Welcome back! I did soooo many rewrites of this chapter, but I'm pretty happy with it now. Here we go!

-O-

Chapter 4: Fuja Hoin

"There he is!"

"Kyaaa! He's so cool!"

Kaiya groaned as the girls in her class grew more high-pitched with every pronouncement. This was a near-daily occurrence in the fifth-year classroom; during break or lunch or both, a gaggle of girls would gather at the classroom windows and ogle whichever boy was considered the most popular for that week. It was weird to have been one of the oldest in her last class only to now be one of the youngest after a mid-year promotion. Kaiya sometimes wondered if this would be her fate soon: cooing over completely inconsequential things like how a guy walked or stood, and Kamis forbid he do anything more active-

"KYAAAAAA!"

With a flinch, Kaiya rubbed her offended ear as the whole crowd of them squealed simultaneously, absently wondering if the boy in question had flung some mud or done some similarly astonishing feat. After another such squeal, she couldn't stop herself.

"Oy! Spare my eardrums, will ya?"

A chill hush fell over the clique as they turned toward her as a unit. Kaiya didn't bother looking up until she felt them surround her desk, where she busily copied down basic storage formulas from her textbook.

"Oh?" The leader of this particular clique, Natsumi, spoke for the group, hands on her hips, staring down at Kaiya imperiously. "You think you're too good for Saito-kun, is that it?"

Saito - so that's who the boy-of-the-week was. He had quite a streak going. Kaiya kept her eyes on her notebook and tried to remain blasé. "No, I'm just trying to study here, and your shrieking isn't helping."

An audible gasp echoed through the group. "And what is little miss nobody working on that's so important?" Natsumi asked, her voice as sweet and sticky as honey. She made to grab Kaiya's notebook, but Kaiya grasped it tightly. Natsumi merely twisted her head to see what Kaiya was writing. "Practicing calligraphy or something? All I see are a bunch of scribbles!"

"Guess she doesn't know the difference," another girl muttered. "Being a nobody and all." The other girls tittered with laughter.

"They're storage seals," Kaiya retorted, tugging her notebook from Natsumi's grasp. "Not that you'd know, staring at the back of Saito's head all day."

A sneer twisted Natsumi's conventionally pretty face, stretching her usually pouty lips thin. "Saito-kun," she corrected snappily. "Don't you dare act like you're so special to him!"

Crap. Once again, Kaiya had forgotten to use the appropriate honorific. Could she help that in the orphanage, the kids rarely used them with each other? It was an old habit, but she wasn't about to give these girls more fuel than they already had against her. "Pfft…you can have him. Saito-kun is about as intelligent as the rocks he throws at people."

A sharp crack echoed through the classroom; Kaiya's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging and turning bright red from Natsumi's hand.

"Tch!" Natsumi folded her arms, her fair cheeks flush with anger. "Like he'd ever be interested in you, with that ugly red mop and your - your weird scribbles!"

"That's the best you can come up with?" Kaiya didn't realize until the words were out of her mouth that she'd spoken them aloud.

With an almost feral growl, Natsumi grabbed Kaiya by the hair with both hands and dragged her from her seat. "You - you-"

"What?!" Kaiya challenged, trying to dislodge Natsumi's fingers. "Go ahead!"

"You bitch!" Natsumi let go of her own accord, taking deep breaths and trying to compose herself. "You just want me to stoop to your level, don't you? Down there in the dirt with all the other freeloader wannabes! Well, too bad. You'll never make it, you know. You come from nowhere. No one wanted you, and no one ever will. That's why you were at that stupid orphanage!"

The sound of a window opening caught Kaiya's attention; her head snapped around and she saw some of the other girls taking her books and throwing them out the window into the muddy yard below. Kaiya yelled out and tried to stop them, but Natsumi and the others held her back.

"Not like you were doing anything worthwhile," Natsumi cooed, her sickly sweet voice back. "Who cares about those stupid seals anyway? They're printed out all the time. What…" She covered her mouth primly as a small laugh escaped. "Do you think you're one of those ancient seal masters in the storybooks?"

"Probably," another girl offered. "She's always reading those dumb stories!"

"No wonder no one likes hanging around her," added another. "Except that big oaf."

Kaiya growled low in her throat. They could insult her all they liked, but Gorou?! "What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"She even talks like him!"

"The oaf and the witch!"

"Kya, you're right! She's just like one of those ugly old witches, always messing around with old jutsu no one cares about!"

"Old witch, old witch, old witch, old witch!"

Kaiya just rolled her eyes at this point. The sheer creativity of their insults never ceased to amaze her, but at least they were just focused on her again. All she wanted to do right now was escape from their grasp so she could get her books back before the bell rang.

"You may be interested to know," came a light male voice from the doorway, "that Sensei is on his way back."

The boy who matched the voice strode into the classroom with an air of detached boredom. Perfectly groomed and impeccably dressed, this was the school's resident rich boy: Kusato Hikaru. He barely gave the girls a passing glance as he calmly made his way to his usual seat near the back. Although he was small, slight, and didn't come from a ninja background, no one dared to even look at him insultingly for fear that his powerful, wealthy family might retaliate in some way. It paid to be the only son of the largest weapons dealer in the Land of Fire; even the teachers showed him more deference than they did most students.

The girls dispersed upon hearing the warning, leaving Kaiya alone to pick herself up and straighten her hair and clothes. She mentally cursed; if Sensei was on his way back already, she'd never have time to rescue her books.

Then she saw it: a folded slip of paper on her desk.

Check the clock.

