Chapter 11

Hey everyone! I'm back! I got this chapter done in a month and a half! A lot faster than I thought I would take. I'm excited about this chapter!

FYI! There is a lot of Sakura bashing in this chapter, though that will be ending shortly. I like Sakura, but I feel that she needs a good bashing and a reality check before actually becoming useful. LOL!

A special thanks to my best friend Chibiusa! She did an awesome job of editing chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, though I wish I did!

AN: This is the third time I've re-posted this chapter! I've gone through and re-edited it again, so hopefully all the problems are taken out and resolved!

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Gaara chuckled. One that sent shivers down Naruto's spine. "You don't know what you are, do you?" The redhead asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto was getting nervous.

"You have something inside of you...a power unlike any other." Gaara continued. "A bijuu."

"B-Bijuu? What's that?" Naruto frowned, oviously freaked out. Naruto's eyes widened when the dark smirk widened. He shivered more when he felt power oozing from Gaara. 'This power...it's like the power I felt at the bridge. He...He knows something about this power.' He stared at the evil looking boy and felt fear spread through every bone in his body. 'Just who are you?'

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Naruto stared at the red head, eyes wide with fear. The look Gaara was giving him could only mean that this...biuu, wasn't a very good thing. Naruto continued to stare at the raccoon-like boy and tried to gather up the nerve to speak. After a few moments of collecting himself, Naruto spoke. "Well? Are you going to tell me what a bijuu is?"

Gaara seems slightly confused by Naruto's question. "You mean...you've lived your entire life without knowing what you are?" Gaara had spent most of his life knowing what he had inside him and what he was. It was almost impossible not to know when your father was the Kazekage.

Naruto blinked. "I know what I am. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Future Hokage of Konohagakure." He said proudly. He was starting to get back his vigor.

"Oh shut up, Naruto." Sakura sighed. "You have to be strong to be Hokage."

Naruto growled. He was about to retort, but Gaara spoke before him. "I didn't ask who you are. I asked what you are." Gaara explained.

"You said I'm a bijuu. I don't even know what that is. And you still haven't explained it to me." Naruto said crossing his arms over his chest.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Who cares, Naruto? You probably wouldn't understand it even if he spelled it out for you."

Naruto growled. "Shut up, Sakura! No one asked your opinion!"

Sakura gasped and pouted. She turned from Naruto towards the Suna nin were. She blinked. "Uhm...where'd they go?"

Naruto blinked as well. "They're gone..." He stared at the spot where Gaara stood. 'He wasn't normal. He's hiding something. And what the hell is a bijuu?!'

Sakura sighed. "Well, those guys were weird." She said. 'Although...that redhead was still kind of cute...'

"For once, we agree on something." Naruto shrugged. He put a hand on his cheek, where Sakura had punched him earlier. "You know Sakura, that really fricken' hurt."

"Oh wah!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "It you're as tough as you say, you can handle a punch from a girl."

"But he shouldn't have to take a punch from you, Sakura."

Naruto and Sakura turned to the voice and saw Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed. She went to glomp the Uchiha, but stopped when Sasuke held up his hand.

"Don't, Sakura. I've never had interest in you, and I certainly won't now that you've hurt my friend...again." Sasuke glared.

Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke with shock. Sakura took a step towards Sasuke in concern. "Sasuke-kun...? Why...Why would you say that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. Why would you punch Naruto in the face?"

"Because he's stupid and annoying!" Sakura yelled.

"So are you." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

Sakura gasped and took a step back, surprised. "S-Sasuke-kun...why...why would you say something...so mean? I love you!" Sakura cried.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Oh my God." He began to rub the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Sakura, you've spent so much time fawning over me, you've neglected your training as a kunoichi."

"B-But I am a kunoichi!" Sakura cried again.

Sasuke sighed. "Just because you have that hitai-ate, doesn't mean you're a ninja. You're weak and you've lost sight of what it means to be a ninja because you're obsessed with me. Do yourself a favor and get over me. While you're at it, get over yourself and get stronger. Otherwise, you're just like a child, playing Ninja."

Sakura stared at her crush for a little longer, before turning and running away in tears.

Naruto stared at Sasuke like he had grown a second head.

Sasuke turned to Naruto and blinked. "What?"

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Sasuke?" Naruto asked, gently poking the Uchiha's cheek.

