A/N: Okay, seems like FFN managed to f*ck up the E-Mail notifications again, so you may want to go back and make sure you didn't miss a chapter.

Caution

The singular lantern could not give off enough light to illuminate the dark cave. Only within a small circle around could it provide vision. Inside this circle stood three figures, mirages that barely consisted of an outline and a pair of eyes each.

"The trade is slowly but steadily gathering traction," Kakuzu explained to their leader. "Once everything is properly set up, we'll have a steady flow of income. Obviously not nearly enough to finance our operations on its own, but still a nice amount. Especially when considering that we hardly had to do anything for it."

"I will leave the financial aspect to you," the figure across from him spoke. "I am more interested in the general situation."

"The people here don't seem to be aware that their country is effectively under our control now. And even if, they see the Akatsuki as the ones who freed them from the oppressor. We will be able to use this place as a second base of operation however we see fit. Not much to say besides that as most processes are still being set up. Gatō did a good job running this country into the ground, which makes this a lot of work. Although it also makes it easier to make them dependent on us."

"I see."

There was a pause before he spoke again.

"Tell me, Kakuzu, Kōzui: what do you think about this entire ordeal? Was the Land of Water really pulling the strings, or was it just hearsay in the end?"

"Difficult to say," Kakuzu commented. "There were no clear tracks that would confirm it, but then again, wiping tracks is just common sense. And I can't rule it out with certainty either. Zabuza seemingly got wind of Gatō's death and fled, so I never encountered him. It annoys me that we lost his huge bounty, but it also means that IF Gatō was a figurehead, he was not one easily replaced. But to be safe, we should operate under the assumption that this conspiracy is indeed real and finish setting up our second base of operation before they try something new."

"I bet he ran straight back to Yagura," Kōzui spat. "I wonder if that bastard has gotten my gift by now. But yeah it could be either way. I would tend to say that if not the Land of Water as a whole, then the Hidden Mist Village had at least some degree of involvement, but I admit that this could also just be my personal bias speaking."

He tilted his head.

"Unless, of course, you would know something about this that we don't."

Purple eyes fixated on the former Mist Ninja as the cave fell silent.

"I can't move as freely as you can. I was merely hoping your evaluation would give me a better view of the matter."

"Then maybe we should go there directly already. You guys have yet to live up to your promise and besides, didn't you want Yagura's head as well anyways? Why wait? The civil war is the perfect opportunity!"

"Patience, Kōzui. You will get your chance."

The apparition disappeared.

In the Land of Waves, Kakuzu and Kōzui canceled the Jutusu and opened their eyes.

"Bah, I'd say I've been patient enough."

"On the risk of repeating myself, we're not an organization if we're not acting organized," Kakuzu reprimanded his partner. "We're talking about a Kage in case you forgot, this matter needs careful planning."

"Ugh, fine. I think I heard something about some of Gatō's former mercenaries causing trouble at the shore, I'll go and try to vent on those a bit."

Naruto was lost in thoughts as he walked down the village's main road. He didn't hurry since he was still a bit early, but he knew Tanya-sensei would get angry at him should he be even a minute late, so detours were out of the question. The tirade yesterday had been more than enough.

It sucked that she hadn't allowed him to meet with Karin. All he wanted was to chat a little bit! …okay, maybe more than a little bit. But that was justified!

But instead, he had gotten an earful for cheering for her, among other things. It had long gotten dark by the time she finally had allowed him to go home. Why was she always so concerned about 'image' anyway? Karin didn't exactly seem to enjoy the company of her teammates and frankly, Naruto thought they were assholes. Or, well, the one who was left was.

His mood certainly didn't improve as he remembered that part. No matter how much of a jerk he had been, he hadn't deserved that. And Karin's reaction… despite his behavior, he had still been her comrade. How Naruto would've reacted if the same had happened to Sasuke or Sakura was something he didn't even want to imagine.

… like when Orochimaru had gone after Sakura.

Was that freak right? Could I really learn to control the fox? And would that not put the others at risk?

