Oh yeah people's...FEAR THE TIME SKIP! Anyway I have nothing to say except I will be takeing a break soon...just not now. Hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for the reviews!

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Kyuubi"

(Standard Disclaimer)

Chapter 28: Jackdaw

Two Months Later

It was a relatively peaceful day in Konoha. Some of the ninja were scrambling probably late for their newest mission. However for many people today was a day of GREAT significance. Today was the day just before the start of the third trial of the Chuunin Exams. Many people were getting ready for the festivities, some setting up stands to sell things while others bought seats for the event. This was rumored to be one of the best yet, especially with the rumor of the Kyuubi kid circling in the adult ranks.

However to a small select group of people those events didn't matter, all that was needed to know was when HE was coming...

"Hey Hinata," Kiba said with a smile as he walked to her side. She seemed concentrated and also just a bit anxious. Naruto promised he would be back in time for the exams and he still hadn't shown up yet. This was odd, he normally kept his promises to a T!

"Hello Kiba-kun," Hinata said not taking her eyes off the horizon. He was impressed with her vigilance. She had even kept her Byakugan active for several hours straight until her eyes damn near burnt out AND still found time to train to get stronger. It sort of boggled his mind, when did Hinata change this much? "He'll be here, if I know that moron he'll show up when we least expect it," Kiba said as he crossed his arms musing that the fox better be alive. He still had to get him back for that cheap victory...

Hinata nodded as Kiba stood next to her, his arms crossed and his foot tapping. "Where is Akamaru-kun?" Hinata asked without tearing her eyes from the sunset. Kiba blinked, that was an odd question seeing as she hadn't looked away from the horizon since he arrived. Apparently that training was paying off...big time. "Uh, Akamaru's bandaged up and sleeping like a log at home. That last mission was a killer," Kiba responded as he turned his eyes to the horizon.

Hinata, despite her exterior of a calm and concentrated individual, was shaking like a leaf in a gale force wind on the inside. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of her Naruto-kun in so long. Is he ok? Is he alive? Is he the same? Is he different? These questions kept plaguing her mind. Ever since Naruto told her of his student status under the fox in his naval she was always nervous but now it was ten fold. He hadn't been back and no one had seen him at all.

"Well, I have to go Hinata. I promised I'd get Akamaru some of the stuff to make his special dog food. Later Hinata," Kiba said as he walked off with a smile and a wave. Hinata smiled and waved, her common sense of politeness overtaking her fixation on the road to smile directly at Kiba. Once her eyes were from the horizon of the road she finally realized what time it actually was. It was getting to be mid day and her daily training would be starting soon.

Hinata sighed as she walked back home to begin her training for the day. Today was going to be a looooooong day.

"Oh please Zai-kun, is that the best you have?" Itami said with a wicked smirk as she dodged a wave of Zaiaku's coins. Zaiaku rolled his eyes, once again she prompted him into target practice and he was missing. No big surprise there. He never intended for her to get hurt when they did these little matches but at times things could get a little...out of hand. Those were nicely placed FAR and FEW between thank the gods above.

"You know very well what I am capable of," Zaiaku said as he split his main stream of coins into three streams which went at Itami from different angles. "Yeah whatever Zai-kun," Itami said as she took a drink of her Tokkuri after forming some hand seals. She spat out a wide arc of flame that instantly deflected and warped the coins Zaiaku had sent at her.

This small back and forth talk accompanied by their sparing went on for a while until they decided a good rest was in order. You don't want to get injured the day BEFORE the Chuunin Exams. Itami took a swig of her Tokkuri and asked with a grin, "so now what Zai-kun?"

Zaiaku sighed, it took him a while to get used to that drunken nick name. 'She's just drunk as usual,' he reminded himself as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What would you suggest?" he asked trying to keep his mind and eyes from wandering to far. Itami shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno. Fox boy is supposed to be getting back today."

Zaiaku smirked with a nod, "excellent." Itami raised an eyebrow, "excellent? You some sort of mad genius now? OH wait I get it..." Itami smirked with a mischievous grin. "You got the hots for him, sorry buddy but he's not gay," Itami said with a laugh receiving a glare and damn near growl from Zaiaku. "I am NOT gay," Zaiaku growled with a twitch in his eye.

