Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 10

Uchiha and Team Asuma

Naruto landed in the clearing alongside his father and Jiraiya, hardly able to contain his excitement. Three people were already there, and he knew one of them was the person he desperately wanted to meet.

Kakashi stood, looking totally relaxed, with one hand stuck in his pocket and the other holding an orange-covered book. Naruto's nose wrinkled when he recognized one of Ero-sennin's pervy novels. It disappeared from the silver-haired ninja's hand the next second, though, as he bowed to the Hokage and greeted the other two with a little wave.

The man that stood next to Kakashi seemed to be in his early 20s, though the lines on his face made him look older. He had black eyes and inky black hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his skull. Loose strands framed his face. He wore a Leaf hitai ite on his forehead and a black cloak with a high collar that completely covered his body. His upright posture was the complete opposite of Kakashi's lazy slump, and his elegant bow to the Hokage wouldn't have been out of place at the Daimyo's court.

The youngest of the three stood in front of the older men. He was very familiar, but he wasn't wearing a yukata today. Like Naruto, he had on more practical attire. A white shirt with wide, long sleeves and a high, round collar. The zipper was partially open, revealing a mesh shirt underneath. Dark blue pants tucked into the same color gaiters and dark blue shinobi sandals. He also wore metal hand and forearm guards that disappeared under his sleeves. His katana was strapped to his back at waist level, held in place by a red sash that looped twice around his hips. His posture was just as straight and his bow just as formal as the other dark-haired man's.

Naruto grinned. It was him. The Kyuubi container. His opponent was the Kyuubi container. He wanted to laugh, but kept it in check.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the Hokage began, well aware of their prior meeting. "This is Uchiha Sasuke," he gestured to the black-haired teen, "and his brother, Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto bowed and said, "I am pleased to meet you both." He focused his gaze on his opponent. "I am especially glad to learn your name, Sasuke-san."

The Uchiha's blank expression hadn't changed, but the way his dark eyes were narrowed at the blonde, Naruto was sure Sasuke remembered him. His grin widened a fraction.

"As am I, Naruto-san," the Uchiha replied in a voice only slightly warmer than ice, giving a small bow in return.

Naruto cocked his head, taking in the young man across from him with all his senses. His scent was cool and crisp, like a winter night, with a slight edge to it, like burnt leaves. He also smelled vaguely of…tomatoes. His blood sounded dark and complex, like violins playing in a minor key. It was a most interesting music. Naruto would have liked to listen to it longer, but the eldest, Itachi, was speaking.

"Sasuke, you know this person?" he questioned, looking between the two. His own expression barely changed; only one eyebrow slightly lifted to show he was curious. Showing very little emotion seemed to run in the family.

"He is the person I told you about," Sasuke replied, not taking his gaze from Naruto.

It was Itachi's turn to look at Naruto with narrowed eyes. "I see."

"Now that you have been introduced," the Hokage interjected, "I think it's time we start. I am only interested in sword techniques at this point, so no other jutsus. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the two young chuunins replied, gazes still fixed on each other.

"Very good. Begin." The four older ninja leapt away, leaving the ground clear for the two combatants.

Naruto backed away a few paces, never taking his eyes from Sasuke. His opponent watched him just as carefully. When the blonde teen felt he was at a comfortable distance, he stopped and bowed again. It was a gesture of respect for his opponent and a signal he was ready to begin. Sasuke bowed back and settled into a stance with his left arm held diagonally across his chest and his right hand gripping the hilt of his sheathed katana. Naruto, however, drew his sword fully, both hands on the hilt, blade upright and tilted slightly forward.

They stared at each other a few minutes longer. A breeze blew through the clearing, jingling the small silver bell attached to the end of Naruto's katana. The faint ringing sound broke the silence, and, as though it was a signal, the two ninja leapt at each other in a blur.

Itachi watched the fight with narrowed eyes. He hadn't thought much of the young blonde when he had first seen him. He was certainly polite, but that goofy smile seemed out of place on a serious ninja. The Hokage must have had his reasons for accepting the teen into Konoha as a chuunin, though. The elder Uchiha had immediately noticed the resemblance between the two and thought that might have been a very big part of his decision. He had been surprised to learn that this was the strange blonde his brother had met in the forest. Naruto didn't seem very dangerous, but then, looks could be deceiving.

When they had started fighting, Itachi thought he might be dangerous in other ways, but he wasn't as a swordsman. He was fast, but Sasuke was faster. After the first few minutes, openings began appearing in the blonde's defenses that the dark-haired teen was quick to exploit. Itachi was sure the new ninja wouldn't last five minutes against his brother.

But...he had.

He'd lasted fifteen minutes and still had that odd grin on his face. He didn't seem about to go down now.

Sasuke was still faster, but Naruto was more powerful. Every time Sasuke tried to strike at what seemed like an obvious hole, Naruto was there to block it. Even if it wasn't a perfectly-positioned block, it was enough for Sasuke's blade to slide harmlessly to the side. It didn't seem like his otouto had even touched Naruto once.

It took Itachi a few minutes, but he realized that the openings in Naruto's defense weren't accidental. It was part of the style. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Naruto was purposefully allowing Sasuke in. That way he could predict every move, and because he knew where Sasuke would strike, he could start to block a little before the black-haired teen even began his attack. It was a very crafty thing to do, and Itachi was impressed. Not that he would show it.

He wondered how long it would take his foolish little brother to catch on.

Sasuke was angry. The blonde ninja in front of him was somehow blocking every move he made, despite their obvious differences in speed. Not only that, but he had gotten dangerously close to nicking Sasuke a few times when the force of his blows had almost broken through the Uchiha's own blocks.

And he wouldn't stop smiling. Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wanted to wipe that damn grin off the blonde's face. He was grinning like this was a game, like this was fun. Like he wasn't taking this seriously. Wasn't taking Sasuke seriously. Just who the hell did he think he was? Didn't he know who he was dealing with? Sasuke was the second-best swordsman in the village, after Itachi. He'd even surpassed Hayate, and he could beat anyone else with one hand tied behind his back.

Except I'm not beating him, am I?

The thought came unbidden and it only made him angrier.

He'd show him.

