Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Naruto or any of the characters or terms used by said Anime/Manga.

Ah, Reviews! Nothing like a bunch of good reviews for one's work in the morning, makes you just wanna get to work on the next chapter... anyways, thank you all again for reviewing, hope you enjoy this next chapter as much or more then the last.

Lexor: Glad you're enjoying the story so far, but don't hold your breath on the snuffing Sakura thing. While I do enjoy a good bashing story now and then, I'm trying not to do that here as too many people bash either her, Sasuke, or both of them too much. Any actual romance for any characters will be light in the first part of the story, only after Naruto has his training trip and returns to the village will any concrete pairings bet set. DO know that I will not have this become NaruSaku or NaruHina as those are done to death.

Alec McDowell: What lies under Dosu's bandages will be hinted out for a bit, but as you figured won't be really delved into till Tsunade gets look. Yeah, Kakashi should have worked with Naruto on that beforehand, though that's why he's trying to get Naruto to learn them now. Ah yes, Strength and Speed will be a part of his Taijutsu training under Jiraiya, as will be explained in this chapter.

SaiyanWarrior200: Well... Don't wanna spoil the Sakura moment, but Zaku's arms have already been looked at, though one arm in particular is more damaged then the other, they're both healing within the casts he's wearing, it WILL be a while before Zaku's able to function at full strength. Already have a few interesting ideas for Kin's background that I figure people will find interesting... and I do hope you enjoy her reactions to Jiraiya's perversity. Ah, been meaning to read that one actually and I shall review it once I have the chance to read it.

deltabeta: I love wordy reviews. No need to apologize, I understand what you mean quite well, seeing the same thing over and over does indeed get annoying... it's partly why bash fics no longer appeal to me as it's always the same out of character crap. Yes, the poor Sound Oto only have a technique or two... which shall be fixed once they get to hammering down on their training within Konoha so no worries there, lol. I have plans for all three while making sure they don't stray from the base skill sets... though I shall be expanding further upon them as well. The Zaku issue is one is kinda cheating... for in the Manga he had his arms basically blown off, but in the Anime they weren't as damaged... so I'm going Anime here. As for the actual cannons in his arms and their repair work, I'm once more pushing things a bit as to making it so the three Genin each are aware of how to take care of their tools, so Zaku is aware how to repair them. I'm glad you like my take on the Oto trio surviving and it was actually because I too had never seen this sort of thing that made me wanna make it... that in I actually liked Dosu and was looking forward to how he'd mess with Orochimaru's plans... only to have him die from Gaara. It made me sad, hence this fic!

Alright, let's get this thing on the road...

777

Dosu should have known the man's offer would come with a price, the pale skinned Orochimaru having set him with many other children his age in what was basically an underground prison. They were roomed up with others that had been given "advancements", whether it be new untested weapons, surgical enhancements, or anything else Orochimaru wished to test out. Sadly though, many of those "enhanced" died shortly after... and even a rare few never took to them, leaving them as normal as they were before. These few rarely lived, having no new abilities or weapons to fight with, other than their own two hands.

It was one of these such people that Dosu found himself sharing a cage with, the boy himself having yet to speak to his roommate, though they too seemed to ignore him. Dosu however was fascinated by the tool he'd been given, a device known as the "Melody Arm" which would allow him to control various vibrations and sounds with just a slight use of his chakra. Sadly he had only been given little instruction on using his chakra before being tossed in here, the village Otogakure being a "Sink or Swim" type of place.

"... What's your name?"

Dosu blinked, turning his head to look to the dirty looking girl, her hair shortened in a way that made her seem more boyish. Dosu had a feeling this was to give the illusion that she was in fact a boy, though her lack of an Adam's apple instantly gave her away. She was in a simple brown shirt, torn black pants, and nothing more. He could tell from her feet she had been without any sort of footwear for a while now, though her hands were in a similar state.

The girl frowned at him, clearly annoyed that he wasn't responding to her question", it's an easy question, unless you don't have one?" She continued, fully expecting him to respond now.

"Dosu", Dosu replied simply, fully turning towards her to give her a full look at himself, glad he had been able to swipe a roll of bandages before being tossed into his cage.

"I'm Kin", the girl replied, her eyes looking him over briefly, assessing him before she paused her gaze on his face"... Is that where they worked on you?" She asked curiously.

"No, this is from before I came to Oto", Dosu replied simply, before raising the arm baring his Melody Arm", I was merely given this... what of you?"

"They injected me with something... it was supposed to give me a bloodline belonging to one of Orochimaru-sama's servants", Kin replied with a frown as she recalled the treatment", I-It didn't take... and I have nothing".

"I see", Dosu mused, the fact being this girl was as good as dead the moment they were let out to fight the others who had taken to their enhancements would slaughter her",... You seem to be taking things well considering..."

