Neji-POV

One week until the final part of the exams. Noboru visits Tenten every day, and she's getting a lot better. She still can't speak or move, side affects of the poison. Noboru seems happier than he has been in a long time.

I'm training with him right now. I'm still wondering about the conversation we had a week ago.

FLASHBACK-Normal POV

Noboru and Neji sat on the training grounds, exhausted from training so hard. Neji looked up at the sky. "Neji, did you know him? I mean, my father?" Noboru asked. Neji looked at him. "Yes. In fact, there's something you need to know."

Naoto ran out of the mansion. "Noboru! You have to see this! Samaru teased Kozakura and she's kicking his ass!" he yelled. Noboru looked at Neji. "What were you going to say?" he asked.

Neji shook his head. "Never mind." Noboru ran off.

FLASHBACK-Neji POV

I can't believe I didn't tell him. He should've guessed by now. I guess he's blind to the fact that his father has been around all his life.

Tenten and I were told never to tell. It would've destroyed the balance we tried to maintain with the Iwagakure. My 'fake' wife couldn't know about my son. Her father would've attacked us sooner. That's no longer important now. The war has been going on for a few years. I was told to kill my wife.

I gladly had accepted the mission, thinking that I could live with my actual wife forever. I'm scared of Noboru's reaction. What if he hates me because I didn't tell him? It was for political reasons, but still, he may not understand.

No one in the village knew, except for Tenten, Hinata, Hanabi, Naruto, Tsunade, and me. I should tell him, but I'm still scared to. Ouch! He hit me in my stomach! I need to focus.

Normal POV

Neji clutched his stomach in pain. Memories and plans always caught him off guard. Noboru got out of his stance. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Hinata watched them from a window and walked outside. "Noboru, why don't you come in for a second? Neji has an errand to run for me," she said warmly. Noboru ran inside while Hinata walked over to Neji.

"Go get these herbs from Sakura. Yoshi needs round-the-clock care currently," she said. She handed a list to Neji and walked inside.

Noboru was sitting at a table, drinking Hinata's famous green tea. She sat down, poured herself a cup of tea and smiled at Noboru. "You're still wondering about your father? He's still alive. That much is certain. Also, you've seen him recently."

Noboru looked up. "Really? Do you know who he is?" he asked eagerly. Hinata nodded, but frowned. "I'm afraid that it's his job to tell you that," she said. She stood up and walked towards Yoshi's room.

Noboru frowned. No one would tell him!

Anri's Training

Anri's fist came in contact with a training post and it snapped in half. Anri stepped back, out of breath. That was the fifth one today. She pulled up her sleeve to rub a bad bruise that she had gotten earlier. It wasn't the bruise that hurt, it was who hit her.

Isamu had been in a coma for three weeks. He woke up today and she planned on seeing him. She looked over at Akana happily barking at a few birds that flew overhead. Kaminari was working on her speed.

Anri stood still for a second. "Are you ok?" a voice asked. She turned to see Akito. "Yeah, of course!" He smiled. "Do you think that you'll make it through the exams?" he asked. She nodded. "Of course."

He looked at her uncertainly. "I heard that you used 'that' move on an opponent in the preliminary rounds," he said. She looked down. "I'm sorry. I'm going to see him today and fix it."

He looked at her sternly. "Anri. You know that move's dangerous. You could easily kill someone. You broke his mental stability and he won't remember anything good for the next two weeks unless you fully heal him. It was your mother's belief that you wouldn't use that move, but you did. Listen, Anri, you're my cousin, and I care about you, and using that technique could also damage your stability and bring back an old bloodlust. You don't want that do you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she said. He walked away. She ran towards the hospital where Isamu was.

When she got to his room, he was shuddering and had a terrified look in his eyes. She walked towards him and brushed his face with her hand soothingly. He calmed down for a second. She formed a few seals and moved her hand towards his head, whispering soothing words to him. He calmed down even more, his breathing became steady and he stopped shuddering.

