A/N: Shit, just almost lost the whole file. Quotes are evil. Copypaste too.

See the end of the chapter for translations.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the reference to the LOTR.

Warning: fluff and god knows what else.

Kumo Chūnin Exams Arc: Once I Was Seven Years Old

Never underestimate your own strength. You were born for a purpose and are blessed with the power to achieve it. – Leon Brown

Yet another spar was destroying the green field in front of us. Izumi blocked the punch sent at her skull and grabbed it by the wrist. Swiftly turning, she threw Noboru over her shoulder. With a loud thud the body hit the ground, forcing the air out of him.

Needless to say, he swung to his feet as soon as the slashing sound filled the air.

The kunai in Izumi's hands promised considerable pain. In a flash, Noboru appeared near Izumi. She swung at him, but he ducked under her outstretched hand. Using the momentum, he aimed a punch at her abdomen, only for her to backflip. Concern could be seen in her gaze as he caught the abandoned weapons in his own hand and charged in a blur, sending the kunai at her. On her part, Izumi flipped backwards as the kunai flew over her body in motion.

Damn, if only I had a camera!

That's about when I hear a whoosh pass near me, just before a shuriken embarked itself in a tree trunk behind the bush I was hiding in. Seems like I was discovered… time to join the game!

I shunshined into the clearing, right behind Noboru, and tried to swipe his feet of the ground. Alas, he noticed me mere moments before I could finish the attack, which is why he leaped into the air, twisting his body while at it, and landed in frond of me, his fist ready to charge.

I believe he genially thought that I could dodge it. At least that makes me hate him less because that crack in my nose was fucking painful!

"Okay, okay! Move, Noboru." I heard sensei's voice – the unusual seriousness was there, just as much as a tint of amusement and… fear?

Sensei moved into my line of vision. It'd didn't mean much, really – I was too preoccupied in cussing the world and my teammates. That's when I felt something touch my nose and those black dots in my eyes became larger, just as the fucking pain. It was a burning feeling, one that clouded my mind. At that moment the whole world was literal hell to me, just as his occupants were. I swear I'd burn 'em all!

"Now, Isamu… it's going to hurt for a moment, but I need for you to calm down." Of course those words made me panic even more. I mean, like, it already hurt like a bitch, all the blood didn't help too. Still, I tried because a dislocated nose was very, very bad. "Good… now I'll count to three. One, two… Three!" The number three and my "AHHH" came out at the same time. At least now I was clutching my nose that was back in place, but still. Trust me, you don't want to break your nose.

In a few moments, just as I was getting over my anger-filled fit, sensei spoke, "Isamu, you lost. In a real battle this mistake would've cost you your life. What was your mistake?"

I let out a grunt, "My reaction time was slow. I should've been able to dodge or at least block."

Nodding, sensei said, "Exactly. You should've been able to dodge, but you didn't. Why was that?" He took out a napkin and passed it to me while I contemplated on the answer. In the back I could make out Izumi and Noboru arguing, most likely Izumi scolding Noboru for not pulling the hit.

I was supposed to be able to dodge, but I didn't. It was frustrating, to say the least. I was usually faster, so why…

My head perked up and, with a quiet "ouch", I answered, "My footing was shaky after the failed attempt at kicking Noboru off the ground; I was using my hands for balancing and, due to that, I couldn't use my hands to counter or block the blow, nor could I dodge in any direction with the footing I had." I explained what was I deduced from the bloody (figuratively and literally) spar.

Sensei nodded his head as he corrected me, "You were right in most of your mistakes. However, you could've dodged, but, for unknown reasons, you didn't. Care to explain why?"

That mocking smile… he knew I didn't have the slightest clue, didn't he? "Err," I started, "I… I could have…" I gulped, "I could've used some seal or something?" I sweat-dropped as sensei facepalmed himself.

