Hi. Sorry for the long wait, but this is my longest chapter yet, and I've been quite busy on top of it all. I'd like to take the time to say that I've been reviewing my previous chapters, and while I'm mostly satisfied with them, there are still quite a few errors, whether it's grammar, technique names (in English or I don't give a translation for it), or the realism of certain situations (as far as the Narutoverse goes). Since I've got a lot of ground to cover in that regard, I'm going to slowly be replacing the chapters over the week. The overall story will not change, and if there is something significant I think you should re-read, I'll let you know when I put up the next chapter.

Now I'd like to say something about reviews. Over 60 of you have put this under your favorites, and 100 of you put this on your story alert list. Why is it I get an average of only 6 reviews? It just annoys me when people hold this story in high regard and don't even bother to let me know how I'm doing. If it's because you don't want to log in to sign a review, it's not hard at all: You click submit a review at the bottom. At the top of the window, it has the log-in option. Just type your e-mail and password, and it becomes a signed review with your user-name. It doesn't take you to your homepage, and you don't have to back track to get to my story. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. Anyway, time for reviewer appreciation!

Evryluvsmisty: They're really just parodies, and they will not be playing any significant role in the story from this point on.

Mrfipp: I try to find some innovative ways to end a fight other than knockouts. As for that swordsman, he was a filler character, so I'm not counting him. You'll enjoy my mist swordsmen.

Pirogeth: Your reaction was my goal. I thought it would draw in more reviews but oh well…

Illjwamh: I normally ignore reviews on a chapter long done (meaning I don't respond, though I do read it), but since yours was a lot more helpful and worth reading than usual, I'll make an exception! I'm glad the story is easy to visualize, but I really can't figure out what people mean when they say I have to work on pacing. I guess you're going to have to copy some part of it, e-mail it to me, and explain what was wrong with that particular part of the story. I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree on the flashback though. Anyway, I hope to hear from you again soon! And I will try to catch up on Koorikage (if you guys haven't read it, do it! His story is really good so far! And when you're done, check out Shinobi Wars).

For today's disclaimer, instead of getting my ass handed to me by an insane Thai guy like last time, I'll have none other than Naruto Uzumaki do the disclaimer for me! Take it away, Naruto!

Naruto: Yes. Kodachi Claws does not own me. That would be really creepy if he did…

KC:…That's not what I meant by owned…but I guess that works good enough.

30 days until the finals

"Did you pack enough clothes?!" Mrs. Miyamoto shouted from upstairs.

"Yes mom!" Yuji shouted back.

"And your toothpaste!?"

"Yes!"

"And your books?! I don't want you getting…"

"Mom, I'm going to be training, not go on some stupid day camp!!" Yuji sighed in irritation. "Besides, they all suck." He thought. He ran out the door with his duffle bag. "Bye mom!"

Iori gathered her things. Then, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Naruto walked inside. "So, are you ready to go?"

Iori huffed up her back-pack and said "Ready Steady Go as they say."

Naruto smiled and said "Well, let's meet with the others."

Shiguri walked down the stairs, looking forward to his trip with his teammates and his sensei. Not for the same reasons as the others though; he was already good at just about everything, and wasn't too worried about his fights. He just wanted to get away from his grandfather.

"Shiguri."

The genin cringed at his name being called. "Speak of the Devil." He thought. "Yes?"

"I do not wish for you to go." The man said. While he made no direct threats, Shiguri knew from experience just how wrathful his grandfather could be.

"Any reason in particular?" he asked. "You seem to have it in for sensei."

Danzo said nothing at first. Then, he whispered "You are far greater than either of those two insects. This 'training' your sensei speaks of will only hold you back."

"That may be true…but I'm not too worried. The guy I have to fight first is nothing to be concerned of, and for those I am scared of, I think I found a few tricks to deal with them."

"YOU STOP RIGHT THERE YOU INSOLENT-"

"My my, all of the old geezers in the world and I get stuck with you. There's really nothing much you can threaten me with now; you've cut my allowance to nothing, you've forced me to live an almost Spartan-like lifestyle despite our wealth, and your underground Root organization can't control me." Shiguri looked at his grandfather with hate. "There is nothing more you can do

other than kick me out. And that would make you look bad, won't it?" Shiguri just gave a smirk while his grandfather scowled. "By the way, I signed the wasp contract. I'd have asked permission first, but quite frankly, the strings attached aren't worth it." With that Shiguri lifted his bag and left.

Danzo clutched his cane in rage. He controlled much more dangerous shinobi under him before; yet his own flesh and blood dared to defy him. If he were apart of Root or one of his subordinates, he could have simply had someone kill him. But Tsunade would find out for sure, and once she did, it would be all over for him. The few allies he gained among the council would never vouch for the killing of a child due to any disagreement, let alone if it was his grandson. "Besides," he thought. "with the current alliance I have, I'm taking enough risks as it is." This couldn't be said any better when he felt a familiar presence in the room. "Kizu-sama…what brings you here?"

The Akatsuki leader lifted his hood. "Business, as usual to discuss. Before we begin, do you have any sake?"

Shiguri ran into Yuji on his way to the gates. "So, where did sensei say we were going again?" Shiguri asked.

"He just said we'd be within fire country." Yuji replied. "If it's as tough as he says it will be, hopefully it will at least be scenic."

Soon, the two boys found Naruto and Iori waiting for them. "So, are you two ready to go?" the jinchuriki asked.

"If we weren't, we wouldn't have bothered showing up." Yuji replied.

Naruto chuckled at this. "Fair enough. Alright, I want to make it to our training spot within two days, so let's move it!!" Team 12 took off into the forest.

"So, how is Madara-sensei fairing?" Danzo asked.

"As bad as ever." Kizu replied. "I'm surprised that someone like you would even care about him, since even he disagreed with your ideals as you got older. At least, before the First killed that Hyuuga he wanted for himself." Danzo said nothing as he handed the Akatsuki leader a cup of sake. "Anyway, I've come to ask you a couple of things." Kizu said.

"I have questions of my own." Danzo replied. "You just missed the Kyuubi brat. In fact, you had several opportunities to kidnap him. Why wait, especially when considering how badly Madara wants it?!"

"An excellent question. Well, for one he has gotten much stronger. Kakuzu was one of our most powerful subordinates, virtually immortal; from what your reports have told me, the Kyuubi jinchuriki defeated him in one move. As it is now, we've lost too many members, and attacking Uzumaki could prove disastrous unless we know exactly what we're facing off against. Second, his seal is different from the others. Our beast master has been able to extract the other biju with little difficulty so far, but Namikaze's methods are different from the other seals."

Danzo almost yelled "It's weakening you fool!"

"It's weakening in the sense that the Kyuubi's chakra becomes easier to access. That, and he will slowly absorb all of it's chakra overtime and make it his own. Granted, it could escape, but Minato has made it almost impossible. The seal, however, will keep the fox from being forced out completely. I've found a way to shatter it…but it will take time, depending on how I play my cards."

Danzo nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"Finally…jinchuriki throughout history have been looked down upon as weapons of war. Normally, kidnapping them is not a problem, as their home villages are more than happy to have them taken away. But lately, there's been a change. Some are looked at as heroes. When we found out that the container of Shukaku was the Kazekage, our plans were set off by months. If it weren't for the information Sasori's underling provided, he and Deidra would have had all of Sunagakure on their heels. Not even we are invincible. Taking a hero from his village will only ensure pursuit. Add that to the fact that we have fewer members and the power needed to extract a biju varies. With the Kyuubi's chakra, and the number of members we have now, it will take a very long time to extract it. Even if we completed extraction, by then we will have been drained of energy, and once his allies find us, we will be finished."

"The brat has no friends here."

"Not from what I hear. All of the ninja of his generation look up to him, he is favored by Tsunade. Even the arrogant Hyuuga have begun to respect him. And I nearly forgot to mention that his bond with the Kazekage, according to Deidra, seemed to be like that of brothers." Danzo downed his sake in annoyance. "Now, I have two questions to ask you, one of them concerning Uzumaki's allies." Kizu said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some strands of pink hair. "My subordinate found this in the cave that should have allowed us to capture Uzumaki without worry. At the time, we felt we should have held him prisoner while our true base was undiscovered. That way, we would be able to take the time we needed. However, someone destroyed the trap. Zetsu thinks whoever this hair belonged to did it."

Danzo looked at it, and his eye widened. "Haruno."

"Who is this 'Haruno'?"

"She is the apprentice of Tsunade. She's becoming insanely powerful; within a few years she could surpass her."

Kizu swirled his finger around his cup. "I see." He finally drank his sake. "Does this Haruno have any relationship with Uzumaki?"

Danzo replied "As far as I know, she is his teammate and nothing more."

