Chapter 36

Suna had a strange kind of beauty to it at night. It's dunes looked like rippling waves as the moon shone on it and the sky was clearer than it was in Konoha, thousands of stars twinkling in the dark sky with zero obstruction.

And to think that among those stars were many different planets and worlds that he would likely never explore.

'If only Sothis could see this.' He thought despite himself. The goddess would no doubt enjoy the scenery. Perhaps she would use it to make her own personal desert in their shared mindscape—a garden that she could take care of and watch grow while the other side was a sea of sand with a view of stars and softly blowing wind.

A sad smile formed on his lips at the thought. He'd come out here to pacify his mind, but it seemed that everything still led him back to her.

A sharp sting reminded him that the power she possessed was still out of his reach. She was likely still fast asleep on her throne, much like she had been the many times he had visited.

He missed her. Despite knowing that she was still with him in spirit, the feeling of loneliness was still ever present.

"You know you're not supposed to be up here, right, kid?" Naruto turned to the voice, sensing the man landing near before he even spoke. The familiar smile reassured him that at least the man wasn't a stranger; technically.

"Ryu-san?"

"The one and only!" The man said cheerily, giving the Uzumaki that trademark smile. "Any reason you're up hear? Not that I don't understand the appeal of being so high up, but I hope you understand the major security risk of such a high vantage point of our village."

Naruto blinked at the man, peered down over the tent rock they were on to peak at the village, then looked back to the Jonin.

"If it's such a security risk, then your friends could have just stopped before I even approached. Pretty redundant to do so now when I'm already up here."

The man's perpetually squinted eyes seemed to show a hint of amusement at that. "Oh, we saw you, and definitely wanted to say something. However, this particular area is...well, dangerous for hard-working salarymen like us on guard duty. Not many of us would even step foot near this rock, let alone climb it. It's a life and death thing, y'see. Hope you understand."

Naruto didn't understand, but going from the way he was sweating despite his smile told the blonde the matter was anything but a joke.

"Sorry, just needed to a place to clear my head. Seems to do the trick when I'm someplace high."

"Ah, no worries, really! I'm just looking out for you is all, seeing as how I was your escort and all. Would be kinda bad if you fell, huh? Heh, heh." Despite his words, Naruto felt as if him falling wasn't exactly the danger here.

"Yeah, I get that." Naruto nodded, his attention turning back to the village. "Sorry for making you come up here. I'll get down in a minute."

Ryu suddenly paused, his amused countenance blank for a moment. After seemingly pondering something within himself, he walked over to sit next to the blonde.

"How about you stay awhile, and I'll keep you company. Just in case you fall." The man said, a reassuring grin on his face.

"You don't need to. I'll be fine on my own." Naruto refuted.

"On the contrary, I do, my tree-hugging ally. Something ales you, and from my experience, it is best to get it off your chest than holding it in. So, what is it that has your mind running?"

Naruto studied the man, seeing compassion, honesty, and understanding in his eyes. It could be a ruse—information he could pass on to his competitors in tomorrow's exam.

That was definitely his paranoia speaking for him.

However, he didn't see the harm of telling the man the truth. Not like he could do anything with it even if he told him.

"A friend of mine is...sick," he spoke, altering the story slightly to fit the situation. "In the last mission I was on, something happened to her and she's now in a coma. I don't know when she will wake up, and I'm just now realizing how important she is—both to me and my team."

"Ah, so that's how it is. Mission gone from spring water to a hot pile of camel shit. Can't say I don't know the feeling." The man nodded, his jovial disposition not wavering. "Well, here's a little word from ally to ally. I've seen my fair share of people in your shoes, and each time I tell them the same thing."

"Which is?" Naruto asked, now hooked on his words.

"You need to get your head out of your ass, kid."

"...What?" Naruto said after a protracted moment of silence.

"Exactly what I said! Your head is in your ass, and unless you pull it out, you're never gonna see the sun again! Or, you know, whatever metaphor is applicable here."

"No, I mean, how does that even help?"

"It doesn't, but it's a good way to get you focused on my next words! You're always gonna be in shit, that's just how life is. What you need to do is get over it and move on!"

