Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any characters associated with the series

Chapter Twenty-two

"Oi, Karibi. Bring me the files on Shikamaru Nara and Temari from Sunagakure."

"Give me one second."

She had been holed up in the office going over last minute details of the exam since early that morning. Although she would have preferred to stay by Naruto's side and wait until he awoke from his coma-like state, she had been called by the Hokage so she could meet with Genma and make sure nothing was amiss. Not only that, but she had been put in charge of any last minute arrangements that needed to be made for the festival; her plate was quite full.

"Here." Handing her fellow proctor the files he asked for, the woman continued on with reading over a scroll she had received from the Hokage. Genma glanced over at his partner but said nothing, opening the file and scribbling down a few notes on a piece of paper.

"How'd the kid's training go?" Karibi looked up from the scroll and raised a brow while Genma kept his eyes on the genins' profile.

"...Surprisingly well."

"You think he'll be ready for tomorrow?" A pensive expression appeared on the redhead's face as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. With a shrug, she answered the proctor's question, the man chuckling at her casual response. "You seem pretty confident."

"Maybe I am."

"Well, I'm glad you are. He's not facing just any genin."

"Yeah. I've been friends with Guy for quite some time. I know his genin well enough." Genma nodded before he shut the files and sighed, setting his pen down and standing to his feet. He watched as Karibi sighed, rubbing her forehead and gazing intently down at the scroll; it was easy to see that she was stressed.

"Come on." Looking up, the younger shinobi blinked as her partner pat her back in a friendly manner. "We're all finished up here. Might as well go and check in person how things for the festival are going." Apprehensively, the younger jonin set the scroll down, grabbing all of her reports she had for the Third.

"Let me give this to Hokage-sama and we can go."

§

Everything was ready; now, the only thing left was for people to attend.

With a relieved smile on her face, Karibi nodded, happy that the rest of her day was going to be spent with nothing but drinking and relaxation.

"Kari-chan." Looking over her shoulder, said kunoichi and her companion stopped walking, watching as Guy and two other genin approached them; there was a dreariness in the air that was off-putting for the woman.

"Guy! Thank you for going to check on Naruto," the redheaded woman called out with an appreciative smile before she turned her attention to the blond. "How're you..." Although he was smiling, the woman could instantly see the discomfort in his blue eyes; she could always see right through any facade of his.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Ribi-chan!" Naruto smiled sheepishly as he waved off her concern, soon turning his attention on the man that was accompanying his guardian. He narrowed his eyes as the tokubetsu jonin raised a brow, keeping the senbon right between his lips as he always did.

"I've gotta better question! Who the hell is this—Ow!"

"What did I tell you about cursing?"

"Ribi-chan!" As the boy whined and his caretaker glared at him, the others watched with amusement, Guy and Genma exchanging looks before Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Man, today's turned out to be more tiring than I planned it to be."

"Now that I think about it, what are you doing here, Shikamaru?" Karibi turned to the rather intelligent genin before he looked up at her with a raised brow.

"I was visiting Choji at the hospital and heard that Naruto was there too. So, I stopped by and paid him a visit. That's when he woke up." The jonin nodded, smiling gratefully at Naruto's friend before she placed a hand on top of his head.

"Thanks for looking after him while I was away."

"Hey! You still haven't answered my question! Who the heck is this guy?!"

"That's not how I taught you to address people." Slamming her fist into the back of his head once more, Karibi smirked at the cringing blond, who was rubbing the spot she had hit him. He let out a frustrated grunt, glancing at Genma once more—who remained completely composed, and almost a bit entertained at the scene before him.

"This is Genma Shirunai. He's the proctor for this last part of the exam."

"Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki. Heard a lot about you two." Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged quick glances at that, the louder boy of the two grinning. "Good luck to both of you tomorrow."

"Thanks! I'm ready for anything! I can't wait!"

"Che. Suit yourself. I'm dreading all the work this is gonna be." Karibi smirked at Shikamaru's laziness, placing her hands on her hips and chuckling.

"Why don't you two go along with Genma for some dumplings—on him!"

"Wha—"

"Awesome!" Naruto immediately skipped off towards the dumpling stand, his friend following behind at a more leisurely pace. And as the two genin went off, Genma looked back at Karibi with a vexed expression before he trudged after the children, grumbling under his breath; the woman owed him for this one.

