Ascension of the Kitsune by Wandering Maverick

Chapter 19: Chuunin Exams (FINAL)

One Month Later,

Its been exactly one full month since the preliminary matches of the Chuunin exams concluded, and it was finally time for the final matches. Konoha was bustling with people from all over the elemental nations to lay witness to this year's Genin hopefuls. The crowds were even greater then usual because of just who would be fighting in the matches, many of the participants being of famous lineages and would promise to present matches that wouldn't soon be forgotten to those lucky enough to witness them in the large arena dedicated for this event.

The arena itself was full to the brim with the audience that will witness today's events, all of them shouting to each other on just who would win against who. While many back-door bets were made amongst those brave, and rich enough to do so. Many prestigious people were there to witness the matches as well, including lords of the elemental nations, but most importantly three of Kages of the famous hidden villages: Hokage, Kazekage, and the Raikage.

"Hakage-dono it's been a long time" The Kazekage greeted his face hidden by his ceremonial robes.

"That it has Kazekage-dono, please have a seat...you as well Raikage-dono." Sarutobi greeted, hiding his anger at both Orochimaru's gall at pretending to be the Kazekage, and from the Raikage's past actions against Konoha...more specifically the Hyuuga clan.

All three leaders sat, and began a rather strained conversation concerning the exams.

"So I've heard that the famous Uzumaki clan has decided to partake in this years exams..." The Kazekage questioned sounding interested, making Sarutobi nod. "...I've also heard that the boy who was originally heir to that clan is participating as well, I wonder who would win if they fought?" He mused, getting a slight glare from his sensei.

"In the end it won't matter Kazekage-dono..." The Raikage answered, making the other two leaders look at him questioningly. "...because MY shinobi will be the one left standing at the end of the exam." He elaborated smugly, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Because if she isn't...she will never see her Kaa-san again!" He mentally threatened, as if trying to send the message telepathically to Yugito.

"We'll see Raikage-dono we'll see. However Hakage-dono I've noticed none of the participants around...where are they?" The Kazekage questioned.

"Ah...they are in the waiting room until it is time for the exams to start. It gives them time to mentally prepare themselves for their match without all of this noise." He said, making them all laugh...differences aside all three of them agreed it was far too noisy.

Waiting Room,

In the waiting room all but a select few of the participants lounged around each in their own little area, mentally preparing themselves for their matches. No words were spoken, complete silence reigned throughout the room, a tenseness clearly evident to those had cared to notice, while the others just say oblivious too concerned with their own matters. Finally a turn of the door knob seemed to knock everyone out of the tenseness, as Naruto and Natsumi walked in the room. The pair looked around the room, and expressed their salutations to the sand siblings with a smile and nod, while just passing over others such as Valios. However a certain candidate caught Naruto's eye and whom over to her, noticing she was staring at the floor.

"Yugito-chan" Naruto's boyish voice called out to the woman who seemed lost in thought.

Yugito looked up at being called and warmly smiled seeing her friends...more specifically Naruto

"Hi Naruto-kun, Natsumi-san" She greeted, before gesturing for them to sit down on the couch she herself sat on.

The two gladly sat and began to chitchat quietly with her, however Naruto noticed that during their conversation Yugito had began to unconsciously rub the palms of her hands in a soothing motion.

"Ne Yugito-chan...how are your hands?" He asked in concern during a pause in the conversation.

His question caught her off guard until she noticed what she had been doing and looked down in slight shame, as the memory of what had happened to her during the month hiatus flashed through her mind.

-FLASHBACK-

"Dammit...these guys are relentless!" A weary and severely beaten-looking Yugito huffed out, while she ran from two shadowy figures behind her gripping her right arm in pain trying to stop the wound from bleeding. "These guys, they know I'm a jinchuuriki...but what the hell do they want from me!?" She questioned. "I suppose it doesn't matter at the moment, all I need to do is get them cornered and then they are all mine! That old council room should be around here, thats my best bet." She concluded remembering the mental 'blueprints' of the old buildings she had been escaping through.

It had only been two weeks since the preliminary matches had ended, and Yugito had just finished her daily training outside the boarders of Kumo. She was heading back to rest up for the next day, when a pair of odd looking men in black cloaks with red clouds appeared before her. There wasn't much of a conversation, they simply demanded she go with them, she refused, and after that all hell broke loose. She had no idea who these guys were, but after only a minute fighting them she knew they were no amateurs. Both of these men were oddities to her, each having strange but very powerful abilities.

The first was a tan-skinned man with a bandana-like headband rest against a grey coif, that showed him as a nuke-nin from the recently created hidden waterfall village. He had green pupil-less irises with the rest of the eye being red. He wore a black mask leaving only a small section of his cheeks and eyes visible. But the oddest thing were the four masks attached to his body. If the masks themselves weren't odd enough, the man was able to use an odd technique that allow the masks to come off his body and actually come to life and even fight. Making it in reality a six-on-one fight, instead of two-on-one.

If the first man was strange the second man took the cake. While looking more normal then the first man, in actuality he was far stranger. During their fight Yugito had been able to severely injure him, and yet he seemed to be unfazed. He explained that because of his zealot-like activism, his god (Jashin) favored him with immortality.

His religious beliefs were later proven to be more then just bravado, when he used a technique in conjunction with large symbol on the ground and her own blood. While using this jutsu it changed his appearance, making his skin turn completely black with a white exoskeleton appearing over it. Once standing on the symbol, he used the large three-bladed red scythe he lugged around slashed his own arm. And much to her surprise she felt the same injury he inflicted on himself. She quickly put the pieces together and figured out that he was able to injure whose ever blood he consumed as long as he was within the symbol. She was able to get the man out of the symbol and cause it's ruin before she was able to escape into nearby ruins.

Yugito maneuvered through the building, and finally found herself in a large room that she was hoping to find.

"Perfect! There is only one way out of this room...you're both mine!" She mentally thought, letting some of Izanami's chakra accelerate her healing.

"Where are you kitty kitty kitty!" The scythe wielding man joked, as he and his partner casually walked through the building following the small trail of blood.

"Hidan...she is still a jinchuuriki so don't let down your guard. And despite how much I would like to kill you, I know Leader-sama would never allow it." The red eyed man said in a gruff voice.

Hidan waved off his warning. "Maa maa you worry too much Kakuzu...you need to use some of that money we get from bounties on other things then just the Akatsuki. Like say booze and hookers perhaps?"

"We can't squander our money on earthly pleasures."

The two quieted down when they entered the council chambers, and looked around suspiciously noting no other exits then the one they just came from.

"Neko-ccchhhaaannn!" Hidan cooed out in a way that could be considered lustful...though under the circumstances was decidedly anything but.

However his laid back demeanor changed when the doors to the chambers behind them closed and locked. The pair turned around to see a feral looking Yugito with purple wisps of chakra swirled around her violently.

"Its time for kitty to play!" Yugito taunted, as a feminine but powerful roar escape her throat.

The chakra around her glowed before engulfing the woman in it's flames. The pair stepped back noticing that Yugito began to grow, and change. For the next minute the two looked on in curiosity, as Yugito began her transformation. Her cloths had quickly burned away leaving her stark naked for a few seconds before she fell down on all fours, with her her bones beginning to crunch and break. However they noticed that it wasn't in a negative nor painful fashion since he wasn't screaming. Instead the bones seemed to be breaking so that they could grow...and grow they did. By the time her transformation ended Yugito was now a three story cat which looked like a ghost...the true form of the Nibi no Nekomata.

Hidan whistled in astonishment. "Thats some transformation...however that puts us in a bind Neko-chan. You see we need you alive and you transforming won't guarantee that." He explained as if it was nothing to him to kill her.

In truth it wasn't, he had killed hundreds of people in the past...what was one more? Even if he'd admit she had a body that put any he had seen previously to great shame.

"If you think you can take me now then try! But I've blocked the only way out of here so I'm afraid you are now in over your heads!" Yugito's voice growled, before opened her maw with chakra beginning to collect between her teeth. "Yamiton: Shinka no Konpaku (Darkness Style: Ghost of the Sacred Flame)" She yelled as a pair of spectral flames shot out of her mouth right at the pair.

The two quickly dodged it with no problems, but noticed that the flames didn't extinguish afterwards. They landed on opposite sides of the room, each preparing in their own way to fight...Kazuku releasing his masks, while Hidan prepared his ritual symbol.

"I won't give you time to finish that!" Yugito roared at Hidan before charging him.

However before she could get to him, two of the masks jumped in her way. The masks then to both Yugito's digest and concern, merged together before their mouths opened one of them releasing a large flame, while the other shot a gust of wind. The two attacks merged into one, which caused Yugito to jump. She had been able to get out of the way in time...which was lucky for her considering that the moment the jutsu hit the opposing wall it slammed right through it as if it wasn't even there.

"She is faster now...to be able to dodge my 'Katon & Fuuton: Kadou Kaen' (Fire & Wind Style: Vortex Flame) combination" Kazuku mused after seeing Yugito jump out of the way.

Yugito's eyes narrowed at the increasingly dangerous men, before she raised a paw with her claws glowing black and swiped at him.

"Yamiton: Bachiatari no Fuzen (Darkness Style: Sins of the Damned)!" She roared as the growing claws flew through the air screaming towards Kazuku.

One of the same masks from before came between Yugito and her prey. It opened its mouth and shot a concentrated blast of wind at the incoming blades. The two attacks collided before the wind attack was able to throw the blades off target and slam harmlessly into the stone walls. Her lack of getting a single attack through made Yugito grunt in frustration.

"Its as if I'm facing five shinobi instead of just one. He can use any kind of elemental affinity he wishes to counteract anything I throw at him." She growled trying to figure out what she should try next.

"Kitten your assumption is right...but use that to your advantage. Try to maneuver yourself so that the mask that attacks you next will hit another mask when you dodge. Use his own strength against him." Izanami suggested.

Yugito mentally nodded in understanding before she put the idea into action, and summoned another blast of 'Shinka no Youkai'. As she predicted Kazuku was able to deflect it with the 'wind' mask, and counter attacked with another mask she recognized from before as the 'lightning'. She quickly maneuvered herself so she was standing in front of the 'water' mask, and just let the lightning mask attack.

Yugito mentally smirked, and at the last moment jumped out of the way of the lightning strike. She turned her head to see if the plan worked and smiled slightly seeing the jutsu about to his the 'water' mask. However her smile faded when at the last moment the lightning veered off, right in her direction before striking her making her roar in pain as the electricity passed through her.

"You thought I'd let you destroy one of my own masks?" Kazuku questioned as if you a Genin.

"Kazuku stop playing around with her! My ritual to Jashin-sama is ready so get me some of her blood!" Hidan yelled over all the commotion.

Kakuzu spared a glance at Hidan, before his masks returned to his body, and he released a torrent of dark thread-like tendrils from his arms.

"Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear)!" He said, as the dark tendrils began to snake along the floor, before rising up and shooting themselves at Yugito.

Yugito jumped out of the way of the tendrils but with the hundreds of them rocketing at her she couldn't avoid them all, especially with her large size.

"Shit!" She cursed, knowing what would happen.

She landed with a loud thud, with her right hind leg wobbling under the pressure.

"Seems I got you" Kazuku stated calmly.

Yugito looked down and noticed that her leg was bleeding on both sides.

"Damn they didn't just stop when they hit me, they went through my whole leg!" She realized, grunting in pain as the trails of blood flowed down her phantom-like appendage.

"Jashin-sama thanks you!" Hidan shouted with insane glee, as one of the tendrils dripped her blood on scythe, making Yugito look on in horror.

Hidan smirked at both her expression as well as his own sadistic glee at what he was about to start. He licked the blood from the weapon and his skin changed one again.

"T...these guys are just...too much! I...I need to get out of here!" Yugito thought, disgusted with herself that she'd actually have to runaway from a fight like some coward.

She summoned all her remaining strength and shot towards the exit.

"Tsk tsk tsk Neko-chan...you know we won't let you escape!" Hidan said with an insane chuckle. "Jujutsu: Shijihyouketsu (Sorcery: Death Controller Possessing Blood)!" He called before slamming his scythe deeply into both his thighs, standing in his newly formed symbol.

Yugito immediately felt the same stabs in her own thighs and roared in pain. Her hind legs gave out causing her to fall and skid on the ground, stopping only ten yards from the doors. She began to drag herself along the ground with her claws towards the exit, leaving a heavy trail of blood behind her. However after only a few attempts she collapsed on the ground exhausted and feeling weak from blood loss. So much so that her transformation forcefully receded, leaving her stark naked with bruises, gashes, and deep bleeding cuts all over her, the most prominent ones on her legs.

"Hidan cancel your jutsu, we need her alive." Kazuku ordered.

"Kitten I know you are tired...but you HAVE to get away form these two men...that ARE going to kill you if they get their hands on you. so please...MOVE!" Izanami shouted worriedly, causing the blond to stir with a groan.

Her vision was slightly blurry but she could still see the exit, and with all her remaining strength began to crawl once more to freedom. She was able to make it a few more yards, but was stopped dead when a hand grasped her ankle.

"No no Neko-chan...no escape for you" Hidan taunted, before pulling her towards him.

He quickly grabbed the girl by the neck her arms, lifted her up and walked over to the locked door, with a smirking. He pulled one of her arms to the side and slammed a kunai into her palm, before doing the same to her other hand crucifying her to the door. Her groan of pain sounded like a wounded puppy...her consciousness slipping in and out of her grasp.

"You really do have one smokin' hot body there Neko-chan...although I must stay celibate, I can still give you a nice send off before your life ends." He continued, letting his tongue lash over her dirtied and sweaty neck, as a glint shined in his eye. "Oi Kazuku...look at this..." He yelled, while holding up the odd three-pronged kunai he just picked up. "...its a rather strange kunai don't you think?" He inquired, turning it at different angles trying to examine it.

"And? We've seen many 'strange' weapons in our line of work stop wasting our time." He ordered, anger lacing his voice.

"We have but...this kunai...it reminds me of something I once heard about dealing with a Kekkei Genkai. Its on the tip of my tongue but I can't remember." The zealot answered, a look of frustration on his face.

Kazuku grunted once more in annoyance, quickly turned to his partner grabbed the kunai from his hand and turned to Yugito. He tilted her head up so her half-lidded eyes looked at both him and the kunai he waved in front of her.

"What is with this kunai?" He questioned rather boredly, only wanting an answer to appease Hidan's annoying curiosity.

Yugito's vision blurred in and out, but one of the times it cleared she recognized the special kunai that she had always kept on her persons no matter what. Her eyes widened slightly, as her focus cleared and looked at the kunai and all the memories it brought with it.

"Naruto-kun" She thought in a weary and lamenting way.

Being in this situation caused her to look back at just how much he had changed her, and just how deeply her feelings had truly grown for him since they first met in that forest.

"Oi Neko-chan we're talking to you dammit!" Hidan's voice kicked her out of her memories and back to the present.

"I...it was a ...gift" She rasped out.

"Thats it? Is there anything special about it?" He inquired, his tone urging her to spill everything about it that she knew.

"J...just what it ...means to...me" She answered back her throat feeling dry.

"There you go Hidan nothing overly special about it. Probably a custom made kunai from her boyfriend or something" He responded looking back at the contemplating immortal.

Kazuku waved the kunai in front of her tauntingly with the blade facing the ground, before letting it fall.

"Now...where were we?" Hidan questioned maniacally.

He leaned his face in with only inches separating them when the kunai stuck the ground and a flash of orange light appeared blinding all in the vicinity.

[Begin Playing: Vestige By: T.M Revolution]

"You will NOT touch her again!" An emotionless voice boomed, before a roar of gurgled pain sounded through the room.

"T...that...voice..." Yugito thought, her mind hazy from fighting the spell of unconscious that was placed on her.

She focused her eyes as best she could at what had happened, only to dilate surprise at what she saw. Crouching right in front of her was another man wearing a dark orange flak jacket and black Jounin attire. The back of his head adorned with unruly orange hair, with fox ears lying flat...usually a trait related to fear or extreme anger. Five flowing orange fox tails squished about in front of her in an almost protective fashion, ready to strike down anyone who would dare come near her. Even with her mind as unclear as it was, could never in her life forget the only person person that looked like that, and opened her mouth to say the person's name.

"N...naruto...-kun..." She call, her voice hoarse, and raspy...part of her fearing that it was only an illusion and he would disappear the moment she called out to him.

"You will pay for the pain you have caused her." He promised, as his katana, which she had just now noticed, sunk even deeper into the chest of Hidan causing him to spit up blood.

"Hidan!" Kakuzu shouted in surprise, his eyes finally adjusting to the orange flash that had occurred...only to see his partner hunched slightly over with a katana protruding out of his back.

"Just who the...hell..are you?" Hidan rasped out as dribbles of blood fell from the corners of his mouth.

Naruto's answer was to push off his bent legs causing 'Shinku Kaijin' to delve completely into the mans chest up to the hilt, while propelling him backward and Naruto forward. As Hidan continued back, Naruto took a hard step forward and stopping his momentum causing the sword to slide out of the strange man. However in the second this happened, Naruto had twisted the sword to the left now holding it sideways, before he slashed in the same direction ripping the blade out of the man in a sideways slash completely through the man's chest. A wave of blood flew through the air as the sword arced through it before resting at Naruto's side. Hidan was sent torpedoing at Kakuzu who had no time to react and was hit by the 'immortal' man. Naruto stood up straight and tall, his back still to the injured woman as his tails flailed about, expressing the anger that his body refused to. Rivers of blood drained down the edge of the sword, drops of blood fell littering the ground with the crimson liquid...as the blade itself seemed to 'hum' in satisfaction.

"Yugito-chan..." Naruto's voice called out to her, still holding the malice from before making her flinch and slightly fearful of answering...even though they were friends

"H...hai?" She rasped out.

"Rest now Yugito-chan...but do not fall asleep. Promise me...promise me you will stay awake." His voice now warm and comforting and slightly pleading, compared to the tone it held only a moment before.

Her eyes widened slightly as his request, but understood that he was simply concerned for her life. He had probably noticed how badly hurt she was, and was just worried about her.

"I...I promise..." The ends of her lips curled up into a brief smile, happy that he kept his word at being there for her whenever she needed him.

The two cloaked men were able to recover from the surprise attack, while the jinchuuriki talked and were now standing side by side. They both looked annoyed at the intruder of their mission, though Kakuzu only looked annoyed at the newcomer, while Hidan was livid as Kakuzu patched up his chest using his tendrils.

"You ruined my fun...so in return I'll sacrifice you to Jashin-sama!" Hidan growled out.

"Hidan we are here for the girl...remember leader-sama's orders. You can 'play' with whoever he is after she is in our custody..." Kakuzu scolded his irate partner.

Hidan clenched his teeth, knowing his partner was right. "Fine! Just get me his blood so we can get him out of the way and get what we came for." He grumbled.

Kakuzu nodded, and let his four masks come back to life, ready to fight once more. Naruto's only response was to their actions was to raise his sword in the basic style of 'Kitsune Issei Ryuu'. Kazuku wasted no time in attack, sending his 'lightning' mask forward, it's mouth opening before an electrical surge collected and shot off at Naruto. Naruto used his speed to dodge the bolt, but was surprised when it turned and headed right towards him again.

"My masks have absolute control over the elements. That lightning will follow you until oblivion because it's following your chakra signature." Kakuzu explained.

Naruto ran around the room with the lightning bolt on his trail. No matter how swift his twists and turns he just couldn't lose the jutsu that followed him.

"Guess I have no choice" Naruto concluded, before turning in mid-air, and skidded backwards to a stop striking the ground with 'Shinku Kaijin' as he did.

It wasn't long until the jutsu struck Naruto, making him growl in pain which caused Hidan to sadistically laugh. That is until he noticed Naruto wasn't turning into a charred corpse like all of Kakuzu's other victims did. The jutsu soon receded leaving a smoldering, but mostly unhurt Naruto but before he took out the sword from the ground, and disappeared a small dust cloud in the air from where he was just standing.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed at losing track of his enemy, before feeling a breeze behind him and a pain to shoot nearly an inch into his neck before stopping at the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Kazuku looked in the direction of the pain, and saw Naruto's blade in the corner of his eye, before they went slightly wide at the implications.

"Whoever this man is, he isn't joking around. He is going for a finishing blow early on and without mercy...and worse yet he seems to have the skill to accomplish it." He thought, feeling blood drain from his neck.

"Gomen...but I cannot allow you to kill him, now matter how stuck up he is. Leader-sama would not be pleased upon hearing his defeat." Hidan stated matter-of-factly a long chain-linked scythe extending from his two hands.

