"Everyone… "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!"
These were the thoughts that went through Naruto's mind as the quartet walked through Fire country. The promise to return stronger then he was before so that he could protect all of his precious people.
While Naruto was excited to be receiving some special training, five years felt like an awfully long time. How would things in Konoha change while he was gone? In addition to that, Naruto wouldn't get to taste the food of the gods known as Ichiraku. How would he get by?
"As soon as five years are over, I'm immediately heading to Ichiraku for some ramen!" Naruto thought miserably. Five years was too long to be away from Ichiraku.
"Five years with Naruto-kun…" Hinata thinks as she blushes slightly, "This is so romantic!"
" I wonder how Konoha is reacting to the news that I'm related to Minato through marriage?" Anko thinks to herself. Not too many people in Konoha had been nice to her growing up following Orochimaru's defection. This would show those bastards.
"Before five years are up, I've got to be sure that I capture some pictures of Anko and Hinata…" Jiraiya thinks to himself, trying to avoid a nosebleed, "This would make for some great inspiration!"
Five Year Journey! Naruto and Hinata's growth!
--
"Oy! Erosennin!" Naruto yells as they reach the borders of Fire Country," Where are we going?"
"In order to elude Akatsuki," Jiraiya begins, "We must go to a place that is not well known and hard to get into. Therefore, we will be going to Myobokuzan, the land of the toads. Once we get there, you will be trained in Senjutsu and learn the same techniques that I know."
"Really?" Naruto says with sparkles of excitement in his eyes, "That sounds so cool! Do you hear that Hinata? We're going to go to Myobokuzan!"
"No Naruto," Jiraiya says seriously, "Only you and I will be going to Myobokuzan. Hinata and Anko will not be allowed to go."
"Nani?" Naruto asks, "Why can't they come?"
"As I said before," Jiraiya says, "Myobokuzan is the land of the toads. The only humans allowed on that mountain are ones that have signed the toad contract. Since Anko has signed the snake contract, she is forbidden from entering."
"And besides," Anko chimes in, "Hinata has her own special training that she will be doing. She won't have time for any romantic getaways."
Naruto and Hinata blush at this comment.
Anko does a couple of hand signs before slamming her hand down on the ground. When the smoke clears, a summoning contract is seen.
"The only thing that I regret about this contract is that it reminds me of him…" Anko says with disgust in her voice.
"Orochimaru…" Naruto and Jiraiya think in unison.
"Who does it remind you of, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks, not being in on the secret.
"Orochimaru…" Anko says as she opens up the summoning contract, "But that's all in the past. Hinata, I need you to sign your name on this contract so that you can officially become my apprentice."
"Ok." Hinata says as she searches her pockets for a pen.
"Not with a pen sweetie," Anko says with a smirk, "But with your blood!"
"My…my blood?" Hinata asks, slightly terrified. She then looks to Naruto for confirmation.
"It's true…" Naruto says as he nods his head, "Only by using our blood can we connect ourselves with the animals that we summon. But it's really cool to do! Once you learn how to do it, you can summon a partner anytime you want to! It's like how Kiba has Akamaru!"
"Really?" Hinata says.
"Yeah, I'll show you. Watch me closely." Jiraiya says as he bites his thumb and does some hand signs before slamming his palm on the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
When the smoke clears, a small old green frog is present.
"You're not Gamabunta…" Naruto says.
"Watch your language, Naruto!" Jiraiya says as he slams his knuckles into Naruto's skull, "This is Fukasaku, one of the two great sages of Myobokuzan! He is going to help with your training!"
"Are you perverted like Erosennin?" Naruto asks as he holds his head in pain.
Fukasaku immediately starts laughing.
"Oh, I haven't had a good laugh like that in a while!" Fukasaku says with a chuckle, "No…I have no interest in those orange books of his…"
"Fukasaku-sama…" Hinata says as she bows in front of him, "It is an honor to meet you."
"Oh? Such manners from a young lady! I'm impressed! Tell me, what is your name?"
"I am Hyuga Hinata…" Hinata eloquently speaks, "Former heir to the Hyuga clan, and future wife to Uzumaki Naruto!"
"I see…" Fukasaku says, "Interesting…"
And it was interesting. Here standing before him was the former heir to the prestigious Hyuga clan. If that wasn't interesting enough, this young lady also said that she would marry Uzumaki Naruto. Being aware of Naruto's parentage as well as his unique "condition", Fukasaku had to say that this was an event that he would probably never see again in his lifetime.
"As for you…" Fukasaku says as he looks towards Anko, "You have the essence of snakes on you. Who might you be?"
"I am Mitarashi Anko…" Anko begins, slightly disgusted, "Former apprentice to snake Sannin Orochimaru…"
"That explains why she has the essence of snakes…" Fukasaku thinks.
"However…" Anko continues with a smile on her face, "I am also the maternal aunt of Uzumaki Naruto!"
And just when Fukasaku thought things couldn't get more interesting, they did. Orochimaru's former apprentice also happened to be a blood relative to Minato's only child? There was truly something special about the boy…
"Are you ready to go?" Fukasaku asks the men, "We must head out at once to begin the training."
"How long are we going to be gone?" Naruto asks.
"Three years." Jiraiya answers.
"Three years?" Naruto asks in shock.
"That time frame isn't just for you, Naruto," Anko butts in, "That is also to allow Hinata enough time to get the hang of summoning down and learn my snake jutsus. For the next three years, she and I will be training on Hebiyama."
"It's not that…" Naruto says seriously, "It's just that, all of my life, I've been alone. But now, when I finally get someone that is more precious to me then life itself, and finally find out that I have a living blood relative who has suffered the same pain of loneliness as much as I have, they are taken away from me!"
"Naruto…" Anko says as in a rare moment of femininity, she hugs Naruto. Anko understood Naruto's pain perfectly. Anko could remember the cold stares that she received from the other villagers. "Snake whore" had been her nickname, and those words hurt more then any kunai ever could.
