I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
Three and a half months have gone by and it was now time for the chunin exams. Naruto's training has really paid off even though it was tough with him and Kakashi each having their own missions to do, but it was worth it. Even though Naruto originally wanted help with just his lightning jutsus, they actually worked on everything. He was now as strong as a low-jonin thanks to Kakashi and his tough training regime.
While Naruto was training with Kakashi, Natsumi was also doing her own training and the results were astounding to say the least. Her training got serious when she met Yugao who trained her to use the Kubikiribocho and when she asked Kakashi with some private help. Of course she went to Naruto as well for the occasional spar and he was impressed. She was a low-chunin kunoichi with skills in ninjutsu, kenjutsu and taijutsu.
Her taijutsu was so good that she could now go toe to toe with Sasuke and managed to beat him half the time when Kakashi had them spar during team training. She was the perfect counter for Naruto's ninjutsu since she had wind, water and earth chakra natures as well as the wood kekkei genkai which caused Hiruzen to have a heart attack when he found out. She didn't understand the big deal about it until Naruto explained to her that she had the rare kekkei genkai of Hashirama Senju and that it was extremely powerful.
Sasuke was too busy being angry at Natsumi and Naruto's growth, that he actually hindered himself during training. He spied on them during his training to see if he could copy any jutsus from them and nearly killed himself when he copied the shadow clone jutsu from Natsumi. The result of that was him staying in the hospital for nearly two weeks thanks to the strain on his chakra reserves. Of course Sakura was right by his side everyday he was there since she still didn't train as much, but she was about to get a wake up call very soon.
Sakura, Natsumi, Naruto and Sasuke were all waiting for Kakashi to arrive at training ground 7 and they were all getting annoyed except for Naruto who sent a shadow clone in his place. While he was sleeping, Sasuke and Natsumi were glaring at each other and you could feel the hatred coming from both of them.
"They've been like this since the wave mission." Sakura thought and then Kakashi showed up
"Hello there. Good morning." Kakashi said
"YOU'RE LATE." Sakura yelled
"YEAH. EVEN NARUTO WAS ON TIME." Natsumi yelled and pointed at Naruto who was sleeping in the tree
"They don't know that it's a shadow clone." Kakashi thought
"So, what are we doing today, Cyclops-Sensei?" Natsumi asked
"Cyclops? Anyway, we have some D-rank missions to complete and then you have the rest of the day to yourselves." Kakashi said and they groaned
"Another stupid D-rank mission?! Come on! Give us something exciting to do!" Natsumi said
"The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can enjoy your day." Kakashi said
Few hours later
"Seriously, Natsumi. You're hopeless. I think you've set the record for most times getting injured on D-rank missions. It's pathetic really." Sakura said as they were walking around the village
"You wanna go, Pinky?! Keep testing me and I'll give you another knot on that big ass forehead of yours!" Natsumi said
"Bring it, Tomato! I'll finish you off myself!" Sakura said
"Oh yeah?! Then let's go!" Natsumi said and then a cat fight started between the two of them
"I guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork thing, huh?" Kakashi asked
"That's right! Our teamwork is all messed up because of Sakura and Sasuke! She's useless and Sasuke thinks he's better than everyone else!" Natsumi said, as she had Sakura in a headlock
"Not everyone. Just you. I'm better and stronger than you are." Sasuke said
"If I remember correctly, I kicked your ass so many times over these past three and a half months that it's not even funny, duckbutt!" Natsumi said and Sasuke grit his teeth before walking away
"I am not useless!" Sakura said and bit Natsumi
"Ow! That's it!" Natsumi said and they started to argue
"Alright, guys. Let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time. Anyway, I have to file my report on this mission." Kakashi said and went up in smoke
"Now that he's gone, I don't have to hold back! You're dead, Pinky!" Natsumi said
"Bring it, Tomato!...Wait, what's that?" Sakura asked as she saw a box on the ground with holes in it
"I don't know." Natsumi said and ran around a few times with the box following her until she had enough
"That's the worst disguise I've ever seen! Get your ass out here!" Natsumi said
"You saw through my camouflage again. You're slick, boss. Just what I'd expect from my greatest rival." A kid voice said and the box went up in smoke
"Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi. What do you want? I have to train." Natsumi said
"You promised that you would play ninja with us today. Come on." Konohamaru said
"Oh, did I say that?" Natsumi asked
"A ninja playing ninja? That is so lame." Sakura said
"Shut up, Pinky." Natsumi said
"Hey, boss. Who's this girl? Why's her forehead so big?" Konohamaru asked and Natsumi sighed
"I'd run if I were you, Konohamaru." Natsumi said and when Konohamaru looked at Sakura, he took off running until he bumped into somebody
"Do you need something?" The boy asked and lifted Konohamaru up by his scarf
"Konohamaru!" Natsumi said
"So, does this hurt, punk?" The boy asked as he started to choke Konohamaru
"Put him down, Kankuro. You know you'll pay for it later." Temari said
"You better take your hands off him right now!" Natsumi said
"So these are the leaf villages genin. They don't look like much compared to Naruto." Kankuro thought
"We've got a few minutes before he gets here. Let's mess with these punks." Kankuro said
"Let go of me you jerk!" Konohamaru said and started to kick at Kankuro
"You're feisty, but not for long." Kankuro said
"Put him down!" Natsumi said and ran at Kankuro, but something tripped her
"You're a leaf genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps except for that kid Naruto I met a few months back." Kankuro said
"You know him?" Natsumi asked
"Yeah. He was in our village during a sandstorm and he stayed with us." Temari said and then Konohamaru disappeared from Kankuro's hand
"What the?" Kankuro asked
"He's gone." Natsumi thought
"What just happened?!" Sakura thought
"You're not even here that long and you're already starting problems, Kankuro. Picking on children. Have you no shame?" Naruto asked
"Naruto? I wasn't going to do anything that bad to him." Kankuro said and chuckled
"As annoying as the little boy is, he's the grandson of the hokage and he has a squad of anbu following him everyday. One bad move and then we would've had to send you back to Suna in a body bag." Naruto said and then caught a rock aimed for Kankuro
"Who threw that?" Natsumi asked
"Nice of you to join us, Sasuke. Same for you, Gaara." Naruto said and looked up into the trees
"Does he not see me standing here?" Temari thought and started to pout
"Sasuke!" Sakura said
"Thanks for the save, Naruto!" Konohamaru said
"How was he able to sense me? I know I had my chakra hidden." Sasuke thought
"Kankuro, back off. You're an embarrassment to our village." Gaara said
"Uh. Hey, Gaara." Kankuro said
"This is the guy Naruto detected. He said he was here and I'm just now seeing him." Sasuke thought
"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara asked
"Somethings wrong. Gaara's not calm or anything, but he should be." Naruto thought
"I know. They started it though." Kankuro said
"Shut up or I'll kill you." Gaara said
"Right. I was totally out of line. Sorry, Gaara." Kankuro said
"I'm sorry for any trouble he's caused." Gaara said and vanished into sand
"He has the same evil look in his eye as Sasuke." Natsumi thought
"Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." Gaara said
"Hold on!" Sakura said
"What?" Temari asked
"I can tell from your headband that you come from the village hidden in the sand. Of course we're allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So state your purpose." Sakura said
"Really? Is this your team, Naruto?" Temari asked
"Something like that." Naruto said
"Have they been living under a rock? They don't seem to know what's going on here. For your information, we have permission. We are hidden sand genin and we're here for the chunin exams. Get the picture? Temari asked
"Chunin exams? Oh yeah that's right. I thought we had a bit more time." Natsumi said