"Just get over it and move on." Naruto said incredulously, feeling the slightest bit offended by the man simply telling him to 'get over it' as if it were that simple. "Even if I wanted to just 'get over it' I can't."

"Hey young man, turn that 'can't' upside down!" Naruto waited for the man to say more, and he did not disappoint. "It's still 'can't', but at least you see it from a different perspective!"

"...Don't take this the wrong way...matter a fact, take this the wrong way, you're the worst therapist I've ever met in my life. Coming from me, that's saying a lot."

"Ha! You're not the first to tell me that and you won't be the last!" The man laughed. "But hey, I bet that got your worries off your mind, even if it is temporary, right?"

"If your idea of getting someone's worry's off their is mind making them hate your guts, then sure, my head is free from the burden." Naruto snarked, yet the man was still grinning from ear to ear.

"There ya go, that's the spirit! I promise that when they carry you out of here in a scroll, you're gonna look back in the afterlife and think 'hey, that's squinty-eyed handsome bastard was weird, but was right this whole time'."

Naruto had to admit, even if his worries weren't completely off his mind, the man's personality was contagious—his smile even more so.

"You're the weirdest guy I've ever met...but you're cool in your own...weird way."

A hand went to the back of the Jonin's head as he sheepishly rubbed his scalp.

"Aaaaawww, stop it! You're gonna make me-"

Both Shinobi suddenly felt an indescribable shiver go up their spines as they simultaneously turned to look over their shoulders.

Standing directly behind them, not even a foot away, was a person. Peering up, they met his face, and both had varied reactions.

Ryu paled, his face going white and his breath catching in his throat. Every pore on his body opened as he felt his sweat turn cold.

Naruto was equally on edge, but where the Jonin was frozen in fear, he was calm—admittedly because he didn't yet understand the danger that was in front of him.

"Who are you people?" The figure spoke, his voice gravelly and deep despite his height. He was adorn in a black body suit with Shinobi sandals and a white sash wrapped around his front for uses unknown to the blonde. His biggest distinction was the gourd on his back and the Sunagakure headband wrapped around the end of the strap across his body.

Then there was his face.

His eyebrows had forsaken him, leaving not but smooth skin and forehead. The kids of his eyes were shaded black, which was oddly a great substitute for his lack of eyebrows. His hair was crimson, the same shade as the tattoo for the symbol 'love' on the left side of his face.

Wait.

Red hair...tattoo...

"Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga," Ryu tried to speak, his voice coming out in rasps and stutters as his jovial mood was completely vanquished.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" The boy spoke once again, a threat now evident in his tone.

"Ga-Gaara! I mean, Ryu! My name is Ryu! And we were, um," the Jonin turned to the blonde, his face desperate. "We were just, um, taking a walk! Yes, a walk! Nothing wrong with that, right? Eheh, right?"

Naruto felt the Jonin's eyes bore into him, a pleading look that was desperate for help. He didn't understand why the Jonin was acting the way he was towards someone his age, but given the situation and the fact that his current behavior was a stark contrast to his usually jolly attitude, he knew the situation was dire.

"...Yes, we were...walking." Naruto said, ignoring the obvious fact that they were currently sitting. Whether or not the redhead believed them, neither of them could tell. His expression gave away none of his thoughts, and his eyes remained unblinking.

"Leave." Was the only word Gaara spoke.

Ryu didn't have to be told twice and was pulling Naruto up to his feet in the same instance the word left the redhead's mouth.

"Wait." Like before, Ryu froze, Naruto forced to do the same with the man's hand gripping his forearm so tight that his nails were digging into his skin. "You," Naruto blinked at the attention suddenly being on him. "You are from Konoha."

"Uh, yeah. I'm competing in the exams tomorrow, actually." Naruto answered, not understanding why he had suddenly gained the redhead's attention.

"Hmmm." Gaara hummed, his thoughts kept to himself while the duo waited for his verdict. "Go. Sleep while you can. You will need the advantage in the morning."

Without wasting another second, Ryu was dragging Naruto down the rock's surface, running like a bat straight out of hell.

