Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 9

Kakashi and Kiba

Hatake Kakashi knocked once on the Hokage's office door and waited for a response. It came immediately and he entered the room. The Yondaime was sitting behind his desk, writing something on a scroll. He looked up with a grin on his face for his favorite–and only living–student.

The silver-haired man bowed to his sensei. "Hokage-sama."

"Kakashi! Welcome back!" the blonde greeted, leaning back in his chair. "I trust the mission went well?"

The tall man nodded, his one visible eye half closed in its usual lazy expression, his shoulders slightly slumped, and his hands stuck in his pockets. "Nothing untoward happened. I'll have the report to you in the morning." He reached into a pocket of his vest and handed the Hokage a scroll. "From the client," he explained.

The Yondaime broke the seal and began reading the contents of the scroll. It was a long-winded and terribly pompous message extolling Kakashi's work. He skimmed quickly to the end, then looked up at his student. "Well, you certainly impressed him. He has nothing but the highest praise for you." Suddenly, the blonde grinned wickedly. "Would you like me to read you some of this?"

Kakashi repressed a shudder at the thought of what the client–a rather flamboyant Fire Country noble–might possibly say about him. "No, thanks, sensei," he said, trying to sound bored instead of embarrassed and succeeding admirably.

Minato laughed and tossed the scroll aside, then began rooting around for the mission receipt. Kakashi took the opportunity to study the man behind the desk. There was something…different about his teacher and Kakashi was having trouble putting his finger on it.

After a minute, the Hokage found the paper he was looking for, stamped it, and handed it to the Copy Ninja. "Good work, Kakashi," he said seriously. "I'm certain he will request our services again."

Kakashi nodded as he accepted the paper and stuck it in a pocket.

"Now," the Yondaime said, grinning again, dismissing talk of the mission with a flick of his fingers. "I have something more important to discuss with you." Kakashi cocked his one visible eyebrow at his sensei. "Jiraiya-sensei is here."

Kakashi's eye crinkled up–the only indication of the genuine smile hidden beneath his mask. He didn't do it often, but he was glad that the Toad Sage was in town. He enjoyed the Sannin's company and the three of them usually had dinner together at least once when he visited. Not to mention the fact that Kakashi was an avid fan of Jiraiya's novels. The big man had given him an autographed set once, and sometimes he even let Kakashi read some of his rough drafts.

Besides, Kakashi knew that as happy as he was to see the Toad Sage, Minato was happier. The Hokage was open and friendly by nature. His people had no trouble feeling connected to him or coming to him with their problems. It was the way he wanted to rule his village, and it worked very well. Despite that, the Copy Ninja knew his sensei was lonely. Because the only people he felt connected to, felt could help with his problems were Jiraiya and Kakashi. They were closer to him than anyone else. However, Jiraiya was gone from Konoha most of the time. Kakashi himself was busy with missions and, starting four years ago, his own students. He made as much time as he could for his sensei, but it wasn't really enough.

The blonde's voice broke into his thoughts. "He didn't come alone."

Kakashi cocked his eyebrow again. "Eh?"

"You remember the message he sent? About the student he had taken on?"

Kakashi nodded, understanding. "He brought him here?" Minato nodded, and Kakashi continued. "Is he as good as Jiraiya-sama made him out to be?" It was unlikely the Toad Sage had exaggerated, but Kakashi was curious.

Minato's smile deepened and he seemed…proud? "Better. I accepted him as a chuunin."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose in surprise. Normally an outside ninja requesting to join the village had to be nominated by a jonin and go through a probationary period before being accepted as a full-fledged citizen. Given that it was Jiraiya who was nominating the boy, Kakashi had been sure he'd be accepted...eventually. To forego the probationary period was unusual. Jiraiya had known this new ninja for three years, though. He supposed if the big man trusted him, Minato could too.

"What was his test?" the silver-haired ninja asked.

"He had to get a bell from me," the Hokage replied, and paused, watching Kakashi's face. "And he did."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose higher, the only indication of his growing surprise. The format of the test wasn't unusual, but it was for the Hokage to participate in it himself. The fact that the boy had succeeded was astonishing. Even if his sensei had been using half his strength, it was quite a feat.

"I'd like you to meet him," the Yondaime continued, the broad smile never leaving his face, though it was joined by a mischievous spark in his eye.

