Acknowledgement

Well ladies and gentlemen! After nearly a year and a half, Chapter 4 of Acknowledgment is ready!

Some of you probably want to know what took me some long, and the rest of you just want to dive right into the chapter, so I’ll leave my Q and A at the end. Now for a couple of comments about the chapter…

For you Sasuke fans…enjoy this chapter…for it’s the last one to feature him. If Sasuke returns in later chapters (and chances are that he will), he won’t have any prominent roles.

For you Naruto and Hinata fans out there, rejoice! One problem that I had with Chapter 3 was that it barely had any Naruto and Hinata...well I've fixed that problem. This chapter is my longest chapter yet, and most of it is about Naruto and Hinata!

Well, that’s enough for the beginning commentary…enjoy!

-----

”There are a couple of hidden wires on the ground…” Shino says as a couple of his bugs returns to his body.

“Byakugan!” Neji yells as he activates his Hyuga bloodline skill. “And in case we manage to avoid those, there are also a couple of ninja hidden underneath the ground…it looks like the only safe place for us to travel is among the trees…”

“Then lets get started…” Sasuke says as he looks towards the sky.

“What’s the hurry?” Shino asks as he sends out some more bugs.

“I have my reasons…”Sasuke says as his eyes turn red. “Sharingan!”

Chapter 4: Leap of Faith! The Ultimate Test of Trust!

-----

“Good morning, Kakashi…” Tsunade says with a yawn.

“I take it you didn’t sleep well?” Kakashi replies as he steps inside Tsunade’s office.

“Something like that…” Tsunade says as she closes her office door. “So have all of the hidden cameras been installed in the training field?”

“Yes.” Kakashi answers as he sits down on one of the chairs in the room. “All 500 cameras have been installed and activated.”

“Now we’ll finally see where Sasuke’s loyalty lies…” Tsunade says as she also sits down on a chair across from Kakashi. “And if he still proves to be disloyal to the leaf, then I will have no choice but to activate the seal that I placed on his body…”

“Which would immediately prevent Sasuke from being able to access any of his chakra…” Kakashi states.

“And then he gets sent to the Konoha correctional facility like Mizuki …” Tsunade says as she pours herself some tea provided on the coffee table in front of her. “With a 75 percent chance that he will immediately be executed…”

The expression on Kakashi’s face becomes serious while Tsunade’s goes dismal.

“It’s really sad what this young man has gone through…” Tsunade says sadly, as she takes her teacup into her hands, “…And it would be a shame to let such talent go to waste…he is the last Uchiha in our village.”

Tsunade sips some tea while Kakashi remains silent. Kakashi was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this, but knew that if all else failed, there would be no other option.

“But…if he decides to make the right choice…” Tsunade says with a slight smile, “Then he might have a chance at achieving that other goal you mentioned him having…”

“Reviving his clan…” Kakashi finishes for her.

“But first, lets see how he does in this exercise that you’ve set for him.” Tsunade says, placing her teacup back on the coffee table, “We won’t know anything until we’ve seen where his heart lies…”

*knock*

“State your business…” Tsunade says as she looks towards her office door.

“Yuuhi Kurenai reporting as you asked…” Tsunade hears from the other side.

“Just a moment, Kakashi…” Tsunade says as she gets up from her chair and walks towards her office door.

“Morning, Hokage-sama…” Kurenai greets as the door is opened.

“Morning, Kurenai…” Tsunade returns as she closes the door. “I’m glad that you could make it…”

“Kakashi…” Kurenai acknowledges as she sits down on the chair to the left of him. “You’re on time…for once…”

“Now you’re both probably wondering why I called you here…” Tsunade says as she sits back down in her chair.

“I’m guessing it has something to do with our students?” Kurenai asks as she pours herself some tea.

“Precisely…” Tsunade says as she sips her tea. “But not all of your students, just a couple in particular…”

“Naruto…” Kakashi says, almost on cue.

“And Hinata…” Kurenai adds in.

“Yes…” Tsunade answers as she stands up and heads to her desk, “In about an hour, Naruto and Hinata should be arriving at the Konoha stadium to meet with Ebisu. After looking at all of the progress reports, I realized that Naruto and Hinata were the ones who struggled the most since becoming genin. This would be a good chance to see how much both of them have grown, without the distractions and expectations of their usual teammates.”

Tsunade grabs a couple of papers from her desk and then heads back towards the coffee table.

“These are the progress reports that you wrote about your students…” Tsunade says as she hands Kakashi and Kurenai the papers, “Kakashi, I’m handing you the progress report on Hinata, and Kurenai, I’m giving you the report on Naruto.”

“You figure…that by placing those two on the same team together…that they will bring out each others strengths and eliminate their weaknesses?” Kurenai asks after browsing Naruto’s report.

“Pretty much…” Tsunade answers as she sits back down. “Those two are special, as you both already know. But it would be interesting to see what they can do as teammates. I bet that if you two were to observe them, you would be in for a surprise…”

-----

“I wonder why Hokage-sama told us to wait for our jounin instructor here?”

This was the question that Tenten, weapons expert, had asked her new teammate, Inuzuka Kiba. After reporting to the Hokage’s office, they were told to wait for their instructor inside a snack shop.

“I have no idea, myself…” Kiba says as he drinks some juice from his glass. “But I sure hope that she hurries up…”

Tenten and Kiba look to the side and see that their third teammate, Akimichi Chouji, is stuffing dango into his mouth.

“He’s worse then Naruto is with ramen…” Kiba comments to Tenten.

“I didn’t think that would be possible to do…” Tenten replies back as she drinks some of her juice.

“Hey, fatass!” Kiba barks at Chouji, “Don’t you think you’ve had enough!”

At that moment, Chouji stops eating. His eyes become angry and look like they are on fire.

“What did you say…?” Chouji asks in a low voice.

“Wait…” Tenten says pleadingly to Chouji, “I’m sure that Kiba didn’t mean what he said…it was an accident, right Kiba?”

“You heard what I said…” Kiba says to Chouji. “Save some for the rest of us!”

“Kiba, you dumbass…” Tenten thinks to herself as she smacks her forehead with her hand, “It’s taboo to call Chouji any insulting names that relate to his weight…don’t you remember what Shikamaru told us outside Hokage’s office today? And didn’t you work with Chouji before on that mission you came back from over a month ago? Sigh…why did I have to get these two as teammates?”

“I dare you to say that again…” Chouji says to Kiba’s face.

Akamaru takes this moment to hide inside Kiba’s jacket while Kiba looks directly into Chouji’s face, not backing down. Tenten just prays that they won’t get kicked out of the establishment for causing a scene.

But before Kiba or Chouji can make a move, a gust of wind spreads over the table. When Chouji looks back at the table, all he can see is an empty plate.

“The dango…” Chouji says as he holds up the empty plate, “It’s all gone!”

