Shikarishte! – Get a hold of yourself.

Kaze – wind.

Chapter 10 – The chunin exam starts

A red fox watched as the red haired girl whispered her silent prayer to the wind and went to sleep, the fox's eyes were sad as she watched the girl cry. 'Why are some humans so stupid, can't he see that his child was not at fault…' the fox thought as she too let a couple tears escape her eyes.

The next morning came quickly and the team went on their D rank missions. Kimiko hated to look like an idiot but it was better like that, so all day long she did the missions wrongly, the only thing she didn't want to do wrong is when they had to take care of those dogs, which started chasing Naruto and the red fox.

After the mission ended and the team parted, Naruto and Sakura met Konohamaru, which ended with Konohamaru hurtling into a male sand-nin.

They were about to start an all out battle but Sasuke showed just a second before it really became a battle and stopped it, but then Gaara showed up as well.

"That guy, he is a jinchuuriki, isn't he, nee-chan?" Kimiko whispered quietly, knowing that the senses of the fox, that stood next to her legs, would pick up on the words.

'He is. Shukaku is inside of him, but it seems like he cannot sleep. The seal they have used is too weak and the boy is taking the consequences.' Kyuubi answered Kimiko's question in a whine.

On the other side of the city, a couple of jounins and chunin and the Hokage gathered to talk about the upcoming chunin exam. On that gathering Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma recommended their teams for the exam. Iruka tried to change their mind, but the only thing he could get was a preliminary exam, but they all bypassed it with amazing results.

The first part of the exam came and went and as the second one come, everyone moved to the forest of death.

Soon everyone stood before their doors. Naruto was silent for once as he looked at the fox that stood to his left leg.

"That man, the one with the kunai and the long tongue, he isn't normal, his chakra was too powerful and he smelled like snakes." Kimiko whispered quietly again and Kyuubi looked at her.

'I might be wrong, but I am almost sure, that guy is Orochimaru, one of the three sanins.' Kyuubi whined.

"Damn, he will give us quit the trouble… Did you see the way he looked at Sasuke? That guy wants something and the only thing I can think of is Sasuke's Sharingan." Kimiko whispered back and Kyuubi growled.

'He will come after us, be careful kiddo!' Kyuubi murmured.

"What is with the fox, Naruto? It keeps on growling and whining." Sakura murmured.

"She might be hungry and might smell some rabbit or something, or at least that's what I am guessing." Naruto said back, hiding the fact that the fox was just angry.

"What did you call it? She doesn't have name, does she?" Sakura asked as she looked at the fox.

"Her name is Kyuu. I wanted something short and yet cute, so that's the name I ended up with." Naruto said as he looked at the fox, who winked at him.

They were moving around the forest soon after and Naruto disappeared to go to the 'bathroom' and a couple of minutes later he came back, but this time the one that came back was an imposter. Sasuke was able to find that little detail just by seen him and attacked, they fought and while doing so they found Naruto. Sasuke stabbed the guy and he ran away, but just a couple of minutes later they were attacked by a strong wind. They got split by the wind again. Sasuke, Sakura and Kyuu were together, while Naruto was blown away from them and then attacked by a snake.

With Naruto/Kimiko

Soon after landing on the ground, Naruto turned around to see a giant snake closing on him and preparing to attack him. He quickly moved from the attack and landed not too far from the snake. He glared at it and his eyes changed to a full blue with only one white dot in the centre of them, a strong wind surrounded them and then the snake was cut into pieces. Soon after it died Naruto disappeared to go to aid his team.

With the others

Soon after the attacked stopped Sasuke, Sakura and Kyuubi, now known by them as simply Kyuu, were attacked by an imposter once again, but soon after being confronted for being an imposter the guy changed to the one who had earlier given their examiner's kunai. The enemy release a KI enough to make both Sakura and Sasuke fell on the ground and the fox growled at the guy. Orochimaru threw two kunais at both Sasuke and Sakura, telling them that this would be their dead, but Sasuke hit himself with his own kunai and grabbed Sakura before the kunais could hit them, Kyuubi quickly followed them.

They thought they had hid themselves good but they were soon attacked by a snake.

'Damn I was waiting for Kimiko, because I don't have her permission to show myself but I guess I don't have a choice, if I let them get hurt, she would be more than a bit pissed off.' Kyuubi thought and when Orochimaru went out of the snake that Sasuke killed and made a move at him, Kyuubi stood in front of Sasuke. She was ready to choke Orochimaru's head off when Naruto showed, throwing a couple of kunais at the enemy at the same time.

