A/N

Setting: Generation of Naruto's children.

Hinata and Naruto had a son, Seito Uzumaki. The rest of Naruto's generation also had children of their own - and today is the day of their Chuunin exam. Leaf, Sand, Mist and Sound meet again. Two girls catch everyone's eyes - Kuroichi Hyuuga, a Byakugan-wielder and Leaf orphan, and Haji Shingai-Yoru, Sand Genin with a past as dark as her flickering eyes. Two taijutsu and genjutsu experts. Two unknown factors in the equation of Seito's future. Who are they? And why exactly are they here? Their presence and talents are no coincidence; powers of Naruto's time are set into motion again, and as the Chuunin exams advance, secrets of all parties are revealed. What is at play is much more important than a simple exam for the next ninja grade - the future and destruction of their world lies in the hands of the new generation.

Chapter 1: What They Want

(This is just an introduction of the new characters, you can skip on to the next page break if you want but it would just help you know who all the characters are beforehand otherwise you'll be completely lost. : P)

Seito Uzumaki, Ya Hyuuga, Kama Inuzuka, Unaga Rock, Sukido Uchiha and Sebaakki Nara had been best of friends ever since the pram. Their parents were childhood friends, so it made sense that the six of them also be friends.

Seito, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga's only son, had inherited his father's hair, his mother's Byakugan, and both of their talents. Much to Naruto's amusement, the young Uzumaki had also inherited his father's trouble-making penchant. Though his chakra and stamina reserves were enormous, they were unstable and difficult to control. It seemed that part of Kyuubi's chakra had flowed into his host's son, though no one had yet realized exactly to what extent.

Ya Hyuuga was Neji Hyuuga and Ten Ten's daughter. Hyuuga Byakugan, and an impressive mastering of weapons of all kinds; in everything but those white eyes, Ya was her mother's exact portrait.

Kama Inuzuka and Ookami, her wolf partner, was daughter to Kiba Inuzuka and Temari of the Sand. She was a master of weapons and genjutsu, as well as animal jutsu, with a preference for wolves, and looked like a younger version of her father.

Unaga Rock. Taijutsu expert of his generation, along with two other Genins, Unaga had long black hair, and had adopted his father's dressing style, though upgraded a little, with uni-spiked shoulders and a sort of half jumper that only covered one arm and stopped just under his armpits.

Sukido Uchiha, a ninjutsu and healing chakra expert with over developed senses, son to Sasuke Uchiha and to the blind and albino Cloud Jounin Tsubasa Sora. With a preference for jutsu of wind and fire, the youngest Uchiha had pearl white hair he'd inherited from his mother, though their structure was that of an Uchiha's.

Sebaakki Nara, son to Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka, was an impressive user of genjutsu and ninjutsu, particularly water jutsu, and was, just like Kama, a younger version of his father.

Then beside these six were Kuroichi Hyuuga, Demashi Kimiko and Setsudan Itan, Konoha's team 13, under taijutsu master and Jounin Rochiru Sataido.

Kuroichi Hyuuga, orphan, had always been known by the name Hyuuga, due to her Byakugan heritage. An thirteen year old with the black, unruly mane of an Uchiha, she radiated darkness and power. Demashi and Setsudan were two years younger than her, Setsudan with faded red hair and brown eyes, Demashi with bone white hair and pale blue eyes. Both of them harmless and drawn back in appearance - but ONLY in appearance. The three of them had met in the academy. And though Kuroichi had flat out refused to pass the Chuunin exam twice before, the year that Demashi and Setsudan had joined the Academy and then had been allowed to join the Genin exam, she had followed. They'd been made Genin easily, and had somehow been put into the same team - Team 13, under Rochiru Sataido.

It was as though Kuroichi had been waiting for the right partners. She'd been brilliant at the academy, but she'd never seemed interested in walking the next step.

And then Demashi and Setsudan were suddenly there, and she'd aced her Genin exams with them at her side.

She was the genius ninja of her generation, with a preference for taijutsu, like her sensei, and for fire jutsu. Her hair and fire jutsu brought Konoha believe that she was the daughter of an Uchiha; some said that her parents had abandoned her when she was a baby because her uncontrolled and too-powerful chakra had killed someone of their entourage; others whispered that her parents had died at the hands of supporters of the defeated Akatsuki. More still claimed that she had run away from her home, in one of those continents that had no academy and to whom ninjas were the plague incarnate.

