EDIT: Um, I just put tags at the beginning of each page preak thing so you know who's POV you're reading.

A/N: This chapter, as you might notice, is a bit different than the last chapters 'cause it was written in first person. I didn't include tags that look (like this) that said who's point of view it was from at the beginning of each break. If you are confused on who is speaking, then here's a guide on who it is in case you do:

1. Hinata

2. Izumi

3. Hinata

4. Naruto

5. Hinata

6. Naruto

7. Gaara

8. Sasuke

Um, a part of this chapter is a somewhat parody, scratch that it is, I admit it is, of the famous Naruto Anime episode 148. I reaaaally wanted to write it and put it in but I knew I shouldn't, but my NaruHina shipping fangirl side got the best of me... -slaps her- Meh, anyways, that's NOTHING compared to what will happen later in the story when they're 18 and very, should we say, INTO eachother. (Kukukuku...)

I have babbled enough... time for the story!

Cookies to those who read and fireworks for 4th of July to those who review!

Chapter 13- Happenings

(Hyuuga Hinata)

And yet, here I was again, sitting leftof him at dinner. He had lost some of his usual cheerfulness after our tests this morning, mainly right when lunch had started. We didn't do much else today in terms of training. Izumi had given us a brief tour of the house, showing us where things like the library, kitchen and dojo were.

That last one had been simple but impressive like the rest of the Uzumaki mansion. It was separate from the main building, between the East wing of the house which had the kitchen and the western wing that had the family library which doubled as a family history and records room.

The dojo was long and rectangular, about three times wide as long. The wall was a plain white, same as the white on the property wall and the ceiling was very high, between fifteen or twenty feet I estimated. The floor was of a dark wood that was smoothed and polished to near perfection. There were two entrances, one in the middle of each of the longer sides and two large scrolls hanging in the middle of the shorter walls. One had a large spiral painted in red ink with an insanely large brush and the other scroll was just as large but had a list of rules on it. I didn't get a chance to read them.

The same woman that explored the house with us was kneeling across from me at the low table, next to Meng and Uesugi. I figured that the latter two were married by the way they were always together and that they slept in the same room (I only saw one futon bed in their room during the tour). Myuri sat at the head of the table, the same place my father sat at back home.

The silence between the six of us was strained, especially between Naruto-kun and I. I was still scared a bit because of his display of his bloodline, which he neglected to explain to me. It bothered me a bit that he didn't tell me, but I figured I would give him his space until he was ready to tell me. Still, I wondered….

"Neh, Izumi." Naruto-kun said between bites, kicking me out of my thoughts. It sounded like he was trying to break this awkwardness.

"Yes?' She looked up from her plate of broiled fish we were eating.

"How are you related to me?"

She gave him an odd, lopsided smile. "Why, I'm your grandmother."

"EH?! Really?!" He planted his palms on the table and leaned forward, eyes wide. "You're my Baa-chan? You're mom's mom?"

"Yes."

He pumped his fist. "Sweet!" He turned to Meng who was next to Izumi. "What about you? Are you my aunt or something?"

She chewed her food thoughtfully and swallowed. "I…don't think I am in your immediate family. I am Izumi's oldest cousin."

Naruto-kun switched his gaze to Uesugi expectantly.

"Mother's Father's Uncle's brother." he muttered. His voice was deep like the kind you would find on the movies.

I made the confusing connection quickly but I could tell Naruto-kun didn't get it. "Hmm." He breathed. He looked lastly at Myuri. "You?"

"I am your grandmother's uncle." He replied simply. "My older brother was Meng's father and my sister was Izumi's mother."

Naruto-kun grinned that blinding grin of his. "This is so cool! I never knew I had all this family!"

No duh. The whole world thought that they were supposedly dead for over forty years.

"Oi, Naruto." Uesugi called.

"Mm?"

"Just because we're family doesn't mean we will take it easy on you tomorrow when we start the training." He gave Naruto-kun a mischievous look that said he meant it.

(Uzumaki Izumi)

Myuri had called a council with the three of us on some important matter. I wondered if it was about my grandson's bloodline.

I was the last to arrive, as I had been looking for the scroll the Godaime Hokage had given me. This scroll and its contents would have to be integrated into the training curriculum somehow over the next five years.

As soon as I sat down, Myuri began. "Now that the children have been tested, I would like for us to share our evaluations and thoughts of them. First, about Naruto.

