Author's note: Okay, a couple things.
First, if you're a guest reviewer, and see that your review didn't appear, there's nothing wrong going on. All anonymous reviews must be approved by me before they appear (you'd be surprised of many reviews I get which are basically "this story sucks, kill yourself"), so it can take a whole day before I see and aprove the review.
Second, we've reached quite a few milestones today! With this chapter, we break the 200K word barrier. And that's not the only thing that goes beyond 200K, since the number of views of this story has also surpassed such number! And not the last one, since this story has now over one thousand favorites! Let's see if we can reach over a thousand reviews, that would be my dream :D
Okay, now, enjoy the chapter:
Chapter 26:
The Training Ends
or
New jutsu, New feelings
Training Ground Three
Naruto spread his right hand, focused his mind, and channeled his chakra through his arm.
"Rasengan!"
The spiraling blue sphere formed above the blonde's open palm, small at first, but started to grow with each second, until its grow suddenly stopped. Naruto tried to focus even more, as he forced the sphere to expand.
"Come on Naruto, you almost have it!" Jiraiya cheered him on.
"It's...too...hard!" Naruto replied, visibly struggling.
"You're doing fine! Remember, don't force the contained chakra too much, let it flow freely!" Jiraiya continued.
"It's easier said than done!" the blond protested.
During that second, Naruto lost focus for a moment, and it was enough to destabilize the chakra sphere, which exploded, knocking the Jinchuuriki on his back and engulfing him in a cloud of dust and dirt.
"Naruto? Are you okay?" Jiraiya asked as he waved the dust away with hands.
"Y-Yes..." the blond replied, coughing a little. "Let me try again!"
"Actually," Jiraiya stopped him before he could. "You've been working on it all morning, and you look like you could use some rest. Come on, we can continue later."
Jiraiya then sat under their usual tree and patted a spot alongside him, hinting Naruto to take a seat beside him. The blond reluctantly obliged.
"Don't feel so bad, kid. You're doing it fine. It took the Fourth three years to develop that jutsu, and six months for me to learn it. You learned it in less than one week" Jiraiya praised him.
Naruto didn't seem to appreciate Jiraiya's words. "Yeah well, it's because I used Shadow Clones."
Jiraiya snorted. "What, and you think I didn't?"
"And I still can't do it one-handed," Naruto continued.
"Neither could I, at first, but I eventually got it down. And so will you," the white haired Sannin assured him.
"I guess you're right," Naruto conceded, even if he wasn't so sure himself.
They spent the next minutes resting and silent. And there's where Jiraiya noticed that there was something wrong, or at least weird, with his son, since Naruto doesn't do silence. He didn't remember the last time the kid was silent by his own volition. There was something in his mind, and the Toad Sage knew it had nothing to do with either mastering the Rasengan or the impending Chunin Exam finals.
"Hey kid, something in your mind?" Jiraiya asked all of sudden.
"Huh?" Naruto was snapped from his thoughts, and turned to Jiraiya. "Uh...no, why do you ask?"
"You seem awfully quiet as of late. Mind telling me why?" Jiraiya inquired.
"I've just been...thinking. That's about it," was Naruto's reply.
"Thinking about what?" Jiraiya pressed.
"...stuff," Naruto uncomfortably replied.
"Naruto, you can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yeah, I know, dad, this is nothing you should worry about," Naruto assured.
Jiraiya decided not to pressure Naruto further. "Alright then."
They spent a few more minutes without trading a word. And Jiraiya's decision to not to pressure Naruto paid back much earlier than he had anticipated.
"Uh dad, you and mom used to be in the same team, right?" Naruto asked.
"I believe you know that already," Jiraiya answered mater-o-factly.
"And...when did you realize that you liked her?"
Jiraiya looked pensive, as if recalling the memories of a distant time. "Well...now I don't feel I can tell. Truth be told, it has been so long that I feel that I have always been in love with Tsunade-hime."
Naruto frowned. "Come on, you're not that old."
"Well thanks, but as the years pass, memories start to fade," Jiraiya replied, and then grinned at Naruto. "Why are you asking me this? Is there a girl you like?"
This time it was Naruto who looked pensive. "That's the problem, I just don't know."
"Is it about that Hyuga girl, Hinata?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto just nodded. That complicated things further. "I thought you said you only liked her as a friend?" the Toad Sage asked.
Naruto sighed wearily. "That's the problem. I'm not sure anymore. Hinata and I have been friends since I can remember. And it was awesome. She's nice, generous, kind, a good listener...anything anyone could ask, but now...I'm starting to see her under a different light...like I'm starting to notice things about her I never paid attention before...and sometimes it feels as if I'm talking to a stranger, when in the past I could talk to her about anything."
"Yup, sounds like a textbook teenage crush to me," Jiraiya stated.
"And what should I do? Should I ask her out? Wait a bit? See if she feels the same way towards me, or if she likes somebody else? Oh Kami, what if she DOES like somebody else!?" Naruto started to panic.
Jiraiya put a comforting hand on his godson's shoulder. "Take it easy, you know none of that. For the time being, let's focus on the training, okay? The last thing you need right now is a distraction like that. Once the exams are over, I promise I will help you with this as well."
Naruto tried to calm down. "O-Okay, dad, I'll do as you say," Naruto replied. After a few seconds, the blond realized of something. "Uh, dad, when you made the teams, why did you put me with Hinata?"
"The two of you got along rather fine, and I thought that you'd make a great team. The fact that you were also friends with that Ice Release ninja, Haku, is what made me choose him for the third member. That, and the fact that the three of you had the best qualities for the Assault Squad," Jiraiya explained. "Would you have preferred being placed on another team?"
"Oh, no, no, no! I love my team, it's awesome! It's just...well, I just got curious about what made you make that team," Naruto replied, then another realization dawned upon him. "So if I wasn't friends with Hinata and Haku, you wouldn't have put me in a team with them?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. What I wouldn't have done is putting yourself on a team with people you don't get along with, since that would have been a huge obstacle for teamwork. For example, given the kind of relationship you have with Sasuke Uchiha, I don't think that the two of you would have made a good team."
"Why not?" Naruto could already imagine why, but he wanted to hear Jiraiya's reasons.
"Well, for starters, you guys are kind of...competitive. And that's something to avoid at all costs. There has been far too many failed missions and dead ninja as a result of two teammates who couldn't put their rivalry aside, and more often than not, a negligent sensei unable to instill some order in their team.
