Guess who's back! After a hiatus of (three years?!), I'm finally back with more Naruto goodness. I've decided to not end this series at Chapter 5 like I originally wanted to do as throughout the years, I've developed more of what to write. Unfortunately, due to some things in the manga being canon now which were fanon before, the plot of my story has changed just a bit. I'll have some more Q and A at the end of this chapter to basically explain what has changed in the past three years, but I will say one thing. After not updating this story for three years, I've made sure that this chapter was well worth the wait. You will not be disappointed (well at least I hope you won't be)!
--
It was a pretty peaceful morning inside Hokage Tower as Tsunade, the Godaime of Konoha, was actually up bright and early at six am for once. After the performances of Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto the previous day, Tsunade actually felt a glimmer of hope in the new generation stepping up to the plate.
Tsunade was browsing through some official documents that required her seal of approval when there was a knock at the door.
"Who's there?" Tsunade asks, not looking up from her paperwork.
"It's me, Hokage-sama," Nara Shikamaru answers from the other side.
"Good. That means that he is back with my items from the market," Tsunade thinks to herself as she opens the door to let him in.
"I still don't see why I had to go gather these items…" Shikamaru complains with a light blush on his cheeks as he hands Tsunade a bag.
"Well…" Tsunade says as she takes the bag and goes through the contents, which consisted of female deodorant, vaginal cream, and tampons, "As you know, Shizune is taking a couple of days off. With her gone, someone had to retrieve my items…"
"Couldn't you ask one of the other kunoichi though?" Shikamaru asks, slightly irritated. "I'm sure that Ino or Sakura would have been more then happy to do this task for you. And they're girls!"
Before Tsunade can answer the question, there is another knock at the door.
"Women are so troublesome…" Shikamaru mutters as he goes to open the door, revealing a Hyuga on the other side. "What do you want?"
"Hiashi-sama has requested that I deliver the official Hyuga records to the Godaime." The Hyuga messenger responds.
"Hyuga records?" Tsunade thinks to herself as she goes to the door to retrieve the documents, "This is odd…"
Something felt off as Tsunade flips through the records. Tsunade had requested the Census records of Konoha a month ago. Everyone including the Hyuga had complied with this request.
This felt odd due to the fact that by nature, the Hyuga tended to be reclusive. The Hyuga refused to give up any personal information regarding their clan unless it was a request from the Hokage or it was deemed highly important. Seeing that Tsunade hadn't requested anything of Hiashi lately, she assumed that it had to be the latter. Very rarely though did the Hyuga willingly give up information that fell into the second category. That was what had felt so puzzling.
"This looks pretty up to date," Tsunade says as she closes the records, "But I couldn't help but notice that Hyuga Hinata isn't listed anywhere in these records. I'm assuming it must have been a typo in your urgency to deliver these records to me?"
"Hiashi-sama says that isn't a typo…" The Hyuga messenger replies, with a bit of caution in his voice.
"Not a typo?" Tsunade asks, somewhat baffled.
"Yes…" The messenger begins, slightly trembling, "As stated by Hiashi-sama, Hyuga Hinata has been cast out of the Hyuga clan and has been replaced by her younger sister Hyuga Hanabi as heir to the Hyuga."
"Cast out of the Hyuga clan?" Shikamaru wonders in shock as he tries to absorb the new information.
Tsunade's lips suddenly turn into a scowl while her eyes look like they could kill someone. Unknowingly, Tsunade also releases small amounts of chakra from her body.
"What was her offense for such a punishment?" Tsunade asks coldly, "And choose your next words carefully…"
It is here where the Hyuga messenger starts to sweat profusely. He was fully aware that his response was punishable by death. But his Hokage had demanded an answer, so what was he to do?
"Please give me a piece of paper, and I shall write down what Hiashi-sama said…"
"Why do you need a piece of paper?" Tsunade answers, with a bit more irritation and annoyance in her voice, "Answer me! Now!"
"Because what I am about to say can be punishable by death…"
Tsunade sighs in frustration as Shikamaru goes to Tsunade's desk and brings forth a piece of paper and a pen.
"Thank you…" The messenger says as he writes down the message and gives it to Tsunade. Tsunade looks at the paper and her scowl deepens.
"He did what?!" Tsunade roars, as her chakra grows to such levels that several Anbu are posted outside of her door.
The Hyuga messenger quickly realizes that now would be the best time to leave and before Tsunade can do anything else, he quickly dismisses himself in a puff of smoke.
Shikamaru, still confused about what could piss his Hokage off, looks over to Tsunade and is surprised to see that tears are now streaming from her eyes.
Shikamaru takes the note from Tsunade, not quite prepared for what he is about to read.
"For allowing herself to be in a relationship with the Kyuubi vessel…"
Chapter 5: Spring Cleaning! A new beginning!
--
"You can't be serious…" Hiashi says as he looks at his daughter.
"I'm dead serious…" Hinata says, full of confidence, eyes unwavering, "I love Uzumaki Naruto and I will not allow anyone to speak badly about him in my presence…even if it's my own father…"
"Why do you carry affection towards a delinquent such as him?" Hiashi asks not out of concern for his daughter, but mere curiosity.
"Naruto-kun is no delinquent!" Hinata barks. "Naruto-kun is a gentle soul that acknowledged me when nobody else would. His kindness and encouragement gave me the strength that you failed to deliver. He makes me feel like I can do anything. I will defend him even if it means my life!"
"It's a shame that you are wasting such courage on him…" Hiashi frowns as he activates his Byakugan and goes into a Hyuga stance, "I suppose I shall have to teach you a lesson then…"
Hinata charges towards Hiashi and attempts a strike with her right hand. Hiashi sees this and parries. He also parries the follow up strike that Hinata attempts with her left hand and counterattacks with an open palm thrust to Hinata's chest.
"I can't allow myself to be hit!" Hinata thinks as she does a ground roll to the left.
"Her reaction time has improved slightly…" Hiashi analyzes as he watches Hinata get up from the ground. "But it has to be a fluke. Nothing more…"
"You underestimate me, father…" Hinata states as she crosses her index fingers together. "I can see it in your eyes. I can see the doubt that I am not as useless as you assume me to be. And with this next move, I'll show you that I am not one to be taken lightly! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Hinata smirks as she sees the shock in Hiashi's eyes. It wasn't the fact that Hinata had learned how to performed this rare move that had Hiashi in shock, but more of who could have possibly taught it to her. It was the ultimate insult to his face. She was going to beat him with one of the "delinquents" signature moves.
Hiashi grits his teeth as he watches the four Kage Bunshin clones surround Hinata. How dare she defy him like this! Very well then…there would be no mercy…
Hinata's clones dash towards Hiashi while Hinata herself follows her clones at a slight distance. Hiashi seeing this avoids the four clones and strikes Hinata directly.
