A/N - Damn were people ticked about Yuna in the previous chapter. Well, I can safely say you aren't going to like her in this chapter either. XD I'm not trying to bash her, so don't worry about that. She's just been through a lot and she definitely has her reasons. But at the same time, she IS being insensitive and hurting Naruto with her words and actions.

Anyways, I'm suffering from a massive migraine right now, so I'm going to cut this short. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2 – Pain

Naruto blinked in shock as he stared at the damage they had each done to his buddy, Dr. Grizzly. Sure, he had gotten his licks in and shown what he could do, but the girls? Paine had shot his friend full of holes with that gun of hers, which was still strange to him. Rikku had slashed his friend numerous times, leaving deep cuts all over his body. Yuna was the only one not to do any actual fighting. Instead, she kept everyone healed as they did battle with the mighty bear.

As Dr. Grizzly lay there on the ground in complete agony, Naruto gently petted him before looking at Yuna. "Can you please heal him now? He's in terrible pain."

The ex-summoner nodded and proceeded to cast Curaga on the poor thing to truly heal all of its wounds. She wanted to be extra sure that the poor thing wouldn't end up dying on them. When its wounds closed and it looked to be 100% again, she smiled at Naruto and said, "He should be fine now."

"Thank you, Yuna." Naruto said before turning and smiling at Dr. Grizzly. "How do you feel now buddy?" The bear stood up again and looked between Naruto and the girls for a while. After some time, he nodded his head to Naruto before walking off, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. Turning around as he sensed Anko land behind him, Naruto asked, "Sooo, how'd we do?"

Anko smiled at Naruto and said, "Well, despite not getting to see much from you, I can tell already that I'm going to need to get you a proper taijutsu form. Right now, you're pretty much just a straight-on brawler. I'll try to look into some kind of style for you, but before that, I think I'll teach you my style, just so you have something to fall back on should you need it. Other than that, I noticed that you can create an insane number of shadow clones. That's a good thing. It means we can really speed up your training. You do know what I'm talking about, right?"

Naruto nodded and said, "The memories of the shadow clones get transferred back to the original upon dispelling, yes. When I was studying the Shadow Clone Technique from the Scroll of Seals, I made sure that I fully understood the jutsu before practicing it. Unfortunately, while I'm sure the shadow clones can transfer information on various taijutsu styles, I'd personally need to practice with them. On top of that, any physical training exercises, such as building up my muscle mass, would have to be done by me. While shadow clones could transfer their memories on a variety of things to me, there's certain things they just cannot do."

"Good. Glad to see you paid attention Naruto-kun. We're going to get you started on some important chakra control exercises that will come in handy throughout your ninja career. Rather than try one at a time, I'm going to make you practice both at once so you get double the experience! Yay EXP points! Level up!" Anko exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air.

Naruto blinked a couple of times in confusion before he noticed the girls of YRP looking away and blushing slightly at what they had heard Anko say. Staring between them and Anko, he soon palmed his face and mumbled, "I have no idea what's going on anymore."

Anko blinked a couple of times as if only now realizing what she had said and done. Coughing into her fist to try and compose herself, she soon said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me there." Looking at Naruto, she said, "Anyways, as I was saying, you'll be learning water walking and tree climbing at the same time. Well, your shadow clones will be doing the work for you there. I'll have you studying with me in my taijutsu style. Once you're proficient in that and I'm satisfied with your progress, I'll get you started on a style more suited to your fighting style. As for your shadow clones, once they've mastered those two chakra control exercises, I'll start some of them on different control exercises, while the others will practice in elemental manipulation exercises. 'Course we've gotta figure out your chakra nature first. We'll do that when I feel it's time."

The Snake Mistress turned to the girls at this point and said, "I have no idea what to say about you girls. Yuna, your healing magic is incredible. Can all three of you do that?"

Yuna nodded and said, "Yes. You see, we use these things called Garment Grids and Dresspheres. Each Garment Grid is unique and offers bonuses to things such as our strength and speed, to our intellect, thus making our spells more powerful. As for the Dresspheres, each one is unique and grants us different abilities. For instance, if we were to switch to the Gun Mage Dressphere, we can fire magical bullets at our enemies. At the same time, we can target pretty much anything's weakness with special bullet techniques. Finally, we can use something called Blue Magic to use the abilities of certain foes. We've learned a variety of abilities from the enemies we've come across in the past."

"I see. Sounds incredibly useful. Do you think Naruto-kun and I could make use of these Dresspheres?" Anko questioned, sounding genuinely intrigued by the prospect.

The brunette nodded her head and said, "Yes, I'm positive you can. We have spare Garment Grids, and we've got numerous copies of each Dressphere, so you both can make use of them if you want. But…" Looking at Naruto, she frowned for a moment and said, "I'm not sure what will happen if Naruto tries to use them. Dresspheres have been primarily used by women, or more specifically, us. I'm not sure what would happen if a male tried to make use of the Dresspheres."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Well, you'll never know if you don't try it out, right? Might as well test it out, especially if we're going to be an effective team. But, if you're uncomfortable with me having anything to do with you and your abilities, I'll stick to good ol' shinobi techniques. You've already made it quite clear that you're not comfortable so much as being near me, after all."

