Sweet, this is actually a decently long chapter! Now i can feel slightly justified for taking nearly a whole month!
First thing, I know I said something would happen with Naruto and Hinata, but when I sat down and planned out the next 10 or chapters, it came up in the NEXT chapter AFTER this one. Sorry...it's still gonna happen though! I promise!
This chapter will take us to right before the prelims. We've got some more interaction with foreign shinobi, a possible new friend for Naruto, another attempt at a father/daughter relationship for Haku and 'Amaru', and protective big brothers. (Anyone every have one of those?)
Last note: after the disclaimer is a review reply for Yuxria who I guess doesn't have an account, so everyone else can skip that. Meanwhile, enjoy the new chapter!
...and please leave a review?
notice-ff style, disclaimer no jutsu!
and now for Yuxria's review...
so, first off thanks for reviewing. Glad you decided to do so! Anyway, hopefully I did better on Yashamaru and Haku this time. Tell me what you think, please. And as far as Hinata and Naruto go, of COURSE they're going to make up! I'm not very good with sad endings. It'll take a little while before they get face to face and resolve it, but the main issue will be taken care of pretty soon. Naruto's going to get more new friends in the interim, though. Thanks again for the review. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
That morning Anko stumbled to a doorway at the tower, clutching her shoulder, suppressed pain written on her face. Panting, she used to wall to support herself as she opened the door and fell in.
"Anko! What happened to you? Anbu have been looking everywhere for you." Anko accepted the offered hand, pulling herself up.
"Get the hokage. We have a big problem."
.
.
.
"Naruto-chan, it's time to get up. Once we get you guys to the tower you can get rid of Gaara for a while." Naruto yawned, blinking as she tried to figure out who was talking to her.
"Temari?" The older girl nodded.
"Yeah, it's me. Come on, get up and grab snack." Naruto cocked her head in confusion.
"Wait a second, I though you guys were obsessed with me, now you're trying to get rid of me?" Temari shook her head vigorously.
"No, it's nothing like that! I just…I know you don't like Gaara following you around, and since we still need to get our own scroll, the soon we get you to the tower, the sooner we can convince him to leave you so we can find our own." Temari paused. "I'm… sorry you have to be going through this. If father wasn't so insane, we, we could have grown up together, and Gaara wouldn't be as scary as he is. He'd know that we do love him, and that we love you, too." Naruto groaned.
"Why? Why do you guys have to be so convinced? I grew up here, jii-san knew my parents, and Kankuro even said I look like the yondaime. Why can't you guys just accept that as being reality?"
"I, I can't explain that, but Naruto, we talked with our mom, we saw you as a baby. We knew you had blonde hair even back then. We you look like the yondaime I don't know, and I don't think I ever will, but you are my sister, and I'll always do anything I can to help you." Naruto looked up, sadness reflected in her eyes.
"I always wanted a sister, but unless someone I know can prove that what you guys say is true, you can't be my sister." Temari nodded.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I won't think of you as mine."
"Alright, fine." Naruto stood up. "You said it was time to get going, right?"
"Yeah. Kankuro already left to find some extra food in the forest. I was never as good at foraging as him. I'm more of a strategist, he's more of an infiltrator."
"And Gaara? What would you call him?" Temari thought for a moment, surprised.
"I…don't know. Gaara is…he's actually really smart. I remember talking to him a little when he was younger, and he was already thinking on the same level as me. Higher, even, in some planes of though. He...he likes to think things through, usually, until that demon inside him convinces him that he needs blood." She shivered, a cold chuckle escaping her lips. "If I was smart, I'd probably have run away by now in self preservation."
"I think I can understand-"
"No, you don't." The fan wielder's eyes darkened considerably as she glanced out to the clearing. "The sand that he carries around with him? The day he started carrying it was the day he vowed to kill me with it." Naruto's jaw gapped open.
"He, he what? Why?"
"It was right after he stopped trusting people. He, he attacked someone, and I stopped him from killing them. That's how I know my little brother is still there, and not just the demon. The demon would have killed me, but Gaara? He's smart. He knows that I care about him, that I love him. He stopped the demon from killing me, but it's always whispering in his ear, telling him what to do, warping him." Dew formed in her eyes, fighting to turning into a stream. "My Gaara, the sweet kid I knew, he was a wonder, a special kid that could probably do whatever he wanted to, and he's still there, and every moment I'm alive is proof he's fighting." Naruto awkwardly reached forward and hugged Temari.
"I'm sorry, Temari. I, I hope he comes around." Temari gratefully accepted the hug before standing up.
"Thanks, but we really should get going. You should wake up your boyfriend and the pinkette."
"Stop calling me that," Sakura mumbled, slowly rolling over, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Temari shrugged and walked out. Naruto scratched her arm nervously as Sakura sat up and forced herself awake.
"Hey, um, did you uh-"
"Most of it, but it was between you and her." Sakura yawned. "Naruto, I don't think she's your sister, but she does care. I think you were right, deciding to be her friend, but keep her at a distance, okay?" Naruto nodded.
"Thanks." Silence hung on the air for a moment. "Sakura?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm sorry." The girl sighed heavily.
