Sakura stood still as Tsunade circled around her, appraising her. Finishing her circle, she nodded at me.
"You're right, she has potential… Are you sure about her summons? Slug summoners are pretty rare."
"I'm positive," I said, nodding back. I glanced at Sakura's necklace and frowned, remembering something. "I guess I forgot to tell you… Sakura, bite your thumb and put blood on the necklace charm. You too, Haku."
The two genin looked a little skeptical and confused but I nodded encouragingly. The two took off their necklaces with a glance towards me. Biting their thumbs, the kunoichi held their hands over the charm, a single drop of blood landing onto the blood steel. The kunoichi watched as the metal absorbed the crimson liquid as it changed color. Sakura's slug turned a vivid pink with emerald spots, Haku's wolf darkened to match her hair and eyes. Studying the charms, Tsunade frowned.
"Is that blood steel?"
"Hai. You've heard about it?" I asked. Tsunade nodded then shrugged.
"Bits and pieces. It absorbs the blood and changes its form to match the DNA. It's supposed to be extremely rare… How'd you get it?"
"It's rare in the human world. Demon foxes specialize in mining and forging it. All I had to do was order the charms, Hiraishin seal and all, and the court smith took care of the rest." I shrugged walking away from the group and towards Hina-chan. I hugged her from behind and she laughed.
"Naruto-kun! I thought you were on a mission," she smiled. I shrugged, pointing at the Slug Sannin.
"It was easier than I thought it'd be to convince her. Jiraiya is here too; he went to tell Hiruzen that we're here."
'He went or you ordered him too?"
"A little bit of both," I smiled deviously. Hinata-chan chuckled in my arms.
"Does Kakashi know you brought Shizune back so early?"
"I just got back," I said, feigning indignation. Feeling the truth in my thoughts, Hinata-chan smiled. "Besides, I think I should give him less time to compose himself. The less notice he has, the less time he'll have to panic." Hina-chan only laughed. I released her from my arms and took her hand instead. She smiled, tightening her grip.
"How's the rest of the world? Anything big and out of the ordinary happening out there? Genin don't hear much," Hina-chan pouted. I chuckled at her mock sadness.
"Nothing really happened. I didn't even get in a fight. It was pretty boring, actually," I said, now being dragged away from the small crowd of people. Recognizing faces, I realized that everyone in attendance was either a groomsmen or a bridesmaid.
"All I've been doing is drilling the gentle fist," Hina-chan complained lightly. "Father is still under the impression that I'm still his weak little heiress."
"Guess you'll have to prove him wrong and beat everyone left."
"Shouldn't be too hard, Gaara killed Dosu again to maintain the timeline. I only have to beat three people." I rolled my eyes, remembering the order from the last exam.
"Your first opponent will be Haku. If you beat her, you fight either Sasuke or Gaara, both of whom have been trained by me although I'd put money on Gaara. That leaves you with either Temari or Shikamaru. Shikamaru would be worn out if he beats Temari so he shouldn't be very difficult. On the other hand, Temari will be tag teaming with Sandstorm. They won't be easy."
"Then I'll summon. Yonaka-chan has some very fun fire jutsu on top of weapons," Hina-chan smiled expectantly. I chuckled at her expression and glanced at the assembled people behind me.
"How's the preparations going?"
"We're almost done. All we're waiting for is the end of the Exams. I'm pretty sure Hiruzen is putting in a good word for me with the Daimyo," she shrugged.
"I doubt you'll need it," I said, a hand on the seal I shared with her. I sighed as Hina-chan's eyes flashed with worry before she checked my emotions. I raised an eyebrow and she blushed slightly.
"Sorry it's just-"
"I know," I chuckled before getting serious. "I don't know how Sasuke managed it until the tower let alone the preliminaries. I could barely stand."
"He was an avenger," she muttered, watching Sasuke walk into the clearing, sliding Kamisora back into its sheath. "You really helped him."
