Mysterious Familiars

Disclaimer: Okay, you should know by now that I don't own anything that I'm writing about.

A/N: I gotta say, people, What's with so many people reading, but not reviewing? I mean, to Gravity the Wizard, Dragon Man 180, and anyone else who's dropped a review for me, thanks a lot, but everybody else... C'mon, people, it doesn't take more than a minute to click that little button and hit a few keys.

I mean, seriously, is it that hard to just say, "Hey, this chapter had great dialogue!" or, "The action in this chapter was cool!"?

Hell, I'll even take a "You really need to work on your pacing and grammar/spelling."!

Anything, people! My Muse needs Reviews or else this story doesn't get the attention it deserves! (And that goes for my other stories, as well...) Anyhoo, I finally got this chapter done and ready to go, so... read and enjoy. And DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! XD

Chapter 11: The Big Fight

The next week passed relatively uneventfully for Naruto and co.

Otoha would train Naruto, while Amefuriko would alternate between helping them in their training, and training with Hinata and Yurine.

During this time, Kiba was rarely seen outside the Inuzuka clan compound, as his mother was training him so hard he couldn't even take D-rank missions.

At the end of the week, though, one would have to wonder if his training made even the slightest difference against Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's #1 Unpredictable Ninja.

Chuunin Exam Stadium

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Otoha asked a nervous Naruto.

"No. No, I'm not okay. I'm about to fight one of my closest friends because he couldn't get over the fact that my girlfriend doesn't love him back, he's more than likely going to try to kill me, and I can't get through to him no matter how hard I try. I feel like I'm gonna pass out, my nerves are so shot." Naruto replied, pacing nervously.

"Take a deep breath. Steady yourself. Clear your mind, silence your thoughts. Focus only on the battle ahead, and not who you are fighting." As Otoha spoke, Naruto did what he was told, and was soon relaxed again.

"Thanks, bro. I… I feel better now." Naruto said with a grateful glance at Otoha, before he glanced at the clock. "I'd better get out there. Wish me luck." Otoha watched as Naruto turned and walked out to the arena.

"Good luck… Otouto…."

Arena Stands

Many people were present, the vast majority there hoping that the Uzumaki boy put the Inuzuka mutt in his place.

"Where the hell is Naruto? He should've been here by now! I'm gonna kill him if he doesn't show up!" Ino raged.

"Ino, one of the conditions of the fight was that if they didn't show up, then the person who didn't show would be killed." Shino said, making Ino stare at him in shock.

"Are you kidding me?" When Shino shook his head, Ino stared at him in shock. "Naruto had better show up. Whose idea was that?"

"From what I can gather, Kiba suggested it." Shino replied, when there was suddenly a loud explosion in the arena.

"Am I late?"

"So, you decided to show up. I was beginning to think that the mighty-" Kiba started, only to be interrupted by Naruto.

"If you finish that, even I won't be able to stop the ANBU from killing you where you stand. Please don't." Kiba frowned.

"Fine. Let's begin, shall we?" Kiba said, looking to the proctor.

"The match between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba for the hand of Hyuuga Hinata begins… NOW!" he said before leaping away. Naruto simply stood there.

"Please don't do this, Kiba. I don't want to fight you."

"Too bad, monster. I sure as hell wanna kill you!" Kiba darted forward, swiping at Naruto with his clawed nails, which Naruto simply dodged. "Fight me!"

"No, Kiba. You're not in your right mind. Let's stop this, and you can cool off, and we'll talk about this." Naruto replied.

"NO! You won't fool me, Demon! I'll kill you!" Kiba said. "The Naruto I knew is gone! You've taken over his body now, and if killing his body will free his soul, then I'll do it! And then Hinata will be mine!" Naruto frowned at this.

"Kiba, by killing me, you won't set anyone free, and Hinata most certainly won't want you. Do you know what will happen?

"You'll realize, too late, that you've killed a friend. You'll fall out of favor with your clan and the Hokage. The villagers will despise you as most of them used to hate me. And Hinata will inescapably, irrevocably hate you for the rest of time. Do you really want to endure that for a moment of triumph? Will you be able to bear that pain, knowing that everyone you know and love hates you?" Naruto said, hoping to make Kiba start thinking straight, but only making him fight more ferociously.

"You can't trick me as you have the rest of the village! Once you're dead and Naruto is free, they'll realize that I was the one who freed them! I'll be a hero for finishing you off!" Kiba said, causing Naruto to sigh.

