Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.

AN: Full Chapter Title: The Participants Prepare! Training For the Finals Starts Now!

"Hmm…that is interesting news Legate. That is very interesting indeed." The moment Naruto had stepped out of the Hokage Tower he had been given an earpiece already set to a secure channel. His Praetorians had escorted him to a more secluded place and currently watched over it as he stood alone within it.

It was a weapons shop his centurions were very familiar with. It was understaffed at the moment.

"Yes, I felt that I should inform you with all haste." The voice of his Legate came from the other end. "I must admit, I did not believe it when I first heard them speak but, after hearing their proposal, I felt you needed to learn of such information immediately. Shall I send them on their way or keep them here?"

"Send them on their way. I have an appointment I must keep today. Tell the both of them I will have them brought before me sometime later during the break. They will speak to me then or not at all." Naruto did not ask, he commanded it be done.

"I shall insure your will shall be done Caesar." Sasuke answered with the words Naruto wanted to hear.

A Caesar expected nothing but obedience from all those under him after all. The Legate of his Legion was no different than the Vicarius of the lands that had fallen beneath the banner of his glorious Uzumaki Empire, all of them bowed to him. None questioned the words of their Caesar.

"Of course you shall Legate." Naruto removed his hand from the earpiece and removed it from the secure channel to the open frequency used by his Orange Legion for communication.

Naruto stepped out of the shop, nodding to the owner behind the counter, before continuing on his way. Two of his centurions stood at the door and saluted him as he passed. They, and their centuries, had been stationed nearby during the month break in the Chunin Exams by the Caesar himself. He continued to his destination as the two returned to their simple duty of watching over the store and its owner. The men of their centuries awaited elsewhere.

Naruto did not want to hurt Tenten's family business after all. The two centurions were enough to keep away any unwanted patrons while still allowing those who frequented the store entry.

'…You still have my order to fulfill as well Tenten.' Naruto briefly closed his blue eyes as he walked, opening them once more once a moment had passed. 'You will be healed.' He did not allow himself to be distracted anymore with thoughts of the Kunoichi.

He had much to focus on, a certain Toad Sage for one. His Praetorians would be delivering all information they had on a man such as he soon enough and he would spend the time between their meetings going over all he could. He would not be surprised by whatever feat the man could perform, whatever skills he possessed would be known, and he would see if he was truly worthy of teaching a Caesar such as himself. If he was, he would spend some time with him. If the man wasn't worthy of his time, if he could truly teach him nothing at all?

He already doubted the Toad Sage could bring anything of worth to him but it would perhaps be worth it to at least see the fool for the amusement.

Sometimes fools could provide the greatest of inspirations after all.

"Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't the others be here?" Kakashi did not let himself sigh at Sakura's words. They stood in the same training ground he had taken her to since Team 7's return to Konohagakure from Nami no Kuni, the same place that was marked with the numerous fruits of her training, and the same place he had originally inspired her to have some confidence in herself.

He didn't hate the fact that they couldn't continue where they had left off before the Chunin Exams, he didn't feel much of anything towards it really. Most of his ability to feel was focused towards suppressing his always growing rage at Naruto Uzumaki for everything he had done so far. From his initial insane actions in Nami no Kuni when he conquered it to now and what he had down to the girl that had swiftly become his favorite, and only true, student.

His control had come into question when he had seen the blonde's clones give Sakura a new set of armor. He had wanted to kill them but he withheld the urge, stopped himself from doing anything drastic, and forced himself to calm down. His intervention wasn't needed now. It would come later but for now, in the present, he would control himself.

"I figured they'll train by themselves." Kakashi waved away her concerns. "They don't need much help anyway."

"Y-You're right." She wouldn't meet his single eye, the ground more interesting to emerald eyes he had seen with the fire of determination in them before. He knew it was gone now. "Should I focus on my Chakra Control again?"

"No." Kakashi walked over to a boulder, one of what had to be hundreds spread across the training ground, and laid a hand on it. He didn't face Sakura. "I'm going to show you just how far you've come already Sakura."