Kizu's scorn started to turn into a grin. "My gut instinct tells me differently. The apprentice of the most beautiful woman in Fire Country teamed up with the apprentice of Jiraiya….I suspect something more." Kizu got up from the chair. "Now for my second question: Where are the bodies of Kakuzu and Itachi? I must also know where Hidan's head is located."

Danzo replied "Their bodies are kept in the labs for study. And they know that Itachi was forced into joining your organization, and that Madara is your boss." Kizu's eyes widened. "Itachi left a scroll. He didn't tell anyone where your base is located or your identity, but they know you forced him to destroy the Uchiha clan."

Kizu growled. "The mind-scan seal wasn't perfect. I know he experimented with it a few times, but I didn't think it would amount to anything."

"Tsunade is trying to convince the council to bury him alongside with his family, but because they want to keep their discovery a secret, it has not been going well." Danzo informed him. "Itachi is in the morgue until further notice. I have the report of where Hidan is imprisoned. But what use do you have for two dead bodies and a head that won't die?"

Kizu got up from his chair. "I've done some more research. There are some jutsus I must try; they could come in handy. And I must have the rings of those three as well."

28 days until the finals

Team 12 finally reached their destination. "Wow." Iori said in awe. The kids stood atop a cliff, looking over a forest, a lake, a valley, and a mountain. It was virtually paradise.

Naruto smiled and said "Yeah, it's certainly a nice place. I found this place when I was preparing for my jonin exam. It has the perfect conditions for training. Fresh water, plenty of food, and natural, aesthetically pleasing areas such as this are great for training. You'd be too distracted back in Konoha. "

Eventually they set up their tents. Naruto went around evaluating the best places for sparring, shurikenjutsu, chakra training, and where to get their meals. Of course, there would be no training for today; his team was exhausted by the time they got there. They camped around a fire later that night.

Naruto said "I'm going to work your butts off throughout the month, and two of you in particular have one thing going for yourselves, but lack something else." Naruto turned towards Yuji. "Yuji, you have a great mind, and you've gotten a lot braver. However, physically, you're still weak. The guy you're going up against is a powerhouse. While your mind will be your greatest asset in the battle, you cannot go in without getting as strong as you possibly can, regardless of how little time we have. Not only do you have to get strong, you need to realize that taijutsu is not always a matter of being stronger than the other guy."

Naruto then turned to Iori. "Iori, you are a great fighter, but you're not the brightest of the bunch I must say. Against your opponent, your strength will count for nothing. You need to learn how to develop good strategies and tactics. While we train, I want you to think of how you're going to fight Hanabi. Then, think of something else if something goes wrong." Iori nodded, a bit embarrassed at her sensei's comment.

Naruto finally turned to Shiguri. "I've got to be honest with you, Shiguri. I don't know HOW I can help you. You seem to be good at everything. However, I'm still going to push you to your limits. Not only that, but I expect you to help your teammates as well." Shiguri nodded in understanding.

Naruto stretched and checked his watch. "It's late, and I want us up by dawn." The entire team groaned, but went ahead into the tents after saying good night.

27 days until the finals

The alarm in Naruto's tent went off. He looked at it groggily. "I need to dip my face in the lake." He thought. No matter how much stronger and mature (which really wasn't by much) he became, he would never be a morning person. He splashed water across his face, but it took forever for him just to look refreshed. He then peaked into the other tent. He summoned a small Hahonryuu, and splashed it across everyone's faces.

Iori and Shiguri yelled "Hey, what the-?!"

"Come on, rise and shine!! We're going to have-" Naruto stopped in shock when he looked at Yuji. The boy was still asleep! "Hahonryuu!!" Nothing. "I knew he said he enjoyed sleeping, but this is ridiculous."

So, Naruto decided to pick the boy up himself. With Yuji, he went outside…and tossed him into the lake.

Finally the boy came to. "What the hell was that for!?" he yelled as he used his chakra to stand on the surface.

Naruto smiled wickedly. "If you woke up earlier, you wouldn't be as wet as you are now. Get a dry thing of clothes on. We're beginning today."

The first thing Naruto did was teach them water-walking. Two of them anyway.

"Focus!!" Naruto yelled.

Shiguri and Iori managed to keep themselves from sinking, but their feet often went past the surface. Yuji, on the other hand, was trying something new: Water skating. He just slid his foot forward, and pushed off with his chakra, and he took off. It didn't take much, just a little pulse.

While Naruto did think it was a neat skill, seeing him do it was becoming annoying. Naruto sighed and said "Yuji, you're being distracting. " Yuji just stopped and said "Sensei! I already helped them the best I could! Besides, if I can master this technique, it would be a more efficient way of traveling across bodies of water!"

Naruto said "That could be true, but that won't come into play during your fight! Now get over there!"

Yuji groaned, but did what his sensei ordered. Just to get one last thrill in, the boy skated over to his friends. However, when he stopped, he splashed Iori and Shiguri. As a result, they were now soaking wet.

"YUJIIIII!!" they growled.

"S-Sorry!! I just-"

He did not get a chance to finish. His teammates grabbed his legs, and stopped the flow of chakra to their feet. They sunk, and he went down with them.

Naruto just clasped his head. "This is going to be a long month."

Next up was sparring. Naruto created three bushin, and had the team fight them one on one. Of course, the clones held back. That being said, the three still tired quite quickly. Two of them, however, managed to hold their own.

Shiguri managed to hold off his opponent, clearly well-versed in everything that was ninjutsu. He knew all the right blocks, he had good tactics, and his strikes were deadly accurate when they connected.

Iori was doing pretty well herself. Her taijutsu style, however, was more direct. She would cock her fist to her body, and twist it as soon as she released it. She also used some powerful blocks with her forearms to stop the bushin's strikes dead. And her kicks were sneaky; if she had nailed the bushin in the groin it would be over. It was more direct and power oriented, but it did include some chops and knees to differentiate from a mere brawling style.

Yuji on the other hand, was getting his ass handed to him. He didn't manage to land one strike on the bushin, and he couldn't react in time. That was to be expected; Naruto wanted the fights to be purely hand to hand. No weapons, no summoning (not that he was aware they could do that or not), no genjutsu or ninjutsu. Granted, for a ninja that would be the worst case scenario, but it helped improve speed and reaction time. It also taught them how to keep fighting when their best techniques were countered. Once Yuji was taken to the ground with a sweep kick, Naruto dispelled his bushin.

"He just doesn't seem to take to Taijutsu naturally. Or at least, OUR taijutsu." Naruto mumbled. "Well, I think that's enough of that. You've done basic sparring. Now on to the next part."

"Do not make me say it!!" Naruto yelled from atop the mountain. Not getting the result he wanted, he did. "Pick up the pace!!"

The three adolescents had one hand tied behind their backs, and had to climb up. And they were not allowed to use chakra. Iori was ahead of her teammates, Yuji was dead last. However, Shiguri was catching up to Iori fast. After about twenty minutes, she finally made it to the top, Shiguri reaching it almost immediately after she got her water.

Naruto looked down to see Yuji. He was way behind. "Yuji, come on! This isn't just about you! This is about your team too!! If you don't make it, your team may die, and there will be nothing you can do about it!! That's what being a chunin is all about!! To protect everything you hold dear!! GET UP HERE!!"

Yuji panted. He tried to reach for the crevice closest to him, but it was no use. He was too tired. "I can't make it…"

"I can't make it!!" a seven year old Yuji screamed.

"Do it! You said you wanted to be a ninja!? You're going to face worse things than this, I promise you!!" His father yelled. "Let's go!!"

Yuji had to tree hop and beat his father in a race. His stamina was sub-par, and he hadn't quite mastered his chakra control yet. He managed to make a few more strides, and nearly caught up with Ryu…and finally collapsed. He prepared to kiss dirt, but a wire snagged his legs.

Ryu jumped down from the trees and untied his son. "Yuji…you really don't know what you're getting into. This isn't a game. If you choose to follow my way of life, there will be a great possibility of you getting killed. It would kill me as much as it would your mother if something happened to you. What's worse, there's no guarantee I'll be there to save you. All we can do is make you as strong, clever and determined as possible. To do that, you've got to toughen up, wise up, and learn to never give up. And it won't be just your life on the line when you're out there doing missions; your comrades lives will be in danger as well. When you're a ninja, it's never about you." Ryu helped his son up. "Let's start over. No matter what you tell yourself, you ALWAYS can do it…"

Yuji's eyes snapped open. "I CAN do it!!" Still following the rules given to him by his sensei, Yuji catapulted himself to the crevice. From there, he practically jumped from one to another.

"He was worn out before we began!!" Iori said. "Where is that strength coming from!?"

Naruto smiled. "That is the power of the desire to protect what is dear to you."

Yuji felt his lungs and muscles burn. A few minutes ago, he would have given up. But no, not this time. His pain and weakness would not hold him back!! He kept reaching and reaching…until finally his hand touched the top. It took him a minute, but with some struggling, he made it.

