A/N: This fic contains swearing, violence, references to drug use, multiple severe adult situations, and in general everything else that make a fic rated M.

Review response:

Thanks especially to the message ExKyuubi sent me, I was getting a bit down because people have been basically spamming my account with flames (coincidentally enough, basically none of those people have written a single story, I checked). I'm glad that there is still a lot of interest in all of my stories.

Goooooooooooooo: i really liked this story. I love the description (especially the lemon bits ;o) But also i really like the story. Good stuff i think you should write
another one maybe with sasuke in it? You could put him any one. Or have you
considered writing about gay love. You should so write a yaoi. Looking forward
to your next piece.

I'm glad you like the story…but I'm never going to write yaoi or anything gay. I may reference it in a very vague and indirect fashion (probably derogatorily), but it simply disturbs me far too much for me to even consider writing about it. While I'm not one of those people who go out of their way to hate on homosexuality in every other sentence, I am certainly not comfortable with it. I am a heterosexual teenage male, thank you very much, and would like to avoid being scarred from mental images. As for the whole Sasuke bit…he's an ass, plain and simple. While I may even decide to un-jerk his personality and use him as a side character, I'll likely keep Naruto as the main character in all of my Naruto fics. There's a reason why the manga and anime are titled "Naruto." Yes, I'm talking to you, Kishimoto.

NEW:

Sorry I couldn't get this chapter out for a while. I've been really busy with school, science fair, Academic Decathlon, and going to Science Symposium in Reno, Nevada. Yep, got lots of shit going on, and lucky it's missing the fan (for now). Also, AP tests have been a huge pain. I also had to study for the SAT…which turned out great. 2260, on my first fucking try! Then lots of other stuff happened and I lost my internet, blah blah blah. As my form of an apology, I'm making this chapter extra long!

[Spoiler Alert]

I do not own Naruto. If I did, when Sakura told Naruto she loved him, he would have punched her in the face as hard as he could (Which is pretty damn hard when he's in Perfect Sage Mode) and asked her how it felt.

New poll! Once I'm done with either this story or Demon Brothers of Konoha, I'll start on the next fic. You decide!

In case you haven't noticed it yet, Hinata isn't anywhere as near as shy as she is in canon. None of the factors like being raised around a disparaging father, a bratty little sister, or a hateful, murderous cousin, and being ignored by boy she loves, not knowing if boy she loves even knows she exists, watching boy she loves declare his undying love for a girl who really doesn't give a flying fuck, etc, are present. Therefore, the only real reason Hinata might be shy is because she doesn't know if Naruto returns her feelings, but that issue was resolved in the last few chapters. Hinata won't be a whore or a slut, but she definitely won't be a shy wallflower when it comes to her relationship with Naruto.

Wait, say what? There's no lemon in the chapter! Well, shit, why the hell did I put up that warning? Oh, right, that's for the next chapter.

"Talking."

"YELLING!"

Thoughts or emphasis on certain words.

Demonic voice or evil tones.

"DEMONIC YELLING!"

6/28/2010

Chapter 5: Never Again

Naruto slowly woke up to the comforting weight of Hinata's body lying on his. Last night was…amazing. Naruto smiled tenderly as he looked down at Hinata's sleeping face. Whoever said ninja should have no emotions…was a fool. Sure, there are times when I'm going to have to block out my feelings, but I will never give something like this up, never.

"Naru-sama…"

Naruto froze, but it turned out that Hinata was only mumbling in her sleep. Naruto's smile came back. I wonder if she's having a nice dream…I hope so…Naruto felt 'junior' starting to wake up as well, but last night had reinvigorated Naruto's willpower. What were a few more years, when they had their entire lives ahead of them? Naruto smirked. Besides, if it ever becomes too much for me to bear again, Hinata can always 'help' me out.

Naruto let his thoughts drift. His mind felt clearer than it had in weeks. Being around Hinata, but keeping a tight rein on his actions, had definitely been trying for the young jinchuriki. But now, I can relax. His breaths slow and even, Naruto once again noticed Hinata's scent. It still smelled sweet, but lacked the very slight tang it held the night before. Naruto grinned. I can tell when she's excited…that's only fair, ne?

Naruto watched as the hanyou girl on his stomach began to slowly wake up. She shifted from side to side before slowly opening her eyes, meeting Naruto's gaze. Hinata smiled up at her mate, her slightly sharpened canines looking incredibly adorable to Naruto. There was a small patch of a white, crusty material at the corner of her mouth. Naruto smiled back as his hand came up to scratch behind Hinata's ears before coming down to caress the side of her face, discreetly using his thumb to wipe away the dried remnants of his cum. Finally, he leaned forwards and gave his dark-blue haired lover a good morning kiss on her soft lips.

"Good morning, my little vixen…"

"Good morning, Naru-sama."

Together, both silently agreed to stay laying in bed for a while, simply reveling in each other's warm and comfort. Almost half an hour later, they eventually got out of bed and prepared to start the day together.

Over the next few weeks, word spread that the lost son of the Yondaime Hokage had returned to Konoha. Naruto quickly became somewhat of a celebrity in the Village Hidden in the Leaves; everyone wanted to meet the son of the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth had been considered the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced in its entire history, possibly even the greatest shinobi to ever live. Already, people expected great things from the young Namikaze.

Rumors about the young boy spread like wildfire, and many of them concerned a mysterious girl about the same age as the Yondaime's legacy. Some people swore the girl had vibrant, long red hair, much like Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato's fiancée, who died in childbirth. Others were convinced that the girl had short white hair, and was not a girl at all, but an experienced, aged kunoichi who retained much of her skill despite her advanced age. No, some said, Naruto's companion was actually a rather effeminate boy. No, it was neither male nor female, but an elemental spirit. No, the Yondaime's son wasn't really back; it was just a plot by the Hokage to restore morale. Rumors spread in every which way, some malicious, some reasonable, some kind, and some downright ridiculous. However, none even vaguely concerned the Kyuubi no Kitsune. How could such a malignant beast possibly have anything to do with the Yondaime's heir? The very small number of people who did know about Naruto's jinchuriki status were close confidants of the Yondaime, and they all understood that it would be best to keep it a secret.

Some reasoned that releasing such information could cause a schism between people who saw Naruto as the jailor and people who saw Naruto as the prisoner, possibly even starting a civil war. Others knew that keeping a jinchuriki's existence a secret gave Konoha a massive tactical advantage against any potential unfriendly nation. It was well known that jinchuriki held the potential for incredible power; even the weakest host of the Ichibi would be worth dozens of regular shinobi. Some even reasoned that the civilian population would, at the very least, turn the Yondaime's heir into a social pariah if Naruto was known to contain the beast that killed so many civilians and shinobi alike, and then they would have to go through the difficult process of culling the wheat from the chaff from the offending population (because what else would they do? They certainly couldn't let an innocent child be hated and ignored for something he had no control over. The fact that Naruto was Minato Namikaze's, the beloved Yellow Flash of Konoha, son certainly affect everyone's decision, of course. People liked to think they would do the same for any child, regardless of affluent parentage or not.)

Naruto, for his part, didn't mind all the attention. It was actually a welcome change of pace from Kumo. Kumo was a very militant village; no breach of regular actions was permitted. There were clearly defined social classes: civilians and shinobi. The two simply did not intermix. However, in Konoha, Naruto often found himself approached by random strangers, civilian and ninja alike, and greeted cheerfully. After he got over his initial shock(s), he found that meeting new people was actual a pleasant experience, in a purely platonic sense.

However, he was slightly disturbed by the fact that many villagers seemed to be willing to do anything for him. And he meant anything in a very literal sense. Naruto could probably get away with murder, and many people would probably find a way to make it look like Naruto was a hero. Naruto noticed that almost all Konoha citizens seemed to have a hero worship of him just because of who his father was. Although he didn't mind people looking up to him, Naruto wanted to be recognized for his own actions, not the actions of his unfamiliar father. However, Naruto had no reservations about taking up some of the offers he was received, particularly when some people offered to help train him in certain ninja skills.

As for Hinata, she and Naruto were practically inseparable. Since arriving in Konoha, not once had the two ever been more than 25 feet apart. Frankly, Hinata didn't care what kinds of rumors circulated about her. As long as she was with Naruto, she was happy.

She loved the way how he treated her like she was the most important thing in his life (which she was). Hinata could tell, just by the way Naruto looked at her or the special tone he used when he talked to her, just how much he loved her. She also loved the way he held her when they slept together, how he would comfort her if she had one of her recurring nightmares. Hinata loved Naruto, it was just that simple. And speaking of the nightmares, they had not lessened in intensity over time, unfortunately. Hinata was never comfortable in the presence of a male, other than Naruto of course. However, as long as Naruto was close by, Hinata wouldn't freak out completely because she knew Naruto would protect her.