"Knock it off!" Sasuke scolded, swatting the blond's hand away. "I'm still me, dobe. I'm just sick and tired of Sakura's holier-than-thou act and her obsession over me. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a cut out of me in her room." Sasuke shivered at the thought.

Naruto bent over and laughed. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle as well. Naruto stood up straight and smiled. "Thanks."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow at the training grounds."

Naruto nodded. "Kay. See ya, Sasuke." He bid his friend goodbye and headed back towards the Hokage Tower. 'The old man has some explaining to do.'

Naruto marched to the tower, up the stairs, and into the Hokage's office. Hiruzen, who had been doing more of his ever-so-tedious paperwork, was taken by surprise when Naruto suddenly barged into his office. "Oh...hello, Naruto. Can I help you?"

"What's a Bijuu?" Naruto said looking rather angry at the Hokage.

Hiruzen froze. After a moment, he collected himself and spoke. "Naruto...it was quite rude to just burst into-"

"What is a bijuu, Old Man?! You know! I know you know what it is!"

Hiruzen sighed. He reached into his desk and pulled out his pipe. He would need to smoke if he was going to explain everything. "Walk with me, Naruto. We have a lot to talk about."

Naruto glared at the Hokage as he walked out of his office, he took a deep breath and followed the old man. Hiruzen lead Naruto all the way up to the Hokage Mountain before Naruto opened his mouth. "Alright, Old Man! You've lead me all the way up here without saying a word! Are you going to start talking or not?" Naruto was furious.

Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto...you asked me what a bijuu is. A bijuu is a titantic beast who's power is determined by how many tails it has." he explained.

"So...like the Kyuubi no Yoko." Naruto confirmed.

Hiruzen nodded. "Precisely." He took a deep breath and continued. "I'm glad you mentioned the Kyuubi, because it has to do with this conversation."

"Why? Because it's a Bijuu?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Yes and no." Hiruzen took a another deep breath and spoke. "Naruto...do you know what a jinchuuriki is?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. What does it matter?!" He was getting impatient.

"It matters because you are a jinchuuriki." Hiruzen frowned.

Naruto blinked. "But...that Suna nin said I was a bijuu." He was so confused.

Hiruzen looked at Naruto and gently stroked his beard. 'So it seems the Kazekage's children are in town.' The Hokage sighed. This was just not his day. "No. You're a jinchuuriki. You contain a Bijuu."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wh...what?" He couldn't believe his ears. "I...contain a bijuu?! Is that what I was feeling during the Wave mission?!" Naruto yelled. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

Hiruzen had been expecting this. "Listen, Naruto. I wanted you to have as much of a normal childhood as you-"

"Normal!? What part of my life has been normal!? I'm an orphan, no family whatsoever! I had to steal to survive! Villagers would beat down my door and try to kill me every year on my birthday! Does that sound normal to you!? How has my life been normal!?"

Hiruzen flinched slightly. "Naruto-"

"What kind of monster do I have inside of me, Old Man?" Naruto frowned. "I need to know."

Hiruzen hesitated. Should he tell Naruto the truth?

"Well?!" Naruto yelled. "Are you going to tell me or not?!"

Hiruzen sighed again. He then a deep breath and spoke. "You hold the Kyuubi no Yoko."

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Wh...what?"

"You heard what I said." The Kyuubi no Yoko is inside you." Hiruzen repeated.

Naruto looked at the man, then at his feet. His eyes still wide. "It...it all makes sense now. All of it. The hatred...the screaming and yelling...everything." Naruto felt tears threatening to fall. "I'm...I'm the kyuubi..."

"No you're not!" Hiruzen frowned. "Don't you dare think that!"

Naruto looked up at the Hokage, tears trickling down his cheeks. "Why?! My whole life I wondered why these villagers hated me. Now I know! It's because I killed all their loved ones!" He cried.

Hiruzen sighed. "No, Naruto. You didn't. You're not a killer."

Naruto scoffed. "Oh yeah? Says who? You?" Naruto shook his head. "Nothing you say will change what the villagers think of me." The blond said solemnly.

Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto...I need to show you something."

Naruto blinked as he watched Hiruzen reach into his robes. The old man pulled out a familiar black book. "H-Hey...that's the Hokage's journal."

Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed. There's some things you need to read."

Naruto looked at the old Hokage skeptically, but approached him and took the book. "What do I need to read?"

