Chapter 31

Breaking Through and Breaking In

"You can't be serious." Ino huffs, leaning back against the wall behind Sakura's bed. "You're full of it. There's no way in hell you've seen him like that already!"

Sakura giggles and crosses her arms as she poses. "Hey, being the team's medic and one of the only people he really trusts goes a long way! Besides, I didn't see much, I was focused on cleaning that thigh wound. One stray kunai from one of Naruto's traps, and Sasuke almost killed him for an impromptu castration. He might have tried, if he weren't bleeding so much. Big vein, but thankfully pretty easy to stop with proper iryojutsu." She huffs and hangs her head. "Naruto's lucky I didn't personally kick his ass for that one."

Tenten rolls her eyes. "Good way to debilitate a target, though. I've used it a couple times. Hard for a bandit to fight back if they're bleeding out."

Hinata hums. "I suppose that's something I should keep in mind with my wind-enhanced jyuken. But it's… difficult to practice it against people when it's so dangerous."

Sakura smirks. "Naruto's still your only training dummy for that, huh?" She grins just a bit wider. "Must be great for you though, getting to feel that much of him."

Hinata turns crimson and stammers aimlessly for a moment. "W-w-wha- but- N-not when I'm hurting him like that! I-It might be clones, but it s-still hurts him!"

Sakura leans back and bursts into laughter, while Ino and Tenten giggle along with her. "Hey, at least you're not denying you like him anymore! And at this rate, it won't be too long before he stops being so blind." She leans forth again with a grin. "Don't worry, you'll get there. Now that he's taking things seriously enough to not just chase me because of my pretty face, it's just a matter of time before he realizes what you mean to him."

Ino hums. "I'm not so sure, honestly." All eyes turn to her. "Let's be honest, we all know his life before Iruka-sensei adopted him was pretty terrible. As an orphan, he doesn't really have that solid of a grasp on the concept of love, familial or romantic." She scratches her head a bit. "Buuut, he does have Iruka in his life now, and Anko's practically his mother at this point too. Surprisingly, those two make a pretty great couple. It's enough of an example that he might start getting it pretty soon, especially having seen their relationship grow from conception."

Tenten's jaw slacks for a moment, but she slowly picks it back up. "I keep forgetting you come from a whole clan of psychologists."

Ino smirks and shrugs. "It's just one of the many amazing things about me." She slowly sits back up. "But on the note of getting people…" She turn to Haku as her face falls. "You've been silent for way too long."

All eyes turn on Haku, who's curled up on the far corner of the bed, as distant from the group as she could be. After a few moments, she sighs shakily and hangs her head. "I am.. Very sorry. I don't quite feel I belong here…"

Hinata shakes her head and places a hand on her shoulder. "You might not be from Konoha, but you're our friend. You're more than welcome here."

She shakes her head again. "I-It's not that. I… I'm not exactly… who or w-what you think I am." She curls up a bit tighter and grips at her robes. While everyone else had dressed down into pajamas, or just a T-shirt and panties in Ino's case, Haku has remained fully dressed the entire night.

After a few moments, Sakura starts to get it. "Does this have anything to do with you not joining us in the hotsprings during that last mission together?"

It starts to click for Ino just after. "Haku… are you… trans?..."

She pulls her knees her to chest, but gives a shaky nod. "Y-Yes… I'm.. n-not a rea-"

Tenten jabs her in the forehead before she can finish. "No. None of that. I don't give a shit what's between your legs. You are Momochi Haku, daughter of Momochi Zabuza, kunoichi of Kirigakure, our friend, and definitely one of us. Right, girls?"

Sakura scoots across the bed to pull Haku into a one-armed hug, while Ino joins her on the other side and Hinata nods emphatically. "Y-You're more than welcome here, Haku-chan. You'll always be one of us."

For just a few moments, Haku feels like she's trapped in her own jutsu. Soon after, she starts to feel warmer than she thought possible, as a few tears of joy begin to stream down. "I.. I really can't thank you all enough."

"Forget thanking us." Ino tightens her side of the hug. "Just get comfortable and give us a little gossip already! You must know a few good stories out of Kiri."

She pauses and thinks that over for a moment. "... W-Well, one of my teammates, Choujuro, has as big of a crush on Lady Mizukage as Hinata has on Naruto."

"No shit?" Tenten's jaw drops. "What the hell is with the shy ones always having the bold crushes?"

Ino shrugs. "I have no fucking clue, I don't think my family's even got a research paper on that. Could start one with you two as case studies, though."

Hinata whines and scoots away a bit. "Please don't go digging in my head."

"Fine, I won't if you give us something juicy." She smirks.

