Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z.

Notes: Thanks to all for the reviews and support.

I know i haven't updated in a long while due to Uni stuff going on etc, but i finally got another chapter up. Yay!

And yes the pig's name is TonTon, sorry about that.

Dialogue:

"talking" - normal speech

'In italics' - thoughts

: Flashback :

Jounin Exams - Part 1

12 Shinobi from the Leaf gathered just inside the entrance of the exam building. Around them stood other Chuunin ranked Ninja from their own Village and others. Surprisingly, there weren't that many taking the exam compared to that of the Chuunin assesment. Only 2 other Leaf teams besides them were present accompanied by 3 sets of Sand Ninja, 2 Mist, a single Waterfall and Rain team. The 12 had been there for roughly 15 minutes already in anticipation of the first test.

"... and so we completed our 6th A ranked mission with Kurenia-sensei!" The red marked male shouted as he patted his dog, Akamaru, who had now stood at half the height of him.

Hinata gave a small smile, "Yes, it was indeed tough, but we worked through it as a team." Shino stood just behind the two and gave a trademark nod. The rest of the group congratulated their friends on another successful mission. "So what do you think of the competition?" she added.

Sakura smiled, turning to face her fellow Kunoichi, "Not too bad, it could be worse. The Sand look like they maybe quite tough aswell as that Rain team over their, other than that i don't think there's much too worry about. What do you guys think?"

Lee perked his head up and spoke, "Hey, have any of you come across the Grass Ninja yet?" He asked, addressing Kakashi's and Kurenia's teams. After a moment of thought, all shook their heads but Sakura.

"Yeah, i saw them when they first came to sign in for the Jounin assessment at the Hokage Tower." she started. "I went into Tsunade-sama's office to bring her the next batch of paperwork for her to complete and there they were. Why, is there a problem?" the pink haired girl questioned. The others who had not been aware of any Grass Ninja till now leaned in slightly with curiosity.

"If this exam involves anything like the second part of the Chuunin assessment, whatever you do, try and keep away from them at all times. They're extremely dangerous, at least in Taijutsu." He stated with heavy caution.

Sai raised an eyebrow, "Taijutsu? But the Grass aren't even that adept in Hand to Hand combat. They rely on Ninjutsu more than anything else." he declared with a hint of experience in his voice.

"Well, two day's ago i challenged one of them to a Taijutsu match since he disrespected Gai-sensei!" Lee explained. Everyone rolled their eyes knowing the slightest insult to Maito Gai set him off, "He accepted and we began. However, i was overconfident and severely underestimated him. My best attacks didn't even faze, let alone hit him and he was able to defeat me in a single blow!" Distressed the green spandex wearing Chuunin, bowing his head in defeat.

A mix of disbelief washed through each of those that hadn't witnessed it. When they saw the others who had watched the fight nod their heads with slight fear in their eyes, the 6 Leaf were shocked.

"What! That's impossible you're the fastest of us all and you lost to the guy in your special area!" Kiba announced.

Zak, Sakura's newest team-mate after Sai, too couldn't believe it, "Hey, I'm still the new guy here an' all, but even i know that you're the fastest of all the Chuunins in the Leaf. When i saw you and Gai-sensei train a few months back i couldn't even trace your movements, its not possible for another of Chuunin level to match you in speed!" He exasperated, now a little worried.

"Gai-sensei is the fastest person in all of Konoha and no doubt one of the quickest in all the Countries!" Lee boasted with a youth of passion. "But even he was amazed at the Grass Ninja's speed and couldn't keep up with him. Right now, Hokage-sama has instructed two ANBU to watch them during the exam." Lee retorted.

Neji, who had been silent through the whole conversation took a small step forward and unfolded his arms, "It is true. Even with the use of the Byakugan, i could not follow his movements. However when i looked at them before the fight began i saw something that shocked even Hokage-sama." he added.

"What is it?" Sakura asked nervously.

Ino cut in before him, "The chakra amount in their bodies. From what Neji described it's non-existent compared to that of a normal Shinobi!"

