Disclaimer: I own nothing but Ayame and Sasame and whatever other OCs appear here.
Last time: The team completes the Second Exam and makes it to the tower, being greeted by Shikamaru.
This time: The pairings for the Third Exam are announced AND there's a plot twist along with the (drumroll please) THE PARING FOR NARUTO! Yes, I have decided on who it will be. To those who don't like this pairing, don't worry. The relationship will be secondary, mostly for fillers and comedy-relief.
The lazy chuunin smirked at Naruto when he shouted. "Jeeze," Shika said with a yawn. "You're so loud all the time. Troublesome bastard."
Naruto shook a fist in mock anger. "I'll show you troublesome, lazy bastard!" The fox host got a sly look. "Man, Temari must be crying, going out with a bum like you."
Shikamaru didn't even dignify the slight with a reply, consenting only to giving the blond the finger. While the blond laughed at his friend's situation, the Nara turned his attention to the two genin and began explaining the meaning of the quote written on the wall behind him.
Later when the explaining was done, the shadow user was walking with the team to the room where they would be waiting out the remainder of the exam.
"Wow Shika," Naruto said. "Baa-chan really has you involved with the exams doesn't she?"
The bum sighed. "Yeah. It's such a pain, but she is the Hokage after all. When she says jump, I'm supposed to ask how high, even if it is troublesome."
Naruto just laughed at his companions whining. "Well, it could be worse."
"Yeah," Nara answered, seeing his chance. "I could be the loser who had to take it twice."
"Why you! You trying to start something?!" The Jinchuuriki shouted at the top of his lungs.
The other shinobi groaned and rubbed his abused ears. "Jeeze, Naruto, do you have to be so damn loud all the time?" He blinked as if remembering something. "Oh yeah. Hokage-sama wanted me to tell you to come see her in the arena after you finished the exam."
"When? Don't you mean if?"
Shika smirked. "Man, are you really that dense? Most of us in the Konoha Twelve know that you would make it through with no trouble. You should hear Neji. 'Naruto will not fail. He's too stubborn.'"
"Neji said that? Neji there's-a- stick-up-my-ass Hyuuga? No way."
"I know. Hard to believe isn't it?"
"Hey wait. Konoha Twelve? What's that?"
It was Konohamaru who answered. "It's the name the villagers gave to the Rookie Nine plus Team Gai and that weird kid who smiles all the time."
"Sai?"
"Yeah him."
"Huh. Has he loosened up any?"
"Hard to tell. I don't know him like you and Sakura do."
The group arrived at the room that had been set aside for the members of Naruto's squad and the four entered and took in the spacious interior.
Directly across from them, between two rows of red lacquered pillars with gold tops, was a window with a pattern of some type etched in to the glass. Flanking the window were two four-poster beds with maroon sheets and crimson curtains. Set flush with the corner to their left was another bed with the same trimmings. All three beds had wardrobes and a small nightstand next to them. Between the shinobi and the two beds was a sitting area of some type with a gold fruit bowl filled to bursting with various fruit and an incense stand that was spreading a scent that reminded Naruto of the clear mountain rivers he'd seen on his travels, both sitting on a varnished and shined coffee table. Couches ringed the table on three sides, and the room was dimly lit, giving a feeling of closeness and peace.
Konohamaru whistled. "Wow. Not too shabby for being in the middle of the Forest of Death."
Moegi agreed and the two younger genin rushed forward to attack the fruit bowl. Naruto followed at a leisurely pace and scooped up an apple before going to one of the beds by the window and pulling off his cloak and flinging it onto the mattress. His orange shirt was frayed at the edges from his battles with Kakashi and the Twins and his black pants had holes in them from near misses. His hirai-ate though, was still in good shape, but the thing was showing signs of wear, like tattered edges at the ends of the long ties, and the metal plate was scratched somewhat.
Naruto removed the identifier and cursed when he saw the damaged. "Shit. Gonna have to replace it if this keeps up." He really didn't want to do that. The headband held a special significance, a reminder of happier times when he didn't have to contemplate killing his former best friend. The blond shrugged and tied the small piece of armor back into its place before heading for the door.
"Moegi, Konohamaru, I'm gonna go see Baa-chan. I'll be back later."
"Sure, Naruto-aniki. Tell the old lady I said hi."
