A/N: I'm not big on cliché's and I will attempt to throw a few surprises into this whole thing. On a side note, I thought it would be fun to tell everyone the current stats for this chapter. As of 8:40pm (PST) 3/31/07 Living Among Leaves has: 47787 words (+3300 or so for this chappie), 20 (+1) chapters, 82 reviews, 15746 hits (4372 hits to chapter 1), 5 C2s, 28 favs, and 30 alerts. Thanks to everyone whose made these numbers real.

Reviews: This is a public service announcement: NARUTO IS NOT THE SON OF THE FOURTH HOKAGE. Thank you for your time.

Matt: You're probably wrong.

Rasengan-Jeanie: I read about that on some site somewhere, and tucked it into my brain file of "irrelevant naruto trivia". As far as my fic is concerned Arashi Uzumaki was written on that scroll directly to the right of where Naruto signed. Naruto was too dense to notice the other name and didn't see it.

Zephyr-abomb: thanx fer reading and reviewing.

Chapter 21: Rocks 2

"So what are we going to do with this thing? It's not like any of us can use it."

"We can't just discard it though. The weapon actively seeks the hand of the one who can wield it."

"So we just hold on to it, and continue searching."

"Yes, they couldn't have gotten too far away, not with the big guy so injured."

"If we can't find them though, perhaps…"

"What?"

"Perhaps we could go back. Home, I think that's the word."

"No, not until we have to or our mission is complete. Remember it's for his own good, that's why you agreed to come."

"Of course."

"That's why all of us agreed to this."

Naruto didn't have any time to ask the old man any more questions, they were rushed out the door on the right and trough some hallways into a waiting room where all the teams that had passed the test were gathered. Naruto was trying to very hard to comprehend what might be implied by his name, and why it was shared by the fourth Hokage.

Sasuke was still thinking about the test. He had known, of course, figured it out almost immediately, that the entire thing was a joke, a test of loyalty. He also realized that the correct answer these men were looking for was loyalty, which was the purpose of their test. He understood this, and could not do it. Naruto had saved them both with his outburst, had he not done that, Sasuke would just have remained silent, unable to proclaim his loyalty to Konoha. Sasuke was angry at himself for not being able to even say it as a lie, then angry at himself for not being able to say it at all, then even more angry at himself for thinking of lieing about it. 'Perhaps Tsunade is right. Perhaps I cannot be trusted.' Tsunade had known that his intentions were not altogether altruistic, but he had convinced her that he would be very useful to Konoha as long as Itachi was his.

'Why did she agree to that? Support my revenge when none other would.' He began thinking about possible reasons, motives, when he realized just how much time had passed during his thinking.

The tests were over; neither of the Konoha Genin teams had managed to pass the written exam portion. There were far fewer ninja participating then the last time Naruto was here. Only 19 teams were passing to the second test, which was of course a survival exercise. They were led out of the main portion of the city and through a tunnel way which led to the outskirts. During this time both Naruto and Sasuke took the opportunity to size up their potential opponents in this next exam. Both of them were confident in their ability to beat any of them.

Naruto caught a glimpse of Matsuri in the crowds, but wasn't able to say hi or congratulate her before the march came to a halt. The procession was standing in front of a large and deep ravine, it had many cross cuts connecting many chasms, and they were all filled with sharp rocks and small ledges. The proctor spoke up. "This is special training ground 9. This will serve as the place for next phase of this Chunin exam. Each team will be randomly placed at a gate which enters the fenced off area from the north, North-West, or west sides. The end goal is to enter the building at the south east corner of the grounds. However, before you can enter this building you will need to have at least two keys. One key will get you in; the second will undo your shackles."

Naruto was listening this time, and was interested when he heard the word shackles. His curiosity turned to dread as he saw a large crate filled with large chains fitted with loops. The large loops were just the right size to lock around someone's leg, and each chain had three such loops, one at each end and one in the middle. Between each loop there was about a meter and a half of chain.

The proctor continued. "That's right, for this test you and your teammates will be chained together and be unable to separate from each other. You will have to work together, to adapt to an adversity, and defeat opponents. Each of you will be given one key to begin, remove the shackles while outside the target building and you will be disqualified. Once you enter the training ground you will have 24 hours to reach the finish. Go to your starting positions and await the signal."

They were both positive that fighting was out of the question for at least a few hours. Naruto and Sasuke had been provided with a special chain which only had two loops, but otherwise it was the same test for them as anyone else. They're steps were so out of tune that they even had trouble getting into the training ground when the signal went out. They had come to agreement on the pace they would walk with, and they were now working on a way to synchronize their jumping. It was going rather badly, as evidenced by Naruto's bloody and dirty face.

Sasuke was faring better, he was excellent at aerial maneuvers and could right himself quickly to avoid embarrassing face plants. Naruto was getting better, he was aware of that, but Sasuke still considered him with disappointment. 'Is this as far as you've come Naruto? How did you defeat a member of Akatsuki?' Eventually Naruto was landing more often then falling, so they were able begin the journey towards the finish. The way the chains were, Sasuke would lead, while Naruto would follow close behind.

