Camping in the Forest of Death

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The idea for this chapter kind of hit me out of the blue. Here's chapter 24:

Last time:

ANBU Headquarters

Sasuke's couldn't move, his entire body was so exhausted that he was physically unable to lift a finger. The first seal on his back had been living hell but the second seal on his front that included around his eyes was infinitely worse. Sasuke couldn't believe that he was still alive having gone through that much pain. Truthfully, he wished he wasn't. He couldn't feel any notion of the chakra in his body now. It was as if his soul had been sucked out. He vaguely registered ANBU Fox's voice say, "We're done. Let's take him back to his cell."

The Last Uchiha's body was limp as a rag doll when they dropped him roughly on his cot. ANBU Sloth threw a blanket over his naked body. "Wouldn't want you to freeze to death Uchiha. When you wake up tomorrow, they'll probably have your sentence for you. Sleep well Uchiha-sama."

Uchiha Sasuke was in hell…

…

Chapter 24

Konoha Council Chambers

It was around 3:30 PM when the court was adjourned. Hyuga Bengoshi reminded Hinata of a peacock as he strutted up to her and bowed deeply with a superior grin on his face. "Hinata-hime, you've been awarded with all of the Uchiha's lands and properties. I will make sure it is properly put into your accounts with Hiashi-sama. I'm sure we can arrange for you to tour your new possessions as soon as possible. It is my deepest pleasure to serve you Hinata-hime." he said smiling in triumph.

Hinata didn't like this man at all, and she liked him even less now that he was trying to suck up to her. As Hiashi walked up she narrowed her eyes at the lawyer and said to him, "Do you need extra help patting yourself on the back Bengoshi-san? Any idiot could have put the Uchiha away between Inoichi-san's testimony and the Uchiha's own stupidity. You weren't even necessary for that. Don't think it's not painfully obvious that you are trying to ingratiate yourself to me with this trial. You've done what you were paid to do by Hiashi-sama. Don't act as if you've done me any favors."

Bengoshi was gaping like a fish. He couldn't believe he hadn't completely won the girl over with this. The now pale faced lawyer said "B-but Hinata-hime-"

Hinata fixed him with a byakugan glare that made him shiver. "Hokage-sama was the one who awarded those lands and properties to me and you didn't have any more say in it than the Uchiha did. I will talk to the Hokage's Office when I wish to assess those lands. Your further involvement is not wanted or needed other than to finish the paperwork for Hiashi-sama. Leave me out of it until it is finalized for me to review and sign –and I will review it carefully as I don't hold a fraction of the trust in you the Clan Head seems to. Good day." After that she stood up and left the stunned lawyer and her Father behind without another word.

Hiashi thought, 'Well, so much for inviting my daughter to dinner. Bengoshi certainly spoiled her mood. She read him like an open book. He was foolish trying to take all the credit in this case and underestimated her intelligence. As the Clan Heiress she's well educated in the shinobi laws. I think Bengoshi just ruined any chances he had of making reparations with her. When he tried to defend the Elders in court after they abused Hinata-chan he made a huge enemy out of her.' Hiashi said, "Let's go Bengoshi-san, I'm afraid you've made a big mistake with Hinata-chan today. She isn't a naïve child one can manipulate any longer."

Bengoshi lowered his head. 'How am I going to fix this? By defending the former Clan Head and his accomplices in court I've made an enemy of the future Clan Head. This is bad. Hinata-hime could ruin me as it is and I don't know if Hiashi-sama will intervene on my behalf.' "Of course, Hiashi-sama, let me just gather the last of my things." he said with false bravado. As far as Bengoshi was concerned the future didn't look too bright…

…

Hashirama Lane…

Hinata was steamed as they walked away from the Hokage Tower and it was obvious. Maya said, "You really hate that lawyer Bengoshi-san don't you Hinata-chan?"

The Hyūga Heiress nodded. "That two-faced weasel tried to defend those that were responsible for abusing me and threatening Hanabi-chan. Now he's trying to worm his way back into my good graces. He always was a yes man to the bastards of the Hyūga Elder Council." Hinata looked calculating for a moment. "Now that I think about it, I believe some monetary and property reparations among other things should be awarded to me from those old wretches."

