A/N: According to the rules I am not allowed to respond to reviews within the context of the fic, therefore I shall be sending you individual replies from here on rather than posting them at the bottom. if you have a question or concern I havn't addressed yet, please mention it in your review, and I'll try to respond promptly. OH, and from here on this fic may contain segments that could easily lead up to suggestive or outright sexual scenes, if this offends you then I'm afraid here is where we part ways. This chapter is the last in which I can gaurentee no smut. Also this is the first chapter in which my story diverges from that of my Co-author KitsuneContainer so if you have been looking for Sasuke to make a big comeback his will have it first, Sasuke probably won't feature here for another chapter or so.

Sincerly,
Manatheron


Good for you Hinata-chan. I'm glad that you finally found something worth fighting for. Even if it's not the Origional Naruto, your pet has certainly made a difference in your life. And speaking of your pet, I think that I'm going to need a stiff drink VERY shortly. Today has already had far too many surprises. Choosing between fighting off another invasion, and having to repeat today… I think that I'd almost welcome an invasion.

With those final thoughts Kurenai left the two boys staring after their retreating teammate.


Yawning our Foxy friend Naruto stretched, his single golden tail twisting outward before curling up around him. It had been a long couple of days. That was certain. Thankfully things had gotten a little bit better after Naruto and Hinata beat both Shino and Kiba. That first day had been near torment. When Hinata and Naruto came back so early from, their team meeting Hiashi had assumed that Naruto had showed off, and so He had put the two of them through a VERY rigorous training.

Naruto had not managed to explain yet, but he felt that he better soon, because Hiashi had not let the new Regime drop after the first day, No he had decided that the two of them must be taught a PROPER lesson… Then, if that had not been bad enough, Kurenai had shown up the next morning with an obvious hangover, and had started the training session with five laps around Konoha… and I mean around the WHOLE THING. Shino had gotten nervous every time Naruto so much as looked at him, and Kiba had seemed determined to ignore him completely. The only good thing about the whole crummy day was the fact that Akamaru had walked over, and the two of them had managed the beginnings of a decent conversation before Kiba got pissed and ordered him to return.

And neither of them has let up ALL BLOODY WEEK!

With a mild groan Naruto lay his head down on his fluffy tail, and tried to figure a way out of his situation. Distantly in the background he could hear Kyuubi laughing, but Naruto studiously ignored it.

And if that wasn't bad enough Hinata is COMPLETELY ignoring me during suppers when I'm 'Tenkichi'. What's with her? I've been the perfect gentleman, I speak to her politely, I'm friendly, I KNOW that she's attracted to me I can SMELL it for Kami's sake. Yet whenever she talks to me it's strictly in a formal manner. 'Sigh' could be worse I suppose, at least she doesn't despise me. If I just knew what it is I'm doing wrong…

Standing again Naruto stood and made his way over to Hinata's nightstand. He had been avoiding it. It was a little bit painful to know that Hinata was so shallow that she only cared for his looks. Naruto made certain to keep focused on the pictures when he heard Hinata entering the rooms from the bath. After the first night, he had always been extremely careful to look the other direction while she was changing. After a moment or two he felt Hinata sit down on the edge of the bed.

"What are you looking at Naruto, my Pictures again?"

Naruto nodded, and a moment later Hinata flopped down on the bed beside him and sighed.

"Iss Ssomthing wr…wrong Hinata-chan?"

Hinata gave Naruto a rather crooked smile.

"Not really Naruto I'm just a little bit… confused at the moment. It's nothing for you to worry about."

"Confusssed Hinata-chan? About what?"

Smiling, Hinata reached over and began stroking Naruto soft golden fur.

"You know Naruto; I think that's what I like about you. You're always willing to listen."

Naruto waited a moment, He was slightly confused about the change in subject, but before he could open his mouth to ask again, Hinata cut him off with a question of her own.

"Which picture were you looking at?"

Naruto hesitated a moment. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't ask her about the picture of himself but… Turning to look at the pictures again Naruto nodded his head to the one on the left.

"The Blonde Hinata-chan. I've never Sssseeen Him around town."

Well, I am not really breaking my promise, I didn't ask her, and she DID ask me.

Sighing again Hinata reached down and picked up the picture that Naruto had nodded to.

"This Naruto is your namesake. This is a picture of the guy the Tsunade-sama named you after."

"Why…"

Naruto trailed off. He had almost asked her why she had a picture of him, but as I said before; He had promised himself he wouldn't. Luckily for him Hinata misinterpreted the question.

"Why were you named after him? You were named after Naruto-kun because you have his same spark; you have his loyalty, and his compassion. In fact you are almost exactly what Naruto would probably have been if he were a fox."

Naruto swallowed, Hinata had NO Idea how close to the truth she was.

"Funny enough, you also managed to touch on my problem."

Now Naruto was really confused

"You have a prrrroblem with me being named afterrrr him?

Hinata's crystalline peals of laughter caught him completely by surprise.

"Of course not silly!" Hinata became much more serious a moment later though. "I have a problem with your namesake."

Naruto of course was stunned, thinking back quickly Naruto tried to remember if he had ever done anything to make Hinata dislike him. When he came up with a blank he gave Hinata a puzzled stare.

Then why do you keep a picture of me?

Oy, Kit. You really are dense sometimes, did you know that?

Shuddup you baka kitsune. I never asked for your opinion

Yadda, yadda. Listen up kit. Brace yourself mentally. Tonight we start a little bit of 'alternate' training.

What do you mean?

I mean Kit that every other night from now on you will be doing theory and tactics with me. I'd make it every night, but your frail human mind can't take the strain.

Hey you stupid fox. This 'Frail human mind' of mine managed to keep you out for over eight years.

You simply weren't intelligent enough to respond then

Why you! You!

HAH! Just joking kit, just joking. Anyway finish your conversation it's still pretty early in the evening, so we should have a full night ahead of us.

Baka Kitsune. Why do I am I suddenly glad that Hinata and I have tomorrow off.

Getting no reply Naruto focused back into the bedroom just in time to hear Hinata Sighing again. She didn't even notice his gaze confused gaze as she stared down at the portrait.

"I think that I loved him Naruto."

Once again Naruto was shocked

L…Love? Me? B…but?

"But I'm so confused now. You see I watched your Namesake for years, I could read him like a book. He always threw up a smiling mask, but behind his eyes I could see the pain. As far as I know He never mentioned it to anybody, but I could see it. I saw the looks that the villages gave him too. So… so cold, so full of hate. I always admired him for his strength. Even though I saw past it, I also admired him for the way he could keep a smile on his face no matter how badly he was hurt."

She… She SAW? But… But I was so sure it was hidden.

From most people it probably was Kit. If you remember however the third saw through it. So did that teacher… that Iruka fellow.

But…

"But I just don't know anymore."

Naruto's head had slowly drifted toward the portrait as he thought, but at that comment it snapped back to Hinata's face.

"Ever since I met this Tenkichi fellow, He's Naruto-kun's cousin you know. Ever since I met him I've felt the same attraction that I did toward Naruto-kun. I mean he has the same eyes… Kind of, the same personality… for the most part, the only real difference is that were Naruto-kun thought that I was some timid little dark girl, Tenkichi is actively trying to get to know me."

