Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.
-Roger Babson

Chapter 19: His Present

There wasn't enough time. Kei resurfaced from the water, spraying droplets all over Kakashi. The white haired man gave a sigh and wiped the water off of him. "The point of the exercise is to mold the water into a bubble for you to breath, not for you to hold your breath."

"I was under there for ten minutes! What more do you want? You know that I don't have the levels to stay under for hours like you do," snapped Kei as she bobbed up and down in the small pond. Training for the exams was coming along very slowly indeed. She had managed to pester Kakashi into spending some time with her, but the man was as irritating as ever. At the rate she was going, there was absolutely no chance of her finding any offensive jutsu.

"All right. I'll admit stamina is your weak point. That's why we're training you though. You have good control, but not enough power or stamina. So go back down again and try for fifteen minute this time," drawled Kakashi. His lone eye looked over to the side where Kiba and Sasuke were sparring with one another. This irritated Kei.

"Look here, Kakashi-sensei. With all due respect, I need real advice. I'll practice this on my own, but I need to figure out some jutsu to use. That's why I'm here, not to become a living fish." Kei shook her head and drenched Kakashi again, finally earning his undivided attention.

"You're a brat. I hope you know that because you're really beginning to irritate me." The smile was hidden behind the mask, but Kei could still feel the soft waves of killer intent coming from the man. She huffed and stared at him quietly. They glared at each other before Kakashi finally gave in.

"Fine. Get out of there, and we'll talk about it." Kei scrambled out of the pond and carefully swept away from her pile of belongings, trying not to get her notebook wet. She sat cross-legged on the grass and waited for Kakashi to sit down in front of her. "You've studied anatomy, I presume?"

Kei nodded and recalled the various tomes of medical data that she had been scanning over. Tsume had planned on her becoming a passable medic, so anatomy had been the first thing she studied. She had yet to try anything other than chakra scans though.

"Right." Kakashi sighed and said, "Then I assume you know all the pressure points and which ones disable?" Kei flinched unconsciously before nodding. It was too reminiscent of when she had stabbed Naruto with her senbon. Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at her reaction, but shrugged it off. He had heard enough of the story from Inoichi to understand what had happened.

"The pressure points don't have to be hit by senbon. A strong enough blow would be enough to trigger the response you want." Kei's eyes lit up in realization.

"Water senbon? Would that really work, Kakashi-sensei?" Mentally, she began calculating the water pressure that would be needed to activate the different pressure points. Of course there would be changes depending on where the point was placed and the thickness of skin, but there was no reason for it not to work.

"I wouldn't be suggesting it to you if it didn't work. Just because I'm their sensei," Kakashi gestured over to the now squabbling genin, "doesn't mean that I'd try to sabotage you."

"It doesn't hurt to be careful, Kakashi-sensei." Kei's smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she turned to grab her notebook. She undid the clasp and gingerly flipped to a quarter of the way through the book and said, "So, tell me about these water senbon."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow before huffing. "All right. Gyoushuku Mizu no Hari no Jutsu is a fairly simple technique. It's C ranked just because most people can't find a use for it. But, I think it could be more helpful for you. The water senbon can be crafted up to ten feet from the caster and can be sent anywhere where the caster wills it to go. This means you can attack from multiple angles at the same time."

Kakashi weaved the hand signs together and Kei watched with absorbed interest as a senbon grew in midair. "How did you do that?" She asked as she got up to examine the water. It floated in the air, and Kei looked at it closely. It was surprisingly difficult to see because it was so pure and transparent. It would be good for stealth since it wouldn't have the silvery shine of a senbon.

"The jutsu requires some practice because you have to force the water to coalesce to create the senbon. You could drag the water out from a canteen or something of the like, but it would lose the transparency factor due to contamination. You're already able to manipulate water fairly well, even if I sometimes say otherwise. This is the same concept, but it's on a smaller scale and you're pulling in rather than pushing away. Got it?" Kakashi looked up at Kei with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Kei didn't notice until it was too late and Kakashi had exploded the senbon in her face, drenching her once more. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

-TSUME-

Shikamaru waved goodbye as his father exited the house. Shikaku was heading to a clan head meeting as per usual. And as per usual, he didn't think it was necessary to lock the door to his office. As soon as the door slid shut, Shikamaru headed off to the office. His mother was out shopping, and no one would visit the main house as long as his parents were gone. It was the perfect chance to end all this verbal sparring and figure out if Shikaku was really on their side or not.

Shikamaru slipped down the hallways before grasping the door handle. He took in a deep breath before pulling the door open. The panel creaked open, and Shikamaru stepped inside. Never before had his father's office seemed so dark. Shikamaru was filled with apprehension as he moved behind his father's desk. The compartment that stood out to him was the one that was locked. Fortunately, Shikamaru had planned ahead.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bent piece of wire. It was yellow and fashioned from a paperclip, but it was much more valuable as it was now. He had taken his father's key and had formed a makeshift key along the ridges. It was a pin tumbler lock, so all he needed was the formation of the ridges and a little hook at the end for it to work. He stuck the piece of metal into the lock and prodded it until the very back. Then he slowly turned it to the side and let the lock click open. Shikamaru sighed with relief and let the metal hang inside the lock as he opened the compartment.

