Finally got around to writing the third part of this story. This chapter actually has some references to some stuff that will take place in my upcoming series of one shots to be called, "Tales of the Sound-Leaf war." Essentially, it will be a collection of gathered one-shots that revolve around this AU that Clans takes part of, as a prequel of sorts.

Thanks to my beta-readers, h3x and Multi-fan46, for helping me with this chapter.

Third Kunai: Spiral

"I've faced down the strongest Demon in history for the last six years with no fear. You honestly think I'll ever be afraid of a whiny bastard like you. Don't make me laugh idiot. Besides, didn't you know? Foxes eat snakes."

-Exchange heard during the final battle in the Sound-Leaf war between Uzumaki Naruto and the Snake Master Orochimaru.

It was hard to anger Uzumaki Naruto.

Oh, when he was younger he knew he was an idiotic hothead who would try to fight at the slightest provocation. He had suffered many a beat-down from the civilian population and the older academy students after biting off far more than he could chew when he was a kid. Such was the way of the naive child he was, only looking for acceptance.

That was before he knew about Kyubi.

That was before the first time the Kyubi had tried to influence his mind in battle.

That was before the time the Kyubi almost killed him in his own mindscape.

That was before the time before Naruto nearly slaughtered an entire village during the war on a Kyubi-induced rage.

That was before Naruto took that fox bastard's eye for being such a pain in the ass.

The war had forced Naruto to dip deeper into his well of demonic chakra more than he ever intended to, ever. It was during these events that he realized just how dangerous anger could be, especially when dealing with the incarnation of hate and rage within the corners of your mind. It had taken him many years to find ways to control his anger, to hide his emotional hotspots and learn to let taunts, jeers and insults roll off him like sweat after a workout. Though when he finally succeeded in learning to clamp down or otherwise, for the lack of a better word, 'destroy' the anger, even Ero-Sennin was surprised.

Naruto only shook his head as the memories drifted through his mind, continuing his walk down Konoha's main street towards the Inuzuka compound. Nekoi was currently resting in one of the spare room's at the orphanage, with Hinata and Shadow watching over her worriedly. Naruto knew there was nothing he could do at that point for her, but he'd be damned if he didn't do something to help.

And if he couldn't do anything to help, then he would find someone who could.

He finally snapped out of his musings when the Inuzuka compound came into view. He clamped down on the feelings of anger that were starting to bubble to the surface and instead of going further, turned off into one of Konoha's side alleys. He leaned against the corridor wall and crossed his arms, flaring his chakra wildly enough to catch the attention of the one he was looking for. He then simply waited, trying to keep the rising rage in check, knowing that it would not help to tear the one he wanted to speak to apart.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Naruto frowned. I know the mutt is there. I can sense his chakra from here damn it. There's no way he could've missed the flare I sent out. Maybe he's still asleep, it is god damn early, he thought to himself as he glared at first dawn's light. He then paused before a familiar foxy grin covered his face. He closed his eyes and sent a thought to his tenant, Time to earn your keep your miserable excuse for a fox. Just enough to scare the mutts this time. He ignored the growl that accompanied the acknowledgement of servitude and went ahead and flared the demon's chakra, enough to send the dogs of the clan that had been outside into a howling frenzy. If someone had seen his eyes at that point, they probably would've shit themselves at the demonic red pupils beneath his closed lids.

Hearing what he wanted to hear, Naruto immediately cut the flow off. That should do it. He was correct, as in less that a minute later, Kiba and Akamaru came running around the corner, the former with a look of pure murder on his face. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IDIOT?"

Naruto only smirked, scratching Akamaru under his ear as the dog came closer to him. "Good morning to you too mutt. What kept you?"

Kiba growled bestially and Naruto honestly considered if he was going to have to fight his old friend. However the Inuzuka seemed to reel himself in, taking a deep breath before glaring at the blonde. "Where is she?"

Naruto gave a nod, pushing off the wall. "Walk with me." He stated simply. Kiba gave him an odd look as the blond walked away, but Naruto knew the he would follow. Sure enough, after a few seconds Kiba was at his side, Akamaru on Kiba's right. The two walked in silence, although Naruto could practically feel the impatience rolling off the other ninja in waves. He didn't let it bother him; he had more important things on his mind. "What the hell happened last night?"

Kiba flinched at the sudden question but answered anyway, "She had another fight with our mother."

Naruto slowly turned his head to look Kiba in the eyes. A small frown covered his face. "Judging from what I've heard, that's not the whole story."

Kiba only glared back. "It's a clan affair Naruto. You know I can't talk about that stuff to those outside my pack." He almost choked after saying those words, as pure killing intent seemed to start rolling off the blonde in waves. While he was sure Naruto wouldn't kill him, the miasma of pure malevolence was almost paralyzing.

"Shut up and listen to me dog-breath. I don't know what happened last night; the only explanation I could get out of Nekoi was fragmented at best. But I do know this, the only time I've seen ANYONE drink that much was Tsunade after Jiraiya's death." Naruto stated very slowly and quietly, instilling an even deeper fear into Kiba's soul. "Now, you will tell me what the hell happened last night. And you will check on your little sister. Am I understood?" Naruto could only watch in slight satisfaction as Kiba seemed to pale after his words. Even Akamaru shrunk back a little.

"Yeah, sure. I was planning on tracking her down to check on her anyway. I don't need you to tell me to do that, idiot."

At once, the killing intent faded, causing Kiba and his canine companion to gasp at the released pressure. Naruto only smiled back at him. "Good."

-

The Uzumaki orphanage was a very old place, but one that seemed to have mystique all its own. It had originally belonged to one of the village's older council members from a non-shinobi clan, but due to a series of... unfortunate circumstances, the whole compound had been put up for sale, including the vast mansion within its grounds. Most people had known they had no chance of ever raising the money to afford the place, but the people who were selling it were shocked regardless when no less than a week after it had been put up for sale, one shinobi came to them with the price they were asking for. It had put them off guard, because they had assumed that they would have to bargain with their prospective customers, and thus had set the price higher than what the place was actually worth. The fact that a 'shinobi' of all people gave them their asking price was stunning indeed, as shinobi without clans tended to live rather frugal lives.

Even more so when the customer in general was the demon-brat.

Naruto only shook his head at the memory as he, Kiba and Akamaru walked onto the compound grounds in the earlier morning light. Kiba had given Naruto a brief rundown of what had taken place the night before, but to Naruto's ears, it sounded like it was complete gibberish. Naruto had never been a huge fan of tradition or clan legacy, perhaps since he grew up without any, but even after he had begun to understand concepts like family loyalty, he didn't understand much of the things that Konoha's clans did.