Confused, Kaiya did just that - and smiled. It was early yet; if she ran, she could make it to the schoolyard and back just in time. On her way out the door, she glanced at the Kusato heir, but he paid her no mind. Kaiya just smirked and hurried out the room.

Later that day, when class let out, Kaiya approached Hikaru outside. "Hey! Um…thanks. For earlier. You kinda got me out of a bind, there!"

Hikaru, who was just a little taller than her, looked down his nose at her as though she spoke a foreign language. Then he turned and walked away.

"Hey!" Kaiya called out again, this time annoyed. "I just thanked you, you got nothing to say to that?"

"'Do you have anything,'" Hikaru corrected with a beleaguered sigh, turning to face her again. "'You got nothing' is so vulgar. If you're to be my academic rival, at least use decent grammar."

At first, Kaiya was ready to retort, but she stopped. Academic rival? Everyone knew Hikaru was top of the class in everything ninjutsu and theory-related. She'd skipped half a grade to be in that class…and he was saying she was his rival?

A grin broke out on Kaiya's face; she didn't even care that it was starting to rain and that she didn't have an umbrella. She just dashed toward home, intent on improving on her so-called 'scribbles' in the peace of her studio so she could show up her new rival.

– O –

Setting down her shopping bag, Kaiya smiled. It was a last-minute decision, but she was already glad she'd made it. From the bag came a few prepared items from the market - grilled fish, a few different salads, a jar of pickled vegetables, instant miso soup…all she had to do was make some rice for a complete meal. It wouldn't be at Hikaru's level of being completely from scratch, but it would suffice, especially since her kitchenette wasn't the best suited for preparing large meals.

Her door opened as she turned on the rice maker, and a familiar loud voice filled the apartment. "Hey, Kaiya-nee-chan! What's for dinner? Thanks for havin' me over, you know - hey, you won't believe what just happened yesterday!"

Kaiya listened as Naruto described, in questionable detail, meeting a trio of Shinobi from Sunagakure, how it was totally him and not Sasuke who chased them off, how there was something called the 'Chunin Exams' happening soon and how Kakashi had given the three teens applications to participate. Of course she'd already known about the last part, but she let Naruto ramble on undisturbed.

"So I'm totally gonna do it, you know! I'll ace these exams, and then I'll be even closer to becoming Hokage!"

Kaiya smiled warmly at the familiar pronouncement but held her tongue for the moment from admonishing him for his assumption that the exams would be so easy. She knew that it didn't matter how challenging they were - Naruto had made up his mind, and nothing would sway him from it. As she set him to the task of setting the table, someone knocked on the door. "Can you get that, Naruto?"

Naruto jerked back from the door when he was greeted with the scowl of his dark-haired teammate. "TEME-! What the heck are YOU doin' here, eh?!"

"I was invited," Sasuke answered coolly, sliding past him and kicking off his shoes, hands in pockets.

"I asked him over," Kaiya confirmed, setting the pot of rice onto the table. "Naruto, set him a place."

"What?! Why do I gotta-"

"Now."

Naruto snapped to attention; he recognized that tone. Sasuke smirked until Kaiya turned to him.

"Sasuke - help him out. We'll need one more setting."

Sasuke didn't protest or grumble, but his brow did furrow as he reluctantly got up. A new knock on the door signaled the last of the party.

"Come on in!" Kaiya opened the door to reveal Sakura standing shyly outside, holding a covered basket. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, Sakura-chan! We'll be pretty cozy in here, but I think it'll work out!"

"Hai…" Sakura glanced at the two boys before bowing to the redhead. "Thank you for inviting me, Kaiya-san."

"Oh, just Kaiya, please! Here, have a seat - what should I do with the basket?"

"Oh - it's my mom's sweet buns, in case anyone wants desert. And there are a couple of apples too," Sakura added with a glance to Sasuke.

"Is Kakashi coming too?" Sasuke asked, mildly curious as to the impromptu team gathering.

"Heh - nope! Just us four!" Kaiya finished laying out the food and sat down, motioning for the others to do the same. "Besides, my apartment's pretty tiny. He'd take up too much space, you know?"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, he'd probably just lay down readin' his stupid porno, ya know!"

"Anyway, dig in!"

"Hai! Ittadakimasu!"

Kaiya watched as the three ate, inwardly smiling at how much could be gleaned about each from their eating habits. Naturally, Naruto was the loudest, though he was far from messy; not a speck of food wound up anywhere but in his mouth once he grabbed it, and he easily cleaned his plate before asking for more. Sasuke was more mannered, and while he didn't eat with quite as much gusto, he also saw to every last grain of rice. Sakura, Kaiya noticed, seemed to be holding herself back, taking smaller portions and eating much more slowly; however, the way her eyes darted over her teammates' plates whenever they were refilled, it was obvious that she was just as hungry.

Kaiya placed another portion of fish onto Sakura's plate and smiled when she protested. "We burn energy just like they do - and especially with these two, you're gonna need your strength to keep up!"

Sakura nodded but looked downcast. Kaiya filed this away and tried striking up conversation among the three weirdly quiet teens. "So - a little bird told me that you're entering the Chunin Exams!"

"Eh? What bird? I thought I just told you!"

"She means Kakashi, idiot."

"…I knew that!"

"Anyway," Kaiya stressed, drawing their attention back. "If you had any questions about what it's like, now's the time to ask!"

For a second, they just stared at her. Sakura spoke up a little hesitantly. "But…I thought you weren't supposed to talk about what the exams entail. It's on that form we have to sign - the instructors aren't allowed to give anything away that the participants may face in the tests."

