A Single Moment

by Insert Valid Author Name

Now on Ao3. A single moment can redefine history. An action can have serious repercussions. A new emotion can raise a hero. And true love can drive a man to destiny. Naruto Uzumaki, adopted son of Anko Mitarashi will never know what could've been - but he'll strive to be the best he can anyways. AU, RinneganNaruto, Naruto/Fuu.

10. III-10) The Bodyguard, the Friend, and

Arc III – On Rising Wings; The Chūnin Exams of Team Seven

Chapter 10 – The Bodyguard, the Friend, and the Enemy

The funeral for Sakura's parents was two days after Team Seven's return from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.

It was a small affair; as retired Shinobi, they retained a civilian status with shinobi paranoia, so they didn't have many friends; in fact, the exact number could be counted on one hand and still have fingers left over. Coupled with the fact that both Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno, Sakura's mother and father respectively, didn't have any family members other than Sakura, the only people who went to their funeral was Team Seven, Anko, and the Hokage. Sakura lit their funeral pyre herself, and Naruto's heart went out to her when he saw her tears reflected by the firelight.

The Hokage described them as heroes in the small speech he gave, but Sakura wasn't listening, simply staring into the flames that consumed the bodies of her parents. Apparently they were on their way to a small farming village in Rice Country when the convoy was attacked by bandits and Ronin; Mebuki and Kizashi had done their best to defend the convoy, but were ultimately overrun by sheer numbers. There were survivors, but very little.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the first of such attacks; the meeting that Kakashi had been summoned for had been in regards to a similar attack that had just occurred an hour before he got the message. That same night he departed back to Taki after the meeting ended, missing the runner that reported the deaths of the Haruno's by two hours. He never knew, and was just as grimly surprised as his students when he saw the ANBU waiting for them at the gates of Konoha, and by then, the Ronin and bandits had been hunted down and killed.

Unfortunately, the worse had yet to come. Because of her genin status, Sakura was considered a full adult, with all the rights that entailed, but at the same time there was no possible way she could make enough money to maintain the payments on the house her parents rented. On top of that, her parents had actually struggled to make ends meet – they lived off of the retirement benefits of being ex-Shinobi, which would have been fine if it was just the two of them, but Sakura's birth had complicated things. Not that they were poor, not by a long shot, but they weren't extravagant spenders either. Either way, whatever funds they had had been inherited by their daughter, but it wasn't enough for her to stay in the house.

She had to move out, and she only had a week to find a place to stay.

Surprisingly, the solution had made itself known before the problem could actually become one. It was rather shocking how Kakashi, Anko, Sasuke and Naruto had simply shown up the next day at Sakura's door, helped her pack her personal belongings and anything she might want to keep of her parent's stuff, and moved her in to one of the houses in the Uchiha District – a house that Sasuke moved into as well, since the day he'd graduated he'd been living in an apartment located in the Konoha proper.

Sakura had asked one question when they arrived at the Uchiha district.

"Why?" Sasuke repeated. He looked off at one of the larger houses, his eyes pained. "Because this place needs new memories. I hated living here when I was still in the Academy; I could still see the bloodstains and the bodies, even in my sleep, so I moved out as soon as I could. Now… now I have a reason to come back, to face my demons. Besides…" he shrugged, an uncharacteristic blush appearing on his cheeks, "I've never had a roommate before. And I'd do anything for you. And Naruto. But don't tell him that."

The smile that Sakura gave him wasn't quite a smile, but it was close enough to make Sasuke feel a lot better about moving back to the Uchiha District.

Funnily enough, the Hokage had been ready to appoint Kakashi as Sakura's guardian, at least so that funds could be transferred quietly into Kakashi's bank account for Sakura's care, but in the end it wasn't necessary. Both Sasuke and Sakura were adults, at least in the eyes of Fire Country law – they could do whatever they felt was necessary, no matter what other people said. Coupled with the unwavering support of Anko and Kakashi (and Naruto of course, but he really didn't count as much), the two genin would be just fine.

In the end, Sakura's new family made their position clear – they would be there for her no matter what.

And so, the month had gone by. Sakura was given the option of taking a few days off in order to mourn, but the girl hadn't lasted the full day – she'd shown up for training before midday with a slightly different wardrobe than usual, retaining her dark red shirt, black shinobi pants and her heeled boots but switching out her white jacket for a slightly-too-big black leather jacket that was always zipped closed. Her teammates and teacher hadn't asked, simply accepting it and moving on. Training was daily now, no weekends or free days allowed, and with the Chūnin exams so soon, they needed to take advantage of every moment they could.

Naruto, in particular, felt like he was a little behind, mostly because of his dōjutsu. He'd been having trouble finding a place to secretly practice his Deva Path abilities, and with the addition of the Preta Path, he felt wholly unprepared. It had been Sarutobi who'd given him the solution for the problem when Naruto had brought it up on one of the days he would help the old man out in his office.

"There is a training ground that is hidden away from prying eyes," said the Sandaime. "It's the training ground that every Hokage has access to so that we can hone our abilities. I can take you there, but I'm afraid that that's the only way you'll have access to it." Hiruzen frowned. "That being said, am I take it that you haven't been practicing with your eyes?"

Naruto took off his glasses, channeling chakra to his eyes, activating the recently-mutated Rinnegan – now instead of a single purple ring, there were two blue rings. "Not exactly," he said. "I've been practicing at home with my mom, pushing and pulling stuff, but I can't go full power with the Deva Path. The Preta Path is easier – I just have to absorb chakra from my mom. I can't absorb too much though; it's like it's conflicting with my own chakra, like it isn't mixing properly or something. It takes a while for me to be able to do the technique again."

"You said that the Nine-Tails mentioned being able to nullify chakra-based techniques with this Path?" asked Hiruzen.

"Yeah," said Naruto, "but I haven't been able to figure it out. The last time I talked to him, he mentioned a Seal, so I'm working on that."

"Hmm… very well, Naruto," said the Sandaime, "I'll take you to my personal training ground three times a week, starting tonight."

"Really!?" Naruto grinned as he stopped channeling chakra to his eyes, the Rinnegan rings merging to reveal his normal cerulean-blue eyes. "Thanks old man, you won't regret this, believe it!"

Hiruzen chuckled. "We'll work on your Deva Path – I want you to focus on your offensive capabilities for now, since the Chūnin Exams are almost upon us."

"You got it!"