Just as he thought about her, he spotted a familiar patch of pink hair a bit further down the road and picked up his pace.

"Heyah!" he greeted her as he caught up.

"Mornin'," she mumbled, neither slowing down nor turning her head. She seemed somewhat… down?

"Is everything alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah," she quickly said, finally looking up. "Sorry, it's just… I had a lot to think about last night."

"Oh, right, Tanya-sensei's task. Heh, knowing you, you were probably pretty thorough in coming up with a strategy."

"...sure, let's go with that."

The way she worded her answer confused him a bit, but he simply shrugged it off as the two walked through the gates of the training area. Sasuke was already there and as soon as they joined him, Tanya-sensei appeared as well.

"Alright, there is a lot to do and limited time, so let's get right to the point. Today, I will go with you through whatever you came up with for your first fights, then we'll decide how to prepare you optimally and what to focus on specifically during the next month. Also, Sasuke, you are expected at the T&I at 2 pm, and how you proceed will heavily depend on how that goes. Finally, and that concerns all three of you: Since the entire month is technically part of the exam, the rules dictate that you are NOT under my orders during that time. While I hope you realize that being here is in your own interest, you alone are responsible for your tournament preparation. Now, Sasuke, let's start with you. To what conclusions did you come regarding your first opponent?"

Naruto half expected Sasuke to say that he'd win against Kiba either way. Back at the academy, that would've definitely been his mindset. But apparently, it wasn't anymore.

"Kiba fights together with his dog. He is fast, skilled with Taijutsu, and will likely want to fight up close. His biggest advantage is his ability to fight two versus one since the dog counts as a ninja tool according to the rules. His weakness is his lack of options for ranged combat, but his high speed allows him to close in quickly, and keeping two opponents away at once is difficult. But while the dog can imitate him, he is not as strong as Kiba and has little chakra, so it's the best call to take him out first. The trick they pulled in the preliminaries won't work as long as I use my Sharingan to keep track of which one is fake."

"Not all you could've come up with, but it's a solid enough foundation. Considering his emotional attachment to his pet, your idea might also make him angry and thus predictable."

"Gee, that's kinda dark," Naruto chimed in, earning himself a sideways glance from his sensei.

"You mispronounced 'smart'. However, for the sake of long-term relationships, Sasuke, you should try to avoid killing the dog. Anyway, let's hear what you came up with, Naruto. You have the handicap of two possible opponents, but I'm sure you considered that."

"True, but they both use… what was the name, Gentle Fist?"

"That is the name, but you're not entirely correct. It seems that Hinata followed my advice to make the technique her own, so her Gentle Fist is notably different from Neji's."

Naruto shrugged.

"Okay, but they still both fight melee and with both, the effect builds up over time, so I need to avoid getting hit when possible. But most tricks I could pull won't fool either of them because of their eyes, so I think the straightforward approach is the best."

It still was a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to fight Neji for how much of a jerk he had been, but on the other hand, that would mean Hinata would lose against him, and that wasn't something he wanted to happen

"That depends on your execution, but it is a valid assumption with the information you currently possess. We'll come back to it, for now, Sakura."

By the mention of her name, Sakura flinched ever so slightly, as if she had only listened with one ear.

"Oh, um… Temari seems very proficient with Wind Release, and her fan allows her to use it without hand signs, at least to some degree. She seems to prefer to keep her distance since the wind is both defense and offense at once and can push me away on top of that. I could use earth walls to shield myself from the wind, but I need to get close to take her out. Plus, I can't use too much chakra on her, or else I won't have enough for the rest of the tournament."

"And you're first."

Sakura blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your fight will be the first one. Do you have any ideas regarding that?"

The pinkette's eyes began to wander quickly from side to side, indicating that she was trying to come up with an answer but seemingly couldn't. Naruto thought about it as well but just like her couldn't think of anything. Sure, it annoyed him that his fight would be the last one of the first round, but he couldn't see what Tanya-sensei was trying to get at. Was he overlooking something?

"Alright, each of you put at least some thought into it, albeit to varying degrees," the golden-haired girl eventually said. "The next step is to come up with a strategy and from that, plan your preparation."

