AN: Chapter title: Promotions and Celebrations Part 1

"Simple observation?"

"Do I need to repeat myself Praetorian?"

"Of course not Caesar. The girl will be observed as you requested. What else do you command?"

"What else do I command? It should be rather obvious. I want you to inform me if they try it again, if she is at all threatened. If they do so, delay them but do not hurt them. I want to see to these dogs personally."

"Of course Caesar. I will see to it."

"You have my thanks Centurion. You are dismissed."

After returning the salute, his room was emptied by use of the seal the Praetorian wore so proudly. Naruto turned to the mirror in his room before the door behind him opened.

The rather serious demeanor he had given the order with was gone as he couldn't help but chuckle as he looked upon his reflection in the mirror before him, took the moment to take in the change to his attire.

He had forgone part of his armor today and put it aside to wear a uniform befitting a freshly promoted Konoha Shinobi instead. The green Flak Jacket that marked him as a Chunin drew out another chuckle as he looked at himself in the mirror. It would not be a constant despite his new rank. He would entertain it for perhaps the rest of the day, perhaps tomorrow as well, he could see himself wearing this for a week at most. He had thought more than once since donning it of forgoing such a thing entirely and returning to his armor even before the ceremony the Hokage insisted on having was over with. One hand reached up to the belt at his side, to the blade that rested at his hip.

He did not go without all his armor, the plate that covered his chest and his helmet would be missing from his person for most of the day for in their place he had donned a Flak Jacket and the Forehead Protector that proclaimed to all who saw him as a Shinobi of the Hidden leaf. He still wore his greaves and bracers and he would not allow himself to be parted from his weapons even for the ceremony. His blade took its rightful place at his side and the smaller blade that rested across his back remained where it always laid, its sheath only slightly modified to rest comfortably in reach due to the new bulk of the Flak Jacket.

"I must admit, this is, at least for a moment's entertainment, amusing." Naruto could not suppress his desire to chuckle as the door opened.

He did not look like a Caesar at the moment, he looked as if he was nothing but another Shinobi.

Such a joke would always make him laugh.

"Was there ever any doubt your strength would be seen by all Caesar?" Sasuke stepped into the room dressed similarly, the Uchiha adding a dark cloth that hung down from his waist on either side with a band of pale diamonds resting at the end of each. A glance at his sleeves showed a four-pointed star had replaced the red swirl the Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf commonly wore on their shoulder. In the center of the star laid the white and red fan of the Uchiha Clan.

A Caesar could not help but remember where he had seen such clothing before. Dusty photographs, stills of the long gone past.

"Your father wore a similar uniform, did he not?"

"He did."

Naruto turned back to the mirror before him.

"He was a good man from what I have heard. Strong in both strength and in character. He was a symbol of justice to many who called this village their home."

"He was." His Legate joined him without speaking another word, the two examining themselves in the mirror.

Both looked as if they were nothing but another mere Hidden Leaf Shinobi, had customized their uniforms to a certain extent but nothing else. Each still wore their armor but it wasn't hard to imagine that they had been inspired by others, had taken after a teacher or mentor instead of deciding on it themselves.

"Who else shall be joining us in this ceremony?" Naruto made an effort to remove the wild appearance of his hair to no avail. It had seemingly grown more rebellious in the past few days and would refuse to adopt an orderly appearance. It both amused and aggravated he who named himself Caesar, leader of the Uzumaki Empire and commander of the Orange Legion.

It seemed there existed things even he could not force to bow to his will. How ironic his own hair would prove itself to be on such a short list.

"Three others showed enough promise to the observers to precede to Chunin. Rock Lee from Team Gai, Shino Aburame from Team Kurenai, and Ino Yamanaka from Team Asuma. The Nara from her team was considered as well but, from the reports I've received, his promotion was dismissed upon further review."

"I'm not surprised he is not among the others. His surrender to the enemy, not even the Jinchuriki, seems to have ruined his chances. If he was to be promoted, it would show a weakness to all, how desperate the village has become to allow one such as he to rise in the ranks." The Caesar of the Uzumaki Empire and it's Orange Legion chuckled at such a thing. "He should have beaten the Kazekage's daughter when he had the chance. Perhaps he would join us in this..." This once, he did not have the proper words to express himself. He only let loose another chuckle.

