Author's Note: Welcome back, everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful start to the new year! For those who read chapter 14 as soon as it came out, I edited my end-of-chapter note to expand further on the Chakra-affinity transfer ritual since neither the chapter itself nor the original end note did a good job of explaining exactly what can or can't be transferred by the ritual. So you may want to go back and read it since the affinity transfer ritual will have some minor plot relevance in the future.

Disclaimer: Naruto and Inuyasha belong to their respective owners.

Dialogue Legend:

"Unforgivable" – Normal dialogue

'Unforgivable' – character's thoughts/speaking to Inner Demon/Inner Spirit

"Unforgivable" – Jutsu name

'Unforgivable' – Inner Demon/Inner Spirit/Supernatural Being speaking

God of Wind 200: Yes, canon-Hinata has a primary Katon affinity and a secondary Raiton affinity. I wanted Team 7 to have more variety in their Jutsu, so for this story, I made Raiton Hinata's primary affinity and swapped Katon with Suiton for her secondary affinity. I don't plan on changing the canon Chakra affinities for any of Naruto's other wives.

Chapter 15 – The Strongest Foundation

"In two months and three weeks, Konoha shall host the Chuunin Exams." Hiruzen addressed the Shinobi – Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy – gathered in the conference room typically used for mission assignments. "Does anyone here assembled wish to recommend their assigned Genin for the Exams?"

"As the leader of Team 7, I – Kakashi Hatake – recommend the three Genin under my command: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuuga."

"As the leader of Team 8, I – Kurenai Yuhi – recommend the three Genin under my command: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Sakura Haruno."

"As the leader of Team 10, I – Asuma Sarutobi – recommend Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."

"As the leader of Team Guy, I recommend the three Genin under my command: Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten

"Very well," Hiruzen affirmed, "the Genin recommended this day are exempt from all Shinobi duties, save emergency missions, until the Chuunin Exams are complete. Of course, they may still volun– "

"Hokage-sama, if I may speak?" Iruka interrupted. The Academy instructor was currently filling in as a temporary guard for Hiruzen. The recent Root purge had revealed several traitors in the genuine ANBU's ranks. Consequently, the roster assigned to guard Hiruzen was now understaffed. While ANBU sought to bolster its ranks and train its current members to a level acceptable to guard the Sandaime, other Shinobi of unquestionable loyalty were being used as substitutes whenever their normal duties permitted. As the current meeting was occurring on a Saturday, it was Iruka's turn.

"Permission to speak granted." Hiruzen allowed with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Your lordship, nine of the Genin recommended for the Chuunin Exams just now were in my class. As most of them are Clan Heirs, I cannot fault the Jonin present for recommending them as soon as possible. The Clans, after all, have their reputations to consider, but Sakura Haruno comes from a civilian family!" Iruka's arm cleaved the air in frustration. "Though she had the highest written test scores out of all students in my class, she lacks the militaristic background shared by many of her classmates. Frankly, she is far too weak to be considered for the Chuunin Exams!

I must also protest Naruto-kun's recommendation. I do not question Naruto-kun's skill or readiness for the exams. I was there when he killed Mizuki, but exposing him to the Chuunin Exams so soon after the Root purge seems foolhardy. We don't know how far Danzo's treachery reached; if he notified the other villages of Naruto's Jinchuriki status, then the exams would be the perfect time for an 'accident' to occur!"

"Regarding your first protest," Kurenai began, "I would have agreed with you two months ago when Sakura-chan was fresh out of the Academy. However, Iruka-sensei, you seem to have forgotten that your students became our soldiers the instant they earned their headbands. While I have not neglected Kiba-chan or Shino-kun's training, you may rest assured that I have done much to mitigate the disadvantage of Sakura-chan's civilian background. As a kunoichi myself, I would not have recommended her if I did not believe she had a good chance to succeed!" Kurenai's eyes blazed with indignation as she concluded her statement.

"As for your second protest," Kakashi continued, "the 'accident' you fear cuts both ways. Naruto-kun is aware of the danger; we were ambushed by an Iwa hit squad during our last mission. We survived that encounter while already exhausted and distracted, so I pity the imbeciles who think they can dispatch a fully focused and rested Naruto with only Genin-level Shinobi!" The exact number and circumstances of the Iwa ambush were deemed top-secret facts by Hiruzen during Team 7's debriefing, to be disclosed to others only on a need-to-know basis.

"Personally, Iruka-sensei, I find the notion of using my Sensei's son as bait incredibly distasteful, but Naruto-kun himself is okay with it. Jiraiya-sama also endorses his godson's decision." Kakashi's left hand twitched as he remembered just how close Naruto and Jiraiya came to arguing with fists instead of words during that discussion. While Naruto may count Iruka as family, Kakashi did not, so he felt no need to inform Iruka of a family squabble.

"Very well," Iruka sighed, "please forgive my impudence."

