-A/N-

I know, this took me longer than a week to update. Moving into a new home and creating a new financial budget is a bit more time consuming than I anticipated, but rewarding. Things are going to get exciting for the genin and you can count on a rising tension soon.

Chapter 12: For Commitment

"Save me? Are you still going on about that?" Nia felt her heart beat harder. Tears formed up once more. I need to finish this before I have a breakdown. Something's not right. The lightning around her sparked out an intense hiss. "This time, I will not hold back." Nia cocked her hand back.

"I was counting on that!" Yuuki imagined grinding the sword to a point. Her teeth gritted as the wind chakra became slightly more refined. It should be windy enough. I hope this works! With a scream, she unloaded as much chakra as she could into the sword to make it extend out at an overwhelming velocity. Nia launched her massive lightning storm at Yuuki and the two met with a shockwave. Massive flames sprayed out from several directions. Slowly, Yuuki's wind chakra began slicing through the dense lightning until it split the bolt cleanly in two directions. Upon contact with the orange aura, a massive flame prevented it from slashing through her. From the tree tops, a clone found Nia and unleashed a water vortex on her. Despite the crippling force of the jutsu, Nia still remained conscience. She struggled to get up before falling back to her knees. With all her will, she commanded her aura back. Yuuki backed off again. She's still going? She's going to die if she uses anymore! Not much later, the aura fell apart. Nia curled her hands up to her chest. The once cold women had become a helpless girl.

"You don't have enough chakra left to do anything. Just relax; we aren't trying to hurt Shin either." Yuuki held the sword over her back and approached her. "Nia, Biton has brainwashed everyone into believing Shin is something he's not."

"She's right, Nia." From the forest line, Zente came, stopped, and caught his breath. Karui wasn't far behind. "We've all been played a fool! I don't know how long you've been in this illusion, but that's all it is; an illusion." Nia tensed up.

"Hey, cheer up! Zente said a powerful pervert will help bring Shin back to normal. Then we can all fight to the death!" Zente put a hand over her mouth before she got too excited.

Nia began to sob. "When did it go wrong? I've been with Shin-sama since I was seven." Nia broke into tears now. "Before Biton showed up, everyone was so happy. Then, we left the village. And then…then…" Nia fell forward. Why'd we leave the village? The fatigue of the battle had finally caught up to her.

OoOoOoOo

"I can barely see them; they've made it about one-hundred kilometers away." Isami pointed out as the men ran. He then glanced back to see Yuuki lively and Nia unconscious. "It looks like team seven has completed their mission." Konohamaru threw his cigarette away with a smile.

"Of course they did." Konohamaru laughed in his head. "You can see one hundred Kilometers? Damn it, this is going to take a while." Isami grabbed Konohamaru's arm and stopped. Knowing that Isami was thinking, Konohamaru deadpanned his face. "What on earth are you up to now?"

"What, you think I wouldn't have taken precautionary measures for this?" Before Konohamaru could even ask, they were standing on top of Shin. Everyone but Isami's jaw dropped. Isami just pointed down and smiled. "See? My clone put the special symbol on his back when he destroyed it. I could have teleported to them the whole time!"

Before Konohamaru could strangle Isami, Shin formed a blade of hard rock and forced them off his back. Both Isami and Konohamaru gained a long range distance. Isami brought up his hands to make clones, but Konohamaru beat him to the punch. "You kids ever consider the old man wants some action to? Why don't you take down Biton, since your chakra can't be too high right now?" Isami's face straightened as he nodded sarcastically. Shin gained a wide base and immediately became a dense stone. "Rekano would have wanted to do this personally."

Shin's eyes lit up. "So, you're the hero of that village? I can't place my finger on why you seem to be such a familiar face."

Konohamaru lit a cigarette and summoned Enma in diamond staff form. "You may know me better as Konoha's 'Erupting Smoker'." As the two front clones ran forward to encircle Shin, his eyes shot wide. Memories of a shady figure clouded his brain. The clones spread a cloud of hot ash around as Konohamaru jumped into the makeshift ring. With a grin, he pointed his staff. "Looks like the bell has been rung then?"

Shin shook himself off. "Never heard of you. I don't get intimidated by words alone."

Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. "You're being manipulated by Biton. He has been brainwashing you for years. This is your last chance to reconsider."

Biton widened his eyes. "Shin-sama, don't let these pups smooth talk you like that!" Shin rolled his eyes back to Konohamaru and smirked.

"Even if I believed you, I wouldn't pass off an opportunity like this."

