The Meetings Chapter 7: The Seventh Meeting, a naruto fanfic

I'm back with a chapter! I was going to wait to have the whole Chunin Exams done as a chapter, but it was getting way too long, so I broke it up into three parts instead.

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Updates will probably be slower from now on because college started again (*cries*)...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

The Seventh Meeting: Another Clan Meeting (This Time in Private)

"Ahem, since the last meeting ended early and we didn't actually get to discuss anything other than the attendance and the admittance of two new Clan Heads, we'll redo it later after the Chunin Exams. All items on the agenda will be put on hold until then," Hiruzen coughed sheepishly. He didn't mean forget about the meeting points and end the meeting early, but he was just so angry about the way the villagers treated Naruto! The only reason he didn't go and personally punish those civilians was because he knew Naruto wouldn't want him to do that. Hiruzen sighed. The boy was just too stubborn! He wanted to gain the villager's acknowledgement through his hard work as a shinobi, and to not be given fake respect just because Hiruzen commanded them to apologize. That, and he didn't track down those troublemakers from last week because they'd already been checked into the trauma ward of the hospital. Hiruzen chuckled thinking that it was great that there were people he could finally trust to protect Naruto when he wasn't able to. "Koharu, could you let the other Clan Heads who aren't here know? Ah, and Kakashi could inform young Naruto and Sasuke about the postponed meeting?" The two nodded in acquiescence. "Good," Hiruzen rubbed his hands together and then looked at Shikaku.

Shikaku noticed the signal and began speaking, "I bet you're all wondering why we're here today. Two words: Chunin Exams." The light atmosphere in the room immediately thickened, jounin-sensei glared heatedly at each other as if they were from two feuding families that had just found out they were competing for the same prize. The other Chunin in the crowd excitedly murmured amongst themselves.

"Settle down!" Ibiki Morino sternly reprimanded the chattering jounin and Chunin who deflated, not wanting to risk a visit to the Torture and Interrogations Department if they angered the grizzled old man. "As you all know, I'm the examiner for the first stage and Anko Mitarashi will be in charge of the second stage." The hopeful jounin-sensei and Chunin standing in the first row winced, deciding that it'd be better for their genin to try their luck another year. "Now that being said," Ibiki smiled wickedly at the crowd, "Who wants to nominate their genin this year?"

For a moment, no one raised their hands. Iruka sighed in relief. Good. It's too early for any of them to join this year… Interrupting his thoughts, three voices rang out in unison.

"I nominate Team 7 for the exams this year…"

"I nominate Team 8 for the exams this year…"

"I nominate Team 10 for the exams this year…"

"What!" Iruka spluttered.

"How unusual, for you all to unhesitatingly recommend your rookie genin this year!" Hiruzen puffed a few circles of smoke from his pipe.

"Wait, just a moment! Are you sure that they're ready? I don't mean to intrude, but I just…" he struggled, trying to convey what he felt.

So, this is the "Iruka-sensei" that Naruto always babbles about? Kakashi eyed the Chunin protesting in front of him. Spiky hair? Check. Short? Check. Frets like a mother-hen? Check. He moved closer to the other man and decided to help the floundering academy teacher. This was someone Naruto thought highly of, so he must be something special. "Ma, if you're so worried about them, why don't you go and give them a test of their own? To see if they're really ready for the exams or not?" He eye-smiled at the stupefied ninja.

"That's a great idea," Hiruzen approved before anyone could say anything.

"…I'll go do that," Iruka hesitated and then agreed. Although, he didn't know why the masked-ninja was willing to indulge him, he was still thankful that the other allowed him to voice out his worries. Iruka really cared for the genin this year. They were his first batch of children that had graduated. He'd taught from when they were youngsters all the way to genin, and although they were out of his grasp now, he still cared for them deeply. Over the years, he'd grown really attached to them and didn't want to see them get hurt over something like their jounin-sensei being competitive. Still, they'll do great things in the future… He thought in pride, exiting the room to go and find the kids he trained. He was going to test them one more time before he let them slip away into adulthood, and this time, he wasn't going to hold back.

Letter #1

Hello! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm writing to you because we're related and I never knew I had any living family left! I don't know much about you, but my family history book said you were my Great Great Aunt or something on my mom's side so I'm going to call you Baa-chan! I'll ask Jiji if he knows you later this week. This is my first time using the pigeon mail services, so I don't know how long it'll take… I'm looking forward to getting to know you. Ok, I gotta go, so I'll talk to you later! ~Naruto

In Town

Sai crouched in the bushes, watching Naruto walk to the center of the village. He heard each and every word the civilians directed at the younger boy.

"Look, it's the demon-brat! Careful not to get too close, who knows if it has rabies…" a mother lowered her voice, tugging her children away from the blonde. Everyone walked in a wide-arc around the blond, the crows splitting around him like a river parting around a rock.

"Hey did you hear?" An old man missing his front teeth questioned his wife.

"Hmm?" she wondered, rocking back on her chair. They were sitting by the fountain in the middle of the square, feeding the pigeons crusted bread, the leftovers from their bakery.

"They say it's a Clan Head now," he nodded his head towards the oblivious blonde, scattering his handful of crumbs as he did so.

"What? No way! How could they let that be a respected Clan Head?" she asked aghast, clutching the bad of stale bread tightly.

"Tis' true," a farmer in overalls who overheard confirmed. "They said that some folk went against it, but it forced the 'okage to hand it over by using blackmail. Also," he lowered his voice. "Also, they say that no one can find those poor brave souls who spoke against it anymore…" He looked down, the brim of his hat shading his eyes.

"How horrible," the old lady muttered as they all turned to glare at the blonde, who barely noticed the glares, already used to them…

Sai crept along the bushes and positioned himself nearer to the genin to hear him speak. Over the past few days, he'd gotten to know his roommate on an intimate level. He knew that the other hated fresh vegetables viciously with a passion, yet still forced himself to eat the ones he harvested from the forest. He knew that the blonde would eat red bean soup instead of Ramen when he felt down. He knew the blonde raised plants in the apartment because he felt alone and wanted friends he could talk to, even if they wouldn't answer back. He'd sit with the plants for hours and tell them all about his day and his troubles. Actually, it was only through overhearing one of these talks that Sai realized that the younger boy was not the happy-go-lucky genin the reports said he was. Instead, the blonde carefully hid all his troubles behind a close-eyed too-wide grin.

After careful observation, Sai had concluded that the other boy definitely wasn't the hyperactive knuckle-headed troublemakers the academy made him out to be. Coming home from a day of missions, the blonde liked to laze on his armchair, reading anything from his Uzumaki Heritage or a biography of the fourth Hokage to Konoha's Charters or the History of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Once he'd even found the younger boy reading about the legendary Sage of Six Paths. The blonde was also quite diligent with his training. Once he finished reading the book, he'd go outside and train for another four hours with five of his clones attacking him before finally taking a shower. The blonde had noticed Sai watching him train, and offered to spar with him, so now they sparred together. Sai didn't hold back at all, and despite being defeated countless times, the blonde still smiled brightly at him after the practice fight finished and declared he'd defeat him the next day.

A clone would usually make dinner for them while he took his bath. It could really be seen in the clone's dinner selections that the other boy was very observant. By his third day here, the blonde had already taken to making more momen tofu and avoiding making mitarashi dango. Despite his loud, boisterous, and often downright rude nature, Naruto really cared for those close to him. And now that Sai was living with him, that included him as well. For his gift for joining the clan, the younger boy had given him a set of ink brushes and a sketching pad. Sai still couldn't figure out how he'd known about his secret hobby when even Danzo couldn't figure it out until he told him. Whenever he'd asked, the blonde just smiled and say, "You just feel like someone who likes to draw. After all the stalking you do, I think you'd want to capture the images you see every day!" Now if you looked at the apartment's walls, you could already see some of his better paintings decorating them.

After eating, he'd clean up the table while Sai did the dishes. They usually talked to each other during this time, getting to know the other's likes and dislikes. Sai had never experienced this type of casual conversation before and was finding that he quite liked it. It also gave him an ample amount of time to practice using the "people skills" Danzo had taught him. After cleaning up, Naruto would then go back to the living room and sit at the table, working on his seals until it was time for bed. Sometimes, Sai saw the other boy writing letters, but he could never get close enough to see to whom he was writing to… Over the week, Sai had come to feel a certain amount of affection for the blonde. Despite Danzo's reminders to not get too close to the subject, he just couldn't help it. There just was something about Naruto and his sunny smile that drew him in like a moth to a flame. He knew that he shouldn't be drawn to the other boy, but he couldn't stop himself from considering the other as his close friend, actually as his only friend…

Sai shook away his thoughts and focused on the blonde in front of him. Naruto walked over to the pigeons and stood there, squinting at the sun, his hands shoved in his pockets. Just when Sai was about to come out of his hiding and ask what Naruto was doing, a bird flew down from the clouds, landing on Naruto's shoulder. "Hattori! You made it! Do you have any letters for me?" the blonde asked eagerly. The pigeon ducked his head and cooed morosely. "Hey, that's okay, I've got a letter for you, don't worry about it," Naruto consoled the bird who perked up visibly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter Sai had seen him working on, rolling it up and giving it to the bird. "Here, take this to Ba-chan," Naruto spoke softly to the bird who nodded, spreading its wings, circling overhead twice before finally taking off. The blonde watched the bird fly off into the distance until he could no longer see him anymore. Stuffing his hands, back into his pockets, he was about to walk away when he overheard the villagers feeding the pigeons.

