Greetings, and welcome to the first chapter, as always you may skip below the horizontal line if you want to ignore my rambling.

This chapter is a little longer than what I plan to do for each subsequent chapter, but I had a goal for this opening, several in fact: introduce the important people (mainly each of the three teams), introduce the main conflicts, give some minor background on what has happened since Naruto was fifteen-ish (because I realize that he is about that age in shippuden and my story takes place about twenty years after that. There is a lot of history to fill in, and I've got to start doing that somewhere... and I hate "flashback" chapters... so I've got to do it with thoughts and other whatnot. (the magical mysticism that is me) I have a personal policy that if you write a review, I always acknowledge it. If you ask a question (that is a legitimate question) I always answer it, and if you want to discuss the story I'm always up for that as well. I ask for reviews, because I am a feedback author. I get a better feel for the story when I learn how people react to it; this lets me know if I am conveying my point. I also ask that if you like the story... please recommend it to people. If you want me to read something of yours, the best way is to write a review and then ask me to check out your story. It's how I roll (unless you want me to beta something, then a message on here is much better). Getting back to the point of these notes:

I pretty much summed up who from Naruto/Shippuden ended up getting together with who in this chapter (of course there are a few other pairings that will still need to be released/explained. I have not forgotten anyone and they will get their chance... if that was important with you) and I think you can start to see who may have what powers... though I assure you that some will surprise you, while I'm certain others will not. I've learned that readers are cleaver creatures who come up with ideas that would shock you (even when you think you are being such a clever writer). I also want to address one question in particular, which I feel certain will be speculated and even possibly asked, and that is this: No, Naruto is not suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He does have something going on with him (I was pretty blunt with that piece of the plot meshing hammer), but it is not Alzheimer's. That is a dreadful disease which personally makes me want to just tear up, it's a dreadful thing which I could not wish upon anyone, and I would not willingly place on any character (especially one dear to my heart), so no... that will not be addressed. I think that might make me a weak writer in some respects, but I think everyone needs lines and that is one of mine.

Another thing I would like to point out is change in POV. I normally show this by a series of "*" between each different character. For some reason, when I attempt to do this, Fanfiction doesn't like it. Thus I have changed my scene switching, POV changing, useful little hint to this: [...] Every time you see it, it means that someone else is being the eyes, ears, and brain for the story.

Also, I know the issue with original characters... I promise you that my OCs are completely and 100% their own individuals. They have traits from their parents (which allows me to mesh out powers and skills easily and not have to go about creating entirely new systems... I'm lazy in that respect), but I definitely do my best to make them their own creature. Case in point: Kiba's offspring... without spoiling the surprise for you, she has animal mimicry and her own pet... but it's not a dog. Her personality is nothing dog like. ;) She's one of my favorites.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the first chapter. I'm going to be done rambling now... (I did make it before my promised deadline) and I hope that you will be back for more. As for my updating schedule? I'm going to aim for a minimum of one chapter a month. This will allow me to focus on work, my own writing, my poetry, and get some other things done... I will also be working on some artwork for the characters and will do my best to find a way to make it where you can view them and get an idea of what is in my head. Once again, thank you for reading (and thanks to snowpetalprincess for my first review! ^.^),

~Sarai

Naruto: Kurashio
Chapter 1 – Dark Tide

A set of blond eyelashes fluttered, accompanied by a frustrated groan, as the first rays of the morning light began to filter through the wooden shutters that covered the bedroom window. With a disgruntled murmur, Naruto rolled over to escape the offensive intruder, which seemed intent upon hitting him directly in the eyes; however, no amount of burying his face in the pillow could erase the damage that was done: he was awake. Any further groaning about the situation was silenced by a voice outside of his current field of vision, which Naruto happily knew was no further than his pillowcase.

"Good morning, sunshine," the voice was perky, and even though he couldn't see the face, Naruto knew there was a smirk attached to it.

Turning his head slowly to the side, Naruto cracked a single eye and was greeted by the smiling visage of Neji. The brunette's long, silk-like hair was loose, falling across his chest and shoulders seductively, and his pale lavender eyes were shining with mirth as he watched the sleepy blond before him.