"Not enough. He still wants to kill his brother. I'll eventually have to tell him why Itachi did it." I knew that Sasuke was always going to prefer vengeance over security. He took the burden of his clan's hate, directing it at his current enemy. Unless he found out the truth about his brother, he'd never be satisfied until Itachi fell dead in front of him. Even then, I couldn't promise that he'd stay in Konoha to protect us, not after I let Itachi go so easily.
Sasuke's smile evaporated when he felt the atmosphere surrounding Hina-chan and myself. His eyebrows met in concern and his face fell into a frown.
"Did something-"
"No, we're fine. Just… hoping for the best during the Chuunin Exams. I found the woman I wanted to be Sakura's shishou," I said, nodding at Tsunade and Sakura as they talked. Sasuke glanced at them and nodded. I turned back to Sasuke, smiling. "Haku will be doing more training with Koyuki and Kakashi. That means I'm free to train you whenever you want. I can help you with your Sharingan as much as Kakashi can, I can begin to train you in my personal taijutsu style, the warau akuma, you could start on what I learned from the samurai or I could teach you more advanced jutsu. Pick two; I don't think we'll have enough time to get a lot done with only two weeks, but I'm sure that it'd help in the Exams."
"Can you show me the warau akuma?" Sasuke asked. I chuckled as his hand twitched to his leg, to the femur I had cracked with my taijutsu.
"Sure. What else? Sharingan, jutsu, or kenjutsu? Keep in mind who you might be facing and their abilities: Gaara has perfect control over sand and can summon raccoons; Hinata-chan has the Byakugan, gentle fist, the beginnings of the warau akuma, and can summon foxes; Haku can use her ice techniques and senbon; Kankuro is a master puppet user; Temari uses her battle fan to control wind with her wind natured chakra; Shino uses bugs; and Shikamaru can control you using his clan's shadow jutsu." Sasuke thought about the pros and cons of each genin before nodding.
"Sharingan," he said, surprising me. I was sure he would have chosen jutsu. I smiled and nodded.
"We'll need to go to the Forest of Death for the warau akuma. We can practice your Sharingan in one of the Namikaze fields."
"Let's work on the warau akuma first," he said, nodding.
"Are you sure you don't need me?" I asked Hina-chan. She laughed, turning back to the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
"Go train, Naruto-kun. Love you," she said, making the gathered shinobi all smile. I smiled back, holding my arm to Sasuke.
"Love you too," I said, Hiraishining away to my primary clearing. Just as I released Sasuke, I heard a loud growl emanating from the trees. I stood in front of Sasuke and returned the growl, backed by a wave of killing intent. I smirked as the animal ran into the shelter of the thick trees. I glanced at Sasuke, frozen. I chuckled as he recovered.
"After the Chuunin Exams, I'm going to teach all of Team Seven how to deal with killing intent. You need to at least get used to my chakra and Kyuubi's or you could become a liability on the battlefield. But back to the present, the warau akuma! The first thing you need to understand about this style is that it is designed to destroy the enemy with quick attacks. If I attacked you right now, I could kill you any one of thirty or so ways. Usually I only use the early steps, designed to incapacitate the enemy, in combat.
"First, before any of that, how heavy are your weights right now and when did you last up the weights?" I asked. Sasuke thought about it before answering.
"220. Fifty on each leg, forty five on each arm, and another thirty on my chest. I increased the weights last Monday."
"Good, I wouldn't teach this if you didn't have at least two hundred," I nodded. "Next, deactivate your weights and attack me. I need to see how you fight. Remember, if you want to-"
"Hit you I need to aim to kill, I know," he said, getting into a taijutsu pose. He activated his Sharingan as I activated my demon eyes and shifted into the warau akuma stance.
"Begin," I said, smiling as he blurred. I could still see him, each of his punches and kicks was noted and avoided. At the end of ten minutes, I hadn't thrown a single punch and Sasuke was leaning against a tree, breathing heavily. I nodded at him. "Leave the weights off for now. Take a break and relax, we'll pick up in ten minutes. This style is a little more demanding than most others. It's worth it though, I've beat Gai using the early steps," I said, jumping to my favorite tree branch without a running start. Sasuke stared up at me before walking up the side of the tree to sit on Hina-chan's branch. Looking out at Konoha, I gave my fox-like grin. Sasuke was going to hate this training.
