Harbinger Chapter 29: Into Adulthood! Primed Exam Participants, a naruto fanfic

Note: Hijinks and memories before the first stage of the Chunin Exam lie ahead! Your review is a very important part of my Exam Feedback Report, so put your professional reader-pants on please.

Chapter Soundtrack: "Thousands" by Kenmochi Hidefumi

Chapter 29: Into Adulthood! Primed Exam Participants

Obito followed the stone steps up the side of the mountain towards the town's shrine. A friend and fellow father, Mister Hirano Seike, had handed him a crinkled paper advertisement before Obito began the hike. He read over the flier as he walked distractedly, remembering Seike's upbeat greeting on the roadside.

"I picked that up while I was in Ine. A lot of laborers in the harbor were handing these out." Seike told him, "I thought because you're a ninja that you might like to watch it, Tobi."

"Thank you." Obito smiled wistfully, having forgone his mask that day, "I probably won't be able to make it, but I'm happy that you gave me this."

He re-read the advertisement while he climbed:

Announcing the annual Chunin Selection Exam, hosted by Konohagakure and its esteemed partners! Last call for registering Genin is April 30th, no exceptions. Three-man cells only with valid identification may enter. Stage One of the Exam will commence on May 20th with subsequent stages concluding within one week. Mandatory one-month-layover for Stage Three participants spans May 26th to June 26th in preparation of Final Rounds and Stadium opening.

Visitors and guests from far and wide are welcome! Valid photo ID and security check compulsory upon admittance. Arrange your accommodations in early June! Hotels will be overbooked. Some reservations are non-refundable. Tickets sell out fast, so contact your local agent today!

Only the most worthy, young shinobi will be chosen to compete in the Third Stage Tournament! Do not miss this year's clash! Betting booths open June 26th promptly at 8:00AM.

"Hm!" Obito said to himself, "This one sounds like it's a big deal."

He would regret skipping it, but he had little choice in the matter. Obito followed the forested staircase to its top, where a well-kept shrine sprawled over the plateau. Every time he ascended it he recalled the day he got married, scaling the old stairs in the blistering heat of summer, years ago.

Across the courtyard he could see Rin and Yuma washing their hands at the cold water scoop. Obito had fallen behind them while he read. He stayed to the right as he passed beneath a torii gate, picking up the pace.

"What took you?" Rin asked in amusement. Obito was rapidly rinsing off his hands at the purifier.

"Seike gave me something." He explained, pointedly not mentioning what it was. Yuma would have a fit if he learned that he would miss such a spectacle in the Leaf Village.

The boy had hopped up wooden steps to the shrine bell, urging his parents to hurry up. On the way, Obito explained quietly to his wife, "It was an advertisement for the Chunin Exam."

"Wow. That time of year already?"

"Yeah, several weeks away."

"Do you think anyone will try to take advantage of it again?" Rin wondered.

"I don't know." Obito admitted, "But I'll find out."

He would be leaving soon to check in with the Akatsuki. Thankfully, he had useful information to share with Jiraiya, including three out of the five Akatsuki hideout locations. With that in mind Obito thought, 'Now we just need to figure out where Jiraiya-sama went to… Sesshu's been tracking him for quite a while.'

A niggling feeling in the back of his mind feared that Sesshu had been hurt or apprehended during his search. Losing their faithful ninken would not only shatter Rin, but he would be devastated as well. Each day they waited was another drop in the pail of Obito's uncertainty.

What was becoming clearer to him, in light of recent events, was that his little family had an unacceptably fragile support system. He and Rin had maturely discussed the unknown watchman's visit and how they had been observed. Naturally, Rin had demanded that they take proper measures by informing other residents, setting traps around the property, and even preparing Yuma for the worst. She was anxious for her dog's return as well; hopefully Sesshu would arrive with some good news.

'There aren't many ways we connect with the outside world now.' Obito thought, 'Some townspeople. Sesshu. Jiraiya. We really are cut off… We're not equipped to deal with emergencies or threats.' It was this vulnerability that had him seriously considering a communication to Leaf, or at least, to the people who may wish to help them.

'Maybe for Rin's sake, Kakashi would try to help. Even if he decided to hate me for playing dead for so long. And…I don't know how my clan would react to learning that I'm alive…' His optimism spurred another idea, 'Jiraiya's students will help us. Naruto was every bit as friendly as Sensei was when I met him. Rin said that she met one of his teammates, Gaara. Maybe we aren't as alone as I thought.'

"Ready?" Yuma's voice snapped Obito out of his contemplation. He reached up to a thick rope and rang the shrine's bell.

He gestured for his parents, on either side of him, to simultaneously bow twice. They did as Yuma directed in easy synchronization, although the two sets of claps that followed were slower than their child's. They bowed once more together, with wishes in their hearts. Rin and Obito, of course, had implored the shrine's god for the same thing.

"Keep us safe." Rin whispered, as she was the last to turn away from the altar. She descended the steps with a worried look. Obito discreetly laced his hand with hers as they walked.

"Don't worry." He smiled sidelong at his wife, "We came up with a good plan. And we'll ask Jiraiya about it when we get back in touch."

"I'll try, but when you and Sesshu are both gone I always feel…" Rin sighed, "Like the world is a much scarier place. We've taken a lot for granted."

"I know."

They walked slowly as Yuma trotted ahead, reveling in the late-Spring colors of the mountainside.

"I don't think a prayer will protect us." Rin's expression had become stern, "If that stalker comes back while you're gone…I'll be ready to end him."

"Rin, you probably won't have so much as a mouse squeak by our house these days. It's been a few weeks since it happened."

"That's not enough time to put me at ease. If anyone goes near Yuma…" She repeated in a severe voice, "I won't hesitate and I won't regret. The nice, little girl inside me is gone."

Obito nodded in understanding. In the years they had been together, he had witnessed Rin undergo a transformation into a much tougher, more skeptical person. She had a lot of qualities that her older sister Tsume did, as he recalled. While Rin maintained her intrinsic compassion and dedication, Obito conceded that, these days, Rin was the wrong person to pick a fight with.

The family followed a path through sloping woods back to their home. They popped into the house, hopeful that their beloved family dog had returned. There was neither hide nor hair of Sesshu. Deflated, the family ate lunch together before Obito changed into his disguise. He and Yuma squeezed each other in a loving hug before Obito stepped outside to the porch, followed by Rin.

His mask was tilted to the side of his head, exposing his face as he grinned, "Are you going to miss me?"

"Yes." She smiled and folded into his embrace, "I just want to know…how much longer do you think you'll need to keep this up?"

Obito looked at her, his mouth pursed, reluctant to answer.

Rin went on, "Something's got to give, Obito. One day, those criminals you are watching are going to be on the move again. When that happens, does Jiraiya-sama expect you to chase after them and keep track of it all? You doing that may not help the Leaf Village as much as you want to believe it will."

"Someone has to."

"Let Jiraiya do it." She insisted, "He put you up to this. He has his act together now, you said. His students are growing up and will be out on their own…Jiraiya can make the time to follow the Akatsuki." Rin lowered her eyes, adding, "If you were here…it'd be safer. We could spend time. Yuma and I would be happier…and…"

"I know, Rin." He touched his forehead to hers, "I know that I've got to talk to him about it. It's taken up a lot of our time…since I've gone away. It's something we never would have chosen to do on our own."

Her voice was quiet, "Don't you…want more children?"

"Yeah, I keep thinking about it."

"We'll never get around to it, at this rate." Rin replied somberly, "And what's the point of having a family who's going to miss Dad all of the time?"

"You have a point." He conceded, "I need to tap out and switch with Jiraiya-sama. This isn't fair anymore."

"Be careful, please." Rin pecked his lips before reconsidering, and she leaned in again for a second, longer kiss, "I'll keep everything under control until you come back."

"You always do. Say…" Obito's expression was mischievous, "Do you want to try again when I come home, Rin?"

She slowly composed her answer, "That depends. The quicker you can get Jiraiya-sama to take over your watch…" Rin smiled again, "I think I'd like to try all day, every day."

Thrilled, he kissed his wife full on the mouth again, chuckling wildly, and then Obito set out into the rolling green of the forest. Rin stood and let out a long breath, folding her arms as she thought, 'I hope I don't regret making that offer! Knowing Obito, he'd probably want five or more kids if I didn't stop him. Sheesh! Where would we put them? This tiny cabin...'

She tapped her chin as she turned around and entered the house, 'Of course it's just a long-shot wish. We would probably have to return to Leaf before our family could grow. It isn't wise to stay out here in the middle of nowhere and expect security. Things have gone wrong before we were watched…'

Yuma was waiting patiently at the kitchen table beside a spread of herbs and tubers, "So you'll teach me to make medicine now? You said you'll let me watch."

"Sure. If you're careful with the knife, I'll even let you cut some of these up." Rin offered, taking a seat beside him, "Let's work on the big roots first. We need to grind them up." She reached for a worn mortar and pestle.

The two began the painstaking process of smashing tubers into goo on top of wax paper. Yuma seemed to genuinely enjoy it. Rin's mind wandered as they worked.

'We were nearly dead a few years ago. It's funny that we can get over these things so quickly.' She shut her eyes for a moment, 'A watchman? Well, that's fine. I can beat a person up. But there are some enemies we have that we can't really fight. Even when I tried my best…we nearly lost everything.'

Rin glanced sadly at her son, still thinking, 'I've been selfish. Staying here. Hiding. If Obito and I die here in Shincha, where will you go, Yuma? I could only hope Sesshu comes back. That he'd help you get to Konoha. That you'd persevere and thrive in the place you always wanted to be…' Her mouth curved upward, 'With all of those talented Uchiha to call you one of their own. I want you to have a vivid, adventurous life…even if one day we won't be in it.'

While she and Yuma worked on preparing herbs from their garden, Rin was swept back into a memory from nearly four years prior. It had been winter. Back then, Yuma was a toddler learning how to speak and express his wants and needs. She remembered how Obito had delighted in bundling up the child and romping in snow drifts with him. How Yuma had obsessed over snow and even brought it into the house by concealing it in his coat pockets. His parents could tell what he was doing, of course.

Rin recalled the sound of Yuma's soggy boots squishing down the hall as he tried to outrun his father. He screamed shrilly when Obito caught him, promptly turning out his pockets.

The memory progressed vividly. Then Rin was by herself for house-calls, discovering multiple families with seasonal influenza. At the end of the day, more than half of Shincha had been infected, by her estimate. Though Rin scrambled to produce vaccines in her small office in town, after three straight days of work, even she and Obito were not spared from the epidemic.

Rin continued to chop up a handful of herbs, lost in the terrifying feeling of being too sick to move. It still haunted her. She had despaired. Fifteen people died within three weeks. She had supposed the vaccine she distributed to townspeople was ineffective. Though immunized, Obito had fallen ill anyway. Only Yuma had been spared, thankfully. She and her husband had drifted in and out of consciousness, barely able to care for the baby, relying on Sesshu to fetch them trivial things like water or food to eat. They had been prisoners in their home, crippled with fever, unable to tend to Yuma properly.

When Rin wondered if death was certain, Obito was fortunate enough to bounce back. He regained some strength and nursed his family as best he could. By the skin of their teeth, they recovered, weak and underfed; they returned to the village to find others had survived.

'To this day, I still don't know where that virus came from or how it spread so rapidly.' She added to Yuma's pile of crushed tubers, 'It was like a dream; waking up in the hallway of our house, too sick to move. Collapsing anywhere. Obito thinks it was a miracle, like we were destined to make it…'

Rin shuddered at the thought. Danger always felt like it was lurking. Back then, it had been an aggressive strain of the flu. Now, it was a mysterious ninja watching their home. 'And while Obito's away, I'm on the front lines fighting. I want to protect my family, but is it going to be enough?' A part of her constantly feared that her efforts would come up short, and her family was going to pay the price for it.

"Am I helping?" Yuma asked curiously, gesturing to his work, "Mine look messier than yours, Mama."

Rin glanced over to her son's handiwork, realizing she had lagged behind. He had prepared almost all of the plants spread out on the table.

She smiled wearily, "You're doing great. You know…I'm going to need you to help me a lot more from now on, Yuma."

"No problem!" He grinned back at her confidently.

When Rin was about to begin scooping morsels into her mortar, a sound caught her ear. She quickly stood up from her seat, rushing to the front of the house without a word. Baffled, Yuma hurried after her.

Rin flew out the door and across the lawn, greeting her tired ninken as he trudged up the hill. She ran to the bulky hound and kneeled down. Sesshu wagged his tail in greeting as Rin flung her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely, "You're alright! Oh, Sesshu!"

"Yes, I am. And so is Jiraiya-sama." Sesshu reported happily, "I found him in a very peculiar place…"

Recently, a few members of the Hyuga clan had noticed that Neji was in a good mood.

As to why that was, most were unsure. He didn't smile or talk much more than he normally did, but his eyes were clear and he seemed more attentive to the people around him. While it was a subtle change, members of both the Branch and Main families quietly agreed that it was easier to be in his presence nowadays.

And certainly, Hinata noticed the change but could not put her finger on what had caused it. Neji's routine was as unassuming as ever: going out early in the morning with his teammates, occasionally stopping home for mission supplies, training with Lee's grandfather later in the day, and then joining his family for an evening meal. 'Well, no matter what it could be, Neji-niisan deserves to be happy.' Hinata thought to herself. She couldn't shake the feeling, however, that it was not merely her cousin feeling arbitrarily content; it was that it seemed someone was making him happy.

She chose not to jump to conclusions, but Hinata was hopeful that Tenten had something to do with it. 'I want to ask Onee-san about it. Oh…I haven't seen my friends in a few days. I've had two missions back to back. I'd like some company…' Hinata decided it was high-time to make plans with her fellow kunoichi. There was plenty to discuss.

While Hinata prepared for an evening visit with her friends, elsewhere in the Hyuga abode, her cousin has chosen to stay in.

Down the corridor in the Main house, Neji had retired for the night in his bedroom. He had finished a bath and redressed in simple clothes. His wardrobe, since he had gotten older, had adopted many whites, blacks, grays and teals. Hiashi had said those were the same colors his father always wore. Coincidentally, they had the same taste.

Training with Wong Leung that afternoon had been particularly challenging, Neji thought to himself. Tenten had dropped by briefly, making an attempt to mimic the exercises he and Lee performed. It was a tremendous effort for her to last thirty minutes in a prayer-crouch. After Tenten gave up she muttered under her breath to Neji, "Now I know why you hate those…"

Wong Leung clearly had a soft spot for her. He made idle chit-chat in Hanwen with Tenten before she politely departed and returned home. He then seamlessly resumed his brutalizing of Lee and Neji when she had gone. While his body's ability to maintain balance teetered, Neji's mind was calmer. Overall, he felt much better; about anything and everything. Free.

Now in his room, laying stomach-down on his bed, Neji thumbed through the old novel that Tenten had given him. Lee, a more avid reader, had already finished it. On their past mission to the Marsh Country, both of his teammates had brought up the book out of curiosity. 'I gather it contains more pertinent information than any of us would have thought…'Lee and Tenten had briefly discussed the unusual sword she could summon from the ground, explaining it to him.

Neji cracked the book open at the page he had saved, and then, after a moment, he let it rest parchment-down on the bed as he groaned quietly. It seemed foolish to try to learn more about Tenten by reading an old legend. It was more satisfying to speak to her and ask her things in person, anyway. He was better at talking than he used to be, and he very much liked talking to her. Except that, lately, Neji could not hold a conversation with Tenten long before he was compelled to place his hands or mouth on any part of her within reach. The latter was, by far, the most unusual behavior he had ever exhibited in his life.

And by some normal humans' accounts, his behavior would not at all be regarded as "strange" or "inappropriate." That was, if anyone knew that he was attracted to his trusted friend and teammate. Even Lee had not been made aware of their relationship yet, and Tenten promised that Lee would be the first person she would tell.

He felt. He felt so much all at once that it became a chore to make sense of his actions or crazy thoughts. Tenten had seemed so calm about it. She didn't gush or swoon when he became that…that vulnerable, affectionate being that would appear in sporadic bursts. She didn't criticize him for any of the unfamiliar things he did. She consciously kept her cool, even now that, sometimes, he wanted to watch her get excited. It did occur to him why Tenten was not prone to overreacting to his changes.

Neji made her that way. Their years as a team had installed him as the de facto leader. When he chose not to be openly callous or unkind, Neji had to admit that he was strict, aloof, and officious. He was in charge, and there was little time for friendship or any other soft things that many of his shinobi brethren succumbed to. Tenten settled into the arrangement. She was a harder, more threatening ninja than any of her kunoichi peers. She did not burden the team with weakness or sensitivity.

And then he grew up. He became more insightful. Neji sensed that Tenten did feel tender things; that they were buried, soft-spoken, unacknowledged emotions. He was smart enough to take notice when she interacted with Lee, how she was gentler and more outgoing with him.

She had grown up too. Tenten wanted to go out with boys, mingle with her friends, and generally be social in ways Neji was unable to. He watched from afar, never quite sure how he could learn to do the things that Tenten seemed to do effortlessly. Indeed, Neji recognized the time he became aware of her affection for him. After the first Chunin Exam, he presumed, was when he detected it. That too, of course, was something he could scarcely understand.

Then, at a crossroads, after enduring compromise and change, Neji discovered that it was no good to be apart from her; that there was no use in asking her to suppress feelings now that, truly, he wanted them all to himself and wanted them all of the time. At last he could appreciate those things that he once thought were weak or ineffective. Yet…Tenten dutifully remained cautious. She remained professional and even somewhat skeptical of what had happened. She had not yet let her guard down completely. Neji had to confess that he had not done so either.