"One thing at a time Hinata-chan." said Naruto's shadow clone. "I think you need to cool off a little bit and then talk to Obaa-chan. She'll know the right course to take."

Maya nodded in agreement. "Naruto-kun's right Hinata-chan. You need to blow off some steam first. This day has been really tedious and exhausting. I'll take twelve-hour academy days anytime over an eight-hour day of court cases."

About that time, they saw several reporters calling "Hinata-sama!" that were headed their way like a flock of hungry vultures.

The girls were stunned but Naruto's clone steered them into an alleyway and quickly led them straight up a wall to the rooftop. "Looks like we're going to be travelling by rooftop ladies. As much as I like leading people on a good chase, I think we need to get you two home so you can have a nice soak in the hot springs and relax."

Listening to the paparazzi chatter on the street below about the court case and where Hinata-sama could have gone both girls kissed the clone's cheeks and then the three went at ninja speeds back to the Natsume Clan Home.

…

ANBU Headquarters

The original Naruto was sitting there in the classroom he taught his fuinjutsu class in with Hikari. They both had their masks off and Naruto looked rather pale. He said quietly, "Damn. As much as I hate Sasuke putting him through that when he was defenseless and all was hard. He deserved it but I still feel guilty."

"Naruto-kun, you had orders and had to carry them out." said Hikari sympathetically. "When we are on duty, we eventually learn to turn our emotions off when we have to do something unsavory. You did well and handled yourself professionally. If you had enjoyed doing it that's what would worry me. It just shows you are a good person."

Naruto stood up and scratched his neck but still had a sad look in his eyes. Hikari closed the gap between them and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. He was stunned and reciprocated a second before he separated from her gently. He saw her green eyes full of love. "Come home with me Naruto-kun; let me take all your pain away. I'll take good care of you I promise."

She saw the total confusion in his eyes as he said, "Hikari-chan? I-I don't know what to say…"

She hugged him and rested her head on his chest. Looking up into his blue eyes she said, "Naruto-kun, I really like you. I may even love you; I don't know yet…I've been on many seduction missions because of my looks and had to have sex but I've never been with someone I wanted to be with. I want to be with you. I know a lot of techniques. I promise I'll take good care of you…"

Naruto wanted to go with Hikari for comfort, but he immediately thought of Maya and Hinata. After focusing his thoughts, he said, "Hikari-chan, I am in a very complicated situation. I really like you." 'The girls are going to kill me for this…' "Will you come out to the Natsume Clan Home with me? I need Maya-chan and Hinata-chan to help me explain…"

Hikari looked in his eyes and so no deception, but she was really confused. "Just tell me what's going on and how they are involved. I know they both like you as well just like Emi does."

"Emi-chan likes me?" asked a shocked Naruto.

'Is he that dense about her?' thought Hikari with a sweat drop. "Ummm…Yes; all she did was talk about you during our mission at the Great Shrine of Flame…More importantly what is it you need to explain?"

"Well, you know I'm a Prince right?" asked Naruto.

"Yesss…" she replied. 'If he tells me he can't date a commoner like me I'll be forced to murder him whether I love him or not.'

Naruto blushed slightly. "You probably won't like this but since I'm the last male heir of the Uzumaki Royal Line…"

Hikari's eyes were wide. "Yesss…?" 'Gods; I'm going to have to kill the first man I've ever truly fallen for! Why me?!'

"…I have to practice polygamy." finished Naruto lamely.

Hikari's brain took a few moments to reboot. "…Ummm…what?" she asked intelligently.

Naruto sighed. "I have to take more than one wife to rebuild my clan Hikari-chan. You would have to share me. Hinata-chan and Maya-chan are my girlfriends and I love them both very much. If you want to be my girlfriend then you would be sharing me with them."

"Oh; that was…unexpected." said Hikari. "So it's got nothing to do with me not being of noble blood?"

Naruto shook his 'no' head rapidly. "What are you talking about Hikari-chan? You're a smart and strong kunoichi plus you are beautiful. I'd be honored to have you as my girlfriend but as I said things are really complicated."

