Chapter 18: How the Chunin Exams Proved to Help the Kids: The Chunin Exams were difficult and filled with way too many complications for this to actually be happening. But Genma knew his kids could stay strong and face anything thrown their way with determination and bravery. Honestly, if it were up to him, Genma would keep the kids as safe as possible, never to see the true horrors humans could create. But it wasn't up to him. And the kids needed to learn and grow. No matter how much it hurt.
..~..~..
The reason why the Hokage wanted Genma and Zabuza to visit him was to have a small talk with the both of them. The first half was asking about Zabuza and Haku's ability to adapt to their newest surroundings and how Zabuza enjoyed not being hunted down while under Konoha's supervision. The jaded man grunted nonchalant answers, but they seemed to not insult the elder man because he quickly moved on to the topic he had wanted to truly touch.
"I have reason to believe there is going to be some kind of manifestation during the final stages of the Chunin Exams."
Genma quirked an eyebrow at this and asked the man what he meant. Which made the Hokage explain himself, "Word has reached me of a possible threat to Konoha and plans to attack during the final stage of the Chunin Exams."
Hearing this was a surprise to Genma. Even more so considering that Zabuza was also hearing about this at the same.
Even the Demon of the Mist himself was somewhat taken aback by what was happening. "You sure you want me around to hear about this, Old Man?"
At this, the Hokage nodded. "You are a worthy adversary to have, Zabuza. And you are now loyal to Konoha and all of its people because of the debt that is owed." The man's face was stern and his voice deep, "If you wish to stay with the more than comfortable accommodations we have given you, you will be a helping hand rather than a hindering one in these operations."
Zabuza's eyes were wide in surprise, while Genma's own narrowed.
He knew that Zabuza had done nothing to make them doubt his loyalties... But he had been a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The only reason he did not have his sword with him at the moment was because it had been taken away when they had arrived at the village. Even though he had been more than cooperative ever since he had gotten to the village, there was still a small chance that he could turn on them.
Some of the kids liked him. Some of the kids didn't trust him. But while Genma did not mind him too much, there was still a bit of distrust because of who he happened to be.
"So..." Zabuza began after a moment of tense silence, glancing over at Genma for one shocked second before looking back at the eldest man in the room. "You want me to what? Play bodyguard?"
For some reason beyond the senbon enthusiast, the question had the man grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I would like you both to play as bodyguards. For me. To stay with me during the final stage of the exam, just to have extra eyes and ears making sure that nothing goes wrong during the proceedings." Then the man turned to Genma, "It is a fine paying job."
Genma wasn't as tight on money as he had been in the past. But the Hokage seemed to enjoy reminding him if his monetary problems at the most random of moments, seemingly rubbing in the fact that he had allowed himself to go without eating just to feed the kids.
"Old man..." Genma breathed out, but soon shook his head and decided to just accept to the job. Trying to talk the man out of his ideas was impossible. And if he actually trusted Zabuza enough to protect him, then there was no use trying to convince him otherwise. "I'm guessing this means you're going to giving him back his sword."
Upon hearing this, Zabuza quirked an eyebrow in interest. And the man merely nodded, only to add, "Just during the final phase of the Chunin Exams. Then it shall be confiscated once more, Genma."
The man couldn't help but roll his eyes at the elder, then turned to look at Zabuza. "What do you say?"
With an apathetic shrug of his shoulders, the larger male crossed his arms over his chest, "Not like I have any other choice. Haku likes your brats. Doing something to get us kicked out would not sit well with him."
But even with the air of disinterest he tried to keep around him, Genma could tell the man's brain was turning and that his interest had been piqued. He'd be able to fight once more, use his sword. He didn't have any reason to not be somewhat gladdened to hear this sudden news.
"Then it has been decided. Return to your apartment, then. And send my regards to the Chunin that are trying to stay away from their work." The Hokage offered a small wave as he moved to return his pipe to its place, only to finish with, "Also, would you be kind enough to remind Hayate that he has a job to do tomorrow and that he cannot stay awake all night?"
In the past, Genma would have been embarrassed about the Hokage knowing that all of the kids under his care were so prone to shirking their duties. But after years of having to deal with them and months of dealing with the genin trying to follow them, he just didn't care.
"Sure thing."
