A/N Thank you to everyone who reviews on this fanfiction. It always warms my heart to see how many people review on each chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to Sultry voice and inspired by behind blue eyes.

Chun's POV

After an hour of arguing with the nurses he had been finally allowed to see Hayate. Hayate was as pale as a ghost laying on the hospital bed. He was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and tubes for life support. It hurt to see his friend in such a state.

He moved closer to the man to get a better look at the wounds. Under the bandages Hayate's chest was marred with cuts. At first Chun thought they were from a sword. Upon closer examination though he realized it was far to ripped at the edges. Even a serated edge wouldn't do this kind of damage. It had to be a chakra blade.

That would explain how they beat the jounin. Hayate was well known for his skill with a sword. He had earned the title of the best swordsman in the village. It didn't make his friend invincible though. As the state he was in proved it.

Chun understood now how Naruto had gone through an activation. Someone told him that Hayate was dead. The pain of losing his teacher would have pushed him over the edge. He knew the boy was still alive. Otherwise the village would be abuzz about it.

That also meant Naruto hadn't lost his mind in the pain of his loss. The boy was so much like his predecessors but yet so different. He would have to figure out where he was soon. They would need to prepare to return to the Murim. For now though he would let the boy heal his soul.

Naruto's POV

A week had passed since he had begun training with Yoochun. EOTL was still a struggle for him. As was Lightning Fist. He seemed to be making for progress on combining swords techniques than his ki excersises.

By far the hardest thing for him was trying to gain Kobaruto's trust. The white wolf seemed to favor being on his own rather than with Jīngshén or himself. Though he had made progress in getting the small wolf to eat.

At first Kobaruto refused any meat given to him by Naruto. Even if the boy had taken a bite out of it himself. Eventually hunger won out though. Kobaruto slowly began to take food from him. Suspicion was still in those cobalt blue eyes but at least he was eating.

Jīngshén on the other hand had begun to warm up to the the blond. The smokey furred wolf had taken to sitting by him during his EOTL training. During his swordsplay though the larger wolf would nip at his heels. This helped improve his footwork tremendously.

Footwork was key to any swordsman defeating their opponent. It was his weakest link in techniques. The only thing he had learned was the walking foot techniques. He never had the chance to learn proper foot techniques from Hayate. Their focus had been completely on defensive and katas.

One afternoon Yoochun stopped him when he asked," Naruto how many foot techniques do you know?"

He said without hesitation," Four. Jin, Tweh, Hweh, Hwan."

The man looked thoughtful as he said," Four of the five walking foot techniques. I'm sure Chun had to work hard to get you to use them as freely as you do."

Naruto shook his head as he said," Not really. Sensei only showed them to me once. Right before he left."

Yoochun blinked at him dumbly for a moment. He said going to his own pack," That would normally be impossible. I wonder..."

The man rummaged through his pack obviously looking for something. Finally he pulled out a book one that he didn't recognize. The man held it out to him. Without hesitating he took it from the other.

He said drawing the blonde's attention," In that book holds the Northern Broadstrike techniques. In my younger years I spent a lot of time training with various clans. Because i was not a member of the clan they would only give me basic techniques. I used them, improved them, and created my own technique. It is formless because of the various clans it comes from."

He tuned the man out for the moment as he flipped through the book. It wasn't exactly formless. They call it that because it goes through so many forms in such a short period of time. It made it difficult to predict due to techniques having no specific order they had to go in.

Yoochun said," Find the half step technique."

Flipping through the book he found it right towards the end. The half step was a technique that used minimal movement. By freely moving within a half-step range one can be free from all possible attacks. You use the leg from the origin of the attack as an anchor and with precise timing you do one slide half-step in the opposite direction of the attack. Since the movement is smaller than the opponents movement, no matter how fast the opponent is, the dodge becomes easy.

It took several seconds for him to realize why he was being shown this technique. If timed perfectly it could used against Neji in the finals. It would allow the older boy to get close to him but still be able to move out of attacks.

A growl from Jīngshén alerted them to an intruder. His hand immediately went to his sword and Yoochun took an open stance.

A familiar voice called out," Brat you better be here. I can't believe how hard it is too find you when you don't want to be found. Damn ninja."

Naruto had to suppress a smile. Chun... wait the man shouldn't be back for at least another two weeks. Why had he returned early?

He said calling out to his sensei," I'm here sensei. I thought you wouldn't be back for two more weeks?"