"Yeah well, I always figured I was going to die in some ditch", Kin offered with self-loathing amusement in her tone", My Mother died a year ago, my father was just another of her costumer's, and there's no way I'd try to be like my mother", Kin continued, the girl glad she had been able to keep her hair short so as to not draw unwanted attention",... I accepted the offer to come here, hoping I could live better and actually mean something to someone before I died...", Kin admitted, Dosu's keen eyes picking up the girl was doing her best not to cry", A-and yet... I won't be able to do even that", She muttered, before looking right into his eye as she hugged herself", Dosu... when I die... would you at least remember me, if only from time to time so someone knows I was here?".

Dosu stared blankly, trying to keep himself from paying any mind to a girl who might just be trying to put him off guard and kill him... all to steal his Melody Arm. Yet... the way she was looking at him, it was far different than any other he dealt with. Many a person had acted nice to him, all wanting something from him, all with eyes revealing their true goals to him. All he could see in Kin's eyes was a need, to know that someone cared that she had been alive. It didn't help her eyes were way too similar to his own mothers, before she had been taken from him.

With a sigh, Dosu lifted his shirt, which instantly made Kin flinch... before the girl noticed Dosu had bandaged random items to his own body. Dosu had easily been able to swipe various tools on the way to being locked up, using the bandage's he had stolen to strap them to himself so as to not be noticed. After a bit of searching, Dosu tossed down a Kunai and a case filled with senbon he had swiped while passing a group of Oto ninja's on their break.

"Use the Kunai when someone gets close, the senbon for hitting targets from a ranged position... though you might want to practice a little with them beforehand", Dosu instructed, looking to the shocked look on Kin's face",... when we're let out you stick with me, working together will give us a better chance of making it out of this thing alive", He reasoned", Now quit crying and make some use of yourself or you really will die".

Kin blinked... before wiping her eyes clean of tears", Sh-shut up!", She growled at him, finishing her wiping before grabbing both Kunai and senbon before leveling a glare at him... only to lose it as she returned her gaze to the weapons given to her", Thank you".

"... Your welcome"

Both children jumped at the sound of their cell being open again, an Oto ninja tossing in another kid their age, this one wearing rags similar to Dosu's own, only with dirty spiky black hair", Aw, fuck me!", The kid growled, pushing himself up with a wince. Once in a sitting position he looked over his new roomies"... Great, a one-eyed mummy and a girl looking crybaby, I am so screwed".

Dosu lightly glared in annoyance while Kin glared heatedly as she jumped to her feet", I AM a girl dumb-ass!" She growled, instantly drawing a senbon before launching it.

"Ow! That hurt dammit!"

Well... at least she had good aim, Dosu mused as Kin began using Zaku for target practice.

777

Naruto Uzumaki had been having a strange day... and that was saying something when it came to the life of any ninja. He had defeated Kiba Inuzuka thanks to his amazing skills, been denied training from his sensei do to favoritism, had three enemy ninja drop down on him, learned his friend Kabuto was a traitor, fought Kabuto alongside a mummy looking guy whose team tried to kill his own team, helped said guy and his team become Konoha ninja, had gained three new tenants to his apartment building, and had just been enjoying a trip to Ichiraku ramen with actual company for once (Teuchi and Ayame not counting as they were always there do to the fact they owned and worked at the shop).

However, out of all the crap he had been through in this day... none of it had any standing to Sakura, his teammate and longtime crush, finding him eating with "The enemy" with a smile on his face. Oh yes... there would be blood spilled before the night was through and Naruto was SURE it would be his own.

"Um... I can explain?" Naruto offered up, keeping himself from turning his gaze from the shocked pinkette in fear she would take that time to strike.

"HOW!?", Sakura demanded, pointing viciously at the Oto trio... who were watching with different expressions on their face, Dosu's being blank, Kin's being a smirk, and Zaku was wishing he could move his arms enough to wave hello", You're eating with THEM, the guys who tried to kill Sasuke-kun, me, and all the others back in the Forest of Death!".

"In our defense", Dosu felt the need to point out, drawing Sakura's glare as Naruto seemed eager for ANY help in this regard", We were only trying to kill Sasuke... you and the others just got in the way".

"Hence, it's your own damn faults", Zaku added with a smirk, before turning back around to give Ayame a smile", Now, about that second bowl Ayame-Chan?"

"Good lord", Kin sighed, shaking her head at Zaku's attempt at wooing the Ramen cook, before she regained her smirk", Listen pinky, we were ninja's with a mission, a mission that was to kill your boy toy Uchiha... would YOU ignore a mission given to you?".

"Th-that's not the point!", Sakura shouted back, unhappy that the Kunouchi's words made some sense", Even so, you still tried to kill Sasuke-kun!", She pointed out, turning her glare to Naruto as Kin just shrugged", WHY are you with them? They just admitted to trying to kill Sasuke-kun and they almost killed US!"

"They... They were doing the same thing anyone in their position would do!" Naruto spoke in the Oto trio's defense, all three looking to him with slight surprise", If we were given a mission to go into another village and kill someone... we'd do it too!".

"Th-that's... that's different", Sakura reasoned, looking unsure now... and a little shocked Naruto was speaking back to her like this.

"No, it's not", Naruto continued, frowning at her as he recalled what the Hokage had said to him back at the meeting with Dosu and himself", We're ninja... their ninja... and as ninja we'll have to do things that while might seem like justice to use, will make us seem like monsters a demons to others".