"I am sorry, Sasuke but I forgot the password, or more like didn't even play a mind when you were saying it." Naruto said proudly. Sasuke smirked slightly while Sakura said his name happily.

"Damn that guy looks disgusting!" Kimiko whispered quietly and Kyuu growled lowly, having heard the slipped out thought, showing her agreement.

Soon after Naruto showed, Sasuke threw their scroll at the enemy. Naruto grabbed it before it went in the wrong hands and then hit Sasuke, of course he yelled at him saying that giving it won't make the guy disappear. Naruto made a move to attack the guy but he summoned a snake and Naruto found himself once again being attacked by a giant snake.

"Damn it, I hate snakes!" Naruto yelled in a little different voice then his usual and then he moved out of the way of the hit the snake was trying to get.

The branch Naruto was sitting on got hit by the snake's tail and he stared falling hitting his back into another tree and his body started falling toward the snake.

"Damn the fuck with it…" Naruto whispered but everyone heard him. Next thing they all knew is that Naruto turned at the snake and his looks changed. Naruto was gone and on his place stood a girl with long red hair going to her waist, her hair was tied in one ponytail and she no longer had whiskers on her cheeks. She was dressed in blue shorts that went to her knees and white t-shirt and when she opened her eyes her bloodline was once again activated, then she stretched her hand toward the snake and whispered 'Kaze' and a strong wind made its way toward the snake.

Orochimaru had disappeared from on top of the snake and the snake was cut into a million of pieces. Sakura put a hand on her mouth to stop the scream that was coming, be it from surprise or terror of the power. Sasuke looked wide eyed at the scene in front of him, but his eyes become even more wide eyed when Orochimaru reappeared in front of him, about to hit him, but then Kimiko stood between them and hit Orochimaru making him back a couple of steps away.

"Shikarishte, Sasuke! As much as I would like to say I can, I cannot beat Orochimaru on my own! I need your help, Sasuke." Kimiko murmured trying to pull Sasuke out if his mind. But next thing they both know is that Orochimaru's tongue surrounded Kimiko's slender body and took her to him.

Orochimaru prized Kimiko for growing in an interesting way but then his tongue picked her t-shirt slightly, where he believed was the Kyuubi seal and he hit her with his Gogyō Fūin. Next thing Kimiko knew was that her body felt like on fire and pain stronger that she had ever felt run all over it, successfully knocking her out.

"Sasuke-kun, please help Naruto…!" Sakura screamed and Sasuke's eyes showed a little understanding.

Orochimaru threw Naruto in the air and a strong growl was heard as the little fox changed into a four tailed one, almost as big as a horse. Kyuubi caught Kimiko before she had fallen on the ground and then put her gently on one of the branches. Between that time Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and had gone after Orochimaru, finally getting rid of his fear.

"That boy has a big potential in him." Kyuubi whispered as she looked how he fought against Orochimaru. A little noise coming from Kimiko showed that she was close to waking up took Kyuubi's mind away from the battle and when she had seen that her little sister was just sleeping she turned too late to see Sasuke getting bitten by the snake sannin.

"Shit!" Kyuubi growled and attacked Orochimaru, but it was too late as Orochima disappeared, she thought about going after him but Kimiko and Sasuke needed help and Sakura couldn't just take them both.

Sakura looked a little scared at the fox that had Kimiko now on her back and then she took Sasuke with one tail and put him behind Kimiko.

"Come with me, we have to find a save place where to put this two and rest." Kyuubi murmured gently, trying not to scare the girl even more.

"Are you Kyuubi?" Sakura asked and flinched as Kyuubi nodded her head.

"One and only!" She answered as she went to the ground. "You don't have to be scared, my alliance lay with Kimiko, know by you as Naruto, and her only. Her wish is to protect this village and everyone dear to her, so I will do anything to help her do that. I will not harm you nor Sasuke, you have both became dear to her and she looks at you as a little sister and at the same time as a big sister, and she looks at Sasuke as a best friend and slightly like a brother, so I am not going to harm either of you." Kyuubi murmured as they both walked. Then they found a tree in which they hid.

Sasuke started having a fever and Sakura kept on changing clothing on his head. She was about to fell asleep sitting up when Kyuubi whisper to her.

