Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.

Before the redemption

Chapter five: The Chunnin Tournament part three- The dog, savage

Kurenai Yuhi and one of her three students, Shino Aburame, were over at the Inuzuka clan compound, the home of another of Kurenai's three students, Kiba Inuzuka. Earlier that day, the second round of the ongoing Chunnin Tournament was held, during which the aforementioned Kiba was pitted in a match against Kurenai's third and final student, Hinata Hyuga. During the match, Kiba, with the help of his Ninkin Akamaru, severely assaulted Hinata, culminating with Kiba using his nails, elongated by one of his techniques, to slit Hinata's throat.

What frightened Kurenai more was that, even after Hinata fell over onto the arena floor and laid prone, Kiba and Akamaru made an attempt at lunging at her, as if they wouldn't be satisfied with the match unless the Hyuga chunnin was dead by their hand (or in Akamaru's case, paw). Kurenai, with the help of Hinata's cousin Neji, had to leap in to stop Kiba and Akamaru from attempting to finish the job. (1)

However, that still didn't change the fact that Hinata's life was in serious danger. It was thanks to the quick acting of trained medical ninja on the scene, along with swift transport to Konoha General's ER where Lady Tsunade herself was personally overseeing the treatment, that Hinata was still alive, albeit in critical condition.

After Kurenai and Shino had finished telling Hana Inuzuka, the older sister of Kiba, about what went on during the match, the Inuzuka kunoichi, her tone and expression a healthy mix of shame and regret, told Kurenai and Shino about what had been going on recently in the Inuzuka clan, what with all of the recent deaths and various cuts to clan spending, culminating in telling them about the death of Kiba's father figure Gaku a few days back.

"…As much as I was hoping it wouldn't happen, Kiba has starting believing what Aunt Pirate and most of the Inuzuka clan's other women have been saying," Hana remarked as she finished up her tale, her tone lame and sad, "Kiba probably holds your Hyuga teammate and the rest of her clan accountable for Gaku's death."

"…Oh," Kurenai replied, looking down at her feet (Kurenai, Hana and Shino were all seated in the living room), "I mean, I had a vague idea about Inuzuka-Hyuga relations, but I never would have thought that things were so strained for you and your clansmen."

"You said that this has been going on for how long?" Shino asked, clearly sounding worried.

"At least the past three generations," Hana replied in a sad tone, "But as I have said, things have been particularly bad in recent events. So far, in just this year alone, six human members of the Inuzuka clan, one of which being Gaku, has died." Scrunching up somewhat in a manner that clearly conveyed her sadness, Hana added, "The number of overall deaths that the Inuzuka clan has suffered so far this year is thirty. Hunger had played a role in all thirty of those deaths to some degree."

"…My God…" Kurenai said in a shocked tone, leaning back in her seat as her eyes widened with shock. She then thought back to when she first met her students, back when they were all genin assigned to her. Kurenai had asked them all what their aspirations were; Kiba said that his was to become the Hokage, an aspiration that Shino quickly (and rather rudely) shot down. Later, after Shino and Hinata had gone home, Kurenai had kept Kiba back; due to Shino's interruption, Kiba never got to say why he wanted to become the Hokage, and Kurenai, wanting to satisfy her itching curiosity, asked Kiba for his reason. What the jonin kunoichi remembered Kiba saying had caught her by surprise. (2)

"If I'm the Hokage, then my clan won't have to suffer anymore."

Shaking her head softly, Kurenai looked to Hana. "Do you know where Kiba is now?" asked the jonin kunoichi.

"Aunt Pirate and some of the other women in the Inuzuka clan took him out to celebrate his win in the Chunnin Tournament today," Hana replied, "I have no idea where they are." Looking down at her hands as they laid down on her lap, Hana added, "Although with what you told me about my brother's match today, the looks on the faces of Aunt Pirate and the other women make a whole lot more-"

"Ding-dong, guess who's back?" the familiar voice of Tsume Inuzuka called out in a cheerful tone as the front door opened. A few seconds later, Tsume walked into the living room, followed by Kuromaru, her loyal talking Ninkin. "The boys and I are back from the drinking festival," Tsume greeted, "Anywho, Kuromaru and I are just here to pick up my Iwa drinking horn so I can bring it to the bar where the boys are drinking because Shikaku doesn't believe that I own an Iwa drinking horn and Hey why are Kurenai and Shino here?"

"Ma," Hana began, "Miss Kurenai and Shino are here concerning Kiba's match today in the second round of the Chunnin Tournament."

"Aww geez," Tsume said in a worried tone, "Kiba lost, didn't he?"

"Oh no Mrs. Inuzuka, Kiba won," Shino said in a bitter tone, "And as such he's moving on to the final round."

"Well hot damn!" Tsume exclaimed as she pumped a fist into the air, "For a second there, you had me worried that something's wrong with my son."

"Something is wrong with Kiba, Ma," Hana replied, a somber look on her face, "Here's the deal. While you were gone at the drinking festival, Aunt Pirate and some of the other women in the clan who harbor strong feelings against the Hyuga clan have been trying to get Kiba see things from their point of view."

"So, what, I have to go beat my sister and those other women for filling Kiba's head with crap," Tsume began, "Then I have to beat that crap back out of Kiba's head? With my face?"

"I'm afraid it's…not quite that simple," Hana continued, "You see, Gaku died while you were gone. His sickness finally caught up to him."

"Ah hell," Kuromaru swore under his breath.

"Before that, Kiba was already starting to see things from the point of view of Aunt Pirate and the other women of our clan," Hana continued, "But then Gaku died, and Aunt Pirate used that fact to further bring Kiba into the way of thinking that she and the other Inuzuka women have been harboring. Then in the Chunnin Tournament today, Kiba was pitted against his Hyuga teammate."

