a/n: Are you ready? Well, here we go...


It isn't anger.

No. That isn't it at all.

It's that room. Those bodies. The odd eyes. Blackness, and searing pain.

It's survival.

Takamaru's heart races as the adrenaline courses through his veins. His awakened perception warps time itself. Haku's hand draws out three senbon. The arm extends and the projectiles take flight. Then Haku proceeds to move from one mirror to the next, drawing out three more senbon as he does so. He hits the next mirror and once more launches a trio of the darts towards Takamaru. Taka's eyes follow flawlessly. His sword raises and knocks away the first barrage with the flat of his blade, one senbon after the next. The next set he side-steps, the senbon narrowly missing. Not a wasted movement by Takamaru.

And so the exchange continues during the remainder of Haku's assault. Takamaru parries and evades each time. His movements blur, flowing like a shadow, almost as if he knows how Haku will strike next. 'But that's impossible,' Haku thinks, 'I shouldn't be hypnotized.'

"I won't be killed by the likes of you. Besides, I actually kind of like the cold."

Takamaru speaks defiantly, making light of the situation without a trace of humor in his voice.

Haku thinks quickly. The only way to bring down this boy with the sharingan would be to create an opening, a diversion. And so he marks his target. With a burst of chakra Haku moves to the next mirror and launches another volley, this time at the downed Naruto. Takamaru, still turning around to face the mirror with the real Haku, notices the senbon aimed for his companion. And he looks away from Haku. It's only for a moment, but its all the opportunity Haku needs. He lunges forth with another burst of chakra. His hand extends towards eye-level with but a single senbon gripped tightly. Takamaru's sword intercepts the senbon aimed for Naruto, and his eyes flick back to see a needle inches away. He leans back, pushing his muscles to try to match the speed of the masked boy. His arms bring the sword from his waist-level, swinging it upwards.

But Haku is too close. Takamaru's action becomes a pommel strike rather than an upwards slash. His leaning back is not enough to evade Haku's reach. And yet, that is moot when his sword pommel connects with the bottom of Haku's chin. The force of the strike stuns Haku, who drops his senbon and goes limp, flying upwards. Takamaru's motion continues upwards, and the sword's handle pries the mask off Haku's face.

Haku recovers by leaning away into a backflip and landing several feet away in a kneel. Takamaru lunges foward with a stab aimed for the middle of Haku's face, when their eyes meet. The tip of the sword stops a few inches from Haku's face.

"Yuki...?"

Takamaru's hesitation allows for Haku to respond swiftly. Seeing no other alternative to fight the awakened sharingan, Haku makes one last determined effort. With as much chakra as he can muster, he blasts forth from the kneeling position, flying under Taka's sword, and spears him in the gut with his shoulder charge. Takamaru, completely caught by surprise at the technique so lacking in finesse, lifts right off his feet as the two glide towards the guard-rail of the bridge. The momentum carries them right into it, then right over. Haku strikes his head and goes unconscious. Takamaru, unfamiliar with chakra control enough to land on the water, takes a deep breath as they both plunge into the tumultuous waves below.


The demonic ice mirrors crack and shatter into thousands of pieces, raining down on Naruto like sleet. At once, both Kakashi and Zabuza look over to see their two prodigies missing. Zabuza the more surprised,

"He lost?! Impossible!"

Though Kakashi did not have faith enough that Takamaru would win, he never the less thanks fate and takes full advantage of Zabuza's shock. The sound within the mist all but paints a target on the Demon. Kakashi rushes forward with his raikiri and thrusts his hand through Zabuza's chest. The water clone disperses and Kakashi abruptly turns about, thrusting his hand out once more. The real Zabuza with blood-shot eyes stands for a moment, his blade raised high. Kakashi withdraws his hand, arm covered in blood. Zabuza's great blade falls and sticks into the ground, and then the demon sinks to his knees. He falls back with a dull thud on the concrete, eyes turned up, lifeless.

As the mist clears, a rather large group can be seen on the far end of the bridge. Standing at the front of the miscreant band, a rather short man, aged, one of his arms in a cast. He begins to proceed at a casual pace, the mob following.

"Keh! I didn't really expect the 'great demon of the mist' to lose, but you've saved me the trouble! I was going to have him finished off after your fight, anyway!"