"That still doesn't explain why your with them!", Sakura yelled at him, unhappy that he was making sense in this case, more so when it involved the monsters that had tried to kill Sasuke. Sakura couldn't forget the merciless way the trio had dealt with her, Team 10, and of course Rock Lee.

"Because their on our side now", Naruto said with a bright smile, earning a look of disbelief on Sakura's face", Look, I'm sure their very sorry for what they did, just let them apo-"

"We refuse"

Naruto blinked, before slowly turning to Dosu... who had returned to his meal", Dosu... come on man, just apologize and everything will be fine", Naruto said, forcing his smile back to his lips.

"Me and my team have nothing to apologize for", Dosu replied simply, turning his head to meet his eye with Naruto's", We were told failure to kill Sasuke would mean our death's, your teammate got in our way... for me and my team's sake I would have done anything to complete the mission", Dosu explained simply, before returning his gaze to his meal", I will not apologize for doing what was needed for the sake of the mission... would you?".

"I-I", Naruto replied, only to find himself at a loss for words... before being snapped out of it as Sakura suddenly had taken off", Sakura-Chan!", He called out, only to find she was already out of sight",... Damn it!"

"Well... I'll at least apologize for pissing of your girlfriend off", Zaku offered up, looking quite happy as he had convinced Ayame to feed him (It of course made the bowl cost twice as much but it was worth it).

"... She's not my girlfriend", Naruto sighed, realizing he would have to find some way to make peace with Sakura... and hopefully find some way to get her to forget the past with the three Ex-Oto ninja. As Naruto sat back down besides Dosu he found a bowl of Ramen set before him, Naruto blinking in surprise as Teuchi smiled at him from the other side of the counter.

"That one's on the house", Teuchi told him, lightly ruffling Naruto's hair, making the blonde frown at being treated in a childlike fashion. Teuchi then turned his attention onto the other three, choosing to ignore the sight of his daughter feeding Zaku, who was obviously going to be trouble in the future", I'm well aware how the Ninja world works... but I must ask if you're still intending on harming Sasuke Uchiha".

"... We are no longer with Oto", Dosu supplied after a moment", Hence we no longer have any need to kill the Uchiha... and we have no reason to harm anyone of this village unless they give us a reason to".

"That's good enough for me then", the old man said with a nod, before smiling brightly", Now, whose up for more?"

777

The next morning Naruto groaned as the sun hit his face from the nearby window, a frown on his face as he sat up and stitched. After finishing dinner he had returned home with his new tenants, things having been a little tense after the meeting with Sakura. After cleaning off a few spots inside of his apartment, he ended up on sleeping on the floor while letting Kin use his bed, which she had accepted with a curious gaze to him before heading off to bed. Zaku was given the couch as he WAS injured and needed it more than either Naruto or Dosu, the later who took the chair he had been sitting at earlier to sleep upon. Naruto had been about to sleep where he stood, only to be surprised as Kin threw one of the pillows from the bed at him, and followed by a blanket.

Naruto looked curiously around, surprised to find Dosu nowhere in sight, Zaku snoring on the couch nearby, and Kin sitting in the chair Dosu had slept... pulling hairs from her eye brows",... Is that a white hair?" Naruto asked innocently, only to brace himself as the vicious girl sent him a glare. Luckily she returned to looking into the mirror she was holding, pulling the hair in question.

"They pop up from time to time", Kin informed him as she finished, giving her eyebrows a once more look over before smiling contently... only to lose it as she noticed Naruto staring again", What!?".

"N-nothing... just didn't figure you to be the girly type", Naruto offered up nervously, knowing from experience what girls could do when angered.

"... While I'm not as obsessed as the girls in this village seem to be about my looks, I care enough not to let myself look ratty", Kin replied with a light shrug, putting the mirror she was holding on the coffee table before looking to him finally",... While we're talking about fashion, what's up with the jumpsuit?"

"What's wrong with it?", Naruto asked with a light frown, looking down upon himself while wondering why so many people seemed to dislike his choice in attire", they were cheap, they have lots of pockets to hold things, and best of all their ORANGE!".

"W-wait... what do you mean they?" Kin asked, only to realize what he had to mean", Y-you have more than one of those things!?".

"Well... yeah, my closets full of them", Naruto pointed out, unsure why she seemed so horrified by the fact all his outfits were the same thing", what's the big deal?"

"I swear, HOW you managed to make it through the Chunnin exams...", Kin sighed, rubbing her right temple as she realized her and her team would have to be seen with him in the future... plus there was something about him that seemed to draw Dosu of all people in and she was curious as to what it was", Alright, once Dosu gets back the first thing we're doing is getting you something more fitting for a Ninja", Kin informed him bluntly, not giving him a chance to respond as she pointed at his jumpsuit", No one is going to take you seriously in that, I mean it's almost like your trying to be noticed!".

