A.N. I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto. Thanks for sticking with this!

Kirara flew above the Forest of Death, monitoring the Chunin exams for her mistress. She circled about and then landed next to the Proctor, Anko. She let out a soft roar, conveying she was done.

"You know, I think I might be insulted that my Hokage feels the need to have a cat babysit me," she snarked, eyeballing the creature. She raised her hand very obviously and then scratched her ears. "But you are so cute."

Shrinking, Kirara jumped onto her shoulder and mewed quietly, enjoying the attention.

"Well, I could get used to this, I suppose. Let's get some lunch and you can fly around again in a bit." Anko grinned a little and wandered into her little observatory.

xXx

Itachi ignored the stares and whispers as he walked through town, Shikamaru trailing him as always. He stopped for ramen, did some shopping, and generally looked unbelievably mundane.

Ino, her own arms full as she finished buying groceries, spotted him and nodded in greeting. "Hello, Itachi-san." She kicked up an eyebrow at him, noticing the grocery sacks. "You cook?"

Making a noise of acknowledgement, Itachi shifted. "I do. Is that so far-fetched? Shinobi should always be efficient in seeing to their own needs."

"I suppose that's true. It's just a weird mental image. But then, so is your green thumb." Falling into step with him, the blonde glanced at her former teammate behind them. "He's getting a tan watching you in the sun so much."

Cracking a smile, Itachi nodded. "I offered him a sunhat."

Choking on her words, Ino laughed hard at the thought. "Well, that was kind. Anyway, I should head home. See you around." She nodded and split off from him to make a turn and head back towards her own district.

Watching her go, Itachi was amused when Shikamaru sighed heavily. "Am I being 'troublesome' again, Nara?"

"From the moment I was assigned to you," Shikamaru groused, shaking his head.

xXx

Kabuto eyed Sasuke in curiosity as he settled against the wall across from his cell. "Hokage-sama is rather busy because of the exams. I told her that I would check on you."

"Always someone's lapdog, aren't you?" Sasuke remarked, sitting up in his bed and meeting his gaze. "Surprised she doesn't have you trailing her, using you as personal protection yet. Slipping in your infiltration skills?"

Snorting, Kabuto smiled at the dig. "Not at all. I don't want to be her right hand, and she would never allow that. She might be my friend under other circumstances, but Hokage-sama is too wise to elevate someone with a broken mind. I will work lower stakes missions for at least the rest of her tenure. You could do more though."

Arching an eyebrow, Sasuke frowned. "What? Are you trying to get me to be her loyal subject, or plot something insidious? Either way, I am uninterested."

"No, just observing. She has a lot of forgiveness in her. You could be a part of the village again. She wants to restore the strength of the village." Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "You're strong. She knows that."

"Stop trying to play mind games with me, Freak." Sasuke glared at him, getting to his feet and walking to the bars. "I don't need your advice, and I don't want you checking up on me."

"Fair enough." That said, Kabuto disappeared.

Glaring at where he had stood, Sasuke turned away. "How long have you been watching me, Kakashi-sensei?" he sneered, not even bothering to look and see if he revealed himself.

"You certainly are slipping, if this is the first time you have sensed me, Sasuke. A waste of potential." Kakashi strolled into the spot Kabuto had occupied with his book in hand. "You could have done great things."

Turning to face his former teacher, Sasuke scowled. "Did you come here to lecture me?"

"No, Sasuke, I came with an offer." Closing his book, Kakashi raised his one eye to look his way. "You don't want to stay in that cell, I don't want you to stay in that cell. In truth, no one really does. You are a prodigy of Konoha in your own right. You are also a ninja. You know that sometimes, one must play the game to get a desired outcome."

Suspicious, the younger man sat on his bed. "What are you getting at, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hokage-sama isn't the only one with power in this village. There are other players. Say what you need to to get out, learn to make it seem like you mean it. There will always be a place for someone like you, so long as you don't choose to rot in a cell, getting dull." Kakashi gave him a meaningful look, walked out of his line of sight, and then disappeared without another word.

When Kakashi reappeared in his girlfriend's office, Kagome poured him a cup of tea and settled at her desk with her own. "How did it go?"

"Far too soon to tell. I made my suggestions. When you see him next, maybe things will be different. I daresay that the idea of getting out just to undermine you will appeal. Sasuke is unfortunately a little stunted in that way." Kakashi replied, taking his cup of tea.

"Hm. No wonder he was your favored student." Kagome looked at him with a little teasing in her eyes. "Either way, I hope it works. I don't care if he hates me, as long as he loves and is loyal to the village."

xXx

Naruto straightened his shirt again, feeling a little ridiculous. "I've met Hiashi plenty of times at this point. What's it matter if I wear fancy clothes? He knows what I look like normally."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You can't possibly be this dense. Look, Kid, I know you grew up a half feral orphan, but there's nuances to things like this. Yes, Hinata loves you, and I won't say that you need her father to like you for the sake of your relationship. For the sake of her relationship with her family, it might be good to actually try though. Besides, you've got goals, right?"

Glaring, Naruto pointed at him in accusation. "I love Hinata-chan, and I am not trying to cozy up to her dad to make being Hokage easier!"

Punching him in the head, Jiraiya twitched. "Numbskull! I know that! But there's such a thing as making the best of a situation."

Rubbing his head, the blonde scowled at him and shook his head. "I meant what I said to him though. I don't need his clan, Hinata-chan and I can be our own. We can adopt Hanabi-chan too."

