Chapter two

"Sweetheart we need to talk"

Fighting down the fear and confusion Naruko took in her surroundings and noticed a nearby window. One glance was all it took to tell her she was somehow once again at the tower inside the forest of death. A place she would be more than happy to never see again, the unpleasant experience still a fresh wound. A deep grunt drew her gaze back to the old man as he said bluntly with an accent she couldn't place. "Well are you gonna talk or what? I know you got questions." Ignoring the ache of her muscles she sat up and said with false bravado. "Well if you wanted me dead or worse I'd be dead or worse. I just want to know who you are and how I got here?"

Setting the shotgun against the chair the old man chuckled as he stood up and said. "Well darling the names John Eastwood outlaw and general pain in the ass. Long story short I'm from the far west. Beyond the iron mountains to be precise. Won't bother you with the why or how. I will tell you why I helped you with that crazy bitch, take a gander at this." Reaching into his coat he calmly took out a sheet of paper she immediately recognized as a betting form. Used to give odds and let people know where to place bets and wagers. Taking the form she saw it was for the finals of the exams. Curious she looked at the odds and her eyes nearly bulged from her head. All but leaping from the bed she said with shock, awe and barely suppressed fury.

"Hundred and twelve to one! What the hell is this some kind of joke!?"

With a chuckle he walked towards the window and said amused. "Yep you are single handedly the longest odds in decades. Apparently you have quite the reputation as a hopeless failure of a ninja. All I hear in the bars is how bad you are. A man named Iruka was particularly vocal about your lack of skill. That ninja is the last word used to describe you. Spastic flaying monster was said more than once. I personally don't buy that bullshit in the least. After all failures don't have bridges named after them. Failures don't survive half the things you have. Failures don't give up when the chips are down." Naruko looked at the form and still couldn't help but feel a sense of dispare. with a grin the old man looked at her and said. "But this presents a golden opportunity for me." Looking at her calmly he said amused. "Your not gonna just win you my dear are taking the whole thing. I bet the every last coin I got on you to win the whole thing. Making me one very rich old man."

All she could do was stare at him shocked. Winning against Neji was going to be tough enough. But to beat out four highly trained ninja. Each one with a sensei that genuinely cares about them and trained them. Taught them everything they could and more. She just had no idea how she could pull it off. Without thinking her right hand went to her stomach were the seal once rested. All that was left was red skin. She didn't know it yet but her one trump card was gone as well. With a slight bitterness in her voice she looked at him and asked. "Just how am I gonna do that?"

Walking back to his chair the old man grinned and said. "Sweetheart where I'm from we don't have ninja. But we still do just fine killing each other." Before she could react he picked the shotgun up and levelled it to his shoulder. In the blink of an eye he pulled the trigger. The crack of the gunshot made her leap for the floor. Panicked she looked at him and saw the smoke from the rifle. Instinct told her to follow the man's line of sight and froze. There in the tree just outside the building was one of the many giant snakes menacing the forest dead. A two inch hole right between it's eyes. Even from here she could tell it would have taken effort to kill the snake herself. But this old man did it like it was child's play. Looking up in awe she watched him put two new shells in the gun and say.

"That my dear is how we do it in the West now let's talk about my retirement fund."

One hour later.

In the very room she fought Kiba nearly one week prior Naruko and John had started her lesson. With an improvised table and targets for practice. Looking at the table Naruko could only stare in awe at the arsenal laid out before her. Weapons she had never heard of before let alone imagined rested before her, Ranging from handguns to large rifles laid out sorted out. Weapons she had no idea how to use or maintain. Seeing her confusion he grinned and picked up a Winchester lever action rifle. Not missing a beat he readied the gun and aimed at a target.

"These sweetheart are called guns. They do one thing and one thing only. Get a piece of metal moving faster than hell. The faster something goes the more damage it inflicts. Get a feather moving fast enough and it can level a building. There is a bit more but we'll cover that later. For now we're going to focus on the basics." With almost superhuman speed he fired at all five targets dead center. With a grin he handed her the rifle and said. "Boot camp starts now!"

What would follow would be the most grueling three weeks of her life. But what she gained she wouldn't trade for the world as her victory was all but assured. She knew what she had to do and how to do it.

Walking down a hallway Naruko was snapped from her memories by two hands grabbing her shoulders. Pulling her swiftly into an alcove her would be attacker pushed her against the wall. Just as she was about to fight them off a pair of lips she knew all to well crashed into hers. Relaxing into the advances she drapped her arms around them. As the kiss broke she smiled and said happily. "Girl have I missed you."

Relaxing into the long sought after embrace Hinata Hyuuga looked up into the eyes of her lover. Her trademark baggy jacket was gone revealing a figure most would kill for. Hidden by only a tight form fitting black t-shirt. With rarely expressed adoration Hinata snuggled closer and asked with genuine concern. "Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for you ever since they found that bitch in the road. She said you attacked her and refused to say how. Only that you broke eight ribs." Wrapping her arms tighter around her Naruko smiled. She had waited a whole month for this and she wanted to enjoy it. The warmth of her lover and her heartbeat where the most soothing thing on earth for her. When she awoke in the hospital only a bouquet of blue roses and a note to let Hinata know Naruko was okay. "There there it's okay a guy helped me out and trained me. But that's not all notice anything different."

Confused Hinata backed up a bit and looked Naruko over. She knew every inch of her by heart. Sure she could see the new outfit but she just couldn't place it. It was only when she really looked at her face did she see it. Cupping Naruko's cheeks she said amused. "Your whiskers are gone!" Nodding her head she took Hinata's hands in her own and said with joy. "Yep I swear I'll explain later over dinner. But there is something I have to ask. What do you want to happen to Neji?"

