Zabuza has fallen, and the warriors from Konoha have encountered the dark side of the trade, in the form of crooked businessmen, honorless ronin and the horrors of mainland technology. On top of that, Kurei has been revelaed as the man who conquered the mist! What will our heroes face now?

Kakashi: (pulling off bandages) The hell should I know?

Kyugan: (snorts dismisively)You don't know nothing, your opinion doesn't count.

Kakashi:(irritably) I DO know over a thousand jutsu y'know.

Kyugan: Then get off your ass and teach them to your team you useless bastard.

Kakashi: (Turns to stone as thre kanji for 'USELESS?!?!' hovers behind him.)

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Requiem; return to Konoha!

Kakashi clapped his hands together before the headstone, sending a silent prayer to any gods that might be listening. Underneath it, encased in a block of solid ice, lay the remains of Zabuza, the swordsman's arms crossed over his stomach and his closed eyes made it appear as if he was merely sleeping peacefully.

Domon had spent half a day digging a grave for the missing Nin in the hills outside the village. He and Kakashi had lowered the body in after it had been cleaned, and were about to cover it when Haku used a water jutsu to fill the hole. Placing her hands to the surface caused the water to freeze over, becoming more crystalline than icy.

The effect being that Zabuza's body was now preserved within a diamond like tomb, his features to remain unblemished with the passage of time.

Recca had used his flames to form the tombstone, whilst Kakashi carved out the Eulogy that was to adorn it with a kunai.

Here lies Momochi Zabuza.

A loyal shinobi of Kirigakure.

"That's really all there is to say." Kakashi admitted, "And it's all we CAN say, being former enemies and all."

Haku nodded her head in thanks, looking down at her master's face. "I thank you," she replied honestly, "it's more than we deserve…"

Tazuna made a snorting noise that sounded suspiciously like, 'Damn right!' and had to hide behind Kakashi as three pairs of eyes drilled holes in him.

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Sasuke was forced to stay at the house due to his neck wounds, and the Uchiha was too involved with getting his sharingan to work properly to care about anything else at the moment anyway. Fortunately, this allowed the trio to get on with their training, which swiftly grew to incorporate aiding Tazuna at the site.

Workers who decided to trickle back at the news of Gato's death were shocked to see a boy welding with his bare hands, a giant who was carrying stacks of I-beams in one arm, and over a thousand identical blondes running about doing their former jobs at twice the pace.

Tazuna teased them harshly, saying he ought to hire ninja more often, until Kakashi pointed out that the help on the bridge was going to cost extra. The old man couldn't ask the workers to come back fast enough after that.

Shortly after the battle, Naruto, confused at Zabuza's title for him, had looked in a mirror to notice that his eyes had changed shape. The pupils were now slit, almost animalistic, and now had a ring of red circling them like a halo, surrounded by the electric blue he was used to.

Recca brushed it off as a 'Growing thing', knowing full well it had to be Naruto's demonic lineage kicking in, whilst Sasuke just assumed Naruto was a freak, saying as much to the blondes face and getting the snot kicked out of him for his trouble courtesy of his still recovering wounds and what he dimly recalled as a 'walking mountain'.

Things got steadily better in wave country, sales picked up, homes were rebuilt, schools reopened and the shinobi couldn't go two steps without being greeted by the inhabitants of wave country, the trio actually having to hide in a manner reminiscent of the recovering Uchiha, having developed quite the fan-club, which included every female aged ten and up, though the elder ones merely wanted to set them up with their daughters.

Now while it was true the trio were indeed fine examples of your typical warm blooded male, there was a fine line between having groupies and and having a fiance horde, and if there was one thing they had learned, from reliable manga sources, it was that such instances were warzones waiting to happen.

And so, the chief noisemakers of the leaf decided to practice the oldest, most respected of the ninja arts; run like hell, hide and keep your trap shut till the coast was clear.

Other than this, things passed quietly until finally, the time came for the group to head home.

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Kakashi and Tazuna shook hands, the elder man smiling openly. "Thanks to you our bridge has finally been completed," he scratched the back of his head, "but it's going to be awfully dull around here once you leave."

Kakashi nodded, smiling behind his mask. "Thank you for your hospitality." He said cheerfully, "We hope you consider hiring from Konoha again."

