Alright, as many of you noticed, i haven't been keeping very well to my previous bi-weekly update scheduale i had before. Well, i've been sucking at it so bad that i'm putting three of my four stories in hiatus...and this is one of the three. Reasons- Naruto of the Sand, the story i'll be continuing with for now, is both my most popular story, and it's the only one where i know exactly where it's going to end (not to mention that the ending is a considerably shorter time period than my other stories will be). Also, J. Sasuke happens to be one of my two least popular :( I like it, personally, but not as many other people do. It only has 18 faves and 11 alerts.

However, do not fear, i WILL be coming back to the story and finishing it. This is only a break. With a concerted effort, i think i'll actually be able to finish Naruto of the Sand by Christmas, so i can start picking up my others stories around then.

Anyways, new chapter deals with taking care of Mizuki. Tell me what you think!

Read, review, and enjoy!

generic disclaimer

The four friends were sitting on the ground in a clearing not far from the academy. Naruto was sitting against a tree, Sasuke on a log, and the two girls were sitting across from them, kneeling on the ground. Sasuke stared at the ground, thinking hard as Naruto finished telling him and the girls what had happened. Both Hinata and Sakura looked horrified that Mizuki would do such a thing.

"But, but that means he's trying to steal the scroll," Sakura said. "That would mean he's betraying the village!" Naruto nodded darkly, hugging his knees.

"Yeah, and he's using me to do it…" He swung his arm, slamming his fist into the tree behind him. "I'm sick of this! Everyone hates me for no reason! I never did anything to anyone!" He stood up.

"I'm gonna beat Mizuki sensei to a pulp!"

"Calm down, Naruto," Sasuke said as he continued to think, but Naruto wasn't having any of it.

"No! This is it! I'm sick and tired of the people in Konoha treating me like trash. You haven't had to deal with it bro, being treated like scum, people staring at you like you killed their brother or sister or something. I'm done! I'm not taking this crap anymore!"

"N, Naruto…" Hinata had stood up as well and put her hand on his arm. "Please, maybe Sasuke has an, an idea, and right now n, none of us could beat Mizuki sensei anyways." Naruto closed his eyes, breathing deeply, tears forming, but not falling, in the corners of his eyes before he spoke again, voice shaking with barely controlled anger.

"Alright, Hinata; for you, I'll listen." He said back down heavily, arms crossed. "So, do you have something to say Sasuke?" Sasuke gave a small smirk.

"Actually, yes: do what Mizuki said."

"Nani? But that just helps him-"

"Unless we make sure that we're ready for him when he comes," he said. "Hinata's probably right. Since Mizuki is a chuunin, we shouldn't be able to take him down, though either of us might actually stand a good chance. The four of us though? If the four of us work together, we can beat him. We just lie in wait where he's sending you and make sure you get him to confess to cheating you out of passing, then attack and take him on. With four reliable testimonies there's no way they can deny us, and you'll be passed." All three of the other young teens were looking at him with amazement. It was a good plan, and Naruto was even starting to grin in anticipation.

"heh, this will be just like all the pranks I used to pull back in the day. Yeah, I like this idea!" It was agreed; they nodded, then they all left, Sasuke and the girls to the location Mizuki had told Naruto to meet him at, Naruto to get the scroll. Sasuke had complete confidence in Naruto's ability to get in and out without getting caught; just because he hadn't done any real pranks in the last few years didn't mean he'd lost his stealth ability, and his memorization of the secret passages in the hokage's tower.

Sure enough, in just a little while Naruto had made it to the clearing, scroll in tow.

"Alright, now we just have to wait for the alarm to be raised. Hinata, you'll keep an eye out with your byakugan, right?" She nodded.

"Hai!"

"Good. Naruto, you've dealt with village 'security' the most with some of your old pranks; how long do we have?" Naruto scratched his chin as he thought.

"Hmm… probably an hour before someone notices. The old man just left for tea right before I went in, and he always comes back in and does calligraphy for a little while before getting back to work and heading home. He'll be the most likely to see it first." Sasuke nodded.

