Normal speech

Thought

Kyuubi/Nine-tails/Other big voices

InnerSakura

A/N:

Disclaimer

I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form, but I do own the OCs in this story… :-) This is merely for my, and hopefully everyone else's, enjoyment. Thank you!

Recap:

Sasuke has left the safety of the Leaf Village to seek out Orochimaru. To prevent this and Orochimaru getting his hands on the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, a team was sent after him. Two Chunins, Naruto and Shikamaru, and three genins, Neji, Kiba, and Chouji, make up the squad responsible for this task.

The only obstacle in the way of Sasuke's defection, the two friends do battle in the "Valley of the End". They rage and war all over the place with their complete powers in search of perhaps a final conclusion to this issue...

Failure!

Naruto had come eye to eye with Sasuke and was about to deliver what he hoped was the final blow… but he couldn't move an inch. His body became stiff as he watched as Sasuke drifted further and further out of reach.

Just then, he heard rustling in the nearby trees. From them emerged none other than Orochimaru. He stepped forward and appeared to be dragging something… It was his team…!

He released them and they struggled to stand up. They prepared to attack the serpent fiend, but with a simple snap of his fingers… they all dropped dead. Out of thin air appeared Sakura bound and gagged. Naruto tried his hardest to save her or even move a single muscle, but… he had to watch as Orochimaru viciously snatched out her heart and crushed it.

His eyes became glossy as tears began to form. Naruto couldn't save a single one much less even call out for someone to save his friends. What made things worse was how Sasuke just stood there looking on like a brainless oaf. Orochimaru evilly chuckled to himself as he made his way over to Sasuke…

"And now for the main course… Ssssausssske," he hissed while licking his chops.

Not a single muscle in his body worked. He couldn't even close his eyes, much less budge an inch. He had to watch in horror as Orochimaru's body liquefied and his essence seeped into Sasuke's body through any and every orifice…

Sasuke's head drooped as he became motionless. An ominous atmosphere spread and Naruto began to feel sick to his stomach.

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke's voice sounded as he slowly lifted his head.

Naruto watched as Sasuke's form gradually changed to one similar to Orochimaru's. He slithered his way to a face to face with him. He now looked like a freakish hybrid of Sasuke and Orochimaru…

In Orochimaru's voice, he said, "Thanksss for being sssuuchhh a pathetic failure! I never would have gotten thiss power, thisss body, if it weren't for how weak you are…!"

Sasuke realized that he must have trapped Naruto in some kind of genjutsu. He'd been trying to develop his skills in that area since the Sky Country mission, but he had never been able to use it successfully until now. Naruto had suddenly stopped and was barely moving. Sasuke slipped away while he was immobilized. He neared the forest and looked back one last time. He was terrified to see that Naruto was acting strange once again. His hair flashed an array of colors as did his eyes. Naruto grunted and groaned as chakra began to exude from his body. It pulsated growing larger and larger before it sunk back into his body. It seemed to suddenly stop and Sasuke was relieved, but… it surprisingly reemerged as it obliterated the ground beneath him and blew Sasuke into the forest. It finally stopped as Naruto's hair and eyes temporarily turned black. Yuuki was horrified as he then fell over limp.

She rushed to his side. In the forest, she could hear sounds of Sasuke shuffling around as he tried to escape. She thought of finishing things in Naruto's stead but decided to let it go as she had more important matters to attend to. She jumped into the crater and ran over to Naruto to make sure he was alright. His pulse was fast but it started to slow.

"SAAASUKEEE…!!! YOU BASTAAAARD!!!!" she screamed until her throat was sore.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she could do nothing but hold Naruto in her arms. Kakashi heard Yuuki's cries as he got closer. Arriving on the scene, he came to the conclusion that he must be too late. He surveyed the damaged surroundings as he made his way over to the crater and was a bit disappointed to find that there was no sign of Sasuke in the area. The only thing found was his scratched headband. He could have gone after him, but the rain would make it tough. He jumped into the crater and took Naruto from Yuuki. She reluctantly let him have her brother but followed as Kakashi rushed Naruto back to the village.

Meanwhile…

"Well… that was certainly interesting, wasn't it?" a voice came from underground.

"Yes," another replied.