Gaara watched them leave, their speed impressive even to him. It matters not if the Jonin was truly worried for the Konoha-nin or not. All the same, he would die in tomorrow's exam. It was an inevitabi-

"ARGH!" The redhead suddenly gripped his head in agony as an ear-piercing screech echoed through his orifice. "M-mother," he stuttered through gritted teeth as the screeching grew in volume. "Wh-why mother. What is it that you-"

The grip on his skull tightened as the screech reached its peak, the boy's now bloodshot eyes suddenly widening as the sound turned to words.

"F...Familiar? But, how? He's not like-"

Another screech, followed by more words.

"Y-yes, mother. But the exams. He will-"

A final screech, and the redhead was left panting, his head aching with pain and his ears ringing. Soon, the pain left, and all there was left was glee. A wide, manic grin split his face as he looked down to where the Konoha Genin had landed. The cap to his gourd popped off and sand rushed out, all the while, Gaara's grin grew, threatening to split his face in two as he saw the dots below.

...

"Haaaaaaaaaaah." A long, relieved breath left Ryu's throat. "We-we're still alive! Thank Kami we're still alive!" He cried, tears running down his face as he thanked the heavens above.

"So, was that the guy you were warning us about earlier?" Naruto interrupted his praise with an observation.

"H-hai, that's him alright. A true demon, am I right?" The Jonin wiped his forehead clear of sweat, letting out another breath of relief in the process. "I seriously thought it was over for us, but it looks like Kami-sama still has a use for us!"

"Is he really that dangerous?" Naruto asked, peering back to the rock they'd leaped from.

"Worse than that! The kid is a momster in human flesh! A one man army that's not afraid of anything and will kill you just for looking his way! Seen a man get crushed right in front of me and haven't slept right since! Trust me, having your bones crushed to paste isn't a way you wanna go, kid.

"...Un." Naruto hummed, seemingly not paying attention to the Jonin.

"I'm being serious here, Kid! Nothing good comes from being around that thing! It's a demon in flesh! Suna's worst mistake! Do your village a favor and stay clear from it as much as you possibly-"

Without warning, the Jonin was tackled off of his feet and off of the building they were on completely. It was only a moment later that he realized why.

A waterfall of sand crashed into the building not a second later, cracking the surface and spilling over the edges. Landing on his rear on the next building over, Ryu quickly reorientated himself, knowing what the sand from the sudden attack entailed.

Sure enough, floating down on a cloud of sand was the demon of Sunagakure, his calm visage replaced by manic glue as his bloodshot eyes peered down on them.

"Your blood," Gaara mumbled, yet somehow, Ryu and Naruto heard his words clearly. "Mother demands your blood!"

Once again, the sand shot forward, and once again, Ryu was pulled out of the way by the Konoha Genin. They landed on another rooftop, jumping to and fro while also dodging mid-air as to not be caught and likely suffer a gruesome death both felt they definitely didn't deserve.

"I think we upset him some how." Naruto said as they dodged yet another stream of sand trying to capture them.

"NO SHIT!" Ryu yelled back as he jumped over a particular swipe aimed at his legs. "Kami-sama! Help us! I haven't been nearly as bad to deserve a death like this!"

Naruto ignored the man's cries, instead focusing on their escape. Hiding was an option, the blonde thinking on the lines of stowing away somewhere until someone who was more specialized with this situation showed up.

Unfortunately for them, the redhead didn't seem to care much about collateral damage seeing as everything the same crashed into either dented or completely obliterated the object. It didn't help at all that whatever authority figure they ran towards immediately ran the other way as if they were the problem.

A particular stream of sand shot towards them, and Naruto pulled them both out of harm's way by jumping high, ignoring his companion's screaming and flailing all the while. Before they could even land, another stream shot out from the sea, aiming to catch them mid-air. In retaliation, Naruto reached his hand out to his side, seeking to summon his sword, consequences be damned.

Before he could even build chakra, something yanked them from the air. Ryu screamed once more, thinking they were finally captured. Naruto, however, was calm as he allowed the force to guide them. Landing on a nearby rooftop, they were caught in the arms of their savior. The Suna Jonin looked here and fro before his eyes joined the Genin in looking at their savior.

