The Woren of Uzu no Kuni

by Foxcomm

When Naruto turned eight, something began to happen. He changed, growing fur and a tail. 'What do you mean I'm a WOREN' rated T for language.

12. Chapter 11

Day five and Naruto couldn't be more grouchy, Sasuke's team still wasn't there and the second exam was about up. The proctor was there, looking a bit shocked at seeing them. She was surprised to learn not only had they all arrived here on the first day, two of them were there the first half hour. The other team less than an hour later. So far there was only three other teams there, two from Konoha and one from Oto. At the start of the Chunin Exam, Konoha made up more than half the teams going in. In the Second Exam, they still had the majority of genin taking the exam. Now, here at the end, they outnumbered the teams from Konoha, proudly wearing the trophies they gained on their arms.

The door to the room opened and in walked a team still battle worn from getting to the tower. Anko couldn't help but notice they no longer had their headbands or that Naruto turned to them and when he saw just who it was, he held up his arm to show off the headband. Seeing the look in the Uchiha's eyes, she cleared her throat and said, "Form a line at the end. You ignore me and try to fight someone; you're out of the exam."

Naruto could feel how much Sasuke hated to listen to her as he did as she instructed. He was infuriated. Good. Someone in their profession has no right to get mad so the madder he gets the more Naruto liked it. Waiting a few more minutes, the Hokage spoke up. "To the teams that have arrived here today, congratulations. You have passed the second Exam. Now before we continue, I believe I should tell you all just what is the purpose of these exams. They…"

"They are the modern day battlefield," Konan said as she stretched. "Since the last great ninja war, these 'games' have taken place, letting you ninja have your private little wars without drawing in the whole continent. Since the start, open conflict has decreased while tensions still remain high. Nya, that is what you were going to say, yes?"

"…It was but please don't interrupt me again. Now, for the next part of the…"

"Ahem, Hokage-sama," a pale, sickly jonin interrupted. "Maybe I…cough?"

"…Why do I bother? Go ahead."

"Thank you." The ninja coughed into his hand a few times before continuing. "The next portion of the exam is a one on one elimination match. It will be held before judges who will score you on being a ninja. Win or lose, you could be promoted."

"Does that mean we all could become Chunin," Shikamaru asked.

"Yes but by that same thought, none of you could. Winning just gives you more chances of impressing the judges. The finals will take place in one month to be able to gather all the important guest. But as their time is of value and there seems to be too many teams, we are going to have a preliminary round. At this point your fate is no longer tied to your team. So if you don't feel up to continuing, you may quit." After a moment of no one moving, he coughed again and said, "You will be chosen randomly until you each have fought once. And the device to decide who is this." A panel slid from the wall and out a screen came. "First is…"

It flipped through names a few times before showing 'Rand Perrin'. You could hear Sakura 'Eep' when she saw that name. She could still see him catching that tree and throwing it. "And your opponent is…" Akimichi Choji. "Will everyone but those two please head up stairs?"

Naruto went up and stood next to his mother. "Kaasan, is something different about the Uchiha? Something…dark?"

"I sense it too," she replied. "Leave him be, Naruto, you may deal with him later."

"Yes, Kaasan."

Down below them, Choji began to fidget as he was scrutinized by the almost inhuman blacksmith. "Hey Choji, win and I'll take you to an all you can eat barbeque," his sensei called out.

"Alright," he cheered, suddenly feeling pumped up for this.

Perrin tilted his head but dismissed it. "Ready?"

"I am, you?"

"I am." Perrin clapped his hands together and bowed to him. "May he who dies die well."

Choji gulped and said, "Die?"

"Do I want you to die, no. Am I going for the kill, no. Am I just going to let you defeat me, no. Am I foolish enough to believe all of these children here today are going to leave this arena alive, no." Rising from his bow, he pulled his hammer free and began to walk forward.

"Bubun Baikai no Jutsu," Choji shouted, getting the first attack in. His arm increased in size as well as strength as it extended and gave Perrin a vicious left hook that turned him to the side. They stood there a moment, unmoving.

"What are you waiting for, Choji," Ino called out. "Attack again!"

"Foolish," Aisha said to her. "He can't even pull his arm back from the hit."

"What?"

Perrin looked back to Choji, choking up on his hammer until he was holding it right under the head. Facing him completely, everyone saw he was holding the arm in place with just one of his own. Throwing the arm back, Perrin pulled Choji through the air and hit the head of his hammer right in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him into the wall. Perrin rubbed his cheek where a bruise was forming before holding the hammer by the leather strap at the end and swinging it around. Choji was just getting up when Perrin started swinging it fast enough. Choji saw him swinging what looked like a disc before throwing it right at him. Jumping out of the way, the hammer caught his scarf as it plowed right through the wall and carrying him with it.

Perrin stood there waiting for him to enter. "Nikudan Sensha!" A giant ball rammed back through the wall in the path to run Perrin over. Perrin just dug in his feet and grabbed him. Lifting him over his head, he twisted and threw Choji across the arena again where he changed back to normal.

Taking a step forward, Perrin rolled forward and turned into a giant ball as well. He rolled right for Choji before coming to a stop. Lifting his head from its place, he looked to Hayate and said, "I believe I win."