After everyone was gone, a shadowy figure appeared next to Naruto's crater. A two-toned stranger covered by a venus flytrap appeared and he was wearing the same cloak as Itachi and Kisame…

Elsewhere…

Sasuke had finally made it to Orochimaru's. He collapsed as soon as he arrived. After being taken care of by Kabuto, Orochimaru slithered in to greet his visitor.

"I will not be your puppet!! I'll obtain power and surpass you in my own way!"Sasuke thought as he blindly followed the two. He then got right to the point, "It doesn't matter how, just give me power."

Kabuto tried to kindly warn Sasuke of the way he was making demands of Orochimaru. If he continued in this manner, he could be outright killed. One glance from the irritated Uchiha sent chills down Kabuto's spine and he backed off.

"Yes… My future rests with this child…!"

Naruto now lay in a bed in the hospital while Yuuki, Ryuubi, Ryuuri, and Hinata did various things in the room.

"Hinata, how is everyone?" he asked.

"Uh, well… Shikamaru and Lee had a minor injuries. Kiba was treated for a deep wound but he and Akamaru are doing just fine and are recovering at the moment. The same goes for Chouji and Neji. They were in pretty bad shape but because you got them here so quickly they've been stabilized. With proper rest and recovery, you'll all be back on your feet in no time as well," she assured him and his worried company.

There was then a knock on the door and entered Shikamaru and Temari. She took one look at Naruto and told him, "Don't make a big deal of this… I already had to cheer up this slouch… I don't want to have to do the same with you."

Naruto was about to say something but was interrupted by Shikamaru, "It seems that we failed this time… Next time… I'll definitely do better whether I'm the leader or not."

He then smiled. It must have been contagious because soon everyone in the room was smiling. The door slid open as Sakura poked her head in with Tsunade awaiting entrance as well. The room was starting to get crowded and so Shikamaru and Temari excused themselves.

As soon as he saw her face, Naruto's smile disappeared. He felt even worse as she happily greeted him. He figured that she hadn't heard the news just yet and that he would have to be the one to break it to her. He was about to tell her but she started…

"I had heard that you were seriously wounded, but you look fine now," she said as she walked right to the window.

Though she tried to hide it, Naruto could see Sakura's hurt expression in the reflection. He tried to apologize for letting her down but she interrupted once again with nonsense of him looking like a mummy.

Before she could throw another curveball, Naruto exploded, "Sakura…! I'll definitely keep my promise!! I made the promise of a lifetime with you and I intend to keep it!"

"It's alright," she responded. "You… you tried your best. I wish that you would have brought Sasuke back, but… I'm just glad you're ok," she said while forcing a smile and holding back her tears.

This was too much. Yuuki's emotions exploded, "What do you mean, 'you're glad' he's ok…!? Don't even say that when you're obviously more concerned with Sasuke!! You don't seem to understand what my brother had to go through just to keep his stupid promise with you…!!"

Sakura could no longer hold in her tears, but Yuuki continued to pour it on, "He tried his best to kill my brother at every turn. When he fought him, all that jackass kept talking about was ending his ties with us, everyone that has become precious to him. Like he didn't give a damn… The fuck was his problem…?!!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH YUUKI!!" Naruto strongly commanded.

She unrelentingly quieted so that Naruto could speak his mind…

"It's true that Sasuke said that he wanted to cut his ties with the village, but he also said that he enjoyed being here. I believe that even if we succeeded with the mission, he still would have done all he could to get away from here because he's obsessed with his brother. However, he had a chance to kill me and didn't. I feel that there's more to his reason for leaving than just revenge. Maybe he's trying to protect us from someone like Itachi…"

After hearing Naruto's explanation, Sakura began to feel a little better. She wiped her tears as Naruto continued…

"And so, like I said," he began and stalled. "I'll bring Sasuke back one day! I won't go back on my word! That's my ninja way…!" he went on more confidently with a goofy grin on his face.

He then looked around the room to see everyone with amazement on their faces. They had hung on his every word and couldn't believe his enthusiasm. Even Yuuki appeared to be speechless. She looked like she wanted to say something but was biting her tongue after reading the atmosphere.

A brief smile flashed across Sakura's face as she made her way for the door. She stopped only to say, "I'm sorry Naruto… I had you do everything while I just bawled my eyes out, but… next time we'll do it together!"

