Last of the Spider-Clan

by FrivolousThoughts

Pīta Pāka, the last living member of the once great Shukeikō-Clan, has to make his own way in a tough ninja world with the amazing abilities gifted to him by his bloodline. He can do anything a spider can, and holding the wise words of his clan's nindō close to his heart, Pīta knows that with great power there must also come great responsibility.

7. Leaf-Sand

Author's Note: So, this chapter's kind of a wordy chapter, a kind of prologue to the Chūnin Exams. It's an important chapter though, quite a few characters introduced, some in larger capacities than others.

As you read the chapter, you'll notice that there are some slight alterations to Naruto canon, nothing too large, just tweaked for the sake of the story. Once again, I had a ton of help from my pal, Deadpoolsson, he's the best, seriously. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

---

Leaf/Sand (Sign Ups)

The heat of the sun bore down on the mass landscape of desert, heating up the mountains of golden sand around Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. The village itself was safely nestled in the crook of a miles spanning, both in length and width, canyon. It gave the large ninja settlement a natural defence, protected by faded brown rock and masked by sweeping sand dunes on all sides.

The village was a great ally to Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Though, there had been many transgressions between the two in the past. Just like the Leaf had been the home to the Shukeikō-Clan, an expansive family of ninja with the abilities of spiders. The Sand had housed the Goto-Clan, a small splinter family of ninja that credited their abilities to the desert's scorpions.

It was said that decades prior, the Goto family had defected from the Shukeikō-Clan when a Pāka took over as head. They apparently held some sort of deep seated hatred towards the Pākas and did not believe in the clan's nindō, that with great power came great responsibility.

Controversially, they'd wanted to use their kekkei genkai for their own personal gain, spitting on everything the spiders stood for. Before both clans had died out, it became custom for young scorpions to attempt to best a spider in combat and take their head, signifying their superior way of life and cementing their status as the spiders' number one predator. It was a piece of history that the Sand preferred to forget, neutralizing the risk of warring with their ally.

It would've explained the very similar power sets and arachnid-like heritage, though most records had been lost or destroyed, burying the truth forever. Regardless, the Sand Village had experienced its fair share of tragedy, much like the Leaf had.

Just as the Nine-Tailed Fox had launched a frenzied assault on Konoha in the past; Suna had also been at the mercy of a Tailed Beast, specifically the One-Tailed Beast. It resembled a giant tanuki-like creature, and held some sort of mastery over the sand. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of the Sand Village, the Land of Wind was full of the naturally occurring granular material.

Though, the village's Fourth Kazekage, which literally meant Wind Shadow, had managed to quell the demon many times in the past. Eventually, he'd decided to put an end to its rampages permanently, by sealing the creature inside of his infant son.

Rasa, the Kage, had made the decision in order to save his people. And he continued to do so, carefully considering each and every option in order to allow his village to flourish and prosper. Unfortunately, not every decision had been a good one. For while the man really did have his people's best interests at heart, he was still only human and wasn't infallible.

His village's economy was on the decline, and was dangerously nearing extinction. His ninja weren't carrying out viable missions, bringing in no income for Suna and in the process, no goods. Stocks of food, water, anything and everything that a person needed to survive began to plummet and dry out. His village was dying under his rule, and it almost destroyed him.

As previously said, Rasa was only human and sometimes human beings made some pretty terrible decisions. The man was so desperate to save his people, that he was ready to forsake another village for the chance. And as such, he'd organized a quiet, off the record meeting with one Orochimaru. The man was one of the four legendary ninja, one of the Yonin. But he'd resorted to a life of crime and violence, twisted experiments and chaos for the sake of chaos.

It turned Rasa's stomach, to have stooped so low. But he was convinced that it was necessary, the Leaf Village, his ally, had to be razed to the ground. It was prospering, growing and expanding and bringing in business and trade from all corners of the ninja world. Its Shinobi were growing stronger by the day, rolling out brand new generations of aspiring ninja while Rasa's simply stumbled and fell.

He swallowed, having made the journey deep into the deserts outside of Sunagakure in order to meet with Orochimaru. The purple haired Kage was dressed in the traditional uniform for his class of ninja, a white and green kimono with a wide, triangular hat, holding the kanji for wind on it.

Rasa was no fool; he hadn't journeyed there alone and glanced at his guard detail, four Jōnin, two men on either side of him. They kept their eyes peeled, nodded at him every once in a while to set him at ease. They were men of code, of honour and they would've given their life for him.

A long haired figure stepped out from behind the large, looming shadow of a canyon wall. "So glad you could join me, Rasa… I was beginning to think you'd had a sudden change of heart. And you brought guards too, how flattering." Orochimaru, with his deathly pale white skin and long ebony black hair, greeted.

Rasa set his jaw; just the sight of the man put him on edge. "Don't think this alliance makes us equals, Orochimaru. I am the Kage of the Sand and you will address me as such," he advised, flanked by some of his best ninja.

A devilish smile formed on the Yonin's almost reptilian face, and a light chuckle escaped his lips. "But of course, where are my manners? Lord Kazekage it is then… better?" He dryly queried, clearly having a bit of fun at the man's expense.

Rasa wasn't laughing, a thin line chiselled into his mouth. "Better," he simply answered, earning a content nod from the S-Rank criminal.

He was bold, Rasa gave him that. So bold in fact, that the ninja chanced a few steps towards him, though he was quickly shut down by Rasa's guard detail. They stared at Orochimaru, stern faced and prepared, but had to remind themselves that he was no random thug or hood. He was a notoriously powerful ninja, fully capable of taking them apart.

"Now that all the formalities are out of the way, we can get down to what really matters. I reached out to you, Lord Kazekage, to propose an alliance. Your village strengthening my village, Sunagakure working in tandem with Otogakure." Orochimaru explained, his golden eyes peering past the group of Jōnin to reach Rasa.

The leader of the Sand nodded, he was already aware of the basics. "And you're confident that our combined might can crush Konoha? Given our relationship, I've had enough of a chance to study their strengths and they have it in spades. Make no mistake, the Leaf possess powerful ninja." He relayed, drawing a smirk out of his… partner.

Orochimaru didn't underestimate the strength of others; he wouldn't have gotten so far in life had he done so. "I possess powerful ninja too, and so do you. That son of yours, he's just as talented as you are. He could maybe even surpass you one day; wouldn't that be a sight to see?" The snake-like man alluded, urging a furrowed brow out of Rasa.

"Keep your serpent eyes on the goal and away from my son, Yonin." He warned, his tone employing an incredibly sharp edge.

Orochimaru nodded, though the smile never left his pale face. "Forgive me, Lord Kazekage, sometimes I don't know when to stop." He feigned an apology, before he snapped his fingers.

Rasa's eyes widened as a tremor suddenly hit the area, causing everything to shake and rattle thunderously. "What is the meaning of this?!" He bellowed, watching his men grow unsteady on their feet.

Orochimaru grinned, his tongue lashing out like that of a snake. "You brought your guards to our little secret meet up, I thought I'd let someone tag along too." He cryptically added, before the ground began to open up beneath the feet of Rasa and his men.

Four long, sleek and distinctly metal arms exploded out of the sand, snaking their way through the air and towards Rasa and his men. "Treachery… I expected no less," Rasa muttered, waving his hand and employing a hefty amount of Chakra to bring forth a solid wall of Gold Dust.

One of the metal arms collided with the Chakra infused wall, hitting it over and over again until it cracked the surface and ultimately, bashed through. Rasa dived out of its path, turning to see that his men were struggling to fend off the silver appendages. He didn't have time to worry about them too much though, as Orochimaru bolted straight for him with inhuman speed.

Rasa once again brought his hand up, his sandals twisting in the sand beneath him as he brought forth waves of Gold Dust and went on the offence. "You'll die for this betrayal!" Rasa shouted, throwing everything he had at Orochimaru.

The serpent-like Shinobi moved with such fluidity that Rasa had never been witness to, bending his body and side-stepping his Gold Dust obstacles as though it were child's play. "I'm simply betraying a betrayer; I'm honestly surprised you didn't see this coming." He mocked, reaching the man in no time at all.

He went to strike Rasa, only for his fist to be caught by another hand made of Gold Dust. Rasa took the opportunity to attack, sweeping around with his heel aimed directly for Orochimaru's head, missing by inches as the slippery ninja simply elongated his neck and avoided the kick. Rasa didn't have to wave his hand to send a pillar of Gold Dust directly at the criminal, at point blank range no less.

Orochimaru sprawled for a moment, mid-air and admittedly winded. "Striking Shadow Snakes!" He called out, aiming his arm at Rasa as he summoned four snakes.

They wound their out of his sleeve, hissing with their teeth dripping with poisonous venom. Not a moment later, they shot straight for the Kage, stretching like no ordinary snake could. Rasa brought his hands together, waiting for the snakes to get as close as possible before he closed his palms forcefully.

Two pillars of Gold Dust immediately formed and collided with one another, crushing the many snakes dead, one of them inches away from Rasa's face as it gave one last hiss with its forked tongue. Life left it, its siblings smeared between solid Gold Dust. A puff of smoke clouded his senses as the summons disappeared, creating the perfect opening for Orochimaru.

A long tongue, even Rasa was disgusted by it, walloped him straight in the face. The force was great enough to send him tumbling down a hill of sand, with Orochimaru giving chase shortly after. The leader of Suna came out of the roll, bringing his hand up to cause the very ground beneath his opponent to rise high into the air. Orochimaru faltered, seeing that he was standing on a thick layer of Gold Dust.

Rasa let a grim smirk grace his lips as he made a ball with his fist, converging the Gold Dust all in one place. It flew towards Orochimaru, high in the sky and giving him no room to breathe. He dodged, tucked and rolled, bent his insanely flexible body as much as he could manage but fell prey to the Gold Dust's prison.

Rasa's entire fist trembled as he held the ball as hard as he could, but frowned when he felt resistance. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough." Orochimaru murmured before his lungs were flooded with Gold Dust, a last ditch attempt to escape from his fate.

