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Kotetsu and Izumo held their own pre-test before the start of the main Chuunin Exam. They used Genjutsu to disguise themselves as Genin and turned away those Genin who came to take the test. Those Genin who saw through their illusion were allowed to pass. Later both Kotetsu and Izumo would watch over the third test and give their feedback on which Genin had the best qualities to make a good Chuunin.

After the Fifth Hokage took office, Kotetsu and Izumo would act as personal assistants to her office. Several years later both Kotetsu and Izumo would take part in the twenty platoons assigned to stop Akatsuki. Both men made up a platoon alongside Nara Shikamaru and Sarutobi Asuma.

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Dressed in the garb of a Hidden Mist Hunter-Nin, Haku actually serves as the subordinate of Momochi Zabuza, a missing nin from Hidden Mist village.

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During this period the country had turned against the bloodline clans, blaming them for their constant wars and strife. Fearing for their lives many of these clan members left their clans and hid their bloodline abilities. Haku's father was strongly affected by this same fear and hatred; he murdered his wife and attempted to murder his son when he learned of their powers. However, in a heightened emotional state Haku activated his bloodline ability and turned the surrounding water into huge ice stalagmites to protect himself. Unable to escape from his house, this man died in the protective attack.

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During this period the country had turned against the bloodline clans, blaming them for their constant wars and strife. Haku's father was strongly affected by this same fear and hatred; he murdered his wife and attempted to murder his son. However, in a heightened emotional state Haku activated his bloodline ability and turned the surrounding water into huge ice stalagmites. Unable to escape from his house, he died in the protective attack.

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Approximately 25+ years before the series start, Leaf and Rain were at war. In one conflict, the team of Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade met Sanshouuo no Hanzou in battle. Hanzou used a large salamander in this battle and got the better of the Leaf trio. Many of their comrades had fallen and only these four ninja remained. The three Leaf ninja were greatly weakend and Hanzou saw that Konoha would eventually win the war. He was highly impressed with his opponents, telling them that he would spare their lives if they would adopt the name of "Sannin." The trio did and they went their separate ways. Hanzou's skill and prowess became well known, and he used this power to become his village leader.

Unfortunately the constant strife in the Rain Country caused divisions within the ninja ranks and civil war broke out. One Rain ninja, named Pain, rose to challenge the village authority. Hanzou was forced to live under 24 hour guard, with everyone being under suspicion. Pain himself met Hanzou in battle and killed him. Pain was not satisified with merely killing Hanzou though, for he hunted down and also killed Hanzou's wife, children, family, friends and business associates. No one was spared from his goal of wiping any trace of Hanzou from the face of the Earth. With Hanzou out of the way, the rebels were finally able to take control of the country.

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Haruno Sakura participates with her team in the Chuunin Exam. During the second test, Orochimaru makes his move towards Sasuke and places a cursed seal on his neck. Naruto is also injured by Orochimaru in the process. It was then up to Sakura to protect them in the Forest of Death when the three Sound Genin began to attack. Sakura came to realize she hadn't been much help in previous missions but this time she could prove herself. She fought back against the Genin, but wasn't much of a match for them. After Ino and her team showed up, Sasuke awoke and was able to drive off the Sound Genin with his new cursed seal power. Later in the third round preliminary match, Sakura was placed against Ino for her match. Both young women had a deep rivalry between them, both longing for the affection of Sasuke. To that end they decided to go all out and fight each other, in the end though they both knocked each other out and scored a double K.O.. As a result they were both eliminated.

Eliminated from the competition, Sakura was forced to watch Naruto and Sasuke participate in the third test from the stands. When Kabuto put the audience to sleep using his Genjutsu, Sakura had the where with all to use a canceling technique to avoid being knocked out. With the help of Shikamaru who also avoided the trap, they awoke Naruto and were sent on a mission by Hatake Kakashi to track and find Sasuke, who had taken chase after Gaara. When they caught up to Gaara, he used his mini-Shukaku form to hurl sand at her, trapping her against a tree. As the sand constricted, she began to lose consciousness. Seeing one of his precious people in harms way, Naruto fought and defeated Gaara in battle, saving Sakura.

