Opening 5 - Uragiri no Yuuyake by Theatre Brook

Naruto woke with a gasp, and his Rinnegan eyes opened with their bloody red color fading back to purple as they did. He immediately sat up and looked around; he was still stretched out on the ground where he'd collapsed. Jiraiya, Tenten, Asuma and Hinata were standing around him, while Zabuza seemed to be watching for any remaining Oto-nin.

"I'm okay," he quickly spoke up, and climbed to his feet. "Sorry about that," he added sheepishly.

Hinata wrapped her arms around him. "What happened, Naruto?"

"Uh..." he glanced around. "Kurama wanted to talk to me. So did my dad."

"Your dad," Jiraiya repeated, immediately drawing Naruto's attention. "What did he say?"

"He said 'Gerotora,'" Naruto replied quickly. "That's the name of the toad that has my seal key, and when we get a minute, I want to talk to him."

"Is it just me who's out of the loop?" Zabuza threw in. "Who the hell's Kurama? What seal key? Why does a toad have it?"

"All of those are S-rank secrets," Jiraiya answered firmly. "I advise all of you not to question this matter until it's declassified, which may be in a few days or a few years. Naruto, we can talk about Gerotora later, in private. Right now, we need to-"

"Split into three groups," Naruto finished. "Asuma-sensei, Zabuza-sensei, take Temari and Sasuke to a medic team. Tenten, Gaara's unconscious in that forest over there." he pointed to the Nativity of a World of Trees left behind by the First Hokage, while Jiraiya blinked in surprise. "Jiraiya-sensei, Hina-chan, and I are going to find the Konoha Council in this mess, and deliver this..." he reached into his pouch and produced the Third's scroll, "to Homura and Koharu specifically."

Jiraiya reached forward and plucked the scroll from Naruto's hand. "Kid... these scrolls are only issued to the Hokage and his direct subordinates. This is his will. Does that mean...?"

Naruto was suddenly, painfully aware that Asuma was less than five feet from him. He turned to look at his Jounin sensei, who was unnervingly calm, blank-faced. "How did it happen?" he asked, after a few moments. "Did Orochimaru kill him?"

"He used something called the Reaper Death Seal," Naruto replied, "to seal the First and Second Hokages and save our lives. He took Orochimaru's hands, too, somehow. I'm sorry, Asuma-sensei."

"Did he say anything, before he...?"

"'Keep the Will of Fire burning strong in my absence.'"

Asuma sighed, and turned away as he pulled a cigarette from his flak jacket. "That sounds like what he would say." he lit the tobacco with fire chakra, and said quietly, "Come on, Zabuza. Help me dig Sasuke out of that house, or what's left of it."

"I... I'll go get Gaara," Tenten said after a long, shocked silence, and quickly dashed away in search of her boyfriend.

"That leaves us," Jiraiya said grimly. "All that's left for us to do now is focus on the mission. We can't let our grief take over our thoughts just yet, so we need to just carry on, for now."

Hinata nodded, and Naruto replied, "Let's go find Koharu and Homura." Jiraiya handed back the scroll after a brief hesitation, and Naruto stowed it safely in his pouch. "Hinata, can you spot them with your Byakugan?"

She silently triggered her doujutsu, and searched the village for a few seconds. "They're six streets north of us with Danzou Shimura, fighting a few remaining Oto-nin."

Naruto scowled. "Let's go." Jiji wanted to make sure his scroll never ended up in Danzou's hands. He didn't trust the guy, which means...

...Neither should we, Kurama finished. Watch what you say around him.

How's it going in there? The Jinchuuriki asked while jumping along the rooftops of Konoha. With the seal the way it is, all torn up?

When you get that seal key, I expect you to fix this place up anyway, Kurama replied immediately. For starters, I want these bars gone. It'll be a lair, not a cage, and I expect it to appear as such.

When we get the key, I'll see what I can do.

Naruto remained silent, and unsealed his sword as he spotted the three elders comprising the Konoha Council. He noted dully that they were under attack from an Oto shinobi who was wearing an ANBU mask and a black cloak that hid the rest of his body and his equipment. Odd. I thought Oto didn't have ANBU.

So did I, kid. Kurama watched through his host's eyes, mildly surprised, as Naruto unsealed his cutlass and used his Empty Wind Jutsu.

The eyes of the Konoha Council widened as Naruto reappeared before the ANBU, catching him off-guard with an upward diagonal slash on the latter's chest. The cutlass wielder blurred again, this time moving behind his foe and delivering a similar blow to the man's back.