As the crowd draws closer towards Tazuna and Sakura, still barely conscious, Kakashi lifts the sword known famously as 'Kubikiribōchō' from the bridge and slings it over his shoulder. His countenance grows increasingly both somber and threatening.

"Not another step..."

Gato flinches, then smirks.

"You're bluffing! You must be utterly exhausted! Men! Kill Everyone!"

He points forward, and the mob charges. Lightning arcs around the great blade before Kakashi dashes forward in a blur. And the slaughter begins. As body parts and blood fly everywhere, the advance of the mob is slowly pushed back. Should one find their way forward, they suddenly find themselves short something they were formerly attached to.

Sakura looks over to see Naruto lying on the ground, glistening in the early morning sun due to the ice crystals covering his form. She reaches out her free hand and weakly speaks,

"Naruto... I'm sorry..."

Tazuna, nodding, assists Sakura in hobbling along towards the blond, and sets her down next to him. Sakura scoots herself over to his side and pulls the senbon from his throat. She lays herself down, resting on her side pressed against him. Her free hand moves up to his chest and grips his jacket lightly.

"..I... No. We, need to get stronger, Naruto... so that this doesn't happen again."

She coughs, more blood dribbling down the side of her face.

"... if we survive this..."

And her consciousness drifts away, redness over-taking her sight. Her last thought, 'Huh... I must have blood in my eyes...'


Dusk, down by the water's edge...

Takamaru tears away the ragged sections of his clothing, leaving little more than hand and feet wraps, and what could pass as a loincloth. Atleast he'll dry fast. The sun sets, and he feels a chill begin to come over himself. He looks at the ground where Haku lay and notices how his clothes still seem to be whole. Given the nature of jutsus of those from the mist, its little wonder they hold up under long periods of saturation. The simple fabric his attire was crafted from had no special consideration. He considers nabbing the clothes and leaving the corpse to rot in the open when Haku's facial features scrunch up. His hand comes up and rub the top of his head. Takamaru steps back and quietly draws his sword from its scabbard. Atleast that had stuck with him.

"Mmm... oooohhh... I think this feels like what you'd call a hangover, Zabuza..."

Haku opens his eyes and looks over at Takamaru with sudden surprise. Before he can react, Takamaru has the tip of his katana pricking the soft flesh of Haku's throat. Haku freezes in place, but asks,

"Who... are you?"

Takamaru doesn't speak, instead opting to shift his eyes red, the sharingan glowing in the twilight. Haku remains still for a moment longer before pressing another question,

"Okay. I suppose you'll be trying to get out of the land of waves alive. You can't kill me here, or you'll have no leverage when you come across Zabuza."

Takamaru's expression darkens as he replies,

"I doubt the demon lives. Without your help this time, he's probably cold by now."

Haku looks away, accepting the truth of his words. Then,

"But prisoners of war are valuable to the leaf, surely."

Takamaru shakes his head,

"You are a missing nin. Your value as a bargaining chip is minimal."

Haku thinks for a moment, then asks,

"Then why haven't you killed me already? I killed your friend."

Takamaru shakes his head again,

"No, you didn't. I saw his chakra flowing despite what you did to incapacitate him. I suspect it's the same technique you used on Zabuza."

Haku looks down and nods, secretly relieved.

"I wasn't sure if he'd live... "

"-But he did. And now the question becomes, do you?"

Takamaru interrupts. He moves the tip of the swords from Haku's neck and flicks it upwards, motioning for Haku to stand. Haku unsteadily rolls over and gets to his feet. He once again rubs the back of his head. Then taking a deep breath, he outstretches his hands and closes his eyes,

"No. If Zabuza is dead, then I have nothing left in this world. I have failed as a tool to my master and have lost my most precious thing in this world. So, strike true."

After a few moments with nothing happening, Haku opens his eyes once more to see Takamaru placing his sword back in its scabbard and placing it on his back. When Haku looks at him questioningly, Taka responds,

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You know things I do not. Techniques I wish to possess. And the way I see if, you owe me a debt for not just letting you drown in the waters."

Haku immediately speaks,

"I wish you had."

Takamaru glares,

"You don't get a second life! Second chances, but once you're dead, you're dead! If you have noone to live for but yourself, then that is what you do!"

Haku's eyes go wide,

"... Is that what you do? Do you live only for yourself? Is there noone precious to you?"

