Unexpected Love, a Naruto/Tenten fic

[JuPMod]

Since I was given a 'warning' by the administration regarding my Author Notes being *over* the 600 words limit in some of my chapters, I'd decided to post my Author Notes here with links added to the chapters of my fic. If this is in the wrong forum category, please just move me and tell me where you moved the topic.

Also, if anyone wants, you can post what you think of my fic. I'm posting my fic here on AFF due to FanfictionNet suddely cracking down on lemony fics. I'm posting my full story with lemons here, while I just keep the non-lemony chapters at FFNet.

If anyone is interested in reading this Naruto/Tenten fanfic, check it out at the following link.

http://naruto.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600104373

Chapter 1 ANs

1) First off, I want to make things clear regarding how I made Naruto ‘available’ for Tenten.

I know canon-wise, it is possible Sakura might end up being Naruto’s girlfriend by the end of the series, I do know it is very likely Kishimoto would end the series with Naruto convincing Sasuke to not destroy Konoha, etc., thus Sasuke would return to the village so Naruto could fulfill his promise. If this happened, there is a chance Sakura might go to Sasuke.

Yeah, I know this feels like a deus ex machina, but I really can’t think of anything else that could fit canon to allow Naruto to be free from his love for Sakura. Then again, all fanfics are dues ex machina in some way or another. My way, IMO, is better than the Sakura-breaks-Naruto’s-heart plot, Sakura-is-dead plot, or the most used Sakura-hates-Naruto plot. Same thing regarding Hinata, given IMO, she would have been the next likely candidate canon-wise to be Naruto’s girlfriend if Sakura was not it.

2) To make things clear, the story is not a flashback. Flashbacks are when characters remember events from their POVs. This story is what I considered a Backward Time-skip. This way, I can write up how the events unfold over the course of the year without writing it from Naruto’s perspective only.

As for the story itself, I will be time-skipping to certain events over the course of the year. Exactly when the year started I will not say. I already gave a ‘hint’ in this chapter, and the next chapter will give another major ‘hint’.

3) I took the idea of Tenten’s mother being the weapons blacksmith and shop owner from the wonderful fanfic “Stranger Than Fiction” by DsirinWsdm. I like the notion than the usual fics of Tenten’s dad or both parents being the black-smiths/shop owners.

4) ‘Kyohaku’ means ‘star’ in Japanese. If ‘Tenten’ closely resembles the Japanese word for ‘heaven’, I thought it would be fitting if her mother would have a name along the same lines.

5) Tenten’s mental image of Naruto dressed to resemble close to Temari is nothing new to me when I wrote this chapter up. I got the idea off of an art at DeviantArt titled “Naruto: Uzumaki Wind” by MsKeller. You can find it at

mskeller . deviantart . com / art / Naruto-Uzumaki-Wind-43129078

If anyone is too lazy to copy-and-paste the URL and remove the spaces, the link to the art can be found in my author profile.

As anyone can see, it’s a very nice art of Naruto holding a battle fan and wearing black with an orange sash.

6) Last, I chose the kodashi because I thought it might be cool to have him be using two swords, and two long swords just don’t feel right, especially if Naruto wants to use one sword while freeing his other hand for a Rasengan, etc.

Asuma’s chakra knuckle knives inspired the idea of Naruto using swords as a medium, and when I finally saw the anime ‘Rescuing Matsuri’ filler arc and that bad kunoichi using the swords to create wind jutsus, I knew I have to write Naruto having a pair of swords to do the same thing. At first I thought of maybe having a sword similar to what Zuko has in Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I thought that would be corny. I’d done online research and came across the kodachi.

Edited June 10, 2012 by JuPMod

[JuPMod]

^{Chapter 2 ANs}

1) For anyone’s information, Tenten’s birthday is March 7^th according to many online Naruto websites containing the characters’ birthdays. Using this date as a reference point, anyone can easily figure out what day the last chapter took place.

2) The new Ichiraku Ramen Stand has been inspired by the fan art titled “Gai’s Ramen Stand” by Blood-Ruby16 at DeviantArt. What you see in this art is what the place looks like in the story with a slight modification to include overhangs so customers can eat even in raining weather. You can find the art at

blood-ruby16 . deviantart . com / art / Gai-s-Ramen-Stand-Lineart-105412835 . Just copy-and-paste the URL and remove the spaces, or go to my Author Profile for the direct link to the art.

After seeing Pain devastated most of Konoha in Chapters 430+, I had a good hunch that Ichiraku’s was also destroyed, thus when I saw Blood-Ruby16’s art, I thought it would be great if Ichiraku’s would be rebuilt to be bigger and better than it was before and it would exactly be like the stand in Blood-Ruby16’s art.

So full credit goes to Blood-Ruby16 in inspiring me to create the new Ichiaraku Ramen Stand. Of course, if it weren’t for Pain destroying Konoha, I doubtful I would have gotten this idea, since Ichiraku’s would still be in that small dingy stand. ;D

3) I need help on couple of things.

One, can anyone point to me any good online Naruto sources for me to create names for jutsus? I’ve seen plenty of fics where the writer comes up with original Japanese names for original jutsus he/she created for the characters. I’m pretty stump when it comes to this, so I appreciate any help anyone can provide. It’s not just Naruto but also Tenten who will be creating new jutsus in the story.

Second, I’ve been thinking of joining a Naruto forum/message board, but none of the forums here on FF looks promising, especially if say I have a question regarding jutsus, the characters, etc. that I want to hear opinions from others. Anyone know of any really good Naruto forums out there?

BTW, I think it’s best to email me any links, etc. given FF does not allow direct links in reviews, PMs, etc. Check out my Author Profile for the email addy.

4) Once more, I’m still searching for a betareader/proofreader for my Naruto fics. A person who knows English grammar and spelling and able to catch any mistakes before I post the stories online. I’m not perfect, but I’m doing the best I can on my own.

Oh, I appreciate that it is someone who knows American English. I know there are spelling differences in some words between United Kingdom English and American English. Like say ‘colour’ is right for UK spelling, but ‘color’ is right for American spelling. I had once gave a story to a betareader to proof, and I found out he was from Australia, thus why when I gotten my story back, I found words were corrected for spellings that weren’t needed to be corrected. So in the end, I kindly let him go and said I’ll find someone who knows American English. ^^;

5) Last, but not least, I wish everyone, who is celebrating it, a Happy Valentine’s Day! This chapter has some sappy romantic tension between Naruto and Tenten, even though they are just friends. I’d originally planned for “Unexpected Love” to be a one-shot to be posted on Valentine’s Day, but my Muse made this story to be a long one to draw out the tension between the characters over time, and this chapter was the start of that tension.

[JuPMod]

_{Chapter 3 ANs}

1) I’m not going to bother talking about the two jutsus that everyone should be familiar from the manga/anime. They’re not important than the two jutsus I made up for Naruto.

