Chapter 6 – Two New House Guests & the Beginning of the Exams

The three Uzumakis arrived at their home later that night after having left the Council meeting. They were exhausted, frustrated, and all around very, very disappointed with how that meeting turned out. Naruto, scratching at his cheek, turned and looked into his mother's face. "Well, that didn't turn out quite like I had hoped."

With a sigh and a nod as her son's response, Kushina opened the front door and stepped in with her family. As they flipped on the lights, they spotted someone sleeping peacefully on their couch with his legs spread. One was hanging over the top of the couch, the other was on the floor and the man was currently snoring up a storm while a rather large weapon lay at his side. Angry at this display more than at the intrusion into her home, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero decided that rather than dirty her couch with the blood of this man, she'd wield a different kind of weapon.

Grabbing a frying pan from the kitchen, the mother began walking silently towards the man as her children just watched with bemused expressions upon their faces. The two of them recognized instantly who this man was. With his looks and the weapon beside him, it was hard not to. Naruko leaned in close to her otouto and whispered quietly. "This should be good. Kaa-san's going to put Zabuza-san in his place nice and quick at this rate." Naruto simply chuckled softly as they both resumed watching their mother.

Kushina gained a devilish smirk as she raised her weapon up high and brought it down upon the stranger's head with a resounding "CRACK!" Zabuza rolled off the couch and hit the floor, clutching at his face and screaming various curses at the top of his lungs. When Kushina went to hit him again for daring to curse in front of her children, the man raised his hand and waved it frantically. "Damn it woman! Enough of that! Once was more than enough!"

Groaning, the swordsman rose and looked past Kushina to her two children. Slipping past the irate mother, he knelt down before the two and pointed at his face. "Is my face still intact after that? What the hell was she even thinking anyways?" When he was answered with snickering, he began patting at his face, expecting his nose to be dislodged and stuck under his left eye or something of the sort. When they only laughed harder at this, he frowned and snarled lowly at them. "What's so funny brats?"

Naruto patted the older man on his shoulder and chuckled. "Zabuza-san, meet our kaa-san, Kushina Uzumaki. Kaa-san, this is Zabuza. He's the guy we beat up on our mission." At this, there was more enraged snarling and the siblings burst out into more raucous laughter.

"Who beat up whom now? I'll have you brats know I didn't lose to you two; I lost to your sensei, that Asuma guy. You're just trying to make me look bad now, aren't you?" When he received a pair of nods in response, the swordsman shook his head and rose, turning to face Kushina. "Before I explain the situation, would you mind relinquishing hold of your weapon Ma'am? I don't trust you anywhere near me with that thing in your hands."

Kushina's eye twitched and she put on a too sweet smile. As she slowly started stepping over to him, the man began looking for some kind of escape route as he pondered what the hell he did to piss her off this time. When she reached him, Kushina leaned up close and whispered in his ear. "Don't call me 'Ma'am.' Do I look old enough for a title such as that?" And with that, the mother smacked him with the frying pan once again, sending the swordsman to the floor, blood seeping out from his new wounds onto her carpet.

Snarling at this, the woman was about to hit him again before her children grabbed her arms and relinquished her of her weapon. "Kaa-san, stop! Please! Zabuza-san, are you alright? Can't exactly keep my promise to Haku if my kaa-san kills you for something out of your control, now, can I?" Smirking at Zabuza, Naruto helped the man up and over to their couch while Naruko went to get both cleaning supplies for her mother and some medical supplies to tend to their acquaintance. "Now, while kaa-san busies herself with the cleaning, tell us all why you broke into our home, okay?"

Zabuza sighed and shook his head. "You're a real smartass, you know that brat?" When he felt a death glare aimed at him, Zabuza glanced over at the kid's mother and sighed. "Fine, Naruto, whatever. This is all the Sandaime's doing. Apparently, because you were the one that deemed yourself responsible for me, he told me I'm going to be living with you from now on. I'd much rather get myself a nice one bedroom apartment or something, but the old man seemed to find some amusement in putting me here. Now I see why.

Rubbing his still aching head, Zabuza shot a nasty glare right at Kushina, only for her to point him right towards the kitchen. Glancing over, he spotted the frying pan sitting on the kitchen table and began to regret his decision. "Gah! Gomenasai! Freaking crazy woman!" The last part was muttered under his breath, but the siblings heard it and Naruko developed an evil little smirk on her face before turning to her mother.

"Oh kaa-saaaaaaan!" Before Naruko could say anything more, Zabuza quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her back, much to the shock of everyone there. He leaned in close and whispered to the two brats.

"What in the heck are you two trying to do to me? This isn't a damn game here, she'll really kill me!" The Uzumaki siblings nodded and began to share another laugh together while the Demon of the Hidden Mist leaned back on the couch and groaned. What the hell have you gotten me into this time Haku?

A short time later, Kushina came over and looked down at the man with a smirk. "I should head straight to the Hokage's office and take this matter up with the old monkey, but since my children so obviously seem to trust you, I have another idea." Zabuza, not liking the smirk the fiery redhead had on her face, began to feel a cold sweat run down his back. Nodding his head slowly to show he was listening, Kushina pulled out a mop from behind her back and grinned. "You're going to be our new maid. If you don't know how to clean, we'll teach you. If you don't know how to cook, we'll teach you. And if you're going to be living with us, there are a number of other things you're going to need to do. Starting with…"

Zabuza groaned loudly and lowered his head, listening silently to everything the matriarch of the household had to say. However, as he listened, his thoughts also began to drift. I'm beginning to think it would have been better to go with the Sandaime's other idea. Though the thought of spending time alone with the T&I team doesn't sound all that pleasant, at least I wouldn't have to put up with this shit. Still though, that lady in the overcoat was definitely kind of creepy.