Rasa had to shield his eyes when his Gold Dust blew apart in all directions, at the complete mercy of the wind carrying it on its currents. "Son of a—" he forced out threw gritted teeth, watching as Orochimaru deftly dropped back down to the shimmering sand of their battleground.

"Oh, I concur completely." He jested, sprinting straight for the Kazekage.

Predictively and just what Orochimaru had been expecting, Rasa brought forth yet another sturdy wall of Gold Dust. "That's getting rather old," the snake Yonin mused, striking at it as hard as he could.

Even with his considerable strength, it merely dented the wall, reforming once he removed his fist. "I'll have your head for this! I'll see to it that the other four Kage are made aware of this treachery!" Rasa threatened, listening to Orochimaru pound away on his defence.

But his expression twisted into one of confusion when all he heard was the man laughing maniacally. "How?! You can't send word to them without incriminating yourself! Face it, Rasa; you have no-one to turn to… provided you even make it out of this alive." Orochimaru ominously stated, causing Rasa to falter momentarily.

But as he held his defence, he came to a conclusion that he'd been trying to stave off for a long time. "Then perhaps it's time I own up to my mistakes and misgivings, for the people of the Sand do not deserve to be plunged into war because of their misguided leader." He solemnly admitted, his own voice filling the silence that had set in.

Strange, a second prior, Orochimaru had been hammering away at his walls of Gold Dust. Unbeknownst to Rasa, the Yonin had tunnelled beneath the softness of the sand and climbed out of the ever moving surface to stand behind him. He had done it all while making nary a sound, something only those of Jōnin-level ninja could accomplish.

And he was above and beyond what any Jōnin was capable of…

"It's nothing personal, Rasa." Orochimaru hissed, before he brandished some sort of long, silver blade.

It was a double-edge jian, a sword by the name of the Kusanagi Blade. Rasa gasped, spinning on his heel just in time to be on the receiving end of it. The blade glowed an ethereal light blue as it penetrated him, forcing its way through his ribcage and spine, to protrude from his back, stained with a dark crimson. Rasa's eyes widened in fear and shock, reflecting the absolute glee and evil in Orochimaru's own yellow eyes.

The Kage coughed, blood leaking out of his mouth as he grasped fruitlessly at his attacker. "But… b—but you needed… me," Rasa struggled to choke out, his body trembling as everything began to slowly shut down.

Orochimaru leaned in a little closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not you… just your face, and the mindless allegiance of your forces." He grinned, his snake-like fangs showing as the life left Rasa.

Orochimaru pulled the blade back out of the Kage and watched as the deceased slumped to the sand beneath him, his kimono spattered with his own blood. "Thank you for the distraction, Ottō. Do I need to ask?" The man questioned, turning to a rather short hooded figure, his four distinct metal arms hidden beneath a rather drab brown cloak.

The man wore a pair of simplistic circular glasses, and he nodded shortly. "The guard detail has been dealt with; the desert makes for an excellent place to hide all evidence of this altercation." Ottō Okuta, a mysterious but intelligently sound man, explained.

"You should know, you're the one who picked it." Orochimaru noted, recognizing that the man was simply patting himself on the back to feed his own ego.

Something that could've been considered a weakness, a seriously inflated need to constantly prove how smart he was to everyone, including his superior. But his intelligence was the least noteworthy thing about him when his kekkei genkai was brought into the discussion, four octopus-like arms that protruded from the man's back.

The metal plating had come later, when Ottō had been involved in an unfortunate lab accident. It was ironic really, because the original intention of the experiment he'd carried out was to remove the arms, not reinforce them to the point where they could not be removed.

"Everything is in place then, Lord Orochimaru, just as you'd planned." The spectacled assistant addressed his better, watching as the Yonin bent down to look over his fallen victim.

He brought one of his pale white hands and glided it over the fear stricken facial features of the Fourth Kazekage, like a single moment frozen in time. A slow smile spread across his lips, fraught with the most ill of intents.

"Yes, this should do rather nicely. The perfect cover to get as close to the Hokage as possible, no-one will suspect a thing. But above all else, the Leaf will never be the same again." Orochimaru mused, possibly the biggest and most important part of his plan complete in the coming invasion of Konoha.

---

It hadn't taken nearly as long for Team 7 to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, they hadn't been slowed down by Tazuna and the negative, dangerous attention the man was drawing their way. In fact, it had been relatively smooth sailing for the team of four, a young Jōnin and his three adolescent students.

They'd stopped to rest every now and then, take in the sights the surrounding world had to offer, and he'd taken the spare time to continue their training. Every single tree they'd passed, Naruto felt the need to prove himself and climb it, right to the very top. He kept promising that it was the last time each and every time but then lo and behold, he'd spy an even taller tree and his constant need to better himself would kick in.

Sakura had joined him, at the behest of Kakashi, to make sure the lad didn't hurt himself and to strengthen herself as well. They excelled, while Pīta floundered somewhat, quite literally. Kakashi had ordered the child to walk across every single body of water the squad passed by, to lacklustre results each and every time.

Kakashi didn't blame the lad, it wasn't his fault. He was trying his best, and clearly wanted to progress like his teammates. The Leaf veteran simply put it down to his heritage; spiders seemed to rely on their powers, their physicality much more than any other form of the ninja art. They were specifically good in Taijutsu, and were even rumoured to have created a fighting technique that was able to combat any and all forms of Taijutsu.

He wasn't sure whether that was true or not, but he certainly remembered one of the legendary Yonin, Madame Juria Kāpenta, was famous for being virtually untouchable in hand-to-hand. His 'eternal rival', Might Guy, was a master of Taijutsu and even he looked up to the woman's skill in combat. In fact, the man cited her as a personal hero of his.

It was a shame the woman was believed to be dead, she'd been the only spider left before her mysterious disappearance. She would've most likely had a much easier time training Pīta, given their shared heritage. It was upsetting watching Pīta try and fail countless times, not because he'd fail, failing was a natural part of life after all.

But because he'd beat himself up so much for it, like failing was simply not an option to him. It was admirable, if a little unrealistic. A person couldn't journey through life and not expect to fail, such lofty goals were impossible. Besides, where was the fun in not failing? Succeeding at everything on the first try was boring, there was no challenge present.

Kakashi told the brunette to get up, dust himself off and try again. He'd get it eventually; it just took time and hard work. And he was attempting a more advanced version of Chakra control due to his unique abilities, he was only twelve, these things took time. Still, he'd never once seen the boy lose that devilishly sharp sense of humour of his and just like Naruto grinning all of the time; Kakashi wouldn't have changed it for the world.

He wanted nothing more than to let the kids off the hook, avoid the formality of having to report to the Hokage and just let them go and see their loved ones. But it was mandatory, all team members had to be present, they were a fully sanctioned ninja team now, it was all part of growing up. Naruto didn't seem to mind, he wanted to visit the most powerful man in the Land of Fire to do nothing but boast.

Boast about how the mission had gone, how he'd finally been the one to save everybody. Sakura and Pīta didn't seem to mind, it wasn't like they had any choice in the matter. The pink haired girl simply nodded and followed her teacher, while the brunette smart mouth brought up the rear, his hands stuffed into his pockets yet again.

Kakashi lead his children towards the Academy building, his single grey eye focused on the towering extension above the place of guidance and education. He wouldn't leave anything out in his report to the Hokage, every scrap of information he'd picked up whilst on his first mission with his new pupils was of vital importance. But above all, what had taken place on the bridge in the Land of Waves was of the highest priority.

The Jōnin nodded to the few familiar faces he passed, Kurenai Yūhi and her bunch of Academy graduates. The calculated Shino Aburame, the insect user. The brash Kiba Inuzuka and the boy's ninkin companion, Akamaru. And last but certainly not least, the shy but sweet Hinata Hyūga, the young girl in possession of the Byakugan. Unlike his mismatched team of varied abilities, Kurenai's Team 8 specialized in the field of tracking.

He wouldn't admit it outright, it was rather improper for a sensei to show interest in another sensei's students, but they were an interesting group with rather intriguing abilities. If he hadn't been assigned his team, he wouldn't have minded working with Team 8. But Kurenai was no doubt doing a marvellous job with them, she was one of the most skilled Kunoichi he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.

She offered him a friendly smile as he passed by, before redirecting her attention to her own students. They were preoccupied with Kakashi's students, something she'd been expecting. They were kids after all, and they'd grown up in the Academy together, it was natural to want to say hello to a friend.

Her only female student, the purple haired Hinata Hyūga, shied away from the curious gaze of one Naruto Uzumaki. The pre-teen blushed a deep red, fidgeting with her fingers as she stared downwards at the toes poking out of her sandals. Kurenai knew that look, that feeling. It was blatantly clear to her just what Hinata was experiencing, all girls went through crushes.

Observing her male students however, the both of them seemed to be fixated on one Pīta Pāka. Kiba smirked, offering the impossibly flexible lad a nod with his hands stuffed into his coat pockets. She watched as the spider returned it, but neither one of them traded any words. She'd heard that the two of them had been friends during their Academy days, though wondered how anyone could put up with Kiba's hard-headed personality.

Shino on the other hand, simply tensed up, almost freezing in place as his eyes followed the red and blue Shinobi, hidden beneath those sunglasses of his. The many insects concealed within his overcoat began to buzz incessantly, as though immediate danger was nearby. Pīta raised his palm as if to say hi, but Shino didn't return it. The boy didn't dwell on it as Team 7 passed them in the streets of Konoha, and Kurenai had to wonder just what was going through Shino's mind.

"Shino, everything all right?" The red eyed Kunoichi questioned, placing a hand on the lad's overcoat covered shoulder.

His hidden eyes didn't break away from the retreating form of the spider, so Kiba felt the need to answer for him. "Don't worry about it, sensei. Shino over here always keeps his guard up around Pāka; it's been that way for as long as any of us can remember." The dog user explained, igniting their elder's curiosity.

With her eyebrows raised, she broke contact with the boy to let her gaze settle on a meek Hinata. "I think it's because of their heritage, sensei. Insects are natural prey for spiders, it makes sense that Shino would be a little on edge around Pīta… right, Shino?" The girl in possession of the Byakugan queried, she didn't want to make assumptions after all.