"It's only going to be for three years, Naruto," Anko says as tears stream down her cheeks, another rare feminine moment, "And then you and me can get to know each other and make up for all of those lost years. Now that I know that you are related to me, I'm never letting you out of my sight again! But for now, you have to be strong, Naruto! If you wish to protect everyone, then you can't break down, even when things look like they are at their worst! You have to keep moving forward! That's the kind of person Konoha needs. Become that person, Naruto! Become that Hokage!"
"You're right!" Naruto says as he breaks up the hug, his spirits returned, "I can't fall apart now! Everyone needs me to be strong!"
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she throws herself on her crush, "I'll miss you! But don't worry! Three years is a small price to pay for an eternity together! Remember that, even when you don't have the strength to move!"
"This is perfect!" Jiraiya thinks as he jots down notes to the scene playing in front of him, "This will be great for chapter eight with Hiromi and Kazuto!"
"For luck…" Hinata says as she cups Naruto's cheeks with her hands and pulls him into a deep kiss.
Jiraiya starts to nosebleed as he continues writing. Who knew that bringing Hinata along would create such inspiration?
"We must be going now," Fukasaku says as Hinata breaks up the kiss as quickly as it had begun.
"How do we get to Myobokuzan?" Naruto asks.
"It takes about a month to get there on foot," Fukasaku explains, "But if you don't the secret entrance, you'll get lost. We are not going by foot however…"
"We're not?" Naruto asks, "Then how are we-" POOF!
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells as she sees that both Naruto and Jiraiya have disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"Reverse summoning…" Fukasaku says before disappearing in a poof of smoke as well.
"Now that the men are gone," Anko says as she lays the snake contract back onto the ground, "I need you to sign this so we can begin."
"Ok." Hinata says as she bites her thumb to draw blood, and then signs her name directly below Anko's.
"Do you remember the hand signs that Jiraiya did earlier?" Anko asks as the contract disappears in a poof of smoke.
"Yes." Hinata answers.
"Good. Then show me Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Hinata does the hand signs correctly before shouting "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" and slamming her hand on the ground. When the smoke clears, Hinata sees a purple Egyptian cobra about 2 feet tall.
"Ankohh…" The snake hisses, "Why have you summoned me?"
"I'm not the one that summoned you," Anko says as she points towards Hinata, "She is."
"Her?" The snake asks in disbelief, "She looks too pampered to summon a snake of my caliber…"
"Appearances can be deceiving…" Anko says, "But she did summon you."
"I did it to prove that I could…" Hinata says.
"So you finally speak…" The snake says as it slithers over to Hinata, "Tell me little girl, what is your name?"
"I am Hyuga Hinata." Hinata answers properly.
"Hyugaa…then I was right…" The snake says with a bit of disgust, "You are a pampered little girl. Tell me, why should I listen to a spoiled brat like you?"
"I no longer have any ties to the Hyuga other then in name and bloodline," Hinata says, "I was originally the next heir to the Hyuga until my father disowned me two days ago…"
"And you expect me to pity you because of that?" The snake says scornfully. "I am Hebiko, daughter of the snake boss Manda. But Manda has no compassion for any of his children! He told me that if I wanted respect, then I would have to earn it for myself! As far as he was concerned, I was dead to him!"
"I am terribly sorry for what has happened to you," Hinata says as she tries to approach Hebiko, "But that is why we should work together. We have common upbringings…"
"Feh!" Hebiko says as she slaps Hinata's hand away with her tail, "Even despite your expulsion from your former clan, you still act like a pampered little girl! I don't care if you did summon me, you make me sick!"
"Tell me…" Hinata says humbly as she bows, "What must I do to earn your respect? What must I do to gain favor in your eyes?"
"Get up…" Hebiko says, "You are no longer Hyuga, so why do you resort to your old ways?"
"You're right…" Hinata says as she gets up off the ground.
"Why are you even still a kunoichi anyway?" Hebiko asks. "Now that you are not a Hyuga, you no longer have any obligation to continue the path of the shinobi."
"I wish to be strong enough to protect all that is precious to me!" Hinata proclaims with a bit more confidence in her voice, "I will show everyone in my village that my status does not determine how powerful I can be! I want respect because I've earned it, not because of what my family name is! I will show them all that I'm not the pampered princess that always needs to be rescued, but that I can hold my own! I don't want to be seen as a failure or a liability any longer, I want to be seen as a proud kunoichi that can hold her own like Anko-sensei!"
"There may be hope for her yet…" Anko thinks to herself.
"You talk big," Hebiko says, slightly impressed, "But how strong is your resolve?"
"Tell me what I must do," Hinata says, "And I shall show you that you won't regret being summoned by me!"
"You are aware that the training on Hebiyama will be harsh?"
"I am." Hinata answers.
"And I can almost guarantee that you will have a couple of scars upon your body, making you less desirable to males…"
"If I'm afraid of getting a couple of scars, then I don't deserve to be a ninja!" Hinata shouts, "I will not be like the other kunoichi that worry more about their figure then their actual skill! And if I can't be strong enough to hold my own, then I don't deserve to get married! I will not rely solely on my looks to get by!"
"Spoken like a true kunoichi…" Hebiko says with a smile, "I look forward to being your summon, Hyuga Hinata! Hurry up and make it to Hebiyama!"
With those words, Hebiko disappears in smoke. Left in her place is a scroll.
"Ready to go, Hinata?" Anko says as she picks up the scroll, "Hebiko left us a present. This scroll is good for only one use, but it will summon us directly to Hebiyama."
"How long would it take us to get to Hebiyama by foot?" Hinata asks.
"We could make it by nightfall if we hustle," Anko says.
"Then save the scroll…" Hinata says, slightly dizzy, "We don't need to use it. If I… really want to be strong… then I can't rely on any shortcuts…."
"Hinata?" Anko asks, "How much chakra did you use?"