Kakashi caught the expression and started to feel a little nervous, but he only lowered his eyebrow to its normal position and said, "Hai." He did want to meet this ninja that could get a bell from the Yondaime Hokage.

Minato stood suddenly and clapped his hands together. "Well, no time like the present, hmmm? Unless you have something else to do?"

He looked at Kakashi, all innocence, but the jonin knew better. The glint in his sensei's eyes had never left and that expression only meant one thing. But it couldn't be helped, so he just shrugged. "Sure, sensei," he drawled.

Minato grinned again, almost evilly. "Very good!" he said and leapt up to the open windowsill behind him. "He should be training with Lee-kun right now. Come on!" And with that, he was gone.

Kakashi just stared at the empty window for a moment. A slight breeze tickled his cheek. Training with Lee? This couldn't be good. He sighed and followed his sensei.

They moved easily over the rooftops, Kakashi staying just a little behind and to the right of the Yondaime. As they traveled, the Copy Ninja took the time to review his sensei's behavior. It was odd. There was the difference he had noticed earlier that he still couldn't quite pin down. And now his eagerness to have Kakashi meet Jiraiya's student. As a fellow Leaf shinobi, Kakashi would meet the person eventually, but that apparently wasn't soon enough for Minato's liking. That grin on his face and the glint in his eye meant he had a surprise in store for Kakashi, and it had something to do with the new nin. Minato was always trying to crack Kakashi's indifferent façade, which usually took the form of surprising or embarrassing him. That's what the Hokage had been doing when he had offered to read the scroll to the silver-haired man earlier. It was a game they had played since Kakashi was a gennin.

All elite shinobi that Kakashi had ever met had some sort of personality quirk, or habit, or hobby that helped them deal with the hard life they led. It was mentally and physically taxing for a human to suppress emotions, make difficult decisions, kill, and face the prospect of being killed on a daily basis. Ways of dealing with the pressure ran the gamut from relatively harmless to downright scary. Kurenai tended an assortment of plants. Asuma smoked too much and played Shogi obsessively. Kakashi himself hid behind masks, both physical and metaphorical, and read too much porn. Tsunade of the Sannin drank herself into a stupor and gambled all her money away. Anko ate dango and tortured people. Gai...well, Gai was Gai.

All in all, Kakashi thought Minato's quirks were pretty benign. He had what Kakashi considered an unhealthy appetite for ramen and he needled his student mercilessly. Actually, none of his ninja were safe from his teasing, but Kakashi bore the brunt of it. The Copy Ninja didn't mind–if that was what his sensei, the man he admired and respected above all others, needed to do to deal with the burdens of a shinobi life, then that was fine.

He was actually surprised that Minato's quirks weren't more extreme. Kages were the strongest ninjas in their villages and made the toughest decisions. Therefore, their burdens were greatest. And Kakashi knew Minato had made some difficult decisions in his time. He was nearing 40, and the years were taking their toll. He was still as strong as he had ever been physically, but mentally the stress was starting to show. It was subtle, but Kakashi saw it. How each death Minato felt he caused, directly or indirectly, friend or foe, laid its weight on his shoulders. How, over time, those shoulders seemed a little more stooped, how his smile was a little less happy, how his eyes were a little more shadowed. Kakashi didn't like to see it, but there was nothing he could do. It was the life they had all chosen to lead.

He glanced over at the Hokage on his left without turning his head. And it struck him, all of a sudden, what the difference was he had sensed in the man. His sensei was lighter. As if the burdens Kakashi had just been mulling over weren't there anymore, or were drastically reduced.

The Copy Ninja narrowed his eye, carefully studying the Yondaime like he should have right away in his office. His coat was streaming behind him as he ran with an undeniable spring in his step that hadn't been there before. His eyes were fixed on the rooftops ahead, but they didn't have the dark shadows in them anymore. The mischievous smile hadn't left his face, but now there was a softer edge to it. The Hokage was happy. Not just gleeful at the prospect of discomfiting his student, but deeply and truly happy. Kakashi almost stumbled at the realization. He hadn't known his sensei to be happy like that in a long time. Sixteen years in fact.

"Something wrong, Kakashi?" the blonde asked, not stopping or turning his head.

