By the way, if you're wondering if Team 7 knows Naruto is blind, yes they do. I'm not sure if I went of that before, but if I didn't, let's assume that they found out somehow.

Standard disclaimer applies.

Ch. 10: Confusion

Two weeks later…

Lightning struck above the office of the Raikage, connecting with the rod that towered above the immense structure. It went unnoticed by the occupant of the room. After all, when one lived in Lightning Country, the sound of thunder was just one of the many things an inhabitant was forced to get used to.

Her father and uncle would have been proud of her. All this scheming would have been much to their liking. It didn't matter what they thought, though, since they were both dead. Still, it was comforting that in some way, her father would have supported her decisions. Her uncle though, she was glad was out of the picture. She held no respect for the man. Through his actions, the debacle of the failed Hyuuga kidnapping, the Cloud village lost face in the eyes of the other villages. He may have enjoyed scheming and subtlety, but he had no sense for it himself.

She swiveled in her chair, a childish activity she gave into when no one was looking. Her white robes fluttered as she completed the revolution. Only one person ever saw her act in such a manner, but he knew better than to speak of it. Not because he feared her. No, if at all, it was her that was cautious of the power he wielded. The scar across his face? She caused that. It was meant to kill him; she never met anyone whose body did not turn into ash when struck by that technique. Yet he survived with only one visible reminder of her failure. But as a servant of the Raikage, the pillar of strength of Kumogakure, he knew better than to undermine her power in any way. His loyalty to his village, and therefore his leader, was absolute. It didn't border on fanaticism; he was miles beyond that.

The package that said ninja brought from Danzo still lay upon on her desk, its contents spread across its surface. Information about the upcoming Chuunin exam riddled the papers. Locations, event times, predictions on which teams would pass each test, which individuals would most likely qualify as chuunins. Danzo certainly was thorough. There were also ANBU patrol schedules, council meeting times, and other various defense procedures. It appeared to her that the old war hawk did his homework quite meticulously. At the moment however, there was only one thing, or rather, person, that she was interested in.

Uchiha Sasuke…

------

Naruto wasn't one to make friends easily. Sure, there was Sai and Kaizo, and even Megumi-sensei. He cared about them, and was sure that they felt the same. But they were comrades, like-minded individuals who fought for the same goal. Sakura, Keiko, and even Sasuke were another matter.

They seemed to enjoy, or at least tolerate, each other's presence without a need for a reason. After Itachi ended practice, Naruto experienced one of these strange events yet again when Keiko and Sakura asked him where he would like to eat last night. This would mark the fourth occasion that Naruto ate with these people.

"Come on, Katsu, it's your turn to pick!"

Naruto marveled at the girl, wondering why she was so energetic. Weren't ninja supposed to be calm and reserved?

"Well, I did like that ramen place we went to…"

Sakura gave a noncommittal response, while Naruto could literally feel Sasuke's grimace. Maybe he knew how Keiko would react to that statement.

"Oh, come on! We already went there! Pick somewhere else!"

Naruto sweat-dropped. What was the point of asking him if she had the final say? "Why don't you choose, Keiko-chan?"

That was apparently the right response, as Keiko readily agreed to make the choice. "Let's go to my place. Tou-san just got back from Suna, and Kaa-san is gonna make a feast. It'll be great, you'll love it!" Once again, Naruto lost count how many times, he was dragged by the arm in the direction of what he assumed to be Keiko's home, Sakura and Sasuke right beside them.

Naruto had to admit, he enjoyed being around the three. Trust seemed to come easily to them. It was so unlike how he was raised. Danzo-sama and Megumi-sensei had always taught him that trust was a weakness that was always ruthlessly exploited, and therefore was detrimental to Konoha. Yet they trusted each other, and seemed to include him in that circle.

Today, however, the others appeared to have their own agendas, as Itachi-san had given them the day off. Naruto wasn't sure what to do by himself. Usually, he never had any free time; he just trained. He considered exploring the village he had sworn to protect, but never experienced; only his orders prevented him from doing so.

The cell was still as dank as Naruto remembered it being the day before. Little chance of him being moved to better accommodations He tried to reach for his chakra, but the seals hadn't diminished any. In fact, they felt as though they had been reinforced.

The heavy iron door slowly swung open, and two strangers entered, one holding a tray. He set the tray in front of him, as the other placed the edge of his kunai against his throat. He could feel the chains binding him slacken, and the clanging sound signified that they had fallen to the floor. The two ninja backed out of the room, the kunai still in the one shinobi's hand. He stared at the kunai, and the two stared right back at him, wary of any attempts of escape as they locked the door. As Naruto felt their chakras move away, he methodically ate the contents of the tray, all the while going over what happened in his mind. Those two guards may have been unaware of it, but they had delivered Danzo-sama's orders. The tray snapped into two pieces, and a sliver of paper fell out.