"It's…okay. I really shouldn't have limited myself to one guy anyway, especially one that has so many girls running after him. I just don't want to loose another friend like I lost Ino." She smiled. "After all, girls gotta stick together, right?"
"Right." The blonde's smile lifted, gaining its usual fervor. "So lets wake up Sasuke and-"
"We just want the Uchiha, you little brats! Leave now and we won't hurt you, too."
.
.
.
"Hey, Dosu, is this really a good idea? I get a bad vibe from that sand guy. He's been up all night, hasn't he? And why is Sand helping out Leaf anyway? I know they're allies, but this doesn't make sense." Dosu grunted.
"I don't know, and I don't care. Orochimaru-sama gave us a job: take out the Uchiha. I intend to do just that, and no one is gonna stand in the way of that."
"Yeah," Zaku said. "Orochimaru-sama is the one who took us in and believed in us what no one else would. If I have to beat down two teams of genin brats in order to complete his orders, I've got no problem with that." Kin nodded weakly.
"You're right." And they were. They had all been taken in by Orochimaru from off the streets. Most of the sound was like that. He cared about them, gave them the chance to show their true strength. He gave them a reason to live when they were almost ready to give up and die.
"Alright, let's move in."
.
.
.
Gaara had been sitting in thought most of the night. His sister was an enigma to him. There she was, just like him, but so different. She was either very good at manipulating people, or she was unbelievably naive. He thought it was the later, though he was leaving the former option open.
Naruto simply trusted too easily and put herself too close to people. The kyuubi's chakra was different than Shikaku's. While his was primarily a defensive chakra, having been derived from a need to protect itself from the stronger bijuu, the kyuubi's was an offensive type chakra, focusing on attack and destruction rather than self-preservation through defense. She couldn't even afford to trust at all! She should be on her guard at all times.
And speaking of being on guard, he was curious as to what those weaklings were doing behind the trees. They'd been there all night, and he was excitedly anticipating some action. After being denied so much blood thanks to his sister (though that snake had been rather satisfying) he was eager for a chance to spill more blood. And, finally, they came out, seemingly ready to fight.
"Alright, I don't know why you're here, sand ninja, but we've come for-" Dosu was cut off as a wave of sand shot at them, causing them to scatter. "Hey now, calm down! I was trying to tell you-" Gaara gave him no chance to explain and so the three ninja dodged again, though the sand was starting to catch up. It was almost they were being played with.
"We don't want you," Kin started to say even as Zaku prepared to blast away the sand. "We just want-" she didn't get to finish the sentence as Gaara decided he didn't like her voice and concentrated his sand on her. Just as it came in, a blast of wind blew it all away.
"Gaara, stop it! They've got something to say at least, let's hear them out before doing anything." Gaara's eye twitched in annoyance.
"They've been waiting to attack all night," he said, "and you want to talk?"
"All night?" Temari turned to look at the three recovering nin. Dosu was helping Kin to her feet.
"Yes, all night," Zaku said. "And now, even though I'm thoroughly ticked off, I'm gonna give you guys one more chance before we actually attack." He planted his feet, arms ready to repel anymore of Gaara's sand.
"We just want to Uchiha, you little brats! Leave now and we won't hurt you, too."
At that Naruto motioned to Sakura to wake Sasuke up and let him know what was going on before she went out to see what was going on herself.
"What do you want with Sasuke?" Zaku looked over in slight surprise as Naruto emerged from the hollow of the tree.
"What do we want? Our leader, Orochimaru, wants him dead. That's what we want with him." Naruto and Temari started.
"What? That doesn't make sense." Dosu shrugged.
"Doesn't have to, except that killing someone like him would lower your village's future power. Regardless, you do what your leader tells you to, and our leader told us to kill Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto laughed.
"No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that…wait, that snake is the one in charge of the sound village?" Naruto's eyes widened. Anko and jii-san would want to know that. All they knew so far was that he was here, but this? This was majorly important.
"Hey, don't talk about him like that! Orochimaru-sama took us all in and trained us to be strong, so we don't have to take lip from the ones who betrayed him." Naruto wasn't sure if she should laugh or growl.
"Betrayed him? My best friend was his apprentice. She worshiped the ground he walked on, and he betrayed her!" She flipped her hair so it was all behind her shoulders. "Besides, if Orochimaru wanted Sasuke dead, he would have killed him himself yesterday." Dosu paused.
"What?"
"Yeah, that's right; yesterday we fought him, and if had wanted to kill Sasuke, he would have done it then."
"Impossible…"
"It's true," Sasuke said, walking out, forcing the rest of the sleep from his eyes. "I didn't know it was Orochimaru until later, but he attacked us. He had me trapped, and he choose to leave without killing me."
"That was…him?" Temari was troubled. If that was Orochimaru, then what had he learned? Had they made a mistake? Would he tell father? Father…what would he do?
"Well, I don't believe it! You're just saying that to make us doubt ourselves…and I won't have it!" Zaku cried out as he charged to wind pipes in his arms, shooting out the cutting air at the other genin. Most of the dodged, except for Gaara. Gaara simply smirked and reached out a hand.