It would take more time to learn how to be entirely carefree, he was sure. She must have known that too. It was not a hopeless situation, thankfully. Early morning trysts on the training field had revealed to Neji that, despite her cultivated exterior, Tenten would still walk away trembling after intense kisses.

With a low grunt, Neji rolled onto his back, remembering what it was like when she shuddered and made those pleased little sounds. Moments like that. When her eyes opened and she looked at him; and she looked at everything there was inside of him, good and bad, and adored it. It was a pleasure to think that he did the same when he looked at her, though his powerful eyes could drink her in faster.

Just thinking about it made him hard. He rolled over again, face-down on the mattress, and from the corner of his eye he glimpsed the novel at the edge of the bed. Neji exhaled roughly. He would be lucky if he could ever focus properly again. His brain was constantly trying to re-negotiate how to concentrate on mission details and shinobi business…as well as making sense of the blurred territory of deep affection and sexual desire. He was surprised by how much these qualities blended, in his case.

Like most men his age would say: he would figure it out. Neji steadied his breathing and relaxed; then he reached for the book again. He resumed the tale of The First Shinobi.

In the time after Tian Tian had rediscovered her student, Yuanjia, they discussed the political climate and how quickly time had gone by.

While Tian Tian had been withdrawn from the world, sulking from country to country, Yuanjia had been in frequent contact with her father as well as his own tribe. He explained that many of his relatives had travelled from the Kingdom of Han and settled in the free lands surrounding Ukigaru's estate. The arrival of these exotic and talented people had been generally well-received. And, naturally, Yuanjia learned many things from them in his teacher's absence. He was just as skilled a warrior as any veteran ninja in her father's service, but with a few oddball tricks to use against practitioners of Ninjutsu.

"How is my father?" Tian Tian asked, "I would imagine that he is disappointed with me."

"Ukigaru-sama only wishes to see you safely home, someday." Yuanjia told her, "My impression was that he does not believe in smothering your fire. Even if your travels take you far and wide, he wants to see you glow on the horizon."

"How terribly poetic you are." She chided, "My mother and sister most likely do not feel that way."

"They do not." Yuanjia confirmed, "They are the sheltered, fearful sort."

"I have no interest in returning." Tian Tian said flatly.

"Understood. However, if you do not see fit to return to your homestead in the mountains, my people have settled close by in the steppe. I beg that you consider meeting my tribe, and grace the stories of my master with truth, Sensei."

"Do not call me that." She objected, "You are grown and taught. That time is behind us."

"That may be so, but you imparted on me the most valuable lessons. My respect for you is chronic at the least, Tian Tian."

She only replied, "That's better."

The swordswoman entertained the journey to the prairie lowlands where the Han people had joined the people of the Land of Earth. Tian Tian was keen to notice how the students of Ninshu had increased noticeably all throughout the lands. Clans of "ninja" were plentiful and, on occasion, combative. She snickered at such posturing, "Surely they known that their internal squabbling is the exact thing the Sage condemned? My father told me that Rikudo Sennin created Ninshu as a way to accept the chakra that is in the world now, as well as how to accept each other."

"Not every student completely understands what they are taught. Ninshu can be interpreted many ways." Yuanjia supposed, "They don't wish for war, but for distinction. Many such ninja admire the Sage's children and aspire to be like them."

"Why is that?"

"They were born with his greatness and inherited his power." He explained, "Juranda has many friends now. His elder brother, Tasaisha, is an esteemed prince of his country. He is so powerful, it is said, that he needs no guards, no friends nor a clan. He relies only on himself."

"What brazen falsehood." Tian Tian laughed, "No man truly exists on his own. I'll bet he pays someone for the food he puts in his mouth…that fat-headed prince."

"That is certain, but madam, do not speak so profanely of an honorable young lord."

They continued to speak while crossing grasslands.

"Yuanjia, look carefully for when the profane overlaps with the truth." She warned, "The lords Hamura and Hagoromo were only men, after all. You can see their descendants everywhere these days, like those white-eyed fools, or the wood-keepers. Ninja are merely people, in the end. Don't let anyone think otherwise of that man called Tasaisha."

"Your father knew him, is that right?"

"When he was young, yes, my father met that boy. He was quite the talent." She added, "And as stuck-up as they come. I have heard that Hagoromo-sama trusted little Juranda with his will instead."

"Yes. That action has chafed many. Although…I do find it a sensible choice. Just as you have said, Juranda feels quite firmly that all ninja are foremost people, and worthy of friendship."

"Why all of this attention on them? Have I really missed so much gossip during my sabbatical?"

Yuanjia was surprised, "Do you not know? The Sage of the Six Paths had passed on."

The kunoichi was taken aback by the news.

"It's true. Not long before he died, the Sage released the Juubi's energy from his body and created life. That chakra took the forms of beasts with many tails; just as innocent as children, all named and cared for until the Sage's life expired." Yuanjia explained, "The Tailed Beasts are roaming peaceably and learning about the world…but Tasaisha and Juranda can use the chakra inside of them, if they so wish."

"Well of course, that power was once a part of their father. They should not tamper with it; after all, the Great Sage would not have done such a thing so that fools could interfere with new life."

"Sometimes princes feel entitled." Yuanjia observed, "We mustn't turn a blind eye to their decisions. If they choose poorly, they can tear apart this prosperous world that we enjoy, thanks to Rikudo Sennin."

Tian Tian wholly agreed. She was pleased that her beliefs corresponded with those of her former student's. Believing that Yuanjia made a fine companion, she was more than happy to be introduced to the people of his tribe. Though they seemed strange at first; with queues of long black hair on their heads, colorful silk clothes, and their whimsical goods…Tian Tian felt the tribe was authentic and charming.

They were welcomed into the village on the plateau and stayed there for many months. It was there that Tian Tian was shown that Ninshu was not as new a concept as it seemed. An analog of that "way" existed in the Kingdom of Han for over a thousand years, and they called it the way of the Tao. When they spoke of chakra they called it chi. When they spoke of jutsu they called it shoufa. And when they spoke of dumplings, it was a food so delicious that it negated any food that Tian Tian had ever eaten in her homeland.

What she absorbed from everyday life with Yuanjia's people was that balance was essential. The balance of light and shadow. Male and female. Life and death. They spun stories and doctrine that Ninshu had yet to employ. The great masters of Tao Arts did not make an attempt to teach Tian Tian anything until they saw true appreciation and humbleness in the woman. It was not long before she had adapted the new way of life, becoming a neighbor to Yuanjia in a small cabin, as well as a fellow disciple of the Tao.

She learned that the relatives of Yuanjia, masters of binding spells, elements, and Wushu, referred to themselves by the family name Sa Gou. Emblems and crests they had brought over were emblazoned with a dog surrounded by peonies, the foremost symbols of honor and loyalty in their culture. Tian Tian enjoyed learning about their lives, and, over time, was taught about their techniques as well.

She and Yuanjia trained as equals, participating in tasks as meaningless as drawing water, and sometimes learning the complexity of Yin and Yang techniques that Tao Arts emphasized. As their efforts wore on, Tian Tian had no choice but to accept that Yuanjia was not the clever boy under her mentorship she had once known. He became a scholarly warrior who stood taller than she, gentlemanly-mannered, and swifter with a sword than her on most days. She was no longer too proud to admit it.

While living with the Sa Gou people calmed her restless spirit, Tian Tian's ambitious, outspoken nature remained intact. She enjoyed teasing Yuanjia during lessons to see if he could keep his focus. She criticized food he cooked even when she found no fault with it. He was quietly abashed by her attention, but every so often retorted with his own quips. Tribesman poked fun at their inseparable friendship, but after nearly a year they asked Yuanjia to send the shinobi woman on her way. She was scaring away potential wives who had interest in him.

"She taught you many things, but there is nothing left you can learn from her." His auntie advised, "Don't remain ineligible just for her sake. She burns a bit too bright for the Sa Gou people, and she might scorch us into the ground if she stays."

Yuanjia stubbornly refused to dismiss Tian Tian, keeping his relatives' wishes to cast her out a secret. His timidity had made it difficult for him to express the great love he felt for his once-teacher. More than that, he was troubled that she might consider such romantic feelings unacceptable, and if Tian Tian learned of it, that she would excuse herself from his company.

He persisted, ignoring complaints from impatient family, and would watch with great admiration as Tian Tian mastered stepping through shadows. Her skill with bending light and shadow was the talk of her mentors. As she excelled with Yin and Yang abilities, she had noticed a small melancholy that had overcome her companion. Though Yuanjia denied it, Tian Tian had begun to suspect that she had worn out her welcome. Washer-women were not shy about telling her that she was a distraction to a fine young man.

The revelation made her restless. It was quite plain to her how Yuanjia felt, despite his modest manner. Aware that he feared social stigma that villagers were already circulating, Tian Tian thought that her impetuous demeanor could bring about a favorable solution. She had few qualms with telling the young man that she returned his sentiments.

She stepped through shadow one evening to confront Yuanjia behind his home, as he poured water into a trough for livestock. He was startled by her abrupt appearance.

"I was told you would be under the master elder's tutelage tonight." He then asked, "Was I required for a lesson as well?"

"No, the elder does not feel well." She wore a small smile.

"How unfortunate."

"Will you invite me inside?"

He politely did so, mildly nervous, and was further alarmed by her straightforward remarks.

"I've been told I should leave." Tian Tian announced, "A man your age needs to consider building a future and family. You should not be accompanying a vagabond shinobi."

"Pay them no mind."

"For your well-being I must respect what's being said." She stated as they sat near a hearth, "Yuanjia, you should give your attention to Sa Gou women and let me travel again. I am better-informed than I was. You needn't worry."

"I have no desire to give my attentions to them, most especially when I am forced to." Yuanjia replied sharply.

"No desire? Then do you mean…that you desire me?" She was a cunning wolf of a woman, coyly smiling.

His countenance wavered at the suggestion, "That wasn't my meaning, Tian Tian. And surely you would find such a passion to be entirely incorrect." To prove his point he bowed his head to the thatched-grass floor, submissively, "You who I called teacher…should not be affronted that way."

"Heaven help us, sit up won't you!" She snapped, pulling him upright, "How old do I seem? How worthy of respect do I seem, to you? Eh? One who shirks responsibility and fights ruffians on the moorland, homeless and ungrateful. Do not think so highly of me."

"But I will." Yuanjia insisted.

"You are much too devoted, it would appear." Tian Tian observed, "Any true student would be wiser than you and agree with what I said."

"But I am no longer that." He acknowledged.

"We are no longer that." She agreed, "It was only for a short time. And as I am an individual well-acquainted with things incorrect and obscene…you ought not to be surprised that I feel as you do." She shut her eyes with a soft laugh, "That I love you in a way that maybe I shouldn't."

Eyes wide with astonishment, Yuanjia accepted the words in silence. Excitement and uncertainty filled him when the woman reached to touch his face lightly with her fingertips.

"I won't deny it. I do not want you to leave, no matter how the Sa Gou feel about it. Or what they think…" He took a kneeling step towards Tian Tian, "We can always leave this place. I love you and I want to please you." He held her hand firmly to the side of his face, "That is what I have been thinking all along."

Tian Tian pressed a long kiss to his mouth before informing him, "Good. But you don't know how to please me yet. You are too inexperienced. Han people are so formal and strict with relations, and here in these lands men roll in haystacks long before finding a wife."

"That isn't our way." He admitted in embarrassment.

"Then I'm going to teach you the way." She decided, "And it will be the last thing I teach you."

Neji slipped a page marker into the book and shut it. He was a tad disoriented by the passage he had read.

If he recalled some time ago, Lee had warned him about the plot twist. He expressed that it was a curiously honest depiction of a relationship, for ancient times. Lee said he had liked it.

He stood and snapped the light off in his room. Neji settled on his bed again, letting the back of his head fall heavily on a pillow. Just as soon as he had begun reading, the story felt a little too personal. If merely by coincidence, Tenten had been teaching him all she could in the Marsh Country a short time ago; by extension, so had Lee. Like Yuanjia, Neji was also learning the way of the Tao from an old master.

He thought he could be relating to Yuanjia because he was a more reserved, formal kind of character. 'Like myself.' Maybe it was because the young man was simmering with deep emotions that he wasn't sure how to express, or it was as simple as Tian Tian being so alike to the girl he knew.

Whatever the case, it had tipped the scale of resemblance more than what Neji was comfortable with. It would be better to stop reading for now, even if the protagonists were about to fornicate in a scene too sensational for historical storytelling. Neji did not often read; least of all gratuitous romance.

There were other things to think about to drive the imagery out of his mind. For instance, Tenten had told a 'white lie' to Lee and their Sensei the day before. It was something she did every once in a blue moon in order to secure herself extra free time. Neji and Lee tended to forget that Tenten devoted a large portion of her day to weapon-making and sales, and consequently she would remind them that she "wanted a life," even if it meant robbing time. Business was better than usual, thus decreasing any leisure she could enjoy.

She had told Gai that she would be negotiating with a material vender who could become a supplier for her shop, and maybe even help her open a second location. Before Gai could happily excuse her and wish her luck, she added that Neji would not be available for team training either. He had an obligation with his clan. Gai granted their time away without question. All of the excuses were completely false, of course. Tenten was obtaining an opportunity they could use to get to know each other.

Neji was not entirely sure what they planned to do yet. His mind automatically went to training, missions, and other serious matters. Then he recalled how he had relaxed and spoken with Tenten on the deck of the Fog Skipper, and that seemed more like what she had in mind.

It was also inconvenient that they had to substitute truth with plausible fiction, primarily because they were unprepared to make their relationship known to the world. Without a doubt, it would garner attention from their peers and perhaps even family. A defiant, minuscule voice nested in Neji's ego protested that even if people did learn about it, that they should have the decency to keep their opinions to themselves. More than anything, if felt good to be acknowledged by Tenten. It satisfied him in ways that nothing and no one else could come close to. That was all that should really matter.

At some point, while his thoughts slowly spun, his eyes had drifted shut.

The next morning Neji went about his normal routine, minus his early arrival to their training field. He had agreed to meet with Tenten for 9:00 at the corner of the Main Avenue and the Jounin Standby station. He dressed and ate, and then took advantage of the vacant inner courtyard of the estate.

Neji did light forms to wake up. After a while a pre-teen boy from the Branch House also stopped in the courtyard. He began Jyukken forms rigidly from the opposite end of the plot.

For one exercise, Neji held a low horse-stance, his arms parallel, straight, and poised in front of him. He was facing the Branch youngster, whose name he knew was Hirokazu. Neji's facial expression softened as he realized the boy had stopped and was watching him curiously.

"Good morning, Neji-sama." The boy greeted quietly, "I did not ask permission if I could share this space with you."

Neji broke his stance and stood, "There is no need to ask for my permission. This is a shared yard."

"I understand. It's just that…I'm in the presence of the clan heir." Hirokazu pointed out.

"I'm just a person." Neji chided, thinking of the moral from the book, "Use this space regardless of who is in it."

The boy nodded shyly.

Neji added, "I appreciate that you're here. I have seen you at clan meetings each month ever since you were small, but I know that we have never personally spoken."

Hirokazu brightened, "Yeah. Mom said she didn't think it was appropriate for us to inconvenience members of the Main Branch, even though you, Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama, and Fujita-sama never use the Seal on us."

"We never will." Neji was aghast at the idea.

"Mom told me that when Hiashi-sama was young he said that he wouldn't either. But when he grew up he started to…"

"Circumstances are different. I don't know why my uncle chose to subjugate Branch members. I would sooner die than do such a thing." Neji vowed, "I cannot speak for my cousins in the Main Branch, but I promise that you can trust me."

Hirokazu smiled, "Alright." He took a Gentle Fist stance once more, "Why are your forms so different from mine? Is that a style taught in the Main House?"

"It isn't." Neji clarified, "I receive supplemental training from a Wushu expert; my teammate's grandfather. He is a master of an ancient form of Gentle Fist."

"You don't say…" The boy was star-struck, "It seems so….fluid…when you move."

"Do you want to learn?"

He was startled, "I…I mustn't impose on a member of the Main Br-!"

Neji raised his chin and interrupted him, "I offered."

When Hirokazu nodded hesitantly he came to stand beside the young man who, many Branch Members had said, was one of the few champions of mercy in the Hyuga clan.

Neji calmly gave the youngster a demonstration of Baguazhang that morning.

Later, when he was off to meet with Tenten, he thought that his willingness to spend time with Hirokazu might have assured the boy that he indeed was able to access the expertise and courtesy of the Main House. 'Contrary to what most members of the Branch believe. It isn't surprising that they are too wary to let their guards down, but they still feel that even I cannot be completely trusted.' Maybe because of his entitled behavior in the past, or his public brawl with Hikune, the Branch was uncertain of his dependability.

As Neji walked down an alleyway lined with tall wooden fences, a strange, sudden thought struck him like a flying dart.

He had not thought of Hikune in a long time. Since his elder cousin had perished, he had maybe remembered him in passing once or twice. He too had been someone the Branch looked up to, yet had still resorted to activating the Caged Bird Seal. Hikune had been a respectable shinobi and a loving older brother. And though Neji had not believed it at the time, back when Hikune had verbally belittled him, he had in fact been a rival for Tenten's attention. What was concerning was that this doubt felt more real now. It hurt today far more than it did many months ago.

'Because she…had the option not to choose me. She was persuaded not to choose me.' Neji considered. Several feelings welled up that he was utterly unfamiliar with, but they resonated with stings of guilt and heartache.