Smiling, Karibi nodded before she turned to Guy, a sober look draping over her face. "Tell me. What happened at the hospital?"

§

She was torn between concern and rage. After hearing the account of what had happened with the Sand genin and Naruto and Shikamaru, Karibi had been close to finding the foreign examinee and disqualifying him on the spot; she had a few other more violent ideas of what she wanted to do to him but kept that to herself. But Guy had been able to talk her down. Although it took him time—seeing as the one person who normally dealt with her behaviors was gone—he was able to calm the woman down enough to stop her from making any rash decisions.

"Would you feel comfortable if I had someone stand at Lee's room door?" Guy smiled at the offer but shook his head.

"There's no need! I'll be there to watch over him for the time being. There's no reason to worry!" Karibi relaxed before she smiled tiredly and leaned back in her seat.

"If you need anything—"

"Of course. I truly appreciate your concern, Karibi." Said jonin chuckled before she glanced out from the tea shop and watched as Genma sat across from Naruto—Shikamaru having excused himself after he had eaten his fair share of dumplings. The woman smirked as her proctor-partner sighed, Naruto pointing his finger accusingly at him and giving him a suspicious look; no doubt, he was most likely warning the man to stay away from her "or else."

"At least he's in good spirits," the redhead mumbled softly before looking back to her friend. "With everything that's been going on, he hasn't really had a chance to process it all. And with the final part of the chunin exam tomorrow, I'm sure he's got a lot to think about." Karibi stared as Naruto snatched the last dumpling from the plate between himself and the proctor, popping it into his mouth while Genma scoffed and smirked at the kid. Guy followed her gaze before he smiled reassuringly.

"You're one for good words of advice, so I wouldn't be worried if I were you!" The older jonin stood to his feet, motioning for Karibi to follow. The kunoichi lingered behind, a worried look appearing for a fleeting moment before she forced herself to smile and follow after her companion.

"Ribi-chan!" Naruto beamed as his guardian approached him, the threat he had been making to the brunet across from him completely forgotten. "What were you two talking about?"

"Just catching up. Haven't been able to see much of Guy with training you and organizing this last part of the exam," Karibi explained evenly before she smiled at the older man. He smiled back while he wished Naruto good luck and headed on his way, the three left in his trail watching him go.

"Well, I'll head off, too." Karibi looked to Genma as he smiled to her and nodded, glancing to Naruto—who shot a heated glare at him but said nothing. "Good luck, kid."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The guardian to the stubborn blond rolled her eyes before she turned her full attention to the proctor.

"I'll see you in the morning. Make sure to grab those scrolls that I left on your desk."

"Right." Tossing a lazy wave over his shoulder, Genma began to stride away, leaving Karibi and Naruto to their own devices.

Looking up at Karibi suspiciously, the woman raised a brow at the genin before she shook her head. "What?"

"Don't tell me that weird guy's your boyfriend." Karibi laughed, walking ahead down the dirt path while Naruto swiftly followed alongside of her.

"Didn't I already tell you, I'm working with him for the exam. And, anyways, what problem would you have with him if he were my boyfriend?" Naruto's face scrunched and wrinkled at the thought, his tongue sticking out as a sign of disgust at the idea of his sister-like figure having a significant other.

"You could do better than that guy! Or any guy around here!" Karibi tried not to react as her thoughts wandered to her best friend; Naruto's minor sister-complex would prove to be an obstacle for the pair.

"Alright, short-stuff. Cool it. He's not my boyfriend, so you've got nothing to worry about, I swear." With a satisfied smile, Naruto nodded in approval, crossing his arms at his chest. Karibi scoffed but chuckled, feeling a bit flattered that he cared enough to object someone as her significant other.

"Since we've got the free time, and you still need to take time to recover from the last three days, why don't we check out this festival for a bit?"

"Oh, yeah!"

§

"First match should be Naruto and Neji. Then Sasuke and Gaara..." The name rolling off of her tongue made her blood run cold. Since Karibi had been told about the events that had happened in the hospital, she was weary of the Sand genin; she needed to keep a close eye on the boy. "Once that—" Looking up from the schedule she was writing out, the woman listened quietly. Her body remained stiff, her muscles completely flexed, as her ears twitched at the faint sound of scuffling from the other side of her bedroom door. Without a moment of hesitation, the kunoichi was up with a kunai in her hand. Walking all the balls of her feet, the 22-year-old silently opened her bedroom door. She gazed intently through the darkness of the night before she relaxed, tucking her weapon into the waistband of her shorts and stepping out of her bedroom.