Though in his opinion, it was an incredibly stupid reason for being kicked out of a clan. It was just as stupid as what Hinata's clan had done to her, although what had happened to his favorite Hyuga could've been much worse had oba-chan not stepped in. And for that, Naruto would be eternally grateful to the old hag, although he'd never tell her that to her face.

As then entered the front door of the mansion, the door quieter than one would expect from its massive size, Naruto couldn't help but sigh as he looked over his, and many others, home. It looked bigger from the outside, and there was no doubt that the building WAS huge, but it seems that having a large group of children around tended to create large messes of clutter, ranging from stuffed animals, to board games and other toys. He only shook his head in resigned amusement; I'll have to clean up again today. Maybe I'll force the kids outside for the day so I can do so. Thank kami I know Kage-Bushin.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Kiba seemed to all but growl. Naruto turned his head towards one of his old rivals and was met with a glare that would've spooked him if he hadn't grown up with far worse ones everyday. Naruto only chuckled sheepishly before pointing towards the staircase, "Third floor, last room on the left. She's not near any of the kids so you shouldn't be interrupted. Hinata and Shadow are still with her though."

Kiba only nodded before heading towards the stairs without another word, Akamaru in tow. Normally Naruto would keep Akamaru from heading to the upper floors but considering he had already let Shadow up there, he decided that it wasn't going to be an issue regardless. Instead of following, he turned and head towards the kitchen, another task in mind. After all, the kids would probably be waking up soon and they would need breakfast. It didn't take long for him to fall into his daily morning routine. Where before he would've been more than happy to sleep the morning away, apparently having kids rely on you changes your behavior.

Fancy that.

He didn't let his stray thoughts interfere with what he was currently doing. Going through the motions of cooking breakfast every morning when not on missions had become second nature to him. As he turned on his stove and started cooking a few eggs, he sensed a familiar presence entering the kitchen behind him. He didn't say a word as he sensed her head to the fridge and began pulling out various types of fruits and heading towards the cutting board. Within moments, the sound of a knife rapidly chopping through her goods met his ears and he silently thanked the kami for sending her to him. "Hinata, have I ever told you that you're a life saver?" He said with a grin, looking over his shoulder at the first person of his generation to really accept him.

She really was too. Not only was she a top-notch medic-nin, much to the chagrin of her overly traditional and imbecilic clan, but she had helped Naruto out so much over the years. When he first opened the orphanage, she was the one who had helped him prepare for the trials of raising kids until someone adopted them. She also taught him his current cooking skills, as prior to that he had been hopeless in the kitchen. And she seemed to always have time to help him out when he needed it. In fact, she had become a sort of mother figure to most of the orphans there, or at least a sister since she was around almost as much as Naruto. He would never be able to express his gratitude to her for all her help over the years.

She had changed and grown over the years, shedding away her timid and shy nature for a more confident and experienced personality. She was still quiet, but it only seemed to suit her gentle nature more. She had grown as well, both in height and beauty and Naruto sometimes wondered if his teammate knew how truly gorgeous she was. There had been many times where he had to fight himself from doing something that might jeopardize their friendship, especially after a few drinks and she looked ever lovelier than normal. She also seemed to be perpetually single, another sweet temptation that seemed to smack the blond across the face daily, mostly because people were intimidated by the fact that she was a member of the Hyuga clan, and its former heiress.

Or at least was. Fucking bastard Hiashi... Naruto thought to himself angrily as he turned his eyes back on the eggs he was cooking. The voice of his friend finally answered him, the soft melodic sound of bells somehow coming to his mind's ear as she spoke. "Someone has to help you out. Otherwise these kids would eat you alive, Naruto-kun."

He only prodded the scrambled eggs he was making a few times before turning to face her. He saw the small grin on her face, although she wasn't facing him directly, and decided to play along. He put on a pouting expression, one so similar to one that his kids would use on him to try and get something out of him. "I think I can handle myself. I am a Jounin after all."

She only chuckled lightly, shaking her head in amusement as she took the chopped up fruit, placed it in a bowl and then placed said bowl on the large table that was in the center of the kitchen. She immediately moved towards one of his cabinets, grabbed the bag of rice within and headed towards the rice cooker. Naruto almost felt bad about soiling her good mood but he finally let out a sigh and asked, "So how is she?"

Hinata seemed to pause for a moment before shaking her head and going about her task. "She's... not as bad as she was last night. Physically, she'll be fine but have a hell of a hangover later. Mentally..." She trailed off, not really sure what to say.

Naruto frowned at that. If there was anyone who could help Nekoi with what she was going through, it was Hinata. Although Hinata's separation from her clan had far more... extreme circumstances, she knew fully what it was like to be treated as a cast off from the remainder of the family. He finally said, "Hinata..."

She cut him off, speaking softly. "I understand Naruto-kun. Kiba's with her now and its better that he stays with her for now. If she comes to me on her own, then I'd be more than glad to help her." She then watched in mild amusement as the first child of the morning staggered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily while wearing pajamas depicting some sort of odd lizard creature. The conversation ended there as the first wave of kids hit them up for food, both shinobi only casting smiles at the children as they began dishing out food and cooking more.

This pattern eventually followed all morning, mostly due to how Naruto ran the place. The Uzumaki orphanage didn't have many set rules, mostly because Naruto despised most of the rules saddled on him as a kid. As long as the kids behaved themselves, things pretty much ran smoothly. Kids came and went for meals, almost in waves as if they had drawn lots the night before for when they were going to eat and typically it had Naruto cooking up a lot of food. He didn't impose a curfew for bed, and the kids thought this was 'awesome'... until they starting heading to sleep at a reasonable time of their own accord.

Ironically, despite the seemingly lack of discipline or punishment, the orphanage ran incredibly smoothly. Naruto could never really understand why, as he had been told that it would be an incredible ordeal. This is not to say that it wasn't, but that mostly because he didn't hire out employees and did everything himself or one of his friends, who volunteered, did. It was finally one day that Tsunade commented to him while she was visiting him that his kids were oddly well-behaved for their respective ages.

She had actually brought this point up to him because of something he had put into place. Basically, adopting a child for the orphanage followed standard procedures, lots of paperwork, and some accounting mechanisms so that the kids were kept track of after leaving with their new parents. However, unlike other orphanages, Naruto allowed the kids to come and go as they pleased. This only really came up with some of the older children who were on the verge of becoming teenagers (a very small batch. Most of the kids were adopted by the time they were six to eight years old, which surprised many people who knew this fact). The older children tended to do their own thing, and only really came by at meal times or if they needed a place to crash for the night. Tsunade had berated him for allowing these older children to become street urchins but Naruto understood why the kids did it. He had grown up on his own and had been fiercely independent, so he could understand their need to assert themselves in such a way. Besides, it wasn't like he left them alone completely. They were also welcome back either way at anytime.