"Great job, Yuji!" Naruto said as he patted the kid on the back. "If you used that energy before, you would have beaten your teammates here. But still, you did great!" Yuji panted like crazy but still managed to smile. "You think you can do it again with that same energy tomorrow?" the jinchuriki asked.

"Yeah." Yuji replied. "When I've done something once, I can always do it again."

Iori didn't realize it, but she was beginning to blush."You like him, don't you?" Shiguri whispered to her in a teasing manner.

Iori stammered "Wh-WHAT!?"

"Come on, I saw your face turn the same color as your hair!!" Shiguri laughed like crazy. "Iori and Y-"

His song was immediately halted by a well placed kick to the groin.

Naruto looked at the exchange and sighed. "I guess girls are always like that at that age…"

26 days until the finals

Tsunade finally made it to her desk. She woke up an hour later than she intended. She hoped it would be one of those few days where she hardly had any work and could go back to bed. No such luck; if anything her mountain of paperwork doubled. "Why did I take this job again?" she groaned. She was about to sit down and get it, when suddenly her guards ran into her office. "Idiots!! Knock before you enter my office!!" the Hokage screamed.

The guard bowed "Forgive us, Hokage-samma. But there's been a disturbance in the labs!!"

This got the Godainme's attention. "What?"

"The bodies of Kakuzu and Itachi…they're gone!!" She ran out with the guards to the labs in the basement. The jonin who was standing guard there was dead. Tsunade kneeled down to inspect his body; there were what seemed to be claw marks on his back. But not by some animal; the claw marks looked more like burns. Chakra burns. Tsunade flipped him over so she could inspect his front. Her eyes widened in horror.

"What is it, Hokage-samma?"

"This wound…only one technique is capable of producing a wound like this!" On his chest was a spiral scar…

22 days until the finals

Naruto had Iori and Shiguri spar with two bushins, while he worked on Yuji himself.

"Sensei." Yuji said, as they were walking out of sight.

"Yeah?"

Yuji fumbled with words for a bit, before he finally spoke up. "Listen, I know this idea is probably worse than hoping to condition me to fighting that Jaa guy in time…but I have a favor to ask." Yuji pulled out a scroll. "This belonged to my dad. It's a catalogue of all the moves he used for his taijutsu. He called it Eight Extreme Fists."

Naruto blinked before remembering what Sakura told him, although she saw only one move. Naruto took a look at the scroll. A lot of it looked…quite interesting, really. "Well…this actually does look like something worth learning." He said. He folded up the scroll and said "However, to hope to learn all of these moves within a month is impossible." Yuji gave a sullen look. "However, there are some concepts that you can use here that I think will be great against your opponent. We'll start with the simple things. Sometimes they are the best. First I want you to block my attack." Naruto could have struck faster, but the goal was to learn. Yuji parried the strike at Naruto's wrist. "Now, that's how we normally block. However, if you make a mistake, the strike could still connect. Now, attack me the same way." Yuji did so, and found his own strike blocked quite easily. However, the strike was stopped at his elbow joint. "This way, you can halt the attack altogether. The perfect counter attack, according to this scroll, calls for an elbow to the sternum." Naruto demonstrated it. "Are you getting it?"

"Yeah. I saw my dad practice these katas all the time. This is just the first time I'm beginning to learn the application of it all."

Naruto nodded. "Let's continue."

They practiced for a few more minutes. Yuji had to learn how to hold his hands in a rake-like shape instead of fists. There was also the matter of stepping to the outside of his opponent as well; the taijutsu taught at the academy was meant to kill an opponent by getting inside, but this style was more defensive. But if used correctly, it would put an attacker down, and Yuji understood perfectly to use a kunai whenever he could. After about an hour of sparring, Naruto decided to move with other forms of training and called the session to a stop."The simple techniques are the only ones we will have any hope of mastering. To beat that guy, you're going to have to use your wits and wires as well. Next time we spar, try to use these moves." Yuji nodded, and the two headed back to their teammates.

"Come on Jaa, push!!"

Lee's star pupil could only grunt in response. One of his own elephants was pushing down on him with his tusks. Jaa had to push him back up. Despite his great strength, that was a tall order. But still, he managed to do 39 and was on his fortieth. "AAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!" That was the last one he could muster, and the boy collapsed. The elephant knew it's master was exhausted, and got up.

Lee pulled Jaa up and handed him some water. "Well done, Jaa. You will be youthful for a long time!" Lee made sure to end that sentence with a thumbs up.

Jaa just blushed. "Uh…thanks." While his sensei was certainly an odd one, he couldn't be more grateful to have a teacher like him. He and the rest of his teammates had extreme difficulty performing genjutsu and ninjutsu, which was why Lee was selected to teach them. He was disappointed that he did not allow them to take the exams last year, but so far the extra year of training he and his teammates received proved worthwhile.

"That's all for today, I've got to go train Chan-kun now. See you tomorrow." Lee said as he jogged away. Truthfully, the lesson Lee planned with Chan was not for another two hours. But he could tell that Jaa was spent completely at the end of the lesson. No surprise really; his training was tough enough as it was, and it would be twice as hard this month, if anything. Lee thought he would give him a break for now, and let him adjust to it the first week. He would show him no mercy after that though…Just then, he spotted someone familiar down the street, at the Yamanaka flower shop. "Tenten?"

His former teammate turned her head around. "Oh, Lee-kun! How have you been?"

Lee blushed slightly. He didn't know why. "Oh, I've been fine. Just getting my students ready for the exam. How have you been?"

"Not much has been happening." The weapon mistress replied.

Lee took a minute to look at Tenten. She was actually quite…pretty. She always had been, but during their early years together, Lee was obsessed with beating Neji, that he didn't notice. By the time he did, she seemed to take more of a liking to Neji. It depressed him slightly, but he put it in the back of his mind when he met Sakura. That didn't work out, and even he had to admit, the one date he finally did score with her did go horribly wrong. At least she was nice about it and was more than happy to be friends…

"Hey, I was about to visit Neji; would you like to come?"

Lee snapped back to attention. "Oh, of course! Helping Neji to feel the springtime of youth once more should be my duty, so therefore I shall go with you."

Tenten could only let out a sigh, but Lee's concern was genuine. Besides, Neji enjoyed their company, especially now since he was forced to retire. "All right, let's go."

"Shall we get there by sprinting?" Lee asked. "While this month belongs to our youthful rookies, we can't let ourselves go to waste either." Lee gave his thumbs up and trade-mark grin.

"Lee!! I'm carrying flowers!!" Tenten yelled. "Maybe a light jog. So long as the petals don't fall off."

"Very well! A light jog it is!!" Unfortunately for Tenten, a sprint for her WAS a light jog for Lee. But at least he was nice enough to wait for her when they reached the Hyuuga compound.

Tenten knocked on the gates. The door creaked open, revealing Hinata. "Oh, Tenten-san! Lee-kun! Please come in!" Hinata bowed and opened the door.

"Hi, Hinata. How are things at the academy?"

"Things are going okay. I-I don't want to give you the wrong idea or anything…b-but, it seems they get rowdier every year."

Of the rookie nine from their generation, Hinata was the only one who did not become a jonin. It was sad, as everyone wanted her to be promoted with them, but they had to agree with Tsunade; she still had a huge issue with her confidence. Her friends also noticed that it seemed to depress her greatly when Naruto finally became a jonin himself.

They walked through the courtyard, where they caught a glimpse of Hiashi sparring with Hanabi. Though in theory Shikamaru should have been training her, she was already a prodigy, and the only one who could improve her signature abilities was her own father.

Finally, they reached Neji's room. "Neji-nisan! Your teammates are here!" Hinata called from the door.

"Yes. Please, come in."

Hinata opened the door and excused herself. "I still have homework to grade."

Tenten came up to Neji , who was lying on his futon reading a book. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Neji hugged her and said "As good as I ever will be nowadays."

Lee couldn't help but feel bad for Neji. It seemed like only yesterday he himself was forced to retire after fighting Gaara. He held Tsunade to be the greatest Hokage of all ever since he recovered. He pleaded with her to help Neji the best he could when he heard of his injuries. Tsunade did her best, but she explained that toying with the nervous system was one of the most dangerous things a medic nin could do. That, and she simply did not have the time to research a new surgery to use. Lee was broken out of his thoughts when Neji started convulsing.

"Oh no, Neji!! Lee, get his medication! Hurry!!"

Lee hopped over to the shelf closest to Neji , and fumbled with the various medicines until he found the correct one. Lee got a pill and handed it to Tenten, who administered it.

Neji relaxed immediately. "Thank you." He said in between breaths. Eventually, Neji got his teammates to talk about other things; he didn't like it when the attention was focused solely on his condition. He enjoyed hearing about Lee's students, and he himself wished that he could have a team of his own to train. Tenten's missions were nothing remarkable. She improved greatly over the years, and there hasn't really been an incident where she was completely outclassed lately.