"Do not think that I would be so naïve as to fall for such a mediocre trick…" Hiashi says as Hinata coughs up blood.
"Do not think that I would be so foolish as to not understand your tactics…father…" Hinata answers back as she disappears in a puff of smoke.
"A clone?!" Hiashi thinks as he realizes that Hinata used a diversion. Hiashi then curses himself for being so stupid. Naruto had used the exact same strategy against Neji in the chunnin finals! How could he forget that!
Due to being so surprised at the growth of Hinata, Hiashi's guard is thrown off slightly as Hinata and her remaining three clones rush in and deliver strikes directly to Hiashi's chest as he is turning around.
Hiashi staggers slightly. Hinata's strength was nowhere near Neji's yet, but the form and precision were dead on. Hinata had truly improved. And had this been under different circumstances, Hiashi would have been proud to call Hinata his daughter.
But these weren't different circumstances. His daughter had fallen for the one boy in Konoha that was forbidden. Why did it have to be him?
So be it. Hanabi had already been back up for heir in case Hinata was deemed unfit. It looked like Hanabi would be back up no longer.
"Kaiten!" Hiashi shouts as he spins his body, destroying Hinata's remaining clones and sending Hinata's body to the ground.
"Looks like I've got no other choice but to use that move…" Hinata thinks to herself as she picks herself up from the ground. "It's now or never…"
Hiashi takes a couple of small breaths. He wouldn't admit it, but Hinata actually did a bit of damage to her old man. But she was still weak and unworthy of the name Hyuga. He would show her why…
Hinata focuses herself for her next attack, but now Hiashi decides to take the offense. Hinata blocks attack after attack while she tries to prepare for her next move.
"What's wrong?" Hiashi mocks, "I thought you were going to show me not to take you lightly!"
Hinata attempts a counterattack out of frustration, but this was exactly what Hiashi wanted Hinata to do. Hiashi parries Hinata's attempt and counters with a strike of his own, initiating the HakkeRokuJuuYonShou.
"You disgust me…" Hiashi says as he strikes Hinata with two palms and then four, "You are not worthy to carry the name of Hyuga!"
Hiashi then moves on to eight strikes, then sixteen, then thirty-two, then finishes it off with sixty-four strikes. Hinata falls to her knees.
"You have ten minutes to pack up your things and leave this place before I throw you out…" Hiashi says as he walks towards the mansion.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmurs as tears start to stream down her cheeks, "I'm sorry…I lost…I couldn't defend your honor…forgive me…please don't hate me…"
"Naruto-kun!"
Hinata opens her eyes. After looking at the clock and seeing that it read 6:30 am, Hinata comes to the conclusion that she merely was dreaming of her bout with her father.
Hinata's eyes suddenly get watery at that memory. She had tried her best for Naruto, and had lost everything. She had failed to fully defend Naruto's honor, and she had lost her home that she had grown up in since she was a child. It was a shame that mother had to die. After mother died, her father had changed completely.
Hinata tries to fight back tears as she gets out of Naruto's bed and goes into the living room. When she sees Naruto on the sofa asleep with nothing but one sheet, the tears that Hinata had been trying to fight back fall freely down her face.
"Naruto-kun gave up his home, for me…"
While Hinata loved Naruto to death, she also felt miserable for the sacrifices that Naruto had made for her. First, he had opened his home up to her. Then, Naruto went to face her father. And then coming back, Naruto gives up his bed so that Hinata would be able to sleep comfortably. Naruto slept on the sofa, but Hinata could see that he was shivering slightly.
"That sheet won't keep you warm…" Hinata says as she looks at Naruto, "You'll catch a cold if you don't get some warmth…"
Hinata then smiles as she removes the sheet from Naruto and rests her body in his chest. Out of instinct, Naruto's arms wrap themselves around Hinata's body.
"This may not be much…" Hinata thinks as she gives Naruto a quick peck on his lips before snuggling her head in his neck and closing her eyes, "But it's the least that I can do for you..."
--
Meanwhile, in a training ground a block away from a dango restaurant, we find Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Tenten waiting for their sensei to appear.
"When is Anko-sensei going to show up?" Chouji asks, "I'm hungry!"
"And she asked us to be here at seven…" Kiba says as Akamaru yawns, "And for what?"
Tenten didn't say anything as she sharpened a kunai, but her frustration was the same as her teammates. Tenten wanted to catch up on her beauty rest. For one, Tenten was not a morning person, but for the sake of the mission she would be willing to do whatever was necessary. Unfortunately, it became a bit more difficult to do this when your sensei was Maito Gai, a man that gave Naruto a run for his money for the title of the most annoying energetic shinobi in Konoha. Her teammate Rock Lee was a runner up.
Chouji opens up a bag of chips and starts munching on them while Tenten sits down on the grass. Kiba follows Tenten's idea and also joins her on the grass, only he decides to lie on his back.
"Well if Anko-sensei is going to be late", Kiba says as he rests his arms behind his head, "I guess it couldn't hurt to get some shuteye until she shows up…"
"Kiba!" Tenten yells as Kiba starts to close his eyes, "You shouldn't do that! We need to wait for Sensei!"
"And I am waiting for sensei…" Kiba says back, "Just wake me when she shows up, ok?"
Tenten is about to complain when a kunai is suddenly launched into the ground a couple of inches away from her and Kiba.
"What the hell?" Kiba curses as he stands up.
"The kunai came from that tree…" Chouji says as he puts his chips away and walks towards his teammates, "I think we have an intruder…"
"Yahoo!" Kiba barks as Akamaru rejoins him from his dog business, "Finally some action! Come on out, whoever you are! I'll take you on!"
"Men!" Tenten thinks to herself as she takes out a second kunai.
A second kunai is launched from the tree that Chouji had pointed at. This time, the team is ready as Tenten blocks it with a kunai of her own.
"I'll get the intruder out…" Tenten says as she takes out four more kunai to make six, three in each hand.
"Get ready!" Tenten shouts to her teammates as she expertly throws all six kunai to the bushes of the tree. Before the kunai completely connect, a shadow jumps out of the tree.
"It's Anko-sensei!" Chouji says as he watches their new sensei descend from the sky.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Kiba asks.
As if answering Kiba's question, Anko tosses three shuriken. Tenten protects the team by throwing three shuriken of her own.
Anko finally lands on the ground. A mischievous smirk crosses her lips as she bites her thumb and then starts performing hand seals.
"Anko-sensei…" Chouji asks, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Anko shouts as she finishes the last hand sign and slams her hand down on the ground. As the smoke clears, a gigantic cobra is present.
"There is your breakfast…" Anko says to the cobra as she points her kunai towards her students, "Eat up!"
"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba shouts as his body takes on a more beast like form. "She's gone crazy!"
"Perhaps she is under some sort of spell…" Tenten suggests as she summons a ninjato from a scroll.