Hayate came around him and found Choji pinched between him and the wall, unable to move. "Choji is unable to continue, the winner is Perrin."

Perrin rolled back until his feet were on the ground again and straightened; the armor plates on his back folding back together just like an armadillo's. Walking to the broken wall, he grabbed his hammer and went up the stairs.

"They really aren't human," Sarutobi Asuma muttered.

"We're different," Din said to him. "Not better, not worse, just different, sir. Perrin doesn't even like fighting and would prefer not to be here."

"Then why is he," a one eyed jonin with spike gray hair asked.

"To defend Uzu," Din answered simply. "Even those without swords may die upon them."

"Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke," Hayate called out, surprising many of the Uzu.

"Nya? The last match is the second," Konan asked.

"Make no mistake," Naruto said, heading for the stairs. "It will be far from being worthy of the final match of this tournament."

"Couldn't have said it better," Sasuke said, jumping over the railing. Holding out his hand, he said, "My headband."

"Beat me for it," Naruto countered, taking Cutter in hand once more.

"Heh, when I beat you, I'll take it back and your headband and sword." He lunged forward with a kunai in hand. "I doubt you're as strong as they say or even as weak as the loud mouth berserker! I bet your weaker still!"

Naruto ducked the attack and twisted into a spin, hitting Sasuke in the stomach. "You survived that strike because I don't want you dead yet," Naruto said, his blade still in his stomach. Faster than lightning, Naruto slid it out from under him and slammed the blade down on his back. Jumping back to give Sasuke room, Naruto waited, heart beat slow and mind calm. Sasuke growled as he jumped back to his feet and rushed him. Naruto swung Cutter, slicing through the Kunai and then slammed the butt of his weapon into Sasuke's nose.

Naruto once more gave him room and waited. "…You think you're so smart, you filthy sub-human," Sasuke growled, his nose bleeding pretty badly. "You think you're so much better than me! You're nothing, not to me, not to these eyes!" His eyes turned red with black dots inside them. "I'll beat you and take that sword, the source of your power."

"Really," Naruto asked with a smirk. "Well then, why don't you just take? Sorry, Cutter, going to let you go for a bit."

'Just a bit, okay? Destroy this little jerk!'

Naruto stabbed Cutter into the tile and stepped away from it. Pulling out his daggers, he raised them to his lips and whispered to them. They extended into sabers and he held them to the side. "Go on, take it," Naruto encouraged. "In the right hands, Cutter can cut through stone and steel so these little blades won't mean anything to you, right?"

Kakashi realized what was going on, he was baiting Sasuke in. Seeing Sasuke run for the blade, he took it hook, line, and sinker. "Don't do it!" Sasuke grabbed the blade and held it aloft. "Drop it Sasuke!"

"Too late," Naruto said, rushing forward.

"Sanryudan no Jutsu!" Flipping the blade down, Sasuke did the handsigns and tried to breath out the fireball… Only there was no fire. His chakra was gone. Even his Sharigan was returned to normal. Seeing Naruto still coming, he tried to get the sword up but Naruto only used one of his swords to push it aside before slashing him across the chest.

"A sword is not a toy for a child," Naruto said, slipping behind him and putting the flat of a sword under Sasuke's neck, pulling back and throwing him. Sasuke scrambled to his feet and grabbed Cutter again. "You honestly think you can win, don't you?"

"I know it," he said, rubbing his neck where the blade had been. "I may not know how to use this yet but it will still cut through those."

"Oh, in that case," Naruto held the sabers out, one forward, the other above his head. "Come and do so."

Sasuke ran in again, making Sarutobi wince. Honestly, the boy was so angry he wasn't thinking. He should call it but Naruto never made a finishing move. He gave Sasuke his main weapon, something Sasuke could never know how to use. In the boy's hands, it was little more than a curved stick. The Hokage looked to Yamanaka Ino when she shouted, "Go Sasuke-kun, you can do it!" This was going to be harsh for her.

Sasuke brought Cutter down in an overhead chop and Naruto held one of his blades up in the air. Clack. Naruto grinned while Cutter stopped right on the blade, unable to cut it. "Wh-Why!"

'Did you honestly think you were worthy of wielding me,' Cutter asked him. 'You will never be worthy because you don't have true strength!'

Sasuke pushed against the blade, roaring in anger. "Why! Why does it work for you but not me!"

"What did he say," Naruto said, still smirking.

"You have a strength I don't, what is it!"

"That's easy," Naruto said, twisting around and swinging both sabers from the side at his neck. Sasuke was able to get Cutter up in time to block the attack. Naruto pushed against him and leaned in close. "I do not strike out in anger. I am not ruled by hate. I have something to protect. I have something I love. You, I don't even think you can love." Naruto jumped back and shouted, "That sword responds to your desire to protect the ones you love, Sasuke! That is the ultimate form of power! If it finds it, it will be a blade so sharp nothing can stop it, not the strongest steel or the toughest shield!" Sasuke came in; using a move he copied with his Sharigan. Naruto just blocked it without trying. "…There is no love in your heart and there is no room for it at all."

"Lies," Sasuke growled. "Love is weak, love can do nothing, protect nothing! Hate is where power is! It is hate that will let me kill my brother and it is hate that will let me kill you! I don't want or need love!"