"He stopped the strike with his scythe...I guess I owe him one" Kazuku conceded, realizing why Naruto had stopped his attack.

The two weapon users stared each other down, before Hidan flicked his wrist, making the scythe screech down Naruto's blade faster then the hanyou thought possible from the sheer size and probable weight of the weapon. Naruto drew back his own blade from within his opponent's neck and jumped back from the scythe's strike. Unfortunately it nicked him in the arm, making Hidan smirk at the implications. He landed quietly and checked the wound for any deadly poison, and when finding none just let his healing ability close the wound...never noticing that it didn't closing.

"This battle is over, however I would like that sword first...if you would Hidan" Kakuzu called, making Hidan smirk in approval before jumping back into the ritual marking he had used on Yugito.

Yugito had watched the fight with blurred vision, and thought Naruto could win against the two with how he was fighting. But the moment she saw Hidan activate that same ritual he used on her twice before, her blood to run cold and fear to creep into her. She had to warn him about what that jutsu could do!

"Naruto-kun!" She rasped out...her throat completely dry, causing her voice to only come out as a harsh whisper that Naruto had heard but wasn't able to reply to when Hidan's voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Jujutsu: Shijihyouketsu (Sorcery: Death Controller Possessing Blood)!" His skin once again turned black as the familiar exoskeleton appeared on top of his skin.

Naruto just looked on in curiosity, before he saw Hidan plunge his scythe into his own right arm. Naruto's right arm which held 'Shinku Kaijin', violently twitched as the pain was transfered to it, causing his grip to slightly shake but not let go. Naruto's expression hadn't changed, and just looked at his reacting arm in morbid curiosity. The pair looked rather perturbed at Naruto's reaction, no one had before reacted as little as Naruto had when Hidan used this jutsu...not even a grimace of pain crossed his face.

"That is a very interesting jutsu you have...Hidan was it?" Naruto asked, not expecting an answer. "However if you expected that to stop me, you are sorely mistaken. I have taken far worse in my home, so you'll have to do better then that..." He stated while slicing his thumb alone his blade's edge. "...however you will not have the opportunity to again...'Hakkei: Shinku Kaijin' (Release: Crimson Ash)!" Naruto shouted, as he swung his katana in a wide horizontal arc.

[End Song]

The two men weren't worried when they saw Naruto swing his sword towards them. However that all changed when the blade itself burst into flame, shooting out towards them at an unbelievable velocity in the same arc motion. The pair had no time to react from the sheer shock at what they witnessed. Even if they did...they doubted they'd be able to escape such an attack without being severely injured in the process...if they even survived, well for Kazuku anyway. Hidan though would survive wouldn't mean he was any less shocked that such an attack from a weapon could exist, nor admit that being hit by it wouldn't hurt like hell.

The flames were nearly upon them, when an explosion rocked in the far wall. And from the dust shot black flames which trailed in between the pair of men and Naruto's flames. The two flame attacks collided in a stalemate of power, the flames twisting and turning within each other trying to engulf the other and absorb it's strength...but no matter how much they struggled they were completely dead locked. Soon however both flames died down from their caster's call. When the flames completely receded, and the smoldering earth stopped steaming, Naruto saw two people he recognized immediately.

"Itachi" He growled out.

"Naruto-kun you look...well..." The emotionless Uchiha stated, not quite knowing the word to describe Naruto's new 'look'. "...ah...this must be what you really look like. I've been wondering ever since I saw that genjutsu over you in wave. At first I thought thats what it was, but I dismissed it off since you seemed far too young...but apparently I was wrong. I'm also interested to know what kind of genjutsu that was, since not even my Kekkei Genkai could penetrate it." He commented offhandedly.

"Itachi...Kisame...what are you two doing here?" Hidan asked, slightly angered that these two would show up like this.

"Saving your lives apparently." Kisame said...eying Naruto...but even more so his still flaming sword with a glint of interest in his fish-like eyes.

"What do you mean? We had him perfectly well before you two showed up...you know that Kazuku can't die that easily, or me ever." Hidan stated wanting to get some answers as the intrusion.

"You seem to not realize who he is despite his name..." Itachi answered his Sharingan swirling. "...this is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto...Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune" He stated flatly.

Naruto's two first opponents looked back at him with arched brows.

"So we were fighting your target this whole time?" Kakuzu questioned only getting the slightest of nods from Itachi.

"What is the big deal then? The four of us can handle him easily enough and then we'd have two captured instead of just one!" Hidan stated, only to see Itachi shake his head.

"You all know as well as I do what happens to jincuuriki who hold demons with the power of five tails or more..." He deadpanned, while pointing at Naruto. "...and it seems Naruto has already gone through his 'Sosei' with Kyuubi. Meaning those tails aren't just for intimidation anymore." He concluded making the 'immortals' look at Naruto in a new light, before Hidan gawked slightly.

"He has...five of it's tails!" He said almost unbelievingly.

"Correct...and from what my Sharingan is telling me...you both have been fighting him at only his normal chakra output. He hadn't even decided to use any boost from his tails in the fight"

"B...but with all four of us we could beat him anyway, so his tails won't matter!" Hidan said, while subconsciously rubbing the slash mark on his chest...wondering how that situation would have ended had Naruto used all his power in the strike.

"That would be a gamble at best Hidan. The Kyuubi was the strongest of all the demons. It's tails were immensely more powerful then the other bijuu's. The power difference between Nibi's two tails and Kyuubi's could be astronomical. Not only that, but we don't know many of his skills, nor are either of you at a level to fight him equally if he does release his power anymore. There are too many variables to consider with him...especially with that legendary blade by his side. Forged from Kyuubi itself...'Shinku Kaijin'." Itachi tried to explain their situation as bluntly as possible, making Kisame look astounded at hearing the name of that legendary blade...a blade in which anyone who calls themselves a swordsman knows. Itachi felt another chakra signature, albeit a weak one and looked over at Yugito. "We will retreat for now...however Nibi will still be our consolation prize." He reassured them, before 'shunshin'ing towards Yugito intent on not leaving the mission empty-handed.

When Itachi phased in front of her, his eyes ever so slightly darkened at who he saw right in front of his face. A cold steel blade was pressed hard against his throat...if he moved at all he would be dead.

"So...you somehow were able to learn the Yondaime's Kekkei Genkai..." Itachi said almost nonchalantly, Naruto's cold amethyst gaze unwaivering into his opponent's red. "...your silence tells me I'm right. Not that you really had to, since I know that the Hiraishin is one of the few jutsu in known existence that my eyes can't follow despite it being chakra-based." He stated as if the two were having a normal conversation in a restaurant.

"Itachi..." Naruto's voice was cold...colder then even his. "...I've already warned you and your partner of what would happen should either of you try to hurt someone I care about. And not even the fact that I want to shake your hand for destroying that dishonorable can once called Uchiha...will stop me from going through with my promise." He said with finality, pressing the blade even deeper slightly constricting Itachi's windpipe. "Leave...NOW! If you do...I will let you four live. If not...I WILL kill you without anymore hesitation." Naruto finished, his ultimatum on the table with the 'ball' now in Itachi's 'court'.

The two men stared at each other for what seemed to be eternity, before Itachi's eyes turned back to their coal-colored black. He took a step back from Naruto's blade, and 'shunshin'ed next to Kisame. Naruto's guard didn't falter an inch, and just stared at the four.

"We will leave..." Itachi commanded, the three others looking at him in slight surprise. "...we can collect her later." He explained feeling the gazes on him silently asking for an explanation.

"Itachi!" Naruto called out from the opposite side of the chamber. "She is under my protection as is Shukaku...should any of you hunt either of them again...no quarter will be given and I will not hold back..." He continued before releasing three tails worth of KI upon the chamber forcing both Hidan and Kazuku to fall to a knee while Kisame and Itachi's legs began to buckle from the pressure. "...AND WHOM EVER IT IS WILL DIE!" Naruto's voice was completely otherworldly and demonic...as if Naruto was the reincarnation of Kyuubi itself, and just as quickly as the pressure came, it left releasing the men from its grip.

Itachi's Sharingan activated again in surprise, the tomoe spinning wildly as he looked as the now stoic jinchuuriki.

"To think that a boy could hold such great power in so little time...and to even cause my body to react in such a way to KI. He will truly be a worthy opponent to test myself against if the time comes, however I will need to refine my skills some. Akatsuki's mission has dulled my strength compared to how I was back in ANBU." The Uchiha prodigy thought.

"I understand Naruto-kun...I will let Leader-sama know of you're...declaration. Until we see each other again." He agreed, raising his hand signaling for them to leave, which they did in their various 'shunshin' styles.

"Oh good luck healing you and Nibi from my poison! Heres a hint...medical chakra won't work." Hidan's voice called out, his tone smug, and sadistically playful before disappearing into the wind.

Once Naruto's senses told him they were far enough away, he unsummoned 'Shinku Kaijin', and turned towards Yugito. His expression turned to worry and fear at seeing her head hanging limply down, her body still crucified to the door, her legs and right arm completely red with her blood. He rushed to her aid and as carefully as he could ripped the blood coated kunai out of her palms. He carefully scooping her up in his arms and sat down Indian-style with her ghostly white naked and bloodied body draped across his lap, allowing her head to rest against his arm. Naruto quickly looked her up and down to assess her injuries not even registering she was stark naked.

"Damn he wasn't kidding...that poison is effecting our healing abilities..." He cursed noticing that the wounds on his arm had failed to heal. "...I need to stop the bleeding first. He said medical chakra wouldn't work...but he never mentioned onipou jutsu." Naruto conversed with himself the idea came to him.

With the greatest of care he placed pale woman on the ground before grabbing medical gauze from his pouch. He wrapped the gauze around his right hand, before going through a set of seals with his left.

"Onipou: Tsuba Fukkatsu (Demon Art: Saliva Restoration)!" He said, before pressing the hand on the large slice across her right thigh, letting the gauze soak up as much of the blood as it could.

Naruto bent down and slowly draped his chakra enhanced tongue along the wound slowly, his hand moving at the same speed as the gauze so that no blood could escape while he used the jutsu. When he finished with the wound he smiled lightly seeing the small amount of blood on top of the wound sizzle dissolving all of the bacteria that accumulated in the wound from the dirt she dragged her self on and Hidan's poison.

Once he saw the blood stop sizzling, and her wound already beginning to close from his saliva, he moved onto her left thigh. He followed the same procedure, though this time noting that her body shivered, and a low gurgled moan escape her throat.

"I really need to find a new way to administer this jutsu...cause I'll be damned if I do this for a male" He thought mentally shaking his head, while sighing at the fact he began to smell Yugito's body unconsciously give off pheromones. "Well...at least she is unconscious...I doubt she's want me to do something like this if she was awake." He finished slightly chuckling at imagining her reaction...oh just how wrong he was.

Naruto successfully healed her legs, before doing the same for the cut on her right arm as well. Once he finished with the hard stuff he pulled her back on his lap. He concentrated then, before Yugito's body slightly glowed purple.

"I certainly don't envy medical shinobi...its no wonder why they need such great chakra control" He mumbled offhandedly, his brow stained with sweat, as the aura around the woman in his arms dimmed before disappearing completely, leaving a much cleaner looking Yugito...though her skin tone was still a ghostly pale. "Now I just need to get her up...Izanami-san if you can hear me I could use some help." He requested.

Naruto adjusted her in his lap, before slightly shaking her hoping that she would wake up with his motions and her prisoner's words. He continued his motions for a good minute before feeling her body move, turning towards him snuggling into him.

"Yugito-chan wake up." He called warm but firmly.

The young woman weaseled around slightly in annoyance before turning her head towards the voice with her eyes fluttering open.

"N...naruto...-kun?" She questioned, her voice raspy and only loud enough to be a whisper.

Truth be told the poor woman was finding it very difficult to focus clearly and only saw blotches of shapes, but Naruto's form was rather recognizable even in that state.

He sighed in relief "Hey...welcome back" He greeted with a happy smile.

In response, she weakly brought up her left arm and cupped his whiskered cheek with her hand thumbing his birthmarks tenderly...which made Naruto's body shiver and a low moan to gurgle in his throat as a pink tinge graced his cheeks. Naruto wouldn't ever tell anyone, but ever since his sosei both his whisker marks and tails had become hypersensitive and even more so as time went by of him being a hanyou.

By now they were so sensitive that Natsumi who was the only one who knew about it, considered them two of his erogenous zones. Although a harsh touch wouldn't do anything but piss him off...a gentle enough caress of his whiskers or tails, and his entire body would heat up from the type of contact. Which unfortunately for him was exactly what Yugito was currently doing to him...even though she had no idea.

"Arigato...it was very kind of you to appear before me as Naruto-kun...it makes it a bit more easy to take...Tenshi-kun" She thanked warmly, her lips curling into a happy and appreciative smile.

"Angel?" Naruto mentally questioned at hearing her address him as such. "Kami-sama...she thinks she died." He figured out, slight shock appearing on his face.

"Yugito-ch..." He started before being interrupted by her hand moving to the back of his neck, pulling his face to only millimeters apart. Their noses barely touching each looking into the other's eyes.

"Let me just give you my thanks for such a kind gesture Tenshi-kun...onegai." She pleaded cutely her voice though slightly sad at the situation she thought she was in, still held warmth, and happiness in it before pulling him down the last inch and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss.

Naruto at first freaked out at her actions, considering what they both just went through, an intimate moment wasn't what he thought would occur. Unfortunately from her caresses moments before, his rational brain functions had shut down for now, and all his current thoughts were concentrated on the soft and oddly warm lips, along with the curvaceous body in his arms they were connected to.

The kiss to him seemed to express many strong emotions that Yugito currently held...sadness, fear, happiness, regret, love. He knew he would have to explain the situation to her, but at the moment didn't want to disappoint her with what she thought was really happening, and allowed himself to kiss her back. He squeezed her body gently against him, making her moan in both happiness and contentment. The kiss lasted a few moments longer before the two split apart, lightly panting each with a slight blush on their cheeks.

"You taste sweet...I wonder...if thats how Naruto-kun would have tasted." She questioned more to herself then him, with a small giggle, making him arch a brow in interest. "Arigato Tenshi-kun...I...I'm ready now." She stated her voice just above a whisper now, her words giving him all the meaning he needed...if he was truly an angel that is.

Naruto couldn't help but smile and chuckle lightly at the woman in his arms, before flicking the tip of her nose playfully with a finger.

"Ne Yugito-chan what I was going to say before you...kissed me... was that...you aren't dead. You fell unconscious from blood loss but I was able to heal your wounds. And with Izanami-san's help was able to wake you up. Though it wasn't for the reason that just happened...even if it was a great kiss." He explained, a warm and slightly devilish smile on his lips simply waiting for the woman to figure it out.

Yugito just looked at him oddly her head tilting to the side, making her look rather cute.

"What does he mean I'm not dead?" She mentally questioned. "When I fell unconscious I felt so weak. But when I awoke I felt so much better..." She explained as if he could hear her. "...but then if he is an angel...what reason would he have to lie to me? What would he gain by doing so? Unless he really isn't an angel. And if that were the case then I just...oh...my...KAMI-SAMA!" She finished as all her thoughts lead to one conclusion...that she really was still alive. And just said all those things to the only guy she'd ever had feelings for and to top it off just kissed him!

"BINGO!" Izanami's voiced roared in Yugito's mind, before she finally couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. "Oh Kami-sama kitten *laugh* that whole scene *laugh* was priceless! *laugh*" She roared while rolling on the floor of her cage holding her sides to keep from busting a rib. "You know *laugh* I'm never going to *laugh* let you live this *laugh* down right?" She questioned still on the floor.

Yugito was still too surprised to answer the demoness in her head, her facial expression showing the same shock her mind had at the realization. Naruto could only snicker slightly at the poor woman's expense. He soon grew slightly concerned when after a few minutes she hadn't moved. He lightly shook getting her attention back on to the topic at hand.

"Ne Yugito-chan...are you alright? You finally believe you're still quite alive?" He questioned softly.

Yugito didn't have the courage to trust her voice at the moment, and just nodded her head in affirmation before turning her face into his stomach in a childish attempt to hide herself wishing she could just vanish. Naruto chuckled slightly, but also felt sympathy with how things ended up for her.

He mentally admitted that if he were in her position back when he was scarred to tell Natsumi his feelings for her, he probably would have ended up in a similar situation as this. He squeezed her body gently to give her a signal that he wanted her attention, which worked when he saw her turn her head.

"Yugito-chan we can talk about it later ne? But I woke you up because I need you to give you a transfusion. You lost a large amount of blood and need to get it replenished some before I can get you to a hospital. I don't want you falling sleeping again until that done...you promised me remember?" He questioned with a very weak stern look, making her look down in slight shame at not keeping such a simple promise.

"Gomen" She answered lowly.

He frowned at her reaction, and leaned down to give her temple a reassuring chaste kiss.

"Its not a problem Yugito-chan...I'm just glad you are alright. You had be really worried, I thought I lost you for a while there." He replied warmly, the tone and smile he gave her making her expression soften, and body to relax.

"Arigato for saving me Naruto-kun" She responded her eyes looking back at him.

"You aren't out of the woods yet Neko-chan" He teased, his smile growing making her smile slightly in response.

With the situation now calmer, Naruto's vision started picking up the fact the woman in his arms was still completely naked. He turned his head swiftly to the side with a small blush, his motions making Yugito tilt her head in confusion. He was a gentleman after all and unless given permission wouldn't ogle a woman's body unless it was Hana or Natsumi.

"Yugito-chan...gomen but in my haste I completely forgot until now that you lost your clothes. And unfortunately I wasn't expecting a fight when I felt the Hiraishin kunai...so I didn't bring an extra set." He apologized.

Yugito's face flushed red at the implications of what he just said...this really was just not her day. She squirmed slightly in his grip, to try to get his attention while using her arms to hide her 'assets'. Naruto hesitated a moment before looking back at the still blushing woman, before thinking a moment and thought of an idea. Without a moments hesitation he switched his grip on the woman and then pulled her from his lap, causing a small 'eep' from her, and then sat her back down upright her front facing away from him.

"I thought maybe you'd be more comfortable like this" He explained, getting a slight nod in both affirmation and appreciation. "Hold on one more second..." He commanded, before Yugito heard a zipper and then clothing shuffle around. "...here I know it's not much but its better then what was left of your clothes." He finished before a black shirt went over her head.

Yugito was surprised at what he did, but was thankful for the slight emotional protection it served from her embarrassment as well as warmth.

"Arigato Naruto-kun." She said while sliding her arms into the short sleeves.

"Not a problem...just sorry I don't have bottoms..." He apologized. "...you ready?" He questioned, and got a nod.

Naruto nodded back before grabbing a kunai from his pouch and put his arms around Yugito his wrist and the kunai in front of her. He quickly slit his wrist, a few quick drops of blood fell to the ground.

"Drink" He commanded softly.

Yugito was still slightly apprehensive, she may have had a demon inside her but she never found the taste of blood appealing...and in fact found the taste appalling the few times he had it. So Izanami's bloodthirst tended to be wasted on her, much to the dismay of the demoness. But she knew that Naruto was only trying to help her out, and decided she would listen. She grabbed his hand and forearm in both her own bringing the bleeding wrist to only tongue's length away, she lightly flicked her tongue across the red liquid in a form of 'taste-testing' and was surprised that his blood didn't taste anything like what she had expected.

"Its sweet..." She noted, the cringe on her face at the prospect of drinking blood relaxed, and actually changing to a slightly pleasant one.

His blood still held the coppery taste that all blood seemed to, but his also had a hint of sweetness to it that made his blood palatable to her...she gathered it was because Naruto was a hanyou, and demon blood may just taste different. She got over her hesitation quickly and with more reverence placed her entire mouth over the bleeding wrist, before she began lapping up the stream of blood in a slightly enjoyable way...though not as enjoyable as Anko when she was in the same position a few weeks earlier...at least to Naruto. Yugito became so relaxed at what she was doing she actually fell back lightly thumping against Naruto's chest while continuing her ministration on his wrist.

"Lucky" Izanami whined, her tone almost making the demoness's disappointing and jealous pout visible to the jinchuuriki.

Naruto allowed the transfusion to go on another ten minutes before he told her it was enough. She let his wrist go, though Naruto heard the slightest of whimpers from her at having to, making him silently chuckle...it seems his blood had quite the effect on the opposite gender.

"I could probably use that with Natsu-chan later" He thought with a smirk.

"Ok Yugito-chan...you should be alright until we can get you proper medical treatment...so lets gather whats left of your things and head out ne?" He questioned, getting a nod from her.

She sat up slightly, so he could move because with the shirt only reaching her hips she didn't want to give him an 'accidental' show if she stood up from his lap with his face right there after all. The two looked around and only found his Hiraishin kunai and the purple scroll for Izanami's body.