"Can you handle the snake by yourself?" Kiba asks Tenten.
"Yeah…" Tenten says as she jumps back to avoid the snake attempting to devour her, "I think I can manage this big boy on my own…"
"We will save Anko-sensei then…" Chouji says as he and Kiba run towards Anko, "Good luck…"
Due to being under the effects of Shikyaku no Jutsu, Kiba reaches Anko first and attempts a midair slash. Anko grabs Kiba's wrist in midair and slams him to the ground. Anko then follows up this attack by stomping on Kiba's chest with her foot.
"Kiba!" Chouji yells as he sees his teammate on the ground.
Meanwhile, Tenten jumps to her left to avoid another biting attempt from the cobra.
"I have to end this quickly…Kiba and Chouji need my help!"
The cobra raises its head and spits a green substance. Tenten blocks the substance with her ninjato and notices it starting to corrode.
"Acid…" Tenten analyzes as she tries to swing some off. "I definitely can't allow myself to get hit by that."
The cobra spits some more acid and Tenten cartwheels to her right to avoid getting hit.
"This won't last much longer…" Tenten says as she looks at the ninjato melting away. "Only one last option then…"
Tenten tosses the ninjato forward, and it pierces the neck of the cobra. The cobra hisses in agony before it falls to the ground and disappears in a puff of smoke.
"Now to help Kiba and Chouji…"
"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Chouji yells as his body expands slightly.
"Surrender, or he dies…" Anko says venomously as she holds her kunai to Kiba's neck.
"Kiba…" Chouji hisses as he stops his attack.
Before Chouji can think of another solution, Anko jumps back to avoid the kunai thrown by Tenten.
"Kiba, are you alright?" Tenten asks as she helps him up.
"I'm pissed now…" Kiba growls as he pops a soldier pill into his mouth. "Akamaru! It's Showtime!"
Akamaru swallows a soldier pill that turns his fur red. Akamaru then jumps on top of Kiba's back while Kiba himself initiates a hand sign.
"Juujin no Bunshin!" Kiba shouts as Akamaru is transformed into an exact duplicate of Kiba.
"We have to incapacitate her!" Tenten says as she pulls out her summoning scroll once more and summons a sickle with wire attached to it. "I can trap her with this, but she isn't going to just stand there and let us capture her."
"Then you need a diversion…" Chouji figures out as he pulls out several kunai and ties them around his body.
"Leave that to us!" Kiba says as he and Akamaru charge towards Anko.
Tenten starts spinning her sickle while Chouji expands his body a bit more to become more ball shaped.
"Sorry to do this to you sensei," Kiba says as he and Akamaru spin in a drill like manner, "But you leave us no other choice. Gatsuuga!"
Anko jumps to her left to avoid Kiba's attack, but doesn't have a moment to rest as Chouji approaches her now.
"Nikudan Hari Sensha!" Chouji shouts as he rolls towards Anko with his kunai strapped around his body attacking as spikes.
Anko quickly rolls to the right to avoid Chouji's attack, and Tenten takes this opportunity to capture Anko. Tenten throws her sickle, but Anko anticipating this, blocks with her kunai.
"Shoot!" Tenten shouts as she pulls her sickle back and starts spinning again, "I almost had her!"
"We'll get her this time!" Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru drill into the ground and disappear.
Chouji stops rolling and reverts back to his normal form.
"Let's try this again!" Tenten yells as she throws her sickle towards Anko. Anko parries the sickle this time and starts to run towards Tenten before stopping.
"Gatsuuga!" Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru rise up from the ground on opposite sides. Anko however had avoided the attack by jumping backwards due to sensing Kiba's chakra in the ground beforehand.
But as Anko lands on her feet, she suddenly finds that she is not able to move anymore. She looks over to her left and sees that Chouji had stretched his arms and grabbed her.
"Good job, Chouji!" Tenten says as she and Kiba regroup.
"But how do we break Anko-sensei free of whatever spell she is under?" Chouji asks.
"There's no need to worry about that…" Anko says with a smirk on her face, "For I'm not under one…"
"NANI!?" All three teammates yell.
"How else was I able to see what you three brats were truly made of unless I made you think that your life was on the line?" Anko says as she removes herself from Chouji's grasp. "If I'm going to be training you three, I want to be sure that your skills are as good as the Hokage says they are…"
"But if you merely wanted to test us, why didn't you just let us know of your intentions?" Tenten asks.
"If you knew that this were only a test, then you wouldn't have tried as hard…" Anko says as she dusts off her clothes. "I'm not going to babysit anyone. I don't have the time for it. If you are going to be working under me, then I want no less then 100 percent, or else you can just go home. I don't care how Gai does it…I don't care how Asuma does it…and I don't care how Kurenai does things. When you are with me, there will be no training wheels. My training methods are cruel…and they will only continue to get crueler so that your true strength is unlocked…"
Kiba was still pissed from what Anko had put him through, but a grin actually came to his face. Anko was truly the one that would bring out the best of his abilities. Kurenai was a genjutsu genius, but that was it. Her ninjutsu and taijutsu were only average. Anko however, excelled in those two fields. Anko would be able to help Kiba a lot more in his specialized field.
Tenten had respect for Anko due to the fact that she was a strong female special jounin. One of the problems that Tenten had was that most of the female jounin that she knew paled in comparison to their male counterparts. Aside from Tsunade herself, there had not really been any other female jounin's that could really hold their own. Until now that is. In addition, Anko had been able to counter and/or avoid most of Tenten's weapons, her specialty. Anko probably knew even more ways of how to best utilize each weapon.
As for Chouji, he liked the fact that Anko didn't underestimate him, or belittle him. He also liked the fact that he was able to prove his worth without being under Shikamaru's shadow or facing Ino's bossy wrath.
"What the hell are you three all smiling for?" Anko asks. "Don't think you three are top-notch yet! Chouji, you have excellent power, but you are still a bit too slow. You're going to do a lot of running to get some speed up. Kiba, you rush in too much without thinking. You have a nice balance of speed and power, but what good is it if you can't connect? You're going to be reading a lot of books so you aren't so damn impulsive!"
Tenten giggles as Kiba and Chouji hang their heads down.
"Don't think I'm finished yet!" Anko says as she points at Tenten, "Tenten, I refuse to have a weak kunoichi under me! You might have good accuracy, but you have no power, and your attacks take too long to set up. If this had been one on one, you would have already been done for!"
Now Tenten hangs her head down in shame.
"But…" Anko begins again, with a softer tone this time, "You three understand the concept of teamwork. And your individual styles work well together. You three know how to adapt well to new situations and you aren't cowards. I'm proud to have you three under me…"
Anko actually smiles this time, which causes Kiba, Tenten, and Chouji to smile as well. Maybe working under Anko wouldn't be so bad after all…
"Now then…" Anko says as she does some hand seals, "I think it's time to take things up a notch. I wasn't kidding when I said that my training methods were going to be cruel…"
Anko clasps her hands together after finishing her seals, and suddenly, Chouji and Tenten fall to the ground.
