Conflict

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A grudge match finally boils over this time. I present you with chapter 17:

Last time:

…Turning to Naruto; Hanako asked, "Did Natsu-san do or say anything before she passed out?"

Naruto said, "She jumped on me and kissed me full on the mouth and then I had to fight her off before she raped me! She slurred out something about loving me and my cleaning seals and then passed out. Is she insane?"

Hinata and Maya were both in the doorway and saw red hearing Naruto's confession. "I'll kill that harlot! " they said as one. The two were barely being held at bay by their panicking and confused younger sisters. Naruto was frightened at the girl's combined killing intent and hoped they wouldn't kill him as well (He figured Natsu was a goner and had already written her off).

Finally, Hanako had enough pandemonium and said in a voice of an ANBU Commander, " Everybody to the front room! Move! " The kids all scrambled out of Natsu's room leaving the unconscious young kunoichi/maid to sleep off her drunkenness and Hanako locked the door behind them on the way out. 'Teenagers…Well, hopefully that will keep Hinata-chan and Maya-chan from murdering Natsu-san in her sleep.' In a house full of mostly hormonal children; Hanako Obaa-chan just couldn't seem to get a break this evening…

…

Chapter 17

Konoha, Natsume Clan Home

Naruto had just gotten out of the shower (he'd felt a bit violated by Natsu's drunken attempt to take his virginity) and went over to Maya-chan's room where the two girls agreed to meet him after he got out. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with his yukata over them. He hoped Hinata-chan and Maya-chan had calmed down because they were NOT happy earlier when they found out Natsu had kissed him. He timidly knocked on Maya-chan's door and said, "Maya-chan; are you decent?"

"Yes, please come in Naruto-kun." said Maya through the door. Naruto came in and saw both girls were dressed in fresh training clothes as he closed the door behind him. Maya was sitting at her desk and Hinata was sitting on the bed waiting.

"Are you alright Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata. "It's still not too late to send Natsu-san back to the Hyūga compound in a wooden box." The unholy fire burning in both Hinata and Maya's eyes was really disturbing to Naruto.

Naruto waved his hands defensively. "No, no. It's alright. I think she was really drunk out of her mind and didn't know what she was doing." The girls looked a tiny bit disappointed at being unable to wreak bloody vengeance on the maid that stepped into their territory but then calmed down.

Maya said, "Naruto-kun, didn't you put silencing seals on my bedroom a while back?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep; I put them on all the bedrooms in the house when I added the cleaning seals; remember?"

Maya sweat dropped. "Actually Aya-chan and I were so excited about the cleaning seals that I kind of forgot. Can you show us where they are and how to activate them?"

Smiling, Naruto locked the door and channeled chakra into it. The door and walls glowed for a second. "There, now this room has a silencing barrier on it. To turn the seal off just unlock the door. Simple, right?"

The girls both smiled happily. "So my bedroom has that too Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"Every bedroom and the study has them Hinata-chan." said Naruto. "They all turn on and off the same way too."

Maya said, "Hinata-chan and I have been talking a lot with Hanako Obaa-chan and we found out something from her we want to share with you. Come sit on the bed and Hinata-chan and I will show you what she found."

Naruto was pulled to the center of the queen-sized bed by Hinata who hugged him. Sitting down in the lotus position he saw Maya pull out the massive book of Uzumaki laws and sat it in front of him. Then she came around and sat down beside him. "There is a section in this book about marriage laws we want you to see Naruto-kun so please read it with us okay?"

"Marriage laws?" said Naruto with a puzzled look on his face. Seeing the girls both look at him earnestly he opened the book and saw the first twenty or so pages were blank. Opened the book was nearly four feet wide.

"I don't know why the wasted so much paper." said Hinata. "Maybe they were saving room for more laws?"

"If this book is from Uzu then…." Naruto closed the tome and channeled chakra into the cover. A tiny seal appeared in the top right corner and Naruto examined it closely. "It's a blood seal." said Naruto as he bit his thumb and placed a drop of blood on the seal. The faded green cover suddenly started glowing with seals and opened on its own to the front page where an elegant script appeared:

To all those descended of the hallowed Uzumaki Royal Lineage:

Congratulations! You've found the secret message –ttebasa!