Naruto smiled, he made him reveal his true heart to everyone that once cared for him. "Your hate…is nothing," Naruto said before his hands started moving faster than Sasuke could see without the Sharigan. The two sabers slipped around Cutter, forcing it from Sasuke's hands, and throwing it into the floor. He then spun the blades back around, slashing Sasuke across his chest, down his leg, and up over his shoulders. Freezing when he was done, Naruto held up both blades on his right, his right saber up and the left down. "You are…nothing." A flick and the blood from his blades was thrown off before shrinking back into daggers and being returned to their sheathes. Pulling Cutter from the floor, he started for the stairs, leaving Sasuke standing there.

"The match isn't over," Hayate said to him.

"Yes it is, he's already dead," Naruto told him, never stopping.

A split in Sasuke's clothes formed followed by blood on his chest and his leg. His heart had been sliced in two, an artery in his leg had been severed, and his head had been split, destroying his Sharigan eyes. Naruto made sure he was dead.

Some stared in mute horror, some cried, and others just watched sadly. Among those sad were the Hokage and Kakashi. Naruto had owned the fight from the start by playing on Sasuke's pride and anger. He never went for a winning hit but he proved time and time again he was better. He kept it going so that in his last moments, the way people saw him was shattered. In the end, Sasuke did have nothing.

Naruto reached his team and leaned against the railing. "…I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered. Din and Konan both hugged him while Deis pulled Sasuke's headband from his arm. Holding it out by the metal plate, fire came from her hand, destroying it. "I wish I hadn't done that," he said regretfully.

"You wish you hadn't," Ino demanded of him. "You wish! Why did you then! What did he ever do to you to deserve that!"

"Ino," Sakura muttered. "Leave him alone."

"But he killed…"

"I know," Sakura shouted, tears in her eyes. "But you don't. Sasuke was told to stop, to back down…and he kept pushing and threatening. He wasn't Sasuke anymore."

"What are you talking about! He was the same as he always was! And that damned…sub…" She never got to finish because Sakura slapped her.

"Never call them that! They have done nothing but respond every time! Sasuke threated him and his mother right in front of me! They save his life and mine and he still threatened them! They even tried to keep this from happening! Don't you understand! Naruto was pushed by him the whole time! He only ever did something about him once!"

"And that once was the one he killed him with!"

Sakura shook her head and went back over to Kakashi. "Sasuke wasn't the person I loved…I don't think he ever was."

Naruto looked away from and to the body they were carrying out. He could feel the bile for what he did building up within his stomach. What right did he have to take his life? Maybe Ino was right, he…

"Sleep, o' babe for the red bee hums," Deis whispered as she took Din and Konan's place. The magic words fell over Naruto and he drifted asleep.

—oo000oo—

Naruto was laid out on the floor, asleep and every now and then letting out a soft 'Mreow'. Deis nodded to herself as smoothed out her dress. "Don't you dare go to sleep like you don't have a care! Wake up," Ino shouted.

"That won't work," Deis told her. "I put him to sleep with a spell. He won't wake up for a while now."

"Nya! Shut it," Konan shouted, pointing right at her. "Naruto regrets that he did it, isn't that enough?"

"He took someone I loved dearly away from me, I'll never forgive him!"

"Even when that person didn't care for you," Din asked.

"He did too," Ino protested.

"Didn't you hear him," Din continued. "There was no room for love to anyone within his heart."

"He was angry, he didn't mean it!"

"Oh? Is that what you believe," Konan said with a cat smirk. "You expect us to believe that what comes out while you're angry isn't the real thing? When you're calm, your mind covers up what you think with tact, insincerity, lies, so many things. But when you're mad you lose all your inhibitions. That is when you can most trust someone to see who they're really is. Just like when they're drunk. People may not be like that normally but that's the truth. That's why people don't like others when they're drunk or angry; it shows the side of them no one likes. Their real side, their animal side, the Uzu side. We wear who we are on our sleeves, can you say the same?"

"People aren't like that; Sasuke-kun wasn't like that!"

"Oh no? Can you deny it about yourself? Isn't there some part of you that is something you lie, and cover up, and keep it hidden from others? Something that you don't want others to know about you?"

"N…"

Konan kept going. "Isn't there a certain image that you want everyone to see but it isn't one that you show when you are completely alone?"

"I…"

"Isn't there!"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Ino covered her ears and shook her head around trying to block it out. But when she stopped and realized that she had grabbed a kunai while she had been raging, she could fall to her knees and stare at it. "…I doubt you really…" Ino tried to get in, something to strike back at her.

"Oh, sure we do," Konan interrupted. "Dinzt, are you a shameless flirt under the impression that you are the Dragon God's gift to women?"

"No impression about it," he said with a laugh. "I am Ladon's gift to women."

"Perrin, you would prefer to be back in your forge, correct?"

"I would. This place is not worth visiting."

Konan grinned in victory. "Aisha, do you think you could beat everyone here?"

"All of these ninja, of course! They couldn't kill me if they tried!

"Deis-san, you feel contempt for these people, do you not?"

"I do," she admitted.