This is wrong... I shouldn't have been able to catch an ANBU off-guard like this! Naruto scowled, but said nothing on the subject, instead letting the ANBU cry out and fall forward. "Those wounds aren't fatal," the Jinchuuriki declared loudly. "Not if you receive medical attention to keep you from bleeding out. In exchange for your life, you'll talk to us. Tell us whatever we want to know."

The ANBU said nothing, and after a few seconds Naruto rolled him over onto his back, pulling off the ceramic mask to reveal that the man was dead; his eyes staring blankly up at the sun. "Foolish boy," Danzou remarked. "ANBU from every village are expected to die before revealing their village's secrets, even more so than an ordinary shinobi. Torture means nothing to someone who wears such a mask, and one's life is an acceptable price to pay at any time. This man likely took a suicide pill."

Naruto bent down and pulled the man's mouth open, frowning. There was a sequence of rectangular symbols burned into the tongue, forming a larger rectangle. "...This doesn't look like any suicide pill I've ever heard of. More like someone flicked the killswitch on a juinjutsu. That fits Orochimaru's style pretty well."

He turned to face the elders, noting that Danzou was uninjured while Koharu and Homura had been lightly cut in several places. Jiraiya and Hinata leapt down from the rooftops to join him, just before he began, "I... I'm sorry to tell you guys this, but Hokage-sama is..."

"Dead," Danzou finished. "I heard that news several minutes ago, and briefed Homura and Koharu less than a minute before now. We were just discussing who should succeed him when that ANBU," he pointed to the corpse at Naruto's feet, "showed up."

"About that..." Naruto examined the mask in his hand. "This guy wasn't ANBU-level, not even close. I'd never be able to take down someone of that skill level, so what the hell was this guy doing with an ANBU mask?" he flipped the mask over and ran a finger over the back of the mask. "It's authentic, so did he take it from a dead ANBU? If so, why?"

"I find that unlikely," Danzou said calmly. "ANBU can be recruited from any age and skill level; they're not chosen for their power but for their potential power, and their aptitude for ANBU missions. Torture, assassination, that sort of thing. It means that a newly recruited ANBU can be anywhere between Chuunin and upper Jounin-level."

"So why would Orochimaru send a Chuunin-level fighter after you three?"

"You're jumping to conclusions," Danzou replied. "This one was likely just a foot soldier who saw us here and decided to earn Orochimaru's favor by eliminating the Konoha Council. Orochimaru wouldn't underestimate we three so much as to think a Chuunin could kill us, no matter how old we've gotten."

Naruto remained silent for a few moments. Everything he's said is reasonable, but... he seems off somehow. I don't think I'd trust him, even if jiji hadn't warned us about him. "Hokage-sama... gave me this before he died." he pulled the scroll from his pouch, and moved to hand it to Homura. As he expected, Danzou immediately reached for it, and scowled when Naruto pulled his hand back sharply. "He also insisted that I make sure you didn't get your hands on it," he continued, surprising Homura and Koharu. "Maybe you could explain why?"

As he watched Naruto hand the scroll to Koharu, Danzou remained silent, considering his choice of words carefully. "Hiruzen disagreed with the methods I've used to protect the village. He likely imagined I'd destroy his will in order to potentially become Hokage, instead of whoever he chose. To be quite honest, I would have considered it, however I currrently lack the support necessary to claim the hat. There are other candidates that the village as a whole would support more." he nodded to Jiraiya as an example. "So, Koharu-dono, let's hear it. Who did Hiruzen name as his successor?"

Koharu scanned further down the scroll. "He's written a lot more than that here," she said after a moment, "but he named Tsunade Senju his first choice as the Fifth Hokage, followed by Jiraiya, and then Kakashi Hatake." she sighed. "There's so much written here... so much to think about."

"Might I see it?" Danzou requested politely.

Koharu shook her head. "He's written, here at the top, that you are forbidden to read the scroll under any and all circumstances." Danzou frowned, but remained silent. "He chose Jiraiya to be the keeper of the scroll until its instructions are carried out." she handed the scroll to the Toad Sage. "You're expected to remain in contact with us," she declared, "so the Council can cooperate with you to carry out the Third Hokage's posthumous orders."

"Why me?" the sage asked incredulously.

"I suspect it's because many of those instructions are for you specifically," she admitted.

"...Where do we start?" he asked with a sigh.