"Good. We have plenty of time to prepare for Mizuki sen- for Mizuki. Sakura, he studied his profile and figured out what types of traps would work best, right?" She nodded. She'd had to read quickly, but it pleased her that Sasuke had trusted her with this, citing her high intelligence as the best for planning for such a situation. He looked back at Naruto. "Well, ready to get to work?" Naruto looked at the scroll in his arms.

"Actually, just in case, shouldn't I have a go at this? And besides, it's a scroll with high rank techniques. It would help us…" He looked up at his brother, pain in his eyes as Sasuke read him, and he understood just what he meant. He looked around.

"Right; you never know how it will really take, and even Mizuki might get suspicious if he gets here and it does look like you've been trying." He sighed. "I'll help set up traps…but if we have time, maybe I'll take a look, too." Naruto smiled weakly, nodding.

"Yeah…thanks," he said, whispering the second word so only Sasuke heard. Then they all got busy, Naruto letting his desire to find out the truth of his older brother fuel him. Half an hour later, the others were trying to set a difficult trap together multiple wires that would release a barrage of kunai at their soon to be former sensei.

"Alright, you hold it here, and you there," Sasuke was saying as they set the wire when Naruto leap up, crouching beside him on the branch.

"Hey, need some help?" Sasuke looked at him in mild surprise. "What, done already?" Naruto smiled.

"Heheh, maybe, but what do you guys need help with?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever; we're trying to set these wires to trigger a bunch of kunai to get thrown there," he said, pointing at the different spots, "but we're having trouble keeping it tense while we hide the wires out of sight. It's a hard trap to set with only three of us." Naruto grinned so wide it almost split his face.

"Oh, so you need more people, huh?"

"Yes you dobe! So stop wasting time and-"

"Shadow clone jutsu!" There was a lot of smoke, but when it cleared the other three were shocked to see a few dozen Naruto's in the surrounding branches quickly getting to work setting the wires.

"They, they're s, solid!" Sasuke nodded at Hinata's exclamation, slowly turning to look at the scroll left on the ground, then back at his… brothers. "Sakura, make sure Naruto keeps getting these traps set right; there should only be a few more; I'm going to see if I can't get this jutsu down before Mizuki gets here…" and with that he jumped down and began to pour over the scroll as the girls looked on in awe. Sakura had read about the shadow clone technique, but it was supposed to take a Jounin level chakra to make one…how much chakra did Naruto have if he could create this many? And what about Sasuke? Hinata had also read of it, even seeing her father create one to display certain Hyuuga techniques without injuring anyone. She, too, wondering at Naruto's strength, smiling for a moment before remembering that she needed to keep an eye out for Mizuki, and with Naruto now able to provide as many people as they needed for their traps, she could put all her focus into being their 'early warning' system.

"Hey, need some help," Sasuke heard, looking up to see Naruto standing there. He rolled his eyes.

"I've barely started, you know."

"Yeah, but we're getting shorter on time and everything, and since I just learned it, well then, I can help you learn it faster to make sure we're ready for Mizuki teme." Sasuke grinned.

"Yeah, good point; let's get to work…" About twenty minutes later…

"Naruto! He's coming!" Hinata jumped up from where she'd been sitting, concentrating on her byakugan. The two brothers looked at each other and nodded, the Naruto there poofing away (he was using a clone to help me out that whole time?) and the real one jumped down, though he stumbled when he did.

"Wha-! What made you think I-!" He broke off as he realized something. "Wait a second…how did I know you talked with my clone about…about Hinata," he said, whispering the last part so no one else could hear. Sasuke raised his eyebrows with interest.

"No idea," he said, "but we'll save that for another time. Right now Mizuki is coming. You and Sakura set the traps?" Naruto nodded. "Alright; let's hide in the hut over there like we planned. Go! And Naruto, make sure you look convincing!" Naruto laughed and reassured him as he sat down and started going over some of the steps to learning the jutsu he'd worked on earlier, thankful that Hinata had helped him out so much with his chakra control over the last couple of years; he was sure it made a difference in how long it had taken him to learn the jutsu. A moment later someone entered the clearing, but it wasn't Mizuki; it was Iruka.