The dark haired man came out of the forest. It was a funny to sight. The normally immaculate clothing was torn and ripped. It looked like he had fought Konohamaru and lost. While the man wasn't formal in the least he liked his clothes in good condition. Now that he thought about it. He wouldn't be surprised if Konohamaru did do that.

Chun pointed to him angrily and said," The next time you tell a brat about me. Do NOT tell him that the training is the best you can get. It took me three hours to ditch that brat. Three."

A snort came from Yoochun as he said," I never thought I'd see the day a brat would get the best of you Goomoonryong."

An angry hiss came from his first teacher. Uh oh. Naruto had completely forgotten these two didn't get along. He really hoped that he wouldn't have to play go between. That wouldn't be fun. At all.

Immediately he launched himself between the two men and said," Don't you guys start. Sensei why are you here?"

Chun's blue eyes met his and said," I felt your awakening. Hell all of Murim felt it, brat. I felt your sorrow and pain. I heard what happened to Hayate."

Naruto's heart clenched at the thought of his lost sensei. He could only nod sadly. He missed the shared looks between the two men.

Yoochun asked grinning breaking the painful silence," So you lost to a kid?"

That seemed to snap what little self control his sensei had. Chun launched himself at Yoochun. He could see the activation of the EOTL in Yoochun. It was much like the inner strike technique. They were going for a real duel and not just a spar. Why oh why did he have to get two teachers who hated each other? That was just his luck.

For a brief moment he just watched as two masters attacked each other. Chun came at Yoochun in a blur. While he recognized it as the Jin foot technique he couldn't follow it. Yoochun for his part barely moved. He kept his right foot planted only moving around on his left left. The man ducked under the first attack throwing a perfectly executed Lightning Fist at Chun's abdomen.

It never landed though. One second Chun had been there the next he was behind Yoochun. Again the Tiger countered by swinging around on his left leg without ever moving his right.

Thinking on it Naruto realized that the man was using the half step. It was fascinating to watch him. He knew though if he let this continue on that one of them would end up dead. He had a sinking feeling. How in the hell was he supposed to get between two masters without dying?

The logical idea would be to use Shadow clones and try to overwhelm them. Their skills though would easily overpower his numbers. Especially Yoochun. That man had long range techniques he just knew it. No the best idea would be to send Shadow Clones at Chun while he dealt with Yoochun.

He said," Shadow Clone jutsu!"

Ten clones of him appeared in a puff of smoke. He didn't know whether he should be relieved or insulted. The two men didn't even spare him a glance during their duel. He told the clones to attack Chun. The looks he received in return could have killed. They didn't seem to appreciate having to hold off the Dragon. Too bad. They didn't have to deal with the Tiger.

They didn't argue with him though. Instead the jumped in between the two as did he. He focused on his pure ki as he went to grab Yoochun's right hand with his left. He saw the man's blue eyes widen in shock as it worked.

Not giving the man a chance to retaliate he used inner ki strike with his opposite arm. It was barely blocked in time. Before he could react though Yoochun grabbed the collar of his jacket and threw him over his shoulder.

He landed in the grass with a painful thud a little ways away. He let out a pained," Ow..."

Ignoring the stifled snort of amusement from the man he pushed himself back to his feet. He swayed slightly but was ready to jump back in the fight if tje two continued. Instead the men stared at him in varying degrees of amusement and annoyance. Chun had a nice bruise forming on his cheek. So one of his clones was able to land a decent hit on the man. That was a win in itself.

Chun said dropping into the grass," Alright I'll bite. Tiger why are you training my disciple? What made you decide not to kill him? And most importantly does he know?"

Yoochun said glaring at the other," No he doesn't. The boy needed someone to train him while you were gone. Why I haven't killed him is likely the same reason you haven't killed him. There is something unique about him. Something the Murim haven't seen in a long time."

:What don't i know? What are they hiding from me? Why does sensei look so sad?: all those questions ran through his mind at lightning fast speeds.

A silent agreement seemed to pass between the two men. Chun said rubbing his eyes," I think he should be allowed to go to the village. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. He deserves to know."

Yoochun said sounding put out," Fine. But kid know this i didn't tell you because i thought it would take your focus away from the training. Giving you an unnecessary distraction."

Chun gave him a withering look but the Tiger just grinned. What in the hell were they talking about? It wasn't long though before the grin turned into a serious look. What the hell was up with these two?

Twenty minutes later found him in the villages hospital. Chun argued and argued and argued with the nurses. Finally to get the man to stop yelling they let them into a room. Naruto's heart stopped for a brief moment when he saw who was laying on the bed. Hayate sensei...