Hikari's heart sang when he complimented her but at the same time, she was a bit shocked. "Naruto-kun, I want to be with you but this is a lot to take in. I'm going to have to think about it. I really had no idea…"

Naruto hugged her gently. "Take all the time you need Hikari-chan. We'll need to talk with Maya-chan and Hinata-chan before we can make a decision. I can't have my future brides hating each other." He gave her a gentle, sweet kiss. "I want you to be happy Hikari-chan; whether it's with me or someone else. I'd better head home; my shadow clone just dispersed and it looks like the court case is over. Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

Hikari nodded. "Yes, I'll see you tomorrow in fuinjutsu class Naruto-kun and we'll talk more afterwards. I need to think a while." Hikari waved goodbye and smiled weakly before she vanished in a body flicker. She had a lot to think about and didn't know how to feel at this point…

Naruto was sweating. 'Gods, the girls are going to kill me when I tell them Hikari-chan likes me. I really like Hikari-chan…And then there's Emi-chan too! I had no idea about that either. What am I going to do? Maybe I should ask Hanako Obaa-chan for advice.' With those troubled thoughts in mind Naruto changed into his black gear and roof hopped his way home…

…

Hyūga Compound

When the Third Hokage made the public announcement about the Uchiha's trial and its results many people were stunned but since Sasuke had lost most of his public support (with a little help from the Hyūga's propaganda machine) it wasn't considered a bad thing at all. Many were celebrating that justice was served and the Curse of the Uchiha Clan was gone for good. The Hyūga's as a group were thrilled and many wished Hinata-sama was there to celebrate (in a dignified manner) with them at the Hyūga Compound. Not only had their heiress received appropriate reparations but the long rivalry between the Uchihas and the Hyūgas was decisively over in the Hyūga's favor thanks to Hinata-sama.

Hiashi for his part was relieved that the Hyūga Clan was happy and united about anything. The news of Hinata's abuse had caused a great deal of unrest and animosity in the clan and Uchiha Sasuke's conviction had at least taken their minds off of that. What the Clan Head trying wanted was for his daughters and his Mother to come home where he could truly make it up to them. Hiashi was originally planning to treat Hinata to a nice dinner as her hostility towards him seemed to have cooled off a bit but her interactions with Bengoshi proved that she was still boiling under the surface. He heard a knock at his office door and bade them to come in.

It was Hyūga Kō, Hinata's former guardian. "Hiashi-sama, may I have a moment of your time?"

Hiashi nodded. "You may enter Kō, please be seated and I will be right with you." After Hiashi finished up some paperwork he set it aside and turned his attention to Kō. "What can I do for you this evening Kō?"

Kō said, "I was wondering if you could tell me if Hinata-sama is in good health since you must have seen her at the trial. I failed her utterly as a guardian and I will forever be shamed but I still truly care about her welfare."

Hiashi sighed. Kō had been inconsolable over what had happened to Hinata and even though Hiashi didn't believe it was entirely deserved; Hinata would probably never forgive Kō over what happened. "Hinata is in better health than I have ever seen her. To be honest she seems to have become the spitting image of my Mother Hanako-sama in spirit. Hinata-chan is both a fearsome and beautiful young kunoichi. I am very proud of her."

"Is she any closer to moving home?" asked Kō. "The Hyūga Clan very much misses their heiress."

The Clan Head replied, "I had planned to talk to her this very evening about the possibility but our head lawyer Hyūga Bengoshi soured her mood a great deal after the trial, so I was unable to speak with her."

Kō lowered his head sadly. "If only I hadn't failed her."

"I am more to blame than you are Kō." said Hiashi. "If I hadn't been so inattentive towards my precious heirs we would not be in this mess. I do not blame you Kō."

"I wish I felt the same Hiashi-sama. I am just thankful Hinata-sama is in good health now." said Kō. The two men talked a little while longer before Kō bid Hiashi a good evening.

…

Natsume Clan Home

Naruto slipped in quietly and found out that Maya-chan and Hinata-chan were soaking in the family hot springs to relax from Natsu. Feeling a little relieved he went to talk to Hanako Obaa-chan about Hikari-chan. Knocking on Hanako's door he heard her say, "Come in Naruto-kun." and he entered and activated the silencing seals.