"It is not impudence to be concerned for your former students' well-being, and Jonin are not immune to making mistakes." Guy raised his hand to stop Iruka as he began bowing in apology. "

"I have a question for you, Iruka-sensei. One that I believe all of us would like to know the answer to." Asuma put his cigarette out. "Shikamaru-kun tells me that Naruto-kun was a wolf in sheep's clothing for the entirety of his Academy days and that not even he saw through the ruse until Naruto-kun dropped the act. The Nara Clan is known for its near-unparalleled intellect, and Shikamaru-kun is no exception. You were Naruto-kun's primary teacher during his Academy years. Even if Naruto-kun somehow deceived Shikamaru-kun, how did he manage to conceal his true skills and demeanor from you?" The eyes of everyone else in the room were focused on Iruka.

"You are partially mistaken, Asuma-san." Iruka was sweating slightly from the combined stares of four Jonin and his Kage, but he had been expecting this question for a long time now and was grateful to have it over and done with. "Like most Academy students, Naruto-kun began his schooling when he was five years old. My classes are for students who are at least seven years old, and I don't become a student's primary instructor until they are ten years old. Even then, some of my student's classes are given by other instructors."

"So at least two years of Naruto's education are unknown to you, except by Academy records and second-hand accounts from other teachers, both of which we now know are highly unreliable when it comes to anything regarding Naruto-kun." Kakashi grumbled.

"And with Naruto-kun having exacted his revenge upon all at the Academy who wronged him, any teachers who could have shed light on what he was like during his first two years are now dead!" Kurenai fully approved of the brutal methods Naruto invoked to vindicate himself, but she was just as eager as Asuma and Kakashi to learn how Naruto managed to cultivate such a perfect mask.

"That's not entirely true, Kurenai-san; there is one member of the Academy's surviving faculty who was present during the first two years of Naruto-dono's education." While the Jonin present saw Naruto as a Genin to teach, and rightfully so, Hiruzen viewed the young Daiyoukai as the Lord of two Clans, and addressed him as such.

"WHO?!" The Sandaime was nearly floored by five voices simultaneously screaming the question.

"The instructor in question wishes to remain anonymous." A gaze of pure steel halted the protests on the lips of Hiruzen's five subordinates. "Their name did not come up at all in Anko-san and Ibiki-san's investigation, and their loyalty to Konoha is above reproach. As such, I have granted their request for anonymity. Now, if there is nothing else, this meeting is over!" The four Jonin bowed in acknowledgment and left the room, while Iruka resumed his post as Hiruzen's bodyguard.

Uchiha Compound – Outskirts

"Sasuke-kun, you don't have to force yourself to go. We have all the time in the world; there's no need to rush this!" Ino was scared for her boyfriend's well-being. It had been two months since the couple had begun planning Sasuke's garden. They had long since agreed on the garden's arrangement and colors, but when they first went to inspect the ground where Sasuke's house once stood, the last Uchiha had blacked out from reliving the trauma of the night he lost everything. The couple's second attempt, nearly two weeks ago, had resulted in Sasuke hyperventilating for several minutes. Thankfully, he had calmed down before the lack of oxygen to his brain forced him to faint.

"You're wrong, Ino-chan; the Chuunin Exams begin in one month. We may be excused from normal Shinobi duties, but that's only so our Sensei can put us through hell to get us ready for them! If we both pass, then we'll have way more responsibilities than we have now." Sasuke countered, sweat pouring off his face. He could feel another episode coming but was done allowing his trauma to control him. Slowly, but firmly, Sasuke walked towards the site of his old house once more. Once the duo reached their destination, Sasuke immediately began to drown in memories; the good, the bad, and the worst.

'No! I will not be ruled by despair! Not now not ever again!' Sasuke silently warred with himself.

Ino was terrified; Sasuke hadn't fainted, and he wasn't hyperventilating. Instead, he was rooted in place, staring at what used to be his home. Only the slight distortions of Sasuke's chest muscles told Ino that her boyfriend was still breathing.

'Damn it all! Please forgive me, Sasuke-kun!' Ino began weaving a series of hand seals for one of her clan's signature Jutsu. This was not the Shintenshin no Jutsu that she had been practicing for her teams' Ino-Shika-Cho formations, but a Jutsu that allowed her to enter the consciousness of someone else and alter the inner workings of their mind. Naturally, such a powerful Jutsu was forbidden for Genin to learn, much less use, but, as Clan Heir, Ino had been taught the hand seals.

"Here we go!" Ino cast her Jutsu, and her world went black. The Chakra projection she sent into Sasuke's mind – a copy of her physical self – "woke up" in Sasuke's mind. The last Uchiha's mind was a labyrinth of different states of grief, depression, and hope. The latter emotion was more recently etched into the boy's mind than the former two. If Ino hadn't come here with a specific purpose in mind, she would have probed the memories that induced said positivity into her boyfriend. With a gulp, Ino's projection began walking down the path that led to the root of Sasuke's despair.

'You shouldn't be here!' A projection of a six-year-old Sasuke appeared before a heavily reinforced gate. Ino sensed that Sasuke's despair lay behind the gate. 'Current-me will be fine, reliving the darkest night of our lives is necessary for him to move on. You've seen it yourself; each time Current-me has returned to our old house, he reacted differently. He is mastering his grief, OUR GRIEF!' Child-Sasuke drew a kunai and adopted a fighting stance.

