Insidethe Hokage Office,

Yawn…

Tsunade yawns ashe skims through the paperwork.

"The paperwork has increased recently… chunnin exam is on the horizon. I can't even relax a little."

Thump…

Shizune slams a large stack of paperwork on the table.

"Tsunade-sama… these are the entries of genins taking part in the Chunnin exam. They have been nominated by their Jounin instructors. You have to inspect and approve their participation."

"…"

"Shizune… why do I feel like you are doing this on purpose?"

Tsunade has tears in her eyes as she stares at the stack of paper.

"No… no, of course not Tsunade-sama. As your secretary, it is my responsibility to make sure you do your job properly."

Shizune smiles smugly.

Knock… Knock…

Someone knocks on the door.

"Come in."

Tsunade corrects her posture as she adopts a serious expression.

"Yes… Hokage-sama."

Izuna and the group enter the office.

"Hello… Tsunade Nee-san."

Ayaka waves her hand at Tsunade.

"Oh… Ayaka."

Tsunade waves to Ayaka.

"Baa-san… give me a mission."

Naruto interrupts them.

Tick…

Tsunade has a tick mark on her forehead as she angrily stares at Naruto.

"NARUTO… How many times would I have to tell you to call me Hokage-sama when I am in the Office? Be formal in the Hokage Office."

Bonk…

She bonks Naruto's head.

Aww… Aww…

Naruto rubs his forehead as a large bump appears on it.

"Now… now Tsunade! Be lenient on Naruto. Sometimes, I feel like he has turned this way because you bonk his head quite regularly."

Izuna jokes as caress Naruto's head with Mystic Palm.

"What did you say?" Tsunade angrily turns towards him.

"No… Nothing." Izuna turns his head away and whistles.

"But… but why Ayaka can call you informally."

Naruto complains.

"Ayaka is different. She is just a kid and look how cute she is."

Tsunade gently pinches Ayaka's cheeks.

"Yes… Tsunade Nee-san, you are also beautiful."

Ayaka compliments Tsunade.

"Aww… so cute." Tsunade hugs Ayaka.

"Look how smart she is."

"…"

Izuna and the rest of the group silently nod their head.

'She is a smooth-talker just like her elder brother.' Kakashi silently whispers to himself.

'I can hear your thoughts… Kakashi.'

Izuna turns towards Kakashi.

"But… but why she doesn't like me? Am I not beautiful?" Sakura questions herself.

"…"

Izuna controls his laughter as he tries to compose himself.

Ahem…

Kakashi clears his throat to get their attention.

"Hokage-sama, this group of genin has passed the final selection test."

"Oh! Kakashi, so you finally passed someone. Your standards are quite high for failing almost 5 teams previously." Tsunade sits on her chair with Ayaka in her lap.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. They have proved their strength to me and I think they are ready to start their Ninja life." Kakashi nods his head.

"Very well." Tsunade takes out three papers and stamps them.

"With this, their registration as a Ninja is complete. They can start Shinobi Missions from tomorrow." She places the papers in a file.

"Yay! I am finally a ninja. Baa-san, just give me a mission. I am itching to do some shinobi missions for such a longtime. Dattebyo!"

Naruto jumps in front of Tsunade.

Tick…

Another tick mark appears on Tsunade's forehead as she angrily clutches her fist.

Gulp…

Naruto gulps his saliva and retreats.

"NARUTO… tomorrow means tomorrow. Hammer this in that numb skull of yours." Tsunade angrily yells at him.

She points towards the large stack of paper.

"It was you who convinced me to take over this position. If you want to become Hokage, then you would have to do the same. Now don't bother me anymore, I have work to do."

Gulp…

Naruto quickly dashes out of Hokage Office.

Sigh…

"This Naruto! he will never learn." Tsunade shakes her head.

Kakashi and the rest of the group walk out of the Office as Izuna stays behind.

"So, how is it… the preparations for the upcoming Chunnin exam?"

Izuna sits on a sofa beside the Hokage seat.

Sigh…

Tsunade sighs and passes a scroll to Izuna.

"This is the reply from Iwagakure."

Izuna skims through the scroll and nods his head.

"I figured as much. That old fool of Iwa won't agree with it. He is a proud, headstrong, stubborn, and boastful geezer. It is part of the reason Iwa has no new Tsuchikage for the past thirty years."

Tsunade nods her head.

"He mocked Konoha for showing weakness and scheduling a joint chunnin exam."

"How about Kumogakure? What's their reply?"

Izuna lazily stretches his legs as he questions her.

Whoosh…

Tsunade tosses another scroll at him.

"It's the same. That unruly A is quite stern, outspoken, and hypocritical. Looks like he is still hung up on his loss at your hands." Tsunade chuckles.

"Don't bother him anymore. He is still salty about his loss."

Izuna shakes his head.

"What about Sunagakure?" He asks her.

"Sunagakure has signed a peace treaty with Konoha after the Second Shinobi War and they helped Konoha during the Third Ninja War so needless to say they are our allies. They have agreed to the decision." Tsunade tosses another scroll to Izuna.

Izuna skims through the letter and nods his head.

"That Rasa of the sand is quite an open-minded individual when it comes to the welfare of Suna. But this makes him a dangerous ally required to be kept at a hand's distance. He canbe quite ruthless to his allies."

Izuna warns Tsunade.

'He sent Pakura on a suicide mission to Kirigakure. Well, for him it was for the betterment of the village as Pakura could be a potential threat to his Kazekage position because of her title as the Hero of the Sand.'

Izuna shakes his head to discard such thoughts.

"What about the smaller Nations?"

"Well… Kusagakure, Takigakure. Tanigakure, Yugakure, and Ishigakure have agreed to the proposal. Only Amegakure denied the proposal." Tsunade lists the name of the small hidden villages.

"It's fine. That's still a lot of work for me."

Izuna rubs his forehead.

"You still have around three months to prepare," Tsunade assures him.

"Easy for you to say, you ditched your job on me." Izuna snorts.

"If I remember correctly… it was certain someone who pestered me to take the position of Hokage." Tsunade smiles smugly.

"Fine… fine… I will take care of this matter." He stands up and walks towards Ayaka, who is currently playing with Tonton.

"Onii-san! this pig looks so plump and juicy. I wonder how it will taste like."

Gulp…

Ayaka gulps her saliva as she hungrily stares at Tonton.

"…"

Shizune silently stares at the brother and sister duo.

'She is really his sister. Both of them think alike.'

Oink… Oink…

Tonton jumps out from Ayaka's grasp and hides behind Shizune.

"I think it is not a bad proposal. It has been a while since I last ate some pork."

Tsunade licks her lips.

"NOO…"

Shizune grabs Tonton and hides her.

"Don't bully poor Tonton."

"Well… if you say so."

Izuna places Ayaka on his shoulders and walks out of the Hokage Office.

'It is a fine opportunity to introduce Mei to Mom and Dad.'

Whoosh….

--

Izuna walks through the streets of Konoha market along with Ayaka.

Heave… hoo… Heave… hoo

The sound of heavy breathing falls in his ears.

He turns around and notices Might Guy and another boy in a green jumpsuit walking upside down on their hands through the streets.

Guy notices Izuna and jumps up with one hand and stands in front of him.

"Yo Izuna… let's have a duel."

'Not again… I can't handle the hot-blooded nature of Guy. He is too 'YOUTHFUL' for me.'

"Not today… Guy."

Izuna points towards Ayaka.

"I have made a promise to my cute little sister." He gently pats her forehead.

Guy turns to the boy beside him.

"Lee… he is the man whom I talked about. There are only two men whom I call my rivals. The first being Kakashi Hatake and the second being Izuna Uchiha."

"What?… He is your rival, Guy-sensei."

Lee's eyes shine brightly as turns to Izuna.

"Yes, Lee… we have trained together in my YOUTH and he is the only person whom I could never win against in Taijutsu. He is my motivation to try hard every day."

Guy clutches his fist and closes his eyes as he drowns in his youthfulness.

"This is Youth Lee. Giving your all in and train even harder to get stronger with each passing day."

Tears flow from his eyes as he narrates his struggles to Lee.

"Guy-Sensei…"

Lee hugs Guy as both of them have a youthful hug.

Ahem…

Izuna clears his throat to clear the awkward atmosphere.

"Guy! It has been a while since you start to train the genins. What are your thoughts on their participation in the chunnin exam?"

Sloosh… sloosh….

Guy wipes his tears and turns to Izuna.

"They are not ready yet. They are still lacking in youthfulness."

Huff… Huff…

A boy and girl catch up to the group as they stand beside Guy.

"Guy Sensei! can we take a break?"

The girl rests against an electric pole as she pants.

"Tenten, you are still lacking in youth."

"Well, I will see you later, Guy."

Izuna waves his hand and bade farewell to them.

"Onii-san… that bushy brow man is weird." Ayaka remarks.

"…"

"Yes… he is."

Izuna nods his head as they return to Uchiha compounds.

Outside the Mizukage Office,

"Here Mizukage-sama… this is your Mizukage hat?"

Elder Genji passes the Mizukage Hat to Mei. Mei dons the hat as Elder Genji nods his head.

"You are going to meet his parents for the first time."

Fuji remarks.

"Father… I am nervous." Mei fidgets her finger.

Haha…

Fuji laughs as he encourages her.

"It will be fine. I talked with that rascal, he will take care of everything; if not I will give him a piece of my mind."

Fuji balls his palm in a fist. He turns towards her bodyguards.

"Ao, I entrust you with Mei's safety."

Ao nods his head.

"Yes, I will protect Mizukage-Sama with my life."

Mei turns towards the group of genins and addresses them.

"All of you are the pride and future of Kirigakure. Gone were the days when the Kiri was still known as the 'Bloody Mist'. It is up to you now to remove the stain from Kiri's tainted reputation."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama."

All the genins shouts in resolution.

"Err… will I be alright? There will be genins from the other villages."

A short, tufty blue-haired boy with dark eyes asks meekly.

Mei notices him as she cheers him.

"You will be fine, Chojuro. Just give your all."

"Grow up, boy…" Ao pats Chojuro's shoulder.

The group walks out of the Kiri borders as the Village Elders lead them out.

--

Inside the Kiri forest,

The group walks through the borders as they reach near the coast.

"Elder Genji has already arranged a transportation boat which will lead us to the Land of Valley. It would take us seven days to reach Konoha."

Ao informs the group.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Many shurikens and kunais with paper bombs are launched at the group.

"Enemy attack, it's an enemy attack."

Ao and the rest of the jounin take out their kunais as they get ready for the ambush.

"Elder Genji warned us about the ambush. There are still some war insurgents from the Civil War lurking around Kiri seeking for an opportunity to get rid of the current Mizukage."

Mei adopts a serious expression as she makes some hand signs.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Water Dragon Bullet"

Mei kneads chakra in her hands and mouth as she releases a water dragon from her mouth, followed by a lightning bullet from her hand.

Bzzt…

The lightning release chakra nullifies the explosive paper bombs and the water chakra diffuse them.

'Water Release: Bullet Orca"

An immense surge of water comes crashing down on the group.

Whoosh…

Mei makes some hand signs and slams her palm on the ground.

"Boil Release: Vapor Suppression"

She releases thick vapors of Mist from her mouth. The Mist accumulates around the water surge and evaporates it.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Multiple shinobis cloaked in black garments surround the group.

One of the shinobi who appears to be the leader of the group makes some hand signals to the rest of his group.

"Co-operation Ninjutsu: Water Pillar Prison Formation"

The enemy group erects a giant four-pillar barrier formation around the Kiri ninjas.

Mei calmly stares at the barrier as she faces the group of ninjas.

The Head Ninja walks in front of Mei and confronts her.

"There is no need for pretenses. Just reveal yourself, Elder Kodachi."

Mei calmly faces off against the enemy group leader.

"Hoh!… so, you figured it out."

The enemy group leader removes his mask to reveal an old man.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a while. You frog of Middle faction snatched the position of Mizukage from us Noble faction and soiled the legacy of the First Mizukage."

Kodachi adopts a righteous expression as he spews out these words.

"Today, I shall punish you for your misdeeds."

He signals his subordinates to attack Mei and her group.