"I see. So there's no reasoning with you, then… So be it. Kiba… I'm sorry." Naruto said, taking his battle stance, and launching himself into battle with Kiba. Naruto dodged a horizontal claw swipe, then sidestepping an overhead slash, before countering with a powerful punch to Kiba's gut, driving the air from his lungs. Naruto then followed with a brutal combination of punches that left the young Inuzuka laying battered on the ground.

Kiba quickly rose back up to his feet, and lunged at Naruto again. Kiba slashed horizontally at Naruto, who simply dodged, and then quickly followed up with an uppercut slash. Naruto dodged both strikes, and countered with two of his own. Kiba shook his head to clear it, then went through a series of handsigns.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba growled out as his appearance grew more feral and he dropped to all fours. Kiba charged.

"Tsuuga!" Naruto waited till the very last moment, then slammed his fist into the spinning Inuzuka, stopping his forward momentum altogether and instead flinging him into a wall on the other side of the arena. Naruto watched Kiba stagger back to his feet.

"Kiba, stop."

"NEVER!" Kiba roared as he pounced once more, claws extended, before Naruto simply raised his hand.

"Daitoppa."

A massive blast of wind blasted the Inuzuka. The winds were so forceful that the spectators in the audience nearly fell out of their seats, and Kiba slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch, before slumping to the ground and stayed there.

"I'm sorry, Kiba. I tried to make you see sense… but you couldn't. Farewell… my foolish friend…" Naruto said, turning around to walk away.

What he didn't notice in his guilty mind was that Kiba wasn't truly beaten. Kiba quickly, silently stood, curling his clawed fingers, and launched himself at Naruto, who realized that he was there and turned around, with just enough time to-

The people in the stands gasped as blood flew. Their eyes widened as blood spilled out of the boy's body, staining the ground a deep crimson as the boy looked down at the hand that was plunged into his chest, gripping his heart, which had been cut from the blood vessels that carried the life-giving fluid to the rest of the boy's body. The boy looked to the stands, where the girl he loved sat, eyes wide in shock and horror.

"I'm sorry... Hinata-chan..." he whispered, eyes glazing over in death as the other pulled his hand from his chest and looked down at the corpse that had been his friend.

"Hinata is mine."

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Medics poured out onto the field, shoving Kiba roughly out of the way.

"NARUTO, YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D WIN!" Hinata screamed at the blonde's corpse as the medics worked to save him, her eyes filling with tears and her hands clenched around the railing so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"YOU PROMISED WE'D BE TOGETHER!" She continued to scream, even as the medics realized what the Inuzuka had done.

"YOU PROMISED ME FOREVER, NARUTO!" Hinata's sorrow could be heard across the entire village as she screamed, bringing tears to the eyes of those who didn't even know the blonde. Her voice cracked as she tried to scream at him one last time.

"Naruto, you lied to me..." Hinata's screams turned to sobs, and she turned and buried her face in her father's robes, while even said man was shedding tears of sorrow of his own as he held his daughter.

'Naruto... Minato... Hinata... What have I done...?'

Meanwhile, Otoha, Yurine, Amefuriko, and the remainder of the Konoha 10 stared at the corpse of the blonde knucklehead.

"No... No way... This is some kind of joke... Right, guys...?" Tenten said, stunned. "I mean, Naruto is... Naruto! He can't die! ...Right...?" she said, starting to laugh, making everyone else look at her like she was crazy.

"Hey, Naruto! Come on out! That's a pretty cool trick, how you got your clones to be able to bleed like that! You even had the medics fooled!" Tenten called, tears running down her cheeks as she laughed. "That's a good one. I guess you weren't called the Prankster-King of Konoha for nothing, huh?" she said, as her laughter slowly devolved into hiccuping and sobbing. "Naruto, wake up... it's not funny anymore..." she whispered, as everyone else simply stared numbly at Naruto, not paying any attention to anything around them, not even noticing that Hinata was screaming.

Nobody in the village noticed the rainclouds gathering and the moon moving unnaturally to cover the sun as Uzumaki Naruto died.

Naruto's Mind

"I'm sorry, Sonja."

Sonja looked at him in surprise. "Why are you apologizing, Naruto? He caught you by surprise, you still considered him a friend... A misguided friend, but still a friend nonetheless..."

"But that's why I'm apologizing." Naruto said. "When I die, you disappear from existence altogether, right? I'm dying because of a stupid mistake on my part, and you're about to disappear altogether." Naruto got on his hands and knees and bowed. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry that you can't go back home because of me..." Naruto jumped up and looked around, as did Sonja, when they heard insane laughter ring through the chamber.