"Ah crap," Tsume muttered as she face-palmed, "I'm going to receive an angry call from Hiashi at some point, aren't I?"

"Kiba…" Kurenai said as she choked back some crying, "…Kiba tried to kill Hinata."

Tsume, along with Kuromaru, could only stare blankly at the kunoichi jonin, their eyes (or eye, in Kuromaru's case) widened with shock. "You…" Tsume said in a stunned tone devoid of any emotion, "…You have got to be kidding me."

"If it hadn't been for Kurenai-sensei and Neji jumping in to grab Kiba and Akamaru respectively to push them back," Shino pointed out, "Along with all of the on-site treatment Hinata got before being rushed to the ER over at Konoha General, then Hinata would be dead right now. As it stands, she's in critical condition as we speak."

"…Bloody hell, what did Kiba do to that girl?" Kuromaru asked, shaking his head back and forth a bit.

Walking up to Kuromaru, Shino knelt down and whispered into his ear. (3) After Shino was done whispering a few things into Kuromaru's ear, the large Ninkin looked up to face Tsume. "Yeah, we need to have a talk with your son," Kuromaru said to Tsume, "Kiba completely lost it in his match against Hiashi's kid today."

Face-palming once again, Tsume muttered in a mildly depressed tone, "I'm a terrible mother, aren't I?"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH KIBA?!"

It was nighttime, and Naruto was fast asleep in his apartment. But he wasn't having a normal dream; in this particular state of unconsciousness, Naruto was able to speak freely to Kurama within the realm of the seal. Naruto sat cross-legged on Kurama's head, clearly fuming. "Hinata has been Kiba's teammate for years," Naruto ranted, "They're supposed to be friends! Kiba should have known better than to try to kill a teammate that he's pitted against in a match!"

"Maybe he has some issues that he brought with him into the fight," Kurama suggested, "Issues that made him want to kill someone who is supposed to be his teammate and friend." Sighing, Kurama went on to say, "I don't have any idea what those issues may be, though."

"I'll try finding out tomorrow," Naruto replied finally, "Maybe one of the spectators noticed something about Kiba's bloodthirsty behavior."

"Like that sand boy who's had that detestable Shukaku sealed inside of him twice?" Kurama suggested.

Arching an eyebrow in confusion, Naruto replied, "You mean Gaara?"

"You having said 'bloodthirsty behavior' just now jogged my memory about how that sand boy used to act," Kurama remarked casually, "And he is one of the representatives from Suna who had come to watch the Chunnin Tournament."

"It's worth a shot," Naruto agreed, "Thanks for the idea, Kurama."

Smiling, Kurama replied, "You're welcome, Naruto." Letting out a yawn, the Kyubi said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must rest and gather more chakra. You may not be allowed to use any of our chakra modes in the Chunnin Tournament, but that does not mean I'm not allowed to use my chakra to recharge yours in case you run low in the final match of the tournament."

Nodding in agreement, Naruto added in a grim tone, "Against Kiba."

"I am being reminded more and more of your first go at the Chunnin exams as events play out," Kurama remarked as the shared dream conversation between demon and host started to fade, "Is that weird?"

Shaking his head gently, Naruto replied, "No it isn't, Kurama. In fact, I was wondering when someone else would reach that same conclusion." Closing his eyes, Naruto and Kurama's shared dream faded, and Naruto began to have a dream of his own. Naruto's dream had him, along with Hinata for some reason, as passengers on a train together; a murder mystery takes place on the train, and Naruto and Hinata worked together to solve the case.

Unsurprisingly to Naruto, the murderer ended up being Shikamaru's mom.

The following morning, Tsume and Kuromaru had found Kiba and Akamaru; they were over at Pirate's home on the Inuzuka clan compound, along with Pirate herself and two other Inuzuka clan women. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kiba?!" Tsume exclaimed angrily at her son, "Isn't that girl supposed to be a teammate of yours?! Why the frig would you try to kill her?!"

"Wow, some clan head you are, sis," Pirate remarked in a bemused tone before Kiba could speak, "You're supposed to, first and foremost, be looking out for the Inuzuka clan. And yet you don't see reason, unlike the rest of our clan, unlike your own son." Crossing her arms, Pirate added, "No wonder people have a tendency to think you're dumb."

"You stay the frig out of this, Pirate," Tsume hissed, pointing an accusing finger at her younger twin sister, "It's your fault and the fault of most of the other women in the clan that my son's head is filled with all of that crap you've been spewing!"

"Hey, lay off of Aunt Pirate, ma," Kiba said with a scowl, "She's been right about a lot of things that have been going on in recent events."

"Kiba, things are nowhere near as black and white as what your aunt and the other women have been saying," Kuromaru said in a mildly concerned tone.

"Kuromaru's got a point, son," Tsume replied as a hint of worry started seeping into her tone.

Huffing, Kiba turned around to leave, with Akamaru following right behind him as always. "Whatever," the Inuzuka chunnin said in a dismissive tone, "I'm heading out for a walk to clear my head."

"It'll take a lot of walking to clear what's in your head," Kuromaru thought somberly as he watched his owner's son leave the room, Akamaru following behind.

Naruto was walking to the hotel where the representatives from the visiting villages are staying. Taking Kurama's advice, Naruto decided that asking Gaara for anything that he saw might put things into perspective. As Naruto walked, he was met up by Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi, the three genin who have seen Naruto as a big brother figure for years.

"…I don't know what Lady Tsunade did when you told her, Big Bro," Konohamaru remarked in a happy tone as he and the others walked, "But whatever she did must have worked like a charm, because whoever that stalker was, they must have gotten the memo to leave Udon, Moegi and I the heck alone!"

"Actually, I haven't yet had the opportunity to talk to Granny Tsunade about anything," Naruto replied, "Maybe whoever the stalker was decided to quit on his or her own."