"You loose." In that moment sand shot up from all around the three sound nin, trapping them where they stood, pinning Zaku's hands to his sides. "Now, who to kill first…." His eyes strayed to the girl. "Ah yes, the one with the annoying voice…." He held out his other hand, preparing to close it, glee written all over his face…until sand shot up to block his vision.
"Stop that!" His eyes twitched again.
"You do recall that they want to kill your boy toy, yes? And that they serve a man who betrayed your village, mmm?" Naruto stood up, face to face with the boy.
"Yes, I remember all that, but this…this isn't about that. They don't know what he really is, and if they die now, they'll never learn. The freaky guy with the bandages is right: they're just doing what they were told, like all of us do for our village. We don't need to kill them," she glanced over her shoulder, "even if, right now, they are the enemy." She turned back to face her fellow jinchuuriki.
"I don't know why you do this, but I do know it's wrong, and that it doesn't give people a chance to change. Everyone deserves a chance, so right now, we let them go. They know they can't beat you now, so we let them go, and they live to learn."
"How can you say that," Gaara whispered, rage trembling in his voice. "How can you trust? Why haven't you learned better yet? Trust? Hope? These things only betray. Friends are meaningless. There is no love, except for yourself."
"Then why do you care?" Gaara blinked.
"What?"
"Then why do you care about me? Why trust me, and why tell me to trust you? You don't believe what you're saying, and you know it. Otherwise, Temari would be dead by now."
"She will die when I wish it."
"Do you not already wish it? He told her you were going to kill her, didn't you? So obviously you must wish it. So, why isn't she dead?" Gaara was silent for a moment.
"She is still useful to me."
"Well guess what, news flash: I'm not useful to you at all! If you looked over the last day, all I've done is stop you from doing what you want. So, either kill me now along with them, or figure out that you're wrong about yourself!" Silence hung heavily in the air, no one daring to speak. Everyone, even the sound nin, found themselves fearing for the crazy blond girl's life. Sasuke fingered his weapons, ready to move in and stop the sand user at the first sign of attack. No matter what Naruto said, he wasn't going to let her die today, or any day soon. As long as he was there to protect her, she wouldn't die.
Temari's thoughts ran along a different set of rails. She wasn't afraid for her life. No, her purpose in life had long been to help Gaara become as he was, and if couldn't change back, she had failed her purpose. She knew her life was on the line every minute she was around her brother, but it didn't scare her.
What Temari wondered at was Naruto's blatant call of Gaara's thoughts being illogical. No one, ever, talked to Gaara like that, but was that what he needed. After all, he hadn't reacted yet. He just started at her with those cold, surprised eyes. Finally, Gaara turned around, and sand fell from the sand nins' bodies.
"You will learn your lesson, and just to help you realize that people will never love you, I'll let them go. You will learn."
"It'll be a cold day in hell when I stop believing," she said, and she turned to help the girl, who was the most shaken, to her feet.
"I'm sorry about Gaara, but he's crazy, as you can see. There's no point in attacking us as long as he's here."
"Th, th, thank-you," Kin said, legs trembling. Looking over to her teammates, she saw that they weren't fairing much better. Well, Zaku wasn't, anyway. Dosu was always calm and collected.
"Very well, we'll go, for now. But remember, Sasuke is still on our list."
"Hey wait a second, what about what we told you? Why would Orochimaru tell you to kill Sasuke, but not do it himself when he had the chance." Dosu paused at Sakura's words.
"I don't know," he said in a tone that denied further conversation. He was…more disturbed by what he had learned than he let on, but he would think on it later. His team needed to be taken to safety first.
"hey wait." Dosu paused.
"What." Temari smirked.
"Seems like you shouldn't get away scot-free after trying to attack us and us letting you get away. Which scroll do you guys have?" Dosu growled inwardly. He'd hoped everyone else was as naive as the smaller blonde girl.
"We have an earth scroll."
"Ah, perfect. Leave it."
"Heck n-"
"Fine." Zaku's eyes bugged out as he looked at his team leader, already pulling out their scroll and putting it on the ground.
"What are you doing man? They're already letting us go!" Dosu nodded as he went over to help Kin walk so they could leave.
"Yes, and they can change their minds at any second. We leave now. We're good enough to get two scrolls in three days, but not from these guys. You know we're lucky to be alive, so stop questioning it." He looked back over the group. "Next time, there will be no backing down, and even if we die, some of you will, too." And with that, the sound nin finally left. A moment late Kankuro came in, juggling some fruit.
"Hey guys, I got breakfast! Who wants a…what the heck are you staring at me for?"
.
.
.
The hokage sat with his fingers put together, staring darkly at his desk.
"I would if you're sure, but somehow…I don't think you'd make that mistake."
"Hai, hokage-sama," Anko replied, head bowed. Sarutobi breathed out slowly. He wished he'd brought his pipe with him. Orochimaru…he'd once been the person more important to him than anymore, besides his wife, of course, and she'd died a long time ago. Orochimaru had been like the son he'd never had, and then he betrayed them all in the worst way possible, and he hadn't stopped him. All he could see when he looked at him was the young boy he'd trained for years, happy and content, no war baggage or dead parents. He had thought, perhaps, he could be saved. His fingers tightened. He would no longer hesitate to do the deed. He had other people to think about now. Naruto was even more special to him than Orochimaru had been. Speaking of whom…
"You said that Naruto was alright, despite her teams run in with Orochimaru?"
