General narration

"Talking"

Flashbacks

'Thinking'

Narration

Yami speaking

Bijuu talking

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OC's.

Continuing…

Ibiki eyes the participants. "I'll say this once, so listen up. There will be no combat between candidates. No attacking one another without the permission of the proctors. Anyone who disobeys the rules will be disqualified immediately." The participants exchange worried glances.

"Now, let's begin the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Hand in your paperwork and in return you will be given a number. This will be your designated seat. Once everyone is seated, we will begin your written test." A contemplative Naruto became immediately aware of the situation when he heard 'written test'.

Once in his seat, Naruto stresses over how he will perform in the written section. In the seat next to him, someone taps his shoulder. "Um, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looks over and sees Hinata. "Oh, I didn't see you there Hinata."

Hinata avoids looking Naruto in the eyes and blushes. She was so surprised to see him here she hadn't noticed his new look. She misses his old outfit, but he looks really good at the moment.

"I…wanted to say good luck with everything." Naruto smiles and gives Hinata a thumbs up. She immediately jerks away. Weird.

A loud tap on the chalkboard gathers everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up. There are a few rules everyone needs to be made aware of, and I won't be answering questions, so pay good attention the first time around." The contestants feel a bit of dread building up.

"Rule number one. The test is graded in a point-reduction format. You will begin the test with a perfect score of 10. A point will be deducted for every question you get wrong, so if you get 3 wrong, your score is 7." Everyone nods in understanding.

"Rule number two. Teams will pass or fail based on the combined scores of all three members. Any team member that gets a 0 will cause the disqualification of the entire team." Naruto can feel the burning glares from his teammates digging holes into his skull. He doesn't dare look back.

"Rule number three. The Chunins you see scattered around the room are there to watch for any signs of cheating. For every incident spotted, you will have 2 points taken away from your score. If you are caught 5 times, you will be forcefully dismissed before tests are over. Anyone foolish enough to get caught doesn't deserve to be here." The participants start getting nervous.

"You have one hour. Begin!" Everyone turns their test paper over to start. Reading the questions, it quickly becomes clear that the level of these questions is so advanced that almost no one has any hope of answering them correctly, besides Sakura and a few others.

As Naruto reads the questions, he quickly loses hope. Deciphering a code, calculating the angle of trajectory of a shuriken based on uncertain external factors, Naruto starts tearing up, fearing that he will fail his teammates. Worst of all is that the questions are written responses. There is no multiple choice for him to guess on.

One thing captures his attention, however. At the bottom of the page, it says

"15 minutes before the end of the test, the 10th and final question will be given out with a new set of rules."

Okay, deep breath. Naruto takes a deep breath and calms down. He needs to be calm if he wants any hope of getting anything right. Figuring that the 10th question will be harder than the rest, Naruto decides that the only chance he has is answering one of the first 9 correctly.

How he is going to go about that, he has no idea.

Sasuke can't answer the questions. He thinks further on the conditions of the test itself. 'It doesn't make sense. It's almost like they are focused more on cheating than fair testing. And then there's the 2-point deduction. Ordinarily, if someone is caught cheating, that is grounds for dismissal right there.' Sasuke's eyes widen.

He remembers how the proctor told them that anyone foolish enough to be caught doesn't deserve to be here taking the exams. That weird 2-point deduction, and the questions far too advanced for most Chunin. 'That's it. This is more than a written exam. The real aim is not to test our knowledge but rather our ability to gather information. They want us to cheat.' Sasuke has figured it out. He just hopes Naruto can before it's too late.

All around the room, people cheat in discreet ways. Kiba has Akamaru scout the room and give him the answers through quiet barks.

Shino has his Kikaichu see the answers of other candidates and report the answers back to him.

Tenten uses hidden mirrors and strings to see the answers on Shino's test. She adjusts them by twirling her pen so Lee can copy them as well.

Neji and Hinata use their respective Byakugan to see the answers of other contestants.

Sasuke uses his Sharingan to copy the hand movements of the person in front of him.

…

Naruto stares at his test sheet. He isn't sure what to do. Looking around the room, he sees everyone writing, except himself. Someone taps his hand. He looks at Hinata, seeing that she was who tapped him.

Hinata fidgets a little. "Naruto-kun. If you want, I could- I could show you my test."

Naruto is confused. Why would Hinata do this? It might be a trick, but Hinata isn't like that, although he wouldn't put it past her teammates to force her into this. "Why would you want to show me your answers anyway, dattebayo?"

Hinata shakes in nervousness and swallows hard. "Why? Well, because…you see… Naruto-kun, I just don't want you to have to leave." Hinata blushes deeply and looks away. She scoots her test sheet a little so Naruto can see.

Naruto is very confused by Hinata's answer, but shrugs. He goes to take a peek, but a kunai whizzes past his face before he can do so, landing on the desk of the person behind him. 'H-how did they know?'

The person behind him gets up. "What gives!?"

Kotetsu, the Chunin who threw the kunai narrows his eyes on the genin. "Five strikes and you are out. That's it. You've failed the test. You and your teammates will leave this room immediately. Numbers 23, 27, and 41 fail" The nameless genin's teammates get up to leave while he was left alone to come out of his shock.

Around the room, more genin fail. Those who don't leave on their own are forced out of the room.

Naruto looks to his left and sees Izumo, another Chunin, staring right at him. He whispers to Hinata. "Thank you, but no. I'm an ace ninja, so I don't need to cheat to pass this test. Most of all, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, dattebayo." Hinata decides to trust Naruto and hides her test once more.

…

Around the room, more cheating occurs.

Once Sakura finishes her test, Ino uses Shintenshin no Jutsu to take over Sakura's body and memorize her test. Once she finishes, she releases the Jutsu and writes them on her own test. As she finishes, she takes over Shikamaru next to give him the answers.

Once given the answers, Shikamaru uses Kageshibari no Jutsu to control Choji's body and trace over his own answers, in essence, writing the answers for him.

