AN: Yeah for a Chunin Exams re-write! Finally! I hope you all enjoy the massively cool fighting. I loved writing it. And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and any before that.

And this song, .com/watch?v=vm9_ywA4uNw, is for the sex later. And, no, you cannot scroll down looking for it! Shame on you, perverts! You must read the rest! (Even though that is just transference, as I do that exact thing myself sometimes when I'm in the mood for some raunchy, or romantic, loving between my favorite couple. Hee hee.) Oh, and I'm sorry to Cupricanka for not allowing her to see the sex part until it was posted. You know I love you, though, right?

Chapter 19

On the Verge, Take Me Over

Sasuke and Naruto walked side by side through the overgrown forest trail. The relative quiet in the trees was a welcoming gift next to the bustle of the village business district. The crowded streets had been especially over-laden with shoppers. Sasuke had kept his guard up while he and Naruto had tried to find a quieter café to eat breakfast in. From the whispers they had both picked up on as they went about their business, it had somehow been leaked that they had been entered in the Chunin exams to be held that day. Sasuke wondered if he would, indeed, see the inside of a cell for murdering his old teacher. He could claim justifiable homicide because of extenuating circumstances (a teacher, even a fierce ninja Jounin, should not expose children to porn) but decided against it.

Slowly, Naruto's infectious excitement humming in the air took over and Sasuke let it all pass. They had a right to be excited, he supposed. His return had garnered very little fanfare, probably as a result of Tsunade's strict orders. He was certain that several contingents of ANBU had been displaced from their normal missions to ease the tide of panic that had threatened to overwhelm more than just the few responsible for Naruto's assault. He was also pretty certain that it was more about where they stood in the hierarchy and needing to see the balance and action taken by their leader than wanting to repeat the heinous behavior. If it were up to Sasuke, though, there would only be a few members of society under constant surveillance, all of them still active ninja. The thought frustrated him to no end. He had gritted his teeth and fisted his hands. All their talk of peace and balance and justice, but such a cruel, manipulative and malicious man was allowed to remain above it. Naruto's boisterous excitement and unaffected smile had proved to calm his darker impulses, but he needed to work off the edge still hanging on. A good fight, especially between the two of them, would do it. He wasn't worried about the outcome of the Exam, or the possible opponents for the coming battles. Once they were able to return home after the first fight, Naruto, preferably naked and sweating from sexual exertion, would be more than enough.

Sasuke sighed. He felt the brush of Naruto's shoulder against his and leaned into the touch to make it stronger. A hand at his back began to form words as they neared the gates to the Forest of Death. 'How are you not excited?' Sasuke titled his head to the side and shrugged. It made no real difference to him what the outcome was later. But, he had to admit, the trial would be good for a gauge of his growth in skill. Naruto's hand massaged his back a moment and then formed more characters. 'They can see it now. How much we've grown, how far we've come, our strength. You'll see it, the trust they can place in us. I'm counting on you not to fuck up, Uchiha.'

Sasuke sniffed and turned to glare at him. Naruto smiled innocently, or tried to at any rate. Sasuke knew him so much better than he seemed to acknowledge, or maybe he enjoyed the play. A little too much, in Sasuke's opinion, but he was not without fault either and, unlike his lover, was willing to admit it without having to be forced, or so he grumbled to himself silently. The doors would not open until everyone had gathered and or the time ran out, so they would have to wait. Sasuke crossed his arms and stared at Anko, one of the examiners from last time who, apparently, had been dragged into it again. At least, that was the air she was giving off. They waited.

Three teams of ninja from Konoha joined them, looking ill at ease. Perhaps they were not as ready for this assignment as their Jounins thought. Sasuke smirked at them and they all moved away. Naruto rolled his eyes and bounced on his feet, ready to get started. Three more teams showed up from each: Suna, Kumo and Kusa villages. One more hailed from Kirigakure. The Iwa and Ame villages had not been allowed to send any as the treaties had still not been finalized after their participation in the assault on Konoha. Tsunade, rightfully, did not trust their simpering leader's abject apologies, knowing full well that, had it gone differently, he would have done far more to damage Fire Country's stability with the other nations. Sasuke did not really care either way, really he didn't, as long as there were suitable opponents and he could get out with enough time and energy to spend with Naruto. Naruto huffed impatiently and rolled on the balls of his feet again. Sasuke felt the itch to drag him down and tie him to a tree trunk, but that thought wasn't appropriate here. Or rather, the thoughts following a breathless Naruto kept still and a mounting desire coming out of those eyes clearly had no part here. Sasuke shook his head and glared at Anko again. She smiled and waved at everyone, calling them over.