Demashi Kimiko was the Toad Sannin's daughter, abandoned on his doorstep one night yet so obviously HIS - the mane of bone white hair, the square jaw, the strong nose and those striking, killing eyes; she looked so much like him it was scary. Whoever her mother had been, there was no trace of that woman left behind in her daughter's features. Nothing at all, except perhaps that darkness that sometimes overwhelmed the girl, when her eyes glazed over at the times when she knew nobody was looking at her. It wasn't sorrow or pain in those eyes in these moments - but a darkness that would have put Sasuke Uchiha's lust for revenge to shame. That darkness had definitely not been inherited from her father.

And Setsudan Itan... The eleven year old was strikingly - and admittedly disturbingly so - similar in looks to a certain student of Jiraiya's - a red-headed student who later became the vessel to one of the six Paths of Pain. He was an orphan, and though his resemblance to Nagato had launched even more rumours about his origins than Kuroichi had, Setsudan had never paid them any heed. Whether or not he knew who his parents were, nobody knew - and he'd never made any move to hint at a possible correct answer.

Kuroichi, Demashi and Setsudan were complete antagonists to Seito, Ya, Unaga, Sukido, Kama and Sebaakki. The two groups of youngsters had shown an immediate animosity towards the other; rivalry and the unknown had wedged a black void between them that only seemed to widen with the approach of the Chunnin exams.

And those exams - were today.

The moment Seito stepped into the Konoha Exam hall, flanked by his team members Kama Inuzuka and his wolf cub Ookami and Sebaakki Nara, he realized that they were late.

It was nearly comical that their sensei, Hatake Kakashi, had actually rubbed off on the three of them and caused them to be consistently late for everything. Normally, Seito Uzumaki would have laughed it off, but today, he felt more inclined to groan and facepalm himself.

Which he did.

He peeped through his fingers as Kama dropped a hand on his shoulder and grinned at him. Despite himself, the youngest Uzumaki grinned back at the brown haired Inuzuka; Kama's constant good humour and enthusiasm had always been highly contagious. Then a girl's high pitched delight exploded in his ears as someone threw their arms around his neck, and Seito chuckled as he hugged his cousin back, lifting her by the waist and twirling her around as she laughed.

Ya Hyuuga, daughter of Neji Hyuuga and Ten Ten, and his cousin on his mother's side. Though his uncle Neji was downright scary, the only thing Ya had in common with her father was her eyes - and thank KAMI for that! The dark, shoulder-long thick hair she held from her mother was pulled into a single ponytail atop her head. Her Leaf band protector was attached to her forehead, her kunai slipped into the belt of a skirt that reached mid-thigh, a pocket strapped across her chest containing shurikens, another lower, crossing the other's strap, and hanging on her hip with more shurikens. He knew by experience that Ya had two more kunai pinned into the base of her ponytail, another in her left high boot, and her right boot contained a hidden pouch of senbon needles - and there were more of those needles pinned into her hair. Ya had been trained as a Hyuuga - a warrior - all her life. She had yet to be surprised in real-time fights. Though she played dumb normally, Seito and the others knew better than to believe her show.

Ya was smart and quick on her feet. Her father had made sure that she was prepared for anything - literally anything. Her taijutsu and gentle fist techniques were perfect, and she could hold her ground nearly as easily with lightning and wind ninjutsu, even though she did prefer weapons and close fighting. She was perhaps the Genin of their little group with the most chance of passing this exam - and despite their mutual dislike for Neji Hyuuga, none of them could deny that it was thanks to him.

Seito dropped Ya to the floor, and she clapped his shoulder just as Kama had done only seconds ago.

"Cousin," she said, her smile wide, genuine and highly contagious, just like Kama's.

"Ya-dono," he replied, doing a mock exaggerated bow in front of her. She laughed and caught his hand, dragging him with her as she gestured to Kama and Sebaakki to follow her. Seito looked over his cousin's shoulder as she talked with his two partners, tuning them out for a few minutes as he took in their surroundings. None of them Rookies had ever been inside the Exam Hall.