-Uzumaki Ashina

Beside the signature was a drawing of a chibi Uzumaki Ashina giving them the victory sign…

Naruto sweat dropped. "…For countless generations my family has been made up of people who are pranksters and have had verbal tic; -ttebayo…"

Hinata was trying to stifle a giggle at Naruto being pranked by his own ancestors and Maya let out a snort. Finally seeing the completely flat look on Naruto's face at being a victim of a prank the two girls were practically howling in laughter at his expense. Naruto just sighed and decided to let the girls get all the giggles out of their systems. But the two girl's laughter was infectious and before long Naruto was laughing too.

It took a few minutes for them all to calm down and Naruto said as he wiped a tear from his eye, "Well, I guess this means I have a cool Uzumaki Jiji that's been pulling this one over from the other side for a long time now."

As he turned the pages the endpapers became brilliant paintings of the Land of Whirlpools, Royal Family charts and genealogies as well as a few portraits of several red-haired men and women that Naruto was descended of. Naruto was amazed these people were his family and was staring in wonder at each portrait and picture. At the end of the genealogical chart he saw handwriting he recognized –his Mother's. The girl's eyes grew huge as they say the two names Uzumaki Kushina had written in beside and below her own:

Husband: Namikaze Minato

Child: Uzumaki Naruto

"Your Father was the Yellow Flash?" asked Maya. Naruto nodded with a sad, faraway look in his eyes as tears started to form. Maya felt panicky but then she cupped Naruto's cheeks and gave him a sweet, gentle kiss filled with all the love she felt for him. "Don't cry Naruto-kun. Your Tou-san and Kaa-san are watching over you proudly from the other side and Hinata-chan and I love you. We always will."

…Naruto soon found out about the laws that would allow him to have a harem. The idea terrified him and it took Naruto a while to calm down. Maya and Hinata told him they would keep him safe from fan girls and shared several long, sensual kisses with him to make Naruto feel better. When it was all said and done all three of them mutually decided to quit before it all exploded into a full make out session. When Naruto got back to his room, he had his precious book and even more precious thoughts of love for the two beautiful girls (who were now his girlfriends) that had captured his heart…

…

Konoha Ninja Academy, Tuesday

At close to six in the morning Tomoe Hikari appeared in a body flicker outside the classroom for Yūgao's Advanced Genin Class and knocked on the door. She heard Yūgao's voice say "Enter!" and opened the door.

The advanced genins were all a bit puzzled seeing Hikari enter in her full ANBU gear minus her mask. Naruto was puzzled by her presence and Sasuke was actually pleased to see the beautiful purple haired young woman. Hikari bowed to Yūgao after she closed the door behind her. "Forgive the interruption of your class Yūgao-senpai but I've come with a message for Naruto-sensei." Yūgao motioned for the younger ANBU to go ahead and Hikari said to Naruto, "Your afternoon class has been cancelled Naruto-sensei. A number of your students are undergoing medical treatment. There was an accident during training and-"

Naruto stood up with an air of authority that no one in the class knew he possessed. "How bad are the injuries, Hikari? Class can be cancelled but my student's welfare cannot. Do I need to see them?"

Hikari stood at attention and said, "No Naruto-sensei. The chain of command told me to assure you that they are all right and will be able to resume class tomorrow."

"That's a relief. Were their injuries class related?" asked Naruto.

"They weren-" started Hikari.

Sasuke interrupted and said. "It seems your students in pranking had one backfire on them Naruto. I guess your stupidity is rubbing off on them."

Naruto appeared in front of Sasuke and sent him flying into the wall with a vicious right hook. He then grabbed Sasuke by the throat and rammed his head against the wall. "How dare you make light of my student's injuries Uchiha! Perhaps I should put YOU in the hospital again!" The flames in Naruto's eyes and the sheer killing intent sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Go back to your seat Uzumaki." said Yūgao in an emotionless tone. "You need to learn to control your temper."

Naruto locked eyes with his sensei for a moment and then released to still stunned Uchiha. "Yes Yūgao-sensei." he said quietly. Naruto walked back over to his seat.

Hikari was glaring at Sasuke who was shakily getting back in his seat and said, "Such disrespect for your Konoha comrades wellbeing is unacceptable Uchiha-san. Interrupting a formal report in a non-emergency situation is also unacceptable."

