Yamcha, The Desert Bandit

On a hot, dry day five figures could be seen trudging through a large desert. There wasn't a trace of wind, or even any wildlife for that matter. Large rock structures dotted the area, that and sand of course. They all looked fatigued, each hot and agitated beyond belief. They all were silent, except for the heavy panting of one individual.

One blonde girl finally spoke up. "Kiba, are you sure this is the way that he went?" Ino asked as she wiped her forehead with her wrist for the umpteenth time.

"Umm... yea, I'm sure!" Kiba answered, sounding unsure whilst scratching the back of his hair. His hoody was wrapped around his waist as he stood shirtless. A small growl could be heard from beside him. He quickly looked down and whispered "shut it, Akamaru!"

The sole adult of the group released a large sigh. She felt that the boy was telling the untruth, but she didn't want to hurt his pride. "Hinata, scan the desert. There may be a chance that their captures are hiding nearby." Even as Kurenai spoke the words, she knew that they were false. Someone capturing Jiraiya and the container of the Kyuubi? They had to be some pretty bad ass ninja.

"Hai Kurenai sensei!" Hinata spoke with a soft tone. "Byakugan!" she said as veins popped out of the side of her face.

"Anything interesting?" Ino asked. "If not, then puppy over here will get the stuffing beat out of him." she looked at Kiba, who responded with a snort.

"What can you do to me?" he asked. "You lost to Sakura, there's no way you can scratch me."

"And you lost to the dead last, you flea ridden mutt!" Ino yelled with venom in her voice.

Kiba flinched, but quickly recovered. "He cheated! Farting shouldn't be allowed against an Inuzuka, you blonde pig!"

Ino's face turned a shade of red. She raised a fist a Kiba, whilst yelling profusely. "Well maybe I'll take over your body and let one loose! I'm sure that your diet of raw meat and feces will be oh so delightful to sniff you mangy hound!" her icy voice caused a chill to run down Kiba's spine.

Kurenai shook her head. This was ridiculous, she really needed time away from those two. "Hinata. I'm going to... scout the area. Who knows, some ninja maybe trailing us." she drawled out the ending, trying to make her lie sound convincing. Hinata nodded slightly. This was the only confirmation that Kurenai needed, and she quickly ran off.

The two genin argued amongst themselves. Akamaru walked away from them and laid at Hinata's feet. The Hyuga child continued looking around. She suddenly tensed up and pointed. "Someone's over there!" Hinata's voice rang out, quickly ending the argument. Both of her teammates gave each other one strong glare, then they turned to Hinata. Hinata squinted. "No... there's two of them. One of them..." Hinata's quiet voice got even softer. "isn't human?" she silently asked.

Kiba giggled and ran a hand through his hair. "Whoa Hinata, never saw you as the one to make a joke!" he snickered out.

Hinata blushed a deep crimson. "I-i-I'm not kidding!" she said. She looked from Ino to Kiba then back towards the energy signatures. Terror was evident on her face. "And they're coming this way!"

"Y-you gotta be kidding me!" Kiba groaned. He looked into the same direction as Hinata. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Akamaru, it's time to have some fun!" he received two barks in agreement. The puppy even started jumping around in a circle.

Ino was confused as to what was going on, but she looked in the direction anyways. She could hear a loud roar approaching, which caused her to shake a little.

As the roar rose in decibels, a single figure could be seen rapidly approaching. Ino looked around, but could only see one figure. She did remember, however, that Asuma always told her that her eye's could deceive her.

After five long seconds, the object came to a halt a few feet in front of them. A man jumped off of the object and landed in front of the trio. "Yo." he said cooky.

Ino studied the boy. She saw that he had long, black hair that came past his shoulders. His shirt was green and sleeveless with the kanji for easy in the middle. He wore long beige pants as well as blue boots with white and red designs. His body was a muscular build, and he stood taller than each of the genin.

All in all, he was hot.

Kiba looked at Ino and saw her drooling over the man. He shook his head and steppe towards the guy, pointing a finger. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"Fufufu," the man chuckled, "I am the Hyena whose Citadel is this very wasteland..." he paused for dramatic effect. "Yamcha."

A small cat jumped off the moving object that Yamcha possessed. It was blue with a beige underbelly. "And I'm Puar!" it yelled, trying to sound intimidating.

