"Iwatoshi Hosha, Genin of Iwagakure and member of the Bomber Core, how do you plead?"

Naruto's head hurt. She just wanted out of this situation. She did not want to deal with any of this stupidity anymore. She had expected to come back to Iwa and be greeted just like she had been any other time. Instead, she was stuck in this mess.

"For the last time, shut the hell up." Naruto snarled angrily at the accusatory party before her.

Hatori's deep chuckles echoed behind her, a long arm settling around her shoulders as the boy rested his chin on her head. He looked ahead of them, toward the annoyed and daunting looking Deidara, before he started chuckling again.

"Give it a rest Dei. You and I both know Naruto needed to do what she did so that she wouldn't die. Everything turned out alright, and the Leaf Ninja didn't attack us since their kid healed up pretty well. Hosha is good for now." The Genin defended her, his eyes glinting with an amused light.

Deidara, still in his over-protective brother mode, scowled at the man. He had not let up on her the entire journey back to the village. He was angry at her for stepping out of bounds on a mission under his control, and for getting caught in a 'preventable' situation.

"Ni-San, just drop it already." Naruto told her brother, raising her blue eyes to meet his with an exasperated sigh edged with weariness.

She hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights. She'd been having dreams that drowned her world in red, the metallic scent of blood all around her. She dreamt of the dead dragging her into the earth, of screaming without forming any sound. She dreamt of nine tendrils lashing out, capturing and constricting around her until she could no longer breathe.

Naruto was no stranger to bad dreams. She had her fair share after the death of the Bomber Clan, and even more following her training with Roshi. The red marks on her chest often came alive and the souls she had taken tried to eat away at her, even though they were long gone from the material world.

"Let it go Deidara. Naruto is still healing." Roshi suddenly spoke up, his gruff tone silencing any further arguments.

Naruto looked up at the man, nodding at him in thanks.

Roshi always seemed to understand her more than anyone else was able to. He had this odd connection to her that she hadn't even formed with her brother. She supposed it had a bit to do with being outcasts in their own home, but it also felt like more than that sometimes.

"Besides, we're back home." Roshi gestured ahead, bringing the others to attention. Everyone, Deidara and Naruto's teams included, turned to gaze at the opened gates that guarded Iwagakure alongside the rising pillars of stone weathered for hundreds of years down to harsh points.

Standing at the gate, awaiting their return, was a stout figure that Naruto had grown up bowing to.

"Tsuchikage-Sama!" Naruto called out happily, her eyes shutting as she smiled widely and rushed past the others to greet her leader.

Hatori sighed and glanced back at his friend, watching the previously silent Ikate smile faintly at the girl and step forward to meet her.

He had nearly started to speed up when another face revealed itself from the Tsuchikage's side. The figure, dressed in the standard Iwa-Shinobi garb and currently chastising a happy Naruto, looked up to see them.

Her hair was a dark black that shined in the afternoon sun. Her face was open in a way few were in Iwa, and she had an aura about her that spoke business.

Her gaze settled on the group, passing over Hatori with little thought, residing on Ikate long enough to nod, and finally settling on Deidara.

The kunoichi's eyes narrowed and Deidara stiffened visibly as the group drew close enough to talk to the two awaiting Ninja.

Naruto had stopped in her greeting of the village leader upon seeing the kunoichi, her eyes shading over while her happiness visible dimmed. She seemed to curl into herself from the earlier words spared over her actions, and her lips thinned into a line.

"Kurotsuchi-Sama." Hatori greeted the woman first, taking his step beside the closed off Naruto without hesitation.

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes on Hatori, his lips twisting slightly in distaste.

"Team Threadbare." She greeted cordially, turning to look at Ikate with a moment's pause. She stepped forward, reaching to brush some dirt from Ikate's shoulder while offering the male a small smile.

"You alright, Ikate?" She teased, her light tone providing further tension for the group.

Ikate sighed at the tension and tried to dispel it with a small laugh as he waved off Kurotsuchi's concern. "Mhmm, I'm fine Kuro. What are you doing back? Did your mission end that quickly?"