"Chuunin promotions," Koharu answered. "Hokage-sama felt that Konoha and Suna are better off promoting our Genin now, rather than waiting until we have a Fifth Hokage to hand the vests out formally." she cast a lingering, appraising look at Naruto, confusing the boy. "...Genin Uzumaki and Hyuuga, you're to each write a formal report of what happened with you, Hokage-sama, and Orochimaru. Gaara no Sabaku will be expected to do the same. Deliver them tomorrow morning." she turned to leave, followed by Homura. "When the time comes, you'll be summoned for the Chuunin promotion ceremony."

Danzou watched the other two elders leave, then turned his attention to Naruto. "I saw that look she gave you, child," he declared. "It tells me that Hiruzen wrote something about you in that scroll, and she was surprised by it. He expects... expected great things from you. You'll eventually rise to power in this village, and when that day comes, don't make me your enemy. To oppose me is to oppose Konoha's interests. It's treason, and I will kill you for it."

Naruto considered this for several seconds. "If... you don't want to be my enemy," he said hesitantly, carefully, "then don't be. Show me I can trust you, when the time comes."

Danzou chuckled, and turned to leave. "We are ninja, boy. Trust is a concept not meant for our kind; it gets us killed. Regardless, you shouldn't speak as if you'll ever be a player of this game on my level."

"And what level are you playing on, exactly?"

Danzou stopped walking away, and glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. "Every level," he replied solemnly. "As I must, to detect and intercept a threat to my village on any and all levels. In simpler terms, that means I'm a player of the highest level. I have the most power, authority, control. I see the farthest, my sword is the most deadly, and my plans are the most extensive. Remember this: there is only one king on Konoha's side of the board, and it is neither the Daimyou nor the Hokage."

Then he left.

Naruto frowned. I thought so, he clenched his right fist around the hilt of his sword. Danzou and jiji were fighting for control of the village, behind the scenes. Now that jiji's gone... he sealed the weapon, still frowning thoughtfully. We need a Fifth Hokage, badly.

"Don't worry about it too much, kid." Jiraiya laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder, immediately drawing his attention. "Sarutobi-sensei managed to keep Danzou in check thoroughly enough that Tsunade should be able to handle him." the sage removed his hand. "Now let's go to your place, and sort out that problem with your seal."

Naruto's eyes widened briefly, and despite the previous events of the day, he smiled. "Yeah, the sooner I open the seal, the better."

"You're really gonna do it, huh?" Jiraiya studied the boy's face. "You're gonna bet the safety of the village on being able to trust an eldritch demon that destroyed most of it once before, and killed your parents on top of that."

The young Uzumaki nodded. "That's right. I trust him, now let's do this."

X

"Summoning Jutsu." Jiraiya slapped his palm down on the floor of Naruto's home, summoning an orange and black toad that stood about a foot tall. It blinked, dioriented by its summoning, then folded its arms and looked up at Jiraiya and Naruto. "Gerotora, this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Gerotora."

"Jiraiya," the toad greeted simply. "So what did you summon me for?"

"It's time to give Naruto the seal key."

Gerotora cast a glance at the Jinchuuriki, then shook his head. "You're kidding." Jiraiya remained silent. "He's just a kid, Jiraiya. The Nine-Tails would corrupt his mind into opening the seal within five minutes."

"Actually," Jiraiya said with a smirk, "The plan is for him to open the seal. He and the Nine-Tails are apparently cooperating... yeah, it's hard for me to believe too," the sage added when he saw Gerotora opening his mouth angrily, "but Minato was the one who gave the kid your name."

Gerotora considered this for several seconds. "...You know what? Fine. Jiraiya, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't ask me to do this unless you were absolutely sure." Jiraiya nodded, and the toad sighed. "Then let's do this." he turned to Naruto. "Last chance to tell me this is all a sick joke, kid."

Naruto shook his head. "This is for real, believe it."

"Okay then." Gerotora hopped up into the air, pried open Naruto's mouth, and jumped in. Naruto's eyes widened and he gagged, looking to Jiraiya and Hinata for help. Instead, Jiraiya reached out and shoved Gerotora the rest of the way down Naruto's throat.

"What the hell was that for!?" Naruto choked out angrily. "I just freaking swallowed a live toad! I thought he was just gonna give me the seal key!"

"Gerotora pretty much is the seal key," Jiraiya replied, chuckling. "He's what's called a 'scroll toad,' and once his contractor writes something on the scroll on his belly, he guards that secret for the rest of his life. In this case, that secret is the key, and the contractor was your father. Once he's finished copying that information directly to your mind, he'll return to Mount Myouboku."

