Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Like I haven't said this enough.

AN: Hey all. Sorry this chapter is like really late. No excuses really, just life is hectic and all that jazz. I'll try and start my updates back up but no promises.

I hope you enjoy the chapter, even though I despised writing it. Stupid Exams...

Lightningblade49 - Good question. I have an answer for that problem. You just wait and see.

xxTerror33xx - I appreciate the criticism. I'll try and do better to correct that from now on.

Silvermane1 - Do you mean join as in 'get together' or someone he helps to join the village like Haku and Zabuza? Seeing as how she is an Uzumaki, I planned on an altercation at some point, but I never really gave it much thought since it a ways off in my story.

Chapter 10: Surprise

The following day passed quickly. Without Ritsuko to talk to, Naruto felt like being alone. He spent the day meditating, ignoring the loud proclamations from Lee. It was very rare he had any time to relax, he would enjoy it while he could.

Sakura tried to talk with him, but after a few minutes of being ignored, she left him alone. Keeping Lee away was taking up most of her time, something she didn't enjoy. It was endearing that he was trying so hard to get a date out of her, but she literally met him yesterday.

Eventually time was called on the exams. Several teams made it through, but almost half didn't. It came as a shock to Naruto that so many didn't make the deadline.

The remaining Genin were called to an underground training area where the Hokage and the Jounin instructors waited. To Naruto's surprise, Zabuza sGeninin the center of the room, newly adorned Leaf Hitai-ate. Naruto got a glimpse of Sasuke as they were walking in, paler than normal, but otherwise looking well. Once the Genin were filed in, Zabuza cleared his throat.

"I am Zabuza Momochi, the proctor for the third part of the Chunin Exams. You will do what I say when I say it or I will beat you to death, got it?" His grin had just the right amount of crazy in it. Some of Genin that remembered what the silver haired kid said before the first part turned to stare in wonder at the blonde. This was the guy he beat!

After all of the Genin nodded, Zabuza continued. "Too many passed the second part so we will have a preliminary match before the final part of the exam. Anyone who wants to leave better do it now."

The silver haired kid from the first portion raised his hand and left after being dismissed. "Anyone else? Good. Watch the board, it will show us our first fight." Zabuza thumbed over his shoulder at the giant board as it started flashing through names. When it stopped, Zabuza called out.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado please stay, the rest of you head up to the balcony and wait your turn." The rest of the Genin slowly made their way up towards balcony. Naruto walked up to Zabuza. The swordman grinned.

"Hey kid, glad to see you made it through. Haku's up there with the Hokage. She wanted to watch you fight and the old man said it was okay." Naruto smiled and nodded then left for the balcony. He saw Haku and his grin got even bigger.

"Naruto!" Haku called out in joy, walking over to the blonde before wrapping him in a hug. "I'm so glad you made it to the final round." She pulled away and smiled. Naruto tapped the hitai-ate on her forehead and smirked.

"Hey! I'm a Chunin so I outrank you mister!" Naruto rolled his eyes and just smiled.

"You better not make her mad Master Naruto."

Naruto peered around Haku and saw Ritsuko trotting over. He almost did a double take when he saw her. She was a good foot taller then when he last saw her. The blue on her paws now extended up to the middle of her legs. Her ears color now bled into the top of her head, a strip of it running down her snout. The tips of her tail were faintly colored blue as well. All four of them.

Naruto's mouth fell open.

"My lord has granted me yet another tail. I am very pleased myself. It usually takes a century to reach four tail status, but I have reached it in only fifty years."

Naruto's jaw dropped even more.

"Fifty may be old for you humans, but for a fox under my lords rule it is but a sliver of our total life span."

Well I am happy for you.

"Thank you Master. Shiki was jealous that I made four tails before he did, but it can't be helped. Since reaching this state, I have also discovered my elemental affinity.

You have an elemental affinity now?

"Correct. I am a water user."

Don't you hate water?

"I did. Now I have a fondness for it. I believe that the match is starting now, we can discuss this later."

Naruto turned back to the fighters as Zabuza was giving the signal to begin.

Sasuke charged the larger boy, kunai in hand. He attempted a jab, but Yoroi dodged with surprising agility. Sasuke launched once again, but found himself trapped by Yoroi's arms. His chakra slowly left him.

"My ability allows me to absorb your chakra. You will pass out soon enough."