Konohamaru charged forward with excitement. "That's what I like to hear!" With a swing of the staff, he slammed through Shin's blade and cracked his left arm. Shin caught himself and jumped back into the fray. As his punch was evaded, a block of stone flew out and clocked Konohamaru square in the face. Using the staff as a stabilizer, he rotated around and spit a fire ball into Shin's face. Following it up, he exhaled a quick fog of ash and cleared the area. With a bite of his teeth, the ashes exploded. "Katon: Haisekisho!" As Shin was thrown out by the explosion, Konohamaru formed a rasengan. Shin attempted to raise his guard, but the spinning ball of chakra struck him square in the abs. "Rasengan!" As if being struck by a powerful shotgun, Shin was tossed to the opposite end of the ring. Even with his rock hard skin, Shin was slow to get up. "You sure can take a lot of damage. It's quite commendable." Konohamaru began rubbing his chin with a grin. "You know how to use stone skin pretty well to. It's a shame fights at our level are decided so quickly!"

Shin's mind ached at him as remembered that same face from his memories. It was of Rekano and Konohamaru after the duel. Shin laughed. "You still have that cigarette and your mouth to. I've gotten rusty." He regained balance and charged forward. "But don't think you can beat me as easily as you beat him." How did he beat Rekano again?

Konohamaru giggled in glee. "I'll show you how I got my nickname then. Only because I'm sixty-percent sure you'll live." As Shin came near, Konohamaru planted a foot on his face and pushed off hard. What's he up to? He doesn't have many long range attacks. As he was clearing the ring, he flicked his cigarette at Shin's feet. Before Shin could react, ash protruded in several spots out of the ground. He flexed his earth jutsu as strong as he could before the cigarette nicked the cloud. "Good night, Shin!" Isami put on shades as a massive explosion of fire shot up from the ground and launched Shin hundreds of feet sky high. He made his best impression of a meteor as he created a deep crater in the already missing chunk of earth. Biton began forming a hand seal and targeted Konohamaru.

"I don't think so!" The old man's eyes glued open as he fell forward. Konohamaru smiled as Isami finished the fight.

"Nice one Isami! That was not flying thunder god, was it? Where do you come up with those techniques?" Konohamaru rubbed his beard.

Isami released the clone and pushed up the sunglasses. With an indifferent face, he shrugged. "Not my technique."

Konohamaru grew intrigued. "So the old man is still as crafty as he used to be then?"

Isami stuck his arm out with his thumb down. "Wrong again, old man. When it comes to your luck, you really do suck, motha fucka!"

Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. "Alright Killer Bee, then who else could it possibly be?" After the fact, his eyes flickered and he smiled. "Did she already get innovative with shadow clones?" Isami smiled and Konohamaru stroked his chin once more. "Is she really related to you two? Give her a year and you'll be replaced, Isami." The young man scoffed as he picked up the old man.

"Hey, don't act like you didn't pull off an impressive show. Using your clones to fill the earth underneath with explosive smoke as you distract him? Nice work as always, uncle." Isami jumped down into the hole and looked over Shin. The tough bastard was out cold, but he was going to live. After releasing the genjutsu, Isami grabbed him. "I need to fill you in on some information later. I'll take these two back and explain the situation to Rekano. It appears no one is under Biton's genjutsu anymore." With a smile, the ANBU ghost vanished.

OoOoOoOo

"That's the best I can do. It's going to be a week or so before everyone's back up to par. Kaito, you're going to want to wait at least a month." Noriko limped to the other room. Isami waited for her. He took her report and read over it.

"So they were this battered, huh? Kaito: Severed left hand, significant facial wound, dozens of sword injuries, two broken ribs. Datsu: Broken nose, moderate concussion, drained chakra. You: Broken leg, drained chakra, deep sword injuries. Takeshi: Low chakra, seven broken ribs, Lacerations everywhere. Yuuki: Low chakra, near fatal lightning wound, Third degree burn injury." Isami brushed his hand through his hair. "It may have been far too early, but you guys just completed a difficult A-Ranked mission. I dare say no one will deny your battle prowess when you get back. Let me see what I can do to fix you guys up better."

Konohamaru debriefed with Rekano in the other room. After giving him a long winded explanation on what happened, Rekano couldn't help but chain smoke in worry. "In summary, twenty-three hostages were rescued, a bandit organization was dismantled, five experienced criminals with a bounty of one-hundred thousand total were eliminated, recovery of five innocent shinobi, and elimination of the master mind behind all of Shin's attacks. I recommend we give them credit and pay for an A-ranked mission as well as recognize the courage of each genin through the awards system. I also believe Datsu and Kaito are more than formidable enough for the upcoming festivities."

Rekano sat down and digested the information. "There's so much to say and no time to say it in. I don't know how I can thank you for what you have done for my village."

Konohamaru smiled. "Here's what I recommend. Offer all the innocent shinobi's a position in your ranks. I'm certain Akano would make an excellent third member to Datsu's team."

"And what of the injuries? They are pretty serious, so maybe we should keep them all here to recover."

Konohamaru shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. We have Konoha's fourth best medic here. They'll be good to go in two days at the most." Rekano couldn't help but raise his eyebrow in intrigue.

"So I've heard. Are the rumors of the Hokage's son really all true?" Konohamaru nodded his head.