So, it finally comes out

You KNEW?

Of course, most of your friends knew as well. To be honest is was a little obvious.

They knew and they didn't TELL me?

Of course not kit. Heh, it was HER secret. If she didn't want to tell you then all they could do was try to nudge you in the right direction.

But I thought that Kiba…

Why do you think he was always so antagonistic around you? He knew that she liked you, and he wanted her for himself.

Then the fight…

He was trying to show his dominance.

I see.

"Am I wrong to feel attracted to him?"

There was a brief pause while Naruto tried to come up with a decent response.

"Did you… ever tell my namesake how you felt about him?"

"NO! Umm… No I didn't. I tried a time or two, but whenever he was around the compassion in his eyes always flustered me. I knew how badly he was being treated, and yet he was still able to ignore it all to try and help me. That's exactly why I'm so confused it almost feels… disloyal to him to have feelings for his cousin."

Once again Naruto had to pause for a couple of deep thoughts.

What do I say to her?

Well, that depends. Are you attracted to her?

Yes!

Are you certain? Or do you just think you are because of what she's just confessed to you.

I… I don't know. Now I'm confused to!

Well… Advise her to try getting you know you better.

What? But she thinks that I'm out training!

'Sigh' Tenkichi. Advise her to get to know Tenkichi better.

Ooooohhhhhh.

Ya... Also suggest to her that he's hiding something

Huh? Why should I do that?

Because then she might not take it so hard when she finds out that her pet fox, Tenkichi, and Naruto are all the same person.

Thanks for the Advice Kyuubi-san

Any time kit. Any time.

"Hinata-chan?"

"Hmm?"

Roused out of her contemplations Hinata turned to look at her pet.

"What is it Naruto?"

"May I make an Ssssuggessstion?"

"But of course."

"Why don't you trrrry getting to know thisss Tenkichi. Then you can Ssssee if he'sss worth liking."

Hinata looked shocked for a moment

"That's… That's an excellent suggestion Naruto. Arigato!"

"Beforrrre you do though I think therrre isss sssomthing you Sh… should know."

"And what is that Naruto?"

"He'ssss Hinding Ssssomething. A Sssseret."

Hinata's eyebrow raised a fraction

"What makes you think that?"

"I can Ssssmell it. Jusssst sssso you know. I have one to."

Hinata gave her pet a searching look, and Naruto tried his hardest not to shift his weight.

"Alright Naruto. Thank you for telling me. I'm not going to ask what yours is. I'm sure you'll tell me eventually.

"Thanksss for your trusssst Hinata-chan."

Nodding Hinata got up and turned off the light before slipping under the blankets. A moment later Naruto curled up against her back, and in a short time both of them drifted off to sleep.


"Tsunade?"

"…."

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's time to go Home Tsunade-sama. You fell asleep doing your paperwork again."

Stretching Tsunade stood up and looked at the clock across from her desk.

"Eleven o-clock?"

"I'm afraid so Tsunade-sama."

"Alright, I'll be right down."


As the early morning came upon Konoha, the mist that was normal in the rainy season covered the entire village and surrounding forest. At a remote and relatively isolated and secrete entrance to Konoha, a random Nin stood guard making sure that no one who was not allowed to, entered the village. Through the mist, the forms of four people began to appear. As they grew closer, he immediately became alarmed. Each Nin wore the clothing of the Akatsuki, but before he could even begin to raise the alarm, he felt something hit his neck. And everything went dark.

As the Nins approached, the mist slightly parted to reveal that there were five Nins, not four. A moment later, only three stood outside the gate, Itachi and Kisume and a third man. The three took their time, walking into the village. Not in any rush, they had plenty of time. As they passed the threshold of the gate, the mist began to disperse. The three walked down one of the main streets, walking toward the hokage tower. It was Kisume that broke the silence.

"Why are we here again? That damn brat is somewhere else."

"The reason is simple, if there is a civil war within the village, than it will draw every one of their shinobi back. That includes the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. Plus, in the aftermath Orochimaru may try to capitalize and attack while the village is engulfed in chaos. If that happens, than both of them can be captured and taken without much effort."

"But why four of us Yukio-sama? We can handle both of them. Itachi is stronger than Orochimaru, and that brat relies on chakra. My sword can absorb all of his chakra, and leave him helpless."

"Both of you are obviously not enough. Last time both of you lost to Jiraiya. That is a pitiful performance at best."

"But at the time Itachi was drained from using his techniques to much. It isn't like he is Orochimaru or that fucking brat. He can only use his techniques so many times. Plus even I'm not strong enough to take him on."

During the entire exchange Itachi was scoffing at the ignorance being displayed.

Kisume, you truly are a fool. The only reason that you have any strength at all is because of the five tail within your body. And you think Orochimaru is stupid? You and he are the same.

The truth behind the matter is that only four of the Akatsuki worked in two man teams. Itachi and Kisume, and Sasori and Deidara, the only reason for this was because Sasori and Deidara worked abnormally well together, and the only reason he traveled with Kisume was to make sure that he didn't die before they had a chance to absorb the chakra from the five tailed shark within him. All of the five other members worked alone, the reason for this was simple. They had no regard for the lives of comrades. Because of this, if a comrade was in risk, they didn't care and would still continue to fight, even if it killed the others. The only exception was the one that stood before them at that moment.

He was different. Where the others preferred not to involve civilians, he didn't care. When he went into battle, he became a juggernaut that destroyed anything that got in his way, and he was after the tailed youkai. Itachi shook his head slightly. Although he was not afraid of Yukio, the man made him… nervous. The man was better then he was. The pure strength of will and his unique abilities were astounding. Yukio Yurashi, the most powerful member of Akatsuki, the only being who had not been broken by his goddess of the moon technique, and had than defeated the god of the sun technique. But the most horrific of his skills was his ability to mimic any technique he had seen. He had no help in this matter. No bloodline limit, no technique, no nothing. Just seeing the attack once was enough. With his sharp mind he was able to mimic the skill, but make it his own. Every time he copied a technique, in truth, he was creating a new more efficient one. He would create one that used but the bare minimum of chakra, but still gave the maximum effect. He was also the only one of them that might be able to fight a Hyuuga without getting hurt. His chakra system was much more complex than any other persons that Itachi had ever encountered.

Akatsuki Rule 1: Brains + strength position.

He was able to rearrange his inner coils system, and even seal off sections of his inner coils system from other parts, or even the entire system. Because of this, using genjutsu and the Hyuuga gentle fist on him was near useless. At one point, he had encountered an advanced bloodline that allowed its users to control their entire bone structure at will. After their attack on the hidden mist village, he had taken all of their bodies and frozen them, only to thaw them out and study them. After months of study, he had created his own technique that allowed him to mimic their incredible abilities.

Akatsuki Rule 2: The smartest and strongest rule, and are always right.