Shino finally spoke, that calm and quiet tone of his slightly muffled due to the large collar of his grey overcoat. "My insects know a predator when they see one," he shortly stated, turning to address his teammates, both soft-spoken and impulsive in nature.

The impulsive one furrowed a brow, cocking a thumb in the direction Team 7 had departed. "Who, Pāka? Get real, the guy thinks he's a comedian, not some dangerous animal. Now, Akamaru and I, we're the real alphas of the village. Right, buddy?" Kiba boasted, glancing at his shoulder to address the small black and white pup perched there.

The ninkin gave an enthused bark, wagging his tiny tail as Kiba rubbed the underside of his muzzle. "If you say so," Shino responded, in such a passive way that only Kurenai was wise enough to realize that the boy was mocking him.

The expert Genjutsu user had to roll her eyes, sharing a brief look of sympathy with Hinata. "Enough with the testosterone, boys. I've got a few missions lined up for you today and I expect nothing but your best, move it." Kurenai ordered, placing a hand on her hip as she pointed down the street with her free one.

Shino was the first to obey, silently stalking ahead with a quiet and submissive Hinata following suit. Kiba, ever the rebel, was the last to move, muttering something to Akamaru about 'weak kid's stuff'. Kurenai knew that he was keeping his reservations about the missions they'd been on to himself, but could also tell that he didn't like one bit of it.

Regardless of the lad's personal feelings on the matter, finding lost pets and cleaning up the rivers around Konoha was as far as they were going to go. They were just Genin; fresh out of the Academy after all, they weren't even supposed to leave the village so soon. Kurenai didn't know how Kakashi did things with his team, but she'd heard about the C-Rank mission the Hokage had assigned them.

The dark haired vixen wasn't sure she agreed with sending such young ninja on missions of that particular calibre, but she held her tongue, it wasn't any of her business. Naruto, Sakura and Pīta weren't her kids, but it didn't mean that she couldn't show concern for their well-being. The Academy rookies, as well as Guy's team, were the future of the Leaf. And as their sensei, it was their duty to ensure that they weren't killed a few weeks into their careers as Shinobi and Kunoichi respectively.

For now, her team would carry out D-Rank missions and no higher, not until she considered them ready to tackle the many dangers of the ninja world. "I hope you know what you're doing, Kakashi." Kurenai murmured to herself, watching from afar as the Jōnin led his band of youths through the large Academy doors and disappeared from sight.

---

It was quiet in the office of the Hokage, the office itself was a very open room with clean white walls and polished, glossy floorboards. The room held no furniture, save for a prestigious desk, the workspace of the leader of the Leaf. The man himself sat in silence, dressed in the instantly recognizable red and white kimono that was tradition for all Fire Shadows to wear.

The hat he usually sported, wide and triangular in its design, sat off to the side of his desk as he poured over a mess of scrolls, documents and reports in front of him. A smoking pipe hung out of his mouth, the occasional puff of grey smoke billowing out of the end of said pipe every now and again, but the grizzled veteran simply continued to read.

He'd gotten much less aware in his old age, sixty nine if he was recalling correctly. But he noticed the door to his office slide open with care, and he noticed the four individuals stroll through it. Hiruzen noticed Kakashi Hatake, in his ever mysterious nature, stand with his hands crammed into his pockets and stare at the man silently, with that one eye of his that always seemed bored.

The Hokage noticed the pink haired one, the Kunoichi, Sakura Haruno; stand by her sensei with the respect and restraint that he'd expect from a young, aspiring ninja. He didn't have to raise his head or let his eyes wonder to notice the spider, Pīta Pāka, hop onto the wall, apparently finding the vertical surface much more comfortable than the normality of the floor.

And last but not least, how could he not notice Naruto Uzumaki?

The blonde child marched right up to the Hokage, completely forgoing any sense of formality or rules and brought both of his hands down on the solid surface of the desk. "Bet you thought you'd never see me again, huh, old man?!" Naruto challenged, blue eyes firmly shut as a large grin spanned his face.

Hiruzen carefully and calmly raised his head, before he slowly pulled his pipe out of his mouth and breathed a bout of smoke off to the side, he didn't want to do it right in the face of a child after all. "On the contrary, boy, I've been awaiting your return with bated breath." The elderly man, though still fully capable of a good scrap if need be, responded.

And he smirked as the grin on Naruto's face died, as though the boy had been looking forward to rubbing his success in the man's face. "Oh… well… that's good then! It's about time people started showing me some respect around here!" He spoke, using that same boisterously heightened volume he employed.

A stark contrast to the way a ninja was supposed to be, soft spoken and indecipherable in their ways. "Hmm… so your mission was a success, I take it?" Hiruzen supposed, looking past the spiky haired child to address the highest ranking ninja in the room… besides him, of course.

Kakashi dejectedly nodded, his voice also a far cry from that of his student's. "Indeed it was, Lord Hokage. There were a few… hiccups along the way, I'll explain in greater detail in my written report but Team 7 performed admirably. Not bad for their first time outside of the walls, wouldn't you say?" He queried, drawing a concurring nod out of the man.

The legendary Shinobi carefully took in the image of Kakashi's poorly matched team and had to admit, they had impressed him. Of course, Genin in the past had done so much more at their age, but times had changed since then. Nonetheless, they were fresh rookies and they'd soundly completed a C-Rank mission in a decent amount of time. He didn't think they'd have taken months to achieve their goal, but again, he had to put it down to their inexperience.

"No, not bad at all. But these hiccups you mentioned, anything of note?" Hiruzen pressed, he hadn't liked the way Kakashi had paused slightly.

As he'd expected, there seemed to be more to the story. "Unfortunately, yes. The bridge builder, he lied to us, Lord Hokage. My team and I were to provide protection from common thieves and thugs, not trained killers and rival Shinobi." Kakashi expressed, clear disdain present in his smooth voice.

Hiruzen didn't seem surprised; in fact, he'd picked up quite an odd vibe about the bridge builder when he'd requested a team of ninja to escort him to the Land of Waves. Had he been younger, he might've been sharp enough to have caught the man in his lie, but the stench of alcohol on the man's clothes and breath must have thrown him off. He'd mistaken him for nothing more than a lowly drunk, who happened to have been put in charge of a mass construction project.

In retrospect, that would've been a terrible decision. "Someone was out to kill him then, of course." Hiruzen mulled, earning a nod of agreement from his lower ranking Shinobi.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, offering her an encouraging look as he continued. "I should've turned back and returned my students to the village, but they were brave enough to want to push on. All three of them, they didn't handle the situation like rookies, they handled it like trained ninja." The man boasted, pride crystal clear in his tone.

"What makes you say that?" The Hokage inquired, he was curious to know what the youths had done to garner such high praise from their teacher.

The silver haired veteran of the Leaf didn't mind, he wanted to go into greater detail. "Because… while I was incapacitated, my team—my kids, fought and survived an encounter with Zabuza Momochi." He revealed, actually serving to stun Hiruzen.

There was no mistaking it; the missing-nin was one of the most notorious killers in the ninja world's history. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist," he muttered, trying to wrap his head around the idea of three Genin taking on one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and living to tell the tale.

Especially for one as cutthroat as Zabuza, if the stories were to be believed. "Yes, Lord Hokage. He intercepted us twice during our journey, accompanied by a… child no less. A boy named Haku, with a very powerful kekkei genkai that allows him to bend and shape ice to his heart's content." Kakashi informed his superior, a man he'd looked up to for years.

Hiruzen, who deserved such respect, straightened in his seat. "You speak of this child in the present tense," the ninja, a Shinobi of the highest ranking, pointed out.

Kakashi nodded, though wasn't sure how the man was going to take the news. "And it is no error on my part, Zabuza and Haku both still live. They surrendered their lives to us in the Land of Waves, speaking of a higher purpose in the Land of Water. I saw no reason to kill them; Zabuza even aided me in taking the head of the man who sought the bridge builder's life." He defended his actions; they were very controversial after all.

When coming across a missing-nin, especially one as dangerous as the demon, dispatching them was considered to be the best course of action. Hiruzen didn't seem angry or upset; instead he simply set his jaw. He wasn't happy with the outcome; a man like Zabuza Momochi did not deserve such a thing as mercy. But he trusted Kakashi's judgement; the man wouldn't have spared him without any good reason.

Though it had only confirmed doubts raised by Kakashi's peers years prior, when Hiruzen had relieved him of his post in the ANBU Black Ops. While the copy-nin was extremely effective, had displayed the kind of cold and ruthless techniques needed to flourish in the ANBU, Kakashi's heart was ultimately too kind for that sort of lifestyle.

In fact, that had been the entire reason Hiruzen had reassigned him as an Academy Jōnin, with the hopes that the exposure to children and their pure hearts would bring him out of the darkness that had infested his life. But the less said about that, the better.

"Lord Hokage, Kakashi-Sensei quelled the demon. He ended the fight without the loss of life, isn't that a good thing?" Sakura, the rosy cheeked child that had stayed by her teacher's side, suggested.

Hiruzen smirked; he just hoped that being surrounded by children wouldn't make Kakashi too soft. "Indeed it is, Sakura, you're very wise to point that out. I'm sure your sensei had his reasons and in the end, your job was to protect the bridge builder, not kill an S-Rank criminal. Though, it does strike me as odd. You hear such stories about the demon; about his origins and activities… he does not seem the surrendering type." The Kage voiced his concern, and it was a fair concern at that.

Kakashi let his grey eyes leave Sakura, having thanked her wordlessly for her support. "You're not wrong, Lord Hokage. But when presented with something even he couldn't comprehend, he chose to survive. Isn't that what ninja do, survive?" He cryptically questioned, drawing a furrow of the brow out of Hiruzen.

Kakashi was trying to get at something, though he wasn't sure what. "Yes, well… I'll have to follow that up. The mercenary, Zabuza Momochi and… a boy by the name of Haku, journeying to the Land of Water. For whatever reason, let us hope that it isn't nefarious." Hiruzen summarized, quickly writing the information down on a nearby scroll, employing a soft brush tipped with oil black ink.