Naruto snapped out of his musings as a girl with blond hair around the age of six tugged on his flak jacket, holding up an empty plate with a small pout on her face. He only chuckled and scooped some more of the food onto her plate, already reaching for a few more eggs to begin cooking. After all, this was only the first wave of the little morning monsters.

-

Breakfast passed quickly, as it always did. It wasn't long after the last child had finished eating that Chouji and Lee showed up as they usually did. Immediately afterwards Lee had directed all the children outside so that 'they could engage in their 'fires of youthfulness'. Chouji had just followed with a smile and a chuckle, a bag of chips already in his hands as he went with Lee to help keep an eye on the kids. Naruto couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at that, slumping into one of the chairs with a weary sigh. It seems like it takes a little more out of me every day... must be getting old or something. He snapped out of his musings when Hinata handed him a cup of hot tea and he inhaled the herbal scent before saying, "Hinata-chan, I love you. You know that?"

Hinata only chuckled slightly at his praise. "Of course you do Naruto-kun." She said it in an amused tone of voice, but there was a slight blush on her face as she did so, making her appear even lovelier than usual. She's still not used to compliments though... She sat down across from him, with some toast with jam already on a plate before her with her own cup of tea. "So what are your plans today?" She asked casually, trying to make conversation as the two picked at the toast together.

Naruto considered the question for a while. "Well, I do need to clean this place up sometime today. I think we're also due for the electric bill and the water bill for this month; I'll have to stop by the utilities facility later. What else... what else... Oh! A nice couple is coming by around three to see the kids."

"Well at least that's good. I assume you've already checked them out?" Hinata replied. Although it was a common occurrence for one of Naruto's kids to be adopted, Naruto could tell that she missed each one of them when they left. I wonder if that's what it was like for the other orphanages as well... Or perhaps Hinata-chan simply sees all of them as her kids. She spends enough time around them that it wouldn't surprise me.

"Of course. I cleared the background check with the people in the tower already. They're immigrants and the wife apparently has some sort of problem that prevents her from having children of her own. Supposedly Kotetsu-san has already agreed to be their shadow for the weeks after they take the child home, which saves me from having to find someone."

Hinata nodded, taking another sip of her tea. "What about Nekoi-chan?"

Naruto's train of thought halted at that simple question. He let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair and looked towards the ceiling. "I'm not sure. She's more than welcome to stay as long as she needs a place to stay. That's not an issue at all. But I'm not really sure what else we 'can' do for her. Hopefully Kiba will be able to do something with the clan."

As if summoned by his name being invoked, Kiba and Akamaru walked into the kitchen. Without even being asked, Naruto pointed to the tea kettle on the stove, signifying that there was tea ready for drinking. Kiba nodded and filled a cup for himself before pulling up a seat. The three drank in silence, but Naruto kept his eyes on Kiba the entire time. Finally, the dog user let out a sigh. "Well, I convinced her to get some rest. She's sleeping now."

Hinata spoke up, her voice dripping with concern. "Is there anything you can do for her Kiba? With your clan I mean."

Kiba shook his head. "I'm not sure. The tension between her and mom has been building for years and last night it just snapped. I need to wait until mom calms down enough before even trying to mention it to her."

Naruto only narrowed his eyes. "Come on dog breath, you have to be able to do better than that."

Kiba scoffed before glaring at the blonde. "It's not that simple dead-last. The two of them actually came to blows last night, and attacking the clan head is a serious offense, even in our pack."

Naruto only smirked and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, it'll happen when two bitches piss each other off."

Kiba chuckled at that but Hinata only frowned and slapped Naruto on his shoulder hard enough for the blonde to wince slightly from the blow. "Watch your language. You're supposed to be a role-model for these kids."

"Kami spare us all." Kiba added as an afterthought, prompting chuckles from the trio.

Naruto held up his hands in surrender to placate his female friend before turning back to Kiba. "Well, for now tell your clan that she's under MY protection. If anyone from your clan bothers her, I'm going to take it as an attack against the Uzumaki clan and respond accordingly."

He had thought that stating such a thing would send his friend into righteous big-brother mode, but was shocked when Kiba only nodded. "I was actually going to ask if you could make that claim, at least until things calm down. I may be able to help her back into the clan but I can't take open movements on her behalf yet or I may find myself losing face in the pack. And if that happens, she'll never be allowed back." Seeing the two's shocked looks, he clarified. "Hey, I'd die for my little sister, you guys know that. But quite frankly, if you're willing to put that offer up, I'm sure as hell going to take it Naruto. Ever since Seikaicho (1), everyone in Konoha knows not to fuck with you or any of yours."

Naruto frowned at that, as did his female friend. "Let's not talk about that..."

Kiba winced as he realized what he said, "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright." The blonde replied, his mind already drifting back to the incident against his will.

All in all. he was rather relieved when he heard a young voice call out, "Hey whisker face! You here?"

Naruto turned his head to face the speaker with a scowl on his face. "What did I tell you about calling me that Hiro-chan?"

The eight year old merely met the blonde's scowl with own of his own, at least three times as fierce with his green eyes blazing in fury. He had brown hair that was cut short on one side, and long on the other, half-shielding the boy's face from half of the bangs that would normally be there. He was dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit similar to one that Naruto had worn during his own youth, although far more tasteful to his associates. Not that I ever expect anyone to understand the glory that is orange. "Oi ossan! I ain't nobody's 'chan'!" Naruto had to fight to keep the look of amusement from creeping up beneath his fake scowl. Ah, just what we needed. A little comic relief never hurt anyone; err... at least on purpose. If he's here then the other two should be coming in right behind him.

Sure enough, no sooner than the boy spoke he was following into the kitchen by two other children roughly around his age. The first was a young girl, tiny even for her age. Her black hair was tied back into a pony tail and secured by an orange hair band, one that the jounin had actually given her on her last birthday. She as wearing a simple white t-shirt and brown cloth vest, along with a pair of tan shorts. Her brown eyes showed their exasperation with her fellow pre-teen as she shook her head as if already giving up on him. She did however give her friend a slap on the back of the head for yelling so loud. "Shut up Hiro. Use a little volume control for a change."

The child identified as Hiro merely turned his eyes on her in response and blew her a raspberry, "Ah shut it Sayuri!"

"Why you..." The girl began, a vein already bulging out on her forehead as she began cracking her knuckles, preparing to give yet another thrashing to her friend.