The Next Day – Noon

From the start of the day, Zabuza had explained what he planned to do for the gaki (as he preferred to call Naruto) and had begun to train him for the upcoming Chunin Exams. In fact, the swordsmen had even begun explaining to him things about Haku's past and his unique kekkei genkai after he found out that he had access to Haku's abilities thanks to his soul-snatching sword. Naturally, at first, Zabuza was angry about such a thing, but then he found himself thinking about the possibilities. He understood that, with time, Haku's soul would be freed from the sword and would be able to pass on peacefully, but until then he figured this might be Haku's way of trying to help further the gaki's training.

Meanwhile, Naruko and her teammate Rihoshi were summoned to speak with the Hokage in his office. Everyone who knew the details of last night's Council meeting naturally assumed that this had to do with finding the two of them a new teammate and a new sensei. So while Naruto trained together with Kushina and his new, private instructor, Naruko stood in the Hokage's office with her only loyal teammate.

For a long while, Hiruzen had remained silent as he looked over the paperwork on his desk. After what felt like a matter of hours to Naruko, the elderly man finally spoke up. "It took me a while, but I think I've found just the right person to lead your team. As for your third teammate, that took some thought. There weren't any new graduates that could actually match with your current abilities, and mostly everyone I thought of was already on an existing team. At first I considered giving you Sasuke Uchiha, but he's training with Kakashi Hatake and I'd rather not remove him from the man's team."

Naruko nodded in understanding. She didn't much care for the Uchiha boy anyways. He had too much of an ego on him, regardless of how his mother tried to fix that particular problem. When the Hokage began to speak again, she focused her mind back on the topic at hand. "After some more thought on the matter, I remembered that we recently received some new shinobi into the village. It was something of a trade between villages, an attempt to help build relations if you will, but I believe this person may very well fit with your team. She's a kunoichi from Iwagakure and, much to our surprise, upon her arrival, we found that she is the current Tsuchikage's granddaughter."

Nodding at his secretary, the elderly Hokage watched as she opened the door and allowed two people into the room. The first was a girl that appeared to be around Naruko's age. She had short, black hair and black eyes to match. On her forehead, she wore the standard Iwagakure hitai-ate, and yet at the same time, she wore an armband on her left, upper arm that had the symbol for Konohagakure on it, symbolizing she was part of the new system that had been implemented recently. Smiling politely at her new teammates, the kunoichi then turned to the Hokage and bowed politely. "Hokage-dono." She said in as polite a tone as possible before turning back to Naruko and Rihoshi. "These are the two I am to join in the Chunin Exams then?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded his head in response and motioned for her to join them. "Yes Kurotsuchi-san. I would like you to meet Rihoshi and Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze. These will be your new teammates."

The reaction was immediate. Kurotsuchi's hand went to her kunai pouch and she narrowed her eyes, glaring harshly at Naruko for but a few seconds before turning her head to the Hokage. "Hokage-dono, you put me on a team with the daughter of THAT man?! What were you thinking at the time you made this decision?! Don't you realize what he did to our country, our village?! Even now we still carry a strong hatred for that man."

Nobody was given a chance to say anything or react, however as the sensei, a busty woman wearing an overcoat and mesh body suit underneath bopped the younger girl over the head. Kurotsuchi turned around to glare at her new sensei, but quickly regretted the decision as her new sensei narrowed her eyes and sent a bit of KI (Killing Intent) her way. Slowly removing the now empty dango stick from her mouth, the woman smirked down at her and waved the stick in her face. "Careful Girlie. Go making moves like that in the village, in the Hokage's office no less, and who knows what could happen to ya? Besides, can't you people let go of old grudges? Do you really need to fault the Yondaime's family for something that happened in times of war?"

Kurotsuchi grumbled as she removed her hand from her kunai pouch. Turning around with a huff, she glared into Naruko's eyes and pointed a finger in her face. "Just because we're on the same team now, don't expect me to play nice. You're the enemy here, and if it wasn't for the fact that we're trying to improve relationships between the villages…"

Once more Anko bopped her over the head before jabbing her in the back of her neck with another empty dango stick, having just been cleaned of its delectable morsels. "Don't you think that's exactly why you were put on a team with little Naruko-chan here? What better way to improve the relationship between our villages than to help you people work past this grudge, hm?" Looking towards the Hokage for a sign that that is indeed what his intentions were, she couldn't help but don a grin when she saw him nod his head once to show that she was indeed right.

"That is indeed correct Anko-chan." Turning his gaze on the young granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, the Hokage offered a kind, knowing smile and nodded his head in understanding. "I do understand your concerns young Kurotsuchi-chan, but this is really the best for both our villages. If you two cannot make this team work and set an example for both our villages, then how can we ever truly prove that it is possible to overcome our differences and finally make peace? Surely your grandfather would understand this decision, would he not?"

Kurotsuchi grumbled and lowered her head, slumping her shoulders in defeat. After a few minutes, she nodded her head begrudgingly and let out a defeated sigh. "You're right. When Grandpa told me I was going to be sent to Konoha of all places, I was hesitant at first. When I asked for his reasons behind sending me of all people, the old man told me this:

'Kurotsuchi, I know how this must seem to you. After all, we've held our grudge for so long, and now we're talking about the idea of peace? It does seem odd, I'll admit. Still, when the idea was presented at the last Kage Summit, I couldn't help but find the idea…hmmm…intriguing for lack of a better word. At first I was against the idea, of course, but when I got to thinking, I couldn't help but think of the possibilities. The first, naturally, was the thought of sneaking a few of my best Genin prospects into Konoha to deal with Namikaze's runts, but I quickly scrapped that idea. It would be seen through right away. After all, how are two Genin supposed to keep their actual intentions under wraps, hm?'"

At this, Kurotsuchi noticed the gazes on her and then glanced to Naruko. "The idea of having my brother and I assassinated actually crossed his mind for a time? What the hell?!"

Kurotsuchi simply chuckled nervously at this before looking at the Hokage. "Can I continue on? I don't mean to make this so long winded, but, well…Grandpa trusted me to be honest in my intentions and represent our village to the best of my ability. In order to do that, perhaps starting off honest is the best way to begin that goal." With a small shrug of her shoulders, she watched the elderly Kage nod before she continued on.