The sun was almost at the horizon when Sasuke's eyes rolled into his head. I Shunshined behind him, catching him before he hit the rocky ground. I smiled, proud that he had lasted so long. During Hina-chan's first lesson, back in our past, she couldn't take more than a few hours for the first few lessons. I shifted Sasuke to my back and walked home through the village, the path becoming unfamiliar.
The village was a peaceful chaos, routine and well rehearsed. Children laughed, running in the streets until adults called them inside for dinner. Neighbors greeted each other as they recognized the others' faces. A few people looked at Sasuke with concern until I explained that we'd been training. Reassured, they smiled and said their goodbyes, waving as they walked away.
I was just passing the Hokage Tower when I saw a square rock behind me. I sighed, chuckling to myself at the Sandaime's grandson.
"Come on out, Konohamaru. I know you, Udon, and Moegi are hiding in the 'rock'." A small tricolor explosion erupted from the box, the smoke lifting away to show the three Academy students coughing as they knelt on the ground.
"Heh, just what I expect from Boss," Konohamaru coughed. "Too much gunpowder…"
"I can't play now, guys. I have to get Sasuke back home," I said, glancing at the Uchiha's head now leaning against my shoulder. Konohamaru's eyes brightened.
"Did you beat him up? Can we watch next time?" he asked, excited. I sighed in exasperation.
"Sorry, Konohamaru, we weren't fighting. I was training him in my taijutsu style for the Chuunin Exams. As for watching, you can't. I can't let you watch us train in this style. I invented this style, I'm only showing Sasuke because I think he might need it."
"So? I might need it, niichan," Konohamaru whined.
"You won't. Maybe if you work really hard I'll teach you something when you take the Chuunin Exams."
"But that won't be for years!"
"Then you have a long time to get ready. Sasuke's been training his entire life. He didn't last a full day training with me. The harder you train now, the more I'll teach you later, okay?" Konohamaru's eyes lit up and he grinned at me.
"Yeah! Let's go train!" he shouted, dragging his best friends by the wrist. I mouthed an apology to them. I glanced at Sasuke, still unconscious, and resumed the walk home.
Kakashi sat on the couch, expecting us. When he spotted Sasuke, he sighed.
"What did you start him on this time?"
"Flexibility and then the first two stances for the warau akuma," I reported, laying Sasuke down on the second couch.
"You're teaching him the laughing demon? Are you sure that's a good idea? You've defeated-"
"I know who I beat up with this technique. I'm not going to take him too far in, only enough to improve his defense and learn how to knock people out. He's already having trouble adjusting to the change in style. He needs to improve his speed before it gets too dangerous to teach him more. Also, I doubt he'll have a lot of time to learn the laughing demon. I'm also going to help him with his Sharingan and Hayate, Zabuza, and I are all going to help his kenjutsu."
"Don't pull a Danzo," Kakashi warned, referring to method Danzo unsuccessfully used to make him stay in the village: dangle a new dangerous technique each time he gets bored.
"I won't," I promised my former sensei. I yawned and Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"What day is today? Wednesday… I think I- no…. Last Tuesday, maybe? I don't know, I was on the move a lot."
"Doing what?"
"Assembling the troops. I went to most of the villages again under a flag of truce. Kumo and Kiri have agreed to help us if we need it. The Tsuchikage said he wouldn't back Orochimaru up. The others didn't want to get involved but they promised not to side with Oto."
"How many favors do you owe everyone?"
"Not that many. A lot of countries owed me favors from odd jobs Gaara and I've done. I explained what happened the last time we were in Kumo, why I had talked to Yugito, and the Raikage understood. Turns out he thought I was the one trying to steal the jinchuuriki. Either way, I told him a little about the Akatsuki and we parted under neutral terms. Considering A's temper, I think I did pretty good. All I owe Kumo now is a spar with B."
"Impressive," Kakashi chuckled. The laughter died as Shizune walked into the room. I watched, amused, as Kakashi's visible eye widened and he fought back a blush under his mask.
