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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 9
As Team 7 walked along the dirt path, the sun glared behind them casting a red-orange sunset. Off in the distance, they could see the giant wooden gates of Konoha come into view with each step they took, signifying that they were finally home.
Dashing ahead of his teammates, Naruto smiled that fox-like grin of his that brightened up his features.
"WE'RE BACK!"
BONK!
"Itai!" Naruto crouched down, holding his head as a slight bump grew.
"Shut up, dobe! You don't have to let the entire village know we're back!" Sasuke muttered.
"Teme! You didn't have to hit me for that!" Naruto yelled back.
"Boyyys…can't you fight later? The first thing I want to do upon our return is head home and I do not want to hear you two fighting the entire way!" Sakura sighed.
"Ahaha…Sorry Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled.
"Hn." Sasuke took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze of affirmation.
As they walked through the gates, they drank in the scenery before them, having been away long enough to miss the sights. Kakashi stepped in front of the group, assessing them.
"Well, I will head to the Sandaime and give him a report of our mission. You guys have a rest for 3 days. Meet at the bridge after the 3 days at the usual time." With that, Kakashi waved and walked off in the direction of the Hokage Tower.
"Yes! A 3-day break! Now I can sleep in!" Naruto cheered.
"Not like you don't do that already anyways…" Sasuke scoffed.
"What was that, teme?"
"What? Gone deaf as well now, dobe?" Sasuke smirked.
"Why you - !"
"STOP IT!" Sakura yelled. "Can we just go home?"
The two glared at each other a bit more before smirking at each other and walking ahead. Sakura shook her head, amazed at the boys' way of showing "brotherly love". Sakura trudged behind them as the two continued their bickering despite her agitation.
-At the Compound-
Itachi leaned against the counter/island bar in the kitchen, still dressed in his ANBU uniform, having coming back from a recon mission. His attire was the normal ANBU-wear – a black sleeveless turtle neck under bone-white armor, black elbow-length gloves with the same bone-white arm guards, and black pants. His white porcelain mask hung on his belt – red swirls depicting a raven shone bright against the alabaster material of the mask.
Yuuki sat opposite of him on the other side of the counter also in her ANBU uniform, returning from a different recon mission. She decided to stray from the traditional ANBU-wear. Instead, she sported a black off-the-shoulder top with sleeves that reached past her hands. Black fingerless gloves adorned her hands. On top of the top, she wore the regular ANBU armor and the arm guards were underneath the wide sleeves of her shirt. She wore black baggy pants that were usually tucked in a pair of black heeled boots. Her mask also hung at her belt on her hips – midnight blue swirls forming the face of a hawk.
"…This is not good…" Itachi started.
"You think, Itachi?" Yuuki bit out, frustrated as a stray hair fell into her eyes. Itachi reached out to put the strand behind her ear. "What did the informant say?"
Not shocked that Yuuki knew of his mission, Itachi looked back at her calmly. "…They are on the move…"
"…It seems things are happening quicker than anticipated…We'll have to put the plan in motion earlier than we thought."
"No…not yet. The Chuunin Exams are coming up. Knowing Kakashi-sempai, he will enter those three."
"Tch. I know. Which worries me even more. Especially about what I found out on my mission…"
"…What?" Itachi asked, aware of Yuuki's own recon mission.
"…The snake has set his eyes on them as well…" Yuuki snarled disgust evident in her features.
Itachi's eyes widened, just a fraction. "Is he in the village?"
"No. Not at the moment, at least. My informant tells me there is a spy among our ranks."
Itachi's eyes narrowed considerably. He brought his hand to his chin as the gears in his head started churning. "That means he plans to take action during the exams…"
"Exactly." Yuuki said, not pleased.
"We need to inform the Hokage of this as soon as possible." Itachi finalized.
"I shall write an encoded message to the Hokage tonight." Yuuki said. "But what of the children?" Yuuki asked, worry seeping into her words.
Sighing, Itachi walked around the counter and pulled Yuuki into a comforting embrace. He kissed her temple lightly and rubbed her arms, quelling her anxiety.
"Worry not, koi. They are strong, despite what we think. They have been raised well and we trained them to our best abilities. Besides, Kakashi-sempai would never let anything happen to them. The only thing we can do now is to prepare them even more through more training."
Sighing, Yuuki knew her husband was right. "Very well. Looks like we will need to call in some favors…And what of Hinata? Knowing them, news of Naruto's attachment to her will have reached them. They might use her against Naruto."
"Then we will train her along with the other three. That is, if Kurenai-sempai and Hiashi-dono allows. I'm sure they will have no objections." Itachi reasoned.