“What the hell happened?” Kiba asks as Akamaru starts to shiver.

“I think I just found the answer, guys…” Tenten says as she points a finger to the side.

All three genin look to the side of their table and see that Mitarashi Anko, the examiner for the second part of the Chunnin exam, is holding the remaining dango in her hands and eating them to her hearts desire.

“Mmm…dango…” Anko purrs as she finishes off another dango on a stick, “How kind of you…”

“What a waste…” Chouji pouts as he places the empty plate back on the table.

“Hey…” Tenten says, “We were trying to save those for our instructor…”

“Then you’ve already gotten on my good side…” Anko says as she finishes off the last stick of dango, “For I’m going to be your instructor! Are you ready to feel the burn? Cause I’m not going to go easy on you!”

All of the other guests in the place look at Anko, while Kiba and Chouji sweatdrop. Tenten sighs as she covers her face with her hands in annoyance.

“I’m really starting to question the possibility of her being related to Naruto in some way…maybe she’s a second cousin or something…”

“Anyway…” Anko says as she sits down with the group, “Tsunade-sama told me all about you three, and said that I would be the best to bring out your abilities. Tenten, you have the best accuracy that anybody has ever seen and a mastery of weapons…Kiba, you have a keen sense of smell and navigation…Chouji, your strength rivals that of some of our regular chuunin…the three of you possess skills that greatly complement each other. And to tell you the truth, I’m getting a bit excited thinking about training you…”

Kiba, Chouji, and Tenten nod to each other. While Anko might be a little bit too…enthusiastic… they had no doubt that Anko would be perfect for training them. Anko had a good knowledge of weapons, which would help Tenten. She was also very quick and spirited which would complement Kiba, and she also loved to eat, which made Chouji happy.

“Now, my students…” Anko yells passionately as she slams her fist on the table, “Let’s go! Your training begins at once!”

The 3 genins sweatdrop again while Anko looks at them in confusion.

“What?”

Anko looks around and sees that a couple of customers next to them have juice spilled on them. She then looks back at the table and sees that she accidentally split it in two when she slammed her fist on it. To finish off her hall of shame, Anko sees that their pitcher of juice has actually knocked out another customer.

“Oops…” Anko laughs as she rubs her right hand behind her head, “Sorry about that…”

And once again, Tenten smacks her forehead in frustration…

“Why me?”

-----

“How much further?” Neji asks Shino as the three young men hop from the tree branches in the air.

“Not much longer…” Shino answers as a bug returns to his body, “Less then 10 feet away…there are 2 caves that have the sound symbol located on them…”

“Good…” Sasuke says, “The sooner we finish this, the better…”

“You really shouldn’t be in so much of a hurry, Sasuke…” Neji says. “This isn’t going to be like any of the easy missions that we’ve done in the pa-“

Neji is cut off when the next tree branch that the trio lands on suddenly explodes.

“Damn!” Sasuke yells as the three fall towards the ground, “An explosive note must have been hidden on that tree branch!”

“Why didn’t your bugs detect it, Shino?” Neji asks.

“There must have been some chakra put on that note to repel my bugs…” Shino responds as his hands start making seals, “Hochuuami no Justu!”

Immediately, some bugs fly out of Shino’s body and form a butterfly net on the ground. The three land on it just in time and then hide in some bushes.

Shino calls back his bugs right before two sound ninjas appear out of the two caves to investigate the explosion.

“I’ll send in some bugs to check on the contents of both caves…”

“Good idea, Shino…” Neji says as he looks through the bushes. “While you do that, Sasuke and I will deal with the sound nin. Byakugan!”

Neji activated his bloodline limit ability as he did a quick scan around the area just outside the two caves. To his relief, there were no more sound ninja present other then the two that had come out of the caves.

“Just these two men, Sasuke.” Neji says as he turns off his Byakugan, “Let’s go…”

Sasuke and Neji leave the bush that they were hiding in and find other places. Sasuke silently finds a spot in a bush directly behind the sound ninja while Neji makes a new position on a tree branch.

“Are you in position?” Sasuke whispers into his headset.

“Yes…” Neji responds back.

“Good…” Sasuke says as he gets himself ready. “Give the signal, and I’ll eliminate them all…”

“Right…” Neji says as he takes out a kunai from his supplies.

Neji throws the kunai towards the sound ninja and then quickly disappears from the tree and hides in a bush.

“What the?” One of the sound ninja asks as Neji’s kunai falls directly at his feet. “ I think we have guests up in that tree…”

The sound ninja pick up the kunai and head towards the tree that Neji was previously at.

“Perfect…” Sasuke smirks as he jumps from behind the bush and starts to make hand seals, “It’s over for them…”

The sound ninja hear the rustle from the bushes behind them and turn around to investigate. That was the last thing they would ever see…

“Katon! Gokakyuu no Jutsu!”

Sasuke releases a fireball that hits both sound ninja. Being Kage Bunshin clones, the sound nin poof away into smoke.

“Nice teamwork…” Neji says as he comes out of the bush. “Maybe after this test is over, we can figure out the differences between the Hyuga and the Uchiha…”

“Perhaps…” Sasuke smirks as he looks towards Neji.

“Guys…” Shino says as he comes out of the bushes. “My bugs have finally done a full analysis of the two caves.”

Neji and Sasuke huddle around Shino as he gives them the details.

“Mizuki was confirmed to be inside the cave to the left, and he was guarding something on the fifth floor. Unfortunately, my bugs were unable to decipher what exactly it was that Mizuki was guarding. It could be Konohamaru…or it could be a trap designed to lure us away from the cave to the right…”

“And what of the cave to the right?” Neji asks.

“I have no idea…” Shino continues, “There seems to be some sort of insect repellent that prevents my bugs from gathering any information…it’s almost like the cave to the right was designed to lure one of you guys in…”

“Something tells me that Konohamaru might be in the cave to the right…” Neji says.

“Or that could also be a trap designed to make us assume what they think we will decide. We should split up…” Sasuke suggests, “That way, we can cover both caves.”

“Good idea…” Neji says. “I’ll take the cave on the right. Since my Byakugan can see through walls and view in a 360 radius, I’ll be able to determine exactly what is inside that cave and report my findings to you guys.”

“Then I’ll take the cave on the left…” Sasuke says. “Since we already know that Mizuki is there, perhaps I can use my Sharingan to pick up a jutsu to aid you, just in case Konohamaru isn’t with him…”

“Then I’ll stay outside and keep you both posted…” Shino says. “Good luck…”

Sasuke and Neji run off in opposite directions while Shino hides in the bushes.

“Mizuki was on the fifth floor…” Sasuke says to himself as he enters the cave. “I’ll need to make sure that I’m not detec-“

As if on cue, Sasuke is forced to quickly hide when two sound ninja start to approach the main entrance of the cave.

“I thought I heard something…” One of the sound ninja says.