Naruto bit back a retort, frowning as she had nailed it with that last bit as he HAD originally picked the outfit do to how much orange seemed to attract attention... though now that he thought about it his choice in attire seemed to draw the wrong kind of attention. The Hokage, Iruka, his classmates, Kakashi, and a few others had pointed out how bad his outfit was for a ninja at least once each... but it was such a great color!

"... Fine, but only if there's at least SOME orange in it", Naruto relented with a sigh, trying to look on the bright side... maybe Sakura would be more into him if he looked more professional? Though now that he thought about it, Sasuke wore white shorts... and the Uchiha clan symbol just drew attention to him as well!

"That's fine", Kin agreed with a sigh of relief, having already guessed she wouldn't be getting a full transformation out of this. I mean, what kind of person wore a color for so long and gave it up entirely like that? She herself doubted she'd ever change her own fashion much over the years... though maybe some change's to make her look less Oto-ish down the line wouldn't hurt", With the money Dosu gave you yesterday we should be able to get you a few new outfits... which you need", Kin noted, before smirking as he glared at her for that, not wanting to spend his money all on clothes", Don't look at me like that... I'll get Dosu to buy breakfast for us if it makes you feel bette-"

"ICHIRAKU'S!", Both Naruto and Zaku shouted out, Naruto staring in surprise at the eager look on the now awake teenager's face... while Kin just groaned loudly as she face palmed. It had become apparent Zaku had a crush on the Ramen stand girl, Ayame apparently having been amused by the younger boy's affection enough to use it to get him to pay more for feeding him.

"NO MORE RAMEN!" Kin roared at the both, making Naruto hold his hands up to pacify her while Zaku just gave her an annoyed frown.

The door to the apartment opening up ended the conversation, the three turning to find an ANBU agent entering, A cat like mask on her face (her body type obviously female) hiding her identity", Uzumaki, you and your... guests are to report to the Konoha Hot Spring and Spa at Noon today to meet your Sensei for the month", She informed him, before shifting aside to let Dosu enter, the bandaged boy having returned from wherever he had been off to.

"Alright, thanks Neko-chan!", Naruto said excitedly, the ANBU in question seemed to stare at him for a moment before nodding, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves",... I really hope I learn that".

"Me too kid", Zaku admitted with a frown, having wanted to learn the technique ever since he had first seen Orochimaru use it after first arriving in Otogakure years ago", The hell did you go Dosu?".

"I was looking over the apartments", Dosu replied, eye focused on Naruto", would it be possible to knock one of the walls down to combine two of the apartments into one?"

"I... guess so", Naruto said, wondering why he had never thought to do that as he really could use more room for various other things he didn't have at the moment", Just so long as you don't knock the whole building down".

"Not a problem", Dosu replied, before looking to Zaku and Kin", We should be able to each have our own rooms in that case, one of the apartment's has two bedrooms available and once me connect it to the next apartment over we'll each have our own room".

"Sweet!", Zaku said with a smirk, as they had been forced to bunk together back in Oto due to lack of space... which was weird because Orochimaru's base's always had long hallways and LOTS of rooms... what he did with each one was not something one would ask without fearing for their lives", Then let's get something to eat, get the fucking furniture, and then enjoy the Hot springs while Blondie's busy training".

"First things first", Kin spoke up, glancing to Naruto for a moment before looking to Dosu", We get Uzumaki here some new threads", Kin said, smirking as Dosu rose an eyebrow at her words, while Naruto realized this was the first time the girl had called him by his last name", If he's going to be in the Finals, he at the very least should look good doing it".

"... Didn't think you were into younger guys", Zaku joked with a smirk, only to yelp in pain as a senbon pierced his arm", Bitch! That's the good arm!"

777

"So", Zaku began the conversation, his arm re-bandaged from Kin's earlier attack", what exactly is it with you and this kid anyway?"

"How exactly do you mean?", Dosu asked from his seat besides Zaku, both staring at the somewhat amusing site of Kin dragging a struggling Naruto towards the changing rooms, the girl quite adamant about him getting more professional attire.

"You act like your just using this brat, but there's more to it", Zaku pointed out with a quick glance of annoyance towards his teammate before returning his gaze forward", If anything you seem to enjoy being around him..."

Zaku didn't feel the need to add the fact that Dosu seemed more comfortable around Naruto then he ever had with them... but it wasn't like they had ever expressed any of their true emotions around each other, only on rare instances that were never spoken of again.

"... That boy has the right to hate us for what we did in the Forest of Death to his team, as well as his fellow Konoha ninja", Dosu began to explain, smiling hidden under his bandages as he saw Naruto make a run for it via Kage Bunshin... only for Kin to somehow grab the real one, punch him over the head, and drag him back", yet when facing an obviously stronger opponent... he stood by me to face him on, even though I was from another village and was obviously an enemy to him and his team as well", Dosu spoke, before turning his head to Zaku", I... have never had something like that".

Zaku stared back, a frown on his lips as he thought over his mummified comrades words... and he had to admit other than Dosu and Kin he couldn't think of anyone who would do something like that for him. No one back in Oto would have tried to save them as the blonde had, Orochimaru wouldn't have cared unless it somehow affected his own goals... and as a child they had all three been orphans no one cared for or loved. Each of them knew each other's stories; it was something they had done one night on a highly dangerous mission... though they had expected to die the next morning, hence why they dropped their guards around one another for that once.

