AN: Well, here we are again. The Chunin Exams are nearly upon us and I'm ready to go! Let the outsiders step past the threshold and enter!

NOTE: Remember when I said Blair's out of the harem? Well, it's less 'definitely out,' and more 'might be out.' If I can come up with a good way for her to be with Naruto, I'll put her in. If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"
/Translation/alternate language\
Thought
Inner being to outer being
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental Form
Jutsu/Technique

Chapter 21: Entrance, another three months, and the Chunin Exams begin

(Centerplane, Gate-Rock)

"Er, so what are we doing here?" asked Olivia. Their group was standing on a large planetoid that was located somewhere near the middle of the Scattered Foundations. Its surface was littered with many carvings and devices, most of them suspiciously round. Over in the distance, the glass-user thought she caught sight of a black door.

Lifting Fuoca off her shoulders and setting her down, Blair explained, "This is where we keep most of our collected dimensional travel stuff. We can't get to the Naruto-verse without a method of transport. The only question is..." She directed her question at the two males, who were walking ahead of the group, "Which way are we going to take?"

Carlos called back over his shoulder, "My way!"

"Or the highway," Len muttered, eyeing a large chunk of asphalt with a yellow stripe.

"Hey, it's either that or the Mermaid Springs, and I'm not going in there," the green-haired young man snapped.

Len rolled his eyes under his hat. "Yeah yeah, techno-hydrophobia and all that shit. You sure you don't just want to show off in front of the newbie?"

"Well, that too," Carlos admitted quietly, drawing a sigh from Olivia.

"Stai zitto," /Shut up\ barked Fuoca, the little redhead scampering past them, /You're being slow. Hurry up!\

Trailing behind the group, Olivia was looking around at the seemingly useless objects that littered the 'Gate-Rock.' She blinked at a triangular road-sign that simply said '35.' There was a pillar of brick with two simple signs hanging off the top; 'Platform 9,' and 'Platform 10.' She tried not to let her jaw drop when she caught sight of a bright blue box that said 'Police Public...' "You really do have everything," She said to Len in awe.

"Not everything," her new teammate corrected, smirking, "Just most of it."

Finally, the group reached a large round pedestal of rock, into which was carved a giant hexagram. "Len, if you please?" asked Carlos.

Len smirked. "Me? I thought this was your way."

"Humor me."

"Fine, fine." The large young man cleared his throat. "Carlos! Establish locus transfer protocol with Naruto-prime-minus-6256057." He paused, as if trying to remember something else, then said, "Execute."

Behind his glasses, Carlos's pupils shrank and spread tiny circuit lines into the green irises. "Executing," He said. The hexagram began to glow red, "Establishing ltp with Naruto . prime . minus_6256057...locked! Establishing connection." The red became a bright blue. The green-haired man relaxed slightly, rubbing at his throat. "Okay...we can go at any time, but first, we should make some adjustments to our age. Olivia, you're good already."

Watching the older Gormim alter their physical age was a bit anticlimactic to the newcomer, though the result was rather interesting. Len still towered over everyone, though his gray eyes now had a more pronounced mischief to them, and he twirled a pocket watch on its chain. Carlos had become thinner and his tattoos stood out more than ever, flickering with green lights.

So, this is who I'm going to be fighting with, thought Olivia, looking them over, I hope I can measure up to these veterans…

"Alright rookie, let's get going," the taller of the two said, "You can ogle me later."

The girl blushed and scrambled up onto the hexagram after her partners. "I wasn't…my name's Olivia, not rookie!"

"Whatever," drawled the metal-user, "I'd brace myself if I were you. Carlos, initiate transfer."

The carved symbol beneath them began to glow a blinding green. "Gating."

Fuoca clung to Blair's leg and gulped. /I hate this part,\ she managed to say, before their bodies were broken down into data and emailed out of the Centerplane.

(Naruto-verse)

Olivia stumbled as she rematerialized on a dirt road. "What the fuck was that?" she swore.

Len just shrugged. "That was Carlos showing off. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Shut up, Len," Carlos growled, pushing up his glasses, "I got us here in one piece, didn't I?"

Blair put a hand to her side. "Speak for yourself Carlos, I think I lost a kidney on the way!"

"Eh, you can live with only one of those. It'll grow back anyway...I think."

"Shut up, Len," the Souse groused.

He scratched his head, mock-confused. "Huh, that saying seems real popular lately. Maybe I should try it."

"Stai zitto, Len! Sei fastidioso!"

"Yes, it is getting annoying," Blair said, agreeing with the young Terme.

Olivia sighed, feeling beleaguered. "I get the feeling that this is going to be a long journey," she muttered to Blair, before she winced. "Urg," she grabbed her stomach, "I don't feel so good..."

Len glanced over at her. "Oh, that's your body adapting to the universe by growing a chakra system. Don't worry, it'll pass."

The white-haired girl paled as a tremor of pain rippled through her. "Y-you could have told me that earlier!" she groaned, doubling over.

The sandy-blond teen shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, but..." He stopped to think for a moment, "Meh, I didn't feel like it."

"Sh-shut up, Len."

When Nord Baro found his new team of 'Genin,' he was greeted by the sight of Olivia trying to kick Len in the balls. Failing that because of the pain she was in, she settled for a head butt. The Ferro, however, just seemed unperturbed, only saying, "Ow."