"Ha, it's no wonder it got an empty pigeon with no reply, being a Demon-brat and all," the old man mean-spiritedly huffed loftily.

"No wonder! No one likes it, not even its family wanted it, why else would it be left in the orphanage even though it had distant relatives? It's probably a bother that it's writing to them after all these years. They didn't reply because they don't want to talk to it," his wife spoke loudly, glancing in Naruto's direction, making sure he overheard her. Naruto just scowled at them. It wasn't the meanest thing the villagers had ever said to him, but what she said actually struck a chord with his worries about his parents and if they loved him or not. Also, he still hadn't received a reply to any of his letters. One more letter… I'll send one more letter, and if she doesn't reply, then… I'll stop sending them to her! I can only talk to her face to face then! Naruto clenched his hands into fists, promising himself to stop writing letters and to go out and find Tsunade if she didn't write back. The old woman, thinking she hurt him, smirked.

"Yeah, it's a wonder that the Demon has a clan with clan members. Or that it even has friends! Who knows what they were thinking, they must be idiots or be defective! Maybe they're also Demons in disguise, we should run them all out of town!" the old farmer laughed. The next moment, he was on the ground, clutching his aching cheek. He didn't expect the brat to actually hit him!

Naruto loomed over the other man, the elderly couple watching in shock and fear as he pointed a finger at the farmer. "You can insult me. You can make jabs about my parents. You can call me whatever you want. But, don't you dare badmouth my friends and clan members!" Naruto yelled at the other man.

"Fine, fine, I was wrong. Jeez. Who'd even want to be friends with you anyways, with a temper like that? I think you must have brainwashed them," the farmer scoffed, still rubbing his aching cheek. Naruto tensed, about to blow up again, when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw Sai standing there behind him.

The pale boy ignored the others and said, "There you are, I was looking for you. Want to go and get some ice-cream? I heard Cup Noodles even has Ramen flavored ice-cream!" He then pretended he just saw the others, "Oh, am I interrupting something? Let me introduce myself, I'm Sai Uzumaki, a friend from Naruto's clan. I'm also a jounin…" He then fake-smiled at them and held out his hand in greeting.

The couple paled and bolted from where they were sitting, leaving behind the bag of bread crumbs in their haste. The farmer stiffened but continued on with his false bravado. "Humph," he ignored Sai's outstretched hand and scowled at Naruto before he too hurriedly dashed away.

"How rude," Sai said. "They didn't even say their names… But that couple ran really fast for a pair of old civilians!"

Naruto watched everything happen with his jaw dropped open. "What? But-wait-you said? You're a genin!" he finally accused.

Sai smiled bemusedly, "Yeah, I am."

"But you said…!"

"I lied," Sai bluntly interrupted the blonde whose mouth opened and closed like a fish. "I'm a ninja, we lie," he shrugged, still amused. His face darkened slightly as he said, "Plus, I didn't like what they were saying about you. Stick up for yourself too, alright?"

"Mm," Naruto nodded, feeling warm inside that Sai had stood up for him. He only knew the other boy for a little over a week and he already was pushing his way into his heart. Although Sai had some pretty weird habits, like staring at people and stalking them, that was okay! All ninja had weird habits, just look at Kakashi-sensei, he actually read Icha Icha in public! The important thing was that Sai actually cared about him enough to defend him against the villagers. No one, other than Jiji or Inu, ever did that! And… And, Sai called himself an Uzumaki! He finally had a family, one that shared the same name as him! He felt himself tear-up slightly, just thinking about it. Kurama, noticing Naruto's fluctuating emotions, sent a pulse of his chakra to Naruto, calming the blonde down. Thanks, I needed that… He thought to the fox, who just made a grumbly purring sound in reply. Turning back to Sai, he asked what had been on his mind since Sai had mentioned it, "Is there really a Ramen flavored ice-cream?"

Sai blinked at the blonde's wide blue eyes before answering, "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" He fake-smiled again.

"…" Naruto sweat-dropped, but followed Sai nevertheless to the ice-cream place, deciding to trust him just this once.

Letter #2

Ok, so you didn't reply to my last letter yet. I guess you're still thinking about what to say or you must be busy being a Sannin and all. I heard the clerks at the bird place I went to say that you have a slug summons? That's so cool! Kakashi-sensei has a dog summons and Jiji has a monkey summons, but I've never seen either of them before. This is my second time writing letter, so I don't really know what to say. Iruka-sensei said you're supposed to talk about ourselves and our lives so I guess I'll start first. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I love orange and Ramen and Jiji and Iruka-sensei and my friends and Kakashi-sensei, even if he's weird and likes to read Ich Icha. I hate the three minutes it takes to make Ramen and my dream is to become Hokage! And… to get along with my teammates, I guess… I'm on Team 7 with Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-teme. Kakashi-sensei likes to wear a mask and show up late to practice a lot and we're still stuck doing D-ranks which are super BORING! And I thought I had a crush on Sakura-chan but actually, I don't think I know what love is… And Sakura-chan hates me, so… My other teammate, Sasuke-teme is a bastard! He beats me whenever we spar, and doesn't like to even talk to us! But soon I'll be able to beat him too! I'm getting stronger from practicing with the other genin in our village. I'm already able to do water walking! It took a long time to learn even with like 500 shadow clones helping me for days, but Shika says that's because I have too much chakra, so yeah! Take that teme! What about you? I heard you were a medic and that you were on a Team with Jiji! You must be old! And we have something in common, both Jiji and Kakashi-sensei like reading Icha Icha! Ok, I'll talk to you later, I need to go on another D-rank with my team, so bye for now! ~Naruto

Iruka v. Team 7 Round 1: Sakura

He watched the pink-haired girl stop underneath the tree. He bent his knees and the launched himself at her.

Sakura was just coming back from her training session with Ino and Hinata. She rubbed her sore arms. Hinata didn't hold back at all with her harsh strikes. Ino and she couldn't keep up with Hinata's taijutsu and were bruised all over. And ever since Naruto showed her how to add exploding seals to candy wrappers, she'd been almost impossible to beat with her new unpredictable explosive style. What I wouldn't give for a healer right now… Sakura thought and groaned, remembering that she still had a whole day of personal training ahead of her. Wait, healing… "That's it! Shannaro!" she fist-pumped in excitement before wincing. "Oops, forgot not to channel any chakra into the punch…" she sweat-dropped when she saw the fallen over tree. Looking around to see if anyone saw her, she turned both ways and then rushed out of there.

Iruka groaned. Damn, she's got a strong punch. Why did she never use it in the Academy? He complained and then looked at the fallen oak tree in awe. And to have detected me so soon? If I hadn't ducked at the last second, she would've hit me instead of the tree! She's definitely ready for the Exams… Shakily, he stood up and Shunshined away to test the next member of Team 7, never noticing a tall masked-jounin snickering in the corner.

Letter #3

Nothing much has been going on here… How's it going wherever you are? You haven't responded so Hattori's still not back yet … Oh, by the way, the bird delivering this letter is called Hattori and he's super awesome! We're on our first C-rank, taking a break right now… I'm waiting for Hattori to get back so I can send this letter along with the second one I wrote. It's exciting, being on a C-rank! You never know when bandits could attack or—

Root HQ

Danzo clutched the reports one of his best agents sent him in disbelief. What is going on over there? He thought. The last report from Sai didn't really say much other than the removal of his seal, which in itself was worrying, and his induction into the Uzumaki Clan. At least he knew Sai was one of his most loyal agents, so there was nothing to fear about him giving away any of Root's secrets (not that he knew any other than the existence of Root…) Danzo marveled at the Jinchuuriki's ability to elicit protection from those around it. Hiruzen wouldn't even allow him to set foot near the carrier, and the next generation of clan Heads were enamored with him. Squinting at the reports once more, he reread the part about the boy's reading habits. Konoha's charter? The history of the Five Great Shinobi Nations? Danzo snorted. A brat playing at becoming Hokage… Studying this late wasn't going to help him improve. His written test just barely allowed him to become a genin! If he thinks he can become Hokage with just this much work… Danzo laughed again at the absurdity of it. Still, I should make Sai keep a close watch on him… He thought, remembering that the pale boy had found out about the carrier's plan to dig up the graves with the Uchiha heir. Luckily, he'd been able to circumvent this by having Fu and Kabuto obstruct it using the excuse of the Chunin Exams. He really is unpredictable… But that doesn't matter, with Sai by his side, I'll know everything he thinks! Little did he know that his loyal minion was going to break free from his control in the near future…