Yūgao said, "I'll see to it that my student is punished appropriately Tomoe. Please finish your report to your sensei."

Hikari nodded. "My classmates were injured during training in areas unrelated to your class Naruto-sensei. They weren't doing anything unauthorized by your guidelines. That is the end of my report."

Emi thought to herself, 'I had no idea Naruto-kun could be so…dominating. It's kind of sexy. I like it.'

Maya and Hinata looked at Naruto with worry. They could tell how upset their boyfriend was.

Naruto nodded. "Very well, thank you for your report, Hikari."

Hikari smiled at him warmly and nodded. "I'll be going then sensei."

Yūgao interjected, "Tomoe, will you be free since your class is cancelled? I could use an extra hand if you aren't busy."

Hikari raised an eyebrow but then her green eyes sparkled. 'Spending more time with Naruto-kun. Yes!' "I'll get it cleared with the Commander. I should be back with an answer shortly." She vanished in a body flicker.

Yūgao turned to the now coherent Sasuke. "You and I will be having a discussion about interrupting your superiors during your normal breakfast time Academy Student Uchiha.

Sasuke fumed. 'Not only am I getting punished but Naruto made me look like a fool in front of Maya and Hikari!' "Naruto isn't my superior in any way!" he spouted angrily.

"You interrupted an ANBU Agent giving a formal report to her sensei." said Yūgao.

"But what about-" started Sasuke.

Yūgao said irritably, "Do you want to go without lunch too Uchiha?"

Swallowing his pride and glaring at Naruto; Sasuke said, "No Yūgao-sensei…"

…

ANBU Headquarters

Hikari was back in her mask reporting to ANBU Commander Dragon and informed him of her senpai's request.

Dragon said, "Well, I was going to give you the rest of the day off since training has been cancelled but if Yūgao requested your presence then you are free to help her out if you wish Gazeru. You might be able to help give her students a dose of reality."

Gazeru nodded. "Very well sir, I will be at the Academy with Yūgao-senpai if you need me."

…

Ninja Academy Training Grounds

Hikari reappeared in a body flicker by Yūgao at the obstacle course where the ANBU Brats where hard at work. "Reporting for duty Yūgao-senpai." she said bowing slightly.

"I'm glad you could spare some time Hikari." said Yūgao appreciatively. "How long are you available?"

"Commander Dragon told me I could assist you the rest of the day." said Hikari. "Just let me know what you need me to do."

Yūgao smiled in surprise. "Really? That's excellent Hikari. We're going to begin sparring soon and I'd like for you to watch my student's forms and mingle with them a bit. Since you're only a year older than them maybe there won't be such a strong barrier to break socially and you can give them a few pointers. You're actually a bit more knowledgeable with taijutsu styles than I am so you'll probably notice a few things I've missed."

"Okay, I can do that." chirped Hikari. She was in a good mood.

When the sparring started Yūgao informed them that Hikari was going to be there to help them out with their forms and observe their sparring matches. Hikari told everybody just to call her by her given name and explained she was close to the same age they were and hoped she could help them. Everyone seemed relieved that Hikari wasn't there to grade them and she sat among the students to watch the spars.

'Well, it looks like I'll be able to redeem myself in front of Maya and Hikari after all.' thought Sasuke. "I challenge Uzumaki!" said Sasuke with a smirk.

"You'll go against whoever I chose you to go up against Uchiha." said Yūgao as she looked over her list. "First up is Natsume Maya and Uzumaki Naruto."

The new girlfriend/boyfriend smiled at each other eagerly and got into the sparring ring. Maya assumed the Natsume stance and Naruto took the stance of the Whirlpool style he was still learning. Maya said, "You'll lose if you stick with that style."

Naruto answered, "I have to get used to it naturally through combat. Don't hold back."

Yūgao said, "Begin!" and Maya and Naruto exploded into action. Naruto's new spinning and swirling style was still very unrefined but what few hits he landed really hurt. True to her word though, Maya was able to overwhelm him with her superior mastery of the Natsume style. Finally, a brutal roundhouse kick from Maya sent Naruto careening end over end out of the ring. Naruto was lying face first on the ground and Maya landed gracefully in the Natsume style opening stance with a smile on her face. Yūgao declared Maya the winner as Maya went over to help Naruto up off the ground.