"It had to have been a guy," Moegi said in a firm, confident tone, "Girls don't stalk." (4)

"So why were you heading over to meet the Kazekage again, Big Bro?" Udon asked.

"He's watched all of the matches in the Chunnin Tournament thus far," Naruto explained, "There's something I'm wanting to ask him about the attitude and behavior that my friend Kiba has been displaying during the tournament." Closing his eyes, thus giving himself a look of concentration, Naruto continued, "The way Kiba has been acting has me concerned."

…

With Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi having left sometime before Naruto reached the hotel, the blonde chunnin was able to have the talk with Gaara that he had been hoping for. The two Jinchuriki found a table in the dining room, both having gotten something to eat as they talked. Surprisingly, Gaara's brother Kankuro, who was at the hotel at the time, decided to join them.

"I have no frigg'en *munch* idea where Temari *munch* *munch* went off to," Kankuro said as he chewed a bite of blueberry muffin, "Probably to go and *munch* *munch* see that Nara friend of *munch* yours, Naruto." Swallowing the bite that he was chewing, Kankuro said before taking another bite, "So what's this about that Inuzuka fellow's behavior?"

"You guys both saw how Kiba fought Sakura during round one, right?" Naruto began. After the Sand brothers nodded in the affirmative, Naruto continued, "I was with Choji in the nurse's office at the time, so I didn't see Kiba's fight against Hinata."

"I'm assuming you want to know our opinion on Inuzuka's second-round fight compared to his first-round fight," Gaara replied. After Naruto nodded once in the affirmative, Gaara said, "After the round-two matches were done, my siblings and I left the arena were leaving the arena to head back here to the hotel. As we were leaving, we were stopped by Mei and her two guards. Mei said that the Inuzuka fellow was by far the most vicious, savage and bloodthirsty ninja that she had ever seen in her entire life. Both of her guards agreed wholeheartedly with her." (5)

"What's your opinion, though?" Naruto asked.

Sighing, Gaara said, "My opinion? Inuzuka's behavior during his matches so far remind me of how I used to behave."

Arching an eyebrow in mild confusion, Naruto said, "You?"

"I hold no illusions of how I used to be," Gaara began, "Before you did me a favor and beat that nonsense out of my head. I would consistently seek to validate my own existence by any means necessary. Unfortunately, that usually translated into me acting murderously towards others, especially if by acting that way towards a particular person would somehow make me feel as if my life would be validated." Kankuro tensed up, very slightly, as his little brother talked about the past. Sighing, Gaara continued, "I saw the look in the eyes of that Inuzuka fellow in both of his matches. That look reminded me of how I used to be. Inuzuka was seeking to validate his existence in both fights, particularly against Hyuga."

"…I can understand why Kiba would want to 'validate his existence', as you put it, in his fight against Sakura," Naruto remarked as he stroked his chin with his right hand, "I mean, I heard a lot of people saying that Sakura was sure to beat Kiba, and Kiba's sense of smell isn't his only sharpened sense. Kiba, the prideful guy that he is, was probably riled up by all of the doubt that people were having in his odds of winning the match." Looking Gaara directly in the eyes, the blonde chunnin continued, "But why would Kiba not only want to 'validate his existence' in his fight against Hinata, but do so in a far more violent manner than in his match against Sakura, and with the intention to kill?"

Sighing, Gaara closed his eyes, giving himself the look of being deep in thought. After a few seconds, the Kazekage opened his eyes again to regard his closest friend. "I think that Inuzuka is suffering," Gaara remarked.

"Kiba? Suffering?" Naruto said in a confused tone, "What are you talking about, Gaara?"

"In addition to seeing hints of seeking validation in his eyes," Gaara went on, "I also saw hints of suffering in Inuzuka's eyes as well. I myself felt some degree of suffering in my early childhood, so I can tell when others are experiencing similar feelings." Inhaling, the Kazekage exhaled before looking Naruto in the eyes and saying, "You yourself suffered in your life, did you not?"

"…Yeah," Naruto remarked in a mildly somber tone, "My childhood sucked." Shaking his head, Naruto said, "But I have friends and other loved ones who rescued me from that suffering."

"Just as you rescued me from the suffering that I was going through," Gaara pointed out, "And allowed me to connect with others in my home village so that I wouldn't be alone anymore."

"But there's a difference between the cases involving us and the one involving Kiba," Naruto pointed out to the Kazekage, "Unlike you or me, Kiba didn't grow up alone. He has both a family and a clan. Also, both of them love Kiba as much as Kiba loves them, so he couldn't have felt that he grew up alone, either."

"Maybe your Inuzuka friend isn't alone in his suffering?" Kankuro suggested to Naruto, getting both Naruto's and Gaara's attention. With two pairs of Jinchuriki eyes on him, Kankuro went on, "If what you say is true, Naruto," Kankuro elaborated, "And your Inuzuka friend cares for his family and clan as much as they both care for him, then if they're suffering as well, your Inuzuka friend's suffering is explained."

"I'll have to look into it, then," Naruto replied. Getting up from the table that he and the Sand brothers sat at, Naruto added, "After I give Kiba the beating that he has coming for trying to kill one of his own teammates. Suffering or not, nothing justifies someone trying to kill one of their own teammates."

"I heard from your Hokage that, due to Konoha parents taking issue with what happened in the Inuzuka fellow's match against that Hyuga girl," Gaara said, "That an actual no-killing rule will have to be implemented for future tournaments such as this. That being said, it may be in your best interest if you set the example for future tournaments by refraining from killing Inuzuka. You should also not kill Inuzuka's dog, either."

Shaking his head gently, Naruto replied, "Relax, Gaara. I'm not going to kill Kiba or Akamaru." Turning around, Naruto added before leaving, "I'm just going to knock some sense into them, is all." With that, the blonde chunnin took his leave.