Ao and the rest of the shinobi jump in front of Mei to protect her.

"Mizukage-sama… we will protect you."

Mei waves her hand to stop them.

"There is no need for you bunch to do anything. I learned a new jutsu from Izuna. I mastered it recently, so I have got no opportunity to test it out in a battle. This is a fine opportunity to do so."

Mei slowly walks in front of the group as she faces off against a squad of almost thirty enemy ninjas.

Humph…

Kodachi snorts at Mei as he taunts her.

"This group of shinobis is elite among the elite who passed the brutal ninja regiment and survived."

Mei ignores Kodachi's taunt as she slowly makes some hand signs. She infuses a large amount of chakra in her mouth.

"Lava Release: Volcanic Bloom Burst Jutsu"

She fires multiple small blooms of lava. The lava blooms surround the group of enemy shinobi.

"Burst"

Mei clasps her hand as they blossom into lava flowers.

BOOM… BOOM…

Lava rains down on the group of enemies as it scorches them to cinders, leaving molten lava and ashes behind.

"…"

Mei and the rest of the group silently stare at the aftereffect of the jutsu.

A lava lake appears in place of the enemies.

Gulp…

Kodachi gulps his saliva as he stares at Mei with wide eyes.

"H… How?"

A weak squeak comes out from Kodachi's mouth.

Mei turns to Ao and signals him.

"Do the necessary cleanup."

Ao nods his head.

Chojuro raises his head and silently stares at Mei's back.

'Mizukage-sama is so kind and powerful. I will do everything to protect that gentle smile of hers… I hope I can.'

He clutches his fists tightly.

--

Inside the Hokage Office,

Izuna is sitting on the sofa as he listens to the recent reports.

"Recently, there has been spotting of many Rogue Ninja and Mercenaries around the small villages on the border. Sakumo Hatake has done a great job in eliminating the threats."

Tsunade nods her head.

"Sakumo-san is a great asset to the village. He is one of the few elders I can have complete trust in."

'Sakumo-san is a Kage level Ninja. He would be a great asset in the Fourth Shinobi War. Fourth Shinobi War is the least of my worries, it will serve as a whetstone for Naruto and Sasuke to grow in power. I am more worried about the Kara and the Otsutsuki clan. I have little information about the Otsutsuki clan, but from the knowledge I have on Kara, most of its members are monstrous in terms of abilities.

If I were to rank their power, then even one of their members can do a cleanup of Akatsuki except for Nagato and Obito.'

Izuna rubs his forehead as he thinks about the Kara.

'The biggest pain is I haven't been able to locate any traces of its members. Maybe it is the ability of Isshiki's Right eye or maybe I am unlucky in my research.'

Tsunade notices the troubled expression on Izuna's face. She closes the report and turns towards him.

"What's troubling you? Is it something I can help you with?"

Izuna shakes his head and replies.

"How about you conduct the chunnin exam on my behest?"

"…"

Tsunade silently stares at him.

"No… no, I was joking. I will take care of the chunnin exam. Just let me borrow a few jounins."

"Fine…" Tsunade nods her head.

Phew…

Izuna takes a deep breath and walks out of the Hokage Office.

"I have made little progress in these past few years. Looks like I have hit my limit.

There is no sign of the awakening of Rinnegan even after 15 years of implantation of Hashirama cells. Looks like I need to get hold of the chakra of remaining tail beasts to shorten the process."

Whoosh… whoosh…

A figure flickers out from his shadows. The shadow turns into a giant wolf.

"Master."

The wolf bows in front of him.

"Roen… it has been six months since you signed a contract with me."

"Yes… master. There are few humans around you who break the norm and have different emotions, but my judgment for the rest of the human still holds." Roen growls as it relays his thoughts.

"Well… I can't do anything to change your mind."

Izuna scratches his head.

"Oh… yes… I have a job for you."

Izuna clasps his hand as he remembers something.

Whoosh…

He takes out a scroll from his pocket and tosses it to Wolf Roen.

"Do you still remember the location where the battle between the Rikkudou Sannin and Ten-tails took place?"

Growl…

Roen grabs the scroll as it replies.

"Master… I can never forget about that place. It took everything away from me and turned me into this abomination."

Roen reminisces his past.

"Er… I have a task for you which needs you to return to that place."

Izuna interrupts Roen's thoughts.

"Yes, Master… I will follow your orders."

"Good… all the necessary information is within that scroll."

"Then I will be on my way."

Whoosh…

Roen turns into a shadow and disappears from his vision.

'If I can get a fragment of God tree's DNA then I think I could create something similar to Gedo Mazo.'

Izuna clutches his fists tightly.

'Looks like it's time to squeeze out some usefulness from that snake. I will give him an opportunity.'

Aweek later,

AtKonohaEntrance,

Izuna stands at the entrancetogetherwith Kakashi and Might Guy.

Heave ho… heave-ho…

Guy is performing some push-ups ashe waits for the guest. Kakashi is silently resting against the village wall as he is engrossed in the latest edition of the Icha Icha series.

"Guy… you should relax once in a while.Too much training will burden your body."

Izuna stares at Guy and remarks.

"This is the prime of my youth. How can I sit idly by and let my youthful energy to waste? Heave ho…"

Guy continues to perform his pushups.

Sigh…

Izuna shakes his head and questions him.

"Guy… you consider me and Kakashi as yourrival, right?"

Whoosh…

Guy stops his pushup and jumps in the air, and spins as he stands erect.

"Yes… I the mighty green beast of Konoha is the eternal rival to Silent Shinigami Izuna Uchiha and the Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake."

Flash…

Guy flashes his smile as he gives a thumbs up and winks to complete his 'Nice Guy' pose. Kakashi raises his head and nods his headbefore returning to his reading.

"True…"

Izuna nods his head.

"You are indeed our rival, but there is one place where you lose to both of us. No… you aren'teven in the competition."

Izuna smirks at Guy.

"What?"

Guy's eyes widen in surprise.

"How could it be? How can I, the almighty Noble green beast of Konoha, lose to my rivals?My hot bloodiness and youth will never surrender."

Guy clutches his fists tightly as tears flow from his eyes.

Kakashi closes his book and turns to Izunawith a confused expression.

"I am also curious to know about the details."

"Oh…"

Izuna has a smile on his face as he reveals.

"It is…"

"It is…" Both Guy and Kakashi close on him.

"It is…"

"It is…" Guy almost falls over Kakashi.

"It is love."

"Love…" Kakashi and Guy stare at Izuna in confusion.

Guy scratches his forehead and questions Izuna.

"Izuna… I have heard about your affair. But when did Kakashi got a girlfriend?" Guy turns to Kakashi.

"Kakashi… you betrayed me. We made a promise to stay single forever since the academy." He hugs Kakashi's thighs.

Bam…

Kakashi kicks away Guy and turns to Izuna.

"Izuna, what are you talking about? Why amI not aware of my own love life?"

He curiously asks Izuna.

"Well… of course you aren't aware of it. It is a one-sided crush on girl's part."

Kakashi points a finger towards himself.

"Crush on me."

"Yes…"

"Are you talking about Rin?" Kakashi closeshis eyes as he reminisces his memories of his past team.

"No… no…"

Izuna hurriedly denies preventing Kakashi from falling into self-remorse.

"Do you remember the mission you carried for your Jounin exam?" Izuna asks him.

"Well… I do." Kakashi nods his head.

"It was in the Land of Keys I had to carry an escort mission there." Kakashi narrates the incident.

"So… you remember the girl you met crying while passing through one of the villages."

Hmm…

Kakashi tries to remember the incident.

"Yes… there was a village girl who lost her way back to the village. I just pointed the way to her and just comforted her by explaining to look above to clouds to find her way."

Kakashi shrugs his shoulders.

"So… you did remember."

Izuna nods his head.

"Recently, I had a mission to the Land of Keys. While on my way, I passed through a shinobi village called Jomae. I met with a girl namedHanare who recognized my Konoha headband.

The girl approached me and inquired about you… Kakashi."

Izuna takes out a picture from his pocketand passes it to Kakashi.

"She is quite beautiful."

Guy nods his head.

"Kakashi… my rival. My charm lost to you." Guy admits defeat and sulks in a corner.

Kakashi curiously inspects the photo as hetries to remember the features of the girl from his memories.

"She is indeed similar to the girl from my memories. But that's all. I don't feel any love or attraction towards her."

Kakashi shakes his head and pockets the picture.

"…"

"Then why are you pocketing the picture?" He asks Kakashi.

"Well… I don't know. But I would like to meet with her." Kakashi scratches his head.

"I see." Izuna nods his head.

Grab…

Guy grabs Kakashi's shoulder and gives thumbs up to him.

"Kakashi… the springtime of youth has finallyarrived for you. Cherish it with all your heart. Don't let go of this opportunity."

"But Guy…"

"No… Kakashi… I understand it." Guy pats Kakashi's shoulder.

"Now let me inform this matter to Asuma,Kurenai, and all of our other friends. Finally… the loner Kakashi has found his true love."

Whoosh…

Guy jumps on top of a roof and flickers away.

"Oi… Oi… Guy… don't spread false rumors about me." Kakashi follows Guy.

"…"

"Oi… you bastards… stop ditching all thework on me."

Sigh…

Izuna sighs and shakes his head.

"Maybe… Kakashi would be able to findtrue love this time."

Hmm…

"They are here."

Izuna raises his head and stares in a distance.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Multi Kiri Ninja appears in front of the village.

Izuna slowly walks towards the group and stops in front of Mei.

"You took your sweet time… Honey." He smiles at her.

"Ho… Honey." A blush appears on Mei's face as she turns away her head.

Ahem…

Ao clears his throat.

"We came across a minor problem along the way."

"Anyway… I Izuna Uchiha welcomes you on behalf of Konohagakure. I represent Hokage-sama as her student and well, she is busy with some other important tasks." Izuna welcomes the group.

"But… but… it is disrespectful."

One of the Elder who accompanied the group protests.

Crack… crack…

Izuna cracks his knuckles and turns towards the elder.

"You want more respect… Ossan."

Gulp…

The elder gulps his saliva and furiouslyshakes his head.

Bam…

Mei elbows him in his guts.

"Ouch… that hurts. Be a little gentle with your boyfriend."

"Stop fooling around and lead the way." Mei angrily glares at him.

"Ok… ok fine."

Izuna leads the group inside the village as he explains.

"I would be the person-in-charge for this bout of chunnin exam."

Izuna turns towards one of the gatekeepersand remarks.

"Oi… Kotetsu… lead our genin guests to the special inn arranged for them."

Kotetsu points towards himself.

"Mm… Me."

"Yes… Is there someone else who goes by the name of Kotetsu?" Izuna questions him.

"No… no. I will lead them."

Kotetsu leads the Kiri group towards their residence.

"You wait with me."

Izuna grabs Mei's hand and stops her.

"Ok."

Mei nods her head and stops.

"But… But Mizukage-sama… your safety is of most concern."

The elder tries to protest again.

"Oi… Ossan… do you think she would be safer with you bunch than being with me?"

Izuna snaps at the Old Elder.

Bam…

Mei elbows him again.

"Don't be so mean to elderGowakichi. He is worried about my safety in another village."

"But ain't my words true."

"…"

Mei silently nods her head.

Ah…

An imaginary arrow pierces through theheart of Ao and the rest of the Kiri anbu guards as they drop their head in depression.

"No, no… it's not like that. What I mean is I trust your capabilities too… but it is just that… it is…"

Mei tries to appease her Anbu guards.

"It's fine… Mizukage-sama. We understand."

One of the Older Anbu guards nods his head and follows Kotetsu.

The rest of the Anbu guards follow his lead.

"No… no… wait… I… I just…"

Mei flusters as she is unable to explain tothem.

"Let them go. They were just bothering us."

Izuna tries to calm her down.

Bam…

Mei elbows him again.

Aww…

"Whose fault was this, to begin with?"

"Not me."

Izuna smiles as he shakes his head.

"…"

"Shameless."

Mei snorts at Izuna.

"Ok… ok… calm down." Izuna calms her down.

"Let's go to Uchiha compounds. My parentsare eager to meet with you, especially my Mother."

Izuna leads her towards the Uchiha compounds.

Gulp…

Mei gulps her saliva as she questions him.