This was where he was now, a little more than two weeks later. The Sandaime had left him alone tonight after citing Naruto's unfortunate ability to figure out where the entrance to the training ground was on the first day – the Preta Path gave Naruto the side-effect ability of being able to spot Genjutsu. That being said, he'd be able to leave the area whenever he wanted, but he could only access it with the Hokage's explicit permission. This was fine with Naruto – with the upcoming exams he needed as many advantages as he could get, and one-on-one tutelage with the Hokage whenever possible was nothing to be scoffed at. Old Man Sensei – as he'd taken to calling the Third whenever he was training with him – had given him insights and hints into chakra and chakra control he had no idea even existed, and his progress with the Deva Path had expanded tremendously.

It was this latter part of his progress that had also brought in a piece of rather juicy-looking information from the Kyuubi.

The Deva Path's ultimate technique was the reason there is a story about the moon's creation, said the Tailed Beast one day as Naruto meditated.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto, looking up at the great cage. Even laying down, Kurama's face was still several feet above him, so he still had to look up towards the Fox. "Wait, you mean the moon was actually created by the Sage of Six Paths!?"

Not exactly, said Kurama. It is a similar enough technique that allows the creation of a gravity-based singularity. Depending on the amount of chakra used, the singularity can attract objects from wherever it can, accumulating and compressing the objects until a large celestial body is formed, perhaps the size of an asteroid or even larger. The moon was already created by the time my father lived, but this technique left the impression for that legend.

"Wow…"

Your awe is noted. We will begin to practice this technique as soon as possible.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You want me to make a moon!? Like right here, right now!?"

Don't be a fool, said Kurama, letting out a massive scoff that blew Naruto's hair back. I doubt you could make a rock the size of your head. The singularity had to be strong enough to be sustained in a point outside of your body, with no physical contact between you and it. We will begin small.

In the real world, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes opened, the two rings flashing purple before turning blue. He stood up, brushing the small amount of dirt he'd accumulated on his body and looked around – he was alone in the Hokage's training ground. He then placed his hands vertically in front of his sternum without them touching and his palms facing each other. He concentrated, gathering his chakra in a point between his two palms. Surprisingly, the singularity was easily formed, and Naruto grinned-

Riiiiiiip!

"Motherfucker!" yelled Naruto in pain, his ruined hands clutched against his chest. "Argh!" He looked at his hands, wincing at the damage; the singularity had stripped his palms of any flesh completely, exposing the bones and ligaments. Even those hadn't escaped any damage, as he didn't think they were supposed to be bent the way they were…

Get yourself to the Hospital, said Kurama in his head. You'll be fine by tomorrow morning. We can continue this then.

"R-right…" he gritted his teeth against the pain, glancing around the training ground with his eyes until they landed on the purple-haired, cat-masked ANBU that was always watching him when he was in the Hokage's training ground. Nodding at her to signify that he was leaving, he turned to do so, only to stop in surprise when the ANBU body-flickered in front of him.

"Cat?" he asked, addressing her by her mask. "I need to get to the hospital…"

"Let me," was all she said. She gently pried his right hand away from his chest, her hands glowing green as she took his hand between her own. Naruto hissed in pain, which turned into a sigh of relief as between her Mystical Palm technique, Kurama's chakra, and his own regeneration, the injury began to heal at an accelerated rate. Of course, it wouldn't be enough for him to continue training that night, but by tomorrow morning he'd be fine.

As Cat released his hand more than ten minutes later and took hold of his other, Naruto's head cocked sideways. "I remember you," he realized suddenly. "You took care of me when I was five. I had a broken arm…"

Cat chuckled, the sound slightly muffled by her mask. "Yes, that was me," she said. "Lord Hokage has always entrusted me with your care. I am honored by his trust… and yours."

Naruto blinked, confused. "Mine? Oh, you mean my eyes."

"Yes," said Cat. Emotionless as it was, her voice carried an undercurrent of awe to it as she continued. "The things I have seen you do in the past few days alone have been… humbling." Even though the mask didn't have any eyeholes, Naruto got the feeling that she was looking straight at him. "You will be powerful when you grow up, but an even better man."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess," he said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the praise.

"That is what I mean," said Cat. "That is what I mean. It is your character, your personality what will make you great." Cat looked back down at his hands, becoming silent once more.

Naruto glanced down at his hands. The flesh had been partially restored, covering the bones once more, but the wound still dripped blood freely, the blood making a small pool between the two of them. Still, it would make going to the Hospital an easier trip, at least in terms of excuses for the strange wound.

"Thank you," said Naruto.

"You are most welcome," said Cat. She straightened up, the sword hanging from her back clinking ominously in its sheath. Naruto noted that the blade was a Katana, as opposed the standard tanto most ANBU used. "Lord Hokage has assigned me to be your protection detail," Cat continued. "Outside of the Chūnin Exams, I will be following you wherever you go. I ask that you do not make this difficult for me."

Naruto laughed. "Please," he said. "As if anything I could do could slip past you. You're ANBU!"

"You are ninja," countered Cat. "You may still surprise me."

Naruto glanced at the training ground exit, and then to his hands – he really needed to get to the Hospital. "Alright," he said, "I don't want a bodyguard, but I'll do my best to make things easy for you on one condition."

"This is not up to you, Naruto," said Cat. "Regardless of your conditions, I will do what is asked of me."

"I figured," said Naruto, "but this is to make it less boring for you. I want a sparring partner, and I was hoping you'd help me out with that."

Cat didn't answer immediately. "Why?" she asked at last.

"Can we walk and talk?" asked Naruto instead, dodging the question. "I kind of need to get to the hospital…"

"Right," said Cat, and Naruto thought that her voice sounded slightly chagrined. She stepped forwards, grabbing his arm. "This may be a bit uncomfortable," she said, before transporting vanishing in a Body Flicker and taking him with her.

The experience was rather similar to a substitution technique, Naruto figured, just a lot more intense. When he'd recovered his bearings, they were standing in front of the hospital. Cat let go of his arm and nodded at the building. "Shall we?" she asked.

"Hey, thanks!" said Naruto, moving forwards, Cat following at his side. Checking in, he was quickly treated by an Iryo-nin, dodging questions as to how he'd been injured. Cat had vanished before entering the hospital, but Naruto could see her hiding in the corner of his room by surreptitiously activating his Rinnegan behind his sunglasses every now and then. He didn't bring his attention to her, not even when they were alone in the room, and when he was finally cleared to leave, he did so, Cat removing whatever disguise she had on to blend in with her surroundings as soon as they were out of the hospital.