It was mid-afternoon over at the large outdoor arena in Konoha, the one where the second-round matches of the 'rookie nine's first go at the chunnin exams took place. Due to damage suffered during the Konoha Crush, along with general repairs and upkeep over time, the stadium looked much different than it did back then. But it was still perfectly usable for the final round of the Chunnin Tournament, and that's all that mattered.

As the villagers of Konoha, shinobi and regular citizens alike, started coming in to find seats so that they can watch the last match, the representatives from Suna, Iwa and Kiri had already been escorted to specially designated viewing booths that had been prepared for them ahead of time. A viewing booth had also been prepared for the various nobles of the Land of Fire, along with another viewing booth for notable residents of Konoha itself.

Sakura Haruno had accompanied Lady Tsunade, the fifth and current Hokage, to the Konoha viewing booth on Tsunade's invitation; as Shizune was acting as the proctor for the Chunnin Tournament, Tsunade invited Sakura in Shizune's place. The fifth Hokage would later admit to herself that, even if Shizune was available, she would have chosen Sakura over Shizune anyway, mostly due to Shizune acting in a scolding manner towards Tsunade whenever the lady fifth would indulge in her habits of gambling and drinking sake (Sakura was too respectful/nervous to call Tsunade out on her habits). But that's another story for another time.

When Tsunade and Sakura arrived in the Konoha viewing booth, they saw that there were groups from Konoha's remaining noble clans already seated inside. From the Aburame clan was Shibi and his son Shino, along with two Aburame clan men. From the Hyuga clan was Hiashi and his nephew Neji, along with Ko. From the Akimichi clan was Choza and his son Choji, along with two other Akimichi men.

Smiling in an amused manner, Tsunade remarked, "Well now, this is certainly a surprise. I get to sit and watch the final match of the Chunnin Tournament with groups from each of Konoha's remaining noble clans."

"We were invited to watch the match here, Lady Tsunade," Choza remarked.

As Tsunade nodded in understanding, Hiashi stepped forward. "Excuse me, Lady Fifth," Hiashi began in a concerned tone, "I don't suppose you can give me an update on my daughter's status, can you?"

"Hinata's actually awake, Mr. Hyuga," Sakura explained in Tsunade's place, "Although she's still really weak. She also has to communicate by writing down what she wants to say on a pad of paper because she voice is currently really quiet and it causes her some discomfort to speak. Thankfully, she'll recover in time and will be able to talk like normal."

Sighing in relief, Hiashi said, "Well thank goodness for that."

"Speaking of your children, Hiashi," Tsunade said, "I figured that your other kid would be joining you, Neji and this Ko fellow of yours."

"Hanabi is over at Konoha General, visiting Hinata," Hiashi explained, "They're going to be watching the match on TV, as it's going to be broadcasted." Shaking his head gently, the Hyuga leader continued in a mildly somber tone, "You won't believe how much crying a thirteen-year-old girl is capable of unless you saw Hanabi's reaction to seeing her older sister rushed to the hospital in critical condition due to nearly being killed."

"One of our clan's elders, a lesser member of the main branch, tried scolding Lady Hanabi for her crying, saying that it was showing a lack of decorum that was unbefitting of the Hyuga clan," Ko said, "In response, Lord Hiashi promptly told that elder to, and I'm quoting him on this, 'shut the hell up'."

"I myself can understand how my youngest daughter feels, as I had a close friendship with my brother Hizashi," Hiashi remarked, "Granted there are a few differences between the case of my brother and I, and that of my two daughters. But my point about that elder having no right to call Hanabi out still stands." Neji, who stood on his uncle's right, nodded in agreement. (6)

Over in one of the more public seating areas, Tsume was sitting down, with Kuromaru sitting on the floor next to her. As the two Inuzuka sat, they were joined by Tsume's friends Harold Fisher and Inoichi Yamanaka. "Harold and I saw footage of all of the matches from the Chunnin Tournament so far," Inoichi greeted the Inuzuka matriarch as he and Harold sat down, "That son of yours is brutal."

"I cannot believe that he'd rough up little Cherry Bug the way he did in round one," Harold remarked as he shook his head in a gentle, somewhat somber manner, "Thank goodness Lady Fifth saw to treating her injuries." Sighing, Harold continued, "But I am especially thankful, Tsume, that your son didn't do to Sakura what he did to Hiashi's kid."

"As Harold and I were placing our bets on Kiba, I silently gave my thanks to the heavens that Kiba wasn't paired up to fight my precious little princess during the Chunnin Tournament," Inoichi remarked.

"You guys placed bets on Tsume's son," Kuromaru stated more than asked. Sighing in a knowing manner, Kuromaru added, "Of course, you did."

"Well hey," Harold remarked to the Inuzuka Ninkin, "Out of Inoichi, Tsume and I, Tsume is the only one with a kid still in the Chunnin Tournament and hey Tsume why are you being silent?"

"Oh," Tsume replied as she seemingly came back to attention, "Umm, sorry, boys. I was just hoping that Kiba either works the nonsense out of his system, or his opponent beats it out of him manually. Either way, Kiba has a lot of nonsense running around in his head, and he needs to get it out."

Sighing, Inoichi said, "I'm assuming that, with you and Kuromaru gone at the drinking festival, your sister and her fellows in the clan who hold a grudge against Hiashi's folks decided to take the opportunity to try and bring Kiba over to the dark side?"

"Unfortunately," Tsume replied in a resigned tone.

"Well gentlemen, let's just wait and see how Kiba's match goes, hmm?" Harold remarked to his friends, "We certainly can't speak to Kiba now, after all."

"Agreed," Inoichi said to his best friend, "Let us see, Harold, if our combined thirty-thousand ryo was well placed."

...