"Would it be fine? It's my first-time meeting with them." Mei anxiously asks him.

"Daijoubu… Daijoubu… Everything will be alright. Just come with me."

Izuna tries to calm down her nervousness.

Mei tightly clutches his hand asshefollows him.

Mei follows Izuna to the Uchiha compounds.

Izuna enters his house.

"Onii-san… you are back."

Ayaka runs towards him and hugs him. Izuna pats her head.

"Mom… Dad."

He calls his father and mother.

Aiko and Akira walk out of a room and stand in front of him.

"What's the matter Izuna?"

Aiko questions him.

'Mother… remember the girl I talked about."

Aiko nods her head.

"Yes… you told us about the girl from Kirigakure. Her name was Mei, right?"

"Yes." Izuna nods his head.

"So… what's the matter?"

Aiko curiously stares at Izuna.

"Well… she is in Konoha right now or to be exact, she is in front of our house," Izuna informs them.

"WHAT!… what are you waiting for? Bring her inside." Akira pushes him out of the house.

"…"

"I would also like to see the girl our Izuna is chasing after."

Aiko has a smile on her face.

'That smile…'

Gulp…

Izuna gulps his saliva as he walks out.

'What is going in Mother's head? The thought process of a woman is a mystery to me.'

Izuna shakes his head and signals Mei.

"Come in… Mother wants to meet with you."

Mei nods her head and enters the house.

Akira and Aiko eagerly wait for her.

"Finally… our Izuna is showing some interest in a girl." Akira crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Yes… I am worried about Izuna's future. This boy… he had no interest in anything besides training. I am proud of his achievements as one of the strongest Ninja of the shinobi world, but deep down I am concerned for his well-being. Now my only wish is for Izuna to marry a girl and settle with a family. He is already 20 years old."

Ayaka shakes her head.

"Mother… she is here."

Izuna and Mei enter the house. Mei has a worried expression on her face as she whispers to Izuna.

"Will they accept this? Bloodlines are an integral part of a clan, even more so for a distinct clan like Uchiha."

Izuna shakes his head as he convinces her.

"Our relationship may bother others, but my parents are different. Besides, if anyone has any problem, we can always sit and have a pleasant chat over tea."

He smiles at her.

Huhu…

Mei chuckles as she calms down.

"I am not nervous anymore. You always have a way with your words. I wonder where you learned such things."

"Well… I was a natural-born smooth talker." Izuna scratches his head.

"…"

They enter the meeting room as Aiko and Akira are sitting around a table.

Both of them raise their head as their eyes meet with Mei.

"Ara… what a cute girl?" Aiko inspects Mei.

"… he is my son after all." Akira nods his head.

"Oooh!… a new Onee-san." Ayaka curiously stares at Mei.

"Go… introduce yourself." Izuna pushes Mei slightly as he lifts Ayaka upon his shoulder.

"I… I am Mei Terumi. I am a member of the Terumi Clan from Kirigakure. It is nice to meet you… Mr. and Ms. Uchiha." Mei introduces herself with a flustered expression.

"Ara… don't be so nervous." Aiko stands up and walks up to Mei.

"You are the girl our Izuna gave his heart to and…"

Aiko circles around Mei.

"…. I have to say he has made the best decision ever." Aiko nods her head.

"Good job… son." Akira gives a thumb up to Izuna.

"…"

'Was he always this active?' Izuna stares at his father.

"Come… come… why don't you sit with us and talk about yourself?" Aiko pulls Mei away.

Hmm…

Akira curiously stares at Mei as he ponders.

"Why does it feel like… I have seen her somewhere?"

Mei sits beside Aiko as she talks with them. Izuna sits with Ayaka.

"Ne… Ne… Onii-san, who is that pretty Onee-san?"

Ayaka tugs his sleeves.

"She is…"

Izuna closes his eyes as he reminisces his past.

'The past is nothing but distant memories. I am no longer the medical student Rudra I used to be… now I am Izuna Uchiha, the Genius of the Uchiha clan.'

Izuna shakes his head as the memories of his previous life fade even more.

"Onii-san… Onii-san…" Ayaka shakes him.

"Oh… Ayaka… where were we? Ah yes… yes…"

Izuna gets out of his thoughts as he gently pats her head and replies.

"She is the girl I fell in love with."

"Mei-chan, is it? Tell me more about yourself, Mei. Your hobbies… your likes… your dislikes and how you came to fall in love with this dense son of ours." Aiko curiously inquires.

"Well…" Mei turns towards Izuna, who nods his head.

"As I told earlier… I am a member of the Terumi clan of Kirigakure…"

"Terumi clan… I remembered… Terumi clan members specialize in Lava Release Kekkei Genkai. I fought against them during the Second Shinobi War."

Akira freshens up his memories of the past war.

"She is not an ordinary member of the Terumi clan. She is the princess of Terumi Clan." Izuna reveals to his parents.

"What?… She is the princess of the Terumi clan." Akira and Aiko's eyes widen as they stare at Mei.

"Wait, a sec… If I remembered correctly…"

Akira takes out a small book from his pocket and skims through it.

"Recently, Kirigakure had a new Kage from the Terumi clan. It is a female Kage."

Akira skims through more pages as he stops at a certain page. A picture of Mei in her Kage outfit is imprinted on the page.

"Got it."

Akira lifts his head as matches the picture.

"This is…"

His eyes widen even further.

"What's the matter, dear?"

Aiko tugs Akira's sleeves. Akira silently passes the book to Aiko as he mutters.

"This is the most recent issue of Bingo Book."

Aiko stares at the picture and identifies Mei.

"Oh! look it is Mei-chan." She reads the details of Mei written in the book.

[Name: Mei Terumi

Age: 23 years old

Affiliation: Kirigakure

Ninja Rank: S-Rank

Info: Mei Terumi is a fearsome kunoichi of Kirigakure. She is a proficient user of Lava Release and Boil Release. During the recent Kiri Civil war, she led the revolution against the rule of the Noble clan and dethroned their dominance, thus bringing an end to the age of 'Bloody Mist'. After the civil war, Mei Terumi took on the mantle of a Kage and became the first-ever Female Kage or to be precise the Fifth Mizukage of the Kirigakure.]

Aiko finishes reading the information in Bingo Book as her expression also changes.

She silently stands up and walks up to Izuna and grabs his ear and chides him furiously.

"What's going on? Why didn't you tell us earlier? She is a Kage… a respected and renowned shinobi and a guest of our Village."

"Ouch… ouch… that hurts Mom."

Izuna is surprised to see the violent side of his mother.

'Looks like I have neglected my family in pursuit of power. I never got to see this side of my mother. I have to spend more time with them in the future.'

"Mom… I wanted to surprise you. So, I disclosed nothing." Izuna replies helplessly.

"Fine…"

Aiko releases him and turns towards Mei.

"We are sorry for troubling you… Mizukage-sama." She bows in front of Mei.

"No… no… please don't." Mei hurriedly stops her.

"But… you are the Mizukage. You are a leader of a village." Akira shakes his head.

"Please don't. I came here to meet you… not as the Mizukage, but as a girl who fell in love with your only son."

Mei smiles at Aiko and Akira as a gentle breeze flows through the window and flutters her hair.

Akira and Aiko calm down.

Haah…

Izuna takes a deep breath.

'It worked. Another of my underrated jutsu Wind Style: Gentle Breeze-No-jutsu."

"Can I call you mother?" Mei hesitatingly asks Aiko as she bit her lower lip.

"My mother died when I was a child… so I never had a chance to experience mother's love. Father took care of everything for me." A teardrop flows through her eyes as the memories of her mother come flooding.

"Of course, you are going to be our daughter. So, call me mother from now on." Aiko hugs Mei and comforts her.

Akira stands up and walks up to Izuna and pats his shoulder.

"Son… you have made me proud today. You even stole the heart of Mizukage. You are my son, after all. Haha…"

Akira laughs loudly.

"…"

"You two… what are you dawdling there for? Come and help me with the work. Tonight is going to be a feast." Aiko chides them.

"Also… don't forget to invite other members of our family." Aiko adopts a serious expression as a figure of Onii appears behind her.

"YES, MAM."

Izuna and Akira nod their head.

"I will invite Uncle Yagami and Uncle Fugaku."

Izuna flickers out of the house. He turns around and stares at his house.

'Looks like a new chapter has begun in my life.'

"This springtime the love has finally blossomed."

A voice falls in his ears. He turns around and notices a middle-man selling movie tickets.

"Grab this last ticket while you have the chance. The movie featuring Princess Gale is about to premiere tonight."

Haah…

Izuna shakes his head and disappears from the place.

Somewhere at the outskirts of the Land of Ancestors,

"Orochimaru… you are awanted criminal. A rogue ninja from Konoha. Tell me… why shouldn't I capture you and hand you over to Konoha."

A masked figure in red clothes faces Orochimaru.

"Now… now. Both of us have the same goal. You want to plunder all of Konoha's resources, whereas I want to destroy Konoha."

Slick…

Orochimaru licks his lips as he stares at the figure.

"Orochimaru… We had signed a peace treaty with Konoha. Stop festering baselessassumptions of your own." The masked figure rebukes Orochimaru.

"Hoh… No wonder, Sasori calls you two-face. If I want to destroy Konoha… I can ally with any other nation. But I choose to talk to you for a reason."

Orochimaru takes out a scroll and throws it towards the masked figure.

Whoosh…

The masked figure catches the scroll and reads its content.

A frown appears on his face as he holds the scroll tightly.

"Orochimaru… you are also aware of the fact that Konoha has many formidableninjas protecting it…" The masked man remarks.

"… the third Hokage is a formidable shinobi of his time. Then your former team members, the Fifth Hokage and the Jiraiya of the Sannin. Don't even forget about the White Fang.

These are just the shinobis of the past generation. I have yet to factor the shinobis of the current generation."

The masked figure slowly walks up to Orochimaru.

"… the Copy Ninja 'Kakashi', the Teleporter 'Shisui Uchiha', Itachi Uchiha of the Sharingan and the most troublesome of them all, The Silent Shinigami 'Izuna Uchiha'. Tell me, Orochimaru… how you plan to deal with them?"

The masked figure stands in front of Orochimaru as their eyes confront each other.

"So… you don't mind joining the fray." Orochimaru has a sly expression on his face.

'Agree to him.'

Another figure beside the masked man whispers in his ear.

"Very well." The masked man nods his head.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The red-clothed figure disappears with his men.

Haha…

Orochimaru licks his lips and flickers away.

Inside a hidden underground cave,

"I have done what you asked me."

Orochimaru speaks to a figure cloaked in black garments.

"I will give you the rest of the research information after you fulfill your end of the deal."

"Very well. Remember this, if I find anything missing then you won't find a hole to hide."

The figure threatens him.

"Just bring me the body of Izuna Uchihaand I will give you all the information you need. Slick…"

Orochimaru licks his lips.

'Soon… my dream to possess a perfect body will be complete.'

"Remember your end of the bargain."

Whoosh…

The black figure disappears from the cavern as his words echoes

Haha…

"Finally, I will have my revenge. That old geezer Hiruzen, I will make him regret his decision."

Whoosh…

Orochimaru disappears from the cavern.

Inside an underground laboratory,

Whoosh…

Orochimaru appears in the middle of the room.

"Orochimaru-Sama, you are back."

A spectacled figure picks up a scroll and passes it to him.

"Kabuto! get ready for the infiltration.You know what to do."

"Yes… Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto adjusts his spectacles.

"How are the new test subjects faring?"

"The battle royale just ended. The results are out."

Kabuto points towards the undergroundarena.

Hmm…

Orochimaru notices five-exhausted figures lying on the floor of the arena.

Slick…

"They might serve as my new replacement. Let me taste their chakra. Slick…"

Whoosh…

Orochimaru turns into a snake and slithers towards the arena.

Aaah…. Aaah…

Cries of pain and agony echo through the arena as Kabuto turns his head and readjusts his spectacles.

"I believe Orochimaru-sama would be able to complete this venture successfully."

--

Across the streets of Konoha,

"This is the place. I am sure you will love the taste of Ichiraku-ramen."

Izuna brings Mei to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Yes… Ichiraku Ramen is the best ramen I ever ate. Dattebyo!"