Sakura had once had beautiful long hair. Not as long as Ino's of course, she would never be able to get hers as long as her friend's. But it had been long enough that it reached a bit lower than the top of her shoulder blades and she had loved it with all of her heart.
But she had cut it off when she was eleven and began to truly take her training with Ebisu seriously. Sasuke had told her long hair wasn't really a good idea if she wanted to continue using fire style attacks. And Ebisu agreed that if she wanted to keep it long, then she would have to tie it up. So she'd tried tying it up into a ponytail like Ino's but ended up hating it. So she decided to cut it to a reasonable length- not as short as Hinata's, of course, but short enough. And she hadn't really minded it too much.
Keeping hair just above her shoulders was a lot easier than taking care of a longer length. She didn't have to brush it every single day to keep it nice and she only wound up having to wash it once in a week instead of the old three times.
Her mother had lamented the loss of her locks. But the woman had stopped whining about it once Ebisu had explained the reasons for it and agreed that, if it kept Sakura safe, then she could accept the decision.
In the Forest of Death, Sakura had seen how a girl with long hair had been grabbed harshly by it and forced into the ground. All because her hair was long and the tips had been grabbed by a boy bigger and stronger than her. With this sight stuck in her mind and the terrified genin's screams in her ears, Sakura was extremely grateful to both Sasuke and Ebisu for having convinced her to cut her hair. At least this way she would not risk someone grabbing her once she believed she was safe from them.
The first phase of the Chunin Exams had been interesting. Especially when they found Kotetsu and Izumo standing between them and a fake entrance that wasn't even their destination. If that was what they had looked like as kids, then Sakura could easily admit that they weren't the worst looking children she'd ever seen in her life.
After this, the man Ino insisted as to being one of the biggest pushovers she had ever met in her life had scared the crap out of just about everyone in the examination room. He was a large and burly man that was terrifying. And even though Sakura had seen him before, he was still pretty scary. Although Naruto didn't seem too scared of the heavily scarred man for some reason.
She had never wracked her brain so harshly before. And it proved to be for nothing in the end because the test scores didn't even matter. The proctor just wanted to test their ability to cheat without getting caught. And then Naruto went on a spiel about not giving up as his answer to the last and most daunting question.
They had all managed to pass. By some amazing miracle, all of her friends had managed to pass the first stage of the Chunin Exams and would be going together into the second stage.
As they had walked back to Genma's apartment to tell the man the good news, she and Ino had talked a little bit about the Exams and what they knew about them. Even though Ino didn't know too much, she knew more than Sakura when it came to the kind of things they may encounter as part of the exams because of her father. And after they had spoken a bit about probable challenges, Ino had made Sakura promise that, if it ever came down to having to choose between their teams or their friendships, they would both have to make the best decision possible. No hesitating. Just deciding.
Sakura had no idea what Ino might have meant with this. Was the blonde telling her that their friendship came first? Or that their teams did?
But she had not been able to ask the blonde what exactly she wanted them both to do if the time ever came during the exams. When they reached Genma's apartment, they all drifted off towards their own teams to be able to chat and plan. And Sakura had been pulled away by Sasuke asking her if she had all of her supplies ready for a fight, he wanted to be prepared for anything for the second stage.
~/~
Seeing that girl getting her hair pulled and then get brutally attacked on one of their first days in the Forest of Death had made Sakura grateful to having shorter hair. But never had she been any more grateful than when that snake like monster tried to grab at her, fingers missing by a mere centimeter.
If her hair had been any longer, she would have been grabbed. But it hadn't been. And because of that she and Sasuke had been able to team up to great a fireball large enough to knock the monster down for a few precious seconds.
Precious seconds that allowed for Naruto to create an innumerable amount of clones that then piled on top of the snake humanoid to allow them to escape.
Sakura had never been a big fan of the Forest of Death. But aside from the fact that her hair was now short, she was also grateful for Naruto's love for the place. Because of that love they were able to go through secret passages that were just about invisible if one didn't know where they were to be able to get away.
They hadn't been left without any injuries. She and Sasuke sported bruises around their necks from where the snake monster had wrapped around them to taunt Naruto with. And the blonde himself had an arm broken, having been foolish enough to try a desperate attack to make the man let them go.
