Not One but Two Tests

The sun had set a while ago and Naruto was tired. Who wouldn't be after cleaning all that up, maybe next time he should use less paint. What was worse was that Hinata had to help him clean up despite his protests to Sensei. Hinata didn't seem to mind though, in fact she seemed to be enjoying herself. That was probably because of his awesome jokes and kick-ass stories, but he didn't like to brag. Naruto had insisted on walking her home, it was the chivalrous thing to do after all. The fact that doing so delayed returning to his Sensei had nothing to do with it.

The pair eventually made it in sight of the Hyῡga clan compound when Hinata began dragging her feet, she also did not want to face her paternal figure. "Thanks for helping me out with the clean-up Hinata," Naruto tried breaking the tension that had descended on them when they began the trek back home.

"N-no I also p-pranked th-those people I-I should h-help," Hinata replied smiling. Naruto blushed at her smile and found his tongue completely tied. The two continued in silence, but a far less awkward one than before. The nice mood, however, was short-lived as they rounded a corner and came face to face with the Hyuuga guards.

"Lady Hinata your father has requested your presence immediately," The one on the right said tersely. "G-good-bye Naruto," Hinata said sadly.

"Let's hang out again sometime," Naruto smiled back as Hinata entered the compound, looking back at what was her first and, if her father had anythin g to say about it, last friend. This left Naruto with only the glares of the guards as company. Giving his best glare back, which let's face it wasn't very glare-y when compared to a Hyῡga, Naruto hefted his buckets and walked towards the hotel Ziren told him about. As he got closer and closer Naruto began dragging his feet more and more, he really did not want to face Sensei. Eventually he made it to the hotel and was directed towards room 106.

Standing before the door Naruto extended his senses and felt Sensei's chakra on the other side waiting for him. Taking a deep breath Naruto opened the door and stepped inside. Ziren was indeed waiting for Naruto with his arms crossed over his chest. Naruto looked into Ziren's eyes for a brief moment before becoming very interested in his shoes. Naruto could handle any of Sensei's moods, exasperation, anger, apathy. But there was one mood he couldn't handle seeing in Sensei's eyes, disappointment.

They stood there for a solid five minutes before Ziren finally broke the silence and dropped the hammer Naruto was waiting for. "Are you going to tell me why you decided to use the 5th Step without my permission?"

"H-Hinata needed help so I figured the 5th Step would hide us," Naruto replied keeping his eyes down. When a reply wasn't immediately given Naruto looked up at Ziren's face, which was a huge mistake. Naruto could see the information work its way through his sensei's brain. Ziren's eyes hardened in anger, making his show earlier that day in front of the Hokage look like a joke.

"You used it on another person?!" Ziren shouted.

"I-It's ok-"

"Dammit Naruto you could have killed her!"

"I-I made sure she had enough chakra to be saf-," Naruto said trying to justify himself.

"It doesn't matter, her body could have rejected it! What the hell were you thinking!?"

"That she needed help and I could help her!" Naruto answered trying to hold back his tears. Hearing the pain and remorse in Naruto's voice made Ziren's anger fade and his eyes to soften. Stepping forward he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders causing the youth to look up with watery eyes. "Naruto I'm proud that you would help someone you just met but you need to think before you act," Ziren said reassuringly. "These techniques are dangerous and if you don't respect them-"

"-They won't respect you," Naruto finished the mantra. "Why did you think it was a better option than just hiding?" Ziren asked far more gently this time.

"…I thought it would make me look cool," Naruto whispered. "I didn't think it would be a problem because she had enough chakra."

"I see," Ziren said after a minute of thought. "I taught you these techniques because I believed you would treat them with the respect they deserve but it seems you aren't mature enough. Until I state otherwise you are no longer allowed to use them under any circumstances. Understood."

"B-but sensei,"

"UNDERSTOOD!"

"Understood."

"Good. There's some stew on the stove, it should still be warm. Go eat," Ziren said showing Naruto the kitchenette. Naruto helped himself to a bowl and sat down while Ziren continued reading a book he had open. After Naruto had scarfed down his dinner he tried to lighten the mood. "How did the negotiations go?"

"Before we were interrupted by some punk causing trouble," Ziren shot a glare at Naruto. "Good. We're in."

"So you mean we're going to be ninja?" Naruto asked his smile returning.

"After we pass their aptitude test, yes we will. Which means that you're going to need to study." Ziren said hefting a textbook onto the table in front of Naruto. "Get studying."

