Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out, I had to put it aside in favor of a couple of projects. In the end, the decision to have the scene in the main story won over the side story but I made sure to keep it relatively short. If anyone wants to have a further look into a part of it, that will be in the side story for your own pleasure. It all depends on you though.

Thanks for all of the ideas you guys gave me for SaiNaru. I really appreciate it.

Bookimp: I know, isn't he? But a part of what makes him fun is the growth he goes through. In the end, I swear he almost seems to understand some people's emotions better than themselves (or that could just be my perception).

Shinigami: I'll have to think on Ino telling anyone. It depends on how things go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 23: Back to the Exams

"This match should be interesting," Jin told Baki. "I hope your student is ready for what he's up against."

"He always is," Baki replied confidently. He had absolute faith in Kankurou's abilities. All three of the Kazekage's children had been brilliantly trained. They would be difficult to defeat in battle.

"You Suna shinobi really piss me off…" Jin muttered under his breath, irritated that he hadn't managed to shake Baki at all. He was too damn confident.

Everyone's attention was grabbed when Ino and Naruto returned to the arena together, hand in hand.

"Did you decide to ditch Shikamaru and go for Ino instead?" Asuma asked Naruto teasingly, noticing their new closeness. He barely managed to notice the sour glare Shikamaru gave him. The lazy genius was far from amused from the jibe.

"Don't be ridiculous, Asuma-sensei!" Ino told her teacher. "We're just friends. Besides, I doubt I could compete against Shikamaru in Naruto's eyes."

"Ino," Naruto whined, flushing in embarrassment.

"What? I was just telling the truth," the other blonde replied nonchalantly as if she hadn't just admitted Naruto's feelings for everyone to hear.

"It looks like you've completely recovered from your hysteria," Chouji commented. "That's great. Thanks, Naruto."

"It was nothing," Naruto replied. "She was just a little shaken up by everything…"

"I'm glad you're okay," Sakura told her former best friend. "I was worried about you. I was afraid my actions had harmed you worse than I'd previously thought possible."

"I'm fine, Sakura," Ino replied. "Thanks for the concern."

Sakura was surprised to hear Ino call her by her name instead of making a jibe against her like she'd expected her to. She watched curiously as Ino approached her. "Is there something wrong, Ino?" she inquired.

"I wanted to apologize to you too," Ino told the pink-haired girl. "I shouldn't have let such a petty rivalry get in the way of our friendship."

This shocked everyone. Ino was openly admitting that the rivalry they had over Sasuke as 'petty'? Now that was a major change of heart. Didn't Ino see Sasuke as God's gift to women everywhere?

Even Sasuke, though he hid it well, was intrigued by her apparent lack of interest in him.

"Does that mean you're giving up on Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked incredulously. This was the last thing she'd expected from Ino, the surprise evident on the pink-haired girl's face.

"Gods yes," Ino breathed out; making Naruto smirk in amusement at how eagerly she'd said that. "I could do better." Sasuke almost felt insulted. How did she go from worshipping the floor he walked on to thinking he was lower than dirt?

It may be wrong to judge Sasuke based off his ancestor's actions but considering he was reflecting the same emotions towards Naruto that Madara had towards Minato, Ino didn't want anything to do with him. She hoped that she would be able to do the same with Sakura too… She didn't want the other girl getting hurt by him either.

"Who's better than Sasuke-kun?" Sakura frowned.

Ino gazed at the boys in the arena curiously.

Chouji… he was really sweet but she didn't know if she'd be able to see him in a romantic light.

Shikamaru had his eyes on Naruto, meaning that the blonde was out of the running as well.

Kiba… was way to rash for her tastes. She doubted that they would be able to get along long enough for such a connection to occur.

Shino… too creepy.

Lee… he was sweet but he liked Sakura. Ino decided that she would try to pair them up. Lee may not be the most aesthetically pleasing but his heart was in the right place and she figured that was what matters.

Neji… he was a definite looker, all right. He was on par with Sasuke himself, but the stick up his ass was almost as big as Sasuke's as well. Better to not consider him for her own sanity.

Gaara… he was Naruto's friend and now that she knew Naruto's secret, his comments about him being like the redhead all made sense. Gaara was a Jinchuuriki too. He was cute enough but she didn't really know him too well to make any judgments. The same went for his older brother, who wasn't really her type at all.