Naruto raises his fists in the air.

"But isn't it the only ramen you ever eat?"

Sasuke calmly replies.

"Damnit Sasuke. You?" Naruto balls his fist and turns towards Sasuke.

"Onii-san… this smell… it's so good."

Ayaka smells the aroma wafting in the air.

"It smells really good." Mei nods her head.

"Ojou-san… my ramen is prepared with the best ingredients available around here." Teuchi picks up a silk-like strand of noodle as he soaks it in broth.

"Then I can't wait to taste it." Mei takes a seat.

Izuna sits beside her and places his order.

"An extra bowl of Miso Ramen with Menma toppings."

"I will take the same as him." Mei also places her order.

"Aye! Coming right up."

Teuchi prepares the ramen.

"Aah! it was so tiring, Shizune." An exhausted Tsunade walks through the streets as Shizune supports her.

"Tsunade-sama, please drink less sakenext time." Shizune rebukes Tsunade.

Growl…

Tsunade's stomach rumbles.

"I am hungry."

Growl…

Shizune's stomach also growls loudly.

"Let's… let's grab something for breakfast."

Uhum…

"This aroma… it's so good."

Tsunade smells the aroma of ramen wafting out of the Ichiraku ramen.

"It's decided then… let's eat Ramen for breakfast."

Tsunade drags Shizune along with her.

"But… but… Tsunade-sama… Ramen isnot good for breakfast." Shizune resists.

"It's fine. Don't mind the minor details."

Both of them approach the Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto notices Tsunade walking towardsthem.

"Granny… you are also here for breakfast. Slurp…"

He slurps his ramen as he asks her.

Bonk…

"Don't call me that… Naruto." Tsunade bonks his head as she notices Izuna and the rest of the group.

Hmm…

Her eyes meet with Mei as she curiously inspects the latter.

"I have to say the new Mizukage is quite the beauty."

Tsunade sits beside Mei as she orders her ramen.

"It is my pleasure to meet with the legendary Sannin of the shinobi world."

Tsunade and Mei exchange pleasantries as Izuna finishes his Ramen.

"That was good. Ichiraku Ramen is justso good… I can't get enough of it."

"Yes… it is the best. Dattebyo!" Naruto gulps down three bowls of ramen.

"…"

"Oye Izuna!"

A giant hand falls on Izuna's shoulder.

"So, the pervert Sannin is also back to the village," Izuna replies without turning back.

"I have to talk about something." Jiraiya clears his throat as he signals Izuna.

Izuna notices the serious expression of Jiraiya and nods his head.

"Well, ladies… you can have your chat while I attend to this pervert." Izuna stands up and follows Jiraiya.

"Oye! Don't spoil my image in front of ladies?" Jiraiya retorts.

Jiraiya and Izuna walk towards an alley as Izuna rests against a wall as he listens to Jiraiya.

"So… what do you want to talk about? Seeing your serious expression, I can deduce it must be something really important."

"Yes, it is." Jiraiya has a grim expression.

"After our last meeting in the Land of Waterfall, I tracked down the traces of Orochimaru…."

Izuna nods his head as Jiraiya continues.

"While looking for the tracks of Orochimaru, I came across a very strange man."

Jiraiya recounts the incident.

"The man had a facial tattoo with astrange numerical. He wore a black hooded cloak with silver-colored lining fastened to his right shoulder with a metal pin."

Jiraiya takes out a scroll and draws the appearance of the man from his memories.

'This is…'

Izuna's eyes widen as he recognizes the image.

'This is the appearance of an Inner Kara member.'

"This man was lurking around the Orochimaru's lair. So, I thought of incapacitating him and interrogating him about the whereabouts of Orochimaru.

I tried to sneak up on him, but he noticedmy presence. Both of us engaged in a fight. He was more than my match."

Jiraiya scratches his forehead as he remarks.

"That man was a monster. He could be compared to the likes of you. He easily overpowered all of my ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu skills.

Left with no choice, I tried to use Senjutsu, but he made some weird hand signs and punched me. After that…"

Hmm…

Izuna nods his head as he is lost in his thoughts.

'Kara seems to be more active than usual. Looks like something has made them hasten up their plans. Pride and Wrath are secretly terminating the sleeper agents of Kara. Maybe my intervention has forced their hand.'

"… that punch drained my entire chakra, and I lost my conscious."

Jiraiya recounts the entire incident to Izuna and turns towards him.

"I have never heard or met such a powerful person before. If Orochimaru were to ally with such people… then I can't even imagine what kind of catastrophe he will lie on Konoha."

"Jiraiya… he could be a member of the Akatsuki. Orochimaru was a former member of Akatsuki, after all. He might still have some dealingswith the group." Izuna tries to divert Jiraiya's attention.

'Kara is too dangerous for the like of current Jiraiya. He will face certain death if hefought against any inner Kara member. I won't be able to face Tsunade if he died because of my carelessness.'

"Oi… are you listening?"

Jiraiya shakes him.

"Yes… you should thank me. I saved yourlife inadvertently."

Izuna stops Jiraiya.

"What? How? That man, he did nothing to me."

"Oh! Are you sure about that?"

Izuna has a smile on his face.

"Mind taking out the scroll which I gave you."

"Well… If you say so."

Jiraiya takes out the scroll from his pocket and inspects it.

"Here it is. What's the matter?"

Swish… swish…

Izuna makes some hand signs and infuses some chakra in the scroll.

Whoosh…

The scroll shines brightly and a Fuinjutsu formula appears on it.

"I planted a fuinjutsu formula with my Amaterasu programmed in it. I set it to go off the instant it detects a life-threatening danger to your life."

"What?"

Jiraiya's eyes widen in surprise as he examines the scroll.

"I believe you, boy."

Jiraiya recognizes the Fuinjutsu formula.

"I owe you one for saving my life."

"Hoh!… you spoke too early. I haven't forgiven you for ruining my reputation through your novel."

Izuna cracks his knuckles as he turns to Jiraiya.

"It's time for payback."

"Wait… wait… we can talk this out." Jiraiya panics as he tries to flee.

"No… there is no escape."

Somewhere in Sunagakure,

Inside a round building made of clay and stucco. A person with auburn hairs and dark eyes knocks the door.

"Chiyo-Baasama… Chiyo-Baasama… are you there?"

Rumble… Rumble…

The door shakes for a while before an elderly woman with black eyes and lavender coloured hair tied in a bun opens the door. The lady wears a dark coloured, loose-fitting outfit with a poncho-like top.

"What's the matter?… Why are you disturbing the rest of this old lady?"

The old lady remarks as she recognizes the visitor.

"Chiyo-Baasama, I have a favour to ask from you… if you would please."

The visitor requests her.

"Rasa… you know Chiyo and I had retired a long time ago after the Third Shinobi War. We can't help you with any matter."

An elderly man with heavy-lidded eyes walks out from inside the house. The old man has a turban wrapped around his head and his outfit is similar to Chiyo.

"Ebizo-jiisama."

Rasa greets the old man.

"Rasa… both me and Chiyo had already retired from the Suna Elder Council a long time ago. I am the leader of the Council only in the name. Our retirement was in hope for the new generation to look out for themselves without being reliant on the previous generation."

The Old man stands besides Chiyo as he faces Rasa.

"But… Ebizo-jiisama and Chiyo-Baasama… I need your help for the betterment of Sunagakure. As such, I am here to request your assistance." Rasa insists.

"Rasa… you are the Fourth Kazekage, and there is also the Suna Elder Council to help you make decisions. Tojuro is the second in command after me in the council… I am sure you have already consulted with him." Ebizo calmly replies to Rasa.

"That's true." Rasa nods his head.

"The thing which I am about to discuss is of much importance for Suna's future… so it is better to talk inside," Rasa explains.

"Very Well… let's talk inside." Chiyo nods her head.

Inside Chiyo's house,

Rasa is sitting in front of Ebizo and Chiyo as he reveals his plan.

"Ebizo-jiisama and Chiyo-Baasama… recently one of the Sannins Orochimaru approached us and offered a deal to us. He wants to ally with us and face Konoha in a battle…."

Hmm…

Ebizo frowns as he interjects.

"Rasa… Orochimaru is a traitor of Konoha. As far as rumours going around in the Shinobi World, he was cast out of the village by the Third Hokage. It would be a foolish decision to trust such a person."

"I agree with my brother… Orochimaru or not… Konoha has various top-tier shinobis among their ranks. The Third Hokage is still alive, then there is White Fang."

Chiyo clutches her fists tightly as the memories of the Second Shinobi War freshens up in her memory.

"Also, don't forget about that 'slug girl Tsunade' who is also the current Hokage. I have heard the new generation of Konoha has quite a bunch of fearsome shinobi among their ranks… unlike Sunagakure."

Chiyo snorts as she closes her eyes.

"True… I agree with Chiyo… such matters can't be taken lightly." Ebizo agrees with Chiyo.

"Jiisama… Baasama… what choice do we have?"

Rasa slams his palms on the table as he recounts the sufferings of Suna.

"Suna suffered a great loss during the Third Shinobi War. We suffered a huge loss of manpower and resources during the war. The wounds of the war are still open up to this day."

Rasa clenches his fists as he continues.

"To further rub the salt on those wounds… The Daimyo of Land of Wind outsourced all the missions meant for Suna to Konoha. With such a blow, the village is pushed to the brink of poverty. Ninja barely had enough resources to make arrangements for the already scarce missions."

Rasa takes out a scroll from his pocket and tosses it to Elder Ebizo.

"Here is the list of missions outsourced to Konoha."

Ebizo opens the scroll and notices the number of missions.

"That's around seventy percent of the missions."

Elder Ebizo's expression turns ugly.

"Not only this… the only missions available are too high of a rank for common chunnins and genins to complete. As such, the mortality rate has increased significantly."

Rasa takes out another scroll and passes it to the Elder.

"This is the list of fatality of Suna ninja in the previous ten years after the Third Shinobi War. Only a handful of ninjas survived the brutal missions which were rejected by Konoha.

While the citizens of Suna are suffering from this economic blow… Konoha had already recovered from their loss and has even prospered further. Konoha is feeding on the resources meant for our people."

Crack… Crack…

Rasa clenches his fists tightly as his the sound of snapping of bones echoes in the house.

"To stabilize the economy of Suna, I had to sell my 'gold dust' to gather the required funding to pay for those Shinobis since the losses out cost the profit."

Sigh…

Ebizo sighs and closes the scroll.

"Sunagakure has fallen to this extent. There is not much these old bones can do now."

Ebizo closes his eyes and rests his back against the seat.

Chiyo picks up the scroll as she questions Rasa.

"So… you came here to inform us about the attack on Konoha."

Rasa nods his head.

"I was hoping for your and Ebizo-jiisama's assistance in this venture."

Sigh…

Chiyo takes a deep breath as she picks up a framed picture of a man and woman from the nearby table.

"I had already lost everything in the war. Now nothing interests me anymore. I just want to spend the rest of my old days together with my brother. He was my only family left alive in this world. So, go away… I can't help you anymore. The matters of the Suna are yours to deal with."

"This…"

Rasa's expressions turn ugly as Chiyo and Ebizo deny assistance.

"Go away. I won't entertain you anymore."

Chiyo hushes him out of the house.

"Fine…"

Rasa dejectedly walks out of the house. He turns around last time as he notices the picture frame in Chiyo's hands.

An idea forms in Rasa's mind as he leaves with parting words.

"Chiyo-Baasama… this might be your only opportunity to avenge your son and daughter-in-law."

Crack…

Chiyo holds the picture frame tightly in her hands as some cracks appear on the frame.

Whoosh…

Rasa flickers away from the elder's house.

--

Some days later,

Outside Konoha,

Izuna stands at the entrance gate of Konoha as he patiently awaits the arrival of Sunagakure's group.

"It has been a week since the representatives of all other villages have arrived in Konoha. Only the entourage of Sunagakure has yet to arrive."

Izuna rests against the wall as he closes his eyes.

'As far as I remember, Sunagakure allied with Orochimaru to lay waste to Konoha during the chunnin exam. Multiple participants arrived from Otogakure and I checked every one of them and there was no trace of Orochimaru.

