Chapter 14: Borderline

The jounin lounge was loud and full of excited chatter, several unique individuals all dressed in almost matching outfits or at the very least, matching vests.

The center of all the attention were on five adults, four of them being jounin senseis and the last one having been the proctor of the First Exam. Watching as Gai, dressed in his usual unnecessarily tight green leotard, yell in the uninterested face of Kakashi as Asuma and Kurenai held a considerably more normal conversation with Ibiki about their students' progress, a stack of collected exams being given to them as he read off the notes he collected.

Only when he passed two full sheets and an origami frog to Kakashi, did the uninterested look pass and a comical look enter his eye as he flicked it to hop around his lap.

Ignoring the cries of being ignored by Gai and Kurenai's jab of being immature, the feeling of eyes watching him did not pass but instead, slightly lessened as one woman from across the room looked away.

He saw her the moment she walked in and like usual, they passed each other with no words.

It was almost like a childish game for everyone having been involved from the beginning of it, and he couldn't blame a single one of the players for never ending it. There was no winning or losing however, only small breaks when they were forced to acknowledge each other. He played it with Jiraiya during the very few visits, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha on the street, and the Psych ward continuously reminded him that it wasn't healthy to ignore the connections of his dead friends.

Jokes on them, he was the sensei to the children connected to his dead friends and on probation to be away from them.

It might please them that he technically broke it once already, now that he thinks of it.

The woman though, ankles crossed as she sipped from a small plastic cup near the water cooler, her knee-length mocha shaded kimono with pine shaded ends that matched her jounin vest, wearing loose sandals similar to monks. Nails painted a deep green that almost matched her forest green eyes, naturally highlighted hair that could compete with the bark of trees, her appearance reflected both her chakra nature and name.

Watching her set down her cup with an alarmed look in her eyes, she disappeared in a smoky poof, Asuma following not even a minute later.

"I guess my kids made it through the second exam," he chuckled before disappearing.

Naruto's POV

Team 8 ended up coming with us to the tower, all of us having both scrolls. Feeling their uneasy chakra and eyes on the back of her neck, Ino not obsessing over teme for once, I knew it was because of Sasuke and I.

After resting and almost falling asleep with my head against Sasuke's shoulder, Team 8 and Sakura settled and I barely heard Sakura explain what had happened since we entered this damn training ground. My face didn't blush, I didn't try and act humble or over exaggerate my strength for fun or even explain what happened to me after I was thrown miles away from them.

My face paled and I could feel my blood pump through my body, feeling almost like I was cold and was nearly shivering.

When the others finally came into the dark, Shikamaru awkwardly told Sasuke that they were heading to the tower later tonight in the safety of the night, and invited Team 7 to come along if we had both scrolls. Nudged back to earth to confirm that I still had our scroll, I could feel Team 8's shifting looks at Sakura and Sasuke having actually given me the scroll.

Clenching my parasol, my mismatched eyes closed in the dark.

I'm not that useless, am I?

I mean, I'm able to turn into paper and do some sealing, and they can't do that - they could seal if they wanted to.

I'm holding the Kyuubi for fucks sake, and only Uzumaki could do that! Why would they want to?

When I finally fell asleep as I forced the touch-sensitive teme to hold my hand, I didn't dream. It felt like only seconds passed from when I closed my eyes and opened them once again, Sasuke clumsily forcing my goggles back over my head. Sending a weak grin as I slapped his hands away, he stared unmoving into my dimmed eyes as Ino once more went over Sakura's hair, Shikamaru and Choji sharing a bag of chips in the moonlight as they stretched.

The affection between me and Sasuke was never mentioned and based on Sakura not tearing me a new hole to shit out of, she probably didn't even figure out my gender. The thought of Ino and Sakura backing off because Sasuke appeared gay brought a small grin to my face, but the almost fearful looks when we began travelling ruined the daydream of Sasuke finally not being an egotistical ass.

Shikamaru and Choji only gave me and Sasuke nods of goodbye, Ino whispering something in Sakura's ear before quickly waving to Sasuke.

A riddle of having honed ones body and mind to become chunin on the wall gave Sasuke the bored theory of finally opening the scrolls.

You graduated at the bottom of the class for a reason.

Smoke began rising from the center of the unraveled scrolls, and tossing them to overlap in the middle of the floor - a large puff had filled my lungs. Bending over slightly to cough my stomach out, a warm finger lifted my whole face up and kind forest eyes filled my vision. Finger removed as I finished coughing, she stepped a few paces back, eyes roaming over our dirtied and bloodied appearance.

"Congratulations on passing the Second Exam. I am Jounin Midori Sarutobi and it is a pleasure to finally meet the new Team 7!"

My mouth felt dry, finally meeting her.

Best friend of Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki, my godmother.

"You guys are probably tired and you look terrible, so-" with a snap of her fingers, a genjutsu behind her wavered to reveal a door, "if you go through that door and up the stairs, you can spend the next 2 days recovering and relaxing, as the exam isn't over just yet."

Sakura looked relieved, nearly running to the door and I grabbed the shirt of the slow-moving Sasuke. Missing nin aren't suppose to be in chunin exams of their old villagers, leaving seals on genin.

Seeing the rejected glance from her as I pulled him backwards, I winced when I realized that my first meeting with her was going to be ruined with this.

"I'm happy that I finally get to meet you but the Snake Sannin Orochimaru attacked us in the forest and he bit us to leave seals and the teme had his expand on his body!" Rushing it all out and feeling Sasuke try and twist out of my grip, I flipped him the finger at his betrayed expression as Midori looked on in disbelief. With a strong pull that sent Sasuke crashing into me, we fell onto the ground wrestling as I tried to force his ridiculously large collar to show his neck.

Hearing her sigh after a particular tug, I paused in my wrestling long enough for the stubborn bastard to push me off him.