"Don't you think it would be better to practice more…practical skills? Like kunai, or kenjutsu, or I don't know...baking?" Naruto asked edging away from the book like it was diseased.

"Don't try my patience Naruto," Ziren said his voice gaining an edge. Knowing when arguing was a bad idea Naruto pulled the book towards him and opened it up, a look of disgust on his face.

The next day after eating a healthy breakfast, despite Naruto's best efforts, the pair headed towards the Hokage Tower where their specialized test would be conducted. They were met by the Hokage himself. "Good morning," the old man said.

"Good morning," Naruto yelled back.

"Ah-hem," Ziren pretend coughed while shooting Naruto a look. Naruto looked confused for a second before a light bulb went off in his head. He moved so that he stood right before Hiruzen and bowed his head. "I am sorry for causing so much trouble yesterday," Naruto apologized.

"It's fine. Reading about your escapades was quite entertaining. You have a real flair for the dramatic, Naruto," Hiruzen laughed.

"Not many appreciate the art form. Thanks Gramps." 'THWACK' "Dang it Naruto we practiced this, show respect," Ziren scolded Naruto.

"Ha, ha, its fine I am an old man, it's appropriate after all," Hiruzen said laughing. "Naruto you will be following Gecko here to your test. Adair you will be following me," Hiruzen said as an ANBU wearing a gecko mask appeared next to him. Looking to Ziren for reassurance Naruto followed the ANBU as Ziren followed Hiruzen.

"So what will my test entail?" Ziren asked the Hokage as they walked down the street.

"You obviously are intelligent, otherwise we would've found you years ago. You have extensive knowledge of the Elemental Nations thanks to your mercantile experience, and you can also obtain sensitive information as proven by the intelligence you gave us for your defection. All that leaves is your combat capabilities. Ah here we are," Hiruzen finished as they walked into a clearing in the middle of a training grounds.

Ziren surveyed the battle area as he stretched and prepared for combat. "Who will I be facing in this test? An ANBU?" Ziren asked as he turned back towards Hiruzen. He found himself speechless when he saw the Hokage hand his red/white robe and his hat to a waiting ANBU revealing a battle outfit underneath.

"You will be facing me," Hiruzen answered putting on his war helm. "I haven't had a real fight in quite a long time. I do hope you'll give me a decent warm-up," Hiruzen smirked.

"W-wait let's talk abou-"

Shadow Shuriken Jutsu Hiruzen shouted as he threw a shuriken that then multiplied into a hundred heading straight for Ziren.

"Fu-"

The sound of younger children running and laughing filtered into the empty classroom from the school grounds outside. Well almost empty classroom save for one very depressed heiress. Hinata had not been allowed out of the clan compound since the night she said good-bye to Naruto a little under a week ago. Her father was absolutely livid with her, believing she had disgraced the clan. He put her on a brutal training regime stating that he would make a suitable fighter out of a failure like her. She was pretty sure that the only reason her father let her leave today was because he was legally bound to.

She left as soon as she could, which resulted in her being over an hour early. Having nothing better to do and being tired from her father's training Hinata laid her head down for only a few minutes. She was rudely awakened by what felt like a stampede of angry oxen. Opening her eyes Hinata saw what looked like a pink blur and a yellow blur fighting over a black blur. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes Hinata got a better look at what was going on. A girl with bright pink hair was arguing with a blonde haired girl over who got to sit next to a black haired boy. And so began the daily ritual of Sakura and Ino fighting over who got to sit next to the class heartthrob, Sasuke. She didn't understand what they saw in him. He was cold, distant, and just plain mean. Naruto on the other hand was nice, warm, and went out of his way to help people. And she didn't know why she was comparing the two. Luckily her teachers Iruka and Shizune walked in preventing her from taking that train of thought too far.

"Quiet down, quiet down, everyone to their seats," Iruka shouted over the noise of the excitable new genin. "As of today you are all genin, official ninja."

"And we are proud of all of you," Shizune continued for Iruka. "You will be going out and serving the village. We are sure all of you will make splendid Ninja." "

"Now we will split you into teams of three under a jounin sensei," Iruka said picking up a clipboard on his desk.

"Now pay attention," Iruka said as looked at a clipboard in his hand. "Now on team one under-" And so Iruka spoke out name after name of Hinata's classmates. There was cheering, there were tears, and there was indifference as friends were separated or put into the same teams. Hinata was only barely paying attention until-

"Team seven under Kakashi Hatake will be Sakura Haruna, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Yes!" Sakura yelled as she leapt out of her chair.