"Meh…" Naruto stuffed his face back in the pillow.

"That's not how you say good morning," the brunette purred.

Naruto turned his head again, glaring at Neji with the one open eye, and mumbled his greeting into the pillow. Even he couldn't understand it.

"What was that?" Neji teased.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto finally flopped onto his side. He had to think far too much to even contemplate returning to sleep at this point, so he let out a yawn and grinned at the brunette beside him, "Morning, bright-eyes…" Naruto reached out to pull Neji closer to him, closing his eyes so that he could fully enjoy the fragrance of the long hair which he knew had been freshly washed…

"Dobe?"

The word caused Naruto's eyes to snap open, shocked at the empty space on the bed before him. Neji was gone. He rolled over quickly to see where the word had come from and was shocked to see Gaara lying there, propped upon one arm with a concerned look about his features.

"Gaara?" Naruto cocked his head to the side quizzically, "Why did you call me that?"

"Hn…" Gaara's features hardened into a frown, and he reached out his free arm to brush locks of unruly blond hair out of Naruto's eyes, "Are you lost again…?"

At the touch, Gaara's image melted away and in his place was Sasuke. The raven haired man was concerned with Naruto's behavior, to the point permanent lines were threatening to form on his brow, which was normally unblemished. Naruto leaned forward, placing Sasuke's caring hand against his chest, and he kissed the tense brow. "Ne, Sasuke…" Naruto thrummed, "You know the mornings are a little difficult."

Sasuke nodded, his concern fading slightly upon seeing that Naruto was fully awake, "You worry me sometimes, dobe…"

"Payback, teme," Naruto chuckled, "You get to do that for years, and even then we'll never be even."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose in response to the smirking blond, "Will I regret asking why?"

"Because I still worry about you…"

As Naruto slid closer, Sasuke wrapped his arms around the man and sighed, resting his chin within the golden tresses. "You worry too much. I'll be fine."

With his ear against Sasuke's chest, Naruto could feel the vibrations of each word as they were spoken… there was a hint of sadness there, which Naruto couldn't help but feel partly responsible for, yet, at the same time, there was nothing he could do to remove it. Some things, such as the past, were unchangeable… written in stone.

The two of them lay there for a while in silence, both content to enjoy the morning sun at it slowly rose to fill the room with warm fractured light. Naruto didn't want to get up, but he could feel responsibility nagging at him. He finally breached the subject, deciding to let responsibility be Sasuke's decision, "How long until we need to get the kids up?"

A deep chuckle rumbled through Sasuke's chest as he smiled down at the blond, "They left almost an hour ago." Naruto gave him a confused look. "They have missions today," Sasuke explained.

Naruto's eyes bugged as realization dawned on him. Today was… that day! He leapt out of bed, landing on the floor next to the bureau and yanking drawers open to get clothing gather, "Oh god! I'm going to be late… I'm going to let them down!" Then suddenly an even greater horror hit him, "I'm… going to be like Kakashi!" Howling in despair, Naruto ran into the bathroom, not even aware that Sasuke was watching his nude antics with an appreciative smirk.

[...]

"I don't want it…" Kakashi said offhandedly, tossing the scroll back onto the Hokage's desk as if it was a simple gossip magazine, and, by scanning the cover, he had already learned everything he needed to know about it.

The vein in Tsunade's forehead twitched slightly at this action. "Sit down Hatake!" she barked, stopping the elder jonin before he could walk out of her office.

With reluctance, Kakashi did as he was told and threw himself lazily down into one of the many chairs in the room, as far away from the irate, blond woman as he could get. He turned his one visible eye towards her, and nodded to notify that he was listening.

"You were already given a great deal of freedom when you negotiated your terms of … leaving retirement," Tsunade frowned, obviously choosing her words carefully, "I gave you what you wanted, and I have been very patient with the methods you have employed; however, your genin squad is not exempt from standard duties. I won't play favorites, not even for you."

"I'll accept an assignment," Kakashi yawned, "But not this one. It's… beneath them."