She left the room in hopes of giving Naruto some peace of mind. Everyone did the same but the ruckus quickly returned as a pouting Yuuki had to be dragged out by Tsunade with the dragon sisters and finally Hinata lagging.

Outside Sakura returned to ask the Hokage for something…

"Lady Hokage, I have a request. Please…! Make me your apprentice!" she requested.

She took a second to consider this proposal before answering, "I've heard that you're an intelligent, spirited girl… Alright… From now on, I won't go easy on you!"

She looked over at an intrigued Hinata to signify that the same went for her as well. She would whip both of these promising young girls into true kunoichi.

Later…

Hinata was still at the hospital making her rounds. As she passed Naruto's room she stopped momentarily. At the moment, she was unsure of what to do to make things better. She wished that she could have gone on the mission and helped in some way but that had passed. The only thing she could think of was vowing the same as Sakura and be of some use in the future. She decided to inform Naruto of her decision in hopes that it would at least cheer him up a little since he now had even more support. She went to open the door but stopped as she heard some commotion inside. She could hear grunts that sounded like Naruto was having a hard time. Worried that something was wrong, she flung the door open…

"I said knock it off! Stop tugging on it!!"

Hinata studied the sight but wasn't too surprised to see it. There in front of her were Naruto trying to escape out the window and Yuuki and the dragon sisters each preventing him by holding on to a limb or his tail. She just let out a sigh as she was relieved that Naruto was alright but also because this was starting to get old. She could never seem to get any time alone with her crush. She planned on straightening the entire situation out at this point. She was going to tell the girls to leave things to her while they did anything other than being there. That was the plan anyway, but an earth-shattering quake changed all this as a voice called out from outside the window…

"Hey kid, I heard you were all beat-up and in the hospital so I decided to drop by," the toad hermit said while sitting on the head of one of his summons.

"P-Pervy sage…?"

"Grandpa…!" Yuuki happily expressed, hugging the hermit as he entered through the window.

"This guy… Could it be…?" the dragon sisters thought with suspicious looks on their faces.

Unseen by anyone, Jiraiya glanced their way before speaking to Naruto…

"I came to talk to you today about an important matter. From this day forth, you'll officially be my apprentice. For the next three years, I'll train you to be the best shinobi you can be. In this time, you'll grow strong enough to fight off 'certain enemies' before they come after you."

"Enemies…?" Hinata and the sisters inquired.

Naruto and Yuuki knew exactly what Jiraiya meant by this but Hinata was a bit confused and the sisters were even more suspicious.

"For the next three or four years, you'll train your tail off for that time," Jiraiya stated seriously as the room fell silent.

Naruto disrupted this by saying, "I can't do it." Jiraiya raised an inquiring eyebrow at this as Naruto continued, "We have to rescue Sasuke before that bastard Orochimaru can take his body!"

"Fool…! That's nothing to waste time over at the moment! You won't have to worry about that for another few years. I've been investigating Orochimaru's 'Immortality' jutsu… It seems that he can't use Sasuke as a vessel for his soul for at least three years. You and your team saw to it that he arrived too late and Orochimaru had to make due with some other poor guy."

Naruto was gleefully dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say or how to feel now. He was confused and would be even more as Jiraiya told him to forget about Sasuke…

"Sasuke left the village of his own accord… No matter what you do, he won't just come sauntering back. From years of experience, I understand… Sasuke's very similar to Orochimaru… Don't think of trying to get him back… Only a fool would try."

Naruto exploded, "HE MAY MEAN NOTHING TO YOU, BUT HE'S MY FRIEND!!"

"Do friends intentionally hurt each other…!!? Look at the condition you're in!" Jiraiya retorted with similar conviction.

Naruto tried to explain but had trouble finding the words. Even though he had said it, Jiraiya could completely understand and sympathize with Naruto. He still felt that he had to point something out to Naruto…

"If you go after Sasuke, training will be out of the question. You'll be followed by ANBU whenever you leave the village… You're no normal kid, you know. If you don't listen to what I say and follow your own way, that's how things'll be. Even if somehow you save Sasuke, you'll die against opponents that are far stronger and deadlier than Orochimaru. That's your fate whether you want it or not. You should forget about Sasuke… As shinobi, we must make sure to make proper judgments and decisions. If you want to be considered a great one, you must be wise. If you are a foolish one, then you'll be in for a world of hurt."