"So, you're really this weak?" the voice said, filled with malice, and backed by an eternity of suffering and insanity. "I can't wait to steal your soul..."

Naruto stood, eyes hardening, as he started to move out of the chamber.

"Naruto,where are you-" Sonja started.

"I'm going to find whoever or whatever that was, and put them in their place. This is my mind, and I won't be insulted here." Naruto said. Flashing a smile back at Sonja, Naruto ventured out into the corridors of his mind.

Awhile later, Naruto stumbled upon a mass of black that swirled and folded in on itself, expanding and shrinking, as it convulsed and radiated a sense of hopelessness and despair.

"What are you and why are you in my mind?" Naruto demanded. A laugh sounded from the black mass.

"I am the Darkness, and you... are my PUPPET!" the mass screamed at him, shooting out and enveloping him, and when it melted away and vanished, Naruto stood, unhurt, and looked at his hands, his eyes glowing a sinister yellow, chuckling. "This body... will be the best I have had in a long time..."

Real world

The moon quickly moved to eclipse the sun completely, casting an all-consuming darkness over the stadium.

"Somebody get the lights on!" Tsunade quickly called out. This was not to be, though, as they heard the sound of shattering glass, and everyone saw sparks coming from where the floodlights were located. Everyone looked around, shocked, as Tsunade barked out orders for someone to quickly get the arena lit up.

And then it started.

Crazed laughter rose up from inside the arena, raspy and the kind of sound that would grate on the nerves.

The laughter was far from the kind that any human was capable of; it spoke of an ageless eternity of suffering, of a lonely insanity... of darkness...

"What... What is this...?" Kiba said, scared out of his mind. "W-What's going on?"

Up in the stands, Hiashi activated his Byakugan, searching the field, and gasped in shock. The Hyuuga around him looked toward him in surprise and activated their Byakugan as well, all staring in surprise or crying out in shock as they saw what had become of Naruto.

It was terrifying.

His chakra system was filled with a black, sinister chakra, making him nearly invisible to the Byakugan. From his back sprouted four black tendrils, and from his shoulder blades came two snakelike creatures... that appeared to be composed of pure darkness. On top of all of that, when Naruto opened his eyes, they seemed to glow with a pale, sickly yellow light, as did the eyes of the serpents sprouting from his back. All of this combined painted a picture of terror, a dark monster that would kill anyone without hesitation...

And then he moved.

Two of the tendrils on his back stiffened, shooting forward to impale Kiba through the shoulders, lifting him up and yanking him to Naruto, holding him suspended and paralyzed from pain and terror as Naruto seemed to inspect him.

"This is it?" Naruto said, in a grating, sinister voice. "This is what killed my Host? How pathetic. It's time for you to die, mutt." Naruto said, both of the serpents rearing back, and then shooting towards Kiba, only to freeze an inch from his face. Naruto grabbed his head, grunting in pain as he struggled for control. His eyes eventually returned to normal, and he looked at Kiba, panting.

"K-Kiba?" he said tiredly. "Kiba... are you dead, too?"

Kiba simply shook his head, making Naruto smile.

"We're both... still alive?" Kiba nodded. "Good... I'm glad..." Naruto dropped to his knees, the tendrils holding Kiba up retracting into his back, depositing Kiba on the ground. "Kiba... I'm sorry..." Naruto said, just loud enough for Kiba to hear him.

"For... For what...?" Kiba asked, panting in pain. Naruto smiled sadly.

"For this..." Naruto punched Kiba, driving his head into the ground and knocking him out.

Moments after Naruto walked out of the arena, he found himself on the ground with Hinata on top of him, her arms around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder, tears soaking his jacket.

"N-N-Naruto! D-Don't ever do th-that again!" Hinata sobbed. "P-p-please! D-don't scare me l-like that a-again!" Naruto slowly sat up, wrapping his arms around Hinata, who continued sobbing and hiccuping into his shoulder as he held her. "I th-thought you w-were d-d-dead..." she whimpered.

"Shh... It's okay... I'm here now... It's all gonna be okay..." Naruto said, holding her close. Hiashi watched them for a few moments, then cleared his throat, causing Naruto to shoot him a glare that nearly made him shit himself and he nodded, slowly backing away.