"Honestly, I scarcely get to see him fight. When he does, it's always like a joke to him. Give him four years and he'll likely be rivaling even Naruto. Right now, I believe he is rated third strongest of our village. I'm number four, tied with Kakashi-san. Isami's only eighteen and he's mastered genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and just about anything you can ask about." Rekano chuckled.

"He must be quite the genius, huh?" Konohamaru rolled his eyes at that statement. "A man like that truly never comes around within a hundred years." Rekano rubbed his chin. "If he just got some more seasoned experience about him and learned more about being a leader, I could see him actually becoming a better candidate than you for Hokage, if only by a hair." Konohamaru narrowed his eyes, but shed a smirk. "How do you think Yuuki is doing in comparison?"

Konohamaru scoffed. "It's perplexing just how quickly her potential is expanding. She was an average academy youth two months ago. Once she started training, her chakra pool shot higher than I've ever seen a genins. She is going to be a jonin in no time at all." Rekano nodded, imploring him to continue. "I guess I'll give her a non-biased breakdown; she is the owner of the Byakugan and ice elemental ninjutsu. Most importantly, her intellect in strategy already rivals Shikamaru. Incredibly wise, her father's guts, shadow clone training, and chakra potentially greater than a tailed beast eventually. If she chooses, she will easily be stronger than her brother at his peak in about five years."

Rekano was impressed with Konohamaru's boast. "I look forward to the day. Team Seven of Konoha is back, huh?"

Konohamaru stared into the other room. "I dare say that's an understatement. We may see shinobi at the caliber of the First Hokage and Madara!"

OoOoOoOo

"I'm quite astonished with your healing prowess. How is it even possible?" Noriko moved her leg around, noting its progress. Isami had completely fused the bone back together and had almost finished mending the tissue. He took a moment to wipe off the sweat.

"It wasn't the easiest thing I've done, but having the byakugan really helps. I learned a lot from Takeshi's mother. I'm sure you could branch out and learn from her as well." He paused to give her a smile. "You'll get to my level in no time." Noriko blushed before breaking eye contact with him.

"So, Yuuki and Takeshi would be able to become the best healers out of us. I don't have a fancy dojutsu." Isami shook his head.

"It takes more than a stupid eye to become a great healer. Take Takeshi's mother for example: She has no ninja lineage, and she's the greatest medic on the planet. It takes talent or a strong reason to truly master them." Noriko tilted her head down in consideration. In fact, all of the great medics of Konoha lacked a dojutsu.

"You said talent and motive. What was your reason to learn?" Isami looked over to the other room.

"At first, my younger sister." Isami's face was more sincere than normal. "I've been anticipating this position for a long time, and I've strived to get myself to this point. In the past year, I've given a lot of consideration on my future. If you love someone, you stop at nothing to ensure their safety." Isami looked back to Noriko as she stared into the room. He rose to his feet and laughed. "You saved two lives you know. You have my thanks, and trust." Isami roughed Noriko's hair up before taking his leave.

She smiled as the door shut. "I can see why the Uzumakis are so revered. The sheer level of power and heart is inspirational." As she prepared to go to sleep, she whispered someone's name quietly to herself.

OoOoOoOo

She awoke in panic. As her mind slowly reassured her it was a dream, Yuuki finally regained her breath. Feeling exhausted, she rolled out of bed and headed into the living room. Just when she finished pouring her glass of water, she stopped and stared. Her mind raced, but wasn't really acknowledging any thoughts. It was late, yet she didn't feel the desire to sleep.

"Rough night I take it?" Despite the softness of it, Takeshi's voice made her jump. She quickly grabbed the jug of water and rushed to the fridge.

"Just thirsty. I always drink water at night." Takeshi narrowed his eyes.

"Stop." Takeshi shocked her with a hug. "Just tell me, Yuuki." Tears filled her eyes as she returned the hug. There's no need for words. From what I heard, she almost died in an instant. He held her closer. Yet another time I failed to protect her.

After a half-hour, she finally mustered words. "Takeshi…don't blame yourself." He stared ahead without a flinch. Yuuki looked up to him, trying to judge his expression through the dark. It wasn't sadness that filled him inside, but he was clearly upset. Takeshi had his sharingan out as he continued to stare out the window. Yuuki activated her byakugan to attempt to find the source of his glare, but could see nothing. Oh. He doesn't even know he has it activated right now. Is he that mad? As she looked up Takeshi sighed.

"When we get back, I'll take my parents up on that intense training." He put his hands on her shoulders and made eye contact. The feint light made their eyes glow in red and purple. "Yuuki, nothing like this will ever-" Before he knew what was happening, Yuuki's lips pressed against his. Just as he began to panic, the smell of lavender soothed him into a moment of bliss. Slowly, they pulled away from each other, locking eyes once more. His stupefied face made Yuuki chuckle before he laughed himself.

After the laughing broke down, only a brief moment ensued. Yuuki spoke first. "I'm not afraid of any enemy. What I feared the most was never showing you how I felt." Takeshi blushed as he rubbed his neck.

