Sometime in the afternoon, Naruto was on his way to Ichiraku's after his team's usual post-mission training. Sakura was held back by Kakashi to learn another genjutsu, and Sasuke wanted to shower away the grime of the day. The looks he got were nothing new, so it didn't bother him as much as the empty feeling in his chest. And then he saw Konohamaru being held up by someone obscured by a fence.
He wasted no time. Jumping on to it, he created two clones at the sight of a duo, and descended on them. A blond girl tried to unfurl a fan of all things, but a clone stuck to it with its chakra to root it to the ground, and the other drew a kunai to her throat. The one holding Konohamaru wore a hood that restricted his visual range, so he wasn't able to react to Naruto pushing him to the ground with his foot on the back of his head, his other pressing against some bandaged load on his back.
"Boss!" Konohamaru, clad in a hoodie and bandages, cried. "I heard you were back!"
Naruto ignored him in favor of the man beneath his feet. "Move and I kill your girlfriend."
"She's my sister!" He said.
"He's my brother!" She said at the same time.
"Oh…" All three Narutos looked the girl up and down. "Can I go out with her?"
"Just kill me and get it over with because that would be less painful than dating a dirty runt like you."
Konohamaru picked himself off the ground and saw the dismayed expression on the various Narutos' faces. "You can do better, bosses!" He blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Shut up." The real one glared into the man's eyes, his own turning red. "The only one who gets to push Konohamaru around is me." He walked off him and shook his head free of anger. "Really, what are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow as the man rose, displaying a Sand Village forehead protector on his hood. "...Are you invading us? I'd start with the grown-ups first, Kabuki Face. I mean, they can actually fight back."
"You're a real funny guy." He shared a look with his sister and wiggled his fingers. "Fucking Uchiha!" A stone hit his shoulder while the other passed by the girl's face.
"I take offense to that," Sasuke said, sitting on a tree branch looking fresh in comparison to his teammate. He tossed a few stones in the air and caught them. "He looks nothing like me."
Naruto and his clones noticed the blond girl blushing at the sight of him. "I have this entire situation under control." One of the clones punctuated his statement by spanking the hostage, something it was slapped out of existence for. "...Mostly under control."
The oddly-dressed man hefted the wrapped thing off his back. "You bastards!"
"Kankuro, are you really going to use Karasu?" His sister asked.
"Stop it." A soft voice behind Sasuke commanded. "You're both disgraces to our village."
They turned and saw a red-haired boy with a gourd on his back and the character for 'Love' engraved above his left eye hanging upside down on a branch with his feet.
"G-Gaara." Kankuro swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Starting a fight you couldn't win, how pathetic. Do you even remember why we came here?"
"They sta–"
"Shut up." His eyes betrayed no emotion. "I'll kill you."
"I'm sorry!" Kankuro bowed his head.
His sister followed suit and the remaining clone, purpose done, dispersed itself. "I'm sorry too!"
Gaara body flickered between the two. "Let's go."
"Before you do." Sasuke body flickered himself to Naruto's side. "Why are you here? Shinobi from other villages aren't allowed in without permission."
"I'm Temari!" The girl introduced herself with a wave, hints of pink on her face. "We're here to take the Chunin Exams. You're genin too, right?" She inclined her head an inch. "Maybe we'll see each other there."
"I am Gaara of the Desert," he said, disregarding Temari. "Who are you two?"
"Sasuke Uchiha."
The other pointed his thumb at himself. "Naruto Uzumaki."
With a hum, Gaara body flickered away one last time, the other two Sand villagers following his lead.
The beast within Naruto stirred but said nothing, and its host didn't care at all to communicate with it at the moment.
"That was fucking awesome!" Konohamaru jumped in the air. "Are you going to beat that Fire-Crotch Weirdo, boss?"
Naruto shared a look with Sasuke and nodded with him. "No more waste-of-time D ranks. We make chunin and never have to deal with them again." He turned to his idolizer. "Been a while… Are those bandages real?"
"Uh, well, uh…no."
"Konohamaru, I told you there's no shortcuts to getting what you want. I was getting into fights all the time when I was your age." Naruto pointed a thumb at Sasuke. "If you can't find yourself someone to keep pace with, just start shit with people. You're the Hokage's grandson: you'll get away with it."