The groan that escaped sensei promised an extremely boring explanation, "No, it had nothing to do with seals of any sort. All you had to do was fall. You see, during the fight you could've opted to fall instead of taking the hit. This way you've simply rolled out of his range and managed a surprise attack a moment later, which would've resulted in a mere bruise. Instead, you took the hit and got yourself a broken nose, which is far more distressing." Suddenly, he lifted his chin and turned to look at the – wow, a furious Izumi and trembling Noboru – remaining team members. That's when he barked out, "Team Eight, assemble!"

In a blur all of us were standing in front of him (we learned to follow that command the hard way). "Hai, sensei!" We exclaimed in unison, our frames rigid. His gaze took each of us in, studying – no, searching for flaws.

"Team Eight, I want for all of you to remember one of the main rules in our career: always opt for the dodge. You can never know if one has monster strength or is a trained medic, so it's always better to avoid the attack altogether. If you ever seem to linger on whether to block or duck, remember or dear Isamu-chan here," my glare was utterly ignored, "and do the right thing. Now," he clapped his hands, the cheerful attitude back in place, "it's time we get ready for you psychological evaluation – it's scheduled in half an hour so you better get going – the Intelligence Wing is fifteen kilometers away!" and he smiled. At that moment I was ready for a rampage (just before the psych evaluation. Oh, the joy!)

In twenty minutes the trio of us was panting in front of the Intelligence Wing, gulping on water. Sensei, on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat. That motherfucker.

Noboru turned his attention to sensei, "Ano… are we gonna go to different shirks or wait or something?" He asked, trying to seem as uncaring as ever (and failing).

The building itself was a pleasant sandy colored panel construction of twelve floors. It consisted of three wings: Intelligence, Konoha Aviary (it's located in the trees to the side of the Intelligence Wing, as they're responsible to receiving and dispatching missives by air) and Konoha Cryptanalysis Team, which specialize in deciphering codes and messages (no way). There were Genin running errands outside the building, as well as Chūnin on a smoking break just outside the front doors.

Sensei seemed to contemplate on Noboru's question for a moment. "Hmm… most likely the latter, but it depends on the workload of the psychiatrists and, ahem, other stuff. Just so you know, you should show them more respect – after all, they have to put up to your insanity," sensei sent us all a feral grin… he truly believes in the best in us.

I felt a hand being placed on my head ('cause I'm too short to have one on my back. Damn) as Hamaki-sensei greeted the Chūnin at the entrance, "Riyū-kun, my friend!" The man at the entrance, a Chūnin of approximately thirty, smiled anxiously as sensei embraced him in a side-hug. "Long time no see! How have you been?"

The Chūnin giggles jittery, "M-Mimura-san! What a-a pleasure! Good, good, and you?"

Sensei grinned at him, "Ah, I haven't heard from you in a while. It's like you were avoiding me," sensei accused cheekily. "Anyway, I have tiny-bity request to ask of you – could you get my kid here," he pointed at us, "at your best and, let's say, most cooperative psych so they'd be in 'n' out, chick-chuck. It's just the basic Chūnin Exam's psych evaluation. You'd help me out, right, brother?"

The way sensei implied it was leaving no room to argument at all. Considering the way the Chūnin withering in front of your eyes… hell, Hamaki-sensei is freaking persuasive when he wants to be!

…Wait, didn't he have an appointment?

At the outraged expression on Izumi's face… Yep. He made us run for the sake of it!

Before we could voice our frustration, sensei's "friend" babbled off, "Sure, sure! Come in, come in. I'll get you our best specialist in no time!" With the last words he stormed off, dust rising after him.

The three of us looked at sensei baffled as he waved it off, "Nah, Riyū-kun's a character, one of a kind. You see," he snickered before whispering, "way back in my own Chūnin days we, hehe, needed to hide some particular information from his parents… afterwards he promised to repay in material means, but more than ten years passed and he's still hiding, the miser, hehe. Nowadays, anytime he sees me, just a word and anything in this department is mine." The smug look on sensei's face was nothing to brag at. Good thing I'm on his good side, really.

