The sun began to set as the village was in a bustle. People gossiped in the streets, the topic of said gossip of course being the Chunin Exams. It was an atmosphere that was very festival like, sweeping over the Great Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Betting stands littered the streets, people discussing who would be the most likely to pass the exams. Food booths were set up, and merchants were selling "Chunin Exams" merchandise, helping to spread the holiday-like feeling. People from other villages, tourists and diplomats, were also enjoying the festivities.

With such a mood hanging over the sun set dappled village, it would be obvious that people's minds would be off other things, focused solely on the Chunin Exams.

'Maybe that could be the reason behind people not recognizing my amazing art displays?'

With such an inane and asinine thought pervading his mind, a simple looking man blended in with the crowd, a clone jutsu being used to disguise himself as one of his more recent victims.

To the surrounding villagers he was Kurabi Watanabe, a simple man who lives a normal life, and works as a helper at the local orphanage.

That was the guise Deidara of the Akatsuki had chosen to wear.

'All these simple minded idiots. Unable to appreciate true art. No doubt they would call it "Heinous!" or "Evil!". A city filled to the brim with talent less wretches who possess not even a single iota of appreciation or understanding of true art. Hn.'

With such a flippant and arrogant thought, the twisted and narcissistic murderer Deidara walked down the village streets, completely in his own world.

'If being here wasn't an order from that bastard Kakumei, I wouldn't even bother with these morons hn.'

Deidara stopped breifly, looking down at his feet. Seeing a rolly polly stuck on its back, he frowned. He stared at the little thing, immersed in his own thoughts.

"Now that I think about it, there isn't much of a difference between you and these villagers. Isn't that right little guy? After all..."

And then, with no hesitation or remorse.

He brought his foot down upon the bug, ending its life with a smug grin on his face.

"You're all just a bunch of insects."

With that remark he said to no one in particular, he continued his walk, humming a catchy tone as he walked down the side walk. He turned a corner, and bumped into a tall individual. He stepped back, yelping a bit as he pretended to fall down while acting as a defenseless kindhearted citizen of the leaf.

"Ah, I'm sorry! Are you alright."

A man with a deep, yet young sounding voice asked, extending a hand to the "Fallen" Deidara.

Deidara did not take his hand, and dusted himself off in an exaggerated and grumpy manner.

"Watch were you're going you big oaf! Hn!" Deidara exclaimed, walking past the tall man, not even taking in his appearance.

The man stared as Deidara walked down the street corner, seeing him take a left turn down another corner, disappearing from sight.

With a sigh, the tall man scratched the back of his head.

"Well, that was rude. He was the one to run into me after all. Oh well."

The man sighed contently, taking in his surroundings.

"...The village hasn't changed a bit. Its still as beautiful as the day I left." The man said wistfully,

"And so are the woman!" He continued, a perverted smile forming on his face.

Wiping the small drop of blood that came out of his nose, the man looked up at the Hokage Tower that stood tall and proud.

"I'd love to go check out the hot springs and do some "Research"...But, I need to check in first...Minato ain't gonna like seeing me here after all, better not make it worse by incurring any womanly wrath."

With that, the man began his trek to the Hokage Tower.

And so ended a normal afternoon in the Great Village Hidden in the Leaves.


Sasuke dashed from tree to tree, having already taken down more than plenty of foes to pass the exam, all that was left for him to do was keep his eyes open and remain vigilant. He jumped to a lower branch, intending to remain hidden by passing through foliage, however-

"Ow!"

"What the hell!"

Bumping heads with another who had the same idea, this was how the reunion of Naruko and Sasuke came to be.

"Naruko!?"

"Sasuke!?"

The two yelled the others name, rubbing their now sore heads.

"What the hell's your problem!?" Naruko shouted.

"Whoa, hostile..." Sasuke remarked.

Naruko widened her eyes, realizing her behavior, and looked away. Biting her lip, she apologized.

"Sorry, sorry. Its just that...Well, I've had a rough time." Naruko said with a sigh.

"Rough time? You of all people?" Sasuke joked with a smirk.

"Shut up you jerk." She said, trying to hide a smile.

"Anyways, what now? Do you wanna try to take each other out?" Sasuke asked.

"Not really. I'm not in the mood." Naruko said, a heavy sigh that was so uncharacteristic of her usual joyful self that it caused Sasuke to narrow his eyes in worry.

"Okay, now I know somethings wrong. What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Its nothing...Just...Some personal stuff. I'll tell you about it later." Naruko said, making any further inquiries pointless.

If she didn't want to talk about something, there was no way to get her to talk. That was just the way Naruko was, and Sasuke knew it. He would wait when she wanted to talk about it, after all, if anything were bothering her, she would bring it to his attention sooner than later.