The thing that pissed him off the most about that mission? The fact that he had enjoyed his teammates much more when they had dropped the masks forced upon them in order to live within Otogakure. It was because of this that their team actually trusted one another, the mission ending with them promising should any of them ever die the others wouldn't shed a tear about it. The promise was something they would lightly mention from time to time, it being the only thing they actually spoke up about that night, it being their own way to show they actually gave a shit about one another.

"... Well, it seems even Kin is starting to grow attached", Zaku mused with a smirk, enjoying the sight of the kunouchi manhandling someone other than himself for once", and if it wasn't for him I'd never have met that hottie Ayame".

Dosu rolled his eye, knowing quite well that was Zaku speak for "He's alright" in regards to Naruto. Dosu looked to Naruto, whom had finally given in and accepted the various outfits Kin wanted him to try on, a bit surprised to find his female teammate acting so much closer to the blonde already. Yet, there was something about Naruto that just... drew them, Dosu was unsure how to describe it. It was reminded him of how Orochimaru had drawn them in... Yet instead of fear in regards to Naruto, there was only a warm feeling that reminded him more of the days before he had lost his family, days he barely remembered before he was forced to steal and kill to survive.

He couldn't name it, but with his teammates and Naruto Uzumaki he felt content with life for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

777

"That girl is MEAN", Naruto muttered to himself, looking to himself in the mirror as he had changed into one of outfits Kin had supplied him with... only to frown as the black condom looking suit seemed more Sasuke's style... that and there was no orange on it!", Next!".

As he began to change he thought about the event that had taken place when he and the others had entered the clothing shop. The Shop keeper as always glared at Naruto, Naruto of course intending to convince his companions to do this another time... only for the three former Oto ninja to each force their own Killing Intent upon the shop keeper until he backed down. The strange thing was... they didn't ask why the clerk had glared or anything, Kin just dragged him towards the Shinobi section while Dosu and Zaku went to sit down. He wasn't sure how they would feel about the Kyuubi and all as they weren't from Konoha... but he was glad they weren't asking about it at least.

Naruto paused, once more looking at himself... before smirking at the mirror", THAT'S what I'm talking about!" He proclaimed loudly, before opening up the door to the changing room to show Kin", This is awesome!".

"I figured you'd like that one", Kin sighed, before shaking her head with a smirk"; at least it's less orange".

Naruto's outfit was a regulation black shinobi long sleeved shirt, similarly designed black pants that ended just an inch above his own foot wear. On his hands were fingerless black gloves similar to Kakashi's own, the steel plates on top each baring the Konoha leaf symbol like the headband still on Naruto's forehead. The most noticeable addition however was the black long sleeved duster the blonde was now sporting, it being just like the first examiner Ibiki's own... only at the hem of the dusters tail it sported orange flames.

"Ha, if this doesn't make Sakura-Chan like me I don't know what will!", Naruto bragged, moving over to another wall mirror to slip through some poses, Kin rolling her eyes with an amused grin on her face.

"Yeah, I figured it you wanted orange it might as well be on the part you can ditch if stealth is required", Kin reasoned, as the jacket could be shed and put aside in case Naruto ever had to sneak around during a mission", That was the only one like that, so we'll have to get some normal dusters so I can sew some copies for you".

"... You sew?", Naruto asked, pausing in mid-Nice guy stance, thumb up at the mirror and everything, only to hold both hands up in forgiveness as Kin instantly drew a senbon into her hand", S-sorry, I-I just didn't think you were the type!".

"... It was good training for using my senbon", Kin replied, putting her senbon back with a glare still aimed at the blonde.

"R-right, I see", Naruto replied, not really but he didn't want to anger the girl", Oh! Think you could sew this on the back too?" He asked hopefully, lifting up his former jumpsuit jacket, pointing to the spiral on the back.

"Um, sure I guess", Kin replied with a curious look as she looked over the spiral", Why, is it important or something?"

"Well, kinda", Naruto admitted with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head", I don't know why... it's just when I look at it I feel... good I guess, I can't really explain it", He informed her, before gaining a light frown", Sounds stupid right?"

"Well... maybe", Kin reasoned, giving him a light smirk as he stared at her in surprise, her own right hand reaching back to run through her long hair", Some people just grow attached to things of the past that make them feel good... or mean something special is all", Kin informed him... only to blush lightly at what she was saying before aiming a glare at him to cover it up", N-now go get more clothes like this so we can go eat!".

"R-right!" Naruto yelped, dropping his former jacket to gather more of his new clothing... only to pause to give her a large smile", Thanks Kin-Chan!", He said before taking off before she attacked him.

Kin growled in annoyance at the name, only to frown to herself once Naruto was far enough away", that gaki..." she muttered... before smiling lightly to herself", I think I understand Dosu's feelings a bit better now".