"Hah, got you," he said, leaning over his pupil. Naruto hid his shock. Crap, Iruka sensei wasn't supposed to be here! Is he working with Mizuki, or is it an accident? I'll have to wing it…please Iruka sensei, not you too… Similar thought were going through the other teen's heads, and they let out a collected sigh of relief as he, rather successfully played the part of learning a jutsu to pass. Hinata berated herself for not paying close enough attention to recognize Iruka, but a moment later Mizuki appeared and attacked, and she realized that Iruka had come from a different direction than Mizuki, and she just hadn't been looking in all directions…she clenched her fist. I can't make mistakes like that… if I do, I'll never be worthy of Naruto-kun…

Sasuke watched everything with increasingly narrowed eyes. Iruka sensei's always been good at trailing Naruto, could he could have come here by accident. Did Hinata make a mistake? No, there's Mizuki now. Alright, this should be…wait, he knows why people get mad at Naruto all the time? What is it?

He, he's what? Sakura looked over at Naruto in shock. But, but the Kyuubi's dead! Isn't it… She looked over at Sasuke and Hinata, shock all over their faces as well, but both shock it off in a moment, and she couldn't see any fear or hate in them. She looked back at Naruto. Is, is that why mom and dad never wanted me to be around Naruto? But if he's really the kyuubi, wouldn't he be, you know, more…evil? Naruto's a good guy, and he and Sasuke love each other like brothers, even though Naruto was only adopted. Wouldn't the kyuubi hate Sasuke? She had pity in her eyes now. Why is everyone so stupid? That baka is no kyuubi, even if it's inside him.

Naruto-kun, no, don't feel bad! We, we'll be right with you when this is over. I, I still love you, no matter what is inside you.

Hmmm…this village is full of morons…

No…no! I, I can't be! I, I, I don't think I am…but then, why does everyone hate me? Does Iruka sensei hate me, too? Sasuke, Samui, Hinata and Sakura? Do they hate me? He closed his eyes, not wanting to bear the thought of everyone he thought of as friend hating him, and of having killed so many people in the village. Then he heard the sound of metal piercing flesh and clanging against more metal. He opened his eyes to see Iruka kneeling over him, protecting him from the shuiken and kunai Mizuki had just thrown at him, and Sasuke standing behind Iruka, kunai in hand. He must have knocked more of them away.

"Why, why? Why are you doing this for me?" Iruka opened his mouth, but Sasuke spoke first.

"You're my brother; no matter what Mizuki says, I know you aren't the kyuubi; setting out to make sure you failed is one thing, but even if you're the jailor to scum like the kyuubi, I've lived with you your whole life." He turned to face him, looking over his shoulder. "You're too dumb to be as old as that fox." Naruto raised a fist and yelled at him.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Iruka laughed.

"He's just saying what I would have, if in a different way. Naruto, Mizuki's right, I lost my parents to the kyuubi, but I remember the kyuubi, and you are not it. You are Uzumaki Naruto, my student, and the only one who can keep the kyuubi in check. You are this villages protector." He smiled. "And I'm proud to stand protecting you, a shinobi of the leaf village." Naruto smiled, pushing himself up and going to stand beside Sasuke.

"Alright then, let's show this traitor who's boss, eh Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded and they each brought up their hands, speaking together.

"For the injustice you've done, prepare to die! Shadow clone jutsu!" The area was soon filled with dozens of Naruto's and Sasuke's, all cracking their knuckle menacingly. "It's payback time!"

"Wha, huh, ahh!" Mizuki tried to turn and run, shocked at seeing so many of his enemies, but he was met with a series of nets and kunai out of no where, causing him to fall back…and then out of the tree, right in the middle of the crowd. The last thing he saw before he was engulfed by the boys was Sakura and Hinata standing in a nearby tree, holding onto wires that he relized must have been set to trigger the traps.

"NOOOOOO!"

.

.

.

The hokage sighed.

"You all realize, of course, that you took into your own hands what you should have reported to me? You know I trust your word," he said. Sasuke shrugged as Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. The two girls were waiting out in the hall while Iruka took them inside to see the hokage and report on what had happened in the forest, leading to the boys revealing Mizuki's actions that caused Naruto to fail his exam.

"Hokage-sama, perhaps you should go light on them; after all, with their actions we have sure proof of Mizuki's… treachery." The hokage rubbed his temples as he raised his head to stare at the ceiling.