"Your squad has an eleven year-old on it!" Tsunade yelled, "You're lucky I don't send you to go fetch Mrs. Goya's cat!"

"The cat would be more of a challenge," Kakashi mused, "I could even add some extra rules…"

"Enough!" The Hokage looked as if she were about to breathe fire in Kakashi's direction, "I need three of my best genin squads on this mission. That includes yours! This isn't up for negotiation. You'll have them by the main gates to rendezvous with Teams three and five…" Tsunade brought a hand up to massage the twitch in her eyebrow, "Now, get out of my office!"

With a shrug, Kakashi pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the door. He didn't pause for a second in his stride, effortlessly catching the scroll which she had launched at the back of his head. "I'll see you when I get back…" Kakashi winked to the assistant outside, "You'll have to tell me how long she took to cool down, and how many bottles it took." The woman only looked at him in petrified fear before rushing in to placate the raging Tsunade.

Once outside, Kakashi dropped down onto a bench and opened the scroll again. The mission was straightforward enough: three teams to carry out a standard reconnaissance operation. Each team was to locate a specific target and determine whether or not they had any connection to the current weapons smuggling ring which had risen up in Fire Country in the past few months. While the death toll from the weapons was starting to rise, what with the weapons making their way into gangs and mob cells, it was still something that should be handled by the local governments.

Kakashi saw no need for three of Konoha's best genin teams to bother with this assignment. "She has other motives…" he absentmindedly went through the possible other reasons for sending so many ninja on such a routine errand; he only came up with a single worthwhile reason: the Chunin Exams.

The location of the exams still had not been decided because the villages of Rain and Fire were both still adamantly campaigning for the honor of hosting the event, and, ultimately, it would come down to which nation was more capable. Tsunade probably wanted to wrap up this smuggling ring quickly. It would prove how capable their ninja were and pull in a vast amount of revenue which they could spend on hosting the exams. It was a dull reason, but it would at least give him a chance to field test his squad.

And who knew? Perhaps he would even put them up for consideration in this round of exams? It had been awhile since a team of rookies had been in the exams…

[...]

"Why did we get here so early?"

"Because we have a mission today…"

"But, Hana, why did we skip breakfast! Naruto never skips!"

"He's also never late, Chino! That's why we're here early."

"Jira, help me out!"

With a sigh, Jira turned around to his two teammates and gave them a stern look, "It's stupid to argue… we got here early; we wait. I've already eaten, so it's not a problem for me. You should have grabbed something to eat on the run."

Chino frowned, looking as if he would have thought about something like that, "I only packed rations… and you know how hungry I'll get later."

"Ah! You're just like your dad, Chino!" Naruto appeared sitting on a tree branch, smiling down at his three students. With a laugh he tossed a warm breakfast wrap to Chino and hopped down from the tree, "Choji was always hungry!"

"Good morning, Senpai!" a blur of tan and brown nearly tackled Naruto as it rushed to greet him.

Looking down at the smiling girl, Naruto hugged her back before disentangling himself, "Geez, Hana! How many times have I told you… it's just Naruto! Senpai makes me feel old!"

The girl turned her silver eyes up at him, wide and doe-like, "But you're my teacher. Mama says that I'm supposed to call you that…"

Naruto wasn't falling for the sweet act. He knew her mother too well. Hinata and Naruto had been friends for years; they had even contemplated dating at one point, but they both knew it wasn't likely to work out. However, as a side effect from their friendship, Hinata had become less of a shy, bashful and timid person and more of a prankster… but with that subtle grace only a Hyūga could possess. Hana, or Hanawai Hyūga-Inuzuka as she was formally known, was the spitting image of her mother, with the same soft features and beautiful eyes, but she had been cursed by her father with a mess of brown curls which fell bouncily across her face… the only thing good Kiba's genes had done for the girl was to give her a proper pair of black pupils. Hana still had the silver eyes of the Hyūga clan, but thankfully they didn't look creepily into your soul.

"You're mother and I shall be having words," Naruto said with false severity, "Now where are the Ying Yangs?"