"Not much left I guess Yugito-chan...let's get you back to Kumo" He suggested, his tone growing harsh when he said her home, as his head swiveled around looking for anything they might have missed.

Yugito grunted in response...the prospect of going back there not appealing to her in the least but knew she had to. She turned the corner of one of the fallen columns that lined the battered chamber to meet back with Naruto to only stop in her tracks when she saw him again considering they began their search immediately after getting up.

"Kami-sama/Kami-sama" Both she and Izanami said breathlessly at once.

Since Naruto had given her his only shirt the only thing that covered his torso now was his dark orange flak jacket that was still unzipped and opened, which greatly showed off his chiseled stomach, toned chest ,and strong arms. Both females just gaped at him while he continued with his final sweep of the chamber.

"That amount of sexiness should to be illegal..." Izanami said her tone already filling with lust and want. "...kitten...can you let me out...just for ten minutes...PLEASE!?" She asked her friend, her voice pleading to get out.

"Gomen Izanami-chan...but after whats happened I don't think he is up for anything like that" Yugito answered, while the little voice in her own mind was pleading for the same thing...just ten minutes!

"You're like the sex-nazi kitten..." She growled out pathetically. "...Kami-sama, Natsumi-sama is so damn lucky...if I could have him for just thirty minutes...I wouldn't be able to walk straight for a week!" She declared, her voice heavy with longing, and slight moans that caught the attention of her friend. "Kitten...I...mmnn...I think I'm going to...go get some...ahhn... sleep now." She finished her tone pausing from heightening moans.

"Well at least now I have some blackmail on you ne Izanami-chan? Because I wonder what Natsumi-san would say about what you are doing to the thought of her mate?" Yugito said her voice half lustful from Naruto, and have smug from getting revenge on her friend, who only grunted in response before Yugito couldn't hear her anymore.

"Yugito-chan?" Naruto called out, making her blink several times. "You spaced out on me you ok?" He questioned, concern evident in his voice.

Yugito quickly looked away in embarrassment, before nodding.

"Hai, gomen...Izanami-chan wanted to talk to me." She explained only telling the half-truth, before looking back at him and noticing something odd. "Naruto-kun why is your headband over your eyes?"

"Ah...alright well there isn't anything left so lets get going, but I'm still concerned about you and considering you have no footwear or pants, I think it'd be best for me to carry you. As for my eyes well...I don't think I could stop myself of staring so..." He explained scratching his head sheepishly leaving his sentence to make sense on its own, which held true since Yugito's hands subconsciously went to the hem of the shirt and pulled it down as far as it would stretch.

"Arigato" She said in appreciation...although the small voice in the back of her mind was slightly disappointed he didn't take advantage of her attire...or lack thereof.

"Not a problem, now..." He said while pausing turning around and falling to a knee. "...hop on!" He commanded jokingly.

Yugito hesitated a moment before moving to him and crouched down so she was lying on his back, her arms around his neck, head resting on his shoulder, while his hands kept her steady by gripping her thighs gently. His tails wrapped around her for protection, warmth, and to keep any prying eyes from getting a 'free show'. His particular grips causing her insides to slightly melt and bite her lip to hold back a moan that was threatening to escape from the sensations of his hands gripping her and his soft fur seeming to caressing her bare skin.

"I have your kunai, and Izanami's scroll in my pouch...so just point to Kumo and hold on."

"H...hai" She stuttered out as she pointed west, before they disappeared from the scene only a small dust cloud in their wake at where they just were.

It had been a good five minutes while zooming thought the mountains, most of which were only splotches of brown and grey from the speeds they were going. The pair had been completely silent since they were off, and it was driving Yugito nuts. Mainly because she was still embarrassed about what she had said and done, and what made it that much worse was that Naruto hadn't spoken a word about it yet. In truth she had hoped he'd ask her about it, she so wouldn't have to be the one to initiate the conversation, but seemed that Naruto wasn't going to. So with an audible gulp decided to lay it all on the line and moved her mouth next to his ear so he could hear her.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?"

"A...about what I s...said and did..."

"Its ok Yugito-chan...I understand." He interrupted reassuringly, unknowingly saving a little bit of her dignity by not having to say it.

"So you know that..."

"You like me? Hai...what you did back there showed me" He interrupted again. "Unfortunately, I don't quite feel the same way about you..."

"I see" It was now her time to interrupt him...especially since she didn't nor want to hear anymore.

Yugito's her heart sank as her expression saddened immediately after hearing him. Her limbs and muscles slightly gave out at knowing the only man she ever had feels for didn't return them. Not that she could really blame him, when you already have two very attractive women by your side such as Hana and Natsumi...why would you need another?

She could hear Izanami in the back of her mind cursing the man she was riding on, wanting only ten minutes with him now to rip him to pieces for hurting her. She sunk her head back down to his shoulder, wishing she was anywhere but with him, while tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes. Her face scrunched into one of utter self-loathing and anger.

"I'm a Kumo kunoichi, not only that but I'm one of the best the village has for Kami's sake! I shouldn't be so emotionally weak!" She mentally screamed at herself, feeling her tears becoming harder and harder to hold back, with her teeth clenched tightly. "And yet...I can't help but feel sad...and alone. I know he doesn't want me to be to feel bad since he is my friend, just because he doesn't have those kinds of feelings that I do for him but...but its still hurts...so much." She thought, as her already fragile emotional defenses finally broke and hot, salty tears fell down her cheeks.

Yugito was a few seconds away from a quiet sob escaping her, when she felt a head lean back and press against hers, and the hands holding her thighs squeezed gently to get her attention.

"Yugito-chan...you really should have left me finish before you jumped to the very conclusion that is making you sad and cry." He stated, his tone was strong and cut through the billowing winds easily, while also being warm and comforting. "What I was going to so is that, while I don't have those same feelings for you RIGHT NOW. That doesn't mean I won't develop some later...I mean for Kami-sama's sake, you're beautiful, smart, strong, caring, and a good person. I would be a complete fool to not notice those things about you." He reassured, his words shocking the kunoichi on his back, and making her blush at his description about her. "So I don't want you to think that its because you aren't attractive to me or I won't ever like you in that way. Truth be told that is probably the farthest thing from the truth...but because of the Chuunin exams and the invasion, I can't really be thinking about that kind of stuff. And the only reason Hana-chan and I are as close as we are is because we had a past prior to me returning and our feelings apparently grew over the years. Had we not I probably would have told her the same thing I just told you." He explained before sighing. "I hope you aren't too upset with me, but I promise that if after the invasion is over and done with, and while getting to know you better as friends I begin to develop feelings for you, we'll just see where things lead ok? Until that time lets just continue to be good friends ne Yugito-chan?" He asked, nuzzling her head slightly in a reassuring fashion.

Yugito for her own part just listened intently to Naruto's explanation, and while listening became slightly embarrassed at her childish way of acting on her emotions. There was a major invasion that was going to occur in a few weeks and she was trying to get Naruto to notice her, when he had much bigger and important things to think about. She listened to the rest of his words just as intently, and her tears of loathing soon grew to tears of happiness that he wasn't actually writing her off like it first sounded. He was simply postponing the sheer possibility something may happen for a later and less chaotic time. Once he finished his explanation, and she felt him nuzzle against her, a wide grin was placed on her lips before she slightly nuzzled back telling him she understood and agreed.

"Arigato Yugito-chan" He whispered after feeling her response. "Although I hope you know that if anything does happen, you should be prepared for a talk from Hana-chan, and Natsu-chan. They are rather...protective...of me as you've seen. Plus they HATE sharing." He joked shaking his head.

Yugito heard him, and giggled, though was soon deep in thought about his words pertaining to the other two women in his life. She hoped that they wouldn't mind sharing him with her as well...but if she had to fight for him, she would do so tooth and nail. But what mattered to her most right now was that the man she had feelings for didn't dismiss her after finding out. With that thought in mind, her smile grew before she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck and just inhaled his scent in a long intake of breathe.

"Arigato Naruto-kun." She thought happily, a goofy, happy smile on her lips while she rested against him...his musky and unique scent entering her nose whenever she breathed.

"You have her wrapped around your little finger now Naruto-kun...you better NOT hurt her. Then again, I trust Natsumi-sama's judgment for mates, so I can trust you wouldn't ever do anything to purposely harm her." Izanami thought, with a happy smile on her face at seeing her friend so content, especially after how she first reacted from her assumption only minutes earlier.

Naruto was finally able to calm down when he felt Yugito nuzzle into his neck, because up until that point he was slightly afraid that he had completely crushed her emotionally. He knew the fear of both complete vulnerability when expressing your feelings to someone, as well as the fear of rejection that goes with it. And for people like them those fears are doubled because of how their lives were lived in their younger years.

Knowing that she was going to be ok, he sped up and only a few minutes later reached the end of the mountain ridge and saw the walls of Kumo. He smiled slightly at the prospect of getting Yugito medical attention, but then immediately frowned at exactly where she was going to be getting it...the village that vilified her entire existence.

"Yugito-chan we are here...but rest for a little while longer...we'll get you to a hospital soon." He offered, only getting a mumble and slight nod from her.

He smiled at her, figuring she must have fallen asleep after their emotional talk and from the fight itself. Naruto created two Kage Bushins, and had one 'henge'd into Yugito in the cloths she wore from the Chuunin exams before the other lifted her up like the originals were.

"Go to the village and ask for Akiko to help out...I don't trust anyone else. Once she is there explain who you are and then dispel yourselves." He ordered, before the clones nodded and were off towards the hidden village.

It had been nearly fifteen minutes before Naruto felt his clones disperse and their memories flood his thoughts. He was happy to know Akiko was able to be found and even had medics at the ready. Unfortunately the gate guards also informed the VOLT (Kumo's ANBU) who were also there, as well as another man who made Naruto's fists clench in anger...the Raikage. Shaking his head at the annoyances he decided to let Yugito sleep a bit longer. He summoned his onipou genjutsu to lose his tails, ears, and feral features before traversing the last bit of mountain side then mad dashing it along the dirt flatland leading to the village's gates.

"Kami-sama! Yugito!" Akiko yelled in surprise and horror at seeing the true condition the two were in, and finally realizing why the Bushins had asked to bring medics.

Naruto stopped in front of the group, and tried to reel in his anger at the Kumo shinobi sans Akiko.

"You're just lucky I haven't found her Kaa-san yet or you'd never have seen her again" He thought, his jaw clenching.

"Get her on the stretcher!" The Raikage commanded, the medics swiftly listened jogging up to the jinchuuriki pair with the stretcher, with VOLT officers right behind them.

Yugito had been awake the moment Naruto stopped at the front of the gates, fear creeping up on her face from seeing the Raikage there along with his personal VOLT...whose masks she knew...intimately...from her days when she was viciously beaten as a child in the village. Her body subconsciously tightened around Naruto, her hands gripping his flak jacket for dear life, as she tried to hide herself amongst Naruto's disheveled hair. Naruto feeling the fear and apprehension in her began to growl ferally at the oncoming men, his body tensing and eyes darting looking for even the slightest movement for a weapon...if they struck...he would at least take out all of Kumo with him.

"Give 'Buki-hime' to me" A VOLT officer commanded, his arms outstretched.

"No...I told my clones to get Akiko-san" He answered defiantly.

"Perhaps, but she only a Genin, and has no real experience on how to deal with her..." The Raikage retorted, venom falling off his tongue when he said 'her'. "...which is why my ANBU and myself came." He explained. "Now give her to them!" He ordered, his tone harsh with the authority of Kumo's leader...too bad for him Naruto wasn't from Kumo.

"'Experience' or no...I know she trusts Akiko-san, that is why I called her here." Naruto explained his own tone growing sinister.

The Raikage's brow rose. "Young man I do not know who you are but you obviously don't know that I am the Raikage...the leader of this hidden village." The aged man said.

"I could tell very easily by your robes, but unless Yugito trusts you that means little to me since I'm not from your village. Now please let Akiko-san take her, she needs medical attention."

The Raikage's eyes narrowed at the man's disrespect...SHE was HIS shinobi! HIS weapon to do with what he likes! However he saw Naruto's unwaivering gaze staring right back at him, and realized that unless he allowed the girl to take his weapon the man wouldn't let her go.

"Very well...Akiko...take her to the hospital to get her the attention she needs after losing whatever fight it was she was having to cause this." He commanded, making Naruto's jaw clench at the barb.

Akiko and the medics quickly came up to Naruto and he gently placed the now healthier looking woman in the stretcher, but noticed a drop of blood fall onto it staining the green fabric. He looked over and saw that the medic who was holding the stretcher at the end where Yugito's legs rested had a blush across his cheeks, a perverted grin on his face and whose nose was bleeding while he looked at down at her unclothed creamy legs and...other places.

Naruto's demonic growl knocked the man out of his perverted thoughts before all the blood rushed off his face when he saw the look on Naruto's. Naruto quickly took off his flak jacket and placed it over Yugito's hips and legs leaving his torso completely bare, making Akiko slightly blush at the muscular man in front of her.

"I suggest you do your job and nothing else..." Naruto suggested, his voice completely without emotion, making the occupants around him shudder slightly. "...Akiko-san I leave her in your hands. And if he even so much as touches her inappropriately while treating her...tell Yugito." He commanded while pointing at the white faced man...his legs promising to give out any moment.

"Hai...arigato ano..."

"Kazama Arashi a friend of Yugito-chan's. I was at the Chuunin exams...your match was quite impressive" He complimented warmly.

"Arigato...I will do as you ask Kazama-san" She bowed and turned around, but was stopped by Naruto's hand on her shoulder.

Akiko turned only to meet with a kneeling Naruto who moved in close, his face next to her ear, making her blush slightly at his proximity.

"Akiko-san...give his to Yugito-chan the next moment you two are alone." He whispered while stealthily placing his three-pronged kunai in her pocket.

He stood up and smiled at the young Genin, before feeling a soft hand grab his wrist. He looked to see the hand belong to Yugito, and he just smiled brightly at her as they looked at each other. Their gazes expressed the silent conversation that went on between the two, before she too smiled releasing his arm.

Naruto looked back at the Raikage who nodded to the medics before they and Akiko jogged into the hidden village, leaving Naruto the Raikage and his VOLT outside. Once the group was out of sight, the VOLT quickly surrounded Naruto, leaving only one large gap and that was right in front of the Raikage himself.

"Now that they are gone, I can ask my questions..." The aged man explained with an aggravated look. "...first off how exactly did you find her? And there is no point in trying to deceive me. I see that you wear no village's headband so if we capture you that means no one is going to come for you. So I suggest you answer truthfully and I may consider to let you go without you losing a limb...or two." He suggested smirking that his slight threat.

Naruto dismissed the threat the moment it was spoken. "I was running through the mountains to get to Konoha because I have business there. But I heard an explosion and decided to investigate. When I arrived Yugito was in bad shape fighting with two men in black cloaks with red clouds. I intervened and was able to get them to retreat before I treated her wounds as best I could so I could bring her here for better help. How she lost her cloths I do not know, they were already gone when I got there. The shirt she is wearing is mine obviously." Naruto explained, deciding to tell most of the truth but leaving many of the finer details out.

The Raikage looked at him to see if he could see any deception in Naruto, and after a long minute decided that he really couldn't tell.

"I will believe you...for now. But I WILL ask for a report from her when she awakens." He stated more as a blunt threat, so that if Naruto was in fact lying he would try to sniff it out. Unfortunately it didn't work and Naruto didn't flinch one bit. "Now tell me exactly how you know her. Because i know for a fact no one ever comes to visit her."

"We met at the Chuunin exams as I told Akiko, and just hit it off during the breaks in the exam. I was planning on coming to visit her later in the week actually." Naruto answered...once again only telling the half-truth.

"I see...I will have to have a talk with her..." the lightning leader stated more to himself then the hanyou in front of him, making Naruto's gaze harden not liking the tone the man used. "...very well Kazama-san you may be on your way, I have no more further questions for you." He concluded waving his hand in dismissal, getting a nod from Naruto and turned around before the Raikage's voice called out, making him turn his head back. "I forgot one more thing actually..." He said before snapping his fingers, and the surrounding VOLD unleashed their katanas. "...a lesson to teach you some respect. Leave him alive but without an arm." He commanded sadistically, before turning around and snapped his fingers again which sent the VOLT jumping at Naruto.

The Raikage smirked while he walked back towards the village, hearing the clang of blades, battle roars, as well a groans of pain permeate the air.

"You're not a very good teacher." An emotionless voice mocked, making the aged man stop dead in his tracks.

The Raikage whirled around, before his smirk turned into an expression of utter shock at what he saw. In front of him stood an unscathed Naruto with a sheathed 'Souten Kaze' in his right hand. While his five VOLD guards groaned and held different parts of their bodies writhing in pain on the ground their swords lying next to them. The thing about it was that it seemed that Naruto had fought with the sheath still on the sword so the injuries were only painful not life threatening.

"H...how!?" He questioned his voice stuttering from the sheer shock of a man defeating five VOLT level guards in close range combat.

His reaction was priceless in Naruto's eyes, and figured this would be a good time to try to get Yugito a break from these assholes. At the thought of this Naruto's lips curled into a sadistic grin.

"Quality over quantity...they may have had me outnumbered, but my kenjutsu is one of the best and strongest styles in the world. They really had no chance once they drew their swords against me." Naruto said smugly, and for good reason his boasts were all true...his proof was lying on the floor after all. "Now there was something I wished to tell you..." He said before phasing out of sight to reappear in front of the Raikage who only had enough time to draw his kunai before feeling the sheath tip pressing against his throat. "...I want this village...or at least the shinobi in it since you control them to stop disrespecting Yugito-chan. She is a good person and is keeping all of you safe by not letting the Nibi destroy your precious village." He commanded, smirking when seeing the Raikage's eyes widen that Naruto knew what she was. "Thats right I know she is a jinchuuriki, another one of my friends is one as well. So I could easily tell she was just like him. Now if I come later to hear that my request of you hasn't been met...I will return and you will not like what I would have in store for Kumo. What I did to those five was child's play to what I'm truly capable of." Naruto threatened, his voice as cold as a glacier and eyes as dead as the Shinigami's.

"And..w...what will I get in r...return?" The Raikage bargained.

Never had he seen nor felt an opponent like Naruto...sure he knew he was strong and had an entire village to back him. But he KNEW Naruto was strong as well, and was only one man. One who could easily gain entrance into a hidden village and do almost anything he liked without notice. A shinobi without a village with revenge on their mind could be even more dangerous then an army of shinobi.

"In truth I don't have to give you anything...since if you don't listen I will just take EVERYTHING! However if you meet my demands I will...consider...joining Kumo's shinobi ranks for Yugito-chan." He offered, knowing that the Raikage would NEVER pass up a chance like this...especially after seeing what he had done to five armed ANBU officers

Naruto smirked inwardly, when he saw the Raikage almost orgasm in his ceremonial robes at what Naruto just proposed. Just make a simple order to not harass his 'weapon' anymore and he would gain a shinobi of this caliber? There was nothing to even think about.

"I agree!" The Raikage almost blurted out but reeled his excitement in at the last moment, making Naruto smirk again.

"We have an accord...however as to the stipulations Raikage-sama..." Naruto began...deals ALWAYS had stipulations. "...when I say 'disrespecting' I mean, badmouthing her as a woman, her as kunoichi her reputation in the village. She is NOT to be touched in an inappropriate manner unless given permission to do so by her. I want you to make a public announcement to the village of what Yugito-chan REALLY is to Kumo. She is a heroine not a demon. And finally...I want you to release her Kaa-san." He stated his demands clear and cut, but when he saw the shocked look on the man's face decided to speak up. "She told me about her life here...and I want that to change." He explained.

"I...I will do as you ask...however I cannot promise that everyone will change..." The leader answered said slightly pleading.

Naruto nodded at the truth of the statement. "Hai...that is understandable you cannot force people from their beliefs no matter how idiotic. therefore if I see a generous change in the villages attitude towards her, that will be...acceptable."

"And about her Kaa-san...she is very sick and shouldn't be moved at all."

"Very well...once she is better I want her to be given back to Yugito"

"He is still trying to hold on to the mother as a bargaining chip against either myself or Yugito-chan...I'll have to find her before he gets a chance to then." Naruto thought.

"Was there anything else Kazama-san?"

Naruto thought for a moment, and did find things he should change...but knew that once he found Yugito's mother the changes wouldn't be needed. And he would find her for Yugito's sake no matter what.

"No...that is all. when Yugito-chan returns to Konoha for the finals I will ask her how your end of the bargain has come along" Naruto said putting his hand out.