"We do. They don't start until next week. I'm already registered for the exams since I have to take them alone." Naruto said
"Why?" Natsumi asked
"Because the maximum number of people you can have on a team is three. Let's face it, I can take on all three of you single handedly so it makes sense that I take them alone." Naruto said
"We'll see you later at the exams. Especially you, handsome." Temari said and gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek before leaving
"What was that?! Hey, blondie! Keep your lips off my brother! I'll kick your fucking ass you hussy! He already has a girlfriend!" Natsumi said
"I've told you this plenty of times, Natsumi. She's not my girlfriend." Naruto said
"Still, blondie here can't go around kisssing you! She even pulled your mask down as bit!" Natsumi said
"Well, she's already saw me without the mask. This is the girl I went out on a date with back in Suna. We've been in contact ever since." Naruto said
"Yup and you owe me a date. I'll be waiting outside the golden leaf hotel at about 7. Don't be late." Temari said and they walked away
"Naruto." Sakura said
"What's up?" Naruto asked
"How come she gets to see what you look like under the mask?" Sakura asked
"We were on a date and it would've been rude to eat with it on." Naruto said
"Well, can I see what you look like?" Sakura asked
"Why's it so important to see what I look like under the mask?" Naruto asked
"Because her, Ino and a bunch of other girls have a bet going to see who can catch you with your mask off first." Natsumi said
"What does the winner get?" Naruto asked
"The winner has first dibs on your first kiss." Natsumi said
"Seriously? Well, that's not going to happen." Naruto said
"Don't worry. I'll protect you from the fangirls." Natsumi said and they all walked away
Next day
"He's late again! He sets the time and we have to wait hours for him! What about my feelings?! I rushed here so fast that I didn't even have time to blow dry my hair!" Sakura said
"I didn't even have enough time to brush my teeth or put on a clean bra!" Natsumi said
"You didn't? That's really gross and unladylike, Natsumi." Sakura said
"At least I can wear a bra, flat chest!" Natsumi said and they started to argue
"It's the first thing in the morning and they're already driving me crazy." Sasuke thought and then Kakashi appeared
Hey. Good morning, everyone. Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the path of life." Kakashi said
"YOU LIAR." Natsumi and Sakura yelled, but then Naruto showed up
"What's your excuse for being late?!" Natsumi asked
"I had to help an old lady carry her bags home and she stayed on the other side of the village. I wasn't paying attention and I got lost after I took the wrong turn." Naruto said
"YOU LIAR." Sakura yelled
"Actually, I kind of believe that one. I've seen him take wrong turns quite a bit because he wasn't paying attention." Natsumi said and Kakashi could tell Naruto was smirking behind his mask
"He's even better at making excuses than me." Kakashi thought
"I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you all for the chunin exams. All four of you. Naruto already signed up to take them solo. These are the application forms." Kakashi said and held out three applications
"Application forms?" Sakura asked
"This is all voluntary. It's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait until next year." Kakashi said
"WELL IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME." Natsumi yelled and snatched her application
"Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to room 301 at the academy. It's at 3pm five days from now. That's it." Kakashi said and left
"Chunin exams! One step closer to becoming hokage! I'll be up against a lot of wicked ninja!" Natsumi said and started to giggle like a maniac
"I better get the chance to fight that guy Gaara and Naruto." Sasuke thought and glanced at Naruto
"This is hopeless. I can't keep up with Sasuke and I can't even keep up with Natsumi. Naruto's a tough challenge, but I think he holds out on me when we spar and he still wipes the floor with me. I'll never pass these exams." Sakura thought
"Hey, Naruto." Natsumi said
"Hm?" Naruto answered
"How awesome would it be if we fought in the chunin exams?" Natsumi asked
"It wouldn't change much. You'd still lose, but I'll give you a fighting chance." Naruto said
"I can totally beat you!" Natsumi said
"I can counter everything you do ninjutsu wise, taijutsu wise and kenjutsu wise. Genjutsu you don't stand a chance against and let's just say that my training the past three and a half months will make what you do for training look like child's play." Naruto said
"I'll find a way to beat you and when I do, you have to raise my hand and kiss my feet while you tell me how awesome I am." Natsumi said
"Is that a challenge?" Naruto asked
"You damn right it is! We're tied at 24 and this is the tie breaker!" Natsumi said
"You say that everytime we're tied." Naruto said
"You two still do your crazy challenges?" Sakura asked
"You and Ino still fight over Sasuke?" Naruto asked
"That's different!" Sakura said
"It's pathetic. Fighting over a boy who isn't all that and doesn't even want you!" Natsumi said
"He is all that and I'll make him want me!" Sakura said
"If he's all that, then why can't he beat me or Naruto? He has the sharingan which he claims is the ultimate dojutsu, but he's lost to me while using it and he lost to Naruto while using it. Naruto doesn't even use his Sharingan when he spars with us. He's just overhyped because his clan was killed. Nothing he does really stands out that makes people go wow." Natsumi said
"How about I show you what you're messing with, loser?" Sasuke asked and activated his sharingan
"Save it for the chunin exams, Sasuke." Naruto said
"Shut up. You don't tell me what to do, pathetic half-breed." Sasuke said
"Calling me a half-breed isn't much of an insult. Let me ask you something, Sasuke. What is the most important thing to you in life?" Naruto asked
"Power. Power is all that matters to me and nothing else." Sasuke said
"I see. I'll see you all at the chunin exams." Naruto said and walked away
"Most important thing in life?" Sakura thought, as she watched Naruto walk away
"I'm gonna head home." Sakura said and walked away
"Me too." Natsumi said, as she left Sasuke alone
Hokage office
"Yo, old man." Naruto said, as he walked into the office
"What can I help you with, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked
"Both of the spies are in the village." Naruto said
"I'll place an anbu watch on them." Hiruzen said
"No, don't. We don't know if they're sensor type ninja and let's be honest, the anbu in this village other than Neko sucks. They couldn't even find Natsumi for an entire year after she was kicked out of the orphanage." Naruto said and Hiruzen sighed
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I have to do this." Hiruzen said
"No. You don't get it. The unidentifiable spy came in with another person who I can tell is a Kage level shinobi. Whoever it is will be able to sense the anbu with ease." Naruto said and Hiruzen was shocked
"A Kage level shinobi? Why would a Kage level shinobi be in the chunin exams? I'll look into it." Hiruzen said
"I know I'm going solo in the chunin exams, but protecting Natsumi is my main priority." Naruto said
"I understand, but I want you to protect yourself as well. I don't care if you have to blow something up, get away from whoever it is if you can." Hiruzen said
"I will. So, can you tell me the parts of the chunin exams?" Naruto asked and Hiruzen chuckled
"I'm afraid not, Naruto. That would be cheating." Hiruzen said
"So." Naruto said and Hiruzen just looked at him
"Although he's like Minato at times, he has a tendency to act like Sayuri as well." Hiruzen thought
"Just get ready. You still have five days to prepare." Hiruzen said
"Yeah yeah. So, were you serious about me blowing something up?" Naruto asked
"Yes." Hiruzen said
"Good. I'll have to get Natsumi's help with that." Naruto said and when he walked away, Hiruzen saw a ghostly figure of Sayuri and Kushina grinning
"What did I just do?" Hiruzen thought
"Lord hokage, the council is waiting for you." His secretary said
"I'll be there shortly." Hiruzen said
"Of course." The secretary said
Five days later-Chunin exams
The time for the chunin exams was finally here and everyone was getting ready. Natsumi joined Naruto at the memorial stone early in the morning after she learned her parents' names were there. They stood there for three hours in silence before they made it to the academy where Sasuke and Sakura were both waiting for them.