It seemed like forever when the alarm on Lee's watch went off. He bowed and said "My apologies, Neji!! I must attend to Chan's lessons right now!"

"Just don't have any sake on your way there!" Tenten shouted in a teasing manner. Lee could only give her the thumbs up as he was racing out of the compound. Neji sighed again. "What's wrong?" Tenten asked.

"I was just remembering what happened to Lee after his fight with Gaara. I really know how he felt now."

"Neji…"

"I'm not one to believe in fate. Not anymore. But after my fight with the Raikage, I felt it was my attitude towards Lee that may have led to this."

There was nothing Tenten could really say. Neji had been greatly depressed since his return from Monsoon country. His whole life he devoted himself to ninjutsu; there really weren't any other areas of interest he explored. All and all, it was very unsettling. Tenten stayed as long as she could, but soon she said all she could."I'll be going now. Bye Neji." Tenten smiled sadly and slid the door close.

Neji just hung his head low, missing the days of old.

21 days until the finals

Today, Naruto decided to have an audience with Iori, and left Yuji and Shiguri to spar with his bushin. "Okay, Iori, I need to talk to you about your fight. And I don't think it's a good idea to talk to you about it in front of them right now." Iori didn't quite catch what he meant, but nodded. "I need to explain to you how the Hyuuga fight. Their eyes, when activated, allow them to see through everything…"

"WHAT!? You mean she's going to try to see me naked!?"

Naruto's eye twitched at this. "No…I really hope that's not the case at least. Anyway, the Byakugan is a Kekkei Genkai that allows them to see the internal organs. More precisely, the chakra tenketsu. Unlike most ninja, who fight hand-to-hand with the intent of causing their opponents pain and breaking their bones, the Hyuuga use a taijutsu style that looks like they're barely touching you. What they're really doing is pushing their chakra into your tenketsu, causing them to burst. They can completely close off access to your chakra, and in the right places, kill you. You understand what I'm saying?" Naruto asked.

Iori stared blankly at him, clearly confused.

"I think I'm starting to sympathize with Kakashi-sensei and Ero-senin." Naruto thought. "Anyway, the point is that you can't let Hanabi even touch you, all right?"

Iori said "Yeah, and I'll knock her down before she gets a chance!!"

Naruto sighed. "Iori, that brings me to the second technique the Hyuuga are known for: Rotation."

"You mean they're good at turning?"

Naruto held up his fist and yelled "Will you at least let me explain everything before you ask a question!?"

Iori backed away a couple of centimeters, and nodded.

Naruto sighed "I really was an idiot back then." He coughed and got back to explaining everything. "Anyway, the Hyuuga expel chakra through their bodies to form a shield, and then rotate quickly, deflecting any attacks. Your weapons will be hurled back at you, and if you attack them with your fist, you'll be sent flying."

Iori didn't get how it worked, but she understood the results. "So…how can I win?"

Naruto replied "It's hard for most standard fighters to beat a Hyuuga, but in your case, there is one way. Remember when we figured out your father contained a demon, and that we suspected you had some of the demon's power?"

Iori got nervous now. "Y-yeah." She really did not like to talk about it, but she suspected this was the reason Naruto separated her from the rest of her teammates.

"Well, the biju he contained had an enormous amount of chakra, and he had access to that chakra. We saw the same thing with you. Not only will your second source of chakra replace that which you will have lost…it will make you even stronger. So, we need you to draw out that power at will."

The young girl began to concentrate. For a good five minutes, she grunted, furrowed her eyebrows, but nothing. Naruto thought about his past experience with the Kyuubi and what Tsunade had told him about her powers.

"Her powers seem come to her when she is enraged. Although she doesn't grow chakra tails like you do, she looses her mind to some degree as well. She doesn't have a demon inside, but the chakra still regresses it back to a more primitive state. I suggest you either train her to use it when she is emotionally calm."

Naruto didn't want her to call upon that power like he normally did with Kyuubi. Emotionally, it would be damaging to her in the long run if she got addicted to the power, and even if she won her fight, going out of control could possibly prevent her from reaching chunin.

"Why don't we take a break for now, Iori. I don't think we're going to get anywhere with-" He was suddenly cut off. His face looked shocked, then annoyed, and then mad. "Damn it, Shiguri!!" Naruto ran towards the spot where his other students trained.

Iori followed behind him, but suddenly fell through some kind of hole.

"Shiguri, sensei is going to be pissed at us!!" Yuji yelled.

Shiguri shrugged "I doubt it. Those were just bushins, nothing more. We'll just tell him we beat them fair and square. That way, we can finally get a rest. I really need a break."

Just then there sensei jumped right in front of them, yelling "WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY ABOUT USING TECHNIQUES OUTSIDE OF TAIJUTSU!?"

Shiguri nearly panicked when he yelled. "How could he know!? I'll just play along and claim I don't know what he's talking about." Shiguri put on the best innocent looking face he could. "I don't know what you're talking about sensei. We beat them fair and square…"

"FAIR AND SQUARE MY ASS!! I KNOW YOU SUMMONED BEES OR SOMETHING TO PARALYZE MY BUSHINS!!"

Shiguri's mouth hung open. There was no way in hell he could have known that unless he was watching them, and he knew he was speaking to Iori in private. Speaking of which…

"Hey, where's Iori?" Yuji asked.

Naruto immediately snapped out of his mood and looked around. "I know she was following me…"

Iori drifted in and out of consciousness. When her vision finally focused, she saw light. Light from the hole which she fell through. "Must've been a sink hole." She thought. She struggled to get up, but shehad difficulty maintainingher balance. "I hit my head pretty hard." She put her hand on a stalagmite…and withdrew from it screaming. It felt like it was alive! Her vision was starting to clear, and she could see it was orange and black. "O-orange?" Once her vision fully returned, she could see that the surface of the rock was moving. She walked up to it, and saw butterflies all around it. She looked around the cave walls. Every square inch was covered with butterflies!! "Wow." She then noticed there was a stone staircase. Curious, she walked up, taking not of the altar in front. She reached it, and saw the chest. "Should I open it? It might be cursed or something!!" She thought about it, and laughed at herself. "Please!! Such things exist only in the movies! Besides, if it was cursed, whoever hid this would have gotten better security than butterflies." She used all of her strength to open it, only to find out that she didn't need it. It opened like no one bothered to lock it. She looked inside, hoping to find some kind of buried

treasure. There was nothing inside but a small scroll. Her face scrunched. "Given my karma, I'm not surprised." For some reason, she was compelled to take it anyway.

"Iori! Iori!"

The kunoichi turned to the hole to hear her sensei calling her. "Sensei!!" She ran to the light, where the hole formed.

Naruto looked down. "Are you alright!?"

"I have a slight headache, but yeah, I'm fine. You should see this place, it's covered in…"

"That'll have to wait. Yuji!"

Her underdog teammate soon lowered himself inside using his wires, and looked around. "A cave full of butterflies? That's interesting."

Iori replied "Yeah, I think it has something to do with this."

She showed Yuji the scroll. "I think that's a…summoning contract. Let's have sensei look at it."

"Hmmm…." Naruto looked at the contents of the scroll. "I never heard of a contract like this. However, it looks legit, and safe to use."

Iori asked "So, it's a summoning contract, right? What DOES it summon?"

"Judging by the cave, I'd say butterflies." Naruto answered. "According to this, the only one who can use this is the one who finds it. That would be you."

Iori groaned and asked "What good is summoning a couple of bugs?"

Naruto answered "Ba-chan and Ero-senin summon garden animals, and they are pretty formidable. While I can't say what the butterflies will demand in return, it shouldn't be anything to worry about, unless you try to summon one of a higher level. They can be very demanding. Anyway, this just might be your trump card against Hanabi."

Now Iori was interested.

"You just need to sign your name by cutting your thumb and smearing it with your blood." Iori did as she was told. "Now use the following signs." Iori repeated the signs, put her chakra into it, and summoned…a caterpillar. Naruto's face went sour. "Ugh, I know exactly how you felt, Ero-senin. I guess only the demon's chakra can summon something worthwhile right now."

In Soragakure, Madara paced impatiently. Kizu had been gone for days! Sure, Konoha was far away, but even he should have managed to return quickly. Finally, he sensed his most trusted subordinate inside. "Well? I suppose you've done something productive?"

Kizu replied "It will be of great service in the long run. I think I may have figured out how to break the Yodaime's seal, and I've brought an old friend back…I'm hoping to bring it up to two."

A new voice yelled. "You better give me what you promised!! I will make that boy pay for going up against the will of Jashin!!"

Kizu could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Hidan...if you don't shut up, I just may have to reconsider my generous offer." He plopped the head of Hidan onto the floor much to its annoyance.

"What are you up to, Kizu!? Immortal though he may be, that freak is of no use to us without a body!! And I don't know why you bothered bringing back the bodies of our deceased!! If you're planning to resurrect them, don't bother; those who die are failures."