Kakashi cursed to himself. Of course the Yondaime would notice his small break in stride. He probably noticed the way Kakashi was looking at him too, as subtle as he had been. Minato wasn't the Hokage for nothing.

A new and terrible thought struck him. What if this wasn't the Hokage? Could it be a very clever impostor? He didn't think so–it would be nearly impossible to kidnap a Kage from his own village and leave an impostor in his place with no one noticing–but Kakashi was known for being paranoid. It had saved his life, and those of his comrades, on numerous occasions. If that were the case, as remote a possibility as it seemed, he couldn't let the man next to him know what he was thinking.

"No," he replied evenly, still running, while also examining the Hokage's chakra signature. It seemed to be the one he knew so well, that of Namikaze Minato, but it was possible to mimic chakra signatures with a clever genjutsu. He'd need the Sharingan to be sure.

Still running alongside the man, he slowly opened his left eye, the one he kept covered by his hitai ite. It would be better to uncover it, but that would instantly alert the person next to him that he was suspicious, and the Sharingan could see through the headband well enough for his purposes. He quickly scanned the man running next to him.

Nothing. No genjutsu and no trace of a henge or any other ninjutsu that could be used to mimic another person. Simply the familiar chakra of his sensei. He closed the eye and gave an inaudible sigh of relief. He was just being paranoid. Still, the Yondaime was different and Kakashi wasn't sure why. Jiraiya being in town didn't seem to be unusual enough to cause such a change. Maybe it had to do with the new ninja? But what could he possibly have to do with it?

He stopped suddenly, as he realized the Hokage was no longer next to him. He looked back. Minato was standing on a roof about two buildings behind him. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes were narrowed at Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja smiled sheepishly under his mask and took two leaps to land in front of the older blonde.

"Something is wrong, Kakashi," the Yondaime said sternly. "Why were you using the Sharingan on me?"

Kakashi gulped. His sensei had felt that? Damn. Well, at least it was more proof he was really the Hokage. Kakashi was pretty sure only a Kage-level ninja could sense the subtle chakra spike when he used the eye.

"Maa, sensei," he began, assuming his usual lazy demeanor once more. "You are different." He shrugged. "I had to make sure it was really you."

Minato blinked at him, looking surprised. "I'm different?" he asked, moving his hands to rest on his hips. "How?"

Kakashi shrugged again. "You are…lighter. Happier."

The Hokage smiled at that, a true smile, and Kakashi found himself smiling back. "Well, I am happier," the blonde said. Then he frowned. "But I didn't want it to be so obvious."

Kakashi shook his head. "It's not. But I know you very well."

His sensei laughed. "Yes, you do. And you wanted to make sure I wasn't an impostor." He clapped his student on his shoulder. "Just what I would expect from you."

Kakashi inclined his head a little. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," he said, secretly happy with the praise. He was a jonin, one of the most elite of the ninja of Konoha, and his sensei could still make him feel like a fresh gennin, eager to please his leader.

Minato smiled and dropped his hand. "Come on, we're almost there."

Kakashi turned to follow again. They were indeed almost to the trees that marked the start of the training grounds. "Does the new ninja have anything to do with your new attitude?"

Minato stopped and turned his head to look over his shoulder. The smile on his face was so soft, so gentle, Kakashi felt his breath catch a little in his throat. He'd never seen an expression like that on his sensei's face. "He has everything to do with it," the blonde replied. Then the spark appeared in his blue eyes once again and the smile was gone, replaced by a grin Kakashi had seen plenty of times. "But you'll see." And he took off over the rooftops towards the trees.

Kakashi stared at the retreating figure for a moment. What the hell had that been about? He shrugged. Well, nothing to do but follow and find out.

They reached a clearing in the trees a few minutes later. Minato halted on a large branch with a good view of the open space before them and dropped into a crouch. Kakashi landed on the branch beside him and also crouched down. He quickly scanned the area. Two ninja were sparring in the clearing; one was definitely Lee and the other he didn't recognize. Must be the new ninja. As curious as he was about him, he turned his attention first to the surrounding forest. After a moment he gave a mental sigh of relief. No sign of Lee's sensei, Maito Gai.

Gai was a comrade, even a friend. They had saved each others' lives on multiple occasions before. But Kakashi didn't think he could handle his so-called 'eternal rival' at the moment. Their rivalry was another game that kept them both sane and occupied in their down time. As indifferent as he appeared to be about the whole thing, he actually rather enjoyed their little competitions. Not that he would ever tell Gai that. But then, he didn't really need to.