In a few minutes the Chūnin came hurrying back, a man in a white coat and sunglasses scurrying behind him. Or not scurrying… Aburame don't exactly "scurry". More like nimble strolling.

Riyū panted as he went on, "This is Aburame-sama, Mimura-san. He'll oversee your students' evaluation. If you please come…" He guided us towards the waiting hall on the third floor, "Aburame-sama will accept you only one on one, so would the one to go first one forward," Noboru took a confident step towards him. No wonder, the boy's confidence was one of a kind, plus he was a psychiatrist in training himself – with his prodigious mental skills… the boy was rather lacking in the theoretical and combat parts, but he was no dead-last. In fact, someone as gifted as him in the art of human reading is perfect for any infiltrations and deceit operations.

In no time Noboru came out, satisfied expression in place. Right in went Izumi while Noboru went on about the easy test and how he's "the only sane person on this team".

Not a long while after did Izumi come out, her face glistening the slightest bit. Isn't that unnerving…

I entered the plain white room. No decorations, no family photos, nothing was in there. It felt as if the room was unoccupied, save for the paperwork.

The man at the table didn't move to meet me, nor did he speak. The empty chair in front of his desk was inviting me in some way. I found myself resting on tight away.

A minute passed, but he didn't speak, so I decided to take the lead. "Err," I started, getting the Aburame to look up at me, "Konnichiwa, Aburame-sama. My name's Amachi Isamu. I, err, I wanted to ask what we're about to do now?" I asked hastily. Noboru, you liar!

Tilting his head, the Aburame studied me with his gaze before opening a drawer and producing a pack of paper. "Konnichiwa, Isamu-kun. We'll start with the Hatsusumi test: I'll show you ten cards and you'll tell me what you see in them. Why? To see your overall psychological situation and get a better overview on the situation."

The Rorschach Test? I remember it from my previous life… let's see.

He put a card with a Cheshire cat in front of me. Spending no time hesitating, I say what I see in it. He nods at my answer and produces the second card. "Two elephants fighting," I answer.

The third blot was… whatever. "Hmm… two woman exercising?" I question on my opinion on this. At the answer he slightly tenses before continuing with the next image. That one screamed Gandalf vs. Balrog, my favorite scene in the Lord of the Rings series. That's why I voiced "A magician and a demon fighting". The Aburame took out a pen and scribbled something down before moving onto the next one, which was clearly a bat. The sixth blot was a howling werewolf and the seventh one was showing rabbits bumping fists.

The eighth one… it reminded me of a couple of minks fleeing in order to avoid the lava. That one caused him to write something again before continuing onto the last two. The ninth one… "Four shinobi that had launched into the air from the grass field." The tenth one was a collection of sea life. At that he asked me to describe the whole image with one word, which I did, saying it reminded me of a samurai.

He stuffed the cards back into the file before proceeding, "Now I'll give you a test. You're given thirty minutes; afterwards I'm collecting it. You can fill it out outside." He passed me the testing forms, "You must start now."

I exited the office and saw my team, each of the younger members being handled a form akin to mine. Sensei was humming something under his nose, but I could see that he was keeping an eye on us. I could see Noboru twitching with the urge to peek at Izumi's answers – nobody wanted to be the team's nutcase after all.

The questionnaire was rather basic – describe yourself, info about your family, past, education and yourself, medical information. It took us exactly half an hour to finish them, right before Aburame-san exited his office once again. He took the forms from us without a word and disappeared behind the door with sensei.

In something like twenty minutes sensei materialized from behind the door, Aburame-san behind him. "Guys, good new and bad news. Which ones go first?" Chirped sensei at us after we all bid farewell to the Aburame and left the building (Riyū-san nowhere to be seen).

"Good" from Noboru and Izumi and "bad" from me outvoted my choice, so good news went first.

"The good news's that all of you are good enough for the Chūnin Exams! As the bad thing… all of you are officially nuts!"