"Right, all that passed the written exam have now arrived."

She laughed, a little dementedly, from what Naruto heard. He shuddered, never having gotten comfortable with her. Sasuke disliked her now on principle as she'd been Orochimaru's faithful student. That man's death, though satisfying, hadn't come quickly enough for him.

"Well, now that you re all here, there's another from or you to fill out, for consent."

Her smile had grown, if possible, even more twisted and the glee that sharpened her black eyes into sparks of coal was disconcerting to say the least. A few of the rookies cast nervous glances at each other and shifted on their feet. Naruto's restless energy still had not abated. He twirled his fingers around a kunai from his pouch and canted his eyes at Sasuke quickly under heavy lids. Sasuke shifted as well, though not from any anxiety over this second run at the exams. The written part had gone better than the last time. Well, it had been the same for him, using the Sharingan to focus in on the hidden Chunin's chakra, which had been stronger than any of the others aside from Naruto's. He had also been the only one with enough confidence to betray the fact that he was, indeed, already knowledgeable in all the correct answers.

Naruto had not been able to answer any of the questions on his own once again, but had taken the lesson from the last exam and used a clone that had cloaked itself to match the surroundings of the classroom to cheat off of one of the examiner's papers. It hadn't been found, which had pleased him to no end. The hint of surprise on Ibiki's face before it disappeared was enough to make him smile endlessly. He had lifted his scarf off of his head again, during the explanation at the end, and it had sobered him somewhat. All those scars, the burn marks, and the holes; he knew what it must have cost him, now more than ever before, to continue on after that kind of torture.

He turned towards Anko, now in front of him, and took the form from her with a nod. Her black hair in that crazy spiked ponytail splayed out in the wind like tendrils of living darkness and he shuddered. She hadn't calmed down a bit from all those years ago. It felt like an eternity since he'd been able to focus on something other than a dangerous, possibly lethal, mission abroad. He penned his name at the bottom and watched Sasuke sign that he had done the same. They lined up near the covered wooden structure that housed the desk filled with the scrolls. He had zoned out during the explanation of the second part, knowing that if anything had changed Sasuke would have let him know. Kotetsu, another one of the examiners, handed him the Earth scroll and he and Sasuke backed out of the curtain covering the roofed desk. The other teams all followed suit and soon, they had all lined up in front of their respective entrances. Naruto and Sasuke stopped before Gate Twelve and waited for the half hour to run down.

Once they had gone through, both of them took to the trees. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to help in the search for any of the other teams and Naruto sent clones out, in camouflage. They knew to avoid the area of the forest to the left and just before the tower in the middle. A couple of very nasty, carnivorous and poisonous plants grew there. After several hours of searching, with the sun nearing the horizon in a beautiful, glaring orange wash, Naruto dragged himself to a halt midway up a tree trunk and checked for Sasuke's position. They had agreed to use vocal communication as little as possible, but that meant they had to take care and stay within sight. He spotted Sasuke on a tree limb about one hundred yards away and read the signs Sasuke was sending him. There was a team of Kumo ninja not far from their location. Naruto sent out a clone to investigate, but it was caught in a snare and had dissipated. He alighted on the ground, hidden in the underbrush, while Sasuke materialized beside him silently. Naruto glanced over at him when Sasuke touched his shoulder. He looked frustrated.

'Naruto, that was a stupid mistake. You're better than that.'

Naruto huffed quietly and frowned.

'It's not like I have your eyes, you know. Anyway, there are two more obvious traps surrounding them. They're trying to lure in any of the less vigilant teams.'

Sasuke smirked and rolled his eyes.

'Stupid,' he signed, 'they must not be very good at gathering information or else they'd try something different.'

He then frowned and motioned for Naruto to send out more hidden clones to canvas the area again.

'We don't even know if they have the right scroll,' he explained with signs. Naruto backed up a few paces and shrugged, smiling.

'Oh, they do,' he signed.

When Sasuke raised an eyebrow and waited, Naruto laughed silently behind his hand.

'The bulky one in the middle. He didn't close his pouch properly. I was able to catch sight of the Heaven scroll before the clone triggered that trap.'