She didn't even bother to consider the Iwa nin. As Naruto's natural enemies, they were completely off limits.

"… Unfortunately, the only ones good enough are taken," Ino remarked. The two who had ranked highest on her list had been Shikamaru and Naruto, but they were too caught up with each other to even be considered in the running.

"Too bad," Sakura replied, sounding amused by Ino's disappointment. Now that the entire Sasuke situation was no longer between them, she realized that their fractured friendship would begin to heal.

"If you all are finished with that disgustingly emotional display, my student is about to kick that Suna boy's ass," Jin declared grouchily.

"So impatient, Kyougyoku. That could get you in trouble one day," Kakashi drawled, dislike clear in his voice. Jin just glared.

'Just wait until I have your little lover boy at my mercy. We'll see who gets the last word then, Hatake,' Jin thought sourly. All the people tied with the accursed Yondaime pissed him off.

Kankurou smirked at Osamu as they both took their place in the fighting arena. The Iwa nin just looked back at him with a somber expression.

"Ready to lose?" the Suna nin declared cockily.

Osamu didn't grace Kankurou with a response, which put the puppeteer out.

"You're no fun," the makeup-wearing shinobi grumbled before turning to Hayate. "Are you going to start the match or what?"

"Begin," Hayate stated blandly before moving out of the way to let the two opponents duke it out.

Almost immediately, Osamu made his move. "Doton: Doryūheki!"

A huge wall of Earth shot up on either side of Kankurou and crushed him.

"That was quick," Kiba remarked, with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not over yet," Temari replied confidently. She knew Kankurou had a trick up his sleeve.

She was proven right when Osamu pulled back the wall in order to see if he'd done Kankurou in or not. What they saw within the space the puppeteer was in was not Kankurou… it was his puppet.

Osamu's eyes widened, trying to find where the real Kankurou was, but it was too late. Bandages wrapped around him from behind, pinning him down and preventing him from using any more jutsu.

"I told you that you would lose," Kankurou told Osamu smugly before Karasu leapt at Osamu, stabbing him with a poisoned senbon.

"Damn it," Osamu cursed. He'd gotten sloppy. He hadn't expected Kankurou and his puppet to switch places like that. With a groan, he passed out as the poison began to work through his veins.

"Winner: Subaku no Kankurou," Hayate reported with an air of finality.

Jin glowered at his fallen student. How could he humiliate Iwa like this? He would definitely be getting it once he was out of the hospital.

"What was it that you were saying about your student defeating mine?" Baki taunted Jin. Turnabout was fair play after all.

Jin just scowled.

"Your brother is pretty good, for having such a bad attitude," Naruto told Gaara, who just shrugged his shoulders.

He surprised everyone when he spoke up as Kankurou returned.

"…Good job," the Jinchuuriki of Shuukaku declared.

"…Thanks," Kankurou replied, feeling shocked to actually have received praise from his brother. The older Suna shinobi then glanced at Naruto. The blonde really had changed his brother. It would take some getting used to but Kankurou was glad. He'd have to thank Naruto for this someday.

"So two Suna nin have already passed to the Finals. That's very impressive," Kurenai remarked. "You've trained some impressive shinobi."

"Thank you," Baki spoke with pride. Only Gaara was left and he was absolutely certain that the Jinchuuriki would have no trouble winning his match.

"Who's next?" Asuma wondered, looking at the board. Everyone looked and Shikamaru groaned.

"Troublesome…"

Nara Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin.

"Looks like you're up next, Shikamaru," Ino stated cheerfully, clapping him on the back. He glowered at her. He was so not up for this. He eyed his opponent. It just had to be a girl…

'Maybe I should just forfeit,' he thought. 'It would make things easier…'

Kin gave Shikamaru a taunting look. "I'm going to look forward to getting back at you for what happened in the forest," she told him gleefully. "Or are you going to run away with your tail between your legs?"

"Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru grumbled under his breath. Why did he get stuck with her? Fighting her would be a big pain in the ass.

'Shikamaru doesn't look very motivated,' Ino thought to herself before smirking slyly. 'I'll just have to give him an incentive then.'