Naruto was smiling despite the fact his face was sporting an imprint of Maya's combat sandal. The two bowed to each other and said, "Thank you for the spar." Before they went over and were reseated with the others. Sasuke complimented Maya's 'proving her superiority' which she promptly ignored and Kiba laughed at the footprint on Naruto's grinning face.

Hikari looked concerned at Naruto but saw his face was visibly healing before her eyes. 'Is it because of the Kyubi? At this rate Naruto-kun will be completely healed within a couple of hours.' She came over and saw Hinata and Emi fussing over Naruto a bit. Emi said, "Was that really necessary Maya-chan? Naruto-kun is still learning a new style!"

Maya shrugged. "Naruto-kun is fine. I'll be hurting a lot longer than him because of his healing factor. Anyway, he DID say not to hold back. He certainly didn't take it easy on me."

"Do you want me to heal your face Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"It's okay Hinata-chan." said Naruto. "Save your chakra for your spar. You know that I'll heal up quick and Maya-chan has done worse to me in the past."

Hikari came over and said, "Your mastery of the Natsume style is excellent Maya-san; I'm surprised that Academy students are going full contact like this. Naruto-kun, why are you experimenting with a new style in high level sparring, you could really get hurt!" The concern in her voice was obvious and it made Maya and Hinata (and Emi) wonder just what kind of a teacher-student relationship the two had.

Naruto smiled, "Hikari-chan, it's just as I told Emi-chan here. I learn with my body by doing and this is the best way. Heck, Bunshichi-sensei beats the tar out of me every weekend. Don't worry about it."

Hikari was somewhere between concerned about Naruto's apparent lack of self-preservation instincts and over the moon. 'He called me Hikari-chan!' she mentally squealed in happiness.

"Isuzu, you're up!" called Yūgao. "You too Nara."

"Troublesome…." said Shikamaru. Unlike her cousin Choji; Emi wasn't gentle in a spar at all. Sai once got his shoulder dislocated by the red-haired girl from a grappling move Emi pulled.

…

Five minutes later…

"Troublesome doesn't begin to express this situation…" whined/moaned Shikamaru in a high-pitched voice as he was hauled off on a stretcher with his hands clutching his injured privates.

Emi was blushing as red as her hair in embarrassment and said, "I really meant to knee him in the gut…not lower..." She noticed every male present was nervously covering his family jewels…

Yūgao face palmed. "Ummm…yeah…winner Isuzu Emi…"

Hikari talked to each student after their spars and gave a few pointers to try out in the future. The last round was called when Yūgao said, "Hyūga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke come up!"

Sasuke hadn't faced off against Hinata since she utterly humiliated him on the first day of sparring. He had a huge grudge against her and the idea of hurting Naruto by beating his dear Hinata-chan senseless really appealed to the Last Uchiha. He entered to ring with an ominous smile etched upon his face.

For her part Hinata had been itching to destroy the Uchiha for repeatedly insulting her boyfriend Naruto-kun anyway. The Hyūga heiress had a stoic mask of calm indifference upon her face that her Father would have been impressed by…

"I hope you're ready for some payback you little white eyed slut." said Sasuke. "Things will be different this time. They are going to have to make extra room in the hospital after I'm through with you." Sasuke looked a bit too eager for Yūgao's tastes.

"Kick his ass HARD Hinata-chan!" roared Naruto.

Hinata activated her byakugan and smirked. "You may not be able to have children when I'm done with you Uchiha…"

"Begin!" called Yūgao.

Sasuke launched a brutal offensive that he'd been saving up to thrash Naruto with but Hinata just seemed to dance around it. Every once in a while, he'd get a strike close and Hinata would change the trajectory of his attempts through minimal contact that would also leave Sasuke with a painfully closed chakra point or two. Losing his temper at not being able to land a single hit on her Sasuke instinctively darted a brace of shurikens at her. Two she evaded but the third cut into Hinata's left shoulder making her cry out. Sasuke ignored his sensei's scream of 'no weapons' and 'the spar was over' and closed in for the kill...the deranged smile on his face was almost orgasmic as he drew a kunai. "I'll butcher that pretty face of yours!"