Fuuton: Kaze Kabe (Wind Element: Wind Wall) – It’s a defense jutsu that is like the Water Wall jutsu Kakashi had used to defend himself against Itchai’s water attack. Instead of water, a cylinder of wind protects the caster against attacks, and unlike the Hyuuga’s Hakkeshou Kaiten, the caster does not have to spin in order to create the jutsu.

Fuuton: Kabe Nami (Wind Element: Wall Wave) – Another defense jutsu, just this time the caster creates a shockwave of wind in the shape of a large crescent wall. It’s very handy when a person wants to knock away the enemy without harming them.

As for what will Naruto create in the future, especially attack wind jutsus, I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to spoil anyone. ;p

2) I want to express my thanks to all of those who placed this story on your list of favorites as well as on your Story Alerts, not to mention all of those who left reviews. I deeply appreciate the support from all, especially those who want to help make this story better by telling me of mistakes, ideas, etc.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 4 ANs

1) Okay, I can hear some of you want to kill me for making Naruto and Tenten about to kiss and pull them away at the last moment. It was cruel, but I’m proud that it worked out this way for this chapter. The pair has reached a major point together, thus it fits with the title of this chapter as well as what they discovered regarding their chakra swords.

2) Chouji’s birthday, for anyone’s information, happened to be May 1^st, according to online sources. This will give a good perspective of when this chapter took place.

3) Regarding the information about the Uchiha clan in this chapter, I figured this would be a good spot to broaden the explanation regarding Sasuke’s assets.

Juopunumies pointed out in his review of Chapter 1 that he thought I had fallen into the pitfall of that Konoha would have kept all the old Uchiha assets (land and other stuff) for Sasuke. Chapter 1 didn’t say this, but it did mention Sasuke has large assets so it could have been interpreted as such. Yet I figured there would be another way for Sasuke to still have large assets even if Konoha has siege all the Uchiha assets within the village, and that would be that the Uchiha has placed money in accounts outside the village.

So, overall, it makes sense. In our real world, rich people obvious do not have all their money stockpiled in a single bank account. Of course not. Makes sense to have multiple accounts to fall back than to leave everything in one basket. Having the Uchiha Clan have multiple accounts would also give another reason why Sasuke didn’t seem to care or worry when he had left the village to join Orochimaru. With money in banks outside Konoha, he wouldn’t need to worry about falling short of cash.

4) I want to be on the record that I am not making Tenten being more powerful than Naruto when it comes to mastering nature chakra. Tenten has only started her nature chakra training for a month, while Naruto has least two to three years of experience since his training under Kakashi and Yamanto on the quest to merge nature chakra with the Rasengan. Not to mention that Naruto has the Kage Bushin training technique, which had helped him accelerated his nature chakra training tremendously, thus why he was able to master his nature chakra and make wind techniques without using hand seals. Tenten has yet to master her nature chakra to Naruto’s level to even form jutsu without hand seals. As mentioned in this chapter, she can only push her nature chakra so much into her chakra sword without exhausting herself, and the katon techniques she does know are made using hand seals.

So, as Tenten said, she will not get one over Naruto in the department he is ahead of her – the mastering of one’s nature chakra. Yet it is fun for her to imagine and least try her best, thus why she, Ino, and Sakura were smiling on the thought. Who knows maybe Tenten will eventually master her nature chakra over a year or two, as it should normally take for the average ninja.

5) Speaking of the pair’s nature chakras, the idea to have their nature chakras merge came from the Shippuuden anime episode #86, where Yamato and Naruto combined separate techniques to form one powerful jutsu as it was mentioned in this story chapter. I realized to have Tenten and Naruto merge their nature chakras would make quite an ironic symbolic gesture that parallels their growing relationship.

6) For anyone’s information, ‘Kuso’ is Japanese for ‘shit’. It was apparent what Naruto was saying during that moment. I have no idea whether Japanese use swear words or not, but I had read a few fics using ‘kuso’ and given Naruto’s situation at that moment, I thought it would be appropriate to use the word.

7) Since Cole125 gave a review without signing-in, I have no choice but to respond in a public way to his review in order to reach him.

Cole, I really do not understand what problems can be arisen if Naruto made a move first. Would it make any difference if Tenten made the move first? What about in this chapter where it seems both were going to make the move at the same time? Pretty soon or later, one of them or both will make a move. Eventually something will happen to make these two realize their feelings have evolved over time to something more, and when that happens, one or both have to make a move. So in the end, I really can’t see any difference if one or the other make the move first. Someone will have to or else what good is calling this a romance fic, eh?

8) Last, not related to this story, has anyone seen Chapter 437 and 438 of the manga? Boy, it seems Kishimoto is on a killing spree now with knocking out more of Naruto’s precious people. I’m not going to place any major spoilers, just say that after that last ‘suppose’ kill, Naruto went tailed. Go figure. Let the drama continue onward! (smirk)

9) Oh, to let everyone know, I have disabled the anonymous review function due to personal reasons with a reviewer, who has been giving me problems. The guy will not leave me alone, so I have to disable the function to prevent the guy from ever bothering me again. If anyone, who does not have a FF account, wants to tell me something regarding the story, etc., feel free to send me an email or drop a note at my DeviantArt account if you have a DA account yourself.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 5 ANs

1) Tenten’s pink & red two-piece swimsuit has been inspired by the art titled “Naruto Girl Bookmarks” by Kyomana over at DeviantArt. The link can be found in my Author Profile or copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

kyomana . deviantart . com / art / Naruto-Girl-bookmarks-64620514

By the way, if anyone knows the name of this style swimsuit shown in the art, if there is such a style in our real world, let me know please. This way I can edit in the name of the style in the story as well as make any corrections to the description of the swimsuit.

2) By the way, I deeply appreciate the people who tell me whether I made a mistake in the Naruto names, techniques, etc. I’m not perfect when it comes to the Naruto world, so if I make a mistake, I appreciate people tell me the appropriate way to pronounce something.

For example, do I really need to put a ‘s’ after ‘jutsu’ if I mentioning the plural? Some fics have the ‘s’, while others do not. I understand that the Japanese do not have any ‘s’ to mention the plural of a word. So which is right? Can anyone tell me?

3) The Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Element: Phoenix Fire Technique) is a C-rank fire jutsu according to most online sites. It’s stated that it is mostly use as a distraction, but it can be use for attack purposes. I feel it’s fitting for Tenten to know this jutsu, which I think is a common jutsu in Konoha and not just for the Uchiha Clan.

The Mizu Tama Bomu no Jutsu (Water Ball Bomb Technique) is just as mentioned in the story. It’s simply a D-rank water jutsu meant for fun or could be use for a handy distraction in the field. I think there are hundreds of simple D-rank jutsus that exist in the Naruto universe, meant for everyday practical purposes or for fun. I can’t imagine any shinobi not taking advantages of such jutsus to simplify his/her life. Heck, I bet the Academy students would get a kick out of the fun jutsus.

4) I made Naruto not a virgin, because I really can’t see Tenten kissing him and he fudges it due that he has no experience. IMO, if he had some experience in kissing a girl and about sex, I think he would know how to kiss Tenten and make it quite enjoyable for both.