"I need your advice Obaa-chan." he said with worry in his voice. Seeing her motion for him to sit down with her Naruto sat and said, "Obaa-chan, I found out today that Tomoe Hikari-chan likes me and wants to be my girlfriend. I explained the whole polygamy thing to her so she could think about it for a while but I'm worried about Hinata-chan and Maya-chan's reactions. What am I going to tell them? I really like Hikari-chan but I don't know how to break the news that another girl likes me…and she told me about another girl that likes me!"

Hanako got a look of sympathy on her face. 'The boy is going to have a meltdown at this rate. How can he be so dense and naïve? On the other hand, it's much better than him being some kind of Lothario that sleeps around with every woman he can.' "Naruto-kun, the girls already know that Tomoe Hikari likes you. I presume the other girl is Isuzu Emi?"

Naruto's eyes got huge. "How did you know Obaa-chan? Even I didn't know. Is it Yamanaka technique?"

The dumbfounded look on Naruto's face made Hanako want to smile but she kept herself under control as it wouldn't help matters any. "Naruto-kun; Maya-chan and Hinata-chan told me about Isuzu Emi a long time ago. I didn't read your mind."

"Then Hinata-chan and Maya-chan already knew all of this?" asked Naruto.

Hanako nodded. "Yes, the two of them already know that those girls like you but it sounds like Hikari-san must have confessed to you and that you like her back. You'll need to explain that to Hinata-chan and Maya-chan and see if they are willing to accept Hikari-san. You are within your rights to date whoever you want but I know you would never want to hurt either Hinata-chan or Maya-chan. You also should try to avoid a civil war within your future family. A divided house will surely fall you know."

"What do you think I should do then Obaa-chan?" questioned the blonde.

"My advice would be to talk to the girls and keep your lines of communication open." said Hanako calmly. "Your situation is rather unique so there aren't a lot of guidelines. Most nobles with harems take wives for political reasons and not love or affection. I'm glad you aren't thinking that way. Sit down with Hinata-chan and Maya-chan and be honest with them. It may be a bumpy ride but things will work out Naruto-kun."

Hanako was surprised when Naruto gave her a hug. "Thank you, Obaa-chan. That helps me more than you know."

Smiling, Hanako gently returned Naruto's hug. Patting his back she said, "It's all right Naruto-kun. Your Obaa-chan is happy to help you."

Naruto decided that with all the stress of the trial it probably wouldn't be a wise idea to bring Hikari-chan up to the girls that evening.

Maybe he could tell them about the Caged Bird counterseal instead. He was sure that would make them happier; especially Hinata-chan…

…

Natsume Clan Home

Hinata and Maya were in Naruto's study looking over Naruto's latest masterpiece; the counterseal to the Caged Bird Seal. Hinata was overjoyed and her irritation with Bengoshi was washed away. She kissed Naruto joyously and said, "Naruto-kun; do you know what this means?!" Hinata's eyes turned more devious and maniacal than Naruto or Maya had ever even imagined possible. "It means we need to sneak into the Hyūga Compound, kidnap Neji nii-san, remove his Caged Bird Seal and make him swear off his ridiculous obsession with fate forever! Bwahahaha!"

For their part, Maya and Naruto were holding tightly on to each other in fear…

…

Hyūga Compound

That evening Neji was pondering what he was fated to have for dinner. 'Today was exhausting sitting in that courtroom. The Uchiha got what he deserved but he is criminally insane anyway. It just proves we Hyūgas have been better all along. And seeing that pompous ass Bengoshi-san put in his place by Hinata-sama was certainly worthwhile. Tenten-chan said that we should go out to celebrate Hinata-sama becoming rich but she vanished before we could talk to her. Tenten-chan seemed a bit disappointed about it but fate moves in strange ways.' Neji was so deep in thought about fate that he didn't notice Hinata's smiling, ghostly apparition appear behind him and render him unconscious in the silence.