It was massive. Impressive and rather intimidating in size, with winding stairs curling around the room and up the walls, even though there was no second floor to go to. None that he could see anyway, but he doubted he would have missed one, even if it had been hidden. He turned around.

"Seba," he said to his black haired friend, "can you-"

"There are no hidden doors in the walls, Naruto-kun."

Sebaakki beat him to it, face lifted as he looked around them, his face neutral as per usual. The genjutsu expert had a knack for knowing what they wanted to say before they themselves were even completely sure. Seito grinned at him and nodded, used by now to his friend's antics. He whipped around once more, and ran straight into Hido Morini, Ibiki-sensei's son and Team 3's weapons expert. Hido Morini wasn't a rookie - far from it. Him and his team, Kino Aburame and Takira Akimichi, had been around for two years now. Their sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, hadn't allowed them to join the exam before this year. Rumours said that it was because Hido had a knack for constantly foregoing orders and going off solo for missions that necessitated complete teamwork. Their last C-Rank mission had apparently been more successful, for here was Hido now, his team at opposite ends of the grounds to him, and they were ready for the exam.

"Hi Hido-san," Seito smiled sheepishly, craning his neck to look at the face towering a good foot over his own.

"Naruto-kun," Hido grinned, deep voice rumbling impossibly low as he spoke. Seito cringed as the giant's saucer of a hand fell on his head and ruffled his hair, making Kama and Ya giggle behind him and Seba raise an eyebrow at the pair of them. Hido was normally not one for demonstrations of affection; being allowed to take the exam must have put him in a good mood. The thirteen year old gave a few experimental paths on the blond's head, then grinned and took a step back just as said blond's neck vertebrae's were beginning to protest. Hido Morini was a good bloke once you knew him well enough, and even though his teammates made it a point to stay as far away from him as possible now, you could tell that they still cared for him in the way they both eyed his every movement out of the corner of their eye, ready to jump to him at the first sign that he needed them.

Hido also had an enormous ability to get into trouble. And, out of battle, he wasn't always very capable of getting out of it alone.

Then Kama stepped in, threw her arms around the giant, and the two of them surprised everyone - except for their respective teammates- when Hido hugged her right back and twirled her around in the same way Seito had done to Ya. The grin on the Uzumaki's face was priceless as he tried hard not to laugh at everyone's open mouthed stares. Then Ookami, the Inuzuka's familiar, barked, and Hido immediately put her down on her feet, the grin on both their faces echoing Seito's.

Though it wasn't common knowledge in Konoha, Kama and Hido had always been friends. Their fathers Kiba and Ibiki had kept a strong relationship after the former's Chuunin exam, and their two only children had gotten on like a charm. Kama had been put into two year old Hido's arms, and that had been it. The only reason nobody was aware of it was because Hido's perpetual habit of grunting and groaning when spoken to in public, had not, until now, ever been let down.

Ookami, the Inuzuka wolf familiar, jumped into Kama's arms, black and white fur shining, and suddenly Hido's teammates were there, flanking him, openly staring at the gaping Genin, daring them to say anything, a promise in their eyes that those who DID dare would regret the day they were born. Knowing Kino and Takira, everybody looked away, acting as though nothing had happened; the Aburame's and Akimichi's reputations were great in Konoha. They were highly competent Genins, held back only by Morini Ibiki's oldest son. It was also a known fact that anyone who dared say a thing about Hido would have to face up to Kino and Takira once they learned about it. They were like older siblings to him - looking out for him at all times. They bore no grudge for him holding them back; on the contrary, they were constantly striving to get him to improve his skills and team spirit.

Kino and Takira were nearly as tall as Hido - five foot seven -, all of three of them thirteen years old and towering over the eleven year old rookies. Seito and Ya weren't even five foot yet, Sebaakki tall for his age at five foot three, and Kama somewhere in the middle at five foot one.