For all that, it took a certain mindset to deal with the Green Beast and he just didn't have it right now. The Hokage had rattled him with his behavior and Kakashi knew it was only going to get worse. He was desperately curious about the new ninja and how he could have affected his sensei so much.

He looked at Minato out of the corner of his eye. That soft smile was back, directed at the two ninja sparring below, so Kakashi turned his attention back to the clearing.

Lee was facing himself and the Hokage, which meant the new ninja had his back to them. The first thing that caught Kakashi's attention was the chakra. He'd rarely felt such a strong signature before. The second thing he noticed was the hair. It was bright yellow, almost gold in color and stuck up in crazy spikes everywhere. It looked exactly like Minato's hair, if a little shorter. Kakashi narrowed his eye. That was unusual. He'd never seen anyone else with hair like his sensei's.

The new ninja was wearing a black headband, his hitai ite Kakashi assumed, knotted at the back of his head with the ends trailing past his shoulders. He was somewhat shorter than Lee, and he was dressed in a black outfit with three orange stripes running down the right sleeve. A plain black sheath was strapped to his back. He was wielding the black-handled katana that went in it with precision and grace. He was obviously skilled with the blade.

Lee had metal guards on his arms, hands, and shins. He was blocking the sword's movements with these, although he seemed to be moving more slowly than usual. So, this was a lesson in fighting kenjutsu for the taijutsu user.

Suddenly, the katana-wielding ninja jumped back. "Very good, Bushy Brows!" he called, sheathing his sword. Kakashi snorted and he heard a low chuckle from the man next to him. Bushy Brows? Well, it certainly fit Lee. "You're getting the timing down really good. Next time we'll work on upping the speed." The new ninja's voice was baritone, with a gravelly edge to it.

Lee was smiling. "Thank you, Naruto-kun! But why are we stopping early?"

The new ninja, Naruto apparently, pointed behind him. "Because Hokage-sama is here with a guest." Kakashi could almost hear the grin in the young man's voice. He himself was surprised the ninja detected them. Neither of the teens had given any indication they knew they were being watched and the blonde one hadn't turned around at all. But he obviously did know they were there. And who they were. Or at least, he knew the Hokage.

Kakashi looked at Minato again. The man was still smiling, but this was a proud smile. He was proud Naruto knew they were there. Why?

And that was another thing. Lee had called the new ninja 'Naruto'. The significance of that name was not lost on Kakashi. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but Minato cut him off.

"Don't fall off the branch, ok?" Minato grinned at Kakashi, that glint in his eyes.

Kakashi thought he was being overly dramatic. He might be surprised by whatever it was Minato knew and he didn't, but he wouldn't fall off the branch. What sort of ninja did the Hokage think he was? He snorted softly and looked back towards the pair in the clearing.

And almost fell off the branch.

The new ninja had turned around.

Luckily, Minato had quick reflexes. He darted out a hand too fast to see and grabbed Kakashi's shoulder. "Told you," he said, laughing.

Kakashi barely heard him. He was too busy staring. His eye was wide and he'd gone rigid with shock.

Naruto could be a clone of his sensei. There were a few differences of course, those markings on his cheeks being the most obvious one, but otherwise, they looked just alike. He uncovered the Sharingan, but nothing about the young ninja changed. Bright blue eyes were still fixed on their position and a grin identical to Minato's still split his face. And everything clicked.

Kakashi drew in a huge breath. It didn't seem possible, but, well, there was the proof in front of him. This explained Minato's behavior, at least. Yes, this explained it very well.

Minato had always wanted a family of his own. Though Kakashi knew the Hokage considered him and Jiraiya to be family, it wasn't quite the same. His sensei had hoped to achieve his dream with Kushina years ago, but then she had disappeared. Minato had never been the same. That had really been when his sadness had started to creep in.

But now…now, Minato had a piece of that dream, and it banished the sadness. Because Kakashi had no doubt at all he was looking at his sensei's son. Or at least, a person who his sensei thought was his son. He narrowed his eyes a little and replaced his hitai ite over the Sharingan. He really wanted to meet this boy.

As if reading his mind, Minato said, "Let's go say hello." He had a satisfied smirk on his face.