Sasuke smiled and signed that they would still need a few extra clones. Naruto read through the plan Sasuke wanted to try and snickered again without making a sound. They moved off to different locations around the area and closed in on the team in front of them. Sasuke could already see that they did not have enough chakra strength between them to hold down anything more solid than the original clone technique. And they weren't using that.

Two of Naruto's camouflaged clones wrapped their arms around each team member from various points to hold them all still. Sasuke materialized in front of them as they fought to free themselves. His Sharingan blazed and he caught them all in a temporary freeze with it. He did not want to overextend it so soon after entering the forest, so he let go as soon as one of the clones had procured the scroll and sent up an explosive kunai. They all fell to the ground, unconscious, and Naruto reached his clone effortlessly to take the Heaven scroll from him. They moved off silently, the rustling wind in the trees following in their wake. They could not see, though Sasuke could sense, the three Chunin examiners who gathered the fallen ninja up behind them and disappeared again.

Good, now all we need to do is survive the night and get to the tower and we're done with this part, Naruto thought as they moved off. Sasuke had become very winded through all the running and the search and subsequent fight, though Naruto could tell he had more than enough chakra to last to the tower. He called for a halt anyway; better to get there in the morning fully rested and with chakra in reserve for the individual portion. He checked to make sure the Heaven and Earth scrolls were well hidden in his jacket before settling against a tree trunk. Sasuke sighed and moved to sit beside him, willing to accede to the break for the sake of gathering more strength for later. And what a difference a couple of years had made in that strength. It seemed so effortless to complete this exam as opposed to the last time. Though, he was well aware that they would not be able to truly take a break until they reached the Tower the next morning. And even then, depending on how many others made it through, they might have another preliminary round before the final one.

Sasuke could feel several of Naruto's clones float out and around them, a set up they had silently planned in order for both of them to sleep without the need for a watch shift. Sasuke lifted off of the tree bark and set about making traps in various stretches of overgrown bushes and a few trees around their makeshift camp. Naruto gathered wood and unfurled the sleeping rolls he'd summoned from scrolls they each had carried. The Tower, by Sasuke's measurements, was a good four hour hike west of their position and they had no driving need to appear their right away, not when they could take the time out and make good use of it. Still, he felt the urgent press in his stomach to get on with it. Of course, it probably had more to do with his desire to get to the end so he could have his lover on their bed or on the kitchen counter, or maybe. . .

Sasuke shook his head clear, not sure when exactly he had lost so much control over his own thoughts. He sent a hooded gaze toward Naruto, who resolutely ignored it. Sasuke could feel the tension all the way up in the trees that had to be bunching Naruto's muscles up underneath the loose brown yukata they each had chosen to wear. Naruto had insisted on bringing along his jacket and ribbed shirt that he'd had made while on Mt. Myouboku. What on earth he wanted with them, as torn as they had been when Sasuke had finally caught a glimpse of them during one of their boring laundry detours, he had no idea. Though, if he could see Naruto actually wearing the outfit, he'd probably have no choice but to let loose on him. Sasuke shivered, not at all cold. He leapt down just in time to feel the heat from the growing fire in the middle of their camp. The shadows drifting down from the swaying tree limbs and the accompanying rustle of sound swirled through him and he felt almost at peace. It was much like the other morning, when he'd let the wind buffet his hand back and forth, for once not caring what way it fell or how.

Naruto turned around and pushed himself up to dust off his pants and then grimaced. He sniffed at his yukata and frowned. Sasuke eyed him as he stepped away through the trees, catching the signs for river and dinner as he left. He lifted his own arm slightly and then let it settle to his side instantly, refusing to duplicate such uncouth behavior. He would just wait until Naruto returned, and hopefully their dinner of fish would be waiting for him when he finished his own bath. Time seemed to drag, but instead of getting frustrated or feeling the crackle of impatience buzz through his limbs, he continued to wait. So many long days alone in his cell while traveling with Orochimaru had taught him a measure of patience, at least. All thoughts of dinner and a cool dip in the spring he could still hear to the right of the camp fled the moment he caught sight of Naruto's shortened spikes, a little longer than when he'd first seen the new cut, plastered to his neck and forehead. They curled a tiny bit at the ends and dripped shining beads of clear, spring water onto the black coat he now wore. Sasuke realized, in the instant that the air began to warm with his passing, that Naruto had changed clothes. He now wore the ribbed, black shirt, the loose, black pants and the custom-made black jacket, both upper garments emblazoned with shiny red thread that seemed to move and catch the firelight simultaneously. Fire, it was all flames running up the edge of the jacket and along the front of the shirt. It fit snuggly across his chest and Sasuke sucked in a breath to keep from losing all control. Naruto had by now, begun looking at him with a mixture of amusement and a little confusion. Sasuke blinked and wandered down to the stream while Naruto began stripping the fish of scales, de-boning them, and setting them up to roast. He snickered, though he was sure it wasn't quiet enough to escape Sasuke's notice. It served him right, and was high past time for Naruto to get in on the action from the start instead of always following along behind Sasuke's advances.

