A.N.: Ladies and gentlemen and everybody else who still follows my story, here I go with my next chapter. I intended to get it out sooner, but it took quite some time to tear down a minor writers block. More chapters are prepared to be published soon.
To Truth and Dan: If you want to send negative reviews, please sign them. I would answer you with a PM. I'll answer publicly once more, but I don't intend to do it every time.
1) Naruto being to much like canon Naruto. I think I changed his personality enough. I wasn't trying to recreate canon, I just wanted the main character to be Naruto and not some stranger who looks like him.
2) One-dimensional original characters. I thought I avoided writing Mary Sues, but you're entitled to your opinion.
3) Hate misranked missions. The first one they were on wasn't misranked. The next won't be either.
4) Boring. If you dislike it that much, why did you read it? Though judging from your review, you probably didn't.
A.N.2: Now reposted with less grammar and spelling errors.
Disclaimer: I haven't repeated it for two weeks, so I might have gotten out of practice. So here we go: I don't own Naruto. Yay, I repeated it correctly.
"I think its time for some explanations," Hana declared when they settled for the night. It was a long journey back to Konoha. Their injuries prevented them from running and even walking caused them a lot of pain. They haven't moved so slowly before unless they were escorting a caravan.
Naruto visibly shrunk under his teammate's gaze. His side was hurting badly, even his enhanced healing couldn't take care of that much damage in such a short time.
"I understand that everyone has their own secrets," continued the Inuzuka, "but there should also be trust between teammates."
The young blond just stared desperately at the ground, wishing a solution of this situation miraculously appeared there. But alas, nothing happened. The ground stayed just as it was, brown, muddy and covered in dried leaves.
Seeing his discomfort, the girl mellowed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, just remember, you can always trust your teammates."
"I know," answered the boy weakly, but didn't add anything else.
"You know what," the kunoichi sighed, when her youngest teammate stayed stubbornly silent, "you don't have to tell me now. I'll be listening whenever you are ready."
"Thank you," Naruto whispered.
"You're welcome," the dog mistress replied. Outward she appeared calm, but inside her curiosity was churning. Just what was her teammate's secret? That red chakra seemed now more familiar than ever, but she still couldn't pinpoint, where she had encountered it before. Well, she just had to wait. She sighed. Patience was never her forte.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back in Konoha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The squad felt immensely relieved, when they came within sight of the gates of Konoha. Tenzo sent the three genin to the hospital, and went on to give a report.
The Sandaime looked gravely when he finished. "Are you positive about that?"
"Not really," the former ANBU replied, "but it's the only thing it remotely resembled. It can of course be something else, but it just reminded me of what I saw of Mitarashi's Curse Seal."
"I see," the Hokage nodded solemnly. "And you couldn't bring the body back?"
"Unfortunately no," the Wood user answered. "All the genin were wounded and neither of us is a fuuinjutsu expert. We tried to seal it into a scroll, but we botched something and damaged the body instead. We brought the scroll, but I doubt anybody would be able to get anything out of it."
"We have to try anyway," the elderly village leader decided. "If you are correct, it would probably cause a lot of trouble for us. You are dismissed now."
Tenzo bowed and left the room. Only after the door closed after him, allowed the Hokage the worry he felt to show on his face. He stuffed his pipe with tobacco and lit it with a bit of Fire chakra. He sorely needed its comfort right now. The dots were beginning to connect. If there really was a new shinobi village in the making and if Orochimaru was behind it, things could turn very ugly anytime. He'll have to send Jiraiya to investigate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Konoha hospital~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto was declared healthy almost as soon as the doctor looked at him. It didn't surprise him. His injuries have completely healed during the second day of their trip back. He wanted to make sure his teammates were alright, but the nurses wouldn't allow him, claiming they were still in surgery. This worried the boy a bit, but he tried to convince himself it was just the hospital staff being mean to him and not the two kunoichi being hurt that badly. They managed to walk all the way from Ugo to Konoha after all.
Having nothing to do, he decided to go eat some ramen. It never failed to improve his mood. It worked its magic even today as well. After the second bowl he was already chatting happily with Teuchi and Ayame.
Feeling much better after the food, he wandered to the tree hideout. There was still a lot on his mind, but now he could think about it with a more positive outlook.
