Chapter 33

Naruto had woken up to the sunlight peeking through the window. She groaned audibly and buried her face deeper in her pillow, trying to go back to sleep. It was futile.

Damn that stupid window. And the stupid sun.

It felt like she had just gone to bed and was woken up 5 minutes later, ttebayo! It wasn't fair. After all the pain she went through yesterday….

Grumbling under her breath, she turned her head and gazed down. Neji was still sleeping, brow slightly furred. Maybe he was having a bad dream again? It was the second night this happened.

She sighed worriedly and slid her hand from under the warm white covers to come and rest on his cheek.

So warm.

He immediately relaxed, inkling his head towards her hand.

Naruto stifled a small giggle building in her throat. Hyuuga Neji, the feared prodigy was such a baby sometimes. It was endearing. She liked that.

Stroking his cheek a bit, she thought about everything that had happened. It was only her second night and third day here. And she already felt more at home then in her lonely apartment. But still, there was something…uncomfortable about all this. Maybe it was the fact that she was inside a compound she never really wanted to be in? Especially living..Or maybe it was the fact that she was sharing everything with Neji (or was it the other way around?).

Slowly sitting up, she ran a hand through her messed up blonde strands.

It was so complicated for some reason. She was scared, scared that she got used to this. And she never wanted it to be any other way. Maybe…it was fated for them to end up living together, getting married in the end?

This thought made her blush and she hurriedly removed her hand from his face.

Scooping close to the wall, she hugged her knees, Neji's form disappearing from her view as she looked out of the window.

It was dawn. Weird, this was the first time for her to willingly wake up so early (Kakashi's bell test didn't count, after all she got her sleep in the training grounds that day). Damn her for waking up so early. But it was necessary. She needed to fit her fuuinjutsuu training sometime in her schedule, and maybe mornings were good for that. She would have to think it through. Besides, Neji would be waking up soon as well, as he was an early bird. She rather liked it when he woke her up the previous two times.

Well, maybe today she could do it, and get revenge for the rough awakening he had put her through.

She started cackling evilly, a feral smirk appearing on her face.

Sweet revenge..

Sliding noiselessly off the bed, she tiptoed to the kitchen and opened the drawer, searching.

Where is it ttebayo..come on, where did he put it..AHA! found you!

Hyuuga Neji hated mornings, but living with a clan that rose at impossible hours, he got used to it. Still, that didn't change the fact that he loved sleeping in when he could, even if that didn't occur as often as he would have desired.

Nevertheless, his awakenings where always pleasant. No noise, no yelling, no chaos, all calmness, warm silence and recently, a sleeping blonde (which was an addition he quite liked). He accepted it. It was all ok for him.

But being awakened rather rudely to a scream of 'WAKE UP NEJI TEME' and finding himself sopping in water from head to foot wasn't what he called normal.

Several ticks popped up on his head at the same time, which he would have thought was impossible.

Slowly, he turned to face his attacker. Oh she was in for hell!

"Naruto….I give you three seconds to run, for your life!"

He wasn't so sure if he liked the addition now.

A few minutes, and high pitched soul ripping scream later, all the Hyuuga in the compound were running around in panic and Hiashi was rubbing his temples. It wasn't a good idea to bring her here, he was sure of that now.

Pouting, Naruto put on the black shirt, making sure to check the bandages she had wrapped around her chest. Neji was a big meanie teme! He even made her put his futon out in the sun, to dry off. Sure, it was her fault it was wet, ans she was occupying his bed, but still, she was a girl. Wasn't he the man in their little family like thing? Why did she have to do it.

Said teme was getting dressed in the other room. It had been silently decided that they will keep their privacy…for now.

Her eyes widening in horror at that, she grabbed her head, yelling inside her own mind that she was turning into a pervert. Trying very hard to deny that, she skipped to the kitchen and started making instant ramen.

Neji entered a few minutes later and glared at her food.

"Ramen..isn't healthy, especially instant ramen."

She scoffed and stuffed her mouth with noodles. Gulping it down, she pointed her chopsticks at him accusingly.

"Not my fault all you have are vegetables, ttebayo! I HATE those!"

