

Jiraiya mumbled out "Where did the seal go?" in a quiet voice, but Naruto still heard him and said "It's gone. I removed it."

Jiraiya jumped up and screamed "WHAAAAAT!"

Naruto repeated "I removed the seal. The Kyuubi is free from his prison."

Jiriaya was starting to panic, but thinking logically, he said "Wait. If you removed the seal, then you should be dead, as the Kyuubi's chakra would destroy you as it got released."

Naruto grinned and said "Or this could happen." Hinata and Naruto then made a handsign and said "Kai." There was a whirlwind of orange and lavender flames, and they died to reveal the two Hanyou.

Seeing this, Jiraiya's brain finally went on melt down and he fainted.

Jiraiya finally came to a few hours later, and he shot up from where he was lying. He then observed his surroundings. He was sitting on a comfortable bed in what appeared to be a guest room of a clan compound.

A voice then said "It looks like ero-sennin finally woke up. I guess we shocked him pretty badly."

Jiraiya turned to the voice and saw Naruto and Hinata sitting nearby on a couch in the corner of the room. The couple got up and walked towards him, tails swishing behind them.

Jiraiya found his voice and said "So that wasn't some sort of bad dream. What happened to you two?"

Naruto grinned and said "Allow me to tell you our story…"

(One long story later)

"So that's what happened in my life." Concluded Naruto.

Jiraiya was silent for a few minutes, before he finally said "Well kid, it looks like you turned out just fine all things considered. However, I probably should make up my not being there to you, so here's what I'll do. The rest of the time before the exam finals, I will train you two personally. While you have some great teachers already, I can help you in some areas that everybody else couldn't, namely senjutsu. Since you can't become a toad sage, I will help you two train to become fox sages, with Kurama-sama's permission of course. The principal of drawing in nature energy is universal among sages, and it is only the specific techniques that make the various sage modes unique, as well as the physical changes upon entering sage mode."

After a quick mental conversation with Kurama, Naruto said "Kurama-sensei has agreed to the senjutsu training. He said that when we are ready, he will reverse summon us to Shirotsuki (White Moon) Forest so that we may train in the land of the kitsune."

"All right, I just need to speak with the Hokage before we go. I'll be back in around an hour. I'll wait outside of the compound gates." Replied Jiraiya.

With that, Jiraiya disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

(Timeskip no Jutsu)

When Jiraiya returned, he found Naruto and Hinata waiting for him. Naruto summoned Kurama, who then reverse summoned them to Shirotsuki Forest. The land of the kitsune was a large, dense forest that was constantly bathed in the soft white light of a large full moon that remained constantly in the center of the sky.

When they arrived, the resident Kitsune immediately rejoiced when they realized that Kurama had returned. They were led to the elders of the kitsune, Gintsuki (Gold Moon) and Kintsuki (Silver Moon). Gintsuki was an old, gold furred male fox with eight tails, and was around the size of a large dog. Kintsuki was an old silver furred vixen with seven tails, and was slightly smaller than Gintsuki.

The elders spoke privately with Kurama for a while, before they announced that they would help supervise Naruto and Hinata's senjutsu training.

The elders then took Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya to a secluded lake in the middle of the forest. Once there, they began their instruction.

(Timeskip no Jutsu KAI!)

It was now the day of the exam finals, five minutes before the first match, and the crowd of spectators were waiting eagerly in their seats for the matches to begin.

In the arena, all of the genin who made it except for Naruto and Hinata were standing in a line. In front of them was the jonin Genma Shiranui, who would be proctoring the final matches. He was chosen since Hayate was in the hospital, as he was on patrol one night and was attacked by an unknown assailant. He survived only because a nearby ANBU patrol heard a strange noise and went to investigate. Hayate had received a large cut across his chest when the ANBU found him, but they were able to get him to the hospital to save his life in time.

Shikamaru spoke up when there were two minutes before the first match began, and said "It will be troublesome if Naruto and Hinata don't get here in time."

Ino then said "If I had to guess, I would say that they are going to make a big entrance right before time runs out."

Neji scoffed and said "Or they decided to chicken out. Fate has decreed that they will always be weak fools."

Suddenly, there was a huge puff of smoke in the middle of the stadium that cleared to reveal a huge five tailed, dark blue furred fox that was sitting upright.

Instantly the civilians in the crowd started to panic, until a voice rang out and said "HAVE NO FEAR! THE GREAT JIRAIYA IS HERE!"

The civilians looked around for the source of the voice, and found it standing in a pose on top of the giant fox, with Naruto and Hinata standing beside of him in their Hanyou forms.

The civilians were very confused at the sight, as they had all heard of Jiraiya, but they couldn't even begin to comprehend as to why he was with the two demons.

Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya all leapt off of the fox's head, and Hinata turned to the fox and said "Seiga (Blue fang), please shrink down to your usual size. I think that you have freaked enough people out for now."

To everybody's surprise, they heard the fox say in a soft, female voice "Very well mistress." Seiga then started shrinking before everybody's eyes until she reached the size of a regular fox. Seiga than walked over to Hinata and nuzzled her legs.

Naruto and Hinata then stepped forwards and stood in the line that the other genin were in. Jiriaya walked over to Genma and said "I hope we aren't late."

Genma chuckled and said "You got here with ten seconds to spare, but I bet you did that on purpose."

Jiraiya grinned and said "It was Naruto's idea, so don't blame me." He then shunshined away in a swirl of leaves.

In his box, Hiruzen got up and stepped forwards. He cleared his throat and everybody quieted down, and then said "I would like to welcome you all to this year's chunin exam finals. We will now begin the tournament. There are twelve who survived the first two exams, and they will each fight each other in a one on one match. The three winners of the first six fights will then participate in a three way free for all to decide the winner of the tournament. Without further ado, please turn your attention to the exam Procter so that we may begin"

Genma then said to the genin "All right. The first match is Hinata Namikaze vs. Neji Hyuuga, so everybody else head up to the contestants' box."

All of the genin started heading up, but Naruto stuck behind and gave Hinata a quick kiss and said "Do your best," before he followed after the other genin.

With the field now clear, Genma raised his voice so that the audience could hear him and said "The first match of the exams finals is Hinata Namikaze vs. Neji Hyuuga. HAJIME!"

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And that's a wrap! I can pretty much guarantee that the fight between Hinata and Neji will not go how you guys expect it to.

Until next time,

Slice N Dicer