"Took you two long enough. You're both late." Sakura said
"We got a bit distracted." Natsumi said and just kept walking
"What's gotten into her? She seems different." Sasuke thought
"Are you both ready?" Naruto asked
"Hn." Sasuke said and walked away
"Us? What about you? You're taking it by yourself." Sakura said
"I'll be fine. I've been training pretty hard these past few months." Naruto said, as they entered the academy
"I know. I've heard you were training with Kakashi-sensei a bit." Sakura said
"I was. How about you? Did you train?" Naruto asked and he already had a good idea of her answer
"No, but it's not because I didn't want to. It's just that everything I tried didn't seem to fit me. I mean, thanks to our spars I can break out of some genjutsu, but being a ninjutsu and taijutsu specialist doesn't seem to work for me. Maybe I should give up after the chunin exams. The only person I might be able to beat is Ino and that's not really saying anything since she's just like me." Sakura said
"Read this." Naruto said and gave her a book
"What is it?" Sakura asked
"It's a beginners medical ninjutsu book by Tsunade Senju. I had the old man give this to me a while back and I've been done with it for like 4 years." Naruto said
"Medical ninjutsu? I'll give it a try. Maybe I'll shadow somebody at the hospital if this fits me." Sakura said
"I'll stop you right there. The people at the hospital suck. It's a reason why our fatality rate is so high. This book was written by the world's best medical ninja, so I think you'll be fine. It mainly has to do with cleaning wounds and bandaging them as well as how to identify the basic poisons." Naruto said
"Thank you, Naruto." Sakura said
"No problem." Naruto said and pulled down his mask giving her a smile causing her jaw to drop
"HE'S HOTTER THAN SASUKE." Sakura thought and blushed
"W-We should catch up to Sasuke and Natsumi." Sakura said and walked quicker
"Works every time." Naruto said as they caught up to Sasuke and Natsumi
"What's going on here?" Sakura asked
"I don't know. Two people are blocking the door." Natsumi said, as they saw a bowl cut haired boy get knocked to the ground
"You're taking the chunin exams, but you can't even get past us? Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt." One of the boys said
"Yeah. I think I hear your mommy calling you." The other said
"Wait a minute. Is that Izumo and Kotetsu in a henge? I wonder what they're doing here." Naruto thought
"Please let us through. We're supposed to go in there." TenTen said and then she got punched in the face by one of them
"That's harsh." A random genin said
"Did you say harsh? Don't kid yourself. We're being nice by comparison. The exams are gonna make this look like a picnic." Kotetsu said
"Some of you won't survive the exam, others will be wrecked for life and some of you may go crazy." Izumo said
"For chunin it's always life and death. You think it's a joke? Chunin are qualified to lead missions. The life of your teammates is in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls don't belong here." Kotetsu said
"We're just thinning out the herd. You won't pass anyway, so go home and play with your dolls." Izumo said and then team 7 walked over to them
"Very nice speech. Now, both of you step aside and let me through. While you're at it, drop the genjutsu. We can see through your illusion anyway. We're going to the third floor and this is only the second." Sasuke said
"Well, well." Kotetsu said
"So, you noticed the genjutsu, huh?" Izumo asked
"Tell them, Sakura. I'm sure you saw it before anyone else did. You have the sharpest eyes and best analytical skills on our team. You must've seen this coming a mile away." Sasuke said
"You also have the sharingan. Or did you forget, dipshit? It's obvious they're doing this to get rid of the weaker competition, but nooo, sir dumbass here had to go and ruin it. Unbelievable. Sometimes I wonder if you're dumber than Kiba." Natsumi said
"I mean. She has a point. TenTen, you can stop acting now." Naruto said
"How'd you know?" TenTen asked
"I've seen you plenty of times and witnessed your training. There's no way you're this weak." Naruto said
"Fine. I guess our plan is over with guys. Wait a minute. That sword on your back, where'd you get it?" TenTen asked
"Form your fathers shop. I was able to pull it out." Naruto said
"Can I have it?" TenTen asked
"No and if you think my sword is special, just wait until Natsumi uses her sword." Naruto said and then her teammate walked up to Sakura
"What happened to the bruises he had before? They're gone." Sasuke thought
"My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura, right?" Rock Lee asked
"Huh?" Sakura asked
"Please be my girlfriend. I will protect you with my life." Rock Lee said
"Definitely not." Sakura said and Lee suddenly lost confidence
"Why?" Rock Lee asked
"Because you're a weirdo." Sakura said and Lee hung his head in shame
"Come on, Pinky. It's not like many guys will ask you out anyway." Natsumi said
"Quiet you. I don't see anybody asking you out either." Sakura said
"Hey you. Over here. What's your name?" The other boy on TenTen's team asked looking at Sasuke
"You should give your own name before asking for someone else's." Sasuke said
"You're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you anyway?" The boy asked
"He's 13 and if you want to date him you have a long line of fangirls to get behind." Natsumi said
"What was that?" The boy asked
"What? You can't fucking hear? You heard what I said." Natsumi said, but then she was picked up and placed over Naruto's shoulder
"Alright. That's enough from you. Let's go guys." Naruto said
"Hey! Put me down!" Natsumi whined
"Nope." Naruto said
"I'm wearing a blouse. I can't be like this." Natsumi said
"You're wearing pants underneath. You'll be fine." Naruto said
"What if the pale eyed boy peeks on me?!" Natsumi whined
"Then I'll kick his ass during the chunin exams." Naruto said and she gave up
"Fine." Natsumi said and pouted as Naruto carried her away
"They're funny. What's the matter, Neji?" TenTen asked
"Who was that boy with the mask?" Neji asked
"That's Naruto Uchiha. From what I heard he's taking the chunin exams as a solo since the most you can have on a team is three." TenTen said
"Naruto Uchiha? He's the one Guy-Sensei told us about." Lee said
"That's right. He's an elite genin and turned down a field promotion a few months back since he wants to become a chunin with Natsumi." TenTen said
"So, how strong do you think he is?" Neji asked
"I don't know. He's definitely chunin level at least. I've heard my dad refer to him as the most balanced shinobi since he's skilled in every aspect of being a ninja. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, fuinjutsu, medical ninjutsu, you name it. Apparently he has speed along with power to match it from what little information Guy-Sensei was able to gather." TenTen said
"Naruto of the Uchiha clan." Neji thought
"Are you gonna challenge him?" TenTen asked
"Hn." Neji said as he walked away with TenTen and Lee
Room-301
After leaving the mess on the second floor, Naruto, Sakura, Natsumi and Sasuke finally made it to the exam room, but Sasuke had a few scratches on him. Rock Lee tracked them down and challenged both Sasuke and Naruto to a fight which Naruto declined, but Sasuke accepted the challenge. Needless to say that even with the sharingan, Sasuke was no match for him.
