The smell of the early morning graced her as Anko watched the sunrise from Kakashi's rooftop. A gentle breeze touched her shoulders as she tightened her robe around herself, unaware of a certain grey-haired Jonin leaning against the railings of the balcony beneath her.

"You do know I have chairs out here, right?"

Anko blinked in surprise, faltering her gaze from the sky as she peered over the edge of the roof. Kakashi had raised two mugs to her as he met her gaze. Anko reached down, grabbing the cups and taking her seat on the roof once more. Within seconds, she heard the familiar squeaking of the pine-wood step ladder as Kakashi came into view, the scarlet hue of the sunrise gleaming around him.

"You could have put a bed out there and I still would have come up here to watch the sunrise," she stated, smiling mischievously towards him as he took a seat beside her. Offering him his mug, Anko smiled warmly as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, sweetie."

Placing an arm around her, Kakashi took his cup of coffee happily as he placed a kiss on her temple. A quick giggle escaped her nose as she brought the cup to her face, inhaling deeply.

"So, what do you think our lovable little Genin are up to today?" she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder. Kakashi shrugged.

"Well, I, for one, hope they're training."

Anko smiled wide, nodding her head against him.

"That's right - the Chunin exams aren't far off, are they?"

"Not at all," Kakashi pondered, taking a sip of his coffee. "Three weeks, actually."

"You think they're all getting ready?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the half-risen sun. Kakashi smiled, raising his cup.

"It's all any of them talk about," Kakashi mused, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm sure they'd be well into stern training by now."

"HAHA-RUN!"

Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru burst out of a street of Konoha, barely metres behind Naruto who held a proud lead. The early morning had provided a perfect cover for Naruto Uzumaki's latest prank, with the faint morning sun barely covering half the town as the Genin dashed madly away from the house.

"Would you guys hurry up!? Last thing I wanna do is get caught!"

"Why don't… you slow… down, Naruto! Geez," called Choji, desperately trying to catch his breath, "it's like you think they're gonna-"

*Boom!*

"Whoa! What the-!"

*Bang!*

"S-S-Stink bombs!?"

*Pop!*

"Oh, CACK! LEMME OUTTA HERE-"

*Sploosh!*

"WHAT THE FU-BLURGLURGURGLE!"

*Squish!*

*Thump!*

*Pffffff…*

"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!"

Choji swiftly burst into his signature 'human bullet tank' jutsu, bulldozing his way forward in a desperate attempt to not be left behind. Shikamaru burst into laughter as Kiba took to all fours, scrambling past him and easily making it to Naruto's side within seconds.

"Oh my… GOD! Hahaha, HAH! Whaddaya think he's… gonna do when… he finds out!?"

Naruto turned to his ambling friend, Akamaru poking just out of the top of his hood.

"He's not gonna find out, that's the beauty of it! Seriously, we'll be fine, or my name's not-"

"NARUTO UZUMAKIIIIII!"

Needless to say, Naruto's heels began to hit the back of his head as the four Genin screamed toward the entrance to Konoha.

"The entire house, Naruto?"

Iruka tapped his chopsticks against his ramen bowl, smiling at Naruto in disbelief. The latest prank, involving shadow clones, stink bombs and a bucket or two of brown paint, divulged in its entirety to his previous sensei, had been completed perfectly. Naruto smiled, nodding up and down and polishing off his fourth bowl of ramen.

"Yup! He'll be stinkin' for weeks! But that's what Ebisu gets for being a pervert!"

Iruka laughed, knowing very well that Ebisu wouldn't have the gall to turn Naruto in, even for such a humiliating prank. Naruto had enough evidence (and quite a few witnesses) to prove that he had caught Ebisu perving into the women's bathing area. However, instead of reporting it, Naruto decided to prank him in order to teach him a lesson…

… and throwing brown paint over him while slapping him and his house with an odour akin to the cattle stockades clearly proved a lesson that Ebisu would not soon forget.