Hinata was the most suprised as this new revelation stunned the others even more. "Do we know anything about them? What are their names, we may have heard of the in our travels." She inquired.

"Theres only 2 of them on the team." replied the laziest of the group, hoping with every fibber in his body that this exam wasn't going to be as troublesome as he knew it would be. "The leader of the two is named Teliac and the other is called Inuzu, who fought Lee."

Not having heard the names before, Kiba flung his arms to the air in anger, "What! I thought that Chuunins from each country could only enter with 3 to a team in this exam?"

"Yeah, but like i told Ino, Hokage-sama also said that if special circumstances came up then a team could be enter with less members if they still wished to participate. Was i the only one listening at the time?" The tubbiest responded.

Sai chuckled happily, "I'm surprised you were listening at all, i only ever see you ea-" he was quickly cut in and stopped by Sakura and Ino, covering the art ninja's mouth.

"What Sai means is that... you're.. eh.. great... yeah great at taking in key details, right Sai." Sakura said and he nodded dumbly before they released him.

"Well, whatever their 'case' maybe, they're dangerous, so be careful." Lee summed up as the rest agreed.

At that moment the 2 Grass Shinobi walked through exam door and into the building. All eyes from every team turned and gazed upon them as they looked around, inspecting the room full of Ninja. Gohan had been dreading something like this and a mix of frustration and annoyance showed as he turned to the 'Henged' Naruto who was smiling away with delight. The Z warrior knew this was the tip of the iceberg and that somehow, his best friend would always managed to land them in these types of situations from the first time they'd met. "Look what you've done Naruto." he whispered, "Now everyone is going to be suspicious of us through this whole thing! I can't believe you talked me into this." Gohan frowned.

"Oh come on Gohan, we're just getting to the fun part. I want to see how everyone's changed and 'hopefully' progressed since i last saw them. Plus, i think a little revenge on these pieces of trash for isolating and treating me like shit all those years wouldn't go a miss." He replied slowly spinning to his now stricken friend. "You know i won't hurt them too much, i just want to show them how foolish and uncaring they've been."

Still sceptical, Gohan new his brother in spirit had a valid point. The way Naruto had relayed how they; his so called closest friends and the whole village, had done nothing but hurt and abuse him his whole life. True, the Kyuubi had been the sole reason for this and after Naruto had told him how it destroyed Konoha along with over half the population, the Yondaime Hokage had sealed it into him. Naruto never knew why the man had chosen him and had had to live with it his whole life. It was easy to see how people blamed the one thing that imprisoned it the so called 'Demon Fox'. However, anyone with half a brain could see that the young blonde wasn't the 'Demon' that everyone thought of him as. Fortunately, with that being said, it wasn't the case anymore, he'd personaly seen to that...

The doors at the end of the room slowly opened revealing a group of people coming through. All the Chuunin Ninjas in the room turned to find the Gondaime Hokage of the Leaf leading out Jounin examiners. They walked over to a small stage that lifted them above the crowd that had gathered before them. Tsunade stepped forward onto it and took a deep breath.

"Welcome to the Konoha Jounin exams! I am glad to still see many from different countries are still able to participate in this time of war between nations." she spoke as her eyes swept over the Ninjas below her, finally resting her gaze on the two Grass Ninja. Tsunade narrowed them quickly before returning to her glances. A small smirk crept up on Naruto's face. "In this exam there are 3 sections you must clear in order to become a Jounin of your respective country. If you fail at the first then you will be out and asked to stay in Konoha until the remaining have completed the exam. Only 4 of you will become Jounins after this." She declared, hitting home the seriousness of the exam.

'Simple enough, most likely each section will test attributes of a Chuunin to show that they are ready to advance or not.' Naruto thought.

