New Life, Second Chances

by Kiiam

Naruto had died in the final battle against Madara. Fate had seen it fit to give him second chance to do things over. With memories of his past life, people will be surprised by what the new Naruto can do. NaruHina/Possible Harem.

21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: Ah, it feels good to get my hands on my laptop once again. Feels even better to post this chapter. I've got an excuse for why this has taken so long, but why bore you guys with that?

Well, I'm proud of this one. I think I did really well. We're finally getting to the finals of the chunin exams, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you guys like the ride. Enjoy.

---

Time to Get Things Started

Naruto grinned to himself as he made his way back towards his apartment. Man, did he feel great. Even with thoughts of Orochimaru's invasion looming over his head he couldn't help but smile about how today had gone.

"Hehe… I had a date with Hinata!" Naruto laughed in a sing-song voice as if he was bragging to himself. Granted, it wasn't as long as he may have wanted it to be, and Hanabi's interruption had been unexpected, but everything worked out in the end.

Not only that, but Hanabi's words and Naruto's vocal acknowledgement of her as a person really struck a cord with Hinata. Naruto had always thought that Hinata had put her all into their training, but she was literally throwing everything she had into it now. It was almost scary how quickly she seemed to be progressing all of a sudden. Her style and form was already perfect, but Hinata's lack of strength and occasional tendency to second-guess and demean herself would often throw her off balance. However, it was different now. She didn't stop and stutter when she made a mistake, nor did she start apologizing every time she got a hit on him in their spars. After weeks of trying, Naruto thought he had finally brought out the confident Hinata he knew from the past.

Naruto cracked his neck a bit while he touched certain parts on his arms and stomach where bruises were healing up. He was happy that Hinata had been kind enough to unseal his tenketsu after they had finished training. Though, even with his healing factor, it left him quite sore afterwards.

"Almost makes me happy I'm not fighting Neji in the finals this time around." Naruto mused to himself. "Hyugas are scary fighters…"

Naruto, still feeling quite happy with himself, ran the rest of the way to his house. Today had been an excellent day, and finishing it off with one of Yuzura's dinner meals would be the perfect way to end it. He bounded up the steps that led to his room and practically kicked open the door.

"I'm home!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically as he entered his home.

Silence was his only greeting.

"…Yuzura?"

Naruto glanced into the kitchen, finding it completely vacant. Haku was absent again as well. Naruto stood in the kitchen for a few moments before giving a helpless shrug.

"Whatever. She's probably just running errands or something." Naruto said to himself as he opened the pantry to make himself some ramen.

Naruto turned his head when he heard the door open and close. He called out to the new arrival without turning away from the meal he was preparing for himself.

"Welcome back! You want some ramen?" Naruto offered.

"I suppose. Thank you."

Naruto blinked when a voice more monotone than he expected answered him. The blond finally turned his head to see Gaara standing in the doorway. Naruto frowned.

"Oh… hey, Gaara."

"You sound disappointed. Expecting someone else?"

Naruto chuckled to himself as Gaara sat down at the table. For the past few days Gaara had been staying in one of the spare bedrooms in his apartment, mostly due to the fact that Gaara had been taking advantage of his newfound ability to have naps and he couldn't fall asleep anywhere else without people finding out. Naruto had been more than happy to accommodate his friend, who had been grateful to accept Naruto's hospitality. Gaara would still occasionally check in with his siblings, but only to reassure them that he hadn't disappeared or started slaughtering anyone in the village.

"Nah. I was just wondering where Yuzura was, is all. She's usually home this time of day." Naruto answered the Ichibi container as he added more ramen to the pot. He glanced out the window, noting how the sunset filtering through the forest tress painted quite a scene. He sat down next to Gaara as the pot started to boil. "So, what'd you do today?"

"I accompanied Lee-san on a few errands today after breakfast." Gaara replied. "He even introduced me to his teammate Tenten and his rather… eccentric sensei."

"Heh. Have fun with that?" Naruto laughed.

"Gai-san is a very enthusiastic person." Gaara said delicately. "Tenten-san is also good company. And both of them were surprisingly forgiving about what I did to Lee-san."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond when the sound of the door opening and closing again cut him off.

"Is anyone home?" A tentative voice asked uncertainly.

"In here!"

Yuzura sighed as she stepped inside the kitchen, greeting her master with a bow and smiling at Gaara. Naruto waved to her while Gaara stared for a few moments before nodding towards the girl.

"…Anything interesting happen today, Yuzura-san?" Gaara asked the girl.

Yuzura shuffled her feet a bit in response to Gaara's question, relaxing her grip on her kodachi. The Ichibi jinchuriki stared at the girl suspiciously, noting the dirt on her kimono. Naruto was oblivious to this exchange, completely dedicated to making his ramen and happily reflecting on the day's events.

"…Nothing that you should concern yourself with, Gaara-san. Today was rather uneventful." Yuzura smiled. "I can handle myself, and I assure you any troubles I have I can take care of myself. I'm not a helpless little girl, you know."

"I was only asking." Gaara responded as Yuzura gripped the hilt of her sword to emphasize her point. "No need to be so defensive."

"I wasn't being-"

"Ramen's ready!"

Naruto's cheerful voice broke through their exchange as the Kyuubi jinchuriki placed a bowl of ramen in front of Gaara. The blond grinned at Yuzura as he sat down with his own bowl. The fox girl blinked when a steaming bowl of ramen was held out in front of her.

"Um…" The girl started uncertainly.

"It's for you." Naruto said, rolling his eyes a bit. "You've probably been out all day, right? I thought that I could make you some food to eat when you got home."

"Oh…" Yuzura flushed a bit at her master's kindness, but quickly waved him off. "I-It's fine, Naruto-sama. The thought is appreciated, but you shouldn't have-"

An audible growling noise resounded through the kitchen. Gaara arched an eyebrow at Yuzura while Naruto tried to keep himself from laughing. Yuzura held a hand to her stomach, her red face clearly showing her embarrassment.

"…I don't want it to go to waste." Naruto smirked.

"Y-Yes… um, thank you…" Yuzura nodded, taking the bowl and sitting down in the seat next to him. "I'm sorry I came home so late…"

"Hey, what you do on your own time isn't something I should poke into, but didn't you eat at all today?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, well… sometimes errands take time to complete." Yuzura said as she shifted in her eat. "I didn't really have time to stop by anywhere…"

"Even so, you should at least take the time to eat." Naruto chided between mouthfuls of ramen. "Did you train with Haku again? You've got some dirt on your clothes there."

"Oh… um, so I do." Yuzura said stiffly, slowly rising from her seat. "Excuse me for a moment. I'll eat after I've cleaned myself up a bit."

Yuzura gave the duo a quick bow before quickly stepping into her room and shutting the door behind her.

Gaara glanced towards Naruto, frowning when the Kyuubi jinchuriki did nothing more than shrug and continue with his meal. Gaara let out a quiet sigh as he began to eat his ramen, marveling that after all this time Naruto could still be rather dense.

Well, Yuzura was by no means, as she said, a weak girl. She could take care of herself. He just hoped she wouldn't be too reluctant to ask for help if she needed it.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 15-

Naruto felt every muscle in his body tighten up as he called upon the Kyuubi's chakra. Sweat trickled down his brow as he tried to hold onto what little control he had. He was finally beginning to grasp it. If he tried hard enough, he could keep his chakra system from crashing. He tried his best to remember everything Hinata and Sakura had told him about controlling his chakra.

"It's okay… I got this! I can do this!" Naruto thought vigorously as he felt the immense power of the Kyuubi course through his body.

He was working on controlling the Kyuubi's chakra that was "his" today with Yamato's help. Normally he'd be training with Jiraiya but the man was meeting with the Hokage and a few others to get tips on where a certain buxom teammate of his may be. Naruto had been left in Yamato's care for the day.

"Very good, Naruto! Keep it up!" Yamato praised. "I'm going to give full control over to you bit by bit, okay? Just tell me if you feel your control slipping at all. Here we go…"

Naruto's eyes shot open when he felt his control fluctuate as Yamato eased up on his chakra. Naruto screwed his eyes shut once again as he tried to get the chakra under his control. Slowly but surely, he felt the chakra flowing and surging throughout his body. He would feel pangs and tugs when the chakra started to resist or when his control started weakening, but Naruto kept on concentrating.

"Good work, Naruto."

The boy blinked when he heard Yamato say that. He slowly looked down at himself and stared at his clawed fingertips.

"I… I did it…?" Naruto gasped, flexing his fingers as he felt the power of the Kyuubi surge through his body. He threw a few quick punches and jabs, testing the power behind them. A large grin suddenly broke out on Naruto's face.

"I feel great!" Naruto thought ecstatically as he threw in a few kicks to his routine. "I feel like I could take on Akatsuki without breaking a sweat!"

He knew that was an extreme over exaggeration, but the thought was nice. He felt better than great though. Naruto marveled at the power he suddenly felt. He had used the Kyuubi's chakra plenty of times in his past life, but never had he felt anything like this! It didn't feel like he was borrowing the chakra or struggling to pull it out from anywhere. It just felt… natural. It was like the power was his own instead of something he borrowed. Was it because the Kyuubi's chakra was now technically his? Was it because he was controlling it by himself? Was this how the Kyuubi felt whenever he used his chakra?