'Sasuke, please, let me in! Your current self is in unimaginable pain, I can sense it through that gate and I want to help!' Ino dared not fight the past-Sasuke before her. She knew doing so would irreparably damage the current-Sasuke's mind.

'You won't like what you see.' Child-Sasuke warned.

'Sasuke, I need to see!' Ino pleaded.

'Current-me knows you're here, even through his pain. Please, trust that we will be fine. If I let you through here, the agony you will experience shall be beyond words!' Child-Sasuke took a step towards Ino, but the hand holding his Kunai was trembling.

'Sasuke, you're trembling! You don't want to hurt me, I'm not leaving until I show the despair crippling your current-self who's boss!' Ino took a step towards Child-Sasuke.

'You really are a stubborn one, you know that?' Child-Sasuke smirked in an identical manner to his current-self. 'Alright, you win, but don't say we didn't warn you!' Child-Sasuke threw his kunai at Ino, and it transformed into a key. As Ino caught the key, Child-Sasuke vanished. Half a second later Ino had unlocked the gate and was rooted in place as she beheld what lay beyond it. Black flames representing despair were burning flowers symbolizing hope, but the flowers stood tall and the flames were dying out. If this was all Ino witnessed in the darkest corner of Sasuke's mind, she would have thought nothing of Child-Sasuke's warning but her eyes were drawn to a pair of miniature suns that embodied Sasuke's love for her.

And for Sakura.

The two suns were resting on a scale, perfectly balanced against each other. The scale itself radiated feelings of self-loathing, pity for Ino and Sakura, and – worst of all – acceptance. Sasuke knew his deepest wish was an incredibly cruel one, and he had spent years trying to tip the scale one way or the other, but his heart longed for both Ino and Sakura and it would not be denied. No matter what Sasuke did to rationalize or bury his emotions, the scale always righted itself. Two years ago, Sasuke had given up.

'No! No-no-NO!' Ino's world crashed around her as she canceled the Jutsu. Her rivalry with Sakura was doomed, not to failure, but an eternal stalemate. No matter who Sasuke ended up marrying, the other would always have a place in Sasuke's heart. Ino would never lose to Sakura in that regard, but she neither could she ever win.

"Ino-chan!" Sasuke, now broken out of his reverie, rushed to Ino as she fell to the ground. She wordlessly slapped away his offered hand, tears flooding her face, and she ran home.

"Kami-damn it!" Sasuke raged as he also left the Uchiha Compound and headed for Naruto's mansion. He would find no solace in the apartment provided to him after the Uchiha Massacre, and being alone with his thoughts and emotions was the last thing he needed right now.

"Ino-chan, what's wrong?!" Inoichi had just got home himself when his weeping daughter stormed through the house to her room and locked the door. Inoichi needed answers, so he picked the lock and repeated his question. His daughter barely regained her composure long enough to use Yin Release to extract a bead of Chakra containing copies of her recent memories from her forehead and hand it to her father before her crying returned with double the intensity. The Yamanaka Lord pressed the bead into his forehead, and his heart bled for Ino, Sasuke, and even Sakura. None of them would know peace until this was resolved. As Lord of the Yamanaka, Inoichi knew Ino should be punished severely for using a Jutsu forbidden to Genin without supervision. As a father, he decreed that his daughter's current agony was punishment enough.

Namikaze Mansion, 2 weeks before the Chuunin Exams

"Excellent job, Naruto-sama! Now that it's in the oven, there's nothing left but to wait for the cake to finish baking." Haku beamed at Naruto. Ever since she had taken up residence in the Namikaze mansion, she had insisted on being the one to prepare Naruto's meals. Naruto had protested severely, using everything short of a direct order to get Haku to relent, but when asked to demonstrate his culinary skills, his arguments lost all semblance of merit. Haku found it most improper that a Clan Lord be responsible for the meals prepared in his own house when he had servants willing and able to do so in his place. Cooking was an excellent method of assassination, one that Haku had used extensively in her service to Zabuza; becoming adept at most culinary arts was a necessity but developing a passion for it was an unexpected delight.

For his part, Naruto suspected an ulterior motive immediately. He had read more than a few romance novels in which cooking was utilized to ensnare a mate. However, he did need to adapt to Haku's presence, and Hinata had been pleased with the results of her interview with the last Yuki. Thus, Naruto proposed a compromise: Haku would train him in the ways of the kitchen.

While their latest collaboration, a gorgeous chocolate cake, baked in the oven, Haku regaled her new lord with tales of how she had assassinated many marks thought to be untouchable by Zabuza's clients. Most would be horrified at the notion of learning cooking from someone who freely recounted such events, but Naruto was fascinated by the science behind the deeds and had no better way to pass the time. With Hinata still fulfilling her ambassadorial duties in the Land of Waves, Sasuke throwing himself into his training to distract himself from his own love life, and Jiraiya catching up on current events with Kakashi, the duo were alone in the mansion.

"Thanks for doing all this, Haku-chan! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I always regretted not be able to do this growing up."