"Most of it…" Hinata says before passing out on the ground.
"Such resolve…" Anko says with a smile as she slumps Hinata's body over her shoulder, "She'll be a great wife to Naruto once I'm through with her…"
The scroll turns into dust as Anko and Hinata disappear in a poof of smoke.
--
Myobokuzan
"Wow! This place is cool!" Naruto exclaims as he looks around Myobokuzan.
"I'm glad that you enjoy it," Fukasaku says, "Now follow me, and I shall show you to your quarters."
As Naruto walks, he spots a familiar orange frog with a blue jacket.
"Gamakichi!" Naruto shouts.
"Naruto!" Gamakichi says as he approaches, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to be training here for the next three years!"
"You two already know each other?" Fukasaku asks.
"Yeah." Naruto says, "Gamakichi has helped me in a pinch lots of times."
"And Naruto always gave me snacks." Gamakichi says as Naruto gives him a bag of ramen flavored chips.
"Gamakichi." Fukasaku asks, "How would you like to help out in the training? There are a couple of techniques that require Naruto to have a partner."
"Count me in!" Gamakichi says before hopping away to enjoy his snack.
"This is where you and little Jiraiya will be staying." Fukasaku says as they walk across lily pads into a room that is made completely out of seashell. In the middle of the room is a stone table, while on opposite sides of the room laid beds made of wood.
"You are probably hungry," Fukasaku says as Naruto and Jiraiya get settled into the room, "I'll see about getting you some food so that you have the energy for training."
"What are we going to do first?" Naruto asks Jiraiya.
"We need to figure out your element," Jiraiya says, "So that we know what jutsus will work best with you."
--
Hebiyama
"Ok princess," Anko says as she tosses Hinata into the river, "Time to wake up!"
"Aren't you the harsh one?" Hebiko asks as a splash is heard.
"I can't go easy on her anymore…" Anko says, "For her sake, and the people that she desires to protect with all of her heart, Hinata must be stronger. This is merely the first step in accomplishing that goal."
"Achoo!" A now soaked Hinata sneezes as she climbs out of the river.
"Have a nice swim?" Anko asks as Hinata starts to approach.
Hebiko meanwhile, is rolling around on the floor in laughter.
"Was it really necessary to wake me by dropping me in the river?" Hinata asks.
"No, but it was sure fun to do!" Anko says trying to keep from laughing, "Besides, that is your first lesson that you will receive from me. I will not go easy on you these next three years! If you want to be a strong kunoichi, then you'll have to tough it out!"
"I understand…" Hinata says as she squeezes some water out of her hair.
"I suppose the first thing we should do is figure out what element you are," Anko says as she takes out some chakra paper, "I don't want to waste time trying to teach you jutsu that you don't have any capacity of learning."
"How does this work?" Hinata asks as she takes a sheet from Anko.
"This paper is designed to do one of five things depending on what element you are. If you are earth, the paper will turn into dust. If you are lightning, the paper will crumble up into a ball. If you are fire, the paper will burn. If you are water, the paper will become wet and soggy, and if you are wind, the paper will slice in two."
--
"What element are you, Erosennin?" Naruto asks after grabbing a sheet of chakra paper.
"I guess I'll show you!" Jiraiya says as he focuses his chakra into his sheet of paper. Moments later, the paper becomes dust.
"As you can see, I'm the earth element!" Jiraiya says as a gust of wind blows away the remaining pieces, " Now you try, Naruto! Just focus a bit of your chakra into the paper!"
"Ok!" Naruto says as he channels his chakra.
--
"I'm Fire!" Anko says as her paper burns. "Now it's your turn, Hinata! Let's see what element you are! Channel your chakra into the paper!"
"Hai!" Hinata says as she focuses.
--
"Wind?" Jiraiya says as Naruto's paper is sliced in two, "Then that means your element is good for close range fighting."
"I wonder what Hinata's element is?" Naruto asks as his paper falls to the floor.
--
"Ironic that your element would be water, considering your little swim earlier…" Anko says as Hinata's paper becomes soaked.
Hebiko is once again on the floor laughing.
"I'm sure glad I decided to accept you, Hinata!" Hebiko says between laughs, "Who knew you could be such entertainment!"
Hinata retaliates by throwing a kunai towards Hebiko.
"Yesss…" Hebiko thinks as she catches the kunai with expert timing, "Hinata is finally showing some backbone…"
"Unfortunately, this also presents us with a bit of a problem…" Anko says as Hinata returns her attention, "Most of the elemental jutsu that I know are fire based. Since your element is water, performing them will be next to impossible."
"Wait a second!" Hinata thinks, "I can perform Kage Bunshin thanks to Naruto-kun. Since my element is water, that means that I can probably perform the water variation with little difficulty!"
Hinata crosses her fingers while trying to think of nothing but water.
From the river nearby, a blob of water starts to shape into a clone of Hinata before stepping out of the river.
"Hinata…" Anko says in shock as she sees the clone approaching, "How did you perform Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu out of the blue like that?"
"You can thank Naruto-kun for that…" Hinata's clone answers, "He taught me how to perform Kage Bunshin. Since my nature is water based, I figured that using a water variation of the move would be easier for me to do and use up less chakra."
"Amazing…" Hebiko thinks, truly impressed by Hinata's intelligence and potential. "This will be an interesting three years…"
"Fortunately, I came prepared!" Anko says as she goes to her bag and tosses a couple of scrolls with 水 on it to Hinata.
"Water jutsu?" Hinata asks, seeing the kanji for "mizu" on them.
"What kind of teacher would I be if I couldn't see to your needs?" Anko says with a grin.
"Thank you." Hinata says with a bow.
"Don't start getting sappy on me…" Anko warns, "Now dispel your Bunshin and take a soldier pill. Then I'll show you your first snake technique, the Senei Jashu."
--
Hebiyama, One year later
"Senei Jashu!" Hinata yells as a snake comes out of the sleeve of her shirt.