“Must be your imagination,” The other ninja says, “But lets check the other side…”

Once the sound ninjas are out of sight, Sasuke releases his Henge technique. At the last minute, Sasuke had transformed into a mouse to avoid detection.

“I won’t fail here…” Sasuke says as he walks up the stairs. “I don’t give a damn about the rank, but if being Anbu will give me more power to defeat Itachi, then so be it…”

“Shino…” Neji whispers in his headset. “ I’ve retrieved Konohamaru…I’m getting out of here immediately…”

“Any word from Sasuke?” Shino asks.

“None…” Neji answers. “The cave on the left must have some technology that blocks out the frequency of our headsets. I’m not getting any response from Sasuke which means…I can’t warn him that he is in a trap!”

“Meet me at the entrance of the cave on the left…” Shino says as he leaves the bushes, “We’ve got to go after Sasuke and aid him!”

“Shino…Neji…” Sasuke speaks into his headset, “Can any of you hear me?”

Sasuke gets no response.

“Damn…” Sasuke curses, “I can’t communicate with anybody from in here…something is up…”

“So you say you heard something downstairs?” Mizuki asks his men.

“Yeah, I’m certain of it. All I saw was a mouse, but as far as people, I didn’t see anything else…”

“A mouse, huh?” Mizuki asks, “Stay alert. Something about that mouse doesn’t sound quite right…”

“Shit…they’re already on to me…” Sasuke thinks to himself as he overhears the conversation from outside the stairway door. “I’ve only got one shot to make this work…”

Sasuke starts doing some hand seals and then places his right hand around his mouth.

“Katon! Gokakyuu no Jutsu!”

Immediately the flames of Sasuke’s technique incinerate the stairway door.

“Somebody is near…” Mizuki yells to his men, “Find him!”

One of the sound nin uses a wind attack to eliminate the fire before they all run out the doorway down the stairs.

“You can come out of hiding now, Uchiha Sasuke…” Mizuki says as he looks towards the doorway. “I know it’s you that used that attack…do you want Konohamaru? Then you have to defeat me!”

Sasuke releases his Henge technique from this time, a roach.

“It’s over, Kakashi clone…” Sasuke says as he enters the room, “This little game of yours is finished. I’ve won…”

“Oh…but I’m no clone…” Mizuki responds back, “We were supposed to meet a couple of months ago, but when plans changed, I decided to pay you a visit…personally…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sasuke asks in confusion.

“Allow me to show you…” Mizuki says as he releases his transformation.

Sasuke gasps when he sees the Mizuki clone revert not into Kakashi, but someone else…

“Orochimaru!”

“I’m glad that you remember me…” Orochimaru says. “I was a bit disappointed when I heard that the leaf had captured you and brought you back here. But now…this is the perfect time for a getaway…come with me, Sasuke, and I shall grant you the power that you desire…”

“I refuse to be anybody’s slave…” Sasuke responds back.

“Oh…I won’t put the curse seal on you again…” Orochimaru answers. “This time you will be free to make your own decisions…”

“And what’s in it for you?” Sasuke asks.

“All I ask…is that you tell me everything you know about Konoha…”

This was it…the chance that he had been waiting for…if things went right, then Sasuke would get the power that he needed to destroy Itachi…and all he had to do is tell the snake bastard a little bit of information...

But…at what cost would this information be? Once Orochimaru received this information, what would he do with it?

If Sasuke gave in, then he might as well say goodbye to Konoha forever, for Orochimaru was going to destroy it. And if he didn’t, Sasuke would forever be banished from the place, for the next time he was found, he would be put to death.

And what of his teammates? Naruto was his closest friend, and Sasuke had fallen in love with Sakura…despite how he treated his teammates, they helped to keep him out of the darkness…would it be worth it to sacrifice his close ones for one more chance at his brother? And if he was successful with his personal mission, what then? What else would he do with his life?

He had to decide…

“No…Sasuke says. “I won’t do it…”

“Think about what you are saying!” Orochimaru yells back, “I’ve got a list of forbidden jutsus that Konoha only wishes they could see! You may never get this opportunity again!”

“I’ve changed my mind…” Sasuke answers as his hands become fists, “I won’t sell my soul for your power!”

“And what of your brother?” Orochimaru asks coolly, “ Without my abilities, you won’t become stronger…you won’t be able to avenge your clan…you will always be a weakling trying to reach for that which Itachi has already grabbed onto…”

“Even if it takes me a lifetime…” Sasuke says, taking out a Fuuma Shuriken, “I’ll eventually get strong enough to defeat my brother…but I’ll do it my own way! I won’t follow in his footsteps!”

“Fine…” Orochimaru says as he charges towards Sasuke, “You are a waste to me! Prepare to die!”

“I refuse to fall here…”

“Sharingan!” Sasuke yells, activating his Uchiha bloodline ability. “I can see through this trap…you’re not real! Whatever kind of genjutsu you tried to play on me, has failed!”

“Congratulations…” Orochimaru says with a grin…”You pass…”

“Huh?”

Immediately, Orochimaru and the cave disappear, leaving Sasuke standing on nothing but grass.

“It was all in my mind…” Sasuke says as Neji and Shino approach him.

“Sasuke…” Neji asks, “What happened to the cave?”

“It wasn’t real…” Sasuke answers, “It was all a genjutsu…”

“Right you are…” the Konohamaru clone speaks, “This cave was nothing but an illusion, but you saw through it and succeeded in your mission. You all pass!”

The Konohamaru clone that Neji was holding disappears in a poof of smoke and Kakashi appears before the trio in front of them.

“Neji, Shino…” Kakashi says, “You two go on home now...you’ve earned it…I need to speak to Sasuke alone for a couple of minutes. I’ll inform you both of what your next mission will be once it comes in…”

“We make a pretty decent team…” Shino says as he starts to walk away.

“I couldn’t agree more…” Neji adds in as he also starts to walk away.

Once Neji and Shino are gone, Kakashi turns towards Sasuke.

“Congratulations, Sasuke…you passed the real test…”

“Real test?” Sasuke asks in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“As you figured out, the cave on the left was nothing but a genjutsu. It was designed to see whether you could be trusted again or not. Orochimaru was simply your mind fooling you into thinking that he had arrived, but what he asked determined your fate. When you refused to follow Orochimaru, you made the choice that Tsunade-sama wanted to hear from you. You literally brought tears to her eyes for your reasons…”

“Wait…” Sasuke says, “I have a couple of questions. First of all, if the cave to the left were a genjutsu, then what would have happened if Neji or Shino had tried to enter? How does the Hokage know what is going on? And what would have happened if I had chosen to follow Orochimaru?”

“Neji and Shino would have immediately fallen asleep…” Kakashi says. “This genjutsu was designed so that only you could solve it. In part to test your Sharingan abilities, but more importantly, to test your heart…Tsunade knows what’s going on because this training exercise had 500 cameras hidden around the field.”