Sighing again, Yuuki rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine coming. But her hands were soon replaced by Itachi's graceful ones as he massaged her temples. Kissing her softly on her forehead then her nose before arriving at her lips, Itachi's hands soon wrapped themselves around her slim waist. Moaning, Yuuki leaned into Itachi's lean build and kissed back. Her hounds found their way to Itachi's soft hair and buried themselves in it. Licking her bottom lip for permission, Yuuki opened her mouth and the battle of tongues initiated, incurring a growl from Itachi. Yuuki couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat only to be swallowed by Itachi's mouth.
At that moment, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura decided to open the door with a bang and a loud "TADAIMA!".
The three instantly froze at what they saw. Sasuke sported a smirk, Sakura blushed bright red, and Naruto gagged. Itachi and Yuuki broke apart, albeit a bit reluctantly.
"Ah! Okairi (1)!" Yuuki laughed nervously.
Sasuke then noticed that the two were in their ANBU uniforms.
"Nii-sama, Nee-sama. Are you going on a mission?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura too noticed their outfits.
"Iie. We just came back form one." Itachi said.
"What kind of mission?" Sakura asked.
"You know we're not suppose to tell you." Yuuki smiled. "Anyways, how was your mission?"
"It was successful! You should have seen me Yuuki-nee! I kicked some major butt!" Naruto smiled.
Yuuki laughed. "Did you, now?"
"Tch. Dobe, here, barely lifted a finger." Sasuke smirked.
"Hey! I saved your ass, teme!"
"Did not."
"Did too!"
"Did not."
"DID TOO!"
"Please tell me they weren't like this during the missions…" Yuuki said, as she sweat-dropped.
"Ugh…you have no idea…" Sakura muttered as she stared at the two.
Itachi watched the two kids bicker, amusement evident in his eyes. Clapping her hands, Yuuki got everyone's attention.
"All right, kids!" Itachi stared at Yuuki. "And man!" Itachi scoffed. "Why don't we get ourselves cleaned up and then have some dinner? I'm sure you three are starved!"
With that, everyone went to the separate hot springs in the compound. When everyone was done, Yuuki got to work on dinner with Sakura helping. The boys – well, Itachi and Sasuke – started a game of shogi. Naruto tried to keep along but soon got bored and turned on the TV. When dinner was served, the little family spent the night talking about random things. After dinner, Naruto and Sasuke offered to do the dishes as Yuuki and Itachi retreated to their quarters.
Grabbing a spare scroll, Yuuki wrote what Itachi and she had found out during their missions in an encoded message. She sealed the scroll with a binding jutsu (ANBU protocol). Biting her thumb, she performed a series of seals before slamming her hand on the wooden desk. A poof resounded in the bedroom and when the smoke cleared, a hawk was perched there.
"Yuuki-sama." The hawk greeted.
"Kaoru. I need you to get this scroll to Hokage-sama. Fast." Yuuki instructed as she placed the scroll in a container and strapped it onto her summon's back.
"Of course, Yuuki-sama." With that, the hawk spread its wings and took flight in a flash.
"Come to bed, koi." Itachi said from their futon.
Staring out the window for a bit longer, Yuuki turned towards the bed when she couldn't see the bird any longer. Walking to the futon, Yuuki pulled back the sheets and crawled in only to be pulled flush against Itachi as his arms wrapped around her.
"Now…where were we…?"
Yuuki smiled as Itachi's lips descended on hers in a passionate lip-lock.
-Next Day-
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto waited at the bridge where Team 7 would usually meet. They have been there for at least 2 hours and still no sign of their sensei.
Sighing, Sakura leaned her head against Sasuke's shoulder as he leaned his head on top of hers. "You would have thought that Kakashi-sensei would be on time from time to time…" Sakura muttered.
"Come on, Sakura-chan! This is Kaka-sensei we're talking about! The only time he will ever be on time is when hell freezes over!" Naruto exaggerated as he sat leaning on the railing of the bridge.
At that moment, a poof of smoke appeared and Kakashi stood there, one of his eyes in the ever-familiar upturn.
"Yo!"
"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto yelled together.
"Sorry, minna (2). I have a real reason this time." Kakashi sweat-dropped.
"And that would be…?" Sasuke inquired.
"I just came back from the Hokage Tower aaaand…I entered you three into the Chuunin Exam!" Kakashi chirped.
"…"
"NANI?" the three – or two (Naruto and Sakura) – screamed.
"Wait. What's the Chuunin Exam?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke bopped him on the head.
"Sakura?" Kakashi asked, giving her a knowing look.
Sighing, Sakura faced Naruto. "Naruto, the Chuunin Exams are basically a series of tests. If we pass, we go up the ranks. Meaning we will no longer be considered Genin, but Chuunin. That means more missions, harder missions, and more pay." Sakura explained.
"Ooooh…" Naruto nodded his head.