The last kid only seemed to watch his friends with detached amusement, yet saying nothing. Oddly enough, he was the most unique looking out of the trio, a mop of smooth silver hair covering his head that seemed to just draw the eyes. One eye a scarlet color similar to the pigment of Yuuhi Kurenai, the other a dark purple color. His whole expression showed nothing but being bored and tired, and as long as Naruto had known the child, he had always looked that way. He often wondered if the boy lived in a state of perpetual exhaustion, but never asked. The boy seemed happy enough, although it was often hard to get the boy to speak at all. He could clam up faster than Shino after overhearing about someone fumigating their home. In the years that he's known the boy, Naruto has only heard the boy say about a hundred words and counting.

Naruto only rolled his eyes at the trio's antics, ignoring the chuckles from Hinata and Kiba. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the terrible trio; what brings you guys here, Ginzan-kun, Sayuri-chan, Hiro-chan?" Naruto asked, deliberating adding and emphasizing the diminutive suffix for the loudest of the three. He fought the grin on his face when he saw Hiro once again bristle at the title. He had known these three for a long time, and they were some of the few to not be adopted and instead, set off on their own. He had actually starting paying for their civilian style schooling for the last few years himself.

Naruto really liked these three, and almost envied them for their almost sibling-like relationship. Ginzan was like the older brother who looked out for the younger ones protectively; Hiro was like the youngest, often bringing energy to the trio and often being the one who came up with their plans for the day. Sayuri acted as a big sister to Hiro and took care of both of them, and in return, both boys looked out for her like any brother would do for their sister. She often acted as the spokesperson for the group, having a better handle on language than Hiro, and far more talkative than Ginzan. Despite being so young, they often acted like teenagers more often than not.

Hinata slapped Naruto on the arm lightly, but there was a smile on her face as well. "Behave. You're supposed to be setting a good example."

Kiba only laughed loudly at that. "For kami's sake I hope not. I doubt the village can survive another Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto only frowned, speaking with an amused tone. "Everyone's trying to usurp my authority around here." He shook his head a few times before turning his eyes back to the kids. "Are you guys hungry, I'm sure we could whip something up for ya."

The brown-haired boy's eyes lit up at that, following by a large grin. "Well... since you're offering..." The adults merely chuckled as the boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Sayuri merely rolled her eyes at her friend's antics but surprisingly it was the usually silent one who answered Naruto's original question. "Hiro, wouldn't it be best to get what we came for out of the way first?"

Naruto only raised an eyebrow in response. That's another sixteen words, he thought in wry amusement as he looked to Hinata. She had spent almost as much time around the trio as he had and her reaction was the same as his. They watched patiently as Hiro continued to scratch the back of his head sheepishly before reaching around to his pocket and digging out some folded up paper. "Uh, whisker-face, Hinata nee-chan. We're looking into some things and we need a few adult signatures; bastards say we're too young for them to accept ours. Think you could help us out?" Hiro asked, a grin covering his face as he handed the papers to Hinata.

Naruto watched the trio warily, something telling him that something was amiss. He even missed Hinata chiding the boy on his language. Hiro rarely acted as the spokesman for the trio, usually only when Sayuri didn't feel comfortable doing so. If Sayuri was uncomfortable with giving Naruto some forms to sign for them, which they knew he wouldn't mind doing if it was for a legitimate reason, that said something was off. He gave an even stare at the trio and watched in rising apprehension as Hiro and Sayuri refused to meet his eyes. Ginzan merely let out another yawn, completely unaffected by the blonde's gaze.

However, it was Hinata's soft gasp of shock that cemented it in his mind. He looked away from the kids to look at Hinata, already worried about the odd look on her face. Well that can't be a good sign... "Hinata?"

She looked back to the kids for a moment before looking over at Kiba and Naruto uncertainly. Finally she said softly, "They're application forms... for the Konoha shinobi academy."

A silence descended upon the room. Kiba merely stood up and muttered something about watching over the kids outside before leaving the room. Hinata still carried that worried expression on her face, now that he realized that it 'was' worry, and would look between the three kids with that same expression. Naruto merely closed his eyes and leaned his head back. I really shouldn't be surprised by this, but still... He let out a sigh, tension beginning to drain slowly from his body. They were practically raised by me and Hinata, and enough of our friends as well to know that we're shinobi. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not that they look up to us that much. Or do they have another reason for wanting to become shinobi?

Finally, Naruto opened his eyes but kept them locked on the ceiling. He held his hand out for the papers and he felt Hinata wordlessly hand them over. He slowly folded them up and placed them in his own vest before speaking softly to Hinata. "Think if I leave some kage bushins that you'll be able to handle things for a while? Rope Kiba into it if you need help."

She only nodded before saying softly, "I'll take care of things."

"Thanks." He then looked back to the three before standing up. "Come on brats, let's go take a walk." He walked to the entrance to the ex-mansion, subtly pushing them out the door with him. He didn't say anything as he led them away, but judging from the shiver that went down his spine, he could tell that Kiba and his other friends were watching them.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking through Konoha's streets, Sayuri spoke up. She was obviously unsettled by Naruto's odd behavior, as it currently went against every other time they had seen him before. "Are we in trouble, Naruto ni-san?"

Naruto looked down at her worried expression before smiling and placing a gentle hand on her head and ruffling her hair a bit. "No. You guys aren't in any trouble. I just want to have a chat with you three."

One that I thought I would never have until I actually had kids of my own. Well, should be good practice I guess...

-

Naruto simply watched the figure who stood before the memorial stone. He was not surprised to see them, as it had become a well known habit of theirs after they lost their best friend. Naruto could empathize completely, as he knew what it was like to lose friends. Not to mention a brother... However. he remained silent, not wanting to interrupt his friend.

However, it seemed that Hiro was unable to appreciate the atmosphere for what it was, prompting eye rolls from his two friends. "What are we doing here Whiskers?" Naruto simply bopped him over the head with a closed fist, only hard enough for the boy to yelp.

Apparently, their byplay was noticed by the figure at the stone. They only shot a glance towards the blonde and his charges before breaking into a smile. "Hey Naruto. Haven't seen you in a while."

Naruto only shrugged as he walked up next to them. "I've been busy with things, as usual. How's the hospital, Sakura-chan?" He stared at the stone that held so many familiar names and fought to keep his memories of the war from taking control. Kakashi-sensei... Mitarashi-san... Ino-chan... Konohamaru... Udon... Yamato-taichou... He closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop taking tally of how many he loved and respected were gone from this world.