"Poor Sasuke being held back by Billboard Brow," Ino said loud enough for Sakura to hear.

"What was that Pig!" Sakura shouted back at Ino.

"You heard me forehead!" Ino replied butting heads with Sakura. Sasuke, as per normal Sasuke, didn't even acknowledge the argument going on not even a two feet from him while Kiba had his head on his desk trying to block out the sound while his ninken, Akamaru, was in a similar posture on Kiba's desk.

Iruka was about to shout down the kids when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking over he found Shizune calmly walking towards the pair of yelling girls. "Sakura, Ino, what would Lady Tsunade think if she saw two of her favorite students acting in such a manner?" Shizune asked with a smile. The room went deathly quiet as the students imagined what they're medic teacher, Tsunade, would do. With audible gulps Sakura and Ino sat down quietly and let Iruka continue calling out the teams.

"Are we ready to continue? Good," Iruka flipped a page on his clipboard before clearing his throat. "Team eight under Kurenai Yuuhi: Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga. You will be meeting your third team member later today. Team nine-" Hinata stopped paying attention as she looked over at Shino; a taller than average student who had spiky black hair, a grey trench coat, and a pair of sunglasses that were perpetually on his face. Meeting Hinata's eyes Shino bowed his head in acknowledgement before bringing his attention back to the teachers. 'It could be worse,' Hinata thought to herself. She didn't know much about the Aburame but he seemed nice enough. What really stumped her was their third teammate.

"That's all. We'll break for lunch before you meet your new senseis," Iruka said putting his clipboard down. "I recommend you use this time to get to know your new teammates better. Oh and congratulations shinobi of Konoha!"

Hinata was getting ready to head out with her lunch when Shino appeared next to her deathly quiet. "Shall we eat together?" Shino said in the patented Aburame monotone. "U-uh s-sure," Hinata replied trying to keep her heartbeat controlled. Hearing her answer Shino walked outside not bothering to make sue Hinata followed. He found a shaded bench and began unpacking his lunch. Hinata followed suit and began eating when she saw Shino pull out a jar of foul smelling brown mush and place it next to his lunch. She almost shuddered when bugs started crawling out of his sleeve, grab some of the brown mush, and return to Shino's body. Almost shuddered, because shuddering in the presence of an Aburame was considered a great insult to them.

"W-what's that?" Hinata asked pointing to the foul smelling…stuff.

"My Kikaichu require nutrients not commonly found within the human diet, therefore I must supplement my intake," Shino answered without so much as an inflection.

"W-wouldn't it be more uh-um e-efficient to eat it y-yourself?" Hinata asked trying to use bigger words to impress Shino.

"Yes it would be," the Aburame answered.

"T-then why d-don't you ea-eat it?" Hinata asked confused.

"Because it tastes terrible," Shino said plainly. Hinata was surprised to hear such a normal answer from the nicknamed "Bug Boy".

"W-who do you th-think will be our th-third teammate?" Hinata asked in an effort to maintain the conversation.

"Someone who was trained in isolation from the academy possibly. Or someone from a genin squad whose teammates have been promoted or killed." Shino answered.

"M-makes sense. W-what about our s-sensei? Have y-you heard a-anything about K-Kurenai Yuuhi?" Hinata asked.

"No, but my father lent me his bingo book for today," Shino said pulling out a book from his trench coat. Opening it Shino began leafing through its pages looking for information. "Kurenai Yuuhi AKA 'The Genjutsu Mistress', Jounin of Konoha, age: 27, height: 169.1 cm, weight: 54.4 kg, notable characteristics: Long, unkempt black hair and unusual crimson eyes, highly skilled in numerous genjutsus, considered very dangerous." Shino finished reading.

"Sh-she seems s-skilled," Hinata said uncertainly trying to gauge Shino's reaction.

"From the book, yes she does. But as is often the case reality will most undoubtedly be different." Shino finished and continued eating his lunch.

Conversation after that petered out since Hinata was too shy to carry on talking and Shino having nothing to say said nothing. After they finished eating Hinata and Shino cleaned up and made their way towards the classroom. They were two of the first and waited for the rest of class in awkward silence.

The minute the bell rang signaling the end of lunch the classroom door opened and in stepped a black-haired, red-eyed woman matching the description Shino read in the bingo book. She was wearing an unusual dress that looked like it was made of wide bandages with one sleeve longer than the other with the usual flak jacket over her blouse. "Hinata, Shino," she said scanning the classroom. When she saw the two genin stand up she waved them forward and left the classroom. Hinata and Shino both rushed out of the classroom following their new sensei.