Hoping he got his point across, Jiraiya turned to Naruto in anticipation of his answer. He grasped himself tightly as the suspense was excruciating. Finally Naruto opened his mouth…

"I understand… If that's what it means to be wise… I'd be a hell of a lot happier being a fool…!"

Yuuki and Ryuuri's jaws dropped at Naruto's response. They were even more befuddled by how he didn't just stop there. He went on to say how he would create bigger and better jutsu and defeat the Akatsuki once and for all. He then awaited Jiraiya's response to his but he kept his back to him. Jiraiya then leapt through the window and onto the patient toad sitting outside.

Still with his back turned, he said, "A fool is a fool, but only a moron would do something like that… When you leave the hospital, be ready. I'll show you what I have in store for you."

With one great leap, Jiraiya and the toad disappeared into the sky. A couple of weeks passed and Naruto was starting to feel like his old self again. Feeling a bit famished, he headed for the ramen stand, and of course Yuuki and the sisters tagged along. While there Jiraiya showed up and told Naruto to be ready for his first dose of training. He told him where to meet him and he would get Tsunade "just in case."

After a "few" bowls of ramen, Naruto and the girls left for the meeting place. It was a large training area that Naruto had never really paid attention to. Shortly after, Jiraiya arrived with Tsunade and Hinata.

"What's going on pervy sage? You said that this was gonna be some kind of training but I don't get why you brought Grandma Tsunade and Hinata."

"Well… the thing about that is… this is gonna be a little more than any old training. As I said, I was gonna show you what you had to look forward to. We're gonna have a little match, just you and me," he told him.

"A match…?"

"Yeah, a fight where we really go at it… This way, I'll know exactly what we need to work on," he noted with dark amusement.

Yuuki didn't like the sound of this or the way her grandpa had said it. She wanted to stop this but Naruto agreed to it so quickly. She tried to talk him out of it but it just went in one ear and out the other. He just took his place and readied himself. With one word from Jiraiya it began…

Naruto ran right for Jiraiya while making two clones. Jiraiya stood his ground as the trio drew closer. With one quick front kick, the Naruto in the middle was knocked back. The other two kept on Jiraiya as they attacked from opposite sides. Jiraiya realized that one of the two attacking must be the real Naruto since the one he kicked went up in a puff of smoke.

The two remaining swiped and clawed at Jiraiya but couldn't land a hit. To make up for this, more clones were created. There were now four Narutos all trying to rip the hermit apart at the seams. It proved to be futile as in one fluid motion they were all dispatched. The one real Naruto crashed into a tree but he wasn't sure of what happened. He replayed the scene in his head trying to figure out what hit him. He remembered seeing Jiraiya taking out a clone with a kick and the other two with palm thrusts, but he still couldn't make out what happened.

He got up and threw some shuriken at the posed hermit. Jiraiya jumped into a tree and headed into the forest ducking and dodging. He ducked behind one tree and came out tossing some shuriken of his own. Naruto stopped and backed off. He could now feel the chakra of two people. This was confirmed as another Jiraiya stepped from behind the tree…

"Now then… you seem to be having some difficulty with me. Let's see if you can do a little better against a clone."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he knew he was being underestimated. No matter who it was, he couldn't stand being underestimated.

"Ok then… If that's how you feel, I'll just take care of this clone and then take care of you," Naruto said as he created multiple clones.

They all tried to gang up on the clone but were all fairly easily dismissed. This time Naruto was sure that he had seen something strange but still didn't know what it was. He decided to try again so that he could piece things together. At first Naruto thought he was being mocked. Jiraiya seemed to be using a Dragon fighting style, but he was doing it very well. It made sense however because when he first met him, he had said that he had been all over and had seen many things. As old as he must be, he must have had years of practice in many different styles. Naruto knew that Jiraiya had experience over him, but he still felt he had a chance.

If he would use the Dragon style, then Naruto would use a different one. His hair and eyes changed to red as he charged the clone. He tried his best but it still seemed that the clone could avoid everything he tried. He knew that Naruto was targeting his chakra but also knew that he had to get close enough for his attack to be effective. The clone tried everything to keep Naruto at a distance. He hurled shuriken and kunai and managed to keep him at bay. Naruto knew that alone he couldn't, but…

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!"