Kiba smirked and stepped forward, hands in his pockets, with Akamaru by his side. "I'm Kiba. And this is Akamaru," said dog barked. Kiba motioned towards a fidgety Hinata. "This is my teammate, Hinata, and this blonde is-"

Kiba was cut off as Ino ran up to Yamcha. "I'm Ino Yamanaka!" she said with a large smile while she shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Yamcha." she said Yamcha in a seductive way, causing the man to flinch, Hinata to blush, and Kiba to groan.

Yamcha jumped away from the girl in a frenzy. "G-get off of me!" he yelled whilst knelt over, heaving to catch his breath.

Ino stared at the boy with confusion evident on her face. She knew that she should have felt rejected, but it happened so much with sadistic Sasuke to the point where it doesn't hurt. It strengthened her "I'm here for your money and capsules." Yamcha glared at the three. "I wouldn't want to hurt you all, but hey, it's all about the money.

Kiba bared his teeth back and growled. "Sorry bud, but I don't plan on giving you anything, except an ass whooping." Akamaru barked in agreement. He looked back at his female companions and flashed them a cheeky smile. "I got this punk."

"B-but... K-kiba... I think that he's-"

"Hinata!" Kiba closed his eyes and leaned back on his heel. The Hyuga princess looked up at her companion. Him standing there with his smirk of confidence removed all of her previous doubts. "I got this."

The Hyuga heiress let a small smile spread across her face. She backed away from the soon to be fight slowly, her eyes never leaving those of Yamcha. He stared right back at her with a look of arrogance.

Ino looked from Kiba and Yamcha and sighed. She walked away with a dreamy look on her face. "Get him, Kiba!" she yelled enthusiastically.

The two boys stared each other down. They both held a look of confidence on their face. A slight breeze flew by, causing their hair to dance in the wind. In Yamaha's mind, there was no way that he could lose to this punk kid. In Kiba's, he knew he had to redeem himself for losing to the dead last.

After a few second pause, Yamcha finally spoke. "Listen kid, the offer's still up. If you give me what you have, I'll let you and your girlfriends walk away."

Kiba chuckled slightly. "It's funny, 'cause I was just about to say the same to you." He lowered himself into his feral stance, his hands out at his side and claws out. "I got this one in the bag!" Kiba yelled as he dashed at Yamcha.

Yamcha skillfully side stepped his opponent. He quickly swatted away a feral right slash, then a left. He raised a hand to block a follow up back slash, then jumped and dodged as he realized it was a feint for a leg sweep. Kiba grit his teeth as he released an onslaught of scratches, each being parried by Yamcha's palms.

Kiba growled as he jumped away from his opponent. Yamcha smirked as he popped his neck and wrists. "You're pretty good." His face formed a toothy grin. "But unfortunately for you, I'm very good!"

Kiba growled even deeper. "I'll believe it when I see it, cat boy!" he spat at his opponent.

"Well then," Yamcha smirked again. "Guess you're ready for my offense!" Yamcha crouched and raised his hands out to his side. His right arm was sticking out further than the left, with his index finger raised slightly. He moved his hands in a steady rhythm.

Puar started jumping on the side lines. "Get him, Yamcha! Show em whose boss!" The cat giggled. He froze, however, once Akamaru barked at him.

"You ready?" Yamcha asked. Before Kiba could respond, Yamcha rushed in and kneed him in his stomach, causing the boys eye to bulge and spit to fly out. Yamcha jumped away and punched Kiba quickly with two rights and a strong left, which sent the boy sailing backwards. Yamcha wouldn't allow that, however, as he grabbed the boys leg and slammed him into the ground.

Yamcha smirked at the boy as he struggled to lift to his elbows. His puppy ran to his side and whimpered as he licked his scowling face.

Hinata covered her mouth in shock. Kiba wasn't really strong, but compared to this guy he was looking like an academy student! She wanted to intervene, but she knew Kiba wouldn't want her too. She looked on in worry, considering what she should do next.

Ino looked on from the side with a look of concern. She had to admit that this guy was cute, and she never really considered Kiba a friend, but he was still her teammate. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Hey Yamcha, leave him al-"

"Shut it, Blondie!" Kiba yelled at Ino, causing the girl to flinch slightly. The boy climbed to his feet and held his hands in the tiger seal. In a puff of smoke, Akamaru turned into an exact replica of Kiba, complete with scars and all from his battle with Yamcha.

The raven haired bandit widened his eyes in shock. "Hey, now there's two of you!" he exclaimed.

"Yea... and we're twice as dangerous now!" 'Kiba' yelled whilst growling on all fours. The two clones slowly started circling the bandit, snarling dangerously while eying the man.