"Please, Naruto-sama, the pleasure's all mine!" Haku launched herself at Naruto, pinning him to the kitchen wall. The young Daiyoukai saw the lunge coming and could have stopped it a dozen different ways. He did not. Azure eyes met chocolate-brown in a haze of love. They did not need to worry about the cake; the oven had a timer, and neither of them would care if it was slightly overcooked.

"Haku-chan, I've more or less adapted to your presence, but I need a release of some kind to seal the deal. I cannot give you anything that I have not already given to Hinata, are you okay with that?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama!" Haku's lips met her lord's, and both lost the capacity to speak complete sentences. It was only through sheer force of will on Naruto's part, and the fear of Kami on Haku's part, that their clothes remained on their bodies for the next hour while their cake finished its tenure in the oven. When the timer hit zero, the two reluctantly adjusted their disheveled robes and ate their prize in silence after Haku used Hyouton to cool it to the desired temperature.

Ichiraku Ramen, 1 week before the Chuunin Exams

"Thanks for accepting my invitation, Iruka-sensei! Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Hinata are too busy training for the exams, and Jiraiya is working with Hiruzen to make sure the Civilian Faction can never pull the same shit they did with me before again!" How Naruto could speak in unbroken Japanese while slurping ramen noodles was a mystery Iruka would never solve.

"It's no trouble, Naruto-kun, but shouldn't you be training as well?" Iruka's eyes narrowed in concern.

"Normally, you'd be right, but hearing Jiraiya's stories about my parents – what they were like in their childhood, how they met, how they fell in love, the missions they did both together and alone, even how they died – has filled with an inner calm I never thought I'd know. I've never felt stronger!"

"That's understandable," Iruka sighed happily, "the amount and potency of your Chakra can vary drastically depending on your psychological state. Plus, we both know your skills are already, at least, Chuunin level, so I guess I'm worrying over nothing!" The Academy instructor waited until Naruto was nearly finished with his current bowl of ramen before continuing the conversation. "Naruto-kun, forgive me for asking, but, given recent events, I must know what happened during your first two years at the Academy that allowed you to perfect your 'class clown' act."

Naruto nearly choked on the last bit of ramen from his latest bowl. After downing some water provided with his meal, he turned to Iruka and gave him a thousand-yard stare. "You deserve to know, as do Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya, Hinata, and Sasuke, but it's not just my secret to tell. The person you're looking for is still alive and wants to remain unknown for as long as possible. They're not afraid of any sort of backlash regarding what they taught me. Far from it, I don't think even Hiruzen could force the one you're looking for to do anything they don't want to do. And that's the problem; this person was tired of Konoha's political bullshit before they met me. Their refusal to interact with anything even remotely close to Konoha's politics makes Shikamaru-kun's laziness seem pathetic in comparison!"

"I-I see, thank you for telling me what you could, Naruto-kun. I'll be rooting for you in the Exams!" Iruka paid for his meal and left the ramen stand.

"What would you like to order next, Naruto-kun?" Ayame, ever the professional waitress, had already placed the conversation she just heard out of her mind.

"Before I answer that, you should greet the three new customers who are about to sit down." Naruto's superhuman hearing had alerted him to a group of footsteps that were rapidly approaching the ramen stand. Seconds after he finished informing Ayame of her new guests, three teenagers wearing Suna headbands entered the restaurant and sat down.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! My name is Ayame and I'll be your server today, have you eaten here before?"

"Nope, this is our first time in Konoha and we've heard this is one of the best places to get a good meal at a good price!" The black-clothed member of the group glared a challenge at Ayame.

"You heard right! I've been coming here since I was four years old, and I've never had a bad experience here!" Naruto chimed in.

"Was I talking to you, brat?!" The black-clothed teen was seated next to Naruto and tried to punch him off his chair. Naruto grabbed the boy's hand in a bone-crushing grip.

"You're here for the Chuunin Exams, right? It wouldn't do for you to get in a fight with a Konoha Shinobi before they start, especially not while said Shinobi is enjoying a meal in his favorite restaurant." As he spoke, Naruto steadily increased the pressure on the young man's arm. The abused Suna Genin reached towards his back with his free arm.

"Kankuro, no!" The sole girl of the trio yelled, seemingly in vain. Naruto prepared to throw the now-named Kankuro out but was stopped the next instant.

"Kankuro, cease this childish nonsense at once!" The red-headed member of the trio ordered. "The Konoha Genin is correct; you dishonor our village with your actions."

"Y-yes, Gaara!" Kankuro immediately backed down. Naruto released his grip on the boy and turned to thank Gaara but paused after looking into his eyes. Gaara had The Look, Naruto would have to be a fool not to recognize it; it was the same Look Naruto had in his early years before Hinata became the light in his darkness.

"Young man, what is your name?" The red-haired teen asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki, and yours?"

"Gaara of the Desert, Naruto-san I look forward to meeting you in the Exams; Mother craves your blood!"

'Mother? Is that what he calls his Tailed Beast or whatever else is inside him that makes him give The Look?' Naruto pondered this while the girl of the trio ran damage control.

"We should leave; please, Naruto-san, ignore what my little brother just said." The young woman was clearly terrified.