Suddenly he felt that some of the demon's arrogance was justified. Hell, if this was how much chakra the fox had naturally, and Naruto was only using a fraction of it, he could see why demons considered humans beneath them.

Not that he felt like bragging or being an arrogant prick all of sudden. Naruto just felt surprised, is all.

"How do you feel?" Yamato asked curiously. He had lowered his hand and left the control to Naruto.

"Fantastic!" Naruto shouted and he bounced up and down enthusiastically. Yamato chuckled a bit. Even though the whisker marks, sharpened canines, and clawed hands were intimidating, the way Naruto was acting didn't make him seem threatening at all. "I feel like running all the way to Kumo or Suna! I bet I could do it too! In a day!"

"This is the first step." Yamato smiled at the exuberant genin. "Now that you've gotten some control over the Kyuubi's chakra, you should be able to harness the rest more easily than before."

"There's more?" Naruto grinned from ear to ear. How much was he using now? Naruto could hardly begin to think of the possibilities for what he could do with so much chakra.

Not only that, but this feeling really made him hope. He had been uncertain and hesitant before, but now he was confident. It was the first time in a long time that he felt truly, carelessly confident.

Just like how he used to feel in the past.

"I bet I could break a boulder with my bare hands!" Naruto whooped. Heck, he was in his initial jinchuriki form and had been able to break Haku's mirrors in it, so who knows what he could do! He made a break for the wood pillar boundaries.

"Wait, Naruto, don't!" Yamato called out to him. It was too late.

Naruto's excited expression changed into one of surprised shock when he stepped past one of the wooden pillars and his precious control, along with that amazing feeling of energy and power, abruptly disappeared from him. The Kyuubi jinchuriki fell flat on his face.

"W-W-What…?" Naruto stammered as he pushed himself back up. He whirled around towards Yamato with a desperate look on his face. "W-Why did I…?"

"You were able to use some of the Kyuubi's chakra and maintain control without my help, and that is a great accomplishment, but…" Yamato started with an empathetic smile. "You're still required to stand within my control boundaries if you wish to maintain what little control you have…"

"WHAT? B-But that's…!"

"Calm down! You can still use the Kyuubi's chakra just fine!" Yamato said in a placatory tone. "All I'm saying is that you need a little more work to draw upon the chakra naturally and without strain. Once you gain more stable control, you'll be able to able to maintain control without my help whatsoever!"

"…Will I even be able to use the chakra before the exams start?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Don't sound so discouraged! This is a huge leap for us, believe it or not." Yamato assured him with a smile. "Now that you've been able to do it once, the rest should come much more easily…"

The confident, assuring way Yamato said it managed to make the Kyuubi container smile. Naruto nodded determinedly, stepping back inside the pillars and proceeded to gather up his chakra once again.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 18-

"Sorry Sakura, but it looks like that teacher I had planned to get you may not be able to teach you before the finals start." Kakashi said apologetically as he casually blocked a kick from Sasuke.

"Oh… that's okay, sensei!" Sakura assured him, though there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Could you at least tell me who you planned for it to be?"

"I wouldn't want to add to your disappointment." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "Besides, there is still a chance she'll train you. She just won't be able to make it for the chunin exams."

"You're certainly adding to my curiosity though…" Sakura groaned as she watched Kakashi and Sasuke spar. Naruto gave her a reassuring pat on the back. He had decided to spend some time with his teammates and train with them and Kakashi for the day.

"It's fine, Sakura. Even without her help, I'm sure you'll do great!"

"Says the guy who's getting trained by one of the Sannin." Sakura retorted, giving her blond teammate a jealous glare.

When Sasuke and Sakura had found out Naruto had been getting training from Jiraiya, one of Konoha's three Sannin and a man who had been Orochimaru's teammate, they had been very jealous. Sasuke had immediately left to double his training efforts after he had given them the news while Sakura demanded to know how he got one of the Sannin to train him. Naruto's only answer had been that the man had owed him for something he wouldn't say and had convinced the toad sage to train him for the finals. He also added that Kakashi's vouching for him had helped.

"Would it be any consolation if I told you the guy was a pervert who constantly peeps on women in the bath while calling it research?" Naruto asked.

"Peeping on…! Research?" Sakura exclaimed, appalled by this new information. Weren't the Sannin respected for being the most powerful ninja? That should've meant that they behaved in a way that made it seem like they deserved that respect. "How is that research?"

"It's valuable research…when it comes to writing that." Naruto said, pointing at the orange novel that was poking out of Kakashi's pocket.

"You mean… he's the pervert who writes those… things…?" Sakura asked indignantly.

"Don't take it out on me. I'm just the student!" Naruto insisted, backing away in fear when he saw Sakura's fist twitching.

Then again, Jiraiya was actually taking the time to train Naruto now since they were exercising the whole godson/godfather relationship. The man was no longer neglecting training him in favor of peeping, and thankfully the toad Sannin had never once mentioned Naruto's Oiroke no Jutsu. He was actually taking the time to refine Naruto's fighting style and teach him valuable jutsu, something Naruto had to beg and coax the man to do in their past life.

Of course, one thing that had been a huge disappointment to Naruto was his Sage Mode. When he had brought it up to Jiraiya, the man had informed him that they couldn't start the Sage Training unless they were on Mount Myoboku, which had the special toad oil needed to allow natural energy to enter one's body. Not only that, but Jiraiya had stated that he honestly thought that Naruto didn't meet the qualifications for Sage Training yet, not when he was back to being a kid again and was having problems controlling the Kyuubi's chakra by himself. Even if they could start Sage Training it was too much of a risk since Naruto could turn into a toad statue without proper supervision. Without Fukasaku watching over him and constantly beating him over the head with that special scepter of his, Naruto might screw up while gathering natural energy.

No, for now it was better to wait until Naruto matured before starting his Sage Training. He was extremely disappointed, but Naruto figured that having some of the Kyuubi's chakra to use whenever he wanted almost made up for it.

Now that he thought of the old pervert, Jiraiya was actually planning on leaving tomorrow to look for Tsunade and Shizune. He wasn't sure when he'd get back, but he promised that it would be before the invasion started. Unfortunately, he also said that he probably wouldn't be back soon enough to get Sakura the teacher she needed.

"Or maybe he's just saying that so he can make up for his lack of research at a hot spring somewhere." Naruto thought to himself.

"Now, now, Sakura, every author has his own method of writing and inspiration comes easier in certain environments." Kakashi told his irate student, giggling to himself as he thought about a certain passage in his book. "The stories are really well written…"

"You're actually approving of a pervert's actions!"

"If it gives me something good to read…" The copy nin trailed off.

"Ugh… I want a new sensei…" Sakura moaned.

"Enough about the books." Sasuke grunted as he threw another punch, which Kakashi blocked. "If sensei wants to spend his time reading smut, who are we to stop him?"

"Oh?" Kakashi said, catching the Uchiha's fist. "You're one to talk…"

"Huh?"

Kakashi suddenly grabbed the boy's shoulders and brought his knee into the boy's gut. After being winded by his teacher's blow, Kakashi tossed Sasuke into the air and brought his foot down, bringing Sasuke to the ground…

…And from the Uchiha's pocket, a small orange book fell to the ground.

The silence was deafening. Naruto and Sakura simply stared at their teammate with shocked expressions while the boy's expression switched from pained to alarmed. Anyone could tell that Kakashi was grinning smugly from beneath his mask.

"He was annoyed when I started reading it during one of our training sessions and demanded to know what it was about the books that made them more interesting than training." Kakashi explained, breaking the silence. "So… I let my curious student borrow one of my books. Reading helps the mind grow, after all!"

There was a pregnant pause before Sasuke finally spoke.

"…It's really well written." The Uchiha insisted, turning his head away as his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment and humiliation.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura gaped at him, looking between him and their sensei. Inside her mind, Inner Sakura was screaming.

"NOOOOOO! DAMMIT! DAMN YOU, SENSEI! DAMN YOU AND YOUR PORN! DAMN PORN TO HELL! YOU CORRUPTED MY PRECIOUS SASUKE-KUN! YOU TURNED HIM INTO A PERVERT! DAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"

It was then that Naruto chose the wrong time to speak.

"Heh, gotta admit that Ero-sensei's books really are a big success."

Naruto nearly shit his pants at the amount of killing intent he suddenly felt.

"Don't tell me… you read those books too…!" Sakura snarled, turning her head towards her blond teammate as she raised her fist.

"N-No! W-Well, maybe a few chapters, but he made me! They aren't that bad though, and you shouldn't be so-"

"NARUTO!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 19-

"You're leaving then?" Naruto asked.

"Yep. I've gotta go out and find her before the finals come around." Jiraiya smiled down at his godson.

It was still a week and a half before the finals would start, and while Jiraiya would have normally stayed around to train Naruto up until the day before the exams, he had to leave to go find the person who would definitely help them out during the invasion. It would be best if he found her before the invasion started, so he'd have to leave early enough so he could get back. Naruto and Kakashi had arrived to see the Toad Sannin off. Naruto was saying his goodbyes while Kakashi leaned against the gate with his favorite issue of Icha Icha in his hand.

"Do you think Baa-chan will listen?" Naruto asked his godfather. "I mean, one of the reasons she even came back to Konoha was because of me. Shouldn't I tag along?"