Of course, it left me with the question to which girl would be the one to teach Naruto about kissing and sex. Anko came to my mind at first, but given her personality, I think Naruto would be too scared to even enjoy himself. Kurenai also came to mind, but she is the sensei of three of Naruto’s classmates. She also is interested in Asuma, so I really can’t see her doing the deed with Naruto.

Yet when I thought of Princess Yukie from the first Naruto movie, I immediately thought she would be perfect. She views Naruto as a hero. I have no doubt she does have experience, and if I place Naruto’s ‘first time’ during the training trip with Jiraiya, it would be ideal. Naruto did not officially have a girlfriend at the time, and even though he still thought of Sakura, I really can’t see a 14-year-old able to resist his hormones at the hands of a beautiful older woman like Yukie.

Oh, the idea overall to use Yukie came to me when I remember a PWP (Plot, What Plot?) fanfic where Naruto reaches puberty, and thanks to the Kyuubi, ends up going into heat every month on the full moon. He was in Spring Country at the time, and Yukie wanted to award him just when he was in heat. I figured I could use the same idea, just without Naruto having a monthly sex cycle. ;P

5) Well, after four months, Naruto and Tenten finally had taken the first step together. Yeah, Tenten made it possible, because I think Naruto would be somewhat afraid in taking that first step, for he has no experience what so ever when it comes to having a girlfriend. It’s a new feeling for him. Yet now that he and Tenten are past that stage, they can be an official couple now.

And for anyone’s information, don’t expect them to be saying the L word any time soon. They’re exploring for now, so their feelings has yet to evolve to that second step. When? Only I will know. ;p

And for those wanting the couple to get to the hot loving (The third step), you still will be waiting for some time. XD

[JuPMod]

Chapter 6 ANs

1) Yeah, this chapter is shorter than usual, and it’s because I truly didn’t know what to write about. I have plots lined for the next several chapters, but this one I had some trouble to think of a plot, given it is a go-between between the last chapter and the next one. So, if this chapter seemed somewhat weaker than the previous chapters, it’s due to this minor writer’s block in finding something to write about as a go-between. Yet rests assure that the next chapter will be something exciting compared to this one.

2) To be honest, I really can’t see such a situation happening in the village. Naruto pretty much can easily brush off any woman’s advances, but as Tenten saw, with Akane, he has nowhere to run.

I think it would be somewhat normal for couples to be somewhat possessive of one another, especially at the beginning of the relationship, and over time they learn to trust one another when it comes to interaction with other members of the opposite sex. Tenten gets a first taste of this with Akane’s advances toward Naruto. It’s not a major relationship hurdle, I admit, but it is something both Tenten and Naruto have to learn if they truly have to trust each other not to cheat on one another.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 7 ANs

1) I had at first wanted to use Kakashi to be the one to interrupt Naruto and Tenten’s ‘make-out’ session. Given his personality, he wouldn’t have minded teasing them relentlessly. However, due to not even being certain he is officially dead in the manga, I’d changed my mind and decided not to use him. Anko came to my mind, and I thought she’d be perfect to tease the couple. She would not ever cross the line to actually seduce Naruto, but boy she would tease them. XD

And no, sorry, but as I said, Anko will not be seducing Naruto, so there will not ever be a threesome. This is solely a NaruTen fic, thus Naruto will only be making love to Tenten. ;p

2) I had recently paid DKSTUDIOS05 to do a commission for me base on a scene from “Unexpected Love”. It’s from Chapter 4 where Naruto stands behind Tenten and they hold their swords out, pour natured-chakra into the swords, and watch the development of the wind and fire chakras merging. It’s a nice semi-romantic scene, and DK done a wonderful job in drawing the art!

So check out the art! The link to the art can be found in my author profile page, or copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

http:// jupmod . deviantart . com / art / Fire-and-Wind-NarutoTenten-118795276

3) Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Element: Fire Dragon Flame Missile) – A B-rank technique that shoots out a stream of flames in the form of a dragon, according to online sites. The Third Hokage used this technique against Orochimaru during the Oto-Suna Invasion of Konoha.

Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Element: EarthShore Return) – A C-rank technique for defensive purposes. It creates a wall of earth out of the ground in front of the user. According to online sites, it’s not perfect, given it only protects the fronts and not the sides. Also it can be easily drilled or punch through. Jirobo (big guy of the Sound Five) used this technique in the ‘Sasuke Retrieval’ arc.

Now, anyone is wondering why I had written a C-rank Earth technique easily defeating a B-rank Fire technique. If one thinks about it, it makes sense. Unless fire can drill or punch its way through earth, it can not beat earth, especially if the layer is thick enough. The Iwa nin brought up the wall just when the flames reach him, thus the flames were easily deflected. The rank of a technique measures the power level, but this shouldn’t be use to judge whether one can beat another. If power were everything, a single X-Wing fighter wouldn’t have easily beaten the Death Star, eh? It boils down to how the techniques are used as well as the power level.

Besides, Tenten has been training her natured-chakra for only four months. She has not mastered natured-chakra manipulation yet, thus she could only hold a high-rank technique for so long, not to mention she would drain her chakra reserves very quickly the longer she holds a high-rank jutsu. So thus, this is another factor why a B-rank fire jutsu was defeated by a C-rank earth jutsu.

Fuuton: Doragon Hando (Wind Element: Dragon Hand) – A wind jutsu Naruto created for offensive purposes, which I placed as B-rank, maybe lower A-rank. It creates a gust of wind that slices across an object, making it look like it was sliced by a giant clawed hand of a dragon.

Raiton: Hekireki Tama (Lightning Element: Thunder Bullet) – Yeah, yeah, I took the idea for this jutsu off Avatar: The Last Airbender. A lightning jutsu that shoots out a stream of lightning out of tips of the middle and index fingers. Unlike the A:TLA technique, the also has spokes of electricity radiating off the main stream, so even if the target was not hit dead-center by the main stream, the target can be hit by the side spokes of electricity. I would rate this jutsu least A-rank, for if one gets hits by the main steam, you’ll be dead. Yet the side spokes can still pack a punch, as Tenten found out.

Kasai Kadou Arashi (Fire Vortex Storm) – An attack jutsu that is formed by combining Tenten and Naruto’s natured-chakras. This technique was the result of their combined training that started at the end of Chapter 4, when they accidentally discovered their chakras merging through their swords. Her fire is strengthened by his wind, and together, they formed a vortex/tornado of fire that burns and cuts through anything in its path. I placed this as A-rank, maybe lower S-rank.

Yet despite the success of their combo attack, as mentioned, Tenten nearly drained her chakra to keep the technique going long enough to do its job. Until she masters natured-chakra manipulation as well as increase her own chakra reserves a bit, this combo technique can’t be use often by the couple.

4) I don’t know about anyone else, but I believe Iwa would likely be the last holdout against making peace with Konoha. I bet Kishimoto would unite all the villages against the threat of Akatsuki in the manga. Yet if Iwa holds a grudge against Konoha for what the Fourth Hokage did during the last Great Shinobi War, I really can’t see Iwa being cooperative. Heck, in this fic, the battle against Pain was only less than two years ago, so it’ll still be some time before Iwa would change its tune. Peace still has some way to go in the Naruto world in this fic.