"'After some more thought on the matter, I became curious to see if something like 'peace' could truly be obtained in this method. If not true peace, perhaps it would be a start in the right direction. I'm still a little reluctant to go through with this, but I want to see if that old bat of a Hokage's right about this. That's why I'm choosing to send you, Kurotsuchi. You're my granddaughter, and you've got a level head on your shoulders. I trust you more than some other, no name Genin. You'll represent our village well, and you'll prove to both me and the Hokage that we can somehow work past our differences and achieve peace with one another.'"

With a sigh, Kurotsuchi continued speaking. "He said some other things too, but you get the general idea. After a while, he ended up complaining about his back, I told him he needs to find a successor…"

At this, Anko lightly chopped her new pupil atop her head, effectively making the young lass look her way. "Okay, that's enough of that. We get the picture. Now, do you understand what you have to do Kurotsuchi?"

Once again Kurotsuchi sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. Turning to look Naruko right in the eyes, the Iwa kunoichi extended her hand and quickly shook her new teammate's hand. "There's still a lot of bad blood between our villages, and I carry a lot of the same grudges that my grandpa holds. So this is just a fair warning to you Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze: don't expect us to get along right away. I won't try to attack you, and I will not try to hurt you, I give you my word as an Iwa kunoichi and representative of my grandfather, the Tsuchikage. Teamwork may be hard at first, but let us hope that we can work past our differences and develop a bond as at least effective teammates in time for the Chunin Exams. I assure you that with my skills, I will be of great benefit to you and your team." Bowing her head to the redheaded Namikaze child, Kurotsuchi awaited a reply.

Rubbing the back of her head, not really sure how to feel about having an Iwa kunoichi bow her head to her, Naruko placed one of her hands upon Kurotsuchi's shoulders and made her look into her eyes again. "No need to bow your head to me when I've yet to earn your respect Kurotsuchi-san. I appreciate your honesty, and it's nice to know you won't try to kill me, but…" Looking at her team and then at the Hokage, the redhead let out a soft, yet agitated sigh before looking back at her new teammate. "After what I've been through recently, developing trust between us is going to be difficult. So, let's just take it one step at a time, alright Kurotsuchi-san?"

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at this and looked Naruko dead in the eyes once again. The Iwa kunoichi was truly curious now. "What you've been through recently? Would you mind explaining what happened in detail?"

Before Naruko could even open her mouth to respond, the Hokage interrupted the conversation. "It's nice to see that you two are acting civil with one another, but save that discussion for later. Anko-chan, I want you to take your team to your training ground and work on some teamwork exercises first. You and your team need to get to know one another before I can send you on any missions. As for you two, Naruko-chan, Kurotsuchi-chan, I want you to stay behind for a moment so I can discuss something with the both of you." Seeing the two of them nod, he waited for Anko to speak with her team.

Anko looked to her team with a rather devious smirk. "Naruko, Kurotsuchi, the two of us will be waiting for you at training ground #44. Naruko-chan, I'm sure you know where that's at already. Don't keep us waiting too long you two. Wouldn't want me to force you to start with a rather 'nasty' surprise, would you?" With a rather nasty-looking smirk that sent chills down their spines, Naruko and Kurotsuchi gave her a few quick nods in succession before turning to the Hokage. The girls gave him looks that literally seemed to plead with him to not keep them for too long. After all, this new sensei of theirs was freaking CREEPY!

Hiruzen watched as Anko left with Rihoshi following right behind her, not even shooting a glance at his teammates as he did. The aged Hokage couldn't resist the smirk that took place of his usual, elderly smile. "Don't let your new sensei intimidate you…too much." Scratching at his beard, the old man sweat dropped at he wondered if Anko was truly the right choice to lead this team, or any Genin team for that matter!

Shaking that thought aside, he decided it would be best to get right to the point so as not to keep them too long. "Your sensei aside, I wanted to speak with you two about a few things. First, I want you to introduce Kurotsuchi-chan to your family, Naruko-chan. Before you question me as to why, let me finish." Seeing Naruko nod in response to that, the Hokage continued. "Kurotsuchi-chan, Naruko-chan, you'll be living together from now on." Seeing their widened eyes, the Sandaime Hokage's smirk widened. "What better way to help you overcome your differences than by having Kurotsuchi-chan live together with you in your home, hm?" Aside from that, I'm curious to see what will happen when she meets Naruto-kun. He certainly seems to have a way with people.

Chuckling softly at his own thoughts, the elderly Hokage nodded his head at the two. "Go on now. After all, you wouldn't want to keep your new sensei waiting, would you? You can discuss this amongst yourselves later, but these are my orders. Good luck you two." Listening to them grumble for a moment as they left his office, Hiruzen chuckled and smirked at the picture of the Yandaime on the wall. "Oh this shall be fun to see."

Later that day – Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate

Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze lay upon the ground in his backyard huffing and puffing, his arm over his eyes to shield them from the setting sun. When he felt somebody prodding him with a sharp object, the blonde rolled over and groaned. "Ugh, leave me alone Zabuza-sensei. I'm exhausted. I've been training with you all day and you haven't given me a break yet."

"Get up Gaki. If I'm going to be living here, I'm going to be training you to the best of my ability. Haku had to endure more than this, so shut up and stop complaining. Now get up and come at me again!" As Zabuza helped Naruto to his feet and got into his stance again, a cold shiver suddenly went down his spine. Glancing backwards, he saw Kushina standing at the back door, lightly smacking her free hand with the frying pan of doom.

"It's time for dinner. You'd best not be trying to bully my son out there Zabuza or you know what will happen to you. Everyone needs a break every now and then and my son is no exception. Now come inside and eat. Or would you rather I show you what happens to those who disobey me in my household?" Smirking at the ex-Kiri swordsman, Kushina relished in the fact that she could instill such fear into the man.