"They are full of vitamins and elements needed in order to grow, chibi Naru!", he taunted and watched with a smirk as she stared to turn into a tomato from anger.

Chuckling, he pulled out two milk cartons and sat them on the table.

"How about we go shopping then? Get ramen, rice.."

"Candy!", she yelled, "and lots of ramen!", she stood up and leaned to him, her baby blues in the perfect doggy eyes. Neji just rolled his eyes and putting a finger on her forehead, moved her back and making her slump on the chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away with a huff.

"No ramen"

She opened her mouth in horror.

"We already have about twenty cups. Besides, don't you like eating it at Ichiraku's?", he asked while getting up and opening a cupboard on the wall beside him. Her mouth closed with a snap as he pulled out cereal.

"So…you are saying that we get to eat there every day?"

"Not every…we don't have such money Naruto, and I can't satisfy that neverending enormous pit that's your stomach"

The blonde crossed her arms in mock anger, but he saw the slight glint of laughter in her eyes.

"Hmph", she grumbled, taking a sip of her milk.

"I am heading out to train in a bit", said Neji after chewing a spoonful of cereal. True, the Hyuuga were traditional and all, but the boy, and many in Konoha, in fact preferred using western devices used for eating. It was more convenient. Plus Neji thought that gulping from the bowl directly was uncivilized.

Naruto nodded. He was always the first to leave and the last to return. From what she knew, his training regime was quite intense. During the time he was away and she was home, she researched and studied the fuuinjutsu advanced scrolls and the notebooks.

"I might be late today too, later then you I mean…I can't say for sure."

"Hm. Don't overdo it, whatever it is you are doing there."

"Heh, I'm going to beat that pretty ass of yours in theexams for sure,ttebayo.."

"You really are a pervert, Uzumaki, and one with a fascination of people's backsides."

Said blonde choked on her milk, and which her mouth full of the liquid, glared at him. The effect was lost due to her over-cuteness even in drinking milk.

"Neji teme!"

Laughter exploded in the small kitchen, and to the onlookers, it would have been a strange sight to see, it they peeked through the window.

A boy was running around in circles around the table almost lazily, laughing like there was no tomorrow with a blonde small girl half his size running after him, desperately trying to catch him and yelling words she learned who knows where on top of her lungs.

Many miles away, deep inside the rainy walls of Amegakure, a certain raven haired boy in his late teens sneezed, making his blue skinned partner attack him, thinking he was an imposter. Dodging it, the crimson eyed boy rubbed the twin lines under his eyes, suddenly remembering how he had taught his brother and a certain blonde jinchuuriki the curses he had heard from his former ANBU teammates. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to teach 'proper language skills' to three year olds. Musing on it, and sending Kisame a glare, he moved on with the intent to finish the mission soon. He had no desire to catch pneumonia. And if his shark friend made him linger more then necessary…well, maybe he could serve sushi in the main hideout later. He doubted anyone would notice it was blue…

Making her way to the small waterfall, she spotted her pervert of a sensei. Scowling, she appeared behind him and aimed a kick. It hit the air.

"Gaki, I am one of the Sannin for a reason ya know!", he boomed, smiling. She glared but smiled seconds later. For some reason, she just couldn't stay angry at her mentor for a long time, he just had the weird personality, and she simply loved it! And it had nothing to do with the fact that it reminded her of herself.

"So…I finished water walking, ttebayo…what was the thing you where going to teach me, ero-sennin!", she demanded.

Grumbling slightly at the nickname, the white haired man pulled out the scroll on his back and unrolled it.

"I want you to sign here, in blood. It's a summoning scroll."

Naruto felt her cerulean eyes widen in disbelief. This was most probably the gama summoning scroll! And he was giving it to her! Sugoi! Plus..this made her plans for her swords much easier too! Jiraya was so cool!

Smiling widely, she bit her thumb and carefully wrote the kanji for her name in the empty column, right next to 'Namikaze Minto'.

"Good.", said the man, rolling up the scroll and strapping it to his back.

"Tou-chan had it too..", whispered the blonde with a faraway look in her eyes.

