Here are the tributes that I came up with. And it be.

took me forever of who I want them to be.

1: Zaku and Rin, 2: Kisame Hoshigaki and Ami, 3: Hiden and Emi. 4: Nagato and Konan, 5: Rock Lee and Tenten, 6: Udon and Fuka, 7: Kabuto and Azami, 8: Konohamaru and Tayuya, 9: Choji and Moegi, 10: Suigetsu and Karin, 11: Sasuke and Sakura, 12: Naruto and Ino. I made some changes. I did have Inari but I decided to change it to Konohamaru instead since he did follow Naruto around first. And I change Sai to Kisame because I just remembered who Ozzy was on Big Time Rush.

Chapter 4: Training, Day 1

When Naruto woke up in the morning, there was an outfit hanging up on the front of his wardrobe. He took a shower and put it on; tight black trousers, black boots and black shirt, with his District number on the back and on each shoulder. Looking at himself in the mirror, he already knew every tribute in the gymnasium would be dressed identically.

They hadn't been given a time for breakfast, but he was hungry, so he left his room and walked to the dining room. He wasn't disappointed; there were carts by the wall with large plates of food. An Avox stood beside it silently. He let Naruto serve himself and he quickly piled his plate up. Cheese and ham, rolls some stew, and a large mug of chocolate. Ino and Jiraiya arrived a few minutes later but separately. Once they were there Jiraiya began to speak. "Listen to my instructions carefully, little brats. Training is important. Though you know that yourself, try out anything. But there is one very important thing you need to remember. Don't show the other tributes your strengths. I know I already mentioned this, but it's important. No archery, and no weightlifting."

"Got it," Ino replied obediently.

"And, in public you two are to stick together like glue, am I clear? This friendship strategy is something you can use to your advantage, and that's what you'll do. No arguments."

It was a good thing neither Naruto nor Ino had a problem with it.

Naruto stayed in his room until it was time to go down to training. The elevator ride took less than a minute. The gymnasium was below the ground floor, massive and filled with weapon stations and obstacle courses. As Naruto had expected, everyone was dressed identically. And his heart sank when he looked at them all, standing together. Most of the boys and at least half the girls were taller than he was. But underfed. While Naruto was skinny, he was fit, and not terribly malnourished, like some of them were. But still, this wasn't good. They were all a threat. Every single one of them.

"Good morning, tributes," the head trainer called out, immediately capturing their appearance certainly helped him out with that; he had silver hair that spiked up, with a headband over his left eye. In his hand was a Icha Icha book. So strange. But what was new? "My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'm your head trainer. For the next two days, you will be training here in preparation for the Games while the Gamemakes watch-" he pointed to the raised platform at the end of the gymnasium. "-and then on the third day, the private sessions will take place. During your training as a partner; we have assistants who can help you with that."

He produced a piece of paper and cleared his throat, just to be sure everyone was still listening. "The available training stations are… archery, edible plants, knot tying, sword combat…" the list went on and when he finished he looked at all of them slowly. "Listen carefully. In a mere few weeks, twenty three of you will be dead and one will be our victor. You have two days to ensure that there is a better chance the victor will be you. Don't overlook the survival stations! Plenty of you will be killed by other tributes, but there are also those who will die because they eat an inedible plant, or unable to find water or keep themselves warm at night. Never overlook anything."

And with that, he left them to it. Naruto turned to Ino. "What do you want to do first?"

"Um…" Ino glanced around thoughtfully, Naruto following her gaze. He was the Careers immediately at the weapon stations, handling the heaviest with ease and deadly precision. Just a little worrying. "Maybe, the knots?"

"Works for me," Naruto replied with a shrug.

The trainer at the knot tying was delighted to have them. Clearly his station wasn't the most popular. He showed Ino some basic knots, and when he learned Naruto already knew quite a few and could use basic animal snares, he showed them both a simple snare trap that could leave a human trapped who stepped into it dangling from a tree by their leg. They practiced it for a while until they'd both mastered it. Um, so what happens if you get caught in one?" Ino asked.

The trainer gave a chuckle. "Hope you'll have a knife if it happens, because cutting it is the only way out. Be prepared to land on your head."

They went to work on the climbing course next. It stretched up, ropes and various other things to climb up, until it reached the ceiling and stretched across for a while like a long rope net. Naruto hopped up without difficulty, climbing it with ease and sitting at the top for a moment or two.