Zabuza turned back to Naruto and nodded his head before strapping the sword to his back. "Um, l-let's go inside. Y'know, get some dinner, maybe rest for the night. We'll continue your training tomorrow, how does that sound?"

Naruto at first went to nod his head, but then remembered something. "Actually, I might have a mission tomorrow. I've got to meet with my team, and it'll either be training or maybe a mission. That's what it usually is anyways. So if you don't mind waiting until about midday, I can get back to you then." Seeing the older man shrug his shoulders before nodding his head in response, the blonde grinned up at him. "Good. Now let's go eat dinner. Kaa-san's cooking is the best!"

Zabuza sighed softly and nodded his head in response to that last statement. Gaki's got a point. Her cooking is pretty damn good. Following the Namikaze runt inside, he soon heard the front door opening and looked around the corner. Seeing Naruko walking in, Zabuza offered her a light wave before his eyes fell on her companion. "Who's that?"

At that point, Naruto stepped out from the dining room to greet his sister. Only, upon spotting her guest, he tilted his head for a moment before asking the question on his mind. "Is this your new teammate? Um, sorry for asking this, but are you a guy or a girl? The reason I ask is because you look far too pretty to be a guy, but at the same time, with some people it's hard to tell. Like the mission I went on recently with my nee-chan. We met somebody named Haku, and we figured him for a girl at first because he had such a pretty face. When we found out Haku was a guy that was a real shock. So, please, please don't take offense to my question, but I just have to be sure."

Kurotsuchi looked at Naruko's brother, a bemused expression on her face. "So this is your brother, huh Naruko-san? He seems…interesting." Walking up to Naruto, Kurotsuchi lightly bonked him on the head, causing him to blink a few times in confusion. "The name's Kurotsuchi. Yes, I am a girl, and no, I didn't take offense. Naruko-san told me about the mission and about what happened, so your confusion is perfectly understandable. After all, you're not the first to be confused about my gender…sadly." Sighing at that, Kurotsuchi simply shook her head and stared at the ground. "I sometimes wonder if I should dress and act a bit more feminine. Maybe then people would stop confusing me for a boy."

Naruto smiled at that and poked her forehead. "Don't say that. You really are cute the way you are. So no worries Kurotsuchi-chan!" Offering her his best smile, Naruto soon felt himself being yanked aside. "Sorry Kurotsuchi-chan, seems somebody needs to talk to me for a sec." Chuckling to himself, he soon shouted in pain as he felt himself being hit in the head. Turning to his sister as they rounded the corner, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Naruko-chan, what the heck was that for? I was just trying to be polite to your new friend."

Naruko glared at him and hit him again, causing him to scream out again. "No, you were flirting with her you jerk! I thought you only wanted Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, and me. Now you're hitting on my new teammate?! She doesn't even like us!" Lowering her voice now, afraid Kurotsuchi might hear her, Naruko leaned in close and began to whisper to her brother. "Kurotsuchi-san's the granddaughter of the current Tsuchikage. She's from Iwa, and you know they don't like tou-san. So be careful, okay Naruto-kun?"

Leaning in close, Naruko placed her lips gently upon her brother's and kissed him passionately, as if in an attempt to claim ownership over him. After a few minutes, she stepped back and smirked at him before flicking him in the nose. "There, now you won't even think about flirting again. I'm one of your girlfriends, and you're going to be dedicated to us whether you like it or not. Now come on Naru-kun, let's go eat dinner." The –kun suffix was said in as sultry a way as Naruko could manage, or at least that's how she viewed it.

Grabbing Naruto's hand, she put it around her waist and walked back around the corner, only to find that Kurotsuchi had been listening to the entire conversation. Going wide-eyed, Naruko turned a bright shade of pink and looked away.

"So, talking about me to your brother were you? I promised you earlier that I wouldn't attack you or your family. In fact, I'm even trying to get along to the best of my ability. Besides, your brother complimented me and has been rather nice so far. I appreciate that. Now…" Gaining a devious smirk, Kurotsuchi took Naruto's other hand and placed it around neck on her shoulder before leaning in close and kissing his whiskered cheek. "Let's go eat dinner and get to know each other better, shall we?"

The Iwa kunoichi watched for Naruko's reaction, and upon seeing her glaring daggers at her, Kurotsuchi smirked even wider. Oh this is going to be fun. Laughing softly, Kurotsuchi walked with the three into the dining room and took their places at the table.

Throughout dinner, Kurotsuchi and Naruko couldn't stop glaring at each other and trying to get Naruto's affections. Zabuza found the whole situation amusing and laughed throughout most of the meal at the poor boy's expense. Kushina, on the other hand, found herself worried about her poor boy. The fact that Kurotsuchi would be living with them during her stay in Konoha only made her that much more worried. Old man, sometimes I wonder what goes through that head of yours. Are you going senile already?! My poor boy's not going to last if this keeps up.

Sighing to herself, Kushina rose from her chair after finishing her meal and grabbed the frying pan. Walking over to Zabuza, she swung the frying pan of doom and knocked him out cold before he could even finish his meal. "Stop laughing at my son's misfortune. And you two…" Turning to the two girls, Kushina narrowed her eyes and raised her KI, directing it at those two specifically. "Stop hassling Naruto-kun, eat your dinner, and then get to bed. Can't you see that my poor boy's panicking right now?"

The three younglings looked to Zabuza and saw him lying on the floor, a large bruise already forming on his face. Kurotsuchi leaned in close to Naruto and Naruko, whispering to them both quietly. "Does this always happen to that guy? It seems…painful."

Naruko nodded with a sigh. "Ever since he moved in with us last night, he's been hit with the frying pan about…twelve times? Is that about right Naru-kun?" Seeing her brother nod in response, the three sighed and resumed eating their meal. Occasionally Kurotsuchi and Naruko would send glares at each other, only to look away and huff the next moment.