At this, Yuna flinched, but didn't deny his point. Rather than apologize, she looked at Anko and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to know, Anko-sensei?"

Anko frowned deeply and asked, "Not even going to try and deny it, huh?" Shaking her head in disappointment, she looked Yuna hard in the eyes and asked, "How many of these Dresspheres are there? The different ones, I mean. And what do they all specialize in exactly? I need to know everything you can tell me about each of them so I know what to expect and what I can do to help you girls improve."

Rikku did the math in her head real quickly before she took over the explanation. "16 different Dresspheres in total. Unless of course, you count the Special Dresspheres, which are unique to the three of us. Yunie's got Floral Fallal, I've got Machina Maw, and Paine's got Full Throttle. Only we can use those, though."

Paine took over at this point. "The first Dressphere to talk about would be Gunner. It's the Dressphere you normally see Yuna in, and it's the one I Spherechanged to before we fought Dr. Grizzly. As the name implies, we make use of special machines called guns. Gunner's have access to a special rapid-fire attack called Trigger Happy. Using it, we can fire off dozens of shots at a time, though the individual attacks during Trigger Happy deal slightly less damage than a regular attack would."

Rikku piped up at this point saying, "Then there's Thief! That's the Dressphere I normally use. Thieves can slip past an enemy's guard and go pilfery-pilfer, snatching items from the enemies before striking them down with these lovely daggers."

"Then there's Warrior. Warriors wield swords, like this one." Paine said as she reverted to her default Dressphere and showed Anko her sword. Anko had to admit, she liked the design. "Warriors are frontline fighters and deal some good damage. However, their main purpose is to absorb blows and protect the other party members. They make use of a special ability known as Sentinel to brace themselves and reduce any damage dealt to them to an insignificant amount."

Yuna piped up at this point. "Songstress is the next Dressphere. Songstresses can't attack. Their main focus is supporting party members through the use of songs or dances. While dancing, they can do a variety of things such as blinding their foes, preventing them from casting spells or using other abilities, etc. And their songs can increase various attributes of their party members. This includes buffing their strength so they deal more damage, increasing their speed, etc."

"Next up is Festivalist. That's…a rather unique Dressphere. It varies depending on the user. For example, my weapons are a bag of fish and cotton candy!" Rikku exclaimed cheerfully. "I know, it's weird, but we each get to do a bunch of different things. It's kinda fun! And when we're really hurting bad, these two abilities known as SOS Regen and SOS Wall kick in. Regen is basically an auto-heal spell that heals us gradually over time. Wall casts spells known as Shell and Protect on us. Shell lowers the damage we receive from enemy spells and abilities, or in your guys' case, these jutsu thingies! Protect lowers the physical damage we receive. Pretty neat stuff, huh?!"

Paine spoke up again. "Next is Psychic. Not sure what the equivalent would be in this world…"

Naruto interrupted and said, "The Yamanaka clan are similar to psychics. We've got typical scam artists fooling people into believing they have psychic abilities. But the closest thing to actual psychics we have in Konoha is the Yamanaka clan. We'll explain the clans in detail later. Please continue Paine-chan."

The silver-haired warrior nodded in thanks before she continued with her explanation. "Anyways, Psychics use their abilities to attack enemies with blasts of psychic energy. Using Telekinesis, they can instantly kill an enemy, they are that powerful. It doesn't always work, but it sure is useful. They're also immune to most elemental attacks and even absorb said elements to restore their health."

"Sounds like a pretty useful Dressphere. So what's next?" Anko questioned.

Yuna took over at this point. "Black Mage is the next Dressphere. They can't attack in the traditional sense. Instead, they can cast a variety of attack spells, such as Firaga or Blizzaga. And when their mana pool gets low, they can use an ability called MP Absorb to drain an enemy's mana pool to restore their own."

"White Mage is what you saw me using earlier." Yuna continued. "Again, White Mages can't attack. Instead, they focus on keeping the party healed. It's really as simple as that."

"Gun Mage, we described before." Paine said. "Gun Mages wield magic guns that fire magic bullets to deal more damage to an enemy than Gunner would. On top of that, they have the ability to use Scan, which allows them to learn detailed information about their opponents. Of course, they can also use Fiend Hunter abilities to deal massive damage to a variety of opponents, such as reptiles and lupines."

"Dark Knight's up next!" Rikku exclaimed excitedly. "Dark Knights are basically powerhouses. They're immune to most status effects, such as being poisoned or confused. They can also use an ability called Darkness that deals massive damage in exchange for a bit of your health. While it sounds kinda bad, we made good use of that and the Alchemist Dressphere to kill Angra Mainyu. That thing was a toughie!"

Anko blinked a couple of times and asked, "Angra Mainyu?"

Paine shook her head and said, "We'll explain later sometime. Continuing on, the next Dressphere is Berserker. As the name implies, we have the ability to go berserk and go into a full-on battle frenzy. We don't stop attacking until the enemy is dead. Berserkers also have Auto-Regen, which ensures that we're always regaining health."