As if he had summoned them, a pair of squirrels, one black and the other white, came bursting from the treetops above Naruto's head and showered him with acorns, leaves, and twigs as they came to rest on Hana's shoulders. "Yet another curse from that damned Kiba!" Naruto growled inwardly, brushing himself off.

"There you two are!" Hana said innocently, "You need to stop doing that to Senpai!"

"Those two are menaces," Naruto glared at the squirrels, which seemed unphased.

"They just like you," Hana smiled, batting her eyes. She then went over to Chino to check on the stocky boy, who had already eaten his breakfast and was patting his stomach contentedly.

Naruto turned his attention to the final member of his squad, before bounding over to the boy and pulling him into a swift hug, "Good morning, Jira!"

The boy was shocked at the sudden hug. Yes, he normally hugged his father every morning, but they never really acted like a family during practice. Perhaps Naruto was getting him back for leaving the house without saying goodbye? Quickly hugging the larger man, Jira pushed away and looked down at the ground embarrassed, "Morning, dad…"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and took a step back, "Sorry! Just trying to keep the morning routine intact…"

"It's ok," Jira beamed up at him, his pale blue eyes showing no sign of anger or anything harsh towards his father. The boy gave Naruto another quick hug before running over to his teammates.

Naruto just stood there watching him. Unlike Hana, whose eyes were as close to normal as a member of the Hyūga bloodline could probably get, Jira had inherited Neji's eyes. The pupils and irises were the same pale color, looking like they could see through your soul. In fact the boy had inherited all the best qualities from Neji, the face and posture… even the long hair, Neji's unwavering belief in whatever he set his mind on, and, most important of all, his strength of self. Naruto's influence had been merely superficial. Jira had inherited Naruto's hair color, and because of Naruto's genes… Jira's eyes had a faint blue coloring to them, which was akin to looking at pools of still water; they reflected everything back at you.

"Senpai!" Hana shouted at him, pulling Naruto from his contemplation.

"Right, right," Naruto nodded, "Time to get started" He pulled the mission scroll from within one of the pockets on his jonin vest and headed over to his gathered students. They had about thirty minutes before it was time to group up with the other teams, which meant he had about twenty to make certain they were prepared to move out.

With a cocky smirk Naruto knew they'd be finished in ten.

[...]

Sasuke was worried about Naruto. He could joke about it with the blond… pretend as if nothing were bothering him. The last thing Sasuke wanted to do was put more stress upon the dobe. Hell! he would do anything for Naruto if he could, but it didn't erase this feeling in his stomach—that something was wrong. Something had been going wrong for a few years. It had started slowly, appearing as if it were only daydreaming… typical Naruto, but in the past few months, Sasuke had noticed that his dobe had literally started forgetting where he was. There would be moments where Naruto's eyes would glaze over, and then he would be back in a second.

It would seem like the blond had experienced lifetimes in those brief moments, and now those moments were growing longer, like this morning. Naruto would sometimes disappear for minutes at a time, speaking to people who weren't there… Neji in particular, and, of course, Sasuke blamed himself for the whole mess. He had been the one constantly running off. He had left Naruto alone enough times to make anyone start looking in a different direction. Naruto had found someone, and that some had died. Sasuke hadn't been there to help his friend, and Naruto had replaced him again—with Gaara. When he had finally gotten his head on straight, Sasuke returned to Konoha as quickly has he could have.

The dark haired jonin stood there beneath a tree, recalling the joy he had felt, knowing that he would see Naruto again for the first time in years… to ask him for help, to finally admit that he needed the blond idiot.

Sasuke's brow furrowed in frustration as he continued reminiscing. Naruto's life had changed so drastically back then, from the last time they had seen each other. Naruto was… happy; and, like every other time, Sasuke's appearance had managed to destroy the blond's happiness. Upon his arrival, Naruto had immediately asked Sasuke why he had returned. The idiot had pestered and pushed until Sasuke admitted the reason and asked for his help. Naruto had agreed without question, and he left behind his family to go with Sasuke on a mission which could have lasted an unforeseeable amount of time.

The action had been too much for the other man in Naruto's life. Gaara left while they were away; he'd placed the children in Sakura's care. "She is their mother after all," Sasuke thought to himself, "Even if she's a bad influence… Tsunade rubbed off on her too much."