5) Last, I hope everyone enjoys this very long chapter. As I mentioned, everything written in this chapter fits the chapter title thus showing the progress Naruto and Tenten made, not only in their relationship but also in their training. They came a long way, since they had started training together, and they took another step in their relationship. It will not be long until they… *ahem*… consummatetheir relationship.

Edited June 10, 2012 by JuPMod

[JuPMod]

Chapter 8 ANs

1) Yes, I took the intimate nicknames of ‘Koibito’ and ‘Kanojo’ from the well-written fanfic “Every Woman Loves a Man that Will Listen”. This is my salute to that great piece of romantic work. It’s sad that it will not ever likely be finish, joining the ever-growing ranks of other great stories that will not ever be finish. Yet, even not finish, it still is a very good read, so I recommend highly reading it. If you enjoy reading “Unexpected Love”, you’ll love “Every Woman Loves a Man that Will Listen”. (Oy! Now that’s a mouthful of a title! XD )

2) I had commissioned DeviantArt artist Rocktuete to draw a scene from “Unexpected Love” Chapter 5. It’s the scene of Naruto and Tenten about to kiss at Waterfall Lake. The art showed them in roughly thigh-deep water, even though the story had them in chest-deep water when they kissed. Nevertheless, it’s a great piece of art that everyone should check out.

You can find a link to the art in my author profile, or cut-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

jupmod . deviantart . com / art /Naruto-Waterfall-Lake-Closeup-122608817

Please note that the art on my DA page is a large, cropped close-up of the head-to-thigh version of the art, which can be found at Rocktuette’s DA page. The one on Rocktuette’s page is smaller in size, but the facial close-up on my page is the actual large HQ version of the art, just I only show the faces and not the entire art.

3) I do not think there is any true right way to ‘make love’. To some, ‘making love’ is ‘sex’ regardless. To others, ‘making love’ is ‘sex’ but with more soul, heart, and passion in it. Either way, I written Tenten and Naruto’s first intimate time this way due to what I’d mentioned about sexual frustrations, so when they finally had the moment to finally ‘do it’, I envisioned them just banging each other on the first time before they would ‘make love’ on the second time. Make sense IMO if you see yourself getting wet dreams about your boyfriend or girlfriend and eventually you just want to screw him or her silly to relieve the frustrations.

So, for all those lemon fans out there waiting to read Naruto and Tenten finally doing the dirty deed, this chapter is for you. As for future lemons, there will be a few, like one in the next chapter. Just I will not be having lemons in every chapter though.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 9 ANs

1) Well, it seems Kakashi, Shizune, and others are not dead after all. The recent Chapter 449 of the manga has everyone alive and well, so thus why Kakashi and Shizune has made their first appearance in this fic. I had not bother mentioning either character in “Unexpected Love” until Kishimoto gave a clear sign they were really truly dead. With the confirmation that they are alive, I can breathe easier and start using them again with great relief.

2) Speaking of the manga, some aspects of the manga from Chapter 450 onward would not ever likely be mention in “Unexpected Love”. Since Tsunade is still Hokage in my story, the ending of 450 did not ever happen in “Unexpected Love” (Not to mention I absolutely loath that ending).

3a) While searching for art of any of the Naruto kunoichi in kimonos, I came across a KakaAnko art at DeviantArt that caught my fancy. I like it very much to use it as a reference for the kimonos Kakashi and Anko were wearing in this chapter. It’s titled ‘Kiriban: KakaAnko’ by Teennoei. You can find a link to the art in my Author Profile, or copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

teennoei . deviantart . com / art /Kiriban-KakaAnko-72656714

And yes, next to Anko and Iruka, I think Kakashi and Anko might make a good couple. They’re almost alike in many ways that they would able to understand each other. Not to mention they might end up being great bedmates for each other.

3b) The scene of Naruto and Tenten at Ichiraku’s was inspired by a NaruTen art commission done for me by the talented DevaintArt artist RamaChan. A matter of fact, it was this art that gave me the idea for “Unexpected Love”. After I looked at this art, I had thought how I could incorporated the scene into a fic, thus my brain sprang up ideas that led to “Unexpected Love”. The art is quite romantic, and I knew that it can only be done at Ichiraku and no where else.

So after 8 chapters, I finally arrived at the moment I use the scene from the art, thus I am quite proud to say that it was good I had commissioned RamaChan to draw up a romantic NaruTen dinner scene or else it would not have inspired me to write up “Unexpected Love”.

Check out this wonderful NaruTen art through the link at my Author Profile, or copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

jupmod . deviantart . com / art /NaruTen-Romantic-Dinner-107582868

4) For those who did not get the joke Naruto made to Tenten as they danced, it’s simple. ‘Ten’ is an actual Japanese word, which translated means ‘Heaven’. ‘Tenten’ though is Japanese for ‘here and there,’ ‘little by little,’ or ‘sporadically’. It’s why Tenten first pointed out the error amusedly at him but he in turn said, “Well, I’m lucky little by little to get into Heaven, especially tonight.” (Which he did get into her anyway. XD)

5) Given Naruto’s ability to use Kage Bushin, I really can not see the guy not using the technique in his love life. I mean really, he can make clones of himself, thus he can provide his lover (or lovers, if he has more than one girl) the experience of being gang-banged, if she (or they) wants it. The girl (or girls) will not feel guilty since the clones are all copies of him, so she can fulfill such sexual fantasies easily with just one guy.

So Tenten now has another great reason to keep Naruto. Not only is he a great lover alone, he is a great lover that can single-handedly gang-bang her into sexual oblivion. XD

6) Last but not least, I want everyone to know that I’ll be alternating writing up chapters between “Unexpected Love” and “The Matriarch of Destiny.” With this chapter of “Unexpected” done, I’ll be writing up next a chapter of “Matriarch”. I’ll be alternating writing up chapters until “Unexpected” is done, and once this story is done, I’ll focus solely on “Matriarch”.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 10 ANs

1) I wanted to have Naruto and Tenten experience a rift in their relationship, for I agree with some reviewers that there should be some bumps in the road for them. Yet I had pretty much written them hurdling through the trust issue of each being around other members of the opposite gender, thus each would not be jealous if say, they dance with other people. Add that with Tenten not having personal issues that Sakura or even Hinata have and Naruto is a very loyal guy, one will end up with a relationship that has virtually no faults.

Yet after much thought, I’d decided to use this plot of an arranged marriage tearing Naruto and Tenten apart. I’ve read many fics (say Naruto/Temari) where an arranged marriage placed the two main characters together romantically, but I have not ever read a fic where it was the opposite.

Yeah, I know the plot seems far stretch, since Konoha could just disobey the daimyo, but for the dramatic effect, I couldn’t help but feel it is affective.