Rikku giggled excitedly for a moment before she said, "Alchemist is the next one. That's one of my absolute FAVORITES! The main ability of an Alchemist is the ability to mix various items together to create one super big awesome thingy of happiness! Some mixtures heal everybody, others unleash some seriously powerful attacks, it all depends on what you combine together. It's fun fun fun!"

Yuna blushed a bit as she said, "Then comes Lady Luck. The outfits are so revealing for that one." Sighing softly, she shook her head and said, "Lady Luck uses large, razor-sharp playing cards to deal damage. They can use Bribe to pay a sum of money to the enemy to convince them to leave while handing over an item of some kind. They can also use a variety of gambling abilities such as Four Dice and Random Reels. Four Dice pretty much does exactly what it implies: we roll four large dice, and depending on the number, the enemy receives invisible blows depending on the number. So say you roll a 16. The enemy would then take 16 hits that deal varying amounts of damage."

Rikku grinned and said, "The next one is Trainer. Trainer is another unique one in the fact that we each get a different pet. For instance, I have a monkey friend named Ghiki. We each get to use different abilities depending on the pet we have. One of the most useful abilities shared by each of us is HP Stroll. With that, as long as we're in that Dressphere and we walk around, we regain health. Pretty nice, huh?"

"Next up is Samurai. I assume you have samurai here in your world?" Paine questioned.

"Yep. The majority of this world's samurai live in the Land of Iron, but there are some that guard daimyos and the like." Naruto explained.

"Good to know." Paine replied. "Anyways, Samurais are able to use a variety of abilities, such as throwing money at our enemies to deal damage. The more money you throw, the more damage is dealt. They're also able to use an ability call Shin-Zantetsu to instantly kill enemies. Though, there is a chance it will fail."

"Finally is Mascot. That one's…pretty embarrassing. But as with Festivalist and Trainer, it varies depending on the user. One thing that's shared between them is three different abilities. Ribbon, Auto-Shell, and Auto-Protect. You already know what Shell and Protect do, so I'll skip over those. Ribbon prevents us from being inflicted with any status ailments at all, such as poison or petrification." Yuna explained.

"Uh-huh. Sounds like they're all useful in their own, different ways." Anko said. "What about those Special Dresspheres of yours?"

Yuna blushed again and said, "Mine's…revealing. But the Special Dresspheres are so powerful that the other two usually have to back away and let the one using the Special Dressphere fight. They can deal tremendous damage, have impressive defense and intellect, and are immune to status ailments as well. Using Special Dresspheres, we have a wide variety of abilities at our disposal. My Right Pistil is able to cast various buffs, while my Left Pistil can deal damage and inflict status ailments on the enemy. In other words, if we want a decisive victory, the Special Dresspheres are the way to go."

"I see. Sounds like those could come in handy." Anko said, nodding her head in understanding. "I'm curious about something. Can any of those Dresspheres remove this curse mark on my neck?" she questioned, showing them her curse mark. "My old sensei placed this on me and left me to rot afterwards. It pisses me off and I can't stand this damn thing."

Yuna looked at it with a frown and said, "I can sense something evil coming from that thing. Give me a moment, I want to try something."

They watched as Yuna switched to her Psychic Dressphere and touched her mark. Looking at the others, Anko asked, "What's she doing?"

Rikku held up a finger and said, "Shush. Just wait." Anko simply nodded her head and waited patiently to see what Yuna could do.

Inside the Curse Mark

Yuna looked through her visor at the pale snake-like man hiding within the seal. Frowning slightly, she asked, "What are you doing inside the mark?"

The man quirked a brow as he looked the invader up and down curiously. "You shouldn't be in here. What are you doing here?"

The brunette frowned and said, "I asked you first. It would seem you're torturing poor Anko-sensei. You're the source of the evil I felt, aren't you?"

Orochimaru's soul fragment chuckled and said, "How perceptive of you. Yes, I am a part of Orochimaru, or rather, I am him. Do begone, the sight of you makes me wretch."

Yuna shook her head and held up her hand, focusing on her telekinetic abilities before muttering, "Begone demon." and used her Telekinesis ability to destroy the soul fragment. Afterwards, she retreated back to her own body and nearly fell backwards.

"Yunie?" Rikku questioned as she helped Yuna stay standing. "What did you find?"

The brunette shook her head and said, "A man, he looked similar to a snake. Said he was a piece of Orochimaru. I destroyed the soul fragment, but I don't know if that's enough to help."

Anko clutched at the mark in pain. She could feel it burning her skin as it started to fade away. When it finally stopped, she looked at where the curse mark had been, only to see it was gone. Smiling happily, the Snake Mistress dropped onto her butt and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Naruto looked over her neck and frowned slightly. "It's left a nasty burn. Are you sure you're okay, Anko-chan?"

The Snake Mistress nodded and smiled at him. "A little burn's a small price to pay for getting that hickey of doom off of me. But…"

Yuna, figuring she might ask if they could heal it, switched to her White Mage Dressphere and proceeded to heal Anko so it wouldn't cause anymore discomfort. "Is that better?"