"Very well I will get started right away." The Raikage retorted, extending his own hand before shaking Naruto's.

"For your sake I hope you do." Naruto said, the true meaning behind his words clear as day to the Raikage.

Naruto took his hand away before looking back towards the village, worry shooting across his gaze before he vanished in a swirl of purple flames, leaving the Raikage alone.

"We'll be able to beat Konoha for the top spot as the most powerful nation with her and Arashi on our side" The Raikage thought greedily, a devilish smirk across his lips, before turning around and walked back inside the village leaving his VOLT on their own to get help.

The next day Yugito was released from the hospital, and was surprised at the change in civilian's attitudes towards her...though she could tell most were forced smiles and gestures. Still some...some were genuinely repentant and acted as such...many of her shinobi comrades did the same. It wasn't until a few days later that she learned from the Raikage himself about the deal he struck with Naruto.

She was shocked at this, but also figured it was something that Naruto would do and silently thanked him. In the past walking through Kumo was hell for her, but now for the first time in her life she was being appreciated for who she was and her sacrifices...if even only a little...it was still enough for her.

-FLASHBACK END-

Yugito shook her head of the memories, and just looked at her friends with a smile and small blush on her cheeks.

"I'm doing alright Naruto-kun" She responded.

He nodded. "Good...cause I want you at top form for our match" He retorted with a smug smirk.

She smirked as well. "Not to worry...but don't cry to me when I beat you into the ground either ne?"

"Oh ho? So the Neko finally shows her claws ne?" He taunted playfully, while chuckling.

As Naruto laughed he felt something warm and soft press against his cheek, making him slightly gasp at the contact against his whiskers. When the feeling left him he turned to see a slightly redder Yugito, her eyes looking at anything but him.

"I just wanted to say arigato again for what you did...for saving me and for Kumo" She explained seeing the dumbfounded expression on his face at her kiss, failing to notice the arched brow on Natsumi.

"Seems...Hana-chan and I are going to have to have a talk with her sooner then expected." She concluded.

Although perturbed at how Naruto's list of extremely 'close' female friends was beginning to get out of control, she understood the reasons behind it. Naruto was a beacon of understanding and a shelter for loneliness for people who have had harsh lives. They flock to him like sheep to a Shepard for comfort and guidance...and lets not forget he is just one gorgeous man.

"Not a problem Yugito-chan...like I said back then..."

"WILL ALL PARTICIPANTS OF THE FINAL MATCHES PLEASE HEAD OVER TO THE 'FIGHTER'S BOX'!" A monotoned voice called out through the speakers on the wall interrupting Naruto's sentence.

After the announcement all of the fighters roused from their trance-like states, got up from where they were and walked to the entrance of the arena.

"Don't loose Kyuubi...because your defeat is only allowed by my hands" A harsh voice whispered near Naruto, before he felt someone shove their shoulder in to the back of his.

The two demons and Yugito turned to see a smirking Valios walk past them, looking Naruto dead in the eye, before continuing on to the entrance.

"I hope lee really takes it to him" Natsumi said, making the other two look at her strangely.

They were still bummed they had missed Haku and Lee's match, and to make it worse Natsumi wouldn't tell Naruto anything about it. The two just shrugged before they began to move out as well, that is until a certain gourd caught Naruto's eye. Naruto jogged up to he sand siblings, leaving Yugito wondering what he wanted with them, before she and Natsumi caught up with them.

"Guys!" He called out getting their attention.

"Hey Naruto-kun" Temari greeted

"We need to talk..." He said seriously, before moving back into the room, his friends following close behind. "...I found the proof I need for Baki to call off Suna's aid to Oto...unfortunately" He explained.

"Really!? Thats great! That means we don't have to listen to that damned snake anymore!" Kankuro rejoiced.

"Why did you say unfortunately?" Gaara inquired.

Naruto had hoped the he wouldn't be the one to pay attention to the little details. Naruto looked at his three friends, before looking down and biting his lip in apprehension. He was never one to take bad news well...until he grew up that is. So giving it to others was even harder, and even worse when it was his friends.

"Because I...figured out that Orochimaru is using your..." He paused shifting his body uncomfortably. "...Tou-san as a puppet...or at least his position as Kazekage." He finally explained, getting a confused look from Kankuro, and a shocked one from Temari.

"Please elaborate Naruto" Gaara pleaded, his tone showing his worry.

Although their father had been very cold to them in the past, once Naruto came and left the man changed and was a great father to the three. They grew quite close after a few years, and even more so when they began their shinobi training with their father taking a great interesting in teaching them what he could.

-FLASHBACK-

"Damn that bastard! I swear he is going to burn for this!" A slightly sweaty Naruto cursed while looking down a ravine in the middle of the deserted desert.

"Hai he certainly will Naru-kun...but it seems we at least found the evidence we needed to stop him" Natsumi reassured, her tone slightly saddened.

The two looked down in the ravine to find the rotting corpses of the sand sibling's father and his GUST (Suna's ANBU) bodyguards. The bodies were still festering with maggots, with decomposition already rotting away the last remnants of flesh that were on still on the corpses. Naruto jumped down, and with a heavy heart chopped off the quite faceless head of the former Kazekage before sealing it into a scroll. Naruto jumped back up landing next to Natsumi and both used a weak Doton jutsu to give the men a proper burial. Once finished the two said a silent prayer, before continuing on to their destination.

-FLASHBACK END-

Naruto shook his head of the memory, before looking back up to his friends and sighing before answering the red-head.

"I...we...found your Tou-san's corpse while we were crossing the desert. And from the looks of his body...he has been dead for a while...at least a few months." Naruto finally explained.

The moment he explained himself, all three of the siblings had different physical reactions but all their emotional ones were the same...sadness and rage. Kankuro's arms flexed, his fingers twitching wildly, while the puppet on his back began to chatter but nothing more. Tears had already began to fall down Temari's eyes, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. While Gaara's expression had changed only slightly, his emotions were expressed with the sand that was violently twisting around his body that almost seemed to scream for blood.

"Gomennasai" Naruto whisper with a apologetic bow.

"If you three are really that upset...then may I suggest you bottle your anger up for now so nothing seems amiss before the attack begins. Once it does let it loose on the Oto shinobi that follow the man that killed your Tou-san" Natsumi suggested.

The siblings soon calmed, but could easily tell their rage was being contained if only slightly.

"W...will you show us where?" Temari hesitated to ask.

"Hai...once all of this has come to an end." Naruto answered with a sympathetic smile.

The three siblings nodded in agreement and bowed in thanks before turning to head towards the arena.

"Wait...I need to give my proof to Baki-san so he can tell the Suna shinobi they've been doped. But I don't know where he is do any of you have something of his?" Naruto questioned quickly.

"I do" Kankuro said after they thought a moment.

Kankuro took off the fingerless gloves he was wearing, which Baki had given him earlier for gook luck and handed them to Naruto. Naruto took them in thanks and used 'Kuchiyose no Jutsu' to summon Hayaigin once more.

"Hai Naruto-sama!?" The little kit yipped happily, the only ones understanding him being Naruto and Natsumi.

"I didn't know Kitsune were a summon creature" Kankuro stated quite surprised at the turn of events, while Temari was biting down the urge to grab the little kit and squeeze it to death...soft and furry things are EVERY female's weakness.

"Hai...they are my personal summons thanks to Natsu-chan here..." Naruto answered, before looking down at the sitting silver-furred kit. "...Hayaigin-kun, I need you to smell this and tell me the different scents you pick up." He ordered placing the gloves at nose level with the kit.

Hayaigin did as was ordered, and quickly found the scents, before sitting back down.

"I have done as you asked Naruto-sama...I found two heavy scents..." The kit yipped, before pointing it's snout at Kankuro. "...his and another's. But this one is much older...probably an adult's." The kit surmised.

"Arigato Hayaigin-kun great work..." Naruto praised making the kit's tail begin to wag in happiness. "...now I'm going to need you to take this scroll to the man with that scent and give it to him. But be warned there are many people around and you cannot be caught so use whatever means you can to get it to him. Once you have accomplished this come find myself or Natsu-chan here...understand?"

"Hai Naruto-sama I will not fail you!" He yipped once more before grabbing the scroll in Naruto's hand in his mouth, and a second later completely disappeared from sight.

"Amazing...they must be great for infiltration" Temari said, her tough exterior activated once more the moment the kit disappeared.

"That they are...Kitsune are known for being tricky and great with genjutsu..." Naruto said with a small hint of pride. "...but now that, that is done we should get to the arena before the matches start." He finished giving Kankuro his gloves back.

The group left the room and walked the long hallways leading to the fighter's box, when a familiar scent filled Naruto's nose. Naruto smiled warmly, before turning towards one of the side hallways seeing both Hana and Haku standing there with smiles on their faces seeming to have been waiting for him. He told the group that he'd meet up with them in a minute and walked over to the two girls.

"Hey Hana-chan, Haku-chan! Whats up?"

"Nothing Naruto-kun we just wanted to wish you good luck in the finals. Even if we know they are going to be stopped." Haku explained, before moving up to him and giving him a friendly good luck hug, which he returned.

Hana walked up to him next, kneeled to be eye level with him before cupping his cheeks in her hands, and pulling him into a deep kiss that made Haku blush and silently wish she had someone she was close to like that. But that could wait until she decided what she wanted to do with her life.

"Good luck Naruto-kun" Hana whispered in a husky voice, after they ended the minute long kiss, making sure she left one final sensual lick along his lips.

"Arigato!" He said with a stupid grin on his face.

They said their goodbyes, before the girls left to get back to their seats in the audience, as Naruto jogged to get to the fighter's box. He reached his destination quickly enough stopping when he reached Natsumi's side. The box itself was really only a large waiting area high in the arena where the fighter's had one of the best views of the fights, without all the crowding.

Naruto surveyed the arena, making note of many people he knew...Kushina, Kasumi who looked ok after her defeat, and Kyoshiro who had an eye patch over his right eye and evidence of a rather large scar going vertically down under it. He noted many of the council members and their families, as well as the Jounin sensei for the 'Konoha twelve', although noted that Kakashi wasn't amongst them but took no heed over it.

He gaze finally took him to the Kage box which was on the opposite end of the arena. His eyes hardened when he saw the Kazekage talking with Sarutobi. His emotions were roaring to come out but he calmed them by gripping the metal railing for dear life. The thought of Orochimaru got him thinking about someone else as well, and began to look for her through the crowd. With her inversed pony-tail and purple hair, as well as the rather...unique...style of clothing she wore, it wasn't long before he found one Mitarashi Anko in the standings with the other Jounin though noting she was slightly removed from them all but Kurenai and Asuma. He saw her munching on some dango sticks which he quickly learned was one of her food fetishes almost as much as her blood one.

He couldn't help but slightly frown when he saw that forced and easily fake smile she put on when a fellow comrade other then the two previously mentioned tried to talk with her. Seeing that fake smile and 'goofy' mask she always wore as emotional body armor got him thinking to the little talk they had a week earlier one night when he was training.

-FLASHBACK-

It was only a week until the final matches of the Chuunin exams, and one Mitarashi Anko had just gotten back from an A-ranked assassination mission. Currently the purple haired woman was gracefully jumping from branch to branch at a lazy pace while picking her teeth with a toothpick after just visiting her favorite dango stand for a post-mission reward. Most people would think her insane...well more so then usual...if they saw where she was taking her stroll...training ground 44, the forest of death.

Although many people, Konoha shinobi included avoided that forest like the plague, only setting foot upon the forest when absolutely necessary...Anko was quite the opposite. She found the large, vicious animals that lived there were like kindred spirits, causing her to be quite comfortable in that setting and infarct after becoming a Jounin herself got permission to build a house within the confines of the forest and had lived there ever since.

"Hm...the forest is quite tonight..." She mused after jumping off yet another branch. "...too quite in fact. There can usually be some ruckus of animals heard and yet nothing." She concluded, her eyes growing dark, and thoughts ominous.

Anko with the grace that only Kunoichi seemed to possess, pivoted her foot after landing on another branch and changed her direction by 45 degrees, after deciding to make a quick security sweep around the forest. After some time of circling the forest, she was about to give up when she heard a strange grunt. She immediately pulled out one of her poison-tipped kunai and went to investigate who or what made the sound. She quickly reached the origin, and hide behind one of the gigantic trees that surrounded the area. She slowly and silently side stepped along the perimeter of the tree until her vision allowed her to see into the area the grunting came from, and was surprised at what she saw in the small forest clearing.

"Arashi?" She whispered questioningly, as she watched him in both curiosity and fascination.

Naruto was currently in his normal 'adult' form clothed in his usual attire, standing in the middle of the clearing. But if that wasn't odd enough for Anko to see, what he was doing made it that much more. Naruto was going through what looked like almost choreographed Tai-Chi like what she would see in those cheap knock-off shinobi movies. But the difference between that and what he was doing was obvious when you watched him.

His body moved through the different stances with a fluidity that could remind someone of the gentle waves of the ocean. His posture solid after striking every position with precision. To the naked eye most would describe his moves as a beautiful dance. While that description would still hold true, only a shinobi could truly appreciate all the subtleties of his motions. Not only that but the fact that although his stance after every motion seemed to hold a delicacy to it that made it seem like it could never hurt you. Only someone in Anko's profession could see the true strength in his 'strikes'. Strikes that if connected against a person could easily cause severe damage if hit in the right places.

Anko watched this deadly 'dance' continue, her eyes almost glazing over, mesmerized by the moves Naruto went through. After a few more minutes and one final position, that to Anko could be considered a 'killing' blow, Naruto got out of his stance his body standing straight up, before he released a long controlled breath. However what Anko never expected to happen occurred when he had released his breath. Large cuts and lacerations appeared all around the clearing and surrounding trees...the cuts were deep and a good two feet long.

"H...he was using wind manipulation while doing that!?" She questioned to herself, her eyes wide in shock after seeing the devastation that 'dance' most people could think was beautiful had created in the vicinity.

"You can come out Anko-san" Naruto's masculine voice called out, making her slightly jump.

"He knew I was watching?" She questioned, before in the corner of her eyes noticed that one of the wind blades had struck the tree she hid behind, and was only about an inch away from hitting her which would have more then likely ended her life. "H...he nearly hit me!" She thought, her fascination turning into rage at the fact.

Without missing a beat, she stepped from beyond the tree and marched into the clearing, a look of rage on her face.

"YOU NEARLY HIT ME!" She yelled, only a few feet away from him, the grip on her kunai tightening.

"Well what do you expect Anko-san? Someone I couldn't identify at the time, sneaking their way around me? This village may not be at war, but that doesn't mean that those who reside in it are always safe. Me especially with my relationship with this village's pariah. Besides when I smelled snake and dango I changed the course of the wind so it wouldn't hit you" He coolly explained.

Anko's rage quickly subsided at hearing his logical explanation, and found him to be in the right in his actions.

"Gomen" She whispered...it wasn't often she admitted being wrong.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Not a problem. But why are you here anyway? From what I heard people HATE to be in here and only do so when ordered. Which is why I am...the quiet is nice for training."

She perked up slightly. "Oh...I live here actually, and was just heading home after an A-ranked mission" She explained.

"I see...so you were patrolling the area then?" He questioned getting an affirmative nod from her. "My apologies then for the intrusion. I didn't know you lived here or I'd have asked before hand" He apologized with a slight bow.

"N...no its alright" She stuttered out, not used to people addressing her with such manners. "Ano...what exactly were you doing anyway? It looked beautiful, but I could see the strength behind it" She asked.

A small smile graced his lips at her appreciation of his style. "Ah...that is one of the taijutsu styles I learned in Iwa during my travels. Its a style mostly using your opponent's body size and momentum against them, expelling as little force yourself as possible. Its a style that many kunoichi used to use because of their more lithe body frames compared to men. But I find it just as good for me as well...its also a good way to relax the body and mind after a long day of training." He explained sagely, though slightly lying about where he learned it from...Natsumi hated anyone learning the kind of jutsus she knew without her permission.

His explanation, while the slightest bit sexist with it's back story, actually peaked Anko's interest. A style completely relying on opponent's power to use against them while expelling the least from yourself? That is a style many of the more physically weaker shinobi and kunoichi in Konoha would like to get their hands on...after all not everyone can be as strong as Maito Gai.

"Ano...do you think that you could maybe teach that style to me?" She asked, both slightly disgusted with herself for asking someone else for help, as well as asking as meekly as she had...even if it was to the man who had saved her life only weeks before.

"I'm afraid I can't Anko-san..." He answered, making her unconsciously pout cutely. "...its just a personal motto of mine to not teach anything I know to people that I don't completely trust. And while I trust you because of your relationship with Hana-chan...I don't currently trust you completely...perhaps in time, but not right now...I hope you understand." He explained.

Although Anko was disappointed in not learning a style that could possibly allow her to win a taijutsu spar against Konoha's reigning champ Maito Gai...she couldn't blame him for not teaching her.

"Although I don't like it ...I understand your sentiments about teaching people."

Naruto only smiled, and thanked her for understanding...before he noticed her eyes flash a quick emotion that he could recognize without trouble...loneliness. In truth he noticed that look in her expression on a few occasions when he went to go see Hana and had been meaning to ask her about it...just never found the right opportunity to. He decided that if there was a chance now was probably the best.

"Ano...Anko-san forgive my curiosity...but after meeting you several times I've noticed somethings that I became curious about. Mainly the fact that many of the civilian and a few of the shinobi in Konoha look at you in a way that reminds me of Naruto. Not only that but I also noticed that you tend to force certain emotions out when people are around you much like he had when I first met him. I'm just wondering what happened?" He asked.

Anko looked at Naruto dead in the eye, before one of her fake smiles crossed her face.

"Arashi-san I'm not sure what you mean. Everyone has their off days, its not like some conspiracy against me." She let out an obvious fake laugh.

"Anko-san...if you don't wish to tell me I understand, especially after what I just said a little while ago." He answered back. "While I can't nor will force you to tell me I'd appreciate it if you at least didn't lie to me about it. I know what I saw, and I have no question about what it means." He finished, his voice firm.

Anko's laughter died quickly, before a frown crossed her lips and a far off, sad mist seemed to fill her eyes.

"I don't wish to talk about it." She said truthfully, her voice losing the pseudo-jovialness to it.

"I understand..." He said before an idea crossed his mind. "...I have an idea Anko-san..." He offered getting the woman's attention. "...a bet...of sorts. We have a friendly spar, and whoever gets three solid hits on the other wins." He explained.

"And the wagers?" She inquired, the thought of a spar making her brighten slightly.

He smiled almost devilishly. "Thats the beauty of it. We each wager what the other wants. You want my training. And I want your story, it'll be a battle of our wills...in a sense."

Anko snorted at the man's ingenuity...while he teased her with his training he is able to get a chance at learning about her past, which only a select few know the REAL truth of. She looked into Naruto's eyes for a good minute...seeming to analyze the enigma that stood before her, and soon finding the idea of learning that taijutsu style too good to pass up, nodded in agreement.

"Great...now as for the rules to the duel...nothing but a single taijutsu style is allowed...including those banned are jutsu that are taijutsu oriented. All you can use is your fighting style agreed?" He questioned, seeing her eyes narrow to slits. She was hoping he wouldn't be so specific to the terms, but nodded nonetheless. "Very well...mine will be what you saw me using." He said while walking to the other side of the clearing.

Naruto turned, and dropped into the stance Anko had recognized earlier, before dropping into her own, which made Naruto raise an eyebrow.

"Hebiken (Snake Fist)?" He questioned, making Anko now raise her own eyebrow in question. She knew her Ex-sensei hated people to know his jutsu, so she found it strange that he knew the man's personal style. "...Orochimaru is someone I plan on killing for what he did to Naruto-kun and Natsumi-chan...and knowing what my enemy can do could save my life." He continued as if reading her thoughts.

"Seems this fight is a bit uneven then." She admitted.

"Not really...I've only heard of the 'Hebiken' and only saw it once while fighting Orochimaru himself. You have already witnessed the style I'm using, so I find the playing field fairly even." He retorted.

"It won't matter, once I beat you anyway" She said smugly while smirking.

"We'll see Anko-chan" He taunted, making her hiss...not unlike a snake.

The two began their duel and quickly found that the playing field really was even. Naruto's style had a disadvantage because Anko was smaller then him so the grapples and maneuvers were harder to execute and deliver. While Anko's style just didn't seem swift enough to hit Naruto's constantly flowing stances. The two were at a strong stalemate, but still getting hits on each other when they grew slightly winded...the duel didn't seem close to an end.