Letter #4

Sorry for never finishing the last letter. We were attacked by the Demon Brothers and I forgot what I was saying… So now I'm just writing a new one. But yeah, C-ranks are so exciting! At first, I thought it was just going to be a lame mission to protect Tazuna (he's a drunk bridge builder from Wave), but then it turns out that Gato was actually trying to kill Tazuna and he sent the Demon Brother and Zabuza after us! We had this really awesome fight and we won but Kakashi-sensei had chakra exhaustion so I had to carry him back the rest of the way. And I set up this really cool barrier to protect Tazuna! There also was a Hunter-nin that killed Zabuza! But it was weird, the Hunter-nin also felt like the fake Mizu-Bunshin Zabuza used to attack us and stuff. When I tried to ask Kakashi-sensei about it, Sasuke-teme interrupted me and was all angry that the Hunter-nin was the same age as us, so I couldn't ask Kakashi-sensei about it yet… Ok, I'm tired now so I'm going to sleep. I'll write more later in the morning. Night! ~Naruto

Iruka v. Team 7 Round 2: Sasuke

Sasuke was facing one of the most difficult decisions of his life. He looked between his two choices back and forth and back and forth and… Just as he'd finally decided on one and was reaching for it, a hand stretched past him and took his prize! Sasuke immediately turned around, enraged that someone would dare to steal the prized red tomato that he'd personally picked only to see… no one? He shrugged and gave up on that tomato reaching for the next one, when the same thing happened! He looked around again and still saw no one there. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke reached for another tomato when the same exact thing happened again! This time, Sasuke wasn't going down without a fight! Scanning his surroundings, Sasuke emitted a small chakra wave searching for the bastard stole his precious tomatoes. There! He felt a disturbance by the bridge and ran towards it. On the bridge, a bulky man covered in bandages, wearing a slashed headband stood in the middle of the bridge waiting for Sasuke. The other man fanned out his fingers, displaying the tomatoes and then dropped them onto the ground, grinding them into paste with his heel.

"Why?" Sasuke confronted, gripping his kunai tightly and feeling murderous. How dare he waste MY tomatoes! Just wait, I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget, that tomato-wasting good-for-nothing bastard!

The ninja grinned crookedly, "To lure you out, of course. Uchiha Sasuke, I wanted to tell you to drop out of the Chunin Exams, you're too weak to succeed."

Sasuke was about to reply when an orange genin ran in front of him and shouted, "Don't pick on my friends!" Naruto then turned back to Sasuke and asked, "Hey, what are we fighting about anyways?" Facepalming, Sasuke just shook his head at the blonde in front of him.

"Dobe…" he began before he noticed a shower of kunai headed towards Naruto. Sasuke yelled out in alarm, "Watch out!" He ran forward, trying to push the blonde out of the way, but was too late.

"Huh?" Naruto turned around slowly, too slowly, and Sasuke could only watch as the blonde was riddled in puncture wounds, sluggishly bleeding out onto the bridge. He reached out his arm and gasped, "Sa-S-ke, I-I can't…" He stopped.

"Naruto…" Sasuke was bent over Naruto's prone body, checking for a pulse but not finding any. "You!" Sasuke glared at the other ninja, activating his Sharingan.

The man shrugged, "He was in the way… But don't you see? You're not ready for the Chunin Exams. You weren't even able to save your friend with your own power and now he's dead. You don't have what it takes to become a Chunin without your team, you're not strong enough!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, silencing the other man. "You think that I didn't know? That from the start this was a genjutsu?" he pursed his lips, looking at the other ninja in distaste. "You… I was going to let you off easily, but now... KAI!" he forcefully dispelled the genjutsu and Naruto's body disappeared, only leaving the other ninja standing in front of him. "But now, don't think I'll go easy on you after showing me such a disgusting scene!" Before the other man could move, Sasuke already lashed out, kicking the other ninja as hard as he could. When it hit the ground, it burst into smoke and Sasuke sneered. "Humph, a clone." He stuffed his hands into his pocket, kicking at the ground where Naruto's body used to be. He shuddered. If he could help it, that would never ever happen in reality. He'd already lost enough family members, he wasn't going to lose his team anytime soon… A one-eyed jounin slipped away from the bridge after observing the fight.

Iruka felt his clone pop and the rush of memories hit him. He was still sore from his earlier encounter with Sakura. Although she didn't get him, the shockwave and splinters did. He'd spent all evening trying but failing to remove all of the shards of the tree that'd embedded themselves underneath his skin. The memories from his "fight" with Sasuke just increased his mental burden, making him even more tired. I think that I'll wait until tomorrow to test Naruto… He thought before drifting off into sleep.

Letter #5

Hey! I hope you missed hearing from me because I have a lot to tell you! We just finished making Tazuna's bridge and we're about to leave Wave to Whirlpool. Zabuza and Haku (he was the Hunter-nin) died… It was just too sad. I'm going to train even harder from now on, so I can protect those precious to me, just like Haku did! Except, you know, not dying, because that would suck... Iruka-sensei almost died for me too when Mizuki-teme tried to kill me and I don't want anyone ever dying to protect me. That's why I have to get stronger. So, no one will have to die to protect me. I need to be strong enough to protect them all instead. And I'll do it! Just like I'll become Hokage! Believe it! Because that's my ninja way, and I never go back on my word! ~Naruto

Letter #6

Ok, so this is on the same piece of paper because I sort of ran out of paper… Yeah, we're leaving Wave tomorrow. They named the bridge after me, isn't that so cool?! It's called The Uzumaki Naruto Bridge: A Bridge of New Hopes! I was surprised that Sasuke and Sakura agreed with the name. Actually, I think my teammates are starting to like me because they both are nicer now. I think near-death experiences do that to people. Sakura doesn't even hit me anymore or call me an idiot ever since I made her those chakra gauntlets! But now her punches are really really scary. She can knock a tree down with just one punch… Sasuke also stopped calling me Dobe! And he said that I was his best friend! Even if his brother told him that he had to kill his best friend to unlock the final version of his Sharingan, I'm still glad to be his best friend! I never had friends in the Academy before, but ever since I became a genin and went to those meetings, I've made so many new bonds with people. The list of those precious to me, those I have to protect has grown from just Jiji, Inu, and Iruka-sensei. It's really just … amazing. ~Naruto

Anko and Dango

"Woah! How is this soooo good?" Naruto moaned, savoring his Miso Ramen-flavored ice-cream. "There must be a seal on it or something disguising it! There's no way this is natural!" Naruto declared, rolling up his sleeves and holding his hands out. He prepared to scan the ice-cream, when someone accidentally bumped into him and he probed a purple haired lady eating dango instead. "Whoops," Naruto muttered about to ignore the results of the test when he noticed something strange. "What?" he wrinkled his eyebrows together, still staring at the woman.

Sai, noticing the blonde's gaze, looked at the woman who was staring at them curiously and said, "How disgusting! A Mitarashi Dango eating woman, too unattractive!" But since Anko was too far away, she heard it as: "How disgusting! Mitarashi and Dango! For a woman, she's too unattractive!"

"Hey!" the purple-haired lady's eyes flamed up and she emitted killer intent at the two boys. Aiming her dango skewer, she threw it so that it sliced the pale boy's cheek and embedded in the wall behind him.

"You! What's wrong with you?" Naruto yelled, finally snapping out of his seal results-induced trance.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with him! He stares at me and then insults me, how can I not get angry!" Anko retorted in outrage.

"What?" Naruto asked in confusion, not having witnessed what just happened, but waving it off as unimportant. "No, I'm talking about the seal on your neck," he continued, oblivious to her stiffening up in shock. "Why's it so messed up? It doesn't make any sense!" he complained. "Whoever gave it to you knows nothing about seals! It's unbalanced and the tomoe aren't even in harmony, like seriously, what's up with the design. There are just so many flaws, I can't even describe just how wrong it is!" he complained, running his hand through his hair in agitation. By now, Anko was just limply listening to the blonde rant, still too stunned to stop him. "And I don't even get the point of it honestly. Why would you even want someone else's chakra imprint on your neck of all places? I can sort of see how being attached to someone would make it easier to communicate with them, but even that part is blocked off by the rest of the seal. And relying on someone else's chakra for a boost? That's kinda… stupid, no offence but it's not even your own power and it's unbalanced so it'd warp your mind and make you crazy. Honestly, the seal is so messed up, you'd be better off to just take it off and start over from scratch. What did you want it to do, anyways? Maybe I can help you out…"

Hearing that Anko finally broke out of her stupor and clutched the front of the blonde's orange jumpsuit in a death grip. "Wait, you can take this off?" she asked desperately, a hint of hope in her eyes. Sai watched her closely, preparing to step in if she tried to hurt Naruto in any way.