"There's the fact that both of you have strong personalities that lean towards leading rather than following, which would add even more troubles for the team dynamic. I myself, have plenty of experience in that regard: back in the day, your mother, Orochimaru and myself clashed a lot over who was the team leader."
"And let me guess: mom always ended up as the leader, right?" Naruto said with a huge grin.
"Some things never change, do they?" Jiraiya chuckled. "Anyway, some people are made to lead, others are made to follow, while others switch between leading and following depending on the circumstances. You are the first kind, while I'm the third. On the other hand, people like your teammates are clearly the second kind. Not to say that they lack initiative or are incapable of independent thought, but they usually perform better when it's somebody else issuing orders. That's why Sasuke's two teammates are people willing to follow more than lead as well."
Naruto spend a few moments processing all what Jiraiya had explained. He had a pensive look plastered on his face. "Wow...and you had to take into account all of that while making teams?"
"Of course. If not, you have not one, but multiple disasters waiting to happen," Jiraiya replied.
"Being Hokage is way more complicated than it looks at first glance..." Naruto commented.
"Of course it is! Why do you think that many days I come back home so late? It requires a lot of work and dedication. Imagine all the complications of having a girlfriend, of being a team's commanding officer, and imagine that the girlfriend or the team is the whole village, and you get a good picture of what being a Kage means," Jiraiya explained. He noticed that Naruto looked a bit overwhelmed as he tried to imagine it. "There's a good reason for why I didn't want to take the job to begin with. Speaking of which, do you still want to become Hokage?"
Naruto's dubious mood instantly dispelled, and grinned widely at Jiraiya. "Of course! I never back down to a challenge, and I'm not going to start now!"
Jiraiya smiled at him. "Good to see that there's nothing that can dampen that indomitable spirit of yours. Anyway, I believe that we've been resting enough time, shall we continue the training?"
"Right!"
…
Hyuga Estate
In the Main House's dojo, Neji and Hinata were in the middle of a spar under Hikari's watchful eye, a usual sight for the past couple of weeks. These fights were far more intense than their usual spars, given what was at stake, at least for Hinata. Still, Hikari was there to assure that nobody would get unnecessarily hurt.
As they traded blows, Neji noticed that while still below his level, Hinata was nowhere near as slow or weak as he remembered. He never liked sparring against her due to how unchallenging she was, but now...the improvement after she graduated the Academy was notable. Not to say that Neji didn't improve since then either.
He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his admittedly less talented cousin having a shot at becoming Chunin, while he'll have to wait at least six months. But then again, Neji knew that fate was a cruel mistress. Neji couldn't help but agree with Gai, as much as it pained him, when the green-clad man told him that he could have defeated Sasuke if he hadn't engaged in such "unyouthful" taunting.
But Neji couldn't help it. Despite being one of the Hyuga who lost the least that fateful night, especially compared to his cousin, who lost her father, the Hyuga prodigy could never forget the terror he experienced that night. And even if the rational part of his brain screamed at him that Sasuke was not to blame for the death of his clansmen, he still wanted an Uchiha to experience that same fear.
It was a shame that his fear tactic had the opposite effect, and Sasuke nearly killed him. Rage is indeed a double edged sword. A sword that, unbeknownst to him, the Uchiha Clan had mastered its use for generations. He had no hope of beating one of them at their own game.
"Okay, I believe that's enough for today," Hikari stated.
Both Hinata and Neji immediately stopped and bowed to each other as a sign of mutual respect, before walking towards Hikari so she would assess them.
"You two are showing noticeable improvement. Though Neji, I believe that you're pushing yourself a bit too hard," Hikari told him.
"I need to, if I am to become stronger. I disgraced both the clan and my team with my shameful display in the preliminaries," Neji explained. "I need to better myself as soon as possible."
Hikari just shook her head. "But you still need to recover from the injuries you sustained during said match, and if you push yourself that much you'll only end up injured. Promise me you'll take it easy for the time being. There's still plenty of time to train until the next exams."
Neji nodded. "I'll do as you say, Hikari-sama."
The Hyuga matriarch smiled. "Good," she then turned towards her eldest daughter. "Hinata, so far you've progressed at a steady pace. But I know that you can do better. Doing 'just fine' won't be enough to impress the examiners. Your speed isn't as good as it could be."
"I know, mother. I'll train as hard as possible," Hinata replied.
"I believe that's all for the time being. We will resume training in the afternoon. Why don't you go for a walk around the village to clear your head and breathe some fresh air?" Hikari suggested.
"We will," Neji laconically replied. "See you later, Hikari-sama."
"Bye mother," Hinata added as she and Neji left.
During the past week, Hikari decided to teach Hinata and Neji two of the Clan's most powerful techniques: The Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms, and the Heavenly Spin. Neji managed to master them pretty quickly, while Hinata was still trying to do them correctly. Then again, Hinata was also trying to improve in other areas, such as Medical Ninjutsu or her Lightning Release, so if she decided to focus all her time and effort on those two techniques, maybe she would have mastered them already.
The Hyuga prodigy couldn't help but feel a little bitter. Had he classified to the finals, he was positive he would be able to score a promotion, regardless of who he had to fight against. On the other hand, Hikari expressed doubt that Hinata, who did classify, would be impressive enough to be considered for a promotion, even with a complete S-Rank mission under her metaphorical belt. Fate could be a cruel mistress, but he already knew that.
"No," Neji told himself. "Fate has nothing to do with this. It was me who ruined my chances of making it to the finals."
"Nii-san?" Hinata asked, snapping Neji from his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Is something wrong? You look worried," Hinata observed.
Neji's face remained as stoic as ever. "It's nothing, Hinata-sama. Say, what do you plan to do now? See if Naruto is available to have lunch with you?"
Hinata blushed a bit. "Yes. We haven't seen each other much since the preliminaries ended. I kind of miss training with him and Haku-kun as a team. But since the three of us passed to the finals, we agreed to train on our own so we can go in blind against each other and nobody has an advantage."
"Wise decision, given that that's the kind of conditions you will face in real missions," Neji commented.
"But that doesn't mean I should completely isolate myself from them until the finals are over, don't you think so?" Hinata asked, giggling a little.
"I guess you're right," Neji replied. "I guess I'll see you in the afternoon then."
"Bye!"