Some anger was leftover, he realized. Jealous anger. He did not want her to socialize with other men who were interested in her, not then and certainly not ever. However, the real crime was that he never bothered to explain that wish. Neji could not fault Tenten when she had no concept of how he honestly felt; that he had been mentally and emotionally too far removed to voice something so important. Neji came to grips with the reality that he was not the only one who looked at her and saw something incredibly precious.

The anger and regret was not focused directly on her anyway, he noted. But now these prickling feelings made him question what and who she had experienced before him. Nowadays Neji was perfectly willing to kiss her but, oh, what if she had enjoyed that with someone else? With Haku or Hikune? Someone he never learned about? What if she had done more serious things? While he had bumbled away time and energy, frustrated and chasing his own tail, Tenten had gone out and lived a life. Neji, nearly an adult, still hardly understood the most prized social functions that his companions did. How could he ever blame her if those things had happened?

Neji nearly walked head-long into a metal flag pole strung with advertisements. He side-stepped it at the last second. 'I am thinking too much. I'm close to sabotaging a day that I may actually enjoy…'

No. It would not do to think about Hikune again. Or the possibilities, or anything negative that could shed an unfair light on Tenten today when all he truly desired was her. Good or bad, that was what he was asking for.

The side street let him off about a block away from his destination. He rounded the corner and continued without appearing too suspect to the people crowding the main road. Neji stopped beneath the awning of a stationary shop to wait, leaning against the stucco wall of the building. He was early, as was his nature. He made sure to stay beyond the line of sight from the windows of the Jounin Standby station. Neji had no intention of letting Gai learn about their deception from a passing comment made by a Jounin associate.

He watched villagers go by as he waited. So this is what was happening back in civilization while he trained with his team. Sometimes Neji felt detached from the life-rhythms of Konoha when he was too wrapped up in his own business. Today, he felt as if he had been pulled back down to earth again by a string.

A strange walking-tour of foreigners went by, following a guide from the Akimichi clan. The visitors had white t-shirts on with abstract, red-rectangled flags on the front. They were almost all blonde and pale, wearing sunglasses, and wielding cameras; disrupting the flow of foot traffic.

On second thought, maybe he was not missing much while he was out training every morning.

Neji's gaze moved to the right, looking down the line of shops on the side of the road. Still a distance away and slightly obscured from view by other villagers, Tenten had appeared. He continued to watch as she drew closer, and almost immediately he was alerted to something quite different.

First, he noticed an utter absence of weapons, tools, and other shinobi paraphernalia on her person. It was nearly sacrilege; however Neji conceded it made more sense for her to be unarmed for a friendly rendezvous. His eyes trolled over her standard white cheongsam trimmed with red, dark pants that stopped at her calves…but those clothes, today unadorned by weapon-holsters, made her seem smaller and delicate as she walked.

Her hair was in its new style, but had obviously been tied by someone else. The braided chignons were too intricate; her fingernails painted an oxblood hue. He wondered who had taken the time to prepare her, and was unexpectedly glad that someone did. These small details were not flamboyant, but he could notice and appreciate them. There was a green jade ring on the middle finger of her left hand. Neji stared and deliberated its significance.

When Tenten came within range of hearing she smiled uncertainly at him, noticing his thinking face. It had close resemblance to a frown. "Hi, Neji," She greeted as she came to a stop, "You beat me here, like you usually do."

Neji nodded as her eyes scanned him from top to bottom. Of course he had not tried to doll himself up, and Tenten was glad that he hadn't. It was the same, sleeveless teal gi he often wore in the summer with black pants. She did immediately notice he had not wrapped his hands or arms in tape. It was a rare, welcome sight.

He was aware that he was being ogled, although he suspected his simple appearance may not have impressed her much at all. Neji lifted a hand and gestured for them to walk. The tourist crowd was starting to get noisy.

"It's busier here close to the summer time, especially on the main street and near the stadium." Tenten observed, "Maybe I should have picked a quieter place for us to meet up?"

He gave a small shrug, "Its fine. It was geographically the mid-point between us."

"I've already been thinking about a place I want to go." She announced in a tone that was more excited and playful than normal, "Unless you had something else in mind, is it okay if I take you there?"

"Lead the way." For now he would remain passive about decision making. Tenten had a better idea of what she was doing than he did.

She carefully chose a route downtown so that they did not stick out like sore thumbs. A short time later they arrived at the Han Ethnic Quarter of the village. Neji was neither surprised nor off-put by the location, and he followed Tenten around as she flitted about the not-so-densely packed storefronts.

"Have you been here before?" Tenten asked curiously.

"I've been here with Lee a few times."

She grinned, "Did he speak Hanwen?"

"Consistently. He's very good." Neji looked at her critically, "Can't you speak it?"

"I'm awful." Tenten insisted, glancing over a produce stand, "Lee tries to engage me in conversation, but I'm not as good as I used to be."

"Who taught you?"

"My parents." She replied simply, turning over a large ginger root in her hands. She decided she wanted it and picked up a woven basket beside the stand, dropping the ginger into it as she continued to shop.

Neji had an indistinct memory of when Tenten described her parents to him in the Marsh Country, but it did not paint much of a picture. While she added thin, dangerous-looking chilis to her basket Tenten said, "I'll tell you more about them…some other time. They're not easy to talk about."

He nodded again and then began to pay attention to what she was doing, "This is where you get food?"

"Most of the time. They have all of the things I'm used to eating."

"Did you eat this morning before you found me?"

"No, I thought it'd be more fun to go out to eat. All of this is for later." She explained.

When Neji gave her a pressing I-don't-get-it look Tenten clarified, "I'll cook this afternoon."

Gawking, he was stupidly and wonderfully shocked. She felt she was within her rights to laugh at his reaction.

"I'll let you decide if you want to eat anything I make. It's probably different from the fare the Hyuga clan eats." Tenten raised her eyebrows as another question occurred to her, "Hey, don't you have all of your food served to you, Neji?"

"Yes." He admitted stiffly.

"Have you been taught how to prepare or cook anything?"

"I can boil water."

"Then I guess you can't make me any meals." She teased.

"I can if I'm taught." He protested.

Tenten reached for a bottle of five-spice powder, intrigued, "If you want that to be a part of your quest for knowledge, then I don't mind showing you a thing or two."

Neji thanked her and then glimpsed over the top of her head, noticing a shop keeper who was analyzing the two of them. Neji steered Tenten along until she took a hard right towards a meat vendor. She seemed completely unaware that a host of Han expats were now watching them instead of minding their own business.

Tenten shuffled around a head of cabbage, eggplant, and black soybeans in the basket, hoping to make room for a package of chicken feet. Neji gave her an incredulous look after she had chosen it.

"It's not for us." She assured him, "Wong Leung loves these. He has an obsession with my mom's recipe."

"Ah." He was relieved.

"And they're not so bad, you know." She smiled impishly, "I eat them from time to time."

Neji privately thought of how the mouth he wanted to kiss, occasionally, dined on the feet of poultry. It brought about fresh perspective. Tenten really was worldlier than he, and Neji had yet to find out just how much more.

She added a whole duck to her basket along with oddities in jars, and then paid for her purchases. The cashier told them to have a nice day when he finished sorting the goods in a smiley-faced plastic bag.

It felt like wandering through another world as Tenten showed him around. There was a verdant, unusual garden fenced-in by chicken wire. Supposedly, Tenten said, it was used to grow the most uncommon vegetables people liked in the ethnic quarter. There was a hat store, a book store that sold absolutely nothing he could read, a store devoted only to selling sets of chopsticks, a shop for lacquered furniture, and then a store full of things Sato might like: like cameras and skateboards.

When they were too hungry to keep talking and wandering, they exited the lower district back into the heart of the Leaf Village. Tenten deliberated on where to eat out.

"You like herring." Tenten stated brightly, "Let's have herring soba."

"Only if you want to." Neji said, wondering how she knew what his favorite food was. After a moment, he reckoned that he should never again be taken aback by the things Tenten had noticed about him.

If Naruto had been around, he definitely would have scolded them for giving their business to a noodle shop other than Ichiraku Ramen. Tenten merely chose the eatery because it was a block away, and she was a bigger fan of convenience than brand loyalty. The bar was empty and so they took two seats side-by-side, giving their orders to the chef.

"This is kind of nice." Tenten decided aloud, "I like not having to throw things at you in the morning."

"Likewise."

"Was there anything you wanted to do today?" She asked.

"Nothing in particular. I'm not very imaginative." Neji took a sip from a tea cup, "And I like that you are."

Tenten blinked twice, and then a wide, pink-lipped smile spread on her face. Neji regarded her and somehow, though he could not fathom how he did it, he absorbed her feelings just from that expression.

He reciprocated with a small smile and then turned his head away quickly; baffled by the weird things he was doing. Tenten was kind enough to banish awkwardness by resuming the conversation. The chef set bowls and utensils in front of them and they thanked him for the food.

They ate and talked, unaware that they were being scrutinized from across the street.

"So…" Ino whispered, "Tell me how this happened again? How we're seeing this?"

Shoulder-to-shoulder with the blonde girl, hiding behind a stack of wooden crates near an alleyway, Hinata shed some light on the situation.

"This morning after I ate breakfast, I was ready to find Shino-kun and Sato-kun…but I noticed that Neji-niisan was still home." She explained, "He was training with a member of the Branch family, a nice boy name Hirokazu. After onii-san had left the compound, I wondered why he was not early to meet with his team like always…"

"You followed him?" Sakura asked quietly from the opposite side, "That's not very like you, Hinata-chan."

"I was curious. I noticed how happy Neji-niisan has been lately, so I suspected something…had happened." Hinata admitted softly, "I watched him cross town and then he stopped in front of the stationary shop for a time. I nearly left without realizing that he was waiting…for onee-san…" She covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, muffling squeals of joy.

"The other day when Chouji and I were talking to Tenten, Neji came by and interrupted us. I had a feeling something was up." Ino agreed.

"Did you see where they went before this?" Sakura continued, "I mean…I can hardly believe my eyes. Maybe it's some kind of elaborate prank?"

Hinata shook her head, "It isn't. They walked downtown together and that's when I hurried to find you both."

"And by the time we got here, the two of them are cozy eating noodles for lunch, talking up a storm. It definitely isn't their typical routine." Ino live-reported what she was observing, "Whoa! He just, like, smiled at her! A real-person smile!"

"She did it first." Sakura noted in delight, "Ugh! We'll get diabetes if we keep watching this."

Hinata tapped her friends' shoulders as she stood between them, ducking down lower behind their cover. Ino and Sakura followed suit as Hinata told them, "I believe…onii-san just used his Byakugan."

He did? Ino mouthed.

Hinata nodded solemnly.

"Then he knows we're over here." Sakura peeked over a box, "A-aaand…now he's telling Tenten right this moment." She quickly ducked down again when, from across the road, Tenten's head snapped around on high-alert for spectators.

In the moments before the spying trio could make an escape via the alley, the pile of boxes they were hidden behind was burst apart by an inorganic gust of wind. They shrieked in terror, retreating briefly, and Hinata was the first to grasp that her cousin had only spooked them with his Wind Affinity. When they looked back across the street, notes of money had been left on the counter beside half-empty bowls.

The seats were vacant.

Many miles away in the Toad Valley, Naruto had spent a few days reeling from the story Jiraiya told him. He had spikes and dips in productivity when he tried to train; at times his laser-point focus helped him draw Natural Energy in, and sometimes he was a hopeless mess, lacking the energy to even sit upright or go about the day.

That morning, Naruto was experiencing an uninspired slump. He had basked in the sunshine out on a wide lawn in the hope it would make him feel better, but his thoughts tinkered obsessively with the possibility of his parentage. He would feel sickened and happily thrilled all at once.

Jiraiya had yet to confirm anything, Naruto noted in annoyance. He had sulked and asked Fukasaku and Shima to supervise Naruto's training near the Toad Oil pool. At meals or other such activities, when Jiraiya would open his mouth as if to confess it all to his godchild, he quickly clammed up. There had been multiple opportunities for him to speak truthfully, and each time Jiraiya had hesitated. Though Naruto found it incredibly hard to be patient, he chose not to pressure his mentor into providing a story he could barely articulate.

When the grassy lawn no longer felt relaxing, Naruto stood and set out to find distractions. He easily spied Gamabunta near the shore of a large lake, seated across from his children: Gamakichi and Gamatatsu. The young toads were growing rapidly, and were also learning how to play cards from Gamabunta.

Naruto greeted them with less enthusiasm than usual, but they still asked him to join them. He scaled Gamabunta's mighty back and then settled on top of the Toad Boss' head.

"How is Sage Training going, boy?" The giant toad asked, "You're starting to look worn-out."

"I'm getting there. It's Ero-sensei who has me stressed."

"Really?" Gamabunta replied, and after winning a hand began gathering the house-sized playing cards to be shuffled.

"Fukasaku-sama says that you two get super emotional." Gamakichi pointed out.

"Well, that's because he keeps bringing up my…" Naruto trailed off and then amended, "Minato."

"Oh." Gamabunta made a sound of understanding, "I see; we all miss that boy, you know. He was the Hokage when I saw him last. I gave him some help when the Kyuubi was ransacking the Leaf Village."

"Say…Chief Toad…" He was sprawled on the behemoth's head, relaxing, "Do you remember seeing me that night?"

"I remember. You were in Minato's arms for a little while." Gamabunta amended, "But I didn't know who you were until Jiraiya later told me."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, "I didn't know who I was until Ero-sensei told me either."

"Ah, so that's what this is about." The boss toad acknowledged. He drew out his trusty pipe and lit it, "Jiraiya is a storyteller, but I've come to learn there are some tales he's too afraid to share."

Gamakichi and Gamatatsu clamored for their father to deal the next round of cards.

When smoke began to waft up and condense around Gamabunta's head, Naruto took to a coughing fit. He slid down the toad's back to get some fresh air, reached the ground, and then bent double to inhale deeply. Gamabunta's yellow eye rolled down to look at him, "Naruto, go to Jiraiya now and have a talk with him. Make him tell you exactly what you need to know, with no substitutions or delays." The toad asserted, "Or I will bring you before the Great Toad Elder so you can learn about your past and future all at once."

Gamakichi was startled, "Wha-? Dad, didn't you say that no one is supposed to disturb the Great Elder without being summoned first?"

"That's the rule, but if we bring Naruto there it will at least give the Great Elder something to do, for a change." Gamabunta puffed smoke from his nostrils, "And a proactive threat is the kind of thing that always gets Jiraiya to cooperate. I know him."

"Thanks, Chief Toad." Naruto expressed his gratitude before setting out in the direction of smaller toad residences.

When he approached Fukasaku's house, Naruto spotted his teacher on the porch with a stack of books at his side. 'I guess this time I'll probably get my answer.' Naruto supposed,'Gamabunta knows how to deal with Ero-sensei.' He came to a stop in front of Jiraiya and said nothing, trying to resist the moody frown creeping onto his face.

Jiraiya looked up and regarded his student, "Uh. You okay, kid?"

With a soft sigh, Naruto took a seat beside the man, "Not exactly. Chief Toad sent me over here."

"Oh, did he?"

"He told me to tell you that you need to explain it all to me now." The young man announced, "Or else he said he'd bring me to the Great Toad Elder to have my questions answered."

"Whoa now, that's unnecessary." Jiraiya waved a hand, "I already planned to tell you," He patted the pile of books beside him, "I just wanted to get my facts straight. I didn't want to skip over details that might matter."

"Details?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow, "How much is there to say?"

"I don't want to give you a one-liner and think that it'll suffice. Like I've told you before, you need context." The man elaborated, "But you caught me at a good time; I think I've worked out just how to put it…"

Naruto folded his legs as he sat, "Then I'm listening."

"Let's see. Try to use your imagination for this, kid. Back when Leaf was winding down from the Third Shinobi war, but still not quite in peacetime…Sarutobi-sensei started bitching a lot about arthritis, his hips, this and that…" Jiraiya recalled, "He was real subtle about how he wanted to look for a successor. When we talked about it, he immediately counted me out. I wasn't reliable. Then he went into his existentially conflicted diatribe of why Orochimaru had not inherited the Will of Fire, and was for all intents and purposes a psychopath…the Sandaime did not want to consider us. Period. I totally understood."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "It was a great call."

"He was looking towards a younger, more hardworking group." Jiraiya went on, "While he had a few people in mind, he asked Takaharu first. He was an ANBU captain at the time and a good friend to the Sandaime. That idea didn't fly. My sensei told me that Takaharu quickly declined, saying that while he loved the village and he would always protect it, it probably wasn't the best idea to make him a leader. He had plenty of enemies, and he and his wife were expecting a baby at the time."

Naruto had a brief moment to imagine what could have been if Tenten's father had become Hokage. 'That would've been cool. But sheesh…those are the shoes I'm in, aren't they? It feels so unreal.'

"Sarutobi-sensei's next and most fitting choice was Minato. He was just as skilled of a shinobi, and thankfully, less shy than Takaharu was." The man held his chin and smiled, "Minato was in a good state of mind to accept the position. He and Kushina had just gotten married, and he was feeling pretty confident with his abilities." Jiraiya glanced sidelong at Naruto, "But he still asked me to stop by, now and again. It made him feel better to know that I was there, and that I would be honest with him when I thought he was going off the tracks."

Jiraiya lifted a thin novel up and handed it to his student, "Here, Naruto. Take a look at this."

He accepted the old hardcover and inspected it. 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.' Naruto frowned to himself and then asked, "What's with the title?"

"It was my first published work, okay? Cut me some slack. This was before I realized my calling was for smut." Jiraiya explained quickly, "I want you to know about it because Minato said it was his favorite book."