So, rest assured, dear readers, that I have something in mind on how Naruto will get out of this arranged marriage; but I will not reveal it just yet. I’m planning at least another chapter or two for this mini-arc, and I’m going to focus on finishing this first before starting on the next chapter of “Matriarch”.

2) I like to note that I had original planned to have only 13 or so chapters for “Unexpected”, with each chapter taking place a month apart from one another over the course of the year Naruto mentioned at the very beginning of Chapter 1. Yet with this new mini-arc, I’ll be adding a few more chapters thus disrupting the cycle that each chapter would take place a month apart in the timeline. Given the drama of the mini-arc, I just can’t put everything in one chapter.

3) Last, I’m more than willing to hear anyone guess how this arranged marriage situation would be resolved. Like I said, I’m not going to say anything. You just have to read and find out how it will be resolved.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 12 ANs

1) A big cookie goes to the following reviewers in getting it right that Kyoko’s ‘plan’ was to get out of the ‘arranged marriage’ – volrath77, Badboyzkg, and Doom Lord of Waffles, yet a big cake goes to animegamemaster6 for hitting the bull’s-eye in guessing why Kyoko wanted out of the ‘arranged marriage’.

As for how Naruto will get out of the engagement, you all have to stay tune for Part 2 in the next chapter to find out. All I will say is that so far, no one has yet to come even close to guessing the outcome.

2) For anyone’s information, ‘fo-ji’ is Japanese for ‘forge’. I figured it would be a fitting name for Kyoko’s boyfriend, who is the son of a blacksmith. I thought it would be quite ironic to have her in love with a son of a blacksmith, while Naruto was in love with a daughter of a blacksmith.

3) I want everyone to know that I have started a C2 community titled ‘Fire & Wind Square’. It’s devoted to archiving the best Naruto/Tenten and Naruto/Temari fics on FF. I also posted fics of harem and other Naruto/female pairings (No Yaoi) but only if the fics are really good to read. So if anyone wants to read good NaruTen and NaruTema fics, check out the ‘Fire & Wind Square’ community to find the best without the need to search through the crap to find the gems.

Now, you’re wondering, “Why such a title?” Well, we know that Temari and Naruto have nature chakra that are Wind, and even though it was not mention in canon, I always thought it suits Tenten to have Fire nature chakra. So one Fire and two Winds come up with ‘Fire & Wind Square’.

So if you’re interested in checking out the Fire & Wind Square community, go to my Author Profile to find the link to the community, not to mention one can also click on the tab ‘Communities’ in my Author Profile as well.

4) Oh, I like to say that with Chapter 12 posted, it is safe for me to say that this story has reached over the 100K words mark, and this is only from the number of words in the story and does not include all words in notes, disclaimers, etc. Woo hoo!

So other than my unfinished Kim Possible fic “A Bond of Honor”, “Unexpected Love” is the only other fic I have written that has reached over 100K written words. Now this is something for me to feel proud of. (big grin)

Weixuan18: God, this was one huge chap… took me one whole hour to beta it.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 13 ANs

1) Well, that ends this mini-arc. I hope everyone enjoyed this very long chapter

As for which reviewer guessed what, the cookie goes to volrath77 and KnighteWolfe (He sent a PM to me with his guesses) for guessing somewhat that Naruto would use his parentage connection to the Fourth Hokage to nullify the arranged marriage, although both of their guesses were not precisely on target on how Naruto would use his connection with the Yondaime to cancel the marriage.

However, the big cake goes to Quathis for taking a pot-shot in the dark and hitting center on the bull’s-eye in guessing the reason behind the so-called ‘conspiracy’, which was all just a test by the Fire Daimyo to see whether Naruto is worthy to become Hokage one day. I know it might seem far stretch to go through all that trouble just for a test, but as the elderly Lord of Fire Country said, she did not want to repeat the same mistake she made with Danzo, so it was best to get all of Naruto and Kyoko’s political friends in on the test and make certain Naruto is isolated in order to properly test his response to the ‘arranged marriage’.

So, this chapter ends this mini-arc, where Naruto exposes his biggest secret in order to break out of the arranged marriage, yet the biggest surprise came from the Fire Daimyo herself. A pretty crazy plot twist, eh?

So, all is well that ends well. I’ll be returning the story back to focusing on Naruto and Tenten’s relationship. There will be no big relationship problems for the couple for the rest of the story.

2) Note: I’ll be posting up one more chapter of “Unexpected” before returning to “Matriarch of Destiny”. It’s just a short lemon as an epilogue to this mini-arc. So for those who do not want to read lemons, you can skip out reading Chapter 14. I need to make a loving, romantic scene for Naruto and Tenten after I had torn them apart like that, so things can get back to normal for them and me.

3) I want to be on record that canon-wise there are no indications what-so-ever of whether either of Naruto’s parents was ever from a clan. This leaves it open for fans to say either parent is from a clan or not.

For me, I like the notion that Minato was an orphan and rose through the ranks through hard work and sweat to become Hokage, making him much like his son when it comes to the same philosophies. As Hokage, I think one of the benefits should be to give him or her clan status. After all, a Hokage is the most powerful person in Konoha, and if his or her family is not a clan, they should have the right to form a clan, if the Hokage desires it. This way, the Hokage’s legacy will continue onward even after he or she dies.

So even though Minato and Kushina didn’t take up starting a clan, it left it opened for Naruto to do so as the son of a Hokage. It helped Naruto pretty well in getting out of the ‘arranged marriage’ even though the whole ‘arranged marriage’ was a set-up for a test anyway.

4) I’d commissioned the talented DeviantArt artist lexisss to do a cover art for “Unexpected Love”, making it similar to a ShikaTema art she done of the characters wearing modern-day civilian clothes. The art she done for me came out to be awesome! I truly recommend to check it out! One can find a link to the art in my Author Profile or copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces…

lexisss . deviantart . com / art / Commission-Unexpected-Love-136900571

Just for anyone’s information, I know Naruto and Tenten have not ever been mentioned wearing the type of clothes seen in the cover art. I will though have them be wearing the clothes in a future chapter. This is promise. (Gives thumbs-up and Gai smile with shining teeth)

Oh, I also posted a large facial close-up of the head-to-toe cover art. It’s on my dA page at…

Jupmod . deviantart . com / art /Unexpected-Love-Cover-closeup-137048832

5) I want everyone to know that I started a poll, which can be found at my Author Profile, regarding which family name Naruto would use if he indeed starts a clan after he gets married. Would he keep Uzumaki, drop his mother’s name and adopt his father’s, or just add both names together?

The reason why I ask is due to the ending of Chapter 13 here. With Naruto now known as the son of the Fourth Hokage, people would expect him to become a Namikaze, but knowing Naruto, he wouldn’t even care what other people would think regarding something private to him. Besides, when he marries Tenten, what family name would they use?

I really can use the input of everyone’s opinion regarding this issue that baffles me to what Naruto would do if he starts a clan. If he only starts a family, I don’t think he would bother to change his family name.

6) Last, I thank everyone for your support, whether you placed “Unexpected” on your fav, alert, and/or C2 lists or simply post a review. I appreciate it deeply, for it shows me how much you come to enjoy the story.