Gaara uses his sand to create an eyeball and has it move throughout the room so he can see the answers.

…

After some thinking, Naruto finally has a plan. Knowing that his only hope is to cheat, and his only ability is duplicating himself, he'll use that to his advantage. He raises his hand.

Ibiki looks at him, silently asking him to continue. "Can I go use the toilet?"

Ibiki grunts. "Fine, but one of the sentinels will accompany you to make sure you are not up to anything." Naruto walks up to the closest Chunin, that being Izumo. Izumo takes out some rope and handcuffs to make sure Naruto can't escape him. Naruto grits his teeth in annoyance but lets him.

No one noticed Kankuro clenching his teeth in frustration.

Naruto, now handcuffed, is being lead to the bathroom by rope as if he were some leashed dog. It rubs him the wrong way, but he needs to remain calm to do fulfill his goal. He can't help baring his teeth though. He needs to change his plan. 'Once I get to the toilet, I need to pick a stall instead of a urinal so I can both get more time and privacy to complete my plan.'

Once in the bathroom, Naruto walks into a stall, but Izumo is still there with him, only he is outside the stall and sulking about having to be in the bathroom while a kid is occupied.

He feels like a joke could be made out of this, but he'd rather not think about it.

With the door closed, Naruto sits down and closes his eyes. 'Okay. I've never tried this before, so I'll have to be extra careful.' Naruto crosses two half-ram seals and focuses his chakra the way Kakashi-sensei taught him. He tries to be as accurate as possible with this and releases the chakra into the seal.

In the stall next to him, a shadow clone is summoned, with a small and light cloud of smoke. It disperses without anyone noticing.

Now comes the hard part. The shadow clone sits in a way that his feet won't be visible from the gap under the stall. He closes his eyes and focuses on his chakra further, making sure everything is perfect. He has seen sensei do something similar, so he needs to be very accurate with his control.

In a small puff of smoke, the clone substituted with his original to take his place.

Seeing that his smoke could be too thick, the clone farts into the cloud to mask what its cause is. When Izumo sees the smoke cloud, he approaches the stall door to open it, but once he smells it, he loses the strength in his legs, goes pale, and vomits in the nearest urinal.

He never knew farts could create clouds, and now he regrets not knowing.

...

Meanwhile, the original pities Izumo immensely but struggles to hold in a laugh. He takes a few deep breaths to avoid laughing and goes cross-eyed when he catches a whiff of the clone's -ahem- smoke cloud.

He does a short series of hand seals and transforms into a cockroach. Although normal transformations are only illusions, Naruto's transformations are unique in the sense that he actually physically transforms into what he wants to, which is lucky as any Chunin worth his title would be able to see through it a mile away.

Channeling chakra into his 2 feet -er- 6 legs, he crawls on the walls and leaves the bathroom.

Going under the door of a neighboring classroom, Naruto releases his transformation. He gags heavily to hold down his breakfast and takes a few deep breaths to hold in his laughter and focus.

He creates another shadow clone, and they both transform into cockroaches. They both crawl out of the room and scurry as fast as they can to the testing room. The roaches split up and stay in the shadows of the classroom and the candidates as to not get noticed.

Naruto's roach clone tries to blend in by seeing Shino's test, knowing he has bugs around him. Although he does get good answers, by being overzealous, he forgot why it was a bad idea to target Shino. His bugs noticed him immediately and attacked him. Being made out of pure chakra, the bugs ate him until there was nothing left.

Feeling his clone disappear, Naruto gets distracted and makes himself visible. A nearby genin spots him, rolls up his test, and tries to swat him.

Naruto barely dodges and escapes into the shadows. The loud swat catches the attention of the room. "Number 51, you fail. Take your teammates with you." Naruto silently pleads forgiveness. He got that kid eliminated.

After once more appearing in the open, a Chunin throws a kunai at him, aiming at his mid-section. Fortunately, he dodges in time and hides in the shadows. Once he feels the coast is clear, Naruto decides to go on the ceiling to get a birds-eye view, rather than get up close. He doesn't want to get caught.

Naruto sees Sakura's test and memorizes the first 4 answers. He glances at the clock and sees that he needs to return to the bathroom or the Chunin will get suspicious.

Once more appearing in the open, Naruto avoids various efforts to stomp him out, and other assassination attempts. Naruto leaves the room and dashes to the bathroom. He goes back to the stall next to where the clone is at.

He takes a few deep breaths to settle his chakra and releases the transformation as gently as he can.

Thankfully, this cloud of smoke was small and subtle. His extra chakra control training has paid off. He makes sure his feet aren't visible under the gap of the stalls.

Naruto is about to substitute with his clone when he realizes the problem he has. He doesn't have all the answers and his clone won't know what to do. He needs to message his clone in a way. All he can think of is writing, but he doesn't have paper nor ink.

Taking a glance at the doors, he sees graffiti all over the stall door and the clean wall to his right.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to calm down and focus. He shuts out everything around him and only pays any attention to himself to the point that all he can hear is his own heartbeat.

His eyes snap open. That's the solution!

...

After leaving his message behind, Naruto discreetly substitutes with his shadow clone. When the clone appears in the next stall, he glances to his right and puts his hands over his mouth to stifle a gasp.

On the wall, it reads,

"Original plan was a failure. Other clone died.

Take his place and complete his part of the plan. Questions 5-9 are missing.

Target Non-Konoha. Report 1 by 1." It was smeared on the wall in fresh, warm blood.

As the original leaves the stall, he flushes the toilet to keep up the disguise. He washes his hands and flinches a little as the water stings a fresh wound on his thumb. Once he is done, he stuffs his hands in his pocket and leaves with Izumo. The cut on his thumb steams and immediately heals.

Once the clone hears his original and the sentinel leave the bathroom, he releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. He grimaces and avoids looking at the wall.

He summons a shadow clone to clean up the wall while he works.