"What do you mean?" He heard her footsteps as she moved closer to him, standing in front of the boulder with him. "I-"

She narrowly dodged his thrown kunai. Several pink strands of hair fell to the ground where she once stood before he flicked his finger, the wire string attached to it sending the kunai high up into the air with the simple movement. It snapped once the kunai reached a certain point, allowing it to continue flying higher and higher.

"I don't train failures Sakura." Kakashi slipped the string off his finger. "When that kunai strike the ground, I'm going to attack you with the intent to kill and I expect you to do the same." The kunai would reach its apex any moment now. "If you don't want to die, if you want to live past today, you'll have to see how strong you are."

"K-Kakashi-sensei! Please, don't make me embarrass myself!" Her eyes flashed to the dark blade of the kunai as it began to slow, began to turn for its imminent return to the earth under gravity. "I-I can't beat you! Not even Naruto could beat you!"

"I don't care what he or Sasuke can do." Kakashi moved one hand up to the headband that denoted his allegiance to Konoha. "Neither of them are here right now, neither of them are ever going to here. All I care about is to see what you can do by yourself." He unveiled the Sharingan hidden beneath as the kunai neared the ground. "If you don't fight back, you're going to die."

The kunai struck the ground.

He charged forward.

"I will honor my promise to you Tenten!" Lee grunted with the effort each step took in his lap around Konoha, his tenth since the sun had risen. "I will face Gaara in the finals!" Each step by itself took a tremendous effort, the weights he wore on his legs doubled in size and far heavier than before. Most would find it impossible to take a single step.

Lee would not stop his run around Konoha for anything.

His arms were similarly weighed down with his former leg weights, a pack on his back only added further weight and a greater difficulty to each step he took. It had been a struggle to even remain upright once he had put it on but he had managed to begin his running despite the added weight. He continued practicing his Taijutsu as well, dozens of dummies set up across his path and each pulverized with a single blow from the Genin that had advanced to the final.

"I must go faster!" Lee could only push himself faster, each of his steps leaving a clear imprint in the ground. He would need to learn to distribute the great weight his body carried once more later but for now he would have to settle for leaving such tracks.

Such training would be rendered secondary thanks to his current goal.

'You will pay Gaara.' A single kick shattered a dummy to splinters as he pushed himself past it. An image of Gaara took hold of his mind, the boy who had crippled his teammate with sadistic glee making the already intense fire in his heart burn brighter and brighter. 'You will pay!'

He pushed himself forward with a shout, passing the mains gates to Konohagakure.

"That is eleven down! Only nine more to go before I can at last begin some true training!"

All of this was simply a warmup after all. His real training would only begin once he had completed such easy tasks!

"What do you want?" Gaara of the Sand stood in his room, his eyes flickering towards the figure of Baki, the man leaning in the open doorway.

"There may be a change of plans." Baki's sole visible eye watched the sand that filled the room, doing everything he could to remain far away from the source of it but still be within the room. "Kankuro and Temari left to talk to Naruto Uzumaki, one of the finalists for these exams."

"I remember him." Gaara's eyes narrowed. "He's going to die. Mother wants his blood more than anything else."

"Control yourself around him." Baki was sorely tempted to make use of the seal given to him by the Kazekage when he was assigned jurisdiction over Suna's mad weapon. He withheld the desire and continued. "He may be an ally to the Kazekage in the future and need I remind you what will happen if you allow your bloodlust to get out of control?"

"Don't bother." Gaara's eyes hardened just as the sand around him became agitated, beginning to move through the air in more solid forms, a prelude to carnage. It danced around him and reeked of blood. "If you annoy me, that seal you're always carrying won't stop me from giving Mother your blood ."

To prove his point, Baki felt the grainy feel of sand around his neck. A thin line, it was all Gaara would need with his power. His throat wouldn't be slit but his entire head would be removed from his shoulder with the slightest provocation towards the teen from the Jonin. No one escaped him when he wanted you dead.

"Just remember why you're here." It was pointless to remain here.

Baki left the doorway, closing the door behind him.

Gaara stared unblinking at the door for a moment longer before turning to face the window.

'You will die Naruto Uzumaki.' Mother was pleased with such thoughts. 'Your blood will belong to Mother.'