Naruto wondered if he could pull some strings with the Hokage to make sure he and Hinata were on the same team. However, time was running out quickly, and the Ninja Academy started all too soon for Naruto and Hinata.

Iruka pinched the scarred bridge of his nose in frustration. He respected the Hokage and all…but he of all people should know how much of a hassle paperwork was! Two kids just had to transfer into the class, huh? The chunin sighed as he turned to face the class, silently appraising his students. This graduating class was considered to be one of the most promising in several years. Many of the heirs and heiresses to major clans in Konoha were present. For example, the progeny of the famed Ino-Shika-Cho group were there, along with the sons of the Clan Heads of the Inuzuka and Aburame Clans, Kiba and Shino. Other than that, there weren't really other people of interest, mostly civilian kids…

…except for the Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke. After his entire Clan was massacred by his brother in a single night, Sasuke had become "emotionally withdrawn". At least, that was how the Konoha Council phrased it. Most logical people who met the boy would prefer the term "emotionally unstable". Sasuke was a loner most of the time, avoiding all contact with others.

There was once an issue that no one in who knew about it ever brought up. One day, one of Sasuke's classmates asked what the Uchiha Clan had actually ever done. They had not made up any unique jutsu; they copied their techniques from others. Most Uchiha didn't even activate their Sharingan, only a small percentage of the Uchiha managed that feat and lived through the harrowing experience. They didn't have the honor of their clan producing incredibly strong ninja; none of the Sannin was an Uchiha and no Uchiha had ever been Hokage. In fact, the boy continued, the only famous prodigious Uchiha ninja had been Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's own brother. Oblivious to the building rage on Sasuke's face at the mention of his older brother, the boy had posed a simple question to him: What special thing could the Uchiha really do?

In response, Sasuke had shown just what the Uchiha were capable of. Namely, their signature technique, Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu). The boy had to be rushed to the ER, with severe third-degree burns covering his body. The Konoha Council covered it up by paying an impressive sum to the boy's parents, along with funding future medical costs for the new invalid, in exchange for their silence and general low publicity.

Unfortunately (for Iruka's headache), Kiba had formed a rather one-sided rivalry with the last Uchiha. Kiba, to put it bluntly, was a brat. A hyperactive, pranking, obnoxious brat. He and his dog, Akamaru, had been the bane of many Konoha citizens for the last few years. Although most of his pranks weren't exactly harmful, per se, they were definitely annoying and crude. Like that time he set up a bucket leaning at the top of a door…Iruka, being the teacher and thus first into the classroom, had been the unlucky recipient of the bucket's contents. Although this usually wouldn't have aggravated Iruka too much, the bucket had been filled with…dog piss. It had taken all of Iruka's self control to not strangle the boy.

Other victims, however, had not sustained such levels of self control. Mizuki, Iruka's fellow teacher, had cuffed the boy over the head after his favorite vest was ruined by paint. It wasn't intended to cause injury, but it had accidentally sent Kiba's head into the desk, giving him a small nosebleed. Mizuki later 'resigned' from his teaching position, and went back to active ninja duty with suspicious alacrity.

There was a reason for both Kiba's behavior and why he got away with it, however. Inuzuka Tsume, Kiba's mother, was the Clan Head of the Inuzuka Clan in Konohagakure. The Inuzuka were a major Clan; their unique traits made them well-suited for being anything from hunter-nin to combat specialists. Tsume was soft on her son, and let him get away with many things. Kiba knew the word discipline only in a rather indirect manner, as no one else was willing to correct his actions, lest they face Tsume's wrath. The only individual who Kiba every trod carefully around was his elder sister, Hana, and she was rarely present due to her Iryo-nin responsibilities.

Iruka sighed as he surveyed the mass of students in front of him. This was their last year, at the end of the year they would take the ninja graduation exam to determine if they could become genin (which would later be up to the discretion of their jonin sensei, but by then it was out of Iruka's hands). Judging by the blank faces all looking in his general direction, or by the students merely talking to each other, Iruka was sorely disappointed.

Not one single student had noticed the two new arrivals in the darkened corner of the class. Not a single one.

Passing such completely oblivious children and sending them out on life-or-death missions was stupid, even if they were under the watch of a seasoned jonin. That was why most genin teams were given D-Rank missions at the beginning, sometimes for over a year. Even so, on just under half of all genin teams receiving their first C-Rank mission, a member died. Might as well hand them over to an Iwa-nin along with a knife. Iruka thought to himself. Hell, the closest student was no more than ten feet away, even if the two new arrivals weren't making much noise. He was pretty sure even a moderately attentive civilian adult would have noticed the two new children in the corner of the classroom, even if the lights were off.

But then, Iruka admitted to himself, that was the problem, wasn't it. Children this young often simply did not have the attention span or focus required of deadly warriors. Like many teachers, Iruka thought the ninja graduating system was, in three simple words, seriously fucked up. Ever since the end of the Third Great Shinobi World War, the head honchos of the village had gotten the idea that younger ninja were better ninja. This belief stemmed from the fact that so many of the heroes in the latest war had been young children. While this made sense on the surface, the truth was that those children really had no choice in the matter, it was often either succeed and survive, or fail and die. Nine out of ten ninja under the age of sixteen died in the last war, but those who had survived had been forced into greatness through necessity.

Now, however, in times of peace, there was no need for children to become jonin before they even became teenagers. It is true that children are amazingly resilient, both mentally and physically. For example, when a child breaks a bone, the bone will be usable within three weeks and be fully healed within a month or so, but when an adult breaks a bone, it will take months just for it to be useable again. Reaction times were literally off the charts when children were compared to adults. Children subjected to intense situations and horrifying strain have a tendency to bounce right back…or break completely. Besides, without the constant element of danger, the bloody corpses of their friends and teammates, these children simply could not understand the seriousness of ninja life, the need to be as powerful as possible as soon as possible. Indeed, many ninja hopefuls took their future careers as a joke; some even became ninjas just to make their parents proud or impress a boy or girl they liked.

Iruka always did his best to fail the students he thought weren't ready, using any flaw he saw to do so. Iruka didn't know if this made him a bad teacher or a good person. So far, Iruka had the lowest average number of students who graduated from his class per year…but he also had the highest percentage of students who are still alive.

Iruka thought he might have to fail quite a few students this year.

He cleared his throat expectantly, and the last few murmurs died down. They still haven't noticed yet, have they? "Well, now that everyone is here…I would like to introduce our two latest students. Due to…unconventional circumstances, they will be joining this year's graduating class—"

"But Iruka-sensei," One girl shouted, and Iruka recognized her by the sheer pitch of her voice, not even needing to see her bubble-gum pink hair. Sakura Haruno was one of the hopefuls Iruka would like to fail, but on paper she was one of the best students in his class. However, Iruka knew that if she was to become a ninja, she should stay out of all combat situations; her speed, strength, and reaction time were among the lowest of the class, her best quality was her ability to memorize random facts (thus the reason why she was ranked highly in the class). "We've been learning this material for years. That's not fair!"

And you somehow expect life to be fair? "They will be held to the exact same standards as you will, no more, no less." Iruka informed his student.

"Your two new classmates will be…Hinata, Namikaze Ichizoku no Kashin (Can be literally translated as Hinata, Retainer of the Namikaze Clan)—"

Whispers broke out in the room.

"Namikaze?"

"As in, Minato Namikaze? That Namikaze?"

"No way…I thought he died without any kids…"

"Dumbass, she's no kashin, a retainer."

"So? Who would be a retainer of a clan with no living members?"

Iruka's glare silenced the whispers. "…and Naruto Namikaze… Sozoku no Namikaze Ichizoku (Heir of the Namikaze Clan)."

The class practically exploded with noise, as many students really wanted to meet the son of a man they idolized as a hero.

"We're already here." A voice spoke from the corner of the room, causing sudden silence, drawing the attention and gaze of the other students. In the corner were a blonde boy and a bluenette girl.

The spiky-haired blonde was wearing a standard shozoku top and black combat pants. Over his shirt was a black and dark red camouflage flak vest that gave the optical illusion of his body constantly moving while still and it made the students momentarily disoriented. It was almost understandable that they not notice the boy in the poorly funded low lighting of the broken down Academy classroom. The hilt of a katana could be seen over his left shoulder.

