Author's Note: Dropping yet another chapter for you guys! Hope this somewhat makes up for the wait. :-)

23 - Sticks and Clones

Stacks of various reading materials were scattered across a table in the Leaf Village Library. Sakura and Sasuke stood at opposite ends of the table, their eyes glossing over despite every attempt to remain focused. They'd spent the better part of two hours poring over the literature, trying to find any information they could that might help in the upcoming second phase of the Chunin Exam. No matter how invested they were in this task, the determined Genin had to accept the reality that their attention spans had waned beyond recovery.

"Okay," Sasuke conceded, saying what he was certain they were both thinking. "I need a break here. Everything's starting to muddle together."

Sakura nodded and guided a handful of hair behind her ear. "I hate to say it, but same here." She used a pencil she'd gnawed to the core to bookmark a large hardback. The pages were starting to yellow, so she had to handle the frail textbook with care.

Sasuke passed her a slip of paper with a few notes jotted down from books he'd leafed through. He found information about the beast sealed inside of Gaara, which, while not unwelcome, wasn't why they were here. On the latter front, details were sparse. "This is all I've been able to find."

Her forehead dimpled. She compared his notes to hers and sighed. Sasuke frowned, anticipating what she would say. "Nope, nothing useful. Ugh, this is hopeless." She pushed off of the floor, extending her back to get a better overhead view of the mess of papers. "It's so strange."

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "You'd think a village applying to enter the exams for the first time would have more on file than having been recently established. There's not even a Kage listed. It's like these Grass Ninja just appeared out of thin air."

Sakura turned away, trying to hide emotions that Sasuke immediately picked up on. He walked around the table to confront her.

"What's going on? You've been acting this way for a while now."

Sakura flinched when he touched her arm. "It's n-not a big deal."

"Come on, Sakura. It's like I said the other day. You can talk to us. We're a team."

She flushed red and pulled back. "Thanks, but…but it's just so difficult."

"What is?"

"I don't feel ready for this. I thought if I just focused on what I could do right, then that would make up for my lack of skills as a shinobi."

He made a face. "What are you talking about? Lack of skills? If it weren't for your plan, the first round wouldn't have gone so well for us."

The kunoichi shook her head, refusing to look at Sasuke. "You're just saying that."

His response was a dismissive scoff. "Hardly. No one expects you to be the world's most well rounded shinobi. Things like combat deficits or a limited arsenal of jutsu can be improved upon. All that matters is for each one of us to contribute something."

Sakura sniffled. "I mean, that's what I thought at first, but what if it's not enough? Even this small task of using my supposed booksmarts to do some light research isn't panning out. It's not like at the academy, where there was always a right answer as long as you knew where to look. If I can't even pull my weight in my own area of expertise, what good am I?"

He paused to think, then turned and walked away, leaving the girl stunned. "Hey. You want to stand around feeling sorry for yourself, or are we gonna take a break to eat?"

Her heart was warmed by the kind gesture. Rather, this was as close to kind as Sasuke could get. Sakura smiled to herself, snatched her notes off of the table, and ran to catch up with him.

Minato matted his damp hair with a fresh towel and stepped out of the bathroom. He stopped by the laundry room to drop off a used towel. A new chakra signature appeared a few feet away.

Naruto had hardly touched the floor of his bedroom before his father was standing in the doorway shirtless. "Oh! Hey, Dad. Guess what, guess what?!"

"Welcome home," Minato said with warmth, accepting his son's excited hug. "I heard you passed. I'm so proud of you."

"Wait, what? You already know? How?"

The Yellow Flash adopted a sly grin. "I haven't been setting this event up for so long for nothing. There are people keeping me informed about every facet of this year's exam. Other villages are going to be watching us for signs of weakness, you know. The closer an eye I can keep on all of you, the easier it'll be for me to ensure everyone's safety."

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense. Is Mom home too?"

"No. She left to check on the village barrier's integrity before the second round starts tomorrow. Why isn't Sasuke with you?"

"He went to do some research in the library with Sakura." Noting his dad's confusion, he added, "Long story, believe it."

"Ah. So anyway, Genma told me your team passed with flying colors!"

"U-Uncle Genma? But he wasn't…"

Minato nodded. "Oh, trust me. He was there alright! Just hidden in plain sight."

"Whoa!" Naruto had stars in his eyes at the realization of how skilled his father's guards were. "Speaking of hidden, that reminds me why I came straight here. Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Anything. Let me just get dressed first."

In the living room, Naruto was on pins and needles anticipating the moment when his father would appear. A mystery he was itching to get answers to would soon reveal itself.

"All done," Minato said as he rounded a corner. "What's up?"

"Okay so, ya know that cool little finger thing you do?" Naruto splayed his arms, a vibrant smile on his face.

His father raised a brow. "Little…finger thing?"

"Yeah! You know, where you touch one finger to the ground and then zhwoom! You can instantly find hidden targets. It's awesome!"

"Oh! You mean my Locator Jutsu."

"Locator what now?"

Minato chuckled and put an arm around Naruto. "Come with me to the backyard, son. I'll show you."

"Yes! I've been dying to learn this, believe it!"

They closed the screen door behind them and stood a few feet apart. A light breeze rustled the surrounding trees and grass.

"Naruto," Minato said, "scatter a few of your Flying Thunder God kunai around for me." Naruto obeyed. His father held up a finger and winked. "Now watch me closely, alright?"

The boy gave a vigorous nod.

Dropping to one knee, Minato lowered his pointing finger and touched the grass. Naruto watched in awe. A faint pulse of chakra pierced the soft soil, expanding outward in all directions.

"Whoa," Naruto said, looking down at the ground. He half expected an earthquake to start. "Was that…?"