"You shoulda seen him walking outta his front door! HAH!" Naruto reminisced fondly, remembering the soaking beige mess that was Ebisu staggering from his front door while Naruto watched at a much safer distance. "It looked like he was covered in cr-"

"Here's the next round, Naruto!"

Thankfully cut off from finishing his sentence, Naruto happily exclaimed a thank-you to Ayame as she set the bowl of beef ramen down in front of him. Smiling wide and sniffing in the flavours that he cherished so, Naruto feverishly hacked at the meal with his chopsticks as Ayame turned warmly towards Iruka.

"You need anymore, sweetie?" she chimed, flicking her long brown hair from her face. Iruka jolted, smiling nervously and slapping a hand to the back of his head.

"A-ah, not just y-yet, thanks! Still goin' on this one, heh," he replied, laughing tensely as Naruto suddenly halted his ravenous consumption and craned his head towards him. Ayame released a quick giggle as she happily flicked a finger towards Iruka.

"Well, you eat up and let me know when you want some more, 'kay?" she said sweetly, turning from the counter with another beautiful smile and starting on another bowl for Naruto. When she was partially out of ear-shot, Naruto – with strands of ramen still hanging from his mouth – darted between Iruka and Ayame, a questioning pout along his lips.

"Whap fwa heg ifw upf wiff fwha?" he spluttered, seeming to forget, unfortunately for Iruka, that he had a mouthful of noodles. After flicking a maverick strand from his arm, Iruka wiped his hands and picked up his own chopsticks, took a mouthful of ramen, slumped his back and turned to Naruto.

"Whap fwa heg pip whou ghust thway?"

After Naruto quickly covered his mouth to contain his laughter (and noodles), Iruka smiled wide, quickly slurping up the remainder of his ramen and turning to Naruto once more.

"Now," he said, correcting his posture and pushing his bowl away from himself, "what the heck did you just say?"

Naruto quickly downed the remainder of his bowl, swallowed loudly and emptying a glass of water. He turned to Iruka, smirking and darting to Ayame, who still had her back to the two.

"What the heck is up with that? You got super nervous when Ayame started talking to you!" he whispered loudly, leaning close to Iruka. Iruka blinked, turning towards the pretty young waitress and then back to Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously, unable to stop a quick and not-so-innocent ogle of the young woman's figure from being noticed by Naruto, who promptly thrust two fists skywards in triumph.

"Ah-hah! I knew it! Iruka-sensei's got the hots for-MMPH!"

Clamping a hand over Naruto's mouth, Iruka quickly pulled him close and whispered furiously.

"Naruto, GEEZ! Keep it down!"

Iruka turned a cautious eye to the kitchen, thankful that Ayame was still oblivious to the outburst and still preoccupied, before returning to Naruto, meeting his wide, questioning eyes.

"… Ugh, look-" Iruka released Naruto's mouth and placed a desperate smile on his face, "- it's your birthday next week, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Alright, then," Iruka began, straightening up and pointing a finger to Naruto's forehead. "If you just be quiet, right now, I'll take you for ramen every single day for a week, starting tomorrow. Sound good? You can keep your big mouth closed for a while?"

Naruto placed a largely satisfied smile onto his lips, moving his hand to the corner of his mouth and performing a 'zip-lock' motion with his fingers across his face. Iruka sighed, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

"Thank you. Now," he started, turning back to the counter, "how about we get-"

"Another round?"

Iruka's eyes bolted open as Ayame held the bowl before him, winking flirtatiously as she placed Naruto's ramen before the young Genin, who wasted very little time with another short thank-you before practically diving into his bowl. Ayame smiled towards Iruka as he shuddered, meeting the brown eyes of the waitress and smiling nervously before accepting his bowl.

"Th-thank you, Ayame…" Iruka replied, bowing his head and placing the bowl before him. Surprised at finding a softer texture beneath his hands, he rounded his bowl and found a half-folded napkin underneath, held against his fingers. Iruka retrieved it, noticing small, neat writing whilst finding that Ayame had remained where she was. Iruka darted from the napkin to Ayame as she leaned over the counter, gently cupping her face with her hand whilst prodding the napkin with a delicate finger.