The black-haired teen ducked under Uzumaki's swing and lunged forward. His opponent had overextended himself, leaving an opening...

He hissed as the blonde smoothly reversed his blade and blocked Sasuke's strike once again. He shoved the Uchiha back, forcing him to shift his stance or be off balance.

Damn it! It was maddening. It was like the blonde knew…his thoughts screeched to a halt, then began working furiously. The blonde did know. He was doing it on purpose--leaving himself open. It was a brilliant trick against a faster opponent.

That bastard.

Sasuke made a feint for another opening, only to move at the last second and strike at the opposite side. There was no way the blonde could move fast enough to counter...

Sasuke blinked.

Uzumaki had blocked his blade with the back of his hand. The sword slid down off the metal plate and the blonde jumped back to put some space between them. Sasuke moved into a defensive stance and waited, watching his opponent warily.

Uzumaki wasn't even breathing hard. Nor had the smile gone away. If anything, it had intensified. Sasuke ground his teeth together.

"So, you figured it out," his opponent said.

Sasuke didn't dignify the remark with a response.

The blonde chuckled. Sasuke seethed. Was he being laughed at?!

Uzumaki settled into the same stance he'd used at the beginning. Well, Sasuke was on to him. That little trick wouldn't work anymore. He would finish it now. He attacked.

Suddenly, Uzumaki flipped the katana in his hands so the blade was pointed back along his forearm and changed his stance. He was going to fight with a totally different style.

Damn.

Minato watched the battle with increasing apprehension. At first, it had seemed that, while talented, his son was no match for the Uchiha.

But...

Minato was once again surprised and impressed by his son's crafty mind. He was leaving himself open on purpose, tricking Sasuke into attacking him just where he wanted him to attack. The Yondaime was sure, though, that once Sasuke figured it out, he would use his superior speed to finish the match quickly. And he'd tried. But it hadn't worked.

Naruto had altered his style and there were no more holes. Every thrust and parry was executed flawlessly. It was actually quite beautiful, like a dance. There were no openings for Sasuke to attack. Naruto also fought close in to his opponent, limiting Sasuke's maneuverability and reducing the advantage of his greater speed. It was a problem for the Uchiha, since his own style was based on making quick strikes, then moving out of range. The Hokage was terribly proud of his son for finding his opponent's weaknesses so quickly and taking advantage of them. He had obviously inherited Kushina's skill with a blade.

But Sasuke was not taking it as well. Even though his expression remained blank, emotionless, Minato could tell he was angry. He could see the way Sasuke's jaw was clenched and how tightly he was gripping his katana. Soon enough, he would either make a mistake, or, more likely, disregard Minato's directive and start using ninjutsu. He might even activate his Sharingan and try catching Naruto in a genjutsu, which may or may not work according to Kurenai. If it didn't, it would only make the Uchiha angrier and Minato was concerned that Sasuke would take things too far. In the absolute worst-case scenario, he'd get angry enough to draw on the Kyuubi's chakra. How Naruto would deal with that, if he could at all, was completely unknown and therefore, extremely worrisome.

Minato wasn't sure why, exactly, Sasuke was getting upset. Sure, he was proud, all the Uchiha were. Yes, he had reason to be proud--he was exceptionally skilled and Minato was considering promoting him to jonin soon. Ok, most of the village treated him like some sort of god. But surely he wasn't so angry just because Naruto was proving to be a match for him? There was something more going on.

Just then, the opponents broke apart again. Sasuke was panting a little, but Naruto wasn't. They were both crouched in defensive postures, waiting for the other. Sasuke suddenly smirked in a way Minato didn't like at all. The Uchiha was going to do something.

Sasuke took a deep breath and brought his left hand up in half of a Ram seal. Suddenly the air was still, like the calm before a storm. Minato felt the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand up. His breath caught; surely Sasuke wasn't going to use that...

Lightening suddenly crackled along the blade of his katana, with a sound like a thousand birds chirping.

The Chidori. Kakashi had taught it to him, and worked with him on incorporating it into his kenjutsu. It was most impressive. And it was damn dangerous.

Minato was just about to step forward and call a halt to the match when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked back at his sensei.

Jiraiya was shaking his head. "Remember, wind is stronger than lightening," he said.

Minato blinked at the Toad Sage. "But, Jiraiya--"

"You think Kakashi is the only one who thought of adding ninjutsu to kenjutsu?" The white-haired man shook his head again. "Just watch."

Minato chewed on his lip, staring at the big man. He sighed. He'd watch. He'd trust his sensei. But so help him, if one hair on Naruto's head was singed...

His son's laughter echoed in the clearing and Minato couldn't help but smile, despite his worry. Naruto didn't seem at all fazed by this new development, and the Hokage was sure that would only infuriate the Uchiha more. Naruto's laughter faded, but he was still smiling.

The younger blonde brought his own hand up in a seal and the wind in the clearing picked up, rustling the branches and dislodging a few leaves from the trees. Minato felt it, blowing his hair, caressing his cheek. A slight smile pulled up the corners of his lips. If Naruto could pull this off...

The wind died down. The clearing was still. Nothing seemed to have changed about Naruto's sword, but Minato thought he could see the occasional ripple in the air around it.

Sasuke moved first, slashing out with his blade, sending a bolt of lightening towards the blonde. Naruto countered with his own slash. The wind met the lightening in the middle, and the electricity dissipated with a flash and a boom. The two teens started moving towards each other before the noise had even died away.

This was going to be a big explosion. Minato started running through hand seals. He held the jutsu for a second, wanting to watch for as long as possible. The two swept their swords towards each other and the blades stopped inches apart, held back by the elemental chakra surrounding them. The Yondaime slammed his hand to the ground even as he was blinded by a white light and deafened by a roar. An earth dome sprang up around him and the other three spectators, just in time. The shockwave hit it a moment later. It shook, but held. Wind raged outside and Minato could hear trees cracking and breaking.

When silence returned, Minato cautiously opened a hole in the dome. He let his eyes adjust to the light that streamed through and glanced at Jiraiya, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows. He apparently hadn't expected quite this reaction. Minato shook his head a little and stepped out of the dome, the others right behind him.