"I didn't believe it when I was told you two were rivals, but I'll have to report this immediately to Hokage-sama. Naruto, Sasuke, you'll both likely be summoned by ANBU to speak about what happened, but when I have free time, I will most certainly find you later." Waving an elegant hand toward the door, she smiled almost bitterly. "Until then, go and relax."

Giving her a small wave as Sasuke grumpily walked to the door, when it swung close behind us he turned to the nearby stairwell without looking at me, "Who was that?"

"How do you not know?" His mother was still around for awhile, so what the hell? "Actually, what do you know?"

The stairs winded up into a lazy circle for two levels and landed into two hallways with signs hanging from their ceiling, and an open space filled with tables and a covered up serving section. One very small hallway was labeled Bathing with smaller signs for male and female, the other was labeled Practice. Making our way up to the top floor where there were four hallways, no signs besides a small board listing rules of staying in the bedrooms, I followed him as he went to a random one, knocking before entering and attempting to slam the door in my face.

"Seriously teme, you don't know her?"

"Should I?" Pushing past him and into his chosen room, I sat on the closest thing to the door, it being a small chair. Beside it was a stand with a lamp and a clean ashtray, almost outdated pamphlets of places to visit around Konoha messily scrambled across it, Sasuke almost falling onto the twin sized bed on the other side of the chair.

"Do you want me to just start from the beginning, because if you really don't know, you're not gonna believe me." Seeing him only roll his eyes as he settled into the crisp bed sheets, I started explaining to him in almost desperation to connect with him normally, my loud voice keeping him awake to hear it.

I told him everything I knew. Our mothers being friends with Midori from taking several missions together as genin and chunin, mom teasing Mikoto over her crush on Fugaku before they were arranged to be married, Mikoto and Midori staging several things to hook up my parents, quite a few of their personal missions for justice even though they weren't paid for it, the planned play dates meant for us, and all the pranks they played on each other before and during the pregnancies.

He didn't cry, didn't interrupt, or anything besides listen to me talk. Had to check if he was still awake sometimes but all he did was lay there, watching my gestures and poor reenacting.

"Why didn't she ever meet me?" He finally asked, and I could only shrug guiltily.

"She didn't meet me either, if that makes you feel better. Jisan said that she borderline overworks herself and we're political pieces, so she probably couldn't be allowed to take care of us." Lifting his head off the pillow with rised eyebrows wondering what the hell I was talking about, I sent the look back. "You're the last Uchiha and I'm apparently a princess. The Sandaime Hokage's own niece taking care of us? God, the council would break their hips." His head planted back into the pillow with a weird emotion pointed to the ceiling as my cover up went unnoticed.

Nobody's allowed to control the monster.

Yawning, I stood up and grinned at him. "I'm gonna go to bed though, mkay teme?"

"Goodnight Naru." Closing his eyes and tucking his face under a pillow, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's Naruto, you prick." Taking the two steps to the doorway, I flicked the light off for him before leaving. "G'night, teme."

Across the hall and three doors down, I chose a room that was an exact replica of Sasuke's and tugged my boots off to be lazily thrown under the night stand, my jacket flung to hang over the chair and planted my face into the two pillows.

If you dream, you'll see everything you stole.

When I ignored even forming the actual thoughts, they couldn't attack me. Knowing that almost everything the corrupted fucking seal said to me was close to the truth, it hurt.

I know I didn't take away mom's life because the Kyuubi escaped, since she was able to live afterward to even make a memory for me. The only way to reseal the damn fox was to die for it, unless it was weak with actual threats of escaping. Plus, there was a difference between my clan members and the villagers! My clan knew how sealing worked damnit, and will know that I'm not the Kyuubi in disguise in mere seconds of hearing that bullshit.

And I'm almost 13, my hormones are a damn thing like they are with everyone else.

I did end up dreaming, of what life could've been. Bedtime stories, play dates with Sasuke, him staying with us if the massacre still happened. Dad scolding me when I pranked before overlooking my punishments, a smile dancing on his lips as he tried to be angry in front of others. Kakashi-sensei babysitting, pulling his hair and snuggling with him after playing, him maybe becoming my sensei anyways. Walking around with no glares, instead getting smiles and waves, being reminded of coupons and deals to local stores wanting my business for once.

When I woke up, it was to a world that left me alone with a cold hand that wasn't mine against my neck.

Still wearing my goggles, I only ended up bumping them when I reached to rub my eyelids. Seeing Kakashi-sensei though above me once again sent a shiver down my spine before a cold and heavy feeling sat deep in my stomach as a familiar warmth reached between my legs.

It took me a second to realize it was shame.

Pulling off my goggles and hat in one jerk, I finally did rub at my eyes as his hand never moved against my throat, his thumb circling the left side. Sleepily watching him, he was dressed as normal but his headband was lifted and I could see his spinning Sharingan focused on my neck. Letting the tingle in my spine and sweet spot remain, I practically bathed in the shame under his attention.

"Aa, when Hokage-sama heard, a manhunt for Orochimaru was formed," his eyes found mine and I could feel my breath be taken at the intense stare. "He wasn't captured, but when we asked Sasuke and Sakura, we found out what he said as he bit you and Hokage-sama decided that you should just be left to rest until you were awake for questioning."

"For questioning..?" The way he said it sound almost as if the T&I Division were going to handle me themselves, but he shook his head at the fear entering my eyes.

"Ah no, Naruto-chan, not like that." He was sitting on the edge of my bed, one leg bent alongside my body as the other hung off and kept him steady. The hand that circled my throat ended up setting itself comfortably on the other side of my body, him leaning onto his left arm as he peered down onto my neck. "Hokage-sama just gave me a list of questions to ask you to report back to him." Leaning back, he gave a pleasant eye smile. "Nobody has absolutely any idea what you went through and don't want you to feel too pressured when you're suppose to be relaxing."