A voice chirped up, bringing Hiruzen's tired eyes away from the scroll and to one of the nearby walls. "So… Lord Hokage, not that it's not super great to see you or anything but… are we done here? Because I haven't seen my aunt in forever, I don't know where that falls on your list of priorities but for me, it's right at the top." Pīta finally broke his silence, sat on the wall with his arms resting over his knees.

Hiruzen had actually forgotten the boy was even present, he didn't know whether to attest that to his old age or the child's evasive nature. Even in the ninja world, he was used to people just standing like regular people, namely where gravity pulled them, which was almost always towards the ground. He hadn't had any sort of contact with a spider in so long; their mannerisms and inability to behave like a normal person had been lost on him.

He refrained from chastising the boy and his somewhat blunt attitude, he simply wanted to go home and see a familiar face. "Quite right, Pīta. After all, family is the most important thing in our lives and it would serve you well to hold onto it, whatever the cost. I'll take great care to read through your exploits when your sensei documents them, for now however, your services to this village and its people are no longer needed. Go home, get some rest and embrace those you love, for there is always another mission on the horizon." Hiruzen formally let the children off the hook, taking them off duty for now.

"Wow… did you prepare that or did that just come to you?" Pīta asked with a hidden smirk, though had actually been taken by the man's wise words.

Sakura had to repress a severe roll of the eyes and keep a friendly smile plastered on her face; she didn't want to give off a negative light, not in front of the Hokage anyway. "It just came to me, off the top of my head." Hiruzen indulged the boy; he didn't mind the odd joke now and again.

Pīta nodded, before he flipped from his perch and landed on the other side of Sakura. "You should totally write greetings cards, just in case this whole Hokage thing doesn't work out for you." He jested, finding the man to be sort of okay.

Not the usual stick up the butt type of elder anyway…

Hiruzen placed his pipe back into his mouth and gave a short puff, as if considering the brunette's words. "It's certainly something to think on," he simply replied, watching as Kakashi placed a hand on his student's solid shoulder.

The action stopped Pīta from spouting anything else, much to the relief of Sakura and Kakashi. "I think we've taken up quite enough of the Hokage's time, Pīta. For now, you're dismissed, kids. You're on your own time now, so do with it as you will. Although, I wouldn't keep your parents waiting, Sakura. You too, Pīta." The silver haired Shinobi advised, watching the pair look up at him and nod in reply.

They left for the door, and upon leaving the formality of the Hokage's office, started bickering and arguing, going for each other's throats like that of two wild animals. Quite a racket followed, and Kakashi could only assume that Pīta being himself and all, had said something to the girl that had… triggered her, for lack of a better word.

There was silence in the room for a moment, as the shouting match had moved from the Academy's interior to the streets of Konoha, Sakura's rage fuelled voice echoing across the village. Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, as if nursing an oncoming headache that hadn't quite brewed yet.

Upon opening his eyes, his single grey one viewable to the world, he spied a quiet Naruto and had to remind himself, the boy didn't have any parents. Well, not anymore at least. Kakashi stepped closer to the Hokage's desk, joining the blonde prankster and placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment. He felt uncomfortable; he had when he'd done it to Sakura and Pīta.

Given his history, he still wasn't completely at ease around children. But Hiruzen saw it, saw it as clear as day as Naruto's bright blue eyes found Kakashi's cold grey one. This team of his, this almost hopeless team that shouldn't have worked, not in a million years… it was growing on him. It was unmistakeable, the look in Kakashi's eye.

Unmistakable because he'd experienced it himself, he knew what it felt like to look upon something with such… affection. "What about me, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto chirped, a little downtrodden and understandably so.

Before the boy was further reminded of his lack of parents, Hiruzen cut in. "Actually, Naruto, I understand that a particular someone is waiting for you at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop." The old Kage imparted, brightening Naruto's glum complexion considerably.

His eyebrows shot up, ocean blue eyes widened in excitement. "You mean—?!" He began but was interrupted by the subtle chuckling of the Hokage, the boy had always been a much needed shot in the arm of joy.

He nodded, prompting Naruto to almost jump on the spot. "That's right, Iruka's waiting for you, boy. And apparently, he can't wait to hear all about your real first mission. So go on, go and tell him what a success you were, have a bowl of ramen on me." Hiruzen encouraged, waving the boy off.

Naruto almost shot out of the room, almost bolted from his spot in front of the Hokage's desk, when he stopped dead. He looked up at Kakashi, a bright beaming grin plastered across his face, as if anything else was more at home. The Jōnin raised his single exposed eyebrow, wondering what the lad was still doing there.

"Kakashi-Sensei, can I go? Huh, can I?" Naruto practically pleaded, asking the man for permission despite being given the go ahead by the Hokage himself.

Kakashi found himself smiling beneath his dark blue mask; it was comforting to know that the lad respected him enough to deem his permission necessary, the mark of a good student. The famed ninja pocketed one of his gloved hands, his lone grey eye looking upon the lad with favour.

"Tell Iruka how you saved the day, Naruto." Kakashi suggested, ruffling the kid's blonde messy hair with his free hand.

Naruto just about rocketed out of the room, still audible to the two men as he barrelled through the upper hallways of the Academy, tumbling down the creaking wooden stairs and finally, leaving the building with a massive spring in his adolescent step.

And then Kakashi was left alone with Hiruzen, which was what he'd been waiting for all along. "Now that the children are gone, I trust that there is more to your story, Kakashi." The leader of the Leaf speculated, having noticed a certain… eagerness in the Shinobi ever since he'd entered the office.

It was hard to spot, the man hid it well. "Yes, Lord Hokage. It's unfortunate to say but… when we were out there, in the Land of Waves, something happened. Something of great importance and also great danger, something that we knew would happen eventually, it was simply a matter of time. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Kakashi questioned, earning a grim nod out of his better.

Hiruzen had feared such a day, but didn't let his fear fill his senses. "The seal… the seal holding the Nine-Tailed Fox… if it had broken, you wouldn't be standing here." He admitted, and it was true, every bit of it.

Kakashi confirmed his depressing assessment with a short nod, neither him nor any of his students would have returned to Konoha had the seal broken completely. "The seal holds, Lord Hokage. But it's been loosened, letting the demon's power crawl through to Naruto. It happened during a moment of great emotional stress for the boy, but it subsided when he calmed down." He explained, filling in the Hokage about everything he could remember.

It was a little hazy, even for him. He'd been preoccupied with Zabuza at the time, and the missing-nin's mist technique hadn't helped matters. But there was no mistaking it, Naruto's Chakra levels had been off the charts, almost levelling the entire bridge. That wasn't the work of a twelve year old boy who barely mastered tree climbing; it was the work of an ancient evil dwelling within.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Kakashi." Hiruzen expressed his gratitude, earning a courteous bow from the elite ninja.

But Kakashi was still concerned; he wasn't sure what they were supposed to do in the event of the seal loosening. "And what of Naruto?" He queried, because whether a kitsune demon inhabited the boy or not, he was still his student.

Hiruzen took a moment before he answered, a brief second or two of calculative thought. "He needs guidance, a soft but nurturing hand, from someone who can understand him. I'd do it myself but… well, as Hokage, I constantly find myself more than a little preoccupied." He voiced his disdain; the man wouldn't have minded training a boy who he thought of as a grandson.

Kakashi was more than willing to do it but couldn't spend the time that would've been needed of him with just Naruto; he had two other students to worry about and couldn't simply neglect them. "I find myself in a similar situation, Lord Hokage. May I suggest something a little out of left field?" He inquired, drawing the curiosity of the man sat before him.

Before that curiosity morphed into realization, because Hiruzen knew full well what Kakashi was suggesting. "Hmm… he is the boy's Godfather… perhaps… well, I don't see any other option. It's settled then; I'll send word to Master Jiraiya at once." The Kage concluded, drawing a satisfied nod out of his subordinate.

"I'll write up the report, explain in-depth what happened in the Land of Waves. If that is all you need of me, Lord Hokage." Kakashi once again bowed in respect, before turning on his heel to depart.

Hiruzen was about to let him, until something else struck him. "Curse this advanced age of mine, I almost forgot. The Chūnin Exams are set to take place in the coming weeks; do you plan on submitting your students? They've already proved themselves more than capable, managing to defeat an S-Rank criminal is no small feat." He reminded the Jōnin, drawing nothing but the same vague look of casual disinterest out of him.

Kakashi seemed to ponder the question for a moment, his hands where they usually were, stuffed comfortably into his deep pants pockets. "They've certainly earned it, that much is true. But do you think it's wise to let Naruto compete, especially considering recent events?" He asked, seeking the wisdom of his elder, much in the same way his students sought of him.

Hiruzen let a soft smile form on his aged, wrinkled lips. "It matters not what we do or don't want for the boy, he's old enough to make his own decisions. Offer him submission and whether or not he takes it, well, it's entirely up to him. The exams take place in a relatively controlled environment, there is danger present, yes but if the Nine-Tails once again attempts to manifest, we will be there to do something about it." The Third Hokage, respected by many, reasoned.

Kakashi was one of those people, the veteran Shinobi had earned his respect several times over. "Very well, we'll leave it in the hands of Naruto. I'll take my leave, Lord Hokage." The Jōnin headed for the door once more, and finally left just as his three students had moments earlier.

Hiruzen was left alone with his thoughts, an old man in an empty office with nothing but troubles and grievances playing on his tired mind. It was the right path to take, summoning his old student to mentor Naruto. Jiraiya, sans his… odd misgivings and questionable characteristics, was no fool. He was one of the legendary Yonin after all, the four ninja that had been dubbed so by Hanzō of the Salamander, the notoriously formidable leader of Amegakure.

It was fitting actually, that Jiraiya would be the one to train Naruto. He'd trained the boy's father after all, the legendary Fourth Hokage, who'd perished so early in his lifetime. But at a great cost, the very reason Konoha was still standing and the very reason the Nine-Tails found itself trapped within Naruto. Hiruzen only hoped that the child wasn't tethered to the same fate, though he had no way of knowing.