Also, Naruto and Sasuke won't be participating in chunnin exam this time around… so there is that.'

Swish…

He takes out a list from his pocket with the names of the participants of the chunnin exam.

'Interesting enough… some names on this list sounds familiar, especially these few.'

Izuna circles the names with a brush.

'The first phase of the chunnin exam will start two days from now. I am really curious to see the performance of these few individuals.'

Izuna pockets the scroll as he detects some chakra signatures moving close towards Konoha.

"They are here."

He informs Kotetsu and Izumo.

"You guys know what to do?"

"Yes… yes… Senpai." Kotetsu and Izumo hurriedly nod their heads.

The entourage of Sunagakure finally arrives as Izuna greets them.

"Welcome to Konoha, guests from Sunagakure. All of you must be exhausted from your long journey. Here… Kotetsu and Izumo will direct the participants towards their accommodations meanwhile I... Izuna Uchiha will lead the elders and the representatives to the inns especially reserved for them."

Izuna greets them with a smile.

'Damn… I am not doing this again. It is too much for me.'

Izuna has an awkward smile on his face.

"I have heard a lot about you, Izuna Uchiha."

A tall man walks in front of Izuna. The man has two distinctive red markings on the right side of his face. He wore a turban-like headgear with a sheet of cloth hanging off from the turban covering the left side of his face. He dons the standard attire of Suna ninja with a forehead protector and jounin flak jacket.

The man extends his hand as he introduces himself.

"I am Baki, one of the head jounins of Suna and a member of its advisory council. It's nice to meet you."

Izuna shakes hands with Baki.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sand Grudge Baki."

"I am sure most of you must be exhausted from the long and tedious journey. I will now lead you to your accommodation."

Inside the Hokage Office,

"Here."

Izuna delivers the report of all the participants to Tsunade.

"There are 168 participants in total. 69 from Konoha, 33 from Kirigakure, 36 from Sunagakure, 15 from Kusagakure, 9 from Takigakure, 6 from Otogakure."

Hmm…

Tsunade nods her head.

"Otogakure is a new village found by Orochimaru. We are unsure of his motives, but if Orochimaru wants to extend a peaceful collaboration, then I will give him a chance."

Tsunade closes the scroll and nods her head.

"The first stage of the Chunnin exam comprises a written exam, and it will be held in the Ninja Academy. We will hold the Second Part of the exam in The Forest of Death."

Izuna explains the details to her.

"The final exam would be held a month after the second exam as it would be a one-on-one tournament and it would provide the participants enough time to recuperate from their injuries."

Hmm…

Tsunade nods her head.

"I see… so the Daimyo and the Kazekage would be present during the final event."

"That's the gist of it. Also, I am planning to open a gambling den during the event…."

"WAIT…. WHAT?"

Tsunade jumps from her seat and clutches Izuna's shoulder.

"You are opening a gambling den?"

"Yes…"

Izuna nods his head.

"It would be a missed opportunity to earn money if I don't open a betting and gambling den."

Izuna rubs his hands and explains.

"During the final exam, the competitors from different villages will face up against each other. By announcing the matchups, we can stir the crowd and attract greater publicity for the event.

With that premise, we can set up a gamble on the winner and earn some fat stacks of cash."

'Most of my funds are used by Pride and Wrath to hunt down the sleeper agents of Kara. I seriously need cash right now. This is a well-timed opportunity; I can't miss it.'

"Fat stack of Cash…"

Tsunade's eyes shine brightly as she holds Izuna's hands.

"Izuna… can I partake in this gambling event? I also want to gamble and earn some money."

"Err… well…"

Izuna scratches his head as he stares at Tsunade.

"I don't need to remind you of your luck, right? With your luck, you will end up losing all your money."

"No…"

Tsunade bites her lower lip as her gambling craving kicks in.

"Oh!… this might work."

An idea forms in Tsunade's mind.

"Izuna since you would be the owner of the gambling den, then you can just return the money to me if I lose the gamble."

"…"

"How about NO?"

Izuna walks out of the office.

"No… wait…"

Tsunade hugs his back as she presses her enormous chest against Izuna's back.

Gulp…

Izuna gulps his saliva as he resists the temptation.

"I won't fall for your Kunoichi seduction tricks. NO means NO."

Sob… sob…

Tsunade gloomily sits in a corner and draws circles with her fingers.

Sob… Sob…

"My most beloved disciple has forgotten about his teacher. He is a grown man with a girl chasing after him. He doesn't need his Sensei anymore. Sob… sob…"

Tsunade continues to draw a circle in the corner.

"No… not again."

Izuna rubs his forehead as he stares at Tsunade.

Hmm…

Tsunade stares at Izuna from a corner of her eye to see his reaction.

"Fine… Fine… I will let you gamble. But it will be in limit."

"Yes… now I can gamble to my heart's content. It has been a while since I last got an opportunity to let loose. Haha…"

Tsunade laughs hysterically.

"…"

'There is nothing I can do to change this woman.'

Izuna shakes his head and walks out of the Hokage Office.

"Man… I am so tired of these D-rank missions. There is no challenge at all."

A familiar voice falls in his ears.

Hmm…

Izuna stops in tracks and waits for the voice.

"Naruto… you might be strong for a genin, but that doesn't mean you are strong enough to do hard missions. Every instance is a life and death during a mission. One slight mistake can cost you your life."

Kakashi walks in front of the group as he warns Naruto.

"Oh! Kakashi and the group."

Izuna greets them.

"Izuna."

Kakashi nods his head.

"Nii-san… these D-rank missions are not fun at all. I want to go out of the village and do some serious missions like a real ninja."

Naruto complains.

The group enters inside the Hokage Office as Kakashi submits the mission report.

Tsunade skims through the details and nods her head.

"Team 7 has done an outstanding job in these past few months. They have completed 8 D-Rank missions during this period."

"Obasan! These missions are hardly any challenge for us. Give us a high-rank mission already. I want to do some cool ninja missions."

Naruto slams his palms on the table. The impact sends the papers on the table flying.

Tick…

A tick mark appears on Tsunade's head as she clutches her fists and bonks Naruto.

"Naruto… you idiot."

Ouch… ouch…

Naruto clutches his head and meekly retreats.

"It's fine… Tsunade-sama."

Shizune hurriedly gathers the paper.

"Fine… since you want a hard mission, then I have a suitable mission for you."

Whoosh…

Tsunade throws a poster towards Naruto.

Swish…

Naruto catches the poster and inspects it. There is a picture of a brown cat on the poster.

'This cat…'

Izuna and Kakashi sweat-drops at the image of the cat.

'This cat still looks the same. It has been almost 13 years since I last did the mission to retrieve this cat. I wonder what kind of species is this cat?'

"It's just a cat. Humph…"

Naruto harrumphs as he scoffs.

"Obasan… I asked for a challenging mission not to search for lost pets. How is this challenging?"

Naruto tosses the poster back to Tsunade.

"I won't do this mission. Give me another mission."

Mmm…

Sasuke also nods his head.

Ahem…

Izuna clears his throat.

"Listen, Naruto… don't judge a book by its cover."

Huh…

The curiosity of the group rises as they turn to Izuna to hear the story.

"It was 13 years before when I was also a genin like you."

Izuna explains dramatically as he creates tension in the atmosphere.

"Back then, the third Hokage-sama gave us the same mission to capture this cat. But…"

Gulp…

Naruto gulps his saliva as he listens to the story.

"… but this cat is no ordinary cat. It is an immortal cat."

"Immortal cat?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura question him together.

"Yes… you can ask Kakashi for the confirmation."

"Kakashi sensei… is it true?" Sakura asks him curiously.

"Yes… it is true. This cat has changed little during all these years. It still looks the same as today. I still remember the struggle of my team while attempting to capture this cat. Back then I was a chunnin and this cat still gave me a hard time.

Without proper coordination and teamwork, it is almost impossible to capture this cat. This cat is a myth among genins and is called the 'legendary whisker' But you lot don't have to worry, I had made necessary arrangements to capture the cat."

Whoosh…

Kakashi takes out a pair of walkie talkie as he cooks up some bullshit to convince the group.

Twitch… twitch…

Izuna and Tsunade's eyebrows twitch as they stare at Kakashi.

'He sure can spew out bullshit like it is a natural thing.'

But of them collectively agree to this.

"Oh!… now that looks like a challenge."

Naruto clutches his fist as he grabs the walkie talkie.

"Watch me catch this cat in no time. Dattebyo!"

Whoosh…

Naruto flickers out of the Hokage Office.

"Oye Naruto! Wait for us."

Sakura and Sasuke chase after him.

"Sorry for bothering you, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi bows before Tsunade before flickering out of the office.

Sigh…

"This boy sure is troublesome. He is a spitting image of Minato, but he behaves like Kushina."

Sigh…

Tsunade closes her eyes as she reminisces the past.

"Naruto can be troublesome sometimes, but that's what makes him unique. His innocence and purity of heart is the reason he can influence others."

Izuna remarks silently as he stares at Hokage Monument.

'Just a little. Just a little longer… Minato and Kushina Nee-san. Once I get the chakra of five-tails, I would be able to manifest the power to resurrect both of you.'

Inside the academy hall,

"Damn… when would this exam start? I am craving for some blood."

One of the participants from Otogakure stares at the rest of the genins and licks his lips.

Bump…

Another shinobi bumps into him and pushes him aside.

"Oye! You have a death wish or something?"

The angry Otogakure participant clutches the shoulder of the shinobi and questions him.

"Apologize this very instant… or this won't fare well for you."

The genin turns around to reveal his onyx eyes and ash-grey hairs, and he wears black-rimmed circular glasses. He wears a Konoha headband on his forehead.

"I am sorry."

He hurriedly apologizes to the Sound Shinobi.

"Huh! I don't think that's an honest apology. Leaf Village or not, I won't let it slide this easily."

The sound Shinobi grabs the collar of the spectacled guy.

"Grovel and apologize and I might spare you."

The Sound Shinobi has a fierce expression on his face.

Gulp…

A short tufty blue hair and dark eyes boy with a Kiri headband gulps his saliva and approaches the Sound Shinobi.

"Ano… I think you should let him go. He just slightly bumped into you. It's not that big of a deal."

"Huh… who are you?"

The Sound Shinobi turns towards the newcomer.

"It is a matter between us both. Who are you to interfere between us?"

"I am Chojuro from Kiri. Please spare him."

Chojuro weakly demands the Sound Shinobi.

"Cheh… your pathetic expression made me lose my mood. What a killjoy!"

The Sound Shinobi throws away the spectacle guy and walks away.

"Are you ok?"

Chojuro extends a helping hand towards the spectacled guy.

"Cough… cough… I am fine. Cough…"

The spectacled guy coughs and grabs Chojuro's hand. He adjusts his spectacles and introduces himself.

"I am Kabuto Yakushi. One of the genin of Konoha, as you can see from my headband. It is nice to meet you."

Kabuto shakes hands with Chojuro.

"I suppose this is your first time participating in a chunnin exam."

Kabuto questions Chojuro.

"Ah! Yes… yes… apparently the village decided to conduct a joint chunnin exam with Konohagakure." Chojuro replies meekly.

"Man! You need to step up your game. With this attitude, you will get disqualified quite early."

Kabuto pats Chojuro's shoulders.

"Oh… Kabuto-san… you know about the chunnin exam." Chojuro asks Kabuto.

"Yes… I know quite a lot, actually."

Kabuto adjusts his spectacles.

"Oh… then is this your second time in the chunnin exam?"

Chojuro curiously questions him.

"No… it is my fifth time."

Sigh…

Kabuto sighs as he reveals the embarrassing number.

"Huh!?"

Surprise appears on Chojuro's face as he inspects Kabuto.

"There doesn't seem to be any problem with you."

Kabuto ignores Chojuro's gaze as he continues.

"This exam is only held twice a year, so it is my third year. Let me give you a few hints about the purpose of this chunnin exam."

Whoosh… whoosh…

Kabuto takes out multiple cards from his pocket and lays them in front of Chojuro.

"These are…"

"They are Ninja info cards."

Swish…

Kabuto inserts some chakra in the card to demonstrate to Chojuro.

"First, the purpose of this chunnin exam is to deepen the friendly relationship with the other countries.