“500!” Sasuke gasps, “But…how come we didn’t detect any of them?”

“They are very well hidden…” Kakashi says. “As for your third question, if you had made the wrong decision, Tsunade-sama would have activated the seal that she placed on your body…”

“Seal?” Sasuke says as he touches his body, “I don’t see any seals…”

“It’s hidden…” Kakashi states, “And if you had made the wrong choice, it would have become visible on your stomach. It would have then sapped all of your chakra, making you unable to use any of it. Then, you would be sent to the Konoha correctional facility with a 75 percent chance of death…”

“That decision wouldn’t have been worth it anyway…” Sasuke says as he and Kakashi start to walk back towards the village now. “With Orochimaru’s curse seal gone, I can think clearly now. I’m going to kill my brother one day…but not at the cost of you and the rest of Team seven…”

“That’s good to hear…” Kakashi says as a smile appears on his face, “You would have really hurt Naruto and Sakura if you had chosen wrong…”

“I know…” Sasuke says seriously, “So what happens now?”

“Well…” Kakashi says as he places an arm around Sasuke’s back, “After the Hokage removes the seal that she placed on your body, there is still the matter of community service…”

-----

“I underestimated you Naruto…” Ebisu says as he throws all of his “practice” kunai away. “To show you that I truly acknowledge you, I’m going to face you with real kunai this time…and I want you to do the same…”

“Heh…” Naruto grins as he retrieves his regular ninja weapons from Hinata, “You’re not half bad…but it still won’t be enough to stop me and Hinata!”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata says with a light blush on her cheeks.

”We shall see, Naruto…” Ebisu thinks to himself as he pulls out a real kunai, “We shall see…”

“Ready, Hinata-chan?” Naruto asks his partner.

“Yes!” Hinata responds back with determination, “I’m ready!”

“Ok!” Naruto says as he gets back into a fighting stance, “Let’s show him the power of our teamwork!”

“Just what did you do to him, Kakashi?” Kurenai asks as they watch the match in Tsunade’s office on a television thanks to a hidden camera inside the stadium. “Naruto just continues to become more determined and focused every time I see him…”

“What did I do?” Kakashi questions as he looks at Kurenai, “I acknowledged him…”

A smile approaches Tsunade’s lips after hearing that statement come from Kakashi. To know that you existed in the eyes of others seemed to be a strength all on it’s own…

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

From the moment that those words are shouted, Kurenai and Ebisu almost faint from what they see while a smirk appears on Kakashi’s face.

Yes…the Kage Bunshin was performed…but not by Naruto…

But by Hinata…

“I knew that Naruto was an inspiration to my Hinata, but I didn’t realize it was this much…” Kurenai says, still in shock.

“Even before he became a genin,” Kakashi states, “Naruto has always been full of surprises…”

“It seems that while Naruto was trying to make the entire village acknowledge his existence,“ Kurenai says, “Hinata was trying to make Naruto acknowledge her. And I think she just did…”

Hinata’s four Kage Bunshin clones surround her body on all sides and take out kunai’s.

“Great move, Hinata-chan!” Naruto yells passionately, “With Kage Bunshin, your clones can provide you with some defense! Now the closet pervert can’t get your bell!”

“Thank you…Naruto-kun…” Hinata says as she starts blushing again.

“So…Naruto must have somehow taught that move to the Hyuga heir…” Ebisu analyzes. “This is getting interesting…”

“If you’re going to go on the defense, Hinata-chan…” Naruto says as he crosses his fingers together, “Then I’ll go on the offense! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

Naruto also summons some Kage Bunshin clones, but instead of four, summons about forty.

“Revival of Naruto Ninpocho!” Naruto shouts out as he raises his right arm high up into the air, “I’ll show you the strength of the great Uzumaki Naruto!”

“This could prove to be troublesome for me…” Ebisu thinks to himself as he looks at the situation, “I had better stop fooling around and be a bit more serious…”

“Harem no Jutsu won’t work on me anymore, Naruto…”Ebisu smirks as he adjusts his glasses, “I’m not the pervert that you thought I was in the past…”

“Who said anything about using that technique?” Naruto and his clones say as each of them pull out two shurikens in each hand. “I’m going to show you a technique that I used to help save Konoha!”

“Naruto-kun…I believe in you…”

“Shihou! Hapou! Shuriken no Maki!”

“Oh crap!” Ebisu panics as he drops his kunai, from seeing the many thrown shuriken headed his way, “I never expected Naruto to unleash a technique such as this! Jiraiya…what exactly did you do to him?”

“There’s no way out now!” Naruto yells, “You might as well give up!”

“There’s only one way out of this…” Ebisu thinks to himself as he quickly forms some hand seals, “Hono Bariaa no Jutsu!”

A barrier of fire surrounds Ebisu’s body just in time. All of Naruto’s shurikens that approach Ebisu are immediately torched.

“I must admit, your technique was very impressive…” Ebisu says as his fire barrier dies down, “But…it will take more then that to defeat a special jounin like me…”

“That’s alright…” Naruto says as he and his clones charge towards Ebisu, “We’ll still get you!”

“Konoha Bariaa no Jutsu!”

Now blades of leaves surround Ebisu’s body.

“Ha!” Naruto and his clones mock, “You think you’re going to stop us with that? You’ll regret that! U-“

Before Naruto’s clones can get to “zu”, they are destroyed when they come into contact with Ebisu’s technique.

“Wow…” Naruto thinks to himself as he sees every last one of his clones disappear, “The closet pervert is really strong…almost as strong as Ero-sennin or Kakashi-sensei…”

“Now you’re starting to see that I’m not a weakling, huh Naruto?” Ebisu questions as he performs some more hand seals. “Well this next technique is for you…Hono Konoha no Jutsu!”

The leaves surrounding Ebisu immediately light up and start to burn.

“I’ll stop you!” Naruto yells as he jumps towards Ebisu.

“You’ve still got some learning to do, Naruto…” Ebisu says as he finishes another handful of seals, “Hono Enjin no Jutsu!”

The fire leaves surrounding Ebisu now leave his body and strike Naruto. When Naruto gets up, he notices that Ebisu’s fire leaves now surround Naruto’s body in a circle.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you, Naruto…” Ebisu says with a look of confidence, “Touch that flame circle, and you’ll get burned…”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata sighs.

“And now…” Ebisu says as he looks towards Hinata, “It’s time to claim my prize…”

“No…” Hinata says as her clones take up a defensive position.

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

Ebisu makes twenty clones of his own.

“I’ve seen the spirit of your teammate Naruto…” Ebisu and his clones say simultaneously, “But now it’s time to see what you can do...”

Four of Ebisu’s clones charge towards Hinata, but Hinata’s clones rush up and stand up to Ebisu’s clones. Unfortunately, Ebisu’s clones have the upper hand and defeat Hinata’s clones, which disappear into smoke.