"I pity Konoha for having to host you three," he said flatly.

Carlos had the decency to look vaguely ashamed. Len just snorted, while Olivia lay on the ground and whimpered. Blair sighed, remembering that she was the one who'd asked these three to come with her. Fuoca just rolled her yellow eyes. "Idioti," she said.

(Konoha, three months later)

Naruto and the rest of his team had not been idle in the past three months. At the behest of Kakashi, Naruto helped Sasuke unlock his Sharingan by fighting him, or rather, trying his hardest to beat the crap out of him. Considering the strength he had at the disposal, his 'best' quickly obtained results. The last Uchiha now possessed a two-tomoe version of his bloodline, which he used to avoid his blond teammate's attacks. In return, Naruto tried even harder to catch him. Meanwhile, Sakura repeatedly cast Genjutsu on him, having been taught them by Kakashi. While he kept being put under them, the real trick for the pink-haired girl was managing to make them stick because he kept dispelling them almost instantly.

Using his special biomass pills, Naruto had also been able to create a temporary body for Alex to leave the seal with. From what the elder Blacklight said, his original body had not been sealed inside the blond, meaning that, until he found it, he was going to have to borrow some of Naruto's biomass for a while. When the elder Blacklight appeared at a Jonin meeting, to say they were shocked was an understatement. They were outright flabbergasted to see the return of one of their legends. Maito Gai tried to hug his former sensei in joy, only to be decked solidly in the jaw by an annoyed Alex, who was still sore about Gai's choice in clothing after being taught by a badass like him. He quickly forgave him after the punch, however.

For the most part, however, Alex chose to stay inside Naruto's seal. He claimed it was to make sure Kina didn't get lonely, as the fox-girl was prone to becoming depressed rather easily. Therefore, the Jinchuuriki still had to deal with both of his tenants, though the fox-girl in particular made this a chore with her perverted comments about Hinata's body. Not that he didn't agree with her, but he wished she would just let up a little.

Occasionally he'd remember Nord from Wave, and how he'd said that he was a Gorem. Naruto tried searching his body for this 'Potential Infinity' that the other blond had mentioned, but found nothing.

Meanwhile, Naruto had been training his powers on his own over the three months, mastering more transformations and uses for Mido. He'd also found a way to store Kubikiri Bocho in case he ever needed it but didn't have to drag it around or put it in a scroll.

Currently the heterochromic blond was walking down a side street toward Ichiraku's. For once, Haku was not with him; she'd had to go on a mission, though she did not wish to leave her master behind.

"Hey, you little brat!" yelled an unfamiliar voice. Naruto jumped and ran to the source of the voice, rounding a corner. He saw a teenaged boy dressed in black with a cat-hat and purple face-paint holding a small, red-haired girl by the front of her jacket. Next to him was a blond girl carrying a large metal bar on her back, with her hair tied in four ponytails.

"Oi, Kankuro, leave her alone, she's just a kid," the girl said in a bored voice.

/I already said I'm sorry!\ the red-haired girl complained, but nobody could understand her.

"…What the hell's going on?" Naruto blinked at the scene before him.

Kankuro scoffed at him, "Beat it, kid, this brat here bumped into me for no reason."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Kid?" he asked dryly, "I doubt you're much older than me. Which certainly accounts for the makeup."

"It's war paint!" the boy yelled, while the girl snorted openly, "You trying to start something, orange-boy?"

Fuoca muttered, /Yes, please do.\

The male blond merely shrugged. "I don't think I have to start anything. The huge guy standing behind you might just do that for me."

"Ha! Like I'm gonna fall for that."

The ponytailed girl glanced behind her teammate and said hesitantly, "Er, Kankuro?"

"Not now, Temari," the black-clad boy said distractedly.

However, the hand clasping his shoulder quickly got his attention. Slowly, he turned his head to see who was behind him. As Naruto had hinted, the man towered a good foot over him, his face shaded by a black fedora, showing only his dark gray eyes. "Put the tyke down," he said. Kankuro hastened to oblige him, setting the young girl down. She gave him a swift kick in the shin for good measure and sped off past her savior.

Naruto chuckled at the exchange and asked, "Who are you people?"

"Temari, from Sunagakure," the ponytailed girl sighed, shaking her head at the shaken boy, "The idiot in the cat-suit is my teammate and younger brother, Kankuro."

"Nice to meet you; I've never really met a friendly ninja from another village," Naruto greeted politely. He turned his attention to the behemoth looming above Kankuro and saw a hitai-ate tied to his hat. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and who're you, if I may ask?"

The stranger's air of intimidation suddenly vanished as he pushed up the brim of his fedora and grinned cheerfully. "Len Ferro, Ma-Nigakure. Nice to meet you, tiny people!"

The Suna-nin bristled at the slight on their height, while Naruto's mismatched eyes widened. Ma-Ni...? Oi, Alex, isn't that the village that the Gormim made up? Not even waiting for an answer, he got a better look at the head-(Or rather, hat-)band; sure enough, the symbol carved there was the one that Alex had shown him: an infinity with a thin line drawn across it. Then he took another look at Len more carefully.

The Gorem wore a pair of wooden geta, which added an inch or so to his already immense height. He wore a pair of dark-gray slacks and an untucked, white button up shirt. His sandy-blond hair hung to his jaw and his dark gray (almost iron-colored, in fact) eyes gleamed with a mischievous spark. He put both hands in the pockets of his tan trench coat. Now that Naruto knew the young man wasn't normal, he could sense something…off, about him. Something almost human, but off to the side a bit.