"I would normally introduce myself but we are missing our third teammate. Let's go meet him," she said with a reassuring smile. Hinata decided that she liked her new sensei so far. "Let's test your speed, keep up." And with that Kurenai rushed out of the school and started jumping from rooftop to rooftop with Shino and Hinata close on her heels. They finally slowed down when they landed in the middle of a training field. They were not, however, alone. An orange clad blond-haired teen was leaning against a tree. When he saw the newcomers his face lit up into a dazzling smile that made Hinata's stomach flutter in a most delightful way. "Hinata!" Naruto yelled waving.

Before Hinata could respond Naruto rushed forward to stand inside Hinata's personal space, not that she minded mind you. "I tried looking for you all week but the guards in front of your house wouldn't even talk to me. They were so rude. Are you okay? We should go get some ramen after this. Wait!" Naruto stopped his tirade and looked Hinata up and down. "Something's different. What is it?" He continued his studying of Hinata before his eyes rested on Hinata's neck. "You became a ninja! That's awesome." A lightbulb went off in his head. "Are you on my team? Sweet!"

Finally coming out of her stupor Hinata also noticed something different about Naruto. He had a Konoha forehead protector on. "Y-you became a-a n-ninja Naruto?" She asked confusedly. "All of you come sit down," Kurenai interrupted before Naruto could answer Hinata's question. The three walked over to where Kurenai was sitting on a rock and took seats on the ground.

"Let's start with introducing ourselves. I'll start to let you get an idea of what to say. My name is Kurenai Yuuhi. I like Genjutsu, spending time with my friend Anko, and drinking tea on a calm, bright morning. I dislike cigarettes, men who think females are weaker than males, and whoever designed these flak jackets," This comment was punctuated by Kurenai adjusting said flak jacket. "My dream is to create the most powerful Genjutsu in the Elemental Nations. Now who wants to go next?" Kurenai finished.

"Ooooh me, me, me, me," Naruto shouted holding his hand in the air.

"Very well go ahead Naruto," Kurenai said gesturing to Naruto.

Surging to his feet Naruto puffed out his chest and started his introduction. "My Name is Naruto Uzumaki, remember that because I'm going to be famous someday. I like Kenjutsu, Ramen, and traveling. My dislikes are the three minutes you need to wait to make ramen, people who don't know how to be nice, and Sensei when he's angry," Naruto shuddered. "My dream is to one day be the strongest swordsman ever and to make the Elemental Nations roads safe enough that anyone can travel anywhere safely." Naruto finished sitting back down.

"Thank you Naruto. Hinata how about you next," Kurenai said looking at Hinata.

"O-okay," Hinata got to her feet much more slowly than Naruto. "My n-same is Hinata Hyuuga. I like f-flower pressing, c-cinnamon buns, and p-playing with my y-younger sister. My dislikes are my s-stutter, my sub-par T-taijutsu, and p-people who j-judge others." Hinata said becoming depressed by her own introduction. "M-my dream is t-to one d-day become s-strong e-enough to b-be c-clan head," Hinata finished weakly.

"What are you talking about? You're awesome Hinata," Naruto beamed at the self-conscious girl who turned a very bright shade of red at the praise.

"Th-thanks Naruto," Hinata said with genuine thanks.

"Okay Shino why don't you finish for us," Kurenai said glad that Hinata was getting a self-esteem boost.

Shino, who was observing his teammates carefully, got to his feet and began his introduction. "My Name is Shino Aburame. My likes include studying insects, breeding insects, and reading murder-mystery novels. Why murder-mystery novels? Because they are entertaining and help sharpen one's mind. My dislikes are insecticides, people who kill insects needlessly, and people who call my clan creepy." Naruto was starting to pick up pattern here. "My dream is to become a competent clan head and to breed a new more powerful form of Kikaichu. That is all Kurenai-sensei," Shino finished adjusting his sunglasses and sitting down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, however I am not your sensei, not yet anyway." Kurenai said drawing questioning stares from the three sitting on the ground.

"What do you mean Kurenai-sens…uh Kurenai?" Naruto asked.