"Hai; she told me that he retreated when the team from sand appeared and aided team 7's attack." Sarutobi jerked in surprise. While he'd felt comfortable in leafs alliance with sand, he hadn't thought they would stick their necks out for one of his teams in a chuunin exam.
"Did they explain why they stopped to help?" Anko's head jerked up.
"What? Didn't Naruto tell you?"
"Tell me what," he asked, confused. Naruto wasn't in the tower yet, so Anko must have been referring to something before the exam started…but she'd never mentioned the sand trio to him.
"Ugh. I guess I don't blame her. It's kind of awkward." She sighed. "I'm still gonna kill her for making me be the one to tell you. Oh!" She started. "That reminds me. She said she wanted to talk with you about something when she got her, but she didn't tell me what. Here's the deal on the sand genin, though…." Sarutobi wasn't sure if he should slam his head in his desk or go out and kill the sand trio for messing with his granddaughter's head, but he thought he might have an idea what Naruto wanted to talk about now, and the full story was one best told behind closed doors. She would need to wait to that, but he was going to keep an eye on the sand siblings in the meantime. Thank-goodness for crystal balls.
.
.
.
Team seven and the sand siblings made it to the tower without further incident (much to Gaara's displeasure), though there was a certain team from rain country that decided to forgo their genjutsu plan as one of them was still sore from what happened last time the blonde girl got angry, and they were double their number this time. So, wincing at the memories, they stayed hidden and let them pass.
At the tower they quickly checked for traps and walked in, where there was a small debate about what to do once they found no one waiting for them, and no instructions. Gaara decided that his team would open up their scrolls first, seeing as if there was a trap there he would be most able to stop it, thus protecting Naruto, and for a moment they thought it was a trap, then a man from Suna appeared with a cloth hanging over half of his face, much like Kakashi covered his face. I wonder if he has a sharingan or something, too, Naruto wondered.
"Well, a day slower than I expected, but good job kids." He looked over to team 7 as they moved to prepare and open their own scroll. "Ah, I see." He nodded to Naruto and looked back to his team. "Well, you have a few days to rest and relax, and I'm sure Temari and Gaara understand what's written on the wall, so they can explain it to you, Kankuro. Team dismissed, try and get some real food."
"Hey, we'll see you later Naruto-chan!" Naruto waved before they set their scrolls down.
"Yeah, later Temari-chan." Gaara grunted. She was in the tower, and she'd be staying there. He could afford a little distance, for now.
Moments later Iruka was congratulating them on passing and explaining the writing on the wall about 'heaven and earth,' or 'body and mind.' For once Naruto was interested, referencing something Anko had told her once. Iruka wasn't sure he wanted to know. He was still confused about how a banana was like a chuunin exam and he didn't want to try and delve into this one, too.
"So, you guys take care. I'll make sure to cheer for you at the final stage."
"Hey wait Iruka sensei!" The academy teacher paused his chakra build up he'd been about to use to shushin away.
"Eh?"
"Have you seen Anko nee-chan yet? She's supposed to be here somewhere." Iruka's face lit up.
"Really? Well, I suppose I could show you guys around the tower before I go. Who's hungry?"
.
.
.
Several minutes later Naruto and Iruka had split off from the rest of team 7 as they went to get settled in their rooms during their break. Iruka, being a chuunin, was able to stick his head into one of the offices and ask about Anko's location, so now they were headed to her room where she was resting. A look of concern flashed over Iruka's face. After all, it wasn't even noon. Why would Anko need to be resting already? Was she okay? Did something happen. Naruto gave an embarrassed, guilty look and said it would be best to talk with her first. So, finally finding her room in the maze that was the exam tower, Iruka knocked on her door. No one answered.
"Well, they did say she was taking a nap," Naruto said. "Try again?"
"If at first you don't succeed." Iruka rapped sharply on the door. Silence.
"Third times the charm?"
"Sure…maybe you can sneak in after this one if she doesn't answer. I'd hate to be the one to walk in on her." Naruto smirked.
"Is it 'cause she told you how she sleeps? You know, most guys would want to walk in on their naked girl-"
Iruka was desperately pounding the door, red in the face at Naruto's suggestion and the images now coming to his mind. Did Naruto really want to be hokage? He thought she'd do better following in Anko's shoes and going into the T&I department. His banging finally brought an irate response from inside the room.
"Okay, when I get to that door, you better have a darn good reason for bothering me, or you better run now 'cause I'll kill ya!" The two gulped slightly, debating on running, but before they could decide Anko whipped the door open. Iruka's blush deepened as Anko was wearing only a loose robe, Naruto trying not to laugh as she wasn't even sure yet if Anko was going to kill them or not. Said woman was busy staring in surprise at Iruka and slowing gaining her own blush.
"Oh, um…hi, Iruka-kun." She gripped her robe a little more closed. "So, uh, what are you guys doing here?"
"Anko neechan, I'm taking the exam, remember? And Iruka was the one summoned when we opened the scrolls."
"Ah, right of course. Um, I guess, come in? Or no, I should, but you could wait in the-" Iruka, overcoming his shock gave Anko a quick peck on the lips.
