There was another brief break in between the quarterfinals and the semifinals. You could practically feel the energy from the crowd buzzing in anticipation for the final fights. I'd checked to make sure I wasn't under a genjutsu when I felt that, but I was free of alien chakra, so it must have been jitters or something.

The semifinals would be me versus the Iwa kunoichi whose chakra was exhausted and Misaki versus the white-haired Kiri swordsman. The Kiri nin had been cautiously eyeing Misaki since she'd returned to the booth. He'd seemed confident after defeating his prior opponent with his katana, but that confidence had faded, uncertainty settling in its place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the semi finals will now begin. Shinto Nara and Kozuki Kai, enter the arena!" Tenjo called, an excited roar from the crowd following in the wake of his words.

I made my way down to the arena easily enough, but the Iwa kunoichi looked like she almost fell over multiple times on her way down. She was still wobbly on her feet as we squared off.

"There is no shame in retiring from a battle you will not win. Be warned, I will not disrespect you by holding back if you choose to fight." I said before the fight began.

The girl took several deep breaths, looking dizzy. "That… The three of you make a good point, shortstack." She turned to Tenjo and said, "Am I still eligible for a promotion if I lose this fight?"

"Promotions will be awarded by each contestant's respective village based on their overall performance." Tenjo replied.

The kunoichi pursed her lips before shrugging. She raised her hand and called out, "I forfeit." The next moment, she closed her eyes and tipped backwards.

I rushed up to her and caught her unconscious body before her head hit the ground and gently laid her onto the dirt. I stepped back as the med nin arrived.

"Shinto Nara advances to the finals." Tenjo announced. There were many boo's from the crowd at the lackluster fight, but all of the nin in the stands seemed approving of the Iwa girl's decision. They knew flight was preferable to death when the option was on the table and it wouldn't jeopardize the mission.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and leapt back up to the contestant area. There were only three of us left now.

"Back so soon?" Misaki drawled, a playful smile on her lips.

I shrugged. "I missed the shade. The sun plays havoc on my complexion."

I heard a snort, and Misaki and I turned to look at the Kiri nin in the box with us,

"Tell me about it. It's so damn hot here you could grill a fish just by leaving it on a rock." the shinobi said, a friendly smile on his face. The white-haired teen seemed far too relaxed given he was about to fight a girl who'd stuck her hand through a man's throat in the last round.

"I would not know. I am not a very good cook, so I will bow to your expertise." Misaki said. "Forgive my bluntness, but is there a reason you are being so friendly?"

The Kiri shinobi shrugged. "Figured the tournament was over, so there wasn't much need for us to be at each other's throats anymore."

Miskai frowned. "You are aware you and I will fight next, correct?"

The Kiri nin snorted. "Fat chance. I saw what that Kumo guy did in his first fight. The guy was a monster even before he whipped out his sword. You beat him without using anything other than that really scary lightning jutsu. I have no idea what else you have up your sleeve, and you demonstrated against him that you're fast enough to slip past sword strikes. I'm faster than he was, but not so fast as to be confident being close enough for you to skewer me. I ain't fighting you."

In a world of constant death and war, the frank way this guy spoke and the seemingly genuine smile on his face were a rarity, especially when you considered we were from different villages.

"What's your name?" I asked. I knew it already from listening to Tenjo announce his fights, but I wanted to do this properly.

He smirked at me and stuck his hand out. "Yasu Jun. Good to meet you."

I took his hand and shook it. "Shinto Nara, likewise, Jun-san."

"And I am Misaki Hyuga." Misaki said with a polite nod. "I regret we will not be able to test ourselves against each other, Jun-san."

His smile took on a predatory glint. "Guess we'll just have to save that for when it's for real, huh?"

Tenjo, standing in the middle of the arena, called out, "The next match will now begin. Misaki Hyuga and Yasu–"

"I forfeit!" Yasu yelled over him, hopping up onto the railing so he was visible to the crowd.