"Ma-Nigakure, huh?" Kankuro asked, smirking, "Never heard of it." It was obvious that he was trying to get a rise out of the young man.

However, Len merely shrugged. "Well, no, it's a relatively small village," he said nonchalantly, "But the Chunin Exams are here, so here we are." Then he glanced up at a tree and blinked. "...And who are you, Batman?"

The Suna-nin and Naruto followed his gaze and saw a short boy with red hair and black-ringed eyes hanging upside down from a tree branch over the road. He carried an enormous gourd on his back, the contents of which rustled as he stared down at them. "What did you do this time, Kankuro?" he asked in a dry, dead voice.

Kankuro paled and backed up. "G-Gaara!" he gasped, "I-it's nothing, we were just-"

"Shut up. I don't even care." With a Shunshin made of sand, Gaara appeared in the middle of the group. "My apologies for my teammate's behavior. He seems to be forgetting that we are this village's guests," the boy droned to Naruto, staring at him with pupil-less, sea-foam-green eyes.

Wow, he sounds just like Carlos at five in the morning, Len thought.

Naruto nodded hesitantly. "Er, that's alright. No one was hurt and, probably, nothing would have happened if Len-san hadn't stepped in."

Um, Naruto-kun? I think you might want to get ready to run.

Why's that, Kina-chan?

Well, I told you that the Bijuu sometimes communicate with each other telepathically, right? Well, because my Yin half is gone, the others don't really recognize me enough to talk to me, but I just picked up a signal from this guy belonging to Shukaku, the Ichibi. Since we're so close, he- or she, depending on who his first host was -might recognize me inside you and try to kill you. He/she kinda hates me.

Got it...I think, Naruto thought. Any further comment was interrupted by Gaara.

"What is your name?" the Suna red-head asked bluntly, his gourd making a hissing sound.

Temari winced. Oh, poor guy! Gaara's interested. Shame, he was kinda cute.

Unaware of the small funeral Temari was holding for him, Naruto just shrugged. "I already said that my name is Naruto Uzumaki," he said, "And you are?"

The boy began to emit Killing Intent. "Sabaku no Gaara," he said lowly, "Naruto Uzumaki…your blood shall do nicely to appease my mother's shouting."

Oh great, the first Jinchuuriki I meet and he wants to kill me. Why can't we just be friends?

Because I was a jerk to Shukaku when we were young.

Oh, well fuck you Kina.

Really?

Naruto resisted the urge to face-palm and said to Gaara, "Well, if we meet in the Chunin Exams, I guess you'll get your chance."

However, Gaara had seemingly lost interest in him and turned to Len. "You are also strong," he observed, "I think I'll kill you too."

The Gorem just yawned. "Whatever you say, Mr. Sandman," he said lazily, "But I think your mom will find me a tougher fish to chew than most…and I just compared myself to a fish, god damn it."

Everyone around him sweatdropped.

I like him. He's funny, Kina observed.

Yeah, like the color of a week old rutabaga, Alex agreed sourly.

The blond sweatdropped further. Okay, what the fuck did you even say, just now? That can't be a real word.

Believe it.

And now I want to punch you for some odd reason, Naruto muttered mentally, his eyebrow twitching.

Len just grinned at the confusion he'd generated. I think my work here is done.

(Later, Training ground 7)

"He's late again…" Sakura growled irritably.

Sasuke sighed. "Yes, Sakura, I see that."

"It's bad enough Kakashi-sensei's always late, but Naruto's attitude is just asking for it. If he shows up late one more time I'm gonna punch him into next week!" She exclaimed, clenching her fist.

"Hmph. Do you really think this is like the academy? Naruto might be tough, but he also knows how to avoid a hit. Also, in case you haven't noticed, he's made it quite clear that trying to hit him outside of training is a no go." Over the months, one could note the fact that Sasuke had begun to use more words to ensure people would know when he thought they were idiots. It was rather similar to Naruto's own way of talking.

The pink-haired girl bit her lip. She didn't want to agree with her crushes assessments that the former dead last was no longer such, but she didn't want to disagree either.

At that moment, the blond subject of their discussion walked up, looking perplexed. "Hi," he said absently, "Sorry I'm late, but I had a very strange encounter with some foreign ninja."

"Liar! Why would there be foreign ninja in the village?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Gee, I dunno, maybe because of the Chunin Exams?"

At that moment, Kakashi appeared. "Yo."

"You're late!" Sakura fired off at once.

"Mah, sorry about that; I was at a Jonin meeting that got dragged out a bit." The pinkette reloaded for another accusation, only to stop when she realized the excuse actually sounded legitimate. "Also, I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and entered you in the Chunin Exams. Here are your entry forms." He showed them three sheets of paper.

Naruto was the first to take his, not even bothering to act shocked. "Thanks," he said, grinning slightly, "Nice to know you have that much faith in us."

Sasuke snorted and took his. "So, I guess that's why I saw some ninja with weird hitai-ate around here."

"See? Told you," the blond said.

Sakura took the last form, looking troubled. "Are you sure we can do this, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Of course. If you three work together, I'm sure you'll just be fine."

