Loving You All Over Again

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction.

Chapter Two

The Battle for Freedom

Four and a half years later...

Naruto sat in front of a bowl of ramen in his human form as he watched the Hyuuga home from a distance. As he'd predicted, Hiashi was a horrible father, but he'd never imagined how horrible a Pokémon trainer he could be as well.

Hiashi actually believed that if a trainer punished their Pokémon enough for losing battles; it would eventually start winning, simply to avoid being punished! "Ridiculous human," Naruto spat upon remembering Hiashi trying to convince Hinata to punish Suki for losing against his Graveler.

Sweet, gentle Hinata refused to punish Suki for this, arguing, "Suki did her best! I can't ask more than that from her...I won't punish her!"

Naruto smiled at that memory. He could tell Hinata loved Suki dearly, and viewed her as her daughter. He often found Hinata bottle-feeding her, brushing her fur, or just plain playing with her. Suki even called her Mama, and, even though it was in Pokémon speech, Hinata seemed to understand perfectly.

"She's already a wonderful mother..." he thought to himself happily. Then, one of the many orphaned Vulpix he looked after came by with a note in his mouth.

"Hey, little guy! What did you bring me?" Naruto asked affectionately, taking the note from the Vulpix's mouth and looking it over, as the tiny fox Pokémon nuzzled against his side.

Naruto grinned. "So, Oak finally noticed my hideaway on the outskirts of his ranch? Well, it's about time! Good thing I'm part Pokémon, otherwise we'd have to move out!" he chuckled to himself, making a mental note to talk to the old professor about this later. He then turned to the little Vulpix at his side, and picked him up. "It's about time I put you and all your brothers and sisters to bed for a while!" he said, then disappeared in a burst of foxfire, headed to his home where all the other Vulpix were getting tired out from playing all day.

Meanwhile, with Hinata and Suki

Hinata was sitting down, brushing Suki's soft fur after having given her a bath. She was just about to take her into the living room to play, when her mother came in, looking scared. "Mama? What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

Izumi held back her tears, and answered, "Mama and Papa are going to be doing some things that you shouldn't see, little Hinata. Take Suki, and go over to Professor Oak's for a while."

Hinata got scared. She knew her father treated her mama badly a lot, and sometimes hurt her, but she told Hinata not to worry about it.

Hinata shook her head furiously. "NO! I'm not going to let him hurt you, Mama!" she cried out defiantly.

Izumi looked at Hinata sadly. "I'm sorry, Hinata...I have no choice. And if you interfere, you'll just get punished," she said, lowering her head, then continued, "I'm more than your father's wife, little Hina...I'm also his slave..."

Hinata became worried. "Mama..." she whispered softly.

Izumi, realizing what she said, panicked for a moment. "Oh, don't worry, sweetie! Mama's just...using a play-on-words! I'll be fine, really! I'm not Hiashi's slave! That's preposterous!" she lied, rambling a bit, then said, "Now hurry on to Professor Oak's! Be good, okay?"

Hinata nodded sadly, obviously not buying her mother's lies. "I promise I'll find a way to save you, Mama," she thought to herself as she headed out.

Later, at Oak's Pokémon Ranch...

Gary Oak wasn't very fond of girls. At his age, he still thought of all of them as 'icky'. However, when he saw the look on Hinata's face after his grandfather invited her in, he knew he had to do something to help her feel better.

"Hey, Grandpa? Can I borrow one of your Pokémon? I know Hinata loves playing with them, and I was hoping that that could help her feel better," he called out.

Professor Samuel Oak sighed, and answered, "Instead of that, why don't the three of you help me with a small errand? Somebody put up a small house at the edge of the ranch, and I need to ask them what they're up to."

Gary nodded, and headed to where Hinata and Suki had gone. "Hinata? Suki? Wanna help me and Gramps with an errand?" he asked.

Hinata was about to say no, but, suddenly, she felt an emotional pull, as if somebody was calling out to her. "Okay, we'll go," Hinata said.

As she passed Gary with Suki in her arms, he noticed the tear stains on her face, and said, "Maybe you should wash your face a bit before we head out. We've got a little time."

Hinata shook her head. "I'll be fine, Gary," she said softly.

Suki nuzzled into Hinata's chest, and asked, "Do you feel that pull, Mama?"

Hinata nodded. "You feel it too, Suki? It almost feels like somebody is calling out to us..." she whispered in response.

Suki thought to herself, "Papa, we're coming..."

And so, the two of them, along with Gary and Professor Oak, headed outside to investigate the cabin at the edge of the ranch...