Naruto increased his odds of landing a blow by upping his numbers. The seven Narutos circled the clone and removed their heavy articles of clothing as it went on its guard. With a declaration of victory, they all jumped. The clone and Jiraiya both watched and were surprised as the Narutos had pulled a fast one. Their real target was the real Jiraiya himself.

He had let his guard down and was now susceptible to the Narutos' assault. He narrowly avoided the first. The second was also a close shave with the third being a hair away. Not knowing how long he could keep this up, Jiraiya turned to offense. He planted a foot right into the chest of one of the Narutos but was shocked to have it intercepted. Now with things in hand, the rest of the Narutos pounced. They unleashed a wave of chakra and Jiraiya's clone disappeared… as did he…

"A substitution…!!" they clamored.

Elsewhere Jiraiya was safe for the moment. He crept about while hiding himself…

"Damn…! I can't believe that I fell for something like that. I managed to slip away but even a glancing blow from that technique can reap terrible consequences. I'll be pretty vulnerable if he finds me, but being without chakra against this kind of opponent can have its benefits. With my chakra system shut down and Naruto unable to track by smell, I'm nearly undetectable. As long as I stay hidden until I'm able to once again use chakra, I'll be able to properly fight back."

Meanwhile, the team of Narutos scattered all over the place scouring for any sign of Jiraiya. This was his chance to win. He wasn't going to underestimate the old hermit, but with Jiraiya unable to access his chakra, things would be a lot easier.

They continued to search but nothing turned up. He couldn't miss this opportunity. If he won, he'd shout it from the rooftops that he beat one of the "Legendary 3". With this on record, he'd be a shoe-in for Hokage.

One of the Narutos came to an area that he thought was a little unusual. He took a look around but didn't see anything too out of the ordinary. He was about to try another area but a rustling sound from behind caught his attention. He quickly turned around but was met with a nice hard punch to the face. A puff of smoke and Jiraiya and the others knew that a clone had been eliminated.

The other Narutos sprinted to the area where the clone's chakra disappeared. When they arrived, they found nothing. They kept a watchful eye and one of them noticed a kunai tossed. It cut a line that released a snare. A hidden rope wrapped around all their ankles and flung them into the sky. Some were more unfortunate however. Four of the Narutos barely got any elevation and crashed their ways through the forest and into oblivion. The remaining two began their decent but a fall from this height could have a messy end. To buy some time, the clone grabbed Naruto by the tail and flung him into the air before slamming into the ground. Now with a little more time and a lot more space, Naruto underwent a transformation…

In the air, it could be seen that a small, barely visible, object grew larger and larger until…

"I-Is that…?" Hinata quietly asked.

"It's a dragon," Ryuuri answered.

"It's Naruto! Even from down here he looks so big." Ryuubi stated in an excited tone.

This was the first time she and her sister had ever seen him take this form. It was more interesting looking than they expected. They watched as the dragon seemed to have pinpointed something in the thick of the forest. At the same moment they knew as well because a chakra signature suddenly appeared and began growing.

With his chakra flow finally back to normal, Jiraiya smirked at the flying dragon. Feeling confident, Naruto dove for Jiraiya. His speed increased as he soared through the air. Suddenly, he noticed the hermit doing something peculiar…

He went into a dizzying dive as a blast of chakra came his way. He recovered and landed in front of Jiraiya. He was bewildered. How could that have possibly happened, unless…

"How did you do that? Are you…?"

The dragon was in awe as Jiraiya revealed a tail, one very similar to his own. Naruto didn't know what to say or how to take it. He figured that it must be some trick to lower his guard, but then, right before his eyes, Jiraiya began to change. Two pairs of hairs began to grow from his forehead, two through his forehead protector, and two over the top. His eyes turned red as green scales began to cover him and his spiked tail. Once complete, his transformation rendered him nearly three times as big as the Naruto dragon.

He then let out a thunderous roar as he stretched his wings. An intimidating sight indeed, but Naruto didn't care at this point. He wouldn't back down. He was determined to win. As a sign of this, Naruto replied in kind with his own deafening roar.

The ants on the ground were now intrigued, especially Ryuuri and Ryuubi. They wanted to see more. Yuuki on the other hand was afraid, mostly for Naruto's sake.

