A Nugget Of Advice, Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Please support the official release.

A/N: This is going to be a large chapter, and we're not in the exams quite yet.

Just a forewarning.

After the lunch break, Naruto found a way to do the triangle, albeit with both hands. One of his clones decided to do it another way, and when it popped, Naruto got it down as well. Shaping all angles in the most uneven triangle made out of pure dirt, Naruto completed the chakra control exercise, which he was honestly proud of. His teacher, Ebisu, congratulated him on a job well done, but said it wasn't enough for now. He decided to tell Naruto to try it again, this time with one hand, to which annoyed Naruto but he didn't voice his opinion. Instead he let it go, and focused on the task again. That earned him an earnest pat on his shoulder, as Ebisu-sensei watched his progress at a distance.

Much to Naruto's credit, he found the solution the task Ebisu gave him with making the triangle one-handed a day and a half. It was hard definitely, but he managed to shape his chakra in three angles. The advice his teacher gave him was somewhat helpful.

Naruto, admittedly, had a problem when it came to thinking too hard on the exercise. Instead of simply trying it, he was too busy thinking he had to do it fast. Ebisu-sensei asked him to simply imagine a triangle being made over and over; he also asked Naruto to stop thinking about how fast to shape the chakra as well. "This is simply you learning how to shape it right now. If anything, we shall work on the speed another time. Just do it, not think about how fast how to do it."

After a while after the advice, he gotten it down, and he was relieved.

Then Sensei decided to make it more specific, and asked him to make a triangle with all equal angles. It took another few minutes to get it down, but he got it, and he thought honestly he was ready to move on to something else much more interesting. Ebisu agreed, and just when Naruto thought he was out of the "shape making department", Ebisu grabbed some dirt of his own.

"Here's your next task." Ebisu concentrated on his right palm, and shaped the dirt instantaneously into a rectangle. "You're going to shape it this time to a rectangle. It shouldn't be hard now that you know how to make angles."

Naruto muffled any sort of screams of protest, and nodded jadedly, working on the task. Interestingly enough, like Sensei said, Naruto gotten it, relatively fast. In a few minutes, using the same strategy as before, he gotten the square exercise down quickly. "Perfect," Ebisu smiled. "You are starting to get it."

"Is there more to this than making basic shapes?" Naruto asked, trying not to voice his frustration.

Ebisu could sense it however. "Patience, Naruto-kun. There is much more to this technique than shaping, like making it larger or smaller, but that's a task for another day. Preferably after the Chūnin Exams. The techniques I will show you does not have to do with size changing. Now, cut the link between the chakra shaping the dirt, and return it back to how had it before when you first gathered the dirt."

Naruto paused, and concentrated again, this time – slowly – bringing the dirt down and making it shapeless. "What's next?"

"Make a perfect square. It's like making the perfect triangle. Work slowly, and imagine it."

Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes in thought, focusing on the imagine of a triangle, finding his chakra working for himself, and creating the shape in another minute. Ebisu smiled again, "Excellent. Alright. We're going to finally do some much more complicated. I warn you, this will take a little longer. Instead of making a triangle or square, or any shape with angles, I want you to make a perfect circle."

"Shouldn't be that bad."

Ebisu shrugged. A lopsided grin appeared on his face. "I warned you."

And his teacher did. For a little while, it truly did stump him. Unlike the specific angles the triangle and square asked for, a circle was much different, lacking any sort of thing like that. At first, Naruto unconsciously tried shaping in one direction, but it got something akin to a normal straight angle, and failed.

He wanted to ask his teacher for advice, but he stopped and decided to not rely on the man and figure it out himself. Just like the triangle and square, he tried to think what made a circle in his head, letting the dirt sit in his hand. A circle lacked angles and lines, unlike a triangle or square. So in order to do it, he couldn't make it straight.

'I have to turn my chakra...' It was the conclusion he came to. Eyes still closed, and making sure to focus hard on this one, he raised one palm over the dirt, fed the chakra, and started circling his hand over the dirt, moving slowly.

Anchoring his chakra in his other hand where he held the dirt in to keep it all together, he decided to use his left hand to turn the dirt. He wasn't adept at using it in the same palm he held the dirt in, so he tried with two hands. His chakra responded, and moved as he circled his hand over the soil. In the middle of it all, he opened his eyes, and saw his work, and smiled a little at it. Unfortunately, even as slowly as he went, he ended up not making the circle shape perfect, and the ending part of chakra-saturated dirt didn't connect with the beginning part, creating some sort of weird, incomplete shape.

Still Ebisu looked pleased, beaming in his direction and clapping his hands. "Very good. Yes, you are starting to get it. Yes, yes. Very good indeed."

Naruto looked vaguely amused, smiling slightly. "Even if I failed?"

Ebisu waved at him offhandedly. "Minor details. This is an admittedly difficult task I'm giving you. You know the basics of utilizing your earth chakra, and the basics of Shape Transformation. You now know how to shape your earth chakra certain ways, and this now will help you learn some ninjutsu. You're quite not on the level yet to form weaponry out of your element yet, but you're getting there."

"So, wait, are you going to show me how to change the properties of dirt to stone?"

"Yes." Ebisu nodded. "It's simply, really. To harden it to stone, after shaping whatever you want, simply add more chakra and compress it tightly together. If you want to turn stone to soil, you use your chakra, spread it around to loosen the stone, and turn it into soil. I suppose it's easier for you to see it, instead of me telling you."

Naruto nodded at that. "Yes, please." Explanations only went so far with him; the blond didn't learn like that. He had to see it performed, and actually do it in order to learn it. Theory was never his strong suit.

Ebisu grunted in affirmation, gathered dirt into his hand, and started shaping the soil into a round orb. Then he compacted the earthen material and created a hard rock. Then, he messed with the object in his hands again, and it turned softer and softer until it became a round dirt ball again. "To compress your chakra, imagine taking all of your chakra, and squeeze it together, like you're squeezing something tightly. Try it. You can make any shape you please."

Naruto did, dropping the weird shape in his hand, turning the dirt lumpy again, and made a shape. The shape he chose for his task was a triangle, as he edged the soil with his chakra, and created the triangle. Then, he attempted to pack his chakra tightly together, but it was easier said than done and found his chakra not exactly responding to his wishes.

After another half-hour, it was around 4, and Ebisu told him to stop, and take a short 15-minute break. Naruto sighed, and went towards a spot near his teacher under a shade tree, wiping some sweat off his brow. Naruto brought forth a green canteen of water. The water was kind of warm, but Naruto drank up the liquid all the same, and felt some of annoyance for today wash away. A bit more sweeping of the sweat off his forehead, and the blond-haired Uzumaki felt a little better.