"Your eyes are quite… annoying," she said in lieu of greeting when they left.

"Gah!" yelped Naruto, surprised at her sudden appearance. "Don't do that!"

Cat actually giggled. "I have no regrets," she said. She looked at him, and Naruto took the moment to appreciate her mask. It was a porcelain mask, ANBU standard, resembling a cat with three red stripes — one vertical stripe on the forehead and two horizontal stripes, one on each cheek. She was also dressed in ANBU standard black and grey armor, with metal arm- and shin-guards and black combat boots that he had no doubt were steel-toed. Her Katana's handle was poking over her right shoulder, suggesting she was right-handed.

"Now, you were saying why you wanted me as a sparring partner?" she asked as they walked.

Naruto sighed. He held up his bandaged hands. "Here's a reason why," he said. "When I train, the way I get hurt is dangerous. It makes training how to fight with my eyes harder since I can't actually practice against people my own level. I could accidentally kill Sasuke and Sakura with any of my techniques. Kakashi-Sensei would be good to practice against, or my mom even, but the only place I can go full power is at the Old Man's training ground."

"And Lord Hokage is almost always busy, so he can't practice with you," concluded Cat. "Which leaves me."

"Yeah," said Naruto. "What I'm saying is that I need a sparring partner I can go ham against. Someone who I know won't get accidentally killed by anything I throw at them while at the same time being able to actually fight against me."

Cat nodded. "I see," she said. "Very well," she added after a moment's consideration, "I agree to your request. We can start tomorrow if you wish."

"Thanks," said Naruto. He frowned. "We won't have much time to fight before the exams," he said. "They're less than two weeks away…"

"I understand that Kakashi-Taichou is training you every day, from dawn to dusk," said Cat. "Lord Hokage would be willing to lend you the training ground at night for our use, I think. I will forward your request."

"Thanks Cat," he said.

"You're welcome, Naruto."

Cat vanished in a Body Flicker, taking to the rooftops or wherever she'd be able to watch him best, and Naruto kept walking as if he'd been walking alone from the start. ANBU were like that.

…ooOoo…

A few days later, Kakashi greeted them at their usual team training spot with three forms in his hands.

"Well, I nominated you for the exams," said Kakashi as he handed the forms over. "The reaction was quite surprising."

"Why, because of our ages?" asked Naruto.

"Yes and no," said Kakashi. "Your classmates were volunteered as well. All of them."

"That's surprising," said Sasuke. "At the same time, I can understand why it was done. The Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara, Akamichi, and Yamanaka clan heirs were all in our class. There is a lot of prestige and potential money in their performance for these exams."

"You forgot to mention yourself," said Naruto. "I wouldn't be surprised if half the audience will come to see you fight, Sasuke."

Sasuke scoffed. "The last loyal Uchiha," he said with scorn. "I hate that title."

"Regardless of your feelings of that title, it brings Konoha a large amount of money," said Kakashi. He glanced at Sakura, who was silently filling in her application form – the girl was worryingly silent ever since her parents' death. "And yet, your reputations precede you. Two A-ranked missions – Lord Hokage ruled your last mission as A-rank, since even though Suien and the other missing were B-ranked but there were hostages involved. You're also now three of the very few ninja to know the actual location of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and how to get there, which brings your prestige up by quite a bit; even I don't know how to navigate the underwater tunnels to get to the village. On top of that, rumor has gotten out that the Hokage favors you over other prospective teams – rumor that we of course have allowed to roam free."

"Because it gets us more clients, right?" asked Sasuke.

"Exactly. So you three have a lot riding on you for these exams. You also have to pass the exams and become chūnin, so there is no room for failure."

"We won't fail, Kakashi-Sensei," Sakura spoke up for the first time. Her green eyes were like emeralds – appearing unbroken but hiding the imperfections.

"I don't doubt that," said the Team's Sensei, smiling at them. "I just have to say it. Wouldn't want my cute little students to throw it in my face later." His smile faded. "You have the rest of this week off. And that's an order," he added upon seeing their expressions. "You're to take time off and relax. Find a hobby, spend time with your friends, just don't train. Keep up your fitness, practice your techniques, but you are not to push your limits whatsoever. If I find out you're doing the opposite…"

The three genin shivered simultaneously at the open-ended threat; they knew how imaginative their teacher's imagination could be. Kakashi smiled, knowing that his order would be followed, and began to leave, uncharacteristically walking away instead of Body Flickering away as he usually did.

"Sasuke, I'll catch up," he heard Sakura's voice from behind him – the two came to and left the training the ground together since they'd moved to the Uchiha District.

"I'll wait at Ichiraku's," Sasuke said, and Kakashi waited patiently for his pink-haired student to catch up to him, not stopping his pace. The Last Living Haruno managed to match her teacher's pace, and they walked together in silence, side-by-side. A few minutes later, Kakashi had led them to his usual brooding spot – Konoha's Memorial Stone, upon which the names of every fallen Konoha ninja were engraved.

"Their names were added the day they died," said Kakashi after a few seconds of silence. He didn't have to look at his student to see the flash of pain cross her face at the mention of her parents. "I know how you feel, Sakura," he continued. "The pain of losing the ones you love… it never really goes away. My teacher, my genin teammates… they're all dead. You simply learn to move on and accept that they're never coming back. You learn to cope."

"How?" croaked Sakura. Kakashi still didn't look at her, even though he knew that she was looking up at him. "How do you…?"

"By talking to others," he said. "I never did, so I never recovered, not really. You three kids have done more to heal me than any therapist could." He finally looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her. "You going to tell me that Sasuke hasn't helped?"

Sakura took a moment to answer, preferring to look at the Memorial Stone instead of him. "He… he has," she admitted softly. "He's been… sweet. He's been… I don't know where I'd be without him. Naruto and Miss Anko's helped too. But…"

"I know," he said. "You need to work through your pain, Sakura. Otherwise you'll always carry it with you for the rest of your life." He placed a comforting on her shoulder. "What Shinobi Rule Number 3?"

Sakura looked up at him, startled at his line of questioning. She said, "I, uh- 'A Shinobi, under no circumstances, is to reveal any kind of emotion.'"

"That's a bullshit rule," Kakashi said bluntly. "Only ANBU truly live by it, and look at how they end up; look at how I ended up. Go home, Sakura, your new home. Cry; I know you haven't truly, properly cried. Cry, scream, break something – let it out, Sakura."