A few minutes later, outside of Naruto's cabin...

Hinata, Suki, Gary, and Professor Oak had finally arrived at the cabin. When they got to the door, they saw a note.

Feel free to come in. Just make sure you're quiet. The little ones might still be sleeping when you get here.

Sincerely, Naruto, the first Ninetales

This piqued Professor Oak's curiosity. "The first Ninetales? This Naruto must be pretty old if he really is the first!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, Suki jumped out of Hinata's arms, shouting, "Mama, Papa needs you! He's hurting! You have to help Papa!"

Not entirely understanding what Suki meant, Hinata hesitated slightly before entering the cabin. Following Suki, Hinata found that the cabin actually had several trees growing in it, and, at the base of these trees, there were sleeping Vulpix. Hinata was careful to be quiet as she, Professor Oak, and Gary followed Suki to a room.

Inside of the room, there were very few furnishings. There was a desk, two dressers, and a bed, upon which there was a small boy. What was surprising, though, was that this boy had nine golden vulpine tails and a pair of vulpine ears on top of his head, the latter replacing his human ears.

Suki quickly jumped on the bed. "Mama! Please help Papa wake up! His nightmare is hurting him!" Suki cried out.

Hinata felt the pull she felt earlier become stronger, and quickly leaped onto the bed, pulling the boy close to her, almost as if she'd done it hundreds of times before. "Shhhh...It's okay...It's just a nightmare. Please, wake up," Hinata whispered softly, gently resting the boy's head in her lap. Slowly, a pair of beautiful blue eyes opened, and looked up at her.

"Hinata-chan? Was it all just a nightmare? I dreamed that Madara-teme killed you, and I lived for three thousand years...There were creatures called 'Pokémon', and I became the first Ninetales, after I turned into the new Kyuubi no Kitsune...And then, Kami-sama evolved into a Pokémon called Arceus, and she brought you back as a baby...I watched you growing up again, and saw how Hiashi-baka was a bad father all over again...And then..." the boy said, trailing off.

Hinata was startled by what she had heard. "Is...is all that true?" she asked nervously.

The boy yawned sleepily, and answered, "Yeah...It was one heck of a nightmare, but there was one really good part. When you were reborn, I took a little bit of your chakra, and a lot of mine, and made a baby fox pokémon that I named Suki-chan. You always said that if our first baby turned out to be a girl, you'd want to name her Suki...She was adorable..."

Just then, Suki decided to chime in. "YAY! Papa thinks I'm adorable! That makes me really happy!" she exclaimed.

The boy's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he whispered breathlessly, "It wasn't a dream..."

He sat up, looked around the room, and noticed Gary and Professor Oak standing there, staring at him as if he had two fox ears and nine fox tails. Then he remembered that he did have two fox ears and nine fox tails. "Sorry, Oak. I wasn't expecting you to get here while I was still asleep...My name's Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, and, yes," at this point he jumped off of the bed and, after being engulfed by blue flames and reappearing in his pokémon form, continued, "I am, in fact, the oldest Ninetales to roam the planet."

Professor Oak was astounded. But before he could ask any of the questions that were streaming through his mind, Hinata let out a gasp. Naruto turned around, and saw that she was staring at their wedding portrait on the wall across from the bed. "That's...from the day I got married to Naruto-kun...but how do I know that?" she asked.

Naruto and Suki were at her side immediately. "You're starting to remember already, Hina-chan?" the powerful fire-type asked, concerned.

Hinata nodded, and replied, "I'm remembering little things...I'm a bit scared..."

Naruto nuzzled against Hinata lightly. "You'll be okay. Your memories from back then will add onto the set of memories you have now. It'll be a little weird at first, but Arceus-sama told me you'd get used to it quickly," he explained.

Suki then jumped into her lap, and cried out, "Mama! We still have to save Grandma! That mean old man is still hurting her!"

Naruto growled. "Hiashi-teme is still causing trouble, huh? Well, I guess it's about time you took custody of me, Hinata-chan," he said, then stamped his paw on the ground, and an odd pokéball appeared, with strange runes and symbols on it. "Hinata, this is the Fuinball, or as you'd call it in your language, the Sealing Ball. Please hold it up for a moment," he said. Hinata did as he said, and Naruto tapped the button on it with his nose. The ball opened up, and he was sucked inside. A pinging sound was heard, and the ball clicked. Hinata held the ball in her tiny hands, and realized what Naruto had just done for her.