"... W-Well, Kiba tried hitting on Kurenai-sensei and got locked in a Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu for trying." She giggles a bit. "He was stuck in there for about half an hour, and Akamaru left him in there, because he knew Kiba deserved it."

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Across the village, Sasuke returns home from a long night out with Hibiki's new family, Asuma, and Kurenai… to an eerily empty and quiet home. He sighs as the silence sinks in and wanders towards his bedroom, while his mind is off across the village, in his old home, the now empty Uchiha Manor that once housed generations of clan heads.

The nightmares came back recently. Every time he finds something to be happy about, something to cling to, those eyes come back to him. That twisted, sharp pattern of three blades. How far did his brother have to go to achieve them? Worse yet.. What he learned from the Hokage.

Naruto's advice got him further in understanding that night than he's ever been. Knowing his own parents' schemes took some time to come to grips with. His brother's supposed innocence was even more difficult. Even so, those eyes still haunt him.

What kind of horrific motivation sat behind them? Why did he torment his own sibling, when he meant no ill will in his other acts that night? So little of it makes sense, but he knows he has to find out.

But how can he when he's still so weak? His sharingan is only two tomoe, and although it's balanced, it's nowhere near enough. The Mangekyou Sharingan is a level of power all it's own, something nearly unattainable, even to his clan. The strength and chakra required to unlock it is absurd enough, but the other task at hand…

As Sasuke collapses into bed, he wonders how he could even achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan when the bonds he's forged now are too precious to sever?

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Just across the compound from them, Naruto sits between Iruka and Anko on their couch, with Yoko laid across their laps. It's movie night, and this time it's a compelling Yukie Fujikaze flick with a good number of actual shinobi taking up enemy roles and managing special effects with jutsu. It ends up giving Naruto a few ideas for his own tricks, using seals to make flashy distractions that look much more dangerous than they are.

But, as a romantic scene comes up, he can't help but let his mind wander. That's… not something he's even seen too much of, until recently. Living alone, wandering the streets knowing he;s unwelcome, he's seen things he certainly shouldn't, things he knows aren't love, but malice and perversion on a level even Jiraiya can't match. But this on screen, though fake, still seems genuine, and heartwarming. Much more so though is what he feels between the these two wonderful people beside him.

He's seen how they look at each other, heard them talking later at night when something serious comes up, looking for a new place to move that won't be a problem with him around.

Anko's still a little nervous around him sometimes. Doesn't seem quite used to spending time around kids, or being open with people in general, but she's trying. To Naruto, that means a hell of a lot. At first, it seemed like she was only doing it for Iruka's sake. Now he's sure it's genuine, especially with how she reacts when he speaks up as the movie ends.

"Um… T-Tou-san?...Anko-san?..." He nervously peeks up from the orange furball across their laps. "How.. h-how does it feel to be, um… i-in love?..."

Silence falls as they both stare at him for a moment, but Anko stops Iruka with a finger to his lips before she kneels down to Naruto's level. "Ok, I think I know better than anyone in this village how tough it is for you to get it. You've been alone so long it's kinda hard to grasp, right?"

Naruto nods shakily, keeping his head low and a bit too nervous to look her in the eyes. It's so easy to just fake being the jovial brat he's always been to the public eye. In this moment, he knows exactly how hard it was for Anko to start opening up to him. It's both terrifying and numbing. He feels like the world could fall out underneath him at any moment.

ANko stares for a moment, but sighs and scratches her head. "Listen, I… I'm not too good at explaining this kinda shit, but I do know where your head's at right now. For the longest time, I didn't think I could ever have anything like this. Thought I was… just too broken and disgusting for anyone to want anything serious with. I've had plenty of flings, but I've never considered a serious relationship until Iruka and I started dating." She chuckles and shakes her head a bit. "I just wanted to jump his bones at first, and then it became so much more, way faster than I could believe. And ya wanna know how it got to that point?"

Naruto slowly peeks up into her eyes and nods once more, seeming more like a child than he has in years in this moment. Those innocent, curious eyes melted more of the ice Orochimaru left around her heart.

"I did what felt right, even if it was terrifying. And I know you do the same thing as a ninja all the time. Doing it for yourself feels… horrifically different." She shivers for just a moment. "You wanna turn back and bury yourself in old habits, forget anything happened at all, because it's so hard to face something that contradicts everything you think about yourself." She calms down rather quickly as Iruka places a hand on her shoulder. With that little bit of confidence restored, she looks Naruto in the eyes again. "But maybe you'll find someone that makes you think otherwise. Someone who makes you feel more like yourself than you've ever been. Not a missing piece, but someone who brings out the best in you just by being themselves. Someone that makes you brave enough to face the darkest corners of your mind. Someone that's painful to think of a life without, because once they're gone, they'll take pieces of you that only grew because of them. For people like us, that's love."