Kushina sighed at that, but she supposed it was the best she could hope for at this point in time. These are going to be a long couple of months. Good luck Naruto-kun. You're going to need it. Especially once little Ino-chan and Sakura-chan hear about you having a new girl living under the same roof as you. I can only imagine how that conversation will go. Shaking her head, Kushina sighed again and rose from her chair to begin cleaning dishes.

The next morning

Naruto yawned loudly as he walked towards the bathroom in the upstairs hallway. Currently he was dressed only in his pajama pants and was carrying his clothes for the day under his right arm. Seeing as it was still early in the morning, nobody else should have been awake. At least, that was what he assumed until he reached the bathroom and opened the door.

Inside the bathroom stood Kurotsuchi, nude and drying herself off with a towel. Naruto, still half-asleep as he was, had to rub his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When it suddenly clicked inside his head, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi turned a bright shade of red before turning around and shutting the door quickly behind him. "I…I am so, so, soooo sorry! I completely forgot that you moved in here last night!"

Kurotsuchi, meanwhile, had covered herself as quickly as possible once she noticed Naruto in the doorway. The Iwa kunoichi's face had turned the same shade of red as Naruto's did, and she at first wanted to hit him with a few of her Yōton (Lava Release) jutsu for eyeing her the way he did. However, when she realized that the Uzumaki-Namikaze boy was still half-asleep and was genuinely sorry for his actions, she decided against that particular reaction.

Releasing a sigh, the black-haired lass shook her head and moved to finish drying herself. In the process of doing so, she began to speak to the boy whom, she assumed, was still waiting at the door. "It's…okay. Just make sure not to do it again, okay Naruto-san?" Seriously, how is a boy seeing me naked alright?! Why am I even forgiving him? He's not even that cute! Blinking at that, Kurotsuchi grumbled to herself and began to get dressed in the clothes she had selected for the day.

Naruto smiled at the fact he had been forgiven with so little effort. Nodding his head, he spoke to her through the door. "T-Thank you for forgiving me Kurotsuchi-chan. I do mean it, I am sorry. After yesterday, I was just so exhausted from everything that happened. I honestly completely forgot we had new house guests staying with us. Still though, I have to admit something here. You are pretty damn cute."

The black-haired Iwa kunoichi froze in what she was doing as a blush rose up on her face. She was in the process of clipping her training bra on when he said that, and it now lay on the floor, having fallen out of her hands when the girl froze. Kurotsuchi's mind was racing, trying to figure out what to make of the situation at hand. After a time, she stammered out a few words, unsure of what she should really say in response. "U-Um, thank you. T-Truly, I appreciate your k-kind words. I'll, uh…I'll be out in a second. Sorry for taking so long."

Shaking her head, Kurotsuchi groaned and slapped a hand to her face. Ugh, get a hold of yourself Kurotsuchi! If you don't get your act together, there's going to be some very awkward moments living here with them. Still, it does feel good to be called cute like that. Realizing what she was thinking, the young kunoichi slapped herself again before she resumed getting dressed. That's it, I'm going to train extra hard today and rid myself of these horrendous thoughts! He's Namikaze's son damn it!

Later that day – Ichiraku Ramen

Naruto sat with two of his girlfriends, Sakura and Ino, enjoying some delicious ramen, courtesy of the wondrous Ayame Ichiraku and her father. After downing his first bowl, he let out a soft sigh and began rubbing at his shoulders while the father/daughter duo prepared his next bowl. "Man, Zabuza-sensei's absolutely brutal. I'm sore all over, and that's not even the worst part. I accidentally walked in on Kurotsuchi-chan naked in the bathroom this morning. I'm amazed she didn't…" Blinking, he looked to his left and right as he felt some serious KI coming from his two girlfriends. "W-What? What'd I say? Or did I do something bad? What's wrong?!"

The next thing poor Naruto knew, he was clobbered over the head by two fists, one belonging to both girls. Sakura was the first to speak up. "Kurotsuchi-chan?! How come we haven't heard about this girl?"

"Yeah! Who is she Naruto-kun? Why was she using your shower?!" Ino shouted, clearly upset about this 'Kurotsuchi-chan' that Naruto mentioned.

Naruto rubbed his aching head and thanked Ayame upon receiving his second bowl of ramen. Glancing to his two girlfriends on either side of him, the blonde let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, I forgot I hadn't told the two of you yet. Yeah, Jiji said that Zabuza-sensei and Kurotsuchi-chan are to live with us during their stay in Konoha. Kurotsuchi's a kunoichi from Iwagakure here for some shinobi exchange program or something to help foster peace between the nations and hidden villages. So, because she's the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage and they still have a grudge with my tou-san, Jiji figured it was a smart idea to have her live with us."

Shrugging his shoulders, the whiskered blonde began working on his second bowl of ramen while his girlfriends peppered him with questions. Ino was the first one to ask him something. "So why did you decide it was okay to peep on her in the shower Naruto-kun? Did you think that we, as your girlfriends, would be okay with that?"

Naruto sighed again and hurriedly finished his second bowl of ramen before handing it to Ayame and asking for thirds. Turning to Ino, he propped an elbow on the counter and smiled sweetly at her. "Ino-chan, I didn't peep. I usually try to be the first one awake in my home so I can get showered and dressed first. That way I don't have to wait on Naruko and kaa-san to finish. I was still half-asleep when I opened the bathroom door. I was actually so exhausted yesterday after training with Zabuza-sensei that I completely forgot we even HAD house guests." Sighing heavily once again, Naruto thanked Ayame for the third bowl before he continued on. "As soon as I realized what was going on, I turned around, shut the door, and apologized for stepping in on her while she was drying herself off. Seeing her naked was a complete accident. I assure you."

Sakura was the next to speak up as her boyfriend worked on downing his third bowl of ramen. "So, did you like what you saw? Is she prettier than us?" Ino nodded in agreement with the question. It was something she was genuinely curious about as well. If their boyfriend gave the wrong answer, they'd have to do something about it.