"Perish the thought! You're sitting at the best restaurant in Konoha, far be it from my presence to deny you the food of the gods! Ayame, give them whatever they want, my treat!" Naruto placed a 10,000 Ryou bill on the counter. "Well, I should get going. Wouldn't want your meal spoiled by Mother's bloodlust. As Gaara said, we'll get to that during the Chuunin Exams." Naruto left the ramen stand with all haste, not for his own sake but that of the restaurant he loved so much.

The Day of the Chuunin Exams

"Sasuke-san will you fight me here and now?"

Team 7 had passed through the Genjutsu meant to filter out anyone not ready for the Chuunin Exams with no trouble; such a test was less than child's play to a team with a Sharingan-user, a Hyuuga, and a human-Daiyoukai hybrid with superhuman senses. However, before they could enter the room where all the other prospective Chuunin were awaiting the start of the exams, a challenger wearing green spandex appeared.

"I'm not opposed to a quick spar; but shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Sasuke countered.

"Ah, my sincerest apologies; my name is Rock Lee. My team – Team Guy – graduated the year before you, Sasuke-san. I've wanted to spar with you, the Last Uchiha and Rookie of the Year, for quite some time now." Lee entered a fighting stance, awaiting Sasuke's response.

"Well met, Rock Lee, I accept your challenge!" Sasuke adopted his own stance and activated the Sharingan, the two tomoe in each eye gleaming with anticipation.

"You're using the Sharingan already? Perhaps this makes me sound arrogant, but I assumed that I would need to force you to use it." Lee raised one of his extremely bushy brows.

"We only have thirty minutes before we all need to be in that room." Sasuke flicked his head towards the nearby door. "You challenged me knowing that I'm an Uchiha, and we don't have much time to waste, so I'm coming at you with everything from the start!" The last Uchiha rushed at Lee but was surprised at how quickly the green-garbed boy leaped out of his reach!

"Konoha Senpu!" Lee unleashed an onslaught of kicks that Sasuke barely dodged; in fact, he was forced to block the last one and the effort forced him back several feet. As Lee rushed Sasuke to press his advantage, he was shocked when Sasuke raised a hand in surrender.

"There's no point in continuing anymore. I can read your moves with my Sharingan, but you're too fast; I can't move quickly enough to take advantage of what my eyes can see. I'd rather not go into the Chuunin Exams injured and exhausted." Sasuke was lightly panting but otherwise seemed fine.

"Even, so to dodge or block the entirety of my Konoha Senpu is no mean feat. The rumors I've heard of you being a child prodigy have not been exaggerated." Lee extended his hand to Sasuke in friendship.

"Perhaps not," Sasuke mused as he accepted the gesture, "but my place as Rookie of the Year is entirely due to unfair bias. Another in my graduating class is far more worthy of the title than I am." Sasuke jerked a thumb toward the Daiyoukai in the room.

"Naruto-san, is that you under all that armor?" Lee barely recognized Naruto without his loud orange jumpsuit.

"Yup, don't have time to go into where I got it now. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to tell you later." Naruto untied Tenseiga's sheath from the sash he'd added to his family armor and handed it to Hinata.

"I'm not underestimating you, that sword is a family heirloom and has very specific conditions for its use." Naruto quickly explained before Lee could chide him for not taking the spar seriously.

"Understood!" Lee said before lunging at Naruto with a series of kicks.

'He's very fast; it's no wonder Sasuke couldn't keep up even with his Sharingan.' Naruto mused as he dodged or blocked the entirety of Lee's assault. The vision training he had done in the Land of Waves was intended to cultivate his night vision and was a complete success. His vision was also amplified while in daylight or other normal lighting conditions. His day-time vision was inferior to Sasuke's semi-matured Sharingan when it came to perceiving his environment, and he'd never be able to analyze an opponent to the extent of being able to replicate their moves, but Naruto had more than just his vision working in his favor. He could hear the vibrations caused by Lee's fist cleaving through the air, could smell the pheromones indicating his emotional state, and – most important of all – could recognize the similarities between Lee's Taijutsu and fighting style utilized by one of Inuyasha's allies: Kouga of the Wolf Youkai.

Naruto had not been idle these past three months; while any serious Jutsu training he might have done was superseded by his conversations with Jiraiya, he had delved deep into his clan history. The founding members of his clan had interviewed Inuyasha and his friends, eventually piecing together their entire campaign against Naraku. Given the relative frequency of their clashes, Kouga's fighting style was well-detailed. Naruto could not match Lee's speed, though he came closer than Sasuke, but he did not need the Sharingan to anticipate Lee's moves. The punches he could not dodge were deflected and the kicks he could not block were evaded.

Lee was not used to anyone except Gai-sensei or Neji evading his Taijutsu for more than a few minutes. He grew annoyed and sloppy. A reckless kick was dodged by Naruto, who immediately countered by grabbing Lee's ankle as it soared past his head and hurled the green-suited Genin into the nearest wall!

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" Lee moaned while getting back to his feet. "I submit! Naruto-san, I must ask: how were you able to evade my movements when Sasuke could not, even with his Sharingan?"