As Neji saw his cousin walking away, he began to ponder what he should do with his spare time. Maybe he should go to his team's usual training ground and see how Tenten was doing. He felt a bit bad for choosing to help train Hinata instead of her, even if Tenten reassured him that she was okay with that. Still, he should go see her, check her progress, and maybe, just maybe, give her some words of encouragement would be something she'd appreciate.
The Hyuga prodigy went his way towards his chosen destination when something caught his attention. A flash of red hair he caught from the corner of his eyes. Turning around, he saw that teammate of Sasuke, Karin, if he remembered correctly. She healed him with that strange power of hers after being beaten into the ground by the enraged Uchiha.
He felt that the fact that she had crossed paths with him wasn't a coincidence –not that Neji believed in coincidences, mind you,– and remembering that the Hyuga didn't thank her properly for her help, decided that it was a good time to mend such mistake.
"Hey," Neji called, raising his voice a little, as he walked towards her.
Karin apparently took the hint that she was being called, and turned around to see the white eyed prodigy. "Oh, it's you. Hello. Neji, right?"
"Indeed," Neji nodded. "Excuse me, but are you currently busy with any endeavor? Maybe training?"
Karin shook her head. "I've been training all morning with Shizune-sensei, and she gave me a couple hours to eat and rest. Why? Do you need something from me?"
"Not exactly. I wanted to thank you for healing me during the preliminaries. The medics told me that whatever you did accelerated my recovery by weeks," Neji stated.
Karin smiled a little. "Well, you're welcome! I usually don't let everybody bite me, but given that it was my teammate who harmed you so much, I felt it was my responsibility to do something to fix it."
"Still, I think that mere verbal gratitude is just not enough," Neji continued.
"Oh, no, no, no!" Karin shook her head while raising her hands. "No need to do anything more! I'm fine, really."
"I insist," Neji said. "Let me do something, small as it may be. Say, how about if we have lunch together? My treat."
Karin's brain took a few seconds to proceed the prodigy's words. She started to blush.
"What? Oh, you mean that...well, it's just that..." the redhead started to babble as she averted her gaze.
Karin's mind became a mess in a matter of seconds. Even if she considered herself attractive, and has been trying to make Sasuke notice her for quite some time, this was the first time a boy asked her for a date. She considered taking Neji's offer, while still thinking about Sasuke. Even if she was sure Sasuke would fall for her charms sooner or later, she had been unsuccessful so far. Besides, Neji also fit her type of ideal boy, so why not?
"O-Okay!" she stammered. "Where do you want to go?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? This for you, you know," Neji replied.
"Oh, right!" Karin replied, giggling a bit. "There's this place that serves a pretty killer Okonomiyaki. You're going to love it!"
And thus, Neji and Karin headed towards their first date. Or at least, Karin thought it was a date.
…
In any other circumstances, Hinata would be worried about finding Naruto. And while Hinata knew where Naruto usually trained on his own or with his parents, she couldn't go there. What if she caught him developing some new jutsu for the finals? That wouldn't be fair.
Fortunately for Hinata, there was a place that she knew Naruto would drop by sooner or later, any day of the week, especially when it was lunch time, like now.
"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto cheerfully called when he saw her.
Hinata smiled. When in doubt, go to Ichiraku's.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," the Hyuga replied as she took a seat beside him. There was already several empty bowls of ramen besides him. "Hello to you as well, Teuchi-san, Ayame-san."
"The usual, I guess?" Ayame asked Hinata. The Hyuga nodded. "One chicken ramen bowl, then!"
"It's so great that you dropped by here," Naruto commented, while eating from his bowl of ramen. "We haven't seen each other much lately."
"Indeed," Hinata agreed. "I've been very busy with training for the finals, as well as my training as a medic-nin, and I kinda missed being with both you and Haku-kun. It's a pity that he wasn't able to join us."
But then again, Hinata wasn't that sad that Haku couldn't be with them. Of course, she would never say that out loud.
"Yeah, that sucks. Guess that Zabuza is putting him through some hellish training regime," Naruto guessed. "Fortunately, everything will be back to normal when the finals are over and the three of us are hopefully Chunin."
"Technically, things won't be the same if even just one of us scores a promotion," Hinata replied. Chunin had far more duties to attend than Genin "But not that different, I think."
"Yeah, it's not that we will be placed different teams or stuff like that," Naruto added.
After a few moments, Ayame returned with Hinata's order. The Hyuga started to slowly eat her chicken ramen.
"So...have you learned any knew killer jutsu?" Naruto asked. However, before Hinata could have the chance to answer, he immediately realized of what he just say. "Sorry! I forgot about our agreement! It's that...well, I wanted to keep talking and was the first thing that crossed my mind!"
Actually, it was the second, but Naruto wasn't going to say it out loud.
Hinata smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, there's nothing wrong with asking that. I'm sure that you have been working on a very powerful jutsu as well."
Naruto's eyes grew wide, as his irises shrunk. "What!? How do you know that!?"
"I didn't know, I just guessed. But it's something logical, right? That you would try to learn at least one new jutsu for the finals. Well, pretty much everybody else as well. But you specially."
Naruto calmed down, and laughed a bit awkwardly. "Hehe, I guess you're right. You know me really well, Hinata."
Hinata blushed a bit. "Well, when you know somebody for so long..."
That sentence remained unfinished. It was followed by a long, awkward silence. Technically, Hinata didn't know Naruto as well as she thought. But the blond thought that maybe it was a good idea to let her know him a little more.
"Um...Hinata? Are you..." Naruto began, stuttering a bit. "...are you nervous about the finals?"
"Hm?" Hinata replied a bit absentmindedly. "Well, yes, yes I am. Not only are the stakes are high for us, but we're going to fight in front of thousands of people. It's kind of hard not to feel intimidated by such thing. You know, sometimes I wish I had your spunk."
"Haha, yeah..." Naruto laughed a bit. Then he grew serious. "Um, truth be told...I'm kind of scared as well."
Hinata looked at him as if he just said an obscenity. "What?"
"You said it yourself. It's kind of hard not to feel nervous when you're before such a trial," Naruto replied a bit defensively.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you have no right to feel intimidated or overwhelmed," Hinata rectified. "It's just that...well, you're so strong. I can't think why you aren't in a more optimistic mood, given that you have the best odds out of all of us to score a promotion, plus your parents-"
"That's actually the problem!" Naruto replied, raising his voice a bit.