Kakashi inwardly sighed. Minato had gotten him good this time. He jumped to the ground with the Hokage and they made their way over to the teens, who bowed in greeting.

"Lee-kun," the Yondaime said, "I hate to interrupt your training, but I have some things to discuss with Naruto-kun and Kakashi."

"Of course, Hokage-sama!" the green ninja replied. He turned to Naruto. "I will meet you for lunch, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto looked at the Hokage, who gave a little nod. Naruto turned back to Lee and grinned. "Sure thing, Bushy Brows!" he said.

Lee smiled and bowed again to the Hokage and Kakashi and left the clearing.

Naruto once again faced the two older ninja. He was still grinning, but Kakashi noticed his eyes were guarded.

The Hokage was smiling that soft smile again. He gestured to the tall man next to him. "Hatake Kakashi, this is Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kakashi-san," he said.

Kakashi gave a stiff nod in return. "Uzumaki?" he asked. "You are Kushina's son?"

Naruto blinked at him once, his grin gone, and his gaze shifted to the Hokage.

"It's alright, Naruto," the Yondaime answered the unspoken question. "Kakashi is one of the few that knew about Kushina and me."

Those blue eyes, so like his sensei's, shifted back to Kakashi. "Yes, Uzumaki Kushina is my mother."

"And sensei…" he trailed off. It wasn't really a question anyway.

Naruto stayed quiet, but the Hokage answered. "Yes," he said simply. He reached out and gently ruffled the younger blonde's hair. His face had such a tender, loving expression that Kakashi suddenly found himself uncomfortable. It was like he shouldn't be there, witnessing something that belonged only to those two. He really, really hated to disturb them. But he had to; he had to ask the question that was nagging at the back of his mind.

"How do we know for certain?"

The Hokage instantly bristled. He faced his student with an undeniably angry expression and his eyes seemed to burn into his student's. His hand dropped to Naruto's shoulder. "Kakashi…" he growled, clearly letting the silver-haired ninja know he had crossed a line.

Kakashi didn't care. He kept his face blank and his eye fixed on Minato. Really, the Hokage should have expected him to question the boy's story.

Suddenly, Naruto laughed. It broke the tension and startled both the older ninja. They instinctively glanced at him. He was looking at Kakashi with a grin on his face. "Okaa-sama said you were paranoid," the younger blonde stated.

Kakashi blinked at him. "Kushina…told you about me?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "She said if you ever doubted who I was, I should tell you about the ring."

Kakashi blinked at him again. "The ring?" He glanced at Minato. His sensei was staring at Naruto with an odd expression.

"The ring otou-sama gave her," Naruto said softly, glancing quickly at the Hokage. Minato squeezed Naruto's shoulder, but made no sound. The young blonde turned back to Kakashi, who motioned for him to continue. He hadn't forgotten the ring, and he wanted to hear what Naruto had to say.

"It's a small, teardrop-shaped ruby set in a gold band with little leaves engraved all around it and their names engraved on the inside." His gaze slid to his father again. "She wears it on a chain around her neck. I've never seen her take it off."

Minato sucked in his breath and lowered his eyes. He must have been gripping Naruto's shoulder painfully, judging by the whiteness of his knuckles, but the young nin gave no indication of it. He was just gazing at his father with a sad look on his face.

Well, Kakashi didn't know how Kushina wore the ring, but he had to admit the description was certainly right. There were only four people still alive that knew Minato had given such a ring to the red-haired kunoichi. Well, five now, apparently.

The Copy Ninja gave a small bow. "Gomen, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun," he said. "I believe you."

Naruto looked at him and grinned. "It's ok, Kakashi-san. Jiraiya-sensei didn't trust me either until I told him about it."

Minato spoke for the first time. "Why does she still wear it?" he asked quietly, his eyes still on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," his son said. "I don't know. I asked her once, but she made me run three miles for being impertinent."

Kakashi chuckled. Minato looked up at the sound and managed a small smile. "That sounds just like Kushina," the silver-haired man said.

The Hokage nodded and brought his hand from his son's shoulder to rub his eyes. He sighed and looked at his student. His face was serious, and Kakashi straightened up a bit. Whatever he was going to say next was something important. "Naruto's parentage is an S-class secret," he declared.

Kakashi nodded, thoughtful. "It won't keep for long," he pointed out.