Hiruzen leaned over and skipped over several pages, until he stopped at his desired page. "Start here." He said softly.

Naruto frowned at the old man, but started reading. It was a passage from the Fourth Hokage...

Today my wife has surprised me with the best news of my life. I'm going to be a father! I couldn't be more excited! I hope the baby is just like it's mother: Ramen fanatic, hot tempered, chubby cheeked, stubborn, fearless, cheerful, kind, strong...I could just go on and on about how I want our child to be. Kushina and I have decided to use her last name for the child, due to my enemy list growing each and every day. We're both hoping for a boy. If it's a boy we're going to name it after Jiraya's Tales of the Gutsy Shinobi character: Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. I can tell...with a name like that...you're going to go places in this world. Hope to see you soon, my little Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened. "I'm...this...is this real...?" he asked, completely dumbfounded.

Hiruzen nodded. "It is. You...are Namikaze Minato's son."

Naruto stared at the book with shock, "I'm the Fourth Hokage's son..."

Hiruzen nodded again. "There's more."

The blond blinked. "Does it have to do with the Kyuubi?"

The old Hokage nodded again. "Yes. I needed to show this to you, to explain what I'm about to show you next." The old man flipped through several more pages before stopping again.

Naruto looked at the date on the page and blinked. "This was...dated on my birthday."

Hiruzen nodded. "This passage will explain everything."

Naruto nodded and started reading again.

Today marks one of the saddest, and most tragic days in Konohagakure's history. So much has happened within these twenty-four hours.

The Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina sacrificed themselves to seal away the Kyuubi no Yoko. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, witnessed Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina seal the titanic beast inside their newborn son. Young Naruto now holds the most powerful biiju to roam the earth. I will do my best and uphold Minato's final wish for his son. Your son shall be viewed as the hero he was born to be.

Naruto gazed over the rest of the words, only a few words actually registering in his brain: death, hundreds of people, Kyuubi no Yoko. Naruto looked up at the aged Hokage, tears forming in his eyes. "He...sealed him...inside me...? His...his own son?" Naruto was completely astonished. Why would he do that to him?! "How could he do this to me?!" Naruto yelled, tears now flowing freely. Naruto turned and ran from the Hokage, running back into the village.

Hiruzen had expected Naruto to be upset, but he didn't think the blonde would run. Hiruzen sighed. He had a gut feeling he had just lost the respect of his favorite spunky ninja. He sighed and made the trek back to the Hokage Tower.

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That evening Naruto was sitting on the Yondaime's head, looking out over Konoha. It was his favorite place to go when he needed to think. He was still upset over everything he had just recently learned. 'How...? Why?! Why would my Otou-San seal this...this thing inside of me?! No wonder all of the villagers despise me...It's because of that damn fox!'

"Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto turned around and saw Hinata standing behind him. She looked concerned and worried.

"Oh...hey Hinata-Chan. Look...I don't wanna sound rude but I'm not in a good mood right now, and I kind of want to be alone." Naruto said turning away from her and looking out over the village again.

Hinata sighed. She ignored Naruto's request and moved to sit next to him. "The Hokage asked me to find you. He said you two had a misunderstanding and was sure you wouldn't want to see him right now."

Naruto scoffed. "That's the understatement of the year."

Hinata looked at her crush. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Like I said...I just want to be alone for a while." He said, not looking at his friend.

Hinata was disappointed. She wanted to help her crush, but if he didn't want her help, then he wouldn't get it. She stood up and turned to walk away. She gasped slightly when she felt Naruto grasp her hand. "Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto sighed. "I'll tell you. Just...give me a minute."

Hinata nodded and sat back down. After about five more minutes of silence, Naruto spoke.

"I found out why all the villagers hate me." he started. " Do you remember when we learned about how the Yondaime destroyed the Kyuubi no Yoko?" When Hinata nodded, he continued. "Well...the Kuubi wasn't destroyed."

Hinata blinked. "It wasn't? Then what happened to it?" She was thoroughly confused.

"The Kyuubi was sealed away." He explained. "Inside...me..." He hesitated.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Wh...What?"

"The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside of me...when I was a baby." Naruto was a little choked up talking about it. He was expecting Hinata to scream, run, call him a demon, or murderer like all the villagers. He wasn't expecting her to suddenly envelope him in a tight embrace. "H...Hinata-Chan?"

