Chapter 13: Road to the Chunin Exams

Welcome everyone to another amazing chapter written by the handsome Dark Dragon Emperor!

So a lot of you guys liked that Kushina and her daughter were alive, if your reviews were anything to go by. Though some of you had decided to send messages to me saying that I was...ruining the storyline. To those people I say this:

This is MY story where I decide what to do and who to keep alive. People like you don't matter to me, so if you don't like what I'm doing, leave.

Now that that's done, let's move on to another matter. Many of you are questioning who the father was for Natsumi. I say this, there was no rape involved while Kushina was kept in ROOT, and it DEFINITELY wasn't Danzo. If you can't remember, all of the ROOT members were forced to abandon their feelings and the like, so they have no drive to have sex unless it was a mission that they had to do. The father's identity will be revealed this chapter, and I know you guys are going to be relieved.

Now then, on with the show!

(Training Ground 8)

Naruto was sitting in a tree while he waited for the rest of his team to show up. It had been a month since he was reunited with his mother and sister and couldn't be happier, not even the special Sharingan training with Kakashi was that exciting. What was even better was the fact that Tsunade was right and that Natsumi woke up the same week that Kushina did. However, the meeting didn't go as he thought it would...

(Flashback-Konoha hospital)

Naruto was visiting his mother again. She was telling him about her being the previous Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, much to his shock.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Naruto asked the ancient beast inside of him.

"I never DID pay attention to what you looked like when you were born, so I never knew," Kyuubi explained.

"Hey, did the old fuzzball ever give you the Summoning Contracts?" Kushina asked.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What contracts?"

"Hey Fuzz Butt!" Kushina yelled. "Hurry up and offer my Sochi the Summoning Contracts already!"

"Disrespectful woman!" Naruto heard the Kyuubi roar, "Get in here kit so she can stop yelling!"

The next thing Naruto knew, he was standing in the ankle deep water of his mindscape, staring up at the towering figure of the Kyuubi. In the Bijuu's paw were two large scrolls. The first one looked like any other scroll, but the other one was made out of a golden paper of some sort, and adorned with numerous crystals that all shone in different colors.

"I though that I was only getting one contract?" Naruto wondered.

"You are, this other one is just something that I want to see. I'll explain more of it if you can open it all the way," Kyuubi explained. "Now take the first one and sign it, it's the Kitsune Summoning Contract."

Naruto eagerly grabbed the normal contract from the Kyuubi's paw and opened it, seeing that not a lot of people signed it, only a few names were there. Naruto bit his thumb and wrote his name on the contract before pressing his handprint underneath his name.

"Congratulations, you are now an official Kitsune Summoner. I'm sure that my second family will be very happy to help you," Kyuubi said. "Just ask Kushina to help you with the Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

""You're the leader of these summons?" Naruto asked.

"Yes I am," Kyuubi confirmed. "All of the Bijuu have a Summoning Clan of their own and are the Boss Summons of them. However, some Summons broke away from the original families. The who split apart are the Cats, Turtles, Monkeys, and Slugs."

"So what's the other one?" Naruto asked, looking at the other scroll.

"This is a legendary Summoning Contract," Kyuubi explained. "Long ago when the Rikudou Sennin created the me and the rest of the Bijuu, he gave each of us a copy of his personal Summoning Contract. He wanted us to find the one who would be, and I quote, "The one who will succeed where I failed". This scroll is designed to only open for that specific person." (1)

"And you think I might be this person?" Naruto asked.

"I have...a feeling," Kyuubi said. "It almost opened for your mother, so I want to see if you might have a better chance."

Naruto nodded and took the scroll from the Kyuubi and placed it on the ground, where the water instantly moved away, like there was a barrier that surrounded Naruto and the scroll. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the scroll before popping off the lock. He then took hold of the loose part of the scroll and pulled.

The scroll opened and spread out along the ground as the water moved away. The Kyuubi's eyes widened as the golden paper spread out and revealed the ancient writing on the parchment. Naruto couldn't understand anything on the paper except for one name:

Hagoromo Otsutsuki.

"You...you opened it..." Kyuubi gasped. He NEVER would have expected his newest Jinchuriki to be the one that his father would have been talking about.