"Many would call it an honor Caesar." It did not matter if he could speak them or not. From the grin on his face, his Legate knew what his Caesar thought of this promotion.

Both shared a laugh. Naruto laid a hand on the shoulder of his Legate.

"We are not like the many Legate."

"No, we are not Caesar."

Away from where Caesar and his Legate readied themselves for the ceremony, a group of Jonin, Genin, and Genin yet to be officially appointed Chunin gathered.

"This feels…kind of weird." Ino was examining herself, the Flak Jacket she had worn over her normal outfit. "It's not really heavy but weird."

"And here I was about to make the mistake of saying it looked good on you." Sakura shook her head from next to her. "Any other confusing descriptions you want to give?"

"Now that you mention it…" Ino and Sakura shared a look before breaking into laughter.

"Oh no."

"What? Something wrong?"

"Ino's laughing. That can't be good for us."

Shikamaru made no move to leave the tree he was resting against. Choji shook his head from his seat next to him.

"Guess we're doomed."

"How troublesome."

Nearby the Genin, close enough to keep an eye on them yet far enough away to avoid being overheard, three Jonin continued to converse.

"So, after that talk, he just vanished?" Asuma breathed out a cloud of smoke at Gai's nod. "Damn. This may be a problem."

The red eyed Jonin next to him had a different opinion. "Maybe not. He's done this before. I'm going to guess you already checked the Memorial Stone?" Kurenai's question earned another nod. "We could try Yugao if he doesn't show up soon. She stands the best chance of finding him if he's like this. She knows him from his time in ANBU, could maybe clue us in on where his head is at."

Gai shook his head. "I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm almost certain he'll be at the promotion ceremony."

"If you think so." Asuma looked towards Kakashi's pink haired student. "If nothing else, he'll show up to talk to her sooner rather than later."

"That was also a thought I had. He won't leave her alone for long with both Naruto and Sasuke present for the ceremony." Gai closed his eyes. He breathed out a heavy breath before opening them again. "I have a strange feeling that he's going to do something unbelievably stupid by the end of today."

"I think that's a feeling of something called inevitability Gai." Kurenai shook her head. She could see where the Taijutsu expert was coming from when it involved the Uzumaki. "With Naruto showing up, things are probably going to go bad. The kid is becoming nothing short of a walking problem than an annoyance these days. I liked it better when he spent all day pulling those pranks."

"That's just the thing. I'm not so sure that Naruto will be directly responsible for anything that happens today when it comes to Kakashi." Gai thought back on what he knew of the wild card known as Naruto Uzumaki. He would not deny that he was now personally involved in the situation, held a certain level of faith in the boy known as Naruto Uzumaki now. He had at last spoken with Tenten in depth since the night of Naruto's visit to her at the hospital, had confessed that he had overheard his promise to her, confessed to it and so much more to his student. Even the rage he could feel simmering beneath even now, the fury. 'I can't dwell on that now.' He discarded those thoughts for now. "Someone else will do something, I just don't know who it could be."

"Then it'll probably be the Fire Daimyo." Asuma dropped his cigarette as two sets of eyes turned to him. He would have normally laughed at the shock so clearly on their faces. Unfortunately, his wasn't a normal situation. Far from one. "Yeah, he'll be here in a few hours if he's not here already. Ran into a couple of his guards late last night at a bar and they gave me the great news. He missed the exams but turns out he decided to personally get involved with dealing with the Hidden Sand." He offered a cigarette for Gai and Kurenai. Both refused even if it was with some hesitation.

The Fire Daimyo was a headache on a good day for the Hidden Leaf. He could be an outright nightmare on a bad day for the village. The nicotine was possibly the only way to get out of today without a headache.

"Don't be too upset about it, he's only here temporarily. No more than two weeks from what I heard, three at the absolute most." Asuma switched out the pack of cigarettes in his hands for his lighter. "Since I was one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, I'm going to be the one of the poor souls stuck taking him back to the capital." He took a deep breath, relished the smoke he inhaled. "Hopefully he'll decide to just stick around for a few days, get bored with pretending to oversee things and just leaves in the middle of the night. Sure, I'll get dragged out of bed but I won't be stuck as a tour guide for almost a month."