"Oh yeah, Shizune-neechan, meet Kakashi. Kakashi, this is Shizune. She came to Konoha with Tsunade-obaachan," I introduced. Shizune shifted Tonton to her left arm, holding her right hand out to Kakashi. I elbowed the jounin and the ribs and he snapped out of it, shaking her hand.
"When my parents died, Kakashi took me in," I explained to Shizune.
"You weren't exactly helpless, Naruto," he said, embarrassed. I raised an eyebrow at my former sensei.
"I was half a day old. I'm pretty sure that is the definition of helpless. If you hadn't adopted me, I'd probably have been put in an orphanage. Could you imagine that? I might have still been a genin," I said, my wide eyes clashing with my smirk. Kakashi chuckled and stood up.
"Okay, okay. I just wanted to make sure both of you came out of the forest," he said, stretching. I grabbed his wrist, smiling deviously.
"You can't leave now, it's almost sundown. Stay for dinner, at least," I said, widening my eyes innocently. Shizune fell for it, melting. Seeing her face, Kakashi's head leaned back tiredly.
"If you're having ramen, I'm leaving," he threatened, serious. I grinned and pushed him into the couch before jogging into the kitchen.
"Let me see what I can whip up… You two play nice," I smirked over Shizune's head. I shut the kitchen door behind me and made two shadow clones. One of them smirked and crept to the door silently, ready to listen in on the two. The second nodded at me and moved towards the fridge, half a step behind me. I opened the fridge door and glanced at the stocked shelves and drawers. "Hmm… How about…."
"Chicken?" my clone asked. I nodded and pulled the ingredients out of the fridge. I glanced at my clone, thinking.
"You get started on dessert, I'll take care of dinner," I said, pulling a pan out of a cupboard and grabbing a cutting board.
"Hai, Boss," he said, searching the cupboards.
"Dinner's on the table!" I shouted through the living room door. Everyone was now gathered in the living room, talking while I cooked dinner. One by one, Kakashi, Shizune, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Zabuza, Haku, and Sasuke walked in. Each took a chair at the long table and I brought over the food: broiled chicken, pasta salad, and corn on the cob.
Already having eaten my cooking, Kakashi, Zabuza, Sasuke, and Haku all served themselves and picked up their forks. Haku smiled, standing and pouring herself a glass of water.
"You guys are lucky," she said, watching the three additions to the table glance at the food warily. "Naruto doesn't cook for just anyone."
"That's not true, I cook for you guys all the time," I protested, joining Haku by the cabinets. I grabbed glasses and poured everyone their usual drinks: coffee for Zabuza and myself, orange juice for Kakashi, and milk for Sasuke. I carried the glasses over two at a time and depositing them in front of the correct people.
"You only cook for us when Hinata-chan is here," Haku countered playfully. I rolled my eyes at the Yuki and walked back to the cabinets. Taking out three glasses, I poured sake for Tsunade and Jiraiya and orange juice for Shizune. I brought them their drinks and Jiraiya looked at his glass warily.
"You can relax," I chuckled. "I got this in Rice Country before I found Tsunade. I thought she'd need a little more persuading to come back to Konoha. I was planning on using it as a bargaining chip but I thought you might appreciate it now."
"Good boy," Tsunade said, reaching for her glass. Shizune slapped her hand, picked up the glass and carried it to the sink, pouring it out and filling it with water.
"I told you to go easy on the sake," Shizune chided. Tsunade grumbled but accepted the water. I chuckled at the exchange, serving myself some chicken. Watching the others eat hungrily, Tsunade glanced at the food on her plate. Taking the first bite of the three arrivals, her eyebrows went up in approval and she nodded at the other two.
"It's good," she said, sounding surprised. Sasuke scoffed.
"Of course it's good. Naruto's one of the best cooks I know," he said, pointing to me with his fork. I chuckled.
"Stop, you're making me blush," I said, sarcastic. Sasuke only laughed, returning to his food. I shrugged at the two Sannin and Shizune. "When you're on the road or living on your own a lot, you pick up a few things."