Only time would tell…

---

A week passed since Team 7 returned home to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, welcomed back like competent ninja and not immature children. It was a breath of fresh air, especially where Naruto was concerned. They'd completed a B-Rank mission, three Genin, right out of the Academy, had actually survived a B-Rank mission.

It was practically unheard of, things like that just didn't happen. Though, given their impressive success, they weren't expecting to be relegated right back to D-Rank missions as soon as they returned. Naruto had been ready and willing to get back out there, fight the good fight, help anyone else who needed his help.

Sakura had been less enthused, actually preferring to stay within the safe, familiar walls of Konoha for the time being. The trio of ninja had been gone for months, so much time without seeing friendly faces or sleeping in their own bed. There was nothing quite like that, sleeping in one's own bed. Anything else was just a substitute, like there was something special and sacred about a person's own personal bed.

Maybe that was just how kids felt, but Sakura didn't particularly care, she'd relished in the feeling of being back in her own bed, her own home, sharing the same complex of apartments as her teammate. Pīta didn't seem to mind staying for a while, he was eager to get back out into the outside world to actually achieve something, but he wasn't in any hurry.

Besides, Kakashi had eased up on them quite a bit since returning, but had overseen their frivolous exploits. Well, maybe frivolous to Naruto, though everything was frivolous to him if action or ramen wasn't involved. The teacher had assigned them several jobs over the week, simple things like pulling weeds, walking dogs, and cleaning up the waste in some of the streams and rivers around the village. Of course, with Naruto, it's never as easy as any of that.

So, after a week of disappointment after disappointment, with Kakashi refusing to explain to the kids just why they couldn't leave the village, he left them in a wide alleyway. He'd uttered some lame excuse like 'I have to file my report' but the children weren't idiots, he was hiding something from them.

What, they had no clue. The Jōnin was mysterious and hard to read even when he wasn't trying to be, so for him to be going out of his way to keep them in the dark about something, it was unusual to say the least.

"Do you think he's ever gonna put that book down?" Pīta aired, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he gazed skyward, his enhanced sense of hearing able to pick up the screeching call of an airborne eagle.

Chocolate coloured orbs studied the bird of prey for a moment, before dismissing it entirely as he redirected his gaze back to his comrades. "I don't care about his crummy book! I care about getting stronger, faster! That's not gonna happen if we have to keep doing these lame missions!" Naruto voiced his opinion and for once, didn't draw the ire of his female teammate.

Sakura, the only Kunoichi on Team 7, nodded with a little reluctance. "As much as I hate to say it, Naruto's right. There are ninja out there that are so much stronger than we are, how are we supposed to match them by picking up trash and taking care of peoples pets?" She threw the question out to anyone, hoping that either one of her friends could answer her.

Naturally, Pīta spoke up. "Well, you heard the man; we're on our own time now. We can do whatever we want, so why don't we take our training into our own hands? Couldn't hurt, right?" He suggested, watching as both Naruto and Sakura traded looks before nodding.

"I… I've been struggling a little bit in Taijutsu and… well; you're pretty handy with your fists." The pink haired girl admitted, it wasn't easy to own up to one's own faults, especially in front of friends.

Pīta smiled, nobody was perfect. "And I've been sucking hard in Chakra control; I need a master like you to help me out. What do you say, Haruno, you up for it?" He buttered the girl up, drawing the faintest trace of a blush out of her as she narrowed her emerald eyes at him.

With her fists on her yet to develop waist, Sakura felt the corners of her mouth twitch as Pīta stared back at her. "Flatterer," she mumbled.

The lad shrugged, feigning innocence. "What, I can't compliment a teammate?" He queried, arching an eyebrow as he stood before the girl.

Unflinching and unafraid, his usual demeanour even when faced with great danger. "Oh, you can. But it better not be followed up by some kind of snarky insult or sarcastic comment," Sakura warned the boy, drawing a quiet chuckle from his mask covered mouth.

"Perish the thought," the brunette dryly replied, waving off her concerns as she gave him 'the look'.

Now, 'the look' usually consisted of several things. Thing one, Sakura was the one who gave 'the look'. Thing two, she'd rest her fists on her slim waist and lean in closer to the person she was giving said 'look'. Thing three, she'd glare at the person, her eyes fixed on theirs for a moment, as if daring them to make any sudden movements.

The major thing was, it almost always worked on virtually everyone, sans a few exceptions. Now, Pīta, well… he was one of those exceptions. So, standing so close to him, with her eyes locked onto his, Pīta did the only appropriate thing he thought to do.

He winked at her, causing her to spin on her heel and hide the bright red blush that had lit up her cheeks. "I hate it when you do that!" She cried, folding her arms as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

"Then don't get all up in my space," Pīta jested, though gazed downward when he felt something brush over his sandal covered feet.

It was an odd sensation, and Pīta could only guess that what had passed over him was a bunch of smaller feet, scuttling along the solid pavement beneath a cardboard box that had been camouflaged to resemble a rock. Pīta had to blink several times, and then promptly questioned his sanity.

Glancing from Naruto to Sakura, who still had her back to him; Pīta lifted a hand out of his pocket and pointed at the box. "Is anyone else seeing the… rectangular rock?" He mumbled, watching with admittedly curious eyes as it shuffled its way towards Naruto.

Surprising Pīta and then Sakura as she turned around to see what the spider was talking about, Naruto took off running, being chased by the sentient box. "Should… should we do something?" Pīta muttered, glancing at Sakura as she struggled to take her green eyes off of the unusual scene.

The pink haired Kunoichi wasn't sure how to respond, her mouth dropping open for a moment as if she was about to say something. And then it promptly shut, no words coming to mind as Naruto played ring around with a mobile cardboard box.

Finally, the orange and blue clad lad spun around and pointed at the box, scowling at it as he stopped it in its tracks. "That's the lamest disguise I've ever seen! There's no such thing as square rocks!" Naruto bellowed, drawing a disappointed response out of the makeshift deception.

"You saw through my disguise again, boss! There's no fooling you, just what I'd expect from my greatest rival." A squeaky, adolescent voice rang out, before a blinding light shined out from beneath the box.

A small-scale explosion lit up the area, causing Naruto to throw his hands up in front of his face in an effort to guard himself. Pīta's spider-sense wasn't being activated in any way shape or form, but he instinctively placed himself ahead of Sakura, an arm outstretched to guard her. It was such a small thing, barely noticeable to the outside perspective, but Sakura noticed it. Of course, it wasn't necessary when the various colours of smoke in the air dissipated, fading from view and allowing the team of Genin to see just who had caused such an unusual spectacle.

Three children were on the ground, on their hands and knees, coughing and hacking on account of the smoke. "Maybe we should ease up on the gun powder, Konohamaru." One of the kids, two boys and a girl, suggested as he wiped his face with his blue sleeve.

There was a moment of silence, complete and utter silence as the three children looked up to see Naruto staring down at them, the blankest look imaginable present on his face. The spider and the pink haired Kunoichi weren't fairing any better, both of them sweat dropping for a brief second as they relaxed their stance.

"Just a bunch of kids… crawling around in a box… spray-painted to look like a rock… that was a strange sentence," Sakura murmured to herself, being just as lost as Pīta was on the matter.

And judging by the arched eyebrow, he was seriously lost. "You know these kids, whiskers?" Pīta posed; hand on his hip as one of the kids span around to address him.

The kid in question, Konohamaru if Pīta had heard correctly, was wearing a faded yellow t-shirt with the symbol of the Leaf printed onto it and light grey khaki shorts. The strangest thing about him though, was the blue scarf wrapped around his neck; it wasn't even close to winter yet. He was a brunette, just like the kid wearing the glasses with him. He was tiny, standing around half Naruto's height, so Pīta had to guess that the kid couldn't have been older than eight.

He pointed at Pīta, with such ferocity that it made the Shinobi's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Know us? Of course he knows us! I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi, and I'm the number one ninja in the village!" The boy bellowed, reminding Pīta of his louder than life friend.

He clicked his tongue, supressing the growing urge to just start howling with laughter. "That's… debatable," Pīta stopped himself, prompting the child to fold his arms and frown.

The other boy stepped up, his nose continuously leaking for some weird reason, and he was decked out in a blue jacket and light brown shorts. "Call me Udon and I love algebra!" He declared, earning a nod out of the elder ninja.

Pīta furrowed his brow; he wasn't sure what 'algebra' had to do with anything. "I'd love it if you'd wipe your nose, kiddo." He jested, watching Udon's prepubescent face light up like a furnace as he covered his running nose with his sleeve.

The girl was last to weirdly declare her name, he didn't remember doing much of that when he was younger. "And I'm Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi in pre-school, check me out!" She was a redhead, though her hair was more auburn than anything.

Pīta gave a shake of the head, catching himself as a chuckle escaped his lips. "I'd rather not," he simply replied, confusing the child before him.

The three kids then came together, all of them posing as if they were famous heroes of some kind. "And when we're all together, we're the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!" Konohamaru announced to the world at large, drawing a blank stare out of Naruto and a laugh out of Pīta.

"Wait, wait, don't tell me… you came up with the name yourself, right?" The spider mocked, pointing at the boy with the blue scarf.

Konohamaru frowned as he was staring at the elder Shinobi in such a weird way, that it prompted Pīta to raise his eyebrows and acknowledge it. "It's not polite to stare, half-pint." He dryly responded, feeling the predictable elbow of one Sakura Haruno edge his arm.

"Pīta, they're just children." She advised him, as if she were scolding him like a mother would their child.

Konohamaru found himself tugging on Naruto's orange and blue jacket, his curious eyes never once leaving Pīta's sarcastic form. "Hey, boss, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this weirdo's making fun of us." He pointed out, drawing a steady and slow clap out of Pīta Pāka.

Sakura had to pinch the bridge of her petit nose; he couldn't just leave it well enough alone, even with an eight year old. "Oh, that's just Pīta, he does that sometimes. Don't worry about him, he's just kidding." Naruto appeased, his voice a little more on the vaguely disinterested side than his usual bombastic tone.