"And of course there is me," Konan said happily. "Nya, Naruto is my toy and I am his!" She sat down next to Naruto as they finished cleaning up in the arena. "So blegh," she finished, sticking her tongue out at Ino.

—oo000oo—

Naruto opened his eyes blearily and stretched, yawning as he sat up. "What a nice nap."

"Big brother," Carol shouted as she ran in the room and jumped on him. "You're awake!"

"I am," he said with a smile that slipped when realized just who jumped on him. "Carol, what are you doing here?"

"Kaasan brought you home asleep! I was so worried!"

Naruto sighed with a smile, 'Of course she did.' He hugged his sister and stood up. "I'm fine, what time is it?"

"Six, you've been asleep all day." She clamped herself on his leg, refusing to leave him or believe nothing was wrong.

Naruto chuckled and walked out his room. Seeing his parents in the den, he went over and hugged. "Tousan, Kaasan," he said with a smile as he let go. Before he was tackled again, this time by Konan.

"Oh thank Ladon that little…brat didn't hurt you," she shouted while she checked him over.

"Who, Carol," Naruto laughed. "She would never hurt me."

"No you idiot! The bleach bottle blond that tried to slit your throat!"

Naruto looked to Deis to see her looking grim and Rei rather unhappy himself. "What happened after I fell asleep?"

Konan explained. "It was my turn; I was fighting a martial artist as well named Rock Lee. We were really going at it, when one of us would raise the bar, the other would follow. Eventually we weren't even relying on sight to fight we were moving so fast. Then…" Konan began to growl, her eyes almost turning red as she thought of it. "While we were distracted, she started over to you, a knife in hand. I just noticed it and I jumped up on the railing and kicked her, pinning her neck and knife hand against the wall. But it was only after she was bending over to do it!"

The tone her voice had changed as she continued her story. She sounded scared and frightened, a combination that Naruto had never heard from her before. He was even more shocked at seeing tears on the edges of her eyes. "Konan…I'm fine," Naruto assured her as he hugged her too.

She wiped her eyes and said, "Fine; freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional," trying to say it in her usual self-assured voice. She didn't quite make it.

"Aren't you talking about yourself, now?"

She hugged him tighter and said, "Dummy."

"The Hokage called the entire preliminaries right then," Deis told him. "We are to continue on the Third Exam Finals in a month. With everyone that hasn't been eliminated."

"Including Ino," Konan growled.

"She just didn't want to accept it," Deis told her. "She will see he wasn't who she thought he was. You and Naruto did kind of turn her world upside down. The Hokage said she will get therapy during the month to help her cope but I think it will be decided on the next time you meet."

Naruto looked from his mother to Carol. "This why you're holding onto my leg?" Carol nodded so Naruto reached down and pulled her up to his chest. "I am never leaving you, Carol. I swear from the heavens above to the earth below."

Konan squeezed him a moment, "To me too?"

"Yes, Konan, to you too."

"Good," she replied, hugging him tightly once more. "…Nya! We need to go!"

"Go," Naruto asked, surprise and happy she had returned to normal. "Go where?"

"We need to go get the special training!"

"Special…training," Naruto said to make sure he heard right. "What special training?"

"The special training that always saves the day of course," Konan said matter of factly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and said, "We don't need special training, Konan. This isn't some manga that you need 'special training' at the last minute to defeat the bad guy. We got all the training we need; we just need to go about it as we always have.

"No special training," Konan asked slowly. "Are you serious! Of course we need special training! Carol I'll bring him back soon."

"Okay, Konan-chan," Carol said with a smile as she got off him. Konan grabbed Naruto and dragged him away.

"Bye Dies-sama, Rei-sama!"

"Bye," they replied.

—oo000oo—

Naruto sighed as he saw the 'special regiment' Konan wanted him to do with her. "Well, I guess you never did say it was for us."

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, bowing to him. True to her word, Deis had given Hinata the option to become whomever or whatever she wanted. She had chosen to become an Uzumaki Princess, covered head to toe in orange tiger stripe fur, with purple still. Her eyes were similar as before but even looking exactly alike you wouldn't notice. She was wearing a sun dress at the moment, hands clasped before her, sorry that she couldn't be an Uzumaki right. This just happened to be the first thing she was doing wrong.

"See," Konan said to Naruto. "She needs help, badly! We got to help her."

"How so," Naruto asked her.

"Easy, we need to get her to let loose," Konan cheered. "Have a party, chase boys, do anything and everything that appears in her mind!"

Naruto rubbed his chin and said, "I guess there is only one thing to do."

"And that is," Hinata asked quietly.

"For the next week you are to follow Konan and do whatever it is she is doing, even if it embarrasses you or is something you could never do while as a Hyuuga."

Konan perked up with a cat grin as she sidled up to Hinata, grabbing her arm. "Great! This will be like having a sister!" Which was a coincidence as Hinata had been adopted by Tiga and Rinpu, making her Konan's sister.

"O-okay," Hinata replied. "What do we do first?"

"Easy. Konan power punch!"

Naruto flew through the air and landed with a dizzy look on his face. "Should've known that would happen."

"Uh huh," Konan agreed, nodding. "Now you, Hinata."