Naruto finished his third bowl before deciding to speak again. Handing it to Ayame and asking for fourths, he turned to Sakura this time and gently patted her hand. "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, you should already know that I love you both and Naruko-chan very much. There's nobody more beautiful in my eyes than the three of you. Yes, I'll admit that I think Kurotsuchi-chan's cute, but am I interested in her in that way? No. I have you three." Smiling sweetly, he kissed Sakura on the cheek before working on his fourth bowl of ramen.

At this point, Ino and Sakura both nodded to each other. They both remembered a conversation they had yesterday about Naruto and his sister. Ino decided to voice what the both of them were thinking. "You know Naruto-kun, after something that Zabuza-sensei of yours said yesterday, I was trying to figure out what he meant by something he said to you and me. And now that you're talking about loving Naruko-chan and the things you're saying about her, it really makes me wonder." Grabbing hold of his whiskers, Ino forced him to face her. Smirking deviously, she flicked him in the nose. "Since when did you get together with your sister of all people?"

Naruto's eyes widened and it became clear that the wheels were turning in his head at this point. Oh shit I forgot! I had to go out on that mission and I never found the chance to tell them before I left! Oh crap oh crap oh crap! Umm… The whiskered blonde smiled nervously and began rubbing the back of his head, a clear sign that he was both nervous and knew for a fact he was in deep, deep trouble with his girlfriends. "U-Um, you see…it, uhh…it happened before I left on that mission. Naruko-chan was acting kind of funny about two weeks before that. She, umm…after talking a bit, it was revealed that she's, erm…in love with me. It was pretty obvious when she kissed me."

At that, Ino's and Sakura's eyes went wide and they looked as if they were about ready to strangle their boyfriend. "She WHAT?! But…but she's your SISTER Naruto-kun! And…what about us?!" Sakura shouted out loud enough for the entire surrounding area to hear.

Naruto patted their hands and sighed heavily. "Umm, let me explain, please. There's…well, you know how kaa-san, Naruko-chan, and I are the last of our clan, right?" Seeing the two of them nod, he smiled and continued on. "Kaa-san explained to me that as a result of that, at some point it could be expected for the Council to put me in something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. But, more importantly than that, it's been known in clans like ours that, at times, there's, erm…incest. Apparently it helps keep things 'pure' and it's a regular practice in the Hyuga clan and others it seems. Gah, I don't really know how to explain this as well as Kaa-san did!"

Ruffling his hair, the blonde shinobi groaned and banged his head upon the counter. "Point is, it's not really frowned upon for Naruko-chan and I to be together, and even have children together in the future if we choose to. But more importantly, if the Council does force me into the CRA like Kaa-san seems to think they're going to at some point, I'll be forced to take multiple wives. I truly meant to tell the two of you before my mission, but I was panicking. I wasn't sure how to break the news to the both of you, and I just…I want all three of you to be happy. I truly love the three of you, and I don't want to lose any of you."

Feeling two different hands running through his hair gently, Naruto raised his head to see both Sakura and Ino smiling at him sweetly. Ino lightly flicked his nose while Sakura began to play with his whiskers. "Silly Naru-kun. We love you." Ino leaned in and kissed his lips sweetly, tasting the broth of the ramen upon his lips as she did. Leaning back, she licked her lips while Sakura took her turn. "Yummy." Smirking at her boyfriend, Ino watched him blush deeply before brushing her fingers along his cheek. "Sweetheart, we aren't mad at you. We just wish you would have told us sooner. We knew how Naruko-chan felt about you even before you did. It just took you too long to realize it. Silly Naru-kun."

Naruto smiled at his two girlfriends and felt tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. Quickly wiping them away with his sleeve, he wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them close. "I really love you two. You truly are beautiful to me. I really want us to be together forever. Nothing will get in our way." Smiling brightly, he kissed them on their cheeks before releasing them.

For the rest of their time at the restaurant, the three shared small talk about a variety of things. These things included the kinds of training they were all undergoing, the upcoming Chunin Exams, missions they had all been on, their teammates, and more. When they were finally finished with their meals, Naruto paid and proceeded to escort the two of them to their homes. Both received a kiss goodnight, much to their delight. Afterwards, the blonde knucklehead proceeded to head home and get some rest. After all, he was supposed to head out on another C-rank mission tomorrow according to his sensei.

Two months later

Naruto was walking through the village of Konoha with his three girlfriends and his teammates: Choji and Shino. Naruto's team had been informed days ago that they had been signed up for the Chunin Exams. The same was done for Naruko's and Ino's teams. Sakura's team was just informed by Kakashi Hatake earlier today. As nervous as Sakura and Ino were, they were calmed by Naruto's words and his mere presence and were currently leaning into him while Naruko walked just off to the side of Ino. Choji and Shino, used to this kind of situation by now, simply walked behind the group without much of a care. It was just a day to spend together and they were all comfortable with it.

Sadly, their peace was shattered when they heard a scream from a nearby alley followed by what was obviously a threat to the victim's life, if not his health. Naruto freed himself from his girlfriends' grasp and quickly drew the first sword he was gifted, his nodachi, and rushed into the alley, his girlfriends and team immediately following after.

The sight that greeted them was troubling. There were two Suna shinobi: a man with paint on his face, wearing a full, black outfit of some sort. In fact, if Naruto had to describe him in more detail, he'd say the guy looked like a badly dressed clown with cat ears. Shaking his head of the thought, his attention was then drawn to the kunoichi behind him. She was pretty, but aside from that, he noticed that she had a weapon strapped to her back of some kind. Glancing back to the male, he saw that the victim in his hands was Konohamaru, the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage!