Naruto decided to speak up at this point. "Thanks, but that's not what we're worried about." Sighing sadly, he looked into the eyes of each of the YRP girls and decided to explain. "Anko-chan and I are ostracized in the village. They call her names like 'Snake Slut' and 'Demon Whore' and other various insults. They've tried to hurt her like they do me, but Anko's tougher than I am. She fought back and made sure her attackers paid for it. Which is a damn good thing, because some of them wanted to…to…"

Seeing their eyes widen in recognition of what he was about to say, Anko nodded her head and said, "Yes, they tried to rape me. Some assholes have even tried to drug me before, but I wasn't falling for that shit. Point is, even though I'm rid of the curse mark now, they'll still treat me like that simply because I'm the ex-student of Orochimaru of the Sannin. Orochimaru's one of the village's biggest traitors and a real scumbag. You see, he performed a number of illegal experiments on people. Turned a lot of people into grotesque monstrosities and killed countless others in his science experiments. He was chased out of the village, but he only got away because the Third Hokage is a soft fool that couldn't bring himself to kill his favorite student."

Sighing in frustration, Anko soon continued. "I was recovered from a lab in the Land of the Sea. I was abandoned with no real memory of what happened to me. The Anbu recovered me and brought me back to the village…where I was quickly labeled as a potential traitor of the village, simply because I was a student of that snake. I don't have it quite as bad as Naruto-kun here, but it's still no walk in the park."

Yuna frowned and asked, "How can he possibly have it worse than nearly being RAPED?! That's horrible!"

Naruto scowled at Yuna, which didn't go unnoticed by Rikku, Paine, and Anko. Standing up again, the blonde looked at Anko and said, "I think I'm going to go home and study my parents' scrolls and fuinjutsu books for a while, Anko-chan. I'll see you tomorrow for training and missions." And with that, Naruto walked off without looking at the four women.

Once he was gone, Anko stood up and glared hard into Yuna's eyes. "Nice going girlie. I'm not permitted to tell you everything, but just know he has it worse than I do. I'm NOT kidding about that." she said somewhat angrily. "You girls are dismissed for the day. Go enjoy the home you robbed from him."

Yuna flinched as she watched Anko disappear back towards the entrance of the forest. Rikku looked sadly at her cousin, unable to utter a word. Paine, however, said, "Yuna, that was insensitive of you. We don't know everything about Naruto yet. I get that you don't trust him, and I understand why you refused to let him live with us, but if we're going to be on a team with him, you NEED to try and understand him and at least try to form a bond of some kind. I highly doubt he wants to try and replace Tidus. But you're making things INCREDIBLY difficult."

The brunette watched as Paine walked off, clearly upset by what had just happened. Looking at Rikku, she asked, "Did…did I really screw up that badly?"

"Yunie…I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I can't lie to you either. I'll just say that you should try and get to know Naruto-kun a bit better. It might be for the best." Rikku said before she and Yuna started to follow after Paine.

Yuna sighed and said, "I just…I feel like, if I get to know Naruto on a more personal level…if I choose to live with him…if I do anything at all like that, I'll be betraying Tidus. I can't do it."

"Yunie…" The perky blonde looked at her cousin and said bluntly, "Tidus isn't coming back. The Fayth tricked you. They used you. Led you and us around by the nose, fooling us into saving the world again. And then at the end? Psych! No Tidus for you! I know it's hard for you to accept, and I know you're holding out hope that we can return home, but you need to face the facts here, Yunie. Tidus is gone and he's NEVER coming back. There's nothing we can do about that! It sucks. It REALLY sucks. I know, because I cared a lot about him too. Tidus was cool! But he was never like us. He was a dream of the Fayth, and they chose to rip him away from you. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

The gunner felt tears trickling down her cheeks and she shook her head negatively. "You don't know that for sure! He…he could be waiting for me back at home! I…"

Having enough of it, Rikku turned and slapped Yuna across the face. "No, Yunie! Even if we found a way home, Tidus won't be there! He never really existed to begin with! I refuse to let you delude yourself! No matter what it takes, I'll get you to see the truth. You can't betray someone that's already gone!"

All Yuna could do was stare at Rikku in shock as tears began to run down her cheeks even faster. Running on ahead, Rikku could hear Yuna sobbing the entire time. "Yunie…"

Anko

"Are you really sure putting them on a team together was the right decision?" Anko asked the Hokage as she stared hard into his eyes. They were waiting on the other Jonin senseis to show up to announce whether their teams passed or failed. So, while waiting, Anko just had to ask that question.

Hiruzen frowned and asked, "Naruto and Yuna aren't getting along too well, are they?"

"That's an understatement. Naruto-kun is trying to get along with her, despite the fact she pretty much stole the home his parents lived in and left for him. He's doing the best he can. But Yuna? Fuck that girl dammit! She can't seem to see the fact that Naruto's suffering inside. He's angry, he's upset, and he's feeling more than just a tad resentful of her right now. And she's only making things worse. Rikku and Paine would make a pretty good team for him, but Yuna? I don't know, Hokage-sama. It's a powder keg just waiting to explode between them." Anko explained.