"Yeah, that was me. I intentionally let more of my chakra leak out than usual to give you a sense for how the jutsu works." Minato's eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings. "I'm sensing a kunai there, there, there, and two behind those bushes."

Naruto stood in stunned silence.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

His son nodded, teleporting the missing kunai back to his hands and stowing them away. "So, what, you just concentrated chakra into your finger? It can't be that simple."

"It's not. Naruto, the Locator Jutsu may look very basic, but there's a lot more going on than how it appears." He beckoned the younger blond closer, waiting until he crouched down to his level. "Lord Tobirama was the one who originally developed this technique."

"The Second Hokage?"

"Yeah. He honed this ability during the war to help The Senju Clan prevent ambushes by Uchiha forces. I dusted off the information Lord Second left behind in the archives after I became Hokage and did some independent study. Here's what I learned. The Locator Jutsu pinpoints chakra signatures in a given radius using Space-Time Ninjutsu. Only skilled Sensor Types are able to master it, but I'm confident you can do it, Naruto."

"Really? Why's that?"

Both pairs of blue eyes met. Tapping into the deep well of pride and joy he felt toward Naruto, Minato said, "Because you're my son. I believe in you more than anything else in the world."

Naruto's cheeks grew hot and he flashed a nervous smile. "T-Thanks, Dad."

Minato gave him a soft head pat. "Now let's go over the Space-Time Ninjutsu part of the technique."

"Yeahhhhhhhhh! Any fights we get into'll be a cinch if I can do something this awesome."

The Yellow Flash's ears perked up at this comment. He smirked, then knelt again to walk Naruto through the mechanics of the jutsu.

"Hey now, don't get too overconfident," he advised. "I'm not planning to make things easy on this year's Genin teams just because my sons are participating."

Naruto stopped short at the sight of an almost sinister glimmer in Minato's eye. He knew to take his dad seriously when he made that face. "Y-Yes sir," he said with a humble bow.

A shudder ran through Naruto at the thought of what kinds of unique challenges his father must have cooked up. Assuming they were as difficult as he was making it seem, then it would take a lot more than one new jutsu to even the playing field. If Sasuke and Sakura's studying was going well, maybe that could give their team an advantage?

Silencing his trail of thoughts, Naruto stayed in the moment. Minato started simple, presenting a hypothetical example to help him grasp the basics before going into an advanced explanation of Space-Time Ninjutsu mechanics. Naruto did his best to follow along, asking the occasional clarifying question. There was no time to waste. The tight window of time before the second phase of the Chunin Exam demanded that he fully master this technique. A basic understanding wouldn't be enough.

I'll get the hang of this Locator Jutsu by tomorrow morning, believe it!

Sakura pressed her hands to the window of a sweets shop. Her longing gaze alone threatened to crack the glass separating her from the pastries on display: cookies, cakes, and all manner of other kinds of treats dyed bright pinks, blues, and yellows. Multicolored sprinkles, drizzled syrups and melted chocolate. She lost count of how many she wished she could taste. Sasuke turned to observe, his hands in his pockets.

"Sakura?" He saw why she stopped walking and sighed. "You want dessert?"

She shook her head and stepped back. "No, sorry. A silly sweet tooth got the better of me. We need to eat some real food, right?"

The raven-haired boy approached the window and looked inside. A talkative shopkeeper was serving two last minute guests. Sasuke pulled back and read the sign out front. Sakura watched him with curiosity.

"They're about to close in an hour," he said. "Let's go inside."

Without waiting for Sakura to reply, Sasuke opened the door and strode inside. She followed and attempted to dissuade him, but to no avail. Some part of her was grateful for the small act of kindness. Even so, she felt bad about delaying their plans with her selfish desires. Not to mention that the desserts were going to add way too many calories to her diet. She couldn't maintain her figure like this!

Her father's words echoed in her head.

"Appearance isn't everything."

A knee-jerk justification rose to the surface. Of course this wasn't just about her looks, right? Ninja needed to stay in shape and remain agile. Well, Akimichi Clan members aside.

Sasuke called out to her. "Sakura, you're up next. Pick something. We haven't got all day."

His brusqueness added a more realistic edge to the sudden friendliness he was exhibiting today. Sakura had to admit that Sasuke's emotional whiplash was making her concerned. Did he truly care about her? About Team 7? Or was it all one big ruse?

The first cream-filled bite of a fresh baked strawberry cupcake was all it took to wipe these worries from her mind. Sakura swallowed and giggled to herself. Frosting decorated her mouth in a messy trail that in most cases, she would have tried to hide from Sasuke. Right now, though, she was too wrapped up in flavorful bliss to care. Across the table, Sasuke took modest nibbles out of his jam-filled pastry.

One thing at a time, the kunoichi told herself.

There would be time for overthinking his motives after she stuffed her face.

Orochimaru raised a brow, staring at the loyal assistant standing before him. The Sound Village hideout was silent in the aftermath of the information bomb Kabuto and the two Root shinobi delivered. He side-eyed Danzo. The former Leaf Elder stood beside Orochimaru with his lips pursed. They stood at the helm of a handful of ex-Anbu and Sound citizens, who all knelt and awaited direction following the fresh intel.

"So Sasori's source isn't to be trusted," Orochimaru said.

"I can't say for sure," Kabuto said. "This may have been a recent development, but I wouldn't count on that."

"Actually," Fu interjected, "if what I learned while I was inside that guard's mind is anything to go by, the installation of the barrier system began several years ago. Roughly five?"

The Sound Village founder snickered in spite of this information. "That troublesome organization continues to be a thorn in my side."

"Yours and mine both," Danzo chimed in. He squinted at his bandaged arm. "We need to pool our resources and deal with the Akatsuki once matters in The Leaf are settled."