"Okay, later you two."
Shika and Naruto left, Shikamaru heading for whatever else he was supposed to be doing and Naruto going for the arena where he'd first proven he wasn't the Dead Last anymore.
He smiled when he saw the arena, complete with the hands folded into the shinobi seal. 'It brings back memories.' He found a spot in the middle of the floor. It didn't look any different from the rest, but he knew that this was where he'd fooled Kiba into punching out Akamaru and later Lee had drilled Gaara into this spot with the Renge.
After a minute, he got impatient and shouted to the thin air. "Alright, Baa-chan! Just where the hell are you!?"
"Right behind you, Naruto."
Naruto whirled and saw his adoptive mother-slash-sister-slash- evil-tempered-grandma standing on one of the two balconies that ringed the area.
"Baa-chan! What's this about?"
The leader of all Konoha vaulted over the railing and landed in a crouch before walking over to him.
"It's about something Kakashi told me about during the exam, after his little battle with you. He sent Pakkun to me with a warning of a threat and told me to ask you about it." She cocked her head. "Something about two sadist kunoichi?"
"Oh that. I should've realized he'd tell you about it."
"Who are they? Anko's evil twins or something?"
Naruto shuddered. "Kami I hope not. One Anko is bad enough. No, these two are a pair I met on my traveling."
Tsunade was silent as Naruto began explaining. By the end her brown eyes were grim. "So they're missing-nins?"
"Sorta."
"Well, we'll just let ANBU deal with them."
"NO!" Naruto's vehemence in his answer startled the Godaime. Just for an instant, his bright eyes had darkened into those of a shinobi who'd seen and done too much. Not the eyes of the Kyuubi, they were the eyes of a hardened veteran who was willing to do what was necessary. They reminded her of the ex-hunter-nin Ken, the shinobi who'd confirmed Orochimaru's death. When he'd been on active duty, his eyes were downright scary, but off duty they were just as bright as Naruto's. The Hokage couldn't help but wonder when Naruto's eyes had gotten like that.
"Why?"
"Because. Even the captain of all ANBU would get his ass handed to him by those two. There's something weird about them. Sasame I know what it is for sure, but Ayame's another story. There's something more to her, but I don't know what it is. The furball does, but he won't tell me for some reason."
"Do you have an idea?" Tsunade asked, wondering how she would deal with this threat if even Konoha's elite couldn't handle them.
Naruto shook his head. "No. Every time I ask Kyuubi he says that he'll tell me when I need to know or I'll figure it out." He rubbed his neck. "The hairs on my neck stand up every time he says that. It usually means trouble for me."
"So the two of you are double trouble then?" The Sannin asked with a wry smile, not able to resist teasing her little brother.
Naruto's eye twitched. "Shut up," he said with the annoyed whiny voice Tsunade knew so well.
"What'll we do?"
The humor leaked off Naruto's face. The blond was silent a moment before answering. "Just let me handle it. Of everyone in Konoha, I'm the one who has the most experience in dealing with them. I was planning on taking them out in the Third Exam anyway."
"You think they'll make it that far?"
There was no humor in Naruto's smile. "Yeah. I'm their target, so they won't rest until I'm six feet under or they're the dead ones."
Tsunade was quiet as she considered the options, going through everything from suspending the exams to assigning Naruto an ANBU team to help out with the Twins. Finally she sighed, realizing that the Yondaime look-alike was right. "Alright. The Twins are your problem, but if you need help, don't hesitate to ask."
Naruto laughed. "Don't worry Baa-chan! If I can survive working for Snake-bastard, I know I can handle this. I'll be fine!" He walked away and Tsunade stared after him for a long time before turning to leave herself.
"Be careful Naruto." She whispered to thin air. "I don't think I could lose another little brother." Her worry was valid. The world of the shinobi was treacherous to begin with, but with the Twins, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki all out for Naruto's head, it was even more so for him. There was a burst of smoke and Tsunade was gone.
The remaining days in the exam passed with little significance. Finally Shikamaru arrived at the room that Naruto and his team was living in. He knocked on the frame and the slatted wood door was slid aside.
"Shika?" Naruto asked, his messy hair even more tousled than usual. "What's up?"
"The exam has ended," The chuunin drawled. "Tsunade-sama wants me to get the passing candidates together in the arena for her little speech."