He heard Jiraiya's gasp, Kakashi's low whistle and Itachi's quiet "Hn." His own breath had been stolen. It was utter devastation. The first two rows of trees surrounding the clearing had been flattened. Beyond that, they were standing, although some only barely. Limbs and leaves had been ripped away. The ground was churned up like a giant herd of cattle had rampaged through the area. Two rifts had been scored into the earth, perfectly straight lines stretching from where the two young ninja had clashed to half-way to the edge of the clearing. Both teens were now cautiously climbing out of the trenches. Their own bodies had made them when they'd been flung away from each other by the force of the blast. Minato winced a little. It must have hurt like hell to plow through the earth like that, but neither teen seemed to have even a scratch on them, though their clothes were dirty and disheveled.

He turned to his sensei and cocked an eyebrow. "Just watch, hmmm?" he commented, voice drier than the Wind Country's deserts.

Jiraiya had the grace to look sheepish. "Ahhh...well..."

Sasuke was just standing by the rift he had made, with a stunned expression on his face. Naruto was grinning. He sheathed his katana and started walking toward the other teen. "Oy! Sasuke-san!" he called, waving his hand. "That was really cool!"

Minato shook his head a little. Only his son would call that display of power 'cool.' He himself was thinking words like 'incredible,' 'amazing,' and 'scary.' These two were still fairly young, after all.

For now, he ignored the part of him that was coldly calculating how much stronger they were likely to become and if the other Hidden Villages could compare -- (Suna and Iwa, unlikely; Kumo and Kiri, maybe; Ame and the new one...uh...Oto, unknown; the others, not worth mentioning) -- as well as the part that was cackling with glee at the thought of the reactions of the other Kages, had they been here -- (Ha! I can see the expression on the Tsuchikage's face now, that cranky old bastard...).

Naruto's voice had broken Sasuke out of his reverie. He was looking at the blonde with his eyes narrowed, every muscle in his body tense. His anger didn't seem to have abated at all. If anything, it was now worse.

"Shut up!" he spat venomously. Naruto stopped walking, his face falling into a confused expression. It would have been comical, if Minato hadn't been so concerned about what Sasuke was going to do next. "Just shut up!"

Naruto face lost its confusion, going suddenly very serious. "Sasuke-san," he said, quietly. "Why are you so angry?"

Sasuke sucked in his breath, but didn't answer. He just stood, looking at the blonde, fists clenched. Silence filled the clearing.

Itachi appeared next to his younger brother. "Sasuke," he said, his voice calm.

The younger Uchiha didn't acknowledge his brother's presence, but instead turned abruptly towards Minato, Jiraiya, and Kakashi. He bowed stiffly.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama," he said and turned and left the clearing without another word, the red and white Uchiha crest on his back disappearing quickly amid what was left of the foliage. Minato wasn't sure if he was apologizing for the fight or his rude exit. Maybe both.

His son took a step forward. "Sasuke-san--," he called, but Itachi interrupted him.

"No, Uzumaki-san. It's best to just let him go," he said, also gazing in the direction his brother had gone.

Naruto nodded reluctantly and turned towards the spot where the other three men were standing. Itachi turned in their direction too. "With your permission, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Minato nodded and the elder Uchiha bowed to him, nodded to Jiraiya and Kakashi, and left. He didn't go in the same direction as Sasuke, but the Yondaime was sure he was going to keep an eye on his brother just the same.

Minato sighed.

"Well. That was...interesting," Jiraiya said, echoing Minato's own thoughts.

Kakashi was watching the younger blonde as he picked his way carefully across the ruined clearing towards them. "Chidori is change in both chakra nature and form," he commented. "Was that what Naruto-kun did?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, that was just change in nature."

Kakashi blinked at him. "Just change in nature?" He looked back at the teen. "He must've used a lot of chakra to match the power of the Chidori."

Jiraiya snorted. "He has a lot to throw around, as I'm sure you've noticed." Kakashi shrugged, which from him meant Why, yes, I have, and Jiraiya continued. "He knows about change in form, of course, but we haven't tried incorporating both." He smiled in Minato's direction. "I figured you'd want to to work with him on that."

Minato smiled back. The thought of working with his son to complete the Rasengen--add chakra nature transformation to the jutsu that was purely chakra form transformation--made him more excited than he'd been in a long time.

Said young blonde had reached them, though, so he made no reply.

Naruto bowed to the three men and rubbed the back of his head, grinning somewhat nervously. When none of them said anything, his grin faltered a little and he started fidgeting. After a few more moments of silence, he dropped his gaze and bit his lip.

Minato laughed, deciding his son had had enough torture, and ruffled his hair. "Good job, musuko," he said, smiling.

Naruto looked up and smiled brilliantly back.

Jiraiya huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "How come you don't care when he messes up your hair?" he asked.

Naruto blinked at him. "Because," he replied, as if the answer was obvious. Which it was, really.

Jiraiya smiled a little and ruffled the blonde's hair himself, then laughed when Naruto scowled and ducked away. "Brat."

"Pervy old man," Naruto muttered, running his own hand through his locks. Kakashi chuckled, but turned it into a cough when Jiraiya shot him a look.

Minato grinned and thought he'd never been happier in his life.

"Ano," Naruto said hesitantly. "Why was Sasuke-san so mad?"

Minato's grin faded a bit and he shook his head. "I don't know, Naruto." He glanced at Kakashi, conveying his own curiosity on the subject. Kakashi gave the barest of nods. He would give Minato his opinions on Sasuke's behavior when they were alone.

"Well," the Yondaime continued, clapping his hands together. "It can't be helped, so let's head back to my office, hmmm? I would like to discuss the spar, Naruto, as well as the next team you will be working with..."

Sasuke barely noticed the trees that flashed past him in a blur or the bark that splintered under his feet. He was far more focused on the burning red chakra that threatened to leak from his body.

Damn fox.

Anger always made it dangerously easy to tap into the vast chakra stores of the Kyuubi, and it didn't help that the demon was pushing from his end, almost urging Sasuke to use it. He'd nearly lost control in the clearing, which was why he'd made such an abrupt exit.