And so, with this line of reasoning, Sasuke left it there.

"Well, I haven't exactly had it any better." Sasuke joked.

"Really? Now that you mention it, what happened to your nose?" Naruko asked jokingly, an upturned brow showing her amusement.

"Well, I was being chased by that red headed psycho Gaara, and then after losing him, I was attacked by Yuma,-!?"

"Attacked by Yuma!? Why!? What happened!?" Naruko asked, shocked at the latter half of his statement.

"He was obviously trying to get me out of the exams. But still, to go as far as break my nose...He seemed desperate." Sasuke said, giving his thoughts as to why Yuma was targeting him.

"Damn...Sorry, I just can't imagine Yuma doing tha-"

Suddenly, memories of their time in the Land of Waves and his behavior while there as well as the people he had killed underhandedly in the previous exam rushed to the forefront of her mind.

"Never mind, that is something I can totally see him doing."

Sasuke snorted.

"Well, Yuma does seem to have a dark streak to him huh?" Sasuke joked.

"Sasuke! He is our teammate and friend! Don't make fun of-!?"

"Relax, I was joking. Besides, he broke my nose, give me a break." Sasuke said, shutting Naruko down.

"Yeah...I guess you're right though...I mean, out of the three of us, excluding those bandits from that one time, he is the only one who seems to be able to kill and not let it get to him. I worry about his mental state sometimes. Maybe I'll get dad to talk to-"

She went quiet, her eyes widening, and then closing. Sasuke found this...

'Odd, as soon as she mentioned her dad, she got quiet? There's no way that was a coincidence. Especially considering how many people we've been running into that seem to have an ax to grind against the guy.' Sasuke thought.

The two descended into silence, Sasuke in thought and Naruko having trailed off.

The silence went on for one second...

Then two...

Then three...

And then...

*BOOOOOOOOM*

A gust of wind blew their way, the trees vibrating as the sound of an explosion in the distance reached the two's ears, startling them.

"What the-!?" Naruko shouted as she held a hand to her ringing ears.

"What was that!?" Sasuke also yelled, the silence having been shattered scaring the daylights out of him.

A few more seconds went by when-

"Eight people remain. Test complete."

With that announcement, Naruko and Sasuke were promptly reverse summoned.


The Jonin lounge was silent. Everyone looked at the screen with a mixture of shock and awe. Unable to believe what they had just witnessed, the person to break the silence was-

"...Kami, It was bad enough that Kakashi had two power houses on his team, but now three? Life just isn't fair." Asuma joked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Powerhouse? No, that kid was a fucking monster." One Jonin muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding." Another agreed.

"Beaten, bruised and bloodied...And yet he was still able to take out the Hyuga prodigy?"

Everyone looked to Kakashi, expecting to see pride in his eyes. But all they saw was disappointment.

Clenching his fists, he muttered in a low voice.

"...How could my own student get so strong, without me even noticing?"

Gai looked at Kakashi sadly.

'Kakashi...'

'Danzo...Just what have you been teaching my student?' Kakashi thought, angry that his position as Yuma's Sensei seemed to be slipping away from him more and more.

"Kakashi. Your student is..."

"Gai, please..."

"SO YOUTHFUL!" Gai shouted, catching everyone in the lounge off guard.

"W-What?" Kakashi asked, turning to Gai with a wide eye.

"To think young Yuma would be so strong, to even defeat my student! I don't know whether to be upset or impressed! Hahahaha!" Gai exclaimed boisterously, his chest puffed out with his uproarious laughter.

"Gai..."

Gai kept laughing, as Kakashi remained shocked at the mans unending optimism.

"No..You're right. And now you have to pay when we eat out." Kakashi said smugly, the lines beneath his facial mask indicating he was smiling.

"NOOOOOOO! But my wallet!"

The silent Jonin descended into laughter at the two's show.

"Thanks Gai." Kakashi whispered to the tall man clad in green spandex.

"Don't mention it friend."


Smoke filled the area as Yuma coughed, and fell to his hands. Blood pouring from his scalp, and several cuts and bruises, he had no energy left in his limbs.

As the smoke dissipated, the sound of people complaining and coughing filled the arena.

"Any injured people are to be escorted to the medical wing for treatment." A loud voice from above sounded out, making Yuma glare.

'I hate his voice so much.'

With that thought of his, the smoke dissipated, bringing the final eight into the spot light.

"Kiba Inuzuka."

Kiba grinned and flashed his fangs.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke flicked at his broken nose with a small smirk.

"Naruko Namikaze."