"Well, I'm not planning on LITERALLY bringing them back to life, but a variant I'm sure you will find interesting. But more importantly, we need to discuss the seal on Uzumaki." He had Madara's full attention now. "As you know, Uzumaki is slowly absorbing the Kyuubi. Some day, it will disappear altogether."

"How much time do we have!?" Madara shouted, frightened by the prospect.

"It's a gradual process; it should not be completed until he's well into his thirties. The Yodaime wished for his boy to become one with the fox. As you know, there have been periods when the Kyuubi has been able to take control of him. However, while taking over Uzumaki has become easier, it will never truly break free. Think of the seal as a chain-link leash; the fox can obtain some freedom, but he cannot be taken from his host body. The Kyuubi cannot truly break free no matter how hard he tries, and without the proper tools, we cannot free him. However, I think I found it; hate."

"Hate?"

"Yes, hate. Your Kyuubi is a being of pure evil. When Uzumaki becomes enraged, the Kyuubi gains back some of its power. We need it to grow eight tails. Not only will Uzumaki's body be severely damaged, we will have created a weak link in the chain. Our beast master should be able to extract it like any other biju" Madara said nothing, but the plan seemed sound enough. "According to Danzo," Kizu continued, " despite his upbringing, Uzumaki has always had a positive outlook on life. This will not be as easy as it seems. However, I have a hunch how to make this work for us."

"Oh?"

"Just give me some time. As soon as Deidra and Tobi acquire the Hachibi, I shall send them to Konohagakure."

17 days until the finals

Tonight, Naruto decided that he should speak with Shiguri in private. "Shiguri. I need to apologize to you. I've been focusing so much on Yuji and Iori that I've been neglecting you."

Shiguri looked away. "No big deal."

"You…you understand why, right?"

Shiguri replied "There's nothing that I'm bad at?"

"Nothing that I've seen so far. That's why if there is some area in your ninjutsu you're lacking, now ' s the time to tell me. I really want to help you, Shiguri. I know what it's like to be neglected…"

"No, you don't!!" Shiguri yelled. An uncomfortable moment of silence passed between the two. Shiguri sighed. "I'm sorry. I…I'm just not used to this."

Naruto didn't understand what he meant, but decided to let it go. At least he was trying to open up.

"I really don't think there's anything you can help me with…not in ninjutsu anyway."

Naruto was a bit disappointed; he not only wanted to train with Shiguri, but bond with him as well.

"You said you knew it was like to be neglected?" Shiguri asked.

"Yeah." Naruto replied. "I do. I've been an orphan as long as I can remember. Most of my teachers refused to help me, and I had no friends. It was…a hard time for me."

"What about when you got your teammates?"

"Things improved drastically! In fact, I'd say it was one of the happiest moments of my life. But…"

"But?"

"But there were still some of the same problems I had before. My sensei taught Sasuke more than me, although he had his reasons. And Sakura-chan…she loved Sasuke. By most standards, it was no big deal, but I guess I took it pretty hard since I really never had anyone to look out for me."

"So, you bothered her all the time for dates?"

Naruto chuckled this time. "Yeah, it went on for a while, even after he left."

"What? Your teammate left?"

"It's a long story. I don't think you're ready to know. Anyway, that all changed. I just don't want you to have to go through any of the same struggles I did."

Shiguri looked up into the sky. "Well, I'd say having no family would be better than the one I got."

Naruto nearly answered yes, but held his tongue. "I'm sure your grandfather loves you."

"He loves nothing but power. I really don't remember who my parents are; a DNA test that I requested confirmed we were related by blood. I've seen him go on in the council how he wants Konoha to be; but the reality is he cares nothing about the village. Just his wealth and power. He tried to make me a part of Root, but the trainers couldn't handle me. He's tried everything he could to make me into another one of his little soldiers. I've gotten used to it, but I haven't become the ninja he wants me to. I refuse to."

Naruto didn't know whether he should act surprised or not.

"You two have a history, don't you?" Shiguri asked.

Naruto sighed. "Remember when I said my teammate Sasuke left us? He became a missing nin, but we've been determined to get him back. Danzo had us team up with Sai, and tried to get him to kill Sasuke."

"Oh, him. Grandpa has been just as pissed at him as he was with me lately. Something about him forming new bonds."

Naruto couldn't help but smile. "You really are different from your grandfather. If all goes well, you will get higher paying missions and you'll no longer have to live with him. That is, if you figure you can't patch up things between the two of you."

Shiguri, since Naruto knew him, for the first time formed a genuine smile.

"Let's go back and join your teammates. Remember, anything you're not getting, just ask."

The team reunited, and Naruto prepared dinner.

"Ramen again?" Yuji groaned.

"Come on, this stuff is great!!" Naruto replied.

"For the past five days, we have had nothing but ramen. Ramen in the morning, ramen in the evening, ramen at fucking supper-time!!"

"Whoa , it's not-"

Yuji, in a monotone, almost feral voice muttered "All carbs…no meat…makes me a dull boy…" Just then, a deer came into view. For one second, the team passively observed it. Then, Yuji fired his wires around its neck! The deer panicked, and dragged Yuji along with it into the forest.

"Damn it, Yuji!!" Naruto and the team ran as fast as they could. When they finally reached them, they froze in horror: Yuji pinned the deer down, strangling it to the point where had it been daylight they would've been able to see the whites of its eyes. Shiguri took out a kunai and threw it into the animal's neck. Naruto looked at him incredulously.

"My method was more humane!" Shiguri turned back to the carcass, and his eyes widened in horror again. "Oh my god, Yuji!! You're supposed to cook it first!!"

16 days until the finals

Shikamaru decided to take a walk downtown. As usual, he was bored out of his mind. Hanabi was training with her father, and the fact was that he was a better teacher for her than him. He could train Uryuu and Kenshin, but they were not competing in the finals. Besides, he saw them

the other day; they were doing just fine on their own. And for some reason, he couldn't get Temari out of his mind.

"Shikamaru!"

The shadow ninja turned around to see his two former teammates. "Ino, Chouji. It's been a while." Chouji was as big as ever, but he managed to change much of his fat into muscle. His appetite never changed either.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked. "Shouldn't you be working with your students?"

"Nah. Hanabi's dad wanted to train her, and the other two seem to do fine on their own. "

"You're as lazy as ever." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Don't be like that, Ino." Chouji said. "We haven't seen much of each other for a while now. If Shikamaru's not busy, that works better for us."

"Oh, yeah." Ino confirmed. "We were going to the Korean restaurant. Wanna come? It will be like old times."

"Who's paying?"

"All of us." Chouji answered, smiling.

Shikamaru was not amused. "That is still going to leave a huge dent in my wallet."

"Well, you'd have a bigger wallet if you weren't so lazy and took more missions." Ino retorted.

Shikamaru responded by scratching his head. "Alright, alright. Let's go. I'm a bit famished myself."

They ordered their meals almost immediately when they were seated. They were having a decent conversation at first, but that all changed when their meal arrived. From there, it was a race against Chouji to see who could eat the meat.

"For the love of God, Chouji!! We're here too!! And paying for our share too!!"

"Don't make such a big deal about it!! Neither of you could ever eat as much as I could!!"

"There's no limit to what you can eat, Chouji!!" Ino yelled.

Eventually, everyone got their fair share. Shikamaru was right about one thing though: This did put a dent in his income. Then, they laughed. "It really is just like old times, isn't it?" Shikamaru asked, smiling.

"Yeah!!" Chouji shouted.

"Almost." Ino whispered sadly. Her two friends knew what she meant.

"I really wish Asuma-sensei was still here." Chouji whispered.

"Hey, hey!" Shikamaru shouted. "I know, things haven't been the same since he died. But he was not the kind of shinobi who would want us to sulk over him forever!" Shikamaru looked at each of them. "I know he would be proud of each of you."

"He'd be especially proud of you, Shika." Ino sighed.

Shikamaru didn't know why, but he was blushing. "You made it into ANBU, Ino."

"Oh, it's not that great. The missions are really dangerous, and the only thing that makes it worthwhile is the higher pay. What Itachi put me through was not the best time of my life."

"Yamanaka Ino. As vain as usual!" Chouji teased.

"Shut up!!" Ino shouted, playfully elbowing Chouji. "Let's see how you react when you wake up one morning to find out you've turned ninety!!"

Shikamaru had to laugh some more. "This really is like old times." He thought back to conversation he had with Asuma, several months after Sasuke defected…

"I don't know why you bother playing with me, sensei. I've beaten you every time, and I can tell by the way you're moving your pieces, that is not going to change today."

"Hey!" Asuma yelled. "It's embarrassing for a man my age to loose to someone as young as you!!" Of course, his tone was playful. "How about a bet? If I win, you volunteer for more B-ranked missions. If I loose, you'll get a week off from training."