Naruto turned away from the two, glancing toward the Tsuchikage again with a stony expression. The Tsuchikage, ever observant, nodded at her.

She sighed and whispered a soft thank you before gesturing to her team. She waited for them all to recognize her signal, before the four Genin vanished in quick bursts of chakra.

Kurotsuchi seemed to notice the vanishing of the younger Nin, her eyes drifting back to her godfather in a questioning manner. The man only shook his weary head and gestured to the remaining nin for them to follow him.

Ikate glanced in the direction he had felt Naruto vanish in, worry clouding his mind for a moment before he was falling behind Deidara with Hatori. They could find the girl after the mission briefing.

I~~~~I

She hadn't felt so helpless in a long time.

For years, she had stood as something constant in her family. As he mother caved from the death of her father, as the twins struggled to make a name for themselves in the disgusting world, as Ichihara-Ni abandoned them…she had stood tall and acted as a pillar. The last time she had been in the hospital had been when she was a small child and had nearly been taken out by one of Danzo's allies.

Sashiko wasn't used to being in a hospital bed or having doctors tell her she couldn't train or be with her teammates.

Sighing heavily, the child looked up at the mirror before her, the water she had splashed on her face falling into the basin in thick droplets. She wore her standard black undershirt and pants, her headbands and equipment left at her bedside until she was released.

The image of that blond flashed in her mind's eye. The kunoichi from Iwa had been strong and quicker than Sashiko. She had moved with purpose and had taken them down without mercy.

Sashiko had nearly died because of the wound that Kunoichi had gave her. She had only survived because the girl had offered her the cure, whatever it was, and erased the toxin form her system.

Shaking her head, Sashiko grabbed a nearby towel and gently patted her face dry, rising to her full height as she ambled out of the bathroom.

Beyond the door, the twins both sat near her bed. They were arguing over what fruit she should eat, the two laughing together in comraderie. An ache formed in Sashiko's chest even as she smiled and greeted the two.

She missed her brother, missed talking to him at night and showing him the stars. Sashiko missed the moments when he would come home and everyone would tackle him, including her mother and Menma's, shouting out how they were glad he was back. She missed the lightning sparks he would dance across her skin and shoot into the sky on the day of the Kyuubi-Festival to commemorate those lost.

"Sashi-Chan?" Mila questioned her, her head tilting as the smile on her lips faltered slightly.

Pushing back the burning rage that grew in her chest, Sashiko smiled back at her siblings and forced herself to walk to them.

"Did you guys bring me something? That's nice of you."

Miko and Mila shared looks, though they didn't mention her mood swing and instead started chatting about what had happened while she was in the hospital. Minato, her Godfather, had apparently decided to send a team to Iwa for the Chunin Exams. According to Mila, Genma and Aoba had been sent to act as a simple bridge between the two villages. There was also some hinting that Minato wanted to discuss the recent mission mishap, but Sashi wasn't certain.

Sashiko just wanted out of the hospital. She had nothing to do but dwell on her thoughts and sink deeper into the darkness that had plagued her mind since she first realized that her brother had abandoned them. Maybe Shisui would bail her out of the hospital. She still had a favor to cash in.

I~~~~I

"Naruto, I've been meaning to ask…"

Naruto looked up from the Takiyaki that she had been eating to gaze at her fellow blonde teammate. After leaving the older Shinobi to handle the debriefing, Team Overkill(A title bestowed to them by Hatori due to their insane powers) had gone to eat at a tea house and talk over the mission. Strangely, Yarui had remained silent while Darui and Shisui took part in the majority of the discussion.

"Hm, what is it?" The girl asked, earning a hesitant glance from the boy, before the Genin sighed and met her eyes grimly.

"Did you…How did you deal with the lightning techniques that the Leaf Nin put you through? I mean, I've seen full Jonin struggle to maintain themselves after exposure to lightning, and you seemed to just shrug it off like it's nothing…" Yarui's brow furrowed more as he spoke, his tone sharp and confused.