Tazuna shivered but smiled nervously at the jounin, ignoring the badly rehearsed sales pitch. "Right," he muttered, "so long as there aren't any bounties on my head!"

Ignoring the conversing adults, Domon, Naruto and Recca walked over to Inari, kneeling down in front of the distraught boy as he gripped his mother's skirt.

"Hey kid," Recca reminded him with a smirk, "remember, you have to be a big man for your mother now, got it?"

"Yeah," Domon added, flexing a muscle, "grow up strong and eat you veggies, and you'll be as big as me!"

When the boy nodded enthusiastically at the comment, Naruto patted him on the head. "So no more crying," he said with a smile, "'kay?"

Inari nodded again, before launching himself at the blonde genin, latching onto him like a limpet. "Come back soon" he bawled, hiding his head in the blonde's shirt, "Naruto-Niisan! Domon-Niisan! Recca-Niisan!"

Naruto stiffened at the child's comment, completely unused to these types of situations, before slowly hugging the boy, a warm smile covering his features. "Count on it." He promised, patting the boy's head, as the other two smirked at him.

"Oi Domon," Recca called out, "you still got that camera?"

The giant grinned and made a kage bunshin.

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"Dammit Sasuke, any photo with you in it is ruined!" Naruto muttered, scowling at the Uchiha irritably. "The only reason you're in this stupid shot is 'cause Kakashi-sensei dragged you in!"

Sasuke, true to form, ignored the irate blonde and walked off with a haughty look on his face.

"Sensei, can we kill Sasuke and blame it on Gato?" Recca asked, pulling out some shuriken, a vein twitching on his forehead as his 'asshole detector' started flaring up.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, gripping his hotheaded student by his collar. 'This is gonna be a long walk home…' he predicted, eyeing the other two warily.

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Tazuna stared in wonder at the distant forms of the shinobi as they vanished from view. "When I first saw them, I thought they were brats." He admitted, shaking his head at the memory of that day, "But those brats strengthened little Inari's heart and united the people of the wave for the first time since Kaiza's death."

The elderly bridge builder smiled and looked towards the woods where they had disappeared. "Naruto, Recca, Domon…those three built the bridge that carried us all to hope and courage...and a better future."

He smiled at Tsunami and Giichi, raising an eyebrow for them to follow his lead. "Speaking of bridges," the builder said offhandedly, "we still have to officially dedicate this one."

The two smiled knowingly, seeing where the old man was going. "Anyone got any ideas?" Giichi asked, grinning as he pretended to look around. Inari looked up, and smirked, tugging on his grandfather's pant leg.

"How about…'The Bridge of the three dragons'?" the boy suggested, looking up at the grinning adults.

Tsunami looked down at her son and smiled.

"It's a nice name."

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On the road back to Konoha, Domon Naruto and Recca abruptly sneezed in unison, before looking around in confusion.

"There a breeze out here?" Domon muttered, rubbing his nose, looking round suspiciously.

"Don't worry," Sasuke snorted, shaking his head mockingly, "fools can't catch colds."

BAM!

Kakashi sighed as he slung the unconscious Uchiha over his shoulder as Domon stamped forwards, still looking livid, a laughing Recca and Naruto following in his wake, as they tried to support one another.

'So much for teamwork,' the jounin muttered, 'I'll be lucky if they don't kill each other at this stage!'

Haku smiled at the antics of the trio and sighed, looking up at the sky, where a cloud took on the vague likeness of her late master.

'Zabuza-sama,' she prayed, eyes closed, 'watch over me…'

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From that day on, Wave country would grow to become the bustling trade capital of the shinobi nations. Visitors to the Wave country would flock to the shrine to the demon of the mist, where you got a birds eye view of the magnificent 'Three dragons' bridge.

In the middle of the town square, there is a massive statue that depicts three young men;

One with a Mohawk and a massive Zanbato over his shoulder, another with a tekko with flames coming from his hands, and a third with a half drawn Katana, all standing on pedestal shaped like crashing waves.

A plaque on the pedestal reads as follows:

The Heroes of the wave country, the dragons of Konoha

Oni no Domon

Honnou no Recca

Onime no Naruto

Taming the waves of adversity, they built this dream for our future.

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Sandaime smiled at Kakashi as the jounin finished his report on the events that transpired.