Some of the more perceptive students noticed that this boy was nearly an exact replica of the pictures of the Yondaime Hokage they'd seen, except for three odd marks on each cheek. His eyes even held an experienced look, the hardened gaze of one who has been through difficult, life-threatening situations and prevailed. Though young, he had a distinctly clean-cut appearance, and he had a sort of presence that made the guys in the room unconsciously straighten their backs and made the girls in the room swoon. His gaze swept over the room for the umpteenth time, appraising each of the inhabitant's position and threat level.

Even to the inexperienced students in the room, they could tell that the girl possessed the same aura of experience, if smaller, as did the boy next to her. She wore navy blue pants and an odd jacket with the same camouflage pattern as Naruto's vest, except it had white and red designs instead of black and red. However, it was no less effective in fooling the eye. The jacket did not fall to her waist, but instead stopped just above her navel to reveal an alluring midriff. Every single boy in the class noticed that she seemed to be the only girl in the classroom to have hit puberty yet.

Her exotic hair fell to her shoulders, framing a soft, porcelain face. The only physical imperfection on her face were two twin scars, one directly above the other, on her left cheek, each a centimeter wide and about six or seven centimeters long. The jagged furrows had obviously been carved not by a blade, but by some rough object that had been dragged along her skin violently. However, what the students noticed most about her was her pupilless, lavender eyes. Ever since the Uchiha Massacre, the Hyuga Clan had become the most famous and influential Ninja Clan in the Hidden Leaf; everyone knew what family a person with pupilless eyes belonged to. Yet, how could this girl, the retainer of the Namikaze Clan, possibly have the Byakugan?

"Um…nice to meet you all?"

After Naruto and Hinata had been introduced (read: mobbed) by the rest of the class, Iruka started a lecture on basic chakra theory.

Naruto and Hinata made an effort to appear as if they were paying attention, but Naruto already knew everything that Iruka was covering, and he had already taught Hinata a good deal about it.

Naruto spent most of his time doodling on his "notes" while Hinata spent most of her time watching Naruto. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell finally rang, and the students funneled out to lunch.

"This is crazy!" A blond girl with a long ponytail and bangs covering the right side of her face exclaimed to her two (read: only) friends. "How can the Yondaime's son just appear out of nowhere? I'm supposed to be, like, in the loop about these kinds of things, ya know?"

"Troublesome…" A boy in the corner grunted, disturbed by the loud noise. "…but I overheard something our fathers were saying about him, Choji, Ino."

The girl, Ino, gasped as she struck the boy over the head. "And you didn't tell us! Come on, stuff like this is important Shikamaru, you baka!"

"Now, Ino…I'm sure Shikamaru had his reasons." A rather rotund boy interceded.

"I heard some troublesome stuff I probably shouldn't have…" Shikamaru admitted, a troubled look on his face. Besides, once you know something, Ino, all of Konoha knows it. I'll let the higher ups decide if they want to make this Kumo incident public, it'd be too troublesome if a huge panic or war started and it was my fault.

Ino and Choji glanced at each other. All three were actually close friends, despite appearances to the contrary, and Choji and Ino knew that Shikamaru rarely let things concern him unless they were of the utmost importance (and for Shikamaru, something had to be really important for him to consider it important).

Ino shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna go talk to him. I bet I can get some juicy info on him. Wish me luck!" She stood up to prance off, but Shikamaru stopped her.

"Ino…try not to be a troublesome girl…trust me on this."

"Me, troublesome?" Ino asked with mock innocence as she shrugged Shikamaru's hand off her shoulder. "Never. Besides, us blondes always get along, ya know?"

"Where would you like to sit, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata scanned the grounds. She saw a perfect spot. It was a large tree that provided a large amount of shade. A simple swing, a single wooden plank suspended by two ropes, hung from a branch. Hinata pointed the spot out to Naruto. "How about over there, Naruto-kun?"

"Of course, Hinata." Naruto said. The two went over to the tree.

Naruto took out a large picnic blanket out of his bag and unfolded it, flapped it out, and set it down so that Hinata and he could both sit on it.

Hinata flopped herself down onto the blanket. Sometimes, it's nice to not have to worry about landing on my tail. For the first weeks after her transformation, Hinata had to get used to her new body. If she sat down at the wrong angle or fell on her tail, Hinata would feel a definite amount of pain from her sensitive tail. However, she also enjoyed that same sensitivity at other times, like when she was taking a warm bath. Hinata was slightly confused at not getting in the 'cafeteria' line with the other students. "Ano, Naru-sama? Are we not eating lunch?" Hinata didn't admit that she was hungry because she didn't want to be whiny or seem a burden to her Naruto-kun.

"I looked at the 'cafeteria' food. It looks to be neither nutritional nor appetizing." Naruto shook his head. He pulled a scroll out of his backpack and unrolled it to reveal an inked design for a storage seal. A sliver of chakra and a poof of smoke later, and two unopened bento boxes appeared in his lap.

"You made lunch for me?" Hinata asked in wonder. She beamed. Naru-sama took time to prepare a lunch for me! To Hinata, this was just one of the ways Naruto showed he cared for her. He wasn't one of the flowery romantics who declared his undying love for her through epic sonnets or cheesy poems. Hinata knew that Naruto preferred to express his thoughts and feelings through his actions, not words. For Naruto, the time he had spent preparing the food and his forethought in doing so was an active expression of his affection for his hanyou love.

Naruto blushed ever so slightly at Hinata's glowing look of adulation. He glanced off to the side. "Uh, yeah. I guess I kind of know how to make a simple bento. I figured that I should make one for you too…um…if you don't like it, I understand completely. If you want, I can buy—"

Hinata gave him a soft peck on his whisker-lined cheeks, and Naruto's jaw snapped closed. Naruto watched the dark-blue haired girl open the teriyaki chicken, nori, and steamed rice bento and mused to himself as he opened his own. How does she have this affect on me? Raikage-sa…Raikage-teme and Kirabi-sensei were unrelenting in training me to have iron control over my emotions. Most of the time, I do, but somehow Hinata can break through my control like a bolt of lightning through paper. She makes me smile, makes me laugh, makes me happy, makes me proud…she's making me feel embarrassed right now! But the funny thing is…I like it. No, scratch that, I don't just like it…I love it.

Naruto's warm smile died as he saw an approaching classmate. He had wanted to be alone with Hinata at lunch, but he admitted to himself that it was unrealistic to expect to have absolutely no contact with his peers. Naruto let a small, polite smile work its way onto his face. No reason to alienate anyone.

A girl approached them. "Heeeeeeey! Naruto, right? I don't think we've met yet, yeah?" The girl asked rhetorically. "I'm Ino Yamanaka."

"Nice to meet you, Ino-san."

"Hey, hey, no need to use honorifics among friends, right? So where are you from?" [1] Ino asked cheerfully.

"I was born here." Naruto noted, essentially telling Ino nothing.

"And…" Ino drawled, waiting for Naruto to continue.

"…and?"

"Well? What do you like to do? Ooooh, what's this?" Ino reached out towards the handle of Naruto's katana, but before she could touch it Naruto caught her wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Please keep your hands away from my sword…" Naruto asked in a seemingly polite tone. "…unless you wish to have them removed."

Although Naruto was no longer in Kumo, he still held true to many of the principles he learned there, particularly the ones focusing on practicality, not morality. Swordsmanship was a prized art in the Village Hidden in the Clouds; where Academy students learned single or double kunai tactics for close-range weapons fighting in other villages, children in Kumo were taught how to use blades two years after they learned to walk. High quality katana were not immune to wear and tear; if anything they were more susceptible to degradation than lesser quality steel. A true swordsman took care of his sword, as the sword would take care of him in battle. If he maintained the sword, it would be far less likely to break in combat.

For this reason, Naruto and other swordsman took great care of their blades, making sure their weapons were never chipped and the edges remained true. Regular oiling and polishing removed the chance of rust weakening the integrity of the blade's structure. All in all, Naruto treated his sword with the utmost care; it was a matter of honor and self-preservation to be the only one to handle his sword. If anyone else were to touch it, like an enemy, or an enemy pretending to be a temporary ally, they could weaken the blade so that it broke in combat, place contact poison on the grip (not that Naruto had to worry about that too much, the Kyuubi naturally denatured most poisons), or place a variety of traps or other nasties. Even a well-meaning but clueless ally could accidently damage the blade.

"There is only one person other than myself whom I allow to touch my sword." Even as he said the words, Naruto became acutely aware of how massive a pun that could have been. "You are not her."