Tenjo stopped speaking, staring at Yasu as if making sure the Kiri nin was sure. When Yasu hopped off the railing and started walking through the stands towards an older Kiri Kunoichi, Tenjo turned back to the crowd and said, "The winner of this fight is Misaki Hyuga."

There were lots of groans and displeased shouting at both of the semi finals matches ending in a forfeit before any actual fighting was done, but there were still a few people who looked excited for the finals. I saw money change hands as people began betting on Misaki and I.

I smirked at her. "I guess we'll finally get to go all out against each other, huh?" I honestly didn't know who would win between the two of us. We had very different fighting styles and specialties, so most fights we had would likely come down to the circumstances surrounding that fight instead of a true gap in skill.

Misaki just smiled knowingly at me and leapt past me, landing in the arena after two more hops. I followed her down, standing opposite her and taking a stance.

Tenjo looked between us and shrugged. There was supposed to be another break between matches, but since there hadn't been any fights, he probably just wanted to get this over with. "Are you both ready?"

Misaki raised her hand. "Proctor? I forfeit."

"Are you kidding me!" a particularly vocal, displeased spectator cried, prompting others to do the same as they rose and made their displeasure known. A few of the gamblers I'd noticed earlier had gotten into an argument about whether or not a forfeit constituted a victory. It was getting pretty animated.

"You're not even going to try?" I asked, my shoulders slumping in disappointment. I'd been looking forward to this.

Misaki smiled at me. She lifted a finger and pointed behind me.

Frowning, I turned to see what she was pointing at.

"Ah," I said, realizing why she didn't want to fight me. The sun was going down. Another forty seconds or so and the high rocks around the stadium would bathe the entire arena in shadow, leaving Misaki almost entirely at my mercy. There wasn't much she'd be able to do against me then. "We can spar some time in Konoha if we feel like it." I said as I turned back around. Misaki nodded in agreement with a happy smile on her face.

"Oh, come on!" a voice from the crowd screamed, eliciting even more shouts.

Tenjo just shrugged. "Ladies and gentlemen, Shinto Nara is the victor. Thank you for attending the Chunin Exams."

X

After the lack-luster finals of the Chunin Exams, the Konoha entourage left rather quickly. The Hokage spoke to the other Kage at a top secret peace meeting – or maybe it was actually a secret meeting where they all threatened to kill each other – before we all packed up and headed home.

Shikaku rubbed my head and congratulated me on winning, saying Aika would have been proud of me.

Misaki's parents ate with us in the evenings, talking about how well we both did and explaining what we could expect to face as chunin. We hadn't been promoted yet and technically couldn't be promoted until we got back to Konoha and went to the Hokage Tower, but it was pretty much an open secret that the two twelve-year-olds who'd both made it to the finals were going to be promoted.

The group we left with was more or less the exact same as the one we arrived in Iwa with. The only notable difference was the carts the civilians came with were filled with different goods. They likely traded their stock with merchants in Kumo. Apparently child death tournaments were a great place for profits to be had. Who knew?

The Hokage sat behind his desk with a warm smile on his face as he looked between Misaki and I. Behind us stood Shikaku and Misaki's parents. They'd come to witness the occasion.

"I am very pleased with your performance during the Chunin Exams, Misaki, Shinto. You have both done the leaf proud. I hereby promote you both to the rank of chunin." he said dramatically.

Misaki's mother clapped her hands together behind us, a proud smile splitting her face. Her father's smile was more subdued, but his pride in his daughter was obvious.

Shikaku just smirked at me. He lifted his hand and a storage seal popped. He caught the two items it expelled and held them out to us. "Well done, Misaki. You did pretty good too, troublesome."

I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I took my new chunin jacket from Shikaku. I could finally wear official armor! Although… I frowned as I put it on over my jacket. The chunin jacket was really just a green vest. It didn't cast the same shadows my current jacket did. On the flip side, it was armored where my current jacket wasn't.