"If you asked, I'm sure you could have a team with you." Kurenai glanced to the Genin. "I'm sure I could have my team assigned to a bodyguard detail that easy."

"If only it was really that easy." The bearded Jonin shook his head. "Only issue is that the Daimyo gets to pick his guard. Doesn't help that the guy's a bit too fickle, only picks the ones that interest him. Half the reason his advisors urged him to keep the Twelve Guardian Ninja concept was to add some consistency to his guard." He took in another lungful of smoke, breathed out another cloud of smoke. "The guy's not a pain to guard. He just doesn't stop talking your ear off. We used to draw straws for who got to take the perimeter and who had to be stuck next to him every shift." The Jonin closed his eyes at the memories. As bad as things had ended up, there had been plenty of good times between him and the others long before things had ended in that bloodbath. "The guy never talked about anything important. Always going on about some nonsense that only made sense to him. I know more about his favorite vacation spots and teas than I do about how he runs the country."

"It seems to be a miracle the Land of Fire runs as smoothly as it does." Gai's attempt at a joke didn't earn a laugh from Asuma.

"That's all thanks to his advisors." Asuma inhaled, breathed out another cloud of smoke. "They keep the place running, keep him from doing anything that'll hurt the Land of Fire too much. They let him throw a party every now and then but nowhere near as much as he really wants to. We'd be in debt for centuries if even half of his ideas got through." He shook his head, the more he spoke, the more he let his mind drift through memories from over a decade ago. "Guy's father was something else though. Half of the reason I wanted to be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja was the chance to meet him. Got the chance a few times but not too many."

"But you were back in the village only a few days before the attack. Why? I remember hearing that the Daimyo died in his sleep but nothing else, the death of the Fourth put the village on near lockdown." Kurenai's statement earned a nod from Asuma.

"Half the reason I was back in the village during the attack was because of his death. The Twelve Guardian Ninja were supposed to spread the word across the Land of Fire, take word back to the capital once we had something. Being the Third's son had me sent back here to the village to deliver the news. I was supposed to talk to the Fourth but…" Asuma turned silent.

Neither Gai or Kurenai found it in them to speak.

The loss of the Fourth Hokage was a scar the village still bore to this day, an ugly and raw thing that had never truly healed. A thousand 'what ifs' had consumed the mind of countless Shinobi since the attack. What if the Fourth had survived that deadly night? What if the Fourth had been present to repel the attack by the Sand and Sound? What if? What if? What if?

"You know, I didn't know if you could do it but I guess I was wrong. This thing looks pretty good on you." Kiba threw an arm over Shino's shoulders. "I just can't believe you're still wearing the jacket too!" The Inuzuka grinned at his friend, Akamaru bounded over from his place on top of Kiba's head to land on Shino's shoulders, lick at his face.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Shino gave no reaction to Akamaru's actions. He was more than used to the ninken licking him, he did it to everyone Kiba would call his friend. Kiba only laughed. "I wore my favorite jacket today as well."

"Don't ever change Shino." Kiba squeezed his shoulder. "And don't think I'm not going to get one of these myself next year. I'm going to be the standout for the next Chunin Exams no matter what it takes!"

"I'll be looking forward to that day." Shino smiled behind his high collar. "Of course, I'll still have seniority over you."

"Just you wait! I'll be Jonin before you! I may not even bother with hitting Chunin now!"

"I'll have to step up my training to keep up with you then."

"That's the spirit! Now it'll be a race to Jonin! You're lucky I'm giving you this head start before I show what I can really do!" Akamaru barked his agreement as he hopped back over to Kiba's head. "Yeah, we'll show up everybody in the next Exams! Clean sweep from the First Stage all the way to the finals!"

"I would hope so. It would be embarrassing to be a Jonin with my teammate still a Genin." Kiba briefly had an over-the-top expression of mock outrage over his face before he laughed with Shino.

The two were briefly watched by their sensei before she turned her gaze elsewhere.

'I wish you were here Hinata…' Her student had told her she had something else to do today, would try to be at the celebration the four Jonin had helped their students plan for a fair number of them advancing to the next Shinobi rank.

"I would've thought you'd be happier today. I don't think I've heard you make a single challenge to yourself this morning." Neji and Lee found a place to have a close to private conversation.