777

It was nearing noon, the Four Genin having finished both Breakfast and ordered and paid for furniture to be delivered to the apartment building. Naruto and Zaku had been adamant about eating at Ichiraku's again, the two for the first time seeming to actually get along because of this common goal. After a bit of arguing Dosu was able to convince the two to save the Ichiraku trip for lunch instead, which the two agreed too much to Dosu and Kin's relief. They found a nice place that the Akimichi clan owned, Naruto surprised to find himself welcomed there even if a few of the people working there seemed to ignore him mostly. The waiter was luckily not such a person, having merely given Naruto a curious look before asking what they wanted. It wasn't Ichiraku's, but Naruto was planning on going there again at some point.

After that they went to various furniture places, Naruto choosing to stay outside as the three went in to order what they needed. This was noticed on the third trip as Zaku ended up staying out with him. They hadn't talked much, though Naruto no longer felt too angry about what the spiky haired ninja had done back in the Forest of Death as he DID have his arms messed up. From what the blonde could tell one of Zaku's arms would heal up in a few more days while the other was REALLY messed up, it having been the one that had almost been blown completely off. Zaku however mentioned the doctors said some Tsunade person could fix him, only that she wasn't in the village any more. Naruto didn't recognize the name but offered to help Zaku find her once the exams were done. Zaku merely gave him a curious gaze before shrugging in return.

Now the four of them were making their way towards the Hot spring and spa they had been instructed to go to. As they arrived the spotted the Hokage, whom Naruto needed to talk to anyway about the Power and Water problem for his three tenants, and Ebisu, who had a serious expression on his face. Both looked surprised at Naruto's new attire, Hiruzen more so as more than ever Naruto looked like another blonde who had been after his title as Hokage.

"So... the closet pervert is training me?" Naruto asked Hiruzen bluntly, causing the old man to stifle a laugh (as he was aware of the cause of the nickname), Ebisu to sputter angrily at the nickname, while the three Oto ninja stared at Ebisu unsurely.

"Uzumaki-san!", Ebisu began, doing his best to recover as he pushed his sunglasses back into place", I am but one of your instructors for this month, as I was assigned to you by Kakashi-sensei to teach you the fundamentals and work on your Chakra Control", Ebisu explained, only to raise a hand to silence Naruto, who looked ready to rant his ass off", HOWEVER! Hokage-sama has accepted my request to train you in Ninjutsu as well... so long as you refer to me as Ebisu-sensei from now on", Ebisu said, adding the last bit so he never had to hear that embarrassing nickname for him EVER again.

"Wait, so YOUR going to teach me ACTUAL Jutsu?", Naruto asked suspiciously, as he had begged Kakashi numerous times to do so... only to be told he wasn't ready to learn any", Not stupid things, but actually kick-ass jutsu?".

"Yes, I will be teaching you "Kick-ass" jutsu", Ebisu sighed, glad he was used to such behavior from dealing with Konohamaru", however before I can teach you any of them, we'll need to get your Chakra Control up to par".

"Whatever, so long as I learn something awesome!", Naruto agreed with an eager look on his face, salivating at the thought of pulling off some amazing Jutsu in front of all the people who'd be there expecting to see Neji win. However, Naruto lost his expression of eagerness as he recalled what Ebisu had said", Wait, what you meant by you being only ONE-"

"HENTAI!" Kin suddenly screamed, the tone of which made Naruto, Ebisu, and even the Hokage jump in surprise, while Dosu just ducked as Zaku did the same with a freaked out look on his face. Kin had instantly pulled a large amount of senbon from... somewhere, launching them over by a nearby wall of the hot springs section of the spa.

"YE-OW!", A voice yelped out, the senbon having pierced into something unseen... only for Jiraiya to just appear where they had hit, all of the littering his back as he turned to glare in anger", Which one of you little brats threw those!?", He demanded, only to blink in surprise to find Kin apparently being the culprit, the Toad Sage only then realizing Naruto and the three others he'd been waiting for had arrived. Recovering, he cleared his throat before making his way over to join the group... all while reaching around the pull the senbon from his back.

"Well... allow me to introduce your second instructor", Hiruzen began with an uncomfortable look, well aware his student had never been good with introductions", Naruto, allow me to introduce you to Jiraiya of the Sannin".

"Great, another pervert", Naruto grumbled, only to notice the three former Oto ninja staring at the old man in shock... most of all Kin who looked ready to faint at realizing who he was", What's with you three?".

"Are you retarded!?", Zaku demanded, once more wondering if that crack about blonde's was right on in regards to intelligence", He's Jiraiya of the SANNIN, as in Orochimaru's teammate and student of the Hokage!".

"What!?" Naruto yelped in surprise, staring in surprise at a now smirking Jiraiya",... This old fart!?"

"HEY!" Jiraiya growled, instantly glaring at the blonde before him", What's so hard about believing that!?".

"Because a pervert like you couldn't possibly be Jiji's student!" Naruto pointed out as if it was obvious.

"I'm NOT a pervert!" Jiraiya shot back, only to smile proudly while crossing his arms over his chest in a cocky manner", I'm a SUPER Pervert!".