He pulled out a small stack of papers and riffled through them, looking only for the headers of the sheets. Things such as 'deer conservation project' did not matter to him much. It was only when he reached the very last file that he stopped. He dropped the other files on the desk and looked at that one in particular. It was labeled, 'Metamorphosis'. Shikamaru immediately opened the file to see various letters from members of the council and from the clan head meetings.

Shikamaru swallowed. Could this be incriminating evidence? He dropped the file onto the desk and stared at the letters. He only took a moment before snapping into action. He grabbed a spare sheet of blank paper and scribbled notes onto it. The messages were all vague, talking about projects and missions. Shikamaru gritted his teeth. This was all much too troublesome, but he had to report this, even if it was his father. This was his duty.

-TSUME-

Naruto leaned back against the thin pillow and sighed. He was still thinking about the duel with Gaara. The Kyuubi had really saved him there. Naruto knew that without the Kyuubi, he probably would have been trampled. It hurt his pride to say it, but he was almost thankful to the Kyuubi for helping him. He heard a snort inside his head and said, "What do you want now?" The convenient thing about being alone was the fact he could talk out loud without looking insane.

I hurt your pride, brat? You nearly destroyed mine by acting so pathetically yesterday. Naruto snorted in reply. "Yeah, it's as if you've helped me so much before." Naruto paused before saying, "Thanks though. I couldn't have done it without you."

Naruto could hear the Kyuubi sniggering inside his mind. Naruto rolled his eyes and tried to calm the annoyance in his chest. You humans are so difficult sometimes. Of course you couldn't have done it without me, brat. It's not as if I want you to lose or to suffer though. You're the one that is making this all difficult.

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean by that? I'm not doing anything to you! Unless talking counts, that is." The Kyuubi sighed in irritation. You have the mental capacity of a gnat. Do you really think that I can just waltz around your mind and not encounter any difficulties? Not all resistances are conscious, brat.

"Call me Naruto. But what kind of resistance?" Naruto asked curiously. The Kyuubi was speaking as if his mind was a space instead of just a mass inside of his skull. If you ask me to call you Naruto, then you will call me Kurama. And stop thinking so much. It's distracting considering you're just thinking stupid thoughts. Naruto grunted and rolled his eyes. Don't sass me, boy. Do you want me to talk to you or not?

"Fine. I'll try to keep quiet." Naruto grumbled and rolled onto his side. Good, Naruto brat. But do you really think that your mind and your brain are the same thing? That's pathetically sad if it's true. Your mind is how I'm talking to you right now, but your brain is the gray matter inside your tiny little skull.

"Can you talk without insulting me?" Naruto snapped angrily.

Actually no, I can't, but back to the bloody point. I inhabit your mind, not your brain. Your mind is an entirely different field. It's a labyrinth with corridors leading to all sorts of different doors. The paths change all the time, so it's hard for me to navigate. However, your emotions change the weather inside of this hell hole. Your shock is lightening, your fear is rain, your happiness is fog, and your anger is a powerful wind.

"What about sun?" Naruto asked slowly. Ha! Are you joking? Your mind is never sunny. Your hatred for me is enough to keep all the weather abysmal. The only time I can get through to you is when you are either angry or fearful. Rain and wind are easier to see through than fog, that's why I can help you then. Most of the time, I get lost in your mind when you are happy. Even if you wanted my company, I could not give it.

Naruto grimaced. He hadn't really thought of his mind as a space like that. Considering that the Kyuubi, Kurama, was living in it, he should have been more mindful. "Sorry about that. Is there any way for me to change it?"

I would not know. My last container was much like you save for the fact she had typhoons instead of mere storm clouds. I rarely talked to her at all, and most of my time then was miserable. "I don't particularly want to stop being happy, so I'll try to see if there is anything I can do to change that. Sorry about that, Kurama. But thanks for still helping me through everything. I appreciate it."

Bah. It's nothing. I only helped you to help myself after all. Naruto smiled.

-TSUME-

Inoichi slipped onto the barstool and leaned onto the wooden bar. He looked over to the side at the gray haired man who was sipping his drink. Shirakumo sighed at the arrival of his companion and set his mug down to look over at Inoichi. "What are you here for, Yamanaka-san? I've been keeping up with Naruto-kun and his training if you are here for that. It's not as if I have many duties of my own at the moment."

Inoichi shook his head and ordered sake from the lady passing by. "I wanted to ask you about that actually. A few days ago, Naruto-kun and Sabaku-san from Suna had a duel. The youngest Sabaku-san." Inoichi clarified.