Nodding, I smiled nervously as he leaned back, still above me. Probably pinning me so I didn't try and run away from my problems, literally this time.

"Starting from the beginning, what happened when you were blown away by the wind?"

"There was a huge snake that ate me, and I had to kage no bunshin my way out of it. Blew up everywhere and Shisen, the crow, started talkin' to me. Told him that I didn't really have time on if we could talk later, but I don't know where he is now. He followed us all the way back from Wave, ya know? Was caught by Gatou to be an exotic pet before we blew the hideout up."

"Sakura said he was meant to prevent something?"

"He was serious 'bout that?" Looking deep into his eyes, I swallowed nervously. "When I was heading back, he was going on anyway about how a ton of cultures before ninjas or advanced technology even existed believing that crows and ravens were known for predicting the future, two named Mind and Thought? I thought he was just trying to give me history or something, not hint at what we were suppose to talk about or whatever."

Sensei hummed for a moment, his eyes tracing my body over. 'Isn't the Sharingan suppose to predict the future by just a few seconds, too? Memorize all the little details - oh. He's trying to see if I'm lying.'

Are you really that dumb?

"Both Sasuke and Sakura said that Orochimaru called you a experiment, do you know why?" Carefully wording his question, I snorted sadly.

Everything about you is an experiment to everyone interested.

"He put the same thing on me as he did to the teme, and I guess he just wanted to see if it'd stay at all. It didn't, 'cause the Kyuubi ate it."

"The Kyuubi.. ate it?"

Lightly grinning at my choice of words, I bobbed my head at the raised eyebrows. "Yup! When I went to my mind, I watched his-hers, what the hell ever it is because no one knows, eat the purple chakra the seal was making until it was gone. We ended up sort of talkin' after it."

I watched his eyes close with a heavy sigh, an alarmed look passing by. "What did you and the Kyuubi speak about?"

"He told me what the seal was doing. Trying to corrupt me to go dark side, be evil and all that. He explained it as trying to get me to feel weak and vulnerable, so Orochimaru could sweep in later and offer power. Only after I rejected his offer though, 'cause it still failed somehow."

Liar.

"Mm, can you reword that, Naruto?"

"The seal he gave me, pretty sure it's the exact same as teme's, but was just meant to produce this nasty chakra stuff to uh, manipulate dreams and some memories, disrupt your chakra to make you weaker. Make people paranoid, hurt and knock them down. Then when you call for it, it's suppose to help transform you with boosts of power so you feel stronger." Staring at the wall to my right to avoid his gaze, accidentally walking into the trap of confessing how I felt, my bottom lip trembled. "Then when you're all pissy or upset, the fucker Orochimaru will come back and use you in exchange for whatever you want. Kyuubi tried it himself, because I felt so terrible, but I still said no."

His left arm ended up moving in its place on the bed from being around my hips to almost touching my shoulder. His right hand ran through my hair, a sigh of pleasure escaping my lips before they clapped shut and humiliation flowered across my reddening cheeks. "Naruto, did anything else happen in there?"

"It.. it wasn't very nice." Hands fiddling with my torn and filthy shirt, my eyes squeezed shut. "Not the Kyuubi, but whatever the seal was. Was using my voice again me, pretending to be me."

"You can tell me what it said, Naruto. I won't tell Hokage-sama, I promise." A nervous tremble wrecked through my body, feeling uncomfortable as at the same time I was feeling insecure and upset when my own voice was used against me.

"That mom and dad didn't love me, them dying because of me, that I can't save my clan and that I.."

You'll drop your panties if he just kisses you right now.

"..That you'll, what?"

Let him bend you over wherever he wants.

Feeling him poke my forehead with his thumb in the middle of his hand making another run through my hair, I opened my own eyes as my mouth dropped open, the words trying to form but failing. "Naruto-chan?"

"That I'd fuck anybody who gives me attention." I blurted out, an almost funny surprised look filled his eyes, eyebrows crawling into his headband. The voice that held the same level of mocking but still in my own tone was sending unwanted tingles with its borderline dirty words with just enough for my imagination to go wild, a visible shiver rocking my body when I felt his fist clench the sheet near my shoulder.

I could see the quick understanding look form in the part of his face that I could, him clearly attempting to resist the urge to step back and see on who I meant by anybody giving me attention. Keeping my mouth closed to not say anything stupid or to give off on what I did with my teammate, I winced when he opened his own mouth instead.

"I, I don't understand?"

Just kiss him, he'll understand that you need him between your legs.

'No I don't, I just have a crush on him. A grown up crush on him, that has lust and all that shit.' I shot back. The source of the voice was gone, but not the train of thoughts it sent plowing to me unwillingly.

He'd plow you so nicely that you'd forget everything you've done.

My cheeks were nearly glowing red and my crazy breathing was almost starting to make me feel lightheaded. Even when I saw it in his eyes, he didn't act on the want to move back, but stayed in his place above me. "Naruto, you do understand how our community feels about our ages, correct?"

Groaning at his cautious question, the door nearly slammed open to reveal Sasuke almost juggling two trays with food, one more controlled as the other had containers stacked. The lamp was turned off but the light coming from the hallway casted his shadow onto us, still lighting us just enough to show him our position.

Kakashi-sensei leaning lowly above me, a hand in my hair and the other keeping his balance with both his eyes exposed. Me, face red and out of breath, in the middle of groaning at my own embarrassment with my changed appearance revealed.

None of us moved and even though the normally quiet bastard is off on his own brooding, the slightly forced bonding of being pushed away by others and the growing connections our life was meant to have has him almost opening up, or at least willing to brood around someone for a change. I did not expect some damn gossiping as we braided each others hair about who we liked as I tried to explain what was going on between me and sensei, but my lungs needed actual air from holding my breath to see what would happen.