"Sasuke needed to see your movements in real-time to have any chance at reacting to them. Unfortunately for you, your Taijutsu is similar to the style used by an ally of my clan's founder." Naruto gave a simplified explanation. "With that style as a template, most of your moves were familiar enough for me to anticipate them. Furthermore, you rely too much on your speed. I can tell you've put yourself through hell to achieve it, and you should be proud of that, but your style doesn't seem to have any countermeasures in place for someone who has enough knowledge or experience to predict your attacks."

"I see, thank you very much for your advice, Naruto-san. I hope to fight you again in the future!" Lee bowed in thanks before going into the room with all the other prospective Chuunin. Naruto retrieved Tenseiga from Hinata and retied it to his sash as Team 7 entered the room as well. The room looked like a large exam room, and Shinobi from every major village were scattered throughout it. Naruto noticed at least seven Iwa teams around the room.

'Heh, so the Tsuchikage still wants me dead, does he? You'd think losing over a hundred Jonin would get the point across. Iwa may be the most populous of all the Shinobi nations, but even they can't easily afford the loss of so many Jonin!' As Naruto was wondering just how far Iwa would go to kill him during the Chuunin Exams, Sasuke encountered a certain platinum-blond kunoichi for the first time in nearly a month.

"Sasuke-kun." Ino barely managed to suppress her tears. The price she had paid for ignoring Sasuke and Inoichi's warnings was still fresh in her mind. One month had not been nearly enough time for the emotional scar she unwittingly gave herself that day to begin healing.

"Ino-chan." Sasuke felt his heart break. As much as he wanted to reach out to his (ex?) girlfriend, he knew doing so would only lead to another scene. So, like the Yamanaka heiress, the last Uchiha suffered in silence.

"Troublesome, she's been impossible for the last month." Shikamaru complained to Naruto. "Do you have any idea what caused this?

"Too many unfriendly ears to go into detail with it; the short version is Sasuke wants more than what Ino alone can give and she found out about it in the worst way imaginable." Naruto answered.

"Fucking hell!" Shikamaru whispered. He instantly read between the lines of Naruto's response. Sasuke desiring a harem wasn't an inherently bad thing; in fact, such a fate would likely have been forced on him at some point to ensure the revival of the Uchiha Clan. But he just had to want two kunoichi who despised each other, didn't he?! The Nara heir resisted the urge to slam his head against the wall.

"Ha! Found you guys!" Kiba led her teammates through the room, and Sakura let out a muffled "eeep" after seeing Naruto for the first time in four months. His new armor and sword did nothing to assuage the terror Naruto had instilled in her the day after they all "graduated". Turning to observe the silent tension between Sasuke and Ino, Sakura no longer knew whether to laugh or cry. Kurenai-sensei had been very thorough with all aspects of Sakura's training; the fangirl she used to be was dead and her ashes had been scattered to the four winds. She still had feelings for Sasuke, not even Kurenai-sensei could change that, but Sakura now focused on being a kunoichi first and a young woman second. She knew about Ino's "gardening planning" sessions with Sasuke; the girl had hardly been subtle once she believed she'd bested Sakura. As a rival, Sakura should be overjoyed that Ino had been forced to put her foot in her mouth; as a kunoichi, however, it pained Sakura to see her fellow Shinobi so heartbroken. She knew all too well how such things could affect her team.

'My fixation on Sasuke-kun nearly caused Team 8 to fail the Bell Test! And whatever happened between Ino and Sasuke-kun seems a hundred times worse than that! Should I talk to her? Damn it, I can't! She's giving off super I-want-to-be-alone vibes right now! I need to talk with Kurenai-sensei about this when I get the chance! She's dating Asuma-san, so maybe together they can figure something out!'

While Sakura made her decision regarding Ino, Kiba approached Naruto. "Whassup, brat? You smell wilder now, like a real badass! Makes me want to fight you right here, right now!"

"Kindly keep your barbaric tendencies in check, Kiba-chan." Shino chided. "Unless, of course, we are given leave to assault each other during the exams."

"Tsk, what a buzzkill! I keep telling ya, Shino-kun, you're never gonna get anywhere in life if you don't act on your impulses every now and again!" Kiba retorted.

"Such an illogical rebuke; this is why I am the deputy leader of our team, and you are not." The Aburame heir countered.

"My, my, to think that there's nine freshly-graduated Konoha Genin here this time. This isn't a field trip, you know."

"And you are?" Naruto wrinkled his nose 'This guy reeks of snakes!'

"Name's Kabuto, this is my fourth year taking the Chunnin Exams. In all that time, I've gained quite a bit of knowledge about the other participants. Since you're a fellow Konoha Shinobi, I guess I can share what I've learned." Kabuto produced a deck of seemingly blank cards.

"If you know so much about our competition, then I'd like to know about the Gaara of the Sand." Naruto scowled.

"That's no fun, you already know his name." Kabuto drew a card from partway down the deck and channeled some Chakra into it. "The info I have on him is limited since he's both from another village and has not participated in the Chuunin Exams before. All I have is his mission data; eight C-Ranks and one B-Rank. All apparently completed without him suffering a single injury."