"Right now you are probationary genin. Well except for you Naruto but that's beside the point. To truly become a genin you will need to pass a test administered by your to-be jounin sensei. The 'True Genin Test' as it is commonly called. Be warned this test has a sixty-six percent fail rate." Kurenai said seriously as the faces of the three genin also got serious. "Now normally the test would be given tomorrow but I don't want to waste time. If you're going to pass you will, and if you won't you won't, one night's sleep won't make a difference." Kurenai explained

"What is this test?" Shino asked.

"In this training ground I've hidden two coins looking like this," A ghostly image of a coin bearing the Konoha leaf symbol appeared floating over her palm. "Bring me this coin before time runs out and you pass. You're all senor types it shouldn't be too hard." Her smirk said otherwise.

"B-but s-sensei there are only t-two coins and th-three of us, w-what happens to the th-third p-person?" Hinata asked feeling very nervous about this whole scenario.

"They get sent back to the academy," Kurenai said in a no non-sense tone. Hinata's face paled considerably as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She didn't want to think about what her father would say if she couldn't even become a genin. Kurenai pulled out a timer and set it to three hours. "But if none of you get a coin all of you get sent back to the academy. I suggest you get searching." Realizing that they had a very limited window to search the three genin darted off into the woods.

Hinata stopped under a tree, if she was going to find one of those coins before the others she would need every advantage she could get. Bringing her hands together in a seal she shouted "Byakugan!" The veins around her eyes bulged with chakra infused blood as her eyes seemed to come into focus. Her kekkei genkai allowed her to see in three-hundred and sixty degrees around her as well as over great distances and through solid objects, but its most powerful ability was to see the chakra networks of living things. And it was this final ability that made Hinata gasp sharply. When looking at a person's chakra it is quite easy to gauge their ninja rank. Civilians were like a glow-in-the-dark sticker, there was light there but it was very faint. Genins were like candles, bright but sputtering. Chunins were torches, steady and shining. Jounins were campfires, large and powerful. Hinata had once seen the third Hokage with her Byakugan, it was like standing before a massive inferno. With her telescopic vision Hinata was easily able to find Shino and Kurenai and their chakra was as she would have assumed, a candle and a campfire, but then she saw Naruto. Stickers, candles, torches, campfires, even a raging inferno paled in comparison. Naruto shined like the sun itself. But more than just brightness there was a warmth to it as well, like a soothing summer morning. Hinata was so caught up in staring at the enigma known as Naruto that she didn't even register that he was getting closer. Well up until he was standing right in front of her waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hinata? Hinata you okay?" Naruto asked worriedly. Something was wrong with her eyes and she was just staring into space. Blinking rapidly as the veins around her eyes relaxed Hinata shook herself out of her stupor. "I-I'm o-okay Naruto."

"Oh good. What was going on with your eyes it looked really weird?" Naruto asked looking into her eyes causing that fluttering feeling to fight with her heart dropping at being called weird.

"I-I have a k-kekkei genkai in m-my eyes," Hinata answered. "It allows me t-to see in a-any direction and t-to see th-through o-objects." Hinata left out being able to see chakra not really knowing what to think of Naruto having more chakra than she thought a human capable of possessing. The more she learned about Naruto the more questions were raised. First was his chakra sensing capabilities, then the fact that he was able to evade higher level ninjas, he was able to become a genin of Konoha despite only arriving in the village last week, and now he had super-human levels of chakra.

"That sounds so cool!" Naruto said looking at Hinata in awe. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? The pranks we could have pulled with an ability like that would have been amazing."

"My c-clan d-doesn't use th-the Byakugan unless f-for mission or t-training purposes," Hinata informed Naruto.

"The Byahoo-what?" Naruto asked puzzled.

"M-my eyes th-they're c-called the Byakugan," Hinata answered.

"Oh, okay. Oh yeah! Hey do you want to work together?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"B-but th-there's only t-two c-coins," Hinata stuttered out.

"Exactly if we work together we can get the two coins and be on the same team no prob," Naruto smiled. Thinking about it that made sense. Two was better than one after all she was just afraid she would slow him down and cause him to fail. "I-if you're o-okay with m-me?"

"Excellent let's go I think I've found where one of the coins might be hidden," Naruto said grabbing Hinata's hand and dragging her along behind him. A bit farther in the wooded training grounds Naruto stopped and looked around scratching his head.

"W-what makes you th-think there's a c-coin around here?" Hinata asked looking around.

"I can sense a bunch of Genjutsus around here. Like that tree branch there for example is fake." Naruto said pointing to a perfectly placed tree branch for branch hopping. "Fake, fake, fake, partially real, fake, fake…" Naruto continued pointing to various objects around them. "Ooh maybe you can use your really cool eyes to look."