…

"WHAT?" All of us screwed our faces in shock, causing sensei to burst out laughing.

"No… you don't get it yet, do you?" At our shock-confused expressions, he snickered, "No single shinobi is sane. That's not possible in our line of work, but we need to keep track of your mental situation so no more cases like Orochimaru's appear in our village," explained sensei. Something tells me that the village sucked at this job… the fact that an Aburame (the most alienated clan feeling-wise, Danzō's favorite not for nothing) was a psychiatrist didn't help the image.

On that "cheerful" note we parted ways, each going to prepare for tomorrow as in the morning all of the participating teams leave for Kumogakure.

No matter how much being a lunatic unnerved me, the cheerful mood couldn't be ruined.

Life's too bland without a pinch of madness, ne?

"Yatta! Ramen!" The cheerful blond beside me threw his hands into the air, sidestepping towards the infamous Ichiraku Ramen. I could already feel my wallet wail in despair.

I let out a sigh, "Yes, Naruto, we're going to get two bowls each, okay?" His pout was so sweet and – no – those eyes… must resist… "Okay, I'll buy you three bowls, no more!" On that note he jumped onto my spine – piggyback addict – and we stormed off.

The ramen stand was on the tacky side, the stains "decorating" the walls. Cheap furniture was nothing unusual for Konoha – you'd be surprised to see something that cost above average after the last war and the Kyūbi Attack. Yet, it was homey there, the alluring smell that made you forget all the worries and the affable stuff that always smiled. And should I say anything about the best ramen they serve?

We entered the booth, Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan already serving Ramen to another customer. As soon as Ayame spotted us, she waved us over.

"Isamu-kun, Naruto-kun, Ohayō! How are you doing?" The smile she sent us could've lit a lantern, really. She was only ten and already making one of the best dishes in the whole village (I'm jealous).

I shook Naru-chan off my back (damn, he's grown) and took a seat at the stand, "We're great, right, Naru-chan?" I turned to the said blond, only to see him struggling in vain while trying to climb onto the chair.

"Oh-oh-oh, Naruto-kun, energetic as ever! Here, here you go," chuckled Teuchi-san as he helped Naruto onto the seat. As he finished that, he turned to me, "what'll ya' have today, Isamu-kun?"

"Two beef miso for me, three pork miso for Naru-chan," I asked.

"Nii-san, nii-san," chirped the affectionate blond, "it's true you goin' to leave, -ttebayo?"

I grinned at him, "No worries, Naru-chan, it's just the Chūnin Exams. I'm going back home in no time."

The boy averted my gaze as a blush played on his cheeks, but he stayed silent. I smirked as the memory of him not knowing about the Chūnin Exams in the canon future hit me. "The Chūnin Exams are a way for Genin to get a promotion to Chūnin. They're held bi-annually in hidden villages and are open for any participant. This time they're in Kumogakure no Sato. Do you know where it is?" At his shaking head, I continued, "The village is in the Kaminari no Kuni, which is northeast to our land, Hi no Kuni." I drew a cursory map on a napkin, pointing at each village as I spoke. That's when a boy to our right turned to look at me, sending me a huge déjà vu. Who is-

Iruka?

"Hi," the boy that was ninety nine point nine percent Iruka greeted, scratching his head, while I openly gawked at him, "are you going to the Chūnin Exams too? Aren't you a little…" he trailed off, running his gaze over me, "young?"

A tick appeared on my head because I'm older than you, you ungrateful son- good thoughts, Isamu, good thoughts.

I swear to Kami, if somebody calls me too young one more time I'm not responsible for the damage.

"N-no, Iruka-san, I'm not. I've been a Genin for a year already and, thus, my sensei deems my team qualified enough to take the exams," I answered as my face hurt from smiling too wide.

He peered at me in confusion. "Ah… how do you know my name?"

My fist was itching in anticipation because Kami, how can someone be that dense? And he became an Academy teacher? Really?