"That we will." Orochimaru leveled a smirk at his unwilling partner. "The day of The Leaf Village's downfall is nigh." His excitement bubbled over, causing him to lick his lips despite Danzo's clear distaste for the topic. "And I'll kill that decrepit old sensei of mine as well." Orochimaru caught a brief flash of movement in the corner of his eye.

Feeling the unwanted attention on him, Danzo flinched. "Hiruzen…had his chance. Now we must do whatever is best for the future of The Leaf Village. Our forefathers sacrificed too much to allow such poor handling of what they left behind." Bitterness boiled to the surface, causing the Elder to ball his fist. His chakra spiked before he could stop himself.

Killing intent seeped from Orochimaru's pores in imperceptible waves. Danzo surrounded himself with chakra on instinct. His gaze snapped toward the mad scientist.

"Danzo," Orochimaru said thinly, ignoring the handful of Root agents grasping for their weapons, "be mindful of your position. I'll be making the decisions here."

"I remember." Danzo bit his lip and called for the ex-Leaf Anbu to stand down. "I merely meant to suggest we handle Hiruzen and Minato before they do any further harm."

The snake enthusiast's slit shaped eyes honed in on a dark mark near Danzo's clavicle. The mark pulsed with dense chakra. "Agreed. And don't forget to use that as insurance if things go downhill."

Danzo grunted. "I haven't forgotten."

Meanwhile, Kabuto stood facing Fu and Torune. All three had their hands near their ninja tool pouches. He had already run through a dozen strategies for getting the better of them before a fight broke out, but sighed and relented when Danzo called his men off. He looked at the latter askance; whatever was going on in that man's mind right now, Kabuto knew better than to leave Lord Orochimaru to deal with him alone. Shackled by an obligatory Curse Mark or not, Danzo Shimura wasn't one to underestimate.

Pain seared down to the core of Danzo's being, threatening to send him to the floor in a fit of spasms. He grimaced through it; under no circumstances would he allow himself to look weak in front of his subordinates. While his current predicament as a glorified slave to Orochimaru's whim was not ideal, it would not last forever. He promised himself that.

"Danzo," Orochimaru said in his trademark slick voice, "be mindful of your position. I'll be making the decisions here."

Grunting, Danzo forced out the words, "I haven't forgotten."

He ordered his followers to stand down and clutched at the stinging cursed seal mark on his neck. Its deep well of power was dangerous to tap into, and made him little more than a ticking time bomb so long as he was unable to control its spread. However, that was where he had Orochimaru beaten. Danzo spent many hours training in secret whenever business was slow at the hideout. Over time, he came to understand what made the cursed seal tick and how best to withstand its effects. Apart from making him not look like a groveling mess every time Orochimaru activated the mark, adjusting his body to its influence meant that if the time came to cut Orochimaru out of the equation, he could do so without fear of failure. His thoughts turned inward as he reminded himself of Root's long term goal.

Not much longer. All of this, everything, is a necessary sacrifice for the betterment of The Leaf. I will save the village from itself, even if I have to help Orochimaru destroy it and rebuild from the ashes.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura marched onto the premises of the 44th Training Ground with contented smiles on their faces. Dozens of other Chunin Exam entrants dotted the vast field where they were instructed to report the day prior. A sprinkling of rock pillars cast short shadows under the light of the noonday sun. Everyone gathered around a wide fence encircling the massive forest biome known as The Forest of Death. The front gate was bound by a rusty chain, a complex sealing tag, and several padlocks. A metal barricade with an attached overhang served as an observation post for three emotionless guards.

Wow, Naruto said to himself. I've heard this place is no picnic, but geez! Talk about overkill.

Sakura whined in discomfort. She recognized where they were from her research with Sasuke the instant she laid eyes this place, and hadn't stopped cursing their bad luck ever since. "This whole place just completely creeps me out!"

Anko-sensei stood facing the participants from the front of the gated perimeter. She looked at Sakura with a mischievous smile. "It should," she half-laughed. "They call it-"

"The Forest of Death?" Sasuke completed, giving her a challenging expression. The spotlight shifted from Sakura, taking a noticeable weight off of her shoulders.

"Ah, good going! Hokage's pet, huh?" Anko winked. "Good luck out there. You may have been a hot shot at the academy, but this is a whole nother world you're about to step into."

Sasuke chuckled in a dismissive tone. A moment later, Anko vanished from her spot by the gate. Naruto sprang into action and moved to intercept her, crossing his arm in front of Anko's at the same time that Sasuke spun a sharpened kunai through the air. The Uchiha's weapon hung still, mere inches from her face as she came to a sudden stop. All three ninja stood deadlocked in their awkward grapple. Both boys guarded Sasuke's blind spot from different angles.

"Not bad, Uchiha," Anko admitted, clicking her tongue. "For a rookie. You too, Naruto." Naruto glared in response, but she remained indifferent. Anko disengaged, her smug confidence still intact. "Oh, and you dropped this." She tossed Sasuke his ninja tool pouch with a snicker and returned to her post. He flinched and looked around, wondering how and when she got the drop on him.

"Whoa!" Sakura said to herself. "All this before phase two's even begun? This is gonna be a nightmare."

"Don't worry, Sakura!" Naruto said, flexing a bicep the way his mom always did. "I'll protect you, believe it."

Her nervousness dialed down a bit and she managed a smile due to his borderline goofy sense of chivalry. "Thanks, Naruto."

"N-Naruto?" said a small voice.

Naruto turned to see the familiar lilac eyes of his best friend. He lit up with excitement. "Hinata?! I was wondering when you'd get here. Get a load of this crazy instructor lady."