Before the punk could hurt Konohamaru, Naruto twisted his foot slightly and disappeared, kicking up a bit of dust as he did so. When he reappeared, the blonde Jinchuriki hit the stranger hard in the face with the hilt of his sword before gripping Konohamaru by his collar and tossing him to the others. Twirling his sword a moment, he took a stance and prepared himself for combat against the Suna ninja. "You two do realize that this is the Sandaime's grandson, do you not? Watch how you act in our village Suna shinobi or you'll end up cut down where you stand. If you're here for the Chunin Exams, that's fine, but any further actions like this and you'll find yourself regretting it."

The Suna shinobi growled as he rubbed his cheek. Turning, he glared into Naruto's eyes before he felt a chilling presence. Suddenly a redhead appeared by his side and he felt a cold sweat running down his back. "Kankuro, stop this foolish behavior. We're not here to pick on kids. I'm disappointed in the both of you. Do you want me to kill you?" The redhead said, clearly scaring his teammates to the point they were clearly panicked.

Both the now named Kankuro and his female teammate nodded before turning to face their brother. "W-We're sorry Gaara. I'm…just a little riled up is all. I didn't mean anything by it." Kankuro stated, clearly hoping to assuage his brother's anger. He furthered this attempt by holding his hands up and waving them in the air in a placating manner. "I'm truly sorry, forgive me!"

The female of the group sighed and glared daggers at her brother. "Kankuro, are you trying to start a damn war?! First you attack the Sandaime Hokage's grandson, and then you piss off Gaara. What the hell were you thinking you idiot?!" Turning to Gaara, she smiled at him, trying the friendly approach to calm him. "Gaara, you know how Kankuro gets around children. Can you forgive us this one time and let it be?"

Gaara sighed and turned to stare at the blonde Jinchuriki. "As for you. Tell me your name."

Naruto tilted his head for a moment before shrugging and slipping his nodachi away. "According to Kaa-san, it's usually polite to offer your own name first before asking another for their name. However, I'll make an exception this time." Smiling at the redheaded boy, Naruto threw his hands behind his head and nodded. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Good to meetcha Mister Dark 'n' Creepy!" Chuckling to himself, the blonde kept a close eye on the boy named Gaara to see how he'd react.

Gaara shook his head and turned his back on the blonde Jinchuriki. "Gaara. Mother seems to be craving your blood Uzumaki. I hope to see you in the Chunin Exams." Turning to his siblings, Gaara spoke to them as he began to walk away. "Kankuro, Temari, we're leaving. Come on." With that, he disappeared out the end of the alley and around the corner.

The now named Temari went to follow after her brothers, but before following them around the corner, she shot a quick glance back at Naruto and smirked. Well, he's certainly an interesting one. The son of the Yondaime Hokage, and he's caught Gaara's interest. I'll have to keep an eye on this one. Laughing quietly to herself, Temari disappeared after her brothers, leaving the other group in the alley on their lonesome.

Naruto's three girlfriends grumbled before turning their gazes on their boyfriend. "Why the heck was she looking at Naru-kun like that?! She'd better not be thinking of trying anything. He's ours!" Ino exclaimed, grabbing hold of his left arm with both of hers before tugging him closer to her. Sakura gripped his other arm and pulled him close too while Naruko got in his face and kissed his lips softly for a moment before stepping back and taking her place next to Ino.

Naruto sighed and wished that he could rub his head at that moment. Shaking his head, he began to lead the group out of the alley and back towards their previous destination before they got distracted. "I don't know why she was looking at me like that either girls. Maybe she thought I looked like somebody she knows?" Seeing the looks his girlfriends were giving him, Naruto let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't think that one would work. I don't know why she looked at me like that. For now, let's just forget about it and enjoy the rest of our day together, shall we? After all, the Chunin Exams start tomorrow and who knows what could happen?" Smirking, he nodded his head at his friends and girlfriends before they disappeared into their restaurant of choice for the day.

The next day – In front of the Academy

Team 10 stood at the gates, looking ahead of them at the academy. All three of them were dressed in their usual attire, not feeling the need to change their outfits for the Exams for whatever reason. After a moment, Choji glanced towards their sensei and offered him a confident smile. "We won't let you down Asuma-sensei. We'll definitely come out Chunin by the end of these exams!"

Asuma chuckled softly before lighting up another cigarette. Nodding at his team, he then nodded towards the academy. "Go on in there and show them what you're capable of Naruto, Choji, Shino. I'm confident in all three of you. I know you won't let me down." With that, he watched as the three walked up to the academy building and entered without another word to him. These should be some entertaining Chunin Exams. I'm looking forward to it.

Once inside, the three members of Team 10 made their way up to the second floor and saw a rather large group of Genin crowded around a door marked 301. Frowning, Naruto looked to Shino for confirmation. "Genjutsu, no doubt about it Naruto. Let us proceed to the next floor."

Choji looked to his teammates and frowned a moment. "Should we tell them that it's just a simple Genjutsu or not Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head and looked to his friend as they walked past the group and proceeded up the stairs. "No. The reason is pretty simple too. If we leave them and they can't figure it out before the exams start, then it's less competition for us. It's sneaky and underhanded of those of us who figure it out, but in this world, you have to come to expect these kinds of tactics to be deployed. We are ninja after all."

When Choji nodded his head in understanding, Naruto nodded back and prepared to continue on once they reached the third floor. However, what they heard next temporarily distracted them from their plans. Shino was the one to speak up at this point. "It sounds as if there is a fight taking place elsewhere. Should we continue on or investigate Naruto?"

Naruto frowned and tapped a finger against his chin. "As tempting as it is to check it out, I don't think we should. Then again, it could be a good opportunity to scope out some of the competition. What do you two think?"

Choji frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather get into the first exam room and get ready for whatever's coming our way. While it is a good chance to see what some of the others are capable of, there's a good chance that we could be late if we went to take a look. Right?"

Shino nodded in confirmation of what Choji just said. "That is correct. It would be prudent of us to continue on to our destination rather than investigate. The final choice is up to you, though Naruto." Offering a small smile at his friend and teammate, Shino awaited Naruto's decision in silence.