As they panted inside of a dark hole underground, Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes. First she'd seen that girl with the long hair getting attacked... Now she had almost been killed by an insane monster...
She wasn't cut out for this...
"Sakura?"
Sasuke's voice broke through her cloudy mind like a ray of sunlight, the only thing that could comfort her.
She didn't speak as she looked over at him, desperately trying to keep her tears from spilling. But then she noticed that he had barely visible tear tracks trailing down his cheeks.
"We almost died. It's okay to cry."
And then she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder, offering warmth and strength. Foolish Naruto... So dumb... So brave... If it hadn't been for him, she and Sasuke would be dead at this point.
"We can all cry. Really. Farmer man says it's okay to be weak sometimes as long as we're strong when it counts."
And so Sakura wrapped one arm around the foolish blonde and another around the caring Uchiha, bringing them in so she could cry and hold them, make sure they were still alive and with them.
None of them had ever seen such brutality in their lives. Team 8 might have seen a lot over their short shinobi careers... But they had no idea that any human being could be so horribly depraved...
"Shh..." Kiba covered up Akamaru's muzzle as the dog began to whine all the while his body shivered in fear.
"Th-they a-a-already w-won..." Hinata herself was trembling like the pup, terror showing in her wide pale eyes.
"Why do they continue to attack?" Shino questioned in disgust, showing no signs of being affected by the sight before him other than his tone of voice.
Kiba didn't have an answer for the Aburame. He had no explanations for himself, even. All he knew was that he was seeing three genin from the new village, Otogakure, beating up and attacking in such a savage manner that it was hard to believe they were kids.
They had already gotten the scroll they needed. They were just brutalizing the team from the Hidden Waterfall for kicks.
What kind of monster did that?
"Just stay quiet."
Kiba turned to look at Shino with widened eyes, then narrowed them, "We have to help them."
"Not at all." Shino answered back without any intonations now in his voice... He was playing the heartless card on purpose. Kiba knew that this tone was forced. "We already have both our scrolls. And if they are not able to fight back, then they cannot become chunin."
"B-b-b-"
Hinata was too terrified to speak up. But Kiba wasn't. "The hell, Aburame?" He growled, keeping his voice a whisper just in case the bastards they were seeing were keeping their attention on their surroundings as they beat those kids into bloody pulps. "They need help!"
"This test is to prove the efficiency of teams." Shino crossed his arms then shifted his body so his back was resting against the foliage they were hiding behind. "They are not a good unit if they cannot protect themselves. Now we will wait until they leave, then we can continue on our way."
"No fuckin-"
"We might get killed if we try and save them."
Hinata's whisper was sudden and quick, leaving Kiba shocked that it had come from her. Then he looked over at the Hyuga, wondering if it really had been her to say it. Because it couldn't have been. She couldn't be agreeing with the bug jerk. She couldn't be agreeing with letting a team of genin die just to save their own hides. It wasn't her!
"Exactly." Shino breathed out heavily. "Get comfortable and stay quiet."
Kiba refused to sit down while he heard the genin from Waterfall screaming for mercy. Stubbornly, he kept his eyes trained on them and watched the attack as it degenerated into such unbelievable brutality that he refused to believe these people were human. He memorized the youngest girl's face until it was burned into his mind, the way she screamed at the bastards to stop killing her friends while she was held back by the least human-like of the Sound team.
"K-Ki-"
"Don't talk to me."
He kept his gaze locked on the girl with the mint green hair as tears streamed down her cheeks and her voice was rendered useless from the way she screamed herself raw.
Once the bastards left, Kiba rushed to the fallen genin and did his best to heal them on his own. He refused to accept any of Hinata's help as he wrapped up the stout boy's wounds in a crude manner- he had seen this kid. He'd cracked a bad joke about these exams being like mothers or aunts or something and it had been so bad that Kiba had laughed.
The girl with the mint green hair was knocked unconscious. She had been allowed to walk away with the least amount of injuries, even though Kiba knew her arms and some ribs were broken. As he did what he could, Kiba swore he saw one of her eyes open. But when he finished and checked, both her eyes were closed and she was still as unconscious as she had been when he'd started.
After he'd finished, Hinata rushed up to do what she could. She tried to apologize, but Kiba refused to listen to him.
They had been cowards.
Shino did nothing.