She pulled Naruto the side for a moment and whispered something in his ear.

"You want me to do WHAT?" Naruto yelped out loudly, catching everyone's attention to the very flustered Namikaze.

"Just trust me," Ino urged Naruto, pushing him towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto. Just what was Ino making him do?

Naruto flushed harder under Shikamaru's gaze, averting his eyes shyly.

"Out with it, troublesome blonde," Shikamaru pressed before frowning in confusion as Ino burst out into barely concealed giggles. Just what had he said that was so funny?

Naruto swallowed nervously before whispering something in Shikamaru's ears. The Nara's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Naruto as if he had just promised him the most precious thing in the world.

Naruto quickly scurried off to hide his embarrassment before Shikamaru could get a word in.

'Figures that the only thing Naruto is shy about is romance,' Ino mused with a twinkle in her eye. He was just too cute.

Shikamaru turned to Kin with a determined smirk. "Bring it on," he challenged her confidently as he headed for the arena, making everyone's jaws drop.

"What did you make Naruto say?" Asuma asked Ino curiously, wondering what had made Shikamaru make a complete turnaround in his attitude.

"You'll see," Ino replied devilishly. "If Shikamaru wins, that is." This would be too good… She almost got sadistic pleasure in seeing the look of absolute displeasure on Sasuke's face. 'That's right, Sasuke… you'll never get Naruto. Not if I can help it.' If Kyuubi and Minato weren't there to prevent the Uchiha from trying to claim a Namikaze for himself, she'd do it in their place until they were free. She was the only other one who knew the full truth after all, save for maybe Kakashi. Thinking back, Kakashi's odd behavior during the Wave mission was all beginning to make sense. That must have been when he'd been clued in.

In the end, Shikamaru completely trounced Kin with a brilliant strategy, much to the glee of all of the Konoha nin, save for Sasuke. He'd been hoping to see the lazy nin get completely crushed.

Shikamaru approached a flustered Naruto with a distinct gleam in his eyes.

"… Am I going to have to castrate your student, Asuma?" Kakashi pondered aloud, wondering if he should swipe his precious little brother away from the eyes of the predator coming to him. This earned him an odd look from the smoking shinobi.

"You're that protective of Naruto?" Asuma queried.

"He's my otouto," was Kakashi's nonchalant reply.

"I won, Naruto," Shikamaru all but purred as he backed Naruto into a corner. "Are you going to fulfill your promise now? You never go back on your word, right?"

"Here?" Naruto inquired, eyeing everyone else apprehensively.

"Where else?" Shikamaru retorted as he leaned in towards Naruto.

"Okay…" Naruto agreed reluctantly as he leaned forward as well, stretching to close the remaining inches between them.

Sakuya barked out happily, excited the sight of her 'parents' together. She ran circles around them hyperactively.

"How sweet," TenTen breathed, blushing faintly at the public display of affection.

"Pathetic," Neji sneered.

"I think I'm going to puke," Kiba grumbled, only to get smacked on the head by a reprimanding Hinata.

"Be nice," she told him. Kiba pouted.

Sasuke growled, getting ready to interfere again, only to get tripped by Ino and blocked by Gaara's sand.

He glared at both of them, dislike for both growing immensely. Just when he thought Naruto would be vulnerable to him with his father gone, he gained new protectors! It just wasn't fair.

Daichi watched his prey reward his chosen lover silently, wondering what the ugly knot forming in his stomach was coming from. It wasn't as if he was actually developing feelings for the Namikaze brat, right?

Shikamaru eventually pulled away from Naruto, a pleased smile plastered on his face. "Thanks for the reward," he drawled before walking back to his team, looking very satisfied.

Naruto was very silent as he quietly returned to his older brother's side. Seeing Shikamaru be so assertive was a real shock for him. He hadn't really thought his incentive would have worked on Shikamaru so well…

"I told you it would work," Ino sang teasingly, wondering if Kyuubi would have approved her course of action. She figured she would.

"Now that you two are finished with that nauseating display, can we get to our fight now?" Kiba asked impatiently and Naruto frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?" the Jinchuuriki questioned.

Kiba pointed to the board.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba.