"Great, I hate speeches! They're so troublesome!" Even if it was Naruto's beloved Baa-chan doing the speaking.
"Hey, that's my line."
Naruto got the shock of his life when he saw just who had passed the exam. There were only five other people in the room besides him and the two younger shinobi. Ayame and Sasame were there, that was no surprise, and there was another team who, from their hirai-ate, were from Kirigakure.
'Eight people out of something over a hundred-and-some-odd before. Wow. Kakashi-sensei and that Anko girl must've really done their jobs to thin the numbers this much.'
Arrayed on the raised section at the end of the arena, under the hands that were carved into the shape of a seal, stood Tsunade in her formal Hokage robes, and her entourage, including Shizune and Sakura, Kakashi, Anko, Ibiki, Iruka, Shikamaru and some others, including a team of faceless ANBU.
'Four ANBU for Baa-chan? Even with the Twins here?' Naruto thought, surprised at the meager numbers. 'Can't be, Baa-chan's not that stupid. There must be others nearby.' The blond began sizing up the people before him. 'Shizune-neechan and Sakur-chan. Well, Sakura-chan knows how to use Baa-chan's freaky strength, and Shizune isn't a slouch with those needles of hers either. Kakashi was in ANBU, so I know he knows a thing or two about fighting. Ibiki and Anko are ANBU, so that raises the numbers to six active ANBU, one ex-ANBU and two jounin who are probably at that level themselves.' Now Shikamaru was the odd man out. Unless one looked at his family jutsu. 'He'd use his Kage Mane no Jutsu to hold Ayame and Sasame down while the others wipe them out.' Lastly his eyes fell on Tsunade. 'And let's not leave out the Hokage herself.' Tsunade would be able to hold off the Twins alone, at least until the rest of the powerhouses jumped in and everything died. But if the situation were bad enough for it, the Godaime would use that freaky seal of hers and probably come out on top, despite shaving off another few years of her life.
'Let's not forget us either, kit. Would you really stand by while the Twins attack the old woman?' Kyuubi asked, swishing a tail. Naruto knew that he would jump in at a moment's notice. The fox demon continued, 'Plus I've managed to catch the scents of four other people in the room. Probably more of the masked shinobi.'
Naruto blinked at the sheer force Tsunade had brought with her. Between the visible and hidden ninja, plus Naruto himself, you had enough power to wipe a sizeable army off the map. Add in the Kyuubi, who would just love to come out to…play, and you'd have enough power to kill off an entire village and then some. He had to stop himself from grinning. Baa-chan had set up more than enough guards and, unless you were observant, you'd never even know it until you tried to attack and got your ass ripped apart thirty times over!
The Godaime stepped up and looked at them with a hard yet kind look. The look Sarutobi had used during those frequent occasions that Naruto had been in front of him, usually because of the havoc wrought by his latest prank.
"Congratulations to the eight of you. You've managed to make it through the forest, other genin teams and the enemy we set up for you. Now it's time for the Third Exam." The tension in the room sharpened at her words. "I won't bore you with the explanation of the exam's origin because I'm not as long-winded as my predecessor."
"Ain't that the truth," Konohamaru said in a carrying whisper. His grandfather could drag out his speeches for longer than anyone needed them to be.
Tsunade smiled at the Sandaime's grandson before going ahead. "This Third Exam will take place one month from today and will be a tournament in front of all the village of Konohagakure and various dignitaries from around the shinobi nations. Take this time to train yourselves to become even better and come to the stadium where you will fight the person you are paired with today." At her words, a hidden panel slid aside, revealing an electronic screen. "Your opponent will be decided randomly and posted up there." The Godaime looked around at them. "Any questions?" There were none. "Anyone wish to withdraw from the exam?" No one moved. They'd all come too far to back out now. "Okay then. Let's decide the opponents!"
The screen lit up and names began flashing across it with more speed that even a Sharingan could follow.
"The first match is…" The names stopped scrolling. "Ayame and Takeda Yosuke!" One of the Kiri-nins shifted and looked at Ayame, who smiled sweetly back. Naruto shivered slightly, knowing what that smile meant. This guy was as good as dead, unless he withdrew.