"I know that," the Yondaime replied. "But it'll buy time before my enemies start to target Naruto. Enough for us to be prepared for the attack when it comes." He glanced at his son. "Besides, Naruto can take care of himself." He paused and looked back at Kakashi, his serious expression never changing. "He has…special gifts, from his mother's side."

Kakashi didn't miss how Naruto flinched slightly and turned wide, surprised eyes on his father. "A kekkei genkai?" the Copy Ninja asked. Kushina had never displayed anything like a bloodline limit in the time he had known her, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"You could call it that," the Yondaime said cryptically. "That information is an SS-class secret," he continued, making Kakashi's eye go wide, "so I won't be giving you any details. But I want you to know, in case you ever see Naruto doing anything… unusual. And if he ever tells you something about me, believe him."

Kakashi blinked, looking from his sensei to his younger copy. What did that mean? And just what sort of power did Naruto have for it to be SS-classified?

The Yondaime laughed. "You look confused, Kakashi," he said. "Don't worry, you'll understand when the time comes."

Kakashi shook his head and sighed. He was confused. But he knew Minato wouldn't be giving him any more information.

The Hokage turned to his son. "You are teaching Lee-kun how to fight against kenjutsu?" he queried.

"Aa. He asked if I'd teach him after he saw me sparring with Tenten-chan. Said something about one of his 'eternal rivals' using a katana." The younger blonde shrugged. "I'm not really sure what he's talking about."

Minato laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Well, Kakashi could explain it to you. His student is the 'eternal rival' Lee-kun is talking about. But you'll get to meet him soon enough. Now that Kakashi is back, we'll have your spar after you're done training with Team Kurenai."

Naruto blinked and thought for a minute. "So, the person you're testing my kenjutsu against is Kakashi's student? And Lee's rival? And it'll be in two days?"

Minato nodded.

"All right!" Naruto crowed.

The Hokage chuckled and ruffled his son's hair again. Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little himself at the young blonde's enthusiasm. He'd see if that grin was still there after the spar. Even if Naruto was a genius like his father, Kakashi's student would be hard to beat. He was a genius too, after all.

Kurenai sighed. Kiba and Naruto were, once again, yelling at each other. It was the last day that Naruto would be training with them and she had decided to finish the practice with one-on-one sparring. They hadn't done any of that during the week and it seemed like a good time. She planned on having Naruto and Kiba fight last; hopefully by that point, they'd be tired out from sparring with their comrades and wouldn't kill each other. But a training spar was just the thing for them to work out their...issues.

Akamaru seemed to be slightly less afraid of Naruto now-he had stopped hiding his face in Kiba's back on the second day, although he still wouldn't let the blonde ninja anywhere near him except when it was absolutely necessary to complete their task. This hadn't done anything to improve Kiba's attitude though, and he had been acting more and more dominant to Naruto as the days passed. Some of the things he did were obvious, like insulting the blonde and generally giving him a hard time, which Naruto responded to by grinning and taunting Kiba back.

Other things were more subtle. Kiba would position himself in front of or higher than Naruto, or he would place himself between Naruto and his other teammates, especially Hinata. Kurenai was surprised that the blonde picked up on those behaviors. Most people wouldn't since it wasn't something humans normally thought about. But Naruto did notice, and he reacted just like Kiba might, by shifting his own position to be level with the Inuzuka. It was interesting, and something she'd have to think on. Kiba had said he smelled similar to a dog.

At any rate, as the week wore on, Kiba tried harder and harder to rile the blonde and it was harder and harder for Naruto to laugh it off. The two teens ended up yelling at each other more and more and it took Shino or herself stepping in to get them to stop. This time, though, she didn't think that would work. The two were literally growling at each other. And it was because of Hinata.

Naruto and Hinata had been sparring and the dark-haired girl had been losing. It didn't help that she got flustered around him and would make a mistake, then would get more flustered and make more mistakes. It was a vicious cycle; one that Naruto was quick to take advantage of.

Which was how the Hyuuga had found herself flat on her back with her blonde crush straddling her and a kunai at her throat.

Naruto had blinked and grinned at her before pulling the kunai away. "I think that round goes to me!" he'd announced happily.