"So...do I sign it now?" Naruto asked, getting over the shock that he was able to open it. However before he could move his hand to bite his thumb once again, Kyuubi swept up the contract with one of his tails.

"Hell no!" Kyuubi protested. "Do you have any idea how much chakra is needed to summon one of these creatures? You would be completely drained, even if I was giving you a small boost!"

Naruto's jaw dropped and he stared at the Summoning Scroll like it was a live explosive tag.

"Then when can I sign it?" Naruto asked, very eager to see the creatures that were linked to the contract.

Kyuubi closed his eyes for a moment, examining Naruto's chakra levels throughly. "Hmm...I'll allow you to sign it in a month's time, your chakra reserves should be large enough by then so you won't faint instantly."

"Say, wouldn't you be able to give me some of your chakra when I start to run out?" Naruto wondered.

"Yes, but the seal is too tight for me to give you a good amount of chakra. If I tried to force more chakra through the seal, it would either rupture and kill you us both, or cut me off and mess up your coils from the sudden lack of extra chakra," Kyuubi explained while yawning. Naruto just blanched and decided to leave the seal and return to his mother.

Naruto blinked and saw that he was back in the hospital with his mother. She was sitting back on her bed while reading a small book titled, "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja".

"Oh, you're back," Kushina said as she noticed her son moving.

"Yeah, Kyuubi said that you should know how to do the Kuchiyose no Jutsu?" Naruto asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yeah, I've seen Tsunade-sensei do it several times so I remember the hand seals."

"But why didn't you sign the Kitsune Contract?" Naruto asked.

"I never really wanted to sign a contract. I never used a lot of Ninjutsu anyway, always preferring my Kenjutsu over the other arts," Kushina explained. She then proceeded to show Naruto the hand seals needed to perform the technique.

After making the hand seals several times to get a good grasp on the order, Naruto performed the technique with the blood sacrifice and slammed his hands down on the ground, causing a poof of smoke to erupt. After coughing and waving the smoke away, Naruto and Kushina looked down to see a small fox with two tails and red fur staring up at them.

"So which one of you is our new Summoner?" the kitsune asked. Naruto raised his hand, still shocked that he was able to summon something on his first try. The fox then walked over to Naruto and sniffed him. "Why do you have Kyuubi-sama's scent on you?"

"Well, he's sealed inside me," Naruto explained while rubbing the back of his head.

The kitsune frowned a little before asking, "I see, well may I have the name of the Kitsune Clan's newest Summoner and his *sniff sniff* mother?"

"Ah right! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"And I'm Kushina Uzumaki."

"Uzumaki? Very interesting, I'm sure that we'll have a wonderful partnership Naruto-san, my name is Higitsune." (2)

"Kit ask him who's been in chaarge since my absence," Kyuubi asked.

"The Kyuubi wants to know who's been in charge since he's been sealed," Naruto said.

Higitsune chuckled and told him, "His mate Yugana (3), has had the entire skulk searching for you since you vanished. Eventually she decided to wait for you to come back on your own. Said something about you sleeping outside the den for making her wait to long."

The Kyuubi gulped and began to sweat nervously, remembering the last time he had to sleep outside. He was soaked to the bone due to the rain. Naruto just laughed as he felt the Bijuu's fear.

"If that is all, then I shall be going," Higitsune said as he vanished in a puff of smoke. Then there was a knock on the door and Kushina yelled for them to come in, and the door opened to reveal Hitomi and her daughters.

"Kushina-chan! It really is you!" Hitomi squealed in joy. She then looked to her left and ordered, "Get in here you coward! She's not going to hurt you.

"She'll kill me once she finds out what happened!" Hiashi's voice protested. Even though he was elated at the Hokage's news about what the elders told Hinata, he was still scared about seeing Kushina. Hitomi growled and reached over and yanked Hiashi into the room.

"Hello Hiashi," Kushina greeted in a calm tone.

Seeing how her father was nervous of this woman, Hanabi couldn't help but ask, "Tou-san, is this the woman you were afraid of and made a fort to protect yourself?"

Kushina just gave him a blank look and asked, "Really Hiashi? I always knew that Hizashi-kun was braver than you. Speaking of him, where is that softie anyway?"

The mood seemed to darken after Kushina spoke and Hitomi told her, "Kushina, Hizashi died years ago."