Takamaru's eyes sharpen, and he releases the sharingan,

"I live for justice. I live to avenge those who were murdered. I live to kill the one who did it. Only then can I live for myself, as you put it."

Haku's face turns to sadness,

"Revenge, then? You will only continue the cycle upon yourself, to be killed by someone else some day. When you kill someone, you inflict that same need on those left still alive who cared for the one you killed..."

Takamaru shakes his head slowly, frowning,

"... Then I would only be turning my blade upon myself after he is dead. There is noone else left to care for that monster."

Haku reaches out a hand sympatheticly, placing it on Taka's shoulder. Remembering the loss of his own family,

"So it is, then."

Removing his hand and grinning warmly,

"But hey! I now have something to do! Maybe I can start by teaching you how to pass as a girl when spying! Hee hee!"

Takamaru's jaw drops as he backs up a step,

"Y-you mean... you're not a girl?!"

Haku's smile widens, revealing a toothy grin,

"What? You didn't fall in love with me, did you?"

Takamaru's cheeks redden, splotches showing through the scar tissue on his face,

"Uh... that was one beautiful transformation jutsu..."

His eyes cast downward, reflecting sadly for a moment.

And the two proceed.


At the dwelling...

Haku pulls out an odd looking outfit: a hunter-nin mask, black hooded jacket, green slacks, and default shinobi sandals. Takamaru grabs them begrudingly,

"The only clothes you can spare? Really?"

Haku smiles,

"The only ones that will fit you."

Takamaru grumbles and dons the outfit, save the mask. He holds it in his hands for a few seconds before deciding on a few design changes. Haku nods and heads off to the shower room, and Taka begins working. After about ten minutes, his redesign of the hunter mask is complete. Where previously there was a red wavy swirl design, there is now a black flame starting from the bottom of the mask and flicking its way up over the right eye hole. The mist symbol has been sanded off and is now, proudly, that of the leaf.

Deciding to test Haku's detection abilities, he stalks his way to the showers. It'd be fun to give Haku a good scare to make up for the earlier teasing, he thinks. Step by step he approaches. Channeling his chakra carefully, each foot landing is as a feather falling. Then comes the door. Sliding action, no hinges or wheels. Ever so slowly he works it open. When its wide enough to slip through, he does so. He drops to a crouch as he nears the shower. Almost there. His hand reaches for the door. His fingers wrap around the handle, oh so carefully. And then he jerks the door open and jumps in the opening. He activates his sharingan as he does so to permanently imprint the look of Haku's face, shocked.

Well, he isnt' entirely disappointed. He does get a shocked reaction out of Haku. Her eyes go wide in shock as her hands move to cover herself. Being the silent type, she doesn't scream at the invasion of privacy. However, this doesn't stop her from freezing the water all around her and sending a few hundred ice spikes hurtling towards Takamaru. Takamaru is momentarily confused as to why Haku would shower transformed. And then it hits him. The realization, not the ice spikes. Those, he dodges with a quick side-step.

"Sorry!"

He yells as he sprints back into the other rooms and finds a good place to hide. Haku comes out with a towel wrapped around her slender form. Her eyes scream murder as she says,

"Takamaru... come out! I just want to talk!"

Takamaru, knowing better, does no such thing. After another half hour of Haku stalking around the dwelling, she gives up and finishes her shower. The rest of the night is spent underneath the bed, waiting for daylight. Surely she will have cooled off by then, he hopes.


The next day...

Takamaru and Haku arrive at the bridge. Takamaru in his new outfit, and Haku wearing the purple kimono she used to scout the bridge previously, her hair down. At their approach, a few villagers walk up to meet the duo. One steps forward saying,

"Sorry, the bridge is closed today. Ugh, it'll take the rest of the day to clean up all the gore..."

Haku addresses them,

"I apologize, but, what happened to Tazuna and the ninja who accompanied him?"

The man responds,

"Uh, Tazuna's alright. That older ninja cleaned up Gato's men real good - not a single survivor! Even Gato! But he didn't stick around. He took the two younger ones with him off in a hurry. Neither of those kids looked in too good of shape; but they weren't dead. Gosh, I sure hope they make it alright..."

"And the two ninja that showed up at the bridge, working for Gato?"