"Your...parents?" Hinata asked, a bit puzzled. "Is there something wrong with them? Did you have an argument?"
"No, it's not none of that," Naruto replied. "You know, I didn't notice it until Lee wanted to challenge me to a fight, but...well, I have quite of a reputation in the village."
"Of course you have," Hinata smiled at him. "Because you're among the strongest Genin of Konoha. And soon, you will be among the strongest Chunin."
Naruto forced himself to smile back at her. "I know but...I know that most of that reputation is thanks to my parents."
Hinata grew indignant. "What? That's not true!"
"Yes it is!" he fired back. "My parents are ninja of renown. Walking legends! Do you think that if it wasn't for them, I would be where I am now?"
"I can't answer that question," the Hyuga heiress replied as she started fidgeting with her index fingers. "I mean, yeah, I'm sure that Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama helped you a lot, but I think what they did was develop your potential. If you weren't good enough, you wouldn't be here."
"I guess that makes sense," Naruto replied, now a bit more calm. "But that doesn't change the fact that thanks to being the 'Son of the Sannin' people expect a lot of me. I'm not worried about what people might think about me, but I can tarnish my parents' reputation if I do poorly. And if I manage to score a promotion, some people my accuse dad of playing favorites with his son."
"Oh," was all Hinata could say for a few seconds as her brain processed Naruto's plight. "I know that I'm your friend, and thus my opinion on you might not be 'unbiased'... but I'm sure you won't disappoint anybody. And if you think so...well, I know how you feel."
This time, it was Naruto who was taken aback.
"You do?" Naruto lamely asked.
"Naruto-kun, I'm Hinata Hyuga, heiress of the Hyuga Clan, one of the strongest clans of Konoha. There's a lot of eyes placed on me as well," Hinata reminded her blond friend. "Many people from my clan believe that I'm not a worthy successor to my late father, and they believe that I will only embarrass the clan in the finals."
"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted indignantly. "That's nonsense!"
"Maybe. But there's nothing that I can do to fix it. Other than, of course, train as hard as I can in order to prove them wrong," Hinata calmly replied. She smiled at Naruto. "At least, that's what you would do, right?"
"Of course!" Naruto proudly replied. "And I'm going to show everybody what I am made of! I will master the Rasengan and leave everybody open-mouthed!"
"Rasengan...?" Hinata asked.
Naruto slapped his forehead. "DAMMIT! I just revealed my trump card!"
"Oh. Well...it's not that I can piece together on what that jutsu is based on the name alone," Hinata reassured Naruto. "Do you want to see the jutsu I've been practicing, to be even?"
"No, not at all. It was a mistake on my part, it would be unfair to you," Naruto replied. He smiled at her. "Show it to me in the finals, okay?"
Hinata smiled at him. "Okay."
"Speaking of which, there has been something I've also been working on..." Naruto said as he began to look for something inside his ninja tool pouch.
"Naruto-kun, didn't we just-"
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on using it during the exams. I won't be able to finish it in time," the blond replied, finally finding what he was looking for.
"Ah, what is it then?" the Hyuga asked, her curiosity sparked up a little.
"This," Naruto proudly said as he showed Hinata his incomplete work. "Once complete, will be my weapon of choice."
Hinata took the weapon, and looked at it closely. She wasn't impressed. "A...normal kunai?" she asked, a bit flabbergasted.
"What? No! Well, yes, it's a kunai, but it's far from normal! Look at the blade closely," Naruto told her.
Hinata did so, and the Hyuga noticed something she didn't see at first. "Oh. There are some seals engraved on the blade."
"Yup! And that's not all. Now take a look with your Byakugan," Naruto added.
Hinata activated her Bloodline Limit, which allowed her to see more secrets of Naruto's work in progress. "The blade is also imbued with chakra. Your chakra, to be precise."
"Exactly!" Naruto replied, as he took his kunai back.
"And...what does this kunai do?" Hinata asked.
"The idea is to combine mom's chakra scalpel with chakra flow in order to create a sword of chakra. By pushing my chakra into this kunai made of chakra-conductive metal as opposed to normal steel..." Naruto did so, and a short blade of pure chakra was projected from the kunai.
"Wow!" Hinata said, now impressed. "It's kinda like Asuma-sensei's trench knives."
"Hehe, well, I also took inspiration from those knives too. But when this one's complete, it will be much better in every way," Naruto said, swinging the weapon.
"And you did it by yourself?" the Hyuga asked.
Naruto nodded. "I got the idea while studying fuinjutsu. I might do more weapons when I'm done with this one. Once it's complete, I will be able to create a sword not of normal chakra, but of wind chakra. It will be a sword whose blade will never break or get dull, will cut through almost anything, and I'm the only one who will be able to use it!"
"It's pretty amazing. It's a pity that you won't finish it by the time the finals begin," Hinata replied.
Naruto deactivated the kunai, and put it back on his pouch. "Yeah. Dad told me that I should forget about that for the time being and follow his training schedule. And as much as I hate to admit it, he's kinda right."
Hinata smiled at Naruto. "Hopefully, you will finish it by the time we're assigned a new mission. I can't wait to see it in action."
"Yeah, me too!"
…
Training Ground Nine
For the first time in weeks, the Medical Squad got the chance to train together. Granted, like the Assault Squad, they weren't going to show their strongest moves just now. Well, at least Sasuke and Karin weren't, Sakura was more than happy to show them what she learned about genjutsu during the past weeks with Kurenai.
At first, they took turns sparring against each other while the three adults overseeing them evaluated their abilities. Then, the three of them fought together against of the adults, Shisui, while the other two, Itachi and Shizune, watched expectantly.
The two of them remained silent as Shizune's squad battled the one-eyed Uchiha, who restricted himself to taijutsu and low-level ninjutsu –but still refused not to use his signature ability, much the Genin's frustration–. Still, they put up a very good fight.
"You know, it's been a while since you and me did anything together," Itachi commented.
"Haha, yes," Shizune laughed awkwardly. "I barely saw you since I started dating Shisui. And then my new job as Jonin-sensei and-"
"You don't need to apologize," Itachi interrupted her. "I was merely stating a fact. You're not the only one with new responsibilities. My job as the village's main information gatherer isn't easy either, and keeps me out of Konoha for long periods of time. We're merely victims of our circumstances."