"My address, in case you get lost," she said with a gleam in her chocolate eyes as Iruka jolted, staring back at her in a way that he prayed didn't seem bizarre.

"L-lost?"

She nodded, smiling expectantly.

"Yeah, lost… you know, when you come to pick me up this Saturday."

Iruka choked, blinking warily.

"P-p-pick you up?"

"Mhm… for our date," she said, pausing, straightening up and placing a finger to her lips. "Oh, but don't worry - I'll keep my big mouth closed for a while, 'kay?"

Iruka turned beet red as a clattering of a ramen bowl was heard next to him.

"Oh no! I totally forgot about training! I'm gonna be late!"

Naruto burst from his chair, reaching feverishly into his pocket. Lifting Gama-chan out, Naruto promptly opened him, took a handful of his money and slapped it down on the counter.

"That's for Iruka and me, Ayame! Keep the change, I gotta go! Bye, Iruka-sensei, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Iruka slowly craned his gaze to the dust cloud that Naruto had left in his wake, tossing up between following him or bolting in the other direction. Unfortunately, the nerves that ran static through his system had rendered his legs paralysed, so dashing (let alone moving) wasn't exactly an option, and with scarce few possibilities remaining…

"Awww, that's so sweet, he paid for you!" Ayame sang, staring happily after the fleeing youth and dragging a hand over his money, sweeping it from the counter and into her hand. Iruka released a nervous laugh, placing his hand to the back of his head once again.

"Y-yeah, gotta love little… brothers, right?"

Ayame smiled, taking what was needed for the payment and setting the rest aside, counting thoughtfully.

"… And that's four bowls of ramen for next time," she laughed, placing it in the till underneath the counter. Iruka sat still, confused as Ayame turned to him once more.

"Next time?" he asked, thereafter taking a mouthful of ramen from his bowl. Ayame nodded enthusiastically, motioning a nod towards the direction Naruto had fled.

"We never take any of Naruto's tips - he's our favourite customer, so we just take whatever's left over off his next purchase."

Iruka found himself almost moved by Ayame's words, as short and simple as they were. Ayame stared contentedly towards the young boy as he rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

"Poor kid gets overcharged with every other store, because of-" Ayame narrowed her eyes in concern before returning to Iruka, "-well, you know why. So, we don't mind helping him out, even if it's just a little bit. He's responsible for a lot of our business, so we just tell him that we're having a special or something so he doesn't cotton on."

Almost no one in Konoha treated the boy fairly, and all because of the demon fox that was sealed away inside him. The words seemed to float from Ayame as Iruka was suddenly extremely happy to find out that he wasn't the only villager who cared deeply for the boy. He sighed, meeting Ayame's eyes as she tilted her head slightly.

"That's… really nice of you, Ayame. Thank you," he started, turning to his bowl of Ramen thoughtfully. "Almost every other villager despises him because of Kurama. I don't get it, though – Naruto isn't the fox, he's… he's just Naruto! I mean, I lost my parents because of that damn fox, but what right does that give me to treat Naruto like trash? He didn't even have a choice in becoming a Jinchuriki…"

Ayame smiled happily towards Iruka as he began fiddling around with his Ramen. She folded her arms and leaned against the counter, staring endearingly towards the suddenly silent man.

"… You really care about him, don't you?"

Iruka ceased his fiddling, looking up towards her as a smile etched at the corner of his mouth. For some reason, the memory of giving Naruto his headband and allowing him to graduate from the academy flashed across his mind.

"Like a said… he's basically my little brother."

Ayame smiled wider, revealing her straight, white teeth as Iruka found himself returning the gesture. He helped himself to another mouthful of ramen at, quite possibly, not the best time.

"Maybe we'll adopt him someday?"

Iruka's eyes exploded from his head as he almost choked on his ramen, turning disbelievingly towards Ayame as she turned from him and busied herself with the task of washing dishes.