It was so very tempting to give in to the pressure, to let the rush of power overtake him. The world seemed so much clearer when he used the fox's chakra and he felt so strong, like he could do anything. Oh, he knew it was because he was borrowing the demon's enhanced senses and that the strength came at a price. So he much preferred to do things with his own power, but...that didn't make it any less addicting when he did tap into the fox's.

He could use just a little--a little won't hurt--to make that grin disappear. Uzumaki wouldn't be smiling, no he wouldn't be smiling at all, when Sasuke shoved his claws through--

No! Fuck!

The branch he pushed off from shattered and he would have fallen had another bough not been below the first. He leaned against the tree trunk, one hand pressed to the dark, rough bark and the other pressed to his stomach, as though he could physically push the chakra and the bloody thoughts away. Even if it didn't work like that, the gesture still calmed him, for whatever inexplicable reason. He took a few deep breaths and started moving again. He didn't have far to go now.

The trees ended and he dropped to the ground, not breaking his stride as he crossed the hard-packed dirt road and continued down the incline. He didn't stop until he came to the very end of the pier that jutted into the clear waters of the lake.

It was his sanctuary, of sorts. It was the place he went when he needed to be alone, to get away. The lake was on the edge of the Uchiha district, with nothing beyond it but forest and the great wall that surrounded Konoha. Only a strip of trees and the dirt road separated it from the village proper, but, though he could see the towers and spires of Konoha, it seemed a world away. No one came here; the villagers didn't because it was Uchiha property and the clan members didn't because they knew he frequented it.

He sighed as he sank onto the wooden planks, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. He supported his chin with interlaced fingers and stared out over the lake. The cool air and the soft sound of the water lapping at the pier relaxed him, like it always did.

He didn't know why this place soothed him so. It shouldn't. It was the place where he'd learned the one and only technique his father had ever taught him--his clan's Goukakyuu no Jutsu. He'd been thrilled that his father finally seemed to be acknowledging him, after a lifetime of being belittled for not measuring up to his older brother or the potential the Uchiha Clan Head assumed he had as the jinchuuriki for the most powerful demon in existence. He'd worked so hard, with every moment of his free time outside the Academy, to perfect it, to prove himself worthy. And he had, in only a week. The words his father had spoken when his youngest had shown him the completed jutsu--As expected; you are my boy--had made seven-year-old Sasuke feel so warm, so accepted. He'd really thought his father finally loved him.

One week later, the man tried to kill him.

This place should be a bitter reminder of that profound betrayal. He should hate it here. But he didn't. Perhaps because this was the one place his father had ever shown pride in him and treated him, not as a weapon or a demon container, but as a normal human being, as his son. Even if it had been for a brief moment, Sasuke thought it was real. He didn't think his father had been lying, no matter what happened afterwards. Maybe that was a silly delusion on his part, but so what? If it meant he could come to this solitary pier and find comfort in memories that made him happy, as twisted as it might be, then so be it. His father was no longer around to say one way or the other anyway.

Although, thinking about his father was probably not the best way to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and concentrated on simply breathing in and out, picturing the anger still simmering inside him leaving his body with every exhalation. As the feeling abated, the burning pressure of the demonic chakra went with it, so it no longer felt like he might explode. It was a technique the Yondaime had suggested to him.

Hn. Uzumaki looked a hell of a lot like the Yondaime, right down to that infuriating grin. But what were those marks on his cheeks? Scars? They looked like whiskers...

His stomach shifted strangely and he hissed.

What was the fox's problem anyway? Why was he trying to force his chakra on Sasuke? The demon had never done that before. Of course, he'd never laughed before either. Maybe he should tell his brother. Maybe the Hokage needed to check the seal...

Seals weakened over time. Even one that had the power of the Shinigami behind it. And since he was the container, it was his responsibility to alert the Yondaime if anything seemed amiss. After all, no one else would be able to tell, would they?

After a few more breaths, he stood and made his way back towards dry land, not at all surprised when his brother appeared at the top of the steps that led up to the road. Itachi never disturbed him when he was sitting on the pier, but that didn't mean the older Uchiha wouldn't be hovering around, keeping an eye on him. It was incredibly annoying. But, if Sasuke cared to admit it, which he didn't, it was incredibly reassuring too.

"Onii-san," he greeted when he reached Itachi. I'm ok.

"Sasuke," his big brother replied. Good.

They walked in silence towards the compound and their home.

"I think Hokage-sama will put Uzumaki-san on a team with you."

Sasuke was good at hiding his reactions, but not as good as his brother. He couldn't help but shift his gaze to the elder's face to see if there was any indication he was joking. Which there wasn't.

Sasuke faced forward again. "Explain."

He could see Itachi's small smirk from the corner of his eye. "Foolish little brother." Sasuke resisted the urge to pout like a child at the use of that damn phrase and settled for slightly narrowing his eyes. Itachi pretended not to notice his ire and continued. "Your team is incomplete, and, from what the Yondaime has told me, Uzumaki-san's skills complement yours and Haruno-san's."

Sasuke lifted one eyebrow. "Is that so." He kept his voice skeptical, refusing to acknowledge any of the other emotions Itachi's words invoked. If the new ninja was as good in other areas as he was in kenjutsu... But that's not what his brother had said. Only that Uzumaki's skills 'complemented' his, not 'matched.' So it was no use feeling anything like hope or excitement that he'd finally found a decent sparring partner.

Hadn't he just been angry, for whatever reason, anyway? He shouldn't want to be on a team with the blonde and his annoying grin and contagious laugh...

And he didn't want to. Didn't. Did. Not. Really.

But if Itachi was right--and he was right an infuriatingly large percentage of the time--then the younger Uchiha would have to do something about the fox. He couldn't be wasting his concentration on fighting back demonic chakra every time he was around the blonde.

"I think Hokage-sama should examine the seal," Sasuke said. His voice was as indifferent as if he was remarking on the weather, but his shoulders were tense.

His brother, in true Uchiha fashion, showed no reaction to his statement. "I will speak with him," he replied, his own voice as expressionless as his face.

Silence again.

"Are you hungry, Sasuke?" If you need me, I am here. "I believe some of the tomatoes in the garden have ripened."

"Hn." I know. "I suppose, onii-san." Thank you.