Naruto considered this. "Huh..." he seated himself on the floor, then laid down comfortably. "I'll be right back," he declared, and closed his eyes.

He immediately opened them again, and sat up in front of the cage representing the Eight Trigrams Seal.

"Welcome back," Kurama greeted him. "I can hardly believe this is really happening, after so many decades," he noted excitedly.

Naruto glanced down at his itching right arm, and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a complex but incomplete fuinjutsu being written on his forearm. "So what's the plan?"

"I'll be staying in here for the next few years, so my chakra can mix with yours and make you stronger," the fox replied. "In order for that process to keep going, most of my chakra needs to stay in this seal, but I should be able to safely bring a small portion of it outside your body. I'll only be able to leave the seal in a smaller, less powerful form."

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Do that. Scare the crap out of the Pervy Sage."

Kurama smirked back, and continued, "Once your human blue chakra finishes turning purple from my demonic influence, I'll leave the seal entirely... which brings me to my next point. Don't use my chakra unless your life depends on it. After what happened last time, I think its effects on you are worse than normal."

"Worse than normal," the boy echoed. "You mean the pain I felt when I used it earlier today."

"Right. The strain it put on your body to wield even that slight trace of red chakra was comparable to what Mito and Kushina felt wearing a two-tailed Version One cloak. I think a Version Two would kill you outright." Naruto frowned worriedly. "Yeah, that's the bad news," Kurama admitted, "But the good news is that you already have a bit of purple chakra now. Your body absorbed the red chakra you took from me, and mixed it with your own."

"I'll try using it now," Naruto answered. "We need to know whether I can use it safely." he frowned with concentration, then blinked several times as his blue eyes turned crimson. "I think it's working."

"It is," the Nine-Tails confirmed. "Now we know you can use red chakra once it's properly mixed with blue. Are you feeling any pain?"

"None."

"Then use only blue and purple chakra, never red. You don't wanna poison yourself to death, do you?"

Naruto shook his head, then noted the itching on his arm had ceased. "All right, let's do this." He laid his right hand over his belly, and twisted his wrist. He and Kurama watched with interest as the bars of the cage were quickly repaired. "Now to open the seal completely..." he twisted his wrist the other way, and watched the lock on the gate retract out of sight.

Kurama nudged the gates hesitantly, and grinned as they sprang open. "I'm FREE!" he roared gleefully. "After a hundred years of that, I'm FINALLY free!" he laughed. "Kid, I can't even tell you how excited I am to stretch my legs after so long..." the fox let out a brief sigh. "Still, I suppose we have to finish sorting this out, don't we?"

Naruto nodded. "You said you wanted this place to look more like a 'den,' right?" the Jinchuuriki twisted the seal again.

Kurama roared in shock and disbelief as a series of massive torii gates slammed down on his back, tails, and neck. "Idiot child!" he roared. "This isn't funny!"

"Oops," Naruto said weakly, and twisted the seal again, freeing Kurama. "This thing's kinda hard to figure out, ya know... let's see..." he turned the key more slowly, and visualized what he wanted to replace the cage with.

A huge cave of smooth black stone large enough to comfortably house the Nine-Tails rose slowly out of the ground, and Naruto paused before adding torches with ominous red flames to light the inside of the cave. For good measure, he added streams of lava running down the outside of the cave, and a cloud of black smoke around it, then turned to Kurama and grinned proudly.

Kurama nodded approvingly. "It certainly looks... demonic," he noted. "Better than a shiny gold cage, anyway. Yes, I could get used to this..." he grinned back at the Jinchuuriki. "Now let's get out there, and prove you right, kid."

Naruto sat up, just after a ten-foot-long orange fox with a single bushy tail leapt out of his seal and landed next to him. Jiraiya jumped back, ready for battle, but Hinata merely blinked in surprise. "Kurama, this is Jiraiya," Naruto announced, "Jiraiya, meet Kurama."

Kurama held eye contact with the sage for a few moments, watching Jiraiya's reaction. "I'd forgotten what it feels like, to be human-sized," he glanced around at the inside of the Uzumaki manor. "Nice place, Naruto," he noted. "I like how the door's not locked from the outside."

Jiraiya blinked at that. "You can hardly blame us for-"

"Sealing me?" Kurama didn't bother to turn and face the sage. "Oh, I don't blame you at all. There's only one person who yet lives to take the blame, and the punishment, for my century of imprisonment. His name is Madara Uchiha, and when the time comes, I'm going to kill him myself."