Wonder how long he spent rehearsing that, Alex snorted, Nice try, Kakashi, but it'll take more than that to fool this sensei.

"Anyway, if you feel like coming, just sign the form and be sure to show up at the academy in three days," the silver-haired Jonin finished, "I suggest you think long and hard about this decision, so I'll give you the day off to do what you want. Ja ne." Without another word, he Shunshin'd away.

Naruto shook his head ruefully at his sensei. "Lazy bastard," he said lightly. Then he brightened. "I wonder if Hina-chan will be entering..." he wandered off in search of his girlfriend.

Sakura sweatdropped. "He's entering the Chunin Exams, which are supposedly one of the most challenging events a Genin can face, and he worries about the girl he likes. Doesn't that get annoying, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was already walking in a separate direction. "Trust me, I'm used to the feeling," he said shortly, not even sparing her a glance, "If you're so worried about the Exams, either don't come for them, or train some more. Just a suggestion."

Sakura blinked. "Um...thank you?"

(Elsewhere)

So, what does canon say about the Exams, Alex? Naruto asked as he searched for Hinata.

Alex chuckled, Well, I've never seen a world where your team didn't enter them. In canon, they're a pretty major event. There are three tests, each are just about the same in every world.

I don't suppose you'd want to tell me what's in each one? Naruto inquired dryly, knowing Alex probably wouldn't.

However, the elder Blacklight thought for a moment before speaking. No. That wouldn't be as much fun. I will give you hints for the first two, though. In the first Exam, you're supposed to cheat very subtly. In the second, you'll have to give it everything you've got going for you. Any less and you might very well die.

Naruto was surprised with how forthcoming his other tenant was being. And that's all you're willing to say?

Nothing more. By the way, Hinata's right behind you.

A pair of slender arms wrapped his middle from behind, pulling him into a soft hug. "Hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata murmured into his back.

He twisted himself around to get a good look at the blue-haired girl. "Heya, Hina-chan!" he said cheerfully, "I was just looking for you. I have a question."

"What is it?"

Naruto scratched his cheek and asked, "I was just wondering, but did your sensei enter your team in the Chunin Exams?"

Her lavender eyes widened and she let go of him. "I- well, yes. Are you entering as well, Naruto-kun?" she asked tentatively.

He grinned. "Yep! From what I hear, this is gonna be real interesting."

"Nn." Suddenly Hinata's grip on his jacket became vice like. "N-Naruto-kun!" Her normally gentle voice came out as a terrified whisper, "Whatever you do, don't t-turn around." In an instant she seemed to shrink into herself, her skin turning almost white and she shook with fear, staring fixedly at Naruto's chest.

Confused, Naruto did as he was told and put his arms around the frightened girl. "What is it?" he asked quietly. Hinata was not very nervous any more, but he'd never seen her outright terrified of anything before.

A group of people walked past them, causing her shivering to intensify. "Why is this place so damn green?" asked one of them, a girl, "I mean, I know this is Konoha and all, but they don't need to advertise everywhere."

"I doubt anyone really cares, Karui," sighed another female voice, "Also, it's not cool to knock someone else's village just 'cause it looks different."

Naruto chanced a look over at the group as they walked away, Hinata still holding him immobile. There were three people, two of with rather dark skin and two girls. The third member, a dark boy with blond hair was mumbling, "But what if someone does care? And that person turns out to be a Jonin-level Konoha-nin? He might get us kicked out of here before we enter the exams-"

Naruto sweatdropped as a red-haired girl smacked the boy. "Shut the hell up, Omoi! There's no way that'll happen, you're just over-thinking again."

"-but then, before we can even leave, we get captured by the Hyuuga and then tortured because of the kidnapping attempt from eight years ago..." Omoi continued blithely.

The other girl, who was taller with white skin and blond hair, pointed out, "I think Bee-sensei would notice that."

However, Naruto did not pay attention to the rest of the conversation, because when the foreign boy mentioned a kidnapping, Hinata abruptly slumped against him in a faint.

"O-oi, Hinata!" Naruto quickly caught her before she could fall and picked her up in a fireman's carry. "What's wrong with you?" he asked her, worried, Alex, who were those guys?

Alex frowned. They didn't appear for the Exams, but those three are a Genin team from Kumogakure. That must be why she freaked out so much...

In Naruto's mind, a cardboard box opened and he briefly saw a memory of Gato threatening to send Hinata to Kumo, which caused the girl to cower at the mention of the name. "Why would she be afraid of Kumo?" he asked the air.

They mentioned a kidnapping attempt from eight years ago, Kina observed, Maybe she was the one who was kidnapped.

She was, Alex admitted sourly, Kumo's well known for trying to obtain bloodlines through unscrupulous means. The Sandaime Raikage tried to have your mother kidnapped when she was young. The Yondaime Raikage wasn't much better. He sent an ambassador to Konoha to sign a peace-treaty, only to try and kidnap a little girl from the Hyuuga clan. Guess who that was.

Naruto looked down at his unconscious girlfriend. "Hinata..." he whispered, horrified. No wonder she was afraid of Kumo; having to go through such an experience at the age of four (if his math was right) must have been a very traumatic experience. Not only that, but if they'd succeeded... Naruto felt a prickle of rage at anyone who would have used a young girl for breeding a bloodline. Then it passed, as most of his negative emotions did, these days. He just shook his head. "Let's get you home, eh?" he murmured to the blue-haired girl. He took off at a run, using chakra to propel him towards the Hyuuga compound.