"Me? Uh… Sorry, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata told him. "Ko, Hinata Power Punch…" She punched Naruto in the chest and he sweatdropped while looking at the tap she gave.

"No, no, no," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Throw your hip in it, do some damage."

"But, but…"

"Fine, I'll make you," Naruto sighed before putting the tip of Cutter between her legs and then pulling up, lifting the hem of her skirt to reveal a pair of striped panties.

Hinata turned ten shades of red before going, "Eep! Hinata power punch!"

Naruto flew through the air, bouncing off the ground three times before sliding to a stop. "…Cutter, what was the distance on that one?"

'Fifty three feet, new record,' the sword said, just as dizzy.

"I…I did it," Hinata said in surprise, looking at her fist.

"Nya, Naruto!" Hinata gulped, thinking she did something wrong. "Do that to me too!"

Hinata gave a rueful grin and said, "Just what did I get into?"

—oo000oo—

A week later, wearing oversized T-shirts, their panties, and a pair of socks, Konan and Hinata slid across the floor, music playing around them. "Just take that old record off the shelf," they sang, shaking their hips to the song. They spun in opposite directions until they came back facing each other before stepping to their right then their left. Coming back in front of the other, Konan grabbed one of Hinata's hands and spun her around a few times followed by Hinata doing the same thing to her. Back to back, they side stepped a few more times before spinning to face each other again. "I like that old time rock and roll," they kept singing along with the music. Two steps right, two steps left, jumping and kicking their feet forward, before spinning around again. "Don't try and take me to a disco, you'll never even get me out on the floor! In ten minutes I'll be late for the door, I like that old time rock and roll!"

The door to the house opened and in walked Tiga and Rinpu talking to Naruto. They froze at seeing what the two of them were doing. Tiga and Rinpu just blinked and stared. Naruto dropped his jaw and started blushing. The two had just spun around and saw their parents. Hinata began to blush while Konan just smiled and said, "Heya!" before continuing.

"…I can come back later," Naruto started to say as he turned around.

"Nya! Naruto, dance with us!" Konan grabbed his arm and pulled him back in.

"Sister! He's a boy and we're in our underwear," Hinata protested.

"…So?" She placed Naruto between her and Hinata and took her place before stepping left. Naruto jumped into step with her and when they started right again, Hinata just shrugged before dancing again. Coming back to center, Naruto held up both their hands and spun them around a few times.

Tiga just shook his head and looked to Rinpu. "Nothing we can do for it," his wife said with a smirk before pulling him to join in as well.

—oo000oo—

When they were finished, Hinata collapsed on a chair, laughing. "That was so much fun!"

"Wasn't it," Konan agreed before she pounced on Naruto, knocking him to the floor and sitting on him.

"…Why do you do that," Naruto muttered.

"Because it's fun," Konan said with a smirk.

Naruto could only shrug and looked to Hinata. "Were you able to do something like that in Konoha?"

"Heavens no! A Hyuuga princess has to be prim and proper," she said in a snooty voice. "Bleh! They couldn't find fun in a paper sack!" One week of doing every improper, disgraceful thing they could think of and Hinata had opened up. It was like the dam broke and when it did, Hinata there was no reason to act a certain way here. She smiled, laughed, had fun, all in all she acted like an Uzumaki.

"We're glad you like it here," Rinpu said as she gave Hinata a kiss on the forehead.

"And we're glad you're our daughter," Tiga finished as he did the same.

"Thank you Miss Rinpu, Mister Tiga." Hinata caught herself after saying that and felt bad she hadn't called them her parents.

"Give it time, dear," Rinpu said to her. "Now, there is a reason Naruto came over here aside from dancing."

"There is," Konan asked, looking down at him.

"There is," he replied. "My parents wanted to know if you had given any thought to what you wanted to do."

"I…still want to help people," Hinata told him. "Heal what hurts them."

"A doctor or maybe a miko?"

"A miko," Hinata said after a moment. "The ones I have seen can heal anything."

"Within limits," Tiga told her. "So, a miko to who?" Hinata looked to him confused. "There is more than one god or goddess we worship. There is a whole pantheon. You already know of Ladon, the Dragon God, all worship him for he is the god that encompasses all. It is from him that the first of the Dragon Clan was born and it was from him that the other gods and goddesses were able to take form. There is Myria, the Keeper of the Dead." Hinata gulped at that, not really liking how that sounded. "No, that isn't a bad thing, Hinata. All people die, Myria is the guide for our soul to the next world when we do. It may sound mean but without her, there would be no life at all." He gave a wry grin at the next one. "Deis, the Master Magician. She is the goddess of magic, the creator of the Weave, from which magic comes from."

"But isn't Naruto-kun's kaasan…"

"She was named after a woman named Deis," Naruto told her. "The older deis is the naga you might have seen around here sometimes. Everyone calls her Bleu though."

"Oh…"

"Lord Bakan, the god of the seasons," Tiga continued. "Simple enough with him, he controls the season."

"He is also partial to wine," Konan said with a smirk.

"He…is," Hinata asked.

"Everyone, even gods and goddesses have their shortcomings," Rinpu explained.

"The goddesses of time, Skuld of the Future, Belldandy of the Present, and Urd of the Past," Tiga continued. "They are called the Norms."