'There he goes... Using "The Look" just like the Yondaime... I really need to look into that... I think I'll go check up on Hanabi...' Hiashi vanished, leaving Naruto to comfort Hinata. What he didn't know, however, was that the two had planned it- Hinata had been calmed the moment she had been wrapped in his arms.

"Well?" she whispered. "Did he?" Naruto chuckled.

"I think it would've worked better had I shot him a Kyuubi enhanced 'Evil Eye'... He probably would've shit himself." he replied, making Hinata giggle.

"Aww... He didn't?"

"Sadly no... He came pretty damn close though... And damn! Does he ever wash his ass? I could smell that shit from here!" Hinata laughed at that, and they both rose to their feet. "Hinata, I'm sorry for scaring you. I honestly didn't see that coming until the last second. If you want, I could make it up to you by buying you dinner?" Naruto said. Hinata narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Are you asking me on a date?" she said. Naruto had a look on his face that just screamed that he was amused and struggling to hold in his laughter.

"Why yes, yes I am, Hyuuga Hinata. Meet me at, oh, say... 7:30 by the oak in the park?" he said with an amused smirk. Hinata giggled again.

"Alright, 7:30, oak in the park. You'd better be on time, Naruto-kun."

"Why Hinata-hime, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you assumed that Kakashi-sensei was rubbing off on me!" Naruto said in a mock-hurt tone.

"Maybe I am..." Hinata said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Naruto chuckled before doing something Hinata didn't expect- he grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, with a firm hand on her rear. "Eep! N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata squeaked, laughing. Naruto just grinned cheekily.

"What? I still gotta let everyone else know that I'm okay, don't I? And besides..." Naruto squeezed Hinata's ass, getting a squeak in return. "I rather like carrying you this way, now that I think on it..." Hinata turned a brilliant shade of red at this comment, and she smiled mischievously as he leaped off towards everyone else.

'So, he wants to play that game, does he?' Hinata thought, discreetly reaching around Naruto's waist towards his crotch.

When she reached it, she immediately grabbed him, causing him to stumble as he landed in front of their friends, who all looked at him strangely, then laughed when they saw where Hinata's hand was located. Naruto started to sweat.

"Hinata-chan..." he whimpered, making Hinata laugh as she released him, allowing him to suddenly swing her around into his arms, earning another squeak of surprise and a giggle before he locked his lips onto hers, then set her down and turned to the others.

"Sorry for the scare, guys. I didn't intend on that." Naruto flinched when Tenten threw a barrage of kunai at him.

"You jackass! Do you have any idea at all how bad you scared us? I oughta-" Tenten suddenly found herself kissing Neji, and completely forgot what she was angry about within moments. Everyone but the two sweatdropped and turned to Lee, who shrugged.

"This is new to me, too." He said, causing everyone's eyes to bug out. "What?"

Awhile later, after Neji was threatened with castration by Tenten and all was explained, the entire group, including Otoha, Yurine, and Amefuriko, were found walking the streets of the shopping district, laughing and enjoying themselves.

"So Bro, how exactly did you become a Karas? I'm curious." Naruto asked Otoha, who looked at his partner. Yurine simply shrugged and nodded.

"... I died." Otoha said simply.

"Hold on a minute, you said you died? Then how the hell are you here?" Hinata demanded. Otoha smiled thinly.

"Yurine is a unique spirit. Though she is incapable of participating directly in combat, she has the ability to empower others with incredible fighting power. However..." Otoha trailed off, his smile turning into a frown as he reminisced. "You have to die or go into a coma before she can even do anything. At that time, if she deems you worthy, Yurine will draw you to a separate plane of existence and forge a covenant with the spirit, and thus is a Karas born." The ninja surrounding the three looked fascinated with Otoha's explanation. "A Karas has one task, and only one: A Karas must defend the stability of their city. If the humans of the city die, so too will the Youkai- and vice-versa. A Karas is tasked with preventing this." At this, Shino spoke up.

"If that is the case, and you are a Karas... What happens to your city now?" He asked.

"The city will create a new Yurine, who will, in turn, find a new Karas. The Yurine is the spirit of the city given form. The only way to truly eliminate a city's Karas is to kill the Yurine. The only way to truly kill a Yurine is to destroy the Spirit of the City. The only way to destroy the Spirit of the City is to wipe out all Youkai. The only way to destroy all Youkai is to exterminate all humans in the city. The only way to exterminate all humans in the city is to defeat and destroy the Karas." Yurine stated. "Do you understand?" Naruto stared.