Plus, Naruto really wanted to see Tsunade and Shizune again.

"I can handle my old teammate just fine without your help." Jiraiya chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be able to convince that stubborn, buxom woman to come back to Konoha. She's neglected her duties as Godmother for far too long."

Naruto gave a sad smile at that. Jiraiya patted the boy on the shoulder with an uncharacteristic look of sympathy on his face. Naruto was happy that he reunited with so many of his loved ones, but it was a constant punch to the gut every time he thought of all the people who had abandoned him due to their own grievances, or neglected to tell him of his parents for some reason or another. Kakashi, Jiraiya and even Tsunade… any one of the three would have been perfectly capable of taking care of him but chose not to.

"Don't be too hard on her kid." Jiraiya sighed. "Minato and Kushina was one thing, but she had lost her brother and Dan as well…"

"I saw my best friends killed in front of me in the past and that's not stopping me now, is it?" Naruto retorted, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Naruto…"

"I know, I know…I've already forgiven you guys, but don't blame me if I get angry about it once in a while." Naruto sighed. He smiled cheekily at his godfather. "Just bring her back quick, okay?"

"Can do." Jiraiya nodded, ruffling the kid's hair affectionately. He smiled up at Kakashi. "Hold down the fort for me, okay?"

"You can count on us. Just promise not to get distracted by a few short skirts on your trip," The Copy ninja said teasingly.

"I'll try my best!" Jiraiya laughed. He gave a double thumbs up and a bright smile. "The Gallant Jiraiya, away!"

The man disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto and Kakashi stood in silence at the village gates for a moment. The Kyuubi jinchuriki yawned and stretched his arms before turning back towards Kakashi.

"Well, now that Ero-sensei's gone I'm gonna drop by Ichiraku's for some lunch. Wanna come with me, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Are you still bothered by it?"

Naruto blinked at the question. Kakashi turned away from his student and scratched the back of his head uneasily.

"About us…abandoning you, I mean…"

Naruto stared at the man for a moment before giving a careless shrug and looking off into the distance with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I'll probably always be bothered by it. You guys had a duty to my parents and to me, but it's your fault my childhood was so painful and empty. I didn't have anyone to look out for me."

Kakashi cringed a bit at that. While the words were harsh and aimed at him directly, he couldn't deny them. He could've done so much for him so much earlier…

"But if I spent all my time trying to get over every tragic detail and aspect in my life I wouldn't get anywhere. It's in the past, and I've already forgiven you for it." Naruto smiled. "At least you're trying to make up for it now, right?"

"…You're way too forgiving, Naruto." Kakashi chuckled under his mask.

"Meh. I don't really hold grudges too well." Naruto shrugged, giving Kakashi a sheepish look. "I've learned that it's better to focus on the present rather than linger on the past."

Kakashi smiled as he snapped his Icha Icha book shut. Maybe it was time he followed his student's example.

"Well then, how about I tell you a few stories about your father?" Kakashi offered, making Naruto's eyes widen.

"Really? You will?" Naruto asked eagerly before calming down a bit. He remembered their conversation from the past. "Isn't it painful for you to remember…?"

"Nah. I've spent too much time mourning and I've missed out on a lot because of it." Kakashi smiled. "Minato-sensei and Obito would have wanted me to laugh and smile when I remembered them. Besides, I like to think that the good memories outweigh the bad ones. And you really do deserve to know more about your family."

"Kakashi-sensei…"

"And trust me, this story is a funny one." Kakashi chuckled. "It's actually about how your father proposed to your mom…"

Kakashi was sure that now he could look back on those days with a smile.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 21-

"Just take it easy for a few weeks and you should regain full mobility of your arms in no time." The nurse told Zaku as he was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair. He didn't really see the point of it since his legs worked fine, but the nurse insisted it's what they did for most patients.

Kin and Naruto found it hilarious.

Zaku turned back to look at Naruto who was opening the door for Kin like a good gentlemen while he laughed at some joke she was telling him. The way his teammate was pointing at him as she said it pissed him off, but he couldn't say anything that would make them stop. He was the cripple with unusable arms at their mercy for the moment.

He'd get them back, though. Oh, yes…he'd get them back.

"We hope you enjoyed your stay, Zaku-san. We hope to see you back here soon." The nurse smiled, giving him a quick bow before walking past Naruto and Kin and back into the building.

As soon as she was gone Zaku jumped out of the wheelchair and kicked it off to the side with an annoyed grunt to the amusement, of Kin and Naruto. The boy grumbled under his breath as the two approached him.

"Why the hell would she say 'we hope to see you back here soon' as a goodbye? Does she WANT me to get hurt again?" Zaku scoffed.

"Don't think about it too much. I'm sure she was trying to be friendly." Naruto said.

"Yeah? Well, she sucked at it."

As they made their way out of the hospital complex, Zaku stole a few glances at the blond walking beside him. It was weird. The boy had actually come to visit him a number of times since that first day he decided to. He just couldn't come up with a reason. Sure they talked a few times, but what was his motive? What was he trying to accomplish by interacting with him and Kin?

"Because we're friends."

That had been his answer when Zaku asked. He just couldn't figure this guy out. What reason did this guy have for being so friendly with a stranger…?

"So… to celebrate your release from the hospital, how about I take you guys to Ichiraku's? Ramen tastes great when you're recovering from a battle!"

Zaku chuckled to himself. Ah well. He liked the kid.

He was a friend.

"Ramen actually doesn't sound so bad," Kin put in. "Any objections, Zaku?"

"I'll take anything over crummy hospital food," Zaku said. He grinned at Naruto. "Lead the way, blondie."

"Hm? Oh, what's up, Dosu?"

Kin's sudden greeting got Naruto and Zaku's attention. Indeed, the mummy was slowly making his way towards them. The Genin seemed surprised, though Zaku and Kin could guess why since he was staring at Naruto.

"You two… what are you doing with him?" Dosu asked cautiously.

"He is taking us out to eat." Kin smiled, grabbing onto the boy's arm even as he protested. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah. You didn't even bother to come visit me, you bastard." Zaku smirked with no bite in his tone. "Too busy training to pay a visit to your teammate?"

"I can't spend all my free time checking up on you." Dosu sighed. He glanced at Naruto again. "And… why are you here?"

"I'm taking them out to eat." Naruto replied, repeating Kin's words. "Celebration for Zaku's recovery."

"His arms are still in casts."

"Fine. His release," Naruto restated.

"I see..." Dosu trailed off.

He was a little bewildered. This was the kid he'd be facing off against in the finals. He remembered talking with him a few times, but when had he gotten so friendly with his teammates? The way Kin was holding onto him and the way Zaku was smiling clearly conveyed their happiness. Why were they fraternizing with the enemy? Dosu felt so confused.

Naruto had similar thoughts. He really didn't know why he started talking to the sound ninja. They just seemed so happy when he had told them they were friends, the thought that maybe a few more visits wouldn't hurt. To Naruto's surprise, he had actually found that they were really decent people. Zaku could act like a kid with his complaints, but his boastful yet joking personality kinda reminded him of Kiba. Kin was a very forward girl and didn't seem to mind what others thought of her, always being very blunt with her thoughts and opinions, something Naruto respected. In the time he came to visit, he had truly come to see them as friends.

Naruto counted them among the people he wanted to save during the invasion. He didn't want any Konoha ninja to kill them.

And Zaku and Kin clearly enjoyed his company, so why not add one more person to that list while he was at it? Naruto smiled at Dosu who blinked in response.

"Wanna come with us?"

With Zaku's taunts and Kin's pulling him along, Dosu couldn't exactly refuse.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 23-

Gaara watched Naruto spar with Yamato's wood clones from his sitting position near the edge of the training grounds. Yamato stood next to the Suna ninja, watching the blond destroy clone after clone with an approving smile on his face. The Ichibi container and the Mokuton user could feel Naruto's intense chakra come off him in waves as he smashed each clone to pieces. The boy's claws, heightened reflexes, and increased strength given to him by using the Kyuubi's chakra for himself seemed to unlock a new, more feral fighting style for him. Yamato's clones worked together well, and each one of them had a great affinity for independent action, but Naruto tore through each of them like rice paper.

"Naruto-kun really is something." Yamato said aloud as the Kyuubi jinchuriki got down on all fours and plowed into the nearest wood clone, claws first. "Even if his control was barely minimal at first, he can use a good amount of the Kyuubi's chakra now without my help. He was able to take that small success and turn it into this…"

Naruto let out a enthusiastic battle cry as he came down on one clone with an axe kick. His foot carved through the clone right down the middle. The boy no longer needed the wood pillars to keep a hold of his chakra control when using the Kyuubi's chakra anymore. He wasn't even using half of the chakra available to him, but it was still an astounding accomplishment nonetheless.

"I haven't met anyone with the determination or drive Naruto has." Gaara murmured. "If there is a technique he lacks skill in, he will keep working on it until he has mastered it, especially if he has a good reason to."

"Preparing for the invasion is that reason?" Yamato asked.

"I'm sure that's one of them."

Naruto and Kakashi had already told Yamato of the invasion plans and the man was more than happy to lend his assistance, agreeing to keep quiet about it and to help them with training and controlling their demons. Gaara, after a few days of leisure, had decided to join Naruto in his training. The Suna nin had decided that he would gain control over the Ichibi and use its power to fight Orochimaru alongside Naruto. The blond had been hesitant, noting that Gaara had never willingly used the Ichibi's chakra, nor had Gaara even once contacted the demon after meeting Naruto. Gaara would accept no arguments, and made a promise to Naruto that the Ichibi would be under his control before the finals.