Kushina's eyes widened and she began to shake. "How?" Was all she asked.

Hiashi sighed and told her about Hinata being kidnapped and Hizashi dying in Hiashi's place. Needless to say, Kushina was in tears at the end, two of her best friends were dead in the time she was missing. Eventually she was able to calm down.

"Hey Hitomi, can you come here for a moment?" Kushina asked. Hitomi got closer and Kushina whispered into her ear, and she nodded.

"Girls, can you give me a hand here? Kushina-chan needs some female assistance," Hitomi asked. Both her daughters nodded and went to the bed while Hitomi closed the curtains, leaving Naruto and Hiashi alone with the still comatose Natsumi. Naruto went over to his sister and held onto her hand gently, rubbing the top of it with his thumb.

"Mommy..." He heard her mumble. Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at Natsumi in shock. Hiashi looked over as well, having heard with his advanced shinobi hearing.

'Is she waking up?' Naruto thought hopefully. His answer came when the girl began to slightly stir. Natsumi then slowly opened her eyes, revealing the emerald green orbs within. She then began to look around frantically with a panicked look in her eyes.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Natsumi cried frantically, it didn't take a Nara to figure out what happened next.

"Kushina!" Hitomi cried as a crash was heard.

"Natsumi!" Kushina cried as she practically dragged herself out of her bed and to the panicking girl. Hiashi helped Kushina up as she forced herself to the girl and wrapping her up in a tight hug as she began to sob into her mothers embrace.

"Mommy, a-are these any o-of the mean p-p-people?" Natsumi asked as she nervously looked at everyone.

"Shhh, no my little angel, these are GOOD people," Kushina said. "And this boy right here is your older brother that I've been telling you about."

Natsumi looked to where Kushina was gesturing, and saw Naruto. "A-are you N-Naruto-nii-san?" She asked. He nodded and she slowly reached out to him, and he held out his hand. She wrapped her hand around two of his fingers and lightly squeezed. Naruto smiled and gently squeezed her and in a reassuring manner.

"Mommy, w-who are they?" Natsumi asked when she saw the Hyuga family.

Kushina smiled and said, "These are some of my friends and their children. Don't worry, they won't hurt you or me." Natsumi nervously looked at the Hyugas before she lightly nodded and clung to Kushina tightly.

(Flashback End)

Eventually, she came to trust everyone, even Tsunade and Shizune when they had come in to check up on the female Uzumakis. However, she was nervous whenever Hiruzen came around for some reason. Tsunade had taken the two Uzumakis into her own home in the Senju Compound, and she forced Naruto to go with them. Especially since Kushina would blow a gasket if he refused.

The young blond was shaken from his thoughts when Hinata and Kurenai entered the clearing.

"Hi Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried as he jumped down in front of her.

"EEP!" Hinata shrieked as she sent a chakra powered palm strike into Naruto's gut, launching him through a tree and into another. Once Hinata realized what she had done, she began to sputter some form of an apology while Kurenai laughed her head off.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried as she raced over to him and him out of the tree. "Are you okay?! Speak to me!" She cried frantically while shaking him, causing the poor Jinchuriki to foam at the mouth.

During the month, Hinata had gained more confidence from not only the change in her chakra, but also from Kushina. The redheaded woman seemed to have some skill in getting people over their shyness considering that she helped Hitomi when they were Genin. At least Hinata stopped stuttering, but the fainting was another thing entirely.

As a result of her newfound confidence, Hinata had changed her attire somewhat. She swapped out her bulky jacket for a more lighter one that hugged her maturing body in several places. The jacket was lavender in color with the Hyuga emblem on the back of it.

"Please Naruto-kun! Wake up!" Hinata cried.

"He won't wake up if you keep shaking him like that."

"EEP!" Hinata shrieked again, whirling around to see Shino standing a few feet away. Confused by his words, she looked down to see an unconscious Naruto beneath her. She jumped away and began to blush deeply due to the close proximity she was in with Naruto, at least she didn't faint this time.

Kurenai, who had finally stopped laughing, walked over and said with a mischevious grin, "Hinata! Don't eat Naruto's ramen!"