The Aburame and Akimichi gave them a short bow, bending from the waist up with one arm across their stomachs and the other behind their backs, their eyes meeting the four youngsters' only shortly before returning to the rest of the room. Ya, Seito, Kama and Sebaakki returned the bow, and Hido grinned, un-observing of traditions as he patted that blond head one last time before turning away with his Team. The two girls behind the Uzumaki giggled again, and Seito rolled his eyes as he turned to them, not bothering to try and fix the hair that he knew was a constant mess anyway. Damn his father for passing him that hair!

"Seito," a soft voice said into his ear.

Seito recognized the voice instantly and whirled around, throwing his arms around the black haired boy in front of him as a wide grin broke out on his face. This was Rock Unaga, son to Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura, and his best friend since they were toddlers. Unaga laughed and hugged him back, strong arms winding around the blond's waist as he was lifted up into the air and then put back down. Seito pulled back and clapped the other's arm, avoiding the spike protruding from the other's shoulder.

"Una!" They grinned at each other, and suddenly all was right with their worlds.

Unaga was an expert in Taijutsu, as well as his Team's medic-nin. Said Team consisted of himself, Ya Hyuuga, and Sukido Uchiha, son to Sasuke Uchiha and Tsubasa Sora, a blind, white haired albinos Cloud ninja that Sasuke had met on a B-Rank mission given to their respective teams when they were both Chuunins. Cloud and Leaf teams had been sent out, not knowing that the mission had been taken by others, and had met on the site of the mission, a meeting-point in Yu, with a merchant from the Water Country looking to cross through the strip of land separating the Lightning and Fire Countries. It had been love at first sight for the Leaf ninja - the blind yet highly skilled Chuunin had caught the Uchiha's eye immediately, compensating for her lack of eyesight with incredibly developed senses that brought her to surpass even Sasuke himself. Tsubasa had taken some time, but soon enough their love had taken a turn for the best and both Leaf and Cloud Hidden Villages had agreed that the alliance was for the best. Sukido's had inherited his mother's albinism; in everything else, he was an Uchiha.

Seito couldn't see Sukido just then, but he knew that the Uchiha was here. It was just a matter of spotting him. And if they didn't, well he'd show up when he was needed.

That was Sukido's way.

And then Seito saw them. Three kids, three Genin from Sand, sitting away from everyone else.

Two guys standing, facing out from a girl sitting cross-legged on top of a barrel with her back to them, back ram rod straight and inhumanly still.

One of them with hair so dark it looked green, forehead protector laced around his middle, hands in his pockets and bent forward in a careless attitude. Fidgety, hair messy and falling into his face as his eyes darted around from face to face.

The other bald, with no facial hair whatsoever, the bottom part of his face and up to his cheekbones boring scars that looked terrifyingly like burn marks. Lips, or lack thereof, an amass of swollen and hastily stitched scars. Completely white eyes, similar to the Hyuuga family's eyes, fixed downward, body tensed, warning any outsider that thinking that he was not alert was a bad idea - for them. He stood with his arms crossed and his legs parted, feet facing outward, Sand headband wrapped around his forearm, managing to look both relaxed and poised for battle as he ignored all those around him. His lack of facial hair made him look frighteningly young.

Then the girl stood behind the two boys, unfolding her legs slowly. Long, straight, dark red hair flowed down her back in a violent cascade of flames. From where he was, Seito could see black tunic pants bundling around her calves, the collar of a loose white shirt curving and dipping down her lower back and revealing most of it, long sleeves draping over delicate hands. Then she turned, and she was facing him.

You couldn't have called her beautiful. No, there was too much bottled rage, too much animalistic fury in her features to call her 'beautiful'. She was attractive, but in a dark sort of way. Even from the other side of the wide room, Seito could tell that she was dangerous. That that girl wouldn't hesitate to crush you under her foot if it could be of some advantage to her. She was like a Dionaea - a Venus Flytrap. One of those plants that lured insects into its jaws with a sweet smell, and when it was sure that the insect was trapped - snapped closed and took its time to digest you. That girl would eat him alive if he gave her the opportunity.

It took him a moment to realize that she was staring right to him, her forehead protector bearing the Sand symbol dipping slightly over her eyes, casting a shadow on them.

Their eyes met. And then something happened. Her eyes seemed to flicker.

Blue, grey lined irises were replaced with black-rimmed white eyes, as though someone had waved a hand in front of her face.