The bastard.
(Shino didn't tell his teammates but he did do something. He sent one of his bugs after Anko and led her and Tonbo to the fallen teenagers so they could be helped. But he didn't tell Kiba. The other boy was much too angered with their decisions to listen to reason. He'd tell him later on, though. He would make sure of it.)
They had all managed to pass the Chunin Exams' second phase. All of Genma's kids stood in the tower after having acquired the scrolls they needed to pass onto the third stage.
They were all tired. Some more scared than others. A few much too traumatized by the things they had seen.
Then they were told that before they were allowed to return to their homes, they would have to fight each other to qualify for the final round.
Forced up onto stands to watch exhausted genin fighting one another, all of Konoha's teams had seemed changed.
Their teachers all knew it was odd that they hadn't gravitated over to one another to compare notes while the first contestants were chosen. But immediately they knew the reason why.
The Forest of Death had done its job.
Hayate watched Sasuke's body as he fought and couldn't help but feel proud at how far the Uchiha had come from the days after the Uchiha massacre.
He wasn't as angry or scared as before. He still held those two emotions within him, but they were pushed to the back of his being because of the loving and forceful hand his friends used.
Fighting Yoroi had not been easy for him. Not being able to use chakra would make any shinobi falter, no matter how great. But the kid took it all like a champ and used amazing taijutsu moves that even Kakashi seemed to be proud of.
He was proud to call Sasuke the first winner of the preliminary rounds.
~/~
The following fight had Hayate wondering just why Kotetsu insisted on Shino being an adorable little shit.
Personally, the Aburame Clan had always freaked him out. He wasn't a fan of bugs.
Shino proved his intelligence and strategic mind during the fight, managing to outsmart a much too confident opponent.
The process was crude and violent. But the results were worthwhile. The Aburame won, beating the first of the Otogakure genin to participate in this round.
Although, if he was being honest, the thing that impacted Hayate the most about this victory wasn't the Aburame's methods. It was a typical clan approach: find a problem, fix it. No, what hit Hayate hard was the fact that when he looked up at the stands to look at the rest of the genin, he found Kiba smiling like a madman and Hinata with a glint of pride in her eyes that had no right to be there.
He'd need to have a talk with Kotetsu later on to find out just what, exactly, was cute about these budding psychopaths.
~/~
The following match was between a Konoha nin he did not know and a Sand nin he'd seen in Genma's apartment a couple of times before.
It was quick, brutal, and made Hayate wonder if a world in which kids were brutally hurting one another was a world worth living in.
Then he remembered the kinds of things he had done at that age and decided that these acts were quite literal child's play. He'd done much worse at a much younger age.
This was just their truth.
~/~
He had stepped aside to allow Ibiki to mediate Sakura's match. Even though he believed he could do his job without letting his emotions get in the way, he didn't want to risk it.
Sakura had grown on him after years of crushing on him. She was a kid that had latched onto his heart and refused to let go. And the fact that it was Ino she was fighting, another girl that had burrowed her way into his life, didn't help at all. But Ibiki had known that this might happen and had stayed nearby to mediate if Hayate decided he wasn't fit for the job.
And as the two girls had fought, Hayate knew he had made the correct decision.
Ino's risk to make Sakura forfeit... Sakura's own fire style jutsu that threatened to leave the blonde with many dangerous burns... Ino's harsh insults that were meant to cut... Sakura's harsh fists that were meant to bruise... Both girls were in it to win. And he had thought of jumping in the moment Sakura had raised her hand, declaring Ino the winner.
But Ibiki had stayed his pace. And Sakura had managed to push Ino out of her mind and create a fire wall that turned into four that surrounded the Yamanaka.
Ino didn't forfeit. She refused to give up. But after a few minutes of not a single sound from the girl, Sakura released the jutsu and allowed the blonde's unconscious body to be found.
Her smile was proud and tired and deserved to be just that. She had just managed to join Sasuke on the road of becoming Chunin.
~/~
Tenten never stood a chance against the fan user.
It was a shame that Maen had lost the bet. He'd really regret agreeing to Tonbo's rules later when he found out.
~/~
Shikamaru's match against the Sound ninja was interesting. For a moment, he actually looked like he might be in trouble. Only for his Nara intelligence to get him a victory.