"I am happy." Lee didn't seem it. He stared down at his bandaged hands. "I wish to show it but…I simply cannot." His fingers curled back into his palm. "A part of me feels I did not earn this. I believe a part of me will never be satisfied with how I gained this rank."

"You heard Gai-sensei, the Chunin Promotion Board felt you showed the necessary skills both during the Exams and proved yourself during the attack. You earned this." Neji's words only earned a frown from Lee, he closed his eyes.

"I did not earn this Neji." Lee brought his fist into his hand. "I did far from enough during the invasion! I was occupied by my own selfish desires more than anything!" He didn't shout the words, closer to a harsh whisper only for himself and Neji to hear. "I wasted so much of my time pursuing him when I should've been fighting. Lives were lost because of me. I allowed so many of my comrades to fall when I had the strength to aid them!"

"…People died because of you." Neji shook his head, a part of him couldn't believe Lee thought such a thing. "People died because of me, people died because of Tenten, because of Gai-sensei, because of my father. People died because of my grandfather and his father and his father's father. People died because of my mother and her mother and her mother's mother." Lee stared at Neji as he spoke, not able to understand any of what his teammate was saying. "If you blame yourself for what happened, we can spend hours going down a long list of names of people who died in the attack because of someone else." His eyes focused beyond the training ground. He didn't need his Byakugan to see a clear picture of the still rebuilding village. "I would say this was fate, destiny in action, but I've reconsidered some of my past opinions. Enemies of the village tried to destroy it. You acted as a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, fought against the invaders that tried to destroy it, and you were one of the many reasons why the village still stands today. You have nothing to be ashamed of. No one who fought for the village has anything to be ashamed of."

"But I-"

A kunai sent towards Lee was dodged, the handle caught by Neji before the blade could strike the tree next to him.

"I figured you would be upset but come on, don't let your own head ruin today for you!" Tenten was smiling at successfully sneaking up on Lee in her wheelchair. She slipped away the scroll she had used back up her sleeve. "Now, did you get the chance to test out my little present yesterday?"

"Unfortunately, no." Lee had a small smile. "I could not find Gai-sensei yesterday. I wished to speak with him to get his advice on how I should train with them!" His smile grew. "But do not worry, I will master these weapons just as Gai-sensei would! With tireless practice and no shortage of hard work! If I am unable to…I will simply not stop until I do so!"

"Good to hear." Tenten looked to Neji, a humorous warning in her eyes as she did so. "You're not going to be upset today either, right?"

"Not at all." Neji shook his head. "Although Lee's beaten me to Chunin, I'm certain I'll beat him to Jonin."

"Because of that fate and destiny stuff?" Tenten wasn't surprised when Neji shook his head. Neither of his teammates were blind, hadn't been oblivious to the fact that something had happened to him during his fight with Naruto.

"No. I'm afraid I'll have to use hard work to surpass a genius of hard work."

"Do not worry Neji! This genius of hard work will be happy to help you push beyond your limits!"

"I would be honored to have a master instructing me."

"And don't think you two are going to have it easy! I'm not only going to keep up with you but I'm going to show you what a weapon master can really do."

"We won't make it easy for you, that's not the Team Gai way."

"Yes! We shall both strive tirelessly to improve ourselves!"

"You better not make it easy for me."

The three members of Team Gai could share a smile at a promise to improve. No matter what happened past this moment, the three would always work to better themselves as Shinobi. No matter the obstacle, they would push past it just as their sensei would do in their place.

In a sudden cloud of smoke, the absent Kakashi appeared.

He had unexpected company in the forms of a surprised Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha held by their shoulders, had obviously been moved here by the Jonin using the Body Flicker.

"Play nice." Kakashi said nothing else, released his hold on their shoulders and walked off towards the just as surprised trio of Jonin.

It was a strange sight to see the two Genin, soon to be officially promoted to Chunin, so clearly taken off guard. After seeing not even the attack on the village shake the two, it was almost taken as fact among the majority of their once classmates that nothing could catch them by surprise.

"Yo." Kakashi lifted two fingers and waved. "Sorry I'm late." He pointed to his still surprised pair of students, Naruto recovering ahead of Sasuke. "It took longer than I thought to find those two." As the masked Jonin spoke, fury darkened the face of the blonde before the Uchiha dropped a hand on his shoulder. The two shared a look before his fury was gone.