Down in the arena, Naruto and Kiba were glaring at each other. With a smirk on his face, Kiba took around, seeing the many spectators who had come to watch the final match of the Chunnin Tournament. There was excited talking amongst all of the cheering for the fight that had yet to start. There was also a fair but noticeable amount of jeering, although all of said jeering was aimed at Kiba.

Turing his attention back to his opponent, Kiba said to Naruto while Akamaru growled in a menacing manner at the blonde chunnin, "Wow, isn't this something, Naruto? Look at how many people from all over Konoha came to watch Akamaru and I mop the floor with you."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto replied, his neutral expression unreadable.

Arching an eyebrow in mild confusion, Kiba asked, "The hell are you talking abo-"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Kiba," Naruto snarled, cutting Kiba off mid-response, "How could you do what you did to Hinata? Would you have done the same to Shino, or Kurenai-sensei? What would possess you to go so far against one of your own teammates, one of your own friends?"

"Feh," Kiba growled, his tone annoyed and mildly dark, "Like she was ever really my friend."

"Well, there goes trying to talk some sense into him before our fight," Naruto thought bitterly as Shizune prepared to announce the start of the final match, "I guess that things will have to wait until after Kiba calms down."

"Okay, everyone!" Shizune announced loudly to the entire stadium, "We're about to begin the final match of the Chunnin Tournament, which will be between Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka!" The crowd began to cheer loudly as the two contestants assumed stances for battle.

"Scared, Naruto?" Kiba asked in a taunting tone.

"You wish," the blonde chunnin replied coolly.

Looking back and forth between the two chunnin plus the one chunnin's Ninkin, Shizune said so that just Naruto and Kiba could hear her, "Okay, boys. This is just a match, so the fighting is just until one of you just reaches the point of being unable to continue." Speaking somewhat specifically to Kiba, Shizune added in a mildly bitter tone, "There's no need to go any further than that." Raising her right hand, Shizune announced loud enough for the stadium to hear, "Now then, BEGIN!"

Kiba and Akamaru immediately leapt back, with Kiba throwing some smoke bombs at the ground to create a smoke cloud. Naruto, who had leapt back at the same time as his opponents, immediately cast a Shadow Clone jitsu, generating a couple of clones. Right as Naruto's clones all appeared, two spinning streams shot out from the giant smoke cloud, both of them flying right at Naruto and his clones.

The two spinning streams shot at the ground in front of the oncoming clones, causing many of them to 'poof' away upon impact. Naruto and two of his remaining clones leapt back, and watched as Kiba and Akamaru, the latter transformed by Human Beast Mimicry into another Kiba, came out of a slam crater of ground rubble. "Hmph," said Kiba as he and the transformed Akamaru leapt away from their point of impact, "Figures you'd go for your Shadow Clone jitsu in our fight. Afraid of taking me on alone, Naruto?"

"Says the guy who always brings his dog to fights as his backup?" Naruto replied, "Mister kettle, mister pot called. He says you're black."

"Shut the hell up!" Kiba snapped as he and the transformed Akamaru prepared to fly at Naruto and his clones with another Fang Over Fang, "You don't know anything about the Inuzuka clan!" He and Akamaru then spun forward at Naruto with their collaborative technique as Kiba said, "Maybe it's about high time you learned!"

Up in the Konoha viewing booth, as Tsunade and Sakura watched the fight with the groups from the Akimichi, Aburame and Hyuga clans, Sakura remarked in a confused tone, "What's Kiba going on about?"

"Kurenai-sensei and I spoke with Kiba's older sister Hana yesterday evening," Shino replied, drawing the attention of some of the others in the Konoha viewing booth, "To put things in simple terms, Kiba is riled up for reasons that his Aunt Pirate and some other Inuzuka clan women have managed to convince him is the fault of the Hyuga clan."

"What?" Neji remarked as he turned to regard the Aburame chunnin, clearly confused. Neji then turned to regard his uncle, who merely sighed in a regretful tone.

Back down in the arena, Naruto leapt out of the way of another oncoming Fang Over Fang from Kiba and the transformed Akamaru. The two Inuzuka members came out of their spinning, landing on all fours, and glared at Naruto as they rose to their feet. The Kiba on Naruto's left brought his hands together in a hand sign as he said, "Remember when I said that you aren't the only Shadow Clone user, Naruto?"

A single Shadow Clone of Kiba appeared, putting the Kiba that was on Naruto's left in the middle. The original Kiba then took out three Military Ration Pills, handing one each to the transformed Akamaru and the Kiba Shadow Clone. Over in the audience where Tsume and her group sat, Inoichi said in a confused tone, "Wait a minute Tsume, did your son just give a Military Rations Pill to a clone he created?"

"Those are actually improved recipe Military Rations Pills," Tsume remarked, "You see, the original recipe used by Inuzuka clan shinobi recharges one's chakra to some degree while allowing the consumer to fight continuously for three days straight. Afterwards, the consumer collapses from exhaustion."

"The improved recipe Military Rations Pills that Kiba just used not only does a slightly better job at recharging one's chakra than the original recipe," Kuromaru went on, "But they don't come with the 'collapse after three days' side-effect. Granted, the improved recipe Military Rations Pills taste like Hana's first attempt at making fried chicken, but taste isn't necessarily a factor that one usually considers in battle." (7)

"That still doesn't explain why Kiba would waste a Military Rations Pill on a clone," Harold remarked, "I'm going to have to side with Inoichi on this one, Tsume. What the hell does your son have planned?"

"Something destructive, obviously," Tsume remarked, a somewhat strong hint of worry in her tone. This hint did not go unnoticed by Inoichi and Harold, who regarded their friend with eyebrows arched in curiosity, especially considering that Tsume has never been one to shy away from being destructive.

