Author's Ramblings: Hello everyone, I've posted yet another chapter of the story, and I'm very glad to see the number of people who read it so far. 5,203 Hits and 2,712 Visitors , as copied from the traffic page on the site. Anyho, back to the story, I've decided to tactfully remove Kabuto here. Perhaps he'll show up again, perhaps he wont... so, this chapter goes on to reveal Naruto's newest trick and some of his team's new ones

As for your reviews

Drake the flame shinobi – I thought of it somewhat different. Warriors aren't meant to die of old age,if yo know what I mean. Also, this will most likely be a simple Anko x Naruto fic. I'm considering adding another girl, but I'm keeping a secret as to who it could be :P

to formerly 'The Human Wikipedia' - Brain development is not exactly a valid excuse for a jinchuriki since we have no scientific study to point out how that works (in other words, this is a fan fiction, so normal, sane or simply natural rules don't exactly apply. Besides, exposure to information strengthens the brain very much like the way the small damage we inflict on our muscles while practicing makes them grow stronger to adapt) ps. I just had to do a bit of bsing... bad day and all that..

the-constructive-critic – Nice to receive a serious review. I intend to develop their relationship slowly. I do NOT intend to get them in bed after three chapters, okay? :P As for the length, I usually clock out at 6-8k words. Also, Anko and several other characters will start appearing a bit more now.


Chapter 4 : The Chunin Exams, Introduction

Monday. A day generally despised the working populace of no mater which village, city, country or universe.

Naruto shook the cobwebs out of his head as he woke up and looked out the window. Outside, rain was falling. Hard, and judging by the angle, a strong wind was blowing as well. 'And I have my first exam today' he thought, silently cursing the damnable weather as he took out a bowl of instant ramen. At least some comforts are always there. He still had an hour before he had to go. Rapidly devouring his ramen, he planned for today.

"What should I pack?" he asked no one in particular as his eyes moved from one shelf to another, thinking over the coming exam, going through the possibilities and eventually deciding to play it safe. He quickly made his bed, and placed the book on human anatomy back on it's shelf.

Taking of his pajamas and standing in front of a mirror, he carefully studied all of the seals he had placed on himself. The chakra weights he got from Yugao had helped him develop his body even more. His athletic physique and well developed muscle-mass granted him a good combination of speed ans strength. The seals he had placed were mostly simple ones. Storage seals for his sword and other weapons, a few weight seals he used when in the field as chakra weights, while better for training, were downright impractical 'I'll have to improve these' he idly reminded himself. The third category were the ones he was truly proud of.

After spending the better part of the previous month carefully studying the book on 'Advanced Seal Theory' given to him by the aged hokage, he found that the previous owner had a very similar way of thinking. Whoever 'MN' was, he was used to thinking outside the box, as it were, and so was Naruto. That's how he came up with the idea for his Triune Hunters, and another note made him very interested. While chakra storage seals were mostly used as a battery for running a larger array, one of their more interesting properties was that once placed on a living body, they slowly siphoned chakra, slowly gathering power. And, with proper additions, those same seals can be made to release all that power back to the body. Unlike chakra pills, there are no side effects, as this was the body's own chakra. His forays into medicine had given him the brilliant idea of forming a seal that would convert normal chakra into medical chakra, but that was nowhere near as easy as it sounded, but should it work...

He also made a sadistic grin worthy of his friend Anko at the special kunai he had prepared. He analyzed and broke down all of the seals from the sword except the last one which still gave him headaches. The sharpening and shell seals were now safely added to fifty kunai, each and every one of them also fitted with a chakra storage seal filled to the brim. He laughed gleefully at the fact that his enemies would now have even more trouble recognizing what was coming at them. The field of fuinjutsu had proven to be infinitely rewarding. From everyday applications to specific solutions of unusual problems. That combined with his ever-growing knowledge of ninjutsu and constant practices of kenjutsu gave him a good edge over his enemies. His taijutsu, while nowhere near perfect, was still quite good thanks to his reflex training and the Radiance field he had finally perfected. Also, his growing knowledge of medicine and things such as pressure points were quite useful as well. Knowing where the vulnerable points were meant you could hit them quite a bit easier. He grinned at the fact that he could now rely on all of his six senses in combat without facing mental overload.