By the end of it all, she's almost teared up, and to her surprise, Naruto is as well. Iruka kneels and pulls her in for a gentle kiss. "Now who's the teacher?" He chuckles. "A flawless lesson."

They're both startled by Naruto mumbling incoherently for a moment, but Yoko lifts her head and stares in shock, as she clearly heard what he meant to say. Anko leans a bit closer, worry etched into her face as she sees his tears falling. "Naruto?.. Are you ok?"

She's nearly jumps back as he rushes in and wraps his arms around her neck, burying his face into her shoulder. "T-Thank you… k… k-kaa-san…"

Anko's instantly frozen, but it all thaws away just as quickly as she wraps her arms around him and holds on for dear life. "... You're.. v-very welcome, Naruto-kun…" She sighs shakily, but can't wipe the teary smile from her face. It only grows wider as Iruka joins them both and Yoko curls up around their collective legs.

It's the night before the exams, and Naruto now has more to fight and live for than ever. More to motivate him to greatness than he could ever ask for.

And to his own surprise, someone to ask out as soon as the chaos of the exams dies down.

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The morning of, Sakura sighs as she finishes repacking her bag. As great of a sleepover as it was, they did need to get a good amount of sleep and get up early enough to prepare. They all had their gear packed and ready to go, and even brought it with them, but it didn't hurt to double-check and make sure you didn't forget any gear.

"You sure we're ready for this, forehead?"

Sakura turns to glare half-heartedly at Ino, but sighs and shrugs. "I really don't know. Are we more prepared than most other genin? Sure. But we really can't be sure what's about to happen. All I do know is that we've trained like hell and taken this more seriously than any genin in our village has in years. We'll probably go far, but whether we pass or not still involves a lot of factors I can't even begin to plan for." She huffs and straps her bag into place around her waist. "Honestly, the best we can do is be prepared for anything, and be ready to wing it when we realize everything didn't include whatever we're about to face."

Tenten grumbles a bit as she stuffs her pockets and the seals within with more of her own weapon seals. "Tell me about it. I doubt there's anyone as weird in these exams as some of our own, but we'll probably see a few things that'll hit near the top of our personal 'What the fuck' scales."

Haku giggles as she pulls her robes back on.. "I wouldn't be so sure. You didn't see the trap Naruto sprung on Zabuza and I, and the army of thugs that came after us. That's certainly the top of the scale for me…" She pauses and tilts her head. "Actually, that might have been when we ran into one of tou-san's former teammates and that absurd thing somehow called a sword. That or the enka-rapping man with the giant panda…"

Hinata giggles and shakes her head. "Sounds like quite the show! We'll have to do this again before you go back to Kiri, just to hear more of your stories."

A bright, rosy blush overtakes Haku's pearlescent-white face, accompanied by the most genuine smile of her life. "Ask me any time, and I'll be there."

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Deep in the training grounds, a green-clad beast of a lad kneels before a post he's kicked and punched so thoroughly it's smoothed down and polished by his own sweat and blood. He stopped using this one ages ago, left as a memorial to his years of struggling before meeting Gai-sensei.

Now, it stands as a reminder of how far he's come. His new training method, new techniques, strength, skill, everything has come down to what he'll prove from this day forward.

He leaves a neatly-folded green jumpsuit at the base of the beaten log and slowly pulls an old green headband from the top of tying it into place over his overgrown hair, he's gone without a trace.

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A crowd gathers out front of the first testing building, bordering the woods to the southwest end of the village. It's a tall, solid concrete block with a single entrance up front guarded by three shinobi. Two are nameless anbu with a mirrored pair of red and blue fanged masks, one man, one woman. The remaining shinobi ahead of them is the towering figure of Morino Ibiki, his trenchcoat doing little to disguise his enormous frame. His eyes drift across the competitors, locking eyes with the few who seem a bit too confident and arrogant. Those few get shut down all too quickly with that one glance.

Some are just gossiping and bragging to their comrades, regardless of what village they hail from. Others are focused on the competition, eyes sharp and tools at the ready to rend any fool who dares approach.

The best of them are already observing the building and determining the nature of the test to come. Neji and Hinata have already determined the first task, but from there, it's anyone's guess.

And Team Seven… is one member short, as Sakura and Sasuke wonder what the fuck Naruto could be up to. Ibiki is peeking over to them all too knowingly, and Hinata happened to giggle for just a moment shen her eyes were active. Yoko, laying at their feet, is entirely comfortable with her brother's absence.