"I see," he nodded, "Tazuna already sent me a message saying that the payment for the mission will be brought up to A-class as soon as the first shipment comes in."

Kakashi nodded, before deciding to voice a more urgent concern than money. "Another thing Hokage-sama," he added, "Zabuza revealed that there is a new Mizukage…one that took the position by force."

Sarutobi sighed, shaking his head tiredly. "This IS unfortunate…but not surprising." He muttered, nodding to a scroll with the kanji for 'Mizu' on it that lay across his desk. "He sent me a scroll saying that his village will not be taking part in the chunin exams this year," the elderly hokage frowned ominously, "something about having an 'airing of the cupboards'

Kakashi shivered, not liking the sound of THAT statement for one second.

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Far away, in kirigakure no sato, the yondaime Mizukage scowled as yet another genin team's parameters entered his hands.

"Have the girl go through basic skills again," he muttered, "she seems the only one half way competent member in that regard." he nodded as he listed the other two names on another sheet, "The other two are to undergo Raiha's special training regimen."

A figure bowed slightly, before coughing, "Mizukage-sama…and what shall we do about the girl?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to go the way of the LAST secretary.

The masked kage frowned before nodding. "Give her to Neon, she'll whip her into shape before the month is out." He suddenly whipped round and hurled his pen at the figure sneaking up behind him, causing him to fall over, clutching at his throat.

"And send this one to Genjuro," Kurei added as an afterthought, "have him patched up and sent to Raiha for re-training."

The secretary blinked in confusion, "Shouldn't we execute him?" he asked, only to shiver as he sensed the grin he was glad he couldn't see.

"He managed to enter the room without revealing himself," Kurei complimented, eyeing the gasping man on the floor, "and managed to take my back, even if I DID have my guard down."

Despite the mask that hid his features, the stricken assassin could practically feel the leer on the other man's face.

"Why waste such potential?"

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Naruto winced as Kagero turned his head at awkward angles. "Kaa-san! That hurts my neck!" he protested, tugging away from the woman's concerned attention.

Kagero sighed, shaking her head as she sat back. "Your eyes don't seem to be damaged," she admitted at length, "perhaps it is like Recca suggested, and Kyuubi-san's blood finally activated."

"So it's just a puberty thing?" Shigeo asked with a shrug, turning back to his meal with a grunt, "Big deal."

Recca clobbered him with a flying kick to the jaw. "It is a big deal!" the teen yelled, "What're people gonna say when they see them?!"

Naruto winced, having forgotten about the villagers during his brief stay in wave country. "He's right" the blonde muttered, "I get enough shit just for being the vessel…what'll happen when they find out I'm Kyuubi's SON?"

Domon snorted, putting away his tenth bowl of teriyaki. "Simple," he muttered, "we clobber 'em if they try anything." The giant grinned sadistically, fangs glinting and eyes beady. "And then do it again for good measure!"

Naruto smiled up at his giant friend, and shook his head in amusement. "Say, are you gonna train with that thing?" he asked, pointing at the form of Kubikiri Houcho lying against the wall, causing Domon to grin.

"Yep! You got that katana, Recca's got Saiha, now I got a sword!" the giant gennin grinned at Recca, giving him the finger. "And it's bigger than yours!"

Recca snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "Whatever, you DO know what they say about guy's with big weapons…right?"

Kagero sighed happily as the usual free-for all fistfight broke out, patting rice into a bowl and handing it to a recovered Shigeo, who accepted it with a smile. "It's good to have them home." The immortal kunoichi commented, tilting her head slightly to avoid a stray kunai as it whistled past, "More soy sauce, Shigeo-san?"

Of course, not everyone was happy with the way things had turned out.

Fuko was sullen for a whole week when she found out about the C-class turned A-class mission, and refused to speak to any of them. A few days of 'hide and seek' and she got over it and the dysfunctional family was soon back to normal. Tokiya sighed as he rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache taking hold as the female hokage member got into another fight with Recca involving the last fish and a misplaced comment.

'And I was enjoying the peace too…' the hyomon-ken master muttered, lifting his plate out of the way as the dust cloud rolled across the table. He blinked as something rubbed against his cheek, causing him to turn to see a smiling Haku, napkin in hand.