"That's impossible!" Kiba exclaimed.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! QUITE DOWN, YOU WORTHLES LOT!" A regiment of Shinobi from Konoha's Intelligence Division led by Ibiki Shunshined into the room.

We will now begin the first part of the Chuunin Exams!

Hokage Tower Conference Room

"It seems Ibiki-san is administering the written portion of the Chuunin Exams this year. Kakashi, do you think your three kids can deal with his psychological torture." Guy faced only Kakashi while asking his question, but Kurenai, Asuma, and Iruka – who was in the room enjoying a rare break from both his teacher and substitute ANBU duties – blanched in varying degrees of discomfort.

"Hah! Ibiki-kun is proctoring the Exam! That's perfect; now, Naruto-kun will actually have a challenge!" A voice unknown to all else in the room cackled as an elderly woman wearing a navy blue long-sleeved shirt, matching pants, and a sea-green shawl walked slowly into the room, her steps slowed by a cane so gnarled it looked more like the mummified remains of some sort of animal than any construct of wood.

"Koteru-sensei!" Iruka bowed in respect.

"None of that, Iruka-sensei! I owe you far too much to tolerate that nonsense from you!"

"Iruka-sensei, you know this woman?" Asuma inquired.

"How could I not? She's the head librarian of Konoha's Academy, she's been there longer than anyone can –" The words died on his lips as Iruka and the four Jonin present during Hiruzen's meeting connected the dots.

"Indeed, I am the person you seek; the one who holds the answers to Naruto's past. However, I have yet to decide if most in this room are worthy of the knowledge they desire!" Koteru's blue eyes narrowed.

"Koteru-sensei, Naruto-kun has acknowledged that Kakashi and I, and Naruto's team, deserve to know." Iruka stated.

For an instant, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. "Has he, now? Well, I would have told you soon enough, Iruka-sensei, and if Naruto-kun has deemed Kakashi-kun worthy of the full truth as well, then I shall abide by his will." Koteru sighed. "Both of you, come see me once the Chuunin Exams are over. I'll not speak of it before then!"

"Koteru-sensei, why would you have been willing to tell Iruka-san the whole truth without Naruto's blessing?" Kurenai asked.

"Because he all but raised the young man during his Academy years! If I was Naruto's adoptive grandmother, then Iruka-sensei was his surrogate father!" Koteru replied.

"You honor me, Koteru-sensei, far more so than I deserve." Iruka said sadly.

"You blame yourself for the actions of others, actions that were beyond your power to control!" Koteru slammed her cane against the ground. "You think I do not know what you did to prevent Naruto's misfortune? Naruto's revenge against the Academy may have been the most prolific purge in its history, but it was not the first!"

Guy's eyes widened at the implication. "Iruka-san, what did you do?"

"It was three years ago now; several students from varying classes had been encouraged by their teachers to assault Naruto." Iruka clenched his fists until they were white. "I caught them in the act and neglected to restrain myself. Some of the ANBU witnessed my efforts to conceal the murders and brought me directly to Hokage-sama. He approved, and the whole affair was passed off as a horrific training accident. The students involved were all from civilian families, so no clan politics were involved. The other teachers knew, but had no evidence against me, just as I had no proof against them!"

"Kurenai-chan, Asuma-kun, and Guy-san," Koteru addressed the three in the room not acknowledged by Naruto, "I am willing to hear your arguments, here and now, for why you should be granted the knowledge you have sought. Should Iruka-sensei or Kakashi-san wish to tell you in the future, that is their own affair, but this is your only opportunity to earn the right to hear it from me!"

"You're awfully bold to withhold information from three Jonin, Koteru-san." Guy stood up from his chair and his typical "nice-guy" persona fell away as he began assessing Koteru as a threat.

"If my brazenness offends you, oh mighty Jonin, then perhaps you should leave the room!" Koteru lashed out. There were no hand-seals, no steady, or even rapid, emissions of Chakra. In one instant, only air was present between Guy and Koteru, in the next three water serpents were wrapping themselves around the Green Beast of Konoha. Before he could even think to escape their grasp, a hand motion from Koteru saw Guy thrown out the window of the Hokage's tower.

"Impudent guppy, he's now exempt from my offer!" Koteru declared. "Kurenai-chan, Asuma-kun, my offer still stands for you two." The two Jonin began pleading their case, with ultimately no success.

Chuunin Exam Room

Naruto had to admit that the first part of the Exams was incredibly devious. Forcing the participants to use their Jutsu to cheat, and failing the entire team if any one member was caught too many times, was truly inspired. The questions were viewed by many in the room to be impossible to answer correctly without finding the planted Shinobi who knew the answers. Sasuke and Hinata had discovered two such plants and successfully cheated their way through the end of the exam several minutes ago, and Naruto had finished five minutes before them.

'Questions like these require a strong foundation. Isn't that right, Koteru-sensei?'

Flashback: 6 years and 6 months ago

"Got you, brat! Now, back to class with you!" A librarian caught a five-year-old Naruto cowering underneath one of the tables in the Academy library.