When he went into battle, he used all excess chakra to increase his muscle density and mass. He would make his bones far denser than was normally possible, and he would grow a sort of hyper dense bone armor just under his skin. His only weak spot was between his first and second vertebra of his spine. The spot it's self was only slightly bigger than a sebon throwing needle, and it was still hard to pierce that area. However, there was one who capitalized on this weakness. The second of Akatsuki had crafted a small injector out of diamond. Whenever he got out of control, she was always ready to bury it into his back, her own special mixture of poisons ready to be injected at a moments notice. Even he wasn't strong enough to survive her specially crafted mixture of toxins. One drop of which could kill an elephant before it even felt the prick of the needle.

Akatsuki Rule 3: When in doubt see rules one and two.

A sudden presence next to Itachi alerted him to the presence of the third Akatsuki, Taguchi Azuma. The master of mind control himself had come on this mission. Because his abilities he would be able to make the entire village turn against the boy. But the biggest thing was the fact that he could guarantee them safe passage in Konoha. His abilities were enough to drive you insane. Literally. He was able to cast a genjutsu on anyone who he got close enough to. When he was close he would flow a portion of his chakra into the person's body, then the person would follow his orders, no matter their location. They could be miles apart and he could still control them. It took a truly strong mind to break his hold on you. Itachi himself had broken out, if just barely. The only ones that he could not control were children. Those who had, as Rock Lee would call it, the passion of youth. They didn't have completely formed brains yet, and as such, their minds shifted to rapidly to catch completely. This made them hard to put under his particular brand of genjutsu.

Akatsuki Rule 4: The best way to gain position is to kill off someone above you, (This is only permitted when not on missions.)

These two were a truly terrifying sight. However, the more terrifying fact was that neither could beat the other. They were a dead locked match. The fact was that Azuma had perfected his bloodline genjutsu, and his defensive abilities (barriers). No one could break the barriers as fast as he was able to cast them forth from his body. At the same time, Yukio could seal off his chakra network and prevent Azuma from getting any chakra into his system, or manipulating his own chakra.

"I don't care what your excuse is or was. It is unacceptable performance. If you want something like the power of a youkai you must be worthy of that power. You must work hard and earn that power. No one is destined to just be given power. You must first prove yourself to the very gods themselves. You must have power that can destroy anyone in your way, only than will the gods gift you with the power that you deserve."

Azuma's voice cut through the morning air, asking an already answered question. "Still quoting old religious scriptures Yukio?"

"Just because you want to believe that there are no gods does not mean that the rest of us are as uncivilized as you. You just don't want to give power to anyone but yourself; you don't want to believe that the gods are all around and that they do nothing to help you. They are above us, greater and stronger, they see all that is was and will be, and as such have a greater responsibility than any. They-"

"And here you have it folks, the greatest mass murderer in the known world believes that the gods are out there. Therefore it must be true."

And with that, both stopped talking, neither Yukio nor Azuma wanting to disturb the peace that had settled over the small group for fear of a fight breaking out and exposing their location within the village. As the morning mist cleared, the four Akatsuki disappeared with it. Leaving behind nothing but a whisper in the air as a testiment to their former presence.


"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade awoke to someone shouting her name. Climbing out of her bet, she slipped on a robe before opening the door to her room. Only to be faced with a very tired looking Shizune.

"Shizune, what is going on?"

"Tsunade-sama, something has happened."

"What is it Shizune, you know I like things to be told to me as bluntly as possible."

"Tsunade-sama, early this morning, nearly half of the villagers left their homes and moved in mass to the abandoned Uchiha sector of the city."

"What! Just what do they think they're doing?"

"That is the problem Tsunade-sama, they are demanding that Jiraiya-sama return with Naruto so that he can be properly punished. They are blaming him for Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal and death. As per your instructions, no one has been informed of that the body discovered was not actually his."

Tsunade's face visibly paled. And her voice almost cracked when she asked the question on her mind,

"Have they broken the law set by the third?"

"No Tsunade-sama, they have not… yet."

"What do you mean by yet?"

Shizune was almost afraid to answer,

"They said that if Naruto is not delivered within a reasonable amount of time, than they will have to break the law so that their children can be protected."

"You mean to tell me that they intend to tell their children so that when the children see Naruto they will get away and alert any shinobi."

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

Pushing past Shizune, Tsunade made her way down the hall and into her dressing room. Walking out a few minuets later, dressed in her normal attire, she said,

"Shizune, get Kakashi, Iruka, Jiraiya, Hiashi, and our little fox friend, and tell them to report to my office immediately. This is a seriously bad situation."

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Why are you still here Shizune?"

"Naruto has gone with the Hyuuga girl on that mission to the capital"

Tsunade stopped a moment in thought

"Perhaps… Perhaps that is for the best… Alright, get me the rest of them though"

"Yes Hokage-sama!"


"Kurenai-sensei, how long is this going to take?"

"No more than a day or two Kiba"

Kiba sighed for the tenth time that morning. What an annoyance, normally missions were fun because he got the chance to show off for Hinata, but not any more, now Hinata had… The sudden growling behind him caused Kiba to react by pulling out a couple of kunai and whirling around, only to realize that Akamaru wasn't growling at an enemy, but was instead growling at Hinata's fox as the two of them wrestled on the ground. Sighing Kiba turned back around

This is just great, now I'm not only hot and annoyed, but I'm lonely to… man, I HATE escort missions.

The shinobe had been keeping pace with a slow moving carriage for the better part of a day now. The worst part was that they had no Idea at all whom they were guarding. Every so often a balding, sweating man would call a halt and the climb his ponderous mass out of the carriage long enough to grab a bottled water, or perhaps a bit of food, and then, after climbing back inside, he would tell the driver to try to make the ride smoother before retreating back out of the sun. Kiba's ears pricked forward a little as he caught raised voices inside.

"… Just some of the brat's beasts…. Nothing to worry abou…. It disturb…I'll take care of…. As you wish."

Kiba sighed again at the sounds of the two animals playing behind him. Whatever it was that their client had said, the pudgy old man did nothing more than glare at the two animals as he came out. Well, that and give Kiba a sharp look and a sniff that clearly indicated what the pompous old fool thought of him… Kiba sighed as a now muddy Akamaru (Naruto had drenched him by pushing him into a puddle) came bouncing up and asked for his customary spot on Kiba's head. Glancing behind him Kiba couldn't help but notice that the Damn fox was already curled around Hinata's shoulders like a scarf.

Arrogant little thing. You may have won the last fight, but next time…Ooooooh. Just you wait.

Leaning down Kiba picked Akamaru up and did his best to clean the squirming puppy up. Behind him Naruto grinned lazily as Akamaru winked at him over Kiba's shoulder.

It's good to be the boss.


"It's not working"

Itachi spared only the briefest of looks at Yukio. Before going back to his musings. It had been two days since they had initiated their attack and so far all that had happened was a quarantine on the Uchiha section of the city.

Hmm perhaps this new Hokage is more intelligent than we give her credit for. Instead of risking a civil war, or breaking the old fools' laws, she has just declared that everyone in here has a form of mass paranoia. I still don't know how she managed to seal the gates without one of us knowing. Worse yet by declaring this a quarantined section everyone who might have heard the shouts of the rabble we snared has moved farther inward until the hokage gives the all clear for the area.

"Taguchi report."