(Hotel on the other side of town)

Carlos bit into his apple absently, staring up at the ceiling from where he lay on his bed. Three long months had gone by for the Technology Gorem. To say he was bored was an understatement. Though he kept up a stoic appearance, in truth he was going out of his mind. Besides teaching Olivia a few odds and ends about how things worked for Gormim when Nord got distracted, he really had nothing to do except go over his catalogue, and even that had lost its appeal after a while. Carlos growled in frustration, the sound muffled by the apple in his mouth. He took another bite. I can see why Ryuk likes these so much, some inane part of his binary brain thought, I mean, it's a totally different kind of apple and it probably won't become a drug for me. I'm a damn machine. I don't get addictions. Oh god, three more days of this bullshit. Finally he sat up and took a bite of the fruit. "Where the fuck is everybody?" he roared, his tattoos flaring an ominous chartreuse.

There was a crash from the kitchen. "Carlos, keep it down!" Olivia yelled, "You made me break this crane!" Hearing only a groan of suffering, the newcomer of the Gormim sighed and looked at her newest creation, which was currently in pieces on the floor. With a flick of her wrist, the pieces rejoined each other, forming a tiny green crane, which shook itself and squawked at her. "Not that I blame him," she muttered, "This is getting ridiculous. I knew I should have listened to Len and gone out, but no. I had to build up my stock." She picked up the living glass bird and tucked it into one of the many pockets on her sweater. Then she strained and spat a large glob of more glass onto the kitchen table with a cross between a splat and a clunk.

*SPLUNK* See?

Olivia wiped the corner of her mouth and started kneading the glass as if it were clay, the hard fluid giving way easily before her fingers. Why did Dro give me such a stupid element? She thought, I mean, at least with technology you get to use all these awesome weapons. Glass in not an element that can be easily found naturally. The best I can do with it is make my art.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door. "Hey," said Nord's voice on the other side, "Can someone let me in? I forgot my key."

Olivia left her current project to open the front door. Nord stood on the other side, looking sheepish. "Er, hi."

"Hi," the Vetra girl said dully, "Why didn't you use the air in the keyhole to pick the lock?"

The team sensei looked shocked. "And deprive you of something to do? Perish the thought!"

"Hey, you gonna move any time soon?" Asked Len from behind him.

Olivia jumped, how she had not noticed him?

As the two males entered, Carlos came tearing out of the bedroom, looking slightly crazed. "Len!" He roared, charging at the tall teen, "I need something distracting and I need it five minutes ago!"

The Ferro blinked at his friend's attack. Then, with a deadpan expression, he slapped Carlos across the face with a large hand. The force of the hit sent the Binarius off to the side, where he hit a wall. "Jesus, woman! I'm only gone for an hour and you get all needy."

Olivia laughed. She couldn't help it, right now anything seemed funny, and Len calling Carlos a woman definitely counted as something.

"Shut the fuck up," Carlos muttered, rubbing his cheek and standing up, "I needed that. God damn it, three more days. Three. Fucking. Days."

Nord nodded in agreement. "Now all we need is Grace," he added, making everyone groan.

"So, find anything out there, Len?" the sole female asked.

Len's face broke out in a wide grin. "I'll say I did!" he said, "Thanks to Fuoca, I got to meet the Sand Trio and Naruto!"

Olivia was instantly jealous. "What? Are you serious? What were they like?"

He scratched his chin. "Eh, Gaara said he wanted to kill me 'cause he thought I was strong. Well, I am but that's beside the point. Naruto…" he frowned, the expression looking out of place, "Naruto's a whole lot different from canon. I mean, yeah, he wear orange, but he makes it look pretty badass. He also didn't shout while I was there."

"There's the real trick," Carlos muttered.

Nord was nodding in agreement. "I could have told you that. I fought him in Wave Arc, and he's pretty strong. I still kicked his ass, though. Also, did you sense his Potential Infinity?"

Len nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. Wonder what house he'll be in."

"Potential Infinity?" asked Olivia, looking to Carlos for details.

The green-haired boy sighed. "It's the mark that appears when someone has the potential to become a Gorem. It becomes a Negative Infinity when they're fully inducted," he explained. Then he said to Nord, "You know, you're the one who should explain things here. You're the sensei, so it's your responsibility."

"Why? You do a fine enough job yourself."

"Stay out of this, Len."

Olivia blinked, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, guys? Where are Blair and Fuoca?"

Everyone stopped to think about that. "…Blair's probably trying to catch Fuoca and stop her from burning the village to the ground," Nord said thoughtfully.

"I wish her luck," Len snorted, "We don't call her 'Little Fire-hazard' for nothing. Seriously, if you get her to hold still you can use her head as a stovetop. She can make a very good egg."

Olivia sweat-dropped. This is the weirdest family ever.

(Three days later)

Naruto arrived at the doors of the ninja academy with great anticipation roiling inside him. True, he'd had to leave Mido at home, but the excitement was so much he could barely contain it. There was just something about the day had him feeling absolutely giddy. He could not help grinning as he saw Sasuke and Sakura standing at the entrance, waiting for him. Fortunately, he managed to keep his smile from becoming as manic as he felt it should be. "So, you two decided to show up, eh?" he asked cheerfully.