"Second match…" Once again the names, which had resumed their pell-mell jumble after the announcement of the first pairing, stopped. "Moegi vs. Takeda Kanryu!" The Kiri-nin looked at the young kunoichi with a twisted grin on his face, visible even through the Kakashi-style mask he wore.
"Third match…" The names stopped and Naruto paled at the result. Shit! This wasn't good! "Sarutobi Konohamaru vs. Sasame!" Naruto went deaf to the world as he heard the result for real. Konohamaru? Against Sasame? The son of the Sandaime was either going to die, or be forced very close to death. Sasame may look more placid than her sister, and for the most part she was, but when she went into combat, the bubbly kunoichi was deadly, usually leaving her victims resembling porcupines because of her Senbon Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
Naruto looked at his comrade and saw that he was pale and shaking, knowing just how deadly his enemy was going to be. He looked at the blond shinobi with wide, scared eyes, pleading with Naruto to help him.
'I can't. I've got training myself…' His sapphire gaze landed on Kakashi. 'But maybe Kakashi-sensei would be willing to help. I'll have to ask.' Naruto's opponent was announced as Takeda Koza. Apparently the three Kiri-nins were brothers. That was odd. Usually villages broke up siblings in order to keep them apart and increase the chances that one of them would survive to a ripe old age. Now the Yondaime's son looked at Moegi. She didn't look frightened, but that was because she wasn't looking far enough ahead. If she beat Kanryu, she would be up against Ayame, and that was a death sentence. Both his teammates were against the most lethal foes possible and there was not a damn thing Naruto could do!
He became vaguely aware of the crowd dispersing, heading for the outside world and Konoha beyond. Only the Konoha team didn't move, both Moegi and Naruto looking at Konohamaru, who was shaking like a leaf in the wind now.
When he spoke, his voice was eerily steady, as if he'd already given up. "Naruto-aniki? Am I going to die?"
That simple statement hit Naruto like punch in the gut. He was out of his element, not being able to comfort a person like this. His was more of a spontaneous thing, giving support when the going looked grim. Konohamaru needed to know that someone powerful had his back. He led the genin over to the raised stage in front of the still-present entourage. They sat and Moegi latched onto her boyfriend, laying her head on his shoulder in an effort to ease his strife.
"Will you die? I can't say for sure." Naruto said slowly, staring at the massive double doors on the other side of the room. "You could always withdraw, but I know you well enough to know you won't to that. You're a lot like me that way."
Konohamaru looked close to tears now, but he smiled weakly. "We have to find you a badass sensei to train you. I would, but there's a couple things I need to work on and it's going to take up a lot of my time." The Honorable Grandson felt a single tear run down his cheek.
"What am I going to do?" He sniffed.
"That's up to you. You can withdraw from the Exams or we can find you a good sensei." Naruto looked at the teen, knowing he needed more than a few assurances. Something he could really take refuge in. Naruto sighed as he reached what he deemed was the best solution. "Trust me, I've got your back."
"But they're just as strong as you!" Konohamaru protested.
The blond demon container nodded. "I know, but I have a partner that no one can stand against."
"Naruto!" Tsunade said sharply, getting the gist of where this was going, inhalations sounding from most of the present shinobi.
"It's okay, Baa-chan. I'm telling him of my own free will. It's not breaking that law if I do it right?"
The Godaime chewed at her cheek, but said nothing. The rest of the shinobi present looked tense, like something earth-shaking was about to happen.
"Who's this partner? I've never seen him. Is he powerful?"
Naruto smirked, but it was sad and his blue eyes were brooding. "Oh yeah. He's powerful alright. Not even the Yondaime Hokage himself could beat him."
Konohamaru's eyes were wide. "Who?"
Naruto looked him straight in the eye and Konohamaru knew that his idol wasn't joking this time. "My partner is…" He seemed to falter, as if it was difficult to get out, and the very air in the room seemed to stand still.
"Kyuubi no Yoko."
Both Moegi and Konohamaru's eyes went wide at the revelation.
"Y-You're lying! Yondaime-sama killed the fox twenty years ago!"
Naruto shook his head. "No. It's true." His mouth quirked in an ironic and somewhat savage smile. "I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi. Have been ever since I was born."
"But…"
"When's my birthday?"
"Huh? October 10th isn't it?"
"Yeah. And what day did the Yondaime defeat Kyuubi on?"
"October…10th!" Naruto saw Konohamaru looking at him with disbelieving eyes.