Yamcha returned to his fighting stance, glancing side to side at his opponents. He wasn't worried in the slightest, he knew that he was still in control of this battle.

"Fang over fang!" Yamcha jumped swiftly out of the way as the spinning duo attempted to pierce him. He wasn't given a moment to breath as the duo quickly retaliated to attack. Yamcha ducked under a slash at his face, then blocked a kick with both forearms. He kicked up off of the ground as a knee flew at him from the opposite direction. Once he landed, he was assaulted from both sides by the feral duo. '

Yamcha dodged and dodged, yet he would still get hit a few times. He was getting scratched and bit and honestly it was starting to sting. Yamcha was sweating profusely as he received a punch to the cheek. "Hey Puar!" he yelled as he grabbed a foot that was coming at him, yet was punched in the back of his head by the other. "A little help here!" he yelled.

"R-right!" the feline yelled. "Change form!" In a puff of smoke, the cat turned into a large skunk.

Hinata and Ino looked at the animal with surprise. "Am I on drugs... or did that cat just henge?" the blonde kunoichi asked her partner. Hinata shook her head as she looked on.

Kiba smirked. "What's that supposed to do?" he asked as he kicked Yamcha in the back, causing the bandit to stumble forward into a punch from his dopple ganger.

"This!" Puar turned around and sprayed a strong blast of foul odor onto the group. Yamcha covered his mouth and eyes as the smell approached.

"What the HFIL?" Kiba yelled as he tried to run away. The odor stuck fast, and his enhanced sense of smell crippled him even more. Akamaru whimpered as he reverted to his original form. He dashed away, running around attempting to get the stench off of him.

"Whoa!" Ino and Hinata quickly jumped away a couple of meters as they saw the scene before them, each covering their noses. This had to be the worse smell ever, even trumping Choji's bellybutton!

"I'm not done yet!" The cat morphed into a large blue hammer with a face. He swung hard and hit the puppy in it's side, sending it squealing and rolling through the dirt.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he watched in horror. His best friend lay motionless on his side, causing the Inuzuka to fear the worst.

The man known as Yamcha simply smirked at the retreating girls. He gave his partner a smile and a thumbs up. "Great job, Puar!" The small feline smiled in pride as he pooed back into his original form.

"Now, time for some payback!" Yamcha ran at Kiba and lowered his stance. "Wolf fang fist!"

"W-what?" Kiba stammered as he attempted to catch his breath. Before he could react, he was pummeled with a furious series of punches, each getting faster and faster. Yamcha tried to raise his arm to guard, but Yamcha would go around it and land a clean punch. After a long twenty seconds of this, Yamcha put the bottom of his palms together. He released a wolf howl as he pushed his palms into the young genins chest, sending him into the air with a pained scream. Kiba hit the ground hard and rolled onto his side, clawing the ground in obvious pain.

The sand bandit looked back at his opponent, whom struggled to rise to his feet. "I told you to quit, kid," he said cockily. He lowered himself as the boy attempted to stand back up.

Kiba growled at him with fury and tears in his eyes, the stench being more than he could bear. His forearm covered his nose, which didn't help block out the smell in the slightest. 'I'm gonna kill this cocky bastard!' he thought as he glared at the grinning bandit.

"Now, time to end this!" Yamcha rushed the genin, ready to end this battle. Ino inhaled deeply and turned away, unable to face her teammates defeat.

Hinata looked at Yamcha approaching with wide eyes. Her entire body shook in fear. Where was Kurenai Sensei? Kiba was the strongest out of the three of them, so if he went down then they all would as well. Each step the man took towards Kiba made her shiver even more.

"Stop!" Hinata yelled as the bandit was a few feet in front of Kiba. She ran and jumped in his path, protecting her comrade in her fighting stance. Her body quivered as she stared him down, yet she wouldn't move. The veins surrounding her eyes stuck out, showing her kekkei genkai.

Kiba looked at his teammate with wide eye's, containing both surprise and anger. "Hinata, get away!" he roared at her. "This is MY fight!" He attempted to stand, but stumbled backwards. Ino rushed to his side and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Kiba, you're in no condition to fight. Hell, you can't even stand!" Ino mumbled as she draped his arm over her shoulder. She grunted as she stood, which he replied with a whine of pain. "Maybe Hinata can hold him off until our Sensei returns."

The Hyuga and the criminal stared into one another's eyes. Yamcha looked at the girl and was impressed, most people ran in fear at the mention of his name! He couldn't stop the smirk as he watched her. "I don't wanna hurt you, Princess." He held out his hand. "Just hand me the goods and this would all be over."