Itachi didn't as much as flinch when their master manipulator appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Well Itachi-san. The people that I tweaked into our little mob here know very little. The best I can get is that our target disappeared about a month and a half ago. Apparently he and your brother got into a little spat. Naruto seems to have disliked the thought of Sasuke joining our old snaky friend Orochimaru."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer. He knew Taguchi enough to know that the man loved leaving the best bits for the end.

"Apparently the target killed and brought back what appeared to be your brother only for it to be revealed as a fake of some kind. I'm guessing that Orochimaru still has the original somewhere. Anyway the target and that old hermit disappeared a short time later, supposedly to train again. The best part comes next though. Two weeks after the target leaves a distant relative of his shows up with a pet fox or something like that. The rumors get a little mixed at this point. Unfortunately both the fox, and the kid seem to be out on a mission somewhere."

Itachi waited another moment to see if any more information was forthcoming. When Taguchi remained silent Itachi took it as a sign that the man was finally finished.

"Interesting… Kisume, why don't you stop hiding over there and join us."

"Sharp as ever Itachi-san"

Said Kisume as he walked out of the shadows. Briefly Itachi considered finishing the poor fool off here and now. Shrugging He decided to wait, Kisume could still be useful… for a while anyway. Turning away from Kisume again, Itachi studied the other two. Taguchi had a relaxed posture, Itachi knew from experience that the man couldn't be using his full blood limit on the people they had caught or he would have been slightly strained, Yukio also looked rather relaxed, Kisume, being the fool he was, was nearly bouncing on his heels. Sighing Itachi stood.

"This strategy has failed. I don't know about the three of you, but I think looking into this 'cousin' of the target might prove to be beneficial, therefore Kisume and I will be going to take a look at him. We will also be stopping by our dear friend Orochimaru… We must not let little Sasuke forget why he left. There have also been some interesting rumors about certain artifacts gathered by that snake that might be useful to us. Follow… or scatter. It doesn't matter to me. Just don't stay. Somehow that old woman is on to us and I for one am not going to be locked in if she should decide to set up a barrier."

"What about the villagers?"

Itachi turned to look Yukio in the eye.

"Leave them… or kill them, I don't care. They are unimportant, just leave before the dawn."

Having said his bit Itachi leapt away followed a moment later by a grinning Kisume. Turning Taguchi shuddered a little bit. Like Itachi he had seen the look in Yukio's eyes.

Like bloody gimlets. Time to get out of here in case he goes berserk.

Soon all that was left was the chirping of crickets


Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

Well I think that we may have gotten lucky. For a moment I was worried that the Big one was going to create a second massacre in there… Well now what to do.

For a moment a ghost of a smile flittered across Tsunade's face

It's funny, but they've managed to do me a favor. All the people who were most outspoken against Naruto are now gathered in one place, and they are under quarantine… as if re-programming could get any easier. All I have to do is tell them that it's dementia, and then explain what they 'really' believe. It's almost to good to be true.

Tsunade did frown after a moment though. Having listened in to the conversation between the missing Nin she couldn't help but realize that Naruto was once again in a rather significant amount of danger.

Do I send him a note? Or should I wait for him to get back? Decisions, Decisions…

Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were amazed with the capital city of the fire country. It was FAR more massive than Konoha, and many of the buildings towered over even the height of the hokage monument. Bordered by incredibly tall mountains on two sides, and the ocean to its back, it was incredibly well fortified. The only way for any besides the mist to attack was to attack through the pass known as "The Devil's Throat". During times of crises, all of the metal that was mined and melted in the city could be poured down the pass, and into ancient lava tubes in the mountainside. Effectively turning the pass into a super heated corridor of metallic fire, hence the name.

As they approached the city, it was Kiba who broke the silence that resided over the group. "Wow," was Kiba's, oh so intelligent, statement. "Kurenai-sensei, what are those buildings?" Was the question that followed.

"Those are ancient buildings that predate the formation of the first shinobi villages. Those buildings are all well over a thousand years old. They were built during a golden age for humanity and the feats that were achieved during that age have yet to be achieved again. Many of the tools that we use to this day are things created during that age. While you are here, you will see things that are not commonly seen as you get further inland."

Turning his head, Naruto spotted something atop the mountainside. It looked to be a strip of flat land that was over a mile long. Deciding to ask about it later, they continued on in relative silence into the city.


Walking through the ancient Ginza district within the capital city of the fire country, a group of four people, wearing traditional wide rimmed straw hats with hanging silver threads and high collared black cloaks adorned with red clouds, walked calmly through the crowd. Yukio, Kim, Itachi, and Kisume were headed for one location in particular this night. While it can be said that Akatsuki only possesses nine "true" members it is not to say that there are not many unofficial members/acquaintances of the organization. These acquaintances range from simple farmers, to police, governmental officials, and many other persons, some even shinobi. However, most are actually crime bosses, such as the yakuza. Because of their "friendship" the yakuza provide information as well as comforts to the members, and in return, the Akatsuki take care of certain individuals that might become a problem to their various causes.

While some might question how sound the judgment of powerful missing Nins doing such menial things as killing for the yakuza, Yukio himself understood just how important political connections are. Without the yakuza, information gathering would be much more time consuming, and would occupy most of the time of every member. However, by letting someone else gather the information, then providing services that all of the Akatsuki enjoy doing, they are allowed to instead, collect power artifacts, jutsus, study bloodline limits, and do what ever they wish to do, all the while, getting to kill people. All in all, everyone involved is happy with the arrangement.

Even as they moved through the crowd, people would unconsciously move out of the way, not necessarily out of fear either. The Akatsuki were common in this area, and most yakuza respected them for their abilities. And since the fire country was one that thought about personal freedom and limitations on police forces, both organizations found it much easier to stage their bases of operation in the capital city of the fire country. However, it was just as dangerous as it was in other countries. Mainly because of the fact that, of all the shinobi countries, the fire country were known to be some of the strongest, smartest, and best all around Nins in the known world.

Even as vendors tried to get people to buy their items, and bars tried to guide people in, promising good sake and food, Yukio ignored them. Tonight was not a night of pleasure. It was a night for business. Moving to one of the larger pachinko parlors, he walked through the crowd, toward one of the back walls. Once there, he pushed on a section of the wall. Not surprising, the wall swung, revealing it's self as a hidden door. The hidden room was not what you would suspect it to be. It was a circular room, with pillars surrounding near the outer wall. In the center, there was a small fire pit, surrounding this there was a ring of gray tiles, ten in all, each just big enough for a large man to stand upon.

From there, countless bells hung from the ceiling, each of various size, shape, materials, and type. Itachi, being the last through the door, pushed it back to place. Once the door had been shut, Yukio moved across the room toward one particular group of bells. Once reaching the bells, he then reached out, tapping them in a particular order. Even as their chimes echoed around the room, the ring of tiles began to lower, revealing their true purpose as a circular staircase. As the ninth tile lowered, their small group descended the hidden staircase. As they descended, Yukio reached toward a spot on the wall, and pushed one of the stones in. Instantly, the nine stone pillars slid back up into place one by one. As they descended the staircase they didn't speak. Eventually, the stairs ended, what lay before them was a dark hallway that seemed to stretch into infinity. Without a word, the group dashed off down the hall.