Making sure to pack all fifty of his kunai into the various storage seals on his hands, along with the ever impressive Kubikiri Houcho, which now sported a bandage-like gray material which was tied up around the blade, he turned to his other equipment. Two small bags of chakra and food pills, check. Three first aid kits, along with homemade and tested antitoxins and mental stimulants, check. His calligraphy kit, check. Five sets of Triune Hunter scrolls, double check. Exploding tags, twenty pieces, check. Twenty smoke bombs, check. Two two-hundred-meter spools of ninja wire, check. A set of fifty standard kunai, one hundred shuriken and twenty senbon needles, check. Three vials of knockout and paralyzing venom each, double check. Food and water supplies to last a four-man cell a month, sealed into scrolls, check. And last, but definitely not least, his newest surprise for the exams. On his working desk was a pair of bracers, made from an unidentifiable black metal, ornately decorated. But that wasn't what was so special about them. Not even the hardening seals which allowed the bracers to be used as a defense were special. The real thing inside was Naruto's first Life seal array. The results of two months of work, were now turned into a pair of bracers that could raise a temporary barrier which absorbed chakra and channeled it back to him after purifying it. There was a limit as to how much it could absorb at once, but he knew well enough to be careful. Whatever hell the exams have in store for him, he was now ready.

He slowly walked over to his closet, and picked out his clothes. A pair of light black boots, brown pants and a light gray shirt. He gently placed the small necklace Haku had given him, the snowflake design now covered by his shirt. It wasn't a decoration to be flaunted. It was a reminder of what had been lost and of his oath. And finally, to top it all, he took his red coat. Grinning, he decided against hiding his sword. While he still wasn't tall enough to normally carry it, when diagonally held against his back, it was still quite easy to reach. He smiled at the weather outside. While he found the rain to be pleasant, he accidentally discovered a way to walk in the rain without getting a much as wet from it. During his practice with water walking, he accidentally started putting out chakra above him, and to is surprise the rain couldn't get through. He idly wondered if it could be used as a shield as he walked

The perfectly confident figure of the young jinchuriki would have drawn glares from the villagers... if there had been any villagers in the rain. Apart from the few shinobi guards, he was hard pressed to see anyone. Deciding that there was enough time to waste, he paid a visit to one of his favorite places in the whole world: the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. He made another genuine smile as he drew close to the, as he called it, best ramen hop in the world, quickly drawing the attention of Teuchi Ichiraku, the owner and Ayame, his daughter.

"Hey brat" Teuchi happily greeted him "The usual?"

"Yep, one of each. I have an exam today" he chirped. The pair that worked at the shop were some of the only people in the world that he fully trusted, and was really happy with. They had both seen his false smiles, and especially the real ones which were far rarer. Teuchi went to cooking with a wide grin. His favorite customer eats for a full squad when it comes to ramen. Ayame chuckled at the short exchange between the two

"Hello Naruto-kun" she gave him a small hug, which he gladly returned.

"Hello yourself Ayame-chan" he smiled back at the girl. Ayame was the closest thing he had to a sister, always willing to offer advice and support

"What's that I hear about exams?" she asked curiously.

"Chunin exams, they're starting today"

"So that's why there's so many strangers in town" she commented with a finger on her chin, stuck in her thinking pose.

"Yeah, but they won't cause any trouble" he chuckled "That's reserved for the exams"

"Right. Then eat up, we wouldn't want you to be late" she chimed.

After Naruto's portion of the food was served, he finished the ten bowls of ramen in record time, before saying goodby and going to the academy building.

It was still raining. The blond smiled as he approached the entrance to the building where he recognized the silhouettes of Sasuke and Sakura. They were still wearing their normal clothes, only covered by raincoats. He spotted the pair of gloves still on Sasuke's hand, and the new wakizashi he had started using. He was nowhere near a master like him, but the few enhancements Naruto had added gave him an edge. Sakura on the other hand had also prepared. He noticed the pouches attached to her belt along with several storage scrolls in a holder. 'So they don't prepare like I do. Not everyone is as thorough I suppose. Still it is an improvement' he thought as the three of them wordlessly entered the building.

"You guys ready?" Naruto quietly asked as the trio walked towards the staircase to the second floor

"What do you think dobe?" Sasuke replied with a wicked smile, his gloved arm resting on the hilt of the wakizashi. Sakura merely shook her head at the macho idiots alongside her.