Shikaku snorted as he saw the thoughtful frown on my face. "Just wear the chunin jacket under your other one. It's what I did until I just gave up wearing armor all together. We can protect ourselves with shadows as easily as we can with armor."

I pursed my lips as I swapped my jackets around. Now there's a thought. Why hadn't I thought of making shadow armor before? I could make my shadows tangible, so they could be solid. I just needed to find a way to–

I rubbed the back of my head, turning to glare up at Shikaku. He'd just smacked me lightly on the back of the head, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"You can make new jutsu later. Did you forget you're in the presence of the Hokage?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I paled, quickly spinning around to bow. "I apologize, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi threw his head back and laughed heartily. I relaxed, realizing he was amused rather than offended.

"There is no need to apologize, Shinto. Why, you remind me of myself when I was younger, always seeing the potential in the world around me, losing myself in my thoughts at the slightest provocation. I am glad to see you hold such a passion for innovation." He fixed me with a firm look. "That being said, don't let it consume your life. You must find time to engage in activities outside of those a ninja would. In fact…" He reached under his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. He smiled as he picked up a stamp and slammed it down on the paper. He held it out to me with a bright smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "You are now on forced medical leave for one week. You are not allowed to train or go on missions until you are properly rested."

My jaw hung open dumbly as I stared at the Hokage. "But I was gonna– Ow!" I jumped, holding my head. Shikaku had just lightly chopped me on the top of the head.

"I believe what you meant to say was, 'Thank you, Hokage-sama.'" Shikaku said, an eyebrow raised at me.

I grumbled, saying, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage had an amused smile on his face as he looked at me. "This is not a punishment, Shinto. You have been working yourself to the bone for these Exams. You have emerged victorious. Go and celebrate. You as well, Misaki."

"May I still go on missions?" Misaki asked.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, reaching underneath his desk to retrieve a second piece of paper and stamping it. He held it out to her and said, "No, not for one week you can't."

Misaki's lips were pursed, but she bowed her head and said, "Thank you, Hokage-sama." She was more respectful than I was.

"I will not keep you here any longer. Go and celebrate. Rest. You have both earned it." Hiruzen said, waving his hand dismissively. The door to his office opened with the motion. That was a really neat trick. Was it a jutsu? No, there weren't any hand signs. It was possible he was just so good as to not need hand signs, but it was likely fuinjutsu. I still only knew how to make explosive tags and storage seals, more fuinjutsu knowledge would be–

I rubbed my head, glaring up at Shikaku.

"Come on, troublesome." he said unapologetically as he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder, walking out of the Hokage's office.

"I am a chunin! I am a legal adult and defender of Konoha! Put me down right now!" I demanded, unable to move. Shikaku's shadow had slipped up out of the collar of his shirt and immobilized me before I could react.

The merry laughter of the Hokage followed us out of the office. Misaki and her mother were giggling like lunatics as they watched me squirm, and a good helping of administrative nin in the Hokage Tower got a good laugh at seeing one of Konoha's newest chunin being treated like a sack of potatoes.

Shikaku finally let me go when we were out of the Tower, restoring my fractured dignity.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared up at him. "That was not cool."

He smirked down at me. "It was funny though."

"Yes," Misaki agreed at his side, bobbing her head up and down, a happy smile on her face. "It was very funny."

I narrowed my eyes at her, and her eyes widened. She was standing in the shadow of the Hokage Tower with me. It was trivially easy to trap her in my Shadow Imitation Technique.

"Now!" I said, turning towards Shikaku and clapping my hands together, Misaki's trapped body forced to follow my movements exactly. "What should we do?"

"Shinto, release me at once!" Misaki demanded. She was still able to talk, she just couldn't move without me letting her.