"Yeah? I mean, it's not that hard…" Naruto trailed off in confusion, wondering why she was so excited about it. Whoever gave it to her must be really bad at seals and accidentally messed it up so badly that they couldn't take it off again… He assumed. Looking at her hopeful eyes with pity, he replied, "Yeah, I should be able to get it off in a week or two… I'd need to examine it in detail. There are a few fail-safes in there, that I'd have to deactivate manually before I can safely remove it."

"Really?" Anko asked in joy. She hated the seal since the day her ex-sensei branded her with it and abandoned her, betraying the village. After trying everything possible, she'd thought that she'd be stuck with it forever. But now, she actually had a chance to be rid of this stain and move on from the past. It'll no longer be hanging over her head as a reminder for what happened. "Dang, I'm not free anytime soon," she belatedly remembered that she had to proctor the Chunin Exams that were coming up. "Isn't there another faster way?" she asked.

"Well, I could use the Evil Releasing Method because it looks like it was a failed technique that made it, but then you'd have a mini-version of whoever gave it to you running around and that'd just be creepy…" Naruto scratched the back of his head, imagining a mini-him running around town. He shivered. Yup, way too creepy…

Anko paled at the thought of another Orochimaru running around Konoha. "Yeah, that's not happening," she shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. "Okay, I'm free in a week for about a month. Do you think you can take it off then?"

"Yeah, I should be able to," Naruto nodded his head. "I guess I'll see you here in a week," Naruto said making a guts-pose. "Oh, and before I forget, if you need to find me, just look for Team 7 or Kakashi-sensei!"

"You've got yourself a deal, Blondie!" Anko ruffled Naruto's hair and stood up, ignoring the boy's protests at being called by that nickname. "I'll see you in a week," she confirmed and then shunshined out of there, leaving Sai and Naruto alone in the store. The two boys spent the rest of their day away, indulging in all the different ice-cream flavors they could find.

Letter #7

We're finally done with our C-rank! But it's too bad Sasuke and Sakura are still stuck in a trance in the hospital… Kaka-sensei and me have to stay until they wake up for observation and it's super booorrriiinng! There's nothing to do in here except read, and I can't even work on my seals because I've already finished the advanced book Kaka-sensei gave me. I'm going to ask Jiji for the next level book soon. He said that there were only two more to go: expert and master level. Then, I'd finally be a Seal Master like your teammate, Jiraiya! You know, at first, I didn't think I'd like sealing that much because I hated reading in the academy and there were a lot of books. But, now, whenever I work on a seal, I feel closer to my parents in a way. Jiji told me that they both were Master Sealers and were awesome ninja! I'm going to be just like them when I grow up! Believe it! ~Naruto

Iruka v. Team 7 Round 3: Naruto

The next day, Naruto went down to Training Ground #3 to practice his trapping skills. He didn't want the skills he'd cultivated from years of pranks to grow rusty just because he didn't practice. He set up five different levels of seals and sat down on the rock, satisfied with his work. He began his meditation practice for the day with Kurama to access his volatile chakra, just in case he ever needed to use it. Jiji said it was good practice for the future. The blonde crossed his legs, closing his eyes, slipping into his mindscape.

Iruka limped to the training ground he sensed Naruto at. After testing Sakura and Sasuke the day before, he was drained and really just wanted to head back home to sleep. Only one more to go… He repeated in his head as he followed the trail. Walking into the clearing, he saw Naruto meditating on a rock in the middle of the training grounds. He transformed into the burly missing-nin from the day before and stepped forwards. "Hey, you…!" Before he could even threaten the blonde, a wire wrapped around his feet and pulled him across the clearing into the forest, suspending him upside down over a tree branch. What just happened? He thought dazedly as another wire shot out towards him and tied his wrists together. Lifting his head up, he looked up and widened his eyes when he saw a large boulder heading towards him. "Shit!" Iruka cursed and struggled to get out of his bonds. Using the Rope Escape Technique, he quickly freed himself from his bonds and dodged the boulder. Right when he thought he was safe, the ground glowed. "Uh oh…" Iruka tensed up and gathered all the chakra he had to Shunshin away just as the ground erupted from all the explosion seals.

That was close. Iruka wiped the sweat of his brow before stepping in the direction he thought Naruto was in. Snap! Iruka paled as he felt himself trigger a hidden wire. He ducked to avoid the log aimed at his head and danced away from the dropping boulders. Shit! Just when did Naruto have the time to set this all up? He Shunshined away again and found himself in another clearing in the forest. This time, he didn't move and instead carefully checked the ground and trees for any traps. Hmm, it doesn't look like there's anything here… He warily stepped forward and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and tentatively stepped forward again. Gaining confidence, he walked normally to the edge of the clearing. This is going well, maybe Naruto didn't get around to trapping this area yet… He thought and kept walking until BAM! He walked head first into a barrier! Groaning, he rubbed his nose and glared at the barrier in his way. How do I get out of this? Iruka looked around, searching for the barrier seal, when he noticed the barrier moving! "Damnit!" Iruka cursed in alarm, frantically searching for the seal. Where is it? Iruka desperately combed the ground as the seal tightened around him. There! He shot a fire bullet at the paper, causing a disturbance in the barrier that he used to escape. Phew, that was close! He sank down against a tree trunk, forgetting to check his surroundings for any seals. The trunk glowed and Iruka was sent flying towards the clearing Naruto was in. He collapsed right next to the stone Naruto was meditating on, barely conscious.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out in alarm seeing the state his teacher was in. "Are you okay?" he asked as he put out the fire on the Academy teacher's vest.

"Huh, what? Naruto?" Iruka asked dazedly, before realizing where he was. His transformation had already dispelled from the amount of chakra he used to escape the traps in the forest.

"Yeah, Iruka-sensei, are you okay?" Naruto asked again in concern, helping the other man sit up.

Iruka blinked twice and waited for the ringing to stop before asking, "Did you set up all those traps and seals?"

"Yup!" Naruto nodded his head and smiled at Iruka who was staring at him in disbelief. "I set them up in the morning…" Naruto trailed off as he examined his traps. "It looks like someone set off the Level 1 traps…" He furrowed his eyebrows together as he dismantled the rest of his traps, not wanting anyone else to get caught in them.

"Level 1 traps?" Iruka repeated numbly.

"Yeah, I set up five different levels, but only the Level 1 traps went off. Whoever got stuck in them was lucky to not have triggered the other traps… I was going to send a shadow clone through them to see what would happen, but it looks like it's already too late for that." Iruka shuddered. If those were just the Level 1 traps he triggered, then what would the Level 5 traps be like? He turned his attention back to Naruto, listening to the blonde continue talking. "…and it's strange that someone only triggered one of the Level 5 traps, but left before my shadow clone could help them out… Hey, Iruka-sensei, I forgot to ask you why you're here!" Naruto bounced and asked excitedly.

"Oh, I was… I was about to go find your jounin-sensei," Iruka quickly improvised. He couldn't tell Naruto about the tests, and he wasn't lying, not really. He did need to go find Kakashi and tell him that all of his genin had passed the test.

"Kakashi-sensei? I think he might be at the Memorial Stone, he goes there a lot. Otherwise, I have no idea…" Naruto shrugged helplessly.

Wincing slightly, Iruka shoved himself off the ground and stood up. "Alright then. I'll see you later, Naruto," he said and ruffled the blonde's head. Naruto waved goodbye to Iruka as he limped away from the training grounds. He found Kakashi sitting in front of the Memorial Stone, an orange book in his hands.

"So, do you still think that they're not ready?" Kakashi asked, not looking up from his book.

Iruka grimaced. "I was wrong… They're ready," he admitted.

"Even Naruto?" Kakashi finally looked at Iruka and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Especially Naruto," Iruka seriously said, remembering the traps the blonde made. If he's able to almost kill me, a Chunin, with only Level 1 traps when he has up to Level 5 traps, then he'll have no trouble at all with the Exams!

"Good. Don't doubt them again," Kakashi demanded, closing his book and putting it away. "I should get going now. I still need to give them their forms…"

"Okay, I'll be waiting to see them in the finals!" Iruka called out to Kakashi right before the copy-nin Shunshined away. The masked-nin waved his hand at Iruka and then left in a flurry of leaves.

In the next clearing, Kakashi rubbed his sore arms. Being trapped upside down with barrier, restraining, chakra-draining and chakra-suppressing seals while thousands of kunai flew at you was not his idea of a good day. That last Level 5 trap of Naruto's really impressed him. Where did Naruto even learn how to trap like that? That almost killed ME, and I'm an ANBU! Or was an ANBU, anyways… I need to start training more. Maybe it's time for that… He shuddered, but forced himself to not immediately toss out the idea. Maybe, it's finally time for me to go and… challenge Gai. Kakashi grimaced. The idea of asking that man for a spar was too displeasing for words to describe, but he knew he was getting out of shape and what better way was there to get back into shape than sparring with that green stamina monster? He was going to get stronger for his students even if it meant interacting with Gai.