"You're fighting a killer." Shibi Aburame was never one to needlessly drag things out.

"I am." Shino Aburame, his son, was no different.

The two stood together in a training field, half a dozen or so members of the Aburame Clan patrolling the outskirts with their kikaichu to prevent any unwanted witnesses to the secretive training. A number of jars set on the ground in front of Shibi.

"He manipulates his sand through his Chakra." Shibi rose one hand up, lifting it free of his pocket. The lids on the jars were lifted into the air as a swarm of kikaichu took to the air. Their buzzing filled the air and Shino shifted on his feet. "The girl he fought shows that projectiles don't work. His defenses can't be overwhelmed with brute force. His Chakra Reserves are also significant to create and control such a large quantity of sand in addition to his own sand which contains a large amount of Chakra."

He may not have been present to see his son fight but kikaichu were. He knew about each of the participants in the Exams.

"What are my chances of victory?" Shino took after his father in a lot of ways.

"Low." Shibi sent the kikaichu forward.

Shino did not allow his surprise at the abrupt attack show before he was gone from where he once stood, his own swarm heading out only to be devoured in a frenzy by the kikaichu his father controlled. He didn't allow his shock to show as the mad swarm slammed into the ground, ripping it apart as more of his father's insects burrowed into it.

"His sand will crush your kikaichu and assault you from all angles." Shibi remained where he stood, not bothering to move any more than he had to. "How will you beat him?"

Shino threw a shuriken at his father as his answer. Another of the jars laid at his feet opened. Kikaichu intercepted the weapon, the frenzied insects consuming the metal itself within moments.

"That will not work." Shibi spoke even as Shino threw more shuriken forward, none of them reaching the leader of the Aburame Clan. His ravenous insects were truly a sight to see. "I've forced them into a feeding frenzy, they'll eat anything now." Shibi's eyes locked with his son no matter the presence of their respective eyewear. "You must overcome this if you want to defeat Gaara."

"I will." Shino didn't go for another approach towards his father, he gathered his Chakra and his kikaichu around him. "Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu!" The swarm left him, nearly the entirety of his insects devoted to the technique as it took shape in front of him.

"Interesting strategy." It was all his father said, neither approval nor disapproval in his voice as the kikaichu gathered and took on a form identical to his son. "Now, the question is will it work against me, will it work against Gaara?"

"There's no time like the present to find out. Why? Because actions speak louder than words." The two Shino spoke as one before both dashed towards Shibi.

'Let's see if you're right son.' His swarm rose to meet them, replicating Gaara's sand once more. 'I hope you are.'

"Hinata." Away from his teammate's training ground, Kiba knocked on the closed door of Hinata's hospital room. On either side of it, a Hyuga stood with their Byakugan active and more no doubt were stationed around the hospital.

Kiba could smell them. Most had the same smell after all.

'Frickin soaps.' His nose almost rankled at the close proximity of the two stationed at the door. Akamaru was already burrowing deep into his jacket, whining at the strong scent assaulting his nose.

"Hinata." The Akamaru knocked once more, hoping for some type of answer from his gentle teammate. "Hinata, can you please open this door already?"

"Lady Hinata seems to not wish to be disturbed by someone like you." One of the Hyuga looked down at him, the pale sightless, and all seeing, eyes of the Hyuga looking down at him. "You should depart Inuzuka."

"Yeah right." Kiba simply rolled his eyes. The Hyuga could be as stuck up as they wanted, he wasn't going to leave the hospital until he had a chance to talk to Hinata. Nothing was going to make him leave the door in front of him. "I know she's awake in there."

"She may be otherwise occupied for quite some time. You should leave." The other Hyuga spoke up from the other side and Kiba wanted to refuse when he smelled something.

'I know that smell.' His eyes narrowed as he turned away from the door without a word, Akamaru breathed out a sigh of relief as the Inuzuka walked down the halls and away from the overpowering smell of the Hyuga.

It didn't take Kiba long to find the source of the smell, something he had become familiar with during the Chunin Exams, and saw clones of Naruto blocking a stairwell. From the armor they wore, he could tell they were what Naruto called his Praetorians.