Hinata looked back at her team. Akamaru was laying on his side, a pile of vomit sitting inches from his face. His fur was drenched a yellowish tint, the spray must've hit him harder than Kiba. Akamaru shuddered with each slow breath, his pain was obvious. She sighed, happy that he was at least still breathing. She then looked at Ino and Kiba. Kiba was laid on his back, breathing rapidly as blood flowed out of him, a scowl mixed with both anger and pain plastered on his bloody face. Ino sat over him, her palms glowing and trembling as she attempted to ease his pain.

"What should I do?" the lavender haired girl thought. Her stance was off a little as she trembled from the man in front of her. If she just gave the man their few supplies, then he would leave them alone; allegedly. If she stood to fight him, she could end up in a much worse condition than Kiba, then he'd take their sparse equipment either way.

"Hey Violet," the bandit said, snapping Hinata out of her trance, "It's your move."

Hinata tightened her stance and put on a brave front. "I-I'll stop you." she stammered as she got into position. Just as quickly as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Yamcha smirked. "Bad choice." The desert man rushed at H inata and punched twice, and was surprised as she ducked out of the way. She returned with a leg sweep, but Yamcha jumped over it but had to dodge quickly as she retaliated with pointed strikes. She continued to strike at him, yet he effortlessly dodged each strike.

Hinata knew that her strikes were uncoordinated. The fear of her friends getting harmed was too great. She aimed to hit his shoulder, but he nimbly twisted his body and slapped her in the back of her head, causing the girl to fall forward with a small shriek. She quickly caught herself, however and rolled onto her knees whilst raising her arms to block an oncoming punch. Hinata was gritting her teeth, while the bandit displayed a confident smile.

He shook his head at the girl. "I know who you are." That simple statement caused fear to rush through Hinata. "Hinata Hyuga, heir of the Hyuga clan. Eldest daughter of Hiashi. You know, you're worth a whole wad of zeni, hell enough to retire in five lifetimes." His smile became more animistic as he felt the girls guard loosening. "If I turn you in, I wouldn't have to steal anymore." He lifted his knee into the girls abdomen, resulting in a shriek, as well as sending her back a few meters.

Ino let loose a stifled cry as she watched her teammate get hurt. As much as she wanted to help Hinata, she knew that if she stopped healing Kiba he could die on the spot. Kiba was losing consciousness quickly, but she had to keep him alive, at least until Kurenai got back. "Hinata... be strong..." she whispered as a tear fell down her face.

Yamcha rushed Hinata and kicked her in her right side, halting her momentum, then swung a barrage of strikes at her chest and face. Hinata attempted to hit Yamcha in the chest, but he raised his knee to hit her wrist causing her to scream out in pain. Kiba jolted awake with widened eyes, screaming his teammates name as he saw her. Yamcha looked in his direction, giving Hinata enough time to land a strike on his right shoulder, which immediately caused it to fall lifelessly beside him.

"Argh!" Yamcha grunted out as he swung with his left hand, hitting harder than he expected. Hinata let out a whimper as she tumbled on the rough sand, adding more scratches to her already battered face and clothing.

"Dammit!" Yamcha yelled as his cat quickly flew to his side.

"Are you okay Yamcha?" it asked with worry on it's face.

"I'm fine!" Yamcha said as he cradled his arm. "I just have to finish this sooner than later."

Hinata stared at the man wide eyed as she attempted to stand, however it was usuccessful. Tears quickly clouded her vision as she shivered. Her breathing accelerated. Would he really take her? If he wanted to, there was nothing she could do to stop it, considering he outclassed her in all ways of combat. She knew that her eyes were valued in the Shinobi world, and other villages would pay plenty for them. What if they kidnapped her and bred her? What if they killed her and medically transferred her eyes? The possibilities were endless and she couldn't think of any scenario ending in a good way.

"Hinata, run!"

Hearing Kiba's voice jolted the girl out of her trance. She jumped back weakly and dodged a punch that would've easily incapacitated her. She gripped her stomach as pain rushed through her. If only she wasn't such a failure, she could've performed some of the high ranking clan jutsu's.

Yamcha looked at the crouched girl with a frown. He wasn't a kidnaper, merely a bandit. He couldn't pass up on this opportunity, however. He took slow steps towards the girl and was surprised as he saw her get into a stance. "I admire your guts, but you know that you're outclassed." The girl took a step back. "This can all be avoided-" Yamcha dodged a slow punch, "if you just-" he batted a forward palm strike away, "stop fighting." Yamcha finished as he gripped her wrist.