The rest of dinner was passed in the regular conversation and storytelling, the two Sannin adding their fair share. When it came time for dessert, I chuckled as Haku leaned forward.
"Relax, Haku. It's just-"
"Just your super crazy amazingly addictive triple chocolate cake?" she raised an eyebrow and I shrugged.
"It is triple chocolate cake; I don't know about the rest of it," I said, pulling the cake out of the fridge. I grabbed eight dessert plates, balancing them in one hand as I held the cake with the other. I placed the cake down in the center of the table and stared at Haku sternly. "I want this cake to be here, in one piece, when I come back with a knife. If it isn't…" I let my voice drift off threateningly and Haku stared at the cake. I smirked and grabbed a knife from the carving set.
I cut the cake into eight pieces, one slice each. I put each slice on the readily offered plates and sat down with my own piece. Glancing at it, I realized I wasn't really in a chocolate mood. Noticing the self disappointment in my eyes, Haku brightened.
"No, you can't have my cake," I said sternly, the ice user wilting. Hey, Kyuu. Want some cake?
Your super crazy amazingly addictive triple chocolate cake? he asked, licking his lips as I stared at him, open mouthed.
When did everyone decide to name it that? It's just cake!
No, it's not. Summon meeeeee, I want some caaaaakkkkkeeeee.
Control your chakra, this is my house, I said firmly. He nodded and bit his paw in preparation.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" I bit my thumb, placing my palm on the wooden floor. Kyuubi appeared, small and digging his teeth into his paw. I put my right hand on his forehead and absorbed his excess chakra, once again sealing it into the seal on my forehead.
At the sight of the demon lord, Tsunade jumped, almost dropping the last of her cake. I cracked my neck, the chakra becoming a part of my skin. I picked up the plate and put it on the ground in front of my vulpine friend.
"Watch your tails," I warned. "I like this kitchen, I know where everything is."
I'm sure the all powerful Kyuubi no Kitsune, feared everywhere, would have answered if he wasn't busy wolfing down my cake. I sighed and sat back in my chair, scratching his head absentmindedly. I glanced up at the table, only to find everyone staring at me.
"You just summoned-" Jiraiya was cut short by an angry kunoichi.
"So you give him the cake? I thought we were supposed to be friends, sensei," she huffed, crossing her arms.
"Relax, I'll make more cake after the Chuunin Exams. Hina-chan wants the wedding cake to be my 'super crazy amazingly addictive' triple chocolate cake," I said, appeasing the former missing-nin. Her eyes brightened and her face broke into a smile. I glanced at Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune, all stunned into silence. "I'm the demon fox summoner, Kyuubi is the boss. It's pretty logical when you think about it."
"How is that even… Isn't he sealed into you?"
"Yes. And, if I wanted to, I could pull him back into the seal just by touching him. Kyuu's and my chakra work in two different cycles with one intersection. Using the intersection, he can loan me chakra without endangering his psyche locked away into my subconscious. This intersection also allowed me to improve the seal my father created. I can use my own chakra to define the intersection between our chakras. Technically, I shouldn't need to go through the seals to summon Kyuu, but it's a lot faster than physically separating our chakras. It's safer too. If Kyuu's chakra gets too far away from my own, neither of us will be able to control it and he'll go back to being the mindless killing machine that attacked Konoha twelve years ago."
"Thanks, kit. Glad to know you care," he scoffed, his fur now matted with chocolate frosting. He licked his lips.
"Just be happy I let you out for cake," I chuckled, scratching behind his ears. Against his wishes, the fearsome Kyuubi no Yokou's eyes closed in contentment. "If you want, I converted one of the rooms on this floor into a kennel of sorts. You can sleep in there if you want to stay out longer. Most of my mortal summons live there."
"I'll check it out later," he shrugged, shrinking a few inches before he jumped onto my lap, a tail slapping me in the face weakly. "How's everyone doing?"
"Pretty good," Haku shrugged, smiling at the demon. Zabuza shrugged.
"Learning the warau akuma," Sasuke volunteered quietly.