"W-We?" Iruka stammered, wondering what she was possibly thinking, before a sudden light dawned upon him. "O-oh! You mean you and your father, right?"

Ayame turned to Iruka with a wide smile as Iruka was sure that he'd solved the misunderstanding.

"Nope."

All Iruka remembered after that was Ayame's sweet, sweet smile, the salty, salty ramen… and the hard, hard ground.

The Konoha training fields were surprisingly silent and barren in light of the upcoming exams. Awaiting the arrival of the others, only three Genin found themselves there, gathering chakra and performing basic jutsu's towards the training posts. Having an odd number of candidates didn't exactly make for even taijutsu sparring, so Shikamaru, Sasuke and Kiba found themselves with time to kill before they waited for their numbers to even out.

"Man, what a drag… these exams are taking way too long to get here…"

Shikamaru lazily opted out of the second round of ninjutsu training as Kiba and Sasuke fired basic jutsu's towards the wooden training poles.

"Aren't you even a little worried about them?" Kiba asked bluntly, pushing a fire jutsu from his hands and watching it explode against the post. "You do realise that they're only like… not even three weeks away?"

Sasuke launched two of his own fire jutsu towards his own training post, splitting the wood down the centre with a loud crack as he turned contentedly to Kiba.

"I'd be more worried about yourself, Kiba," he said with a smirk, gathering his chakra and forming the 'tiger' hand seal, "especially if you've gotta fight him in the exams."

Kiba scoffed, raising a brow towards Sasuke as he turned to his post.

"Hah! I ain't got a worry in sight. Me an' Akamaru can-"

"Akamaru and I, Kiba" Shikamaru corrected, smiling into a yawn as he stretched. Kiba turned to him irately, shaking a clenched fist in the Genin's direction.

"Bite me, bean-pole! At least I'm doing some kind of training! Heh, not that I need to, because…"

Kiba returned confidently to Sasuke.

"… Me and Akamaru can take anything that comes our way! Right, buddy?"

"Arf!"

Launching another fire jutsu towards his post, Kiba bellowed loudly as he finally was able to break the wooden beam, managing even before Sasuke to reduce it to cindered splinters.

"Whoa-hoh, yeah! Beat that, Uchiha!"

"HEEEEEY! Sorry I'm late, guys!"

Shikamaru sprang up, turning to the loud voice as Naruto made his way towards them. Waving him over as Sasuke and Kiba ceased their jutsu trainings, Shikamaru pushed himself to his feet while Kiba waved to the approaching Genin.

"Took ya long enough, whiskers!" he called, walking towards Naruto with Akamaru barking happily from under his hood. "So, how much crap are you in about Ebisu?"

"Hah, I can't believe that you actually pulled it off, to be honest," Sasuke added, stretching his wrists out as himself and Shikamaru walked towards the incoming blonde.

"Hah, I'm not in any trouble at all, believe it! That is, if Ebisu wants to keep his job," Naruto laughed, smiling and placing his hands behind his head. Shikamaru joined in, folding his arms as he smiled towards the boy.

"Hah, man, he looked like a giant turd when he came outta his house! Classic," he mused, tilting his head from side to side as he stretched his neck. "Right, so are we ready?"

Naruto nodded, making his way towards the pile of bags that the others had brought. Throwing his own bag down carelessly, he turned back to the group, looking around quickly.

"Where's Choji? Actually, what about Lee and Shino? Aren't they all supposed to be here?" he asked, folding his arms. Shikamaru shrugged uncaringly.

"Eh, Choji's off with his dad for some reason – think he said somethin' about learning a secret family jutsu. Lee's off with Guy, doing some crazier taijutsu training and as for Shino? That's a good question. Anyone know about that 'Neji' guy?"

"Oh, you mean Hinata's cousin?" Naruto said happily turning to Shikamaru as Sasuke began to twist his torso back and forth. "I've heard that he's training in the Hyuga Estate. I don't think we're gonna see him until the Chunin exams… he's really weird anyway."