Hinata struggled to wrench her arm free, but to no avail as the mans grip was strong. She frantically attempted to attack with her free hand, but Yamcha lifted his knee and struck her wrist, resulting in another scream. Hinata's Byakugan was released, with most of her chakra gone.

"Ino... do something!" Kiba grunted from his spot on the ground.

"But if I do..." she started but was cut off.

"Let me die!" he said to her, causing her to flinch slightly.

Ino looked from Kiba to Hinata. Hinata looked to be dazed, her eyes were droopy, yet she still was trying to wrestle free. She shakily lifted her hands and connected her thumbs and index and middle fingers together. She tried to aim on Yamcha, but her aim was too shaky. She looked back at Kiba. "I can't do it!" she yelled with anger in her voice.

Kiba growled in annoyance as he tried to sit up. "I have to try something," he let lose a loud roar as his body screamed in protest. He laid himself back down as he coughed up blood.

Hinata had already given up on escaping. With her one good wrist broken, there was no way that she could escape this bandit. She closed her eyes and let a tear fall. As she silently cried, only one thing was on her mind. "Naruto..." she whispered to herself.

"Let her go!" Hinata's eyes jolted open as she heard an all too familiar voice. Was she hallucinating? As she saw the look in Yamcha's face, she figured she couldn't be. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye's she saw a flash of orange streak through. Yamcha let out a pained scream as he was punched in the stomach by the blur. Hinata smiled and blushed as her savior caught her before she hit the ground. She looked into her crush's face and couldn't help but blush. This was her dream! Being saved by her orange clad, spiky black haired muscular frie- wait. Spiky black hair? As Hinata's blurry vision focused, she realized that it wasn't Naruto holding her, but another boy, another handsome one at that. He was smiling at her really wide, and she couldn't help but notice his shiny teeth.

"Good hit, Goku!" Hinata looked toward the familiar voice and saw Naruto running towards them. This caused her to blush even further as she realized she was being held by another. Hinata fainted in Goku's arms.

Goku giggled. "Hehehe, I think he fell asleep!" he said as he looked at the figure in his arms.

"It's a girl you moron!" Naruto yelled as he got near the two. He easily sped past Bulma on her motor vehicle. "Hey, it's Hinata!" he yelled as he saw the girl in Goku's arms. His face became a grim expression as he looked at her bruises. He looked around him. "And there's Kiba, Ino, and Akamaru!" Kiba looked away from the punk that beat him in the preliminaries. Ino smiled wide and waved as she yelled Naruto's name. Yamcha started coughing as he stood to his feet. Naruto looked back at the black haired man and a scowl came onto his face. "Did he do this to her?" he asked in a low tone.

Yamcha grit his teeth as he stared at the two newcomers. The punch that was delivered to him was unreal, stronger than anything he ever had to deal with. He needed an escape plan, and fast considering his arm was out of use.

"You kids think you want some of this?" Yamcha asked, trying to intimidate the duo.

Goku's eyes widened. "Some what? Do you have candy? Yes, I would like some! Pleeeeeeease!" he begged with an innocent expression. This caused everyone around him to sweat drop.

Naruto looked at Goku and shook his head. "Goku, let me handle this." he said in a low growl.

Goku looked from his new friend and back to the bandit. "OK!" he said as he jumped back and landed next to Ino and Kiba. He gave them one of his prized grins. "Hi, I'm Goku!" he said to the two.

Ino looked at Goku with a raised brow. Hmm he's cute! She thought as she introduced herself. Kiba ignored him, choosing to rather stare at Naruto than to acknowledge the new kid.

Yamcha looked down at the little boy and a thought appeared in his head. He ignored the scowl that the blonde was giving him, and replied with a simple smirk. He couldn't help but giggle as the boy started stomping and pointing at him.

"What are you smirking at?" Naruto asked. "Learn to respect the Hokage when he approaches you!"

"Hokage?" Yamcha asked with a chuckle. "There's no way a brat like you could take that position. I mean, look at you," Yamcha waved his good hand at the boy, "you're malnourished. And your

outfit isn't exactly what I'd call ninja worthy. And on top of all that, you have freaking whiskers kid! I'm a wolf, I'd eat you alive." Yamcha licked his lips to emphasize his point.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled as he rushed the man. Yamcha smiled, easily kicking out his foot and kicking the Jinchuuriki in the gut. Naruto skid back a few feet as the wind was knocked out of him. He fell to one knee and inhaled rapidly, but was quickly kneed in the jaw which sent him into the air. He landed on the ground with a thud, sprawled out on his back.