Shikamaru sighed. "You're so troublesome, sensei. I haven't been chunin for very long. Besides…"

"What?"

Shikamaru gathered his thoughts. "It hasn't been the same for me ever since Chouji and Ino were left behind me. I hate to admit it, but I miss them."

"You still see them everyday while you're here."

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about when I have missions that are higher ranked than C." Shikamaru stopped to look outside. "There were times when it was a pain, but we worked well together with Ino. And I feel terrified whenever I go out on a mission without Chouji. I have no idea if they'll ever get promoted again, and I know not everyone makes Jonin. I'd like to think we would be Team 10 forever."

"It never works that way. Teams always break up." Asuma lighted a cigarette. "When you become Jonin, you get missions that are very specific to your own strengths. Not only that, but it's likely that you will be given your own students." Neither one spoke a word for a good minute. "However, if you make the effort, even if we go our separate ways, we will always be together. You just have to make the time for it, and never forget us."

Shikamaru cracked a small smile. "By the way, checkmate." Asuma nearly swallowed his tobacco. "Hey, what the-!? You distracted me!!"

Shikamaru chuckled remembering that day. "He was right. I haven't been able to see my old friends as much as I would have liked to. But just this one get-together makes up for it…." His attention returned to Ino and Chouji ,dueling with their chop sticks for the last piece of beef. Their strikes became faster and faster…until Shikamaru took it with his own.

"SHIKAMARU!!" Ino and Chouji yelled together.

"Hey, that's exactly what I'm here for." The unmotivated ninja said with a smirk. "The tie breaker." Shikamaru had to laugh at his last comment before he woofed down the beef.

14 days until the finals

Tsunade couldn't focus on her paperwork. Though days had passed, she couldn't get the security breach out of her mind. "Who would want anything with the bodies of two Akatsuki members?" The only thing she could think of was the rest of Akatsuki themselves. But how could they get into Konoha? "There must be a spy among us." That brought up another problem entirely. The one she wanted to charge was Danzo, but as of now, she had no proof. What bothered her even more was how the guard died. She had perhaps the most ridiculous theory of who killed him when she saw the wound on his chest. She looked into the records, and confirmed that the Yodaime was cremated. All of the council members ha d witnessed it. "I'm at a dead end here."

Her door burst open just when she was about to topple her desk over. "Tsunade-samma!!" Shizune yelled.

"What is it this time?" Tsunade asked in a bored tone.

Shizune seemed at a loss for words. "Some…something's happened."

"So far it doesn't sound like anything worth disturbing me over."

"It's Tonton."

Now this caught Tsunade's attention. "What about Tonton?" Shizune's face looked very disturbed. "You need to see him."

Tsunade got up from her desk and followed Shizune. They walked into the living room, and that was when Tsunade put her hands over her mouth in shock…

12 days until the finals

Yuji peaked out his tent. It was midnight, and he wanted to make sure Naruto was still sleeping. "No sign of him." He dashed out of the tent, and into the fields. From there, he took a match and set a small campfire. This had been going on for a while now.

With less than 2 weeks away before the final rounds, he was anxious. Naruto was a great help to him in learning his father's taijutsu, but learning the basics wasn't enough. "I have to get some actual techniques done." He started off slow. The illustrations were quite detailed, something he would expect from his father. When doing it slow at least, he could figure out what he was doing wrong and focus on that. Even if his execution was still sub-par, he felt that he would still do some damage to the opponent and be able to get away. His watch gave a faint beep. 2 hours. "Time for my next project."

He pulled out a bag and some tools, but before he could get to work, a sound caught his attention. It wasn't an animal. It sounded like someone was smashing something. He put his tools down to find out what it was. After he pushed some bushes out of the way, he saw Iori! "I didn't notice she wasn't inside the tent!" He looked closer, and his eyes widened in horror: she was banging her fists against a boulder!! "Iori!! What the hell are you doing!?"

Iori got into a defensive stance, but relaxed when she realized it was only Yuji. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, but you're doing something that's not too good for your health."

Iori gave a sarcastic laugh. "Sensei told me the same thing. He doesn't know how we vine ninja trained."

"Vine ninja? You mean…you're not from Konoha?"

Iori's eyes widened, and then she looked away slightly. "Yeah. I'm from Beach Country, but…there were complications back home."

Yuji seemed to be understanding. "That partially explains why you've been an orphan ever since I've known you. But how come no one was willing to take you in back at your home country?"

Iori seemed to fall silent for a minute before turning around.

"Okay, okay! I won't ask…not now. But I want to help you any way I can…even if it's not worth much."

Iori slowly turned to face him, showing a small smile on her face. "Maybe later."

Yuji smiled back, then frowned. "Now, back to the matter at hand…"

"Oh. The rock. Yeah, the ninja back at my home country often faced opponents with thick steel armor. To prepare for an incident where we're forced to resort to taijutsu, we train our hands against solid rock. The object is not to break the rock; we simply bang our fists against it hard enough so that they feel the pain and toughen up. We simply condition them, that's all."

Yuji nodded in understanding. "That still sounds pretty bad for your hands." Yuji sighed. "Well, since we're both up, and if you're done, would you mine helping me out with something?"

Iori thought for a minute. "Mmm…I guess…"

Yuji unfolded the bag, and pieces of metal fell out. The genin took out another set and revealed some tools.

Iori was stumped. "Just what are those?"

"They belonged to my dad…or at least they're going to be customized versions of weapons my dad used to own."

Iori just said "Oh."

"I need you to hold some pieces while I screw them in." Iori did as she was told.

"So…your dad was a ninja, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have considered using these otherwise." Yuji put the first screw in. "He was called The Spider of Konoha."

"Why?"

"For lack of a better term, he was like a spider. The wires I use are meant to mimic the webs of a spider, and we both had exceptional chakra control…made us climb like spiders. He could summon them too. I've yet to do so. And don't tell Haruno-san, but he had strength that could rival hers." He stopped for a minute. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to brag. I…I guess I'm both proud and ashamed to be his son."

Iori's eyes widened. "How could you say such a thing? He sounds like a great guy!!"

"He is, but…" Yuji looked to his side, then the stars. "I sometimes wonder if I really am the son he wanted. I'm weak, I get scared, and…I'm just not the prodigy I felt that I should have been. I feel like I've failed him."

Iori looked down, trying to think of something to say. "You know…Haruno-san did mention that Naruto-sensei flunked the academy three times. And he's damn good now, I know that much. I'm sure despite your shortcomings, you can become great too." Iori got back to the task at hand. "So, what exactly do these things do?"

Yuji smiled. "Hmm….I'm not telling you!"

Iori gave her companion a good whack on the head.

"Well, we're going to be fighting!! If we both win our first matches, you'll be my second opponent!!"

Iori was about to shout, but held her tongue. "He's right." The red-head thought. "I can't blame him." Then Iori remembered something. While they would have to fight to win, that alone would not determine whether they became chunin or not. After all, if that was the only way to become chunin, the village would be in serious trouble if they went to war."Hey…let's make a promise." The girl offered her pinky finger.

"What?" Yuji asked.

Iori smiled and said "Let's make a promise to become chunin together!" Yuji thought about it a minute.

"Hmm…I'd like to, but our opponents-"

"YUJIII!!"

Yuji held up his hands defensively and said "Okay, Okay!" They both calmed down, and smiled . Yuji attached his pinky to Iori's. "I promise. To become Chunin together!!"

"A promise!"

Yuji then said "Do you think that maybe we could extend it to Shiguri?"

"Of course!! Sensei said it's rare for an entire team to make it past the preliminaries of the final exam!! Let's see his face when all three of us make it!!"

"Sounds good to me!!"

The two genin lifted their hands into the air and separated. They both laughed for a bit. "So, you want to help me get back to work? We've only go half an hour left. After that, I need to back to sleep. Otherwise, I'll be too tired to train."

Right!" Iori held up the object, and Yuji got back to work.

6 days until the final exam

Three familiar figures ran through the forest. One looked like a giant dog. The other two looked human, one with silver hair, and another with pink hair.

"Pakkun, how much further?" Kakashi asked.

"His scent got a whole lot stronger; it shouldn't be too far."

Finally the three came to a clearing. "Wow." Sakura said.

Pakkun continued sniffing. "Southeast, about a mile from here."

"All right." The copy ninja thought. He dispelled Pakkun, and the remaining two took off in the direction he indicated. Soon, Sakura and Kakashi found them.

"Come on, let's do this!!" Naruto, or a Naruto, shouted. Six bushins were created, and each of the blonde's students had to take on two at once. The other two members of the former Team 7 just sat down to watch. Though to the untrained eye Naruto gave no indication that he knew of their presence, they knew that he sensed him. It was probably best to let him finish up with his students; with what they had to tell him, they knew they would muck up the rest of his schedule for today. As soon as the three genin collapsed, Naruto dispelled his bushin. "I'd normally be very happy to see you Sakura-chan, but if you and Kakashi-sensei are here, I'm guessing it's something serious." He did smile at Sakura, but it was the kind that had a serious expression to it as well.