After the invasion and appearance of Uchiha Sasuke's brother Itachi, Sasuke began to grow more angry and desperate for power. When Sakura learned he sought to leave Konoha and join Orochimaru, Sakura begged for him to stop. She pleaded that she could help him track down his brother and defeat him. Sasuke was moved in some small way by her words, but he was firm in his decision. He knocked out Sakura and then fled the village. Sakura chose to stay behind when a team of Genin was sent after Sasuke, having to hold faith in Naruto's promise to bring Sasuke back. Naruto failed and Sakura was distraught, but she began to question how useless she had been to her friends and Sasuke. Making a big life decision, she sought out Tsunade and asked to become her pupil.

Tsunade was aware of Kakashi's proud words about Sakura's strengths, so she warned Sakura the training would be tough. Sakura stated she was ready and began her path as the student of Godaime Hokage. Over the next three years Sakura would learn how to become a medical ninja and utilize her excellent chakra control to create a kind of "super" strength in a similar fashion to Tsunade's. She would use these new skills when she was sent to Hidden Sand to help them combat Akatsuki and learn Orochimaru's whereabouts.

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Though he is not a member of the Uchiha clan, Kakashi holds a Sharingan eye in his left eye. Kakashi received this eye as a gift from his dying teammate Uchiha Obito. Using this eye has gained him the nick name "Copy Ninja Kakashi." With the eye, he has copied over a thousand jutsu.

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During one of the previous great ninja wars, Hidden Sand and Leaf ninja met in battle. During one skirmish, Hatake Sakumo was said to have killed the son of legendary Sand ninja Chiyo. Chiyo would bear the grudge of his death for a long while, even mistakenly placing blame on Kakashi who she mistook for Sakumo.

Some point later, while on a mission approximately 19 years before the start of the series, Sakumo was faced with a difficult choice: the lives of his companions or the success of the mission. Sakumo chose to save his friends' lives, going against the village rules. The failure of the mission cost Konoha greatly, and the village and Sakumo's companions blamed him for the loss, even though he has saved his comrades' lives. Sakumo took the disdain to heart. With his mind and body becoming weak, he decided to take his own life. Kakashi would develop a stronger affinity for the rules after this incident. It was only after the actions and statements of his teammate Obito, who called Sakumo a hero, that Kakashi began to see his father in a different light.

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Hidan and Kakuzu were in charge of capturing the two-tailed cat bijuu Jinchuuriki. This kunoichi named Nii Yugito from Hidden Cloud was highly skilled and not easily captured by the pair. Hidan managed to defeat her and nailed her to a wall in preparation for his rituals. After the battle Zetsu took their prize and the duo traveled to the Fire Country. Their target was a Jinchuuriki but Kakuzu had them take a side journey to capture a bounty. The two men invaded the Fire Country temple, killing many of its monks including Chiriku, a former Twelve Guardian.

With their bounty in hand they traveled to a nearby bounty station. Unfortunately one of the monks survived and fled to Konoha to bring word of the massacre. Squads were dispatched and a team of Asuma, Shikamaru, Izumo and Kotetsu tracked the duo down. Asuma and Hidan began to do battle and Hidan told his partner to stay out of the fight.

Hidan managed to dodge and avoid most of Asuma strikes, all the while starting his Jashin ritual. With the ritual begun, his body turned dark and a skeletal outline appeared on his skin. Using some of Asuma's blood he managed to connect his pain and damage back to Asuma. When Asuma unleashed a fire element attack upon Hidan, the damage was also felt back on himself. As Hidan reveled in the pain the Konoha ninja began to freak at the strange foe before them. Shikamaru managed to catch Hidan with his shadow and withdraw him from his ritualistic symbol. This gave Asuma the opening to hurt Hidan without it damaging him as well. Charging with his Flying Swallow technique, he cut off Hidan's head, sending it flying.