"As screwed up as that all sounds... it somehow makes sense." Naruto said, then shook himself and turned to Hinata. "Tenshi-chan, I've gotta go check up on Nii, you want to come with?" He asked Hinata. She smiled and nodded. Naruto smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, before taking her hand and starting towards the hospital.

Konoha Hospital

Naruto and Hinata walked up to the receptionist's desk, still holding hands, and laughing about a joke that Naruto cracked. When they approached, the receptionist looked up and smiled brightly.

"Uzumaki-kun! What can I do for you today?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'm just here to visit someone, Kira-chan. Could you tell me where Nii Yugito's room is located?" Naruto asked, just as cheery. Kira looked up Yugito, and looked back up at Naruto.

"Room 347, Uzumaki-kun. She's been cleared to go, but she wanted to wait for you first. Is she a second girlfriend, by any chance?" Kira teased. Naruto turned red.

"KIRA-CHAN!" he nearly screamed in embarrassment. "I just met her a week ago! There's no way we could be together already!" Naruto turned away, still blushing crimson, and nearly dragged Hinata away from the desk. "Thanks, Kira-chan!" he called back to her as he and Hinata hurried away.

Yugito sat in her room, staring out the open window as she thought about what had led up to her abandoning Kumo. It wasn't the Raikage himself- far from it, he and Kirabi were the best family anyone could ask for... but they couldn't always be around. No, it was their utter powerlessness to help her that had led to her decision to leave Kumo.

The Raikage, E, and his brother Kirabi had caught her sneaking out of her home two weeks ago when she had attempted to leave,and asked her what was going on.

Yugito had so desperately wanted to lie through her teeth, to tell them that she was merely leaving for a mission and would be back in a couple of weeks... But she couldn't. Her surrogate brothers knew her too well; they knew when she was lying, and when something was bothering her, so she steeled herself and spilled everything. How the Council wanted to abuse her body and make her a sex slave, how most of the civilians hated her, despite how they revered and loved Kirabi, how the male civilian population continually attempted to subdue and rape her... She simply couldn't take any more of the abuse, hatred, and attempts to rape her, so she decided to leave.

E and Kirabi had reluctantly given their beloved surrogate sister a three-day head start before sending the Lightning Strike after her.

As soon as Yugito had left the gates of Kumo, she had immediately set off in the direction of Konoha, remembering stories of how their Jinchuuriki was a kind-hearted, caring young man who always thought of others before himself, and decided that he was her likeliest chance for safety. She had been about twenty miles away from Konoha after nearly a week of hard travel before they had caught up and driven her to the ground. Then... he had arrived.

She'd heard the stories, of course.

The Yondaime. A cold, evil man who would kill without so much as a second thought. A loving, gentle man who would protect the innocent no matter his own injuries.

How he had single-handedly turned the entire war between Iwa and their allies in favor of Konoha and their allies... with a single Jutsu.

Yes, hearing the stories was one thing.

Seeing him was another altogether.

His mere presence was nearly enough to make her breath catch in her throat. He exuded an aura of confidence and warmth that had made her tingle, and his eyes... She could feel herself getting lost in those beautiful azure orbs. Yugito shook her head and laughed to herself.

'It's pretty funny how much Naruto-sama looks like the Yondaime. He even had me fooled. The looks that must have been on their faces must've been priceless when he told us that he wasn't the Yondaime... I wonder if they're related somehow? They have to be- they look almost identical!' She thought. Almost as if on cue, the door opened to admit the blonde who was on her thoughts and another girl, who looked quite smitten with him, making Yugito's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly with a strange feeling that she couldn't quite recognize before Naruto spoke to her.

"Oi, Yugito-san, genkidesu ka? They said that you're well enough to leave, are you ready?" Naruto asked, making Yugito's cheeks heat up.

"H-Hai, Naruto-sama..." Yugito said in reply. She started to panic, however, when she saw Naruto's frown.

'Oh no... Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong?' Yugito thought in a panic. 'Wait... Why am I panicking? It shouldn't matter! ... Should it...?'

"Yugito-san, you don't have to call me 'sama' you know. Just Naruto-san would be alright. So calm down, will ya? C'mon, let's get you to Granny Tsunade and get you situated. Why were you running from Kumo, anyways?" Naruto said, surprising Yugito.

"Ah, um... I-I mean, Na-Naruto-sama, I feel... That it's-" The blonde girl flinched when Naruto yelled at her.

"NO NO NO! Why are you stuttering? You were totally fine last time I saw you! What happened? Talk normally or not at all!" Naruto said, making Hinata and Yugito giggle.