She had little time to think about it, though, as an explosion was heard outside. All the Vulpix in the house woke up, and began panicking, shouting, "They're here! Team Rocket has come to capture Papa again!"

One of the Vulpix came over to Hinata, and began jumping at the Fuinball. "You have to let Papa out, Mama! If you don't, they'll take him away!" it cried out.

Hinata smiled a bit inside upon hearing the little fox pokémon call her mama, but quickly came back to reality, threw the Fuinball, and shouted, "Naruto-kun! Come out!"

A bright light flashed, and Naruto stood there, assessing the situation. "Why now of all times..." he muttered, then rushed out of the room, then out of the house. Hinata and the others followed, and were shocked to find several of Team Rocket's airships and a few tanks, of all things, waiting outside. Naruto wasted no time in working to defend his home. His tails began moving in a rapid pattern. "Earth Style: Fortress of Stone!" he called out, and the house was surrounded by a castle of stone.

Hinata watched from one of the windows in the castle, as Naruto leaped outside, and inhaled a huge amount of air. "Wind Style: Air Bullets!" he called out, as orbs of compressed air shot from his mouth and slammed into several of the tanks, smashing holes clear through them.

Suddenly, the airships began firing at him. The hail of bullets headed towards him, intent on slicing straight through him. He wrapped his tails around his body, and shouted, "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!" A lot of pinging sounds were heard, and when the smoke cleared, it was clear that the bullets had all bounced off. Naruto's tails retracted, and he was seen grinning. "The airships are too close together for their own good," he said in a carefree voice. Suddenly, blue, red, and black orbs of energy shot off his body, and began forming a pure white orb in front of him. Once all the blue, red, and black orbs had been absorbed into the white orb, it became smaller, and Naruto, of all things, ate it!

Professor Oak watched with Gary and Hinata in anticipation. Already, half of the tanks had been immobilized, and now, Naruto had eaten a ball of energy. Then, suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled, and a crater formed beneath Naruto. He opened his mouth, and a HUGE blast of energy shot out of his mouth, completely incinerating the airships. The remaining tanks began retreating, and Naruto rushed at one of them, slapping it with one of his tails, and, unbeknownst to the people inside, leaving a Hiraishin seal on the underside. This way, he'd find their base of operations for that area with ease.

Hinata smiled softly. She knew, somehow, that Naruto would not only love her, but fight for her, as well as their happiness, too. She tried looking even further into the new memories that were accessible to her, but was interrupted when Naruto leaped at her and tackled her in a playful hug. Suki and the other Vulpix in the area saw this, and quickly joined in, running around and darting in to occasionally nip at the two soul-mates.

Gary and Professor Oak smiled happily as they watched the pokémon play with the young girl. It was quite obvious she was happy. Unfortunately, Hinata suddenly realized something that put her happiness on hold.

"Naruto-kun, that man Hiashi is hurting my mama! Please, can you save her? She's his slave, so it would be a bit difficult to get it done..." she requested, sounding nervous at the end.

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry. I've had a plan for that for several years now. I just have to enact it," he said determinedly. He then ran his fingers through her hime-cut hair and added, "Just believe in me, and I can't lose!"

Hinata nodded and smiled, tears of joy forming in her eyes. "I will always believe in you, Naruto-kun," she said softly, putting her arms around him.

Naruto nodded, then turned to the Prof. "Would you mind judging my match with Hiashi? I know you keep track of the rules and regulations, and go over them often, so it would be good to have you judge it, especially since he'll question my status as a trainer," Naruto said.

Professor Samuel Oak grinned. "Just as long as you can beat him, it would be my honor!" he replied, quite pleased that he'd be judging such a match. He knew what Naruto had been talking about. A while back, when it was discovered that Pokémon were just as sentient as humans, an amendment was made to the Pokémon League rules that allows Pokémon who are interested to become trainers. Not many Pokémon took advantage of this rule, since many just wanted to live in peace, but some would form groups to become teams, and they became stronger together.

Naruto grinned. "Here's my trainer card, just so you can say you know I've gone through all the legal stuff to become a trainer," he said, pulling the trainer card out of a seal he had on his body.

Oak looked carefully at the card. "Everything seems to be in order. Now we just have to convince Hiashi to battle you," he replied, giving the card back.

Gary grinned. "Can I come and watch, Grandpa?" he asked excitedly.

Oak thought about this for a moment. "Okay, you can come. I'm sure you'd love to see that arrogant man get his rear handed to him as much as I would, but don't say anything too offensive during the match! I really don't want Hiashi to start giving us trouble," he answered.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Naturally, you and Suki will be the guests of honor!" he said enthusiastically. Hinata smiled at this, and Suki yipped happily. "Now, come on! Let's get this show started!"