Naruto had gotten depressed upon learning of Gaara's departure, feeling abandoned… and of course the dobe blamed himself. Naruto was too kind to ever place the blame where it belonged—on Sasuke, and Sasuke would admit, only to himself, that he took advantage of the blond's kindness on numerous occasions.

Sasuke was a selfish bastard, rightfully named. He had ruined Naruto's life, but in doing so… Sasuke had placed himself in the perfect position to pick up the pieces, to finally be there for Naruto, as he should have been—like Naruto had always been. It had taken time, but they finally worked out all of their issue, after a great many arguments and actual fights. They were now a family. Unfortunately Sasuke couldn't escape his own guilt… and the reason that prevented his escape was staring at him right now:

Kitaka Uzumaki, Gaara's son.

At least Sasuke wished he was only Gaara's son… the problem was that the boy was completely and entirely Naruto. The resemblance was unnatural. Kitaka had the same mess of unruly hair, the same expressions… he looked exactly the same as Naruto had at that age, when Sasuke had been forced into cooperating with the blond on a team. Kitaka even wore Naruto's old, orange jacket which Naruto had given him upon graduating from the Ninja Academy. The only difference between father and son was the eyes… Kitaka had Gaara's eyes; those cold, calculating, all-seeing green eyes, along with that unruly mess of crimson hair. It may have been Naruto's hair, but Gaara had dyed it. This child was undeniable proof that Sasuke had destroyed a perfectly happy family…

And the Uchiha felt sick about it.

"Oy! Sasuke-sama!" a loud voice shouted. It caused the raven-haired man's eyebrow to twitch slightly as he turned to the voice.

The voice was attached to Sainō, a twelve year old orphan boy with short, spiky hair and a loud mouth. Sainō looked like a small wood nymph, with dark brown hair that had traces of midori colored strands all throughout it as if his hair had been made from the earth; he also had perpetually tanned skin, a shade darker than Naruto and Kitaka's… and if anyone reminded Sasuke of Naruto… it was this kid. He looked nothing like Naruto, that blessing had been given to Kitaka, but Sainō emulated Naruto's childhood persona with perfection.

"Keep your voice down, Sainō," Sasuke chided, "I'm right here."

"Of course!" The boy didn't get any quieter, "But we have a mission! Tell us. Is it exciting? Are we fighting bandits! Or maybe pirates?"

"Don't be stupid, moron!" A fist came out of nowhere and knocked the loudmouth to the ground.

Sasuke focused on the person whom the fist belonged to: Gakira Nara, who preferred to be called "Kira". She was daughter of Ino and Shikamaru, but if she took after anyone… she took after Sakura, her godmother. Kira had Shikamaru's spiked hair, with Ino's length, but, unlike her parents, the girl wore her hair loose. She looked all the more wild because of it, and if you added the fact Kira also had Ino's eyes: dark blue with that insane fire that constantly lit them ablaze. The girl looked primed for a padded room, but Sasuke would admit himself biased on the subject.

Bringing a hand to his forehead, Sasuke attempted to massage his on-coming headache away. "Kira…" he groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you…? Stop hitting your teammate."

"But he's so… stupid!" She growled.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke fixed her with a glare. This was his punishment. Tsunade had been much too lenient with his return, and he now knew why: children heaped back troubles on their elders ten-fold. Sasuke had been assigned a team who, in all aspects, were ten times worse than Sasuke's genin team had EVER been. They were like his old team—but on a high sugar intake.

"Are you all right?"

Sasuke watched quietly as Kitaka walked over and helped Sainō to his feet, brushing the younger boy off.

Sainō grinned mischieviously, squinting his eyes, "I'm good, Kit! She couldn't hurt me!"

"Wanna bet?" Kira threatened.

"Nah! I'll pass!" Sainō leapt behind Kitaka for protection.

"Enough goofing off," Sasuke interrupted them and grabbed their attention at the same time, "Lets get down to business."

[...]