In other words, they were his personal bodyguards.

'What are they doing here?' Kiba looked to the sign by the door and made a decision.

He left the hallway and found a window no problem. It was easy for a Shinobi, even a Genin, to walk up the side of the hospital and he slipped back inside through a window. He was silent as he moved to the door, his body low. He didn't make a single sound when he pulled it open to a crack and looked through it.

More Praetorians were right outside the door, standing in front of it.

He didn't curse at the sight. He stepped back and grabbed a bottle. He threw it just beneath the window and stayed close to the door when it was swung open, the same two Praetorians outside the door entering the room with their hands on their swords. He slipped out and was around the corner from a dead sprint before they left the room.

He spotted more Praetorians walking down the end of the hall, their backs to him thankfully, and he pressed himself into a doorway until their rounded the corner.

'I'm lucky they all smell the same.' He knew two others were about to round the corner right now and another two would come shortly after them. He opened the door and slipped inside it.

A glance around showed it was a supply closet and Kiba's eyes searched for a new way of travel. He found it behind a shelf and quickly formed a number of hand signs as Akamaru leaped out from his jacket.

"Beast Human Clone." He whispered the words and Akamaru took his form in a burst of smoke. He waved it away and nodded towards the shelf. Akamaru seemed to catch on quick and both moved to either side of the shelf. Kiba mouthed 'On 3.' and received another nod from the transformed ninken.

'One.'

'Two.'

'Three.'

The two were strong individually and only stronger together. It was easy to lift the shelf and move it enough for Kiba to get to what he wanted that it had blocked. It was the cover to a vent that a kunai used in lieu of a screwdriver help him free from the wall. He set it to the side as Akamaru dropped the transformation and walked in after him. He moved to the side and the ninken step past him. The white and brown dog gave him a nod before he left to scout ahead, his steps silent within the metal duct despite the claws at the end of his paws. Kiba continued forward but stopped once he came to a crossway. He would wait here and Akamaru would come back.

'The hospital really needs to bump up its security.' He entertained himself with that idle thought as he waited for the return of Akamaru. 'This place is too easy to sneak around in even if I'm from Konoha. Aren't most Medical-nin supposed to be good sensors too?' That thought only added to his questions. He was provided an answer when an image of the Praetorians came to mind. 'I would have been detected a while ago unless those guys are keeping them from moving on this floor but why?'

It would be several minutes until Akamaru returned and the entire time he was bothered by this question.

The ninken turned and lead him to whatever had gained his interest and Kiba followed without a word. He trusted his partner knew why he was here.

It took a few minutes but he eventually reached another vent cover and Akamaru came to a stop. He looked through it and had his answer.

'Tenten.' He wouldn't have recognized the heavily bandages girl if not for her familiar hairstyle. She was in an uneasy sleep, her nearly immobile body twitching. If she was healthy she would no doubt he rolling in her bed. Pain made her grimace and it only grew the fiercer her minor movements became. Her breathing quickened, the monitor told him her heart was the same, and her body broke out into a sweat. He wanted to enter the room when the door was swung open.

A doctor, trembling, was moved forward by a pair of Praetorians.

'That's it!' He had at last figured it out.

Away from the Inuzuka and the hospital, Ino Yamanaka sat with her father. The Yamanaka Heiress had not gotten any sleep last night, waking herself with her own screams each time she attempted to sleep, and now her father held her tired body against his side.

Silence passed between them, father and daughter. He did not speak, he had dealt with too many similar situations to waste time with words. He had heard her screaming, heard what happened to her during the Exams from Asuma, and knew he would be getting no sleep tonight. He did not speak when he stepped in. He did not speak when he gathered her in his arms and let her cry, let her hold on to him through the night.

He bottled up his rage at what Naruto Uzumaki had tried to do to his daughter. He simply held onto her for now.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for Ino." Inoichi ran one hand through his daughter's long platinum blonde hair. "I'm just happy you're not hurt." He remembered the despair on Gai's face as he saw one of his students carried away on a stretcher, the wretched expression not fit to be on Maito Gai's as he was told the extent of her injuries. When a father could be worried that the same could have happened to his own daughter if the lots were drawn differently? When a father could obsess over thoughts of her career as a Shinobi being ended, her life ruined, he could be thankful for her only problem being nightmares. "You're safe here. Trust me Ino, you're safe here."