To Konoha's surprise the head cursed at them and Kakuzu finally stepped in after Hidan relented to needing help. Showing his immortality, Hidan's head was sewn back on by Kakuzu. The insane man then stepped back into the Jashin symbol and stabbed himself through his chest, critically wounding Asuma in turn. When Izumo and Kotetsu tried to assist, Kakuzu stepped in and showed he was no slouch. Things looked grim until reinforcements from Konoha arrived. Asuma was removed to safety and the Akatsuki members were forced to back peddle. They were set on finishing the fight but their leader contacted them, requiring them to return and assist in sealing the recently captured Sanbi demon in the King of Hell statue.

After sealing both the Nibi and the Sanbi, Hidan and Kakuzu moved to find their second Jinchuuriki. On their journey they were stopped by Team 10 and Kakashi. Team 10 was set on revenge and Shikamaru captured Hidan with his shadow and moved him off to fight one on one in a maze of wire and explosive notes. Hidan managed to free himself of the bind and swipe at Shikamaru, drawing blood. He started his jutsu and pierced his heart, Shikamaru wasn't injured though, revealing he had placed some of Kakuzu's blood on Hidan's pike. Hidan was surprised but continued to gloat. Shikamaru would not be shaken though. He would bind Hidan once again and sew the wire and explosive notes through his body. He then activated a trap on the ground, revealing a huge hole beneath the suspended Hidan.

Shikamaru let Hidan know he dug his own grave when he killed his sensei. He then lit a cigarette and flicked it at the notes, blowing Hidan to pieces. The chunks fell into the hole and Hidan yelled that he would get out, even as just a head he would bite Shikamaru to death. Shikamaru was unfazed and stated they were on his clan's land, and they would make sure Hidan stayed there undisturbed. He then collapased the hole walls down onto Hidan, effectively neutralizing him as a threat to anyone.

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Hisame was defeated when Shibuki drank the Hero Water to fight back against Hisame and her fellow attackers.

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Shodai was the leader of the Senju Clan of the Forest, a family of ninja who were hired by countries to fight in their wars. Along with the Uchiha, the Senju was one of the top shinobi clans. For a time the two clans battled but they later aligned with the Uchiha under Uchiha Madara. Together they founded Konoha. Unfortunately, a dispute arose between the two men and they did battle at an area later known as the Valley of the End. A statuary monument was later erected on that spot in their honor.

The First Hokage was the grandfather of the Sannin Tsunade. He was unique in his ability to use Mokuton (Tree Element) techniques. Shodai was also said to be able to control the Bijuu (tailed beasts) to his will. This power was coveted by Orochimaru, and he sought out Shodai's tissue and infused his genes into the bodies of 60 children. All but one of the children died. The survivor would go on to become a skilled ANBU code-named "Yamato." He would inherit Shodai's ability to control Mokuton and the Bijuu.

Later during the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru used the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the First Hokage back from the dead to fight for him. The Third Hokage had to utilize the Fourth Hokage's Shiki Fuujin technique to remove the First's soul and send him back to the beyond.

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During his tenure as Hokage, Nidaime used a sword in battle called the "Raijin" sword. The sword emitted a short blade made of a hard lightning-like material. After his death the sword would remain in the village until Leaf ninja Aoi betrayed the village and had it stolen and delivered to Hidden Rain as a gift. Aoi would use the Raijin in battle, and the blade eventually broke after the combined effects of a Chidori and Rasengan. It is unknown what happened to his sword after Aoi's defeat.

During the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru used the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the Second Hokage back from the dead to fight for him. The Third Hokage had to utilize the Fourth Hokage's Shiki Fuujin technique to remove the Second's soul and send him back to the beyond.

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Leading Konoha long past his prime, Sandaime Hokage was the beloved leader of Konoha. At a young age he trained under the tutelage of Shodai and Nidaime Hokages, the founders of Konoha. They instilled in the young Sarutobi the ideal of protecting Konoha to the fullest extent with ones very life. As Sarutobi grew he was up for the position of Sandaime Hokage against a man named Danzou, who led the ANBU Root group, who wanted a more militaristic future for the village. Sarutobi eventually was selected and he became Sandaime Hokage.