"O-okay I'll t-try," Hinata said activating her dojutsu. Hinata had to tear her eyes away from Naruto's sun-like chakra and look around her. Naruto was right, a lot of what he pointed out was in fact a Genjutsu. Continuing her search Hinata did in fact find the coin. It was inside a hollow of a tree. The hollow, unfortunately, was actually pretty deep and very narrow. The hollow was too narrow to reach down which meant that they couldn't get the coin out, Naruto tried. "What if we cut it down?" Naruto asked reaching for his sword.

"I-I don't th-think w-we could c-cut it down in t-time," Hinata said uncertainly. The two stood there for a few minutes trying to come up with a way to get the coin out of the tree. "Well I'm coming up with a blank," Naruto sighed.

"I-I have an i-idea," Hinata ventured.

"Well, what are you waiting for let's hear it?" Naruto said excited.

"I-I th-think Shino c-could get it ou-out," Hinata said timidly.

"Really how?" Naruto asked

"H-he can c-control bugs. H-he can p-probably get th-them to get the c-coin out," Hinata answered. Naruto thought about it for a second before nodding to himself. "Well we can't get the coin out so might as well let Shino have it come on, let's go find him."

Finding Shino was easy, they were both put on a scouting team for a reason. "What is it that you need? I am quite busy right now," Shino said tersely, well tersely for an Aburame that is.

"We found one of the coins but we can't get it out. Hinata thought that maybe you could get it out," Naruto said pointing in the direction of the tree.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shino asked puzzled.

"We can't get it out, no point in preventing someone else from passing," Naruto said simply.

"Thank you," Shino said after a moment of thought. He was surprised by his teammates, and he was not surprised easily. If he had found a coin he couldn't obtain he was unlikely to inform the others of its location and would have instead kept the location to himself.

"Awesome," Naruto said and led Shino back to the tree. "It's inside this hollow here, it's too small for either me or Hinata to reach down, but Hinata said you could get it out."

"Indeed," Shino said extending his hand towards the hole in the tree. A buzzing sound filled the air and was quickly followed by a swarm of bugs that flew out of Shino's sleeve and into the hollow. A moment later the bugs returned with one the coins that Kurenai-sensei had hidden. "So you found this Naruto?"

"Nope, Hinata found it," Naruto replied. Shino walked over to Hinata "You found it you keep it," Shino said putting the coin in Hinata's hand. Hinata was dumbfounded and wasn't able to respond for a moment. "N-no w-we c-couldn't get it out so you k-keep it," Hinata tried handing it back to Shino but the Aburame stalwartly refused. "I would not have found it without the two of you, therefore I am in your debt. I do not like being in other people's debt." Shino said adjusting his glasses before turning back to Naruto. "What shall we do when we find the other coin?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it. Any idea where to start looking?" Naruto asked.

"My Kikaichu have detected a high concentration of chakra in that direction," Shino said pointing.

"Lead the way," Naruto smiled putting his hands behind his head.

Hinata just stood there for a few moments staring at the coin. She was incredibly surprised, not only had she managed to help Naruto but Shino had also acknowledged her and gave her his coin. He sacrificed his own promotion for hers. "Hinata you coming?!" Naruto shouted bringing Hinata out of her musings. "C-coming!" She shouted running after her teammates.

Shino was leading Naruto and Hinata through the forest when Naruto started twitching his head. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Naruto said holding his hands to his temple and backpedaling before his foot hit a root and he tumbled gracelessly to the ground.

"N-Naruto are you o-okay?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I-I think so," Naruto replied still a bit dazed.

"What Happened?" Shino asked.

"I was just walking when there was like a burst of static in my head." Naruto said rubbing his temples. "Hinata can you use your Byakugan to see what happened?" Naruto asked looking up at Hinata.

"S-sure," Bringing her hands up into a hand sign and shouted "Byakugan!" The world grew sharp as the veins around her eyes bulged and her dojutsu activated. Scanning the trees around her Hinata noted that there were small bits of chakra in the air that seemed to grow denser the farther into the trees they went. Not really knowing what she was seeing Hinata explained it to Naruto and Shino. "Fascinating, what exactly are we looking at?" Shino asked staring at the invisible chakra.

"I d-don't know," Hinata replied wondering the same thing.

"Chakra…dimmer…glimmer…swimmer, no shimmer!" Naruto shouts jumping to his feet. "My Sensei taught me about these. They're called Chakra Shimmers. They're meant to block out and hurt sensor types." Naruto said while rubbing his temples. "Obviously they work."