It was a little strange for his comrades; he sounded more like Kakashi-Sensei, not Naruto. "Hey, what's wrong, boss? We thought you'd be a little more excited, have you noticed what we're wearing?" Konohamaru questioned his rival and idol, though failed to have the desired effect on the blonde.

Naruto took a quick sweep of the kids, eyeing them proudly sporting something he used to wear himself. "My goggles… man, did I ever wear those?" The ninja asked, though the rhetorical question was aimed at himself more than anyone else.

It was true though, before Naruto had been given a Konoha forehead protector, sporting the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he'd worn a pair of green goggles instead. He remembered what he'd done with the goggles; he'd given them to Iruka-Sensei to keep. He didn't know why, it wasn't like they were important or anything.

Naruto had just wanted his former teacher to have them…

Konohamaru beamed, a noticeable chip in one of his front teeth. "Yeah! Pretty cool, right? Now we're just like you!" The boy stood proudly, hands on his hips as though he'd achieved some kind of insurmountable goal.

And it managed to pull a small smile onto Naruto's lips, inspiring a kid that clearly looked up to him. "Coolest thing I've ever seen," he indulged them, grinning as it seemed to light the children's colourful world up.

"You think you've seen it all and then bam, Naruto groupies." Pīta muttered to Sakura, he didn't want to spoil the moment after all; he wasn't that big of a jerk.

Sakura nodded, it was a little strange but Naruto seemed to be some kind of a hit with them. "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," she opined, drawing a scoff out of her quick-witted companion.

"Who says that, stalkers?" The red and blue Shinobi mocked, earning a roll of the eyes out of the red dressed Kunoichi.

The duo directed their attention over to Naruto and his little fan club, watching from the side-lines as he entertained the three kids. "So, are you busy, boss? You said you'd play ninja with us, remember?" Konohamaru pestered the older boy, prompting Naruto to laugh nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The lad was clearly embarrassed, and his teammates knew full well why. "A ninja playing ninja? Isn't that a little childish, Naruto?" Sakura fixed her friend with a questioning look, making Naruto squirm slightly under her gaze.

The blonde jinchūriki let his eyes wander over to Pīta, who simply raised his hands. "I'm not touching that one," was the only aid he could offer.

Naruto grew beet red, attempting to laugh off the Hokage's grandson's request to play with them as Konohamaru looked Sakura up and down. "Who's the girl, boss? With the way she talks to you, you'd think she was your mom or something." The boy blurted out, prompting Naruto's eyes to widen a fraction.

Pīta's brown eyes mimicked his pal's panicked ones, as Sakura had to pause for a moment before she gritted her teeth. "Take that back, you little brat!" She screamed, about to dive right for the kid.

Konohamaru yelped, falling backwards in fear, right into his friends. Pīta had been quick enough to wrap his arm around her waist, lifting her into the air as she kicked and swiped, desperately trying to get at the eight year old.

"Now, now, Sakura, they're just children." The spider repeated the girl's earlier warning to him, delivering a hefty dose of irony to the female Genin.

She simmered down eventually, though continued to glare daggers at the youngest Sarutobi. "I thought he was the weird one, but she's even weirder! Scratch that, she's not weird, she's crazy!" Konohamaru accused, pointing at the girl with eyes that conveyed nothing but fear.

Fear for his own safety, and rightly so too. Because his little remark had once again set Sakura off, her temper igniting as she darted ahead and gave chase to the little rascal. Naruto felt them breeze by, a twelve year old girl hunting down a boy half her height.

He glanced at Pīta, pointing after the fast and the furious. "Why didn't you grab her again?!" Naruto yelled the questioned, as if he was capable of any other volume setting.

Pīta shrugged, his teammate's urging tone doing nothing to speed up his response. "Kid was asking for it, dude." He reasoned, watching as Naruto attempted to argue back.

But ultimately, he relented. Konohamaru was one of those kids that needed some kind of reality check, he knew full well; he'd given the boy his first when they'd first crossed paths. Konohamaru was the Hokage's grandson and often used that as a reason to act like a spoilt brat, insulting everyone and anyone that got in his way.

Well, Naruto had been the first ever person not to treat him like some kind of untouchable royalty. He'd treated him like a regular kid, something Konohamaru had been craving, to be regarded as normal and not someone special just because of his relation to the leader of the Leaf Village.

Of course, Naruto had achieved this by smacking him upside the head, but that was neither here nor there. So while he was admittedly on the fence, insulting people wasn't something someone was supposed to get away with. And insulting Sakura… well, that was just an incredibly poor choice all around.

Naruto's attention was brought back to the chase, as Sakura had halted in her tracks and Konohamaru had run into something too solid for his little body to withstand. The eight year old hit the ground bottom first, wincing in slight discomfort before he gazed upwards to see just what he'd hit head on.

Stood before him, towering over the child on the solid pavement of the alleyway, were two ninja. A male and a female to be exact, though neither Naruto, Sakura or Pīta recognized them, they hadn't seen them around the village anyway. Though they quickly saw why they couldn't recognize them, as they weren't wearing Leaf headbands, but sported the symbol of Sunagakure instead, the Village Hidden in the Sand.

The village lay in the Land of Wind and was quite some distance away from the Land of Fire, an entire country sat between them in fact, the Land of Rivers. The team of Genin had to wonder just what foreign ninja were doing so far away from home, wandering around another village as if it was their own no less. It was no secret that the Sand Village and the Leaf Village were allied with one another but still, it was a little disconcerting.

The boy, who stood out the most in Pīta's humble opinion, was dressed in some kind of full body suit; it was black in colour and rather baggy in nature. The suit also extended over his head, a hood with almost cat-like ears protruding from the top of his head. A half red, half yellow circle symbol was painted on the suit's torso, and much like Pīta, the boy had his hands stuffed into his pockets.

But the features that stood out the most, practically leapt at all those present, was the purple face paint decorating his rather pale complexion. It was triangular and almost tribal in its design, also serving to cover his lips. The nameless Sand ninja carried some sort of bandaged load on his back, almost as tall as him, with some kind of brunette hair or fur poking out the top of the white wrappings.

He didn't look particularly amused, showcasing a purple painted frown as he stared down at the kid that had barged into him. "Can we help you?" He dryly responded, though the girl by his side looked less than pleased.

Her frown was a little deeper than that of her male companion, but it didn't look as though she bore any ill will, it was more a frown of confusion than anger. The girl was blonde, not overly so like Naruto or Ino Yamanaka, but more of a sandy blonde, appropriately. Her hair was arranged in four, rather sharp and jagged pony-tails and her teal coloured eyes narrowed at the child on the floor.

She was dressed in a light purple off-the-shoulders garment, that extended halfway down her thighs. The purple was divided up by a scarlet sash, tied around her lithe waist. She also wore fishnet over her exposed shoulders, her right calf and her left thigh. Much like Hinata Hyūga, she wore her forehead protector around her neck instead of on her forehead.

Like her male partner, she too carried something on her back. A long, sleek and solid metal bar. It was glossy black in colour but the trio of Genin found it hard to decipher just what it was, no notable traits stood out. She had her hands resting on her waist, and like the boy with her, appeared older than Naruto, Sakura and Pīta, maybe around three years older.

The Sand Kunoichi promptly rolled her eyes in disdain when the boy with her hoisted Konohamaru up, dangling him in the air by way of his long blue scarf. "Oh, for the love of—he's just a child, Kankurō." She complained, though it did nothing to halt the boy from tightening his grip and smirking.

"I don't care what he is, he can't expect to run into me and get away with it, that's not how the world works." The apparently named Kankurō lectured, making Konohamaru squirm in his grasp.

Naruto was the first to respond, balling his fists as Moegi and Udon stood behind him, afraid for their friend's safety. "You better put him down now or else!" He warned, ocean blue eyes narrowed.

The blonde managed to draw the Sand Shinobi's attention, though he didn't seem impressed. "Or else what, punk? You'll stand there and threaten me all day?" Kankurō mocked him openly, he wasn't afraid of some Leaf Genin trash.

Naruto gritted his teeth ferociously, he couldn't stand being insulted. "That does it!" The boy exclaimed, charging at the foreigner with everything he had.

Sakura and Pīta looked on as their teammate rushed ahead to save the president of his fan club, the pink haired Kunoichi was about to give chase when a firm hand placed itself on her shoulder, halting her completely.

"Hold up a second," Pīta advised, drawing a skewed brow out of his female comrade.

She was about to protest when Pīta narrowed his chocolate coloured eyes, as if waiting for something. That something came all right, in the unexpected form of Naruto tripping and hitting the concrete surface of the floor, hard. Sakura wasn't sure what had happened, but judging by the look on his face, Pīta had seen something she hadn't been able to catch.

He smirked beneath his mask, having managed to see Kankurō remove a hand from one of his pockets and move his fingers in such a way that it practically screamed 'secret weapon'. "Stop! It hurts!" Konohamaru cried out, desperately clawing at his attacker's hand.

Kankurō didn't seem impressed, glancing from the shrimp in his grip to the orange and blue wimp, just about managing to hop up off the floor. "If this is all your village has to offer, I'm not worried." He mocked, eyes closed and an amused smile present on his purple lips.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do, the ninja in front of them didn't seem like push overs. "How're we supposed to stop this before it gets out of hand?" She queried, her brain scrambling for an answer as she turned to the spider beside her.

She raised her eyebrows when Pīta rolled his shoulder, as if limbering up for something. "Don't worry about it, I've got this." He replied, an air of confidence to his tone that set the girl at ease.

It meant he was going to do something, had possibly devised a plan in that crazy head of his or was going to rush head first into a scrap just for the sake of a scrap. "I tip my non-existent hat to you, dude, you've managed to strong arm a two year old." He cocked a hand, his two index fingers tapping his palm.

A strand of silver silk bolted out, catching Konohamaru by the back. With one quick motion, a simple flourish of the wrist, Pīta yanked the kid out of Kankurō's grasp, Leaf overpowering Sand effortlessly. Not for a lack of trying, the visiting Shinobi had tried to keep his fingers wrapped around the child's scarf, but he felt the force of the pull, felt something stronger than him take the kid from him.

