Kotetsu bent to drink from a water fountain in a hall and sighed. "Why did she even bother coming? If she came just to poke fun of me, she does that enough already." He leaned in to drink again, and a finger slid up his back and sent a shudder through him. He jumped back with a sputter as the water splashed his face, and he blushed.

"K-Kiri?! Cut that out!"

She laughed, putting her hands on her hips as she leaned forward slightly. "Aw, but it's funny to see you get all worked up."

"I-Idiot!" He wiped the water from his face and crossed his arms. "We're not kids anymore."

"Huh?" Kiri pretended to frown and then prodded his chest. "So? Why does getting older mean that we have to stop having fun?"

"At least show a little restraint around the examinees." He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I'm supposed to be an official that's helping out with the exams. I can't look like an idiot in front of them."

"Psh." She waved her hand. "You don't look like an idiot."

"H-Huh? I..." He scratched his head. "...Thanks, I guess."

"You look like an adorable idiot." Kiri grinned and threw her arm over his shoulder and pinched his cheek with her other hand. "There's a big difference."

"Oh boy." He rolled his eyes. "Do tell."

"See, an idiot is just an idiot, and is someone you feel bad for. But an adorable idiot is someone who is endearing and lovable." She grinned and patted his flushing cheek with her hand. "Which is you." She poked his cheek. "Look at you, with your cute, little, squishy, adorable, idiotic cheeks."

His blush spread to his ears and neck. "U-Uh..."

"Hey, Kotetsu..." Kiri's voice dropped to a sultry whisper and she leaned in close until their lips nearly touched. His face blushed a deep red and he yelped quietly. "While I'm here..."

"K-K-Kiri! W-What are you—?!"

"I wonder... what kind of face you'd make...if I did this?"

He squirmed as she slid her hands up his chest and traced the outline of his mouth with the tip of her index. Then, she flashed a grin and pinched the bandage across the nose between her thumb and forefinger, and began to lift it from his skin.

"You still love to tease him as much as ever."

Kiri jumped back and narrowed her eyes at Hayate, who approached.

"I'm saved..." Kotetsu let out a heavy breath, then patted the bandage to be sure it was still in place.

"Hayate, I almost had it that time!" Kiri huffed, crossing her arms as she tapped her foot on the ground.

"Sorry." Hayate coughed and then put his hands into his pockets. "I wouldn't have stepped in, but Kotetsu looked like he was going to have a heart attack."

"And for good reason!" Kotetsu frowned at Kiri, pointing at her. "Stop doing stuff like that!" He turned to the proctor, also pointing at him. "And you! We're not kids anymore! You don't need to help her harass me!"

"Is it really harassment if you enjoy it?" Hayate muttered and coughed, and Kotetsu blushed and his mouth gaped slightly.

"W-What'd you say?!"

"Nothing." Hayate smirked slightly and looked at Kiri. "So, you came to watch the matches?"

"Yup!" She grinned and rested her elbow on his shoulder. "It's been a while since we last saw each other." She lowered her voice to a whisper, then held up her hand to block her mouth. "How are you and you know who doing?"

"We're doing well." He smiled.

"Man, it's been so long since we've all hung out. We should do Karaoke again sometime."

"You can keep trying, but you're never going to get me to sing." Hayate waved his hand. "Besides, between you and Aito, there's never an opportunity for anyone else to get the microphone."

"Hmph." Kiri sighed. "You've got a point."

"What are you two whispering about?" Kotetsu crossed his arms. "You're awfully chummy."

"Is that jealousy?" Hayate looked at him, and Kiri wiggled her brows.

"No." Kotetsu puffed his cheeks slightly, and then scratched his head and paused.

"Anyway..." Kiri looked at Hayate. "What's with the intermission? We didn't have one when I took the exams."

"We had to clean up the blood." Hayate answered.

"Right, right." Kiri nodded. "Well, since we've got time to kill, how about a game?" She pointed a thumb at Kotetsu. "He's got a deck of cards."

Kotetsu blinked. "Wait, how did you know?"

"You always carry around one." Hayate coughed. "I think there's time for one round of poker."

"Did someone say poker?" Several Chunin rounded the corner and Kiri broke into a grin.

"Alright boys, prepare to lose!"

"Shikamaru, Ino, look what I found!" Choji returned to the pair, holding his jacket awkwardly as it bulged. He looked around the lounge area, then opened his jacket with a grin to reveal his haul— several bags of chips, jerky, and cookies.

"Woah, where'd you manage to find all that?" Shikamaru cracked open one eye from where he sat on a bench and leaned back against the wall.

"There were some vending machines in a staff room." Choji sat beside his friend and held out a bag of chips. "The Proctors were too busy losing at a card game to even notice me."

"Nice job, Choji." Shikamaru took the bag from him, and they each opened a bag at the same time and started to snack.

"I can't believe you guys are eating right now." Ino shook her head. "What if you get called up to fight next? You'll feel sick if your stomachs are full."

"Ino, they had your favorite." Choji out a bag to her, and she blinked and took it from him.

"T-Tomato Basil chips? But these are so hard to find..." She looked at him. "You got these just for me?"

"Of course." Choji nodded as he stuffed his face. "One of the Chunin must really like them because there were a bunch of them."

"So that's why the shops are always out of stock!" Ino frowned, and then quickly opened the bag to pop a chip into her mouth as she angrily muttered. "Stupid greedy Chunin jerks." She finished the bag in only a few moments, then balled it up and dropped it into a trashcan. She sighed and looked at her teammates. "So, what do we do until we're supposed to go back?"

"Well, what you do doesn't particularly matter to me." Shikamaru yawned, then lounged on the bench with his resting on its arm, his own arm draped over his face. "Don't wake me up until the last minute."

"You're just going to take a nap?!" Ino's eyes widened.

"Shh, you're being too loud."

Ino puffed her cheeks, stomping her foot as she looked at Choji. "What about you? What are you going to do while we wait?"

Choji looked at the chip in his hand, then at the rest of the bags he held, and then popped the chip into his mouth. "I'm already doing it."

"Of course you are." Ino touched her forehead, muttering as she shook her head slowly. She sat beside Choji, nudging Shikamaru's feet out of the way, and then rested her head against Choji's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Fine. I guess a little rest won't hurt."

Akamaru and Kiba stretched in the sunlight, then Kiba sat heavily down beneath a tree as Akamaru became distracted with chasing a squirrel around a tree.

"Man, it's good to be outside again." Kiba lowered his hood and scratched his head. "It's too stuffy and tense in there with those guys in the same room."

Shino stood with one hand in his pocket and the other held up to look at the group of insects resting on his index. They seemed to look at him as if communicating silently and then flew off in different directions. He turned to his teammate and put his other hand in his pocket.

