Oh my... PINAPPLE so the chunin exam arc is starting and you guys have no idea how thrilled I am about this! I wrote ahead quite a bit and you guys are in for a MAJOR TREAT!

However I feel I should warn you. In this arc because I do a lot of overlays with the original story line I decided to just skip some parts. it's still understandable but don't be like OMG WHERE IS THIS PART?!

...

I skipped it that's all. I felt it was so overdone and boring that I skipped it... that's all.

Sakura was angrily tapping her foot,

Again...again!...AGAIN!

WHY WAS NARUTO LATE AGAIN!?

"Sakura calm down"

Sakura turned to her teammate, as he stood relaxed but eyes alert and scanning the others around them. She exhaled a heavy breath,

"Sasuke… i don't know how you put up with it."

Sakura blinked, now that she thought about it Sasuke's family was close to Naruto's,

"Um… Sasuke? Have you known Naruto for a long time?"

Sasuke's dark eyes turned to her then looked away distantly,

"...not that long but… awhile"

Kushina and Sasuke's mother had always been close. The best of friends actually. It wasn't uncommon for the two women to be hanging out and about chatting and laughing amicably.

And Sasuke didn't mind the red haired woman. Though loud she had a passion about her that made you envious and a smile that was simply contagious.

She pinched his cheeks often and gave compliments like she was overflowing but he didn't mind; she was kind and pretty.

He only heard about her son in passing though.

There were mentions and rumors but Sasuke never saw him. They never met, or bumped into each other, all he heard were rumors; rumors that he looked exactly like the fourth.

The next time he heard about the boy it was after the red sky incident. A red light burst through the clouds and the feeling of oppressive power filled the air. Sasuke would admit since he was young he had been terrified, not only of the power and level of killing intent that spread through the village but of the faces that his father and older brother had as they watched and waited. That day no one in the village slept easy.

But more than that as night fell he overheard his father saw something that stuck with him,

"Son of the fourth hokage, tch! That boy is nothing like his father"

As Sasuke continued to age he was allowed to go to the academy. He passed the classes with flying colors and was ranked top student.

But perhaps things only got worse there. He had always admired his brother. His brother was a prodigy, with skills and talent that made him succeed. But it was those skills and stats that people looked for when they saw him.

Sure sasuke could make clones but Itachi could make more,

Sure Sasuke could do the fireball technique but Itachi had done it sooner.

Sasuke was considered a genius but that was a far cry from the prodigy that was his brother.

And it bothered him, he tried to get recognition on his own but it was always a struggle, his dad simply favored Itachi.

And what was worse was that he couldn't even hate the guy because he loved his brother the most…

It was when he was seven though, his mom had invited Kushina and her family over to dinner which wasn't unusual but what was, was the way that Kushina clapped her hands together and with a smile as bright as the sun said,

"This is perfect! Naruto just came back too i can introduce him to Sasuke!"

Naruto….

Naruto; the name of her son…

The one he heard rumors about…

But come dinner Sasuke didn't want to met him. Some kid who rode the coat tail of his father's legacy was not someone that he would get along with. So he hid watching from a far distance as three figures began to approach the compound.

Kushina, smiling as always, Minato, the hokage with the greatest reputation, and….

Sasuke understood the rumors now,

Naruto did look like his father, Blonde hair, blue eyes, skin tone… They looked identical…..

But…

Something was wrong with the picture. And Sasuke couldn't understand what,

"Are you going to say hello?"

Sasuke jumped at the soft voice of his brother coming up behind him. Sasuke looked at his brother and then back at the family getting closer and pouted. It must have either been cute or funny with the way that Itachi chuckled.

"You know he was trained too. I think he would make a good rival for you…"

And well to Sasuke Itachi knew no wrong so maybe…

He watched Itachi walk up to the boy and the smile that stretched across his face was one Kushina always had.

Itachi never mentioned that he knew the kid so he was a bit envious with the relaxed way that the blondie clung to his older brother and the way Itachi seemed to smile so easily;

Annoying.

"Sasuke! I know you're there! why don't you take Naruto and show him around!?"