Tears filled the blue eyes as he rushed to the man's side. He could see the steady rise and fall of the man's chest. Hayate was alive. He couldn't help himself as he touched Hayate's arm to be sure that the man was real.

He asked looking up at Chun and Yoochun," How? Why? They told me he died."

Yoochun was the one who answered," He stayed conscious long enough to pass what he overheard to me. I was the one who brought him here. Right now he is in a coma. They don't know when or even if he he will wake up. I didn't want you to get your hopes up only for them to be dashed."

That made sense. It still hurt that Yoochun didn't tell him though. While he was distracted he heard Chun ask quietly," Why? You don't owe Hayate anything. So why save him?"

Yoochun answered just as quietly," Your right. I didn't owe him anything but i did owe you. A life for a life. As you saved my life all those years ago I saved his. My debt is paid."

Naruto ignored them. He cared not for the reasons his teacher was still alive. Just that he was alive.

A gentle hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts. Chun said," Come. We can't stay here all day. As soon as he wakes up the nurses have promised send to send word."

He shook his head stubbornly as he said," I can't leave him. I don't want him to wake up or... or... or..."

He couldn't say his worst fears. That Hayate would die while he wasn't there. No one should die alone no matter who they were or what they did. Hayate Gekko was no exception.

Chun said gently," Come on Naruto. You can't do anything for him here. You promised him that you would beat Neji didn't you? Well to beat that boy you have to train and you can't do that here."

He shook his head. He wouldn't leave his sensei. Even though it did make more sense for him to leave. Chun sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder.

He whispered firmly but not unkindly," Naruto you can't do anything for him here. Let's go to the Hot Springs for the day."

With tear filled blue eyes he looked at Chun. Chun said kindly," I promise we will visit him again before we leave to finish your training. But I guess we can stay an extra few minutes."

Naruto have him a grateful look before turning back to his injured teacher. He swore that if he ever found who did this he would kill them. In another part of the village a sound jounin sneezed.

About twenty minutes later Chun finally convinced him to leave. They went to the Hot Springs. He of course had brought his swim trunks. What he didn't know was that both of his teachers were perverts. They made the closet pervert look like a saint.

His eye twitched when the two men joined a third old man in peeping. He thought angrily,: I am cursed to be taught by perverts. With the exception of Hayate.:

Smiling evilly to himself he said in a loud voice," Stop peeping you perverts!"

He jumped out onto the water using the water walking technique to stay on top of it. It was just in time because the fence blocking most of the view by a familiar crazy old lady. Oh dear it seemed Tsunade was in town. He felt a twing of pity for the three men. Oh well.

Both of his teachers were able to avoid most of the fence. The old man was not so lucky. It hit him right in the face causing Naruto to laugh out loud. His two wolf pups were watching with something akin to amusement.

Jīngshén grinned wolfishly up at him. Kobaruto just gave him a level look but hidden in the cobalt blue eyes was just the barest hint of amusement. For that he counted his actions as a win. The wolves were slowly warming up to him.

Tsunade it seemed had already grabbed a hold of the old man and was shaking him senseless. Chun glowered at him and asked," Is this what I get for taking you as my disciple? I heard about that jutsu you created. Your a pervert too!"

He said calmly," No I am not a pervert. I created that jutsu to take care of perverts like the three of you."

Chun said rolling his eyes," We are not perverts you little bastard. We just like the finer things in life."

He couldn't help it. Honestly he couldn't. He laughed a full hearted laugh at the man's words. That had to be one of the funniest things he heard in a long time. Chun's eye twitched in anger.

Before either of them could say anything the old man was thrown right at them. Tsunade yelled angrily," Jiraiya you are a dead man!"

Chun and Naruto exchanged glances before looking at the old man. This person was one of the three legendary Sanin? How in the hell did that happen?

The one called Jiraiya said holding his hands up defensively," Listen here Tsunade I was peeping i was just..."

Naruto didn't let him finish that sentence as he kicked the man in the head. He said politely," Hello Tsunade."

She growled at him as she replied," Brat. I heard you made it to the Chunin exam finals. Congratulations you better win your matches. I bet everything i had on you. Who are they?"

She pointed to Yoochun and Chun who were frantically shaking their heads. Sadistically he said without pity for the two perverts," They were peeping on the women's bath too. And don't worry ill make you a lot of money on my matches. I'm going to kick that Hyugga's ass."

She grinned equally as sadistic as she excused herself to go deal with the perverts. As he made his way to the men's baths without his teachers he realized what she had said. The worst gambler in the world bet all of her money on him. Someone was putting all of their faith into him.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear a voice calling him until they were right on top of him. He jumped back his hand going for his sword until he recognized the person. Kiba stood there with Akamaru.