Down in the arena, Kiba glared at Naruto as the two Inuzuka members and Kiba's clone began to surge with chakra. "I hope you're as tough as people say you are," Kiba snarled at the blonde chunnin, "Otherwise what I'm about to do will send you straight to hell!" Kiba's clone and the transformed Akamaru grouped up with Kiba as the Inuzuka chunnin, his hands together in a ninja hand sign, shouted, "HUMAN-BEAST MIXTURE TRANSFORMATION! THREE-HEADED WOLF!"

A cloud of white smoke 'poofed' around Kiba, his clone and the transformed Akamaru, but the cloud was suddenly, and violently, dispersed from within as a gigantic three-headed canine, about as large as some of the larger toads Naruto is capable of summoning, appeared in the arena. All three heads of the hellish beast looked skyward and let out simultaneous howls.

Up where she and her friends sat in the audience, Tsume sighed in a resigned tone. "So, that's what he had planned," Tsume remarked, getting the attention of Harold, Inoichi and Kuromaru, "Normally, Kiba's three-headed wolf transformation is nowhere near that big. I'd put the average at around one-fourth to one-half that size. But with the boost provided by the improved Military Rations Pills…"

"That certainly explains why he'd give one to a clone," Kuromaru remarked, drawing nods of agreement from Harold and Inoichi.

Down in the arena, after it had finished its howling, the three-headed canine looked down at Naruto with all three of its heads. It jumped up and spun at Naruto quickly in a single Passing Fang. The spinning hell beast collided at the ground around where Naruto stood, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and rubble.

…And a large cloud of white smoke that came with using a summoning jitsu, which caught the attention of many of the people in the audience who were watching the match. This cloud of smoke surrounded the entirety of the area in which the three-headed canine crashed into the ground in the arena.

Naruto's toad summoning jitsu, on its own, was NOT one of the various skills and techniques that Naruto was barred from using during the Chunnin Tournament. However, Naruto was barred from using it to summon certain familiars, such as Gamabunta. Luckily for Naruto, the list of his various skills and techniques that he was given also listed which familiars he was barred from summoning; with the time that he had between matches, Naruto did some clearing ahead of time with the familiars that he was allowed to call upon, just so they would be ready in case Naruto called upon any of them during the Chunnin Tournament.

Even luckier for Naruto, his go-to familiar, Gamakichi, was one of the familiars that he was allowed to summon, and it was this familiar that Naruto had called upon. When the smoke had cleared, Gamakichi, who at this point is roughly somewhat smaller than his father Gamabunta, had his hands on the shoulders of the three-headed canine; Gamakichi had the beast at arm's length, the beast's three heads snapping at the giant toad without being able to bite anything.

"Woah!" Gamakichi exclaimed in surprise, "Did the gates of Hades open up or something? What's this fella doing here?"

"That's just my friend Kiba, a Shadow Clone he created, and Kiba's dog Akamaru in a combined transformation jitsu," Naruto explained from where he stood on his familiar's head.

"Seriously?!" Gamakichi replied in a tone od disbelief, "A combined transformation jitsu like this must require some serious fuel!"

"All three of them ate one rations pill each before using the jitsu," Naruto replied, "But that's beside the point. I need you to help me keep them pinned!"

"Roger, man!" Gamakichi replied as Naruto leapt up into the air. Over in the Suna viewing booth, Gaara and his siblings watched as the match unfolded.

"He-he just used the summoning jitsu!" Temari stammered as she stood up from her seat, "He's barred from using the summoning jitsu, isn't he?!"

"He's barred from summoning certain familiars, Temari," Gaara pointed out, "But Naruto is not barred from using the summoning jitsu altogether. The list I had you give him included all of the familiars that he was barred from using." Pointing down into the arena, Gaara said, "The familiar that Naruto just summoned, Gamakichi, is perfectly okay for Naruto to call upon."

"Besides which, sis," Kankuro added, "Given what Inuzuka is doing, I think that Naruto's justified in calling in some heavy backup."

Back down in the arena, Gamakichi used his Starch Syrup Gun technique, aiming at the paws of the three-headed canine to keep it from being able to move. As Gamakichi did this, Naruto, who was up in the air, used the Shadow Clone Jitsu to create a great number of clones. As they all started falling down on the three-headed canine, Naruto and all of his clones all used the Rasengan, aiming it at the back of the three-headed canine. As a result, multiple Rasengan all slammed into the three-headed canine's back all at once, making all three heads howl out in pain.

Due to the sheer damage that it had taken, the combination transformation jitsu was undone; as the resulting cloud poofed outwards, Naruto saw a Kiba fly out of the cloud randomly, only to poof away. "There goes the clone," Naruto thought as the remainder of the cloud dispersed, exposing Kiba and the transformed Akamaru, both of which looked up as Naruto and his clones came landing down out of the sky.

Kiba and the transformed Akamaru leapt up and spun at Naruto, the Naruto Shadow Clones and Gamakichi with the Fang Over Fang technique; many of the clones were undone, and Gamakichi took a good hit or two, although that wouldn't be enough to take down a summoning familiar as big as Gamakichi. As the last of the syrup that Gamakichi spat out faded, the two Inuzuka came out of their spinning, both turning to glare at Naruto.

"What will it take to put you down already?!" Kiba snarled at Naruto in exclamation, his brow furrowed in savage rage.

"Kiba's losing it," Naruto thought worriedly.

Lunging forward towards Naruto, Kiba raised his right hand back, preparing to claw at Naruto. "You're going down now!" Kiba yelled, only to stop short when he noticed Naruto rushing past him, a Rasengan in the blonde chunnin's right hand. Kiba turned on his heels just in time to see Naruto thrust the Rasengan into the gut of the transformed Akamaru. The transformation was undone due to the sheer damage it took, and Akamaru was thrown back and slammed into the flat surface of a large hunk of rubble that was kicked up earlier, resulting in Akamaru getting knocked out.