"Thank you, Sakura. Now, the exam will be held in three days time. But that is only the first part. Here are the admission forms. Fill these out then hand them in on the first day." Kakashi said as he passed out three pieces of paper. "I will not be there through the test, meaning you three are on your own. I will meet you before you go for the first portion of the test. Ja ne." With that, Kakashi poofed away.
"Well…We have three days to train for the Chuunin exams so let's go get started." Sakura said.
"Nii-sama and nee-sama probably already foresaw this. They will probably train us for the exam." Sasuke reasoned.
"Guess that means we'll go home first then, since Kakashi-sensei is gone who knows where." Sakura smiled.
"You two go on ahead first. I'm going to go find Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled and the three parted ways.
-Training Grounds 8-
"I have entered you three into the Chuunin Exams." A red-eyed woman said to her three pupils.
"…" a boy with sunglasses inclined his head, showing he consented.
"Yatta (3)! We get to kick some butt, Akamaru!" A dog barked beside a boy with red marks on his face.
"H-hai!" a timid girl stuttered.
"The exam will be in three days time. Until then, train hard. Dismissed."
At that moment, the group was interrupted by a loud voice.
"HIIIIIINATAAAA-CHAAAAAN!"
Hinata spun around, her eyes wide, a nice blush forming on her cheeks.
"Ah! N-naruto-kun! What brings you here?" Hinata asked as Naruto stopped in front of her.
"Hey, Naruto!" The boy with red marks on his face, Kiba, shouted.
"He Kiba, Shino. I'm going to borrow Hinata for a bit!" Naruto then proceeded to grab Hinata's hand and drag her away.
Once they were in a different clearing, Naruto pulled Hinata into a warm embrace.
Sighing, Hinata happily snuggled into Naruto.
"I missed you." Hinata whispered.
"Me too." Naruto smiled. "Oh! Guess what?" Naruto looked down into Hinata's pearl eyes. "I'm going to participate in the Chuunin Exams!"
"R-really? Me too!" Hinata smiled.
"That's awesome! Then we should train together!" Naruto smiled even more.
"I would like that." Hinata smiled.
"Let's go now then! I told teme and Sakura-chan that I would meet them back home. I'm sure Itachi-nii and Yuuki-nee won't mind training you with us." Naruto smiled.
"Okay. But let me tell Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. And we need to stop by the Hyuuga compound to tell otou-sama." Hinata walked back to Kiba and Shino to tell them that she will be training with Naruto and his family.
The two then proceeded to head to the Hyuuga compound. When there, they were escorted to the main common room. On the way there, the two bumped into someone Naruto wasn't familiar with.
"N-neji-nii-san!" Hinata stuttered, eyes widening.
The person now identified as Neji looked Naruto up and down before frowning. "Hinata-sama."
"Are you going somewhere?" Hinata asked.
"Hn." With that, Neji pushed past the two before heading out.
"Who was that jerk?" Naruto seethed.
"My cousin, Neji. He is a part of the Hyuuga Branch family. The Branch and Main families don't really get along…" Hinata said sadly.
Grabbing her hand, Naruto gave it a gentle squeeze. Sitting down on the cushions, they waited patiently as their escort went to inform Hiashi of their arrival. When Hiashi came, the two rose and bowed in respect.
"Otou-sama."
"Hiashi-dono."
"Mm. Sit."
The three sat and tea was offered. "What is the problem?" Hiashi asked.
"There is no problem, otou-sama. I merely want to ask for your permission to train with Naruto-kun and his family for the upcoming Chuunin Exams." Hinata stated.
"Chuunin Exams? You were entered?" Hiashi asked, eyes turning to Hinata.
"Yes, otou-sama."
There was a moment of silence as Hiashi took a sip of the tea.
"Very well. But you will do so only after your training with me is over. Naruto-san, Hinata may train with you in the afternoons. Her mornings are to be spent training at the Hyuuga compound. Those are my only terms." Hiashi said.
"Accepted." Naruto stated.
With that, the two were dismissed as Hiashi had other things to attend to.
The two then made their way to the Uchiha-Haruno compound. Sasuke and Sakura had already told Yuuki and Itachi about what had transpired. And true to Sasuke's word, the two older shinobi had already foretold these events and had agreed to train the four of them for the Chuunin Exam.
"Well, Itachi and I have another mission and won't be back until later tonight. We shall start the training tomorrow." Yuuki said as she got up, her ANBU gear all in place.
"Don't do anything reckless while we're gone." Itachi said.
Yuuki walked to the four kids and gave them each a small kiss goodbye and the two older couple headed out the door.
"Well, I say this calls for a celebration!" Naruto shouted.
"Why?" Sakura asked.
"Well, cause we are going to participate in the Chuunin Exams!" Naruto said.
"Hn."
"Shall we go out for some lunch, then?" Hinata suggested, earning nods from her friends.