He nodded. "I'll find myself a gloomy douchebag or just punch everyone!" He ran off, hoping to do just that.
"...Was that really the best thing to tell him?" Sasuke asked.
"I came out just fine, didn't I?" Naruto grimaced at his teammate's look. "Oh come on, I wasn't that bad."
Sasuke started leading him for the rest of the way to Ichiraku's, knowing that's where the boy in orange was headed. "You jumped out of a window."
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
"It's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about how you were before the fight on the Kaiza Bridge, other than you punching Iruka."
"One time! Just the one time!"
"You still did it."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I was…" He drifted off. There was much he wasn't ready to talk about. The root of those outbursts was something he never wanted to. "It was just one of those things, Sasuke."
An unheard doubtful hum was his only response.
They went to Ichiraku's, ate, and went to their apartments. Every member of Team 7 found a note on their front door to meet their sensei the next morning. There was a specific time for it, but they sincerely doubted he'd be there.
As usual, the genin of Team 7 were at the selected meeting place far before their jonin was. Their wait time was spent mostly conversing with each other about mundane things or talking about ways to counter jutsu. Sakura taught them basic genjutsu release some time ago, something both forgot not long after learning it. Genjutsu was seldom used by shinobi, and it was something the academy didn't go over enough in her opinion. Zabuza 'The Demon of the Mist' fell for the most basic genjutsu cast by her, which was all Kakashi needed to beat him with a single jutsu.
"Morning everyone!" Kakashi greeted, appearing at the top of the nearest tori gate. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the path of life."
"Why do you even bother at this point?" Sakura asked.
He dropped down and shrugged. "Habit. This is a bit sudden, but I nominated you guys for the Chunin Exams." Fishing three papers from his pockets, he handed them out, and they all took them.
"This almost makes up for how much you've been focusing on Sakura," Naruto said, grinning at the piece of paper.
"It's just a nomination. You have to actually pass it." He looked to the pink-haired girl in question. "And I've been focusing on Sakura because she needed more help than the both of you."
She nearly hung her head but held it up in pride. "I'm not the girl who fainted and did nothing during the bell test anymore. This time, we're going to blitz through this thing."
"You've got that right," Sasuke said. He glanced at their jonin. "But it would've been nice to learn a jutsu or two other than the body flicker."
"Look, I know how enticing the idea of learning new jutsu can be, but you have to realize knowing a lot of jutsu doesn't make you a good shinobi." Kakashi's eye was warm yet stern. "Basics and fundamentals will get you farther than knowing how to spit fire and shoot lightning." He looked to Naruto. "I'm not sure if you've realized it, but you already know the best jutsu a taijutsu specialist can have: creating clones just as skilled as you. You've been so focused on overcoming Sasuke outright you haven't used your shadow clones to your advantage. There is no one you will have better coordination with than yourself; fight smarter, not harder." He looked to Sasuke. "And you are just as straightforward. The Sharingan is a powerful dojutsu, but it can only carry you so far. One day, you will encounter an enemy you can't see through or fight directly. Your fire ninjutsu are powerful, but they're draining. Make an opening, trap your enemy, and burn them to dust."
"And I guess I should just keep playing support?" Sakura asked.
His eye gazed on her. "You are all supporting each other. Naruto and Sasuke covering each other and you while you cover for them. I haven't been teaching you anything special because you already have what you need. Understand?" He nodded as all three did. "Sign those papers and turn them in at Room 301 by 4PM tomorrow if you want to enter the Chunin Exams." He body flickered away from them and on to a branch not that far away.
"Uh," a man in a green cat mask sitting on the branch said, "hey. It's been a while, Kakashi."
"Tenzo, what are you doing?"
"Did Lord Hokage not tell you?" He stood up. "I've been assigned to help keep an eye on Naruto Uzumaki in case he manifests the Nine-Tail's chakra."
"Since when?"
"This morning." Tenzo rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry if it's a little sudden."
Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "I didn't think Lord Third would be concerned enough to have you shadow Naruto. He's likely to be taking the Chunin Exams."
"Seems like that's why he assigned me. Who knows what's likely to happen? Better to be safe than to be sorry."