"My legs…" Chouji says, "They feel so heavy…"
"My wrists…" Tenten says, "I can barely move them…"
"Exactly!" Anko says. "I've given the two of you chakra bracelets. Since you lack speed Chouji, I've placed them on your ankles. Since you lack power Tenten, I've placed them on your wrists. The two of you will have to move around with those on all day. They will only disappear when you go to sleep, and reappear when you wake up. You can thank Gai for teaching this to me!"
"Gai-sensei…!" Tenten fumes.
"I feel bad for you two!" Kiba laughs.
"Don't think I'm finished yet, Kiba-kun…" Anko sadistically mocks as she performs some more hand seals, "Hon no Jutsu!"
Immediately, Kiba is buried under a pile of books on philosophy, tactics, and strategy.
"What the hell?!" Kiba shouts as his head rises from all of the books.
"You might have the perfect balance of speed and power," Anko says, "But your brain could use some work. So you are going to be reading all of those books."
"Heh, this is nothing…" Kiba barks, full of confidence.
"Oh really?" Anko asks as she picks up a book, "Just so you know, you have to have read this entire book by tomorrow…"
Kiba grabs the book and flips through the pages, "What the hell! This book has 500 pages! How the hell do you expect me to read this entire thing by tomorrow?"
"That's your problem…" Anko says as she repeats the jutsu to remove all of the books except the one that Kiba is expected to read. "I'll know if you actually did it or not though, so don't try anything funny. As for you Chouji and Tenten, if you try to remove the jutsu, it will backfire and add ten pounds, so don't try and break it."
Chouji and Tenten barely manage to stand as Anko reaches into her jacket.
"I almost forgot…" Anko says to Akamaru as she feeds him a dog treat, "This is for you! You did a very excellent job! I'm very proud of you!"
Akamaru barks happily but then whimpers when he sees Kiba's facial expression.
"You three are dismissed, " Anko says as she starts to walk away. "And Kiba, if I were you, I would start reading that thing now. Time is not on your side you know…"
Kiba growls as he pulls out the book that he was assigned to read. Already into the first page, and Kiba is ready to fall asleep due to the boredom of it. Meanwhile, Chouji and Tenten who are barely able to stand now find it even harder to move around.
"Now for some dango…" Anko says as she disappears in smoke.
Then again, it looked like working under Mitarashi Anko was going to be cruel…very cruel…
--
Hyuga Compound, 7am
"Thank you all for arriving to this emergency meeting on such short notice…" Hiashi begins as he looks at the Hyuga gathered inside the room. "I bear bad news this morning. It would seem that my ex-daughter Hinata, has disgraced our prestigious clan for the last time. As such, I saw fit to remove her so that her negative influence would not corrupt any others in our clan."
Neji frowned as he and Shino secretly listened to the conversation taking place between Hiashi and a couple of the elder advisors. Neji had thought that his uncle had changed after finding out the truth about his father at the chunnin exams, but it seemed that he was wrong.
"If anything is wrong..."Shino says, "Then my bugs will tell us..."
"What was her offense?" An advisor asks.
"She fell in love with that Kyubi garbage!" Hiashi shouts as he slams his fist down on the table, "She is now beyond saving after suffering such corruption. The only reason why I didn't kill her is because it would bring too many questions from outsiders that don't understand our clan."
The majority of the advisors in the room agreed fully with Hiashi. As the most prestigious clan in all of Konoha, the Hyuga had to be very mindful of who they chose to associate themselves with. To converse with the Kyubi brat every now and then was no real consequence since he was a fellow shinobi. But to get intimate with him in any way outside of missions was unacceptable.
"Kyubi garbage?" Neji asks himself as they continue to listen in, "Then that means…"
"This is bad..." Shino says.
"No disrespect, Hiashi-sama," One of Hiashi's advisors speaks, "But I don't agree with your decision concerning Hinata. As much as we would like her to be mature and wise, she is still a child learning the ways of the world. It is our duty to guide her and help her to learn from her mistakes so that she won't make worse ones. Is it truly right to just abandon her in her time of need?"
"You dare question me?" Hiashi asks the advisor that spoke out, "I'll show you what happens when you defy me!"
Hiashi strikes the advisor directly in the heart with a chakra filled hand. The advisor slumps down on the table dead.
"Anyone else have any objections to the way I run things?" Hiashi asks the other advisors in the room.
The remaining advisors all shake their heads no.
"Good…" Hiashi says as he stands up. "Now our next order of business is how to groom Hanabi and ensure that she is not corrupted like her sister was…"
--
"Never forget that you are not alone…we are here for you, so don't push away the ones who care about you most…"
Those had been Kakashi's final words before leaving Sasuke with his community service assignment, weed pulling. It had not been the first time that Kakashi had given Sasuke a couple of words of wisdom, but this time, Sasuke was willing to listen to them.
In retrospect, Sasuke realized that he had gotten off lucky. Had it been anyone else that had attempted what he once did, they would either be dead right now or rotting away in the Konoha correctional facility.
"And I don't even have to deal with Ibiki…" Sasuke smirks as he pulls out a weed and tosses it to the side. His trials had been a wake up call. Life was not a game. Running away and claiming to be an avenger held very little honor in the long run. Sure he would have gotten Itachi, but at what cost? What would have had to be sacrificed in order to attain this goal?
"Maybe there's another way…" Sasuke wonders as he pulls out another weed. Sasuke wanted to avenge his clan, but he also had other ambitions. He wanted to restore the Uchiha clan. And he wanted to reopen the Konoha police force. His father Fugaku had been the head of it when he was a child. To protect…to defend…it felt like the right way to use the power that he had been blessed with.
"I could sure use some water…" Sasuke says as he wipes some sweat off of his forehead.
As if a mystical force were granting his wish, a glass of water is suddenly held in front of Sasuke's face.
Sasuke turns his head around and looks up to see who it is he has to thank and smiles when he sees who the recipient is.
"I thought you might be thirsty, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura says as she offers the glass of water with her left hand and holds an onigiri ball in her right hand.
"Shouldn't you be teaching?" Sasuke asks as he accepts the water and onigiri.
"Ino and I decided to end class early." Sakura says as she watches Sasuke eat, "Ino couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru, and I couldn't stop thinking about you…"
"Are you sure that's wise to end class early?" Sasuke asks as he drinks from his glass, "I must make amends for my crimes, and the kids of Konoha need guidance so that they don't turn out to be foolish shinobi like Orochimaru…or me…"
"We didn't let them go so easily…" Sakura says as she sticks her tongue out at Sasuke, "They were told to study the tree climbing exercise. If we want them to truly be strong, then we need to start teaching them the more advanced stuff sooner…"
"I see…" Sasuke says as he finishes off the onigiri, "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work…"
"Do you want me to help you?" Sakura asks.