Angelnata was sitting on Hinata's right shoulder in a white armored metal bikini toting a war hammer. "Yeeaaah! We're the motherfuckin' princess of juken! Neji nii-san never knew what hit him. We're sooo going to smack the fate right out of him now!" Angelnata took a good drag on her joint to celebrate.

Devilnata was in her skin tight red and black cat suit on Hinata's left shoulder blowing smoke rings from her cigar while brandishing a serrated scythe and said, "Hell yeah! After we free him from the caged bird seal we'll tie him up nice and tight and drop him off at Tenten's place. You know by the look in her eye she's FATED to tap a piece of Neji nii-san's ass. They'll both wake up happier once she's done with him. I just love a happy ending where two young people totally lose their innocence."

All three Hinata's nodded decisively in unison and Hinata tossed the unconscious Neji over her shoulder and zipped out of the compound without a soul being any the wiser…

…

Natsume Clan Home

…Hinata woke up wide eyed with a start and wondered if she'd been drinking. "Was that a dream?!" she thought aloud. Naruto-kun had told her and Maya-chan about the counterseal but she was shocked and appalled she'd dreamed such a crazy thing to do to her cousin. Smelling her drinking glass Hinata was relieved that it was just water and not alcohol…'I'll think about the counterseal tomorrow. We will have to be subtle with it.' After a few more minutes Hinata dropped back off to sleep peacefully…

…

Maya's room

Naruto woke up slightly before 3:00 AM with his face snuggled into Maya's amazing bosom. He was incredibly relaxed and had his arms around her waist. 'I never imagined that the doing 69 would impact my life so much…' he thought as the images of Maya-chan smiling as she gave him his first fellatio drifted into his mind's eye. He'd returned the favor with interest but when Maya straddled him in the 69 position and they both began to pleasure each other at once it was almost too much to handle…and Maya making a show of swallowing his essence for him afterwards nearly made him faint…

Naruto and Maya had settled into a lover's embrace afterwards even though it took all there willpower not to go all the way. Somewhere in the night they'd awakened and sleepily pleasured each other once more before Maya pulled his face deep into her breasts and put them in the position they were in now. 'I love my Maya-chan. She tastes every bit as good as my Hinata-chan…' he thought dreamily. Naruto decided to wake up his silver haired angel by suckling on her breasts but then the damned alarm went off and Maya woke up with a feminine moan.

"Mmmm…Naruto-kun." said Maya sleepily as she snuggled further into his embrace. "I don't want to get up."

Naruto looked up and saw Maya's tousled, bed head hair and a sultry look in her eyes. He gave her a gentle kiss and said, "Good morning Maya-chan. I love you."

She smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. Things were starting to get heated when Hinata knocked on the door. "Get up guys; it's already 3:20!" The two young lovers separated in a bit of shock before they rushed off to do their morning rituals. It was a close thing scarfing down their breakfasts and running at ninja speeds to the Academy over the rooftops but by some miracle they made it in on time…

…

Konoha Ninja Academy

When the group of three dashed into the classroom they were surprised to find Umino Iruka there instead of their sensei Yūgao. Gai-sensei wasn't there and his team wasn't either. Iruka looked rather exhausted. Yawning, Iruka said, "Good morning class. I'm here to inform you there has been a change of plans. Your sensei Uzuki Yūgao is at the hospital watching over her boyfriend Gekko Hayate. He collapsed last night due to breathing problems and is being operated on. Let's all hope he is alright."

'Cat nee-chan…' thought Naruto.

The entire class murmured amongst themselves and were very concerned for their sensei. Though Yūgao never really said much about her personal life they all knew she and her boyfriend lived together and were very much in love.

Iruka said, "For the next two days you will be doing survival training at training Ground 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death. Naruto, Yūgao-sensei left a note for you. You are strictly forbidden to unseal a mansion or other impossible items that can make this survival exercise seem like a vacation. Follow me and we'll head out there."

…

Training Ground 44

Iruka quietly led the class out to training area 44 where several jonins including Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko were there by a campfire in the pre-dawn darkness. Anko stood before the class and said, "Well, it's a bright and cheery morning ANBU Brats. I have a list here of the teams you'll be separated into for this exercise. This is Training ground 44. It is fenced off because the area is so dangerous. It is round and about twenty kilometers in diameter. There are 44 gates which I have the keys for. Your job is to simply travel to the tower in the center of the area within 48 hours. At that time the tower will open and you can enter and relax. Simple right?"