"Ah well, their loss I say!" Kiba butted in, clapping his hands together. "Right! Let's go get these girls! I'm itchin' to spar!"

"Yeah, so are we!"

The boys turned around, facing the direction of the elegant voice as Ino, Sakura and Hinata approached the training grounds, smiling and raring to go. Ino smirked confidently upon locking eyes with Kiba, flicking her long yellow hair as Sakura and Hinata waved energetically.

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed happily, running towards the heiress who smiled and mimicked his notions. Throwing her arms around him as the two exchanged a kiss on each other's cheek, Hinata swayed with Naruto as Ino took to Kiba's side and Sakura took to Sasuke's.

"Already split the post, I see," Sakura teased, motioning towards the training post behind Sasuke as he shrugged.

"I was bored, what can I say?"

"How about 'Nice to see you, Sakura'?"

Sasuke laughed, pulling Sakura into a warm embrace as she brushed a kiss to his cheek.

"Good to see you, too," Kiba laughed as Ino pecked his cheek and pulled him into a hug.

"Didn't miss me too much, I hope?" Ino chimed, pulling back to face her boyfriend as Kiba chuckled.

"Eh, maybe a little," he teased, lifting his gaze to a small head poking out under his hood. "Someone else did as well."

"Arf!"

Ino laughed as she scratched a finger to Akamaru's head, watching happily as the pup leaned into her affections.

"Nice to see you girls decided to show up. We're already missing three people," Shikamaru whinged, stretching out his arms as Sakura looked around.

"So, Choji, Shino and Lee aren't coming?" she asked as Hinata, Sakura and Ino collectively placed their bags besides the boys'.

"Apparently not. Eh, bit of a drag, but can't be helped. So," Shikamaru cracked his knuckles, a smirk lining his face, "how're we gonna go about this? We've still got uneven numbers."

"Sorry I'm late, guys!"

The Genin all turned to the voice as Tenten dashed towards the group, her signature bag of weapon scrolls dangling from her hip. Quickly closing the distance, Tenten stopped beside Hinata, Sakura and Ino, bending over and attempting to catch her breath.

"A-are you ok, Tenten?" Hinata asked, turning to her. Tenten raised a hand, still breathing heavily as she smiled.

"Y-yeah, just had to take care of a few things at home… whoo… ok! So, what are we up to?"

"Well," Shikamaru began, turning to the group of boys before motioning to Tenten, "now that you're here, we're gonna get started on some sparring. We've all been working on our ninjutsu so far-"

"Me and Sasuke, anyway-"

"Sasuke and I, Kiba," Shikamaru corrected again, laughing towards the harrumphing Genin and then returning to Tenten. "Either way, we're raring to go."

"Well then, let's decide who's fighting who," Ino called, turning to the boys and girls alike as she stepped forward, stretching her arms confidently. "Any takers for the 'Beautiful Kunoichi of Flowers'?"

Kiba swiftly shot his hand skywards as Shikamaru raised an unamused brow.

"I thought we were here to spar, not come up with stupid nicknames for each other."

A nerve pinched at the top of Ino's head as each of the girls took a cautious step back. Kiba's hand slowly fell from the air as Naruto, Sasuke and himself slowly backed away from the soon-to-be war zone, watching fearfully as Ino craned her head towards the silent Shikamaru. Even the Nara boy found himself slightly unnerved as Ino's fingers clenched into angered fists while her eyes held a slightly threatening twitch – Ino had always taken great pride in her self-made moniker and, as is commonly known, when someone's pride is hurt…

"SHIKAMARUUUUU!"

… the pride tends to punch the offender in the face… or at least in this case it does.

Launching herself towards the boy, Shikamaru swiftly formed a defensive stance, blocking Ino's flying punch with a defensive palm, knocking the blonde Genin back as Shikamaru took eagerly to a defensive taijutsu stance.