Continue with whatever identity you have chosen. You will be released under supervision soon. New orders will follow.

He snapped the two pieces of tin back together, and placed the paper in his mouth, allowing it to dissolve. He waited for the return of the scarred man.

Naruto locked the door as he entered the apartment that the Hokage designated for him. It was quite spartan in appearance, with only a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. It suited Naruto just fine; he was quite used to such furnishings in his quarters within the 'Ne' headquarters. His hand brushed past the table in the middle of the kitchen, guiding him straight to the doorway that led to his bathroom. He felt his way to the sink. Turning the knobs of the faucet, he brought the water to his face, washing the grime of training from his face. Grabbing a towel, Naruto headed towards the bedroom, falling face-forward onto the lumpy mattress. Thoughts of confusing people and new experiences flooded his dreams, and a restless sleep overtook him.

------

The next day...

"Kaa-san! Why do I have to do this?"

"He's your younger brother. It is your familial duty to look after him."

"But-"

This was not how Keiko planned to spend her day off. I mean, come on, what kind of ninja plays pretend ninja? Stupid ototo.

"Don't worry; it's only for a few hours, Keiko-chan. Once I get back from the Hokage tower, you can do whatever you were planning on doing. Maybe flirting with a certain Uchiha, hmmm?"

It felt like all her blood rushed to her face. "Kaa-san! That's not true!" She paused. "Besides, Itachi-sensei isn't training us today."

Apparently her mother wasn't expecting that response. "Itachi-sensei? Well, what an interesting development. And here I was talking about Sasuke-kun. I must admit, though, he is gorgeous. You sure do have a fine taste in men."

Keiko now was wondering why she hadn't passed out yet. "Kaa-san!!!!! Stop it! I promise I'll baby-sit Konohamaru, just please stop!"

Her mother patted her brown curls. "Oh, relax, sweetie. Just some harmless fun. Besides, now you're willing to baby-sit, instead of trying to get out it!"

Keiko gaped at her mother. This woman is so…devious. Still, Keiko couldn't let her have the last word.

"Freakin' extortionist."

Her mother tutted casually. "Now, now, dear, is that any way to talk to your mother? Anyway, I have to go. Take care!"

"Yeah, bye, kaa-san."

Keiko watched as the door closed shut. Sighing, glanced around her, looking for the source of her troubles. "Konohamaru-chan! Where are you? Kaa-san says I have to look after you!" A green-blue scarf, yellow shirt, and grey pants jumped right past her.

"Come on, Konohamaru! Not this again! I'm a real ninja! I can't play ninja with you anymore! Hey, get back here!"

The boy in question laughed at his sister's anger. "You're not a real ninja if you can't catch me!" He zoomed right through the door their mother just exited.

Keiko fumed. If she chased him, she be playing right into his hands; he loved to annoy her. But if she didn't, her mother would throw a fit if he went missing. Throwing her hands into the air, she gave chase.

------

I'm signing you all up for the Chuunin exams."

Their reactions were varied. One yawned in response. Another chew even more loudly, as if that was an affirmation. The last started babbling about how she'd impress her 'precious Sasuke-kun,' until she saw the lack of excitement in her other two teammates, and took it upon herself to energize them with knocks to the head.

"You're all ready." He took a drag from his cigarette. "You all have the skills to be chuunin. Whether you want to become chuunin is up to you." At this he looked pointedly at the slouched genin.

"Sure, Asuma." Another yawn followed the words from the boy's mouth. Chouji laughed at his friend's response, while Ino grumbled about inferior teammates dragging her down.

Asuma sighed as he dismissed his team. Shikamaru was clever; of that there was no doubt. But if he didn't pick up with his training, one day he'd find himself in a position where all the smarts in the world wouldn't help him. If only he had Keiko-chan's drive…

"Otooji!"

Asuma smiled at the exuberance of his niece. He put out the cigarette that was in his mouth, forestalling any complaints from the girl about the smoke.

"Hey, Keiko-chan. How are you?"

The girl smiled. "I'm great! Itachi-sensei is letting us take the Chuunin exams this year! We're gonna kick so much ass- ow!"

Keiko rubbed her head as her mother walked by. "Watch your language, young lady. By the way, your guests shouldn't be left unattended."

Keiko glared at her mother. "They're my teammates, Kaa-san. It's not like they haven't been here before."

"What about your blond friend? I'm pretty sure that you only had two teammates."

Keiko just waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, that's just Katsu-kun. Itachi-sensei said that he was being considered for citizenship in Konoha and, how did he say it, 'induction into the ranks of the Konoha shinobi.'" She gasped and spun towards her uncle. "You should meet him, otooji! He's pretty-"

"Cute?"

"Kaa-san! I was going to say strong."