Sasuke smirked. "What, and miss the chance to trounce you in front of everyone around? Hmph, you don't know me that well, do you?"

"I might not be the best that I could be, but I'll help," Sakura promised resolutely.

This time, Naruto couldn't stop himself, and his grin bared his sharp teeth. "Excellent! Let's get in there and kick some ass." He led the way and pushed open the familiar doors. "The form said that the first exam would be on the third floor..." Naruto mumbled as he tramped up the stairs. Two flights up, he stopped at a large crowd, perplexed, "What's all this?"

The entrance to the stairwell, which read '3-1,' was being blocked by two boys. "The Chunin Exams aren't just for any weaklings," One of them was saying with a smirk, "You have to be tougher than we were to stand a chance."

"Who cares about that?" a familiar girl with twin buns in her hair asked, "Please, just let us pass!"

As Naruto watched, Rock Lee tried to walk past the two guards (who also looked familiar), only to be roughly shoved back. He must be trying to hide his skills, he thought.

"Excuse me." Everyone looked to see Len Ferro. How no one had noticed him before was a mystery, as he towered head and shoulders above everyone. However, it was his teammate who'd spoken, a shorter teen wearing a dark red vest and camouflage pants with green, angular lines running down his arms and hands. He was scowling at the two guards behind a pair of rectangular glasses. "I don't really care whether it's tough or not, to be honest. But some of us have been training for months for this event. You're standing in the path of a bunch of impatient ninja. I suggest you move before you get flattened."

The Genin on the left scoffed. "You and what army?"

Carlos shrugged and jerked his thumb at Len. "No army, just living steam-roller. Len?"

Len snorted and strode toward the doorway, with everyone parting to either side to let him through. When he reached the guards, he did not even stop, just continued. The assembled Genin heard two dull 'whumps' as the two Exam veterans were knocked clear off their feet when Len walked into them.

Amazing! To possess such strength without even trying! Lee thought, his eyes shining.

That was both cool and not cool at the same time, thought one of the female Kumo-nin.

What the hell do they feed this guy! Naruto wondered. The sign above the doorway suddenly changed to indicate that this was, in fact, only the second floor. "Looks like we still need to go up," he murmured to Sasuke and Sakura, "Those assholes put a Genjutsu on the door."

As they walked past the door, a voice said, "So, you decided to come here as well, Uzumaki."

Oh god, not this guy, Naruto thought. He slowly turned to see Neji Hyuuga looking down his nose at him, as usual. "What?" He asked flatly.

Hinata's cousin merely snorted. "Those two imbeciles had one thing right: these Exams are no place for unprepared rookies. I suggest you not bother with continuing onward."

The blond found himself smirking. "Why's that, Neji? Scared of the competition?"

"Hardly. But if I must deal with weaklings like you and my worthless cousin, then this Exam will be for nothing," Neji sneered.

Naruto's face became stony and he took a step forward, only for Sasuke to put a hand on his shoulder. "Forget about it," he muttered, "Save it for later."

The scowl did not leave Naruto's face, nor did he move. He continued to stare at Neji, incensed. Finally, without blinking, he said, "It seems you forgot my warning from last time, so I'll repeat it for you. If you ever degrade Hinata like that in front of me again, I will eat you." Without waiting for a retort, he shook off Sasuke's hand and stalked away.

Ignoring the disapproving look that Tenten gave him, Neji rolled his shoulders, feeling an uncomfortable itching in his back at those words.

As they walked along the hallway, they caught a glimpse of Lee attempting to fight Len with very little success, as the young man was not budging an inch from the barrage of kicks and punches coming his way. Len caught Naruto's eye and grinned secretively. The shorter blond merely rolled his eyes and kept walking. Finally, they found Kakashi standing in front of a pair of doors.

"Mah, so you decided to all show up," he greeted lazily, "Good thing, too, otherwise none of you would have been able to enter at all."

Sakura stiffened in surprise. So, if I hadn't decided to go...Sasuke-kun and Naruto would have failed before they had a chance!

Sasuke merely scowled in irritation. Hn. So, that was the case.

Alex had already informed Naruto of this, so he was expecting it. "So, are you here just to tell us that?" he asked bluntly.

The silver-haired Jonin chuckled. "Eh, not really. Nothing really meaningful, apart from the usual advice."

"Which is?"

The single eye became, for a moment, deadly serious. "...Don't die."

They all gulped.

Then Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, even if I don't say that." He stepped out of the way, and gestured for them to enter.

Naruto eased the doors open and led the way in. They were standing in a large room full of people, all clustered in groups and muttering to each other. Everyone glanced their way as they walked in, but then lost interest.

Look at that, Naruto, Alex said reverently, these are the potential ninjas of this generation. They might not be much now, but given time, they could learn much. There was a hungry note in his voice as he said this.

"Sasuke-kun!" Squealed a female voice.

And then, of course, there are those that don't really have much of a chance…

Ino Yamanaka came flying out of nowhere and latched onto Sasuke's arm. "I knew you'd show up, Sasuke-kun!" she crooned happily. She shot Sakura a scornful look. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in. How's it going, Forehead?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched at the old insult. "Get the hell off Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" She yelled, shaking her fist at the platinum blond.

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru as he trudged up to them with Choji behind him, "Figures she'd spot Sasuke the moment he came in. Hey Naruto," he added, not looking the least bit surprised to notice him there, "Still wearing the orange, I see."