"Right, you stupid, lazy twat! YOU'RE MINE!"

"Bring it on, Bangs McGee!"

Shikamaru and Ino launched themselves to the opposite side of the training fields, attacking each other wildly and deflecting blow after blow as Kiba shouted towards the sparring Genin.

"HEY, SHIKAMARU! IF YOU PUT ONE BRUISE ON MY GIRLFRIEND'S BODY, I'M GONNA REARRANGE YOUR FACE!" Kiba called loudly as Akamaru yapped in agreement. Shikamaru deflected another punch from Ino, pushing her away from him as he turned to Kiba with a mischievous grin.

"AT LEAST I'LL STILL LOOK BETTER THAN HER!" he shouted, quickly darting a satisfied leer towards Ino, who ever-so-tenderly replied:

"OH, KISS MY ASS, YOU SONNUVABITCH!"

Flailing wildly, Ino threw attack after attack towards him as Shikamaru continued his defensive counters, neither side giving an inch. Kiba sighed as he shoved his hands disappointedly into his pockets, looking forlornly towards the activity.

"Awww man… that's totally bogus! Why does Shikamaru get to fight my girlfriend?" he whinged, furrowing his brows as Naruto clapped a hand to his back.

"Because they were too quick for us, Kiba! Which is why this is about to happen…"

Naruto smiled happily as a fire jutsu exploded next to Sasuke, rousing a shocked gasp from the group as the Uchiha performed an evasive backflip. Upon landing, Sasuke quickly turned to the direction of the blast.

"What the-"

Naruto smiled happily as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, making Kiba shield his eyes and cough.

"What the heck? That was a-"

"Fire release: Flame Bullet Jutsu!"

Another burst of flames tore straight towards Sasuke as Sasuke formed his own hand signs.

"Fire release: Flame Bullet Jutsu!"

The two flames collided and exploded upon impact, causing the Genin to shield their eyes and recoil from the blast… except for two.

Naruto burst through the smoke and ash, launching a confident fist towards Sasuke who quickly dodged and retaliated with a quick kick. Foreseeing the counter, Naruto blocked the strike as he jumped backwards, both Genin recovering with confident smiles on their faces.

"Hah, you have gotten better, Naruto!" Sasuke replied, forming a tiger hand sign. "Still, you'll have to do better than that to beat me!"

"Oh, I know that, Sasuke! That's why you're my sparring partner!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a daring finger towards Sasuke. "I'm gonna beat you and prove that I can be the Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura and Hinata turned wide-eyed towards each other. They knew the two boys were fiercely competitive, especially towards each other, and they honestly weren't entirely sure how happy they would be with their boyfriends tearing each other apart. Hinata stepped forward, being the first to raise an (albeit timid) objection.

"N-Naruto, Sasuke! A-are you sure you two are g-going to-"

"Don't worry about me, Hinata," Naruto replied confidently, forming his 'shadow clone' hand sign, "I'll be fine! It's Sakura that should be worrying; her boyfriend's about to go home in a matchbox!"

Sakura clenched a fist towards Naruto as Hinata pointed her fingers together, a small smile etching onto her face as her cheeks began to redden. She had secretly hoped that Naruto would dismiss her objections - she'd wanted him to have a chance at proving himself against Sasuke since their first kiss!

"Sakura's got nothing to worry about, Naruto," Sasuke responded, smirking as he gathered his chakra. "Hinata, on the other hand, might miss you after I kick your butt from here to Sunagakure, so here's your last chance to chicken out!"

Naruto laughed as he shook his head, prompting a wide smile from Hinata as she internally exploded in cheer.

"You know me better than that, Sasuke, so c'mon! Are you gonna fight me, or what!?"

Sasuke raised a brow, finding a quick bet to place on the outcome of the match. He straightened up, dismissing his hand signs and took to an offensive taijutsu stance.

"Alright then, but if I win, then you hafta teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"You're on, but if I win, then you hafta teach me the Dragon-Fire Jutsu!"