"What about Gaara?" Sasuke asked before she could continue. Tanya-sensei let the question hang in the air for a few seconds before answering.

"I wasn't planning on tackling that topic today, but you are correct, we need to talk about him as well."

"Huh? Why about him specifically?" Naruto wondered. "And isn't Sakura the only one who has to face him anyway?"

"As admirable as your trust in your teammate's abilities is, you ALWAYS prepare for the worst case," she scolded him. "I thought I had made it clear what happens when you underestimate an opponent, especially when you didn't even pay attention during his fight."

"I saw how he wrapped sand around the guy from Grass and then killed him with it. Did something else happen? The fight was over pretty quickly."

"It was, but you still missed some things," Sasuke said with a stern look on his face. "He let his opponent attack for a while, using only his sand to block. It can move pretty quickly and he's precise with it."

"That's not all," Sakura added. Was her voice shaking a bit? "He never moved from where he stood. I don't think either of his feet ever left the ground. He just stood there with his arms crossed. Even when the other one got behind him, he didn't turn around, and yet, the sand blocked every attack perfectly. The only time he moved at all was when he stretched out his arm to make the sand attack. And then… well, then came the part you saw."

"And because of that, preparing to face him is your second priority after preparing for your first fight," Tanya-sensei finished the thought. "Yes, Naruto, for you as well, even if you have the lowest chance of facing him, and I can tell you why. Judging by what I've seen in the preliminaries, each of you is already equipped to - THEORETICALLY - face any of the upcoming opponents. In fact, I could pick any of them and have them fight against either of you right now, and while obviously, nothing can be certain, I'm fairly certain that you could win any of these matchups as it is if you play your cards right. Of course, in a month, your opponents will also have made their own preparations against you, but that's not my point. My point is: he is the one exception to this."

At the end of her last sentence, the area suddenly felt colder. Naruto could feel the tension in the air as he swallowed heavily.

"Are you saying we have no chance against him?" he asked.

"Not necessarily. I'm saying he has an ability that is not only very powerful but that we also lack a good understanding of, and that's why you can't approach the fight against him the same way you would the others. I would go so far and say that he is someone each of you needs to prepare at least one specific countermeasure."

"What about the Mahōha?" Sakura suggested. "Shouldn't that be able to overcome his sand's defense?"

"The complete version? Yes. The incomplete one you can perform? …maybe. We know too little about his ability's limits, that's the main problem here. But that's not what we'll be focusing on today."

"Wait," Naruto chimed in. "If that's a big problem, shouldn't we focus on that?"

"Neither of you will fight him first, Naruto. And if, despite everything, you should end up facing him without being ready… well, think like a Chūnin, that's all I can say."

In the early afternoon, Sasuke left his team behind and went back to the village. To his surprise, Tanya hadn't opted for single lessons with clones for the first half of the day; instead, she had the three of them develop strategies together.

I wonder how she would've done it if two of us had to fight each other right away, he thought.

That aside, her reasoning made sense. Her dictating each of them a strategy would completely miss the point of the exam. The prior training was one thing, but now, they were the ones deciding on how to prepare. And while he hadn't wanted to admit it, Naruto's idea of using stink bombs against Kiba's heightened senses wasn't completely stupid. He, of course, wouldn't need them, he was more than capable of defeating the Inuzuka with his own skill. But then again, there wasn't really any harm in having a few on him, just in case, right?

"You're late, kiddo," Anko greeted him as he reached the T&I, sporting a smug grin that was already getting on his nerves.

"I'm not," he stated truthfully. It was still a few minutes until 2 pm.

"Yes, you are. I've been waiting here for you for ten minutes. You made me wait, therefore you're late. Now come in."

Sasuke had no idea what kind of mental gymnastics he would need to perform for that logic to make any kind of sense, but it was clear how pointless arguing with her would be, so he simply followed. They walked through the dimly lit corridors and down a flight of stairs, and Sasuke noticed that so far, they were taking the same route as Tanya had with them a week ago. It made him remember something he had overheard back then. It hadn't really been important, but now that it had re-entered his mind, he was getting a bit curious.