Naruto's eyebrows jumped, "He said that? He must have read a lot in his lifetime, so…I doubt it."

"Shut up and look at it."

The young man made a gruffing sound before turning to the title page. The formatting and font were simple, unlike the flashy, provocative stories Jiraiya worked on nowadays. Naruto settled into the third-person narrative, propping up his chin with his hand. He relaxed as he gradually gave his attention over to the story, and Jiraiya watched his face without a word

Time passed as he read in silence, and Naruto kept his surprise contained as he was introduced to the protagonist of the book. 'His name is…Naruto.' He rubbed his temple as he paused to think, 'Ero-sensei named a character "Naruto" years ago, in his debut book…' He concluded a scene in which the main character defeated an opponent in a one-on-one duel with cunning and a Shadow Clone.

He folded the book shut over his thumb, feeling anxious, 'Is this…about me? It could be a coincidence. The guy in this book seems smarter and more put-together…'

While Naruto stewed over the possibility, Jiraiya slipped the book from his hand and slapped him over the head with it.

"Don't think so hard!" The man barked, "Minato loved this character. He told Kushina all about it and convinced her that it was a good name for you, before you were born." Jiraiya smiled warmly, "They were so excited that they were going to become parents, and I was honored that they thought of me. They asked me to look after you, if anything ever happened."

Naruto exchanged a long stare with his mentor, unable to speak, until finally a film of tears threatened his eyes. Jiraiya laughed softly, feeling relief as he finally shared an integral bit of history. He tapped Naruto's head with the novel again before setting it aside.

"I kind of…named you." Jiraiya went on, "I didn't mean to. I had no idea what to call the hero of my book, so I just thought up that name when I was eating ramen one afternoon. Minato didn't care, though. He insisted on picking that name. As for the book, about the character's life and accomplishments, all of that came from my heart. That's a longer story and we'll talk about it with the Great Toad Elder."

"So they…" His mouth felt dry. Naruto wetted his lips to speak, "They were my mom and dad."

"Absolutely. And they were cool."

"Do I look a lot like Dad did?"

"You're about, oh I don't know, kind of an even mix of the two? Fifty-fifty. Sixty-forty? In favor of Minato, I guess. If you had your mom's red hair you'd look like a typical Uzumaki." Jiraiya squinted his eyes and imagined it, "You're just you, kid."

"Yeah." Naruto shut his eyes. His mouth bobbed between a smile and a heartbroken grimace, trying to accept that the truth, while tragic, had some beauty to it. Knowing where he came from made him feel more grounded and substantial as a person.

"Now, I recall how you were trying to get me to explain last time; about what went wrong the night you were born…" Jiraiya continued, "But the problem is I don't know exactly what happened. The Sandaime and I did not have many clues to work with, and no one who witnessed the events is alive today."

Naruto cleared his throat, calming down slightly, "Er-hem…you said that the Fox escaped, for one thing. How would you explain that?"

"Ah, well it's a problem you, fortunately, won't have to deal with in your lifetime. A jinchuriki's seal that restrains a Tailed Beast will deteriorate when a woman-host goes into labor. There's a very technical explanation of it authored by Uzumaki Mito, and her treatise was passed down for posterity so other jinchuriki would know what to expect. Anyway, Sarutobi-sensei told me that Minato was familiar with the danger and had studied up on it. He shouldn't have had any problem with keeping that seal in check while your mom was trying to give birth. The Sandaime's wife, Biwako, was also there to keep everything under control. As was her disciple…"

Jiraiya sighed heavily and rubbed his neck, "My sensei told me that ANBU guards had been found murdered nearby. Biwako and Taji were killed as well. It had occurred before the Kyuubi was freed. With all of those things considered, he and I agreed that someone had interfered that night, hoping to take advantage of Kushina while she was weakened."

Naruto was wide-eyed, "But they never caught anyone?"

"No, they never did catch anyone, but officials did try to blame someone." Jiraiya recounted, "The Uchiha clan was accused of releasing the Fox in an effort to revolt against the Leaf Village. You see, there were some political controversies that kept the Uchiha clan segregated from everyone else. I won't get into that right now. And don't think I didn't research and interview damn near every last one of them to catch even a whiff of foul-play. But Naruto, I swear, they just didn't seem to be involved."

"Why would they want to blame the Uchiha?" Naruto asked.

"The Sharingan, when strong enough, can control the Nine-Tailed Fox." Jiraiya elaborated, "And I'd bet all of my published-work earnings that it can control other Biju too, when given the chance." He made a gesture towards the sky, "In ancient times, Sages that possessed doujutsu were powerful enough to do just that. The ancestor-trait of the Sharingan is the Rinnegan, the ability that the Sage of the Six Paths had. However, that power no longer exists in modern times…" He trailed off.

"What if Itachi did it?" The boy muttered suspiciously.

"Heck no. He was…what? Maybe ten years old at the time, and, I have it on sworn record that Itachi was babysitting his younger brother that night." Jiraiya shot the idea down, "It was someone old enough to coordinate; to know who and when to strike. The facts point to someone who had the Sharingan, probably, but it wasn't a member of the Uchiha clan. You follow me?"

"How is that even possible?"

"Kakashi has the Sharingan." Jiraiya gave an example, "That's because Obito gave it to him. Do you understand? I'm trying to keep the door of possibility open, for this case."

"I get it." Naruto nodded solemnly.

"I guess you could say…Obito and I are hoping that we'll find a clear lead. That we can find out the truth about who attacked Minato and Kushina." Jiraiya added darkly, "And neither of us would be shocked if the Akatsuki had something to do with it. Of course, it'd be ideal to find the one responsible…and tear that guy open from the asshole-up."

"It's been a while." Naruto pointed out keenly, "If someone has avoided you for this long…and they could ambush my parents and everyone else that night…" His eyes locked with Jiraiya's, "Do you think that you'd want to face someone like that? That's no pushover."

"Eh…well, no. That doesn't sound like a pushover, you're right." The man groaned softly, "Sounds like I'd be on the losing-end of a fight if I picked it with the shinobi who could take down Black Ops sentries, the Fourth Hokage, the Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails, and then leave everything in tatters."

"Exactly." Naruto agreed, "That's why you're gonna leave it to me."

"Pff!" Jiraiya laughed, "Look, Naruto, I know how strong you are. But this isn't an enemy you could deal with on your own either. Just by looking at the facts, we have to know better than that."

The young man stared out over the yard, brooding, "It's not easy to do."

"Easy or not: play it cool. If you get swept up by the desire for revenge, you and Sasuke can be neighbors in psychoville when all is said and done." He added, "You'd never get anywhere by taking that route."

Naruto refrained from speaking after that, and Jiraiya's hand fell heavily on his shoulder, holding tight.

"We'll get justice for them, Naruto, and you can count on that. We're going to do this the practical way, and we'll know our enemy before we take action. Please don't assume I've been alright with letting this sit. I wasn't alright with it. I am still not alright with it." Jiraiya explained, "I was a depressed alcoholic for years after that, at a time when you could have used a caretaker. I was the most heartbroken fuck-up there ever was, and I felt like I could never get anything to change. Like I'd never improve anything again." He brightened, "Now look at me: I'm training up a new crop of Kages. I'm a well-known author and I'm aging gracefully!"

An incredulous laugh escaped Naruto, "Heh heh! They'll put you on a magazine cover sooner or later, right? Pft…"

"It's gotta be soon. I am so goddamn amazing." Jiraiya put his hands on his knees, excited, "There is a lot I can do. Have some faith in me, this time, and I promise I'm going to get you right where you need to be."

"Sheesh, I never doubted that, Ero-sensei." Naruto assured him, "Even when you were a disgusting schlub."

"Thanks. I hope Gaara and Haku feel that way too."

"I'm sure they do."

They sat without speaking, serenely smiling, happy to be in each other's company on a day in late spring. Naruto gave a curious look to his teacher after a while, "Ero-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"Do people know?" He asked, "Who I am? Do you think…I mean…I honestly feel uncomfortable about who my parents are. Well, Mom's fine. Dad…"

"Relax. Minato was Hokage, so what? Some people are accountants. No matter what they do for a living it should not affect the fact that your father is your father. Before anything else, he was just a half of you. A human being. He was really nice and intelligent. He was the type who'd throw on an apron and bake you a special birthday cake every year, kid. You know why? Because that's the kind of thing that would make him happy. His job was only a job."

"But I…I feel like I'm…" Naruto gestured with his hands as he identified a word, "I'm not representative of the people who made me. They were awesome. I'm just a-"

Jiraiya clapped a hand over his mouth, "Quit talking like that. Take it from someone who can actually testify: you are. You're just like them, Naruto. Feeling inadequate? It's okay; you'll get over it." He added, "I don't know who in the Leaf Village is actually aware; save for a few people like Tsunade and Kakashi. Namba might know, but he's never around."

"Do you think it's alright if I tell Gaara-kun and Haku-kun?"

"Sure it is. They're your friends and they'll be thrilled about it." Jiraiya stood from his seat on the porch and stretched, "But…you're kind of the status-quo, now. Gaara never cared or maybe even hated that his dad was a Kage. He may not give much of a shit, in your case. Not to fret, though, Haku will happily congratulate you."

"Yeah, maybe."

Jiraiya looked down at him and extended an arm. Naruto reached for his hand and was pulled to his feet, and then wrapped in heartfelt hug. It was a parent-like hug. The young man breathed out and felt at ease after many days of distress.

"There you go." Jiraiya smiled and released him, "You've got your identity all sorted out, and please, don't dwell on it, Naruto. It's time to get your butt back to the Toad Oil Pool."

"Fine! I'll need a spotter, though." Naruto set out across the lawn briskly.

Jiraiya's limbs made creaking sounds as he tried to keep up, "Yep, I know. I'm movin'…"

The following morning in Nanakusa, Haku had been asked to assist around the tea shop. Travelers were headed northwest towards the Fire Country to spectate the Chunin Exam, and many had chosen to take a stopover in the small town. Hiroshi was up to his neck in customers at his café, and had kindly requested that Migawari postpone Haku's medical tutoring for later.

"For you, Hiroshi, sure." The retired medic-nin allowed it, "You're a good soul, feeding all of these lousy tourists!" He turned to Ranmaru at his side, "Come on, Shorty. We're going to take a closer look at soft tissue injuries today."

After they had left, Haku had thought to himself how it might have been better not to be conscripted for tea shop work. His head was spinning as he tried to serve the noisy folk crowding tables. In the kitchen, Haku was about to ask Hiroshi why he had not considered hiring at least a temp-employee when he devised a simple solution. 'If there's no time to hire someone new, I can have Kage Bunshin transform to make it seem like we're better-staffed.'

He sent several disguised shadow clones out into the dining room, all featuring different appearances. Thankfully, it helped streamline orders, and Hiroshi was quietly grateful his young companion was clever under pressure.

When the morning rush calmed down, Tomo dropped by with her children, "Good morning!" She arranged the youngsters politely at a table as she greeted the tea shop owner, "Hiroshi-san, I only need about an hour. Do you mind watching the kids while I go to speak to a new patron? This is a big-time pottery company that could be a career jump!"

"Certainly, do what you need to do!" He ushered her out the door, "Do they need breakfast?"

"Yes, if you don't mind. Let me pay you when I get back!" She hurried off.

No sooner had she walked out the door, the children began to fuss. Sachirame and Pua had appeared at the table, sharing a seat, also sniffing around for food. Hiroshi sighed softly to himself before calmly assuring anxious Katsu, the youngest, that his mother wouldn't be gone for long. A shadow clone came by and set food out for the children. It then plucked up the two mischievous, white rabbits and brought them into the back room.

After eating, the three adopted siblings began to fidget with boredom. A few more travelers filed into the tea shop for morning meals, and as Haku exited the kitchen to see how he could help, he found Hiroshi sweeping broken pieces of porcelain from a teapot that had shattered.

"Sorry." Hotaru was shame-faced, "Nagisa pushed me and then it fell over."

"It's alright." Hiroshi picked up the last specks of ceramic, "Do you kids want to stretch your legs outside for a while, until your mother returns?" He gave a sidelong look to Haku, begging: Please take them somewhere.

Knowing the shadow clones would be enough help in the shop; Haku quickly wrangled up the antsy children and led them outside.

"It's busy. Hiroshi-san just needs some time to serve customers." Haku explained to them, "So, what would you like to do in the meantime?"

"Don't know." Katsu replied dimly.

"Everyone's been so busy today that there's no time for us." Nagisa, the eldest, noted sadly, "I know mom needs to work, and Hiroshi-san too…but even you've been gone a lot more these days, Haku-kun."

"That is true. And believe me; most of what I'm doing is not enjoyable." Haku admitted.

Hotaru proposed that they observe the stream from the footbridge in the forest. Katsu seconded the notion, "Maybe the frogs are out so we can catch 'em!"

A few steps beyond the town they had entered the majestic woodland, where many trees were still flowering vibrantly. Pua had apparently escaped the tea shop's kitchen through a backdoor and caught up with them, plodding innocently beside Haku as they walked. The children ran ahead when the wooden bridge came into a view. They peered over the rail, alert for any kind of wildlife they could chase after.

The clear water trickled past stones and pond-grass. Katsu ticked off a list of animals he wanted to see, but his siblings concluded nothing was around, not even a single fish. Disappointed, the small boy scooped Pua into his arms and stroked her ears. He muttered about "his frogs."

"They may yet be tadpoles. We should wait a few more days." Haku suggested.

"But that means there's nothing to do today..." Hotaru mumbled, hanging lethargically from the bridge's handrail.

Nagisa continued up the path a bit further and stopped to pay her respects at a small shrine. Her brother groaned in boredom as they paced the footbridge.

Haku took a moment to consider how difficult it was to be a kid with nothing to do. At that age, he had never run out of things to keep him occupied. He had Naruto and Gaara and all of their friends. The Academy and the Leaf Village had been a vast playground.

Here in Nanakusa things were slow, discreet, and isolated. Children did not have as much to look forward to in a retirement haven.

Haku made no comments as he stood at the center of the bridge, smiling to himself. He watched Katsu and his older brother sit with the rabbit between them.

"Maybe we can sneak into something…"

"Oh! Let's have ice cream. The old lady will give it to us."

"Mom said it's too early. She'll punish us if we try that again."

"She won't know. Nagisa won't say anything."

"Haku-kun will tell her." Hotaru surmised blandly, "He doesn't break rules."

"Oh yeah." Katsu furrowed his brow and patted Pua. He then touched his hand to the top of his head, surprised, "It's cold."

"No duh ice cream is cold, Katsu."

"No. My hair…" The boy mussed the top of his head and beheld as snowflakes fluttered free.

"Whoa!" Hotaru jumped up, glancing around at the mysterious snowfall that had begun. He turned in a circle, "This doesn't happen in spring…" He hoisted Katsu to his feet.

Haku pretended as if he hadn't noticed the phenomenon, watching from the corner of his eye as the boys regrouped with their older sister, trying to make heads or tails of the weather. After a while, though, enough snow had accumulated for a wild play-fight. The children stopped questioning their good fortune and began chasing each other, hurling snowballs.

The morning progressed and Haku's technique had allowed a sizable snow drift to build up in the forest, making sure it did not extend past the bridge into town, 'The older residents would not appreciate it...' By then the children had attempted to construct a figure out of snow, but the torso slid off and fell apart on the ground. Haku assisted them with fortifying it.

Nagisa had been wondering about their strange luck and eventually asked their babysitter, "Haku-kun…is this a kind of ninja technique?"

He raised his eyebrows, "The…snowman?"

"No. You made it snow." She corrected.

"Oh, well…I did." He scratched his cheek, "I wanted you all to enjoy yourselves."

Nagisa smiled as she fitted a patch of moss on the snowman's head like a hairpiece, "Thanks. Hotaru and Katsu would have complained all day, otherwise."

Haku took a step back to frame the creation with his thumb and index finger, advising the boys on where to fit twigs for the arms to look right. As Katsu and Hotaru followed directions, a steel dart shot through the back of the snow sculpture and straight into Haku's thigh.

His eyes moved up towards looming branches as he quickly removed the knife, speaking calmly to the confused children, "You need to go back to the tea shop, now."

Nagisa was concerned about his bloodied leg, "Haku-kun, did something-?"

He pushed her and her brothers down to the ground when several more knives were thrown at them. Haku raised a dome of ice to deflect a supplemental volley of darts that came from the rear, some interspersed with senbon needles. Judging from the directions the attacks came from, and the variety of projectiles used, Haku concluded he was being targeted by more than one shinobi.

The children squealed in wonder and fright, seeing their reflections in the planes of ice that shielded them. Though it consumed a costly amount of chakra, Haku derived two Ice Clones from their shelter and sent them out to contest the assailants in the forest. He then parted the dome and shepherded the children out, 'I have no idea what kind of enemy this is, yet…' He thought, hurrying after the youngsters towards Nanakusa, 'And that dart was poisoned.' He noticed a stinging pain creeping upwards that made it difficult to move.

He had no weapons at the moment. Haku resorted to blocking the rain of weaponry with ice shields, making sure his charges were properly defended, 'These ninja have no qualms with hurting children!' It disgusted him. At the border of the town he witnessed two shinobi, still yards away, drop from the tree tops.

One was wrestling with an Ice Clone, and the bunshin shifted its shape into a spiked mass of ice, urchin-like, and impaled the Hunter-Nin before he could react. The second ninja was approaching fast, the swirl of a white and red mask tipping Haku off that these were certainly Black Ops ninja of Kirigakure.