My smile spread even wider, "We met at the orphanage, even though you left the room as soon as the graduation came by." I could see the comprehension fill his gaze as his posture relaxed.

"Ah! Sure, sure, the weird-eyed kid. I knew I recognized you from somewhere. What was you name again? Tikanu? Misanu? Si-"

"Isamu," I cut him off before he gave Naruto any colorful ideas. "Yeah, we'll have a lot of time to catch up on our way to the exams. Nice, right?" Please get the memo…

He sweat-dropped and backed away a bit. "Ah… yes, great. So," he slurped the remaining soup and took out his wallet, "see you tomorrow!" with that he paid for his ramen and left the booth.

A sigh of relief left my mouth as soon as he exited. Iruka as a character and real-life Iruka are two completely different things. Or maybe it's the hormones?

That's when someone pokes my side. I tilt my head, only to be met with Naru-chan's huge eyes. "Nii-san, you gonna be the most strong and beat everyone at the exam, -ttebayo?"

That boy can make anything shine, truly. A chuckle escaped me. Everything's going to be all right, I feel it.

Just as we were told, seven teams were standing at the gates of Konoha, mine included. Most of the Genin spotted a huge pack while the Jōnin and a few fūinjutsu-versed Genin (such as myself) had all of their equipment in scrolls.

Iruka's team was, just as he said, there. We still had twenty minutes before departing and some Jōnin (and a couple of Genin) had yet to arrive.

Masuyo-chan threw a fit when she heard "Kumo". Turns out that Inuzuka hate them for the Hyūga Affair almost more than the Hyūga, but they understand that Kumo wouldn't risk a full out war for a pair of eyes right after the Third Shinobi War ended. Not again, that is.

Still, they got nothing of me: no dōjutsu, no kekkei genkai and no clan techniques. Just an ordinary Genin with beyond-average intellect (way beyond for his age, that is).

Our team stood to the side. An introverted half-Yamanaka, a timid Uchiha and an antisocial adult-child.

Wow. That almost sounds worse than Team Seven. A strange Uchiha, a non-clan shinobi-born and a half-clan pariah. Kami help us all. Even your sensei is something else!

That's when a figure appears in front of us, clad in white robes and a red hat. Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the ruler of our village (at least officially). All talking ceased, succumbing the crowd into silence. He smiled genially at the lot of us before his expression grew more stern as he announced, "Greeting, shinobi and kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato. Today many of you leave with the ambition to reach the title of Chūnin, but only some are to achieve that goal. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, came to wish you good luck and to ask of you… show them all what Konohagakure's ninja are worth!"

The crowd erupted with loud cheers, many throwing fists into the air. To say that Sandaime-sama was satisfied was to say nothing. After all, it is honor to be in company of your Kage, much more if he praises you. Noboru was jumping in glee while Izumi was clapping her hands and even crying in joy. Myself, I was smiling like "Idiot No. 1" and clapping soundlessly (because, for the love of my life, I can't clap in rhythm with everyone).

"May you all return safely," Hokage-sama murmured the last bit before throwing his hands into the air and shunshining in the most stunning way possible: an enormous fire dragon roared in his place, flapping its wings and emitting a huge fire wave before it erupted into millions of flickers, blinding us with its glory.

Huh, so that's how a grand departure looks like. This whole jutsu took more chakra than I have. And he used it as nothing.

I take it back; Sandaime-sama is the epitome of badassery.

"Teams participating in the Kumogakure no Sato's Chūnin Exams, proceed through the gates! You must present identification before leaving, repeat…" The Chūnin guard clarified in monotone, the bags under his eyes said it all.

All of us took out our ids and let the Chūnin copy the names and registration numbers. With that, we left for the adventures to come!

Silly me, I should spot jinxing myself.

The road to Kumo was amusing. Turns out that Iruka was more talkative with a bowl of ramen – we talked once, simply discussing the changes in life after he left the orphanage.

