Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Shonen Jump.

Words: 3,957


"Two years ago, the chunin exams…?" Sasuke murmured. "Yeah, I remember those. A bunch of us were made chunin then. Me, Hinata, Shikamaru…"

"Yeah, not to mention other people that weren't in our class," Sakura said. "But since it was a while ago, I can tell you about the chunin exams too. It involves…the incident."

"Go ahead."


Sweat laced the palms of her hands, terror in the back of her mind, but most of all, she was annoyed to death at one Namikaze Naruto. She sighed, grasping a stray lock of hair, and twirling it. As much as she liked to have her long hair free to flow in the wind, it was getting annoying. She grabbed a ponytail holder she had brought along and put it up.

"This is so stupid! I'm never going to be a chunin with GIRLS as my teammates," Naruto said, annoyed. As per usual, he was wearing his forehead protector around his neck, along with his all-black outfit.

Sakura hit him in the back of the head. "Look, idiot, I know you're annoyed at being a part of a weird team, but Ruka and I do ten times the workload you do."

Ruka nodded. Her hair was a dark red and only went down to the middle of her neck. Her grey eyes glared at Naruto. "Want me to prove to you that I'm a worthy ninja?" she said. Naruto froze in place as the sound of Ruka's Tachi sliding out of its sheath. Sakura caught her hand.

"Listen, slaughtering him won't really do anything, will it? After all, we do need him to continue on to the last round," Sakura said. "And the last round is right here. So let's let the opponent beat him up."

Ruka slid her sword back in. "Fine, fine."

"Next match: Tsurugine Ruka Vs. Temari!" Called the announcer. Ruka sighed, and went down the stairs, with Sakura calling good luck to her.

The match started with the two staring at each other, daring with their eyes to make the first move. Temari felt almost naked, with her fitting clothes and very little hidden compartments. Ruka was covered in black cloth, Tachi her only visible weapon, but many more could be hidden away.

Finally, Temari grabbed her fan and threw a giant gust of wind at her. Ruka drew her weapon, but cried out in surprise when the wind seemed like it…cut her!

"You're no match for me," Temari said. "Your sharp stick won't be able to touch me!"

"I doubt that!" Ruka shouted, grabbing her curved longsword and lunged towards the blonde girl before she could throw another one of her wind cutting jutsu. Temari just grinned, and readied her fan.

As Temari thrust the fan again, this time, Ruka jumped high. Temari looked up wide eyed, at the red-haired girl who was now grinning from ear to ear. The blade went down, and sliced halfway through the fan before Temari pulled away. Temari's eyes flicked nervously from Ruka, who was just standing up, to the broken fan. She tsked, but smirked.

"Do you honestly think the only tool I have is my fan?" Temari shouted. Ruka shook her head.

"No. That's why I'm going to do this!" At this, she sprinted forward, putting chakra behind her steps, and thrust the Tachi at Temari. Quick as lightning, she blocked with the glossy black part of the fan, and the sword barely scratched it. Nevertheless, she held it in place, and Temari's expression gradually became a smile.

"You're not as strong as me, girl. You're fancy sword can't protect you for—"

Temari found herself with a Tanto stuck in her, pulled out of her folds of black by none other than Tsurugine Ruka.

"That's why you always have a back-up," Ruka murmured to Temari, her shocked expression seemingly frozen in place. Ruka removed herself from the tangled knot of kunoichi, laying Temari down gently, and she was declared the winner. As the medics closed in, she removed her Tanto, tucking it inside her clothes once more. She stopped one of the white-clad men. "She's just paralyzed. She should be fine in a few hours if you bandage up the wounds."

The man nodded nervously, and Ruka walked off the battlefield, satisfied. Sakura squealed in delight when she came up the stairs to rejoin the team. "I saw your skill with that sword in the forest, but I had no idea you carried a back-up with you!" Sakura said, fawning over the longsword. Naruto simply pouted and looked away.

"Well, it was okay," he admitted, but Ruka sent him a glare and poked him with the handle of the sword. Naruto looked annoyed, but didn't fight back.