Weixuan18: GAWD, this took forever. O.O Plot was nice and all, but seriously, he’s trying to kill me. ._.

JPMod: Sorry about that, Weixuan. The next chapter should be far shorter. ^^;

[JuPMod]

Chapter 14 ANs

1) To be honest, I did my best in making this chapter’s lemon just as well written and erotic as Chapter 9’s lemon. It didn’t come out so well as I wanted. I guess the last lemon worked well due that Naruto and Tenten were already at the very start of their sexual activity compared to this chapter’s lemon which took awhile through the undressing and foreplay before it gotten to the good parts that didn’t require a lot to describe. Least I have gotten that last lemony scene right with the romantic feel though.

2) Now that this mini-arc is officially over, I’m returning to writing up “The Matriarch of Destiny”, which I placed on the side since June. So don’t expect Chapter 15 of “Unexpected” to come out for a while.

3) Thinking about it, I think I can finish up “Unexpected” in two more chapters and an epilogue. A reviewer mentioned that this story has run its course after Chapter 13, and I do agree that it sure did feel that way. However, I want to finish the fic with the story coming full-circle back to the very beginning of Chapter 1, which was precisely one year after Naruto aquired the kodachis from Tenten’s mother. That was my plan when I had started the fic, and I will finish it this way.

4) Oh, one last thing… This chapter marks the last lemon for this fic. If anyone thinks it’s easy to write up a tasteful lemon, you are either a great writer or do not know what you’re talking about. It’s not easy to write two characters having sex without making it sound like a porn vid. (frown)

Weixuan: Man, so much sex… @_@

Edited June 11, 2012 by JuPMod

[JuPMod]

Chapter 15 ANs

1) Before I’d even started writing this chapter, I’d thought it would be great that Naruto and Tenten found a hobby they can do together, and given I’d already gotten them loving dancing together, I said, “Why not?” So I came up with the idea that they started taking dance lessons to look good when they dance at Sasuke/Sakura/Karin’s wedding and found it so enjoyable that they would take up dancing as a hobby.

Online sources stated Tenten’s personal hobby is fortune telling, while Naruto’s is ‘watering plants’. I’m sure, as most couples, they come to respect the other’s hobby, but it does not provide anything they can do together other than training. So, even though they do have their differences, I thought it was time they have something similar to do social-wise.

2) Naruto and Tenten’s outfits worn during Sakura and Sasuke’s bachelor parties were taken off the “Unexpected Love” cover art drawn by lexisss. The art was drawn in September 2009, but this chapter marks the first time I was able to use the outfits in the story. The link to the cover art is already in my Author profile, but here is the URL for those who will copy-and-paste it….

Lexisss . deviantart . com / art / Commission-Unexpected-Love-136900571

Please note that the necklace Tenten is wearing in the cover art is not what the necklace, which Naruto gave her for her birthday in Chapter 2, looks like in the story. I drew a sloppy rough sketch (I’m no artist) for anyone to visualize what the necklace looks like. Again, you can copy-and-paste the URL and remove the spaces, or go check out the link in my Author Profile…

Jupmod . deviantart . com / art / UL-Tenten-s-necklace-153807419

3) Sai’s ANBU call-name ‘Sumijin’ means ‘Ink Man’. I took the separate Japanese words ‘sumi’ (ink) and ‘jin’ (man) and merged them. If this is not proper Japanese, please someone tell me, so I can try to find another call-name for Sai.

4) As stated in the story, I really can’t see Sakura and Karin are the types to accept a traditional (Japanese) wedding, while Sasuke wouldn’t care less IMO, thus why the wedding party are wearing Western formal attire (tuxes, gowns). Out of all the young kunoichi, I can only see Hinata might go for a traditional wedding when she gets marry, and that’s only because her clan would insist on a traditional wedding due they seemed pretty traditional.

And speaking of Western wedding attire, I didn’t bother to give many details regarding Sakura and Karin’s bridal gowns, but Tenten and Ino’s bridesmaid gowns I’d taken from an actual gown I found online. Tenten and Ino’s gowns are dark pink with a light pink sash, while the one in the online pic is dark red with a light red sash. Simply copy-and-paste the URL from below and remove the spaces to see the picture, or go to my Author Profile for the link…

www . made-in-china . com / image / 2f0j00SBKTOZsLpPkJM / Bridesmaid-Dresses-9145-.jpg

Since this gown looks quite beautiful, I’m going to commission a dA artist to draw Naruto and Tenten as they would look like in their formal wedding wear. The image of them makes me feel so giddy, for it would be the best romantic shot of them yet.

5) The idea of Tenten having three hair buns was inspired from the 12th Pokémon movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life. At first glance, the character of Sheena was like Tenten with just two hair buns, but when I saw she had three buns, I was floored! It was something completely new to me that I just have to make Tenten look like Sheena, and what a perfect way to show it than at a wedding? (Big grin)

So if anyone wants to see how Tenten looks like with three hair buns, which she wore at the wedding, check out the pics of Sheena in the URL I posted below, which will take you to my Photobucket account, or go to my Author Profile.

s6 . photobucket . com / albums / y207 / jupmod / Sheena /

Oh, before anyone say, “Three hair buns are not possible,” I say you should look at Temari’s hairstyle. Instead of four ponytails, she could easily make them buns instead, and if you loosen the bottom two buns, you can roll the hair into one bun at the base of the head. Simple as that. ;p

6) To be honest, I was tired of the typical wedding stories where the groom’s bachelor party turned into a brawl, while the bride’s party was peaceful, etc., so I switched things around a bit. I found it quite entertaining to write the girls getting in trouble, while the boys were almost saints. ;p

7) DeviantArt artist AnauchihaD recently finished a commissioned for me. The art shows Naruto and Tenten in their kimonos as they walked together at the Konoha Festival as mentioned in Chapter 9. For followers of “Unexpected Love”, I recommend to check this art out, for it’s wonderfully done with details to the kimonos and Tenten’s hair. It is precisely what I vision Naruto and Tenten to look like in Chapter 9.

Oh, there is one difference between the art and the chapter. Chapter 9 clearly stated it was still daytime as they walked the festival together prior to the couple going home to change for dinner. So even though the art shows it is nighttime, do not be confuse, given the chapter said it was daytime.

So check out this amazing NaruTen art taken off Chapter 9 of “Unexpected”! As usual, either copy-and-paste the following URL & remove the spaces or go to my Author Profile for the direct link…

Anauchihad . deviantart.com / art / Commission-NaruTenten-151302235

8) Last, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. It was not my plan to post this chapter on Valentine’s Day, but when I realized that I could finish this chapter in time for Valentine’s Day, I decided to post it on this day, especially because the chapter contained a romantic ending for Naruto and Tenten at the wedding reception. The chapter’s story may not occur on Valentine’s Day, but least it has romantic elements to make it feel it could have taken place on this day. ;p

9) Editted in Feb. 23, 2010: DKSTUDIOS05, over at DeviantArt, has done a wonderful job of doing a commission for me showing Naruto and Tenten as they actually look like at the wedding! Tenten looks gorgeous and Naruto looks handsome! Check it out! Copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces or check out the link in my Author Profile! (big grin)

Jupmod . deviantart . com / art / UL-NaruTen-Wedding-Attires-155220585

Edited June 14, 2012 by JuPMod

[JuPMod]

Chapter 16 ANs

1) Given I couldn’t find the Japanese name for Tenten’s Iron Protection Wall (I found this English name at online sources), seen in the Shippuuden Anime Episode #109, I’d decided to create the name using an online English-to-Japanese translator. It’s why the technique is called Airon Engo Kabe (Iron Protection Wall).