Kiba said smiling happily," Hey there Naruto. Where you been man? I haven't seen you since the end of the preliminaries."

He smiled softly as he replied," I have been training under a taijutsu master. Oh Kiba meet Jīngshén and Kobaruto. These are my companion summons."

His best friend and brother in all but blood said bending down to a knee," Hi I am Kiba Inuzaka and this is Akamaru."

Jīngshén sniffed his hand before licking it. Kobaruto just gave the boy a stern glare before parking himself next to the blond protectively. Naruto could just stare at the white wolf. He had been trying to earn Kobaruto's trust all week. Kiba could only blink at his friend.

Naruto said," Kobaruto isn't the friendliest of wolves. Jīngshén is a little more friendly than Kobaruto. It still takes him awhile to warm up to you though."

The white wolf in question bared its teeth before calming slightly. All he could was smile at him. Gaining trust was a slow process. He knew that better than anyone. Even now even with all of the training that they had given him he didn't full or even half way trust either man. The only person that came close to having his full trust was in a coma.

Kiba asked drawing his attention back to him," Hey so i was wondering if you wanted to do some extra training with me? These two pups will need to be trained especially as they grow older."

He couldn't help it he groaned. More training? He was going to be at his wits end with just Chun and Yoochun. Hand to hand combat was both men's specialty. Though if he was right Chun had spent some time with a swords master. Maybe he could help with Naruto's swordsmanship until Hayate woke up.

Shaking his head he said," Sorry Kiba. I have too much to begin training with you. Maybe after the Chunin exams? Right now i have too much on my plate."

While he looked disappointed Kiba understood. Kiba said smiling again," Don't worry about it then. Come on let's go to the baths."

He was dragged by his over enthusiastic friend. The two wolf pups shared a look before following the two. What should have been a regular bath ended being a water fight between the two twelve year olds.

It had started with Kiba splashing him purposely with water. That led to him retaliating in kind. They both ended up drenched along with the wolf pups. Jīngshén apparently hated water with a passion. He was currently drying the smokey like puppy. Kobaruto though seemed to love the water. He had never seen the wolf so excited about anything before. The white wolf was splashing water all around without getting near the pool.

A soft smile appeared on his face as he watched the white pup. He could see so much of himself in the small pup. Their eyes were almost the exact same shade of blue. Naruto's just a tad darker. It was the first time Kobaruto acted like a puppy instead of a stuck up adult. It was refreshing to see.

Once Līngshén was dry she ran off to play. Kiba said sitting down to watch them as Akamaru jumped into the mix," I think those three will be best of friends. What do you think?"

He smiled and said," I think your right. Once Kobaruto comes out of his shell they will be best friends. Like us."

The brown haired boy said gently," He reminds me of you. When we first became team mates you were so wary of us. Sure we had lunches together but you never really let down your mask. I used to go watch you with Hayate you know? You looked so much more relaxed around him than with us. I was so jealous. I wanted you to see me as your brother. Finally right before the exams began you started to open up to us."

Naruto was surprised. He never thought anyone would actually notice his mask. It was a defense mechanism for him. Not to let anyone in at the risk of them hurting him. It had taken him a long time to allow Kiba and the others into his heart. It was just in his nature to expect to be hurt now. Eleven almost twelve years of hatred was not so easily forgotten.

Slowly but surely though he was learning to trust again. To allow others into his heart. One day he wouldn't have to constantly wear his mask. Today was not that day though.

He said sighing softly," I know you guys don't like it but this was what i learned to help myself. We will catch up on things but not before the Chunin exam finals. I have training to complete. You have a match to prepare for as well."

The look on his friends face was priceless. It was obvious he wasn't looking forward to his match against Kankuro. The other boy used puppets in his battles. Honestly he wouldn't want to fight him either. Who ever won that fight would face him in the next round. He honestly didn't know who he wanted to win. Both would be excellent challenges for him.

The rest of the passed peacefully. He felt relaxed and rejuvenated from his time at the Hot Springs. It took him awhile to find his teachers. They were still hiding from Tsunade who wanted to pound some sense into their heads. Not that he thought that would work. Some people were behind help.

He was glad to see his bed that night. A week of sleeping outside made one grateful for what they had. His apartment wasn't much but at least it was a roof over his head. For that he was grateful. He wasn't stupid and knew if it was up to many of the villagers he wouldn't even have a roof over his head. With a sigh he turned over on his bed and closed his eyes.