"For the first exam, each team has been selected an Instructor." The Hokage said glancing at the Jounins beside her. "They will now come to you and lead to a separate training field. Good luck to all!" she ended and stepped off the stand. With that, the Jounin Instructors behind her came forward and approached each team. The duo inspected the one they had been given as he came closer. He was not that much taller than Gohan and had dark brown hair that extended of the sides of his face. He wore the trademark Jounin Leaf vest and had the usual bluey-black fully clothed undergarments. A few scars could be seen across his face and as he came closer the two observed the cold stares he was imparting to them.

Finally, he stood before the two companions. "I'm Reikar, your examiner for the first part of the test. You two! Follow me!" he spat with malice in his voice. Raising an eyebrow, Naruto held back both the urge to laugh or just put him out of his misery. He couldn't decide between the two. Gohan on the other hand was baffled. What had they done to this guy to make him so mean towards them? Shrugging to themselves, they followed the Instructor out of the building infront and behind other teams. Separating the from the others, the younger of the two friends saw his ex-team-mate along with the other 9 he had known once ago looking at him suspiciously. Two of them he hadn't seen before. Figuring they were Sakura's new team-mates he chuckled and gave them a dark smile, rotating away to follow the examiner with Gohan. The teams from the Leaf narrowed their eyes before they too parted ways.

After a short period of walking they eventually ended up at a Training field just off the outskirts of the forest. Knowing that what he had planned would surely send the 'vermin' that stood before him back to their evil Village, the Jounin instructor turned to meet them face to face. "For the first part of the exam, you two are to both perform same Jutsu that i ask of you to show that, being a Chuunin, you have a good general knowledge of Jutsus. Plus, this can be anything i ask of you, whether it be Taijutsu, Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." He explained. Reikar smiled as he saw the expressions on the Grass Ninja, confident his plan had already succeeded.

Naruto's eyes widened, 'Oh crap, i didn't think there would be anything like this! I suppose it's an accurate test in showing a Ninja's Jutsus practically, but since i only know a handful in Ninjutsu and absolutely zero in Genjutsu, its not likely we'll pass. This isn't good!' Beside him Gohan was thinking along the same lines. Though he knew tons of Taijutsu, from what he had seen the styles were completely different. The one Naruto had first used when they sparred was unknown to him then and he would most likely not be able to perform any of the ones these people knew, let alone even think about attempting any Ninjutsus or Genjutsus.

Though he hated Grass Ninja for what they had done to his fellow comrades in the past, Reikar didn't know what to think of the two that stood before him. The Hokage had stated that they were dangerous and had dispatched two ANBU to watch them throughout the exam. In his eyes, either they were extremely talented to enter as a two man team instead of three, or they were just plain dumb. Since a Shinobi should expect the unexpected, he decided to go with the former, for now. 'In any case, it doesn't matter, they won't be here very long.' he thought. The rules stated that the examiner had to make them perform a Chuunin to low level Jounin techniques with most examiners asking for one of mid to high level Chuunin. However there was a clear loophole that could be exploited and had been from time to time in the past when this assessment had been used before. Nowhere did it state that the Jutsu must not be a forbidden one, or one that the home village had created and was more likely to know. He had the perfect one in mind.

"You two are to do the Kage Bushin no Jutsu and create 10 Kage Bushins each." he said with a grin, hands at his sides.

With a quick glance the two couldn't believe their luck. Neither arguing or replying, instead Naruto and Gohan both performed the seal in the intention of showing that they needed to put some effort into the Jutsu, and suddenly 20 Kage Bushins 'poofed' into existence behind them. The clones started running around some taking up fighting stances and sparing with others, proving that they were indeed solid copies. The jutsu was one of the very few Naruto knew and had taught to Gohan.

The Jounin examiner along with the two ANBU hidden in the trees were truly shocked. It wasn't possible for Chuunins from other countries to know that Jutsu unless they had seen it before and studied it from the forbidden scrolls in the Hokage Tower, let alone most Chuunins from the Leaf. Enraged his plan had failed, Reikar had to accept that they had passed the test. If he made them do another he would most likely get into trouble with the Hokage since they could report the incident after knowing the rules.