As the clone's clone cleans Naruto's mess, the original shadow clone transforms into a cockroach and follows behind his original.

When Naruto arrives in the room, his cuffs are released and he is seated. He immediately writes the answers to questions 1-4 on his sheet. Now he just needs to wait.

A few minutes later, after peeking at the tests of the genin from Otogakure, the cockroach scurries in the shadows, avoiding different attempts at ending his temporary existence. Once he reaches his original, he crawls up his original's clothes to avoid being spotted. Naruto shivers and holds in a scream. This feels disgusting.

The second the roach reaches his collar, it whispers the answer to number 5. This is repeated until 6-9 are answered.

After Naruto answers all his questions, the roach leaves the testing room and enters an empty classroom. Seeing that the coast is clear, the roach dispels its transformation. The clone breathes out a sigh of relief. He needed a break.

Now he needs to wait for a few minutes. When the tenth question is given, he will do his final job.

...

After a few minutes, the clone transforms into a roach once more. Now, he needs to be extra careful in obtaining the answer. He almost got caught a few times, so he can't risk his original getting caught out, or else everything was a wasted effort.

He enters the room and stays in the most hidden parts of it where he won't be found. He will be watching attentively by the window to see who has the answer to question number 10.

…

Once 15 minutes are left, Ibiki slams his fist on his desk, capturing everyone's attention. "All right, listen up. Here's the tenth and final question. But before I give you this question, there are some new rules you need to be made aware of.

Now, here are the rules for question 10. Listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you."

In the Jonin lounge, the respective sensei's of the rookie teams are speaking about their students. "It's quiet without our students around. I already miss them."

Asuma takes a drag of his cigarette. "Don't worry. Chances are they'll be back sooner than you think. I heard that the first examiner this year is Ibiki."

Kakashi sighs. "So their chances of passing already look iffy. Great. Sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."

Kurenai perks up in curiosity. "What sadist?"

Asuma blows out the smoke in his lungs. "I forgot you're a new Jonin, Kurenai. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to ask."

Kurenai narrows her eyes on Asuma. "So I'm ignorant. Then tell me, who is he?"

Kakashi looks up. "He is what you would call a specialist."

Kurenai furrows her brows. "A specialist in what?"

Asuma takes another drag of his cigarette. "Interrogation. Torture. Don't worry. He won't be physically torturing anyone during the test. He won't need to. That's not his thing. He works on torturing people's minds, not their bodies. He is famous for it. Everyone knows about the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Corps of Konohagakure no Sato. Morino Ibiki."

Back in the classroom, Ibiki prepares in giving out the rules. "Rule number 1. Each of you is free to choose whether or not to be given the final question."

Temari speaks up. "So what's the catch? Let's say we decide we don't want to do it. What happens then?"

Ibiki smirks. "If you choose not to answer the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail, and your teammates do as well." Whispers and demands fly around the room, filling it up with noise.

"Silence! You didn't let me finish. If you do accept the question, but answer incorrectly, then you will not only fail but you will also be barred from taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"

Kiba stands up and points at Ibiki. "That's bullshit man! What kind of bogus rule is that? There are lots of people here who have taken the test before."

Ibiki chuckles and looks straight at Kiba. "I guess you are just unlucky to have me as your proctor. I wasn't making the rules then, but I am now." He turns away from a now shaken Kiba to face the rest of the room. "Of course, if you don't want to take that risk, you don't have to. If you don't feel confident, then, by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next time."

Everyone feels the weight and pressure of the situation. Forfeit and your whole team fails. Answer and get it wrong, and you yourself will never become a Chunin.

"Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded, and you'll be free to go." One by one, multiple people raise their hands. The room at the beginning of the test had 100 teams. By the time the 10th question came, there were 70 left. Now, after all these dismissals, 26 teams remain.

Naruto raises his hand, slowly but surely as high as he can, and slams it on the desk. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, You guys aren't going to scare me off. I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life, dattebayo! I'll still become Hokage one day!" He sits back down.

Sasuke looks down at the floor so no one could see his smile. 'He's completely clueless, but he is still going for it. He has guts, I'll give him that.'

"This decision is one that can change your life. If for any reason you'd rather quit, now's your last chance." This is Ibiki's challenge.

Naruto challenges Ibiki in return. "No way I'll quit. I never go back on my word, that's my way of the shinobi." Ibiki looks around the room. Everyone around the room was nervous and considered quitting, but after Naruto's speech, that same nervousness is now gone.

They have grown backbone and confidence. None of them look like wavering.

He receives nods from his colleagues. He sighs and smiles at the candidates. "For those left remaining, there is only one thing left to do. And that is for me to tell you that you've all passed the first exam."

Sakura stands up. "Hold on. What do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?"

Ibiki chuckles. "There never was one. Actually, the decision to stay to answer the tenth question was the question itself."

"Wait a second. So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time. Is that what you're saying?" Yells Temari incredulously.

"No no, not at all. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances. I graded you as teams as well, since that way, you knew every action you took affected your teammates."

Naruto nods." Yeah, I expected something like that, so I kept my cool, dattebayo." Everyone knows he's lying, so they ignore him.

"The questions you answered were difficult, in fact, as you've noticed, far too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. You had to cheat to have any chance of passing. The test demanded cheating. It would do little good if you had no one to cheat off of, so I disguised two Chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit with you."

"I was never fooled for a second. You'd have to be a fool to not catch that, right Hinata?" Naruto looks at Hinata for encouragement. She only giggles.

"If you were caught, then you failed. It's better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." Ibiki takes his bandana cap off of his head. "Information. It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather information can determine whether the mission is a success or a failure." His head is covered to the brim with holes, burns, and scars that are likely the cause of his baldness. "There'll be times you'll have to risk your life to get it, and others to keep it hidden,"

The Genin can't hold in their winces, grimaces, and other empathetic actions. "Always bare this in mind. Misinformation is deadlier than no information. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of a whole village. Those not good enough at gathering accurate intelligence were weeded out, leaving the rest of you.