The result was instantaneous, Naruto bolted to his feet and tackled Hinata, pinning her arms while looking around for the imaginary ramen. He heard a small squeak and looked down to see a red-faced Hinata staring up at him with big eyes.

Naruto jumped back and began to sputter some form of nonsense while blushing like a tomato. Hinata just stared up at the sky, not responding. Kurenai was sent into another bout of laughter, and you could see the smirk on Shino's face.

"Okay, can we please calm down now?" Kurenai giggled as she tried to compose herself. Everyone calmed down and stood before their sensei, Shino was in between his other team members.

"What do you need Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I've got some important news to tell you guys," Kurenai began. "There was a meeting between the Jounin sensei's and Hokage-sama about the upcoming Chunin Exams. And I've nominated all of you to enter the Exams next week."

"Are you sure we're ready sensei?" Hinata asked. "We're just rookies."

"If it makes you feel any better, Teams 7 & 10 are entering as well," Kurenai told them.

"Oh no," Naruto moaned, "we have to deal with the banshee and the teme, again!"

"In my experience, it would be better to just kill people who bother you," Zabuza said as he and Haku entered the clearing.

The former Nukenin was given a Konoha headband after being cleared for duty a month ago. He was currently a month into his probation and only had two months to go.

As for Haku, she was tested in every ninja field and was given the rank of Chunin because of her skill. She was now sporting a Konoha Chunin vest instead of the green haori she wore in wave, and had a loose fitting brown shirt and tight black pants that reached the tops of her knees.

"Zabuza-sama, what have we talked about when it came to doing things like that?" Haku asked with a sweet smile, making Zabuza unconsciously take a step back.

"Uh, to stop?" Zabuza suggested. Haku just smiled and turned around to see Naruto stiffling his laughter. "Got something to say brat?" Zabuza growled. Naruto just grinned and shook his head.

"As much as most of the shinobi population would love for you to at least humiliate him, the rest of the village would go out of their way to make your life a living Hell," Kurenai told him.

"What about Pinky?" The swordsman asked.

"Councilwoman's daughter," Kurenai said with a hint of disgust.

"Tsk. I'm guessing that it gives her some form of immunity?" Zabuza asked. Kurenai sadly nodded and let out a tired sigh.

"The banshee will just go and whine to her mother," Naruto said. "BUT nothing will happen if she doesn't know who pranked her or anything." Naruto finished with a large grin. Zabuza and Haku smirked and began to plot.

"You guys better make it to the finals, I'm gonna be betting on you," Zabuza told them.

Kurenai smirked and said, "Don't worry, my team's going to become Chunin with their skills."

"Do you really have so much faith in us Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"From what I've seen, this team has grown the most since graduating from the Academy," Kurenai told her. "Asuma's told me that his team has good teamwork, but aren't motivated a lot. And you've already seen how Kakshi's team is, the only Konoha team you'll have to worry about, is Team Gai."

Hinata flinched when she heard the team that her cousin was on. She was worried that she would have to fight him during the exams. Naruto saw her dilemma and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and calmed her down.

"That being said, don't underestimate the other Villages either, we don't know what they've been teaching their Genin. So stay alert," Kurenai finished.

"We will go forth and compete to the best of our ability," Shino said as he pushed up his glasses.

"We'll do our best," Hinata told her with confidence.

"We're gonna become Chunin if it's the last thing we do!" Naruto shouted. Kurenai smiled and told them where they needed to go next week.

(At the Hospital)

"What did you need Tsunade?" Hiruzen asked as he walked into the Sannin's office. She had sent the aged Hokage a message saying that she needed him at the hospital.

"I've been going over Natsumi's blood work and found something that might give you and Kushina some good news," Tsunade said.

Hiruzen sighed and said, "After the large headache we got due to digging up Kushina's grave, I'll need every bit of good news I can get."

(Flashback-Konoha Graveyard-Midnight)

Hiruzen sighed as he and Tsunade watched several ANBU perform a Doton jutsu and raised up a coffin from the earth below. The writing on the coffin said, 'Kushina Uzumaki' in bright gold letters.

"Alright, open it up Tsunade," Hiruzen said as the Sannin walked forward and placed her hands on the top of the coffin and yanked it off. Everyone then crowded around the coffin and looked inside. The only thing inside was a kanji that said 'blood', written in blood.