"We're as ready as we can be" she idly commented "Let's just hope Naruto doesn't screw up on some technicality"

"That'll be the day" Sasuke gingerly added, as they passed an obvious genjutsu on the second floor and headed straight for the third, Sasuke in the lead, Naruto and Sakura flanking him. Their passing however attracted the attention of many. Some jealous, some hateful, some curious and some even bored. As the doors of room 301 loomed, the team noticed a familiar figure reading a certain orange book.

"Congratulations on getting into the exam" Kakashi said with a big eye-smile.

"What do you mean getting into the exam?" asked an indignant Sakura

"Simple, if you hadn't all shown up, you wouldn't be able to take the exam. But you did, so the rules are a moot point now" he quickly explained. Sasuke and Naruto shrugged, while Sakura gave Kakashi a glare.

"Well, good luck in the exams!" he added before poofing away.

"Damn bastard" Naruto said jokingly "Let's see what our competition's like"

And so, with utmost confidence the trio walked into the classroom. The noise coming from the crowded room instantly vanished as they walked in, all faces turned to face them, and a lot of killing intent focused in their direction. To their credit, Sasuke and Sakura didn't even flinch. Naruto on the other hand had a certain fox train him to... resist and use such abilities, but decided against it, because he'd need the fox's chakra to scare them all off. Soon enough he noticed familiar faces

"Oi Naruto" he recognized Kiba's boisterous voice.

"Hey Kiba, Shino. Where's Hinata?" he greeted and asked curiously, failing for the moment to spot the blue-haired girl.

"I-I'm here" she meekly whispered, getting up from the row behind Kiba

"Hey Hinata, good luck with the exams" he smiled at the girl, who blushed.

Sasuke was busy fighting off Ino, much to Naruto's entertainment as a bit of Sakura's fangirl personality came back.

"You people sure make a lot of noise" a somewhat serious voice interrupted them. Naruto turned to face a silver haired, spectacle wearing teen with a Konoha hitai-ate. He seemed a kind enough sort, but there was something that just felt wrong about him. 'Why the hell does he smell like snakes?'

Kyuubi, being as bored as he usually is when Naruto isn't in a fight chimed in

"Who else do you know who smells like snakes?"

'Anko, no one.... snake shit'

"Atta boy, good thinking"

'I'll figure out how to inform the old man later'

"You got a problem with that?" Naruto quickly commented

"Not really" he said waving his arms apologetically "It'll just get you killed. By the way the name is Kabuto"

"Thanks for the... concern. My name is Naruto" he quipped sarcastically while returning the introduction

"You do seem a bit old for the chunin exams though" Shikamaru's voice came through. Naruto smirked at the sight of the lazy genius, as he remembered the good times that the two of them along with Kiba and Chouji had back at the academy.

"I'm something of a veteran here" Kabuto commented

"So you've done this exam once before?" Sakura asked hopefully, planning to get some info.

"Not exactly... I've done it seven times" he replied grinning sheepishly, which caused the others to sweatdrop.

"So basically, you suck" Kiba commented bluntly. Said man's eyebrow twitched for a moment.

"Anyway, I've got some info if you're interested" he commented as he pulled out a number of blank cards. The lot of them stared at the cards intently, while Kabuto smirked.

"I've been gathering info on my opponents. These are special cards, with a bit of chakra they reveal stored information on other ninja. Anyone in particular you'd like to know about?" he asked with a wide smile. Sasuke was the first to reply

"Rock Lee"

Shikamaru quickly followed "Gaara from Suna, Sasuke Uchiha and Uzumaki Naruto"

"Well that's not a challenge" Kabuto replied with mock-sadness

"Rock Lee, genin of Konoha, 25 D-Rank, 12 C-rank missions, focuses on taijutsu, extremely developed physical skills, no nin or genjutsu. Teammates include Neji Hyuuga and Tenten. Sensei is Maito Gai"

"Sabaku no Gara, genin of Suna, 10 C-ranked and 2 B-ranked missions, as mastery over sand, no other skills known. Has returned unscratched from every mission. Not bad"

Naruto's mind stopped here for a second. He connected the face to the strongest source of killing intent he had felt in the room. The red-headed boy in the back with black circles around his eyes

'Kyu, does something seem wrong about that guy to you?'

'His eyes, face and chakra scream jinchuriki, and his teammates and siblings unless I'm mistaken are scared of him'

'Do you know which one?'