In this position he would take on three young students, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru. These three gifted ninja would become renowned for their skill and abilities. They would be called the "Sannin" or legendary three ninja. Two of the three would be instilled with Sandaime's hopefulness and ideals. While the other, Orochimaru, would grow to despise the compassion and connections Sandaime hoped everyone to make. It was around this time he may have fathered Sarutobi Asuma.

Eventually Sandaime saw that with his age, someone of the younger generation would be better set to lead the village. His first choice was his pupil Orochimaru, but when he learned Orochimaru was conducting brutal experiments he was heart broken. He then selected a young Jounin sensei who lead the team of Hatake Kakashi, Rin and Uchiha Obito to follow him. This man would become Yondaime Hokage and carry on Sandaime's legacy. His tenure would not last long however, as the Kyuubi attacked and Yondaime had to give up his life to stop the beast.

Sandaime thus took up the position of Hokage once again, ruling over Konoha and continuing to influence the young minds who would lead the village in the future. When his student Orochimaru returned to Konoha hell-bent on its destruction, Sandaime faced him and gave it his all to stop him. Age and rust did little to stop him, but the battle eventually began to wear him down when Orochimaru summoned the corpses of Shodai and Nidaime Hokages to battle for him. Sandaime saw their usage as an insult to their legacy. Thinking of Yondaime and the way he had given up his life to protect the village, Sandaime knew what he had to do. Using the same technique Yondaime used to stop the Kyuubi, Sandaime removed the souls of Shodai and Nidaime, and then attempted to remove Orochimaru's soul and stop him once and for all.

Unfortunately he did not possess the needed strength to stop Orochimaru for good. Seeing his life near its end he chose to do what he could and remove Orochimaru's spiritual arms, which removed his ability to use jutsu. A shocked and furious Orochimaru could only scream at his mentor. Sandaime could do little to hear his former student though, for he collapsed dead. Orochimaru fled and the ninja of Konoha gathered to pay their last respects for their fallen leader. Though Orochimaru had let him down, Sandaime's legacy and ideals were carried on when his pupil Tsunade was selected as Godaime Hokage.

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At the age of ten Minato graduated from the Academy. Shortly afterwards he became the student of Jiraiya alongside two fellow team members. Under the Ero-Sennin he would greatly increase his skills and impress Jiraiya with his tenacity. Jiraiya would select Minato to carry on the heritage of frog summoning. His skills would further grow with the development of Rasengan and Hiraishin. The latter technique would grant him the nickname "Konoha's Yellow Flash" because of the way he and his bright yellow hair would flicker out of existence to appear elsewhere.

As the years passed Minato became Chuunin and later Jounin. As a Jounin he became sensei of the team of Hatake Kakashi, Rin and Uchiha Obito. As a gift for Kakashi's advancement to Jounin, Minato gave him a unique kunai marked with one of the Hiraishin transportation markers. Later in one particular battle, this technique allowed four Leaf ninjas to throw teleportation kunai at 50 Rock-Nin. Using the transportation technique, he was able to move from kunai to kunai while they were in the air, to wipe out all 50 with little trouble. After this battle, his student Rin used Kakashi's kunai to bring Minato to her location to protect her and an unconscious Kakashi from Rock ninja. Unfortunately by the time he arrived Uchiha Obito was already dead, he managed to save Kakashi and Rin though. They would later go on to fulfill their mission and help repel the Rock invasion.

In the months to come Minato would be selected by Sandaime Hokage to follow him as village leader. His first choice Orochimaru failed to live up to his expectations. The village was in very good hands however. Minato's love of his friends and the village would inspire all those around him. It was around this time he apparently fathered Naruto with Uzumaki Kushina, a kunoichi from the former Whirlpool Country. Minato then made the ultimate sacrifice when the Kyuubi came calling. Using one final technique he had developed, the sacrificial Shiki Fuujin, he managed to stop the beast and seal its spirit in the body of his newborn son Naruto. Though this resulted in Minato's death, he managed to save the village.

Years later during the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru attempted to use the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the bodies of the previous Hokage's back to fight for him. Minato's coffin was apparently close to emerging when the Third Hokage managed to stop its arrival. And with that Minato's heritage could continue to protect the village in the people he inspired and his son Naruto.