Now, the final question was the point of the whole exam. It gave you two difficult choices. You could choose to play it safe and skip it, although it meant your teammates failed with you. Or you could try to answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance of ever becoming a Chunin. This is a no-win situation Chunin face every day."

He ponders a bit. "For example, in a mission, you have to steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many shinobi the enemy has or their weaponry. You also fear the enemy expects you, so you may walk into a trap. So, do you choose this insane mission or say my comrades and I want to avoid this and fight another day. Do you choose to avoid danger?"

Ibiki waits for a response. When someone is about to answer, he interjects. "No! There will be many missions that will seem almost suicidal if you think about it. But you don't think about that. Think only about the goal and achieving it, through courage and discipline, no matter the odds. These are the qualities required to be a Chunin squad leader. Those who choose to save their own necks will never have the sacred honor of being called Chunin as long as I'm here."

He smiles at the candidates. "You have all proven your worth to me, so you have all earned the right to take the next step of the Chunin selection exams. There is nothing left to do but wish you good luck." Immediately after Ibiki said his piece, a bundle smashes through the window. The bundle twists on itself and shoots out two kunai and smoke bombs in each direction. Now, smoke fills the room, stretching to the window and a banner is held up by the two kunai. A woman frees herself from it.

"Heads up boys and girls. I'll be your next proctor. Mitarashi Anko." This new proctor is a woman with almond-colored skin, spiky dark purple hair tied in a ponytail, brown eyes, and a curvaceous figure. She is wearing skin-tight chainmail and a short orange skirt. Her outfit is completed by a trench coat long enough to cover her whole body.

"Are you ready for the second exam? Good, then let's go!" Nobody reacts. They are stuck in a stupified state and have little hope of recovering.

Ibiki walks out from behind the banner. "You are early again." Anko flushes in embarrassment. She observes the candidates.

"How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft." States Anko in jest.

Ibiki smirks in a challenging manner. "Or it could be that there is a stronger crop of candidates this year."

"Tch. They don't look like it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated." The Genins gulp.

"Alright maggots. You've had it easy, but things are going to be different starting first thing tomorrow morning, I'll let your squad leader know where you're to meet me. Dismissed."

Naruto and Sasuke walk through the village together. It's a little past lunchtime and neither has eaten. Naruto's stomach growls. Sasuke stops walking and closes his eyes. "Oi, Naruto. You paid for my meal last time, so I'll return the favor now." Sasuke had to grind that out. His left eye can't stop twitching.

A smile slowly blooms on Naruto's face. Just as he is about to speak, Sasuke interrupts him. "On one condition. You chose where we ate last time, so I choose what we eat today." Naruto pouts, but gives Sasuke a stiff nod.

"Where are we going anyway?" Sasuke walks away, but motions for Naruto to follow.

...

After a few minutes, they arrive at a grocery store. Walking in, Naruto is greeted by the glares and sneers of the other patrons. Walking around the store, he hears many harsh whispers and thinly veiled remarks. He does his best to ignore them.

Although Sasuke isn't saying anything, he isn't ignorant of what is happening.

Sasuke leads them to where the store keeps cold, pre-packaged food. Since he feels hungrier than usual, he picks two okaka-filled Omusubi. Naruto picks out a salmon-filled Omusibi, but before he leaves, he spots some pre-packaged bento boxes. Having never eaten a home-cooked meal, this would be the closest thing he would ever have to compare.

He hesitates but decides to not get it.

As Naruto pulls his hand away, Sasuke sighs. He walks up to Naruto, takes the bento he was eyeing, and hands it to him. "Here. If you really want it, then take it. I'm going to pay for it anyway."

Naruto's lip quivers slightly, but he puts on a strong front. He gives Sasuke his largest smile yet. "Arigatou, Sasuke." Sasuke looks away to hide his smile.

They go to the cashier to pay for their meals. As they are paying, the cashier's eyes immediately snap to Naruto. He doesn't say anything as he can see that the fox brat is friendly with the Uchiha. Sasuke pays for their food and they both leave.

Naruto never told Sasuke he was banned from going to that store.

Naruto and Sasuke sit on top of a water tower. They enjoy their first Omusubi in peace. After finishing, Naruto decides to start the conversation. "Hey Sasuke, what was your plan for cheating during the first part?"

Sasuke glares at Naruto. "What makes you think I cheated? I'm not a Usuratonkachi. I can actually think."

A vein bulges on Naruto's temple. "Hey, if you didn't cheat then there is no reason for you to be so mean about it. I was just curious. Besides, I know how smart you are, but even those questions were too hard for you."

Sasuke scoffs. Naruto is right, but he hates being reminded that he wasn't good enough.

He sighs. "Fine. I used my Sharingan to copy the hand movements of the candidate in front of me. That way, it looks like I know what I'm doing and no one can claim they saw me cheat since I can deactivate my Sharingan at will."

Naruto's eyes sparkle. "Whoa. Your Sharingan is so broken! It can do everything."

Sasuke grants Naruto a haughty smirk. "Yeah. That is why the Uchiha are so special, because of our eyes." The conversation lost a little bit of life after that.

Sasuke opens up his second Omusubi. He takes a bite and swallows. He then looks at Naruto. "I'm curious. You don't have any way to cheat that I can think of, so how did you do it?"

Naruto beams. "I was really nervous at first, so I didn't know what to do. I took a few breaths to calm me down and let me think straight. After that, I made a plan."

"Get to the point, Usuratonkachi!"

"Hey! I was getting there. When I asked to go to the bathroom, that was part of my plan."

"I figured. So what exactly did it do?"

"The Chunin handcuffs you and leads you by rope as if you were a leashed animal. For my plan to work, I chose a stall instead of a urinal so I had more privacy and time-"

"-Dobe. I'm getting impatient."