"You don't believe me?" The genin shook his head. "Fine, I guess we need some evidence." He stood and peeled off his orange shirt, letting the garment flutter to the ground. Shirtless, he walked out a few paces and stopped. Still with his back to the group, the blond rolled his head and shoulders before raising his hands and slamming them together.
"HAAAA!!"
Blue chakra burst into being around him, swirling and arcing like a visible wind. A burst of wind slammed out from the genin and sent hats flying and clothes fluttering. Slowly the blue bled to crimson and the temperature of the air began rising. The chakra formed a serrated ring on the floor around Naruto and began sending long tendrils into the air, which arced and writhed like tails. That ended and all was quiet. Then Naruto was enveloped in a red aura. He turned around with his eyes closed.
On his stomach were the remains of the Shiki Fuuin, the seal that kept the fox entombed in Naruto's body for as long as the blond was alive. His whisker-like scars had thickened, standing out on his face like real whiskers. Konohamaru looked at the changes his idol and elder brother figure had gone through right before his eyes. Naruto's hands, balled into fists, now slackened and both awestruck genin saw his fingernails had lengthened into claws. Then the Jinchuuriki opened his eyes and Konohamaru recoiled.
Naruto's eyes were crimson instead of their usual vivid blue and the pupil was slitted like a cat's would be. They held none of the warmth and happiness Naruto always radiated. Then the hard red softened and it was once again Konohamaru's idol looking at him from those the demonic eyes.
"Now do you believe me?" Konohamaru saw fangs flash when the blond spoke. His voice was still normal, and that helped the genin get over his fear. He nodded numbly. "Good." The Jinchuuriki walked forward and knelt before the Sandaime's grandson. "You realize that you can't tell anyone. All the adults know, but none of the kids, and I'd like to keep it that way until I choose to reveal it. Will you do that?"
"Y-Yes."
"Good. Now, I want you to always remember that, even if you lose, Kyuubi and I will never let you die. Even if it means forfeiting the exam, I'll use this power and tear Sasame to shreds before I let that happen!" As he spoke, the red chakra and eyes faded and returned to normal and the spiral seal on Naruto's abdomen went away as if it wasn't even there. Naruto looked over at Shikamaru, who was looking at Naruto as if he was an alien. There was shock, fear, and other emotions flying through the Nara's black eyes.
"How 'bout you, Shika? You alright?"
The shadow-user jumped as if he expected Naruto to run at him and butcher him. Then he started thinking like the genius he was and he found that he wasn't really surprised by the news. Shika remembered that Naruto had been impaled by Sasuke's Chidori, but had been in the hospital with only minor wounds.
"Heh. So troublesome. Always have to be dramatic don't you?" The chuunin grinned. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone." He stopped for a moment. "Now that I think about it, it explains a whole hell of a lot about you."
Naruto nodded, then looked at Konohamaru. "Now, about finding you a sensei…"
"Don't bother." Everyone looked at the Godaime in surprise.
"Baa-chan?"
"I'll train him. I don't think Saru-sensei would've liked it if I didn't help his grandson to survive." She looked at the genin with a hard look. "My training methods aren't easy, but if you want, I'll be your sensei."
Konohamaru looked uncertain.
"It's your best bet, Konohamaru-kun," Sakura said. "Tsunade-sensei is a tough teacher, but your odds of living will go way up."
Konohamaru gulped, but nodded, looking only slightly eased.
Tsunade returned it curtly. "Good. Now come on. We better get started now." Shizune didn't protest, knowing that her master wouldn't be dissuaded from helping her sensei's grandson. Both the Hokage and Sandaime's grandson left and were soon lost from view.
"Naruto, what about me?" Moegi asked. "I'll have to fight Ayame, right?"
"Yeah, if you beat Kanryu."
"I'll train her." Everyone looked at Kakashi in surprise. "I don't have much experience with Ayame, but I'll do what I can." He patted Moegi on the shoulder and they left.
"What about you, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
The blond shrugged. "I don't know. I can train on my own, but I was going to hunt down Ero-sennin and get him to teach me a trick or two that I know he's been holding on to. Maybe learn how to use some type of weapon while I'm at it." He thought for a bit and grinned as he pulled his shirt back on. "Or go on a training journey for a month and spar with the furball. The possibilities are endless, Sakura-chan! Later! I gotta get moving!"