Letter #8

Today, I took over as Clan Head at a public meeting! I had to show my chakra chains to the council as proof, but I did it! There are now four people in the Uzumaki Clan! Well, actually, there are technically six if you and your niece want to join. Even if you don't want to join, I'll still leave a spot for you guys in the clan! I guess I should tell you who else is in the clan. Well, first would be me, Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the Clan Head! Next is Kurama Uzumaki, I met him in Whirlpool. He's snarky on the outside and looks scary, but is a big softy on the inside. He's been unfairly blamed for a lot of bad things, but I was blamed for a lot of bad things too, so I know how he feels. Usually, he's super lazy and likes to sleep a lot, sort of like Shika. My third member is Sai. He doesn't have a last name and is my roommate. I found him in the library after his landlord kicked him out of his apartment for not paying the rent. My landlord sucks, so I had to let Sai join my clan to let him live with me, but I don't regret it. He's an orphan just like me and is also a genin. He's super strong! I still can't beat him in a spar just like with Sasuke… It was surprising to find out he had an old Root put seal on his tongue, but I helped him remove it. As for his hobbies, he likes to paint and people-watch. He doesn't talk much, but is really kind. I trust him, even though we've only known each other for a few days. The last member of the clan is Sakura! Although, I think she only joined for the discounts on seals and other clan benefit, I'm glad she joined because she's super smart and can help me out in the Clan Head Meetings I have to go to. It's weird having a family that likes you. Sometimes I go out onto the streets and I forget that the villagers still hate my guts… It's strange, but a good kind of strange to see my friends smiling at me or defending me against the villagers. I think I like it. ~Naruto

Later that Day…

Naruto fingered the Exam sheet in excitement. He couldn't believe that Kakashi was letting Team 7 take the Chunin Exams this year! He must really believe in us! Naruto fist-pumped the air and whooped in joy.

What's with you? Kurama asked, wondering why the blonde was more exuberant than usual.

Kaka-sensei entered us in the Chunin Exams! Isn't it exciting? He babbled back.

Really? Kurama flicked his tails in interest as he lounged on his bed lazily. Maybe you'll meet one of my siblings. I feel my brother's presence nearby…

Cool! Where is he? I want to meet him! Naruto excitedly pestered the fox.

He's in that direction. Kurama guided the blonde. Yeah, that's it, keep going that way and… Stop! He's right in front of you!

Naruto skidded to a stop in front of a red-haired boy with love tattooed on his face. "Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki and since you're Kurama's bro, that makes you my bro! Come on, let me show you my favorite place to eat!" Naruto pulled him along with him.

Gaara was confused. He was sitting in a place called Ichiraku's Ramen with a bowl of Miso Ramen in front of him listening to a blonde babble about the wonders of Ramen… He wasn't exactly sure how he got into this situation. Usually when a stranger came near him, his mother would scream at him to kill them, but this time, his mother was actually silent. Mother? He tried calling out again, but still heard nothing. Turning his attention back to the blonde, Gaara studied the other boy who had declared himself to be his brother. He had a brother. In fact, he also had a sister, although he didn't talk much to either of them. They both were afraid of him, unlike the boy sitting in front of him. This blonde—Naruto, he called himself Naruto—he reminded himself. Naruto, didn't seem to find him terrifying. The orange-wearing boy was actually smiling at him and talking to him. The last person to do that was his uncle, and he'd tried to kill him…

"Why are you talking to me?" Gaara finally snapped. He clenched his chopsticks tightly, his knuckles turning white. Is this all an elaborate plot to poison my noodles and kill me?

"Because you're my brother," Naruto said in conviction. Family was family after all.

Gaara waited to feel the urge to kill the smiling blonde, but after a couple of minutes, he still felt nothing. He must be too weak for me to waste my time on… He's no threat to my existence. Gaara tried to reason why he felt no bloodlust to the other boy. "You don't even know who I am," Gaara accused, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Oh, right!" Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" he asked, holding out his hand in greeting.

"Gaara." The red-head ignored the held-out hand and stared down the other boy.

"Cool name! I bet you got it for your silky hair," Naruto complimented, thinking red-head's hair matched Kurama's soft fur. He wondered how the fox was doing, talking to his brother in their shared mindscape. I wonder if he showed his brother the hot tub yet? Naruto mused, finishing off another bowl of Ramen.

"Don't you hate me?" Gaara finally asked the blonde, seeing him space out as he savored the noodles.

"Hate? Why would I hate you?" Naruto asked taken-aback. "You're part of my family," Naruto stressed the last word.

"My uncle tried to kill me and he was part of my family. My father was the one who ordered him to assassinate me," Gaara stated bluntly.

"What!" Naruto raged in anger. He couldn't believe that someone would be so cruel to their relatives. Then again, Sasuke's brother did kill his whole family… "Well, I like you," Naruto huffed, and it was true too. He liked Gaara despite spending so little time with the other boy. The red-head actually let the blonde talk about whatever he wanted to and didn't interrupt him, not even once! "You're cool!"

Gaara still didn't really understand why the other boy wasn't running away from him in terror like the other villagers did, but found himself nodding in agreement. The other boy was… interesting. I won't kill you… yet. Gaara decided and slurped up his Ramen. Widening his eyes at the taste, he took another forkful and another. "This is good," he muttered while Naruto nodded. Ramen's always good.

Naruto sighed in contentment, pushing his empty bowl in front of him. "Hey, did you see Konoha yet?" he asked Gaara who shook his head no. "Well, okay, I gotta show you all the cool places! Come on!" He leapt of his stool and dragged Gaara away with him, showing him everything from the Academy and the Hokage Monument to where he had his genin exams at and even his apartment! When he was finally finished with his tour, he took Gaara back to the hotel he was staying at and waved goodbye. "I'll see you at the exams!" Naruto called over his shoulder as he ran back to his place. Gaara nodded stiffly, ignoring Kankuro's and Temari's inquisition of where in Kami he was and who the hell that blonde was.

Shutting the door to his room, Gaara looked out the window in the direction the blonde had disappeared in, wondering how tomorrow's Chunin Exams were going to be. He stayed up that night, waiting for the next morning so he could meet that blonde again at the exams…

Letter #9

We're joining the Chunin exams this year! Kakashi-sensei just told us about it! It's super exciting! I can't wait for it! I'm a bit nervous because I had this super weird dream of a creepy guy (girl?) nibbling on Sasuke's neck in the Forest of Death, but I'm going to warn him about it so it doesn't come true. Anyways, I found out something that blew my mind! There's Ramen-flavored ice-cream! It's so amazing! I didn't know about it until Sai took me out to have some. It was delicious! And tasted just like Ramen! I need to find whoever made it and introduce them to Teuchi at Ichiraku's! I also met this purple-haired lady named Anko. She had this sucky seal on her neck that I'm helping her remove. I feel bad for her. Whoever gave that her seal must've been so bad at seals that they couldn't remove it afterwards. It must've been embarrassing having that shoddy seal stuck on her neck for all those years… I'm glad I can help her finally remove it. Oh, and I also met my brother in town today. Well, he's actually Kurama's brother's brother(?), but since Kurama is part of my family that makes him my brother too! He has red hair and really likes Ramen and is from Sand. He's going to be in the Chunin Exams with me too! I'm pumped for the exams tomorrow. I better go to sleep so I don't get tired during them. Wish me good luck! ~Naruto

The Chunin Exams

The three members of Team 7 stood in front of the building where the first test would take place. "Okay, do you have your forms?" Sakura asked, taking out the checklist Kakashi had given her the day before.

"Yup, it's right here!" Naruto took out his form and gave it to her. Sasuke also passed his form to Sakura who pocketed them along with hers.

"Great! What about soldier pills and food?" she read out the next item on the list.

"I have the soldier pills in my pouch and Naruto has the food sealed away," Sasuke answered this time as Naruto nodded.

"Alright!" Sakura scanned the list, mentally checking of the first aid kit and healing supplies as she had those already in her pack, along with a change of clothes for everyone on their team. She read the list and dismissed everything until she saw something that caught her eye. "Naruto, do you have all your sealing stuff and enough ink?"

"Yup! I also made back-up gauntlets and a chakra pack for you and gave Sasuke the genjutsu and hidden-presence detecting seals," Naruto said, pointing to the bracelets on Sasuke's wrists. "Oh, and I also finished making these a few days ago!" He passed over another small bracelet to the both of them and told them to wear it on their ankles.

"What's this do?" Sakura asked as she placed it around her foot, after admiring the small cherry blossoms painted on it.

"They're supposed to let us talk secretly talk with each other without anyone knowing. You just have to send some chakra to the bracelet and we should be able to hear whatever you're saying," Naruto explained, showing her his anklet with orange swirls on it.