Naruko gave a peace sign with a toothy grin.

"Lee."

Lee puffed his chest out with a "Yosh!".

"Shikamaru Nara."

Shikamaru sighed in disinterest.

"Gaara of the Sand."

Gaara was on his knees, clutching his head as anger and mania swirled in his eyes.

"Temari of the Sand."

Temari looked at Gaara with fear and worry.

"And Yuma Ito."

Yuma coughed in pain.

"Congratulations, you all pass." Minato declared, as a group of medical ninja's with a stretcher came into the room.

"Anyone with injuries are to be taken to the Konoha General Hospital. The details of the next test will be given tomorrow in the afternoon at six. Until then, rest."

Yuma tried standing to his feet, only to immediately fall back on his bum. Naruko and Sasuke ran to his side, worried.

"Yuma, what happened to you!?" Naruko asked frantically.

"Yeah, how's your back?" Sasuke asked, noticing it was littered with bruises.

"I don't know, how's your nose?" Yuma asked sarcastically with a pained grin, his bruised and swollen eyes squinting in pain.

"Okay, he's fine." Sasuke joked.

"Sasuke!" Naruko said, smacking the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Be nice to Yuma." Naruko ordered, making Sasuke scowl.

"Miss Naruko, please step aside. We need to take him to the hospital." A medical ninja spoke out loudly, approaching the three Genin with a frown, urgency in his eyes.

"O-Oh, right! Sorry, you must be in pain huh Yuma." Naruko said, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish grin.

"No duh." Yuma deadpanned as his aching body was lifted onto the stretcher.

"We'll come to see you later Yuma!" She yelled, waving goodbye to Yuma as Sasuke shook his head.

"Did you really have to yell you idiot?" Sasuke asked.

"Shut up Duck Butt." Naruko chirped back.

"G...Away..."

A voice from across the room caught everyone's attention.

"Getting away...Mothers food...Is getting away..." Gaara said, his hands trembling as he stood to his feet, a deadly glint in his eyes.

Temari instinctively backed away, fearful of her brothers sudden words.

"Ga-Gaara, calm down, you can st-"

"Did I say you could talk? Shut up."

That comment immediately shut down any attempts to calm him down from Temari.

"That's a bit rude to say, especially to you're own sister."

Those words came from none other than Naruko, who was glaring him down with a passion as the demented boy just stared at her.

"And, while we're talking, I just wanna tell you that Yuma is not food. He is a human being, try to learn the difference." She declared, pointing her finger at him in a exaggerated manner.

"N-Naruko...Don't antagonize the guy..." Kiba spoke up, Akamaru shaking in his jacket with fear.

The air in the room became ice cold, as the two Jinchuriki stared one another down.

Sand began pouring from his gourd and floating at his side. Temari, fearing anything going wrong, immediately tried to talk some sense into the angered Gaara.

"Gaara, please, you can st-!?"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"

Time seemed to freeze, as Gaara turned sharply, hand raised as if he planned to hit her. A manic frenzy of rage dancing in his tired and crazed eyes...

...And to his surprise, his hand remained raised, not making contact with her as Gaara suddenly found himself unable to move.

"What a drag. I didn't wanna get involved, but my mom would kill me if she knew I let a girl get hit without doing anything to stop it." Shikamaru said, his fingers crossed as his shadow connected to Gaara, stopping him in his tracks.

"Stay out of this." Gaara bluntly said, his face blank.

A terrifying change for someone who previously looked as if he were prepared to massacre everyone who got in his way.

"That is quite enough."

With those words, a squad of Anbu appeared in a flash, blades aimed at Gaara.

"Anymore misbehavior and I will eliminate you from these exams permanently, understood?" Minato said, looking down on the group with a stern gaze, ready to move in if anything went awry.

Gaara gritted his teeth, seething rage momentarily flashing over his features, before it quickly dissipated, leaving only the blank expression of a doll.

"Yes. Understood." Gaara relented.

"Good, let him go Shikamaru." Minato ordered.

"Yes Lord Hokage." Shikamaru said, uncrossing his fingers as his shadow shrunk back to his side.

Gaara's hand lowered to his side. He looked up at the Hokage with a venomous glare. Minato merely stared down at the boy indifferently, not affected at all by his visage.

"Lets go Temari." Gaara ordered, turning around and walking out of the arena, his sister following him in a timid manner.

When the door behind him finally closed, everyone let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank Kami he's gone. That guys a creep." Kiba exclaimed, Akamaru barking an agreement.

"You said it not me. Damn, this exam really is a drag." Shikamaru said, putting his hands in his pockets, and looking up at the Hokage.