Those Nara members were too damned smart.
~/~
Naruto and Kiba... That match had almost gotten out of control. What had started off as an amicable spur built up into an explosive trading of blows that surprised the people that knew just how good the friends could be.
Kiba was angry over something. Naruto refused to give up. And the two good friends decided to throw all caution to the wind in what almost devolved into a forbidden jutsu match. Their clashing dispositions caused them to became dangers to each other.
Naruto's shadow clones versus Kiba's... Well, Hayate wasn't sure. The kid wasn't allowed to finish his summoning. The second Kurenai saw just what the hand signs Kiba was making were for, the woman jumped down and interrupted the match. She grabbed Kiba by both his wrists harshly, leaving everyone in the room shocked that she had dared get in the way.
"As Kiba Inuzuka's teacher, I say that he has finished his time in the Chunin Exams. Naruto wins."
"What!? Kurenai Sensei-"
But they both disappeared quickly, taken away by Kurenai in a speedy gust.
Hayate quirked an eyebrow over at Ibiki who merely nodded and motioned for the panting Naruto to dispel his clones.
"Guess we have a winner then..."
~/~
As if suddenly having a teacher step in to stop a fight hadn't made this round of fighting interesting enough, the next two contestants wound up being Hinata and Neji.
Sometimes, life was just unfair.
But both Hyuga kids stepped up to the ring with confidence and determination clear in their body language.
"Don't take it easy on me, Neji-nii-san."
"Of course, Lady Hinata. Do not be afraid of hurting me."
The consequent clashing of fists was spectacular. Like a deadly dance, both Hyugas fought in their clan's unique and (to his eyes) beautiful technique. They seemed to have been evenly matched to Hayate's eyes in the beginning. But suddenly Hinata jumped away with a huff of irritation and glared at her cousin.
Hinata glared at Neji.
This day had just been full of surprises.
"I am not a ch-child, Neji-nii-san!" She growled, "Fight me like a real e-enemy!"
Neji scowled, apparently bothered by this. Then he sighed heavily and nodded, "If you wish."
Hinata showed great determination and courage as she faced her cousin as he fought to win. She refused to give up, even when she had been beaten into the ground. But Hayate could tell it hurt Neji to have to continue hitting her even when the winner of the match was so clear.
So he stepped in and stopped before Hinata injured herself too badly.
Neji visibly relaxed with this and while many might think it was because of his victory, Hayate knew it was because he would not have to continue hurting his cherished cousin.
~/~
Rock Lee's match against Gaara had been mostly one-sided. Hayate hated the fact that the kid that had trained his ass off to get to where he was ended up facing such a powerful foe, but was allowed some reprieve in knowing that Gaara didn't use any brutal tactics like his brother or Shino had shown.
He wrapped Lee up in a sand cocoon for a few minutes, then let it fall to reveal the unconscious form of the green clad genin.
A simple and uneventful match. A welcome change from the explosive fights they had just seen before from the Leaf candidates.
~/~
And the last match was (unfortunately) quick.
Dosu Kinuta wound up being the only member of his team to pass into the final rounds. Much like Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru. Oddly enough, all of Team 7 had passed. Just like Team Baki.
Hayate was grateful that all of the fighting had ended, though, and he would be able to finally get some sleep.
It's a shame he'd have to explain how everything had gone down for the friends that would refuse to believe that their picks for winning had lost.
They had a whole month to train and get stronger.
The first week of that month found Genma's apartment filled to the brim with people. After having finished up with the second phase of the Exams, most of the kids just wanted to relax a bit to be able to continue with their lives.
Although... There was one kid that didn't show his face during that week.
Even though Shino and Hinata appeared every now and then to spend time with their friends, not once had Genma seen Kiba. The kid hadn't even tried to wrestle his way into his home through the boys' bedroom, causing a racket that would make Zabuza growl about cutting his and the kids up as revenge.
Ino and Sakura weren't talking to each other either. And, really, he couldn't blame them. From what Hayate had told him, Ino had said some pretty mean things to get Sakura to fight. But he knew, for a fact, that the blonde had said those things to get Sakura to give it her all.
Before the insults, Sakura had been shy with her attacks, seemingly unsure if she should fight her friend. But after she'd given it her all, just like Ino most probably had wanted her to do.
