A/N Ok here is an early update before the Xmas season and just a farewell one as well,

I have read some of the reviews that came through yesterday and I am sorry to hear that so many think that Naruto will not be a big part of this. As I said in my "huge a/n" he will be very present but I want to develop his character to a more mature level. So for everyone out there that has been "stoning" me, here is a chapter that has more Naruto in it but it is basically all about their training.

Here is the rewrite

-Nimheria

Chapter 6 – Snack Time

The training ground of Mount Myobuku was echoing with grunts and loud outbursts of either success or failure. Fukasaku and Shima were watching Naruto from Jiraya's shoulders, they both were intrigued by the child, even if they could see the war he waged inside of him. Good vs Evil. Right vs Wrong. Naruto vs Kyuubi.

Jiraya was rubbing his temples as he wondered how much chakra Naruto still had to expend before he could start training the baka with the Sage methods. The boy seemed to be a chakra geyser. As Jiraya watched Naruto train, his thoughts travelled to Kushina and Minato, if only they were here to see him.

Naruto knew that he somehow needed to exhaust his chakra reserves but he had been arguing with the baka fox the whole morning. The fox felt threatened and insulted that Naruto turned to the Toad's to train him. Naruto argued that Kurama wasn't very insistent on training him and that he did not want to depend on the baka fox.

Naruto decided that he needed to start the training and fast, so in his usual fashion he created close to a hundred clones and immediately set them to deplete their own chakra as soon as possible. Jiraya just shook his head, still astounded by the amount of clones that Naruto could create in a mere second.

As Naruto himself was pushing his own limits as hard as he can, he focused on the lavender eyes that always soothed him and encouraged him to do better. Hinata never knew what her silent support meant to him and he knew that one day he would return the favour to her, he was going to be a good friend to her.

Naruto's was so focused on the lavender eyes that he did not notice one of the toads launch a few kunai at him. "Ey! What the hell?" He yelled as a few scrapped him. "You were daydreaming." The old toad replied then he merely turned around and hopped away. "Pervy Sage!" What was that all about?"

Jiraya merely smirked at Naruto and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Stop focusing on other things. Now is the time to train. If you were distracted like that in a battle you would have been dead a lot sooner." Naruto huffed in annoyance. It had been two weeks now that they had been here at the Toads and he was becoming homesick in a sense. He couldn't figure out why though, something was tugging him back to Konoha.

If he wanted to find out what it was he would have to increase his efforts. He just hoped he would not be too late.

He knew he had to work hard but feeling home sick was not something he was familiar with. He wondered if Sakura-chan missed him though. The pink haired teammate had been his love interest since the academy but being out here, he couldn't think of her as more than just a teammate.

Hinata was flowing through the training dummies as she used her flexibility and her chakra control to manoeuvre herself through the maze of boiling hot water, mobile training dummies and Anko's snakes. Sera was there and she was watching Hinata with a very observant set of piercing red eyes. "She seems confident. More so then when she defended her snack status." Amai burst out laughing at the thought of Hinata being fed to Manda; Manda would be up for one stubborn kuniochi to go. In the month that Anko and Hinata had been with Amai, they had been focusing on increasing her chakra reserves, strengthening her chakra control and toning her flexible body. Hinata had surprised them all when she announced a few days ago that she finally completed her Protective 64 palms technique and she was a sight to behold.

Anko immediately challenged Hinata to test it out and for once Anko was actually out of breathe after spar adding to it a lot of her tenketsu points were blocked. Amai had found it funny as she watched Anko try and unlock them all on her own. Hinata cursed out loudly as one of the dummies swung back and out of her Byakugan vision, hit the back of her knees, causing her to tumble. If it wasn't for her chakra enhanced feet, she might have resembled a lobster after landing in the boiling hot water.

Amai had decided to focus on strengthening Hinata before she started with the Hebi and Byakugan collaboration.

"Hime. Come on, one more than your out. Then we start on teaching you the Hebi stances." Amai yelled out. Hinata huffed in frustration but continued to push through the last part of the maze.

Hinata immediately dropped to her knees once she reached her sensei's and Sera. "So snack. It wasn't that bad." Sera's voice hissed in sarcasm, close to Hinata's head. "If it wasn't so bad then why don't you grow to legs and do it yourself." Hinata spat back in irritation to the snake. Sera merely hissed in laughter. "One day snack I am going to eat you." Sera merely disappeared in a cloud of smoke as she finished her sentence.

Anko just shook her head at the snake and the Hime. "Tsk tsk. You two had better get along. One day you are going to be her Summoner." Hinata merely ground her teeth in protest as she caught her breath. Amai then proceeded to clap her hands, gaining the attention of the younger two women. "Up and at 'em Hime. Today is all about learning the Hebi stances and katas."

"The Hebi fighting style is not very well known, it focuses mainly on disabling your opponent before they can even consider striking. Your main targets are the weak points of the human anatomy. You with your Byakugan will be deadly without having to incorporate many jutsus into it. And I agree that your Protective 64 palms technique combined with the smaller more poisonous snakes will be deadly. So to start I need you to sign the Snake Summoning Contract and we need to get permission from the Snake Sage to start your training."

Anko summoned a rather odd looking snake; it had the resemblance of a scroll with a snake head and tail as the only distinguishing attributes and the fact that it was a terribly bright yellow with orange eyes and its tongue that flicked out continuously was a lilac colour.

"Shemar. May I have the scroll please?" Anko bent down so that she was bowing to the snake. "For what purpose Anko do you desire the scroll?" A deep baritone hiss surprised Hinata as she had suspected that its voice would suit its odd appearance. "I request to sign my apprentice as a Summoner and then we need to discuss her training with the Sage." Anko was still bowed as she spoke to the snake and Hinata looked over to Amai who was inspecting her nails as if they were the most interesting object.

"You may but if you speak to the Sage, remember that Amai-sama is still not allowed in the Ryuchi Cave." Amai responded with a hiss to the snake. "Insolent serpent." The snake ignored her and merely laid flat on its side and started unrolling the scroll until Hinata could see the names on the contract.

She gasped as she saw that Sasuke had signed the contract, the blood still looked wet so it must have been very recent. Anko merely shook her head, encouraging Hinata to keep her mouth shut. "Now then Hime. Bite your thumb and draw enough blood to sign the contract." Hinata nodded and followed the instructions. As she finished her signature, her blood turned a dark blue colour. Shemar looked at the bloody signature and hissed at Anko. "a Hyuuga princess? Really Anko. You do know Manda is going to want to eat her and the Sage will never decline her requests. Even if Manda protests." Anko grinned sadisctically.

"That was the plan all along Shemar."

The snake shook his head and with a puff of smoke he vanished. Anko was smiling and Amai just growled at the spot where the snake was. Hinata was curious as to why Amai was banned from the snake cave. Anko clearly sensing her curiousity burst out laughing.

Amai shook her head and sighed. "Let's just say Manda and I have a history." With that Amai returned to the house leaving Anko and Hinata by the training area.

Anko summoned Sera, much to her dismay and requested that they be reversed summoned with her. Sera merely licked her lips towards Hinata. "Snack time" she hissed out and Hinata narrowed her eyes at her. Anko was enjoying this little display but then hurried Sera along.

They needed to meet with the Snake Sage.