My need for air seemed to knock them out of their frozen trance, sensei only running his hand through my hair one last time before quickly disappearing in a poof.

"Teme, that was nowhere what it looked like." His face was blank but he finally ended up coming into the room, setting down the trays on the nightstand before closing the door as I sat up on the bed. "I'm serious! I was just being questioned about what happened and he wanted to know what happened in my mind and it was really weird and I was just being honest -"

"Dobe, I won't tell." Sitting on the edge of the bed where Kakashi-sensei once was with the less food-stacked tray on his lap, he flicked the light on and stared at me through his eyelashes. "He was close to your mom, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Nodding as he pulled the top off a fruit packet, he drank the juice before setting it back down on the tray.

"Then if you get caught by someone else, say he was comforting you about her."

I wanted to punch him, feeling a part of myself shrivel up in the corner of embarrassment since he clearly wasn't going to listen to my explanation. Sighing with my slowly tortured soul of being on a stubborn team, I looked over what I guess was my tray and sat it on my own lap, legs folding before me. The more expensive rations in the shinobi stores were apparently bought to be served with fresh meat since we weren't allowed to leave the tower and I could name the veggies and fruits Sasuke probably purposely stacked on top of each other, multiple chicken breast slices thrown on its own plate at the top of the tower of health.

Thinking about it now, sensei probably thinks that by fucking anything that gives me attention, I meant mainly Sasuke. At least I can pretend that whatever future awkward silences I have with him will be spent him believing I wanted to screw my rival up the wall, even if I'd just be living in denial.

"Hey, where's Sakura-chan?" Slipping out from around the being chewed chicken as soon as it passed my mind, the raven-haired bastard slowed in his own chewing, pointedly swallowing before speaking.

"After we were summoned to speak with Hokage-sama, she ran away from me." Snorting sadly once again, I ignored his expecting glance. "Do you know why?"

"I have nooo idea. She didn't really like Eruda, hates it when I use my ability, so best guess is that she's afraid of bloodlines."

You're just lying to everyone now, aren't you?

3rd POV

None of his students were the same. They entered an exam to test their abilities to move up in the ranks and the results he expected from their first serious mission felt delayed, now showing on their dirtied and aging too quickly faces.

Kakashi wanted to bang his head through a wall.

Last night as the jounin off duty settled down in their exclusive lounge, Midori and Asuma disappeared, only for an ANBU member to barge in yelling about an emergency meeting ordered by the Hokage not soon after.

Gathered at the platform, an injured and stubborn Anko limped into the room beside Midori, her seal flaring on her skin once more.

Anko spilled her guts as strong as she could without revealing her real emotions, and Kakashi respected her for it but could not relieve his muscles when she got to the topic of what Orochimaru told her. Immediately a manhunt was begun and Kakashi shunshinned into the tower with the Hokage by his side.

Sakura and Sasuke were dragged out of the canteen and room respectively, reporting everything they saw.

His fangirling student next to her affections did not look at him, speak to him, or even act scared or shy before authority like he expected. Instead, she stared into the face of the Sandaime Hokage and could coldly confess in detail behind her wild locks of watching Sasuke be turned into a monster as he almost ripped out the arm sockets of another genin. Watching her, he expected Sasuke to act the same way.

Firm, cold, disconnecting once again from the team for his ambition. Instead, he acted quite emotional for an average Uchiha. Guilt and regret flashed in his eyes and when Sasuke told what him and Naruto discussed in the darkness of the tree trunk, Kakashi felt a swell of a pride for the firey and loud girl. Romanced by Orochimaru's lie only to be held back by his dead-last counterpart, he wondered on how loud Naruto would kick up a storm when she woke up, but when the joke was made - his stomach was gnawed at with their empty looks. As soon as they were dismissed, Midori stepped forward to request to speak with Naruto, the comfort of someone close to her mother hopefully being able to get the possibly damaged Naruto to tell the truth.

He was close to her mother and her father. He was even her sensei and close to her as a person.

Voicing it, Hurizen sighed and waved Kakashi the go ahead, his and Midori's game breaking for her to glare at him.

The first thing he noticed was her chakra being frayed. He was not a sensor but the Sharingan exposed much more to him, and her whirlpooling chakra was forced into rough waters.

A sleep talker he learned in Wave, she was mumbling for family long ago dead in situations never able to happen, and he allowed her to continue the nightmare painted as a pleasant dream as he searched for the second seal on her neck. Not finding it, he rubbed her neck until she woke up.

Brash and loud like her parents when she's relaxed, there was a time where Kakashi believed her to be running forth on pure instinct alone into trouble. Throwing him through a loop like everything else is recently, she has proven herself able to be mature in the challenges Team 7 has already been faced. Despite her surprisingly calm reaction to waking up with his hand on her neck of all places, the changes in her attitude were glaringly obvious to the Sharingan.

Rough waters that only splashed uncontrollably, an odd scent entered his nose as her impossibly high charisma had completely drowned in her inner turmoil. She didn't get angry, loud, or even upset.

She blushed and appeared afraid to hear what he might say if she told the truth.

Receiving all the answers for his questions, he should've returned and reported what he heard right after. That both of her seals were okay and the third was gone with the Kyuubi itself admitting how it worked, that she was contacted by a crow summon, and the now obvious signs of what Orochimaru had planned for the last Uchiha. Instead, he attempted to try and comfort her, to start the stirring her whirlpool back to normal. Fingers in her hair, he couldn't get over the surprising colour as he eased the insecurities out of her.

When she finally confessed, he finally put a rushed name to the scent.

Female in heat.

This was not what he expected, wanted, or even needed to know.