"First of all, I'm not an instructor," Kaiya said with a wink. "Not even a Jonin. I've only been in one exam myself, but trust me, I've had my ear to the ground since then - there's a few patterns I've picked up on. Second - I don't just mean ask me about the exams. I am a Chunin, after all. I was promoted around the same age as you guys."

Naruto's eyes brightened and he half-sat up in excitement. "So it's totally possible for us to win this thing, then!"

Kaiya sighed. "Possible? Of course. I wouldn't doubt it. Believe it or not, Kakashi speaks highly of you three. However…you should be prepared for what happens if - when - you do pass."

"Whaddya mean, 'what happens when we pass?'" Naruto asked, scratching his head. "We'd be Chunin, right?"

"Exactly," Kaiya nodded. "You know that A-rank mission you were on? While it's still unlikely a Chunin would receive missions like that on a regular basis, it's much easier for a B-rank to become A-rank in the right circumstances. In other words…your missions will get a lot more difficult and a lot more deadly. Take the missions my team does: most are B-rank these days, meaning we expect combat to be possible, though a big part of our parameters are in making sure that doesn't happen. Still…a couple of times, they turn A-rank because of the ninja we wind up facing, or unexpected circumstances."

Naruto's eyes went round in admiration; even Sasuke straightened a little. "So you've faced Jonin before?"

"A few times," Kaiya confirmed. "Granted, it was often a three-on-one scenario, but the point is, there's always a chance of facing someone stronger than you, and as a Chunin, that chance becomes a lot greater. It's not a case of 'might' - you will encounter life-and-death scenarios, and it won't just be your life on the line. You'll be in all sorts of teams, sometimes at the head, sometimes under someone else; either way, other lives will depend on you, and you'll have to depend on others. Now, my team is a bit of an exception to the rule because we've exclusively taken missions together since we were Genin; not all squads stay together, though."

"So…" Sakura looked looked to her teammates. "We wouldn't be 'Team Seven' anymore?"

"I'm not saying you'll definitely be split up," Kaiya said, holding a hand up. "Again, my team stayed together. But it's possible. It also kinda depends on whether you all pass the exams at the same time."

Sasuke looked up with fractionally raised brows. "It's possible for just one person in a team to pass?"

"Of course. The way the exams are structured, they first weed out entire teams that aren't ready. Sometimes it's because their teamwork sucks; a Chunin has to be able to work with anyone they're assigned with, so not being able to work with the people they've trained with for months or even years is a bad sign."

"How do they eliminate teams?" Sasuke asked. "What sort of tests?"

"Written tests with combined scores are pretty popular to start with," Kaiya said, finger on her chin. "I swear, everyone I've talked to says their first exam was some sort of knowledge test. But it's never just about what you know on paper; it's often a test of mental fortitude as well. How well you do under pressure and all that. For mine, they separated all the team members so that none of us were in the same room as each other - but we had to answer all the questions for our teammates. That meant knowing exactly how our teammates would answer, and being able to trust them to figure this out."

"What's the point of that?" asked Sakura.

"If your team is caught by an enemy," Kaiya explained, "the most likely scenario is that they'll split you up for interrogation. The uncertainty - not knowing what's happening to the others or what they might be telling the enemy - well, it can be enough to break a person even before the real torture begins."

A hush fell over the trio at the word 'torture.' They hadn't considered that a Chunin mission might lead to that.

"I'm not trying to scare you away from taking the exams," Kaiya told them. "But the thing is, if you don't pass, you'll just remain Genin until you do. That's actually the easier scenario. Your missions will remain D and C-rank with a low likelihood of combat; it may seem boring, but it's safe, and you'll continue to train and get stronger. If you do pass, you'll be obligated to take on higher-level missions, including ones where your actions directly affect whether someone else lives or dies. You need to keep that in mind."

Sakura looked defeated at the prospect. Even Naruto looked pensive at that thought; he probably hadn't thought that far ahead. Only Sasuke seemed untouched; his eyes held the same unwavering focus that they had for years now, the determination that nothing would get in the way of his goal.

"We won't know until we try, will we?" he asked in a low voice from behind folded hands. "Until we've taken these exams - until we pass or fail, we won't know where we stand. I say it's worth it."

Naruto snapped out of his momentary self-doubt and slammed a hand on the table. "That's right! We'll take 'em and show the whole village - no, the whole world how strong we are! We can do this!"

Sakura stayed quiet, picking at the last of her meal, eyes downcast.

"Besides written tests," Kaiya continued, "You can be certain of some sort of survival test. Since the exams are in Konoha this year, it'll probably be set in one of the higher-level training grounds, ones you wouldn't have experienced yet as Genin. You won't just be up against other teams; there'll also be wild animals, poisonous plants, rough and unfamiliar terrain…all of the survival skills you've been taught will be tested here, but keep in mind that you're essentially in enemy territory the whole time."

"So no fires, and no leaving tracks," Sasuke surmised, taking mental notes. "We'll have to keep a constant watch cycle."

"And make sure you find potable water," Kaiya added. "You'll have food pills on you - unless they take them away from you for some reason - but water will need to be replenished often." She smirked. "Unless you happen to know a certain storage seal."

She reached into her pack and pulled out three small tags. "Consider this a little 'good-luck' gift - these are Water Seals. Use the sign of 'snake' and hold the tag over your canteen; the water will stream out. Let go of the sign when the canteen is full - there's about three gallons' worth in each of those, and you don't want to waste it!"

They accepted the tags with wide eyes. "Thank you," Sakura said, tucking the tag into her own bag. "But…isn't helping us like this kind of like cheating? If the exams are meant to weed out those who aren't ready…doesn't this give us an unfair advantage since we didn't think of it ourselves?"