And with that, the group headed over to Hiashi's estate.

Later, at Hiashi's estate

Hiashi was in a good mood. He'd just ravished his slave, and left her bound in the bedroom, having placed duct tape over her opening so that she couldn't empty her womb. "Soon she'll be pregnant again, and I'll be able to do away with that failure, Hinata! Hopefully this next child won't be so soft," he thought to himself. As he roamed the halls of his home, though, he heard an eerie sound.

Turning his head, he thought he saw a blue glow for an instant, but it vanished. He shrugged, figuring it was his imagination. Turning back around, however, he was startled when he saw a blond man with, would you believe it, fox ears and nine golden fox tails!

"Hey, Hiashi-baka! Long time no see, huh?" the man growled lowly.

Hiashi grimaced. "That strange form of speech...It's YOU! Who are you, anyway?" he shouted angrily, not happy to see the one who defeated him five years ago, even if he was in a different form.

Naruto grinned slightly, his battle-honed instincts riling him up. "Just a traveling Ninetales, who happened to be in the area," he answered, his fangs showing a bit as his feral grin widened.

Hiashi flinched at the sight. "What is it that you want from me?" he asked, reaching for the gun in his pocket.

"Well, first off, forget about the gun. That weapon has failed to kill me hundreds of times already," Naruto said, startling Hiashi, then continued, "second, I just want you to sign something." Pulling out a sheet of paper, Naruto handed it to Hiashi.

Hiashi took the paper, and as he continued to read it, his face grew angrier. "How...how do you know of all this?" he asked angrily, then continued, "Why should I sign this paper? If I lose, I lose that failure of a daughter, my prized slave, and any children she might be carrying! Tell me why I shouldn't just rip this apart and refuse to fight you, beast?"

Naruto frowned. "I'm perfectly capable of removing an obstacle like you without your signature on some flimsy piece of paper. However, if I did that, I'd have to deal with problems with the government. I could just run until I've outlived my pursuers, but that would be troublesome, to quote a certain shadow-user from my childhood. Your signature on this paper would benefit both of us. If I win, I get off with sealing you away scott-free. If you win, you can ask for just about anything from me. And in this case, you actually have a chance of winning. Now just sign this, and meet me at Oak's ranch in an hour," the aged Ninetales explained. Hiashi signed the paper, which already had Naruto's signature on it, and the blond placed the paper in his pocket. As Naruto turned to leave, he simply said, "Remember. If you don't show up on time, it will count as you forfeiting. I won't be showing you any mercy, just so you know. Neither will the Shinigami, when he eventually gets to you. I've talked to him recently, and boy, does he have plans for you..." With that, Naruto vanished in a flash of light.

A little before the battle was to start, at Oak's ranch

Naruto chuckled playfully as he spent time with his beloved and their daughter. Sure, Hinata was a child again, but that didn't mean anything to Naruto at the moment. He was just elated to have her back. And Suki! The little Vulpix was so adorable. It took a bit of explaining, but Hinata quickly came to realize that Suki, while the same age as her body, would always be mentally younger than Hinata, as Vulpix and Ninetales take a long time to fully mature. The tiny vixen loved being doted on by her parents, and had obviously missed Naruto a lot.

"Mama! Papa! We're all together again! We can be a family together now, right?" the tiny fox Pokémon asked.

Naruto nodded, in his child form, having decided to match Hinata's age with his human form whenever he used it outside of battle. "I just have to beat Hiashi-baka, and then we'll all be family. Even Izumi and Hanabi," he said with determination.

Hinata looked confused for a moment. "Hanabi? Who's that, Naruto-kun?" she asked, trying out the suffix she remembered from her past life as she did so.

Naruto smiled softly. "She was your baby sister. Izumi-sama is carrying her in her womb right now, though she doesn't know it. In your last life, and my past, Izumi-sama died giving birth to her, but this time around, there are advanced medical procedures that keep both the child and mother safe more easily, and I have the money to pay for it. We won't have to worry about either of them not making it this time around," he said, his determination growing. He then smiled at Hinata and playfully tackled her, saying, "We're all going to be so happy together! I can't wait!"