The only problems Kakashi's fellow rookie sensei's went through were stares that they corrected! How do you persuade one of the most stubborn kunoichi that you were the worse option in absolutely everything outside of needing someone to be quickly assassinated? The only thing he could even let loose from his mouth was ask her on if she was sure she knew the views of their shinobi community and beat himself up inside when he realized it could sound like encouragement. He should've told her immediately that she shouldn't pursue someone so old, should find someone who sees her as herself, and not one of her parents friends anyways!

Going on about being royalty, calling to bring forward a supposedly dead clan, he thought she'd begin caring for her image - not pursing further shuns to be made by the public.

Yeah, he said he'd be and do anything for her in another life time, where she was meant to be his little sister.

But, she wasn't her and this world wasn't what it was meant to be.

There was only about another two and half days left before the second exam ended. Having woken up just in time for lunch to be delivered to her, Naruto spent every minute after Kakashi's departure in guilt. She adored Sasuke actually wanting to spend time with her, her goal of being his equal met but she wanted to suffer in peace. She just wanted to lay down and wallow in guilt of the darkness in her room, and maybe finally start piecing herself together since she seemed to be avoiding that as well.

When her stomach began growling again, Sasuke sending a glare to it, they agreed to scope the place out together and see if there was another room to waste time in after eating.

On their way to the cafeteria, Naruto watched as Sasuke purposely avoided others. Giving wide berth at passing others, never looking another in the eyes, the chunin on guard even noticed the different behavior and gave them both odd looks. So when they chose their own little corner away from the rest of the rookies, she leaned over the table and smacked him upside the head.

"The hell is wrong with you, teme?"

Kicked under the table, she almost attempted flinging a fruit pack at him before he gave an ugly look. "I don't see the point in socializing with people so different than us."

She wished she could figure out what he meant, but the only thing coming to mind was the heir status that all the rookies, besides Sakura held. "Literally everyone besides Sakura is a heir, you arrogant dick."

"No, dobe," he started with a scowl. "Orphans."

Blinking at him as he ate, Naruto's mind went wild on how Orochimaru's seal could be effecting her friend in this way.

Out of nowhere, he wanted to be close with people with similar situations of being the 'last member' to a dead family, going out of his way to avoid people as if he was shy. 'Maybe the snake fuck-tard's seal is trying to make him completely isolate himself? ..Or is this just my fault because I've been pointing out all the things that could've been different if our parents were alive?'

"Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuuga are orphans." Naruto thought out loud, eyes turned upwards to the ceiling. "Would they be allowed to hang out with us?" Watching his darkened eyes, a questioning look was the only thing given. "They're Team 9, under Might Gai?" Wiggling fingers under his nose, her hand was smacked away as he scowled.

"The Hyuuga's are still alive at least," he grumbled irritated.

"Yeah, but Tenten and Rock Lee are complete orphans from the start, like me."

"You may be an orphan," Resting his arms on the table, he intently stared into her eyes. "But you still have a clan to resurrect."

"Tenten and Rock Lee have hopes for the future," a voice interrupted, turning both Sasuke and Naruto's head to the intruding woman, Midori sliding into a seat at the small table beside Naruto. Dressed in her original attire, her forest shaded eyes shined at the two with interest. "Just because they don't have a clan to resurrect, doesn't mean they don't have plans for a future family - close your mouth, Naruto."

Snapping her mouth shut with a piece of fruit almost falling out, Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "What are you two talking about, anyways? It's rude to talk about someone's goals without knowing them too well." Raising an eyebrow as her legs cross over her ankles, Sasuke grunted in his place.

"It's none of your business." Glaring at her through his eyelashes, Naruto's own jaw dropped once more as Midori glanced away.

"Teme, that's rude-"

"I don't care. If she was apparently friends with our mothers, then she had the past 12 years to speak to us. Instead, she waits until now."

Giving her a sideways glance, Naruto heavily sighed. "We're not the only ones in the world with issues, Sasuke." Not meeting either of their surprised eyes, she focused on poking at the plate stacked with meat as she nearly mumbled the words out. "We lost our families and she lost her best friends since she was just a kid. We're all going to grieve over it differently, so at least hear her out."

Gripping the end of the table tightly, Sasuke glared into her goggles for a moment before turning to Midori stiffly. "Then start explaining."

"Your parents loved you both with all their hearts, in and out of the womb, and I loved them." Smiling down at her hands, Midori closed her eyes peacefully. "When we were not teamed together for our short or long termed missions, we were at least making time to spend a few hours without the boys every Sunday evening. Whether you two know it or not, but at the time of the Kyuubi attack I had become an Academy teacher's assistant and was overlooking some detentions. I.. ended up locked away with the students, unable to fight. Kushina passed without Mikoto or I there, and I took it.. incredibly hard."

Fighting a guilty look off her face, Midori sighed before opening her eyes. "I was taken off active duty and demanded to take a minimum six month vacation, and unable to find a loophole past any of the political standings with you, Naruto, I took it out of the village. Mikoto having left the forces completely, was too busy with her family, either being a newborn or in school, Fugaku appeared to not have any spare time to take care of his children for his wife's well deserved vacation." Puckering her lips sourly, well manicured fingers tapped on the table nervously, "It lasted two years and when I returned, another year was spent with no progress to get to Naruto and there was.. a disagreement with Mikoto and Fugaku in the fourth."

"A disagreement?" Sasuke asked, suspiciously.

"When I said I loved them, I truly mean it." Sending a hard look to them both, Naruto's mouth dropped into a small O of realization as Sasuke only rose an eyebrow. "I spent a total of four years off duty, the last one having taken care of you for Mikoto to finally grieve herself, Sasuke. Too young to remember much, though Fugaku, the big oaf, somehow believed that I was attempting to steal her." Rolling her eyes with a hint of a childish pout, it quickly turned into a reddening scowl. "While Kushina did have a streak for righteous justice, having random spouts of chasing for strangers to fight for, I followed her each step of the way to ensure her return. Mikoto never did, staying behind to secure our status of loyal kunoichi that weren't going rogue or to gather materials to heal our injuries before anyone noticed that we were gone," chuckling under her breath harshly, Midori flashed a smile to the two slack jawed.