With shouts of encouragement from Ryuuri, the two titans began to tussle with each other. They started by butting heads. Before long, and a slight twinge of a headache, the two began clawing and nipping at each other. This proved rather difficult due to their scaly hides being tough to pierce, even for their powerful jaws. The only vulnerable area was the soft underbelly of the terrible lizards, but this proved tough for Jiraiya because of his size… but not for Naruto.

He managed to slip under Jiraiya and, with his sharp horns, claws, and scaly back, began to inflict serious damage. Jiraiya howled in pain as his flesh was torn and pierced so easily. He immediately retreated to the skies while drops of blood rained down on the forest. Not done, Naruto gave chase. He readied his horns as he turned into a giant flying spear…

Jiraiya fell back and dropped from the air, avoiding Naruto's attempt, and scorched his underbelly all in one go. Jiraiya's fire singed him and he crashed to the earth in a panic. Jiraiya was right behind him trying to barbecue him. The heat was beginning to be too much for Naruto. He had to get away.

As he tried, Jiraiya grabbed a hold of him and pinned him to the ground while pouring on the heat. Naruto was frying and he had to do something fast. He decided to fight fire with fire. He opened his mouth and spewed a blast of chakra from it. This blast began to force the fire back and soon overwhelmed it. Jiraiya was forced back but gave Naruto a daunting glare…

Naruto wasn't just gonna take this sitting. He flapped his wings and took to the air. He flew by Jiraiya several times in an attempt to tear the skin of his wings. Without this he'd just be a giant sitting duck with tattered wings. Realizing Naruto's plan, Jiraiya dropped his wings to the ground in order to draw him in closer. This worked as Naruto tried to rake his wings. With Naruto so close, Jiraiya propped up a back full of spiked scales that tore through Naruto on his bypass…

In a lot of pain, Naruto couldn't maintain his form and reverted back. With Naruto down, but not out Jiraiya decided to even the playing field a bit and returned to normal as well. Naruto willed himself up to face his opponent one more time. Jiraiya wasn't surprised at his stubbornness but that he could still keep going. He swished his tail around taunting Naruto with it. Naruto knew he didn't stand much of a chance to win this the way things were going but he was too determined to win…

Naruto gathered and focused his chakra. Jiraiya could tell what he was doing. He was channeling the Kyuubi's chakra and converting it for his own use…

"You knucklehead…! Didn't I tell you that that was the wrong way to do that!? You're gonna lose yourself again!!" Jiraiya shouted.

Naruto didn't say a word. He ignored Jiraiya and continued focusing on his transformation…

"Well if that's how it's gonna be, then I have to put a stop to this before things get out of hand," he said before he charged.

He came to a halt as he was surprised to see that Naruto had completed the transformation but he didn't look how he remembered. He actually appeared to be in control. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was priming a blast of chakra. The good news soon became sour as Naruto appeared to be losing it. The Kyuubi's chakra began to seep out as Naruto charged his attack. Jiraiya had to act fast…

A single twitch from Jiraiya caused Naruto to react. He released his attack that obliterated anything in its path. It was pure devastating chaos as it ripped through the forest…

Luckily, Jiraiya had sealed the Kyuubi's chakra. He avoided the blast and slammed a seal to Naruto's forehead. Naruto's hair and eyes dimmed as all of his energy diminished. Naruto looked like he would be down for the count but he stayed up, saying that he wanted to continue.

After everything he had been through, Yuuki couldn't possibly let him continue. She ran over to him begging him to stop. Hinata and the others weren't too far behind either. Everyone wanted Naruto to stop, but he wanted to keep going.

"You've gone beyond your limit… Why do you want to win so badly? This fight holds no importance," Jiraiya questioned.

"I… I… I have to get stronger… If I become stronger than you… then maybe I'll be able to beat that creep Orochimaru and save Sasuke!" he strained with a grin showing his plucky spirit.

Jiraiya flashed a grin as well as he walked by him…

"You loveable knucklehead…! Why don't you take a seat, you deserve it," he said while forcing Naruto to sit by tugging his tail.

He fell into Yuuki's lap but noticed something odd. He looked at his tail but there was now something unusual about it. He poked it and clutched it but…

"Hey, there's something wrong with my tail! PERVY SAGE, YOU BASTARD!! I CAN'T FEEL A THING! YOU YANKED IT OFF!! I SHOULD REPAY THE FAVOR!!" he energetically yelled while jumping up with tail in hand.