"Dead, so far as I heard. We only burned the bigger one's body."

Haku nods as Takamaru steps foward,

"Well, you can tell Tazuna that Takamaru made it back. If you see him before I do, tell him I will finish the job and he can expect me here tomorrow."

"Ah, okay then. Will do."

The workers nod and head back to their dirty work on the bridge. Takamaru turns to Haku and lifts up a hand.

"I know what you'll be teaching me today."

Haku looks at his hand, then meets his eyes,

"Something to do with your hand...?"

Taka shakes his head,

"No, yours. I remember how you used a jutsu with one hand. Due to my... disability, it would greatly improve my combat ability."

Haku tilts her head questioningly. Takamaru lift his left hand and cycles through the twelve seals. His right hand has no issue flowing into each gesture, while the left moves slowly and strained, as if each movement is against great resistance. Haku nods solemnly.

"Is that...?"

"Yeah. When I survived the fire, my left was particularly scorched. The muscle is damaged and the scar tissure further restricts the flexibility of my fingers."

"Then let's take a walk."

Haku grabs Takamaru's left hand with her right, locking her fingers between his. Takamaru blushes beneath his mask and nods lightly. Haku starts her lesson by raising her free hand and bringing up half the hand seal for 'tiger'. Takamaru understands and raises his right hand to form the other half of the seal. Haku smiles warmly, and so the lesson goes.


En route to the leaf...

"Pakkun! Have any of the other dogs found Takamaru yet?"

The dog and his master, Kakashi, bound through the trees. The two genin are tied to his back, leaning over either shoulder. Pakkun replies,

"I wouldn't know yet! You'd have to unsummon me to talk with the others."

Kakashi shakes his head,

"Then I won't know until later tonight. I've got to keep moving to get these two back."

Pakkun sniffs the air,

"Those two should be alright. Both of their wounds are healing fast. But I thought only Naruto held the fox within him."

Kakashi explains,

"Yeah, but I'm guessing it's a sympathetic response, given their proximity. Anyway, they're not out of the woods yet. Naruto may have suffered nerve damage, and Sakura could still become infected. It's safer to make it back to the village and have them checked out. "

Pakkun grunts in agreement, and the two increase their pace.

(line break)

At Konoha Hospital, two days later...

"uuuuhhnnnn..."

Sakura's eyes open slowly. Inches in front of her face is Naruto. Her eyes shoot wide open and she panics momentarily. After a moment of recalling the events leading up to this, she steadily sits up, and throws her legs over the side of the bed. Her hand reaches up to the wound on her stomach, bandages tightly wrapped around her midsection. Thankfully, the wrappings appear white; which means she's not still bleeding. She looks back at Naruto who lies there peacefully on his back, either sound asleep or comatose. As she steps out of bed a nurse walks by. She immediately flags the woman down,

"Hey! Excuse me! I have a few questions!"

The nurse blinks in surprise, then nods.

"Yes, of course. I'll grab a doctor, and they'll be here in a few minutes."

Sakura stands dumbfounded. She spots a chair and sits to wait patiently. After the few minutes, a doctor arrives,

"Hello there, Miss Haruno! I see you are awake and moving around! This is good news. Of course, we'll have to do a full exam, to insure there are no complications, and you'll be staying here for the rest of the week to-"

"Why was I in the same bed as Naruto? That's not typical hospital procedure."

The doctor eyes down at his chart nervously,

"Ah, well. About that. The boy you were with, Mister Uzumaki, has special chakra properties related to his, er, bloodline. This chakra, we found, is beneficial to the recovery of bodily wounds. As yours was severe, and that you were already benefiting, for a few days, from his, uh... presence, we decided it was in your best interest to bed you together. Don't worry, nothing untoward you has happened, or would, really. The boy is quite comatose."

Sakura, slightly annoyed,

"And why isn't he better yet?"

"The nerves in his spinal cord were... nicked, resulting in a temporary coma due to swelling of the effected area. It will take a few more days atleast before he recovers, but he shouldn't be worse the wear. We'll check him thoroughly when he awakens, but if his medical history is to believed, he has no long-lasting injuries to speak of, despite numerous visits to this facility. Will that be all, Miss Haruno?"