"Excellent!" Anko says as she avoids Hinata's attack, "You've mastered the use of Senei Jashu. When we meet back up with Naruto in two more years, I'll teach you a more advanced version of this move."
"Really?" Hinata asks as she thinks about her beloved.
Hinata never got an answer to her question for she soon found herself knocked in the river.
"You must really like the water," Anko mocks from hearing that familiar splash, "Cause you sure seem to spend a lot of time in it…"
And just like last year, Hebiko is on the ground laughing.
"This "Naruto" must be very dear to Hinata if he can distract her from her training," Hebiko says as a now soaked Hinata comes out of the river.
"He is…" Anko says as she pulls out a picture and shows it to Hebiko, "He also happens to be my nephew."
"Naruto is your nephew?" Hebiko asks.
"Yep, although I didn't find out until a year ago. It turns out that his mother was my half sister, and I didn't even know it. I only met her once before she died giving birth to him. But now I'll watch over him."
"He's kinda cute…" Hebiko says with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Hey!" A soaked Hinata says as she looks at the picture, "He's mine! Get your own boyfriend!"
"This would probably be a good time for a dango break…" Anko says as Hinata and Hebiko talk about Naruto like giddy schoolgirls.
--
Myobokuzan
"Oodama Rasengan!" Naruto shouts as he slams his attack into a tree.
"Your new original Rasengan is complete!" Jiraiya says as Naruto's Bunshin pops, "But before we learn any more new techniques, let's hone all of the ones that you already know first."
"Like what?" Naruto asks as he drinks some green tea.
"For starters," Jiraiya begins as he takes out some papers, "Do you know the full power of Kage Bunshin?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm surprised that you don't know, considering how often you use the technique," Jiraiya says, "Everything that one of your Bunshin learns or experiences, including fatigue, is passed on to you once it disperses. So for example, say you and one clone work out for one hour. When the clone is gone, it will pass on its hour of experience to you. So that would be equal to two hours of working out even though you technically only worked for one."
"So that means…" Naruto says as he starts counting his fingers, "That if ten of my clones work out with me, it will be like me working out for eleven hours?"
"Exactly." Jiraiya says. "Everything that your clone experiences is passed on to you. Make one clone."
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouts as he creates one clone, "Now what?"
"You stay over there!" Jiraiya yells, "But your clone! I want you to come here and read this!"
Naruto's clone goes over to Jiraiya and starts reading the papers in Jiraiya's hand before blushing bright red in the face.
"What happened?" The original Naruto asks.
"Find out for yourself…" Jiraiya says grinning as he dispels Naruto's clone with an elbow jab.
"Kazuto-kun!" Hiromi moans as Kazuto nibbles on her breasts, "I…I want it!!"
"Are you sure?" Kazuto says as he positions himself over Hiromi's naked body.
"Haiii!!" Hiromi moans again as Kazuto uses his fingers to pleasure her, "Hyaku!!"
"As you wish…" Kazuto says as he thrusts himself inside of Hiromi, "Ikuzo!"
Naruto immediately nosebleeds as the memory of what his clone read enters his mind.
"You pervert!" Naruto yells as he covers his nose with both of his hands, "You did that on purpose!"
"HA! HA! HA!" Jiraiya roars in laughter, "What's the matter, Naruto? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?"
"Are they always like this?" Fukasaku asks Gamakichi as they watch Naruto and Jiraiya bicker from the sidelines.
"Always…" Gamakichi answers.
"You'll regret doing that…" Naruto says with a mischievous smirk as he crosses his fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Immediately, a hundred clones surround the field.
"Uzumaki Naruto Ougi!" Naruto and all of his clones say in unison, "Harem no Jutsu!"
Suddenly the field is covered with 101 naked women.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Several "Naruko's" say as they hug the perverted sage, "Am I cute enough for you?"
There is suddenly a gush of blood everywhere as Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Gamakichi pass out on the ground unconscious.
"Perhaps that was overkill…" The original Naruto says, rubbing the back of his head.
--
Hebiyama, Two years later
"This time, you're going to be the one taking a swim, Anko-sensei!" Hinata shouts as she and Anko spar over Hebiyama river.
"She's greatly improved over these past two years…" Anko thinks as she dodges Hinata's strikes, "I can't allow myself to be hit by any of her attacks, or I'll lose…"
Hinata does a couple of hand signs before holding her right palm forward.
"Mizuton! Mizuhou!" Hinata shouts as a stream of water is released from the palm of her hand.
"Nice try Hinata!" Anko yells as she jumps over the attack, "But you'll have to do better then that!"
As Anko starts to land, she realizes just how close she is to Hinata. And once she sees the glint in Hinata's eyes, she knows that she is in trouble.
"You are in my field of divination!" Hinata yells, "Prepare to eat Juken!"
"Nothing to use Kawarimi on…" Anko thinks as she grits her teeth, "Only one other option then…"
Right as Hinata is about to strike, she stops at the last minute.
"Na…Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks confused.
"Hinata-chan…" Anko (henged into Naruto) says, "Three years is too long a wait to be away from each other. I missed your beautiful face and your beautiful body."
"No…" Hinata says as her face turns red, "You can't be Naruto-kun…he's supposed to be training on Myobokuzan…"
"I snuck away just to see you…" Naruto says as his clothes now disappear, "Let's do it, right here and right now!"
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she faints and falls into the water.
"Hormones are a shinobi's greatest weakness," Anko says as a soaked Hinata rises up from the water.
"I don't believe I fell for that again!" An enraged Hinata thinks as she uses chakra to stand on the surface of the river. "Using my love for Naruto-kun against me! Ooh!!"
"Remember what I've told you Hinata," Anko lectures, "In the world of ninja, there are no rules. Your enemies will not hesitate to use such tactics against you for the sake of the mission. It's not just about strength and guts, you also must keep your emotions in check! And never let your guard down!"