"I don't see it that way," Kaiya said brightly. "Being a good ninja of any rank is as much about following the rules as it is finding the loopholes. 'See underneath the underneath' and all. According to the rules, instructors can't give special preparation or information to the candidates - but I'm not an instructor, remember?"

"That's why you asked us to dinner as a team, but didn't include Kakashi," Sasuke commented.

"Pretty much! Though I was kinda serious about him taking up too much room, too…"

"What else can you tell us?" Sasuke pressed, leaning forward on the table. Naruto subconsciously copied his movements with a nod.

"I can say that the last exam is almost always a tournament," Kaiya said. "Either team-on-team or one-on-one, depending on the nature of the other two rounds. Make no mistake: everything up till the last round is meant to eliminate as many candidates as possible. They don't want you in the final round unless you're worth showing off - because that's exactly what the finals are about. It's a spectacle. You'll be fighting in front of an audience of village leaders, nobles, merchants - all of them potential clients. It's not just about entertainment, though trust me," she said with a roll of her eyes, "that's part of it for most of them. There's a lot of gambling done at these things…But it's also about showing other nations how strong your village is."

"So we're representing our village in the last exam," Sakura said quietly. "Not just vying for a promotion."

"Exactly."

Naruto was practically shivering with excitement. "Bring it on, then! This is perfect - I'll get to show the whole world what I'm made of!"

"If you last that long, loser," Sasuke muttered, a distant look in his eyes once again. The insult was given by reflex; his true thoughts were inward, so when Naruto began yelling back at him, he didn't hear. He was thinking of the auburn-haired ninja from Suna whose very presence spoke of power; if he could fight that guy…if he could defeat him…he'd be that much closer to his goal.

By the end of the meal, Naruto and Sasuke were clearly ready to jump into the exams without hesitation; they probably had been mentally prepared already. Sakura, on the other hand, had been quiet after Kaiya's explanations. Kaiya didn't know the pinkette well, but she found the silence somehow unnatural and heavy. "Ne, Sakura-chan…mind helping me clean up?"

"Hm? Oh, sure…"

The boys left quickly before they could be assigned any further tasks, but Kaiya was glad to have a moment alone with their female teammate. "What's up? You look glum."

Sakura pensively dried a dish with downcast eyes. "It's just…well…to be honest, I don't know if I should really be taking these exams at all. I don't know if I'm ready. Sasuke is leagues above me, and even Naruto was able to do something in that Land of Waves mission…but I…I've barely done anything in our missions, even the D-ranks. It's always them; I'm just…useless."

Kaiya chewed her lip in thought. "Do you train?"

"Huh? Well, yeah, sometimes…" She looked down. "Not as much as I should. I've always been better with books."

"I dunno…" Kaiya smiled slyly. "I saw a pretty mean right hook when we first met. Look - you want to impress Sasuke, right?"

Sakura blushed and nodded.

"You're not gonna do it by sitting around and squealing over him," Kaiya said bluntly. "He's not going to go for that. Sasuke's the type that admires strength and effort - well, mostly strength, let's be honest! If you want him to notice you, become a strong, independent kunoichi - someone he doesn't have to look after or save. Someone who can take care of herself."

Sakura's spring green eyes lifted as she considered the advice. "I guess…I always thought that guys wouldn't want girls who're stronger or better than them."

Kaiya laughed. "Well, that's encouraging! You just went from thinking of yourself as lower to saying you'd be better than him, just by putting in some effort! Go for it, seriously! Make that happen!"

For a moment, light shone in those green eyes from mirth and hope - but it dimmed as reality weighed down on the pinkette. "How, though? Kakashi-sensei says my chakra control's the best of the team, and I always did well on written exams in the Academy…but I've just average at ninjutsu and taijutsu. I've got average chakra reserves, average skills, and I don't know a whole lot of jutsu…no one in my family's a ninja, so there's no one to teach me more advanced techniques…"

"Then teach yourself," Kaiya said with a shrug, putting away the cleaned cups. "Trust me, there are plenty of scrolls for ninjutsu at the library. Just show them your headband and you'll be allowed into rooms based on your rank. That's how I learned a lot of simple but useful ninjutsu, actually; I didn't have anyone at home to teach me either. It's hard work, and you have to make time to practice on your own, but it's perfectly possible. Also - if there's a particular field you think you're suited for, find a teacher. It doesn't have to be Kakashi; there are many Shinobi in the village who could work with you, though you might have to figure out exactly how to make them do it!"

Sakura's eyes lit up again with the possibilities; she had great chakra control and was pretty good at detecting and dispelling genjutsu…could that be something she could use?

"If you aren't sure where exactly to look, think about what your role in your team is," Kaiya added. "In my team, I'm primarily crowd control and infiltration. I can slip in and out of places pretty easily, I can use Kagebunshin really well because I have the chakra for it, I have decent people skills, and I've studied enough barrier jutsu to be able to break most of the common ones. Hikaru's the strategist and genjutsu specialist, so he provides distractions and stays behind the scenes; Gorou takes care of heavy lifting and is basically our 'tank.' When there's fighting, he's the most active. So what about you? In your team, what do you think is your role?"

"Right now? Dead weight," Sakura grumbled.

"You're smart," Kaiya argued. "Book-smart, especially. You've obviously got a mind for details. If, say, Sasuke comes up with a strategy, you can be the one to poke holes in it to make it work even better. Naruto and Sasuke both are strong fighters, but Naruto especially tends to act before thinking or observing. Be his eyes: watch and analyze your opponents, then pass on what you see. You don't have to be a heavy fighter in order to be useful, you know. Honestly, I'm not much of a combatant either! But I'm fast and because I know some barrier jutsu, I can split up an enemy group into manageable numbers for my teammates."