It lasted less than a millisecond, and then it was gone.

Seito blinked. He looked again, re-focusing his eyes. She had blue eyes. They weren't black-rimmed. And she had an iris - a pupil.

Something stirred inside of the young Uzumaki. Something monstrous, something powerful and ancient. A memory. A power.

A scar.

He'd failed to notice the silence around him, but he heard it now. Ya and Kama's voices had gone quiet, and Unaga at his side was unnaturally still. Seba was closer to his unprotected back than he had been moments before, hovering around them as though expecting that girl to strike at any moment.

They were all staring at her, Seito realized. All five of them. He didn't think anybody else had noticed her flickering eyes - he knew that if not Seba, then one of the other three would have said something about it straight away. Again, he wondered if he'd imagined it. But the thing that had stirred inside his chest growled again, and he knew it had been real.

And she was still looking at him. Staring straight into his eyes as though through them she could see his very soul - his deepest secrets.

But she can't, Seito reassured himself. She can see only what you're willing to show her.

But the beast was restless inside of him.

He flinched in surprise when a large, strong hand slipped into his. He glanced sideways at Unaga; the black-haired Genin wasn't looking at him, but at the girl. It was his hand through his - the boy had sensed his unease and was trying to comfort him. He was staring at the girl to pass the message to the Uzumaki that he didn't fear her, that they had nothing to be afraid of.

Seito averted his eyes and squeezed the other boy's hand. Together, they watched as the girl took two steps forward and landed her hands on the shoulders of the two guarding Sand Genins, catching their attentions. The bald one acknowledged her with a near imperceptible movement, the other one whipped his head in her direction. Then the two heads turned in their direction, following the girl's gaze.

The hand holding his tugged at his arm, and Seito looked back to Unaga.

"Don't look at them," the black-haired Rock said, fixing his gaze. "Don't acknowledge them. Don't let them see that they have your attention." He paused, and his eyes flickered briefly over to meet Seba's eyes, standing on Seito's right and drinking Unaga's words. Their eyes locked, and some silent agreement passed between them. Unaga's eyes flitted back to him, and he breathed, "Don't give them what they want."

"Nine Leaf teams, one Sand team, three Sound teams and four Mist teams," Kama recited, counting off her fingers. "Am I right?"

"Triplets," Seito piped in, the grin in his voice nearly tangible.

Everyone turned to him, and Kama said, "What?"

The blond pointed. "They're triplets," he repeated, still grinning madly as though this was the best fun he'd had in weeks. "One of the Sound teams is triplets."

All six of them turned to stare. Indeed, up on the stairs against the wall, jumping up and down and obviously working their endurance and agility - which, Seito had realized earlier, was probably the point of the stairs in the first place - were three Sound Genins, two girls, one boy, looking everything alike except for the length of their hair and the femininity of their features. Three black fringes - and funnily enough, it was the boy who had the longest hair of the three. The two girls were working together, leaping off the other's shoulders, propelling each other with their hands and feet, jumping over the other in turn like the sheep you imagine jumping over each other when you're trying to get to sleep. The boy was all around them, jumping back and forth and back and forth like an over excited kid running around his too-slow parents. Yet the crisp control exerted over the chakra on his hands and feet made it clear that that wasn't what he was doing. It's like he was protecting them - watching over them like a big brother watches over younger siblings.

"See?" Seito beamed at them. "Told you they were triplets."

Ya rolled her eyes and pointed behind him. "Yes, and we have our very own twins - the Hyuugas, remember? My cousins Tomiko and Kikuta. And, my grandfather was one of two twins. Triplets aren't that big news, Sei."

Seito pouted. Ya nearly laughed and restrained herself from remarking that he looked just like his father when he did that. It wasn't that Seito didn't like his father - no, the two male Uzumakis loved each other. It was just that Seito knew that he was his father's exact portrait, and at this point he'd heard it so many times that he'd grown exasperated with those who still said it.

Seito glared at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He was about to say something to her when Kama's voice caught their attention. They looked at her as she said, "That Sand team..."

As though they were one, they turned. The fact that they knew exactly where to look showed what none of them were willing to admit; the three Sand Genins had never stopped being on their minds from the moment they'd seen them.