Haku wanted to thank heaven above that the children were fleet of foot. The brothers had ducked into the long rows of a covered produce stand, however Nagisa had continued racing out in the open down the street. The Mist-hunter threw a poisoned dart at her which sunk cleanly into her shoulder. The girl dropped with a shriek. Haku had enough speed to pick her up and roll to the side when their assailant followed up with another barrage of darts.

Haku had rolled beneath a picnic bench, speaking quickly, "Nagisa, go around the block and tell Migawari-san you're poisoned. He can heal you right away."

"Poisoned?" She squealed, "The thing in my shoulder!? What about your leg?"

"I can take care of myself. Hurry." Haku lightly tossed her into a pile of burlap sacks filled with buckwheat.

Not a moment later, the Hunter-Nin bore down on the picnic table with a palm strike and snapped it in half. On his back, Haku lashed out with a kick that knocked the tanto from his enemy's hand, rolling to his feet as he did so. Their melee exchange was witnessed by residents nearby who scurried to the edges of the street to safety.

One of Haku's comet-punches sailed through the Hunter-Nin who seemed to have vaporized into mist. Before he could counter the strange jutsu, Haku felt a small blade stick deeply into his back between two ribs. The enemy had repositioned behind him. Haku braced himself as he tried to block, and was ruthlessly pummeled in the side of the head by a ninja who, he conceded, was stronger and faster than he. Hunter-Nin were professionally brutal.

Haku managed to pull the dagger from his back before a right-hook to the face knocked him to the ground. He lost his grip on the knife and it skidded across the stones on the street. Adrenalin and instinct built up in him, desperate for survival, and he had nearly enough chakra to manifest a carousel of ice pillars before the Hunter-Nin pounced. The masked ninja sat on his chest to flatten him and, like a viper, seized both of Haku's hands in his own. He pinched the space below the middle finger of each hand, holding tight, and eliminated the possibility of using jutsu.

"Listen up." The Hunter-Nin spoke in a gravelly voice, "I don't want to waste time on a goat like you. Where is Momochi Zabuza?"

With a bloodied lip, Haku replied pleasantly, "Who?"

He was promptly head-butted for the dissatisfactory answer.

"You were sighted twice in Moji by our Intel officer. You're an unknown. Captain assumes you're an apprentice to be trained as a Swordsman. I'll tell you one thing: quit while you're ahead. I don't need to kill you. I've got an antidote and I'll hand it over as soon as you tell me what I need to know." The masked shinobi offered.

Haku felt his limbs getting stiff from the poison. He scowled up at the Mist ninja, "I don't know how inclined I am to speak when I saw that you intentionally poisoned that little girl."

"All the more reason you get the antidote off of me, right?"

"The information you seek is not worth an innocent life!"

A shadow fell across the pair as a third Hunter-Nin stopped beside them, peeved, "He's not quacking? He impaled Number Five, back there. Five will be alright. He's taking some time to recover."

"Huh…I hurt a kid." The Hunter-Nin reported, "Captain, could you give the antidote to her? She's probably down the street."

"That was your error, Number Three." The captain answered, "We focus on the task at hand."

While the Hunter-Nin called Three tried to negotiate with his squadron leader, something miraculous happened. The thoughts of one of Haku's dissolved Kage Bunshin in the tea shop reached him. He had witnessed Hotaru and Katsu screaming at the top of their lungs to Hiroshi, alerting the shop owner and the working clones to the peril. In response, two shadow clones were now en-route to their originator's location, while a third had gone to warn Zabuza.

Haku kept calm as blood flowed in a steady stream from a cut above his eye. The injury to his back was severe, and he had doubts that he would be able to resist Hunter-grade poison for much longer.

A voice sounded from a storefront to their right, "Hey! I think you've got the wrong guy!" The villager spoke up bravely, "He just works in a tea shop! He's Hiroshi's kid."

Without turning his head to look, the Hunter Captain pointed a single finger at the man, "Stay out of this. Our target is not mistaken."

"He's a tea boy!" The man insisted finally before retreating into his store.

Across the street was the fish market, and a tank of fresh-catch was blown apart when a Water jutsu was used. One of Haku's shadow clones had directed the glass-flecked attack at the Hunter-Nin on the street. They evaded it handily, but Haku was able to race away and take a much needed breath. His second shadow clone was assisting with the distraction while he hid and attempted to heal himself, 'I hope Nagisa is alright…I need to buy more time. Zabuza is likely to confront this situation…but I wouldn't put it past him to run away either…'

With his Kekkei Genkai, Haku plunged the temperature of the town, observing frost crinkle across the windows of residences. Haku was prepared to use the most vicious jutsu he could muster against the Hunter-Nin. Steeling his nerves, Haku and a shadow clone abruptly broke cover and rushed from opposite directions to combat their adversaries. The Mist ninja evaded as lithely as dragonflies in flight, timing their own jutsu to counterattack. Haku was able to shield fleeing townspeople from a water bullet that had gone astray, but the Captain took advantage of the kind act.

Using an odd technique, the Captain manifested a water-whip that was several meters in length. The Mist nin lashed his weapon and it wrapped securely around Haku's neck. He pulled the young man down to the dirt again. After a brief struggle, Haku was able to nullify the whip-jutsu with a twinge of Water Affinity chakra and free himself, but he could barely muster the strength to get to his knees. It was difficult to see and breathe as the poison's effects worsened.

"You put up more fight than I'd have given you credit for." The veteran hunter noted, "You don't see Yuki ninja anywhere these days. Did that clan sell you to Zabuza for his rebel force? How desperate are they?"

Haku did not reply. With the last drop of chakra he could part with, he opened an Ice Mirror portal beneath him on the road and slipped through it. He exited about a block away to the east where a barrel of water had frozen over, tapping it as a secondary mirror. He collapsed in the space between two houses and coached himself to inhale through his nostrils. His insides were burning.

Haku then heard a clamoring from the street. He turned his head toward the end of the alley where a tornado tinted with red dust flew by. Haku shut his eyes thankfully, 'Ranmaru.' Bolts of lightning shook the road a second later, amplifying the Wind jutsu that Ranmaru had used, 'Ah, so Raiga isn't pleased with our visitors either…'

He passed in and out of consciousness for several consecutive minutes, unsure of exactly how much time went by. He was flat on the ground beside garbage cans, utterly incapable of moving. His head swam. Haku felt the whiskers of Pua's nose tickling his face and he smiled weakly. A moment later, he could hear Migawari's irritated voice. The retired medic-nin rolled him over, stuck him with a syringe full of something, and then applied both hands to his chest to commence healing.

When Haku's hearing improved he could unravel what his medical tutor was prattling on about, "The girl will be fine. Your bunny showed me to this dumpster and I said, Well maybe Haku is just trash, but then you were actually lying over here like a hobo…"

"Is Ranmaru…fighting them?" Haku asked tiredly.

"Sure is. I never knew that munchkin was a scrappy son-of-a-bitch. I told him: Even if you go out there with your tall stooge to fight, those Hunters will kill you. Then Ranmaru shot a windstorm at them from his hands that, quite frankly, looked like a natural-disaster." Migawari concluded, "Young ninja sure are surprising."

Haku was able to sit upright, beginning to feel well again, "Migawari-san, those hunters are here for Zabuza."

"No kidding." The old man nearly rolled his eyes.

"They knew that I was connected to him."

"It's the job of a Hunter-ninja to know exactly who is affiliated with rogue-nin and snuff all of them out." Migawari chastised him, "It was going to happen sooner or later. Zabuza isn't the company you want to keep, if you don't want those brutes from Mist haunting your every step!"

"It may be too late now." Haku rose shakily to his feet, "Thank you for helping me."

"It was only a patch-job. I didn't completely fix you, yet." The medic-nin warned, "Here's some advice: if those hunters kill you, well sure that'd be bad…but if they escape and take intelligence of this village to Kirigakure, we are all going to have major problems."

Haku nodded, "I won't let them." Significantly recovered, he moved to flank the Hunter-Nin on the main street from the rooftops.

He flitted across a power line and looked below to where Zabuza had cornered the Hunter captain. Raiga and Ranmaru were keeping Number Three divided from help as well. Haku formed a dome of Ice Mirrors around Zabuza and the Captain, sequestering them, and though Zabuza's Seversword swung with wicked purpose, the Hunter-nin was too quick to be caught. Haku dove into a mirror from above, prepared to attack, but the Captain was aware of his arrival.

After rapid hand signs, "Ninpo: Pressure Boil!" The Captain used a technique that drove atmospheric pressure up to an insane level, temporarily. It shattered the Ice Mirrors surrounding them and Zabuza was hurled back, singed, but leapt to his feet. The Captain made a dash towards his subordinate.

As shards of ice continued to fall in a curtain, Haku realized he was still in the "white dimension." He charged recklessly through the rain of ice, through which he could see the physical world, and he shot through the curtain like a phantom. Haku was unable to judge the speed of the attack, or understand why he could move through ice portals that small, but Haku caught the Captain by the shoulder. His high-speed, vaulting flip flung the startled ninja face-first into the edge of Zabuza's waiting sword. Shortly after that, the Captain had half of a face as he collapsed on the street.

From a distance, Haku witnessed the other Hunter-Nin keeping both Ranmaru and Raiga at bay with a breath of poison. The noxious gas cloud filled the lower half of the avenue, forcing many to retreat, but before Number Three could escape undetected he began acting erratically. He lunged towards empty air, snatching at nothing with his arms. Haku determined that Ranmaru had created some kind of illusion.

Three snapped out of the Genjutsu just in time for Zabuza to cut his legs out from under him. The Hunter-Nin fell and attempted to use seals for a jutsu in anticipation of his demise. Raiga quickly stuck the hunter's forehead with the point of a sword and channeled lightning into his brain. Number Three crumpled in the street after that.

There was a long silence as Zabuza and Raiga looked at each other. Raiga broke the stare first, clearly irritated by Zabuza, "Tch!" He stowed his swords at his back and returned to Ranmaru's side as the boy carefully used gusts of wind to part the poison fog.

Zabuza turned back to Haku, "Were there others?"

"There's one more hunter in the forest. I injured him." Haku reported. Before he could say another word, Zabuza bolted for the woods with his sword drawn.

He took a step, wondering if he should follow and assist with the clean-up. Haku noted the stinging stab wound on his back and other various injuries would not permit it. He limped towards Ranmaru for a few seconds before he felt winded, then gave up and sat on a public bench. Haku rested a healing hand on the puncture wound in his leg and leaned back.'I've done enough. Those hunters wanted Zabuza, then let it be his responsibility…'

Haku took shallow breaths and let his mind fall quiet. As townspeople poked their heads curiously out of doorways, Migawari advised them to return inside. "That ninja scuffle may not be over yet…and the less you know about it the better off you'll be." He added.

'If I'm lucky…that hunter-nin will get the better of Zabuza.' Haku chuckled darkly as he thought, 'Then I'll be free. There won't be anyone who would use my friends in Nanakusa as leverage if I tried to return to Gaara and Naruto. Zabuza can't hurt anyone if he's dead.' But a small voice reminded him, And if he's dead, that will be one less person to fight against the oppression of the Mist Village.

"Ugh." Haku groaned with a mixture of pain and resentment. What difference could one, miserable rogue ninja make?

"Haku!"

He turned his head slowly and saw Hiroshi bustling towards him. The large man flinched at the sight of bodies on the road. He stopped beside the bench and caught his breath.

"Thank goodness…the kids were shouting their heads off when they told me…" Hiroshi patted his shoulder and Haku winced in pain, "Oh! Sorry, it looks like you took a beating."

"Better it was me that got hurt instead of the children." On that note Haku asked, "Are they all safe?"

"Yes. Tomo picked up Hotaru and Katsu. They're staying with Nagisa in Migawari's office right now." Hiroshi shook his head, "I can't believe Hunter-Nin would try to drag them into this! Isn't the point of capturing rogue ninja to secure the safety of citizens?"

"I should think so, but I don't know at what price they are willing to achieve that goal." Haku nodded towards his defeated enemies, "They paid dearly for it." With his leg mended, he then began working on his stab wound, "Overall, Zabuza is less of a threat to these people than the Mist Village is."

"For now." Hiroshi agreed gravely, taking a seat on the bench.

Haku observed Migawari exchange words with Raiga and Ranmaru. The three of them then approached Haku, although Raiga did not seem entirely pleased.

Concerned, Ranmaru pressed his fingertips to Haku's face to seal up several cuts, "Are you alright, Haku-kun? When Migawari-san said you had been ambushed I wasn't sure if I'd make it in time."

"I'm fine, thank you." He smiled sheepishly, "I didn't know that you can use Wind techniques like that, Ranmaru."

"It's how I spread my dust." Ranmaru replied.

Haku exchanged a puzzled look with Migawari, wondering if he heard correctly. Migawari shrugged and sat in the space on the bench beside Hiroshi, taking off his spectacles to wipe them clean.

"We need to move and dispose of those bodies before townspeople think we're murderers." Migawari announced and then looked at Raiga, "I don't suppose you know if Hunter-Nin go missing often? When they do, does the headquarters of Mist Black Ops send out an alert?"

"After a few days, it will. If this squadron was told to come here directly, they'll look here first. If they were doing an island-wide sweep…then it might take longer." Raiga drew upon his former experience in the Black Ops, "It might be smarter to go elsewhere before they come looking again. Next time, we'll all be six feet under."

"I don't want to leave Nanakusa." Ranmaru protested.

Raiga frowned in disapproval, "You will when they do to you what they did to him." He pointed to Haku, "If you want to stay here then we should hand over Zabuza when they come again. He's not good for much anyway."

"Are you?" Haku countered pithily.

"They want him dead before they want me dead."

"They want anyone dead who defies the Mizukage." Haku clarified, "And the Mizukage is only a puppet."

Silence punctuated the conversation. Everyone present gave Haku looks that were a mixture of incredulity and fascination.

"Zabuza and I have evidence that the Akatsuki may have taken over Kirigakure without anyone realizing it." Haku explained, "The village itself is a hostage. Rogues who leave Mist who may realize what's going on…are strategically being eliminated."

"Even if that's true, not all of the rogue-ninja from Kirigakure care about the well-being of that village nor are they trustworthy. Some of them ran away and never looked back." Hiroshi critiqued.

"There's no disputing that." Haku acknowledged.

"Hidden Mist has been crippled by violence for decades." Migawari pointed out, "Until you have a bona fide indicator that the Akatsuki has anything to do with it, don't assume anything. No matter what's happening in that village, it won't matter at all if those hunters return and mince us for dinner."

It fell quiet again and Haku looked at Raiga uncertainly, who had crossed his arms.

The man glanced at Ranmaru and patted the boy's head as he spoke, "I believe it. I knew something was wrong when I was there, but I couldn't figure out what." He added, "The Akatsuki contacted me twice and tried to get me to do some work, a few years back. I guess that's how they recruited Kisame when he left."

Haku's gaze travelled to the road's end where Zabuza had reappeared. The Seversword was neatly stored at his back and there was not a scratch on him, although he did look severely annoyed. He stalked over to the oddball group near the bench. For the moment, it seemed as though his hostility with Raiga had been conveniently dismissed.

"First of all…" The man's growl was directed at Haku, "Someone snitched on you in Moji, obviously. Good fucking job. I appreciate how sociable you are, it really keeps a low profile."

"Did you get the hunter?" Haku pressed, sitting up straight.

"Yeah. I was too polite; cut his head off before he noticed me." Zabuza recounted, "How did they locate you? Did you use a jutsu?"

"They may have noticed when I made it snow."

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

Haku regarded his companions and saw that they too wanted an explanation. He replied in defeat, "It won't happen again."

"Fine. Whatever." He grabbed a fistful of Haku's shirt and pulled him from the bench, walking him towards the bodies that had bled out on the street.

"What?" Haku hissed an annoyance, feelings his friends' eyes at his back as they watched him interact with the belligerent nukenin.

"This is probably going to happen again in the future, so I'm going to show you mop procedure." Zabuza told him as he procured a summoning scroll, "Everyone in the Black Ops is expected to destroy evidence efficiently. They collect heads sometimes, but they get rid of everything else. I don't want Hunters to be able to trace what's leftover here." He cut his thumb on the edge of the Seversword and then thrashed the scroll open. It spun like a tendril as he swiped blood across seals, and with a puff of smoke, a murder of crows erupted and flittered about the area.

The cawing birds swooped over the bench and Hiroshi ducked down with a panicked yelp. Migawari muttered for him to settle down.

With a short whistle, Zabuza directed the carrion-eaters towards the bodies they had left. The crows immediately landed and began disassembling their lunch.

"They usually leave bits of clothing and other junk. You throw that out or bury it." He explained to Haku, "I'll make a copy of this summoning scroll for you so you can mop next time."

Haku did not object, but he was not overtly thrilled about it. It would be a practical tool.

"Now we start a moratorium." Zabuza decided, "We keep our heads down and stay put. Don't talk to anyone who might be connected to Mist. Don't take a mission or do anything to tip off hunters on alert…don't even fart too loud. We can wait it out." He looked over his shoulder and amended, "And tell them not to attract attention either. They're at risk too."

"I will." Haku nodded.

"Haku, just so we're clear…If we deal with Hunter-Nin again, you take them down first, no matter what. They won't kill you right away because you aren't a primary target. But people in your position get interviewed and they will extract information from you by any means."

"One of them tried that."

"He was being gentle." Zabuza warned him, "When they're serious, they tote you off to a hideout and begin removing things from your body until you cooperate. I don't want you squealing on me. Make sure you kill them, or there's always hell to pay if you don't."

"I understand."

"Good."