"What is this sensei?" Tsundae asked.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and said, "That, is the result of a kinjutsu."

"What kind of kinjutsu?" Tsunade asked.

"It's known as the Blood Clone Jutsu," Hiruzen explained. "The user takes some of their blood and creates a clone from it. The only thing that's different is that it's like creating a true clone, one that needs to eat, drink, sleep, and other things that we need to do. They also work like Kage Bunshin with the memory transfer portion, but only if the user absorbs the clone back into their body."

"But I don't understand how we could have buried a clone? Wouldn't it have dispelled?" Tsunade asks.

"A Blood Clone can stay 'dead' for about a month before it dispels. After that, then it turns back into blood and the blood forms the kanji that we are seeing now," Hiruzen told her.

"So someone must have taken Kushina after you left, created a Blood Clone of her, and then took the real Kushina away," Tsunade realized. Hiruzen just nodded in agreement and ordered the ANBU to put the coffin back.

(Flashback End)

"I still can't figure out who created the Blood Clone," Hiruzen muttered.

"Bah, you know that it was Danzo," Tsunade said as she gave her sensei a glare.

Hiruzen just sighed, "The good news?"

"Right," Tsunade said as she whirled around in her chair and picked up Natsumi's file. "So I took a look at her DNA, and found out who the father was."

"Please don't tell me it was Danzo," Hiruzen pleaded.

Tsunade shivered at the thought and told him, "First off, never put that thought in my head again. Second, it was Minato."

"But how, he's dead! His soul's in the Shinigami's stomach!" Hiruzen shouted.

"I'm guessing that Danzo took some of Minato's stored semen and impregnated Kushina with it in hopes of having his own 'Orange Hokage'," Tsunade explained with a smirk. Hiruzen just shook his head with a small smile on his face, being thankful that Kushina would get some good news.

(Later at Ichiraku's)

Naruto and Hinata were having another ramen eating contest while Ayame watched in amazement and slight disgust. Once again, Hinata beat Naruto's 32 bowls with her 44.

"All hail the Queen of Ramen," Naruto declared as he got onto his knees and began to bow at Hinata's feet. The young heiress just giggled at her teammates antics and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on Naruto-kun, you're embarrassing me," Hinata said as she blushed with a smile on her face.

Naruto just smiled at her, but before he could say anything, he noticed something to his left. He looked over and sweat dropped at what he saw. It was a square box with two eyeholes on the front of it.

"He still hasn't gotten any better, has he?" Naruto asked.

Hinata looked over and said, "No, he hasn't."

Naruto just sighed and yelled, "Get out here Konohamaru!"

The box exploded in smoke and loud coughing could be heard from within the smoke.

"Udon! You used too much smoke!" a female voice cried.

"S-sorry!" a congested boy's voice appologized.

When the smoke cleared, three children could be seen trying to wave what was left of it away. The first boy was wearing a green outfit with a large scarf and had spiky brown hair. The second boy was wearing glasses and looked like he was sick. The lone girl was standing tall with her orange hair in two pigtails that stood straight into the air.

"...He's multiplied..." Naruto muttered.

He and Hinata first met Konohamaru when they went to get their pictures taken for their Ninja Cards. He had attempted to 'assassinate' the Sandaime, and tripped on his scarf. After a heated argument with Naruto, he had taken to calling the older blond 'Boss' and making him his rival to becoming Hokage.

"Who are your friends Konohamaru-kun?" Hinata politely asks.

"I'm Udon, and I like math!" the other boy said.

"I'm Moegi, the sassiest kunoichi in the Academy!" the girl said.

"I'm Konohamaru, the strongest ninja in the Academy!" the young Sarutobi proclaimed. "And together we make..."

"The Konohamaru Corps!" All three children finished as they made ridiculous poses. Naruto just face palmed and Hinata giggled at their antics.

"Say Boss, will you play Ninja with us?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto grinned and said, "Sure! It was getting a little boring around here anyway."

"What kind of ninja plays Ninja with a bunch of brats?" Sakura scoffed as came around the corner.

Hinata rolled her eyes and said, "One who has a life."

"I do have a life!" Sakura protested.

"Sure, a life that revolves around trying to break into Sasuke-teme's house and rape him while he's asleep," Naruto said, causing Sakura to fume.