A monstrous tickmark appears on Naruto's face. "You damned bastard. This is important. It was to show my thought process, dattebayo! I was done with the exposition anyway.

Once in the stall, I used the chakra control technique sensei showed us so I could be as accurate as possible. I created a shadow clone in the stall next to me and it sat in a way that its feet wouldn't be visible."

Sasuke sees where this is going. "That's pretty impressive, but how did you escape?"

Naruto is getting sick of this already. "If you would shut up and let me finish, you might find out!" Sasuke sucks his teeth. "Anyway, The clone substituted with me so it would be in the cuffs and I would be free. However, the smoke cloud was too thick. The Chunin was bound to notice, so the clone…"

"So you what? What did it do to get out of that situation?"

No matter how hard he tries, stray snickers come from Naruto's mouth. "My clone f-farted into the smoke cloud so that the-the Chunin would think it was a fart cloud rather than a Jutsu!" Naruto's guffaws are heard throughout the entire block. Sasuke facepalms, but he can't hold in his chuckles.

Thankfully, his hand covered his face and Naruto's laughs drowned out his voice.

What he failed to hide, however, was his smile. A genuine smile, one not unlike those before the massacre. Naruto is the first person to see this smile. Knowing Sasuke would be upset, Naruto doesn't comment on it, He'll let Sasuke have this if only to spare his pride.

As the laughs die down, he continues. "Since the Chunin was too busy vomiting, it gave me the chance to continue with my plan. I transformed into a cockroach and used the tree-walking technique to crawl on the walls and escape the bathroom."

Sasuke is honestly surprised at how well thought out this plan is, especially in such little time, but refrains from commenting. "I went to an empty classroom and released my transformation. I then made another shadow clone. We both transformed into roaches and snuck into the testing room. We snuck up on different candidates and memorized their answers."

So that's it. "But, sadly my clone got too close to someone. My clone wasn't dispelled. It was destroyed. Like if it was eaten. That changed everything, so after only memorizing 1-4, I hurried back to the bathroom, especially since I was spotted and many Chunin and students tried to kill me."

Sasuke's eye twitches. So Naruto was that filthy bug he tried killing earlier. "Once I snuck back in the bathroom, I went back to the empty stall and released my transformation. I needed my first clone to finish the job, and I had no way to message him. So I bit my thumb and wrote a message on the stall wall using my blood."

Sasuke recoils in equal parts disgust and admiration. He is extremely impressed but also worried that Naruto caught something by having his blood come in contact with a dirty bathroom wall. "I substituted with my clone and washed my hands to hide any evidence. My clone was supposed to start after I left.

During the test after I got back, I was told the answers by the roach clone. After giving me the missing questions, the clone was put on standby by the window so it could give me the tenth question. When Anko came through the window, the clone dispelled after the smoke bombs were triggered, so he was gone without a trace. That was what happened."

Sasuke is momentarily speechless. He shales his head a bit to help him think. He gives Naruto another haughty smirk. "Seems like you aren't as much of a dobe as I thought you were." Sasuke's smirk loses its haughtiness. "You did good I'm glad to know I can count on you, Naruto."

Naruto is silenced. Only for a moment, as he smiles the brightest and truest smile he has given anyone in a long time. Sasuke has acknowledged him. "Thank you, Sasuke."

They don't say anything for a while. Naruto grabs his bento box and hesitates to open it. Sasuke swallows another bite of his Omusubi and turns to face Naruto. "Why are you so nervous to eat the bento?"

Naruto recoils a bit. He was so distracted that he forgot about Sasuke. "I- I uh…" He swallows hard. Sasuke has been good to him, so maybe he can open up a little bit. "It's just that…I have been an orphan my whole life and I have never eaten a home-cooked meal before, at least as far as I can remember. And well…" He shakes a little and holds back tears. Naruto doesn't continue. He doesn't need to.

"And you thought that a bento would be the closest thing to a home-cooked meal you'll ever get." Sasuke said that in a more subdued tone than he meant to. Naruto nods in shame.

"There's no reason to feel ashamed. I get it. I do. You forget that I'm also an orphan. As cold-hearted as I am, it doesn't change that I have a heart. I miss my parents, sure, but what I miss most about them is what they did for me."

Naruto gives Sasuke a dark look. "I don't mean it like that! Their kindness and love are what I miss most, but what you forget -or don't know- is that every action your parents do for you is out of love. It's because they care." Naruto never thought about it that way before. He just thought Sasuke was being materialistic.

"The one thing I will never get back is Kaa-san's cooking. She was the best. Everything she made was delicious. I don't like fried foods, but whatever fried food she made I could eat without complaint. If she didn't cook fried foods in moderation, I would've probably ended up as big as Choji." He smirks a little at his own joke.

"When she cooks, the house would be stained with the flavors and aromas of her food, and every bite was so fresh and complex. You could tell how much effort she put into every bite. She was always so meticulous. To me, that was the way she showed most of her love for us." Sasuke smiles fondly remembering how his mother made him feel.

He then glowers at the stores below them. "I hate sweets with a passion, but Kaa-san was the only one whose dessert I could eat. She made everything with such complex flavors, and most importantly, not too sweet. My favorites were Dango and Mochi. The reason I hate sweets so much now is that everything tastes like a mockery of Kaa-san's cooking. Any sweets that I eat are so one-dimensional and bland, but also nauseatingly sweet. It all feels stale and artificial."

Sasuke takes a deep breath before he can get too heated. "So sure, even though your reasons for being so hesitant with the bento were seemingly minor, you forget that I get it. I understand your reasons, and I sympathize." Sasuke gives Naruto a haughty smirk. "So quit being so indecisive and whiny, you stupid loser."

Naruto looks away from Sasuke. He holds in his tears and makes sure to wipe away any that are blurring his vision. Sasuke doesn't speak much, but when he does, he always has something important to say. He understands now what Haku meant. What it means to have a precious person. Sasuke is precious to him. His first true friend. He understands him, and he will always be grateful to him.