"Well… Don't expect him to be happy if he finds out you're trailing him." He shot him a look, knowing he was making a face beneath his mask. "The kid stole the Scroll of Seals beneath everyone's noses. Jonin, anbu, Inuzuka trackers, and Aburame trackers couldn't find him before Iruka did, and that was after he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Oh yeah! I was out of the village for that. How the hell did that happen?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Naruto's got excellent stealth skills. He just doesn't care to use them unless he has to. Given a choice between violence and secrecy, he's all for violence."
"Looks like he's leaving now." He shifted his fingers to make the hand seal but a hand grabbed his wrist. "Kakashi?"
"Tenzo, he's Minato's son. Have faith. If you interfere without good cause in the exams, you'll ruin it for him. You're likely to even harm his relationship with Lord Third. I'm not asking you to not do your job, but I am asking you to complete it with as little interference as possible. Do you understand me?"
"Yeah, I do, Kakashi."
He let go. "Don't let me keep you." Making the tiger seal he vanished.
"...I haven't seen you anywhere near that level of emotion since I made the mistake of bringing up Rin." Tenzo looked at Naruto in the distance chatting with his two teammates. "Guess I'll get to see firsthand what makes you such a lovable little delinquent." He body flickered to a better, concealed vantage point and watched.
Their time in the anbu was a dark yet formative period of their lives. Might Guy, Kakashi's self-proclaimed rival, pleaded for the Third Hokage to release him, rightfully concerned about his declining mental state. Tenzo didn't oppose because he saw it for himself. It was sad to watch him leave, but he was far more together than he was all those years ago. He just hoped the man wasn't too soft now.
They arrived at the Academy the morning after to find it bustling with native and foreign ninja. It was an odd sight for anyone familiar with the Academy. Most people found it a miserable our dour place to be in. For once, it was a beacon of excitement. Not even Graduation Day could compare.
On the second floor, they saw a crowd of ninja surrounding the entrance to a classroom labeled 301. Team 7 did their best not to laugh while maneuvering through the horde of apparently brain-damaged, pathetic excuses for ninja. One of them seemed to recognize a member of whatever drama was unfolding right outside it. They recognized him too, unfortunately.
"Naruto Uzumaki?!"
The boy in orange, currently leading them to the staircase to third floor, paused. "Uh?"
"The dead last failure?" A cold voice asked.
"Ah, I remember that one."
A girlish voice laughed. "Even I managed to make a single clone."
"To think they let a worthless failure like you pass out of pity."
Sasuke and Sakura turned to glare at the familiar face but an echoing smash to their right drew their attention. Naruto's fist was embedded into a wall, which now bore cracks going from the top of it to the bottom. His hand was freed with a squelch accompanied by the pitter-patter of blood falling on the ground. Without words, he kept walking, taking deep breaths to make his Nine-Tails influenced features go away.
One of the brain-damaged foreign ninja vocalized what all of them were thinking. "Hooooooly shit!"
A green blur cut through the crowd and stopped in front of the boy in orange as his eyes went back to blue. "Fight me, Naruto!"
"Bushy Brows, please." He put his forehead protector against the green jumpsuit boy's bare forehead, glaring directly into his eyes. "Not. Now."
"Restraint? Are you Naruto Uzumaki?" He leaned to see the two other members of Team 7. "This is…" He drifted off upon sight of Sakura. "Hi! My name is Rock Lee." He blinked as the former object of his attention brushed past him. "Wait, Naruto!"
"How do you know Naruto?" Sasuke asked, sparing a glance at the aftermath of his latest outburst.
"Good old dead last?" The girl of their squad said, walking over to them. "He was in our class group, and he was one hell of a delinquent." She looked to the wall. "…Uh, don't tell him I said that. Name's Tenten."
"He was a worthy opponent and a fellow determined rival of Neji," Lee said. "But his behavior and grades got him sent back a year." He looked at the damaged wall. "I am pleased to see he has improved phenomenally since our time together!"
"I'm Sakura Haruno." She too joined in the wall-staring. "If you know Naruto, you know he doesn't know when to stop."
Sasuke frowned. "He's been holding back on me." He looked to Lee as he was about to ask. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha."
"Please!" He bowed. "Fight me!"
"...I have a teammate to check up on."
Lee stood straight. "That can wait! I wish to test myself against someone of Naruto's new strength!" His eyes burned with determination. "Five minutes! Just five minutes of your time!"