"I- I'll try," she said. She would, Kakashi knew – similar to Naruto, Sakura was never one to hide what she was feeling, and she was close to breaking. The pinkette turned to leave, her head bowed in thought, and when she was almost out of sight, Kakashi called her.

"Sakura!" he called, the girl turning around to look at him. "One last piece of advice: trust in your teammates!"

And with that, he vanished.

…ooOoo…

Meanwhile, Naruto was in slightly more stressful situation, considering that it involved foreign ninja in his own village, Konohamaru, and an interruption to a home cooked meal by his mother (which meant takeout, really, but it's the thought that counted). He'd been heading home when he came across the foreign ninja bullying Konohamaru and his two friends, the kid dressed in a leotard and makeup holding the Hokage's grandson by his scarf while the kid's teammate watched with a disinterested eye.

"Does this hurt you?" the foreigner said.

"Put him down, Kankuro," said his teammate, "or you'll pay for it later."

"He's gonna pay for it now," said Naruto, making his presence known, gently pushing Udon and Moegi aside and behind him. "Put him down, kid, before I make you."

"Boss!" said Konohamaru. "Help!"

"Hang in there Konohamaru," said Naruto, not taking his eyes off of the kid. "Put him down, and hand over your passports. Now."

The kid, Kankuro, looked over at him and smirked. "And if I don't want to?" he asked. Goddamn it, I fucked up, he thought. Behind him, his teammate was thinking along other lines, ones more… appreciative than his brothers'.

Oooh, local hottie, as a matter of fact.

Behind his glasses, Naruto's Rinnegan flashed. He held up the clone sign, summoning five of them in the area. "I make you," said Naruto. Cat flashed in next to him, her hand already on her still-sheathed Katana. "And she helps, believe it," he added.

"Passports," said the ANBU, her hand on the Katana.

"Whoa, whoa!" said Kankuro, letting go of Konohamaru suddenly and holding up his hands. "T-there's no need for trouble!"

"I told you this'd happen," muttered the blonde girl behind him as Konohamaru picked himself up and ran behind Naruto. She stepped forwards, holding her hands up. She was dressed similarly in a white battle-dress with mesh armor under it, a red sash on her wait, and a black rectangular object slung on her back. Her Sand Village forehead protector was slung on her neck. "Excuse my brother, he can be an idiot sometimes. I'm Temari of the Desert, and me and my brothers are here for-"

"For the same thing I am!"

Naruto looked around Temari and grinned. "Fu!" he yelled with a wave. The Nanabi Jinchūriki was dressed exactly as he saw her last, only she had a red cylindrical-type object on her back now. "Good to see you!" His amicable expression faded upon returning his gaze to Temari. "You were saying?"

"…we're here for the chūnin exams. We're from the Village Hidden in the Sands," she finished lamely. She reached into her back pouch and pulled out her passport, holding it open on the necessary page.

"Brothers?" said Cat.

"I think she means the guy hanging from the tree over there," said Naruto, watching the red-haired genin through the eyes of one of his clones. Thanks to the shared vision, he was also able to see the surprise on Kankuro's and Temari's faces when he mentioned the redhead, as well as the change in their body language. He glanced at Cat out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she noticed the change as well.

This guy's chakra… it's horrible, he thought, looking at the mix of blue and gold. Behind Kankuro and Temari, Fu's blue chakra was prevalent in her system, with a few greens mixed in every so often. It's like he's… no…

"Kankuro," said the genin, if he was that, "you're an embarrassment to our village. Have you forgotten why we are here?" He spoke in a harsh-sounding voice, like he'd suffered from a sore throat and never recovered.

"I-I know, Gaara," said Kankuro, looking up at him nervously. "I- I mean, here's the thing, they challenged us-"

"Shut up," said Naruto, "you're in enough trouble as it is for bullying the Hokage's grandson."

Kankuro made it possible in that moment to appear even more paler. It was in this moment that he knew, Naruto thought, that he fucked up.

"Oooh, I hate bullies," said Fu, stepping forwards slightly. "He'll never be my friend. Can I beat him up or would I get in trouble?"

"Yes, you would," said Cat, though she sounded amused. She lowered her hand from her sword, and Naruto took it as a sign to dispel his clones. He blinked away the disorientation from losing the extra vision.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," said Gaara, looking over at Cat and Naruto. The look in his eye made Naruto tense slightly, and from the sudden spike in Cat's chakra, he knew that she noticed the look as well.

Gaara's chakra spiked, and he vanished in a sand-powered Body Flicker, reappearing next to his teammates. "Let's go," he said, "we didn't come here to play games."

"R-right," said Kankuro, looking down at his brother. Even though he was significantly taller than the redhead, it was obvious that he was intimidated, no, terrified of him. The three began to walk away, and Fu moved to the side to let them pass. Naruto waited until they were a few feet past her to speak up again.

"By the way," he said, "Identify yourself."

"Hmm? You mean me?" the Kunoichi asked, turning around with a smile.

"Sorry," grinned Naruto, "I meant your other brother, the one with the gourd. For the record, you know."

The redhead stopped, looking back at Naruto. "My name is Gaara of the Desert," he said. "I am curious about you too."

Naruto's smile disappeared. "The name is Uzumaki," he said. "Naruto Uzumaki Mitarashi."

The wind blew gently between the two, Naruto's coat flapping slightly and giving more drama to the moment. Not that he noticed – he was having a silent staredown with Gaara of the Desert. After the moment ended, Gaara nodded once, turned around, and jumped away, his siblings following.

Naruto glanced at Cat as his Rinnegan deactivated, and then at the kids, who were silent as they watched the proceedings. Cat glanced at Fu, and he nodded, so Cat returned it and moved towards Konohamaru and his friends.

"Come," she said, "I'll take you to your grandfather."

"O-okay," he said. "Bye boss!"

"Bye," he said. "Take care of yourself."

When they were gone (though he had no illusions that the Cat had gone with the kids – probably a clone), he looked back at Fu, who stepped up next to him. "Hey," he grinned. "How've you been?"

"Good!" she answered sincerely, smiling at him. "It's been good. I got your letter… where's Sakura? I wanted to… well…"

"I know," he said. He'd paid a good amount of ryo to get a letter sent to Fu, detailing everything that had happened since their return from Taki, including the news about Sakura's parents. He hadn't gotten an answer back, but now he knew why – she wanted to deliver it in person. "She's… around," he said at last. "Probably back at her house with Sasuke. We can meet up with her later."

Fu nodded. "Okay," she said.