Of course, Yamato would be able to use the Mokuton to contain Gaara if he had any problems with the Ichibi. And while Yamato was a valuable ally and someone who had supported Naruto in the past, he had also decided not to give him back his memories. It wasn't that he didn't trust Yamato, but rather Naruto didn't want to burden people with the harsh memories of the past nor the shame of his failure when so many had died fighting alongside him. Plus, Yamato's harsh and traumatizing experience from when Madara was using him as a tool to create an endless army of Zetsu clones wasn't something Naruto wanted him to remember.

Not everyone needed to remember the past. Naruto was perfectly willing to carry that burden on his own.

"…But Naruto has something to prove to himself as well," Gaara continued as he stood up. Yamato gave him a puzzled look. "He wants to prove that he can protect the people close to him. He wants to prove that he's worthy of the title of Hokage. Controlling the Kyuubi's chakra that he has at his disposal is the first step, and defeating Orochimaru will be the next."

Gaara turned towards Yamato, showing his own resolve with a determined expression.

"And If I want to stand beside my friend in the future and help him shoulder his burdens, then I must also take that first step." Gaara declared. "I will not be afraid of the beast that lives inside me anymore."

Yamato just stared at the boy in silent awe. The man chuckled under his breath.

"I wonder if it's strange for me to have so much faith in these boys when I've only known them for a few days?" Yamato thought to himself. "Kakashi-sempai knows some amazing kids…"

"Well, then how about I help you take that first step?" Yamato smiled as he summoned a few wood pillars from the ground. He extended his hand towards Gaara, showing off the kanji for "sit" painted on his palm. "At your ready, Gaara-san."

Gaara nodded and closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself to grasp the power that lay dormant within him.

A loud, booming cry that almost sounded like a laugh exploded in his eardrums. Gaara opened his eyes to see a vast desert set before him. From inside a large cage the Ichibi no Shukaku gave out another crying roar. Gaara crossed his arms as his familiar, stoic battle expression made its way onto his face.

He wouldn't run from his inner demon. The beast had harassed him and deprived him of precious, blissful sleep for too many years. Always demanding blood or pretending to be his deceased mother…

…Now it was his turn to demand something from the demon.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 24-

"Leaving already, Hinata-sama?"

The Hyuga heiress jumped when a familiar stoic voice broke through her thoughts. The girl turned towards the person who had addressed her, who was casually leaning against the wall with a look of disdain painted on his face.

"Neji-niisan!"

"You finished your training with your team just an hour ago, did you not?" The boy asked, shooting the heiress one of his trademark glares. He resisted the urge to snort in disgust when she turned away from him. "Do you have errands to run?"

"…Yes." The girl nodded meekly. "I actually have somewhere I need to be right now, so…"

"Does your father know?" Neji asked, trying to keep himself from smirking when he saw her stiffen. "I just couldn't help but notice that you've been out of the house quite frequently as of late. I remember Hiashi-sama mentioning your absence and was curious if he knew where you've gone…"

"…There are some things I wish to keep private from my father, Niisan." Hinata said quietly. "He doesn't control every aspect of my life. I don't need to trouble him by asking for permission for everything I do."

It annoyed Neji now that she was looking back at him now. It was also annoying how her stutter had disappeared, or how straight and strong her posture was nowadays.

"She's been getting stronger…" Neji thought with disdain. It wasn't much, but it was still something. More than he thought possible too.

It made him angry. He wasn't so sure if he could call her a "weakling" anymore.

"Could it be training for the finals?" Neji asked.

"Perhaps."

The quick, vague answer annoyed him. The sentence that followed it made him even more so.

"You needn't concern yourself with everything I do either, Niisan. I am perfectly capable of handling myself."

He clenched his teeth.

"Well then, Hinata-sama," Neji spat, stressing the honorific and smirking when she turned away from him again. "I wouldn't want to keep you then."

"T-Thank you…" Hinata said, giving the boy a quick bow and headed towards the door again.

"You will lose." Neji spoke up again, making the girl stop as she placed her hand on the door. "No matter what you do or how hard you try, that fact is inevitable. It is your fate to be defeated by me, Hinata-sama."

He spoke the words with such finality and confidence. It was not unexpected when he blinked at the glare Hinata shot back at him.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Niisan." Hinata replied with a tone he had never heard from her before.

Neji blinked at in astonishment. Was he imagining it? Did the frail, useless heiress just glare at him? He blinked again when her familiar, cowering expression covered Hinata's face.

"I-If you'll excuse me, I should really be on my way…"

The door slammed shut behind her as she left. Neji stared at the door for a few moments before growling under his breath and retreating towards the courtyard.

Training was the best way to work off his frustrations anyway.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 27-

Temari glanced about the marketplace with a look of mild interest on her face. Konoha was so different from Suna in every way. The obvious things that stood out was the lack of sand covering the place and the overabundance of trees, but people seemed really happy here. People didn't mind conversing one another and the marketplace and a variety of product and produce up for sale. Not that Suna didn't, but living in such a dry, sandy environment really didn't appeal to a lot of people.

"Konoha's a nice place." Temari admitted to herself.

Too bad it would be destroyed.

The wind mistress sighed, recalling why she had gone out. It wasn't just she could enjoy a pleasant walk through the soon-to-be-destroyed village. No, her original objective made her grimace and shiver.

She had to find Gaara.

Baki-sensei had commented during breakfast that Gaara had been missing for more than a week. He had not checked in at the inn they were staying at nor had anyone really seen much of the boy. After Kankuro and Temari had confessed that they hadn't seen much of their brother either, Baki decided to send her out to look for her sociopath of a brother. She didn't have to bring him back with her though. She only had to make sure he hadn't killed anyone or causing any trouble.

That really didn't do anything to relieve her though.

"That is amazing, Gaara-san!"

Temari fell over when she heard the excited shout, causing a few villagers to arch their eyebrows in concern at her. The girl quickly jumped to her feet and quickly scanned the area for whoever said that. She eventually homed in on the shouting voice.

The sight the greeted her was surprising, if not extremely frightening.

Her brother sat at a stand that appeared to be some kind of open barbecue. He was calmly eating meat and roast without a care in the world, even as a trail of sand whipped around a bit from his gourd. The three people that sat next to him further contributed to her shock. There was the kid in green spandex whom Gaara had fought in the preliminaries, speaking animatedly with the boy to Temari's surprised. To Gaara's other side sat a girl with her hair up in buns, who Temari instantly recognized at the girl she had fought in her preliminary match. And last but not least was their sensei who sat to his mini clone's right, making her shudder at the amount of tight green that covered his body. There was only one question Temari was to ask, or shout.

Why the hell was Gaara hanging around these people?

"So not only does it act as an automatic guard, but you can control your sand as well?" The boy, Lee if she remembered correctly, asked her brother excitedly.

Instead of killing the boy, Gaara simply nodded.

"Amazing! Truly and utterly youthful and amazing!" Lee declared, making Temari's ears throb at the volume of his voice.

"Maybe not to the extent Lee is saying, but that's a pretty nifty ability you have there Gaara." The girl, Tenten, remarked with a smile. "It's the perfect tool. A great defense and a great weapon."

"It is." Gaara agreed, conversing with the girl. "It's a near invincible technique. It's the reason no one has ever been able to touch me."

Temari's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when that Tenten girl raised a delicate finger in the air and poked Gaara in the cheek.

"I touched you." Tenten said simply.

"She's gonna die!" Temari screamed fearfully in her mind.

She fought the urge to slap herself to try and dispel whatever illusion she was trapped in when Gaara did nothing to hurt the girl.

"…No one has been able to touch me in a battle." Gaara restated as Tenten pushed on his cheek a bit. "Though, even now, you're not technically touching me."

"What are you talking about…?" Tenten asked, bringing her finger away from his face. Only then did she notice some sand fall away from his face. Her eyes widened. "No way…"

"You even use your sand as armor!" Gai shouted, standing up from his chair. He laughed and grasped Lee's shoulder, who turned to him with sparkles in his eyes. "Lee, you have found yourself the most youthful of rivals!"

"I know!" Lee exclaimed. "I shall work hard so that one day I shall be able to touch Gaara-san myself!"

"…Don't say such disgusting things, Lee-san." Gaara sighed as Tenten giggled beside him. Couldn't he have at least said it in a way that didn't sound so weird?

"I'll break through your impenetrable defenses! When I am in top condition, we will do battle and I will show you how youthful my taijutsu is!" Lee said, completely ignoring Gaara's comment. "To prepare for that day, I shall run two hundred laps around Konoha on my hands! If I cannot do that, I shall do five hundred push ups without my hands! If I cannot do that, then I will-!"

"G-Gaara?"

The Ichibi container blinked when he heard his sister's stuttering voice calling from behind him. He, along with the assembled group, turned towards Temari who was gaping at them like a fish. Gaara felt Tenten stiffen from beside him, but the girl quickly relaxed. Lee and Gai simply smiled at the girl, vaguely remembering who the girl was.

"Nee-san." Gaara nodded towards her in greeting. "Is there something you needed?"