She threw Anko a wary glance. "I saw as Kiba and Shino and I arrived. Are you okay?" She gently took Naruto's hand in hers and started to inspect him for injuries.

"No, no! I'm good, promise. We all are."

"Oh, o-okay." She gulped. "Well, I'm glad…that we were all able to pass."

"Same here! Just make sure you don't show me up out there." He grinned and Hinata melted into a puddle of nerves. Kiba and Shino joined the conversation, saving her from the awkwardness.

"Hey, you guys," Kiba said. He wore red fang-shaped markings on his cheeks that were common among members of the Inuzuka Clan. His ninja hound, Akamaru, was sound asleep atop his hoodie without a care in the world.

"What's up, Kiba?" Naruto high fived him. "You guys ready?"

"You bet! We're gonna tear up the competition."

"Maybe everyone else, sure," the Uzumaki joked.

"Does everything have to be a competition with you guys?" Sakura said, joining the conversation.

"Says the girl who's always starting the Fourth Great Ninja War whenever Ino shows up," Kiba pointed out.

Sakura paused, a finger raised in protest. "T-That's totally different!"

"I was hoping for at least a hello, you know," said a flat voice from behind Kiba and Hinata. His sunglasses and chin-level coat were unmistakable, but Naruto was stumped by his random appearance.

"S-Shino!" Naruto sputtered. Sakura and Sasuke looked just as surprised. "I didn't notice you there. Nice to see you."

Shino sulked, turning away from his teammates. "No one pays attention to me."

An undesirable presence tore Naruto's focus away yet again before he could apologize for the perceived slight. He locked eyes with Neji, who strode past with a condescending frown. The snobbish Hyuga stopped when he and Naruto were standing shoulder to shoulder.

"Naruto," he acknowledged with a nod.

"Asshole," Naruto replied in kind, mirroring the nod.

"Hey Naruto, stop it!" Sakura hissed. She tapped him on the small of his back in admonishment.

"What?" Naruto said in a coy tone. "Something wrong with calling'em how I see'em?"

Neji scowled, scoffing at the insult. "If I were you, I'd be praying we don't meet on the battlefield." He stopped to look down his nose at Hinata. "The same goes for you, Lady Hinata."

"Hey, Neji," said one of his teammates, a brunette with her hair in matching buns. "Could you please cut it out?"

"Say what you w-want about me", Hinata said, her lip quivering, "but I won't allow you to badmouth Naruto, brother Neji!" She squared her shoulders, holding onto a knot of anger despite the rivulets of sweat tickling the back of her neck.

"Hmph," her cousin dismissed. "Is that so? Lee, Tenten, I guess we're about to see two failures embarrass themselves."

Naruto registered Rock Lee shaking a fist at Neji from his peripheral vision. "You should not speak ill of them, Neji. Guy-sensei has praised their dedication and blooming power of youth!"

"As if that's a convincing reason," Neji said. "Come on Tenten, Lee. Let's go."

Hinata trembled, hugging herself and trying not to lose her cool. Naruto laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and tried to forget about Neji. His options were limited, after all. Either he would treat the dirt stain like he didn't exist, or he'd punch him as hard as he could. There was no in between.

Lee walked backwards behind Neji and waved to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura with a gleeful smile. His neverending optimism was unnerving, to say the least. Some might call him downright insane! Lee was acting as if Naruto hadn't just smacked him in the chest with a Rasengan less than a day ago! He may have been strong, but boy, was this guy weird.

Seconds passed and for a moment, Naruto thought his better angels would win out. Then Hinata sniffled. He noticed a tear rolling down her face and that was that.

The enraged Uzumaki spun to smack some sense into Neji, but Sasuke was quicker and held him by the wrist.

"Mm-mm," he said with a slow shake of his head.

Senses as sharp as ever, Neji stood half-turned in the beginnings of a combat stance. His Byakugan blazed with chakra, ready for whatever Naruto threw at him.

A shouted command for attention from Anko broke things up. Everyone forgot everyone else and honed in on the impending announcement.

"Now," the instructor shouted, "before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all." She slipped a hand into her jacket and pulled out a sheaf of papers. On closer inspection, Team 7 realized they were consent forms.

"Oooookay," Naruto muttered, eyeing Sakura. "Maybe she was right. We really are dead."

In the middle of an open field of lush grass, Minato sat crab leg style with his eyes closed. Genma, Iwashi, and Raido watched from a distance, ensuring no one interrupted his meditative state. Orange markings around the edges of the Hokage's eyes were the sole indicator of what went on deep beneath the surface. He saw not with his eyes, but instead with the well of energy concentrated throughout his body. The sensory capabilities of Sage Mode heightened his perception of his surroundings, in particular the living organisms around him. Every chakra signature ranging from his three bodyguards, to the animals roaming nearby, all the way down to tiny bugs in the dewswept grass, shone like individual beacons in a sea of calm.

Minato opened his eyes and beheld the vast property encircled by a fenced off perimeter. The sturdy metal barrier was reinforced by a series of paper tags, which were in turn powered by chakra imbued into them ages ago. A handful of newer seals were mixed in since then, but the majority had remained active since Minato was a child. He thought back to his own Chunin Exam so long ago. Things had come full circle; now instead of being a test participant, he was the mastermind behind the whole operation — Lord Hiruzen's recommendations notwithstanding.

Somewhere in the overgrown mass of flora and fauna, his sons and their teammate were about to face challenges like none they'd known prior to this point. Minato's role was to ensure Naruto and Sasuke didn't use their mastery of advanced techniques to bypass the countless environmental dangers of the exam. Doing so would defeat the entire purpose of this exercise. The same went for anyone else who had space-time ninjutsu tricks up their sleeves.

Good luck, you two.