"So… welcome to Konoha," he said, spreading his arms and spinning once. "How do you like it so far?" he asked.

Fu giggled. "It's nice," she said, "It's really nice. It's a nice change… you know. The looks…" She grimaced. "They look at me like I'm a hero. It's… confusing."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "I get it," he said. "You're used to one thing, and now…"

And he did understand. That night, after Suien died, he and Fu had talked as they helped clean up the village, bonding over their mutual experiences as jinchūriki and quickly become fast friends. One of the things they'd had in common was how their respective villages treated them, how their gazes were always silently judging, whether it was with hatred or fear. It also helped him understand on Fu's desire for more friends, since she didn't have any growing up.

Naruto shook his head. "Come on," he said. "Let's go."

"Huh?" she asked. "Where to?"

Naruto smiled and grabbed her hand. "Well, there's someone I want you to meet," he said, pulling her. "But first, you're due for a tour of Konoha, led by Naruto Uzumaki! Come on, it'll be great!"

"Naruto, wait!" Fu protested, but at the same time she laughed happily as she allowed herself to be lead away.

…ooOoo…

"Aww, Naruto," said Anko with a teasing smile as she opened the apartment's door, "You're already bringing home girls for me to meet!"

"Mooom," he protested.

Anko laughed and gave Fu an appreciative glance, her eyes landing on the Taki headband. "Come on in," she said, smiling welcomingly at her. "Lunch's about to be served, and I'd like to meet the famous Fu over a good meal."

Fu blushed. "Famous?" she asked, glancing at Naruto, the boy not meeting her gaze as he hung his coat up. Fu's jaw was under risk of dropping when she saw the amount of armorhe was hiding under it; his upper back, shoulders, and arms were completely covered, while at the same time his lower chest area was unguarded. Probably so that he doesn't lose his flexibility, she thought, remembering how he was able to slide under Suien's kicks and dance around them as well.

"Yeah," Anko's voice brought her out of her thoughts, and her blush intensified as she realized she'd been caught ogling Naruto. Anko gave her a knowing smirk. "But don't worry," she said, "he's only said good things about you. Actually, now that I think about it he was almost singing praises…"

"Mooom!" came the second protest, and this time Fu couldn't help but giggle.

A few minutes later, the three were sitting around the table, plates and chopsticks clinking as they ate. "So, Fu," said Anko, "Naruto mentioned your little tenant."

Fu nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Chomei," she said. "She's the Seven Tailed Rhinoceros Beetle."

"How long have you been a jinchūriki?" asked Anko.

"Umm, I think I was three years old," she said. "The previous jailer died, and I was the only one who could handle Chōmei's chakra. So, ten years."

"And have you met others like you? Other than Naruto, I mean."

"No, Naruto was the first," she said. She laughed slightly. "I'm lucky to have met him, he's really nice."

"Well I hope he is, considering I raised him," said Anko, smiling at her son. The smile faded upon seeing the pensive expression on Naruto's face. "Naruto?"

Naruto looked up apologetically. "Sorry, mom," he said. "Just thinking…"

"About what?" she asked.

"Well…" he said, glancing at Fu with a nervous look. He took a deep breath and began, "we met a group of sand genin today…"

He told the story of what happened, and when he finished Anko frowned. "You're right," she said, "that genin is probably someone to keep an eye on, but I still don't see what has you worried."

Naruto sighed. "I took a look at his chakra," he confessed. He was worried about what Fu would understand from that, as the day they'd met he'd told her he had an optical-based bloodline limit that worked similarly to the Byakugan. He continued speaking, "The thing is… he had two different chakra signatures in his system."

Anko sucked in a breath. "You think he's…?"

"Yeah," said Naruto, "A Jinchūriki. And he's dangerous."

Fu shivered. "Three Tailed Beasts in one Hidden Village," she said. "You and I are friends Naruto, but even I can tell that that's just asking for trouble. Do you think your Village Leader knows?"

Naruto sighed. "I honestly don't know," he said. "Cat – the ANBU that was there – she didn't say if she noticed anything, but I get the feeling that she's going to report him to the Hokage anyways, he was just that creepy. The look in his eyes…"

"Like bloodlust," said Fu. "A constant, crazed bloodlust that's barely held back. Before Suien left Taki, he had a similar look in his eyes."

Anko bit her lip. "I'll report your findings to the Hokage," she said, "but I think he'll want to hear it from you."

"I'll see him tonight," he said and Anko nodded.

"Good," she said. She grabbed her empty plate and stood. "Eat up you two. I'll head out now, catch him before I get back to work. If you leave the apartment, just make sure you lock up. Other than that, try to keep the noise level down."

"You got it mom," said Naruto, ignoring the innuendo. Fu, from her confused look, didn't get it, but he wasn't going to enlighten her. A few minutes later, his mom left, and Fu and Naruto continued to eat their lunch in silence.

"So," said Naruto, breaking the silence, "you never mentioned your teammates…"

Fu winced. "They're not," she said, looking downcast. "People aren't supposed to know this, but Shibuki assigned two Jōnin to take care of me and pretend they're genin. He's worried about me, and I always thought he was being overprotective, but with this Gaara guy… I can see where he's coming from."

"They don't like you?" asked Naruto.

"Not exactly," she said. "It's more like they don't like the mission they've been assigned." She sighed. "They're… not very friendly either."

"Ouch," he said. "But what about during the exam? Wouldn't that interfere with…?"

"Apparently, their mission is to just keep an eye on me and follow me wherever I go," she said. "If run into something that I can't deal with, then they're backup."

"You're a jinchūriki," said Naruto, "there isn't much you can't deal with."

"Like another jinchūriki?" asked Fu.

"You got me there," said Naruto. "I guess we'll have to keep an eye for each other during the exams."

"If we can," said Fu. "What if we're too far away-? Oh, that could work!"

"Huh?"

"Lucky Seven says that if you use the Kyuubi's chakra, she can feel it," she said. "She can guide me towards you! She says that it'll work from your end, too!"

It's true, said Kurama in his mind, I'll be able to feel the bug's chakra. Coupled with your eyes, there's not much that'll slip by me.

"Yeah, he agrees," said Naruto. "So we'll do that then."

Fu smiled. "Good!"

They continued to eat in silence, and when they were done they went ahead and cleaned up. "Say, wanna head out, finish that tour?" asked Naruto. "I have to leave for training around five o'clock, but we still have some time before that…"

"Sure!" said Fu. "I'd love to! Konoha is so nice… and your monument for the Hokage is kind of scary, but the detail on it is incredible…!"