Once they were moving along at a good clip, Naruto decided to assess the situation verbally. "We actually have an advantage don't we? It will be tougher for a three man squad to move chained up then for two people right?"

Sasuke considered that. "It depends on the fighting style of our opponents. This test leans heavily towards teams that use high large amounts of teamwork or at least have similar tactics. If we are facing three people who can all work together and already have synchronized attack patterns that don't require them to move far apart, then we are at a disadvantage." Naruto thought Sasuke's grimace was showing through the back of his head. "We have a disadvantage no matter what actually. I use high speed movement to move in close and inside a targets defenses to deliver finishing blows quickly, against stronger opponents I rely on ninjutsu to attack at mid range first before closing the distance and finishing the weakened opponent. You on the other hand use clones to create distractions and disguise your movements, and attack an opponent with quick, but weak an ineffective attacks, until you understand their movements enough to land your large powerful jutsu. Neither of us have any abilities we can use together, our teamwork is nil, and we each require a large amount of space to do much of anything, which we don't have."

'Geez I wouldn't have asked if you were gonna be so depressing.' Naruto misplaced his foot, yanking back on the chain and causing Sasuke to trip up slightly. He glared back at Naruto who was apologizing. They continued moving through the ravines and craggy rocks, heading straight South-East. They remembered the last time they did the survival test that most people would gather in near the finish line attempting to ambush. They were getting closer to it and both had the distinct impression they were being watched. "Sasuke—"

"I know, move on my signal." Naruto knew they didn't have time to be petty over who gave signals. "Right!" Sasuke jumped to his right and Naruto was right behind him, albeit moving slightly slower. The chain caught them mid flight causing Naruto to land awkwardly and Sasuke to land on all fours. He quickly stood up and looked for the attackers, the ones who had just thrown several shuriken at them. He couldn't see them at first, but a quick glance through the Sharingan revealed their location. "Naruto do you see them?" Naruto shook his head. "Hit them after they move." Sasuke bit his thumb and grabbed his arm with the bleeding thumb. A small poof later he was holding several shuriken in his hand, as well as one kunai prepped with an explosive note. Naruto followed, pulling out a scroll and bringing out several shuriken of his own.

Sasuke threw his kunai to where the enemy was, and they quickly reacted jumping away as their alcove exploded. Naruto and Sasuke sent their shuriken flying towards the enemies. Still flying through midair they could not dodge, so instead they pulled out kunai and deflected away the projectiles, landing unscathed a good 20 feet from Naruto and Sasuke. Now that they were standing still, Naruto and Sasuke could see that they were rock-nin. "Konoha eh?" The one who looked like the leader did not seem happy to see them. "Well this is interesting, only two of you? Is that even allowed?"

"Of course it's allowed, and so is kicking your guys's—"

"Naruto, shut up." Sasuke was preparing to charge, he was making it obvious so that Naruto would get the message and move with him.

Naruto thought that it would be stupid to charge. "Don't bother Sasuke, I'll take care of it from here. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several shadow clones appeared in close proximity to Naruto and Sasuke, and quickly fell on their faces. As soon as the clones manifested, chains also manifested extending from Naruto's loop and connecting to similar loops around the clone's ankles. As they all tried to move, they all tripped.

The rock-nin laughed at the spectacle while Naruto dismissed his clones. The leader wiped a tear from his eye. "You idiot, like that kind of technique would work with these one. My brother designed them, and trained me and my squad in them for years. If you try to make clones, even just illusions, the shackles grip them as well. Conversely, if you were to lower the total number of bodies, the chains will adapt to grab fewer people. Like this." The leader, who had been standing in the middle reached out and took the hands of his teammates. The teammates then brought their free hands together and began forming hand seals using each other's hands. When they formed the last hand seal, they all spoke out in unison, "Triple transformation combination, demon of the rocks!!"

A large cloud of smoke obstructed them for a moment. As the smoke cleared Naruto and Sasuke could see that in their place was a large humanoid, wearing stone armor and a mask with three faces wrapped around its head. The most startling trait were its six arms, each wielding a large stone weapon of various shapes and sizes. "We can move freely like this, prepare to lose leaf pansies." It's voice was that of all three of the rock-nin speaking in unison. It's statement was true, though it still had the shackle on there was nothing else for the chain to attach to, so it was just the solitary loop on the ankle of the giant.

Naruto was more then a little surprised to see such a thing, but Sasuke remained cool and level headed. The giant leaped high into the air, and was coming down on Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke yelled out, "back!" Naruto and Sasuke jumped backwards, dodging as the giants arms came and slammed into the ground. It quickly began running after them though. Sasuke spoke low enough that he hoped he would not be over heard by the enemy, "Left on my signal then attack." Naruto nodded. As the giant closed in Sasuke drew his sword. They both quickly leapt out of the giants path and then began a run straight towards it. Naruto was aiming for it's head, with Sasuke drawing in towards it's arms and chest.