"I'm not sure what to say…" Yuuki narrowed her eyes and tilted her head forward. Takeshi sighed before grinning ear-to-ear. "I guess our fears are can be put to rest then." With his approval now clear, Yuuki jumped on him with the tightest hug she could muster. The force nearly knocked Takeshi off his feet, but he maintained his balance. As he stroked her hair, he felt himself immersed in the very scent he longed for. "We both need to get stronger now. You know we'll be catching hell back home." They shared a laugh before going in for another kiss.

OoOoOoOo

As the group ate breakfast, Noriko's eyes shifted between Yuuki and Takeshi. She wasn't the only one either. Isami and Konohamaru had taken note of their chipper moods and gave them a few awkward stares. Finally, Yuuki put her food down in annoyance and looked them over. Everyone attempted to look back to their food. "If it will break the atmosphere in here, yes, we are officially dating." Isami began choking on a stray piece of bacon. Konohamaru did his best to smack it out of him as Noriko's jaw remained profoundly dropped. Yuuki took a glance around the room as Takeshi was tinted a slight red color. Datsu had put his arm around him and whispered in his ear, snickering all the while. Before Yuuki nagged Datsu, Kaito interrupted.

"Yes, well congratulations you two and good luck." All eyes focused on the boy. "Well…not to be rude, but shouldn't we be headed to the main office?" Konohamaru jumped up and nodded.

"Yes, great point. You two have to meet your new team members." Datsu and Kaito both made eye contact with each other.

"Hnnn?"

OoOoOoOo

Rekano enjoyed a relaxing sit with a fresh cup of hot coffee. His morning was surprisingly peaceful in comparison to normal. Just as he went for a sip, the door slammed open. "Hey, what the hell is this bull shit about new team members?" Rekano had anticipated such an interruption, yet barely managed to save his coffee. That is, until Datsu took it from his hands and chugged it. After disposing of it properly (A.K.A. throwing the glass out his window), Datsu began running around in pain. "HOT! HOT! I think I'm gonna-"

A loud slamming of the desk cut off the interruption as Rekano restrained his ninja assassin instincts. "Datsu, if you cannot relax, I will be forced to strangle you to death. We don't want that, now do we?" Datsu only needed one look at Rekano to note the sincerity in his words. As the group caught up, a mild chatter soon became a loquacious mess. Rekano rubbed his eyebrows until a new voice entered the scene.

"That's enough out of all of you!" Everyone now looked at the source of the disruption. Every genins' jaw dropped. As he entered the room, Shin sighed. "I guess you weren't debriefed fully yet. Damn."

"Are you sure these two are even remotely compatible with my skills? How were they an acceptable team in the first place?" Akano was quick to judge his new peers. Datsu narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, who the hell are these guys? They seem like they want to fight! And why do they have our head band? And what's up with this fruit cake in robes?" Before Datsu was annihilated by the room, even more people appeared behind them.

"I'll go in order of rank." The women pointed to Shin. "This is Shin-sama. He is an ex-jonin who has returned to the village after ten years. He will be your new sensei." Datsu's jaw dropped and Kaito exhaled slightly heavier out his nose. She now pointed to herself. "I'm Nia. I'm seventeen and have been placed in charge of my two friends here." A quick point to the couple behind her lightened the atmosphere. "The one who's afraid of girls over there is Zente." She pointed to an irked man.

"Come on! You can't just stomp my reputation right off the bat like that! Its only CROWDS of girls, get it?" Karui patted him on the back as he sulked.

"Aww, cheer up pervert! I'll introduce you for you." The blond turned to them with a deviously joyous smile. "This is Zente, he's a pervert." If it was possible, Zente sank his head a bit lower. She put her hand on her modest chest. "I'm Karui! We've graciously been given the rank of chunin after a quick assessment, so hurry up and get to our rank!" Yuuki grinned when Karui gave her a wink. "Oh! And this guy here is Akano. Don't let his weak demeanor fool you, he's really quite sturdy. And If I remember correctly, you two needed a sensor type anyways." Both Akano and Datsu glared at Karui.

"Outstanding, now let's just get this over with. We're going on a collaboration mission for two months to Konoha. Pack." Datsu put his foot down finally.

"Whoa, what the hell? We're not going to even check the structure of the team before we go? And can I at least pick our team name?" Rekano heard Datsu out, knowing that he probably spoke in place of Kaito as well.

"If it will shut you up, yes, think of a name. There's really no time for these kind of-"

"Team Seven!" After all the ridiculous things he'd done, you'd think they would have just opened their jaws beforehand. Before anyone began screaming at him, Datsu pulled back. "Of the Hidden Rivers of course! I know, I know! I was joking, but I think it would be healthy competition for when Konoha's Team Seven is gone. I think it's fair we make a unanimous team decision." Now this was a treat Rekano had never seen before. Datsu was being reasonable.