Sasuke saw Hinata's eyes focus on him again and heard her whisper. "You are in the field of my divination…" In his haste to finish off Hinata; Sasuke suddenly realized he'd abandoned all defense just to physically hurt Hinata as much as he possibly could. He heard her yell, "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Hinata's fingers became chakra coated streaks of death as she unleashed hell upon Sasuke at point blank range and the Uchiha's entire world exploded into pain. Sasuke's mind was a blur and his body felt utterly devastated as he started falling backwards. His eyes briefly focused on Hinata's cold but lovely visage as she gave him a truly savage smile.

Sasuke was already airborne from the sixty-four palms strike when Hinata landed a rising snake kick to his testicles that made him choke and gurgle in agony as he flew completely out of the ring…and crashed a good fifteen feet outside of it unmoving and foaming at the mouth…

Hinata's point of view was blurred a bit when Yūgao-sensei appeared in front of her and told her to stand still so she could get the shuriken out. Yūgao summoned two of the medics away from the battered Uchiha and had them heal up Hinata instead. They quickly removed the shuriken that made Hinata wince and closed her wound up over the next twenty minutes. She saw her friends hovering behind the medics concerned. Naruto looked both sad and enraged that she'd been hurt that way. Soon enough Hinata was bandaged and had her flak vest back on.

"You have a very high pain tolerance Hinata-sama." said a Hyūga healer as she finished up. Hinata recognized the young woman as a member of the branch house.

"Hyūga…Suzu isn't it?" asked Hinata.

The young med nin smiled and said, "Yes, Hinata-sama; I am Suzu. I am honored that you remember me."

Hinata sighed softly, "I try to remember all those in my family Suzu-san."

Suzu smiled approvingly. "You have been missed at the Hyūga Compound my Lady. We're going to take you to the hospital and get everything checked properly. This is an excellent combat field dressing but it would not do for our heiress to have an ugly scar." After confirming with Yūgao; Hinata was whisked away to Konoha Hospital by Suzu. Maya and Naruto wanted to go with her but Yūgao ordered them to stay put. The pair glared mutinously but promised they would stay there.

Yūgao sighed. This had been a far more eventful morning than planned…

…

Natsume Clan Home

While the Advanced Genin Class was trying to calm down Hanako was supervising Aya and Hanabi's morning. She'd checked up on Natsu earlier and found the young woman had blacked out and didn't remember anything about trying to violate Naruto. The kunoichi maid also was suffering from the worst hangover in history so Hanako just ordered Natsu to stay in bed and sleep it off.

Aya was already dressed for the Academy and Hanabi was dressed for her morning training. The three quietly enjoyed a peaceful breakfast and soon Aya took off for her morning classes. Hanako then turned to her youngest granddaughter. "Alright Hanabi-chan; let's see about training you to be a bit more flexible this morning. We'll start with some light stretches and-" They heard a knock at the front door and both activated their byakugans. "Well, well. It seems that your new friend Senju Mito-chan is here with her Mother Senju Tsunade. I suppose we'll have to postpone our training this morning. Shall we go greet our guests?" 'What could Tsunade want?' wondered Hanako.

…

Ninja Academy, Room 301

Sai was sitting in front of Yūgao. When everyone else was dismissed for breakfast Yūgao handed him a ration bar and led him back to the classroom. There had been silence while they each ate a ration bar and then Yūgao said, "I have a question for you ROOT. I know you were put in this class to monitor the other students for Shimura Danzo." (Sai still wasn't aware Danzo was dead although Yūgao was).

"What is the question sensei?" asked Sai.

The purple haired sword mistress said, "Give me a thorough analysis of Academy student Uchiha Sasuke in reference to the pros and cons of dropping him from this class and the Ninja Program entirely."

Sai got a blank look on his face for a few moments. He wasn't expecting this. After gathering his thoughts Sai said, "The Uchiha is a loose cannon. He is skilled but is a danger to himself and those around him. He breaks ranks and his ego and personal desires override his loyalty to his comrades and superiors. He is a flight risk. His jealousy and immaturity regarding others, particularly Natsume Maya and Uzumaki Naruto, is growing greater rather than receding. My recommendation would be to drop him from the Ninja Program. His unwarranted attack on Hyūga Hinata earlier today would certainly warrant it. He should be placed under Lord Danzo's supervision for stricter training if he is to remain a ninja."