Two more matches came and went, but none of them were called. Finally, Sakura heard her name.

"Whoa, Sakura," Ruka said encouragingly. "You got Kiba! He's pretty good, but not nearly as good as you…"

"Thanks, Sakura said as she hurried down the stairs. When she got to the battlefield, Kiba was waiting for her, head cocked in defiance. "What's your problem?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you'll be as easy to beat as I think you will." He cocked his eyebrow suggestively. "And when I win, maybe we could go on a date or something…"

Sakura's expression turned dark in a flash. "Watch your mouth, boy, I'm not just another pretty face."

"We'll see about that," Kiba said arrogantly.

"…Start!"

Kiba made his move almost immediately. He ran straight for her, making signs for jutsu, and something slammed into Sakura so hard that she flew backwards and slammed into the plated wall of the stadium.

She groaned as she came crashing down, but got up again, as fast as she could without making herself dizzy. Kiba was headed towards her again, smile fixed firmly on his face. Sakura took a deep breath and formed seals as fast as she could, fingers barely brushing each other as they flew.

The final seal was made, and Kiba stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes locked onto Sakura's eyes, and suddenly he collapsed. Sakura smiled, but it was short lived as something locked onto her leg.

She slowly lowered her eyes, and saw the small white dog that currently had his teeth locked around Sakura's ankle. She leaned down and tried to swat the dog away, but when he still wouldn't let go, she punched him. The dog yelped, with a faint trace of red on his coat, and flew backwards. Sakura sighed, satisfied.

"Well, that pest is finally gone…"

"You lost your concentration," Kiba's voice came from where he lay. Sakura whipped her head around to see him standing up shakily, smirk on his face.

"As if you could beat me. I cast a genjutsu on you! You couldn't possibly…" She only stared while Kiba went through another set of seals as fast as she had.

"Human art of Beast Mimicry!" he cried, and Sakura saw before her a monstrous boy that she recognized as Kiba. Suddenly the dog barked a few times, and in a cloud of smoke an identical boy took the dog's place.

Sakura saw the two drill-like whirlwinds coming towards her, but she only had time to block as they slammed into her.

She awoke what seemed like moments later to find Kiba and the Kiba clone walking away. She put her hands together in a seal, and felt Chakra welling up in her feet. Like lightning, she struck getting up and making a chakra-enhanced run towards the pair.

Kiba's eyes widened as he felt the kunai in his back, and when he turned around, he was once again locked into Sakura's, and he collapsed to the ground. The dog-turned-boy tried to pull another trick to make Sakura's concentration, but before he could even touch her, he collapsed as well.

Sakura grabbed and pulled her kunai out, lifting it up in victory as the announcer called Sakura the winner of the match.

As she climbed up, she could see Naruto nervous as he could be. "I'm next," he murmured. "I have to go sometime."

Sakura slapped him on the back. "Don't worry, you're the Hokage's son. They wouldn't dare kill you." Somehow, Naruto didn't look relieved.

The next two matches went by, but soon enough, Naruto's name was called. He gulped, but tried to look brave as he marched down the stairs. "Good luck, Namikaze!"

"Thanks, Tsurugine," came an uncertain and distant reply.

This round, it was Naruto Namikaze versus Neji Hyuga. Sakura felt relieved that it wasn't one of the foreign ninja, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Naruto wasn't exactly the greatest at fighting, and that was giving him more credit than he deserved.

Neji Hyuga was an imposing boy, no matter what his long hair might have said. He beat Hinata Hyuga with little difficulty in the elimination round, and Naruto might have been even weaker than her.

After the start was called, Neji just waited. He was daring Naruto to make the first move.

Naruto took the bait.

He ran towards the other boy after casting a nervous glance towards his father, way up in the stands. His strategy was a simple one: beat up Neji until he could no longer move. When he was almost there, Naruto extended his arm in a punch—

Only to have Neji simply poke his arm, and Naruto watching, with a look of a man who had just been put on death row, as it fell uselessly to the ground. He leaped back, trying fruitlessly to make his arm move.