Hinata smiled softly as Naruto nuzzled against her. She remembered Hanabi now. And she knew Naruto was right. Nowadays, medical science was so great, it was possible for people who've lost limbs to have them regenerated. It was a great deal safer to have a child in today's world than in the old world. She looked over at the shadow clone that had taken to meditating near a tree. She saw the orange-colored 'rings' underneath its eyes, and was struck with yet another memory. "Naruto-kun, you aren't going to use Sage Mode, are you? I don't want you to seriously hurt...Hiashi's Pokémon," she said, deciding not to recognize that monster as her father, then explained, "He treats them so poorly...I'd rather they not suffer."

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry. I'll beat as many of them as I can by ring-out. The Sage Mode will be for any of them that are extremely heavy. I don't intend to make any of them suffer," he said, giving Hinata's cheek a quick kiss and causing her to blush up a storm. "I missed that blush of yours more than you'll ever know!" he added happily.

Hinata smiled softly, and snuggled against Naruto. "When this is over, let's all snuggle together. You, Suki, Mama, and me. We can just relax for a while, and be happy," she said, then yawned a little and added, "You're really warm, Naruto-kun. It's nice."

Suki smiled. She was happy that they'd be together. Moving over to snuggle with her mother and father some more, she and Hinata were startled when one of Naruto's tails emerged from the base of his spine and gripped something outside of their line of vision. They could hear Hiashi growling and muttering curses under his breath from further behind them.

Naruto looked over at Hiashi with a cold glare. "I don't care that you weren't aiming at anything. Guns aren't allowed here," he said evenly, tightening his grip on the man's wrist and causing him to drop the weapon, which was quickly caught by another one of Naruto's tails. "You're going to really miss that gun when you're sealed away, Hiashi," the blond fox Pokémon/demon/human hybrid added.

Hiashi huffed. "Let's just get this over with, you freakish monster," he replied, heading for the area where their battle would be held. Naruto soon followed, changing into his adolescent form, his tails slightly hidden beneath the cloak given to him by the Elder Toads. Just before he entered the battlefield, however, he felt a tug on his cloak. Looking down, he saw Hinata and Suki, along with the other Vulpix he'd been taking care of. Upon seeing Hinata, though, he realized how small and fragile she looked at this point. It was hard to believe that she'd grow into the amazing woman he'd loved back when he was young. Kneeling down to get to eye-level with his chosen mate, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Hinata rushed forward, and wrapped her tiny arms as far around him as she could. "Be careful. H-he's probably up to s-something," she cautioned him softly, then placed a tiny kiss on his nose and left with Suki and the others.

Naruto entered the field, Professor Oak having set it up earlier. There were a few stands off to the side for people to watch, though there weren't many spectators other than Gary, the various Vulpix that Naruto cared for, Hinata, and little Suki. Hiashi stood at the other end of the field, his face a sneer. "Are you ready, you beast?" he asked, confidence rolling off him despite who his opponent was.

Naruto grinned savagely. "As ready as I'll ever be, Hiashi-baka," he replied, getting into a ready stance.

Professor Oak, being the judge, raised his arms. "Seeing as both contestants are ready, I hereby declare this match started!" he called out, quickly swinging both arms down.

Hiashi threw his first pokéball. "Go, Magmortar!" he shouted. The powerful fire type came out, letting out an angry cry.

Naruto grinned, and rushed forward, having already entered Sage Mode. "Try not to hate me too much for this, Magmortar!" he shouted, aiming a punch at the fiery being.

Hiashi, sensing that something was up with Naruto's attack, called out, "Dodge it, you fool!"

Magmortar managed to dodge the attack, but he was still sent flying somehow. Falling to the ground outside of the ring, the Pokémon was quickly disqualified by Oak. Angered by the quick loss, Hiashi recalled his Pokémon.

Naruto scratched one of his nails idly. "Ready to throw in the towel, baka?" he asked, disappearing then reappearing at the other side of the field.

"You will rue this day, fiend," Hiashi growled, then shouted, "Come out, Hippowdon!" The hippo-like Pokémon emerged from its pokéball, letting out a quick snort. Due to its ability, Sand Stream, a sandstorm suddenly brewed on the field. "Use Earthquake, Hippowdon!"

Despite the buffeting of the sand storm and the shaking of the Earthquake, Naruto seemed entirely unfazed. An orb of energy appeared in Naruto's hand. "Energy Ball!" he called out, throwing the grass-type attack at the water-ground-type Pokémon. Hippowdon was out cold long before the burst of light from the attack dissipated.

"Hippowdon is unable to continue! Naruto wins this round!" Oak called out.

Hiashi smirked. "Even if I lose, my contingency plan is ready to take that filth out already! Still, I think I'll let him think he's won before I destroy him..." he thought to himself, then threw his next pokéball. "Go, Whiscash!"

