The Butterfly Effect

"My pack? You make it sound like I'm some kind of leader. I am not a leader. I merely know what I value in this world, and to keep it safe I will weather any hurricane, hunt you down, and kill you. Questions?" Continuation of 'Butterflies'. Character death, Anbu operations, gratuitous violence and some adult situations. May change to M rating.

Arc 3: The heir apparent – Chapter 46 – The lessons of life

3rd person PoV

8-8

"No one is going to hand me success. I must go out and get it myself. That's why I'm here. To dominate. To conquer. Both the world and myself." Unknown

8-8


The day of the third exam dawns. As one might expect, all candidates are nervous, but no one seems willing to back out. All jounin-senseis are offering last minute advice to their genins, knowing that at the stroke of nine, they are to report to a hall where they will be watched like hawks to ensure they do not help their genins in any way.

Konoha's genins are all quite comfortable though. They know they're ready. So, at eight, they head out together. And the rest of their pack head to the hall they're meant to wait in. After all, the point is to ensure that no one helps the genins, so all that enter the village with the candidates must report to the hall.

Hoshie, studies those around her. Her teammates, Sakiko and Katsuo, flank her. Both stand tall, walking proudly through the streets of Mist as they make their way to the Mizukage Tower, where the first exam is being held. She smells no fear, no nervousness; not from her team, not from her hunting pack. She nods to herself, grateful everyone seems confident.

They make it to the Tower without hassle, find the room their meant to take the exam, and enter without a word. It's roughly eight-thirty when they enter –a half hour before the exam should start– but they are far from the first present.

"Oi! What the fuck is this!? Kids ain't supposed to be in here! Go back to your mama!" A Grass genin announces, obviously feeling upset that someone young enough to be his daughter just strolled into the examination room. If Hoshie had to guess, she'd peg him in his early thirties, maybe. Not one of the Konoha genins responds, which rubs the man the wrong way. He strolls over, bold as brass, and obviously flanked by his teammates.

The Konoha teams –four in all– study the man as he comes closer. No obvious weapon, slight limp in his gait, three facial trait scars and even more decorating his exposed upper- and forearms.

"Konoha must be getting desperate if they're sending infants." The man sneers, stopping just a few metres short of the Konoha teams. The Crystal teams are nearby as well, but no one seems to notice them at all.

"Grass must have fallen on hard times, if they still have faith that you'll be promoted." Hoshie counters.

"Hnn. The Butcher's mini-clone."

"That's just rude. You ignore my siblings. Sakiko, Katsuo, do you two feel appreciated?"

"Not even a little." Sakiko glares at the man. "Shit, you must be pathetic. Aya-nee's an elite jounin and half your age." Of course, the Uzumakis laugh at the man's annoyed look.

"Kiko, don't hurt his feelings. It's obviously all he has, since he's weak and obviously too stupid for words."

"WHA-"

Sakiko snaps, and a Divine Hand pops into existence, wrapping its ghostly fingers around the man's throat. "You're being loud." She intones, enjoying the smell of his fear. "Don't you know that Namikis have very sensitive hearing? Loud noises upset us."

"Now, listen carefully. We've been instructed to offer a warning before killing people. If you are smart, you'll walk away and not bother us again." Hoshie offers in a thorough monotone, obviously reciting something from memory.

"And if you bother us again, please only do so when we're allowed to kill you. Because if we're going to be disqualified for killing you, believe me… we're going to make sure it's worth it." Katsuo finishes.

The man stares, his face glowing redder and redder.

"Picking a fight with a Namiki? How stupid can you be?" Shinichi muses, shaking his head to show his more than obvious distaste of the idiot being strangled. "Dude, just walk away."

It's obvious the man would like to. But there's still the question of a little hand squeezing the life out of him.

8-8


On the other side of Hidden Mist, all jounin-senseis are starting to gather. That is… all jounin-senseis and their entourage. Aya had argued that her entire group should stick together, that the spirit of the rules were to keep all parties willing and able to aid the CSE candidates under surveillance.

Naturally that leads to the ENTIRE Konoha contingent showing up to the hall where the jounin-senseis are meant to 'camp out'. Seeing as they are essentially the largest group, they decide they need to most space. So they crowd a section of the room, glaring and growling at anyone that comes near while the samurais set up a perimeter. A double-walled perimeter. One facing the 'outsiders' meant to be kept out, the other facing inwards to keep an eye on the children meant to be kept in.