"Yeah, I saw. I think you should increase the weights on your legs, kit. The warau akuma is more a show of stealth than raw strength. Don't believe Naruto, he didn't invent the style. I did."
"Um, how- How'd you do that? Not to be insensitive, but you're a fox," Jiraiya pointed out. Kyuubi glanced in my direction and I nodded. He jumped off of my lap and trembled before he transformed. Instead of shrinking into a mortal fox, Kyuu grew taller, his fur sliding back into his skin. A few seconds later, he stood at 6'5", a human.
"Humans and my race are not very different. To keep ourselves separate, for both our safety and your own, we have a number of demon foxes and kitsune trained extensively in a human form. Most do not prefer these forms, they are generally weaker than their natural forms, but a number of demon foxes live in your shinobi villages undercover. We have our own… spy network, as you would say. We monitor humans but usually stay uninvolved."
"Usually?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow. Kyuu glanced at me, his now black human eyes asking for me to take this one. I nodded and he transformed back into his natural form, his point made.
"There is a difference between kitsune and demon foxes. Demon foxes have a distinctive strength and lineage. The number of tails alludes to the strength of the fox and a demon fox always has two demon parents. Kitsune can be thought of as a subspecies of demon fox. Kitsune have no definite natural form, both human and fox forms are equally comfortable and usually similar in power. No matter how old or strong they become, they will always have just one tail in their fox form. The biggest difference between kitsune and demon foxes is their parentage; demon foxes must have two demon parents. Kitsune are… half bloods, I guess. They are the results of human/demon fox relationships. A kitsune is rare to find, not many foxes hold humans in a high enough regard to mate," I explained. "In my entire life, I've only seen four true kitsune, one of which is a very good friend of mine."
"And the rest?" Haku asked curiously. I lowered my gaze.
"Humans fear what they don't understand. If they spot a fox transform into a human, or vice versa, most will not hesitate to murder the kit," Kyuubi said, growling at the wooden floor. The table fell silent. After a moment, I glanced up, smiling.
"We can't change the past," I said, sharing a smile with Kakashi. "The warau akuma aside, anything new happen in the village while I was gone?"
"Not much," Kakashi shrugged. "The jounin were told to be on the lookout for Orochimaru and most of the village doesn't know he was even in the Forest of Death," he reported. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What exactly happened with Orochimaru?" he asked. "Naruto didn't tell us much."
"How much did he tell you?" Kakashi asked the other perverted ninja.
"Only that he attacked the second exam. That Orochimaru was looking for another-"
"I think Shizune, Zabuza, and the genin should go to the living room," I said, staring pointedly at Sasuke and Haku. "Don't complain, most of Konoha's jounin don't know this information. I'm only going to tell the Sannin because they can help. Hebi-teme was their teammate, they know him better than a lot of people."
The four ninja left the room grumbling and glaring at me. I chuckled before turning back to Jiraiya, serious.
"Why'd you make them leave? If it's that important, shouldn't they know?" Jiraiya asked me. I shook my head, standing and walking to the door silently. I clenched my fist and slammed the side of my fist into the wood. Sasuke, Haku, and Shizune all fell away from the door; I heard Zabuza laughing in the background.
"That's better," I said, taking my seat once more. "There are a number of reasons as to why I can't let them know. The biggest one is that Orochimaru has already set his sights on his next body."
"You know who? Who is it? How are they protected?" Tsunade asked hurriedly.
"They are being protected by me. He's standing in my living room," I said, gripping the cursed seal. It didn't hurt, but the idea of it sickened me. Tsunade gasped.
"You don't mean-"
"Uchiha Sasuke. Orochimaru wants his Sharingan. When he attacked the exams, I was patrolling the forest. I had a feeling he would come back and I wanted to protect the genin from your teme of a teammate. By the time I made it to my team, Orochimaru was getting ready to deliver the cursed seal." Hearing the seal mentioned, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed and Tsunade gasped, staring at my hand as it covered the seal.