"If you really need to rest, we won't keep you." Anko softened, relaxing at the kiss, and chuckled.
"Gosh, I'm acting like a nervous school girl. Get your butts in here and wait on the couch. I'll get changed."
"Thanks neechan!" Naruto pushed past her into the room to get more space on the couch. The couple at the door laughed at the short blonde's antics, sharing another quick kiss before Anko went to change.
"Sorry I forgot about you getting her today, Naruto," Anko called out from her room.
"No problem. If I'd known you didn't get any sleep, I would have waited to see you." It was a moment before Anko replied.
"Actually, I was resting for…a different reason. You should fill Iruka-kun in on what happened yesterday, then I'll finish it up when I'm done in here." Iruka raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I take it something big happened?" Naruto nodded slowly, grin wiped from her face.
"Yeah; things were actually going pretty good until…" and Naruto told the story about how they had their run in with Orochimaru, fighting his snakes (especially the way she got swallowed the first time) and the sand sibs intervention and insistence on remaining with her. She paused when it came to where she had the conversation with Temari and Kankuro about her parentage, deciding to gloss over it until she'd talked with jii-san, and got to where Anko showed up to make sure she was okay.
"Speaking of which, where is jii-san? I still need to talk with him," Naruto said, looking at Anko, now sitting by Iruka's side.
"He said he may have an idea what it is you want to talk about, but that he wants to wait until after the second exam is over and he can make sure the two of you are alone." She shrugged. "I don't know what it is you want to talk about, but if hokage-sama things you two need to be alone, it must be pretty big. Something up with foxy, Naruto?" Naruto shook her head.
"No, fur ball's been quite for a while now. Last time was wave, and that's really it, but I'd rather not talk about the other thing, just now." The adults nodded, giving in to Naruto's request.
"Alright, now I guess I pick up the story."
"Pick it up? Isn't that all there is?"
"Sure seems like enough for me," Iruka muttered, not happy with how events were unfolding. "I'm not even sure hokage-sama would want me to know about most of this." Anko patted his leg.
"It's okay, I made sure to ask him. After all, I don't want to keep the next part a secret from you. You deserve to know about any…baggage, I have."
"Baggage?" Anko nodded.
"Yes. After I left Naruto and the others, I headed straight for the tower, but sensei decided to pay me a visit," she said. Iruka gave a sharp intake of breath, unconsciously pulling Anko closer. "I, I tried to fight him, but he's still so far above my league," she said. "I, I had a jutsu I could have used, but it would have, would have killed us both, and I didn't want to just die anymore. I, I'd hate myself for not saying goodbye to you to first," she said, tears slowly rolling down her eyes.
"I'm a kunouchi, a special jounin! I should be afraid to die," she said, gripping Iruka flack jacket and crying into it. "Why do I have to love you so much now? Why can't I die to protect you?" Iruka and Naruto, who jumped up immediately to help, hugged Anko fiercely.
"Neechan, I don't want you to die, either. I'm glad you didn't use the jutsu."
"Me too," Iruka said softly, combing Anko's loose hair gently with his fingers. "If you had died, I'm not sure I could have stopped myself from going after him, and we all know how that would have ended. Sometimes, my love, it's better to live than to die in service of the village, and against Orochimaru…" He let it hang in the air. They both knew how much Anko wanted to be the one to kill her sensei, but even she should know she wasn't ready yet. Of course, that wasn't the part that made her jerk her head up and stare at the chuunin.
"Did, did you say…" Iruka blushed, scratching the back of his head.
"Heheh, yeah, I guess I did." Anko looked down slightly, uncharacteristically shy.
"Did you mean it?"
"Did you," he asked softly.
"…yes, I did. With all my heart."
"And I love you with all mine." Anko squealed, embracing and kissing her boyfriend enthusiastically, almost smooshing a now very embarrassed Naruto between them.
"Hey, comforting hug here," she called out indignantly. She was, of course, happy for her teacher and sister. They'd been dating for a good while now, and it was good to see them consciously reaching the next step. Anko and Iruka separated, apologizing to Naruto even though neither could get rid of the silly grins on their faces, even as Anko finished the story of her encounter with her old sensei, showing the two most important people in her life her curse mark, something she'd kept even from them in the past. Naruto's eyes widened. The girl fingered the mark, able even now to feel the malevolence coming from it.
"He, he did this to you yesterday?" Anko shook her head.
"No, it was his last 'gift' to me when I was still his apprentice, he just activated it yesterday, and even since then it's been a stabbing pain. Well, it was, at least. Hokage-sama put a seal around it first thing this morning before he left. Now it's just like needles. That's why I was resting when you guys got here." Iruka pulled her into another hug.
"I'm sorry, Anko-chan. I wish there was more that we could do to help." The special jounin snuggled into his chest.
"Just you being here, and not caring about my past is enough," she said. She sighed when Naruto's stomach growled loudly. "Well, guess someone still needs to eat. I'm famished myself, to be honest."
"Well, I guess I'll just have to treat you, eh?" Anko suck out her tongue.
"To the towers cafeteria food? Bleagh."
"What's wrong with cafeteria food?" The adults stared at her. "Do they have ramen?"