He sighed as he heard his mom call out. He really didn't want too… The rustling of leaves sounded behind him and he turned to see Itachi with the blonde kid standing beside him,

"I have to go little brother"

Sasuke knew the disappointment was on his face, a jab to his unprotected forehead brought his hands up quickly though

"Ow!"

Itachi smiled,

"Sorry, but be a good boy okay?"

"Yea and Naruto try not to kick Sasuke's butt too hard okay?"

Sasuke turned the hardest glare he could at his brother's friend Shuhei; and then they both left. He didn't see why they had to leave now anyway, why couldn't they…?

"They have a mission"

Sasuke looked at the Naruto with a frown,

"Don't be a brat"

Sasuke felt the anger well up inside,

Itachi wanted him to have a rival? He'd prove to him this kid wasn't good enough.

"Oi"

Sasuke continued walking,

"Ooooooii"

He liked to think that he was patient,

"Oioioioioi"

But this kid…

Sure he hadn't said anything other than, follow me. And then lead him off somewhere but the kid was ridiculously annoying! Was it impossible for him to be quiet for at least one minute!

Still sasuke kept his cool as they finally arrived to a small clearing. At least Naruto wasn't as stupid as he thought,

"A training ground?"

Sasuke put some distance between them before he turned around,

"That's right, let's spar."

Naruto who had his hands behind his head lowered then,

"Why do i gotta fight ya?"

Sasuke blinked at the crude language but shook it off,

"Brother said you trained so i want to see the strength of the son of the fourth hokage."

It triggered something because blonde brows crinkled and a frown curved on that tan face,

"Just for that, imma kick yer arse ya know"

And that was how the fight began…

Normally between to young kids a fight didn't get too intense. They didn't know ninjutsu or genjutsu and they couldn't use weapons without supervision. It was one of the reasons Sasuke found fighting at the academy so boring because unless their families trained them personally most of the kids had no skills…

But Naruto was different.

He was fast, strong and unpredictable. His small stature was a weapon he developed and he had no quells about aiming where it would hurt the most. If Sasuke didn't spar with Shuhei and Itachi he would be on his butt already.

A fist slammed into his right cheek and he skid back.

Itachi was right…

Naruto would make a good rival. The kid pushed him to his limits and he felt excited every time they collided, would his hit land or miss? Would he dodge in time? How could he move faster?

Sasuke felt his heart racing and from the smirk on Naruto's face the kid felt the same; they understood each other.

But there was something that he noticed. It was only once but he had seen how Minato had fought before, the man danced with grace and speed. But Naruto was brutish and heavy. Naruto fought like a heavyweight boxer compared to Minato's butterfly like movements; They looked the same and since Itachi said the boy was trained he had assumed but…

"You don't fight like your father"

He knew he said something wrong the moment Naruto registered it. Because the excited smirk on the boy's face disappeared instantly. Sasuke felt a shiver that he normally only felt when his father was being stern, but there was something about the change in those blue eyes… from the warmth and joy of a good fight they had one second ago to the empty cold ones they bore now. Just then Naruto appeared in front of him and he was lucky his reflexes moved fast enough to block it.

And though Sasuke should have been paying more attention to the now aggressive fight he was on defense in he could help wonder what had set the kid off…

"Son of the fourth hokage, tch! That boy is nothing like his father"

The memory of what his own father had said surfaced in his brain. It hadn't been a simple comment or an observation, rather venomous and spat out like expired mochi.

And that made Sasuke think did he always hear comments like that? Was he always being compared to his father like Sasuke was to his brother?

But that had never made Sasuke angry, not like this.

Then he remembered the way the walked to the compound; that something wrong. They had seemed like a put together family but now looking back. Kushina had been in the middle like a wall protecting the two males from each other. Naruto held her hand but refused to look in his father's direction and though Minato was listening to Kushina's usual rambles his eyes had never drifted down to his son….

Not. once.

Even Sasuke's father was better than that. And though his own family seemed strained it didn't look as painful as they had. In fact now that he thought on it Naruto hadn't even been smiling until Itachi had approached him.

Did naruto… did Naruto hate his father?

Sasuke just missed another left hook to the face,

No.

He didn't think he hated his father. But if he felt the same way Sasuke did then he probably knew why he had gotten so angry.

