It was close to midnight by the time Jiraiya decided to set up camp, he had been traveling for most of the day and was ready to stop for the night. He used a simple fire jutsu to get a flame going to keep himself warm for the night.

Jiraiya breathed a long sigh of relief. He turned his head to glance over his shoulder.

"You have anything for me?"

The faint sound of approaching footsteps could be heard from behind a tree. "Iwagakure are nearing Konoha's strength, another year and they will have similar numbers."

Jiraiya slowly nodded and rubbed his chin. "How much longer until your search starts?"

"Our organization has been actively searching for the past six months now, mostly scouting where and how to find them. My guess is that the jinchuriki of Kumogakure is the safest out of the nine, considering the Raikage is his brother and won't let the Hachibi out of his sight. If I'm not mistaken, he hasn't set foot out of Kumogakure since the end of the Third Great Shinobi War."

"I wish I could say the same about Naruto. The Old man has been very loose with him lately. His team was given a C-Rank escort mission that should have been an A-Rank."

"I'm aware. I kept my eyes on it from a distance."

The Sannin let out a snort. "To what end? Protection or scouting?"

The person hidden by darkness said nothing.

"I appreciate your care for him, I really do. Your mother would be proud."

A slight shift of feet told Jiraiya that he poked at a very sensitive subject for the man. Silence over took the pair of men as the fire cracked in the night.

"My gut is telling me that you still have something I should know."

"The Akatsuki are starting the hunt with the Kyuubi, he wants to use the fox as a means to gather the rest."

The Toad Sannin took the information in and nodded slowly again. "How long until you come for him?"

"Two months. Our treasury needs a few more bounties before we give our full efforts into the hunt."

Jiraiya let his silence speak for him. A few minutes passed before he heard the ruffling of twigs and leaves, telling him that the man had left. The white-haired man stared into the flames.

"I guess it's time to come home."

-The Hokage's Office-

"And that's all that happened Lord Hokage."

Kakashi had just finished giving his oral report to the Sandaime. It was just him and the elderly man, the rest of Team 7 had been sent home the second they passed through the gate.

"That's some story Kakashi. I believe an apology is in order. I should've have looked into Tazuna's mission request more. I wouldn't have given your team the mission if I had known Gatō was behind it all."

Kakashi waved his hand. "There is no need to be sorry, Lord Hokage. My team exceeded beyond measure. I don't say this often but I'm proud of how they handled themselves against Zabuza."

"I couldn't agree more with you, Kakashi. I can say that Team 7 will be leading the way of the next generation with ease, that is if they stay on this path."

Kakashi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'll do what I can."

Sarutobi nodded. "Before I dismiss you Kakashi, I want to know how Naruto did on the mission."

"All of Naruto's feats and accomplishments were there in my report, my Lord. My written report will be even more detailed than what I just told you."

"I know. And looking forward to reading all about Team 7's success. Just tell me about the bridge and Naruto's outburst with the Kyuubi's chakra."

Kakashi let out a sigh. "I see. Well, I think he had some control over his actions when the chakra leaked out at first. It seems even the mere mention of Jiraiya, or something that reminds him of Jiraiya, can set him off."

Hiruzen let out a long smoke cloud from his pipe. "I could've never imagined Naruto harboring so much hate for Jiraiya."

"I don't think it's hate. I think its resentment, a pain if you will. I don't think he was never given a real direct answer why Lord Jiraiya just up and left, I think the boy just needs some closure."

The Sandaime rubbed his goatee. "I told him that Jiraiya needed to take a mission. Jiraiya felt couldn't wait for Naruto to wake from the assault. He made his choice."

Kakashi narrowed his one visible eye. "I'm sure he did."

Sarutobi let out a heavy sigh. "If there is something you want you say, Kakashi, say it."

"What's your plan with Naruto? As his sensei, I have a right know if there is something going on."

The Third Hokage remained silent. This only confirmed Kakashi's hunch. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk, resting his weight on them.

"I'm not stupid, Lord Hokage. I know how Lord Jiraiya works and how he runs his spy network. It doesn't take six years to find someone, especially someone who has the skill set to kill an entire team of ANBU. And, speaking of which, I don't remember hearing about the death of that team or any death of a team for that matter. And I would have, considering I was ANBU at the time."

Kakashi backed away from the desk and turned for the door and opened it when he got close. He stopped and turned his head back.

"The Chunin Exams are just around the corner, right? You'll be seeing Team Seven's applications for the exam, along with my mission report, by the end of the day."

The door was slammed shut, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi alone with his thoughts.

-A few days later-

Naruto was making his way to Team Seven's usual meeting area on a small red bridge over a pond. The very same bridge he hid under when he first came to the village six years ago. He shook his head free of that memory, not wanting to relive the past. He was surprised to see that Sakura had beaten him there, he was normally the first one to arrive.