…ooOoo…

One week later… July 1st – Chūnin Exam Day – Phase 1

"So…" said Naruto, looking up at the Academy building. "This is it. Room 301, right?"

"Yes," said Sakura, her jacket (finally) unzipped, her stance relaxed but her shoulders tense. She glanced at her Uchiha teammate with a small smile. "You feeling excited, Sasuke?"

"Yeah," he answered. "This is it, this is what we've been training for."

"Hell yeah," said Naruto excitedly, "we're going to wipe the floor with the competition!"

"I should hope so," came the voice of their teacher. Kakashi stepped from behind them and placed his hands on Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders, Sakura standing between them and craning her neck backwards to look up at him. "I didn't spend these last few months busting your asses so that you could fail now."

"We won't let you down, Sensei!" said Sakura, her old fire back in her eyes. She clenched her fist, smacking it against her open palm. "They won't see us coming!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Good," he said. "Oh, and Sakura? Glad to have you back with us."

Sakura blushed, looking away, but with a small wistful smile on her face. She felt her teammates move closer to her, and she looked up at them.

"We've got your back, Sakura," said Sasuke.

"Yeah," said Naruto, "what he said, believe it!"

Sakura smiled in thanks for their support. "Thanks, guys," she said, looking up at the building. It didn't seem so intimidating anymore.

Behind them, Kakashi chuckled. "I'm proud of you three. I couldn't ask for a better team." He stepped back, and before he vanished in a Body Flicker, he left his parting words: "Go teach these fools why Team Seven is the best of Konoha."

"We will, Sensei," said Naruto, but their teacher was already gone. He stepped forwards. "Let's go," he said.

They stepped inside, and after getting directions for the room they needed to get to, they took off. On the second floor, they passed a group of people trying to get into Room 301, but on a signal from Sakura they kept going.

"Genjutsu," she said when they climbed up to the next floor. "Room 301 is on the third floor."

"Huh," said Naruto, glancing back at the stairs they'd just climbed. "I need to brush up on that. My eyes can see through them, but without them activated…"

"You'll figure it out," said Sasuke. "I only noticed the genjutsu after Sakura told us to keep going." He looked at his female teammate. "Good job."

She smiled brightly in response. "Thanks!" she said. They kept going down the hall, where room 301 was located – the largest classroom in the Academy Building. Upon reaching the door, they didn't stop, opening it and entering together with Sakura on the left, Sasuke on the right, and Naruto in the middle.

Naruto whistled. "Well," he said. "Lots of meat."

The room was crowded. Foreign genin were everywhere, though the Konoha headband was prevalent as well. In one corner, Naruto spotted Fu's green hair, but he didn't acknowledge her, as two rows away from her the Sand genin were sitting down.

"Groupie, 3 o'clock," muttered Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" The yell was accompanied by a blonde girl throwing herself onto his back. The Uchiha twitched, obviously restraining himself from throwing the Yamanaka off of him. "I was hoping you'd be here, I was missing those gorgeous good looks of yours!"

"Ino, get off of him," said Sakura, annoyed.

"Forehead, they let you in?" said Ino, her tone of fake surprise fooling no one. "Wow, standards must be getting pretty low… and what's with the black? Is it the new pink or something?"

"None of your business," came the answer.

"She's as annoying as ever," muttered Naruto, reaching into his coat and pulling out his sunglasses.

"What'd you say, loser!?" Ino stepped away from Sasuke, and the Uchiha gave his teammate a thankful glance.

"I said, that you're as annoying as ever, Ino," said Naruto. He looked straight at her, his eyes boring through his glasses and into hers.

Ino found herself blushing. "W-well, you're as u-ugly as you always were!" she muttered, her earlier bravado gone. I'm lying, she thought, I am most definitely lying. Sakura, you lucky girl, two hotties on the same team!

Naruto smirked at her, as if knowing what she was thinking. "As you say," he said, and his gaze moved on to her teammates, who were coming up behind her. "Shikamaru, Choji," he said, in lieu of greeting.

"Hey, Naruto!" said the friendly Akamichi.

"Aw man, what a drag," said Shikamaru, his hands in his pockets. "I knew that this exam would be troublesome, but I didn't know you guys were going to be here."

"That makes the whole rookie nine," said another voice. Both teams looked over to Team Ten, composed of the arrogant Kiba Inuzuka and his puppy companion Akamaru, the stoic Shino Aburame, and the shy Hinata Hyuuga, the three (sorry, four) individuals walking up to the group. "I guess the gang's back together again," Kiba continued, cocky smile in place.

"Hi Naruto!" said Hinata with a bright smile.

"Hey Hinata," said Naruto, smiling back at her. They'd been good friends while in the Academy after he saved her from some bullies. He knew that there was a time she harbored a crush on him, but she'd moved on eventually from that. That still didn't stop her from spending a couple of nights over at his house when her father was too rough on her – she and Anko were even closer than he was with the blue-haired Hyuuga.

"You too, huh?" said Shikamaru.

"Yup!" said Kiba, "The Nine Rookies together again. This exam'll be a breeze! Well, for those who can make the cut, right Sasuke?"

"Careful Kiba," warned the Uchiha, "you might have to take that back later. I wouldn't be surprised."

Naruto chuckled. "I second that," he said. "Look around you – everyone here's looking for a good meal, Kiba, and we're on the menu. And would you look at that," he said, spotting six specific headbands of two distinct Villages, "even Iwa and Kumo have sent teams. This exam is going to get nasty, really fast."

"Heh," said Kiba, "afraid already? You always were a wimp, Naruto."

"And you never took a shower," countered Naruto. "Even Akamaru smells better than you. Seriously, how do you plan to be a ninja if you can't even take care of your own stench?"

Sakura giggled, while Hinata and Ino hid their amused reactions. Sasuke for his part smirked. "Game, set, match," he said.

"Need some water for that burn, Kiba?" asked Shikamaru. "Might even get rid of the smell…"

Kiba actually growled, but before he could retort he was interrupted. "Guys, keep it down," said the new arrival, his headband denoting him a Konoha ninja and his glasses shining ominously in the electric light. "You're making a spectacle of yourselves! Just cool it, this isn't a class field trip!"

"And who asked you?" snapped Ino. "Who are you, anyways?"

"His name is Kabuto Yakushi," said Sakura. "He works at the hospital."