He still shot a glare towards Kakashi but nothing else.

"Huh, they're not in their armor. Isn't that weird?" Ino stared at the two before turning back to a pale Sakura. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." Sakura was too quick to answer, was taking a step back before she could stop herself. "I'll just…"

Naruto caught sight of her as his eyes swept over those gathered. She froze as his eyes immediately burned to red, as a wide mocking smile crossed his face.

"Sakura Haruno, how delightful it is to see you!" He threw his arms out, allowed a crimson Chakra to bubble forth from him. The Uchiha next to him stared at him as the blonde began walking towards her. He followed behind his Caesar after only a moment. "Do you not wish to properly greet your betters? Do you forget your place when before ones such as myself and my Legate?" He laughed, his crimson eyes focused on the pink haired Genin. "Perhaps it is too much to ask such a thing from a weakling such as yourself." Each of his steps continued to bring him closer to her. "I understand Kakashi has coddled you in recent times but you must understand how this is done, correct?" Mock surprise came to his face. "Or do you truly know nothing?"

His smile widened, the Chakra around him began to spread its malice through the air.

"Or do you believe yourself strong?" Naruto stopped. His fangs, metaphorical and literal, were revealed with his smile. "It would delight me to test you here and now. I believe I have more than enough time to beat any number of lessons into you. Of course, the first will be respect for those above you."

Sakura could do and say nothing across from him. She could only stare at him in mute horror, at the power that spread from him, that filled the air and made her choke.

'I'm going to die here.' It was a certainty. Her throat was going to be torn out, her head cleaved off of her shoulders, a blade put through her heart if she was lucky. Those and many more just as horrifying deaths came to her mind, consumed her thoughts. She was going to die and Naruto was going to be responsible, would relish in it even.

Ino squeezed her shoulder, did her best to snap her out of the effects of what had to be focused Killing Intent. Blue eyes were focused on Naruto with fury. She was almost moving to confront him, Shikamaru and Choji snapping out of their own shock at Naruto's sudden appearance to follow after her.

'He's still infuriated with her. Unsurprising after that blow.' The eyes of the Uchiha focused on the approaching Yamanaka. 'And she'll be killed if she's not careful with Caesar.'

Sasuke stepped around his side to stand in front of Naruto, offer him a familiar grin. "Caesar, perhaps another time?" He chuckled. "If you are after a sparring partner, desire one so fiercely you would consider even one such as Haruno acceptable, I would be more than willing to volunteer." He offered the salute of the Legion sworn to Caesar. "To test my strength against yours would be an honor. As it always is."

Red eyes locked with black. The fury that had directed him for a moment was gone, amusement replacing it the same time blue replaced red.

"There is no need to offer such a thing Legate." The power that had consumed him was gone in the blink of an eye. He offered one last glance towards the pink haired Genin before he turned his gaze elsewhere. "Where is Hinata? I thought she would be here."

The eyes of his Legate widened.

"Caesar, she will be unavailable most of the day." Sasuke's words were for him alone. At Naruto's disbelieving stare, he clarified. "The task you set for her yesterday. She has all but thrown herself into it with a frenzy. Your Praetorians observing her have told me she's hardly stopped to rest. They almost want to commend her for this unexpected devotion to what you ask of her."

"Really?" Naruto thought for a moment. "That…that won't do at all. That is precisely what I didn't want her to do, that stupid girl." He shook his head, glared at nothing before turning his eyes to his Legate once more. "Once whatever this ceremony entails is over, I will see to this problem. If I do not, remind me Legate."

"Of course Caesar." Sasuke nodded. "I'll inform your Praetorians to expect your arrival later today."

"I can't believe I have to talk common sense into this girl." Naruto shook his head again, spoke mainly to himself. "This is ridiculous."

Instead of offering any advice or make any attempt to aid him in this moment of distress, the Uchiha only chuckled at Caesar's plight for once. For such a thing, he earned a halfhearted glare from the Uzumaki. He only laughed again at the sight of such a thing, managed to drag the same from Naruto eventually.

To the two of them, Hinata Hyuga was utterly ridiculous. Her antics were worth a few laughs from the two Chunin.