Seito felt a hand on his arm. He turned and came face to face with Seba. The boy's eyes were dark - darker than usual. He was looking over his head, right at the Sand team. Then he spoke, in a whisper low enough that only the Uzumaki could hear him. Unaga leaned in beside them to hear what the Nara had to say, and when Seba had no reaction to it, Seito shared a worried look with the other boy.

"Whoever they are," Sebaakki started, "they are here for a reason." He paused. The blond and the black-haired ninja waited for him to speak again, eyes studying the other's grave face. The youngest Nara didn't speak much. When he did, it was usually for a good reason. He inclined his chin, pointing at the Sand team. "That girl... Don't trust your eyes. She is not who she looks to be." He shook his head and lowered his eyes to Seito's. "I cannot see through it, but she has a genjutsu up around her. She is hiding her true appearance."

Seito raised his eyebrows. If Shikamaru's son couldn't see through her genjutsu, then that Sand girl was damn strong. Sebaakki was the best genjutsu ninja he'd ever seen, and that included their sensei, Kakashi. His understanding and mastering of genjutsu had, over the years, gradually allowed him to see through most illusions - some kind of ability that was special to him, somehow. Without using any chakra, he could pierce any illusion.

He should have been able to see through the Sand girl's genjutsu. But for some reason he couldn't. And that scared Seito more than he'd ever admit.

He could see why Seba had told him and Unaga this instead of speaking outloud for everyone to hear. He didn't want them to panic. He knew that the others would have had the same reaction as Seito now, only amplified - they would have panicked. Seba didn't want that. He'd told Seito because he was the one who best understood his abilities, because he knew that Seito would understand why it was vital not to tell the rest of their group. And he'd allowed Unaga to listen because he knew that the other boy was the Uzumaki's best friend, that they told each other everything. If you told one or the other of the two boys something, you could be sure that the other would know by nightfall. That was a fact that Ya, Kama, Seba and Sukido had learned fast enough.

"Seba," Unaga whispered. All three of their gazes were fixed on the Sand girl now. "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her get away with it."

The Nara nodded. "Count on me."

About half an hour later, a ninja wearing the leaf forehead protector who had to be one of the guarding Jounins came into the room. Silence fell on the assembled teams.

"Hichi Suchu, Hichi Kimoto and Hichi Akemi, advance to Gate 3 please!"

As the Sound triplets bounded forward, Seito turned to Ya. "Why are they only calling one team forward? I thought everyone did the exam at the same time?"

Ya shook her head. "It's up to the chosen examiner to set the exam. It can be anything at all - in fact, it's different every time, unless they choose the same examiner twice, and even then, they always try to change the program, if only to prevent anyone from cheating. The only fixed requirement is that each team is treated as a whole; if one of a team fails the exam, the entire team reaps the consequences." Ya and her team had already attempted the exam the previous year, but they'd left early, not considering themselves ready just yet to become Chuunin. Their sensei, Kama's father, Kiba Inuzuka, had agreed. As a result, Ya, Sukido and Unaga were a year older than Seito, Kama and Sebaakki.

Seito bit his lip. "I wonder what the exam is this time. And who the examiner is." Nobody had an answer to that.

Five minutes later, the Jounin guard came back. Without the triplets.

"Morini Hido, Akimichi Takira, and Aburame Kino, Gate 3 please!"

Kama yelped as Hido stood from where he'd been sitting across from them. Takira and Kino were instantly at his side, and Ookami, Kama's familiar, bounded up to him, licking his hands as Kama watched, her own hands on her mouth. She whistled, and Ookami came back up to her. Hido met her gaze, and Kama waved at him. He waved back, Takira and Kino inclined their heads in acknowledgement, and then they were gone with the ninja.

Ya put a hand on Kama's arm. "Don't worry," she said soothingly. "They'll be okay."

It was another two Mist teams and three Leaf teams later before a team they knew was called. Seito detected Sukido's presence just as the ninja was saying, "Hyuuga Ya, Uchiha Sukido, and Rock Unaga! To Gate 3 please!"