"On the negative side it would no doubt cause a political and social flurry if he is thrown out." continued Sai. "An appropriate punishment for his actions should be devised once he is out of the hospital regardless of whether he stays in the program or not. The Hokage and the Elders should be in on the decision. Your training methods are not to blame."

Yūgao nodded. "It seems we are on the same page ROOT. I'll be contacting Hokage-sama after class tonight regarding this mess."

…

Ninja Academy, Cafeteria

At the far table Naruto was sitting with Maya and Emi. Hikari and Choji joined them as well. For their parts, Maya and Naruto were worried for Hinata and seething at Sasuke. Naruto would be at the Hospital but Yūgao-sensei made him promise to stay in class. She also told Naruto he couldn't kill Sasuke in revenge either which further soured the blonde's mood (and probably saved the Uchiha's life).

Choji said, "I can't believe what happened. I always thought Sasuke was a little unhinged but he was trying to kill Hinata. Thank the kami she pulled off that sixty-four palms move and protected herself."

Emi nodded. "No kidding! On the other hand, I had no idea Hinata-chan was so tough. I've heard of that move but I've never seen it before."

"Hinata-chan just perfected it recently." said Maya. "She's been working really hard at it."

Hikari said, "For an Academy Student to have pulled it off is unprecedented. She must be some kind of prodigy. Still, I noticed her juken stances and forms were very unusual although incredibly effective."

Naruto explained, "Hinata-chan uses a modified juken passed down from her Obaa-chan Hanako. She is amazing at it."

Ino and Sakura were sitting with Kiba and Shino at the next table over. Kiba still had his left arm in a sling. "The bastard Uchiha deserved every bit of pain he got." said Kiba. "My instincts told me all he wanted to do was harm Hinata. He was giving his all to seriously injure her or even kill her. Those shurikens weren't thrown by accident and the kunai is all the proof needed. He's gone off the deep end."

Sakura was depressed. The boy she'd idolized so long was turning out to be more and more of a psycho. "I don't know what to think. I know when his family got killed it messed him up but what he did today was completely wrong…Is his ego that important? I'm so thankful Hinata reacted in time."

"I could have seen him going after Naruto-kun that way." said Ino. Everyone raised an eyebrow at the –kun added to Naruto's name but Ino didn't seem to notice and went on. "I mean; they are sort of rivals but Hinata? She's a sweet and kind girl. She beat him that one time but he went totally crazy on her! I'm just glad she wasn't hurt worse. I think if Hinata hadn't retaliated so brutally then sensei would have killed him outright."

"She would have been in the right to do so." said Shino. "It could have been argued that he simply got carried away during the heat of a spar but when he pulled his weapons and didn't stop when Yūgao-sensei clearly ordered him to it crosses over into the realm of attempted murder. Hokage-sama is not going to be pleased with this."

"You think Hokage-sama will become involved?" asked Sakura.

Shino answered, "Logically I would think so but I don't know whether he would fall under ninja or civilian jurisdiction in this case. Perhaps Hikari-san could enlighten us."

'So much for enjoying some alone time with Naruto-kun.' thought Hikari glumly. "I would have to say that Uchiha-san falls into a gray area here. If he were a full ninja he'd be stripped of his rank and punished accordingly by the Hokage. But in this case, I'd guess his actual punishment would fall under civilian jurisdiction. He'll probably be dropped from the ninja program and get a slap on the wrist since he can probably afford all the lawyers he needs to weasel out of it. I'm not a lawyer though so I don't know what laws are fully applicable. Given his popularity with the villagers as the Last Uchiha he may get off scot-free."

Naruto was about to say a few choice words at that idea when ANBU Tortoise appeared in a body flicker. He immediately turned to Naruto. "Naruto-sensei we have a situation that requires your expertise. We haven't been able to locate Jiraiya-sama so Hokage-sama asked us to retrieve you immediately. You're with us Hikari."

"Understood." said Hikari. "I'll meet you on the roof." She turned to Maya who was holding Naruto's hand under the table. "Please inform Yūgao-senpai that ANBU requires Naruto-sensei's services and I will return with him once the situation is resolved."

Maya nodded. "Alright; be careful Naruto-kun."