Stunned by seeing his loyal Ninkin thrashed so suddenly, Kiba dashed at Naruto without thinking. As such, Gamakichi backhanded Kiba with his right hand; it wasn't an actual slap, or had any significant effort put into it, but it still had enough force to throw Kiba into the air. As the Inuzuka chunnin was air borne, Naruto leapt up into the air himself while shouting, "That'll do, Gamakichi!"

"Got it, chief!" Gamakichi replied in a half respectful half playful tone as he gave Naruto a salute just before vanishing, returning to where he was summoned from. As that happened, Naruto reached where Kiba was at, and slammed him in his left side with another Rasengan. Kiba was thrown right at the ground by the force with which the Rasengan struck him. As Naruto landed back on the ground on his feet, Kiba got to his feet, albeit with some mild degree of struggling.

Holding his right hand to his left side as if he were trying to stem the flow of a bleeding wound, Kiba once again glared angrily at Naruto. The blonde chunnin firmly believed that the glare that the Inuzuka chunnin had going didn't look human. "You *huff* just won't go *huff* *huff* down, will you?" Kiba panted in pain and exhaustion.

"I…was about to say the same about you," Naruto replied, genuinely surprised (and a little worried) that Kiba was still standing. Taking his right hand away from his side, Kiba readied his hand to claw at Naruto as he ran forward. Realizing that Kiba was not going to stop despite his condition, Naruto ran forward as well, his right hand pulled back in preparation to punch Kiba.

As the two chunnin got close to each other, Kiba defiantly yelled, "I won't be defeated! My clan won't be defeated! Not now, not-" Kiba was cut off before he could finish, however; right as Kiba clawed at Naruto, leaving a cut that started on the right side of the bridge of Naruto's nose, running under Naruto's right eye, then ending just before reaching all the way across Naruto's right cheek, Naruto slugged Kiba on the left side of his face, throwing him back onto the flat surface of a large hunk of rubble that was kicked up earlier.

As blood slowly ran down the right side of Naruto's face, the blonde chunnin looked over where his opponent laid; Kiba, his eyes closed and head slumped forward, slowly inhaled and exhaled. But other than that, he did nothing. It was clear that the Inuzuka chunnin could not continue. Making a quick dash over to check on Kiba quickly, Shizune raised her right hand after a few seconds of looking at Kiba.

"Kiba Inuzuka has been defeated!" Shizune announced to the audience, "Naruto Uzumaki has won the Chunnin Tournament!" The resulting cheering was nothing short of deafening. Chants of Naruto's name erupted from the applauding spectators. His need to consistently seek attention having long since died down, Naruto did not run around in victory. He didn't even pump a fist into the air. Naruto just stood there, breathing in and out slowly as medic shinobi placed Kiba and Akamaru on stretchers to carry them out of the arena.

Up in the audience where they sat, Harold and Inoichi turned to face Tsume and Kuromaru. "Sorry that your son lost in the final match of the Chunnin Tournament, Tsume," Harold said in a sympathetic tone.

"I'm surprised that you two aren't upset over losing a combined thirty-thousand ryo," Kuromaru remarked, "The two of you usually react in an upset manner the instant you lose such a big bet."

"Oh, Harold and I are most certainly upset over losing thirty-thousand ryo to that Kurotsuchi girl from Iwa," Inoichi said to the talking Inuzuka Ninkin. Turning back to face the arena, Inoichi continued, "But Tsume's son took one hell of a beating in his match, and that was before he finally went down. Besides, that was one hell of a fight."

"I agree," Kuromaru replied with a nod, "There's no shame in losing such a well-fought match."

Nodding slowly, Tsume said after sighing in a resigned tone, "Yeah. I just hope Kiba will be in good enough condition when I visit him later to listen when I talk to him."

Aside from Tsume and her group talking to each other, practically everyone in the stadium was excited. The reactions in the Konoha viewing booth were particularly excited. "Naruto won!" Sakura said as the others in the Konoha viewing booth cheered, "Alright!"

"Naruto certainly has come a long way, hasn't he?" Neji remarked to the pink-haired chunnin as he and some of the others in the Konoha viewing booth started clapping.

Nodding in agreement, Sakura joined the others in the viewing booth in clapping. As she clapped in congratulations for Naruto, Sakura thought, "I guess you were right about Naruto winning the Chunnin Tournament after all, Hinata. I wonder if you were able to see Naruto win this time."

…

Over in a hospital room over at Konoha General, Hinata and her younger sister Hanabi were watching the TV, which was turned on to a televised broadcasting of the final match of the Chunnin Tournament. Whereas Hanabi, who got up from the chair she was sitting in, was jumping up and down in excitement, Hinata was laying in the hospital bed in the room; other than the somewhat bloody-looking bandage over Hinata's throat, nothing looked off about the Hyuga chunnin.

"Yes!" Hanabi cheered excitedly as she jumped up and down, "Naruto kicked that jerk's butt!"

Even if she wasn't in the condition she was in, Hinata still would have acted in a far more reserved manner than her younger sister. Even so, Hinata was just as glad that Naruto had won the Chunnin Tournament. "Congratulations, Naruto-kun," Hinata thought, a small but sincere smile on her face. She closed her eyes and nodded, a tear running down the left side of her face.

When Tsume and Kuromaru found Kiba and Akamaru in the medical ward of the arena, Tsume was surprised to see that her son was already sitting up. "Young man, you should probably lay down," Tsume remarked to her son. Hearing his mother got Kiba's attention, making him turn his head to see her and her Ninkin walk in. Kiba's attention was piqued not by Tsume speaking up in and of itself, but by the tone with which Tsume spoke; there was no cocky pride, no anger, no humor. Tsume didn't even sound as rough as she usually does.