"He- did he actually-"
"I took care of it. The fragment of his soul is dead. All I have now is the design," I said, removing my hand and exposing the comma design. Recognizing it and realizing the importance of the seal, Jiraiya leaned forward. "I couldn't push Sasuke away in time so I took the bite for him. Kyuubi destroyed the fragment before it could get comfortable. I had my team escape after I was bitten and I eventually chased Orochimaru out. He's still out there, biding his time until the final exam. He'll attack again, that much I know."
"Which is why we can't create a panic," Kakashi cut in. "If the entire village knew, we'd have to go into lockdown. It's easier to let Orochimaru think he successfully infiltrated the village. Once he makes his move, we can isolate him and defeat him."
"I don't think you understand how strong he is. You'll only get yourselves killed," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
"Orochimaru will not be fighting one opponent. I already know his plans. He's going to send his supposed allies, most if not all of which are now allied with me, to attack the main of Konoha while he battles with Hiruzen-ojiisan. What he doesn't know is that I'm going to be fighting alongside Hiruzen. I've chased Orochimaru away once. Now, Hiruzen and I have come to an understanding."
"What understanding?" Jiraiya leaned back in his chair. I chuckled as he nearly lost his balance.
"That, when we fight, we aim to kill. I know that Orochimaru was your teammate. I'm saying that neither I nor Hiruzen can ignore our moral compass and let him slither around until someone else steps up and kills him. He is a Konoha missing-nin; it is our duty to destroy what we've created."
"You didn't-"
"I've already resigned myself to fighting him; don't try to change my mind or limit my guilt. I could have, and probably should have, killed him that day in the Forest of Death. I was too lenient and I won't let Konoha or its villagers suffer from my actions."
"Suffer from your actions," Tsunade scoffed. I raised an eyebrow and she turned to glare, almost desperately, at me. "You know what will happen to you, Naruto. Don't play the fool."
"I've never played the fool," I said quietly, staring at Kyuubi. "From the day I was born, I've been raised to have what you call a hero complex. I know that almost every person you've ever cared about was lost chasing dreams. I'm saying that I'm going to beat the crap out of Orochimaru. I will marry Hyuuga Hinata-chan. I am going to become the Hokage and surpass both my father and Hiruzen."
"And if you don't? What happens if you die facing Orochimaru? What will happen to Hinata? Team Seven? You're going to go out there, look Orochimaru in the eyes, and realize that you are in over your head. How many people have died to become the Hokage?" Tsunade shouted, standing abruptly. I was shocked to see her eyes watering. My gaze softened and I smiled sadly.
"Too many," I answered. "Tsunade, I know that you still care about Konoha. Scream and yell all you want, you love this village with all your heart. The only reason you don't stay here is because you can't let yourself get attached to another boy chasing a dream. I know it, you know it," I said, my eyes widening earnestly. "You can let yourself get attached, I'm not leaving."
Jiraiya studied Tsunade as tears left her eyes. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling sadly as she leaned into the touch. Kakashi nodded at me and I cleared the dishes silently.
I was about to turn from the room when I heard her speak again. She stared into my blue eyes, her own red and puffy.
"And if you do?" she asked quietly. I walked over to her, crouching at her feet.
"How about a bet," I said. Her eyes brightened distantly and she nodded slowly. "If I don't come out, you can forget about my dreams as long as you don't hold it against Konoha. I'm choosing to walk into this battle, no one forced me. On the other hand, if I come out without a scratch, I get your necklace and your trust," I said. Tsunade's hand closed around her grandfather's necklace and she looked worried, probably remembering the downfall of everyone she had given it to. Thinking deeper about the unlikelihood of me defeating Hebi-teme uninjured, she nodded slowly, deliberately. I held out my hand and she accepted it, closing the deal with a handshake.
"Deal," she said, forgetting her horrible track record. In my memory, she had only won a single bet: the bet she had made with Jiraiya, right before he was killed in Ame.
I winced, my ears ringing. I had remembered the final exam to have a full house but I had not counted on the sheer volume of the event, not at all muted by the mask I now wore on my face. The mask was more for show than not, a reminder of the other nations' promises as well as a warning to Oto.