Next is to heighten the level of shinobi of each country by testing them in different land and circumstances."

Kabuto collects his cards as he explains.

"So… that's all?"

Chojuro asks him in confusion.

"Well… that's what they told to each other."

Kabuto shrugs his shoulder as he closes near Chojuro and whispers in his ear.

"The real purpose of this chunnin exam is to confirm the level of ninja in each nation and determine the scale of power balance. They do so to check and restrain each other's powers; if not, the strong nations will invade the weak nations and plunder all their resources. Well, that's my guess.

But Konoha is in a pretty strong position right now. Konoha has many powerful shinobi protecting it. So, they hold the weight; part of the reason the chunnin exam is held in Konoha."

Kabuto replies to Chojuro.

"Oh… no wonder you know this much. This is your fifth time after all."

Haah…

Kabuto breathes deeply as he hangs his head in depression.

"Don't remind me, alright."

"Well… that wasn't my intention."

Chojuro scratches his head.

"Anyway, forget that… do you want to ask me something?"

Kabuto asks Chojuro.

"Ah… yes… I want to know how many villages are participating in this exam."

"The villages participating this time are Konoha, Kiri, Suna, Kusa, Taki, and Sound. This year many talented genins from other villages have come to participate in the exam." Kabuto explains the details to Chojuro.

"What about the Sound Village? This is my first time hearing about it." Chojuro scratches his head.

"Otogakure is a small hidden village from the Land of Sound and was found recently. I don't have much information about them."

Kabuto shakes his head.

Huh…

The Sound Shinobi turns towards Kabuto as he overhears the conversation.

"So, you Konoha bastard think that we of the Sound Village are small fries and pushovers." The Sound Shinobi angrily snarls at Kabuto.

Whoosh…

He flickers in front of Kabuto and punches him.

Swoosh…

Kabuto jumps back and avoids the attack.

"I dodged it."

Shoom… Crack…

A shockwave travels through the air as Kabuto's glasses crack.

"I thought I dodged it. Guffaw…"

Kabuto vomits out a little amount of blood as keels on his knees.

"Kabuto-san…"

Chojuro jumps in front of Kabuto and draws his blade as he faces the Sound Shinobi.

--

Outside the Academy hall,

Izuna is walking alongside a tall, imposing man.

The man is very tall with a rugged head and his face is covered with two diagonals scars running from his forehead to his chin. He is dressed in a long black trench coat with a flak jacket and chain-mail armor beneath the jacket.

The man has a stoic expression as he walks alongside Izuna.

"Man Ibiki… with that ever-present stoic expression you look like a terminator rather than an instructor."

Izuna jokes with Ibiki.

"Here… you should smile like this."

Izuna stretches his lips with his hands to form a smile.

"Hmph… I had my fair share of pain and hardship. I had forgotten what a smile is. These scars carved on my face are proof of the immense torture I endured in the past. Now it has been forever imprinted on my face."

Ibiki calmly walks towards the academy hall.

'When I first met with him, he reminded me of terminator.'

Izuna shakes his head and follows Ibiki.

"Needless to say, you would be the proctor for this round of examination. I especially requested the Hokage-sama to deploy you for the position."

Izuna informs him.

"I am a member of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Squad. Why would you ask me to babysit a bunch of genins during this exam?"

Ibiki questions Izuna.

"Well…"

Izuna scratches his head as he replies.

"I just want to scare a few rude kids, and who would be better than the Terminator himself?"

Hmm…

Ibiki ignores Izuna and enters inside the Academy hall.

"Well, looks like he can't take a joke."

Izuna awkwardly scratches his head and flickers away.

"I will let him play with those genins."

--

Inside the Academy hall,

Clang… clang…

Chojuro is engaged in a fight with the Sound Ninja as he deflects his attacks with his sword.

"A swordsman. Huh!"

The Sound Ninja chuckles as he throws multiple kunais at Chojuro.

"Honestly, I thought the shinobi of large nations would be worth a challenge. But from the looks of it, they are a bunch of pussies. Slick…"

Huh!

The rest of the genins angrily stares at the Sound Ninja.

The Sound Ninja disappears and reappears behind Chojuro as he tries to stab him.

'This is bad. I have to use the ability of the sword.'

Chojuro infuses some chakra in his blade as it starts to glow with blue light.

Poof…

A large puff of smoke appears in the center of the academy hall.

Whoosh…

The smoke clears out to reveal Ibiki.

"Silence! Degenerates!"

Ibiki yells at the genins as he stares at them like a predatory hawk.

Gulp…

Chojuro gulps his saliva and stops his attack. The Sound Ninja also stops in his tracks as Ibiki's gaze is focused on him.

'Man… this guy is really scary.'

The Sound Ninja retreats to his teammates.

"I am Ibiki Morino, the proctor of the first test of the Chunnin exam."

Ibiki scrutinizes every genin with his piercing gaze as his eyes rest on the Sound Ninja.

"Any pig that tries to screw with me will be immediately disqualified. Now with this… the first test of the chunnin exam starts."

Whoosh…

Izuna flickers out of the academy as he moves towards the Hokage Office.

"Ibiki will take care of the first round of chunnin exam."

Shoom… shoom…

A seal appears on his hand as it glows.

"Hmm…. A report from Wrath."

Whoosh…

Izuna infuses some chakra in the seal as a scroll teleports in front of him.

He grabs the scroll and reads its content.

"Interesting."

He pockets the scroll and flickers towards the Hokage Office.

'I have changed the Flying Thunder God Technique to suit my needs. Previously, only the owner of the sealing formula could use teleportation, but now anyone can use it.

But the problem is, they can only send inanimate objects from one place to another. I have yet to figure out a way to teleport someone else.'

Sigh…

He shakes his head and enters inside the Hokage Office.

Inside the Hokage Office,

Mei and Tsunade are sipping tea as they discuss various political matters. Tsunade is giving some friendly advice to Mei.

"You shouldn't pay much heed to the old geezers of the Village council. They might have experience, but those senile geezers always like to manipulate things. Just listen to their advice and act according to your wisdom.

Luckily, in Konoha… Izuna took care of all of those old corrupt council members and replaced them with competent members. So, this way majority of the decision-making power lies with me."

Tsunade explains the details to Mei.

"I see." Mei nods her head.

"My father leads Kiri council, but there are still a few council members of other faction. We couldn't find any dirt on them during the cleanup of Noble faction so we had to spare them."

Knock… knock…

Izuna knocks on the door to get their attention.

Ahem…

Tsunade clears her throat and asks him.

"You took care of it?"

She places down her cup.

"It is just a written exam, nothing to worry about."

Izuna waves his hand and pours some tea and sits beside Mei.

"I am very suspicious of Sunagakure's lineup. We have to take caution while dealing with them."

Sip…

He sips his tea as he reveals the fact to Tsunade.

Hmm…

Tsunade frowns as she questions him.

"Why do you think so? Suna had been in a peace treaty with Konoha since the end of the Second Shinobi War. Why would they violet the pact?"

Yawn…

Izuna finishes his tea and lies down in Mei's lap.

Eh…

A blush appears on Mei's face. Izuna ignores it as he makes himself comfortable. He turns towards Tsunade and explains.

"The Third Shinobi War took a toll on Suna's economy. It has reached the point that the Fourth Kazekage Rasa has to sell his gold dust at a dirt-cheap price to raise some funds for his village. Suna is really in a dire state and would do anything to get more resources."

"That's such a shame."

Tsunade shakes her head.

"The harsh terrain of Land of Wind together with the ever-present sandstorm makes it difficult for Suna. But… how do you know about this?"

Tsunade questions him.

"Well, duh! I was the secret buyer of that gold dust. Like, come on… why I won't buy it? He is just handing over a crap ton of gold for free. Haha…"

Izuna laughs as he takes out a scroll from his pocket.

'The construction of the chakra cannon requires the chakra ore. The prototype blueprint A gave me had many faults in it. I modified the chakra cannon, and the model requires gold as a medium to stabilize the power source.

Well, it is all theoretical. I still can't make it. I am no rocket scientist. I need someone to help me with the construction of the cannon. Luckily, I had just the perfect person for this task in mind. But it would be awhile before I could recruit him.'

"This scroll has all the gold I bought from the Kazekage. Most of my funds which I scammed from Raikage went into this."

"…"

Tsunade and Mei silently stare at Izuna.

"Now I have to earn some of that money back, and this collaborative chunnin exam is an ideal opportunity to do so. I have already analyzed the abilities of all the genins, and the gambling den would bring huge amounts of money. Soon, we would rack up a shitload of cash. Haha…"

Izuna laughs maniacally as he flips the scroll.

"Imagine what would be the expression of Kazekage if he came to know that I would use the young shinobis of his village to earn more cash. I bet he will puke out a liter of blood in a mad rage. Haha… Profit… it is profit."

He chuckles as he rests on Mei's thighs.

"…"

Mei and Tsunade stare at the devilish smile of Izuna.

'This guy is a devil. Yes, he is definitely a devil.'

Both of them nod their head in agreement.

Ahem…

Tsunade clears her throat as she asks him.

"About the suspicious activity of Suna? What do you mean by that? Mind explaining it in detail."

"Of course,"

Izuna opens one of his eyes as he explains.

"My spy from Suna sent me a report about the recent activities of Suna shinobis."

He takes out Wrath's scroll and passes it to Tsunade.

"Here."

Hmm…

Tsunade frowns as she reads the scroll. Her expression turns ugly as she tightly clutches the scroll.

"The guts of Suna have inflated a lot. To think that they would plan such a scheme against Konoha."

Bang…

Tsunade smashes the scroll on the table.

"Now… now… calm down a little."

Izuna calms her down as he explains.

"It is all just a speculation at this point. We don't have any concrete proof. Sunagakure could just easily deny it and wash off their hands."

"But that doesn't mean we can give it a rest either." Tsunade calms down as she contemplates the content of the scroll.

"Seeing this number… looks like Suna is planning for a full-blown war. If they utilized it in Konoha, then at least half of the Konoha would be destroyed. We need some countermeasures for it." Tsunade rubs her forehead as a crease appears on it.

"I have already planned a countermeasure for it."

Izuna removes the map of Konoha from one of the walls and lays it on the table.

He marks a circle on the map and explains.

"This would be the venue for the final exam of the chunnin exam, and I am sure the attack would take place on that day."

Hmm…

Tsunade nods her head as Izuna continues.

"I will ask Uncle Fugaku to lead his Police Force and form a perimeter around the stadium. This way we could contain most of the fight within the stadium.

Also, deploy the members of the Aburame Clan and Akimichi clan at the outer perimeter of the village. They will hold down the attacks of the Suna ninja force stationed outside the village. You can ask Jiraiya to lead this team.

The members of the rest of the clan will guard the inner perimeter and rest of them would evacuate the civilians to a safe shelter."

Hmm…

"That makes sense." Tsunade nods her head.

"But what about the genins of other villages who are present in the stadium? If any of them die in this chaos, then other villages will hold Konoha accountable for this loss. This may very well turn all of them against Konoha." Tsunade questions him.

"I had already thought about that circumstance. Kakashi together with the rest of the jounins would protect them while Shisui and his anbu team would take care of the anbus of Suna." Izuna marks another circle on the map.

"I see… I will deploy the medical ninjas of the Konoha Hospital to take care of the injured people."

Tsunade and Izuna form a rough outline of their contingency plan.

"Summon Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Hiashi Hyuga, Uncle Sakumo, and Lord Third to discuss the plan with them. They are trustworthy and I am sure they will follow the plan." Izuna names a few persons.

"Very well…"

Tsunade signals the nearby Anbus and sends them to summon the clan leaders.

"We still have around a month to prepare."

"What would be my role in all of this?"

Mei questions them.

"Well…"

Izuna and Tsunade stares at Mei as Izuna scratches his head.

"You are a guest of Konoha and I don't want to embroil you in the matters of Konoha," Tsunade replies to her.

"But… I would soon be a member of Konoha."

Mei glares at Izuna.

Gulp…

Izuna gulps his saliva and avoids her gaze.

"No means no… I won't allow this." Tsunade denies her request.

"How about this? You can evacuate the Kiri genins to a safe shelter and then you can reunite with me to help me." Izuna appeases her.