What's more, every jounin worth their salt recognizes the heavy hitters Konoha brought. A few of them find themselves wondering if Konoha is playing a joke on the Elemental Nations. After all, this is more like a who's who of Konoha's elite. Uchihas Mikoto, Itachi, Sasuke, Asami. Uzumakis Naruto, Karin, Minori. Hatakes Kakashi, Ryuuzetsu, Keito. Namikis Miwako, Aya, Hitomi, Kin. Yamanakas Ino, Hikaru, Santa. Naras Shikamaru, Ensui, Temari. Akimichis Chouza, Chouji. Sarutobi Chinatsu.

It's… mind boggling.

But what really has they reeling, is the kids with them. To feel so confident that they'd bring their new-born to an international event where they know there'll be nothing but jounins they've had beef with in the past?

Then… then things start getting REALLY weird. Tables get made on the spot from Aya's lava release. Pots get unseals, filled with water, placed on cookers to warm the water. Crates of sake come next. Snacks, dishes, chopsticks, the works. It's common knowledge that the first exam is only an hour long. What Konoha seems to be showing –clear as crystal, really– is that they'll be here for days.

One of the women starts organizing games with the children. Another starts unsealing tatami mats and three long, low tables. The Konoha contingent looks… homely. Utterly at ease. It baffles the jounins. Rattles them to no end.

8-8


Back in the exams, people are already starting to talk about the Konoha genins. After all, seeing a nine year old threatening a thirty year old… that tends to make an impression. Especially when said nine year old backs up those threats with a show of force the thirty year old can't match.

The Hidden Crystal genin decide that hanging with Konoha is in their best interest. After all, if you know you're not the strongest? Show that the strongest is a friend of yours. Guren-sama already clearly explained to them not to try to touch any of the Namikis, so they make sure there's a comfortable distance to not touch them by accident.

The Uzumakis, however, clearly don't care about the wisdom offered to the Hidden Crystal genins. They pat the Namikis on the back, pet them like cute little puppies and even tease them relentlessly. Nothing bad happens to them. The Uchihas do exactly the same thing, same result. The Hyuuga girl, again, no negative response. It's almost enough to make the Hidden Crystal genins doubt Guren-sama's warning. Until a Hidden Sand team strolls over. The Namikis growl, their faces morphing into something almost demonically wolven.

"Calm down." The leader of the team, a boy about sixteen years old, holds up his hands and motions for the Namikis to relax. "We're Kankuro-sensei's team. He asked us to seek you out during the exams." The growling eases, but the tenseness doesn't dissipate. "I can guess who's who here. Namiki Aya's team. Uchiha Asami's. Uzumaki Naruto's… and… okay, you I don't know." He correctly points everyone out, only not knowing Team Chinatsu.

"How do we know you're telling us the truth?" Shinichi intones, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Easy. There's only one Sand team. And we have very clear instructions not to mess with you guys if we enjoy breathing. Word is that almost all of you were trained by Namiki Aya herself." The teen explains seriously. "And that you guys don't remember me almost hurts. I lived in the Hatake compound for almost three months."

… That throws them for a loop. Who is this guy!?

"…Akihito?" Hoshie seems to remember him, even if only a little.

"The one and only." The now identified Akihito bows politely to the Konoha genins. "With me are Natsu and Omitsu." There isn't anything special about any of them. Brows hair, tans. No scars that would identify them. Nothing than stands out. However, Hoshie knows better. They each smell strong-ish. Mid chuunin, at least.

"I'm Hoshie. With me are my siblings, Sakiko and Katsuo." The others follow suit, introducing themselves.

"Pleasure to meet you all. Please, allow me to assure that Kankuro-sensei would not be pleased if he were to ever hear we fought without just cause. Should it come to that, I would ask that we settle our differences through words." Akihito offers, his tone serious.

"Sounds fair." Mashai offers, shrugging. "There's bound to be easier targets than you anyway. After all, Kankuro isn't one to underestimate. So if he thinks you three are ready for these exams?"