The white haired Uchiha took a step forward, dragging Ya along white him silently as she waved goodbye at them. Unaga took Seito in his arms for a brief hug before he left, and soon Seito, Kama, Ookami and Seba were left to themselves. None of them said anything. They were too anxious for that.

Two Leaf teams, two Mist teams and one Sound team later, it was their turn.

"Uzumaki Seito, Nara Sebaakki, and Inuzuka Kama, Gate 7 please!"

"It's not the same Gate," Kama whispered into his ear. Seito nodded but didn't say what he was thinking; that something must have happened with Gate 3 - something that made it impracticable. The team before theirs had been Team 13, Rochiru Sataido's team - Hyuuga Kuroichi, Kimiko Demashi, and Itan Setsudan. Whatever they'd done, it couldn't be good.

Beyond Gate 7, there was a long, barren metal corridor. It looked like the kind of place that was insonorised to make sure that nobody would hear you screaming. Seito gulped, but again he said nothing.

"Hyuuga Kuroichi," Seba suddenly said into the silence as they walked. The Jounin ninja had stayed at the Gate once they'd crossed the threshold, and told them to keep walking straight.

Seito looked back at his friend. "What?"

"Hyuuga Kuroichi," he repeated, his voice thoughtful. "You do not remember her being there."

It took a moment for Seito to place his friend's words, but then he understood. It was true; he had no clear memory of Kuroichi's presence inside the room or when her name had been called earlier. He knew she'd been there, but the fact that he had no clear visual memory of her, that he could only just remember her two teammates walking through Gate 3, left him dumbfounded. The Jounin ninja who'd called their names hadn't said anything when Demashi and Setsudan had passed him out, which meant that she HAD been there - but that somehow he hadn't been able to see her.

Then he remembered Seba's exact words; 'You do not remember her being there.'

Seba had seen her. And if he was talking about it now, it meant that the reason Seito couldn't remember her was that she, too, had a genjutsu around her - and that Seba had seen through it.

The look on the Nara's face and Kama's sharp intake of breath confirmed what he was thinking. "Be careful," he said, both to Seito and Kama, his voice low as he looked straight ahead and kept walking. "She uses genjutsu - not to hide herself, but the sword on her back." The frown in the boy's voice was audible as he said, "Since her chakra was concentrating on the sword, I saw her, but I could not make out the exact shape of the sword. Her goal was that I should not have been able to see it at all." He shook his head. "Sand and Leaf," he mused darkly. "It would seem that both the Fire and Wind country have fathered incredibly strong ninja in the last thirteen years." Seba looked down to Seito's anxious face, then to Kama's. "Watch out for the two of them. Their presence and abilities are no coincidence."

Then they were in a closed off room with a Jounin Leaf ninja facing them, two doors, one on either side of him, and it wasn't time to speak anymore.

The first part of the test to become Chuunin was finally here.

A/N: Hey guyz! So, yep, new fanfic! My first Naruto fanfiction! : D I'm so excited for this one, honestly! I wrote this entire chapter and created the characters and set the plot and everything else in just under three days... x D

To anyone reading my other fanfics (Second Life, Razor Sharp), DO NOT WORRY! They WILL be continued, I just lack Harry Potter feels at the moment! x) I have about a third of Chapter 7 of Second Life written...now I just have to continue it... xD As for my Fairy Tail fanfic Shut Up!, I honestly don't know whether or not I'm going to continue it. I've had only two requests to write another chapter (that would be the 'morning after' ; ) ), but I honestly have no Fairy Tail feels left either! I'm completely into Naruto at the moment (Chapter 111) and I'm just engrossed into it with no hope of survival... x D

Please do tell me if you've read or are reading any of my other fanfics. :P It's always nice to know that somebody has read a few of your works! :D

Now, I know that new generation fanfics in the Naruto fandom don't generally get such a great response, but I wanted to write this, badly, so... Please share this around, I would be forever grateful! :' )

Chapter 2, the first part of the Chuunin exam, is in writing! : D I posted this Chapter as soon as I finished it, which means that I don't have any chapters written in advance, but hopefully I'll be more inspired to write them than I have been for my HP fanfics recently... x )

Thanks to my two Beta readers and friends Rashi Kumar and Neko Mavis/kagamine1378! :D

~Tenshi