Naruto squeezed her hand in reassurance before he stood up. "I will be Maya-chan. Tell Hinata-chan I'm thinking about her if I don't get back soon enough to see her with you at the hospital." He waved to everybody and said to Tortoise and Hikari, "Let's go!"

…

Konoha Hospital

Team Gai was at the Hospital because once again Lee overdid it with his Youthful workout program. Neji and Tenten were sitting in the waiting room while Gai-sensei was alternating between mother henning Lee and filling out and incident report. It was nothing major (or new) for Gai's team but both seventeen year old genin ninja were a bit bored sitting around waiting in the uncomfortable chairs. That was when Hyūga Suzu came in and sat down. "Ah Neji-san, Tenten-san; good day to the both of you." greeted Suzu as she came in.

"Suzu-san?" asked Neji. "Is one of our clansmen injured seriously?" He knew the young medic well enough to realize she normally wouldn't be in the waiting room.

Suzu shook her head 'no' and said, "Hinata-sama took a shuriken in the left shoulder. I dressed the wound myself but I decided to bring her here to make sure the doctors could see to it she didn't end up with a scar. She insisted she would be fine but I felt otherwise."

"So, it was training accident?" asked Tenten.

"Actually, it was a deliberate assault on her person by Uchiha Sasuke in what was supposed to be a taijutsu only spar." explained Suzu. "He is in deep trouble for his actions and no doubt will be punished severely."

"Where is he?" asked Neji coldly. "I'll put him in his proper place for assaulting my cousin."

Suzu raised an eyebrow. As far as she knew Neji despised his cousin…perhaps the situation had changed since she left. "Actually Neji-san; that won't be necessary. Hinata-sama utterly demolished the Uchiha with a sixty-four palms strike and then ruptured one of his testicles with a rising kick of a style I didn't recognize. He is currently undergoing emergency medical treatment in the intensive care unit. I was quite elated to see Hinata-sama has grown so strong. She's done our clan proud and doing it against the so-called vaunted Uchiha is just icing on the cake. I'm sure Hiashi-sama will be thrilled. To be honest I'm just waiting for her to get finished up and I'll take her back to the Academy."

Neji quickly made up his mind. He hadn't seen his cousin since before she left. "I need to go see Hinata-sama and make sure she is all right and congratulate her on her achievements. Can you tell me what room she is in Suzu-san?"

"She's down in 205 but should be out within a few minutes." said Suzu.

"If Gai-sensei asks please tell him I went to check on my cousin Hinata-sama, Tenten." said Neji as he shot off.

Tenten smiled and waved as her teammate took off. "Maybe Neji can start building a positive relationship with his cousin now."

"What exactly happened?" asked Suzu puzzled.

Tenten replied, "I don't know all the details but Neji had a long talk with his Grandmother Hanako-sama and he told us it was his intention to be a good cousin to Hinata and he should have been all along."

Suzu was impressed. "I wonder what Hanako-sama said to him."

…

Hospital Room 205

Neji came dashing into room 205 to check on Hinata-sama. 'Today is a new start.' he thought to himself. When he entered, he saw a beautiful indigo haired kunoichi slipping her combat mesh on over her protective support bra. Neji's eyes were big as saucers as he watched those luscious curves and amazing breasts bounce a bit as the long haired kunoichi shook her hair out so it would lay down a bit. Her hair had a bit of a sexy, windblown look that made her seem even that much more enticing. 'Who is this goddess?' he wondered with a nosebleed as he continued to gawk at every curve.

His thoughts shattered like glass when the young woman looked up at him with narrowed lavender eyes and a twitching eyebrow. She spoke to him in Hinata-sama's voice. "Neji nii-san, you are supposed to knock before entering a lady's room. Could you please wait outside while I finish dressing?"

Neji went into shock and was sporting an atomic blush as he realized this goddess was his cousin! "F-f-forgive m-me Hinata-sama!" he stuttered as he dashed out into the hall.

Hinata sat puzzled for a moment and thought, 'Did Neji nii-san just stutter?' Shrugging and not having a clue about Neji's perverted thoughts; Hinata decided to get the rest of her gear on.