The pink-haired apprentice of the Godaime merely let out a sigh before turning her gaze back to the stone. Her finger traced over one name in particular; the name of her best friend, and Naruto had to fight to keep himself from wincing at the gesture. "Same old, same old. We had a group come in last night that's forced them to wake me in the middle of the night to come in. I actually just got out a little while ago."

He frowned at that. "You're not overworking yourself, are you?"

She only rolled her eyes. "Drop the big brother act Naruto. You know I know my limits, and unlike some people I'm not stubborn as a mule." He scratched his head sheepishly at the rebuke, knowing full well that dealing with him was a hassle at times for his old teammate. She shook her head before removing her hand from the memorial and tossing a look towards the kids. "So what brings you here?"

Naruto let out a sigh before nodding towards the kids. "The brats here brought me some application forms for the academy. I just wanted to have a little chat with them first."

Her eyes widened a bit before she nodded thoughtfully. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before turning away. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'll drop by the orphanage later; it's been a while since you, Hinata and I caught up."

He nodded. "I'll get a bottle of that stuff you like for tonight then." He watched her leave and then turned to the kids who had been watching the byplay with open interest in their eyes. He gestured towards the ground before the memorial as he took a seat himself. "Take a seat guys." The three did as he asked, albeit hesitantly with Hiro on Naruto's left, Sayuri in the middle and Ginzan on the other side of Sayuri. Naruto scowled at himself mentally as he took in their expressions. Man, my behavior must be scaring them shitless... "Relax guys, you're not in trouble. I seriously just want to discuss a few things with you."

Sayuri spoke first, "Naruto ni-san, who was that?"

"My old teammate from my genin days. She's like a little sister to me, but she tends to overwork herself." He shook his head ruefully at the comment.

"She's pretty." Hiro said, with slight awe in his voice. Naruto noticed the blush on the child's face and forced himself not to laugh, but he did allow himself a small amused smile.

"I'll be sure to tell her you think so." He chuckled as the boy flushed spectacularly, which also drew chuckles from his two friends, even the ever-silent Ginzan. "But enough about that. Do you three know what this monument is?"

"Umm, something about ninjas who died?" Hiro ventured.

"That's correct. Every shinobi of the village who has died on a mission has their name engraved on this stone. Do you three understand the significance of this?"

Silence met his words. Hiro and Sayuri exchanged uneasy glances, obviously not having an answer but afraid to not have one. It was Ginzan who spoke first, prompting startled looks from his friends. "... so they are not forgotten. That they died for something."

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes with a sigh. "... Shinobi are men and women who live and often die in darkness. Many times, their deaths can't even be discussed openly for the security of the village." He then shook his head before opening his eyes and turning his piercing gaze on the three. "Now, I want to hear the reasons that you three want to become shinobi."

Hiro was the first to speak. "Do you even have to ask Whiskers? Ninja are bad-ass! How could I not want to be one?"

Naruto stared at the brown haired boy with a sense of disturbed nostalgia. Maybe Hinata was right, I am a bad influence after all... "... Hiro, do you realize that being a shinobi isn't all fun and games? There isn't always going to an evil villain to fight in an epic duel, the soundtrack playing in the background."

"What do you mean?" He asked with his voice in a near-whine.

Naruto only sighed. He idly wondered if he should be saying anything at all and just let the academy's first year do its explanation of the shinobi life. No, that leaves too much out and I don't want them going down this path unless they really want to. "Hiro, Sayuri, Ginzan. You realize that by becoming shinobi, you will become tools of the village. And you won't always be sent on some noble and grand mission to save someone." He met each of their eyes as he spoke, continuing in an even tone. "While it's true that you will become the shield of Konoha, protecting the village with your abilities, you will also become its sword with those same abilities.

"You will be ordered to do some things that you would never consider doing otherwise. You will be ordered to do things that you will even hate yourself for doing. Once you three begin walking down this path, it is incredibly difficult to stop. Even Hinata-chan and I have done things that we aren't particularly proud of but they had to be done for the village.

"So I ask you again, why do you want to be shinobi?" Naruto finished, his tone imploring the children to be honest with him.

The three exchanged glances but then they all looked away, as if thinking to themselves. Naruto waited patiently for their answers. I won't stop them from this path either way. It IS their choice, but if their reasons aren't worth it then I will tell them of such. It would be harsher not to and to allow them to go down that path unknowingly. Finally, the raven-haired girl spoke up. Her voice was oddly subdued. "I can't explain it well... but I want to become strong. Strong enough to take care of myself, and my friends too. I want to be like you and Hinata nee-san."

Hiro looked at Sayuri with an understanding expression. "... I think I understand what Sayuri-chan is trying to say. I feel the same way. Everyone... the villagers, ni-san, Hinata nee-san, Lee-san, everyone. You've always looked out for us... and we want to be able to do the same one day. I want to be able to protect Sayuri-chan, Ginzan-kun, and everyone else."

Naruto looked at the two who were now looking at each other and nodding, as if reaching a mutual understanding in their similar feelings. Naruto idly wondered if the three had discussed this prior to this moment, or if he was seeing a moment of bonding that he would not expect from the trio. He knew they had been close, but judging from the two's reactions they had never openly spoke of their reasons before. He felt a small smile reaching his face before he looked to the silver-haired youth. "And you?"

Ginzan only lazily looked at Naruto and the Jounin thought he saw a flash of amusement in the boy's dichromatic eyes. The boy let out a loud yawn before saying, "Someone has to keep an eye on these two idiots."

"Oi!"

"Shut up Ginzan!"

Naruto only chuckled at the reactions of the other two. It seems that Ginzan still has an odd way of showing concern for his friends... Oh well, some things never change. Naruto nodded to himself before the three turned back to him. Naruto only smiled at the three before placing a hand on Hiro's head and the other one Ginzan's shoulder. He rubbed the long strands on the one side of the boy's head and gave the other a firm squeeze before saying. "Good reasons, all three of you. Wanting to become strong to protect those precious to you is the most noble of reasons for becoming shinobi. I have no doubt that the three of you will succeed in this." Reasons far better than mine when I was a brat... I wish I could take credit for this but somehow I know it's all them. Amazing really; they discovered what took me a good portion of my Genin career before they even became academy students. They'll go far like that.

"Whiskers?" Hiro ventured his voice unsure.

Naruto only released the two boys for a moment before pulling all three into a small hug. Their small frames were pulled against his and he could tell from the tensing of their bodies that he caught them off guard. "I want you to know that I'm very proud of all three of you." He released them and could've sworn he saw a flush of pride on all three of their faces, even Ginzan's. "Later today, we'll go to the academy together and we'll get you three set up." He only smiled as two of the three shot him smiles to mirror each other, their eyes shining bright in excitement. He paused in thought for a few minutes, ignoring the three's excited chatter as he thought it over.