The Third nodded in understanding. "I understand what you're saying, Anko-chan. However, I truly believe that if anyone can help Yuna through whatever kind of funk she's in, it would be Naruto-kun. Give it a chance. However, if things don't improve between them in a few months, I want you to tell me. I'd like Naruto-kun to have a fair shot in the Chunin Exams, and if it turns out that he can't work with Yuna, I'd like to know so we can figure something else out."

Anko frowned, but nodded her head in understanding. "All right, Hokage-sama. But I'm tired of seeing Naruto-kun hurt. She's being rather insensitive towards him and it's frustrating as hell to try and deal with. I'll give her a chance, but something better happen to knock some damn sense into her. What the hell's her problem, anyway?"

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "I'm not entirely certain, but her problems seem to revolve around a man named Tidus. I haven't been informed of what exactly transpired between the two of them, but it's obviously she cared for this man. It sounds to me as if he was taken from her unfairly."

The Snake Mistress scoffed and said, "She needs to get over herself if that's the case. I get that she's lost a loved one, but for fuck's sake! She's taking it out on Naruto-kun and it pisses me off!"

Hiruzen nodded solemnly, but before he could reply, the other Jonin senseis began filing into the room. Looking at each of them, he went into business mode and said, "Starting with Team 1, report whether your team passes or fails. Begin."

After the Jonin senseis for Teams 1 – 6 announced that their teams failed, Ibiki Morino prepared to speak. However, when he opened his mouth, the door opened and in walked a familiar silver-haired Jonin. Walking up to the front of the room, he eye smiled and said, "I hope I'm not late?"

The Hokage scowled at Kakashi and asked, "And what do you think you're doing here Hatake? You are not the sensei of any team."

Kakashi narrowed his eye at the Hokage before saying, "The councils have deemed it appropriate that I take over as Team 7's sensei. Do you really want to go against their orders?"

Hiruzen flared his massive killing intent, bringing Kakashi to his knees and stunning everyone else in the room. Slowly, he stood up and walked up to Kakashi. "How DARE you go behind my back and try to get them involved?! I have had it with you and your arrogance, Kakashi Hatake! Seeing as you are unworthy of it, I'll be confiscating the Sharingan you hold so dear! Think of this as your punishment for DARING to go against me!"

Kakashi's eye widened in terror and he tried to will himself to move. However, he couldn't even stand on his own two feet. He was forced to watch as Hiruzen ripped off his headband, threw it aside, and then, without a second of hesitation, ripped Obito's Sharingan straight from his head. Screaming out in agony, Kakashi began to curse the Hokage with every fiber of his being.

Snapping his fingers, Hiruzen smiled as two Anbu appeared at his sides. Handing the Sharingan to Anbu Cat, a.k.a. Yugao Uzuki, he commanded, "Take this to the hospital and make sure to preserve it. Don't let a single one of those idiots touch it. I've got a special plan for that eye. And you," he pointed at the other Anbu at this point, "Take Kakashi to the prison and lose the damn key. I don't want him to EVER see the light of day again." Both Anbu nodded and left to carry out his orders, the second Anbu disappearing with Kakashi.

Once they were gone, Hiruzen walked back around his desk and took a seat once more. Looking seriously at the remaining Jonin, he waved at Ibiki and said, "Report."

Ibiki sighed and shook his head. "I'm honestly not sure whether to pass my team or not. The Uchiha is an arrogant son-of-a-bitch. He's full of himself and thinks himself better than everyone else. Sasuke doesn't understand the concept of teamwork and treats his teammates as if they are beneath him."

"Sakura is a diehard fangirl for the Uchiha. She seems unable to see his flaws. Her obsession with the Uchiha is to the point that she's dieting to try and look pretty for him. She constantly belittles everyone that's not her precious 'Sasuke-kun' in an obvious effort to make herself feel better. Sasuke doesn't respond to her advances, he doesn't so much as talk to her. He's a rude, abrasive asshole."

Sighing, Ibiki massaged his forehead for a moment before continuing. "Sakura…is pathetic. She has no stamina, she has no real strength, and she falls for the most basic of traps and genjutsu. She is also unable to deal with torture of any kind. I'm not sure if even I can beat her into shape and snap her out of her fangirl obsession." Hearing this, the other Jonin in the room began to mutter amongst themselves.

Hiruzen flared his chakra and shouted out, "Be quiet! Ibiki, continue please."

Ibiki nodded before letting a smile cross his face. "The only saving grace on the team is Pyrrha Nikos. She is as patient a person as you can get. Pyrrha took everything in stride and even figured out the purpose of the test I gave to them. She attempted to communicate with the other two so they could formulate some kind of strategy to pass. Sasuke and Sakura were not having any of it, however. So, rather than work directly with them, she aided them from the shadows, doing what she could to give them a chance at passing. However, when Sasuke realized what she was doing, he turned on her and actually attacked her, belittling her and telling her that he didn't need any of her, and I quote, "fucking help"."

The others were shocked at what they just heard. Hiruzen, however, was absolutely furious. "I've tolerated his existence for too long! Anbu!" Heeding his call, one of his Anbu appeared before him, kneeling and bowing his head in respect. "Collect Sasuke Uchiha and bring him before me. I want to have a word with him and see just how far gone he is."