Naruto stiffened at the question, her eyes widening a fraction.

She had never thought that Yarui would be the one to question her on her resistance. She supposed it was only a matter of time before her team learned about what exactly Roshi had put her through in the three years he had been her Sensei without the other three Genin there.

"Well…" Naruto trailed off as she tried to put her thoughts into words. The process was made harder by the gazes of not just one of her teammates, but the rest as well. It seemed Yarui wasn't the only confused one.

"Roshi-Sensei had a lot to do with it. You see, I'm the Heiress to the Iwatoshi Clan since by brother took control of it. Because of this, I am the target for a lot of assassination and kidnap attempts. That is one of the main reasons that Roshi was made my Sensei, though there is more to it than that. I can't tell you everything, but do to my status as a high profile target, Tsuchikage-Sama ordered Roshi-Sensei to train me in specific areas incase I was ever compromised. In fact…That wasn't the first time I was shocked as a torture method."

Naruto scratched the back of her neck, her eyes cast to the floor.

"Iwa-Nin typically have earth-affinities, meaning our bodies don't conduct electricity well, which can cause more damaged to us. Enemies like to use that fact against us, so Roshi-Sensei trained my resistance to those techniques. It also helps I have an affinity for Lightning rather than earth, but it can still be a hassle. Most of my training is mental over physical, but my body can withstand a lot too. I just learned as it went on…and well it's hard to explain now that I am trying to."

Naruto finished, looking up at her teammates. She was a little surprised to find them staring at her solemnly, Yarui's expression especially dark.

Yarui grit his teeth and let out a harsh breath, channeling his anger into something less dangerous. He opened his blue eyes and offered a shaky smile at his teammate.

"I see. Thanks for answering truthfully. Just know, I'm not gonna let something like that happen to you again."

Naruto blinked at the boy in shock, opening her mouth to push back his declaration and tell him to handle himself, only to be interrupted by Darui.

"He's right. We won't let anyone touch you again."

Following their declarations, Shisui reached out and in a surprising gesture, grabbed her hand. His dark eyes met hers and he swore just the same.

"We are teammates. None of us will go through that ever, again or otherwise."

Naruto's eyes burned and she laughed lightly at the three, choking back emotions as she tried not to lose herself in the abrupt happiness she felt.

Only Deidara's team had ever told her something like that, and even then she had learned not to take them seriously. They couldn't always watch her back and there had been times before when they had put someone before her. Still, something about the three genin before her made her want to believe them more than she had Hatori or Ikate.

"Alright, but only if I get to promise the same for you guys. I'm not going to let you be dragged into something like that either."

They all shared a heartfelt silence that stretched past their meal and well into the fading light of dusk.

The three walked through the village, taking their time on their way back to their homes. Darui and Shisui were the first to leave, heading off in the opposite direction of Yarui and Naruto when they had reached the village center.

Yarui and Naruto were left to walk alone, Naruto balancing her head on her hands as she tended to do. Yarui was far more casual, his eyes drifting across the beautifully lit village.

The red and yellow lanterns casted colorful shadows across the towering buildings made entirely of stone, sending pillars of light into the sky amidst the stone spires. Lanterns hung from ribbon strung across multiple spires capping the tops of buildings.

"It's nice to be back in Iwa." Naruto murmured softly, stopping to look over the lights with greater appreciation. She enjoyed traveling across the Elemental Nations and discovering new cultures, but nothing topped the beauty of her home. There was just something about Iwagakure and the smell of earth that permeated the air that made her feel safe and whole.

"I know what you mean." Yarui commented softly, his hands drifting from his pockets as he lifted one to the sky.

Lightning raced across his arm and sparked at the tips of his fingers, shocking Naruto momentarily.

Yarui chuckled gently and dropped his hand.

"I can't use it well, but it's my affinity. I thought I'd let you know…since we are teammates. Darui and Shisui know, but no one else does. It's a little odd here in Iwa, so I like to keep it as a trump card. I prefer Taijutsu to Ninjutsu, but that doesn't mean I won't learn some techniques to protect my comrades with." Yarui offered her, opening up.

