(A/N) Hmph, see if I ask you for ideas again! *sticks nose in air*

Some of them did have to stay within the city, to avoid most of the suspicion. Naruto finally decided to work with Jiraiya, with the added provision he could go train with Shisui or Kakashi if the old pervert wasn't actually teaching him anything. Fuu, Sasuke, and Gaara snuck out to work with Utakata, Kisame, and Sasori, respectively.

"He won't even pay attention to me!" Naruto said, flopping down onto one of the couches, his head near Shisui's lap.

Shisui placed his book down, a mischievous grin on his face. "So, would you like to learn about jutsu creation?"

Naruto grinned, equally mischievous. Shino, who was sitting across from Shisui and reading a strategy book, took one look and decided to leave, quietly setting the book on the coffee table and leaving through the window.

(Two days later(Aka: Why Shisui, why?))

"Ero-senin! I made a jutsu, wanna see?" Naruto shouted, grinning bright enough to blind someone.

Jiraiya grunted, turning slightly to look at him. "You did, eh?"

Naruto's grin changed to mischievous, and from up on a nearby rooftop, Shisui grinned the same smile, and held up his camera, Sharingan activated to see everything.

Naruto made the ram hand sign, shouting out, "SEXY NO JUTSU!"

Shisui cackled loudly from his rooftop, snapping a picture of Jiraiya's astonished face. He tucked away the camera, and got out of there, lest the pervert attempt to murder him.

Naruto cackled loudly as well, the males of the crowd that had gathered passing out, and the ladies looking very angry indeed. He disappeared in a puff of smoke a moment later, signaling he'd been a shadow clone.

Jiraiya wiped the blood off of his nose. "Perhaps the brat is smart enough to teach."

He was quickly set upon by angry women.

"Sasuke," Itachi greeted when Sasuke found them, proud of himself for using the tracking skills Kakashi had taught him. Unaware they had in fact known he was trying to find them days ago, and had been leaving a deliberate trail.

"Nii-san," Sasuke replied. "Where's Kisame-nii?"

Itachi tilted his head towards the nearby river. "Fishing. Or possibly swimming. Unknown."

Sasuke nodded, plopping down on the log. "I have to be back in Konoha in just under a month."

"Noted," Itachi replied. "We will ensure we are near there in about a month."

"And come see me in the finals?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

Itachi nodded. "Probably."

"Hey brat," Kisame said, coming back with three fish strung up on a stick. "Was wondering when you'd get here."

Sasuke grinned. "Teach me? I'm facing Gaara in the finals, and I have to put on a show."

"You do know you have no chance at winning kid? Not really, anyway?"

Sasuke nodded. "But with any luck, I'll be chosen to be a chuunin. If I can put on enough of a show, and prove I'm chuunin material, I'll be a chuunin before we leave."

Kisame ruffled his hair as he sat down. "Sure you will kid. You're powerful enough to be a chuunin easily."

"But against Gaara, if I don't improve, I'll look like a newbie genin!" Sasuke complained, plopping down next to Kisame.

"If you put up any fight they'll be impressed, as soon as Gaara fights either Naruto or Fuu," Itachi pointed out reasonably.

"He's still easily the most powerful on the team," Sasuke pointed out, taking an offered cooked fish. "That's our age, anyway."

"You can learn a lot," Kisame said, grinning like a shark.

"Utakata!" Fuu chirped, landing in the clearing he was camping in.

"Fuu," Utakata acknowledged, continuing to pack up camp.

"Train me! I'm fighting a taijutsu specialist and Naruto for the first two!" Fuu buzzed slightly, vibrating in her excitement.

Utakata sighed. "Alright, first, think of something you can't do with your scale powder."

Fuu stopped vibrating and bounced over to sit down on a nearby log.

"Do it while we're walking," Utakata called over, tucking the storage scroll into his cloak. He tossed a smaller cloak at her, and she bounced over, putting it on as she went.

Gaara didn't take long at all to find his mentor, given he had been waiting in a nearby town.

"Shall we begin?" Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Gaara replied.

"He's officially useless!" Naruto announced, coming in and draping himself across the back of the couch, which was currently occupied by Hinata, Kakashi, and Shino.

Hinata reached back and patted his leg. "You can join us in trying to beat Shikamaru at shogi."

Shikamaru, sitting across from them, snorted, and moved another piece.

They quietly conferred for a moment, Shikamaru appearing to fall asleep while they did that, then moved a piece.

Without looking, Shikamaru moved another piece. "Checkmate."

Naruto sat up and blinked at the board. Yep, they had been thoroughly checkmated.

"If you stopped trying to only use one style you'd be a lot better at it. You're all getting in each other's way at the moment."

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, get down here, and you three can consider it a team building exercise."

"Only two of us are on one team," Shino noted. "Hinata-san is your genin."

Kakashi shrugged, hopping off the couch and forcibly pushing Naruto into his previous spot. "Whatever, same thing."

"Not really," Naruto muttered, helping Shikamaru reset the board. "If you find Shisui-nii-sensei, tell him I totally want a fire jutsu."

"That's a terrible idea," Kakashi muttered, leaving through the window. "Lock the door behind you if you leave."

Naruto snorted. "Sure, whatever you say."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, moving his first piece. "Why is that so amusing?"

"Well, you came in the window, right?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Kakashi led us in, so yes, the window."

Naruto leaned over and stage whispered conspiratorially, "I'm not entirely sure the door can be used, we haven't used it yet. It hasn't stopped being locked."

"Should we try it?" Shino asked, looking at the door skeptically.

Naruto shrugged. "Easier to go through the window. Also, I'm not sure we have the key, we might have lost it."

Hinata giggled softly. "Probably did."

"You gonna go?" Shikamaru asked, laying back and closing his eyes. "Or can I take a nap."

Naruto surveyed the board, and made a move. "Right, so if I said I have a big chakra demon sealed into my gut, how badly would you react?"

Shikamaru moved a piece. "Explains the sheer energy you radiate."

Shino shrugged. "My insects already detected it. I have known for a long while."

Hinata flushed. "I-It would explain why y-you're pretty much a c-chakra beacon."

Naruto hummed happily, moving a piece. "Cool! Fuu and Gaara have one too!"

"Your supposed summons," Shikamaru said, moving a piece.

Kurama appeared in a puff of smoke, two tails waving behind him as he lounged on another chair. "Yeah, we aren't no summons kid. Not even close. Probably good Shukaku's not here, he'd try attacking you for it, and you aren't wearing any boots."

Shikamaru blinked tiredly at the fox. "Kyuubi."

"Kurama, if you don't mind." He hopped up and nudged a piece across the board. "Not too bad of a strategy, I suppose."

"Fuu and Gaara have which ones?" Shino asked, reaching out and adjusting the piece Kurama moved.

"Chomei and Shukaku, the seven-tails and the one-tails," Kurama said, hopping back up onto his chair.

Shikamaru moved one of his own pieces, taking one of theirs.

Naruto took one of his in return.

"So, Naruto, you gonna actually come home or not?" Kurama asked, amused.

Hinata looked very confused, as did Shikamaru, in his own lazy way. Shino didn't show much, but his surprise got itself across.

"I'm a shadow clone," Naruto admitted. "How did you think I was actually sitting down and patiently playing an oldman game?"

Kurama laughed. "Good one kit. Dispel after this though, and get my actual kit home, would you?"

The Naruto clone nodded, countering one of Shikamaru's moves.

(A/N) Strategy, always important. So, I decided to have a new story for FMJ's update spot! I have a poll up, go pick one of them, they're all really cool! ...I like to think so, anyway.