"Woah, that's cool," Sakura praised him. Even Sasuke looked impressed at what Naruto had made. He ran his thumb over the little fans on the anklet and silently placed it around his ankle.

"Hehe, thanks!" Naruto rubbed his nose with his index finger in pride.

"Now that we're ready, let's ace this exam! Shannaro!" Sakura exclaimed and led the other two boys up the stairs. "Room 301, here we come!" They marched up a flight of stairs and entered a circular room filled with genin. They paused and saw someone beat down a bowl-hair boy wearing a green jumpsuit.

Hey, aren't they those people? The ones Kakashi told us about? Naruto channeled some chakra to his ankle bracelet and asked.

The members of Gai's brainwashing cult… Sasuke thought back.

Yes, them. Should we help them out? Sakura wondered.

We should do what Kakashi told us to! Okay, on three! One, two, three!

"Dynamic Entry!" Naruto shouted as the three members of Team 7 took down the ninja that was about to punch the girl with the two buns on her head. He was looking forward to seeing how uncomfortable Sasuke would be with this plan.

"Prepare for trouble!" Sasuke yelled out, deeply regretting agreeing to this plan. This wasn't worth those extra Fire Jutsu scrolls… He thought in dismay.

"Make it double!" Sakura exclaimed as the rest of the genin in the room stared at them in disbelief. She was actually enjoying being the center of attention for once. This was so worth those extra healing scrolls! She thought.

"To protect the world from devastation," Sasuke repeated his lines in a monotone voice.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Sakura passionately spoke out her lines.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" Naruto joined in, grinning at Sasuke's kill-me-now face.

"Sakura!" She held her arm out and took the position Kakashi had told her to.

"Sasuke!" He reluctantly copied Sakura, fighting back his embarrassment.

"Team 7, blast off at the speed of light!" Naruto continued trying not to laugh, also posing.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" all three of them chorused.

"Naruto! That's right!" Naruto concluded making his finishing pose. The surrounding genin just blinked, still not believing what they just saw. The team of genin that was getting beat up just looked at their "saviors" in shock.

Now, we should sneak in past them! Sakura shook Sasuke out of his gloom and pushed him through the doors. They clanged shut behind Team 7, revealing a staircase that took them up to another larger room full of genin.

"Yo! Glad to see you here! How was the screening?" Kakashi asked from behind his genin, who stiffened up slightly in surprise.

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto blurted out, jumping up and wrapping his arms around the masked-man. "You're here!"

"Of course, I am! I couldn't be late to my genin's big day now, could I?" he eye-smiled at them and stroked Naruto's hair, not even trying to shake off his clingy genin. "So how was it so far?" he asked as he handed over the forms Sakura had given him to the proctors.

"Oh, yeah! We did what you told us to and they were so surprised!" Naruto bragged, finally letting go. Kakashi pouted underneath his mask. He actually liked being hugged by his genin.

"Yeah, you should've seen their faces! It was so funny!" Sakura added in.

"It looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Even Sasuke, wow!" Kakashi said as his eye crinkled into a real smile.

"Hnn," Sasuke blushed, the tips of his ears slightly red.

"Well, I'm glad you're all having fun. Remember to be careful. I have to go soon, so is there anything else you want to tell me before I head off?" Kakashi didn't want to leave his cute little genin, but he knew it was almost time for the tests to begin.

"Wait, I have something for you," Naruto tugged on Kakashi's sleeve and fished out a bracelet with little painted scarecrows from his pocket seal. "It's supposed to let you talk to us if you channel chakra into it. We all have one already, so it only felt right for you to have one as you're also part of Team 7!" They lifted up their feet to show Kakashi their anklets.

"Also, according to the exam guidelines, it isn't against the rules to mentally communicate with someone, because of the Yamanaka Clan's special jutsus," Sakura piped up.

Kakashi tightened his grip around the bracelet, cradling it gently. Although he signed up his team for the exams this year, he was worried for them. He really didn't want them to go into the exams alone, without any backup. Who knows what trouble they'd get in without him. But now, they'd given him a way to stay in touch with them just because they'd noticed him worrying about them. This was more than he could hope for from a genin team. They really thought of him as part of them. They wouldn't just leave him after they got promoted into Chunin. "I'll take care of this," Kakashi said softly, placing it around his wrist. He then ruffled each of his genin's heads twice, for good measure, and then Shunshined away to the jounin-sensei waiting room.

Sakura looked at Naruto and then Sasuke. "Let's go and find Teams 8 and 10," she suggested as the other two just nodded in agreement. They made their way through the crowd, going in the direction of where they thought they heard Kiba's boisterous voice. As they made their way there, they spotted the genin team from before with their jounin-sensei.

They multiplied… Sakura thought in horror.

No, it's a clone! Naruto thought back.

I think, that he might have… Sasuke gulped before continuing. Reproduced… Naruto and Sakura both blanched at that though, goosebumps breaking out on their skin. Let's just avoid them. Sasuke implored with a hint of dread in his voice. Sakura and Naruto immediately agreed, not wanting to be anywhere near that terrifying twosome.

Hey! I think I see Choji over there! Naruto pointed across from them. Team 7 headed over in that direction.

Ino felt her Sasuke-sensor go off and hurled herself at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun~!" Sasuke saw her coming and shifted to the side, dodging her tackle. Ino growled and somersaulted, landing on her feet in front of Naruto.

"Are you trying to become a tiger instead of a pig, with all that growling?" Sakura playfully teased.

"Shut it, forehead," Ino mocked back. Standing up, she walked up to Sakura. "So, got any plans for the exams?" she asked, finally serious.

Sakura nodded. "We have something to give you guys after the first part of the exams. We don't want the other genin teams to find out about it yet…"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at them in surprise. "You know what the exams are?"

"Well… Not really," Sakura admitted. "Naruto had a dream about a forest and a creep after Sasuke. He was adamant that the first part of the exams would be a written test while the next part would take place in the Forest of Death." Sakura shrugged as they turned their gazes towards the blonde. "If it turns out he's right, we're going to need all the help we can get…" Shikamaru and Ino nodded. Although they were battling each other, they still didn't want anyone from Team 7 to get hurt when they could've helped.

"Hey, where's Choji?" Naruto squinted his eyes at the crowd, searching for the larger boy.

"He went to get Team 8. Ah, there he is right now," Ino pointed out them out.

"Hey guys!" Kiba greeted as Akamaru yipped hello. "So, I guess we're all here after all! What're you guys plotting?" he asked, noticing Sakura's and Ino's scheming looks.

"Oh, nothing that Hinata doesn't already know about… But if the second part of the exam is in the Forest of Death, come find us before it starts. We have something to give you guys," Sakura commanded.

"O-Ok," Hinata shyly answered.

"I must say, there are a lot of people in this exam. There might be a preliminary round," Shino deliberated and said aloud.

"That doesn't matter! No matter who they send, I'll beat them down!" Kiba proudly announced, attracting the attention of the surrounding genin.

"Would you guys do us all a favor and shut up?" a glasses-wearing genin came up to them and crossed his arms. "This isn't a school fieldtrip for a bunch of still wet-behind-the-ears genin."

"The hell are you?" Kiba demanded as Akamaru growled at the other boy.

"Hey now, no need to get angry. My name's Kabuto and I just wanted to warn you guys to quiet down before a team to snapped and beat you up. I should know, I've taken the Chunin Exams six times before. This time's my seventh!" Kabuto puffed out his chest in pride.

Sasuke just snorted. "That means nothing except that you've failed six times..." Naruto nodded, still eyeing the glasses-wearing genin. Something about him just rubbed him the wrong way.

He feels false, Kit. Not like that blank one with dulled emotions. This one is more like a hidden river of lava, slowly churning underneath the Earth's surface, just waiting to erupt. Stay away from him… The Kyuubi warned Naruto, temporarily waking from his nap.

Ok. Naruto thought back, agreeing with the fox's diagnosis. "Yeah, why're you talking to us anyways!" the blonde asked, suspicious of the other's motives. The other genin, noticing Naruto's hostility to the other boy, decided to keep their distance from the glasses-wearing genin. They knew Naruto wouldn't hate someone for no reason.

"I felt bad for you rookies. Seeing as we're all from the same village, I thought I'd help you sweet little babies out by giving you some vital information about the other shinobi." He flourished his hand out, revealing a set of blank cards with the word "Shinobi" inscribed on them. "I have information on all the genin here, I just have to insert some of my chakra into these cards to reveal it."

"How do we know you aren't lying to us?" Naruto asked, still wary of the other boy.