"I'd quicker say that about you and your senseis." Akihito offers. "After all, at a glance I can pick you out of a crowd. To allow you to enter, given their reputations?" He shivers. "I'm glad we can come to a peaceable solution."

8-8


Back with the jounins, things are… getting weird. Kankuro –the Kazakage's brother– and the kunoichi with him walk up to the barrier of samurais, and start an easy conversation with one of them. They aren't the first to try, but they're the first to get a response. A warm reception, really.

Then, the samurai motions them through? "Thanks. Hey, did you guys need anything? We both know they're going to start whipping out snacks and sake sooner or later." The samurais chuckle, assuring Kankuro that they'll be offered in due time.

And just like that, Kankuro and the kunoichi are let through. What baffles them even worse, is how they're given an equally warm reception by all Konoha shinobi, and children. Quite a few of them call them 'uncle' and 'auntie' to boot!

It intrigues them, to see how Hidden Sand shinobis can walk up to the Uchihas, to the Uzumakis, Hatakes… even the Namikis and get nothing more than warm welcomes and in a few cases hugs. Nara Temari, well, that they can understand, she's his sister.

"Oi, Aya-chan, look at you!" Yukata coos. "Married life looks good on you!"

"Yukata-cha~aaan! Oh, Kami-sama, it's good to see you!" Namiki Aya. Konoha's She-Wolf. The Butcher. The Ghost. Is acting like you'd expect from any teenage girl. She hugs Yukata, beaming, obviously happy. "Okichi-chan, come meet your auntie Yukata and uncle Kankuro, sweetie!" A little redhead walks over, nibbling on a cookie, questions in her eyes.

"Mama, who's this?" There's a collective blink. Every jounin from every village, blinks. At exactly the same time. Namiki Aya has a daughter? Sure, marriage isn't that big a deal… mostly. But a daughter!? And she brought said daughter to the Chuunin Exams!?

"Come, come." Aya motions the girl over, scooping her up gently. "Okichi, this is auntie Temari's younger brother, Kankuro. We mostly call him Rourou, if you find that easier."

"Hey, uncle Rourou." Okichi beams at him waving warmly, before taking another bite of her cookie.

"And his wife Yukata." Aya continues.

"Like the kimono?"

"No, baby, yukatas aren't kimonos. But, yes, that's what her names is." Aya blushes, obviously flustered at the girl's observation.

"It's alright, Okichi-chan, you're not the first to ask that. Hey, did you know that we live with your mama for a while?" Yukata isn't in the least upset, smiling warmly at the cutie in Aya's arms.

Everyone –other than the Konoha and Sand contingent– is having a mind fart. Aya obviously trusts these two to the extent that she wants them to meet her daughter, wants her daughter to know them.

"Oh, Kami-sama, Okichi-chan you are just too cute for words!" Yukata coos. "Do you think that maybe you could give your auntie a hug?" The brunette holds her hands out to take her, but stops short to make sure it's a clear request.

The redhead looks to her mother. The jounins watching blink slowly. Aya smiles warmly. The jounins blink again. The redhead holds her arms out for Yukata to take her. And take her she does. Yukata hugs her like there's not tomorrow, cooing and fussing over her and telling her how much she wishes she had a daughter like her.

A Namiki…

Just allowed a foreign kunoichi…

To hold her daughter…

Namikis have been known to maul people for touching them!

"Auntie, come on, let me introduce you to everyone!" Okichi announces excitedly.

Subtly, every non-Konoha, non-Sand jounin does the genjutsu release. Strangely, the scene doesn't change.

"Go on, Kankuro. We both know you want to trouble your sister." Aya teases. "Did you want something to drink? Sake's already warm."

"Thanks."

8-8


In the Exam room, things are just starting to heat up. The proctors show up at exactly the stroke of nine. Everyone is ordered to hand in their application forms, and are offered numbers to determine their seating.

Hoshie's seated in the front row, between two Stone genins – a girl about her age and a man in his early twenties that keeps scowling at her. She sniffs, finding Sakiko in the row behind her, and Katsuo all the way to the back. Luckily, Sakiko is all the way to the right end of the row, so she only has one shy Mist boy beside her.

Katsuo is mostly just muttering about being so far from his team. Being stuck between a Grass kunoichi and a Star shinobi doesn't bother him in the least.