"No…" Sasuke says, "I can't accept your help with this. This is something that I must do myself. Naruto had never been offered help on anything, so I must honor the pain that he went through. But thanks for the offer…"
"What does Naruto have to do with anything?" Sakura asks.
"Haven't you ever wondered why everyone in this village hates Naruto?"
"You should be grateful, Sasuke. You may not have family, but at least you have people that care about you. This entire village loves you…"
"…While you may have people like Sakura adoring you, Naruto doesn't have anybody. Naruto would give anything to be in your place right now. I know that you have suffered through a lot, but so has Naruto, if not worse. Growing up for Naruto has literally been a living hell…"
Sasuke thought back to what Tsunade had told him about a month ago. Now that Sasuke thought about it further, why did Naruto have to grow up alone? Why did a lot of people in the village despise him? Being a prankster was annoying, yes, but it would not be enough to get the majority of the village against you. Naruto's situation seemed to feel…secretive…
"We'll find out soon…" Sasuke says as he pulls out a weed, "Very soon…"
--
"So what will we do today, Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee asks as he and Maito Gai walk through town.
"Your flames of youth are burning brighter then they ever have before, Lee…" Gai begins, "But it is important that we do not overexert those flames and put them out. Therefore, we shall rest today, to give the body time to properly rest…"
"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee shouts as he salutes Gai, "I will do as you say and keep my flames of youth burning bright!"
"How about some curry, Lee?" Gai asks as he points to a curry restaurant, "My treat!"
"Yosh!" Lee shouts with enthusiasm. While Lee liked any kind of food, Lee was more partial to spicy foods, curry in particular.
"Help!" A female resident shouts, "That guy stole my purse!"
"How awful!" Lee shouts as he sees the guy running through Konoha village, "Somebody must put a stop to his evil ways, and that person shall be me!"
"What about giving your body time to rest, Lee?" Gai asks.
"One cannot rest when injustice is present, Gai-sensei…" Lee says, "I would not be able to enjoy myself when I see evil and I have the ability to do something about it. I did not forget your words of wisdom, Gai-sensei, but please forgive me and allow me to make an exception this one time and help this lady in her time of need. You can order the curry right now. I shall not be gone long."
Tears started to come out of Gai's eyes as he heard his favorite student speak.
"Sniff…that was…beautiful…Lee…"
"Gai-sensei!" Lee cries into Gai's chest.
"Now go Lee!" Gai shouts. "Show that evildoer how powerful your flames of youth are and I shall reward you with a curry feast!"
"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee shouts as he jumps on top of the roof.
"Man…that was easy…" The crook says as he hides in an alley. "With the village trying to recover after Orochimaru's attack, the higher ups don't have time to focus on small petty stuff like this…"
Just at that moment, a kunai appears in front of his feet.
"A kunai?" The crook asks as he picks it up. "Then that means that I am being foll…"
"Dynamic Entry!" Lee shouts as he knocks out the crook with a flying jump kick and recovers the purse, "I cannot stand around and allow this injustice to go on! I wish there were a smaller organization in Konoha devoted to this cause. I understand that the Hokage is very busy with bigger issues, but that doesn't mean that the smaller issues should be ignored…hmm…"
Lee returns the purse to the lady that it was stolen from.
"Thank you so much!" The woman says as she hugs Lee, "Words cannot express how thankful I am to you!"
"It was my pleasure!" Lee says as he holds his thumb up in the "nice guy" pose, "I am only doing what I can to ensure that Konoha is a safe haven for people of all ages! And as long as the flames of youth burn bright in my body, I will devote my life to this cause!"
--
"Naruto…Naruto…!"
"Kyu…Kyubi?"
Naruto was surprised. Usually whenever a "conversation" needed to take place, Naruto was the one who initiated it. And the conversations really only consisted of "Give me your power, you damn fox!" or "I need more power!", or "Shut up, you damn fox!" Naruto only seemed to converse with Kyubi when his life was hanging in the balance. But his life wasn't in danger right now, so why did Kyubi decide to speak with him?
"What do you want, you damn fox!"
"I must inform you brat, that due to a miscalculation, the seal binding us together will cease to exist…"
"What do you mean?" Naruto asks confused, "Are you saying that the seal will be destroyed?"
"That is precisely what I mean…" Kyubi responds back.
"But if that happens," Naruto begins, "What's going to happen to you…? Or to me…?"
"I will cease to exist…" Kyubi begins again, "And all of my power, will be transferred onto you. In essence, you will be me, only without my memories and knowledge…"
"I see…" Naruto says as he tries to absorb the information.
"There is more…" Kyubi says, "Before I was sealed into you, I was immortal. I could be killed under certain circumstances, but I would not die of natural causes or any of the sicknesses that you humans suffer. But since my life is now drawn to yours, when our fusion is complete, you will gain my immortality, as well as your mate and any kids that you might acquire after our fusion is complete…My power will essentially be your kekkei genkai…"
"Do you know how long it will be before our fusion is complete?"
"Judging from the damage to the seal…about five years…"
--
"You wanted to see me?" Mitarashi Anko asks as she stands in Tsunade's office.
"If you have anything else planned with your team today, you might want to cancel…" Tsunade says sternly as she hands Anko a folder.
"No, I'm finished with my team for the day," Anko says as she takes the folder from Tsunade, "But I still don't see what is so important that I have to cancel any plans that I might have had with them…"
"Open it…" Tsunade says, "And you'll understand just why…"
Anko unravels the string around the folder and flips the top up. Anko pulls a document out and starts reading it. At first, Anko assumes it to be a mission as it has some of her personal data contained inside. But after reading a bit further…
"No…!" Anko says in shock, "This…this can't be…! You're bullshitting me, right?"
"What is contained inside is no joke, Anko…" Tsunade says with a serious look on her face, "It really isn't that difficult to figure out when you stop to think about it…"
"Then…then that means…!"
"Yes…" Tsunade says, "Now you see why I suggested you cancel anything that you might have planned with your team. This requires your full attention. I recommend that you act quickly, before it is too late…"
--
"If the village didn't like me before, they really aren't going to like me now…" Naruto says as he starts to wake up.
Naruto was actually still a bit pissed with what the Kyubi had told him. All of his life, Naruto had taken the beatings, taken the abuse, and dedicated himself as a proud ninja of Konoha just to prove to the village that he was not, the Kyubi no Kitsune. But now what was he supposed to say? In five years, the false claims that the village used to make against him (which some villagers still do claim behind closed doors) will actually turn out to be true. Life had been hard, but Naruto had worked his ass off cause "hey!" Things can't stay bad forever! Eventually things will get better! And for a while, it actually started to work. Slowly, Naruto had started to earn a little bit of respect from Konoha. Finally, people were starting to look at Naruto for his actions, and not those of the prisoner stored inside of him.