He doesn't know what would've come of him if Sasuke died in Wave. The risk was far too great. If it means protecting this, then killing Haku was worth it.

He may not know it, but Sasuke has helped Naruto gain closure over killing Haku. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sasuke." Thank you for more reasons than he can imagine.

Naruto turns to give Sasuke a small, gentle smile. Not his usual strained, foxy grin, but an honest and true smile, just like the one Sasuke gave Naruto earlier. Sasuke smiles in return. "Hn. So, are you going to eat your food or not? I paid for it."

Naruto reaches for the bento box but stops before he can touch it. He rushes to the bag where the food came in and pulls out an extra pair of chopsticks that he may or may not have stolen from the store. He scoots closer to Sasuke and hands him the chopsticks. "Here." He grabs the bento box and opens it. "It may not be anywhere near as good as your Kaa-chan's cooking, but it might be enough to bring you back somewhat."

Naruto and Sasuke share the bento box together. They talk some more, about everything and nothing at the same time, and cracking jokes.

Sasuke stops eating and looks at Naruto. "I've always wondered. Ever since I can remember, the people of the village have been so awful to you, always mistreating you, calling you names, refusing service. I used to think it was because of your pranks, but I know better. Why do the villagers hate you?"

Naruto stiffens like a plank and stops eating. "Wh-what?"

"Why do the villagers hate you?"

Naruto stays still. So still you'd swear he was invisible for a second. "Why do the villagers hate me?" He swallows hard.

It's his secret. He has all the right in the world to keep it and tell whoever he wants. Does he trust Sasuke with this? And if he trusts Sasuke, should he trust the rest of his team?

No, he loves his team, but Sasuke is special even among his teammates. He trusts him more than he does Kakashi and Sakura combined. Should he tell him or should he not? Sasuke is his best friend, and he has given him the most trust he has ever given anyone. And Sasuke has returned that trust as well.

"Tch. Nevermind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I would've liked you to tell me that directly rather than waste my time."

"No, wait! I'll tell you. But you need to understand that this is my greatest secret. So I need you to promise me something."

Sasuke lifts an eyebrow. "Oh. You are so demanding, you damned loser, but fine, I'll hear you out."

"Heh~ That is the longest sentence I've heard you speak. But, back to what I was saying, You need to promise me that no matter what, even at the cost of your own life, you will never tell anyone my secret."

"Hn. What are we, girls sharing our secret crushes? But if it means so much to you, then fine, I promise. Now spit it."

Naruto glares at Sasuke for that remark. "Just keep in mind that I don't know much other than the result. 12 years ago, on the 10th of October, the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the village. The Yondaime Hokage protected the village by killing the Kyuubi. That is the story that we've been told. But that isn't the case." Sasuke tilts his head a little.

"Again, I don't know much other than the result, but that story is a lie. No matter how strong he is, the Yondaime couldn't kill the Kyuubi, so he sacrificed himself to seal away the fox spirit inside a newborn baby whose umbilical cord had yet been cut. I was that baby." Sasuke's eyes widen to comical proportions.

"I was the vessel used to seal away the Kyuubi no Yoko. Somehow, the news got out when I was young, and the villagers quickly learned. Hokage Jiji immediately made a law that made it so that anyone who tells the younger generation or talks about my status as the container of the Kyuubi would be killed, so that is why no one in our class knows."

Sasuke remains unresponsive.

"I didn't find out until after I graduated, so I pretty much spent my entire life being blamed for something without knowing what I was being blamed over."

Sasuke closes his eyes slowly. "I see." That is all he says.

Naruto starts sweating. "Sasuke?" No response. His lip quivers a little. "Sasuke?" Still nothing. He starts shaking a bit. "H-hey, Sasuke, this isn't funny. Answer me." Nothing. Naruto starts tearing up. He looks aways and tries his best to hold in his tears. He succeeds, but that doesn't change what he is feeling. He might've ruined his relationship with his best friend. He probably hates him now.

"That explains everything." Sasuke grants Naruto a haughty smirk. "Hn. If you ask me, I'd say the villagers are even dumber than you. It's like the analogy with the kunai and the scroll. If you seal a kunai in a scroll, does that scroll become the kunai? That logically answers what you are, but even then, just based on the way you act, it's pretty clear that you are Naruto and not the Kyuubi. I mean, there's no way that a fox could ever be such a loser-oof!"

Sasuke is interrupted by a fist colliding with him in full force, knocking him over. It was Naruto. "That was for scaring me earlier and insulting me just now teme! But...besides that, thank you for trusting me and being my friend Sasuke, dattebayo."

Sasuke flushes. "Shut the hell up! We are not friends you damned loser! We just so happen to be on the same team. So, it's only natural for teammates to support one another." Sasuke looks away in shame. Even coming out of his mouth, Sakura wouldn't believe that lie, much less Naruto who knows him best.

Naruto doesn't believe him for a second. He has finally figured out Sasuke's strange Tsundere-like behavior. It's simple really. Sasuke is a bastard, and everything he does is bastardly. Just do the math.

The equation is (Sasuke's actions and words) - (the rancor in them and his bastardly influence) = (the truth.)

Based on that, he calculated Sasuke's true feelings. He sees him as a reliable person and as a friend but refuses to ever admit it. "Fine, we aren't friends. We are best friends." Naruto outstretches his fist toward Sasuke.

Sasuke groans. The loser just doesn't get it. "Hn. Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that you Usuratonkachi." He outstretches his fist to fistbump Naruto.

Somehow, he feels like he lost just now.

They sit back down and continue eating the bento together. A few friendly jabs and insults did in jest complete their time together.

...

After finishing the bento, Sasuke is full. He starts to get up, but spots his Omusubi, left half-eaten and forgotten. He looks at Naruto who is licking the box clean. "Oi, Naruto. Are you still hungry?"