"It's useless," Neji said. "Even if you can recover your arm, I blocked your Chakra. Even you know what that means."

Naruto frowned, and figured that he might as well try again. He ran towards him, then extended his leg this time. Neji grabbed it and flipped Naruto on his back, pressing a point on his leg that, once again, blocked his Chakra.

"Just give up," Neji said. Naruto glared at him. He was the son of the Hokage. He had to win. If he didn't, he would be known as Minato's failure son for the rest of his life…

Naruto grimaced as he tried to get up, but got up nonetheless. His leg pulsed with pain. "There's no way I'm giving up," he said. Neji just looked more determined.

Then Neji, fed up, slammed Naruto in the forehead with his fingers. Naruto gasped, falling backwards onto the ground, shaking all over. "Just give up," he whispered for only Naruto to hear. "Lose honorably."

Naruto raised his trembling hand. "I, Naruto Namikaze…forfeit," he said, and the stadium was cast into the awkward clatter of cheering.

I failed, Naruto thought. Again.


"Naruto, are you listening?" Minato asked the distracted-looking boy standing in his office. He jumped, but looked at Minato. "Good. Anyway, Ruka, Sakura, Naruto, I need you to deliver these to a town in the Land of Wind. I've given you a map; the town is called Kairou." He handed them three scrolls, and each one of them took one. "Got it?"

"Understood, Sir," Ruka said, saluting. They left on their mission fully packed, and went out of the gates with a positive attitude—well, maybe not Naruto. He was still a little…bitter.


Naruto Namikaze's mouth was open at the sight of Konoha before him, mostly because it had one extra head on the mountain where they enshrined the Hokages.

"How long have I been gone…?" he muttered to himself, before getting up. He examined himself. "Let's see…three lac…lacra…cuts, a couple bruises, and…" he winced painfully as he tried to turn around. "Definitely a broken bone somewhere. Probably a rib."

He thought for a little while on what he was to do. After all, he couldn't go charging into bizarre-Konoha and shout, 'here I am!' he needed a plan. Something Shikamaru might come up with.

Sadly, no matter how much he scrunched up his face and thought, Shikamaru's genius simply wouldn't come to him. He groaned. "I'm injured, no good in a fight, and probably accidentally time-travelled or something. Great."


"So," Sasuke said, "You guys were sent on a mission. I don't see why they wouldn't wait a bit after Naruto had gotten pummeled before giving him a mission."

Sakura sighed. "I don't know why. Maybe the Hokage was looking for a way to redeem him in the eyes of the public or something. He must have been at least a little bit embarrassed."

"I doubt it. The Hokage's not one to give in to peer pressure."

"That's what you think. Anyway…"


Sakura smiled at the two of her teammates fighting. Ruka and Naruto were opposite in a lot of ways, but for some reason, they still remained friends. Or at least she hoped they were friends. They had been fighting for a while, but as they started getting nearer to the Land of Wind, they calmed down, and the path became eerily quiet.

I can't believe they didn't get us a Jonin to help us with this mission… Sakura thought. But it is just a delivery mission. And the Sand village isn't our enemy.

It was Ruka who offered to set up camp first. She was tired from walking, and it was getting dark anyway.

Sakura had brought a big tent for them to sleep in, considering that it was easier to carry one large tent than three smaller ones. As she was setting it up, she took a glance at Naruto, expecting him to be doing something unproductive, only to see him setting up his own tent.

"Naruto!" she yelled in annoyance, only for him to look disdainfully in her direction. "I thought we agreed one tent only!"

"Yeah, well I decided to carry my own. Besides, it's fine. More room for your fat asses to sleep, anyway—AH!" Naruto now sported a large bump on his head, courtesy of Sakura. Ruka walked over and stared curiously at the bump.

"He said we had big butts," Sakura complained. Ruka's eyebrow twitched, and Naruto suddenly grew another bump after a collision with Ruka's fist.