He chuckled once more before thinking to himself, perhaps... Yes, definitely. In for ryo, in for pound as they say.Besides, it's practically a given already, might as well make it official. "I do have one condition though."

Hiro seemed to deflate at that, but Sayuri merely nudged her friend to keep quiet. "What's that Naruto ni-san?"

He gave them a small smirk. "You guys probably don't realize this, but orphans whose bloodlines can't be tracked down don't receive a surname until they reach adulthood or are adopted. It's actually very rare that someone reaches adulthood without gaining a surname name to call their own or they do not choose one once they do." He paused for a moment, his mind starting to drift back before shaking his head. "In fact, I think I only know of one from my generation who still doesn't have a surname, but that'll change when she gets married in a few months." We all saw that one coming. Though I wonder how Tenten deals with Neji without going nuts.

"So?" Hiro asked, his tone of voice betraying the boy's confusion.

Naruto idly wondered if the three were even following his ramblings. No matter, they'll get the point soon enough. I just hope I'm ready for this... "As such, you guys don't have surnames. On the forms you have, we would normally leave that blank and the administrators would get the picture that you three are orphans and move on. I want you guys to let me write something in there for you." Naruto watched in satisfaction as he watched the quiet boy's eyes widen in shock, and his jaw even dropped a small amount. His friends didn't see where Naruto was going with this but the blonde knew that the boy understood. He paused for a moment, giving a slight nod to the silver-haired boy before turning back to the other two. "Do you understand what I'm asking?"

Hiro only stared at him with a confused expression, but Naruto smiled as he watched the gears in the girl's mind begin to spin. After a few moments, her eyes widened like her friend's did before and Naruto watched as tears of joy began to form in her eyes. "You... does that... You want to...?" Her words were broken and fragmentary, causing Hiro to look at her in confusion.

Naruto decided to let Hiro in on the secret since he obviously wasn't connecting the dots. "Yes. I want to adopt the three of you myself; officially." He was met with silence but they're expressions said it all. Ginzan had a content smile on his face, and for once didn't look tired as hell. Sayuri was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand but the smile on her face said everything. And Hiro...

Naruto only laughed like he hadn't in years when he felt a small body tackle him in joy. Maybe this won't be so bad after all...

-

Naruto was wary when he returned and he saw all the kids sitting outside with Lee and Chouji. It was already dusk, and Naruto wondered why the kids were still outside. Usually around this time, they would be scrambling over each other after eating dinner. They were oddly subdued, the kids that is. Though even Lee and Chouji had serious expressions on their faces. Naruto only raised an eyebrow and walked over to them, his two new sons and daughter in tow. He had gotten them squared away at the academy and even bought all three a novice's set of kunai and shuriken from Tenten's shop. He still had to fill out the forms formally adopting the trio but he didn't think anyone would have a problem with it. "What's going on?"

Chouji was the one who answered. "Godaime-sama is here with Shikamaru and Shino. Apparently, your team is going to be seeing action. They asked us to send you in once you returned."

Naruto didn't let his distaste show at hearing that the ANBU commander himself was here. Especially not to Chouji; he didn't need to know the depths of Naruto's hate for their old classmate. "I see. Keep an eye on the kids for me?" He asked unnecessarily before heading towards the building. He tossed one last glance at his new children, giving them a smile and wink to hide his unease before entering, closing the door behind him.

He could even feel the oppressive air of tension as he walked into the main sitting room. It was a large room,that was usually used when hosting people over, whether they are friends or potential parents for the kids. The kids were mostly kept out of here, so it was much cleaner than the rest of the mansion. In the center of the room, recessed into the wall was an old fireplace that was currently lit. To the right was a long couch, upon which sat Hinata, Nekoi and Shadow. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the dog on the couch but didn't say anything as his eyes shifted to the other side to see Tsunade sitting in one of the plush chairs and the head of the ANBU sitting in a chair next to her. He found his captain standing near the entrance as he walked in, silent and aloof as always.

He found his way to the couch and gently pushed the dog away. He caught the mutt tossing him what he had learned to interpret as a dirty look before it hopped off and curled up around Nekoi's feet. The blonde tossed a glance at Kiba's sister to ascertain how she was feeling but her 'game face' as he called it was already on. Guess I'll have to ask later. He then turned as he sat to face Tsunade. "So what's up Oba-chan? Not very often that you come here of all places to give a mission."

If the pet name bothered her, she didn't show it as she stared at him. It became obvious that she ignored his jibe as she spoke up, "As we're all here now, there is some information I believe you four should know. Do you remember the bizarre kill-site you found on your patrol two weeks ago?"

Naruto had to fight to keep his body from shivering when he recalled it. "You don't really forget something like that."

"Well more information has been found than what you were able to discern. Shikamaru." The Godaime barked.

Their old classmate merely sighed, sitting up from the slouch he had been sitting in. "We've been able to figure out who was responsible." He let out a small yawn before continuing, ignoring the glare of both blondes in the room, though for entirely different reasons. "The man's an ex-Oto nin, left shortly before Oto's fall in the war. Name is Ketsui Hiruto, a surviving member of the Ketsui clan, which was thought to have been wiped out during the war with Stone. The clan was known for its bloodline limit, the ability to control their own blood."

"Creepy bloodline..." Nekoi muttered under her breath. Naruto knew he wasn't supposed to have heard that, but the comment did cause him to smirk. Well, she's doing better than before I see.

Shikamaru continued as if not having heard the ex-Inuzuka. "Supposedly their primary use of it was to harden the blood beneath the skin to form a type of impenetrable armor. The more advanced users could use it as a weapon of sorts but I haven't been able to find any information on how. Most who have fought the clan are no longer in active service or are dead." The ANBU commander let out an irritated sigh; evidently annoyed he hadn't been able to discover more. "Even what we do know about them is only hearsay. No one can really say if the bloodline limit is actually real."

Shino makes himself heard for the first time as the reconnaissance team takes in this information. "That would explain all the excess blood at the site."

Tsunade continues from where Shikamaru left off. "The Ketsui clan was annihilated towards the end of the war. There was one clan whose style of combat was a natural enemy to the Ketsui clan's ability."

"The gentle fist. The Hyuga clan." Hinata whispers, understanding dawning on her for now. Naruto frowned at that before considering it. Gentle fist attacks from the inside out more or less. They may be able to harden their blood but they can't stop the entrance of chakra infused blows. Natural enemy indeed.