"Indeed." Kakashi confirmed. The copy ninja turned to Sakura. "Shall I tell him or you?"

"Maybe-"

"Hey, if the two of you know the exact same thing, I'd much rather hear it from Sakura-chan then you sensei! No offense."

Though Kakashi said nothing, he did frown under his mask. "He's grown up in all the wrong areas." Kakashi thought.

"Oh, Sensei! While me and Sakura-chan are away, you think you could take over for me?" Naruto's team was a bit curious about Kakashi.

"Yeah, sure." Kakashi said, although there wasn't any enthusiasm in his voice.

"Great!" Naruto shouted. He jumped up the hill towards Sakura, and circled his arm around her hip. "Now, let's go somewhere a bit more private and-" The next thing he knew, he was face down on the floor.

"Baka!! Now's not the time to-" She stopped when she heard both Naruto's team and Kakashi snickering. You knew it was embarrassing when even Kakashi would laugh. Sakura lifted Naruto back up. "Let's just go. And I hope you understand it really is important." Sakura emphasized the last word in particular.

"Right, right." Naruto answered, still smiling.

The two took off, leaving Kakashi with the kids. They stared at each other for the longest time, until Kakashi went over to draw targeting circles on a few trees. "Okay, get three bulls eyes in a row." Kakashi walked away and plopped down, reading the newest Icha Icha book.

"I think I know what Naruto-sensei meant about being neglected." Shiguri mumbled.

Naruto and Sakura were in the forest on the other side of the valley. Naruto asked "So, what is it that you need to tell me that my team can't know?"

Sakura replied "There's been an incident. The bodies of Itachi and Kakuzu are gone."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Why? They're both dead!"

"I don't know. Tsunade-shishou can't come up with anything either. But what's even stranger is the wounds the guard had."

Naruto, for once, said nothing.

"On his back, he had chakra burns that took the form of claws. And then there's the wound on his front."

"What about his front?"

Sakura hesitated at telling him this. "Naruto…the wound on his chest is almost the same kind the rasengan could inflict." Naruto's pupils contracted in shock upon hearing that. "There is a difference in wounds between the one he received and the one yours leaves. If what he was attacked with was a rasengan, it managed to pierce through the guard's skin into his heart. To do that would take chakra control even better than mine and Tsunade-shishou's; the swirling chakra is hard enough to stabilize as a ball."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "I see…" The prospect frightened Naruto.

Sakura then said "We would have told you sooner, but we were both away when it happened, and Shishou kept it a secret from Kakashi as well, until she found it fit to let the other jonin know. I felt you should know as well, and we got permission to tell you." Naruto still remained silent. "That's not a good sign." Sakura thought.

"I have a hunch who it might be." Naruto answered. "Someone from Akatsuki."

"Maybe, but what good are two dead bodies that we've had long enough to learn what we needed to?"

"I don't know. But I can't think of anything else. That still doesn't explain how they know the rasengan."

After a moment of silence, Sakura got up. She forced a smile and said "Well, let's see how sensei is doing with your students." Naruto nodded in agreement, and they walked out of the forest together. Holding hands of course.

"Oh come on!! Three bulls eyes, just like you said!!" Shiguri yelled at the copy ninja.

Kakashi took a peek away from his book. "Mmmm…no. Your last one was just slightly off the mark again."

"You lazy bastard!!"

"Now now, it's not polite to be speaking like that to the sensei of your sensei." His head suddenly bent down due to the force of two kicks to his head. Kakashi was especially grateful that one in particular did not land at full force.

"You haven't changed a bit!" the two members of the former Team 7 yelled.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and said "Well, there's really nothing new I could show them and have them master in a minute. Besides, you know them better than I do. It would be more effective to take a break reviewing the basics rather than have me teach them something new within fifteen minutes."

Both Naruto and Sakura sighed. Yuji then stepped forward and raised his hand. "Um, there is something I'd like to learn from you…if you've got the time."

Sakura noticed he was pointing at her. She blinked at that sudden realization. "What?"

"That super-strength you have. I know you didn't get it by pumping iron alone. I'd hate to think what you'd look like if you did."

Naruto formed such an image in his mind with Sakura possessing arms as big as his body, and with her abs being bigger than her breasts. "Oh, I think I've been scared for life yet again."

Sakura sighed. "Yuji…it takes a long time to learn it."

"Just tell me how it works." The genin put on his best pleading face "PLEASE?"

Sakura gave him an annoyed look, but decided that it would be best to give in to his demand and end it. "Okay. What I do is use my chakra control to gather a high amount of it in one spot, and upon impact, release it all at once. It took me almost two years to master it so…" Before she could finish, Yuji was already at a boulder. "Yuji! Don't you-"

"Relax! I got it!" Yuji seemed to concentrate, and then smashed his hand against the rock. Nothing happened, except that the boy's face contorted in obvious pain. "Um, I need to pee." He walked calmly into the forest. Once that happened, Naruto and Sakura lost track of the explicatives that resounded through the valley.

"Serves him right." Sakura mumbled as she went over to inspect the rock. When she got close however, the rock cracked in two! Sakura jumped back in surprise, and looked back in the way Yuji walked.

Naruto was stunned too. "Yuji…you have no idea just how good you can be if you tried…" the jinchuriki thought.

2 days until the finals

Just two days left until the final exam. Naruto and Team 12, along with Sakura and Kakashi, made it to the gates of Konoha. Naruto taught them everything he could, and decided that they were due for a break before the tournament. "Well, just relax for now. I wish you all the best of luck." Team 12 nodded together, and waved bye as they each headed to their respected homes.

Just as the three jonin were about to part ways, a familiar figure came into view. "Shizune-sempai?" Sakura asked.

Shizune was running towards them. "Sakura! I'm glad you're here! Listen, something bad has happened!"

"What!?" Team 7 asked.

"It's Tonton…he was killed! He was gutted right inside the tower!!" The news did not have the same impact on Naruto and Kakashi that it did Sakura.

"W-why?" the medic nin asked.

"I don't know. Tsunade's been a wreck these past few days. She's still doing her job, and we've got some chunin doing an investigation, but so far nothing has turned up."

"She's not…"

"At night. I see to it she doesn't have too much. What do you expect me to do? I can't stop her from drowning out her anxieties, especially when she has every right to feel sad…"

Sakura grabbed Naruto by the sleeve. "We'll be going to see her now."

Naruto opened his mouth to say "But Sa-"

"Naruto! Just why don't you want to go!?"

Naruto hung his head down. "Because I don't know what it's like to loose a pet." The blonde took a moment to choose his words. "Back at the Valley of the End, Sasuke wouldn't listen to me when I demanded him to go back. He said I know nothing about loosing parents or family because I never had any. I'm worried that Ba-chan will not accept any condolence I have on those grounds."

This scored him another good whack on the head. "Baka!! What do you take shishou for!? You're coming with me!!" Sakura grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him into the tower.

Tsunade signed another document, and put it in her pile of completed work. For once, that stack was higher than the ones waiting to be done. It wasn't the way she wanted it though; it was what kept her mind off of Tonton when Shizune wouldn't allow her to have any sake. Though it wasn't their concern, the council could have at least gave her their condolences. She snapped out her thoughts when she heard a light knock on the door. "Enter." Tsunade said. Naruto and Sakura stepped inside. Tsunade had a feeling about what they really came in for, but decided to get down to business first. "I trust you told Naruto everything?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Shishou." A very uncomfortable moment of silence hung in the air. Then they both bowed. "I'm so sorry, shishou…I know how much you loved Tonton."

Naruto took his turn to speak up. "I don't know what it's like to have a pet…but if it's a bond you treasured, I'm sorry he's gone, Ba-chan."

The two of them brought a small smile to Tsunade's lips. Naruto took a moment to look at her. He never seen her eyes so red and dry before. Despite that, she still managed to shed a tear as well. "Thank you both…it means a lot to me." The Godaime got up and stretched. " Anyway, Sakura, since you spent a good portion of your time outside of Konoha, get some rest. I need you in the hospital tomorrow. And I expect you to be there for the Chunin exams." Sakura nodded in response.

Later, Naruto and Sakura decided to have dinner together. Since there was no time to dress up, nor were they in the mood, they just went for Ichiraku.

"I have to admit, I didn't like Tonton much when I first became Tsunade-shishou's apprentice." Sakura said. "I had to take him on walks sometimes, and that would be a pain. However, sometimes, at night, I would see her playing with him. She'd baby talk him, make him do tricks in exchange for treats, and when she was feeling down she would often pet him out of habit. I asked her what it was like to have a pet. She said it was much like having a child that will never grow up. What she liked best about Tonton was that when there was no one else to turn to, she could just talk to him without a care in the world, without having to worry about being judged."