"No! Please don't make me go back there! The teacher hit me all over just because I failed the test!" Naruto held on to one of the table's legs for dear life.

"Don't you dare lie about your teacher's conduct, brat!" Another librarian arrived to "help" Naruto. Forced away from the table, Naruto barely managed to squeeze out of his captors' grip. Before he could run away, a third librarian appeared and held the boy by the scruff of his neck.

"Perhaps we should apply some discipline of our own before returning this thing to class." The newest librarian suggested.

"What's going on here?" A fourth, much older, librarian emerged demanding an explanation.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Koteru-sensei," The first librarian replied, "we are simply attending to some unwanted rubbish!" Naruto was too busy crying to notice, but the first three librarians felt the temperature drop by at least forty degrees.

"Perhaps my old ears are finally losing their edge. Surely, I did not just hear you refer to a boy crying and shivering with fright as rubbish!" Koteru's cane slammed into the floor with enough force to crack the tile. Her blue eyes, once a cerulean light enough to rival Naruto's azure orbs, now darkened to an ominous midnight blue.

"This boy is less than trash! He's lucky to even be ali – " The second librarian got no further before receiving a dose of killing intent so fierce that it stopped her heart. Naruto was spared, but his remaining captors were not.

"Come here, my dear child, I vow not to harm you." Koteru's eyes had regained their cerulean hue. Naruto, too terrified to walk, crawled towards Koteru like an infant and expected to be beaten the whole time. Koteru sat at the table Naruto had been hiding under and beckoned him to sit. "Now, my boy, is this why you ran away from class?" Koteru produced a crumpled ball of paper that had fallen from Naruto's hand in the commotion. It was a simple multiplication test with times tables one through twelve, and nearly every answer was wrong.

"Yes! I didn't do good on the test, and the teacher hit me!" Naruto recoiled, thinking the recent past would repeat itself.

"You're telling me that, instead of showing you where you went wrong and teaching you not to make the same mistakes again, your instructor punished you with physical violence?" Koteru's eyes were midnight blue again.

"YES, PLEASE BELIEVE ME!" Naruto begged.

Koteru stood up, moved around the table, and swept Naruto into a mother's embrace.

"You poor boy, reviled for being different, despised for your parents' actions – noble though they were. This shall not stand!" Koteru left the boy at the table just long enough to retrieve a book containing the most rudimentary addition and subtraction problems. "Young man, what is your name?"

"N-Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki! Nice lady, my class has moved past math problems like that. We're doing multiplication now."

"Forget your class, for you have learned nothing within it due to your teachers' neglect!" Koteru spoke softly, yet firmly. "Multiplication, at its core, is accelerated addition. You failed your test because you lack a strong foundation!"

"Foundation? You mean those slab things that they build new houses on?" Naruto asked.

"Precisely; a house can have the best walls and a perfect roof, but it will collapse mere days after completion if the foundation is weak. It is the same with mathematics and the Shinobi arts. Your teachers have sabotaged your foundation, because they fear you."

"They're afraid? Of me? Why?!" Naruto yelled.

"That's not important right now; what matters is that I have no intention of allowing you to remain as weak as your 'teachers' desire. Look around, Naruto-kun. What do you see?"

"Books?" Naruto replied dumbly.

"Yes, many of my fellow faculty members bemoan the existence of the Academy library, which is also Konoha's biggest public library! They have forgotten that the knowledge contained here, knowledge cultivated since before the time of Hashirama-sama, is an invaluable asset to any prospective Shinobi! This library is my domain, and I promise you – Naruto-kun – that, before your seventh birthday passes, you shall have the strongest foundation this village has ever seen! However, you must conceal the strength of your foundation until you graduate. You must be as the octopus; perfectly camouflaged until the ideal moment to strike! This too, I shall teach you, for none are better at concealing what lies beneath than me."

Flashback End

Naruto was less than impressed by Ibiki's "final question" at the end of the written portion of the Chuunin Exams. Before he could call the interrogation specialist out on his bullshit, Sasuke beat him to the punch.

"Absurd, who in their right mind would run away now? No one worthy of being a Shinobi, that's for damn sure! Ask your final question, Ibiki-san! To be a Shinobi is to walk with danger as your lover and death as your companion, but success should never fear failure!" Sasuke's speech rallied the resolve of many in the room who were considering Ibiki's offer to quit.

'Are we sure Sasuke's a pure-blooded Uchiha? A speech like that is more reminiscent of the Senju!' Ibiki waited a few more minutes to see if anyone else took the bait.

They did not. "No point in dragging this out any longer. All of you remaining in this room have passed the first stage of the Chuunin Exams!"

Chapter End

It was quite a while ago that I had the idea of expanding the Academy head librarian from a nameless support Character in Naruto's past to a full character in her own right. From that idea, many other ideas sprouted. For the most part, she'll be a relatively minor character, but there will be times when she becomes highly relevant to the plot. I'm somewhat hesitant to call her an OC, since she's from another work, but she's a lesser-known character in said work and I've changed so much about her that she might as well be an OC here."Koteru" is a highly-bastardized version of her actual name.

Thank you for reading!