"Go to sleep I will watch over them and take care as much as I can. I also apologize but I suck at healing, and Kimiko over there is the only one of the two of us that can somewhat try and heal someone but she is knocked out. Still you can calm down, Sasuke is going to be okay, when Kimiko wakes up she will heal him as much as she can."

"When will you tell us what is going on, how is Naruto a boy one minute and I girl another? Her name is Kimiko, right?" Sakura asked sleepily.

"Yes, her name is Kimiko and we will tell you everything once they are both awake." Kyuubi answered and then Sakura fell asleep only to wake up half an hour later screaming from a nightmare. She heard a noise behind her and pulled out a kunai, her hands trembling.

Kyuubi walked slowly to the girl. The fox now looked its usual height and it had one tail. "Calm down it's just a squirrel, but there is a sound team in the bush. Do not give out that we know, but be ready for a fight. I will try to handle them on my own but someone of them might bypass me." Kyuubi whispered so no one could hear her but the girl, who nodded at the fox.

As the fox had said that the team soon showed themselves. Sakura didn't show her fear and started complaining at them, the fox that stood to her leg smirked. Her kit had one hell of a team, if they worked together and got stronger, for which each one of them had the potentialto, they could be even more amazing that the famous sannins. Her kit was a natural wind user with a powerful bloodline, but the bad thing was that they didn't know almost anything about that bloodline, going on with the things Kimiko felt natural to do. Next the Uchiha brat had a big potential at katon and his sharingan to help improve even more and he had the chakra reserves to go to a higher level. Then there was Sakura, she was strong willed and was probably one of the best people who could control their chakra. She could be a great medic-nin and at the same time a fighter, she might rival Tsunade in a couple of years.

Soon the team got fed up with Sakura's complains and attacked her and she smirked cutting a rope next to her, sending a branch of tree at them but one of them destroyed it.

Kyuubi went in front of Sakura but then Lee came and started to fight the enemy team.

Kyuubi was going to help Lee when he started to get it badly but the sound the guy was using got to her and she whimpered, trying to lessen her usually high senses.

"Strong willed indeed! Look at her eyes… she probably has bigger potential then Tsunade." Kyuubi whispered as she looked at Sakura while she cut her hair and then went into a fight with the enemy. Soon after that team 10 come to the rescue.

'This boy, he is letting the curse consume him!' Kyuubi thought as she looked at Sasuke. 'Kimiko wake up soon or your friend will go crazy! I cannot remove the seal or even weaken him. Damn it! Why am I so bad with seals?' Kyuubi growled in her thought.

Soon after Kyuubi's thoughts Sasuke was on his feet, the seal going almost all over his body and he went on crazy rampage, beating the crap out of the sound nins.

"And he has a soft spot for our pinky!" Kyuubi whined somewhat amusedly as she looked how the boy suppressed the seal on his own, after being hugged by Sakura.

"Didn't you look at his face back when we were on that mission in wave? When Sakura screamed in the fog, you should have seen his face, from indifference it went into all out worry in a second! It was quite funny!' Kimiko whispered and Kyuubi looked at her and on her place stood once again Naruto.

'When did you change back?' Kyuubi asked as she looked wonderingly at the Blondie.

"When I felt the others were around us, I still don't want to be found out by everyone. I did let my team seem me, but that doesn't mean the others would as well!" Naruto said as he tried to sit but had a bit of a hard time with doing so. The fox was by his side in a second.

Naruto started to play his stupid self the minute he was able to move any part of his body. He went to Sakura asking about her hair. At first both Sakura and Sasuke looked surprised and confused at Naruto, but they understood the silent 'pretend' that was going in the air, so they pretended that their teamed hadn't been a girl just a moment ago and hadn't been a powerful and smart one at all.

Not much later they were left alone and went to the river. Each one of them cleaned himself/herself in different time while the others put the fire on and then cooked the fish they had caught.

Just when they set around the fire, ready to eat, did the air became trick with the discomfort.

"I am guessing you want answers… If I was in your shoes I would want the same." Naruto murmured. "Well it's pain in the ass to try and keep the seal active anyway!" he murmured as he whispered 'kai' and Kimiko was once again in his place.

"Well, my real name is Kimiko and I used to be Kyuubi's jailor until I freed her a couple of months ago." Kimiko murmured as she watched their eyes, there were understanding and the same time confusion in there.

"Do not blame her for what I did that night. She has enough people on that list, her own father leading it!" Kyuubi murmured as each one of them set on a different side of the fire.