"Glad you all came, especially you, Sakura. Now you can all formally take the chunin exams." Kakashi said, as he was waiting for them
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked
"In order for you to take the chunin exams, every member of the team must be here to enter. That's how it is this year. Usually only teams of three would be able to enter, but due to our unique situation, we had to change the rules a bit." Kakashi said
"But you said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual." Sakura said
"That's right. I did." Kakashi said
"Enough already! Can you move and let us in, Cyclops-Sensei?!" Natsumi asked, as she started to get angry
"I'm with her on this one. I don't really feel like hearing a speech or anything right now." Naruto said
"Fine. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Natsumi. I'm proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better team. Good luck." Kakashi said and moved from in front of the doors
"We won't let you down, Kakashi-Sensei!" Natsumi said as they walked into the room
"I guess we're not alone." Sakura said, as every genin in the room was looking at them
"I had no idea that there'd be so much competition. If being scary-looking was one of the tests, they've got me beat." Sakura thought
"Sasuke, where have you been?!" Ino asked as she jumped on his back
"Hey, Ino." Natsumi said
"Hey girl. Boy, Sasuke. You have no idea how much you'd show up here. I've missed those brooding good looks of yours." Ino said
"Hey, you porker! Back off! He's mine!" Sakura said
"Miss forehead. They let you in? Still go those big frown lines between your billboard brow, I see." Ino said
"Leave my forehead out of it!" Sakura said and growled at Ino
"They do this every time. Let's see, other than me and Natsumi, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and six others, everyone has basic chakra levels. Three of them are that team with a music note on their headband. I haven't heard of that village before. Two of them are the spies and the other one. I don't know who this person is, but they've got Kage level reserves and their chakra is sinister. I'll have to be on guard at all times." Naruto thought and he was brought out of his thoughts when a voice spoke up
"H-Hi, N-Naruto. I-I'm glad you m-made it here." Hinata said
"Hm? Oh, hey. It's Hinote, right?" Naruto asked and Hinata deflated
"It's Hinata!" Kiba said
"Whatever. I was close enough." Naruto said
"Naruto, care for some treats?" Ino asked
"Come on! Take the bait!" Ino thought
"No thank you. I already ate." Naruto said and Sakura smirked
"Hey, Ino. Guess what." Sakura said
"What, forehead?" Ino asked
"I saw Naruto without his mask on." Sakura said
"WHAT?!" Ino yelled
"Yeah. He showed me before we came into the chunin exams." Sakura said
"That's not fair! Now you get to have his first kiss." Ino said
"Nah. I don't want it." Sakura said
"Is he ugly? Because I'm not kissing an ugly boy." Ino said
"Actually, he's not. H-He's hotter than Sasuke actually." Sakura said
"What?! There's no way he's hotter than Sasuke! Natsumi, is that true?!" Ino asked
"Uh, I don't go around checking out my brother. That's weird." Natsumi said
"Hey, you guys might want to keep it down a little. I mean, no offense, but you're the ten rookies, right? Fresh out of the academy? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field trip." A boy with glasses said
"So, this is the other spy." Naruto thought
"Well, who asked you, four eyes? Better yet, what's your damn name?" Natsumi asked
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi." Kabuto said
"Kabuto Yakushi, huh?" Naruto thought
"See those guys right there? They're from the rain village. Very touchy. They all are. This exam makes everyone tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now. You can't help it. I mean how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back." Kabuto said
"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" Sakura asked
"Obviously not. I mean look at him. He's obviously got to be at least 19 or 20. From what I gathered, the chunin exams happen twice a year every 6 months. That would mean you've failed the chunin exams nearly 14 times." Natsumi said
"Actually, this is my seventh try." Kabuto said
"Well, you only suck half as much as I originally thought." Natsumi said
"Wow, a veteran. You must be an expert by now." Sakura said
"I don't know. I mean something doesn't seem right about this." Natsumi said
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino asked
"I mean if he failed the chunin exams so many times, why bother to keep trying. Every year he gains experience from these things and missions, but he still can't pass." Natsumi said
"She doesn't know how right she is at this moment." Naruto thought
"Don't listen to her. She's not the brightest in the bunch." Sakura said
"I'll have you know that our academic grades were basically identical. If I'm not the brightest in the brunch, then neither are you." Natsumi said
"Listen, since you're an expert here, do you think you could give us some tips?" Choji asked
"Sure. I can help you kids out a little with my ninja info cards." Kabuto said
"What are those?" Sakura asked
"It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years. I've got more than two hundred of them. So you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time." Kabuto said
"Obviously you have if you never passed the chunin exams." Natsumi said
"Natsumi, be quiet. Continue, Kabuto. You've peaked my interest with those cards of yours." Naruto said and then Natsumi looked at him
"What's he planning? Something like this wouldn't interest him in the slightest. Actually, I don't even think he'd need any help given how strong he is." Natsumi thought
"They may not look like much to the naked eye. In fact, they appear blank. Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." Kabuto said and then Sasuke stepped forward
"Do those cards of yours have any information on the other candidates, individually?" Sasuke asked
"If he does, then it won't be from anybody that's taking the chunin exams for the first time." Naruto said
"Do you have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked and glanced at Naruto
"I might." Sasuke said
"I can't promise my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone, including you guys of course." Kabuto said and bells went off in Naruto's head
"How do you have information on us and this is our first time taking the chunin exams?" Naruto asked
"I do my research extremely thoroughly." Kabuto said
"I'm not buying it. The only way you could get information from us is if you talked to us personally or talked to our jonin instructor. I can tell you now that none of them talked to you since I'm close with two of the three jonin sensei and the third one is the leader of team 7. Now, who did you really get the information from?" Naruto asked
"Alright. You caught me. The hokage gave me the information after I asked." Kabuto said
"The hokage, huh? Looks like I'll have to have a little chat with him." Naruto said
"Wait a minute. There's no way the old man would give out that kind of information. Especially to a random genin at that. What the hell is going on?" Natsumi thought, as she looked at Naruto who shook his head a bit
"You don't have to do that. I was barely able to get a meeting with him since he's so busy." Kabuto said
"I'll take my chances." Naruto said
"I'll have to eliminate him during the second part or he'll ruin everything." Kabuto thought
"So, Sasuke. Who do you have in mind? Tell me anything you know about them. A description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all." Kabuto said