Yukio could never shake just how paranoid this particular yakuza boss was. Instead of just living in the city, he lived on one of the sheer cliffs. Not only that but the only way to get inside was to travel down this tunnel that stretched on for miles. After a few minuets of running top speed, the final staircase lay before them, along with multiple Yakuza bodyguards. Two of the guards escorted them up the staircase, which eventually ended, bringing them into one of the most extravagant places in the city. Though everything seemed like a normal traditional home, once you looked closer, you were proved wrong. What was normally wood, was now made of gold, what would normally be paper, was white crystal, the walls were encrusted with jewels, and so on, and so on.

Making their way through the halls, they eventually made their way to the only deck that was not internal. Covered by a genjutsu created by Azuma, no one would suspect a thing until they actually tried to touch the stone, and were blasted backward by the ward. Standing, looking out over the city was the man that they had come to meet, Tanzaku Taguchi, one of the most powerful Yakuza bosses in the fire country.

Standing about 5' 8", Tanzaku Taguchi was not the strongest of men. Upon his frame, there existed only a minimal amount of fat, though for a lack of trying to build up some. Tanzaku Taguchi possessed a very active metabolism; because of this he could probably drink pure liquid lard and not gain a pound. Interestingly enough, he and Yukio were distant relations, being from the same bloodline. However, you would have to go back several millennia to find anyone who was even closely related. Where Tanzaku's family line had remained living in the ancient city that the fire country's capital was built around and upon, Yukio's family had left, fearing that the devastation that had occurred long ago, would befall all who set foot on the hallowed ground.

"Yukio-san, it is good to see you."

"The same to you Tanzaku-san."

"Why have you returned here, if I may ask?"

"We have returned here for the purpose of information. We need you to try to track down the legendary Sennin Jiraiya of Konoha."

"Oh and why would you need me to do that?"

Being relatively stupid, by the standards of the Akatsuki, Kisume decided to but in, practically shouting,

"Because he has the Kyuubi brat with him."

"Oh, I see, you intend to locate them and then attack and capture the Kyuubi."

"No, a journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step, also, the journey to the mountain top begins with the easy incline, not the sheer cliff. Another piece of advise, a net cast wide catches more fish… we need you to spread your contacts farther, of the nine, we only know of four of the containers. And of these four, the easy incline shall be our target, the one tail Shukaku shall be our first target."


Another day had gone by, leaving Naruto slightly fatigued. The group had watched over the small compound that the client was staying at, until some shinobi from the hidden mist had come and relieved them of their position as bodyguards. After that, Kurenai had taken them and given the group some light training. However, after only an hour of training, they had been informed that they would be attending a festival later that day, and into the night.

The festival was one that was held only once every nine years, and had been held in the city since before the fire country had even existed. Known as the festival of the rings, it was a ceremony meant to honor great heroes of ancient time. The celebration had been held for the first time, over three millennia ago, when a group of priests had stumbled upon an ancient historical archive. However, most of the archives had not survived till the time they were rediscovered.

However, there were a few tomes that had survived, one of the greatest groups that had survived were those that were written by a holy monk that had spent most of his late life re-scribing a group of ancient tomes, a task that was never completed. The monk had been given a one of the greatest titles of his time, J.R.R., a title that to the current day hadn't been deciphered, he was known as, J.R.R. Tolkin.

His first major detailing had been a tome called "The Hobbit", the title of which had been changed from, "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale" by: Bilbo Baggins. They still didn't know why he had changed the title. The second major tome had come as three great volumes, and had kept its original title of "Lord of the Rings". Each from there he had detailed the history predating the books. He had then scribed books detailing what different things were, languages, symbols, creatures, places, history… everything.

Since the creation of the books, many had tried to locate the great lands that the elves traveled to in at the beginning of the age of man. However, none had ever returned from the journey. Due Either death or unwillingness to return, no one knew. But still, many would try. Because it could only be reached by ship, and only one time of year gave good wind and weather to travelers, those who set off would do so now, during the festival. Many well-wishers would send them off with a grand display of fireworks, and other things. And although many of the ships would return, a few always didn't. The festival was a celebration of friendship, courage, and strength of spirit.

As Kurenai led the others away, Naruto snuck off. Heading back to the hotel, he made sure he was alone before starting. Over the past few weeks he had begun to practice his transforming abilities, changing from his fox from into his human form and back again. Stopping at certain points between each form, he had discovered a sort of half youkai, half human, stage. And now that he had nearly perfected the transformation, he planned on surprising Hinata.

Concentrating on changing, he felt his body begin to shift. Fur that covered his body receded, bones changed in size and structure, until he was about half way to human, then, he focused on stopping the change. Now, he stood about 5'6", thin slit like pupils, surrounded by red eyes, red spiky hair atop his head, and claws on his hands. Retracting his claws, he walked over to a panel in the wall that was meant to be used as a secret compartment. Opening it, he pulled out a more traditional style outfit, and Slipping it on, he then exited the room. He wanted to find Hinata as quickly as possible.


Tanzaku's voice had an edge to it that demonstrated how frustrated he was.

"I want him dead!" The yakuza lord shouted.

"Why should we kill another yakuza boss for you?" Yukio questioned.

"That man is the current yakuza boss of most of the yakuza houses in the cloud country, Because of his incredible wealth and power, and the fact that he has the Raikage in his pocket, I have not yet been able to expand my resources to encompass the country. If you want me to follow your orders and collect information for you, then I suggest you kill this man. For all we know, the people you are seeking are within the cloud country."

"If that is the case, then I shall see to it personally. The rest of you stay here, I want you to rest and relax. I haven't been able to have any fun lately, so this is all mine."

With that, Yukio vanished. No sound, no smoke, nothing. The master assassin was now on the hunt.


Naruto was getting a little bit bored, he didn't dare actually walk down the streets in his half youkai form until later tonight when he had been informed that most of the population of the city would don masks and costumes, and the children would fight a mock battle that was meant to symbolize the final battle between the forces of good and evil. Until then he had to stay out of sight.

Sighing his eyes once again turned to that odd strip of land that seemed unnaturally flat, He could now see it only faintly, as though someone had cast an odd shimmering veil around it. Naruto frowned wondering if it was just his eyes, he seemed to see things much better as a full fox than he did as a human or a half-breed. Yawning his stood again. He had heard that no one had actually managed to reach the top of the buildings in years. The melted and twisted remains of the walls, while still strong enough to support the structure, made the interior paths unusable, while the sheer height of the buildings made them impractical to climb on the outside. Naruto himself had gotten nearly half way up before deciding that it would take too long to go any further and had turned around.

Well, perhaps it's time I take a look at the place before it disappears any more.

With that thought and a few well-measured jumps Naruto was off and running again, just hoping to find something to do.


Hinata frowned, it wasn't like her precious Naruto-kun to wander off, of course this was a much larger city than he was used to… perhaps he went back to the rooms to so he didn't have to deal with the crowds. Shrugging she turned to ask Kurenai what she thought, only to find that in her moment of introspection her entire team had disappeared. With a frown Hinata tried to get her bearings.

This is just great, I've been here for half a day, and I'm already lost.

With another sigh Hinata turned and started to re-trace her steps, looking for anything familiar.


Wow this is great! Who knew that times used to be so tough?