But now all of that hard work was about to be torn down…
A lot of innocent people had died in that attack a little over a decade ago. A lot of villagers lost their loved ones. Iruka-sensei for example, lost both of his parents, yet he still treated Naruto like a human being.
Unfortunately, Iruka was one of the few exceptions. Most of the villagers simply blamed Naruto for taking away their loved ones.
And that was the other thing that pissed Naruto off about all of this. Why did it have to happen to him! It wasn't fair! Why did he have to be the container for Kyubi? Didn't he have a right to decide his fate? But no…once again, a decision concerning him is made without informing him. Naruto never asked for this, and now he was being punished for this...
Immortality? Feh. What good is it to live forever when the villagers continue to hate you? To be hated for eternity for something that you had no hand in? Naruto wished that he would rather be dead.
And then there was Hinata. Sure, she loved him because she could actually see that he was not the Kyubi, but would she still be saying the same thing in three years when the fusion was complete? As Kyubi had said, if Hinata truly got intimate with Naruto, then she would inherit some of his power. All of the scorn that he had dealt with his whole life…would now be Hinata's problem to deal with as well. Hinata had already lost her family, but at least she still had the rest of the village for support. But if she mated with him, then she would lose that as well! Was Hinata truly prepared for what she was giving up for him?
Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He loved Hinata, but he didn't want her to suffer anymore because of him. He didn't want to leave her, but what other option did she have?
"Hinata-chan…I said that I was going to take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise…you are my precious person and I give you my word that as long as I'm around…nothing bad like this is ever going to happen to you again…I said it before, and I'll say it again…I don't take back my words…that is my way of the ninja…"
It was then that Naruto remembered his silent vow that he had made to Hinata last night. Naruto had given his word that he would keep Hinata safe from harm, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
But that vow had been made before Naruto knew what would happen to him.
"Kuso!" Naruto curses mentally. He had no idea what to do. It seemed like every decision he wanted to make contradicted another.
"Maybe I'll be able to think a bit clearer after a shower…" Naruto says as he gets up from the couch and heads towards the bathroom.
As soon as Naruto opens the bathroom door, his mouth hangs open.
Inside the bathroom was pink. Lots of it…
Pink towel, pink washcloths, even the shower curtains were pink. Not even the toilet seat was spared, for it too, had a pink covering on top.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yells, "Do you know what happened to the stuff I had inside the bathroom?"
"Oh they were dirty, Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells out from the bedroom, "So I decided to wash them! We should probably do some shopping! You probably aren't comfortable with all of this pink in your bathroom, are you? I'm sorry if it doesn't please you, but I felt that you deserved some clean things…"
"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says to himself. Nobody had ever done anything like that for him, not even Sakura-chan. Hinata truly loved him. Maybe she might understand. And if she didn't…
"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says as he walks into the bedroom, "You might want to sit down. There's something that I have to tell you…"
--
"Ha ha ha!" Ino laughed as Shikamaru told her how "troublesome" his day had been.
"Oh man!" Ino says as she wraps herself around Shikamaru's arms, "I wish I could have been there to see it! You…picking up feminine products! Was it "a drag?"
Truthfully, the day had been horrible, and not because Shikamaru had been chosen to be Tsunade's "errand boy" for the day. The true horror was when he found out that Hinata had been disowned and kicked out of the Hyuga grounds by her own father. The icing on the cake was that the reason for Hinata's expulsion was due to the fact that she had fallen in love with the "Kyubi vessel".
This had been what had been puzzling Shikamaru all day. The only person that Hinata had been in love with was Naruto…
As for the Kyubi, the Kyubi was killed when the Fourth Hokage had used Shiki Fuujin to seal the Kyubi's soul to the underworld.
Or at least, that's what the legend stated.
Something told Shikamaru that there was more to the story then Konoha was willing to let on.
And he was going to find out what it was…
--
"I've got to hurry! There's no time to lose!"
Anko sprinted throughout all of Konoha, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in her quest to make it to her destination in time. This was a secret S ranked mission assigned only to her. Failure was not an option. She had to make it in time.
--
"I see…" Hinata says as she looks down at the floor, "So in five years, the Kyubi will merge with you completely, and you will have all of his powers, including his immortality and the ability to take his form?"
"Yes…" Naruto says.
"And if I become fully intimate with you, not only will I receive those same powers but any children that we might have will gain those same powers as well?"
"Yeah…" Naruto says.
"I see…" Hinata says again.
Neither Naruto nor Hinata shared any eye contact as Hinata tried to digest the information that she received. Kyubi still being alive inside of Naruto had been one thing, but Naruto being able to converse with the Kyubi was another. And now, as Naruto says, in essence, he will be the new Kyubi, only without its memories and knowledge.
"Naruto…" Hinata says, finally giving him eye contact.
Naruto is quick to notice that this had been the first time that Hinata had not added the suffix of "kun" after his name. Looks like it's over. Well it was fun…
"…So the rest of the village would hate us eternally…" Hinata says, "But I don't care! If it means that I get to love you eternally, then that is a great tradeoff!"
"Hinata-chan…"
"Nothing could make me hate you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she cuddles close to him on the bed and nuzzles her head under his neck. "We both know that you had no say in the matters concerning the Kyubi, so why should I punish you for that? I'll love you till the end of time, and nothing is going to change that! Now lets do some shopping!"
Hinata kisses Naruto on the cheek and gets up from the bed to head into the bathroom to take a shower. Naruto grins as he places a hand on the cheek where Hinata had kissed him.
"Then till the end of time, I shall watch over you, Hinata-chan…"
--
"Let's try that shop, Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells as she drags his arm.
Naruto looks around and is quick to notice the odd stares around them. But what makes it different this time is that the majority of the stares are not aimed at Naruto, but Hinata.
"Hinata…"
"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"
"Look around…"
"Oh I already know about them, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says cheerfully, "They don't approve of me being seen with you in such light. I am "tarnishing" the honor of my former clan, it seems…"
"How can she be so optimistic about this?" Naruto asks himself at first, but smiles when he quickly figures out the answer.
No matter what he did, people were going to continue to stare. It would never stop. However, it would only become painful if he paid any mind to it. If he ignored it and didn't give those villagers the satisfaction of knowing that their disapproving looks were hurting him, then it wouldn't hurt as much and they would leave him alone.
"Looks like she has already figured out the secret…" Naruto thinks as Hinata drags him into a furniture store.
"So what color should we go with for carpeting, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks as she and Naruto look around.
"Your favorite color is purple, right?"
"Yes." Hinata answers.
"Then why don't we pick your favorite color and my favorite color, and combine them together! Let's go for an orange and purple theme!"