"Naruto?" Flicking the light switch on, the woman winced at the way the light stung at her eyes. They were quick to adjust to the brightness of the room, spots of colors fading from her vision while they focused on the blond—who had been attempting to tip-toe towards the fridge. "What are you doing up? You need to be sleeping."

"I know, I know. But I just...I can't sleep..." Embarrassment was obvious by the way Naruto's cheeks reddened and by the way he avoided meeting her gaze. Karibi stared at the boy for a second before her gaze softened, a nostalgic feeling coming over her.

She had remembered having the same jitters when she had participated in the exams, herself.

"Come on." Pointing to the couch, the redhead began to make her way to the kitchen, Naruto taking a seat where he had been told to. He glanced over his shoulder curiously as his guardian pulled out a glass from the cupboard and a gallon of milk from the fridge.

"For someone who says they can't sleep, you look awfully tired." It was true. The genin had bags under his eyes and his skin was paler than usual. Not only that, but his pupils were small and his body moved sloppily; that was how she had been able to hear him in the first place.

Shrugging, the blond leaned back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

He had a lot on his mind. Not only was tomorrow his last chance to prove that he was ready to become a chunin, but he was going to be pit against Neji; the Hyuuga had already left a bitter taste in his mouth after his fight with Hinata. To top off all of the things he was already stressed about, what had happened in this hospital continued to haunt him; his encounter with Gaara had been frightening, to say the least. He'd never met someone who had such blood-lust before. The Sand genin was so void of emotions and feeling—and he was also the same as him.

He had a monster locked inside of himself.

"Here." Torn from his thoughts, Naruto found himself staring at a cup of milk. He smiled slightly and took the glass with a nod, sipping and letting out a satisfied hum; warm milk had always helped ease him to sleep.

"Thanks, Ribi-chan."

"Mmhmm." Watching fondly, Karibi smiled as the boy threw his head back and took a generous gulp of his milk. Her eyes drifted from his face and then to his hands, his knuckles faintly scarred from his previous training with her and Jiraiya.

"...You shouldn't worry so much about tomorrow. There's nothing you can do about it now." Naruto let out a pleased breath, finishing off his milk, and looked to Karibi. She smiled softly at him before turning her head and leaning back to gaze up at the ceiling. "You've trained hard and you've accomplished a lot."

"Yeah...I just..." He didn't want to fail. He wanted to keep his word to become chunin and then Hokage. He wanted to prove to everyone that this was something he could accomplish. And not just that, but he wanted to keep his word to Hinata; he wanted to beat Neji and throw his cruel words back in his face. But most importantly, he wanted to be able to keep up with his peers.

He wanted to keep up with Sasuke.

"Give it your all, and trust yourself. You've got what it takes to make it until the end." Naruto's eyes widened as he turned his head swiftly to look at the woman beside him. His blue eyes met her amethyst eyes, the two gazing at each other quietly. The jonin smiled ever so slightly as she watched the boy swallow the lump in his throat. He was silent, but there was so much he wanted to say—so much sitting on the tip of his tongue. But the normally extroverted boy suddenly found himself at a loss for the right words. And so, instead, he quickly averted his gaze to his lap, an overwhelming sensation of happiness consuming him.

"...Thanks, Ribi-chan. I'll make you proud, tomorrow!" Confused by the abrupt chuckle from Karibi, Naruto frowned as she leaned forward and lightly flicked him in the forehead. He winced at the shot of pain that spread from his forehead, fading like a static-shock.

"Idiot. I'm already proud of you."

§

The morning had come quickly for everyone. The village was bustling as everyone prepared for what was to come; the last part of the chunin exam. The sun beamed brightly in the sky, the breeze-less morning dry and warm.

"Oh, man. I'm tired." A certain blond pried his eyes open, yawning as he glanced to his alarm clock. He stared at the time, impressed with himself that he was able to get up as early as he had; he had promised Karibi he would.