He had used the Kyuubi's power in front of his teammates. He could make up some excuse, but it would only work for so long. Especially Hana seemed to be catching on it. Sooner or later, he'll have to come clean. He wanted to believe that his teammates would understand, but he could never shake the icy feeling of fear that they might abandon him or hate him like most of the villagers. He decided it would be better if he told them before they found out from someone else, but his courage left him every time he thought about doing so. He resolved to do something about it, just not right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Somewhere in Rice Field Country~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jiraiya was sitting at the bar, drinking and ogling the young ladies, pretending to be interested solely in their assets. In fact he was keeping an ear on every snippet of conversation going on around him. He had hoped to learn some new information here, but so far he had no luck. People around him were chatting only about inconsequential little things, just like in the last establishment and the one before that.
He had been deeply rattled when he had first heard about little Naruto's fight against the Kaguya with the Curse Seal. He didn't even want to think about what could have happened had his team not intervened. He was half mad at his sensei for assigning the child such a dangerous mission, but he understood that such things sometimes happened and it was upon people like him to make sure they didn't occur too often. The old guilt came back again. If he just could have done something about Orochimaru, if he could have prevented his friend from leaving, if he managed to keep better track on his traitorous teammate… the list went on and on. The Snake Sannin was somewhere out there, gathering powerful subordinates, conducting who-knows-how sick experiments and he was powerless to do anything about it. Heck, he didn't even have a clue where to find him.
He waved at the pretty barmaid to pour him another cup of sake. Wallowing in guilt never accomplished anything. He leaned against the bar comfortably, straining his ears to catch every bit of gossip. Maybe tonight he would get lucky and learn what that snake was up to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both girls were finally released from the hospital, but couldn't resume their training in earnest yet. Naruto decided it was as good time as any to come out with the truth. He was still anxious, scratch it, downright scared, about their possible reactions, but he couldn't keep pretending much longer. They would find out sooner or later anyway and it would be better if it was from him. So one sunny afternoon they all gathered on their regular training grounds, all of them waiting to hear what the youngest teammember had to say.
"Um, I don't know where to start," Naruto said nervously.
"Try the beginning," Hana suggested.
"Yes, um… crap this is hard!" He had prepared a whole speech beforehand, but suddenly couldn't bring himself to actually recite it.
"We have whole afternoon," Hotaru remarked. "There's no need to rush. If you need more time…"
"No, that's fine," the blond refused. "I have to say it now or I'll never gather the courage again."
"Naruto is actually scared of something," the Inuzuka raised an eyebrow. "That must be a first." The boy just scowled at her.
"Don't make fun of him, Hana," Tenzo chastised her. "It's hard enough as it is."
"OK, I'm quiet now," she backed off. "So what is it?"
Naruto took a deep breath and started speaking.
Hana listened to his tale in silence. Yes, everything about the enigmatic boy suddenly made sense. The first time he mentioned the Kyuubi something in her head clicked. She remembered where she had encountered the oppressive chakra she had felt in the Grey Mist Mountains and later when they were fighting the bone monster before. She had been barely five years old when the Nine-tailed demon attacked, but it was an event that had engraved itself deep into her mind before she managed to bury it within the deepest recesses of her memory. Now everything was coming back to the forefront.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Eight years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Momma! Momma!" the five-year old girl with red triangle marks on her cheeks cried. She was desperately running around her clan's compound, searching for her parents. She didn't even try to deny she was scared, even though big Inuzuka girls should be brave. There was a feeling of dread and doom in the air and the night sky on the horizon was tinted red, like a great fire was burning there. Her clansmen were running back and forth, gathering their battle gear. The big and usually so strong and confident hounds were covering in corners and whining. It was a scene of utter chaos.
"Momma! There are you," cried the girl relieved upon seeing her mother. Tsume was standing among a large group of Inuzuka ninja giving them some last minute orders.
"Hana! What are you doing here?" The older woman looked afraid. The child paused. She had never seen her mother like that. She was always the embodiment of strength to her. "You should go to the shelters!"
"But I want to stay with you!" Hana put on a show of bravado she didn't quite feel.
"You can't, pup," her mother answered. "We're going to fight."
"I can fight too," she proudly declared. She had gotten a set of practice kunai for her last birthday and could now hit a tree from twenty steps away. "I'm a big girl now!"
"Honey," Tsume knelt in front of her, "listen to me. This isn't a battle you can fight. But I'll give you a mission. Okay?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. The woman smiled. "Protect your brother, Hana. He's just a baby. Take him to the shelters. Understand?"
