Darkvizardking69: Sorry for the wait folks, summer really slipped by me and all, just enjoying the freedom of being out of high school. Anyway, I saw how many reviews I had, and thought, HOLY SHIT, this became a big hit, so I thought, 'Why keep the good fans waiting?', and so, here we are. Now it's time to get back to what you all love, so please keep sending your reviews, and i'll keep on writing, so let the show, BEGIN.

Chapter 15: Training, surprises, and start of the finals.

(The next morning)

Naruto woke up to see Liz and Crona snuggled next to him. Naruto made a clone and switched with it, the girls using it like a teddy bear. Naruto dressed in his usual attire, walked out to the yard to start some warm-up exercises. And by exercises, I mean making 100 clones and have a free-for-all using his bloodline as Asura instructed. Next he went over using Soul Eater in various forms. Seeing as the sword was made as a product of Naruto's bloodline, it was just as transmutable, allowing him to change it into various forms. It could turn into any type of bladed weapon, so long as he saw it or used it before. He saw Crona and Kushina walk out of the house, their swords at the ready. Kushina spoke up,. Saying, "Allow us to help you train using that sword, as it helps when facing diverse styles."

Crona added, "Not to mention, I wanna show just how much I improved thanks to her training. Medusa-Okaasan trained me well, but she really doesn't use swords much, so she couldn't do much in that area."

Naruto had two black orbs cover his hands, and they changed into two copies of soul eater. He looked at them and said, "Well, come at me at your hardest, because I certainly will." They saw his eyes and saw something strange. They became similar to Asura's, yet had the sharingan tomoe. He then took the two soul eaters, and brought the hilts together, then pulled them apart, turning them into a double-bladed pole-arm. They stood at the ready, and saw a leaf fall to the ground, when it did, all that was seen was a few blurs, and what was heard was the sound of metal crashing. The trio then reappeared, Naruto not having a scratch, while Crona and Kushina only had cuts on their clothes. Kushina whistled and said, "Damn, I guess Stein helped you out a lot huh? Even Minato would have at least a scratch by now."

Naruto grinned and said, "Well, I have Kyuubi-chan to thank for my eyes, seeing as she made the sharingan, she gave it to me. And me and Asura tweeked it to help in using his power, and channeling it easier. Though I must say Crona-chan, you have improved greatly. I need to be fast in order to keep up with that hyuuga prick, or else his taijutsu could do me in."

Kushina smiled, as she knows why her son was training hard, as Medusa showed everyone who wasn't at the matches the tape of what happened. She than said, "Speaking of Asura-san, he's also helping you train right?"

Naruto nodded, and said, "He's able to create a tangible body, like a shadow clone, and because of that, he and a few hundred of my clones go and practice using his powers in different ways. And when the training is over, I gain the experience of all of those clones, while I practice using soul eater here. This was the plan we created for the month. Say, has anyone seen Ryu since the dinner?"

Kushina said, "The Raikage spoke to him earlier, saying something about helping him with his lightning abilities."

Naruto nodded, and said, "That's good to hear, we're all gonna need to train. And I have one hell of an entrance planned."

Tsubaki walked out of the house and called to Naruto, "Naruto-kun, Lord Death is asking for you."

Naruto walked into the house and said, "Thanks Tsubaki-chan." Turning to the mirror, he saw Spirit standing next to his Hisofu. He then said, "Good morning, Hisofu, pervert." Spirit replied, "Shut your mouth kid, I could kick your ass-" He was cut by Lord Death, giving him a well placed reaper-chop to the head. He then said, "Hello, good to see you my boy, how's your training going?"

Naruto smirked and said, "It's going well. When Stein looked at my soul wavelength, he said it developed as I was training. It's as flexible as his own, but has the size equal to yours more or less. It helps when training with Tsubaki-chan and the others, as it helps in using their 'second stage' moves, as I like to call them."

Lord Death nodded, and asked, "So how has been going with the enchanted sword? Everything going well in using it?"

Tsubaki answered, "It's going tremendously well, he's even able to use the kata's for it already. His shadow clones work wonders, as he was able to reinforce them, making it like each was the real him."

Lord Death was impressed, and voiced it by saying, "Excellent, I hope to see the results of your training. Now then, how has Asura been? Everything going well?"

Naruto nodded, and said, "Yes, Asura has been on exceptional behavior, he's been helping me learn on how to not only use his powers, but also my reaper powers. It's about as close to getting trained by you and Oji-san. I will certainly, in Blacks Star's words, 'Put on one hell of a show'."

Lord Death nodded, and said, "Good, Ryu and Soul have told me how well you've been doing your scythe training, and may I see that weapon you created?"