"The poor kid's stuck with that crazy bastard Shukaku, the one tailed raccoon Just another reason you should be happy you got me"

'I haven't doubted that for a while now Kyu. Thanks'

"You're welcome kit. Now go kick ass"

Quickly tuning back to the outside world, he listened as Kabuto continued speaking.

"Uchiha Sasuke, genin of Konoha, 25 D-ranked, 2 C-ranked, 2 A-ranked, not bad, missions, proficient in ninjutsu, last surviving loyal member of the Uchiha clan, bearer of the Sharingan. Teammates Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto"

"And finally Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konoha, 25 D-ranked, 2 C-ranked, 3 A-ranked missions, proficient in ninjutsu, kenjutsu and fuinjutsu. Bearer of Kubikiri Houcho. You're good kid"

"Thanks" Naruto politely replied while inside, he was seething. Why? Because this man knew one detail that was only written in the private records in the Hokage's tower. In other words this man is a spy. Because there was no other way for him to know that he was effectively paid an A rank mission for taking down Mizuki when he stole the scroll that night so long ago.

Settling to unmask the spy later, he turned to the rest of his companions, silently asking them not to make a scene as he went to his seat. As soon as he sat down, the doors opened and a group of chunin, followed by a man in a black trenchcoat which Naruto immediately recognized as Ibiki Morino, the sweetest guy on earth as Anko once put it. Although he was wondering how the head of ANBU interrogation and torture could be so sweet, that was indeed the subject for another time as the scarred man bellowed, immediately silencing the entire room

"Quiet maggots!" he yelled "My name is Ibiki Morino and I'll be the proctor of the first part of your chunin exam"

Ibiki proceeded to explain the simple rules of the exam

"The rules are simple. You have ten questions to answer in one hour. Cheating is NOT allowed. You will lose one point for each question you answer wrong, you will also lose two points each time you are caught. Lose all points and you and your team are out. The last question is a special one and it will be asked fifteen minutes before the exam ends. Now get started!"

Naruto's smirk was quickly wiped clean of his face as he realized he didn't know the answer to any of the questions.

'Wait, these questions are to hard for a possible chunin to answer, hell I think these are ANBU tests. So that means we're not supposed to answer at all. What did he say about cheating? Not allowed, but only a two point deduction if you get caught? What did Anko say about Scarface over there? Specializes in mental torture, so he's trying to screw around with our minds.'

"Numbers 52, 53 and 54 you are out!" one of the proctors bellowed as the three would-be chunin were escorted outside. Naruto quickly calmed down. 'Information gathering' he finally figured out. He quickly spotted other people cheating, although they were doing their best not to get caught. Sasuke was using his sharingan to copy the moves of a another student, while Sakura actually knew the answers, which for some reason scared him.

"Numbers 13, 14 and 15, out!" another voice said

A kunoichi from Konoha used mirrors that were attached to the ceiling via chakra strings to copy the correct responses from another participant. Focusing his chakra to the Radiance field around him, he quickly searched for people who knew the answers and started copying the moves they made as he got one question at a time.

"Numbers 103, 104,105 out!" one of the proctors threw out another team

On the opposite side of the room, Ibiki was carefully studying the genin gathered here, his questioning gaze staying on a person just long enough to unnerve them. When his gaze reached Naruto, he almost smirked

'So that's the wonder kid Anko talks so highly about. He seems to be copying the answers but I can't figure out how. Maybe it's that fancy technique Anko was mentioning. Still, he suppressed his chakra, and didn't even flinch at my killing intent, unlike the others. And his records are good'

Naruto however was now busy doing something else. He had finished writing the exam, but now he needed to leave a quick message for Ibiki. Anko had said that he was as serious about his work as they get, so he would take this the right way. Quickly finishing the small seal he and channeling just enough chakra through his fingers he added the note 'for Scarface' beneath it, before slumping down and waiting the last fifteen minutes to pass.

"Listen up" Ibiki's voice once more bellowed "It's time for the final question. You all have the choice of taking it or not. Should you decide against it, you are to leave now and you and your team are disqualified" he stopped for a moment, letting the information sink in

"However, should you chose to try and answer the question and get it wrong, you are permanently banned from any future chunin exams" he said in dark voice.

For one moment, the room was silent, before erupting into loud complaints from various people

"You can't do that. There's a lot of people here who are on their second or third exam" screamed a blond girl wearing a Suna headband

"Tough luck. The didn't have me as their proctor" Ibiki replied nonchalantly. "So? What's your decision?"