"Yo, Sasuke!" He turns to see Kiba approaching. "Where the hell's Naruto? I know I can smell him, he's been here recently, but Hinata won't say a damn thing, and his scent's scattered to the winds, like…"

"Like there's a dozen of him?" Sakura hangs her head and huffs.

Kiba sniffs and pales. "Uh… shit, yeah."

Shikamaru grumbles. "Well, the most troublesome blonde is on the move already. He didn't fill you in on this one, did he?"

Yoko yawns and rolls onto her back. "Mmmm, he'll be fine. Just a little psychological warfare."

"Ah, so the rookies have all gathered." All three teams, minus Naruto, turn to see a silver-haired genin with a ponytail approach, adjusting his glasses. "When I heard the newest set of genin were going to be competing, I knew I had to meet these chuunin hopefuls myself."

Spotting the Konoha headband calms them down rather quickly, but Shino remains silent and critical. "I don't believe we've met, but you've clearly looked into us."

"Ah, yes, pardon my manners." He bows slightly. "Yakushi Kabuto, at your service. I was just hoping to impart a bit of wisdom onto my kohai, if you're willing to accept."

Sasuke hums. "You've taken these exams before, then?"

"Well, it's not much to brag about, really. I wouldn't have taken it so many times if I were a bit better, or just a bit luckier with the competition." He rises and rubs the back of his neck. "It's a bit embarrassing, but this is my seventh attempt at the chuunin exams. But one thing I've learned for certain is that no exam is the same. Not here or any of the other villages. They change the tests every time, so no intel from one year is quite helpful the next. Once you get that down though, it's easy to narrow things down and have an idea of what they're testing for, and what methods they haven't used recently that they could try next."

Shikamaru hums a bit. "A process of elimination for the exam parameters. Unique insight only someone who's taken these exams as much as you could have. But why give that information to us?"

"Well, it still took a lot of deliberation to make use of, so I thought I'd perform a little test myself to see how my comrades are coming along. Your own information gathering skills will be critical here, and wanna see what you can glean from what's ahead of us."

Slowly, all eyes turn to the building. Kiba huffs. "One noticeable entry point, but I doubt it. Any real shinobi base has multiple entrances and exits to guard, only one obvious entrance, most likely trapped anyway. A choke point for easy prey, and escape routes aplenty for if they're the prey."

Sakura nods in agreement. "Find the entrances, steal our way into enemy territory." She peeks aside to a few chuunin at a stand set up with multiple crates. "With supplies to carry. We have to sneak something in as well."

Chouji huffs. "Infiltration with explosives? Demolition missions aren't very common anymore, but that takes a good amount of skill to pull off. My clan used to be great at that back in the war, but we usually did it with the Chou Baika no Jutsu. Those of us that learned it, anyway."

Sasuke slowly grins. "Now that sounds like a good test. Almost fun, actually."

"Fun?" Kabuto hums. "Well, in some perspective, I suppose. But I doubt that's the only task. You'll probably have more to do once you're inside. These tests tend to be multi-purpose, and without being able to see inside, I haven't a clue what could be next."

Hinata fidgets a bit. "W-Well, I saw inside, but I can't make much sense of it. A lot of rooms. Enough for half the teams currently here to each have one." She peeks around. "We have… a lot of competitors this year. I've never seen so many foreign shinobi in the village at once."

Kabuto nods and takes a moment to clean his glasses. "Indeed. I was wondering if any of you have noticed. The roster this time is quite… impressive. I believe this has much to do with the treaties Konoha is recently responsible for. I believe six of you were involved in a mission connected to some of them."

Ino crosses her arms and grins ear to ear. "Yes, yes we are. I don't think Kiri would have sent a team at all this year, so soon after ending their civil war, if we hadn't gotten Zabuza back to them and gotten a treaty with Kiri. And then there's Iwa." She turns and stares at Kurotsuchi's team across the field. "We impressed them too much on that mission. They had to get involved and get a better look at the competition. With both of them involved, it was just a matter of time before Kumo caught wind and sent their own. Now we have every major and most minor villages under one test. There has to be a pretty hefty elimination round for this many of us."

Shino adjusts his own glasses. "But although we have the vast majority here, that's to be expected of a test on our own turf. Our competitors on the other hand have sent only their best in an attempt to trounce us and impress our clients. It is quite likely that their teams will pass this first stage of the exam and move on with us."

Kiba chuckles and throws an arm around Shino. "Well, glad to see you're still expecting all of us to pass."