"You work here, right?" he asked. "I know you're an exam proctor at the moment, but this is where you primarily work when you're not on missions."

"Mh, I don't know, is it really work if you're having fun?"

"...what?"

"Forget it," Anko sighed. "Yes, I mostly work for the T&I. Why? Interested?"

"No, I just heard that there was apparently something here called Tanya-sensei's 'special room'?"

As soon as he said it, Anko stumbled… seemingly over nothing. She managed to catch herself, now standing hunched over with her hand supporting her against the wall. Sasuke could hear her breathe heavily. Her head then snapped around, a poisonous glare fixating on him.

"Why do you ask."

The way she said it sounded less like a question and more like a threat.

"I just wanted to know what it's about," he clarified, slightly startled by her reaction

"Ask your sensei. Fuck, 'Tanya-sensei', that sounds so wrong," she grumbled and walked on, Sasuke quickly following her. The mere mention of the topic seemed to have significantly soured her mood which, in Sasuke's opinion, was a welcome improvement as her annoying quips and comments had now ceased.

Multiple flights of stairs followed until they were deep underground in a large, empty room with a surprisingly high ceiling. In a way, it reminded Sasuke of the Sarutobi's training facility, at least in terms of the overall layout.

"Hm, seems like we're the first ones here."

"It's almost as if I wasn't late after all," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Oi, don't start getting smart on me, boy. How about you appreciate what we're doing for you, hm?"

"I first and foremost appreciate it if people don't waste my very limited time."

Before Anko could respond, another voice joined their conversation.

"I'm afraid we won't get around that. We'll need to do a lot of experiments and be very cautious while doing so, I doubt we'll be done in a few days."

Sasuke turned, spotting the man with the wild, white hair and the nose piercing they had briefly met in the tower.

"Master Jiraiya," he greeted with a bow, mimicking the way Tanya-sensei had addressed him.

"Nah, no need to be so formal, kiddo. Just call me Jiraiya. Or uncle, whichever you fancy. I was never one for big titles. If anything, I very much prefer big-"

His sentence was interrupted by the door opening behind him. A few more people joined them, although Sasuke didn't recognize either of them. He also noticed that at some point, Anko had seemingly decided to wear her jacket closed, but he didn't care enough to think too deeply about it.

Sasuke spent most of the afternoon sitting shirtless on the floor while the others investigated the seal on his shoulder. Most of the work was done by Jiraiya, though Sasuke had no idea what exactly he was doing. Every now and then, he would use ink to draw something on his back, probably some form of seal, all while continuously scribbling on a note scroll.

"Alright, that'll be enough for today," he eventually announced and handed Sasuke his shirt. "I made all the tests I wanted, I'll let you know once we can continue. Will probably take a couple of days though. Till then, kiddo!"

"Wait."

Sasuke, now dressed again, stopped the Sannin before he could leave.

"Everyone keeps saying how dangerous this mark is, but no one tells me anything specific. And now, you expect me to just sit here without even knowing what exactly you were doing all the time?"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"You want to know? Sure. The first step is to get to the mark without activating it. Only then will we be able to see whether it can be removed. My current idea is to modify the Five Element Seal so it only works in one direction rather than both, but that'll be tricky since it's such a rough work. More elaborate seals are easier to modify. Luckily, both the Five Element Seal and the Cursed Seal are uneven-numbered seals, so that will- ah, that's a bit complicated if you don't know much about seals. Let's just that it's at least one potential cause of headache less. But you don't need to worry, just leave it to me. I might not be an Uzumaki, but I still know my way with seals."

Uzumaki?

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Uzumaki? How is that relevant?"

"Oh, did you not know that? When they still were a clan, the Uzumaki were famous for their sealing arts. Many of the things I know are, in fact, Uzumaki techniques, learned right from the source."

"Is that why you want to teach Naruto?"

Jiraiya stopped and made a thoughtful face.