"I agree…" Hinata says as a pair of hands grab Anko's ankles before dragging her down into the river, "Never let your guard down, or you might have sensed my Mizu Bunshin!"
"She's learning…" Anko thinks as she destroys Hinata's Mizu Bunshin and leaps back to the surface.
"How does the water feel, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks, sticking out her tongue.
"Not bad…" Anko says as she takes out a kunai, "Ready to receive another scar?"
"Bring it!" Hinata says as she also takes out a kunai.
Ripples form on the water as both kunoichi's charge each other. The intensity of the duel brings out other snake inhabitants as an audience.
"That girl…" One snake says, looking at Hinata, "She has come a long way…"
--
Myobokuzan
"Naruto picked up Senjutsu a lot faster then I thought…" Fukasaku says as he watches Naruto train.
"I'm proud of him…" Jiraiya says, also watching, "I'm glad that I took him on as my apprentice…"
"In two years, Naruto has completely mastered his wind element, picked up earth and water, and gotten the concept of Senjutsu down. There is nothing more that I can teach him…"
"I didn't think that he would finish a year early either," Jiraiya says as Naruto now uses Senjutsu to lift up a giant statue, "But there is still the matter of Akatsuki. My sources are telling me that they are still pretty active, especially in the Fire country, so we have to stay out here for one more year."
"I understand," Fukasaku says, "Take all the time you need."
--
Myobokuzan, Three years later
"Are you excited, Hinata?" Anko asks the now 16 year old teenager as they stand at the entrance of Myobokuzan.
Hinata had remained quiet during the trip to Myobokuzan. A lot had changed in three years. Her hair had gotten longer, and she now wore a pair of formal sandals with heels instead of the standard shinobi footwear. Hinata also wore a mesh shirt and black pants with a purple stripe across them underneath an open long sleeved black trench coat. Her ninja headband was now orange in color instead of the standard blue. It still sat around her neck. Hinata's body had also changed during the beginning of the third year. Her breast size had gone from an A cup to a C cup, and while her waist had remained slim during her training, Hinata had also developed well in the assets area.
"I've missed him so much…" Hinata says as they walk up the stairs of the secret entrance, "And I don't know whether I want to hug him, or tie him down to the ground and have my way with him…"
"Tie him down to the ground…" Anko says, "Then tear his clothes off with your kunai!"
Anko roars in laughter as Hinata's entire body becomes as red as a tomato.
Hinata studied the mountain as they walked up the stairs. The main rule was that no human was allowed on Myobokuzan without a toad contract (or if they were seeking one) due to wanting to keep things peaceful. However, there was an exception to this rule. Certain humans without toad contracts were permitted short visits depending on the circumstances.
"This is where you shall find the others…" The toad aide speaks as the group stand outside the main room, "Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san are currently sparring. Should I inform them that you've arrived?"
'No…" Hinata speaks out with a slight blush on her cheeks, "I don't want him to know that I'm here yet…"
"I get it…" The aide smiles as she looks at Hinata's face, completely understanding, "We'll go in quietly so they don't notice us."
As they walk in, Hinata's face turns even redder and her movement comes to a halt.
"Hinata?" Anko asks, "What's the matter with you?"
"Na…Naruto-kun…" Hinata mumbles, barely being able to breath.
Anko looked forward and smirked at what could put Hinata into such a trance. In the center of the room, was a sixteen year old teenage boy, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. His chest was fully developed with a full set of eight-pack abs, and his blond locks that went down to his back were tied in a ponytail. Her nephew was gorgeous!
"That's enough, Naruto…" Jiraiya says as he lowers his guard, "We need to get ready to go. Anko and Hinata should be arriving soon."
"Ok…" Naruto says as he takes a cloth to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.
As Naruto walks back to his room, he finds himself tackled to the ground.
"What the?" Naruto says as he tries to see what knocked him over.
"Shh…" Hinata says as she places a finger to Naruto's lips, "Don't say anything. Just kiss me!"
Hinata straddles herself on Naruto before leaning down and kissing him.
"This scene will be perfect for the fourth book in my series, Icha Icha Gaiden." Jiraiya says as he is scribbling down notes.
"She has become the daughter I never had…" Anko grins.
"Ahem…" Fukasaku coughs, bringing everyone's attention to him.
"Sorry…" Hinata says as she gets up, leaving Naruto on the floor with kiss marks all over his face and neck.
"You have done well these past three years, Naruto," Fukasaku says, dropping some garments onto the ground, "I leave these to you."
"Thank you," Naruto says, looking at the clothes Fukasaku had dropped. Thanks to Erosennin's "training methods", Naruto's original orange and blue uniform had been torn to shreds. Fukasaku and some of the toads had worked on getting Naruto some new clothing. Naruto's new uniform consisted of orange pants with a black stripe on the sides, a long sleeved black shirt with mesh sewn inside, a sleeveless orange jacket that went down to just above the ankles, a new ninja headband that used black, and two purple wristbands.
"Don't think that your training is done yet, Naruto," Anko says, "Now that you have mastered Senjutsu, I can show you some techniques unique only to me. But you should probably put some clothes on first."
"Right." Naruto says as he goes back to his quarters.
"I'll help you clean up!" Hinata says as she runs after Naruto.
"It will be interesting to see what Konoha thinks when they see that the former heir to the Hyuga clan has become a miniature version of you, Anko…" Jiraiya says.
"And what about Naruto?" Anko counters, "Being around you, I'm sure that he's become even more perverted!"
"He may not be a super pervert like me yet," Jiraiya says with pride, "But he has potential. He's already come up with some new perverted jutsu!"
--
Wave Country
In the three years since Naruto and the rest of team seven had liberated the Wave, Wave Country had grown into a prosperous place. It had become the defacto place to go for romantic getaways and fresh seafood. Naruto had convinced Jiraiya to head to Wave Country (through the use of his new perverted jutsu), and after three days of travel, they had finally arrived. Jiraiya and Anko had to say that they were impressed with the bridge being named after the most unpredictable ninja of Konoha.