"I would like to say that the only thing that the boy is missing is knowledge. He has plenty of skill, strength and learning potential. What about Hinata, Izumi?"

I quickly assembled my thoughts on the girl. "She is evidently very capable, if not better. With the Jyuuken that she used, that evidently takes a lot of chakra and chakra control which is needed for our style. She also thinks things out because she took away my sword and you all know how important our swords are to us and the Kenbu-Do."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"The only thing I think she lacks is strength. She has everything else."

They nodded again.

"Izumi, I agree with your evaluation. For now, let's put our observations aside and focus on helping them obtain enough strength, balance and discipline before we even put a wooden practice sword in either of their hands.

"Uesugi, in the morning, you and I will coach them in strength training in any way you see fit. Izumi and Meng, after lunch, do balance training with them. Though, tomorrow, Uesugi, in the morning, give them a little demonstration to show them what they will achieve. They will need it.

Now that that is out of the way, there is something else that I would like to speak to you three about. You all saw Naruto's display of skills this afternoon. Now, that bloodline he showed us, I would like you to hear what he had to say about it when I spoke to him in private. First off, he said it wasn't a bloodline."

"What?" Uesugi exclaimed. "What did he mean, not a bloodline? How else can you explain such a phenomenon?"

Myuri raised his hand. "Peace. There is a way. It is because he is a demon vessel, the container of the nine-tailed demon-fox lord, Kyuubi no Kitsune. He has the ability to access its chakra and that is what we saw before."

Wow. These two kids were full of surprises. Hinata was the heir to one of the most powerful clans I the shinobi world. Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage but he also had the greatest demon sealed inside him.

"It is evidently hard for him to control the fox." Myuri continued. "Therefore, I propose to send the boy to him to help learn the control and the proper way to use the demon's power. I was thinking two years of training there after he has been trained for two years here and then one more here then they return to Konoha."

Wait a second. "Hold on. We proposed five years to Konoha because that was the shortest amount of time we could get all the training in. Are we now going to cut out some of the teachings?" I queried.

Myuri shifted his eyes to my face. "We promised to have them back by the time that they were both eighteen. Remember, our clan is not one to break promises."

"I still don't see how three years will be enough."

"We will make it fit somehow. If we don't, we will send them back as-is and ask them to return. On second thought, we'll make it mandatory to come back since he is the clan heir and she is engaged to him."

I decided not to challenge his answer, as it seemed good enough. Then I brought up the subject of contacting him to see if he would even train Naruto.

"How will we even contact him? He lives in solitude up in the Ieyasu Mountains and I don't think any of the village's messenger hawks know his exact location."

Myuri raised his eyebrows and gave me an are-you-kidding-me? Look! "Of course you are going to go."

Stupid question. Of course me. It was always me. I was always doing the errands that required someone to go outside the Oni chakra cloak.

"You will stay with him until you get a response from him. Understood?"

I sighed. "Hai, Myuri-sama." My voice was the slightest bit mocking.

"Well then, meeting adjourn-"

"Wait." I said.

He raised his eyebrows once more. "Yes?" His tone was expectant.

"There is another matter with Naruto-chan."

Amusement flashed across Meng's face when I gave Naruto the title.

"What?" I shot at her.

She just shook her head while trying to suppress a grin.

"Anyways, the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama, gave me some information about my grandson before we left, as well as this." I set the small green scroll on the table.

"Go on." My uncle said.

"My daughter got quite a catch in terms of a husband. Naruto-chan's father was the Yondaime Hokage."

"A Hokage, really?" Meng commented.

"Yes. The Fourth Hokage of Konoha. He developed the Hiarishin no Jutsu and because of it got the nickname 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.' Tsunade gave me this scroll which has the scroll that teaches that Hiarishin among other useful jutsu sealed inside it. I would have requested that when he is older and more mature that we give him his fathers scroll and he learn what he can from it, but with this new possible three year limit, I'm not so sure anymore. Here, take it, as you are in charge of the training schedule." I slid the small scroll across the table to Myuri.

He didn't touch it, just stared at it with an expression he used many times when he was thinking. "Thank you." he finally said and stowed it in a hidden pocket of his gi. "I will take this into consideration and determine the best course of action. Is there anything else you would like to share?"

"No."

He nodded. "Meeting adjourned then."