"Skuld has an obsession with Ice-cream, Urd with sake, and Belldandy…oddly enough seems perfect," Rinpu told her.

"Titan, the god of earth. Ifrit, the lord of fire, Chocobo, the rider of the winds, and Siren, the mistress of water," Tiga finished.

"Nya, don't forget Ecaflip," Konan told him.

Tiga chuckled. "How could I forget the Lady of Chance?"

"And what does she do?"

Tiga took a deep breath as he thought of that. "Ecaflip…controls the small things. Where the Norms are big picture, tidal waves hits land of fire. Ecaflip is the one that lays out the small choices. Take left when I normally go right, getting away from the beach and missing the wave. She leads things up to the big picture. Originally."

"Originally?"

"A god's power of influence will evolve as the ones that worship them evolve. Ecaflip has since also begun to cover…gambling."

"Gambling," Hinata said incredulously.

"Yes, what could more mean chance than the fall of the dice or the hand of the cards? Every gambling den in Uzu pays respects to Ecaflip and she has taken this in. Though I think she cheats at cards…and every other game of chance as well."

"That's a given," Naruto sighed. "Everyone that owes to chance keeps a coin like this." He held up a two headed coin showing a Woren holding cards in one hand and dice on the other. "She is supposed to be Ecaflip."

"This coin has no chance," Hinata said after looking at it. "Heads on both side."

"Oh?" Naruto flipped it up in the air and let it fall to the ground when it spun on its side a bit before staying like that. "There are two sides of the coin, Hinata, but suppose you toss it enough, it will land on its side. She does that whenever someone says her coins have no chance." Naruto picked it up and did the same, it landed flat. "It was only chance those kumo nin passed over me and I followed them. I was half tempted to ignore them."

Hinata took his coin and looked at it a bit. She was looking at the dice when she swore that she saw Ecaflip wink at her. "Agh!" She tossed it up and Naruto caught it.

"Problem?"

"Ah…no."

Tiga spoke up, "Then we'll get started. Naruto, head on back, Konan, Hinata, put some pants on and we'll go see which of the pantheon speaks to Hinata."

"They'll speak to me?"

"Not with words, Hinata," Konan said as she got up off Naruto and pulled her to her feet. "They'll speak to your heart, that's how. You wouldn't expect them to change to fit you, so don't change to fit them. Find the one that fits you." They ran to their rooms so Naruto stood up.

"Guess I'm not needed here anymore. See you later ojisan, obasan."

"Bye, Naruto," Rinpu said, hugging him. "And best of luck in the exam."

"No worries, Lady Luck loves me."

—oo000oo—

In the mountains of Lightning, Velve sat on a rock playing an ocarina. He was waiting for orders while sniffing out more jinchuuriki. He was just sitting there playing, not really noticing much when the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand. He smiled at what it meant but he kept on playing. "You are one of the Uzu, you are to surrender right now and come with me." Velve didn't look at the woman, he didn't even open his eyes, he just kept playing. "Did you hear me! I said surrender or die! The Raikage demands to know why you interfered with a mission in Konoha."

Sora Velve sighed as he lowered his instrument. "You ninja, always so eager to do something. Eager to fight, eager to move, can't you just sit down and enjoy a nice day?"

"No, I can't. Will you resist or not?"

"Well of course I'm going to resist, just give me a moment. Don't want to break this; it was my great grandmother's." Setting the ocarina inside a case, he closed it and put it back in a pouch. "Now we're ready to resist you." Velve turned around and smiled at the blond haired woman from Kumo.

"We?"

"Yes." Hands broke surface from the ground and pulled up decaying bodies. From above three more Pathfinders dropped down around her, one Ryu and two Sora. One summoned several elemental spirits around her; another opened a gate that was covered in blood and bones from which a balor stepped out. And the last summoned a creature covered in light with a pair of light wings coming from the back. "We, Miss Nii Yugito."

"We've already found Ichi, San, Yon, and the Kyu. We know where Nii, Go, Roku, Shichi, and Hachi is," the spirit summoning Ryu said, her black wings, tail, and forward hooking horns gleaming in the sunlight.

"Soft flesh, sweet blood," the balor growled, looking around at those gathered before snarling as a flash of light from the Diva.

"None shall die this day, demon," the holy being said to it. "Worry not, child, you will not be harmed. We seek only to correct a mistake and free you of your burden."

Yugito looked to them all and said, "Niibi is my burden to bear, I will not allow you to take her."

"Fleshling stubborn," the balor chuckled. "It thinks it can stop us? Why not stop the tides? Might have better chance. I may not savor your flesh but I will savor this fight."

"Drakuru," the demon's handler snapped. His face was as hard as the steel in his voice, a necessary characteristic when dealing with demons and devils a lot. He was a man that made the dark planes listen. Something that had won him little friends below. "No lasting harm, you are here for one thing, reigning in the hell's fire."

"I wish we could do this without the abomination," the woman that summoned the diva said. "It cannot be trusted."

"No it cannot," the Diva agreed. "But we shall succeed none the less."