"It is unacceptable for me to suddenly arrive and heartless to assume you'd allow me to - not take their place, but to be here for you like I couldn't when you both needed someone in the past - "

"But you had your own issues," Naruto interrupted her softly. "I don't have a problem with you suddenly appearing, I really don't. You loved them and you at least tried. I know how difficult it can be to fight for someone like me of all things." Sending a thickly wattaged grin to her as Midori hesitantly wrapped an arm around the fire spirit, Naruto leaned into the one-armed hug happily. "No idea what Sasuke thinks, so it might take a little more convincing and forceful bonding."

"I'll still make it up to you, both of you." Midori finalized with a hard stare to the frowning Sasuke. Putting a name to the expression that he once labelled as dobe insistence, he decided to point blank relabel it as Uzumaki Influence as he sunk into his spot. Patting Naruto's back before releasing her, Midori slid to the other side of the table to sit uncomfortably close to the inching away Uchiha. "I suppose it is time to reveal to you that I wanted to hog you two all to myself. Quite the busy bodies you will be, wanted a moment alone to at least introduce myself!" She happily chirped with a note of disdain as she observed the Uzumaki's eating habits. Shaking it off, she gave a small charming smirk. "If you follow the staircase all the way to the top, you'll find a window, Naruto."

It took a whole moment before the meaning made sense, the Uzumaki heiress nearly falling out of her chair as she made a sprint to the stairs before returning, scrambling to grab her tray and to shovel a combination of fruit and colding meat into her mouth before once again making a run to the stairs.

Passing the Sand Team with a meaningful glance to Gaara, she took two steps at a time on the spiraling staircase, the circle becoming closer and tighter the higher she ran.

"Little Uzumaki." Nodding his small head as greeting, Shisen sat as a ruffled ball of feathers on the window's edge. "You are different." He said, matter-of-factly.

Taking deep breaths to catch her breath, Naruto leaned against the wall opposite of the sleek crow before sliding down with her tray to be forgotten beside her. "What do you mean, different?"

Sending a flatline look, the Uzumaki quietly wondered on if Crows could smile.

"Besides your genes having shifted, your chakra is exposing your emotions. The eccentric harmony is flattened into a dull hum - you are feeling insecure." Wincing and hiding her face in between her knees, she heard Shisen sigh. "I was meant to prevent your teammate's own seal, not yours." Picking at a feather as Naruto peaked up in curiosity - he caught it with a nod. "We foresaw the deal you made with your prisoner and we weren't meant to prevent that."

"What? You said that Crows are meant to see the future and that - "

"We do not predict every second," Interrupting with a squak, Shisen hopped to his feet. "We see moments and we pick them apart with the information we currently hold. We saw his curse and a fist-shaped hole in your heart!" Jaw dropped, Naruto's fingernails dug into her knee caps as her breath escaped her. "Foreseeing the future does not give us the right to choose for others on how they'd like to spend their time, but that does not give others the right to choose who to ruin."

Staring at the crow with her heart beat pumping out of control, the dead-last hung her head in defeat. "I don't understand why you're here, then."

"You are insecure, not foolish." Bitterly sending a small glare, Shisen fluttered down to stand before her. "The Crow Contract has either been passed down from Uzukage to the next, or to those who are worthy. If you are not hoping to become Uzukage, you are still worthy."

"..Worthy enough to be saved?" Shyly asking with eyes downcasted, the crow huffed at her question.

"Your attempts to continue kicking yourself while down are not discouraging. The sky may be dark for now, but you have a wonderful habit of lighting the candles that others hold. All you have to do is ask them to light yours once again."

"You still didn't answer my question on why you're here." Naruto stated, frowning at the encouraging words. 'I have no idea who to go to, who won't freak out about what I did.'

"Summon animals are used for companions to assist you in battle, all with a preference of summoner they have the ability to nitpick for. Most Uzumaki's are quite loud, but it is where their hearts lie that we are drawn to them." Watching her shift in her spot and sending her legs to stretch outward, he hopped on to her ankle. "You never wanted genuine revenge, only to pull the wool out from ones feet to show the truth. Even when you've been revealed to take your family home to the graveyard, you kept your chin up and marched forward with the responsibility dragging your feet in the path you've made yourself."

Silent but eyes wide and ears milking out the words that exposed some of his own information, the hidden girl smiled.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, it does actually." Hesitantly reaching a hand out, Shisen hopped closer and placed himself below the palm. "Do you really think I'm enough to do it all?"

The crow bobbed his small head slowly with Naruto's petting. "I've seen you battle. I've heard you speak. Your family normally leans on being unorthodox, but the stability you offer as well will help you all even when the stars are hidden by clouds."

Humming as she lost her focus in petting the affection-starved crow, Naruto's eyes found the open window and could see the sun setting behind the enormous tree tops.

Battling off the voice that whispered her flaws with the truth and well-done excuses, the Uzumaki lost herself in a daydream of how she could use her clones to speed up building, hunting alongside her cousins for huge campfires, and trying to convince everyone for an Academy to be rebuilt and sending everyone to earn their ninja status again.

She wasn't sure on being Hokage anymore. Konoha was thriving, besides the isolated incidents that left the citizens crying every once in awhile. Uzushi was left to decay as an empty skeleton, the citizens that made up her insides rotting alone all across the Elemental Nations.

"Hey, Shisen? If you don't choose for anyone on how to spend their lives even though you can see part of the future, then what do you do?" Eyebrows furrowed as she wondered out loud, he blinked up at her.

"Offer subtle wisdom casually and save lives."