He cursed himself for not anticipating this turn of events in the first place. He was so confident his plan would work that there was no need for a contingency plan. The two infront gave him sheepish smiles as he grunted in annoyance and they dispelled the clones. After the surprise he had just witnessed, Reikar could tell that they were indeed strong and it wouldn't be a wise option to go any further, especially with the watching ANBU keeping tabs which Tsunade had placed on them.

"Ok, you have passed the first part of the test, you are to report to the exam office in one hour to receive the next section of the exam." he ended by brushing past them and walking off to the Hokage Tower to inform her of the results.

When he was out of hearing range they breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That was close, we were lucky that he asked us to perform that Jutsu. That guy would probably know loads of Jutsus since he's an examiner, i wonder why he made us do that one?" Gohan questioned.

"Heh, who knows, just don't think about it. We got lucky, it never hurts to have some now and then as we both know." he said receiving a small smile from his friend. "In any case, want to grab a bite to eat before we have to go back?"

"Sure, lead the way." the dark black haired teen responded as they walked back to the village.

After an hour or so had past, the two warriors made their way back to the exam building. Stepping inside, they found the room to contain the same number of Ninja from the last time and furthermore, they had all gathered in roughly the same places.

Naruto paused for a minute after catching a few glares from his old team-mates and others. 'Huh, déjà-vu? How did everyone else manage to stay in? If they had been given a Jounin level Technique to do like we did, then there's no way everyone would have passed. Especially since it was a forbidden one at that. Hmm, i sense a bit of rule bending going on here. Oh well, i guess whatever it was worked in our favour.' ending his trail of thought with a smirk.

Over on the other side, the 12 from the Leaf were stunned to find the Grass Ninja walking through the door. From what Neji had seen and told them it was impossible for the two Shinobi to still be here, unless they had been given Taijutsu to perform. Apart from that, there was no way that they could have passed the first test.

"Hey, i thought you said those two couldn't pull off any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't understand, Lee was able to pass since he is a special case from the rest of us because his speed, stamina and strength make up for his lack of Ninjutsu and Genjustu. Also partially because this test is in Konoha and he is a Leaf Ninja." he explained, "However, it is not possible for those two since they have little to no chakra and they would not have been allowed Lee's treatment."

Kiba huffed in annoyance, "Whatever, i'm sure they just got lucky."

The door in the corner once again opened and Tsunade came out, followed by the Jounin examiners. She stood on the small platform overlooking the Ninja before her and smiled at all the Leaf Shinobi. "Well done to all for passing the first test!" the old woman beamed. "However, the 2nd part of the exam will be more difficult. Each team has been assigned an A rank mission from their own respective country that does not conflict with the host nation, in this case; the Leaf."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, 'So, this one is to test teamwork and leadership skills eh? I wonder what the Grass wants us to do. The quicker we get it done the quicker we'll be back. I hope it doesn't involve killing innocents, not that i wouldn't mind taking out some Ninja from an enemy nation. Meh, killing a few of these heartless bitches wouldn't go amiss either.'

The Hokage finally continued, "Before you take this mission you are to first accept it by signing these documents." as she waved them in her hand, "By doing so it will ensure that we; Konoha, are not responsible, nor accountable for your safety for the rest of the exam."

The two companions noted a stiffening of a few in the room. Giving each other a quick glance and nod, they immediately walked over and wrote down their 'borrowed' names on the sheet of paper. Finishing, they saw the glares everyone one in the room was giving them. Holding back another laugh, Naruto walked to his previous position with Gohan trailing and rubbing the back of his neck. 'Kuso, why do they keep looking at me, what did i do now?' the older teen thought.

After all other Chuunins had finished with the paperwork; Tsunade cleared her throat once more and addressed the small crowd again, "Your previous instructors will now give you your assignments. For an A rank mission in this test, you will have exactly 1 week to complete the given objective. The time will begin from the moment you are handed the information. Once again, i wish you all he very best of luck." with that she stepped off the small stage and made her way back into the room from where she came.