"Done! So c'mon! Ladies first!"

Naruto smiled wide, bursting on the inside as a fantastic practical joke entered his mind.

"Hah! If you insist!"

Naruto formed his 'Shadow Clone' hand sign as he gathered his chakra. Sasuke, clearly growing impatient as Naruto remained still with a mischievous smile across his face, launched towards the Genin, fists at the ready. Hinata gasped as she reached towards Naruto, fearing for the absolute worst.

"N-Naruto! W-watch out!" she cried as Sasuke quickly closed the distance between the two.

"Alright then, Naruto! If you're not going to make the first move, then I-"

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE HAREM JUTSU!"

Sasuke's eyes exploded as he released an ear-splitting shriek - a multitude of beautiful, blonde haired and stark-naked women (save for thin clouds of mist around their personal spaces) lavished themselves around him, grabbing at his face, body and… everywhere else.

"Oh, Sasuke! Look at these muscles!"

"Sasuke, won't you be with me tonight?"

"Why not me as well?"

"Don't forget me! We can invite Sakura as well!"

"Oh Sasuke! Look at the size of your-"

"TEHEHEHEHE!"

"N-N-N-N-NAR-NARUTOOOOOOOOO!"

The Uchiha struggled helplessly as the beautiful women piled on top of him, exposing only the crown of his head and a desperately flailing leg as he attempted again and again to free himself from the mountain of misty females. Naruto Uzumaki had fallen to the floor in laughter, his sides splitting as he wheezed through hoarse breaths at the look on Sakura's face - it had turned to absolute horror.

'Th… th-th-that's m-my BOYFRIEND! HE'S… HE'S C-C-COVERED IN…G-G-GETTING TOUCHED B-BY…'

"S-S-S-S-SAS-SASUKEEEEEEEEEE!... Oooh…"

*Thump!*

Sakura, unable to comprehend her insane jealousy, anger and the absolute ridiculousness of Naruto's highly inappropriate technique, had haplessly fainted as Hinata, Kiba, Tenten and even Ino and Shikamaru all turned wide-eyed towards the conglomeration of blonde hair, screaming Uchiha and coarse Naruto wheezes. Shikamaru and Kiba both suddenly fell victim to explosive nose-bleeds at the sight of the winking, giggling and (above all) naked women, soon after falling face first into the training grounds, followed very closely by Ino and Tenten. To Naruto's surprise, Hinata had remained absolutely frozen where she stood, not even swaying the faintest amount. However, she still managed to become a darker shade of red than a beetroot (and Naruto had been in this series long enough to realise what that meant!). Failingly making his way to his feet, Naruto desperately attempted to make his way towards the heiress, falling over again and again due to his laughter. He knew she was going to faint, and could only hope to get there before she did.

"Hah, Ha-ha-hi-ha-Hinata! Hahaha! I'm ca-ha-ha-ha!-coming! Do-hoh-hon't fain't just ye-heh-heh!-het!"

Hinata darted towards the still-screaming Sasuke as his head popped out of the mound of women, just in time for him to follow in Kiba's and Shikamaru's footsteps as an explosive nose-bleed rendered him unconscious. His arms and legs twitched maniacally; a nervous smile skittered across his face as Hinata darted between the giggling female Naruto's and the prominently rising and falling male Naruto. As only one thought entered Hinata's mind, Naruto thankfully flung his body behind her, arms wide open:

'… N-Naruto as… as a girl… is… m-more beautiful th-than Ino… and… is absolutely… n-n-n… NAKED!'

*Whumpfff…*

Nothing on earth could have prepared the poor heiress for that technique as she fainted, landing on the still giggling Naruto as he placed his arms around her waist, dispersing his 'Harem Jutsu' clones at the same time.

"Wow! Hah! If I can make seven Genin faint with one technique, these exams are gonna be a breeze!"

Sorry this chapter took so long, guys! Also, I promise that the next chapter will actually have proper training in it.

Leave a review; let me know what you all think!

Good writing to all!

LS.