Sasuke took a few stabilizing breaths and slid into the cold water until it came up to his shoulders. He bit back a cry at the freezing needles it grazed across his skin and reached for the hand cloth and soap at the rocky edge. The spring was deep, enough so that his toes anchored him to the bottom with help form a little bit of chakra. Washing quickly and with more strength in his hands than necessary, Sasuke felt the tension and arousal in his body ebb somewhat. All they needed was to get too caught up in each other, now of all times, and any number of the surviving teams could get through their guard. He knew they were too strong alone, certainly as a team, for anyone to get far now, but he had no wish to exert himself if it wasn't necessary so close to the third exam. Sliding out of the water he returned to camp in only his boxers and a towel for his hair, the smell of freshly caught and cooked river fish calling him on.

Naruto lay on his sleeping roll, facing the fire. The glow played along the jacket and his exposed skin and danced on the earth. The shadows of the deepening twilight chased the light and bounced off the tree limbs but it didn't feel at all intimidating to him. Sasuke came off the path to the spring clad only in boxers and the sight made him at once aroused and relaxed. He watched as the other boy walked to the fire and retrieved the piece of bark Naruto had stripped from a nearby tree to use as a plate and dug the sticks holding the last two fish out of the earth. Sasuke turned to his own sleeping roll, Naruto having laid it out across the fire from him, and sat down cross-legged to eat. Naruto watched the whole show from his place and waited until Sasuke licked the grease from his fingers before shifting to lie on his back and gaze at the stars.

"It's warmer over here, you know," he murmured. Sasuke huffed and turned to gather the blanket around himself, preparing to try and fight his desire enough to sleep. Naruto shrugged and heaved himself up on his elbow and looked at Sasuke. To him, it seemed as if Naruto were trying to decide something, his eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned out.

"Fine, then," Naruto said evenly.

He got up and walked around the fire to settle down beside Sasuke.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his voice careful.

Naruto leaned into Sasuke's shoulder and turned his body to press his lips against his ear.

"Just trying to stay warm . . . Sasuke." He kept his voice low and tried his best not to let on how warm it had actually gotten sitting so close to his lover. There was no real space between them. Their mixed body heat had eaten up the few inches of air that separated them. Naruto began to close that space when Sasuke turned to gaze at him.

He inched his upper body forward slowly, his eyes tracing the line of Sasuke's jaw. Sasuke tilted his head to the side a bit then lowered it. Their foreheads touched minutely before Naruto grasped Sasuke's mouth with his and kissed him. Sasuke's hand caught up with Naruto's as he felt his chest brush against the cloth of the jacket he wore. Their fingers spread out and linked together. Naruto deepened the kiss a little, bringing his hand up to grab the back of Sasuke's neck. As he pulled Sasuke closer he could feel the pulse at his wrist. It jumped and Naruto smiled into his neck, nuzzling down to his collar bone. Sasuke had, at this point, leaned further back, his hand coming to rest at Naruto's back. But it came back up to rub the material of the shirt in front of him and then trace the hard muscles it enclosed. Naruto couldn't fight the pull in his stomach and his skin responded without any prompting, shuddering and rippling into a light spattering of goose-bumps at the touch. Sasuke leaned back more, until his back rustled the heavy cotton cloth of the sleeping roll beneath them. Naruto shrugged the jacket off his shoulders and followed, kissing Sasuke on the way down. Sasuke trailed his fingers back to the shirt and lifted it up to where Naruto's chest met his shoulders. It stayed there as he moved down again to play with the waistband of his pants, unhooking them and running the zipper down. He realized that they were longer than he had thought, with the bandages gone. Naruto must have taken them off while Sasuke had been bathing.

Naruto hummed lowly and let his eyes flutter closed. His legs shifted to sit on either side of Sasuke's hips and his hands came down to rub at the hard muscle of his chest. Sasuke freed Naruto's cock from the bright blue boxers he was wearing and pumped it languidly a few times. Naruto moaned a bit and rolled his hips forward in small motions, trying not to rush but wanting more all the time.