"Hmm… that's reasonable." Mei nods to the suggestion.

Whew…

'I dodged the bullet.'

Izuna takes a deep breath.

Scree…

Izuna raises his head and notices an eagle pecking at the window.

Whistle…

He releases an incoherent sound, and the eagle flies away.

"Looks like the second test of the chunnin exam has started. I will let Anko handle the exam."

Izuna turns towards the group of clan leaders and the Third Hokage as the meeting starts.

Hmm…

"Izuna Uchiha… the matter must be quite serious for you to summon all of us here for an emergency meeting."

Hiruzen has a frown on his face as he awaits Izuna's response.

"All of us here have interacted with Izuna one way or another. So, the matter must be quite serious for him to summon us."

Shikaku calmly stares at Izuna as he remarks.

"True… he has helped all of us considerably one way or another." Hiashi remarks as he remembers the Hyuga incident.

"Let's ask him what is the matter?"

Fugaku opens his eyes as he stares at Izuna.

'When will Fugaku learn to smile.'

Izuna takes out the information scroll from his pocket and places it on the table.

"Have a look at this. It is the information I got from one of my spies in the Sunagakure."

Hmm…

Hiruzen frowns as he reads its contents.

He places the scroll on the table as the rest of the clan leaders read its content.

All of their expression darkens as Choza remarks.

"Those Sand Bastards are doing it this time. Their guts have inflated a lot after the defeat during the Second Shinobi War."

Choza slams his palm on the table.

"Calm down, Choza! It is still a piece of intel; the real thing hasn't started yet."

Shikaku calms him down and turns towards Izuna.

"How sure are you about the validity of this intel?" He questions Izuna.

"I am a hundred percent sure. My source can't be false." Izuna assures Shikaku.

Sigh…

"Then it seems like Sunagakure is serious about this invasion. I can't even relax these old bones of mine." Hiruzen sighs as he contemplates over the intel.

"I guess you summoned us because you already have a plan in your mind." Shibi Aburame breaks the silence.

"Yes, I do." Izuna nods his head.

"And I plan to discuss it with all of you. You are the only few trustworthy people I can trust in Konoha." Izuna reveals to them.

"Well… I don't know how to feel about that statement." Inoichi scratches his head.

"Well then… let's hear your plan." Shikaku starts the discussion.

"Hokage-sama, please disclose the strategy."

Izuna signals Tsunade.

"Very Well." Tsunade places the map on the table.

--

In training ground three,

Hah… Hah…

Sasuke and Naruto are engaged in a Taijutsu fight as they exchange blows. Sakura watches from the sidelines as she cheers them.

"Sasuke-kun… Naruto-kun… do you best."

'Sasuke-kun! Beat Naruto up. Shannaro!' The inner Sakura cheers for Sasuke.

Huff… huff…

Both of them breathe heavily as the spar ends with a draw.

Huff… Huff…

"Naruto… I never expected you to improve so drastically." Sasuke breathes heavily as he remarks.

"It is thanks to the secret training I did with Izuna Nii-san. I have improved a lot. Dattebyo!"

Naruto pumps his fist.

"Sasuke-kun… let me wipe your sweat." Sakura offers a towel to Sasuke.

"I will do it myself. There is no need for you to do anything." Sasuke grabs the towel and wipes his sweat.

Hai…

Sakura depressingly passes the towel to Sasuke.

"Man… I am bored." Naruto rests against the wooden pillars.

"Kakashi sensei is busy with that chunnin exam thingy. We don't have any missions these days. I am so tired of these D-Rank missions. I want to do some cool ninja missions." Naruto drinks some water as he wipes his sweat.

"So, you mean to say that you don't mind capturing that cat again?" Sasuke remarks.

"Anything but that…" Both Naruto and Sakura reply simultaneously.

"That thing is not a cat. It is even more agile than the ninja hounds of Kakashi sensei." Naruto shakes his head as the memories of the Cat Capture Mission flood his mind.

"We spent seven hours chasing after that cat, and we weren't even able to catch as much as a fur of that thing. In the end, it returned to the owner of its own free will." Naruto narrates the incident.

"But we got the full payment, right!" Sasuke remarks.

"No, don't remind me of that. Every time I hear that, I start to doubt my abilities as a Ninja. How will I become a Hokage if I can't even catch a cat?" Naruto shakes his head.

"Anyway, forget about that. Why don't we take a peek at the chunnin exam?" A wild idea pops out in Naruto's mind.

"No! Naruto. It is a bad idea." Sakura hurriedly tries to convince Naruto.

"Kakashi Sensei said we aren't ready for it yet. We have to do at least three C rank missions before even thinking about the chunnin exam." Sakura advises him against it.

"Come on, Sakura. You know of our abilities; it would be a walk-in park for us." Naruto ignores Sakura's warnings.

"Sasuke-kun… now only you can convince Naruto-kun to drop the idea." Sakura turns towards Naruto.

"Hmm… it sounds interesting. I am with Naruto on this one."

Sasuke agrees with Naruto.

"Yes… let's go. We will sneak in the chunnin exam."

Naruto jumps in excitement.

"Hold on, Naruto. Do you even know about the location of the chunnin exam?"

Sasuke calms his down.

"Err… this. I don't know… but we will be able to figure it out somehow." Naruto pumps his fists in the air.

"Chunnin exam I am coming."

"…"

Sasuke and Sakura silently stare at Naruto.

"I expected nothing less from you." Sasuke stands up as he dusts himself.

"Hey! What do you mean?" Naruto growls at Sasuke.

"Don't worry, I had already made preparations for this."

Sasuke makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu"

Poof…

A small puff of white smoke appears as the summoning seal is completed.

Scree…

The smoke clears out to reveal a small eagle.

Scree…

The eagle screams again as it flies and perches on Sasuke's shoulder.

Woah…

Naruto and Sakura's eyes shine brightly as they stare at the eagle.

"Hey, when did you got this?" Naruto points towards the eagle.

"You aren't the only one who is doing secret training with Izuna Nii-san," Sasuke smirks as he pats the eagle.

"Damn… I also want one of these." Naruto gnaws his teeth.

"Can I touch it?" Sakura stares at the eagle with shining eyes as her hands creep towards it.

Scree…

The eagle pecks on her hand and turns away.

"Garuda doesn't like anyone besides me and Izuna Nii-san." Sasuke takes out some food from his pocket and feeds the eagle.

"Fine, I got it." Naruto puffs his cheek as he asks Sasuke.

"So, how would we find the location of the Chunnin exam? By flying on top of this little guy?" Naruto tries to touch Garuda only to get pecked by his sharp beak.

"Aww… It hurts." He grabs his bitten thumb in pain.

"There is no need for that." Sasuke releases the Garuda as it circles above them in the air.

"Now watch carefully."

"Sharingan."

He activates his Sharingan and makes some hand signs.

"Uchiha Secret Technique: Mirrored Telescopic Vision"

He cups one of his hands around his right eye as he shares the vision with Garuda.

"This is one of the secret techniques of the Uchiha clan. It allows the user to share his vision with his summons. The visions of ordinary Hawks can spot a small rat from a mile away and Garuda is a summon, so his vision is several times better than an ordinary hawk. He would be able to spot the location of the Chunnin exam in minutes."

Sasuke nods to Garuda.

Whoosh…

Garuda flies higher in the sky and disappears from their vision.

"Wow… he is so fast." Naruto and Sakura stare at Garuda in amazement.

"Of course, he is at least three times faster than messenger eagles." Sasuke proudly raises his head.

"Damn… now I really need a summon." Naruto bites his lips.

Swoosh…

"Oh! I can see it." Sasuke focuses on the binocular vision as the village appears in his vision.

"I can see the entire Uchiha clan compound from here. Let us go to the academy. We will get some hints from there. Also, Hokage Office is there."

Whoosh…

Garuda flies higher and approaches Academy.

--

Inside the Hokage Office,

"The meeting is finally over. My throat is dry from all that talking. I need some sake to parch it." Tsunade slumps down on the Hokage chair.

"…"

Izuna and Shizune stares at Tsunade.

"Ok, I will get some orange juice for you." Izuna opens the window as he jumps out.

Huh…

Izuna feels a gaze on him. He raises his head and notices a eagle flying far away in the sky.

"Oh!" Izuna stares at the eagle and smiles.

--

In the training ground.

Brrr….

A shiver runs down Sasuke's spine as Izuna's face appears in his vision.

'Did big brother notice me?'

'I must avoid Izuna Nii-san at all cost.'

Sasuke commands Garuda to change the direction through his mental link.

Whoosh…

Garuda flies in the opposite direction to the Hokage's Office.

--

Inside the Hokage Office,

Tsunade notices Izuna staring at the sky.

"What's the matter? What are you staring at?"

"Oh… Nothing. Just some playful kids with their games." He shakes his head.

"Well… peaceful times sure are great. I have to make sure it stays the same." Tsunade nods her head and continues her work.

Whoosh…

Izuna flickers out of the window.

--

Whew…

"I avoided it." Sasuke sighs.

"What's the matter?" Naruto and Sakura notice Sasuke's tense expression.

"Izuna Nii-san almost found us out. Thankfully, I somehow avoided him."

"That's a relief. Otherwise, he would punish us with more hellish training." Naruto sweats heavily as he remembers the punishment.

"Training?… Isn't that a good thing? Izuna-san is one of the most powerful ninjas in our village. His training would surely improve our skills by a margin." Sakura questions them.

"No… don't mention it. You won't understand our pain and sufferings." Naruto and Sasuke reply simultaneously.

"Ehh… is it that hard?" Sakura tilts her head in confusion.

"It is much… much harder." Naruto opens his arms wide open as he describes the training session.

"Kakashi Sensei's training can't even compare to Izuna Nii-san's warmup." Naruto shakes his head at the thought of hellish training.

"So hard…" Sakura's curiosity is piqued.

"Don't even think about the training?" Naruto warns her.

"Shhh… I found it." Sasuke signals them.

Naruto stops his explanation as he asks Sasuke.

"Where is it? I am excited to experience the chunnin exam." He clutches his fists.

"It is north to the Forty-Third training ground."

Sasuke notices the group of genins gathered at the gate of Forest of Death.

"It says the Forty-fourth Training ground. I never knew the village had a forty-fourth training ground."

Garuda flies over the training ground as Sasuke inspects the surrounding.

He notices a metallic fence with several gates at the perimeter of the area.

"I guess it is a restricted area of the village. It must be quite dangerous for it to not open to the public." Sasuke concludes as he notices the deathly silence of the forest.

--

Outside the Forest of Death,

Anko stares at the participants as she licks her lips.

"So, this is the batch of the genins eager to take on the exam to become a chunnin."

Chojuro stands with his Kiri teammates as he looks around.

'I can't find Kabuto-san anywhere. Maybe he is also preparing with his teammates.'

Slick…

The Sound Ninja licks his lips as he stares at the forest.

"I am itching for some blood. I can't wait to hear some cute screams."

"Now… now… looks like all of your quite energetic after clearing the first part of the chunnin exam. You might have cleared the first step but it still unsure whether you could do the same with the second test."

Whoosh…

Anko takes out a stack of paper from her pocket.

"Unlike the first part of the exam where there was no fighting; this round is all about survival. If you have the capabilities to survive while keeping your enemies at the bay, then you might get a shot to move to the final round."

Bam…

She slams the stack on the table as she stares at the genins with a predatory gaze.

"Before you proceed to the second test, you would have to sign this consent form. You would only be allowed to take the exam if you sign the form otherwise you are free to leave."

Gulp…

Many genins gulp their saliva as they stare at the form.

"What consent?" One of the genin questions.

Anko turns towards the genin and replies.

"Consent… that you won't return alive from the exam and thus the leaf village won't be held responsible for your decision," Anko smirks as she stares at their terrified expression.

Many genins retreat in fear as they forfeit the exam.

"Hey Sasuke, what's going on?" Naruto impatiently asks Sasuke.

Sasuke narrates the entire series of events to Naruto and Sakura.

'Thanks to my Sharingan, I can read her lips.'

"That's scary." Sakura gulps her saliva.