Naruto found no newer progress, to which irritated him. However, he promised himself to not complain so much about it, and just kept it to himself. Ebisu patted him on the shoulder. "You are doing an excellent job so far, Naruto. You have gotten down quite a bit in these last few days. I am sure you will learn this by the end of this month of training."

Naruto appreciated the encouraging words, smiling at the jōnin standing at his side under the tree. "Thanks, Sensei. Just a little frustrated, is all. I'll definitely get this down."

"Very good. Alright, the next thing we will do is do something you will find a little more interesting. Although it's not ninjutsu." Naruto slightly deflated. The thought of getting to something other than making shapes with dirt was exciting, and he first thought it would be something practical, like ninjutsu. It seems like he was wrong. "We shall get to it soon. Instead of ninjutsu, I will teach you how to actively use your element in close quarters combat, increasing your strength temporarily."

"Eh? What?" The boy questioned, much interested again in what his teacher would be teaching him next.

"Chakra Flow."

"This is the basics of Chakra Flow. Basically, this is a type of exercise that requires a substantial amount of chakra control. You are flowing chakra through certain objects like weaponry or ordinary objects."

Ebisu grabbed out a kunai out his back pouch, and channeled chakra through the metal. An aura cloaked the metal in a visible blue. "Chakra flow – non-elemental – can last in objects for a very long time. However, it can get more complicated when adding an element into it due to the volatility of all elements." Ebisu then paused again, before Naruto watched the aura's blue turn red and flaming.

Naruto whistled, finding the process fascinating. "That's so cool, dattebayo!"

Ebisu nodded. "However, remember, this is all about controlling your chakra. If you cannot control it, you can end up doing damage to yourself, and that is never a good thing. An element as volatile as fire can end up you getting burned if you do something wrong. Each element can do some sort of harm to you or the object you are flowing chakra inside of."

"So what does Earth do if you have no control?"

"I will show you." Ebisu stopped his fire chakra flow technique, and returned his hands to a normal state. Grabbing the kunai with his left hand, Ebisu activated his chakra again, converted it to Earth Release chakra, and the kunai had an aura of particles of earth surrounding the metal blade. "This is the correct version of the technique – the right amount of chakra flowing through an object. However, the wrong amount..." Ebisu then did something to make the metal blade darken, and darken until it almost became black, and Ebisu looked a little strained, like it became much harder to keep the weapon up in one hand. "The item has become significantly heavier and much more denser, much like a rock. For a weapon, unless this is your intention, never do what I have done." Ebisu then flexed his hand, and dropped the flow of chakra, turning the weapon back.

Naruto watched it, and saw big dents now in the metal, dents that were not there before. "What happened?"

"Too much earth chakra warped the metal into this state. The wrong amount of chakra will break the weapon and make it useless. Some weapons are more suited to channel this chakra, admittedly, but they too will strain under the force of your chakra if you use too much."

"And too little won't wield the results you want, right?"

"Too little, and the chakra won't stand for a few seconds before dissipating." Ebisu responded, dropping the useless kunai in his hand to the ground. "Thus, you must find enough to place in the item. Naturally, the size matters in this case. Small item requires a small amount chakra, and a large item demands a large amount of chakra."

"All of this is about chakra control, eh?"

"Of course. You will find many of these exercises even increase your control. All this is to make you feel your chakra better. Have you not felt like it was easier to mold your chakra these days for any technique outside this exercises? Take a second, and use a ninjutsu now. Use a Kawarimi on this kunai I have on the floor." Ebisu cleared the way so Naruto could have plenty of space to perform the technique Ebisu asked him to use.

Naruto stared at his item intensely, and thought back to the amount of chakra he usually used to perform the Kawarimi. Clapping his hands, Naruto generated that chakra in his body, and then started contorting his fingers into hand seals shape. Tiger to boar, then boar to ox, then ox to dog, and finally finishing off with snake, Naruto succeed in using the technique, and shifted places with the kunai.

The kunai bounced for a second before dropping down uselessly, and Naruto founded he had used quite a bit of his chakra. It wasn't the most huge amount, but he felt it. Days of working with the smallest amount of chakra he could use made him more sensitive to it. "How did it feel?" Ebisu asked the teenage.

"It... I felt like I used a lot of chakra than I intended to."

Ebisu nodded, as he was confirming something. "Alright. Now, I want you to try it again. This time, use the most minuscule amount of chakra you can muster on it."

Naruto nodded, again looking over to the discarded kunai, and generated his chakra again with a soundless clap, before performing the necessary seals again. He tried his best to generated the absolute smallest amount of chakra he possibly could, and performed the Kawarimi no Jutsu again. He shifted places with the kunai, which dropped down to the ground in its original place, where Ebisu dropped it two minutes ago.

This time, his chakra felt like it hadn't depleted at all. Almost like it was a small, not easily noticeable tug of his chakra. It was many times weaker than what he used regularly when performing the Kawarimi on objects, people, or his clones. Yet, he had done it. It almost felt amazing, like he was waking up for the first time, or he learned something crucial in his life.

He was starting to understand why these damnable chakra control exercises held merit. The more chakra he could use in battle or in a fight at his disposal, the better it was. No more wasting so much chakra using techniques. That was why the Kage Bunshin was so good for him. Instead of worrying chakra control, the clone technique automatic splitting of his chakra evenly helped him save chakra. While Kakashi-sensei had already said to him that his reserve of chakra was massive, even larger than the Sandaime Hokage himself. However, that didn't mean it was infinite, and Naruto had felt his chakra amount get quite low before. Not like he's ever been in a fight when he had to worry about that, but it still took quite a few days for him to retain back that lost portion of his chakra again.

It felt amazing.

Ebisu smiled, watching Naruto's eyes widen from his space across the training grounds. "Noticed something interesting?"

"I... That didn't feel like it cost so much anymore."

"Yes. Your control of your chakra has become much better. You now know how to not only shape and make your chakra move in ways you want it to move, you also know how to much chakra to use in some of your techniques. I believe you can use even less chakra than what you used, due to how huge your chakra amount is, and how large your chakra pools are."

Thus, Naruto figured, he was perfect for using the art of ninjutsu, which made Naruto absolutely giddy. He got this all down in a few weeks. In a few weeks! Who knows what he could do now? The possibilities were endless. "This is awesome, Sensei. I feel great. I'm ready for anything you throw at me. I can do it!"

"I have little doubt whatever task I give you you will not try your hardest in." Naruto's enthusiasm rubbed off on Ebisu a large amount. "We will do the chakra flow exercise. I shall give you a bit of kunai and shuriken to experiment on. Originally, this was my final exercise for you, but I thought of something much more difficult for you when it comes to making shapes. So, after this, more shaping exercises, and practicing compressing and expanding your chakra, we shall finally get to ninjutsu."