Team 7 stopped at the outskirts of the forest where vegetation grew denser. On either side of them, they heard the occasional person leap by overhead. Naruto turned to Sasuke and Sakura, grinning from ear to ear.

"Why'd you stop us, Naruto?" Sakura prodded. She looked around like she feared an enemy would spring from the shadows — which, to be fair, wasn't impossible.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "We should probably find decent cover first."

Naruto pulled a Flying Thunder God Kunai from his bag and held it out in front of him with a mischievous chuckle. "Heh! Who needs cover when we can just skip straight to the other end of this place? We could get to that stupid tower in the blink of an eye."

Sakura blinked, left speechless by his simplistic plan. "You know, I never really thought about that."

Sasuke shrugged. "Eh, why not? Let's try it."

"Hyah!" Naruto cried, flinging a kunai ahead of them in a straight line. Thanks to a bit of chakra he imbued into it, the ninja tool maintained its path for a significant distance before disappearing from sight. "Let's head straight for the tower, then double back and grab a scroll after we set down a marker."

His teammates allowed him to grab their wrists and took stances in anticipation of being pulled through space and time. Naruto braced for the jump and blinked out of existence along with his friends. The familiar feeling of disorientation and weightlessness hit him full force, but something was different this time. A sensation similar to coming in contact with an elastic rope at top jogging speed blocked Naruto's movement and sent him flying in another direction. He crashed onto the forest floor in the middle of a clearing, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Sasuke and Sakura were laid flat on the dirt beside him. They all struggled onto their feet in a daze.

"That hurt," Sakura whined, dusting off her clothes. "Where are we?"

Rolling his shoulder, Sasuke said, "We're not at the tower. Naruto, what did you do wrong?"

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Me? N-nothing! Seriously."

"Then what's going on?"

"Beats me! I did everything exactly right, but something blocked our path."

"Blocked our path?" Sakura echoed. She looked to Sasuke, who was cupping his chin.

"Hmm," he muttered, eyes shut while he took in the information.

Waving his arms for emphasis, Naruto said, "Don't believe me? Check with your Sharingan."

"Way ahead of you."

Sasuke's eyes opened to reveal two gleaming red irises. He did a quick sweep of the area, squinting for a moment before turning the ocular jutsu off. "I'm not seeing anything that looks like a typical barrier ninjutsu, but I…wait a second." Activating his Sharingan again, he looked down at his feet and gasped.

"What, Sasuke?" Naruto pressed. "Whadda ya see, huh?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Sasuke said. "There's something underground." He glanced at Sakura, who shrugged.

Naruto grinned with confidence and rolled up one sleeve. "I've got this, you guys. Believe it."

He knelt and touched a finger against the dirt with his exposed arm. Last night's teachings remained at the forefront of the Uzumaki's mind while he manifested the sealing formula Minato showed him. The seal formed just a foot or so below ground, dispersing chakra across a decent radius around Naruto's position. Per his dad's explanation, every source of chakra within this domain would be picked up as an individual 'ping,' granting total awareness of any enemies lying in wait. The jutsu was very straightforward without much room for misinterpretation. Apart from making a mistake placing the seal, there was no way for the Locator Jutsu to fail once cast.

But Naruto hadn't made a mistake. There was no way. He knew the formula for that freakin' seal like the back of his hand after several dozen back to back drills with Dad supervising him. He could draw it in his sleep, he knew it so well! So he was beyond stumped by the mental image of a flat layer of chakra several dozen feet below him. More interesting still, something was scrambling the clarity of his Locator Jutsu once the visualization process passed a certain depth. That had to mean-

"Ah, so you mastered that, eh?" Sasuke said, interrupting his racing thoughts. "No wonder you were so pumped when I got back from the library."

"Yeah, I couldn't wait to show you guys," Naruto said with a smile. His emotion faded and he returned to the task at hand. "But something's not right here. I think maybe…"

"Maybe?" Sakura nudged, leaning in with deepening curiosity.

"It's almost like somebody put a barrier down before we even set foot in the forest. I mean, that's the only reason I can think of for there to be a wall of chakra below us that I can't get past with this new jutsu." Naruto turned to his adoptive brother. "Sasuke, could you-"

"Already on it." Sasuke held a breath, training his Sharingan on every visible inch of the forest floor. He deactivated the transformation and nodded. "Yeah. It's everywhere."

Naruto huffed. "Damn it. So much for my awesome plan."

Sakura looked between the two of them and asked, "Who could be behind this, though?"

"Probably not Anko-sensei," the blond said.

"True," Sakura seconded. "She doesn't seem like the calm or careful type, and seals are all about patience and precision." Giggling, she added, "Then again, Naruto, you don't really fit that bill either."

Sasuke tutted. "Well, it's less about the attitude of the caster more than their chakra control and how much chakra they can spare. Naruto's more than sufficient in those areas."

"Maybe…?" Naruto whispered to himself, ignoring their back and forth. He froze and the color drained from his cheeks. "I've got it!" He locked eyes with Sasuke, unable to hide his overwhelming worry. "I know it sounds strange, but hear me out. What if this is because of Dad?"

"Minato? Why would it be him?"

Sakura yelped at the shrill cry of a bird somewhere within the foliage. She turned red in the face when her teammates realized she just spazzed out over nothing. "Sorry, this place gives me the creeps. Can we maybe, uh, find somewhere to hide first?"

The three of them scoured their surroundings until they discovered a sizable hollow within a massive tree. While it was leaning toward the claustrophobic side, there was enough room to take a few steps in any direction. Deeming the place acceptable, everyone got to work setting up a temporary base. Sasuke placed traps in the nearby bushes to create a small measure of security. Sakura whipped up a convincing enough camouflage around the entrance and then returned to her teammates. She formed a hand sign and imbued the wood of the tree with her chakra, enacting a visual Genjutsu that made it appear solid to anyone passing their location. So long as they weren't followed and no one ruined the illusion by walking through the tree, her strategy would hold up.