"I'm so sorry, Naruto-Kun!" She cried. She now understood why people called him a monster and a demon, even though Naruto was the farthest thing from one. "I'm sorry you have to bare this burden..." She said through a sob.

Naruto blinked in surprise. She...was comforting him. Even after finding out what he was! "Thank you Hinata-Chan..." Naruto returned the hug. After a few more moments of hugging, the couple separated. "Oh...There's one more thing."

Hinata blinked. "Really?"

"Don't worry. It's not necessarily a bad thing." Naruto said with a sad smile.

"What is it, Naruto-Kun?" 'You have a sad look Naruto-Kun. It has to be a bad thing.'

"I found out who my parents were." He smiled.

Hinatas gasped. "Congratulations! Who are they?"

"Well...My Okaa-San is Uzumaki Kushina. She was the Red-Hot Habanero." Naruto chuckled.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Kushina-San was your mother?"

Naruto blinked. "Yeah...why?"

"My Okaa-San was best friends with your Okaa-San. She spoke very highly of her, and has many pictures of the two of them, with Sasuke's Okaa-San as well." Hinata explained.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Woah...that's...kinda spooky."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "What about your Otou-San? Who was he?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "Namikaze Minato. Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure." He said quietly.

Hinata's eyes widened further. "Your...Your Otou-San was...the Yondaime?" Hinata was at a loss for words. Being the child of any Hokage was an honour. But being the son of a legendary Hokage...it was more than an honour. But Naruto didn't look proud or excited. "What's the matter Naruto-Kun? Aren't you happy?"

"I'm glad I know who they are. I mean...my Otou-San is the fricken Yondaime Hokage for God's sake! But he's also the one who sealed the Kyuubi into me. How can I be happy when my Otou-San is the reason for my miserable life?"

Hinata frowned. "Is your life truly miserable, Naruto-Kun?" She then took his hand. "Yes...your past wasn't ideal. In fact...it was quite terrible. But...even when you were a child, you have people who cared: Teuchi-San, Hokage-Sama, Iruka-Sensei." Hinata listed off. "Now...you're a shinobi of Konoha. You have a team who cares about you, friends who care about you. Is your life now truly miserable?"

Naruto sighed. "No...it's not. But it's still hard to get over the fact that my Otou-San sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside of me."

Hinata nodded. "I understand. But...maybe he didn't have a choice." When Naruto gave her a skeptic look, she elaborated. "Put yourself in your Otou-San's shoes. He couldn't choose another child for this. Asking another child's parents to have their child host such a creature...any sane parent would explode at him, even if he was the Hokage." Hinata explained. "Also...think how hard it was for him to do this. Seal the Kyuubi into his own son? It probably killed him inside."

Naruto listened and sighed. "Yeah...you're right. Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Naruto teased.

Hinata smiled and gently nudged him with her shoulder. "How do you feel now?"

"Still hurt and upset. But I understand the reasoning behind it. I think I just need to get used to the idea. Let it all sink in, you know?"

Hinata nodded. "What about Hokage-Sama?"

Naruto sighed again. "I'm upset he didn't tell me. I mean...he let me grow up as an orphan without knowing who my parents were, andhe knew why I was being tormented for all those years. I mean...yeah...I understand why he didn't want me to know about the Kyuubi, but I still would have liked to know. I'm not the demon. I just happen to have it living inside my stomach." Naruto said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Hinata giggled. "I understand Naruto-Kun. I think you should just cool off and let it all calm down before approaching the Hokage-Sama."

Naruto nodded. "You're right. Now...all this information and moping has made me hungry! Ichiraku's?"

Hinata laughed. "Wouldn't want to go anywhere else."

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The next day, Team 7 met at their usual training grounds. Naruto hadn't slept well that night. He was coming to terms with what his father did and had forgiven him for what happened. But he still wasn't ready to forgive the Third Hokage for not telling him anything all these years. He also wanted to talk to Gaara about being a biiju. He had so many questions that only Gaara could answer. As he thought about what he could say to the Suna Nin, Kakashi arrived in his tardy manner.

"Sorry I'm late team. I saw a little old lady who-"

"Save it, Sensei. We've heard all of your lame excuses." Naruto sighed. "I thought Kurenai-Sensei was supposed to be helping you with that." Naruto said, eying his sensei.