It was almost an hour later, and the duel was still going, with both Naruto and Anko having two hits on the other each. Currently Naruto had just thrown Anko into the air heading right towards a tree, but at the last moment used her flexibility to twist her body so that her feet hit the tree before ricocheting off the tree right back at him. Naruto was surprised at this, but had enough time to step back enough so her incoming fist missed his face. As she passed him though, he was able to grab onto her and after a few maneuvers had her pinned in his arms which wrapped around her arms and chest, her body pressed against his chest hard enough that she couldn't escape but not so much that she was being crushed.

"Give up Anko-san" He said an unseen smile on his face over his victory.

"Not a chance!" She said angrily, before using the limited maneuverability in her left forearm and hand to twist back about to use one of the most powerful 'abilities' known to kunoichi...the groin grab.

The moment she felt something belonging to Naruto she grabbed onto it for dear life, and although she expected a sound to come out of him, she most certainly didn't think it would be a primal growl.

"He should be on his knees begging for mercy by now." She thought confused after hearing the growl and feeling his grip had actually gotten tighter...in morbid curiosity she gave what she was holding onto another swift squeeze...and her eyes widen in realization at exactly what she was grabbing. "I'm grabbing his...Kami-sama...hes a freakin' monster!" She yelled in her head, while her hands actually began to subconsciously move up and down ever so slightly.

"Like I s...said I win." He stuttered out slightly, when he felt her slowly stroke him.

"What do you mea..." She said almost on auto-pilot her mind still racing at the thought of Naruto being that big, before her thoughts were brought back when she felt a light tap on her forehead, and saw Naruto's fist on it. "...ah...I guess you do." She relented, though her hand was still moving up and down his pants.

Naruto quickly released his grip on her, but saw she wasn't moving away and still going on with her ministrations.

"Anko-san could you...let go?" He requested slightly embarrassed at the turn of events...something sexual always seemed to occur when a female was alone with him he noted.

"Huh?" She mumbled, seeming to be in a daze, which was slightly true...most of her thoughts were now on the enlarging member of the man she was still grabbing.

"Anko!" He said with a little more force, making her jump and finally release her grip on him.

"Ah g...gomen!" She apologized...even though in the back of her mind a voice screamed for her to not only continue but go even farther.

"Kami-sama...he is a beast...I hope Hana-chan can handle him. Because he might just split her in half..." She thought the blush on her cheeks that began when she realized what she was doing, becoming redder. "...but if not I could always ask to join if they both agree." She finished, while unconsciously licking her lips, her gaze right where she was grabbing him moments before.

A loud and quite exaggerated cough broke her out of her sexual musings.

"As per our agreement, I won the bet...so I think we should get comfortable so I can hear your story."

Anko sighed...she REALLY didn't want to tell Naruto her story...but he won the duel fair and square, and despite what many in Konoha say she tries to be an honorable shinobi as long as it doesn't have any hefty negative consequences to herself or the few people she cares about.

"We should just go to my place, it isn't far from here and its more comfortable then sitting on rocks" She suggested, getting a nod from him.

The two headed off, with Anko in front...which Naruto was thankful for considering he had to 'readjust' himself while on the way. As Anko surmised the house was only a few minutes away, and the two entered the small but cozy house. Naruto made himself at home as per Anko's threat of castration if he didn't and explored the house a bit while she made some tea. Anko soon called Naruto back to the small dinner table where a plate of dango and tea was set up.

He smiled appreciatively at the food and drink. "Wow you didn't have to do all this for me."

Naruto sat down and went to grab a stick of dango, only to be immediately smacked on the hand for his efforts.

"Who said it was for you?" She teased with a sly smile, before grabbing two sticks, and sat down, a euphoric smile quickly crossing her lips as she munched on the treat. "I was only joking Arashi-san, go ahead...just leave the last one for me." She said with a laugh...a laugh that sent a chill down his spine at the fact that she said she was kidding and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't really leave her the last stick...he'd be missing HIS 'stick' before he left.

"Arigato Anko-san" He thanked before grabbing a stick of dango for himself. "Please whenever you are ready to talk." He reminded her.

Anko took a sip of tea to clear her throat of the rather starchy food, before lightly sighing with a forlorn expression crossing her face

"Its all because of Orochimaru..." She began, Naruto's grip on his cup unconsciously tightened at the man's name. "...when I was younger he was my idol. He was smart, strong, cunning, slightly handsome...to some. Traits most people admired about shinobi...things I admired about him. I wanted to be like him in every way, he was everything I wasn't as a teenager. So when I became a Genin and was put on his squad well...you could imagine how happy I was." She explained, the shadow of a warm smile creeping on her lips. "After a few months my team went to the Chuunin exams and after that I became a Chuunin, which I was ecstatic about. Then something happened right after that changed my life forever. Orochimaru asked me to become his apprentice." She paused, while unconsciously rubbing her neck in phantom pain where that strange tattoo Naruto had seen before was. "Of course I had accepted without hesitation. I mean he was one of the legendary three sannin and a Hokage candidate! Who in their right mind wouldn't accept? And for a while everything went great..." She spoke her voice becoming softer and softer with each passing word. "...that is until the day Sandaime-sama had confronted Orochimaru on the grounds of treason, murder and kidnapping. In truth, I did help him collect people, but he told me they were only test subjects for a new medicine he was testing, that could increase the survival rates of shinobi severely injured while on missions. He said they would go back home within a few days, and to not worry, they wouldn't be harmed! What was I suppose to do!? His words were so convincing, and he was my sensei!" She said defending her actions, her emotional barriers beginning to break down from her reliving her past once more.

Naruto could see the emotional turmoil that Anko was going through, if not for the cracking of her voice while speaking, then the fact she began to shake slightly. Her hands squeezed themselves so tightly on the table it looked like they were losing blood flow they were so white. Naruto knew it was only moments before she broke down crying. Even the strongest of shinobi have emotional scars so deep that if brought to light could break them down in the same way. Before she could get a chance however, Naruto reached out and placed a hand on top of hers and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked up at him, tears already forming at the corners of her eyes, and was slightly shocked to see him smiling at her.

"Anko-san..." He voice warm, and soothing to the woman's ears. "...you have no need to defend your past actions with me, I understand what kind of man Orochimaru is. I won't ever blame you for the despicable things that he has done nor the things he made you do yourself, so don't think you need to defend yourself with me alright?" He questioned squeezing her hand again in the same way, getting the slightest of nods from her. "Now whenever you are ready to continue please do so."

"A...arigato" Her voice was now hoarse.

Naruto sat there for a good minute waiting for her to calm herself enough to continue her obviously tragic past. She took a deep breathe and let it out slowly, before continuing on.

"Although Sandaime-sama had cornered Orochimaru, just like the snake he was...somehow was able to slither away and escape. However not before destroying his several laboratories across Konoha, his notes on what he was really doing in his home and secret compartments. And in the final act of betraying the trust I had in him...'marked' me with a jutsu he was creating. Unfortunately the jutsu knocked me out from the pain...and the next moment I was awake I was in a Konoha jail cell being interrogated about everything he had been doing since I became his apprentice. After they finally told me what happened to Orochimaru after I blacked out, I told them everything I knew. But I knew...I saw it all of their eyes, they hated me as much as they hated Orochimaru himself for what he had done." She spoke her voice growing cold, and hateful. "And it wasn't until a few weeks after my imprisonment that I was finally released at the behest of Sandaime-sama. He called me into his office right after my release and requested I tell him everything I knew...I did so without question. After he heard the story he decided that I was only a pawn in Orochimaru's plans...whatever they truly were, and shouldn't be severely punished as such. Compared to people I used to call my comrades and even friends, he was one of the most understanding, and I was never able to tell him how much that meant to me when it was me against the village. He allowed me back into the shinobi ranks, with a few months probation as per the order of the council. I thought that with his decision things would at least become normal after a while and people wouldn't think ill of me...but I was wrong...so wrong." She continued her voice growing softer again. "All of the village vilified me for being Orochimaru's apprentice. They seemed to treat me as if I was that damned snake himself! People cursed me, called me 'snake-whore', traitor, and sometimes much worse. They started horrible rumors about me...and no one save for a select few that I could literally count on one hand...ever came to my defense. I quickly shut myself off from everyone but those people, hiding my true feelings from everyone. After a few years I was finally able to ignore the stares, whispers, and abuse and allowed myself to work on my career. And from that hard work I became a Jounin. The rest is as you've seen...but no matter what those people say, I know who I am. And no matter what that man WILL die by my hands!" She finished her voice growing vengeful.

A dead silence entered the house once she finished her story, both of them thinking about her story. Anko like many other of the people Naruto had met during his training all seemed to live lives that were forced upon them in one way or another. Natsumi, Gaara, Yugito, Haku, and now Anko...all of them forced to lives that weren't of their own choosing. A low growl emanated from his throat at this fact, and caused Anko's attention to be put on him.

"Gomen..." He murmured, noticing her watch him. "...Gomennasai about how things turned out for you Anko-san, I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to live here. From my experience people tend to use scapegoats to allow their inner feelings out. Naruto-kun with the Kyuubi attack, and now you with Orochimaru. And unfortunately as long as those people have those scapegoats to make them feel better they will never realize the wrongs they themselves have committed and that they are the true monsters after everything is said and done." He explained getting a nod of understanding from the woman. "Unfortunately I can't relate enough to your situation to really console you...but if I may suggest...talking to Naruto-kun about this. If there is anyone in this village that can understand and sympathize with you about your life its him. I know you don't like talking about that part of your life with people, but I really think it'll be good to talk with someone who you can relate to that deeply because he went through the same thing yourself, and sometimes was even worse off then you were. You don't have to talk to him, I'm just saying I think it could open your eyes to a few things that you've closed yourself off from all those years ago." He suggested with no hint of command nor hidden agenda.

She looked at him a moment, wondering what he would get out of this...after all no one does anything for free, especially in the world of shinobi. Though no matter how hard she stared, or tried to make him feel uncomfortable and spill some kind of lie to her, his gaze never wavered from hers. She respected that, many couldn't hold a gaze at her for that long...for those who knew her anyway. She decided to take a chance on his words...and if he really did lie, well...he'd be missing the appendage that made him the opposite sex now wouldn't he?

"I may just do that...but I don't really know the kid other then what I've heard or seen during the exams. Nor would I have a clue on how to even approach him, he doesn't seem very sociable besides with people he is already familiar with." She admitted.

He smiled knowingly. "Actually its all on exactly HOW you approach him that can make him seem cold and unsociable. He's told me that most of the time people just think he is a kid and approach/converse with him as such. Or in this village...well I'm sure you can imagine. In truth if you approach him in a 'friendly' manner and converse accordingly, he will act the same way back with no qualms...in reality he is actually quite sociable." Naruto explained almost sagely.

"I see...perhaps I will try...arigato" She said with a small smile.

"Its not a problem I'm glad I could help in some fashion..." He answered with his own smile. "...and thank you for telling me your story, I could see how hard it was for you to tell me, so arigato."

"You beat me fair and square...my honor forced me to tell you." She admitted, making him smirk.

"I see...well considering that...I may consider teaching you that style...but I'll decide later." He said, seeing a spark of fire enter her hazel eyes at the notion she might still learn the style. "Unfortunately its getting pretty late and I've kept you from rest long enough so I will wish you a good night Anko-san" He finished, standing up, and bowed slightly.

"You too Arashi-san" She smiled back, before Naruto waved and disappeared in a swirl of purple flames.

Anko took Naruto's suggestion to heart and the next day went to search for his 'child' self in hopes of speaking with him. She was finally able to find him and the two quickly hit it off once their introductions were finished. And Naruto was right, Anko had felt ALOT better then she had in a long time after talking with a kindred spirit about each other's lives. She enjoyed it so much so that for the next few days she had actually met up with him and just talked to each other, silently becoming friends.

-FLASHBACK END-

Naruto's musing was cut short, when he felt something rub against his leg. He looked down to see Hayaigin next to him, and nodded to the kit before the silver-furred fox vanished once again. Naruto kneeled next to the railing, before feeling Hayaigin jump into his shoulder.

"Report" Naruto ordered softly.

"Hai Naruto-sama! I was able to find the suna man whose scent I picked from the gloves and gave him the scroll." Hayaigin 'yipped' quietly in Naruto's ear.

"I see...good work Hayaigin-kun" Naruto praised letting his hand slide across the kit's fur.

"Arigato Naruto-sama!"

"Now I would invite you to watch these fights...but unfortunately there is a war thats about to go on that I'd rather not have you get swept up in...go back home Hayaigin-kun, and arigato for the help."

"I understand, and arigato for the thoughtfulness Naruto-sama! Good luck with the war I know you will not lose!" The kit 'yipped' with what sounded like pride in it's voice before jumping off Naruto's shoulder, running around the corner of the fighter's box and 'poof'ed out of existence.

"So everything for Suna is in place?" Natsumi's voice whispered.

"Hai...Baki got the scroll, and with the instructions I left he should see it when my match is taking place."

"So now all we do is wait" She spoke more in general then to Naruto, but making him nod in affirmation nonetheless.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE SETTLE INTO YOUR SEATS! THE FINAL MATCHES OF THIS YEAR'S CHUUNIN EXAMS WILL BEGIN IN A FEW MOMENTS!" An excited voice called out through the speakers inside the arena, making everyone begin to settle down.

"It begins" Naruto said...almost ominously.

A few minutes passed while the whole arena whispered, and waited with bated breathe for the matches to begin. All of a sudden a Konoha Jounin appeared in a swirl of leaves to the middle of the arena floor, making everyone's attention turn squarely on him.

"My name is Shiranui Genma and I will be the proctor for the final matches that will begin now!" He said, his tone strong enough to carry over the entire arena. "For the first match...will Sabaku no Temari and Nara Shikamaru come down to the arena floor!" He ordered in a lax manner.

"Good luck Temari" Naruto called out, after receiving the same gestures from her brothers.

The two opponents entered the arena floor a few yards away with Genma in the middle of them.

"Sabaku no Temari...Nara Shikamaru...are both Participants ready!?" He questioned seeing Temari flip her battle fan open, and Shikamaru just look on boredly. "Very well...Hajime!" He called out before jumping out of the way...letting the final matches of the Chuunin exams commence.

(Canon battle)

"Winner...Sabaku no Temari!" Genma stated, most of the crowd silent at the turn of events on how the battle had ended, though someone finally began to clap, before the entire arena started to clap at Temari's unorthodox victory against the Nara genius.

The two participants walked back to the fighter's box, with Temari getting congratulations from her family and friends, while Shikamaru got an earful from Ino. The crowd calmed shortly after, allowing Genma to announce the next match.

"Now for the second match...will Hyuuga Neji and Natsumi come down to the arena floor!" He ordered, his tone already expressing his annoyance at having to constantly repeat himself before and after every match.

"Good luck Natsumi-san" The sand siblings and Yugito gestured to her, making her smile and nod in appreciation...that is until she felt someone pinch her ass.

She quickly turned to see the offending assailant, ready to kill if necessary...only to see a smirking Naruto wink at her. He then leaned in with his mouth breathing right on top of her ear wished her good luck as well...before smirking and lightly nibbling her ear only to lean back a moment later with a shit-eating grin on his face. Natsumi herself wasn't sure whether to give him a nice lustful kiss or a punch in the nose for doing that to her before her match. But decided on doing something about it later, and just smirked back at her mate.

The crowd itself was whispering to themselves about the match up, many wondering just who would win...this unknown girl or the Hyuuga prodigy.

"Tou-sama?" A young Hyuuga girl called out.

"Hai Hanabi?" The leader of the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi answered.

"Do you think Neji-san will win?"

"You should knew better then many Hanabi of just how strong a Hyuuga is. And Neji is a prodigy within the clan, branch family or not...it will take a very strong opponent to beat him. But to answer your question directly...I have no doubt that Neji will win this match." He answered, making his younger daughter nod in response.

"But why does that girl give me such an ominous vibe?" The clan head mentally questioned, his eyes unconsciously hardening while watching Natsumi walk towards the arena floor.

"What do you think Kaa-san? You have fought along side the Hyuuga clan before." Kasumi asked looking back and forth between the opposing teens, in an attempt to figure out who would win.

Kushina's gaze darkened when her daughter asked her that...many thoughts racing through her mind...mainly being memories of Natsumi and Kyoshiro's match.

"They are both strong, and at first glance I would go with the Hyuuga simply because of his Kekkei Genkai. But the Kyuubi's companion is not one to trifle with nor one to underestimate. Kyoshiro-kun's injuries are proof enough of that, and who knows what else that demon has probably taught her that we haven't seen. However if I were to bet...I would put my money on the girl." Kushina answered, after analyzing the situation as best she could with the information she had.

The two Uzumakis turned to their left when they heard a growl of hatred emanate from that direction...and noticed that it was coming from Kyoshiro himself.

"Its bleeding again..." Kasumi stated, seeing that blood was slowly oozing out from under his eye patch, as Kyoshiro continued to growl and stare daggers at the back of the young girl who bested him.

"I will NOT lose the time time we face each other." The usually emotionless boy cursed her mentally before grabbing a cloth and wiped away the blood from his face.

"Interesting match Hokage-dono...who do you believe will win between the two? I would bet money on the Hyuuga boy. His Kekkei Genkai is quite powerful and I've also heard he is the next prodigy to come out of that clan" The Raikage spoke.

"In most circumstances I would agree with you Raikage-dono, however Natsumi is a rather unknown shinobi...even to me. She only joined Konoha's ranks a few months ago, so most people don't know what she is truly capable. But if her preliminary match against the Uzumaki boy was a taste of her strength...I think this match will prove to be quite entertaining." The Hokage answered...doing his best to sound unsure of who would win, even though he knew the outcome the moment this match was announced a month ago.

"I see...well I hope you are right...the last match ended rather blandly, so I do hope these two will be able to put up a better show." The Raikage retorted.

"You have no idea" Sarutobi mentally chuckled.

The two participants made it to the center of the arena a few moments later taking the same position the last participants took.

"Hyuuga Neji...Natsumi...are both participants ready!?" Genma questioned, seeing Neji drop down into his family's Juuken taijutsu style, while Natsumi just looked on with a smirk. "Very well...Hajime!" He called out before once again jumping out of the way to allow the second match to begin.

Without a wasted moment Natsumi sent a pair of kunai at Neji, who looked boredly when he took out his own and deflected the weapons.

"Trying to keep your distance from me to have an advantage?" He rhetorically questioned.

"Simply warming up" She dismissed, while yawning which made the usually stoic Hyuuga grunt with a small scowl.

"Do not underestimate me!" He advised coldly before launching himself at her.

The two began a heated taijutsu match...or more precisely Neji was launching Juuken strike after Juuken strike while Natsumi simply evaded them, using her impressive flexibility.

"So she is toying with me?" He mentally questioned, while launching another two fingered strike but when he predictably missed pivoted his body and started spinning rapidly.

"KAITEN!" He shouted, before a blue chakra barrier shot forth from him, hitting Natsumi in the chest sending her skidding across the ground her feet digging into the ground.

"Seems I got a bit rusty all those years I was within Naru-kun" She mentally thought, forgetting just how annoying Hyuuga jutsus were.

Natsumi dusted herself off, before flowing through a set of hand seals, and then slamming her hands into the ground.

"Doryou Dango (Mausoleum Earth Dumpling)!" She called out as a large ball of mud formed almost three stories tall, and wide between them.

Neji just smirked at her, she couldn't possibly think they he wouldn't be able to dodge such a large object? However he didn't have to wait long to find out when he heard her call out another jutsu from behind the large mud ball

"Uzumaki no Katon: Karyuu Endan (Uzumaki Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)!"

"She can use Uzumaki style jutsu? I wasn't expecting that...but then again she was apparently that boy's traveling companion. So I suppose it's not out of the question for her to have learned some of their jutsu, him being an exile or no." Neji thought...slightly impressed that she hadn't passed out from using it, after hearing the reason more shinobi didn't learn the Uzumaki jutsu.

Before Neji now stood a three story flaming ball, with most of the audience wondering just what exactly her plan is...while others were seething in rage.

"That damned Kyuubi! Its actually disrespects us so much as to teach someone OUR clan's jutsu who is an outsider!?" Kushina mentally screamed, gripping her arm rest so tightly that it cracked under the pressure...her three children not faring much better at the blatant show of disrespect.

Kushina quickly turned her head towards the fighter's box and saw Naruto smirking knowingly while staring right back at her, his gaze expressing mirthful slyness, with the devilish smirk being the icing on the cake.

"Gonna need to show Natsu-chan a good time once all of this invasion business is behind us for that little jab on my 'family'" He mentally thought, continuing to smirk at his 'mother'.