Hanabi is in the row behind Sakiko, directly behind her. Beside her is a Cloud shinobi in his mid to late teens. And he's been eyeing her a little closer than is considered polite. Honestly, if she didn't know she'd get in trouble for it, she'd turned his brains into goo by now.

Sango is two seats over from Katsuo, muttering curses about the man in his thirties beside her. She doesn't know where he's from, she doesn't care. All she cares is that if he touches her, she'll kill him. And she knows her family will support her in doing so.

Yuzuki is feeling pretty lucky, really. She's in the sixth row, all the way to the left. She only has one kunoichi beside her, a Hidden Crystal kunoichi to boot! So she's humming a catchy little tune, bobbing her head from side to side, not a care in the world.

Konohamaru is… feeling annoyed. He's in the seventh row and got stuck between two Cloud dudes that are at least three times his size, and don't know the meaning of 'personal bubble'.

Udon is all the way to the left in the first row. Next to Akihito of Sand. Neither minds the seating. And they're mostly just waiting on the exam to begin.

Moegi is in the seventh row, near the middle. She's between two Waterfall shinobi, who're both really nice to her. She isn't complaining at all.

Mashai is in the third row, cursing his luck. He got stuck between a Cloud kunoichi and a Stone kunoichi. Both of which clearly identify him as an Uzumaki. He groans, praying this stupid test will just hurry the hell up.

Shinichi is feeling pretty lucky. He's stuck between two hot Mist kunoichis who're both subtly flirting with him. Lucky number seven. He's happy right where he is.

Haruki is mostly just bored. He's between a man in his forties and a boy his age. And being in the fourth row is rubbing him the wrong way – the number four has never been his favourite.

"Alright! You maggots are in my domain now!" The proctor announces, his face completely blank. "Let's start with the rules of my exam! The first rule! No noise! You're not allow to make a single sound! If you do, you're disqualified. Then you and your team will be tossed out on your asses!"

The man goes silent. He might be waiting to see if anyone is stupid enough to complain, but no one can say for sure.

"You're going to be tested in the weirdest way possible, so I want you all the put your hands under your desks! NOW!" Everyone quietly moves their hands under their desks. "Now, I'll explain how this test works! There are no hidden meanings, no mysteries to unravel! I'm too straight forward for that shit! What you need to do is figure out a way to tell your teammates the number etched under your desk! If you can, one of your teammates just has to raise their hand! When I point to you, you have three seconds to say the three numbers in any order! If you say the correct numbers! You pass! That means you exit through the door on my right!" He even holds up his right hand and points to the door with the kanjis for 'victory' written in a festive red.

"Simple!"

There's more silence. "You have one hour! BEGIN!"

Hoshie's hand shoots up. The man points to her.

"Eight, four, two." Hoshie answers evenly.

"Good, you and you're team. Go!"

Haruki's hand shoots up. The man points to him. "Seven, seven, seven." Another pass.

Hanabi's hand shoots up. The man points to her. "One, two, three." Another pass.

The stone girl that was sitting next to Hoshie's hand shoots up. The man points to her. "Six, one, nine." Another pass.

A waterfall shinobi's hand shoots up. "Eight, nine, two."

"You retarded fuck! FAIL! Get outta my sight!" A stone shinobi starts to chuckle, unable to hold it in. "Oh, so that's funny!? FAIL! GET OUT!"

Konohamaru's hand shoots up. The man points to him. "Nine, nine, two." Another pass. People are starting to freak out a little.

Akihito's hand shoots up. The man points to him. "Two, eight, six." Another pass. The two failed teams are thrown out of the left door, with the kanji for 'dumbass' on it. The other teams quietly walk through the other door. The doors slide shut behind the last one. And suddenly there's no more sounds.

Another hand shoots up. The man points at the Crystal kunoichi. "Three, two, five." Another pass.

As the girl and her team exit through the 'lucky' door… silence is deafening. A Mist shinobi raises his hand. "Eight, one, six."

"I didn't point to you, fuckface! FAIL!"

8-8


Back with the jounins, things are getting rather cosy. The three Hidden Crystal jounins have joined the Konoha contingent. As did the two Vegetables jounins. Guren, the Hidden Crystal leader, is also with them, enjoying her sake and munching on some dango – though it isn't her favourite thing to munch on, she was promised breaded shrimps and beef for lunch, so she'll manage.