It swung out a weapon quickly, right between Naruto and Sasuke, and neither of them heeded it. They soon tripped and fell forward, breaking their respective falls with their arms. Sasuke was the first to look back and notice that the weapon had snagged their chain. Both stood and dodged away from the giants many attacks jumping back to unhook their chains. "Damn it. Naruto do you—"

"Not yet Sasuke, I'm pretty sure we can still do this." The giant wasn't listening and charged in to attack again. Despite Naruto and Sasuke's superior speed, they were caught by the chain and had near misses twice. After several more dodges, the giant actually dropped one of its own weapons and grabbed the chain when Sasuke and Naruto were distracted by other arms. It picked it up, and with it Naruto and Sasuke, and tossed them through the air and into the side of the ravine.

Sasuke had managed to break his fall by landing with his feet in the wall, but Naruto went in back first. They fell from the wall and landed facing the giant once more, who was preparing to charge again. "ok Sasuke, go ahead."

The giant heard him say this. "And do what? You two are completely hopeless. Look at how old you are and we can beat you this easily. You guys must be the worst ninja in Konoha. How did our village ever lose to yours?"

Naruto and Sasuke laughed for a minute. And then Sasuke brought forth his left hand. "You're the ones who are hopeless, to not even realize your opponents are just playing with you. Naruto wanted to see if we could pass the test using only abilities we had before our training. Though we could defeat you in that fashion, it would take far to long. So I've decided to end this here and now." The lightning chakra poured into Sasuke's hand and formed a sword.

The giant stared in disbelief. Nature manipulation is Jonin level, none of them could even hope to do it. "No way—" Sasuke swung with his blade as it extended out a great distance. His strikes were so fast they couldn't follow them. They found out what he had done when the 6 stone weapons their arms held fell to pieces before their eyes.

Naruto was grinning widely. "I got the rest Sasuke, just follow behind me." He put his hands together and made 3 clones. This time they didn't fall over though, being ready for the chains. Naruto and his first clone put their hands near each other, while the other clones began spinning the chakra into a massive blue orb of chakra. The two "spinner" clones vanished leaving only Naruto and the clone which was helping to hold the Odama Rasengan. They quickly charged the giant with Sasuke following behind, giving them plenty of slack on the chain. The giant tried to move, but it couldn't look away from Sasuke's red eyes, glued to the spot by the Genjutsu. The sphere smashed into the giant and engulfed it. After it the smoke and dust cleared Naruto and Sasuke could see the three rock Genin unconscious but alive.

They walked over to their bodies and liberated the key.

After their victory Naruto and Sasuke began heading South-east again. As they approached the building, they heard the noises of a battle. Naruto was curious, But Sasuke didn't want to waste any time. When a shrill scream echoed through the canyon, Naruto forced Sasuke to stop and demanded that they go investigate. Sasuke thought it was stupid, but relented for ease of travel.

When they found the battle it was already over. There were three cloud-nin, chained together standing over the unconscious forms of Matsuri and her teammates. The cloud nin in front was holding a kunai and was preparing to finish the sand-nin off. Naruto dived in to help, almost dragging Sasuke with him. He grabbed the cloud-nin's arm just in time to stop him. The enemies were surprised by the sudden intervention. The one who had been about to perform the act jumped back to be closer to his teammates. Naruto turned his back on them and looked over the sand shinobi.

"Is that really so wise? To turn your back to the opposition?" It was the one who had been about to kill Matsuri who said this. Naruto stood and turned back to them. Naruto tossed something lightly to the cloud-nin and he caught it. It was the key for Matsuri's team. "heh, you think I need this? These brats were the fifth team we've taken down. We started breaking these little keys to save time." He was laughing. One of his teammates stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto couldn't explain it but this other cloud-nin looked familiar. "Kouumaru, leave them, we have done enough."

Kouumaru looked back at his team. "Fine then Ikazuchi. But if either of us get him in the final rounds to bad for you."

Ikazuchi nodded and turned to face Naruto. "My name is Ikazuchi Waiya. Is that at all familiar to you?" Naruto shook his head. "I see, then I will make this quick. You killed my brother." Naruto remembered the mission he had been on just a month or so ago. "Do not be alarmed, revenge is not my goal. As a deserter he deserved death. I merely wish to face the man who was able to kill him, and see what he is made of." He turned and began to walk away, taking his teammates with him. As he was walking away Naruto could see the strange shield on his back.

Once they were gone he turned his attention back to Matsuri. To his surprise Sasuke was already helping them and checking for serious injuries. "Mostly just mild burns and a few scrapes, they were knocked out from pain, lightning jutsu. They will be fine, but they should be moved to somewhere they can be cared for." Naruto didn't hesitate, picking up the two boys, while Sasuke picked up Matsuri.

As they continued towards the finish line Naruto felt a need to speak. "Thank you, Sasuke."

"You would be useless if your conscience were preoccupied elsewhere, and these chains would insure that I would be dragged down with you." Naruto heard this, but entertained the notion that deep down Sasuke wanted to help them too.

A/N: Next chappie training begins, all over again.