"Now that is something to work with." Grinning, he straightened out his student's collar. "Hinata has not been officially disinherited yet. She will be, but there's ways to lighten that sting. Hanabi loves her sister, and seems to like you. Hiashi needs an heir regardless. And try Hiashi-sama when you address him."

Screwing up his face in thought, Naruto tried to follow. "So, Hanabi-chan can't be used to hurt us, if she loves us?"

Sighing, the sage rubbed his eyes. "Hanabi won't let her father use her, so long as she knows she has a place with you. So, tonight, you will have dinner with your future father-in-law, make peace. Be charming, nice. And when he inevitably brings up how your relationship impacts Hinata's future as heir, be nonchalant. Say that you assumed as much, but that it doesn't matter. You want her by your side, and Hanabi is just as talented as her sister. She'll be a good heiress and you will be family regardless."

"Uhhh, Pervey Sage, I don't know if I can say something like that and not get angry," Naruto admitted, frowning deeply.

"Don't call me that!" he shouted, bonking him hard on his crown again. "Now, just try, alright? Hinata knows how these games are played. She was brought up with them. Maybe follow her lead."

"I do like to let her lead," Naruto remarked absently, a little smirk tugging at his lips.

"And you call me a pervert?" Jiraiya countered, shaking his head. "Seriously, Naruto. I know this all sounds like annoying politics to you, but that's gonna be part of the job. Don't turn your nose up at it like it's something you don't need."

xXx

Kagome watched the genin that made it through the forest slowly trickled in. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as a Konoha team came in, ensuring at least a few would make it to the finals this year. She glanced up at Genma, curious. "Do you think we'll need to do a preliminary?"

Shaking his head, Genma swapped his senbon to the other side. "No. There's not much time yet and it's only two teams so far. Huh. Brutal this year."

Frowning, Kagome looked up at him. "I would think with only more experienced ninja, we might see higher numbers, not lower."

"It's a double edged sword, Hokage-sama. Yeah, the Konoha nin are all more experienced, but it isn't as if they can afford to not go against each other in the forest, especially since all three teammates have to make it. If someone KOs a teammate and they don't have a chance, a lot of teams will torch their scrolls so no one can just pick them off." Genma watched the screen, seeing another team wander in. "Tougher crowd."

"That's a good point." Sighing, Kagome sat back and checked the time. "Just a few more hours." She glanced at the screen and saw another team walk in. "When did you become a chunin, Genma?"

"Hm. Thirteen. I even went against the future Fourth Hokage's team in the forest, until we allied against a Mist team. It wasn't glorious, but I succeeded in achieving the rank." He looked her over, curious. "You didn't really participate in our system though."

Humming in agreement, Kagome watched the screen without seeing it. "Not really. Tsunade-sensei taught me what I needed and managed to get me testing. I passed, but I didn't have these formative experiences you all did." Her eyes moved from the monitor to Genma. "Does that make you less inclined to trust my opinions on the matter?"

"No, Hokage-sama. I think you have little invested in the experience, so you don't view it as a grand rite of passage. That isn't necessarily bad. Though I think that many might feel differently," he admitted, meeting her eyes. "What was training under the Fifth like? Shizune never tells."

"Tsunade-sensei helped hone me into who I am. I needed her teachings." Kagome didn't really answer, her tone wistful. "Shizune and I were a good team though, when we worked together."

"I bet." Genma grinned, then focused as another team came in, practically passing out just over the threshold. "Maybe I spoke too soon. Four teams. Maybe there'll be more and a need for a preliminary after all."

"In truth, I don't know whether to hope for that or not," Kagome murmured, wincing as the latest three man team hobbled to lean against the wall.

xXx

Naruto struggled a lot at his dinner, but he did his best to let Hinata lead and support her where he needed to. It was all veiled insults that set his teeth on edge, and concessions made in a way he didn't understand. He was grateful for HInata's hand squeezing his under the table.

"For a boy known for his loud mouth, you are quite reticent to speak," an elder remarked, her eyes falling on the blonde heavily. She was the only one outside the main family to be invited to sit in on the meal. "Surely, you have something to say?"

"Naruto-kun is being a polite guest," Hanabi corrected, casting a small smile his way briefly as she served them all another cup of tea. "He is warm and welcoming in his home, and polite and respectful here."

Hiashi glanced at his younger daughter, expression unreadable for the moment. "Naruto, you are not known for being polite. Do you have any words to say to me? Do you intend to make your case for being allowed to marry my heir?"

Swallowing with a shudder, Naruto sipped his tea and squeezed Hinata's hand. "Honestly, I'm trying to be nice, because Hinata-chan loves you all. Hanabi-chan is going to be my sister when we get married, and she'll always be welcome. If you're going to try and get me to brown nose or beg or something, it isn't gonna happen. Hopefully, you learn to respect Hinata-chan, because she's beautiful, smart, kind, and strong. If you put her aside, it's your loss. She can still see you if she wants, and I'll be nice. Hanabi-chan is awesome too, and if she can't meet your standards for some reason, she's still our family."

Pausing for a moment, Hiashi looked at both of his daughters, and then to the young man who had not raised his voice, leapt to his feet, or gone on with any theatrics. It was unexpected. "Hm. Well, perhaps this matter can be continued in my study later."

Letting out a breath, Hinata turned and gave her lover a warm smile.

That smile made Naruto feel like all the song and dance of things had been worth it, even if he didn't actually care about her father's approval in the slightest.