Temari was on the verge of screaming. Not only was Gaara talking and eating with these people like he was an old friend of theirs, but he had actually greeted her politely! To add to her shock, she could feel no killing intent at all from her brother. He seemed completely at ease. Hell, he even looked relaxed! Temari was unsure about what she would do. Was she dreaming? She had to be. Her legs shook as she tried to deny that her brother, the sociopathic container of the Ichibi no Shukaku, was acting like a decent human being.

Temari jumped when Gaara opened his mouth to speak.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?"

That did it. After sputtering wordlessly for a few moments, Temari took off down the road, never once looking back.

"That was your sister, Gaara-san?" Gai asked with a big smile on his face. "The way she runs makes her seem so energetic! Though it looks like she'd seen a ghost!"

"She's been a little stressed out about the finals lately. Pay it no mind." Gaara replied casually as he turned back towards his meal.

Unnoticed to all around him, Gaara allowed a small smile to rise to his face before it was replaced with his usual mask of impassiveness.

At least this way, his sister could get used to the idea that he wasn't as bloodthirsty as he used to be.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 28-

Naruto yawned as he made his way towards the training grounds. He felt exhausted. The entire month had consisted of him bouncing between his training and spending his limited free time with his friends. Even while he was enjoying himself, the thought of the invasion still weighed on his shoulders, but every time he started thinking negatively he constantly reminded himself that he was as prepared as prepared could get. He was certainly more prepared than he was in his past life. His fighting style and taijutsu was improved, his library of jutsu had increased, and now he could call upon part of the Kyuubi's power whenever he wanted. Maybe… just maybe, he'd be able to beat Orochimaru. Of course, nothing was for certain, but…

"All that's left is to get through it." Naruto thought to himself.

He found the best way to occupy his time when he was lost in his thoughts and all his friends were busy was to go out and train. Some private time was exactly what he needed right now.

However, someone was at the training grounds to greet him.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto simply stood at the edge of the clearing, eyebrows raised with an expression clearly conveying his confusion. Neji stood a few meters away, arms crossed with a stoic expression on his face.

"Hey Neji… what are you doing here?" Naruto asked uncertainly as he recovered from his shock and stepped forward.

Neji glared daggers at the opposing genin. Naruto felt himself tense up. The boy looked like he was ready to attack him at any moment.

"It doesn't make any sense…" Neji muttered, but said it loud enough for Naruto to hear him. "You're a loser. A dead last. And yet Hinata-sama praises you for being strong. That is wrong, but…"

Neji trailed off. As begrudging as it was to admit it, he noticed the change in his cousin.

She was getting stronger.

"Eh?"

The blond annoyance's confused reply only frustrated him. It didn't make any sense! Both of them were losers and yet, day by day, Hinata had continued to grow stronger. Neji had always thought that it was Hinata's fate… her destiny to be a pathetic weakling to be looked down upon. He could see it in her eyes and in her attitude. He couldn't use the word weakling to describe her anymore and that was all because the delusional boy in front of him was giving her the idea that she could someday amount herself to something. Hinata wanted to, for whatever reason, to live up to this guy's expectations.

Naruto was throwing Neji's lifelong philosophy for a loop and it really frustrated him.

"It's useless." Neji said, more to himself than Naruto. "Hinata-sama will always be a weakling. It is her destiny."

"Stop staying those things about Hinata," Naruto demanded, glaring at the Hyuga boy. "It's not only insulting to Hinata, but to me as well."

"Oh? Because you both share the destiny of being a weakling?" Neji smirked.

"No… it's just that hearing you say that my destiny is already decided makes it sound like everything I'm trying to do, that everything I'm trying to change, is all for nothing." Naruto muttered to himself.

All this fate and destiny talk bothered him more than it had in his past life. If fate couldn't be changed, then that mean at the end of everything, Madara would still kill him. He would still fail.

Naruto couldn't and wouldn't accept that.

"I'll make fate my bitch," Naruto proclaimed in his mind, smiling at the thought.

"Hinata-sama is destined to be defeated by me. It is what has already been decided." Neji went on.

"Why did you come here today, Neji?" Naruto suddenly asked, throwing the boy off.

"What?"

"Why are you here? If you truly believed Hinata was destined to lose why the hell are you telling me that?" Naruto asked. "It's clear we have different views on the matter, and I'm never going to change my opinion on the matter. It's a fact. Hinata is strong. Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?"

"…" Neji just glared at the boy. He couldn't find the words to respond back.

It was his fault. He was the reason Hinata was changing.

"Fate isn't set in stone like you think." Naruto continued. He crossed his arms and smirked at the angry Hyuga. "What's the matter? Are you mad that we're disrupting your perfect little world?"

"Yes."

Neji ignored the voice in his head and pulled his stoic mask back on. He shook his head and walked towards the blond. He wouldn't get anywhere by talking to this loser.

"Hmph. No matter what you say, Hinata-sama cannot win. You two will forever remain losers." Neji said as he walked past Naruto.

…And gave into impulse.

Naruto's eyes widened when he felt Neji's palm slammed into his backside and bring him to the ground. The Jyuken strike knocked the wind out of him and Naruto gasped as he felt his tenketsu shut down. The jinchuriki fell to his knees due to the suddenness of the attack.

"…As I said. You two are weaklings." Neji affirmed, satisfied with his attack. He turned and headed out of the training grounds.

Neji's eyes widened when his sharp senses picked up on something coming at him from behind. He turned on his heel just as Naruto's foot was about to connect with his backside. Neji quickly raised his hand and warded off the attack. He blocked Naruto's following punch and pushed the boy back, putting some distance between the two of them.

"…Not cool, Neji. Not cool." Naruto grinned as he took up a fighting stance. "Save it for the finals, will ya?"

"…You attacked back." Neji retorted. The veins around his eyes pulsed as he Byakugan flared.

"Heh, well, c'mon then. We've still got a few days before the finals start…" Naruto grinned, raising his finger and beckoning Neji towards him with a taunting gesture. "Let's have a little warm up match."

"Hmph. Foolishness." Neji said, though he grinned and charged forward.

"Gah! Fast!" Naruto thought as he raised his arm too late and Neji connected his palm with his stomach, sending him back a few feet and shutting off another tenketsu point.

Naruto quickly recovered and twisted his body for a sweeping kick which Neji easily warded on. Using his own spinning attack, Neji twisted his body around Naruto and struck two tenketsu points on Naruto's shoulder. The boy grunted and brought his elbow back, though Neji ducked and hit two more tenketsu points on his sides.

"Is this all you are, Uzumaki?" Neji's taunting voice asked.

"Tch! You haven't seen anything yet!" Naruto said, squatting into a stance Jiraiya taught him and shot his foot out towards Neji's legs. As Neji jumped to dodge, Naruto rolled away to get away from the close combat specialist. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Six shadow clones poofed into existence and rushed Neji. The Hyuga smirked as he danced around the clones attacks, dispelling them with quick thrusts to the head or stomach when the passed by him. Neji continued to do this until he had dispelled more than twenty clones. He knew Naruto had a high chakra capacity, but seeing him make so many clones and not even be winded was something even he found quite impressive. Neji fell into a pattern as he dispelled clone after clone. His eyes widened when a shadow fell over him. He cursed his carelessness for not noticing the dozens of clones that were descending upon him. At this point, there was only one way to guard against them. Neji pivoted on his heel and started spinning, pushing his chakra out as he did so.

"KAITEN!"

All the clones were immediately reflected and dispelled once they hit the dome of chakra. Neji stopped spinning after a few seconds and glared at his foe, who had drawn a few shuriken and kunai and was just in the motion of throwing them. Neji scoffed and jumped to the side as he dodged the projectiles, thrusting out at the two clones that were coming at him from the side. His eyes widened when one didn't dispel when he hit it.

"Gotcha!" Naruto proclaimed as he shot his fist forward.

"Hmph." Neji grunted as he bent down a bit, wrapped his hand around Naruto's outstretched wrist and flung him over his head.

Naruto quickly spun in the air and landed on his feet. He gave Neji an annoyed look who smirked in return.

"You cannot defeat me, Uzumaki. You cannot even hit me." Neji smirked arrogantly at the blond.

"Is that my fate too?" Naruto asked.

"It is."

To Neji's surprise, Naruto smiled.

"Then I guess I'll just have to smash my fate to pieces just to prove you wrong!"

Neji settled back into his gentle fist stance as Naruto rushed towards him again, creating three clones as he ran. One clone jumped in the air while the other one rushed at him, leaving the original and the remaining clones behind. The clone in the air came down on him with and axe kick while the other clone aimed a punch at his face. Neji sighed and grabbed the punching clone's wrist and tossed him upwards. Just as he was about to dispel the clone with a quick thrust, the clone dispelled itself manually. The quick change up surprised Neji, who still had the kicked clone to worry about, but it wasn't anything he couldn't dodge.

…Wait.

Neji's eyes widened when he looked down and saw two hands grabbing onto his legs, holding him in place.

"Underground?"

The Hyuga cursed as the clone came down on him. Neji raised his arms in a crossing gesture, catching the clone's foot as he blocked it, throwing the clone to the ground and dispelling it while twisting out of the hidden clones grasp. He staggered a bit as he recovered from the surprise attack, but his eyes widened again when the earth beneath him rumbled.