"…yes, they should, but I doubt that it's-"
"Well, then let's go get some!" Anko shook her head as Naruto rushed out the door.
"She never did have good taste buds." Iruka nodded.
"Well, I guess we'll have to wait for tonight for the meal I packed." Anko raised an eyebrow.
"You were planning on a picnic in the middle of the forest of death?" Iruka blushed.
"Actually, I was putting it together for when the exam was over, but I can always get more then, so now seems like a good time. After Naruto realizes that cafeteria ramen isn't too good." Anko laughed and they followed Naruto to bad food central.
.
.
.
"I don't have much time," said the pale snake man as he stood in front of the kazekage's desk. "Do you have a fourth child or not?" The kazekage was busy trying to figure out what his children were up to.
"I, almost had one, but my wife ran away, disappearing. She was gone and never found. This girl, though, she doesn't look like me at all! But why would those kids…" Orochimaru shook his head. This man was wasting his time. Still, he supposed it was true. When he thought about it, that girl had much more in common with that foolish yondaime than this man.
"Fine, I'll take your word for, but you need to find out what your brats are up to or they might ruin our plans." The kage nodded, looking out the window, brow furled.
"Yes, yes I do. I think I'll have Baki send me a message…" Orochimaru shook his head. How stupid is this man anyway?
"Too easy to intercept. I'll pass him a message and have him tell one of my subordinates, and we'll get the message to you." The other man nodded.
"Yes; yes that sounds good." He raised his hand, dismissing the sannin. Oh, I am going to enjoy killing you very much, the snake sannin thought. Yes, very much.
.
.
.
Things were pretty relaxed for the next few days. It didn't take them long to find out that team Kurenai had already finished the exam yesterday without incident. They almost set a new record, but they were about 20 minutes shy, much to Kiba's disappointment. Thinking of safety in numbers, they tended to eat their meals together, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji joining them the next evening. Naruto introduced them to Temari and Kankuro, but Gaara kept himself in a corner, and no one was sure they wanted to get to know him anyway. They were surprised enough as it was that Naruto was being friendly with genin from another village already.
"I mean, come on, we're fighting against them, aren't we," Kiba said.
"Yeah, well, Temari at least is pretty nice, and they really helped us out of a bind," Naruto said, not wanting to go into details as to why the sand sibs wanted to hang out with her.
"Hey, I'm totally cool," Kankuro claimed indignantly.
"Says a guy who wears make-up," Ino mumbled.
"It's war paint!" What surprised everyone was that Kankuro wasn't the only one to yell that; Kiba had joined in.
"What a drag," Shikamaru mumbled, laying his head down and covering his ears as a debate over the difference between war paint and makeup ensued. Hinata giggled at Kiba's antics, who was annoyed that he found himself agreeing with the creepy guy from sand.
The next day brought another group on shinobi that the leaf genin would have considered best avoided. It was the team from sound, and their desire to kill Sasuke was something that had been shared.
Zaku, Kin, and Dosu walked through the doors dividing the entrance hall from the main hallway/courtyard, which connected most of the rest of the tower. It was just after the rookies had finished lunch and they were heading back to their rooms or to the small training area to pass the time. The two groups stared each other down before Dosu grunted and turned towards to the cafeteria.
"Man, they are creepy," Kiba said. "I mean, just look at how that one guys covers his face!"
"You should be more careful what you say," Shino said, speaking up. "Sometimes people have good reasons to cover their faces." Kiba and several others sweat dropped.
"Hey, come on, I didn't mean it like that man! If you didn't talk so weird-" Naruto laughed at the two of them as the group continued down the hallway, stopping in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Kin. Her eyes narrowed.
"What do you want?" Kin looked down.
"I, I wanted to thank you, for saving me, I mean." Naruto continued to look at her suspiciously.
"Yeah? Well, if you hadn't attacked us there wouldn't have been a need, you know." Kin nodded.
"I know, and, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. Our master told us to go after the Uchiha, but I, I'm not really sure what to think now, after what you guys said. All I know is that I would have died if you hadn't stopped that guy from Suna." There was an awkward silence.
"Well, your welcome, but I've gotta go." The blonde turned to leave, once again stopped by the girl.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"You said it yourself, if we hadn't attacked you, there wouldn't have been a need, and we were trying to kill your boyfriend even. Why did you help us?" Naruto scratched behind her head.
"Well, I don't know. Gaara, he's just a bit, off. He takes things to far. I mean, you guys were beat anyway, right? What was the point in killing you." She shook her head. "I think people just need to learn this lesson. I know that's stupid, and everyone tells me so, but everyone deserves another chance, an opportunity to learn better. If I didn't give people a second chance, how can I expect one myself? Its second chances that gave me some of the most important people in my life, including Sasuke-kun. We used to hate each other…a lot, but know I can't imagine life without him." Naruto blushed. "Man, I sound like an idiot, but that's why I did what I did."
"Actually, that makes sense to me. Most of us in sound are living on a second chance. Our leader found us in the worst of circumstances and gave us another shot. It's good to know that someone else believes in seconds chances, so, thanks again," Kin said, grateful smile on her face. Naruto waved it off, a little embarrassed, but mostly surprised at someone not calling her stupid for her philosophy.