"That's a wonderful idea, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she hugs him. "I'll make some clones to get the purple!"
"Then I guess my job is to get orange!"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto and Hinata shout simultaneously as eight clones appear.
"Let's go pay for this stuff and get something to eat!" Hinata says as she takes Naruto's hand and walks towards the register.
Meanwhile, at Ichiraku…
"Where is he?!" A frustrated Jiraiya fumes.
Just at that moment, Anko appears.
"Shoot!" Anko fumes as she looks around, "He isn't in here! Wait…Jiraiya…!"
"Ah, Anko…" Jiraiya greets as Anko approaches him, "What can I do for you?"
"I've been given a very special mission by Tsunade-sama…and I was told that you could help me complete it…"
"What is this mission?" Jiraiya asks.
Jiraiya's eyes open after Anko whispers into his ear her assignment.
"Stick with me Anko," Jiraiya says, "We've got work to do!"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouts as he summons a fifth clone, "You unlock the door and make sure that all of our stuff gets home safely!"
"Got it!" The Naruto clone says before turning to the other Naruto clones and the Hinata clones, "Alright everyone! Let's go!"
"So what do you want to eat, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks after the clones disappear.
"I love ramen," Naruto says, "But I understand that we can't go to Ichiraku all the time since it wouldn't be fair to you. So you decide."
"Let's walk around." Hinata says as she takes Naruto's arm and leads him out of the store.
As soon as Naruto and Hinata step outside the store, a dagger lands directly in front of them.
"What the hell?!" Naruto curses as Hinata gets into a defensive stance.
Before Naruto and Hinata can question the source of the dagger, Anko and Jiraiya appear in front of them.
"Don't move…" Anko says sadistically as she plays with a second dagger.
"Erosennin?!" Naruto asks confused, "What's going on?"
"Naruto…" Jiraiya says, "You had better come with me."
"Right now?" Naruto asks, "Hinata-chan and I kinda wanted to get something to eat first…"
"Bring her along, too!" Jiraiya says, "This is very important, and I have to tell you right away!"
"And I finally get to draw a Hyuga female. Nice work, Naruto…getting close to a Hyuga has always been damn near impossible to do, due to their Byakugan. But now I have one right in front of me! This is like a dream come true!"
--
"Aw man that hit the spot!" Naruto says as he lays back in satisfaction.
"Tell me about it!" Anko agrees as she also lays back in her chair in satisfaction.
Both Hinata and Jiraiya look at Naruto and Anko and sweatdrop. It was almost weird how passionate the two were about their favorite foods.
The quartet had decided to meet in a restaurant that specialized in all kinds of foods. While the ramen and dango were not as good as the places that specialized in it, it seemed to have sufficed to satisfy the cravings of Anko and Naruto.
"I'm glad that you're full now Naruto," Jiraiya says as he drinks from his teacup, "Because what I'm about to tell you requires your full attention…"
Naruto sits up straight as he pays attention to what Jiraiya is about to say.
"Naruto…has it ever bothered you that you never knew anything about your parents or any other family members?"
"Yeah…" Naruto says, "It did. I always wondered what it would be like to have a father and mother. And a brother and sister…"
"Well this isn't easy to say, Naruto…" Jiraiya says, "But it has to be said. Naruto, your father's name was Minato Namikaze. And he was the fourth Hokage…"
"Nani!?" Naruto shouts in surprise. "I'm the fourth hokage's son?"
"Yes…" Jiraiya says, "Minato was my student, and he asked me to be your godfather when your mother was pregnant with you…"
"But why would he abandon me?" Naruto asks, filled with hurt, "It's been so lonely growing up by myself. Why did he choose me to hold the Kyubi?"
"Minato couldn't ask any parent to do that which he was unwilling to do himself, so that's why he chose you…" Jiraiya says, "Your mother Kushina Uzumaki died from complications after you were born. Neither of your parents wanted to abandon you. They both loved you very much…"
Naruto sighs as he thinks about what his life could have been. To have someone to walk him home once academy had ended…to have someone to tuck him in at night…to have someone to read him a bedtime story…to have someone to make breakfast for him in the morning…to have someone to tell him that they loved him…to have someone to look forward to seeing once he got home…
"You're not leaving until you clean all of this up!" Iruka disciplined.
"So?!" Naruto shouted, "It's not like I have anyone to go home to…"
That old memory had been enough to send Naruto's emotions over the edge. Tears started to flow down Naruto's cheeks.
Anko sympathized with Naruto for she too knew what it was like to grow up unloved. Anko had grown up without any parents, and the closest thing that she had to that had been Orochimaru before he betrayed her.
"Cheer up, Naruto!" Anko says with a smile on her face, "Your parents may be gone, but you still have living relatives here in Konoha!"
"I do?" Naruto says as he perks up a bit.
"He does?" Hinata thinks. Hinata had stayed quiet throughout most of the conversation as she had felt it would have been out of place for her to say anything.
"Yes." Anko says, "Tsunade-sama had given me a special mission earlier today. That mission was to inform you that you had living relatives…"
"Why would Oba-chan give you that mission?" Naruto asks.
"Because…" Anko says with a grin, "I just happen to be one of those living relatives. I'm your aunt…"
Both Naruto and Hinata go wide-eyed in shock, and Hinata thinks back to the chunnin exams…
CRASH!
"I am Anko Mitarashi! The next examiner for the Chunnin Exams!"
"Your mother was my half sister, Naruto…" Anko says as she plays around with a dango stick, "Through DNA testing by Tsunade-sama, she was able to confirm that my father was a two-timer. He had a wife in the former Waterfall village as well as one here in the Leaf. Your mother…my sister…Kushina Uzumaki…was from the Waterfall village. This was a secret that he had hoped he would be able to take to the grave, but that won't be the case as we all know the truth now."
It all made sense now, Hinata started to realize. One of the common things that a lot of the rookie nine had thought back at the Chunnin exams was that Naruto and Anko's personality were very similar. The reason being that they were related!
"So what now?" Naruto asks.
"Well as your father's sister in law, that makes me a member of the Namikaze Clan. So I get to live in his estate as it rightfully belongs to me. As it rightfully belongs to you. As you are my nephew, that means that I get to teach you some cool jutsus!"
"I guess this means I have to start calling you Anko-nichan now, huh?"
"Don't push your luck…" Anko says, "I might accept you as my nephew, but that doesn't mean that I'm ready to accept pet names from you. Save them for your girlfriend over there…"
At that comment, both Naruto and Hinata blush bright red.
"I guess this means that I'll have to make some more clones to take our stuff over to the estate then?" Naruto asks Hinata.
"Looks like it…" Hinata says.
"Not so fast," Jiraiya butts in, "There is still one unfinished piece of business that I have to let you know about."
"What now?" Naruto says.
"Do you remember what happened when you and I tried to find Tsunade?" Jiraiya asks.