"Madara hypnotized Kurama into attacking the village, both times," Naruto explained shortly. "The full story's a lot more complex, but it's not my story to tell, ya know?"

"Where's the kitchen?" Kurama called from the top of the stairs. "I haven't eaten anything in a hundred years except for that one little morsel of senjutsu chakra."

X

Two days later, Tenten glanced out the window of her family's shop, frowning at the downpour outside. "It's like the Kami themselves are crying for Hokage-sama..." she sighed, and turned her attention back to her latest work; a new version of her barrier armor, then blinked at a knock on the door. With the weather this bad outside, who would come here? She pulled the door open, and her eyes widened slightly. "Naruto? Hinata?" she stepped aside. "Come on in, but uh, what are you two doing here?"

"We were hoping to talk to you about your fuinjutsu project," Naruto replied, and reached into his pouch to pull out a scroll. "I was putting together this selection of Uzumaki Clan fuinjutsu for us... for you, really, to work with, and Hina-chan was helping me."

"I stumbled across something that got me interested in working with both of you," Hinata continued. "There was a seal in the Uzumaki library that seems to work as a substitute for hand seals. It takes high-level chakra control, but if I were to use it..."

"You'd be able to cast your water jutsu without any hand seals," Tenten realized. "Okay then, let's see this seal, maybe I can recreate it." Hinata pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from the pocket of her new white and lavender hoodie, which reached down to mid-thigh on her. Apparently she expected to grow into it. Tenten unfurled the paper, and whistled. "Wow. I don't understand this script, but this seal is a work of art."

Seeing the confused look Hinata was giving her, Tenten continued, "I don't know how much you know about fuinjutsu, so let me explain. A normal seal of this complexity would consist of several 'layers,' and only the top one, the seal design itself, is visible. With normal sealing script, there would be one large symbol at the center of the seal, with paragraphs of text shaped around it. That symbol is a sealing point, and the more of those points the seal has, the stronger and more complex it is. The layers beneath that would be big blocks of text in the same script, and each one would fade into the material, like paper, fabric, or skin, as it's written."

"But this seal," she flicked the paper, "according to the description here, is only one layer, and it has six sealing points. On top of that, there isn't much text around the sealing points. All of the text that is here is arranged in a circle, with the sealing points arranged in a smaller circle inside... but the weirdest thing is, take a look at how complex the points themselves are. They're each made with a single brushstroke, but it's like each one is just a paragraph of sealing script with one character flowing into the next." She grinned. "This seal is unlike anything I've ever seen! Are all Uzumaki fuinjutsu like this!?"

"See for yourself," Naruto replied, and handed her the scroll he was holding.

Tenten nodded, and took it. After quickly checking the scroll and finding that the only seals it bore were basic storage ones containing more Uzumaki scrolls, she rolled it up again. "So, Hinata, you were talking about getting a copy of this seal. I should be able to fit it onto a glove or something."

She paused thoughtfully. "I've already started work on the second prototype barrier suit, and I'm thinking I'll find a way to make the third one more loose-fitting. Some people really just aren't comfortable wearing a skintight outfit all the time..." seeing Hinata open her mouth to speak, she hastily added, "Not that that's a bad thing! It's not even usual for someone to be comfortable with it, and-"

"Tenten-chan," Hinata cut her off as politely as she could, "I was... hoping to try one on, actually..."

Tenten blinked, noting that Naruto seemed just as surprised as she was. "...Really? What brought this on?"

"Um..." Hinata played with her fingers, and moved forward to whisper, "Naruto-kun... sort of saw me in a bikini once, and he... got a nosebleed. That means he thinks I look attractive, right? If he thinks I look good, why shouldn't I? I shouldn't turn down armor like yours, just because I'm a little shy about my body, right?"

The inventress blinked again, then began to smirk deviously, glancing back and forth between her and Naruto. "...Ah, I see..." Hinata both paled and blushed at that smirk. "Well! Let's see what we can do, then. Did you have anything specific in mind?"

Grateful for what she thought was a change in topic, Hinata rushed into her explanation. "I think my suit should be brown, not black. Black can make a shinobi overheat in hot weather; that's why we stopped wearing it centuries ago. Konoha switched to blue and green, but I was thinking more of a brown, digital camo pattern."