"You had some soy sauce on your cheek." The former mist nin explained with a smile. Mikagami merely blinked and looked away, uttering a gruff 'thanks' before resuming his meal, not missing the curious look that the mist nin was giving him.

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One afternoon after their return found Recca sitting on the floor panting, smirking to himself at his latest achievement.

'Finally did it,' he gasped, 'my own Katon jutsu…I even made up a new combo for the Karyuu!' He smirked as he stood up, punching a fist towards the monument in glee. "Watch out Konoha, the Hokage clan is here to stay!"

"Recca-kun?"

The teen slipped, blinking owlishly over his shoulder at the form of Sakoshita Yanagi. "Hime?" he mumbled, "What are you doing out so late?"

Yanagi smiled and held up a book, "Hokage-sama gave me a new medical studies book," she explained, "he says one of his old students used it."

Recca made a mental note to buy the elder a new porno book one day. "That's great!" he yelled, dancing around his princess like a hyperactive child. Yanagi blushed and looked down, deciding to get to the real reason for her visit now that she had his attention.

"Ano…Recca-kun?" she asked, "It's about Haku-san…"

Recca raised an eyebrow in confusion, not liking where this was going. "What about her?" he asked slowly, only for the healer girl to look away nervously as she fiddled with her kimono.

"Ano…it's just…do you think she's pretty?"

Recca blinked, wondering how the hell he got into these messes. He hated lying to his precious Hime, that being one of his ultimate taboos, but he didn't want to be called a pervert, or for her to stamp on his foot again simply because he admitted Haku was hot.

"Not as pretty as you Hime!" he replied, mentally patting himself on the back as the girl blushed and looked away.

"Ano…it's just," Yanagi fiddled with her skirt, "she's so elegant…I feel a little jealous."

Recca smiled and held her hands, causing her to blink and look up at him. "You have no reason to be jealous…Hime." The teen muttered honestly, causing the blonde girl to flush and looked away shyly.

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Tokiya was watching the two from the shadows, a frown marring his delicate features, as he watched Yanagi flush. He shivered briefly at a sudden chill, before sighing and glaring at a shadowy corner.

"How long are you going to watch me?" he called out, as Haku emerged from behind a tree.

"That depends," she replied honestly, "how long will you keep watching THEM?"

Tokiya snorted, before turning his gaze back to the duo in the clearing. "It's your choice." He muttered, though he felt his face flush at Haku's giggle.

"But of course it is." The pale skinned teen replied, leaning against the tree, "But I doubt you can outlast me."

Mikagami frowned, "Is that a challenge?" he asked, turning to eye the nin, only for Haku to smile, "Very well then, try not to fall asleep."

Haku merely leapt into a tree and settled herself in for the long haul. 'Maybe I should have told him I once went a week without sleep or food.' She wondered, before smirking down at the stubborn swordsman. 'But where's the fun in that?'

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News that the last Uchiha had unlocked his sharingan spread across the Konoha grapevine like raindrops; cries of his prowess surpassing all before him were being passed around until it was believed to be fact. Those that mentioned his ranking at the academy were mocked, under the logic that a true genius blossoms in the field.

It made dealing with said Uchiha a lot harder for his annoyed teammates, something Kakashi noticed very easily. The poor jounin usually had to step in to prevent them from pounding the headstrong prodigy into the ground, something that didn't help his own relationship with them in the slightest.

The basis of a good genin team was the trust, understanding and above all, teamwork between its members. It made things clear that they were the people you would trust to hold a blade to your neck and not kill you.

Kakashi firmly believed that if he were to lock the four of them into a room, even for a minute, he'd have to scrape what was left of Sasuke out of the cracks in the walls.

'And I thought teaching a THREE man team would be tough.' the copy-nin muttered, covering his normal eye with his hand as he sat at his usual stool at the jounin bar, nursing a beer.

"Problems in paradise?" Asuma asked coyly, pulling up a stool next to his silver-haired compatriot.

"You don't know the half of it," Kakashi moaned, shaking his head, "three quarters of my team are determined to drive me up the wall, Sasuke refuses to cooperate with them, and I have to personally intervene to prevent the others from ganging up on him."

He shook his head, sighing bitterly as he shook that glass gently, causing the ice to rattle. "It's worse now that he's unlocked the sharingan." He muttered.