He didn't know who to thank for his daughter being so lucky but he would pray that she kept such luck. His daughter could get stronger for the final rounds coming up, she could still grow to the level of skill she was almost destined to, and she could still unlock all the potential he knew was buried deep down inside her.

All he had to do was hope she avoided the psychopaths in the finals.

He could just hope for her to stay safe.

He couldn't bear to entertain the horrible futures that could come to pass if she fought either of them.

He heard the knocking at the door. He figured another member of the Clan could deal with it while he stayed with his daughter.

"We're here to see Ino." Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi stood at the door, the Akmichi currently polishing off his sixth bag of chips since he had woken up. It was a bid to regain his lost weight as quickly as possible with special Akimichi brand chips. "Is she here?"

"She's not doing too well right now, maybe you could come back later?" The customary blonde hair of the Yamanaka was tied back and cut short, shoulder length, on the Chunin who answered the door.

"I can't really do that. Since me and Ino made it to the finals together, we figured we would train with Asuma-sensei together." Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets. "If she's not going to show up then I'm not going to head to training myself. I'll just wait here until you let me see here." The Nara yawned. "I may even get in a quick nap."

'Is this really how all Naras act?' The Chunin thought back to the numerous times the three Clans had been together. All she could think of, when she focused on the Nara Clan members, were them sleeping anywhere at any time. 'I guess it is.' She could only shake her head. 'I guess there's no beating him then.'

"Follow me then." She stepped out of the doorway and waited for the two to enter the home before closing the door. "Ino-chan is currently in bed s-"

"Yeah, we can take it from here." The Nara walked past her without bothering to listen, the Akimichi with him opening up his seventh bag of chips and following after him without issue. The Yamanaka didn't bother following after tem at that point, sighing as she returned to her duties.

She did take a minute to brief Inoichi on the situation through.

'I see.' The presence within his mind remained for only a moment more. 'Thank you for briefing me on this.'

'Of course Inoichi-sama.' If she was present, he knew she would be bowing to him.

Inoichi would tell no one but he was glad for the presence of the two boys in his home. Ino needed her friends just as much as she needed her father. She needed to know she had people who loved her, cared about her, and believed in her.

'She is fighting the Uchiha in the finals.' The thought made him want to curse. Sasuke Uchiha would be his daughter's opponent in a month's time. He did not like that fact one bit. The Uchiha was not only a well-known prodigy but he was less than mentally stable. He was probably less so now since he had brought into the empire nonsense Naruto Uzumaki had begun to scream about.

'She'll need more training to be ready for him.' He refused to even consider the alternative. His daughter would triumph over the last of the Uchiha.

The boy that was currently in Inoichi's thoughts was currently sitting within an office inside Naruto's tower in the center of the conquered Uchiha District. A scroll was in his hand, a messenger hawk sitting on his desk and a vest it wore was adorned prominently with the red swirl of the Uzumaki Empire while the dark kanji for 'Waves' was emblazoned on the swirl.

A small smile came across his face soon enough, the details contained within the scroll were positive in concerns to the future of the Uzumaki Empire's first conquered land.

"This is grand news." He set the scroll down and drew out another, this one much smaller actually, and began writing. "Caesar will need to be informed of such information as soon as possible." He rolled both scrolls close once more and used a cord to tie them both together before raising his arm.

The messenger hawk immediately flew over, her talons leaving marks on his armor where she rested on it.

"Deliver this to Caesar with all haste." He slid the paired scrolls inside the pack it carried and sealed it before rising and walking to the window. The hawk took off in a single flap of its large wings and Sasuke watched it soar across the village. Two others had been waiting for it outside, taking off with it and flying higher, almost invisible to anyone who would see the hawk bearing the message. A camera was fitted to the vest of both.

'It appears the situation in Waves has progressed as you predicted it would Caesar.'

AN: What's happened in Waves? The suspense is killing me! Oh wait...There's a chapter after this one. Enjoy.