"Gaara of the desert, Rock Lee of the leaf village and Naruto Uchiha as well." Sasuke said
"Why do you want to know about Naruto? He's our teammate." Sakura said
"He's not the only one. I mean, nobody really knows much about his skills." Ino said
"That's no fun. You even know their names. First up is Rock Lee. He's a year older than you. Has completed 11 c-rank missions and 20 D-tank missions. His team joinin sensei is Might Guy and in the last 12 months his taijutsu has grown exponentially. His other skills are shaky. Last year he chose to not take the chunin exams. His teammates are Neji Hyuga and Tenten." He said
"A taijutsu specialist? No wonder he kicked your ass Sasuke." Natsumi said
"Now for Gaara. He has completed 8 c-ranks and get this a B rank mission while not even being touched on a single mission." He said, shocking all the genin except Naruto
"Now, tell me about Naruto." Sasuke said and Kabuto looked at Naruto
"Go ahead. Tell him about my file." Naruto said
"Naruto Uchiha. He's done 0 D-rank, 17 C-rank, 8 B-rank, 2 A-rank and 4 S-rank missions. His skills aren't even listed on here, but most jonin say he's already more skilled than a seasoned chunin. Like Gaara, he's never been injured or touched on a mission." Kabuto said and the room went quiet as everyone looked at Naruto
"W-What? That has to be a lie." Ino said
"I'm afraid not." Kabuto said
"Loser, when did you get another A-rank mission and 4 S-ranks?" Sasuke asked angrily
"Don't worry about it, side branch member." Naruto said
Kabuto just unintentionally solidified himself as a spy. He shouldn't have mission records or skills for that matter, those were all confidential to the Hokage and jonin sensei. Especially his 4 S-rank missions. One was for teaching the hokage how to defeat paperwork, capturing Mizuki after he stole the forbidden scroll, watching over Natsumi until he graduated and the ongoing one was capturing Kabuto who was a spy. He looked and saw Kabuto get attacked by the sound ninja that he saw in the room. He noticed Kabuto sensed they were coming, but didn't bother to dodge them.
"Must be to keep any suspicions off of them." Naruto thought and then the proctor came into the room
"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH NO FIGHTING OR I WILL KICK YOU OUT MY NAME IS IBIKI AND I AM THE PROCTOR FOR THIS STAGE NOW GRAB A NUMBER SIT DOWN." Ibiki yelled and everybody ran to their seats after getting a number.
"Now the first part of the chunin exams is a written test. You have 45 minutes to answer 9 questions. The final tenth question will be asked after time is up if you're caught cheating 5 times your team is eliminated and will be sent out. Now begin!" Ibiki said
45 minutes later
"Alright pencils down, it's time for the tenth question. Are you done playing with your puppet." He asked Kankuro who looked scared at having been caught.
"How'd he know?" Kankuro thought
"Now you have the option to take the tenth question, however if one person from a team refuses you all fail. It doesn't matter if you get all 9 questions correct if you choose to not take the tenth question you will get a zero. But if you choose to take the question and get it wrong you will never be able to take the chunin exams ever again." Ibiki said
"WHAT KIND OF RULE IS THAT? THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO'VE TAKEN THIS EXAM BEFORE." Kiba yelled and Ibiki gave a hollowed laugh before answering.
"Well you must be unlucky because I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't want to take it you don't have to. There's always the chunin exams next year. Those who don't wish to take it raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and you may leave." Ibiki said and some people started to leave until Natsumi spoke up
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME. I DON'T QUIT AND I DON'T RUN. YOU DON'T SCARE ME YOU SCARRED FACE PIECE OF CHICKEN SHIT. EVEN IF I AM A GENIN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I WILL BECOME HOKAGE. YOU CAN TAKE YOUR RULES AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS." Natsumi yelled
"She's got guts." Ibiki thought
"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance." Ibiki said
"Fuck that quitting shit. I never go back on my word." Natsumi said
"79 people left, that's more than I expected, however none of them show signs of giving up I guess this is it." Ibiki thought
"You tell him girl." Ino thought
"Way to go, Natsumi." Sakura thought
"Now for all of you remaining, you all pass the first exam." Ibiki said and everyone was stunned
"Hold on, what just happened? What kind of rules are those? What do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?" Sakura asked
"There never was a tenth question, well not a written one. Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question." Ibiki said
"Huh?" Sakura asked
"Hold on so the other nine questions were just a waste of time?" Temari asked
"Not exactly. The 9 questions served an important purpose on how to gather information without getting caught. Why do you think I put so much emphasis on getting caught? If you're going to be a ninja you need stealth and to know how to gather information quickly while in a hostile area. My objective was to test you not as individuals, but as a team and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so you'd know that everything you did or failed to do, would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure. The first 9 questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, they were too difficult for any genin to be expected to solve. I imagine most of you quickly came to that conclusion, that you'd have to cheat if you had any chance of passing. This test was designed for you to cheat and you couldn't cheat unless you had people to cheat from. I had two chunin disguised around the room who already knew the answers and had them sit with you." Ibiki said
"Well, I didn't even bother to do my test. However, I think he'll appreciate what I wrote here." Naruto thought
"Those who were caught, failed. It's better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily. Information. It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission is a failure or a success. There'll be times you'll have to risk your life to get it." Ibiki said, as he removed his headband to reveal his head that was covered in cuts, burn marks and puncture wounds
"Oh shit. I wonder what he went through." Natsumi thought
"Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat in order to survive and that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out leaving the rest of you." Ibiki said
"I still don't understand the tenth question thing." Temari said
"The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely, you see that." Ibiki said
"Sure, but can you explain it anyway?" Sakura asked
"It's simple. The tenth question was if we wanted to stay. This was a psychological exam and we all passed. Some of us passed because of our own mental toughness, some passed because of Natsumi's speech and some passed because they saw they're teammates' strong will to continue." Naruto said
"He's correct. The final question gave you two difficult choices. You could choose to skip the question, though it means that both you and your teammates would fail. Then you could try and answer it, but knowing if you got it wrong, you could lose your chances of ever being chunin. It was a no win situation. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission. To steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. You also have reason to believe that the enemy expects you, that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap." Ibiki said