"Sasuke," he whispered hoarsely.

Sasuke smiled, even though Naruto could not see it with his eyes closed. It felt good to do it. He tightened his grip on Naruto's cock for a moment and then let go. Naruto lowered his head and opened his eyes partway. There was a smile in his eyes, hidden behind lust. He leaned down to kiss Sasuke's lips, then his neck and lower to his chest. His fingers rubbed at the fabric of the white boxers Sasuke still had on, over his hips. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband and pulled down until Sasuke's cock hit the heated air caused by the campfire, with an evening breeze filtering through their senses to challenge it. Sasuke bit his lip, to keep from moaning out loud when Naruto grabbed it and rubbed with his fingers, his palm over the head, and shifted his weight. He would not say that he had squirmed but it was a lot like that.

Somewhere along the line of Naruto pleasuring him with just a few simple touches of those warm fingers and Sasuke had to open his eyes. He hadn't realized he'd closed them. Naruto's weight had lifted off of his hips and he wondered what was happening. Sasuke watched as he stood up, his knees shaking slightly, though Sasuke would never tell him, and strip the shirt, pants and boxers off. They came in pieces and Sasuke enjoyed the tanned skin coming into view a little at a time. Muscles rippled and bunched everywhere. He even caught a glimpse of Naruto's shoulders as he reached over the back of his head to grab the tail end of the raised shirt to pull it off. The pants and boxers followed and Naruto climbed back on top of Sasuke's hips with all that warm skin and the glow covering every inch, lighting it in an ethereal honey. They rolled their hips against each other and their cocks brushed and rubbed until Sasuke began to feel sweat roll down between his shoulder blades and into the grass. Somehow, they had shifted all the way off the sleeping roll in their haste to find and keep the connection. Sasuke could smell it rising up from beneath them and welcomed its sweet, sharp scent. When Naruto began to moan softly again and his hands convulsed around Sasuke's biceps, Sasuke grasped the muscle of his buttocks ands squeezed. He'd never tried it before and was curious. The moan deepened and Sasuke smiled contentedly.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed.

"Naruto," Sasuke answered him, his voice deeper, stronger but filled with the same want, the same need.

"I think . . . we should, if you want . . . .," Naruto faltered. It seemed he was unable to remain coherent at times with sex. Sasuke felt like he could get that lost, that passionate, himself, whenever around him. But he had been thinking about the last time they'd had sex on this entire mission. The way Naruto's face had changed so many times, the way he had seemed to let go. He wondered if it was just because it was Naruto or if it had something to do with the positions they had inadvertently chosen in the relationship at that time. He was curious. He wanted to know.

"Of course I want," Sasuke said simply, although there was nothing simple about it.

"But," and then Sasuke hesitated, just a moment. It was enough to get Naruto's attention, so in tune with the people he felt strongly for. The gentle rocking of their hips stopped and Naruto curled his fingers around Sasuke's arms lightly. He searched Sasuke's face and Sasuke turned his head away as much as he could before forcing it back to meet his gaze steadily.

"But what, Sasuke?"

Sasuke breathed in and smelled the earth, and the sun, though long dead. Sweat was there too, the tangy feel of it in his nostrils inviting.

"I want to know, what it feels like," he told him.

For a moment, Naruto looked confused, and then understanding cleared the storm from his eyes. Sasuke breathed in again, relieved that he wouldn't have to explain further. Naruto grazed his fingers along Sasuke's arms and brought them around Sasuke's face, holding it softly.

"Are you sure? I mean, if I," Naruto started.

Sasuke held a few fingers to his lips to silence him. He pulled himself up on his elbows and kissed Naruto passionately, deeply. He hoped it was enough, enough to show Naruto what he wanted and enough to chase away any doubt because, for him, there wasn't any. He really wanted to know, to share that different kind of intimacy with him. Naruto broke the kiss and breathlessly touched their foreheads together tenderly.