Silence

All three former Oto ninja sweat dropped, each having trouble believing THIS was the guy who was supposed to be on equal grounds as their former leader. Naruto just looked annoyed as hell, having trouble believing a guy like Jiraiya could possibly teach him anything of value. Ebisu was looking away from the scene, embarrassed for Jiraiya in this case while Hiruzen just sighed, quite used to his students claims of being super in the act of perversion.

"Naruto", Hiruzen spoke up, ignoring Jiraiya's annoyed muttering about "Disrespectful brats" and such", While Jiraiya is a little... eccentric, I promise that he and Ebisu will make sure you'll be more than ready to deal with Neji Hyuuga and whoever else you'll be facing in the exam finals".

"... Fine!", Naruto relented, trusting the old man on this one as he had yet to steer Naruto wrong", But he better not try perving around while he's supposed to be training me!".

"Don't worry... he won't", Hiruzen informed Naruto, sending Jiraiya a firm stare... making his former student sigh but nod in agreement. Of course, since Ebisu and himself had split the days up this wouldn't be a problem, he'd just focus on his research beforehand", Now if that's all Dosu-kun and I have some things to discuss still".

"Right", Dosu replied with a nod, figuring the Hokage had been there partly to have Dosu come through on his end of the deal. At the same time Dosu would bring up the problems with the apartment they were having... and perhaps he could get the Hokage to get Zaku some help regarding his heavily damaged arm.

As the Hokage and Dosu began heading off towards the Kage tower, Jiraiya clapped his hands together, regaining a smile", Alright! Before we start I figure proper introductions are in order!", Jiraiya mused, using this as an excuse to get a proper read on the two remaining Oto ninja as well as get a better read on Naruto", Since you three seem to know me, I think it only fair you introduce yourselves as well".

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage and Konoha's next Chunnin! Dattebayo!" Naruto instantly responded as he was prone to do, a large grin on his face as he threw a fist up.

"... Riiiight", Jiraiya mused with a forced grin, now quite sure Naruto took more after his mother then his father, before he turned his attention to Kin, whom had regained a light glare aimed at him", and who might this lovely young girl be?".

"Kin Tsuchi, keep your hands to yourself or I'll rip your arms off and beat you to death with them", Kin informed him bluntly, a senbon held into view just to further prove her point.

"Well... aren't you a barrel of laughs?", Jiraiya asked with a sheepish laugh, before looking her over again with a curious gaze while not noticing the girl seeming ready to launch some more senbon upon his person", Hmm, you remind me of a girl I knew... a few of them actually", He mused with a perverse giggle... only to yelp as the senbon that HAD been in Kin's hand stabbed into his knee", M-moving on!", He forced out, pulling the needle out as he turned to Zaku",... and you are?".

"Zaku Abumi", Zaku stated simply, looking quite unimpressed with Jiraiya so far after living with someone like Orochimaru as a village leader for so long", and I don't see how your even CLOSE to being a match for Orochimaru".

"Believe me, I kicked his ass a few times back in the day", Jiraiya shot back with a light frown, getting a little annoyed at how little these kids seemed to think of him", Now, with introductions out of the way I think it's time we get this show on the road", He began, only to motion to Ebisu, whom nodded as he began his explanation.

"Jiraiya-sama and myself have planned out how best for you to ready yourself Uzumaki-san, splitting the training between two halves for the day", Ebisu began, raising a finger up as he continued to explain", Starting at 7 in the morning from this day forward I shall be taking you on for Chakra Control and Ninjutsu training until lunch time where you'll get a break period to eat and rest up. After this you shall be training with Jiraiya-sama in regards to your Taijutsu and whatever else he feels will prepare you for the finals. For today however we'll be focusing on your Chakra Control as the sooner you have a better handle on this the better you'll be able to manage the training we'll each be giving you... do you understand?".

"Mostly, though I don't get what exactly Ero-sennen here is going to be able to do for me, my Taijustu's already awesome", Naruto pointed out with a frown... only to find four identical "are you serious?" looks being aimed his way", What!? It is!"

"Not from what I've heard", Jiraiya pointed out, before smirking down at Naruto", Don't worry though, if you do as I teach you I promise not only will you beat that Hyuuga punk down, but you'll win this whole damn exam".

"But first!", Ebisu spoke up, before making his way over to the nearest pool of hot spring water... only to walk on top of it to Naruto's amazement", THIS is the Chakra Control exercise you will need to complete before I will teach you any Ninjutsu".

"So, it's like the Tree walking thing Kakashi-sensei taught us", Naruto reasoned, only to once more earn sour looks from Kin and Zaku", what's with those looks?"

"You're JUST learning this?" Kin asked him with a sigh, shaking her head in disgust", In Oto we learn this before we graduate in case we have a mission on any bodies of water".

"I swear, got our asses handed to us by a group of Genin who don't even know how to Water walk", Zaku grumbled, promising himself to step his game up the moment both his arms were functioning properly, he was two years older than these brats and HOW weaker!

"Well... I'll be learning it now, so there", Naruto shot back with a light glare of annoyance before stomping his way over to the water... only to pause to remove his jacket as he didn't wanna chance it getting wet", alright, here I go!", Naruto stated loudly, shutting his eyes as he focused his chakra to his feet just as he had with the Tree walking exercise. With a light smirk, quite sure he had this down, he took a step onto the water...