"Your turn to shine," Shikamaru told Naruto… and he had no doubt that he would.

"What are you talking about, Shikamaru? I'm the one who's got it easy!" Kiba exclaimed. "Naruto's a dobe. I'll finish this match faster than that Suna guy!"

"'That Suna guy' has a name!" Kankurou called out irately. He didn't know what the dog nin was on, But he was a fool to underestimate Naruto. The Suna nin hadn't even seen Naruto in action but they could tell he would be a formidable opponent. Someone who so easily tamed their brother was no one to laugh at… especially if he was the Jinchuuriki of the most powerful Bijuu in existence.

"You are a fool," Daichi voiced the thoughts of many of the shinobi in the room, looking at Kiba coolly. Naruto gave Daichi a look of surprise. Why was the Iwa nin defending him?

Daichi didn't meet Naruto's eyes, nor did he pay attention to the odd look he was getting from his sensei.

"Whatever," Kiba responded with a scoff before looking at Shikamaru with a smug look. "Don't worry, Shikamaru. I won't hurt your 'bitch' too badly."

"… I'll neuter him…" Kakashi whispered in the background, sole eye gleaming with bloodlust-filled rage. His fellow Jounin-sensei backed away slowly, eyeing him as if he was a ticking time bomb. Kurenai wondered if she should fear for her student.

'Kiba should be glad that Yondaime-sama isn't free yet,' Ino thought, glaring at the arrogant Inuzuka. Remembering all of the times that Naruto's 'wind' had lashed out when somebody insulted Naruto, especially in a crude manner, she knew Kiba wouldn't have come out intact.

Even Hinata and Shino were gazing on Kiba with disapproval.

Holding Naruto back from mauling the Inuzuka, Shikamaru glared at Kiba. "Naruto's not a 'bitch,' in any sense of the word," he replied coolly before turning to Naruto. "Kick his ass."

"Don't worry, I will," Naruto vowed. He would beat Kiba not only for himself, but for all of the insults he had made against his father as well, no matter how unaware the Inuzuka was of the true connection between Naruto and his guardian angel. He would show Kiba once and for all that he was anything but a dobe.

Kiba and Naruto were glaring at each other when the sound of Sakuya's angry growling distracted them.

Naruto stared at his 'daughter' curiously. Sakuya met his eyes and he realized what she wanted. "You want to fight too?" he voiced her feelings. Sakuya barked in affirmation.

"Fat lot of good she'll do you, dobe. She's too young for battle," Kiba pointed out.

"That doesn't matter," Naruto declared. "If she wants to test her merit, then who am I to stop her?" Nevertheless, if Kiba or Akamaru hurt his kit in any way, he would kick their asses in the worst way possible.

"Have it your way," Kiba grunted dismissively. "Are we going to get this started or what?"

"Let's get this over with," Naruto replied. He just wanted the Exams to be over so he could go hunt his godfather down and free his parents from Orochimaru's seal. They'd been separated for long enough. It may have only been a week overall, but to Naruto it felt like forever.

Both clan heirs headed down to the battle arena, both hell bent on bringing the other down.

"Something tells me that this is going to be rocky," Asuma remarked. Having such hostility built up from the very beginning would catalyze a very messy battle. "I don't know who I'd rather not be: Kiba or Naruto."

Kakashi, Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru all looked at each other and all said one thing: "Kiba."

"You seem very confident about that," Kurenai declared. "But my student is no pushover. No offense Kakashi, but Naruto doesn't stand a chance. However much you've managed to train him, that doesn't change the fact that he was the class dobe."

'That may have been the case if Naruto was what everybody thinks him to be… but neither was he ever the dobe nor was I the one who trained him into the person he is now. That right falls only to his father,' Kakashi thought to himself. Kiba was screwed. "Would you care to make a bet on the outcome of this match, Kurenai?"

Kurenai looked intrigued. "I'm up for it," she replied with a smirk. "If I win, which I will, you'll give up your precious perverted books and profess your undying love to Anko."

Kakashi paled. Neither condition was very appealing. He couldn't bear to part with his beloved Icha Icha and he wasn't keen on doing such a thing with Anko. She would eat him alive. The only person he wanted to profess his love for was Iruka… who was blissfully unaware of his attraction. He quickly re-gathered his thoughts. There was no way he would lose. He had that much faith in Naruto. "And if I win, you'll train Sakura in Genjutsu."