"They seem quite effective, why are they not more actively used?" Shino asked sending out his Kikaichu to gather information.

"They require a lot of chakra and will dissolve into the air after only a few hours." Naruto answered trying to take a step forward before quickly jumping back and holding his head. "You guys will have to search without me. It hurts if I go any farther."

"Can you mark out the perimeter of the Chakra Shimmer?" Shino asked. "That will narrow down the search area. If as you say that these things require a great deal of chakra it reasons that such resources would not be wasted on a false lead. Hinata let us begin searching." Nodding Naruto took a tentative step forward before retreating. Repeating this process Naruto dragged his foot through the dirt forming a roughly forty foot diameter circle. Shino meanwhile was releasing his Kikaichu swarms to filter out the chakra in the air while Hinata used her Byakugan to search the trees.

It was tough going at first, the Chakra Shimmer made it difficult to see fine details. But as Shino's bugs ate the chakra in the air she was able to see more clearly. Hinata saw Naruto join them in their search as the Chakra Shimmer faded but she forced herself to look away and focus on finding the coin. Catching a reflection of light Hinata found the coin wedged into a branch that was rather high up on a rather tall tree. "Th-there it is," She shouted catching the attention of the two boys.

"You sure?" Naruto asked squinting up at the trees foliage.

"Y-yes," Hinata said trying to sound confident. "C-can your b-bugs get it d-down?" Hinata asked turning to Shino.

"They're insects and yes," Shino replied lifting up his arms and releasing even more of his Kikaichu. After a few minutes Shino's insects were still not coming back down. "Everything working all right?" Naruto asked starting to get impatient. "It seems that the coin is wedged in the wood quite deeply and my Kikaichu do not poses the requisite strength to pull it out." Shino replied calling his bugs back. "Someone will have to climb up there and get it."

"I'll get it!" Naruto said stretching his arms.

"A-are you s-sure y-you're okay? The Ch-chakra Shimmer is weak b-but still active." Hinata said worriedly. "No I'll go." Naruto was hiding it well but Hinata, with her sharp chakra enhanced eyes, could tell he was still in pain. She had been working on her tree walking skill and was sure she could get to the top with no problem. "S-step back." Putting some distance between herself and the tree Hinata took a deep breath before sprinting towards the tree. When she reached it she leaped up and channeled Chakra into her feet adhering her to the rough bark. Taking a few steps up she made it too the first branch. Using it she vaulted even higher up the tree allowing her to take a couple more steps. After repeating this a few times Hinata found herself on the branch with the coin. She balanced herself trying to catch her breath after her trying climb.

"Hinata that was awesome!" Naruto shouted up to the Hyuuga causing her to blush. Adjusting herself Hinata found the coin that was wedged about halfway into the branch. Grabbing it Hinata pulled but the coin was stuck fast. Getting into a position that would allow her better leverage Hinata once again pulled. The coin budged but only slightly. This time she put real muscle into it. The coin came free and with it Hinata's precarious balance was thrown off. Hinata pin wheeled her arms uselessly before she fell down the tree.

Seeing Hinata falling down the tree Naruto panicked and tried to place himself into a position to catch her shouting something to that extent. Shino, being the calmer and more collected one, began ordering his insects to try and slow Hinata's descent. It was at this point that Hinata's fine-tuned shinobi instincts kicked in and her body began moving. Reaching out she grabbed a branch and used it to perform a flip that landed her on a lower branch. Her momentum, however, carried her over the new branches edge and Hinata placed her hand and foot against the tree and applied chakra, not enough to adhere but enough to allow her to slide down for bit. When the chakra in her hand and foot ran out Hinata launched herself towards the last branch on the tree and used it to perform a front flip to land safely on the ground.

Naruto stood there with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds. He closed it with a click and a heavy blush dusting his cheeks. Looking away Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "That was really cool." This small yet genuine praise caused Hinata's cheeks to also turn bright red.

"A-hem, do we know where the coin is?" Shino asked interrupting the two. Not that he was unaware of the mood between his teammates; he was usually more considerate than this, but they were on a time limit. "Yea I think it fell around here somewhere." Naruto said looking around on the ground. "Ah-ha here it is Naruto said holding up the round piece of metal.

"Good let us find Kurenai-sensei and finish this tes-" Shino was interrupted by the sound of a coin being flicked. Lifting up his hand Shino caught the spinning coin in his hand. He looked at the coin for a confused minute before lifting his eyes towards a grinning Naruto. "What?" was the only thing he could say.