"Our teacher is an idiot," a boy muttered to no one in particular, leaning against the main gates of Konoha while his other two teammates stood around content to not say anything, waiting out the boredom.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Gemma."

"It's the truth, Ame. My mother told me that Kakashi-sensei has always been like this." Gemma related the facts with an emotionless expression. It was the truth. His mother had been annoyed when Kakashi picked her son out of the graduating genin. She was constantly saying that someone with such a lazy streak could never train Gemma to be a determined, capable shinobi. She had always said that Gai Maito would have been a better candidate, having trained her.

Of course Gemma's father disagreed, pointing out that Kakashi had trained Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura; two of which were also genin team commanders like Kakashi, and the other was Lady Tsunade's personal business partner or something… none of the genin really knew what miss Sakura and the Hokage did with their company, and their parents never explained it, but the company made money nonetheless.

"Sometimes the truth is best kept to yourself," Ame said quietly, smiling at the though. The boy then turned back to gazing upwards at the early dawn sky, a soft azure. The cool morning breeze blew gently through the boy's hair, which was the same color as the morning sky at which he was staring, throwing the long tresses about as if it were playing with them.

Ame was always like that, mysterious and aloof… pale skinned, but never once looking sickly. Ame always had a twinkle in his baby blue eyes, which made everyone around him wonder if he was thinking of something they either didn't know… or just silently making fun of them. Gemma didn't have a certain answer for either case, but he suspected that the boy must be longly, which was the reason for his aloof nature. Ame didn't have any family in Konoha, instead he lived with Itachi Uchiha, the uncle of Gemma's other teammate: Fumato Uchiha.

"But sensei is always late, and he never really does much of anything," Gemma grumbled, turning his attention to a grasshopper who had crawled into his hand.

"He teaches us by being late." This announcement caused both Gemma and Ame to turn and look at their younger team member.

Ame was the first one to respond, "That is an interesting observation, Fuma-kun... care to explain it for Gemma?"

Fuma looked at the taller, blue haired boy and then at Gemma before shaking his head silently and turning his gaze back to staring at the empty street, as if he were waiting for someone, or something, to suddenly appear at the end.

And such were the way conversations between the team members always seemed to go. Gemma would attempt to speak his mind, Ame would say something smart that would end it… and Fuma would stare quietly at something. The boy rarely spoke to either of them, unless it was to coordinate training or mission exercises. Thus Gemma was left with little to occupy his conversational desires, which was why he always talked to bugs. They at least were willing to chat with him. This particular grasshopper had told him something interesting, something he was willing to share… but Fuma beat him to it.

"Sensei is here," the younger, black haired boy pointed to a roof, where nothing existed… except the roof.

Gemma, of course, pointed this out.

[...]

Kakashi crouched on his perch, watching his newest students with great interest. They were the prime reason he had come out of retirement, a position he much enjoyed. Since he had stopped going out on missions, Kakashi had taken up Jiraya's pen and had continued the Make Out series of romance novels… he had been getting quiet good at writing them, or at least he thought so. Kakashi would never be as good as the former author had been, but the money he was making from the royalties told him that people at least enjoyed reading his work.

If he had his preferences, Kakashi knew he would rather be at home writing in this very moment; however, one instance had popped up, a very strong instance, which had made him actually want to come out of retirement. Right now that instance was pointing at him: Fumato Uchiha, an 11 year-old genin, had seen through Kakashi's protective, illusionary jutsu… and the other two still couldn't find him, even with the kid pointing directly at Kakashi.

The executive pervert, for Kakashi was not one of the creepy kinds, mused to himself about the child. Back in the day, he had made a promise that if Sasuke ever had a child… he would train that kid. To think that Sasuke and Naruto would be the ones to have that child? It was an opportunity Kakashi could not afford to pass up, and every day that kid proved that leaving retirement had been a good idea, even if it kept him from his typewriter.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask and made his presence known to his students, "Morning!"

"Gah!" Gemma nearly jumped out of his skin when Kakashi appeared with his face mere inches away from the boy's own.