Also I understand in the Shippuuden Anime Episode #103, Tenten had called the Twin Rising Dragons jutsu, Soushouryuu (Twin Rising Dragons). However, online sources stated this is an upgraded version of the technique seen in the original anime when Tenten fought Temari during the preliminaries of the Chuunin Exams. Since the one in Shippuuden no doubt was an upgraded version, online sources named it Twin Rising Dragons Control. It’s why I named it Soushouryuu Soujuu (Twin Rising Dragons Control). It makes sense to give it a slightly different name in order to not confuse the two versions of the technique.

The third variation of the Soushouryuu is the Souryuu Tensakai (Double Dragon Scattering Destruction), seen in Shippuuden Anime Episode #28. From the magna and anime, it’s obvious this is Tenten’s most powerful technique, sending a rain of weapons down at the enemy faster and more destructive than the Soushouryuu Soujuu. Online sources gave just an English name of “Manipulated Tools: Heavenly Chain of Destruction”, but since the anime sub’s name of the technique sounds better in showing this jutsu is a major upgrade of the Soushouryuu, I’d chosen to stick with Souryuu Tensakai.

2) The brief Naruto-army seen, during Naruto and Tenten’s spar, is what I think Naruto is capable of doing, if he can organize his Kage Bushin into a collective fighting force. In canon, Naruto mostly use his Kage Bushin to only try to overwhelm his enemy with numbers. This is a waste of Kage Bushin, for if he has the chakra capacity to create thousands of KB, he could have used them more wisely than just throwing them at the enemy.

I do not recall whether any other fanfics ever touched upon this subject. I’m sure there are plenty out of there; just I have not read them. With perhaps the exception of one, titled “I am Legion”. It’s an old fanfic that has been removed by the author, for the current Naruto fic of this title is not the story I’m referring. Let’s just say that in that fic, Naruto does use his KB to become literally a one-man army.

3) ‘Mizuyama’ translates to ‘Water Mountain’. I figured that a shinobi from Mist (Kiri) would least have a name related to water.

4) Yeah, yeah, I know I had promised just two more chapters before concluding this fic, but given what I had in mind for Chapter 16 would be just too long if I had written everything down, I’d decided to divide this mini-arc into two chapters. Rest assure, I mean it this that that the fic will be concluded in the next two chapters with the last chapter being the epilogue.

Edited June 21, 2012 by JuPMod

[JuPMod]

Chapter 17 ANs

1) The idea that Naruto has mastered the use of Senjutsu came from Chapter 468 of the manga where he was seen trying to gather Natural Energy on his own. I figured that if he ever does able to gather Natural Energy easily, then all he have to do to enter Sage Mode was to duplicate the system he had used during his battle with Pain – leave a few Kage Bunshin at a safe location to gather Natural Energy, summon a Bunshin using a scroll, cancel the Bunshin, and bingo, instant Sage Mode!

Yet, I also figured that Naruto will not use Sage Mode often, regardless how easy he can use it. As with the Kyuubi, Naruto will not want to become overly dependent on such powers to win all his battles. So he will use Sage Mode only when necessary against really powerful foes. Since Mizuyama is ranked as an S-class shinobi, Naruto is not taking any chances, thus why he used Sage Mode.

2) To be honest, I really felt uncomfortable writing up the sexual molest scene. I detest rape, and given what I read online, the emotional scars from rape would be deep. I know Tenten and the other kunoichi are strong women, but if I had written Tenten actually raped, I really couldn’t see her cuddling up to Naruto for quite some time. It was why I had written the bandit starting the act but not able to go so far before Tenten kicked that kunai out of his hand and use it to escape. Tenten was not raped per se, thus why she does not have the emotional deep scars to prevent her from being physically close to her boyfriend.

3) For anyone’s information, the kunoichi undergarment mentioned is simply a clothed breast support connected by a single shoulder strap with a metal ring. There are plenty of fan art over at DeviantArt showing this undergarment, which pretty much is viewed as regular clothing. It’s why kunoichi can walk around wearing it in public and not be viewed as sexual compared to a bra. The garment can also be use as swimwear.

Here are two examples. Just copy-and-paste the following URLs and remove the spaces…

Maysan . deviantart . com / art / NaruSaku-Summer-92014983

eru-kaine . deviantart . com / art / NaruSaku-Training-103405320

Sorry that I couldn’t find any Tenten art of her wearing the undergarment, but the two NaruSaku art pretty much show the kunoichi undergarment Tenten was wearing in this chapter.

4) Yes, I finally gave Kyohaku and Tenten a family name. I know it’s odd to do this in the next-to-last chapter of the fic, but I just can’t help but to get it over and done with. Given Mizuyama have the tendency to call Naruto ‘Uzumaki-kun’, I think it will be appropriate for him to called Tenten by her family name as well. So I gave Tenten a family name, thus I can finally able to use another name for her.

For everyone’s information, ‘takehashi’ means ‘high bridge’ in Japanese. I had thought of using ‘takahoshi’ (‘high star’) or ‘kitahoshi’ (‘north star’), but given Tenten’s mother’s name is Kyohaku, another word for ‘star’, I figured it would be too weird for their family name to have the word ‘star’ in it.

5) I want to be on record that ‘oodama’ means ‘giant’ in Japanese. Some online sources, like Naruto Wikia, got the translations wrong regarding the Oodama Rasengan.

And speaking of the Rasengan, there is a difference between the regular Fuuton: Rasen Shirken and the Senpou-Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken. I know in the mange and anime, they’re both name the same, but given one version requires Natural Energy as well as chakra and wind chakra, it’s clear to anyone that there are differences between the two Rasen Shurikens. So, I took the liberty to name the newer version ‘Senpou-Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken’ given it does required Sage Mode in order to create it.

Oh, yeah… I also written the Senpou, Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken has attack abilities of the regular Rasen Shuriken as well as its unique abilities. During Naruto’s fight with Pain in the manga and anime, I was expecting to see the huge sphere of energy and wind that Kakuzu ended up in, but instead we only saw the Rasen Shuriken expanded and produced a smaller explosion. Given the Senpou version is suppose to be the same as the regular version, should it make sense that the Senpou-Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken can also produce that huge sphere of energy and wind? Makes sense to me given it suppose to be more powerful than the regular Rasen Shuriken.