Kakashi blushed, though it couldn't be seen through his mask. "She has her own team to watch over, Naruto. She can't be there every morning."

"Ooooooh! So she comes and wakes you up every morning?" Naruto waggled his eyebrows. Naruto felt Sasuke's fist connect with the back of his head. "OW! What was that for?!"

"To shut you up, Dobe." Sasuke said, matter-of-factly.

Hinata giggled as Naruto pouted. "So Kakashi-Sensei, what are we doing today?" She asked.

Kakashi cleared his throat and spoke. "We're actually going to train for the Chuunin exams. I've entered you three. ' He said with his "U" eye.

Naruto gasped. "Wait...we're going to actually test for Chuunin?"

Hinata blinked. "Are you sure we're ready, Sensei? Don't you think it's too soon?" She was slightly nervous. No first year Genin had ever participated in the Chuunin exams.

Kakashi nodded. "Indeed. I want you three to work on your teamwork more than anything. The more in sync you are, the more you'll excel in the exams."

"Can you tell us anything about the exam?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi thought a moment and shrugged. "I can't tell you all the details, but I can tell you what you have to do. The Exam starts with a written test." He saw Naruto immediately start to sweat. "Then...it's usually a survival test, and it ends with a sparring match." Kakashi said with a nod.

"Why is teamwork so important?" Hinata asked. "I know you stress teamwork personally, but why do we need to work on it for the exams?"

Kakashi smirked at his team. "Just trust me when I say teamwork is key. I've seen too many teams end up dead because they were lacking as a team. I want you three to excel."

Naruto blinked. "Wait...do people die during the Chuunin exams?"

Kakashi nodded. "Don't worry, Naruto. I have a feeling you three will be just fine."

"Oh yeah...cuz that's comforting." Naruto mumbled.

Kakashi chuckled. "Alright team. Let's get to work."

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After a grueling day of training, Naruto was sitting at Ichiraku's with his teammates. "Man...I needed this." Naruto said before slurping down more noodles.

Hinata giggled. "I know, Naruto-Kun. Kakashi-Sensei worked us hard today."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "But it'll be worth it. Tomorrow we go in for our first part of the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto frowned. "Yeah...the written part. Whoopee." Naruto grumbled sarcastically.

Sasuke was about to speak when he heard the ever-so annoying voice call out his name. "SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke stared at his steaming hot ramen wondering if it was better to deal with Sakura or dive head first into the steaming bowl. He decided dealing with Sakura was the lesser of two pains. He turned around and frowned. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to have dinner with me!" She smiled brightly.

"Why would I? I'm already eating, and I'd rather eat in their company than yours." He said turning back around and faced his food.

Sakura frowned. "But Sasuke-kun! Why do you want to eat with this monster?!" Sakura said crossing her arms over her chest.

Naruto went rigid but quickly relaxed so his discomfort wouldn't show.

Sasuke turned around and faced Sakura with his Sharingan activated. "You know nothing, Sakura!" He yelled. Sasuke had been told Naruto's secret right after training. Naruto felt it was only right to tell him if Hinata knew. "How dare you call Naruto that!"

Sakura gasped and took a few steps back, scared of Sasuke's intimidating appearance. "S-Sasuke-Kun..."

Hinata stood up and approached Sakura. "Sakura...you have done nothing but hurt Naruto, both mentally and physically. You've done nothing but punch him, put him down, and treat him like he's less than a human being. Naruto is not the monster, Sakura. You are."

Naruto stood up next to his friends, smirking. "I would leave, Sakura. You aren't going to win this fight. Especially with how weak you are."

Sakura gasped. She looked at the team, and felt tears spill down her cheeks. She turned and ran from the them.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thanks guys. Ramen's on me tonight."

The three smiled at each other and resumed their meal.

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After the dinner fiasco, Naruto was walking around the village. He needed to do something, and he was a little nervous about it. So he was seeking out the one person who could help him. After searching the village for a good hour, he found him. He was sitting on a rooftop, looking out over the village. Naruto leaped up to the roof, walking up to the boy.

"I'm surprised you sought me out so soon, Uzumaki." Came the husky voice.

Naruto sighed. "You're the only one who has answers for me. And I want them answered honestly."

Gaara smirked and turned around. "Ask any question you wish."

Naruto nodded and spoke. "Are you a jiinchuriki?"