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Good girl," her mother ruffled her hair. "Remember I will always love you. And now go." With those words Tsume got up and returned to the group of shinobi she had been commanding. Hana headed back inside the compound and picked baby Kiba from his crib. He was heavy, but she was a strong Inuzuka and could handle his weight. She left the clan compound and ran to the streets towards the Hokage monument where the shelters were. Everywhere around here were people rushing back and forth, civilians panicking, ninja heading for battle. She could have smelled their fear even if she hadn't been an Inuzuka. Her mother's parting words kept replaying in her head. 'Mommy doesn't expect to come back.' That thought scared her more than anything in her young life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back in the present~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hana guessed they had been lucky. Both her parents had come back that day, wounded and exhausted, but alive. Many other hadn't been so fortunate. She couldn't remember the exact number of clansmen who had died that day, but she knew there were many. And others came back crippled, they up to this day wobbled around the compound on wooden legs or had to do everything with just one hand. Yes, the destruction had been terrible. Hearing that the monster responsible was still around was just plain scary. Yet she couldn't reconcile the image of the fearsome Beast with her young, sometimes funny, sometimes annoying teammate. Only during the battle in Ugo…
Hotaru was also remembering. She hadn't been in Konoha when it happened, her parents had taken her on a trip to visit their relatives scattered around the Fire Country, but she had seen the resulting destruction and heard a lot of tales. She couldn't even fathom what kind of power the demon held. Hearing that it was sealed within the kid beside her was just surreal.
"I don't think I fully get it yet," she said.
"Yes, wrapping my mind around it is quite hard," Hana agreed.
"You aren't going to hate me then?" Naruto peeped hopefully.
"I don't know what to say," Hotaru replied. "Ask me in a weak or so." She got up and left.
Hana remained sitting. Naruto watched her anxiously waiting for her to speak. The girl was meanwhile lost in thoughts. The fear of the Demon, the hate she held towards the one who hurt her clan so badly and pack instincts and protectiveness over her teammate along with budding friendship were waging war inside her heart. It promised to be a long and drawn out battle.
"I think," she said when the silence lasted for too long, "I'll take a page from Hotaru's book and take some time to think it over. It was quite a bombshell you just dropped."
"But… you aren't going to hate me, are you?" the boy demanded with his impossibly wide blue eyes. She sighed. Even an Inuzuka wasn't completely immune against the dreaded Puppy Dog Eyes, no matter how much practice she had resisting them.
"No, brat, I'm not going to hate you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later that week~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a tense couple of days since Naruto's confession. The team started meeting again, not for physical training, the two kunoichi still needed more time to recuperate, but for planning and strategy sessions. Those were awkward occasions. There was something that everybody both wanted to speak of and desired to avoid. It was looming over them, yet they were desperately trying to ignore its presence. Hotaru was the first one to address the issue.
"What is it like?" she asked.
"What?" Naruto turned startled blue eyes towards her.
"I asked what is it like to have that thing inside you," she elaborated. "Or is it an insensitive question?"
"No, not at all," he shook his head. "Most of the time it's quiet, I don't even know about it. Sometimes, when I'm in danger or angry, I can feel its power."
"And what is that like?" Hotaru inquired further.
"Hot and burning," he replied. "And scary."
"No kidding," the purple-haired girl muttered.
"Do you fear me?" the blond asked.
"No," she answered. "Looking at you, you're just a little shrimp."
"Hey!" Naruto protested.
"I'm still scared of the power within you," she continued, "but as long as you don't use it in front of me, it should be fine."
"That's good," the boy smiled for the first time in a week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Several weeks later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took a long time before the wounded members of team Tenzo were declared fit for duty. They quickly slipped into their old routine of training and D-ranks. Their sensei also informed them that they were eligible for the next Chuunin Exams in Suna and started preparing them for prolonged stay in the desert. Everybody was excited about it, but they couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive. Suna Exams tended to be tough. They knew the main problem would be water. Naruto took extra lessons with Kanou, trying to figure out a way to store large reserves of the liquid in an easily accessible way.
They also decided to test their newly acquired skills with another C-rank mission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tanzaku Gai~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Protecting Lady Mao was the worst assignment they've ever got. Seriously. Even when they had to fight the bone freak, it hadn't been that bad. That woman insisted that she didn't need protection, nobody would want to harm her and they really didn't need to stick so close to her. She used every possible opportunity to give them a slip, but the noses of Haimaru siblings couldn't be fooled, even though she made a valiant attempt to destroy their sense of smell with her perfume. All three genin had catastrophic scenarios running through their minds. The mock missions equipped them with a vast knowledge of what could possibly go wrong with such client. Any passerby might be an assassin who would pluck a poisoned senbon into her without them noticing. A kunai might come flying from anywhere piercing her richly decorated neck. A roof tile might fall on her head. She might run under a speeding cart while trying to ditch them. She might fall out a window attempting to give them a slip. The list went on and on. Even when they had to 'guard' Anko during their training, it wasn't quite like this. All three genin wished something happened to break the torturous routine.