SPLASH!

"DAMMIT!" Naruto yelped as he jumped out of the water, which was scolding hot as it WAS a Hot Spring. Nearby his sensei for the month both smirked lightly at the scene, as any ninja how had they gone through the training would at being on the other side of it for once.

"Ah, NOW I see why that bitch Tayuya was laughing her ass off", Zaku noted with a laugh at the scene.

"Well, at least we were given some insensitive for us to succeed faster", Kin giggled in amusement, as Tayuya had been instructed to have her summons chase the Genin on the water until they could do so as easily as if they were on land.

"Having some trouble there Gaki?", Jiraiya asked with an amused grin as he knelt before Naruto, whom was gasping lightly as he recovered from the hot water he'd splashed in.

"Sh-shut up!" Naruto shot back with a glare", It's just gotten harder to control my chakra after what that Orochi-teme did to me back in the second exam!".

Jiraiya instantly lost his grin, a serious expression on his face", what exactly did he do to you?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto blinked in surprise at the man's change of tone, before nodding as he stood up, exposing his stomach to Jiraiya, revealing the seal to him", Hmm... He messed with it quite a bit", Jiraiya noted with a light growl, cursing Orochimaru for doing such a thing to HIS Godson!

"Can you fix it?", Naruto asked hopefully, reevaluating Jiraiya a little after seeing the man THIS angry over what Orochimaru had done to him... only a little though as the man was a Super pervert after all.

"Of course, I'm Jiraiya of the Sannin after all!", Jiraiya bragged, regaining a cocky grin as he rose to his feet, cracking his knuckles as he pulled his right hand back", But you might wanna brace yourself".

"What fo-?"

"Gogyo Kaiin!", Jiraiya called out, suddenly slamming his hand forward and his fingers into the seals that had been forced onto Naruto by the Snake Sannin from before, Naruto yelping out in pain as he was flung backwards... and into the hot water again", And THATS how you do it!".

"You STUPID Ero-sennin!", Naruto cursed at the old man as he rose back from the water, pulling himself out onto the shore while fixing his shirt", Not only did that hurt but you knocked me into the damned water AGAIN!".

"Try walking on the water again Gaki", Jiraiya challenged with a light smirk, not at all bothered by Naruto's reaction. Naruto glared for a minute more... before making his way over to try again. This time he managed to shakingly stand on it, almost dunking in a few times only to manage", Now, what do we say?"

"... Thanks", Naruto grumbled out, not enjoying the fact he had to thank a guy who just knocked him back into scolding hot water... only to yelp as a rock hit him from the side, making him lose his concentration as he dropped in with another splash.

Jiraiya instantly began laughing his ass off, looking over at Ebisu with an amused tone", I-I did NOT see that coming!" He laughed out as Naruto pulled himself out, sending a death glare to Ebisu.

"THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?", Naruto demanded angrily, having thought Jiraiya had thrown the rock only to see Ebisu calmly tossing two more up and down in his right hand.

"It's simple Uzumaki", Ebisu began with a grin", simply walking on water will not give you the control you'll need to deal with someone like Neji Hyuuga... so until you can effortlessly fight on water you're going to miss lunch".

"B-but... we're going to Ichiraku's at lunch!" Naruto whined out, quite afraid of what might happen if he missed out on his favorite meal.

"Please Uzumaki!" Ebisu sighed in annoyance, pausing his tossing of the rocks", With the Kage Bunshin you'll have no trouble getting this down, more so because of how many you can create!".

"... Huh?" Naruto asked blankly, not understanding Ebisu's reasoning", How do my Bunshin help me here?".

"I-What?" Ebisu began, only to stare at Naruto in surprise, seeing Naruto was honestly confused",... Kakashi-sensei didn't teach you?"

"Teach me WHAT?" Naruto demanded, the mention of Kakashi apparently keeping something from him REALLY pissing him off.

"I-I cannot believe...", Ebisu began, honestly shocked that Kakashi had never informed Naruto of his greatest learning asset", Uzumaki... when a Kage Bunshin dispels it sends back all its memories to the original... meaning whatever it learns YOU learn to put it simply".

"...", Naruto stared... before smirking viciously as he formed the familiar seal", I am SO kicking Neji's ass!"

"Oh great", Jiraiya sighed dramatically, palming his forehead", we're creating a monster".

Over in their area both Kin and Zaku had been watching silently, surprised to have found out that Naruto had been sealed up by Orochimaru in such a way... though both were curious as to what that weird seal on him was about. They'd ask Dosu later, he might know what it meant. However, at hearing about the uses of the Kage Bunshin, both were watching with stunned expressions.

"Kin"

"Yeah?"

"I REALLY think we need to start giving Dosu some more respect after this"

777

That's it for this update, sorry it took so long as I had to bid my little brother farewell by attending his good-bye party a few cities away from my current location. He's going to join the Army... I miss him already. Anyways, hope to have the next update up faster than this one, hope you enjoyed it.