Asuma smiled. "Why don't you introduce me, then, Keiko-chan?"

Keiko grinned right back. "Yeah! Come on, otooji." Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him into the kitchen, where the rest of the occupants of the house were residing.

There were five other people in the kitchen, four of which were already seated at the table. Keiko pointed to the blond one who was being pestered by Konohamaru.

"Wow, you've never been to the academy, and you still could be a ninja? You must be pretty strong!"

The boy scratched the back of his head. "I'm not really sure about that."

Konohamaru jumped on the table. "Alright! From now on, you're my eternal rival!" Sasuke's eye twitched at this. "This is a great honor, being chosen by the grandson of the Hokage!"

Sakura's body was shaking from the giggling she was holding in, and the blond-haired boy glared at her. It was then when Asuma got his first look at the boy's unfocused eyes. Have I met him before?

"Whaddya say? Be my rival?"

The boy gave a sheepish laugh and nodded his head, while Keiko just shook hers.

"Ototo, get off the table. Kaa-san's coming. You know how she is." The little boy gave a little squeak and ran out of the room.

"That got rid of him."

Keiko moved to introduce them...

The boy, Katsu was his name, was amiable enough, despite being handicapped. Still, he couldn't shake of the feeling that he knew the boy from somewhere else…

------

Sitting inside the council hall, Danzo couldn't help but marvel at the naiveté of the council members. Inviting so many belligerent nations to participate in the Chuunin exams? How stupid are they?

The council of Konoha was a civilian institution. Formed by the Nidaime Hokage, the council was a way for the civilians of the village to hold sway over the decisions regarding Konohagakure. After all, there were a lot more civilians than shinobi, right?

Danzo snorted. As if these civilians had any idea how ninja behaved. The battles between shinobi were unerringly subtle and intricate, and wars between nations would never truly end unless one was utterly destroyed. All these so-called peace treaties and cease-fire agreements were just empty promises to each other; when one village believed it had the strength to defeat another, it would not hesitate in doing so.

That's why my plans are so important for Konoha.

------

Stupid little…where the hell did he go?

Keiko wasn't used to this. Little brother or not, no one should be this annoying. Rounding another corner, she saw the tell-tale sign of her sibling's passage; the sloppy footprints of one attempting to act like a ninja. Sighing, she jumped to the roof of the udon restaurant beside her. Another leap across the ninja highway gave her a clear view of her fleeing brother. She grinned. Retribution would be swift and painful, oh yes. Adding more chakra to her leg muscles, Keiko seamlessly transitioned to each roof, quickly closing the gap. She leapt down into a street between two wooden fences.

"Alright, you little bastard, now you're- hey, let go of him!"

Standing in front of her, a young man dressed completely in black, held her little brother by the collar of his shirt. His other hand was toying with the kunai holster on his left leg. The boy, whose face was decorated with face paint and forehead covered by a Suna headband, turned to sneer at her.

"This punk bumped into me. He's gonna apologize, or…" Konohamaru started sniffling in fear at the ominous pause.

All annoyance at Konohamaru within Keiko evaporated at once. If anything could be said about Keiko, it was how much she would give to protect those she cared about.

"Don't you dare touch him, foreigner! Lay one finger on him and the ANBU will be on you so fast that your head will still be spinning when you're being raped in prison!"

The boy's intimidating presence faltered at hateful response that radiated from the girl. So much so, that Konohamaru's collar slipped from his fingers. Not wasting any time, the little boy rushed to his big sister, who wrapped her arms protectively around her charge. The boy buried his head into his sister's chest, trying to slow down his racing heart.

When the Suna shinobi realized that the boy was no longer in his grasp, his sneer returned, and the wrapped package strapped on his back came loose, slamming to the ground in front of him.

"You made the wrong decision threatening me, girlie. Now you'll see why Suna shinobi are superior to weak Konoha-nin." He moved to unwrap the package, but he suddenly stopped. Well, didn't stop, he was still moving a little, but it seemed that he was struggling against something.

"Kankuro, stop. They have done nothing to earn your ire."

All heads turned to face the newcomer. It was another Suna shinobi, this time with a large gourd strapped to his back. His pale face contrasted sharply with the black rings around his eyes.

Do all ninja from Sunagakure like to carry things?

Walking slowly towards the three in the street, he stopped at the side of the other Suna-nin, bowing in the direction of Keiko and Konohamaru.

"Forgive my ignorant brother, honored grandchildren of the Sandaime Hokage." The boy in black paled at this. "I am Sabaku no Gaara, and this is Kankuro."

------

Nobody please take offense to when I said "The boy, Katsu was his name, was amiable enough, despite being handicapped." It is my belief that becoming handicapped can change a person. Usually, they are not as happy as they once were, so it's perfectly understandable if they are angrier than they used to be. After all, what happened to them is not fair.