Out in the hall Neji was having a nervous breakdown. 'Oh. My. God. I can't believe that was Hinata-sama I was ogling and having lecherous thoughts about. When did she blossom into such a beauty? What a body! No! Bad thoughts! I may have to take a pilgrimage to the Fire Temple to cleanse my soul of this sin. I may have to become a monk! I am a proud and proper Hyūga damn it! I'm not some incestuous perverted sicko who lives out in the hills!'

While Neji was having a personal crisis in the hallway Hinata finished dressing and called out. "You may come in now Neji nii-san."

Neji did his best to regain his composure and quietly entered. Hinata was in her full ANBU style combat gear sitting on the edge of her hospital bed. Seeing Neji was a bit pale Hinata asked, "Are you alright Neji nii-san? You look flushed and a bit clammy."

"Forgive me for entering without knocking Hinata-sama." said Neji feeling embarrassed and mortified by his own thought processes. "I… heard you were injured from Suzu-san and came down to see you. Are you alright? She said you took a shuriken in the shoulder from the Uchiha."

Hinata said, "I'm just fine nii-san." 'Why is he acting so nervous?' "As you can see between Suzu-san and the Doctors here I'm all healed. They told me just to do light sparring the rest of the week. What are you doing at the hospital anyway nii-san?"

"My teammate Rock Lee injured himself training again." explained Neji. "That's when ran into Suzu-san and she directed me down here. I didn't recognize you at first with long hair. I thought I was in the wrong room."

"I just got tired of the hime cut I've had since I was a child." said Hinata. "Do you think it looks strange on me?"

Neji waved his hands nervously. "No, no! It looks great! It suits you very well. I…ummm…"

There was a knock on the door and a nurse came in. "Here are your release forms Hinata-sama. I just need you to sign them and acknowledge that you are limited to light sparring until Friday."

"I understand." said Hinata sounding rather disappointed. 'Damn! I was hoping I could get back to regular sparring but now I've given my word.' Hinata quickly signed the release forms in her elegant script and was told she was free to go. Suzu was waiting for her in the waiting room.

"I will escort you to Suzu-san Hinata-sama." said Neji getting up.

"It's just down the hall Neji nii-san. You don't need to escort me." said Hinata.

"It's only proper Hinata-sama." replied Neji as they walked together down towards the waiting room. "I am…glad you are unhurt."

Hinata smiled softly. "Thank you, Neji nii-san. It means a lot to me."

Suzu smiled as the two cousins entered the waiting room. "Hinata-sama; you look right as rain now. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Suzu-san; I'm just limited to light sparring for a few days is all." said Hinata. "Tenten-san; how nice it is to see you again."

Tenten smiled, "Wow Hinata, look at how you've changed since I saw you last. I like your new look. It's only been a short while, but you look like a new person." 'I wish I had a rack like that…Must be nice…' thought Tenten depressed.

Hinata smiled, "Being put in the Advanced Genin Program kind of requires you to change a lot but I'm happy about it."

Suzu said, "Are you ready to go Hinata-sama? We need to get some breakfast in you and get you back to class."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, let us depart Suzu. I will see you again Tenten-san, Neji nii-san." With that Suzu whisked the two away in a body flicker.

Tenten sighed. "Damn, I hardly recognized Hinata. She even carries herself differently. She seems so much stronger now. I can't believe she can pull off the sixty-four palms strike like you Neji. I was always under the impression she wasn't as suited to juken as you are."

Neji nodded. "Hanako Obaa-sama said that Hinata-sama's body type isn't suited for traditional juken but she's flourished by using and alternate type that Obaa-sama uses herself. I meant to congratulate Hinata-sama on defeating the Uchiha but I didn't even recognize her when I entered her room. It was rather embarrassing." he said with a slight blush.

Tenten chuckled, "Well, Hinata didn't seem to hold it against you, so no harm done right?"

Neji nodded and said "Of course." but inside he was mortified that he'd been drooling over his cousin. 'That was just wrong.' he mentally sighed to himself.

…

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, I had every intention of including Hanako and Tsunade's chat this chapter but it just ran too long so we'll hit that next chapter. For those keeping score, Shikamaru is milking his injury for all it's worth, Hinata is patched up and Sasuke is settled into the hospital for a while. It seems his actions have pretty much sealed the coffin as far as his classmates are concerned and Yūgao is going to be talking to the Hokage about it. What will his fate be? See you next time. Blue out. 6/13/23