"Hey Naruto." Sakura cheerfully greeted with a wave.

Naruto gave a small wave himself. He was going to greet her back but he noticed something about the pink-haired girl. She was a bit scuffed, somewhat dirty, and looked rather sore. "Have you been training, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Ever since we got back, I've been working on what Kakashi sensei went over with me back in the Land of Waves. I know it's only been a few days but I feel like I've been making progress."

Naruto was pleased to hear that, it was about time Sakura had taken the title of ninja seriously. He was about to say that but the kunoichi saw her heart throb approaching them and quickly ran to him, exploding with her news of training. A soft, painfilled smirk graced his lips.

"I'm glad to see you all made it." Kakashi said, joining his team.

"And you're one time for once, whatever you want to tell us must be important." Naruto quipped.

"Right you are Naruto. It is important. The Chunin Exams are coming up and I've put in applications for all three of you."

The jōnin could see the excitement building on, both, Naruto and Sasuke's faces, while Sakura looked a bit confused.

"The Chunin Exams? What are those?"

"In order for shinobi to move up in rank, they have a test to see who is qualified to take on missions for that rank. It's the same for becoming a jōnin, but you have to be selected for that exam." Kakashi explained.

The pinkette nodded in understanding. "So how are the Chunin Exams done?"

"Well, I'm not sure how other villages conduct it when they host but, Konoha has three stages. Teams are nominated by their sensei and have to completed a certain amount of missions to qualify. The exams are held every six months, changing villages each time."

"Why do the exams change villages? Doesn't each village host their own?" Sasuke questioned.

"The exams are hosted in different villages bi-annually to show a peace between the Five Great Nations. It used to be where every village conducted their own exams but after the Third Great Shinobi War the Kages thought it would be best to make a showing out of it. A way to improve relations, economies, and help present up-and-coming ninja to possible clients."

Sakura nodded in understanding again. Then a hint of worry hit her. "So, there will be teams from other villages?"

"Yes. Quite a few actually. This year will have the biggest amount of genin teams in the last ten years."

That didn't calm the girl's worry. "We'll probably be the least experienced team there."

"Just because they have experience doesn't mean they're stronger than us." Sasuke pointed out.

"But that can also mean they have more battle knowledge and can be deadlier in a fight, just because someone isn't strong doesn't immediately mean they haven't seen more than you. Always assume the person you are fighting is stronger and has more experience." Kakashi stated.

Neither Naruto or Sasuke were deterred by what Kakashi was saying, he wasn't trying to scare them but it didn't matter to them regardless. The two knew they were ready and wanted to move forward with this. Their only worry was the lone kunoichi of the team. She may have been training on her own time now but her confidence was another story.

"Maybe we should wait until the next exam…"

Sasuke glared at Sakura while Naruto kept his disappointment hidden with a monotone expression.

"Sakura, I wouldn't have nominated you three if I didn't think you weren't ready. This is simply another mission, I know you three will do well." The jōnin reassured with an eye smile.

Sakura looked at her sensei then at her teammates, they nodded to let her know they would have her back no matter what. She let out a sigh, then looked back at Kakashi and smiled. "Okay sensei, I'm in!"

"Excellent! The first stage starts at the beginning of next week. Use this time to put the finishing touches on any training you've been doing and get, at least, a full day's rest. I'll give you the rest of the info when I receive it. Later!"

The team watched their sensei disappear into a puff of smoke and vanish from sight.

Sasuke was the first to turn and leave, both him and Naruto expected Sakura to follow him like a lost puppy but she stayed. Not that either boys were going to say anything, both just thought it was noteworthy.

"Um, Naruto?"

The blonde turned to his pink-haired teammate. "What's up Sakura?"

Naruto instantly noticed that Sakura seemed nervous. She was twiddling with her fingers and she was staring at the ground, as if she was trying to work up the courage to ask something.

"Y-You said you know some basic medical jutsu, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Do you t-think you could s-show me how to do them?"

Naruto let loose a smile that the girl had never seen come from him before, honestly if the girl wasn't so nervous she would've been entranced by it.

"Of course, I will! I'd be more than happy to teach you Sakura!"

Sakura couldn't hide the faint redness of her cheeks as she returned his smile.

"C'mon, let's go start!"

The blonde led the way as the two walked down a back alley, a shortcut to the training field the boy figured out a long time ago.

"Hey! Watch it you little runt!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he turned the corner to see five people. Three looked like they might be old enough to have just started in the academy. There was one girl, with orange hair that stood up on both sides and were tied at the tops. The second was a sickly-looking boy that had short brown hair, who seemed to have a constant running nose. The third and final kid was another boy with short, spikey brown hair and an overly large blue scarf that looked like a blanket around his neck.

The poor kid was being held off the ground by his shirt.