Sarutobi Asuma leaned against a tree and watched his team do their best to capture Uzumaki Naruto. Akimichi Chouji barreled around the clearing in a blur of red and brown, using his clan's Nikudan Sensha technique to try and herd the young blonde towards Shikamaru so the Nara could catch him in his shadow. Yamanaka Ino waited patiently, hidden in the brush behind Shikamaru, for her teammates to trap their quarry so she could use her mind possession jutsu on him. Uzumaki was quick and agile, though, and had managed to avoid both Chouji and Shikamaru thus far.

The dark-haired jonin drew a drag on his cigarette. He was far enough away that he wouldn't give Naruto a sneezing fit with his bad habit like he had earlier. As funny as it had been, he didn't want to distract the younger ninja right now. The Hokage wanted him to get to know his peers and learn some teamwork. So, Asuma had set a task for his team: get the new chuunin to do something he would never, ever do. Such an assignment allowed them to showcase their individual talents and teamwork skills, as well as seeing what Uzumaki's abilities were.

Asuma chuckled to himself as he remembered Uzumaki's response when he asked the blonde to name something he would never do. "Betray Hokage-sama."

Well, that was good to know, but the jonin had no desire to include the Hokage in this little exercise, so he had asked for something else. The second thing he said was just as amusing as the first, if for different reasons. "Turn down Ichiraku Ramen!"

The pleased grin on Naruto's face had quickly been replaced by absolute horror when Asuma announced that his team would be trying to force him to do just that. Chouji had looked almost as appalled as Naruto and had actually apologized to the blonde before they began the exercise.

The jonin blew out a puff of smoke as he watched Uzumaki perform a low-level wind jutsu, forcing Shikamaru to take cover and his shadow to retreat. The Hokage also wanted Asuma to work with the new ninja on his wind affinity. Jiraiya of the Sannin was a great ninja to be sure, but he didn't have wind-based chakra. Asuma was the only ninja in Konoha besides the Yondaime himself who did.

The dark-haired man snorted softly and scratched his beard. Who did the Hokage think he was fooling? It was completely obvious. The kid was a mini-Minato; he looked exactly like him, had wind for his primary chakra affinity--a rare thing not just in Konoha, but Fire Country in general--and had been taught by the same teacher. Jiraiya hadn't taken on any apprentices since Minato himself, for heaven's sake.

Although, some of the young blonde's personality traits were more like his mother's. Asuma remembered Uzumaki Kushina. He'd been friends with Kakashi long enough to have met the fiery-tempered red-head a few times back in the day. He hadn't known she was involved with the Yondaime, but the proof was standing in front of him.

Despite all that, he understood the secrecy. He remembered all too well the kidnapping attempts on himself and his sibling when he was younger. Until Naruto could protect himself, he supposed the Hokage wanted to protect him. Judging by the teen's silly grin and loud voice, Asuma thought that might take awhile.

"Damn it! Let go!" The blonde's voice carried over to Asuma. Honestly, hadn't Jiraiya explained that ninja were quiet? Chouji held the new ninja in a firm grip. Uzumaki struggled, but he couldn't break free from the Akimichi's oversized hands. Shikamaru's shadow stretched out to grab the blonde's own, and the chase seemed to be over. But Uzumaki suddenly grinned slyly--that look can't be good--and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Asuma almost lost his cigarette as his jaw dropped slightly. That was a shadow clone?! Damn. Jiraiya must've taught him. So where was the real one? He began to scan the surrounding forest when twenty or so black-and-orange-clad ninja appeared in the clearing.

"Can ya' catch me now?" they chorused, every whiskered face sporting a cheeky grin. Chouji stared in surprise and Asuma swore he heard Shikamaru mutter his favorite T-word. The dark-haired jonin chuckled to himself. There was more to Uzumaki Naruto than he'd thought.

Ino ignored the banter of her teammates and stabbed viciously at the whorled fishcake in her ramen bowl.

They had finally, finally caught the new ninja. It had taken forever. Actually, that was part of the reason they were successful--as the sun sank lower, the lengthening shadows gave Shikamaru a decided advantage, even with the armies of clones Naruto seemed able to produce. Of course, Shika's brilliant strategies helped too.

At any rate, they had captured the new ninja--the real one--and it had been Ino's turn. Chouji had come to stand behind her, ready to catch her body when her spirit exited it to inhabit the mind of her opponent. She only needed to take control of Naruto long enough to get him to turn down Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. It was kind of silly, really--the new ninja would do anything while she controlled him, so why not something a little more...exciting? But that was the goal of their exercise and so she would do it.

But it failed.

Shintenshin no Jutsu, one of her clan's special techniques, that she had done a million times before, failed.

And it wasn't that Naruto broke it--which had only happened once anyway, when she faced Sakura in their first Chuunin Exam--it hadn't worked at all.

Asuma had made his offer to treat the blonde to ramen and she'd initiated the jutsu, confident of their success. She had felt the peculiar rushing sensation that always accompanied the transfer. But then...

It was like she'd hit a brick wall.

She'd retreated automatically to her body, blinking her eyes open with a gasp. She vaguely heard Chouji's concerned voice asking if she was ok, but her gaze was fixed on Naruto. He had a giant grin on his face as he replied to a bemused Asuma that yes, he would very much like ramen for dinner, thank you.

At that point, she'd shaken off her shock and stalked out of the bushes, going right up to the new chuunin and actually placing her hands in their seal on his forehead. Chouji was crashing through the bushes behind her, Shikamaru was muttering under his breath, and their sensei was walking towards them, calling her.

She ignored them all and performed the jutsu again.

The only change was that the brick wall slammed into her much more quickly.

She hissed a little in pain and her knees almost gave out. Strong hands gripped her arms, steadying her, but they weren't Chouji's. She locked gazes with concerned blue eyes, the color darker--richer--than her own.

"Are you ok, Ino-san?" her fellow blonde chuunin asked.

She pushed herself out of the new ninja's grasp. "I'm fine," she said coldly, ignoring the headache that had appeared in her temples. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you do?"

He tilted his head. "Eh? What do you mean?"

She resisted the urge to strangle him, at least until she got her answer. "I mean," she replied through gritted teeth, "why didn't my jutsu work?"