"Do you think it was a good idea to take such job so soon after the Uchiha Insurrection? I think you should have spent more time with Sasuke-kun," Shizune pointed out.
"Sasuke didn't want his father's killer around him. He needed space, and I gave him that," Itachi stated matter-o-factly. "I was there for him whenever he needed it, but I don't know if our relationship can be as it was before our clan's demise."
"Your relationship isn't going to get any better if you remain absent for most of his life, Itachi," Shizune countered.
"You have a point, but it's too late for that. I can't just quit this job without proper justification. What I do is important for Konoha. Plus Sasuke isn't alone. He has Shisui, and now he has you."
"Neither Shisui nor I can replace you, Itachi," Shizune replied.
"I'm not asking neither of you to replace me. Just make him feel that there's somebody else besides me that loves him," Itachi explained.
Shizune shook her head. "Sasuke-kun already knows how Shisui and I feel towards him. But he's not so sure about you," Shizune told him in an almost chiding tone. "Then again, taking a few weeks to help him train was a step in the right direction. You two need to spend some time together."
"I know we do," Itachi admitted, then decided that it was time to switch the topic. "You did a good job training Sasuke."
"Thanks! Although he's a bit out of my specialty. Sakura and Karin are aspiring medics, but I don't have much to teach somebody who follows a more offensive-oriented path," Shizune said.
"A sensei's job is more than just teaching him combat or ninjutsu. They also have to provide guidance," Itachi watched the way Sasuke fought and coordinated with his two teammates in order to take down a superior opponent. "Sasuke used to believe that personal power was the key to everything and that teammates would only slow one down, but now look at him, fighting together with those two girls as if they were one."
"Ah yes, that's my greatest accomplishment," Shizune replied, allowing a smug smile to form on her lips. "You should have seen how that team was when we started. I thought it would take longer for those three to form a cohesive unit."
"I can't wait to see Sasuke in the Chunin Exams. Hopefully the fiasco of the preliminaries won't happen again," Itachi mentioned.
"He better not!" Shizune's blood still boiled whenever she remember such a shameful display of violence. Still, she calmed down quickly. "But I'm sure that such thing won't happen. I made sure he understands that what he did was unacceptable."
"And if he doesn't, remind him about how such thing would dishonor the clan even further," Itachi suggested.
"I feel if I do that too often, he'll become resented with the rest of Konoha, and Kami knows what he would do like that," Shizune shook her head. "I have to have faith in that he will do the right thing."
"Sasuke will always do the right thing," Itachi added. "What I'm worried about is if he'll be able to tell what is the right thing to do."
…
Training Ground Ten
Most of the Genin who failed to make it to the finals, regardless of the moment they dropped out of the exam, were naturally jealous of those who were about to fight to become Chunin. A promotion would ensure no more of those pesky D-Rank missions, a bigger paycheck, and a better status among the village.
Shikamaru Nara wasn't one of them.
While Shikamaru did plan to become a Chunin, he wasn't in a hurry. While they could be tedious, he found the D-Rank missions easy and sometimes even relaxing, he didn't care about status, and thought that his current paycheck was good enough. Plus being a Chunin meant more dangerous missions, more training and less spare time. That fight against Orochimaru and his lackey gave him a taste of what being a high ranking ninja was like.
No, Shikamaru was very happy with the state of his life right now. While those poor fools trained their asses off for a promotion that might not even come, he relaxed, watching clouds and laying on the soft grass.
Or he would be watching the clouds if a girl-shaped shadow didn't block his view of the sky.
"Why I'm not surprised to see you wasting your time like this," the girl said while rolling her eyes.
"Nice to see you too, uh..." Shikamaru didn't recall her name, nor felt like trying to jog his memory.
"Temari," the girl said, annoyed.
"Right, Temari," Shikamaru repeated. "Is there a reason as for why you're disturbing my cloud watching session instead of training? Your first opponent is one of the strongest Genin of Konoha."
Not that Shikamaru cared about Temari's performance during the finals. Something Temari was aware of, but decided it wasn't something worth an argument. She decided that brutal honesty would be the best course of action.
"I came here because I want to fight you," Temari stated.
Shikamaru found such thing so outrageous, it made him to sit up. "Come again?"
"You heard me," Temari replied, crossing her arms.
"You know, I could understand such thing if I defeated you. Revenge and all that. But we already fought twice, and both times it was clear that you can kick my ass every day of the week, and twice on Sundays," Shikamaru replied.
Temari's expression didn't change. "No, those weren't fights. The first time we were interrupted when your teammate possessed my brother. And the second time you gave up before the fight could even begin. I already told you that I hate to leave a job half done. I want our fight to end properly. Which makes me wonder, why did you surrender so quickly? Are you such a big defeatist?"
"No, I'm a practical person. I analyzed my odds to victory, and they weren't good. Hence, the best option was to cut my losses and stop wasting both of our times. What could I get from a fight that I was never going to win?" Shikamaru asked.
"The satisfaction of knowing that despite you lost, you gave it your all?" Temari replied.
Shikamaru's lips formed a small smile. "You have a gift for comedy. It was nice to meet you, Temari," Shikamaru said as he lied down again, and went back to his cloud spotting.
Temari's eye twitched. How he dare to dismiss her like that! She grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and forcefully lifted him up to her eye level. "If you think you can get rid of me that easily, think again! I'm not leaving until we fight! So you better fight me now, and you better put effort into it!"
"You don't have your war fan," Shikamaru noted.
Temari realized that it was true. She probably left it at the hotel room. "I don't care! I still can fight you unarmed!"
"Yeah, those manly arms of yours look like they could bend a steel bar," Shikamaru pointed out.
"Just because my arms are strong doesn't mean they're manly, you know!" Temari angrily replied. "Now fight!"
"No."
"Then I'll beat the crap out of you until you fight back!"
"Will you do that?"
Temari struggled with her thoughts for a few seconds, before realizing that no, she would never fight somebody unable or unwilling to defend himself. She released the lazy Nara.
"Ugh, you're impossible!" Temari groaned. "I don't know how the hell did you manage to get so far into the exams."
Shikamaru just shrugged. "You know, you look tense. Might I suggest something that can calm you down?"
"Like what? Cloud spotting?" Temari asked sarcastically.
"Don't knock it out until you tried it," Shikamaru replied as he lied once more against the grass.