He couldn't help watching the Careers with worried eyes. Ami stood at the knife targets, throwing each one only a second apart, her teeth gritted in determination. She never missed, not even once. Then he saw Hiden, practically slicing a dummy in half with a sword, smiling coldly. All eight of them were formidable enemies.

Naruto looked down to see Ino struggling to climb up to him. The ropes swung as she climbed, and she couldn't keep her feet up. "Come on, you can do it, Ino," Naruto said encouragingly, looking up to see a few of the Careers watching her, laughing or smirking.

But Ino squelched in fright as she slipped completely off the rope, falling onto the floor with a loud thump and a grunt of pain. And several of the Careers burst into laughter at the sad cases from District 12. Naruto quickly climbed down and bent down beside her, helping her up. "You ok?"

Ino nodded, winching a little as she stood up. "I haven't much breath left and I sting a little...but I'll recover."

Naruto nodded in relief. Then he looked over at the Careers hating them with all he could.

"That rope course is harder than it looks," Ino was sighing, face scrunched up a little in pain.

"Let's go over to the knives," Naruto said suddenly.

"What? But Jiraiya said-"

"To stay away from what we're good at, I know. But right now those bitches are looking at us like we're chunks of meat. Let's go throw some knives."

Ino stared at him doubtfully for another second. Then she nodded with a smile. "Ok. Let's do it."

Leaving the climbing course, they walked over together to the now empty knife station. Naruto glanced down briefly at the selection before picking one up that he liked. He ran the tip of his finger over the blade, smiling and looking at the dummies lined up with targets drawn on them. "You ready?"

Ino, who held another knife in her own hand, grinned at him. "Ready."

Naruto could feel the eyes of the Careers on his back as he raised his hand preparing to throw. "One, two…"

"Three!" Naruto's arm snapped forward the same time Ino's did, and both knives shot towards the dummies. Naruto's blade stuck in the bullseye of the face, while Ino's struck its chest, just slightly off the center. The knives both quivered but stayed in place. When Naruto glanced over his shoulder he was happy to see that the Careers weren't smirking anymore. Most of them, anyway. Zaku gave a little smile and commented, "Not bad." Rin was staring at him with what looked like curiosity in her eyes, and Ami didn't look happy at all. Then Hiden was just glaring, totally mutinous. Naruto quickly looked away from him. That stare made him uncomfortable.

They practiced throwing knives for another short while, and then it was time for lunch. They ate in a dining room next to the gymnasium. There were carts laden with food along the walls, and you walked along to serve yourself before sitting down at a table. A lot of tributes sat alone, lost in their own thoughts. The Careers all sat together at one table, talking in loud voices and laughing, occasionally giving the other tributes disdained glances, as if to show they were above everybody else.

Naruto and Ino had no trouble sitting together; they ate and talked quietly amongst themselves. Ino showed Naruto the different rolls of bread from the different Districts, able to identify each one. "See? This crescent one is from District 11, and this greenish one is from 4."

Naruto nodded, smiling. "You know a lot about bread, don't you?"

"I don't know much else," Ino replied with a shrug.

Then suddenly two shadows fell over their table. Naruto glanced up and saw Sasuke and that girl-oh, what was her name? He'd forgotten-standing above them, holding plates of food and looking uncomfortable. "Um, every other table is full," Sasuke began. "You don't mind, do you?"

Naruto glanced at Ino, and when she didn't object he smiled up at them and said, "Sit down."

They both smiled in relief and sat down at the table. "So," Sakura began. "Are we going to converse or just ignore each other?"

"Converse, I guess?" Ino replied with uncertainty, making it sound like a question.

But then the table fell silent, except for the sound of them eating. Nobody really knew what to say. But it was alright that way.

"They're looking at us," Sakura said suddenly. "Them, over there. The higher districts."

And sure enough, they were. Some were smirking, others were scowling. "Can't they just ignore us?" Naruto sighed. "It's not as though we're a massive threat to them."

"Not yet."

The other three sitting at the table turned to look at Ino, but she just shrugged and went back to eating. They ate again in silence, all thinking to themselves. Or so Naruto thought. But when he looked up from his plate of food he caught Sasuke staring right at him with his warm black eyes. Immediately Sasuke looked away again, a blush coloring his cheeks. "Looking for something?" Naruto enquired in a low voice.