Hinata's mood instantly soured as she leaned into Naruko. A lone tear threatened to fall before Naruko brushed it away. With sorrow rolling off her she said sullenly. "I fought him like a Hyuga with respect and he tried to kill me. All because of his father and that incident. I know he was always messed up but he took it to far." After a moment she said almost bluntly. "I want you to fuck him up bad." With a chuckle Naruko smiled and said. "And that is why I love you." Not being one to spoil a mood Hinata whispered. "I thought it was because of my cute butt." With a laugh Naruko said amused "that too."

There laughter was only heard by a few passing nobles who paid them no mind. For the next few moments they just enjoyed each others company. When it was finally time to go Naruko gave her one last loving kiss.

Only an hour later Naruko found herself facing her long sought opponent. The match had only just started and the opening volleys where about to be thrown. Though the first volley was not of the blade but of the word.

Deep down Naruko was glad her match was first. She honestly wanted this to be a match that made all the others pale in comparison. She knew this was going to be completely one sided but totally epic. Due to the sheer odds against her winning causing some people to soon lose a great deal of money. The arena they where currently standing in had trees open fields and a small pond. Everything needed for the basic jutsu used by most ninja. Along long with things to help test a ninja's skill and ability to make plans. With her head tilted slightly down her hat hid her eyes as she had to fight to suppress her rage. Even now she flashed back to the sight of Hinata lying on the floor nearly dying. After a full month Neji was still radiating nothing but smug arrogance. She had to fight not to attack him then and there. The proctor for the match looked at her with clear concern and curiosity. It had taken some effort to prove she was the real Naruko when she first arrived. Due to the clear and drastic changes she had undergone. It was with a dark chuckle that she noticed her so called teammate sasuke was still not here. She had no doubt he would arrive whenever he damn well pleased. His ego would allow nothing else. It was hard to tell who was the bigger ass was Neji or sasuke.

With pure undiluted arrogance Neji looked at his so called opponent and held nothing but contempt. In his eyes Naruko was an abomination plain and simple. His father would tell him countless times how she needed to die. That her death would make the world a better place simply because it would. Looking at her now he saw no threat to him whatsoever. He found her current attire an insult. While the fact Hinata a woman he found to be a living insult to what should be his clan was this abomination's lover the greatest heresy. His Hyuga clan would never allow such a union. He came so close to doing the clan a favor and today he would make that weakling suffered by killing this bitch once and for all. When he killed this creature he had no doubt he would be made the next clan head. Not that demon loving whore that was his cousin. Him there clear rightful heir to the greatest clan in the world. He couldn't wait to put down the weaklings and purify the bloodlines. Thus it was with pure arrogance that he looked at her and said.

"Any last words you filthy demon whore?"

Looking at him Naruko saw a piece of shit beyond redemption. He was ready to kill his own family simply because it would make him feel good. Thus she took a deep breath and dug deep. Calling on all her repressed rage and anger she looked him dead in the eye and said something that surprised him.

"I don't fucking care!"

Seeing him genuinely stunned she continued a rant that Hinata helped her with. A rant that would ruin Neji's reputation and make many see her in a new light.

"I don't care about your inflated ego. I don't care about that stupid fucking seal on your head. I don't care that your fucking asshole father died like a bitch. He was an ass who fathered a dick. I know he tried to help that rougue ninja. I don't fucking care that your favorite pastime is beating up defenseless people. I don't care you think one inconvenience means the universe must kiss your ass. But the one thing I do care about you tried to kill."

In a blur her right hand shot out like a rattlesnake. Drawing her gun revealed a pristine colt single action army. With drilled in practice she took aim. Within a few seconds the ninja world was forever changed. Six shots rang out like lightning echoing through the stadium. Two shots got him in the knees, shattering his kneecaps forever. Two shot hit his shoulders destroying the joints. The final two shots hit him right dead center of his crotch. Destroying any chance he had to ever be called a legal man again. The rounds made swift work as he collapsed on the ground howling in agony. The silence was only broken by Neji's screams as he lay bleeding and screaming. While Naruko calmly holstered her gun. Looking at the proctor she said calmly.

"I'm pretty sure I just won. Are you gonna call it?"

Snapping out of his shock the proctor ran over to the fallen Neji. He couldn't believe how fast one of the favorites to win was taken down so brutally. Never in all his years had he seen or heard of a weapon like that. He knew this was the calm before the storm. Normally he would feel bad for the kid but the things he had heard about Neji where anything but nice. A simple glace was all it took to tell his life as a ninja was over. The joints had simply been too destroyed. Signalling for medical aide he stood up and said loudly.

"The winner Naruko Uzumaki."

Pandemonium erupted as Naruko calmly walked away to the waiting area till her next match. It was with mild joy she heard people say she cheated. The hypocrisy of poor losers in a potential fight to the death. She could have used any jutsu that didn't use human sacrifice and they still couldn't do shit. It was a fight to the potential death for a reason. By the rules of the match she could have made every shot a headshot. It was as she reached the exit that she looked back and said loud enough for the pain racked Neji to hear her say.

"This was me being merciful. Threaten Hinata again and this will seem like paradise."

With that she walked out and grinned as she knew in that few moments the world had changed forever. To her pride she was the one to cause the chaos that would decend upon the village she hated so much.

Another chapter done and more plot fleshed out. Next time all bets are off and shit hits the fan.