"This sounds like a mission I did 2 months ago." Naruto thought
"Now, do you have the option of taking a pass on this mission or say my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day. Can you choose to avoid danger? No. There will be many missions that will seem almost suicidal if you think about it, but you don't think about it. You only think of achieving the goal through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own, those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honor will never be able to call themselves chunin as long as I'm here." Ibiki said and then Sasuke had to open his mouth
"If my teammates can't protect themselves then they have no business being a ninja. They're weak and deserve to die. I would only select the most powerful members on my team. Mental weakness should be evaluated before anybody becomes a ninja to prohibit such things." Sasuke said
"Then if that's the case, you would be the first person to not become a ninja. You're the weakest person here mentally. If somebody even mentions your brother's name you snap. Despite what he did, Itachi from what I heard never put his comrades in trouble while on a mission. Compared to him you're a joke and I bet your parents are rolling over in their graves because of your behavior. Congratulations dumbass, you just solidified your chances of not becoming a chunin, dipshit." Naruto said
"Watch what you say about my parents!" Sasuke said and glared at him with his sharingan
"What are you going to do, fight me? We both know how that will end. You on the ground unconscious looking even more pathetic than you already do." Naruto said
"Enough. You can fight later. I hereby declare this part of the chunin exams completed. There's nothing left for me to do, but wish you all good luck." Ibiki said
"ALRIGHT. WE DID IT. FIRST PART IS DOWN. WOOHOO." Natsumi yelled
"She's a lively one, that's for sure." Ibiki thought as he and Naruto looked at the window
"Great. She's the proctor. I have a good guess as to where the second part is being held." Naruto thought as the glass was broken through and a banner was revealed through the smoke
The sexy and happily taken Anko Mitarashi
"Alright boys and girls, no time for celebrating. My name is Anko Mitarashi and I am the proctor of the second part of the chunin exams!" Anko proudly exclaimed and everyone just looked at her while Naruto shook his head
"You're early again." Ibiki said and Anko deflated
"Great. A screaming nutcase. She's kind of like Natsumi." Sakura thought
"How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft." Anko said
"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki said
"Hm. They sure don't look like it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated." Anko said
"More than half? Really?" Sakura asked
"This is going to be fun. All right, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me. Dismissed. Except for you, my little masked maelstrom." Anko said and everyone left except Naruto
"Can you stop calling me that?" Naruto asked, as he went up to her and gave her a hug
"Nope. So, how've you been? Haven't seen much of you." Anko said
"Been good. Doing a lot of training and missions." Naruto said
"Uh-huh. Now, why did the old man tell me to come see you?" Anko asked
"Well, we have a few uninvited guests in this year's chunin exams. Kabuto Yakushi is a spy, there's somebody here that is easily a Kage level shinobi and somebody from Iwa is in disguise here after me." Naruto said
"Kabuto Yakushi? Hasn't he taken these exams like a dozen times?" Anko asked
"Yeah. I'll look into his file along with his genin team. I've noticed that their clothes are oddly similar to those of that sound team." Ibiki said and Anko grabbed her neck in pain
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked
"It's my curse mark." Anko said and Naruto's eyes went wide
"It's Orochimaru." Naruto said
"He's here." Ibiki said
"The question is why though." Naruto said as he used some medical ninjutsu to release some pain on Anko's neck
"Natsumi is the nine tails jinchuriki. Maybe he's after her." Anko said
"I doubt it. He's not dumb enough to risk releasing the nine tails. I don't even think it would work putting the curse mark on Natsumi if he even tried. The nine tails would detect if something foreign was put in her body and would immediately get rid of it. He's after something else, but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to complete the second part quickly and then go back into the forest of death since she's technically one of my teammates." Naruto said
"How do you know that's where the second part is?" Ibiki asked
"It's Anko that's in charge. It would be stupid if me to not know where the second part is. Anyway, you can go let the old man know what's going on and tell him not to act on it. He'll choke again if he has to kill Orochimaru like last time and we need to know what he's after." Naruto said
"I'll let him know." Ibiki said and vanished
"What about you, Anko?" Naruto asked
"I'm going to Kurenai's. We're supposed to have girl time I guess or something. Wanna join?" Anko asked
"No. I have something else to do." Naruto said
"Somebody's got a date." Anko said and grinned
"So? I had to cancel the first one for a last minute mission." Naruto said
"When will I get to meet this Temari chick?" Anko aske
"I don't know. I need to go. I'm already late according to her time." Naruto said and vanished
Golden leaf hotel
"I'm here." Naruto said
"Yeah. With 2 seconds to spare." Temari said
"Whatever. Why don't you have your fan with you?" Naruto asked
"I figured I didn't need it. I'm sure you're strong enough to protect the both of us." Temari said and gave him a smile
"I guess you're right. I wouldn't want anything hurting that beautiful face of yours." Naruto said and made her blush as he caressed her cheek
"Stop it." Temari said
"How about this?" Naruto asked and pulled his mask down to give her a kiss
"T-That's not making it better." Temari said as she turned bright red
"You'll be fine." Naruto said
"So, where are we going?" Temari asked, as she stopped blushing
"I figured I'd take you to the weapons shop for something I know you'll like, grab some food and then take a walk to my favorite spot." Naruto said
"Let's go then." Temari said and looped her arm around Naruto's
Higarashi ninja store
"Is this the place? Looks kind of small." Temari said
"Don't worry. It's bigger on the inside." Naruto said
"Lead the way." Temari said and Naruto opened the door for her
"After you, Princess Temari." Naruto said
"Why thank you." Temari said as she walked in the store
"Yo! Old mad Sato! I'm here!" Naruto said
"Sato?" Temari asked
"He's the owner of the shop." Naruto said
"Naruto my boy! How's it going?" Sato asked
"I'm good. This is Temari. I brought her here to look around." Naruto said
"Pleasure to meet you." Temari said and bowed
"Likewise. Make sure you keep him out of trouble." Sato said
"I only get in trouble when Natsumi is involved." Naruto said
"Right. Well, I need to get an order ready, so just bring up to the counter and ring the bell when you're ready to check out." Sato said and went to the back
"So, what is this awesome thing you think I'll like?" Temari asked
"These." Naruto said and showed her some smaller folding fans
"We have these in Suna." Temari said and pulled out one of hers
"Yes, but pick up one of these and feel the difference between the two." Naruto said and gave her one