"No sweat. All I did was tell him to stop, anyways."
"Still, if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead, so thanks." Naruto smiled awkwardly.
"So…friends?" Kin hesitated. She…wasn't used to the idea of friends, especially now that she belonged to a different village. Every other village was the enemy, right? Especially Konoha, the village that betrayed her leader. But, Naruto had saved them, and she wasn't even born back then, right? So, did everyone have to be an enemy? She held out a hand.
"Friends." As the two separated, Kankuro detached himself from the shadows where he'd been watching. Sound was an even bigger part of the invasion plan than sand. After all, it was sound that came to them with the idea. Was this girl becoming friends with Naruto and planning to betray her? Gaara was great for the physical protection, but he was still messed up in his head and didn't understand emotions. So, it was his job to look out for his sister this way. He came up behind the sound girl in the hallway after making sure no one else was around.
"Hey, saw you talking to Naruto." Kin jumped slightly. She hadn't known anyone else was in the hallway with her, much less present for her talk with the blondie.
"Yeah, what of it," she said, eying him warily. He held up his hands to show he wasn't trying to be aggressive.
"Hey, sorry 'bout scaring you. It's just, we've gotten to know Naruto, too, and she's a real special girl." Kin softened. Slightly.
"Yeah, she is." Her eyes narrowed again. "That doesn't excuse what you guys tried to do, though."
"Hey, I wasn't even there, but that's beside the point. Gaara has issues, as I'm sure you noticed. He's always out to kill, and we just do our best to rein him in. You think you know Naruto's special? Check this: Gaara doesn't stop when he gets that close for anyone. Naruto succeeded where no one else could; that's how special she is." Kin nodded, moderately shell shocked.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Like I said, Naruto's special, and she's made me realize something."
"And what's that?" Kankuro gave his own soft smile.
"We always say that our first loyalty is to our village, right? Well, there's a bond stronger than any loyalty to your village, and that's the one to your friends, your real friends. People that care about you and would give anything for you. You treat Naruto right, she'll be that kind of friend, but you've got to be that kind of friend." His face hardened as he looked her straight in the eye.
"Sound doesn't like Konoha, I get that, but you better not be messing with Naruto. If you're only pretending to be her friend, if you can't hold to that friendship when the testing comes, I'll personally make sure that you regret that decision." Kin suppressed a shiver clinging to her back, for more reasons than one. How could he know about her village? Why was he so protective of this girl he barely knew? And what made him need to tell her that friends were higher than village? It's not like they were in a war or anything, right? She took a breath.
"I want to be her friend, but why should that take precedence over my village." Kankuro eyed her suspiciously, staying silent for a long time.
"Kin, you alright? We've been looking everywhere for you." Kin started as Dosu walked down the hall. "This punk giving you trouble?" Kin looked back at Kankuro, whose gaze had not left her own.
"No, no, he's not. He was…giving me some advice, I guess." She turned to walk down the hall with her teammate. Before going around the corner, she paused to speak to Kankuro one last time.
"I'm not sure why you said all that, but trust me, I value her friendship, and I'm going to do my best to do right by her." Dosu raised an eyebrow as they left Kankuro alone in the hallway. The puppet user stayed there for a while, cogs turning as he considered everything he'd heard. Could it really be what he thought? He would need to talk to Temari and Baki about this.
.
.
.
The final day of the second exam came, and every team that would arrive, had. It was a surprising number. Anko had wanted to grate her teeth at how many had made it. She'd never hear the end of it from Ibiki. Still, she knew what was coming, so she sent out for from medics from the hospital. After a few moments consideration, she also sent an invitation to a couple medics at small clinics, like that Amaru guy Naruto had told her about. This would be a good chance for the village to find out just how good this new comer was, and he seemed a little suspicious to her anyway. She decided this would be a good way to keep an eye on him in a controlled setting for anything out of the ordinary.
Back in the village, Amaru was just about to open shop when a shinobi appeared, giving him the invitation.
"Oh, this many teams have passed? Must be a good group, yes?" The shinobi shrugged.
"Maybe. They might have gotten lucky, too. After all, how else can you explain all of Konoha's rookie teams making it?" Amaru rubbed his chin.
"My my, that is impressive. I think it'll be worth it to accept just to see how talented they are." Look down at the invitation again. "When will the main group be leaving, exactly, and from where?"
"Well, I was supposed to escort you myself after you gathered your supplies, but if you wanted to leave with the main group, it's going to be in an hour and a half at the main gates to the forest." Amaru bowed.
"Thank-you. I just want to get a friend that I think would like to come."
"Hold on! You can't just bring anyone you want, it's against regulations." Amaru did some quick thinking.
"Well, actually, I was going to fetch a girl by the name of Haku. She's a friend of the hokage's granddaughter, and very skilled, I've noticed. I understand she used to be a traveling shinobi, and she's done some work here at my clinic. Very helpful girl, and I'd like to have her along so that there's someone I already know how to work with accompanying me." The shinobi's faced twitched as he tried to find a proper reaction.
"Bah, fine, go get her. Tell me what to pack and I can still escort the two of you if you get back within the hour." Amaru bowed.