A number of hands rose to the air, and soon the teams those hands belonged to were escorted out of the room.

Naruto noticed that Hinata and Sakura were about to raise her hand, and he started thinking quickly. 'If Sakura gave up, our team goes home, and I know she's good enough to pass, I helped her train. Hinata had confidence issues, that much is obvious but I remember her doing excellent work on that mission. I think a little help is in order'

Bowing his head slightly to hide his smirk, he started to rise his hand. Sasuke's face went into involuntary shock, but that was quickly replaced with a smirk as he saw the smirk on the blond's face. Ibiki had a similar reaction, but wondered what the kid was about to do. Just as he was about to call him out, Naruto slammed his hand on the desk

"So fucking what if we can't take the test again? None of us got here without taking risks, so why should we stop now? If I fail, I'll just be the first genin-turned-Hokage anyway"

Sasuke's grin turned wider as he noticed just how many of the genin here now exuded confidence because of his words.'Nice one dobe. You always were good at spouting shit that got to people'

Even the normally shaky Hinata now looked ready to kill. Sakura smiled at her blond teammate, grateful for the reassurance. Ibiki, of course was going through his own thoughts

'Not a bad move kid, you might just make a good leader yet. Anko may have been on to something'

The remaining 24 teams awaited the tenth question with utter confidence in their ability to answer it and pass the test. Ibiki gave a scary grin

"Now for the tenth question..." he stopped there, the tension in the room rising "You all pass"

The reaction from the crowd was anything but unexpected, so Naruto tuned out the crowd as Ibiki explained how important information gathering was and how they would be forced to make similar choices throughout their ninja carrier. Just as he finished a black ball of cloth crashed through through window rapidly followed by four kunai, sticking each of the corners, turning it into a banner that proudly stated:

'The great Mitarashi Anko, proctor of the second exam'

The banner was soon followed by the lady herself, an Naruto had to bite down on his lip just to stop himself from laughing at her crazy antics. The rest of them were a bit... scared. And very likely for a good reason too.

"What's this Ibiki? Twenty four teams? You're getting soft in your old age" Anko teased while still keeping her dangerous grin. The genin, apart from a few, were getting nervous

"Maybe we just got a good crop this year."

"Yeah, right" she chuckled "But no worries, by the time I'm done with them their number will be cut down in half... at least"

"Alright kiddies, show up tomorrow morning at nine in front of the Forest of Death, alias training ground 44 or you fail!"

With those words, the rest of the classroom slowly left with the exception of Naruto, who slowly walked over to the scary pair

"Nice to see you again Anko" he said with a wide smile, not in the least afraid of her. Ibiki meanwhile studied them carefully, considering new ways to tease Anko.

"Likewise gaki" she chirped "You should get some rest, the test's gonna be a bitch"

"Really? That should be fun. Just thought I'd tell ya, I left a note in the exam paper, do read it Scarface" he said jokingly and running off through the window, not waiting to see the twitching of Ibiki's eyebrow.

"He got ya good, Scarface" Anko chuckled at the blond's antics

"Your boyfriend's a funny guy..." he answered darkly, almost failing to notice a barely visible blush creep up Anko's face

"Anko dear, are you blushing?" he teased, his grin back in full force

"N-no, w-what gave you that idea?" she tried to save herself from the embarrassment and teasing that would follow "Besides didn't he say there was a message for you there?"

For the moment, Ibiki Morino considered what was so important that he couldn't tell him in person, and wondered if it was some sort of prank concocted by the boy. Sighing he went over to pick up the boy's test and noticed a hastily written seal, signed 'for Scarface'. Another twitch instantly followed, but he suppressed the desire to rip the paper to shreds. So he did the first thing that came to mind, channeled a bit of chakra into the seal. The watched as the seal broke into little snake-like strands of ink, quickly devouring the rest of the ink on the paper before turning into a complete text

For Ibiki Morino, head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Division

Concerning a spy in our midst

The Konoha genin, identified as Kabuto, unknown last name (silver hair, spectacles)is a spy for Orochimaru, identified by his scent of snakes which only two people have, one being Anko Mitarashi the other the big snake himself. The proof that he is a spy is that he possesses certain pieces of information that only the Hokage and myself are aware of, such the aftermath of Mizuki's betrayal which was classified as my first A-rank mission. The data is located within the Hokage tower's records, and as such is off-limits to anyone not cleared by the Hokage As for the confirmation on the scent of snakes, I am certain that Anko Mitarashi is more than willing to confirm it.