Naruto's lips softened into a smile and she reached out to grab Yarui's shoulder. She squeezed and smiled at him brightly.

"Thanks for sharing. I'll have to help you find some jutsu. I'll find mine first, and we can go from there." Yarui nodded at her, the two teammates allowing the silence to grow once more as the stars rose above the village hidden in stone.

I~~~~I

Naruto was already up and back to training by the time her teammates had arrived at their meeting spot. She was going through several cooldown stretches after running, and was preparing to move onto her Taijutsu Katas.

The boys joined in and did their laps while she was running through her form, Yarui joining her while Darui and Shisui worked on their weapons and aim.

Roshi walked up on them just as Yarui and Naruto decided to spar and Darui and Shisui engaged in a small match with blades.

The Jinchuuriki observed the two matches with calculating eyes, paying a bit more attention to Shisui and Naruto as they both stumbled a bit. He had been informed that Shisui had taken a few injuries of his own on the mission in Wave, and as such he wasn't quite healed.

That was fine, since Roshi planned for them to do more conditioning than anything else. The training would be different from what the Genin were used to, but as it was, Roshi figured they could only improve by learning what he was going to teach them.

"Bring it in." Roshi called out, his gruff tone ceasing the fighting immediately. Shisui and Darui stopped mid-swing of their blades, while Naruto and Yarui had pulled both of their strikes back so as not to injure the other. The four all hurried toward him, already understanding the need to hustle when it came to getting instruction from Roshi.

Looking over the faces of his students, Roshi debated his choices. He nodded sharply and gestured to the south exit of the village, a place that had far more spires racing to the skies than any other part around the village.

"Head toward the south end of the village. Go at moderate pace and make sure to stay in formation." Roshi ordered, the Genin shifting into the formation he had hinted to out of habit. Naruto stood at the front, Shisui to her right, Yarui to her left, and Darui at the back. They shot toward the south end of the village, not bothering to wait for Roshi to follow.

Roshi watched them go before starting his way after them.

I~~~~I

Naruto dropped down at the base of the towering spires Iwa was known for, her teammates dropping down beside her. Unsurprisingly, Roshi was there waiting for them. He didn't look worn or tired, and in fact seemed to have never even rushed half-way across the village in the first place. The Genin were only a little worn, but even they could only admire their Sensei's stamina.

"Alright, for today and the next couple of days, we are going to work on your chakra control and on your observation." Roshi told the Genin, reaching behind him.

He threw four tiles at the Genin, each one catching their own. They all stared at him, awaiting further instruction.

"I want you to use chakra to climb to the top of those pillars. Once there, you will place the tile at the top and rest on it. If you cannot remain on their longer than a few seconds…well you'll fall and have to restart. I'm also not going to catch you, so if you plummet you better hope your teammates notice." Roshi smirked by the end of his instructions, observing the expressions on his Genin.

He had instilled discipline in his past students, and he wouldn't change that practice now. Naruto understood why he held patience in such high esteem, and the three boys were starting to get its importance. Patience could be the difference between life and death for a shinobi.

"Go ahead and begin." Roshi ordered.

Immediately, the four Genin shot to four pillars relatively close together. They all started running up the bases and headed to the sharp points stretching high into the sky, their tils held firmly in their grasps.

Roshi watched the four go, his eyes hard despite the fondness building in them. He knew that this team was going to be harder than any other, but he also knew that it would be worth it. There was no way that his team would lose themselves in a way many Nin had in the past. They would strive, they would push and survive. Nothing would hold them back. They would be great, even if they had to shatter the meaning of the word to do so.

Roshi sighed and turned away from the Genin, walking toward the denser areas of stone so he could train himself. He had to make sure he kept up his conditioning on his body, otherwise he wouldn't be strong enough to protect his village or his team from dangers like those they had faced in Wave. No matter their skill, the four weren't ready to face the likes of Hatake Kakashi even when working together.