Another clone shot out from the ground with its fist coming first. Neji strained as his body bent backwards, intent on avoiding the blow as he attempted to recover. Neji could feel the wind pressure from the clone's fist when he barely missed his chin. Neji's eyes widened when the clone suddenly dispelled as it was rising out of the ground.

Neji coughed as he felt the oxygen get punched out of his lungs when Naruto, the real one, sank his fist into his stomach. The blond smirked triumphantly at the Hyuga who gasped as Naruto's blow successfully connected. The boy smirked.

"Got you." Naruto grinned.

Neji felt his anger boil.

"You are within the range of my divination, Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard the familiar phrase. It was too late to get away.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

Naruto felt every bone and muscle in his body strain and tense as he took on the full force of Neji's Sixty-Four Palms Strike. Each and every one of his tenketsu shut down as Neji's strikes doubled, pushing him back a bit after each set of strikes.

"Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji shouted as he finished off the technique, adding one final thrust to Naruto's stomach and blowing the boy backwards. He smirked as Naruto hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Hmph. It was already decided for you to lose, Uzumaki." Neji proclaimed as he relaxed his stance. "It was your fate from before this fight started."

"My fate was also for me not to hit you." Naruto's teasing voice called out, making Neji frown. "What about that?"

"You still lost."

"I still hit you."

"The end result is all that matters."

"The end result is that I hit you."

Neji's frustration continued to build.

"Uzumaki, you-!"

"Besides, who said anything about me losing?"

To Neji's shock and astonishment, Naruto slowly got to his feet. It was impossible! No one should be able to stand after getting hit with that attack! Neji's eyes widened again when Naruto brought his hands together. Was he trying to use ninjutsu? No. With so many of his tenketsu sealed it was impossible to perform ninjutsu, let alone fight. The technique was specifically designed to shut down certain chakra nodes in the body that would completely rob someone of their ability to fight. Why was he trying to…?

And just like that, thanks to his Byakugan, Neji was able to watch as in shocked awe as Naruto forced every one of his close tenketsu open again. Chakra almost seemed to fill up the boy's entire system, closing the points Neji had sealed previously. Neji could only stare.

"I-Impossible! How did he…? Uzumaki Naruto… how do you have so much chakra?"

Who was this boy in front of him.

"Damn, even after all this time getting hit with that attack still hurts like a bitch. Forcing my tenketsu back open with my own chakra is too." Naruto chuckled, wincing at the slight sting in his muscles. He had used the Kyuubi's chakra that was his now instead of calling on the demon, so it was all good. It really showed him how much his chakra control had improved thanks to Yamato's training.

"You…" Neji gasped.

"C'mon, Neji. This fight isn't over yet." Naruto smirked. "Let's get your Kaiten going again. Otherwise you might not be able to block this attack…"

Naruto's chakra spiked again as a small orb of chakra slowly began to form in his hand. The ball of chakra spun and grew, and with his Byakugan he could clearly see the power the ball contained.

"Let's see how my ultimate attack does against your ultimate defense." Naruto smirked as he rushed forward.

Neji shook himself out of his shocked state and readied himself to block the attack. His muscles and body were tense, and refused to calm down as Naruto rushed him. Could he dodge it? Maybe… but if he was hit by that attack then…

No, he couldn't risk it. He was too close. Neji started spinning and expelling his chakra just as Naruto came forward.

"KAITEN!"

"RASENGAN!"

Both chakra based techniques, one entirely made for offense and the other made for defense, met with a violent clash. Blue chakra sparked as Naruto's attack hit Neji's barrier. Both of them strained as Naruto and Neji pushed their chakra against one another. Naruto's attack wouldn't break through the barrier, but Neji's defense couldn't immediately repel him.

Of course, one of them was straining.

"This… this can't be!" Neji thought as his chakra began to cave inward. "Kaiten is impenetrable! Nothing has ever pierced its absolute defense! But his attack…! It's…!"

Both the Rasengan and the Kaiten used rotation and build up and release of chakra. In a way, that made them similar in execution, only they were used for different purposes. Both rotations met each other and struggled to either overcome or push the other back. The techniques grinded against each other, but Neji's was waning. Naruto had more chakra, and like Neji, it seemed like he could control the rotation and power of his attack.

"No! I won't be defeated by this loser! I must keep the barrier up!" Neji thought furiously as he pushed more chakra out. Naruto pushed back.

He could feel himself starting to stumble. His rotation was slowly down and Naruto was starting to break through. Sweat ran down Neji's brow as he struggled to keep the Kaiten going. His chakra was being sapped up as he continued the attack.

Was this it? Would the ultimate defense be…?

All of sudden, the force that had been pushing against his barrier disappeared. Neji's eyes widened as the grinding pressure disappeared, and with the last of his strength, Neji pushed his chakra out and expand the barrier. He felt something hit the wall of chakra and blast off of it. Neji slowed to a stop as he heard a dull thud echo across the training grounds.

The training grounds were silent for a moment. Neji staggered but quickly recovered himself as he stood up. His muscles were burning, but it wasn't anything a day of rest wouldn't fix. He'd still be in top condition for the finals but…

Neji's fists clenched in frustration.

"…Why did you cancel your attack?"

There was silence.

"Uzumaki!" Neji demanded.

A tired laugh came as a reply.

"Don't sound so angry…" Naruto chuckled. "You won, didn't you?"

Neji growled under his breath. He… He did win. But… he felt no satisfaction in the victory. It was like the boy had just given up near the end. Handed him the win. How could he take pride in a victory like that?

"Why did you stop your attack?" Neji asked again.

Naruto was silent for a moment before answering.

"Because…I'm not the one who's supposed to beat you this time." Naruto answered, confusing Neji with his words.

"This time…?" Neji muttered to himself.

"Hinata's your opponent, not me." Naruto smiled as he stared up at the sky. The sun was already setting. "It wouldn't be fair if I defeated you before she did."

"That's…that's your reason?"

"Hey, don't get mad about it. I'm not even sure if I would have broken through your Kaiten even if I hadn't stopped my attack." Naruto admitted. "I was really starting to strain near the end there…"

Naruto was satisfied with this. He may not have been able to beat Neji, and even though the boy didn't acknowledge, he had changed his fate. It was a small thing, but those tiny differences were what gave Naruto hope for a better future. It was those same small changes that led him to where he was right now.

"Even after…why do you still have so much faith in my cousin?" Neji demanded angrily.

Each of them held each other in such high regard! Why?

"I've gotta live up to her expectations…a girl like her deserves support." Naruto smiled. "It's not strange for me to put my bets on someone like her. Maybe you should do the same."

"…Preposterous." Neji growled as he deactivated his Byakugan. He stepped past Naruto's body and exited the training ground. "She will lose tomorrow!"

A taunting voice called back at him.

"We'll see."

Neji growled as his pace quickened. He won. That was the mantra he kept repeating in his mind.

Yet it still felt like, in some way, he had lost.

"Orange is my favorite color…"

Naruto thought this as he stared up at the colored sky. Shades of red, yellow, and orange danced and blended in the sky and remaining clouds above, with spots of blue and purple to signal the coming night. Naruto continued to lie there with his back on the ground. The whole front of his body felt sore.

"That's what you get for colliding face first into one of the Hyugas' ultimate techniques."

In his exhausted state, the Kyuubi's growling voice didn't surprise Naruto as much as it should have.

"What do you want?" Naruto groaned mentally.

"Nothing. I'm just fixing up what you and that Hyuga kid messed up."

"Me?"

"You can't just force open tenketsu like that. It hurt like hell when you did that right? Your control might've been screwy if I left it as is. You'll be sore tomorrow, but you'll be ready for the finals."

"That's…a relief." Naruto sighed. "…And you're being surprisingly helpful all of sudden."

"Foolish human." The demon growled in his mind. "We have an agreement, don't we? I need to keep you in top condition if you have any hope of fighting against that snake wannabe and win. Not only that, but if you gain the status of Chunin it will work out well for me."

"How does me being a Chunin work out for you?" Naruto asked.

"My host is a reflection of my great self. Chunin is just another step closer to getting something more befitting for my status."

"It's all about you, huh?"

"Obviously." The fox chuckled.

"And what rank would befit your status?"

"Something far more prestigious than Hokage, fleshling. You'll never even come close to amounting to my greatness, so I'll have to settle for something closer to it."

"Whatever." Naruto groaned. "Just…keep doing whatever it is you're doing and leave me alone. Make sure your available on finals day too…"

"Oh? Need me for something else?" The Kyuubi purred.

"Orochimaru is strong. I need you for this one, furball." Naruto thought sternly, though he tried his best to sound as polite and pleading as possible. "Don't try anything funny. Just help me win, okay…?"

Cackling laughter was Naruto's only response.

The Kyuubi jinchuriki continued to lie there for a few more minutes. He closed his eyes and let the breeze wash over him. It helped relax his sore muscles. Naruto felt something brush the top of his nose. He scrunched his nose up when the thing started to tickle him.

He heard an amused giggled when he sneezed. Naruto opened his eyes and narrowed them at the expressionless mask that was leaning over him.

"Hey." Naruto greeted from his position.