Naruto smirked at his teammates and proceeded to continue on to the room they were meant to go to. "Let's just get to the exam room. Who cares about those that would rather fight it out and waste their stamina and chakra than get to the exam room, right? Just makes it that much easier for us to kick their butts later." Chuckling to himself, Naruto pushed open the door to room 301 and stepped inside with his teammates.

Immediately they were hit with a wave of KI from the others that had already made it. Shrugging it off, Naruto looked at his teammates to make sure they were well. Choji simply pulled out a bag of chips and began to chow down on them while Shino appeared to be unaffected as well. Turning to stare at the other participants, Naruto unleashed a bit of his own KI, making more than a few of them quiver where they sat. When he had his fun, the blonde Jinchuriki let them be and propped himself up against a nearby wall. "That'll teach 'em."

It didn't take long for more teams to show up, starting with Naruko's team, and then followed by Ino's and Sakura's teams. When Naruto got a look at Sasuke, he shook his head and laughed to himself. Typical. The teme picked a fight and got his ass kicked. Way to go teme-baka.

Sasuke glared his way and prepared to storm over and give Naruto a piece of his mind, but he was quickly shoved aside by Sakura and Ino who rushed over to greet and cling to their precious boyfriend. "Gah. Can't believe Sasuke tried to make Shikamaru and me late for this! He just had to pick a fight with that Lee guy. Guh, he was sooo creepy. Even though I told him I have a lovely boyfriend already, he still tried to hit on me!"

At that, Naruto's left eyebrow twitched upwards and he glanced around the room. "Hmm, it sounds like I'll have to teach this guy a lesson. What does he look like Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shivered before leaning in and resting her head upon Naruto's shoulder. "Creepy. He wears a green, spandex suit and he's got the creepiest eyebrows. Trust me; it won't take much to recognize him. Besides, with the amount of energy that guy has, it's hard not to recognize him. Still, be careful Naruto-kun. That guy's fast and he's really strong too. I doubt he can match up to you sweetie, but I want you to be careful nonetheless. Okay?" Moving her head from his shoulder, Sakura leaned up and kissed her boyfriend sweetly on the lips before seeing him nod in response.

"Okay. I'll be sure to watch out for him. If you say he's strong, then he's no doubt strong. Heck, if he did that to Sasuke, then he has to be pretty tough." Looking at his platinum blonde-haired girlfriend, Naruto smiled softly and began running his fingers through her hair. "How are you feeling Ino-chan? Are you nervous?"

Ino looked over at Naruko as she walked closer to them before turning to answer her boyfriend's question. "I'm fine. I was a little nervous at first, but just being able to hold you like this has calmed me down a lot. I feel as if I could take on anything right now. Thank you for holding me sweetie." Leaning up, she kissed Naruto as well before turning to Naruko. "And how are you holding up Naruko-chan? Your team holding up alright?"

Naruko laughed a bit at that before offering a smirk to her friends and boyfriend/brother. "Kurotsuchi-san and I still can't be classified as 'friends', but we aren't bickering as much anymore. We're ready, and we plan to show everyone here what we can do as a team. Though Rihoshi has been acting a bit odd these past few days. I'm a little worried about him. Still, I'm not too worried. We've got this and there's nothing that can stop us."

Before Ino and Sakura could even retort, they heard some kind of commotion nearby and looked to see that a silver-haired Konoha shinobi had just been attacked by some unknown ninja from some unknown village. Naruto heard them call it Otogakure, but he hadn't ever heard of it before. Still, he found the fact that, despite dodging the attack, the silver-haired shinobi collapsed to his knees and released his breakfast all over the floor. Interesting. If I had to guess, there's something special about that Oto shinobi's gauntlet. I guess I'll find out later if I end up fighting him.

Before anyone could even say anything more, or even help the Konoha shinobi, there was a large puff of smoke coming from the front of the room. Glancing in that direction, everyone saw a bunch of Konoha Chunin and a large, rather intimidating individual standing in the center of the large group. "You don't get to start any fights maggots! Let it go and save that crap for later!" Once he got his response, the big man looked around the room and smirked. "Now, I'll be your proctor for the first exam. Before we begin, let me just say one thing: Welcome to Hell boys and girls."

A/N: Okay, I have a few things to discuss here. Yes, Fu technically won the poll and you may be disappointed with me for not going with her, but I received some really good reasons for Kurotsuchi-chan. Still, there's more to it than just that. What it really came down to was me having to pick between Fu, Kurotsuchi, and Samui. They were the most popular choices, and I received some rather interesting opinions about all three of them. In the end, I decided that Kurotsuchi-chan would provide the biggest challenge for me, and therefore I chose to go with here. If you have problems with that, I do apologize. I know a LOT of you wanted to see Fu as the new teammate, and I apologize greatly for that. *bows* Gomenasai.

As for Kurotsuchi's behavior towards Naruto in this chapter, I feel that could use some clarification, don't you? ^^; While it may seem that she's already taken a romantic interest in him, it's a bit too soon for that, don'tcha think? Really, her behavior towards Naruto was just an attempt to get to Naruko-chan and piss her off more. The bathroom incident in the next scene may have lead to her becoming a little curious about him, but we'll just have to see now, won't we? ;)

Some of you may also be wondering about Rihoshi and the odd behavior I mentioned towards the end of the chapter. I assure you, the enigma known as Rihoshi will have more revealed about him soon. Watch for that to come in the third exam's preliminaries. And yes, there will be preliminaries in this fic as well, I assure you. It's rather important for what I have planned after all. *smirks and laughs evilly* Yes, I do this to make you ponder the possibilities! Think on it and curse me for not revealing more soooooner! Muwahahahahahahahahahaaaa!

.;;; *coughs* Uhh...okay. Sorry about that. I'm calm now. Anyways, overall I feel pretty damn satisfied with this chapter. I hope that you have all enjoyed it. Feel free to comment/review and send any PMs my way. Look forward to the next chapter! ^^