"U-Um… Naruto…" Hinata quietly tried to draw his attention.

"And you think this guy would be a prime candidate to settle down with," Ryuuri blatantly pointed out his obvious blunder while Ryuubi nervously chuckled at this statement.

"Idiot…! That isn't your tail."

"It isn't…? Then… who's is it? Is it yours?" he inquired.

No one could believe how slow he was being right now. Tsunade pointed out that he was holding one end of the tail and if he followed it to the other end, he would find out just whom it belonged to. And so he did. He followed it to blue pants. He looked at the pants and up to a tearful face…

"Y-Yuu…?!"

"Pl-Please… let go of my tail…" she whined.

Naruto did so but had a million questions. Only one seemed to be the most prominent in his mind, "How did you get a tail?"

"What kind of question is that? I was born with one. I've always had one," she replied in an irritated tone.

"Bu-… How…? Why…? When…?" he stammered.

Jiraiya took it upon himself to inform Naruto, since he seemed to be the only one surprised by this, "Before you, I told her to make sure she hid her identity and any distinguishing traits well while we were in hiding. This included her tail."

With that explanation out of the way, Jiraiya hoped that that was all the questions Naruto had at the moment. After all that had happened, he was looking forward to a good night's sleep. Jiraiya's hopes were answered as Naruto's growling stomach shifted his attention. Jiraiya offered to treat him to whatever he desired and invited the others to come along.

The days came and went for three months. The team that was sent after Sasuke had now recovered, at least for the most part. Chouji was having the time of his life plumping back up. He scarfed down a great amount of food in one sitting. Feeling great, he then asked his sensei to train with him. Asuma was pleasantly surprised to hear this. There was no way he would turn down this chance to see Chouji actually put some effort into becoming a shinobi.

Kiba and Shino were out walking Akamaru. Shino wanted to know more about the mission but Kiba still couldn't think of the right way to describe it. "It was just one of those things where you had to be there." He then vowed to himself that he would never let things get that bad for Akamaru again.

They came to Hinata's home and proceeded to the backyard. There they saw Neji and Hiashi taking a break from sparring. They were just in time for tea and snacks as Hinata walked out with a tray. After she set them down, Neji noticed that she kept staring off into the distance. The direction she was looking was that of the village gate.

"Lady Hinata… I heard that Naruto will be leaving today for his training… Don't you want to see him off?" Neji asked.

"It-it's ok… I don't think I can say goodbye."

"Really…? I thought that that's what you were doing in the hospital," Kiba butted in.

"What do you mean?" Neji urged Kiba for more detail.

"Well… we walked in on her getting all close and personal with Naruto. As soon as she saw us, she was so embarrassed that she fainted. She's been having a hard time showing her face around him and us since," he mocked.

Hinata was so embarrassed that her face was red. She almost wanted to run inside and never leave the house again. Neji reassured her that it wasn't as bad as she thought. As long as she didn't let it get to her, Naruto wouldn't even make a big deal about it. He then encouraged her to go to see him, but she was still hesitant. She did however accompany her team and Neji on a walk during his break.

Along their walk, they came upon a couple of the other rookies. It was Lee and TenTen sparring with Guy. Lee was ranting about how he was saved by Gaara and would grow stronger than both he and Naruto. They would no longer show him up, and TenTen was taking out her frustrations of being left out for the mission. All this was running through Hinata's mind. She excused herself but Kiba asked where she was headed. She told him that she had something to see to and left.

Shikamaru was at the village gate seeing off some guests for what seemed like the umpteenth time in three months.

"See ya… Be careful on your way home," he said.

They bid farewell as well but Temari just had to say something more, "If you're ever in trouble again, just call us and we'll help out. I'll even come personally if you really need me, ok… crybaby," she teased.

Shikamaru was a bit embarrassed, but he wouldn't let her get away with that. "You… you're still on that? That was three months ago. Let it go already. This is why women are…"

He stopped short as Temari turned around and flashed a big smile at him. He blushed a little but if anyone saw it, it was just him coming down with something, yeah.

Naruto was all packed and ready to go. He had said his goodbyes and after one last ramen lunch with Iruka, Naruto, Yuuki, and the dragon sisters left to meet Jiraiya.

"Ok, I get that you guys don't want to come along with us, but why are you leaving the village?" Naruto asked.