Tenten's mouth fell slightly open as Hinata continued, "To varying degrees, brown can blend in with most terrain. Tree trunks in the forests of the Land of Fire, the desert in the Land of Wind, the rocky terrain in Earth and Lightning... the deck of a ship sailing around the Land of Water, even."

"I was also thinking the fabric should be a little bit thicker, maybe a layer of what we use for flak jackets, so even if an attack gets through the barrier, the fabric might catch something like a blade and potentially stop it even without the barrier. Plus, if you stitched mesh armor between two layers of flak fabric, you'd get even more protection without any sign of the suit being armor at all."

"That's... well, I don't wanna say 'genius,' but... damn." Tenten grinned. "And if all Uzumaki fuinjutsu are written into neat little bundles like this," she nodded to the piece of paper bearing the seal Hinata requested, "Then I have an idea to protect the seal itself. I could put it on the inside of an armor plate, sewn into the suit, so no one could try and attack the seal with a ninjutsu meant to pierce barriers."

She held up the scroll Naruto had given her. "Even if that isn't the case, I'll be able to take my work to a whole new level with Uzumaki script. I can't even tell you how grateful I am," she admitted, "But give me some time to learn this stuff and I'll get to work paying you back." She paused, and glanced at the bronze ring on Hinata's finger. "Right, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about, Naruto." she gestured to Hinata's ring. "How did you make that weapon for Hinata?"

"My doujutsu has a power called the Asura Path," Naruto replied, triggering his Rinnegan and holding his hands out in front of himself. "I can use it to create something from nothing. The first level of its power converts my chakra into a liquid metal that I can shape," he pulsed his chakra, and silvery, floating liquid streamed out of his palms, shaping itself gradually into a simple cutlass. "The second level lets me absorb a trace of a material," he paused to draw a shuriken from his pouch, and let it liquefy and evaporate in his hand, "and replicate it." Liquid steel this time floated out of his hands, and he shaped it slowly into a Fuuma Shuriken. "That's how I made Hina-chan's staff."

Tenten remained silent for a few seconds, then paraphrased, "You can create weapons out of thin air." Naruto nodded. "And because you're pretty much growing these things like plants, you can shape materials in ways no tool ever could without a break in the material?"

"Sounds about right."

"Do you have any idea how many ninja smiths fantasize about having an ability like that?" She asked incredulously, and he shook his head. "One more question... is the metal hot when it's in that liquid state?"

"I don't think so." he idly ran a finger along the Fuuma Shuriken. "It might take more chakra, but I could heat it if you want."

"Naruto, don't you see it?" she broke into a grin. "Hinata, can I borrow your staff for a second?" the Hyuuga nodded, and unsealed her weapon. "I'll use this as an example: The gold inlays on this staff are a single, solid piece, set smoothly into the wood, and they loop all the way around the shaft. That's physically impossible to replicate with any tool, because if you were to forge the metal piece seperately, you wouldn't be able to fit it onto the staff. If you were to try and apply the metal to the staff while it's still hot and malleable, the wooden part would catch fire."

She handed the staff back to Hinata. "With your Asura Path, there's no limit to how complex our designs can be. The three of us are gonna create ninja tools unlike anything the world has ever seen."

X

Koharu Utakane sat at the Hokage's desk, with Homura standing to her left and Jiraiya to her right. The desk had mostly been cleared off, leaving only a single scroll in front of her. This scroll was white, with the kanji for fire in red ink being the only mark it bore.

She sighed, and looked up at the nine Genin standing in the room. "...I would've preferred that the Hokage be the one to do this," she admitted, "since my decisions here will inevitably be called into question by the Fifth no matter who accepts the hat first. I must warn you of the possibility that those I promote to Chuunin might be demoted back to Genin, and vice versa."

The Genin nodded to show their understanding, and Koharu continued. "Very well, let's begin. Naruto Uzumaki." The blond boy stepped forward with a nod. "In your match with Hinata Hyuuga, you demonstrated your mastery of all five elements, a wide range of uses for your kekkei genkai, and the ability to plan an attack strategy with multiple stages, most of which made use of your unusually large chakra reserves, which I'm told will begin to increase soon." he nodded again.

"Furthermore, you then fought alongside the late Third Hokage, and managed to keep up with an Edo Tensei of the First Hokage who, to our understanding, was admittedly not at full power. Hence, we have come to the decision that your capability in the field is Chuunin-level or higher, and you've shown sufficient responsibility with your power and the lives of your allies to merit a Chuunin promotion. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Utakane-sama."