"No, thank you," Temari said as she was about to leave. However, she didn't move from her spot. And after a few seconds of hesitation, she lied next to Shikamaru. "I hate you."
"I'm sure you do," Shikamaru said, unable to repress a half smile.
"How do you play this?" Temari grunted.
"You look at the clouds, until you see one that looks like an object or an animal. For example," Shikamaru pointed out to a circular cloud with a few bulges. "That cloud looks like a turtle."
Temari was about to say that that was stupid, until she noticed that Shikamaru was right. Still, she let out a scoff. "And you do this often?"
"Whenever I'm not playing shogi," Shikamaru replied. "Don't you like it?"
"It's dumb," Temari said. "But I must admit that looking the clouds drift is kind of relaxing."
Shikamaru smiled. "See? I told you. You should do this more often."
"I can't. Clouds are a rarity in the skies of the Land of Wind," Temari explained. "Still, it's not that I have usually that much spare time to spend it watching the sky."
"Then the more reason to do it now, don't you think so?" Shikamaru asked.
"Guess that I could, until I need to go back to training," Temari admitted, shifting in her spot.
"Still want to fight me?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes. But I'm starting to think that it wouldn't be a very spectacular or satisfying fight," Temari stated. "So I think I'll pass for now."
"Think the worst, and you'll never be disappointed," Shikamaru replied.
"You're quite a strange fellow, did anyone tell you that?" Temari asked.
Shikamaru simply shrugged. The two of them spend the rest of their time together watching the clouds, and enjoying the calm and the silence of the place they were in.
…
After his meal with Hinata –and remembering how much he enjoyed being around her, new and alien feelings notwithstanding– Naruto headed back to his usual training grounds, where he hoped Jiraiya would be waiting for him in order to wrap up training for the finals.
Suddenly, he felt another presence pulling him. It was a very similar sensation to the time he was near Killer B. But this time it wasn't Killer B.
"Could it be Gaara?" Naruto wondered aloud.
Once again, Naruto allowed himself to be pulled by that strange feeling, which took him to a busy street. It didn't take him long to notice a green haired girl, looking around a bit disoriented, as if looking for something. She remembered that girl as a Taki kunoichi who was very chummy with the Animal Squad.
And she was another Jinchuriki, if Jiraiya was to be believed.
The girl then turned around and looked at Naruto, and her expression changed, as if she suddenly found what she was looking for. Naruto thought that, just like how he sensed her presence, maybe she sensed him as well.
"Hey!" the green haired girl waved at Naruto as she ran at him.
"Hi there!" Naruto saluted back, hoping that such a bubbly girl wouldn't turn out to be another jerk like Killer B. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Your name was Fu, right?"
"That's correct!" the girl happily replied. "You know, I kinda wanted to talk with you for some time, but I didn't have the chance during the exam, and then I was unable to find you. Until now, I mean, hehe!"
"I'm glad to see you as well. It's always nice to meet another Jinchuriki," Naruto earnestly told her.
Fu's expression suddenly became one of shock. "Wait a minute...you're a Jinchuriki too!?"
Naruto sweat dropped. "Y-Yes. Didn't you-?"
Fu then started laughing. "Hahaha, I was just kidding! Of course I knew you're a Jinchuuriki! I sense your beast inside you, just like you probably sensed mine," Fu replied, then she touched her exposed belly. "Or maybe it's my stomach? I didn't eat anything since this morning. I usually eat what my teammates and I cook, but I want to eat somewhere in the village before I have to leave. Do you know any nice restaurant?"
Naruto's mouth formed a huge grin. "Of course I do! If you want to taste Konoha's finest cuisine, the best place is Ichiraku's Ramen! It's situated near the gate of the village."
"Sounds neat! Wanna come with me? Food tastes better when eaten in good company," Fu suggested.
Naruto then grew a bit uneasy. "Well, I'd love to, but...I just came from there just now. Besides, there's this girl that I like and...well, if she or somebody else sees us eating together..."
"...they might get the wrong idea," Fu concluded. "It's okay, I get that. There's somebody else who got my interest as well. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."
"Sure, it's Shino, right?" Naruto asked.
Fu titled her head, puzzled. "Who?"
Naruto sweat dropped again. "You know, the one with the coat and sunglasses? Kind of mysterious? His body is full of bugs?"
Fu then burst into laughter again. "Hahahaha, I was kidding again! Of course I know who Shino is! What kind of person I'd be if I forgot the name of my first friend!"
This time, it was Naruto was puzzled. "Wait a minute...you didn't have any friends until you met Shino?" he asked in shock.
"Well, there aren't much people my age back in Taki," Fu recounted. "Plus everybody keeps watching over me and trying to 'keep me safe' all the time, like I'm some sort of fragile china doll. Shino and his friends were the first people who didn't treat me like that."
"I know that feeling. My parents can be quite overprotective sometimes. My mom was on the verge of tears when I told her about my first mission out of the village. Guess that being a Jinchuuriki doesn't make it any better," Naruto replied.
The green haired girl gasped, and her eyes grew wide. "Wait a minute...you're a Jinchuuriki too!?" Fu asked in shock.
This time, Naruto's expression turned deadpan, and crossed his arms. "Not buying it this time."
Fu chuckled, and shrugged. "Had to try."
Naruto then decided it was a good time to board a certain topic. "Speaking of which...do you have any control over the power of your Tailed Beast?"
Fu shook her head. "Nope. Lucky Seven does what Lucky Seven pleases. She sometimes helps me, but like I say, that's when she feels like it."
"Lucky Seven?" Naruto asked, a bit confused.
"That's her name. Or at least, what she told me to call her. She said she brings luck, but guess that she isn't so lucky herself, hehe!" Fu chuckled, patting her bare midriff.
"So I guess your beast is the Seven Tails?"
Fu nodded. "Yup! What about yours?"
"Add two more tails," Naruto replied.
Fu winced. "Yuck, the fox! That's one big meanie!"
"Understatement of the century," Naruto deadpanned. "By the way, did you know that there are other two Jinchuriki here right now?"
"Yeah! That weird guy from Kumo, and the creepy redhead from Suna, right?" Fu replied.
"Hey, Gaara isn't creepy!" Naruto protested. "He might be a bit reserved and not very talkative, but he's rather nice if you get to know him. But yeah, the guy from Kumo is pretty weird."