Yugito tried to watch them all before blue fire began to cover her. She became a giant hellcat that hissed at them before lunging at Velve. Wings spreading out, he jumped up in the air. She had touched ground only for Velve to land on her, spear first. It pushed through the flames and began to pull it in. Runes on his armor and weapons began to light up as the fire tried to burn him. "Got it!" He jumped off again with wisp of fire following him. Spinning in the air, he faced the Balor and threw a ball of blue hellfire at it. Yugito recognized it immediately, it was her own fire and he had stolen it.

The Balor caught the fire and ate it. Crossing his arms a moment, he flung his arms out in a burst of fire. "One minute, fleshling, and I shall be done." Yugito had no idea what he planned but it couldn't be good. Jumping up out of the reach of the undead trying to grab her, she landed on the ground and ran for the demon. Only for the Deva to appear in front of her, holding a flaming shield and sword. She held her shield out, halting Yugito in her place while swinging the sword down. It slashed through the fire cat armor, Yugito's back, and out her chest. Yugito herself felt fine but she could feel Niibi and her armor were writhing in agony.

'Damn,' Niibi growled to her host. 'We got sloppy! That Diva is filled with holy energy; she'll cut right through us!'

Yugito jumped back, hissing at the angel. "That burned," she hissed.

"Undene," the Ryu summoner called and the water spirit held up her arms, blasting Yugito with water. As she was pushed back, the other three came in. The fire elemental came in and began to grapple with her, forcing her into the water. Earth was raised mounds of soil and dropping them on her, trying to smother her flames. While Wind was pulling away the air, causing it to suffocate. Yugito was suffering under their attacks but was quick to notice they never attacked while another was. The Fire elemental had just let go for the water elemental when she clamped her jaws on his arm and pulled him in the way of the attack. He roared in pain as Undene pulled back in shock. The opening had been made.

Yugito jumped to the side and breathed a gout of fire onto the air Elemental, burning her up. She pulled back in pain and flew up into the sky. Yugito jumped side to side as Undene tried to douse her fire again. Seeing Earth come running once more, she hopped back around once more. She had landed once again and looked behind her before jumping again. Earth slammed right into Undene, turning them both to mud.

"Yuk," Undene complained. "I won't be clean for a week!"

"I was nice and dirty thank you very much," the earth elemental grouched. An arm moved up from the mass and then back into it, trying to pull one of them out.

"Don't! HAHAHA! That tickles! HEY! WATCH WHAT YOU'RE GRABBING," Undene said while slapping the hand away.

"Why are you complaining," the fire elemental yelled, steam coming off him still. "Watch where you're aiming, water spout!"

"Stay out of my way, candle wick!"

"That's it," the Fire Elemental roared before shooting fire at the mud mass. Undene screamed in pain while the Earth elemental began to dry.

"I swear when I get back I'm going to throw a bucket of cold water on your face," Undene shrieked at him.

Velve smirked at what he was watching and said, "She's good, very good." Elementals were kept in check by their natural weakness to others. This had led to friction between them on more than one occasion. She shouldn't know anything about them yet she already figured that out.

"Efreit, Gen, Soilant, Undene, behave yourselves," their summoner, Ryu Talinth growled.

All four of them pointed to Yugito and said, "She started it!"

"I'm finishing it," Talinth growled as she was covered in darkness. She broke through it, in her weakened dragon form; over a hundred feet tall with a wing span twice that. Ebony scales covered her body so dark that they seemed to suck in the light. The horns on her head had grown while the scales had hardened to look almost like a skull. It was rather intimidating. Growling at them, something dripped from her mouth and when it hit the ground, it began to hiss. Her breath weapon was acid. "What do you have to say?"

All four of them knelt on the ground, heads bowed, moving in a flash. "Sorry for getting mad at each other. Again."

"That's better, and why are you sorry?"

"Because we're friends, Talinth-chan."

Yugito sweat drop as she watched this. She had not been expecting that. Velve on the other hand, frowned; Yugito seems to have forgotten something. Maybe a trick was in order? The undead grabbed her and one went for her head. "Braaaiiins!"

Yugito looked to that one before screaming. She scrambled away and another was on her. "Num nums!" Yugito screamed again and started burning them only to find them immune to her fire.

"This is better than a nogaku theater," Velve stated.

"Popcorn," the Balor offered.

"No thanks, probably laced with sulfur and arsenic. Hey, hasn't it already been a minute?"

The demon shrugged while tossing the popcorn over his shoulder. "I was enjoying the show." He cracked his fingers and held out an orb. "Fires of hell, I command you to reign in your flame. Come to me and serve!"

Fire began to get pulled off Yugito to the orb and contained inside. Finally realizing what they had planned, she turned to it and lunged at him. She almost hit the demon when the Deva's summoner got in the way. "You mustn't break the circle," she called, holding out her hands and forming a shield. Yugito hit it, casting off sparks of flame, and was thrown aside. One of them about the size of a man's head got over the shield. The woman noticed it and tried to get away from it but couldn't in time. It landed right on her left wing.

A Sora isn't afraid of anything in most cases but they are all weary of fire users. The very reason they don't attack in a close group is their wings. Their feathers are very flammable. This is why with the Niibi, they used summons. A group of Sora attacking at once would only take one fireball to burn them all and drop them to their deaths. Every single one of them is distrustful of fire those that specialize in fire and even if they are friends for many years they are careful of them. Each member has a water rune tattoo on their left shoulder. It douses fires right before it touches their bodies. But the hellfire is different. You need a sample of the fire itself before you could even begin such immunity. That is why Velve went in first; he could get it the quickest with least worry having had contact with such fires before. Taking it within his spear and armor, he was safe and could give it to the Balor to handle.