Naruto nodded firmly. "I was born orange and I will die orange," he said. Then he smelled wet dog and deadpanned. "Hello, Kiba," he said without turning around, only to be greeted by a growl.

"Teme," the animalistic boy said darkly, "I knew you'd show up here. I can't wait to beat your ass and show Hinata I'm the better choice."

Naruto merely grinned at the yelp of pain Kiba gave out as Hinata poked him sharply in the side. "Don't count on it, mutt," she said irritably. Then her expression softened as Naruto turned to look at her. "Hello, Naruto-kun," she said quietly, stepping in to hug him, "I'm sorry about what happened...before."

"Ah, it's not a problem," he told her gently, "I know why it happened, so it's understandable."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Y-you know?" she asked. Then she shook her head, "Of course you do. You have an encyclopedia of canon, don't you?" A normal bystander would not have been able to understand that last statement, but she was referring to Alex. "It's just...when I think about that night, I shut down. I can't help it. Kiba, shut up!"

Kiba was growling at the closeness the two were showing. Naruto flared his killing intent slightly at the dog boy, making him back off quickly.

"Jeez…you're all so loud," sighed an unfamiliar voice. The three teams looked around to see a teen with silver hair and gray and purple clothing. He was wearing a Konoha hitai-ate and a pair of round glasses. "You kids might want to keep it down. You're attracting a lot of attention." At that moment, they all noticed the light Killing Intent brushing at them from all sides. "You're probably the only rookies here. All of the other ninjas in here have probably been training for years, so having a bunch of obviously new Genin participating must be damaging to their pride."

"Yeah? And who the hell are you, smart guy?" asked Kiba challengingly.

The boy seemed unphased by the rude question. "Kabuto Yakushi," he said, bowing with a small smirk, "I'm a veteran of these Exams."

He wasn't sure what it was, but something about Kabuto seemed off to Naruto. He could sense a large amount of power and bloodlust hidden behind that benign smile that made his stomach ache with hunger. "How many times have you taken it?" he asked.

"This is the seventh time," the glasses-wearing boy admitted, "Since the Exam is held every six months, this is my fourth year."

"Wow! You must suck!" Kiba laughed loudly, causing everyone to sigh in exasperation.

"Perhaps so," Kabuto said neutrally, "But because of that, I have a lot of information about the participants." He pulled out a deck of blank cards. "These are my Ninja Info cards. They have a Genjutsu on them to only reveal their information when I apply my chakra to them. Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll give you some data on a participant. Who do you want to know about?"

Should I go for it, Alex?

If you want. Keep in mind, though, this Kabuto guy is supposed to be a Genin.

Wondering what that cryptic statement meant. Naruto opened his mouth to make a suggestion, but Kiba beat him to it. "Naruto Uzumaki," the dog boy said.

Naruto just rolled his eyes as Kabuto shuffled his cards. "Hm…here it is. Naruto Uzumaki: teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Affiliation: Konohagakure no Sato. Genjutsu: nonexistent, Taijutsu: above average, Ninjutsu: above average, chakra control: average, chakra reserves: absurdly high. Has completed 65 D-rank missions, 1 B-rank mission and…ah, I can't say. Possesses an ability of unknown origin and capability, possibly a bloodline."

Naruto stiffened. Supposed to be a Genin… he thought, remembering what Alex had said. . Instantly he placed Kabuto on his 'suspicious' list (Which, admittedly, was not that long). Next chance I get, I'm marking him. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Could you look up Sabaku no Gaara of Sunagakure and Len Ferro of Ma-Nigakure?" deliberately ignoring the stares that everyone was giving him. He also made a mental note to give Kiba a kick in the ass for having Kabuto reveal information on him.

Kabuto looked disappointed. "Aw man, you already know their names and villages. That takes all the fun out of it." He pulled out a card and channeled chakra into it. "Hm, let's see, Sabaku no Gaara: teammates are his two older siblings, Temari and Kankuro. Affiliation: Sunagakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Sand). Genjutsu: unknown, Taijutsu: low, Ninjutsu: high, chakra control: high, chakra reserves: very high. He has completed 78 D-rank missions, 20 C-rank, and 5 B-ranked. It's noted that he has come back from all these missions without a scratch on him."

Naruto glanced around and saw the red-haired boy glaring at him, the expression enhanced by the thick, dark rings around his eyes. "And the other guy?" he asked.

Kabuto shrugged. "Sorry, but I can't help you there. I've tried to dig up what I can about Ma-Nigakure, but barely anyone has ever even heard of it. I only really know about villages that have participated in the Chunin Exams before, and smaller new villages like Otogakure (Hidden Sound) and Ma-Nigakure are unknown variables."

A hand covered in green tattoos clapped itself on the ponytailed boy's shoulder. "And that's just how we'd like to keep it, thank you," Carlos said warningly.

Kabuto jumped back. I could barely sense him, he thought, staring glasses to glasses with the green-haired boy, Interesting... He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry about that. Just thought I'd help my fellow Genin."

Carlos's expression was unreadable, even as his eyes moved to glance over Kabuto's shoulder.