Team 7 huddled around a tiny Rasengan that Naruto was using as a makeshift light source. They spoke in hushed tones, stopping every so often to listen for outside movement.

"Alright," Naruto said with a hand cupped around his mouth, "so I think I've got this figured out, believe it. Ahem! When I checked our surroundings with Dad's tracking jutsu, I saw something weird around us. It stretched past the range I can search with this new technique."

"The underground chakra layer," Sasuke surmised. "Or at least, it looked like one to my Sharingan."

"Yeah!" Naruto swung his arms wide, causing his teammates to recoil.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Sasuke hissed, staring daggers into the shining orb of death in his brother's palm.

"Oh, right! Heh, sorry. Anyway, yeah, that thing. I couldn't see it too clearly, only about a fourth but I'm pretty sure it's a giant seal that someone used to, I dunno, trap us here or screw up the exam."

"And the only one who'd be powerful enough to do something like that is a seasoned shinobi," Sakura realized aloud. "But why Lord Fourth? Would he really sabotage his own event?"

Sasuke peeked through the camouflaged hole in the tree, then returned to the others. "He wouldn't," he said. "But maybe that wasn't his intent."

She tipped her head. "How do you mean?"

"I mean maybe he's the reason your Flying Thunder God failed." He looked to Naruto, who gasped. "You said last night that Minato warned you the exam would be no cakewalk, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So maybe this was what he meant. Somehow, he could have put up a seal to tamper with us using Flying Thunder God to skip past all the difficult parts."

"He can do that?" Sakura said, mouth agape.

The boys shrugged. "Apparently," they said in unison.

Naruto folded his arms, in deep thought. "Well, then we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. With our speed, it should be no trouble at all, believe it."

"Well, sure, maybe for you two," Sakura pointed out. She frowned and sank where she sat. "How am I supposed to keep up?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't worry, we won't leave you."

Branches snapped and everyone bolted upright. They were hesitant to speak or move for a good thirty seconds. Naruto even dispersed his Rasengan just in case.

Checking for enemies with the Locator Jutsu, the reassured blond returned to their conversation. They spent a few minutes formulating a game plan for hunting down the second scroll. Taking a few bites of their rations, they snuck out of the tree. Sakura lagged behind to turn off the Genjutsu and also to listen for any sounds in the rear of their formation while Sasuke scanned for visual disturbances. They crept along, using the dense canopy as cover. This strategy worked fairly well. They found and avoided a handful of veiled traps and even managed to evade detection by another team dashing by a few dozen yards away. Sasuke checked their scroll with his Sharingan as they passed and offered a negative response. Disheartened, Team 7 huddled to rethink the plan.

"I mean, we're safe, but this isn't exactly getting us results," Sakura said.

"True," Sasuke whispered. "But we can't just run full tilt into danger. Other teams are probably waiting for chaos like that to break out so they can nab a scroll with as little effort as possible."

"Wanna just go to the tower and ambush a team there?" Naruto suggested. "I don't really wanna win like that, but if it's either that or walking around a forest full of giant bugs and animals trying to kill us all day, I'll take option 1, believe it."

"No," Sasuke said. "It's almost a certainty there will be other teams with the same idea. If we're lucky, they'll have Earth scrolls. Worst case, multiple teams with a Heaven scroll start targeting us."

"Then I think the solution's obvious," Sakura said, peeking out from behind a bush to ensure they weren't in danger. She waved in the direction of the tower. "We find someone to group up with!"

"Great idea, Sakura." Naruto smiled. "Oh! Speaking of grouping up, let's use our speed to suss out where Hinata's team is!"

Sasuke nodded. "Sure. Odds are they're the most likely team to call a truce with us, regardless of which scroll they've got." He reached for Sakura's hand, bringing redness to her cheeks.

"S-Sasuke?" she stammered. "What are you-"

"You were worried about falling behind, right? So I'll just carry you."

Naruto almost fell to the ground in shock. "Wait, what the hell? Why do you get to carry her?!" Realizing the implications of his words, he went pale. "I mean, I could do it instead."

Scoffing at his brother's awkwardness, Sasuke walked away. "Be my guest."

The disappointment on Sakura's face was palpable, but she didn't object.

Some time later, Sasuke and Naruto were zipping along at a pace that would put the majority of their fellow entrants to shame. A Shadow Clone of Naruto kept Sakura secured in a firm piggyback position, doing all he could not to bubble over with excitement. She kept her eyes sharp for any outstanding details that might indicate danger.

Sasuke was already reaching for his ninja tool pouch by the time she cried, "Watch out! Incoming!"

A large creature with shaggy chesnut fur came charging down a hill. Whatever the thing was, it had picked up their scent and decided to give chase. When the beast was within a reasonable range, they noted the mottled coat, saliva-laden sharp teeth, and piercing eyes of a wild monkey.

Naruto and Sasuke took stances beside one another while Clone Naruto guarded the now-dismounted Sakura. However, she pushed past and stood her ground.

"I want to try something," she said, forming a hand sign.

Her chakra built up to a steady flow, and the monkey stopped at the foot of the cliff where they stood. Its angry yellow eyes softened, shifting to fearful ones. Then, with a chilling howl, it turned and scrambled away from the trio.

Once they were sure the predatory animal was gone, Naruto asked, "What did you do, Sakura?"

"I created a fake fire with Genjutsu to scare him off." She sighed happily, admitting, "I wasn't sure it would work, to be honest."

"Wow! You're getting so good at this," Naruto said with stars in his eyes.

