AN: Hey guys I'm sorry I haven't updated in … forever. But I am back and this should atleast whet some desires for more. I'm sorry it's so short but I wanted to get something up for you guys who have been so patient. As ever there is definitely more to come. :D

The teams filtered out of the room, but not before Ryuu caught the look on Anko's face. The internal shudder that passed from him to his own teammates caused them all to look at each other and chuckle. "Come on Ototo, Nee-chan we should start planning on what to do next." His faded strawberry blond hair bounced over his head band and he nodded to them.

"Hai Ryuu-kun." Hinata blushed as she felt Sasuke's hand wrap around her waist. Team seven left the room only Ibiki and Anko remained.

"So.. what do you think of the brats?" The violent wiolet spoke up looking at the man that was her boss.

His hands shifted through the stacks of papers pulling seven of them to the side. "These actually passed the test." He looked them over, "All of team seven... Ryuu above and beyond... Seems he noticed something we forgot about." He ran a grizzled hand over his jaw.

"And what did we forget?"

"Iwa... They know he's a Namikaze, and seems that one of our own is skilled beyond what we thought." He passed her Ryuu's test and let her read over his notes.

She smirked, seeing answers that made her proud to have had a hand in his training. Though her frown marred at a few other things she read. "Jounin level reserves and control? Knowledge beyond expected or allowable training." She worried on her lower lip. "Seven attempts at the exams? That should never have happened or been allowed."

"I know, the fact that kid spotted this and we haven't even noticed in all these years... I want him on our team." The hint of fanatic fanboy waves collided into Anko.

"Gaki would be a good addition but he would say no." She laughed, "Unless you figured a way to let him still do what he wants." She looked over her shoulder as she set the test back down, "Ja ne!" She vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Training Ground 44

"Alright you brats, pay attention." Her voice carried over the din of gennin voices. "This is know as the forest of death." her smirk echoed in her words. "You will all sign the waivers being passed to you or forfeit your chances."

"Why?"

"In case you die our village won't be held accountable." She laughed, "Since you will be in here for a while... Since you have to get two scrolls." She smiled though it wasn't a pleasant one. "Everyone will be given A scroll, and there are only two types.. you must have one of each and arrive with your whole team at the tower in the center of the forest in five days." She walked passed them all slipping a small note to Ryuu. "Turn in your waivers at the tent, collect your scroll and report to your starting gate."

/Inside the Forest/

Team Seven lumped from tree to tree with a deft precision, well precision for a group of overly trained teenagers that extended themselves beyond the limits of rationale. {Clone teams?} Hinata fingered to the boys who both nodded. The three of them created five clones and sent them off in teams, after handing them each a summon tag. They had no intentions of fighting unless they had too. After all this was their training ground for quite a while they knew most of the good places to camp or hide. The one they decided on however was the tower.

It wasn't a fair choice, but given what they were attempting to do it was the most deceptive method. Go to the tower, camp and wait for teams to come out tired and beaten. Take their scroll, unless one of their clones manages to get a hold of the one they need and dispels after tagging it. Then they would just summon the stolen scroll and go in.

"So we rig the entrance with traps, and try to be the only team that gets in?" Sasuke smirked.

The thwap to the back of his head from Hinata turning that smirk into a frown. "No, we just set up traps to annoy them in case we have to steal a scroll from them here."

Ryuu just looked between them with a small smile. His own thoughts a mixture of the two. Yet a small pang of not having -that-. Sure he saw Sasuke as his brother, and Hinata as a sister but his own childish thoughts wanted to have that special feeling too. Yet in the back of his mind other things were stirring, feelings and senses were picking up something was coming... something that stirred the words challenge and danger respectively in his thoughts.