That was all the warning he needed; Kabuto leaped to the side just in time to avoid a thrown kunai, which thudded into the ground. He turned to see a bandaged boy from Oto speeding towards him, crouched low and swinging a gauntleted fist at him in an uppercut. The gray-haired boy bent backward, avoiding the punch with room to spare. He smirked at the attacking ninja, who had simply stopped after failing to hit him. Then his vision began to blur and his stomach lurched while his nose dripped blood. He hunched over and vomited violently, his glasses falling off and shattering.

"Put this on your cards," growled the bandaged ninja, straightening up with his teammates behind him, "Otogakure's gonna glaze through these Exams and leave all you chumps in the dust."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, impressed. He did something just now, even if his attack missed. He eyed the gauntlet that the boy wore, which had several holes spaced along it. Perhaps he intended to miss in the first place...Kina? What do you think?

Inside Naruto's mindscape, Kina swished her bushy tail in thought. Well, they're from Otogakure, so maybe it had something to do with sound? I mean, sound can shatter glass at the right frequency, and look at that guy's glasses. They're broken. Maybe a sound-based jutsu would have other effects...

Maybe, Naruto agreed.

Meanwhile, Len had taken notice of the proceedings below him. "Leave us in the dust?" he asked, walking over to the Oto-nin, "Don't get ahead of yourself, fuckass. You're not the only reject who wants a bit of action." This comment instantly earned him a bit of KI from nearly everyone in the room.

"What, you mean like yourself?" asked one of the Oto-nin's teammates, a boy with a faceguard and spiked black hair.

"Damn straight!" Said Len, grinning, "If anyone's gonna get left in the dust, it's you, blowhard."

The boy bristled and took a menacing step forward. "Zaku! Forget it, he's not worth it," the bandaged boy snapped.

"But Dosu-"

The third teammate, a girl with extremely long black hair, rolled her eyes. "For fuck's sake, Zaku, this guy's just egging you on!"

Carlos slapped Len on the back of the head (An impressive feat). "Len, stop antagonizing the mooks. There'll be time enough for that later."

"Oh my god, what was I thinking when I volunteered for this," muttered Olivia, "I'm so gonna kill Blair!"

Before anyone could do anything further, a deep voice barked, "All right maggots, settle down!" there was an explosion of smoke by the far wall. "There will be no unsanctioned fighting while I'm here. That goes double for you guys from Otogakure and Ma-Nigakure. Control yourselves or I'll have you thrown out!"

Dosu relaxed. "My apologies. We just got a bit...excited."

The smoke cleared, revealing a tall man in a dark trench coat (Which Len gave a nod of respect). His face was crisscrossed with scars, and he wore his hitai-ate as a bandana over his bald head. He grinned sadistically. "My name is Ibiki Morino, proctor for the first exam. I'm gonna make sure you maggots are cut down to size. Everyone line up, single file, and take a number. That number will be your seating arrangement."

Naruto stiffened, even as he moved to join the quickly-forming line. Seating arrangement? We're not fighting? Well, what the hell are we doing? Several minutes later, he was seated at a desk-bench-thing (Really, what do they call those?), feeling rather confused.

"Um," mumbled a quiet voice. He turned to see Hinata seated next to him. "Good luck, Naruto-kun," she said softly.

He nodded, smiling. "Yeah. You too."

Ibiki called for attention. "Alright, the other Proctors are going to pass out the tests. Make sure to put your name at the top."

At those words, Naruto could have sworn he felt his heart stop. The first test...was a written exam. Log, please just strike me now, he thought, putting his face in his hands.

.

AN: And that's it. This chapter was rather fast-paced and mostly Gormim-oriented. Still, I felt this was the best time to end it. Also, if anyone has not read my other fics, please feel free to do so!

Summary notes:
1. The Gormim have a lot of stuff that they could use to travel to other worlds. For those who missed the references, they have Mermaid Springs from Okami, Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter, the sign for Highway 35 from Hot wheels (Hey, I liked the movie when I was a kid, so sue me), and the TARDIS from Doctor Who.
2. The method they used to go to the Naruto-verse was a method taken from the Ravirn-verse. I had to put spaces in it so that the doc manager doesn't mistake it for a link and remove it.
3. When the Gormim go to a Naruto-verse, their body develops a chakra network. For first-timers like Olivia, it's quite painful.
4. Konohamaru does not exist in this story. Instead, Naruto got to meet the Sand Trio via Fuoca. This is also how he meets Len.
5. Len is a TALL motherfucker. And yes, he wears a fedora.
6. Hinata is afraid of Kumo-nins because of her attempted kidnapping. Face it, if you were a small child being kidnapped for a potentially horrible fate, you'd be afraid too. This will probably play a role later.
7. Alex gives some slight spoilers.
8. Some Gormim interaction. Carlos can be really grouchy when he's bored. He also likes apples.
9. Naruto did not bring Mido with him because he didn't know whether it would be allowed or not.
10. Len knocks over Izumo and Kotetsu just by walking into them. Comedy aside, this should tell you something about Len.
11. Yay, more Kiba bashing. Why can I not stop myself from doing this?
12. Finally, someone who Kabuto doesn't know about!
13. The first Exam is about to begin. How's Naruto gonna get out of this one?

Also, for anyone who didn't bother to read the first AN, Blair's status in the Harem is more uncertain rather than definite. If anyone can help me come up with a way to have Blair establish a relationship with Naruto, please suggest something in a review. In fact, do the same for anyone in the harem, because I have only the faintest inkling of what to do.

So, that's pretty much it. Please leave a review.

North South out.