Mio, Misaki's mother, made a considering sound, an amused smile on her face as she said, "I believe Hokage-sama told us to celebrate. I know a wonderful restaurant we can celebrate at. It's Misaki's favorite!"

The members of the Hyuga Clan had naturally pale skin, so it was a feat that Misaki's skin paled in terror at her mother's words. "Shinto, if our friendship means anything to you, you will release me and let me flee at once." Misaki said, sounding the most afraid I'd ever heard her.

I released the Shadow Imitation Technique, and we both took a single step before freezing, our shoulders slumping back and hands involuntarily folding into our pockets.

"So where is this place?" Shikaku asked, a conspiratorial smirk on his face, his shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets. He was standing in the shadow of the Hokage Tower too. He'd trapped Misaki and I before we could flee.

Mio clapped excitedly. "Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

"Shinto," Misaki said, her voice that of a condemned prisoner marching towards the block. "Promise me you'll forget everything you see in this kami-forsaken place." Shikaku was following Mio and Kyoshi through the streets towards this restaurant.

I tried to nod comfortingly, but I was stuck in Shikaku's shadow. Shadow jutsu were bullshit when I wasn't the one abusing them. I hated this. "Whatever happens, I will always be your friend." I said seriously. Misaki seemed genuinely terrified of whatever we were walking towards.

"That means so much to me. Thank you." she said, despair still thick in her voice.

The restaurant Mio brought us to seemed innocent enough from the outside. It was a single story structure made of wood and brick. There was a vibrant yellow sign that read, 'Cafe Delight' on the side of the building. Only when Mio brought us inside and we got a table did I realize why Misaki was mortified to come here.

The serving staff were all female. They wore extravagant kimonos and were wearing so much makeup you could mistake their faces for a powdered balloon. Misaki's face was bright red as Shikaku forced the two of us to sit down at the table. He still hadn't let us out of his shadow. I could break out if I really wanted to, but that would require flaring my chakra and property damage. It wasn't looked well upon for ninja to blow up civilian districts without good reason, so I'd refrained from trying to escape yet.

Mio sighed, a nostalgic smile on her face as she looked around. "Oh, it has been so long since we've come here. Why, Misaki used to beg me to take her to lunch and tea here. She would beg the servers to dress her up like them and–"

"Mother, please stop." Misaki said, her eyes shut tight, cheeks red as a tomato.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, sweetie." Mio said as she picked up a menu. "Enjoying dressing up in beautiful clothing is a woman's right."

Shikaku grinned as he looked over the menu, his movements forcing Misaki and I to do the same. Bastard still hadn't let us go. "There's nothing wrong with having fun. Shinto spends a lot of time in his garden. One time when I stopped by, he'd made a crown out of–"

"Shikaku, I will do anything you want to make you stop talking right now." I said, my cheeks heating up. I'd gotten really bored one day while Aika was working at the hospital and decided to roleplay as Jesus Christ. I'd woven a thorny crown out of roses from the garden, put it on my head and walked around on water in a bath towel I'd tied into a robe. Shikaku caught me using the Mystic Palm Technique on a hurt frog and telling it to get up and walk. Was it in poor taste? Yes. Did I regret doing it? Right now, absolutely.

"Oh no, Shinto, we're celebrating!" Mio scolded. "Now, Nara-sama, please continue the story."

"Just call me Shikaku. Anyway, he…"

Over the next two hours, Misaki and I were forced to sit at the table and listen as Mio's parents and Shikaku traded embarrassing stories about us. The two of us spent the night where we 'celebrated' our promotions bright red and cringing. Shikaku 'helped' us eat with his shadow possession and made sure we didn't escape.

It was certainly a night I was going to remember for a very long time.

X

Hiruzen was in a pleasant mood. His talks with the leaders of the other hidden villages had gone as well as he could have expected. There was still a large amount of animosity between the villages, but he did not believe anyone would make any openly hostile moves that would spark a war within the next few years.