"You should spend this time wisely to consider how to best win your own match."

"Tch." Kiba scowled slightly and turned his face away. "As if I need you to lecture me. Akamaru and I are gonna win easy, right bud?"

Akamaru barked up at the squirrel, then whined when it threw an acorn at his head.

"It seems that he can't even defeat a small rodent." Shino glanced at Kiba, who clenched his teeth.

"Damn this guy, always looking down at us." Kiba narrowed his eyes slightly as Shino held out a finger for an insect to land on it, and Akamaru climbed onto his lap. He petted his head and smirked faintly. "Yeah, we'll show him."

"I think you'll do well, Kiba." Hinata said quietly, then sat in a squat beside them. Akamaru barked at her softly and she giggled and patted his head. "And you, too, Akamaru."

"Of course we will." Kiba grinned, and then looked back at Shino, who continued to silently address his Kikaichu that came and went from his finger perch. "And what are you doing over there?"

"My insects are observing the other examinees. The more I know about them, the better I can anticipate who will be moving forward to the third stage." Shino paused and looked away from the insect to them. "Not only that but the more information we have on the other examinees, the better chances you will have in your own matches."

"Hmph. I don't need your help." Kiba grumbled, and Hinata looked down quietly. "Huh? What's the matter, Hinata?"

Akamaru rubbed his head against her hand and Shino stepped closer.

"Are you worried about your match?"

Hinata nodded slightly. "I know it isn't anything too difficult for you, but there are many strong opponents left. I don't know what I'll do if I get paired with them."

"Aw, Hinata, don't worry!" Kiba smiled at her and patted her head. "You've got to have more confidence in yourself. You're a hard worker."

"B-But..." Her cheeks warmed slightly at the praise and turned away. "I don't know if I can win like you two can."

"It's as Kiba said; you've been diligently training and are stronger than you recognize." Shino met her eyes from behind the dark lenses of his glasses. "Just as you have faith in us, we also have faith in you."

"Kiba... Shino..." Hinata smiled faintly and looked between them. "T-Thank you! I'll do my best."

"'Course you will!" Kiba grinned and Akamaru yapped in agreement. "We're the strongest of the Rookies, so our success is guaranteed." He laughed, and then the sound stopped abruptly as his expression turned serious. He leaned closer and put his hand on his shoulder. "But, really, if you get paired with those sand guys, forfeit right away. It's better to quit instead of..." He trailed off, then shuddered, and gripped her shoulder slightly. "Just trust me, okay? Forfeit right away if any of them are your opponents. Anyone else, you're sure to beat."

"A-Alright."

"Are you going this way, too?" Kurenai glanced over at Asuma as they walked, and the man shifted the unlit cigarette between his teeth and nodded.

"Might as well, if we have time to kill."

They walked side-by-side for a moment before she looked back at him.

"I was surprised that I wasn't the only one to recommend my students for the Exams, despite them being rookies. Your students must be exceptional."

"Each in their own way." Asuma replied, and then they stepped into the lounge.

The room itself was fairly loud, as the group of Chunin were playing cards and loudly— but playfully— arguing amongst themselves. He approached a vending machine and selected drinks, then held one out to Kurenai.

"Oh, thanks." She took it and sipped it, then sat beside him on the sofa against the wall. "So, tell me about your students."

Asuma chuckled and raised his brow. "You wouldn't be trying to get me to reveal a weakness from them in order to benefit your own kids, would you?"

Kurenai shook her head and took a drink. "Of course not. This battle is my students' hurdle to face on their own. I'm only curious as a colleague and friend."

"Hm." Asuma nodded to himself. "Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji; their teamwork is exceptional, although that doesn't matter in one-on-one fights like this."

"They're the sixteenth generation of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho generation, correct?"

"That's right." Asuma smiled and nodded. "In a way, I almost feel pressured to train them up right so they can carry on the mantle of their fathers."

"If teamwork is their specialty, how do you think they will handle these matches?"

"If we're talking about Shikamaru, there's not a doubt in my mind that he'll be promoted to Chunin."

"I take it that he has the same sharp mind as his father, Shikaku, then?"

"You could say that." Asuma took a long drink. "Though, I think someday he's sure to surpass him."

"Impressive." Kurenai took another sip. "And the other two?"

Asuma paused, then let out a quiet sigh. "Choji's a kind boy— too kind, depending on who you ask. Some would agree that he doesn't have the mental fortitude for Ninja work, but I see beneath. He's stronger and more courageous than he gives himself credit for, and he's got a lot of potential. Not only that, but his bond with his teammates is strong, which means that they all support each other to fill in the gaps where the others are lacking."

"And Ino?" Kurenai watched his expression shift slightly. "What about her?"

"She's got confidence, that's for sure, and plenty of potential. The only thing is, she spends a great deal of her time thinking about her crush instead of putting more effort into training. It's something that's been slowly correcting over time, but for now, I think it might hold her back."

"Infatuation is something that's bound to happen at that age." Kurenai smiled to herself and looked down at the can in her hand. "I wasn't too different from her when I was younger."

"You were?" Asuma looked up to think for a moment. "I don't remember that at all."

"Well, I doubt you would have noticed. You were always busy, whether it was with the Academy, training with your brother, or spending time with Lord Third."

Asuma paused and he frowned slightly at the old memory, then he sighed. "It's been a long time since I've thought of Seisui, but it still feels like it was only yesterday when he died."

"I remember how close you were. A lot of things changed after that."

"They did." Asuma nodded to himself again, speaking under his breath. After a pause, he turned his attention back to her. "What about your students? I can see why you recommend that Aburame boy for the exams, but what about the other two? You must have trained them all well."

"To be honest, it's been a challenge to train them." Kurenai admitted. "To start, they each come from established clans with their own techniques, so that makes it difficult for me to be able to teach them much. The Aburame's specialty is very different from my own, and Shino is an incredible prodigy of his clan. He's highly intelligent, strategic, and he's not the type to hesitate or hold back."

"He's certainly formidable, I'll give him that." Asuma finished his drink and set it down. "There's no question about his skill, but what about his teamwork?"

"They all get along well enough." Kurenai nodded. "But in a fight, their skills are all better suited individually than in coordination. Unlike your students who come from clans that have always been close, trying to bring an Aburame, an Inuzuka, and a Hyuga together has been a challenge." She set down her drink. "That being said, they've come a long way from when Team Eight first formed, and I'm very proud of them."

"I see how that could be tough." Asuma scratched his chin and leaned back to rest his arm on the back of the sofa. "Still, I'm sure they're good students."