The crows had finished up and Haku took a moment to rinse off the street. The town was restored to normal, more or less, and Raiga and Ranmaru followed Hiroshi into his tea shop for a meal. Haku was flabbergasted to see Zabuza enter the café as well, 'I didn't think he wanted to be in their company…but maybe after today's incident he feels they're worth keeping close.'

Before Haku could follow suit, Migawari inclined his head, "Not so fast! Come back to my office with me, please."

He obliged and followed the retired medic through town as villagers began peeking out into the open again. As expected, he followed Migawari through the back door of his house and straight into a treatment room. With a sigh, Haku took a seat and allowed the old man to mend his back.

"That needle I stuck you with before didn't neutralize the poison." Migawari said as he worked, "I've got to give you a medication to follow it with for the full effect. Made it myself while I was in Kusagakure! We know our poison, over there."

"Thank you." Haku murmured.

"Ah, don't thank me. That medicine will probably make you crap and vomit for the rest of the day, but it'll keep you alive…"

Haku's shoulders sagged in distress after hearing the side effects.

"But let's just say, hypothetically…if you were to get this badly injured and there was no help in sight for you…" The old man posed, "What would you do?"

"That's what they call a loaded question." Haku pointed out.

"Well, knowing how deep in shit you are right now, because of Zabuza and these other barbarians…there's no doubt that you'll get into a brawl again. Then you were talking about the Akatsuki, and I just thought to myself: Haku is asking for it." Migawari bounced with laughter, "You want to help too much. You're going to make too many enemies."

"Do you mean to say that I should stand by and do nothing while terrible things happen here? Things I could help stop?" Haku was frustrated by the implication, "If it weren't for the deplorable condition of the Water Country, I would not be an orphan. I would not have had to travel to another land to avoid persecution. How can I ever ignore what's going on here?"

"You don't have to ignore it." Migawari told him as he stepped back, "You just need to prepare to get throttled."

He motioned for Haku to follow him across the hallway and into the sitting room. "Hold on a moment…"

Puffing, Migawari used a stepladder to reach a high shelf and pulled down a basket. He riffled through it before procuring a scroll. He dusted it off and handed it to Haku, "Here."

Haku stared at him for a long moment, "What is this?"

"It's your Hokage's Yin Seal." Migawari enlightened him, "Remember when you told me you wanted it? Well here you go. If you can master this, there's a better chance you'll survive some nasty battles."

"But you-!"

"You've earned it, Haku. I know that you're not just another scrub only looking out for himself. You want to end the suffering of the people here, and you'd rather die than see little kids get hurt." The old man's tiny eyes crinkled when he smiled, "I like that about you. And I'd bet…that you really can make a difference around here."

Haku nodded silently, lowering his eyes. The statement stirred a feeling in him that reminded him of Jiraiya's heartfelt talks.

"Also, use that wisely. It's quite the rigmarole to create and apply the seal to your head, and then you need to devotedly charge it with chakra." Migawari cautioned him, "You're smart enough to figure it out."

"Thank you," Haku said with a small smile, "I will return this to Tsunade-sama as soon as I am done studying it."

"You might as well." Migawari agreed as he exited the room and walked down the corridor. Haku followed him out to the lobby where Tomo and her children were relaxing in armchairs.

At the sight of Haku, the family jumped up and surrounded him in a group hug, animatedly thanking him for his bravery. He assured them that he needed no thanks, considering he created the danger in the first place.

Abruptly, Katsu broke away from the embrace first and rushed over to the window, "My frogs! Hey! My frogs did get to come out today!"

Hotaru and Nagisa craned their necks to look at their brother, baffled by his excitement. "I thought there were only tadpoles in the forest?" Hotaru muttered.

They crossed over to the window and were shocked to see a red toad the size of a cat pressed against the glass. A pair of goggles was strapped to the creature's head. It said suddenly, "Hi!"

"Ahh!" The three children fell back and onto the floor, startled.

"It's alright!" Haku assured them as he crossed the waiting room and opened the door, "This is one of Naruto's toads."

In marched the red toad, followed closely by Pua. The rabbit stopped in front of Haku and tapped her hind foot.

"Oh, so this is Haku," The toad spoke to Pua, "Thanks for showing me the way, pretty lady." The toad hopped forward, "Hi! I'm Kosuke. Naruto would have sent Gamakichi to find you, but he's been training with the Chief Toad a lot. And he's too big to fit in this room…"

Haku bent down to give Pua an appreciative pat and said, "It's good to meet you, Kosuke. Thank you for coming here. I know I probably should have sent Pua off to get mail, but Naruto beat me to it."

"He did. The boss had something important to tell you." Kosuke handed a scroll to Haku, "Here you go."

'Everyone has impeccable timing today.' Haku thought. With a scroll in each hand, Haku looked between them and felt mildly overwhelmed. Hadn't he nearly died twenty minutes ago? The exhaustion that he tried to resist finally walloped him, and he resorted to taking a seat in a waiting-room armchair.

Tomo took the cue, as did Migawari, and she herded her children along and out the door for homeschooling. Katsu stubbornly stayed behind and solicited a hug from Kosuke. Though confused, the toad let the little boy squeeze him like a stuffed toy. Satisfied, Katsu then ran out the door after his family.

"He likes animals." Migawari explained to the toad as he too sat down in the lobby, "So I suppose it's true that Haku trained with Gama-sennin, if I'm seeing toads appear in my office."

"Of course it's true." The toad said and then gestured to a seat, "Can I rest here? That was a long trip."

"Sure, small fry."

Kosuke bounded up onto a cushion. He and the old man noticed Haku had gone quiet. His head had drooped tiredly and his chin rested on his chest. Pua was nestled comfortably on his knees. Migawari snickered, not surprised the young man had dozed off after such calamity.

He inquired of Kosuke, "Well…it seems you and I have a wait ahead of us. Are you any good at gambling?"

Gaara was also napping.

He had taken time off from overseeing the village and training with Shukaku. That day, he had personally escorted Matsuri to the Tide Village. He did so expecting to catch up with Temari, as well as uncover why his student was reluctant to visit the village she had once adored. Upon his arrival, Gaara was welcomed into the barracks of the Sand training program and offered a spot on a break room sofa.

He took a seat and almost immediately drifted off. He was a little tuckered out from all of the running around.

Good grief. You just got here, you useless sod. Don't say that you can handle office work AND a cross-desert trip all in one day, and then crap out when you get here!

Gaara was not even present for a snappy reply. Sometimes this happened, Shukaku noted.

Gaara…

Matsuri gently shook her teacher's shoulder. She pursed her lips in slight apprehension when Gaara's eyes snapped open, but they were gold and frightening.

"Is something wrong?" She asked quietly, "Temari-sama will be here for a briefing soon…" She knew who she was speaking to.

"Your Kazekage is asleep. He works like a dog and then makes a fool of himself." Shukaku replied.

"Can't you wake him up…" She whispered, "Shukaku?"

"He's ignoring me. Gaara doesn't always hear me." He shut his eyes and was silent for a long moment.

Matsuri's shoulders sagged in dismay. Ever since Shukaku had become an "ally," to use Gaara's words, he had become a part-time babysitter whenever Gaara tired himself out. The Kazekage's ambitious work ethic had a high correlation with burn-out, and as a result Matsuri had already had several awkward conversations with the frustrated Biju who took the reins.

Suddenly, Gaara jerked awake with an uncharacteristic snort.

"Ah!" She smiled, "The One-Tail is so helpful."

Gaara wiped his lower lip, "I did it again…"

"You shouldn't try to do so much in one day. This visit could have waited, Sensei."

"Nonsense. I want everything to be concluded before I begin Chunin Exam preparations. It's only a few days away." He informed her, "That work will be on top of my regular duties. I also want to test you one last time before you're escorted to the Leaf Village."

"I understand."

Many subordinates and Sand ninja of all ages dropped by and bid a quick hello to their village leader. It was not long before Temari jogged into the break room, looking contrite.

"Hi Gaara, Matsuri…" She took a breath and adjusted her hair, "I had to run over here from a drill I was overseeing. I didn't think you'd come by today."

"Gaara-sensei insisted." Matsuri said as she matched Temari's bemused expression.

"I really just couldn't stand looking at my desk anymore." Gaara admitted, "I didn't mean to rush you, Temari. How have things been going?"

"Great, actually. Every division is on schedule. We're just doing a statistical analysis of the first-approved Jounin and Black Ops. The average age of both groups is nineteen, which surprised me." Temari continued, "They're working with what they have around here, but Shiogakure won't be a village to cross once it's functioning on its own."

"I am pleased to hear it." Gaara crossed his legs while he sat, "I hope you haven't been missing home too much."

"Are you kidding?" She sniggered, "I wake up in a luxury cabana and then lay out on the beach every morning."

"Point taken."

"How has Inari's training gone?" Matsuri asked curiously.

"Very well. He passed the Genin Graduation Exam. Once the stat recorders complete the analysis of all the Tide Jounin, the new trainees will get matched up with Jounin-sensei. There will be five teams." Temari smiled, "It's just like in Suna, except that everyone here is shiny and new."

Matsuri made a peep of joy.

"Have you spoken to the jinchuriki here at all?" Gaara wondered.

"I have. Utakata is not nearly as temperamental as he used to be." Temari told him, "If you're willing to part from the couch, Gaara, I can take you over to him right now."

With unusual enthusiasm, Gaara stood up right away. He motioned for Matsuri to tag along, and the three exited the barracks and set out for the bustling promenade. The damage that the town had sustained during the Shin clan's attack had been beautifully repaired, and Gaara could at least be grateful the money Sunagakure had allocated was put to good use. He and Temari made small talk as Matsuri followed a few paces behind them, somewhat distracted.

Several blocks away from the Academy, a dense congregation of people had gathered at a flea market. One person separated from the crowd after spotting the visiting Sand ninja. Inari squeezed himself between the browsers and hurried over to Matsuri when he spied her, "Hey! Where have you been, Matsuri?"

The girl stopped as Gaara and Temari continued on without her.

Matsuri rubbed her elbow nervously when she greeted her friend, "Hi, Inari. I apologize; I've been busy with missions."

"Yeah, but I thought you said you'd try to come back as often as you could!" The boy pointed out, "You missed my graduation ceremony. This stinks!" Inari flipped his thumb beneath the navy blue headband on his forehead. The etching in the metal depicted a retreating wave.

"I'm very proud of you." Matsuri smiled genuinely at the sight of it, "I wish I had been there Inari! Please know that I'm sorry."

"Ah, it's alright." He waved off her concern, "I knew you'd get back here when you could. But poor Menma's been freaking out this whole time…"

As Inari glimpsed over his shoulder to observe the crowd of market-goers, Matsuri felt a fearful tingling in her fingers and toes. Menma punctually appeared from behind a booth, removing an apron and handing it back to a stand attendant. Another part-time job, probably. 'He must have seen us…' Matsuri's suspicion was proven correct when the blonde young man started running towards them.

Her knees quaked. 'I don't want to talk to him. I didn't even want to see him.' She turned her head and observed a long stretch of empty pavement on the far end of the street, 'He's only going to keep pretending...so why should I have to?'

Turning back to his friend, Inari halted mid-sentence when Matsuri bolted across the boulevard and skirted around a public water fountain. "Hey!" He held out his hand and raced after her, "Matsuri, wait! Menma asked me to find you!"

It was at about this point, from a block away, Gaara noticed the bizarre commotion. Before he could look back and consider an intervention, Temari made him face front and continue.

"I didn't want to bring this up to you, but…" She spoke quietly, "Matsuri has been avoiding her friends. I know they've missed her and want to make things right. Try to stay out of it so they sort it out, Gaara."

"It does not look like they are sorting it out." Gaara replied matter-of-factly.

"I haven't gotten involved and neither should you. There's no way we can fix it." She stated, "Matsuri needs to build up some confidence and stop running away from the things she's afraid of."

Gaara attempted to piece it together, "If she is avoiding her friends, then I take that to mean she isn't getting along with them?"

"Sort of."

"Elaborate or I'll dismember them." He issued a mild threat, "Then my student can concentrate on other things."

"Cool your jets, you maniac." Temari chided in annoyance, "She has a crush on Menma, one of Tazuna's favorite ninja. He's the taller one. He was made a Jounin for the Tide Village, and you should know that he likes Matsuri too." She added, "But he has…something on the side."

"I have no idea what that means." Gaara told her, "Unless he has a deformity."

"Eh, never mind. Matsuri is timid and doesn't know how to talk to him about all of this." Temari said as they arrived at the Academy training yards, "If you want her to build a thick skin and be prepared for the Chunin Exam, the least you can do is let her work this out on her own."

"Very well." He agreed and then shut an eye, resting his hand over it, "I won't interfere, but you have not given me a reason to trust the deformed person." From a distance, he created a Third Eye from sand and positioned it over the walkway his student was running towards.

"Just call him Menma." Temari insisted tiredly.

"Menma." Gaara repeated.

"Good." She guided him along by his arm while he was half-sighted, "Let's go meet with Tazuna and the teachers, little brother."

Matsuri hoped that her sensei would excuse such uncouth behavior. She ran at top speed down the main street before coming to an area dense with people, and then she propelled herself up an awning and onto a rooftop. She could hear Inari yelling frantically for her to stop.

'I'm sorry, Inari.' She rationalized her desire to flee, 'I don't want to leave you alone too, but when you're always talking about Menma like that…I can't stand listening.'

Ahead, what she supposed was a Water Clone of Menma had appeared atop the bricked edge of a building. It held out its hands, its facial expression confused and dismayed. Matsuri palmed the Jouhyou at her hip and, with a whirl, cut the clone in half as she ran. She leapt the gap to the next rooftop, noticing that Menma was trailing below, still trying to get her attention.

She pressed on as far as she could until the melody of Menma's ocarina began to sap her strength, 'He's slowing me down!' Matsuri felt as though a block of lead had been laid across her shoulders. She wisely descended to the street again and made it to the entrance of the Great Naruto Bridge, eventually coming to a sweaty halt, 'I need him to undo this jutsu…'

Matsuri waited for Menma and Inari to catch up. She stood in silence as Inari began to scold her, yet his words were drowned out by the heartbreak and frustration buzzing in her ears. She kept her dark eyes trained on the ground until Inari gave up with a huff.

Menma used two hand seals to relieve the heavy sensation the girl had endured. He then worriedly held her shoulders, "Why did you keep running? You know how badly we've wanted to see you, right Matsuri?"

"I know more than that." She muttered.

"Come on, you've been gone for too long and you ran off! That's just plain insulting!" Inari puffed his chest.

"I am sorry." Matsuri spoke woodenly, "Inari. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see you graduate; or to visit you. I just can't stand being around Menma."

The boys shuddered in a shared moment of ultimate surprise. They stared and tried to make an assessment of what could possibly be upsetting the Sand kunoichi.

Inari turned slowly to his friend, "Did you…do something, Menma?"

The young man was still completely mystified, "I have no idea…but if I have done something…" He gently prodded Inari, "Would you please excuse us for a short while? If I have offended it's up to me to address it."

"Right, right…" The Genin nodded in understanding and then pointed at Matsuri, "Now stop running away! You're one of my favorite friends, and if I haven't made you angry then I think you should spend some time with me, for crying out loud!" He stomped off to give them space.

Beside them on the bridge railing that overlooked the bay, several seagulls perched. Menma stood in front of Matsuri, patient and attentive, knowing that she would find the willpower to speak. The breeze swept a strand of her hair and she uncomfortably tucked it behind her ear.

"I just don't want to see you anymore." Matsuri said with finality.

"I don't know why that is. Matsuri, I don't understand what I could have done to warrant any of this." He objected sadly.

A frown pulled so hard on the corners of her mouth she feared it would stick until the end of her days. She had always been the type to get discouraged and clam up. To retreat. She had already proven to Temari and Kankuro how she lost the ability to articulate when on the verge of tears, but today was a rare exception. Indignant anger broke through remorse like an eggshell and freed her to speak her mind.

"I stood up for you when no one would have been willing to trust you." She said at length, "But that's all I did. You were the one brave enough to defy the Shin clan, and to work with Sand ninja you hardly even knew. I was just skating by so I could be around you. I couldn't have helped anyone if you weren't with me."

He smiled at the memory, "No, you accomplished far more than I did."

"We nearly got killed." She sounded morose, as if she regretted her choices.

"It's alright. I've thanked Utakata-san for saving us. I'd like you to meet him, Matsuri."

She shook her head in solemn silence.

"I…decided I was in love with you the day after you took me on a date." Matsuri announced calmly, "That's why I was so excited to come back here."

The bewildered expression on his face slowly morphed into elation, "You…? I was hoping…oh Matsuri, I wanted to tell you-" She batted his hand aside when it brushed her cheek.

"Don't misunderstand me." She corrected, "That's how I felt that day. Today I only have questions."

"Questions?" Menma was perplexed, unsure if he had to raise or lower his guard for the conversation.

"Do you work for a bubble tea shop?"

"I did for a few weeks." He replied quickly.

"And do you still spend time with coworkers from that place?"

"Of course I do."

"The waitress." Matsuri got to the point, "I was served by her when I visited."

"I see. I couldn't find you that day, but Inari said you were looking for me." He recounted, "What happened? Did Rika tell you I wasn't at the café?"

"Her name…is Rika." Matsuri noted dolefully before asking, "Do you see her every day?"

The young man was quiet, stewing over the question before he said, "Almost every day."

"And you and I have only met a few times."

"I'm not happy about that." He took her hand, "I've missed you and I've wanted to talk to you."

"But I'm not the one you care about." Matsuri reasoned.