Kaito approached Akano, who was feeling a little out of place. Rekano witnessed as Kaito unsheathed his hand and extended it towards Akano. "My name is Kaito, and that loud mouth fool is Datsu. I hope you're ready to be a river ninja." Akano accepted the hand shake quietly and Shin nodded ever so slightly.

"If there's nothing else, sir, I'd like to get us named and on our way." Rekano snapped out of his daze in order to answer his old teammate.

"Yes, you're right." The three river genins faced their kage. "You're mission is to attend the chunin exams in two months. It's more of a vacation if you ask me." Datsu's eyes lit up. "You should thank Akano, for you can't enter without three-man teams." Datsu could have kissed Akano on the spot. "The leaf has been our ally through our entire history, yet it is only us who have received aid. I want you three to build our nations reputation, so don't waste these two months siting on your asses and making a mess. That leaves just one thing: Your team name.

Shin looked at Datsu and Kaito. They both seemed to agree with Datsu's plan. Akano straight told his new sensei he didn't give two shits about the name. Shin turned to Rekano and smiled. "Looks like you'll be calling us team seven from now on. Yay…"

Konohamaru smirked. "May the best team Seven win then?"

Rekano smirked at the lightning that bounced between the two teams. "Alright, you'll be later than expected at this rate. Get going Team Sevens!" With an explosion of leaves, Isami arrived on scene.

"Got it." Before he blinked and noticed the mess, Isami had already flashed everyone but Rekano out of the room.

Instead of getting mad, Rekano propped his feet up and enjoyed the silence. "At least Datsu will be gone and I'll have time to think." As he crossed his arms behind his head, he looked out his window. "I wonder when I should tell him." Rekano lit up his cigarette. "Maybe he's getting old enough to handle something like that now."

OoOoOoOo

"You never saw me." Isami put his wolf mask on before disappearing solo once more.

"Oh thank god!" Everyone set down their stuff and basked in the fact that their walk was shaved to around two miles. It didn't take long for Yuuki to notice the three chunin. "Aw crap, did he really take you guys on accident?"

Zente sighed. "Yes he did. Luckily, we were given a supervision role until team seven is all set. Are jobs were supposed to be in a couple weeks, but I guess we can start early…" He cringed at the amount of things in his pack. "I've never liked paperwork. I can't stand it in fact."

"Alright, enough complaining. Let's get this mission report out of the way." Shin rolled his head over to Konohamaru, who gave him a nod.

As they made their way to the gates, the six genins were dismissed. It was early in the day, so there was no point in dragging them all into the Hokage's office.

Isami dropped by the team sevens once more. Yuuki crossed her arms. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. Listen, you all need to start some serious training, as the fights are only going to get better from here on out." The group looked each other over before looking back to him. "Alright, so you have been training pretty hard, but I recommend you have a team seven and team seven training team to help team seven adjust properly to team seven's fighting styles before the exam." He rolled his eyes up to attempt to rehash what he said.

"I think that's a great idea. That way I can find out if this robe wearing snob is any good." Akano glared at him.

"As much as I would be inclined to indulge in showing you up, I believe it is necessary to train in teamwork today." Datsu sneered at his proper etiquette.

"Actually I was planning on that. Do it the day before the exam, as there's much to be discussed and learned beforehand." Isami created two clones. "Follow this clone; he'll take you to training field nine. I will inform your sensei on your whereabouts." Isami turned to his sister. "Yuuki, can I have a word with you for a moment?" She and Takeshi shrugged and she was teleported far away.

OoOoOoOo

"Isami, what the hell!" Yuuki went to physically assault her brother when she noted his serious demeanor. She withdrew her fist and crossed her arms. "What?"

Isami rubbed his chin with his byakugan active. "I've been working on a theory for a while now, but I think you're by far the best shot I have at really collecting the data."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow. "Really? Since when do you think?" Isami remained uncommonly quiet. Yuuki sighed. "Alright, if I help you out, will you take me back home?"

Isami smirked as he deactivated his byakugan. "First, I think I should inform you of the study." Yuuki wouldn't show it, but she was curious about it. "What do you know about chakra growth?"

Yuuki rolled her eyes at another one of his famous controversy questions. "Well, if we're talking growth, then the more battles you fight and the older you get, the more you end up gaining. Basically, if I used chakra every day, then I would naturally gain more. Of course we could go into the theory of chakra itself, but that's the gest." Isami smiled again.

"Yeah, screw that. Not that I completely disagree, but this is what I'm thinking: Chakra pools are naturally increased the more you tap it out. We can infer that these experiences have usually come from life-threatening fights. However, you have tapped yourself almost dry before and emerged stronger. Even though genetics are a definite advantage in your case, I think one of the two situations mentioned have increased your pool." Yuuki crossed her arms and gave him serious consideration.

"So you want me to drain my chakra dry and see if it increases again in a few days?" Isami's face twitched as she saw through his scheme.