She hid a bashful smile and climbed aboard the clone once more. Team 7 sped off, somewhat comforted by the narrow escape Sakura's ingenuity brought to bear. Branches crackled under their weight as they took to the air to avoid running into anymore rabid creatures. Leaves rustled and fell. The faint feeling of dread that set in from the very start of this exam lessened just enough to keep them sane.

Not long into their journey, the faint echo of a roar assailed their ears.

"Not another giant monkey!" Naruto said, looking in the direction of the sound.

"Should we peal off?" Sakura suggested, hiding behind Naruto's clone and peeking over its shoulder mid-tree leap.

"Hmm," Sasuke muttered. "Not sure. There's a bear rampaging through the forest for some reason."

"A bear?!" Sakura squeaked.

"I think somebody might be in trouble over there, too. We're too far out for me to tell who it is yet, even with my Sharingan."

The real Naruto went silent for a moment, then changed course. "Go on, you guys. I'll catch up."

"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke said, but the foolhardy Uzumaki boy was already speeding out of sight. "Damn it." His brother landed and turned to stare daggers at the Naruto clone carrying Sakura.

"What're ya lookin' at me for?" fake Naruto asked from his stationary spot on a tree branch. He flinched when he realized Sakura was glaring at him over his shoulder, too. "Aw, come on! It's not like I took off and left you guys. It was him!"

"You're the same person," Sasuke said with a sigh. He signaled in the direction the real Naruto went. "Anyway, let's go. We can't let ourselves get too separated."

A girl with rich red hair down to her legs quaked in her sandals, backing away from the feral creature before her. She fought to keep from crying while her dark-rimmed glasses slid further and further down her nose. Terror struck like a bolt of lightning when she bumped against a large tree. On either side of her, roots that dwarfed her several times over were embedded in the forest floor. She shifted from one foot to the other, judging her chances of survival if she made a run for it right now.

The imposing shadow of an enraged, salivating bear drew closer with every passing second. She was running out of what few options there were. No escape route, no abilities powerful enough to fight her way out, no teammates-

Wait.

Where the hell were her teammates? They'd left her with little more than a couple of painful bites on the arm and the unfeeling shove of a scroll into her trembling hands. Lord Orochimaru may have valued her genetic makeup, but that didn't make others treat her well. If anything, she suspected it made things even worse. Their repressed bitterness was shown in more covert ways. Curt replies, unnecessarily rough shoulder bump, shove, or firm grip, along with the occasional sneer or murmured insults; all were methods used to substitute her in as an outlet for their festering negative emotions.

"Hey!" she croaked. The tears she held at bay lodged in her throat and hung there. "Where is everyone?!"

The bear sized her up, eyes blazing with wild ferocity. Its razor sharp teeth were in full view, a silent omen of her fast approaching fate. She contemplated using the kunai in her pouch to choose the quicker of the two deaths before her, but pushed the thought from her mind. Instead, she prayed that someone, anyone, would come and save her.

Please, help me!

A great rumble shook the earth as the bear lunged what must have been five feet into the air, head tilted to gnash her small, weak body into pieces. The ghost of a scream died in her throat. She dove sideways, covering her head with her hands, and everything became a blur. Her glasses flew from her face and she squinted hard. She hoped at the very least for a painless death.

Like a miracle from heaven, a flurry of bodies rained down from the trees onto the bear, pinning it with the weight of their combined landings and each grabbing handfuls of its fur. They all wore matching outfits that were a blinding orange with deep blue streaks along the arms. Stunned into silence, she watched as the sudden mob placed a series of small seals all over the bear's body.

A lone boy landed in front of her, his Leaf Village headband matching the others'. Her breath hitched at the realization that she was looking at an unheard of amount of Shadow Clones. Even after such a feat, the amount of chakra this kid had left in the tank was impossible to believe. She could almost feel the sheer volume of his chakra reservoir radiating off of him. An object attached to his waist gave off a strange aura unlike his own. Something about the oni-style mask was familiar.

"Hey," the boy said over his shoulder. Two other young shinobi landed on either side of him. "Name's Naruto. Are you okay?"

"Y-yes. Thanks. I'm…Karin." She felt his name should have been important for some reason, but was too overwhelmed to remember why.

Naruto retrieved her glasses and handed them back to her. Karin blinked to adjust her vision and was surprised to come face to face with her savior's serious stare.

"What?" she said, flinching under Naruto's gaze. He was fixated on her hair for some reason.

"It's just-" He broke off, looking for the right words. "Are you-?"

"Naruto, we've got your back!" one of his teammates shouted. "Come on. Don't just stand there."

The person speaking was a boy with slick black hair and an insignia on the back of his shirt. His chakra, too, gave Karin pause. She felt that there was something more beneath the surface when it came to him. Meanwhile, the bear wriggled against its bindings with force that sent tremors across the landscape.

Naruto grimaced at his comrade's words. "Uh, right. Sorry Sasuke." He flashed Karin an embarrassed smile before charging into the battle. "Be right back!"

She watched in wordless wonder as the third shinobi in the group, a girl with long pink hair that looked too well maintained to be real, set down a wire-triggered trap like it was the easiest thing in the world. She glided up the side of a tree using so little chakra, Karin would not have sensed the kunoichi if she weren't right in front of her. The former sat on a sturdy branch to keep watch and allowed her friends to take care of the rest.

"Sasuke, Naruto, it's ready!" she shouted over the bear's raucous bellows.

Naruto's clones cried out in pain as they were flung every which way. Most slammed into trees or rocks and dissipated. The majority of their hastily placed seals shattered, allowing the bear to rise up on its haunches and cast off the remainder.