Back in the arena Neji wondered what she was going to do with that giant flaming ball. He would have tried a preemptive strike while running around it but he had no idea what she was doing on the other side despite his bloodlimit...patience was an ally at this moment. However his, and the audiences answer soon came when the ball shot off like a pinball towards him. Moving slowly at first before greatly picking up speed with him never noticing the indentation Natsumi left when she punched it.

Neji was shocked on just how she was able to move it when no jutsu was called out and trying to move it physically was suicide with the fire. He didn't have much time to think on it however, and began to run out of the way as the ball rumbled across the ground. He got out of the way simply enough, and turned to see just what would happen to it when it would hit the arena wall. However what he never expected to see was Natsumi standing in the path of the ball as it roared towards her. He came to a skidding stop, and looked on with the audience in morbid fascination on what would happen. None of them able to see Natsumi hand sealing, thanks to the giant flaming ball clouding their view.

"Uzumaki no Futon: Daitoppa (Uzumaki Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!" Natsumi's voice called out, before a giant gust of air shot from her small frame, and within seconds stopped the rolling monstrosity.

Not only did the ball stop, but it actually it began to spin the other way right towards Neji. With the increase in air adding 'fuel to the fire', the flames burned brighter and hotter, actually making the air around it slightly distorted from the sheer heat.

Most of the audience gasped at this turn of events, most not believing she could stop such a large object with a Fuuton jutsu alone. Meanwhile Neji cursed under his breathe, he knew Natsumi wouldn't be an easy opponent to beat. But he figured he had her outmatched at the very least with battle tactics. It seemed however that the girl was well versed with strategic usage if her surroundings and jutsu...but then...living for over a millenia will do that.

Neji was already on his way to the other side of the arena to avoid being hit once more, keeping his attention on the position of the ball. His pupil-less eyes soon widened at what he and many of the shinobi in the audience saw next. Neji chanced a glance over his shoulder to make sure his eyes weren't lying, and low and behold they weren't. Currently falling from the air was Natsumi, heading straight into a crash course with the rumbling ball.

Everyone looked watched shocked and awed expressions at just what she had up her sleeve next, with none but Naruto ever having a thought close to the truth. Within the last few yards between her and the rolling ball, Natsumi made a fist and launched it forward, colliding it with the ball. Upon the impact the ball seemed to give out before getting many gasps of surprised when it literally exploded outwards sending flaming earth all around the arena. However that wasn't the only thing that went flying through the air. To those seasoned shinobi who watched the match, the multitude of reflections of sunlight were easily seen...from all metal weapons that were cruising through the air.

"She...somehow implanted those weapons inside the ball as another attack if she couldn't strike me with the ball itself. Just how many moves ahead is she thinking!?" Neji mentally yelled as he dodged the first wave of flaming mud.

He quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to dodge them all and grabbed two kunai in each hand gripping them with his ring, pinky, and thumb, leaving his middle and pointer fingers extended outward before getting into a stance many of the Konoha shinobi and Hyuuga clan recognized.

"Hakke: Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand)!" He yelled, before beginning to strike the flaming mud balls with his extended fingers, and using the kunai in his hand to block the hail of weaponry shooting towards him.

The audience looked on astounded at these two fighters, the first battle being nothing compared to this one so far. Natsumi using three powerful jutsu in a row, two of them from the infamous Uzumaki jutsu no less. With Neji using the Hyuuga jutsu with the precision known throughout all of the elemental nations. The audience wanted more...and who were they to deny them?

The heavy cloud of dust that formed when the explosion occurred finally began to disperse giving everyone a better view of the arena grounds. Large clumps of mud were lying all along the arena floor, many still sizzling from the flames they were once surrounded by, as kunai and shuriken were strewn about lodged all along the floor and wall. The two fighters stood at the opposite ends of the arena, Natsumi looking slightly dirty but other then that she was only smirking. While Neji was panting from the exertion he just went through along with a few random cuts along his body. In truth he was saving that jutsu as a finisher, but he underestimated her and this was his punishment as such.

"That was impressive...I clearly underestimated your tactics and abilities." He commented once he caught his breathe.

"That you have..I suggest not making it again" She answered smugly...in truth enjoying this fight...she hadn't been able to let loose like this in a long time.

"Do not worry I will not..." He paused before putting the quite dented kunai in his hands back into his pouch. "...let us end this." He finished getting into his family's stance once more.

Natsumi just smirked again before running at him, with them starting another round of heated taijutsu fighting. This time however Neji took no chances and went full out, causing Natsumi to do the same, though letting his get a few shots in so when she beat him he wouldn't cry about it. Unfortunately her arrogance got the better of her and Neji was able to strike her in her thigh causing her growl in slight pain and stumble a little. But that 'little' was all Neji needed, and he took full advantage of it...obvious by the fact he took the same familiar stance when he used his jutsu. Natsumi realized she couldn't jump back in time noticed it was slightly different then the last one. Certain others in the crowd also realizing the almost insignificant looking change in Neji's stance.

"How!? How could he have possibly learned that!? Only the main house is ever taught that jutsu! C...could he have taught himself!? No...but then how!?" Hiashi thought, with widened eyes at Neji's stance.

"Hakke: Hyakunijuuhachishou (Eight Divination Signs, One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms of the Hand)!" Neji said, before unleashing his jutsu upon the prone girl before him.

The audience watched with baited breath as Neji attacked his opponent his hands seeming to blur out of existence, before reappearing once the jutsu finished. Natsumi was sent flying through the air from the momentum he caused to her body during his attack. She landed with a heavy thud, her body not moving voluntarily...only spasming every few moments.

"Proctor-san...call the...match" Naji ordered out of breathe, just using his last resort to win...a jutsu he had only just mastered a week prior to this, never getting a chance to practice it on a real opponent.

"Hai...winner..." Genma began before an astounding feeling of chakra came from the downed girl.

Genma's pause caused the rest of the audience to pay more attention to the arena, with a few of the more perceptive shinobi in the crowd realizing why. However soon everyone in the audience saw why...blue chakra began to wisp around Natsumi's fallen form. And after a few second her body began to move, and after a full dozen seconds Natsumi was sitting down with a smile on her face.

"While I commend you on being the first one to hurt me like this in such a long time. Unfortunately for you however I have grown an immunity...of sorts...to you're taijutsu style..." She explained, while letting out a sigh, getting back to her feet and wiped off some dirt that collected on her clothes. "...you cannot keep my tenketsu points closed." She explained bluntly with a sugar-sweet smile on her face...that a few of the younger males in the audience blushed from.

"Thats not possible! Once tenketsu points are closed that can only be reopened from a Hyuuga, medical jutsu, or from the bodies natural healing! But even then its impossible for tenketsu to be reopened and fully functional after such an incredibly short period of time! I'm afraid your bluff against the Hyuuga's strength is only that...a bluff" He shot back, not believing a word she spoke.

Natsumi simply shrugged at his retort, clearly not caring at his barb about her honesty.

"I have no reason to elaborate on the matter, I simply told you so you'd concede the match so we can move on to the next one" She said nonchalantly.

Neji allowed his 'Hyuuga' pride to drop for a moment and scowled at the girl's blatant disrespect, his hands curling into fists.

"I will not" He announced with finality, the slightest bit of anger leaking out of his words, before once more getting into his family's taijutsu stance.

Natsumi sighed loudly at the boy's stubbornness...though frankly she wasn't surprised. The Hyuuga were once of the most egotistical, snobbish, and in truth annoying clan she had the displeasure of meeting. Apparently these facts hadn't changed despite the several decades since she'd last spoken to one.

"Very well...I will end it quickly so you're ego isn't bruised...too much." She retorted sweetly, that smile belying the slyness within her, before she raised her hands putting her fingers in a cross seal that a few of the Konoha Jounin easily recognized and quickly looked suspiciously at her...wondering just how in the world a girl like that knew a forbidden kinjutsu from their village. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" She called out as twenty clones of her appeared.

Neji quirked an eyebrow at this...many of the shinobi in Konoha at least KNEW of this jutsu and its ability...including him.

"You realize that you won't win with just those right?" He asked rhetorically.

"We'll see..." She responded, raising her hand and lazily pointed at him. "Ike (Go)!" She commanded, her Bushins launching at him without a second thought.

Neji just shook his head at her foolishness before, beginning to spin in a circle, a familiar blue dome surrounding him. He was too tired to fight all of the clones one-on-one, so destroying them all that once would be prudent.

"Kaiten!" He shouted, as the clones began to jump at him, though quickly disappeared once they connected with the chakra dome.

"Good exactly what I needed you to do." Natsumi mentally smirked, before flowing through a set of hand seals.

"Uzumaki no Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Uzumaki Fire Style:Great Fireball Technique)!" She yelled before a super heated blast of fire shot out of her mouth shooting through several of her clones, and collided with Neji's barrier but unable to break through it.

"By now she should realize that she can't get that jutsu past my defense...so then why..." He mentally questioned before feeling his answer, and his eyes widened at the realization. "Damn her! She wasn't trying to BREAK through the Kaiten! She was USING it! She is letting the spinning of my chakra from the Kaiten to act as a 'blender' for her own jutsu! The fire is spinning with my jutsu, and making it into a fire -based tornado...and I'm in the middle of it! If I stop spinning the fire will engulf me, but if I continue the fire will burn out all my oxygen...damn her!" Neji thought examining her tactics, while already profusely sweating and finding it hard to breath.

The crowd themselves watched with excitement on how this was going to end, even though many already knew how it would.

"That girl...she seems to have a great amount of knowledge in fighting a Hyuuga...to be able to turn our own jutsu against us in such a manner...just who is she?" Hiashi pondered, while watching Natsumi continue her jutsu.

"I concede!" A raspy and choked voice called out, mostly drowned out my the raging flames...but both Natsumi and Genma clearly heard it.

Natsumi immediately stopped her jutsu, allowing the flames to naturally die down, and Neji's Kaiten soon come in view. Once the last lick of flames disappeared Neji stopped his jutsu, his form looking like a wet rag doll. He was breathing heavily, with sweat pouring down his face, neck, and arms. While blood that rolled down his body from his still opened cuts seemed to cauterize from the last moments of ungodly heat.

"Winner...Natsumi!" Genma called out...the crowd completely silent at how the battle ended.

"Way to go Natsu-chan!" A boyish voice screamed out...making everyone look at him, and Natsumi herself smile.

Most scowled at the face of a smirking Naruto, while others from the different countries followed his lead and began clapping and howling in approval over the exciting match. The two opponents shook hands in good sport before separating to head back to the fighter's box.

"Quite the unexpected ending to such an exciting match" The Kazekage mused, while clapping.

"That is was Kazekage-dono" Sarutobi retorted while clapping as well.

"We can only hope the rest of the matches will be able to keep the crowd as entertained as this one." The Raikage said putting in his two cents.

"Its seems Kyuubi will continue to desecrate our clan" Kushina whispered angrily.

"But...what if we actually deserve it Kaa-san?" Kasumi mentally questioned...her once steeled conviction slightly broken after her defeat by her brother...her old ideals constantly questioned from Naruto's actions and words during their match.

Natsumi and Neji reached the fighter's box to both greeted by their teammates and friends, Neji in consolement, and Natsumi in congratulations. Though Naruto's was a bit more 'friendly' then the others. The crowd was still talking about the match that just ended, when Genma's voice rolled over them like a maelstrom...their voices quieting down immediately.

"Now that the arena has been fixed we can continue to the third match!" He called out. "Will Aburame Shino and Sabaku no Kankuro come down to the arena floor!" He commanded.

Shino was already heading towards the stairs that lead to the arena, when Kankuro spoke from the railing.

"Proctor...I concede!" He called out loudly, immediately getting boos from the crowd.

"Very well...Winner is Aburame Shino!" Genma called out.

"Kankuro why did you concede? You could have possibly won." Naruto questioned confused at the boy's actions.

"We are still acting like we are helping Orochimaru in the invasion so I would have quite anyway to save my chakra to fight Konoha. But now it's to fight against those bastards that killed Tou-san." the puppeteer explained, his voice letting out some of his still bottled up anger, getting a nod and a sympathetic look from Naruto.

"Will Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto and Nii Yugito come to the arena floor for the forth match!" Genma called out, the crowd quickly growing silent at Naruto's name.

Many of the foreign audience whispering, shocked about if that boy really was the late Yondaime's son.

"Guess thats my cue" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Good luck Naruto-kun" Temari said with a smile, her brothers wishing him well too.

Naruto nodded and turned towards the stairs before 'yelping from both feeling and hearing his butt get slapped. He turned around, even tough he knew who had done it and could only smirk in response to seeing her own mischievous one. Natsumi pulled a 'Naruto' and teased him a bit before wishing him good luck. But stopped him again when no one could see her, and snaked her hand down his pants stroking him quickly a few times, making him groan from her touch before letting him go on his way.

"Such a vixen" He accused, while heading towards the stairs.

"Only with you Foxy-sama" She responded in a sexy voice, making him groan again.

Naruto soon reached the arena where Yugito waited, and looked towards the crowd, the entire arena quite save for a few hushed whispers.

"Now lets see what her partner is capable of." Hiashi thought, Hanabi looking at him before turning back to the arena.

"Lets see what you are made of Kyuubi. I want to once again see the beast that stole my husband and child away from me!" Kushina urged angrily.

"Good luck..." Kasumi quietly thought...fearing that Kushina might somehow hear her cheer.

She herself didn't know what compelled her to say it. But if she were to be honest with herself right now...it just felt right to think when she looked into Naruto's blue orbs.

"Finally I get to see what he is capable of! Show me boy! Show me what that beast has taught you! Show me what you are fully capable of, so that I may know your strength when I get you into 'Ne'!" Danzo who up until that time had passed the exams off as a nuisance within the shadows, now came out into the light to watch the match he was waiting a month for.

"Oh ho? So the sochi of the Yondaime finally returned Hokage-dono? For shame you not letting that get out." The Raikage said, feigning surprise at Naruto's return after the reports of the boy's disappearance spread throughout the elemental nations all those years ago, as well as realizing that Konoha must have kept it a guarded secret, after the fiasco of 'losing' him in the first place until the exams.

"You know as well as I, the kinds of enemies shinobi make...especially Kages Raikage-dono. It was safer for him to be kept under the radar until the appropriate time" Sarutobi answered slyly.

"I suppose you are right, though it is a shame that his debut to many of the foreigners here was against my shinobi. He has no chance against her I'm afraid, you should have him forfeit before he forfeits his life instead." The Raikage suggested...his tone smug and full of confidence.

"Let's allow the match to continue Raikage-dono...we might all be presently surprised at what Naruto-kun is capable of." Sarutobi said, hiding the smirk on his lips the best he could before turning his attention back to the arena.

"Seems people were waiting on my fight" Naruto mentally sighed out...he didn't want the spot light ...yet anyway.

Naruto's musings were cut short when Genma's voice presided over the arena.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto...Nii Yugito...are both participants ready!?" He questioned getting affirmative nods from them both. "Very well...Hajime!" He called out jumping out of the way.

The two jincuuriki looked at each other for a moment, before Yugito fell into her taijutsu stance, one that Naruto hadn't seen yet. However Naruto raised his hand in a 'pausing' motion, making her tilt her head to the side in confusion.

"Ne Yugito-chan, there is something I want to show you after out match. However I won't show it to you if you don't show me that you gave your all in out match. If I don't think you fought me with all your strength not only will I be insulted that you threw your punches against me, but I will not show it to you. And trust me this is something you've wanted for a long time." Naruto explained a knowing smirk on his face.

Yugito looked at Naruto oddly for a moment when he said this, although truth be told part of her had decided even before the match began that she didn't want to go all out against him. However once he declared his intentions, her views drastically changed simply because there was only one thing that Naruto knew she wanted desperately...her mother.

"Naruto-kun...tell me one thing. The 'thing'...is it what I think it is?" She questioned the results of this match how hanging in the balance of his next words.

"Hai...urg..." Naruto answered, before in the middle of it a fist impacted his face sending him skidding across the arena floor before finally being stopped by the wall, a crater in the shape of his body now indenting it.

Most of the crowd looked on wide eyed at the abrupt start...most not hearing the fighter's conversation moments before so only saw Naruto get socked in the face. Many of the council members smirked in satisfaction at Naruto's pain, still feeling the embarrassment and anger he caused them during their meetings those months ago. The crowd looked on to see how Naruto was, awed at the kunoichi's strength.

Naruto was hunched over, his cloths already scratched and dirty, his mouth bleeding from the punch...yet there was a shit eating grin on his face. He quickly stood up and wiped the blood off before beginning to chuckle. The chuckle turned into a small laugh, the laugh grew into an uproar of hysterics...though not the insane kind. More of the satisfactory kind one would hear from someone who finally found what they were looking for after searching for a long time.

"Good Yugito-chan...good. Thats exactly what I was expecting from you, now that I know you are ready lets begin." Naruto stated a same smile on his lips, before he disappeared from the front of the wall, only a cloud of dust where he had once stood.

The moment Naruto disappeared most o f the non-shinobi audience lost track of both fighters. the reason being that they were in a heated taijutsu battle going at very high speeds. Speeds that most seasoned Jounin could keep up with, but everyone else could only follow what was going on from the sound of flesh pounding flesh, ground being torn up, and the few times they stopped in a position that was a stalemate. Te rest of the time they were looking around frantically trying to follow the erratic sounds resounding all across the arena.

"Impressive Hokage-dono...I never would have thought any Genin from Konoha would be able to stay on a level playing field with that particular shinobi of mine" The Raikage complimented.

Sarutobi simply nodded, while wondering why Naruto was playing with the young girl. If he was serious he'd have finished this match already.

"There is something going on here that he hasn't told me. Something probably dealing with whatever they were speaking about at the beginning of the match." He thought, his gaze hardening not liking that Naruto, friend or not was keeping possible vital information from him.

"The Kyuubi boy is very interesting...perhaps I should try to recruit him into Oto. It should be easy enough when this idiotic village already planted the seeds of distrust within him. I'll simply capitalize on their mistake." Orochimaru smiled behind his white mask, watching the high-speed match with growing interest.

"This boy is far more talented then I gave him credit for. If only we were able to enforce the CRA on him he could be within the Hyuuga's grasp! All that power..." Hiashi thought his Byakugan activated, his hands slightly clenched at letting this boy slip through his fingers.

At that moment the two fighters jumped back skidding along the ground before coming to a stop, both slightly out of breathe looking scruffier with their cloths ripped and with bruise marks. Although Naruto still that had grin on his face, Yugito looked ready to main him if only to get what she so richly wanted. Out of no where dark purple chakra began to seep out of Yugito, until her entire body was surrounded by the chakra. He appearance changed slightly into Naruto's true form, her nails and teeth elongated into claws and fangs. Her eyes shifted from her usual emerald, to now a light yellow with black slits down the middle. Long time residents of Konoha shuddered with unconscious fear at the 'feeling' of her chakra...reminding them of the Demon that attempted to destroy them. Wasting no time Yugito began to hand seal the moment her breathing normalized

"Raiton & Yamiton: Raikage (Lightning & Darkness Style: Lightning Shadow)!" She yelled before slamming her hands together, as the skies above the stadium began to grow dark.

Naruto looked up in curiosity, and quirked an eyebrow in response before analyzing the situation.

"Seems her lightning affinity was trained greatly during that month...she can create storm clouds now. This might be a problem is she uses REAL lightning against me..." He thought before hearing a roar of thunder race across the culminating storm clouds above, making his smirk disappear. "...well I did tell her to be serious. Not bad Yugito-chan." He complimented, before his entire body tensed up.

The ground under him buckled leaving him in two small craters where his feet were. He released the first chakra and KI limiters he had, drenching the arena with it as his body began to glow blue.

"Shiroi Renge no Ryuu (White Lotus of the Dragon)!" He called out, before the blue chakra sprang out and created two dragon wings behind him...most of the crowd gasping at what he had just done.

Unfortunately for the crowd they had no time to react to the situation that was occurring because a lightning bolt shot down out of no where exploding on the spot Naruto was just standing in. While most of the less observant crowd only saw the lightning from above, the more trained shinobi noticed that directly from Yugito's shadow seemed to shoot out a black lightning bolt that collided with the one from the sky before they exploded.

"Tou-san?" Nara Shikamaru asked in a shocked voice that was uncharacteristic of him.

"Hai...she seems to have the darkness affinity." Shikaku affirmed, many of the shinobi looking at them oddly.

"Darkness affinity?" Ino questioned sitting next to them.