Tearing himself from his blankets, the genin yawned once more, feeling tired yet energized all at once. He blamed the adrenaline for that as he rose to his feet, a chill running up his back as the bare bottoms of his feet planted themselves on the cold, hard-wood floor. With four, long strides, the blond was opening his bedroom door and peeking out of his room. He smiled widely at the plate of food that was left out for him, and with a happy grin, the young boy scurried over to the table to eat. Upon arriving to his seat, he paused, a note left for him beside his plate.

Good luck, short-stuff. Do your best, and as long as you can do that for me and yourself, I don't care what happens. I know you can do this. I'll see you at the stadium.

-Karibi

Naruto smiled softly before he slapped his hands together and shut his eyes. "Itadakimasu!" And then, he was guzzling his breakfast down.

§

"So, this is how the Kazekage rolls."

"Wow, he's got style."

"Will you two shut up!" Karibi glared back at Kotetsu and Izumi, the two chunin smiling sheepishly before they nodded and straightened up. The young woman nodded, pleased with their silence, before she turned back around to the arriving Kazekage.

The Kazekage had arrived just as the two chunin had said; in style. He had oxen pulling the quaint and cozy carriage. The trimming was a bright red and a vibrant green, the walls themselves a more bland beige color. Those not inside of the carriage walked along side it, dressed in formal kimono's for the event. And as they strolled into the Leaf, they held their heads up high and presented themselves with class and confidence.

Karibi stared at the carriage, a shiver running through her body at the ominous sensation that was settling inside of her; something was amiss. She kept her comments to herself, though, knowing that there was always a time and place for such issues. So, she continued standing with her back straight and her hands behind her back, a polite smile waiting as the carriage was finally stopped in front of the Hokage residence.

"Welcome, Kazekage-sama." Bowing, Karibi stared at the ground, her friendly expression erased for that short time-span. She gazed intently at the specks of dirt, calming her nerves before she stood back upright, the smile returning as quickly as it had gone. "My name is Karibi Uzumaki. On behalf of Hokage-sama, himself, and Konohagakure, I am here to assist you in any way you need," the jonin explained as the leader of Suna stepped out from his carriage and stood with his head held high, his face covered and his eyes left to gaze out at the world around him.

"Uzumaki-san. I've heard much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the Fourth Kazekage greeted, his voice smooth and deep; the woman nearly blushed at the way the richness of his voice made her shiver.

"I know you have your own shinobi to assist you, but please feel free to call upon me when you need to. As for Sandaime-sama, he's already waiting at the arena and giving directions for the preparations for the last part of the exam."

"Ah, yes. I'm interested in this year's turn-out of genin." The jonin nodded with a proud smile.

"I'd like to think that the genin are rather impressive."

"They must be to have made it this far."

Pleasantries with the Kazekage lasted for several more minutes before Karibi ordered Kotetsu and Izumi to get the oxen into the stables and to assist with any belongings that needed moving. With a sweet smile, the woman excused herself and quickly headed for the stadium, dust kicking up with every step she took. The pace of her heartbeat slowly began to quicken as the seconds ticked by, her mind realizing that the chunin exam would be over and soon, they would have the results of all who would pass and fail.

She was nervous for Naruto.

It wasn't as if she didn't have faith. No. If anything, she had no doubt in her mind that he could pass—and with flying colors. What she feared the most was what would happen to him once he passed. She was afraid of the kind of person he would become after climbing up the ladder. The world of shinobi was relentless and bitter, and the more she pondered on Naruto conforming to the lifestyle that was this life, the more her stomach began to flip and apprehension overwhelmed her. She didn't want him to suffer. She didn't want his bright eyes to darken.

All she wanted was for him to be happy.

Rubbing her eyes, Karibi let out an exasperated breath before she entered the stadium and headed towards the stairs. Immediately, she took note of the way seats began to fill ever so quickly while other genin slowly began to arrive. The woman smiled at the familiar faces that appeared in the stands—Guy with Tenten, Sakura and Ino. Kurenai and Asuma had shown up together, both standing closer than those who shared a platonic relationship normally did and their hands brushing ever so often; that made the redhead smile.

"Decided to finally show up."