(Hyuuga Hinata)

I looked down at my hands, then up and around to where I was. I was standing in the same black abyss as the first night. I was the same age as I was now, thirteen, in my Genin clothes with my beige sweater and ninja tools. I began to walk cautiously in no particular direction. I walked and walked like this for what seemed like hours, not passing not seeing anything.

There it was.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something.

There it was again!

I turned to look.

It was reddish-orange.

It had four legs.

It was coming at me.

I ran as fast as I could, pumping chakra into every step. It was no use. When I looked a second time, it was catching up to me easily with graceful strides. Still, I didn't give up. I would never give up.

I kept on running, constantly looking over my shoulder to keep checking on it.

Suddenly, it was joined by a second four-legged creature.

This one was dark purple.

Shit.

But still, I wouldn't give up.

I turned and threw a kunai at each of the beasts. They easily dodged by running apart and then back into formation once the weapons passed. The glimpse that I got then of them was the clearest of the whole dream.

The reddish-orange thing was Naruto. Naruto, looking exactly as he did this afternoon. Naruto, with the same claws, fangs and widened whisker marks and eerie covering of red chakra shaped like a fox. His face was contorted into a feral snarl, so unlike the carefree smile I was used to seeing there. But he part that scared me most was the blood-red eyes, those orbs that conveyed one thing: destroy.

He truly had one nightmarish bloodline.

The purple animal was the cat. The same exact cat that was in my dreams less than a week ago except this one was smaller, around the size of the boy it ran next to. It had the same swirling purple markings around it face and along its body. It was just as fearsome as Naruto.

They were a double threat. A double terror.

They were neck and neck, still gaining on me with incredible speed.

A growl came from behind me. I didn't get a chance to see who it came from, because as I turned, the bloodline Naruto turned into a demon-fox, an orange Kitsune. Both of the animals launched themselves at me with deafening roars and flashed sets of bleached white razor-sharp fangs. I saw two sets of slitted eyes locked with mine; one crimson and one dull gold.

It was at this point that I woke up.

I wasn't one to wake screaming like they did in corny stories. I had learned not to scream and that screaming only got you in trouble. I just woke up sweaty and shaking. Nothing more.

I needed to take a walk and calm down, I told myself. Then I can go back to bed.

I got up and walked down the hall and slid the door to Naruto-kun's room open a crack so I could peek through. He had his goofy nightcap on and was sprawled on his futon like he was in his sleeping bag on the way here. I gave him a small smile, shook my head and closed the door.

I remembered that there was a pond out front. It looked calming and peaceful enough, so I decided to go there to calm and cool down.

I sat beneath the ancient Sakura tree on the edge of the pond and let the tips of my toes brush the top of the water. The thin layer of algae and the few lily pads shuddered when I disturbed the pond's surface. A few fish greeted me with wide eyes as they swan up to see this new arrival.

I began to turn over an idea in my mind. I had been toying with it while recovering from my exam match with cousin Neji. Maybe now I could try it out while no one was looking.

For the past few weeks before I agreed to go on this insane trip, I had been training with all my heart in attempt to prove to my father and clan that I actually had worth. Along that way, I had found something.

It was me, or to be more specific, in my style. It was the Jyuuken, tailored more to me with my natural flexibility and precise chakra control. It fit within the borders of the clan but it was still a huge deviation from the regular style, which was all about strikes and somewhat blocky.

Now would be a great time to try out my theory. The pond here was perfect since it was night and no one was up. Besides, if I fell the water would break my fall and I wouldn't wake up with any mysterious cuts, scrapes or bruises. What would be a greater distraction from my second troubling nightmare than testing myself?

Quickly and blushing, I took off my pajama pants and button down top and stepped out onto the water. The cold hit me like a wave and my body was instantly covered in goose bumps. I blushed even deeper at the thought of someone blond and blue-eyed – don't even finish that thought. I made a hand seal and muttered "Byakugan." I swept my hand low, almost skimming the water before bringing it back up and spinning around.

I continued this dance-like experiment, enjoying the feeling of freedom and the sensation of the cold water and cool air on my skin. This was it, this fit like the missing puzzle piece. I moved across the water in what I imagined was a graceful manner, letting myself get lost in all of this.

Ah! If only Naruto-kun could see me now!

Little did I know, he did.

(Uzumaki Naruto)

"Screw you, baka." I muttered. I sat up on my messy bed, yawned and stretched. Kyuubi was messing with my dreams again, and he was letting his perverted side get to him.