The Anbu nodded and disappeared to go and retrieve the Uchiha. Once again, the Hokage motioned for Ibiki to continue. "Pyrrha's kekkei genkai is incredible. She's able to control metal of all kinds. A type of magnetic polarization, if you will. She turned every metallic weapon we had on me and damn near skewered me before Sasuke interfered. Even if the other two fail, I'd be proud to take her on as an apprentice."

Hiruzen smiled and said, "I might just grant you that request. I'm sure she could greatly benefit from studying under you, Ibiki."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Ibiki said.

After a moment, the Anbu appeared again with Sasuke. Forcing the Uchiha to kneel before the Hokage, he asked, "Do you require anything else, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen smiled and shook his head. "You are free to return to your post." He watched as the Anbu nodded before disappearing once again. Returning his gaze to Sasuke, he watched as the boy went to stand. Deciding he'd have to cow the boy into submission, he unleashed his massive killing intent on the boy. It didn't take long before everyone heard the sound of Sasuke peeing himself.

Scowling, Hiruzen said, "I should make you clean my floor, but something tells me you'd refuse even if I made it a direct order. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them honestly. Try to refuse, and I promise you that I will take your headband and bar you from EVER leaving the village to 'avenge your clan'."

Seeing Sasuke glaring at him, Hiruzen stood up and walked around his desk. Approaching the Uchiha, Hiruzen looked down at him coldly before backhanding him in the face, sending him crashing to the floor. "Sasuke Uchiha, did you, or did you not, attack Pyrrha Nikos when she tried to assist you in your test earlier today?"

Sasuke slowly sat up again and glared up at the Hokage. "That bitch was trying to get in my way! I don't need her goddamn help and I don't need a team of LOSERS! I'm an elite! I will kill Itachi and avenge my clan! So yes, I attacked that weak bitch to show her not to cross me. I should've killed her for daring to get in my way!"

The other shinobi in the room glared at the Uchiha, despising his attitude. Meanwhile, the Hokage simply stared down at Sasuke apathetically. "I see. Sasuke, do you understand why she was helping you?"

"Because she wanted to ride on my success! She can't do a damn thing on her own, so she tried to take my glory! If she had just kept out of it, I'd be a true Genin by now!"

Sighing, Hiruzen took a moment before he backhanded Sasuke again, once more making him fall to the floor. "Teams in Konohagakure are formed of one Jonin and three Genin. We pride ourselves on our teamwork and our ability to work together to overcome any obstacle. You CANNOT do everything on your own, especially not in my village."

When Sasuke went to stand, Hiruzen pressed his foot against Sasuke's head and pinned him to the floor. "Did you ever even attempt to get therapy after what you went through? Or did you prefer to stay alone, brooding over what you lost?"

"I don't need any goddamn therapy! Therapy is for the weak! I am strong! I am an elite! We Uchiha founded this village and we were meant to run it and exterminate all the weaklings! We would never have tolerated such failures!" Sasuke exclaimed angrily.

"I see." Reaching down, he ripped off Sasuke's headband and set it on his desk. "As of this moment, you are no longer a shinobi of Konohagakure. You will spend the rest of your life behind bars. We'll collect sperm samples from you and implant them in willing women, ready to have your children. However, you will never see them. You won't have any chance to poison the minds of your future children. Your chakra will be sealed off and you will never obtain your Sharingan. You will rot in prison until you die. I will not tolerate your kind in my village."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror and he exclaimed, "You can't do this to me! The councils will protect me! They hold power over you! You can't go against them, you stupid old man!"

Hiruzen quirked a brow and smirked sinisterly at Sasuke. "They've really played you for a fool. The councils hold no sway over me. They can bitch and moan all they want, but in the end they can't do a thing. Now farewell, Sasuke Uchiha. I'll personally oversee the sealing of your chakra and the collection of your sperm. I want to see your pain, your frustration. I'm going to enjoy every second of it too. Now, Anbu! Take him away!"

Another Anbu appeared before grabbing the Uchiha and disappearing with him. Once that was over and done with, Hiruzen retook his seat before looking at Ibiki. "I'm going to trust you to break Sakura and rebuild her from the ground up. I'll place another person on your team. I think one Ruby Rose would love to join your team. She's a couple years younger than the others, but she's exceptionally skilled and I think she'll make a fine addition."

Ibiki smiled at the Hokage before all eyes turned to Kurenai. Seeing she now had the floor, the red-eyed woman said, "Team 8 passed my test. Unfortunately, Kiba is a problem I hadn't anticipated. He's full of himself, claiming himself to be an alpha male. On top of that, he seems to have it in his head that women are meant to be used for reproduction purposes and that's it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he attempts to force himself on Hinata at some point." Kurenai scowled and said, "I swear to Kami that if he tries ANYTHING, I'm going to put him in such a nasty genjutsu he'll piss himself in fear."

Hiruzen scowled and said, "I see. Keep an eye on him and see what you can do. If his behavior persists, I'll get Tsume to deal with it in her own way. As it stands, he's the weak link on the team. His arrogance could very well lead to the deaths of your teammates and yourself."

Kurenai frowned, but nodded her head. "Agreed."