"When you say something like that…it sounds as if someone wanted you to believe it." Menma drew a conclusion, "That's not true, Matsuri. I feel the same way as you."

"It's pointless. I'm in Sunagakure. I'll be taking the Chunin Exam soon, and I'll be busier than ever. I watch Gaara-sensei mope every day about how Sakura-chan is a whole country away, and I wondered what good I'd be if I tried to live like that." Matsuri shook her head, "I'm not special enough to wait for. I'm a mouse. Everyone here is new and vibrant, like you. You'll pick someone better."

"No, I won't." He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"You're a Jounin."

"Because this village needs me to be one." Menma clarified.

"All my life I've finished last. My parents coddled me and kept me cooped up, and then they died. I was pathetic in the Academy, and everyone in Suna has used me as the butt of a joke at some point. They still don't care. They look at me and only see Gaara-sensei standing behind me. I'm clear as glass."

"Is that what you think I see?"

She pulled her hand back, "I've done my part here and I don't need to come back. You should just keep spending time with Rika."

"If she said something to hurt you, please know I won't let it happen again. I don't want you to deprecate yourself like this. I think you're the one who's mistaken…because I'm not special at all, Matsuri. I'm homeless. I won't be forever, but you see someone better than who I really am."

"Even if that's the case, we're too far apart. It's not worth it." She stood a bit straighter, "It's all water under the Great Naruto Bridge, Menma. Please don't worry. You need to do your best to help the Tide Village."

He spoke with an edge of panic, "Matsuri, I care about you more than Tide!"

"That's not something you should be saying. You have too much responsibility." Matsuri said firmly, "Please don't talk to me anymore. I have my own responsibilities to take care of."

She feinted left to pass him, and as he reached out an arm to catch her, Matsuri ducked to the right. The seagulls on the rail spooked and took off with piercing squawks. Menma chased after her down the stone path, aware of the strange looks they had drawn. The girl did not slow even for a moment as she charged headlong into the barracks of the Sand Training Program.

Menma stopped short at the gate where two Sand shinobi were watching him. It was clear that he had upset Matsuri, and he would not be let by without being questioned.

He waited for a long while and stared blankly. How could sincere feelings fail to reach someone? Someone who so badly needed to hear that they were loved and needed, 'A person can still fail to accept it. Matsuri, I don't want you to be afraid of me no matter what it is that you're thinking. I am never going to hurt you.'

He smiled wanly at the guards before turning away, walking back towards the center of the village. 'I will wait. I don't believe you when you say that you want to stay away from me. And if you take some time to think about what I said, you'll understand that there's no one else. Matsuri…when you're feeling less frightened and small…' Menma quietly resolved, 'I will be right here.'

Tazuna twitched his mustache.

"Good to see you, Gaara." The old man commented with a hint of sarcasm. He was irritated by the Kazekage's blatant distraction; almost staring off into space while keeping one eye covered.

Temari was at her brother's side, having brought him to a pavilion where Academy students had lunch at picnic tables. Tazuna and Utakata were seated side by side on a bench.

From the corner of her mouth Temari gently warned, "Gaara, Utakata and Tazuna are here. You need to stop watching Matsuri now."

"Hm. I have no idea what she and that boy are arguing about." He mused aloud, "I should take some time to develop the audio-equivalent of this jutsu." With a hand still on his face, Gaara turned to Tazuna, "Hello, Tazuna-san. I apologize. I'm monitoring potential conflict between the Sand and Tide Villages."

"The only conflict I can think of would be either a financial crisis, or you offending the hell out of me." The old man gruffed.

Gaara made a move to stop the technique, but suddenly balked at the sight of Menma kissing his student's hand.

"What?" Temari hissed in aggravation, "Did they kill each other?"

"I can't watch anymore." Gaara concluded. If two youths were going to shamelessly profess love and quarrel out in the open, he was never the recommended audience for such a thing. He cleared his throat and gave his full attention to Tazuna, "You're now the official Head Elder and Councilman of Shiogakure. I would prefer to send correspondence only to you, Tazuna, but keep me informed if you have shinobi counterparts who need to contact me."

"Will do. Now, there's someone I'd like for you to meet," Tazuna gestured to the man who was bent over the table in boredom, "This is Utakata. He's a former Mist ninja who was sub-contracted by the Sand Training Program to teach. He's still mostly a bitch-and-moan nukenin, but he's taught our kids a lot. Also, he's asked that we do not tip off Mist to his whereabouts."

Gaara nodded politely, "It's good to meet you."

Utakata's head moved a fraction so he could get a look at the red-headed Sand ninja, "Excuse me, Lord Kazekage. I was denied a day off today because of your visit. I guess it's nice to meet you too."

"You're a jinchuriki." Gaara stated plainly for all to hear.

Utakata's arms tensed on the table and he raised himself up, frowning, "You're…the direct sort." He sat properly on the bench and tapped a bubble-blowing pipe against his chin, "That isn't something you should speak so freely about. I imagine the Mist ninja retirees over here must have announced it to everyone when they noticed I was in Tide."

"I will not be careless with such knowledge." Gaara promised, "I'm a jinchuriki too."

"Is that so?" The man cocked an eyebrow, "The Fourth Kazekage murdered his own child when he deemed the power of the Biju too great for him. So I've heard…"

"Father made an honest attempt to do that, yes." Gaara acknowledged, "But I'm still here and he isn't."

Mildly amused, Temari took a seat at the table to watch the exchange unfold.

"So you became a village leader just to spite him?" Utakata observed, "What a coincidence. I became a teacher to spite my old Master…" He put his pipe away, deciding that there was no danger, "The man who taught me everything I knew had me dragged into the chambers of Mist's Sealing Corps and tried to extract Saiken from me." His face twisted into a scowl, "I suppose I should've thanked him for demonstrating what fate awaits me if the Akatsuki stop by."

"Is that why you're such a diva?" Tazuna felt more informed, "It's time to bury that hatchet."

Utakata rested his chin on the heel of his hand and sniffed at the old man, "That's easy for you to say. Even though Harusame-shishou is dead and I survived, the Black Ops have been after me for years. Do you think I want to return to a village where life is cheaper than dirt?"

"That's not what I mean." He corrected, "I just want you to be nicer to kids. Stay here if it makes you happy, but don't take your bad attitude out on students."

"I'm trying." Utakata sighed.

Gaara chimed in, "His name is Saiken?"

Utakata blinked in surprise when Gaara had picked up on the detail, "Yes."

"I think you and I will have plenty to talk about." Gaara allowed Shukaku, who was listening gleefully to the conversation, express his rattling tanuki-tail. It thrashed behind Gaara as he folded his arms, "Rather, we have a lot to talk about."

A tiny, incredulous laugh escaped Utakata and he mussed his hair, 'So I'm not the only one. Saiken, do you see this? There are other Biju and jinchuriki who understand each other!' He suspected that this meeting with another jinchuriki would be a beneficial experience.

Tazuna frowned in thought at the sight of the raccoon-like tail whipping around. Temari had to affirm that this transformation was not a herald of imminent peril. When she decided that it wasn't, she chuckled nervously, "Ah, that's new. He doesn't usually do things like this…but maybe we should excuse ourselves before this conversation gets weirder."

The following day in the Hidden Leaf Village, the tempo of life had sped up. More visitors were crowding into the city by the hour, store owners hustled for business, and anything related to the Chunin Exam captured the people's attention. As for Konoha's preeminent Genin group, something unusual had sidetracked them from exam preparations.

Not long after Hinata and her kunoichi compatriots had caught her cousin on a date, Tenten presumed the news had become a ticking time bomb. To avoid unwanted scrutiny from the people closest to them, Neji agreed with her that it would be prudent, at the very least; to inform Lee of what was going on. Of all their friends, Lee deserved to be made aware first.

After trying to keep everything as normal as possible, from their style of dress to the timing of their arrival on the training field, Tenten pulled Lee aside. Gai had challenged him to a push-up contest as a warm up, but Lee graciously excused himself to have a word with his friend. They stood off to the side of the clearing. Neji casually did forms near battered tree stumps while Gai brushed up on handstands; both respectfully minding their business.

"Yes, Tenten?" He leaned in and lowered his voice, "You seem very pensive. Is anything the matter?"

"No. Everything's good, Lee. I'm just going to ask that you keep what I am about to tell you confidential." Tenten gave a preliminary caveat.

"Yes, of course!" He spoke quietly.

"I don't want you to be surprised, and I don't want you learning about it from anyone else, so…" She cupped her mouth and whispered, "I'm in a relationship. I meant to tell you sooner because I knew you'd actually be supportive."

"Ah." His lips turned into a frog-like pout as he thought about it.

"With that guy." Tenten added for clarification, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Neji in the distance, "There's no way he'd ever tell anyone about it, but he did say he wanted you to know. Neji remembered most of what happened when we came back from the Marsh Country."

"That is right…" Lee concurred in a low voice, "Neji has been acting differently, most especially around you. I was unsure if he would ever find a way to act on how he felt…"

"Well, when he did act on it I ended up kicking him in the face. He was a bit rude about it."

"That is what I would expect…" Lee raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I am happy for you, Tenten. I was trying to help him, you know."

"Sure I know, Lee! I know what you did for him." She smiled back, "And truly: thank you for everything you've done. For being there for Neji…and for me too…"

"It is thanks enough to see Neji return your feelings." He held up a hand modestly.

As they parted to begin their training routines, Tenten did notice the widening, wobbling grin on Lee's face as returned to Gai for a warm up. It was a look of restraint and delighted shock.

Tenten approached Neji and he paused in his practice, somewhat dubious, "He must have taken that well."

"He did, Neji. Lee seemed happy about it." She rested her hands on her hips, relieved, "Can I take you up on that offer to work on Taijutsu?"

"You may." When he said it, Tenten noticed his head did a strange little tilt, like he was getting a better look at her.

'He must be happy too. Or maybe I look good today. Possibly both…' She mimicked Neji's posture and arm positioning as he demonstrated.

He went through the motions of basic Wushu exercises that Wong Leung had ingrained in him and Lee. Neji had slowed it down for her, figuring that was preferable to smacking her in the head if Tenten did not get the stance perfect. That was Wong's method. There was a solid three minutes of peace before the shouting began.

Dreading what the commotion was about, Tenten and Neji about-faced, watching as Gai covered his face with an arm. He was grinning and blubbering simultaneously. It was hard to distinguish Gai's emotional blathering, but they could get the gist of it. Lee faced them with an expression of both guilt and joy, and Tenten speedily deduced that her friend had not been able to keep a secret for more than five minutes.

She shouted across to him, "I said confidential, Lee!"

"Forgive me! I was so excited…I thought it was alright to share it with Gai-sensei!"

Tenten pressed a palm to her temple and shook her head in disappointment. Gai's volume rapidly increased until he was shouting, and he made a running charge toward his students. Tenten only had time to think, 'I guess he doesn't disapprove.' Before Gai collided with her and squeezed her in a hug that was fit to be an illegal wrestling move. Neji wisely kept his distance.

"Lee tells me that this is a day for celebration! My two students, for whom I was perpetually concerned by your lack of enthusiasm and enjoyment during your Springtime of Youth…" Gai took a deep breath and thundered, "I am assured that you have found love!"

Airless, Tenten could only mouth the words: let go of me. Lee continued being innocently unhelpful by cheering in the background.

Gai went on as he set Tenten down, "Darling girl…you beautiful, deadly flower…you have gotten through to the most cantankerous young man I have seen in three generations. That is heaven's work!"

Neji was scowling from a few meters away. Maybe it was only natural that Tenten be given credit for inspiring change in the Hyuga heir. It wasn't as if it had taken any effort on his part to reciprocate or communicate or anything.

Tenten nodded absently as she got her breath back, pressing down her clavicle as if she had just escaped a stranglehold. Neji certainly was not going to join the conversation and so, to remove himself from it, he went on with forms and tuned the banter out. Their sensei took this as a cue to keep talking.

"I want to extend heartfelt congratulations to you, my pupils, on achieving such a momentous landmark in your lives! May your passions remain stoked, your success mutual, your sorrows shared, your pockets heavy, your children many-!" At Gai's words, Neji slipped with a Wind-charged Air Palm and accidentally cut down an oak tree, "Your family be distinguished, your grandchildren accomplished-!"

Tenten stomped her foot and waved in front of the shouting man's face, "Hey! You're getting ahead of yourself, Gai-sensei!"

"Oh." Gai stopped, "Pardon me. Perhaps that was more congratulations than what was due…"

Even after Tenten had managed to reel in Gai and Lee, and Neji turned his red face away to calm down, the day deteriorated from there.

Everyone knew. Of course everyone knew.

Hinata had probably not been responsible for circulating the news, but there was no doubt that Sakura and Ino had immediately informed their respective teams. Sato would definitely have learned of it from the girls thanks to his tattletale disposition, and Shino may have heard of it because Sato never shut up around him.

After training with Gai that morning, Tenten joined Lee and Neji for a training session with Wong Leung. Even the old grandfather was suspicious of something, although he could not put his finger on what exactly was out of place. That was the last semblance of privacy they had, for after Wong Leung dismissed his disciples, Tenten was forthwith kidnapped.

By friends, thankfully. Ino had commandeered Tenten's body by way of Mind-Body-Switch ambush, and offered her up to the rest of the kunoichi congregation as a new source of gossip.

"Why are you leaving her?" Lee asked quietly as he followed Neji down the street, "Should we not try to help?"

"If we attempted to stop them now, they'd find other opportunities to interrogate Tenten later. It's better to get it over with."

"How cold." Lee observed.

"The same could happen to me." Neji informed him, "But I will be taking shelter to prevent such a thing."

"Meaning you expect that our brothers-in-arms will have questions for you?"

"They're worse than washerwomen. Shikamaru and Sato have proven that."

"I suppose that is true."

He and Lee promptly made for the Hyuga compound, and at the gate Neji had the great misfortune of having his shadow captured.

"I'm sorry." From a lateral position, Shikamaru spoke, "Hope you're not busy or anything...You're needed at a conference, Neji." He looked to Lee, "You can come along if you want, Lee."

Lee exchanged a look with a frozen Neji, wherein nonverbal thoughts were conveyed.

Lee: Now do you want me to help you?

Neji: Help me.

Lee: Maybe I should not. You made no effort to assist Tenten. Perhaps, as you said, it is "better to get this over with."

Neji: How dare you.

Lee smiled, "Please continue without me, Shikamaru-kun."

"Suit yourself." Shikamaru walked Neji like a shadow-bound dog down the side street to where Chouji and the others were waiting.

At that point, Lee had to decide what to do with the sudden abundance of free-time he would have that day. While he rubbed his chin and deliberated on it, Fujita came up the walk and brightened at the sight of him.

"Lee-kun!" The younger boy dashed up to his role-model, "How are you? Were you with Neji-sama this morning?"

"Fujita!" He gave the boy a thumb's up, "Yes, but I heartlessly abandoned him a few moments ago." Fujita gave him an odd look but accepted the answer.

Lee continued, "Did you just return from a mission?"

"Yes, and now Sawako-sensei is going to confirm my registration for the Chunin Exam." Fujita pulled on his backpack straps excitedly, "Because I have no formal team I was arranged as a substitute to Asuma-sensei's team. I will report to them tomorrow."

"Ah, I see. How fitting."

"You know, as a treat before the exam I was going to visit Sancho-baachan's Curry Shop." Fujita recognized the opportunity, "Usually no one wants to go with me, but you like that restaurant, don't you Lee?"

"I do! And it just so happens I have no other obligations today, as my teammates are being catechized this very moment." Lee grinned, "Fortuitous!"

He waited on the porch of the Main House as Fujita put away his belongings and changed. Shortly after that they set out for the curry shop just beyond the Fire Country's border in the Land of Rivers. By the early afternoon, they were seated and warmly welcomed by the tiny old woman.

"Welcome back, Lee-kun! Fujita-chan!" Sancho chirped, "Ah, it's so good to see you. It's been far too long! Are your teammates not joining you today, Lee?"

"They have both been confiscated by our friends this afternoon, but I am sure they would have been delighted to drop by."

"Ah, well, next time then. Would you boys like to try today's special?"

They gladly accepted the offer and the old lady poked her head into the kitchen to set Karashi and Rishan to work. Sancho returned and took a seat beside her favorite customers for some chit-chat.

"Business has gotten so much better since you drove the Kurosuki family out! I cannot thank you enough." She sighed happily, "I have a new employee who is quite the innovative chef, I must say. And now that the Chunin Exam is a day away, there have been droves of travelers stopping here to enjoy curry!"

"That's wonderful, Baa-chan. I've been telling lots of people in the Leaf Village about this place." Fujita asked her, "Have any Leaf ninja dined here on my recommendation?"

"Hmm, let's see…" She adjusted her spectacles, "Not recently. Oh, but some months back I remember a Leaf ninja who came by and talked about your team, Lee. He was a bit funny."

"How so?"

"As I recall he ate that day's special. When I spoke of how your team had helped me, he said that he was only familiar with Tenten-chan."

"Really? How old was he? Perhaps I know him."

"About thirty years old, by the look of it." Sancho estimated.

Lee frowned in confusion, quite certain that Tenten did not know many people that age. Hayate was a potential candidate, but the man was not the outgoing sort who would want to talk to chefs.

"All of that was not out of the ordinary. It was when Karashi pointed out that patron had been dishonest with me." Sancho went on, resting her hands in her lap, "Karashi had injured himself in the kitchen, so he went outside to the ice box. Hit his head and foot…He said he saw the Leaf ninja release a disguise." The old woman tilted her head back, "He was considerably more handsome than what I saw in the restaurant."

"Why would he do that?" Fujita wondered.