Sakura looked surprised at her sensei. It looked like her sincere desire to improve herself was making it so that he was taking her training more seriously. It was a nice thought.

"Deal," Kurenai agreed, eyes gleaming. She was looking forward to seeing Kakashi get humiliated.

"Big mistake," Asuma muttered under his breath, earning a curious look from his love interest. "You haven't seen Naruto in action."

Kurenai's brow furrowed. What was she missing? Why did everyone so staunchly believe that Kiba would lose?

Just who was Uzumaki Naruto to have made so many people believe in him?

Kyuubi stalked towards the clearing that Minato was trapped in, wasting any snakes that got in her way using her chakra alone. Nothing was going to get in her way now that she was free.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the state that her mate was in. Orochimaru was going to pay for this...

From what she could see, Minato looked to be under some Genjutsu. That had to be the case, otherwise the Hokage wouldn't look nearly so docile while being held captive.

However, as she moved to free the man from his prison, the giant snake morphed into another shape...

"Orochimaru," Kyuubi spat in disgust. It would figure that Orochimaru's seal would take the form of the wretched snake.

"You can't touch him," Orochimaru sneered, flinging Minato's limp form over his shoulder. "He's mine now."

"Like hell he is!" Kyuubi's possessive nature took over. She lunged for Orochimaru, only to be overcome by a bright light.

/When it cleared, she found herself in the Hokage Office.

'How did I get here?' she wondered before she realized what had happened. She'd fallen into the same Genjutsu that Minato was under. She could break it easily but she wanted to know... just what was it that Minato was seeing? She knew the nature of this particular jutsu: it allowed the one targeted to view what they considered an 'ideal' world. What was Minato's?

Turning around, she saw Minato working on paperwork diligently. Oddly enough, he looked a little older... like the age he was supposed to be if he had survived. Silver was beginning to line his golden hair and he'd even started getting a few wrinkles and yet...

'He still looks as handsome as ever,' Kyuubi thought to herself, enamored with the sight. She'd always known that Minato would have been the type to age gracefully. She could easily see that a part of the Genjutsu involved his survival.

That was when the door opened and Minato looked up, making the most breathtaking smile.

"TOU-SAN!" a much happier looking Naruto cried out, leaping into his father's arms without a second thought.

Minato chuckled, eyes shining with love. "Hello to you too," he greeted the boy. "Welcome back from your mission. How did it go?"

"It went GREAT!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, making wide gestures to explain his point. Kyuubi marveled over how carefree this Naruto looked compared to the one she'd grown to love. It was as if he had no burdens at all...

Speaking of which, she noted that he didn't have his whisker marks which meant one thing... she wasn't sealed within him.

'That would explain Minato's survival,' Kyuubi realized, wondering why it hurt to see them so happy without her. Was this the world that Minato wanted to be in? One without her?

"Have you gone to see your mothers yet?" Minato asked his child, making Kyuubi falter.

Did Minato just say 'mothers'?

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Kushi-Kaa-chan and Kyuu-Kaa-chan were really happy to see me. I thought they would never let me go!" the blonde child declared with a small, petulant look. "It's not like I'm a baby anymore."

Kyuubi could hardly believe it. In Minato's ideal world, he was not only alive and still married to Kushina, but he had her as well? 'I'd say that was two-timing if I wasn't so happy about it,' the kitsune thought to herself. She was just happy to know that she played a part in the dream that Minato saw.

"You were careful with Kyuu-chan, right? You know that she's in a very delicate condition right now," Minato spoke to Naruto.

"I'm always careful!" Naruto stated, sounding almost offended that his father thought otherwise. "Kyuu-Kaa-san is pregnant with my little sister after all!"

She was what now?

Kyuubi kept getting one surprise after another. Minato wanted children with her? 'If only I could,' she thought to herself. Nevertheless, she would tease the man about this for weeks.

While Kyuubi was curious about what more Minato thought of in his ideal world, she knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time. The real Naruto needed them.