Reikar slowly walked to them. He appeared to be resisting the urge to attack the two posing Grass Ninja and instead threw the folder of information at them aiming for Gohan's head. A normal person wouldn't have been able to react in time, but being Gohan he caught the collection of data between his index and middle finger in the blink of an eye, just before it came into contact with his face. As he brought it down, the Jounin's and everyone else's eyes widened and jaws dropped in shock at how fast he caught it. Naruto tried his hardest to keep a serious face. Flashing a smile the Z warrior spoke "Hey, thanks for this." as he gently waffed it about.

"Ugh... s-sure... kid." Reikar mumbled still in awe. He quickly made his way to the door to follow Tsunade.

Turning around the tall teen opened it and took out the first sheet of paper. Naruto peeled over his shoulder to read it himself.

Teliac, Inuzu, Kaalin,

I am pleased you were successful in the first test. Your A rank mission is simple:

You are to assassinate a Jounin Spy from Sunagakure who infiltrated our ranks sometime ago. Recently we have found out his deception and before we could capture him, the weasel fled our village in what we believe an attempt to give vital information to Suna about current 'activities' we are involved in.

Enclosed, you will find his picture and name. He was last reported moving through the Rain country and nearing the Wind border. You must complete this mission at ALL cost or our goals will be ruined. You know what is at stake.

Do not fail me,

Nidaime Ichobokage

Gohan took out the image of a man in his early 20's with short brown hair wearing the Grass Shinobi Uniform. Nothing stood out about him, indicating he was indeed a good spy to blend in so well. Underneath was information about his name; Sato Ketsou, and various assignments and positions he had been involved in before he fled. "So the Ichibokage is entrusting us to do this? I'm guessing the data this guy is carrying could be to do with the upcoming attack?" he asked is a whisper.

"Yeah, looks that way. For anyone else it would be quite difficult since he has nearly crossed into the Wind Country already. But a week for us to do this, damn, i think we could do it in about an hour tops." Naruto boasted tilting his head to see the other Chuunins in the room talk to each other about their own set mission.

"I don't even know where any of that is but if you say so. You'll have to lead the way." Gohan replied.

"Yeah that's fine. Its a good thing Jiraiya showed me each country and it's whereabouts afterall. Our best bet is to track him somewhere near the border of the country. Come on lets get on it now, i'd like to get back before nightfall."

The two headed out the door before anyone had noticed and made a light jog to the Gate. There they showed the papers for the exam to the same guards that had been on duty when they arrived a few days ago. Acknowledging the mission, the guards let them pass and the duo walked out of Konoha and down the road.

Knowing that they were still being followed by the two ANBU, the possing Grass Ninja picked up their extremely slow pace a little whilst moving west bound in the direction on Suna's North East border, jumping through the tall trees. They had shaken off their trailers instantly and with this knowledge the two leapt into the air and were on their way.

Travelling at a slow pace, they arrived at the border just after 15 minutes. The brothers landed gracefully and saw there was a small town nearby. They followed the path and made their way to it. Once their, they looked around. People where busy going about their daily lives and a few children where playing in the street. Gohan noticed what appeared to be a hotel of sorts on the corner of the road.

"Hey, there looks like some sort of shelter for people to stay over there Naruto." Gohan said to his friend.

"Yeah good idea, if he did stop here it would be likely that he stayed there for the night to rest. I'll go see if i can get any information, you can stay here if you want."

"Sure." The Z warrior responded as he watched Naruto enter the building.

The place itself was old and dirty and had a number of cracks running through both the inner and outer layers. The 'Henged' blonde made his way over to the counter where there was a woman receptionist at work in the hopes of acquiring the whereabouts of the Suna spy.

Outside, Gohan stood looking around the small town; it was peaceful and full of life. Relaxing, he leaned on a street lamp and closed his eyes. The sounds of birds singing, children laughing and playing were those that he favoured the most. It always seemed when they had defeated an enemy, a stronger, more evil one would rise to take it's place. He'd learned by now to enjoy these times of peace and with the help of Goten and Naruto he'd realised that he had to sacrifice some things and keep training in order to protect what he loved.