All this was making me hungry for my dear true lover, ramen. By the way, I remembered I still had some in my backpack…

Perfect! It was night; nobody was up so I could use the kitchen and make some! I quickly rummaged through my pack where I kept the holy stuff and dashed down the hall and into the kitchen. There was already a kettle on the wood stove so I simply filled that up with water from the sink, lit the stove, put the kettle on it and waited.

I paced, impatient for the water to boil, around the big wood table in the center. Why was it taking so long? Didn't it know I wanted to eat now?

I finally settled with staring dejectedly out the window towards the roughly U-shaped pond to the south. I was looking for what, three seconds? - When suddenly I noticed something amazing.

A fairy or pixie – well, something like that – flitted across the water. Though, it didn't have wings like fairytale creatures would, so what was it? It was really graceful, the way it danced with sweeping arms that splashed water into the air –

Whatever. All this thinking made my brain hurt and me even more hungry. But still, it was so surreal looking, the way that the moonlight hit the girl – I could tell it was a girl because she had boobs. And she was so pretty. Scratch that, she was beautiful. Not even the girls of my wild imagination OR my Sexy no Jutsu could compare. And that was saying something. It was a bit of a letdown though, because I couldn't see her face and see who she was.

What was the oddest thing is that there was something familiar about her…

Just then, the teakettle decided to interrupt my ogling by beginning to whistle loudly.

(Hyuuga Hinata)

WheeeeiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIII!!

I froze and covered up my chest.

It came from the kitchen behind me.

Ohmygod. Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod OHMYGOD KAMI.

Someone was awake.

What if they had seen me? Ohmygod times infinity. That would be SO embarrassing!! A million other similar thoughts ran through my head, some gibberish, some on who it could be and some on why.

Ok, first of all, get OFF the water, BEHIND the tree and GET YOUR CLOTHES ON!!

….At least part of my mind retained sanity.

I quickly did what it ordered me and then peeped around the tree on both sides to see if anyone was there. Phew. Nobody. I made a mad dash for the house, almost dived into my room and promptly made it look like I was in deep sleep, like I was supposed to be. Well, at least my little exercise calmed me down from my nightmare.

(Uzumaki Naruto)

I tore my eyes away from the dancing girl and snatched the stupid kettle off the stove, cursing at it for both interrupting my gawking and for burning my hands on it. I looked out the window but the girl was gone…

Where did the angel go?

(Sabaku Gaara)

Today I would be leaving Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Today, I would be leaving after staying about two months, for the Chuunin Exam, for our village's misguided attack on this place and for helping it rebuild some.

Today, I would be leaving that odd girl. Sakura, I think she was called.

She was…different. Different than almost everyone I had met during my sleepless lifetime. Different in a sense that she wasn't afraid of me and that she talked to me out of her own free will. I didn't know what to make of her.

Was her existence to confuse me? Or to show me something? I really couldn't tell.

We had had a conversation at nighttime a week ago on a rooftop. She had asked me what it was like to be insane. That had confused me. Why would anyone want to know? It still does now.

That was my first interaction with this enigma in human form. The second was two days ago.

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A store bell tinkled loudly and a door slammed on my left as I passed. Footsteps came up next to me.

"Hey." I glanced sideways and it was that girl, Sakura from a few nights ago. I turned my head and nodded at her in reply then returned looking and walking forward.

"Where are you going?" she asked innocently.

"I thirst for blood. Kill her, she's weak. It should be no trouble at all," said Shukaku whispering in my head like the demon he was.

I clenched my jaw. 'No.' I growled back in my mind. "Nowhere in particular." I replied to the girl curtly.

She just nodded and kept walking with me.

My Bijuu was taken aback. "What? Since when do you refuse me?!" he whispered

'Since now.' I thought firmly.

"Why?"

'I thought we had this conversation before. I told you, I have changed myself and thus my existence. I will not kill by any order except my own or my villages. I will protect my people, both the ones precious to me like my sister Temari and those of our village, Suna. I have changed, Shukaku. There is no changing me back to the way I once was where I was your slave.'

"But I still don't understand…" he grumbled but he left me alone after that.

Sakura and I continued walking for some time. I was apparently in the lead for she followed me wherever I went. I stole an occasional glance at her. Confusion welled up in me, as well as the questions I had no answers to but I dared not voice them to her.