"They have very different personalities, but they're hard workers. Kiba has his mother Tsume's attitude and he isn't one to sit still, but he takes training seriously."

"I heard a rumor." Asuma lowered his voice slightly. "That the heiress of the Hyuga was rejected by her father and her younger sister was appointed instead. Is it true?"

Kurenai looked down, quiet for a while before looking back at him with a nod.

"I see." Asuma let out a breath. "I don't know about the internal politics of that clan, but I imagine it's been hard on her."

"It has. When she was first assigned to me, she was so full of self-doubt that she could hardly speak loudly enough for the rest of the team to hear. She's still very quiet, but Kiba and Shino have really bonded with her like brothers and they've been important in helping her find her confidence."

"But you still look concerned." Asuma sat up to rest his arms on his knees.

"She's more capable than she believes, but I'm not sure how she'll do in a match." Kurenai sighed. "Admittedly, I think I've also been spoiling her a bit because I know what a terrible dynamic she has in her own family. It reminds me a little of..." She trailed off and sighed. "I worry I may not have prepared her enough for this."

"No one could fault you for that." Asuma chuckled. "I admit that I've also been spoiling Choji a bit. I'm sure our kids will pull through and really impress us, though. Don't worry." He sat up straighter. "But this is also a good opportunity to assess their weak points and move forward with training to correct it."

"Good point." Kurenai nodded, then froze slightly as an insect buzzed and flew off the arm of the sofa and through the air vent on the wall, then she shuddered slightly. Asuma watched her from the corner of his eyes with a chuckle.

"I see your fear of bugs from when we were kids hasn't gone away."

Kurenai sighed deeply and leaned back, rubbing her temple. "...I've been having to get used to it."

"As my father said when I was first assigned to Team Ten, our students have as much to learn from us as we from them."

"I don't see why they had to call for an intermission. They really are soft in the Leaf." Temari frowned and sat heavily down on a bench, crossing both her legs and her arms.

"Don't be too impatient, Temari." Baki watched the blonde roll her eyes. "The Leaf has its own toughness that shouldn't be underestimated. You would do well to remember that."

"So far, I'm not impressed."

Baki watched Gaara carefully, who kept his eyes looking out of the wide window to gaze into the forest beyond. "At least he's calmed down a bit and isn't so riled or hungry for a fight." He turned toward Kankuro, who slowly paced the room with his arms crossed, muttering to himself under his breath. "But this time, it's Kankuro that's worked up."

"Would you stop that already?" Temari shot a look toward her brother. "Stop acting so anxious; your match is already over."

"Anxious?" Kankuro stopped moving, then shot a look at her. "I'm not."

"If this is how you're going to be, I don't think you're able to do this extra mission after all." Temari shook her head and looked to the nearby Jonin. "We might as well drop his intel gathering as an option. I'd be better at it than him if he's going to get so worked up about it."

"What?!" Kankuro clenched his fist. "You completely lack any sort of finesse. If you approached her, you'd just intimidate her."

"What'd you say?!" Temari narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. "Speak for yourself! Besides, there's a natural comradery that we females have."

"Said by the one who is hardly even feminine." Kankuro put his hand on his hip and Temari rose to her feet quickly to grip the weapon beside her.

"You wanna say that again?!" Temari stepped closer and they glared at each other until Baki growled.

"Temari, Kankuro, that's enough."

With a simultaneous hot breath, they turned away from each other, and Baki looked between them.

"While I agree that Kankuro is too worked up, it's more logical to have him do this if she's interested in him."

"Hmph." Kankuro crossed his arms and muttered. "Not sure I really like the implication that there's nothing to like about me, but..."

"However, Temari also has a point. If Kankuro's unable to make any progress, then it'd be best to take a different approach."

"W-Wait, really?" Temari blinked and looked at him. "I wasn't really serious when I suggested it because I wasn't in support of this, but I don't think I have a choice anymore."

"Of course." Baki nodded and turned back to Kankuro. "There's still plenty of time before we regroup. See what headway you can make with that girl."

"N-Now?" Kankuro grumbled, and then let out a breath. "Fine. Just don't expect anything useful to happen so fast... I'm not even sure where she is."

"I'm sure she's not going to be hard to find, with hair like that." Temari retorted.

"Thanks for the help." Kankuro muttered and put his hands in his pockets, then walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Temari put her hand on her hip and looked at her sensei from the corner of her eye.

"You think he can actually get useful information out of her?"

"Whether you think so or not, they have an interest in each other, and she'll let down her guard soon enough. She's young, and a girl, after all. They're easily manipulated."

"Hmph." Temari furrowed her brows and gripped her fan tightly. "I hate it when he says derogatory stuff like that."

She turned and started to walk away, and Baki furrowed his brows at her.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk." Temari waved her hand and answered without looking at him. "I'm not going to just stand around and do nothing."

"Stupid Ino-Pig... I'll show her!" Sakura stomped down the hall, grunting and exhaling hot breaths. "If she thinks she can get under my skin, she's dead wrong!" She stopped suddenly before rounding the corner, then peered out slightly to listen in to a pair of familiar voices.

Hasu turned to Natsumi, who stood waiting outside of the boy's bathroom for her brother, and then stood beside her.

"Have you enjoyed the matches so far?" She turned to him. "Was it what you were expecting?"

"it's difficult to say." He looked up slightly. "They have allowed me to see a variety of Shinobi abilities for myself that I have only read of, though I suppose I must admit that I did not expect them to be so..."

"Graphic?"

"Precisely." He nodded. "What sort of fight was the first you witnessed?"

"Well, in the Academy, the teachers started out by teaching us basic Taijutsu forms and how to handle Kunai and Shuriken. It wasn't until we got the first forms down that they did a demonstration for us."

"Your instructors did?"

Natsumi nodded, then stifled a laugh and spoke quietly. "Hidemi-sensei completely wiped the floor with Iruka-sensei, but I guess that makes sense, considering she used to be a member of the ANBU." She rubbed her head. "She wasn't a sour winner about it, though, and Iruka-sensei wasn't a sore loser. But that match did get the attention of the kids in our classes that slacked off or weren't interested in fighting." The corner of her lips turned up in a faint smile, and then she looked down, tapping her feet softly on the floor. "Even for a pathetic kid like me, who hated any sort of violence, was amazed by the speed, strength, grace, and fluidity of their match. It wasn't even really that impressive of a fight, but I was so mesmerized by it anyway."

"I see. What was your first time witnessing a real fight? One where there was danger involved."

Natsumi's tapping stopped and she bit her lip slightly. "When Naruto and I were younger— about three years ago, I guess— there were these bullies who said that we could play with them and be their friends if we did something that impressed them."