Shikaku nodded grimly. "Hai...up until now only the Nara clan and a select few individuals in the entire elemental nations have been known to have the darkness affinity. The ability to control the shadows and things that have to do with darkness. The user can warp them, change them, manipulate them into nearly anything they wish. The darkness affinity is greatly affiliated with participation in the 'Occult', mainly because the strange and usually heretical rituals these people perform involved someone with a strong affinity with darkness. Many people with the darkness affinity tend to be shunned by society, calling them witches or warlocks. In truth, someone with the darkness affinity on any particular night could with little effort kill someone of Kage level power as long as there were enough shadows for them to use. It is said that both the darkness and it's opposite light affinities are so powerful that only one out of every one million people are born with it. The legends behind this which many believe is that if someone were to master either of these affinities, with darkness they could have the ability to raise the dead to do their bidding as slaves. While the light affinity allows you to completely resurrect people who have died. I have only heard of one person still living ever trained in the light affinity, which is a woman by now well into her 70s living in Suna. I believe she is the Obaa-san (Grandmother) of the legendary shinobi puppeteer Akasuna no Sasori (Sasori of the Red Sand)." Skikaku explained, most of the shinobi scooting slightly away from the Naras...not many people knew of the terrible power that clan possessed...but now they have a small taste of what they were truly capable of.

"Damn...I didn't think she was going to use Izanami-san's chakra so soon. And to use her darkness affinity with such proficiency...those two must have been in contact with each other for a good number of years." Naruto thought, as he continued to dodge the lightning bolts that were nipping at his heels, as a trail of impacts along the arena floor followed close behind him.

"This is taking up too much of our chakra...and his jutsu is still allowing him to be faster then real lightning which is just a pain." Yugito analyzed while concentrating on Naruto.

"You could always use Akiko-chan's jutsu that she taught you for this match." Izanami suggested, quite enjoying the match so far...more like watching Naruto's ass while he jumped around.

Yugito blasted her lightning a few more times, though strategically placing them so Naruto was forced to jump farther away from her. The moment a final bolt created an explosion, she released her current jutsu and demonic chakra and immediately started sealing for her next one.

"Raiton: Gekijuuryoku (Lightning Style: Deadly Gravity)!" She called out before slamming her hands into the dirt, making the entire arena floor and wall glow yellow for an instant.

Luckily for her and unluckily for Naruto, she was able to cast her jutsu in time, because the moment the lightning stopped Naruto pivoted his footing and shot off directly at Yugito planning on returning that punch she gave him earlier. When she casted Akiko's jutsu he was only a few feet away from her, his fist already cocked back for the blow. However the change in gravity forced him to lose his footing and almost slam into the floor from the pressure. He was able to catch himself and launch into the air flipping over Yugito and landed with a loud impact a few yards away.

"I see Akiko-san has taught you a few things during that month's hiatus." Naruto stated nonchalantly, making Yugito turn and smirk.

"Hai...but there is so much more." She answered, Naruto not quite sure whether to take her almost purring out those final words as a good thing or a bad.

Yugito once again summoned Izanami's chakra making her smirk disappear and replaced with on of concentration, before sealing once more and Naruto recognizing them.

"Damn...she is using Akiko-san's gravity jutsu to slow down my movements. And I was only barely able to outrun her lightning unhindered. With this new handicap I will have no such luck." Naruto thought, who would have been impressed with her strategy, had it not been HIM she was using it on.

Unfortunately for Naruto he didn't have much of a chance to think of a way out of this before the same storm clouds as before resurfaced upon the sky, with the ominous thunder beginning to sound.

"Raiton & Yamiton: Raikage (Lightning & Darkness Style: Lightning Shadow)!" Yugito said, her voice slightly strained from the gravity effecting her.

Naruto cursed once more before the two lightning bolts struck his prone form from earth and sky. Grunts of pain could be heard though the stadium, with the foreign crowd cringing at the sight. While many other people smirked in satisfaction at Naruto's obvious pain...mostly being from Konoha.

"Damn I didn't think I'd have to use this so early on..." He groaned through gritted teeth, before biting his thumb and outstretched his arm, as a set of seals erupted from his hand and what most would describe as a rip in the dimension appeared.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning)!" He groaned out as a blue hilted sword began to come out.

Naruto grabbed the hilt and ripped the sword from the seal, immediately releasing it from it's sheathe and slid his thumb against it so the blood ran down the length of the blade.

"Hakkei: Souten Kaze (Release: Azure Breeze)!" He called out as the blade itself glowed blue and then abruptly exploded in a gust of wind.

In place of the metal blade was now a literal blade of blue wind. To any of those observers that knew of the Rasengan...it looked much like that jutsu only in the shape of a katana blade. Most of the crowd began hushed whispers about the name of Naruto's sword. Legendary blades held by demons and heroes alike were known by many even amongst civilian peoples. And 'Souten Kaze' was no exception, being said to be forged using the fur of the mate of the Kyuubi no Kitsune itself.

So for Naruto...a mere Genin...to proclaim he now held it in his hand was something many people found hard to swallow. Unfortunately for them their doubts and more importantly fears were realized when Naruto swung the sword upwards towards the sky. The 'blade' extended towards the heavens...looking like a large tornado extending from the hilt causing the storm clouds Yugito created to disperse into nothingness, her jutsu literally stopped by this sword.

"H...he was able to...stop my jutsu with a simple swing of a sword!?" Yugito thought shocked at the immense power a sword like that must hold.

Gasps of astonishment and fear washed across the audience who witnessed this. Many of the shinobi awed at the display of such power. Meanwhile Kenjutsu users currently needed a change of pants from their multiple orgasms at seeing the power of such a legendary blade with their own eyes. The Konoha shinobi looked with nothing but fear written on their faces that the Kyuubi had such a powerful weapon by it's side.

"That was a good strategy Yugito-chan..." Naruto panted out finally relived from not being electrocuted. "...and you would have had me too had I not had 'Souten Kaze'" He said smirking before letting the sword puff out of existence.

"Damn him! He seems to have the answers to everything I throw at him!" She mentally cursed, although truth be told was slightly glad he stopped her jutsu so she could stop causing him pain. "And I've probably only gotten him use about half his true power so far." She admitted releasing a very unladylike-like grunt.

Naruto growing weary of the gravity effecting him began to hand seal when he remember how Yugito herself was able to get out of the jutsu when Akiko first used it against her.

"Doton: Tsuchiketa (Earth Style: Earth Column)!" He called out slamming his hands into the ground before hundreds of 1x1 pillars of earth and rock jutted from the ground raising both Naruto and Yugito a good two stories into the air.

"Finally remembered that jutsu's weakness I see." Yugito said snidely, her teeth gritted together that her main advantage was finally taken out.

"Hai but thats not why I did that." Naruto retorted, before hand sealing once more. "Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique)!" He said as a burst of mist exploded from his body that encompassed all of the tops pillars that were erected so now none of the audience could see either fighter.

"Hm...seems we'll have to wait and see what happens now." Hiashi mused after he attempted to breach the mist with his his Byakugan, while the rest of the crowd 'boo'ed in disapproval..

"He can't possibly think this is going to help him." Yugito thought, slightly insulted at the possible jab to her skills, especially since Izanami's chakra allowed her vision to see clearly past the mist.

She located Naruto quickly enough but her eyes widened as she mentally cursed when seeing him already hand sealing with a three-pronged kunai she was more than intimately familiar with in his hand.

"Ninpou: Kage Kunai no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shadow Kunai Technique)!" He called out before throwing the kunai at Yugito.

Yugito although hadn't seen Naruto use the Hiraishin when he saved her, she still knew of that jutsu's abilities and she wasn't about to test herself against it. The moment Naruto released the kunai she jumped into the air and launched a bombardment of her own kunai where he stood. Naruto smirked, which made her raise her brow in question, before he disappeared in a brightly yellow light. Yugito swiveled her head while still in midair to see Naruto now have a shit eating grin on his face and another three-pronged kunai in his hand before he launched that one. Yugito's eyes widened at the realization she just played into his trap, as his second kunai was flying towards right where she was going to land. That is until that kunai burst into several dozen each spreading around connecting with different columns around the one she wound land on.

"I can't do anything to get out of the area in mid-air!" She realized after running through any possible options of escape.

Yugito's toes barely touched the rock pillar before she felt a fist connect with her spine, sending her forward, before a fist impacted her face sending her spinning to the left, a foot to the ribs was her salvation careening her back to the right. The crowd was getting antsy especially at the sounds of pain filled grunts and groans entering their ears, and not being able to see anything. Some of the crowd began to raise their voices at being jipped their admission fees if they couldn't even see the matches. While others used their imagination to try to visualize the beating that Yugito was taking...obvious from her constant moans of pain escaping the fog.

"Yugito-chan...concede please." Naruto commanded while sending another punch to her skull...though noticeably softer then the ones before it.

"No! I what you to show me what you promised you would! And the only way to do that is to beat you!" She growled, before a mouthful of blood flew out of her mouth from a rather vicious uppercut to her jaw.

"Very well" Naruto said solemnly, sending another devastating kick to her ribs, the faint sound of one cracking evident to the two jinchuuriki.

"Dammit...I...I have to win this match...to see Kaa-san again. Izanami-chan...please..." Yugito thought, her voice pleading to her demoness and friend.

Izanami was torn at the moment, on the one hand they both had made a promise to each other that no matter what happened in this fight Yugito wouldn't be allowed to use more then one tail's worth of power. While on the other was Yugito's pleading to do the exact the opposite, not only that but it was so Yugito could finally see her mother again after so long. Izanami decided to see how the fight was going, and saw Yugito's painful but also pleading expression on her face. Izanami bit her lower lip in uncertainty, still unsure of what to do.

"Onegai!" Yugito's voice yelled, completely begging for her friends help.

"But...we..." She paused, trying to think as quickly as she could on what to do...and finally decided on her answer even though she didn't like it. "...take it kitten...take it and kick his sexy ass!" She answered back before releasing all but a little remaining chakra to Yugito.

Naruto and the rest of the crowd easily felt the immense increase of chakra. Most of the crowd quickly silenced themselves at the overwhelming power exuded from within the fog. Naruto himself knew exactly what Yugito was doing and just continued on his onslaught hoping that her body would give out before any plan she may have been concocting would come to fruition.

Unfortunately for Naruto with the increase of chakra came an increase of speed as well for the women and her hand sealing speed greatly increase. And Naruto only noticed at the last moment she had even begun sealing, but was able to give her one final punch to the jaw before her heard her call out her jutsu.

"Raiton: Anzen Den'atsu (Lightning Style: Dark Voltage)!" She called out, a small amount of blood flowing out as she did so.

The audience quickly noticed a dark storm cloud much like earlier in the match begin to hover above the area of the fog that they heard the grunt emanate from. And to their surprise as quickly as the cloud came, a large lightning bolt shot down right into the fog. In the mean time Naruto was on his way around to strike Yugito once more but in the corner of his eyes saw something penetrate the fog flying right at her. He hesitated only a moment but that was all she needed, before the lightning struck her body, electricity now shooting off her body in little waves. Naruto continued his assault on her and was successful in hitting her, but was surprised when he felt lightning shock him making him jump back.

"Its just like Raiga's 'Raigeki no Yoroi (Lightning Strike Armor)'!"He thought to himself, shaking his hand in vein to get the numbness out of it.

Naruto was about to go in for another strike when he saw Yugito turn towards him. She had a smirk on her lips, making him arch a brow wondering just what she had to smile about considering her body was as bloody and thrashed as it currently was even with Izanami's healing abilities.

"Katsu!" She whispered but Naruto clearly heard it making his eyes grow wide.

The lightning that surrounded her erupted from her body training along through the fog...which Naruto just realized was a just a giant amplifier to her now. The crowd was still looking on with bated breath wondering just what was going on in there. Then they began to hear what could be considered a 'buzzing' sound emanate from the center of the fog before streams of lightning shot along the entire area that the fog covered. The lightning lit area up like a Christmas tree...that is until they saw a smoldering body launch from the bottom corner of the mist and landed solidly in the ground making a smoking crater.

"Damn that hurt." Naruto mumbled out, as he picked himself up from the crater, with remnants of the lighting jutsu still jumping along his body.

Naruto canceled the mist jutsu seeing that now it was only a liability to him, before kicking off the ground and landed on the closest rock pillar. Naruto's gaze hardened when he looked upon his kunoichi friend at the other end of the rock formation...many of the other onlookers gasping at what they were now seeing.

"Raikage-dono...I believe the elemental nations still abide by the rule that if a country with a jinchuuriki wishes to have said person participate in the Chuunin exams...the other participating countries are to be alerted." Sarutobi scolded, while being slightly shocked at the form Yugito now took.

Yugito herself had dark purple chakra surrounding her body taking the form of what resembled a cat, with two tails at her back and pointed ears atop her head.

"Hai...I believe that is correct Hokage-dono...but I do not recall you advertising your own either. Besides I gave you fair warning at the beginning of this match about no one being able to beat my shinobi, but you allowed the match to go on." The man retorted with a smirk seeing his most powerful shinobi finally going to her maximum level.

"Naruto-kun is a known jinchuuriki so I had no reason to announce it since those shinobi and their respected nations already knew of him and his prisoner."

"I suppose so...very well I will concede to your point. I will make a formal announcement of apology once the exams are over."

"Hai...very well" Sarutobi agreed.

Naruto saw the same that everyone now did and was disheartened that Yugito was willing to go this far. Though in her defense it was his fault since he dangled her mother in front of her the way he did at the beginning of the match. Although a happy leer soon graced his face...he didn't like that Yugito was going this far but he certainly couldn't lie and say this match wasn't exciting to him either. Unfortunately Naruto's leer disappeared when Yugito's arms extended outward and two balls of purple chakra began to grow in each hand. Naruto could feel how powerful the jutsu she was summoning was and was slightly concerned that the match was going a bit too far now.

"Yamiton: Shinka no Saikou Youkai (Darkness Style: Supreme Ghost of the Sacred Flame)!" Yugito growled out, before the two basketball sized balls of chakra were slammed together expanding into a large ball that was now only slightly smaller then Kasumi's 'Chou Oodama Rasengan' from Naruto's previous match, though Naruto noticing that it was gathering even more chakra.

"Damn...with all that chakra she is putting behind that I don't have many options that'll keep us both in one piece and won't also force me to release all my suppressed chakra." He mused before sighing, and released his second chakra limiter as he formed a Rasengan in his right hand. "I was hoping to not show anyone this attack, even during the invasion. Oh well I reap what I sow I suppose." He concluded almost whimsically.

Up in the stands many of the shinobi had different thoughts on the match up as well as what Naruto's answer to Yugito's jutsu was after they felt another increase in his chakra.

"He doesn't honestly think that a normal Rasengan will be able to stand up against a jinchuuriki's attack in a two-tailed state does he?" Kasumi asked, trying her best to hide the worry that was raging within her over her brother.

"If he does then he is a fool...and will be a good riddance if he is killed." Kushina spoke harshly her gaze hardening towards the two fighters.

"Onii-sama" Kasumi thought worriedly.

"If you are really foolish enough to only use a Rasengan to fight against her then you don't deserve to be in 'NE' anyway Naruto. But I doubt you are that incompetent...so lets us see what you are TRULY capable of in such a situation." Danzo thought a small smirk on his lips at how this match was going, there was so much more potential in Naruto then he even gave the boy credit for initially.

As the crowd watched on, they noted Yugito just standing until finally realizing she was simply gathering as much chakra as she could. Naruto just sighed and let his arms fall to his sides the Rasengan still in hand. To the surprise and awe of the crowd, the Rasengan in his hand seemed to fluctuate as if something was trying to break out of the ball from within. That is until the ball shape literally broke and the pent up chakra began to ooze its way up up his right arm encasing it in it's chakra.

The audience was entranced at what was happening, the chakra just continued to flow upwards before completely engulfing Naruto's right arm up to his shoulder and yet the chakra kept going upwards until at around three feet just stopped before seemingly becoming encased once more. To the audience they had never seen anything like this before. While most of the shinobi were in the same boat...to manipulate a jutsu like the Rasengan in such a way. Not even Jiraya of the Sannin would try a dangerous maneuver like that.

"Naruto is something else" Said toad-hermit complimented from his seat in the VIP box of the stands.

"He certainly is." Tsunade said with a ghost of a smile on her lips while looking on in both pride and guilt at Naruto's match...guiltily for actually feeling proud of Naruto when she had no right to.

"So he is finally going to use one of them...'Fumetsuou no Rasenken (Swirling Fist of the Immortal King)'" Natsumi spoke her voice laced with excitement making the sand siblings looking at her strangely, which she quickly felt and decided to answer their stares. "You see Naru-kun has already created three original jutsu from the Rasengan and currently working on a forth. Though not even I was allowed to see them while he worked on them much to my own disapproval. But I WAS able to grab a peek of the very one he is using now. Unfortunately not even I know what it is truly capable of since he hadn't mastered it yet when I saw." She explained, with an exciting glint in her eye.

The sand siblings just looked on rather shocked at Naruto's abilities, now even more curious at Naruto's jutsu, as everyone waited for these two powerful Genin to launch their jutsu..

"This next attack will end it Yugito-chan...so make sure it counts." Naruto's advised, only getting a nod in response.

The winds in the arena began to pick up as the two fighters put the last bits of chakra into finalizing their jutsu. The purple ball in Yugito's hands swirled dangerously in her palms, while Naruto's jutsu had picked up in concentration now spinning with a wild fierceness...almost seeming to scream for it's opponents blood. Naruto's free hand went behind his back before pulling out a normal kunai.

"When this hits the ground." He commanded, leaving the meaning behind his words easily interpreted by both Yugito and any of the audience that was able to hear him.

After she nodded Naruto threw the kunai high into the air, everyone watched in excitement as the kunai began to fall from the sky. The moment he kunai landed on one of the outlying pillars both Yugito and Naruto shot off the ground lunging at each other. As the crowd looked on, the battle seemed to slow to a crawl the moments before the two fighters would collide, with Yugito's fangs bared menacingly and her dark jutsu spinning wildly thrust out in front of her. While Naruto had his teeth clenched together with his arm and jutsu thrust forward as well, the attacks millimeters away from clashing.

The second they touched time seemed to move back to normal speed as the jutsu's fought for dominance for their masters. The winds within the arena billowed as if they were in the middle of a tornado, most of the crowd blocking the offending wind from their faces so they could watch the match continue...most of them shocked that Genin could be THIS powerful.

The powerful stalemate lasted a good half minute before the veteran shinobi noticed something as did the fighters themselves. What they noticed was apparent when both attacks seemed to give up on fighting each other and actually looked to be combining, which made all who noticed grow shocked expressions at what would inevitably happen. Which occurred only moments later when a large wave of chakra was expelled and then an explosion occurred where Yugito and Naruto were standing.

A large plumb of smoke encompassed that area of the arena, not allowing anyone but those of the Hyuuga to know what happened to either fighter. Though they didn't have to wait long before from the right end of the smoke Yugito shot out of the cloud right into a group of remaining pillars crashing through them and into the ground. However at an angle which made her continue on rolling across the ground until the wall itself stopped her with a loud thud, the purple chakra that had once encompassed her gone.

Meanwhile Naruto had also flown out of the dust cloud on the opposite side right into a few of the rock pillars. Though his trajectory was higher then Yugito's and after going through the pillars, actually continued in through air not only into but even through the arena wall and smashed into a nearby house if the explosion beyond the wall was any indication.

The audience looked on in silent excitement to see just how this fight would continue on...or end. they quickly turned from Yugito's slumped position to the hole that Naruto made in the wall, wondering just who would get up first if either did. The dust finally settled to show that most of the middle of the arena was adorned with rubble with all but a few of the rock pillars which Naruto had called upon earlier in the match in pieces and scattered across the arena floor.

Genma 'shunshin'ed back to the arena, having prior to then left to leave the fighter's without a hindrance of safety for him. When he looked over at Yugito, he noticed that she was struggling to get up. She looked quite ragged, much of her clothes were ripped and shredded, while many of her minor wounds already healed, her more serious ones were still visible. However you could tell just how much punishment she went through from all of the blood that was on her cloths and caked on her flesh.

Yugito rose albeit on stumbling legs and began her slow trek back to the center of the arena to either claim her victory or wait for Naruto's return from outside the wall. All but the Hyuuga could only guess as to which would occur. Now that she was in the center, everyone's attention was on the hole that Naruto had created, everyone simply waiting for the blonde's return. However after a solid minute pasted Genma decided to end the match. If it took the boy this long to show himself either he was dead or unconscious...either way the match was over.

"Since the other fighter has not returned within a suitable amount of time...the winner of this match is..."

"Matte!" Naruto's voice called out before appearing via shunshin in the arena's center across from Yugito. "You know the match could have waited a few moments so I could give the owner of the house I just wrecked a check for the damages. But it took longer then I thought cause he decided to get on my case about demons..." He sighed out, his annoyance evident in his tone.