"Right!" Naruto nodded, accepting the three kunai Ebisu gave him. Putting down two of the kunai, Naruto then summoned three shadow clones, without hand seals – a new crowning achievement Naruto was proud of recently discovering. In doing this, the one kunai in Naruto's hand became three for three blond boys to work on, making a total of five. The awesome effect of the Kage Bunshin was whatever the user had on their person was whatever the clones had as well. More tools could be made, and the perfect thing was, each of the clones had their own weaponry to work with.

Naruto grinned in excitement. There was no stopping him when he was charged like this. He was definitely going to kick ass in the Chūnin Exams.

Naruto laid down, his body aching, and his muscles weak. His arms were sore, and he felt like he ran a triathlon with his legs. Tomorrow was resting day for him, so that would be good for him. A day to rest his aching muscles. So tomorrow, he would be doing something not pertaining to training. He had made quite a good bit of progress in only two weeks, it was all thanks to Ebisu-sensei.

After several days of the man actually devoting his time to teach him, Naruto had to admit he was starting to warm up to Ebisu. Someone who he lumped up to be just like everyone else: people who disliked him just because of his "bad circumstance", The title "Sensei" for Ebisu was said less mockingly, and more respectfully as he learned from Ebisu. Now, it even wasn't that annoying taking orders from him.

The man always was there to teach him, and help him with a technique Naruto had trouble with. Even if Ebisu was only here by Kakashi-sensei's instruction, the man had brought him up to speed about a lot of things. He even taught Naruto more than he ever learned from Kakashi-sensei!

It help also that Ebisu taught him something as cool and useful as his elemental affinity. At first, Naruto wasn't as stellar to hear that his element was Earth. He was half-expecting either Fire Release or Lightning Release to be his affinity. Instead, Earth Release was his affinity. It wasn't anything he was expecting. When he was first mastering how to use earth chakra, he kept thinking one thing – what did Earth Release techniques have to offer in terms of strength and usefulness?

The answer: a lot.

Earth Release was by nature an equally offensive nature as it was defensive. According to his teacher Ebisu, Earth Release techniques could break the strongest of rock, and also form a powerful shield able to withstand the strongest of elemental and non-elemental techniques. Ergo, it was just as strong as it was durable, and Naruto could get behind that. Naruto liked versatility quite a bit, which is why the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was his favorite – it was just tailored for him. He could make many of clones, and not even break a sweat. Now, he was learning from Ebisu, and that little Kawarimi exercise, he was finally getting why it was better to conserve chakra.

His chakra was huge. Sensei stated his chakra pools were extremely larger than his, and of anyone in this entire village. Naruto had chalked that up before as a sign to just simply being able to spam his shadow clones for his heart's content, but it was more than that. Because of his large pools of chakra, he could learn a ton of techniques and utilize them for a long time. Ninjutsu, therefore, was his forte, and he – like how he was doing with the Kage Bunshin now, could, and would, abuse the shit out of it.

Naruto learned a jōnin-level ninjutsu easily before, so what stopped him from picking up more? Not a damn thing. Ebisu-sensei looked ready to teach him ninjutsu any day now. Perhaps when he got down the true basics of chakra flow? It didn't really seem all that hard; all this time, his teacher was getting Naruto to work diligently on his chakra control, so he wouldn't be wasting a shit-load of chakra every time he called upon chakra for a technique, so chakra flow wouldn't take that long to learn.

Naruto couldn't help it. He was super giddy. Neji was getting his ass kicked when Naruto sees him in battle, and that ass-kicking extended to any potential opponent in the exams. Count on it.

But, that wasn't the real reason why the blond boy was having trouble sleeping. No, another crucial thing – even bigger than the pleasure of knowing the key to kicking Neji's ass – was keeping him awake, thinking about it.

Kakashi-sensei's question was again playing in his head. Every few days, he would go to sleep thinking about it, especially on restless nights like this. "What is the point of these exams, Naruto? Think about it..."

He tried to think of the reason to himself, in the days he wasn't trying or in his relaxation time. So far, he hadn't figured it out. Granted, he was busy with other things in his time, and the only time he could think about it was either on days off or when he was restless at night. Since he usually slept like a rock after training, that hadn't been many times when he was restless.

So, what was the point of these exams? To become chūnin, right? That was the namesake of the exams.

But, was there a secret thing beyond it? How could you become a chūnin if you didn't have a sizable amount of techniques at your disposal? How could you be a chūnin if you didn't have advanced techniques? At first, that's what Naruto thought that all you had to have. Just beat everyone in your way, and you would be able to become a chūnin, but now that he thought more deeply about it, that didn't make sense.

So let's say he beat everyone in the tournament, did that mean him, and maybe the runner-up of the exams would become a chūnin? That made little-to-no sense. It was strange to him to think of it in terms of math, but it helped quite a bit with the mystery. Thinking of it mathematically, if that statement above was true – about only the winner of the tournament and the runner-up were able to become chūnin, and the tournament only took place twice a year, that meant only four genin-ranked ninja in the entire village were able to gain a chūnin promotion. That didn't make sense. If that was the case, then the village's ninja force would be pathetically small, and Naruto knew for a fact that that was not the case.

Konohagakure was known for its extremely huge population, a population that eclipsed all of villages on the continent, to be exact. Konohagakure had a large bulk of capable genin, chūnin, and jōnin. Naruto couldn't even count how many new faces he seen around the village. The village itself stretched out for miles. It was huge, even to thirteen-year old Naruto Uzumaki. So how could four people of the village be chosen to become chūnin of the village? It made no sense at all.

So it definitely had to be more than just having the power to kick everyone's butt in the exams.

He thought back to what Ebisu-sensei said a time two weeks ago as a guideline. "Just because you have the fighting skills of a chūnin, doesn't mean you actually deserve becoming a chūnin. Everybody has the potential to become a chūnin in the exams, but that doesn't mean they all can become one. The exams is much more than fighting. In order to become a chūnin, you must act like one, and think like one. Thus, you must know what it is to be chūnin. Sometimes, there's more than one way than surviving a fight."

So, you could be chūnin-level in terms of strength and power... yet, that didn't mean you deserved to be one, right? Power didn't mean anything if you weren't responsible with it, he learned a while ago. In order to become chūnin, you had to act like one. Think like one. Then, you can become one. So strength and techniques meant nothing if he couldn't think like one. He could try the exams many times if he wanted, but if he couldn't think like one, then he wouldn't be promoted to a chūnin.

But how did you think like one?

Naruto didn't have the slightest clue, and seeing how several of the shinobi he knew, who knew about Kakashi-sensei's question was very privy about the information. They were very stingy with the knowledge.