Sasuke looked back for a few seconds and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He followed Lee and Sakura, although being concerned about Naruto, went with him.
Naruto, on the other hand, was on the third floor facing down the room and Kakashi on an open hall. "What are you doing here?"
"What happened to you?" His eye glanced at the trail of blood behind him, evidently caused by his bloody hand.
"None of your fucking business." He walked forward but a held out hand stopped him. "...What?"
"You can only take the test with a team of three."
"What?!"
"I didn't want anyone to feel pressured, specifically Sakura." Kakashi's eye grew worried as Naruto began to shake. "Did they not come?"
"They're here." He jumped on to the railing and sat on it, dangling his legs over the edge. Looking up to the blue sky, he took a deep breath. "Just fucking around with some old dipshits I know for some retarded reason."
"Not friendly, huh?"
"...I want to rip his eyes out and feed them to him." Naruto grumbled. "That was one of the worst years of my entire life. This place has been host to a few. Would burn it down if I could."
"You know that won't solve your problems or why you feel about it the way you do." Kakashi jumped over and sat next to him. "It's not like you're here for another year. It's just for the Chunin Exams."
His eyes remained fixated on the sight above him. "I hate this place."
"Heard you the first time."
"That's not what I meant."
They sat together in silence. Part of Kakashi wanted to dig deeper, but Naruto was relapsing to his old self. He didn't know what the root of the issue was this time. Naruto didn't want to talk about it anyway. Eventually, the rest of Team 7 showed up.
"About damn time." Naruto shifted on the railing and saw a bruised up Sasuke. "That douchebag Neji kick your ass?"
"Lee," he answered.
Sakura hummed. "Was Neji Sasuke before you met Sasuke?"
"Not at all." He dropped off and Kakashi followed suit. "All three of us needed to check in. Turns out you can only take this test in teams of three for some retarded reason." He rolled his eyes.
"Remember. Teamwork."
"I know, I know." Naruto walked over to the entrance as Sasuke and Sakura pushed the doors open. "Let's do this."
They entered the room for the Chunin Exams and saw crowds of ninja, presumably not brain-damaged, inside. From the Village Hidden in the Rain to the Village Hidden in the Clouds. It was common for Chunin Exams but uncommon in any other occasion. And inside was their old classmates.
"Sasuke !" Ino cried and jumped to grab the Uchiha from behind but got a jab to the gut instead. She stepped back when she landed. "U-Ugly Forehead?!"
Sakura put her hands on her face, feigning shock. "My fist moved on its own! I've been training so hard and fighting by Sasuke for so loooong."
"You guys are taking this troublesome test too?" Shikamaru asked, leaning on a nearby wall. Choji was on his right and munching on chips as he usually did.
"Team 10?" Naruto's eyes flicked over the three. "More like Team Weakling. The three of you look exactly the same as when you left the Academy."
Shikamaru groaned. "Some things never change. Like you, I mean."
"I'm with him," Sasuke said, drawing their eyes. "The three of you look pathetic. I'm surprised one of you hasn't gotten killed."
"Okay…" The Nara blinked as Ino deflated.
Kiba walked over with Hinata and Shino behind him. "Hey!" He looked at the other six. "Looks like our entire class is taking the exam. I wonder how far we'll get." He turned to their class' best student. "Eh, Sasuke?" He made a face as the Uchiha scoffed. "We did a lot of training! We're not going to lose to you!"
"Did your team face down a jonin and save your team leader? Did you complete an A rank mission?"
The look on the Inuzuka's face was on most of their classmates'. "...No?"
"Then shut the fuck up," Naruto said, smug grin on his face. He was happy his braggartness was rubbing off on his teammates. Pointing his bloodied hand finger at Kiba, he laughed. "If your experiences amount to chakra-less bandits and wood dummies, you're not gonna last two minutes against us."
Sasuke pointed his thumb at the boy in orange. "Him and I alone can run through the six of you. With Sakura? It's not even a fight."
"We're unstoppable," Sakura chimed in, blushing.
Shikamaru laughed and looked at the unlikely duo. "Since when were you two friends?"
"We're not friends!" They yelled in unison.
"Never thought I'd see the day." Kiba shook his head. His nose twitched. "Also, your unstoppable orange jackass is bleeding."