"Her father?" Sasuke asked the curiosity winning, but he partly wished he hadn't asked as he saw how his now female teamed bit her lips.

"Can we bypass that…" Kimiko murmured and Sasuke's eyes widen.

"Leading… the one that is always glaring at you every time he sees you… Yondaime!" Sasuke said sounding sure and yet surprised and somewhat angry.

"Same one… the biggest idiot out there!" Kyuubi growled while Kimiko shook her head.

"Why did you have to go that way, of all the things you could have asked?" Kimiko murmured and she was surprised as Sakura hugged her.

"He is wrong, you aren't bad!" Sakura whispered in her ear and Sasuke smiled.

"Thank you! I was sure you would hate my guts when you found out…" Kimiko murmured.

"So how strong are you really?" Sasuke asked yet again the curiosity wining.

"Well I can't say I am not strong, for a gennin that is, but there are too many things out there to learn yet. And by the way Sasuke you might want to quit that revenge you are so damn set about. The cursed seal you have on yourself will start eating at your soul every time you feel anger or hatred." Kimiko murmured which got her a glare from the Uchiha.

"Don't talk like you know what is like to…" Sasuke started but Kimiko interrupted him.

"I do not know what is like to have everyone you care about killed but I am telling you to not think only about revenge, there are many other things worth to live for. If you let yourself live only on revenge, it will sooner or later consume you and change you, in a way you will regret later on. And also there is this thing because of which I have some doubts about the Uchiha massacre. There is a slight possibility that your brother hadn't done it… or at least not for the reason you know of." Kimiko whispered and Sasuke looked wide eyed at her words.

"What?" He asked a little bit fearfully.

"I tend to like going in and out of the Hokage office and building just so I could look around and when you told me about wanting to kill your brother on the bridge I got extra curios, so I went there but I couldn't find almost anything about the story that goes all around the village and some of it sounds kind of impossible for one ninja to kill a whole clan of ninjas, so I went to root's or other known as Danzo's office and started searching through his things. Apparently Danzo had bypassed the Hokage and the consul and had given you brother the mission to kill all Uchiha's having only one of his teammate as a helper. Because Itachi had let you alive he had been thrown out of the village by Danzo. I think you should give up your revenge, try to find your brother so you could clear the things between you. If what I had read is true, then your brother had killed your clan to save the village because the clan had plans to take over the village, and he had left the same village he had risked his life for, so you could be protected. If that is true you have no right to want revenge!" Kimiko said with a matter of fact kind of voice and Sasuke looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"That has to be a lie! He killed them so he could test his strength!" Sasuke murmured trying to convince himself that it is true and a tear made its way down his cheek and Sakura hugged him, understanding now the pain he had gone through.

"Sasuke, if that is true and I am one hundred percent sure it is, your brother had gone through the same pain like you but he also had been the one to kill them and to top it off he had been thrown out by the village and had began to be hated by you. He is a spy in some organization, for which I plan to find more details about and his only way out is to find a way to destroy that organization. I don't ask you to forgive him but I ask you to try and let go of that hatred or that cursed seal on you will soon eat your soul." Kimiko said gently putting her arm on his shoulder to reassure him.

"Thanks, I guess. But this means I am working for the village that killed my family." Sasuke whisper and he got hit on the head by Kimiko, the action surprising both Sasuke and Sakura. "What the fuck!" Sasuke growled.

"I told you, that Danzo had bypassed the Hokage and the Consul. Fuck, probably the only one that knows the truth about the massacre is us three, Itachi and Danzo, no one else. So don't go blaming the entire village!" Kimiko growled at Sasuke and he glared at her.

"Didn't the same village that you are trying to protect, destroy your life, I have seen how they look at you, how you were always alone because the parents would tell their children not to go near you, hadn't the Hokage, who is also your father, been glaring at you all this time. Truthfully you might have even bigger reason to hate this village then I have." Sasuke growled and Kimiko laughed but it wasn't a happy one.

"They might have hurt me but I still want to because Hokage someday and protect them. Everyone have a bad and a good side, I just choose to protect them even if they want to burn me alive." Kimiko said somewhat proud.

"You are too strong willed!" Sasuke said making Sakura and Kimiko laugh.

"Wait a minute, so I have not one but two females in my team? Damn, I am probably going to lose in this chunin exam." Sasuke said with a smirk making both of his teammates glare at him.