Hasu frowned. "I do not think I like where this story is heading."

"Well, they were really cruel, of course." Natsumi rolled the hem of her sleeve between her thumb and forefinger absentmindedly. "They told us that the condition of being allowed to become their friends was that we had to go to this place where there had been a battle, and to find a corpse and bring back some of the belongings."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and her expression fell as she listened. "I think I remember that day... Naruto skipped class and I think Iruka-sensei caused a big commotion. I didn't know what it was about then, though..." She looked down. "Even if Naruto's kind of an idiot sometimes, or even a little annoying, that's just going too far."

"What?" Hasu blinked. "What kind of a child would say such a thing...?"

Natsumi lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. "Anyway, Naruto and I were so desperate to have friends that we would have done just about anything. I didn't really want to go anywhere near a corpse or battlefield at all, but if bringing back a few Kunai or tattered pieces of fabric made us not be alone anymore... it seemed like a good trade-off."

"You went along with it?" Hasu asked quietly.

"It was really, really stupid of us, but it was an area where we played a lot, just the two of us. We knew the woods there well. Where all the animal dens were, where the hunter's traps and stuff were... and where to find the tastiest wild berries." She smiled faintly. "We had a lot of fun in those hills, me and Naruto. When we were there, it almost made us forget that we weren't alone."

"What happened then?"

"Iruka sensei showed up and tried to make us go back to the Academy. I was scared when he said that there were still enemies suspected to be there, so I tried to convince Naruto to head back, but he was set on proving ourselves to those guys."

Hasu's mouth twitched in a smile. "But you did not return with him."

"Nope!" Natsumi covered her mouth to muffle a laugh. "Naruto used his Sexy Jutsu to knock out Iruka-sensei temporarily from shock, and we made a getaway."

"S-Sexy... Jutsu?" Hasu's face warmed. "W-What sort of technique is that?"

"One that I won't ever let you see." Natsumi laughed, waving her hand, and then her voice softened. "After we ran off, we ended up finding the battlefield. There was blood splattered everywhere, trees slashed or knocked down, and weapons left everywhere. There were bodies, too." She looked down again. "I cried and didn't want to get close, but Naruto went ahead to look for things we could take back. It was my first time seeing death, and I was so afraid that I couldn't even do anything but cry."

"You were young. No one could blame you."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But there have been Shinobi younger than I was who had been in war. Compared to that, I was being pretty stupid." She paused. "We started to search all over for something to bring back... well, it was really Naruto, with me following him around and trying to cover my eyes as we went. But a long time passed and we still hadn't found anything. We had missed breakfast and were hungry at that point and Naruto tried to find us something to eat."

"Forests do have an abundance of edible food."

She nodded. "Naruto climbed up this tree to gather some bird's eggs. Normally we tried to make a small fire and cook them on a rock, but they were good to eat raw, too, by poking a hole in them and sucking out the yolks. In that nest, though, Naruto found a strangely-shaped kunai hidden under the bottom with a message tied around the handle."

"A message?"

"Not that we even realized it at the time. We were just excited to have found something interesting to bring back. As it turned out, the enemies were still in that area, and they wanted that message. As we ran back, some Ninja attacked us to get the Kunai." She hugged her arms close. "They pointed their swords right us, and they didn't care that we were kids..." Her voice fell to a whisper. "I was so afraid... but Naruto grabbed my hand and ran. We used our knowledge of those woods to save us, leading them right into traps. Just when we thought we were safe; we went tumbling over a cliff."

Hasu's eyes widened but remained quiet as Natsumi sighed.

"Naruto grabbed onto me so I didn't get hurt, but he was bruised really badly and he hit his head. I didn't know what to do, so I screamed until Iruka-sensei found us. Naruto was alright, but it was still scary. That was when the Ninja came back, too." She let out a breath and then laughed sheepishly. "After that, I don't really remember too much. Some details are still very clear— like the smell of the bodies and the blood everywhere... but other parts like Naruto losing consciousness and Iruka-sensei trying to get us out of there, it's fuzzy." She rubbed her head. "I do remember Iruka-sensei getting hurt trying to avoid their attacks, because he couldn't block when he was holding both of us, though."

"How were you able to escape?"

"About that..." Natsumi crossed her arms in thought. "I vaguely remember someone showing up to save us. There was a bright explosion, I screamed, and then there was a bunch of lightning." She scrunched her face, mussing her hair. "No matter how hard I try to remember the details, Iruka-sensei says it's normal to not remember perfectly when you've been really scared." She grumbled and recrossed her arms. "All I really remember was that other Ninja carrying me back to the village while Iruka-sensei carried Naruto. I cried a lot and..." She blushed and turned away. "...It's really embarrassing to think about in hindsight. I cried a lot back then."

"It's not embarrassing." Hasu smiled and leaned closer to meet her eyes, and she blushed deeper. "I think it's quite cute to hear about your childhood."

"H-Hasu!" She covered her face with her hands. "Stop teasing me like that!"

"Ahem."

Hasu jumped back slightly, blushing as he rubbed his head. "A-Ah... I didn't think anyone was around."

"Yare Yare. Kids." Kakashi let out a sigh and then waved his hand. "Don't let me interrupt. I only thought you were going to help Naruto come up with a plan."

"I-I... well..." Natsumi blushed and stepped back from Hasu. "I think he's hiding in the bathroom to avoid doing any brainstorming..." Natsumi muttered. "And I'm not going in there to drag him out, so..."

"Hiding from doing extra work?" The Jonin chuckled. "That sounds like Naruto."

"W-Wait! What are you doing?"

Natsumi's eyes widened and he walked into the bathroom. A moment later, an assortment of strange sounds came from inside the room— a short scream, loud protests, clattering, and banging— and then Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom, carrying Naruto by an ankle, upside down, with his eye crinkled shut in a smile.

"I found him."

"Put me down, ya know! Whaddya think you're doing?!" Naruto thrashed and swung his fists at his teacher.

"You know, Naruto, if you don't take things seriously, you'll stay a Genin for the rest of your life, at this rate." Kakashi released his ankle and Naruto dropped to the ground.

"Ow! You didn't have to drop me!"

"You didn't specify how I should put you down." Kakashi held up a finger and chuckled. "Besides, your sister was kind enough to offer to help you. It's rude to turn her down when she could be spending time with her friend instead."

Natsumi blushed at his tone and she averted her eyes as Hasu met hers.

"Hmph." Naruto grumbled, then narrowed his eyes at Hasu. "'Friend.'"

"Well, if your brother does not wish to spend this time with you, you and I can look around." Hasu smiled at Natsumi. "There are many interesting things in this tower I've read about, such as a model of the forest, bones from some species that live here, a hall of fame..."