Naruto perks up. "Eh, no no, it's no big-" His stomach growls violently.

Sasuke sighs. "Here. I get the Omusubi often since it is the closest thing to Kaa-san's cooking, mostly because it's so easy to make. I'm full, so you can have the rest."

Naruto's eyes widen. "Wow! Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto snatches the half-eaten riceball and takes a bite. He chews slowly and swallows. His eyes sparkle in awe and amazement. "Wow, Sasuke! This is really good. Your Kaa-chan must've been a really good cook! Was she a chef?"

Sasuke's face forms an awkward mix of a grimace and a smile. A grimace since Naruto compared his mother's cooking to pre-packaged food that isn't worthy of being mentioned in comparison, and a smile for the compliment to his mother. He can't decide which emotion is stronger, so he just grunts.

"Hn. No, she wasn't a chef, just a loving mother. Now leave me alone, I need to prepare for tomorrow. Bye."

Naruto stuffs the riceball in his mouth and swallows. "Okay, me too. Bye-bye!" Both boys walk home the happiest they've been in years.

Narrator: It's late at night. Both Naruto and Sasuke have trouble sleeping. Many thoughts swim throughout their minds. Knowing they won't get any sleep until they sort their thoughts out, they decide to get them in order so they can prepare for the test tomorrow. Let's start with Sasuke.

"Tch." Sasuke gets up and leaves his apartment. It's late, but he decides to go to a training ground. Maybe some exercise will do him some good.

Sasuke punches and kicks a wooden dummy and dodges any stray poles that come after him. Practicing his Taijutsu helps him think straight. 'Naruto. What is so special about you? Not the Kyuubi, but you, the person. And why is your background such a big secret?' Sasuke's strikes become faster and more violent.

'But why are you able to make me open up anyway? I don't need friends, yet you have forced our closeness.' The punches gain power. 'Ever since we became friends, everything has been so confusing.'

Sasuke kicks away one of the limbs of the wooden dummy. 'Just thinking about it all makes me so angry. And thinking about you makes me want to force you to your knees and make you admit my superiority.'

Sasuke swats away a pole, and kicks it, breaking one of the limbs off of the dummy's body. 'But what is most infuriating is how much lighter my heart has felt lately.' Sasuke grunts in pain seeing splinters in his shin. 'Ever since being a part of Team 7, I've been…happy. I hate it, but the Team reminds me of my family.' Sasuke growls.

'And you are the worst of them all, Naruto. You-you, remind me of my aniki, back when everything was right in the world. Why? Why are you so much like him? Always walking in front of me, always so much better than me. I bet that's what you think you fucking loser!'

Sasuke delivers a nasty side-kick to the base of the dummy, breaking its foundation, causing it to fall to the ground. Sasuke gets on top of it and punches it repeatedly 'Are you like Itachi? Will you hurt me too? Is that why you see me as a rival? Because you have what I don't. Do you think you will surpass me? I won't allow it! I'd rather break you than ever see you as my equal!'

Sasuke's ragged breathing calms down. He gets up and pulls out the splinters from his bloody knuckles. He wraps his hands in bandages and walks home with his hands in his pocket, leaving a now-destroyed and dismembered dummy in the middle of the training ground.

Now calm, he replays the memory of his lunch with Naruto. He can't help but smile. He is happy around Naruto, and nothing makes him angrier than that. He frowns, thinking about another thing on his mind. The mystery of Uzumaki Naruto.

'You being the Kyuubi's container is big, and I get why it's a secret. But why is your heritage such a massive secret? Is it something even greater than the Kyuubi? But why did the Yondaime choose you as the fox demon's container?'

The more Sasuke thinks about it, the less it adds up. He comes up with a few theories, but all of them leave a pit of dread in his stomach. 'No one other than the most powerful in the village has the authority to erase information. What reason would the Hokage have to deprive Naruto of his past, and destroy any means of learning about it? And what is this business of Naruto being an Uzumaki? Is he a part of a clan?'

Sasuke isn't really sure what to make of this, but one thing is certain. There is something suspicious going on in Konoha, something wrong. He isn't sure he likes whatever it is. This shows him that Konoha isn't as great as the Hokage makes it out to be, and that makes the Hokage untrustworthy.

And if that is the case, then what other secrets are being kept hidden from the public? Has the Hokage told other lies? If so, then is the Uchiha Massacre included in the things that are more than is being led known? That thought fills Sasuke with as much rage as when someone mentions his aniki. Konoha no longer seems like such a great place to live in.

It is filled with secrets and lies, lies that have lives destroyed as consequences.

Narrator: Sasuke is happy when he is around his friends, but when he is one, the darkness in his heart consumes him, whispering sweet nothings in his ears, seducing him to view things as it wants him to, with smog-tinted lenses. Everything is supposed to look worse and darker than it really is.

Doubts fill Sasuke's mind. There are little more than whispers now, but even whispers can be louder than the most desperate of yells.

Now, it's Naruto's turn to sort out his mind.

Naruto tosses and turns in his bed. Nothing he does calms his mind. Frustrated, he quits his attempts at sleeping and gets up. He goes to the kitchen and grabs the cleanest cup he can find. He then goes to the sink and pours water at the coldest setting. Once full, he chugs the water down, cooling him off and refreshing his throat. Now satisfied, he feels far more relaxed and heads back to bed.

The second he sits down, he peeks out the window to look at the night sky. The sky is so clear, not a cloud in sight, so he can see all the stars. The moon is glowing brightly. The moon reminds him of Sasuke.

'I've always hated Sasuke. Always so good at everything and so cool. Always ahead of everyone and so confident. It used to piss me off, but now I see Sasuke is a really nice guy, dattebayo. He's not only the haughty kind of cool, but he is actually cool-cool, ya know? Why am I speaking to myself like this anyway?'