Shirakumo raised an eyebrow. "Did he now? He's still alive, so I suppose that is a good sign. The boy from Suna seems strong. It's hard to ignore his practices. He's too flashy for my tastes, but what about it? I assume something happened in the duel if you are bringing it up."

Inoichi sighed. Shirakumo knew him all too well. "It's about a jutsu Naruto-kun used to win the match. He called it Tsuin Tatsumaki no Jutsu. It's like no wind jutsu that I have seen before. Have you heard of it?"

Shirakumo furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side in thought. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I have not heard of it. I certainly did not teach him it. When I last checked on him, he had managed all of the preliminary wind affinity exercises. He must have been practicing very hard on the mission because he had taken great leaps in his training."

Inoichi frowned in confusion. Naruto had periodically disappeared for fifteen or so minutes, but he had never been gone long enough to do much practice. Even then, Naruto had never looked fatigued after disappearing. There was no opportunity to do much training. What was going on here? "Ah." Inoichi kept his answer neutral as he picked up his small cup of sake. He sipped it before putting it back down on the counter. "Tell me if you hear anything about the jutsu. I can't help but have a bad feeling about it."

"He could have developed his skills from his mother, you know. Kushina-chan was a talented sealswoman, and she created quite a few jutsu of her own. She made her first when she was only twelve, so it's not out of the realm of possibility." Shirakumo commented, sipping his own drinking again. "I can talk to him if you want."

"No, I'll do it," Inoichi said quickly. If Naruto was able to make jutsu, then Inoichi couldn't risk the possibility of the other side knowing. He regretted the fact that Shirakumo had to be placed under suspicion, but it was an unfortunate necessity. "Thank you for the offer though. I had best be going. I will see you later, Hayama-san."

Shirakumo nodded back to Inoichi before turning back to the bar.

-TSUME-

A man's voice echoed out from the end of the alley. "I trust that we are all here?" At the affirmative of one of the people gathered in the cramped street, the man continued. "We all know what we are here for. The Hokage has been ruling this village for too long. He has become weak. It's pathetic how this village has become. It deserves better than this, and we all know it. Even now, it is plagued by corruption within the ranks. Shinobi are manipulating the system to hurt civilians, civilians we have sworn to protect with our lives. It's monstrous that this has been allowed to continue so long. It's a sign that Hiruzen Sarutobi has slowly descended down the path of senility. Do you agree with me?"

A few woops were heard down the hall, and one girl cheered loudly. "Heck yeah! One rotten egg ruins it for the rest of us. We gotta do something!" The man at the front smiled at the young girl's energy. It was good to have genin such as her along on such an important mission. He had been surprised at the sheer size of the genin recruits that had come to support them. He had originally hoped for one or two at best, but there were well over four! It was incredibly lucky that they had managed to find so many.

"Our allies have been in contact with us and the plan is now confirmed. Don't worry, child. We'll overthrow the man and bring Konoha back to its era of prosperity. The chuunin exams will be the time for us to strike! Genin!" All the genin turned to look back at their leader. "It is your duty to reach the finals of the tournament. We will need as many of you in the final arena as possible. We have friends within the proctors, so they will help you, but do not let that mean you can slack. Strength shall be the new foundation of Konoha. Stay strong!"

"Hoorah!" One of the male genin shouted with a wave of his fist. "We won't let you down. Come on, guys! Let's get back to practicing. We'll take this thing by storm!" The genin cheered and followed the boy out of the alleyway, leaving the street much less cramped than before.

The elder man chuckled. "The rest of you must prepare as well. We'll begin the revolution at the finals when all of the dignitaries are gathered together. It will be easiest for our allies to assemble our own forces there. You all know the plan. Some of you will split off to the arena while the others take their stations around the village. Make sure you know the plan, stay behind if you do not. Now disperse!" He watched with grim satisfaction as all of the crowd, shinobi and civilian, left to return to their homes. This was going along exactly as planned.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Someone PMed me a few days ago, and I realized that I might not have explained this clearly. Team Tsume is named after a move in Shogi called Tsumeshogi. It's a move where your goal is to checkmate the opponent's King. Sorry if this caused any confusion with Inuzuka Tsume! I completely forgot about her!

MODERATELY IMPORTANT: I've gotten quite a few PMs asking me about pairings. I had never really thought about it much, but I guess I'm fairly easy to manipulate. I put up a poll on my profile to see how many would you would like for there to be a pairing in here. It'll be up for two weeks. (: I hope you vote!

Thanks to Pokepikachu1 for betaing me! I can't believe you're so patient with me since I nearly always send these late. xD Thank you!

And thanks to all of you for reading this fic! I'm so glad that everyone likes this story, and it inspires me to continue doing better and better. Much appreciated!

Gyoushuku Mizu no Hari no Jutsu| C Rank of Water Affinity. Condenses water in the air to create senbon. These senbon can be created anywhere within ten feet of the user and can be fired at multiple targets depending on the ability of the user.