The guy, and the girl next to him, holding the kid seemed to be around him and Sakura's age, him and the girl were both from Sunagakure. The girl had dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into four pigtails, which all pointed into different directions. The guy had purple lined face paint, along with a plain black full body suit with a yellow and red circle on the chest.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught Naruto's attention, both were carrying something on their backs. The girl seemed to have a long black rectangle attached to her back, the blonde had no idea what that could possibly be. The boy had something hung over his shoulder that was wrapped in bandages and hair sticking out the top.

Naruto's eyes widened when the realization hit him.

'That's a puppet! I remember reading that Suna was known for it's mastery in the puppet arts. I've always wanted to see a puppet user fight.'

"Kankurō just put the kid down! It was an accident! Stop before he gets mad."

Kankurō simply shrugged off the girl's remark. "Don't worry Temari, I'm just messing around."

"Let Konohamaru go. Now."

The two Suna shinobi seemed to be surprised by Naruto and Sakura's sudden appearance.

"Who the hell are you guys? And where did you come from?"

"Big Bro Naruto! Help!"

"I said drop him." Naruto's voice was menacing, there was no room for argument.

Kankurō eyed the blonde Konoha shinobi before dropping the kid like a sack of potatoes. Konohamaru and his two friends scurried over to Naruto and stood behind him, clutching to his pants. Kankurō simply scoffed at the notion and took the bandaged package off his back and set it down next to him, holding it up by the hair that stuck out.

"Are you really going to use Karasu?" Temari asked shockingly.

Naruto moved into a battle stance.

"Stop it Kankurō, you are a disgrace to our family and village."

There was another Suna shinobi, but he was standing upside down on the tree branch above them. He had red hair and strangely had the kanji for 'love' tattooed on the left side of his forehead. He also had a large gourd strapped to his back, Naruto hoped it wasn't filled with something dangerous.

Kankuro's attitude completely changed in mere seconds. He was utterly terrified by this person, as was Temari.

"I was j-just playing around Gaara!"

"Shut up before I kill you."

Naruto's eyes widened as the boy spoke with no emotion in his voice. This boy was dead serious and everyone knew it.

"You three must be here for the Chunin Exams."

Everyone was shocked to hear another new voice. Standing on the same branch as Gaara, only upright, was the third member of Team 7, Sasuke Uchiha. Gaara looked at the Uchiha with the same amount of emotion as his tone of voice, none. The red head with black circles around his eyes simply walked around the branch and stood eye to eye with Sasuke.

"What's your name?"

Sasuke smirked, not being fazed by the lack of emotion. "Sasuke Uchiha. I would like to know yours as well."

"Gaara of the Desert."

A swirl of sand appeared around Gaara and he disappeared, only to reappear next to his siblings. He stood to full height and met Naruto's eyes.

When the two locked gazes, something happened deep within them both. While Gaara smiled like a psychopath, Naruto felt the Kyuubi shift in his cage.

"Shukaku…it's been a long time."

"Mother is excited like nothing I've ever felt. I must know your name!"

Everyone, minus Naruto, suddenly felt a dark chill run down their spines when Gaara spoke this time. There was something in his voice this time, everyone could feel the killer intent behind every word.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Mother can't wait to see you again! She thirsts for your blood!"

Without another word, the trio of Suna genin turned and left the Konoha shinobi. Sakura finally let the unconscious breath she was holding while Sasuke finally shook his head free from his trance.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to the three academy students. "You guys okay, Konohamaru?"

The poor kids were still too scared to let their death grip on Naruto's pants go, and rightfully so. "W-Who was that guy, boss?"

Naruto shook his head. "No idea. But he certainly is…interesting."

Sasuke landed gracefully in front of his teammates and the three students. "That guy…his killer intent was on par with Zabuza's."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, he's definitely terrifying. If he's in the Chunin Exams I can't imagine who else could be in too."

"I think it's safe to say that not everyone we run into is a natural born killer."

While not meant to be taken as a joke, both Sasuke and Sakura found some humor in the statement and made the air a bit lighter around them. The blonde turned and knelt to Konohamaru's level.

"Go find Iruka sensei and tell him what happened, okay? He'll decide if this should be reported to Ojiisan or not."

"Okay, big bro." The young boy nodded and took off towards the Ninja Academy, with his two friends in tow.

"You two seem to be close since he calls you his big brother." Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets. "Konohamaru is an only child and the lone grandchild of the Third. I ran into him one day when I was leaving Ojiisan's office after I got a new set of scrolls to study from. He followed me back to the training grounds and demanded that I train him since Ojiisan watched over my training. I think he was just jealous I got his grandpa's attention."

Sakura smiled warmly. "I think it's sweet that he thinks of you as he brother."

Naruto shrugged again. "I've barely seen him and I haven't taught him anything. But it doesn't bother me."