Now, in the grasp of a different ninja, Konohamaru still continued to struggle. "Let me go, you big jerk!" He whined, his legs kicking around in mid-air.

Pīta's eyebrows shot up, holding the child up with one hand by the back of his scarf. "Have you learned nothing?" He simply asked, before lowering the child to the floor.

Safe at last, Konohamaru darted right for Naruto, hiding behind the boy's legs. "I don't like this guy, Temari." Kankurō muttered, attempting to save face as he glared at the kid dressed in red and blue.

The aptly titled Temari on the other hand, was gazing at the boy in interest. "I don't know, Kankurō. There's something different about this one, he's a little… mysterious." A light blush found its way to the teenager's cheeks, the corner of her lips turning up into a smile.

"Ugh… give it a rest," the boy replied to his sister, it seemed anyone that proved a competent ninja tickled her fancy.

But he narrowed his eyes at the rookie ninja, because Temari was right, there was something different about him. "So… what, you get your jollies by picking on the vertically challenged? Why don't you try and pick on someone who can fight back?" Pīta challenged, arching an eyebrow as he cracked his knuckles.

Kankurō frowned; the kid was itching for a fight. "You've got a lot of attitude for a punk rookie, kid. I think it's about time someone put you in your place," the Sand Genin boasted, before he reached over his shoulder to retrieve the large bandaged item on his back.

The wrappings, encasing the thing almost like a mummy, spiralled off as Kankurō brought the 'secret weapon' out in front of him, brandishing it menacingly. "You can't be serious? You're gonna use the Crow on one kid? Just because he bad mouthed you?" Temari backed off, eyes wide as her brother prepared himself for a bout.

Pīta smirked, he had no idea what was under those wrappings but he honestly didn't care, he was ready to knock the guy into next week. Until his spider-sense nudged the back of his skull, forcing his eyes to leave the black garbed teen ahead of him and redirect them to a nearby tree. Yet another figure, another Sand ninja by the looks of him, stood on the underside of one of the tree's many branches.

The first thing that Pīta noticed was the short, messy, fiery red hair. The second thing that Pīta noticed was the complete lack of interest in him, with tanuki-like black rings outlining his pale green eyes, a tell-tale sign of insomnia. The lad wore a black body suit, t-shirt-like sleeves and almost full length leggings. A long white sash wound its way around his body, slung over his shoulder precariously.

It covered a brown leather band which was strapped around his left shoulder, snaking its way to his right hip. Pīta guessed that it must have been the thing keeping the massive sand gourd on his back, a running theme with the three Sand Siblings. The kanji for 'love' was etched into the kid's pale forehead, red in colour and raising some serious questions in the meantime.

Like, who the hell did that to him?

Or, had he done it himself?

Pīta wasn't sure which answer was best, so he chose to throw it out of his mind for the time being. "Kankurō, why am I not surprised?" The boy rhetorically asked, in such a quiet but chilling tone that it put all those present on edge.

His presence, folding his arms as he looked disapprovingly at his brother, seemed to alarm the otherwise headstrong kid. "Gaara, I—I didn't see you there." Kankurō stammered, apparently afraid of the newcomer.

Pīta wasn't sure why, but his spider-sense wouldn't stop buzzing either. "Welcome to the party, pal." He dryly greeted, straightening out of the loose stance he'd found himself in.

Gaara, which was the kid's name apparently, slowly turned his head to gaze upon Pīta, the boy appearing upside down to him. He didn't seem particularly impressed, his expression so vague he might've rivalled Kakashi as the king of disinterest.

Things were tense for a moment, as both Sand Genin and Leaf Genin, along with the pre-schoolers, watched Gaara seemingly study Pīta. "I know how this looks, but if you just let me explain, then you'd know that these guys challenged us." Kankurō attempted to appease his little brother, his previously cocky and cocksure voice speeding up in what could only be described as fear.

Pīta scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he glanced back at the face painted ninja. "Jeez, grow a spine, dude. A second ago you were telling me how you were gonna kick my butt, now you're practically sweating. Kankurō? More like Kiyoko," he ridiculed, throwing out his fist for Naruto to bump.

Which he totally did, laughing at the bully's expense. "Good one," he commended through the bout of joy, earning daggers from Kankurō.

Gaara watched the back and forth, but he was no idiot. He knew exactly what had happened, his older brother had once again deemed it necessary to embarrass them, make them out to be nothing more than schoolyard bullies who had nothing better to do than to pummel children. It was laughable, it was inexcusable, and it practically made his blood boil.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara stated, with such finality and subtle spite that Kankurō didn't dare argue with him on the matter.

Instead, he simply put whatever 'the Crow' was back on his back and backed off. "You're right; I was totally out of line… I'm sorry." Kankurō spouted an apology, and to the Leaf Genin's surprise, it actually sounded sincere.

It obviously wasn't for their benefit, more to save his own skin, but it still caught them off-guard. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused; I can assure you that it won't happen again." Gaara was the one to formally apologize, something which did not sound right coming out of his mouth.

Team 7 glanced at one another, Naruto, Sakura and Pīta's eyes meeting for a moment before they decided to take the high road. "You weren't hurt, were you, Konohamaru?" Naruto questioned the boy, concern evident in his voice.

Konohamaru puffed up his chest, absolutely refusing to look weak in the presence of his idol. "No way, boss! I'm just as tough as you are!" He claimed, throwing a tiny thumbs up the blonde's way.

Naruto grinned in response, before turning to Gaara once again. "I guess it's okay then," he forgave, content that nobody was hurt in the little incident.

Sakura bowed in gratitude, the boy didn't have to go out of his way to stop things before they'd spiralled out of control. "We appreciate you cutting in," she expressed politely, coming out of her bow to turn her head towards Pīta.

The brunette shrugged, he was still a little weary of the Sand Shinobi. "Gaara, was it? You should learn to keep your boy over there on a very short leash, just saying." The Shukeikō heir dryly stated, drawing a severe eye twitch out of Sakura.

Temari and Kankurō both freeze up, eyes wide and unsure what was going to happen next. They'd never heard anyone address Gaara with such flippant attention, with such abrasive disrespect before. Well, they had actually. But it had ended the exact same gruesome way it always ended when someone disrespected Gaara, he'd kill them.

Quite quickly and quite brutally too…

Gaara set his jaw, it had taken a lot for him to admit fault and apologize and this boy, the one in the red and blue, had practically thrown it back in his face. Once again, it was silent for a moment, with nothing but a soft wind interrupting said silence as it breezed through the alleyway. Finally, Gaara moved, intriguing everyone present when he disappeared in a swirling show of sand.

It was a neat trick; Pīta had to admit but watched as the redheaded teen suddenly reappeared in front of his siblings, sand once again dissipating around him. "We're leaving," he shortly said, earning two swift nods from both his brother and sister.

Now that he was on level ground with everyone else, Pīta recognized the kid was shorter than his siblings and must have been closer to his age. They set off in the opposite direction, their backs turned to the Leaf they'd engaged.

"Ohh, someone's cranky." Pīta jested, loud enough for Gaara to hear and he did it knowingly too.

Sakura gritted her teeth; she wanted to kill her motor mouth teammate right then and there. "Can you just drop it already?! They're leaving!" She yelled at him, balling her fists and narrowing her green eyes at him.

Pīta raised his hands, attempting to dispel the girl's anger. "In my defence, I didn't want to drop it." He told her point blank, drawing an incredulous look out of his teammate.

Gaara halted in his steps, causing his two siblings to follow shortly after. "You had to push it, didn't you?!" Sakura scolded, her voice a harsh whisper as the Sand ninja turned on their heels to face them once more.

It seemed that Pīta's little comment had willed Gaara to stick around a little longer, serving its desired effect. "You, the red and blue one, what's your name?" The redheaded twelve year old requested, prompting Pīta to mimic him and fold his arms.

"Pīta Pāka," he granted the lad his name, surprising his friends by not following it up with some kind of snarky comment.

Gaara remained as stoic as ever, his subdued curiosity having been finally sated. "Pāka… as in, Pāka of the Shukeikō-Clan? Strange, I thought you were an extinct breed." He mused, prompting the spider to shrug in response.

Pīta didn't like talking about his clan, didn't like talking about his heritage or history, namely because he knew virtually nothing about it. "Endangered, not extinct." He hit back, his jovial tone of silliness and hilarity being replaced by something much more level and serious.

Gaara nodded, apparently his clan held some notoriety in the Sand Village. "Maybe that's why you make your childish little jokes, to make yourself laugh, to make others laugh so you can feel secure about your existence. But at the end of the day, your existence means nothing, because you're the last of a dead, obsolete race." He spat venomously, causing Pīta's breath to hitch in his throat as his eyes widened.

He'd never felt so insulted, so outraged and full of anger in his entire life. "And that must kill you inside," Gaara finished, not even finding satisfaction in his berating of the boy.

Pīta's fists balled and he stepped forward, a dangerous look in his eyes as he stared Gaara down. "Pīta," a soft hand found his shoulder, a hand that would have been unable to stop him in his tracks had he decided to progress.

But the brunette chose to stop, the building emotions within him almost at boiling point. "It's not worth it," Sakura's soft voice sounded, her eyebrows knotted together in anticipation.

Because she knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop him, physically anyway. It was easy to forget just how strong Pīta was, and how terrifying the power he held could be when employed in certain ways. She'd seen him crush boulders with his bare hands; she'd watched him rip a pine tree in half like it was a damn tooth pick.

She didn't know what Gaara was capable of, just that he felt confident enough to insult a spider. "Be the bigger person," but she knew what Pīta was capable of, and that scared her.

They watched as the Sand Siblings left, having gotten in the last word. "That's what I thought," Gaara muttered, stalking off with Temari and Kankurō in tow.