Hinata fished bandages from a pouch and stepped towards him. "Naruto, give me your hand." She tried to ignore the looks from everyone but him she got. They never saw them interact much, and the last time they did, she ran away.
"It's…" He shrugged and held it out.
Their former classmates watched the quietest member and the loudest sit together. She wrapped the medicine-infused absorbent cloth at the tips of his fingers to his wrist as she did years ago. He stood still and held his hand in the convenient positions. When they were finished, their eyes were still on them.
"What the hell are you all looking at?" Naruto asked, standing up. He looked at Hinata as she rose as well. "I'm not going to go easy on you."
"Hey!" Kiba stepped forward but an arm from his teammate stopped him.
"I don't expect you to." Hinata stepped back with the hint of a blush on her face, rejoining her team. "I want to fight you to the fullest too."
Sakura leaned her head over Ino's shoulder. "Is it me or is she flirting with him in his language?"
Ino shrugged. "She's usually quiet or stuttering." She blinked. "Wait a minute! Why are you acting like we're friends?!"
"Women," Shikamaru said.
Sasuke nodded. "I don't know why you want a girlfriend so much, Naruto."
"I just want to feel some titties, man."
"Yet the waterfall girl in your dreams just moved pretty," Sasuke said, unknowingly making Hinata freeze.
Naruto shook his head. "I told you it wasn't a dream! I was awake! She was walking on water! It followed her with every move she made with her body! It was beautiful!"
"Hinata?" Kiba said, staring at the now beet red and shivering girl.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "She's fine. Just give her time to process." She taught him her Gentle Fist, so he knew what was happening.
"Process what?"
"Troublesome," Shikamaru said. Her caring action was suspicious. Her reaction to hearing Naruto's words were confirmation. "Just troublesome."
"You guys are rookies just out of the Academy, right?" An unfamiliar shinobi with a Leaf head protector approached and asked. "Screaming like school girls, geez. This isn't a picnic."
Ino frowned. "Who do you think you are?"
"'I'm Kabuto." He adjusted his glasses. "Look behind you."
Sakura, Shikamaru, and Naruto did and saw stern and staring Rain ninja.
"Those guys a–"
"Hey, pussies!" Naruto yelled. "You just going to look all day or are you going to do something?" He scoffed as they looked away. "That's what I thought; know your fucking place."
"...Uh, I've been here seven times. The exam is held twice a year and this is my fourth. It's a bad idea to attract attention to yourself." He pulled out some cards. "Want some info?"
Naruto slapped them out of his hands, to the chagrin of most of the other Leaf genin watching. "Don't make this boring."
Kabuto's eye twitched at his spilled out deck of empty cards. "Well, I can tell you off the top of my head that there are ninja from all over here. All talented and skilled in different ways. Probably better than you." He blinked as the looks focused on him. "What?"
"You fucking idiot," Shikamaru said, a phrase everyone else agreed with.
Naruto brought his fingers together and the entire room became populated by Narutos. There were 150 genin in the room to take the exam. Each had at least one Naruto in their face. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki," they all said at the same time, creating an unfathomably Naruto symphony, "I'm going to take you down." When they poofed, all anyone could see was smoke for a solid minute.
Kakashi, leaning on the door, shook his head. Tenzo, who was transformed as a teenage version of himself next to him, did the same. That boy was something else entirely.
"Was that really necessary?" Kabuto asked.
Sasuke was smirking. "You should've known not to the moment he slapped the cards out of your hand."
The entrance opened and the team that was held up on the second floor entered. For a moment, blue eyes met pure white. It had been years, other than the second floor, they saw each other. Neither could ever forget. Naruto closed his when the anger flared too much.
Another explosion of smoke at the teacher's area of the class thankfully signaled progress in the exam.
"I am Ibiki Morino!" A man with a scarred face and bandanna forehead protector yelled, crew of men in identical suits at his back. "The examiner for the Chunin Exam's first test. Instead of your current seating arrangements." He picked up a numbered tab made of wood. "You will be assigned a number and take the seat in accordance with it. We will then hand out exams."
The atmosphere around Naruto that was brimming with hot-blooded bravado gave way to nerve-wrenching anxiety. It felt as if they were about to die at any second. None of their dreams would come true, and they'd have to spend eternity failing in the academy.
Deep inside, the Nine-Tailed Fox was roaring in laughter.