"Wow. It's really light compared to ours. What is this made of?" Temari asked
"Chakra conducting carbon fiber. It's lighter than metal, but stronger and is way better at channeling chakra through them so it'll last longer." Naruto said, as Temari gave it a try and created a small gust of wind
"It's a lot easier to use and the control over my wind is better. I need a bigger one the size of my fan." Temari said
"You can ask old man Sato to custom make you one." Naruto said and pulled out a kunai
"Is that made of the same material?" Temari asked
"Yup. All of my ninja equipment comes from him. People go to the bigger ninja shop because they can get more for less money, but Sato has way better quality." Naruto said
"How much would the custom order cost? I didn't bring much money with me." Temari said
"I'll pay for it. I've been coming here before I became a ninja, so I have a credit here. You can design the fan anyway you want and he'll get it done for you. Since it's only one thing, he might be able to get it done in a month." Naruto said
"He's that good? The fan I have now was custom made and it took the shop in Suna nearly three months to make." Temari said
"Well, he used to be a ninja so he uses a few shadow clones to help him and sometimes his daughter will help, but he only lets her make basic things while he does the custom orders." Naruto said
"Well, then that gives me one more excuse to come back to Konoha more often." Temari said, as she looked up into Naruto's eyes
"Oh? What was the other reason?" Naruto asked
"A dark haired, dark blue eyed boy that caught my attention in Suna a few months ago." Temari said
"Lucky guy." Naruto said
"You have no idea how right you are." Temari said and started to swing her fan around
"I see you're having fun." Naruto said
"Yeah. It's just so light. Does he have any wind ninjutsu?" Temari asked
"He should. I know he gets a new shipment of jutsu every other month." Naruto said and took her to the ninjutsu section of the store
"I think I'm in love!" Temari said, as she looked at all of the ninjutsu scrolls
"I mean it's only our second date, but love has no timetable." Naruto said and she blushed
"I-I was talking about the scrolls." Temari said
"I know. I'm just messing with you. See anything you like?" Naruto asked
"A few, yeah." Temari said and grabbed about 10 scrolls
"You know these things aren't cheap right?" Naruto asked
"I thought you had a credit." Temari said
"I do, but how do you know I didn't need it for something special?" Naruto asked
"Please. You're the son of the fourth hokage and from what you told me in our letters through Tatsu, you're technically the head of the Uchiha clan. I don't think you need to worry about money." Temari said
"I mean yeah, but I haven't even touched that money yet." Naruto said
"Don't think I didn't hear about your mission record. An S-rank mission itself in Konoha is worth at least 1,00,000 yen from what I've heard. You've done four of them and you mean to tell me you're complaining about money?" Temari asked
"I guess you're right. I'll just add another 500,000 yen to my credit." Naruto said and her jaw dropped
"I should really kick your ass right now." Temari said
"Now that wouldn't be nice." Naruto said
"Whatever. Aren't you going to get anything?" Temari asked
"Nah. I'm up to date with everything I need so far. I'll probably have to stock up again in a few months." Naruto said, as they went up to the counter and saw Sato standing there with a box
"I hope you found everything you needed." Sato said
"I did. I've never seen these wind ninjutsu scrolls before and I'm from the land of wind." Temari said
"You just have to know the right places to look and people to talk to." Sato said
"I see. Naruto said you can make me a fan within a month. Is that true?" Temari asked
"It sure is. Just give me a design of the fan with its measurements and I'll get to work on it." Sato said
"It's a giant war fan, but I want it made with the same materials as your small fans here." Temari said
"Good choice. Any specific designs for it? Like symbols or anything?" Sato asked
"Yeah. On the fan I usually have three moons indicating how strong my wind will be. Can you add those on there?" Temari asked and drew what she wanted it to look like
"That's easy." Sato said and wrote her name on top of the paper
"Easy? It's a giant war fan." Temari said
"I've made every weapon in this shop along with my daughter. A giant war fan is nothing." Sato said
"Trust him. He knows what he's doing." Naruto said
"Yes and Naruto your order will be ready for you in 2 more months." Sato said
"Take your time, old man. I'm not in a rush." Naruto said
"I understand. You'll love them once you see them. Now, I should get started on Temari's order." Sato said
"See you later." Naruto said
"Thank you." Temari said and bowed before they left
Naruto & Temari
"See. That wasn't so bad." Naruto said, as they were walking around Konoha to get some food
"Right. So, what's the deal with our proctor for the second part of the exams?" Temari asked
"Oh that's Anko. She's playful, funny and sadistic all at the same time. It's actually kind of hard to describe her." Naruto said
"The same Anko that basically raised you?" Temari asked
"Yup." Naruto said, as he paid for her stuff
"Then how did you not turn out like her?" Temari asked
"Well, I had Kurenai to make sure I didn't. Plus I was 7 when they really started to raise me. I've grown numb to her antics over the years and nothing she does really surprises me." Naruto said
"I feel bad for her. She'll never get a boyfriend as long as she's like that." Temari said
"Actually she has a boyfriend." Naruto said
"Really?! No way!" Temari said
"I'm serious. Her boyfriend is the complete opposite of her and believe it or not she's actually calmed down a bit compared to how she was before." Naruto said
"How the hell did that happen?" Temari asked
"Well, from what she told me, she took him home and rode him till sunrise." Naruto said and Temari blushed
"W-What?" Temari asked
"I'm not repeating myself. It's bad enough that I know that information." Naruto said
"Why would she tell you that though?" Temari asked, as they stopped walking
"After you gave me a kiss the first time we met, I didn't know what it meant. Don't get me wrong, I know about relationships and everything, but that was the first time a girl has ever kissed me and then you ran away. They told me that you were just scared since you didn't kiss me before since we spent everyday together." Naruto said
"Me being scared was an understatement. You're the first boy I liked and I was a nervous wreck. I didn't know what to do after that so I just ran away." Temari said
"Well, it's in the past now. We've gotten pretty close since that day." Naruto said
"I guess you're right. So, where are we?" Temari asked
"This is Ichiraku ramen. Not the best place to go on a first date, but I figured I'd keep this nice and simple." Naruto said
"Actually it's okay. I've heard quite a few people talking about this place and wanted to try it." Temari said
"Then prepare to be amazed." Naruto said
"Lead the way." Temari said and they went into the shop
"Yo! Old man Teuchi! I'm back!" Naruto said
"Naruto my boy! Good to see you again. Oh? Who's this?" Teuchi asked
"This is Temari. She's my date." Naruto said
"YOUR WHAT?" Ayame yelled from the back
"Who was that?" Temari asked
"Ayame. She works here as well." Naruto said
"I can't believe you!" Ayame said
"What did I do?" Naruto asked
"You brought another girl here! I was supposed to be your first date!" Ayame said
"Huh? Since when?" Naruto asked and Temari just watched this play out
"Well, Natsumi."