"Bitchface!" He cried happily, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks as he gazed at his fellow Jonin as if she were Kami herself. "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see you, Bitchface! Another second and we surely would have been goners!"

Kagero paid the man's words no heed, but she did drop them both for the nickname—one falling on his arse while the other on his feet. From over the edge of the building, sand rose, lifting Suna's demon in the process. His blood thirsty grin only seemed to grow at seeing her present, his shoulder beginning to shake as deep chuckles left his lips.

"Your blood," The redhead repeated, the grin on his face growing as his bloodshot eyes focused solely on the blonde. "Mother wants his blood! Interfere, and I will-"

Sand shot up between his speech, blocking the incoming kunai thrown by the Jonin.

"You will cease this foolishness at once, or suffer the consequences." Kagero spoke coldly, Ryu panicking at the tone while Naruto readied himself to backup his teacher.

The grin did not leave or waver. If anything, it grew.

Bringing up a single handsign was all it took for the boy to flex his power. At once, sand from every side of their building rose into the air, blocking their view and any escape route they may have had. The trio looked around them, Ryu in horror while the other two were calculating.

Gaara laughed, the sound manic and crazed as he held out a hand towards the trio.

"With your blood, I can finally prove my existence!"

At his words, the sand surged, closing in on the trapped trio—likely sealing their-

"That's enough."

At the words, gold filled their vision as it mixed in with the sand. The two earthly substances battled for supremacy, but it was obvious which side was superior. In no time flat, the golden sea blanketed the sea of brown as the sand fell, crashing onto the ground in a useless heap.

Gaara looked around him, his expression that of shock. His crazed eyes eventually landing on the trio on the roof.

Scratch that, it landed on the fourth member they all had their heads turned to.

Wearing black under a cloak of white and hair a lighter shade of red, walked a man. His face was stern, his black eyes unwavering as he peered up to the boy looking down on him in shock.

Ryu immediately got into a kneeling position as he walked by, his head bowed in a show of respect shown only to those of the highest position of authority. His posture screamed power as much as the robes he wore on his shoulders.

Coming to a stop in front of the group, the Kazekage of Sunagakure glared up at his son.

"Gaara, you will cease this foolishness at once." The Kazekage's voice was as powerful as his presence, his words holding an undertone of a threat.

Gaara looked down at the village leader, a small glimmer of what seemed to be fear in his eyes before his gaze was back on the group, more specifically the blonde.

"M-mother, demands his blood." He tried, as if the excuse would make everything alright.

"These are guests, allies, even. As such, they are under my protection. As a Shinobi of the Sand, you will need my command and stand. Down. Now." It was a direct order. Gaara knew his father wouldn't kill him if he didn't comply, but knowing he could was enough to make him follow his words as if they were law, which they were.

With one final glare to the blonde, his sand retreated back into his gourd aside from the clump currently holding him in the air. The Kazekage didn't bother checking if his son did as told, instead, turning his attention to the three.

"Kagero." He greeted the Jonin first, the woman putting away the kunai in her hands but not bowing like his subordinate.

"Rasa-sama." She returned the greeting, not bothering to say more than was necessary.

"I take it your Genin is unharmed."

"Hai." She said, not needing to look at her Genin to confirm it.

"Good. That is good. I apologize for my son's behavior. His mind has been...fragile, as of late." Rasa said, vastly dumbing down the severity of the situation.

"It is no problem, Rasa-sama." Kagero said courtly.

"Still, I do owe you an apology, and hope this incident has not soured your stay."

"It has not, Rasa-sama."

"Actually-"

"It has not, Rasa-sama." Kagero interrupted her student, putting extra emphasis on her words to get her point across.

"If that's the case, I shall see to it that you and your team will be well compensated upon your return. Ryu."

"Hai, Kazekage-sama!" The Suna Jonin shot to his feet, his body straight as a pole as he awaited his leader's orders.

"Escort these two back to their lodgings. Unharmed."

"H-hai, Kazekage-sama!"

"Wait." Ryu stopped mid-turn while everyone else turned to the speaker. Gaara, looking significantly more calm than he had early, peering in their direction with a hand covering half his face as if he had somehow been injured in the exchange of sand and gold dust. "What is your name?"