Promised to reappear once again when she had free time and space for her to finally sign the contract, Naruto walked down the tower with a firmer step and a determined expression. Finding Sasuke sitting alone on the spiraling staircase, he shushed her before checking for others.

Searching the tower after confirming that Midori wasn't chasing him around for that forceful bonding, two large rooms were found on the ground floor. One with a keep out sign, the other was meant to be used as a training area. Only slightly used already with her schedule pushed back, she threw herself onto her hands and knees to begin sweating all over the floor well after even Sasuke went to bed.

Naruto from there, decided that if she can't be strong enough for herself, then she'll at least be strong enough for Shisen and her family. While they depended on the title and power behind a refugee'd princess and Daiymo chosen clan heiress in their allies home, she knew it wasn't her true position to those with genuine influences in Konoha.

Jinchuuriki to the Nine Tailed Fox, strongest uncontrollable entity, she was a war-tool. Meant to be sent out to the frontlines to finish the long battles to obliterate everyone in her way, she couldn't help a maddening fox grin as her clones attacked her.

She wasn't too strong yet, but the moment she was exposed at the Yellow Flashes daughter and able to show it - her other titles will be flying out of every gossiper's mouth alongside it until they rallied behind her in her difficult times.

When the last clone was destroyed and when her chakra teetered dangerously to empty, it was well past midnight.

Throwing herself into the female bathroom with no disturbances in another's chakra, her clothes came undone and water coated her body. Silent in the large locker room otherwise, she kept herself distracted with more daydreams. Built with endless possibilities and filling the cracks in her plans for support and exposure, she couldn't wait to see Toshiko and begin her training further.

The remaining day was left at that. Repeating the actions of pushing away her problems described as insecurities with focus on the now, besides seeing Sasuke and an angry Sakura once with a stinging cheek and the word monster echoing in her ear, Naruto ignored the rest of the rookie 9. Dragging Sasuke along for sparring in exchange for answering questions, she shook her head each time the Uchiha ran away from Midori's friendly reminders to hydrate.

Her own questions about her parents were answered excitedly and her questions about her mysterious teacher left a sour expression across the earthly woman's face. Participating in unique chakra controls that she'd later copy for the pouting last Uchiha, Naruto made sure to send comments and expressions to confuse Gaara with each free moment - at one point where Kankuro wondered out loud on if she had a death wish to be apparently flirting with the redhead.

Ignoring it to continue neglecting her boxed off insecurities that also contained her attraction to specific persons, the night before the Second Stages ending left her walking away with a hung head with her insecurities, responsibilities, and ideals finally becoming one.

The canteen was filled with everyone's sensei's at individual tables. Three pushed together to form a large table to fit Team 8 and 10, Kakashi was idly sitting with a frowning Sakura away from their loud group at a small squared table. Casually gathered around another small table was Team 9, Lee and Gai shouting as Neji and Tenten looked ready to beat their heads in and in the shadows of a corner quite close, Suna Team sat as the only Sound Team sat with their table clearly moved to stay clear from Team 7.

Sasuke at her side and almost hiding away from wandering eyes, Naruto sat herself right across from Kakashi, Sakura to her left. Right around from behind the Copy Nin, Gaara's stare could be caught. Holding onto the edges of the table as she tilted her chair back onto two legs, Naruto loudly huffed.

"Yo."

"What's this all about?" Gesturing the open space around them with a show of observing the others, Sakura shifted in her spot toward their sensei as Sasuke fell into his seat.

"Though the exam isn't finished until tomorrow, those who arrived early get to speak with their sensei's about the forest," almost cheerfully responding, Kakashi did not remove his eyes from his book.

Rolling her hidden eyes, the firey spirit crossed her arms on top of the table awkwardly. "So, therapy-like sessions?" Intently staring behind her goggles at the man who refused to look at her, he nodded with a flat hum.

Resting her cheek against her tan arm, Naruto caught the stare of Sasuke. Shrugging to him and receiving one back, his onyx orbs found their sensei's hidden face and began muttering. "You already know what happened to us in there."

"You should just tell us what you think," Sakura piped in venomously.

Surprised expressions were shot to the pink-haired girl as Kakashi slammed his book shut and shifted in his seat. "Well for one, I think you all were being incredibly dumb." Glaring hurtfully from behind her goggles as Sasuke gritted his teeth, the jinchuuriki attempted to hold her tongue. "You went against one of the Great Sannin. You should've have began running and said screw the exam, rather than risking your lives for a promotion."

Smacking a hand down irritably, Naruto barred her teeth and almost mocked him. "We went against one of the Great Sannin, if we ran away and said screw the exam, we wouldn't've gotten too far before he caught us."

"That is no excuse, Naruto. You had that Crow companion and bunshin, you could've sent one to inform someone that something was happening." Lone eye not finding her face, she huffed once again.

"Well I didn't, sensei. I'm still alive, aren't I? All of us are. What's the next thing we did wrong?"

Giving both the Uchiha and Haruno dangerous looks, the best guess to them all was that he was frowning in disappointment. "Sakura will not look at either of you and Sasuke is not interacting with anyone else besides you. Konoha's most valuable belief after the Will of Fire, is teamwork. You three don't need to be the best of friends, but you do need to at least be on friendly terms."

Leaning far back into her seat, Naruto sent a wave toward Sakura, snorting. "Then she should stop thinking I'm a monster," frowning at his relentless action of not looking at her, she groaned. "You're preaching to us about teamwork, but she smacked me and called me a monster when I tried asking her to sit with Sasuke and I for a meal earlier today."

Shoulders falling forward as the man crossed his arms, he turned his lonesome eye toward the glaring teammate. "Sakura, is this true?"

"Everyone already believes it. He was always perverted and rude when we were in the academy, his pranks humiliating everyone involved. He changed his hair colour to the roots, is able to turn into paper, and never said a single thing about when he blew up a hideout full of animals and humans!" Tugging at her own hat, Naruto scowled.