Koharu nodded, and continued, "Hinata Hyuuga." Noting how nervous the pale-eyed girl was, the elder sighed briefly, then began, "Relax, child. It would be downright laughable to deny you a promotion, with the level of power you've shown."

Hinata's mouth fell open slightly, but her body visibly relaxed. "First off, you demonstrated respectable skill with the Gentle Fist style, then went on to show a completely new Byakugan jutsu, which you then added your affinity to. Speaking of that affinity, Zabuza Momochi has testified that your skill with Water Release would be considered Jounin-level in Kiri. You also showed competence with bukijutsu and some skill in genjutsu."

"In your debriefing, you claimed to have fought the Second Hokage evenly with water jutsu. You did mention that he was restricting himself to the level of power he had at your age, but it remains further proof of your skill, not to mention that you completely swept the Chuunin Exams. You've been deemed worthy to be a Chuunin, congratulations."

Hinata squealed in delight, and turned to embrace Naruto, but released him when Koharu loudly cleared her throat. "Kankurou." the puppeteer nodded and stepped forward. "You demonstrated considerable dexterity and precision in the use of your puppet, and when that puppet was neutralized, you did the only sensible thing and forfeited. However," Kankurou winced, "What you showed in your match was insufficient for us to conclude you are ready to be a Chuunin. My apologies."

Kankurou nodded solemnly, and stepped back. "Tenten." The inventress gulped and stepped forward. "In your match with Kankurou, you showed the foresight to neutralize your opponent without injuring him or even damaging his weapon, knowing that he'd be fighting for his life in the invasion. You went on to show your full potential in combat against Hinata Hyuuga. Your unique arsenal of weapons, and the skill with which you wield them, have made it clear that you are Chuunin-level in combat."

"Furthermore, your role in the invasion itself proved crucial to our victory. Your tactics against Orochimaru's snake summons were overwhelmingly successful, and when Jiraiya-dono made clear that you couldn't help him against Manda, you proved yourself a sensible tactician yet again by gathering reinforcements to defend the only Sannin currently loyal to the village. You most likely saved his life by doing so." Jiraiya nodded, and Tenten grinned. "Congratulations on your promotion."

"Temari." The fan wielder nodded solemnly, expecting the worst. "Yours was an unusual case." she blinked in surprise. "Although your skill with the Wind Release appears to be Chuunin-level, and your tactical prowess certainly is, we were forced to conclude that you simply didn't show enough of your ability for us to be sure. Hence you will not be promoted to Chuunin today, but your future missions will be monitored to see if you're worthy of that title. Should you prove so, you'll be given a field promotion to Chuunin." Temari smiled, and nodded thankfully.

"Shikamaru Nara." He yawned, not bothering to reply to Koharu in any way, which caught her off-guard and slightly irritated her. "...Although you showed considerable skill with Nara Clan jutsu, your tactical ability is far more significant here. When you defeated Temari," the boy opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off, "You claimed to have an additional two hundred moves planned out in advance. This kind of tactical genius simply cannot be denied a Chuunin promotion. I'm told by both your Jounin sensei Kurenai Yuuhi and Asuma Sarutobi that you're lazy to say the least, but as a Chuunin you will not be allowed to continue this behavior. Shape up, Chuunin Nara."

"What a drag," he replied bluntly.

"Hmph." Koharu turned her attention to the next Genin on the list. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hn."

"You showed skill with your Fire Release and Lightning Release worthy of Chuunin rank or even higher." the Uchiha smirked proudly, "However," she added, and his smirk vanished, "You showed little to no tact in battle, both during and after the tournament. Your sensei Kakashi Hatake claims you're usually more level-headed than this, and I have no reason not to believe him. But we cannot in good conscience promote you to Chuunin with what you've shown us. My apologies."

Sasuke remained silent for a few moments, then sighed almost imperceptibly. "I'll do better next time, Koharu-sama."

"Kiba Inuzuka. Your skill with the Fire Release is similarly impressive to Genin Uchiha's, and you've gone so far as to display multiple original jutsu with it, including a new Fire Release Inuzuka jutsu. Furthermore you showed, and stood by, a single tactic at which you excelled: intimidation. You proved capable of downright terrifying far more experienced shinobi than yourself during the invasion, despite the fact that your injuries from the semifinals weren't fully healed."

Kiba raised his hand silently, and Koharu paused to let him speak. "The injuries to the second level of my Hellhound Mode and my human body are mutually exclusive. Because I transformed, I was at full strength during the battle, and it was only after I changed back that I had four cracked ribs again."