I had had enough of this. Not in a bad way, just I felt so uneasy around her. For some reason I just wanted to grab her by her shirt and scream at her "Why aren't you afraid of me?! Don't you see the monster that I am?! Why do you not avoid me like everyone else?! How?! How can you stand me?! You have seen what I can do with your own eyes! I have even hurt you! Why do you not run away screaming?!"

But I would not. I felt uneasy because I wanted to yell at her but if I did, I would have scared her away. And if I did that, then I would lose this new feeling of satisfaction that I was getting from her. This feeling that I was wanted by someone. It was a drug and I couldn't stop myself from taking it, wanting it.

It was like her acceptance of me as a person and not some fearful monster was heroin. Yes, she was my heroin. My brand of heroin.

I had to get away. I had to get away from her before I couldn't get enough and couldn't leave her. I had to.

Luckily, my feet had led me to the street that had my hotel on it. Okay, I would pretend that I had to meet my team in the hotel lobby and escape Sakura like that. Okay Gaara, focus. Fifty feet. Forty. Twenty-five. Ten…five…two…

"Excuse me, Sakura-san, I have to meet my team here at my hotel's lobby. Good-bye." I gave her a slight, polite bow.

"Okay." A corner of her mouth curved upwards into a smile. "See you later then." I could feel her gentle – where had that word come from? – Green eyes on me as I disappeared inside.

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That was a strange encounter with her, most certainly. What did she want just by walking up to me, literally saying five words and then walking with me in silence for the next hour and a half? I don't think I would ever know.

I would never know, as I was leaving Konoha today to return to Suna. I might see her once or twice more during my lifetime and she would probably forget who I was.

"Hey Gaara, time to go." My older brother Kankuro leaned on the doorframe to our hotel room.

Instead of giving a cold look like I would before the Chuunin Exams, I got up from the bed obediently and followed him out the door. I paused before closing the door, looking around the room, taking it all in – the furniture arrangement, the watercolor prints on the walls, the window and the scene outside, all in for a reason I did not know.

Out, running between the trees with everyone, I realized why. I was saying goodbye to this place that had changed me so much, in more ways than one.

Night came, and we stopped to make camp for the night. I naturally was chosen as guard because of my insomnia. But who was watching the watcher? It was because of this that I got into quite a situation.

It had started at about eleven, when everyone was in deep sleep except for me. I was sitting in a tree, keeping my eyes, ears and all other senses barely alert because no one ever really attacked camps unless we had something of value which we did not or it was war and nobody currently was in one now.

A large shadow passed overhead, temporarily blocking out the moonlight. I looked up, figuring it was just a bird that was flying high. It was a bird but…well… It was too BIG to be a bird. In fact, it was HUGE.

It flew overhead again and I got a better look at it this time. It was somewhat blocky, almost square and white – completely white, from beak to tail feathers. And smooth too. Not a feather on it. It looked to be made of clay.

Clay… that meant chakra was involved and that meant a shinobi was involved. An enemy shinobi. I went completely alert instantly and stood on the tree branch I was sitting on. This was nothing I couldn't deal with by myself. I leaped up to the top of the tree to see my opponent. The large owl, as it turned out to be, was flying in circles over our camp.

I saw a man standing on the back of the owl. He wore a black cloak with red clouds and a high collar that covered anything else he wore. He had long blond hair, most tied into a ponytail and the rest hanging out over his left eye. I could not make out anything else, as he was too far away.

Then he came down on the great bird, sweeping over the treetops where I was, and creating such a gust of wind that it almost knocked me over. I sent some of my sand up to crush the wing of his owl, but he evaded by flying left and higher. My sand followed, and I sent a second, thinner amount in the shadow of the first.

Then there was a sudden explosion at the head of the first column and the man slowed down, not seeing the second one flying towards him from behind. It was a split second of blindness, as he sped up again, flying everywhere to avoid the second wave he didn't see before. I managed to get the tail of the bird and I hardened my sand so it was like rock. Both of my opponents jerked to a sudden stop and the man almost came off of his steed.

BANG

Another, larger explosion rocked the hard sand near the place where it was latched on after the man had made a sweeping motion with his hand at it, like he was spreading ashes. My sand broke off before I could do the Desert Sand Coffin. I could feel my brow crease in frustration and I sent many columns of my chakra sand to come in from all directions but again, he flew out of the way before they could converge on him. He made the sweeping motion with his hand again and a thousand little bombs exploded behind him in the midst of my sand. They dissipated, but they returned to me.