"Oh, that." He'd grinned and tapped his temple with one finger. "I have mental shields. That jutsu won't work on me." He turned to Asuma, completely ignoring her incredulous look. "So, Asuma-sensei, about that ramen..."

Which was how they found themselves eating at Ichiraku Ramen with a very loud, smug blonde.

She still couldn't believe it. Mental shields?

She'd never heard of such a thing, but she was sure as hell going to ask her father about it. There had to be some way around...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto's voice. "So, Chouji-san," he asked, somehow speaking while shoveling noodles into his mouth at an obscene rate, "can you expand any body part?"

The Akimichi paused in his own slurping to eye the blonde curiously. "Aa, just about, why?"

Naruto grinned devilishly and pointed his chopsticks at the larger teen. "I'll bet the ladies looooove you."

Chouji stared at him for a moment, before he figured out what the new ninja meant. The spirals on his cheeks were almost lost in the red of his blush and he tried to stutter out some kind of denial. The new ninja laughed and slapped the Akimichi on the shoulder. "I'm just messin' with ya!" he exclaimed.

Ino fought the blush--and the small smile--that threatened to appear on her own face as she stared fixedly at her ramen. That baka! Saying something like that in the presence of a woman!

She heard Shikamaru's amused snort before their sensei's laughter drowned it out. "Well, I see a little of Jiraiya-sama's nature rubbed off on you, Naruto-kun," Asuma commented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Naruto just grinned and went back to his ramen.

Ino silently fumed. How did this idiotic, loud, annoying boy beat her? She couldn't let it stand. Out of her teammates, she was the only one to fail, which was why they were even here in the first place. So what that everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves--except maybe Asuma, who kept glancing at the ever-increasing stacks of bowls in front of Naruto and Chouji with concern. She had failed. What if it happened in the future, out in the field? In a real life-or-death situation?

She'd figure out these shields that Naruto supposedly had and she'd get around them. She'd show him.

Nara Shikamaru was a genius. Not in the way that Sasuke and Neji were considered geniuses, but in the more traditional meaning of the word. He didn't like to flaunt his gift, though. He was no show-off. Besides, it was troublesome. He had realized at a young age what happened to those who stood out from the crowd, and he didn't want that sort of life. He much preferred to be average. He certainly looked the part. He had average dark brown hair pulled up in a spiky ponytail on top of his head and average dark brown eyes. He dressed as an average chuunin, although he wore stud earrings and tied his hitai ite around his left arm instead of his forehead.

Thankfully, he belonged to a clan that didn't have ridiculous expectations of its members, unlike the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. Of course, as clan heir, he had some expectations to live up to, but he found them to dovetail with his own plans well enough. The Nara, after all, were known for various things--commanding shadows, medicines involving deer antlers, strategic minds--but being ambitious was not one of them. He did just enough to keep his mother from yelling at him and his father from feeling disappointed, and if either of them thought he was wasting his talents, they didn't mention it. He spent the rest of his time doing what he considered worthwhile: playing shougi, sleeping, and watching clouds with his best friend, Chouji. Others called him 'lazy'; he preferred the term 'laid-back,' though it didn't really matter much either way. He simply didn't like exerting himself any more than necessary and studiously avoided situations where he might be forced to do so.

Which is why he found the new ninja to be so...troublesome.

It wasn't that Naruto was loud and loquacious and said the most ridiculous things sometimes, though that was troublesome enough. It was that he was an enigma, a puzzle. And Shikamaru felt compelled to solve puzzles, but any that were worth his time ended up requiring more than the usual amount of effort on his part.

Take, for example, Naruto's obvious similarities to the Yondaime. The Nara teen was certain they were related. Given their ages, they were probably father and son. It was possible they had a different relationship, like uncle and nephew, but Shikamaru didn't think so. Naruto's blatant resemblance to the Hokage indicated a closer blood tie.

But Shikamaru couldn't be certain, because whatever their relationship was, they were keeping it a secret. Any piece of news as important as a long-lost relative of the village leader would have been the talk of Konoha--having a gossip for a teammate had taught him that--but he had heard nothing.

And if the blonde was the Yondaime's son, where had he been for the past sixteen years? The only thing Shikamaru knew was that he had trained with Jiraiya of the Sannin for seven years prior to his arrival in Konoha. Naruto was willing enough to talk about his time with the Toad Sage, but he never spoke about his life before that. When asked directly, he'd grin and give a vague reply that didn't really answer the question. Then he'd distract them by saying or doing something inane or outrageous. At first, Shikamaru had scoffed at the blonde's antics along with Ino, but then the Nara teen realized what the new ninja was doing--skillfully avoiding the subject.

Those distractions were doubly effective because Naruto joked and talked and laughed all the time; it wasn't an act. So it was hard to know when he was doing it to divert attention and when he was just being himself.

He couldn't believe Ino hadn't picked up on it; she was supposed to be training with her father to be an interrogator. But it seemed, judging by her frequent use of the word 'idiot' when speaking to her fellow blonde, she was still too mad at Naruto for blocking her jutsu to notice. It was a drag.

And it was an inaccurate description. Anyone as wily as Naruto was during a fight was clearly not an idiot. Shikamaru had discovered that on the very first day. The blonde's creativity and ability to think on his feet impressed the Nara, even as he found it to be extremely troublesome, and that didn't happen every day.

And yet, while Shikamaru knew the blonde wasn't stupid, he wasn't exactly smart either. Or, perhaps that wasn't the right way to put it. He didn't always pick up on sarcasm, or know what certain colloquialisms meant. Sometimes, he took the others seriously when they were joking and vice versa. He was often blunt to the point of tactlessness. It was pretty obvious that whatever he thought, he said, with very little filtering between his brain and his mouth. It made the blonde seem dumb, but Shikamaru didn't think that was it. It was more like he didn't always understand how to interact with his peers. Children learn how to socialize from their parents and others around them. But Naruto seemed to have missed out on some of the lessons. Had he grown up alone? Was that part of the reason he didn't like to talk about his past?

Man, secrets were such a drag.

The blonde wasn't always happy-go-lucky either. Shikamaru had seen another side of Naruto after their first practice, as they were walking to the ramen stand. The ponytailed teen knew how much ramen Chouji could eat and he didn't want Naruto to make any sort of comments that would upset his friend. Or land the blonde in the hospital.