"Alright, yes I do. But that doesn't go without some sort of productivity. There's a technique dad wanted me to teach you when you were ready." Yuuki watched as Isami held his palm out. Her blood raced as the chakra swirled into a fine ball.

"Rasengan…" Yuuki's eyes transfixed on it in awe. Isami let her experience it before letting it fade away. It wasn't long before Yuuki was grinning at him.

"That's right! Listen carefully: Power, spin, and compact." He walked to the tree line and planted an imprint of the three steps on one. "Focus hard and you'll master it in no time." He turned to her and smirked. "My record was five days. Dad did it in a week, but before that, our grandfather invented it in three years. Don't beat yourself up if you can't do it as quick. I won't help you do it, but I will be watching silently from the distance. You won't hurt yourself while I'm around." Yuuki held feint disappointment in her eyes. Isami put his hand on her shoulder. "Takeshi will understand. It's going to be a busy two months for both of you." Yuuki nodded as she put up a single hand seal.

"I'll finish this in a couple hours! Taijuu kage bunshin no jutsu!" Isami put on his wolf mask with a smile as a hundred clones coated the remote field. "Alright, you all know the plan." The crowd partnered up. One of them would do basic concentration in their hand and the other would use the byakugan to analyze and brainstorm. Yuuki herself took both roles.

Ok, focus chakra into my hand…check. She only used just enough to create a subtle glow. Alright, now I need to spin it. Yuuki put all of her imagination on ways of spinning it while keeping her chakra use low. After a few trial and errors, she put her hands down. It had already been ten minutes. "Alright, let's see what everyone came up with." She released her clones and felt a strong relief hit her. Ok, concentrate…check. Interesting, now I'll try using the rotation of my chakra coils…The chakra slowly began to twist. Yuuki smiled as she focused on increasing the rotation speed. Bingo. Faster and faster she spun it, until it molded itself into a shallow discus shape. Wait a minute, this is completely wrong. I think Isami wanted me to start with power…hmm. Yuuki continued to spin her chakra even faster. The chakra began to pancake and glow brighter. As she pushed it as hard as she could, her teeth gritted. That's the fastest I can go. Let's see what I got. "Ha!" She slammed it against a tree and like a hot knife through butter, it was severed clean through. The chakra still remained its vibrant color as she continued to slash through trees. This isn't the same at all, but you can't say I don't know how to spin chakra. She eased it out and took a minute to process what to do next.

"Well, that was unexpected." Isami stood behind her with his arms crossed. As she turned to him, he mimicked her move. "I never thought to emphasize the spin over power. Looks like a destructo disc." Yuuki narrowed her eyes at him. "Before you ask, yes, I just made that up." He allowed it to dissipate. "Regardless, you have one of the steps down. You should have probably paid more attention, but it should be fine. Here," He tossed her two rubber balls. "Break one of those with chakra alone, and then break the other one with a more refined method please." Yuuki judged the balls' density. It was a very strong rubber, not even feasible to squeeze. "I'll be gone for thirty minutes. And I could say something right now, but I don't think that's even necessary. Don't have too much fun little sister."

With a powerful burst of rage, she unloaded at massive influx of power into the ball and violently blasted it open. Isami's jaw dropped. "How's that for power? Don't put me on the same level as you, pervert!" Isami took a final good look at his sister. When did she get so strong?

Isami slowly turned away before half looking back. I don't think it's fair for anyone to fight her as a genin. "Take it easy, killer. I'll be back before you run dry. And let me know if you meet anyone interesting. That's the second reason for this experiment." Isami disappeared in a flash once more.

Is it really supposed to be that hard? She focused her chakra until it held a firm pressure and began spinning it. The added strength bloated the disk and made it more difficult to get its velocity faster. The rubber ball melted with a hiss. I guess I just have to focus on making a ball like Isami did now. She clinched her hand before opening it slowly. That's weird, I've barely even broken a sweat and my chakra hasn't even dipped under ninety percent…who is this mysterious stranger he was talking about? Whatever, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Isami watched intently from a distance as his sister unleashed more clones than he could track. "This is more than I ever could have anticipated. Her chakra pool just keeps expanding! I think it's getting close to bijuu level already. I know this can't just be a coincidence." He put his palm on the ground. "I need to consult dad on this one."

OoOoOoOo

"So that's it in a nutshell. I take full responsibility for neglecting their safety." Naruto put his hand against his head.

Isami made it to the meeting just as Konohamaru's debrief concluded.

"No, this isn't your fault. I would have made the same decision. Still, Isami was with them. If I know any better, it was Yuuki that persuaded everyone to trust the fight to her." Naruto exhaled. "She takes after me too much." Naruto made stern eye contact with Isami. "I won't sit here and tell you that you almost left your sister to die, only because I know you trusted her ability. However, something like this is never going to happen again. I know you had to work in the shadows, and Yuuki is pretty observant, but you have to compromise sometimes."