Kiba Briefly looked up from the informational history pamphlet that he was paging through. As soon as he had found out about the festival that was to be thrown that night, he had started looking for ways to impress Hinata. He had always known that she had a bit of a weak spot for history. (Or so he thought when she started asking about the way the fourth had defeated Kyuubi years ago) Of course once he had started Kiba hadn't managed to put the history book down. He was currently reading about the battle against the fearsome worm Smog, and oddly enough, he found it fascinating.

I wonder what kind of youkai this Smog was? He sounds like a Dragon, but everyone knows that there is only one dragon family, and they have refused summons for uncountable millennia… maybe there used to be more of them before the shattering of the world. Heh, there is no way that Hinata won't be impressed now!

With that Kiba was once again lost to the land of hobbits, dragons, wizards, elves and dark lords.


Naruto sat on a ledge just below the oddly shimmering veil, he sat with a small frown on his face as the wind ruffled his hair, and absently flickered one of his ears to keep the flies away. He was certain when he started out that the shimmering had just been a trick of the light, or perhaps it was only the fact that his fox eyes were better, but now that he was directly below it Naruto knew the truth, the odd shelf flickered because it was under the protection of an exceptionally strong shielding Jutsu, a Jutsu that just to happened to disguise it from peoples eyes.

-Flashback-

OUCH! What the? Hey! I made it! Baka What do you want now fur ball?

Oh sure, Insult the guy who can't fight back! First I save your life, and now I try to help you, and THIS is how you repay me? Oh yes, very nice. No, no problem at all, your very welcome. Feh, Last time I help you! Ungrateful brat.

NANI? Wait Kyuubi-san I didn't mean to offend you, I just…

Naruto's mental apology broke off as Kyuubi's booming voice began laughing at him in the back of his skull.

Kid, you really need to learn how to take a joke. It's called 'Bantering' usually a series of sharp witticisms traded between two beings in a sarcastic or near mocking way.

… Have I mentioned lately that I hate you?

You and half the planet kid, you and half the planet. Now, on to business! As I didn't want to hear your rather clumsy attempts at reason I have decided to help you out by telling you why that shield behaves the way it does.

Ahh, I see, you feel like leaving me a series of near riddles whose complexity is only topped by their irrelevance

… Better.

You don't think that was overboard?

No, no. That was quite a bit better than usual.

Thanks, I've been working on it. Now, care to tell me about the shield?

Momentarily Naruto got the impression of the fox shrugging at him and giving him a wink before Kyuubi spoke up again.

Sure. You are looking at the work of a particularly advanced bloodline. The only reason you can see past it at all is because of the Youki you absorbed from me. If you were to go completely human the place would disappear without a trace to your eyes.

Ahh makes sense… any way past it?

-End flashback-

That had been nearly a half hour ago of course. Naruto had gotten another laugh for his questions, but in the end Kyuubi had agreed to try instructing him on how to use his Youki. It had taken nearly an hour for him to tap into the Jutsu enough to hear what was going on behind the shield, and although he protested, Kyuubi had insisted that he was still no where near powerful enough to try countering it, or even making a hole big enough to enter though. It turned out that the sound tap was enough however as mere moments after completing it Naruto had become privy to the entire discussion that the Akatsuki had with the mob boss. Currently he had dropped his Youki tap (it took far to much energy to maintain) and was concentrating on what to do with the information he had just gathered.

Well, it's only a fight between the local mafia at the moment right?

Right

So outside of being useful if I should by some miracle be captured, it's really none of my business right?

Errr… right I suppose

-Mentally smiling Brightly in a manner reminiscent of Gai-

Good!

Kyuubi was about to make a rather sharp retort about the simplicity of the human mind when he suddenly felt a panic building inside of Naruto

What is it kid? What's the matter?

How long have we been here?

Hmmm I dunno… couple of hour's maybe.

CRAP!

As Naruto took off as fast as he safely could down the mountainside Kyuubi tried to hold in his laughter at hearing a particularly humorous thought Naruto had about Hinata killing him. Of course the fact that he stumbled when Kyuubi projected an image of Hinata dressed in almost nothing and giving Naruto a rather sultry wink was enough to make the fox laugh uproariously.


Hinata frowned as she surveyed the room

Where did you get off to now Naruto-kun?

She had just spent the last couple of hours walking around town looking at the various things that were for sale (Actually just generally lost) and the entire time she had more than half expected her little fox friend to show up as an escort (Or a guide, she wouldn't have minded if HE knew the way back) but now she had arrived to find her room and clothing untouched, and no sign of Naruto anywhere. She was at a little bit at a loss trying to decide what to do next.

"Hinata-chan? What a surprise to see you here!"

Hinata blushed a little bit as she heard the voice. Without turning around she replied

"Tenkichi? What are you doing here?"

Naruto frowned a little bit as he studied her back

NOW what did I do? Why is she being so cold?

Of course if he could have seen her face Naruto would have realized that she was trying to keep her embarrassment from showing.

"I'm in town on a small matter of personal business, you?"

Hinata had successfully fought off her blush by now (Well, mostly anyway) and turned to face him

Kami save me! Where did He find that outfit?

Naruto was currently standing in a pair of black shorts and a deep orange shirt, what had caught Hinata's attention however was not the outfit but the 'accessories' that apparently went with it. Currently Naruto was half youkai (Although Hinata assumed it was a costume) and had left his pointy fox ears and two of his tails visible

"I…I'm on a M…Mission. Or at l…least I was"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the stutter, even as his nose informed him that Hinata DEFINATLY liked what she saw.

"You were?"

Hinata blinked for a moment before realizing what she had spoken of her mission in the past tense

"Y…yes. We have t…tonight and t…to tomorrow off."

Naruto grinned. Finally something was going according to plan.

"I see that you're admiring my outfit."

KAWWII! Does he have any Idea what those ears Do to me! Mmmmm! And those tails! He can wrap me in one of those whenever he wants… hmm? Outfit…oh my.

Hinata went a deep shade of crimson as she realized that instead of looking him in the face her eyes had been drinking in the tone of his muscles and the fact that his fluffy ears and tails seemed to be as much a part of him as his hands and feet.

"A…anno, I was a little umm…"

Hinata blushed again and Naruto chuckled

"Ahh no worries."

Having said that Naruto spun in a slow circle so that Hinata could take in the ENTIRE view that his outfit offered, even as he did this his nose informed him that his looks were having a very strong effect on the young lady in front of him. As he stopped spinning and turned back to face Hinata he couldn't help but grin at the glassy eyed look she gave him.

"Should I assume that this means you approve?"

Hinata, still somewhat caught up in a fantasy (it involved those tails wrapped around her and very little else) answered without thinking

"Oh defiantly, I'd love nothing more than to…"

Suddenly Hinata trailed off as she came back to reality and realized what she had been about to say. Hinata blushed deeply again as Naruto chuckled.

"Do you have a date for this evening?"

The quick change in topic left Hinata slightly confused, but she answered anyway

"No, not one to speak of but…"

Without waiting Naruto reached over, grabbed her hand, and pressed it softly to his lips.

"My dearest Hinata, would you honor me by attending the festival with me?"

Had it not been for the amused twinkle that seemed to promise mischief, Hinata would probably have slammed the door in his face, thinking him an imposter.