Asuma nodded, knocking back his beer as he did so. "Heard about that," the younger Sarutobi muttered, "guess the council was right, you were the best choice for him."

"Maybe," Kakashi grunted, waving a hand dismissively, "or maybe they're getting back at me for training Itachi when we were in ANBU together."

Asuma winced at the reminder of THAT little detail, before quickly changing the subject. "I guess I got off easy," the smoking jounin smirked, "the new Ino-Shika-Cho specialize in teamwork…once Ino starts yelling.

Kakashi nodded, tilting his cup mug slightly. "Recca, Domon and Naruto work well together," he admitted honestly, "if it were just those three I'd be content." The jounin rolled his eyes sarcastically, "But of course I HAVE to teach Sasuke, being the sole Sharingan user in this village."

Kakashi shook his head, mumbling grumpily about stuck up avengers and pranksters. "It never ceases to amaze me," he muttered, "how do they pick these damn teams anyway?"

Asuma snorted and exhaled a gust of smoke. "That's one of life's little mysteries," he replied sagely, "that and women."

"What's that about women?" a voice came from behind the jounin, causing him to choke on his cig and wheel round to spy Kurenai, who forced a smile as she waved the smoke out of her face.

'And that's my cue to exit.' Kakashi muttered, slowly edging away from the two as he noticed Asuma flush a little around the cheeks, 'Don't need people hassling me to see if those two are an item again.'

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Recca, Domon and Naruto were walking down the street towards the shopping district, Kagero had needed some things to make dinner and they'd been on their way out anyway, so guess who'd been drafted for a milk run?

"So we got eggs, chicken, noodles…" Domon counted off the list with a frown, "man what the heck's your mom making Hanabishi?"

Recca shrugged, smirking up at the giant cheekily. "What do you care?" he mocked, elbowing the giant in the gut, "You'll eat anything!"

Naruto snickered at this before pausing and looking behind him suddenly, the teen rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Konohamaru," he muttered, "your taste in disguises REALLY sucks…"

Domon and Recca moaned and turned round to see a box painted to look like a rock tip over, releasing a stream of smoke, from which the Konohamaru corps emerged, coughing.

"Not bad…" The youngest Sarutobi posed, after he finished hacking up a lung, "of course I expected no less from the man whose skills rival my own!"

Domon and Recca snickered as Naruto began to twitch in irritation. The trio had taken the Hokage's grandson under their wing in order to keep the 'prank-master' tradition alive at the academy.

Naturally the boy revered them as living legends, after all, how many people dared to paint the Hyuuga complex a day-glow pink, WITHOUT getting caught?

The boy had taken an exceptional liking to Naruto, especially after learning it was HE who defeated the Hokage with the Oiroke no jutsu. Needless to say, he declared the blonde his rival by the day's end.

"What do you want Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, having finished counting to ten long ago, causing the youngest Sarutobi to grin.

"You promised you'd play ninja with us when you got back!" the boy pointed out, "Remember?"

Naruto blinked, scratching his head in confusion. "When did I do that?" he muttered, as Domon crossed his eyes in thought.

Recca blinked and tapped his fist into his palm. "Ah!" he yelled, catching their attention, "Remember…"

-Flashback-

Naruto, Recca and Domon were sprawled under a tree, panting like stricken dogs as the crickets chirped away like a demented record player.

"It's hot…" The blonde moaned, sweating buckets.

"Tell me about it…" Recca groused sarcastically, as Domon panted heavily in an attempt to cool off.

"I think my brain just melted…" the giant muttered dully, eyes squinty from the heat.

Suddenly Konohamaru appeared, a box full of sodas in his arms. "Hey guys! What's the problem?" he smirked holding up one of the soda's enticingly, "Want some?"

The trio crawled forwards like the living dead, reaching for the bottle like it was a lifeline, only for the kid to dangle it just outside their reach.

"Tell ya what, I'll give them to ya, but only if you do me a favor…"

-End flashback-

"Oh you sneaky little…!" Naruto growled, twitching as Konohamaru grinned at him triumphantly.

"A true man doesn't go back on his word," the boy pointed out, "right, Naruto-nii?"

Naruto sighed and nodded, glaring at the other two, as they snickered at him. "C'mon, lets go." He muttered, "We gotta get this back as soon as possible."