The hope was back in Sakura's eyes, and Kaiya could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "I never thought of it like that…"

"In the meantime, keep training," Kaiya said, putting a hand on her arm. "You're a ninja, not a damsel in distress!"

Sakura nodded. "Mm! Right!" She pumped a fist into the air. "Bring on the exams, then! Shannaro!"

Sakura finished helping Kaiya with the dishes and left with a noticeable bounce in her step. Watching her go, Kaiya heard Naruto's door crack open and the blond poked his head outside.

"Umm…did Sakura-chan leave already?"

"You just missed her," Kaiya told him.

Naruto's face fell. "Aww…I was hoping to…well…walk her home or something…that's something a man does for a girl, right?"

Kaiya's brows rose high. "Well, I think she's good to find her own way home! And are you looking for another lump on your head? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that's all you'd get."

Naruto stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms. "Well, at least I try to be a gentleman, ya know! Not like Sasuke-teme!"

With a laugh, Kaiya walked over and ruffled his hair. "You are. But…look, I'd turn your attention somewhere else, at least for now. Not just because Sakura's obviously interested in someone else, but because you three are teammates - the mission, whether an exam or anything else, has to come first. You can't be distracted with trying to impress a girl."

Naruto's face turned bright red at having been found out. "You sound like Kakashi-sensei, ya know…"

"Well, good!" She knocked her knuckles playfully on his head. "Now listen to your pseudo-sensei here and get some sleep - you're gonna need it!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

-O-

The day of the first exam, Kaiya had the day off - but she almost wished she hadn't. The whole day, she felt like she was holding her breath, waiting to hear how the three did. Kakashi was no help; he just pulled out his book and poofed away after she spent ten straight minutes pacing and chewing on her bottom lip.

However, upon learning that all three had passed the first round, Kaiya simply laughed and said that of course she knew they would.

Mercifully, a short mission took Kaiya's focus off the second exam. By the time her team returned to the village, the exam was set to be over within a few hours. A shower, followed by hotpot with Hikaru and Gorou, helped keep her mind at ease - until the meal was interrupted by a wet nose nudging at Kaiya's ankle, making her nearly jump out of her seat.

"GAH!" Her heart pounding from the unexpected interruption, Kaiya looked down to see a small, brown pug wearing a blue vest. "What - ?"

"Yo," greeted the pug in a weirdly deep and gruff voice, holding up a paw. "I'm Kakashi's summons, Pakkun. I need ya to come with me."

Kaiya blinked. "What for?"

"He didn't say. Seems urgent, though. You comin' or what?"

Kaiya looked to her teammates, at a loss, but they just waved her off. "Go ahead," Hikaru assured her. "We'll take care of this."

"Yeah, have fun with Mr. Copy-Nin!" Gorou called. Kaiya flipped him the bird behind her back as she left.

Once outside, the pug glanced up at her. "Think you can keep up if I run? We gotta hurry."

Kaiya raised a crimson brow. Did she think she could keep up with a small dog?

Was that seriously a question?

Pakkun took her expression as a 'yes' and took off without further preamble. Kaiya dashed after him, mildly impressed with the pug's speed but keeping up without much issue. Over the roofs and into the forests that held the training grounds they went, until they reached the fence of a particular field.

"This is the forty-fourth training grounds," she said as the pug lead her away from the main entrance. "The Forest of Death - isn't this where the second exam was being held…?"

"Yup."

Kaiya's heart leapt into her throat. "What happened? Is the team okay? What's going on?"

"Kakashi didn't tell me much," Pakkun said, sniffing around on the ground. "He just said to find you and bring you here…ah, here it is."

With a push of his paw, Pakkun opened a hidden passageway at the base of a tree and slipped inside. Kaiya followed him down a damp, earthen corridor, flashlight lit, crouching over in the small space until it gradually widened. Once she was able to walk normally, Pakkun again broke into a run, leading her through a maze of increasingly rocky passages; stalactites became pillars, walls more carved out, making the area seem more constructed than natural. Her sense of direction was skewed from being underground, but the length and speed of their travel told her they traveled several kilometers before Pakkun slowed down again. They approached a sort of clearing within the stone-and-earth structure; two large, concentric circles were carved into the floor, and in the center of those circles -

"Sasuke!" Kaiya rushed forward to where Sasuke sat with Kakashi behind him, barely noticing Pakkun poof away behind her. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw the symbols Kakashi was drawing on the floor…in blood. This was a Fuin - a seal, and more complex than any she'd ever seen. "What the hell happened?"

"Ah, Kaiya," Kakashi greeted, as though nothing were amiss. "Good that you're here."

"You called for me! Now what's going on? Where are the others?"

"Up in the tower," Kakashi answered calmly. "The Second Exam is over - they all passed, but now there are preliminary matches being held to cull the masses before the Third Exam. Sasuke's is already over - he won, by the way."

"Congratulations," she said flatly to Sasuke, who gave a mere grunt back. "Now why the seal?"

"Oh, so you noticed," Kakashi commented. "Legend has it the First Hokage's wife commissioned this site. Something about the energy of the place being ideal for sealing jutsu."

"Save the history for later, will you? Why are we here?"

Kakashi looked to his student. "Go ahead - show her your neck."

Brow furrowed, Kaiya approached Sasuke as he reluctantly pulled down the collar of his shirt. Then she saw it: a horrible bruise, so dark it was almost black…or was it a bruise? The triple tomoe shape seemed too precise, and…was that a bite mark in the middle? But what sort of creature left that kind of mark?