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Suigetsu was eventually freed after Sasuke defeated Orochimaru. Suigetsu was held in a container of water, revealing his ability to become liquid as well. It is unknown if this is a bloodline ability or due to Orochimaru's experimentation. Suigetsu joined Sasuke's group due to his strength and defeat of Orochimaru, offering that Sasuke had the chance to defeat Orochimaru simply because he wasn't imprisoned like he and the others Sasuke planned to free.

Before they freed the other two new group members Karin and Juugo, Suigetsu asked that they take a detour. Suigetsu knew that Sasuke was part of the team which defeated Zabuza and sought out his sword. Sasuke and Suigetsu traveled to the Wave Country and to Zabuza's grave. Suigetsu removed Zabuza’s head cleaving sword from his grave and explained how the Mist Seven pass on their swords to the next generation, and that he would carry on Zabuza's legacy.

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A highly dangerous S-Ranked criminal, Kisame was an elite Jounin in Hidden Mist Village until he began to assassinate the local Mist feudal lords. Fleeing his village, Kisame then joined the Akatsuki Organization. Kisame was ordered by the leader of Akatsuki to partner with Uchiha Itachi and obtain the Kyuubi demon from within Naruto. The two S-Ranked criminals went to Leaf Village in search of Naruto. Sarutobi Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai confronted the two, so the ninja began to battle. Kisame used his head-cleaver against Asuma and managed to surprise the Leaf Jounin with its shark skin scales. Kisame drew blood but Asuma was able to recover himself. When Maito Gai appeared, Itachi and Kisame fled.

Later Kisame and Itachi tracked Naruto down to a hotel outside of Leaf Village. They were about to capture Naruto when Sasuke and Jiraiya appeared. Seeing that it was not the right moment, the two Akatsuki members fled. Over the next few years, Kisame and Akatsuki would wait patiently to capture more demon vessels like Naruto.

When Akatsuki members Sasori and Deidara returned from Hidden Sand with the captured Gaara in tow, Itachi and Kisame were directed to delay the pursuing Leaf and Sand ninja. Kisame was eager to get a measure of revenge again Maito Gai who had gave him a hard kick years earlier. Kisame managed to capture Gai's former students in a water prison, allowing himself and Gai to duke it out one on one. Gai was forced to open his gates to avoid Kisame's water attacks. Gai pummeled Kisame and knocked him back to the earth. Gai then learned that the Kisame he fought was not really Kisame himself, but another who was sacrificed to become Kisame in appearance while Kisame himself could fight through him from afar. The delay plan worked, and Kisame and Itachi were able to give Akatsuki enough time to remove Shukaku from Gaara.

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Nine years previously, this Hyuuga elder tried to convince Hyuuga Hiashi to let his twin brother die in his place.

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Though Hinata is the firstborn heir to the family bloodline and Hanabi is five years younger, her father Hiashi believes that Hanabi is better skilled than her older sister and better suited for the role of heir.

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Hiashi looks down on the abilities of his daughter Hinata; he does not feel she is a worthy heir to the main family line. After Neji's loss to Naruto in the third test of the Chuunin Exam, Hiashi Hyuuga went to Neji to let him know the truth of his twin brother's death. A short while after when Sound and Sand began to invade, Hiashi helped stop the invasion.

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Hyuuga Hinata is the heir to the main family of the Hyuuga Clan. When she turned three years old her cousin Neji had a cursed seal placed on his forehead. After the seal was placed upon Neji, he grew to resent the main family for that and for what he saw was the unjustified killing of his father by the main family. Neji directed his hatred for the main family against his cousin Hinata. In the third round preliminary matches of the Chuunin Exam, Hinata and Neji were matched against each other. Utilizing the Hyuuga Clan's gentle fist style, Neji and Hinata began to trade blows. Neji's level of skill utilizing the Byakugan bloodline ability outmatched Hinata's and she became injured.