No, "stingy" wasn't the right word. They just didn't want to give him the answer. They wanted him to figure it out himself but he could not, so he had to find someone else who could and was willing to give him that information he needed. They wanted him to think like a chūnin. Since he lacked the knowledge, he should seek it out, right? Find the knowledge himself, instead of just asking people who didn't want to exactly give him the information. However, it had to be from a source or someone who didn't have a clue of the question Kakashi asked, like the Hokage and Ebisu.

With only one person in mind, Naruto smiled, figuring it out what to do. 'Time to see Iruka-sensei again.'

The Next Day...

It was evening time, and the skies orange and purple was reflecting on such. It had been such a long day, a long, grueling day of one headache that just would not go away.

Iruka Umino had just gotten out of the Academy, finishing his class' lesson. His head hurt so much, he was almost digging his index fingers in his temples to get rid of the pain. Today was long and tiring for the Academy teacher. Dealing with a notorious troublemaker all day, Konohamaru Sarutobi, Iruka was ready to enjoy his evening at home. The boy had taken up pranking ever since he joined the village's ninja academy, and it was really starting to get on his nerves. As was it for the other teachers in the ninja academy. Putting glue on his homeroom teacher's chair so he stuck to his seat after he sat down. Leaving smoke bombs to explode in the men's room dedicated solely to the teachers. It was all very annoying.

Much to his amusement however, Konohamaru's pranks reminded him of a certain former blond boy student of his, especially in the nature of them.

Still Iruka, after a long day at work, was ready to go home, relax, and read his favorite book. Or he was, until he ran into last year's troublemaker, Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto greeted him boisterous with a shout across the Academy's school yard. "Yo! Iruka-sensei, 'sup?!"

Iruka shook his head in amusement, thinking, 'Speak of the Devil.'

"Hello Naruto." He walked up to the boy, ruffing the blond's hair. Seeing the boy's immediate pout, Iruka couldn't help but to chuckle. Naruto had a small gripe with people tugging with his hair. A pet peeve Iruka knew all too well, and frankly, abused. Still, the chūnin was pleasantly surprised to see the yellow haired genin. It had been quite some time since he last seen Naruto. He wondered how his little friend was doing. Even if his headache would probably persist being in Naruto's presence. "Naruto. It's been a while since I last seen you. What are you doing with your time?"

"Nothing much, Sensei!" Naruto placed his arms behind his head, grinning up at his former Academy teacher. "I'm really just training hard these days. I'm in the semi-finals in the Chūnin Exams! You know that, right?"

Iruka nodded. "I know. I must say, I'm impressed. Looks like you got your work cut out for you. You have to fight Neji Hyūga, after all. He graduated from the Academy as the Rookie Of The Year, and is hailed to be quite the formidable genin in the village."

Naruto's smile dimmed. "Yeah, I know. I'm still pretty sure I can kick his ass." Naruto clenched his fist. "I been working ten times harder than I ever have just to kick his ass this upcoming month."

Iruka smiled encouragingly. "I know. You can do it, Naruto. I believe in you."

Naruto grinned. It always felt nice to hear that from his former teacher. "So, hey, are you busy?"

The ponytail-wearing teacher shook his head. Looks like going home would have to wait. "I'm off now. I'm guessing you want to eat ramen on a few hours."

The blond paused for a second, to actually think it over before nodding. "That's cool, I guess, but originally, that wasn't what I was here for."

Iruka rose an eyebrow for second. The boy wasn't here for food? Naruto, even when he was a genin, took it upon himself to go and mooch off Iruka from time to time, and getting him to buy him some lunch or dinner. "What's up then?"

"I have a question, Iruka-sensei, and I thought, hey, since you're a chūnin, you can probably my question." Naruto explained. Naruto looked, quite uncharacteristically, stoic and ready to talk business.

"What's your question?"

"Sensei, what is like to be a chūnin?" Iruka's eyebrow rose once again. "Like, what are your responsibilities as a chūnin and what's the difference between chūnin and genin?"

"Um, well..." Iruka put a finger on his chin, taken aback somewhat. Naruto never seemed all that interested in ranks before. The only rank the blond-haired boy was really gunning for was Hokage. "That's... actually a pretty astute question, Naruto. What brought this on?"

Naruto bit his lip, wondering if telling Iruka-sensei the whole truth would get him the answers he needed. "Ebisu-sensei said that just because I beat Neji doesn't mean I'm guaranteed a promotion."

"Ebisu? That's your sensei for the month?" Iruka was confused. Shouldn't Naruto's assigned jōnin sensei be supervising his training? "What happened to Kakashi-san?"

Naruto frowned slightly. "He's training Sasuke."

Iruka nodded slowly, knowing the frown was a sign of irritation from the boy. He could see it on the youngster's face. Naruto then changed the subject, continuing the conversation. "So yeah, I'm wondering how can that be? How can I beat Neji, and everyone else, yet not be allowed to become chūnin? Is Ebisu-sensei telling the truth or is he yanking my chain?"

Iruka chuckled sagely, giving Naruto the distinction that Iruka was going to give him quite the long answer. "Well, Ebisu-san is right. You can win the entire tournament, but that doesn't mean you're chūnin-material. Let me tell you a small story, Naruto. I had some sort of a rival at my second chūnin tournament. His name was Jango. He was a powerful genin for his age, and won the entire tournament. I even lost to him, and I had been a genin much longer than him. In my match, I almost had him three times in a row. Thanks to his bloodline, however, he was able to withstand my attacks, before I forfeited. I was still one of the genin in the Chūnin Exam's Promotion Ceremony rewarded a flak jacket – an honor he never received. Do you know why?"

Naruto shook his head, allowing his teacher to say the answer. "Because I actually used my head.I had him on the ropes several times, and I showed that I had the ability to defeat him, even withhis kekkai genkai. While he relied solely on the kekkai genkai, I used trickery, misdirection, and deceit to fight him. I fought like a chūnin. I thought like one. He instead fought like he had to win at all costs, and nothing else mattered. He even almost picked a fight with the proctor after I backed down because I decided to forfeit."

"So the exams is about fighting and thinking like a chūnin? How can I do that?"

"It's all about aptitude, Naruto. You must show that you have the aptitude to become one. You must think ahead, plan ahead, fight intelligently, and know your limits. The difference between a chūnin and a genin is this: responsibility. Chūnin are the starting representatives for the village. Genin aren't. They follow their jōnin instructors until they make the next rank. To think like a chūnin, you have to use your brain. Do you know the most powerful weapon a ninja can have?"

Naruto thought for a second, and answered, remembering a lesson he actually listened to Iruka-sensei say before. One he would – for now on – take to heart. "The most powerful weapon a ninja could have is their mind."