Something about the mark made Kaiya's stomach churn. She reached out to touch the mark gingerly, but Sasuke flinched violently away before she could get within a centimeter.

"Try that Revelation jutsu," Kakashi suggested, a dark edge in his voice.

Kaiya looked to Sasuke. "Is it okay if I touch it this time? It will only be a few seconds."

Sasuke hesitated, but gave a short nod and pulled his hand away from the mark. With a few simple hand signs, Kaiya activated the familiar jutsu.

Fuinjutsu: Revelation!

It was a jutsu Kaiya had learned back in her Genin days; with it, she could unveil the underlying formula of almost any Fuin. Placing her fingers just around the mark, she focused on sending a small thread of her chakra into it - not enough raw chakra to risk activating whatever it was, but just enough to make the chakra in the seal react. If there was something hiding in these tomoe, it would reveal itself once her chakra came in contact with it.

She almost pulled back immediately. What she felt when her chakra touched the mark…it was nauseating, bringing the bitter-sour taste of bile to her mouth and zapping her nerves like an electric shock. This thing…there was indeed a seal in there, but Kaiya had never encountered anything like it before. Most seals were passive, set in place and left there to do a particular job or lay dormant until activated; this thing was…the only way she could describe it was alive.

She fought back the sense of revulsion and forced herself to focus. What was this thing? Now that she looked more closely, she found that the seal was holding something - an energy, a presence…not just chakra, but a deeper essence was woven into the mark. The script - what she could see of it, for it kept writhing and transforming before her eyes - suggested that this mark was meant to unlock something…potential energy? Even now, with Sasuke in a resting state, his chakra was being pulled at by this thing.

"It's eating away at his chakra," Kaiya muttered, alarm making her heart jump. "It releases the body's natural barriers that hold chakra in place, which would flood the system with energy…but it steals some of that chakra as well." She pulled away with a grimace. "It's a Juin - a Cursed Seal. The more this mark is allowed to feed on, the stronger the presence within it becomes."

Sasuke half-turned, eyes wide with disgust. "So you're saying Orochimaru is in this thing?!"

Kaiya's eyes widened in recognition. "Orochimaru - isn't he…?"

"One of the Legendary Sannin," supplied Kakashi. "He was banished from this village years ago. He infiltrated the Chunin Exams - only seems to be after Sasuke."

Kaiya turned wide eyes onto Sasuke, immediately wanting shield him, hide him away from the monster behind that odious mark. For his part, Sasuke just grimaced and looked away, clearly embarrassed at being the center of so much concern.

"Your reading sounds pretty accurate," Kakashi continued. "Any time he uses ninjutsu or activates his Sharingan, it reacts. We have it on good authority that it can also exert some influence over a person's behavior over time; it's in all our best interests to seal it now, before it gains any more purchase on his system."

Kaiya looked again at the Fuin that Kakashi had drawn on the floor. The concentric circles carved into the floor had been worked into the formula; this was a ritualistic sealing site. Circles, alters, even symbolic locations were once commonly used as part of Fuinjutsu, though the practice had apparently died with the Uzumaki. This was the first time Kaiya had seen anything like this personally. The circles symbolized the interplay between opposing forces, or several layers of meaning; so these symbols were meant to be read in multiple ways. Most translated to words like bind and restrict; kunai dotted the perimeter of the seal, indicating aggression and "cutting through" obstacles. This was a cage, something to bind the target - the Juin - and keep it from spreading.

"You already have the seal written out," Kaiya muttered to Kakashi. "What do you need me for?"

He handed her a clean kunai. "To help with application. I'll admit, my chakra reserves aren't stellar; I can do the seal myself, but there's a chance that the chakra in the Juin would just overpower it eventually. However…with two of us combining our intentions and energy, it should make a stronger seal. Think of this like mixing carbon and iron to make a steel cage."

Kaiya nodded and began to add her blood to the seal so that she could be a part of its casting. Blood was a crude but effective means of connecting one's chakra to a seal before activation; writing an entire script out in blood made the connection that much more powerful. Starting with the driest symbols, Kaiya nicked her palm and drew over the symbols with her coated fingers.

Kakashi guided Sasuke to sit in the center with his shirt off; together, they finished the symbols on the teen's skin. Her heart pounded; she'd never used such an advanced seal before, and certainly not on someone she cared about, but she couldn't let doubt cloud her mind now. All that mattered was that Sasuke was faced with possibly a lifetime of fighting off a debilitating Curse that would eat away at his chakra and free will.

Of course she would do whatever she could to stop that.

When the symbols were in place, she and Kakashi sat side-by-side at Sasuke's back; Kakashi had her mirror his twenty hand signs, and with each one, Kaiya envisioned exactly what their purpose was.

Bind. Restrict.

Protect. Unchain.

Let no one shape your will but you, Sasuke.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's back with Kaiya's laid on top.

Fuja Hoin!

Together, their chakra flowed into the seal. At first, they moved slowly, feeling each other out as much as the Fuin they were powering. The second Kaiya's chakra touched Kakashi's, she felt an electrifying jolt, a warm tingle that invaded her physical body. It made her take in a shuddering gasp; she faintly heard Kakashi's breath hitch as well. Once acclimated, they pushed into the seal.

Kaiya's energy sped ahead of his, clearing the way and wrapping them both around the symbols until all she felt, all she was, was the seal. Then, as one, they pulled.

Sasuke cried out as the seal was absorbed into his skin and burned through his pathways. It sought the poison brought in by the Juin like antibodies hunting down a virus; the chakra-empowered seal surrounded the tendrils of dark influence, gathering and dragging it back to the Juin, caging it within a suffocating prison and making it shrivel back behind its tightly-woven bars. Kaiya could almost hear the sizzling of scaly flesh as her chakra incinerated the weakest offshoots of the Juin.