"Hello." Haku replied cheerfully as she removed her ANBU mask. Naruto didn't even know why she wore the thing. She wasn't even an ANBU to begin with…

"Wanna help me up?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know…" Haku said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "You're in a pretty submissive state. I'm starting to think about all the things I could get away with right now…"

Naruto caught her wrist when she reached down towards him.

"You're scary." Naruto stated with a deadpan expression.

"I suppose that's your opinion then." Haku commented lightly as she gripped his wrist and helped the boy up. Naruto gave the girl a light glare as he brushed off the grass from his pants. She smiled innocently back at him.

It was so hard to tell what she was thinking sometimes…

"You've been gone for a while." Naruto commented.

"I've been busy." Haku returned. She gave the boy a coy smile. "Do you really miss me that much, Naruto-kun?"

"You… c'mon, I'm tired." Naruto groaned, not in the mood for her jokes.

"Well, after something like that I'm sure you would be." Haku said as she kept pace with him.

"You were watching?"

"It was entertaining. And very moving." Haku smiled. "I only wish Hinata-chan could've been there to see it. I must admit, I'm a little jealous…"

"Jealous of what? I'm just saying what I feel." Naruto said, arching an eyebrow at her. He crossed his arms. "She doesn't deserve all the crap she gets from Neji or the other Hyugas, and Hinata's plenty strong. I'm just trying to make those idiots see that."

"Yes, that's true." Haku agreed as she walked beside him. "I suppose that blunt honesty is one of the reasons she likes you so much."

"Huh?"

"Anko, Hayate, and myself have made the necessary preparations." Haku reported to him. "We've singled out many of Orochimaru's agents and we've had other ANBU keep an eye on them. Ibiki wasn't able to get anything useful out of the ones who were clumsy enough to blow their cover though. We haven't been able to find Kabuto or the Sound Four though."

"That's fine. As long as they're somewhat aware of Orochimaru's men lurking around the village we can be somewhat prepared for the invasion." Naruto said. "We'll get them during the finals."

"There's something else I think you'll be happy to know." Haku smiled. "We managed to get Yamato and Hayate permission to be the Hokage's bodyguards during the finals. They'll be standing with him at the Hokage's box during the chunin exams finals."

"Really? That's great!" Naruto whooped. Those two actually KNEW about the invasion and what was going on! That would make them perfect bodyguards for the old man!

"It gets better." Haku grinned. "Jiraiya managed to forge a report before he left and gave it to me. Using that as Jiraiya's orders, I told Yamato and Hayate about Orochimaru's assassination of the Kazekage and his stealing his identity. They've agreed to keep it a secret until Jiraiya says otherwise, so they know exactly who will be sitting next to the Hokage during the finals. Those two couldn't be more prepared."

Haku blinked when she was suddenly pressed up against something. Her eyes widened when she realized Naruto was hugging the living daylights out of her as he jumped around enthusiastically.

"Yes! Yes! Hahaha!" Naruto cheered as he continued to embrace the girl. "Thank you, Haku! Thank you! With those two aware of Orochimaru's presence beforehand, they'll be able to protect he old man! He won't die this time! Thank you!"

The biggest issue for him was that Yamato, but more often than him it was Hayate, would often question the orders Naruto and Kakashi gave them. Naruto didn't want to give either men his memories, so it was hard getting them to do what they want without revealing that they knew more than they were letting on. That was why Naruto couldn't specifically tell the two outright that Orochimaru had killed the Kazekage, was wearing his face, and was going to sit next to and attack the Hokage during the finals. The best he could do was tell them to be on guard. Now that they knew the magnitude of the position they had placed themselves in, that increased the old man's chances of survival this time around!

That fake report that Jiraiya had forge for Haku was the proof he could use to make them act without questions! It was "evidence" Jiraiya had found for this undercover, secret mission they were all on and why they couldn't tell the Hokage. They had an alibi they could use without showing they knew about the future!

"Haku, I could kiss you right now!" Naruto laughed as he twirled the girl about. "This is awesome!"

Haku, unknown to the excited blond spinning her around, was stiff in his arms and wore a blush that could easily compete with one of Hinata's. Spending her whole life with Zabuza on the run hadn't give her much experience with such, ah… affectionate forms of gratitude. Teasing was one thing, and she was fine when she initiated it, but…

Haku took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Naruto. She murmured a small "Your welcome" as she returned his hug.

"Naruto-sama? Haku-chan?"

Naruto stopped jumping around and paused when he heard a familiar soft voice. Naruto turned his head towards the voice as Haku did the same. Both of their eye's fixed upon a familiar white head.

"Yuzura?"

Naruto was about to ask the girl why she was all the way out here until he noticed something red soaking the shoulder part of her kimono. His eyes widened.

"Yuzura!" Naruto cried out, releasing the girl and rushing over to his servant. "Your shoulder is bleeding! What happened?"

The girl winced as her master shot various questions at her and tore her hand away from the wound she had been attempting to cover up. She turned away when Haku gave a stern look. Yuzura sighed miserably at her own carelessness.

She'd be caught.

X.X.X.X.X

"Attacked? Who attacked you?" Naruto demanded.

He had immediately started questioning the fox girl the minute they had taken her back to his apartment. Haku was busy stitching up Yuzura's wound while Naruto fired question after question at her. The cut was fairly shallow and would heal in a couple days, but she had been bleeding enough to make Naruto panic.

Was Orochimaru already attacking? Did his earlier defeat make him mad enough to start his invasion early?

Naruto train of thought crashed when something smacked him across the head.

"Gahk? Haku, what was that for?" Naruto asked, glaring at the girl who withdrew her hand.

"Because this is your fault." Haku scolded harshly, much to the boy's shock. "How did you not notice this?"

Naruto was at a loss for words.

"H-Haku-chan, please don't be angry at Naruto-sama." Yuzura said gently. She shrank back when Haku glared at her.

"And don't think I'm forgetting about you. This is your fault too." Haku chided as she flicked the girl's forehead, who gave a helpless whimper in return. "I thought you said you were going to tell him?"

Naruto was, again, at a loss for words. Was Yuzura supposed to tell him something?

"I couldn't trouble Naruto-sama. He had to devote his time to preparing for the finals. Protecting him from those who would do him harm is just my duty as his vassal." Yuzura protested.

"Hold on a minute." Naruto stopped her, raising his hand in a gesture. "Protect me? From what?"

Yuzura bit her lip and turned away. Haku tapped the girl's shoulder and made a firm gesture to start talking. The kitsune girl sighed. Her ears drooped as she decided to come clean.

"Um… well, like I said, I was attacked in the forest, but it wasn't me they were trying to find." Yuzura told Naruto hesitantly. "Sound ninja have been coming every so often to scout and keep an eye on you, Naruto-sama. A few times these men attempted to take your life so I would go and…take care of them before they could harm you."

"You said that they have been…exactly how long have you been having run-ins with Orochimaru's men?" Naruto asked slowly.

"…Maybe two weeks." Yuzura admitted. She shook her hand frantically. "B-But it's not like it's every day! You needn't concern yourself with it, really! Naruto-sama has many more things to worry about! Taking care of a few ninja is nothing for-!"

"Yuzura." Naruto cut her off, the intensity in his voice silencing the babbling girl immediately. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Instead of getting an answer from her, Haku hit him over the head again.

"Ouch! Dammit, Haku?"

"Why couldn't you have figured it out for yourself?" Haku asked. "A few times when I came back to rest I noticed how tired and sometimes how dirty Yuzura-chan was. I even helped her dispatch a few of Orochimaru's men once. She promised to tell you when she told me you were unaware of the attacks too…"

Naruto thought back to the past couple weeks. Now that he thought of it, Yuzura always seemed a little out of it when she came back from her errands. Her appearance and demeanor suddenly seemed a lot more like blatantly obvious clues as to what was going on now that he thought of it. He should have noticed something was off…

"Did Gaara know too?" Naruto asked.

"He suspected something… but I asked him to leave it alone. I didn't want to trouble him." Yuzura said sheepishly.

Naruto sighed. He'd bitch at the Ichibi container for not telling him anything later. Really, he could only blame his own obliviousness for this. Kami, did he feel like a moron.

"I'm really sorry, Yuzura." Naruto said, bowing towards the girl in apology. "I should have noticed something was wrong."

"No, it's fine. I didn't want to trouble Naruto-sama when he has so much to prepare for." Yuzura said, waving him off.

"I don't care if I'm busy or whatever, if something like this happens, I want you to tell me." Naruto told her sternly. "I don't like it when people close to me are getting hurt for my sake without my knowing about it."

"B-But you…"

"Look, I know your intentions were good and I appreciate that, but the reason I'm doing all this training and preparing is so I can protect everyone I care about. Hinata, the Old Man, Kakashi, Haku, and you too." Naruto went on. "If you're getting hurt because of me, and especially when you're trying to hide it, that makes me feel like I've failed."

"…" Yuzura was silent.

"If someone I know is in trouble, I want to help them. That goes for you too, Yuzura." Naruto said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "So I want you to promise me that you'll be honest with this kind thing, okay? Don't be afraid to ask for help. I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Yuzura played with the hem of her kimono, trying to fight down her blush. She gave a slow nod as she bashfully looked up at her master.

"O-Okay, Naruto-sama… I promise not to do something like this again." Yuzura promised. She bowed her head towards him. "I'm sorry for not telling you…"

"And I'm sorry for not noticing." Naruto grinned, apologizing in turn.