Ino involuntarily took a step back and froze at Naruto's glare. Staring at her for a second longer, Naruto released his iron grip on her hand. The spiky-haired blonde continued eating calmly.

Hinata smiled to herself, her pointed canines showing ever so slightly. Of course, the one and only person Naruto allowed to touch his sword was her. After living with Naruto for several years, Hinata picked up a rudimentary understanding of weapon management. Not only that, she practiced it herself when taking care of her zai; the, rayskin-bound handles were notoriously prone to warping from the salty sweat coming from the user's palms. If Hinata didn't know how to condition her weapons, she would be sorely disappointed the next time she tried to strike an enemy with the knuckle of one of her zai. Thus, Naruto trusted her to be able to handle his sword without chipping or damaging the blade, even trusting her to polish it without supervising her. Hinata always made sure to never give any reason to make Naruto regret trusting her. If she ever disappointed Naruto, Hinata thought her heart would break.

The amount of trust Naruto gave Hinata sometimes scared even her. The scariest part was, Hinata knew that no matter what she did, no matter what terrible thing action she took, Naruto would still forgive her, because he loved her. She loved him back, and that was why she never wanted to displease him in anything she did. Oh, Naru-sama…I can't wait to touch your 'sword' again. The hanyou girl giggled softly to herself.

(Not two feet away, Naruto wondered why he suddenly had a boner. It was most definitely not the ditzy blonde girl in front of him.)

Hinata's giggle drew Ino's attention to her. Hah! Maybe I can get her to talk! Ino thought.

In what Ino considered to be a highly subtle move, she put an arm around Hinata's shoulders and whispered into her ear. Naruto stared oddly at the blonde before continuing eating.

"Hey, Hinata, right? Name's Ino. I think we'll be great friends."

"Um…okay…" Hinata deadpanned.

"You're straight, right?" Ino asked suddenly, a completely standard question for an 11-year-old girl to ask, right?

"Huh?"

"You like boys, right?"

"Ano…" Hinata looked to Naruto, who was eating his bento and pretending to not be listening, but she could tell he could still hear them. "…just one, Ino."

Ino thought Hinata meant 'one at a time' snorted in laughter, sounding true to her namesake. "Ahahah! That's a good one! That's witty. I like you."

"Here, lemme give you a hint. Boys like pretty faces." Ino told Hinata conspiratorially. "If you want your boys to look at you, you have to cover up those hideous scars. Maybe use some makeup or something, yeah?"

Hinata seemed to wilt into herself. "Ano…maybe."

Ino, oblivious to Hinata's reaction, silently congratulated herself on 'breaking the ice' and 'making friends' with Hinata. "So where you been lately, girl?"

"Ano…I've been with Naruto-sama, mostly." Hinata said despondently between bites of chicken. It wasn't a gourmet meal by any standards, but the meat was tender, neither too overcooked nor too undercooked. "I guess you could say we've been traveling around lately."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun…" Ino sighed theatrically. Yatta! I'm making some progress! "Is that how you got those scars?" She pointed to the two twin scars on Hinata's right cheek.

Hinata's chopsticks fumbled in her hands as a memory returned to her. "Ah, n-no, I mean, y-yes, I g-g-guess s-so. A-ano."

Naruto, seeing Hinata's panic, immediately came to her rescue. "Hmm? Hey Ino, you know all the other students, right? Who's that black-haired boy who's walking to the bathroom by himself while nervously looking in all directions as if he expects someone to ambush him?"

Ino's head immediately shot up. "Sasuke-kun?" She dashed off towards the boy's bathroom in hopes of ambushing and molesting…er, expressing her love towards her idol.

Naruto sweatdropped at the effectiveness of his ploy. Huh. I had her pegged down as a fangirl, but that was a little over the top. He shrugged and methodically scooped the last few mouthfuls of rice out of his bento as he discreetly scooted a little bit closer to Hinata..

"Naru-sama?" Hinata said quietly.

Naruto set his chopsticks aside as he finished his bento. "Yes, Vixen-chan?"

"Ano…do my scars make me look ugly?"

"No. I like them. They are part of you." Naruto gently kissed the scars on his mate's left cheek. "They do not make you look ugly at all, my sweet little vixen. They make you look…dangerous…they don't detract from your beauty, they add to it."

Hinata smiled radiantly. She didn't care what anyone else though; if Naru-sama thought her scars made her look even prettier, that was more than enough for her.

Choji raised his head up at Ino's approach. From some reason, she was breathing heavily, as if she had just run (or chased someone) for a long time. "Well? Did you learn anything?"

"Shut up."

Iruka was in the middle of giving another lecture that afternoon when Naruto slammed his hands on his desk and jumped up onto it, scattering paper and pencils.

"Just because Hinata-chan has gone through puberty does not mean all you guys can ogle her." He announced, glaring at some of the more daring offenders. Naruto had noticed a lot of the guys in the classroom sneaking peeks at Hinata. Some had pretended to accidentally drop papers or pencils, and used the excuse of trying to bend down to try and see up into Hinata's jacket. Not only did this make Naruto jealous on an insane level, it also made Hinata extremely uncomfortable. Naruto could tolerate the former, but the latter was absolutely unacceptable.

Suddenly, the wooden desk collapsed. Naruto jumped to the side in reflex to avoid falling onto his face, and jumped onto the desk next to him. Tobio, the boy who was sitting at the desk, angrily shoved Naruto away as his homework was ruined. Now Naruto lost his balance and fell…straight into Hinata.

"Ahhhhhhhh—" By pure coincidence, Naruto's yell was cut off as his mouth was covered by Hinata's. But that was not all. Naruto's eyes widened and met Hinata's at point blank range as their tongues touched; their mouths open to allow free access to each other. Both found they enjoyed the sensation, and what started as an accidental kiss turned into a heated make-out session.

Almost all of the other students, with the exception of a few like Shikamaru, Sasuke, or Sakura, quickly gathered around Naruto and Hinata to watch, thinking the two would break apart in embarrassment.

Of course, they didn't. Naruto fiercely pushed his tongue into Hinata's mouth, relishing in the warm feeling of her tongue rubbing on his. Hinata kissed back with equal passion, and closed her eyes in reflex. She submissively allowed Naruto to explore her mouth with his tongue, and enjoyed the texture of his tongue, the way he eagerly explored her. Hinata brushed a strand of dark-blue hair out of her eyes as she tilted her head to the side to allow Naruto better access. After a couple dozen passionate seconds, Naruto softened the kiss and pulled back. Hinata gave a small sigh of satisfied pleasure.

At the other side of the classroom, Sakura eyed Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, you wanna—"

"No."

This time, Hinata was the one who took control of the kiss. She grabbed the back of Naruto's head and pulled him towards her, their lips meeting once again. Hinata kept her pearly eyes closed as she licked at Naruto's lips, and Naruto let his mouth open to allow Hinata access. After several unsuccessful tries (not that either Naruto or Hinata minded much), Hinata managed to slip her tongue under Naruto's so that the tip of her tongue was at the base of Naruto's tongue. With a slow, deliberate motion, Hinata stroked the length of Naruto's tongue with her own, and Hinata felt Naruto's hands grab her back and pull her into him, their bodies pressing against each other with urgent firmness. Retainer and lord were lost in their own world, a world with a population of two.

"…What a hypocrite." Shikamaru noted, and promptly went back to sleep.

When his eyes were finally finished popping out of his skull, Iruka cleared his throat. No response. He tried again, slightly louder. Still no response, either from the participants or the observers. Iruka sighed, and knocked a stack of books off his desk. The resulting slam of heavy textbooks hitting the ground was sufficient to startle everyone.

"Students, please return to your seats." The students did so, except for Naruto and Hinata, who were sprawled on the floor looking amorously at each other. "Naruto, Hinata? If you are quite finished cleaning each other's tonsils, I would appreciate it if you returned to your seats as well."

The jab was sufficient to make Naruto's face burn with embarrassment, and he returned to his seat, along with Hinata, except now they had to share a desk, a circumstance which neither was unhappy about. Hinata was far less embarrassed. To her, she certainly hadn't done anything wrong. What could possibly be wrong with kissing the person you loved? If it made other people uncomfortable, well then they could just look away!

As Iruka continued the lesson, Naruto could not help but to muse to himself. Hmmph. Well, now, no guy will get uppity and try to ask Hinata out, now that they know she's taken. Same thing with the girls, because I'm obviously with Hinata-chan. Pfft. As if they could ever compare to my little vixen, either in terms of looks or personality.

Naruto and Hinata glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes as Iruka continued his lecture. Unbeknownst to each other, they both shared the same thought.

Mine.