"You frighten a bit easily, Gemma," Kakash said with a hint of "shame-on-you" in his words, "Shino was never this jumpy. You should have your father give you lessons about being stoic and broody. He's quite good at it." Then, with a smile and a wink, Kakashi hopped to his feet and went to stand by Fuma.

The little raven haired kid barely came above Kakashi's hip, but as they stood looking down the street, Kakashi was impressed with how focused the boy could be.

"Hey," Kakashi greeted.

"Good morning." Fuma didn't even turn to look at Kakashi.

Sometimes it was hard to tell which father was more prominent within the boy. Kakashi was willing to place money on Sasuke's genes, after all… Fuma had inherited the Uchiha hair, though it was a tad more unruly than any Uchiha that Kakashi had ever met, and Fuma also had the Uchiha eyes: twin, charcoal-colored orbs viewed the world somewhat differently than the rest of people in it. For most people in Konoha, these traits were enough to view the child as Sasuke's, that, and the boy held the Uchiha clan name.

However, Kakashi also noticed several things within the boy that were innately Naruto in their origin—the foremost being that Fuma worked harder than any other genin currently in Konoha. He also was very protective of the few friends he did have, and he never allowed anyone to speak ill of his siblings, although it was obvious the that two older, Uzumaki children were not as close to Fuma as they were to one another.

And… there was that one glaring physical attribute which Naruto's parentage had claimed Fuma with.

Out of all three sons, Fuma was the only one born with the thin, whisker like marks on his cheeks. Kakashi had previously believed this to be a trait of the Kyuubi, the spirit which resided within Naruto; however, when Fumato was born… this theory had been blown out of the water because the infant had possessed these marking from birth and there was no demon spirit within him, not that anyone could tell—and many had checked. Kakashi was then forced to reexamine his own personal evaluations of Naruto, which had been the final, tipping factor in convincing him to leave retirement: if Naruto and Sasuke were both in this boy… Fuma could turn out be the greatest ninja Konoha had ever seen, and Kakashi would have been the one to train him.

"Ahem," the sound was soft, airy, and designed to get Kakashi's attention.

The silver-haired jonin turned his head until his one visible eye could acknowledge the boy, "Yes, Ame?"

"I mean no disrespect, Sensei," the pale youth began, "But seeing as how it is almost time for when you said we would be departing… would it not be prudent to give us some instruction?"

Ah… the ever present sensibility. Kakashi nodded, "You are correct. You will all stand here until Teams Three and Five turn up. Those are your instructions." Ame nodded and went back to looking at the sky, and Kakashi heard a groan from Gemma, which only served to pull a smirk onto Kakashi's hidden features.

"Sensei! This is torture," Gemma vocalized.

"The boy has too much of Ten Ten," Kakashi thought before speaking, "It will save me the trouble of having to explain things twice… once is already going to make me want to nap."

"You're just lazy!" Gemma shouted.

The shout was so loud that Kakashi almost didn't hear the whisper that came from Fuma, who still stood motionless beside him, staring at the ground, "My brothers are going on this mission?"

Kakashi could hear the worry in his voice. It was one of the very few instances where he saw how truly young the boy was. Out of Naruto's three sons, Fuma had only just graduated and this would be only his second mission. His brothers, Jira, the oldest, and Kitaka, had already completed several missions… and were both considered to be very adept shinobi. He was worried about being compared. It was a heavy burden for such a young ninja, especially when said boy held so much potential.

"Meh," Kakashi responded, "It's not a big deal. They'll each have to recon their own target… you'll do better of course. This mission is about watching and observing." Kakashi gave the boy a wink, "You're very good at that."

Fuma nodded, turning his gaze from the ground back to the street. He didn't say anything else, and Kakashi didn't have any urge to speak further.

[...]

"Um… Lady Tsunade," the timid aide peeked into the Hokage's office, hoping to find her in a better mood than she had been in this morning. The Hokage's meeting with Kakashi Hatake had been trying on everyone, mainly because he had left Tsunade in quite a rage.

"What?" the elder sennin barked, not looking up from a scroll.

"The Mizukage is here to see you."