Iruka nodded, "That's right. Nothing else. A person could have the strongest techniques in the world. However, if their enemy knows exactly how to counter it, it means nothing. This can be applied to everything. Fighting, sparring, and especially missions. No one wants an idiot on a mission with them, or an incompetent ninja messing up something on it. What if this mission has great importance and that person screws up everything? It could end up not only end up bad for the people on the mission, but for the entire village as well. We're looking for people to lead the youth, not make it worse for them."

Iruka gave Naruto a serious look. "Chūnin are sent on missions outside of the village, and often, have missions up to B-rank, unlike the D or the uncommon C-rank missions we have genin go on. How can you be promoted if you don't show you have the responsibility to carry out missions far away from home? Remember what I told you a long time ago, Naruto? It was a pretty important lesson in class."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sensei, I barely was in your classes most of the time. I can't recall any of these so-called 'important lessons'." Naruto, rightfully so, was hit on his head. "Ouch, Sensei! I was kidding."

"You idiot! You know damn well you weren't kidding!" Iruka growled out. However, the older man calmed down and huffed. "Sometimes, Naruto. You make someone want to sock you in your teeth sometimes."

"Hehehe, you still love me though, Sensei."

Iruka shook his head. "What am I going to do with you, Naruto?" He regained his composure, clearing his throat. "The structure of a village's shinobi system – do you remember it? Re-jog your memory."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering why his teacher was asking such an easy question. "Of course, Iruka-sensei. The structure of the village is all based on ninja rank. Genin, chūnin, jōnin, Kage. Rank wise, the Kage is on top of the pecking order, and genin are on the bottom, right?"

Iruka nodded. "There's a reason for that. Rank is important, and it holds a title and a responsibility. Genin lead villagers. Chūnin lead genin and the villagers. Jōnin leadeveryone under them. Finally, a Kage leads all in the village. Each title represents something.

The brown haired chūnin folded his arms. "The word 'Genin' is equivalent to the word 'potential'; then 'Chūnin' represents 'responsibility'; then Jōnin represents 'wisdom'; and finally, Kage represents 'ruler' for obvious reasons. You are at the Genin stage. You have the potential to do anything you want to do. Everybody around your age does. When you started out in the Academy, you were still a villager – you were at a blank slate. Now that you been genin for a few months, you paved your own way to what you want to do in life. Thus, 'potential'."

"So, if I'm at the stage of 'potential', how to I get to the next level?" Naruto asked.

"The next rank requires something else. Now, you need to be responsible. You need to show you're competent for the job. You need to show you have aptitude in what you do. You need to show that you're best at what you do, and you only. This goes for the exams as well."

"So wait... the Chūnin Exams are nothing but... show-off contests, talent contests?" Naruto said thoughtfully.

Iruka paused, but nodded. "In a way, yeah. Think about it. The first stage tested your mind, the second tested your body, and now, the third stage is testing both. In all of those tests, you have people watching you. Watching your skills, watching how you act. You need to show you can think and fight at the same time. You need to show what you can do. Matches are nothing more than to give you a chance to display your skills. The more matches you have, the more you can show off your skills, but you don't need to actually win your first fight in order to become a chūnin. It's basically a free get-of-jail card for any match you lose. So as long as you show what you can do, you'll pass."

"Holy crap." Naruto uttered, widening his eyes in realization. "The answer to Kakashi-sensei's question was there all along... I just got to show off all my stuff!" Naruto loudly finished with a large smile. A little too excitable for Iruka's tastes.

"You also need to know your limits, Naruto." Iruka emphasized, a small frown on his face. Naruto was a hard-working shinobi, but Iruka knew that the boy could go overboard sometimes. "Remember that as well. Responsibility entails using your skills in the right way, not overstepping your boundaries. We don't need more cannon fodder ninja in battle who die because they didn't know when to stop. Since every ninja adhere to their leader's orders, you must be ready to do the same. When you know you can't do much else, you stop. When we tell you to stop, you stop."

Naruto nodded, digesting all of his information. "Okay, I get it now. So in order for me to become a chūnin, I have to show that I can think and fight like one. Show my strengths, out-think my opponent, fight hard but know my limits. Okay, I think I got it."

"Good." Iruka nodded back, grinning at his former student. "I think you got this as well."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei!"

"No problem." Iruka smiled at his former student. He then rubbed his head, in a sheepish manner. "You know, I'm actually surprised you came to see me."

Naruto looked at the older man,confused. "Why wouldn't I? You were the best person to come to. You're a chūnin; I knew you for a long time now; you have experience being one; and you were willing to tell me the answer to my question."

The brown haired man chuckled, shaking his head. "I didn't tell you the answer. You figured it out on your own with the information I provided. Another thing about being a chūnin. You were responsible and honest enough to know that your knowledge about the exams was lacking, so you sought out a source that can help you out with finding the answer. If I didn't do it, you would have just went to a library, and found the book that has the answer to your question inside it." Iruka patted Naruto's shoulder. "You're thinking like a chūnin now. Good job. I think you'll do fine in the exams in two weeks."

Naruto beamed up at his teacher/older brother figure. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei. You're the best!"

"So I'm told." Iruka grinned back at his former student. "Now, how about some ramen since you're here?"

"Okay, Sensei, but I'm paying since you helped me!"

Surprised again by his former student, Iruka shrugged off his shock and decided on putting on a smile. "Lead the way."

After discovering what he had to do in order to get promoted after the Chūnin Exams, Naruto continued his training with Ebisu with a new vigor. When he told his teacher the answer to Kakashi Hatake's question, Ebisu smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Three days later, after training more and more with mastering the basics of using his earth-attuned chakra, Ebisu had finally announced to Naruto that they were starting on learning ninjutsu. This came to Naruto's joy as he grinned excitedly.

The blond-haired teen wanted to jump around and cheer boisterous, but contained it, and let the man instruct him on the first technique he was going to learn.

"Today, we are going to work on a technique that I believe you will find not only invaluable in your battle against Neji Hyūga, but in your entire career as well. This earth release technique is a very popularly used one, and has great application in combat. Today, I will teach you the Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu."

Ebisu then closed his eyes in concentration, before using his chakra, and seeping it into the ground. Naruto didn't see or sense it, but got the idea of what was happening when Ebisu started sinking into the ground. Like Naruto had learned before, Ebisu was changing the properties of the ground from soft dirt, to even softer dirt, and then sunk into it, creating a hole. Ebisu disappeared into the ground, leaving Naruto by himself.

Then interestingly enough, the dirt hole his temporary teacher left, patched itself back up. It was something interesting to Naruto indeed. Not a thing or shred of evidence Ebisu-sensei ever being where he once stood, was left. After some time, Naruto didn't hear anything. Nothing at all. He was thinking the man would be digging underground after seeing his little demonstration, but Naruto didn't see the man come back up the surface.