"Okay," he whispered, still unable to catch up with himself. He reached behind himself blindly for a moment until the frown cleared and his hand came up with a small package of body oil. When he twisted the cap off, Sasuke smelled wildflowers and it only added to the heady mystique of having sex like this, outdoors. Naruto poured it all over his hands and rubbed them together slowly. Sasuke rolled his hips up, grunting. His cock had begun to throb a little and he wanted to go back to what they had started when kissing, before continuing on. Naruto smiled and placed his slicked fingers on Sasuke's hips so they could kiss, this time with the tips of their tongues twining together softly. Soon, Naruto covered Sasuke's body with his own and they kissed and licked their way to near oblivion. Their legs shifted to part and close around the other at intervals until Sasuke felt Naruto nudge at the inside of his thighs with a knee. He spread them open wide and Naruto filled the space with his narrow hips and fingers. They traced the cleft of Sasuke's bottom until one pressed its way into his ass slowly. It burned the whole way in and was uncomfortable but Sasuke could get used to it, eventually. Naruto took his time, sweetly pushing his finger in and out with great concentration before adding another. This one was more uncomfortable than the last and Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek harshly. The pain made him wince and Naruto's eyes softened in concern. He placed his head on Sasuke's shoulder to hide it. He knew his lover well. But he couldn't stop from trying, at least, to reassure him.

"If it's too much, tell me, or I'll stop on my own, got it?"

Sasuke nodded and rubbed at Naruto's shoulder with his chin. His hands rested on his back, feeling like there was no other place for them. Naruto shifted and another finger slid inside. That was different. When he had been on the other end, Sasuke had only ever used two. But this felt very different from two; weirder certainly, the stretching and the movement was so much more. But it was also almost pleasant now. The fingers left, and Naruto adjusted Sasuke to circle his legs around Naruto's own hips with his knees under his lover's bottom. Sasuke felt Naruto's cock nudging its way in and the burning pain returned. The pressure was there again as well. Soon Naruto's frowning evened out and they went back to kissing. Kissing was good; it was a distraction. The pressure eased and grew a little at a time as Naruto pushed in and out marginally, slowly. But the pace slowly quickened and, soon, Sasuke could feel it.

The burning and the pressure were only on the very edge of his body now; everything else was a pulsing pleasure radiating from his midsection to his cock. It wasn't as intense as the first time, and then it was more than that, a mixture of it all. Sasuke breathed in and out heavily and moaned, very low and close to Naruto's ear. Naruto huffed and sweated and breathed as harshly as if he were running. But, the low whisper of Sasuke's name, choked out and burning, ignited everything inside of Sasuke. He cried out sharply as his orgasm hit fully and without any real warning. It was mind-jarring. Hearing Naruto grit his teeth and shut his mouth around his own moan, the feeling of something wet and thick spilling around his ass as he pulled out and Sasuke knew he'd done the same. They lay there for a very long time, still entwined. Naruto rolled off of him eventually and pulled the blankets around their chilled skin. The fire had died to embers and with it had gone the almost magic it had created. But the hum of their spent desire was still low in the air and the look Naruto gave him with that smile that Sasuke had come to love was enough to help him sleep just fine, despite a dull ache sparking low in his back and throughout his ass.

Sasuke stopped to catch his breath just outside of the tower entrance and glared back at Naruto who had the good sense to look away, embarrassed. He'd woken up with a splitting headache, probably from sleeping so close to the heat of the campfire. Not to mention the burning, itchy feeling in his ass from their lovemaking. He could kill Naruto for wasting their time, as Sasuke had decided it would be better to soak in the spring for a few hours to lessen the sting. But he managed to remind himself, yet again, that he had participated fully, had in fact ached for the touch and the chance to feel the very things Naruto had when they'd made love before. But he shouldn't have let himself get so carried away at a time like this. It couldn't be helped now, though. They had the rest of the exam to go through. And really, the night before had been so quiet, so beautiful, with the starlight and clouds winking over and under the half-moon and Naruto in all that warmth and light cocooned around him. It had been wonderful. Sasuke supposed they could try it again, but only after they had gotten through the last trial and had time to rest and talk. Even that, Sasuke realized, was less difficult than it had been in the past. He no longer felt burdened by his memories or the ghosts in his head keeping him from being honest and more open. He shifted his feet and grimaced, more for show than because it really hurt. When Naruto ducked his head, as if he expected to get cold-cocked in the head, Sasuke relented.

"I'm fine, all right? I just need a little time to settle with it. We have that. Three days worth, in fact. So stop moping," he said drolly.

Naruto straightened up, frowned and huffed, crossing his arms rather childishly.

"I'm not moping. You're the one who's being a dick about it. But, fine, as long as you're okay to do the rest, let's go."