This enemy had taken advantage of every disadvantage I had. He was in the air, where it was easiest to evade my primary weapon, my control of sand that I received form having a desert demon in me. He had the necessary speed too that was critical for evading successfully. And he had bombs that could break my grip on him, just when I thought I had him. He was definitely my toughest opponent yet.

"Gaaraaaa!!" The yell came from below, one that I had heard quite a few times during my childhood. It was my brother Kankuro and he had woken the entire force of Sand Nins with his scream.

My opponent's single visible brow slanted sharply down and without any sign or motion, his great clay steed wheeled away and into the night sky.

My brother jumped up onto the top of the tree next to me. "What the hell were you thinking Gaara?! Why didn't you wake us up?! We could have helped!"

I turned to him, very, very annoyed. "I was doing quite well myself. I did not need any of your help." I said coldly.

He flinched, mostly from the look I gave him. He turned away and jumped from branch the branch, back down to the ground and the rest of our small force. "The attacker is gone." I heard him tell them. "It doesn't look like he will be coming back either. We can all go back to sleep now."

I, still annoyed at my brother, decided to resume my watching post on the tree branch.

The rest of the night passed without another incident, as did the rest of the trip back to Sunagakure. Though, that man would surely be back. I was certain.

(Uzumaki Naruto)

"Go awaaaayy." I mumbled into my pillow. Someone was shaking me to wake me up and if they didn't stop now, they would pay dearly for it later. I was so insanely tired after last night where I saw the angel dancing on the water. I had spent the next hour after finishing my ramen looking for her but I didn't find a single thing. At that point, I had begun to wonder if it had all been a dream, but my burnt hands were solid proof that it wasn't.

I blindly waved the person away, wanting to be left alone to sleep.

"Come, Naruto-san, its time to wake up. Today you're going to start being trained. I think you would like that." A male voice said.

"I would like to SLEEP, thankyouverymuch." I snapped back and covered my head with my pillow. Something tore it from my hands. "Hey, give it back!"

"Only if you get out of bed." They sneered.

I clutched my old stuffed fox to my face. They snatched that away too. I was instantly on my feet. "Hey what gives?!" I yelled, squinting into the sudden light.

"Finally, you're up." The voice snorted. "Come have breakfast." I followed whoever it was, Uesugi probably, blindly and groggily to the dining room where I chowed down on whatever they put in front of me. As you can see, I'm clearly not a morning person.

"Naruto, Hinata." Myuri – I could tell because of his commanding voice – got both of our attentions. I wasn't even aware that Hinata was there next to me until he mentioned her. Why was she always so quiet? It's like she's invisible!

"When you return to your rooms, put on the blue gi's you see there. They look exactly like mine. When you're both done with that, come out back to the training grounds." He continued.

Five slowly walking, dragging feet minutes later, I opened the sliding door to my room. There, neatly folded on my messy bed, was what that old man had promised. I threw off my pajamas and pulled on the pants. They seemed to be made of some sort of thick, heavy-duty fabric. Great, I was wearing this heavy thing in this hot weather? I shrugged on the top, pausing to remember how to wear this thing. Right, there were ties to hold the folded cloth across my body. I fumbled with the knots for a bit and smoothed out my new outfit with my hands when I was finished. Then I finally took a good look at what I was wearing.

The main color was a slightly grayish light blue. The collar, sleeve and pant cuffs were a darker blue, as well as this random line that went down the middle of the folded pieces. On the front folded panel on the lower left hand corner, there was a spiral embroidered in white.

I grabbed my ninja sandals and headed to the training grounds, pausing only to put them on when I got out of the mansion. Hinata was there as well as the other two Uzumaki men. The two stood there with their swords at their sides and there was an ENORMOUS boulder that definitely was not there before.

"Now that Naruto-san is here we can begin your training. First I would like to say a few rules. One: What you are wearing now is your training uniform. It is your duty to keep it clean, not to lose it and wear it every waking moment that we are training you. You only get one. Two: We are your teachers so you refer to us as sensei, Shihan or Shisou as needed. Thirdly and lastly: There is a reason why we have you do the most insignificant thing because the little things will add up in time and contribute to you becoming better, so don't complain. Now, for the time being, I am turning you over to Uesugi because he would like to show you something." Myuri stood aside after his speech and gestured to the other man who was now net to the big rock.