None of them had any illusions about who the boy was speaking to.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

The name was spoken proud and firmly, holding both a challenge and a warning to the young teen.

"...Uzumaki. Know that mother will have your blood. On her name, I swear you will not leave this village alive."

Instead of cowering, much like many had before him, Naruto's eyes hardened as he glared right back at the boy.

"And I promise before the exams end, your gonna beg me to stop kicking your ass."

The mad grin returned to Gaara's face, his teeth bared for all to see as chuckles left his lips.

Yes, killing this boy would definitely prove his existence.

The Next Morning...

Team 8 arrived at the building meant to act as the first phase of the Chunin Exam a whole 2 hours early as to mitigate any chances of them running into any 'forks in the road' that would cause them to miss the exams. Their Jonin sensei gave them one final nagging about how important it was that they won the exams before disappearing to go do whatever devils do in their free time.

Turns out, they were not the only ones who had the idea.

The place was huge, standing at 4 stories tall. Much like Konoha, it was an academy, yet it was oddly unexpected how neat and clean the place was despite their home being in the center of a desert.

Arriving at the room where it would all take place, they walked through the crowd, ignoring the whispers and the stares as they made their way to the desk near the back of the room. Despite nearly an hour having passed, Genin of all ages and sizes were still piling in most from Suna and Iwagakure. From their observations, there were only four villages in attendance, three of which were great villages, while the other, the Village Hidden in the Rain, stuck out like a sore thumb due to their attire meant for rain and not the heat of the Suna desert.

And of course, there were faces that they immediately recognized.

The first was the Iwa team from yesterday, Katsuo in particular waving a middle finger their way from across the room while the rest of his team were content with staring silently. Strangely, or not so strange considering the two villages' history, every Iwagakure team in the vicinity had their eye on them. It could have been because they were the only team here from Konoha and as such received their hatred in full, or could have been because their 'secret' about their resident blonde was out. Either or, they already had multiple targets on their backs and the exam hadn't even started. Thankfully, the Genin teams from Suna ignored them entirely, neither of their group particularly carrying for the reason why.

But there was one particular team that actively caught them out the moment they entered the room. In fact, the moment they walked through the door, the entire room went quiet.

Standing on the far right of the group was a girl with a large, black war fan on her back with blonde hair held up in four short ponytails. Her eyes, a beautiful sacramento, were open, and her face and stance confident. She wore a purple short kimono with fishnets underneath, a red scarf around her stomach, and adorned the headband for Suna around her neck.

On the far left stood a taller boy with purple face paint, wearing a full-body black suit and hat with pointed ears at the top, and his village's hitai-ate imbedded into the front of the fabric. Like the two next to him, he adorned something on his back, it being wrapped in bandages with hair poking out from the top as if it were a human body.

Then there was the redhead in the middle. Though his teammates did not recognize the boy, Naruto certainly had. Their eyes met almost immediately upon their entry, and the moment they did, the boy's crazed grin from the previous night was back. His bloodshot eyes peered right into the blonde's, his teeth bared as his grin stretched, threatening to split his face in two.

The moment thankfully passed, and the three Genin moved to the front of the room, the rest of the room breaking out into whispers compared to their earlier jovial tones.

"What was that about?" Tenten asked her team, hoping to get some insight on why the Suna Genin had silenced the whole room like he was the boogyman, then grinning at them like said mythical creature.

"Don't know. I think he doesn't like blondes." Naruto answered, his teammates thinking that to be very unlikely.

...

"Alright you lot! Settle down and get yer asses in those seats!" The proctor for the first exam, a man in the standard Suna Jonin uniform with short blonde hair and oddly curly eyebrows, called out, his gruff voice echoing through the room as he glared at the mass of Genin.

Like a spell, the atmosphere was broken once again, the chatter dying down as the Shinobi sat in their respective spots, leaving not a seat unfilled.

"Now that you girls are done painting each other's nails, time to get down to business. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can throw you brats out," the proctor said, lighting a cigarette right in front of them and before taking a long drag and blowing out a stream of smoke. Very unprofessional, but everyone in the room "My name is Goro Yurui, and I'll be the one proctoring your first exam."