The Juin resisted, slippery as a snake and striking fast at the seal that tried to bind it. In her mind's eye, Kaiya envisioned her chakra like chains that whipped around the slithering Juin as it attempted to escape and overpower them. The more the Juin thrashed, the tighter she bound it, pouring power into the jutsu with a single, clear command.

YOU WILL NOT HAVE HIM!

With a burst of energy, the Juin was forced back behind its bars, cowed by the unexpected power being added to the seal. No - it wasn't enough! She had to burn it, incinerate it, cleanse it from Sasuke's system! She would not let it have him!

Something encompassed her chakra then - the same crackling energy that she'd come in here with. Kakashi…he coaxed her back, assuring her with his presence that it was enough, that they'd done what they could - that anything else would be wasted energy. Sasuke didn't need that from them; he needed them sharp in case anything else happened. It all came to her on an instinctual level, and she let go, leaving the seal and coming back to herself.

Eyes opening, Kaiya's vision immediately swam; she'd poured far more chakra into the jutsu than she'd originally intended, and she felt it. Strong hands steadied her; she leaned back into their hold, forgetting for a moment whose it was, still semi-lost in the trance-like state she'd been in for the seal.

"You okay?"

Kaiya blinked. That voice…she felt it more than heard it, low and rumbling against her back. "Hn…"

Her energy came back in a rush, and she suddenly realized whom she was leaning against. She shot up, blinking away the swimming sensation in her head. "Oh! Yeah, yeah - I'm good…"

Kakashi shook his head and turned to Sasuke, who was panting and doubled-over. "That seal is only as strong as you are," he told the teen. "Our efforts put it in place, but your will is what will keep it there. The minute you start to doubt your own power, the minute you start to give in to that Curse's promises, the seal will stop working. Understand?"

Sasuke simply collapsed.

"Huh…too tired to even argue," Kakashi commented lightly. "That's new."

Kaiya felt a headache mounting behind her eyes. It wasn't surprising given how advanced that seal was, and she certainly didn't regret being a part of it, but right now she just wanted a good painkiller. She looked to Sasuke, who was passed out cold on the now-clean stone floor. "Will he be okay?"

For a second, Kakashi's ever-present mask of nonchalance slipped, allowing worry to shine through his visible eye. "I don't know. From the way you described it, this thing isn't just feeding off his chakra - it's feeding off his desire for power. It doesn't always matter what the reason for wanting that power is; if the pull is strong enough, a person will do anything for it, regardless of their morals or ethics."

Kaiya wanted to protest, to say that no, Sasuke would never allow something else to command his will. But then she thought of how Sasuke trained nonstop, how every time she found him in a training field, it was with an almost manic desperation in his eyes. "I wish…I wish I knew for a fact that he wouldn't break the seal on his own. That he wouldn't turn to something like that for power…but…"

"Don't worry."

Kaiya looked up to see Kakashi giving her a crinkle-eyed smile from behind his mask.

"I'm his teacher," Kakashi told her. "I've gotten to know the kid pretty well, and there's definitely more I can pass on to him. I'll keep a close eye on him. Plus, I wouldn't discount Naruto's influence!"

Kaiya gave him a weak smile back; in her mind's eye, she could see the face of the man who tormented Sasuke's dreams, the one who was the source of the kid's obsession with strength. Would the presence of teammates, of people who could be a new family, be enough for someone who'd lost the real thing in more ways than one?

She could only hope - and do her part to make sure Sasuke never felt alone. She brushed back some of the teen's dark hair from his face. "Shouldn't we get him to the hospital…?"

"Oh, I'd stay right there if I were you."

Kaiya froze in place. The new voice slithered through the cavern, carrying with it an icy edge that spoke to her most primal instincts. That she could hear the person's slow footsteps was a mockery; she knew in her bones that she only heard them because he willed it. He had no need of hiding. If she ran, she'd be hunted. If she fought, she would lose. The terror paralyzed her, petrifying her muscles so that she could only turn her head to watch the figure emerge from the shadows.

The first things she saw were his eyes - gold, glowing in the darkness like those of a nocturnal predator. Then came his bone-white face surrounded by inky black hair that fell in lank locks past his shoulders. That face might have been preternaturally handsome if it weren't for its almost alien nature and sinister grin. The hitai-ate around his forehead showed a single music note - the symbol of the newly formed Otogakure no Sato. Something about him seemed strangely familiar to Kaiya, as though she should recognize him, though she was certain they'd never met. That sense of familiarity was nearly buried by the feeling of pure, hunted terror that nearly overtook her mind.

"My, my, how you've grown," hissed the man in a slithering voice. "To think, you're now strong enough to use such an advanced Fuinjutsu!"

Kakashi immediately shifted into a defensive position between Kaiya and Sasuke and this menacing figure. "Orochimaru!"

The man's grin widened over sharp teeth. "Long time no see, Kakashi-kun."

Kaiya's eyes widened further. This was Orochimaru? That was why he felt familiar - she'd felt him in that Juin. This was the person hunting Sasuke…

Sasuke…

Kaiya snapped out of her fear-induced paralysis and lurched herself to Sasuke's side, pulling out a kunai as she did. It may have been futile, but she'd be damned if she'd let this monster anywhere near him!

Orochimaru let out a dry cackle. "How cute! But don't worry, my dear…I'm not here to take him. I want to see what young Sasuke-kun is capable of; I was simply curious about why you brought him here."

Kakashi spoke in a low voice so that only she would hear. "Kaiya - get Sasuke out of here when I say, understand?"