"Oh shit, here we go again," Shikamaru said, grimacing at the sight of a shivering Naruto.
They were assigned seats, one by one. When it was Naruto's turn, the proctor felt pride in his ability to break even the strongest of wills. Hinata ended up in the seat to his right, not that he was in any mood to notice. Some foreigner was to his left. Ibiki went over the rules, but the dead last understood he was already doomed.
"Begin!"
And Naruto slammed his head against the table desk. Clenching his teeth, he took deep breaths to calm himself down. It didn't work, but he liked to think it would.
Hinata, on the other hand, had zero issues with the test. She jotted down what she knew and stole what she didn't with her Byakugan. What she had difficulty with was the boy she admired overcome with anxiety she only saw on their graduation day. This side of him was something they never knew existed, but she knew he hid kindness beneath his rigid exterior. He was not the type to take charity, so she had to encourage him. What she needed to say was not what he wanted to hear but needed to. "Are you...this weak?"
"Well, well, well! The meek one of all people is finally seeing the truth."
Naruto's heavy breathing slowly stopped. He lifted his head and looked into Hinata's eyes. Keeping his gaze on her, he tested her resolve. It was the only way to gauge her intentions.
Hinata did not blink. She really wanted to, but she knew what he was doing. This time would be different. When he stared her down or went for a punch, she would not falter. And when he made his challenges, she would accept. Kurenai told her to go for what she wanted and she was because that's what he would've done.
After a solid minute, Naruto nodded. Hinata nodded back, her cheeks steadily turning red, to his approval. "Thanks. You've improved since the academy, huh?'
She nodded again. The reason was simple: he acknowledged her when she challenged him. She'd admired him from afar, but a taste of his desire made her want more, even if it wasn't romantic. That led to him stumbling upon her that night. While embarrassing, she felt flattered.
Naruto put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. He had to gamble everything on the final question. If that's what it would take, that's what he would do. Until then, he had to keep himself from giving up on himself. He acted shamefully enough.
Eventually, the hour was nearing its end.
"We will begin the 10th question! For this question, you must decide whether to take it or not. If you choose not, your points will be reduced to zero and you will fail along with your teammates." Ibiki ignored the cries of the other genin. "If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, you will lose the right to ever take the Chunin Exam again."
"Bullshit!" Kiba pointed at the man. "There are plenty of people here who've taken the exam before!"
"Just plain old back luck. This year things go by my rules. At least I'm giving you an out. If you don't want to risk it all, just take it next year. Those who wish not to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."
Naruto leaned back in his seat, kicked up his legs, and flicked his pencil at the proctor, to the surprise of everyone else in the room.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Just prodding you." Naruto frowned. "Honestly, you're pretty disappointing. I only panicked because I suck at tests. This entire thing really is a crock of shit."
Ibiki's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you a cocky little bastard?"
"The last jonin I stared down actually tried to kill me. You're going to have to try harder than that to even make me remember your name."
The proctor kept up his stare. Genin after genin flunked out, and he held his gaze. Tension between the two grew so palatable someone could cut it with a knife. Eventually, he closed his eyes. "To everyone still remaining, I congratulate you on passing the first test!" He explained to a shocked crowd of genin about the purpose of the test to gather information, the meaning of taking risk behind the final question, showed off his torture scars as example of such risk, and wished them good luck.
And then something crashed through the window, driving the members of Naruto's former class to check if he was still in his seat.
That something was a woman in fishnets, a skirt, and a coat wrapped in a banner. She threw the two kunai it was tied to at the ceiling of the room. Planting her foot on the ground, she used her leftover momentum to whip her body straight, a stylish flourish of her physical ability. "This is no time to be celebrating! I am the proctor for the second test, Anko Mitarashi! Now let's go!" She pumped her fist into the air. "Follow me!"
Naruto jumped up from his seat and returned the gesture, to her utter delight. "Fuck yeah!"
Almost everyone stared in horror at the female equivalent of their hot-headed delinquent complimenting the other almost perfectly. It was the start of another odd, long, and tragic relationship. Also, it was the start of the second test. What happened would change the direction of far too many lives.
AN: I was actually so excited for this I got it all done in a single day. Far too giddy, I think. Need to slow down in case of mistakes. There are so many things I need to get in order in my head before I write, but I find writing to do more better than just thinking about it.