Sakura nods. Even though these 'answers' merely provide her with more questions, they are things best dealt with later. The doctor motions for her to follow, and she does so. As she exits the room, Kakashi, standing by the doorway,

"After you two recover, I'll be increasing your training, No missions for awhile until I think you're up for another C-rank. And if you're wondering where Takamaru is, he's still in the land of waves. He'll return when the bridge is finished. Lucky for you guys, that'll put a 'mission complete' on your records."

Sakura waves him off,

"It's only a complete mission if we all make it back alive. So you can bet I'll be kicking Naruto's butt to make him stronger!"

The look of determination in her eyes fills Kakashi with a quiet pride.


A month later, in the Land of Waves...

"Well, that's it! The bridge is finished!"

Tazuna announces to his family and the crowd of construction crew. Takamaru and Haku stand near the back, both loaded with travel gear. Tsunami leans in to her father Tazuna, asking,

"But what are you going to call the bridge?"

Tazuna rubs his chin.

"Hm... couldn't really go with 'The Leaf Bridge'. That'd definitely confuse people. They wouldn't know where they are! No... How about, 'The Great Naruto bridge!... 'Cause of how this was such a pain in the butt to build!'"

He waits a moment before the crew breaks out laughing. Tsunami nudges her Tazuna,

"Father..."

Her chiding eyes tell him he needs to come up with a real name. So he clears his throat and tries again,

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, 'The Great Kakashi Bridge!' For without that shinobi, we'd all surely have perished..."

He rubs the back of his head nervously. The atmosphere grows uneasy for a moment, before others among the crowd speak up, cheering their approval, leading to a round of applause. Haku looks towards Takamaru, curious of his opinion. His answer,

"It's as good as any other. All I did was stay alive. It seems to be what I'm best at."

Haku sighs, then,

"Shall we go?"

Takamaru eyes Haku for a moment,

"I'm heading back to my village. You can go where ever you like."

Haku just nods, and walks side by side with Takamaru.


A few days later, at the Leaf village gate...

"Tch! Takamaru is taking his time in getting back here! He must be getting soft, bein' on vacation for the past month! While we trained our asses off! I bet I could take him, now!"

Sakura's eye twitches in response to Naruto's bolster. Naruto, catching on to Sakura's annoyance, quickly laughs and nervously fidgets,

"Ah... I mean, we could take him! Especially you!"

Sakura sighs, closing her eyes momentarily. When she opens them again, she strikes a pose with her right fist raised in front, her left hand gripping her bicep. Determination gleams in her face,

"Oh yeah!"

Naruto, like some sort of hype-man, joins in with fist-pumping into the air,

"YEEEAAAH!"

"What's got you two so excited?"

From behind them approaches a boy in a black hooded robe-like jacket, wearing a mask with a black flame pattern. Next to him stands a young woman dressed formally in a purple kimono. Naruto stops mid-celebration,

"Eh...? Who are you?"

Sakura also questions the pair with a raised eyebrow. To which the masked boy replies, by grabbing the hilt of the sword on his back. Naruto instinctively ducks back, confused. Only a moment later does he guess,

"... Takamaru?"

Takamaru nods and lowers his hand back to his side.

"Yes, and it was just plain rude to ignore me as I walked past a minute ago. I even looked in your general direction."

Naruto cocks his head to the side, trying to remember if he saw Takamaru a few moments ago, when Sakura chimes in,

"It's normal to greet your friends when you haven't seem them in a month! But you! you look completely different! And you're traveling with a woman! How in the heck are we supposed to know?!"

Haku smiles, giggling politely. Takamaru responds,

"Hmph. I guess those are valid points. I forgive you."

"Forgive us?! I'll show you forgiveness!"

As Sakura makes to move forward with a fist raised, ready to strike, Naruto jumps between them,

"So, who's your girlfriend?"

The interruption stalls Sakura's advance, as she holds back, also intrigued. Takamaru auspiciously motions towards Haku,

"This is Yuki. She was a daughter of one of the workers who died."

Haku out-stretches her hand,

"A pleasure to meet you. Naruto and Sakura, right? Takamaru has told me so much about you."

In truth, Taka was rather silent the whole month, only mentioning them in passing. But, manners. Naruto, then Sakura shake her hand. The tension gone, Takamaru clarifies,

"And she isn't my girlfriend, just a traveling companion. The roads are relatively safe, but since we were headed in the same direction, I thought it'd be best to travel with her."