Just then, Kisame –the acting Mizukage– and Mei arrive. Once Mei is behind the wall of samurais, and takes a seat between Hinata and Kin, Kisame makes an announcement. The Konoha teams have already passed the first round, as have Kurotsuchi's, Kankuro's and one of the Hidden Crystal teams. He then announces the teams that have failed, and asks that the foreign teams who failed leave Mist as soon as possible. No one dares complain, Kisame isn't known for his leniency.

With the fun part out of the way, he pats one of the samurais on the shoulder and asks if they need a drink. The samurai turns him down though. Kisame quickly makes a beeline for some sake, before joining Itachi and picks up his daughter without a word of complaint from the girl. In fact she playfully pokes his cheek and calls him 'uncle sharky'.

"Kisame, I think you're wife wants a word with you." Itachi intones, looking over at the redhead.

"Thank you, Tachi-kun! Kisi-kins, could you get me something to munch on. Baby's hungry."

Kisame shrugs, not seeming to mind at all. "Nothing solid's ready yet, but they have dango, riceballs, instant ramen and some pocky."

"That sounds lovely. A little of each, please." Again Kisame shrugs, heading over to see to his wife's request.

"What flavour?" He asks.

8-8


#I think it's amazing that we passed so quickly. Really, being about to use Whispering Winds is a lifesaver.# Sakiko signs to her team. They're still not allowed to make any noise, but they can stand wherever they want and can communicate silently if they wish.

#Captain will be pleased to know you helped that Stone girl.# Katsuo signs, teasing a blush out of Hoshie.

#I did no such thing.#

#Then why are you blushing?# Sakiko signs, smirking knowingly.

#The wolf has a thing for Stone?# Haruki invites himself into the conversation.

#Do not!# Hoshie blushes even deeper.

#Whoa! Relax! No one's going to have a fit. I think it's cute, really.# Haruki offers, smiling warmly to show he isn't messing with her. #Besides having a thing for a girl is the healthiest thing in the world. It's when you like guys you need to worry. They're stupid.#

#We're supposed to keep quiet. Don't make me laugh.# Sakiko signs, pursing her lips as her cheeks glow red from how badly she wants to burst out laughing.

#What did you expect from a guy? I told you we're stupid.# Hoshie pinches him, hard. #That hurt my feelings.#

8-8


More and more jounins are told their team failed. Not a whole lot are being given a pass. Interestingly, those mingling with the Konoha contingent don't seem to pay attention to half of it. Only one Crystal team passed, the other two failed. No one cares. And the jounins weren't told to leave. In fact, Kisame offered them a drink and a you'll-do-better-next-time.

Mei is far more political about how she handles things, but she's in no state to argue with the man that's been bringing her tea and snacks at her whim. So mostly everyone is just sitting and passing the time.

Kurotsuchi, however, is quietly seething. She knows her team. She knows they're capable. But she also knows that of the eight Stone teams, only hers is still in the running. Of the four Konoha teams, all four are still in the running. Konoha simply is NOT going to beat Stone. Not again! Not after what they did to the Earth daimyo and his family!

8-8


So far, of the one-hundred and thirty teams, forty passed. Far more than the proctor anticipated, but still, he's already tossed half of them out as obvious fails. Leaving fifteen teams fidgeting under his gaze. There's time. About another half hour, to be honest. Not that he particularly cares. His job is to weed them out. He's weeding them out.

"YOU! I HEARD THAT! FAIL!" Even if it's something as simple as a stomach churning. Stealth is funny like that. One little noise makes the difference between a successful assassination, and fighting your way out from deep behind enemy lines. Not that he plans on explaining that to them. People learn by making the mistake and figuring it out for themselves. If they don't, then they'll just keep on failing. But this way, they'll fail and live. A far kinder fate.

8-8


Nine-forty-five. Chouza is sitting down, cross-legged, with a gaggle of toddlers in his lap and a book in his hand.

Little Wolf Goes Hunting.

He reads for the kids, doing funny voices and making it as engaging as he can. Meanwhile, Aya is sitting beside him, refilling his saucer whenever he needs it. Turning the page whenever he needs it.