"Let's go to Ichiraku's!" Naruto practically screamed.
"You and ramen…" Sakura chuckled.
"Hey, I could say the same about you and dango!" Naruto teased.
The four friends then headed out the door to their favorite ramen stand. As they walked and talked, a few laughs here and there, they ran into an unsightly event.
There, in the middle of the road, was a boy who seemed a bit older than the four with a girl standing behind him. But what bothered them was that the boy was holding a smaller boy by the collar and two other smaller kids were standing off to the side, unable to do anything. Naruto instantly recognized the kid being held as Konohamaru, a kid that had grown attached to Naruto and now views him as a big brother of sorts.
"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled.
"N-naruto-nii-chan!" The other two yelled as they ran to Naruto.
"You have to help Konohamaru-kun!" the little girl cried.
"Sasuke." Naruto looked at the dark-haired boy next to him.
"Aa." Sasuke picked up a rock and threw it at the other teen's wrist.
"Itai!" The teen's grip loosened on Konohamaru, dropping him.
But with Naruto's speed, he was able to rush over, grab Konohamaru, and bring him back. Sakura and Hinata then proceeded to check the boy over for any injuries. When they confirmed that the boy was fine, Naruto glared at the two figures in front of them.
"What the hell were you doing with Konohamaru." Naruto said darkly.
"What. The twerp bumped into me." The boy smirked.
Naruto's face darkened at the ridiculous reason and his chakra spiked. But before he could do anything, Sakura flung her arm out, pushing Naruto back. Stepping forward, Sakura addressed the two shinobi.
"Judging from your hitae-ate's, you are from Suna. I assume you are here for the Chuunin Exams. If so, then let me see some papers just to make sure. The treaty between Suna and Konoha clearly states that while here, you are to cause no harm to any civilian or shinobi with the exception of participating in the exam. Otherwise, your actions could have been seen as breaking said treaty and war will unfold between the two villages." Sakura glared at the two.
The female of the two walked up and pushed the boy back. Reaching into sleeves of her kimono, she pulled out a piece of paper.
"Hn. These are our forms. Satisfied?" The blonde woman smirked.
"You Konoha brats are weak. We could take you on any day." The boy sneered.
"Why you - !" Naruto growled.
"Naruto-kun! It would be wise to not get into a fight. If they started the fight, then we have the upper hand, politically. But it would be another story if it was us that start the fight." Hinata reasoned, as she kept a calm hold on her boyfriend.
Sasuke took that moment to step up. "Hn. You are nothing but scum. Not even worth the dirt under our feet."
"What did you say?" The boy raged.
"Kankurou. Stop it."
Everyone froze and their attention was brought to a kid in the tree off to the side.
"G-gaara…" The blondie stuttered.
'Hm. So he was the abnormally high chakra signature I sensed…' Sakura thought as she stared at the newcomer.
He had blood red hair and the same colored tattoo "love" on his forehead. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings and a gourd was attached to his back. In a whirlwind of sand, he disappeared off the branch of the tree and reappeared in front of the two teens.
"S-sorry, G-gaara. W-won't happen again." The boy stuttered, clearly scared of the younger boy.
"Hn." Turning to Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura, the boy, Gaara, stared them down.
When they didn't cower at his glare, his interested was piqued.
'They're not shaking in fear…why…' Gaara stared at them as his eyes narrowed.
"What are your names…?" Gaara asked monotone.
"It's common courtesy to offer one's own name first before asking." Hinata answered back.
"…Sabaku no Gaara…"
"Haruno Sakura."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke."
Nodding his head, Gaara turned to leave. The other two teens gave Team 7 one last look before they followed Gaara.
"I don't like them…they give off a bad feeling…" Sakura muttered as she stepped next to Sasuke, who pulled her close.
"I agree with Sakura-chan…" Hinata said, worry evident in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Hinata-chan. He won't bother us." Naruto said. He then turned his attention to Konohamaru and his group. "Oi! You three! Don't cause any more trouble and go home!" Naruto lectured.
"H-hai, Naruto-nii-chan!" The three stuttered and rushed home.
"Let's go get some food. I'm starting to get hungry now because of dobe's slowness." Sasuke muttered.
"Hey! It's not my fault this time!" Naruto yelled.
The four friends laughed as they headed onwards to their original destination.
-Elsewhere-
"Are the preparationsss ready?"
"Hai. Everything is prepared and our forces are on standby as we speak."
"Excellent. I expect no failuresss in the coming eventsss. Tell them that…"
"Hai…Orochimaru-sama."
Yellow eyes like a snake's glinted in the darkness as a sinister and evil cackle resounded throughout the air.
(1) Okairi – Welcome back/home
(2) minna – everyone
(3) yatta – yes!
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