"Uh huh, sure," Itami said with a smirk. "What about you...lesbian," Zaiaku said with a dark grin to which Itami scowled. "Oh ONE time I kiss a girl when I'm drunk and I'm labeled a lesbian for life!" she growled her temper on edge. "You still kissed her Itami. From the way she reacted you must be a horrible kisser," Zaiaku laughed as he took a step away from his fuming team mate. Itami crossed her arms with a scowl, not saying a single word.

"Are you prepared for the exams?" Zaiaku asked with a grin his mind already in the game. "Of course, I have all my jutsu planned and ready," Itami said with a crack of her knuckles. "You mean that flop you always brag about?" Zaiaku asked as verbal jab. "Shut up coin lover," Itami snarled but then had a thought. "Why the hell DO you use coins anyway? Of all the things in the ENTIRE ninja world you chose coins. Why in the blue hell did you?" Itami asked just before she took a swig of her Tokkuri.

Zaiaku stared directly ahead, his mind going back to when he was just new at the academy...

His mother had deemed her sin worthy to go to school however he had to walk through the freezing rain alone to get there. The rain didn't bother him, nothing at this point did. The only thing that caused him pain was the stinging of the whip on his back and the red hot scars with the searing blood they spilled.

He went through class with no problems except the occasional call of weirdo because of his quiet nature. He was always taught to be quiet, it was his only escape from punishment. Recess was nothing but a time to rest for him. No one asked him to play he didn't ask to play, it was as simple as that. While he sat on the other end of the playground from the 'normal' children he found that there were others like him, quiet and less conspicuous then the rest.

There was that shy white eyed girl that was a year older then him. She seemed to have rapt attention towards some of the children but never said a word to them. Then there was that boy with the sunglasses and big coat who, every chance he got, went into the forest. Other then that he found he was alone and he was fine with that. Well that was until THAT girl came into the picture.

"WOAH! What the hell are you doing sitting there?" asked the girl who had just nearly tripped over him. Zaiaku looked up from his spot on the ground to see a girl, bright red hair and emerald green eyes staring right back down at him. He blinked and looked around, confused as to why she was talking to him. She was probably addressing someone else with that bad smelling breath of hers.

"Earth to quiet kid with the weird eyes, hello?" she said which caught Zaiaku's attention. He knew his eyes were different than most. It was a 'blood line' from what his mother called his perverse creator. Whatever all that meant. "Me?" he asked with a quiet tone clearly showing he was nervous. "Yeah you, you're one weird kid you know that," the girl said as she took a drink from what looked like a water bottle.

"What's your name?" asked the girl as she was slowly developing a pink tint to her nose. Zaiaku was confused but shrugged it off and stood, might as well be polite since this girl wanted to talk to him. "My name is Zaiaku," Zaiaku said while the girl quirked an eyebrow. "Weird name for weird eyes, mine's Itami," the girl said with a smirk then she did something that really made him question her. She slapped him on his back.

"OW!" he said he jumped away from her like she had placed a burning pan on his back. The girl named Itami blinked, what the hell. "Hey weird eyes, you ok?" Itami asked as she took a step closer to him which caused his reaction to back away. The religion always said that punishment was dealt when no emotion could be revealed so as to not give mercy. This meant a strike on the back to the sin, she was one of them! He took off in a sprint ignoring the girls words of apology or whatever she was saying.

Zaiaku went home and through the same evening ritual of punishing the sin which left him sleeping on his stomach for the rest of the night. He woke up and went through the same custom of getting ready for school then promptly leaving for his classes. Just as he came in sight of the school he saw that girl again and it looked like she was waiting for something.

Zaiaku sighed, the weak pain killers he had given himself this morning would be kicking in about now so he didn't have to worry about her slapping him on the back, it would be less painful by now. He proceeded to walk towards the school but she blocked his way, her hands on her hips with a scowl on her face. "You ran off yesterday," Itami sad with a rude tone.