"Why are we even escorting her?" Naruto whispered. "It's not like anyone would miss that shrew."
"We're getting paid for it," Hotaru whispered back. They were alone with the client now. Tenzo and Hana were resting, scheduled to take the evening shift.
"Not nearly enough," the blond retorted. "Why do we have to be here when she doesn't want us to?"
"Her husband hired us," the purple-haired girl reminded him.
"I still don't understand why. In my humble opinion he would be better off without her." It wasn't that Lady Mao was an unattractive woman, quite the contrary, but she possessed a shrill voice and mean demeanor, quickly antagonizing everybody within her vicinity. Team Tenzo started hating her after she dubbed them the Brat, the Bitch and the Wench within five minutes of meeting each other. She only solidified the feeling after she ordered 'the Bitch' to keep her fleabags away from her. The Inuzuka foursome had to be forcibly restrained from biting her.
"Maybe he wants to make sure she can't meet her lover," the Uzuki suggested.
"You mean somebody would actually want to spent time with her even when he doesn't have to?" Naruto looked at her dubiously.
"Men are weird," Hotaru shrugged.
"Hey, I'm a man too," Naruto reminded her offended.
"You're just a little brat," the older girl replied.
"Lady Mao is rubbing off on you," the short blond commented.
"No, you're just annoying me," the kunoichi corrected.
"I'm not that bad, am I?" Naruto pouted.
"Do I really have to answer that?"
Their conversation was halted by their charge's next attempt at giving them a slip. They both had to hurry to keep up with her before she could disappear in the midday crowd. The high-born woman gave them an evil eye before pretending she was just interested in something at the nearest stall. Naruto personally had no idea what she could find so fascinating about gardening tools. Somebody with such long fingernails couldn't have possibly touched work in her whole life. Lady Mao seemed to realize that as well and in a slow and dignified manner moved to the next stall, that one selling vegetables. She wasn't the kind of woman to cook for herself either, so she moved even further on. She passed several more vendors before she noticed a door that seemed to be of interest for her. She entered without hesitation.
The casino was full of life inside, though not as busy as the streets outside. It was obviously a high-class establishment and Lady Mao fit there perfectly. They couldn't say the same for themselves, they clothes being made more for practical use than looking good. They just tried to look tough instead, though it was an uneasy task, being just short of nine and thirteen respectively.
The noblewoman passed between the tables with various games-of-chance before settling down to one that caught her fancy. Or maybe it was just the handsome bookmaker who caught her fancy, judging from the way she batted her eyelashes at him. She started gambling and loosing money steadily. It was no wonder, she didn't pay much attention to the game. It changed when her money reserves thinned and she demanded they would help her and spy on the other's players cards. They flat out refused. Naruto claimed it wasn't in their contract. The real reason was he wouldn't do anything Lady Mao asked from him because she pissed him off too much. She then offered to pay them for it. Hotaru pointed out that the casino had people watching out for cheaters and they would get caught.
"Some kind of ninja you are," the woman scoffed. "Just stupid brats playing at being tough." Naruto wished somebody tried to assassinate the lady that moment, so he could show her just how tough he was. Or maybe he wouldn't, one failed mission wasn't too bad if it meant he would never have to see that person again.
"The people watching the casino would be ninja too," Hotaru explained, "and specialists at detecting cheaters. It just pays off for the owners to hire the best. You don't want to know what they do to the culprits," she trailed off with a well executed shudder. If Mao paled at the words, it was impossible to tell under all that make-up. "But if you want your money back," the kunoichi continued, "over there is a lady who seems to be losing even worse than you are." Lady Mao shot her an offended glare, but looked the pointed way. Surely there was a beautiful young woman with long blond hair and chest of impossible proportions scowling at the ever dwindling pile of chips in front of her. The other patrons around the table were trembling with barely restrained excitement. They looked like it was a given the woman would lose. Lady Mao stood up and walked there. She wanted to sit at the table, but all the seats were taken and long queues formed behind them.