"Well when I was studying for the Genin test I had to learn about Konoha clans. You're both from major ones right?" Naruto asked before continuing without receiving an answer. "Becoming a ninja is really important to your families' right?" Both Hinata and Shino nodded. "Well if I fail Sensei won't be too mad. Maybe more studying but that's fine. Plus I don't think Kurenai-sensei can send me back to the academy. I'll have to ask Sensei about it. So you two can have the coins and pass I'm sure I'll mange something, I am pretty awesome after all." Naruto finished.

Shino turned the coin in his hand for a moment than another. Today was a day of constant surprises, which was in it of itself quite surprising. Shino was logical and he was able to analyze complex situations and predict, mostly accurately, the outcome. The academy was overwhelmingly boring to him, nothing happened that he hadn't expected. Now he had the key to never having to back to that monotonous place. But there was still an itch at the back of his head. And he knew that if he didn't scratch it, it would always bother him. "No," Shino said tossing his coin onto the ground.

"Uh, what?" Naruto asked.

"We are a team and we would not have been able to pass this test at all without each other's help. We either succeed together or fail together, and so I say no," Shino said. Both Hinata and Naruto stared at Shino neither expecting that reaction from the logical boy. Hinata stared at the coin in her hands and though about what Shino's words meant. Failing this test would no doubt cause her clan to consider her even more of a failure than she already was. What would they say if the heiress couldn't even achieve the rank of genin? Hinata clutched the coin hard enough to hurt. The clan already though of her as a failure and here were two people who not only liked her but also respected her. It shouldn't be a tough decision, and she wouldn't let it. "He's right," Hinata said tossing the coin onto the ground next to the other. "W-we are a t-team. We pass or fail together."

Naruto stared at his two teammates for a moment, tears running down his eyes, before he lunged forward and pulled them into a group hug. "You guys are the awesomest team ever." Naruto said causing Shino to feel uncomfortable and Hinata to experience that fluttering feeling in full force.

"Congratulations you three you passed the actual test," Kurenai said appearing out of nowhere hoping to surprise her new team.

"What do you mean Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked not even the least bit startled at her appearance. Kurenai was disappointed that not even Hinata jumped in surprise, sneaking up on a team full of sensors was going to be tricky. "Anyone can learn the basics of being a genin. But what sets apart the true shinobi is the ability to work together. Even genin can take down a jounin if they can work together well enough," Kurenai informed them. "Which means that you are now no longer team eight and are now Team Kurenai. Wear your headbands with pride you've earned them."

"Woohoo!" Naruto shouted jumping into the air. "We're ninja now! I can't wait to tell sensei. Oooh we should celebrate, I know this great ramen stand we can go to. Come on Kurenai-sensei it'll be fun." Naruto said shaking with excitement.

"I'd love to Naruto but I need to go and report to the Hokage," Kurenai said a little disappointed. She wanted to celebrate with her new team but the Hokage's orders were very specific that she would should report on the genin's success or failure immediately. "We will meet her tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning and will discuss how our team will operates as well as training schedules. Understood?"

"Yes Sensei!" The three new ninja said in unison. "Good dismissed," and with that Kurenai disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Come on let's go get ramen," Naruto said grabbing his new teammates hands to drag them off. Shino, not being big on physical contact, managed to avoid being grabbed by Naruto this time. Hinata was not so lucky, or maybe she was luckier Naruto made her feel so many different confusing emotions.

And so Naruto pulled a blushing Hinata along with him toward Ichiraku with a rather exasperated Shino trailing the two.

Kurenai walked into the Hokage tower and approached the secretary on duty. "Ah Ms. Yuuhi, the Hokage asked that you be sent immediately to him when you arrived."

"Thank you," Kurenai said as she headed towards the Lord Thirds office. Walking in she saw the Hokage sitting at his desk. "Welcome Kurenai," Hiruzen said without looking up. "Please close the door and take a seat." Closing the door, which caused the silencing seals in the walls to activate, Kurenai sat opposite the aging shinobi.

"How did your team do?" the Hokage asked once Kurenai got comfortable.

"I am glad to tell you that they passed with flying colors. Although might I ask why you had me give the test today? And why I had to report right after instead of with the other jounin senseis?" Kurenai asked respectfully. Sighing Hiruzen pulled out his pipe and started packing tobacco into it.

"Kurenai, there are a few things you need to know about one of your students."