Naruto nodded and summoned Soul Eater, and held it up for Lord Death to see. He whistled and said, " A blade created from the powers of a Reaper and a Kishin, but has the transmutable capability that even surpasses Tsubaki's. Truly a remarkable weapon. Using sanity and insanity together, you truly are one of a kind aren't you?"

Naruto blushed a little and said, "Now you're just embarrassing me." His face turned deadly serious as he said, "How are Shibusen's preparations for the invasion?"

Lord Death took a just as serious tone as he replied, "They're going well, I was able to undo the bond my soul had to Death city after Asura was defeated. Our meisters, staff, and even myself will be able take part in this. You have our full backing."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good to hear, that snake bastard Orochimaru won't know what hit him. You and Spirit stay near Sarutobi, I trust the old man but he is getting on in years, and isn't in his prime anymore. He will need help. The Mizukage and Raikage will also be helping you, and I believe that the Raikage will bring both of his Jinchuuriki with him, so that's extra aide."

Lord Death nodded, and said, "It's good to hear that. And how has Medusa been doing?"

Naruto chuckled, and said, "She is also showing excellent behavior, as she helped Ryu learn to use his abilities from his mother's side, and gave training to Mikoto-chan as well."

Lord Death nodded and said, "Good, I'm glad everything is going well. I'll see you at the day of the exams, see ya." The screen fizzled out, showing it was just a regular mirror. Naruto went into the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of sake. He then downed the entire bottle in a fashion that Tsunade the sannin would have been proud of. He then said, "Man, I really needed that." Tsubaki heard knocking at the door, and when she went to open it, she saw 'Sasuke' standing in the doorway, looking nervous. 'He' asked, "May I come in? I need to speak with Naruto about something."

Tsubaki said, "Of course, he's in the kitchen so please come on in." Tsubaki got out of the way, allowing 'Sasuke' in, and the moment she closed the door, Mikoto let her henge drop. Naruto walked in from the kitchen and said, "It's nice to see you Mikoto-chan, I was actually going to go see you today to see if you needed any help in training for your match."

Mikoto blushed a little, then said, "I need to talk to you, it's about Kakashi." Naruto gestured to the couch and Mikoto continued, "It happened yesterday. I was rested and I left the hospital. Kakashi saw me leave, and said he needed to take me out of the village for training."

(Flashback)

Mikoto walked out of the hospital, feeling refreshed. Kakashi was walking toward the hospital in order to take 'Sasuke' for training. Kakashi had his nose in the book, as per usual. Kakashi casually said, "Glad to see your well enough to walk, we have a lot of training to do before the finals." Mikoto scoffed, and said, "I plan on asking Naruto to help me train for my match. And last I checked, you have a student, or did you forget Ryu already?"

Kakashi nervously looked around and said, "I can't talk about that right now, so let's just-" He was cut off, as Mikoto dragged him into an alley and said, "You are going to talk about it, after all, you still haven't finished that bet of yours with him, now if you excuse me, I need to train with Naruto-kun." Kakashi noticed the slip of the tongue, and grabbed Mikoto's shoulder, and said, "What connection do you and Naruto have?"

Mikoto was getting furious, and she lost control over her henge, which then dropped, shocking Kakashi. She then said, "What's it to you? I bet you're like the rest of these fools around in this village, but you know what? It doesn't matter. I would certainly trust him over you anyday."

Kakashi looked saddened, and said, "I'm sorry, I knew it came out wrong. The civilian council has me forcefully training only you, and tried to force me to do so even more due to who your opponent is. Their only concern is that you stay alive. So, does Naruto know that, you're, well, a girl?"

Mikoto nodded and said, "Yes, he does, and he's been helping me in training for a while now, him along with Medusa-sensei."

Kakashi nodded, and said, "And when do you plan on revealing yourself?"

Mikoto smirked and said, "I plan on doing it soon, but I won't tell when."

Kakashi sighed and said, "The council is gonna raise hell about this, you know that right?"

Mikoto said, "I know, and Naruto-kun promised to help me through it should the need arise."

Kakashi smiled and said, "To be young and in love. Naruto's a good kid, and I plan on breaking my late streak, so we can see him kick Neji's ass, what do say?"

Mikoto blushed but said, "You better, but now it's late."

Kakashi smiled and said, "It certainly is, well, it's good to see that you're better 'Sasuke'. I'll talk to Ryu about his training soon. Have a good night."

Mikoto made sure her Henge was up before she left the alley.

(Flashback end)

Naruto said, "So Kakashi knows huh? Well this is certainly interesting."

Mikoto looked down, and said, "I never should of lost control of myself like that, I just hope the council won't find out."

Naruto looked her in the face and said, "And even if they did, I'm sure Kakashi is on our side, he wouldn't rat you out."