"You know, that's not even a bad idea, haven't thought about that. Do you think he would be interested? I guess it's his family's legacy, in a way."

"Highly depends on how you plan to teach him," Sasuke shrugged. "Tanya-sensei knows how to make him listen if you have trouble. But if it helps, he already knows a bit about barrier seals."

"Mh, good to know. But no, that has nothing to do with it. I can't deny that the Ninetails isn't a factor, but it's not just because of that. You see, I knew Naruto's father."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto's father had been friends with one of the Sannin?

Exiting the T&I, Sasuke thought about their conversation a bit more but ultimately let it go. There had been more things he had wanted to ask him, but Jiraiya had suddenly disappeared when he hadn't looked. His stealth capabilities were no joke if he could go unseen that easily. It was annoying, but he would see him again in a few days, so there was no point in wasting time on these thoughts. And so, Sasuke's mind returned to more pressing matters, namely the tournament preparation.

He didn't think Kiba would give him too much trouble as long as he didn't allow himself to get cocky. Other than that, he might have to face both of his teammates. If Sakura won…

No. Sakura WILL win.

Despite what Tanya-sensei had told them, for some reason, his brain refused to accept any other possibility. However, he had to agree with the golden-haired girl that Gaara's jutsu seemed very powerful and that they lacked a good grasp of his limits.

It truly was as Tanya-sensei had said. Information was the lifeblood of any shinobi, and the lack thereof could spell their death. He needed to find out more about this strange sand manipulation jutsu. But Gaara certainly wouldn't just tell him. Sasuke hadn't interacted much with him, but he had never shown the amount of arrogance necessary to boast his skills to his opponents before the fight.

Arrogance… hang on!

Following a sudden idea, Sasuke turned on his heel. Soon after, the Leaf's hospital came into view.

"Do you have an appointment?", the man at the counter asked.

"No, I just want to visit someone. A… friend… from another village who got injured during the exam, his name's Kankuro."

Unlike Gaara, the slightly older Sand Genin had shown nothing but arrogance whenever he had opened his mouth. He loved to brag, that much was clear. And he hadn't just presented himself as great, but also his village as a whole compared to theirs. So maybe this could work.

"Ah, I know who you mean. The kid looked pretty bad but thanks to medical ninjutsu, he's scheduled to be discharged tomorrow. You can visit him, but since he's from another village, the law dictates that you must leave all your ninja tools with me, I'm sure you can guess the reason."

Once unarmed, he went down the hallway and soon found the room in question.

"What do you want?" Kankuro asked with audible annoyance once Sasuke entered. Without his hood and kabuki makeup, he looked like a completely different person. His face was still bruised and swollen, but not to the degree that he wouldn't recover soon.

"Didn't you have enough in the arena?" he continued. "What, do you now want me to say that I'm sorry?"

"No need, I know you're sorry. I made sure, in case you forgot," Sasuke countered with a smug grin.

Come on, bite!

"Ha-ha, very funny," Kankuro deadpanned. "Okay, fine, maybe I went overboard on that brat. Happy now?"

Sasuke didn't respond, and the room fell quiet for a moment before Kankuro spoke again.

"You know what? You really have other things to worry about right now."

"Like what?"

The grin returned to Kankuro's face.

"Temari told me she'll fight your teammate first, the pink one."

"And?"

"What, 'and'? Your Girlfriend will lose. Temari's nothing to scoff at."

"Neither is Sakura," Sasuke responded and ignored the comment about her being his girlfriend, but Kankuro simply shrugged.

"You think that'll save her? Honestly, you should hope she loses. because if your girlfriend ends up facing Gaara, she's dead."

"I would be more concerned if you didn't have a history of misjudging people's strength, Sasuke pointed out.

"That's different, I was being literal. Pink WILL lose against Gaara, and he WILL kill her. If she beats Temari, her only chance of survival would be to forfeit. And I don't mean during the fight, I mean immediately. If the fight has already started, heck, even if it hasn't started but Gaara already has begun lusting for the battle, he'll ignore her surrender and kill her anyway. And then he'll kill you."