At this point, Asuma said, "Team 10 passes, barely. Like Sakura, Ino is a Sasuke fangirl. At first, she was quite bitchy, but as time went on, she worked together with her teammates and passed my test. I'm going to attempt to curb her fangirl tendencies and make her into a brilliant kunoichi. I also need to find a way to motivate Shikamaru and Choji. Shikamaru's lazy as hell, just like damn near all Nara males. Choji would rather eat and snack on chips and the like than train or hurt somebody. I worry that they won't make it out in the big, wide world."

Hiruzen frowned and said, "Your team will be stuck doing D-rank missions until I deem them fit for anything higher than that. I'm giving you one month to make them shape up. Afterwards, if they don't show any signs of improving themselves, I'm benching the team. I refuse to send ill-prepared Genin outside of the village. I suggest you inform them of this stipulation. It might motivate them properly."

"Roger that Pops." Asuma said before all eyes turned to Anko.

Looking around at everyone, Anko grinned and said, "My team's good. They earn a pass. Only real problem is the tension between Naruto-kun and Yuna. Yuna's causing conflict between the two of them and it's hard for Naruto-kun to deal with it. I think they're going to do their best to avoid each other for a while. I'll do my best to fix it, but…"

Hiruzen sighed and said, "Understood. I hope Naruto-kun can get through her shell and snap her out of her funk. For now, you'll be doing D-ranks until you feel Naruto and Yuna can work together despite their differences. Understood?"

Anko nodded and said, "Roger that Hokage-sama! I hate D-rank missions, but I'll do whatever it takes to ensure my team becomes the most badass team in the village. That's a promise!"

Chuckling a bit, Hiruzen looked around at all the gathered Jonin. "That will be all. You're dismissed. Asuma, can you inform my secretary that I need someone to clean the floor of my office? It's starting to smell in here." Asuma chuckled a bit and nodded before leaving the office.

Once everyone was gone, Hiruzen pulled out his crystal ball and decided to check in on Naruto. How are you holding up, Naruto-kun?

Naruto

Naruto was finding it difficult to concentrate on the material he was currently studying. He was just so fucking angry right now! Setting the scroll he had been reading back down on his table, he slammed his fist down and growled to himself. "Damn that bitch! First I'm forced to give up my home to them, I have to pretty much ask them if I can enter the house and borrow what belongs to me, now she says that?! I'll admit, I might have overreacted a bit, but for fuck's sake! Then she's hesitant to give me a chance in any way. Dammit I'm pissed!"

For a while, he raged, clearly frustrated with the entire situation. However, he stopped when he heard knocking at his door. Walking over to it, he opened it and was a little surprised to see his new sensei standing there. Letting her in, he retook his seat and asked, "Anko-chan? What's up?"

Pulling up a chair beside him, Anko placed a hand upon his cheek, rubbing his whisker marks tenderly. "Are you going to be okay, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto frowned and said, "Maybe. I don't know. I'm frustrated as hell. I'm trying to give her a chance, I really am. I understand that she's hurting, but she doesn't seem to realize that she's hurting me too. I won't hurt her, especially if she's suffering from a loss of some kind. But dammit! I…I had wanted to know about my parents for the longest time. I wanted to move into their home. I wanted a lot of things, and now it's been taken from me because Yuna can't handle being around me! It's not like I'm trying to replace this mystery guy of hers or something! I just want…" Sighing heavily, he shook his head and went quiet.

Seeing this, Anko pulled Naruto against her and kissed his cheek. "If it helps any, I'm here for you, Naruto-kun. Anko-chan will always be here for you."

Blushing, Naruto smiled at her and went to say thank you, only for his best friend to claim his lips with hers. Blushing even worse, he slowly started to kiss her back while hugging her closer against him. When they parted, Anko winked at him and said, "Even if nobody else does, just know that I love you, Naruto-kun. I always will."

"Thanks, Anko-chan. That really means a lot to me. To be honest…I've had a crush on you for the longest time. Never acted on my feelings though. I mean, I didn't think you'd be interested in a younger guy like me." he said, chuckling nervously.

Anko giggled a bit before saying, "Sweetheart, age means nothing to me. Unless you're old enough to be my grandpa or something, then it's pretty much a big ol' 'Fuck no!' for me." Chuckling again, she kissed him once more and simply held him close so his head was resting upon her impressive chest. "I'll take care of you, Naruto-kun. So please, for the time being, move in with me. Okay? It'd be safer and your things wouldn't be stolen so frequently. My apartment won't be vandalized and we could even cuddle every night if you wanted to! It…it would mean a lot to me if you did."

Blushing again, Naruto smiled up at her and said, "I'd like that, Anko-chan. Let's get my things packed and we can get me moved into your home. And…cuddling sounds nice."

"Damn right it does!" Anko exclaimed before she went and helped Naruto pack everything he needed and/or wanted to keep. Once they were done, she looked at him and said, "We're really going to need to get you some new clothes. Why do you wear so much orange, anyways?"

Naruto sighed and said, "It's the only thing they'd sell to me. I wasn't allowed to buy any other type of clothing. I think they wanted to make sure I'd hopefully die on any mission outside the village."