Suddenly a smashing of glass echoed and shouting could be heard. Opening his eyes, Gohan saw a man scrambling out of a nearby store with a sack in his hand. Not wasting anytime, the youth bounded over to him and in a split second stood in his way. Looking behind him; the thief had been busy watching if he was being chased and unexpectedly careered into Gohan's chest, sending him flying back to the ground.

Shaking himself off, the man got to his feet and gritted his teeth, "Hey boy!" he seethed taking out a small dagger. "You shouldn't have got in my way like that, now you'll pay with your life!" he lunged at Gohan in an attempt to stab him in the stomach. The Z warrior didn't move. All that was heard was a sound of metal breaking. As the small time robber stood with his hand outstretched, holding the knife, the metal end crumbled into pieces and hit the floor with soft clinging sounds. Retracting the handle and instantly dropping it to the ground, the thief started shaking widening both his mouth and eyes simultaneously in fear. "W-wh... what are... you?" he stumbled in awe as he backed up from Gohan, who still hadn't moved. As he tried to run in the opposite direction, the man was quickly put down with a swift blow to the back of the head as the teen grabbed him by his clothes, lifting him up.

Witnesses started talking in the distance and the shopkeeper came staggering out through the broken glass window the thief had just made in an attempt to escape. Inside the hotel, Naruto had just finished gathering information on the Ninja they were looking for. Coming out, he found Gohan holding up a man in his late 40's. Walking over he gave his friend a puzzled look. "What happened here?" he asked.

"Oh, this man tried to rob this store." he responded, turning to the man that was looking at him with gazing looks. "Here you go Mister, i don't know who and where the local authorities are, but this man won't be waking up any time soon." Gohan said, handing over the sack the theif had been carrying.

"T-thank y-you stranger!" he cried.

"Think nothing of it. Anyone else would have done the same." he rubbed the back of his head in shyness. He turned to Naruto, "So, was he there?"

"No, but he had stayed here last night. From the Grass to the Sand Village, it would take him about 3-4 days to reach his destination." he explained. "Taking that into account, it doesn't look like we have much time to catch up to him. We'll have to be quick and fly in a straight line to the Sand Village to see if we can spot him on the way. I guess it isn't a A-rank mission for nothing."

Gohan nodded, "Right then, let's go." The two vanished kicking up a dust of wind where they once where. The surrounding people along with the shopkeeper dropped what they were carrying in pure astonishment. As the frantically looked around, no one could find the two indviduals anywhere in sight.

Above, Naruto and Gohan shot through the air with lightining speed, continuing on their travel to find the Sand spy. "I'm suprised you didn't find the urge to shout your usual catchphrase and strike a few poses just before you stopped that guy." The blonde snickered.

"Hey, I promised you i wouldn't do that here, and besides i don't have my costume, nor do the people here know 'Saiyaman'." Gohan laughed, uping their speed.

In the clear blue skies roughly 3 miles up from the ground below, the fighters spotted a single figure darting through the barren sand filled desert. Descending for closer inspection, they noticed the individual was wearing the Grass uniform, just like their's with the alterations making him a Jounin to their Chuunin. "That looks like our guy, what do you want to do now?" Gohan inquired.

Naruto pondered for a moment, "I'll go infront and you take up the rear. Though it won't really matter since he isn't going anywhere."

"Ok then, i'll follow your lead."

Meanwhile, the unexpecting Suna Ninja was bounding across his homeland as fast as he could. Any mistakes at this point would cost him his life and he needed to give the Kazekage the information he had acquired. Needless pit-stops for rests or distractions would give the Grass Ninja that were no doubt on his tail, a chance to catch up. As he leaped onto another dune and took off over it with one foot, a sudden blur appeared before him, just infront of where he was due to land. Unfortunately he couldn't turn or stop himself in mid-air and as he landed the figure came into view. He stopped as hit the ground, heart racing faster and faster. The person in front of him was wearing a Chuunin Grass Shinobi uniform, but he didn't recognise the Ninja. Not sensing anyone else around, the Suna Shinobi sighed in partial relief, it could have been much worse. He took up a fighting pose in the attempt to defeat his adversary quickly before reinforcements could arrive on the scene. What happened next shocked him.