"ummm… I really don't have anything to wear and…"

Cutting her off Naruto waved aside her worries

"Don't worry about it, I saw this cute little white fox outfit downstairs that the shop keeper agreed to hold for me… just in case."

For the first time in many years Hinata was completely speechless, here was someone who not only actively sought her attention, but also was also thoughtful enough to plan ahead in case she needed something. The fact that he was hotter than hell probably helped to, and her love of foxes (An oddity in konoha) was just icing on the cake.

"I… I suppose I could."

"GREAT! Come on Hinata-chan! This is going to be the best party ever!"

Hinata smiled as she followed Tenkichi downstairs.


To Hinata, her face seemed ablaze. As she gazed upon the costume before her, she couldn't help but help but be mortified. The pure white garment was fashioned after the fabled clothing that a kitsune youkai had once worn. The clothing was defiantly skimpy. Looking almost like someone had just put on normal white clothing, and then just continued to wear them until they were frayed beyond Patching. The white skirt like dress was frayed at the ends, with what looked like a tear going down the right side. It only reached to just below the knees, and to Hinata, that wasn't far enough.

The top was something of an oddity too. A white halter top, combined with what looked to be a white mesh armless covering, similar to fishnet weaving, but more tightly woven. The final touches were a pair of white sandals, very similar to the ones she already wore, a beautiful white fox face mask, and a genjutsu charm that turned the wearer's hair white. As well as a single tail that was held aloft by a nearly invisible string attached to the back of the shirt.

It matched Tenkichi's custom as though it were the other half of a costume set. His was that of human form of the Kyuubi, and the one he had picked out for her was the one for the Kyuubi's mate, Hikari. She remembered the legend. It was one that always made her cry when she heard it.

The legend its self was actually the beginning of the legend of the Kyuubi. The legend said that once, long ago, there had been two powerful kitsune, one known as Kyuubi, the other as Hikari. Kyuubi, was a powerful, red furred, youkai kitsune, who held power over all of the kitsune in the world, and was said to be the guardian of the first of the Shinobe villages. Hikari was powerful, but not as powerful as Kyuubi, she was a healer, and traveled throughout the far north, healing the sick. One day, near the boarder of the northern country and the rest of the world, Kyuubi and Hikari met, this meeting, though entirely accidental was the start of a love that spanned the millennia. Kyuubi had been reading a scroll and, due to his lack of attention, walked right into Hikari, it had been love at first sight, and at that moment, a powerful bond formed between the two.

For years, the two traveled together, near the boarder. Eventually, the two Married and became mates. However, tragedy awaited them, a group of humans made a pact with Orochidaiu, the eight tailed snake youkai, to kill Kyuubi. In exchange for making Orochidaiu the most powerful youkai, the group would be granted power, prosperity, and protection from the snake youkai and all others. So, when Kyuubi and Hikari passed through their village, the villagers separated them, and then, poisoned both. However, Hikari realized what they had done, and fought to find Kyuubi. When she found him, they were both within arms length of the god of death. In order to save him, she used a Tensei jutsu (revival technique), and transferred the last of her life force into his body. Saving Kyuubi by sacrificing herself. When Kyuubi had awakened, he found his mate dead, and in a blind rage killed every human in the village. Then when Orochidaiu had tried to flee, Kyuubi had wounded him, leaving behind a corrosive mark on the serpent that, according to legend, burned with the kyuubi's undying hate for him.

It was believed that Orochidaiu had eventually succumbed to the mark, and that it had destroyed him. However, Kyuubi continued to blame humans for the death of his mate, So he began to slaughter them by the thousands, unleashing all of its power then disappearing, only to reappear somewhere else years later and doing it again. However, a priestess, during one of Kyuubi's attacks, foresaw that one day, Kyuubi and his mate would be returned to each other. Just as he was about to kill the priestess, she told him to go to konoha, that only if he were to go there would he ever meet his mate again, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Taking the costume into her arms, she allowed herself to be led back to her room. There, after shooing 'Tenkichi' out, she changed into it. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but blush. And yet, even though it felt as though it revealed far to much, it seemed almost more natural to her than her normal clothing, as though she had worn the same thing many times in the past.

However, she couldn't allow her mind to be drawn to that fact for too long. A knock came at the door. This was followed by Tenkichi's laughing voice floating through the air,

"Are you ready yet Hinata-chan?"

Once again, Hinata's face was stained with a blush, as she moved to the door, and She closed her eyes as she opened it.

When Hinata opened the door, Naruto struck with a sense of awe. She looked more beautiful than he could have possibly imagined. Then, for a moment, an image flashed through his head, an image of a beautiful redhead standing in a clearing in a forest.

What was that?

That, kit, was Hikari.

Who?

My mate kit, she was my mate. Before she died… now, she is lost to me forever.

Before he could press more, Hinata's voice broke his concentration,

"You don't like it."

The statement held a sorrow to it that Naruto simply couldn't allow to continue.

"No, quite the contrary my lady, as you are now the very definition of beauty."

Once again, Hinata's face turned crimson as she blushed at the comment. Looking up at his face, she saw him pull down an intricate fox mask over his face. Seeing that, she pulled down her own mask, and taking his hand, they left the hotel and joined the throngs of people who were celebrating.


Moving through the street, Kiba was frustrated. Without being able to track Hinata by scent, he was unable to follow her trail. Even Akamaru couldn't pick up her scent once they left the hotel. As he moved through the street, he thought, trying to come up with a way to find Hinata. Normally she wouldn't leave without telling someone; she wasn't very social under normal circumstances. However, the real thing that pissed him off more than not being able to find Hinata, was the fact that he had picked up the scent of some other male, just outside the door. Not only that, but both Hinata's scent, and the stranger's scent were intermingled, meaning that they had, more than likely, left together.

As he moved down the street, a passer by bumped him. That was when he heard it. Someone shouting, and looking toward where the shouting was coming from he found a crowd of people who appeared to be gathered around a booth. As he moved closer, he began to hear the shouter more clearly.

"You think you can rip me off you swindler!"

It was a girl.

"Now, you will give me back my money, or I'll take my repayment out of your hide!"

Her shouting was followed by a very loud series of barks. Pushing his way through the wall of people, Kiba found himself staring at a very strange sight. A girl, no older than himself, was holding a vendor down across his stand, with a kunai at his throat, and on the man's stand, bearing its teeth in his face, was, at least to kiba's eyes, a pure bred northern wolf, one of the rarest breeds in the world. Most of the dogs that his family had were decedents of that particular breed. His mother's partner, Kuromaru, was about 1/2 northern wolf, and he was massive. It was abundantly apparent that this particular one could only be about Akamaru's age. Then again, what with Akamaru being pure southern mountain wolf, in a few years he would likely be double, or even triple the size of the wolf that stood before him.

Stepping forward, Kiba spoke.

"Does there seem to be a problem here?"

As the girl turned to face him, she seemed to look at him in surprise.

"And you would be?"

Her rude tone extending both her arrogance and a natural feeling of self-supiority toward him.

"A leaf Nin… and you would be?"