"Why don't I show you what I have about your team, and then you can decide if I'm telling the truth or not…" Kabuto said, drawing three cards from the pack. "Sakura Haruno. Missions to date: 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, and 1 A-rank. Wow, impressive, going on an A-rank as a rookie! Your jounin-sensei is Kakashi Hatake, also known as Copy-cat Kakashi or Kakashi of the Sharingan. Your Taijutsu has significantly improved from the academy and you have high chakra control. You were also the top Kunoichi of your year." Sakura beamed in pride of her accomplishments. The surrounding genin (except those on Teams 8 and 10) stared bug-eyed at Team 7, wondering how they'd already completed an A-rank mission. "Sasuke Uchiha. Same number of missions as your teammate. You were the Top Ranked Rookie from your class and excel at every subject, especially fire techniques. Although, since you activated your Sharingan recently, you've taken to learning Genjutsu." Sasuke glared at Kabuto, wondering how the other genin knew about his Sharingan.

I don't trust him… Naruto thought to his teammates.

Yeah, how could he figure out all that stuff unless he was spying on us? Sakura agreed.

Let's avoid him. I don't like how he's revealing our information to the other teams… Sasuke said.

"And finally, Naruto Uzumaki, the dead-last of the Academy." Naruto stiffened slightly, making the other genin glower at Kabuto, with barely concealed rage. No one insulted their blonde when they were around! And to do it right in front of them? This genin must have a death wish! "Let's see. Although you have tons of stamina, your Taijutsu is sloppy. You also have an enormous amount of chakra, enough to throw around Shadow Clones as if they were just Bunshin. No Genjutsu talent or chakra control whatsoever. Hmm, it also says that you've picked up a few wind techniques. How interesting… Oh! What's this? It says that you've taken a B-rank mission without your team. Actually, it says you did the B-rank even before you got a team. How did that happen?" Kabuto looked the blonde in the eye questioningly, but Naruto just scowled at him.

…Dobe? Sasuke asked hesitantly, seeing how livid Naruto's face was. You alright?

He's not supposed to know about that. According to Jiji, no one's supposed to know about that mission because of security risks. I knew there was something wrong about him!

Kashi-sensei, are you listening? Sakura asked, seeing Naruto's mounting inner anger.

Hmm? What's wrong Sakura? Kakashi asked lazily.

We want you to report a potential spy to the Hokage. There's this genin from Konoha named Kabuto, and he found out about a mission Naruto did that no one is supposed to know about… Sakura explained.

Which mission? Kakashi's serious voice echoed in their heads. He summoned Pakkun and began writing a report to the Hokage regarding this.

Just tell Jiji that it was the mission about… Mizuki and that he knew it was a B-rank. Sasuke and Sakura sucked in a breath when they heard Naruto say the mission had to do with their missing Academy Teacher. Naruto continued, ignoring their reaction. There's no way a genin could've found out about that mission even if they were spying on everyone! Jiji said it was classified and an A-ranked secret.

Teams 8 and 10 noted Team 7's postures stiffening and their aversion to Kabuto. They figured that there must be something off about that genin if all three of them avoided him. They too distanced themselves from the glasses-wearing genin who just rubbed his nose, wondering why they were suddenly wary of him. "Hey, do you have anyone you want to know the information of?" he asked, trying to distract them.

"What about you?" Shikamaru asked, sensing that Team 7 didn't trust this guy at all.

"Me?" Kabuto asked taken-aback. Noticing their gazes on him, he began, "Well I have taken 191 official missions in total: 163 D-rank and 28 C-rank. I excel in using Kunai and Shuriken, but am not that good at Genjutsu. My teammates are Yoroi Akado and Misumi Tsurugi. Actually, speaking of my teammates, I better go over there and join them. Good luck with your exams!" He waved goodbye to the rookies and disappeared into the crowd. The genin relaxed, seeing that he was gone. Naruto opened his mouth, about to talk when a loud voice interrupted him.

"Shut up maggots! My name is Ibiki Morino, and I'm in charge of proctoring the first part of this exam. Sit down in your assigned seat and keep your papers faced down. I'll write the rules on the board. If you get disqualified for not reading them, that isn't my fault, got it piglets?" Ibiki commanded the genin who gulped and quickly took their seats.

Naruto slid in next to Hinata and turned around, finding Sasuke and Sakura positioned far away from him. He turned back to the board and skimmed the rules. I knew it! It is a paper test! Sasuke, you better watch out for the creeper in the forest, ok?

Got it Dobe.

Teme!

Shut up! The exam is about to start. Pay attention! Sakura mentally screamed. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi winced at the high-pitched shriek.

Hey, watch it, you're going to blow out your sensei's ears this way! Kakashi reprimanded.

Sorry sensei, I forgot you were there…

Kakashi pouted. My cute little genin forgot about me… Team 7 sweat-dropped and turned their attention back to the written test.

Let's see… He scanned the list of questions, trying to answer them before giving up. Yup, there's no way I can answer any of these… Naruto projected to his two teammates.

These questions… I can't answer them either… Sasuke admitted. He looked at the board wondering what was with this test. Rereading the rules, he realized something. Wait, they said it's only two points off if they catch you cheating! This must be an intelligence gathering test!

Well, we're lucky we have these bracelets then, because I just happened to know all these answers. Sakura bragged, smirking as she heard Naruto sigh in relief.

Naruto grinned. Phew, I was worried for nothing then! So, Sakuuurrra-chan~, wanna tell us all the answers?

Yeah, yeah, hang on. Let me finish writing them down and then I'll project the answers across the bracelet so you guys can copy them down…

Aww, my cute little genin have already passed the first part of the exam without my help! They grow up so fast! He mimed wiping away a tear.

The rest of the jounin-sensei in the room just watched Kakashi in amusement. "Already crying for your genin, Kakashi?" Kurenai smirked at him.

"Yeah, I'm just so sad to see them growing up so fast!" he answered honestly. Kurenai sweat-dropped.

"Wait, you actually think they'll pass? It's Ibiki, you know, that Ibiki!" Asuma stressed.

"Ibiki?" Kurenai asked.

"Oh yeah, you weren't part of the Elite Jounin for long, so you don't know. Their proctor is Ibiki Morino, the commanding officer of Torture and Interrogation."

"He's a master at mind games," Kakashi added. He was looking forward to seeing his genin again after the second part of the exam. He was sure that they'd pass. Are you guys teaming up with Teams 8 and 10 for the second part? He mentally asked them.

Yup, that's the plan! Naruto thought back, finishing up copying down Sakura's answers on his test. We think that someone super strong is going to try to molest Sasuke in the forest, so we're teaming up to stop him.

That's only what you think! Sasuke retorted. Don't listen to him, Kashi-sensei! We're actually teaming up because it's a good tactical plan.

Yeah! Shikamaru even agreed that it'd make more sense for us to team up for the second part of the exam if it was in the Forest of Death. Sakura elaborated.

Alright, so long as you know what you're doing… Kakashi thought back in reply. Oh right, I sent Pakkun to the Third about Kabuto and he said that they'd already suspected Kabuto as a spy for a long time, and that they'd be watching him. Don't get too close to him, he might not actually be a genin. Kakashi warned them.

Alright Kaka-sensei! Naruto chirped back obediently. Their conversation finished just in time for Ibiki to announce the last question.

"It's time for the tenth question! Now, you can choose to take it or you can give up on the question and quit the exam. If you choose to take it and get it wrong, then…" He smiled a shark-like grin, "Then, you'll be banned from ever taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"

What! All three genin thought in alarm. The others shifted nervously, until a team finally broke the silence. "We choose to forfeit," they voluntarily left the room with their belongings.

Guys… Sakura thought nervously. She didn't want them to never be able to take the Chunin Exams ever again. It was alright if she and Sasuke couldn't take them, because their dreams had nothing to do with Ninja rankings, but Naruto, he wanted to be Hokage! Naruto, I think that we should give up… Sasuke remained silent. He didn't really care about these exams, but giving up like this… It didn't feel good.

Naruto was shocked. Why? Why do you want to give up all of a sudden, Sakura? We're ready for this. We prepared for hours, going over so many strategies with the others. We made it this far. Why do you want to pull out now? He asked heatedly. Sakura didn't answer. How could she tell him that it was for him she wanted to pull out? Are you scared of the forest creep, Sakura? Don't worry! We planned everything out, we'll succeed! Believe it! I'll protect you with my life!

No! You can't sacrifice yourself for us! I don't want to go on because I don't want you to give up on being Hokage! Your dream might be crazy, but I don't want it to be taken away from you forever! She blurted out. Kakashi remained silent. He knew his genin had to decide this by themselves.

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto slammed his hand down on the desk, startling the other genin. "I don't quit and I don't run! I'll accept that stupid question even if it means I stay genin forever! I don't care! I'll still become the Hokage by pure stubbornness! I'm not afraid!" Naruto shouted before realizing what he said. Aw, shit! I meant to think that to you, not say it out loud! Sasuke couldn't help himself when he heard Naruto say that. He put his head down on the desk, trying to muffle his snickering. Stop laughing at me! It's not funny, it's embarrassing! Naruto thought to them, his ears turning red. That made Sakura burst out into giggles which she tried to hide with her hands, but couldn't stop them from coming out. Guys… Naruto whined, hiding his head in his hands. His cheeks tinted red now. Kakashi burst out into laughter in the jounin lounge, surprising the other sensei.