"S-shit!" Yarui's cry echoed first, followed by another more feminine one.

They would be at it for a while.

I~~~~I

Naruto hissed curses to Roshi under her breath, gripping her sore side as a spark of pain raced up her ribs.

"Stupid Monkey, causing trouble like that and putting us through hell-training. Yeah, totally just sit on giant towering spires, that'll help!" Naruto muttered under her breath, straightening her back with another hiss of pain.

The rest of her team had already gone home, while she was heading toward the Tsuchikage's Tower in order to be briefed. She had been summoned earlier, though the messenger had detailed the time as a couple minutes from then, leaving Naruto to take her time on the way up.

"Still, focusing your chakra to the point in order to keep the board steady doesn't work…there's not enough contact, so that means we'll have to stay completely still in order to maintain the balance of the tile on the spire…damn this is going to take a while." The Heiress grumbled, trying to work through the problem in her head.

Roshi tended to give assignments like this for them to piece through every once in a while. He said it kept their minds sharp, and considering just how hard this stupid exercise was, Naruto agreed.

Looking up, Naruto let out a loose breath, gazing at the foreboding building that resided at the top of the biggest spire in the village. Her eyes shifted behind her and she took in the view of her village in its entirety, a smile working its way over her lips.

She really loved Iwa.

Shaking her head and channeling her anger away into something useful, like energy and concentration, Naruto entered the tower and went up the steps and down the hall to the Tsuchikage's office.

The hall opened up into a sitting room, the secretary sitting at a desk near the large double-doors of her Kage's office waving her in without a thought.

Naruto had practically lived in the Tsuchikage's office after she turned seven. The secretary's that had been stationed inside knew her well and always welcomed her.

Naruto nodded in thanks to the woman and knocked on the door.

She could feel two other signatures in the room, which meant that she wasn't here casually. She straitened and waited for Oniki's call of "Enter" before she opened the door and stepped inside.

The two other signatures turned out to be two men baring headbands that were not of Iwa.

"Hosha-San, thank you for coming." Oniki spoke up formally, allowing Naruto time to prepare.

She stepped up before the Tsuchikage's desk, dropping down into a formal kneel, one fist resting on the ground next to one knee, while the other knee was bent and the other hand was crossed over her chest.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-Sama." The Kunoichi greeted, her eyes raising to meet those of her leader.

"Stand, we have a lot of business to attend to." Her Kage ordered.

Naruto rose, glancing across the room at the two Jonin staring at her.

One of them, a raven, looked to be struggling to contain some form of emotion. Shock, perhaps? Was seeing her take a position under her Kage like she had truly that surprising? Naruto didn't quite know. She hadn't looked into how Shinobi were supposed to act to the leaders of other villages too much. She had enough information to not end up dying form a political misshap, but that was all.

"Hosha, meet Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba of Konoha. They are here regarding the Chunin Exams and your last run in with one of their Shinobi. Shiranui-San, Yamashiro-San, please meet Iwatoshi Hosha."

Genma stepped forward, offering his hand to Hosha.

Not wanting to be rude, Hosha took the hand and shook it loosely, blinking as the man tilted his head at her.

"That poison you designed was quite ingenious. I have never seen a serum that could be deactivated by a Chakra Nature."

Hosha stiffened for a moment, before a smirk crawled along her lips, turning her smile dangerous. She tilted her head back at the man, chuckling lowly.

"I've never quite met someone able to hold off its effects as long as your shinobi did. I was impressed."

The Tsuchikage withheld an aggrieved sigh, noting to himself how he would need sake after this, while the Aoba character looked to be withholding surprise again.

Naruto would be the death of him.

I~~~~I

And there it is. I figured the direction that this fic needed to go in right now, and following this there should be the next Arc, which will be the Chunin Exams. I have an idea for how to change up the Exams, if only slightly. Thanks for reading!

Sasuke-12

Itachi-7

Ikate-4

Gaara-4

Hatori-1

Shikamaru-1