With that he turned and dashed out of the room.
Sakura smiled softly and shook her head. Really, some things never change.
Tenten wandered down a main street in Konoha feeling frustrated with the world. She'd just come from a sparring match with Lee and had gotten her rear handed to her on a silver platter. All of her best jutsu had failed her in the face of the crippled shinobi's speed and power. It'd been the same when she'd fought Temari-san during her first exam. The weapons mistress had tried valiantly, but in the end, she'd failed and Temari had gone on to the finals. It wasn't to say she wasn't formidable, but there were severe limitations on what she was capable of, just because she didn't have the justu palette of some shinobi or a supreme defense like Neji or the Kazekage to make up for her weaknesses.
'I could always find a sensei,' she thought. That idea was quickly dismissed, simply because she knew the never-ending torment Gai-sensei would put her through because she'd deemed him not good enough. If she were to get another sensei, he or she would have to be strong enough that even Maito Gai wouldn't want to mess with them.
The woman snorted softly. Did such a person even exist? If so, as per Murphy's Law, that person wouldn't be in Konoha. Still, she wanted to try, had to if she wanted to ever be as strong as her heroine, Tsunade-sama of the Sannin. She scowled. Even Sakura-chan, once the weakest member of the Konoha Twelve, was feared by her enemies (and some friends) when she unleashed her fearsome strength, taught to her by Tenten's idol.
Even Ino-chan had managed to make herself an apprentice to the Slug Princess. Tenten really didn't know what the Yamanaka girl was learning because the girl hadn't displayed any feats of amazing strength nor had the weapons user seen her wandering around the hospital helping out with the work, like Sakura did.
Then there were the males of her group. Neji and Lee were frightening with their respective taijutsu. Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sai, Shino. All of them were fantastic at what they did, and, with their family hijutu, they all had a ridiculous amount of potential. Tenten was in the minority. She was a kunoichi and had no bloodline or family hijustu to speak of, a double strike that made her an underdog in a big way.
But even the guys of the group didn't compare to one person. Uzumaki Naruto. The blond was amazing! There was no way to get around it. The kunoichi for Team Gai didn't know what the man's methods were, but the results couldn't be denied. Seeing him take down Uchiha Sasuke with some kind of weird Kekkei Genkai, him beating Tsunade-sama in what had to be one of the greatest battles since Yondaime-sama killed the Kyuubi. She'd heard more recently that he'd even defeated Gai-sensei's "rival" Kakashi-san in one-on-one combat. The blond had left them all in the dust and Tenten was falling even further behind with each passing day.
At this rate, she'd even be as feeble as Sakura-chan had been when she'd first become a genin. The two weren't close, but they would go to lunch together if they happened to bump into each other on the streets and they'd talked about the good old days when the Uchiha had been in the village and Naruto had been the village idiot instead of the village's newest prodigy.
Tenten sighed and came to a stop, starting when she realized where she was. She was at the Memorial Stone training area, standing on the ceremonial bridge that crossed the brook that ran through the clearing of the field. The kunoichi sighed. Wasn't she hopeless? Even when she wasn't training, she ended up at a training ground. Lee and Gai-sensei must be rubbing off on her. Great. Would she start wearing green spandex next? It took the weapons mistress a second to realize she wasn't the only one there either.
A tall blond figure with a dark cloak was standing in middle of the clearing, a good distance away from the Stone. Speak of the devil; there was the latest genius now, his trademark over garment flapping in the light wind. Naruto's hand emerged from the folds of the concealing thing and flicked the clasp, the cloak falling from his shoulders to pool on the ground. Tenten didn't really see the purpose of the thing, aside from concealing his hand seals and when he was going for a weapon. The thing looked as if it would get in the way if he tried to do taijutsu in it. Maybe that was why in both the encounters she'd seen him fight, he always took it off. Maybe it was to free up his arms.
Now the man was rolling his shoulders and neck, apparently limbering up for some kind of training. For a brief moment, the kunoichi wondered why he was even bothering, but then she remembered the blond genin was currently entered in the Chuunin Exams and the second exam had ended about three days ago. This was probably the interim period where the candidates were supposed to be training. Well, if anyone were to pass this Exam, it would be this new and improved Naruto. The other genin wouldn't stand chance.