"If you are going to beat me then get it over with or wait until recess, the religion can wait until after class," Zaiaku said with dull golden eyes. Itami blinked, "what the hell are you talking about?" "You're with the religion aren't you? To keep up with my punishment?" Zaiaku asked confused, normally a member wouldn't act this naive. "Punishment? Did you do something wrong?" Itami asked with a confused look on her face.

Zaiaku looked down, he let a secret of the religion slip. Today's punishment was going to be the worst it has ever been...unless he could get her not to tell. "Can you not tell anyone about it?" Zaiaku pleaded, this was the ONLY thing he wanted right now. A guarantee that he was safe for now.

"Yeah, like anyone listens to me. Something about my breath and attitude or whatever, now what'd you do?" Itami asked excitedly only to hear the bell ring in the school. "Oh crap we're late, talk to you later ok weird eyes?" Itami said as she took off in a dash.

He remembered how those meetings during recess turned into a solid friendship with the loud mouthed and ill tempered girl. Their meetings at recess would end too early so they had an after class meal together, both not really wanting to go to the place deemed home. Itami told some of her situation with time and Zaiaku with some of his. Their friendship was bonded with the pain they both endured. A very odd start to a friendship but it was a start none the less.

Then one day...

Zaiaku had been walking down the street and an old man just walked up to him, a smile on his face as he gave the greeting of, "Hello." Zaiaku smiled back to the old man and bowed, he was always taught to respect his elders no matter how they acted toward him. This old man being nice was just a bonus...

Zaiaku talked with the man a bit then realized how late to class he was. He apologized to the man about he had no time to talk because he needed to get to the academy. The old man smiled and took out a small piece of paper from his robes, scribbling something on it then handed it to Zaiaku. He told Zaiaku to take this note to his teacher then he did something that made Zaiaku's day.

The old man reached again into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a bright and brand new coin. It glinted with in the bright sunlight and Zaiaku had his eyes positively glued to it. He had never seen money before, whenever he was sent on chores to get food his mother always gave him a note from the religion which paid for everything.

Zaiaku was handed the coin by the old man who smiled and said, "Don't spend it all in one place now." With that the old man left and so did Zaiaku. From that point on he felt elated. Given a token of money, of kindness, by a complete stranger. He was incredibly happy right now.

"Zaiaku where have you been?" the teacher asked with a glare as Zaiaku paraded into class with a wide smile hidden by his high collar and scarf. Zaiaku then reached into his pocket pulling out the note that the old man gave him. He handed it to the teacher who opened then read it with wide eyes. "O...ok you can go to your seat Zaiaku," the teacher said as Zaiaku nodded and took his seat next to Itami in the back row.

"Where were you?" Itami asked with a raised eyebrow. This was rare, her being lucid and conscious during class. Normally by now she was drunk and passed out snoring. "I'll show you after class," Zaiaku said with a smile as he patted the shining coin in his pocket.

After class as usual Zaiaku and Itami met up as all the other children were being picked up by their parents. Zaiaku made a note of that odd blond child sitting on the swing by himself but recognized him as someone from a year above him. He shrugged it off and began telling Itami what happened to him this morning.

He was about halfway through the story when he reached into his pocket to look for his coin only to find it wasn't there. "Where is it!" he said frantically as he searched in his pocket. The first kindness someone other then Itami showed him and it was gone. "Looking for this weirdo?" asked a kid in the same grade as Itami and Zaiaku as he held up a bright and shiny coin in his fingers.

"Give it back!" Zaiaku growled putting up a tough front but his flight reflexes putting up a hell of a battle. "Go find it!" the boy said as he cocked his arm back and threw the coin as far as he could. "Mind if I kick his ass?" Itami said as she cracked her knuckles. "Have to have a GIRL fight your fights for you? Chicken!" the boy said with a smirk and clucking noises.

Zaiaku watched the coin fly far from his field of vision until it was a mere speck of dust that fell from the sky. His fist clenched tightly, he wanted to clock the boy who had insulted him but years of painful torture taught him not to strike back, not for anything EVER. Zaiaku stayed silent as Itami stepped up and growled, "what about girls! I'm gonna kick your ass for that!" Itami took a running charge for the boy but him being the fastest of the grade he easily dodged her attack and threw it back at her with enough force to knock her down and back to Zaiaku.