"Sorry about that, by the way," Chouji added sheepishly.

"No worries," Kiba shook his head dismissively. "So did I make Chuunin?"

Koharu raised an eyebrow at his bluntness, then replied, "...Yes. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Kiba took a step back.

"Chouji Akimichi." the heavyset boy nodded, and Koharu began, "There really isn't much I have to say about you, only that your combat abilities are undeniably Chuunin-level. We would have simply handed you the promotion, but there's been a petition from your clanmates and Chuunin Nara." Chouji's eyes widened in disbelief, before Koharu added, "Surrender the red Akimichi pill, and you'll be promoted."

"...Sure," Chouji reached into his pocket, "but why?"

"The Akimichi Clan considers you something of a prodigy these days, and doesn't want you killing yourself in battle before you get a chance to reach your full potential. I don't understand the situation fully myself, so you're better off asking your father about it."

The newly minted Chuunin considered this for a moment. "...Nah," he shrugged, and set the red pill on the desk. "I wasn't planning to use it anyway, and I trust my dad and my best friend."

"Well then..." Koharu turned her gaze back to Naruto. "I must now ask all of you excluding Chuunin Uzumaki to leave the room." After a brief hesitation, eight of the nine Konoha-nin filed out of the room, leaving Naruto, Koharu, Homura and Jiraiya. Koharu sighed again, and reached into one of the drawers of the Hokage's desk, pulling out a single piece of paper. "I can understand your confusion, Chuunin Uzumaki," she acknowledged, "but suffice to say this was one of the Third's posthumous orders."

"Something to do with me?" Naruto asked. "I don't get it. I was close to him; I even called him jiji, but why would he..."

"There's no need to play stupid, kid," Jiraiya cut in. "They know about Kurama."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "So am I in some kind of trouble? Because I'm the host of the Nine-Tails?"

"Not at all," Koharu gave a slight, friendly smile. "Just the opposite in fact." she leaned forward. "Allow me to be blunt, Naruto. Jinchuuriki have always been considered prized weapons by their villages, some treated admittedly worse than others. As the host of a Tailed Beast who is willingly cooperating with you... with us, you have the potential to become the strongest shinobi in this village, a crucial asset, but for that..."

She paused, and nodded to the door as Ibiki Morino opened it. "You'll need experience."

"I remember you," Naruto studied the Special Jounin's face, "from the Chuunin Exams. You're Ibiki Morino, right?" he nodded. "You specialize in torture," the Rinnegan wielder noted with a hint of worry. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"Torture isn't the right term for my specialty," the proctor replied with a smirk. "I specialize in putting strain on the mind of a shinobi, determining how much they can take, how far they can stretch themselves psychologically. You might be interested to know that I'm a proctor for Jounin hopefuls, and I also test the minds of those selected for the ANBU program."

"Again, what does this have to do with me?"

"Sarutobi-sama wanted you to gain experience in the field as quickly as possible," Koharu began her explanation. "He also wanted you to have access to a Bingo Book, which is only issued to Jounin and ANBU."

Naruto began to see where she was going. "There were a few other reasons I can't yet tell you about, but suffice it to say you're being offered a chance to join the ANBU. Should you accept, Special Jounin Morino will subject you to a three-stage test of your mental fortitude, and if you pass, you'll be made a rookie ANBU and be given control of a squad of your choice." Koharu paused, letting this sink in, before adding her trump card, "Seeing as all three members of Genin Team Eight were just promoted, that team has just been dissolved and you'll have the right to choose any or all of their members for your squad."

Naruto examined the piece of paper on the Hokage's desk, noting that it was a contract with a blank space for his name. "I..." he frowned. "What happens if I don't take this test?"

"You'll remain a Chuunin, and Team Eight's former members will be placed where the Hokage sees fit when he or she takes the hat. To be honest, it's likely you'll remain in a group with your friends, but..."

"But Sarutobi might be a little disappointed that you declined," Ibiki threw in.

Naruto turned an irritated look on the torturer. "Jiji would be happier knowing I made my choice, not his," he replied sharply, and Ibiki nodded in approval. "Still, this is a great oppurtunity, and jiji had a reason for wanting me to join the ANBU. He knew what he was doing..."

He sighed, and played with the white spike of hair at the edge of his forehead from when he used Rinne Tensei on Hinata, nearly killing himself in the process. "I... I'll do it, I'll take the test."

Ibiki grinned. "Then sign that contract, and follow me."

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