"Um... hi" the teen before him said, in a weird, friendly way. Puzzled, Sato didn't know what to do next. What was going on? Before he had a chance to respond in any way, the Grass Ninja before him took a step forward. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you, we just want to talk, that's all." Catching on fast, Sato spun around to see an additional form a few paces behind him. It was another Grass Chuunin! It was impossible, he hadn't sensed his approach, nor heard him sneak up. Ever the cautious one, the Suna Jounin kept up his guard as he turned sideways in order to be able to see them both.

"What's to talk about? I know very well what you two are doing here. Do you really think a couple of low class Grass Chuunins can defeat me?!" he spat, playing the intimidation card.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, "Hey, hey now lets not get off to the wrong foot here shall we." he said, as he searched through his trouser pocket. Sato immediately saw an opening and decided to attack him. In the few second it would have taken to deliver a punch to his enemy's face, the Suna Shinobi was stopped in mid-air. Confused, he couldn't fathom what just transpired. He struggled to turn his neck around only to see the other Grass Ninja had a hold of him. His eyes widened. It was inconceivable, no one could move that fast! Not just that, but also his grip was monstrously strong. Squirming to pry himself loose, Sato eventually began to fatigue from trying so hard, but still, the teen wouldn't budge an inch. Gritting his teeth in anger, he knew this was the end. He closed his eyes ready for the inevitable strike.

"You know you shouldn't jump to conclusions so much." the teen before him spoke, "Something like that could cost you your life. Luckily for you we're not in the business of senseless killing." The smaller declared, finally digging out the papers in his pocket. "Thank-you Gohan. You can let him go now." He ended.

Acknowledging, the Z warrior released his iron grip on Sato, put him down slowly and took a few steps back rubbing his neck once more, "Sorry about that." he apologised.

Panting heavily, the Suna Ninja gazed at the posed Shinobi infront of him with a bewildered look. "W-why didn't you kill me?" he questioned in fear.

"Ah, i told you didn't i? We're not into the senseless killing stuff, especially to the man we'll be trading information with." Naruto answered back casually.

Now completely dumbfounded as to what was going on, Sato didn't know what to say. "Um... what?" was all he could muster.

"Come on now don't be shy. Here, catch... oh and you can keep the pictures." The 'henged' blonde said as he threw him the mission documents they had been given. Catching them, the Suna Ninja read through slowly, taking everything in. Finally he looked up to Naruto, around to Gohan and then back to Naruto.

"I don't understand, you're supposed to kill me... yet you haven't. Why?" he queried.

The younger fighter folded his arms and smiled. "See, that's the good part!"

Sato turned to contemplate what had been a very unexpected conversation indeed. A cool wind filled with traces of dust gently brushed by the trio. The young man sighed as he circled back around. "I see. And you are sure this is what the Hokage requested?" a nod of heads gave him the answer he sought. "Still, it's very risky, how can we be sure the Mizukage will keep his end of the deal?" the Suna Ninja asked with deep hesitation.

"Because he owes us, big-time." responded the smaller ninja. "Don't worry Sato, you can be sure that everything will go according to plan. Tell the Kazekage what we told you and we can put an end to this war once and for all!" Naruto announced with resolution in his voice. Gohan meanwhile gave his usual sceptical look as he massaged his brow. This 'made-up' story of Naruto's was going to end badly, he just knew it. Why he was agreeing it, he would never know.

Still in two minds, the Suna Ninja accepted the new mission he had been given. As he turned to leave however, a shuriken darted just past the side of his face, impairing him once more. "Wha-" he was cut off by another who was standing on a sand dune just to the west of his position.