The Snake Mistress scowled at this. "I know a good place to go. They won't kick you out, and they'll treat you fairly, as if you were just another customer. Now c'mon, let's get going."

Naruto nodded in thanks and left his rundown apartment with his Anko-chan, the two of them making their way towards her apartment. Thank you, Anko-chan.

Later

For a while, Naruto studied the scrolls he had taken from his parents' home. So far, he had learned a bit about the history of the Uzumaki clan and what they were capable of. He also learned that the Uzumaki clan were allied with Konohagakure with their own village being known as Uzushiogakure. However, something struck him as odd.

If Uzushiogakure was protected by whirlpools at all times and their island nation had fortified defenses and powerful clan members…how could they have been wiped out? It made no sense to him! The only thing that he could think of was that someone from Konoha had betrayed them. So, thinking over everything he knew about the old people in the village, he came to the realization that one person in particular could very well have been behind the massacre of his clan. Danzo Shimura. If I find evidence that you brought about my clan's destruction, I will DESTROY you.

He was brought out of his musings though when there was a knock at the door. Anko walked past him, planting a kiss on his cheek as she went, and opened the door. Standing in her doorway was Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konoha. Smiling at Anko, he asked, "May I come in, Anko?"

The Snake Mistress nodded before moving aside to allow entrance into her humble abode. Once he was inside, Hiruzen took a seat near Naruto. "Naruto-kun, be honest with me. How are you holding up?"

The blonde scowled for a while before eventually sighing in frustration. "I'm frustrated, Gramps. I wanted so badly to move into my parents' home, but I had to give it up so those three would be safe. I have to ask permission if I want to enter the home and collect things. Yuna…she's been dismissive of me and tries not to deal with me if she can help it. She's not even apologetic to me for the things she's said and done! Then there was the Dressphere incident, and finally her insinuating that my suffering couldn't be anywhere near as bad as hers and Anko-chan's. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't give a rat's ass what she thinks of me, but there's just so much wrong with her! I think, deep down, she's comparing me to that Tidus guy in some way. That, and I get the feeling she's not fond of men period."

Anko frowned and said, "You might be onto something there. Something's DEFINITELY happened in her past. I'll see if I can't get her to open up a bit about Tidus and whatever else is bothering her. I get the feeling something big happened to make her wary around men, distrustful even."

Hiruzen frowned and scratched at his beard for a moment. "I remember her mentioning some man by the name of Seymour Guado when she talked with us about her past. When she spoke his name, it was with a hefty amount of disgust. I think he probably ties into her distrust in some way."

"Probably, but there's a chance there's more to it than just those two. I can't help but wonder just what the hell happened to her in the past that she's taking it out on me." Naruto said, still sounding quite frustrated.

"Regardless, I'm here to discuss something else with you, Naruto-kun. I have a proposition for you." Hiruzen said, smiling at his surrogate grandson.

Naruto quirked a brow and asked, "Oh? What's on your mind Gramps?"

"I removed Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan eye earlier before having him and Sasuke incarcerated. I would like to implant the Sharingan eye I took from him into you. It should help to improve your training even further, and I truly believe you can make good use of it. What do you say, my boy?"

The blonde's eyes widened as he tried to process what he had just been asked. While he thought it over, the Snake Mistress looked at the Hokage and asked, "Are you sure about this? You know how the villagers will react…"

"I don't care. Naruto has been wronged enough as it is. I think he deserves a little something special, don't you?" Hiruzen asked, a grin on his face. Anko simply nodded, conceding to his point.

Naruto decided to speak up at this point. "If you really think I can handle it, then I'll take it. I promise I'll make you AND my parents proud of me. Will I have to wear my headband over my eye like Kakashi had to?"

Hiruzen shook his head and smiled at Naruto. "I highly doubt it. The Sharingan was implanted into Kakashi hastily, and by someone inexperienced in such a transplant. We'll have trained professionals do the transplant. You should be able to turn it on and off at will."

"Glad to hear it. So, when do we go through with this?" Naruto questioned.

"As soon as you're ready, m'boy. We can go and do it right now if you'd like." Hiruzen said.

Naruto nodded and said, "The sooner the better. I'll need to train with it and get used to using it. It'll be an interesting experience for sure."

"Glad to hear it. Anko, will you come as well?"

Anko nodded and said, "Hell yeah I'm coming! Let's go!"

Hiruzen and Naruto both chuckled a bit before they stood up and made their way out of the apartment. The three of them were definitely looking forward to seeing what Naruto could do with Obito's Sharingan. You'll be fine Naruto-kun, I guarantee it.

A/N - And that's the chapter! I think it turned out rather well. I sincerely hoped you all enjoyed it!

As you saw, a lot happened in this chapter. I think it was rather interesting. But that's just me. :P

Anyways, I'm gonna cut this short as well. This migraine is killing me. . I talked with my doctor recently and she's prescribed new medication for me that's supposed to help prevent them...but the freaking pharmacy doesn't have any of it in stock. I've been waiting for three freaking days now! . *grumbles irritably*

Hopefully you're looking forward to whatever comes next. Ciao!