"Iruka, you know how hard it is to get through the day when Samui barges into the office on her day off so she yell about Sasuke and Naruto disappearing? Not to mention Naruto's 'failing' of the exam. Besides, who said I was punishing them? I'm just feeling my age today, and trying to impress on these two boys that there is a way that things are supposed to be done."

"Hokage-sama, we know this, but with all due respect, don't you think if we hadn't the council would have tried to uphold the decision to fail Naruto? In the little time that we had, I felt we acted properly."

"Well, we should have told Samui-chan something though," Naruto said. "We just went off without even seeing her at the graduation ceremony." Sasuke's eye twitched in irritation, though he knew that Naruto was right…and he'd get an earful from Samui later. Sarutobi relaxed a little, smiling as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I guess things aren't going to bad if Naruto is learning to be responsible; now, how about we get Naruto his headband and see to actually healing those wounds on your back instead of a quick bandage, Iruka, eh?" Iruka smiled.

"Thank-you, Hokage-sama." He turned to Naruto, reaching up to his own headband. "Well, the rest of the headbands are already locked back in their cabinet at the academy, but I can get one for myself later…here you go," he finished, giving Naruto his own headband. Naruto took it gingerly.

"You mean it? I can have your headband?" Iruka smiled.

"Ah, it's old anyways. I was needing a new one; this just means I don't have to be the one to replace the cloth." Everyone shared a short chuckle at Naruto's expense. Of course, he just rolled his eyes, bowing and thanking Iruka for the gift, immediately putting it on, replacing the goggles he had gotten from Hinata with it.

"Thank-you, sensei." Iruka ruffled his hair.

"No problem. I'll see you around," he said, walking out to report to the hospital.

"Now then-"

"Well where are they!" Sasuke and Naruto cringed. It was Samui.

"Well, now I guess I'll release the two of you to Samui; remember to report to the academy next week for your teams and sensei…if you survive, of course." With that, he stood and left, opening the door and gesturing Samui in, who immediately ran up to the two boys, hands on her hips.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourselves? I was worried sick! And Naruto, how did you manage to fail the exam, huh? Didn't those extra study sessions do you any good?" Naruto raised his head first.

"I'm sorry, Samui-chan, but…someone rigged my test to fail me, but I ended up passing in the end!"

"Yeah, someone sabotaged the dobe… and we're sorry we just ran off without telling you, Samui-chan." Both were surprised when she dropped to her knees, pulling them both in for a hug.

"It's okay, I'm sorry, too; I was just so worried." She leaned back, a hand on each boys outside shoulder. "Naruto, Sasuke, I'm glad you passed; you've made me so proud, but please, don't worry me like that. I don't know what I'd say to… to the hokage if you two really went missing." Sasuke noticed the hesitation, but let it pass. She was stressed and it was their fault. It was probably nothing.

"There, there's one more thing," Naruto said, lowering his face again. Samui scrunched her eyebrow in confusion.

"What? What is it?"

"I, I know you weren't here when it happened, so you probably didn't know…but, th, the reason everyone hates me in the village…we found out tonight-"

"About the kyuubi," she said. The boy's heads jerked towards her in surprise. She had definetaly come to the village after the law had been passed that kept everyone from revealing that secret, so how did she know? Of course, she saw the confusion on their faces, and answered with a sad smile. "I, itachi-k, kun told me, back before…you know…" Naruto nodded, pressing on.

"So you, you don't mind?" She smiled.

"Why should I? You're Naruto, aren't you? You don't look like a fox to me!" Naruto laughed and soon they were all headed home.

I wonder, she thought, should I tell them the truth yet? That really, it's Sasuke and not Naruto who possess the kyuubi?

Didn't initially intend to have Hinata and Sakura there, but i felt that it added a little bit the foursome's dynamic, showing their skills and relationships. Hope you guys liked it, though. I had fun writing it, but alas, it took so long...and now i'm going on hiatus again...grrr... Sorry, but until i can be consistent with my updates, i only want to be working on one story at a time, and for now, well, Naruto of the Sand is the one closest to the end, so i'm finishing that one first.

Anyways, tell me what you thought of the chapter, and till next time, take care! (and happy Halloween!)