Naruto nodded. "I think I understand. I guess if I had such a pet, I'd be upset to see it die, let alone be murdered." Naruto normally would not use such terms for animals, but to Tsunade it was murder.

"Here ya go, Naruto!" Tenchu said as he handed him his barbeque pork ramen.

"Ikematsu!" Naruto, as usual, devoured his ramen like a pig. "Aww, man!! The ramen I packed with me was good, but it can't even compare with this!!" Naruto picked up his bowl and slurped up the broth.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "This may not be an official date, but that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a pig in front of me!!"

Naruto put his bowl down and wiped his mouth with his arm. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I-"

"EWW, Naruto!! Did you listen to a word I just said!?" Sakura got a napkin, and began to wipe his mouth. When Naruto giggled slightly, Sakura realized something. "You did that on purpose." Sakura mumbled. Naruto grinned even wider and leaned in to capture her lips. Sakura didn't refuse him; nowadays she couldn't.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura blushed a bit, and looked away modestly. "Not really…but thanks for thinking so." The kunoichi answered.

"But you are."

"My pink hair stands out."

"That's what I love about it."

"My forehead is too big."

"I think it's cute."

"I'm not as filled out as Ino or Hinata."

Naruto took a moment before answering. It was, after all, somewhat forbidden territory. "Your perfect the way you are."

"You said I haven't changed a bit when you came back from training." Sakura mumbled a bit grouchily

"Huh?" Naruto asked. Then he said "Ooooh, that! Well, you have always been the most beautiful thing in the world to me, and I don't think any number of years can change that!"

Sakura blushed slightly. "Thank you." She whispered. "Listen, I've got to get home before my parents get suspicious. I promise you, one day I'll get them to accept you."

Naruto cupped Sakura's chin. "So long as you accept me."

Sakura smiled, and planted a kiss on Naruto's cheek. "I'll watching the matches. Good luck, Naruto!" Sakura got up and walked away.

"Well, it looks like our little Naruto is growing up finally!" Tenchu bellowed with laughter

Naruto turned around to face the ramen chef. "Yeah, uh, well…" Naruto really did not know what to say.

"I still remember the time you treated Haruno-chan here years ago. The two of you looked cute together, but I still can't believe you're now a couple!!" The ramen chef only continued to laugh some more.

"Father, behave." Ayame chimed in. "If you continue to belittle Naruto-kun, then you must accept me and Iruka as a couple."

Tenchu clamped shut at hearing that. Now, that got Naruto's attention. "You and Iruka-sensei are going out?"

"Yes! He's one of the sweetest men I have ever met! Unfortunately, father is not quite ready for me to grow up."

Tenchu grumbled something incoherent. Naruto decided to let it go. He paid, and went home.

Day of the finals

It was the morning of the chunin exams. Yuji's alarm blared with its annoying noise. Unfortunately, it didn't come close to waking him up. After about ten minutes, someone came in with a bucket of boiling water and poured it on top of him. Soon, Yuji's eyes shot open as he screamed. "Damn it, Shiguri!! What was that for!?"

Shiguri asked to spend the night at Yuji's house. He really had to get away from his grandfather. "In all honesty, you're odds of beating that Jaa guy are pretty low. But I doubt you want to loose by forfeit."

Yuji looked at his clock. "Shit!!" Yuji anticipated this, which was why he chose to sleep in his clothes. The two chunin hopefuls ran downstairs.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Miyamoto was preparing breakfast. "Morning, sweetie! I baked you some-"

"Grab whatever fruit you can!!" Yuji shouted to Shiguri. "See you there mom!!"

Mrs. Miyamoto sweat dropped. "All that hard work for nothing…"

Jaa lit some incense near a Buddha, and held his hands in prayer position with his eyes closed. "Please, grant me victory. My family came here to escape the poverty of our home. I wish to use my new strength to ensure they can live happily, even if I must put my life on the line!" Jaa's attention was brought back to the real world when he heard someone walk towards him. Chan.

"Ready?" his fellow taijutsu specialist asked.

"Yes." The two teammates walked together down to the stadium. They weren't exactly rivals, but Jaa knew that Chan has always been jealous of him. "Chan…" the foreigner said. "I want to wish you the best of luck. You are a great fighter, and I hope we can face off in the final round."

Chan looked at Jaa, a bit shocked, and smiled back. "So do I." The two entered the stadium.

Shikamaru stood around, looking bored as usual. Kenshin and Uryuu were with him, but they weren't here to fight. They were there to cheer someone on…in their own, silent creepy way. That said person came into view. "Hanabi." Shikamaru greeted her. "I take it your training with your father went well?"

"Yes." Hanabi replied, not even bowing to her supposed sensei.

"I'd watch out for your opponent if I were you." Shikamaru cautioned."Naruto has a knack for being completely unpredictable. I wouldn't be surprised if his students carried on that tradition."

Hanabi said nothing in return as she entered the stadium.

"Good luck to both of you." Kiba said to Hige and Tsume. "You've both come a long way. I want each of you to keep something in mind. Hige, you're stronger than you think. Don't be afraid. I promise you will make it work out." The dog ninja turned to Tsume. "Tsume, you're strong and you've got good morals. But if you want to win this, you will need to break them to some extent. I showed you that taijutsu so you wouldn't have to worry about it. Besides, in the real world, you will have to kill some kunoichi." Tsume said nothing, but nodded. Kiba patted them both on the backs. "Now, get out there and make me look good."

Tsunade sat in the Hokage chair to view the chunin exams. To her right, Shizune stood. Tsunade looked at her and quickly looked away. Normally, her assistant would be cradling Tonton. She still couldn't get used to the fact that her pet pig was gone. "You're taking it rather well, Shizune." Tsunade commented.

"Forgive me, Tsunade-samma. There are just so many other things going on. But I do miss him as much as you." The younger medic-nin said, smiling slightly.

"One more thing." Tsunade said.

"Yes, Tsunade-samma?"

"Could you get me some sake? I need a drink really bad."

There was a moment of silence between the two until Shizune finally said "Yes, Tsunade-samma." She ran off to get some sake. In the middle of the day.

"That's odd." Tsunade thought. "She would never let me have a drink at this time, even now." Tsunade simply shrugged it off, and turned her attention to the arena.

"You ready?" Naruto asked Iori.

The girl didn't answer at first. "I'm scared."

Naruto smiled and said "No matter how tough a front we put up, we're always scared before a fight. Just do your best." Naruto turned his attention to the entrance, where his other two pupils ran in. "I hope your ready to go through the gauntlet." Naruto commented.

"We're going to kick some ass!" Shiguri yelled, thrusting his fist forward.

"Easy for you guys to say." Yuji mumbled.

"Hey, don't you dare give up!" Naruto shouted sternly. "No matter what someone else tells you, you always have a chance!" Naruto held out his hand. The three caught on, and each placed their hands on top of his. "Do your best!" The genin made their way down to the arena floor.

Naruto made his way into the spectator seats. As he seated himself, he felt a familiar presence, taking the seat next to him. "Kakashi-sensei…what brings you here?"

Kakashi got himself comfortable and sighed. "Not much. I don't have a mission, and I've read all my books several times over. So, I figured I'd come here and see how your students will fare."

Naruto smiled. "I'm nervous for them. I tried my best to get them ready, but I'm worried it's not enough."

Kakashi put a hand on the jinchuriki's shoulder. "I know you did your best. You always have." Kakashi laid his hand on his lap. "I know it is several years late, but I think I owe you an apology for training only Sasuke, and not you during the exams. I want to let you know it's not because I thought you would be a waste of time; it's just that at the time Sasuke needed me more than ever. He was being tempted by Orochimaru, and he was facing a psychotic killer. I knew you would be alright; it was him I wasn't so sure about."

Naruto grinned back at him. "Don't worry about it, Kakashi-sensei. I thought about it for years, and I do understand why you did what you did." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, and turned his attention to the stadium. "It would have been nice though if you watched me in time to beat the crap out of Neji." Naruto told his teacher, sticking out his tongue.

Kakashi could only frown at that.

Gendou was once again the referee. Though he always had a bored expression on his face, the truth was he loved this job. "Will the first contestants please remain in the arena? Everyone else, to the waiting room." Yuji and Jaa remained. "There are no rules in this match. Take advantage of the environment, and attack with the intent to kill. With that said, keep in mind that I'll do my best to make sure no one dies!!" The two faced each other. They both got into a fighting stance. "The first match: Miyamoto Yuji vs. Tiger Jaa! Begin!!"

I've had a brilliant idea on how to title my chapters: I'll just take some random lyrics from various Sonic the Hedgehog songs, provided they match with the plot of the chapter! I've already done so with chapters 10, 17, and this one, all from His World! Silly, I know, but I think it's fun to try. I'll see you all next chapter!!