"Don't say anything about how much Chouji eats."

Naruto blinked at him. "Why would I do that?"

"He eats a lot, and he's sensitive about his weight. So don't say anything about it."

Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why is he sensitive about his weight? It's not like he's fat or anything."

Shikamaru tensed and glanced at the red-clad teen walking in front of them, his armor glinting and his chestnut hair turned russet in the waning sun. He was talking to Ino and didn't seem to have heard the taboo word. The Nara relaxed. Even though Naruto said he wasn't fat, Chouji sometimes...jumped to conclusions. "I know, but--"

"Sure, he's bigger than most of the ninja I've seen in Konoha, but he needs to be for his clan jutsus, doesn't he?"

Shikamaru blinked. Naruto had figured that out already? It was pretty obvious to the ponytailed teen, but not everybody bothered to make the connection. They'd rather just make fun of his friend and leave it at that. "Well, yes, but--"

"So what's the big deal?"

The Nara stared at the new ninja. Did Naruto really not understand how cruel people could be? Was he that naive? He sighed and faced forward again. "Listen, Naruto-san, I don't know about where you come from, but here, kids that are different get picked on. Understand?"

Naruto stopped walking and when Shikamaru stopped too, he found himself being pierced by an oddly intense gaze. He resisted the urge to take a step back.

"You mean, people actually make fun of Chouji-san because of his size?" the new ninja asked seriously.

Shikamaru nodded. "Not much anymore, but they did when we were younger."

Blue eyes flicked to the Akimichi teen, and Naruto snorted a little. "That is so stupid," he muttered. "He's not different. Not different at all. Not really..." He trailed off and Shikamaru silently reevaluated the blonde. It seemed Naruto wasn't as clueless as he'd thought.

And then Naruto grinned and his seriousness was gone. "Don't worry about me, Shikamaru-san. I wouldn't do anything like that." He cocked his head at his companion. "You said Chouji-san eats a lot of ramen, ne? Well, I do too. Think I should challenge him to a contest?"

And before the surprised Nara could reply, Naruto was running after the rest of the team. "Hey, hey, Chouji-san! I hear you eat a lot of ramen..."

Asuma quickly shot down the idea of a contest, since he was paying, and Naruto relented. However, he promised to challenge Chouji the next time they went to Ichiraku's. And never once had the larger teen been offended. How could he be? It was obvious Naruto wasn't trying to insult him.

The blonde was just so earnest, so damn friendly. Shikamaru couldn't help but like him, despite the fact that he was the most troublesome person the Nara had met in a while. Which was why, on the third day of training, he invited Naruto to his and Ino's sixteenth birthday party. Ino was mad at him when she found out, but Shikamaru ignored it because she was being ridiculous. Honestly, what was it about blondes that made them so troublesome?

The celebration was being held at one of the restaurants in the village, but not the BBQ place Team Asuma frequented. Shikamaru didn't care where they went, so Ino picked the spot, insisting they do something different. But despite her enthusiasm for parties, especially those held in her honor, the blonde kunoichi left early, leading Shikamaru to think she was still somewhat angry about Naruto being there. Her attitude was a complete drag, but if she wanted to go sulk instead of having fun, it was none of his concern. Actually, he was thinking about leaving too. He'd spoken with his comrades, made sure everyone was still alive and well; what else did he need to stick around for?

He scanned the crowd a final time, making sure he had indeed seen and talked to everyone, however briefly. His eyes stopped on the new ninja, who stood by the windows that faced the street, silently staring out. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed a little. Naruto had spent most of the evening mingling with Kiba, who introduced him to anyone he didn't know and loudly traded joking insults with the blonde.

But the Inuzuka wasn't around at the moment, and Naruto seemed quite intent on whatever had caught his eye outside. This behavior interested Shikamaru, despite his nature, so the Nara teen shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled over.

He didn't notice when a certain Hyuuga heiress hesitantly approached the blonde too, only to retreat into the crowd when she saw the ponytailed chuunin coming.

"Hey, Naruto-san," Shikamaru greeted.

The blonde didn't seem to hear him.

He sighed and poked his fellow chuunin in the shoulder.

"Huh?" Naruto started and faced him. "Oh, sorry Shikamaru-san." He pushed his hair away from his eyes, although, with no hitai ite to hold it back, the gold locks fell right in his face again. "Did you say something?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Uhhh...nothing, really," the blonde grinned. Shikamaru didn't believe him, but before he could say anything, Naruto continued. "So, enjoying the party, birthday boy?"

The Nara narrowed his eyes a little. Another distraction. But he still shrugged and answered. "I guess. Parties aren't really my thing."

Naruto laughed. "No, I guess not." His smile faltered a little and he glanced back out the window, rubbing at his temple.

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. "Are you ok?"

"Huh?" Naruto faced him again. "Oh, yeah! Sure." He waved a hand dismissively and grinned. "Ne, Shika-san, Kiba told me that back in the Acdemy, you guys...used to..." he trailed off, his lively expression disappearing and his eyes becoming unfocused.

Shikamaru frowned. It looked like Naruto was suddenly a million miles away. "Naruto-san." No response. "Oy, Naruto-san!" Nothing. "Geez..." He rolled his eyes. Why was the blonde so distracted?

Suddenly, Naruto stiffened and his head whipped around to stare out the window again. He growled, a low, menacing sound that made the hair on the back of Shikamaru's neck stand up. "Naruto-san, what--"

At the sound of his voice, the blonde shifted his gaze back to the Nara and the ponytailed teen found that his vocal cords no longer seemed to work.

Naruto's mouth was pulled into a snarl, the sheer amount of anger on his face astounding and somewhat frightening. And his eyes...

"Gomen, Shikamaru-san," the blonde said, dropping his head so his hair partially obscured his face and completely hid his eyes. His voice was deceptively blank and Shikamaru suppressed a shudder. "Please excuse me." And the new chuunin brushed past him, heading for the door of the restaurant.

Shikamaru stood rooted to the spot, staring after Naruto. What the fuck!