"Hey, so are we done here? I wanna get home and sleep." Shikamaru asked Minato.

"Of course, you are free to leave." Minato answered, a gentle smile easing everyone's worries.

"Dad...Um, I kind of want to talk about something."

Suddenly an Anbu appeared at his side and whispered something into Minato's ears. His smile vanished, as he looked back down at Naruko.

"Sorry, but I'm busy. We'll talk later Naruko."

And with that, the Hokage disappeared in a golden flash.

Naruko stared at the spot her father had been standing at.

"Figures..." She said, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Well I'd love to stay and bask in this awkward silence, but me and Akamaru have somewhere to be! There's a seat at the Akimichi Diner waiting for us! You guys wanna join?" Kiba asked, folding his arms behind his back, extending an invite to the others.

"Nah. My mom is probably worried sick. If I made her wait any longer after these Exams to see how I'm doing, she would really let me have it. See you guys tomorrow I guess." Shikamaru said, walking out of the building with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, how about you two then?" Kiba asked.

"No thanks. We don't eat with assholes." Naruko said bluntly, muttering lets go to Sasuke, who nodded.

They began to walk out of the arena when he spoke up.

"Ah, I get it, still sour that I mocked your weakling of a team mate right? My bad I guess."

Naruko stopped in her tracks.

"What did you say about Yuma. Could you repeat that." Naruko said threateningly.

"What? It's the truth. And guess what, if me and him have to fight, he's gonna need crutches for a month." Kiba said, his voice dripping with braggadocio and confidence.

"You-!?" Naruko started to walk his way, but was grabbed by the arm by Sasuke. He shook his head at her.

"Sasuke! Let me go, this asshole has it coming." Naruko yelled.

"No! Stop trying to defend Yuma!" Sasuke yelled back.

"Why!? Why shouldn't I defend him!?" Naruko shouted back.

"Because he can take care of himself! Its you treating him like a baby that needs protection that makes him an easy target in the first place!" Sasuke said.

Naruko stopped, her eyes going wide.

"O-Oh..." She said, surprised at his statement.

Sasuke, realizing who he had just yelled at, turned his face away from hers in shame.

"S-Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. But come on, you know if Yuma were here he wouldn't want you coming to his rescue. You know how prideful he is." Sasuke said.

Naruko looked down, embarrassed of herself.

"Yeah. You're right, lets go."

They walked to the door, Naruko walking out ahead of Sasuke. Sasuke was about to leave as well, but what Kiba said next, stopped him in his tracks.

"So now you wanna protect the guy? You and I both know its a little too late for that." Kiba declared, his voice demeaning and mocking.

Sasuke grabbed the doors handle, and opened it up. Before he walked out however, he looked back at Kiba with a bored look on his face.

"Hey, I hope you and Yuma fight each other too." Sasuke said with a lazy tone.

"Why?" Kiba asked with a toothy smirk.

"Isn't it obvious? Watching him kick your ass is gonna be priceless."

And with that, he left the now shocked Kiba all alone, following after Naruko.


Minato walked up the Hokage Tower with urgency very much evident in his stride. He passed his receptionist without even uttering a word, and threw his office doors open.

The window was open, a gentle breeze could be felt in the air.

Gentle, just like the white haired man that stood before him.

"...Its been awhile, Minato." The tall man said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly with a nervous smile.

The man was met with silence, Minato staring at him. Minato's mind raced a mile a minute, as he struggled to conjure up a response.

The silence was short lived however, as Minato finally found his words.

"...That's it?" Minato finally asked his voice barely above a whisper.

The man didn't respond.

"You and Tsunade disappear for who knows how long without a word, and suddenly you reappear, having broken into my office, and all you can say is that?" Minato asked sarcastically, an array of emotions in his tone as his hands shook at his side.

"...I'm sorry. But I had to...When Tsunade left like she did...I...I had to go after her."

Minato stayed silent as the man continued.

"After sensei's passing...I...And Tsunade leaving...I...I just couldn't stay." The man finished, a sorrowful and regretful tone showing his true feelings.

"Without telling us anything? You know I had to tell Naruko you just went away on a journey? You know how that felt? Having to lie to my own daughter? And that's not even mentioning all the trouble that came from you abandoning us and me having to cover it up so you didn't end up a rouge ninja, and that's your excuse!?" Minato squeezed out between clenched teeth.

"...How is Naru-Chan?" The man asked.

Minato's eyes widened with rage. Before he let it overwhelm him though, he clenched his hands, holding back the anger inside him.

And with a whirlwind of complex emotions dancing in both men's eyes...

Minato finally asked...

"Why are you back, Jiraiya?"


A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!