"N-no, I just, I was just thinking about…" Sasuke gave a small smile. "Nothing, never mind." He went back to eating, a slightly dreamy smile on his face.

Naruto rolled his eyes, a little annoyed. He wondered if Sasuke had been thinking about what Naruto had told him last night. It bothered him. He didn't like people thinking he was vulnerable, or weak. It made him feel..exposed, and he didn't like it. When lunch ended and they all split up again, he was relieved.

While Naruto and Ino practiced throwing spears (while they weren't bad at it, even if neither of them could throw very far.), Ino turned to Naruto and said. "Don't look now, but we have a little shadow."

Naruto of course, did look. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Konohamaru, standing a little bit away and watching them with an innocent gaze. Naruto turned away again, biting his lip. "He shouldn't be here, Ino."

"None of us should, Naru," Ino replied quietly, before filing another spear at the dummies.

"Can you deliver these down to Greasy Sae's place, love?" Tsume Inuzuka asked her son as she handed him the package of washed and dried clothes. "I'll have the dinner ready when you come back ok?"

Kiba did as she asked and left the house, walking along the Seam towards the home of Greasy Sae, the woman who sold soup in the Hob. He and Naruto often gave her meat and herbs to add to her pot. They were friends in a way. Kiba delivered the clothes, and was walking back home when his mind wandered to the Capitol. What was Naruto doing right now? Was he thinking about him? Probably not.

Kiba was thirteen when he met Naruto. He could remember it perfectly. It was in the spring, when the snow had melted and he could go and hint in the woods again. He had gone with his father a few times before, but when he died he had to go alone. His mother ran a small laundry business but it was never enough. That was how they met. Providing for their families.

Kiba stepped quietly over the broken twigs and fallen leaves, all his hunter senses on alert. Even when he wasn't looking for anything to catch, he preferred to stay silent. He was going to check on one of his snares. He knew it was around here somewhere. He was just stepping over a large branch when he heard the crack of a twig breaking under someone's foot, and he stopped. There was definitely somebody else lurking about. He immediately picked up the pace, and found himself peering out from behind some bushes.

There he was. Standing there, barely four feet tall, blonde hair sticking out from under a baggy beanie hat. He was wearing a massive orange leather hunting jacket that came halfway down his thighs, much too big for him. He was also wearing black pants and boots. He held a bow in one hand with a quiver of arrows strapped over his back. His other small and tan hand was delicately brushing over the knot in the snare that held the rabbit in place hanging from the air.

"Stealing is punishable by death, you know," Kiba commented as a way of revealing himself, standing up straight.

The smaller boy jumped backwards in fright, stumbling a little and starting up at him. He had such bright blue eyes, and Kiba couldn't stop gazing at them. He looked slightly familiar, but Kiba couldn't place him anywhere. Then he spoke. His voice was small and sweet, a little like music, but somehow the tone was almost fearless as he replied, "I wasn't trying to steal it."

"Oh, sure." Kiba chuckled walking towards him. "You're fooling no one little blondie."

"I'm telling the truth!" the stranger said defiantly his voice getting just a little higher as his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I was just looking at the snare! I tried making some, but they never catch anything."

"Oh, is that so?" Kiba raised his eyebrows and moved to stand next to the little blonde. "That's a nice bow you've got there. Where did you get it?"

"My father made it."

"Is that how you catch things, since apparently your snares are useless?"

The boy nodded, a trace of smile on his face for the first time. He was clearly proud. And if a little kid like this was proud like this was actually smiling, it had to be something interesting.

"Show me," Kiba requested, watching him carefully.

The boy looked up at him slightly puzzled. Then he shrugged and pulled an arrow out of his quiver putting it in place and raising the bow. "What'll I hit?"

Kiba looked around, biting his lip. "Um…" then he spotted, a good bit away, a bird sitting on a branch. "What about that?" he whispered, pointing. "Can you get that?" It was a tough shot, with several leaves and little branches obscuring the view.

But the blonde just raised the bow and held it up, ready to fire. Kiba saw his lips part as he exhaled once, slowly. Then he let go, and the arrow shot through the air, so quickly Kiba didn't even see it until the little bird landed on the forest floor with a soft thump, the tip of the arrow lodged in its skull. The boy smiled, pleased with himself. He had a cute little dimple in his left cheek. A nice smile.

"That's impressive," Kiba commented, turning to look down at him.