"Don't underestimate us because we are females, Sasuke!" Kimiko said harshly and Sasuke laughed.

"Sasuke, will you let me try something with that seal?" Kimiko asked as she looked at the cursed seal.

"You think you can remove it?" Sasuke asked hopefully and smirked slightly but the smirk fall when Kimiko shook her head.

"I might not be able to remove it but I might be able to change it, so it doesn't put any bad thought in your mind and also so Orochimaru wouldn't be able to use it or you in any way. In other word I could change it so you could either use it for your own good, like if you are out of chakra you could pull some of there and you could also put some of your chakra every day so if you wanted someday you could have a big chakra reserve just in case, but it might be possible that I would be able to just neutralist the bad effects. So how about it?" Kimiko explain and Sasuke looked somehow doubtful, while Sakura looked more like happy.

"Go for it, I guess!" Sasuke answered and so for the next half an hour Kimiko changed the seal so it wouldn't be like a hidden enemy or something.

Soon after it they started to talk about different things when Kyuubi growled slight and told them that someone was coming. Kimiko quickly changed into Naruto and each one of them got ready for a fight. They were surprised when they saw Kabuto in front of themselves.

They talked and then they started to make their way toward the tower. On the way there they beat a team from which they got their second scroll and not much after it they made their way throw the halls of the tower.

They found out that they should throw their scrolls and when they did it, Iruka came out. He congratulated them for passing the second part and then explained how things were.

After that the seven teams that had made it to the tower gather into a hall and the Hokage together with some jounins and chunins stood in front of the teams and explained that if someone wanted to quit now was the time, that was when Kabuto quitted and Kimiko glared at him.

"That guy is not clean!" Naruto murmured to his teammates.

"You think!" Sasuke growled.

"He kind of had a snake smell on himself, but I decided not to scare you…" Kyuubi whispered quietly, so just the team could hear her.

"Seems like I wasn't the only one that thought that he was far from clean…" Sakura murmured and they laughed, everyone looked at them in wonder.

'I am glad you made it, Naruto!' thought the Hokage. 'I wouldn't have forgiven myself if something had happened, not now when I finally found my mistake and am ready to do anything to make things right once again.' He smiled proudly.

Just as Minato thought that Hayato showed up. He then proceeded to explain the preliminary matches.

Kimiko giggled a little and her teammates looked at her questioningly, and she moved her fingers, so they were pointing Kakashi and Anko yelling at each other for something.

"What's so funny about our sensei yelling at the other jounin?" Sasuke asked confused and Sakura nodded to his question.

"The fact that they are actually yelling at each other, because of your cursed seal. Anko wants to pull you out while Kakashi tells her that you wouldn't just dumb the exam because of the seal."

"Damn right I won't!" Sasuke growled and then blinked and the three of them once again started laughing, at which the Hokage, Kakashi and Anko looked like they had been hit. Was the boy that well to laugh, after having the cursed seal?

The faces they were making made the three genins laughed even louder.

"Damn, I haven't laughed in years and to top it off I am laughing for the second time today!" Sasuke said as he finally stopped laughing.

"Seems like we would have to start making you laugh more from now on." Naruto said and Sakura nodded.

Soon the preliminaries started and the first battle was Sasuke against Yoroi. After telling them which will be the first to fight they were asked to go up and out of the arena. Naruto and Sakura stood for a bit more to wish Sasuke good luck. Kakashi come to join them soon after.

"Sasuke, don't use Sharingan!" Kakashi whispered to Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widen slightly then they held somewhat of a funny glint in them. "So you know?" Sasuke whispered back.

"If that cursed seal on your neck becomes uncontrollable, it may kill you." Kakashi told him and Sasuke smirked.

"It's already taken care of, Kakashi!" Sasuke growled and Kakashi looked at him untrustingly.

"If that happens, the match will be canceled. I'll stop you, so keep that in mind!" Kakashi told him, like Saske hadn't said anything. After saying that he moved to leave and Sasuke glared at him and then he turned to Sakura and Naruto that was still right next to him and had heard everything.

"Make sure he doesn't cancel my fight, because he thinks I am using too much chakra or something!" Sasuke told them as he looked a little bit pissed off.

"We will, you just make sure you beat the crap out of that guy!" Sakura said as she smiled at Sasuke, who nodded at her.

"Go and win, Sasuke, let's show them that team 7 is not to be underestimated." Naruto said and they hit their fists in one another.