The next morning he woke feeling even more refreshed. Today he had off and Tiger didn't even want to see him until 8 am tomorrow morning. Figuring today would be a good day to check on the squirt he set out to find Konohamaru.

Unsurprising It wasn't that hard. He could hear Iruka yelling for said child to return to class. He waited around a familiar corner for the boy. Knowing it was the best escape route from the academy. Sure enough the brown haired boy came flying around it.

He said calmly," Yo Konohamaru."

The boy suddenly stopped and swung to face him. He shouted excitedly," Boss! Where have you been? I looked for you after the results of the preliminaries."

He said rubbing his cheek thoughtfully," I've been training. Didn't you hear? I have to face Neji Hyuugga in the first round."

His little friend's face became stormy as he said," Hyuuga's are arrogant. I don't like them."

That was new. While yes he agreed most Hyuuga's were arrogant. That was no reason to dislike the entire family. It was like saying he hated all Uchiha's for how Sasuke acted. Everyone had the ability to change it was whether or not the chose to that mattered.

He asked curiously," Why don't you like them Konohamaru?"

The boy said," Hanabi Hyuuga the youngest. She is in my class and she acts so damn arrogant all the time."

Just like Sasuke had been in the Academy. He said nodding," I figured. She is pampered by her father because she learns more quickly than Hinata. Sasuke as the same way when i was in the Academy. Don't let it get to you."

Konohamaru said with a tired growl," Its so hard sometimes, boss. She acts all high and mighty all the time."

Yep that was most of the Hyuugas. Like Uchihas they thought they pretty much owned the village. He hoped when Hinata became clan head things would change. That was so far off that things were still uncertain.

He placed his hand on the brown haired boy's shoulder and said," Come on. You need to get back to class. Don't give me that look Konohamaru. You need to know the things Iruka sensei is teaching. When things settle down again I'll train with you again."

The boy pouted but followed him back to the Academy. He walked the boy straight back to class. He liked Konohamaru but he didn't trust him. The boy was so much like him before he met Hayate it was scary.

When they arrived at the classroom Iruka raised a surprised eyebrow at him. He smiled as he gave Konohamaru a gentle push inside.

Iruka said as the boy took his seat," Thank you for returning my student Naruto."

He smiled and said," No problem Iruka sensei. I was just on my way to training when I ran across him."

That was a complete lie but a necessary one. He didn't need the man to know what he had really been planning to do. He would though have to wait until after the exams to train with his favorite academy student. Too bad. The boy had potential not just as a prankster but to be a great ninja as well. It would just take time for the boy to mature. The right sensei would probably help too. Iruka was good academy wise he wasn't to sure about Ebisu. Then again he didn't know much about the man.

Iruka said drawing him from his thoughts," Naruto maybe you should stay here today. If your not busy you could tell the class about the last three months as a ninja."

He almost refused but seeing the excite faces changed his mind. Maybe he could talk a little about the last three months. A hand went up in the air. The person it belonged to he recognized immediately as a Hyuuga. This was Hinata's little sister Hanabi.

She said once she was given permission," I don't see the point of listening to him Iruka sensei. He was dead last in his graduating class right? It's only been three months he can't have gotten that good."

The temperature in the classroom dropped several degrees. Before Iruka could say anything in his defense he replied cooly," In three months I have twice between the prodigy of my class Sasuke Uchiha. I have once beaten Shikamaru Nara in a game of Shoji. I will face your cousin in three weeks time for the finals. Three months is a long time in the world of ninja. You are still a child who hasn't graduated yet."

Her face went bright red in embarrassment and fury. He knew that his words had struck home. While he didn't want to hurt the girl he would not let her walk all over him. He was a genin she was still just a student.

She fired back angrily," If you are so good then fight Iruka sensei. I bet he would wipe the floor with you."

The genin and chunin exchanged glances. Naruto was skilled in what he knew. Things like shadow clones, and his basic ki attacks. He had never seen Iruka truly fight before. So he really couldn't say about what his chances were. It would be a good chance to measure he combat skills though.

He said with a shrug," I'm up for it if you are sensei. I have no problems with a short demonstration."

Iruka didn't seem surprised. He said as the class all began demanding a demonstration," Fine. A short demonstration is in order then."

The two ninja shared a grin. This would be a test for Naruto in his sensei's eyes. The man wanted to see how far he truly had come.

A/N That's the end of this chapter. I look forward to the reviews on your thoughts. We will be seeing more of our favorite perverts in the next chapter.