Her voice sounded kind and gentle, sympathetic and sad; if Kiba didn't see that it was his mother who was talking to him, the Inuzuka chunnin would have suspected that his older sister was coming to visit him instead. Turning his head to face away from his mother, Kiba said in a bitter tone, "If you're here to chew me out for losing, then I suppose I can't do much in the way of getting up and leaving."

Sighing, Tsume gently shook her head. "Kiba, I'm not here to scold you for losing," Tsume said in a sympathetic tone, "I'm here to apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Kiba asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"For not being there for you," Tsume explained. Due to the confused look that she was receiving from her son, Tsume continued, "I know how much you care about the Inuzuka clan. I know how much the Ninkin mean to you. All of the deaths that the Inuzuka clan suffered this year must have really torn you up, more than I could guess. I should have been there to help you through the losses we've suffered, to give you a shoulder to cry on." Her expression taking on a sadder look, Tsume regarded her son as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kiba," Tsume choked out as tears rolled down the sides of her face, "I'm so sorry."

Sighing, Kiba got to his feet, drawing attention from Kuromaru. "Hey Kiba, you should listen to your mother's advice about laying down," the talking Ninkin suggested, "You did take one hell of a beating in your match. In fact, have your injuries been treated yet? Or Akamaru's?"

Scoffing, Kiba replied, "The guys carrying who carried me and Akamaru in said that they did so only because they wanted to avoid having the arena littered with all of the trash that would have been chucked at us by all of the people who were booing us. They just plopped us down in here and took their leave."

"Your injuries weren't even treated?" Tsume said in a mildly alarmed tone, "The way you were holding your side at that one point suggested that you broke a rib!"

"I think Kiba did suffer a broken rib," Sakura's voice called out, getting the four Inuzuka members to turn and see Sakura walk in, along with Ino, Harold and Inoichi.

"Inoichi and I figured that your son and his dog could use some patching up," Harold remarked to Tsume, "So we brought Sakura and Ino in to have them take a look at the boys."

"You cannot be serious," Ino scoffed, "You actually want Sakura and I to heal those monsters?! Did you hear what they did to-" Ino was cut off when a hand came down on her head from behind, its palm resting on Ino's scalp. Ino could tell full well that it was her father that was doing this; he had done this same thing many times before, usually when he was being stern.

"Young lady," Inoichi began in a mildly firm tone, "You and Sakura will be healing Kiba and Akamaru."

"But he-" Ino began to argue, but Sakura had cut Ino off this time.

"I'll explain later, Ino," Sakura said, "For now, let's just heal Kiba and Akamaru."

Ino sighed in a resigned tone as she and Sakura started up their respective Mystical Palm techniques. "Fine," Ino replied, "But that explanation better be pretty damn good."

Naruto stood before Tsunade's desk at the Hokage office building, at which Tsunade herself sat. Shizune stood off to the side on Naruto's right. "Well, Naruto," Tsunade began, "You've put on quite a show. I saw all of the matches in the Chunnin Tournament, but the most impressive one by far is your final match against Kiba in the tournament. Good job."

"Well I'm not one to go down easily," Naruto replied.

"I'll have to agree on that, but that's beside the point," Tsunade remarked, "The various Land of Fire nobles who came to watch the Chunnin Tournament were all pleased with what they saw. And that's not just for the matches in which you fought; they were impressed with how the other chunnin performed as well. The visiting representatives from Suna, Iwa and Kiri were likewise impressed. However, out of all of the chunnin who took part in the Chunnin Tournament, it is you, Naruto, who had by far had been the most impressive. Lady Mizukage Mei was especially happy with your final victory against Kiba, although that's because Mei didn't like how brutal Kiba was in his matches against Sakura and especially Hinata."

"It should be noted that some of the Land of Fire nobles had also taken an interest in Kiba's performances as well," Shizune remarked, "As such, they said to Lady Tsunade that if they ever send mission requests to Konoha, she shouldn't be surprised if they specifically request Kiba to carry out the mission."

"But other Land of Fire nobles also said similar things about wanting you to carry out missions for them," Tsunade said to the blonde chunnin, "As did the representatives from Suna, Kiri and Iwa. Your efforts in the Chunnin Tournament had accomplished the goal I was hoping for, and then some. You're one hell of a powerful ninja, Naruto, and aside from that, you've also proven that you have the skills and competency for it, so…" Tsunade stopped short for dramatic effect, closed her eyes. Opening them again, Tsunade said, "…Congratulations, Naruto. I'm promoting you to jonin."

"I'm being promoted to jonin?" Naruto remarked in a surprised tone, clearly caught off guard.

"Yes, you are," Tsunade replied, "I take it that you accept the promotion?"

"Of course, I do," Naruto replied as he saluted Tsunade, "Thank you."

Smiling, Tsunade said, "You're welcome." After a few more formalities, Naruto took his leave from Tsunade's office. As he walked out of the Hokage office building, Naruto, despite himself, was able to keep a calm, outward appearance.

Inwardly, however, Naruto was running around and cheering like his twelve-year-old self.

END, BEFORE THE REDEMPTION CHAPTER FIVE

Author's Notes:

(1) Neji, being a jonin, having to step in to keep Hinata from being killed by an opponent in a fighting tournament. A complete turn-around from what he used to be?

(2) To put things mildly.

(3) The one he still had.

(4) …You don't watch anime all that much, do you, Moegi?

(5) Keep in mind that Mei and her two guards are from Kirigakure. You know what sort of reputation those guys have had in the past.

(6) Neji has long since known the truth, after all.

(7) Hana's first attempt at making fried chicken was so bad that even Choji wouldn't eat it. Kiba said that it wasn't fried chicken, so much as it was a bunch of hockey pucks.

And with that, the Chunnin Tournament arc has come to an end. Although I'm aiming for this story to have a more serious tone than my other works, I don't want it to be all serious all the time. The chapter after this one, for example, is going to be a heartwarming break from the grim bleakness that was the past few chapters.