After the fire had been constructed, and the three were eating, the moon was coming up over the horizon. Soon everyone was in bed, with a rotating guard. Sakura was first, then Ruka, then Naruto. Sakura's shift was uneventful, and when the moon was midway to its set, Ruka went to her shift…


Sakura felt her fists tense. She was being dragged into the moment again, and she started to feel tears come to the edge of her eyes. Sasuke grabbed her shoulder, and his soft skin brought her back to the present.

"You can stop now," he said, "if it's too painful. Don't do this for my benefit, okay?" Sakura nodded, wiping the almost-formed tears out of her eyes.

"I guess you can infer from that point…" Sakura muttered. "I won't trouble you with the details."

"It's fine, it's fine. I promise."

"I just…I get caught up in that moment, you know?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said, "I barely remember intracting with him. He was just really withdrawn and serious." Sakura nodded.

"After the incident, he just kind of…collapsed. He stayed inside all the time. I didn't really speak to him until you two showed up. He's…different. Really different. I don't get why he suddenly changed like that," Sakura said, shaking her head. "Like he's a whole different person."

Sasuke nodded. "Definitely. Although…he may really have changed. Maybe this is a good thing."

Sakura wasn't so sure.


"The hell?"

Naruto clamped his mouth shut. He had managed to sneak into a closer view of the village, only to be confronted by what seemed to be bizarre-o versions of the people he knew—Sakura just so happened to be going out of the village. And her hair was short. And, oh yeah, she was on active duty, which doesn't happen.

I need to get a closer look, he thought. It was against his better judgment to leave this suddenly comfortable patch of large bushes, so he sat for a bit, thinking up a budding strategy. The guards walked in a pattern; for a five-minute interval, there was a hole in the guard's pattern where Naruto could sneak across and somehow squeeze into a hole in the wall that looked be a possible, if incredibly tight passageway to the other side.

When the interval came around again, he checked if the coast was clear, and padded along the short stretch of grass between the edge of the forest and the village wall. As he got to the hole, he began to feel more and more doubtful. He wasn't a little kid anymore, and he couldn't fit through tiny spaces like he used to. Feeling time trickling off his mental clock, he tried anyway.

When he couldn't get in head-first, As his shoulders caught on the edges and gave him some nasty scrapes, he tried the other way. Finding his lower body able to fit in better, it was smooth sailing…until his feet it another wall, which was quite close to the outer wall. He bent his legs, trying to get purchase with his feet on the dusty surface, and succeeding. He knew time was almost up. He pulled most of his body through, only to catch on his shoulders more. He began to hear footsteps, increasingly loud, coming from the side of the wall. In a desperate last attempt, he scrunched in his shoulders and pulled the rest of his body through.

He was silent as the guard passed by, seemingly not noticing anything amiss. As soon as he was out of hearing range, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. For the price of some cuts and bruises, he was in.


Although they had stopped talking about it, Sakura found herself mulling over it in her head anyway. Sasuke hadn't made it much better, even though he had said all those reassuring words. As she lay in bed that night, she thought, and she remembered.

Sakura was woken from her sleep by something. At first, she didn't hear anything, so she felt it safe to go back to sleep…until another muffled cry reached her ears.

Like a tornado, she was out of her sleeping bag and outside, weapon at the ready. On missions, they had to sleep in battle-ready clothes, but Sakura was dressed only in her night shirt and tight green shorts. Sakura looked around, but she couldn't see anything. She heard another cry, this time to her immediate right. Her bare feet scrambled in the sand, and what she saw horrified her.

The man was a Suna ninja, or at least she thought so, until she saw the cross through the insignia on the forehead protector. Most of his appearance was hidden in shadow, save for his scraggly black hair and typical sand ninja uniform. Under him, struggling to get free, was a terrified Ruka—her arms were pinned down and her mouth taped shut.

The missing nin raised his eyes to Sakura, unconcerned. That was, until Sakura threw a three kunai at him, which he blocked. His eyes turned fierce, suddenly, and he began to approach Sakura, Ruka strung up by the wrists in his hands. Sakura suddenly felt a flash of unadulterated fear.