Naruto tensed and bounded off into the trees, his chakra fading with an alarming speed. Tenten didn't know what possessed her to follow, but she did, bounding through the branches, just barely able to keep the former missing-nin in sight as he moved from branch to branch with the ease and grace of a monkey. That was a weird thought, because Tenten always seemed to associate the happy-go-lucky guy with foxes. She didn't know why, maybe it was those weird scars on his cheeks. They looked like whiskers.
Finally Naruto pushed off hard and shot forward, speeding out over a boulder-strewn clearing a mile or two away from where they'd been before. Tenten slowed and stopped on the branch the blond had just vacated, heaving breath after breath. The pace Naruto had set had exhausted her, and yet he didn't even seem to notice. The kunoichi couldn't even find the slightest irregularity in the expanding and contracting of Naruto's chest, which she couldn't help noticing was very well formed. Tenten almost fell out of the tree. Where had that come from?
Any answer she might have given herself was stopped short when Naruto approached the biggest boulder in the field and held his left hand up by his hips, palm up. Tenten leaned forward expectantly. He was obviously about to do something. The move looked familiar, as if she'd seen it somewhere. The air over his palm swirled like a hurricane before it formed into a baseball-sized orb, tendrils of chakra extending from the orb, the technique spinning even faster, a soft glow lighting up Naruto's features.
Tenten knew this jutsu. It was the Yondaime's signature jutsu next to Hiraishin and somehow the blond had picked it. She'd heard rumors he'd trained with Jiraiya-sama before and he was well known as both a Sannin and the Yondaime's sensei. It was logical that the student would teach his teacher how to use his techniques. There was something off about Naruto's though and she couldn't quite place it.
Naruto drew back, pointing the jutsu at the boulder.
"Rasengan!"
He slammed his palm into the boulder's face and the justu burrowed into the rock face a ways before disappearing in a burst of wind that rustled Naruto's clothes and the grass under him. The Yondaime-look-alike pulled back and examined the hole closely. Tenten couldn't find anything wrong with it, but Naruto was apparently dissatisfied with the neat hole that had been drilled into the unyielding stone.
A soft curse reached her ears. "Damn," Naruto muttered, standing up straight and scratching his head with one hand, a puzzled scowl on his face. "Still needs work. I thought it would be easy!" His shoulders slumped. "I didn't change anything, just the hand I do it with. Is it more difficult to do it without using my dominant hand?" Tenten thought that he was thinking aloud, but he stopped and seemed to listen the breeze whipping through the area. "Keh, what do you know? Not like you can do anything." The weapons user wondered if he could read minds and he was talking to her. That was disproved when he shrugged and made the seal for Kage Bunshin.
Tenten's eyes widened when close to forty clones filled the small field. In that moment, Tenten knew that she'd found her jutsu sensei. Naruto was good at them, powerful enough to give even the Hokage pause, and he was a nice guy to boot. The kunoichi found it a lot easier to work with someone if they weren't rude and snippy all the time. Or loud and obnoxious. Now she just had to get him to teach her. But how could she do that? He might do because they were sort of friends and he knew her, but being busy with the exams, Naruto probably didn't have the time. She needed to offer him something in return, something that he'd need to use.
Genjutsu? Nah, she didn't have the chakra control to use them, and the rumors she'd heard about Naruto indicated he was the same way.
Ninjutsu? That was out. That was the reason she was here, considering asking him to teach her, not the other way around.
Tenten's answer came when Naruto reached into his rightmost pouch and pulled out a scroll. He bit his finger and ran the digit over a seal inked out on the parchment. There was an explosion of smoke and something flew high into the air. Naruto put his scroll away and held out his left hand. A sheathed daito landed firmly in his palm.
Naruto drew the weapon and looked it over, the keen edge glinting in the sun, visible even from where Tenten was. She could tell straight off that the weapon was first class. The steel of the blade was gleaming without a single flaw on it and the tsuba was polished until the metal shone. The scabbard was jet black that had been lacquered until it shone like the blade of the sword it held, a red cord wrapped around the end where the blade would slide in. Naruto sealed the scabbard away and whipped the sword back and forth a few times, as if testing the balance of the blade.