Naruto strode through the doors and Sasuke followed mutely. He was pissed at the comment but saved it for later, when they were alone and Sasuke could coldly ignore him in the relative peace of their own house. At least, that was what he planned on doing for as long as he thought Naruto could take it. Then, maybe, they could play catch up. Sasuke smirked at that thought and increased his speed. Both of them unfurled the scrolls at the same time after glancing at the one on the wall briefly. It still read the same. And, as it happened, the very same man from the last exam stepped out of the acrid smoke dissipating around them. Iruka stepped forward, smiling and congratulated them on a job well done.

"Well, this one was much faster than the last time. Congratulations Sasuke, Naruto," here he turned to each of them and smiled.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Naruto grinned and stepped into Iruka's outstretched arms and hugged him gently. But Iruka, whose face had changed to hold many things, tightened his grip and breathed into Naruto's hair. Sasuke watched it all trying to remain detached. But he couldn't help replaying what Naruto had told him about this man at the valley where they had fought. Therefore, the scene, Naruto and Iruka's reactions to seeing each other after so long and after so much, didn't surprise him. Iruka gesturing to Sasuke that he join in did. Sasuke moved slowly, unsure as to how to break into the private moment. Iruka waited until Sasuke was close enough and reached out to grab him and pull him the rest of the way. They stood that way for a moment before Naruto sighed in contentment and lifted his head to stare into Iruka's face.

"I'm glad you're here, Iruka," he said quietly.

"So am I, Naruto, so am I," Iruka replied softly.

Sasuke got the feeling that he meant more than just the exam but said nothing. Iruka put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before pushing them toward the door in the far wall. A whisper and a hand at his back made him pause slightly.

"If you hurt him again, or have been lying about your intentions, I'll kill you."

It was the same soft murmur that Sasuke had heard before, but he wondered just how deceptive the man could truly be now. He hadn't been made a ninja out of some duty to his family after all. No one was. He nodded and turned to answer but Iruka shoved him forward, a little roughly, perhaps to drive home his point.

"And you should be a little more careful about owls next time."

He left them with that cryptic message and dispersed his clone as Naruto scratched his head and walked beside Sasuke down the hall to the meeting room for all the continuing participants.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked.

Sasuke knew, of course he did. He'd heard the owl late in the night and earlier, while they'd been busy making passionate love to each other. He'd turned his Sharingan on for a second, even in all the middle of all the passion, to see that it wasn't a transformed ninja. He hadn't known that anyone in Konoha used an owl as a familiar or a summoned beast. But this year, perhaps they had welcomed Suna as a part of the examiner squad. He would ask Naruto about it later, since he seemed to still converse with the sand freak from the last exam. He'd heard that Gaara had been made Kazekage and wondered who they would be facing then, for the rest of the test. They sat down after nodding to the other occupants of the room: two groups of Suna ninja, one from Kumo, one from Konoha and one from Kusa all lined the room in various stages of exhaustion. They had apparently fought hard and run out their chakra to be among the first here. That was stupid of them, Sasuke thought. He settled down to the floor and got comfortable, which meant that he was in some way discreetly touching Naruto. Their shoulders touched and Naruto ran a fingertip along the back of his hand in patterns and then in characters. No one caught on to what they were doing.

'Do you see the one with the scar along his cheek?'

Sasuke studied them all until he found the one Naruto spoke of. He was from Suna and looked just as murderous as Gaara had, though his aura was not nearly as menacing and his fair coloring led an almost innocuousness to his face.

'Does he remind you of someone? Although, Gaara's much calmer now and a lot stronger. This is going to be fun.'

Sasuke huffed out a laugh and enjoyed it when the others looked over at them, at their faces, and fidgeted nervously. The next three days or so passed torturously slow, with Sasuke spending most of it resting. Naruto, as resilient as always or perhaps more so now that the demon seemed to heal him in a better way than before, had all of his energy back within a few hours. He was bouncing on the floor, his butt fidgeting on the tile as he fought to try and keep still long enough for the next part to come. Sasuke felt like snapping at him as it was very distracting. Only one more team from Kumo and one from Suna, respectively, had shown up during that time. When the last few minutes ran down on the clock high on the far wall, no one else had appeared and they were led into the main arena. Here they listened to the Godaime make her speech and Sasuke swallowed it all with distaste. He could see Naruto actually paying close attention to it this time though and wondered if he was becoming even more serious about earning her position. But he had no real time to speak to him as the first set of fighters had been announced and Naruto smirked at the ninja from Suna who he would soon be facing. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the ninja and turned to sign to Naruto that he was weak on his left and the Sharingan he had kept active and hidden to read his moves told him the man was only half his strength in chakra. No matter what he pulled out in terms of technique, all Naruto really had to do was run him into the ground. Naruto, smiling and laughing softly, shook his head at Sasuke. Then he stuck his tongue out and signed that he'd be fine, for Sasuke to have a little more faith in him than that, and to shut the hell up and watch.