"Yeah," Naruto says, "We ran into Sasuke's brother and that fish guy from Akatsuki."
"Well I hear that they are on the move again, so as such, you need to be as far away from Konoha as possible."
"For how long?" Naruto asks.
Jiraiya holds up five fingers.
"5 months?" Naruto asks. "Well that isn't so bad."
"No Naruto, not months. Years…"
"5 years?!" Naruto says, "But I can't leave Hinata-chan behind for that long."
"I'll look after her while you are gone," Anko says.
"No…" Hinata finally speaks up, "I want to go with Naruto-kun."
"I'm sorry, but this is a man's journey…" Jiraiya says.
"Heh…" Naruto thinks as he puts his fingers together, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"
As the smoke around Naruto disappears, Naruto is not present but a naked female version of him is there instead.
"Please let her come along, Jiraiya-sama…" Naruko begs Jiraiya. "For me? O…nei…ga…i…?
"Ok, she can come along!" Jiraiya says, his mind cloudy.
"Heh…" Anko laughs, "Looks like this will be a fun 5 years on the road! Now I can't stay behind!"
"You're coming too, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks.
"Of course!" Anko says. "This village is dull as of late anyway. This will be a chance for me to see something new. And I'll teach you the stuff that I know so that you can be a better kunoichi…"
"What about your team?" Jiraiya asks.
"Oh Ebisu can have them," Anko says. "Besides, his team will be gone on the road for five years, so I'll give him something special to do. They were starting to grow on me, but my family needs me."
"Then pack up all the stuff that you'll need tonight…" Jiraiya says as Naruko transforms back into Naruto, "Because we leave in the morning…"
--
"Anko-sensei, how can you leave us now?" Chouji asks.
"Sorry Chouji…" Anko says to him as well as Tenten, "But this is something that I have to do. I just found out yesterday that I'm related to the number one hyperactive idiot of Konoha over there…" Anko says as she points her thumb at Naruto over by the entrance, "So we both want to make up for lost time seeing that neither of us grew up with any family."
"I joked that you two might be related…" Tenten says, "But I never thought it could be true!"
"Where's Kiba?" Anko asks, "I wanted to say goodbye to him as well!"
"He's over there talking to Hinata…" Chouji says pointing a finger towards the Konoha gates.
"Take care of yourself, Hinata…" Kiba says.
"Thank you, Kiba…" Hinata says as she gives him a hug, "I will. And you keep yourself and Akamaru healthy."
"Right!" Kiba says as Akamaru barks.
"So it looks like you're leaving the village this time…" Sasuke says as he, Sakura and Kakashi stand by Naruto at the borders.
"Yeah…" Naruto says, "But don't you worry. I'll be back in five years! That's a promise!"
"Naruto…" Sakura says as she hugs him tightly, "I'm sorry for all the mean things I've ever done to you…"
"Don't worry about it…" Naruto says as the hug ends.
"Before you go, Naruto…" Sasuke says, "The Hokage said that your childhood growing up was classified. What exactly happened to you?"
"I'll tell you guys…" Naruto says, "Kakashi-sensei already knows but wasn't allowed to tell you."
"Kakashi-sensei knows?" Sakura asks.
"That I do…" Kakashi speaks. "But it is Naruto's secret, so only he is allowed to tell it."
"Sasuke…Sakura-chan…I am the container for Kyubi…"
"That explains that unknown power that you had all the time…" Sasuke thinks to himself, "No…the kyubi was not your power…your true power was your determination and willpower…your ability to never give up…that has always been your true power…"
"Ok, time to go!" Jiraiya says.
"See you all in five years!" Naruto says as he and Hinata gather up their things.
"Be strong for me!" Anko says, as she gets ready to head out. "And Kiba?"
"Yeah?" Kiba says as he joins his new teammates.
"Take care of your team…"
"You don't need to ask me that. You already know that I'll do it…"
"Everyone…" Naruto thinks as he walks out the Konoha gates, "I promise you that when I return in five years, I'll be a lot stronger then I am now. And I'll prove without a shadow of a doubt that I'm not the Kyubi. I might have all of his power when I come back, but I will only use it to defend all of you. Stay strong everyone, cause as soon as I return, I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it! That is my promise of a lifetime!"
End of Book 1
--
Yes…it's been two and a half years since I last posted a chapter of Acknowledgement, but it's finally here…ironically, this is also how much time has gone by between the end of part 1 of Naruto and the beginning of part 2 of Naruto. Funny, isn't it?
I read the emails and the reviews, and I thank each and every one of you for responding, for that gave me the strength to finish this. Part of the problem was this…
1) I discovered that I am a "jack of all trades" artist.
Sometime last year, I had an epiphany. That epiphany was that I was not a writer, but a musician, and that I needed to return to my roots (which I did). But once I started transforming my bedroom into a music studio, I had another epiphany. While I couldn't give up the music, I couldn't give up the writing either. They are both a part of me. As such, not only am I still working on my original story, but also some drawing projects, as well as some music that I've been composing.
2) There are some things in life that you just can't learn from a textbook…
A lot has changed in the past three years. I more or less got a full time job, got my own place, and even had a couple of relationships. I was starting to get a feeling for what the real world was and starting to make that transformation from a boy to a man. But now that I've seemed to have dealt with that, I can focus on the things that I enjoy, like my music, and my writing…
3) Lack of muse hurts the spirit
Writing great fanfiction is a lot like having sex. In order for it to be really good, you have to be in the mood. Sure you can try to force it to happen, but then you just end up disappointing yourself, getting frustrated, and might even get a headache or two.
4) The mind of a Kage Bunshin warrior…
My mind is like that of Kage Bunshin…it is split in several different places. I will constantly be thinking about several different stories (fanfiction and original) all at the same time. In fact, before I finished typing this up, I was actually thinking first of finishing up chapter 2 of my Cherry Blossom remix (halfway done people), then I was thinking of my original story while at work. Then, I was thinking about a short Naruto story that would star Sakura and Hinata, and as a bonus, I would leave a sneak preview of Acknowledgement chapter 5 at the end, but then my inspiration came fully to finish the fic, and here it is.
As you read at the end, this is the end of book 1, so even if it takes me another 3 years to release another chapter (which hopefully it won't), at least now the story is ended on a point that is somewhat conclusive but not finally conclusive (think season finale). There will be a chapter 6 to this story, and it will take place 5 years later. Here is a preview…
"Now that you are both Jounin…" Tsunade says as she looks over the files for Naruto and Hinata, "It's time to assign you both a team. It's time for you to lead now…"
Yeah…Naruto and Hinata are going to come back and kick much ass…
If you have any questions that I haven't answered, then feel free to email me or reply or whatever, and I'll respond the best I can.
I've also updated this chapter by fixing typos, and giving Shino a couple of lines.
Until next chapter/story! Thanks for reading!