The clones cracked their knuckles and got ready to charge. At some hidden command, they surged forward, rushing Naruto, who sprinted forward himself, his blade dancing and flashing in the sun, dazzling Tenten as she watched. While Naruto wielded the blade with a reasonable degree of skill, it was clear to the weapons-user watching that he had a long way to go 'till he mastered it. She could see holes in his defense even from this far away, and there were sloppy patches in his offense. The one or two times he used taijutsu to open up some space showed her that he needed work there too.
Tenten grinned happily. She had her deal. Naruto would teach her ninjutsu and she would teach him the finer points of kenjutsu and taijutsu. Even if she didn't really use taijutsu, she was still a student of Maito Gai and he made sure all of his students at least knew what the techniques, strikes, blocks and deflections looked like and how they were done. She could teach him and he could teach her. It would be a mutually beneficial deal that would help them both grow.
The weapons mistress waited until Naruto had slashed the last clone into oblivion before dropping out of her tree and walking towards him. The blond genin was in the process of resheathing his sword when he saw her approaching.
He grinned at her. "Heya, Tenten-chan! I was wondering when you'd finally come out." So he knew that she'd been there the whole time. Heck, he'd probably known the moment she stood on that bridge. As for the '-chan' he'd thrown in at the end of her name, it wasn't anything special. Naruto was just that comfortable around his friends. From him it was the same as calling Tsunade-sama 'Baa-chan'.
"Hi Naruto," Tenten answered. "What're you up to?" It was fairly obvious what he was up to and he knew it, but it was a good way to get a conversation started.
"Training for the Chuunin Exams," He said. "The third exam is in a month and I've got a long way to go. Especially with this," he held up the daito to illustrate. Naruto tilted his head, almost like a curious fox. "So, can I help you with something, Tenten-chan, or are you just stalking me for the hell of it?"
Tenten laughed lightly. "Well, following you was just spur of the moment, but I do have something to ask you after watching you train."
"What?"
She took a deep breath. Here it goes. "Will you teach me ninjutsu?" There now it was out and he could teach her or he could laugh at her. Tenten hoped it was the first one.
Naruto rubbed his spiky yellow hair with a sigh. "I dunno, Tenten-chan. I'm kinda busy getting ready for the Third Exam. I really don't have the time."
Well that was expected. Maybe he'd like the second part of her proposal. "Well, you're working on how to use a sword, and I want to learn ninjutsu. Maybe we could teach each other?" She could see the hesitation in his sapphire eyes. A bit more bait then. "You know I train with Lee right?" Naruto nodded. "Well, I'm not big on taijutsu like Gai-sensei and Lee are, but I know how to do it. Maybe I could teach you some of that too."
Naruto paused, rubbing a temple with the heel of one hand. "Well, I can't deny my taijutsu needs work, and I'd love to learn how to handle this sword." Tenten crossed her fingers. "Well, I guess we could work something out."
Tenten brightened. "Really?"
Naruto grinned at her. "Sure. We could both use the work right?"
"Great! So, Naruto-sensei, when can we get to work?"
The Jinchuuriki waved a hand. "Drop the Naruto-sensei crap. We're just helping each other right? As for when we get started…" He was interrupted by a rumbling growl that filled the air. The blond put one hand on his stomach. "We'll get started right after lunch." He grinned brightly and vaulted into the trees, Tenten following, heading back to the Memorial Stone to go back to the village for lunch.
Well, there you have it. Naruto is going to end up with Tenten. Why I chose her was because Kishimoto-san really doesn't go into depth about her charachter, which leaves me a lot of wiggle room concerning her personality, and she only seemes to use weapons in battle which means that there's a lot of charachter developing for me to do. The reason for Naruto revealing he is the the Jinchuuriki for Kyuubi is simple. Put yourself in Konohamaru's shoes. You're a genin in his first exam and you've been paired with a person who makes even your idol nervous. Wouldn't you want to know that someone would be able to make sure you live? That was my reasoning behind it. I didn't even think about Shika until I went back and went 'Oh shit! Shikamaru heard that!' But now Naruto has an idea of how his friends will react, which opens the door to him telling them all eventually.
Glossary:
Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Technique/Skill): The Nara family's technique that allows the user to send out their shadow and take possession of another person's, allowing the Nara to control the victim's movements. Leads to a whole plethora of other techniques.
Hijutsu: Hidden/Secret jutsu.