Then Naruto was scared out of his wits when Ebisu tapped his shoulder from behind, jumping up comically. "Geez, Sensei. A little warning next time?"

The man shook his head, chuckling. "Afraid, Naruto-kun? Yes, this is the technique. Can you tell me what you have observed from it."

Naruto calmed down, and shrugged. "Sure. It seems like you used your chakra to turn the dirt softer and went underground. I'm guessing you also spread your chakra underground, and like, turned it soft enough so you can dig through it? There's no way you could have dug simply with your hands. It would take too long to dig through all that crap without chakra."

"Ah yes. The first part of my demonstration, admittedly, that is not quite the part of the technique, but you have gotten the gist of the technique itself. I use my chakra to make the soil under turn into a fine sand, and move through it, digging much like a mole would. Hence the name of the technique. So, yes, I used my chakra to turn it softer and softer as I actively move through the earth."

Naruto frowned slightly in thought. "So... How do you exactly know where you're going with this technique? It wouldn't be useful of a technique if you're digging underground blind."

Ebisu grinned, satisfied Naruto asked the question. "I shall show you again. Naruto-kun, I want you to move around to a random location in this training grounds. Do not tell me the location of where you are moving, just move to a simple place. Also, for the sake of simplicity, do not go up a tree, okay? Wait until I go underground for this."

Naruto nodded and watched Ebisu tunnel underground again. As quietly and quickly as he could, he moved to a location and stood. It was a place close to a small patch of flowers in the training field, near a large grey boulder. Naruto waited patiently, before he was greeted with an Ebisu-sensei that appeared in front of him. Naruto looked spooked again, surprised the man was able to find him with no effort at all. "How the heck did you do that?"

"The technique has a secondary effect. It can sense the magnetic fields and give me not only a clue where I am at, but what's happening on the surface, and where you are at. "

"Holy crap. That's awesome."

"Indeed." Ebisu nodded. "This technique takes no sort of hand-seals to do, simply knowing how to control your chakra consistently. I will show you the technique I used before to create the hole I used to burrow underground with, and then I shall show you how to use the Moguragakure no Jutsu itself."

Naruto smirked. "Let's do this."

"Okay. First, seed your chakra to the ground, and let it seep through. Try to use your feet for this exercise. Then, push your chakra through the ground and soften the dirt enough so you can seep through it. Use enough chakra to make a difference in a dirt but do not use a great amount of chakra to make a huge hole. Only make so much so you can make a hole big enough to allow you through. This technique is only as useful as it used stealthily. Otherwise, you are a sitting duck. We shall work on this technique first before we go on and do the Moguragakure no Jutsu."

And work on it, they did. An hour in, and Naruto – thanks to the help with three shadow clones on the side – figured out the secret of creating a hole with his chakra. After one dispelled after figuring out the answer, Naruto approached the exercise differently than he was doing. Naruto imagined making a circle with his chakra, spinning it slowly before it became a perfect 360 degrees circle. then sunk his chakra more and more into the ground, until Naruto felt himself sinking into the ground. Then, Naruto made a sizable hole for himself. Before he sunk all the way underground, and therefore had no access to hand-seals, he made another clone to replace the one that dispelled before, and they followed suit and made a hole. All of them were underground in a matter of time.

Ebisu nodded, and walked to the hole Naruto was in. "Second, I will show you how to cover the hole. Channel your chakra into the wall of the dirt hole you create, and then move the chakra to cover the hole itself."

Naruto took a bit of time to get what was instructed of him, but with experimentation from him and his clones, he gotten it, and now the light of the day was gone. He could now only hear Ebisu's voice. "Man, it's fucking dark down here, Sensei."

"The underground usually has no candle lights to guide you, Naruto-kun." Came the deadpan response from Naruto's teacher. "Now, we shall work on the Moguragakure no Jutsu. You shall use the magnetic fields to help you find where you are, then your clones, and then me. Channel chakra into the dirt, change it to sand, and spread it around where you are, then when you get it, move."

Naruto nodded to himself, before closing his eyes in concentration. Since he didn't have enough room to raise a hand (he should have made a large hole, he lamented to himself), he would have to use his body itself to place chakra to the dirt wall in front of him, and that was a little more harder than simply using his hands. His hands was the most used place of concentrating his chakra after all. Nevertheless, Naruto gotten it down, and with his teacher's instruction, moved slightly in the sand-turned dirt and dug with his hands and feet. "Okay, where are you?!" Ebisu yelled. It was probably the only way Naruto could hear him. Naruto definitely couldn't see him.

Naruto kept his eyes closed, and focused on sensing above the Earth's surface. "I am by a tree with a long cut in, Sensei! A few steps in front of me!" Naruto yelled back.

"Where are your clones?!"

"One clone's in the front of the forest tree I was talking about, directly in front of me! Another clone is more to my left, nearby a stream of water, and the last clone is nearby the entrance of the training grounds, Sensei, in back of me!"

Ebisu then yelled again, "And where am I?!"

Naruto concentrated again for a brief moment. "You're by a big boulder, a few meters to my right, Sensei!"

"Excellent! Naruto, you and your clones dig back above ground!"

"Yes, Sensei, dattebayo!" The original Naruto started digging diagonally up, and pushed through, until he was completely vertical, and felt the Earth above him soften, so he can climb out. Naruto stopped channeling chakra into any part of his body – lest he sink again – and looked at his clones. The two nearby him raced over by him, and grinned triumphantly, while he did the same. The clone the most far out, by the entrance of the large training grounds dispelled, and Naruto was fed its memories.

"Splendid job, Naruto-kun. A little more work with the technique, and I am sure you will find it very useful in the exams to come."

Naruto grinned. "It's cool. I think I'm going to like this." Yeah. A combination with his clone, and he could see everything on the battlefield, both on ground and under it. Best thing was none of his opponents wouldn't have any sort of idea. The element of surprise was a powerful tool indeed. "So, what next, Sensei? You know, after I mess with this technique a little bit more."

"What is next? Hmm, we have made excellent time in the short time of two weeks. You have worked on your chakra control quite a bit, learned how to walk on water, learned how the basics of molding earth chakra, the basics of chakra flow into items, and learned an earth ninjutsu. So, the next step will be... To relax for today." Ebisu secretly enjoyed Naruto's following reaction: the boy tripped on something in the air, and planted his face into the ground.

"Wait, what?!" Naruto yelled from the ground.

"I say we can take a small break from all of this, Naruto-kun. Especially today. It's not even lunch time, and you have done what I had planned you to practice all day. Good job."