"I still don't believe that this bridge was named after you!" Hinata says as she and Naruto ate lunch at one of the Wave's best restaurants. Jiraiya and Anko had left the two lovebirds alone due to "research" and "booze".
"It was my first C ranked mission…" Naruto reminisces as he looks into his glass of tea, "Which turned into an A ranked mission once my team found out the truth about our client…"
"I always knew you were amazing…" Hinata says as Naruto finishes up the story of how he met and faced Haku, thought Sasuke had been killed, and decided that he would not allow himself to be a mere ninja tool.
After the meal is finished, Naruto asks for the bill to pay, but the waiter upon seeing Naruto's face, tears it up and wishes him well.
"You're a hero to these people Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as they leave the restaurant, "They feel like this is the least they can do to honor what you did for them."
"This feels weird," Naruto says as they head back to Tazuna's house, "I'm not used to people treating me like this. I'm used to people despising me and wishing I was dead…"
"This is what you will experience once you become Hokage," Hinata says as she heads to her room, "I'll see you at training in an hour."
--
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks as she knocks on his bedroom door, "Are you ready to go?"
"He's not in there, little miss," Tazuna says as he approaches Hinata with a bottle of sake in his hand, "He went to the grave of Momouchi Zabuza and Haku."
"Thank you," Hinata says as she leaves the house.
"Haku…" Naruto says as he looks at his grave, "Thank you. Thank you for helping me to understand what it means to have precious people. I promise you that I'll continue to protect my precious people and I'll never kill my emotions to live my way of the ninja."
Naruto drops some flowers on Haku's grave.
"And you know what?" Naruto says with a smile as his eyes get watery, "You're also one of my precious people! I'll never forget you, and I'll always make sure that you have fresh flowers every time I visit!"
Naruto then looked over to the head-cleaving sword embedded into the soil.
"Zabuza…" Naruto says, "Because of you, I understood that ninja was not a game. You showed me to have no regrets, and to take this path seriously. Thank you."
Naruto drops some flowers on Zabuza's grave and then turns around to go.
"There you are, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she grabs his arm, "Come on, we have to go! We don't want to keep Anko-sensei waiting!"
--
"Where's Erosennin?" Naruto asks as he and Hinata stand across from Anko.
"Research", Anko answers, "He'll be back around dinnertime."
"So what are you going to teach us, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks.
"You'll see," Anko says, "Now in order to begin, I'm going to need both of you to summon your partners. Hinata, I want you to summon Hebiko as she is vital to this part of the training. Naruto, I want you to summon Gamakichi. You need him for what I'm about to teach you."
"Ok!" Both teens say as they bite their thumbs and do the required hands signs.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Both teens say in unison. As the smoke clears, a giant purple snake and a giant orange frog are present.
Gamakichi and Hebiko had also changed over the three years. In addition to the growth spurt, Gamakichi also wore a black pair of gloves along with his blue vest. Hebiko meanwhile, now wore a red bowtie on her head.
"Good." Anko says. "Now the reason why you needed to summon those two specifically is because what I'm about to teach you, are poison techniques and defense. Enemy shinobi will resort to any tactic in order to win, including using things such as paralysis and poison. There will be times when you go up against enemy shinobi and find that you don't have any antidotes, antibiotics, or a medical ninja nearby. So what do you do?"
This was something that Naruto had never really given any thought. Thanks to the Kyubi inside of him, most major wounds and agents that paralyzed or poisoned had little effect on him. His Kyubi was his antidote.
But what about Hinata? It would be another two years before the merging with Kyubi was complete, which meant that if Hinata got caught in a bad situation, it could be the end.
In any case, Naruto thought, learning these new moves could prove advantageous.
"Gamakichi," Anko instructs, "I want you to release poison all over your skin!
"You're the boss!" Gamakichi says as his orange skin starts to turn bright red.
"Ok Naruto," Anko says, "Place your hands on Gamakichi's skin!"
As soon as Naruto does that, he falls to his knees.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells, as she gets ready to run towards him.
"No, Hinata!" Anko shouts, "Don't touch him!"
After about two minutes of struggling on the ground, Naruto stands up straight, not showing any signs of being under the influence of poison.
"I feel fine…" Naruto says, looking at his hands, "What happened?"
"I allowed your body time to take the poison into your bloodstream," Anko says, "By taking on Gamakichi's poison firsthand without any antidotes, your body has now gained resistance to other types of poison as well. In addition, you can now perform doku jutsu thanks to the small amount of poison stored in your blood."
"It was easy to do this for Naruto thanks to the Kyubi inside of him, but it won't be the same for Hinata. I suppose training will have to end early tonight. I'll have to teach them the rest tomorrow…"
"Hinata," Anko begins, "I'm sorry to say this to you, but in order for us to continue, I'm going to have to put you into a 24 hour coma. But don't worry! You'll be perfectly fine when you wake up!"
"What do you mean?" Naruto asks, "Why does Hinata have to go into a coma?"
"Hinata does not have a demon inside her body to break down most of the poison, Naruto," Anko says, "This is the only way to ensure that she does not die."
"I trust you, Anko-sensei," Hinata says, "Go ahead, Hebiko. Release your poison inside of me."
"I'm only going to release the minimal amount Hinata," Hebiko says as she channels poison into her teeth, "Sleep well…"
Hebiko bites down into Hinata's wrist, knocking her out instantly. Naruto is there to catch Hinata before she falls to the ground and holds her body bridal style.
"Aww…how cute…" Hebiko says at the scene, "But don't worry about her. Along with a small amount of my poison, I've also released a soothing stimulant that will keep Hinata from experiencing any of the negative side effects associated with being poisoned. This will also allow her body to absorb the poison into her bloodstream and have a peaceful sleep."