"It's nothing, I just remembered funny joke…" Kakashi wiped a tear away from his one good eye. He was proud of his genin. Only they could destroy Ibiki's test so thoroughly.

Once the laughter died down, Ibiki said, "Okay, now that the… interruptions are over, I'll ask you one last time. This decision could affect the rest of your life, quit now while you still have a chance," Ibiki warned.

"I never go back on my work, it's part of my ninja way!" Naruto voiced out, figuring he'd already spoke up once so doing it again didn't really make much of a difference. No one moved. They were all waiting for Ibiki's verdict.

"Hmm," Ibiki raised his eyebrow at the crowd, seeing none of the genin about to give up. "Good call. Those of you still here, congratulations, you've just passed the first exam!" The genin in the room were stunned that they had passed the exam without doing anything.

"Wait a moment, what about the tenth question!" Ino asked, her voice low in accusation.

"There is no tenth question, beyond the whole reject or accept thing…" Ibiki grinned at the fuming genin. Irritating people always made him happy, why else would he have joined T & I? He was literally getting paid for psyching people out until they confessed. It was a job tailormade for sadists like him. Speaking of sadists, I better hurry, who knows when Anko will get here…

"Then why'd we have to suffer through the other nine questions? That was a total waste of our time!" a blonde girl with spiky hair lashed out in anger.

"There was no waste. Those questions also served a purpose!"

"Such as?" the girl from before asked, still not buying it.

"Our goal was to test your skills at spying!" Ibiki continued. "Remember the rules? I pressured you by saying that you either pass or fail as a three-man cell. I forced you to fear bringing down your teammates with your mistakes." Shikamaru nodded. He understood the psychological affect this would have on weak-minded people. "However, the questions were beyond Chunin level, so most of you reached the same conclusion that you could only gain points through cheating."

So, I was right… It was a test to see how well you gathered information. Sasuke thought, glancing at Naruto and Sakura who nodded at him.

"In other words, we wanted you to cheat! There were two jounin in the room that already knew all the answers… Of course, if you cheated in a clumsy or obvious way, you'd fail…" Ibiki unwrapped the black cloth on his head, exposing countless puncture wounds and scars marring his bald head. "Because there may be circumstances where being caught in an act of espionage may cost you more than your lives…"

Torture… The thought echoed in all the genin's minds. Sakura gulped seeing the damage. How could anyone be so cruel?

"If you bring back intelligence from a suspect source or compromised operation, then you're doing the enemies' work for them, putting those you serve in danger. That's why we maneuvered you into cheating. It was the quickest way to weed out those whose skills weren't up to snuff," Ibiki finished as he rewrapped his black cloth around his bald head.

"Okay… But what about the tenth question?" the spiky-haired blonde girl asked, conceding that Ibiki had a point.

"Ah! The tenth question was the first real test of the exam! It was a choice between two decisions that were both difficult and dangerous. It was a nasty, unfair, no-win set of options." The genin were confused. They didn't understand the point of the question, was it just to scare them or did it have another meaning? "So why did I present them? Let's say that you're a Chunin and you get assigned a mission to steal a vital enemy document when you know nothing about your foes and have to cross a heavily-trapped and mined territory. Now, do you accept the mission? Or do you reject it, not wanting to place your life, or your companions' lives, in danger?" realization dawned on some of the genin, and they looked at Ibiki in comprehension. "Of course not! Regardless of the risks, there will be missions you cannot decline! A ninja must demonstrate valor, inspiring those around him to overcome their fears! That is the talent we most value in the Commander of a Chunin cell!" Ibiki finished proudly.

"Yeah! We passed the first test!" Naruto whooped in excitement. Ibiki eyed the exuberant blonde. This genin had inspired the rest of the test-takers into not giving up on the tenth question, overcoming the mental challenge Ibiki himself had designed. The jounin still couldn't figure out how his team had cheated. From what he could tell, the pink girl didn't need any help to answer the questions, but how did the Uchiha and the blonde get the answers? They didn't employ any of the methods the other teams used. In fact, whatever they used allowed them to communicate with each other without anyone knowing. He'd seen the pink genin about to give up when the blonde one had his outburst, and that was no coincidence. If they found out a way to talk to each other without anyone noticing… He drooled at the possibilities it brought for the Intelligence department. I've got to talk to Kakashi and ask him what his genin are using. It's okay if they don't want to reveal it, but… It absolutely has to stay out of Danzo's clutches. Who knows what he'd do with a thing like that? Ibiki sweated and shook his head free of any stray thoughts, clearing his mind. He was going to watch the orange youngster, as he had the potential to become one of the greatest ninja of them all.

Replies to Reviews:

ctdiaz: Glad you liked it! Actually, I didn't mean to get so far off from canon... In the beginning, I didn't even plan on changing anything, but as I was writing, the story just flowed and I think I like it a lot better this way! (But if you look at the dialogue closely at the parts in the manga version, you can see some are the exact same words as the translations. I liked doing this but adding different thoughts behind the words, or switching characters for the dialogue. It makes it a lot more interesting to write!)

Zyrothe: Hahaha, hope you found some bricks to punch! But if not here: || An e-brick, just for you, lol! Thanks, glad to know you liked the story!

lightfuture: Danzo the nerd. For some reason I'm just trying to picture Danzo in suspenders and it's not working out at all in my mind :) Thanks!

hennessyswag83: Poor Hinata... But, yeah, I kind of found her creepy in the manga too (I only remember her stalking Naruto around for most of Part I. I was surprised they got together in the end...) Aww, Sai was awesome! He was hilarious (from my vague memory of him) and I loved how he got on everyone's nerves :). Thanks! I actually only used the wiki page to see what clans were in Konoha and looked them up later because I didn't remember them. Actually most of the techniques and clan stuff is from the wiki page too, so if you're writing a story about that you should really check it out! Actually, a story like that sounds cool! Can't wait to read it when it comes out... :)

Wyrtha: Haha, I don't think I'll have them see the training just yet. And look forward to another Uzumaki joining soon! (I don't know if it'll be in the next chapter or the one after yet...)

Guest: This is a bit embarrassing, but I really didn't even think about what you said until you pointed it out... (*sweat-drops*) The top of this chapter should clarify it. My other excuse for them only doing attendance is because they don't want any of their secrets to be aired out to the public, so they mostly only do attendance and new births/deaths. So this time, they only announced the joining of two new Clan Heads, as no one was born or died. Any other business they wanted to conduct, would be done in private, away from the prying eyes of the civilians...

duchessliz: Me too! I want Sai to turn on him once he realizes how wonderful emotions are. :) I don't think Danzo would tell those things to Sai, considering how the Uchiha Massacre was before Sai was conditioned and is a huge secret. I can't see Danzo giving his minions details of past missions after Tenzo defected... He'd probably keep everything secret so no leaks could happen. I don't even thing Fuu or Torune knew about the Sharingan implanted in Danzo's arm (according to the wiki page), as it was his ultimate trump card. So, sadly, Sai can't tell Sasuke the truth about the massacre...

twilightserius: That's what I'm aiming for! Everyone to be kick-ass (except the villains...) I'm not really good at writing fight scenes (because I don't know any of the techniques off the top of my head other than Kage Bunshin, but I'll try to make them all more powerful quicker than cannon. I think everyone has improved tons so far, except for Sasuke... I sort of feel bad that he does almost nothing in the fight scenes, but I love that Sakura is way more powerful now! She was really... weak in cannon, and I couldn't like her character back then, so I changed her to be more kick-ass! :)

snrodreick: Thanks! Glad you liked the story! Sorry for the long wait for an update... I blame college. :)

Star1x: Haha, yeah. I got everything from the Uzumaki Clan off of wiki or just made it up. But I think most of what I wrote wither has a basis, so it could happen plausibly. The whole Directional Animals thing, I made up though. Actually, I just wanted Naruto to contact his darker-version without having to go to Kumo so I looked up Genbu and it said he was part of the Directional animals, so I used that to find what would be in Whirlpool correspondingly. Um, I don't really remember what else I wrote about the Uzumaki Clan, but the Death mask is true and so is the part about their chakra chains, longevity, large chakra stores and the red hair. Arashi was the Uzukage a long time ago according to Wiki and Tobirama did make the Edo Tensei. The seals used were also real (from wiki again). Other than that, I think everything else is stuff I made up. Glad you liked the story though! The Sasuke and Naruto friendship is going to be complicated for the next few chapters. All I can say is that it gets worse before it gets better... I love Kyuubi/Naruto friendship, it's so cute! I actually have an interesting plan for that fight! I'm excited to write about it after I finish up the second part of the exams! So, sort of? I think it'll make more sense when you read it... :)