"Correct. A force led by the clan head at the time destroyed the Ketsui clan in one night. We had the advantage of the gentle fist and of surprise. They had no chance."

Naruto frowns before speaking up curtly. "Why don't we cut to the chase? You wouldn't be bothering to tell us this unless something was about to happen."

Shikamaru merely sighs before muttering under his breath. "Troublesome blonde..."

"What was that commander?" Naruto asks, sarcasm heavy in his voice. He ignored the looks he received from his squad mates, including his captain as he awaiting the man's response.

"Enough." Tsunade's voice booked no argument before she spoke again. "You're right though Naruto. The reason why you are being told of this is because we believe we know his objective." She paused for a moment, making sure she had the team's attention before continuing. "We have reason to believe that this individual is heading here."

"He's after the Hyuga clan." Shikamaru explains when he sees their baffled looks. "Supposedly, this man joined Orochimaru for the chance to get revenge against the Hyugas. Orochimaru had him trained as a stealth and infiltration specialist, and apparently the man was quite proficient in demolitions."

"Sneak into a target's abode and blow it sky high." Nekoi summarized. Naruto could only nod in agreement to her assessment.

It was only then that Naruto noticed the odd look on his friend's face. "Hinata?"

She only looked up and gave him a small smile before looking back to Shikamaru. "He intends to attack the ascension ceremony." She said it as fact, and Naruto kicked himself when he didn't realize it sooner. The ascension ceremony to formally mark Hyuga Hanabi as the leader of the clan was to take place tomorrow night. Every Hyuga who was not on a mission, branch and main family alike, would be present. If he plans to attack...

"No way. He's insane if he thinks he can sneak up on an entire compound of Byukugan users." Nekoi remarked flatly.

Tsunade nodded in agreement to their conclusions. "We have reason to believe he's already been in the village proper for a week, either gathering information or planting explosives." Naruto then watched as the woman's face changed to the one she used when issuing orders. "ANBU team twenty-three, you are to take part in a joint ANBU mission to provide security for the event. The operation will take place tomorrow, and in addition to your team, three other ANBU teams will be placed under Captain Aburame's command. Commander Nara and his forces will continue to focus on finding the target and silencing him. Those are your orders."

The shinobi in the room nodded, Naruto looked back to his captain when Shino asked, "I would request a floor plan of the Hyuga compound as well as the names of the other teams so I can begin making preparations."

"You'll have them later tonight. I'll send a messenger once I have decided who to give you." Shikamaru said, his voice and facial expression uncharacteristically serious. The same face that drove Naruto apoplectic with rage every time he saw it. Every time since that bastard...

He was snapped out his rage when he felt a gentle hand squeeze his own. He turned his head to see Hinata watching him, before shaking her head no. He deflated at that, letting out a deep breath before turning back to the Hokage. He decided to ignore the look of confusion that Nekoi was giving him, as well as the look of understanding on the old woman's face. Shikamaru was merely watching him carefully, as if expecting him to attack him at any moment.

Bastard should expect that, after what he pulled and all.

Tsunade stood up and excused herself. Shino did momentarily as well, after saying he would send his messengers to his team when he wanted them to meet. Naruto nodded faintly to both of them, his stare locked on Shikamaru who was still watching him carefully. Finally, Naruto spoke in an icy voice, "Well then Commander. I'm sure you can show yourself out, as we've got work ahead of us."

Shikamaru nodded before standing but didn't stop looking at the blonde. Once Hinata and Nekoi left the room, the man spoke. "You still haven't let it go, have you?"

Naruto all but growled, tempted beyond all belief to attack the man before him. The man was a good ANBU, and a genius on many levels, but it would be a cold day in hell before he could take Uzumaki Naruto in a fight. Naruto knew this, and he knew that Shikamaru knew. The fact that Shikamaru still had the nerve to even mention that before him pissed Naruto off to no end, even if he had a firm handle on his anger. "Of course not! You fucking killed him!"

Shikamaru merely narrowed his eyes as if disappointed in Naruto. Fuck you Shikamaru. "He was a traitor, and it would've happened anyway. I just did it sooner to save time."

"Bullshit. You did it because you wanted your revenge." Naruto snapped back, not backing down from the shadow user's challenge.

Naruto watched as his words struck a nerve and the ANBU commander actually showed a brief flash of uncontrollable rage. "I won't deny it but I hardly think it was that simple Uzumaki." Naruto was about to say something but the shadow walker cut him off. "Naruto, he killed Asuma-sensei; he raped and killed Ino. All before Chouji and I. The bastard was scum, and you know it." Naruto could've sworn he felt the damn fox laughing in the back of his head and had to fight from attacking his superior at those words. "I gave him a quick death out of respect for the friendship between you and me. Otherwise I would've made damn sure that his death was as slow and painful as possible."

Naruto watched as the man turned his back on Naruto and began walking away. He was about to enter the shadows in the corner of the room before the man looked back over his shoulder, "I think it's time you grow up Uzumaki. He wasn't your friend; he would've killed you on more than one occasion if Kyubi hadn't been sealed into your body at birth. Friends don't try to impale each other." Then without another word, the man silently merged with the shadows, leaving the room through his trademark technique.

Naruto merely glared at the spot where the man had vanished to for a long time before snarling and slamming his fist through the coffee table in front of the couch. The small table all but exploded into wooden shrapnel, and the sound was deafening in the small room. He closed his eyes and took several deep breathes to calm himself, already beginning to hear the rumblings of the Kyubi that began whenever he was truly angry. Get back in your cage.

So in tune with his anger, he almost lashed out when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and glared at the individual before lowering his eyes when he saw who it was. He couldn't meet Hinata's eyes as she told him she was heading back to her place to prepare and that she would see him later. He said nothing as she left the room, but couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. His being pissed at their superior wasn't helping matters, and he knew that Hinata still cared for her family, despite what they had done to her. He couldn't imagine the worry that she must have for her little sister, in addition to the others in her family that she was still relatively close with. In the face of that, Naruto knew that his anger was a non-issue for the great picture, and what Shikamaru said wasn't wrong. As much as that simple fact pissed him off beyond measure.

It was still unsettling to take orders from the man who killed the closest thing you ever had to a brother.

He shook his head as he slowly rose from the couch and headed to prepare himself. There was a time and a place for venting his anger, and the night before what would shape to be a pain in the ass detail was not one of them. He forced himself to calm down, slamming the mental locks on the Kyubi's influence, knowing full well what the fox wanted. Things were going so well today too. Well, such is the life of shinobi I suppose. He stopped his musings as he mentally began preparing a checklist of things he would need. If he knew Shino well enough, their patrols of the Hyuga district would start before dawn tomorrow. Bug boy is nothing if not meticulous.