"You're cool, Naruto!" Gamakichi chimes in.
"We'll resume training around this time tomorrow," Anko says as she jumps into the trees, "You're dismissed!"
--
"Mmmm…" Hinata says as her eyes flutter open.
"She's awake!" A now 11 year old Inari says as he runs down the stairs.
"What time is it?" Hinata asks as she glances over at an alarm clock to the side of the bed.
"Four in the afternoon," Hinata says as she climbs out of bed.
Hinata tried to remember what had happened during the past 24 hours as she headed into the bathroom to take a shower. She remembered training with Naruto and Anko when Hebiko had bit her wrist. Then she remembered Naruto catching her body and holding her close to him. After that, everything went black
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata blushes as she scrubs her body, "It's a shame that I couldn't be awake to fully enjoy that…"
After eating something light to gather her strength, Hinata and Naruto go back outside to train with Anko.
"Now that you both have poison in your bloodstream," Anko says, "I can show you how to upgrade your respective techniques. Hinata, what is one of the main aspects of Senei Jashu?"
"The snake that is summoned has all the properties of a real one." Hinata answers.
"Correct." Anko says, "And just like a real snake, you also have the ability to inject poison into your version. Right now, I want you to try and feel the poison in your body."
"Ok." Hinata says as she closes her eyes. Seconds later, a purple chakra surrounds Hinata's body.
"Good." Anko says as Hinata opens her eyes and sees the purple chakra around her. "Naruto, I want you to do the same."
Naruto closes his eyes as instructed and seconds later also brings out purple chakra.
"Now that you've figured out how to summon it," Anko says as the purple chakra dies down, "You need to channel it into your techniques. Watch me! Senei doku Jashu!"
Anko aims the snake at a tree. When the attack is over, Naruto and Hinata awe at the poison left behind.
"Mizuton! Mizuhou!" Hinata shouts as she rinses off the poison on the tree. "But Anko-sensei! Naruto-kun can't perform Senei Jashu because he hasn't signed the snake contract, so how would this be useful to him?"
"Heh," Naruto laughs as he crosses his fingers together, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Four clones are created as Hinata wonders what Naruto is up to.
"You know what to do!" Naruto says to his clones.
All four clones nod and yell "Henge!" transforming themselves into flies.
"Now watch closely," Naruto says as he holds his palm forward at the flies, "Gama no Shita!"
From Naruto's palm comes a toad's tongue that captures each of the four flies in succession.
"This attack has the same properties as that of a real toad's tongue," Naruto says as the last fly is swallowed into his palm. "If I catch bugs with this, I can convert them into chakra. For everything else, the stickiness of my tongue allows me to have a firm grip on whatever it is that I grab. This works as an extra arm. I can channel my poison through this attack."
"I'm impressed, Naruto," Anko says as she crosses her arms, "You managed to find a way to make my teachings work for you. I don't know why people ever said you were the dead last in the academy your year."
"So now what will we learn?" Hinata asks.
"Nothing," Anko says, "That was it. Now it's time for you two to retake the chuunin exam. You'll both pass this time, I know it!"
"When is the next chuunin exam?" Naruto asks.
"In two months," Anko says, "And it's in Sand village…"
--
Sand village, Two months and two weeks later
"What will you do now?" Gaara asks as he and Naruto sit inside the Kazekage's office.
"I have to keep traveling," Naruto says, "Erosennin told me that Akatsuki is heading towards the Wind Country, so I can't stay here. You probably shouldn't be here either!"
"I appreciate your concern," Gaara says, "But I can't abandon this village. I am Kazekage now. My responsibility is to these people here. I have you to thank for giving me a reason to live for."
"It was no problem…" Naruto says as he and Gaara shake hands, "But be careful. I don't want Akatsuki to get you."
"I will." Gaara says, "I look forward to the day when you finally achieve your dream of becoming Hokage."
"I've got a long way to go, but I won't give up!" Naruto says as he throws his fist into his palm, "Now that you are a Kage, I've got to become one too!"
"Tell your teacher thank you for modifying my seal," Gaara says as Naruto heads for the door, "It feels so nice to finally be able to sleep without Shukaku taking over."
"I will," Naruto says as he opens the door, "Take care!"
"Congratulations you two, " Anko says as she looks at Hinata and Naruto. Naruto proudly wore his black chunnin vest underneath his jacket. Hinata also wore her chuunin vest underneath her trench coat, but opted to go for one that was purple.
"Tsunade-obaachan sure missed us, huh?" Naruto asked as they entered the hotel room that Naruto and Jiraiya shared.
"Speak for yourself…" Jiraiya says as he rubs his swollen cheek. Jiraiya had attempted to show Tsunade "Gama no Shita", but Tsunade had clocked Jiraiya and told him that if Naruto had turned into a player, she would castrate him.
"Now that we are chuunin," Hinata says, "What are we going to do before we have to return to the village in another year?"
"You two are going to be doing missions and training to gain experience so that you can become Jounin." Jiraiya says as he looks at his map, "There are a couple of spots where Akatsuki won't be a threat, but other threats such as bandits are. These smaller countries don't have a ninja village of their own, so they must often send for outside help. This is where you two come in. If all goes according to plan, then you'll be full-fledged Jounin by the time you return to the village."
"We're going to be going alone?" Naruto asks.
"I'll be going with you," Anko says, "The three of us will be doing the missions."
"My job is to make sure that Akatsuki doesn't catch your trail," Jiraiya says, "So I have to stay behind. But you will be fine. We'll meet up again at the coordinates that I will have set within a year, and then we'll all return to Konoha together. I want you to know that I'm proud of your growth these past four years Naruto. Now the three of you should get your things packed up. You have to leave in the morning and head to Iron Country."
"This will be a good time to take a nice bath in the springs," Anko says to Hinata, "We should take advantage of this while we have the chance."
"That does sound like a good idea," Naruto says, "Are you coming, Erosennin?"