At those words, Tsunade looked up and nodded. It was a few moments before another woman entered the office, decked out in official Kage robes of white, blue and aquamarine trim. The woman removed her large, disc-like hat to reveal long auburn tresses pulled up in a high pony tail. "Tsunade," the woman smiled, "You're looking well."

"I always look good, Mei," the Hokage replied, "Despite the best efforts of some people, who shall remain nameless."

"I take it you met with Kakashi again?" the Mizukage chuckled taking a seat in front of Tsunade's desk and setting her hat across her lap.

"If by met, you mean yelled at him until he did what I asked?" Tsunade nodded, "Then… yes."

Mei chuckled again, "How did he react to the news?"

"He knows that something is up, but he isn't aware that Konohagakure is going to be joint-hosting the Chunin exams along with Kirigakure."

"Have you informed the other genin teams?" Mei asked quizzically.

Tsunade shook her head, "I'm waiting for Kakashi's mission to head out. Once they are well away from Konoha… then I'll make the announcement."

"Sending away your more promising genin just before the exams? I don't understand your reasoning, Tsunade."

"It's quite simple, Mei," The Hokage interlaced her fingers and placed them on the desk before her. "When Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were under Kakashi's command, he recommended them for the Chunin exams fresh out of the academy. I'm afraid he may do the same thing again, and that his former students might be stupid enough to follow suit. I don't want a repeat of that exam year. If I can have them interspaced, with only one of their teams entering the exams in the next few years… all will be right with the world."

"I see…" Mei smiled, "You do realize that if they were to enter… they would most likely sweep this year's exams? I'm certain Kakashi has thought of this, the other genin teams as well. In fact, the knowledge of such genin has made the turn out from other nation rather slim."

"Precisely why I want them to not participate," Tsunade frowned. "Konoha has gotten a reputation for powerful ninja… we hold some very powerful bloodlines, and not only that… we've mixed several of them now. It's making other nations…"

"Worried?" Mei added, "I've noticed that your ties with Suna have become strained, even with the current Kazekage."

There was another sigh from the Hokage, "Our relationship with Suna has been strained for years… I can only give undying thanks to Sabaku no Gaara for not allowing personal feelings into our political situation."

"I think I recall him stepping down from the position several years ago," Mei frowned trying to remember.

"For almost three years, yes," Tsunade sighed, "He was actually staying here in Konoha under an ambassadorial position… things happened."

"I see…" the Mizukage nodded. Her intel had given her mild insight into the sudden political changes three years ago, which had led to Sabaku no Gaara reclaiming his position as Kazekage… the man had taken to the work with almost relentless vigor, and he was still completely devoted to the role. To the point that he was rarely ever seen outside of the office of Kazekage unless it was on a political agenda—or to visit Konohagakure once every month, an honor that no other ninja village received. Where Mei Terumï one to feel slighted, she might take offense to the lack of courtesy; however, the Mizukage understood that there were other circumstances to Sabaku no Gaara's monthly visits, besides the political opportunities. Kiragakure had extensive intel.

"Which is why," Tsunade continued, "That I feel it is important, not only to keep Konohagakure's prominence in this year's exams to a minimum… but why I wanted to co-host the event. It would do well for both of our villages to show an allied front, and by allowing the third portion of the exams to be held by your village…"

"It gives Kiragakure the ability to flaunt its wealth and prominence to those who would be purchasing the ninjas and their skills," Mei nodded, "Which I will agree to."

"That is the first good news I have heard all day," Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief and unrolled a series of scrolls for Mei to sign, one of each would be sent to the remaining major ninja villages, which would participate in the exams, and to the leaders and prominent figures of all five nations, notifying them when and where the final portion of the exams would be held.

"Now," Tsunade thought, "I only have to pray that those three idiots stay busy with this mission long enough for the registration to close." It would open today… and it would continue for two weeks, allowing members from the five other ninja villages—Sunagakure, Kiragakure, Otogakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure—to send their applicants. If Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were kept busy long enough… they would not be given the option of competing, and she would not be forced to deny obviously acceptable applications.

A severe sense of foreboding warned Tsunade that her hope was doomed. It made the Hokage long to open her desk drawer which concealed her private stash of sake.