"Oh. Well, guess that I'll have to take your word for it," Fu conceded. Then, her stomach let out an audible growl. "Okay, now I'm sure it's hunger what I'm feeling. And since you're not available, let's see if I can find somebody to eat with. Ichiraku's, right?"
"Yeah! Trust me, you won't regret it!"
And with that, a pair of green wings grew from Fu's hips, and the Taki kunoichi flew away.
"Boy, what a weird girl," Naruto said as he watched her disappearing into the sky.
…
Undisclosed Location, somewhere in the forests of the Land of Fire
Two groups of ninja were standing in front of each other. One group was composed of ninja wearing black robes and animal masks, not unlike the ones used by Konoha's ANBU division. The other ninja were wearing black and gray camouflage clothes, and their faces were also concealed, albeit by black balaclavas.
The two leaders of each group took a step forward, while their escorts were ready to attack in case the other did something funny.
"So, Danzo," the leader of the Oto ninja began, almost with a chuckle. "I presume that you have something important to tell me if you requested a meeting in person."
As usual, the leader of the supposedly disbanded organization remained impassible. Not even somebody like Orochimaru was enough to faze him.
"As the Chunin Exams approach their conclusion, security around the village is tighter than ever. I can't just risk sending a messenger anymore," Danzo explained. "In fact, that's the reason as for why I wanted to contact you."
"It doesn't look as if you're going to bring me good news, don't you think so?" Orochimaru asked, and grinned.
Danzo ignored that remark. "I heard that both the Raikage and the Kazkekage are going to be present for the finals," Danzo announced, and as expected, Orochimaru's grin disappeared. "With both Kage and their respective entourages there, the attack cannot happen."
"You can't ask me to call off the invasion," Orochimaru's tone grew colder. "I have been planning it for more than a year. You can't ask me to throw all that away!"
"I am not asking you to do that," Danzo replied, as calm as ever. "All I ask you is for you to delay the attack a couple weeks. Can you do that?"
"You were the one who told me that attacking during the Chunin Exams would be the most viable option," Orochimaru protested.
Yes, it was Danzo's idea. The Chunin Exam finals were a big event. Not only would the stadium would be overflowing with people wanting to see the matches, but many of Konoha's usual and potential customers, including the Fire Lord himself, would come to watch the Genin fight for their promotions. And as such, a lot of the security would be focused on the stadium, leaving the rest of Konoha more vulnerable than usual, making the job of penetrating the walls all the easier.
But even Orochimaru knew that Danzo had a point. Attacking Konoha with the Raikage and the Kazekage there would not only make it much less likely to succeed, it also would be seen as an act of war against their respective villages too, not just Konoha. Orochimaru knew that Konoha hadn't launched an invasion of the Land of Sound yet is because they hadn't proved to the other nations that Otogakure is a threat. That would seal the deal.
"And I'm pretty sure that you didn't acquire any new allies, did you? Otherwise, I would have known it," Danzo guessed.
Once again, the leader of ROOT was right. Suna was out of question since their relationship with Konoha had improved a lot over the past years. Kiri was still embroiled in their civil war. Ame was out of question since that would draw attention towards the Akatsuki leader –not that Orochimaru cared,– and Kusa and Taki were formal allies of Konoha. That left Iwa and Kumo, but despite their anomosrity for Konoha, neither of them were interested in starting another war.
And his fellow Akatsuki members were occupied doing high profile missions and tracking the Jinchuriki, so with the exception of Obito, they weren't an option.
"I might have failed at securing other villages' help, but I do have a new weapon that will tip the balance in my favor," Orochimaru replied.
"I see. Even then, I insist you postpone the invasion plans. You said you've been planning this for a year. I'm sure you can wait a couple more weeks," Danzo told him.
"It's not that simple. I will have to redesign the offensive strategy from scratch since the security detail won't be the same," Orochimaru protested.
"What about that 'ultimate weapon' of yours?" The one eyed man suggested. "Can't you use it to bypass Konoha's defenses?"
Orochimaru looked pensive. He had planned to use his ace in the hole to assassinate a certain somebody, but as the circumstances had changed, so his plans had to change as well. It's not that he couldn't use them multiple times.
"Alright, I'll use it, even doing so will make me lose the surprise factor," the Snake Sannin conceded.
"Good. I'll send you a messenger when the time to strikes comes," Danzo told him, as he and his bodyguards started to turn around. "Now if there's nothing else that needs to be discussed..."
"Actually, there is," Orochimaru replied, forcing Danzo to turn back at him again. "It's not about the invasion, but more...personal curiosity."
Danzo was annoyed, but he didn't make it evident. "I'm sure I'll be glad to answer any question you have."
"Why are you doing this?" Orochimaru asked. "Helping me, I mean. You say you serve Konoha, but here you are, helping somebody planning to destroy it. What do you gain by doing this?"
Even if it was small, Orochimaru knew that there was a chance that this would make Danzo to reconsider their partnership. But the Snake Sannin needed to know. Thirst of knowledge is the force that always drove Orochimaru, and there is little that made him madder more than questions without answers. And that question left him unable to sleep for multiple nights.
Danzo allowed himself to emote, and a small smirk appeared on his face. "Yes, my actions don't look like they make much sense, do they?"
"But deep inside your twisted mind, they do, right?" Orochimaru asked.
Danzo nodded. "As ninja, many times we gain wounds from battles. Sometimes, those wounds become infected. And in order to stop that infection to spread to the rest of the body, we sometimes need to sacrifice a limb.
"Konoha is currently infected, not by a disease, but by an ideology. An ideology perpetuated by my friend and rival Hiruzen, your former sensei, as well as Jiraiya, the current Hokage and your former teammate."
"Trust me when I say that I have something unforgettable prepared for them," Orochimaru gave a hint of a sadistic smile. "But you're not letting me attack Konoha just to get rid of people who inconvenience you, are you?"
"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Danzo replied. "Those two did nothing but weaken Konoha with their ideologies of forgiving our enemies and helping them in their time of need instead of destroying them when they're vulnerable. To let ourselves be carried away by our emotions, instead of doing what we know is best. I mean, Sarutobi had the chance to put an end to you, yet thanks to his weakness, here you are. We knew that the Uchiha were a threat, but Sarutobi refused to act on them until it was too late. We need to make Konoha's inhabitants realize of its weakness, and that a different approach is needed if we want to survive."