Naruto slaps himself to regain his composure. 'I always envied Sasuke. He got everyone's attention, was so good at everything, was smart, and cool. I guess I always wanted to be just like him, so he became my rival. If I could get him to acknowledge me, then that meant that I was all of those things he was. I thought he was a jerk, so I wanted to surpass him, but now that he is my friend, I want nothing more than to be by his side and help him.'

Naruto smiles. 'Maybe…I wonder, the way I feel around Sasuke, is that what it feels like to have a brother? If it is, then maybe I can be happy in Konoha. Sasuke is just like me, but also so different. It's like if he were me in another life. My opposite maybe?'

Naruto grows determined. 'Tomorrow I'll do my best to back him up in the next part of the Exams. If I can't make my dreams come true, then I'll make sure Sasuke reaches his goals. After all, isn't it a brother's job to make sure his brother is happy, even at the cost of his own happiness?'

Naruto then frowns. 'Family…' He remembers what Kabuto said before. 'He said I was an Uzumaki. That means that there are more, right? That I have family out there somewhere. But if I have family, then why haven't they come to find me? Was I abandoned?' Dread and sorrow bubble in his heart.

The emotions boiling over stimulate his chakra, causing Naruto to get a searing headache. His vision grows static and his right eye goes into its dark state. A chakra shroud so dense and heavy surrounds Naruto. His left side is his regular dense, blue chakra, and on his right side is a black and crimson mass. Both sides connect but remain separate, like water and oil. Veins protrude from his temples and his irises become gray and pupilless.

...

Flashback

"See, I told you that you have love in your life Naru-chan. I believe that your parents whoever they are loved you so much more than they did the world itself."

He can't make out the face, but the voice sounds familiar, although muffled. An elderly woman is consoling a blond and blue-eyed child. Something about this strikes a chord in him. It feels like he is watching someone else memory.

Flashback 2

"Naruto, from now on, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship… Be true to yourself… Have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come true… There's so much… Oh, so much more that I want to pass on to you… I wish I could stay with you longer...I love you."

He sees a red-haired woman, a blond-haired man dying while protecting a blond infant. The static in his vision makes it so that he can't make out the faces of either the man or the woman or any other defining features, but it feels like he knows them. All he knows is that this isn't one of his memories.

Flashback 3

"I've decided to give my show of love, effort, and dedication to you Naru-chan. Whenever you feel sad, just keep this scarf close to you, and you will feel my hugs there."

He thinks that this is the first person again. He still can't make out her face, but he recognizes her voice. It's clearer than before. He can see the woman wrap a red scarf around the neck of a blond and blue-eyed boy with… whiskers on his cheeks. Something about that scarf makes his heart flutter.

Flashback End

...

Naruto's vision gains static once more. His black and gray right eye and his white and gray left eye begin twitching uncontrollably. The chakra shroud around him weakens and the veins around his eyes recede. His right eye becomes white and blue once more. He collapses on the bed and keeps his eyes closed.

He is exhausted and his eyes ache. He isn't sure what just happened or what he experienced, but he is certain of 3 things.

One. His eyes are special. They have to be. In what way, he isn't sure yet, nor is that of much concern right now. What he is focusing on is the other two things he learned.

That what he saw was all true, and that they were meant for him to see. Why? He isn't sure. Was the boy in the visions him? Because if it is, then it proves that he wasn't abandoned. He was loved, it's just that everyone that loves him is dead, or forcefully separated.

Isn't that reassuring?

'So if I wasn't abandoned, then that means my parents are dead. But Jiji always ignores me when I ask about them. And didn't Kabuto say that all form of my personal history has been erased? Then does that mean Jiji is trying it hide my parents from me? And the other possibility is that I was forcefully separated from my family.

Is that the truth? Because if it is, then that means Jiji has been lying to me my whole life, keeping me in this cesspool of a village for reasons I don't know. What does he have to gain from this?' It doesn't matter what the benefits are. What Naruto has come to realize is that Jiji is untrustworthy. He doesn't see him as his grandfather figure anymore, but rather the shinobi that has killed countless men and seen untold horrors.

That doesn't matter to him though. "If I find out that Jiji has hidden things from me on purpose, then I Will NEVER FORGIVE HIM!" Yami took over for a bit, both earlier and now, but Naruto shares the sentiment. After all, Yami is him, and he is Yami.

Once he is done with the Chunin Exams, he will investigate what is the truth and what are lies. It's time he discovers the identity of his parents and confronts those who have wronged him. If it has anything to do with the Kyuubi, then he might just lose it.

The Kyuubi.

"The Kyuubi. Why was I chosen as its Jinchuriki anyway? I was just born. Weren't there stronger ninja there to take my place, or is there a special reason as to why I was chosen? Does it have to do with me being an Uzumaki?" He shakes his head. No no. No investigation nor speculation can be done until after the Exams.

For now, though, he needs to sleep to be ready for tomorrow.

To Be Continued…

I hope you are excited about future changes since this is just the beginning.

I want to go deeper into Sasuke's psychology and thoughts since as the second main character of this story, Sasuke deserves to be understood just as well as we understand Naruto. Not enough people do him justice in Fanfiction, so I want to fix that.

On Naruto, Yami's influence on Naruto will be so great that Naruto's ideals and actions might be radically different from canon. That is all I'll give you.

Those changes remain to be seen, but I promise you will enjoy them.

Just finished watching the Liverpool Vs Chelsea game. We dominated the first half but were unlucky to concede on that corner. It was an unsavable shot imo. Nothing you could do.

The second half frustrated me to no end though. Chelsea parked the bus and had 9 men behind the ball at all times, essentially making sure no chances were given. Mendy saved Chelsea a couple of times. Felt like we should've scored but it wasn't meant to be. At least we are still undefeated. We still have a chance to win the League, just it'll be a 3-horse race. More competition is fun for neutrals, but for fans, it can be annoying. :(

Thank you for reading this chapter. As always, if you have any concerns, requests, or simple questions, Please Review, or simply PM me.

This is Zippy, out.