/Flashback/

It has been almost a day since we left Konoha. Per the Jōnin's agreement, the way laid through Yu no Kuni and a boat to Kumo itself. We were at Hi no Kuni's border when I saw Iruka trailing behind his team, looking sadder than usual. Deciding to humor my fate, I yelled, "Iruka-san! Here!" I waved him over and the pure-hearted smile he sent me reminded me of a certain blond. Even now without meeting each other yet, they are so much alike.

He hopped over to me while taking a sip out of his canteen. The humidity in Yu no Kuni could be felt before even entering it.

"Hi, Isamu-kun! How are you? How have you been? To tell the truth, it was a surprise to meet you here," he blurted out at a speed that could rival Naru-chan's.

"Tell me, huh? Out of all the places… I've been fine, even great. So much changed… tell me about you first," I urged him, taking a sip out of my own canteen and almost stumbling over a branch (stupid tree-hopping).

He scratched his nose in thought. "Hmm… I got an apartment and lived alone for a while, but than," he beamed at me, "I got a cat! I agreed with my neighbor to help her out so she'd feed the cat when I was away, like now. Other than that… my team's great. It's our third try at the Chūnin Exams and a word of wisdom: give it your best because they're a pain! You get kicked around in a foreign village, glared at, only to return with nothing. Sometimes I feel like Suzaku-sensei would actually start praying if it helps him get rid of us, hehe." He snickered nervously.

Loser team, huh… "I see. What about you teammates, you get along all right?"

Scratching his cheek, he answered, "They're fine, I guess. Kokage-kun's a bit impatient while Muta-kun's kinda creepy at times with his clan's jutsu, but you get used to it. I feel like we make a great team, ya' know? We weren't even friends back at the Academy, but on the field it just clicked. It's like we were made to be a team.

"What about you, Isamu-kun? Anything interesting to tell?"

Interesting, huh? "Well, a few months after you left the orphanage I was adopted by an Inuzuka Jōnin and lived with her since. I've been taught in ninja art by her and her brother, thus why I managed to graduate so early. Other than that… My team's fantastic, even though Hamaki-sensei's a baka sometimes. Izumi and Noboru are wonderful teammates, and yeah, that's more like it. I made some other friends too, but if you remember me from the orphanage, I was never overly social," or the basic layout of my life without anything that may bite me in the back during the exams.

He seemed a bit stupefied for a moment, "How do you even remember stuff from that time? Weren't you only two or something? Ugh, you even remembered my name!"

Fair point, I give that to him. "…Good memory?"

"ARGH! I wish I had this during my Academy days!" Whining, whining…

/Flashback end/

At the moment we were at a hotel in Yu no Kuni, resting and preparing for the long boat ride. The Jōnin opted to go to a bar while the Genin stayed, some went training; others visited onsen, just like I did.

I was preparing to enter the water when the huge white mane behind a boulder giggled perversely. What in the world-

Deciding to figure if my assumption was right, I rose up and tiptoed closer to the man that was… peeking through a hole into the women's part of the onsen. The vertical lines running down his face confirmed that it was, indeed, the Toad Sennin (not that there are that many men with white "hair" and pervy tendencies).

Figures that it's better to go with the flow! Pointing a finger at him, I let out a yell, "Pervert!"

The gallant Sannin jumped out of his skin at my accusation, hopping into the water and leaving a flying towel after him. Ew.

Some time passed before Jiraiya's head reappeared from the water, eyes scanning the clearing. And landing on an extremely amused me!

"Brat," he mumbled, "whatcha do that for? Didn't you see I was busy?" If looks could kill…

I chuckled at the Great Toad Sennin's antics, "You should've seen your face! Ahaha, man, that was good. Anyway," I grinned at him, "Konohagakure no Amachi Isamu at you service!" I bowed low, smirking wider at his flabbergasted expression.

Now it was his turn to smirk, "You know it's now wise to give out such confidential information to unidentified individuals, correct?"