The fire spread quickly over her wing and she tried hard not to scream in pain. Undene came over and poured water on the fire, barely keeping it from spreading. She didn't believe she could stop it at all but she would try.

Talinth reached down and picked up Yugito on her talons, squeezing. Yugito tried to counter by turning up the heat of her fire but the black dragon ignored her She was a kind woman, somewhat, but get her mad and… "You shouldn't hurt my friends!" Talinth inhaled and breathed acid on Yugito. The fire burned almost all of it up before it reached Yugito herself but the fumes in the air caused by it was nauseating and poisonous as well. Not enough to kill a jinchuuriki but enough to make her sick to her stomach and feel like she had a long weekend with several bottles of alcohol.

"Absorb the fire," the Balor's summoner commanded.

It growled at him but did it, taking the fire away from the burning summoner while the Deva knelt by her and placed her hands over the charred wing, soothing them. Before long, Yugito could barely stand, much less fight. Talinth set her on the ground and glared at the Balor. Anymore and she would die. "Enough demon, before my fangs find you."

"Grrrr. One day, you will make a mistake and when I do, I shall be the one to torture your souls." He stopped and begrudgingly surrendered the fire orb to his summoner.

"No," Talinth replied to his threat. "You won't." Her claws came down and began tearing the demon apart. She didn't feel too sorry about it, no extra-planar being could die off their own plane of existence, if their body was destroyed here they would just be banished for a hundred years. More over…

"Foul wench! I shall rip you to pieces!"

This particular tanarii had the tendency survive after being torn apart. It's the head the must be destroyed to banish it. Put the body back together and it would be fine. "No, you won't," Talinth said again. "You let that happen to my friend, for that you must be punished. My friends, I shall be away for the next week or so. I'm going to take a tour of the world." Dismissing her elementals, she flew up in the air while holding each piece separate from the others. She flew out of sight and Velve watched her go.

"Always love seeing them fly off. So big but so majestic. Well little lady, time to go see an old flame of mine." He picked Yugito up, threw her over his shoulder and headed off home while the Deva carried her injured summoner, and the warlock flew after them.

—oo000oo—

"I must say, this was far easier than I expected," Bleu said while petting a chibi Niibi. "Oh don't look so mad, we said we wouldn't hurt you," she told Yugito.

"Leave me alone," she grouched.

"Touchy," Bleu said before lifting Niibi to her face. "Don't you agree?"

"They just want to end the jinchuuriki cycle, kitten," the demon cat told her. "Don't try and say you aren't happy about this."

Yugito, getting steadily angrier with each word finally blew her top. "WHAT I'M MAD ABOUT IS BEING MADE INTO A NEKOMATA CATGIRL!" On her head were two cat ears and from her butt came two cat tails. Before she could get madder, Bleu tossed her a toy mouse with catnip inside. Yugito began to lose her anger before catching herself and glaring at Bleu. "Bitch."

"Ah, let it go, little missy," the former jinchuuriki of the Yonbi, a man named Roshi, said to her. Since he was an old man with no home anymore, he decided to retire to this beach. Wasn't a bad life, lots of honeys walking around in bikinis that understood the value of experience. Not that he realized that many of them were older than he was. "Why don't you come out here and take a catnap?"

Yugito glared at him before doing that. She may be mad at everyone right then but she was madder still at Bleu. Niibi looked up to said mage and asked, "When you going to tell her it's just a joke?"

Bleu smirked and said, "When I can stop laughing on the inside. Hmm. Wonder what's keeping Talinth?"

—oo000oo—

Talinth sat on a cliff edge with the head next to her at that moment. It had been a busy week for her. North Pole, South Pole, inside the Elemental Continent, outside the Elemental Continent. She had seen it all just about. Her unwilling travelling companion had been all fire and brimstone the first few days but he got the idea quickly. Arm buried in the ice here, torso dumped in a sinkhole there half the world away. Oh he changed his tune, especially now that it was just his head left. "Please, don't do this! It could be thousands of years before I'm put back together!"

Talinth stood up and grabbed him before starting down to this nice cave she saw. "That's the idea."

"You can't do this! This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"I'll give you unusual," Talinth admitted as she entered and found a spot where no animal would carry the head away. "The cruel part is where I face you to the wall."

"No! Don't do this!"

"You shouldn't have let my friend get hurt," Talinth replied. "No one may summon you until this summoning is broken and I have tied that to my life. You are never leaving here." She turned and walked away, tail swaying around and flicking his nose as she did. "If by some miracle you do, I suggest you never come to the prime material plane again. I'll be waiting if you do." He screamed and hollered for help and she could only smirk. "Music, sweet music." Humming happily, she flew into the air and headed home.

—oo000oo—

Author's notes. So there you have it, the first weakness of the Uzu. Needed to show that they are not invincible. The Uzu have surprise on their side but if you hit them just right, you can possibly win.

See ya space cowboy.