Haku, oddly annoyed,

"It was actually my idea. If I remember correctly, you said that I could go where ever I like. And I chose to walk with the boy with the pretty eyes. And you're so cute when you play hard to get."

Takamaru freezes up, as if suddenly drenched in ice water. The other two notice and break out laughing. Haku giggles as well, giving Takamaru the most devilish look, as if to say 'got you'.


One week before the start of the chunin exams...

"Heh, boss, is she, y'know..."

Konohamaru shakes his hand with his pinky finger out. Naruto blushes, glances over Sakura, then back to Konohamaru,

"Well, we have gone out on a couple dates..."

Konohamaru freezes in shock, his eyes going wide,

"Seriously?! Woah, yer cooler than I thought!"

Sakura, getting annoyed,

"Yeah, only two! He'd have to win another bet, and I'm not making any!"

Konohamaru, still feeling mischievous, turns around and implies to Sakura,

"Well, I'm just a kid, but I still know what happens after the third date..."

Sakura's eyes go wide this time, and she turns as pale as a ghost. 'Third date' echoes in her mind, bringing up a repressed memory. Naruto, fully aware of the aftermath, leans in to Konohamaru fearfully,

"Run!"

The ninja-in-training falters for a moment, before Sakura lets out a blood-curdling scream. Her hair seems to rise up as chakra swirls about her,

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And then Konohamaru takes off in a flash. Sakura breathes heavily for a moment, raggedly as her rage settles briefly. She too bolts, chasing after the young boy. Naruto shakes his head, traling after,

"Ah, man..."

At a ramen shop nearby, possibly called 'Ichirakus'...

Takamaru sighs, then places his chopsticks down on the table. Teuchi approaches and asks,

"Done already, Taka?"

Takamaru shakes his head,

"Nope. But that scream you probably just heard means its time to soothe the beast. Again."

He shakes his head and vanishes from his seat, a few bills left in his place.

Back to the chase...

Konohamaru blindly rounds the corner and bashes his face against the chest of an older boy, all dressed in black. He bounces back and lands on his butt. He shakes his head in an attempt to get his bearings when he is suddenly lifted by the collar of his shirt and comes face to face with Kankuro. His painted eyes glare. Though Konohamaru can't seem any less afraid of him as he warns,

"Let me go! She's coming and I've got to get outta here!"

Kankuro clenches his teeth before threatening,

"I don't care who 'she' is, I'm the one you should be afraid-"

In one instant, Kankuro speaks coolly, in the next he's flying backwards with a broken nose. His hands are emptied of their possession. He lands and recovers to his feet quickly, checking his nose with one hand, grabbing the wrapped doll on his back with the other,

"You bitch!"

"Kyaaa!"

Sakura slams Konohamaru into the ground head first, rendering him unconscious. Her rage unsated, she next glares at Kankuro. Though before Kankuro can unveil Karasu, Temari moves behind him, firmly placing a hand on his shoulder. When he turns back, Temari shakes her head, and so he holds off momentarily.

In the next moment, Takamaru stands in between them, facing his pink-haired team mate,

"Sakura, look at me."

Subconsciously she does so, and her eyes go blank. Exhausted, she too loses consciousness and slumps forward. Takamaru catches her and lifts her in his arms. His eyes shift back to normal as he turns to face the duo. He nods his head slightly,

"I apologize on behalf of my friend. She can get little... cranky."

Naruto rounds the corner to find the scene unfolding. His first thought upon seeing Sakura unconscious is to assume the worst, He glares at Kankuro and moves to charge in.

"Naruto. Stop."

Takamaru issues his order to the blond. Naruto halts beside Takamaru uneasily. Kankuro, meanwhile, has other intentions. He shrugs off Temari's hand and slams the wrapped Karasu down in front of him.

"Don't make me kill you Kankuro."

This time it's the puppet-master's turn to freeze in place. Nervously, he returns the doll to his back,

"S-sorry, Gaara..."

"Don't be sorry. And don't be stupid."

Temari turns around to face their brother in an attempt to placate him,

"It's alright, brother, he was just joking around, right Kankuro?"

Kankuro nods, quivering. Gaara, unimpressed,

"Shut up Temari. You."

He points to Takamaru,

"What is your name?"