"We wanted to find our father and tell him that we found a new place where we're welcomed and can call home. It may take some time, but it would be nice if he came along with us so that we could be like a real family again… B-besides… th-three years is a long time to wait until we can start our fa-family," she answered with a blush across her face.

Naruto just sort of shrugged it off while Yuuki and Ryuuri rolled their eyes. Then Jiraiya said, "It's too bad… I wouldn't mind having the two of you travel with me. Unlike these two here, you actually show some respect to your elders."

"I'll show you respect," Yuuki grumbled as she grabbed Jiraiya's tail.

His body went limp and the others laughed. In the middle of laughs, they noticed someone hidden behind a post…

"HINATA…!!" Naruto waved her to come over.

She shuffled from behind the post and up to Naruto. He figured that she must have come to say goodbye…

"Well Hinata, take care of yourself. I'll see you again in three years."

Hinata didn't say anything. She just looked away and twiddled her fingers. Naruto scrunched up his face at the lack of response. She hadn't even said so much as "see ya".

"Well… see ya," he said while turning to leave.

"Wait…! I'm a little upset that you're leaving; I-I-I'll mi-miss you… I know you'll be much stronger when you return, and I'll do my best too… I promise, I'll help you. I won't go back on my word!"

They both smiled confidently and even laughed a little. This made Hinata feel a lot better so she decided to end things while she was ahead. With the embarrassment of the hospital behind her and the future before her, Hinata said goodbye and was determined to give it her all.

As Hinata left, Naruto raised his hand and, to the 4th's likeness on the Hokage Mountain, said, "Watch over me…!"

He then caught up to the departing group and together they left the village. The next time they return would be 2-3 years later…

End of chapter…

Our hero leaves on a journey to improve himself...

The next time he returns, what will be the results of his growth?

"I'LL TELL YA WHAT'S TO COME…!!" a voice shouted.

Me: Oh… Naruto… I wasn't expecting you… and so loudly as well…

Naruto: WHEN I RETURN, I'LL BE SO STRONG THAT I'LL TAKE OUT ALL OF MY ENEMIES WITH ONE TECHNIQUE!!

Me: No that's…

Naruto: AND THEN I'LL BRING SASUKEBACK AND SAKURA WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH ME!

Me: Wait that's…

Naruto: I'LL ALSO SINGLE HANDEDLY END THE PROBLEMS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD!

Me: But…

Naruto: AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE…? I--…

Me: WILL YOU BE QUIET FOR ONE SECOND…!? I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT THAT'S NOT LIKELY!

Naruto: *baffled look on his face* - What… do you mean?

Me: *Sighs* - The story wouldn't be very interesting if you came back and could defeat all the story's villains in one go. That'd be pretty lame for a full-blown story. Also… I know that you're the main character of the story, but you aren't the only focus of it. I'm sorry to say, but you probably won't be able to do all the things you think all on your own.

Naruto: …… Then… what do you have in store for me? How can I be the hero if I can't do anything good?

"I-I'm sure you'll be just fine," a voice softly spoke.

Naruto: *looks around* - Ah… Hinata… How long have you been there?

Hinata: A… a little while now…

Me: Stalking Naruto again?

Hinata: *red-faced* - I-I-I'M…. I'M NOT STALKING HIM…! I NEVER HAVE! ANYTIME I SEE HIM OTHER THAN WHEN I WANT TO WAS JUST A COINCIDENCE!

Me: *sweat-drop* - I… I was just joking. There's no need for you to get bent out of shape. I never once thought of you as a stalker…

Naruto: *confused* - Huh?

Me: Anyway… to answer your question Naruto… in part 2, you definitely won't be a helpless kitten, or kit in this case. You'll definitely be stronger, but the question is… how much stronger? The same goes for everyone else in the story.

Hinata: D-… Does that go for me as well?

Me: Sure… As the author of this story, I have all power in my pen… uh, on my computer. - *nervous chuckle*

Naruto+Hinata: Then… you'll take good care of us?

Me: *chuckle* - Don't worry about a thing… You're in good hands… - *menacingly while chuckling evilly with thunder and lightning in the background*

Naruto+Hinata: *big gulps while looking frightened & weirded out*

Next time: After years of training, Naruto returns home. On his time away, what stories and experiences will he have?