Everyone's position was too precarious. Kumo and Iwa were both recovering from Minato's work, Kiri was tearing itself apart from the inside as they hunted bloodline users and their loyal nin fled in droves, and Konoha would not attack anyone while he was its leader. His people needed to heal from the last war, not leap into a new one.

A seemed more hostile than the other Kage, but Hiruzen was confident he could calm Kumo before they took steps towards war.

Hiruzen's smile turned to a small frown as his old friend entered his office unannounced. "Danzo." he greeted.

"Hiruzen, Shinto Nara and Misaki Hyuga are both chunin now."

Hiruzen's frown deepened. "They arrived home today, Danzo. Allow them a brief respite to enjoy themselves and mourn Kenji."

"They have already mourned their teammate. Our enemies will not allow us the time to give them a reprieve. My intelligence suggests Kumo will move against Konoha soon. The village will need them both when the war breaks out. I once more ask that you offer both of them a position in ANBU."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. What 'intelligence'? Why had he not heard of this? He had just returned from peace talks that suggested Kumo would do nothing, and now Danzo presents contradictory information? "If, if, I were to offer them a position they would be under my direct supervision."

"That is acceptable and preferable. Shinto and Misaki would not be suited to supporting the village as its roots. They are better suited to safeguard it from the light." Danzo walked up to the edge of Hiruzen's desk. "You know as well as I do that they both have exceptional potential. Squandering that potential on patrols and bandit removal missions will see them stagnate and be an active detriment to the village."

Hiruzen's lips pulled into a thin line. "I will offer them the position in six months when they have gone on enough missions to be sufficiently experienced."

Danzo was silent a moment before saying, "Acceptable. I will await news of their answer." He turned around and left the office.

Hiruzen sighed as he leaned back in his chair. With each passing day, his advancing age made itself more known. His muscles were stiff. His joints ached. His bones groaned under his skin as he moved. He had lived for many long years. He had served as Hokage for so long he had outlived all who previously held the position, including his student's student. Age was supposed to bring wisdom.

So why could he not see a better way to defend Konoha than to send children into the depths of darkness?

First it was Kakashi, the prodigal son of the White Fang. The boy showed so much promise and talent, and Konoha needed him. He was sent into ANBU because he would be an asset that Konoha would need to prosper. The boy had gone to war at an age when others his age were still playing with blocks. But the village had needed him. Now, if Danzo's information was correct, which it often was, he would be faced with sending Misaki and Shinto to war. If it wasn't them, it would be young Itachi.

The Uchiha Clan Heir graduated from the Academy so young that Hiruzen questioned if the boy even had a chance to be a child. It had been three months since Fugaku first approached him with the idea of Itachi one day serving in ANBU. He hadn't approved Itachi for the position yet and did not intend to do so for years, at least not until the boy made chunin. It was supposed to be a measure for the future, something for Itachi to excel at in several years to bring honor back to the Uchiha, but Hiruzen was already considering sending Shinto and Misaki to ANBU, because the village needed them.

If he sent Shinto and Misaki to ANBU but left young Itachi out, what message would that send to the already slighted Uchiha Clan? Itachi was eight. Was Hiruzen really willing to send him to war like he'd done to Kakashi? After placing Shinto and Misaki in ANBU a year younger than the age minimum – he would need to remember to alter their birth records so they were officially one year older – Hiruzen would feel added pressure to place Itachi into ANBU even younger than Shinto and Misaki were.

Hiruzen had raised the required graduation age of the Academy to twelve years old with no exceptions, but this change was too late to help the three youths already graduated. Shinto and Misaki were older than Itachi, but they were still children, children he was going to offer a position in a group of black ops that regularly was sent on assassination missions.

Hiruzen sighed, taking his hat off his head and turning it in his hand to stare at the symbol glaring up at him accusingly. It was Hiruzen's job to safeguard the Land of Fire, no matter the cost. No matter what it did to his soul.