Sasuke growled and tried to pull his way free, but Yoroi was stronger. Sasuke pulled one of his legs up and threw his leg back. It connected with Yoroi's leg with a sickening crack. He yelled out and loosened his grip slightly, but it was enough. Sasuke wiggled and arm free and pishe the boy off.

"Katon: Gokakyu!" Sasuke shot the ball of fire at Yoroi. The boy stumbled out of the way, but burned his back and fell forward. Sasuke charged with a kunai and held it to the downed boy's neck.

"Winner is Sasuke Uchiha." Zabuza ushered over the medics as Sasuke took his place on the balcony.

"Hey Naruto!" Naruto turned to see Ino walking over to him. He raised an eyebrow. Since when did Ino talk to him?

"What do you want with Master Naruto?"

Ritsuko sat defensively in front of Naruto, making Ino sweat a bit. Haku glared at the girl.

"I heard that you fought the Jounin down there while he was a missing-nin and won."

"Technically that is true."

"Wow, you must be really strong. After this do you want to go out on a date?" Haku was fuming. Naruto tried his beat to not roll his eyes and Ritsuko growled lightly.

"The day you become a serious ninja is the day that Master Naruto will date you. You are just a little girl trying to play ninja. You focus on boys and your nails rather than train and become stronger. Your presence offends me, leave before I make you leave."

Ino gasped at the fox's statement.

"Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi get down here." While the two Genin made their way to the floor, Ino glared at the three and stomped away.

Well that was weird.

"Forget about her for now. Focus on the fights, you may face any of them in the finals if you make it through."

Naruto nodded and stared down at the pair.

"Begin." Zabuza moved away from the two fighters. Shino sent a ball of bugs flying at Zaku. Zaku smirked and raised an arm a pointed it at the bugs. He fired a blast of something that made the bugs scatter. Naruto raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ritsuko for an answer.

"It was sound. That would explain the headband."

Naruto nodded and turned back to the match. Shino was stoic as he sent forth a slightly larger wave of bugs. Zaku frowned and shot them down as well.

"You can't beat me bug freak. Give up before I kill you." Shino raised an eyebrow and pointed behind Zaku. He turned to see a mass of bugs, laying all around him on the floor. Zaku raised his other arm.

"I can just blow you both away now." He began his Jutsu and nothing happened. His arms began to hurt. "What happened?"

"Before the match started I sent out my bugs to hide on your body. When you used your Jutsu the first time, they crawled inside your hands and plugged the holes."

Zaku's face contorted in pain. The pressure was building, and before long, they burst. Zaku roared in pain. The medic rushed to take him away.

"Winner is Shino Aburame." Some applause came from the Konoha crowd. Shino walked quietly back up to the balcony, standing with his team. Everyone stared as the board began rolling through names once again.

"Kankuro of the Desert and Misumi Tsurugi get down here."

The sand ninja Naruto met earlier and an unknown ninja jumped down to the field.

"Begin."

"Master Naruto."

The blonde drew his head away from the fight and faced Ritsuko.

Yes?

"I spoke with the Hokage. We agreed upon a few things, so expect some changes after the Prelims."

What do you mean?

"Just wait for the announcement. I believe you will find life in the village better after today."

Before Naruto could ask exactly what Ritsuko meant by that, he heard a sickening crack from below. He turned to see Kankuro, grasping what he assumed to be a puppet, standing over the body of Misumi.

"Winner is Kankuro of the Desert." As Kankuro made his way back to his teammates, Naruto caught eyes with the Hokage. They spelled regret and anticipation. The blonde looked to the board as it cycled through names once more.

When he discovered who his parents were, he got angry. Not only at his father for doing what he did, but at the old man for hiding it. He knew the old man shouldn't be blamed, but the blonde couldn't help himself. All this time he grew up without any scrap of knowledge about who his parents were. He grew up in squalor, barely living day to day, and he was actually the son to one of the most famous ninja to ever live.

""Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno get down here now." Zabuza drawled on. This job was boring. He'd much rather be training of something, but the Hokage said it would promote trust and crap.

Naruto raised a brow at the pairing. This would be interesting to see.

"Naruto, let's make a bet." Ino stood next to him. "If I win this fight, you give up on Sakura and become my boyfriend."

"If you lose, Master Naruto wants you to stop chasing Sasuke."

Sasuke silently thanked Naruto for dealing with one of his fan girls. Ino smiled widely. "Deal!" She skipped down the stairs to meet Sakura in the center of the room.

"Begin."