They all trooped up to watch the fight from above while Naruto and the Suna ninja, Sasuke read his name as Tsukino Reika on the board, traveled to the middle of the ring and listened to Genma explain the rules. The toothpick he always carried in his mouth marred his speech slightly and Sasuke frowned, eager to see what came next. Naruto smiled at him then turned to bow to his opponent, something he and Sasuke had taken to doing when they sparred. He then turned to bow to Genma and the village leaders gathered at the other end of the arena, a move that didn't surprise Sasuke in the least considering it from a diplomatic standpoint. The leaders all inclined their heads slightly, some showing their surprise at the gesture of respect openly. Gaara seemed to be smiling thinly down from his perch at Naruto. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and almost growled. He didn't like that look.

Naruto curled his hands into fists and waited for Genma to give the signal. When he did, he backpedaled to cling to the wall as Reika threw a wind technique his way and smiled. A wind chakra user, against me?, he thought. Spiraling down and over the floor he side-stepped a volley of wind bullets and hit Reika with a force of his own wind chakra he'd gathered into his fist. He had been developing a way to contain the damage of his Rasen-shuriken better by using wind chakra to cover his hand in tiny, slicing blades. Sasuke had helped him to come up with the idea and it worked well for a separate technique on its own. It jarred Reika back to slam against the wall and Naruto appeared in a flurry of movement that caught him off-guard. A hit to his abdomen, just below his breastbone, and he was down, coughing and spluttering. But he was quick to jab at Naruto from his place there and send a kick out to follow which Naruto avoided by sweeping wind under his feet and rising to float to the ground a few feet away. A volley of kunai hailed down at him and he flipped and slid to keep form being skewered. A neat flick of his wrist and a hand-sign to call out two clones who ghosted, camouflaged, along the wall, and Reika was pinned to it by the kunai. Naruto aimed a fist at his skull, but before he connected Reika managed to slip free and dodge. The morphed clones held him still, though, and Naruto aimed a roundhouse, timing it to glance off his temple. Wind chakra had infused it, but instead of cutting Naruto aimed for it to slam Reika back to the wall again, hard. It was enough to throw him into unconsciousness and the fight was over, just like that. Naruto was barely breathing hard when he turned to Genma and bowed, turning again to bow at the leaders and worked his way up to the others. Sasuke slapped his hand with one of his own, down low, as he passed and smiled.

'How's that for fun?' Naruto signed cheekily.

He couldn't keep the pride from his voice, though, as he said, "Looks like it's your turn, Sasuke. Don't go all out; we may have a chance at sparring next."

Sasuke made a sound of laughter in his throat before turning to walk down the stairs himself. His opponent, one of the only other Konoha teams to make it through, glanced at him warily and swallowed.

Sasuke bowed at Genma and the leaders in turn, grudgingly, fixing a level stare at Gaara, also to their surprise. He raised his hands in readiness and Genma called for the fight to begin. He activated his Sharingan at the last moment and read all the other fighter's moves easily. His name was Tohru, or something, but it didn't matter to Sasuke. He was slow, and threw out kunai with sloppy motions. Sasuke avoided them easily with the speed Kakashi had taught him. He aimed lightning through the floor, using his Chidori Nagashi. Surprisingly, the other ninja avoided it, probably out of sheer luck. But the freeze when his Sharingan connected with the other ninja's eyes was inevitable and Sasuke held him under, not bothering to proffer an actual illusion. He had no use for that kind of thing. Instead, he walked up to the ninja and kneed him in the stomach, chopping his arm down to the back of his neck and he was out. It was a pitifully short fight. Climbing the steps, Sasuke took Naruto by the hand, after offering a bow to each examiner and leader, and lead him down to the other end of the causeway they were to wait on. They could wait there for the others to finish and would find out their next opponent at the end.

When they had all gathered, Sasuke and Naruto learned just who they would be fighting, through random selection, on the next bout. They turned to each other and smiled giddily. Now, Sasuke thought, this is going to be fun.