Gaara chuckled. "Indeed I am. I host the Ichibi no Shukaku; a monster tanuki." He smirked.

Naruto blinked. 'The One-Tailed Racoon?Well that explains his appearance.' Naruto nodded at the information. "Why did you tell me about the Kyuubi?"

"I didn't tell you about the Kyuubi. I simply pointed out you were a jiinchuriki. I didn't know which biiju you hosted." Gaara smirked.

Naruto went rigid. 'Shit. I didn't mean to give myself away.' Naruto straightened out and cleared his throat. "You still haven't answered my question. Why did you tell me?"

Gaara chuckled. "I have my reasons." He stated bluntly.

Naruto frowned. 'Looks like I'm not going to be getting any answers from him.' He sighed and turned from the jiinchuriki. "Well...since you're not going to answer my questions, I'm leaving." Naruto walked away from Gaara, not bothering to look back at him.

Gaara watched the retreating blond, looking slightly upset. 'Why? Why are you so much different than me?'

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"Are you ready, guys?" Naruto asked, his fists clenched in determination. Team 7 was standing outside of the Academy, ready to go in and take the first test.

Hinata and Sasuke nodded. Naruto smiled at his team. "Alright guys! Let's go in."

Hinata nodded. "What room is it in, again?"

"301." Sasuke said. "Come on. Let's go in and find decent seating."

"Do you think there will be a lot of Genin?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Well...If the other new Genin are there, then that's nine of us. Then last year's Genin, and maybe even older ones." Naruto said. "So...I think so."

Team 7 walked inside the Academy and climbed the stairs until they came to a group of Genin standing in front of room 301. They were huddled around something. Team 7 approached and saw Sakura looking down at a strange looking boy. Sakura looked flustered and bright red.

Hinata instantly recognized the strange boy and moved towards him. "Lee-San! Are you alright?" Hinata said, helping this Lee person up.

Lee wore a green spandex suit with orange leg warmers. His hands and arms were tightly wrapped with bandages, and he wore his hitai-ate around his wait. But his outfit wasn't the strangest part of him. He had very profound round eyes, with prominent eye-lashes at the bottom of them. He was sporting a bowl shaped hair cut, and had very large, square-shaped, black eyebrows. Overall...he was a very bizarre looking boy.

Lee looked up at Hinata and smiled. "Oh Hinata-hime! It is so wonderful to see you. I am most alright. The Flames of Youth has lead me to the most beautiful flower." He said looking up at Sakura.

Hinata helped Lee up, then glared at Sakura. "You just can't be nice to anyone, can you?"

Sakura gasped. "I can be nice!"

"Name one person you are nice too." Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but Hinata cut her off. "That isn't Sasuke."

Sakura's mouth quickly closed. After a few moments of thinking, she couldn't come up with anything.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought." She turned back to Lee and smiled. "I think you should join your team, Lee-San."

Lee sighed. "Alright." He noticed Neji and Ten Ten looking rather annoyed with Lee him and Sakura's embarrassing display. He walked over to them and bowed. "Forgive me, friends! The Flames of Youth were burning too brightly to extinguish."

Ten Ten rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Lee. Next time...just don't waste your time with that banshee."

"HEY!" Sakura exclaimed.

It was Neji's turn to roll his eyes. "Silence yourself, Sakura. You are making a fool of yourself." He looked over to Hinata and nodded.

Hinata nodded at Neji, then turned back to Sakura. "Get over yourself Sakura, you have a terrible attitude."

"I do not!" She yelled.

Naruto sighed and stepped up towards Hinata. "Look around you, Sakura. No one here is willing to back you up. Not even your own team."

Sakura looked around her. Everyone was glaring and frowning at her. Her eyes first landed on Sasuke. They were filled with disgust, and it sent a sharp pain to her chest. She saw Kiba and Shino standing away from the group, ignoring Sakura's temper-tantrum. Sakura felt a sense of dread come over her. Her eyes scanned the group again and saw Ino glaring back at her. No...not quite a glare. It was more a look of...disappointment. Ino was her rival; as a kunoichi and for capturing Sasuke's heart. 'She...she looks like she's...embarrassed to know me...' Sakura thought.