"Naruto?" The blonde leaned towards Sasuke. "You know that Sakura can kick Ino's ass now, right? Especially after our training trip."

"I believe that was the point Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked at the fox. Nice.

Ino started out making three clones and charging Sakura. Sakura took a deep breath and steadied herself. A clone lunged with a kunai, aiming at Sakura's stomach. Sakura gracefully sidestepped, swinging her leg to kick the clone in the back of the gead., dispelling it. The real Ino stopped in shock as Sakura systematically destroys her other two clones, not taking a single hit.

"H-how did you do that!?"

"Easy." Sakura smirked. "I'm a ninja." Ino growled and threw her kunai, preparing her mind transfer jutsu. Sakura jumped over the kunai and began her own hahesigns, finishing just before Ino.

Sakura whispered. "Hirano Etsuran Baningu." Her chakra seeped into Ino's nervous system. Ino suddenly stopped her Jutsu handsigns and looked around in a panic.

"What? How did I get here?" She began to sweat profusely. "Help! Help me!"

Sakura walked over and held a kunai to Ino's neck.

"Winner is Sakura Haruno." Sakura smiled happily and quickly dispelled the genjutsu. Ino blinked rapidly and looked around herself.

"I win Ino." Ino's jaw dropped, but she grit her teeth and accepted that. They both walked back to the balcony.

"Remember Ino, no more Sasuke."

She jumped slightly at the voice of the fox, but started to complain about how unfair the bet was. Ritsuko growled which shut Ino up. Naruto grinned and turned to face the board.

"Temari of the Sand and Tenten get dow- you know what? If I'm going to do this any longer I'm going to do it my own way. Get your asses down here now Genin!" The Hokage raised an eyebrow at Zabuza's outburst but chuckled. The Prelims could always use a twist.

The two girls quickly flew down to their starting posts, not wanting to irritate the former missing-nin further. "From now on, you will make these fights interesting. I'm bored." He growled a bit to make his point clear. "Now begin!"

It took the girls all of three seconds to realize that the fight had started before Tenten made the first move. She jumped high into the air, unfurling one of her scrolls, being her rotation. A series of shuriken and kunai rained down towards Temari.

Temari flicked the battle fan in her back open, calling forth her chakra and blowing the weapons aside. Tenten silently cursed at the wind user. Before she landed, Temari fired another wind attack at Tenten, throwing her high into the air, smashing against the ceiling. Her decent was swift, landing directly Temari's now closed battle fan.

Lee jumped out into the arena, reaching for Tenten's battered form. A streak of white shot past him, stopping underneath of Tenten. She thumped softly onto the back of the fox. Lee looked surprised, as did many of the spectators. Ritsuko growled at Temari, shocking the girl slightly.

"You are an honorless beast. She gave her best and you treated her like dirt. Pray that we will not face each other in the finals."

The fox kept up her growl as the medics began to rush towards the injured combatant.

"Winner is Temar-"

"Yosh! That was a most youthful speech Lady Ritsuko! Your flames of youth burn brightly!" Lee could not hold in his delight an longer, interrupting the Jounin. Zabuza, for one, was stunned. What exactly was that thing in the green and why was it shouting about youth?

"...Temari of the Sand." He shook his head and cleared it for the next fight. He could deal with the green suited... thing... later. The board flashed through the remaining names.

"Shikamaru Nara and Kin Tsuchi." The two fighters slowly made their way to the arena.

"Begin." Kin threw a kunai and Shikamaru, which he dodged. She threw several shuriken at him. Shikamaru jumped out of the way, surprising several of the ninja present that he could move that fast.

Kin prepared the next wave of weapons as Shikamaru began hand signs. When he finished, his shadow shot forward, connecting to Kin's shadow. She froze as Shikamaru stood up.

"Kagemane." Shikamaru smirked as he walked away from Kin, she stepped back in time with him. "If my shadow connects with yours, all of your movements copy mine exactly, until I run out of chakra or I release the Jutsu." He took a few more steps back. "You should give up."

"Like hell I will." Kin spat at Shikamaru.

He sighed. "Well this will hurt you more than it will hurt me." Before Kin could ask what he meant, he threw himself backwards, holding himself up with his hands. Kin smacked her head against the wall behind her, passing out.

"Winner is Shikamaru Nara." Konoha clapped for Shikamaru and his interesting win.

As the board spun, Shikamaru made his way to the balcony.

"Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki come on."