“My clones…” Hinata says to herself as she looks worried, “Now what will I do?”

“You lose, Hinata…” Ebisu and his clones say as they surround Hinata, “But don’t worry…under my teachings, both you and Naruto will become great shinobi’s…”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata thinks to herself, “I’m sorry…I couldn’t do it…I failed you…”

“Hinata…” Kurenai thinks as she watches the television, “Naruto has acknowledged you. Now show him that his faith in you wasn’t in vain…”

“Hinata!” Naruto yells.

“Naruto-kun?” Hinata asks as she looks towards her teammate.

“Hinata!” Naruto yells again, “Don’t give up! After all of our training together, I know you can do it! I believe in you!”

“Naruto-kun…”

Hinata looks at Naruto and sees that he gives her a smile full of hope and confidence.

“You can do it! I’m watching you, Hinata-chan!”

“That’s right…” Hinata thinks to herself, “Naruto-kun is watching me…and when he is watching me, I feel like I can do anything…”

Hinata holds her head up and a wave of confidence suddenly flows over her body.

“Byakugan!”

After activating her bloodline limit, Hinata looks back towards Naruto. Naruto grins at Hinata once before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“What!” Ebisu says as he turns around briefly, “That wasn’t the real Naruto? No matter…Hinata is still the target…”

Ebisu stands guard while his clones charge Hinata.

“If you don’t stop my clones, Hinata,” Ebisu warns, “Then they will more then likely cut off your bell…”

“I’m not worried…” Hinata says, now completely full of confidence, “My teammate believes in me…and that’s all that I need for me to defeat you!”

“Show us your best!” Ebisu’s clones yell as they jump towards Hinata.

“Naruto-kun…wherever you are…watch me closely…”

Out of the left corner of Hinata’s Byakugan vision, she notices a pair of blue eyes staring at her.

And that’s all that it takes to make her smile…

“Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!”

Hinata strikes her arms in a full 360-degree pattern. All of Ebisu’s clones from every side of her body, fall victim to one of Hinata’s strikes.

“What is this technique?” Ebisu asks in astonishment, “I had no idea she could do something like that…much less any of the Hyuga’s…”

“That was a great move, Hinata-chan! I’m proud of you! Now let’s finish off the closet pervert so we can get some ramen! I’m starved!”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata blushes very brightly, “Thank you…for watching me…”

Ebisu knew that he heard Naruto’s voice, but couldn’t locate him anywhere.

“Come on out, Naruto!” Ebisu yells as he looks around madly, “ I know you’re here!”

Ebisu looks around the stadium again, but still can’t find Naruto.

“U...”

Ebisu suddenly feels a punch go to his left cheek.

“zumaki…”

Ebisu is suddenly kicked into the air with what feels like several legs.

“Naruto Rendan!” Naruto yells as he aims a kick towards Ebisu’s body. Ebisu however recovers from the previous attacks and parries Naruto’s last kick.

“I was hoping you would block that…” Naruto says as he and Ebisu start to head back towards the ground, “Now I get to try out my all new technique on you!”

“New technique, huh?” Kakashi thinks to himself as he watches the television, “You really are full of surprises, Naruto…”

As soon as Naruto lands on his feet, he and his clones immediately dash around Ebisu’s body in a circle.

“What are you doing?” Ebisu asks as watching Naruto starts to make him dizzy.

“My newest move…" Naruto excitedly says as a gust of wind starts to pick up, “I call it…Naruto Tatsumaki!”

Naruto jumps out of the way just in time for the wind that Naruto has gathered turns into an orange tornado. It envelops Ebisu and knocks him around some. Naruto’s clones however, are destroyed as soon as the tornado is created.

“Now, Hinata-chan!” Naruto says as he pulls out a kunai, “Let’s get his bell!”

“Yeah!” Hinata yells back as she also pulls out a kunai, “With teamwork, we can do anything!”

Naruto’s tornado quickly comes to an end and Ebisu’s body starts falling towards the ground.

“So they think they have me beat…” Ebisu says weakly as he pulls out a kunai, “I’ll show them…”

“Let’s go!” Naruto yells as he jumps up in the air towards Ebisu.

“For teamwork!” Hinata yells as she also jumps into the air.

The movement of all three shinobi is so fast that all you can see are blurs and all you can hear are slashing sounds.

Eventually all three land on the ground and try to figure out which side has won.

“This has been an interesting match, you two…” Ebisu says, “This could go on forev-“

Ebisu is cut of when the string on his bell finally breaks loose, and his bell falls to the floor.

“Yatta!” Naruto yells as he jumps into the air, “We won!”

“Not necessarily, Naruto…” Ebisu comments as he points at Hinata.

“Huh?” Naruto asks as he looks at Hinata. He then understands what Ebisu was talking about.

While it was true that Ebisu’s bell was removed, the same could be said about Hinata, for at the same time as Ebisu, the string on her bell comes loose, and her bell falls to the floor.

“This has never happened before…” Ebisu says with a chuckle as he adjusts his glasses. “Tell you what…since this match resulted in a tie, I’ll let you two decide who you want to be with. If you want to go to the Hokage and request a different teacher, then you will be free to do that. If, however, you want to stay under me, then that is also fine as well…”

Naruto and Hinata didn’t even need to discuss it…

“We choose you, closet perv…I mean, Ebisu-sensei!” Naruto says, correcting himself, “You are really strong! And…I’m sorry that I didn’t acknowledge you for that…I was wrong…”

“I’m sorry for not acknowledging you either, Naruto…” Ebisu says as he holds out a hand towards Naruto. “From now on, I promise never to underestimate you or Hinata again! Let’s shake on it!”

The jounin and Hokage clap their hands when they see Naruto and Ebisu shake hands.

“It seems like only yesterday that our students could barely perform a jutsu, huh Kakashi?” Kurenai asks as a big smile comes across her face. “But now look at them…they’ve grown up so much…it’s almost sad to have to let them go…”

Kakashi nods his head in agreement. Tsunade meanwhile, is wiping tears from her eyes.

“Keep this up Naruto…and one day, you just might become Hokage…”

“You two are dismissed…” Ebisu says as he waves his students off. “That was a fine match. Meet me by the Hokage monument in two days at 8 am, and we will start the next step of your training.”

“Ok!” Naruto yells back, full of excitement. “We’ll see you then! Come on Hinata-chan! Let’s get something to eat!”

“Goodbye, Ebisu-sensei…” Hinata politely says as she and Naruto leave the stadium.

“Now that this match is over…” Ebisu says to himself, “I can have a little bit of down time…”

Ebisu leaves the stadium and hops from rooftop to rooftop, until he is standing on top of the Konoha bookstore.

“I haven’t had a good book to read in a while…” Ebisu says as he places his fingers together, “Henge!”

Ebisu transforms into a fat man and then jumps down from the roof.