"So that's how you got so strong, the Sandaime trained you." Sasuke said.

The blonde shook his head. "Not really. He was too busy to physically be there and watch. He just gave me the scrolls and he made me promise I'd tell him about it. I think I visited him once a week, maybe more."

"What about recently?" Sakura asked.

"Haven't talked to him much, our missions have taken priority. He told me that when I graduated from the academy that I wouldn't need to report to him anymore. I would actually have a teacher to oversee my training."

Both Sakura and Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"Well, let's go Naruto. I still want to learn those medical techniques you know."

Naruto nodded and followed the pinkette. Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"You two are training together?"

"I asked Naruto to teach me those basic medical jutsus he knew. Kakashi sensei told me that my level of chakra control would be perfect for the medical field."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Well, don't let me stop you. I'll be doing my own training until the exam starts." The black haired Uchiha waved as he walked away from the pair.

-At the training, a few hours later-

Naruto waited patiently as Sakura thoroughly studied the medical scrolls the Third Hokage had given him. If the blonde was completely honest, the only reason he accepted the medical scrolls in the first place was to have the knowledge and not really to learn the techniques. He had the healing factor of the Kyuubi so he really didn't need the jutsus, he simply learned them out of boredom.

But that's not what Naruto was currently thinking about.

'Finally breaking your silence after all this time?'

There was a deep growl inside Naruto's mind. "There hasn't been a reason for me to speak until today."

'Must be important then.'

"Yes."

'Well, what is it? You weren't the only one who felt something when I looked at him.'

"You and that desert boy are more alike than you think."

Naruto mentally raised his eyebrow. 'What are you talking about?'

"He's just like you, a jinchuriki."

The blonde was at a loss for words, he honestly had no idea what to think. For what felt like the first time in his life, Naruto was completely lost on where to go or what to say.

"We will discuss this matter later, that girl needs your help."

Naruto snapped himself out of his deep subconscious and looked at Sakura. She was standing in front of him with a curious look on her face.

"Naruto? You there?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry about that, I just zoned out. What's up?"

"I'm having trouble understanding this part of the scroll, the part about the using medical ninjutsu as an offense."

Naruto nodded and followed Sakura back to the scroll she left under the tree. The two sat down next to each other, far enough apart to give each other space but close enough for Naruto to read the scroll easily.

"What are you having trouble understanding about using medical jutsu as an offense?"

"It's not that I don't understand the concept, what confuses me is the ability to weaponize medical ninjutsu."

Naruto thought about his answer, using the knowledge he learned from the scrolls he read and what he was taught by her. "Well, it's obvious that using medical ninjutsu requires advanced chakra control, something you already have. I'm not an expert on medical ninjutsu, probably never will be, but my guess would be to use it in reverse, in a way."

"How so?"

"Like disabling the central nervous system by sending a controlled shock through the system."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You can shock someone with medical ninjutsu?"

"If you're advanced enough, yes. When someone's heart stops, you can give it a jolt to restart it. It won't always work and can cause more damage if done multiple times, but it can revive a person. The concept is the same when you apply a shock to the nervous system, or areas of the body where nerves are more exposed. You can disable a limb, or a person entirely, if done correctly."

"Wow." Sakura said in amazement. "There is a lot to being a medic ninja." She then went silent and began to study again.

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. He leaned his head back against the tree to give Sakura the peace she wanted to study in. The quiet didn't last as long Naruto thought it would.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

The boy with the whisker birth marks opened a single eye to look at the pinkette. "Sure."

"Back on the bridge, when you saved me and Tsunami from Gatō's men, what happened to you?"

Naruto opened his other eye and turned his head to Sakura. "What do you mean?"

"That red chakra, the way your whisker marks changed. What was all that?"

The blonde's eyes went downcast as he faced his head forward. He didn't answer for a moment and Sakura felt like she may have angered him or something.

"…I'm a special case, Sakura."

That wasn't an answer the girl was expecting. "A special case? What do you mean?"

"I'm the bane of this village's existence, no matter where I go in these walls I'm the outcast. I know you've noticed, and I'm sure Sasuke has too. It gets old being that outcast, being the reason why people have a bad day because I simply exist. That's why people I've tried to kill me. I've been alone so long that I almost forgot what it's like to just sit with someone like this. It's nice, makes the hurt go away a bit."

Sakura wasn't sure what Naruto was saying but continued to listen intently.

He scoffed dryly. "Everything you saw, Sakura, was what I am to the village and why they hate me. Everything that has happened to me is because of a decision I never had a say in. I know what I am. I have to live with the burden that comes with being what I am."

Naruto suddenly stood up and walked away from the stunned Sakura.

"If you need anymore help, come find me and I'll do what I can." Naruto gave a lazy wave over his head. "See you soon, Sakura."