A black chakra formed around Anri's hand and she pressed her hand onto his head. He slowly fell asleep. She heard people walking towards the room.

The door opened to reveal Kakashi and Anko. Kakashi looked at her calmly. "Don't wake him up or his mental stability will collapse," Anri whispered. She walked out of the room, glad that she could at least help him.

Samaru's advice

Samaru had been learning how to use Chidori. This way, whenever he fought Noboru, he would be sure to win. This wasn't just over Anri, this was for honor. Or maybe it was for Anri. He constantly practiced.

Kozakura walked up to him. "You know, girls don't always like tough guys. They like understanding and caring guys. Let's face it, you aren't understanding or caring."

Samaru turned to face her. "What do you know? Just because you're a girl doesn't mean that you know anything about her," he snapped. Kozakura chuckled. "All girls like sweet guys that can still protect them," she said.

Samaru shook his head. "Go away!" he yelled. Kozakura stood up and walked off. Sakura walked out and stood next to him. "I overheard your conversation. Girl troubles? Kozakura's right about one thing. Girls love understanding and caring guys that will stand up for them. Also, don't focus on one girl. There might be someone out there that's perfect for you and you don't even notice her," she said as she stood up and walked back into the mansion. He pondered over what she had said, but eventually ignored it and continued training.

Tami's training…not really

Tami took a deep breath. She stood on her teammate's doorstep. Samaru's to be exact. She knocked on the door and heard footsteps coming towards the door. Sasuke opened the door and looked at her. "I-Is S-Samaru he-here?" she asked.

Sasuke looked up the steps and yelled, "Samaru! You have a guest!" Shuffling was heard from upstairs. Samaru came down the steps. His red hair was ruffled and his dark green eyes looked tired.

Sasuke stepped away and Samaru raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Tami?" he asked. Tami blushed. "I was wondering…would you like to go out some time?" she asked. Sakura was walking by, when suddenly she turned around and said, "He'd love to! In fact, why don't you come over here at sunset and have dinner with us!" she said.

Tami smiled and walked off. Samaru glared at Sakura, but she just smiled and said, "You'll thank me for this someday."

Sasuke, who had overheard, walked over to Samaru. "You might want to start getting ready. Or else your mother will pick out everything you wear," he said. Samaru quickly ran upstairs.

Tami stood on the front porch of the Uchiha Mansion. She was wearing a black kimono with a flame pattern on it. Her hair was down for once and she wore a silver chain on her neck with a small silver piece that had the kanji for peace on it. Her blonde hair made her brown eyes stand out.

She had been there carefully knocked on the door. She heard footsteps approaching and the door opened. It was Samaru. He wore casual tan shorts and a black jacket with the Uchiha symbol on the back.

She blushed slightly. He raised an eyebrow. "Come on in, I guess," he said. They went to the living room. "My mom's not finished with the food yet, so we'll have to wait for a bit," he said.

She smiled. "So, umm…how far do you think we'll get in the final rounds?" she asked. He smiled. "Hopefully far enough." Sasuke walked by. He stopped and looked at Tami. Then he looked back at Samaru and smirked. Samaru scowled as he walked away.

"Is something wrong?" Tami asked. Samaru shook his head. "So, umm…what's the latest news in the Nara household?" he asked. Tami smiled. "Not much. My uncles will be in Konoha tomorrow. They'll be staying at my house," she said.

"I've never met them," he thought out loud. She smiled. "You can come over tomorrow and meet them. Maybe even stay for dinner. It's the least I can do after making your mom go through so much trouble."

Sakura popped her head out of the kitchen. "He'd love to!" she said cheerfully. He groaned. Tami frowned. "I'm sorry. I guess you don't want to," she said.

He smiled nervously. "Of course I do! I'll be over there tomorrow," he said. She hugged him. The rest of the dinner went by smoothly.