"You put people down. You hurt them physically and emotionally. You choose to fight for a crush instead of fighting for your team." Naruto could see his words start to sink into Sakura's thick skull. "You used to be a top kunoichi in our class, Sakura, but now what are you? A stupid girl who refuses to see what's important."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the blond. His words struck like a kunai to the heart. Naruto wasn't that stupid, hyperactive boy that would do anything to get a date with her. Now...he was taking life seriously.

Sakura scanned the crowd again. Many of the people were still glaring at her, but her eyes caught Ino's. Ino looked a little sad, like she was upset that they weren't friends anymore. Sakura tore her eyes away from Ino and looked towards Kiba and Shino. She looked at them and saw Kiba looking indifferently at her. Shino looked just as emotionless as he always did. 'They're right. I...I have lost sight of what's important.' Sakura sighed then moved through the crowd to rejoin her team. 'Maybe...I can start with my team. I can show them that I'm serious about being a kunoichi and serious about our team. And...how serious I am about being a chuunin.'

Sakura looked up at Shino and Kiba, looking quite embarrassed. "I'm sorry..."

Kiba and Shino looked at each other before looking back at Sakura. Their expressions softened, even if it was barely noticeable on Shino. No words had to be exchanged between Team 8.

Hinata had rejoined the boys and smiled. "Shall we go?"

Naruto laughed. "Really, Hinata-Chan? You just totally told off Sakura, and you're just gunna go about your day like it was nothing?" He saw Hinata blush with embarrassment and he laughed more. 'You're so cute, Hinata-Chan...' Naruto blushed at his thought.

Sasuke blinked at his two teammates; they were both red. "Okay...so...are we going?" He said pointing through the stairs.

Team 7 started towards the stairs, when Ino stopped them. "Uh, where are you guys going? Room 301 is right here." She said pointing to said room.

"No it's not." Naruto said with a shrug.

Ten Ten blinked. "What? But it says 301 right here."

"How many stairs did you guys walk up?" Sasuke asked.

"One." Ino bluntly stated.

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome. That means we're on the second floor. Now we have to walk another flight of stairs."

Neji spoke. "A genjutsu. They must've placed one on this floor to weed out the Genin who couldn't see passed it."

Naruto chuckled. "Well? You guys gunna climb some stairs or not?" He gave the group of Genin a bright smile.

The Genin looked at Naruto and followed the blond up the flight of stairs. They all walked into the right room this time, and saw quite a few people sitting at the desks.

"Woah..." Naruto blinked. "There's a lot of people in here."

Hinata nodded. "I didn't think there would be this many." She looked around the room and noticed that there were quite a few older Genin in the classroom.

"How long do you think they've been testing?" Sasuke asked.

"Too long if you ask me." Naruto seemed a little worried. If there were older Genin here, than the Chuunin Exams were going to be a lot harder than he thought.

As Naruto contemplated the difficulty of the Chuunin Exams, a rather bulky and intimidating Shinobi burst through the door. The man had two prominent scars on his face, and looked cold and calculating. He wore a hitai-ate bandana over his head, dark gray clothing, and a black trenchcoat. "Alright you maggots! Take your seats!"

Everyone scrambled to the nearest seat. Once everyone was seated, the man spoke again. "Listen up you low-lifes! My name is Morino Ibiki, Head of Interrogation, and your proctor for the first test!" He hollered. He reached into his his trench coat and pulled out a large pile of papers. "I hold your future in this hand." He waved the papers to-and-fro. "You much answer all ten questions to even consider moving to the second test." He said handing out the papers.

"But...Morino-San...there's only nine questions on this test." Sakura said nervously.

Ibiki turned around and eyed Sakura. "Correct. You'll see nine questions on the paper, with ten answer boxes. I will vocally give you the tenth question after a certain amount of time as passed." He explained harshly.

Naruto smirked. He might have been bad at test, but this test couldn't be to hard. He peered at the test and he immediately started to sweat. The questions weren't something a Genin would know! They had to be Chunin level questions, if not higher!

"Oh...one more thing, you little crap buckets! We have rules! The rules are: There is a point system. There are ten points to this test. If you answer questions incorrectly, you lose points. And you must answer all the questions to pass! This is a team test! If one of you fails, you all fail! And finally...and the most important rule...you get caught cheating...you and your team fail!" He hollered. "I have two associates here to help me catch any cheaters among you miserable lot!"

Naruto felt his heart drop to his stomach. 'Oh...I am so screwed...'

End Chapter

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~Lu Lu-Chan

Edited 1/3/18