I stood with my team, all accounted for. I shared a glance and a fond smile with Kakashi, remembering how he and Sasuke had come so late that the latter was nearly disqualified.
I glanced at Sasuke, Haku, and Sakura. All three genin seemed excited for the tournament, even if Sakura was not participating. The pink haired kunoichi was now talking to her teammates, wishing them luck in the tournament. I smiled at the exchanged enthusiasm before glancing up at the Kage box.
All of my allies and enemies were gathered, sitting and talking to each other politely. I noted a certain stiffness between the 'Kazekage' and the others, Hiruzen in particular. Smiling under my mask, I was about to avert my gaze when Hiruzen looked at me and nodded, waving me up to the box. I sighed and glanced at Kakashi.
"Don't kill the 'Kazekage'," he warned. I only chuckled before messing up the genin's hair, earning shouts of protest from each.
"I'll be right back; I need to talk to Sandaime-sama. Don't kill Kakashi while I'm gone," I smirked. Sasuke did a mock salute as Sakura and Haku nodded, Haku a little less enthusiastically. I chuckled, making my way towards the stairs.
"You wanted to see me, Sandaime-sama?" I asked politely. Seeing me, Hiruzen smiled.
"You may take off your mask. No one here is going to attack anyone," he said, smiling around the room. Raikage chuckled, his booming laugh making me smile. I reached up and undid my mask, moving closer to the Kage.
"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto," the Raikage chuckled, walking towards me. He gave me his traditional punch on the shoulder; I tried not to roll my eyes at the greeting. "It's been a long time since I've seen your mask. I'm not sure I've ever seen your face."
"Not many people have," I smiled. "I'm glad we've straightened out the ambush incident. I meant no harm when I came into Kumo."
"I know," he nodded. "By the way, B and Yugito wanted me to say hello to you for them," he reported. I smiled and exchanged the greeting before moving onto the Tsuchikage.
"Onoki-sama," I bowed my head politely.
"Kitsune-sennin; I must admit, it is strange seeing you outside of my country," he raised an eyebrow, still good-naturedly. I chuckled, blushing slightly.
"I'd say something in my defense but you'd probably find it either hilarious or insulting. Seeing as I'm not sure, I'll keep my mouth shut and leave the politics to Hokage-sama," I shrugged. Onoki only chuckled and I went further down the row.
"Namikaze Naruto," Terumi Mei chuckled, smiling. "How has Konoha been treating you?"
"Well, as ever. Again, thank you for allowing Haku-chan and Zabuza-san to stay in Konoha. I apologize if it caused you any trouble with your people." Mei laughed at my formality.
"Naruto, you don't have to be afraid of offending me. I know your disposition too well to think you would insult me," she chuckled before glancing up at me. "Are Zabuza and Haku here? I'd like to talk to them, remind them that some things in Mist have changed."
"Haku is in my genin team and competing today. She should still be with Team Seven down in the stands," I said, glancing at the crowd. "I don't think Zabuza is here yet but he'll come in time to see the tournament. If you want, I could ask the two of them to find you."
"Thank you, Naruto. And, Hokage-sama," she said, catching Hiruzen's attention. "Don't worry; I won't try to steal them back. If they are happy here than I won't try to take them away." Hiruzen chuckled and waved me behind him. I obeyed and he stood from his chair, walking to the edge of the balcony.
"Naruto, I'm sure the other Kage won't mind if you join us; I think it's time we started this," he said to the gathered Kage. Looking back into the arena, he cleared his throat before addressing the crowd. "Everyone, thank you very much for coming to Chuunin Exams hosted in Konoha. We will now begin the final round matches for each of the eight genin to come out of the preliminaries! Please stay until the end of the tournament!"
The crowds cheered and the 'Kazekage' glanced up at Hiruzen.
"Konoha must have had a good year for there to be so many genin to have made it this far," he commented. Hiruzen nodded but did not reply. I took the initiative.
"I know you must be proud of Suna's team still standing. After all, all three are your own children, are they not, Kazekage?" I asked innocently. The 'Kazekage' nodded tightly, returning his gaze to the arena.