Thinking back to how she had seen Naruto refuse to give up, Hinata tried to become a stronger willed person and leave some of her timidness behind. Saying she wouldn't go back on her words and give up, Hinata began to trade blows with Neji again. Though Neji continued to injure Hinata, she refused to give up. This angered Neji to the point where he was going to strike a killing blow against her. Before he could do so, the Jounin masters watching the match jumped in to stop him. Hinata then collapsed due to the internal injuries she was suffering. Medical attendants took Hinata away but from that point on she was a changed person.

Before the start of the third test of the Chuunin Exam, Hinata had gone to the Genin survival training area. While there Naruto also showed up much to her surprise. Naruto told her he was experiencing some doubts about his abilities. Hinata took the opportunity to tell Naruto to not doubt himself. She let him know she was inspired by his determination and sees herself as more assertive and self-assured than she has been in the past. Hearing her reassuring words, Naruto felt better about his chances and told Hinata to come see his match where he would beat Neji. Then Naruto told Hinata that he thought Hinata was a dark and timid person, but he said he was wrong. Naruto then told her something that stunned and flattered her, he liked people like her. Blushing, Hinata could only stand in shocked surprise as the boy she liked expressed feelings for liking people of her type.

As the years passed, Hinata began to further push her limits and abilities and attained the rank of Chuunin. When Naruto finally returned to the village, she was embarrassed and stunned. Though she had grown in a lot of ways, her bashful crush on Naruto remained.

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Nine years previously, representatives from the Lightning Country had come to Konoha to sign a peace accord. This was merely a ruse to get into Leaf to be able to abduct a member of the Hyuuga bloodline. The night the head of the Lightning Country party Sinobi Gashier, snuck into the Hyuuga stronghold to abduct Hinata, during his escape he was stopped and killed by Hyuuga Hiashi. The lightning Country did not admit he was there to abduct Hinata, but they demanded the body of the Hyuuga's main family head as compensation for the loss of their ninja. Hiashi was to give in to their demands to prevent further war, but Hizashi stopped him. Hizashi saw the demand for his brother’s body and asked that they use his body instead. He did it not because of love, but because by choosing death it would have been the first choice he could have freely made in protecting Neji, his family and the village. Hizashi had grown to resent the division of the Hyuuga house and the effect it would have on Neji, it was his hope that his act would inspire Neji to have his own strong free will as well..

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Hyuuga Neji carried an extreme hatred for the main family of the Hyuuga line. He grew up believing that the main family had killed his father as a demand of Lightning Country. The Lightning Country had demanded the body of the main family's Hiashi, what they got was the body of Hiashi's twin Hizashi. After Neji's loss to Naruto in the third test of the Chuunin Exam, Hiashi Hyuuga went to Neji to let him know the truth.

Seeing Neji's abilities Hiashi realized that Neji was ready to know what had really happened in the past. Neji was then told that his father himself made the choice to sacrifice his life. As a branch family member, Hizashi, like his son Neji, had a cursed seal placed upon his forehead which forced them to protect the main family or else they would face death. Hizashi saw the demand for his brother's body and asked that they use his body instead. He did it not because of love, but because by choosing death it would have been the first choice he could have freely made in protecting Neji, his family and the village. Taking his father words to heart to choose his own destiny and Naruto's similar words during their match, Neji changed his outlook on life and seeks to better himself with a brighter hope for the future.

Neji would join Naruto, Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru in their mission to retrieve Sasuke from Sound. Neji would square off against Sound ninja Kidoumaru. The match proved difficult and bloody, with Neji having to sacrifice his body to finally take out his opponent. He pushed himself to live up to the ideal of what other ninja saw the Hyuuga as, the best of the best, and the greatest clan in Konoha. Luckily medical ninja soon found Neji and rushed him back to the village for care. With the expert treatment of Shizune and Tsunade, his body was repaired and his life saved.

In following years Neji would continue to push his limits and perfect his skill as a ninja. He would take the Chuunin Exam and pass, and then later advance to the rank of Jounin. When Team 7 needed help in rescuing Gaara from Akatsuki, he joined his fellow teammates Gai, TenTen and Lee in traveling to the River Country. There he helped fight Hoshigaki Kisame and later his own clone created through Akatsuki's protective sealing jutsu.