"Well, I forgive you two as well." Haku smiled, ruffling the duo's hair. Naruto frowned at her while Yuzura giggled.

"I wasn't asking for your forgiveness, Haku." Naruto pouted.

"I forgive you for being so ignorant and useless." Haku replied harshly, making the boy wince. "We do so much for you, and ask nothing in return. What kind of man are you if you can't protect us after all that?"

"Guh…" Naruto's shoulders slumped as her words were like daggers to his pride. "Y-You don't have to put it like that…"

"If I'm not honest, how can I expect you to learn from your mistakes?" Haku smiled as Yuzura giggled from beside her. She finished patching up her friends shoulder and pulled Naruto into the kitchen. "Now, how about you make us some dinner for once?"

"Ah, Haku-chan, I can still…!" Yuzura tried to speak up but Haku held her hand up.

"No, no. Naruto-kun wants to cook for us as a reward for all we've done for him, right?" Haku said, giving the blond a teasing smile.

"…Yeah, yeah. Just don't expect much. I'm not the great cook Yuzura is." Naruto sighed as he pulled out a few pots and pans. He should probably make a little extra for when Gaara got back.

The two girls laughed and sat themselves down at the table, waiting for Naruto to cook their meal. Yuzura looked a little guilty and clearly wouldn't have minded cooking, but Haku wouldn't let her. The older girl put on a winning smile as she waited for Naruto to cook their meal.

Despite himself, Naruto smiled too.

He really was grateful for all those two were doing for him in this new life.

X.X.X.X.X

"So that's that then?"

Dosu nodded as Kabuto sighed melodramatically. The sound genin had just got done reporting about what had happened to the group who were supposed to take care of the little blond annoyance that had defeated Orochimaru.

Not that anyone but himself knew that. If their men heard that the great Orochimaru was defeated by a child morale would drop.

And Orochimaru would probably kill him for letting that information. There was that too…

"Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do about that. I don't want to send anymore men to their deaths just for one child." Kabuto shrugged. "Clearly this sword girl is giving us more trouble than its worth. A few days wait until the finals won't be so bad. Aren't you looking forward to that, Dosu?"

"…Yeah." The boy nodded after a short pause.

Kabuto noticed this odd behavior, but didn't say anything about it.

Truth was, Dosu really wanted to fight Sasuke and contemplated offing Naruto before the tournament so he could fight who he wanted to immediately. But something held him back. He found that he didn't… well, WANT to actually hurt Naruto. If he was going to fight him, he wanted to do it out in the open, no dirty tricks, during the finals. It was very uncharacteristic for him, especially since Dosu had no problem cheating when the situation called for it.

But spending those few days with the blond… even smiling and laughing with his teammates who he barely got along with before…

He wanted to make it a good fight. He didn't want to betray Naruto's friendship.

"But I'm still gonna have to kill him sooner or later…" Dosu thought miserably.

It was for Orochimaru-sama, after all. The invasion could not fail.

"Is there a reason you're still here?" Kabuto asked when Dosu didn't leave.

"Um… I was just wondering where Zaku and Kin are." Dosu asked uncertainly. "You called them in last week and I haven't seen them since…"

"Ah, well, Orochimaru-sama has a special assignment for those two." Kabuto smiled, patting the ninja mummy on the shoulder. "Just defeat Naruto in the finals and wait patiently for things to get started, okay?"

"…Yes." Dosu nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Once he was sure he was alone, Kabuto pulled out a few of his info cards. He fanned them out and glanced at the names.

Naruto. Haku. Yuzura. Kakashi. Anko. Hayate. Yamato. Jiraiya.

Their actions had clearly had an influence on their invasion plans. At first, this Naruto person was the only one who warranted concern. Kabuto was right to trust his intuition and keep tabs on the boy, otherwise his master would have lost his life that day in the forest. After taking the time to observe him throughout the month, it was clear that this boy had a fair idea of what was to come, as did his allies. Further research also surprised him.

Naruto was a jinchuriki, he knew that, but thanks to Yamato he was learning how to control the Kyuubi's power. Haku seemed to be adept at spying since it was she who was able to save Hayate that night when he had met with Baki.

Oh yes, he had been aware of it all, and had enjoyed the show immensely.

The Toad Sage and disappeared off to who knows where but Kabuto had a pretty good idea about it. Hayate and Anko had exposed quite a number of his lackeys, and while those were acceptable losses, they should've been a little bit more careful.

"Ah, you may think you're being secretive about this… but you shouldn't have been so desperate in trying to find us. It really makes me wonder just how much you know…" Kabuto chuckled to himself.

He had kept all this information to himself, of course. Why spoil the surprise? It was a rare opportunity. How many times had someone had the advantage over Orochimaru and not the other way around? The invasion's outcome had been predictable at first, and that was boring. Now with so many little variables changing things up, Kabuto felt an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. The possibilities were endless! Who would emerge the victor? And he still had to solve the most pressing mystery…

"How did you know all of this was to come, Naruto-kun…?"

There were clues in the boy's actions and words, but Kabuto had yet to come up with a hypothesis. The young man readjusted his glasses and let out a low, sadistic chuckle.

"Well, that's the fun thing about experiments, isn't it? The end result is always a mystery…"

This was an experiment he couldn't wait to conduct. Who would emerge the victor? Orochimaru, or Konoha?

"Let's find out together, Orochimaru-sama…"

Kabuto's laughter echoed through the darkness as he slipped into the shadows.

X.X.X.X.X

-Day 30-

…Tomorrow…

That was the word that kept on repeating in Naruto's head. He lied awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about everything had done up until this point. It was late at night and he was anxiously waiting for tomorrow to come around.

The entire month had been… nice. When he thought about it, he really did have a good time. Sure he had spent a good majority of his time training and thinking about the invasion that would take place tomorrow, but it was fun. All the little things that had happened were a great breather. A calm before the coming storm…

Kakashi told him about some adventures he went on with his dad and about his mom. He had trained with Sasuke and Sakura, and even got together to hang out with them during his breaks. He finally had a date with Hinata and had helped bring her out of her shell. He couldn't wait to see her show off during the finals. He visited Zaku and Kin and made friends with them, and Dosu too. Even though he'd be fighting the mummy looking ninja in the finals, he didn't feel any animosity towards the sound team anymore. Kiba and Shino had dragged him to one of team eight's training sessions once and had a great time. He even had lunch with Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino when he and his team ran into them after training. Chouji declared that he would win the exams next time while Ino sort of made up with Sakura. She had actually congratulated the girl for winning and was proud of her for growing strong, promising not to lose to her next time. Yamato had come to trust him and support him as a teacher. Naruto wondered when he would see Sai again when he thought about the old Team Yamato in his past life. Jiraiya was treating him like a godson and was out trying to find his godmother and her apprentice to bring them back to Konoha. He couldn't wait to see Ba-chan and Shizune again. Haku and Anko, along with some help from Hayate, had helped him prepare for the finals and Haku's attitude helped encourage him. Yuzura's secret deed for him was unwanted, but he was still grateful. He just had to make sure that something like that wouldn't happen again without his knowledge. Gaara was also trying to gain control of the Ichibi's chakra, though Naruto wasn't sure how far he had come along with that.

Would everything be okay? Would Jiraiya be back in time for the finals? Had Tsunade even agreed to come with him? Would the Old man get killed again? Would he be able to kill Orochimaru and Kabuto? Would any of his friends die? Would he be able to protect them?

Will I win…?

Naruto sat in the darkness of his room, thinking. Haku and Gaara must have already been sound asleep in their rooms, and he could tell from Yuzura's quiet breathing next to his bed on her futon that she was asleep as well. Naruto extended his hand into the air, making a tight fist.

A smile worked its way onto his face.

I'll win.

With that declaration, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

X.X.X.X.X

The stadium was filled to the brim with people of all ages. Children, adults, civilians, shinobi, commoners, councilmen, clan members, everyone had turned up to watch the chunin exam finals take place. The crowd was bustling with activity discussing the competition and placing their bets.

Down in the area, ten out of the eleven contestants were present. Each of them had trained for this very moment, and each one of them were ready to give it their best.

"And Sasuke isn't here." Naruto thought with a smirk as he noticed his friend's absence.

Obviously Kakashi was the one to blame.

"Hey, stop looking around. Face the customers."

Naruto turned towards the proctor who had made the announcement. Genma smirked as he looked over the ten genin. Any one of them could become a chunin. It would be fun to see who came out on top.

"In this tournament, you guys are the stars." Genma went on as he and the genin faced the stadium of spectators. "Try to give them a good show."

Everyone had a different reaction to his words, but they were ready.

"Let's get this thing started, shall we?"

Naruto grinned.

Let the games begin!

---

A/N: Why do all my chapters seem to increase in size every time I write them? Whatever. This is probably the longest chapter I'll have until the Naruto VS Orochimaru chapter… which is coming pretty soon. Did you all like it?

I really don't have much more to say. All I can tell you guys is that I'm going to try and make the chunin exams as epic as possible. The invasion as well. I can't wait to start writing those fights, and I've got some good ideas for them. If you guys have any questions for me, ask away and I'll answer so long as I won't have to use spoilers to do it.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to whatever feedback you guys have for me. Thanks for your continued support. Next chapter things are really gonna kick off. Have a good one.

Kiiam