Jiraya caught it and frowned. How did she know that Minato was her father?

Naruto caught the slightly calculating glare and shrugged, rubbing her blonde locks sheepishly.

"Neji told me, then I asked Jiji, he confirmed and told me about okaa-chan too. Don't worry, I wont go blabbing, besides, I want to be respected and acknowledged for who I am, not for who my mom and dad where, or for the Kyuubi, ttebayo!"

Silence followed this statement as she watched her sensei look up to the sky, hands crossed over his chest.

"Well", he said, finally turning his gaze back to her," I am proud of you. You understand that much. Not many would be able to keep their excitement, gaki"

The surprisingly soft look in his grey eyes startled her slightly. She wasn't used to seeing that, especially on the Sannin.

Jiraya dug deep in his pockets and pulled out a small faded cream book.

Naruto eyed it warily.

"I want you to read this"

"If this is porn…"

The threat was left hanging in the air.

He waved his hand impatiently.

"It's not. It's the first book I have written. I am sure you will find some answers to a few question your little head is full of, I'm sure. Besides, it's a good read. Even your parents read it."

Naruto grabbed it without second thought. It was something they touched…and no matter how pathetic it sounded, it was comfort for her. They were no longer unreal, imaginary. He dad, he had touched this, and he was alive when he did it. It hade her feel a piece of him, and her mother in the small book. She knew it wasn't making any sense, but she really didn't care.

"Arigatou, Jiraya sensei!", she whispered, giving him a small, hesitant smile. The man just ruffled her hair.

"Now, brat, I am going to show you the hand signs. Follow and repeat", he said, biting his thumb and forming the handseals.

"Boar Dog Bird Monkey Ram, Kuchiyose no jutsu!". Naruto watched him slam his palm on the ground. Seals appeared in circles and in a puff of smoke, a red toad appeared, easily the same size as her sensei.

Realizing her mouth was open, she closed it.

"Sugoi…"

"Now you try it. And while you do that, tell me about this Neji. What else did he do to you. Does he touch you inappropriately? If so, I am going to get there and make sure he doesn't see daylight again..or maybe give him as a pincushion for senbon practice, or even better, give him to Tsunade hime as a punching bag.."

Naruto sweatdropped. He was acting weird…

"Ne ne, sensei…why are you so worried, ttebayo!"

"Why? What do you mean why! I am your godfather for Kami's sake! I have to be the first to be worried here!"

Two seconds later.

"NANI!"

"Damn..busted…get to summoning, gaki!"

A few hours later, and Naruto was chatting off to Gamakichi. She had been able to summon a few other toads, including Gamatatsu as well (he wanted candy, so he was sent off in a hurry). All in all, she was doing ok for only a few hours of training. But Jiraya wasn't satisfied. After the slight row they had, her yelling something like 'where the hell were you all my life' and him bellowing back something along the lines of 'I am Konoha's spy, I always travel and gather information, brat', and a long lecture about Neji, including her own behavior regarding him, they ad finally gotten to the most important part, and the main reason both of them where near the waterfall. Training. And from what she could tell, Jiraya wasn't happy at all. Come on, ttebayo she summoned a few toads bigger then her, what else did he expect from her? And on the very first day too!

"I want you to learn how to use the fox's chakra", he stated bluntly, after she had demanded an explanation from him.

"What? Why.."

"Because, there will come a time when you will need to use it, and for that, you need to control it, even the slightest bit of it. You don't have the chakra, or control to summon the toad boss, which is what I want you to do. Now, drain all your normal chakra", he commanded, crossing his arms.

Gulping, Naruto complied and made a cross sign. She was in for hell, she knew it. But she would go along. After all, it was her training and she wanted to be strong. Plus she had a certain raven ass, Suna ass and a Hyuuga ass to kick.

"Taijuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!", she yelled and the whole place filled with clones. Jiraya whistled at she sheer number of them. Gaki had a lot of chakra.

"Full out brawl, guys! Use wind jutsu too! Anything, ttebayo!"

A few hours later, Naruto, bruised and battered made her way to her sensei.

"Right, try again."

She did, but nothing come out, not even a pitiful tadpole.