"I have to finish writing this letter to Tsunade explaining our plan, then I have some other details to check on," Jiraiya says, "I won't be joining you."
"Ok," Naruto says as he exits the room.
As soon as all three are gone, a smirk forms on Jiraiya's face as he pulls a telescope out from under his pillow.
"That letter can wait. I need to get in some more "research"…
--
Sun Country, five years later
"You'll never stop me!" The bandit leader known as Akakuma said, "I'm invincible!"
"There's a first time for everything!" The eighteen year old Hyuga said as she did some hand signs, "Raihebi!"
A thunder snake comes out of Hinata's sleeve and strikes Akakuma in his left shoulder, temporarily paralyzing it.
"You'll pay for that!" Akakuma curses as he holds his shoulder in pain.
"I don't think so!" An eighteen year old blond says as he charges towards Akakuma, "Tsuchiken!"
Naruto strikes Akakuma in the jaw with a fist of stone, knocking him out cold.
"Let's get out of here!" Akakuma's second in command shouts.
"I'll take care of the bandits," Naruto says as he runs off.
"And I'll tie Akakuma up until the authorities arrive," Hinata says.
"I don't believe that Akakuma could be so stupid!" Akakuma's second says as he runs away, "We heard rumors that they would be here, but he still wanted to come anyway! But that's ok, we'll regroup and then I'll lead everybody into victory!"
"Sorry…" Naruto says, standing directly in front, "But you aren't going anywhere!"
"We might have lost Akakuma, but you're exhausted from fighting!" Akakuma's second barks, "You can't defeat me and the remaining twenty of us by yourself! Come on everyone! He doesn't stand a chance!"
"I finally get a chance to show off the new and improved version of the Naruto Tatsumaki!" Naruto says as he charges wind chakra into his kunai.
"Nothing you do can stop us now!" Akakuma's second yells, "Prepare to die!"
"For my precious people…" Naruto says as he swings his kunai to the right, creating a massive tornado that takes out all 21 bandits, "I will not fall! Fuuton! Naruto Tatsumaki!"
--
Naruto: Gwaahhhh!!
Hinata: Naruto-kun!
Anko: Naruto!
Konohamaru: Naruto-nichan!
Jiraiya: Grab Naruto and follow me!
Hinata: What's wrong with Naruto-kun? Is he dying? What can we do to save him?
Hanabi: He is the least of your concerns, dear sister! We have a score to settle!
Hinata: Hanabi?!
Hanabi: I'll show you why father chose me to lead the Hyuga!
Hinata: Next time on Naruto: Naruto's fusion! Sayonara, Kyubi!
Kyubi: It's been fun, Naruto!!
Naruto: Kyubi!!
--
Q and A with Trutenor
Q: Oh my gosh! You actually updated in less then three years!
A: That's not really a question, but yeah…after taking three years to update the last chapter, I didn't want to wait another three. You all deserved that much. And besides, things are about to get really interesting from here on out…
Q: When is the next chapter coming out?
A: Ah, yes. The infamous question that every fanfiction writer must deal with…Here is the default answer: I don't know. I do have a life outside of my computer you know, and I do still have those other projects that I'm working on. But I do know that chapter 7 will be coming soon. I'm really excited about chapter 7. I wanted to write that two years ago! But I had to write chapter 5 and 6 first. Anyway, here is one important thing that I can tell you about chapter 7. All of the characters that you saw in the next chapter preview are the main characters for this story from here on out. Anyone else that you might see (including Sasuke) are secondary characters. So while I might write something about them, keep in mind that they aren't as important to the plot as the main cast.
Q: What's the deal with Hebiko?
A: I needed Hinata to have a summon that was the equivalent of Naruto and Gamakichi. You will see her pop up a couple of more times, but don't get used to it. I don't like reading or writing about original characters for the main reason that most people don't give a crap about them. When I read fanfiction, I don't read it to find out what the "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu" will do next. I read it to find out what the "canon" characters are up to. Now keep in mind that there are exceptions to this rule. The other reason for creating Hebiko is that I needed to create the foundation that would take Hinata from a demure, pampered princess into a strong and fearless kunoichi that was still kind.
Q: How did you get the kanji for water (水) in your story?
A: Japanese dictionary/translator. First you want to make sure that your computer can read Japanese text (to do this, just visit any Japanese website. Your cpu will then prompt you to download the text). Once you've done this, just copy the kanji that you want to use, and paste it into your word document.
Q: Can you tell me what the kanji are for the other elements?
Water: 水
Fire: 火
Earth: 土
Wind: 風
Thunder: 雷
Since I took three years to post chapter five, consider this your reward for putting up with me.
Q: Can you tell me what the kanji is for…
A: No. My Japanese is not that good yet. I've memorized katakana and hiragana, but kanji is a bitch to remember! The reason why I listed the kanji for the elements is because those are among the most common kanji used (As well as to make up for the 3 year hiatus). In addition to that, there are over 2,000 kanji characters to learn! Do you know how many kanji characters I know by heart (as of this writing)? Five. And those symbols are fire, water, and the numbers one, two, and three. I'm still learning. If you want any other kanji character, use a translator.
Q: Can you tell me what website you go to for your kanji?
A: Just type "Japanese dictionary" in your favorite search engine (I recommend Google) and try out the options listed. What I use for my needs may not work for you. If that doesn't work, then try typing in "Japanese translator".
And some other things…
1) There are two pop culture references to classic American cartoons in this chapter. One was intentional, the other wasn't. See if you can find them both!
2) Naruto's outfit (if you couldn't figure it out) is a cross between his Shippuuden outfit, Jiraiya's outfit, Minato's outfit, and a popular fanart that shows an adult Naruto (along with Sakura as his wife) as the next Hokage.
3) Hinata's three elements are Water, lightning, and wind.
And that's about all that I can think of. If there is anything else that you wish to know, then let me know and I'll address it. Email, review, whatever floats your boat. So long!