"Let me in there," Lady Mao said in a commanding tone trying to push to the table.
"Get back, lady, I was here first," one of the patrons said in a no-nonsense tone.
"How rude," the noblewoman scowled. "Don't you know who I am?"
"No," the man answered flatly, turning his attention back to the game.
"I let you know, I am…"
"Lady," he interrupted her, "even if you were the Daimyo's wife, I wouldn't let you pass. So now please get back in the line…"
"You… you…" Lady Mao probably turned red, but the make-up hid that as well. "Boy," she turned to Naruto, "remove this person from my way." The man's eyes widened.
"That's not in my contract," the blond answered flatly. It was hard to hide his mirth, but he managed.
"Impudent whelp, you do as I say!" Her beautiful face was twisted in rage.
"It is not in my contract," he repeated.
"Listen, brat, the money is important, so you'd better…"
"Excuse me, lady, but could you please tone your argument down?" A new voice entered the conversation.
"And you are?" Mao scowled at the newcomer. It was a young, pretty, black-haired woman in dark clothing.
"I am Shizune," she introduced herself. "My lady told me to ask you to quiet down, she cannot concentrate on the game."
"And I care why?" Lady Mao was angry and she wanted everybody to feel it.
"My mistress possesses both short temper and very strong fists," the dark-haired woman explained. "She has no problem using them when somebody angers her greatly."
"I don't care. I have bodyguards." Their client for the first time looked absolutely assured of their competence.
"A genin team, I see," Shizune observed. "They would do you no good against Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade as in The Tsunade?" Naruto's eyes widened in impossible size. His eyes strayed towards the woman currently betting most of her remaining chips.
"Yes, that's her," the young woman confirmed.
"Wow," he exclaimed.
"You make it sound like she was a big deal," Lady Mao scoffed.
"You mean you never heard about Tsunade?" Hotaru asked incredulously.
"No and don't be rude, Wench." Hotaru gritted her teeth. Shizune shot her a sympathetic look.
"Do you think we can talk to her?" Naruto asked.
"I advise against it," the dark-haired woman said. "She doesn't want to see anybody from Konoha."
"Too bad," the boy grimaced. "It's not every day you meet a legend."
"You don't know what is it like meeting her everyday," Shizune laughed. "I don't even know your name, boy. And how are things back in Konoha?"
"I am Uzumaki Naruto and this is Uzuki Hotaru. Konoha is still standing, beside that, I'm probably not supposed to tell."
"Fair enough," Tsunade's assistant laughed. "I'm pleased to meet you too."
"Don't be chatting with strangers when you are supposed to be protecting me," Lady Mao interrupted. She was angry that Hotaru foiled her attempt to slip away while Naruto was preoccupied.
"Yes. Lady Mao," he uttered.
"We're leaving, Brat," the noblewoman ordered.
"We're leaving, Shizune," Tsunade entered the conversation. She had just lost the last of her chips and nobody around wanted to loan her more. She gave the Konoha shinobi an unfriendly glare. Naruto wanted to say something to her, but the look in her amber eyes stopped him.
"Sorry, guys, I have to go," the apprentice smiled apologetically.
"We too," Naruto said following Lady Mao.
"Can we meet again?" he called.
"That depends on my lady," Shizune answered. Then the crowd separated them.
They didn't get to see each other again, not for a long time to come. Tsunade and her assistant had skipped town during the night, whether she was running from debt collectors or bad memories was unknown to everyone but her. Team Tenzo endured one more week of torture under Lady Mao before finally returning to Konoha to their training and preparations for the Exams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before the Exams~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day before they were supposed to leave finally came. Everybody was at home packing their things, thinking about the upcoming event.
Hotaru was alone in her home. Her cousin was away on a mission. Last time they had talked Yuugao had warned her about the dangers, but she wasn't overly concerned about it. She had entered a Chuunin Exam before and even though she didn't fare too well, she learned how the Exams were done and she was sure she could take them with no trouble at all now she had gotten so much better. Really, it was going to be a breeze. Or that was what she was trying to convince herself. Sometimes her left forearm still hurt.
Naruto and Tenzo were in their apartment going over the things they might need. First on their list of must-haves was water. Tenzo stressed the importance of good hydration in the arid climate of Wind Country almost everyday and Naruto had spent many evenings with Kanou trying to find the best way to store large quantities of it in an easily accessible manner. They had consulted many scrolls before they came up with a seal that could release water gradually, the only disadvantage was that the supply of liquid stored was limited. It was still better than bottles. Naruto had one backpack filled with sealing scrolls of that kind. The boy was excited, eager to try his strength against the best other villages had to offer.