Naruto Uzumaki

Ibiki's eyes went wide at the small report he just read, each piece perfectly supported by logic and proof.

"Hey Anko" he called her

"What did the gaki write?"

"We have a spy to catch"

(00:12, The Hokage Tower, Hall of Records)

Kabuto Yakushi thanked his lucky star for tonight. He had managed to sneak into the tower, deftly avoiding the guards and reaching the records he needed. Using a small wisp of chakra to illuminate the cabinet, he quickly ran through the records, picking out several folders and laying them on top of the cabinet. He proceeded to do the same with several others. Finally, he started copying the data from the records to a scroll. He would have finished if he didn't suddenly feel a pinprick to his neck. He never saw it coming. He cursed his own stupidity as his world went black.

(01:30, Roof of the Hokage Tower)

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the rain fall, the cover it formed concealing most of the village. His high vantage point was one of the best places to simply stand with ones thoughts. He found the sight of the peaceful village bellow him soothing. His memories went back to other times. The third Shinobi War, his youth, his pupils, his two sensei. He raised his two hands and took a long, sobering look at them. He was growing old. And he had made so many mistakes. It was time to make a decision

"Hokage-sama" the voice of an ANBU interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?" he answered without turning

"A spy has been captured while sneaking in the hall of records by Mitarashi Anko and Ibiki Morino, tipped off by genin Uzumaki Naruto. He is currently being interrogated in ANBU headquarters"

"Good. Inform me of the results"

"Hai."

Finishing his report, the ANBU vanished, leaving the aged Hokage to his thoughts. But what he didn't see was something that would have probably scared him. The face still had it's gentle look, but the eyes now held a burning fire. He had decided, cursing himself for all his failings, to at least make amends and to make sure that this village would stand.

(01:45, Uzumaki residence)

A loud curse was heard from the interior of the now well maintained apartment that belonged to Uzumaki Naruto. If one would have come here several months ago, he would have seen a rundown place, which was barely livable. Now however, protected by his ever-growing knowledge of seals, and refurbished from his mission paychecks, the apartment had become a comfortable place to live. Currently, Naruto was sitting in his favorite place, on the small platform next to the window, reading his book on seals, while occasionally looking outside. He had dropped most of his clothes, sitting in his boxers. The lack of clothes once more revealed his seal-covered arms, looking more like tattoos than anything else. The boy's face was troubled as he turned to the book.

"It's weird" he spoke to no one in particular "It all makes perfect sense" he continued, while flipping another page, before taking a small sip of sake. Lately, sake had become one of his pleasures in life. Having someone filter out all the side effects out of your system and leave you with just the good taste helped.

"But why can I follow someone's personal research notes so easily?" he whispered again.

"It's like he thinks the same way I do. 'MN', there's only one person who that could be. But why the hell would these obscure notes make so much sense?"

His thoughts were suddenly broken by a knock on his door. 'Now who could that be?'

Placing the book back to it's place and dressing in a house robe, he went over to the door and opened it to reveal a tired-looking Anko.

"Hey gaki, I just saw the lights on, so I thought I'd drop by "

Naruto smiled at her comment

"Sure, come in" he quickly ushered her into the apartment before closing the door. He quietly noted the few traces of blood on her skirt and sleeves "Make yourself at home" he quietly added before going to the kitchen.

Anko sat down on the couch. While she had known where Naruto lived for a while now, she never actually came here. Tonight though, she felt tired, and she needed the company. Her musings on the apartment's decorations were broken by a voice coming from the kitchen

"Tea or sake?" Naruto asked, a short 'clang' following his question.

"Sake" she quickly answered, getting up and tracing her fingers across the several book-covered shelves reading the titles. Chakra control, seal theory, ninjutsu theory, herbalism, anatomy, medical theory, the books he had covered all of the subjects in what she was sure was great detail. But what attracted her attention the most was his working desk. A simple hardwood desk with multiple small shelves above it, stock full with scrolls, each of them most likely seals or notes. Next to the desk, she noticed four pots, surrounded by a thin purplish barrier, a seal beneath each. Within each of the pots was a different plant, each in perfect condition, each also missing either a branch, a few flowers or leaves. Her well trained eyes easily spotted the tools used by herbalists to prepare concoctions on the desk. She lifted her eyes for a moment to spot Naruto standing at the kitchen door with a saucer and a bottle of sake

"How long have you been there?" she asked with a tired smile

"Long enough." he said quietly. Her guard was down, he noted, and she was dead tired. Naruto may not have had years of experience, but he could tell that Anko was holding on through sheer willpower.