Kurotsuchi heard of her speech in Cloud. She heard how the girl wants nothing more than to settle down, to leave the world figure itself out. And that's exactly what Kurotsuchi sees, a housewife. Not in a bad way, after all, Kurotsuchi's often thought about it herself.

Settling down, starting a family.

It's not that simple for her, though. She's constantly being sent out on missions, constantly being carted off from meeting to meeting. The only men she ever meets are either married or complete wusses. And she'd melt a wuss on principle alone.

Still, she sees that Aya has found exactly what she wants: a family. She's just so… different with her family. Especially when you compare her to the three times Kurotsuchi can honestly say she's interacted with the girl.

Aya's gentle, and loving and kind and… everything her public persona is not. Aya the Ghost is never seen. This Aya is seen by everyone around her. Aya the Butcher leaves no survivors, knows no mercy. This Aya doesn't seem capable of a harsh word, let alone a cruel deed. It's… confusing. And what's more, to willingly show this side of her to the international community? That means she's so confident of her reputation that she can not care what people see, what they think. If you face her on the battlefield, she knows she'll still be feared.

It's… insulting.

"Chou-chan, would you mind helping us out?" Remi asks, making a come-hither motion with her hand. Chouji –Aya's husband– doesn't seem to mind at all. He's offered some water and one of those funny bottles 'professional moms' all seem to have – the disinfectant thingies. He does his thing, then he's asked to help make so snacks.

Not only doesn't he mind, but he seems to both be good at it, and is showing one of the Namiki brats what he's doing and explaining every step to her.

With story time over, Okichi runs over to Chouji. "Papa, mama says it's time for my nap. But I can't go to sleep without a kiss."

Chouji stops what he's doing bending over and kissing the little girl a few times and hugging her – careful not to mess up her clothes or hair with his messy hands. "There. All set?"

"Yes, thank you, papa." Okichi runs back over to Aya, flying into her mother's welcoming arms.

"Sweet dreams, baby." Chouji calls to the redhead, but he might also be aiming that at practically any toddler going down for their nap. And there's quite the selection.

8-8


"ALRIGHT! You managed to pass the fir… Fuck. Is that man going senile? This many passed? Well, whatever. I'm going to fail at least two-thirds of you!" A man with no shirt and a tattoo of two women doing… questionable things… on his abdomen. His blue hair and blue eyes and far too pretty face would mark him as a heart-throb, but his attitude…?

"Listen up! That whole silence thing? I like it! Let's keep doing that! In fact! You'll be doing that for the next five days! Where you'll be going is a place where any little sound will get you killed! And what will you be doing there, you ask? An excellent question! You'll be tracking down other teams to score a coin! That's right! A coin!" This one obviously enjoys hearing himself talk.

"In order to pass, you need to get three coins! That's all. Not three different ones, not three special ones. Just three of the same coins each team will be given. Get the coins, make it to the tower in the middle of the training ground, and you pass this exam! Simple, right!?" He explains further.

"Oh. And just so you know, you have five days to get those coins! You'll also have to sign these waivers here, so that if you die it isn't my fault." He loudly plops a stack on the table beside him. "So, to recap. Each member of each team needs to sign a waiver. Three waivers handed in to me gets your one brass coin. Once you have that coin, you will be escorted to a special training ground where you will need to be vewy vewy quiet. 'Cause making noises there can get you killed. Get three coins, so one for each member of your team, and get to the Tower within five days."

"Oh, and if one member of your team dies, you automatically fail. Sorry about that." He doesn't sound sorry at all. "Questions? No. Good. Chop, chop, boy and girls. We don't have all day!"

8-8

End Chapter 46

8-8


A/N: There you have it! Round 1! I hope everyone enjoyed! Round 2 will be... different. I like doing different things just to see what I can come up with ^_^

Coming up will be some interludes to show just what some of our background characters are/have been up to. If anyone has any requests(there are a LOT of characters, so I mean who will get more spotlight), let me know per PM or review.

Oh, we're already at the 65 reviews remaining mark for the next round of bonus content! I already let it slip to a reviewer that the next target of the bonus deleted scenes will be Namiki Keito and I have a rather unique set of things to reveal for the bonus content! It's only finding out just how far we are with the story to figure out what kind of bonus chapter we're having ^_^

Ciao, bella!