Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday! As a present to you all, I am updated this fic just for you! And don't worry folks, the chances of me giving the Pink Banshee magic as are likely as Orochimaru becoming straight and no longer chasing little boys. Not gonna happen! :)


Shino was bored. And a bored Shino Aburame was a very, very bad thing, as the ANBU could relate.

Which was why Iruka hid a shudder when Shino politely asked to weed out the competition before the second day was out. On one hand, they had already made it to the tower...but there weren't any rules that said they had to remain in the tower once they retrieved the second scroll. They just had to be in the tower before the fifth day ended with their team.

He couldn't help but feel he had signed the death certificate of any team outside of Konoha.

(Which he pretty much did, since Naruto was currently busy playing poker with Gaara, Hinata and Temari. Naruto never played against Shino, because he was the reigning poker champ among the genin.)

Shino would return before the end of the fourth day, if he had any say in it.

His bugs were humming under his skin, but they were finally over whatever had them so worked up. He wasn't going to drain whatever that was again until he could find a proper outlet for it.

Since he was in a good mood, he went in search of the Sound trio. They had annoyed him when they attacked a Konoha shinobi with absolutely no regard to the consequence.

Plus the black haired boy had been entirely too loud for him to ignore him.

He found them in the one place he didn't expect. With Sasuke's team.


"Am I going to make a habit of this?" asked Shino blandly as his bugs drained the Sound trio's chakra.

"I thought you'd be at the tower by now," said Sasuke in surprise.

"My team is in the tower. But I got bored and Iruka said there wasn't anything in the rules about getting rid of the competition early," said Shino.

"...He does realize he just signed the death sentence for anyone outside of the Leaf, doesn't he?"

"His muttering lead to something of that affect, yes."

While they chatted, the Sound three found themselves on the wrong end of a bored Shino. The boy who had nailed Kabuto earlier found his weapon effectively plugged up with flies and termites (Shino was culling the weaker ones), while the girl was essentially in a genjutsu caused by the dust Anko had given Shino when she learned of his butterfly hive.

The lone male that was unaffected was currently trying to attack Shino, but his teleport trick was making that difficult at best. To his credit, Shino had finally gotten the hang of teleporting without the loud crack sound.

Finally, Shino decided to end his little game by taking out the girl. If they were out one team member, then they couldn't advance to the next round.

"Sasuke, I'll leave their Earth scroll to you. Have fun playing with them," said Shino cheerfully as his bug clone took the unconscious female.

The bandaged boy summed up their situation with a single word.

"Fuck."


Kinuko Tsuchi quickly realized how doomed she was. Not only had she been captured by a single genin, but she was effectively cut off from her team. To make matters worse, it was obvious the boy was at least a student of Orochimaru's former apprentice, which only spelled bad things for her.

On the bright side, she wouldn't have to listen to Zaku's whining again.

"Now normally I would drain your chakra and leave you to die, but since I'm not really in the mood for that, I've decided to let Haku have some fun instead. Haku-chan?" said the boy casually.

"She's the one you want me to convert?" asked a decidedly feminine voice.

"She belongs to Orochimaru, who sad to say, is more messed up than Zabusa ever could be."

"Ah, I see your point. Shall we get to work then?"

"Just as long as I get back to the tower a day before the exam ends," said the boy bluntly.

"My dear Shino, whatever makes you think I would dare allow you to fail because of that?" purred Haku.

"That tone of voice sure as hell isn't helping," he said flatly.

Haku laughed, and Kinuko decided she rather liked the chime of it, despite how screwed she was. The boy's voice wasn't that bad either, rather melodic as it was calm.

Then they turned their attention to her, and she winced. This would not end well.


Shino reappeared at the tower almost at midnight of the fourth day. Still within his deadline, but even he knew he was cutting it close.

Kin Tsuchi had been surprisingly easy to convert to the Leaf, once they made it clear that unlike Orochimaru, they didn't make it a practice to harm their students to get them to do what they wanted. Though to be blunt, catching Tora almost every other day was a form of torture in itself.

Once Haku insured that Kin wouldn't try to double cross them (apparently the other girl had been lacking in simple kindness and compassion for years) she took the girl with her to see the Hokage.

As it was, Haku was going to deliver a report about Orochimaru's rather...intense...interest in the Uchiha heir. And the fact that Shino managed to get him far enough from the village to prevent the snake from marking Sasuke.

"Yo Shino! Have fun?"

"I may have converted an enemy into an ally," said Shino blankly.

"Haven't you done that already?" asked Hinata, nodding to Gaara and his team.

"Ah, but now I have a better idea of what he wanted to tell me but couldn't," answered Shino.

"So who did you get?"

"Sound girl. Something tells me we're going to have a lot of fun when word gets out she's joined the dark side of the Konoha genin," said Shino with restrained glee.

"Dark side of the Konoha genin?" asked Hinata.

"Hinata, who is our secondary teacher?"

"Anko."