A fight wasn't worth fighting if one of the participants was pulling their punches.
He didn't hear anything from Kurenai during that first week either. Usually she'd at least drop by once or twice during the week so they could chat and catch up on life while the kids ran amok and drove the chunin insane. But he hadn't seen hide nor hair from her.
When Jiraiya chose to finally come around to take some kind of responsibility over Naruto, Genma couldn't help but feel extremely angered towards the man.
When the village had lost Minato, they both had lost someone important to them. Sure, Minato had not been his genin squad's teacher; that had been Chouza. But that didn't mean that his bond with the Namikaze had been any less. And Jiraiya had, in his eyes, chosen the coward's way out.
When things got rough, the man had left the village. Just like the rest of his lousy teammates.
The great Sannin were one of the biggest disappointments Konoha had ever produced in Genma's eyes.
He'd heard the man before he'd seen him.
As he returned home from yet another tough day at T&I, all Genma had wanted was to get home, hear all about Team 7's joint training with Kakashi and Ebisu, maybe listen to Zabuza grouch a bit about having to deal with so many hyperactive brats, and eat a warm dinner.
What he got was Zabuza glaring at him as he pushed him into the apartment, telling him to get rid of the pervert before he did something drastic.
At first he'd been confused about what the man might mean. But then he had heard Jiraiya's unmistakable voice, louder and more obnoxious than what he'd remembered it could be, and Genma had forgotten all about wanting a relaxing evening in.
"What's going on here?"
In his living room, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Haku sat on his couch. They were all watching Jiraiya in intrigue, the man moving from one side of the room to another as he retold one of his many adventures. But when Genma walked in and interrupted the tale, they all turned to him.
The kids were all glad to see him, most probably because they would get dinner now. The man just smiled like a doofus... He had no right to seem so carefree.
"Ah, Shiranui-kun! You've grown up."
Genma glared at him as his teeth clinked harshly against his senbon, then he grunted, "What are you doing in my apartment?"
If Jiraiya noticed how cold the other man was being, he didn't react to it. Instead he kept up a pleasant disposition, "Young Naruto told me that you make some of the best food in the village. And after much negotiating, that is the last price he must pay for me to teach him."
For a second, Genma was so angry that he wasn't able to breathe.
The bastard... He abandoned the village, abandoned Naruto, and now he thought he could waltz back in and ask him for food?
Minato had been a fool. This man wasn't great. He was a pariah.
"Not happening." He growled, then looked at the kids. "All of you, into the boys' room."
Naruto immediately wanted to argue. But Haku hushed him and stood up, pulling him behind him before the blonde could say anything that would anger Genma further. Sasuke and Sakura looked at Genma with shock and confusion clear on their faces before they too followed, leaving Genma with only Jiraiya in the living room. Zabuza was skulking around the doorway still.
Jiraiya's face morphed into one of confusion before he sobered up and became serious, losing any kind of relaxed features. "Genma-"
"I don't want to hear it." The man interrupted, "Naruto's under my care now. You had your chance. I don't want you anywhere near him."
"It's for his own good." The white haired man crossed his arms over his chest with a heavy frown on his face. "Minato would-"
"Don't tell me what Minato would have liked!" Genma suddenly shouted, losing control of his temper. "You left the village. You left him. And I refuse to let you fill his head up with any sort of crazy delusions you've made yourself believe!"
As part of the Hokage Protection Squad, Genma had heard a few of Jiraiya's worries. Some that had sounded believable. Others that had been so farfetched, Genma still couldn't believe a man as intelligent and cultured as him believed them.
"He needs to be able to protect himself." Jiraiya tried to explain himself, and Genma allowed him to speak. Not because he wanted to hear it. But because he was thinking up of the least violent way to get the man away from his kids and his home. "I can teach him everything he needs to know. And with the kinds of things that are going on in the world, he needs all the help he can get."
"He already has enough of that." Genma hissed, then stepped forward to place himself directly in the taller man's personal space. "Do you know what the villagers did to him after you left? What they would have done if the Hokage hadn't watched out for him?"
The man's lips pressed into an even grimmer frown. He did not answer. And that was all that Genma needed.
"I want you to leave my home right now. Sannin or not, I'm still the owner of this apartment and I'll kick your ass if you don't do as I say."