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Let me guess, she made a bet with you and your prize was a date with me?" Naruto asked
"How'd you know?" Ayame asked
"When Natsumi is involved it's expected." Naruto said
"The girl with the red hair that makes her look like a tomato?" Temari asked
"Yes and please don't call her that. I'm getting tired of stopping her rampaging and then cleaning up her mess." Naruto said
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Temari said
"She was suspended from the academy for 3 months when she was 9 for breaking the arms, jaws and legs of 4 teachers because they teased her about her hair and called her tomato head." Naruto said and Temari's jaw dropped
"You're kidding, right?" Temari asked
"Nope." Naruto said
"Alright. What can I get you two?" Ayame asked
"I'll take 2 medium miso pork ramen." Temari said
"Good choice." Ayame said
"I'll have my usual." Naruto said
"Okay. We have 2 medium pork ramen and 4 large miso beef ramen with extra vegetables and beef." Ayame said
"Thanks Ayame." Naruto said
"No problem. I'll be back shortly." Ayame said
"I should be surprised about 4 large with extra beef and vegetables, but I remembered you ate that barbecue camel with no problem in Suna." Temari said
"I've got a big appetite." Naruto said
"Clearly. So, how have things been for you?" Temari asked
"Same old same old. Missions, training and relaxing. Oh and running away from fangirls trying to remove my mask." Naruto said
"Fangirls? I haven't seen any." Temari said
"Trust me. They're here. They've been silently following us around the entire village. I just hope they keep their mouths shut and then the council finds out." Naruto said
"Why?" Temari asked
"Because then Konoha and Suna will try to force us into an arranged marriage." Naruto said
"You say it like it's a bad thing." Temari said
"It is. Don't get me wrong, I do like and everything, but who's to say we even last? I can't predict the future and if that happens, I'd rather not be stuck in a marriage that was forced on me and there's no love involved." Naruto said
"I guess that makes sense." Temari said
"How have things been with you?" Naruto asked
"Weird." Temari said
"Weird how?" Naruto asked
"I can't say it out in public." Temari said
"Okay. Can we get our orders to go, Ayame?" Naruto asked
"Sure thing. I'll just have to charge you extra for a late order change." Ayame said
"That's fine. Put it on Natsumi's tab." Naruto said
"Okay. Here you two go. Have a good day." Ayame said
"We will." Naruto said
"Where are you taking me?" Temari asked
"My place." Naruto said
Naruto's apartment
"So, what's going on?" Naruto asked
"I don't know. I can't really explain it. My dad suddenly changed over the past few months. Before he was okay with Gaara sleeping in the room and now he refuses to let Gaara sleep. I don't know what happened. He's just different. His chakra is even different and he doesn't even bother to show up whenever Gaara releases the Shukaku." Temari said
"That is weird. I was wondering why Gaara seemed so angry. Hold on. What do you mean his chakra changed?" Naruto asked
"I mean just that. His chakra became dark and sinister one day he came back from an envoy to meet with a nearby village leader. I know it's weird and he's not really around, but I know what his chakra should feel like and that's not it. Something must've happened to him on his way back and he doesn't realize it." Temari said
"Want me to tell the hokage and see if he can look into it?" Naruto asked
"No. Suna is already in shambles because of the wind daimyo cutting our budget and sending missions to Konoha. Keep this between us. This is technically treason in my village." Temari said as she started to eat her ramen
"I won't tell anybody." Naruto said as he removed his masked and she blushed again
"I know this isn't my first time seeing you with your mask off, but I can't help it when I blush." Temari said
"It's going to get worse when I actually remove it." Naruto said
"Oh yeah. When are you going to remove it?" Temari asked
"During the chunin exam finals when all of the important people are here. Daimyo's, noble families, rich families. The old man wants to make some big announcement with me and my sister." Naruto said
"So, who exactly are you related to? You don't look like any of the people you mentioned." Temari said
"You'll find out in the finals." Naruto said and she yawned
"Sorry, but it's been a long day." Temari said
"I know. Want me to walk you back to your hotel?" Naruto asked
"Thanks, but I think for both our sakes that I should go alone. I had fun though." Temari said and gave him a huge smile
"Me too. Want me to have Tatsu watch over you while you're walking?" Naruto asked
"She can do that?" Temari asked
"Yeah. She's not usually a fighter, but apparently she can zap somebody and leave them paralyzed for an hour." Naruto said and summoned Tatsu
"Naruto? Temari? Why am I here? I don't have any messages and you're both together." Tatsu said
"I have a mission for you, Tatsu." Naruto said
"I've always wanted to go on a mission. What is it? Killing a snake? Torturing a snake?" Tatsu asked
"She's small and violent. I like her." Temari thought
"It's an escort mission. I want you to watch over Temari as she goes to her hotel. You have my permission to zap anybody that attacks her." Naruto said
"Sir yes sir!" Tatsu said and turned invisible
"What the? Where'd she go?" Temari asked
"I'm on your head. Your hair smells nice. Anyway, when I'm like this I can't be detected and they won't see me coming if I zap them." Tatsu said
"Nice. Bye, Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow." Temari said and gave him a kiss on the cheek
"I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck." Naruto said
"Thank you." Temari said and left
"You can come out now, Kurenai." Naruto said and then the wall next to the door shimmered revealing Kurenai
"How'd you know I was there?" Kurenai asked
"Really? Somebody who trained me to detect genjutsu without my sharingan asked me how I found her. On top of that, I'm a sensor as well." Naruto said
"Smartass. So, how was the date? I only caught the tail end of it." Kurenai said
"It was good. Went to old Sato's shop to get her some stuff, got takeout from Ichirakus and then we came here." Naruto said
"Not bad for a first date. I just came to check up on you. Good luck tomorrow." Kurenai said and left
After Kurenai left, Naruto took a shower and went to bed. Tatsu came back and let him know Temari made it back to the hotel safe and nobody tried to harm her. His final thoughts were on the rest of the chunin exams, what was going on with Temari's dickhead of a father and why Orochimaru himself snuck into the chunin exams. Little did he or anybody else know, the Kazekage had been murdered.