“Welcome…” the bookstore owner greets as his door opens.

“Thank you…” Ebisu says as he enters the store.

“So…” the bookstore owner says as he puts down his broom from his sweeping, “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to get the latest volume of Jiraiya’s book…Best of Icha Icha Paradise…”

“Sure…the bookstore owner says as he grabs the requested book, “But before I can sell you this book, you’ll have to do me a favor…”

“What kind of favor?”

“Drop the disguise…I already know that it’s you…Ebisu…”

“What?" Ebisu yells as he releases his Henge technique, “How did you know it was me?”

“Simple…” The bookstore owner explains, “Out of everyone that has bought a copy of this book and the previous volumes, only two people knew that they were written by the Sennin, Jiraiya…and since Kakashi picked up his copy two weeks ago, that only left you…”

“I’m loosing my touch…” Ebisu says as a blush crosses his cheeks.

“Just take the book…” The bookstore owner says as he hands it to Ebisu, “It’s on the house anyway…a…friend…left a copy in your name…”

“Then I’ll…see you next time…” Ebisu says, as he carefully looks outside the door to make sure that nobody suspects he is holding the book. Once he is sure that the coast is clear, Ebisu quickly tries to get back to his house. He had a reputation to keep…

However…on top of the roof across from the bookstore, a pair of binoculars look at Ebisu.

“Heh, heh, heh…” the author of this latest book laughs, “So Naruto was right after all…Ebisu really is a closest pervert…still, he’ll never be able to match up to me, a super pervert!”

The perverted book author, also known as Jiraiya, one of the legendary three ninjas, jumps off the rooftop and runs towards the Konoha bathing house.

“It’s time to get some more research for my latest book…” Jiraiya thinks to himself with a huge grin and cheeks already blushing, “My work is never done!”

-----

“Hinata-chan!” Naruto says as he swallows some ramen, “You were amazing! That move that you did on Ebisu sensei’s clones…it almost reminds me of Neji’s move…”

“Thank you, Naruto-kun…” Hinata warmly says, “but my move isn’t the same as Neji-nisan’s. I’m the only one in my family that can do the Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou…I created it…”

“That’s what makes it even cooler!” Naruto says as he hugs Hinata tight, not noticing her blush. “Having something that only you can do makes you stand out even more!”

“Your new move was also amazing, Naruto-kun…” Hinata says, both glad and disappointed that Naruto released her, “I’ve never seen anything like it…”

“It was something that I started to develop after my last mission…” Naruto says as he slurps the soup from his ramen bowl and then pats his stomach in satisfaction, “It’s not complete though…I think that I can make it stronger…”

“I know you can do it, Naruto-kun…” Hinata says as she puts down her empty ramen bowl on the counter. “I believe you can do anything…”

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto says as a light brush crosses his cheeks.

Hinata then leans her body forward and hugs Naruto really tight, not at all concerned about the couple of eyes staring at them. Naruto on the other hand, notices a couple of these cold stares and starts to feel uncomfortable.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto says as he removes Hinata from his chest, “Maybe we should go…”

“Ok…” Hinata says as she stands up from her stool.

“Thanks for the meal, Ojisan…” Naruto says to the ramen chef as he puts a couple of bills on the counter, “That really hit the spot!”

“Come back anytime!” The ramen chef says to Naruto as he sees the two genin leave Ichiraku.

Unknown to Naruto and Hinata however, was that there was still a pair of eyes that had been watching the two of them…very closely…

Naruto had decided to go back to his apartment, one of the few places in Konoha where the adults didn’t give him cold stares and quite possibly the only place that he and Hinata could truly be alone.

“That was a fun day…” Naruto says as he heads into the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a bit…”

Hinata finds herself flushing hard as she sits on Naruto’s couch. She had always been in love with him…ever since she first laid eyes on him. Naruto was special in that he could make Hinata feel emotions that nobody else could…

It had been about a month and a half now since Naruto had returned from his mission to rescue his teammate Sasuke. And in the length of that time, Hinata had finally been able to tell Naruto her true feelings…and receive his praise…

“Naruto-kun…if only I could say in words how much I love you…”

“Ahh! That’s much better!” Naruto says as he leaves the bathroom, ”The bathroom is all yours…Hinata-chan?”

Naruto walks over to the couch and sees that Hinata seems to be in a trance.

“Hinata-chan?” Naruto asks, snapping some fingers in front of her face, “Are you ok? What’s the mat-”

Naruto suddenly finds himself on the couch with Hinata’s hips grinding his lower body.

“If I can’t tell him how much he means to me…then I’ll show him…”

“Hinata-chan?”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata whispers huskily as she nibbles on Naruto’s neck, “Make love to me…”

“Nani?”

“I want you…” Hinata says as she starts rubbing her hands on Naruto’s body, “I can’t hold it in anymore…give me pleasure…”

“Hi…Hinata-chan…” Naruto says weakly as his face flushes, “Are…are you sure that’s what you want? I mean…we aren’t even 14 yet…shouldn’t we wait a bit?”

“I don’t care…” Hinata says seductively, “For love doesn’t discriminate…”

Naruto takes deep breaths as Hinata started to unzip his orange jacket.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto pleads as he tries to remove Hinata’s hands from his jacket. “We really shouldn’t do th-“

Hinata passionately kisses Naruto to silence him and then succeeds in removing his jacket from his body.

“Oh Naruto-kun…” Hinata purrs as she pulls Naruto’s shirt up and starts kissing his bare chest. “You are so strong and…hey…what’s this seal?”

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto says seriously, “Do you remember what my biggest secret is?”

“Yes…” Hinata says as her hands graze Naruto’s seal, “you are the container for Kyubi. But I told you before, Naruto-kun, I don’t care…I will never stop loving you, no matter what happens to you…”

“Well…” Naruto says as he places his hands on top of Hinata’s, “This seal on my stomach…is what keeps Kyubi in check…and is also what makes everyone in Konoha despise me…”

“Naruto-kun…”

Hinata holds Naruto tight and rests her head in his neck. Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata and pulls her closer to his body.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto begins again, “One day…I want to make love to you…and start a family of our own…but not now…it’s much too soon…and there are a couple of things that I have to do first…”

“Then I’ll wait…” Hinata says as she holds Naruto tighter, “…no matter how long it takes…I’ll be here for you when you are ready…”

Hinata removes her head from Naruto’s neck and kisses him again, only this time with a bit more gentleness…

“Hinata-chan…thank you…”

It was now six in the evening when Hinata had started to make her way back home. Hinata had just experienced a day of emotions and memories that brought her so much happiness…nothing could ruin her day now…

Or so she thought…

“You were supposed to come home after your mission…”

“Otosan…” Hinata says meekly as she looks at her father Hiashi at the doorway.

“Where were you?” Hiashi asks, with his back turned to her.