"Hey Anko.." he started, still uncertain what was it he wanted to say.

"Yeah?"

"You look tired" he softly commented, but she merely shrugged. 'She looks so... vulnerable'

"How long has it been since you last slept?" he asked her again. Anko slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"It's been two days" she quietly replied.

"Idiot" he accused, but his voice held no malice "Come on" he said as he put down the sake. Anko watched him with a raised eyebrow, and her usual 'what the hell do you think you're doing?' look.

"You're sleeping here tonight" he answered her unasked question "And that's final"

Slightly pouting at the fact that a kid five years her junior had simply ordered her around, she dropped her head, following him.

"You get the bed" he explained as he brought her to his bedroom. "I'll wake you up early so you don't miss the exam"

And with those words he went towards the door. Just before he left he was stopped by Anko's voice

"Thanks" she said in a much happier tone. Naruto smiled before resigning himself to the couch. He needed the rest too. Setting up the alarm to wake him at six, he dropped to sleep

(8:45, Gates of Training Ground 44 AKA The Forest of Death)

Naruto enjoyed the fact that the rain had finally stopped falling late last night. What worried him were the happy smirks on the faces of the teams from Mist and Rain, happy because of the large amount of water present. He was also happy because the teams from Mist didn't recognize the sword on his back... that would have caused trouble, and thankfully they didn't hear Kabuto's comments on him. He gently stroked the handle of the blade, and noticed the curious and somewhat angry sight of a certain brown haired girl. Taking a moment to inspect her in detail with an extended field of Radiance, he came to the conclusion that she wasn't that much of a threat, but that he should still be careful. Her brown hair was tied into a pair of buns, her chinese-style shirt and black short pants allowed great mobility. He also noticed a number of storage scrolls on her. Higher quality ones actually. 'Not bad girl, but why do you seem so familiar?' he idly thought as he waited for Anko to show up, spending his time cleaning his nails with a senbon which unnerved some of the genins. Sakura palmed her head at her teammate's antics and Sasuke once more checked his equipment. Better be safe then sorry.

Naruto decided to catch a short nap, while still keeping his senses working. He noticed Sakura talking to her friend Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji relaxing next to a tree, Sasuke who also took a nap. And of course after a while the arrival of Anko Mitarashi along with several unidentified chunin. Naruto kept his eyes closed, but was happy to see Anko in unusually high spirits. Her ear-to-ear grin struck fear in many of the genin present, the smile promising pain beyond measure.

"That woman is scary" Sasuke idly commented

"Only if you get on her bad side" Naruto replied, causing a light chuckle from the young Uchiha.


Author's note: Here's a bit on the seal theory I've placed here. First there are three types of seals,

Chakra seals, which deal with chakra storage and direct use, along with basic five element conversion seals and blood seals.

Barrier seals, which deal with, you guessed it barriers. Storage seals also belong here.

And the third class are Life seals, which are the most powerful and complex, and are, unlike the others, exclusively highly complex arrays. The one used on the bracers was one of the simpler ones known as the Absorption Barrier Array, which projects a temporary barrier that instead of deflecting chakra, absorbs it, purifies it and then sends it either stores it or uses it for something, in this case sends it into the body. Normal attacks will still go through though, but a living being will lose a good deal of it's chakra, a part of which is simply burned off, damaging the being.

The Shiki Fuin (Reaper Death Seal) used on Naruto is one of the most complex, while the Cursed Seal used by Orochimaru is somewhere in between. Removing Life seals is far harder that ordinary ones.

I would also ask for the people who write reviews to write a bit more than "It's good" "Nice chapter" "Update soon" and the like. While I don't mind the attention, the reviews are there to help out authors, so I would ask you to please point out what you did or didn't like, instead of writing a short, one-sentence review. Anyway, R&R folks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I"ll be slowing down my writing in the coming days and weeks due to my upcoming exams (must study....), so updates won't be as often unfortunately