She gulped, not really knowing what to do.

"Say gaki, imagine this is your last day. What would you want to do?"

Surprised at the sudden weird question, she thought for a while, ticking off her options on her fingers as she voiced them aloud. A certain particular one made her blush and her sensei glare at the closest wall.

Feeling him grab her shoulder, she yelped. Bing shiunshined side along wasn't the best feeling. she wanted to learn to do it herself! After eating a bowl in Ichiraku's and trying (and failing) to find her teammates, she found herself being teleported to training ground 9. All the members of Team Gai paused midstance. Neji raised a worried eyebrow at the state Naruto was in. But he didn't have the chance to glare at the white haired Sannin, when he felt Naruto grab his shirt and yank it down, making him bend over in an almost double. The soft butterfly kiss she planted on his lips froze him on the spot, but before he could even react, a wave of leaves signaled the disappearance of his fiancé.

For a few minutes his usually loud teammates had lost the ability to speak. Neji himself was in a daze. What..just happened?

Later (he didn't know how much. Maybe minutes, maybe hours) Tenten smiled. Lee gave him a cheeky grin and a thumbs up.

But Gai, he stayed quiet, black eyes narrowed at the spot the girl and her sensei disappeared to.

"Jiraya-sama…don't tell me you are going to use the same method.."

Neji rounded on him suspiciously, finally regaining the sense of feeling.

"What do you mean, Gai sensei..?", he asked.

"His training is harsh, and when something doesn't go the way he wants, he uses drastic measures. Fr example, I have seen it with my own eyes when I was about 5 years old. Jiraya-sama was training the Yondaime at that time, who was a gennin. To up his speed, he had thrown him in an enormous nest with bees, which where 5 times bigger then the ones found now. Namikaze-sama had to literally run for his life."

Neji paled. Naruto had close to no chakra left, and was at the brick of exhaustion. What was the Sannin planning to do..

Gai, noticing the discomfort in his student, clapped a hand on his back and smiled.

"Do not worry Neji, her flames of youth shine very brightly, after all, she is the student of my rival! She will be fine."

He nodded and looked at the spot she disappeared.

Don't overdo it, Chibi Naru..

Naruto screamed, flying through the air. How the hell did it end like this! Why did he just chuck her in the canyon!

Desperately focusing chakra in her feet, she flipped through the air as much as the pressure let her, trying to cling to the murky walls.

Slippery!

Dammit, she couldn't do anything!

Wait….Kyuubi's chakra! That's it!

But how was she supposed to call on to it? The last few times it happened was when she was angry!

We she was pissed now, but it wasn't the same. Screwing her eyes, she thought of the fox, trying to connect in a way.

Everything disappeared. She landed facefirst in some weird water. Funny, it didn't hurt, nor did she feel the cool wetness.

Where the hell was she anyway. She raised herself up and stared around.

It looked like a sewer.

A low growl emitted from behind her. she whirled around, eyes wide to stare at an enormous cage.

There was a small paper note tapped to the middle bars, reading 'seal'in kanji.

Naruto stared. This was…her mindscape then? And behind the cage…

Out of nowhere, a giant crimson paw pushed through the bars and swatted at her. Screaming, Naruto backed away.

"So, finally here, gaki!"

i am sorry guys for the late update. i cant update every day now. i have my exams in like 2 days, and my diploma, graduation exams and all. so i will try updating when i find free time, which wont be much. i wont abandon this, like i have told you guys loads of times. max i can say it will be on hiatus for 2 months if i dont update during the period.

funny, i had a writers block on writing my works on marketing xD didnt know that can happen.

anyways, hope this chap was good.

i have some news. i will be rereading each chap and fixing the mistakes. but it would be great if you guys pointed out which chap had them most. i will check chap6, cos one of you said it had a lot of typos. anyways..

oh, i promised to draw a pic of femnaru, right? well, i have a link in my profile, check it if you want. its not as good as i wanted it to be but in my defence it was my first time drawing and coloring with a computer programm.

right...well, i guess thats it. i would love reviews, and promise to update as soon as i have free time.

hope the chap was good.