"Hey Boss, is this your girlfriend?" Konohamaru asked.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Naruto roars.

"As if I would let him do something that stupid!" Hinata yells.

"Me and Naruto-baka! Gross!" Sakura screeches.

"Oh good, I just wanted to make sure," Konohamaru said with a grin. "You would do much better with Hinata-nee-san, she's more prettier than that pink monkey!"

Hinata and Naruto blushed at that, imagining what Konohamaru was saying, while Sakura let out a scream of rage and began to chase the Konohamaru Corps down an alley, where Konohamaru cried out in pain. Hinata and Naruto then ran down the alley to see what had happened.

Naruto and Hinata turned the corner to see Konohamaru being held off of the ground by a teenager wearing a full body suit that had a cat-like appearance. He had purple paint on his face, and had a large bandaged bundle on his back.

"That hurt you brat," the teen growled as he tightened his grip on Konohamaru's shirt.

"Enough Kankuro, stop playing with the little kids," the female behind him said, she was wearing a violet outfit and had her dirty blond hair tied into four pigtails. On her back was a giant metal bar of some kind. Both of them had Sunagakure headbands.

"Relax Temari, just let me teach this kid how to respect his betters," Kankuro told her with a smirk. Temari just rolled her eyes and watched out of boredom.

"Put me down you makeup wearing freak!" Konohamaru cried.

"You brat! Just for that, you're going to get a world of hurt!" Kankuro growled as he pulled back his fist. But before he could punch the young boy, his fist was grabbed by a clawed gauntlet, as was his head.

"I suggest you put him down unless you would like to be executed for harming the Hokage's grandson," Naruto said in an eerily calm voice, putting pressure on Kankuro's head.

Kankuro and Temari gulped after this realization. The older boy dropped Konohamaru who scrambled over to Hinata and his two friends.

Naruto then saw a flicker of movement to his left and shouted, "Sasuke get out of the tree! You're making a fool of yourself!"

Everyone turned and saw the last Uchiha standing on a tree branch glaring at everyone there.

"Besides, why don't you introduce us to your new friend?" Naruto asked as he gestured to Sasuke's left. Everyone looked over to see a young redhead with pale skin upside down on the branch next to Sasuke. He had green eyes surrounded by black rings and a giant gourd on his back. What caught most peoples attention, was the red kanji for 'love' on the left side of his forehead.

"Let's see, *sniff sniff* blood, sand, gore, and a hint of madness," Kyuubi mused. "Smells like that damned tanuki."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"I'll tell you later," Kyuubi waved him off.

"Ga-Gaara," Kankuro gasped out when he saw the younger boy. Temari was also shaking at the sight of the redhead as he glared at them.

"Kankuro, you're a disgrace to the village," Gaara said as he glared at the older boy.

"B-but Gaara-" Kankuro was cut off when Gaara vanished in a sand Shunshin and reappeared in front of him and Naruto.

"Shut up before I kill you," Gaara told him.

'Those eyes, he really would kill his own teammate,' Naruto realized. He then let go of Kankuro and stepped back to Hinata and Sakura as they watched.

"What are Suna ninjas doing in the village?" Sakura asked.

Temari snorted and said, "We're here for the Chunin Exams Pinky, Konoha's hosting them this year."

Sakura turned red with anger, but before she could go and get destroyed by the Suna kunoichi, Sasuke dropped down onto the ground, making her go and gush over how 'cool' he was.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke smirked and said, "I am-"

"Not you, the one with the gauntlets and the Hyuga," Gaara cut him off without looking at Sasuke, making him fume.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, what's your name?"

"I am Gaara Sabaku, I will enjoy killing you in the exams, Naruto Uzumaki," Gaara said with a dark smirk on his face. Hinata shivered and gripped Naruto's arm as he glared at the murderous Suna nin.

"Temari, Kankuro, let's go," Gaara ordered as he walked away, the other two following him.

"I have no idea why he's interested in a loser like you anyway, I'll be the one to defeat him," Sasuke declared as he walked away, Sakura following him.

"Man, what a jerk!" Moegi said.

"You said it!" Konohamaru agreed.

Naruto chuckled and told him, "You know, you would have turned out like that if me and Hinata-chan never met you."