"Are you sure it is a good idea? What if we face something horrible in the forest? We don't even know what's in there." Sakura advises against sneaking.

"We won't back down after coming this far. I will never give up because that's my ninja way. Dattebyo!"

Naruto pumps his fist.

Sakura turns to Sasuke, only to notice a calm expression on his face.

Sigh…

She depressingly drops her head.

'At least, Sasuke-kun is there to take care of me.'

The Inner Sakura cheers up.

Hmm…

Anko looks around as she feels a gaze on her.

'Why do I feel like someone is watching me?'

She surveys her surroundings and notices nobody.

'Strange! I felt like someone was peeking at me. Anyway…'

She shakes her head and turns to the group of genins.

"So, the remaining participants move to the different gates and pick up your scroll. Once I signal, the exam would start and keep in mind many chunnins would monitor you throughout the exam so if you are caught teaming up with other teams then both of the group will be immediately disqualified."

Anko points her fingers towards her eyes and the rest of the group as a warning.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The genins start to flicker towards the allotted gates as they pick up their respective scrolls.

--

In training ground three,

"It has started," Sasuke recalls Garuda as he informs the group.

"Naruto, Sakura, we will meet in an hour. Make necessary preparations for the exam. I will explain the rules as we will infiltrate the Forest of Death." Sasuke orders them.

"Yay!" Naruto cheers in excitement as he flickers towards the Uzumaki compounds.

"Naruto don't bring anything unnecessary. We are participating in an exam, not in a picnic." Sasuke reminds him.

"I know," Naruto yells from a distance as he flickers away.

"Hai…" Sakura weakly walks towards her house.

Whoosh…

Sasuke flickers towards the Uchiha Clan compounds.

Rustle… rustle…

The leaves of a nearby tree rustle as a figure appears on the branch.

'These bunch of kids.' Shisui shakes his head as he stares at the back of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Izuna Nii-san informed me about their little plan and sent me to monitor them. Kakashi Senpai is busy with the chunnin exam, and Izuna Nii-san had some urgent work. With the recent purge, the Konoha police force doesn't have much work to handle, so I am free most of the time."

Shisui shakes his head as his body disperses in a bunch of crows.

--

In Yakiniku Q restaurant,

"It is my treat. Order anything you like; the food is really good here."

Izuna passes the menu to Mei.

"Yakiniku Q is a Gyu-Kaku Style restaurant. So, you have to cook your own meal. Don't worry about the ingredients, just order anything you like; I will cook a fine dish."

Izuna explains the details to Mei.

"Then I won't hold back."

Mei picks up the Menu and places her order.

"Three servings of Gyutan reared in Land of Rice Paddies, three servings of Welsh Onion from the Land of Medicine…"

Mei orders one premium dish after another.

Sweat appears on Izuna's face as he wipes it secretly.

'Damn… when I meant anything, she took it literally; ordering three of the most expensive dishes right off the bat. This lunch is going to cost me an S-Rank Mission at this rate.'

Mei smiles at Izuna as she orders her food.

'I must bear with it. This is my responsibility as a man.' Izuna has a bitter expression in his heart as he smiles at Mei.

"Yay! I will also take the same order as Mei Onee-san."

Ayaka also places her order.

"Ne… Ayaka… why don't you order something different? There are lots of other dishes to order from." Izuna tries to convince Ayaka.

"No… I will eat the same food as Mei Onee-san. I also want to grow up as a beauty like Mei Onee-san."

Ayaka stares at Mei's chest as she blinks cutely.

"…."

Izuna silently nods his head.

"Then why don't you follow Tsunade Onee-san. She has more growth than your Mei Onee-san." He jokes.

"No… I don't want to. I heard Tsunade Onee-san complaining about back pain because of her chest."

"…"

'Kids these days sure grow quickly.'

Izuna shakes his head in understanding.

"Customer… here is your order." The server brings their order.

"Behold my cooking skill… I will cook the most delicious meat ever."

Izuna carefully places the meat on the charcoal brazier.

"Onii-san… don't burn them like the other day."

Ayaka pours a bucket of cold water on Izuna as she innocently states the fact.

"…"

'I can never win. Can I?'

'Sharingan.'

He weakly picks up another piece of meat and cooks it.

'I won't fail this time.'

In the training ground three,

An hour later,

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura regroup with each other.

"Are you guys ready?" Sasuke turns towards Naruto and Sakura.

"I am always ready. Dattebyo!"

Naruto raises his fist.

"I am also ready." Sakura nods her head.

"Let's go."

Naruto dashes towards the training ground forty-four. Sasuke and Sakura follows him.

Whoosh… whoosh…

"Naruto, Sakura! I overheard the rules of the chunnin exam earlier. We have to collect a heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll and reach the central tower to pass the chunnin exam. Every group is provided with only one scroll. They have to fight another group and steal their scroll to complete the set. Since we are only testing our capabilities, we would just steal a Heaven scroll and Earth Scroll and approach the central tower." Sasuke explains the rules of the exam.

"That's easy. With our abilities, we can easily snag scroll from other teams. Dattebyo!" Naruto pumps his fists.

"No… on the contrary, it is extremely difficult." Sasuke shakes his head.

"Huh! Why?" Naruto turns to Sasuke.

"Those genins aren't our opponents. Our real opponents are the chunnin and jounins monitoring the area. We have to steal those scrolls under their watchful eyes and make it to tower. So, it is much harder than our expectation." Sasuke states the real test.

Gulp…

"Guys… we can still turn back. It is a bad idea." Sakura tries to convince them.

"No… this makes it more fun and challenging. Now I am fired up for this exam." Naruto cracks his knuckles.

"All these years, I haven't trained for nothing."

Whoosh…

Naruto increases his speed.

"I am also looking forward to this exam. I want to push myself to limit and reach the next level. I want to be as strong as Izuna and Itachi Nii-san." Sasuke clutches his fists as he follows Naruto.

"You guys." Sakura shakes her head in frustration and follows after them.

'I wonder how far would they be able to make it.' Shisui stares at the group from a distance.

'Nii-san just instructed me to keep an eye on them and allow them to do whatever they want without as long as they don't go too far with their shenanigans. I am also interested to see them progress.'

Shisui follows after the group.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The group arrives at gate number twenty-third of the Training Ground Forty-Four.

"This gate is farthest from the gate number one where the jounin is stationed at. It is on the opposite end. We have to quickly enter the Forest before anybody notices us." Sasuke reminds them.

"Sharingan"

He activates his Sharingan and inspect the nearby area.

"I can't see any chakra signatures nearby. Hurry up and enter in the forest."

He deactivates his Sharingan to preserve his chakra.

Swoosh… swoosh…

The group jumps on top of the gate and enters the training ground.

"This place is also called as the Forest of Death. This place serves as a testing ground for the survival and fighting skills of genins who are aiming to become a chunnin. It is a very dangerous place filled with hordes of giant and poisonous flora and fauna. The forest has a radius of ten kilometres and it could be quite deadly, especially during the night."

Sasuke explains the details to the group.

"Wow! Sasuke, you are so knowledgeable." Sakura praises Sasuke.

"It is nothing special. It is common knowledge known to every clan member. I was just surprised by the location of the Forest of Death."

Sasuke shakes his head. The group continues to enter deeper into the forest.

"Man… this place is so dark and creepy." Naruto flicks away a leech from his shoulder.

Swish…

The leech lands on top of Sakura's head and startles her.

Kyaah…

Sakura screams in fear.

Sshhh…

Sasuke immediately places a hand on Sakura's mouth to shut her up.

Rustle… rustle…

A nearby bush rustles as the group quickly hid themselves.

'Sasuke-kun is so close to me.' Inner Sakura pumps her fist in joy.

Naruto takes out his kunai as he prepares for the combat.

Rustle… Rustle…

A nearby bush rustles as a bear jumps out of the bush.

"It's a bear. Leave it to me."

Naruto jumps in front of the group. He makes some hand signs.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"

Naruto takes a deep breath as he infuses a large amount of chakra and stomach and releases it as a gust of strong wind.

Swoosh…

The wind current takes the shape of a hurricane as it slams into the bear.

Boom…

The wind current blows away the bear and uproots nearby trees.

Bang…

The bear slams into a tree and passes out.

"That was easy." Naruto gives a thumb up to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Naruto! You idiot." Sasuke yells at Naruto as he dashes away from his hideout.

"Quick… get out of this area as fast as possible. We have to leave quickly to avoid any chunnin."

"Ah! My bad." Naruto scratches his head as he follows Sasuke and Sakura.

Whoosh… whoosh…

An instant later, a group of chunnin arrives at the area. They inspect the surroundings and notice the unconscious bear and the nearby destruction.

"Looks like the genins this time are really something. Such a powerful wind technique."

One of the chunnin inspects the traces of the wind jutsu.

"Must be those Sand Ninjas. I heard they are quite skilled in Wind Release Techniques."

"Must be them." Another chunnin nods his head in agreement.

"How many participants do you think would pass this stage?" He questions his partner.

"I don't know, but maybe around ten teams." The other chunnin takes a guess.

"Let's make a bet. If I won you will treat me to a dinner in Yakiniku Q and if you win, I will treat you to a dinner." The first chunnin suggests.

"I will take you on that offer. It has been a while since I last ate some free food." The chunnin laughs as makes the bet.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Naruto and the group flickers through the forest.

Hmm…

Naruto hears faint noises from up head. He signals to Sasuke and Sakura with hand signals.

The group slows down and hides in a bush and monitors their surroundings.

Two groups are engaged in combat with each other.

'Sharingan'

Sasuke activates his Sharingan to inspect his surroundings.

"There are no chunnins and jounins nearby." He informs Naruto.

Boom…

A mini explosion occurs in front of them as a small mass of dust and debris rises in the air.

Hmm…

They notice a team from Kiri and Suna engaged with each other.

"Hand over your Scroll quietly and we promise it won't be painful."

One of the Suna ninja slowly walks towards the Kiri shinobi with a giant fan in his hand.

"Don't get so cocky… you Suna scum. We haven't lost yet."

One of the Kiri genin dusts himself as he stands up.

"Eat this." He makes some hand signs.

"Water Release: Water Bullet"

He fires a water bullet at the Suna genin.

Tch…

"Petty tricks."

The Suna Ninja scoffs and swings his giant fan.

"Wind Release: Sand Whirlwind"

He releases a sharp gust of wind using his fan. The gust creates a cloud of dust and forms a whirlwind as it slams into the water bullet.

Boom…

The sand whirlwind tears through the water bullet and slams into the Kiri ninja.

Bang…

The Kiri genin slams into a nearby tree.

Guffaw…

He pukes out a mouthful of blood and passes out.

"Humph… these Kiri rats think that they could win against us." He walks up to the unconscious Kiri ninja and kicks him.

"Hoshio search for the scroll. We need an Earth scroll and we would be set." The Suna ninja with the fan orders his teammate.

"Yes, leader." Another Suna ninja with a puppet searches the body of Kiri ninja.

He takes out a white scroll from their clothes.

"It is a Heaven Scroll same as ours."

Tch…

"All that effort for nothing." The Suna ninja harrumphs.

"Leader… should I?" Hoshio makes a cutthroat gesture.

"Leave it be. Who knows how many of those Konoha chunnins are watching us? I don't want to get disqualified for nothing."

He kicks the unconscious body of Kiri shinobi and walks away.

"Store that scroll with other Heaven scrolls. We don't want others to get their hands on them."

He closes his fan and places it on his shoulder and walks away.

"What a terrible day? We met two teams, both with Heaven Scroll." Hoshio pockets the scroll and follows his leader.

In the nearby bush,

"Hey! There are supposed to be three guys in a team, right? Where is the third one?" Sakura questions them.

"He is there." Sasuke points towards the shadow of Hoshio.

"Where? I can't see him." Sakura tilts her head in confusion.

"Sakura-Chan, it's so obvious. The third guy is a sensor ninja. He is using a secret technique to hide his presence." Naruto remarks.

"I… I can't see him." Sakura hangs her head in depression.

"You can always train and get stronger." Naruto comforts her.

"Izuna Nii-san's hellish training will work its magic." He gives thumbs up to Sakura.

"Uh… why do I feel like that's a bad idea?" Sakura doubtfully stares at Naruto.