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"For the last time Konohamaru, I am not teaching you Kage bunshin!" Naruto yelled, crossing his arms with an air of finality oddly reminiscent of one Umino Iruka.

"But I wanna!" the brat replied stubbornly, stamping his foot, "Besides! Why can't I learn it?"

Naruto growled, hand on his hip as he rubbed the other through his hair, messing it up in his irritation.

"Listen;" he ground out slowly, "A. You don't have anywhere near the chakra to use it. B. If your not careful the jutsu will drain you dry." He frowned at the youngest Sarutobi, "And C. You're WAY too young to be learning something that advanced."

Konohamaru sniffed stubbornly, and then ran around the corner, in a childish tantrum. "I hate you Naruto!" he yelled, eyes shut as he sprinted off.

Recca winced as he watched the kid run off, his friends in tow. "Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" he asked, "I mean, they ARE just kids."

Naruto moaned, and gripped his head in his hands to lessen the pounding that was developing there. "Now I know how Iruka sensei felt every time I made him angry…" the blonde muttered, earning a chuckle from the other two.

The trio blinked suddenly as Konohamaru's cry of pain made them look up.

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Kankurou lifted the academy student up by his scarf and snorted. "That hurt you little shrimp." He drawled, enjoying the effect he was having on the brat.

Temari sighed, shaking her head at her brother's antics. "I'm not going to be responsible for your actions." She muttered, turning aside as if to walk away.

Kankurou reared his fist back, ready to send the kid flying, only to yelp in shock as it was caught in grip like a steel vice.

"Here now…what's all the ruckus?" Domon muttered calmly, though if you looked at him carefully, you could see the giant was irritated, the vein pulsing on his eyelid was a good clue.

Temari was reaching for her fan when she felt the edge of a blade against her throat, causing her to freeze.

"A couple of foreign ninjas by the looks of things." Naruto replied from behind the older blonde, "What are you two doing so far from home?"

Kankurou winced as he tried to move out of the grip, dropping the brat in the process. "Oi!" he cursed, "Lemme go or I'll-!"

"Have to explain to the Hokage why you decided to pick on his grandson." Recca cut in, herding the kids behind him, smirking at the shock on the older genin's face. "Wouldn't that have put a wrinkle on things?" the taunted flame wielder taunted.

Temari sighed softly, shaking her head at the trouble Kankurou had gotten them into. "We aren't here to cause trouble," she explained, "look, I'll prove it."

She reached for her back pocket, only for the blade to tilt slightly, drawing a trickle of blood, making her freeze again. Naruto reached into the pocket, ignoring the kunoichi's flush of embarrassment and flipped open the booklet.

"Temari," the blonde read, "genin of Sunagakure no Sato…" He read on for a few lines before looking up at Recca. "They're passport papers."

Kankurou grunted in acknowledgement and held up his own passport for them to see as well. "I got one too;" he added meaningfully, "we're here for the Chunin exams being held here."

The trio blinked, looking at each other in confusion.

"Did you know the exams were being held here?" Recca asked, snorting when the other two shook their heads. "Me neither," he groused, "looks like we need to pummel sensei for some answers."

Domon grunted and released his captive, much to Kankurou's relief, as Naruto sheathed his blade, returning the passport to Temari, before scowling up at the tree.

"Teme," the blonde called out, "make yourself useful and see if the ghoul hiding behind you is with these two."

There was a rustle of leaves, and Uchiha Sasuke jumped down, scowling at the redhead that appeared between the two foreign ninjas.

"G-Gaara! I was just…" the black clothed boy stuttered, before shivering at the look leveled at him.

"Shut up," Gaara warned, "or I'll kill you." He leveled a glare at the Konoha ninjas, as Kankurou willingly complied. "I apologize for my teammate." The redhead muttered, without a hint of sincerity, or that he even gave a damn, before turning on his heel to walk away.

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'Something about this guy feels…off.' Recca muttered, as he glared at the redhead's back, it was as if some internal alarm was going off, and Recca hadn't lasted as long as he had, especially with Domon and Fuko on his tail, by ignoring his gut instinct.

"You got a name there, pal?" the enjutsu-shi called out, slipping a few gunpowder balls into his palm in case things turned ugly.

The redhead turned to gaze at him with his green eyes, nodding slightly. "…Sabaku no Gaara," he muttered, "at your service…and you Four?"