"What are we going to do about food?" asked Choji in a panic. (He only had so many bags of chips he could haul). Emi nodded along in agreement.

"Nature will provide kiddies." said Anko. "Just remember the food out in the forest is just as likely to eat you too and some of it is poisonous. Otherwise, it's nothing but a massive buffet waiting for you!"

Nobody felt better after that explanation…

Soon they were divided up into teams and each team was provided with a map of the terrain. Naruto was delighted that his Team was made up of Maya, Hinata and himself. They were standing at gate 22 waiting for permission to enter. They were being watched by a one eyed jonin who introduced himself as Hatake Kakashi. The silver haired man said, "Alright you three. We'll be concealed but we jonins will be checking in on you from time to time to make sure you don't die. Concentrate on keeping yourselves alive. If one of you does die, we'll retrieve the bodies for a proper burial. This isn't called the Forest of Death for nothing." Checking his watch, he saw the flare shoot up into the air from Anko's position and he unlocked the gate. He said with an eye smile, "I'll be seeing you three but you won't see me!" The three entered the darkened forest at 5:00 AM sharp and Kakashi locked the gate behind them before he vanished in a body flicker…

…

Konoha Hospital hours later…

Around noon Yūgao was quietly sitting in the waiting room meditating to keep herself calm. It had been hours. Hayate was beyond sick and she feared for his life. Tsunade-sama and her apprentice Shizune were in there operating. Years ago, Hayate had survived a poison gas attack but his lungs were severely damaged in the process. It left him with a chronic cough and sadly left him prone to things like pneumonia. He had been really sick and unable to work the last few days but he was taking his normal medicine and insisted that he was okay. Yūgao was naturally very concerned but when she got back from the Uchiha's trial last night she found Hayate passed out on the floor wheezing shallowly beside their bed when she got home.

The ANBU sword mistress immediately summoned medics and she'd been on station here at the hospital ever since. She'd seen Jiraiya-sama come and go a few times (presumably to see Tsunade) but didn't understand why he'd be allowed in an operating room with her boyfriend when she wasn't. It agitated Yūgao greatly but she knew it was anxiety rather than logic guiding her actions. It was about that time she saw Naruto walk in holding a rolled-up scroll. "Naruto? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Forest of Death."

Naruto got a deer in the headlights look. "You sent boss to a place called the Forest of Death? Do you hate him that much sensei?"

Realizing this wasn't the original Naruto she said, "You're a shadow clone. Why are you here at the hospital?"

"I came because I completed Mito-sama's seal for Tsunade-sama." said Naruto's shadow clone. "I've been at it since five in the morning and I'm running out of chakra."

"What's the seal for?" asked Yūgao.

Naruto unrolled the scroll and said, "Channel as much chakra as you can spare into this Cat nee-chan -right into the center."

Yūgao heard him use his more affectionate term for her and saw a massively complex seal with a rhombus design in the center. "Why Naruto-kun?"

"Because it will convert your chakra into healing chakra and store it." said Tsunade. She had appeared out of nowhere and was obviously very fatigued. Looking at the seal she said, "Have you tested it Naruto? Did you really complete Mito Obaa-sama's masterpiece?"

Naruto said. "I'm a shadow clone Tsunade-sama. I don't have enough chakra to create another to test. All of the formulas check out. The finalization took all morning and a lot of Jiraiya-sama's chakra and Hokage Jiji's. I had to complete decades of work in a few hours."

Yūgao was completely confused. "What is this seal?" she asked Tsunade.

"It's called the Creation Rebirth seal." said Tsunade. "If it works it will save your lover Hayate's life."

The purple haired woman's brown eyes got huge. "It will convert my chakra into healing chakra to save Hayate-kun's life?! How much do you need?!"

"How many shadow clones can you make without chakra exhaustion?" asked the tired Tsunade.

Yūgao answered "I can make three Tsunade-sama."