The poor girl had only been able to stare, face flushing red and chest heaving with dangerously rapid, shallow breaths. Kurenai was sure the only reason she hadn't passed out was because of the adrenaline from the fight.

Naruto had frowned when he noticed her condition. "Hinata-san?" he'd questioned. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hinata-" He hadn't gotten any further, as a brown-haired blur had appeared out of nowhere and knocked him off the stunned girl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kiba had yelled. And the argument had commenced.

Shino had helped Hinata to her feet and they were now staring at the two growling teens. Shino seemed impassive, but Kurenai could see the stiffness in his shoulders, and Hinata was blushing furiously and fidgeting like mad.

Kurenai sighed again. "That's enough," she said sharply. She was pleased when the two immediately shut up, though they were still glaring at each other. "We're moving on." The two chuunins turned to look at her. "That means it's time for your spar, Kiba, Naruto-kun."

Naruto broke into a grin that was mirrored on Kiba's face.

The jonin gestured to her other two students. "Come on." Shino and Hinata would be too distracted to spar themselves, so they may as well watch with her.

Naruto wore his usual grin as he faced off with his fellow chuunin. All that dominance crap Kiba had been pulling with him all week was really getting on his nerves, and now he finally had the chance to show this skinny puppy who was boss.

Kiba broke the silence with a little pre-battle trash talk. "I'll end this in one punch," he boasted, raising a fist.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Kiba answered by springing forward. Naruto had to admit, the Inuzuka was fast. Not as fast as Lee, but quick nonetheless. His fist connected with Naruto's face, sending the blonde back a few steps. Blood trickled down his chin, but he never stopped grinning.

"Sorry, Kiba-san," he said. "I've had harder hits from my mother when I annoyed her." Which was true. Of course, she was a demon, but Kiba didn't know that.

The dog ninja growled. "I got the first hit," he said.

Naruto shrugged. "The first hit doesn't matter." He settled into his stance and licked the blood from his lip. "It's only the final hit that makes a difference."

Kiba growled again and charged. Naruto didn't see the two small balls in his hand until it was too late to dodge. Smoke enveloped the blonde, clouding his vision and clogging his nose. He still knew the Inuzuka was coming, but it was hard to block his punches when he couldn't see the dog ninja. He wasn't giving Naruto a chance to use any wind jutsu to clear the smoke either. And why was Akamaru holding back? Naruto could sense the dog's heartbeat off to his right, waiting. Waiting for what? For him to come out of the smoke?

Oh…

He blocked punches as best he could while a plan took shape. He grinned.

Kiba jabbed with his right fist, feeling it connect. He was landing some good hits on Naruto, who seemed disoriented by the smoke, as he intended. Now, when his opponent tried to escape…

A blonde figure shot out of the cloud to Kiba's left. He smirked. Perfect.

Akamaru was suddenly there, grabbing onto the blonde's arm and knocking him back into the smoke.

"You fell for it!" Kiba gloated. After a few more moments, the smoke started to dissipate, revealing Naruto lying on the ground in a heap with a triumphant looking Akamaru standing over him. The dog barked once and bounded towards Kiba.

"Good job-," Kiba started, but was interrupted when Akamaru suddenly leapt at him, snarling. Kiba got an arm up to block just in time and his dog latched onto it painfully, dragging him to the ground.

"A-Akamaru?" he stuttered, shocked. The dog growled lowly at him, and Kiba caught his scent. It smelled like Akamaru, but something was…off. He sniffed again and his eyes widened. "Naruto!" he hissed.

The dog standing over him disappeared in a poof of smoke, revealing the blonde with his teeth sunk into Kiba's arm. Blood trickled down his chin and his eyes were a little wild.

KIba made an inarticulate noise and swung his other arm wildly. Naruto easily dodged, rolling off the Inuzuka into a crouched position. "Took you long enough," he said. He licked his lips, then he wrinkled his nose. "Yuck. You taste like dog."

Kiba stared at him in shock for a moment before finding his voice. "You bastard!" he cried. "Where's Akamaru?"

The blonde gestured behind him. The Naruto that had been huddled on the ground was now standing proudly with his arms crossed over his chest. Akamaru's head was sticking out of the ground at his feet. Kiba growled. The clone hadn't only been a decoy, it had hidden the real Akamaru from sight and prevented him from warning Kiba.

He focused back on the real Naruto, eyes narrowed in anger, although the insult he had been about to make died on his lips.