"If you think I'm going to let you spend alone time with Natsumi, you're dead wrong, ya know!" Naruto pointed at Hasu accusingly. "I don't trust you at all!"

"Naruto, you're being ridiculous." Natsumi crossed her arms and sighed, then turned to Hasu. "Sure, we can look around."

"I'm going with you, I say!" Naruto crossed his own arms.

"Only if you'll do some planning while we walk." Natsumi smirked faintly, and Naruto groaned.

"Fine!" Naruto scratched his cheek. "I just don't really see why I have to try to plan when I don't even know who I'm going to fight." He grumbled and looked around. "I wonder where Sakura went? It'd be nice to spend time with her too..."

"Good. She can help you, too." Kakashi smiled. "You could even see it as a double date."

"D-Date?!" Natsumi and blushed, and Hasu cleared his throat and rubbed his head.

"A-Ah..."

"A date with Sakura! Yeah!" Naruto grinned but froze a moment later. "W-Wait... double date? Double?" He looked over at Natsumi and Hasu and paled. "Gah! No! Wait! No dates, ya know!"

Sakura took a quiet breath and then stepped around the corner. "Naruto, you're so noisy. Everyone in the tower can hear you."

"Sakura!" Naruto smiled broadly at the sight of her. "Do ya want to go on a da—?" He stopped, frowning slightly, and glanced toward Hasu before looking back at her. "Erm... want to come with us? I guess we're gonna look at some stuff and talk about who we might fight."

Sakura blushed slightly and shook her head. "N-No, I—" She paused and pressed her lips together in thought, remembering what she had overheard. "'Naruto and I were so desperate to have friends that we would have done just about anything.' I didn't realize what happened that day... and I never really thought of how awfully people treated them. I'm not even really sure why, either, so... does that make me as awful as those boys that I never cared before?"

"Hm, Sakura, you look kind of serious." Naruto leaned closer to her, squinting.

Sakura blushed deeper and scratched her cheek, looking between the twins. "A-Actually, I will join you guys."

"Wonderful." Kakashi smiled and his eye crinkled shut. "It will be good for you, too, Sakura, to think about your match."

"Right." She nodded slightly, and Hasu clapped his hands together, looking at Natsumi.

"All right; If I may, I'd like for us to first visit the bone exhibit. There is a variant of tiger that lives in this forest that is said to be extraordinarily large, and I will not believe it until I see their skull for myself."

"Not even after seeing that snake before?" Natsumi smirked faintly and Hasu shuddered slightly.

"I was attempting to forget that, but... I suppose you have a point." He pointed down the hall. "I memorized the layout, so simply follow me."

After moving up two flights of steps, the group gathered in a large room. Bones from various animals were displayed, as well as fangs, talons, samples of fur, and stuffed heads mounted on the wall. Behind glass casing were also rare insects pinned against a board.

"Hey look, Sakura-chan!" Naruto laughed and leaned his head inside of the enormous tiger's skeletal mouth. "It's eating me!"

"Naruto, don't play with it! Act your age!" Sakura put her hands on her hips but turned away slightly to stifle a laugh. "He just can't help himself at all, can he? He's such a goofball."

Kakashi, who had absentmindedly followed along, stared eye-to-eye with the large taxidermy serpent coiled in the corner of the room.

"Its eyes are just glass, but it's still lifelike enough to remind me of Orochimaru." He turned away from the statue and glanced over at Naruto's antics as both Sakura and Natsumi scolded him.

"You guys are no fun." Naruto complained and crossed his arms behind his head, then looked over at the insect display and blinked at a larger-than-normal mantis. "Hey, that thing's arms kind of remind me of that Sand Guy's puppet."

"Very observant." Natsumi's lips twitched in a smile. "You know, since you brought it up, let's talk about the other competitors." She held up a finger. "Start by remembering who's left. The Leaf candidates first."

"Hmph." Naruto scratched his head, then crossed his arms. "How am I supposed to remember all of them?"

"Naruto, they were in the same class as we were!" Sakura walked over.

"Huh?" He squinted in thought. "I guess they were."

Sakura sighed. "Don't you remember your own classmates?"

"Well how am I supposed to keep track of them all?" Naruto complained. "Besides, none of them would even really talk to me."

Sakura paused, the tension in her posture softening, and then she cleared her throat. "Alright, I'll list out their names, and you try to remember as much as you can about them."

"Fine, Fine." Naruto grumbled and scrunched his face.

"Choji Akamichi?"

"He's always stuffing his face. Fat idiot who would bump me with his belly when we sparred at the Academy."

"Shikamaru Nara?"

"A lazy, unmotivated, good-for-nothing, full-of-nothing-but-complaints kind of idiot."

"Naruto, are you going to call everyone an idiot?" Sakura crossed her arms.

"Only if it's true." He stuck out his tongue.

"Alright, what about Ino Yamanaka?"

"Hmph. She's a stuck-up idiot who's always picked on us. She thinks she's pretty, but she's too rude to be cute."

"Naruto!" Sakura furrowed her brows slightly but stifled a laugh. "Hah! Take that, Ino-pig!"

"She's also really weird because she's obsessed about that jerk Sasuke and I don't get why."

Sakura's expression fell slightly and she sighed. "Does Naruto think like that about me, too?"

"Naruto, what about that Shino guy?" Natsumi leaned against one of the display tables. "I don't remember seeing him in your class."

"That's because he's a really quiet loser-nobody who doesn't stand out at all." Naruto nodded as if in agreement with himself. "He's easy to forget in a room and I can't read him at all." He made a face. "I didn't know he had an army of bugs, though. That was pretty cool and gross."

"That 'loser-nobody' competed with Sasuke and me for the top of the class."

"E-Eh?! Really?" Naruto shrugged. "So he's smart, I guess? But I don't have to worry about that guy. He's already had his match so I wouldn't fight him, ya know."

"That's something that I was wondering." Sakura looked over her shoulder. "Kakashi-sensei, those who have fought already aren't in the running to go again, are they?"

"Hm?" Kakashi looked up from his book and shrugged. "Not that I remember. They might have changed the rules since the last time that they did preliminary matches, though, but overall, it's unlikely."

"I see." Sakura nodded and touched her chin. "That's kind of a relief, then. I don't think I could find a way to counter those insects."

"What about the other teams?" Natsumi looked at Sakura. "Who are they?"

"Oh, right." Sakura blinked. "There's the other two members of Team Eight, which are Kiba Inuzuka—"

"A total wild-man and really obnoxious guy!" Naruto interrupted. "He drags that dog of his everywhere and always tries to throw his weight around and say he's the best."