"Naruto!" She screamed. A groggy response followed, and Sakura saw, out of the corner of his eye, Naruto peek out of his tent. His eyes suddenly became huge, and—without even a word—he ran. Right out of his tent, into one of Suna's few forests. The trees, spaced widely and clearly on the cusp of the inhospitable desert, managed to hide him, and Sakura turned her attention back to the missing nin.

"Another pretty one," he said in a deep, gravelly voice, "Do you want to join your friend here? I suppose I may even let her go." Sakura, in response, raised her hands to form a jutsu. Their eyes locked for one second before he grunted in pain, letting Ruka go. She had kicked him where it counted, and joined Sakura, looking disheveled and scared.

"We can handle him," Ruka said shakily. Sakura nodded, but she doubted it. She wanted to run away.

"On my signal, we run. Got it?" Sakura said, but Ruka didn't appear to hear her. "And…Now—Ruka, what are you doing!" Sakura screamed, as Ruka had launched towards him, a sword in each hand. One last time, she called to Naruto, and no response. She saw it happen, but that didn't stop Sakura from running in after Ruka.

With the ease of a skilled assassin, the missing nin grabbed one of Ruka's swords, and cleanly thrust it into Ruka's stomach. Ruka stopped immediately, but, as if annoyed, stabbed the end that had emerged from her back into a tree, pinning her there. Ruka screamed.

As fast as she could blink, the missing nin was in front of her, with Ruka's other sword—and attempted to disembowel Sakura, as well. She saw it coming, and dodged it. She felt the sword rip across her chest and her stomach, but ignored the burning pain, calling for her most deadly jutsu.

The missing nin found himself bound to a tree very suddenly, and from out of nowhere, the pink-haired girl grew from the bark, holding the sword he had tried to stab her with. He felt a sudden lack of air as his breaths couldn't draw any air. Only the smell of steel and blood.

Naruto returned to the scene, grabbing some first-aid basics to stave off Sakura's bleeding. Her shirt was soaked through, and her face was contorted in pain. She barely noticed when he lifted the shirt and applied the bandages. Done with her, he looked around for Ruka. He found her.

She was obviously dead, judging by the lack of color in her face or light in her eyes. Naruto felt sick, and emptied whatever remained of the last meal he had eaten.

Now was not the time to go soft, he realized. He gathered whatever of Sakura's belongings he could, and glanced at Ruka's body. Her Tanto lay at her feet, unsullied by blood. He grabbed it and put it in his pack.

Returning to Sakura, he lifted her on his shoulders, and began the long trek back home. Halfway there, he collapsed, only to be rescued by some ninja who had gone to Suna on a mission, ironically to find the missing nin.

Sakura woke up a week later, weak, but confused. Maybe it had been a bad dream, she wondered, but the pain on her chest didn't lie. When she was able to lift up her shirt to see what the man had done to her, she cried. Most of her front torso was covered in an enormous cut that had been encrusted with dried blood. She knew that the area that was still covered in bandages was still healing, still prone to bleed.

Her mother had come in, telling her about Ruka's memorial service. Many people had been there, and Ruka was honored for being KIA.

Later, she went to visit the memorial stone.

The last line read Ruka Tsurugine.


A/N: Oi, you people, over there. I was one day late. And for the record, I began working on this chapter as soon as I had submitted the previous one, and I thought since it was a stupid flashback chapter it should have been marginally shorter than the others. Well, guess who was wrong? For most of my chapters I try to make it to at least the 2K words point, if not more, but this got unexpectedly involved and I nearly made it to 4K words. So, here we got a bit more expansion on Ruka, Naruto's character and cowardice, and most of all, Naruto N.'s adventures in canon!Konoha, which will be expanded upon in later chapters. Actually, there will probably be at least another chapter with little input from Naruto U, since I have big plans for him and his alternate universe counterpart which involve much crying. And the canon characters get very, very confused.

See you in (later) February!