"You've treated me like a freak since we were kids, why would I go to you on if blowing up creatures bothered me?" Seeing Sasuke raise an eyebrow and begin almost leaning out of his chair, she tugged him back into place. "Why would I tell you anything if it wasn't about our missions? Even when everybody thought you were a freak for your forehead, you didn't want to see me! And now you're lumping Sasuke with me as a monster, when you saw what happened, thinking it's the same thing when it isn't -"

"Enough," voiced fined to a point, Kakashi finally took the time to lean in and stare each genin in the eye. "When this exam is over, win or lose, all three of you are going to visit the hospital." At Sakura, he shook his head. "You will attend a lecture with the head doctor who is efficient enough in seals and in his own research on bloodlines. To work alongside your current and future teammates, you need to get over this ridiculous fear of everything that meets a civilians Science Fiction view of the path of Ninja." Turning to Sasuke, he sent a glare that pinned the Uchiha to his spot. "You will visit the Psych Ward and then me. Our intell on your seal has suggested that your mental state will be attacked and you're already beginning to show abrupt differences that when are cleared, I will seal it away."

Turning to Naruto finally, his steel grey orb closed in what the other two will believe irritation. "You will receive a full body check up and visit the Registration Office to accurately update your Shinobi Info this time. Hokage-sama's orders, along with your seals being checked." Sighing as he visibly relaxed before them, he only leaned back in his seat with his head hanging off the back.

"Someone once taught me that abandoning the rules and regulations made you trash," lone eye opened to stare at the ceiling, he continued. "With time, I've come to learn that he wasn't just talking about the Shinobi Code. You will be given inaccurate info and you have to make your own or accept it, but that's not enough to hate others for. Really, in the end, those who abandon their comrades and friends are worse than trash, and we all have our reasons for being the way we are."

Squinting at him in disbelief and hope at his words, after a moment Naruto could only look away and close her eyes to view the repeating looks speaking of deep hatred and pain of missing loved ones. She admittedly felt confused, as many of her current comrades outside of the team would leave her to parish on the field, even though she'd destroy cleared buildings to retrieve them.

Unable to muster her original positive attitude and taking the words to heart to ignore other's negative feelings until they matched her own, she instead held them close to said heart until she could appreciate its value. Difficult to apply to others who have wronged her, her individual path was one stepped in before by other jinchuuriki's with their prisoners made public, but she knew just based by the dead stare of the redhead behind her teacher that she was wandering into an uncharted forest into a new direction.

A new direction that the other 8 possibly could not understand as a heir to a throne gathering dust on top of dried blood, fingers dipping into her tarnished bowl with plain expectations.

Descriptive words were better than titles and with her plan of gaining political power in Konoha, they were all she was going to be known as soon. Princess, Clan Head, Yellow Flashes Daughter, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and maybe one or two more to discriminate her. Each had a responsibility that followed it, upholding original expectations and rules themselves, acting as a ball and chain in the back of her mind.

And all of it started with her just wanting to be human, recognized and respected with the basic rights of one.

The stress that she worked off and buried into a shallow hole was tugged out and cleaned off, majority of the insecurities burning under the large pile of reminders as her mother's words rang through her ears loudly.

"It is up to you to do what's right, for yourself and those who you give your heart, in any manner you want."

Toshiko was her adviser, meant to be around for this reason and within the two weeks of her being busy, Naruto was collapsing under the imaginary weight in silence. Of course there were personal issues that came with being shunned all her life, but with a small chuckle under her breath, the rest of the issues were waved off until she could speak to the older Uzumaki. She was only told to get more involved with Konoha and continue training, left in the dark from the rest of the world until her adviser's return. A rough draft to be ran by later to make her adviser understand the tragic life of a victim under shit circumstances, all she had to do was become stronger and keep up an image of strength where she was weak.

So with puckering lips to form a crooked grin with the familiar urge to begin yelling in someone's face to correct them, Naruto simply slammed the palm of her hands down onto the table before rising from her seat. Keeping the stare from the redhead, she walked around her team's table and stood before the other as her own thought grew mischievously. 'I honestly don't know what the hell I'm doing anymore, but who is better to connect to with personal issues than another jinchuuriki?'

Four fingers up in her left and five in her right, Kakashi dropped his head in defeat at her words, Sakura's face etching horror as Sasuke watched on in disguised interest.

"Gaara, right? I live in room 26 of Matsuda's Apartment's on Kita road. If you ever want, just come over and we can trade stories, monster to monster!"

Dropping her fingers at his blood lust, she turned to the stairwell and sent a simple finger to Kakashi and Sakura, for refusing to look her in the eye and refusing to see past a terrible title respectively. Chuckling under her breath once again, nervously this time - she decided to procrastinate on fixing her bad habit of procrastinating everything that was now touching the thin line of going mad with itching pressure and wait.

"I'm borderline happy and I'm borderline sad, I'm borderline good and I'm borderline bad." -Tove Styrke

Ever notice that when a type of damaged people are upset, they sort of just wanna screw away their feelings? To feel appreciated and loved? Or just push away everything to the side until they break? Yeeeaah. Otherwise, I had no idea how to end this chapter with starting the next one and cutting it off abruptly.

Crows are apart of folklore across the world with legends of bringing bad luck or predicting terrible futures. The two Ravens that sat upon Odin's shoulder named Mind and Thought were said to be sent out everyday to speak with everyone, alive or dead, and return to Odin to whisper what they learned to give Odin an idea of the future.

Yay for almost 400 favorites, over 550 follows, and 100+ words! Your reviews help fuel me and make my face flush. In a rush to update, so if there's any.. "holes" or a question - make a lil review.

Uploaded: 10/25/16