The kick landed right on his stomach and sent Sasuke tumbling with a heavy grunt backwards on the ground, Sasuke raised his arms as Naruto straddled him and brought his left fist up.

SLAM!

"I'M NOT MY FATHER!"

Naruto hadn't hit him. Instead he had slammed his fist on the ground beside him. And Sasuke realized maybe they weren't so different after all. So he grabbed him by that obnoxious orange colored shirt pulling him close,

"I'M NOT MY BROTHER!"

And it was then he realized that Naruto's eyes were just a bit bluer than his dad's. Much deeper and hypnotizing. Not that Minato's eyes weren't nice but you could get lost in Naruto's. They were expressive and he watched them soften as if in slow motion.

"Well no duh… Itachi-bro's hair is WAY prettier"

A picture of Itachi running his fingers through his smooth hair flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but laugh.

"ha...haha...HAHAHAHA"

And laugh

And laugh to keep himself from crying.

Because this kid he just met didn't look at him and see his brother, or his clan, he probably saw him as a strange kid that liked to fight.

And when he looked back into those soft blue eyes he knew he was right.

"Naruto..."

Sasuke and Naruto both turned to see a young man geared in an Anbu uniform with his mask still on. Sasuke tensed as he didn't recognize the mask,

"Are you cheating on me already?"

Sasuke felt a chill being directed to him but Naruto either didn't notice or didn't care as he got off of him and started walking to the stranger,

"Shut up, ya idyot!"

"...maa It would seem being with that man has lowered your language skills quite a bit."

Sasuke sat up on the ground as he watched the two,

"Oi! Don't make fun of how i talk! Everyone understands it anyway, believe it!"

A muffled chuckle sounded,

"Of course, they can"

"Don't ya laugh! Plus thanks to yer present i messed up an important job ya know!"

And like that Naruto walked off and disappeared with the strange Anbu. When he told his mother, Kushina seemed a bit mad and Minato had just sighed. But he didn't mind he could get along with Naruto he supposed… but….

Naruto left.

When he asked Kushina about him a sad look crossed her face as she told him that he had to leave the village for a bit longer and that he would surely be back next year to stay.

And he was.

And they fought.

Competed.

Mocked each other,

And laughed.

Sasuke figured much later that the Anbu must have been Kakashi. And that he still didn't know a lot about Naruto, but Naruto had saved him. Naruto had been the one who acknowledged him for being Sasuke. And Sasuke didn't know how he would have turned out if he hadn't met him and that's why…

"HEY!"

Sakura and Sasuke turned to the loud yell that sounded from the person coming toward them.

"OI YOU'RE LATE AGAIN! THIS IS THE CHUNIN EXAMS CAN'T YOU BE ON TIME FOR ONCE!?"

Sakura yelled as Naruto bent over to catch his breath. But Sasuke noted that he wasn't wearing his usual orange jacket and instead wore a black long sleeve one with a collar similar to his own. And after a second Sakura noticed it too,

"Hey... you changed your Outfit?"

There was a pause that filled Sasuke with a bit of dread as Naruto looked up eyes closed in that cheeky smile he usually had,

"Yea well… while i was training it got a bit messy so i had no choice ya know?"

Sasuke didn't like it at all. But Sakura, though not totally convinced, took it,

"Alright… did you fill out the ticket?"

"Eh!? Um wait you have to fill it out?"

Sasuke sighed as Sakura pointed to the places he had to sign. Maybe he was being a bit paranoid. After lord Obito had ripped him a new one Sasuke felt like he was in the dark and missing something very important.

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke turned to see sakura yelling at Naruto her face worried and turned to look at Naruto as well his eyes darkening in concern,

"WHY ARE YOUR EYES SO DILATED!? ARE YOU OKAY?"

Naruto gave that neck rub he was so known for and a smile,

"Ah yea... i'm good i swear, nothing's wrong."

Sakura glared, change of clothes she would let pass but this,

"Naruto…"

"LAST CALL TO SIGN IN!"

Naruto took the chance,

"Come on! I'm fine and if we don't hurry we won't be able to even take the test!"

Sakura sighed as she nodded and followed after the energizer bunny and though Sasuke followed too he would not be fooled.

Something had happened.

And it was Sasuke's turn to help him