“My…my teammate…invited me for lunch…so I decided to accompany him…”

“Your new teammate is Uzumaki Naruto, is that correct?” Hiashi asks in a stern voice.

“Yes…” Hinata barely says as she twiddles her fingers.

“You are not to associate with him ever again…” Hiashi commands. “I shall inform the Hokage in the morning that you are to be assigned to someone else…”

“No!” Hinata yells out of desperation.

“What was that?” Hiashi asks as he turns around slowly to face his daughter.

“I mean…it isn’t necessary…and it would be difficult in these times of crisis for Hokage-sama to find a different instruc-“

“It is necessary when you are the heir of the prestigious Hyuga clan…” Hiashi states, “Or did you forget that?”

“No…I didn’t…”

“We are Hyuga…” Hiashi continues, “…the most prestigious clan in all of Konoha…and we need to always be mindful of who we choose to associate ourselves with…that boy…is trash that is benea-“

“Don’t say those things about him!” Hinata bursts out, slightly irritated, “It’s not true!”

“Oh?” Hiashi mockingly asks, “And how would you know what that Uzumaki brat is like? He is scum that doesn’t deserve to be in the presence of the great Hyuga…he is nothing but a bug that should be crushed…the Hokage is too lenient with him…there is no good in him…I look forward to the day when his existence is wiped off the face of the Ear-“

“Shut up!” Hinata yells, full of anger now, “Don’t you dare say another thing about Naruto! I love him!”

Hiashi slapped Hinata hard with his right hand and sent her small body to the floor for her insolence…

Or rather, that’s what Hiashi assumed was going to happen…what had actually happened is that Hinata had parried the attack with her left wrist.

“Are you challenging me?”

Hiashi looks closer at his daughter and sees that there is no fear in her body. In addition, Hinata’s body was in a fighting stance with her Byakugan activated.

“Yes…yes I am...”

-----

“Yatta! I won again!”

Naruto cheers as he defeats his clone in a fighting video game.

“You cheated!” Naruto’s Bunshin clone accuses.

“Did not!” Naruto yells back to his clone, “I beat you fair and square!”

“Well I want a rematch!” Naruto’s clone demands.

“Bring it on!” Naruto yells, “I’ll beat you again!”

*knock*

“Coming…” Naruto says as his Kage Bunshin clone poofs away into smoke.

Naruto drops his video game controller and leaves his bedroom to approach the main quarters of his tiny apartment.

*knock*

“I said I’m coming!” Naruto yells as his hand touches the doorknob. “Who would want to visit me at this hour?”

Naruto certainly wasn’t prepared for what he would see on the other side…for as soon as Naruto opened the door, he was greeted to a very bruised Hinata and a giant suitcase.

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata cries as she leaps into his chest.

“What happened to Hinata-chan?”

Naruto grabs the suitcase and pulls it and Hinata inside his apartment. After leaving the suitcase by the door, Naruto sits Hinata down on his couch.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto asks as he tries to clean up some of Hinata’s injuries, “What happened? Who did this to you?”

“My…my father…” Hinata answers weakly.

Nani?

Naruto grits his teeth in anger.

“Why did he do this to you?” Naruto asks with a slight growl in his voice.

“He…he spoke badly about you…so I defended you…”

Naruto feels his eyes get watery. Nobody other then Iruka-sensei had ever stood up for Naruto in such a way.

“He…he beat me…then kicked me out…then told me that I was exiled from the Hyuga family…my right to be the heir of the Hyuga…was taken away from me…and given to my sister Hanabi…”

Naruto closes his eyes as tears fall down his cheeks.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto questions with teary eyes, “Why did you do such a thing? You didn’t have to defend me…”

“Yes I did…he had no right to talk about you that way…besides…there is a saying…that whatever you find important in life…is worth fighting for…”

More tears fall out of Naruto’s eyes now as he thinks back to the time that he faced Haku. Haku was so innocent…and so pure…he had nothing…except the acknowledgement of Zabuza…and in the end…Haku had sacrificed his life for the person that he found precious.

“Hinata-chan…you gave it all up…just to be with me…I don’t feel worthy…but I will try anyway…I will make your father see that he made a mistake…even if I have to beat some sense into him!”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata asks weakly, “Where are you going?”

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto speaks softly, “You rest. Leave everything up to me…”

“No!” Hinata cries as she wraps her arms around Naruto’s back, “Don’t go! Stay with me!”

“I’ll be back…” Naruto says as he removes Hinata from his body and walks towards the door.

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata screams as she falls down to the floor in tears.

“Hiashi you bastard…” Naruto thinks to himself as he hops from roof to roof, “I thought you had changed after the chunnin exam…I was willing to forgive you for what you did to Neji…but for what you did to Hinata-chan…I will never forgive!”

Naruto jumps down from the roof and runs towards the Hyuga entrance.

“Hiashi!” Naruto yells from outside, “Bring your ass out here!”

“Naruto…” Neji asks as he and Hiashi come out from the entrance, “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”

“There you are!” Naruto yells as he charges towards Hiashi with a fist raised, “Prepare yourself!”

“Hakkeshou Kaiten!”

Hiashi’s body spins like a top as he unleashes his attack. Naruto is thrown back, but lands on his feet.

“Neji…” Hiashi says, looking straight at Naruto, “Leave us…”

“But…”

“Now…” Hiashi says, sterner this time, “I won’t tell you again…”

Neji gets the hint and goes back into the Hyuga mansion.

“Perhaps you’d like to tell me why you’ve brought yourself over here…uninvited…”

“You know exactly why I’m here!” Naruto yells, “How could you do such a thing as disowning Hinata?”

“She was a waste…” Hiashi states coldly, “A waste of time…a waste of talent…and a waste of sperm…”

Naruto’s hands start to form into claws when he hears those words come out of Hiashi’s mouth. Other notable changes are his whiskers getting longer and his eyes suddenly turning red and demonic…

“She is your daughter!” Naruto growls, “Does that mean nothing to you!”

“Family means nothing to me if she cannot prove that she is a Hyuga…” Hiashi says, not looking the least bit afraid of Kyuubi Naruto. “And how can you speak of something that you don’t have…Kyubi trash?”

“Hinata is the closest thing to family that I’ve ever had…and when you insult her, you insult me!”

“Well if you care about her so much…” Hiashi remarks as he turns around and heads back towards the mansion, “Then you can have her…she means nothing to me…but neither of you are allowed to step foot on these grounds ever again…”

“Well that’s fine by me! Hinata deserves better then you anyway!”

Hiashi makes no comment as he goes back into the Hyuga mansion.

“This isn’t good…” Naruto worries as he starts to revert back to his regular self, “What am I going to tell Hinata-chan?”