"Some might say that you are as much of a threat as the Uchiha were, given that you're conspiring with me," Orochimaru was somebody who delighted in irony.
"Yes, some might see it that way," Danzo admitted. "But those people forgot about the teachings of Tobirama-sama: a ninja must be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the village. Yes, Konoha will burn. But from its ashes, a new Konoha shall rise, one that will not make the mistakes of the past. One that will be strong, fearless and merciless," Danzo smiled again. "One in which people like you will have a place in it."
Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle at the ROOT leader's offer. "Tempting...but I'm very happy as a freelance agent, thank you very much. Even then, I hope that my negative doesn't end our partnership."
"It will continue as long as it remains useful," Danzo stated.
"Are you implying that you'll try to have me killed the moment I stop being useful?" Orochimaru asked, grinning.
"Wouldn't you do the same to me?" Danzo asked. "A ninja is nothing but tool towards a greater goal. The moment the tool is no longer useful, it must be discarded."
Orochimaru chuckled again. "Kukuku...I like how you think, old man. By the way, how are the body modifications I made you? Did they stand the test of time?"
Danzo took a few seconds to answer. "I didn't have the chance to test them in battle, but so far they fulfill their purpose. Like I said before, Konoha would benefit from your genius."
"I prefer if my genius benefits just me instead," Orochimaru replied.
"Alright then," Danzo decided to put an end to that topic. "Did I satisfy your curiosity?"
"Indeed you did," Orochimaru replied.
"If that's the case, we better get going. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances of our operation being jeopardized," Danzo declared, and turned around. His minions followed him.
Orochimaru decided that it was time to return to his hideout as well. He had a lot of planning to do, and he needed to gather more forces if he wanted the invasion to succeed. When he was halfway there, he stopped and told his minions to continue without him. After a few seconds of waiting, a masked man appeared besides him, coming out from a spiraling vortex.
"How did it go?" Obito asked.
"I'm pretty sure you know already, don't you?" Orochimaru asked back.
"Indeed, but I wanted to know if both versions coincide," the Uchiha noticed something odd about Orochimaru. "You're not wearing the uniform."
"No. I believed it was best if I wasn't dressed like that for the occasion," Orochimaru replied.
"I'm sure Danzo knows you're already part of the organization," Obito retorted.
"Maybe, but there's no reason to confirm his suspicions, don't you think so?" Orochimaru gave Obito a hint of an unnerving smile. "Anyway, what do you want?"
"To tell you my plan to capture the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails," Obito told him. "Your invasion of Konoha might be the best opportunity to do it."
Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah yes. Third time's the charm, isn't it? What made you think that this time will be different?"
Obito ignored that jab. "I realized that my mistake was to try to take the Jinchuuriki out of the village by force."
"And what do you suggest we do?" the Snake Sannin asked.
This time, it was Obito who smirked. "Easy, we will make him come to us instead."
…
OMAKE: Chapter 25, What Could Have Been
Dejectedly, Naruto left Killer B alone, a bit sad that the man wouldn't teach him how to tame the Kyubi.
"Guess that he prefers to write lame songs about mature women with large breats..." Naruto thought aloud. He had seen some of the man's lyrics, and wasn't impressed. Then, an idea dawned upon him. "...mature women with big breasts? Of course that's it!"
A few minutes later, Naruto returned to the bar, with Killer B still on it.
"Yo, Killer B, I'm back!" Naruto annouced.
The Kumo jinchuriki groaned, and raised his head in annoyance. "Didn't I tell you that I was-WHOA!"
"Hello there, handsome."
Turns out, Naruto didn't return alone, since Tsunade was with him. The Slug Sannin was wearing an incredibly skimpy black dress that showed a lot of skin, showed off her killer figure, and offered a generous view of her equally generous cleavage. Upon seeing such sight, Killer B was unable to utter a coherent word.
"What are you doing?" Tsunade asked in a sultry voice as she looked at his ryhme booklet. "You're a singer? oh, I love singers, there's nothing sexier than a man who can sing!"
"I...I c-can sing..." Killer B babblered, unable to take his eyes from Tsunade's cleavage.
"And you look soooooo strong," Tsunade cooed as she sat on the table, and crossed her legs. "Strong men make me melt..."
"Y-Yeah, I'm strong too!" the Jinchruiki replied.
"But do you know what I find even sexier than strong men who can sing?" Tsunade asked, as she massaged her breasts in an incredibly unsubtle way. Killer B, who was seconds from fainting, merelyshook his head. The Sannin then came closer, and whispered on his ear: "Men who know how to train a jinchuriki how to control their tailes beast."
"I can do that too!" B exclaimed.
"Really? Because if you could train my son here," Tsunade pulled Naruto to her, and both of them put their best smile. "It would make me really, really, really happy."
Suddenly, Naruto found himself being dragged by the arm by an excited Killer B.
"Come on kid, no time to waste, I want to feel those boobies, so make haste!"
"Hey, that's my mom you're talking about!" Naruto protested.
As Tsunade watched the two Jinchuriki running away, she dispelled the transformation, going back to her usual clothes, and leaned against the counter.
"Girl, you still have it. Not even menopause can keep you down," she congratulated herself. Then she looked at the waiter, and slammed her hand on the counter. "Barman! Why there isn't a cup of sake in my hand!?"
"R-Right away, Tsunade-sama!" the scared waiter replied.
Author's Note: So, what do you think about my first omake? I wasn't planning on making any, especially not this late, but reviewer Naruhinalover20 suggested such a good idea, I had to go with it. There might be more omakes in future chapters.
While not any fights, a lot of things happened on this chapter, most of them regarding future relationhsips. And yeah, this was the scene between Shikamaru and Temari that I was talking about that forced me to make them fight in the prelims. A short fight during the second test wasn't enough for them to come close.
And just like I promised, a meeting between Naruto and Fu. Did I tell you guys how much I love writing for Fu? Because I love writing for Fu. It's going to be a pity when this arc ends and Fu goes back home. Also, I finally did a scene between Itachi and Shizune. I can't believe I went so long without writing something with those two.
Anyway, next chapter, the Chunin Exams Finals finally begin! Sasuke vs Haku, Choji vs Karui, and Naruto vs Temari! (I was originally planning on doing just two fights per chapter, but in the end I decided to do three to speed things up) Place your bets people! In the meantime, don't forget a review! Tsunade finds people who leave reviews really, really, really sexy! XD