Behind him he heard Zabuza walk up to them. And when he looked over his shoulder, Genma found that Zabuza stood behind him with his arms crossed, presenting an imposing image.
Jiraiya looked at Zabuza for a moment before breathing out, "He needs-"
"I think I know what Naruto needs." Genma didn't want to hear Jiraiya speak anymore. "I've been taking care of him for just about all of his life now."
Then Zabuza spoke up, "I believe your company is not wanted here, Toad."
"I believe so too." Jiraiya's eyes never strayed from Genma's as he said this, then he finally took his leave.
Once the door had closed behind him, Genma released a breath of air he didn't know he had held. For a second he just stood there, reliving the conversation he had just had over and over again.
He knew this would cause some trouble with Naruto... The kid grew attached way too quickly... But Genma refused to let Jiraiya into his life. Just like him, the man had abandoned Naruto as a child. But unlike him, he hadn't come to his senses and helped the kid when he'd actually needed it.
Naruto had dozens of shinobi around him that were willing to teach him if he asked them. He didn't need Jiraiya.
"You okay?"
Zabuza's voice was uncharacteristically gentle when he spoke up, and it made Genma smile. With this smile he noticed just how tightly he had been biting onto his senbon and winced. His mouth would be hurting later on because of that.
"Yeah... Thanks." He breathed out, then turned to the other man. He knew that he would undoubtedly have some questions. Just like the kids. But right now all Genma wanted was to relax a little bit. "Dinner?"
For a moment, Zabuza didn't say anything. He just looked at Genma, face much too unreadable because of the mask he'd managed to snag from Kakashi a couple of weeks ago. But then he nodded and began to walk over to the couch, then threw himself down on it.
"Cook for you for once. We'll eat anything you like."
The answer had Genma smiling softly, even with the knot that was beginning to form in his stomach.
It was nice to know that Zabuza could grow soft spots.
During the second week after the second phase of the Exams, Genma finally found out where it was that Kiba had gone. And why Kurenai hadn't shown up in a while.
One morning as he tried to keep Kotetsu from teaching curse words from Hanabi (the girl was free from school that Monday and Hiashi had left her with Genma, knowing that Ibiki would give him this day off as well) and wash the plates from an impromptu sleepover thrown by Team 7 and Haku, both Kurenai and Kiba entered his home without knocking.
Because of their absence, Genma would have thought that when he'd see them again, they would seem different. But they both seemed the same, just with bags underneath their eyes.
"Kiba-kun!" Hanabi jumped down from her chair with a broad smile as she ran up to the Inuzuka, only to jump into his arms when he opened them.
She liked Kiba a lot. Iwashi said it was because he was like another cool brother to look up to. Kurenai believed it was because she had a small crush on him. And Genma was just happy that when Hinata or Shino weren't anywhere to be found, Hanabi was the one to keep Kiba from being too stupid.
"Hey, Hanabi-chan!" He spun her around for a moment before setting her down to ruffle her hair. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" Then he looked up at the couch to find Kotetsu grinning and waving at him, "And shouldn't you be at work?"
"Day off, dude." Kotetsu answered as he stopped waving to cross his arms behind his head and lean on them. "Where have you two been? Haven't seen you recently."
The look that came onto Kiba's face was one Genma knew well. It was his 'I did something really bad and don't want to admit to it' face.
"We've been training." Kurenai answered after a few seconds of his silence, then asked, "Kotetsu, would you mind taking Hanabi down to the park? I am sure she wants to get some fresh air with you."
"But I-" Kotetsu was about to tell her no when Genma spit his senbon over at him. And the spiky haired man jumped when the metal lodged itself into the wall beside him, then quickly ran to scoop Hanabi up. "You got it!"
He'd have to hear a scolding from Shino for that later. But right now, Genma wanted to know just what was up with Kiba and Kurenai.
Once the door had shut behind Kotetsu and Hanabi, Genma turned to them both and asked, "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah." Kurenai answered with a heavy sigh as she walked up to the kitchen, only to sit at the counter.
Genma continued to wash the plates as Kiba accommodated himself beside the woman, silently letting them know that he would listen to them.
Kiba had always been a rather talkative person. Even when he felt bad, he spoke. So hearing him so silent now scared the man. But, luckily enough, his nature soon showed itself once more.