"Arigato, shinobi-san. I'll be back soon. Just pack the things on my emergency list on my desk. Here's my keys." The shinobi grumbled, but headed in to pack the medics things as Amaru headed to the Yamanaka flower shop Haku was working at. When he got there he was informed that she was actually on a Saturday morning date, but Ino's mother knew where she was, and she suspected Haku would prefer to be off the date. She crinkled his nose.
"He just didn't seem like a very nice young man," she said. "Don't know why a girl as nice as Haku even bothered saying yes."
"Well, if he's as bad as that, at least we know Haku can handle herself." The woman chuckled.
"Yes, that's quite true. Oh, and can you tell my daughter congratulations for me? A rookie, and she made it through the second exam!" She shook her head. "I guess she'd got it in her after all."
"Very well, I'll tell her. Have a good day, Yamanaka-san." Several minutes later he managed to find Haku, and it turned out that Ino's mother was correct. Haku was not enjoying herself. Her date had taken her to a cheap restaurant and was being rather loud and boisterous. Amaru cringed. He knew that type fairly well. He was a poser, trying to act macho man so he could get girls to bed, never realizing that it took a really stupid, or a desperate, girl to fall for their act. Haku was neither. She was resting her chin in her left hand while stirring her drink with her right, totally bored and annoyed.
"Ah, Haku, glad I found you. I thought you'd like to know that Naruto passed the second exam." The ex-missing nin's face lit up.
"Really? That's great! Where is she now?" The boy was frozen, stopped mid sentence in shock as he was completely ignored.
"Actually, the caliber of all the teams seems to have high. They need to hold a preliminary round before announcing the third exam, so they called in myself and a few others to take care of the injured during the prelims, and I thought you'd enjoy being there to cheer Naruto on." Haku immediately stood up, almost knocking over the drinks.
"That sounds like a great idea. Let's go."
"Um, yeah, hey, give me second and I'll come-"
"Oh, sorry, but I could barely get them to let Haku come. I'm afraid you'll have to stay here." The unspoken word punk was clearly communicated through his eyes as the young man slowly sat down.
"Um, right, of course." He braved a grin. "Well uh, we'll finish next time, Haku-chan?"
"Shoo shoo, back to the clinic, I'll be right behind you." As soon as Haku was at the edge of the plaza Amaru dropped his grin. "No, there won't be a next time. I've seem plenty of boys like yourself, and Haku is important to someone who is important to me. You don't even realize anyway how special this girl is. Leave her alone, or you won't have to worry about her own ninja skills. I'll castrate you myself." The boy nodded, trying to surreptitiously cross his legs. Amaru grinned. Obviously his message was received, especially if the new odor was any sing. "Good to know we have an understanding. Good day," he said, leaving as the boy tried to call for a waiter to get some more napkins.
"Thank-you," Haku said when he turned the corner she was waiting around. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand that guy. I was about ready to start freezing his drink when ever he took a sip." Amaru chuckled.
"Well, that would have been a sight. Can you melt it as quickly as you freeze it?" Haku nodded. "Well, that poor boy would have been so confused. Too bad you weren't doing that when I came to get you." Haku shrugged.
"I just think it's too bad I wasted a morning I could have been working going on this date." She scowled. "I need that money to pay rent, and now I'm going to be behind." Amaru rubbed his chin again.
"Well, I've got enough spare cash. I can help you out this time, but you really should be more careful with whatever you're spending you money on." Haku blushed.
"I know. I, I'm just so used to, to Zabuza sama taking care of the money that I let myself get careless. I already started setting a budget, but then that boy asked me out. I've never been on a date before, and it felt so nice, a boy telling me I was beautiful. I should have known better. Zabuza taught me better than this." Amaru put a hand on her shoulder.
"You know, I was young once. Granted, I was guy, but I know how you feel, and dating is different than being a shinobi. The way people do things is completely different, especially how guys ask girls out. It's hard to tell, sometimes, especially when you start out. Until you learn, you have plenty of people who care that will look out for you." She looked at him confused.
"But, you and Naruto aren't always around, and Naruto barely knows more about dating than I do!" Amaru laughed.
"Yamanaka-san cares about you, too, you know. Feel free to ask her if she thinks you should date someone, or just about dating in general." Haku nodded, surprised and contemplating her relationship with her boss.
"Thank-you," she said. "I'll have to remember that."
"No problem," Amaru said with his usual kind smile. "Now," he continued, ruffling her hair, "let's get going. I'm sure you want to say hi to Naruto."
"Hai."
Alright, I think i did alot better this time with Haku and Amaru, but what do you guys think? Doing okay?
Oh, and how about Iruka and Anko, eh? Nice realization for them, don't you think? *smirk* ..sigh...i miss my hime...love you sweety!
Let's see...well, nothing else i can think of that really needs a comment. Look for a new round of prelims next chapter! As himeflye already knows, some things will be different, but a lot of the fights got changed! I'm going to try and get it all in one chapter, though, even though their's a couple more fights than there is in the canon.
One last thing: for those of you who found this story some other way than it being near of the top of the list, I'm interested to know how people find my story besides recent updates. Just something I'm curious about.
Take care yawl, and agin, please review!