Taking another long drag, Goro pulled out a paper, reading it dryly to the rest as if he were being forced to do so.

"The First exam will be an information gathering exercise. The objective is simple. We're gonna put you lot all in a room with a Genin of a random team. Two people will act as interrogators while the other acts as the interrogatee. Each interrogatee has a passcode that they must keep out of the interrogator's hands. If the Genin you send talks, your team fails. If you are unable to get the information within 30 minutes, your team fails. The only rule in this is you are not allowed to cause serious or debilitating bodily harm to the interrogatee. Every room will have a Jonin present to make sure you do not break this rule. Break it, and you fail. You lot got all that?"

There was more than one hand that went up, but the man either didn't see it or he just didn't care.

"Good. Now, in a minute, I'm gonna have pieces of paper with numbers on them. In that time, you will decide who will be placed in each category. When I call the sensei of your team, you're gonna send your interrogatee to pick out a paper with a number. They will then follow a Jonin to a separate room where the interrogation will take place. Once they are ready, the rest of you lot shall be guided to a room of our choosing."

Goro took a long drag, holding it for a moment before blowing it out.

"My only advice to you is to choose your interrogatee wisely. Choosing a lousy interrogator will squander your chance of getting valuable information from your enemy, while choosing a coward as an interrogatee will give your enemies viable information about your home. Does everybody understand why this exam is so important?"

This time, nobody had any questions.

"Good. Then, let's get started. I'll give you 10 minutes to decide and no less." With that, the man sat lazily on his desk, finishing his cigarette while the Genin teams began discussions amongst themselves.

Team 8 didn't need to think about who they were sending.

They didn't know about everyone else in the room, but their sensei was particularly thorough when it came to certain aspects of Shinobi lifestyle. Interrogation on each other (and the unwilling) just so happened to be a part of their daily torture, something they refused to thank the one for even now.

Regardless of how they felt, the fact was that they had experience in this field.

And out of all of them, there was one individual who was particularly good at staying quiet no matter their interrogation technique.

The moment the proctor was finished speaking, two heads turned simultaneously to their teammate, one with a grin while the other expectant.

"...Fine." Naruto agreed to his teammate's silent question, both giving their nods of approval.

When the ten minutes were up, Naruto stood along with several other Genin to retrieve their number. Tenten and Neji watched their team member be escorted out of the room, both having no doubt that he would pass his portion of the test.

Now it was their time to prove they could hold up their side of things.

The Room

Neji and Tenten were led to a room, it being nearly pitch black aside from a few candles illuminating the darkness. The room was small, the walls solid stone while the windows were covered by blinds.

The moment they stepped inside, their escort closed the door behind him, taking away their main source of light and leaving them in the room filled with two other people. To their right was the Jonin meant to oversee their work.

In the center of the room, tied to the only chair in the room, was the one they were meant to interrogate.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I get the tree-huggers? It's my lucky fuckin' day!"

...Two guesses as to what village they hail from.

Tenten and Neji looked her over, the female ravenette wearing a garb similar to other teams from Iwa. She looked ordinary as all hell, like someone you could easily forget in a crowd. However, the cocky, smug look she had on her face and the way she spoke with a tone of absolute arrogance was enough to let them know she could be easily broken.

"Your time has started. Remember, break the rule or leave the room before getting my approval, you fail." The Jonin reminded them, the two nodding in understanding before the man leaned on the wall with his arms crossed to observe.

"Heh, good luck getting anything out of me, tree-huggers. I ain't talkin'." The Iwa kunoichi said confidently.

Neji and Tenten looked to each other, silently debating how they would accomplish their task. Eventually, Tenten stepped back while Neji stepped forward, an idea of what to do already in his head.

"This is your one and only chance to tell me your number. Say anything other than the number, and you won't like what comes next."

The response was expected, but unexpected.

She spat at him, the saliva not hitting him, but coming damn close.

"I told ya tree-hugger. I ain't talking. Do your worst-" Before she could finish, Neji had a finger pointed into her skin just below her collarbone. It confused her momentarily, but renewed her confidence when nothing happened. "That supposed to scare me or somethinyyyyeeEEOOOW?!"