The Konohamaru Corps shivered at the thought before they said their goodbyes and left.

"So what do you think?" a white haired Kumo ninja asked as he sucked on his lollipop. He and his teammates were on the rooftops nearby and saw the confrontation.

"I don't know what to think, but that redhead looks like the one we were warned about," his redhead teammate said. She and the male had swords on their backs and had dark skin.

"Yeah, but that Konoha ninja looks interesting," their other teammate said. She was a blond haired girl tied in a ponytail with a purple outfit. She was also the only one who had light skin.

"Who? The Uchiha? He had that look in his eye," the male asked.

The blond shook her head. "No, that Naruto guy, he had a certain...air around him. One that just drew my attention, it feels familiar."

"Then we should keep an eye on him as well," the redhead said, the other two agreed before they left.

"An Uzumaki? I thought we wiped them all out ages ago," a Kirigakure Genin commented as he and his team watched from the shadows. The one that spoke was wearing fishnet armor underneath samurai armor that was usually seen in the Tetsu no Kuni. He had black pants and a tanto strapped to his back. His brown hair covered the right side of his face.

"I don't think that he's an Uzumaki, Hamaguri (4), they had red hair and pale skin," his teammate said. He was wearing a similar outfit except he had a kusarigama at his waist instead of a sword. His black hair was tied in a ponytail that reached the back of his neck.

You have a point Mekajiki (5), how about you, Shujin? (6) What do you think?" Hamaguri asked, sneering at the end.

The final member of the group was wearing the least amount of clothing. He wore black pants that reached his knees and black sandals. Over his upper body was a blue robe that had a hood covering his head. The only thing that could be seen was the small braid of black hair with white mixed into it. He just sat there in silence while his teammates became frustrated.

"Answer me!" Hamaguri yelled while holding up two fingers and expelling chakra.

Shujin flinched for a moment before saying in a drone-like voice, "I believe that he should be eliminated, even if he is not an Uzumaki. We have no way of knowing that he is, so it would become problematic if he turns out to be one."

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Hamaguri taunted while Mekajiki snickered in amusement. Shujin jerked his body again and took a deep breath of air.

Naruto and Hinata were walking towards the Senju Compound. Hitomi had forced Hiashi to agree to them visiting the compound once a day, the rest of the clan just thought that Hitomi wanted to see her old sensei and didn't question it.

However, before they could get there, they heard the distinct sound of people arguing.

"The only reason we accepted you as a teammate was to get into these exams! It doesn't mean that we have to like you, you freak!" a male voice yells.

"Oh yeah?! Well once I become a Chunin, then I won't have to listen to you two jerks while you stay as pathetic Genin!" a female voice cried.

The two members of Team 8 peaked around the corner to see a trio of Taki ninjas arguing, two males and one female. The two males didn't stand out too much, but the female caught their attention.

She was about their age, and had mint green hair that reached town to the middle of her neck with an orange hair clip. She was wearing a white top that covered her chest and revealed her midriff with mesh armor underneath, and a white apron skirt over mesh shorts. She had white arm warmers and white shinobi sandals. She had a large red cylinder on her back, and had her Takigakure headband on her right arm.

"Tsh, whatever, let's go, maybe sensei can give us some new jutsu," the other male said as he his teammate left the girls grinding her teeth.

"Hey, are you alright?" Naruto asked as he and Hinata walked over.

The girl whirled around with her fist raised, but lowered it when she saw that it was people her age. "Would you be alright when your entire team hates you?" she asked.

"Try having most of the village wishing you were dead," Naruto said, making the girl widen her eyes.

"Kit, take a good sniff of the air for a moment," Kyuubi said. Naruto did so and the Kyuubi muttered, "Hmm, beetles, scale powder, and clean wind, smells like the Nanabi."

'She's like me?' Naruto asked, to which the Kyuubi nodded in confirmation.

"Wait, you're hated too?" the girl asked. Naruto nodded and the girl got closer to them and whispered, "Are you a monster like me?"

Naruto frowned and Hinata looked sad. "No, we are NOT monsters, we're just misunderstood, you and I," Naruto told her. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean? I've been told that I'm a monster all my life," the girl said.

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, we just contain monsters, we're not the monsters themselves."