"Kurenai Sensei tells me that you and your team almost died during your Chunin Exams." Kiba muttered, making Genma freeze for a moment. But he didn't stop to watch the man's reaction and instead continued. "We didn't almost die. But I saw three kids getting beaten to death by the kids from Sound."
Genma quirked an eyebrow over at Kurenai at this, completely confused as to why he was telling him this. The woman just smiled sadly and explained, "During his fight with Naruto, Kiba was angry and almost committed a fatal mistake. The reason why you have not seen either of us is because we have been training day and night to get Kiba to learn and improve."
Kiba sighed and hung his head, "When Naruto, Tenten, and I got our hand on the Scroll of Seals, I took pictures of some of the jutsu that sounded cool and wouldn't kill me instantly... One of them was a summoning jutsu. During my fight with Naruto, I was going to use it when Kurenai Sensei stopped me."
Quite frankly, Genma wanted to know the whole story in more depth. Wanted to understand the fractured stories they were each telling. But he smiled softly and put down the cup he had been washing so he could dry his hands. Then he walked up to Kiba and hugged him, immediately getting the kid to hug him back.
"I could have kill him..." Kiba whispered, which made Genma tighten his grip on the kid.
"But Kurenai was there to stop you. And now you know better than to use that jutsu."
"Well, not really."
Kurenai's words made Genma look at her in confusion. Then she shrugged, "Kid already signed that contract. He can summon whenever he wants. The reason why we were so busy last week was because of intense training to make Kiba strong enough to be able to summon them without losing control."
With a small frown, Genma didn't let go of his grip on the kid. He wasn't trembling, but he wasn't letting go either. And as long as Kiba needed him to hug him, Genma would stay. "You're not making any sense."
"I'll explain everything in more detail over drinks. But for that;" The woman then shifted her gaze so she was looking on the Inuzuka in his arms, "You know what you need to do, Kiba."
"Yeah..." His voice was muffled by Genma's chest, making his heart suddenly wrench at the memory of a much younger Kiba doing the exact same thing after having accidentally destroyed his sister's homework and having sought comfort from him. "I'll go find them in a sec..."
A sec wound up being ten minutes, but Genma didn't really mind. Because even though Kiba left the apartment with a deep frown, he left it without the guilty look within his eyes.
~/~
Kurenai then explained everything that had happened. Just what the summons contract entailed, the creatures that were released and the power they brought, and how Kiba could have gotten Naruto and himself killed during the Exams if he'd managed to call them successfully.
She had spent the last week teaching him everything he needed to know about the creatures to keep them under control. And then she'd begun to help him hone his control on his chakra, as well as learning new techniques.
Kiba's learning had suddenly taken a new curve that Kurenai wasn't sure if she was able to fulfill. She also needed to spend time with Shino to prepare him for the Chunin Exams and Hinata to get her stronger. Her team was good, but was proving that their needs might be too great for her to truly get them to where she knew they could get.
Oh, and Kiba apparently knew the basics of more than just one forbidden techniques. All which he'd managed to snag from the Scroll of Seals without anyone even wondering about. And then he'd managed to sign a contract with no one wondering about it. Even though they had all seen the odd smoke coming from the Inuzuka Compound a couple of months ago.
How these kids were able to get into these kinds of situations, Genma would never know or understand.
~/~
But at least when Kiba returned to the apartment, he did so with a smile. Naruto followed in after him, laughing haughtily. And then Sakura and (much to Genma's surprise) Ino walked in, arms locked together as they whispered about something or another.
So both of the major worries he'd suffered because of the Chunin Exams had managed to resolve themselves... That was good. Now all he had to worry about was keeping Jiraiya the hell away from Naruto.
A feat that, from what he'd heard from a little bird named Kotetsu, would be more difficult than it should be.
If only Naruto wasn't so easily impressed by showy jutsu...
..~..~..
No matter what he may say, Genma really does love his kids... He just doesn't like the way they make him care so much.
I know the wait was long, but at least I'm continuing with the story! I'm planning a couple more chapters to complete it. Then I'll write a sequel dealing with Shippuden age. Or not. It's still all up in the air at this point.
Please review! Make me smile like I've (hopefully) made you smile!