"So wait, what am I supposed to do then? I wanna learn more!" Naruto started picking himself off the ground. "There's nothing you're willing to teach me today?"

"Nothing at all." Ebisu chuckled, looking over at Naruto's defiant stare. "I did not say you could not learn something today, just not from me. We have been training straight for several days, from sun up, to the evening itself. Honestly, my teaching energies are drained." Naruto had a feeling that was a lie. "It's almost lunch anyway, if you had not noticed, Naruto-kun. Go eat something, maybe practice on your own, or better yet, go do something else for the day. Have you ever went to the library like I asked almost a week ago?"

Naruto grunted, admitting, "No, Sensei."

"Then maybe it's time to brush up a little on your knowledge of the Byakugan."

Naruto wanted to growl at his teacher, but it came out more like a whine. "Fine."

"Ta-ta, Naruto-kun!" Ebisu then disappeared in instantaneous movement – a sign of the Shunshin no Jutsu. The common way a jōnin liked to run away from a person. Naruto sighed dejectedly, and picked up his belongings. At the moment, his stomach did growl at him, and Naruto knew the man caught him good.

Lunch at Ramen Ichiraku again.

There were three main libraries in Konohagakure. The first other one was the Konohagakure Archive Library, which a place had information on people of the village. The Archive Library stored profiles, documented history of past and current shinobi of the village, had sections dedicated to missing-nin of the world that once belonged to Konohagakure, a station where they could pick up Bingo Books – books that contained information on blacklisted ninja whether or not they were rogue shinobi – and information about several factions, minor civilian villages, countries, and hidden villages inside and outside Hi no Kuni. The library was built inside the Hokage Rock Monument mountain, high and tucked away. Naruto never been there, but maybe it would come in handy when he went up in rank. Besides, he doubted he even had clearance to go up there.

The second one was the more standard one, the Konoha Civilian Library or simply the Konoha Library. It was a library open to the general public of Konoha. Centrally located in the heart of the village, the business section, general information involving simple books like "How to cook" or advanced books involving mathematics, medicine and health, economy, history, or other subjects belonged in this library. Generally, the library was visited mostly by civilians, but some shinobi – especially ones who were studying medicine and becoming the village's top doctors – visited the place. Naruto visited the library a few times in his life, but not very much. Besides learning how to cook on his own, and along other basic things that were good for anyone to know, Naruto felt he didn't need to go there.

The final one was one Naruto felt he would be visiting more and more in the near future. The Konohagakure Shinobi Library was a tall library only allowed to shinobi of Konohagakure. No civilians was allowed in, neither were trainees in the Academy or anyone without the right clearance. The reason? Because there was many things pertaining to shinobi, like how to use elemental chakra, inside that could potentially be dangerous to regular villagers. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, fūinjutsu – if it was a ninja art, you would find it in this place. Naruto headed over to the Konohagakure Shinobi Library after his lunch.

Naruto had to tell the people at the front desk of his registration number and show them his ID card. It had been his first time in the library, and they gave him an ID card so he can further go inside and access the library's books without showing them his card every time. They also mentioned the card also upgraded when he rose up in ranks in the Konohagakure Ninja Force. Without their ID, Naruto would have to present his regular ID every time, and sometimes, Naruto didn't carry around the card in his village. He felt no need. The card was free, so Naruto saw no reason not to get it. Naruto was greeted by a librarian – some brunette female clerk – at the front desk.

She told him the general rules of the library in a bored tone, droning on as if she said this exact same speech everyday working here to the newbies of the library. "You can access the library for as long as you can, so as long as we're open. We are open from 5AM to 10PM from Monday-Friday. The weekends, we are closed. Due to your status as a genin, you are allowed on the first floor of the library. Do not go to the second or three floor of the library – those are reserved to chūnin and jōnin-level shinobi. If you are found up there, you will be banned for the library for at least six month on your first offense. Second offense will cost you a year, and a sizable fine. Third offense, you will no longer be allowed in this library. Do you understand?"

Naruto had really focused on the words "If you are found", and decided if he wanted to learn some elemental ninjutsu that were of a higher tier, he would have to sneak up there one day. Naruto nodded yes nevertheless to the girl's question, and she nodded herself. Then, she shooing him away, and going back to her work: reading some sort of orange book. He knew what it was and he had half a mind to tell her why in the hell was she reading that pervy book, Icha Icha, when she should probably be working on other things, but Naruto let it go. Naruto rolled his eyes at the action, and went about his merry way, going deeper into the library, though Naruto was in no real hurry.

Books and him never really clicked. He hated reading, writing, and anything pertaining to a book. Still, the place had its uses, and since it housed information about techniques ranging from all ranks, it was useful. However, since he was a genin, that gave him access to low-rank techniques. Normal genin didn't have access to A or B-rank techniques right off the back or couldn't perform them because of the lack of chakra, knowledge, or experience with them. Technically speaking, he wasn't supposed to know a technique like the Kage Bunshin anyway since the technique and its kinjutsu variant was in the Scroll Of Seals, the scroll he stole that night when he failed the graduation exam out of his academy. However, since he had already astounding chakra levels, he could use his favorite ninjutsu effectively. Even more than that, learning elemental ninjutsu like Earth Release was an art most genin his age didn't even dabble into, focusing on learning advance chakra control exercises instead. If he wanted to learn more stuff, he probably would have to learn it somewhere else, like his teacher.

However, all of that wasn't his intention today. The place wasn't just a place that had info about normal techniques. It had information about kekkai genkai, and more importantly, it housed information about dōjutsu such as the Byakugan. That was his mission: find more about the Byakugan his opponent would be wielding.

Naruto wandered and wandered, looking up the "B" section of the first floor of the library, and moved his eyes from many books. Spelling out "Byakugan" in his head, he seen several books first starting with Byakugan as its title. He started humming a jaunty tune, taking his time trying to find the book as he seen others either walk past him from outside the aisles. Finding the book "Byakugan: The All-Seeing Eye", and taking it off the shelf, Naruto scrubbed the book once of some dust, before move out of the aisle.

Doing that got him to run into someone, someone he knew. "Naruto? You're here?"

Naruto looked at the person and raised an eyebrow for a second. Then, he grinned. "Oh, hey Shikamaru. Funny running into you... well, literally."

Shikamaru didn't acknowledge the tasteless pun, and rose his own eyebrow at Naruto. "What are you doing here? This is a library – usually people are here to read."

"And I am too. I'm looking for a book to read. I see you came here specially to just antagonize me." Naruto deadpanned.

"Idiot." The Nara boy lazily drawled, while rubbing the shoulder Naruto bumped into. "I'm here looking for a book for Chōji. Guy asked seeing I was coming here originally to return a book."