"So we found you at last Sato! We will deal with you shortly." The figure wore the same garments as him, except he was much taller and broader with a Blue band tied at his waist. Part of it was dangling down his left leg. As he took a step forward, another person could be seen behind him. This one was somewhat shorter, roughly the same height as himself. He too wore the same clothes as the last, but displayed a Red band instead. He moved forward, past his larger partner and set his sights on the posing Grass Ninja. Stunned into silence Sato was unable to move as he came closer.

"We came to make sure that those three did not fail in their test, but it seems we were to late. You two! I don't know who you are, but you aren't Ninja of the Grass. What have you done with Teliac, Inuzu and Kaalin!!" the red band wearing Ninja demanded, outstretching his arm and pointing at them.

Naruto tilted his head and rolled his eyes, "Finally! Do you know how hard it is distinguishing one weakling from the next when your not in a close proximity? I'm still learning here you know!"

"What?!" The larger started chuckling. "Y-you think you sensed us when we were tracking you from miles behind? What kind of bull is that?!" the man exploded into a frenzy of laughs.

"Well yeah, i sensed you about 20 minutes ago actually, but this guy here..." The younger fighter pointed to Gohan,"... he probably sensed you long before that. Right Gohan?" receiving a nod from his fellow brother.

"Uh.. yeah, but i didn't think anyone with such a weak power level would be any concern." he responded innocently.

Naruto sighed, "See?" he exasperated throwing up his arms.

By now, Sato had come out of his initial shock and ran in between Gohan and Naruto. "What are you doing!" he whispered with fear resounding throughout his words. "Don't you know who those guys are?! They're part of the Grass' Elite Unit. The bands signify their hierarchy with Red being the second most poweful! We are so screwed!" Sato panicked.

"Listen you! No little punk bitch is gonna stand there and insult us like that." the taller man roared. Enraged, the Ninja started on a set of hand seals. Moments into the second seal he felt a something press against his back. Spinning his head to find the cause, the Blue band wearing Ninja's eyes widened in astonishment. The cocky young impostor had an outstretched hand firmly on his back. Before he had the chance to react a blinding light engulfed him. Instantly he was evaporated by the intensity of the energy beam which extended over the wasteland's horizon.

When the radiance finally stopped, there was no trace that the man had ever existed except for the footprints he had left in the sand. Resting his hand back down to his side, Naruto turned to the other Elite Jounin who had been frozen from what had just occurred before his eyes.

Naruto's body position relaxed once more, "Sorry about your friend there, but we couldn't let him leave. Besides, we only need one of you to take back with us, and you fit the bill more than he did." shrugging his shoulders.

The red band Grass Ninja attempted to back up a few paces, which was all he was able to do. "W-wha... impossib-" unfortunately he was cut off as Gohan delivered a blow to the back of his neck, throwing the unconscious ninja over his shoulder.

"Hmmm, this is becoming quite the habit for me." Gohan sighed.

Laughing, Naruto turned back to Sato who was now gawking in total shock. "Hey, we'll take him back in place of you if that's ok, it makes it easier on both of us." The 'henged' blonde explained.

The Suna Shinobi was to busy trying to process everything, "W-wha.. ho..w... wh..." he trailed off.

"... ok then, we'll be heading off now. Remember we're relying on you to get that information to the Kazekage. Well, see you!" and with a nod of the head from both fighters, Gohan and Naruto lifted gently into the air. Suddenly, they shot up into the sky once more, blowing a huge amount of sand around for miles as they disappeared.

Sato had seen many things in his life, but the events that had just taken place took the biscuit. After a few minutes of glaring, he attempted to stand after being propelled back by the huge energy force. Suppressing the disbelief as best he could, he carried on to The Village Hidden in the Sand with new found information.

End Chapter Notes

Ichibokage - meaning 'Grass'-kage... i think, or something to that effect if not. Correct me if need be.

Hmm... pairings you say. I've got what i want down, unless you reviewers all want the same thing. Oh and if so this is a NO yaio fic!

Anyway, Read-Review Thankyou!

Oh and check out my Bleach fic through my profile if you like that anime (shameless self promotion)

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! See you next time for more Jounin examage!