"Hello Sakura," he said. "Anyways, her teammate's right, you've made quite the impression. Look around you," he added, nodding at all the glaring faces from the rest of the genin. "Food on a platter is an apt description for you nine. Not that it's your fault – you're rookies. Heh, you remind me of myself a while back…"

"Not your first time in these exams, right?" asked Sakura.

"No, it's…" he trailed off, "…my seventh."

"Damn," said Naruto. "Two chūnin exams a year, seven times… this is your fourth year. That sucks. Then again, information wins wars… got anything to share?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Kabuto, reaching into his weapons pouch and pulling out some orange-colored cards. "I can give you some information-"

"Not here," said Sasuke. "Let's move… someplace else."

"Er, right," said Kabuto. He led them to a secluded corner at the back of the classroom and knelt, putting his deck of cards on the floor. "Now, these ninja info cards are chakra-encoded with everything I've learnt over the past four years. I've got more than two-hundred of them, so you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time." He took one of the cards, set it aside and placed his finger on blank side of it, and after a second, there was a poof of smoke, revealing a map of the Shinobi nations. "For example, according to this map, there are one-hundred and fifty-nine participants in this exam – thirty from Suna, twenty-one from Ame, fifteen from Kusa, twelve from Taki, seventy-two from Konoha, and three from Oto, Iwa, and Kumo each. Oto's a new village – the Hidden Sound Village – and this is the first time that Kumo and Iwa send prospective teams to Konoha. We don't like each other very much."

"Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates?" asked Sasuke. "Like, individuals?"

Kabuto got a knowing look. "They might," he said. "You have someone special in mind?"

Sasuke nodded. "I might," he said.

"Well, I can't promise you anything," said Kabuto, taking back his map, dispelling it and blanking out the card before placing it back in his deck. "I'll give it a try, I have a little of everything in these cards. Even on you guys. So," Kabuto began to shuffle the cards, "give me anything you might know about them, villages, descriptions, anything."

"Gaara of the Desert," said Sasuke. "He's from Suna."

"Well that's no fun," said Kabuto, "You already know his name. That's easy-"

"Give me Sasuke's card," Kiba interrupted, glaring at the boy in question. "And Naruto's while you're at it."

"Kiba!" protested Hinata. "Stop it!"

"No, it's fine," said Naruto, "honestly, I'm curious what it's going to say."

Kabuto gave him a strange look. "Alright," he said. He stopped shuffling, picking three specific cards from the deck. He placed them on the ground and tapped the first one. "So, first off is Gaara of the Desert," he said. "Mission experience: eight C-ranks, and, get this, one B-rank. There's not much info on this guy, nothing on his skills, but get this – it's specifically noted that he went through every mission without getting a single scratch on him."

"The dude's been on a B-rank as a genin?" asked Shikamaru, his face worried. "And he's never gotten injured?"

Naruto glanced at his teammates, knowing they would share his opinion – on both A-ranks, they'd suffered plenty of injuries themselves. "What's the deal with this guy…?" he muttered. He looked at Kabuto, looking for confirmation. "Teammates?" he asked.

"Temari and Kankuro of the Desert," answered Kabuto. "His older brother and sister – she's the eldest of the three. They're the Kazekage's children."

Jinchūriki status, confirmed, thought Naruto. He's royalty, and by blood he'd be fiercely loyal to Suna.

Kabuto moved on to the next card. "So, Sasuke Uchiha," he said, revealing the card's contents. "This one's easier," he said. "Mission Experie- no, that can't be right…"

"What is it?" asked Kiba.

"…two A-ranks?" asked Kabuto, looking up at Sasuke and his teammates with awe. "What…? How?"

Sasuke shrugged. "They were originally C-ranks," he said. "The rating was upgraded mid-mission. On both occasions."

The rest of the genin took a step away from them. "Okay, I'm feeling the pressure," said Choji. "How'd you even live through that?"

Naruto winced. "With a lot of luck," was all he said.

"I'll say," said Kabuto, looking back at his card. "So, Sasuke, two A-ranks, and twelve D-ranks. Abilities are balanced out in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, along with some Kenjutsu. Teammates are Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, and his jōnin is Kakashi Hatake. Noted to be the Last Loyal Uchiha, and that his Sharingan has activated. That's all."

"Jeez," said Kiba. "I'm regretting having asked… I'm guessing Naruto's won't be as impressive."

I hope not, thought Naruto. If he ends up having too much information on me, then that means we have a stranger in our house. 'A stranger in our house' meant there was a spy.

Kabuto picked up the last card. When the chakra revealed its contents, Naruto's heart gave a jump – he could see the blacked-out parts from his position.

"Well, well," said Kabuto, "secrets galore. Not much info on your teammate, Sasuke. Mission experience and teammates are known, obviously, but his skills have been blacked-out. Somebody doesn't want people knowing about Naruto. Any extra notes… well, other than his mother is Anko Mitarashi and that he's adopted, the rest is blacked out as well."

The ANBU must have gotten rid of the info, he thought. Still, to even have access to that file… I think there's a stranger in our house.

"And that's our cue for staying away from these guys during the exam," said Shikamaru. "Man, what a drag."

Naruto grinned to hide his unease. "Aw, come on Shika, there's no need to be like that!" he said.

Kabuto took his card back. "Well, you guys get the point," he said. "These particular exams are going to be tough. In my four years, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this bunch."

"You could even say that these exams are made to make you lose your confidence," said Hinata, her face worried.

"It's a fine time to start talking like that!" yelped Ino.

"Do you really think these exams are going to be tougher than usual, Kabuto?" asked Sakura, her face expressionless.

"Oh yeah," came the answer. "We've got our work cut out for us."

Sasuke grinned. "Good," he said. He looked at his teammates. "We've been looking for a challenge."

"Hell yeah!" said Sakura.

Naruto glanced at the worried faces of the rest of the rookies, watching them suffer under peer pressure, and he took the initiative. "Hey losers!" he yelled, turning to look at the rest of the candidates. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and by the time I'm through with all of you my name is going to be engraved in all your asses, believe it!"

"What the-!? What's wrong with this guy!?" yelled Ino, looking at Sakura accusingly. "Tell your boyfriend to shut his trap!"

Sakura laughed in response. "Classic Naruto!" she said. "Leave some for the rest of us!"

Sasuke smirked confidently. "He's done his job," he said in a voice that wouldn't carry. "Now, they'll be focused on him instead of the rest of us."

Shikamaru heard him, glancing at the Uchiha. "Team dynamics, huh?" he said. "What a drag."