When his eyes had met Naruto's, he could have sworn he'd seen red mixed in with the blue. Like drops of blood in a pool.

And for one split second, he'd felt...kami, he'd felt...(can't breathe, can't move, run!run!run!)...utterly terrified.

He didn't see worried pale eyes and a pair of tinted lenses glance at each other in the shadows.

Ino smirked from her perch across from the restaurant. When Shikamaru had invited Naruto to their joint party, she'd been angry. But she'd quickly realized it was her perfect opportunity.

She had decided not to ask her father about mental shields, choosing instead to look for information on her own. Her dad would want to know the reason behind her interest in the subject and she didn't really want to tell him. Nor could she lie. Yamanaka Inoichi was an interrogation specialist, after all, trained to pick up every facial tic and nuance of tone that betrayed a person's true thoughts.

She'd found some interesting things without her father's help, anyway. Mental shields did indeed exist, and they came in several varieties. It would take her a lot more time and energy to figure out exactly what sort of shield Naruto had, but it didn't really matter for her purposes. All the shields had something in common--they were weakest when the subject was relaxed. So, trying to crack them would be useless during training, when Naruto was alert and his guard was up. They would be easiest to bypass when he was asleep, but she didn't know where he was staying and her father would kill her if he caught her sneaking out at night. The next best thing would be when Naruto was awake, but at ease and unsuspecting. At a party, for example.

Which was why the Yamanaka teen had invented an excuse to leave the gathering early and was crouched on top of a roof. The big windows of the restaurant afforded her a good view of the inside, so it wouldn't be hard to spot her target. If she couldn't get a direct line-of-sight to him while he was inside, she'd wait until he left. Shika wasn't a big partier, so, without her there, things would most likely be winding down soon. She sighed. It had been a fun party too...

I could go back. I shouldn't be doing this anyway.

She bit her lip. Thoughts like that had been popping up more frequently the longer she sat on the roof. She'd made any number of excuses to justify her actions to herself--it was just like a training session; it was for the good of the team--but those reasons sounded flimsy now that she was actually carrying out her plan. It was harder to convince herself that the butterflies in her stomach were caused by apprehension about performing the jutsu correctly, instead of disquiet over doing something she knew to be wrong.

I'll get in a lot of trouble if I'm caught...I won't get caught! I don't have to do this...But I've worked so hard! I could go...I can't let him beat me!

A flash of orange caught her attention and she straightened. Naruto had walked up to the window and seemed to be looking for something, a confused look on his face. But then Shikamaru appeared next to him and the blonde turned away, chatting with her teammate. This was her chance. If she was going to to do this, she had to do it now. After one more second of hesitation, she made her choice.

Ino formed the hand seal and whispered the name of the jutsu.

Her eyes closed as her mind brushed against his shields. This was a mind reading technique, not a mind transfer, so her consciousness didn't actually leave her body. Instead, it reached out to touch his, the same way she would reach out to touch his shoulder with her hand.

She took a breath and slowly, cautiously, looked for a way through. It was like feeling for the cracks of a hidden door, only with her mind instead of her fingertips. Any break in the wall, no matter how small, would give her the opportunity she needed. She started to tremble; she had to find a way in soon or she wouldn't be able to hold the jutsu.

Naruto laughed and suddenly, just in front of her, she felt a gap. She slipped inside before it vanished.

Ha! Her doubts were momentarily washed away by her triumph. She was in.

Ino stood in a hallway, up to her ankles in still, dirty water. She could hear the steady plink plink of more water dripping somewhere. The walls seemed to be metal, or very smooth stone of some sort. Bundles of pipes ran across the ceiling and along the walls. The dim red glow that illuminated the corridor flickered, like a flame, but she could see no fire, or any light source for that matter. And it was hot. Kami, it was like a damn furnace. Despite the heat, she shivered a little. Naruto's mindscape was...disturbingly dark.

I'm not supposed to be here. I should go.

Ino once again ignored the feelings of guilt and unease that welled up in her. She would go, soon. She just wanted to...look around a little more.

She glanced up and down the hallway. The strange light faded away a few yards in front of and behind her, leaving the rest of the corridor in total darkness. She frowned. There should be doors that led to different sections of his mind, but she could see nothing like that from her current position. Well, it didn't matter which way she went, as concepts like 'direction' didn't exactly exist in the mindscape. She started to walk forward.

As soon as she moved, she noticed the water was...thick. Almost viscous. She wrinkled her nose. It smelled too, a sharp, metallic odor that seemed to coat her tongue and the back of her throat. It smelled like...

She stiffened, as a drop of water from the ceiling hit her cheek. She automatically reached her hand up to wipe it off. Her fingertips came away smeared with red.

She stared for a moment, horrified, before pressing her other hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

She thought it was water. Dirty water, to be sure--polluted enough that it was black and opaque--but water nonetheless.

But it wasn't water at all.

The liquid she was standing in, that she could feel soaking her sandals and squishing between her toes, that was dripping from the ceiling, was blood. Blood.

Oh kami...

Why had she ever come here?

Another drop hit her face and she stumbled backwards, wanting only to get away. But she froze when she ran into something solid--where had that come from?!-- and strong hands wrapped around her arms.

She thought she had been afraid before, but that was nothing.

She wasn't alone in the corridor anymore. Naruto was standing behind her. And he was angry. Very, very angry.

The strong hands squeezed and his claws dug into her skin.

...Claws?!

This time, she did scream.

Author's Note

Whew! A doozy of a chapter, isn't it? I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. The next chapter is even more fun (for me, anyways). Be prepared for some angst and some serious father/son time.

A word on jutsu: I think everyone has figured out by now that I use the Japanese for jutsu that are named in the manga/anime. If it's something I feel most everyone knows the translation for (e.g. kage bunshin), I won't give the English name. If it's something less common (like the jutsu I mentioned in this chapter), I will. If it's something I made up, or don't know the name for, I just describe it. I don't want to make up a bunch of names and then try to translate them into Japanese and then have to list them all in English in the end anyway.

So, even though I'm sure you all figured out what jutsus I was referring to in this chapter, here is a short list:

Goukakyuu--Great Fireball

Nikudan Sensha--Human Bullet Tank

Shintenshin--Mind-Body Switch