"This stage at least." Shino hums. "Beyond that, I cannot predict, but I am quite certain that ourselves and team Gai are shoo-ins for stage one. Our new training program has yielded results too potent to deny."

Kabuto chuckles and shakes his head. "If it were anyone besides a Nara or Aburame to say that, I'd blow it off. In this case, I'll have to take it as fact. I wish you luck with the next round, at least. Whenever we're done whatever double elimination round this is, I hope to see you all on the other side."

Sakura nods and giggles cheerfully. "Likewise, Kabuto-senpai. Maybe this time, you'll finally pass too."

"One can dream!" He chuckles as he turns and walks off. "Oh, what a dream…"

Once Kabuto's left and clearly gone out of earshot, things grow tense as Hinata looks to Shino. "What did you see?"

He huffs and hunches. "There are several competitors here whose chakra are almost as worrisome as Sasuke's or even Naruto's in scale, and Kabuto-san is one of them. He's good at hiding it, but one of my kikaichu managed to get a sip from him. His chakra is potent and focused. I would say he's on par with Kakashi-sensei if he were to have the arsenal and experience to support it." He peeks back over his shoulder. "And the redhead from Suna has chakra I find… as Shikamaru would put it, troublesome. Save for Naruto, no other genin here has comparable chakra capacity, but his is almost… foul."

Sakura and Sasuke look to one another for a moment, then return their gaze to Shino. Sakura's the first to speak. "Naruto told us about him. Gaara-kun is troubled, but he shouldn't be as dangerous as you think. As long as you don't wake him up."

"Hmm…" Shino's shoulders drop just a bit as the tension drains from him. "I see. Well, Naruto proves to be a good judge of character, so I will trust his judgment on the matter. I would still rather not approach him, regardless. Facing him in these exams is likely to go poorly for me."

"Speaking of going poorly…" Yoko speaks up from below. "You all may want to brace yourselves."

Naruto pops up from the ground between his teammates with a shit-eating grin. "Sorry I'm late, guys. I just had a masterpiece to set up."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata sighs and giggles. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"

He snorts. "Like anyone from outside Konoha is gonna have any clue I did it. Oh, by the way, you might wanna check for a warning at the entrances you find. You'll recognize it."

"Alright, that's enough chatter, you half-pint shitstains!" The yard goes silent as Ibiki calls out across it. "It's time for the first exam to begin. Form three lines of teams at the kiosk to my left. There, you'll each be given a waiver to sign, then a scroll. You are to take this scroll, but not read it's contents until directed. Then, prepare for an infiltration mission. You are to enter this building through one of twenty-two entrances hidden throughout the grounds. Each is rigged to close after a team has entered and lock further contestants from entering the building. I can tell some of you have taken the time to perform reconnaissance beforehand. This will not be penalized. Those of you who thought that far ahead deserve the results. Those of you who didn't, tough shit. Once inside, each of you will be given directions on how to perform next for the second elimination round."

As everyone gathers into line, Naruto peeks over to Hinata in the next line over and finds himself a bit lost for words. He's never seen her so… confident. She's entirely in her element now, her skills are tailored for a test like this. All the shyness and uncertainty that plagued her back in the academy is gone in this moment, replaced by the strength of will to step forth and prove herself.

He knows well enough that she's still scared beneath it all. Despite the almost regal purpose she carries herself with now, she's too tense. But it's a far cry better than the timid wallflower he foolishly ignored before.

He ends up walking into an older genin's back and getting a faceful of black hair. The woman peeks back and peers at him from under her straw hat and Kusagakure headband. "I know this is a bit nerve-wracking for some of you, but it may be best if you pay attention to where you're walking. Wouldn't want to blindly walk into an outstretched kunai, would we?"

"Um.. y-yeah, sorry. Kinda spaced out for a second there."

"Well, I suppose that can happen to the best of us sometimes. Just try to be a little more careful. These exams can be quite deadly…"

Naruto can't help but shudder at the sight of her licking her lips with a tongue far too long to be natural.

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A.N.: Oh yeah. It's all comin together. From here, we finally begin the exams, and I have original exams planned for the 1st and 2nd rounds! The tournament is the same though, can't change that. Regardless, I'll be having fun with completely randomizing the matchups in every round! That's right, there's no direct combat in round 1, but there will still be a showdown of sorts, and who knows who will have to eliminate who?! Oooohoho, this is gonna be good. |

Also, I just put up a 2nd video about my original middle-east-inspired Pokemon region- the Mesopas region- up on my youtube channel! Go check that out if ya can. For now, this is Envoy of Kairos signing out, and I'll see you all next time for the chaos of Chuunin Exams round 1!