"Sorry I'm late. Taking care of the Kazekage took longer than I had thought it would." With two strides, Karibi was beside Genma—who chewed on one end of a senbon. Swiftly, the younger shinobi pulled out a piece of parchment from her pouch and held it out to her comrade, the man taking it without hesitation and reading it over.

"That's the schedule of who fights and when."

"Looks like the kid's first." Amethyst eyes gleamed for a moment.

"Yeah. He is."

"You ever seen a guy like Neji Hyuuga fight before?" Genma inquired curiously while he looked up from the schedule to meet Karibi's composed face.

"I have." Nothing else was said between the two. Genma could sense the tension that was building inside of his partner, so he made sure to remain silent while reviewing the schedule. Karibi merely stood beside him and waited patiently for the older shinobi to finish. And when he was finally done, he looked up and pulled the senbon from his lips twirling it gracefully between his fingers.

"This is it then, yeah?" With a confident smirk, Karibi nodded.

"Yeah, looks like this is the end."

Little did anyone know, this day was only just the beginning.

Hi again! Very proud of how quickly I was able to get this update in. I've found a sense of motivation to continue writing and keeping up with this story. I'm excited about where we are in the "Naruto" plot and just how things are going to unfold with Karibi thrown into the mix! It's going to be interesting, to say the least! And I hope that whoever is reading this enjoys how everything plays out :D

Just as an FYI. I just posted another little companion story to this series. It takes place during the second part of the chunin exam—mostly centered around our favorite Kakashi and our least favorite Orochimaru LOL Take a peek if you're interested! It's nothing to detrimental to the plot, so it's not a required read in order to continue with this story! Just something that popped into my head that I wanted to post!

As usual, I wanted to take moment to thank everyone who's been reading this story! I work hard and really do enjoy writing this, so I hope that shows in the chapters that post! I appreciate all of the support and the encouraging words that readers have shared :) I can only hope that you all, whoever you are, continue to read and enjoy!

Thanks again!

Reviews:

WindyCitySlayer1: Thank you for reading! I'm really pleased with myself in regards to how I've been updating without such a long wait between chapters! And I hope that you continue to enjoy this story and read :) Thank you, again, for reading and for leaving a review!

bored411: Hi there! Yes, Jiraiya and Karibi's relationship is...it's pretty much like you said! I think it's just a natural dynamic that's been created between them now that they are sort of on the same page with the past and with Naruto. But I'm glad to hear that you like things so far! There is going to be quite a bit more Jiraiya and Karibi in the future, so hopefully you'll like how that develops! As for her finally talking with Naruto about things...only future chapters will tell ;) Thank you very much for reviewing!

AragakiYuki: You are right! It had been a while since the last time I updated. There were a lot of factors that went into that little hiatus—mostly writer's block LOL but a few other personal things too that I was trying to balance. And now that things are settled and I'm over the blockage, we can continue with smooth sailing! I'm really glad to hear that you like this story thus far! And with things that are to come in the future, I really do hope that you'll like it! There's so much ahead for Karibi and everyone :D thank you so much!

thebeezekneeze: It is actually great to be back! Thank you so much for your patience while I worked the kinks out of my writing block and life LOL I promise to try not to disappear on this story for that long again...we'll see what the future holds for my writing brain XD I think a lot of this part of the story and even in the future part of the story—with Itachi and Kisame coming into the picture—is going to be a time of reflection for Karibi and things with Naruto. Without spoiling anything, I think that these upcoming chapters will be important for Karibi and Naruto! In the original series, things were happening so quick and back to back, so who knows what's going to really happen for them! I'm truly relieved to know you are liking this story so far, and I really do appreciate your patience with me! Thank you so much for reading!

NaFemaleGen: Hello! I am so glad to see that you are reading and like this story so far! I'm the type of reader that likes to get attached to characters and plots, so to hear that you are emotionally involved actually makes me super happy :D Thank you so much! I hope that as the story progresses and Karibi and other characters grow, that you'll continue to enjoy reading about it! I wasn't entirely sure who you were talking about in regards to the dependable relationship (my assumption is with our dear Kakashi LOL). Between Kakashi and Karibi, with their history and past together, I think it only make sense that they are able to lean on each other and understand each other to the degree that they do! And I'm glad you see that and understand that! If you continue reading, I do hope that you continue to like chapters! Thank you very much for taking the time to read!