Naruto was watching him intently, and something about his gaze made Kiba uncomfortable. The wild look hadn't left his eyes and he hadn't wiped the blood from his chin. It felt as if the blonde was...hunting him. And Kiba didn't like it-he was used to being the hunter, not the prey. He remembered Naruto licking his blood off his lips and tried not to shudder. His unease only made him angrier though and he snarled at the blonde. "Bastard! I won't hold back!"

Naruto smiled and it was the scariest smile Kiba had ever seen.

"Good," he replied, voice low. "I won't hold back either."

Suddenly, this fight seemed to be a lot more serious.

Kurenai winced as Kiba took a hard blow to the gut that had him doubled over, gasping. Things were not going well for the Inuzuka teen.

Something had changed. Kurenai could see it in the way Naruto looked and the way he moved. She could feel it in the tense air of the clearing.

Uzumaki Naruto had gotten serious.

Oh, he was still grinning, but it was not his usual carefree expression. This smile reminded her of a crocodile she'd seen once on a mission.

Kiba sensed the change too, and he had stepped up his fight. But it wasn't enough.

She had thought the two to be evenly matched, but now it was obvious they weren't. After Kiba's trick with the smoke bombs-and she was itching to grill Naruto about the bizarre henge he'd used to turn the tables-the blonde had dominated the fight.

Kiba had managed to get close enough to toss Akamaru a couple soldier pills, causing the normally brown-and-white ninja dog to turn an alarming red shade. He'd burst from the ground, snarling and dispersing Naruto's clone in the process. But Naruto hadn't been phased in the least, not even when the two performed their signature clan jutsu, the Gatsuuga. The blonde had merely watched the twin vortices spinning towards him before making a series of seals. He thrust his hands forward, palms together, and his own whirlwind erupted, twice as big as the one formed by the Inuzuka pair. The biggest weakness of the Gatsuuga is the difficulty in changing direction during the initial attack and Naruto had waited until the last minute. His opponents were hit with the full force of his attack and were blown back to the edge of the clearing. They landed in undignified heaps, disoriented from being forced out of their jutsu and bleeding from a few cuts here and there.

Kiba and Akamaru had barely gotten to their feet when Naruto pressed his advantage, the original going for Kiba while two clones went after Akamaru. Kiba and Akamaru were strongest together; they were more than the sum of the parts when they worked as a team. Apart they were weaker, and Naruto was exploiting that fact. When Akamaru managed to disperse the clones, more popped into existence, wearing the ninja dog down and preventing him from joining with his partner.

Kiba wasn't faring much better with the original. They were pretty evenly matched in speed; Naruto being maybe a hair slower, but the blonde's attacks were stronger. Even when Kiba blocked, Kurenai could see the force of the blow shifting his stance a little. The Inuzuka was landing some hits on the blonde, but he was getting worse than he was giving.

And he was starting to tire. In a battle of stamina, which this was turning into, Naruto would win, hands-down, every time.

She saw the punch being launched and knew this was the end, even before it landed. Kiba had slowed as his fatigue caught up with him and Naruto took full advantage of a hole he'd left in his defenses. It was a right jab, Naruto's fist crashing full-force into Kiba's face. The brown-haired teen flew backwards, eyes rolling back in his head, to land limply by Akamaru, who was currently stuck in a mud pit one of the clones had created with a water jutsu. The ninja dog growled lowly and barked at the blonde while trying to nuzzle the stunned Inuzuka with his nose.

Kiba groaned and sat up, rubbing at his face with the back of his hand. "Damn, Uzumaki," he said, but then he looked up and grinned.

Naruto straightened out of his defensive stance and grinned back. The tension in the air disappeared. "I win," he stated.

Kiba huffed and waved the blonde off. "Whatever. We want a rematch, right boy?" He scratched behind Akamaru's ears with a muddy hand and the ninja dog wagged his tail and barked.

Naruto laughed. "Sure, anytime, Dog Breath."

And instead of getting angry, like he had every other time Naruto called him that, Kiba laughed along.

Kurenai shook her head and smiled as Shino and Hinata joined their comrades. The blushing kunoichi offered some of her home-made healing salve to Naruto while Shino helped Kiba and Naruto's clones extricate Akamaru from the mud.

She knew the spar would do the trick.