"Then put that much in." instructed the Slug sannin.

Yūgao followed Naruto's instructions carefully and channeled all the chakra she could spare into it before she fell back in her seat panting. "That's all I've got." she huffed out. Truthfully Yūgao put in more than she should have and felt like passing out.

Tsunade growled and shoved a chakra pill in Yūgao's mouth before calling a nurse over. "Watch over Uzuki Yūgao and make sure she gets some food in her." Turning away from the nurse to the shadow clone she said, "Naruto-kun, come with me." and led him back to the operating room…

…

In the scenic Forest of Death

"Well, nature has officially lost all its charm to me." said Sakura breathing heavily. Her Team was comprised of Choji and Sai and poor Sakura just witnessed the truly terrifying power …of Choji's appetite.

Flashback…

Sai made the mistake of nailing what he mistook for a rabbit in the bushes with a kunai. They had been hunting for lunch because most of the plants in the area were poisonous. They were fortunate that Sakura was with them because she could identify the poisonous ones. As it turned out the rabbit was actually the foot of an enormous bear that coincidentally was also hunting for lunch. The bear currently had a kunai it it's foot and was quite angry. Now apparently young, tender, succulent ninja meat was on the menu. "Sai, you are a complete moron! I just wanted to share that fact with you before we end up in that bear's stomach!" screeched Sakura as they ran for their lives.

"Shut up Forehead girl! At least let us get eaten with dignity!" yelled Sai. It was actually the first time she'd heard Sai use real emotion in his voice…even if it was stark, raving terror. (Three meter tall monster bears seem to have a knack for inspiring that).

That's when Choji came into view with wide eyes as his comrades were racing towards him at top speed. "Run Choji; it's a giant bear!" yelled Sakura to her pleasingly plump teammate.

Sai bellowed, "Move it slim or you'll be dead!"

Choji only saw the bear running at him and froze up. Yes, that massive hungry bear…that massive and tasty bear…that supersized bear smorgasbord that was rushing towards a waiting Choji at breakneck speed…

Both Sai and Sakura were terrified and holding on to each other in fear as Choji let out a guttural roar that one would only expect from some sort of prehistoric ancestor. The unsuspecting bear froze in its tracks as Choji closed upon it with visions of bearburgers in his eyes. Holding his kunai knives like a knife and fork Choji closed for the kill…

Flashback end…

Sakura shook her head. Choji had run out of snacks hours ago. The ravenous look of a hungry berserker Akimichi was far too frightening for mere words to describe. If Choji or Emi EVER asked for the last slice of pie the Sakura would gladly hand it over no matter how much she wanted it –no questions asked. That being said Sakura commented, "You know now that it's cooked this bear really isn't too bad." All three teammates helped skin it and built a big enough fire pit and before long were feeding themselves on roasted bear. "Good thing you had all those seasonings in your backpack Choji. You're pretty good at cooking." complimented Sakura.

"Thanks Sakura." said Choji between bites. "With the right seasonings a good meal is always possible. We Akimichis have believed that for generations."

…

Naruto, Hinata and Maya were eating something more pedestrian than bear; fried fish. On the positive side it was much safer to catch. "I had no idea juken had applications when fishing Hinata-chan. Those Hakutsume blades made it a cinch." said Maya. "You were catching them so fast that Naruto-kun and I couldn't keep up."

"Just don't tell Obaa-chan." said Hinata with a shiver. "I never want her to find out I was using the family blades as fishing tools."

Naruto chuckled. "You never know Hinata-chan. Hanako Obaa-chan may have used them that way herself at some point. I guess we'll never know. It looks like the first batch is cooked. Let's dig in."

…

"That was awesome Yakumo!" said Kiba. "Your genjutsu around us scared those giant tigers off without a hitch."

Yakumo blushed slightly. "Thank you but I didn't do that much."

Shino said, "I disagree, you don't give yourself enough credit Yakumo-san. We have been completely safe from predators thanks to your skills. At the rate we're going we will be at the tower be tomorrow morning."

…

"This whole forest is troublesome. What a drag." complained a completely soaked Shikamaru.