Mikoto blushed and thought, 'Kakashi was right, Naruto-kun is a good person.' she then said, "Maybe your right. Thanks for that." Naruto smiled and said, "No problem, I always help my friends." Mikoto blushed, and edged closer to Naruto, Medusa was watching from the hallway. She thought, 'So she's gonna say it huh? It's about time.'

Mikoto looked down and said, "There's also another reason I came here, something else I wanted to say." Naruto looked her in the eye and said, "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

Mikoto blushed at the closeness, but wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "It's best if I show you instead." And without warning, she kissed Naruto on the lips, Naruto going wide-eyed. When the kiss ended, both of them were blushing, and Naruto said, "Mikoto-chan, I honestly never expected that, but I certainly liked it."

Mikoto blushed deeper, and said, "I'm glad you did."

Medusa chuckled, and said, "It's about time Mikoto-chan, I thought you were never gonna tell him."

Naruto looked at her and said, "So you knew about this Medusa-chan, but never told me?"

Medusa smirked and said, "I thought it would be better if she told you herself, and I was right. I guess it was certainly worth the wait huh?" The two couldn't help but blush. Medusa smirk grew, and said, "Naruto-sama, Ryu told me that the Raikage was going to be overseeing his training for the month, seeing as Ryu has a high Lightning affinity. He said he would be back before the finals. I already told Mizune about it." Naruto nodded, and said, "If anyone could train Ryu, it would be the Raikage, I wonder what kind of training he's doing?"

(With Ryu)

Ryu stood in one of the training grounds, E standing in front of him. He said, "You're doing well kid, hell even my younger brother didn't learn this fast. And because of that, I got something for ya." He took out a scroll and handed it to Ryu. He then said, "This scroll leads to the dragon summoning contract, I was never able to figure out the riddle, none of my shinobi could of. But I think you possibly could. It just seems right."

Ryu looked at the scroll, and said, "I always liked riddles, and I bet this will certainly be a good one."

E smirked, and said, "Oh it is, I hope to see you figure it out, you have until the finals to figure out the riddle, and find the contract, if you do, you keep it, if not, I take back that scroll. Do we have a deal kid?" He held out his hand, to seal the deal. Ryu smirked and shook E's hand, and said, "We certainly do, and I will find this contract. I'll see you at the stadium." Ryu disappeared using the Rai shunshin. E thought, 'I certainly will kid. Make no mistake.'

The month continued, Ryu searching for the contract, while Naruto continued to train on using Asura's powers, along with developing his reaper powers. And soon the day of the finals came.

(Day of the finals)

Villagers and ninja alike filed into the stadium, taking their seats. Each of the competitors stood in a line in the middle of the arena. In the Kage's booth, Sarutobi sat, waiting for his fellow kage to arrive. He saw the 'Kazekage' arrive with two of his bodyguards, and stood up to greet them. He said, "Well hello Kazekage-dono, i'm glad you made it." The 'Kazekage' chuckled and said, "A small trip like that was nothing at all. Now if you were to come to Suna, I doubt I could say the same. How's the search for a replacement, find a Godaime yet?"

Sarutobi chuckled as well, and said, "I have a few years left in me, I'm not dead yet you know." He then saw the Mizukage and Raikage approach, and said, "I'm glad you both could make it."

E scoffed and said, "Unlike that fool Tsuchikage, we wanted to see the matches, and at least then we could see who our friends and enemies are."

The Mizukage, a young woman named Mei, said, "I came to see Naruto-kun, I hear he is quite a fighter, and a looker." Sarutobi chuckled, and whispered to the Raikage, 'Are those two the Jinchuuriki your village has?'

E nodded, and whispered, 'That's Yugito Nii, and my younger brother, Kirabi. They both wanted to see Naruto-san's match, after I showed them the tape from when he fought that sound-nin.' Sarutobi smirked, and said, "Well it will be a good one, that's for sure."

Sarutobi got tapped on the shoulder by one of the jonin next to him, and the jonin said, "Hokage-sama, Naruto-san's guests have arrived, shall I let them up here?" Sarutobi nodded. The 'Kazekage' asked, "And who would these 'guests' be?"

Sarutobi looked at him and said, "I never met them personally, but Naruto insisted that they be allowed up here. This must be them them now." He turned to see who was coming into the booth, when the Kage's saw the strangest thing they could possibly see. The best way to describe the person was a large mass of black with spikes and a white mask. Next to the mass was a man wearing a tux, black with a green shirt, and a black tie in the shape of a cross. He had red hair and stood calmly. He started to ogle the Mizukage, when the mass had a large rather cartoonish white hand seemingly rolled out and whacked the man on the head, sending him crashing to the ground.

The 'Kazekage' spoke up saying, "Not to be rude, but, who the hell are you?"

The mass turned, tilted it's head, and said, in a rather cartoonish voice, "Oh me? Well you see I'm Naruto's great-grandfather, and this idiot here is my assistant, Spirit." The Raikage spoke up, saying, "I think he meant to ask for your name."