He was proven right when in less than three hours, the messenger kikai that Naruto had grown to despise were dancing in front of his eyes, apparently remembering how stubborn he was sometimes to ignore them. He brushed them out of his way before pulling on his porcelain ANBU mask, the scarred mask the only physical memory of the man who taught him the Yondaime's trademark technique.(2)

He made sure to be on time tonight, as he knew that Shino would chew him out royally if he wasn't. He knew that once the two were alone he was already going to be verbally beaten up about the way he acted during the briefing with the ANBU Commander. Best not to test my luck. We'll need it if this guy is as good as oba-chan is thinking...

The team was already there with the exception of Hinata. He quickly scanned for chakra sources before whispering to Shino, "Should Hinata be involved in this operation?" He flinched as his voice, although repressed, showed obvious worry, something unacceptable when wearing the mask of Konoha's elite.

His captain merely looked at him without a word. Naruto had to fight to keep from flinching under the blank stare that he just knew the man was watching him with. So unsettled by the man's stare that he almost missed it when he spoke up. "I believe that it would be harder on her if she were not involved. Her Byagukan will be an asset and she has a personal stake in our success."

Naruto frowned at the dispassionate tone of his captain, despite knowing that the bug user was as concerned as he was over their friend. He and Hinata may be good friends now, but Shino was her genin teammate and Naruto knew that was a bond that he had no hope of reaching with the quiet and modest young woman. He wasn't satisfed though, and clarified his question. "What if Rose shows herself though?"

Shino said nothing at that, but Naruto got the sense that he had already considered that possibility. "... Rose has spoken of her displeasure of the Hyuga clan on numerous occasions. There is a case where if Rose were to come out that she would simply let the assassin succeed." There was a pause, as if the ANBU captain was still trying to determine what to say. Finally, he added, "But if there is something Rose hates more than Hinata's clan, it's to lose. Either way, it would prove... interesting." Naruto only mentally cursed out his captain at those cryptic words, forcing himself to say nothing more as Hinata arrived.

Before Shino gave them their orders, Naruto spared the woman in question a worried glance beneath his mask before shaking his head. Pull yourself together kid. If you're worried about her, just make sure nothing happens to her. Or Rose. You can handle that, can't you brat? He only smirked beneath his mask at that last thought, having heard it spoken by the voice of his old sensei. Damn straight, old pervert. Damn straight.

-

Here's the third chapter of Clans. If you haven't figured this out by now, the next chapter will finish up the story, and will be from Hinata's perspective... mostly. I'm just going to make a few notes here; they will mostly reference things that are going to take place in the Sound-Leaf war. Once I have actually written these stories, I will come back and remove these references.

(1) Event that takes place shortly after the end of the war. This is definitely making it into the Sound-Leaf war collection. I had actually written the event as part of this chapter (flashback). However, in the end, it doesn't really add anything really, and just ended up making the chapter longer than it needed to be. I'm going to rewrite it and put in the Sound-Leaf war collection for those who would be interested.

(2)I've made mention in Shino's story (chapter 1) that the mask he reported to his first day of ANBU duty had this scratched mask. Not sure if I'll actually make that into a story or not but for the reader's understanding, the mask is Jiraiya's from when he served in ANBU in his youth.

(3)The references made during Naruto's interactions with Sakura and Shikamaru are pretty straight forward. The timeline that leads to these incidents are going to take up several one shots from different character perspectives in my Sound-Leaf war collection. If you can't put it together from what I've already given though, I'd be surprised.

I originally had this really detailed explanation of how the Uzumaki 'clan' name came about that was going to be working into the whole adoption speech but then Kishimoto let it slipped that it was his mother's surname. So that kind of messed with that whole scene. I think it still turned out pretty well.

Sorry to the few readers who were following this story, but I'm afraid that I am killing this fic, at least for the time being. I'll leave what I have posted, but don't expect any updates any time soon. The main reason for this is that, quite frankly, I enjoy working on Tragedy of Repetition more. I was going to take a hiatus from that story to actually finish this one, but now that I'm actually working on Hinata's chapter, its become plain to me that the idea I had in plan for this story has exceeded my skill to actually put it to coherent prose. Not that saying so means much, but when I originally envisioned this chapter, it didn't seem as difficult to pull off. Now that I'm actually at the point to do so, I've realized how... optimistic I was with this project.

Clans was meant to be a different take on Naruto, at least in the temporary. Too many stories in the Naruto section of this site either revolve around so-and-so hooking up with so-and-so, usually done pretty poorly or unbelievably. That or stories making (insert character here) awesome in order to 'improve' on the Naruto storyline in whatever manner the author chose. Hell, in a way, I am doing the same thing in ToR. I wanted this story to be an experiment, and I'm not sure that I even pulled it off with what I already have posted. It was just meant to be an average day in the lives of an ANBU team. No big overall plot, no big enemy to fight. Just normal actions that might happen on an ANBU patrol, how being in ANBU interferes with one's personal life, how being a shinobi can mess with your head, among other things.

Essentially, I wanted to do a story about an ANBU team, without a plot. At this, I have failed horribly, as in Naruto's chapter I have already introduced a villian and plotline of sorts. While, in the end, this doesn't really detract from is already here, it is drifted from what I originally intended. When I finished this, I will probably still finish this small 'plotline' (as I hesitate to even it call it that.)

Maybe one day I'll come back to it, when I feel I finally have the writing skill to convey what I want in Hinata's chapter, but for now, its going into the depths of my hard drive. Perhaps if I actually get enough interest in this, I'll still try. I mean, I can always come back and rewrite it if I don't think its great.

In turn, Tales of the Sound-Leaf war will also be canceled. Due to the same reasons that are plaguing Hinata's chapter. Basically, I've got ideas, but no skill to be able to bring them to fruition at this time.

On the other hand, if anyone would like to take a crack at some of the ideas for Tales of the Sound-Leaf war, feel free to pm me. It was going to be a prequel of sorts to Clans, to explain some of the things that have led to this point. Basically, it was going to be 9 different sub-stories, from different points of view, that would encompass what has taken place in the Clans universe. (An example would be, as mentioned in this chapter near its beginning, the confrontation between Naruto and Kyuubi in which Naruto takes the Fox's eye in his mindscape, as told from the Kyuubi's perspective. Another would be Jiraiya's death, as told from Naruto's perspective.) Not that I'm trying to pawn off my work to others, but a few have expressed enough interest for me to throw this out, as it isn't something I would normally do.

Thanks for reading, and sorry to those who have been waiting for the next chapter.