"Whoa man, I was actually a little worried!" Yamcha said as he laughed heartily. "I can beat you with my arm tied behind my back!" Yamcha briefly thought of his choice of words, realizing that he really did only have one arm. He watched as the kid dubbed Naruto stood to his feet shakily. "You should've let monkey boy over there fight, you are much weaker than that mutt and his pup. Hell, even the girl put up more of a fight than you!"

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled more shakily this time. He crossed his fingers into his signature jutsu and six clones surrounded him. "Let's see how you handle all of us!"

Yamcha smirked, not showing any hints of fear. None of the clones even had a fighting stance! They all stood in uncoordinated positions, showing a complete lack of fighting skills.

"Bring it," he said, and quickly jumped up to avoid a clone that hastily charged. Yamcha kicked the clone in he back of his head, causing him to quickly dispel. Two more followed suit, and Yamcha withdrew his sword and a side swipe quickly ended their short life. The remaining four Naruto's each grabbed a kunai and blindly rushed the bandit.

"I'll play with you for a little while," Yamcha said as he gripped his blade even harder. He parried an onslaught of sloppy attacks from the four blondes, even smiling as he did it. He was twisting back and forth as he blocked the attacks, not even feeling the need to go on the offensive. Naruto noticed this, and in the middle of a high swing decided to announce it.

"Stop playing with me!" he yelled as his blade met Yamcha's. Yamcha jumped away from the group of clones, and wasn't surprised in the least as they all decided to follow. He looked into the sky. "Now Puar!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Naruto followed his gaze and was surprised to see a large object with wings swoop low, forcing him to duck. Yamcha jumped up and landed on top of it, smirking as he looked back at the battered group.

"Get back here you wimp!" Naruto yelled with throwing his kunai at the object, yet they all missed.

"See you later" Yamcha yelled in response. It was then that he noticed a beautiful girl amongst them. His face changed into a dumb look, and he quickly turned back forward. "Faster, Puar, faster!" he yelled as his partner sped off.

Naruto dispelled his clones and ran back to his allies. He smiled goofily in triumph as he approached the group. He saw that Ino was applying her healing to a still unconscious Hinata, while Goku was talking to her and watching her hands glow in glee. Kiba was sitting up looking better, giving Bulma the creepiest smile he's ever seen. On his lap was Akamaru, whom was getting plenty attention from Bulma, although she absolutely refused to pet him. "Hey guys!" he yelled as h e approached.

"Hey, look at the dead last!" Kiba said in a mocking term. He smirked at Bulma as he said this, hoping for a reaction. He instead got a reaction from Naruto.

"If I'm the dead last, where does that put you? Considering I beat you in the exams and what not," he trailed off as he smirked at the pup.

Kiba choked up, not expecting Naruto to react so quickly to his comment. The girls all giggled at him, while Akamaru growled, remembering that he also lost in the fight.

"You only won because of your stink butt!" Kiba yelled as he looked away form Naruto.

"Yea yea, either way I won! I must be getting much stronger! Did you see how that guy was running from me? He was all like 'man you're too strong for me' and I was like 'yea I know' and he was all like-"

"Naruto?" Naruto froze as he heard his name called. He turned around and saw the beautiful face of Kurenai Sensei. He smiled as he saw her, she was one of the people in the village that didn't treat him like trash.

"Hey Sensei!" he yelled goofily as he waved at her. She quickly approached them , and burst into a sprint as she saw the state that her students were in.

"What happened?" she demanded in a panicked voice. She ran to Hinata's side and put her hand on her head. She nervously looked between her students as she listened to them relay the story to her. Her face went from fear of the bandit harming them, to proud of Hinata and Kiba standing up to him, to surprise at the kid named Goku's speed and strength. As they finished the story, she was standing beside Kiba.

Kurenai sighed. She knew that her next decision was most likely to get her more fire than help, but she needed to get Hinata medical attention immediately. If her students were to get hurt, she'd never forgive herself.

"Guys, I'm ashamed to say this, but we have to go get help as fast as we can." Kurenai said solemnly.

"Where are you suggesting?" Ino asked as she twirled a finger in her hair.

Kurenai deeply inhaled, then slowly let it out. "Orange Star City."