Isami took his mask off and bowed his head slightly. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but Yuuki managed to discover me before the mission. As the mission progressed, I revealed myself to the team." Naruto narrowed his eyes. Isami glanced away. "I never took an eye off of Yuuki, but I also knew that Noriko could heal her. Yuuki survived because her unharmed shadow clone and the barrier she made out of shadow clones." Naruto listened to Isami impatiently. "I have reason to believe Biton was working under direction of Hell's Phoenix." Naruto's hand stopped tapping. Isami stood normal again. "After analyzing his chakra, it almost felt like it didn't fully belong to him. On top of that, he stated to Zente that he was a member of Hell's Phoenix, known as the One for Deception. Not to mention that defeating Biton would have cancelled the jutsu genjutsu Nia was under, aiding Yuuki in the process." Nia nodded her head slightly.

Naruto shifted in his seat to a more relaxed position. "Alright, we'll be collaborating with the village hidden in the rivers on this matter."

"One more thing, if I may add Hokage-sama." Naruto's eyes pierced through Nia's as she spoke, sending a chill down her spine. "Your daughter would have overpowered me, even as I used my greatest skill. I know I can't undo what I did, but even after the fact, she was set on saving me. It speaks worlds for her character." Naruto nodded slightly and eased on the glare. "But are you sure it's safe for her to face other genin in the exam? She bested me, and I'm apparently near jonin level." Naruto smirked.

"Yuuki wouldn't be so careless as to seriously harm others without reason. I think you also underestimate some of our other genin teams here, as well as your own team seven. The talent coming in the next exam is going to be badass. You may even learn something from watching it." Naruto rose with a satisfied look on his face and Isami felt more relaxed, but still concerned. I don't think he fully understands the Yuuki we've seen. "I'll talk more with you two later, but first, we need to get our guest a place to stay."

OoOoOoOo

"Are you sure you want to start today?" Takeshi stared at his parents with confidence. Sasuke formed a smile. "Good, just don't expect this to be painless. Sakura is our greatest healer, so that means broken bones can be mended." Takeshi felt sweat trickle down his neck as he looked at his mother.

Sakura put on her battle gloves and smiled herself. "I'm only doing this because I love you, Takeshi." Before he knew it, Sakura blasted him in the ribs with a crushing punch. Takeshi flew into a rock and felt himself break. However, before he could pass out, his wounds quickly healed. All the pain of the strike was there, but no evidence of an attack was shown. "I swear this isn't just to torture you. The technique I use sets a delayed heal to occur throughout the body. Your bone strength and pain tolerance are going to sky rocket." Takeshi forced himself up and unleashed his sharingan. However, he was electrocuted without warning.

"If you can't see my blade swing, you will never be able to evade it." Takeshi shook himself back into the training and focused chakra into his ears and feet. Sasuke took a slower test swing and watched as Takeshi evaded it by an inch. This made his father smirk. "I see you've learned a few tricks then. This should be more fun than training Hitomi." Takeshi thought to himself. I hope Yuuki's got it easier than I do…speaking of which, when should I tell mother and father about us?

OoOoOoOo

"Hey, you made it!" Noriko approached the man as she drew her swords without a response. "Straight to training then? Oh well." He pulled out a kunai and pointed it downwards. In the other hand, he gathered a green chakra. "A medic needs to be able to avoid every attack, no matter what. If you go down, who else will keep the team alive and battle ready?"

"I'm not a pushover, but I know how powerful you are. Isami-San, please train me as much as you can." Noriko dashed at him and began a flurry of fluent slashes. To her surprise, he simply parried her blows with a standard kunai. Before she could continue, He pelted her in the solar plexus. His movements were too fast to even react.

"First step, don't get hit. I think that's right anyways…" Isami seemed to be having a good time as she struggled for breath. "I wouldn't wear yourself down with those swords." Noriko grinned at him. "I'm telling you, it won't work."

Noriko jumped in the air and channeled lightning and wind chakra in either blade. However, Isami just smiled right back. She lashed out with even greater speed, but now he simply dodged every blow. Even as she varied the amount wind chakra, it seemed to just pass over him. She withdrew and gathered a mass of wind chakra before swinging as hard as possible. "How are you not even getting scratched?"

Isami caught the blade and canceled the wind chakra. "Did it ever occur to you that I can use wind chakra to?" Her eyes shot open as he shoved her blade up. Next she felt like freezing rain was pelting her body. Before she knew it, she fell. Isami crossed his arms. "Are you going to cool your head?" Noriko couldn't budge her limbs no matter how hard she tried. No way, I barely saw a second of movement and he already closed my chakra highway? Isami jolted. "On second thought, I've got to go real quick. Don't go anywhere!" Isami flashed away as Noriko gritted her teeth.

"Bastard, I can't go anywhere! At least undo this first!"

OoOoOoOo

The clone pointed from the bushes at Yuuki. "She's too fast." As it dispersed, Isami stared wide eyed at the battered area Yuuki had carved. Yuuki herself took a deep breath after releasing her clones.