Itami didn't stop though, she just sneered and stood up to attempt another attack. Zaiaku watched her attempts, his mind formulating and thinking as she continued to be repelled. "Itami," Zaiaku said as he stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him confused, yeah she was getting beat which was rare but she could handle it. When she looked up into Zaiaku eyes they were not the same dull orbs she had seen the first day they met. They looked as if his tarnished golden eyes had been replaced by molten gold disks. It made her feel scared and safe at the same time.

Ever since they became friends she beat the holy hell out of anyone who pissed her off or made fun of him. When he told her of his 'punishment' he had to physically restrain her from going to the religion and killing them all. He got sick of it when she would protect him, he felt helpless. But his 'training' told him not to fight back, to lay still and take the pain when attacked.

This was the end, he wasn't going to take the pain anymore. If he was an almighty sin that made the whole religion fear him then damn it let him fricking show it! Zaiaku pulled Itami behind him and said, "you stay back. I'll kick his ass myself." "Oooo big talk," the boy said as he smirked and charged Zaiaku. "Let's see you back it up!" the boy said as he let loose a powerful right hook that caught Zaiaku right in the cheek. The boy drove his fist deep into Zaiaku's face but Zaiaku remained glued to the spot.

Zaiaku smirked, there was one good thing the awful punishment did. It made his pain tolerance and strength impressive for a child his age. He turned the boys fist back with just his head and said, "Itami, you got hurt with that?" Zaiaku pulled his fist back, this was going to be the first punch he ever threw. He didn't know why it felt so liberating to make the fist or why he felt like he had more strength then ever but the second his fist made contact with the other boys face he felt free.

The boy fell flat on his back, completely railroaded by the punch Zaiaku had landed right between his eyes. Zaiaku watched the once proud boy fall, his mind piecing together his own somewhat twisted mental puzzle.

He was a sin, an affront to the great being. It was painful knowing this fact but here was this new feeling of liberation that barged onto the scene. It felt like his pain had faded away and he was no longer a scape goat for his religion. He was a sin strong enough to break their bonds and fight for himself and his friend. He could get used to this potent emotion.

However Zaiaku was mortified at the loss of his coin. He steadied himself on these contradicting feelings and from then on made a promise. It was a promise to himself that he would find that coin. It was the first kindness someone gave him without knowing his name. Aside from his only friend Itami, it was what helped him break his mental binds. He would find it even if he had to sift through the entire world's supply.

In his new frame of mind Zaiaku defied the religion and told whoever he could. In a matter of days the religion was destroyed and he was free. To protect Zaiaku's identity and life he stopped going to the academy but no matter what he kept his name. He was home schooled by a private tutor for years, his specialization being metal coin based jutsu.

When it came time he graduated with his original class luckily being put on the same team with his old friend Itami. What seemed the most ironic to him was the other person on his team was the very same boy he had punched into oblivion. The concussion following his punch made the boys memory of that day shaky at best.

Itami, being drunk as always, recognized him but couldn't recall the memories she had of him. She seemed more sullen, more sedated then what he remembered. It was only until a while later he learned why but at that moment he kept his knowledge of her secret. He kept silent and introduced himself as always, not giving another thought to if she remembered him or not.

"No reason in particular," Zaiaku said calmly as he took a coin from his pocket and began to flip it in his hand with a bored look in his eyes. "Whatever..." Itami said after she took a drink from her Tokkuri, "weird eyes." Zaiaku blinked, he looked at Itami watching as she stared up into the sky, a small smirk on her 'drunk blush' face. Maybe he would have to rethink his theories on her memory and her drunkenness...and maybe her in general...

End Chapter

Well how was that? Different correct? Well time for Q and A!

Q: What happened in the two months?

A: I'm not gonna tell until later.

Q: Sasuke's Disqualification.

A: There is more to it, you'll find out more later.

Well that is that. I'm terribly sorry but I have no preview. Well that's it, see you all later!