"...and Hinata Huyga." Sakura finally finished, tapping her fingers against her arms.

"Hyuga?" Natsumi repeated.

"What?" Naruto looked at her. "What's so special about that name?"

"The Hyuga is one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the village, Naruto." Natsumi sighed.

"Powerful?" He squinted his eyes. "I dunno about that. That Hinata girl is a world-class weirdo who won't even look me in the eye. And if she does talk, all she does is stutter and it's hard to understand her."

"You don't have a good impression of any of them?" Sakura shook her head slightly.

"And you don't remember anything about them related to their abilities." Natsumi sighed again.

"Like you remember all of your classmates!" Naruto pointed at her.

"Ahem." Natsumi cleared her throat, standing straighter with her arms behind her back. "Michi Hashimoto, age thirteen, blood type B. Son of Kichiro Hashimoto and—"

"Alright, alright, I get it, ya know!" Naruto crossed his arms and let out a hot breath. "How do you know all that about your classmates, anyhow?"

"'Know your rivals as well as you know yourself, and you will always win.'" Natsumi held up a finger. "It was part of my training with—" She flinched slightly, the seal on her tongue throbbing, and then she laughed sheepishly. "A-Anyway... If you encounter an enemy unexpectedly, then you have to gather information about them as you fight, but if there's an opportunity to learn about a rival before a fight, you should always take it."

"Say, say... Wasn't Michi the name of that kid that used to bully you?" Naruto tapped his chin. "That name kind of sounds familiar."

"Well..." Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she turned away. "Michi had a... uh... bad accident that reformed him."

"A-Accident?" Sakura gulped. "I-Is that what she calls it?"

"After I took careful notes about my classmates, I was able to figure out what their fears and weaknesses were. After that, I wasn't afraid of them anymore." Natsumi put her arms on her hips. "And Michi... well, he was afraid of something very basic."

"Basic?" Sakura repeated.

"Public humiliation." Natsumi said in a sickeningly sweet lilt, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't really member too well." Naruto mumbled. "I just remember that he stopped bothering you."

"Anyway, back on-topic." Natsumi waved her hand. "There are still three more Leaf candidates, right?"

"I don't know much about them except that Rock Lee is a taijutsu specialist." Sakura thought. "They're older than us, so I'm not sure." Her eyes widened slightly and she turned. "Their sensei did say that he was rivals with you, Kakashi-sensei. Do you know anything about them?"

"They're Guy's students, so I can't say that I know much about them." Kakashi looked up from his book and shook his head. "I have heard talk that Neji is considered a prodigy of the Hyuga, though."

"A prodigy?" Sakura repeated. "I assume that means that he'd be a tough opponent."

"Hmm..." Naruto drummed his fingers against his arms. "This doesn't really help, ya know."

"The only other ones would be..." Sakura paused. "The... other two Sound guys, and those two from Suna, and we don't really know anything about them." She looked down and pressed her lips together for a moment."Though that one Sound guy who defeated Lee could be real trouble to face off against. How can you defend against sound?"

"W-Wait what?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "One of those guys really defeated Bushy-Brows?! How!"

"You were unconscious at the time, Naruto." Sakura said quietly and then sighed. "He used sound to damage Lee's ear badly."

"No way..." Naruto whispered, then clenched his fists. "There's no way a strong guy like Lee lost in such a lame way!"

Sakura furrowed her brows and fell silent. "Lee came to help me, even though we were rival candidates, and he got so badly injured on my account. Those Sound Guys wanted to kill Sasuke, but then Ino's team showed up to help, too." She paused again. "If they all hadn't gone out of their way like that, Team Seven probably wouldn't have ever made it out of that Forest. I couldn't even do anything to help Naruto or Sasuke at all."

Naruto looked down, quiet too until he raised his fist. "All right! I'm gonna make sure to clobber those punks real good if I get paired with them!"

"Uh oh."

Natsumi's head whipped quickly around to look at Hasu, who smiled sheepishly and held his hand. The tip of his finger was red from the cut there, and he cleared his throat and pointed at the large tiger's claw display.

"I-It's still quite sharp."

"Boys." Natsumi let out a breath and walked over to him, taking out a small piece of gauze from her back pouch. "You have to be more careful."

"My apologies." Hasu laughed under his breath. "Curiosity got the better of me."

"No. Don't be a cat." Natsumi made a face and pointed at him, pressing the gauze against the cut with her other hand. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you, so be more careful."

"As you wish." Hasu smiled and tipped his head down. "It isn't such a serious wound, though."

"Doesn't matter." She waved her hand. "No more touching pointy objects."

"Yes, my lady."

She blushed deeply and prodded him. "Y-You said you would stop that!"

"Sorry, sorry." Hasu laughed. "It's simply too tempting to tease you."

"Hmph." Natsumi crossed her arms and turned away. "

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes toward the older boy, muttering so only Sakura could hear him. "I don't like how close they are."

"Oh, Naruto, I don't know why you're so upset about it." Sakura put a hand on her hip. "Just because she's your sister doesn't mean she isn't allowed to maybe like someone."

"I dunno. I don't see why it'd be that guy. He's so... normal. "

"I think he's kind of charming." Sakura's cheeks warmed slightly. "H-He did say I was beautiful..."

"No fair, ya know!" Naruto puffed his cheeks. "I tell you that you're pretty, too."

Sakura blinked, her cheeks darkening as she averted her eyes. "W-Well... I guess..."

Natsumi looked at the clock, then back to Hasu. "We've spent a lot of time here, so we don't have time to see all the things you wanted."

"Ah, how unfortunate." He looked up from his finger and smiled. "Perhaps one last stop? It's on this floor."

"Sure." Natsumi nodded.

"Excellent! I am eager to see the hall of fame for myself." Hasu lead Natsumi out of the room, and Naruto begrudgingly followed with Sakura beside him and Kakashi casually lingering behind.

"What's so great about a hall of fame, anyway?" Naruto mumbled.

"This hall of fame shows all of the Shinobi who have set records for the Chunin exams." Hasu answered with a broad smile and his eyes almost sparkling. "Those who completed the exam at the fastest pace... those who were the youngest or oldest to be promoted... those who had the longest or shortest fights... it's honoring the best of the best." Hasu paused and laughed shortly. "Of the Chunin, I should add."

"Oh! Honoring great Ninja, you say?!" Naruto eyes widened and he balled his fists and struck a pose. "All right! I've gotta see this! I want to get my name up there, too!"

Hasu chuckled. "After everything Natsumi has told me about you, I'm certain that you will have yourself recognized in some way."

"Huh? Natsumi's told you about me?" Naruto blinked, then squinted toward his sister.