"I would be a cloud Nin,"

With that she reveled her headband, which was tied around her left bicep, just under the jacket she wore,

"And one that is pissed off at a vendor who has sold her a defective sword."

She tossed said sword toward him. Catching it, Kiba unsheathed it in a single smooth draw only to reveal cracks spreading across the surface in a very spider web like pattern. Looking at the vendor, kiba realized he didn't seem very worried about his current predicament. That was when it dawned on Kiba, the man was a yakuza. Looking around through the crowd, he picked out at least five more yakuza thugs. Turning back to face the vendor and girl, he spoke in a soft tone.

"You really should giver her back her money. Even I can tell that this sword is poorly made, you are lucky that you didn't sell this to one of my comrades, she would have taken this sword and shoved it where the sun doesn't shine. So, I would advise that you give her money back, rather than have this drag out into a fight and your entire night getting ruined."

As he finished, the man's expression turned from one of serene calmness, to one of someone who was contemplating which of two pains he would rather have.

"How about this, I give you the money for the sword, you give her back the money, and I get the damn thing?" At this point, the man's expression changed back to its original one.

"Deal."


As Kiba walked down the street away from the hotel, where he had placed the weapon that he intended to give to Ten-ten as a gift for her to fix. he made his way to one of the deserted parks. Just as he went out of sight of the general public, he was tackled from behind. After landing flat on his face, he was flipped over, only to look straight into the eyes of the girl from earlier.

"Hi, my name is Rin, what's yours?" Kiba was flabbergasted, here this girl had just tackled him, and she was asking for his name.

"um, I'm Kiba, and you need to get off of me."

Her response was one that caused Kiba to be taken aback.

"Why, you don't smell like you're taken."

As Kiba sputtered, the girl reached up, pushing aside his coat, and looking at the juncture of his throat and shoulder.

"Nope, definitely not taken."

Kiba knew exactly what she was looking for, most canine breeds either left large amounts of scent on their mate to ward away others, or they left a mark on the juncture between the throat and shoulder. His family was no different. Even years after his father's death, he was still able to smell his scent from the mark that was on his mother's neck. It was at that moment that the implications of her actions set in, when she reached ran a single slender finger down his cheek.

"such a pretty face to… you know I think you just need to find the right women, and I think I may have finally found a little fun."

It was at that moment, the he reacted violently, shoving her off of him, and scrambling away from her.

"Look, while I am flattered by you and all, but perhaps you should just get up and walk away. I mean we hardly know each other"

While scrambling back away from her, he bumped into something relatively soft, and furry. Turning his head, he realized that the wolf pup from earlier was standing behind him, blocking his way.

Oh man, I wish I hadn't left Akamaru back at the hotel.

As Rin righted herself, she crawled toward him. Then, using the wolf to his advantage, he did a quick flip over it, putting it between the two of them.

"Now look, I don't even know you, plus, I'm from konoha, you're from the cloud, it would never work."

Her answer was quick.

"I am not a native of the cloud. I am only a Nin of that village because my adopted father lives there. My real parents were from the fire district, so technically, I am a citizen of both villages. And as for not knowing you, we could alleviate that right now."

Pushing his chakra into his nose, Kiba attempted to scent his distance from the general population, only to be hit by the duel scents of sake and… heat. That was when he realized what was going on. Apparently, after his encounter with her, she must have gone out and gotten herself drunk… and apparently she got aroused when she was drunk.

With that, Kiba pushed chakra into his legs and ran like the wind. Looking back as he cleared the boarder to the park and landed in the street, he saw the girl, giving chase, followed closely by the wolf. It was at that moment that he decided that tonight would be a long night.


Moving through the crowd, Hinata felt almost totally out of place. If it weren't for that fact that Tenkichi's arm was locked with hers, she might have considered returning to the hotel. At the moment, she found herself being pulled through the crowd toward the main street, where the precession bands for all of the important visitors traveled, making their slow but steady journey toward the docks. All the while, all over the city people were enjoying themselves, all of the nights ceremonies would culminate with the launching of the ships at midnight.

As they pushed their way through the crowd, they finally caught a glimpse of one of the processions. Looking at the processions mid section, she spotted someone she never would have suspected. It was the fat man that they had escorted to the city riding in a coverless carriage. He was surrounded by cloud Nins, and was throwing gold coins into the crowd. Upon closer inspection, she found two lower sitting cushions, one of which was occupied by a person, who wore a veil like mask, hiding whether they were male of female. The other, was empty.

Looking at Tenkichi again, Hinata could feel her face growing red, and was thankful for the mask that hid her. She was just wondering why she couldn't seem to keep her eyes off him when he spoke.

"So, I was wondering Hinata, what would you like to do tonight? This is a party after all."

"I don't know."

Her voice was quiet and very timid sounding. Naruto could tell that she was trying to avoid stuttering.

"Oh come on, you have got to like something about parties."

"I really don't like parties… I like it when it is quiet."

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted into the air, only to find that Tenkichi was holding her bridal style. With that, he leapt to a roof top then began moving quickly across rooftops. After a few minuets of running, Hinata couldn't even hear the loud cries of the people anymore. Then, suddenly, Tenkichi leapt off of the next roof, and landed. When she looked around, she realized that they were in a park. However, instead of looking like a normal park, this one had been designed to have a look and feel of a real forest. There were no paths, no signs of human cultivation or care taking, nothing to indicate that they were inside the limits of a city.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Yeah, Beautiful."

Was Tenkichi's quite reply. what Hinata didn't notice however was that he wasn't looking at their surroundings… he was staring straight at her. Allowing her to stand on her own.

"How did you find this place?"

Naruto had to tear his gaze away from her in a manner that was almost painful to watch before he could respond.

"Um, actually I followed your fox… what was he named?"

Hinata's body language immediately slumped as though she were ashamed, and almost silently she whispered the name

"Naruto"

Naruto himself frowned, he couldn't seem to figure her out… why would she be ashamed to… and then it hit him, She felt like she was cheating on his memory!

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata turned to 'tenkichi' and seemed to whither under his rather intense and searching gaze. She shivered a little bit, as he seemed to read a confirmation of something in her eyes.

"Y…yes Tenkichi-san?"

"I think I have something I need to tell you, but first I need to know your feelings for Naruto."

Hinata, trying desperately to find a way to avoid the conversation answered immediately.

"Oh, I do love my little fox so. He is always there for me, he always listens so intently he…"

As she spoke Hinata's mask slipped down revealing her obviously frightened face. Naruto listened for only a moment before very gently placing a single finger to her lips. The moment he did this Hinata's face flushed her usual brilliant red, but the Half Youki ignored it.

"I mean my cousin."

Hinata was at a loss, she had been brought up to never lie, but the question he had asked was so personal, and so close to her heart that his directness left her speechless, and surprisingly enough when he saw that 'Tenkichi' seemed to relax, in fact he even managed a small smile.

"I was almost hoping that you would answer that way."

As Naruto opened his mouth to speak again a rather harsh laugh sounded from the bushes behind Hinata.

"Well, well. What do we have here? Who would dare to trespass on private yukaza land?"

Naruto Closed his eyes, of all the rotten timing now couldn't be worse. Turning around he managed a semi-jaunty grin.

"Hello Kisame, fancy meeting you here."