Naruto nodded, before returning to scan the books on the wall. "This is my first time in here. I was looking for a book on Kekkai Genkai."

"Bloodlines? Why are you looking for that?"

"I have an opponent whose has a dōjutsu, duh!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why wouldn't I look up a book about Kekkai Genkai?"

The dark-haired boy next to him in the aisle shook his head at the blond. "You sure as hell pick a good time looking for something to beat Neji with, Naruto. The Chūnin Exams semi-finals is starting in less than two weeks. How are you supposed to come up with anything that can counter it?"

"Don't worry about me, Shikamaru." Naruto shot back cattily, a little annoyed at the normal lazy boy's attitude. Most of this conversation was either Shikamaru taking shots at Naruto's own abilities, or insulting his intelligence. "You should just worry about your own self. Your opponent can throw freaking tornadoes at you; I suggest you learn how to dodge 'em."

"Troublesome. I'll stop teasing you, and leave you alone. Later."

As Naruto saw the boy leave, an idea popped in his head. "Hey, Shikamaru."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have some information about the Byakugan that I can use?" Didn't hurt asking about it, especially when he knew the Nara boy was much smarter than he let on.

"Nothing I can think of. Sorry. I got to go anyway, and pick up this cook book for Chōji anyway."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled, and got hushed by people in his aisle and some others nearby. "Sorry!" He called back, only to get hushed again. The boy grumbled, and with a more quieter voice, said, "Dude, just help a friend out. If I had info, I would tell you about the Suna chick you got to fight in the exams. Can't you help a fellow Leaf nin out?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Don't pull the 'friend card', Naruto. We barely talked in the Academy, let alone are friends."

Naruto narrowed his blue eyes at the guy, before sighing dejectedly. "Fine. I guess I'll figure it out myself."

Shikamaru paused, seeing Naruto's face, before sighing in guilt. "Fine. I'll tell you all I know about the darn Byakugan. Okay?"

Naruto's face immediately perked up, a triumphing smile on his face. "Great! Thanks, Shika."

"Keep your voice down, loudmouth." The Nara groaned, knowing he had been conned by the sad act by Naruto. "And who told you that you can call my Shika? Bah. Damn. Whatever. Alright, so the Byakugan. It's a pearly white, seeing-eye technique that is in the possession of all Hyūga clansmen and women. You know the basics. The dōjutsu allows the user to see through solid objects, have a near 360 degrees field of vision, see through several disguising techniques, have telescopic-like range of sight, and the ability to see chakra flow. This makes these people great trackers, and strong opponents. They also are natural counters for genjutsu and several ninjutsu as well."

Naruto nodded, already knowing most of this information from Ebisu-sensei. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, if you're expecting to fight Neji using a frontal approach, then you're going to lose fast. Charging in on a Hyūga using simple taijutsu is suicide. Keep your distance of course. That's what I would do, but I don't know if you got any techniques that are at a range. You strike me as a close-range fighter really."

Naruto didn't say anything, not willing to tell or brag Shikamaru about his new Earth Release technique. Even if a little part of him wanted to. Ebisu-sensei advised him not to reveal to anyone what he learned, outside them being the Hokage himself. Suppose his enemy was in the next aisle, listening in on him and Shikamaru's conversation? Neji was, after all, from the same village as them. Who knew where his opponent could be? "Okay, no rushing in, and keep my distance. I figured as much. Nothing new."

"Your sensei told you all of this before?" Seeing Shikamaru's colleague nod, the Nara sighed. "So why the heck did you ask me?"

"You might had info I didn't know. You were still useful and I confirmed what I know before. Thanks. I would tell you what I knew about that Suna chick, but..."

"You mean Temari?" Shikamaru grunted. "I know enough. She's proficient in Wind Release techniques. Instead of keeping my distance, I need to actually be close to her, and that's not the style of combat I specialize in. The faster I put her down, the faster I win. Maybe even take away her fan, if I can imagine."

"Her fan?"

"Yeah, she uses her wind attacks using that as a medium. Take that away, and it'll make it easier to deal with her."

"Yeah." Naruto grinned, encouragingly. "You'll kick her ass. She's not that tough."

The ponytail shinobi raised an eyebrow at his livelier colleague. "She kicked Tenten's ass easy, and Tenten's whole team has much more experience as shinobi than our entire graduating class. She was the strongest kunoichi in the exams that's from our village."

Naruto nodded his head. "I guess you're right then. She will be tough."

"I definitely know that. She and her siblings – especially that Gaara guy – are not normal genin." Shikamaru rubbed his shoulder, shaking out some phantom pain. As if the thought of fighting the Sunagakure kids would be painful. Naruto wasn't all too sure about that puppeteer, Kankurō – he didn't really look like much – but Temari, sure, and definitely Gaara. Gaara had no qualms about murdering people – just look at what he was going to do to Lee. "Alright, I'm going to go now. I'll see you later. Stick to your studies, loudmouth. Maybe you'll find something else about the Byakugan that I don't know."

"Will do! And Shika?" The boy once again turned around to address Naruto. "Thanks again for the info, dude. We should hang some more!"

"I'll think about that last thing." Shikamaru had a small grin on his face. "Alright. Good luck in the exams, Naruto."

"You too." Naruto said back, watching his former classmate leave him with a wave. He then scratched his chin, and closed his eyes in thought. "Hmm..."

Talking to Shikamaru got him thinking about what would happen if he had to fight other people if he beat Neji in his first match. 'Lemme think about who's in the tournament. Let's think for a sec. So, it's me, Neji-teme, Shikamaru, that Temari chick, that puppet guy Kankurō, creepy guy Shino, even creepier guy Gaara, and Sasuke-teme. If I beat Neji, and Shikamaru beats Temari, we fight, so I gotta know how to fight him. There's even a chance I have to fight that Temari girl, which I hope not. I mean, I guess I got a strategy against her. I just got to think how I can get that darn fan away from her. This is more complicated than I thought. Then again, I could just try to fight in a few matches, show my skills, and just forfeit...'

Naruto shook his head, chuckling. 'Nah, screw that! I'm going to keep going until I can't go any further. Sasuke-teme's not going to quit, and neither am I!'

End.

A/N: Geez, so much of a long chapter and not much action. Had to stop it, as I was entering 20-page territory. Tiring on a story I supposedly said wasn't going to have so many damn words. Ech. Sorry for the slow pace. However, I'm going to make it up to you. As I write this, I am sure I have already written and put up Chapter 5, with plenty of action involved. Yes, finally, we enter the Chūnin Exams again. After that, I hope to change up the pace of the story quite a bit.

Thank you for reading, and until then.

Translation List:

Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu – Earth Release: Hiding Like A Mole Technique