"Oh, of course." Hasu nodded. "You two are quite close, after all. It's no surprise that she would speak often of the brother she cares about and looks up to."

"Looks up to?" Naruto repeated, and then laughed and grinned, throwing his arm over his sister's shoulder. "Natsumi, so you really look up to me?!" He smirked and touched his chin. "Well, of course you do, because I'm just so awesome, ya know!"

"Great." Natsumi made a face and looked at Hasu. "Thanks. Now he'll never let this go."

"Oops." Hasu stifled a laugh, and then cleared his throat. "If I may, I might be able to assist with the analysis of the candidates from the Hidden Sand."

"Hm?" Naruto slowly turned to look at Hasu again. "How?" He scratched his head. "From your... books?"

"Well, yes, in part." Hasu nodded slightly. "For example, that blonde girl carries around what seems to be a giant fan. By looking at her, you can see that she does not appear to use any other weapons."

"A fan?" Sakura asked. "How is that her Ninja tool?"

"It isn't uncommon for Kunoichi to have metal fans and use them defensively to block or parry with, or even to use the fan's blades to slice with. I imagine, though, that a fan as large as hers could be used in much the same way, though to a much greater effect."

"I think I understand now." Sakura looked up briefly. "So, it could be used both offensively or defensively. A tool that could do both would be ideal."

"Precisely." Hasu smiled and nodded. "I also believe that it may correlate to how common the Wind Nature attribute is in Suna shinobi"

"Wind Nature?" Naruto asked. "What's that?"

"Naruto, we learned this at the Academy." Sakura sighed. "There are five main elemental Chakra natures; Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Lightning. Each is strong against another element, and weak against another. All Jutsu requires a Chakra Nature, like Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu or Kakashi-sensei's Earth wall."

"Eh?" Naruto scratched his head. "I guess that does kind of sound familiar, but I don't get how a fan would help."

"Naruto, what do we do when it's too hot at home?" Natsumi asked.

"Why're you asking me that?" He held up an invisible fan and imitated waving it at his face. "We blow air on ourselves with some fans, and—" His eyes widened slightly and his mouth formed an O. "Ah, I got it, ya know! Fans can blow air, right?! So if someone's got that Wind thingy, and a fan, they can make more Wind, right?"

"That was exactly my thinking." Hasu nodded.

"Nice job catching that." Natsumi smiled at him.

"It's only due to your excellent training." Hasu tipped his head slightly.

"Natsumi's trained you?" Naruto frowned and grumbled. "She doesn't train with me."

"Naruto, I've tried getting you to train with me before! You wouldn't wake up early." Natsumi put her hands on her hip. "And Hasu is an early riser."

"'Hasu is an early riser.'" Naruto mimicked, and Natsumi poked his forehead.

"Maybe you should start having more discipline and getting up0 early, too. It'd be great if you could join us for training."

"If you're not a Shinobi, what sort of training are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"It's nothing as grand as you might be imagining." Hasu laughed sheepishly and rubbed his head. "You see, it's only the very basics of self-defense, though I am proud to say that my aim has greatly improved with Shuriken and Kunai."

"Hasu's been diligently training." Natsumi grinned. "He's a good student."

"My improvement is only due to having an excellent teacher." Hasu looked at her. "An excellent and, rather strict teacher."

"Heh." Natsumi nodded pridefully. "If you don't give it your all during training, you'll lose your life in an actual fight."

"Even he is training hard?" Sakura's paced slowed and she glanced down. "He's not even a Ninja, yet he's still working hard so that he won't need anyone else's protection. I'm supposed to be a fully-fledged Ninja but I'm always needing to be rescued and protected."

"Say, say..." Naruto thought aloud. "What about that browless Sand guy with the creepy look and the red hair? He doesn't look like he carries any weapons or tools."

"I haven't been able to draw any conclusions about him." Hasu shook his head. "Though, sometimes Ninja carry containers with water in them, if they specialize in water-type Jutsu."

"Water, huh?" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "But he's from a desert, ya know? There's not a lot of water there."

"Insect users like that Aburame boy have also been known to carry around containers with extra insects inside, although that Suna Genin certainly isn't a member of that clan." Hasu said.

"In the end, it's impossible to know what he's actually carrying around, I think." Natsumi shrugged. "But whatever it is, it's his weapon."

"What if he's got a ghost or something sealed inside?" Naruto made a face. "And it pops out and scares his opponents?"

"Naruto, ghosts aren't real." Natsumi stifled a laugh. "But I guess that would be a really creative way to get under your opponents' skin. You could use a Transformation Jutsu to turn into someone's fear or a person that means a lot to them. They'd be startled and you could use that as an opportunity to attack."

"Transformation, huh?" Naruto's mouth curved in an impish grin. "I'll just use my ultimate technique!"

"Ultimate technique?" Sakura asked.

"No!" Natsumi hand quickly covered Naruto's mouth before he could explain, and she laughed. "W-We're not going to talk about that right now."

"Oh, we've arrived!" Hasu held out his arms in front of the section of wall where placards and photographs were hung. "Let's see, shortest time to reach the tower, oldest to be promoted, and even a list of all of the teams that have passed the second exam since this tower was built."

Sakura blinked at the boy's expression and leaned closer to Natsumi to whisper. "Is he okay? He seems really excited by this."

"As Kiri says, he's a Ninja Nerd." Natsumi whispered back, unable to suppress a small smile. "It's kind of adorable when he gets excited like this."

"I guess it is." Sakura covered her mouth to conceal a smile. "He looks like a little kid on his birthday."

"All right, all right, lemme see who I've got to beat to get my name up here..." Naruto skimmed over the lists, nodding slightly to himself.

"Natsumi, look!" Hasu pointed at an old photograph of three just-promoted Genin. "The Three Legendary Sannin."

"What?" She stood beside him, freezing in place as she recognized the dark-haired boy with alabaster skin and slitted yellow-green eyes.

That's definitely him... She swallowed. Who knew that even he looked like an innocent kid at one point?

"That's Orochimaru, isn't it?" Hasu lowered his voice, and Natsumi nodded slowly. "So, he's the one..." He trailed off, unable to look away from the picture.

"Wait, what?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "I-It's that guy from before! He was a kid?!"

"Naruto, everyone was a kid once." Sakura joined them and shuddered as she looked at the photograph. "But, even so, seeing him like that seems even creepier."

"Who are the other two with him?" Naruto squinted and looked between the white-haired boy and the blonde girl. "They're not creepy and villain-y like he is, right?"

"Believe it or not, Naruto, those three were dubbed Sannin by the leader of the Hidden Rain during the Second Great Shinobi war." Kakashi stood behind the group to explain. "Each of them was considered to be the strongest in the Leaf, tied with each other in a deadlock."