Naruto sighs as he leaves the Hyuga grounds and heads back to his apartment on the other side of town. Naruto truly understood why he and Hinata were so close…she shared the same pain that he did…sure, she might have been born as the heir to a very famous ninja clan, but her father never acknowledged her…in fact, he was too strict on her…a father that didn’t care…that was almost as bad as having no father at all…

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata yells in joy as she welcomes him back to the apartment.

“Hey…” Naruto says depressingly as he enters.

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata sighs as they sit down on the couch.

“Hinata-chan…” Naruto starts seriously, “…your father…has forbidden both of us from ever stepping foot on Hyuga ground again…”

“Then…” Hinata says as her eyes get watery, “I’m homeless…I have no place to stay…”

“Don’t say that…” Naruto says. “You can stay with me…this is our home now…”

“Naruto-kun…” Hinata cries into Naruto’s chest. Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata as he closes his eyes and tries to be strong for her.

“Hinata-chan…I said that I was going to take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise…you are my precious person and I give you my word that as long as I’m around…nothing bad like this is ever going to happen to you again…I said it before, and I’ll say it again…I don’t take back my words…that is my way of the ninja…”

-----

Hinata: I get to live with Naruto-kun! This is so romantic!

Naruto: Yeah…but all of this pink is driving me crazy!

Hinata: Naruto-kun and I decide to do some shopping so that our home is more relaxing. I just hope that we don’t overdo it…

Naruto: Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?

Jiraiya: Research…but I’ve also come to tell you something important, so listen up!

Naruto: If it’s something perverted, then I don’t want to hear it! At least…not with Hinata-chan around…

Naruto: Next time on Naruto: Spring Cleaning?

Hinata: I hope we bought enough stuff for the apartment, Naruto-kun…

Naruto: So do I…I’m getting hungry!

-----

Q and A with Trutenor

Q: What took you so damn long to release this chapter!

A: This will probably be the number one question. Well, there are several reasons. The first reason is that ever since I released chapter 3 in August of 2004, I was seriously questioning what I wanted to do with my life. I am a musician, yes (if you couldn’t tell from the pun in my name), but I still felt like something was missing…In February of 2005, I realized that I wanted to do what I’ve always enjoyed, which was to write. Once I made that decision, I put myself on hiatus from writing fanfiction till about September of this year.

The other main reason why it took me so long to come out with this chapter is that I wanted to be sure that this lived up to the expectations that I left in chapter 3. At the end of chapter 3, I had Neji, Shino, and Sasuke, ready to start their test while Naruto and Hinata were getting ready to team up and take on Ebisu. Those are both storylines that have potential to be really amazing, and I didn’t want to rush them and mess up. In addition, while I really wasn’t too concerned about Sasuke, I was really concerned about what I wanted to do for the Naruto/Hinata match. After finishing chapter 3, the only thing that I knew was that I wanted Hinata to use Kage Bunshin and Naruto to use Tajuu Kage Bunshin. I didn’t know what I wanted to happen after that. But after watching lots and lots of Naruto anime and reading lots of the manga, I got ideas.

Q: Why did you make Ebisu tie with Naruto and Hinata? They should have won!

A: I had to acknowledge the fact that Ebisu was a special jounin, which meant that he would be very strong. While Masashi Kishimoto may have used Ebisu only as comic relief, based on the rank that he was given, I realized that Ebisu really wasn’t a slouch…just a closet pervert…Ebisu also falls into the category of Naruto characters (Iruka and Anko being the others) that have lots of potential to have great character development and storylines but are given the shaft. I wanted to take a minor character and give him a decent role.

Q: Anko? What would possess you to write about her?

A: See Ebisu. Also, out of all of the female characters in Naruto, Anko is my second favorite (Hinata is queen, while Kurenai and Temari are fighting for third place). I’m also a big fan of girls that are very energetic and passionate. And it’s a nice surprise to keep some originality in my story.

Q: What do some of your translations mean?

A: I’m only going to be providing translations for the moves that I came up with. Everything else that came from the Naruto anime and manga you can find on your own…

Hochuuami no Jutsu: Butterfly Net Skill

Hono Bariaa no Jutsu: Flame Barrier Skill

Konoha Bariaa no Jutsu: Leaf Barrier Skill

Hono Konoha no Jutsu: Flame Leaf Skill

Hono Enjin no Jutsu: Flame Circle Skill

Naruto Tatsumaki: Ramen Tornado

Q: How could you make Hinata use the Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou? She didn’t use that move until episode…

A: For you smart alecks that think you know everything about Naruto, let me just say this…

That episode was part of the Bikouchuu saga. And it was filler. Which means that technically, that episode officially never happened in the Naruto storyline, unless Masashi Kishimoto confirms it. It was a cool saga though, and one of the few fillers that don’t make me want to puke. Although there were some things that messed up the continuity of Naruto, but I’ll save my ranting for another day…

Q: When is the next chapter going to be out?

A: I could be a smart-ass and say, “When I write it…” but I won’t do that, cause I’m nice. To tell you the truth, I don’t know. As I mentioned earlier, I’m working on an original story that I want to sell to publishers and make some real money. But I guarantee you that unless I officially say that I’m calling it quits, that you can expect more and more chapters of Acknowledgement to come. And considering that I’m working on being a professional writer, I need to keep my skills sharp, and what better way then writing fanfiction?

Q: How do I contact you?

A: Check my profile.

Q: Can I use any of your original characters and moves for my story?

A: I won’t be having any original characters, except for minor people like the bookstore owner. If you want to use him…then go ahead, but I don’t plan on making any “Mary Sue” type of characters. As for original moves, at least give me credit for that…

Q: Will Naruto be getting a bloodline limit?

A: Does he really need one? I mean, Naruto is already a Jinchurikki, isn’t that enough? Naruto with a bloodline limit and a demon would make him uber imo…now I’ve read a couple of Naruto stories that do that to Naruto, and it works for those stories, (two of those stories are also on my favorites list) but for me, I really don’t want to do that. But if I did give Naruto a bloodline limit, then it would be in a way that didn’t make Naruto too powerful. Or I might just make Naruto a genius ninja, like Kakashi or Rock Lee.

Q: How many chapters of Acknowledgement do you plan on writing before the story is finished?

A: I have no idea. Originally, the first chapter of Acknowledgement was a one-shot, but I had some support from a lot of fans and I could see more stuff coming that I decided to continue. And isn’t it better not to know when the end is?

Q: Your story uses ShikaIno…

A: I already know that everybody and their mother prefers Shikamaru with Temari (which is the most popular pairing after Naruto/Hinata). But at the time I started Acknowledgement, Temari wasn’t even a candidate for love interest until near the end of the “Rescue Sasuke” saga. Personally, I also feel that Shika/Temari is the better pairing, but ShikaIno works as well. I won’t break them up in this story…


Q: Where's the lemony goodness?

A: It's coming. As you read, I've added hints of it in this chapter. And seeing that this isn't FF.net, I don't have to hold back on my content.

And that’s it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you at Chapter 5…whenever it’s done…