"Not when they're one of the Sannin of your village. Don't you agree, Jiraiya-sama?" Our smirks widened before both of us burst out laughing, simultaneously as I entered the pool.

"Sneaky brat. I see that this generation isn't lacking, hehe. So," he leaned into the rocky surface of the pool, completely relaxing, "whatcha doin' here, Isamu-chan?"

A sigh escaped me as my muscles relaxed in the hot water, "Don't pretend like you don't know why there are so many Jōnin and Genin in the same place, Jiraiya-sama. You're the village's spymaster not for nothing, no?"

Jiraiya snorted at that (how gallant), "Sneaky, I'm tellin' ya'. The Chūnin Exams, huh. Aren't you a bit too chibi for that?"

Good thought, Isamu, good thought… "If memory serves me right, you graduated at six and earned a field promotion shortly after yourself, Jiraya-sama. Being young doesn't mean stupid or weak, it means being underestimated, which is a perfect when combined with deception in order to lure out any foes and rid of them. Don't you agree?" I grit my teeth while speaking.

The Sannin sweat-dropped at my reaction. "Don't get me wrong, kid, I was just mildly surprised, that's all. So how's Konoha doin'? Any beautiful women worth mentioning?" The wriggling eyebrows sent shivers down my spine…

"As long as you don't try anything perverted with my Kaa-san, feel free do run after any Inuzuka – they're all snappy, but definitely good-looking."

This seemed to trigger something in the Sannin. Something bad. "Inuzuka, you say, hehehe… Doggie… hehe…"

Cue five minutes of drooling and writing – where did the manuscript come from?!

"Wait, you don't have their clan marks or the dog. And the last name doesn't fit. Are you defected?" He finally processed the other part of the sentence. Hooray!

My grin faltered minutely, "Nah, I'm simply adopted, that's why. Actually, I do have a ninken, but she's a veteran and was crippled in the last war. So yeah, I'm not an Inuzuka in the traditional sense, but I was brought up by them, thus consider myself part of their family."

"I see. Anyway, it was nice meetin' you, Isamu-chan, but gotta go!" With that the Sennin got out of the water, snatched the towel and the manuscript, and headed towards the exit. Not so fast, Jiraiya-sama!

"He's doing fine," I whispered, "but it'd be nice if you dropped by once in a while." I let my gaze fall onto the water, trailing the steam it released into the humid air.

The Sannin stopped in his track. Without turning, he spoke. This time his voice no longer light but hoarse. "Whom are you talking about?" I could sense the anxiety streaming of him. How strange, to see such a formidable shinobi so broken.

I sank a bit further into the water before replying, mulling over my own words. It might have fractured the roots of the relationship I tried to create, but if the result was correct, than it'd be a small price to pay. "You're Konoha's spymaster, Jiraiya-sama," I repeated, "You know full well whom I'm talking about."

He stood there for a few minutes without moving before a chuckle escaped his lips. "When you're promoted to Jōnin, come find me, brat. Ja ne." As if on cue, he left without waiting for me to reply, nor turning to face me.

Say, he said "when", not "if". Tch, troublesome man.

Yu no Kuni – Land of Hot Water

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Kaminari no Kuni – Land of Lightening

Ja ne - bye

A/N: What a chapter! I corrected some of the first chapters, just typos. Actually this was supposed to include the first stage of the Chūnin Exams, but I was lazy.

The Rorschach test idea came out of nowhere. I had my own psych evaluation in the army not so long ago, but it was much better. I believe that they'd need to suck incredibly for people like Sasuke and Kakashi to escape their radar and so on springs of something. Or Gai. Nuff said. And yes, I really see Gandalf vs. Balrog in that pick. The test answers are mostly not mine, I tried to write them to fit Isamu's character at that point in time: antisocial, paranoid, a bit prone to anger, but overall not too bad.

This chapter focused on character interaction and development more than those before did. And a lame fight 'cuz I'm lazy and not choreographic.

Anyway, hope you liked it and please review!