"Lady Tsunade," Hasu pointed at the blonde girl as he spoke. "She is not only legendary for her physical strength, but also for her Medical skills. In a previous war, she was the only one capable of crafting antidotes for the lethal and unique poisons created by the Sand's famous Chiyo. Her reputation proceeds her, and so does her lineage. She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, after all."

"Oh, really?" Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "So she's really that amazing of a Kunoichi?"

"The Sannin also have the current record of completed missions of all the Leaf's Ninja." Hasu recalled. "Lady Tsunade has completed 1,256, Orochimaru has completed 1,468, and Lord Jiraiya has completed 1,839."

"T-That many?!" Naruto and Sakura said at the same time, their mouths gaping open.

"That's so many." Natsumi mumbled.

"That's nothing!" Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "Someday, I'll beat those numbers and be the greatest Ninja and Hokage ever, ya know!"

"Well, there is another whose record you must also beat." Hasu added.

"Huh? Who?"

Hasu coughed quietly and glanced toward Kakashi, and they all turned to look at the Jonin.

"Hm? What is it?"

"You too, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "Just how many missions have you done?"

"Me?" Kakashi looked up in thought and then shrugged. "I've lost count."

"One thousand one-hundred and forty-one." Hasu coughed again.

"You know even that?" Kakashi looked toward the boy, who sheepishly smiled. "You really have been reading a lot."

"Hmm..." Naruto squinted his eyes and stared at Kakashi intently, and the Jonin waved his hand.

"What are you staring at me so accusingly for?"

"So even if Kakashi-sensei seems lazy, unmotivated, or unreliable, he's still done that many missions?" Naruto mumbled to Sakura.

"Sure enough, it's surprising." Sakura whispered back.

"You guys..." Kakashi's shoulders slouched slightly and he sighed. "Such cold treatment."

"Speaking of your Sensei..." Hasu spoke up and pointed to another group of photographs and labels. "Look here. It says he became a Chunin at only six years of age."

"S-Six?!" Natsumi's eyes widened. "H-How?!"

"I didn't know that was even possible." Sakura leaned over to look at the photo of young Kakashi being awarded his certificate and a flak jacket. "He wore a mask when he was young too?!"

"Hah, look at Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto laughed. "He was so short! He still had chubby cheeks, too!"

"Naruto." Kakashi cleared his throat, then bent slightly to hold his hand above the blond's head as he smiled. "You're short for your age, you know. I was taller than you at this age."

Natsumi covered her mouth to muffle her laugh and Naruto growled and crossed his arm.

"I'm not short, ya know!"

"Even your own sister is taller than you." Kakashi moved his hand from over Naruto's head to touch the top of Natsumi's. "See?"

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she looked away, and Kakashi drew his hand back.

"Hmph." Naruto furrowed his brows deeply, forming lines on his forehead, and stuck his nose up. "It's not my fault that she started to grow first, ya know."

"It's so strange to see Sensei that young, isn't it?" Sakura thought out loud, giggling. "He was kind of cute. Imagine trying to take an opponent seriously when they look so innocent and small."

Natsumi looked back at the picture, then nodded slightly and held back a laugh. "I don't think I'd be able to seriously fight someone so young."

"Well, then, it seems like you would have both lost to me." Kakashi chuckled and shrugged.

"Not unless you could counter my paralysis!" Natsumi grinned, clasping her hands behind her back as she continued to look over the photos and names along the wall. "Wow, there were other really young kids who became Chunin, too." She read off the names. "Might Guy; eleven. Minato Namikaze; eleven." She smiled broadly. "Hey, that's Lord Fourth!"

"But there's no picture for him." Hasu looked over the frames with a frown. "The frame is empty. How odd."

"Here's another one without a picture." Natsumi pointed. "A six-year-old boy named Kinoe." She paused and furrowed her brows. "That name is almost familiar, but I'm not sure why."

"This boy was ten." Hasu nodded to a different frame. "Itachi of the famous Uchiha clan."

"Uchiha?" Sakura asked, and she and Naruto walked over to look. "Oh!" She bit her lip. "He looks just like Sasuke."

"Huh." Naruto squinted and leaned closer to the photo before scratching his head. "That kid kind of looks like Sasuke, ya know."

"There's another Uchiha here, too." Natsumi pointed. "Obito Uchiha- promoted at eleven."

Kakashi looked up immediately at the name, lowering his book as his eyes fell on the dark-haired boy in the frame, his expression shifting.

"Look, look!" Naruto tugged on Natsumi's sleeve and then poked the glass. "He's got goggles just like I used to wear!"

"He does!" Natsumi laughed. "His clothes are blue and orange, too, and yours are orange and blue."

"Well, it's obvious that he's got great taste." Naruto puffed his chest and thumbed at himself. "They're the best colors, I say."

"Purple and yellow." Natsumi stuck out her tongue at him.

"Orange and blue." Naruto frowned at her.

"Purple and yellow." Natsumi repeated.

"Orange and blue." Naruto crossed his arms, and his sister mimicked the gesture.

"Hmph!" The twins turned away from each other, sticking their noses up.

"W-Who knew they were so passionate about colors?" Sakura laughed awkwardly.

"I'm partial to purple, myself." Hasu chuckled and whispered, looking down at his own violet shirt.

"Do you like purple or the girl who likes purple?" Sakura muttered.

"Both; though with more emphasis on the latter." Hasu chuckled, and Sakura blushed.

"I-I didn't realize I asked that out loud!"

"Oh, I forgot the last name on this list." Natsumi blinked and looked at the last frame. "Rin Nohara, huh?" She paused. "She was kind of pretty, actually. She has a nice smile."

"You're right." Sakura nodded slightly. "She looks really friendly."

"Wait a minute..." Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "This here says that Rin and Obito were on the same team as... Kakashi?" She turned to the Jonin. "So you knew—?" She stopped herself, falling suddenly quiet at his expression.

Kakashi looked up from his right hand and met her eyes, then quickly looked away and put his hand into his pocket. "Alright, that's enough looking around for now. Let's go back to the arena room."

"What's up with Sensei?" Sakura asked, watching the Jonin walking down the hall.

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "He's probably just upset about how we were picking on the picture of him as a kid, ya know."

Natsumi glanced downward, then turned back to the photographs.

His expression was almost the same as when he... She pressed her lips together and studied the two faces in frames beside each other. Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha? I wonder if...

"Natsumi, we should go as well, so that we won't miss the next match." Hasu touched her shoulder gently.

"R-Right." She nodded and smiled faintly, taking one last look at the pictures.

It was nice to meet you, friends of Kakashi.