She suddenly yelped as it felt like something had stabbed her the moment he pressed into the area. When his finger retracted, she desperately looked to the area in shock, seeking to find the knife he had stabbed her with. To her surprise, there was no blood, or even penetration of her shirt where he had dug his finger into.

Before she could blink, she felt two more stabbing pains to her chest, her entire body jerking violently at the pain. The moment she thought she could catch her breath, three more sharp screams escaped her lips, her body struggling against her binds as if trying to escape while she now glared at the proctor.

"W-w-wha-wha-what the fuck! This bastard is breaking the rules, damn it! Do yer fuckin' job, asshat!"

Instead of moving, the Jonin looked from the back of the Hyuga before turning back to the Iwa Genin. "No rules have been broken."

"Like hell they haven't! I'm clearly being seriously hurt here!" The girl seethed, gritting her teeth and tightening her muscles to stop the pain while the Jonin looked on boredly.

"I see you are not familiar with the Gentle Fist."

The words had her looking back up at Konoha-nin. What she saw made her earlier confidence wane. Around his eyes were now bulging veins, his iris shrinking while the outlines of an iris appeared in the center. That uncaring way he looked down at her made the reveal of the Dojutsu that much more terrifying.

"The Gentle Fist of the Hyuga has many applications that stem mostly from directly attacking the chakra network of our enemies. There are over 300 chakra points in the human body, with 64 major points that connect your chakra flow. Closing even one can completely disrupt your chakra, making it difficult or even impossible to mold your chakra. The body doesn't like that, which means," he poked again, this time into the top of her shoulder. Her scream followed shortly after. "It hurts. I reckon it feels as if you are being stabbed, no? It doesn't have any permanent damage to you or your chakra network, but the pain you feel is very real."

"Th-th-that's cheating!" The Iwa-nin groaned out. "Th-that has to be cheating! No one else in the exam has shit like that! Proctor, do something or I swear to Kami I'll-GAH!" Another finger, this time, a stabbing pain in her arm.

"No rules have yet to be broken." The Suna Jonin repeated, a hint of amusement now in his tone.

Gritting her teeth, she glared back up at the Hyuga, trying to be strong in the face of what she called 'utter bullshit'.

"I-it doesn't matter h-how many times you like me with your bullshit Jutsu. I ain't givin' you shit."

"...It would be too easy if you did. Just remember, I've only closed seven of your major tenketsu," Neji said before holding up his finger menacingly. In the darkness, she could have sworn she saw a sharp blade made of chakra illuminate over the pointed digit. It made the Iwa-nin sweat. "I still have 57 to go."

A/N: Cutting it here. Giving Tenten and Neji a chance to shine in the next two chapters while also showcasing another one of Naruto's newest abilities.

The poll of suggestions are in, and below are the results!

Edelgard - 6

Byleth - 6

Harem - 3

Fu- 2

Sothis - 2

Tenten- 1

Kagero - 1

The suggestions surprised me, honestly. Sothis was the one I meant to end this story with, but thought about it hard and didn't think it would fit in even if they were to give her a body. Also surprised so many people wanted Edelgard or Byleth to be the main interest. Edelgard I can see, simply because it makes the most sense for her or Fu to be the option. As for Byleth, it kinda makes sense as well, yet the age difference is kinda...

Harem is very unlikely, as unlikely as Kagero being chosen as the main interest. If I did, it would only be two woman and no more, and though I'm sure I know how to do it, I hope I don't have to.

Nevertheless, make a way outta no way I suppose.

This isn't the final decision, however. Likely won't make that decision until after the Chunin Exams. However, after that, everything will be set in stone so VOTE MY PRECIOUS FOLLOWERS (insert fire Elmo)!

Last thing, The Chunin exam idea wasn't mind. I don't know if that was the actual exam in the anime since I couldn't find it anywhere, and I can't for the life of me remember the fanfic where I originally got the idea from, so if you're reading this story, I'm sorry I can't give you proper credit!

As always, thanks for the follows, favs, reviews, and have a DAMN good day!