Tenzo himself didn't share the sentiment. He still wasn't convinced his team was ready, but Hokage's orders were Hokage's orders and there was nothing he could do about them. He had prepared his team the best he could and now he had to trust them to handle themselves. Hopefully they would survive in one piece. Suna exams were rumored to be extra tough.
Hana was in her clan's compound trying to get her things in order with her little brother constantly getting underfoot.
"Hey, sis, what is that for?" Kiba asked holding the object in question in his hands.
"Put it down," Hana shouted. "That's my stash of ointments. If you break it, I'm going to skin you alive."
"Okay," the boy said laying the box down carefully. "Nothing happened, see?"
"I see," the older girl nodded. "That's your only luck. Next time don't even touch my things."
"So you are going to be chuunin, sis?" he asked.
"If we do well, then yes," she answered.
"Is all your team going?" he wanted to know.
"Of course," she nodded. "Only complete squads may participate."
"So even that little one is going?" the young Inuzuka inquired.
"Yes," his older sister confirmed.
"That's not fair," he complained. "How comes he's going to be chuunin when I'm still at the Academy?"
"That's because he is training and studying so much," she explained. "What about you, Kiba? Are you training and studying enough?"
"Of course!" He sounded offended.
"Really?" She raised her eyebrow.
"Really," he nodded. "You know me, sis."
"It's because I know you, little brother," she said with a stern face. "I've heard quite a different story from your Academy instructor."
"Aw, come on, sis," Kiba made a grimace. "Iruka-sensei is just so boring."
"And you think life is full of excitement?" The younger Inuzuka's face betrayed that yes, that was indeed exactly what he thought. "That is not so. There is a lot of hard work. If you want, come to watch us in the finals and see how good you need to get." 'Have I really said this?' Hana startled. 'Now we'll have to get to the finals or I'll never hear the end of it.'
"Okay, sis, I'll come," he smiled. "I bet there would be no-one as awesome as me!"
"Hah, you wish," smirked the older girl. "And could you now leave me alone? I'd like to finish packing sometime before midnight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gates of Konoha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The teams leaving for Suna gathered near the village gates. Fifteen Konoha teams were trying their luck at the Chuunin selection Exams in the Hidden Sand Village. Everybody was eyeing the competition, searching for familiar faces.
"And who do we have here," a mean voice sounded near them. Hana sighed and closed her eyes. That was one person she hoped to avoid, but it seemed she was out of luck. She slowly turned around.
"And good day to you too, Tokiko," she said. There she was standing, the sister of her deceased teammate, looking too much like Tokita. Only the expression in her grey eyes was different. Instead of Tokita's usual serious or amused expression, her stormy orbs held only anger and hatred. The Inuzuka couldn't really fault her. She was blaming herself for his death even now.
"So you think you can make chuunin now," the newcomer asked, poison dripping from her voice. "And who did you find as your new team? A little squirt and a seduction specialist? They won't save your neck in your fight."
"Who are you and why are you insulting Hana?" Naruto asked hotly.
"None of your business, brat," Tokiko replied. "I'm talking to the bitch."
"Don't call my teammate a bitch," the blond's eyes narrowed.
"Or what?" she asked teasingly. "Are you going to hit me? Don't make me laugh."
"I promise you won't be laughing when I'm through with you."
"Naruto that's enough," Hana snapped.
"But she's insulting you," the boy protested.
"I can defend myself," she reminded him.
"Then why are you not?" He pointed out.
"None of your business," she snapped.
"Aren't teammates supposed to trust each other?"
"You're the one to talk," she barked. The young jinchuuriki recoiled as if struck. "Sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean it," she apologized, but the damage was already done.
"You know, boy," Tokiko rejoined the discussion, "I pity you for having that poor excuse of a kunoichi as your teammate." The blond didn't answer.
"Here, you are, Tokiko," a new voice sounded. It came from a young genin in a grey coat.
"What do you want, Noriaki," the girl in question asked in not too friendly tone.
"Oboro-sensei wants the team together before we leave," he answered.
"I'm coming." She turned back to Team Tenzo. "Don't think this is over," she said before disappearing in the crowd. Noriaki shot them a sympathetic glance and followed his teammate.
The end for now.
A.N.: A few typos corrected. Please review! The release of next chapter depends on it.
Next time: Sunagakure