Kaiya's voice had left her throat; her muscles had seized up again at the sound of the Sannin's voice, but she managed a small noise of affirmation.

Orochimaru continued toward them with slow, almost casual steps. "That seal you used won't make a difference. I know our dear Sasuke-kun better than you may think: He is an avenger. He will come to me on his own seeking power, regardless of how you try to stop him."

"Just what are you planning?" Kakashi demanded. "Why come back now, after all this time?"

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side. "Why not? There are so many intriguing opportunities in this village these days."

His golden eyes slid past Kakashi as he spoke. Kaiya didn't just see them land on her, she felt their pinning gaze. Her heart raced, and the part of her mind that still functioned screamed at her to flee, get away, hide!

Kakashi shifted to block his view and formed a swift series of hand signs. Energy crackled around his right hand in a tamed storm; the sound of a thousand birds filled the cavern. The Sannin squinted as the bright, pulsating light of the jutsu cast sharp shadows around the cavern, effectively blinding him to anything but the ninja directly in front of him.

"Even if you are one of the Sannin," Kakashi growled, "I will stop you. You will not use Sasuke as a pawn in your game!"

"A pawn?" Orochimaru cackled again, the dry sound matching the crackling of Kakashi's jutsu. "No, Sasuke is a very important piece. I will have him, mark my words."

He turned around and walked slowly away, completely nonplussed over turning his back to an enemy. Kaiya wasn't sure whether she wanted Kakashi to attack or not; part of her begged for this thing to be brought down now, but the same primal instinct that told her she stood no chance against him whispered that Kakashi didn't, either. So she stayed where she was, barely breathing as the Sannin's footsteps faded into the shadows. Only when she heard nothing but the faint dripping of condensation in the cavern did she start breathing heavily.

Kakashi released his jutsu and quickly crouched by them. "Are you okay?"

Kaiya nodded, still gasping, and tried to find her voice. "That was…"

"Orochimaru," Kakashi confirmed unnecessarily. "Yes, he has that effect on people."

This close, Kaiya could see beads of sweat that had formed along his temples. She swallowed what little saliva her mouth would produce. "I knew the Sannin were a big deal…but I never…"

"To be honest," Kakashi said, sitting back on his heels, "if he wanted to kill us, I don't think we could've stopped him. We got lucky."

"That's…encouraging…"

"Isn't it, though?" Kakashi retorted.

Kaiya swallowed again, her tongue like sandpaper in her mouth. She'd heard a few stories of the Missing Nin, particularly of how he'd left the village after being caught doing human experiments. It was never clear whether those were just overblown rumors or not…now, she decided it was entirely believable.

Kakashi hoisted Sasuke carefully over his shoulder. "Let's get him out of here - I'll report this to the Hokage."

Kaiya joined him, walking on trembling legs until they reached the sunlight. Once she was breathing fresh air again, her mind cleared itself of most fear, allowing her to mentally examine what had just happened. Then, something came to her mind.

"Kakashi…what did Orochimaru mean by, 'how you've grown?'"

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, his gaze aimed once again ahead of him. "I had a few encounters with him years ago, before he was banished. That was probably it."

Kaiya nodded and retreated to her thoughts. That made sense, especially with the "Long time, no see" comment. Yet something didn't seem right. Sure, Orochimaru may have been addressing Kakashi…but she knew with a chill that felt permanently etched into her bones that he had been looking directly at her.

-O-

Night fell gradually over the village as a lone figure leaned against a tree, watching as the sky went from blue to pink-and-orange streaks. He was accustomed to waiting, had the patience to do so for hours, even days on end if need be. Years of spying had conditioned him to it; further time spent on experiments had refined that conditioning. One couldn't rush a chemical reaction if one wanted reliable results.

His master, for whom he waited now, was less predictable than a chemical reaction. He kept his own schedule, such as it was, without regard for anyone else's priorities; early, late, on time - anything was possible with him.

In the silence of the moment, his eyes drifted toward the horizon. The setting sun turned the sky a fiery crimson, the same color as her silken hair. He took a deep breath: sweet, like summer, just as he imagined she smelled. Fantasizing wasn't something he was given to; the cruel teacher of life had taught him to be more pragmatic than that. But for a moment…his eyes closed and, just for a moment, he allowed himself to fantasize about how it could be, what it could be…

The moment passed when he felt the loosely-concealed presence of his master sidle up to him. "Anything interesting?"

"Oh yes," slithered the voice the Snake Sannin. "I never thought that anyone except Sarutobi-sensei would be capable of something like the Fuja Hoin…perhaps Kakashi-kun copied it at some point."

"Fuja Hoin? Won't that be a problem for the Curse Mark?"

Orochimaru gave a dry cackle. "If it were just Kakashi-kun performing it, no. It would bind the Juin for a while, but young Sasuke-kun would release it eventually in order to access its power. However…" His tongue flicked over thin lips. "There was another person there - a young woman with red hair. If it was who I think it was…this could be interesting, indeed."

His subordinate tilted his head in curiosity, the twilight glinting off his round glasses. Red hair…at the mention of it, his disciplined pulse threatened to race. "I take it you'll want more information on this person? I'm sure I could get it."

The serpentine grin widened, gold eyes shining in the darkness. "I'm sure you could."

-O-

Creepy Kabuto is creepy. Creepy Oro is also creepy. Those two seriously are made for each other...though it looks like Kabuto might beg to differ! Why the obsession, though?

Kaiya helped place the Fuja Hoin seal on Sasuke! How will this change things? WILL it change things? Or is Sasuke still fated to seek power elsewhere?

Remember to drop a review, and...

Stay tuned!