The mass righted it's head, and said, "Oh, in that case, my name is Death, or as you would call me in this culture, Shinigami." Each of the Kages were wide-eyed, as well as the people in the stands, seeing as they heard the conversation. In the minds of everyone who did not live in the Namikaze compound, they screamed, "HOLY SHIT!" A few people fainted, a few more pissed themselves, and the rest were REALLY reevaluating how they were going to act from then on. Sarutobi was the first to speak up, "My word, I knew Naruto's father, but this, is just plain CRAZY."

Death chuckled and said, "Now don't act nervous, I just came here to see my great-grandson thrash the competition. Let's just sit back and enjoy it shall we?"

The kages nodded, and Sarutobi stood up and said, "Thank you all for coming to the final stage of the chuunin exams, will the first match please get underway?"

The proctor for the exam, a needle chewing jonin named Genma, spoke up saying, "Will Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Namikaze please step forward?"

The crowd started to whisper, thinking that it was a trick, in disbelief of Naruto's last name. Neji smirked, seeing that Naruto was not in the stadium. Hinata, sitting in the stands next to Haku and Tsubaki, was getting worried. Neji started to say, "It's obvious that dead last chose to run and hide instead of facing me. He knew that fate deemed me-" He was cut off however, as the sky darkened, and a haunting sound rang in the air. Clouds filled the sky, as what sounded like a bell being rung. An image of three eyes, set into a triangle formation appeared in the air, each one seemingly moving. But what truly scared the crowd, was that the eyes held the image of the sharingan, three tomoes in each eye. There was a flash of lightning in the air, as the tempo grew faster, and a voice, sounding dark yet filled with sorrow, sang out:

Your broken so am I,
I'm better off alone!
No one to turn to and,
Nothing to call my own
Outspoken, so am I!
Explosive words that,
Your world wouldn't understand,
Turn away again
You're beaten, so am I!
I've got a heart of stone!
No medication can cure what has taken hold
You're hurting, so will I,
When I awake and remember,
Why I've been running from your

World, dishonored by your world
Your world, I'm haunted by your world

Kirabi heard the words, knowing that they were exactly how he used to feel, before he became the hero of Kumo.

My blood is cold as ice,
Or so I have been told,
Show no emotion,
And it can destroy your soul
Another sacrifice, to a tormentor,
Your world wouldn't understand,
Turn away again!
You're angered, so am I!
A thousand fires burn!
A land of darkness from which I cannot return!
You're aching, so will I
When I awake and discover that,
I've been damaged by your

World, dishonored by your world
Your world, I'm haunted by your world.

Matsuri felt a feeling rise in her heart, one she never felt before. The words resonated with her, as if they described her life down to the letter.

Never will I be welcome,
Amongst the heartless monsters,
You surround yourself with
Feeding off the pain and misfortune of others,
A maniacal breed of sub-human parasites,
Thrown into a feeding frenzy,
With the smell of fresh blood
Open your eyes and see the creatures for what they are,
A swirling mass of hatred and envy
And do not be naive enough to think you are unaffected,
The conversion has already begun.

You're frightened, so am I!
A world of demons wait,
Watching our movements and,
Filling my heart with hate,
You're burning, so will I
When I awake and discover,
How I've been ravaged by your,

World, dishonored by your world
Your world, I'm haunted by your world!

As the song ended, and the music began to slow, an orb began to descend from the middle of the three eyes. When it touched the ground, it faded, showing Naruto was the one inside.

He wore a blood red jacket, a pair of black shinobi pants, pitch black steel-toed boots, and had Asura's scarves over his face. The scarves flowed behind him, the same as when he lost his temper at the prelims. The scarves covering his face parted, allowing everyone to see his face. His hair had streaks of black, and laid flatter, his eyes became the same as Asura's, the sharingan tomoe spinning in his eyes. Naruto looked Neji square in the eye, and said, "It's time to pay for your sins, you will pay for what you have done."

Neji smirked, and said, "A flashy show and a change in looks won't help you, fate decided I would win this battle."

Naruto spread his arms out, two black orbs engulf his hands, and formed into two Soul Eaters. He looked up and said, "Sorry, I don't give a shit about fate, and now, I will defeat you and prove what a pussy little bitch you truly are Hyuuga, understand?"

Genma, seeing no need to stall, said, "Let the first match between Naruto Namikaze, and Neji Hyuuga, BEGIN!"

(A/N: ANNNNNNDDDD CUT!. I hope you all enjoyed it, I certainly did. Sorry for the wait, summer really slipped by me. But now I'm back and it will not stop here, and you will enjoy the tort- I mean fight, that will happen next chap. So stay tuned, and please, REVIEW.