Though, Temari felt as though she couldn't leave without offering a wave to a visibly tense and rigid Pīta. "What a complete jerk! Who the heck does he think he is talking to Pīta like that?!" Naruto bellowed after them but it was far too late, they'd leapt away.

Pīta turned around, standing face to slightly shorter face with Sakura as Naruto fumed. "It's all right, man. It was my fault, I was practically asking for that. You're right, Sakura, sometimes I just don't know when to stop." The spider spoke honestly, he'd insulted Gaara and Gaara had insulted him right back.

But Sakura still couldn't help but frown, even if he had owned up to his own shortcomings. Because she could see it in his eyes, how hurt he was. Naruto and Pīta never talked about their parents, because it was a touchy subject. They'd both lost theirs but had never known them, and they acted as though it wasn't a big deal.

But Pīta held his powers and the responsibility that came with them very close to his heart, because they were important to him, his people's history was important to him. And to have that sullied and spat on right in front of him, Sakura saw that it had pushed a particular button.

She saw the frustration in his soft brown eyes, the build-up of unbridled anger behind his friendly demeanour. And she saw him push it down deep, swallow his emotions because if he let them out, he would've done some serious property damage.

She touched his arm as he bowed his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed and thoughts racing through his mind at unprecedented speeds. "Listen, what Gaara said… you know that's not true, right? Your people were highly respected, Pīta. There's a reason they teach what's left of your clan's history at the Academy, because they mattered to Konoha." Sakura tried to cheer him up, offering a shaky smile as his brown eyes finally found her green ones.

"You matter to Konoha, Pīta." The Kunoichi told him; with such sincerity that Pīta couldn't help but believe it.

He shook his head, a grateful smile cracking his veil of sadness. "You're gonna make me blush," he muttered, a vibrancy returning to those humorous eyes of his.

The response made Sakura smile, because it was such a Pīta Pāka thing to say. "So… you okay?" She double checked, earning a confident nod out of the boy.

"You're sure?" She once again pestered him, earning a shake of the head from the lad.

She could already see the grin forming on his face, even beneath that dark blue mask of his, as if it could be replaced by anything else. "No, we've been over this, I'm Pīta." The spider joked, pressing both hands to his chest to accentuate his point.

The girl rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but feel relieved. "You're such a dork," she didn't like seeing him so quiet and dejected, it was like seeing Naruto upset, it just didn't make any sense.

He elbowed her arm as gently as he could manage, finding himself in high spirits once more. "And don't you forget it," he played along; being called a dork wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Sakura pushed him back, finding herself so comfortably at ease with the boy. "Naruto, how're your little friends? They okay?" She expressed marginal concern, it had been her fault Konohamaru had barged into Kankurō in the first place.

Naruto had been so preoccupied with the kids in question that he'd almost missed Sakura's voice, but he looked over at her and threw up a thumbs up. "Tough as nails, every last one of them. Right, guys?" He ushered, beaming like a jovial idiot.

"Right, boss!" A chorus of ecstatic, adolescent voices was his immediate reply.

Pīta whistled, a small and quick one to demand the attention of his teammates. "So… training, anyone?" He reminded the pair, the entire reason they'd been left alone by Kakashi-Sensei.

Sakura and Naruto glanced at one another, emerald green meeting ocean blue as they too realized this. "Man, I almost forgot! We were supposed to be training today!" He yelled, as if it had been his fault the thought had slipped his mind.

The thought had slipped everyone's minds; they'd been so preoccupied with squaring off against the Sand Ninja after all. "Keep your headband on, Naruto. It isn't nightfall yet, we've still got plenty of time to work on our skills." Sakura appeased the lad, who offered a sheepish smile in response.

He shrugged, laughing at himself. "Right… sorry," he mumbled, before he felt a tug on the sleeve of his orange and blue jacket.

It was Konohamaru, staring up at him with those innocent puppy dog eyes. "Can we come too, boss? We'll try not to distract you, honest!" He pleaded, desperate to see his idol in action, even if it was training.

"Uhh…" Naruto trailed off, unsure what to say when he looked for help in the form of Pīta and Sakura.

He didn't mind bringing them along, they were just kids after all and some of the few people that didn't think he was completely lame. "You don't have to ask for our permission, Naruto." Sakura advised, while Pīta simply offered his go-to response.

He shrugged; he wasn't necessarily bothered either way. "Sure, it'd be a great chance for you to see just how strong I've gotten!" Naruto boasted, leading the small trio of his number one fans into a march.

They marched right out of the alley, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi all following after Naruto, movement for exact movement. Sakura and Pīta watched them disappear from view, the comedian stuffing his hands into his pockets as the Kunoichi held her own behind her back, her fingers fidgeting together in minute insecurity.

They glanced at one another, green eyes fixed on brown for a brief, fleeting second. "Thanks," Pīta murmured, the single word leaving his mouth was enough to gauge a nod out of the smaller girl.

She didn't need to say anything; she knew he was being sincere. Their eyes broke contact, before the pair set off at their own leisurely pace, walking in tandem out of the empty alleyway, in the wake of their third hyperactive teammate.

---

Author's Note: There you have it; things have been set into motion. First appearance of Orochimaru, which I was nervous as hell about writing since he's such a complex and intricate villain, I hope I did the character justice. First appearance of a Spider-Man rogue, although in an unofficial capacity, more of a cameo than anything else. But you'll see more of him, as he works for Orochimaru.

The Sand Siblings arrived in Konoha, and Team 7 will find out why next chapter as Kakashi submits them for the Chūnin Exams! Oh and I thought I should mention it, Pīta's rather short-tempered, isn't he?

P.S. If you find yourself confused by my use of the word Yonin, in reference to the legendary ninja, it's because I added another ninja to the original three and couldn't call them Sanin anymore. Sanin literally translates to three ninja, so Yonin translates to four ninja. Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up, I don't want anyone getting too lost.

Guest Reviews:

DocKucCRO: The thing about Pīta's mask is, it's like a clan tradition. Like, it's considered sort of a faux pas for a spider to remove his mask in public. Again, it's an incredibly old custom, just like the secrecy surrounding the spider-sense is but Pīta's holding onto it because he wants to feel closer to his deceased people. Eventually, he will move on and take the mask off, but it won't be until much later in the story.

As for the symbiote, I have some plans for it. It might resemble an unstable Tailed Beast transformation but it won't be a Tailed Beast, it'll be its own separate thing. And for the fourth Yonin, I chose Julia Carpenter. She becomes Madame Web in the comics and begins to teach Peter a few things and I wanted to emulate that relationship, like a teacher and a student. Thanks for the suggestions though, I appreciate it!

Guest1: The answer to your question is right at the start of this chapter, there was a scorpion clan that hated the spiders but both have since died out. Pīta's alive, will there be one last scorpion left standing somewhere? Who knows? The flash in Pīta's eyes is a secret; if you can guess it, good on you but I'm not going to explicitly state what it is. The history of Pīta's clan will be revealed bit by bit, where's the intrigue if it's all dumped onto one page? Yes, they were very formidable warriors but even the strongest aren't infallible. Remember, they were Spider-Men and Women, not Supermen and Women. Thanks for the review!

atom king: Wait and see, it might very well be a mix of both, traditional and totally out there. As for the ending, well, that's a ways off, man. I'm not sure where Pīta will be when this story ends, I have a pretty good idea but again, this story is in its infancy. Thanks for the review!

Tiger 5: You and the king above you :P I'm kidding, I don't know who will end up with who, it's a long way out yet. Thanks for the review!

Aztec 13: I'm sensing a theme here... I'll tell you what I told the two guys above you, I don't know yet. We'll see, it's up in the air at the moment. Right now, the story's in its early stages so there's room to make a lot of pairings work. Just because I might be setting something up, doesn't mean it can't change. Thanks for the review!

The Guest: That's not a bad idea but Lightning Style is what Kakashi teaches to Sasuke, the Chidori becomes Sasuke's thing, you know? It'd be like Pīta learning the Rasengan, it's Naruto's thing. Pīta will learn his own stuff, they might not be as iconic or powerful, but Spidey's a character that has always had to make do with what he has and you'll see that come into play. Thanks for the review!

Guest2: You're right on the money there; it's just not Spider-Man without a dash of scientific know-how. Pīta will definitely be using his brain instead of his fists in some fights, it's what he does. You're right about Sakura too, but that's not me, that's canon. At the start of the series, she doesn't contribute much but she really starts to come into her own later on in the story and you'll see what drives her to get stronger.

As for the curious case of the missing YJ stories, I wasn't happy with them so I took them down. It's just the way I am, I'm very judgmental when it comes to my own work, so I strive to make it the best that it can be. I might put them up again in the future but for now, they're staying locked away in a folder on my computer. Sorry :S

Great Saiyaman54: That's certainly an idea and you're right, it could definitely work but I've made a very conscious decision to not include Carnage or any other symbiote besides Venom at the risk of being a little bit too ambitious. For now, it's just Venom who will be appearing at some point. Thanks for the review!

coldblue: 1) You never know, there's always room to experiment and Pīta may very well want to get creative with his webbing, so I'm certainly open to the idea.

2) While a signature weapon would be a cool thought, I feel like something like the ones you suggested appear a little too lethal for Pīta. At some point down the line, Pīta will receive much more offensively capable weapons, so I do have a plan for that but they won't be blades or anything like that.

3) You know, I won't give it up but I think you've covered it with all three of your guesses. It's sort of a combination of the three, and it's a dark stain on the history of the Shukeikō-Clan. That's all I'm saying.

4) You'll be seeing Zabuza and Haku much sooner than the time skip, at some point during the exam arc actually. Why? I'll never tell :P

5) Maybe. As I've said before, anything's on the table right now for Pīta but they'll be more focus on other aspects of his skill set rather than Medical Jutsu, that's more Sakura's thing and it makes her a very important member of the team.

6) I've got his preliminary fight and exam finals fight figured out, it ought to be a nice surprise when we get to them. The roster of exam participants that I'm using does balance out and there is an opponent for everyone so a three way fight isn't going to happen, but you're right, that could've been an interesting fight.

Once again, thanks for the review and all of your suggestions and ideas, they were a joy to read!