Uesugi grinned and assumed a stance with his left leg bent in front of him and his right straight out behind him. His face instantly became serious and concentrated. He held his sword above his head and brought it down quickly so that the edge near the tip of the blade sunk into the rock only a half inch.

At first, nothing happened. Then a sound like a beast crunching down on bare bones came from the rock and a crack appeared in the center, splitting it neatly in two. The two halves fell over, landing a mere foot from both mine and Hinata's feet.

All I could say was DAMN. That was so cool! How'd he do that?! If I but enough power and chakra into a kick, I might be able to go through a decent sized long, but a rock and a huge one at that? It would take me years.

Uesugi got up form his stance and grinned devilishly. "And you can do THAT when you're a master of the Kenbu-Do."

Myuri stepped forward and made three hand seals so fast that I didn't catch any of them and muttered something. Suddenly, the clothes I wore seemed to be five times as heavy as they used to be.

"Hey!" I protested, "What did you just do? Why does this thing I'm wearing weigh a ton now?"

"I just activated the gravity seal that was on it, that's all. It increases the pull of gravity on the clothes, making them heavier. It is so your body can get stronger without having to use bulky weights. It's very convenient, actually. The seal is the spiral on your gi tops and don't even try to take them off. I just increased the amount of gravity my ten, so the clothes are ten times as heavy then they normally would be." Myuri explained. "Now both of you, give me one hundred normal pushups, fifty one armed pushups on both arms. Of you're going to wield a sword, you'll need the arm strength."

I groaned. I had a feeling Hinata and I were in for it now.

(Uchiha Sasuke)

I placed the framed photo of Team 7 facedown on my dresser. Tonight, I would be leaving the place. I would finally get out of this place that held no power for me. Tonight, I would start my search for Orochimaru.

First, I would find a way to unseal that curse seal that Orochimaru had given. I needed that power and I fully intended to use it and I wanted more. I had no leads, but I would find him somehow, no matter the cost.

Suring the last two weeks after waking up from my coma given to me by my atrocious brother and being discharged from the hospital the day after, I had come to the former conclusion. It had come to me when I was practicing my taijutsu on one of the training grounds. This is all Konoha would offer me, these basic ninja skills. Chidori was the only thing of value that I had learned and even that turned out to be a failure. If I wanted something much higher, something that would barely scratch the surface of Itachi's level, I needed to go and find it myself. It definitely would not just come to me like an obedient dog.

The most important question after that was to where or who would I go to acquire this power? Suna? No, too friendly with Konoha. Iwa? I doubted they would welcome a Leaf Nin, even if they are a missing Nin. Was there any person or place that could give me the power I so desperately desired?

I was undressing in the bathroom to take a shower after that fateful training session when it hit me. I was taking off my shirt in front of the mirror when I saw the three comma marks on my left shoulder in the mirror. It made me remember during the Chuunin exam when I felt the power – the sweet, sweet sensation of raw power coursing through my body. I remembered the man who had given me that mark: Orochimaru. I needed to find him. He could give me more power. He could give me more of what I wanted. What I needed.

I took one last look around my room; I would never walk in here ever again. Ever.

I walked down the stone path towards the village gates. Nobody passed me on my way. That was good. Nobody would know I was gone until it was too late to track me down.

As I walked over the village's threshold, I left behind the Hokage Monument, the Ninja Academy, the Uchiha compound and name – everything I knew – and walked into the cool night air, the unknown, without looking back.

A/N: Ooooh, the plot is getting deep.

Ok this is now the record holding chapter for longest I've ever written.

I have one MAJOR MAJOR question for you all that you MUST awnser: Did you like this first-person thing? Like where I get in their heads and tell the story from their point of view? Was it more interesting when you heard what the characters had to say?

Actually, I turned the chapter into an exercise by making it first person...-sweatdrops-

Hey, I just realized, Izumi has the same first name as Sano Izumi, the high jumper, from the manga HanaKimi. Lol.

Who else here reads the manga Vampire Knight? Just curious.

Next Chapter: Now the training is officially underway! Izumi is set to visit someone deemed nearly unreachable, Sasuke left Konoha intending to find Orochimaru without any leads and Gaara came a hair's breadth away from being captured by Akatsuki. What happens a few months later? How will our hero and heroine hold up to this harsh training?

IBP