"Hai... Naruto-sama."

"And what did I tell you about calling me 'Naruto-sama'? No 'sama' dammit!"

"Hai, Naruto-teishu... I came to escape from Kumo because of how I was treated there, and I chose to pledge myself to you in exchange for sanctuary from Kumo's Hunter-nin..." Yugito said shyly. Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"C'mon," he said as he moved to the windowsill, "let's finish discussing this on the way to Tsunade-obaa." With that, Naruto leaped off over the rooftops, Hinata and Yugito following close behind him.

Tsunade groaned and rubbed her eyes, glaring heatedly at the stacks of paperwork on her desk. When she had left to watch the fight between Kiba and Naruto, there had been only half a stack. Now it seemed like that amount had quadrupled in the time she'd been gone.

Where the hell did it keep coming from?

Thankfully, a reprieve came in the form of Naruto, Hinata, and the girl from Kumo, who had refused to speak to anyone but Naruto, jumping in her window.

"Naruto-dono, are you sure we should be just jumping in through the window? Shouldn't we-" The Kumo girl was saying. Naruto rolled his eyes and Tsunade chuckled.

"Relax, Yugito, I do this all the time! She's more like a grandmother or a sister to me than anything else. Hey Baa-chan." Naruto replied as he led the two girls through the window.

"G-good evening, Hokage-sama..."

"Hi, Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade chuckled at their antics and brushed her paperwork aside.

"What can I do for you three today?" Tsunade asked, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. Naruto was the one to speak up.

"Obaa-chan, Yugito-chan needs a place to stay, and could we get her instated as a Kunoichi of Leaf while we're at it?" Yugito stared in awe at how he could speak in such a blatantly disrespectful manner to the Hokage, the Hokage, of all people, and not be nailed for insubordination- in fact, the Hokage seemed to find it amusing!

"I think you've got more than enough room in your estate, don't you?" Tsunade said, a smirk on her face as she watched Naruto stare cluelessly at her. "I gave you a set of keys and a map on your birthday, didn't I? Haven't you moved into your parents' house yet? And as for our friend here, what rank were you in Kumo?" Tsunade asked.

"I-I was a J-Jounin, Hokage-sama." Naruto frowned again as Yugito spoke, and held up a hand before Tsunade could say anything. Tsunade smiled, laughing to herself, as did Hinata as Naruto turned to Yugito with a scowl on his face. "N-Naruto-s-sama?" Naruto gave her a light slap on the cheek.

"What did I tell you about stuttering? No stuttering!" he said.

"B-but, Naruto-sa-" Yugito started to say before Naruto cut her off.

"No stuttering, no honorifics, dammit! If you wanna pledge yourself to me, fine, but you're not gonna treat me like a superior, because I'm not one! Got it? My first order to you, since you insist on serving me, is that you'll treat me like a friend, and you will not stutter while talking to me, or in my presence! Got it?" Naruto ranted.

"Hai... Naruto-san." Yugito said, causing Naruto to sigh.

"I guess that's the best I'm gonna get from you, isn't it?" Tsunade spoke up before Naruto could continue, and Hinata had buried her face in Naruto's shoulder as she laughed her head off.

"Alright, Yugito, We're going to have you go through three exams, a Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, and see where you stand, alright?" Yugito nodded. "As it stands now, we'll need a few days to decide where to hold this exam, and who to pit you against-"

"I can be her Taijutsu and Ninjutsu opponent, Baa-chan." Naruto piped up. Tsunade nodded.

"Alright, that'll work. As for Genjutsu, we'll put you against Yuuhi Kurenai, as she's our best Genjutsu user in the Village. Unfortunately, I sent her out on a mission a couple of hours ago, so we'll need to wait for her to return before we can test her. For now, you can stay with Naruto in his home. He's got more than enough room." Tsunade stated. Naruto and Yugito nodded nervously- Yugito because she was terrible at using Nin- and Genjutsu without the Nibi, and Naruto because, well... He'd be living in a house with someone other than his Fiance, who was currently giving Yugito a Byakugan-enhanced 'Evil Eye.'

Yep... Naruto's screwed...

A/N: I think that's long enough for now... And gain, please review! The less reviews I get, the harder it is for me to write, and the longer it takes me to get the chapters done! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE!

Ja ne!

EDIT 11/21/2010: That fight scene sucked, so I thought I'd extend it a bit. Kiba now knows that he's no match for Naruto... or does he?