"Naruto...-kun?" Yugito rasped out her tone slightly scared, concerned, and ashamed, her eyes wide in horror as she looked upon her friend.

"Hai?" He questioned ripping his gaze away from Genma and back to his opponent and friend.

Naruto saw the look she was giving him, and tilted his head to the side, before looking at the audience. Many of them having the same expression of shock while looking at him. Figuring it had something to do with his look and decided to give himself a once over...and quickly realized what everyone was looking at. His entire right arm that had once held his 'Fumetsuou no Rasenken' was completely black and charred. Granted he had many other cuts and bruises along his body but his arm was the worst injury.

"I did that to him?" She thought, guilt heavily weighing on her shoulder's now.

"Oh hai...that." He said almost whimsically, before poking his burnt arm a few times causing a few flakes of the skin to fall off when he did so, getting many of the audience to begin to look sick to their stomachs. "I suppose this would normally hurt a lot more then it does to me right now. But compared to the things I've had to face when I was a child in this place, something like this a dull pain in comparison..." He explained his gaze and voice growing cold, causing those Konoha citizens who participated in his beatings to grow ghostly pale at his words. "...besides its an easy fix." He said dismissively, before sealing with his good hand and pressed his open hand against his chest as a light green glow encompassed his body.

Many of the people looked on in fascination especially Tsunade, her apprentice Shizune, and any other medical staff stationed there all realizing it was some kind of medical jutsu...a powerful one at that. The cuts and bruises on him all seemed to disappear in under a minute, after that released his jutsu and let out a sigh of exhaustion.

Although Naruto for the most part looked fine now...his arm still looked burnt to a crisp, many of the onlookers wondering if he lost the ability to use the arm completely, and if he'd still continue with the fight if that were true. Both their and Yugito's concerns and questions were put to rest when Naruto made a fist with the burnt hand and flexed the arm. When he did so the chard skin flaked off much like a snake's shed skin that hand been burnt. Once all the blackened skin fell and he released his fist, it revealed a perfectly unmarred right arm with just his sleeve missing now. Naruto tested the arm, seeming to make sure it worked properly before forming a Rasengan in it and released it just as quickly, nodding in satisfaction.

"I'm ready to continue...however..." He started before pausing and looked at Yugito right in the eye. "...I wish for you to reconsider Yugito-chan. I can feel you are on your last legs and not to sound high and mighty but at this point, despite making me release all but my last chakra limiters I still have a large amount of chakra compared to you. You cannot win against me anymore." He explained, his tone stern yet still holding a friendly warmth to it.

"Gomen Naruto-kun..." She shook her head getting into her taijutsu stance once more. "...but I must win to see her!"

Naruto smiled at his friend's determination if slightly foolish...but he could certainly understand her reasons. And in truth he'd be just as stubborn if not more so if some of the people close to him were in trouble. Naruto nodded in acceptance of her wishes before he disappeared and reappeared in front of the blond.

"Gomen Yugito-chan...but you lose." He whispered, before they both locked gazes for a brief moment, until he thrust a fist into her stomach, making her spit up saliva and blood as she lost consciousness landing slumped over on her friend's shoulder "Call it." Naruto ordered sternly, while moving Yugito's body around so she was now resting in his arms bridal style.

"Winner...Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto!" Ganma shouted, and a moment later Naruto disappeared from the arena in a swirl of purple flames.

The entire arena was in a complete and awkward silence at everything that transpired in the match. Many not believing what they saw, while others not believing that Genin were capable of it, even more so that the 'demon spawn' was THAT powerful. Everyone was knocked out of their musings when clapping was heard from the far side of the stands.

When they looked, they saw both the Hokage and the Kazekage clapping charismatically...obviously showing their appreciation for such a good match. The audience soon followed suit until the entire arena was cheering for the great match. Although it was obvious the cheers were coming from the non-Konoha and whirlpool crowd since they cheered Naruto personally while the others just clapped as to not look foolish.

"It seems Valios-kun will have quite the enjoyable match when its his turn to fight the Kyuubi, if this match was an indication as to his full strength." Kushina mused, with a smirk having full confidence that her child will still be able to beat the beast.

Kasumi hid her frown by looking at the floor. "You're wrong Kaa-san...Valios-kun cannot win. Not against him...he can't" Kasumi argued, knowing and feeling that deep down Naruto's match was only the tip of the ice-burg of what he was truly capable of.

"Hai, you will make quite the addition to my army! You will be my greatest weapon to allow the 'ROOT' of Konoha to flourish!" Danzo appraised with a small smirk before he disappeared back into the shadows from whence he came...the entire reason for him being there now complete.

"That was quite the match...Hokage-dono, Raikage-dono. I feel rather jealous you have such strong Genin." The Kazekage joked.

"Hai, Naruto will definitely make a very good addition to my army in Oto...very good indeed." Orochimaru laughed mentally.

"Ah...hai...that was quite the match, I never would have guessed that boy could defeat my shinobi jinchuuriki or not. Konoha's claim of being the strongest village still seems to hold some truth..." The Raikage complimented, holding back a growl. "...by the way Hokage-dono can you tell me where he took my shinobi?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know truth be told, but I'll send some of my ANBU to find him and return her to you immediately" Sarutobi answered truthfully, having no idea why Naruto had taken her, before calling a pair of ANBU, giving them the orders to find him.

"Seems you were holding out on certain things Naruto-kun..." Sarutobi thought, before looking at the audience and seeing all the fearful Konoha faces. "...and it seems you took a liking to your role at scaring the people of Konoha that spited you. It truly is a shame they weren't nicer to you, or else they might have had you on heir side instead of against it. Oh well reap what you sow."

"Where did Naruto go?" Temari confusedly asked.

"I just spoke with him...he said he was going back to the mansion to dress Yugito's wounds as well as reintroduce her to her long lost Kaa-san. So for now lets just enjoy the last few matches before the invasion begins" Natsumi answered back boredly, now that the fun of her mate's match was over.

Namikaze Mansion,

In front of the Namikaze mansion arose a burst of purple flames before they disappeared leaving Naruto and Yugito in it's wake. He walked up to the gates and deactivated the mansion security before moving inside. He quickly maneuvered through his home while canceling his onipou genjutsu letting the large dam of chakra overflow recharging his depleted coils, before reaching his destination...the living room. He reached the couch that laid in the corner of the room and gently placed Yugito down.

"Ah Naruto-san is that you?" A woman's voice called out from the direction of the kitchen.

Naruto turned his head looking at the entrance awaiting the woman's inevitable entrance. He didn't have to wait long when the form of a woman who looked to be in her forties came into view. She had long black hair that went a little past her shoulders, and chocolate brown eyes that expressed a warmth that could easily be proven by the woman's personality. She was quite attractive, and in all honesty Naruto was not expecting Yugito's mom to look so...youthful. She was wearing a simple long forest green skirt that went to her ankles, and a navy blue shirt, as well as a pink apron that made Naruto lightly chuckle from the look. His laughter was cut short when the sound of a plate breaking rung in his ears. He looked at the woman's expression...fear, anxiety, but most of all hope could be seen written in her face.

"I...is that...my...my musume?" She asked though haggard, and fearful breath.

"Hai...this is your musume Elena-san..." He answered back with a small smile, immediately noticing Elena move closer, forcing him to put up his hand in a 'stop' motion. "...gomen Elena-san, but I'll need you to wait a few more minutes. As you can tell she is quite beaten up and will need a few minutes to recover. Why don't you go make us some tea and by the time you return she'll be ready to be reunited with you, I promise." He reassured her.

Elena hesitated, her thoughts conflicted...but when she saw and heard Naruto's words she let her tense body rest, and nodded before silently going back towards the kitchen. Naruto could only smile at the woman's love for her adopted daughter even after over a decade and a half's worth of separation. He turned back to Yugito and placed his hand on her forehead and stomach, encompassing her body in a light purple glow. After a few minutes of Naruto's healing jutsu the purple aura surrounding Yugito dissipated leaving her skin now unmarred as if the two hadn't done battle...although the blood was still caked onto her.

"Ah Elena-san great timing I was just about to wake her up." Naruto said easily smelling the prepared tea.

Elena turned the corner, and placed the tea on the small table near the couch, and sat herself in one of the other open seats.

"D...do you think she'll recognize m...me after so long?" She asked her tone reflecting her obvious nervousness.

"Hai...I think she will definitely recognize you." He reassured with a smile, before turning back to Yugito. "Ne Izanami-san would you mind waking up Yugito-chan here. There is someone she would definitely like to meet after so long."

The two simply waited and soon enough Yugito began to stir...if the groan of pain was any indication.

"Welcome back Yugito-chan" Naruto greeted.

"Naruto...-kun?" She retorted groggily, her vision trying to orient itself...the room still slightly spinning. "Where am I?"

he chuckled. "You're at my home in Konoha. I brought you here after our match ended so I could get you properly healed...I won our match by the way."

"I see..." She answered, her tone soundly slight dejected. "...so...you won't let me see Kaa-san will you?"

"I don't know...you'll just have to ask her yourself." He answered trying to hold back his amusement.

Yugito looked at Naruto oddly because of his answer, before anger began to well up in her from seeing his bemused smile.

"Hisui-hime (Jade Princess)?" Elena called out, her voice and words causing Yugito to freeze...there was only ONE person who ever called her that in her life.

Slowly but surely her face turned towards Elena, Yugito now quite fearful that what she heard was only a figment of her imagination. When she completely turned she saw a woman sitting before her...a woman that she immediately recognized, and knew was her mother.

"Kaa-san" Yugito said almost breathlessly, making said woman smile warmly, and nod slightly.

Yugito seemingly in a trance began to get up from the couch and headed towards the older woman, their gazes never leaving the other, until Yugito was standing right in front of her.

"Kaa-san" She repeated in the same tone, while her quaking hands were brought up to touch the womans face, making sure she was truly real.

"Hai...its your Kaa-san, she is finally back my Hisui-hime." Elena retorted happily.

Naruto gave the two the space and time they needed, feeling happy that he was able to keep his word to Yugito. As he watched he noticed Yugito's eyes begin to water, the same as Elena herself. Not a moment later did the two suddenly jump into a bone-crushing embrace, finally letting the unshed happy and sad tears they held in for more then a decade of separation fall.

He let the women have their moment while he prepared the tea in each cup since he guessed many questions would be shot at both him and Elena in the near future. When he was finished with the preparations he saw Yugito curled up in Elena's chest lightly sobbing while her mother warmly petted her head, and cooed reassuring whispers to her. Naruto himself wished he could have let the pair stay like that for as long as they wished. Unfortunately an army of Oto shinobi were knocking at the door of Konoha and they weren't going to wait for someone to answer it.

"What no love for the guy who saved her?" He said with a pout and a tone that clearly said he was joking...though he didn't expect the answer he got from Yugito.

One moment he was standing there watching Yugito in the embrace of her mother. The next he was thrown into the couch, as a pair of soft lips assaulted his own, while feeling a body straddle his lap, pressing against him while he was forced in a sitting position. Although he was certainly surprised, he wasn't one to be easily upstaged and as soon as his senses returned, returned the kiss. He let his hands settle on Yugito's hips, giving them a soft squeeze every so often, making her moan lowly at the sensation.

After a good minute, Yugito finally released her lips from his only an inch away from each other, with a small line of saliva still connecting the two. She was gazing into his eyes, her happiness, warmth, and gratitude for what he did radiating from her jade orbs. In one final act of 'thanks' she laced her tongue over his slightly parted lips and took back their 'liquid connection'.

"Arigato Naruto-kun...arigato." She whispered breathlessly with a tinge of pink on her cheeks, her hot breathe tickling his lips, as well as his nose when he smelled the slight arousal coming off of her.

He grinned like an idiot. "Not a problem Yugito-chan...I told you I would find her for you, and I would never take back my word...especially from a friend..." He whispered, before the grin turned into a smirk. "...and although I was only joking about what I said before, I certainly don't mind the reward. So if there is someone else you want me to find...just let me know." He joked in a husky and teasing tone, winking at her...which made her blush deepen.

An exaggerated cough coming from behind them, tore them from each other, and looked back to see Elena with her arms crossed, her brow arched, and a shit-eating grin on her face.

"While I don't mind my daughter doing those things with a man that she obviously trusts...especially one as handsome as you Naruto. I'd prefer it to happen after more then 10 minutes have passed since we've been reunited after over a decade and a half, as well as not right in front of me. I have to act as both her Kaa-san and Tou-san you know...so don't think I won't give you 'The Talk' hero-san." She said, her tone giving off a teasing as well as seriousness.

Yugito's blush came back full force when she full realized what she did in front of her Kaa-san. A kiss that primal and passionate shouldn't be seen by anyone...especially one's parents. And with an almost inaudible 'eep' quickly jumped off Naruto's lap right onto the farthest seat on the couch from him, while Naruto just laughed nervously at the situation.

"Gomen Elena-san...I think Yugito-chan was just happy I brought you back to her is all. And unfortunately what I think you're thinking here is jumping to conclusions, there is a lot we must talk about first however." He said after calming down and motioning for her to take a seat again.

"Hai...like explaining this whole situation to me...Naruto-kun." Yugito spoke up after, finally calming down...her tone while speaking his name was threatening...making him slightly nervous.

"Ano...well..." He stuttered before coughing to get some kind of semblance of calmness back. "...basically the story goes like this. After I told you about helping you find Elena-san, and you went back to Kumo I began my search..." He stated before grabbing his tea and took a long sip. "...unfortunately I couldn't find much for the first three weeks. Only tidbits from the shinobi of Kumo but nothing solid on her whereabouts. Not only that but there were other situations that called for my attention. One of them being you and that group Uchiha Itachi was with. Fortunately though, on the final week before the exams were to start I was able to find someone that knew where Elena-san was being held and...convinced...him to tell me everything. The problem was that the location he gave me was surprisingly back in Fire Country near Konoha. Apparently Kumo spies found one of the snake sannin Orochimaru's old, abandoned laboratories, and used it to keep Elena-san hostage. THAT is why you could never find hide nor hair of her in Kumo...she was never there to begin with. And the Raikage unfortunately had the brains to have the only connection between Kumo and his shinobi in Fire Country be a single Jounin, who would check on the situation in the laboratory once every month. So digging for clues was nearly impossible unless you knew where to look. Hell it was pure luck that I even found the Jounin while I was on my way to Kumo." He explained, before letting out a sigh. "But I'm getting slightly off topic...once I found the location I rescued Elena-san, killed the shinobi, and destroyed the lab." He finished.

She nodded in understanding. "I understand that...but that doesn't quite explain why you didn't come to find me to tell me you found her." She answered, slight anger leaking off her words.

He frowned, and looked down slightly ashamed. "Gomen Yugito-chan, but I have a few reasons for that. The main one being that by the time I found the laboratory it was the day before the exams, so you were already on your way to Konoha anyway. Therefore it would have been safer for the both of you if I kept Elena-san in my home for the day. Another reason is that if I had told you about her too soon, I know you would have angered the Raikage by quitting being a shinobi to be with her. But the uproar that would have caused, would have been a catastrophe for everyone within the walls of Konoha, since Orochimaru's army is right outside waiting. The third reason is that had you defected too soon from Kumo, there wouldn't all that much I could do to protect you or Elena-san from both the Raikage, and I'm sure Konoha's council once they heard about the situation and didn't want even more hostilities to occur between the nations so they would have ordered your return to him. I needed to keep you clueless until the last moment, so I could use the invasion as a distraction for you both." He explained, with his frown soon deepening. "And the last reason was because of my own selfishness. I wanted to see how strong you were, and I knew that if I did what I did at the beginning of our match you wouldn't pull your punches against me because we are friends. Despite this however...I know you are angry with me for not telling you as soon as I had Elena-san in my protection...and for that I apologize. Gomennasai Yugito-chan."

Yugito looked at Naruto's amethyst eyes, and could only see sadness and self-loathing about what he had done. She understood his reasons for why...but it still angered and hurt her to not be told as soon as possible, she was about to open her mouth to respond when Elena cut her off.

"Its alright Hisui-hime...forgive him" She approved kindly, nodding to her daughter.

"She is right...other then the last reason, Naruto-kun did all of that for you and your Kaa-san's protection and happiness." Izanami concurred.

Yugito fidgeted slightly, her anger and happiness warring for dominance. She truly wanted to just hug Naruto again for returning her mother to her, and yet her anger wouldn't let her, because he kept it a secret from her even if only for one day.

"Ne Yugito-chan I understand...you don't have to forgive me. And in truth I'm just glad I could reunite you with Elena-san after so long." He replied sullenly, easily sensing her turmoil.

Naruto got up to put his cup in the kitchen, while hiding the slight sadness he held. However he was stopped when a slightly calloused but soft hand grabbed his wrist. He turned to see Yugito looking up at him, a small smile across her lips with a look of guilt in her eyes.

"Gomen Naruto-kun...you say it was selfish of you to make me fight you seriously. And yet here I am angry at you for making me wait another day to see my Kaa-san, the person YOU brought back that I've been waiting for over a decade and a half to see again. If anyone is selfish here its me for being angry at your actions when I know deep down you only did it to protect myself or the people in Konoha which include Kaa-san. I'm the selfish one Naruto-kun...gomennasai...please forgive me." She softly pleaded, looking down at the ground unable to look at him anymore, her tone easily expressing her sadness at her inappropriate feelings towards the situation.

Naruto only took a moment to react to her words, and with a twist of his wrist he was now the one holding on to her, her hand within his, while he tenderly caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. Yugito looked up at his actions, confusion written on her face, before she saw the large and quite happy smile on his face.

"Its ok Yugito-chan...all is forgiven ne?" He offered warmly, his attitude being contagious, making her smile happily, as a few tears fell down her face.

"Arigato Naruto-kun"

He just nodded in affirmation before letting her hand go and went back into the kitchen. The happy mood was ruined when a tremor rocked the house as a large explosion was heard coming from the direction of the Chuunin stadium. Elena and Yugito immediately stood up on reflex, with Naruto walking back into the room.

"Guess the invasion has started..." Naruto stated knowingly, while going to grab his orange flak jacket that he discarded while healing Yugito. "...Elena-san, Yugito-chan...this is between Konoha and Oto. So I'd like to ask you both to stay on my property until Natsu-chan and I finish this, so you don't get involved. Especially with the Raikage still out there and I'm sure by now looking for his 'Buki-hime'" Naruto requested.

"But I can help!" Yugito countered, which only made Naruto smile warmly.

"Hai...I know you can Yugito-chan, and I'm appreciative of the support. But in reality all I did was heal your wounds, your body is still fatigued from lack of chakra thanks to our battle. If you went with me you would be in bad shape if one of the stronger enemy shinobi fights you or worse yet the Raikage. Besides that I'd be worrying about you too much to keep my concentration on fighting. I wouldn't be able to bare it if you or one of my other friends were hurt or worse because of me when I could have prevented it. Please just stay here and keep your Kaa-san safe. Hell you can even release Izanami-san here to stretch her legs a bit. My Tou-san set it up so that those outside the grounds can't feel powerful KI auras within...so she won't be noticed."

She hesitantly nodded. "I understand...I may not like it but if YOU ask it of me I'll do it Naruto-kun" She retorted with a cute pout, which made him smile

"Arigato Yugito-chan..." He answered back, before turning to Elena. "...make yourselves at home. When I finally return is when you'll know the invasion is over..." He explained as a puff of smoke appeared with Izanami now standing in it's wake. "...you hear all that Izanami-san?"

"Hai hai Naruto-kun...now go on, and get that sexy ass of yours out there to help Natsumi-chan" She said in a seductive, but dismissive tone.

"Alright then, stay safe you three." He retorted before being engulfed by a column of purple flames.

Elena looked at the new woman, but more importantly her 'appendages' before quirking an eye.

"Should I even ask?" She questioned.

"She is my perverted demoness Kaa-san" Yugito answered, while shaking her head at Izanami's euphoric expression while seeing Naruto leave.

Izanami heard this and smirked. "You call me perverted...yet if I recall kitten we both agreed that if he gave either of us the slightest 'go ahead'...we'd jump his bones all night." Izanami retorted with a devious smirk, making Yugito blush.

Elena quirked a brow. "My my my...seems my musume has certainly grown hasn't she?" Elena teased, making Yugito pout and her blush darken. "Alright, enough of turning my musume into a human tomato. Instead I want to hear everything that I've missed over the last seventeen years. And that especially includes hero-san, I know that kiss wasn't just one of gratitude Hisui-hime" She commanded softly, taking her seat again with a smirk seeing Yugito turn even redder at being so easily caught from secretly enjoying the deep kiss she shared with Naruto. Then again its a parent's job to embarrass their kids at any opportunity after all.