Ino said, "Everything is a drag for you Shikamaru. At least we have food now. This giant turtle is pretty good and its shell makes a giant cooking bowl."

"Shikamaru's just upset that the turtle pulled him into the river and nearly drowned him." said Emi. "Here Shikamaru; try some nice, yummy, boiled turtle meat. It's tender and tasty."

"To a starving person anything is good." said Shikamaru as he took a bite. "Hmmm…It's not too bad."

Emi growled, "If Naruto-kun was here he'd appreciate my cooking much more than you do."

"I quite agree." said Ino. "Naruto-kun would be much better company in this forest."

'Women are so troublesome…' lamented Shikamaru in his mind…

…

Konoha Hospital

Naruto's shadow clone checked the seal on Hayate's chest. The sickly jonin was on a respirator and they'd done everything humanly possible. Naruto's clone said, "It's ready. Channel chakra into the seal end everything should work automatically. I don't have enough chakra left to activate it Tsunade-sama."

"I'll take care of that part Naruto-kun." said Tsunade. "You just observe. Shizune, remove the respirator."

The room was silent as all the equipment was moved clear. All that could really be heard was the weak wheezes as Hayate struggled to breathe.

Yūgao had been allowed to watch away from the others with Jiraiya. Jiraiya was actually there as much to restrain Yūgao should she emotionally lose control of herself as much as anything.

The silence was broken when Tsunade placed her hands on the scroll lying on Hayate's chest. "Fuinjutsu: Creation Rebirth!" said Tsunade with amped emotions. The seal activated and the scroll literally disintegrated as the ink pattern transferred to Hayate's skin. Yūgao held her breath as she watched the glowing lines envelop and surround her lover and spread out all over his body. The monitors all went crazy in the room as a colossal amount of healing chakra entered Hayate's body and stimulated the growth of new cells to be born at an incredible rate.

Tsunade watched with wide eyes as even the discoloration and scars from the surgery vanished in the regeneration process. The glow of the seal was nearly blinding but Naruto's shadow clone as well as Tsunade and Shizune forced themselves to watch with rapt attention. After nearly ten minutes the glow subsided and the room was filled with silence. Tsunade placed her hand on Hayate's chest and sent in a pulse of chakra. Suddenly, Hayate gasped as if it was his first breath in his life. Yūgao nearly leapt out of her chair but Jiraiya kept her still. The deep intakes of air were a welcome sound to Tsunade as she instructed her people to hook the monitors back up to check Hayate's vitals.

Twenty minutes later Tsunade finished a deep medical scan and said, "The operation is a complete success. I dare say Gekko Hayate has the healthiest set of lungs in the Elemental Nations." The relief in her voice was evident. She motioned for Jiraiya to let go of Yūgao.

Yūgao came over and looked at Hayate. The bags normally under his eyes were gone and he was resting peacefully. He'd never looked so healthy to her in his life. Tsunade touched his temples and then pulled away so Yūgao would be all he saw when he woke up. His dark eyes fluttered open and he saw Yūgao's warm brown ones full of tears. "Yūgao-chan, why are you crying?" his voice and breathing sounded steady and even with a trace of the usual raspy edge he normally had.

Yūgao gave him a deep, loving kiss that made him want to melt. When she pulled back, she was smiling, "I'm crying because I'm happy you baka. I love you my Hayate-kun."

The confused Hayate smiled up at his lover and said, "I love you to Yūgao-chan. I don't know why but I haven't felt so good in years."

Yūgao just smiled and kissed him again lovingly. 'Hayate my love, you're going to be just fine now. Everything will be just fine.'

…

POSTSCRIPT:

So, the advanced genins are taking a little camping trip while their sensei is watching over her boyfriend in the hospital. So far, the score is The Akimichis: 1 and The Bears: 0. Naruto's relationship with Hikari has taken a new turn but neither have really had enough time to address it with the events going on. The nature of the Creation Rebirth seal will be explained later. It is related to Tsunade's jutsu of the same name. And Chibi Angelnata and Devilnata made a cameo in a dream sequence…just what goes on in poor Hinata-chan's head? See you next time. Blue out. 6/20/23