A week later…

The bell rang, and the students scattered out of the classroom. Naruto and Hinata watched as the other students left; they were furthest from the door so they were the last to leave the classroom, even Iruka left before them.

However, Kiba Inuzuka stayed behind. He wanted to invite the Namikaze boy over to his family compound. The blonde boy seemed "hella chill" to Kiba. I mean, he even had his own retainer, his own slave, how cool was that? As Naruto and Hinata were preparing to leave the classroom, he strode up to them. [2]

"Hey, Naruto, wanna come over to my family compound today?" Kiba asked without preamble. "I wanna get to know ya."

Naruto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at Kiba's rather informal tone. "I don't believe I would be available." He politely declined. "I was planning on training with my friend today. I would not think to renege on my commitments." It wasn't necessarily a lie, practically every day after school Naruto and Hinata trained on a level that was far above their classmates, however, a single missed day would not make a huge difference. However, something about Kiba rubbed Naruto the wrong way.

Kiba squinted. "Ne? Who?" Atop his head, his little white puppy, Akamaru, yipped the obvious answer. Akamaru could smell the female's scent all over the male boy. "Eh, her?" Kiba pointed at Hinata.

"Oh, you can bring your ho if you want." Kiba said in a generous tone.

Naruto's face hardened as his face took on a dangerous cast. His tone turned ominous. "Hinata is not—"

"Oh, she's not your slut? Just another bitch, then, huh?" Kiba interrupted. He laughed as he used what he thought was an acceptable term for 'girl', oblivious to the look on Naruto's face.

"She is not. No thank you, I'm afraid I will not be making an appearance at the Inuzuka Compound now or ever. I do not think I would be able to tolerate such crass surroundings, if your behavior is anything to go by." Naruto said coldly. He let off a little KI, causing Kiba to freeze up subconsciously. "Good day to you." He brushed past the Inuzuka, his shoulder jarring the feral boy and making him take a step to the side. Hinata quickly followed him, leaving Kiba behind in the classroom, confused as to why Naruto thought he was ill-mannered.

Kiba scratched his head, baffled. "I'm not crass, am I, Akamaru?"

"Woof! Arfarf, arf, whiiiine? (Dunno. Wanna go for a walk?)"

"I should go back and hurt him." Naruto growled to himself as he strode off the campus, Hinata at his side. "No one insults you like that, Hinata-chan. He doesn't know the first thing about you! I should go back, beat him to within a centimeter of death, take my katana and neuter him like the dog he is."

Hinata laid a hand on his arm, causing him to instantly relax a little bit. It was just too hard for Naruto to be angry when Hinata was this close to him. Something about her calmed Naruto. "Demo, Naru-sama, but wouldn't you get in trouble? I don't want you to get arrested or something for my sake."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he tried to calm down. "No. Because of the way this village sees me, I could do it without getting prosecuted for assault. However, Kiba-teme is the son of the Inuzuka Clan Head. I would possibly lose a lot of face in the village, and possibly face repercussions once I become a legal ninja from any of his kin. But I'm just so ANGRY!" Naruto spat, revved up again. He kicked at a fist-sized rock on the side of the rode, and succeeded in stubbing his toes when the rock turned out to be embedded firmly in the ground.

"Ano, Naru-sama? We can go train…maybe you can work out some of your anger in training…" Hinata said hopefully. She was fully willing to be the recipient of Naruto's pent-up anger if it would help him get it out of his system in a way that wouldn't harm his standing in the village. She walked up behind Naruto, only wanting to be close to him.

Naruto whipped around at his retainer's suggestion, thinking Hinata was still several feet away from him when she was actually right next to him. His sudden movement made Hinata flinch. Seeing Hinata's flinch made the heat of Naruto's anger dissipate like the heat of a glowing, freshly smithed sword doused in water. The mere thought of Hinata being afraid of him made Naruto cringe on the inside. I never want my vixen to be afraid of me… Naruto took a few deep breaths as he set his arm around Hinata's shoulders.

"Hmm, how about no training today, Vixen-chan." Naruto said as they left. "Let's just go for a walk around town and talk."

"That sounds fantastic, Naru-sama." Hinata said happily. Naruto seemed to have calmed down completely, and that made her happy.

Naruto offered her his arm. "My lady?"

"My lord." Hinata giggled as she linked arms with her mate. Together, they walked down the streets of Konoha, simply looking at the scenery.

They walked through the parks. Neither Naruto nor Hinata had any general direction in which they were walked; they merely walked where their feet took them. Eventually, the road took them into the shopping district; vendors were hawking anything from shampoos to food to items that enhanced…bedroom pleasure.

"Cinnamon rolls; get your warm, sweet cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven!" A vendor called out. Naruto glanced over, and when the vendor saw him, his face brightened; everyone recognized the Yondaime's son. "Ah, Namikaze-sama. Would you like to try a cinnamon roll, just 200 ryo?"

"Ah, no than—"

"Oh, but your little lady friend looks hungry! Tell you what, just for you, Namikaze-sama, I'll give you one for free this time, no strings attached! If you like it, you can just drop by and get some later. How does that sound?"

"Well…" Naruto turned to Hinata. "Um, Hinata-chan, do you want one?"

Hinata tilted her head to the side. "Hmm…I've never had a 'cinnamon roll' before. I guess I'll try one, Naruto-kun."

The man gave a deep cheerful belly laugh. "That's the spirit!" Without pause, he wrapped up a sugar-glazed cinnamon roll and stepped forwards. [2]

Hinata slight flinch was noticed only by Naruto as the tall man stood in front of her, offering the cinnamon roll. He's in front of me! Fear gripped her and her heart beat so rapidly it felt like it would burst through her chest. Hinata tensed up and froze. He'll hurt me, rape me! I have to get away! No, no, Naru-sama is here, he won't let anyone hurt me! I won't embarrass Naru-sama!

Hinata forced herself to reach out and accept the pastry with shaking hands. "A-Arigat-to." She stammered.

The baker chuckled, mistaking the girl's actions for shyness. "Heh, cute kid. Just remember, Ryori's bakery ain't no fakery."

Naruto suppressed a wince at the cheesy saying as he fished around in his pocket and found two 100 ryo coins. The Namikaze heir handed them to the baker, who tried to refuse.

"Eh? They're on the house this time, Namikaze-sama."

Naruto left them on the counter. "I insist. I would consider it dishonorable, almost thievery, to accept the product of a man's hard work without some form of payment."

Ryori grinned. Truth be told, although his business was on the brink of failure earlier this morning, but now he was set. People would flock to his bakery in droves once that they heard that the Naruto Namikaze was served here, even if it was just once. After all, what other places could claim as much? Ryori would have certainly heard if the heir to the legendary Namikaze Clan had been a patron at any other restaurant. Now, though, Ryori knew he would not be having any financial troubles any time soon. However, it was a very proper gesture for Naruto to make, one that showed he had manners, politeness, and propriety. "I guess I can't refuse when you put it that way. Domo arigato, Namikaze-sama."

"Do itashi mashite.[3]" Naruto replied, and subtly linked his arm with Hinata and guided her off. Once they walked another block, Naruto found a bench and gently pressed Hinata down so that she sat on it, and joined her. The entire way, Naruto had felt her shaking, and he knew exactly why.

The blonde boy gently wrapped one arm around his mate's waist and pulled her close. Hinata was starting to hyperventillate, and she sensed them, all around her. They were hiding from her, biding their time, but Hinata knew they were there, yes she did. She knew it was only a matter of time...

"I'm right here, my little vixen. I won't let anyone touch you, remember?" Naruto whispered soothingly in Hinata's ear. Her trembling slowed, and Naruto, encouraged, went on. "He walked right up to you, and you stayed in control. You were very brave, Vixen-chan."

Hinata looked at him. "Y-You really think s-so, Naru-sama? I felt really scared. I wanted to r-run away." She admitted.

"But you didn't." Naruto noted. "Everyone gets scared, my little vixen—"

"Even you?"

"Even me. But it takes true courage to overcome your fear. Do you want to hear about the first time I got really scared?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded. "I was about to run Kumo's third-tier obstacle course for the first time. The very first obstacle was a 50 meter jump down into murky water that was rumored to be filled with alligators. That very first time, I stood on the edge and looked all the way down. It seemed like it was way too high, and I froze. I started thinking of all the reasons why I shouldn't jump, like the fact that I wasn't supposed to even be on such a dangerous course in the first place, or that I should at least climb down and check to see if there really were alligators in the water. But you know what I did then?"