Recca smirked, and pointed at himself confidently. "Honnou no Recca, of Konoha." He introduced.

Domon grinned, and held up a clenched fist. "The same," he rumbled, "Oni no Domon."

Naruto nodded his head, as he tapped the pommel of his sword. "Onime no Naruto…" he greeted, before thumbing towards the last Uchiha. "And that's Okama Sasuke."

The older sand siblings blinked, eyeing the enraged Uchiha cautiously, particularly Kankurou, whilst Temari sighed. 'Just my luck.' She muttered, seeing it as a loss.

Gaara, either uninterested or not getting the joke, turned on his heel and disappeared, the other's following suit.

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"You twisted little bastard." Domon muttered, grinning at his blonde teammate appraisingly. Naruto merely smirked at the compliment and nodded towards Konohamaru.

"You done sulking?" he asked, "We need help getting groceries." He waved over his shoulder as they walked off, smiling in a cheery manner. "Later Sasuke-CHAN."

Sasuke simply twitched with barely restrained fury as he watched the group walk off, laughing their asses off.

'There will be a reckoning Naruto.' he growled, knuckles popping under the pressure, 'I'll get you back yet…!'

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The next morning, after their daily ritual of deafening Kakashi for his tardiness, the trio dug into him on failing to inform them of the exam.

Kakashi managed to avoid a serious ear chewing, and subsequent hospitalization, by informing them that he'd nominated them for the exams the day before. Unfortunately this resulted in the poor jounin having to pull Recca and Naruto off his legs, more than a little disturbed by their enthusiasm, never mind the rib cracking bear hug from Domon.

"I suppose telling you not to report in if you don't want to is pointless." Kakashi muttered sarcastically after catching his breath, "Report to room 301 at the academy by 4:00 tomorrow."

"Is that 4:00 normal time or 4:00 Kakashi time?" Naruto quipped, earning a glare from the jounin.

"Normal time." Kakashi grumbled, and with that said, the jounin teleported away, desperate to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on his beloved pornography. Either that or hide from Anko, the special jounin was getting a little TOO frisky for his liking with all the upcoming excitement.

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Kagero smiled at the trio, as they dug into their meal, Domon and Naruto trying to outlast each other yet again. "I heard the same from Fuko earlier," she relayed to her son, the only one not currently pigging out, "congratulations."

"Sweet! Fuko's in too Domon!" Recca yelled, nudging the giant in the ribs, before paling in horror, "Oh god! What if we have to fight her?!"

The other two turned so white you'd think they were related to Orochimaru. "Crap…" Naruto muttered, Domon merely whimpering something that sounded like 'mimble-wimble' as sign of his shock.

Kagero smiled, shaking her head at the boys' antics. "You should rejoice," She enthused, "you're the first rookies to enter the exam in over five years! Your teachers must think very highly of you."

The trio snorted and shook their heads, grateful for the change in subject. 'Yeah right' they thought in that eerie mental symmetry of theirs, 'they're probably competing to see who's done a better job.'

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Across Konoha, the leaders of the Rookie genin, with the exception of Kukai, sneezed in unison, with varying results given their location at the time.

Kurenai apologized to the hairdresser for moving, wincing as her hair got tangled in the brush.

Asuma dropped his cigarette into his crotch, with hilarious results.

Gai launched into a lengthy speech about the strength of youth warding of colds, which was largely ignored as people simply blocked the man out, walking around him in a wide berth until he calmed down again.

Kakashi was thrown out of the library for being noisy, having been warned twice for giggling already, dropping his precious book in a muddy puddle. The poor copy-nin soon found himself kneeling in a very familiar shadow, shivering in terror as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"And where have you been hiding Kakashi?" Anko purred, digging her fingers into his flak jacket to prevent him from using Kawarimi. Kakashi let out a whimper as the special jounin used shunshin to teleport them to a more...PRIVATE location.

"Be gentle…"

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The trio have been nominated! How far will their camaraderie last in the forest of death, but before that, are they prepared to face the mother of all evils?

Recca: M-masaka!

Domon: K-kore-wa!

Naruto: No! Not that! Anything but THAT!

Kyugan: Oh, and expect a visit from our favorite pale skinned pedpohilliac.

Shadowy form: Kukukuku...Sasuke-kuuuuuun.