Naruto sat restlessly in the waiting room chair. His foot tapped repeatedly against the shiny, tiled floor. He wanted to get his residence papers and start exploring the city, to learn about his new environment. Takeko and Tekeo had promised to show him to the best ramen bar in town after they were released from class, which was in less then half an hour according to the clock on the wall. Next to the clock was a portrait of the Tsuchikage, his face was similar to the Proprietor's. Or at least Naruto thought it was, the thick beard covered most of it so it was hard to tell.

Just as Naruto was about to scream from boredom, the door next to him opened. "Uzumaki Naruto? Lord Tsuchikage will see you now." said the small, brown haired girl that stepped out. She carried a clipboard, and as Naruto got up from his chair she marked on it.

Naruto followed her down the Grand Hall that led to the Tsuchikage's office. Once they reached the end, she opened the massive door, and Naruto walked through. The door slammed shut once he had entered.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The man was hidden in darkness, but his voice was the deepest yet. "Do you know why you are here, my boy?"

"It's because of the cultural exchange in the alliance treaty. One shinobi from Konoha lives in Iwa for a year, and a shinobi from Iwa lives in Konoha for a year." Naruto said.

"Good. Do you know why we are doing the cultural exchange?" The Tsuchikage took a pause to wait for Naruto to answer. When he didn't, the Tsuchikage continued, "It is because our lands have been isolated from each other for so long, that we have no idea of the other's customs. How could we hold an alliance if we knew nothing about the people we were allied with. That is why you are here, to learn of our culture and teach us of yours."

"Yes sir. May I have my residential permit?" Naruto shifted a bit as he spoke.

"Yes, here." The Tsuchikage said as he handed Naruto the papers. "Oh, and one more thing. You may have heard that you are supposed to be a genin instructor. Your Hokage has agreed to this, and it is part of the exchange. Since you are new to this, I'll give you the addresses of three of our best genin instructors." Once more he handed him a sheet of paper. "You may also be interested to know this: While instructing and on missions for Iwa, you must were this in addition to your Konoha headband." he held up a Iwa hitai-ite. "You are now considered a member of both villages, and therefore part of both shinobi corps. You are free to go now. Tell my assistant to come in when you leave."

Naruto left the room with a cold shiver. After he had walked down the Grand Hall a bit, he saw the young woman who had directed him.

"He wants to see you." Naruto told her.

She giggled and blushed a bit, and then started down the hall. Naruto swore he saw her un-button the collar of her dress as she went.

Once Naruto found his way out of the maze that was the Tsuchikage's building, he pushed his way down the crowded streets towards the shinobi academy. When he couldn't find it, he decided to go back to the boarding house.

"They're bound to go there when they don't see me." He thought as he walked through the market center.

It was so crowded there, that people were shoulder to shoulder, breast to breast, and back to back. Naruto shoved his way through, pushing several drunken men out of his way, all while avoiding being shoved down. The minutes felt like hours while Naruto was in that hot bazaar, and after nearly half an hour of toiling he managed to get back to the building.

Once he entered it and walked into the main room, he found that no one seemed to be home. Just as Naruto was sitting down to eat lunch, however, Miko's door opened and she came out, shocked at first that someone else was home. Her surprise, in turn became Naruto's surprise, causing him to jump and drop his steaming hot bowl of ramen.

"Crap, now I gotta clean this up." Naruto said, referring to the ramen on his clothes and not the ramen on the floor. He figured that the Proprietor would clean that up.

"I'm sorry, I'm easily shocked." Miko said as she walked over to help clean the floor, blushing all the while.

"Naw, it's alright. I should've announced myself better. Do you know where everyone else is?"

"The Proprietor leaves frequently, no one knows where to. Takeo thinks he's having an affair." This made Naruto laugh at first, thinking of a woman liking that old geezer, then the thought made him cringe, imagining what they would be doing. "As for the other two, I think they're looking for you."

"Great, just great. I really need someone to show me around, and they were supposed to. They'll never find me." Naruto threw the ramen-soaked rag onto the ground.

"I could show you around a bit." Miko said as she picked up the rag Naruto had just thrown.

"Thanks Miko! How do people ever get around with all the crowds?" Naruto said.

"Mostly, shinobi travel on the rooftops. It's much faster and gives you a better view of where you're going." Miko started walking back towards her room. "Let me change out of the school uniform and then we'll go."

A few minutes later Miko came out of her room, dressed with a black strapless bra concealing her breasts (it was considered fashionable by young women to show their bras in public) with a fish net top over it. She was wearing short, tight, dark gray shorts that went to mid-thigh. As always, she wore her hitai-ite as a belt and had a pair of brass-rimmed goggles on her forehead.

"Let's go." She smiled, and turned down the hall. Naruto followed right behind her.

She showed him around for awhile on the ground, but eventually they got up to the rooftops. Naruto looked around him. The city seemed to stretch on for miles. Mostly all he could see were the green rooftops, but some had been refurbished to their original copper-shine.

"Wow, it's amazing." Naruto said, awestruck.

Miko showed him several of the places he would have to remember: The Shinobi Academy, the training grounds, the missions office, and of course, the ramen bar. By chance, Takeo and Takeko were at the bar themselves. After they ate dinner, they all headed back to the boarding home together.

"Where were you? We search all over, cannot find. Soon we give up. I really wanted to show you Iwa. Perhaps I show you surrounding area this week, no?" Takeko said as they walked home along the green roofs.

"I couldn't get to the academy, sorry. I'd like to see the mountains with you though." Naruto said.

"I've never much enjoyed the mountains, other then sunsets." Takeo was much more articulate then anyone else in Iwa Naruto had met. "Just a lot of rocks and dirt, nothing beautiful at all. Now the forests surrounding Konoha, those would be beautiful. I've never seen a tree that was growing from nature. All the ones here were planted in the early days of Iwagakure. I wish I could've been that lucky bastard Hakasha, he's my older brother that is in Konoha right now." Takeo sounded very educated to Naruto.

"Eh, they're nothing more then trees and dirt." Naruto said.

When they returned to the boarding house the Proprietor still wasn't back. Naruto walked straight to his room to write a letter back home.

Dear Kakashi Sensei and Sakura,

Things in Iwa are... different to say the least. The nights are freezing and the days are burning hot. In addition to that the streets are crowded day and night, so many people live here, it's unbelievable. Believe it! Heh, heh, remember when I used to say that all the time? Anyway, the people I'm living with seem pretty nice. Miko doesn't talk much, but when she does it's interesting to listen to. Tekeko on the other hand talks all the time, and very little of it makes sense. Her brother, Takeo, is much better. I can actually sit down and talk to him. I haven't been around the Proprietor that much to know what he's like, but he seems shady if you ask me. Oh well, how's the guy in my place doing? If he wants me to send him anything from Iwa, tell me when you write back. As for me, it would be nice to get a picture of Konoha and the Hokage heads to put up in my room. Thanks, see ya' in a year.

Naruto.

It was only after he dropped the letter into the mail slot that Naruto realized he didn't say anything about being a teacher. He meant to ask Kakashi for some tips.

"Oh well,"Naruto thought, "I'll ask him next week."

Well, here's the next chapter. Tell me what you think about it. Thanks for reading.