"You jumped." Hinata stated with absolute confidence.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I chickened out. I climbed down that ladder, and I ran all the way home. It wasn't until a week later that I got the courage to jump off and start the obstacle course. So you see, Vixen-chan, you're actually braver than me."

"But Naru-sama," Hinata said, distressed. Naru-sama is brave and strong, I know it! Naru-sama is no coward, right? "How old were you at the time?"

"Six, but that's not the point." Naruto conceded. "The point is, it's okay to be scared sometimes. Just remember that not everyone is out to hurt you, and I'll always protect you from those who do. That's my promise, a promise of a lifetime."

Hinata smiled as she finally relaxed completely, incredibly relieved. I knew Naru-sama isn't a coward! Ever since I've known him, he's always expected the best out of himself. Naruto-kun would be the type to try a dangerous stunt at such a young age. Naru-sama promises, and Naru-sama always keeps his promises.

"Thank you, Naru-sama…" Hinata said softly. She gently kissed Naruto's cheek, and Naruto smiled back.

The hanyou girl unwrapped the cinnamon roll and gingerly took a nibble. The flavor exploded sweetly into her mouth. The texture of the dough was heavenly, and Hinata took a bigger bite.

Naruto observed the enjoyment on her face. "Does my little vixen enjoy it?" He teased. Deep down, he felt a little irrationally jealous at the level of enjoyment Hinata was showing. What? It's not like Vixen-chan could love a pastry more than she loves me. Naruto reminded himself.

Hinata looked at Naruto, slightly embarrassed for a different reason. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Naru-sama! Do you want some?"

Naruto politely declined. "No, I'm good." Hinata could see the hidden cunning on her mate's face, but continued eating the cinnamon roll, confused.

As Hinata popped the last bite of cinnamon roll into her mouth, Naruto made his move. He darted his head forwards and pressed his lips firmly upon Hinata's, tasting the sweetness of the pastry she had been eating. Naruto used his tongue and stole the last bite right out of Hinata's mouth before she even had a chance to respond from the sudden kiss.

Pulling back, Naruto smirked at a dazed Hinata as he tasted cinnamon and sugar. "Heh, it does taste good."

Hinata fake-glared at Naruto, her pupilless lavender eyes showing mock annoyance. Naruto cringed. "I mean, um, sor—"

It's payback, Naru-sama! The hanyou girl pounced and sat on Naruto's lap as she straddled him on the bench. She kissed him intensely and practically tried to choke him with her tongue.

As they both ignored the setting sun, Naruto made a mental note to get more cinnamon rolls from Ryori's Bakery sometime.

Two weeks later…

Naruto calmly rolled his shoulders from his side of the stage, and tilted his head to either side to loosen it. Across from him, Sasuke glared at his blonde opponent as he stretched.

Well, in the few weeks Naruto had been at school, he had somehow managed to attract a large fanbase of female worshipers, possibly rivaling than that of Sasuke's. Naruto didn't consider either himself or Sasuke as the type who would be physically attractive to girls, so he figured that it was their reputations and their family names that garnered the illogical affections of so many girls. Naruto resisted the urge to shudder as he bent down, stretching fully enough that he could place his palms flat on the ground without bending his knees. In fact, a large number of Sasuke's fangirls were "defecting" over to him, and Naruto couldn't for the life of him figure out why. His only guess was that he actually smiled and held conversations that lasted more than three syllables or didn't include plans to murder his next closest blood relation. Somehow, though, those girls didn't even care about Hinata! Apparently, there was some sort of obscure law called the KCRA, or the Konohagakure Clan Restoration Act, which allowed the heir of a clan to take multiple wives if he so wished. Depending on the Clan in question, the KCRA could be enforced by the Konoha Judiciary Council if the male in question chose not to take advantage of it. The girls figured that they could share Naruto or Sasuke, but a great percentage of them couldn't figure out which to choose!

That was why this Friday was highly anticipated by all the students. Why? Because Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha were finally going to spar.

And this wouldn't be an ordinary Academy spar, in which opponents fought just one round. No, there was far too much interest, particularly from the higher ups in the Konoha government, for such a mundane occasion. Naruto had shown incredible potential as a shinobi (particularly to those unaware of his previous residence). It was always important to know which young shinobi had good chances of becoming elites, or even legends, but only in extremely rare cases could a village produce multiple famous ninjas' in the same generation without their reputations overshadowing each other (the Legendary Sannin being one such exception).

Thus, Naruto and Sasuke were fighting under rules and regulations ordinarily reserved for jonin.

As the regulators wanted to avoid serious injuries between the two ninja hopefuls, they used taijutsu protocol-3. Despite its name, combatants could use any form of fighting they wished, but the small stage, a circle with a radius of roughly 15 meters, made physical combat the most effective. The match would be graded on a point system. Making your opponent ringout was worth 4 points, "lethal contact", which included strikes that would cause moral wounds (i.e. wooden kunai or the bokken for Naruto to any of the body's vital areas) was worth 7 points, while a full knockout was worth 10 points. A round ended five seconds after points were scored, so if two contestants hit lethal points on each other at approximately the same time, neither would have a net gain of points (As in real life, if two shinobi killed each other at the same time, neither won. In fact, they both lost.). The grading system obviously favored physical attacks, but acknowledged the use of forcing your opponent away with a well-placed ninjutsu. If the points were tied at the end of the ten rounds, the judges would determine the winner of a match.

Hinata energetically jumped up and down, waving from the crowd surrounding the meter-high stage to try to get Naruto's attention. He saw her and waved back, and Hinata rolled eyes as all the girls in the general direction of his gesture swooned. Practically speaking, Hinata was the best kunoichi-in-training of her entire age group, due to her previous training from Naruto. Her skills with zai set her at a level above her classmates in terms of physical combat, roughly mid-genin, and after Naruto discovered her chakra affinity for lightning, Hinata learned a few useful raiton ninjutsu. Her chakra control was incredibly precise, almost that of a high-level chunin, and her chakra level itself was only surpassed by Naruto's (and possibly the some of the other jinchuriki) in all of the elemental nations. She could pump large amounts of chakra into her Kitsugan-aided genjutsu, making them nearly impossible to break. All things considered, Hinata was much more of a low-level chunin than a genin-hopeful.

However, Hinata pretty much ignored Iruka and her schoolwork. Why should she have to listen to a man ramble on when she could be watching Naru-sama? No reason whatsoever. Hinata's academic grades were fairly low, but then again, the Academy taught several useless subjects like flower-arranging (a girl's only class, evidently a sexist tradition maintained since early shinobi teachings, when the only assassination missions kunoichi got involved sleeping with the target and posing as an innocuous female before striking) and history (although not useless, it was best reserved for non-shinobi children, as knowing who was named what during which time wasn't exactly important when one was dodging kunai and jutsus). As a result, Hinata was merely passing the Academy, neither doing exemplary nor failing.

Also, she didn't much care what the teachers or her other classmate's thought of her skill level. Hinata was there so that she could graduate and become a ninja. Rank did not matter in real life, only raw skill, feral cunning, and blazing speed mattered in deadly combat between ninja.

Hinata winced and resisted the urge to cover her ears as the audience roared in approval as the announcer finally started the match. I'm glad that I don't have my hanyou ears right now…I would be deaf by now! "Good luck, Naru-sama!" Hinata shouted at the top of her lungs, but even she couldn't hear her own voice over the sound of other cries of encouragement for either Naruto or Sasuke. Hinata made eye contact with Naruto, and mouthed her words distinctly; hoping Naruto could read her lips.

Good luck, Naru-sama! Naruto saw Hinata mouth the words.

I'll win this for you! Naruto mouthed back as the announcer began his introductions. The blonde jinchuriki tuned out the man. He wasn't really all that motivated to fight in this match, given the fact that he would have even more fangirls if (when) he won. However, the chance to impress Hinata (not that Naruto needed to woo her, it was just that he liked the loving looks of adulation she would give him) and the powerful figures in Konoha's government (who where a far second to Hinata, in Naruto's mind), was too much to pass up.

"Shinobi, ARE. YOU. READY?" The announcer shouted, emphasizing each word. Naruto snapped out of his daze.

"Hai/Hn." Naruto/Sasuke said.

"Then…FIGHT!"

Sasuke immediately started going through handseals the instant the fight began, apparently trying to gain the advantage by getting a preemptory ninjutsu strike, as they started at opposite ends of the stage.

Naruto watched Sasuke form the handseal, his experience in battle allowing him to recognize the handseals used despite their speed. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar… ! Naruto recognized what jutsu Sasuke was about to use. It was the Uchiha trademark, after all. In the time it took Sasuke to form the last Tiger seal, Naruto was able to flip through three seals…which were all he needed.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu)!"