6) If anyone came to enjoy the “Unexpected Love” art I have shown, I’m sure you might come to enjoy the many NaruTen commissioned art of mine. They’re not related to the story, but many of these arts are awesome, and if you’re a NaruTen fan, you should check them out! You can find the links to these arts in my Author Profile under the title of “JPMod’s Commissioned Art” or check out the couple of NaruTen art below. Just copy-and-paste the each URL and remove the spaces.

jupmod . deviantart . com / art / NaruTen-Tropical-Fun-165813494

jupmod . deviantart . com / art / NaruTen-Summer-Fun-163996101

7) Finally, yes, the next chapter will be the final one for this story. The fic has run its course and it’s time for me to end it. It is not though the end of story ideas for this particular fanfic universe. At the very end of the final chapter’s Author Notes, I’ll be placing up a scene of a possible story I might consider writing for the UL Universe. It’s an idea that has been on my mind for a while.

8) Editted in 6/24/07: Minstrel Savant had written in his review regarding that in Sage Mode, Naruto couldn't use the Tajuu Kage Bunshin. I had thought he was referring to the recent Shippuuden anime episode where it was mentioned, but after checking the manga, it was clear it was mentioned in there as well.

So I went back and rewritten the entire Sage Mode scene to better fit this major canon information regarding the limits of how many Kage Bunshin Naruto can made while in Sage Mode. My hats off to Minstrel Savant for the heads up.

8.2) Editted in 8/19/10: GrayShadow65 had left a review contradicting Minstrel Savant's review regarding whether Naruto can use the Tajuu Kage Bunshin while in Sage Mode. He stated that since Naruto in my story only used one Kage Bunshin to gather Natural Energy, Naruto can use the Tajuu Kage Bunshin.

To be honest, after two months since I done the rewriting of this chapter, I'm not in the mood to go back to rewrite it back to way it was before. I'm focus on writing up the next chapter of "Matriarch" while waiting for a special 'gift' to be finish before posting the final chapter of UL. I'm leaving Chapter 17 the way it is. Please, people, do not bother reviewing me regarding this particular jutsu again. It's done and over.

[JuPMod]

Chapter 18 ANs

1) For those who have not figured it out, the bedroom scene at the beginning of this chapter ties back to the very start of Chapter 1. They’re both the same scene, where Naruto was thinking of all the events that had happened during the past year. You can even say that all the chapters in between were like flashbacks.

And yes, this bedroom scene and the scene where Naruto entered Kyohaku’s store and received his twin kodachi both happened on Valentine’s Day. It’s why I had written that it was exactly one year to the day that started the path for Naruto and Tenten to get together as a couple.

2) If anyone is confused regarding the ages mentioned, it’s pretty simple. Tenten is a year and seven months older than Naruto, thus why he is 31 while Tenten is 33. He would turn 32 later on in the year.

The twins also are born in the lateral part of the year, thus they are 4 ½ but will turn 5. Tetsute was born in the early part of the year, as Tenten had. Thus he is 9.

3) Some of you are probably asking, “Why did you give Gaara two women?” I say, “Why not?” Since I read plenty of Naruto Harem fics and seen art of Naruto with many women, I say that Gaara also should have a lot of loving as well. Not to mention, this is the best way IMO to resolve the entire Matsuri/Sari war. Just give both of them to him. This way Gaara can get all the loving he deserves. XD

4) Any of you remember the poll I had started way back in late 2009 where I asked that if Naruto ever gets married, which family name would he take, now that he knows he is the son of Fourth Hokage? Well, I’d closed that poll in June 2010, and the majority had voted that he would merge the family names and become Uzumaki-Namikaze. These were the poll results…

Combined: Uzumaki-Namikaze – 170

Stay with Uzumaki – 83

Change to Namikaze – 38

Not really sure – 7

So since the majority voted for him to combine the family names, that is what I went as anyone was able to see in this chapter, where Naruto and Tenten have children and together they’re the Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan/Family.

5) For any of you wondering why I had Naruto’s twin children having their father’s whisker marks but not his first son, the reasons came from manga chapter 500. (I don’t want to give away spoilers, so if you have not read Chapter 500, skip this A/N now and go read A/N #6!)

Chapter 500 revealed that Kushina was the second Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and when she gave birth to Naruto, he was sporting the whisker marks. So the whisker marks came from being the child of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and not from being a Jinchuuriki, which Naruto would become. So, logically, if Kushina being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki gave Naruto whisker marks, I presume the same would be for any children Naruto would sire. Whether or not Naruto’s grandchildren will sport whisker marks, I’ll just leave that out in the open. The marks could be genetic that started with Naruto, so his children and future descendents might sport the marks.

Yet again, in the same chapter, it was hinted that Mito Uzumaki, the First Hokage’s wife, gave birth after she became the first Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. However, Tsunade does not sport whisker marks or her brother or anyone mentioned to be the descendent of the First Hokage.

So in conclusion, I figured the whisker marks pretty much must be genetic and can be passed on. However, like all genetic traits, it’s left by chance whether a child would bare those traits. It might explain why Tsuande and her brother do not sport whisker marks, being the grandchildren of Mito Uzumaki, while Naruto did have the marks, which I passed down in “UL” to Naruto’s twin children.

(Wipes brow) Whew! Least this theory of mine would not mean me going back to rewrite “Whatever It Takes II” regarding Naruto’s son in that story. XD

6) For everyone’s information, ‘Tetsute’ means ‘Iron Hand’ in Japanese. I figured it was a well-suited name for Tenten’s father, given he was a blacksmith.

7) As of this chapter’s posting, I can safely say that “UL” has become the longest running Naruto story I have ever written and completed. More than 190K words, 290 reviews, more than 140K hits, 459 favs, 401 watches, and 27 C2s have this story in their archive. And I know these numbers will grow some more after this chapter is posted.

Not bad for a fic that I’d originally intended to be just a one-shot to be posted on Valentine’s Day, 2009. It was suppose to have Naruto have brief flashbacks of the past year, but then I’d changed my mind to try to have each month of the year be written as a single chapter. That didn’t gone as planned due to the ‘Arranged Marriage’ arc needed more chapters to be told. So, instead of 12 chapters, I ended up with 18.

So, overall, this had been quite a run for me as a writer. I certainly enjoyed the journey in telling of Naruto and Tenten’s relationship.

8) To be honest, I had finished typing up Chapter 18 back at the end of July 2010. The reason why I had not posted the chapter until now is that I was waiting for a special gift I wanted to share with everyone who had supported this fic for so long.

Over at DeviantArt, I had commissioned DKSTUDIOS05 to draw an art of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family. That’s right, if you want to actually see what the family looks like, including all three children, you can see the art over at my DA page. Either copy-and-paste the following URL and remove the spaces or check out the link in my Author Profile…

Jupmod . deviantart . com / art / UL-Uzumaki-Namikaze-Family-178421360

Also, I want to say that while DK and I were working over the art, any changes made to the art I immediately make certain it fits the fic. So it helped improved what I written about the characters.

So I hope everyone enjoys this gift! It’s great to see a NaruTen family snapshot from UL, eh?