Naruto made his way down the stairs, Kiba following closely behind. All eyes were on the blonde and his fox. The boy was the enigma of the generation. Before he graduated, he was the dead last, the one you expected nothing good from. Now he has a summoning contract and is in the Bingo Book. He was certainly the one to be careful of here.

The two took their positions, companions beside them.

"Begin." Zabuza steppes back, knowing that Naruto can be destructive.

"Don't make it too easy for me Naruto." Kiba dropped to all fours, beginning his first technique.

Naruto disappeared in a flash of speed, kicking Akamaru off of Kiba's back.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cried out to his companion as he hit the wall. He turned back to Naruto ready to attack. Ritsuko traded places with Naruto quickly after the attack.

"Suiton: Suiryu!"

A jet of water shot forward from Ritsuko's mouth, forcing Kiba back from its pressure. Naruto began hind signs while Ritsuko had Kiba busy.

Futon: Omoi Kaze.

A fierce gust of wind blew forth, pushing down on Kiba, forcing him to kneel. The blonde drew his blades and rushed forth. Kiba soon found himself drenched with a knife at his neck and at his chest.

Kiba formed a small grin. "I forfeit." Naruto returned the grin and offered a hand to Kiba. Once on his feet Kiba and Naruto began their walk back to the balcony.

"Winner is Naruto Uzumaki."

The Jounin instructors were astonished by his performance. He was quick, efficent., and had both water and wind techniques to use. Not to mention he hasn't even used his summoning contract yet. If he managed to gain another affinity, he would become an exceptional Jounin.

The board spun through the remaining names as Naruto took a seat next to Haku.

"I'm glad you won Naruto." Naruto gave her a smile and a thumbs up, agreeing with her.

"You really did a number on my student Naruto." The blonde turned slightly to see a red eyed lady staring down at him. "I'm Kiba's Jounin instructor, Yuhi Kurenai." Naruto nodded out of respect.

"What is it you request of Master Naruto?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at the fox's slightly rude tone, but dismissed it.

"Nothing in particular, but I was curious as to how he became as fast as he is. Inuzuka's are notorious for their speed, but Naruto completely outclassed Kiba."

"Master Naruto undergoes a special type of training that no one else can perform. High strain is put on his body for several hours a day, followed by normal training."

"Do you doubt other's ability as ninja's?" Kurenai was confused by the statement.

"No, I doubt your ability as humans. If you were to do the training Master Naruto does for one day, you would be hospitalized for several days."

Kurenai was about to make a remark when Zabuza called down the next combatants.

"Neji Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga come down here." Kurenai left quickly to speak with her student, before letting her go down to the arena. She stood across from her cousin, who glared at her fiercely.

"Begin."

Hinata moved into her family's taijutsu stance. Neji just stood still, glaring at her. "Give up Hinata, you can not win. Fate has already decreed me the winner."

Hinata trembled, but tried to stand firm. "We w-won't know until the m-match is o-over."

"You are weak." Hinata flinched at the voice. "You have always been weak and will always be so. You can not beat me." He took the Juken stance. "This is your last chance to give up."

When Hinata didn't immediately forfeit, Neji took it as a sign to attack. He rushed at Hinata with speed, striking her arm. She stumbled back and vegan to straighten her pose. Neji struck again.

A few minutes went by, Neji landing blow after blow. Hinata looked tired and ready to drop. She dodged his next hit and managed to connect with his shoulder, surprising everyone, including herself.

Neji looked on in hate and lashed out once again, striking her hard enough to send her to the ground. He wmirked as Hinata lay there, but frowned when she tried to stand up.

"Why do you try so hard to go against fate?"

"I..." Hinata trembled as she got to her feet. "I don't believe in fate. If I work hard enough I can beat you." Neji growled at her defiance towards his belief. He lashed out, intent on striking her chest, when three Jounin stood in his way. Kurenai directly in front of Hinata, kunai in hand. Anko had a kunai at his throat. Kakashi had his hands together in a handsign.

"Winner by default is Neji Hyuuga."

The Jounin separated, allowing Neji to go back to the balcony and the medics to take Hinata. Everyone took a breath as the tension faded, bringing their attention back to the board.

"Rock Lee and Gaara of the Desert get down here." Lee jumped off the railing, yelling about youth, while Gaara used Shunshin to make his way to the arena.

"Begin." Lee flashed towards Gaara, jumping up and throwing his leg at him, intent on a kick to the head. When sand shot out of the gourd on his back and blocked the strike, Lee jumped back. This would be a rough fight.