Unfortunately for Hiashi, Wishcash fainted out of fear the instant his ability, Anticipation, finished letting him know of all the attacks Naruto had that were super-effective or one-hit-KO's. He had every single one in the book, and some more, too. Hiashi, not knowing what Whiscash had fainted from, face-palmed, and quickly recalled the fish Pokémon.

"Go, Marowak! Use Stone Edge!" Hiashi called out, sending out the bone-keeper Pokémon. As soon as it was out, several sharp stones rose from the ground around Naruto, and went to stab at him. However, Marowak found itself getting stabbed in Naruto's place, the latter having substituted with it. The rock-type groaned. He really didn't like his opponent this time around. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Naruto came barreling at him at incredible speed, having changed back into his Ninetales form.

"Zen Headbutt!"

The Psychic-type attack hit home, and Marowak was sent sailing, landing outside of the ring, like Magmortar had. Even if it hadn't, the bone-keeper was too out of it to move properly, and passed out a second later.

"Marowak is disqualified by ring-out! Naruto wins this round!" Oak called out.

Hiashi snarled. "I can't beat him fairly, huh? Well, let's see how he handles two at a time?" he thought to himself evilly. Pulling out his last two pokéballs, he called out, "Go! Rhyperior and Quagsire! Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker! Quagsire, use Muddy Water!"

Oak, seeing the rule violation for what it was, called out, "Hiashi Hyuuga! You're disqualified! Winner is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze!"

Naruto quickly took out the two Pokémon before they could launch their attacks. "I do believe that means I win, Hiashi-baka," Naruto said smugly.

Hiashi grinned maniacally. "You may have won, but you won't be around long enough to celebrate!" he shouted, then made a waving motion at the sky, as if signaling somebody.

A beam fired from the heavens, hitting where Naruto stood, and shaking the ground around them. Hinata cried out, frightened for her new friend and potential mate, but Suki nuzzled her, calming the frightened girl. "Papa's fine, Mama. Don't worry," she said softly, then added, "Can't you feel his determination?"

Hinata gasped, realizing that she could, indeed, feel something from Naruto. It was then that she saw a spectral fox with nine tails rising out of the dust, a shield of infinite power raised above its head. Almost immediately afterwards, a beam of great power fired from the mouth of the spectral being, causing a great explosion to occur in space. "You really didn't think I knew about your family's satellite weapon, Hiashi? You just gave me an excuse to destroy it early," Naruto said from where he stood inside of the giant fox of light. He grinned and turned to Hinata. "See? I told you I could do anything if you believe in me!" he exclaimed.

Hiashi turned to run, not wanting to figure out what Naruto had meant by 'sealing' him, but a blade of light pierced him. Almost immediately, he was sucked into...something. He didn't know what, but everybody watching knew Hiashi would never be seen again.

Naruto frowned, gazing at the Totsuka Blade held by his bijuu form's tails. "I'm going to have to see Shinigami-sama to get you extracted. Oh, wait, he's going by the name Darkrai now, isn't he?" he muttered to himself. The great fox of light disappeared, and Naruto stood there, grinning over at the spectators. "I sure came through today, didn't I?" he called out happily. Now in his hanyou form, he was quickly tackled by Hinata, Suki, all the Vulpix, and even Gary.

"That was awesome, Mister Naruto! You beat him, and now he'll never do bad things to us again!" Gary exclaimed.

Hinata sobbed into Naruto's arms, mumbling incoherent words of thanks, and Suki and the other Vulpix kept milling around the old hanyou's fallen form, nipping him in happiness to show their affection. Naruto eventually stood and brushed himself off. "Now, Hinata-chan, why don't you go over to the cabin and get some rest? I'm going to go get your mother and make sure she doesn't get lost looking for us," he said happily.

Hinata nodded, smiling brightly. "Thank you so much, Naruto-kun," she replied warmly.

With that, they headed their separate ways.

A few hours later, in Naruto's cabin...

Night had fallen, and all the Vulpix had fallen asleep. Naruto had taken on his child form again, and was resting in bed. Izumi, Hinata, and Suki had all decided to sleep in the same bed with him, just for the comfort of being together. Looking next to him, where Hinata slumbered peacefully, with Suki in between them, and Izumi on the other side with her arms around them, Naruto realized once again just how great true happiness could feel. With that thought in mind, he let sleep overtake him, for once not bothering to be troubled by the problems of the world.

End Chapter Two