Putting her clawed hands together, she canceled out the Genjutsu. "Kai!"/

Kyuubi snapped back into her proper senses just in time to see Orochimaru run off with Minato. "Get back here!" she screamed, chasing after them. Just seeing the vile snake with his hands on the unconscious blonde really ticked her off. 'First, I'll skin him alive... then I will castrate him and finish him off by ripping out his heart and shoving it down his throat!'

She stopped short when Orochimaru stopped near a cliff. He dangled Minato's body over it. "If you come any closer, demon fox, I'll drop him and who knows what will happen to him then," he warned.

Kyuubi was forced to comply. She had no idea what would happen to Minato if he was thrown into the dark recesses of Naruto's mind. He could be unharmed... or she may never see him again. As much as she wanted to beat Orochimaru, Minato was far more important.

'What do I do?' she wondered. She could try to force Orochimaru to relinquish Minato but there was too great of a chance of her losing Minato in doing so. She'd always been more of an action person... how was she supposed to handle this?

That's when she noticed a strange red chakra forming nearby, chakra that wasn't her own.

'What's going on?' she wondered curiously. She had no idea what was going on.

Luckily, Orochimaru hadn't noticed it, too busy gloating over his victory over Kyuubi... until the chakra materialized into a human form.

"Let him go, Snake-teme!" a ferociously pissed off Kushina shrieked, tackling Orochimaru to the ground. The snake dropped Minato, but luckily not over the cliff, allowing Kyuubi to retrieve the Hokage while Kushina exerted her righteous fury over Orochimaru for threatening her husband. Kyuubi could only watch in awe.

'I can see why she was so feared when alive,' Kyuubi mused to herself. She'd known that Minato had created constructs of himself, which was used by the Shinigami to actually stick Minato in the seal, and Kushina, but she hadn't actually expected to meet the other woman any time soon.

She just sat back and enjoyed the view as Kushina ripped Orochimaru apart until he was only pieces of lingering chakra.

Huffing, Kushina turned her attention to the Bijuu and her husband.

"Is he alright?" Kushina asked Kyuubi, surprising the demon with how friendly the woman was being, all things considered.

"He's fine," Kyuubi admitted. "Just sleeping."

"We can't have that," Kushina stated with conviction... before going slaphappy with Minato. "WAKE UP, Minato-baka!"

Minato yelped as he was so roughly broken out of the Genjutsu cast upon him. He blinked groggily before gaping at the sight in front of him. "Kushina..." he breathed out, love and longing clear in his eyes.

Kyuubi turned away. She knew how much Minato loved Kushina and he always would, but it hurt to be reminded of that and how she had unwillingly played a part in their permanent separation.

"It's been a long time, Minato-kun," Kushina smiled. "I've missed you."

"Me too," Minato agreed. "I didn't expect to see you so soon..."

"Well, it wasn't exactly planned," Kushina commented. "But someone had to come save your ass!"

Minato looked a little sheepish. "Even now, you still take such good care of me," he said affectionately.

"Of course, it's my job," Kushina winked before glancing at Kyuubi. "It's your job now, Kyuubi."

Kyuubi turned around, a surprised look on her face. "What?" she asked numbly.

"I know you two love each other," Kushina declared with an all-knowing look on her face. "And I'm alright with it."

"Kushina..." Minato began but she silenced him.

"I have no right to keep you from loving another, Minato. It will be a long time before you join me in the afterlife and you deserve to be happy," the Uzumaki stated. "Kyuubi will be good for you."

"I love you," Minato told Kushina, squeezing her hand.

"I know," Kushina assured her husband. "But you love her too."

"Thank you," was all Kyuubi could say. Ever since she and Minato had discovered their attraction for one another, one of the things the Bijuu had felt guiltiest about was stealing the Hokage from his wife. That fear was now put to rest.

"Take care of my boys," Kushina asked Kyuubi.

"I will," Kyuubi promised.

"Thank you," Kushina smiled before she faded away.

"Is she... gone?" Kyuubi wondered. Minato shook his head.

"No, her chakra just returned to dormancy. The next time she arrives, it will be for Naruto," he assessed.

"Are you okay?" Kyuubi asked, wondering how Minato felt about seeing his wife again after twelve-long years.

"I will be," Minato responded. "But we have bigger things to think about... Naruto…"