"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)."

Sasuke made a ring over his mouth with his thumb and index fingers, exhaling sharply. A decent-sized flame blew towards Naruto, and in the small arena, it looked like the blonde would have no room to dodge.

Suddenly, the creaking, groaning sound of tortured metal was heard, and metal pipes could be seen bursting through the building's walls and ceiling an instant before large amounts of water streamed out of them straight towards Naruto. As they approached the blonde boy, the water gathered into a protective cylinder six feet high around Naruto, just in time to intercept the flames.

The blazing orange fire hissed and extinguished as it came into conflict with the water as Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Water jutsu are best used with a nearby source of free water. I hoped that using extra chakra in the jutsu would create a stronger pull on the water, so I could simply use water in the building's water pipes. Good thing I was right. Hmm, so how am I going to play this…

A light drizzle from the automatic sprinklers on the ceiling fell upon the crowd, who loved it. The cheering and shouting increased as the audience got soaked.

Sasuke stared at the cylinder of water, waiting for his opponent to emerge. Suddenly, he felt a blunt object strike across his back with enough force that he stumbled to the side and was forced off balance. With a growl, Sasuke jumped off the stage lest he land on his face, as he was so off balance that recovering without falling off the stage one way or another was impossible. He glared up at his opponent, who was holding his in a latent-striking position.

"Eleven Points." Naruto said quietly to Sasuke, his tone lightly mocking. Most people progressively fought worse and worse as they got angrier and angrier. It was only a very small percent of people who could channel their rage into an adrenaline-enhancing bloodlust that made them faster and stronger and helped them ignore pain, while still keeping enough of their head to reason logically and make smart actions.

"Hn." Despite the lack of verbal comeback, from the look on Sasuke's face Naruto saw that it would take very little to set the raven-haired boy's emotions off. He seems like the type to succumb to rage at the right provocation. Behind him, the empty water shield collapsed to the ground, its purpose as a distraction fulfilled. I'll bet he has some sort of insecure inferiority complex, covered by a superiority mindset.

"Shinobi, return to your positions!" The referee, seeing the potential for trouble, quickly inserted himself between the two. "Get ready for Round 2!"

Damn him! Gokakyu no Jutsu is my only combat ninjutsu, and he can neutralize it with that water jutsu! I guess I'll have to stick to taijutsu, then. Sasuke thought as he and Naruto returned to their starting positions.

Naruto watched as Sasuke adopted a taijutsu stance. He resheathed his bokken on his back but kept his hand on the grip. He let his knees flex slightly and set his left foot forwards. His left hand rose, his palm facing Sasuke.

"Combatants! Round 2, Begin!"

Naruto rotated his left hand so that his palm was facing up, and made a "come hither" taunting motion with his fingers. Sasuke obliged him by rushing forwards. Naruto evaded Sasuke's haymaker right by ducking under it. Sasuke made to kick him, but Naruto redirected his opponent's motion with his free left hand, using his own movement to switch their positions.

Now, Sasuke was the one closest to the edge, and Naruto was behind him. His right hand, which had remained on the hilt of his sword until now, blurred and unsheathed his bokken from his back. Flipped the blade in a smooth motion, Naruto pushed the blunted tip of the bokken against the middle of Sasuke's lower back, right where his spine would be. If it had been a real blade, it would have severed his spine. As it was, the wooden prop had enough force to knock the Uchiha off balance. In the same motion as his sword strike, Naruto took a step forwards and placed his left hand in the middle of Sasuke's back.

A mild push, and Sasuke fell out of the ring once again.

"22 points." Naruto said, smirking. "Is this the best you've got?"

"Combatants, return to your positions!"

Several dozen seconds later…

"33" Points!"

Several dozen seconds later…

"44" Points!"

A few minutes later…

"77" Points!"

"Face me, you coward!" Sasuke snarled. He had attacked Naruto in several different ways, trying several different fighting styles, trying to slip out a wooden kunai as a sneak attack, he even tried using his ninjutsu again. The result was the same each time. Naruto would maneuver himself into Sasuke's blind spot and strike with his bokken to knock Sasuke off balance and out of the ring, simultaneously scoring points for lethal strikes and ringouts.

"So that you can see me? I don't know if you've activated your Sharingan yet, Sasuke, but it seems like a rather poor idea to let you analyze my fighting style. Besides, I don't feel like knocking you out. I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible, and waiting several minutes for you to wake up every time after I knock you out would isn't my idea of quickness." Naruto noted in a bored tone. He wasn't being arrogant, he was stating a fact. I'll bet Hinata will give me some sort of 'prize' after I win… Hmm, better stop that. Right in front of an audience of a few hundred would definitely make the list of top five awkward boners.

Naruto knew better than to harbor foolish ideas and preconceptions about combat. If there was one word he had to choose to describe this spar, Naruto would call it realistic. Sasuke was doing the same things he would do in a real life, combat situation. Naruto was reacting the same way. Just because he didn't engage in the lengthy, back-and-forth exchanging of blows that was typical of most fights, didn't make his actions any less efficient. If he had a real blade instead of a bokken, Sasuke would be dead each time he attacked him.

"Don't underestimate me." Sasuke warned as he and Naruto began to circle each other once more. "You have no idea of what the Uchiha are capable of. I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha!"

"Forgive me for disregarding you divine claims to power." Ne, it's actually pretty fun pissing him off. "You seem to thing that being an Uchiha guarantees you to be powerful."

"Kega-rawashii!" Sasuke spat. [4]

Everyone in hearing range of Sasuke's comment immediately went silent. Trash talk between combatants was allowed, even encouraged, but insults were somewhat less acceptable. When the insults included the deceased, they were usually considered in somewhat bad taste. Especially when those insults involved possibly the most famous, most respected most loved shinobi in all of Konoha history. If he were not the last member of the Uchiha Clan, an insult of Sasuke's level would probably have resulted in him suddenly dying in the night with his throat slit, if not by Naruto's hand, then by anyone else who respected the Yondaime's memory. As it was, many people in earshot lost a great deal of respect for Sasuke at that moment.

"This one may be an orphan, but I am no Kega-rawashii." Naruto said. [5]

"We'll see about that, teme." Sasuke sneered.

Naruto raised one eyebrow, but there was now a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Teme? Well then…I guess that makes you a dobe."

For the first time in the match, Naruto took the first action at the start of the round.

At the end of ten rounds…

The referee/announcer gave Sasuke a sympathetic look as he brought the microphone to his mouth. "And, at the end of ten rounds, with a score of—" At least he had the decency to look halfway embarrassed. "—110 to zero…Naruto Namikaze!"

Naruto raised both arms to the wildly cheering crowd. With a not-so-subtle smirk towards Sasuke, he made a flamboyant bow towards his fan, causing even louder cheering. Naruto liked to think he would have been a gracious winner…if Sasuke hadn't pissed him off that badly.

Sasuke glared back…as best he could with both his eyes swollen nearly shut and missing three teeth.

Naruto had not been gentle the last few rounds. Instead of using just enough force to knock Sasuke off balance and out of the ring, Naruto displayed an extreme lack of prejudice in using his bokken to raise welts and form bruises.

The crowd started to cheer Naruto's name, emphasizing each syllable. "NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO!"

"Well, I guess I'll see you back at school…dobe." Naruto disappeared into the roaring crowd.

Everyone Naruto saw wanted to congratulate him and introduce themselves. Of course, some genuinely acknowledged the skills Naruto had shown, knowing that what was not seen was often more important than what was, and others were just sycophants who wanted to ingratiate themselves with the Namikaze name. Regardless, Naruto took the time to meet and acknowledge each person, and did his best to associate names with faces and traits in his memory. An advisor to the Hokage (old, wrinkly), the Clan Head of the Aburame there (weird coat, pale, shades), an former leader of a disbanded ANBU unit (weird bandages, experienced presence), a civilian girl who worked a ramen stand (brunette, pretty, but not as much as Hinata).

It was always important to know people. Naruto doubted politics were much different in Konoha than in Kumo.

Naruto kept his friendly smile stuck on his face, but his patience was beginning to wear thin. After meeting and greeting a sickly ex-ANBU (bags around eyes, fellow katana wielder, chronic cough), his Academy teacher (scarred nose, with a dark scar instead of a light one), and a newly promoted jonin (long black hair, red eyes), Naruto finally found the person he was looking for.