"And what do Naruto and I do whenever we're really bored or in a very bad mood?"

"Prank the ANBU or any available upper level shinobi."

"And what is our team's other specialty?"

"Stalking... I see your point."

"I will help whip Naruto into shape if you do one thing during this part of the exam," said Shino.

"What?"

Shino whispered it into her ear, and she turned bright red.

"Do you have any idea what my father would do if I did that? Especially in public?" she complained.

"What do you think I would do to him and the Elders if they tried to retaliate because of who you happen to like?" he asked in return.

Hinata thought about that for a moment. With the discovery of the termite hive, it was extremely likely Shino would bring the Hyuga compound crashing down on their ears. It was well known that after the...ahem, Incident when he was eight, that he had been banned from having them in his hive.

So they would be hard pressed to blame him.

"...Fine, but once I nab him we are so double dating!" said Hinata firmly.

"Deal. Though from the looks that Sound girl was giving me and Haku, I have a sneaking suspicion it would be a triple date," said Shino dryly.

Hinata grinned at him, and he was very thankful that the collar covered his blush.

"Right, since it isn't well known she's alive, why not help me spread a few false rumors about her being killed by one of the tigers? It's not like anyone would dare try and confirm it," said Shino.

Hinata smirked, and they set to it.

Kabuto seemed to be the only person who was upset by that news, though he barely managed to hide it.

(To be fair, it was hard to hide something like that from an Aburame, who prided themselves on being extremely hard to read in general. As a result, they tended to pick up on hidden emotions better than most.)

Shino, when he noted that reaction, became suspicious. Kinuko had mentioned a traitor in the Leaf village, and something told him he had found him.

He wasn't really surprised to see Sasuke's group in the tower. After all, he had insured they would make it to the next round, provided they avoided the tigers and snakes in the forest.


Day five...

Shino was bored, but he stayed put. He didn't want to get kicked out because he went outside. Fortunately, Haku had arrived earlier bearing some scrolls to read.

Particularly one from the Hokage that looked like a regular training scroll on the outside.

'To: Aburame Shino

Thanks in part to your report, I am glad to inform you that Kinuko Tsuchi has officially defected to the Leaf, and is currently taking up the last spare bedroom in Anko's house. Anko has already cleared her to stay.

Also, there has been some developments concerning that secondary power you have. It will be discussed in length once this phase of the exam is over, as you'll have time to decide on what to do with that power.'

Shino blinked. So they had finally found information on that odd power? It was about time!

Haku cheerfully gave him a peck on the check, as she whispered "I don't mind having someone else join in on our 'play' time."

"...Why do I suddenly get the feeling that by the time I'm a Jounin I'll have created a powerful harem?" he asked.

"Because you're that good?" replied Haku.

"...Point. Plus we're going to have fun if the Hyuga elders complain about Hinata's choice in boyfriends."

"You convinced her to make a move?"

"More along the lines of assuring her that the Hyuga clan won't have squat to say about her choices."

"This have anything to do with that discovery you made earlier?"

"Possibly, but don't ruin my fun. You get to take a picture of my parents faces when I inform them of the matter."

Haku was positively happy with that thought.

Shino was planning on introducing her to his family as soon as this part of the exam was over. He had little doubt she would make a good impression on his parents.

Plus the fact that she had a Kekkei Genkai would really go over well with the Clan heads. She was new blood after all.


Shino was a bit annoyed to find out that he had to fight during this round. Kabuto's actions once he learned about the tournament only raised more flags about him being the traitor. If he was...

Well, Anko might find a pressing need to bring him into the T and I department. She already liked him well enough. Now all he had to do was make it to the next round.

He watched calmly as the weaker genin were weeded out rather early.

It appeared that mostly the Rookie Nine would survive to reach the finaly stage.

As it was, his father had already assured him that any winnings made based on his advancement would be split sixty-forty. Shibi didn't mind sharing a small part of his winnings with his son, who was doing all the work.

Finally, Shino's name was up. He was rather pleased to note that his opponent was the rather annoying Neji. A boy who had frowned rather deeply when Hinata had finally made her move on Naruto during her fight.

(Due to Naruto's encouraging shouts, she had already beaten her opponent, who happened to be Kankuro.)

Shino decided to make his point to the Hyuga now, rather than waiting. He teleported to the floor, and waited patiently for the match to start.

"I hope you do not think of ill of me for defeating you. Fate has already determined the winner of this match," said Neji confidently.

"Neji...needs some new lines. And I don't believe in fate," said Shino firmly.

He didn't believe in destiny either. He was a firm believer of carving your own path, thank you very much. If someone like Naruto, who was looked down upon by most of the village, could hook the Hyuga heir, then who was to say that he couldn't be Hokage as well?

Neji got into the Gentle Fist stance, and Shino smirked behind his collar. He was going to have a great deal of fun with this one.


"Oh dear... Neji sure drew the short end of the senbon," said Naruto from above.