Sasuke dashed out of the way of the chaos and threw a handful of shuriken, but they were swept aside like gnats by one meaty claw. The enraged mammal rushed at him head on, tripping the wire trap placed moments ago in its blind fury. A spherical object fell in front of its face and detonated, eclipsing a large section of The Forest of Death in a blast of light.

Karin put an arm up to shield her face. She heard the sharp smack of a physical attack. The bear uttered a piteous final growl. When the spectacle was over, Karin looked up to see Naruto and his friends sitting atop the downed beast with casual grins.

"Nice one, you two!" the pink-haired girl said. "One kick from both of you was all it took."

"We aimed for its weak spot," Sasuke explained. He redirected his attention to Naruto. "Hey, what's up with you and this girl we saved? You know her?"

"No, but Sasuke! Look at her hair."

Sasuke paused to inspect her and gasped. "I see it now. Is she really…?" True to form as the bluntest member of the group, Sasuke slid down the shoulder of their latest conquest and approached Karin with his adoptive brother in tow.

"Hey," he said, "we've got a question for you."

When Karin managed to shake off the lingering panic infused into her veins over the past few minutes, she deadpanned, "You want my Earth scroll."

"No," Naruto chimed in, "it's nothin' like that!" He raised his hands in a conciliatory motion. "We have an Earth scroll too! I just wanted to ask for your full name."

She lifted a brow, trying to figure out if this was a trick. Naruto wave a scroll through the air to verify his words. Her shoulders dropped and she breathed a sigh of relief; they weren't enemies after all. "Oh. A-Alright, I guess? I'm Karin Uzumaki."

The blond's eyes lit up at her words, perplexing her. Was he crushing on her or something? Karin was pretty certain Lord Orochimaru wouldn't even allow her to have a friend from outside of The Sound Village, much less anything more. She stopped short, realizing why his name sounded significant to her. Naruto as in The Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto Uzumaki?

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto called out. "C'mere for a sec."

She complied, leaving her post on top of the knocked out bear's head. Its tongue hung loosely from its mouth and its breathing was rapid. The tongue shifted forward with every labored huff. Sakura paused on her way over to the group. She waited until the creature was between breaths and darted past, avoiding a faceful of bear saliva.

"What is it?" she said, fumbling around in her ninja tool pouch and retrieving a roll of gauze. "Is everyone okay?"

Sasuke held out a hand to stop her. She gave him a blank expression.

"Sakura, Sakura!" Naruto blurted out, pointing to Karin. "This girl's an Uzumaki just like me! Cool, huh?"

"What, really?" Sakura shook her head and gave Karin a polite smile. "Sorry. Where are my manners? Hi. My name's Sakura Haruno."

Karin returned the smile and nodded.

"Actually," the girl said, thumbing her chin, "I thought there weren't any other Uzumaki around besides you and your mom, Naruto."

Sasuke cleared his throat very loudly to get his teammate's attention, his eyes flitting toward Karin for emphasis.

"Oh, right!" Sakura said. Her face flushed a deeper pink than her beautiful locks. "Um, I didn't mean to-"

"No," Karin insisted, lips folding at the thought of her clan's decline. "It's alright. Why did you guys help me? We don't even know each other."

"Because that's who we are, believe it!" Naruto said, extending a hand. "We help people because it's the right thing to do."

"And in his case," Sasuke muttered, "even when it's the stupid thing to do."

"Grrrr," Naruto hissed. "Look Karin, don't mind Sasuke. He didn't mean that."

"Tch! Yes I-"

"AND ALSO, it's kinda cool meeting another Uzumaki besides my mom. Wanna be friends?" His hand hovered in front of her in silent anticipation.

Awestruck by the combination of Naruto's purity and Sasuke's drop dead gorgeous face, Karin stopped speaking altogether. She felt her hand clasp Naruto's and deliver a handshake, but couldn't remember her brain commanding her body to do so. These shinobi were nothing like her team. They got along, cared about each other—and even strangers—and had stellar teamwork. Was this what it was like to grow up in a prospering village with people who weren't just using you for your powers?

Conscious of the many bite marks hiding under her sleeve, she jerked her hand back a little faster than intended. The others appeared confused, but didn't comment on her abruptness.

"Anyway," Naruto said, "we really need to get going to look for someone we know. It was awesome meeting you, Karin! Stay away from ferocious beasts, alright?"

Asking how in the world she was supposed to do something like that in this death trap of a forest would probably kill the vibe. So instead, Karin put a foot in her mouth. She smiled and waved goodbye. A clone of Naruto popped into existence and offered Sakura a piggyback ride. She climbed onboard and bid Karin farewell as the four of them took to the trees.

Just like that, they were gone. If not for the large incapacitated bear in a nearby clearing, Karin might have chalked the whole experience up to a crazy dream. Turns out these Leaf ninja were decent people after all. Karin lamented that she couldn't have grown up in a place like this, too.

"I think I've got something," Sasuke called out. Naruto nodded and gave the Locator Jutsu a try. Using the tree as a base, he strained to push out more chakra than usual.

He found that the jutsu worked on trees, and that he could even cheat the system a little by extending thinner streams of chakra through the buried roots. In so doing, he found the spark of a familiar, lavender-tinted energy source. Next to this source were three others he recognized, though not as well as the first one. He knew this chakra signature like the back of his hand. The mere presence of her radiant life force was enough to help Naruto forget how on edge he felt.

Her chakra was tame, but there was notable intensity hidden beneath that balanced exterior. She burned like the sun, and he knew one day she would prove that to everyone who doubted her. He vowed to be there to celebrate on that day with his best friend in the whole world. She deserved all this and more.

Lips upturned into a broad smile, Naruto whispered, "Hinata."

Second Author's Note: Please leave comments of any length. I love to read your perspectives on the story!

~Axle~