He and Hinata met in a quick celebratory hug, but what happened next Naruto did not expect. Instead of staying next to him, Hinata pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"Naru-sama, I need to go do something." Hinata told her victorious mate. "I'll be right back."

And with those words, Hinata disappeared, leaving Naruto confused as to what could possibly be important enough to make Hinata leave his side.

Sasuke brooded as he walked down the streets of Konoha. His thoughts were dark as he brooded about the ease with which the blonde had defeated him. How far am I from my goal? I thought I've been on track to killing Itachi…but I'm nowhere close! I've been fooling myself this entire time! Itachi mastered his Sharingan at the age of eight, when I still haven't even activated mine yet! Konoha is obviously not giving me the power I need. How dare they idolize that blonde dobe!

"Ah, Uchiha-sama! I heard about your match today!" A grocer called out.

Sasuke scowled as he looked to the side at the speaker. Years ago, the grocer had offered a fresh bag of ripe tomatoes to the Uchiha heir as he walked home from the Academy. Ever since then, he always had bag of fresh tomatoes and a smile for Sasuke as he walked by.

"Hn." Sasuke took the bag of fresh tomatoes from the vendors hand and walked away. Socially, Sasuke supposed he should thank the man one of these times, but decided the privilege of aiding Konoha's last loyal Uchiha should be thanks enough for the man. Besides, Sasuke didn't even know the grocer's name. It wasn't really important anyways; the grocer was just some no-name peon.

Sasuke continued scowling to himself as he continued walking back to the Uchiha Comound. Ever since the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha Compound had been relegated to the outskirts of Konoha (due to fears of the Uchiha being behind the attack, as only a fully matured Sharingan could influence the Kyuubi. However, Sasuke didn't know this.) As a result, the traffic on the road narrowed until Sasuke was the only one walking on the road.

As he walked, he bit into the ripe tomatoes. As a fruit, Sasuke knew that tomatoes were filled with many vitamins, nutrients, and anti-oxidants. His body had to be in good condition if he was to kill his older brother. Sasuke ate tomatoes because tomatoes were actually basically the only fruit Sasuke could tolerate, as he abhorred anything sweet with a passion. It was his brother who had the sweet tooth in his family, Itachi had loved pocky, ice cream, and anything else sweet. Obviously as a direct result of psychological association, Sasuke hated all sweet things, just like he hated all other things that reminded him of his brother.

The grocery bag dwindled until only two of the original six tomatoes were left. Sasuke took out the last one and brought it up to his mouth to take a bite.

There was the singing of spinning metal cutting through air, and a shuriken sliced the tomato cleanly in two before traveling on into the trees. Sasuke's hand clenched in reflex, crushing the tomato, as he spun around in the direction of the projectile.

His assailant did not even bother to hide herself, despite her choice of a ninja's weapon.

Hinata glowered at the boy before her as he whipped around from the shuriken she had thrown. She had followed the Uchiha, concealing her presence, as she waited for any potential witnesses/interferers to disappear. Now, though, she let Sasuke see here.

Hinata was not here for a long drawn out fight to humiliate Sasuke even further.

She was here to send a message.

A slight breeze moved strands of her long dark-blue hair, tied back so it wouldn't get in the way. "You insulted Naruto-kun. That is not acceptable."

Sasuke drew a kunai from his back pouch and took stock of his situation. He still had most of his chakra, as he had only used a single jutsu during his fight with Naruto. He wasn't even wounded seriously; Naruto had just prodded him around rather violently with his bokken, but Sasuke didn't have any broken bones or major lacerations. His eyesight was just narrowed a bit from his swollen flesh. Sasuke sneered, confident he would be able to beat this girl, who was obviously born into some pathetic family and had merely gotten lucky in becoming the retainer for a ninja clan. "So, the blonde dobe has to have his whore fight his battles for him? It figures that he's such a coward he couldn't even face me in a one-on-one fight for real this time."

Hinata's eyes narrowed. "You will not insult Naruto-kun again."

"Make me." Sasuke replied. This will be my revenge! After this, the blonde dobe will be so angry that he'll want to fight me, and then I can really test how strong I am!

Hinata's image faded away, revealing itself to be a genjutsu.

Sasuke tensed too late as Hinata grabbed his wrist from behind and twisted, causing him to release the kunai.

Hinata pulled downwards, and Sasuke's gritted teeth failed to muffle his sounds of agony as his shoulder was suddenly dislocated. In an instinctive reaction to pain, Sasuke pulled away from Hinata. She let his upper body move, but gripped the back of his head while sweeping his feet out from under him and slammed his head into the grassy ground.

Sasuke's blood was absorbed by the ground in copious amounts as his nose shattered and one of his cheekbones broke; the water and nutrients in his blood fertilizing the grass.

Sasuke was in a world of pain. In his entire life, the most physical pain he had ever experienced was accidentally slicing a finger with a kunai. While he had experienced his elder brother's Tsukuyomi, Sasuke had never experienced actual pain, the body's way of telling the mind that damage was occurring. As such, he had no resistance to pain.

Hinata daintily stood on Sasuke's left kneecap, intending to use the pain to check if the Uchiha boy was still conscious. Sasuke's black eyes shot open in pain as his knee began to bend a direction it wasn't made to go. As he did so, he met Hinata's eyes.

He shivered at what he saw. In those pale, pupilless eyes Sasuke saw no compassion, no kindness, no mercy. Just like his brother.

Hinata looked over and saw that Sasuke was quite conscious and staring at her. She rapped her knuckles against his throat not gentle and he made a gurgling sound, his good hand going to his throat as he tried to catch his breath. Effectively, she had just cut off the yell he had been about to voice.

Satisfied, Hinata stepped on Sasuke's left kneecap once again and gripped his ankle in both hands. Slowly, she began to pull upwards, and she could slowly feel the tendons in the kneecap begin to stretch to their limits. Pulling a little bit more, and Hinata could feel the tendons and ligaments part as Sasuke struggled to scream. A little bit more, and Hinata broke Sasuke's kneecap.

The hanyou girl moved off of the last Uchiha, finally allowing him to withdraw into a semi-fetal position as he drew his one good leg up to his chest, sobbing his face into the uncaring grass. His blood joined tomato juice on the ground.

Hinata looked down at Sasuke's body. "You will insult Naruto-kun never again." She repeated.

The hanyou girl walked off with a small smile on her face, deliberately stepping on Sasuke's last tomato, without the slightest trace of guilt.

No one insulted Naru-sama.

AN:

[1]: This is somewhat of a private joke between my friends and I. One day, this kid comes up to me during high school and shouts, "Where are you from?" And I say, "Uh, I was born in..." And then he's like "No, I mean where are you from?" I say. "Oh, I'm Chinese." Then he shouts again, "No, I mean, where are you from?" And then I finally understand him, and say, "Oh, I just walked here from the Counseling Center." The kid says "Oh." And walks off. WTF? I know, seriously.

[2]: In Japanese culture, this would be considered very rude. Usually, you can't act in a friendly manner (ie close proximity, informal nicknames, slang, arm around shoulders, etc) unless you are already good friends with that person. Kiba is already disrespectful by the end of his first sentence. However, Naruto knows that Ryori is not intending to give offense, and takes none.

[3]: You're welcome (formal).

[4]: In Japanese culture, there is a large emphasis on belonging to a family or a clan. Because Naruto's father was the first to establish the Namikaze Clan, merely one generation ago, Sasuke is not alone in considering it one of the smaller, less influential clans. So he called Naruto Kega-rawashii, one with low-born reputation. This would be a major insult to anyone, high-born or not. However, by vocalizing this to Naruto, who is the son of the Yondaime, Sasuke is saying that he considers Naruto's parents, ancestors, future descendants, spouse, all possible relations, etc to be worse than shit.

[5]: Reference to the Japanese word used to refer to oneself in a humble manner. (i.e Ore-sama=My most amazing self, Washii= my aged self, Fusho= My humble self)

Teme: Bastard, punk. (Derogatory term indicating dislike.)

Dobe: Blockhead, fool, idiot. (Derogatory term indicating annoyance.)

And yes, I'm deliberately keeping most of Naruto's and Hinata's skills in the dark for now. They really don't have any real reason to use their full power yet… (cough cough ChuninExamsInvasion cough cough).

Mmn, Hinata's a bit yandere here. It works, though, doesn't it?

And for all of those of you that give me shit about my translations, I'm not Japanese. I'm a bastadized Chinese, half Mandarin, half Cantonese. For those of you who understand how much Mandarin people hate Cantonese people, I share your amusement…right before I knock your fucking lights out.

Review, or else I WILL find you and I WILL knock your fucking lights out!