Naruto moves to introduce himself when he suddenly finds Sakura thrust into his arms, Takamaru stepping forward,

"I am called Takamaru."

Temari snorts, and upon failing to control herself, breaks out in laughter. A quick glare from Gaara shuts her up, though.

"Why is that funny to you?"

Takamaru asks. Gaara replies,

"Forgive my sibling's rudeness. I am Gaara of the desert. We are here to participate in the chunin selection exams run by your village."

Takamaru reflects for a moment, 'yes, they do run at about this time of year...', then responds,

"... Then I guess we will see you there. I'll remember your name."

Gaara nods,

"And I'll remember yours. For now."

And he vanishes in a swirl of sand. Temari and Kankuro wander off to their destination, leaving behind Naruto and Takamaru. Naruto turns to Taka and asks,

"The chunin selection exams?... Of course we're ready to kick ass! But, why hasn't Kakashi said anything to us?"

A hand slowly reaches up Naruto's chest and harshly grasps his collar,

"That's because, they notify the other nations months ahead of time!"

Naruto, startled by Sakura's sudden awakening, quickly sets her down. She stands and brushes herself off, commenting,

"I guess we have a certain jonin to push the screws to, right boys?"

The two nod, and begin their search.


The day of the exam...

"We're just saving you guys from the brutality of the exam! We doubt any of you have what it takes to pass, let alone survive!"

Team Seven arrives in time to see Rock Lee knocked to the ground for the... however many times it takes to get covered in scrapes and bruises. Sakura chuckles to herself before stepping forward, boldly pointing at Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Let us pass! We're headed for the third floor!"

Naruto squints his eyes at the sign on the door, reading '201'. He turns back to Sakura, who continues,

"And drop the genjutsu, while you're at it!"

Takamaru closes his eyes briefly in relief. At least he didn't have to be the one to draw attention on himself. Kotetsu replies,

"Tch. You're pretty good. Well, how about this!"

He rushes forward to deliver a kick to Sakura. Takamaru watches it happen in slow motion. If it appears that Sakura can't put up a defense, he'll jump in. A blur at the corner of his vision catches his attention, however, as Rock Lee moves in to intercept Kotetsu. The blue beast's hand blocks the kick effortless, sending the fake-genin sprawling onto the floor. Takamaru's first thought being,' how in the hell did he do that?'

"Hey, what happened to not sticking out, Lee?"

Neji asks, irritated. Lee slumps and shrugs,

"Weeellll..."

His eyes rolls over in Sakura's direction. Neji gets the hint but is not amused. Neji motions for Tenten to follow as he walks away. Tenten glances over at Team Seven, her eyes stop on Takamaru for a brief second, and she pauses,

"Nah, you guys go on ahead, I'll be right there."

Rock Lee's eyes go wide. That was just what he was about to say. It'd be totally uncool to hang back now. He'll just have to confess to Sakura later.

When the masses depart for the third floor, Tenten walks right up to Takamaru,

"Hi! I haven't seen you in a few months..."

A slight blush appears to her cheeks as she addresses her friend. Takamaru pauses, about to ask how she knew, when he remembers their last encounter,

"...The eyes, right..."

He motions to his face and chuckles.

"I've been getting quite a bit of use out of this beauty."

Takamaru draws out his katana and presents it to Tenten, who briefly examines it,

"Well, at least you're keeping it sharp this time."

She returns the blade. Takamaru re-sheathes it and nods,

"Yeah. It's a good baldric, too. Stayed with me, even when the rest of my gear was lost."

Tenten smiles warmly,

"Mhm. Oh, come find me after the exam. I have a present for you!"

"The sword?"

Tenten grins widely,

"You'll just have to wait and see!"

And she bounds off to join her team. Takamaru does the same soon after.

When he finally catches up, he finds Sakura red in the face and Naruto grinning like a fool.

"What happened to you guys?"

Sakura, flustered,

"That Rock Lee guy came onto me, and I wasn't thinking! I told him Naruto was my boyfriend, and now this idiot won't stop looking stupid!"

Takamaru looks back to Naruto, who manages a few unintelligible noises in reply. After a moment, he comments,

"Cute. Now let's get this exam started..."

And they walk through the door.


a/n: cover image incoming. Worry not. And thanks for the reviews, they are much appreciated.