"I hope you're watching out there: Both of you!" Isami felt a hand on his shoulder as Naruto watched.

"Sorry to stop by uninvited, but this isn't something I want to miss." Yuuki curled her arm up and spun her chakra swiftly. After that, the chakra grew more intense and finally compacted. Once she was satisfied, she turned their way as they came into view. Naruto crossed his arm with shock as he noted it was a legit rasengan. "Wait, how long have you been learning that jutsu?" Naruto looked to Isami.

Isami smiled as he put his hands behind his head. "About one hour and thirty minutes. However, according to my clone, about an hour of it was spent with around two-hundred clones on average. Soo, if you want to get technical, about eight days. Took you long enough, sis." Being the first time Naruto knew of her chakra and skill with clones, his jaw dropped.

Yuuki smiled as she lifted the ball of chakra. "A loop hole is a loop hole. One and a half hours is the new record, officially of course." Isami narrowed his eyes.

"What are you implying now?" Yuuki held out her other hand and formed another rasengan, this time silencing both of them.

"Seriously, I've had it down for a while." She let them dissipate in her hands before looking back to them. "More importantly, why is my chakra pool growing so fast? I've been a genin for two months and my chakra has already increased fifty-fold. That's not normal." Isami and Naruto sighed as they looked at each other. Her dad gave her the first response.

"How much do you know about the nine-tails sealed within me, Yuuki?"

She crossed her arms. "It's the most powerful bijuu alive, it has super-fast healing, and it was once considered pure evil."

Naruto shrugged a little. "Well, yes, but it's not so evil anymore." 'Screw you, my fury crushed the world in a crippling fear for centuries! The great Kyuubi will not toler' Shut the hell up while I'm talking Kurama! "Anyways, there's something I've known for a while now: The fox has been gathering and sealing my chakra for decades. I assume he gave it to you, if that makes sense." Isami jolted up.

"Maybe that's it! Between dad's countless attempts at creating an ice jutsu and the Kyuubi's gift, I'd say that is the source of all this."

Yuuki gave it another shovel deeper. "If all of this is genetic, then why is it only just now kicking in, and why doesn't Isami have this?" Isami sank into a thought.

"To my understanding, these were meant to slowly unlock as you grew older." Isami narrowed his eyes. "But this isn't just an ordinary progression. Something must have jammed it in a trickle state. And I have a theory as to why I don't have nearly as much chakra."

Naruto seemed to be dazed in thought. Not before long, he snapped back to reality. "Seems like you're right. He won't give me a good reason for it, bastard. I'll dig for a while, but for now we'll just patch the break. You can handle that, right Isami?"

The fox knows more than he's letting on…shame he's always going to sleep now. "It might sting a little…" He focused chakra into his fingers and jabbed it into Yuuki stomach. She felt as if her coils themselves were incinerated. After a few seconds, the pain went away and she actually felt better. "That seal I gave you stopped your chakra pool from expanding so rapidly. It'll still grow naturally and will even call on the added pool when you're in a stressful situation. However, once it expands your pool, you can't contract it. Everyone can only handle so much before it becomes overwhelming. Don't try too hard; while it seems your body can handle it, you have more than enough to last you ten years."

Yuuki looked down and touched where his palm hit. He gave her a quick wink. With a slight smirk she nodded back to him. Naruto put his hands on the group and smiled. "Well, I've got things to do. Make sure you two get home at a good hour. And Yuuki…" She looked at him, anticipating a scold. "Great job on the mission. If you want to talk about anything you feel went bad, I'm all ears. However, in my eyes you went above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference. Congratulations on learning the rasengan to!" Maybe she does have what it takes to get involved in this coming fight. Naruto disappeared and Isami turned to her.

"Yuuki, your body can support at least double your current chakra right now. Food for thought." Isami grinned at her shock before he put on a sober face. "Since you've mastered the rasengan so quickly, what do you plan on doing now? I know you have an idea."

Yuuki crossed her arms and thought. "There is something, but I have more pressing issues at hand. If I'm going to do well in the chunin exams, I need to round off flaws in my game. I know genjutsu is the major one right now, but I need to consider speed as well. I wouldn't mind being handy with a blade as well." Isami reached in his pack for blank cards and channeled chakra into them. Yuuki tilted her head.

"I took the liberty of bringing these with me. All I do is focus on whom I need basic stats of and it will roughly tell me. When you get your picture taken as a ninja, it also takes a sample of your chakra and calculates the stats." He lifted his hand and felt his hairs rise. There's no way she's going to have competition in these exams if she rounds herself off. "This, however, I definitely didn't expect!"

-A/N-

Another cliffhanger, how dare I? You'll see how I designed my statistic spreadsheet for all the characters, as well as a major character being introduced. No, Yuuki is not going to be a canon Naruto knock off if that's what you're thinking. Review to help me better myself, read to see if you can call it!