"What makes you say that Naruto?" asked Sasuke.

"Shino's got his 'I am going to humiliate someone in a very public and unpleasant way' vibe going on. Neji is screwed," said Naruto sagely.

"I still don't know how you can read him," complained Sakura.

"Easy. We're best friends. Anyone who frequents his house learns to read the vibe they give off pretty quick," said Naruto amused.

"...Actually he has a point. Shino is giving off an odd vibe at the moment," admitted Sasuke.

"Look, he's started playing with him!" said Naruto.


Naruto was right. It was very obvious to everyone that Shino was playing with Neji...who was acting like he was high as a kite. Something in the dust his butterfly hive was spreading around evidently caused Neji to see pretty, pretty colors.

Hinata found it all rather hilarious, because she was having difficulty trying not to laugh.

Eventually Shino grew tired of his toy, as he sent his moths in to finish Neji off.

"Consume!"

By the time Neji came around, he was horrified to realize his...(ahem) shortcomings...we exposed to the entire audience. Hinata at least took Naruto's queue to look away before she was exposed to the sight.

"EEP!"

Neji was rather quick to forfeit after that.

"Winner, Shino Aburame."

Shino used his butterfly hive to fly him back up to his teammates, who were crowing about his prank.

"Hinata, I want you to spread the word to your clan that if I hear about them targeting you, I will perform a repeat of what I just did to Neji. Only I will make it in public," said Shino.

"Thank you Shino," she said, grateful.

"Friends protect each other, particularly when they are on the same team," said Shino calmly.

Hinata beamed at him.


Naruto, it seemed, had lucked out. His opponent was Kiba.

Unfortunately for Kiba, Naruto had been introduced to certain powders and oils that reeked to high heaven courtesy of Anko. Powder and oils he would happily use on Kiba and Akamaru.

"AUGH!" cried Kiba, his nose fighting him every time he got close to Naruto.

Naruto had already plugged up his rather strong sense of smell by having Hinata use her Gentle Fist the minute he found out who his opponent was. Thankfully it was a temporary fix.

Akamaru was downright whimpering from the smell.

What could possibly cause such a reaction from the two? Somehow, someway, Anko had found a way to bottle up the smell of skunk.

A smell that Naruto all too happily threw on his opponents, to their horror.

Within minutes Naruto was declared the winner, and Kiba had to be carried off by a rather unhappy pair of medic nin.

Finally, the pairings were decided.

Shino VS Temari

Naruto VS Gaara

Hinata VS Ino

Sasuke VS Lee

How Ino had beaten Sakura was rather amusing. Even if she had an Inner Sakura, the girl had no teammates to back her up. It was so depressing to learn that, that Sakura had admitted defeat.

It didn't help that Hinata and Naruto were cheering Ino on, instead of them both.


"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" asked Shino. Sitting on one of the chairs was the old man Anko had him drain of that odd power. The one that sent his hive into a frenzy.

"Ah, come on in Shino-kun. I was just telling Dumbledore-san what a bad idea it was to try and infiltrate a Hidden Village with the intent to kidnap one of their genin," said the Hokage pleasantly.

Seeing the old man wince, it wasn't hard to figure out that the Hokage was more than annoyed.

"And why was I summoned, Hokage-sama?" asked Shino, honestly curious.

(Behind him was Anko and Haku, both ready to take the old man out if he tried anything.)

Sarutobi nodded to Dumbledore, who launched into his tale of the boy-who-lived, who had gone missing twelve years ago. Apparently it looked bad that he had allowed the woman who was supposedly the boy's aunt to leave him on the doorstep in a Hidden Village, without even a by your leave.

When Shino asked why he was so desperate to find one boy, who was probably either dead or living his life, Dumbledore explained about a prophecy...which is where Shino stopped him.

"Old man, you are barking up the wrong tree. It is extremely foolish to base an entire community's hopes on some convoluted prophecy, particularly when the chosen savior is picked at random. For all you know this...Voldemort...character chose the wrong child."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"The prophecy was clear. Voldemort would attack people who had defied him three times and mark their child as his equal. A child born at the end of July."

"And how exactly would he mark this kid?" asked Anko, not amused.

"The child he went after has a lightning shaped scar on his forehead, right above his right eye. He also has emerald green eyes from his mother, and messy raven black hair from his father. In all likelihood, the boy would be a natural prankster."

Anko and Haku made a point not to look at Shino when he said emerald eyes.

"And why exactly, did you wait all this time to go looking for him?" asked Shino rather annoyed.

Dumbledore coughed nervously.

"The school I run doesn't allow children under eleven to join. He was supposed to be safely tucked away at his aunt's until that time," he said.

Shino stared at him, then looked at the Hokage with suspicion.

"And what, exactly, does all this have to do with me?"

"Because according to Dumbledore, that ability you use to teleport with such a loud noise is called Apparition. Which means you, Shino Aburame...have magic."

Shino couldn't help but feel his month had suddenly become pear shaped.