"It's not that good," he replied, back to his nonchalant self. "My father could shoot them right in the eye, without piercing the skin. I've been practicing with the techniques he taught me and I nearly got it that time. But I didn't."

"Even so," Kiba added quickly, for some reason eager to get rid of the edge of disappointment in the boy's voice. "I doubt I could get that bird at all, let alone right in the head. How old are you?"

"Just eleven."

"Hmm.-" Kiba smiled thoughtfully. "That's interesting" He paused looking at his snare for a moment, before turning to look at the little blonde. "Alright, blondie. What do you say about making a deal?"

"What kind?"

"I'll teach you how to make good snares that always get something, if you can teach me how to shoot like that. We can help each other out."

The little kid looked thoughtful for a moment or two, biting his bottom lip with little white teeth. Then he gave a little smile. "Ok,"

"Great!" Kiba held out his hand, and they shook once before letting go immediately. Glancing up at the sky, he saw murky grey clouds overhead and sighed. "We can start tomorrow, I suppose. It's going to rain heavily by the looks of it."

The boy shrugged. "Alright. Will we meet here tomorrow then?"

"At noon." Kiba smiled as he detached the dead rabbit from the snare and stuffed it into his forage bag. "That is, if you can find your way back here."

"Of course I can!" the boy snapped indignantly. "I know my way around, I'm not a baby!"

"Oh I'm just messing with you!" Kiba laughed. "Relax. Hey, I never got your name! Mine's Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka. Thirteen, if you were going to ask."

"I wasn't. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

Kiba's breath caught in his throat, because now he remembered who the little boy was. Shino Uzumaki's little brother. He didn't know Shino much at all, but they'd both been in the Justice Building on the same day, to collect medals for their fathers were killed in the accident. Shino had walked with a limp- his leg all bandaged up, Kiba remembered before taking the little blonde by the hand and leading him home, a dazed looking mother following with their little sister. It had only been a couple of months back. He remembered it perfectly. "Alright, Naruto. Tomorrow it is."

They were both going the same way to get back under the fence, but they didn't speak until Naruto looked up and gave a little dreamy smile. "Look, a mockingjay."

Kiba looked up and saw one of the funny birds perched on a branch. "Yeah. There's another one over there." he knew what mockingjays could do, of course, but he'd never cared much. They were just birds who whistled what they heard, to him."

"My father loved mockingjays," Naruto sighed wistfully. Then he smiled. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Ok, sure."

Naruto was silent for a second, then he opened his mouth and started to sing, catching Kiba off guard. His voice was beautiful. He was sure the entire woods had fallen silent just to listen. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow…"

Kiba's face broke into a smile as the mockingjays started to whistle Naruto's little song back to them, their eerie little chirps echoing around through the trees, singing at different times. "Wow."

Kiba wasn't sure when exactly he and Naruto had become friends, and then best friends. It just happend. They did teach each other how to shoot and make snares, and they talked and laughed as they did. They could be themselves around each other. They could tell each other anything. They had been through so much together. And Kiba's face blushed scarlet and his heart hammered in his chest when he thought of some of it. But that was in the past now. Probably no going back to that, even if Naruto did survive. Too bad, really. He'd enjoyed it. He enjoyed every moment with Naruto.

"Going home for dinner?"

Kiba had barley realized he was near the Uzumaki's house. He suddenly figured out that he'd been walking there without realizing it, just subconsciously. Shino was speaking to him, standing a little way down the path, without his cane.

"Yes," Kiba replied. "I don't know why I came here."

Shino shrugged. "Habits. We all have them."

There was silence for a moment or two. Then Kiba spoke up. "Would you like to come eat with us? There'll be enough and I know you can't really stand being there…"

"That's nice of you," Shino replied with a smile. "I'll come."

"Are you going to let your mother know?"

"She'll figure it out. I haven't eaten dinner with them for awhile now."

They had only walked down the road a few steps when Kiba stopped. Listening to Shino's uneven footsteps made him wonder. "Why don't you use your cane outside the house?"

Shino stopped too, looking shy and sullen. "It makes me feel like...like I'm vulnerable, like everybody thinks I'm a weakling."

"I don't think you are."

"Thank you," Shino said with a grin, blushing slightly.

Kiba sighed, smiling back. "I'll wait here. Go get your cane. You know you can manage better with it."

It was a moment or two before Shino replied. "Ok. whatever you say."

Hope you like the story

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto if I would, Naruto and Sasuke would end up together.

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