"Could you say that again?" Kiba asked Naruto, smirking sarcastically, "I don't think that everybody heard you- Whoa!"

Shling!

Naruto's blades ejected, his eyes tracking the fast-moving targets heading towards them. Three ninja, moving so fast their bodies were blurs, two to distract, one to attack, the latter pulling his long sleeve back and revealing a device on his arm-

Sakura and Sasuke moved as well. They intercepted the other two blurs, Sasuke drawing his sword and Sakura her warhammer, the girl actually going through and slamming the handle in the stomach of one of the blurs, a black-haired girl dressed in grey camouflage and wearing a sound-note headband – Otogakure; the other blur, dressed in similar attire, stopped in front of Sasuke.

Naruto managed to catch up to the other guy, the one with the gauntlet on his arm, as he was heading towards Kabuto. The Oto Shinobi, surprised at his appearance, swung with his gauntleted arm, and Naruto distinctly heard something come from the gauntlet, so he stepped into the blow, placing one of his blades in the path of the genin's arm and the other at his neck.

The blow stopped in its tracks, Naruto's left blade millimeters away from piercing skin and leaving the Oto genin without an arm.

Naruto stared into the only visible eye of the Oto Shinobi. "Feeling frisky, asshole?" he said.

"Well, well," came a drawling voice from behind the bandaged visage of the genin. "Looks like your bite matches your bark."

Naruto glared.

There was chakra being channeled into that hit, said Kurama in his mind. I'm nullifying the damage now. Not sure what it was – I've never seen anything like it.

I'm feeling it, thought Naruto, and he did – his stomach was feeling ready to send his breakfast back up full price plus taxes. Whatever the technique was supposed to do, he'd interrupted it before it could complete its effect.

Not that he let his opponent know, of course. Besides, he never even got the chance, as suddenly there was a large explosion of smoke from the front of the classroom, on the opposite side of the quarreling genin.

"All right you baby-faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!"

The smoke began to clear, revealing a group of people, all dressed in grey-colored uniforms. At their head was a man wearing the same uniform, but with a black trench coat on top, not unlike Naruto's own night-ops black coat. The man had a massive scar on his cheek that went from over his left eye all the way to his jaw, crossing over his lip. A smaller scar was on his other cheek, at the exact same angle, going from below his right eye and going around his jaw.

"It's time to begin!" yelled the leader. "I'm Ibiki Moreno, your proctor, and from this moment… your worst enemy!"

He glanced over at the Oto genin and Team Seven. "First, you candidates from the Village Hidden in the Sound," he yelled, pointing at them. "Knock it off! Who told you you could fight? Do you want to be failed before we've even begun!?"

The Oto genin facing Naruto stepped back, and Naruto pulsed his chakra on his arms, sheathing the blades. The genin smirked at Naruto, and looked back at Ibiki. "Sorry," he said, sounding slightly patronizing, "it's our first time. I guess we're a little jumpy… sir."

Ibiki scoffed and looked at the rest of the assembled genin, the scars on his face plus his attire making him an imposing figure. "Let me make something clear," he said. "As of this point there it to be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor, and even then the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited!" Ibiki lowered his voice, but the room was now so quiet that everyone could hear it. "Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?"

The Oto genin Sasuke had faced, the one with a strange headdress, chuckled. "No fatal force?" he asked. "Well that's no fun."

Some of the other men and women standing behind Ibiki chuckled, as if sharing an inside joke. Ibiki ignored the genin and continued to speak. "Now," he said, "you will all hand over your paperwork. In return you will be given a number, which will tell you exactly where you are going to sit. We'll start the written test once you are all seated."

For the first time today, Naruto felt true fear. "The… written test?" he quietly repeated, dread pooling in his stomach. As if answering him, one of the uniformed men (was that Kotetsu? Or Izumo? He couldn't tell) held up a stack of papers and waved it at him.

Naruto whimpered. "I'm doomed."

…ooOoo…

Seated in spot number fifty-three, Naruto glanced around surreptitiously, locating Sakura two rows behind him and Sasuke three rows to his right and four behind. On Naruto's right, Hinata was seated next to him, and they exchanged wishes of good luck to each other.

"Eyes front," said Ibiki. "There are a few rules you need to be aware of, and I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around!

"First rule: the exam is conducted on a point reduction basis," yelled Ibiki, turning to the blackboard and writing the rule down. "Contrary to what you may be used to, you will all begin with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong.

"Rule number two: Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members." This rule led to various exclamations being made by the assembled genin. Naruto groaned; if he flunked this test, Sasuke and Sakura would never forgive him since they'd fail with him. I didn't train for this! he thought, I'm combat oriented, not a walking book! That's Sakura's job… not that I'll ever say that to her face…

"Now, Rule Number Three," continued Ibiki. "The Sentinels you see around the room are there to keep an eye on you and to look for any signs of cheating, and for every incident they catch, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score." Ibiki smirked. "Be warned – their eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you five times you'll be out before the tests are even scored. Anyone foolish enough to be caught and eliminated by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here!"

Wait, thought Naruto, 'foolish enough to be caught…' Iruka would say something like, 'you better not cheat!' Naruto frowned, Iruka wouldn't want us to cheat, but the way this guy is talking… and there are five chances to not get caught cheating! I only need one glance, one cheat, and I'm scot free!

He grinned confidently as Ibiki continued. "If you want us to consider you Shinobi, then show us what exceptional Shinobi you can be," he said, confirming Naruto's conclusion. Look beneath the underneath, thought Naruto, that's what Kakashi always told us. "And finally, the last rule: If one team member gets a zero on his test, then the entire team fails."

And there's my motivation to not mess this up, thought Naruto. "Fuck," he said out loud.

"The final question on the exam will not be given until fifteen minutes before the end of the allotted time," said Ibiki. "You'll have one hour total." Ibiki glanced at the clock behind him, and as soon as it struck three-thirty, he yelled, "Begin!"

…ooOoo…

And done.

On Sakura's breakdown: That scene will appear in a future chapter. Jeez, you guys are mean, I mean sure, I killed off her parents, but that doesn't mean I'll show you a girl crying!

On the ANBU, codename Cat: Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, had three bodyguards that could use the Hiriashin, just not as proficiently as him. My logic for Cat (Yugao Uzuki) is that by learning from the person she's supposed to guard, she can fight against other Rinnegan wielders while at the same time learn to fight alongside Naruto without having to worry about collateral damage.

On the exam: I'm feeling uncreative. Sue me.