Several minutes into combat, Lee was dodging the sand attacks from Gaara, trying to get a hit in edgewise. He had already removed his weights and was nearing his limit.

"Lee!" The boy turned to see his sensei grinning at him. "I give you permission to use it!"

"But Gai-sensei!"

"It is okay Lee. You need it to beat your opponent."

He steeled his face and placed his hands together, positioning himself closer to the floor with a wider stance.

"Gai you didn't..." Kakashi turned to his fellow Jounin.

"I did Kakashi."

"He will kill himself if he uses that."

Lee was currently red, screaming in what appeared to he pain. He flashed out of sight, striking Gaara in the chest before disappearing only to reappear behind Gaara and hit him once more. The room was astonished at the boys speed.

Gaara winced each time a fist or foot made contact with his body. He couldn't do anything like this.

"Now to finish this." Lee shot to the ground and aimed a kick from underneath the sand ninja. He repeatedly kicked him further into the air, slowly approaching the ceiling.

He wrapped Gaara in his wrist bandages and begun his spiral to the ground.

"Final Lotus!" The impact shook the arena and caused a crater to form in the center of it. Once the smoke cleared, Lee was kneeling, breathing erratically, next to a shrivelled husk of his opponent.

Lee, thinking he had killed his opponent, began to worry. Unknown to him, Gaara had appeared behind him.

His sand trapped Lee quickly, holding him up by his arm and leg.

"Desert Coffin." The sand crushed the appendages mercilessly, spurting blood out onto the floor. Lee pulled himself away from the sand ninja, dragging his body along the ground. The sand quickly approached the prone competitor.

Suddenly, the sand dispersed, revealing Gai with an expressionless look on his face.

"My student forfeits. He will be killed if he continues."

"Winner is Gaara of the Desert." The room was silent as the medics rushed to get Lee attention.

Naruto turned to Ritsuko.

He felt... familiar.

He should. He is the container for the One Tail, Shukaku. You are one in the same.

That is concerning...

How so?

To think that I could have easily ended up the same way he did. Filled will bloodlust and a need for killing.

Yes... You are fortunate that my lord favors you.

Favors me? We don't really get along that well.

He is very lax on you as far as containers are concerned. Many others would have been driven mad by his mere presence at this point.

I see... Well if he gives me my voice back, I'll take back calling him a jerk.

"Winner is Dosu Kinuta." Naruto turned back to the match that just finished, Chouji huffing slightly.

"Now will all winners please come down here." The winners of the preliminaries made their way to the floor. "Everyone draw a number. This will let us know who your opponent is in the finals." Each Genin stepped forward and free a number from the box they were presented.

"I got two.

"Nine."

"I have three."

"Ten."

"Four."

" Seven over here."

"Six."

"I am number eight."

"One."

"Number five."

Zabuza began writing names down on a small board. "The finals will be a single elimination style tournament. These are your opponents." He flipped the board to show the Genin.

Match 1: Neji Hyuuga vs. Dosu Kinuta

Match 2: Kakuro of the Desert vs. Shino Aburame

Match 3: Temari of the Desert vs. Shikamaru Nara

Match 4: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Sakura Haruno

Match 5: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the Desert

"The finals will be held in one month. This will allow you to rest and crap. Learn some new stuff and plan for your opponent's style. That's it." Zabuza nodded to the Hokage.

The old man stood and cleared his throat. "Congratulations to all who are proceeding to the finals. Good luck to you. To our foreign competitors, you may stay in Konoha for the duration of the month or you may travel back home, whichever you prefer. Before we conclude this portion of the exam, I would like to make an announcement."

"Naruto." The Hokage turned to face the blonde. "These years have not been kind to you. I am entirely to blame for that. I wish to make it up to you. Please except this." He tossed a glistening item through the air. Naruto caught it and turned it over to show a set of keys.

He looked up in confusion. "Those are the keys to the Namikaze estate..." The jaw drop in the room was collective. "...your birthright." Silence...

"WHAT!"

Jutsu List:

Katon: Gokakyu - Fire Technique: Grand Fireball

Hirano Etsuran Baningu - Burning Plain Viewing Technique

Kagemane - Shadow Binding Technique

Suiton: Suiryu - Water Technique: Water Stream

Futon: Omoi Kaze - Wind Technique: Heavy Breeze

Shunshin - Body Flicker Technique