"I am no monster," Kyuubi protested.

'Would you rather be known as a fairy or something like that?' Naruto asked.

"...I am a monster! FEAR ME!" Kyuubi roared, making Naruto sweat drop.

"W-what are you talking about?" the girl asked, feeling confused.

"Have people called you...Insect or something similar?" Naruto asked, having gotten the Nanabi's general appearance from the Kyuubi. The girl nodded and Naruto told her, "Then you're like me, a Jinchuriki, someone who contains a Bijuu inside of them."

"W-what?" the girl managed to choke out. "B-but all my life...I've been told..." The girl couldn't say anymore as she was shocked by this revelation. It completely clashed with what she had been told all her life.

"When you molded chakra, have you ever seen a seal on your body?" Naruto asked. The girl nodded told them that it was on her back. So Naruto explained to her what it meant and what was sealed inside her. After several minutes, the girl was able to pull herself back together.

"So what's your name?" Hinata asked.

The girl gave a small smile and said, "I'm Fuu, what about you two?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"I am Hinata Hyuga."

"Well, pleased to meet you. So what Bijuu do you hold?" Fuu asked. Naruto held up nine fingers, making the Taki girl widen her eyes in shock, seeing that his Bijuu was more powerful than hers.

"Well it was nice to meet you guys, but I think I should head back before I get into trouble with my sensei," Fuu spat out that last word with disgust. After she left Hinata turned to Naruto, seeing him in deep thought.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, it's just...I knew that there were others like me, but I never would have thought that their lives were worse than mine," Naruto explained. "I mean, it's really hard to imagine a life worse than your own."

"I think I know what you mean," Hinata said. "If I never met you, I probably would have been an extremely shy girl who would never be able to get out of her shell."

Naruto smiled and said to her, "You don't give yourself enough credit Hinata-chan, I mean sure you were shy in the beginning, but now you've got your own confidence."

Hinata smiled at the praise and nodded in agreement. The two then began walking towards the Senju Compound again.

"Kyuubi thinks that Fuu isn't the only Jinchuriki in the Exams," Naruto suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, surprised by this revelation.

"That Gaara guy, Kyuubi says that Shukaku the Ichibi is sealed in him," Naruto told her. "He also smelled another Bijuu in the area, but couldn't tell who it was since the scent was to weak."

"That means that we'll have to be extra careful then," Hinata said. Naruto nodded in agreement.

(Next Week)

The members of Team 8 were standing outside of the Academy, each one ready for the exams.

Shino had changed his appearance during the week of training. He had unbuttoned the top part of his jacket, allowing people to see his face. He had strapped his twin swords to his his waist on each side, ready to use them.

Hinata had brought her bow and arrow, confident in her ability to use them. Just three days ago, Tenten had deemed Hinata ready to use them in real combat, impressed with the younger girls ability.

Naruto didn't change much except for the fact that he had created storage seals on his gauntlets. One seal contained shuriken, another had kunai, and the other two contained exploding tags and fuuma shuriken. He also had brought with him some extra masks incase he got more hearts.

"You two ready?" Naruto asked.

"I am prepared," Shino told him.

"Let's go," Hinata said with determination. Naruto grinned and pushed the doors to the Academy open.

Team 8 had entered the Chunin Exams.

Done! Wow, what a chapter!

I hope you guys enjoyed it, I put a lot of work into this chapter since I won't be writing for a while. School's starting this week and I need to focus on getting used to my new routine for a while. So please, DON'T ASK ME WHEN THE NEXT CHAPTER IS!

1: You guy's won't even have a clue as to what creatures are in this contract. I'm pretty sure that what I have planned, has never been done. You can try to guess, but you probably won't get it right.

2: Means Firefox.

3: Means Graceful

4: Means Clam

5: Means Whale

6: Means Prisoner

Fuu's here! I know that the intro was short, but she'll have her screen time in the exams.

Now onto a serious question I have for all of you. Do you still want it to be a Naru/Hina/Fuu story, or do you want it to go to a NaruHina story. I've received several messages telling me that they're going to have a hard time accepting Fuu due to her late appearance. If you don't want her as a part of the small harem, then it will only affect the romance part of the story since I'm making her a main character.

Please Review! Ciao!