The next night, Samaru went over to Tami's house, holding a bouquet of black roses. Temari answered the door. "Come on in, Samaru. My brothers are here. They're very excited about meeting you," she said. Samaru didn't really like the sound of that.

He went to the living room where Shikamaru and Tami's uncles were. Shikamaru gave him a bored look. Samaru recognized one of the two. The Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara. Gaara gave him a cold glare. Samaru shuddered. "Tami will be down in a sec," Shikamaru said.

Samaru sat across from Gaara. Gaara continued to glare. "So, you must be Tami's uncle," Samaru said. "You must be Tami's boyfriend," he said coldly. He stood up and picked up Samaru by the collar. "I you break her heart, I swear I'll kill you," he said. Samaru wondered if his head had always been that red, or if he killed so many people that his hair had finally turned red. He gulped.

"I'm not exactly her boyfriend," he said. Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting that my niece lied?" he asked. Samaru thought for a second. 'She told him that I was her boyfriend?' he thought. "Well, no. We a-are g-going o-out," he stuttered.

Tami came downstairs. She wore a black kimono with a sakura petal pattern. She wore a bracelet and a necklace with the love kanji on both of them. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail.

She smiled. Gaara looked at Samaru and glared. Samaru looked up at Tami and smiled. "You look umm…nice," he said sweetly. She walked over and sat next to him. "So, Uncle, what's Sunagakure like? I have heard so many stories about it!" she said cheerfully.

Gaara replied, "It's very busy with the war going on." Kankuro smiled. "It's a lot better. The med-nins are more advanced, thanks to Hinata and Sakura," he said. Temari popped her head out of the kitchen. "Dinner's ready," she said.

When they were seated, Samaru looked around at all the food. For dinner was the following: Unagi (fried eel), Genghis Khan (barbeque), Nizakana (fish poached in sweet soy), and white rice. Desert would be dried Persimmon and Karumetou (brown sugar cake).

Tami didn't eat much. Her eyes were fixed on Gaara, who was glaring at Samaru. Temari tried to keep a conversation going, but no one felt like talking.

Strangely, Gaara broke the silence, "Who are your parents?" he asked. Samaru looked up from his plate. "Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, Sir," he said plainly.

Gaara blinked. "I never thought those two would end up together," he said. Temari laughed. "It was so obvious too! He may have acted like that, but he really did like Sakura," she said.

Samaru raised an eyebrow. "How long have you all known my parents?" he asked. Shikamaru sighed. "Ever since the Chuunin Exams. The Rookie Nine, I think," he said thoughtfully.

Tami was interested now. "Who were they?" she asked. Shikamaru smiled. "The rookies. Fresh from the academy, you could say." Now Samaru was interested. "Who all was in it?" he asked. Shikamaru thought for a moment. "Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and me," he said.

"My dad, mom, Shino-Sensei and the Hokage were in the Rookie Nine?" he asked. Shikamaru nodded. "You could also say that Naruto wasn't the smartest one there." Tami spoke up, "Do you know where they all are now?"

Shikamaru nodded. Kankuro and Temari had stopped eating to listen to the interesting conversation. "Hinata is the Hokage's wife. Kiba is currently leading a group of genins. Chouji is a jounin who decided to not be a sensei or ANBU or anything else, but he's always been my best friend. Ino…is still alive, leading genins. That's it." Temari laughed. "I remember when you gave up that one time. It was because you liked me wasn't it? Admit it!" she said. He looked at her. "I had no interest in you whatsoever," he said. Temari raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Shikamaru nodded towards Gaara and she shut up.

Tami looked at her mom. "If you weren't in the Rookie Nine, how did you know Dad?" she asked. Temari smiled. "I was against him in the exams. It was pretty interesting, actually," she said. She chuckled. "Except he gave up. The lazy bastard," she muttered.

That made Samaru chuckle. Gaara gave him another cold glare, and then looked back at Temari. "That was pathetic. It was the most boring fight I had ever seen," he said.