"I don't know." Sancho admitted.

Rishan came by the table with plates of curry and set them down in front of the guests, "Enjoy, gentlemen!" The young woman stood by to watch.

"This is a new recipe. She likes to see how customers react to it." Sancho informed them, "Dig in!"

The boys did as they were advised. Fujita promptly started sweating as he ate, but Lee was thrilled by the unconventional, spicy-sweet flavor of the dish. He looked up at the young woman, "I would like another order please. What do you call it?"

"It's the Curry of Heaven." Rishan smiled, "The Curry of Life energizes people, but this recipe can make anyone happy. It will be our new specialty!"

"That is marvelous!"

"I know! I worked so hard." She darted back to the kitchen, "I'll return with some more!"

Fujita had to take a break and sip his glass of water. He exhaled to cool off and then asked, "So did the handsome man return to the Leaf Village?"

"Oh no. He said he had a mission. Curiously, he came back the next morning without a disguise. We knew who he was, of course. He ordered the same thing." Sancho explained, "I was cooking that day so I had Karashi take his order, and…Karashi said his headband changed."

This got Lee and Fujita's attention.

"Was it from Iwagakure?" Fujita asked quickly.

"I think so, if that forehead protector has stones on it. Of course, why would I question it when he knew about you children? Surely he was a friend."

"That was not a friend." Lee told her gravely, "Months ago, a rogue ninja was hunting my team."

"My word!" Sancho clutched at her apron.

"That must be the person who killed Hikune-niisan." Fujita's eyes glazed over, "It was about the same time…"

"Goodness, I had no idea I was feeding a killer!" The old woman lamented.

"Baa-chan," Lee pushed himself up from the table, "Would you object if we escorted you to the Leaf Village? Any information you can give in a statement to the Hokage may help us find this shinobi."

"I…I suppose that would be my civic duty." She agreed gloomily, "Forgive me, boys. I never meant to cause trouble."

"It isn't your fault." Fujita stood after leaving money on the table, "I am glad that you told us about this." Sancho informed her son and Rishan that she would be gone for the evening, and then followed the two Leaf ninja out of the restaurant.

"It's alright, Baa-chan." Fujita reassured her, "This won't take long. And you know, I think that new curry was the best I've ever had."

The following morning, prior to the First Stage of the Chunin Exam, Hiashi had asked Neji, Hinata, and Fujita to line up at the central porch of the Main House. He wanted to have a word with them.

They gathered as instructed and Hiashi ventured outside a few minutes later, sizing them up in the morning light.

"At some point, this test may pit you against each other as enemies. Never forget that before you clash as competitors, you are family. You are the pride of the Hyuga clan." Hiashi told them, "I believe in you all."

Hinata covered her mouth to restrain a joyful cry. She gave her father a light squeeze and then waved to Hanabi at the window, who had just woken up. Neji and Fujita thanked Hiashi before they set out for the Academy. On the way, Fujita told his older cousins about what he and Lee had discovered at the Curry of Life shop.

"Sancho could not help but be trusting of anyone who claimed to know us." Neji deduced, "Going forward, it may be wise for us to advise acquaintances from missions that they do not speak about who they contracted from Konoha."

Both Hinata and Fujita agreed, as they did not wish tragedy to strike twice by the same mistake.

Outside of the school building, they followed other entrants through the open double-doors. The Hyuga participants sincerely wished each other luck before filing off towards their teammates.

Neji fell into step beside Tenten and Lee. His girlfriend playfully nudged his arm, "I can hardly believe there will be three people from your clan competing this year! Just make sure you're nicer than you were last time."

"I will be more considerate." He then lowered his voice teasingly, "And what am I to do if I face you in the Third Stage?"

"Surrender." She grinned.

Lee added on, "Ah, a good recommendation. Tenten, Neji; be sure to surrender to me if either of you are pitted against me in battle!"

They told him fat chance.

Security was stricter than it was at the previous exam. At the end of the hallway, each Genin was stopped at a table and compared to photo credentials on file. Predictably, every person continued on, having no need to falsify their records. The young ninja then passed into a newer, much larger lecture hall with an abundance of free seats. There would be a few minutes of time before Chunin Evaluators would give them assigned seating.

Neji found an open space on a wall and stopped to lean against it, staying huddled with his teammates. He peered over at Hinata's team, where the mischievous look on Sato's face suggested they were fully prepared. Sakura and Ino's teams also appeared rather carefree. Fujita was sharing a bag of chips with Chouji.

"Leaf will have the strongest competitors during this exam." Neji expected, "And I am sure other villages are aware of that."

"Is there anyone you think that we should look out for?" Tenten asked softly.

Neji scanned around for any oddities. There was a team of all strawberry redheads from Hidden Grass, possibly triplet siblings. Plenty of Grass ninja competing. Plenty of Sand ninja too. Nothing overtly unusual, save for one team with aesthetically pleasing, light armor that bore an unusual village symbol.

"Look there." Neji directed his teammates' attention to them, "Those are Dream ninja."

Tenten and Lee studied the headbands with a 'ZZZ' mark. Lee was impressed, "I had no idea that Yumegakure was a real village, or that they would qualify to compete!"

"Maybe Tsunade-sama encouraged them to. A lot of the more isolated villages are represented here, today." Tenten supposed, "I was kind of hoping that we'd see Star ninja…"

"I see none here." Neji reported.

"That's a shame." Tenten sighed, "So Neji…thanks a lot for leaving me to the wolves. Those girls are the nosiest, most tactless people I know! I would have appreciated it if you stepped in."

"My apologies," He frowned, "Likewise, I too was cross-examined."

"Oh." She smiled in satisfaction, "What? Voluntarily?"

"No. By force."

"Men can be surprisingly meddlesome too. Didn't Lee ward them off?"

Lee just smiled.

"He made no attempt." Neji recounted miserably.

"Our friends were curious about this new development in your life! It was good for you to talk about it with them." Lee figured.

"I was told and asked things that I can never un-hear. What was interesting to those fools was detrimental to me."

Tenten nodded, "Well said."

Exam evaluators began herding Genin to seats and dispersing groups. Neji was planted in the second from the front row, aware that Tenten and Lee were several rows behind him. He discreetly checked the room for any giveaways or weaknesses that could be exploited. Nothing seemed obviously out of place. Once all of the entrants were settled down and hushed, Shizune scurried to the front of the room.

The Hokage's assistant set down a tall stack of papers on the front desk, "Oof! There we go." She motioned to a few Chunin Evaluators on the side of the room to give her a hand. They began distributing written tests face-down in front of trainees. Pencils were already provided on the tabletops.

Shizune turned around and smiled at the congregation, "Good morning everyone! Welcome to the Chunin Selection Exam! I'm Shizune and I will be your proctor for the First Stage. Please give me your full attention as I explain the rules and conditions of this test."

Her friendly demeanor was surprisingly effective. All eyes faced front.

"The first stage entails Genin taking a written test. Questions on the test have point values from 1 to 3, and there are 100 questions on this test. Each question will denote how many points it is worth, so you can strategize on which ones you want to prioritize answering. Unanswered questions do not deduct points, but incorrect answers will deduct points based on the 1 to 3 scale." Shizune elaborated, "Every team must have a combined score of 280 points or more. 279 points or below will make you ineligible to proceed to the next stage. If you are caught once copying someone's answers, you will automatically be disqualified."

Neji noted to himself, 'This test demands that an entire team coordinate and pay attention. Unlike the first exam, this is not about gathering information from other test-takers.' He had a hunch there was something that needed to be noticed, though. He continued to look for it.

"Good news! Simply writing your name at the top of the test paper awards you three points." Shizune added sunnily.

An overeager Genin to the far left flipped his page over. A Chunin Evaluator hurled a sharpened pencil at him and pinned the paper to the desk top, "You're out, buddy."

Shizune wore a remorseful expression, "And…if you look at the test before I tell you…you will be disqualified. Sorry."

The Genin was bad-mouthed by his first-timer teammates and the three were ejected from the room.

"There is no talking during this exam. You may not ask supervising evaluators any questions, as that would constitute an unfair advantage. If you need a restroom break raise your hand so you can be personally escorted to and from the lavatory. I will announce how much time is remaining on the test as we progress." The woman put her hands on her hips, "And now…you can begin!"

A cacophony of flipping papers filled the room. Shizune stood serenely with her hands behind her back, watching Genin begin to devour the test.

Neji had almost immediately calculated in his head that he would answer thirty-two of the 3-point questions, as it would allot his third of points needed to pass. It would also save time and give him a chance to look for clues. He still did not buy that a piece of paper was actually standing between them and the Second Stage. Within ten minutes, he had all 32 short-answer questions completed, plus his full name, for 99 points. He expected Lee and Tenten's sharp math skills would also indicate to them the minimum points they needed.

When Neji glanced up in boredom at that time, he finally did notice something peculiar. There were three clocks spaced out on the frontward wall. The time was synchronized. It was when he watched an evaluator look up at them, and then another evaluator take a gander, that he pondered why one clock was not good enough. He spied three clocks on each side of the room, realizing that the evaluators were keenly watching the time, not the test-takers.

'While I did notice some significance, time will be a big factor. I do not know the reason yet, but it will affect the test somehow.' He wanted to pat himself on the back for being smart enough to do the minimal amount of work on the test.

Not a moment later, Shizune piped up in an apologetic voice, "Excuse me everyone, but I was just informed that we are not on schedule…an evaluator noted that the time in this room is ten minutes slow. Right now, a watch confirms there are only ten minutes left to complete the test. The Second Stage will begin as planned in fifteen minutes."

A twitter of panic erupted in the room. Most Genin had no hope of accumulating points or correct answers in so short a time. Pencils began to scratch more fiercely.

With his eyes shut, Neji took a look at Tenten with the Byakugan. She appeared calm and deep in thought. She was also trying to derive the meaning of the time element. Lee was finishing up a few more questions and did not look as perturbed as the people beside him.

Neji decided that the unthinkable was the solution hidden under their noses. Squander the time for one task to prioritize time for another. He raised his hand for the restroom.

An evaluator nodded to him and allowed him to leave his seat, guiding him in silence back towards the hallway. Neji found it was a little too obvious, and that maybe others would come to their senses. The points on the test did not matter nearly as much as getting to the true objective. On his way down the corridor, he used his blood limit to watch Tenten and Lee quickly be excused as well. Other privy ninja raised their hands when they decided what was most important as well. They drew judgmental looks from test-takers, as if they had given up.

Near the entrance of the men's room, an evaluator waved him along, "If you don't want to use the bathroom you don't have to. Just follow the signs to the next stage and keep quiet."

Neji exited the Academy and waited out front, where he was joined by Lee and Tenten shortly after that. Sakura popped outside next, smiling to herself.

"Well, would you look at that…" Tenten commented snidely. Dead ahead on a bench, beside a folding sign with an arrow pointed towards Stage Two, Hayate was eating a boxed lunch.

As they walked by he motioned with his chopsticks at her team, "Go. Don't mind me. I'm just doing part-time supervision to make sure all you dumb-shits look at the signs. Some who make it this far can still screw that up."

"It was nice seeing you too, Hayate." Tenten told him cheerfully as they left.

Moving along, two teams burst ahead in a run to get to the next stage first: the Dream ninja team and a Rock ninja team. Signs were periodically placed along the path.

"I do not think there is any added benefit of being the first team there." Lee assumed.

"There isn't." Neji affirmed, doing one last check with his Byakugan, "These boards indicate that we will be gathering at the restricted area at the Forest of Death." He could see the other Leaf teams catching up behind them.

"Huh, you'd think Tsunade-sama would try to arrange something different from the last exam." Tenten folded her arms, "Unless budgeting was a concern. Hokage-sama did say that she wanted to make a profit on the Chunin Exam."

"We shouldn't assume it will involve the same requirements as the previous exam did." Neji replied, "Traditionally, the Forest of Death is the favored locale to test Genin seeking to become Chunin, since the founding of this village."

After a leisurely but not-too-long stroll, they arrived at the tall, intimidating fences of the restricted wood. "Please proceed to Gate 1 and await instructions," the signs said.

There was a tent over a folding table with an attendant relaxing in a chair. As time went by, all of the thoughtful teams had gathered on the grass in front of the primary gate. A digital clock readout situated in front of the tent indicated that time was up for the First Stage.

Sakura's team stopped beside them, looking smug.

"There was no way that you would use the bathroom. It was a giveaway." Sakura said lightheartedly to Neji, "I had thought of taking a bathroom break at the beginning, but at that point I wasn't sure if Tama and Kiba would follow my lead."

"Sakura, if I saw that you weren't coming back I'd figure it out." Kiba assured her.

"I feel bad for all of those Genin still trying to answer the questions..." Tama added.

"Shizune-san is most likely explaining the point of the First Stage to them right this moment." Lee suspected.

The teams were alerted by a new exam proctor's shout. A man garbed in black stepped in front of the gate and slid a pair of black glasses further up his nose. He wore a bandana hitai-ate and was a Jounin, by the look of it.

"Congratulations on making it to Stage Two." The man spoke, "I am Ebisu, and I will be your proctor for this stage of the Chunin Selection Exam. This will be considerably more difficult than leaving behind a piece of paper, I assure you, so prepare yourselves."

The gathered teams edged closer to hear out the new proctor.

"Each team will be required to make it to the center point of the Forest of Death and enter the tower. Once inside the tower you will be given further instructions. You will have five days to reach it. Every team will be given one scroll, most of which provide an invaluable clue for completing the Second Stage. Some teams will discover that they have been given dummy-scrolls, which provide no valuable information at all." Ebisu explained, "You may not open the scroll your team is given until you are inside of the forest. If you do so before that time, you will sorely regret it…"

"The Forest of Death is a challenging place to navigate. The vegetation is dense and dark, with many plants that are both safe and unsafe to consume. There are wild beasts of sizes and shapes that can put you mortal peril, but there is also an abundance of fresh water to drink and safe places to rest. Those with adequate skill will not falter here, and those with exceptional skill can move on to the Third Stage in less than 24 hours." Ebisu estimated, "Before this stage, each team must sign a waiver at the registry tent. You will not hold the managers or associated providers of the Chunin Exam responsible for any injury you sustain beyond this point."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Oh, and lastly, bear in mind you must enter the tower before five days pass. If you cannot do that you will fail. I ought to mention that you may not enter the tower by using any of the doors or windows, or rather…you'll find that impossible."

Many of the Genin gaped at the warning, perplexed with how they were supposed to succeed.

"Very good." Ebisu clapped and then pointed to the tent, "Line up and provide your signatures. You will receive a scroll and be assigned a gate to report to. When the buzzer sounds you will be permitted to enter the Forest. Good luck!"

All of the teams began moving again.

'Neji seems…more enthusiastic than usual.' Tenten thought to herself as the team leader lead the way to the tent to sign away their lives. 'I bet it's because he's focused on Stage Three, and all the rest of this is redundant.'

She turned to Lee who was behind her in line, "What do you think, Lee? Did any of that proctor's pep-talk make sense to you?"

"I wonder if maybe the scrolls we are given will tell us more. We are allowed to read them, this time." He answered, "I was prepared to come to the Forest of Death, so I am not in the least concerned."

"Me neither."

Each team that signed up was then ushered along by supervisors and sent to the far reaches of the perimeter fence. Neji lead them around the circle to Gate 6. They had a brief discussion of who should keep the scroll to open and assess it. Neji would need to concentrate on looking out for other teams and threats, Tenten wanted her hands free for fighting, and so Lee volunteered to take it. He could still make use of his legendary kicks while he read the scroll, if need be.

It took longer than expected for each team to be situated at their respective gates. Team Gai waited calmly until the horn of the fence-mounted megaphones blared and the access points rolled open. They rushed inside with Neji at the head.

Lee dutifully opened the scroll and kept up as his team ascended to the tree tops, moving towards the center of the thick wood.

Lee's voice carried a tone of concern as he observed the parchment, "I would like to ask you two a question…"

"What?" Neji growled back toward him.

"What do you suppose a dummy-scroll is? Something that lacks…information? Sense?" Lee held up the scroll to them as they halted on a branch.

The paper was adorned with whimsical, six-year-old scribble drawings in delightful crayon colors.

Note: It's not a big deal, but I will point out that while Hamura and Hagoromo are the same as they are in the manga, the Tale of the First Shinobi historically refers to the brothers Indra and Ashura as "Tasaisha" and "Juranda," respectively. The characters were created prior to the manga's introduction of their equivalents.

Did You Know?

In Chapter 19, Tazuna makes six attempts to get the attention of shinobi to help rescue his grandson. This is an allusion to Utakata, the Six-Tails jinchuriki, being the first to respond to him.

The Kingdom of Han is a representation of China, or a country further west than what shinobi countries concern themselves with. "Han" refers to the Han ethnic group that is most abundant in China, as well as the Han dynasty. In the story, characters with Chinese designs, such as Yuanjia, as well as Lee and Tenten, are in fact descendants of Han immigrants.

Several readers have pointed out that Chapter 23, Vigil: Part Two, is a parody of the Scott Pilgrim series. With some slight concessions, this assertion is correct. Sanomune is a substitution of Scott, however he acts as the character that possesses seven "evil exes" while his fiancé, Ramo (Ramona,) is a casual bystander to the chaos.

Additionally, in Chapter 23, Killerbee asserts, "I'm dope." This quote references a Dave Chappelle stand-up routine and its punchline.

In Chapter 24, one of the children in Shincha is named "Mokuba," a reference to the character from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Series.

Please review and maybe make yourself a delicious beverage while you're at it.

Chapter 30: New Exam: Fierce Competition!