Temari smirked. "You think everything's boring," she said. He shook his head. "It's boring most of the time to sit behind a desk and file papers and mission reports," he said. Kankuro chuckled. "I'm the one that usually does that while you go home to catch up on sleep," he said. Temari hit Kankuro. "Leave him alone. It took him five years to get over Insomnia and he needs to catch up on those years of sleep he missed. Twenty-one years without sleep. How would you feel?" she asked.

"Hey, I had Insomnia for four years straight! It was his fault too!" he said, pointing at Gaara. This time, Gaara hit him. "It was your choice to be scared," he said.

After they finished eating, Samaru and Tami walked outside. "I'm sorry about my uncle. He's always like that," Tami said. Samaru chuckled. "That's ok. My dad gives everyone those kind of glares," he said.

Tami blushed. "So, um…I guess I'll see you later," she said. He smiled and gently placed a kiss on her lips. He turned to walk away, smiling. Tami turned beet-red and walked in a dazed movement towards her house.

When she walked inside, the only one that wasn't still downstairs was Kankuro. She completely ignored them and walked upstairs. Gaara smirked. "Bringing up the Rookie Nine works every time, eh?" he said, looking at Temari and Shikamaru and remembering how they all got Shikaro a girlfriend a year ago. Shikamaru nodded and smirked. Temari giggled.

Ginama's visit to the hospital

Ginama walked towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She heard that Isamu had recovered and decided to visit him. She opened the door to the shop. The Yamanakas and Akimichis were gone for the rest of the week and the only ones there were Choukata and Inomaru.

She gasped at Inomaru. He didn't look as preppy as usual. His hair was died black and he was wearing wristbands with spikes on them. He was wearing a regular t-shirt and blue jeans with tears near the knees. He blinked when she walked inside the shop.

"What happened to your hair?" she asked him. He smirked. "It's a prank I'm pulling on my mom. She's coming home early," he said.

Ginama looked around the shop and picked up a bouquet of violets and walked over to Inomaru. She paid him and walked away.

When she got to the hospital, she went to the front desk to see if he was awake. Se walked towards his room and opened the door. No one was there, but tons of cards and flowers surrounded him.

He was staring at the ceiling. He turned to look at her and smiled. She walked over there and sat the bouquet next to the other ones. Most of them said "From: Kozakura". Ginama laughed. "She has a pretty big crush on you, huh?"

Isamu chuckled. "I guess so." Ginama sat on the edge of his bed. "Well, no one on our team is going to the finals. It'll be fun to watch the others fight, though. I came by to give you an update on everything going on," she said.

He looked at her, eyes full of curiosity. "Anyways, Kozakura told me about her brother's little date with a certain teammate of his. Tami, to be exact. At the end, he actually kissed her! He also got to meet the Kazekage!" she said.

Isamu laughed. "So much happening in one night," he said. She nodded and giggled. Then she frowned. "Naoto told me something else. He said Anri won't talk about it, but after you went into the hospital, Kiba found out who sent you here. I heard that he got so mad; he actually got drunk that night. I thought he gave that up years ago. He hit Anri really hard. The bruise is still there from three weeks ago. She won't talk about it of course, but I know she's worried."

Isamu looked away. "I wonder if I should've given up. That way, I wouldn't have come here and she wouldn't have been hit by her father." Ginama shook her head. "No, you weren't supposed to give up. That's a disgrace and you wouldn't want to be like Kozakura and Choukata," she said.

She looked up at a nearby clock. "It's time for me to go, I'll see you around, since you're coming home tomorrow," she said. She stood up and was about to walk away when he grabbed her wrist and spun her around. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and let go of her. He smirked. "I've been waiting to do that for two months," he said.

She walked out of the room. Dazed, but happy.

A/N- Next, will be the end of the Chuunin Exams! Before you come to conclusions, the war will not affect the Exams in any way. They will go by smoothly. Plus, this was kind of a random chapter I made to tell you all about what went on in those four weeks of training.